"Serial Animation K U R O Z U K A" "I have abandoned my temple." "For countless days, I have journeyed... in search of a land I know only by name." "I have arrived here at Adachigahara." "Adachigahara Chapter One" "My lord." "These men are not of the Kamakura army." "Indeed." "However..." "Your elder brother is not the only one who desires the head of Minamoto no Yoshitsune." "There are many others who pursue you." "It appears so." "The Genji who wrested this country from the Heike Clan..." "Indeed, I have become a thorn in their side." "Benkei, if you were to take my head and flee, your life would be spared at the very least." "My lord!" "We have lived and fought for long enough." "That is why..." "This place is satisfactory." "To think you would utter such words..." "What stirs you so, Benkei?" "My lord." "I espied a fire over there." "A fire?" "Our pursuers, perhaps?" "No." "The fire appears to be stationary." "A lantern in a dwelling, perhaps." "There are people who live in mountains as remote as these?" "They are perhaps kindred spirits seeking to escape the world of mankind." "It is growing dark... and we have almost run out of water." "If it is indeed shelter, we shall request admittance for the night." "However, as a precaution," "I, Benkei, shall use my lord's name Kuro as a pretense." "It appears to be deserted." "Hello?" "Hello?" "Are there any souls residing here?" "There are." "Do you require assistance?" "Who are you?" "Pardon my rudeness." "We are monks of Kishu, on a pilgrimage from the Kumano shrine." "I am known as Priest Kuro." "While traversing these mountains, darkness fell upon us." "If you would allow us, whether it be on squalid floor or beneath the eaves, could we sojourn here for the night?" "By no means do we wish to—" "Your traveling companion has..." "What ails you?" "Such a rampant fever." "Such a wretched state." "What's the matter?" "Then, this is your disciple?" "Yes." "You display a refinement which cannot be concealed, despite your efforts." "He attends to you as a vassal would." "I will allow you to stay the night." "I have one stipulation, however, in return for your sojourn." "There lies a room deep within this house." "That is where I repose, and is always unsightly." "I request that you never glance inside." "Such a facile request..." "We agree to your stipulation." "If you keep your word, you may remain here as long as you wish." "Please tell me your name." "I am called Kuromitsu." "Has his complexion not improved?" "Regrettably not." "I will descend the mountain and purchase medicine." "Until I return, please watch over him." "I will do as you ask." "Your fever appears to be subsiding." "Have you been attending all this time?" "Yes." "We were merely promised one night." "As soon as my companion returns, I will leave immediately." "Please do not." "Should you wish it, you may reside here as long as you desire." "As long as you desire..." "How is your health?" "This place... seems unusual compared to the world I have come from." "Even our sense of time dissipates into a perplexing conundrum." "Consider this tree." "It has existed for a thousand years." "What troubles you, Kuromitsu?" "I regret that... you feel uncomfortable in this place." "Forgive my impertinence." "I was gripped by a fit of madness." "We cannot." "However much we are drawn together..." "You and I..." "We are fated to live apart." "I sense a presence." "Has Benkei returned?" "No, it cannot be." "If it were Benkei, he would have come here first." "Our pursuers?" "I hear something..." "It came from within." "I request that you never glance inside." "Why have you come here?" "!" "How wretched you must think me." "Yet, this is how it must be." "For I knew this day would eventually come." "Perhaps..." "I even longed for it, deep in my heart, for you to see me committing such an atrocious act." "Kuromitsu." "I will not divulge what I have seen today to anyone—" "Kuromitsu!" "You cur!" "Your head is mine, Yoshitsune." "Immortal, you claim?" "You believe that woman to be immortal?" "Indeed." "That maiden..." "Hundreds of years have passed and yet, she remains ageless." "An indubitable immortal." "My clan has sought this maiden since Heian-kyou was constructed." "And what are your intentions once you obtain her?" "We will unravel... the secret to everlasting life." "Are you mortally wounded?" "More importantly, what of your injuries?" "Your right arm was..." "Your..." "This body of mine is unusual." "So unusual and wretched." "At the very least, I wished for you to remain ignorant of that fact." "Kuromitsu." "My time is short." "My fate will abandon me in these mountains." "Leave me here... and flee from this place." "My beloved Kuro." "Will you accompany me?" "To where?" "To the end of time." "Next Chapter" "The Star-crossed Mound Next Chapter" "The Star-crossed Mound"