The Genie's Curse

"How are you feeling?" Evira's mother, Caron asked looking at Tsuru who unknowing to her laid in Evira's body. Allon standing by the door staring her down like a hawk.

"I'm fine... what happened to me?" Tsuru questioned looking at her hand averting eye contact, she had a good idea of what had happened but she needed to play along, see what she knew or thought she did.

"Allon found you suffocating in your room." The woman stated eyes looking down, "Doctor said you must have been poisoned by something in your journey back but doesn't know what it was." Fumbled with the edge of her shirt noticing bags under her eyes.

"Can I speak to Allon... m-mother. In private." Tsuru spoke stuttering when calling her mother, a word she hadn't said long before becoming a genie but she couldn't quite remember why. She looked up to meet Allons stare before looking back at Caron forcing out a smile to seem more like Evira.

Caron smiled back at her a short nod as a response, looking at Allon before standing and leaving the small hospital room, "I'll be back in a bit then."

Allon walked to her side as soon as Caron exited, his scowl leaving his face leaving pity when looking at her, "Not what you expected?"

Tsuru looked down at her new hands, thinking that this was Evira's body brought a shiver of regret through all of her, "What does this mean?!" She grabbed the sheets of the bed pulling at it hard.

"It said new life didn't it, yeah I fell for that myself, but you get used to it." Allon sat on a corner of the bed looking away from her, ahead at the door in the room, "The body I pose now well... it belonged to a child." Allon mentioned recollecting his memories on the matter, "This is why I knew it wouldn't work."

"Why didn't you tell me then?" Tsuru felt a knot in her throat she could see it in him, the pity he held for her was greater than all the anger he felt towards her in the past.

Allon sighed, "What for? You never listen." He lowered and grabbed a bag that hid from Tsuru's view, he brought it to his l.a.p and dug through it.

Tsuru saw him searching but her thoughts wandered back to her regret, feeling as hot tears slipped down her cheeks, "I didn't want it to end like this."

"Really! You seemed quite determined!" He lost control over his voice, lowering it again brings the lamp out of the bag, "You watched her suffocate and then you say that, what happened to all your determination?"

"I'm sorry." Tsuru said sobbing bringing her hands up to cover her face, "I considered her innocence, I admit she didn't deserve..." she paused looking at herself, "this."

"Well because she was innocent." Allon spat out as he crossed his arms. He didn't know what to do, feeling lost, confused even, but he understood where she came from.

She looked at her hands while her eyes were clouded with tears, having a hard time believing her body was not her body. A small number on her wrist caught her attention as she stared at it confused not remembering to have seen it on Evira before, but it didn't exactly look like a tattoo either, it glowed a bright 23.

"23, that's the number of years the body will last." Allon started rolling up his sleeves having extended his hand showing her his own number being a four, "I have 4 years left, the years go at random, some longer some shorter, you can still be killed, however."

Tsuru turned her gaze away from her arm taking a deep breath, "I'm still going to get him."

Her words hung in the air, the fury it held was too deep for anyone else to understand, Allon gripped the sheets of the bed, "Just let it go. He fooled you, end of the story now you need to move on."

"I'm getting Keir and I won't let things go until I do!" Tsuru yelled stubborn as a mule lead by revenge. Her revenge practically pumped in her veins being the only that would fuel her to live.

Allon shushed her seeing as a nurse opened the door to check the room being only peeking and asking the, to be quiet and not disturb other patients, "What did he do to you anyway?"

Tsuru grew quiet taking a deep breath, "He was like... my 5th or maybe around 10th master. I knew him for a long time before he was my master, I looked up to him the first time we met. He was, in fact, the person who comforted me when I became a genie...because he was one too." She growled under her breath a sigh escaped her lips finding the courage to continue without screaming her lungs out in anger, "He was always caring and loving, he had lost people he cared about when becoming a genie and so did I so we had it in common. He rarely asked for anything only traveling the world in search of something I never knew but he said he would always be with saying I was the only one who understood him... he said that he loved me."

Tsuru clenched her jaw and tightened her fists remembering those times, "He told me we would be mortals together... But after I granted him the immortality he... he left me. He abandoned me moving on to the next heart to conquer like it was a game or something to him." She looked up at him bitter at the memories, being the only thing she could remember from start to finish, "I've hunted him down for hundreds of years never able to forget his betrayal. It's the only thing that's kept me going, my only goal." She looked up at Allon before she continued, "You do know he conquered your wife's affection, don't you? Even she was bitter at him but she was completely fine after meeting you. I'm sorry I ruined that."

Allon stared back at her, "So this is all because you had your heart broken? That's why you've been chasing him all these years and causing the innocent to die. Evira's mom thinks you're her daughter. What will you tell her?"

"I'll say nothing, I'll play along. Besides, you wouldn't understand. The one you loved didn't betray you but the one that I loved, He only betrays me, he didn't care from the start and played me like the fool I was. Do you have any idea what the penalty for granting a wish against your one rule costs?" Tsuru said shoving the blankets off her and stomping out of bed her back turned to Allon, "Ten thousand years Allon. Ten thousand.

That's the price for going against your own rules, the only ones you are supposed to be able to keep because you chose them." Tsuru's voice angry walking in the room finding it Her way to release steam.

"I get your hurt, that's completely clear but-." Allon cut himself off, he knew that would only get her ranting on how much he deserved this, "Where's that generous person they told me about... The person who was the only one to stand up and comfort a child who didn't know what was going on when his world had completely changed. When he didn't understand what was happening-"

Tsuru stomped shutting him off, "I tried to comfort a child, but I couldn't, and Keir was the one who managed to do it. The same man who I'm trying to kill is the one who told you this was all a game. Who gave you false hopes making you think this would be over after one game, but look around how many games have you played?!"

Allon was quiet not knowing what to answer as Tsuru held her tong wishing she could just disappear into smoke-like she always did in these situations.

Caron opened the door looking at both of them seeing Tsuru who she still believed to be her daughter out of bed where she should have been, "What's going on?"

"Everything's fine mom just can't believe all this happened. I'm scared." Tsuru told her reaching over at Caron holding her hand and brushing the old tears off her face.

Caron smiled trying to comfort her, giving a small squeeze to her hand, "Everything will be fine, we'll work things out. I'm going to sign some papers I'll be back." Caron left the room once more as quickly as she had come back.

"I'll find a way to get Evira back. That I can promise." Tsuru stated as she looked firmly at him glaring at the lamp in his hands...