Chapter 7: Early Snow
Protesting, Hayate and Kei tried to talk Shin and Hajime out of having Sasame's Knighting Ceremony early to no avail. They were adamant that if Sasame felt it was time, then he had that right. Kei and Hayate's objections made Sasame feel even stronger about going through with it.
"Enough," Hajime finally declared, ending all further discussion. "Sasame's Ceremony is scheduled. Which of you three will be his second and be with him through the preparation time?"
Hayate looked pleadingly at Kei who shook his head. Hayate flushed and turned away. He'd always thought he'd be Sasame's second during this experience. Sasame's eyes filled with hurt at the rejection. I'm sorry, Sasame, Hayate thought, I'll explain someday and we'll laugh about this. Kei and I just can't afford to lose the time right now. We're almost done with Mannen's plan. Forgive me, friend.
Gou stepped next to Sasame. "I will," he declared, putting his body between Hayate and Sasame as if to block Sasame from being hurt anymore by Hayate. "I was the first to welcome Sasame home. It's my right." Little fireworks burst over Sasame's head, but no one laughed.
Hajime nodded, "Good. You two get started." Sasame and Gou vanished and Hajime looked sternly at the two miserable remaining knights. "You want to explain, Hayate?" Hayate hung his head. "Kei?"
Kei held out Mannen's battered marble journal to Hajime, the pages open to Mannen's original plan and his new notes. Hajime skimmed the pages quickly and looked up ashen.
"We're almost done," Kei whispered. "We were going to tell you and Shin tonight," he finished.
Hajime signaled Shin to join them. Shin appeared almost instantly and Hajime shoved the notebook at him. Shin barely read the pages. "I know," he said.
Hajime looked up surprised. Hayate and Kei's mouth hung open. "It's the last thing Mannen and I talked about before--" Shin hesitated, and then continued, "It needs to be done, and my part is almost finished. That's what I've been working on in the garden, Haji."
"When?" Hajime demanded.
Kei sighed, "It's gotta' be after Sasame's ceremony now. We need all of us for it to work, and with Sasame and Gou gone-" he couldn't finish the thought.
The warm sun made Gou dozy and he nodded off while Sasame sat lost in his own thoughts. Shin's question rolled around and around in his mind.
"Gou?" Sasame asked.
"Umm?' Gou replied sleepily.
"What's it like?"
"The ceremony?" Gou mumbled. Sasame threw a light sound wave at him, just enough to knock him awake. He sat up grinning, "Ok, Sasame. You've got my attention now."
He reflected back on his own ceremony. "You've seen three of them in the last year. They're not very different. Mannen says a few-" he stopped, the smile drained away from his face. "Hajime or Shin says a few words, and"
"Not the ceremony, stupid," Sasame interrupted, "the changes afterwards."
Gou fell silent, thinking. He hadn't noticed any changes himself, but Shin said that it was because he had been so in tune to the others since he was an infant. He'd felt their presence, their moods, their health inside in a way he'd never been able to explain to anyone else. He'd just assumed the rest felt the same thing until he complained about not changing much after his ceremony. Kei and Hayate had both acted as if it was such a big thing that he'd felt let down.
Sasame threw a dirt clod at his head, and he ducked, grinning. "I have more control over my talent," he confessed, "and I'm a little faster, but it didn't affect me the way it did Kei or Hayate. Shin says since we've prêt- ed so young, it's not so shocking, but that's what its like- a little, I guess. It's like always having everyone with you constantly. You know how you can always sense the others? Well, according to Hayate, it's like everyone moves into your brain and won't go home. But since I already felt that, it wasn't much different for me. Does that make sense?" He looked at Sasame worried.
Sasame smiled at the thought of the very private Hayate having to live with five others in his brain constantly. "What's next?" he asked Gou.
Gou smiled broadly, stretching out his hand, "First, your ear talisman."
Sasame looked puzzled, reaching up and touching the Knight talisman that he had worn his entire life.
"Take it off," Gou commanded. Sasame's fingers obeyed, dropping the small bead in Gou's hand. He felt strangely naked without it, totally disconnected from the others. Gou reached up around his own neck, and clipped off his own necklet, dropping both in a velvet pouch around his neck. He tucked the pouch back in his shirt carefully.
Sasame protested when Gou removed his own, "But that means you'll age, Gou!"
Gou nodded, "Two days, Sasame. It's just two days."
Sesame looked confused. "But now we're totally out of contact with the others-"
"For the first time in your life, Sesame," he concurred, "Kind of scary, isn't it? Now, what do you want to do?" he asked.
Sesame didn't understand the question, "Do?"
