As Osu began to give his analysis of the curse marks that he shown, he quickly began enumerating the things he needed. Remembering that one time Kiri had came to this apartment to get that thing on his head– that which he had to gather the said items at Osu’s citation while the latter would be preparing something– he quickly got up and started to collect the materials. Though, to be honest, he had a few moment of thinking twice when he was realizing that these so-called materials are rather… suspicious. Would he have another mysterious thing within his body? He did give Osu a few odd looks when he heard about some daimyo’s ancestral tomb and some student’s remorseful thesis or something. He sighed and nodded the same. He knew better than to doubt Osu’s judgment. Besides, he needed to find a way to stabilize his current predicament.
Upon bringing the materials back, he waited for Osu. There was a moment where they had a brief break for dinner, of which he got a nice serving of family meal. He kept glancing at the twins who were very much having a good time, probably already forgetting about the whole ordeal not too long ago. Then again, they seemed to have a good sense of how to hide these things. But perhaps what made him a little apprehensive were Chiai’s remarks about him staying as is. Luckily, Osu thought best not to agree with it, and soon enough, they were back to work.
When things were finally ready, Kiri couldn’t help but feel a little on the edge. He then followed Osu’s directions and went to the middle, right where all the scrolls overlapped. Last time, he had to endure a surgery-like process. This time, he hoped it would be better and with less aftereffects. Actually, as long as it helped him, he didn’t really mind – he thought. Taking in a couple of deep breaths, he then looked up to Osu and gave the thumbs up. It was now or never.
Instantly, the calligraphy marks on the scroll came alive. Kiri was a little surprised but remained still as he watched them move and etch upon his skin. He was about to move when Osu said not to smudge them, so he fought back the urge to do any unnecessary movements. Still, he must admit that it was a bit ticklish at first, feeling the slight presence of an unknown chakra hovering just above his skin. Hearing the rest of Osu’s instructions, Kiri closed his eyes and slowly began to even out his breathing. He slowly began to clear his thoughts, feeling nothing but the flow of his chakra and seemingly bringing it to a focal point at his head where that mysterious blood beed was. Then, he would let it trail all over his body, letting his chakra flow across like blood in his veins.
As he concentrated on the feeling, he couldn’t help but feel slightly light headed. He was slightly worried that he would suddenly fall backwards, or sidewards, or even forward, but he allowed himself to retain the posture. He focused on the swirling of his chakra just to keep his mind free. But soon enough, he found himself standing in a place he knew all too well.
“What are you doing?” asked a voice all too familiar.
Immediately, Kiri opened his eyes and found himself in the middle of a gray field. Here, he was floating and so he was a bit scared he’d fall. But then, he quickly remembered how to stabilize his footing and glanced around for who spoke. He knew he was in his soulscape. But this was a completely different place altogether. It was neither the white void nor the cold darkness. It was almost as if it was in between, nothing but gray, the light dancing in strange waves that made his eyes hurt and took a while before he could concentrate.
Then, before him, an entity would gradually appear, as if his entire body was made of air that slowly took form. He would have been in shock to see his face looking back at him, but he wasn’t. Somehow, Kiri felt as if he expected it already. Then the world turned upside down, so that their eyes met but they stood from opposite ways. It was a bit nauseating at first until the said presence reached out a hand to poke him on the forehead. Immediately, Kiri felt a resonance as the red bead materialized on the spot where he was touched.
“Somehow, it feels as though I owe you an apology,” said Kiri.
“Oh really? For what? Leaving me here all alone?” the other Kiri smirked. “We both know you had it better when you forgot everything.”
“Did I?” Kiri paused for a moment before he reached for a his head. Then, he remembered his current predicament and looked at his hand. It wasn’t that of a child’s. He was an adult once more. “Did it work?”
“No,” answered the other so briefly. “Moro’s curse was blessing gone wrong. He didn’t mean it, but you, as a Hasegawa, had naturally, if not unconsciously, tampered with it. So even if you try some fancy method with Osu, it won’t work.”
“Then, are you saying I’m lost? Wait… did I die?”
“Don’t be silly. You’re still very much alive. A soulscape collapses when the vessel expires.”
“Then why am I here?”
“I don’t know. You’re the one who came barging in.” The other Kiri crossed his arms and with an accusing stare, looked very much annoyed at Kiri. “Rude as always. Never one to announce his coming and going. Really… you’re nothing but a spoiled brat.”
Kiri wanted to argue but found it in him that he couldn’t. Instead, the more he tried to think on the other’s words, the more he felt certain memories were forming in his head. Like small spheres of visual imagery flashing were gathering and collecting around him. And in each instance they overlapped along his line of sight, he saw a different reflection of the other Kiri. At first, there was a dark entity, almost akin to a creature so large and terrifyingly dark that mist of shadows wrapped around it. But then, it would disappear as the spheres moved away. Like dancing entities of their own, each one revolves around him disappearing upon contact with his skin, giving him a light refreshing prickling sensation.
“I see. I remember,” said Kiri as he looked back at the other Kiri. There was one important difference, the color of his eyes were stark red. As far as Kiri was concerned, his own eyes had already changed into gold the moment he inherited the curse from Hogosha in the past. That only meant that this presence before him was that being that resided in his soul before. “But I thought-”
“You thought right. The beast that dwelled inside your soul was indeed the beast of ruin, your brother’s own soul. But didn’t you ever wonder why I existed still? That beast has since died as you freed your brother’s soul. And yet I’m still here. You simply forgot that I’ve been waiting here, ever since you tried to kill yourself that night.”
Alarmed by this, Kiri got a bit defensive. He didn’t want to talk about that night, seeing as how it reminded him of his weakness, as well as a mistake that had set him on an unchangeable path. “Then, who are you?” But even as he asked, he seemed to know. If there were two entities inside him ever since, what was it? Wasn’t he a defect from the beginning? Wasn’t it the reason why he was exiled and left for dead by his clan? Because he only had the beast of ruin? If so, why and who was this before him?
“I think you know,” said the other Kiri, sighing with great effort as the world turned again and they stood before the other in right order and the other Kiri was reached out to embrace Kiri. “I’ve always been there, ever since the night you came into this world, from your first cry to lowest moments. I was always there to try and make sense of the world for you because you’re oddly stupid and childish.”
That didn’t make sense at all– Kiri thought as he pushed against the other. Frowning, he looked at the red eyes that bore at him, before finally it dawned into him as Hogosha’s voice echoed in his mind: “So far, only one has ever inherited the Hasegawa’s true curse, one that was created by my dear friend Ishikiri. And that is you, Kiri. You, who possessed more than one soul from the beginning.”
Gasping, Kiri took a step back, as the words echoed again and again. “Wait. When Hogosha said that I had more than one soul, he wasn’t talking about my brother’s, was he? He meant you?”
Nodding, the red-eyed Kiri seemed to be in agreement of the revelation. He then placed his hands before his chest as chakra began to gather, forming, shaping itself into crystal-like entity, red in color but also translucent. Kir swore he’d seen something like that before.
“Anyway, I, myself, don’t know much of why I exist, but that doesn’t matter. What matters for me is that all this time I had a very picky, stubborn vessel who doesn’t seem like he can get a break from anything. All the more reason why I can’t ever let you be on your own. Now, more than ever, I need to be here to keep you alive,” said the other Kiri as the crystal compacted further and further until it became a small bead-like object and then shot towards Kiri’s head. “There, just as the original purpose was meant to be. I can now be one with you.”
Kiri raised a hand to touch his head and felt the small bead protruding from his skin, all the while keeping his eyes on this strange entity who claimed to be his second soul. He would surely have to talk with Hogosha and Yakujou about this to learn more, but for now, somehow he felt at ease. “So, how should I call you then? I mean, it sounds as if you were left by Ishikiri and to whoever from the Hasegawa inherited your soul, you’d be there, but still, I’m certain that you did have a name at one time.”
“You already know. You already called me, I think,” the other grinned, confusing Kiri all the more.
“What? But I saw the memory of that day, you weren’t there, and you couldn’t possibly be Ishikiri, so…” Kiri paused as he let his thoughts flow. Judging from what was said just now: a cursed of the Hasegawa clans created by Ishikiri to be inherited and one that would be known to both Hogosha and Yakujou… It was all too much information from different perspectives trying to come together. It was almost as if it was forcing itself just to make sense. And yet, it did makes sense. It felt so. The thing was, it was almost as if there was something that was trying to stop it from making sense.
“You know, Ishikiri was never part of the clan begin with. He had his own, and he was of nobility but also of the omnyouji. That’s why he knew of the ancient curses and the way to protect Hogosha and Yakujou’s soul. But to do so, there’s always a focal point, as with every curse. And in order for that curse to be inherited, this focal point must be one capable of being the origin.” This time, the other Kiri’s tone was serious. At that point, there was a strange pulsating chakra emitting from Kiri’s head, from the bead to be precise. Each pulse sent a wave that made the gray world ripple around them. “It takes a thousand years, precisely that long, to have a perfect reincarnation of body and soul, that transcends realms of the living and the dead. They were all optimistic. I was the skeptical one. But the promise was that when the time came, I would make sure their legacies lived on and I would protect everything that was left behind.”
There was a trembling in his heart as the last words were spoken and Kiri can’t help but grin and clench his fist. The pulsating chakra wasn’t helping at all, making him surge with much energy that he was scared if he suddenly moved, he would let out a ripple unintentionally. And yet, he kept a good long look at the other before him, seemingly burning the image in his mind and soul.
“Yes, I think I remember now, as those memories are forming inside your head. There was never a Hasegawa Clan to begin with, but all things have their origins. And I suppose, we can both conclude that I was the very first one. Right? Oh right, I was. Ahahaha,” he then began to chuckle like an old man would, before regaining his composure and looking back at Kiri. “Yeah, I think I remember now. My name was… well, still is… Hasegawa, and I was their little group– the Tenka Gouken’s confidant. And you… are the me of the present day. The thousand year cycle has bore fruit. Looks like their optimism prevailed.”
As the pulsing chakra grew stronger, a large wave erupted and Kiri felt like he was being flung away. He blinked and when he came to, he was back in Osu’s apartment, still standing, but there was now a strange feeling in him as his chakra suddenly surged, blowing the scrolls aside and making quite a mess, no doubt, of the apartment. When it stopped, he felt falling forward as his body ached, bones seemingly forcing their way to grow, feeling clicks and clacks, that made him cry. It was brief, but it was agonizing. Still, by the time it ended, he was still a child. Evidently more older than he was when he arrived to that apartment for help, but still a child. There was different thought, his chakra may have materialised unknowingly and stuck out from his back in translucent wings before they disappeared at once. It may have looked like mirage to some, but Kiri saw it even briefly before his forced his eyes shut as he felt a sudden wave of heat overcome him. It was like his body was burning and his energy depleted from his muscles as he lay on the ground, panting. The only consolation was the cold floor seemingly wanting to lull him to sleep.
[MFT: 2,556]
