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Haruaki shivers as if a breeze decided to sweep his soul away from his body, goosebumps forming on his arms and sweat starting to run down his face and neck. His black hair flutters in the wind as he turns around, red eyes looking up into the cloudy grey sky as he frowns.
“Seimei!” Hijita calls out, noticing the look on his teacher's face. “Is something wrong?”
Haruaki snaps out of it and offers a nervous smile to the dorotabau, “Nothing! Must’ve been the wind!”
Hijita accepts the answer, though doesn’t believe that to be true. His teacher always has some sort of problem coming his way. Though he doesn’t say that out loud, of course. Maybe he’ll confide in Sano or Ren about it. He gives a sigh. Why is he even bothering to worry about this? It really could just be nothing. The two make their way inside Hyakki Academy, weaving through the halls filled with yokai and making their way to the chaotic Class 2-3.
…………………………………
Deep inside a cave, an old man was humming eerily to himself- the light of candles flickering against the cold cave walls with each sound the grinding of ash and soil made. A huge lump of hollowed clay lays on the floor with some ash and soil already in it before the old man dumps more in. He smiles, many teeth missing as he chuckles. It echoes against the walls as he dumps water in there as well before covering it with clay.
“Soon,” he laughs, voice raspy and brittle. “I shall revive Abe no Seimei and he shall work for me! I will take down those evil, disgusting youkai once and for all- just like my ancestors wished long ago. With his power and allegiance, I shall become unstoppable!”
The clay glows a faint light, twisting and turning- hair sprouting, clay becoming skin and limbs. It was a grueling and uncanny process, something nobody could watch and walk away unscarred. Yet the old man looks with glee as the clay becomes him- Abe no Seimei.
The old man frowns.
“Something is wrong.” he mutters, watching the doll not move. “Could it be…?”
He tugs at the black hair, opens an eye and reveals the dead red iris that lies beneath. He grinds what little teeth he has together, throwing the clay doll against the cold cave walls in anger.
“He reincarnated! Of course!” the old man seethes with rage, pulling at his own worn clothes. After a minute, however, he grins. A malicious grin. “Of course! If I can find his reincarnation, I can pull the soul out and transfer it to this puppet!”
…………………………………
Haruaki shivers again, sneezing this time as he stands in front of the class.
“Seimei, do you have a cold?” asks Mame, swinging his legs as he looks curiously at his teacher.
“I don’t think so.” Haruaki responds, putting on a sweater over his white button-up shirt. “I just feel a little colder than usual.”
Tamao speaks up, worry filling his voice. “Maybe you’re getting sick then. You’ve shivered and sneezed so much already, and it’s only ten in the morning!”
Sano frowns as the back and forth between Haruaki and a handful of students starts, a sinking feeling starting to settle into his bones as if there’s a weight that’s suddenly trying to crush him down.
𝘈 𝘣𝘢𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨.
Sano sighs and gazes back at his teacher, who’s now sweating and trying to tell his classmates that he’s fine and isn’t at all sick. Probably would’ve worked if a certain god from Kyoto didn’t suddenly summon himself into the classroom. Byakko did 𝘯𝘰𝘵 look happy.
“WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE HAVE YOU FOUND YOURSELF IN?!” He practically screams, grabbing Haruaki by the collar and looking him dead in the eyes.
Haruaki sputters, “Wh-what are you talking about?!”
“Seimei-𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘢 appeared in my dream.” The god clicks his tongue, letting go of Haruaki once he got the hint the guy knew nothing of what he was talking about. “He told me to protect you.”
The class goes quiet, looking as if Byakko has grown a second head. Sano, in particular, looks over at Haruaki with widening blue eyes like a deer stuck in headlights. As if confirming Byakko’s statement, the already heavy feeling in his body gets heavier- threatening to pull him under into an unknown abyss. It’s a creepy and eerie feeling.
A certain nurarihyon appears behind Byakko, “My, my, what do we have here? What’s this commotion?”
“You!” Byakko hisses, an angry expression appearing on his feminine face. “It’s none of your business!”
“Ummm…” Utagawa voices as she raises her hand, “It kind of is, especially if Seimei-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪 is in danger…. Yet again.”
Behind Douman, Haruaki is whining about how she said ‘yet again’ as if it isn’t true. Douman sighs from behind the mask, crossing his arms like a disappointed mother. It doesn’t take long for Haruaki to stop his whining, choosing to stand in silence as if being punished.
“What danger?” the nurarihyon asks, turning to face Byakko. Byakko narrows his eyes and clenches his teeth, fighting off the urge to rip Douman to shreds at that very moment.
“Seimei-𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘢 appeared in my dream.” the god repeats through clenched teeth, balled fists at his sides. “The Seimei-𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘢 we know. He warned me about danger falling to this era’s Seimei-sama and urged me to protect him. He even appeared in the others' dreams. The danger, however, is unknown.”
Douman is silent, fingers twitching slightly with every word the god spoke. “I see. Then it is possible that great danger is coming.”
“Wait, hold up!” Haruaki squeaks, watching heads turn towards him. “H-how do we know this isn’t some trick? Like, some youkai playing a prank or something? Besides, how would… past me even enter your dreams?”
Douman sighs and takes off his mask, turning it so it sits on the side of his head. “Normally, I would agree. Souls or ghosts can’t enter dreams unless there are specific events that happen. However, this is Abe no Seimei. I’m sure that bastard can do anything if he wishes, even in death.”
While his face betrays nothing, his voice is filled with bitterness and envy- as if Abe no Seimei still haunts him to this day, rubbing his accomplishments in the youkai’s face like they’re in grade school. Haruaki can’t help but feel sad for the principal. The complicated feelings Ashiya Douman has towards Abe no Seimei is something he can’t understand, but it looks like Douman feels more bitter and angry towards the Onmyouji than happiness.
“Anyways,” Byakko interrupts his thoughts, bringing him back to reality. “We, the guardians of Kyoto, have decided to rotate as bodyguards for you, that way we can focus on both you and Kyoto.”
Haruaki stutters, “R-right…”
…………………………………
The old man settles down into the old, run-down apartment he’s renting in the small town of this remote island that was only accessible by a long boat ride from Tokyo. It took great effort to hide the clay body he made of Abe no Seimei, but he did it. He only has two luggage bags- the big one carrying Abe no Semei and the small one carrying important tools for extracting the soul from Abe no Seimei’s reincarnation.
