Archive of Our Own

There were things around the temple, out in the world. Lurking in the shadows. Clinging to the corners. Peeking from the forest. He was very young when his parents stopped allowing him to hide behind them as a defense from the heavy, oppressive energy emitted by the beings.

Curses. You'll learn to get rid of them yourself or you will die trying.

So there was little choice left but to learn. His brother could not see them. No technique or cursed energy had been passed to him. Therefore, it was left to Keito to maintain the clan’s status. Reputation was everything in this world. Reputation, responsibility, rules.

It's only natural that you bear the weight of curing the world of curses. Protect those who cannot protect themselves.

This was simply the way of things. The sorcerer world ran equally on the blood spilled by those involved in it and the people in power who sent them to die. Being raised with this knowledge merely made it seem reasonable. It was easy to accept because there had never been the inkling to question.

All evil must be cleansed.

It was easy until it wasn't.

The heir to the Tenshouin clan was sickly. It was typical of the clan. Glass cannon. Powerful beyond measure, but just as likely to drop dead of illness rather than by cause of curse. Special grade but at what cost, hm?

Keito would see him in passing. At sorcerer gatherings. When his family came to visit to discuss funeral rites and the boy tagged along. It was only proper. The Hasumi clan were the ones who laid to rest most of those in the powerful clans of the country. Exorcism and burial. Kill your curses and take care of your dead. Death dealt as a living.

Brief interactions that tilted into something more. Bonds and connections in this world were important. Something to tie one down amid the chaos. They had to do something while their parents talked on and on. They chased some of the smaller curses in the forest next to the temple, got lost the one time they ran off to try to wander the city (Eichi had been the troublemaker to convince him to do it at all), and debated over his funeral plans on the floor in Keito's bedroom. Neither of them were disturbed by the topic, too deeply entrenched in reality to avoid death like any normal person might. Their small world revolved around it.

And yet Keito didn't expect it to happen, somehow. Like Tenshouin Eichi was entirely invincible. People catered to him at a wave of the hand and curses fell to him with the flick of a finger. He held power over everything that Keito could not fathom having. The very laws of the universe would bend to his will if he demanded it. This was certain. The sky was blue, the earth was round, and Eichi was all powerful.

Until he wasn't.

In his dreams, the world was less restless. No grasping hands chaining him to responsibility, no voices calling him to war, no darkness creeping in at every opportunity. Death did not have its hands wrapped around his neck.

There was only the light.

“You're not him.”

“Why not?”

Keito offered no response. One did not speak to curses, regardless of the form they took. The fact that he had not yet drawn weapon alone was a weakness brought only by emotional ties. This was exactly why sorcerers should maintain professional relationships and nothing more.

The thing that looked like Eichi Tenshouin merely floated after him, unaffected by the silence much like the one he stole his visage from. “It's because of what I am now, isn't it? You do not want to let yourself form an attachment to me like this. Oh, but you’re already attached, Kei~to~”

“At least have the damn decency to let him die in peace. The departed should remain at rest.”

“I can't believe you have so little faith in my willpower to survive.”

“Shut up,” he snapped, harsh tone laced with something bitter. “You're dead. You should not be speaking.”

“Look at me.”

“No.”

“I will not leave until you do. Can you outlast my stubbornness? We never found the answer to that before.”

Before. Before he was a pile collapsed on the ground leaking blood like the human he was underneath everything else. Alive and fragile and mortal. No better than any other sorcerer in the end.

Death spared no one.

The very image of him haunted Keito, every picture frame turned flat against the table and every memory relegated to the witching hour. It seemed the haunting had now turned literal, and there was no choice but to face the remnant of Eichi Tenshouin.

It wasn't the same. Not with all the wings or the halo or the eyes that shifted his focus dizzily until he finally settled on the ones that were where they were meant to be. For the sake of his sanity, which felt as if it dripped away the longer this went on.

“Now, isn't it better to speak face to face? Keito, you can believe that I am who I am or not. It doesn't change the fact that I am here, whatever form that may take.”

“...Even if you were telling the truth, I have responsibilities. How would you suggest I explain to my family why I have a curse following me?”

“Just say you couldn't get rid of me. It would be true.”

