Shounen Onmyouji Vol 9 Chapter 1

That person was tall.

His back was facing the sunlight, and he was much taller than herself.

"Little girl, could I ask you for a favour?"

Due to the shadows casted on the man's face when his back was facing the sunlight, she could not see his face clearly. She could see his lips moving slightly though, but she could not see how he looked like.

Her mother had told her not to approach strangers, so she knew that she shouldn't walk towards the man. She knew that she should leave.

Yet, before she realised,  she had walked closer to the man.  

" What do you want me to do?" the little girl asked.

The man raised his finger and said, "look over there...."

She turned her head and saw a delapitated temple. The door seem as if it could fall off any time.

Then she recalled that the elders had told her never to go near there.

"Could you help me open the door?"

The little girl froze.

She had been told not to go near there. This, together with her fear of the place means that she had never been close to the temple before. Even by looking at the temple from afar, she felt as if there was a tingling sensation creeping up from her feet.

So she slowly shake her head and said no. She felt really uncomfortable, and wanted to go home. However, her feet would not move.

The man then gently repeated "Open the door, take out..."

She felt giddy, as if her surroundings were misty. She did not know what she was doing anymore.

"Right. Take it out...good child."

The lips had curl into a smile.

There was no expression on the little girl's face as she walked towards the temple...

1.

The night was silent.

He held his breathe and opened his eyes.

He did not know when he ended up in this place.

But he knew that this wasn't the real world and it wasn't the realm where the twelve spirit summons live.

Looking around, he sigh, "What a clear dream."

He blinked his eyes a few times when he heard his voice. Looking down, he realised that his hands, supposedly thin and boney, looked much more younger with supple skin. **(like the hands of young people.i don't really know how to translate this part)

He smiled.

This was how he looked like in the past. When he was with "her"

This was a dream and dreams reflects what people wish for.

"..." he raised his eyebrows. The wind seemed to be blowing from nowhere.

Not long later, in the direction where he was looking, a gray-white substance suddenly emerged.

It became bigger and bigger...

Then it became clearer as the shape of a person formed.

He recognised who it was and called out to her.

"Wakana..."

He realised what the gray white substance was. It was smoke. Smole and flames. While he could not feel the heat, the dancing flames separated them.

"My Husband..."

He repressed his urge to run towards her. That flame should be the barrier separating life and death. If he walk one step further towards the flame, Wakana may just dissappear. At least that's what he thought.

Wakana stood behind the flames, sadly tilting her head to the side.

"Ah.. I'm sorry that I was not stronger. I tried to send the child back... but it was not enough..."

Wakana covered her face.

"Sorry... In order to bring Masahiro back, I have to hand over that something that was really important to him..."

That was something that Masahiro cannot live without. He must not lose it.

In order to save Guren, that child gave up his life. Yet she did what she could possibly do, to bring him back.

And to do so...

"No. You did great..."

Looking at the flames again, he saw a small form lying within the flames.

Then he realised that the flames wasn't meant to separate them. The child in the flames look as if he was completely going to be burnt to ashes.

He raise his hands and reach for the flame. It wasn't hot. It was freezing cold.

The cold was going to take the child's life away.

"If that child really did die... then it means that I'm really powerless...sorry. Sorry."

The way she cried was just like in the past.

Then, she said that she could not cook because she was afraid of the heat. He wanted to let the twelve spirit summons stay but she said that she was scared of the auras they emit. Besides that, she was also afraid of the fact that they looked like humans, but were not humans.

Everybody knew that she did not do it on purpose. That's why the twelve spirits summons, while bothered, were never angry at her. People did call other unworldy objects "ghost", so the twelve spirit summons were simply "ghosts" in these people's eyes.

"I can't talk for long. I requested many times before he allowed me to come and talk to you"

Who?

Wakana sensed what her husband was thinking and said "It was not allowed. But he is an understanding person... so he let me come."

"What you are saying is..."

"The officer guarding the river. He allowed to stay on the sh.o.r.e and not cross the river."

The guards of h.e.l.l always look around to see if there were any souls left behind. So when Wakana died of illness, she should have already crossed the river.

However, she stay at the cold dark sh.o.r.e.

She was afraid that if she had crossed the river, she would not be able to see Seimei again. She left him behind, so at least she should stay and wait for him. If not her husband would be sad and lonely. Perhaps even angry?

Wakana remembered Seimei holding her hands tightly. Staring, looking at her deeply as his lips trembled. Slowly, she could not see his face clearly anymore, but she noticed the streak of tear flowing down her husband's face. This had made her more determined to stay and wait for him, even if it means getting scolded by the guards.

However, one fierce guard had approached her and forced her to cross the river.