Gou ruffled Sesame's hair affectionately. "We've got two days to do anything you want - except eat, of course, since we're supposed to be fasting. What do you want to do?" He asked again patiently. "We can go anywhere, see anything, and do anything. It's kind of like your last fling."
"I thought it was suppose to be a spiritual journey of reflection and contemplation," Sasame protested.
"Before mine, Hajime told me that there are many different kinds of journeys. As many as there are knights, and no one's journey is wrong. This is your chance to see what you're giving up to become a knight."
Sesame shrugged. He couldn't think of anything he wanted to do. "What did you and Hajime do before your ceremony?" he asked.
Gou's smile grew even larger until it reflected in his eyes. "Surfing," he exclaimed. "Hajime and I went to Oahu's North Shore to surf the Banzai Pipeline. You ain't surfed until you've surfed with Hajime. Every wave was 12 foot high and cresting perfectly. We surfed until I couldn't pick up the board anymore."
Sasame shook his head, finally understanding how Gou and Hajime had returned with suntans and chapped lips after two days. Gou had been so sore he could barely kneel during the ceremony. All this time he'd been imagining Gou fighting demons for two days, and he'd been surfing! Hajime with his talent for water was the perfect choice to take surfing with you. It was so typical of Gou to find the fun even in the most sacred task. "What did Kei and Hayate do?" he asked.
Gou didn't know. "I never asked!" He leaned back on the green grass and looked up at the cloudless sky, waiting for Sasame to make his decision. He knew it'd take him a while, but he was content just to be there with him while he decided. He closed his eyes, searching for a sense of contact with the others. He didn't expect to find it since he'd removed his necklet, but to his surprise, deep inside, he could still feel Hayate's and Kei's agitation. He sent them calming thoughts, knowing they never listened to him.
Sasame mulled over his options. There was nothing he wanted to do. Nowhere that he wanted to go. One thing kept coming to the forefront, but he shoved it down away from his consciousness. Before he knew it, the word popped right of his mouth, startling Gou.
"Takako," he said. "I want to see Takako."
Gou shook his head no, but Sasame got a stubborn look on his face. "You said anything- Gou," he reminded Gou firmly.
"But," Gou started to protest.
Sasame stood up, crossed his arms, and waited for Gou to give in.
"We don't know where to find her even, Sasame. And it's dangerous." his voice trailed off at the look on Sasame's face. His heart sank. I really am the wrong one for this job, he thought. Hayate would never let this happen.
"I can find her if I focus hard enough," Sasame said confidently.
Hayate! Gou called to him, but there was no answer. Unhappy, he followed Sasame.
Protesting, Hayate and Kei tried to talk Shin and Hajime out of having Sasame's Knighting Ceremony early to no avail. They were adamant that if Sasame felt it was time, then he had that right. Kei and Hayate's objections made Sasame feel even stronger about going through with it.
"Enough," Hajime finally declared, ending all further discussion. "Sasame's Ceremony is scheduled. Which of you three will be his second and be with him through the preparation time?"
Hayate looked pleadingly at Kei who shook his head. Hayate flushed and turned away. He'd always thought he'd be Sasame's second during this experience. Sasame's eyes filled with hurt at the rejection. I'm sorry, Sasame, Hayate thought, I'll explain someday and we'll laugh about this. Kei and I just can't afford to lose the time right now. We're almost done with Mannen's plan. Forgive me, friend.
Gou stepped next to Sasame. "I will," he declared, putting his body between Hayate and Sasame as if to block Sasame from being hurt anymore by Hayate. "I was the first to welcome Sasame home. It's my right." Little fireworks burst over Sasame's head, but no one laughed.
Hajime nodded, "Good. You two get started." Sasame and Gou vanished and Hajime looked sternly at the two miserable remaining knights. "You want to explain, Hayate?" Hayate hung his head. "Kei?"
Kei held out Mannen's battered marble journal to Hajime, the pages open to Mannen's original plan and his new notes. Hajime skimmed the pages quickly and looked up ashen.
"We're almost done," Kei whispered. "We were going to tell you and Shin tonight," he finished.
Hajime signaled Shin to join them. Shin appeared almost instantly and Hajime shoved the notebook at him. Shin barely read the pages. "I know," he said.
Hajime looked up surprised. Hayate and Kei's mouth hung open. "It's the last thing Mannen and I talked about before--" Shin hesitated, and then continued, "It needs to be done, and my part is almost finished. That's what I've been working on in the garden, Haji."
"When?" Hajime demanded.
