Edo Komoriuta - "Edo Lullaby".
Author: rain+stalker.
Rating: PG.
Genre: Shounen-ai.
Series: Shaman King (manga).
Pairing: Amidamaru x Yoh.
Credit: Amidamaru, Yoh, Shaman King © 1998 Hiroyuki Takei.
"I see you," he whispers.
"I know," he answers.
It's the dead of night. Outside the window the leaves rustle in the ghostly wind, as their branches silhouette themselves across the carpeted floor and the thin blankets over his youthful form. Asakura Yoh's eyes lift and find themselves face to face with the ghost's - his faithful samurai, Amidamaru, of course - however, there is no lazy smile on Yoh's face tonight.
"Why are you awake?" the samurai asks. The boy's only reply is a gentle shrug of a tired body's shoulders, and Yoh's body goes limp, plopping down against the softness of the bed. His lengthy arms fold behind his head and he lets out a soft sigh.
The large-framed warrior's body would have obstructed the moonlight from spilling itself over Yoh and his bed, had he been alive, and his body solid, physical, what with his elongate hair and elaborate robes always weighing heavy on his body. But his form is semi-transparent, and so, it is an odd mixture of apparition and the reflected light that shafts through his form uneasily, like some stealthy leopard weaving its way through thick trees, hovering over the young boy's form. Yet he still stays there.
"'Can't sleep." (need you)
A pale hand comes up, as Amidamaru leans forward, and he "rests it upon the boy's cheek". Yoh cannot feel it, yet he knows it is there. That gaze shifts slightly, and Yoh once again looks into the strangely soft, and yet void, visions of the dead samurai. "Close your eyes, my Lord," Amidamaru whispers.
Their eyes lock - Yoh's vibrant and alive ones with Amidamaru's dead and cold ones - and there's something in there, they both know it.
"But I can't sleep," he gently protests. His eyes shut regardless, and he leans slightly into the hand he cannot truly feel, "nuzzling it, nudging it", sighing softly as he shows affection to nothing but the cold, dead air. Amidamaru's chest hurts vaguely, and he stares blankly down at the boy.
"Lord Yoh." The hand rises up, "runs its' self through those darkened brown strands of the youthful boy" (love you), and his eyes become half-lidded, as he watches him. Yoh is awake enough to be observant, and slowly, his eyes open themselves once more. he watches the samurai's hand, and he moves in time with Amidamaru's caresses, pretending he can feel him, pretending that that gentle hand is really touching him in that manner. Amidamaru sadly smiles (need you).
There's a static silence in the room. The silence is the one that is death, and it is apparent simply because Amidamaru is also apparent, but of course, Yoh is around such a feeling so much, he can't notice the chill in the air or the high vibrations his faithful, powerful ghost gives off. But the silence does continue, and there is nothing but Yoh (body), Amidamaru (heart), and them "touching" (and soul).
The silence goes on forever, and then: "Nen nen kororiyo okororiyo..."
(sleep, sleep, little one, sleep)
Yoh's eyes seem to widen slightly, suddenly hearing something he's never heard before in his life - a samurai singing - and Amidamaru's voice is gentle, yet raspy and obviously unused. But he knows this song well, as all samurais that made a pilgrimage to Edo long, long ago, knew then.
"Boyawa yoikoda nenneshina..."
(you're a good baby, now go to sleep)
"What is that?" The boy's head rises, and his eyes become half-lidded once more.
Both of the samurai's hands raise themselves up, and "place either of them on the sides of the boy's soft cheeks", and he stares into his eyes. deeply. "A lullaby. For you," he adds after a moment of pause.
Yoh doesn't know what to say, but he is very obliged. Something rises in his chest - it's heavy, and it aches, and it actually rather hurts a lot. But he can't make it go away, because Amidamaru is there. And he never allowed that to go away, unaware as he was. "Oh." His eyes close then, and he sighs softly, leaning his head to the side slightly, "against one of the hands". "Keep singing, Amidamaru."
"Boyano komoriwa dokoe itta, Anoyama koete satoe itta.
Sato no miyage ni nani morata, Denden taikoni sho no fue, Sho no fue."
(do you know where your nurse has gone? Gone to her village, she won¹t be long.
What will she bring baby when she does come? A flute so lovely and a thunderous drum, And a thunderous drum)
By now, it appears Yoh is simply drifting, too tired to grip his tired mind upon staying awake, yet too intent on listening to the samurai's lullaby to let himself finally fall. But upon the last word, he has grown far too weary, and it is then. he sleeps.
Amidamaru sighs softly, looking at the boy, still with his "face cradled by the gentle, strong hands of his", and his own eyes shut momentarily. He tilts his body forward, and "their lips lock" and all there is, is Yoh, Amidamaru, and them "touching".
(I love you)
~ Owari.
Background notes: Edo Komoriuta is one of the most well-known lullabies in Tokyo, Japan. During the Edo period (17th-19th Century) the samurai clan made an annual pilgrimage to the shogun in Edo (now Tokyo) in order to demonstrate their faith. The journey was hard and very long. It is said that the samurai heard Komoriuta for the first time sung by a babysitter who was a young girl herself and came from a poor family far away. The song reminded the samurai of their families and those they cared deeply for, and they took the song back with them.