…Maybe so. Keito could not get rid of him for a multitude of entangled reasons, from the sentiment to the simple fact that Eichi had always been stronger than him in life and it proceeded into… whatever this was. Death? Immortality? Cursed resurrection? And he rose from his tomb three days later.

He didn't like that he was actually considering such theories as if there was a possibility of this being real.

“...Is this some sort of calculated attempt to torment me?”

“Only you would take me lingering in this world for you as a bad thing. Can't you make things easier on yourself for once, hm?” He shook his head as if Keito was being unreasonable for his perfectly understandable wariness. “If you feel the same in a few weeks, I'll leave. Does that make you feel better?”

Keito should say no, then take necessary measures to find someone who could actually get rid of the thing that might be Eichi Tenshouin.

His clan did not like his excuse of being unable to remove the curse clinging to him possessively.

A lack of curses in an area would be a good thing, usually. Less to clean up. Less danger. It made things easier on everyone. More like easier on him. His family rarely went out to do anything anymore, now that Keito was old enough and experienced enough to deal with things on his own. They remained at the temple to maintain the funeral side of things, and Keito dealt with any trouble not picked up by other sorcerers. No matter that it was too much work for one person. Eichi scolded him for it, which was a strange reversal of roles they had once had. Then again, Eichi probably could not die or be killed anymore, while Keito did not have such luxuries…

Regardless, Keito was out here because it was suspicious that there was no trouble in this area. Even more suspicious was the massive source of cursed energy radiating from the being before him.

A cult being helmed by a curse. The idea would be absolutely ridiculous if not for the fact that the proof was all present and undeniable.

Rei-sama, as the woman who brought him down the winding halls to this room had called him, did not appear bothered by the sorcerer in his midst. Rather, he didn't turn to look at his visitor at all. He merely continued sorting through the books on the shelf, one of many in the dim library. “Do you enjoy religion, heir of the Hasumi clan? Or perhaps you're a man of hard facts.”

“...How do you know who I am?”

The question went unanswered. “Humans eternally seek for knowledge, but history has often deemed it a sin or a curse... Ever since the tales of the garden. To know is to be burdened. Hasumi-san, does the truth set one free, or is ignorance bliss?”

“I'm not having a philosophical debate with a curse.”

“Perhaps not,” he turned from the shelf, eyes shifting to Keito like a weight settling onto him. He almost preferred it when the curse was not facing him. It feels as if something is being exposed, layers peeled back and skull fractured open for one to peer inside. For all that he looked too human, there was something off about him that told one otherwise. “...Forgive my rudeness. I haven't greeted you properly. Welcome to our dwelling. I would assume you're not here to join us.”

“I'm here to exorcize you, clearly.”

“Straight to the point… It would do you well to converse more before laying down threats, you know.”

Keito huffed as the curse walked right past him, trailing down the stairs to take a seat at the head of the table settled in the middle of the room.

“Sit, Hasumi-san.”

“Don't tell me what to do,” Keito sat down across from him, compelled by who knows what. “Talking isn't going to save you. You must be cleansed from the world. I will not leave you to keep doing… whatever it is you're doing with these people.”

“I've given them a place to belong and whatever information they seek. Is it a crime to answer questions now?”

“It's a crime when you're a curse manipulating people who don't know better. Did you just pick up any passerby with enough cursed energy to see you?”

“They came to me.”

“Bullshit.”

“Ask anyone here, hm? They would tell you the same. That said… I don't imagine anyone would take well to the death of their God... Riots, perhaps? A power vacuum? These are the things one has to consider before rushing in blindly with killing intent,” there was nothing in his expression that betrayed any true concern in the situation. As if Keito was not about to end his existence.

“You're only saying that to keep me from killing you.”

“Am I truly? What do you think happens to a cult with no leader? To a religion when their object of worship dies? To a flock without a shepherd?”

Keito loathed the fact that the words actually made him hesitate. This was all a trick. This was why you didn't listen to curses when they spoke. The creature was trying to spread it's infection into him much like it had when it lured in all those humans. Nothing more.

“You're a curse. Not some sort of martyr.”

“I could be, if you made me one... What will it be, Hasumi Keito?”

“I have to-” why in god's name was he even having a conversation right now? This was highly against what was expected of him. “You can't possibly expect me to just walk away and let you keep doing this.”