He’s not staying for long, so there’s no need to pack for a long term stay. In fact, the room already comes with the basics. A kitchen, simple pots, pans, cutlery, bathroom, running water, electricity, a futon, blanket, and pillow. For a cheap and short stay, it works. The old man unzips the large suitcase and carefully pulls the body of Abe no Seimei out, setting him against the wall of the bedroom. The blindfolds are closed and the curtains are drawn shut, so there’s no need to be especially cautious. He gives a grin and laughs to himself. Bony fingers reach inside the suitcase and take out an Eboshi hat, dusting it off and putting it on top of the doll's head.
Yes, perfect. This is perfect. With the Eboshi hat and the purple and white Kariginu robes, he now looks like Abe no Seimei. And once he gets his hands on the soul, he will have the magnificent powers of Abe no Seimei to make his dream come true. Abe no Seimei will have no choice but to bend to his will, the spell will make the 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 Onmyouji his servant for the rest of his life- or until the old man discards him.
Now, how will he get the soul?
…………………………………
Three weeks of constantly being guarded. That’s the current life of Abe Haruaki, descendant of Abe no Seimei. One of the three gods of Kyoto is always by his side, the staff constantly watching him, and even his own students! It’s like they think he’ll be swept away at any time. Heck, he was even thrown into a guest room inside of Takahashi’s estate for good measure! Haruaki has no time to himself, and the paranoia seems to be increasing between the people he surrounds himself with.
Now he stands in front of the class with Ebisu, Douman, and an elderly man.
“This man,” Douman gestures to the elderly human, “is Shi Kousuke. He came to this island in hope to help connect youkai and humans. He will be a teacher's assistant, like Ebisu.”
The elderly man bows, “It’s nice to meet such nice students. I hope we get along greatly.”
Though his voice is brittle, it’s full of warmth and joy- calming most of the students' nerves. They instantly start bombarding him with questions, though Sano, Hijita, Nyuudou, Maizuka, and Akisame hang back from the rest. In fact, their faces are blank and unchanging- as if disbelieving of the man's kindness.
Many questions were asked and answered.
Q: When did you get here?
A: Three weeks ago.
Q: How did you get hired?
A: I was looking for a job when the principal found me and offered me a job.
So on and so forth.
“Well, most of the students seem to like him.” Haruaki sighs in relief, “Hopefully the ones who don’t will warm up to him.”
He doesn’t see the way Byakko, who’s standing in the corner of the classroom, and Ebisu look at the elderly man in suspicion. Even Douman is a little suspicious of the man, but doesn’t show it on his face. Not that they can see his face with the mask on, anyway. Sano fiddles with a pencil as his blue eyes stare warily at the old man, flicking his gaze to Mamekichi before staring back at the old man. Three weeks of nothing but being on edge and then an old man, who seems nothing but friendly, shows up. Yeah, fat chance he’s a harmless old man.
“Shi-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪,” Kuniko asks, “Do you also possess anti-youkai powers like Seimei-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪?”
The question has most of the students and staff freezing up, looking at the elderly man in anticipation. The man taps his chin with a bony finger.
“No,” he admits, “but my ancestors did at some point. In fact, I have some heirlooms from them somewhere in my closet!”
He laughs and straightens himself up, a sad look on his face. “It is a shame they’ll stay there, though. However, it is for the best. Youkai and humans should be friends, not enemies. I hope one day my heirlooms will be able to help youkai one day, instead of killing them like they did in the past.”
Maeda whistles, “So you ARE somewhat similar to Seimei-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪.”
“I wouldn’t say that.” Shi disagrees, “Anyway, are there any more questions for me?”
Everyone shakes their heads no and the class starts up again. The principal leaves the classroom, leaving it in the 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 hands of his staff and Byakko. Haruaki goes about his day, helping his students when he can. Shi helps the two animal youkai, Mamekichi and Akisame, with what they’re working on, going step-by-step in order to help them understand their assignment. Ebisu, while helping other students, is keeping an eye on Shi. Seiryuu, who switched with Byakko, doesn’t notice anything wrong with the elderly man.
…………………………………
While nothing was wrong with the elderly man, since two months passed by without any incident, Haruaki couldn’t shake the bad feeling he got from Shi. Byakko, along with the other two gods, only guard him for an hour at most now- seeing as there hasn’t been any danger. Even the principal is less worried, as he is allowing him to go back to his own house. No student or staff walks him home anymore. It is pure bliss! His red eyes look around the empty classroom before staring out the window, watching the clouds move slowly in the early morning wind.
“Seimei-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪?” a cracking voice asks, startling Haruaki. He turns around to see the elderly man, who’s grinning at him with kind eyes. He holds two bento boxes. “I’m surprised you are here so early. Usually the students are here before you.”
He chuckles lightly, the few teeth in his mouth showing as his mouth opens slightly. He sets the bento boxes on the desk and walks over to Haruaki, standing next to him.
Haruaki smiles slightly at the old man, “I just woke up early. That’s all.”
Maybe the growing ominous feeling woke him up. Today, especially, the eerie feeling is heavy in his bones. It’s coiled around his heart and relentlessly squeezing, making it feel like it’s hard to breathe. Shi pats his back with a thin and bony hand, and it stings a little upon contact.
“Where’s Byakko or one of the other gods?” Shi asks, looking around the room. “I thought they were supposed to be guarding you with the danger and everything.”
“Ah….” Haruaki’s voice trails off, “They only guard me around noon now. Since it’s been a while, they think it was just a youkai or something playing a prank. Though, just in case, they’re sticking around for about an hour each day.”
The old man hums in response, gazing out the window with dark brown eyes. They twinkle in the light and seem to shine brighter.
“Seimei-sensei,” Shi starts, “Would you like to have lunch with me this afternoon?”
Haruka’s smiles, “I’d be delighted.”
…………………………………
“Still nothing?” Douman asks the former god that’s eating a candy bar on the couch, “Is there no way to get in?”
He sets the pen on his desk slowly, rising from the chair as Karasuma peeks up at the principal through half lidded eyes.
“Nothing. I can't even touch the doorknob without getting zapped.” The karasu tengu youkai sighs, taking another bite from the candy bar. “All windows are sealed, curtains drawn, blinds closed. No telling what Shi Kousuke has inside his house. Whatever barrier or anti-youkai seal he put up is strong.”
