Disclaimer - I don't own it I am just borrowing it
Getting Reacquainted
Life is such a fragile thing, in the guise of something strong. Ever since I left the temple things haven't been going well. I shouldn't say that is 100% true but when I first heard the news, it felt like it. What is Rai doing right now? Omi is probably still practicing at the temple. I give a smile. A small one, but I haven't felt happy since it happened. Sometimes it feels like I will never recover. Trying to recover, is difficult. Clay would probably try and console me with one of his country euphemisms. I feel a giggle almost escape my lips. It feels wrong to giggle. I feel wrong. The worst part is that the funeral has come and gone and yet I still have an aching inside my chest. Whenever I breathe I feel a searing pain spread throughout my limbs. He hasn't left me. He WILL come back! He has to be alive. He... could just be playing dead? Even my attempts at fooling myself are pathetic. At least I have one thing to look forward to. Tomorrow night I will pack up and go back to the temple.
A knock on the door snaps me out of my musings. My kimono is a hinderance, its black silk drags on the ground. I don't think I could bear to take it off, not yet. Before I have a chance to reach out my hand, my best friend (In Japan) was inside the house. Right now, I didn't give a damn about how I looked. She packed up my things, and we hugged it out. She even allowed me to tell stories of my father. Before I knew it I had to say goodbye to Keiko and boarded the jet my father used to ride around in.
It was dark when I touched down in the temple grounds. My luggage was placed on the ground and I felt even more alone then I had before coming here. I felt something drop in my stomach as I watched my father's company jet recede in the full moon. All of my possessions and suitcases were here, as if I would be moving in here... Keiko had encouraged me to take as much as I could. Now all that I owned seemed to be splayed out on the garden lawn.
Master Fung's attire hadn't changed, at least I think that was Master Fung; coming with a lantern. He had a somber expression on his face. Shakily I sat down the trunk, not caring that the zippers were uncomfortable. He looked older, his once mostly black beard had turned to mostly gray; it was startling that just two and a half years can age someone so much. His eyes held the same wisdom and kindness, the sparkle I had come to expect in his eyes was gone.
"I received your letter Kimiko, I am sorry for your loss. Would you like to talk about it?" He said in a respectful way but I just couldn't talk about it. Once I started talking about it; it would become real. Too real... I shook my head left and right slightly, I felt like this shouldn't be happening. He led me to a sanctuary away from everyone else. I felt grateful. "I have tried my best to accommodate you with a space that will be your own. You can sleep here if you wish. Would you like your meals to be brought to you for the five days until his Shononoka." ( - She is Buddhist which is rare for those in urban areas. * It is a japanese word referencing that it is the seventh day since that person has passed away, then a ceremony is held and prayers are offered to the deceased. *)