“Kukuku. Why not? If you will not listen to my words, consider the evidence. Has a single body resulted from my dealings here?”

“...Not yet.”

“So distrustful~ I'm not running some sort of murder cult, you know. They come to me for knowledge, and I offer it. In return, I learn of humanity from them. It is as simple as that. If they choose to follow me after, it is no fault of my own…”

“You let it happen. On purpose.”

Rei assented with an inclination of the head. “Perhaps. But no one is getting hurt, are they? Mhm, by killing me you would be denying learning and knowledge to the people… Would you really do such a thing? I don't think you would.”

…Keito could not keep making exceptions for curses. Once could be put down to sentiment. Twice? Absolute foolishness. Unacceptable.

“You can't manipulate me into-”

“The fact that you have not made a move by now says enough,” Rei stood with a smile that made his fangs glint in the dim light, breezing past him with easy grace. “I do have matters to attend. Visit again. I'd like to talk with you some more in a more appropriate setting next time, yes?”

“What- get back here, damn you-”

“Bye~bye, Hasumi-san.”

He is left to stare after yet another who has escaped his cleansing hand.

Keito could not fight the magnetic pull of the man, despite the ill advised nature of it. He was losing control and he knew it. Two curses. A slippery slope into hell. The evidence was in the way he was now meeting with Rei for the fourth time.

A failure of the thing he was raised to be, that was it. No self respecting sorcerer would be walking the garden with a curse.

“You should not be anywhere near the temple, Rei.”

“You have been to my residence. Is it not polite to invite me over to your own?”

“Anyone who spots you will try to exorcize you. Do not play dumb. You are above it.”

“Is that a compliment?” Rei just prodded at one of the flowering bushes. “What is life without a little excitement? Though none of them would be able to touch me, you see. For that matter, it's a good thing that you chose to back down that first time. You wouldn't have had a chance at exorcizing me anyway, though it was adorable to see you so determined to.”

Keito’s teeth grit. “You are underestimating me. I could have done it.”

“Delusions of that sort will get you killed out there.”

“I've survived perfectly fine up until now,” he had been thrown into this world with little preparation and he had pulled his way through regardless. Willpower would get him where other things could not. Such was the way survival worked. Fight or die.

“I am being serious, Hasumi-san,” Rei's bloody gaze leveled on him. “Do not be foolish. It will not serve you well to take on more than you can handle. That is how sorcerers end up in graves, as you would know.”

“Don't tell me you're worried about me.”

“I worry about all of my people, of course…”

“I am not part of your cult.”

“Irrelevant.”

People going missing near a theatre. Traces of cursed energy, so not a serial killer or any such thing… though the fact that only one body had been found was odd. No notable injuries based on the medical report. It seemed the victim had died of exhaustion… It was difficult to pin down a more detailed cause. But the situation seemed curse-related enough that he was now here to investigate it. It was rather out of his way, too, another town over… Troublesome, but necessary.

He was distracted enough by his own thoughts about how he had not wanted to be the one assigned to this mission that it took a moment to realize he'd walked right into a domain. The alley he'd been checking certainly hadn't had a stage at the end…

Keito paused, looking down. He was on a balcony overlooking the grand stage, blue velvet curtains draping along the sides, the spotlight illuminating a performance that was admittedly a bit lacking. The lines didn't seem to fit with the terror the actor was expressing.

…What was going on here.

“I keep seeking the perfect cast, but I'm afraid he's simply not cutting it as the leading man. It's rather hard to find good actors in this day and age!”

A jolt ran through him, weapon out in but an instant as he turned. He hadn't even heard anyone approach. Just how out of it was he today? Too much. The amount of cursed energy radiating from the creature made it hard to miss him now that Keito was paying attention.

The curse tilted his head, long hair framing a masked face. Even as he watched, the mask flickered to one that had a question mark emblazoned in the middle. “I don't imagine the bow and arrow would be helpful in such close quarters. Also, I would rather you not interrupt the performance, weak as it may be, with violence. My dear sorcerer, please mind the theatre etiquette.”

“...You're kidnapping people to put on shows for you?”

“You're quite slow to catch on, aren't you?”

…That would be a yes. Keito tried to decipher what possible motivation there could be behind such an oddity. “Why?”

