Saiunkoku Monogatari: Fushi no Uta

By the-key-of-the-twilight

Disclaimer: I do not own Saiunkoku Monogatari or its characters and probably never will. I also do not own the proverb that names this chapter. I think the wording's a little off since I remember this from a long time ago, but I think it's a Chinese proverb.

A/N: Thank you Neko-chan for reading and reviewing! I find getting a review on the prologue encouraging since the prologue is usually my worst chapter. ;; This is the first chapter of my story, so I hope all of you enjoy!


Chapter 1: If You Wish To Move A Mountain, You Must Move it Stone by Stone

It was autumn, the season of change and renewal. It was the season for harvesting and the preparation for a new beginning. A pair of brothers sat at a small table, drinking the elder brother's rather distasteful tea.

"So, Shuurei's finally returned, huh?" the younger brother asked as he set down his cup of bitter tea. He knew better than to actually drink it.

"Yes, she has," the elder brother answered. "It seemed like she was gone for such a long time…"

"A year, Shouka," he replied abruptly, "it was only a year that she was gone."

"Yes, I know that, Reishin," said Shouka, as composed as he always was. "But time seems to pass by so slow when one is alone at home."

And deprived of good food since he cannot cook for himself, Reishin mentally added. "See, now you know how I feel."

"Hmm? And why would you be lonely, dear brother?" Kou Shouka asked as his younger brother sighed.

"You don't understand! Life is so… dull without Shuurei! I think about her everyday and I wonder if she's all right! Do you know how stressful that is?" the Minister of Personnel burst out. "Do you know how much I worry if I'll ever see that beautiful smiling face again?" At this, Shouka laughed.

"You must have more faith in Shuurei," he replied and smiled. "She has grown up greatly over the past few years and I think you should respect that."

"I know, but-"

"They say, 'if you wish to move a mountain, you must move it stone by stone,'" Shouka said and took a sip of his tea with absolutely no cringing at the taste whatsoever. "I believe that Shuurei has moved several stones now. She is on her way to becoming an honorable government official. She does not want people holding her back."

"Still, though, it is very hard not to worry about her," Kou Reishin said as he rested his chin on his hand and sighed. "It's hard to believe she has changed from that frail little girl to who she is today."

"I think she knows that as well," he answered. "But Shuurei is the type of girl who does not want other people to worry about her. She has the confidence that she will be a great government official and she wants others to support her as well. As her uncle, you should support her with all your strength."

"I do support her, but I sometimes wonder if it's enough."

"To Shuurei, even the smallest amount of encouragement will reach her heart," the librarian answered and smiled again. He watched as Reishin slowly relaxed and pushed his cup of tea to the center of the table. "Be comforted, my brother."

"Where is she now?" he asked after a moment of complete silence.

"Oh, she said she was going to visit some old friends and so I let her," the elder brother replied as he looked outside the window. The orange leaves were slowly drifting off the branches. "After all, her friends will be the ones who support her once I am gone."

"Sadly, that's true," Reishin chuckled and focused on the falling leaves outside as well. "And Seiran is with her, I presume?"

"Maybe."


"Shuurei-sama!"

A group of children surrounded her and embraced her from all angles.

"Oh, I missed all of you!" Shuurei exclaimed and after a long moment of hugging, she finally looked at all of them. "You've all grown so much! I'm so happy!" It wasn't long before a young boy approached her and she nearly jumped back in surprise. "Ryushin-kun! Wow, you're grown so much! You're just as tall as me now!" It was true, they stood eye-to-eye. "And you're going to be taller than me pretty soon!"

"We missed you, Shuurei-sama," he said and from behind him, sprouted two girls.

"Kinren-chan! Toka-chan!" Shuurei called with glee and hugged them both in one warm embrace. Kinren was nearly her height, but she had not grown as much as Ryushin. "You two are such beautiful girls now!"

"Shuurei-sama, one day, I'm going to take the examination and become a famous government official just like you!" Kinren cried as her long pigtails beat up and down.

"Well, I'm gonna be a more famous official and place Jougen in the exam!" Ryushin exclaimed and stuck out his chest as if he would impress Shuurei. She laughed and put a hand on both of their shoulders.

