Chapter 2: The temple on the mountain.

Today like other days, the older of sister of the twins, dresses in rag and goes into town, act as a beggar to beg passerby for food. But these days, the girl notices that…

"Did you visit temple Chugosonshi yet?"

"Oh, yes… I just went there yesterday to pray that we have an abundant harvest this year. Last year harvest was such a disaster…"

"Why did you go to a temple that worships a war god to pray for an abundant harvest for? If anything, you should have prayed that there won't be any more wars this year."

"Oh dear… How silly of me. Maybe I should go visit the temple again tomorrow and change my wish then."

… That these days, everybody keep talking about some kind of temple on a mountain nearby.

Is that temple something really that amazing that people around here would rather waste their time to climb all the way up some mountain to pray to some kind of god of war at that whatever temple, instead of using those precious time to work on the farm? The girl thought.

The girl, sit in a valley looking out to the street, tilts her head in wonder, and keep thinking about the temple. Then the girl hears something interesting coming from a young woman in that group of women chatting together.

The young woman says "I don't know about that… Sure, people keep saying left and right that Bishamonten would grants you your wishes if you come to the temple Chougosonshi and pray sincerely. But the walking all the way up to mount Shigi is just too tiring, I don't think you should waste your time going up there a second time. Plus, there's just too much dirty orphans gathering there with some hopeful wish to get accepted into the temple. It makes the temple doesn't seems all that… divine."

Orphans gathering at the temple in hope to get accept in? Did she hear that right?

"So a temple is a place where orphans go to find a place to say, I see…" The girl absent-mindedly says to herself.

Then, like she just suddenly figured out something, the let out a large "Oooh…"

"Oh but wait…" And she suddenly freaked out like whatever she just thought of has just abruptly come into a crashing end. "Where's that mister Shigi?"

"This isn't good." The girl scratches her head. "If I don't know where he is, then how are we gonna ask him to stay at his temple?"

Then, the girl looks out to group of chatting women on the street. She wonders if any of the women would her tell her where this Shigi person is if she asks politely.

"But that would make too much attention." The girl scowls.

To avoid attention, the girl has already covers her hair using a cloth she picked up in the rundown house where she and her brother spend the night, and sit in a valley. If she goes out to the street and directly talk to one of the women, she would really stand out in the street, and when someone noticed that she has blond hair, everybody would start to gang up on her and beat her up horribly again.

"Haa…" The girl sighs.

"What seems to be the problem, little girl?" A young woman comes over to the girl and asks.

"Ah…" The girl's surprised by the woman's sudden question, and was unable to answer.

"I was standing over there with my friends when I saw you sitting here in the valley with a troubled look. Are you perhaps hungry?" The young woman asks. She then takes out something in the basket she's holding, and gives it to the girl. "Here, a rice ball."

The girl timidly holds out her hands to accept the rice ball. "Thank… Thank you." The girl says timidly.

"You're welcome." The young woman smiles kindly. "Now go ahead, eat it."

"Ah, thank you for your kindness…" The girl bows to the young woman. "But can I not eat the rice ball here?"

"And why is that?" The young woman asks.

"I have a sick little brother waiting at home for me. I want to save this rice ball for him." The girl answers.

"Oh, is that so?" The young woman then take out another rice ball from the basket and give it to the girl. "Here, this one is for your brother."

"Are… Are you really giving it to me? Can I really have it?" The girl asks timidly.

"Yes, really. In this time of trouble, we all should help each other out, right?" The young woman smiles kindly again.

"Oh, thank you so much, miss. I wish that good fortune will always be with you. Ah, wait…" The girl suddenly remember what was troubling in the first place, she then asks the young woman about it. "Miss, can… Can I ask you another favor?"

"What is it now? Aside from your brother, your parents are also sick or something?" The young woman says jokingly.

"Ah, no no…" The girl flustered. "I just want to know where this mister Shigi that you and your friends were talking about."

"Mister Shigi?" The young woman is confused.

"That mister Shigi with that temple… something that orphans can gather there to ask for a place to stay?" The girl explains.