“Is a curse supposed to take the stage himself? I am relegated to the role of director, as tragic as it may be! Fate has played such a cruel trick on me, indeed!”

Keito had been here for five minutes and already wanted to stab the curse. He was right in that maneuvering the bow in this space would be too difficult, but Keito was more than ready to take an arrow in hand as if it were a knife.

“You are going to let them go.”

“I'm going to train them~ The efforts one must take for the love of the theatre...!”

“I will strike you down. Make this easier or harder for yourself. It matters not to me. The end result will be the same.”

“Do keep threatening me! That expression… I could almost fall in love… Hm, yes. How about you audition for the leading role?

Keito was resolutely not going to ask how he made hearts appear around him as if this was some sort of manga page being played out

“Stop speaking nonsense. You know what I am here for. Fight me properly.”

“No, no, listen! I have an excellent idea~ I'll let him go if you put on a good enough show for me. Does that sound fair?”

“...And the rest of them. Not just him.”

“Mr. Sorcerer drives a hard bargain~ But I'll agree. None of them were up to my standards and I suppose I'd rather not spend the months training beings who cannot see me! The last time I tried he died of exhaustion mid-play… Well, perhaps a human should not have been put through a continuous twenty-four hours of stage time! But we all make mistakes, yes we do… ☆”

That explained that, then… But it didn't explain- “How in God's name are you saying that out loud.”

“Hm? What?”

“...Nevermind. Fine. I will put on your show,” Keito had little choice, after all. It was the easiest way to assure that all of these people were released without any death or bloodshed. Even if he had no interest in performing for this damned creature… Why couldn't he just get normal curses who wanted to kill senselessly and not these things…

“Excellent! Do your best,” the mask on the curse’s face shifted to one of gold and red, with a grin painted so large that it was almost disturbing. “Lives depend on it!”

And so he was forced to perform, in the curse’s strange sense of humor, Phantom of the Opera. Of all things… A horrific experience that he would not be speaking of. Ever. But it ended in the release of the victims, so it was fine. Of course, it also ended in the curse making his disappearance before Keito could try to exorcize him, which would prove to be a terrible thing.

Hibiki Wataru, as he called himself, was a master of arriving in silence, making a scene and being an annoyance to all around him, before flitting away so quickly it was as if he had blinked from existence. Masking his presence until he felt like making it known. It made it incredibly difficult to get rid of him. It was even worse when he apparently decided to take the liberty of weaving himself into other aspects of Keito's life, befriending the other two curses that would not leave him be. What was it with these creatures and their obsession with making his life difficult...

All in all. Keito was fucked. And he would not know peace in his blip of existence.

“I am going to exorcize you,” Keito hissed out, not even bothering to look back at the thing following after him.

“You've been saying that for weeks. Let's not lie to ourselves, Keito-kun. It won't do you any good~”

“Only because you're completely unkillable. I imagine you'd somehow come back to haunt me, regardless of how thoroughly I erased your existence.”

“I'm sure that's the only reason you haven't gotten rid of any of us yet, of course,” Wataru’s tone said that he wasn't at all convinced by Keito's words. How could he be? No self respecting sorcerer would let three curses follow them around for years purely because they are too difficult to take down. They would at least try to get rid of them. Cleanse the world or die trying. And yet.

...This was why everyone looked at him the way they did, now. Keito wasn't sure why he let it continue when he had once been so determined to follow the path set for him. His entire world had tilted on its very axis, and he couldn't identify when. Or perhaps he just didn't want to admit it to himself.

“Oh, but Keito?”

“What is it now.”

Keito was stilled in place before he could continue his futile effort of trying to walk away and trying to rationalize his life, a lock of Wataru's hair stretching out too long and too prehensile for comfort to tighten around his arm. Keito frowned, finally turning to actually look at Wataru as he spoke. It was exactly the reaction Wataru intended - he wanted attention, as always. Both of them knew it. Keito was not sure if it was a good or bad thing that he was the one this creature had chosen to latch onto.

“Eichi and Rei won't accept such flimsy excuses. So do think of something better~”

Hasumi Keito was, by all rights, the single jujutsu sorcerer who held the most power. Not by his own hand - by the way he wielded three curses that would be near impossible to take out individually, much less when banded together under the umbrella of a single man.

