01x13 - The Demon Within

[bunniefuu]

-[wind gusting]
-[bird chirping]

[Hiromasa] The snow is beautiful.

[Atsumi] It is.

Lord Atsumi. Care to join me?

Hmm.

I would love to. [chuckles]

[flutes playing mystical tune]

[snarls]

Lord Atsumi.
I will be the one who'll free you!

[eerie growling sounds]

[rock music plays]

ONMYOJI

EPISODE 13:
THE DEMON WITHIN

You think you can save me, huh? [scoffs]

You're even more naive
than I could have imagined. Now die!

[light, dynamic music plays]

[grunting]

[wind gusting]

Kyu Kyu Nyo Ritsuryo!

[yowls]

-[chittering]
-Kyu Kyu Nyo Ritsuryo.

I have a feeling
this is about to get nasty.

-And I have a plan.
-[Doman] What are you thinking?

Crush them at the source.

[yelling]

[yelps]

Rejoice, Hiromasa.

[Hiromasa gasps]

I will shred your body to ribbons,
so that you can never be revived again.

[Hiromasa] Don't do this.

[music fades]

Beg for your life all you want.

It's clear your hate for me was enough
to turn you into a demon.

But then why did you heap such praises
upon my flute-playing time and time again?

Why would you treat me with such kindness?

[eerie sighing sounds]

Even now, after everything that's
happened, I still consider you a friend!

[demon] A friend?

[Atsumi] Yes... Hiromasa is my friend.

Silence, fool!

-[Hiromasa panting]
-[yells]

[snarling]

[Hiromasa yelps]

[groans]

Lo... Lord Atsumi?

Go on, k*ll him! k*ll him
while you have the chance!

[yells]

[roars]

[gasps]

[Atsumi] I heard what you said, Hiromasa.

You were right.

You are my friend,
and I don't want to k*ll you.

Lo... Lord Atsumi...

But the demon does!

[demon] I hate you!
I have always hated you!

[roars]

[Yasunori] The Eastern Sea is Amei.

The West, Shukuryo. The South, Kyojo.

And the North is Gukyo.

[demon] It would have been so much easier

if I could have been
openly envious of you!

But because I couldn't,
I had no choice but to praise your talent!

You go on about me being talented,
but I've never thought that!

Silence! That's just
what I despise about you!

[Atsumi] Not true!

[demon groans]

[Atsumi] You must not believe him!

Keep fighting it...

[Atsumi] I swear, that's not how I feel!

[demon] Why do you keep denying the truth?

[gasps]

[roars]

I'll help you!

[yelps]

Ii... it's you two!

What are you doing here? [gasps]

-[demon] And now to end this.
-It won't end!

[demon] What?

If you k*lled me here,
nothing would change.

[demon chuckles] Oh no?

[Hiromasa] I've already died
by your hand. And yet...

you're still a demon!

Why?

[Atsumi] I have no idea.
All I can be sure of is that...

-it's his fault!
-[demon] It's your fault!

Listen to me.
You don't need to be envious.

I can't play the flute anymore.

[demon] Yet even so,
you refused to give up Two Leaves!

You told me that you might be
able to play it again one day!

Your cursed talent!

You blithely go through life
without any regard for those who lack it!

You're wrong. The reason I kept that flute
was to remember.

All those times we shared playing together
is why I kept it!

[emotional music playing]

The first strong desire I ever had

was to be good enough to play with you.

The joy I felt then...
I never want to forget it.

[splutters]

-[Hiromasa] That was my reason...
-[Tsuyuko] Lord Hiromasa!

[groans]

[roaring]

Kyu Kyu Nyo Ritsuryo!

[magical chiming]

[wind whistling]

Looks like it's finally over.

For the emperor's personal onmyoji,
you sure took your sweet time.

When it comes to matters as these,
I do not ordinarily involve myself.

[emotional music continues]

[grunts]

[gasps]

[Atsumi] I too... adored our times
playing together.

I truly did.

[sobbing] And yet...

[Hiromasa] Lord Atsumi...

-It's him...
-[crunching]

It's this demon's fault!

[yelps]

Lord Hiromasa!

[Hiromasa grunting]

[Atsumi groaning]

Lord Atsumi, hear me out.

