Priest

Ever since the priest had left the village, Naito had been regaining fragments of memories. Though, they were memories of another life and of another world, yet they resonated in a strange way to the one he currently had here.

In those memories, he could recall a gentle, warm feminine voice asking him to watch over her daughter. To keep her safe from those who would hunt her down and seek to harm her in the future.

It seemed like a strange request from the mother then as the one he was to guard was supposed to be immortal. Or at least, that is the feeling he had when he was given the task to protect this important existence in that world.

This was just a fragment though and he couldn't recall too much about what happened afterwards, who was supposed to be kept safe or details on whom the requester was, even.

Yet, that request had made an appearance again in this world on that night over seven years ago from a man he had recently met. The priest shouldn't have asked such of him, especially so soon, but it didn't change the fact that he had.

Was this a test? Had he failed previously? Or had he met Ryuka's mother in the afterlife and her father was just echoing her mother's request? Naito had no clue.

Strangely enough, he had accepted the duty that night. Though he had made no promises, he had agreed to watch over the girl who had befriended him, and the priest had left two years later, just as he said.

He may have used the excuse of a pilgrimage, but Naito had a feeling the man had set off to confront the past. Facing off against his inner demons even, as he traveled to rectify something, Naito assumed.

He pondered over this as he vacantly stared out over the expanse of the mountain range. This had increasingly become a habit of his over the recent years, to visit the mountain peak and survey the surroundings as if hidden enemies would appear at any moment. That or that he would suddenly gain some clarity about his past.

Disappointingly though, he never seemed to have any progress in unraveling the mystery of his assumed past life's memories. Nor did any enemies appear for him to distract himself with.

Checking the position of the sun, he figured he had been gone long enough and that he should go check around the small lake he knew about or the nearby mountain stream for game. It wouldn't look good if he couldn't return with something to show for his absence.

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Escaping the sight of those far above, a footpath that is not frequented by travelers snakes through amongst the fall colors that dress the trees.

On the winding path, a relatively young Buddhist monk meanders along, accompanied by the jingling of the metal rings hanging from his khakkhara, or pewter staff.

He appears to be in his younger twenties and from the short black hair upon his head, it is obvious that he hadn't left the monastery long ago. A straw hat hangs over his back as prayer beads sway with step from his next.

The monk wears simple, yet dark colored robes and travels at a lazy pace. His dark eyes check the surroundings warily as he hums a tune to fill the silence.

Hansuke Nagao had been born in the Kanto region to a servant girl of the Nagano clan and was officially adopted shortly afterwards as he was the firstborn son of his father. However, years would pass and his father would prove to be rather prolific as his titled wife bore him a second son around the time Hansuke had turned seven years old.

With a more legitimate heir around and not wanting to promote any succession battles, Hansuke's life of training in bushido and politics turned into one of religion as he was sent to Mt. Hiei.

He was nine years old when he was sent to the Mt. Hiei monastery, where he remained for another twelve years for training in accordance to the system that the Tendai founder had created.

They had shaved his head and he was pushed into reading sutras along with scriptures that covered the Tendai sect's teachings. During this, he also came across information that had been recently brought back from China about Chan, or what would become Zen in Japan's Buddhism.

Occasionally, news from outside the monastery would make it into the Mt. Hiei complex, such as the political battles between the Taira clan, Minamoto clan and Fujiwara clan.

News such as the armed conflicts in and around Kyoto at the base of the mountain especially traveled up the mountain quickly.

With how there was fighting in the streets of the imperial capital and even the burning of Kyoto, it was hard for the monks on Mt. Hiei to not be aware of the Genpei War going on outside.

However, as soon as the time was up and things in the imperial capital had settled down, Hansuke went down the mountain to Kyoto to play for a bit and see what had changed.

In the imperial city, he had ran into old man Hōnen, which he had heard some rumors about. Supposedly, he was teaching out of brothels, to the masses in Kyoto, and spreading his views of Pure Land Buddhism.

Amused at first, Hansuke stuck around a few months before deciding he wanted to return home to see the changes in Kamakura. There, Minamoto no Yoritomo had made his base for the bakufu, or "tent government" that was the first shogunate.

The Nagao clan had descended from the Taira clan, so surely, they hadn't survived the civil war unscathed.

They had been located around the Kamakura area previously, and he didn't know which side of the struggle they had sided with.

By Hansuke's guess, if that brother of his had survived, he should be around fifteen years old and the clan would be pushing him to marry. So, the clan elders shouldn't care if he returned home, right?

Which is why he was leisurely passing through the mountain range that would become to be referred to as the Okuchichibu Mountains. With the occasional stops along the way, he was doing some sightseeing and providing services for the dead as a wandering Buddhist monk.

That is how he ended up on this mountain path, in a rather roundabout way.

He had heard in passing that there were isolated villages within the mountains, and that they had very few travelers. Hansuke guessed that they probably were not visited by monks or priests very often.

Honestly, he wasn't sure if those villages were still in the mountains, as people do tend to move when living off the land becomes difficult.

So far, he had been fortunate to not run into any bandits. Nor had he run into any wild beasts during the journey, but then again, that was what his staff was for. The clanking of the rings warned of his passing and there were very few who would stop a monk who carried little in belongings, other than the clothes on their back.

Rounding a bend, the trees overhead cleared enough for him to see smoke rising into the sky. A village must lay somewhere further ahead.

Though it still seemed a way's away, as he couldn't see where the mountain path led to. It just continued to twist and turn through the woods ahead to its unseen destination.

He frowned as he looked at it. How far away was he still? He didn't know and he was tempted to blaze his own path through the trees. Cutting directly towards the direction he saw the smoke coming from.

Yet there was a small problem with this idea. There were all sorts of obstacles and dangers that were obscured by the surrounding brush.

Snakes and other wildlife being only making up a small portion of the possible dangers. There was also streams, sudden drops and tangles of roots to navigate through, if he chose to make his own trail.

His stomach rumbled, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything this morning. So, he picked up his pace and followed the original trail in hopes that he could get a bowl of rice soon. Maybe he would really luck out and get some pickled plums or daikon radishes too!