Ichigo sighed frustrated.
That visit didn't help at all, if anything it just brought more unanswered questions and problems.
For example, what or who really was sealed inside that sword.
It seemed that his apprentice was musing about the same things when he spoke.
"What do you think she meant with a demon created by humanities depravity?"
"Either just what she said, that it is an evil being that has been given birth to by humans evilness, or that it was a human, driven mad by the rotten environment around him who became so vicious that he earned himself the title of a demon."
Hanatarou nodded and after a while he added.
"Then you don't clearly know either, what it is. That reminds me. You never said that the sword also affected you."
Ichigo stared straight ahead, letting the words bounce off him as it seemed, but after some minutes he eventually spoke.
"It's unlike the pain she felt, and that sticky feeling you once described to me. When I look down to my feet, I see them standing in a red puddle, that follows me everywhere and many voices whisper and cry of their endless agony inside my head. In the beginning it nearly drove me insane, but over time I got used to it."
"Why is our experience, while holding onto that sword so different?"
"It depends on the purity of your heart. The more it is soiled, the better it can influence you and weren't it for the seals, possess you. Your pureness exceeds everything I've seen so far. Even after what I did your heart didn't drown in desperation or lust. I for a thing, am not really suited to act as a monk. No cleansing ritual can wash away the impurity deep in my heart, that is why the sword constantly shows me these horrid images."
They walked on in silence after that, for a long time, each thinking about the things told and heard and the current situation.
"Where shall we go now? You haven't gotten any clue on what you wanted here so far, have you?"
Hanatarou asked the monk once they were closing in on a big temple.
"No, but maybe going there will help."
The temple they were heading to was the biggest in Kyoto, the Nishi Hongan-ji, and to their surprise the building was almost unscathed by the fire.
They entered the wide area, where no one else roamed in, which seemed unusual for Kyoto's current state.
Only after they had looked around for a while, they crossed paths with another person.
"Hey you, This place is closed for public."
The person came closer while asking.
"Are you travelers? When you came to pray I have to disappoint you. This shrine is now the headquarters of the Shinsengumi."
Ichigo had held his head as deep as he could to hide his face under the hat.
Still, when he heard that name come from the strangers lips, who obviously had to be one of them, his own wouldn't stay shut.
"Tch. Shit."
"Sorry? Did you say something?"
The officer came closer and bend a bit to look under Ichigos hat.
Just when his eyes caught sight of the orangettes tips of hair, the monk reacted.
He hit the Shinsengumi officer under the chin and made him stumble back in pain and land on his buttocks.
While rubbing his aching chin, the man yelled.
"Ronin! He's here!"
At the same time Ichigo spun around and sprinted off, dragging Hanatarou after him.
"Run!"
The Shinsengumi were after them again and wouldn't let themselves get shaken off.
Hanatarou noticed how tense Ichigo was and heard him grumble something.
"Damn wolves, do they think they can take me on just because they're in a pack?"
Suddenly the orangette stopped, the youth followed his lead but got called to.
"Get outta here! You're just in the way."
That was unlike the monk.
He seemed different somehow since they left that Kuukakus place.
Hanatarou still followed the order and hid somewhere nearby.
The Shinsengumi soon caught up to them, and Ichigo took the package from his back, taking the sword out of it.
As distraction, he threw the Kimono it had been wrapped in at the officers to blind them momentarily.
The monk took his stance, trying to draw the sword, but the binding on it stopped that action.
"Why can't I draw?"
He eyed the sword from the corners of his eyes and cursed.
"Oh that damn...Whoops!"
A blade was swung at him and he just barely dodged it, before he rammed the hilt of his own into the stomach of his attacker.
That was one down.
"You're lucky today. Since I can't use this beauty you're getting away with your lives."
The officers ignored his words and just tried to cut him down.
Ichigo though, always dodged their strikes and looked like he was having fun teasing them all the while.
Eventually though he got bored and knocked the officers out, one after another, with a single strike of his sheathed sword.
As they all were down, the one he first knocked out, slowly came to it again.
He stared up to Ichigo with a blurry sight and noticed him stopping for a moment, his eyes dulling just for the blink of an eye.
Afterward the monk looked around himself shortly, before he ran again.
Hanatarou followed him once Ichigo passed by him and asked what happened.
Ichigo kept silent before he dodged the question with the same vague answer he had given, when they encountered the thieves in the forest.
Both ran, until they were about a mile outside of the town.
The monk looked at the sword in his hand and just noticed the damage on one of the seals.
He prayed that he was just overreacting now, but he thought they would just get in even deeper shit if he didn't hurry.
"Your staff, we forgot it."
"To hell with that! More importantly, I have to get back to the temple. Fast."
Hanatarou looked up, shocked.
"What?"
Ichigo showed him the sword.
"The seal got broken and the supports won't hold for very long. I need a new seal."
"What do you mean? All those things are just decoration?"
The monk shook his head.
"No, they are like the roots of a tree. One is the main root and the others are smaller ones, that collect the energy and carry it toward the big one. When the main root is destroyed, the small ones carry on for as long as they can, but eventually everything will die."
Hanatarou began to pace around.
"You mean, a single seal is holding down that thing and you don't have a spare one with you in case something happens to it? We can't just go back there. They will catch us and execute you because of that stupid piece of iron."
"First, that seal needs a special ritual, and holy soil. Second I will go back alone, no arguments. When I'm not back till the morning don't come looking for me."
"But."
"You have your own life. Make something of it."
The monk turned around, watching the sun setting behind the town.
"When it's dark I'll sneak inside. Go look for a place to stay for the night. I'll be back at sunrise."
He walked away, and as he did he heard a faint voice.
"Ichigo..."
Chapter 8
End
Facts:
The Fire mentioned → The Great Genji fire, occured 1864 (Genji 1)
Nishi Hongan-ji → became Shinsengumi headquarters in 1865 (Keio 1)
Regarding that, I changed a historical fact, since I needed it for the story. No flaming please.