The principal shifts his mask to the side, showing the displeasure on his face. “This is bad. Why would a human who is 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘺 friendly put up such a thing?”
“Maybe he doesn’t want his stuff stolen.” Karasuma shrugs, “This island isn’t crime free. He might just be a cautious person.”
Douman isn’t convinced, “Maybe.”
…………………………………
During lunchtime, Shi set out a picnic blanket in one of the fields of Hyakki Academy. It’s a secluded little spot with little to no youkai wandering about. It’s perfectly shady with the trees and they get a good view of the school scenery.
“Woah!” Haruaki exclaims, a smile forming on his face as his red eyes dazzle excitedly. “I didn’t know there was such a spot here! It’s nice and peaceful too.”
The elderly man chuckles, “I found this spot about three weeks ago. Perfect for relaxing.”
He sets a bento box in front of Haruaki and opens his own, eating the rice carefully as Haruaki thanks him. Haruaki lights up even more as he eats the food.
“Shi-san, your cooking is amazing.” he says, some rice stuck to the side of his mouth as he continues eating. “You must’ve been practicing for a very long time now.”
Shi nods, “Indeed. It took me such a long time to get better, as I’ve always been a clumsy and bad cook. Couldn’t tell the leek from the green onion!”
He laughs heartily, slapping his own knee as he shakes almost violently from his own laughter. Shi sets down his bento box, which is nearly empty, and looks up at the sky. He sighs contently.
“You know, Abe-sensei,” the old man mumbles, “I really like hanging out with you. You’re a good person.”
Haruaki blushes from embarrassment, “R-really?! I’m glad you think so.”
Which is why it pains me to steal your soul, Shi thinks to himself, 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥. 𝘐 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥.
Shi watches Haruaki finish the last of his food before standing up, “Come with me to one more place, Abe-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪.”
…………………………………
Class 2-3 is in a panic. Lying in the hallways and classrooms are students and teachers alike, sleeping peacefully even as the bell rings.
“What is going on?” Toubyou panics, looking around at the mass of sleeping bodies. “How could this have happened?”
Sano’s face darkens, “Where’s Seimei?”
It goes dead quiet in the classroom. Not one of them had noticed that neither Haruaki or Shi weren’t there. Just then, Ebisu walks in with a smile on his face.
“It seems like someone put the entirety of the island to sleep.” the God of Fortune says as he looks around, “I wonder how you guys stayed awake.”
“Wait, wait, wait!” Hijita shouts, eye widening. “The 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 island?!”
“Well, almost the entire island.” the principal replies, appearing in the classroom. Karasuma flies in through the window as Hatanaka and Miki enter the classroom as well. Takahashi is nowhere to be found, as he’s away on a business trip involving some injured youkai. “Who you see in this room are the people who’re awake.”
Karasuma leans against the wall, arms crossed as he stares at the students. “Where’s Haruaki-𝘬𝘶𝘯?”
“Never arrived.” Sano answers, “Neither has Shi.”
Hijita slams his fist against a desk, “Well let’s go find them! What if Seimei-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪'𝘴in danger?!”
“Yanagida-𝘬𝘶𝘯,” Douman starts, turning to the Ittan-Momen youkai. “Take Nyuudou-𝘬𝘶𝘯 and see if you can spot Haruaki-𝘬𝘶𝘯 and Shi-𝘴𝘢𝘯 with his vision. Take your phones so you can text or call when you find them. Maeda-𝘬𝘶𝘯, take either Hatanaka or Miki as backup in case they need it. Follow Yanagida-𝘬𝘶𝘯 closely.”
The students nod and prepare to go, Maeda choosing Miki to come along with him. Within the next two minutes, they all fly out the window in search of Shi and Haruaki. Not long after, Hatanaka’s phone rang.
“Rintarou, what’s-”
“This is bad!” Miki shouts, interrupting the kamaitachi. “Haru-”
The phone cuts off with a thunk, the line dropping as Hatanaka stares at the phone with wide eyes.
“Let’s go!” the youkai shouts, jumping out of the window. The others follow his lead. Ebisu spots Yanagida in the sky with Nyuudou pointing to a location from on the Ittan-Momen’s back. The principal, a god, a teacher, and the rest of Class 2-3 head towards the wood area Nyuudou pointed towards. They hear a crush and a shout, leading them to the spot. There, Shi is standing on some broken down trees a very angry Miki broke. Maeda is kneeling beside a tied up Haruaki, who’s crying it hurts because the merman keeps accidentally making the rope tighter. Nyuudou and Yanagida come down from the sky.
“Hurry up!” Haruaki wails, “I really, really don’t wanna be a sacrifice or whatever!”
Maeda hisses, "𝘐’𝘮 𝘵𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨!”
Sano runs up, gripping the rope and pulling it. The ropes, which are very thick, snap at how hard he pulls them apart. Sano is breathing heavily, sweat forming alongside his neck and forehead.
“Good job, Maeda-𝘬𝘶𝘯. Sano-𝘬𝘶𝘯.” Hatanaka praises, watching the two help Haruaki up. He then turns to Shi. “𝘖𝘪! Shi-𝘴𝘢𝘯, what is the meaning of all this?!”
The elderly man sighs, shaking his head in disappointment. “Really, now. I was hoping to settle this peacefully.”
Miki and Hatanaka start shouting at Shi, but all Douman can do is stare at the unmovable human figure that’s slumped lifelessly against a tree. The figure looks so similar to Haruaki, yet so different at the same time. Black hair and dead red eyes, an Eboshi hat, and white and purple Kariginu robes. Douman knows it. Knows that face, the clothing, and how he died. Died by 𝘩𝘪𝘴 own hand over one thousand years ago. Even without the usual sly eyes and smirk that man always had, he recognizes him. Douman clenches his hands into fists.
Why?
How?
How is it that Abe no Seimei, who was cremated in the Heian Era, is here in the flesh? Even if he still is dead- no pulse, unmoving, dead eyes… How?!
“Seimei…” Karasuma whispers, looking almost horrified to be seeing the dead Onmyouji. “What…”
“Oi, Shi.” Douman struggles to remain calm, the look of absolute hatred and disgust on his face as he turns towards the human. “What the 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 is this?”
“Oh, that?” Shi chuckles, hitting his back with his hand to straighten himself better. “Ignore that. It’s only a useless lump of flesh at the moment. You’ll get to reunite with him once I get the soul out of Haruaki-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪.”
