That didn't really make it any easier to hear, either. In fact, he slides off the bed and paces away from Koumyou, rubbing a hand across his own eyes as well. His thoughtful silence is interrupted briefly by the sound of water running, and he returns to Koumyou's side with a damp cloth for the priest's eyes.

"You said the Muten sutra is the one that-- that destroys, right?" He sits again beside Koumyou. "Is that why your friend's students had to kill him to take it over?"