His wife hasn't return after leaving her child at home to pick vegetables growing in the wild.

Their child has gone missing since she went out in the morning to play.

When the other villagers have heard the news and started searching for them, it was already night time.

The men were holding on to flaming torches, and the rest of the villages were separated into a few groups to search along the sh.o.r.e.

Just when the village elder started to comfort the anxious mother and the pair of brothers who were waiting for their mother, the villagers found the two of them.

The two were just lying close to the shrine where the villagers were told repeatedly not to go near to. The villagers who were searching for them did not want to be near the shrine, but they have little choice.

As they approached the shrine, they realistic that the shrine that was originally situated there has collapsed. They were all shocked.

"How...how did it..?"

The lady and the little girl lying on the ground did not move, and the men carried them up with antic.i.p.ation. They were afraid that the two had died, but they soon realized that the two were still breathing. They had only pa.s.sed out.

The men heaved a sigh of relieve. One was carrying the little girl and another was carrying the lady. Just as they were about to leave, they saw one man standing in front of the shrine. He was not moving.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

The man looked around timidly and said "where was the thing that was wors.h.i.+pped here?"

The man had gone to this place when he was young, and contracted a strange disease.

The shrine has collapsed. There were only some tiles found. The doors were thrown off into a distance and the destruction seemed to come from within the shrine. The creepy place did not felt scary any more. Was it because the shrine has been destroyed?

Then, someone said impatiently "Let's go! If we do not bring them back soon, I'm not sure if they will make it."

"Oh....coming."

That man turned around and joined his teammates, who had already walked away.

Just beneath the collapsed shrine was a white stone that was broken into half.

When all the people had left, a shadow appeared. As the shadow was appearing, the wind became still. There was an eerie silence.

"Sigh. This has wasted much of my strength." The voice in the dark cursed.

"But just as well. Luckily, there are p.a.w.ns that I can use currently. Now I just have to wait for the demons that were released to wreak havoc in the area."

In the darkness there was an eerie laughter.

"Then I can also force that guy to come out of hiding..."

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He didn't like the night.

He would dream if he sleeps. It would be good if he could forget those dreams, but most of the time, he remembers them. Because he didn't want to dream, he would sometimes pretend to sleep until dawn, and yawn throughout the day. However, this was not good for his body, and so he still had to sleep a bit at night. Then he would dream, again and again.

The charcoal that was placed in the pit still felt hot even though it was not burning anymore.

Masahiro laid on a straw mat and covered himself with a s.h.i.+rt (I supposed it's the kind of cloth they always wear around the shoulders when it's cold, but I don't know what it is called). That was his own s.h.i.+rt. He heard that Taiin had retrieved it from his room for him. Since it was cold at night, he pull the s.h.i.+rt closer to himself and lay on his side.

His eyes had already got use to the darkness, but it was so dark that it was difficult to see even the outline of objects and people. The hut was small. Hence, besides the wooden door, there was only one opening. It was supposed to be the window.  

During the night, the s.h.i.+nshou would be invisible. They will also hide their spiritual energy. This makes Masahiro wonder if they had returned to their own realm.

When he closed his eyes, he would see a scene. There were red and white colours. There was also a shadow near the river bay.

Suddenly, he felt a breeze.

It was a reflex action and he turned his head around. Then he saw a white creature not far away. He didn't felt its aura just now, so the creature had probably open the door only slightly and crept in.

The creature felt him looking at itself and snapped "What?"

The voice was cold and emotionless.

---"Huh? What's the matter?" Masahiro remembered the same voice from the past. His eyes flutter.

The creature couldn't stand the silence and Masahiro looking at him with such a sad expression, so it said coldly " It's annoying."

Masahiro's heart skip a beat, he anxiously reply "I'm sorry, I didn't do it on purpose..."

The creature turned away.

Its true form was the s.h.i.+nshou Touda, so the coldness of the night had little effect on it. Masahiro remembered that even in the coldest nights, he would walked around like it was nothing. Sometimes, it would stand on its hind legs and look at Masahiro, blinking its red coloured eyes.

----"Hmp. You might catch a cold if the weather is too chilly. Better wear more clothes, okay?" Masahiro immediately held his s.h.i.+rt closer to himself and curl his knees closer to his body, like a foetus.

This was his choice after all.

Even though it rarely talks to him, it was alright as long as it was still alive. The creature was only here because it was Seimei's orders. But that was good as well. As long as he could see the creature, which only comes close to him at night, he felt comforted.

It was only at night, since the rest of the s.h.i.+nshou with Masahiro are not there. Strictly speaking though, they should still be close to him. Since they had to protect Masahiro, they would not leave the place. It was just that they had concealed themselves.