Sano’s blood runs cold at the comment. Haruaki himself is staring at Shi with wide eyes, as if the man has grown a second head.
“You plan to revive Abe no Seimei?!” he shrieks, “Why?!”
“Why?” Shi tilts his head, “Because I want to kill all youkai. And Abe no Seimei is the perfect puppet to do that.”
Douman’s gaze flickers from Haruaki, to Shi, to Abe no Semei, and back to Shi. He grits his teeth. What to do, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰?! Should he just grab Haruaki and retreat? What about Abe no Seimei? Should he get rid of the body? He doesn’t realize he’s hyperventilating until Karasuma grabs his shoulder.
“Snap out of it.” the karasu tengu snaps, his face looking serious for the first time in forever. “Grab Seimei-𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘢 and Haruaki and 𝘨𝘰.”
Douman nods, hoisting the body of Abe no Seimei like a sack of potatoes, Eboshi hat falling to the ground, and grabbing the wrist of Haruaki and running. Haruaki yelps at the sudden grab before going dead silent as he sees the other person on the principal's shoulder.
“Is that-”
“Don’t.” Douman cuts off the teacher, “Please, don’t.”
Haruaki goes back to being silent as they run inside the academy, a sour feeling growing in his chest. Though he understands why the principal doesn’t want to talk about it, he also thinks Douman could at least confirm who Haruaki thinks it is. Then again, it is a sore subject. Still a fresh wound, even over a thousand years later. Eventually they get to the principal's office, where Douman lets go of Haruaki’s hand and sets Abe no Seimei on the couch. With one hand, Douman closes the lifeless red eyes and covers him with a blanket he keeps in one of the closets.
Haruaki’s phone rings and he picks it up, “Sano-𝘬𝘶𝘯, what is it?”
“We tied up Shi and we’re bringing him in.” the blond says, “Where are you? I saw the principal take you and another person.”
Haruaki coughs, “I-in the principals office. See you guys when you get here.”
He hangs up the phone and puts it in his back pocket, peaking over to where Douman is standing still by the covered body of his… situationship? Colleague? Boyfriend? Rival? Enemy?
Haruaki can’t really tell. It makes his insides twist in a way he can’t really describe. Jealousy? But why? Perhaps he’s just sad that the principal is sad. That’s much more explainable.
Thankfully, the members of Class 2-3, along with Miki, Hatanaka, and Shi, burst in through the doors before he can think about it anymore. Shi is dropped onto the floor with a thud, a quiet ‘ow’ following soon after.
“Seimei-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪!” Kuniko cries, hugging her teacher when she sees him safe. “We were so worried!”
Haruaki hugs back with a smile on his face, “So was I… I thought I was going to die for a second!”
He has to console his few crying students, wiping away tears and hugging and patting students heads all the while thanking them and Miki and Hatanaka. Karasuma and Douman are having a silent conversation with their eyes, as if they can communicate telepathically.
“Who’s under the blanket?” Kuarahashi asks curiously, looking slightly worried. “I don’t think they’re breathing…”
“It is a dead body.” Karasuma chimes in, sending chills through the many of the students. “To be precise, the body of Abe no Seimei.”
“So he was planning to use Seimei-sensei’s soul to bring Abe no Seimei back to life with his 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 body.” Nyuudou hums, “That’s fucked up. The question is, how did he get the body?”
Karasuma scoffs, “More like how the body is 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. Abe no Seimei was cremated. You need more than a 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬 to bring a body back from the ashes. Even then, how could Shi do this without the ashes?”
“I’ll answer that for you.” Shi laughs, sitting himself up even with the robe around him. “My ancestors in the Heian Era 𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘦𝘥 𝘈𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘚𝘦𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘪’𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 an-”
Douman cuts him off by punching him and lifting him up by the collar, rage filling his eyes underneath his mask. “𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺?”
“You heard me.” Shi spits back, “Anyway, they were going to try and revive Abe no Seimei. However, with the youkai running rampant everywhere, it was hard to do so. So, they kept his ashes hidden away. Actually, they even 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵 they had them. My parents found out about the ashes through old journals from my ancestors. They uncovered the untouched ashes from a sealed up cave and retrieved them. When trying to perform the ritual, however, I suppose Abe no Seimei knew someone would attempt to grave rob him or whatever. When I was outside playing, our entire house burned down. My parents died and the only thing left in there were the ashes. After nearly three decades, and a lot of research, I finally undid the seal Seimei had put on his ashes. Now we are here, thirty years later, and I have finally managed to make a clay doll with Seimei’s ashes- practically reviving him from the dead. However-”
“Seimei’s soul didn’t appear before you, hm?” Ebisu cuts the old man off, seeing the rage on the principal's face. “Which led you to believe he reincarnated. You probably searched high and low for Abe-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪.”
Shi hisses, “I did. Now you lot have ruined that.”
Douman throws him on the floor, seething with rage, before kicking the dude and storming off to the other couch he has and plops himself on it.
“Ugh, guys…?” Haruaki cuts through the silence, voice strained and in pain. “I don’t feel so good…”
Their attention is ripped away from Shi, who Class 2-3 and the teachers look ready to kill, and focus on Haruaki.
“What the fuck?” Hijita curses, eye widening. There, slowly coming out of Seimei’s chest, is his soul. “How the heck?!”
Momoyama panics, “Push it back in, Seimei-sensei!”
The students crowd around their teacher, attempting to push the soul back in with no luck. It’s like trying to catch the sky, an impossible task.
“Why won’t it budge?” Utagawa cries, pushing as hard as she can. Miki stands behind them.
“Move.” the Shutendouji commands, “I’ll give it a try.”
The students move away as Miki steps forward, blue eyes narrowed onto Haruaki’s soul that’s halfway out of his chest.
“It hurts…” Haruaki wheezes, looking deathly pale and sick to his stomach. Miki’s stomach drops, a heavy feeling in his chest as he raises his palm.
“Sorry.” is all he gives when he 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘴 the soul. Haruaki gets blasted through a wall, the pieces crumbling on top of him, and Miki quickly digs him out of the wreckage. “It’s still not going in.”
He is right. The soul is still in place, as if stuck in between a wall. However, it also makes no effort to keep moving outside of Haruaki’s body.
“Ugh…” Haruaki groans, limp in Miki’s arms as Douman waves the shutendouji over to the couch. The principal moves off the couch and Miki sets Haruaki down gently, gently moving stray hairs out of his face. “It hurts….”