After I'd offered my flute skills
to Lord Taizan...

I was jealous of your playing.

I envied you.

So much so, I could hear a demon's voice.

I thought if I gave up Two Leaves,
the demon would consume me.

And that scared me more than anything.

And so, you see...

we are not so different.

We both have our demons to battle.

[playing simple tune]

-[Atsumi] Uh, Hiromasa?
-Yes?

I haven't taught you
that song yet, have I?

No.

But I just wanted to try it anyway.

[plays sweetly]

-[demon] So envious.
-[gasps]

That's very impressive.
Well done, Hiromasa.

[man 1] So this is what
a prodigy sounds like!

[man 2] Best watch yourself, Lord Atsumi.

He may end up surpassing you
before too long!

[demon] So pathetic.

[laughs] As if I would let that happen!

[demon] So envious...

[Atsumi thinks] I mustn't
think these thoughts.

[demon] So miserable.

[Atsumi thinks] There is no need
to compare ourselves.

[demon] I hate him.

-I hate him!
-[Atsumi] He is my friend.

-[demon] I hate him!
-[Atsumi] My friend.

[demon wails] I hate Hiromasa!

[music fades]

[shudders]

[rippling]

[Atsumi] Who are you?

All this pain and torment falls
at the feet of that loathsome wretch!

The pain of envy,
worthlessness, and misery.

[Atsumi] Who are you?

You know the answer.

[wind rustling leaves]

It's me.

-[gasps and groans]
-[squelching]

[Atsumi, shakily] That's right...

It's not the demon.

[sobbing]

It is I.

-[emotional music plays]
-I nurtured that demon.

I k*lled you. [sniffles]

I did. [winces]

[sobs] It was me!

Hiromasa... please forgive me!

[sobs] I called you my friend.

But inside, I always...

always hated you!

There is a demon inside all of us.

And no matter how hard we fight it,
sometimes it consumes us.

That's just a tragic fact of life.

But despite all that,
and what you have done...

you will always be my friend.

[gasps]

And yet, I... I am a demon still.

Even after all you've done for me,
I'm still not human.

[groans] If I remain in this state...

I fear I'll attack you again.

I can't...

-Oh! What are you doing?
-No, leave me!

-I must end my life!
-Stop! Listen to me.

Seimei told me that I was
the only one who could save you.

-[Atsumi groans]
-There must be another way!

-[music fades]
-[both grunting]

[Atsumi wails]

[Hiromasa thinks] What do I do?
Seimei, tell me what to do!

-[magical chiming]
-You've already done more than enough.

-[poignant music plays]
-[straining]

-[gasps]
-[magical whooshing]

[gasps]

Seimei!

You're... alive?

I will explain later.

You brought him back to his senses, I see.

Uh, is there anything that
can be done to save him?

I ask that you exorcise me.

[Hiromasa] What?

Surely it would be no issue
for one with your talents.

If you wish it.

Not so fast!

He is my friend.

And exorcising him
is the same as k*lling him!

[Atsumi] I want this, Hiromasa.

What?

I want to leave,
while I still have my humanity.

As a man honored to have been your friend.

[sobs] Lord Atsumi...

-Very well, then.
-[gasps]

[music fades]

I remember we played together
on a day like this one.

Tell me, Lord Seimei.

My talent for the flute... Do you think
that Lord Taizan would trade for it?

[Hiromasa grunts]

It's Hiromasa's, after all.

I wish to see it restored.

[gasps shakily]

I will see to it.

Thank you.

I can't take that.

[sniffles] I don't want it.

It was yours in the first place.

[sniffling]

Even so... I can't.

The times we played together,
remember them fondly.

If you do,

that'll be enough for me.

[breathing unsteadily]

You don't have to ask me to remember.

I... I could never forget them.

[sobbing]

[flames crackling gently]

Step this way, Lord Atsumi.

[Atsumi inhales] Right.

[shuffling footsteps]

[plays sorrowful tune]

[gasps]

Why don't you join in?

[emotional music joins flutes]

[soundtrack music fades]

[stops playing]

[Hiromasa continues playing]

[sniffles]

[flute fades]

[silence]

-[wind rushing]
-[flames crackling]

[Atsumi] Your playing is
as sublime as ever.