Still, when the s.h.i.+nshou were close to him, the creature will not be near. Perhaps he was sure that there were others protecting Masahiro, hence there was no need for it to be near.

Recently, as long as the creature was nearby, Taiin would feel really uncomfortable and s.h.i.+ft around. Once the creature was gone, Taiin would immediately relax and heave a sigh of relieve.

"You can't sleep?" said a low voice. Masahiro looked up from the s.h.i.+rt covering his face.

When the creature left earlier, he didn't close the door fully. Through the moon light, Masahiro saw a pair of legs. One was crossed and another was stretched out. Then, he saw Kochin's face. So she had been there.

The wind was blowing on her sleek back hair as she eyed Masahiro.

Masahiro stood up and reply "Um, Because I will dream."

Kochin has specially shown herself so as to talk to him.

If it was Rikugo, he would have kept quiet. If it were Taiin or Genbu, they may not know what to talk about, and ending up keeping quiet all the same.

Kochin—this s.h.i.+nshou was rarely seen in the past. However, over the last six months, he became more familiar with her and understood her personality.

She was the kind who would take a step back to get a look at the whole picture, then a.n.a.lyse what to do next. In battle, she was a ferocious fighter. However, at other times, she was usually quiet and dependable. She was very different from Rikugo. Rikugo tends to be more conservative and usually do not express his opinions. In contrast, Kochin would state her opinions clearly. Since she was good with her choice of words, Masahiro is not bothered by Kochin expressing her opinions. This was the kind of person Kochin was.

Yet, she was a s.h.i.+nshou. That's why it feels strange to be referring to her as a "person".

Masahiro climb up from his coa.r.s.ely made make-s.h.i.+ft bed, and sat besides Kochin.

"It's not good if you catch a cold. Put on some clothes."

Kochin took the s.h.i.+rt(refer to previous chapter for what the s.h.i.+rt is supposed to be) that Masahiro had used to cover himself previously as a replacement for the blanket, and place it over Masahiro's shoulder.

Masahiro remembered Mokkun, which used to be as concerned about him as Kochin.

His heart hurts.

The moon light shone on the ground as both Masahiro and Kochin remain silent for some time.

Masahiro though that Kochin must have been waiting for him to speak first, so he mumbled "I think...Taiin is scared..."

Kochin blinked, then reply "Is that so?"

"Genbu too. He is just trying hard not to let others know about his fear. You, and Rikugo, both of you are different. You are not scared of him."

"Rikugo was like that since the past. He does not change his att.i.tude towards anybody, and treats them equally. There are exceptions to that though, but it's rare for him to do so."

Masahiro nodded his head in agreement. He agrees that Rikugo's att.i.tude towards his grandfather was slightly different, since Seimei was the onmyouji who leads the twelve spirit summons.

"As for me, I'm not afraid. I don't think that he is scary."

"Scary?" Masahiro looked up.

Then, Kochin continued to say "Taiin is afraid, because she thinks that Touda is scary. Since a long long time ago, Taiin would not be alone with Touda."

"Why?"

Masahiro had never thought that Touda was scary. There was no doubt that the Touda now was cold and harsh, his eyes emotionless and he always kept his distance from the rest of the group. But, that was all to it.

Like she had understood his concerns, Kochin tilted her head and crossed her hands across her chest. Then she said "Both you and Seimei are weird people. Normal people usually fear the strong aura he emits. His aura feels cold, sharp and merciless. No one would approach him on their own accord. To put it in another way, they feel like they are being rejected or outcasted."

"..." Masahiro looked at Kochin.

He did not know that Touda.

Kochin continued to move her nicely shaped lips.

"That was the Touda we knew... It's boring seeing him like that. I don't like guys who seem so cold and distant."

There was a lot of displeasure in those words. But Masahiro did not sense that.

The fiercest and the strongest of all the spirit summons. The spirit summon who has conquered the flames of h.e.l.l, who can burn all things into ashes.

The first person who reached out for that Touda was Seimei. He even gave him a completely different name – "Gurren". This name was the "only treasure" that Touda has.

"Touda... does he want to return to Seimei's side?" The tone of his voice gave away how he was feeling.

Kochin glance at Masahiro. Masahiro looked down at his knees. His hands were clutching his clothes so tightly that they have turned white. While the moon was the only source of light then, it was improbable that his hands were white because the moon did not s.h.i.+ne on it.

She then simply reply "...Probably."

Masahiro's heart skipped.

___________________________________________________________________________

He had asked the obvious.