“Should it be hurting him this much?” Sano asks, arms crossed and scowl present on his face. “When Byakko pulled his soul out, it didn’t seem to hurt him.”
Karasuma hums in thought, “Maybe because it was quick? His soul is coming out slowly, and just stopped in place, so maybe that’s why he’s in pain.”
Behind them, Shi has his eyes narrowed. He gave a little 𝘵𝘴𝘬 under his breath but it did not go unnoticed by Akisame.
“Why did you make that noise?” the nekomata asks, red eyes glaring right at Shi. “What the 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 did you do to Seimei-𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘪?”
Shi sighs in defeat and shrugs, “I gave him a little medicine I concocted in his meal. It was 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 to bring out his soul. But I suppose 𝘈𝘣𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘚𝘦𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘪 is against that entirely.”
“What do you mean by Seimei being against it?” Douman asks, eyebrows twitching.
“Just as I said.” Shi answers, “Usually, when reincarnated, your soul memories, as I like to put it, are wiped clean. No attachment or anything. However, Abe no Seimei reincarnated himself with these soul memories to stay attached. I think. Not entirely sure. Anyway, it’s normally impossible for a human to resist this kind of medicine, since it usually knocks the person out and their soul automatically springs forth from the body. But since there are 𝘵𝘸𝘰 people with this soul, one of them can hold it back as long as there is a condition.”
Karasuma leans over the principal's desk, “Condition? Like what kind?”
“I don’t know.” Shi says honestly, “It can range from anything to ‘don’t pluck my hair’ to ‘don’t touch my body’. Unless this condition is met, the soul will 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 go back down into Haruaki-𝘬𝘶𝘯’s body.”
Sano clicks his tongue, “So it’s a matter of waiting it out and 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 we don’t accidentally trigger the condition.”
“Bingo.” Shi nods, “I do not know when Haruaki-𝘬𝘶𝘯’s soul will go back down either.”
Douman sighs and uncovers the body of Abe no Seimei, “Let’s cremate this body, once again.”
The principal kneels down, pulling Seimei into his arms princess style. Just then, Haruaki stops breathing. His eyes go blank and the soul floats out of him easily. Haruaki’s body is caught by Miki.
“That’s not good.” Ebisu comments, a dark look on his face. Before Douman, or anyone, could even react, the soul races into Abe no Seimei’s body. Shi starts laughing hysterically with eyes widened in pure joy.
“YOU FOOL!” Shi laughs. “YOU RAISED ABE NO SEIMEI YOURSELF!”
He keeps cackling, the eyes of Abe no Seimei slowly opening and adjusting to the light. Douman goes still, looking down in shock as his rival opens his eyes.
“Oh dear…” Seimei hums, lips curving into a smile as he looks up at Douman with half-lidded eyes. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, Douman.”
The principal doesn’t reply back. He can’t. It feels like his lungs are tightening, suffocating him in a miserable way. He doesn’t even notice how his fingers are digging into Seimei’s skin hard enough for a splotch of blood to appear on the shoulder and thigh of his clothing. Karasuma is frozen still as well, looking like a deer caught in headlights.
“YES!” Shi shouts, straining against the ropes and trying to break free. “Abe no Seimei, get rid of these pesky youkai and free me!”
Abe no Seimei tilts his head, red eyes side-eying Shi with a smile on his lips. “Why would I ever do that?”
Shi startles, “What? Impossible! You should be obeying my every command!”
“Hm, oh, you mean the master-servant spell when resurrecting?” Abe no Seimei laughs slightly, “That only works if the person you’re resurrecting is 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘳 than the master.”
Shi slumps, looking dazed, before getting grabbed by the collar. Sano is glowering at the elderly man, magic flickering in and out as if Sano is trying to suppress his own magic.
“How do we get our teacher's soul back in 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘥𝘺?” the Yakubyougami hisses, shaking Shi. “Tell me!”
“How am I supposed to know?!” Shi snaps back, “The medicine I made only works once! I never bothered to research how to put the soul back!”
As the students are practically interrogating Shi, Douman finally breaks out of his trance. “Seimei…”
“Hm?” Abe no Seimei hums in response, “Is there something you want to tell me, Douman?”
Abe no Seimei feels the way Douman’s nails continue to dig deep into his skin and the way his arm and thigh screams in pain, but he opts to ignore it in favor of looking at Douman’s face. Well, more like in favor of being held in his rivals arms longer, but nobody needs to know that except himself.
“Shi,” Douman turns to the crowded elderly man that’s getting beat up, “How long will my students and staff be asleep?”
Shi slurs slightly, face pummeled and turning a sickly shade of purple. “The spell was only to put them to sleep. So however long they sleep is however long they sleep. They’ll wake up soon.”
“Okay.” Douma turns, “Ebisu, I’ll leave the students and Shi in your, Hatanaka, and Miki’s capable hands.”
Ebisu nods as the principal and Karasuma walk out with Abe no Seimei. They head up the stairs leading to Douman’s living quarters.
“Seimei,” Douman starts, catching the attention of the supposed-to-be-dead Onmyyouji. “Do you know how to remove the soul from your body and give it back to Haruaki?”
Karasuma walks behind the two, a blank look on his face as he trails behind them. Red eyes flicker from Douman to Abe no Seimei before he decides it’s better to look at anything else 𝘣𝘶𝘵 them.
“Hm, there are two ways. Or four, if you can convince some people.” Abe no Seimei answers, “The first one, which would probably be the easiest way, is to kill me. Once I die, the soul would automatically return to Haruaki.”
Douman’s voice is flat, “What if I don’t want to kill you?”
“Then Haruaki has to have the will to call back his soul from my body.” Seimei shrugs, “It’s probably hard to do so at the moment, though. His spirit is asleep thanks to Shi’s medicine. When he wakes up, if he can, then he can call his soul back.”
“The other two ways?” Douman presses.
Seimei looks up at him, “You can see if 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 shutendouji is willing to pull my soul out. Though, the problem with that is that we don’t know if she’s strong enough to do that anymore. And even if she could, I doubt she would do it for free or out of the kindness of her heart. You could try asking Byakko, or any god really, but they probably will say no.”
Douman curses, “So we have to wait until Haruaki’s spirit wakes. How fantastic.”
“I assure you it won’t be that long.” Seimei laughs as they finally enter the small space the principal lives in, “What a lovely academy you have here, Douman.”