"Ah… You mean mount Shigi and temple Chougosonshi?"

"?" Now the girl is the one who is confused.

The young woman then proceed to explain everything about mount Shigi and temple Chougosonshi: She says that Shigi is a name of a mountain, not a person, and it's located just a little bit to the west of the town they are living. She says that mount Shigi was said to be a holy place that was provided with divine protection from the deity of war, the Bishamonten. And that when you climb up the mountain and pray to Bishamonten with sincerity, your wishes will come true.

"Ah… So that's why everybody keep mentioning about that temple lately… But then, why haven't I hear anyone talking about it before? People only start to talk about that temple just recently." The girl asks the young woman.

"Because this year is the year of the tiger." The young woman answers. "Legend says that the Bishamonten first appeared in the year of the tiger, so people thought that telling their wishes in the year of the tiger would be more effective."

"Oh, I see…" Then, the girl stand up and bows down to the young woman. "Thank you very much for your kindness, miss. I have to go now, sorry for taking too much of your time."

"Ah, it's no problem at all. Glad I could help." The young woman smiles, and waves her hand to bid the girl farewell. "Goodbye, hope to see you again someday."

"I hope to see you again someday, too." The girl bows down the young woman one more time, then runs off, waving back to the young woman as she runs.

Don't you think it would be wonderful, if everybody in this world just get along with each other?

The girl remembers back to what her brother said the other day. And a small but brilliant smile blooms on her face.


"Just… Just how far... is it… until we reach… that temple, sis?" The brother complains while trying his best to gasps for air.

The twins have left the town and went to climb the mountain for hours already, but they haven't seen the temple anywhere in sight yet. At this point, even the healthier of the two, the older sister, has begin to feel the fatigue.

"Maybe… it's a little higher up from here. Keep it up!" The sister tries to cheer up her little brother.

"Yes, sis…" The brother nods and obeys his sister to keep moving, while his mouth is still trying to gasps for air and his legs shake so much that he can barely keep walking.

Seeing her brother getting so tired from all the walking, the sister stops her little brother. "We've walked for a long time already, let's rest a little."

"Yes, sis…"

The twins then go and sit under a big tree nearby the road. After they sit down, the sister start to tell her brother about the young woman she met earlier.

"You know why I knew about the temple up here? It's that kind sister who gave us the rice balls that told me!" She says.

"Uh huh…" The brother nods slightly.

"You see… Not only did she gave us the rice balls, she also told me so many things interesting about that temple and this mountain. She told me that there's supposed to be some kind god living on this temple, and that the temple up there was built to honor that god. And… And in the year of the tiger, that means it's this year, if you climb all the way the mountain and goes into the temple to pray to that god with all of your heart, that god will grant you your wish!"

"Hmn…" The brother tilts his head to the side.

"And you know what else? She waves her hand to me and said good bye to me! She even said that she hope to see me again! Nobody has ever said anything like that to me before!"

"…" The brother doesn't respond. He just shakes a little and then leans on his sister's left shoulder. He has already fell asleep.

"… Silly little boy…" The sister sighs, then use her right hand to pet her little brother's head. "If you're that tired then why didn't you say anything? There's no need to push yourself for me."

The sister the leans her head on her brother's head and closes her eyes.

And so, the twins slowly fall into sleep peacefully…

"Hey, hey! Wake up, you two."

A voice of some stranger wakes the twins up. They yawn, they stretch their arms and look around and found out that it is already night.

The twins then take look at the one who has woken them up. It was an old man, possibly in his 50, he dresses in strange clothes and wear a funny hat that the twins have never seen before, he's holding a candle to light up the area in one hand, and some kind of bracelet or necklace, the girl doesn't know, on the other.

"I was only out for a walk, and look what I found… Who are you two? Are you lost or something? There's youkai lurking everywhere on this mountain at night, it isn't safe to sleep around here." The old man tells the twins.

"Ah… We're sorry…" The girl stood up and apologizes to the old man, the boy also quickly follows his sister and do the same.