"I see you," he whispers.
"I know," he answers.
It's the dead of night. Outside the window the leaves rustle in the ghostly wind, as their branches silhouette themselves across the carpeted floor and the thin blankets over his youthful form. Asakura Yoh's eyes lift and find themselves face to face with the ghost's - his faithful samurai, Amidamaru, of course - however, there is no lazy smile on Yoh's face tonight.
"Why are you awake?" the samurai asks. The boy's only reply is a gentle shrug of a tired body's shoulders, and Yoh's body goes limp, plopping down against the softness of the bed. His lengthy arms fold behind his head and he lets out a soft sigh.
The large-framed warrior's body would have obstructed the moonlight from spilling itself over Yoh and his bed, had he been alive, and his body solid, physical, what with his elongate hair and elaborate robes always weighing heavy on his body. But his form is semi-transparent, and so, it is an odd mixture of apparition and the reflected light that shafts through his form uneasily, like some stealthy leopard weaving its way through thick trees, hovering over the young boy's form. Yet he still stays there.
"'Can't sleep." (need you)
A pale hand comes up, as Amidamaru leans forward, and he "rests it upon the boy's cheek". Yoh cannot feel it, yet he knows it is there. That gaze shifts slightly, and Yoh once again looks into the strangely soft, and yet void, visions of the dead samurai. "Close your eyes, my Lord," Amidamaru whispers.
Their eyes lock - Yoh's vibrant and alive ones with Amidamaru's dead and cold ones - and there's something in there, they both know it.
"But I can't sleep," he gently protests. His eyes shut regardless, and he leans slightly into the hand he cannot truly feel, "nuzzling it, nudging it", sighing softly as he shows affection to nothing but the cold, dead air. Amidamaru's chest hurts vaguely, and he stares blankly down at the boy.
"Lord Yoh." The hand rises up, "runs its' self through those darkened brown strands of the youthful boy" (love you), and his eyes become half-lidded, as he watches him. Yoh is awake enough to be observant, and slowly, his eyes open themselves once more. he watches the samurai's hand, and he moves in time with Amidamaru's caresses, pretending he can feel him, pretending that that gentle hand is really touching him in that manner. Amidamaru sadly smiles (need you).
There's a static silence in the room. The silence is the one that is death, and it is apparent simply because Amidamaru is also apparent, but of course, Yoh is around such a feeling so much, he can't notice the chill in the air or the high vibrations his faithful, powerful ghost gives off. But the silence does continue, and there is nothing but Yoh (body), Amidamaru (heart), and them "touching" (and soul).
The silence goes on forever, and then: "Nen nen kororiyo okororiyo..."
(sleep, sleep, little one, sleep)
Yoh's eyes seem to widen slightly, suddenly hearing something he's never heard before in his life - a samurai singing - and Amidamaru's voice is gentle, yet raspy and obviously unused. But he knows this song well, as all samurais that made a pilgrimage to Edo long, long ago, knew then.
"Boyawa yoikoda nenneshina..."
(you're a good baby, now go to sleep)
"What is that?" The boy's head rises, and his eyes become half-lidded once more.
Both of the samurai's hands raise themselves up, and "place either of them on the sides of the boy's soft cheeks", and he stares into his eyes. deeply. "A lullaby. For you," he adds after a moment of pause.
Yoh doesn't know what to say, but he is very obliged. Something rises in his chest - it's heavy, and it aches, and it actually rather hurts a lot. But he can't make it go away, because Amidamaru is there. And he never allowed that to go away, unaware as he was. "Oh." His eyes close then, and he sighs softly, leaning his head to the side slightly, "against one of the hands". "Keep singing, Amidamaru."
"Boyano komoriwa dokoe itta, Anoyama koete satoe itta.
Sato no miyage ni nani morata, Denden taikoni sho no fue, Sho no fue."
(do you know where your nurse has gone? Gone to her village, she won¹t be long.
What will she bring baby when she does come? A flute so lovely and a thunderous drum, And a thunderous drum)
By now, it appears Yoh is simply drifting, too tired to grip his tired mind upon staying awake, yet too intent on listening to the samurai's lullaby to let himself finally fall. But upon the last word, he has grown far too weary, and it is then. he sleeps.
Amidamaru sighs softly, looking at the boy, still with his "face cradled by the gentle, strong hands of his", and his own eyes shut momentarily. He tilts his body forward, and "their lips lock" and all there is, is Yoh, Amidamaru, and them "touching".
(I love you)
~ Owari.
Background notes: Edo Komoriuta is one of the most well-known lullabies in Tokyo, Japan. During the Edo period (17th-19th Century) the samurai clan made an annual pilgrimage to the shogun in Edo (now Tokyo) in order to demonstrate their faith. The journey was hard and very long. It is said that the samurai heard Komoriuta for the first time sung by a babysitter who was a young girl herself and came from a poor family far away. The song reminded the samurai of their families and those they cared deeply for, and they took the song back with them.