Douman whispers, “Thank you…”
He sets Seimei down on the raised tatami area he has and finally notices the blood he drew earlier, “I’ll go get bandages and new clothes for you. Karasuma, could you watch over him?”
“I don’t see why not.” the karasu tengu shrugs, glancing at Abe no Seimei before looking back at Douman. “Do what you need to do.”
The former god plops himself beside his former master as Douman leaves the room and enters his own. Seimei smiles at Karasuma with what seems to be fondness, a twinkle in his red eyes. Yeah, that’s the Seimei the thief knows. All smiles and fox-like as if he knows whatever the future awaits them, as if they’re all dancing in the palm of his hand one-thousand years later. How infuriating. Yet Karasuma missed him oh-so-much. That’s what’s really infuriating.
“Suzaku.” Seimei grabs the former gods attention, “Has life been treating you well?”
Karasuma’s eye twitches, “Sure.”
He’s as well as he can be considering his godhood was stripped and he’s banned from multiple areas in Japan. Seimei hums softly.
“How was being dead?” the former god bites out, “Was it pleasant?"
Abe no Seimei laughs lightly, “It sure was. It’s peaceful and there’s not much to do except relax and chat with others.”
Karasuma has to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from lashing out at Seimei. The way he talks about 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥 is pissing him off. The silent grudge he has that he never shows is starting to fester into a nasty, ugly thing that he can usually keep suppressed. Thank god Douman comes back with the first aid kit and clothes.
“Show me your shoulder.” the principal says, setting the kit and clothes down onto the table before grabbing out peroxide, cotton balls, and bandages. Seimei, having 𝘯𝘰 shame, slides off his robes with ease and lets Douman attend to the wounds he inflicted onto Seimei.
Douman speaks but doesn’t look up as he focuses on bandaging Seimei, “How are you feeling? Any different?”
“No,” the Onmyouji replies, “Haruaki is still asleep. It’ll probably take a day or two for him to wake up.”
Karasuma lifts an eyebrow, “That long? Can’t you wake him up?”
“I wish I could.” Seimei sighs as Douman finishes the injury on his arm and moves down to his thigh, “However, despite being an airhead, Shi did know what he was doing when making that so-called medicine to retrieve this soul. I suppose his ancestors did know what they were doing.”
Karasuma snorts and leans against the table and rests his head on Abe no Seimei’s shoulder. Maybe he should take a picture, develop it, and send it to Byakko. The white tiger would be furious. Though also happy to see Seimei once again, but furious he didn’t see his former master first. The Seimei lover that Byakko is makes him an easy victim when it comes to anything Seimei related. Heck, Karasuma is fairly sure that he’s president of an Abe no Seimei club- only if it exists, of course. Then again, he wouldn’t be surprised if Byakko founded and is the only member of the club if it actually does exist.
“I’ll go and tell the students what’s going on.” the former god sighs, standing up and patting the dust off him. “Don’t want them going on a rampage, after all.”
Karasuma heads down the stairs and to the principal's office, leaving Seimei and Douman alone. Douman hands Seimei clothes from his drawers, something he was gifted some time ago by someone who thought he’d look ‘cute’ in said clothes. Of course, Douman never wore them. They seem like they’d suit Abe no Seimei more than him anyway. A white turtleneck that’s way too big and grey pleated pants.
It looks good. It looks really, 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 good on Seimei.
“It’s soft and comfortable.” Seimei states out loud, “But you don’t like this type of style. When did you get this?”
Douman’s eyebrow twitches in annoyance, “Someone gifted it to me. Never wore it.”
Seimei chuckles from behind the large sleeve and looks at the principal with eyes that are full of mischief. Yeah, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 the Seimei he knows. The mischievous, mysterious, annoying Seimei he knows. The Abe no Seimei that has everyone dancing in the palm of his hands.
“What are you going to do about Haruaki’s class?” Seimei suddenly asks, “He’s not in commission at the moment, and I’m sure your other classes are full and no one isn’t busy.”
Douman grits his teeth, “Ebisu can teach the class fine. If he has any questions, the other teachers will help him.”
Seimei hums in acknowledgement. Suddenly, he stands up and walks to the fridge- his smile never leaving his face as he only sees beer bottles in there. Douman visibly sweatdrops. He has a feeling Seimei wants in on the class somehow. Of course, as principal, he can do that. Seimei won’t harm them. However, he doesn’t want to deal with the students 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 trying to get answers out of Seimei.
“We should get some food, Douman.” Seimei says, breaking Douman out of his thoughts. “Since you only carry beer. Are there any good restaurants?”
Douman sighs and looks at Seimei, “Thanks to Shi, everyone on this island is asleep. Which means no restaurants. We’d have to go off this island to eat since I can’t cook.”
“Not surprising.” the other man laughs, irritating Douman. “Since you’re a nurarihyon, you should be able to take us anywhere with ease.”
Douman freezes up as Seimei continues. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘋𝘰𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘢 𝘯𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘩𝘺𝘰𝘯?
“Let’s go anywhere 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 Kyoto. Wouldn’t want to risk Byakko or one of the others seeing me and decide to try and keep me there, hm?”
The principal clicks his tongue, “Fine. I’m sure you’ll love the food, since it’s evolved even more since the Heian Era.”
Douman stands up and stomps over to Seimei, grabbing the man by the waist and teleporting them to Tokyo. They land in an empty alleyway only a few streets down from the restaurant Douman is taking Seimei to. Seimei gives Douman an unsettling smile.
“You can put me down, Douman.” the soon-to-be-dead-again Onmyouji snickers. Douman realizes he picked Seimei up 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦. “Although I do not mind being held like this, I think you mind holding me like this.”
Douman sets Seimei down and starts walking off without a word, thankful that his mask is hiding how red his face has become. Seimei trails behind him, smirk on his lips, following silently as if enjoying Douman’s inner torment. He hums a little tune as the principal leads him into a small restaurant, only suitable to hold a handful of people.
“Sit,” Douman motions to the seat in front of him, “I’ll order us food.”
Seimei gives Douman a nod and slides into the chair, red eyes following Douman as the principal orders their food. The human then grabs the plastic cups that are off to the side, pouring water in them from the pitcher that was already on the table. Finally, the youkai returns.
“It’ll take about ten minutes.” The nurarihyon hums, sitting down across from Seimei. “How are you feeling so far?”