The Tenshouins had been up in arms about it for years. Most others had ignored the situation until it spiraled. Even his own clan barely associated with him anymore, the way it shattered all their traditions too much (the fear of having multiple curses walking their temple even worse). The strict, perfect heir to the Hasumi clan, the creature who had bent to every rule and responsibility placed upon him, becoming so entangled… one had to wonder how such a thing happened.

Whatever the case, it had been the hottest topic of debate for years.

“You want to be human. It's disgusting. Imagine having all this power and wanting to be one of them~”

“You were once one of them. Should you speak so spitefully of humanity?”

Eichi’s eyes - all of them - narrowed. “It is precisely because of that. I understand the horror of being a fragile mortal being. Do you?”

“You can't just keep letting him walk free like this. It would be dangerous enough if he held that level of power on his own - do you intend to let him control three of those things?”

“A person has to question if they are in fact controlling him,” someone else pointed out. “What would you do if multiple special grades became attached to you to an unnatural extent? Perhaps he is simply going along with it.”

“Even if that were the case, it would be better to go out fighting rather than accepting it.”

“Ha! Says a person who hasn't done their own damn dirty work in years.”

A fist slamming on the table as they stood. “Insult me again and you will regret it.”

“Wataru, what do you think?”

“Perhaps there are merits to both humanity and being what we are…~ However, I have little opinion either way. I am the world's very own Hibiki Wataru no matter the circumstances~ Everything else is merely an obstacle on the stage! A trouble to overcome!” Rose petals and confetti rained down. Rei picked a piece out of his tea, flicking it aside to evaporate into thin air once more.

“...An expected answer… Charming, though not of particular help to the debate.”

“Keito would have an answer.”

“Hasumi-san would tell us it is a ridiculous thing to discuss, as there is no changing from curse to human. Why, I can hear it in his voice now…”

“Ah! Shall I do my best impression of him?”

“Stop your bickering. Back to the matter at hand.”

“Indeed. This behavior is childish.”

A sigh, disdainful muttering before everyone was seated again.

“Well, what do you suggest? We cannot control him, and we cannot control them. Everything falls apart the moment we are left this powerless against one of our own.”

“Eichi was more powerful than all of us.”

“And now he is a curse,” the superiority complex the Tenshouin clan had caused nearly as much friction as anything else. “Not to mention, you had him under your thumb. So it is irrelevant.”

“...Seek someone who can exterminate the curses, or one who can convince the Hasumi heir to listen to them. Are these not the only options?”

“-so this entire conversation is pointless and a waste of everyone’s time. Have you considered doing something useful for once instead of wasting away in my home? I should never have given you so much leeway. How incorrigible.”

“Excuse me.”

Everyone's attention shifted from the impersonator to the man himself, standing in the doorway and glaring at them. Uh oh.

“Keito! You're back. We missed you so much we needed something to tide us over before we perished from the lack of your voice.”

“Don't lie to me.”

“Yes, Tenshouin-kun, don't lie. I was not a part of this…”

“Nothing happened whatsoever!”

Keito, of course, was hardly convinced of any of this. They were doing a damn bad job at lying today. But there didn't seem to be any trouble, so he would let it be this time. They should consider themselves lucky. He simply did not feel like scolding them immediately after getting home. Why were they all in his house, anyway…

“Now, explain to me what kind of suspicious gathering this is,” he demanded, taking a seat in the circle.

“So, you see…”

“You're going about it all wrong!”

The one clan representative that had been suspiciously quiet made his presence known at last, leaning forward out of the shadows. The glare upon his glasses hid his eyes from clear view.

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, so he speaks!”

The meeting's leader waved a hand for silence. “Go on.”

“It's not a matter of power. That is a limit you're imposing on yourselves, and I fear it's going to be your downfall. What do we do when an opponent is too difficult to take down? A curse that's too powerful to eradicate easily?”

“What…?” The room filled with the curious, confused murmurs of people who had rarely ever had to deal with the type of situation being presented.

“I'll make it easy for you! If you want to regain control,” The smile that spread across his face read as the false-friendliness of a predator coaxing in prey, dripping in honey and poison. “...What you need to do is outsmart them.”

A nod of dawning understanding. “...Do you have a plan, then? Elaborate, Saegusa-san.”

“Gladly.”