"Now, now," Kou Shuurei chuckled. "You're both going to be wonderful government officials so don't you worry." She patted Toka on the head. "And Toka-chan, I'm sure you would be a fantastic official as well."

"But Shuurei-sama, do you think I'm smart enough?" the young girl asked in a timid tone. Her big eyes stared up at her with worry.

"Of course you are! Don't you worry about it! Just do your best and keep on moving forward." Shuurei smiled and looked around. "There's a lot more children here at the temple. Did you three bring them here?"

"Actually, Toka and I were the ones who got other kids to come here. Kinren's sort of the new teacher so we listen to her," Ryushin answered proudly.

"Wow, I'm so proud of all of you," the governor of Sa Province stated. "Now, I have to go see some old friends of mine, so I have to leave, okay?"

"But come back and visit us, okay, Shuurei-sama?" Toka shyly asked.

"Of course, Toka-chan," she answered and took and step back. "I'll come back to visit another day, okay? Goodbye!"

"Bye bye, Shuurei-sama!" Toka called followed by calls of farewell from the other children.

As Shuurei left the temple, she couldn't help but look back at what her little tutoring group had become. She felt so pleased with herself that she had helped so many children become educated. It left a… warm and blissful feeling in her heart. I hope that one day in the future, everyone will be literate and able to work together to build a bright future. It was her dream, although she was aware that she would probably not live to see her dream, but all she desired was to see it in action. Hmm…where should I go next? She thought for a while as she strode along the paved road. Suddenly, an idea hit her like lightning.


"Shuurrreeiii-chhaaann!" the colorfully dressed woman cried as she ran over to the door and nearly squeezed the breath out of the poor girl. "Shuurei-chan! You don't know how much I've missed you!" She nearly lifted the girl off her feet before she finally loosened her embrace.

"Kouchou-oneesan," Shuurei said, a little breathless from the "hug attack" she had just experienced, "I've missed you a lot, too. You've been doing well, I see." She scanned the brothel and found it quite empty. After all, it was afternoon. All the customers from the night before had left and the customers for tonight had not yet come. However, she noticed a girl she had never seen before working at the desk. She was writing something down, but her eyebrows were wrinkled towards her temple. She was obviously mad or thinking hard about something.

There was nothing special about her; her short black hair hung plainly by her round face and her large brown eyes were set fixed on the work before her. Yet there was something about her in that Shuurei could not take her eyes off of her. Judging by the simplicity and lack of layers of her clothes, she assumed that the girl was very poor. Her outfit was even plainer than the one Shuurei normally wore. Of course, Kouchou noticed the sudden lack of focus she had.

"That is Mu Saya, if you were wondering who she is," the owner of the brothel said and beckoned her to move towards the corner of the room so that the girl could not hear. "She took your job of being an accountant... although…" She sighed and placed her long fingers upon her smooth cheek. "She cannot do much since she does not know how to read or write."

"But isn't she writing right now?" Shuurei asked as she glanced at the girl again. She was sure Saya's hand was moving.

"She is, but those are just numbers. So far, we've taught her how to write very simple words, but we can't teach her everything and we don't have a lot of time, do you know what I mean?" Shuurei nodded in agreement. "Actually, after I heard you returned from Sa Province, I was hoping you could do something for her."

"Huh?" The young governor looked at Saya and then back at Kouchou. "What can I do for her?"

"The Mu family is very destitute and apparently, Saya-chan is the only one who is capable of employment. Her mother is bedridden and very ill while her father suddenly disappeared several years ago. She has a younger brother, but he is too young to find a job," Kouchou explained and sighed. "However, since she's not literate, we can't exactly pay her very much… and that's the problem. She needs more money than we can pay her for her limited amount of work and I feel sorry for the poor girl. It's not her fault that she didn't have the money and now, doesn't have to time to receive an education."

"Can she find a better paying job?" Shuurei asked.

"That is where you come in," the voluptuous woman replied. "She told us before that she had been fired out of every job and that working at a brothel was her last hope. I was thinking that maybe… it sounds a little absurd though, but maybe you could find her a minor job in the palace."

"In the palace?"