Seimei raises his hand to his lips and laughs lightly, “I’m doing just fine.”
Douman sighs and glares at Seimei but says nothing, grabbing the cup Seimei filled for him and sipping on it in order to distract himself from the recently revived Onmyouji. Seimei’s red eyes fill with amusement as the waiter brings their food to the table. He sets down a plate of gyoza in front of Seimei and a bowl of ramen in front of Douman. Seimei picks up a set of chopsticks and carefully pulls them apart, opening and closing them experimentally before taking a piece of gyoza and blowing on it lightly. Seimei’s eyes twinkle a bit as he bites into the gyoza, the flavor bursting in his mouth.
“Oh wow.” Seimei swallows the food, “This is delicious.”
As Seimei takes another bite, Douman pipes up. “It’s gyoza. Want to try my ramen?”
“Don’t mind if I do.” the man responds, swapping his and Douman’s dishes. Douman eats a gyoza as he watches Seimei blow on some noodles before slurping it up.
“It tastes similar to hishio, but not quite.” Seimei hums, “It’s less rich and not that sweet.”
Douman nods, “It’s soy sauce flavor.”
Quick History Lesson (Does not contain all facts. If interested about this information, please look it up): Soy sauce did not exist in the Heian Era. They used something similar called hishio in the Heian Era. It was a valuable seasoning for the aristocracy and monks, and is described to have a deep savory and mellow flavor that is richer than soy sauce and sweeter than miso. It’s described as a semisolid mash that is more like thick paste than liquid sauce. Hishio is the foundation for both soy sauce and miso.
“I like it.” Seimei smiles, “Man, it’s so good to be temporarily alive!”
The two proceed to share the meals as Douman catches Seimei up on what’s been happening since he died, mostly bragging about how he made Hyakki Academy and taught many different youkai.
“That was good.” Seimei states, watching as Douman pays before they leave. “I wonder how your students are doing.”
“They’re fine. They always get into trouble and always somehow get out somewhat safely.”
…………………………………
“Let’s beat him up more!” Hijita yells, cracking his knuckles. “He doesn’t look nearly as beat up as he should!”
That isn’t true. Shi is beaten badly, black and purple bruises covering his wrinkled face and blood running from his nose. Sano holds Hijita back from attacking once more.
“Not now, Hijita. We need information out of him.” Sano says, oddly calm. Most of the class is surprised as Sano isn’t exactly known for being chill, especially when it comes to Haruaki. Sano’s eyes, however, get dark. “Once we get the information out of him, we can torture him as much as we want.”
Miki, who looks like he still wants to rampage, is being calmed down by Hatanaka while Ebisu walks up to Shi.
“Now,” the God of Fortune smiles, “Let’s talk. I’m sure you know more than you’re letting on.”
Shi grimaces, “I don’t know anything more than what I’ve told you.”
“But you can make a couple guesses on how to fix it, can’t you?” Mame smiles, though it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“I suppose…” Shi sighs as he adjusts himself, trying not to aggravate his own injuries. “The quickest, and probably easiest, way to return Haruaki-𝘬𝘶𝘯’s soul is to kill Abe no Seimei.”
The room goes cold and silent. Sure, Abe no Seimei is already dead, or was dead in this case, and everything, but was killing him 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 really okay?
“Or,” Shi adds, “Just wait and see. Most medicines and whatnot usually don’t last long. I can imagine mine won’t either and Haruaki will wake up and things can go from there.”
The class huddles together and discusses the pros and cons of each option.
…………………………………
Douman arrives back at his place with Abe no Seimei when the sun starts to set. After their lunch, Seimei wanted to explore. That meant Douman was trailing behind Seimei as they went from place to place, grabbing snacks and drinks along the way. Needless to say, when they got home, they were tired and just wanted some sleep. At this point, Douman didn’t even think about anything when handing Seimei a pair of pajamas before they collapsed onto the bed.
Peaceful.
That’s what this is.
Until the morning, that is. Douman woke up to Seimei’s head lying against his arm, turned away and snoring softly. Douman’s arm felt like static and he carefully slipped his arm out from under Seimei’s head, careful to not wake up his rival. Though his attempt is in vain as Seimei yawns and slowly sits up, rubbing his eyes with his left hand.
“Mornin’.” Seimei yawns into his hand before stretching, back arching as he raises his arms into the air. He slips out from under the blanket and heads to the kitchen, a smile plastered on his face as he gets a glass of water. While he does that, Douman gets dressed and prepares another set of clothes for Seimei to wear.
“Douman,” Abe no Seimei starts as the very tired principal enters the kitchen, “You need to go shopping, there’s nothing but beer in here.”
Douman slumps against the counter and yawns, “Yeah, yeah. However, everyone decided to meet up for breakfast to discuss what to do. We are going to meet in my office for this, so we can just pick up breakfast from a store or restaurant.”
“Ehhh, I see.” Seimei hums as he closes the fridge door, “I suppose I’ll get dressed and stay here while you pick it up?”
Douman stares at Seimei before sighing and rubbing the back of his head, “Sounds good. Don’t run off.”
Seimei only smiles as Douman disappears and then walks back to the bedroom, where he changes into a comfy shirt and pants. He rummages through Douman’s closet and finds a comb, combing through his hair before setting it back and closing the closet. He hears the sudden rustle of plastic and the sound of something being set on the counter.
Douman’s back.
Seimei sees Douman sit down on the raised tatami flooring, a yawn coming from the youkai’s mouth. Abe no Seimei, ever the teaser, slowly creeps behind the slouched form of Douman, slipping his arms over Douman’s shoulders and slumping against his back.
“Get off.” Douman huffs, but makes no move to actually remove Seimei from his back. Seimei chuckles and leans in closer, rubbing his cheek against Douman’s head.
“It’s almost eight.” Seimei whispers against the shell of Douman’s ear, making the other flinch slightly. “Don’t we have to meet up with your students and staff soon?”
Douman’s left hand raises, grabbing the sleeve of Seimei’s shirt. “...Yeah. Let’s get up and leave.”
Seimei removes himself from Douman, heading towards the stairs to downstairs. Douman follows behind, making sure to grab the food from the counter before heading down with Seimei. Thankfully, everyone was already there- Haruaki’s limp body lying on the couch with a blanket carefully placed over his body.
“Hi~!” Seimei waves at the students and staff, “How is everyone this morning?”
