Silver Magician: I know you said you didn't like original characters, but you've been such a dedicated supporter of my works, I had to say something. Thanks.
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"Round and round/ The Chrysanthemum garden," the children sung in harmony, swinging round in circles. There was a whole class of them; fifteen in all, but only fourteen danced on the paved floor. One sat alone, eyes closed, trying to shut out what he deemed as babble. Kouryuu was fed up of it all, tired of the incessant noise and the immature children. He had learnt to read immediately, his retentive memory allowing him to shoot through the alphabet and all the books in the class, no matter how childish. He was reading the lotus sutra, but took a break, unable to concentrate, and he was leaning against the wall, violet eyes hidden from the world. The song stopped, and the children split up for a milk break.
"Hi!" a bright voice addressed him. Kouryuu opened his eyes to find a round, smiling face inches from his nose. A sigh hissed from his mouth, it was enough that he had to endure the other children, but talking to them was just too much.
"I'm Wei Sze! What's your name?" the girl interrupting his contemplations of Zen Buddhism, and the latest sayings Koumyuu had taught him was a slender, pigtailed six year old. He did not deign to answer her, closing his eyes as a hint for her to leave him alone. In the month the miniature monk had been here, Kouryuu had managed to avoid the interest of his peers in age (although not his equals in intellect), and easily evaded the inane singing, dancing and clapping games, barely even paying attention to the actual lessons. He did not like colouring, particularly with blunt, snapped crayons, nor did he enjoy making 'castles' out of sand, like the other Year Ones. The teacher, unused to dealing with what were deemed baby geniuses by intellect quotient tests and members of MENSA, had given up including Kouryuu in the group activities after the first week, after the small blond had explained to her in a vocabulary that she would not expect to encounter from a twelve year old, let alone someone half that age, why he would prefer to be left alone. Later, whilst waiting to be picked up after school, he had overheard the woman complaining to a fellow staff member that 'his voice held threats, and his eyes! They've already lost their innocence! He looks jaded enough to be fifty!'
"Kou...ryu... Kou-ri-you?" At least she was one who could read, Kouryuu resigned himself. Each student was required to have a name tag on their shirts, ridiculous really - all the teachers had to do was ask the children their names, maybe they believed the kids were too young to remember their own names. The majority of the readers were girls, and marginally smarter than the others.
"Yes," he growled, marvelling ironically inside that she could even pronounce her words. The chocolate brown eyes she possessed would have melted any other heart, did nothing to touch Kouryuu. Wei Sze tugged on his sleeve and he came dangerously close to abusing her, physically and verbally.
"Why aren't you playing?" she enquired curiously. Her voice was starting to grate on his ears already. Kouryuu took a deep breath, instinctively realizing that she would persist in bugging him until a satisfactory answer was given.
"I don't want to," he said shortly, hoping against hope that it would fulfil the schoolgirl's inquisitive quota. His mood took a severe dip as she pursued the subject as only the young, mindlessly bored or pets dog a topic.
"Why not?" she persisted. Kouryuu gritted his teeth and almost winced. He had forgotten he had a wobbly milk tooth - it was his second. The girl before him had a wide, gap-toothed smile, indicating she had already lost the two front teeth. Kouryuu was unusually slow to lose his teeth, and he experimentally moved his loose one with his tongue. He did not deign to answer her, trying instead to silence her with a violet glare. His unnerving stare was a powerful weapon and he knew it. But even this did not deter Wei Sze; she remained in front of him with a determined look on her face.
"Do you want some milk?" she enquired doggedly, holding up a 250ml carton, which proclaimed 'Moo Moo Milk' with a crazy cow, and a luminous pink tongue emblazoned on the side. The rainbow coloured splotches artistically splayed across the bovine creature's back made Kouryuu wrinkle up his nose in disgust.
"Go on!" she encouraged, shoving it into his hands. The blond grunted, and stabbed the straw attached on the back vehemently through the foil circle. Peering inside, he recognized it to be chocolate milk (full of preservatives, no doubt), and Wei Sze slurped on her own to emphasize her point for him to actually drink it. He put his lips to the straw, debating whether to internalise the drink; he didn't want to simply give in to the girl.
"You're not drinking. I can see. Drink," the other six year old ordered. Shocked at the level of wisdom the girl possessed, Kouryuu sucked in a mouthful of milk before he thought about it, and nearly choked. Never before had he tasted this heavenly drink, as a monk-in-training, he was only supposed to ingest 'pure' nutrients, i.e. water. Too soon, his portion was emptied and Wei Sze beamed, sensing a breakthrough. The rest of the pupils were gathering on the carpet yet again to restart their chant.
"Come and play with us," she offered, taking his hand. Kouryuu snatched it away, face contorted in a snarl. Wei Sze's face seized up, and she scrunched her features in dismay. A miserable tear trickled down her cheek and she turned away.
"Wait," Kouryuu called roughly at her back. She faced him, wiping mucus from her nose. Unwillingly at first, he started to sing along, as she beamed and sang out lustily with him.
Wei Sze would often sit at his feet everyday now, whilst he taught her Zen sayings and Buddhist scriptures. Each, he explained carefully to her, she was an apt pupil. Everything that Koumyuu Sanzo had taught him was passed onto the small girl. Sometimes, to please her, they would play with building blocks, and she would ask him to create stories of them. The first time, Kouryuu had been at a loss, and they had stopped. But the next time, he had been prepared, and tales of princesses and palaces spilled from his lips into the eager ears of his companion. Once or twice, he had even played with dolls for her, but Wei Sze had become something of a fixture in his life during the past six months, and he had realized that playing was not such a bad thing, and a friend was something to keep and cherish. It was nothing close to the devotion he felt for his master, but it was a sort of love that Koumyuu had told him was a good one, one that cared if the person was hurt or injured. He still refused to join in the class games, though; he would not do that for anyone.
"Kouryuu-" Wei Sze was holding out a toy towards him. "What's this?"
"It's an elephant," he replied.
"Oh. What does it do?" A story idea unfolded in his mind and he almost smiled.
"It comes from India, and is ridden on by the gods. It's so big that it can fit a house on its back," Kouryuu started. This was routine by now. Day in, day out. The teachers had finally realized his capabilities and given him higher coursework, and started teaching him simple math. They kept him in the same class as they felt older children would tease him, but Kouryuu was used to that from the other monks anyway.
The next day, Wei Sze wasn't there. Kouryuu paused, shrugged, and continued to study The Eight Spokes Of Buddha. He assumed she was sick; it had happened to many students already, a bout of chicken pox was going round the school. Most would itch themselves continually until sent to the nurse, who sent them home. Kouryuu knew he was unable to contract the virus, according to Koumyuu, he had been ill with it a year ago, although he couldn't really remember, or bring himself to care.
But when she didn't come after a week, he started to admit that he missed telling stories, missed emptying a milk carton with a chatty Wei Sze in his ear. Where had she gone? Finally, scowling, he asked the teacher.
Measles plus a weak immunity. She was dead. Gone. Soulless, heartless, lost.
That day was the beginning of Genjyo Sanzo the thirty-first, and on that day, he started to realize what Koumyuu really meant when he was taught Zen sayings. Hold nothing. If you meet the Aspects, kill them. If you meet Buddha, kill him.
And one day, Kouryuu would kill Buddha, for taking away the two things he had forgotten to let go.
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a/n: The next few won't have OC's, I swear! I just felt that Kouryuu needed a little more justification.