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June 18th 1890, 3am, Lowgate Cemetery
The graveyard is silent, its stones lit by the light of the full moon. It looks almost unreal, the common folk would be too scared of ghosts or whatever supernatural entity which can haunt a graveyard in the middle of the night to ever think about wandering in place like this at 3am. But the two men now walking the alleys of the cemetery are no common folk. They have a mission and a promise they needed to keep.
As he progresses in the alleys, Seishiro Jigoku wonders how he ended up like this. What has gone wrong in his life and caused the joyful and righteous student of law to transform into a co-conspirator wandering in a cemetery at 3 in the morning, about to dig out his friend out of his grave. What has Genshin Asogi done to deserve this? Genshin has always been a righteous man with an unwavering sense of justice, caring about his friends, his family, he would have never taken anyone else's life. But here he has just been treated as the worst type of criminal. It is all so unfair, and there is only one person to blame for this: Mael Stronghart, the current lord chief justice and Jigoku's mentor.
Or at least that's what Jigoku wants to believe. Blaming Stronghart is easy, but Jigoku knows deep inside that he should had stopped this madness way before. He has been aware of the Professor's true identity for a while. Fed up with the aristocracy's corruption and impunity, the chief prosecutor Klint van Zieks started to render justice himself and punish the ones that thought themselves above the law. The victims all ended up with their throats torn apart by an enormous hound, and van Zieks was the only one owning a hound that big. He had conveniently assigned himself to the case, to prevent anyone from exposing him and possibly hide any incriminating evidence.
It was only when van Zieks murdered his mentor, the previous lord chief justice, and Stronghart got the position only few days after, that Jigoku started to realize the unthinkable truth. Stronghart was the one pulling the strings, he was the one forcing van Zieks to kill anyone that stood in his path. And when Jigoku confronted Stronghart about that, his teacher didn't even deny it. He just smirked and asked "so what? Are you going to denounce me? Where's your proof?" The assurance in his voice showed his complete confidence that indeed, Jigoku couldn't do anything against him. He didn't have any proof, Stronghart was lord chief justice now, there was nothing a poor Japanese exchange student could do against that.
It’s too late for regrets now. Klint van Zieks is dead and as a consequence, the Professor's killings have stopped. Genshin has been indicted and sentenced to death for the Professor's crimes, and his execution has been faked. Hopefully, if Stronghart kept his promise. Jigoku wants to believe in it, he wants to think that there’s still some honor remaining in his teacher's heart consumed by darkness. Besides, why would Stronghart even bother to show up at Lowgate Cemetery at 3am if Genshin is already dead? That's the belief Jigoku clings on and the hope for a better future allows him to cope with the current situation. In a few days from now, he will be sailing back to Japan with Genshin in his luggage. He will go back to his normal life, leaving behind Britain and its accursed lord chief justice, as if the six years he just lived were nothing more than a dream turning into a nightmare. That's right, in a few days, Jigoku will be free.
The three exchange students will be free. Yujin Mikotoba has left a newborn daughter. After six years, Yujin will finally be able to see her grow. Kazuma, Genshin’s kid, has grown too, he should be 14 by now. The perspective of his friends finally able to see their kids again really warms Jigoku's heart. There's just one last thing he needs to do. Dig up Genshin out of his grave and pray that Stronghart doesn't change his mind.
A loud scream echoes in the graveyard and the two men hurry to its source. There's a man coming out of his grave, with an iron helmet on his head. He wears a prisoner's suit with the number 139 written on it.
Turning his back to them, a young man stands in front of the grave, frozen in fear. From his outfit, he looks like a student. Strange fact, he has exceptionally long hair going past his waist and his hair are totally white. The lantern he's been carrying is now broken on the floor and its tiny light is gone.
Genshin Asogi, the infamous Professor, has risen from his grave in front of a witness. Talk about luck… Stronghart has heard a few times about broke students wandering in cemeteries at night, searching for corpses to sell for dissection, but the probability that one of these would hang around this specific cemetery during this specific night, to exhume and sell the Professor's corpse was so low that Stronghart had totally discarded it when planning Asogi's evasion. Bad luck for him, the most improbable thing has happened.
A loud bang resonates in the silent graveyard. The white-haired intruder immediately screams and runs away as fast as he can.
"Genshin..." Jigoku mumbles and he falls on his knees, his gun still warm in his trembling hands. He's frozen in terror as he realizes that in his panic, he has shot his friend straight to the heart.
------
15 years ago
"Jigoku-san, we need to talk." Genshin's face is more than serious.
Jigoku's smile immediately fades and he start to get worried. Did he do something wrong again? Why does Genshin seem so upset? "Y-yes?"
"I am going to get married."
"Congratulations."
Genshin frowns. "I am sorry, but that means we can't be together anymore."
That feels like a cold shower on Jigoku's head and he's too shocked to even reply.
"It's about time you start searching for a wife too." Genshin adds.