"It sounds ridiculous, I know, but is there a job that pays well and yet, does not require much literacy or talent in the palace?" Kouchou asked and stared back at Shuurei with stern yet concerned eyes. "She may be quite stubborn, but she has determination and will work hard if she is given a chance to prove herself worthy. However, I do have to warn you that she really hates nobles."

"Why?"

"I personally don't think they are so bad, especially Ran Shuuei, but Saya-chan thinks that they're all self-centered people who use money on their own luxury." She chuckled a little bit at the name "Ran Shuuei". He was a regular at the Red Light District anyway.

"I see," Shuurei whispered and then smiled. "Well, I'll try my best, Kouchou-oneesan."

"Thank you, Shuurei-chan. I knew I could count on you." The lovely woman strode slowly over to the desk and motioned for Shuurei to follow her. When she finally approached Saya, she pointed to Shuurei. "Saya-chan, this is Shuurei, the governor of Sa Province. I was talking to her earlier about your situation and she may be able to find a better paying job for you…," she explained. However, Shuurei noticed the hesitance in her voice as she spoke the last part of her sentence, "in the palace."

"The palace?" Saya cried in a shouted whisper. She had looked so calm and concentrated in her work at first that Shuurei had been afraid that she wasn't listening. Up close, her eyes were quite menacing and her cold stare left the governor somewhat speechless. Kouchou-oneesan was right… she does hate nobles…, Kou Shuurei thought as the girl suddenly laughed. "No thank you, I'd rather work here than at the palace," she spat and shakily wrote another number down on the paper before her. And she is stubborn… but she seems to have potential…

"It's for your own good, Saya-chan," the owner of the brothel scolded like a mother. "This is your last chance. You're not going to be able to support your family very long if you keep on working here." In her heart, Kouchou felt awful that she could not pay her any more, but if she raised her pay, the other ladies would become upset and request to be paid more as well.

"I'm not going to the palace to work for those nobles," Saya scoffed and tried to concentrate back on what she was writing. "I'm not going to beg for their sympathy."

"If you wish to move a mountain, you must move it stone by stone," stated Shuurei, suddenly, in a firm tone. Saya suddenly looked up. Apparently, the proverb had caught her attention. "If you want to support your family for a longer period time, then you have to start somewhere, no matter how undesirable that job may be for you." She had learned this from the horrible chores she had to do before she was assigned to be the governor of Sa Province. It was true; to reach the top, one had to start from the bottom and climb towards the summit. "Your job may not be very easy, but it will pay enough to help support your family. What is more important: your pride against nobles or your family?" The girl did not answer.

After a moment of silence, Shuurei turned around and began walking towards the door. "Kouchou-oneesan, can you-"

"Wait."

Shuurei spun around to see that Saya had spoken. "I'll take the job. But you must promise that it'll pay me more than this one."

"All right," Shuurei replied and nodded. "I'll come back and notify you of your new job a few days from now. Goodbye, Kouchou-oneesan and Saya-chan." And without another word, she left the brothel.


"See, I told you it would not be so bad, Saya-chan," Kouchou said as she walked beside the girl. "She is the girl you remind me of."

"And how do I remind you of her exactly?" she snorted and returned to her work.

"I'm not sure actually, but somehow…"


Shuurei took a deep breath as her back fell against the cold wall outside of the brothel. She had sounded so confident that she would be able to get Saya a job. She had forgotten that she had no idea what job Saya could take. She can't read or write… and she can't play music or dance… what else can she do? She thought for a while as more and more people began to fill the streets of the Red Light District. I'll go ask Otou-san and bring over some people for dinner… I better hurry though.

She ran off in a hurry to quickly solve this problem. She had hoped to completely relax in Kiyou after all that she had to do in Sa Province, but she guessed that relaxation just had to wait. I'll just have to solve this little problem first.

Or so she thought it was little.


A/N: Again, thank you for reading this story! This chapter was a little rushed and somewhat difficult to write with all the dialogue in the story. I tried not to be repetitive in using the same words such as "said" over and over again, but that did happen a couple of times. Yes, Saya is an original character who isn't really of much importance now, but will have a bit of significance later on. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review!

P.S. I have no idea where Seiran is in this chapter. I had him originally with Shuurei, but I guess I, well, forgot. ;; Sooo, we'll just say he went shopping for vegetables, neh?