"Now… Tell me, who are you two? What are you doing up here?" The old man asks.

"Ah… We… We are twins, I'm the older sister and he's my little brother. We heard that we can ask to stay at the temple on this mountain, so we climb all the way up here. But midway, we got tired so we stop to rest, and then when you woke us up, and it's nightfall already…" The girl explains.

"Hmnn… Our temple is not an inn, you know? But whatever…" The old man shakes his head. "Now, tell me your names, I've asked that question thrice already."

"Uh… Our names?" The girl got flustered. She looks over to her little brother, but he too doesn't know what to say.

Everyone has a name to identify themselves, it is common sense. But the twins were abandoned before they even turned 3, before they have a chance to learn to remember their names. And ever since then, they have been living a life constantly bullied, abused and chased everywhere by almost anyone who saw their hair color. So, they have never had a chance to learn about that common sense. They have never question what are their names, for no one has ever ask for their names. This old man is the first to ever ask them such question.

"What's wrong?" The old man got worried.

"Ah… No, it's just… We don't have names…" The girl timidly answers the old man.

"And how is that possible?" The old man raises an eye brow, doubting the girl's claim. "Hmn… Not having a name for yourself is really inconvenient."

The old man take a careful look at the girl, then the boy. Then he asks the girl a strange question. "Now, tell me. What do you think, is the most important thing in life?"

"The most important thing in life?" The girl thinks for a little while, then she glance over her little brother. She thought she should say that it's her little brother that's the most important to her, but that doesn't sound right. She thinks for little bit more, then she answers the old man. "Maybe… If I have to choose… Maybe it's faith."

"And why is that?" The old man continues to ask the girl.

"Because… Life isn't always beautiful, but it isn't always horrible, either. But by having faith, by keep believing in what you believe, you will be able to keep moving on with your life. No matter how bad everyone else is, no matter how horrible everything else is or how dirty the whole world is. If you have faith, you can always stay pure and be true to yourself." The girl answers.

"I'm impressed." The old man applauds. "I don't exactly understand the last part you said, but you've answered well for someone so young."

Then the old man turns toward the little brother, and asks the boy the same question he just asked the sister. "What do you think is the most important thing in life?"

The boy, unlike his sister, pauses for a second then immediately answers the old man. "It's lives!"

"Oh, and why is that?" The old man continues to ask the boy.

"Because… I don't know how to say this, but… I think that everything surrounds us all have their own lives… But nobody appreciate those lives. People only care about themselves and are ignorant to everything else… Nobody cares about the animals they killed to make food… Those animals have their own lives, but nobody cares because animals are not humans… And, um… There's more, but I don't know how to say it…" The boy says.

"…" The old man doesn't say anything, he just stares at the little boy.

"Um… Was that answer… unsatisfied?" The boy timidly asks.

"Ahahaha…" The old man bursts out laughing, and pat the boy's shoulders continuously. "No, my boy. Your answer was very satisfying."

"Now, you two…" The old man pulls the twins toward himself and happily announce. "From this moment, I shall name the sister Byakuren! And the brother, I shall name you Myouren!"

"Byakuren…?"

"Myouren…?"

"That's right." The old man turns toward the sister. "Byakuren means White Lotus. It's a name of a flower that's most famous for always being pure and staying true to itself even when it's grown in a middle of a pond of mud. I think it suits you very well."

"And you." The old man turns toward the brother. "Your name, Myouren, has the word for "life" in it. I think it suits your idea about lives very well."

Then the man whispers something to the boy, or rather, Myouren. "By the way, my name is also Myouren. And I'm also the head monk of the temple on this mountain."

Then, the head monk Myouren laughs and turns and walk away from that area. "Come, follow me and I'll lead you two to the temple."

"Really? Oh, thank you so much, mister!" The girl, Byakuren, jumps with joy and quickly runs after the head monk.

"Ah, wait for me, sis…" Then the boy, Myouren, quickly follows suit.

Byakuren and Myouren.

Remember those names.