Sano’s blue gaze flickers from Seimei to Haruaki as he makes his plate of food. Most of the class already got their food, chatting away as they check up on Haruaki from time to time. Shi is tied up, beaten black and blue, Yamazaki sitting next to him to make sure Shi doesn’t escape.
“Abe no Seimei!” Kuniko runs up, “D-do you have a solution…?”
Her voice trails off, wavering as she nervously glances back to Haruaki’s body lying beneath the blanket before looking back at Seimei. Seimei pats her head.
“I’m sure it’ll be solved soon, okay?” Seimei responds, “For now, why don’t you talk to your friends? I’m sure we will discuss what to do soon.”
Kuniko nods and heads back to talk with her classmates, picking the cat form of Tamao off of Haruaki’s chest as she passes by. Sano is sitting on the floor with Mamekichi on his lap.
“Everyone, please give me your attention.” Douman says while clapping his hands, gaining everyone's attention. Miki and Hatanaka stop chatting and even Ebisu looks his way. “Let’s start discussing how to get Haruaki back to normal.”
Everyone gets comfortable, sitting or standing wherever with a plate in hand.
“Can’t we just ask Ebisu or one of the other gods to take his soul out?” Miki asks, gesturing to Seimei.
Ebisu sighs, “I personally wouldn’t want to do that for some… reasons. I also doubt any other god would want to either.”
Miki grunts and looks away, clearly chewing on his bottom lip in anxiety.
“Hey,” Seimei catches everyone's attention, pointing to the soul halfway out his chest. Unlike Haruaki, who was very much in pain, Abe no Seimei didn’t seem to feel anything at all. “I think we no longer have anything to debate about, hm?”
Kuniko fidgets with her fingers, “Erm, Abe no Seimei..? May we try to-”
“Let’s just try pulling the soul out fully!” Hijita snaps, earning him a hit from Beniko.
“Try to have some common decency!”
“OWWWW!”
“Cry louder! Damn you!”
Beniko continues to hit Hijita as Seimei puts a hand up to his chest and grabs onto his soul. His red eyes narrow slightly as he tugs on it.
“Oi, Seimei!” Karasuma and Douman shout, ushering to the former onmyouji’s side.
“Leave it alone!” Douman snaps, “You-”
He falters as Seimei looks at him, “Hm? But wouldn’t it be better if Haruaki had the soul back?”
Inch by inch, the soul is slowly being pulled out. Douman feels his heart drop into his stomach, an ugly feeling seeping into his flesh and bones.
𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵-
Douman stops his own thoughts. That’s dangerous territory. It’s not about what he wants. It’s never been about what he wants. Not really. Right now, he needs to prioritize his students. And his students want back their teacher, Abe Haruaki. Seimei’s reincarnation. A man who, while resembling Seimei, was not Seimei.
𝘚𝘦𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘪’𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤-
Douman slaps himself mentally.
Again, dangerous territory.
“Seimei.” Karasuma suddenly speaks up, watching the soul slowly be taken out of the former onmyouji. “Are you in any pain?”
Abe no Seimei chuckles, “No, but thanks for worrying, Suzaku. Ah, just a moment.”
With one final tug, the soul is now in Seimei’s hands. He unclenches his fingers and everyone watches the soul zip into Haruaki’s body. Shi sighs in the background while Seimei suddenly slouches into Douman.
“I feel like my body has been drained of energy.” Seimei chuckles tiredly, watching as Haruaki’s body comes to life. The body jolts, the chest moving with life as he breathes. A gasp falls from Haruaki’s lips as he inhales and the students and staff rush over to him, making sure he’s okay. Seimei nudges Douman with his elbow.
He whispers, “We should go back upstairs.”
Douman, not saying a word, holds Seimei in his arms. Seimei motions for Karasuma to follow and the former god reluctantly follows the two up the stairs. Douman hears Seimei’s breathing get heavier as if the former onmyouji had run a marathon, sweat starting to bead onto forehead.
“Just lay me down in bed.” Abe no Seimei murmurs. Douman carefully lays Seimei down on the futon and turns to Karasuma.
“Stay with him, okay?” Douman says, turning around to get a wet rag to help Seimei. Karasuma, with an unspoken emotion plastered beneath the poker face he wears, slumps down next to Seimei.
Karasuma looks down at Seimei, red eyes trailing up from the blanket to Seimei’s face. “You… How long do you think your body will hold up?”
“Maybe a few hours.” Seimei smiles tiredly, “Why? Worried Suzaku? How sweet.”
Karasuma plasters a smile on his face, “What? Me? Why would I not be worried?”
Seimei doesn’t reply, only smiles back, before Douman walks in with a wet rag and kneels down to wipe Seimei’s forehead with the cold cloth. Karasuma glances at Douman before looking away. He can’t look at Seimei or at Douman. He can’t stand it. Can’t stand this situation.
He can’t stand Abe no Seimei.
…
𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦, 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵.
Karasuma missed the simpler days, in all honesty. He missed Seimei summoning him, ignoring the others complaints about him all while he smiled and greeted Suzaku with a smile. He missed when he and Douman talked and joked around from time to time. He missed when Seimei would prank him, throwing water on him that way he would get irritated.
He missed…
Karasuma snaps himself out of those thoughts. By the time Karasuma came back to reality, Douman had taken care of the wet cloth and was lying down next to Seimei. Karasuma sighs and scoots closer to Seimei’s side but doesn’t lie down.
He doesn’t know when he falls asleep. Memories resurface, mixed with dreams. Seimei crying. A promise between him and Douman. A kiss.
…. Seimei’s death.
“-i-”
“-mei-”
“SEIMEI!”
Karasuma jolts awake at Douman’s scream. Why was there so much blood?
𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.
𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.
𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥.
Why is Seimei bleeding so much? Why is his breathing so shallow, as if his lungs were failing him? Karasuma helps Douman put pressure on… Seimei’s wounds? Where Douman stabbed him in the Heian Era? Seimei’s eyes are closed, scrunched in pain.
“Wake up, please…” Douman whispers, having given up on putting pressure on the wounds that won’t stop flowing. He clutches Seimei’s body closer.
And then… poof.
As soon as Seimei drew his last breath, his body vanished into specks of life. Bile rises in the back of Karasuma’s throat, but he forces it back down. Douman clutches the bloodied clothes left behind, fingers turning white with how hard he’s clutching them.
Karasuma looks out the window.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺.