"Kouryuu."
The small blond child turned, an instinctive scowl on his face that melted when he
realised who was calling him.
"Yes, Master?" he said.
"Come with me, I have a task for you." Koumyou Sanzo said.
Kouryuu put his broom aside and followed his master. Koumyou Sanzo opened the door to
the dinning hall and Kouryuu stared at the horde of hungry children there. They wore
tattered remnants of clothes and ate with grubby fingers. He knew that they were from an
orphanage that had fallen down recently and he had been doing his best to avoid them.
"I'd like you to eat with them and get to know some of them, perhaps." Koumyou Sanzo
informed.
Kouryuu gave his master a look that held a mixture of anger, betrayal, and resignation
but he did as he was bid. He knew what his master was getting at and he didn't like it
one bit. He grabbed a plate of food from one of the serving monks and sat down at a
fairly unoccupied table to eat. He tensed suddenly as a group of kids, with ill intent
written on their faces, approached. They ignored Kouryuu completely and started harassing
some of the other kids. Kouryuu ignored them at first but then his eyes narrowed as they
took a plate away from a ratty haired child. What intrigued Kouryuu was that the child
only waved skinny arms before giving up and didn't look at the kids at all. No crying or
chasing after the perpetrators. It was as if the child was used to it. Curious, and
sourly remembering his master's words, he headed over to the child and set his plate
down. The child's head turned slightly and Kouryuu found himself staring at completely
white eyes set in an exquisite face framed by matted dark hair.
"Who is it?" the child asked in a soft voice.
Kouryuu didn't reply immediately, struck by the oddness of the child.
"I don't have any food to give." the child said because of the silence, looking a
little worried.
Kouryuu glanced at one skinny arm and then sat next to the child.
"What do you want?" the child asked, a little fearful now.
Kouryuu took a chunk of bread and pressed it against the child's thin fingers.
Startled, the child's hand turned to feel the warm bread.
"Eat." Kouryuu said gruffly.
"Thank you." the child said shyly, breaking off a piece of bread and nibbling on it.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Kouryuu." he replied.
"You're not from the orphanage. Are you an acolyte?" the child asked.
"Yes." Kouryuu replied.
"I'd like to be a monk." the child said wistfully.
"Why? You'd just be like the rest of them." Kouryuu said sourly.
The child laughed lightly.
"That just insults yourself."
Kouryuu shrugged, not really caring, and then realised that the child couldn't see it.
The child suddenly held out some bread.
"You aren't eating."
Surprised that the child could tell, Kouryuu fell back on the defensive.
"I'm fine." he said.
"Please have something to eat." the child pleaded.
Kouryuu grudgingly took the piece of bread.
"I have half of it still." he assured.
"Oh, I can't eat this much." the child replied. "But thank you so much. I haven't eaten
this much in a long time."
True enough, the child had only polished off half of the bread that Kouryuu had given.
He offered more food but was neatly turned down. Kouryuu hopped off the bench and touched
one bony wrist.
"Come with me." he said. "There's someone I want you to meet."
The child slowly got off the bench and was pulled along by Kouryuu. Koumyou Sanzo
smiled as they approached.
"What's this, Kouryuu?" he asked.
Kouryuu wordlessly pointed at the child. Koumyou Sanzou knelt down in front of the
child, blinking at the white eyes.
"And who are you, girl?" Koumyou Sanzo asked gently.
"I don't have a name." the child replied. "No one bothered to give me one. I only had a
title."
"Title?" Koumyou Sanzo repeated thoughtfully. "Are you a Seer?" he asked suddenly.
"I was." bthe child replied. "But I never did very well so they never named me and then
the temple was burned and I was sent to the orphanage. Can I be a monk?"
Koumyou Sanzo blinked at the sudden change in topic.
"Girls can't be monks." he replied. "Only nuns."
The child's face fell.
"I don't want to be a nun. I want to be a monk."
The sad yet determined look on the girl's face made Koumyou Sanzo feel flustered.
"I think we can try and make an exception in your case." he said hastily. "After all,
you are a Seer."
The smile he received was breathtaking and he knew that this girl would grow to be very
beautiful.
"Would you like a name?" he asked.
"Oh, yes, please." the girl agreed immediately.
She tugged on Kouryuu's hand suddenly.
"Can the two of you help me?" she asked.
"Anrui." Koumyou Sanzo said abruptly.
"Kaien." Kouryuu said at almost the same time.
The child looked thoughtful.
"Anrui...Kaien...I like them both."
Kouryuu looked slightly disgusted.
"Then use both." he muttered.
"Can I?" the child asked Koumyou Sanzou.
The monk nodded, then realised his error and said yes.
"All right. I'll use both. Thank you." the girl said.
"We should get you cleaned up." Koumyou Sanzo said, fingering a greasy strand of hair.
"Kouryuu, could you take her to the bathing area and get her some clean clothes please?"
Kouryuu managed to look annoyed and nod obediently at the same time. He tugged gently
on Anrui Kaien's hand and she allowed herself to be led away. Koumyou Sanzo watched them
go and smiled to himself.
The small blond child turned, an instinctive scowl on his face that melted when he
realised who was calling him.
"Yes, Master?" he said.
"Come with me, I have a task for you." Koumyou Sanzo said.
Kouryuu put his broom aside and followed his master. Koumyou Sanzo opened the door to
the dinning hall and Kouryuu stared at the horde of hungry children there. They wore
tattered remnants of clothes and ate with grubby fingers. He knew that they were from an
orphanage that had fallen down recently and he had been doing his best to avoid them.
"I'd like you to eat with them and get to know some of them, perhaps." Koumyou Sanzo
informed.
Kouryuu gave his master a look that held a mixture of anger, betrayal, and resignation
but he did as he was bid. He knew what his master was getting at and he didn't like it
one bit. He grabbed a plate of food from one of the serving monks and sat down at a
fairly unoccupied table to eat. He tensed suddenly as a group of kids, with ill intent
written on their faces, approached. They ignored Kouryuu completely and started harassing
some of the other kids. Kouryuu ignored them at first but then his eyes narrowed as they
took a plate away from a ratty haired child. What intrigued Kouryuu was that the child
only waved skinny arms before giving up and didn't look at the kids at all. No crying or
chasing after the perpetrators. It was as if the child was used to it. Curious, and
sourly remembering his master's words, he headed over to the child and set his plate
down. The child's head turned slightly and Kouryuu found himself staring at completely
white eyes set in an exquisite face framed by matted dark hair.
"Who is it?" the child asked in a soft voice.
Kouryuu didn't reply immediately, struck by the oddness of the child.
"I don't have any food to give." the child said because of the silence, looking a
little worried.
Kouryuu glanced at one skinny arm and then sat next to the child.
"What do you want?" the child asked, a little fearful now.
Kouryuu took a chunk of bread and pressed it against the child's thin fingers.
Startled, the child's hand turned to feel the warm bread.
"Eat." Kouryuu said gruffly.
"Thank you." the child said shyly, breaking off a piece of bread and nibbling on it.
"May I ask who you are?"
"Kouryuu." he replied.
"You're not from the orphanage. Are you an acolyte?" the child asked.
"Yes." Kouryuu replied.
"I'd like to be a monk." the child said wistfully.
"Why? You'd just be like the rest of them." Kouryuu said sourly.
The child laughed lightly.
"That just insults yourself."
Kouryuu shrugged, not really caring, and then realised that the child couldn't see it.
The child suddenly held out some bread.
"You aren't eating."
Surprised that the child could tell, Kouryuu fell back on the defensive.
"I'm fine." he said.
"Please have something to eat." the child pleaded.
Kouryuu grudgingly took the piece of bread.
"I have half of it still." he assured.
"Oh, I can't eat this much." the child replied. "But thank you so much. I haven't eaten
this much in a long time."
True enough, the child had only polished off half of the bread that Kouryuu had given.
He offered more food but was neatly turned down. Kouryuu hopped off the bench and touched
one bony wrist.
"Come with me." he said. "There's someone I want you to meet."
The child slowly got off the bench and was pulled along by Kouryuu. Koumyou Sanzo
smiled as they approached.
"What's this, Kouryuu?" he asked.
Kouryuu wordlessly pointed at the child. Koumyou Sanzou knelt down in front of the
child, blinking at the white eyes.
"And who are you, girl?" Koumyou Sanzo asked gently.
"I don't have a name." the child replied. "No one bothered to give me one. I only had a
title."
"Title?" Koumyou Sanzo repeated thoughtfully. "Are you a Seer?" he asked suddenly.
"I was." bthe child replied. "But I never did very well so they never named me and then
the temple was burned and I was sent to the orphanage. Can I be a monk?"
Koumyou Sanzo blinked at the sudden change in topic.
"Girls can't be monks." he replied. "Only nuns."
The child's face fell.
"I don't want to be a nun. I want to be a monk."
The sad yet determined look on the girl's face made Koumyou Sanzo feel flustered.
"I think we can try and make an exception in your case." he said hastily. "After all,
you are a Seer."
The smile he received was breathtaking and he knew that this girl would grow to be very
beautiful.
"Would you like a name?" he asked.
"Oh, yes, please." the girl agreed immediately.
She tugged on Kouryuu's hand suddenly.
"Can the two of you help me?" she asked.
"Anrui." Koumyou Sanzo said abruptly.
"Kaien." Kouryuu said at almost the same time.
The child looked thoughtful.
"Anrui...Kaien...I like them both."
Kouryuu looked slightly disgusted.
"Then use both." he muttered.
"Can I?" the child asked Koumyou Sanzou.
The monk nodded, then realised his error and said yes.
"All right. I'll use both. Thank you." the girl said.
"We should get you cleaned up." Koumyou Sanzo said, fingering a greasy strand of hair.
"Kouryuu, could you take her to the bathing area and get her some clean clothes please?"
Kouryuu managed to look annoyed and nod obediently at the same time. He tugged gently
on Anrui Kaien's hand and she allowed herself to be led away. Koumyou Sanzo watched them
go and smiled to himself.