• Korethi looked out over the sleepy town below him from the winding trail of stone steps that he sat upon, stock still, silent, and tired. He was always tired these days, always looking for an excuse to be away from things, especially here, in this forgotten place, this town without a name. He called it Taiyu Town, which was derived from a word from his language that could not have more accurately described the town. Taiyu, forgotten, a word that he wished would once describe him. He wanted to be forgotten and unloved for once in his life. The curse that followed him would not permit it, however. This sleepy little town had been awoken by his coming. His coming had brought all of this misfortune to them. He wanted to just disappear right at this moment and drift far away where no one could ever find him. Misfortune, then, would have to target a path that was not aimed in his general direction. And the ones that he loved would no longer be hurt.

    He absently fingered the eyepatch over his left eye and rubbed his other hand through his hair. Ryu...Sakura...Kazumay...Kazumay...He cursed to himself everytime he thought of her. She was the one that he wanted to protect the most. But yet, he was afraid of her, afraid of all that she could give him. Normalcy, stability, a sense of belonging and worth. He had always been afraid of what friends could give him because he was deathly afraid to lose them just as he was deathly afraid to lose. He was always fearful of waking up one morning to find that it had all slipped away from him. Ryu was like the brother that he had never had, a brother that was always off doing tasks unknown to them but who cared and whose fears and goals were not unlike his own. Sakura was like his daughter, the daughter that he swore that he could never have but that he loved because at times, she reminded him of himself, with his fears and his needs. And Kazumay...Kazu was like his mother but yet he loved her beyond what a son should. She held him and comforted him and quieted his ever-raging nightmares, something that he had never allowed anyone to do until he had met her.

    But she had her own nightmares that had haunted her for the past ten years or so. The only difference between the two was that he couldn't quiet hers. They kept coming back endlessly in a physical form that took great pleasure in trying to drive them apart, their little family. His presence was no longer required to keep them on edge at the easiest of moments. Korethi had been hired for Kazumay as a healer for the inn that she was running just outside of Taiyu Town. He had been gifted with a rare form of healing, phoenix healing, which had always assisted him in transforming erupting situations into smaller rivers and tiny trickles. Yet he felt as if he were powerless, as if he was nothing. Everytime that Kazumay went out to ease her nightmares, she came back blooded. And he healed her up and let her rest and they would try to get back to some sense of normalcy. But she would do it again and again and each time he saw her bleed, his heart shattered.

    He felt the afternoon sun pelt him with warmth and he thought that he should stare at it and remove the sight in his remaining eye. He thought better of it though- if he went completely blind, he would go insane and he was sure that Kazumay would too. He loved her too much to hurt her by hurting himself. She had been the only one to cause all of this confusion in him, his love and his hate, his pain and his release.

    "Why..." was all that he had been able to say lately to himself. He let his head drop down and he cradled it in his hands.

    He supposed that he could give no recipient to his question, just to everything in general. Or perhaps he could have been speaking to his gods, in particular the one who he had received his curse from the moment that he had been born. He didn't know. For the moment, he didn't care.

    His muscles felt weak despite his sturdy build. If he had his armor with him right now, he could don it and become stronger, if only in appearance. But it lay under his bed, his sword as well, and he was just a healer and a man.

    A cool tuft of wind blew at his hair and he let it, grateful for the brief change of temperature. Blue hair, crimson eyes, a former knight- each part of his body and who he had once been seemed to exude that he was stone-hearted and meant to be alone for all of his days. He had even once tried to be alone in the world, one man against a myriad of forces that could hurt him. He was trying to be alone now, wanting to drift away...his body gave an involuntary shudder and, for seemingly no reason at all, he began to shake with a cold that did not exist.

    "Please..." he begged, wrapping his arms around himself. He drew himself into a sitting ball, tight, impenetrable, and alone, as he wished. And it didn't make him feel any better. "Leave me alone..." His words were little more than whispers that he spoke to threaten everything around him and reassure himself that he really wanted to be alone. "Father, please...g-grant this one wish of your S-Son, for the s-sake of all of your Children." The prayer came out roughly, as though he was trying to spit out words, and after he had spoke, he glanced up at the sky. He remained as he was for the longest time, which he no longer counted, before he felt a pair of arms wrap around his shuddering frame, slithering around his neck.

    He didn't panic or move. Perhaps his wish was being granted and this was a familiar come to escort him away. But as a small face lay on the top of his head and moments passed with no movement or speech, he tossed that possibility down the steps. The smell that entered his nostrils was not that of Kazumay but his daughter. He didn't move yet remained perfectly still as Sakura nuzzled her face into his head. He breathed once, twice before Sakura spoke four words that took his breath away.

    "Papa, please come home."