Back in his bed, he closed his eyes. However, he still could not fall asleep.

Touda was only here because he was ordered by Seimei to do so.

He stayed in Izumo, a place far from the capital. In addition, he had worked with the rest of the s.h.i.+nshou and stayed with a kid with no spiritual sight ability. All because it was Seimei's order. This was how important Seimei was to Touda.

If what Kochin had said was true, then, Masahiro questioned himself, who was the "Gurren" that he had always known?

Was the existence of Gurren real? The "Gurren" whom he had known, is he no longer present?

He buried his face into his clothes and changed his position. Like a foetus curling his knees into his chest, he shut his eyes tightly.

"..."

If that was so, he did not have to remain in that form. He could have just be Touda and be invisible like Rikugo and the rest.

If that was so, then...then he would not have to hold on so persistently to his last hope.

Even though he knew that it was impossible, he could not bear to give up his last hope

--"What's the matter? Masahiro."

The voice asked. It tilted its head as its red coloured eyes blinked. Those eyes were like the colour of the sun set. It smiled slightly, then turned around, its white tail moving in the wind. Those eyes, they were so gentle and kind.

--"Is anything the matter? Tell me about it..."

Masahiro gripped his s.h.i.+rt even more tightly.

"Please forget..."

Such things were impossible now. Because the Touda with him now is no longer the Touda who he had knew.

Touda did not know who Masahiro was now. He no longer has any memories of Masahiro.

For him not to be sad, not to feel pain, Masahiro had hoped for Touda to forget everything.

It was because of that, that Masahiro chanted the spell that erases memories.

Even though his eyes felt hot, he pretended that he did not feel anything and continued to mumble under his breath "No matter how many nightmares I have, he would still not remember..."

Just like a river that has wash away all traces of sand and mud.

Just like the water that flows between his fingers, and just like the sand that drops from his hands.

You can forget. Because I'll still remember, so just forget!

It was because of his own selfishness that he took away a part of Gurren's heart. That's why he felt so painful and miserable now. It was his punishment for sealing Gurren's memories.

He had attempted to use his life to exchange for that gentle s.h.i.+nshou, but he returned. Even though he had lost his ability to "see", he thought that that alone was not enough for his punishment.

He would be miserable for the rest of his life.

Yet, no matter how much nightmare that he had, no matter how many days have pa.s.sed, he would still make a similar choice.

Because, no matter how painful it is, he is not willing to "lose" it again.  

The next morning was cold, foggy and cloudy, reflecting Masahiro's mood.

Taiin opened the door and frowned, "Without any sunlight, the temperature would remain low. To add on to it, it's humid. How annoying."

Turning to face Masahiro, her frown deepen.

" Hey, did you sleep well? You look pale, it's like you drop your spirit and vitality somewhere. If the wild boar was not enough, shall I'll go get some deer or bear for you?"

" Bear meat sounds a bit exaggerating. How about a rabbit? Or some chicken or wild geese?" Masahiro asked.

Taiin looked troubled and Genbu stared at her in surprise. Then she mumbled "These animals are too small. It's hard to aim."

Plus, all the trees in the area would be uprooted. But even the clever Genbu did not realize that. Hence, he only told her to just get a deer.

On the whole, it can be said that Taiin's wind is a bit more rough. So, it is not very appropriate to use that skill to do delicate activities. Instead, the taller and more muscular Byakko is more capable of the tasks that Taiin find demanding. The two of them make up for the imperfection in each other.

Genbu then thought that when Byakko and Taiin stand beside each other, they look just like father and daughter, subconsciously nodding his head at this thought.

Genbu, who thought that the father-daughter thing was unrelated to him just hadn't realized that when he and Byakko stand beside each other, they look just like father and son.

Masahiro looked at both of them intently. He wasn't sure what to say. In his opinion, the wild boar was already much exaggerated. What was he to do if Taiin was to really hunt a deer?

"Last time when Seimei was injured, it was around winter time. We couldn't move about, and there wasn't much to hunt for in the snow. In the end we could only hunt for a few snow rabbits and bring down a few flying birds."

"Uh huh…uh huh…" Masahiro responded to when she said absent-mindedly.

"If it was autumn instead, there would be more fruits, which would have made our task a lot easier…. Right! We should go catch some fish in the river. Zuyo has a lot of fish right?"

Thinking that it was a great idea, Taiin clapped for herself and waited earnestly for Genbu's reply.

"Hey Genbu, it's a great idea, isn't it? Let's go catch some fish. It shouldn't be a problem since we would be able to reach there in a flash."

