Moonless Night

[madimpossibledreamer]

So, I really like this crossover event with mangaka Natsuhiko Kyogoku, enough that it inspired me to write.  As I was playing the event, I was thinking "So, this is how Hiromasa is reacting to events now, but what if it was movie Hiromasa instead?"  Because they have very different personalities.  (Seimei, too, although mostly in that Shiro-Seimei from the game is a lot more subtle about it.)  So this time, I'm transposing the gacha events into 'what if same plot, but movieverse characters instead?' 
Technically, this is the prologue.  I'm very happy about all of it, but especially the dialogue.

Main Points:
Onmyoji (movie and gacha, how's that for another crossover??)
Chapter Summary: Hiromasa's concerned about some missing people.
Word Count: 1123
Rating: teen
Warning: speculation about human sacrifice (seriously, elements of this event really, really remind me of Fatal Frame), not graphic, but warning anyway.
Spoilers: Redmoon Thrillers

 

        “What?  Surely not!” Hiromasa looks appalled, and not for the first time Seimei is forced to conclude that Mushishi spoke the truth: Minamoto no Hiromasa is, indeed, a very good man.  He does not show any of that admiration in his expression, though, keeping a rather neutral one.
        “I cannot say for certain the practice still continues,” he continues after a sip of his wine, tone slightly more gentle than before.  “You asked for my first impression as to the cause, and I gave it.”
        “But Seimei, what would possess people to do such a thing?”  Hiromasa has set down his own cup, too distraught to continue drinking.  “Surely it can't all be quarrels between people, or jostling for rank!  One or two, maybe, but...”  Alas, I am corrupting him, Seimei thinks, slightly sadly, and sets down his own cup, reaching out to cover Hiromasa's hand with his own.  His friend looks sheepish yet grateful for the gesture.
        “Are you sure you wish to hear the answer?  It can get ugly.”  And requires the discussion of spells, which always gives the noble a headache, though he suffers through it anyway for the sake of the onmyoji's company.
        Hiromasa pauses, then his face hardens with determination.  “Yes, I'm sure, Seimei.  After all, if it's happening again, I'll have to know more about it to put a stop to it.”
        He'll say this of the other half of his guardian star: Hiromasa is braver than anyone Seimei knows, even himself, because where he steps, he walks with confidence.  Hiromasa works off of faith and trust, and for a lesser man, those would be slim threads ready to break at any moment.  Hiromasa can weave spells with merely those and his skill with the flute.  Of course he'd want to prevent any more death—it's why he'd brought this up in the first place.
        Well.  Perhaps he can at least entertain as he does so.  He raises a hand, gesturing at the wall of his home, muttering a spell under his breath as he does so, and suddenly there are shapes in light and shadow there, a shadow-play to illustrate Seimei's story.  The corresponding shout and awed, childlike wonder on Hiromasa's face are well worth the effort, and this time he conceals no secretive smile from Hiromasa's eyes.
        “That's certainly not ugly, but then, your magic never is,” Hiromasa mutters, and Seimei allows the pleasure of the compliment to wash over him.  Many at court are prone to false flattery, but that's not a sin that could ever be thrown at his friend's feet.  Hiromasa is capable of tact, clearly, but also is not the type to lie, not even to make others feel better.
        “The story itself will not be as pretty,” he warns, before continuing.  “To begin with, it used to be that human sacrifices were far more common than they are now.”  The shadows attack one, and the noble averts his eyes quickly.
        “How barbaric!” he exclaims, taking a quick sip of wine to calm himself down.
        Seimei shrugs, slightly more indifferent to the matter.  “Well, other animals sometimes hunt their own kind.  It is not, after all that, so strange that humans should do such things as well.”
        As usual, Hiromasa is scandalized by the suggestion.  “What a thing to say, Seimei!  Humans should be above that kind of behavior.”
        Seimei continues, mild and unruffled.  “And what about wars?”
        Hiromasa pauses, slightly unsure of his argument.  He was about to say that of course those were noble endeavors, but he's seen better, say, from their encounter with Susa just last year.  Seimei's fox-smile is just a little bit grim, this time.
        “True, it would be ideal if humans could be persuaded through word, not violence.  But some people just are incapable of listening to reason.”  Even that man, though he listens to far too many people too often, and is far too changeable because of it.
        “Prone to imbalance,” Hiromasa states quickly, proudly, and, well, it's not as if he's wrong, though he's parroting the words without fully understanding their meaning.  He's trying the best within his own capabilities, though, and that is well-worth pride.
        The shadows on the wall change, resembling the spirits and monsters and gods involved.  Unlike usual, Hiromasa has no fear for these images, though he does shiver a little.  “Yes, wanting what they cannot have, for example.  And some of the gods—not the ones you have here in the capitol, the ones you have chosen because they like the idea of civilization and order, but the ones that remain in the wild places, worshipped by only a few—were far crueler, yet very willing to enact miracles for the right price.  Entertainment or sacrifice were interchangeable goals to them, and then there are human-like motives—wanting more followers, for example.  Likewise, there are those who were willing to go to such lengths to appease these gods.  They chose those who would not be missed.”
        “That is wrong!” Hiromasa interrupts hotly, settling somewhat at Seimei's raised eyebrow.  "Really, it is, Seimei; even you must see that.”
        Seimei does not claim to be a good man.  He does not value everyone individually, though unlike some of the nobles he doesn't immediately devalue someone based on their station, either.  “Ah, but Hiromasa, you are, after all, a good man, who values even your servants as your own.  Even now, you cannot claim that some of your peers would not view commoners as interchangeable and easily replaceable.”
        Hiromasa sighs soulfully, the weight of the world on his shoulders.  “It's not as common as you think,” he protests, though it sounds a little unconvincing probably even to him.  “Though I suppose you have a good enough reason for believing the worst of them, based on your own treatment.”
        It's like Hiromasa to be worried about Seimei's situation years after he's forgotten such insignificant people and insignificant slights, but Seimei is pleasantly warmed by such feelings all the same.  He cannot come up with words that would not make light of his friend's feelings, however, so remains silent.  They sit in comfortable silence as sacrificial rites play out over Seimei's walls, a play removed of all its teeth.
        “So, you think that some nobles might have started these sacrificial hunts again?” Hiromasa asks solemnly, hand on his sword, and Seimei shrugs, relaxing further, unworried.
        “I hope not.  Dealing with that would be quite the trouble.”  He leaves unsaid that if the noble asks he would do so anyway, since his friend knows this already and he's not in the habit of saying the obvious out loud.
        “Seimei!” Hiromasa scolds, but he is laughing, so Seimei merely smiles and offers him more wine.