Only one man stoped the guard. He had aceeded to her request.

" I admire your determination and perseverance. Stay for as long as you like. I'll report this to the higher ranking officials."

The kind man even allowed her to gaze on her famiy through the river waters for fear that she would be too bored.

"That's why...I knew that the child had came with both his determination and sadness. I had to help him."

The guards had only allowed her to stay there. They didn't say that she could return and cross the river, even if all her family members had already done so. Perhaps this was a punishment to her. Punis.h.i.+ng her for breaking the rules of the dead.

Thinking of that, Seimei  became more worried.

Wakana smiled gently and said "This is my choice...you don't have to worry...but I'll tell you one thing. The guards on patrol  are really scary. Just having them come close to me... I would be so sad that i think i could cry any moment."

Of course she knew that the guards were checking to see of she was in any imminent danger. But in the darkness, where she can only hear the sounds of the river waters, the sound of footsteps still made her scared.

When she knew that her son was going to lose his son, she pleaded with the guards. She did not want Yos.h.i.+masa, her youngest son, who had lost his mother at such a young age, to lose his youngest son.

"Please, let the child live. Masahiro has only lived for thirteen years. Iknow Yos.h.i.+masa would be sad if he left. And...and.. Masahiro has experienced so many different things in live. I'm sure that if you let him live, he will contribute much to mankind."

That's right. It was Masahiro's own choice. But she was sure that Masahiro wouldn't want it to turn out that way too.

He was only trying to protect what he holds so dear.

Seimei closed his eyes. He remebered the night when Masahiro decided to talk to him. Remembered the night when his grandson talked about his dreams and wishes, and how he was so strong to make that decision.

Yet the child who has never fully been able to grow into an adult, was lying in the cold blue flames.

"I really hoped that I could send him back as a whole... but the guards say that he has to pay a price for it."

They could return him his life. But the price was the next most important thing that he has.

"You will hold on to it, and make sure never to return it to him," the guard said "if you do so, you would be banished to the depths of h.e.l.l and the man you loved will too have to pay the price."

That was the punishment for breaking the rules.

Seimei shook his head.

"How could it..."

He was so sad that he cannot find any words to say. But Wakana looked at him calmly and said, "how could it be so cruel and unhumane, is that what you are trying to say?"

She continued, "no, no... he has already done much for me. If not Masahiro would have already died and never return again."

She understand that even if her soul was to be eliminated, she alone is unable to bring the child back. That's why...that's why they had to pay a price fot it.

"Masahiro will lose the light that had been guiding him through his life and he would have to search for it through the darkness."

The form of the child lying in the flames. It was Masahiro's heart.slowly but surely, his heart would be consumed by the flames and he would find himself to be in darkness.

"Don't worry. That child, he would be fine. He is not that weak. Besides, I'll be here with him... so, please stop crying."

"I have exorcised the demons and warn the rest not to come again. And... I'll set up a barrier around the house, so that the scary things would not enter...so..."

"Please stop crying" Seimei thought.

The memories from her past seem to have resurfaced and then dissappear. It made Wakana sad, yet it was memories that she held dear. She smiled again.

The Seimei she had remembered, was stubborn, egoistic, a bit clumsy, the silent type who didn't really talk much. But, he was someone who was loyal, who treasure the past, more than anyone whom she had known.

Wakana wiped her tears.

"You may be angry if I said this. But to be able to see my grandson who I thought i would never be able to see, to hug him. I am kind of happy. There was many things that i had wanted to ask about you... but I held back and send the child back. And suddenly, I felt relieved."

The flames were still burning the child both Seimei and Wakana loved.Seimei then realised, that wasn't an illusion, but a premonition.

Wakana heaved a sigh of relieved after seeing the change in Seimei's expression. That was why she was here to say, to warn him about what was going to happen to Masahiro.

"I have to leave."

"Back to the dark, silent place?"

"Yes my dear Seimei."

She said the name of her dear husband for one last time, then closed her eyes.

" It was I who wanted to wait for you... even if the place is dark and quiet... that's why..."

Seimei understood what she was trying to say

" Stubbornly leaving me behind, Stubbornly waiting for me. You still haven't changed. You still like to do things your way."

He wanted to touch her hair, but he could not do so. This was the boundary that separated life and death. If he were to cross the boundary, the guards may not allow them to meet again.

The flames disappear and darkness set in again.

In the silence of the night, Seimei said to himself, "Sorry, but for now, I still can't meet you there."

To saved someone he treasure, Masahiro gave up his life.

To get back his life, he lost something that was important to him. It was the punishment for breaking the rules.

But even so... "you still want to redeem him bac don't you?" Seimei thought.

"So do I."