Forever

By Brad


He is as bright as the sun; he is as calm as the sea

Gentle as the night skies, standing there before me

He quietly strolls through the darkness like he was in realm of his own with the moon hanging high above the skies. The man continues to walk as if nothing could stand in his way. The sound of the crickets stopped chirping, and only the sound of the silence looms over the air as he continues to pace through the leafless forest with straw hat covering his face. Taking his time as he reaches the Kinzan Temple up ahead.

Koumyou stood outside of his adopted son's bedroom. He wishes him good night, while closing the door slowly behind him. Holding a tray in his hands with a small vase of rice wine with two small cups, and a plate of fried pudding. The elder high priest returns outside settling down comfortably outside of the temple, enjoying the glistening sound of the full moon, and small lantern of fire by his side. "Hmm… the crickets have stop chirping again?" He thought to himself as he glances around his surroundings.

The man walks out from the shadows, and makes his way to the temple. A familiar face caught his attention. He retrieves his straw hat from atop of his head as he walks towards him, although, he was not sure if the man before him has caught his attention. "Ukoku!" He was wrong, yet again. The voice had caught him off guard immediately.

Koumyou called him from his seat with a subtlety smile across his face.

"Did you notice the crickets stopped chirping again?" He asks gracefully before the young man took his seat. There was only the sound of silence between them. Ukoku hung his head slightly from his shoulder, and then returns with a questionable look on his face. He gives an exasperated sigh, "What gives… Ukoku is always causing trouble."

The raven hair man turns to give his complete attention as he finally sits himself down on the steps beside him. "So what brings you here, Ukoku?" He asks curiously looking at the young man with still a calm smile through his face. The young man hangs his head slightly from his shoulders as he stare at the ground before him, he then turns around facing towards his towards the older man.

"It's New Years, Koumyou." Ukoku answers with contemplative note in his voice.

Koumyou gazes at the young man with a quiet smile, "Ah… so it is…"

Several hours passed; the dark skies slowly shifts again, and turns to a navy blue colour. Both of them ate and dranked the rice wine and fried pudding quietly as they enjoy their outings of the darkness, and the moon. They were always seen together side-by-side throughout the night and bound together by silence.

"Let's go for a walk, Ukoku." The elder high priest rose from his seat, he glances down at the young priest before him. Ukoku places down his tiny cup, and looking up with calm smile across his lips and stands up quietly from his robes. They both walked through the woods without a single word said between them.

"Koumyou…"

Koumyou smiles elegantly, and his eyes bright as the moon. He stood there with large round circle standing behind him. He gazes down at Ukoku like every child who is always full of curiosity, and endless questions. "Yes, Ukoku?"

Ukoku raises one of his many questions. "What if the darkness vanished?"

The elder high priest somewhat lowers his head, lifting his head up again with the same true smile across his face. The moon sees all and knows that the darkness will never disappear. And that is because they are always together.

END