Thank you. Yours was as well.

[Atsumi] Lord Seimei,
I have no regrets now.

I am ready to be put out of my misery.

That will not be necessary.

Please take a look in that glass,
and see for yourself.

[gasps]

But how?

[soft music plays]

The path back to your humanity...

was one you had to choose.

[Atsumi] Wh... what do you mean?

Your obsession for the flute
transformed you.

But you relinquished it...

all for your friend.

Thus, the demon's influence is gone.

Is that so?

[chuckling and sniffling]

Then all along...

my salvation was my friend.

-[birdsong]
-[Yasunori] Well, Seimei, you did it.

A shame those evil spirits
were summoned in the process.

Luckily, I was able to convince the
emperor they were part of the ceremony.

[Seimei chuckles]

An impressive display of diplomacy.

[Yasunori] You truly are a handful
as a junior disciple, I'll have you know.

By the way, have you seen Lord Atsumi?

I went by his residence
several times now.

He's not there.

[Yasunori] Oh my. You haven't heard, then?

What?

[Yasunori] Lord Atsumi
has set off on a journey.

[Hiromasa] He has? For what purpose?

[Yasunori] You can imagine, I'm sure,

after so many saw him in his demon form,

he couldn't have stayed.

If he had remained here,
there are those in the court

whose gossip would have been diabolical.

It's better he keep his distance
from all of that.

You're probably right.

[gentle ballad plays]

Now, I must take my leave.

-Hup!
-[whooshing]

[Hiromasa] Uh, Seimei...
this is the real you, isn't it?

How can you ask that?

Well, can you blame me?

That day, I clearly saw you being
spirited away by Lord Taizan himself!

[Seimei chuckles]

How is it that you're standing before me
right now?

The Seimei which you saw
Lord Taizan spirit away was not me.

I asked Doman to use her kodoku
to make something.

[magical whooshing]

A decoy.

Or, rather... a sekisanko version of me.

[Hiromasa] Really? Why not a shiki?

[Seimei] Shikis are more akin to dolls,

which Lord Taizan
would not have been fooled by.

However, a sekisanko made
from all the ill rumors about me

would have a certain human-like vitality.

How is that?

Despite how all of this must sound, the
rumors don't actually comprise the spell.

Such an eerie sort...

[Seimei] It's the life force
of those who uttered them.

...fox-child.

Wait, are you saying you went and drained
the life of everyone who insulted you?

I only helped myself
to a sliver of their lifespans.

After all the contempt they heaped on me,

I would call that a meager price to pay.

[grunts]

There was something
I genuinely offered up, though.

In order to deceive Lord Taizan,

I had to give the sekisanko my name.

Your name? You called it Seimei Abe?

No, not that one. I gave it my real name.

[gasps] On top of it all,
Seimei's not your name?

[Seimei] No.

You see, people like myself can't reveal
our true names to just anyone.

We would be too susceptible
to other onmyojis' spells if we did.

[Hiromasa sighs] You did say
the shortest curse is a name.

[Seimei] At any rate, that is how
Lord Taizan spirited away a decoy,

completely convinced it was me.

[Hiromasa gasps]

You said Lady Doman created
your sekisanko, didn't you?

She knows your real name, then?

[Seimei] Well, in so many words... yes.

[Hiromasa] Well, that can't be good!

If someone like her knows your name,
that could put you in danger!

Perhaps so.

Although...

I think your life is worth the risk.

Uh...

Do you, now?

[Tsuyuko] Oh, good. You're both here!

Ah, if it isn't Milady and Lord Michinaga.

What brings you two here?

Well, it's my father again.

[Tsuyuko] He insists
on having a melon to eat.

Something about
a shrine maiden's prediction.

Uh, at this time of year, though?

[Michinaga] He's left a small fortune
in offerings to her lately.

She must have him by the nose.

Why does that not surprise me?

[Michinaga] If you're not busy right now,
could you please come by the house?

[Seimei] I suppose we could.
Right, Hiromasa?

[Hiromasa] Uh, of course... Seimei.

Onward, then.

Onward!

[music fades]