"That's a good idea. It's good to change the menu once in a while." Genbu nodded in agreement.

Then, Taiin grab on to Genbu's wrist and ran off. Turning back, she told Masahiro, "We'll be back in a jiffy. Be good and stay inside okay? Don't come out of the house like yesterday. You look really pale."

Being scolded by Taiin, Masahiro could only reply, "Yes. I understand."

Taiin nodded her head with a satisfied smile on her face, then continued to drag Genbu and jumped off the corridor. After running for a few steps, the wind build up and she took off with Genbu in a whirlwind.

As the strong wind gushed into the hut, Masahiro shut his eyes tightly. When he regained his vision, the two of them were already gone.

"Hu." Masahiro sighed.

With them around it was really crowded and noisy, but with them gone, it felt really quiet and lonely.

Taiin and Genbu were really trying their best to encourage Masahiro. If that was not the case, they wouldn't be talking about hunting deer or bears, wouldn't they? That isn't really possible, right?

He opened the door completely, and sat on the corridor. The floor of the corridor was slightly raised, so he could put his feet on the ground.

The clouds were really thick, so the sky looked quite dark. From the looks of it, it was going to rain soon.

As he looked to the sky, he heard the sound of the swis.h.i.+ng of cloth. Tilting his head to the side, he then saw the end of Rikugo's cloak as Rikugo showed himself.

Suddenly, he glance and saw something red hanging around Rikugo's neck. What was that?

"……Rikugo."

Rikugo turned around. His brown eyes flutter to show that he had heard Masahiro. Kochin stood on one side and watch the scene unfold.

"On your chest… what's that red thing on your chest?"

"Someone left it with me."

It was still the same monotonous voice with the same never-changing expression. Just that there was a sudden feeling of emptiness in him.

Someone left it there? Masahiro repeated what Rikugo had said and returned to his seating position.

"So that's it…"

Then he realized that he had never asked about what happened then – when he and his grandfather were working separately.

How did his grandfather and the s.h.i.+nshou deal with Chis.h.i.+ki no Soushu?

Kazane was injured by the demons when they had reached her. But they were rus.h.i.+ng for time then, so they just have to leave her with Rikugo.

He must ask about what happened then some other day. And…

Masahiro suddenly open his eyes wide, like he had been hit in the chest.

He has to apologize to his grandfather.

He had asked his grandfather for a favor, a cruel task. He had never stopped to reflect on what his grandfather may have felt when he had asked him to do so. No, he had known what his grandfather had felt, but chose to pretend that he did not know, just so that his wish could be granted.

A white shadow flashed across his eyes. He stole a peek, and realized that the creature was staring straight at him. But it quickly turned around and the eye contact that Masahiro had with the pair of red eyes was broken.

Masahiro thought that it was supposed to be a show of disapproval and felt his stomach twisted together.

"Masahiro?"  Kochin felt Masahiro shudder and asked him worriedly.

"It's nothing…" Masahiro pretended to be calm as he replied her.

Masahiro felt Kochin approach him. Kochin looked at the whitecreature which had turned and walk away and sign, "He's just like the moon. You can see it but can't touch it."

Her tone suggested that she had enough of that creature. Masahiro raise his head to look at Kochin, who is taller than he is.

"I'll still get angry when I see him acting like that…" Kochin frowned and kneel down beside Masahiro. She stared at him, then touched his forehead and continued, "It seems like you are not sick. But you still look really pale. Would you like to go back and rest?"

"No…It's okay, I'm really fine."

Kochin continued to look at Masahiro with great intensity. It was almost as if she had saw through him, so Masahiro frantically changed the topic.

"The seal, and the underworld…what happen later?"

Kochin looked at Masahiro suspiciously, but decided to play along with him. She sat down beside him and stared at the sky. Rikugo was still behind them, but he had concealed his aura, so it was easy for his presence to be forgotten.

Kochin s.h.i.+fted her sight from the sky to the trees around the hut. It was currently the season when the flowers of such trees blossomed, and the small petals can be easily seen through the deep luscious green leaves.

"In some sense, everything is back to normal now… but there were still some sacrifices."

"Sacrifices…" Masahiro repeated that word under his breath.

"I was with you, so I can't be sure of what happened with the rest of the group. But if you would like it, you could wait for Genbu to return and make use of his water mirror."

Masahiro raised his eyebrows. The act of talking directly to his grandfather has never crossed his mind.

"We'll still be here for a while so it would be alright. What do you think?"

Masahiro cleared his throat and let his eyes wander around. His heartbeat got quicker and just when he was about to clench his fist, he felt a chilling sensation creeping up his spine