About time? That doesn't make any sense. They're 18, they're at the beginning of their lives, they're not running late! And truth to be told, Jigoku has never been into women. The reverse is also true. Despite his jovial face and constant good mood, Jigoku is intimidating, and it's only due to his height. No matter how much he tries to put on a friendly face, it doesn't compensate his huge stature. He's probably the tallest man in the whole empire of Japan. It was an advantage when he was a child, as no one dared bullying him, and he often found himself defending Yujin and Genshin from their bullies, but now that he's grown, it's more of a handicap.
Genshin pats his back. "I’m sorry…"
His words mean nothing. Jigoku doesn’t even hear them. He is too astounded to react. He should have expected it. Dating Genshin has been a bad idea from the start. It was doomed to fail, as both men would need to get married sooner or later. But as much as Jigoku had tried to deny it, he viewed Genshin as more than just a friend, and staying silent about it had soon become unbearable. Great had been his surprise when Genshin had actually accepted his confession. And now, it’s all over, as he should have expected it. It hurts nonetheless, more than Jigoku has imagined. In an instant, one part of his life just ended.
Days and weeks pass. Jigoku attends Genshin's wedding and he wishes him the best. He learns the good news of their upcoming child and welcomes the baby few months later. The kid, Kazuma, is kind-hearted and determined like his father, he's a perfect copy, in body and in personality. Jigoku is often invited at the Asogis' house, where he teaches Kazuma how to fight, how to wield a sword. Genshin has decided they'd be friends, nothing more than that. Every day, Jigoku tries to convince himself it is for the best, but it never really works. And as time goes on, a dormant bitterness against Genshin develops inside him, without him being even aware of it.
Everything changes as the study tour starts. Jigoku is the first one to accept the opportunity. He’s still single, at his parents’ greatest despair. They allow him to go on the trip, at the condition that he finds a Japanese wife once he returns, which he accepts without question. After a few weeks, Yujin Mikotoba joins the journey. The poor Yujin just lost his wife and leaves a baby girl behind. Genshin joins as well, leaving the 8 year old Kazuma behind. In truth, both of them feel terribly guilty about leaving their families behind, but it is the opportunity of a lifetime and they feel they have to take it.
As their boat leaves the shore, saluted by Mrs Asogi carrying Kazuma in her arms and Mrs Mikotoba holding her granddaughter Susato, Genshin and Yujin feel terribly empty. They start missing their homeland as soon as its coast disappears in the horizon. But as soon as they arrive in Britain, they all find themselves too busy to worry about their regrets.
Jigoku is assigned to a Mael Stronghart, a very skilled prosecutor, and his first interview leaves quite an impression on him. He’s amazed, speechless, admiring this man truly devoted to his work. His determination is unbreakable, his sense of justice unwavering, just like Genshin’s. And at the first sight, Jigoku knows. He’ll willingly go to the edge of the world for him.
------
And to the edge of the world he has come. On that fateful night in the cemetery he watches, powerless, his mentor putting Genshin’s corpse back in the grave. Asogi’s name isn’t even written on the stone. Only ‘139’, his prisoner’s number remains, and only a few selected people know who actually hides behind this number. Genshin is buried anonymously, under Jigoku’s horrified stare.
The tall Japanese student screams. "It's all your fault!" He’s crying, punching with his fists. He wants this to just be a nightmare, he wants to wake up in the lodgings he shared with Genshin and Yujin, he wishes he could just laugh with them again, live their blissful mornings while they were still young and innocent Japanese exchange students before the Professor's murders started.
He who has wished for so long to get away from this country and start a new life in Japan has just destroyed this future. Genshin is gone forever, he's not coming back, he's not going to rise from his grave again, and he will never see Kazuma again. What is Jigoku supposed to tell Genshin's wife now? What is he supposed to tell Kazuma? He used to be friends with the kid, he used to train him, teach him how to wield a sword, for the day he'll have to carry Karuma, the great sword of the Asogi clan, that every firstborn male from the Asogi bloodline wielded in the past. That day will come earlier than expected.
Stronghart kneels next to his student and puts his arms around him. "It is a tragic accident. Nothing more." Jigoku tries to get away but his teacher's grip is strong. He shoves his student's face on his shoulder and strokes his hair. "Neither you nor I are to blame for this."
The tall Japanese is trembling and shaking, he wants to blame him but the words just can’t come out. He can't push him away either. Whether he wants it or not, Stronghart is now the only one he has left. There's no way Jigoku can face Yujin now, or worse, Kazuma and Genshin's widow. The only person who cares for him and accepts his misdeeds is the one at the origin of this tragedy in the first place. So he eventually puts his arms around his teacher and hugs him tight.
Stronghart keeps him close for a while, silently patting his back and stroking his hair, until the tall Japanese finally stops trembling and crying. "We need to move out."
Right, crying and screaming won't bring Genshin back, there's no use lingering in this graveyard now. Jigoku nods silently as Stronghart gently wipes out his tears and leads him away from the place.