Title : Dotting the Eyes
Disclaimer : I do not own Saiunkoku Monogatari. It belongs to Sai Yukino.
Rating : T for theme only
Genre : Friendship
Warnings : Yaoi, in reference only
AU/CANON : canon-ish
Pairing : Reishin X Kijin
Summary : Reishin makes a new mask, putting all his love and hope for Kijin into it.
Notes: Written in response to LiveJournal Saiun_Challenge 400-word prompt "Devotion"
PLEASE REVIEW. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT A MEMBER, I APPRECIATE YOUR NOT-LOGGED-IN COMMENTS (MY RESPONSE WILL BE ON THE REVIEW PAGE IF I CAN'T SEND YOU A PM).
The ache in Reishin's hands was becoming unbearable.
I need to rest my hands.
He put down the raw, wooden mask, edges still rough, with just a hint of human features.
After all, there's no hurry. Kijin's not likely to be wearing this any time soon.
Flexing his fingers, Reishin contemplated the yet-to-be-completed mask.
Over the years, he has made masks for all sorts of reasons, or sometimes, for no particular reason at all. There was of course the very first mask, the Love Mask, as Kijin was wont to call it. Not named for the two red nearly-heart-shaped designs above the yellow eye patches. Nor for the unspoken love, and the understanding of Kijin's insecurity about his face. It was named for the act that christened the mask.
Reishin smiled in recollection, his cheeks flushing. Reishin had presented the mask to Kijin during lunch-break, leaning against the railings of the covered walkways of the palace. It was not a clever move. Reishin was scooped up in Kijin's arms, still holding the mask in his hand. Kijin, with his precious load, bounded over the railings and into the thick foliage of the palace gardens. They made love with ingenuity, getting around the restrictions posed by Kijin wearing his wooden mask. Even after all these years, it was still Kijin's favourite, the one he wears most often, the one most people associate with his "face".
His face?
Reishin sighed.
A man with no face.
Reishin ranhis long fingers lightly over the unfinished mask. This one will be different, the wood thinner, the contours smoother, the colours muted.
Reishin worked on the mask. With each movement of his hands, he put all his love and hope into this mask, the last mask that Kijin will wear.
o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
Kijin held, in his hands, an exact replica of his face. The only difference lies in the eyes. The irises, faithfully painted in every detail, were devoid of pupils. Kijin turned the mask around. Written on the inside of the mask were the words:
When you are ready, I will dot the eyes.
Ten years, or a hundred years, I will wait with you.
Kijin's tears fell on the cheeks of his wooden replica, giving it a semblance of life. But as everyone knows, a painting of a dragon does not come to life until its eyes are dotted. And that day will only come when Kijin is ready to face the world with his real face.
[The End]
Notes:
(1) The "dotting of the eyes" is based on a Chinese custom relating to paintings of dragons. The painting will be complete in every detail, except for the eyes. At the unveiling of the painting, the artist will "dot the eyes", ie, paint in the pupils, to bring the dragon to life.
(2) A reader, Insanity's Childe, pointed out that this custom is also practised for lion dances, and that the dotting is not necessarily done by the artist, as the VIP of the event can also be given that honour.
(3) The Chinese proverb hua long dian jing translates literally into "draw dragon dot eyes". It is a reference to the custom described above, and is used to connote (a) add the finishing touch, (b) clinch the point.
(4) The Love Mask is the one Kijin wears the most often in Season 1 of the anime.