Kei sighed, "It's gotta' be after Sasame's ceremony now. We need all of us for it to work, and with Sasame and Gou gone-" he couldn't finish the thought.
The warm sun made Gou dozy and he nodded off while Sasame sat lost in his own thoughts. Shin's question rolled around and around in his mind.
"Gou?" Sasame asked.
"Umm?' Gou replied sleepily.
"What's it like?"
"The ceremony?" Gou mumbled. Sasame threw a light sound wave at him, just enough to knock him awake. He sat up grinning, "Ok, Sasame. You've got my attention now."
He reflected back on his own ceremony. "You've seen three of them in the last year. They're not very different. Mannen says a few-" he stopped, the smile drained away from his face. "Hajime or Shin says a few words, and"
"Not the ceremony, stupid," Sasame interrupted, "the changes afterwards."
Gou fell silent, thinking. He hadn't noticed any changes himself, but Shin said that it was because he had been so in tune to the others since he was an infant. He'd felt their presence, their moods, their health inside in a way he'd never been able to explain to anyone else. He'd just assumed the rest felt the same thing until he complained about not changing much after his ceremony. Kei and Hayate had both acted as if it was such a big thing that he'd felt let down.
Sasame threw a dirt clod at his head, and he ducked, grinning. "I have more control over my talent," he confessed, "and I'm a little faster, but it didn't affect me the way it did Kei or Hayate. Shin says since we've prêt- ed so young, it's not so shocking, but that's what its like- a little, I guess. It's like always having everyone with you constantly. You know how you can always sense the others? Well, according to Hayate, it's like everyone moves into your brain and won't go home. But since I already felt that, it wasn't much different for me. Does that make sense?" He looked at Sasame worried.
Sasame smiled at the thought of the very private Hayate having to live with five others in his brain constantly. "What's next?" he asked Gou.
Gou smiled broadly, stretching out his hand, "First, your ear talisman."
Sasame looked puzzled, reaching up and touching the Knight talisman that he had worn his entire life.
"Take it off," Gou commanded. Sasame's fingers obeyed, dropping the small bead in Gou's hand. He felt strangely naked without it, totally disconnected from the others. Gou reached up around his own neck, and clipped off his own necklet, dropping both in a velvet pouch around his neck. He tucked the pouch back in his shirt carefully.
Sasame protested when Gou removed his own, "But that means you'll age, Gou!"
Gou nodded, "Two days, Sasame. It's just two days."
Sesame looked confused. "But now we're totally out of contact with the others-"
"For the first time in your life, Sesame," he concurred, "Kind of scary, isn't it? Now, what do you want to do?" he asked.
Sesame didn't understand the question, "Do?"
Gou ruffled Sesame's hair affectionately. "We've got two days to do anything you want - except eat, of course, since we're supposed to be fasting. What do you want to do?" He asked again patiently. "We can go anywhere, see anything, and do anything. It's kind of like your last fling."
"I thought it was suppose to be a spiritual journey of reflection and contemplation," Sasame protested.
"Before mine, Hajime told me that there are many different kinds of journeys. As many as there are knights, and no one's journey is wrong. This is your chance to see what you're giving up to become a knight."
Sesame shrugged. He couldn't think of anything he wanted to do. "What did you and Hajime do before your ceremony?" he asked.
Gou's smile grew even larger until it reflected in his eyes. "Surfing," he exclaimed. "Hajime and I went to Oahu's North Shore to surf the Banzai Pipeline. You ain't surfed until you've surfed with Hajime. Every wave was 12 foot high and cresting perfectly. We surfed until I couldn't pick up the board anymore."
Sasame shook his head, finally understanding how Gou and Hajime had returned with suntans and chapped lips after two days. Gou had been so sore he could barely kneel during the ceremony. All this time he'd been imagining Gou fighting demons for two days, and he'd been surfing! Hajime with his talent for water was the perfect choice to take surfing with you. It was so typical of Gou to find the fun even in the most sacred task. "What did Kei and Hayate do?" he asked.
Gou didn't know. "I never asked!" He leaned back on the green grass and looked up at the cloudless sky, waiting for Sasame to make his decision. He knew it'd take him a while, but he was content just to be there with him while he decided. He closed his eyes, searching for a sense of contact with the others. He didn't expect to find it since he'd removed his necklet, but to his surprise, deep inside, he could still feel Hayate's and Kei's agitation. He sent them calming thoughts, knowing they never listened to him.
Sasame mulled over his options. There was nothing he wanted to do. Nowhere that he wanted to go. One thing kept coming to the forefront, but he shoved it down away from his consciousness. Before he knew it, the word popped right of his mouth, startling Gou.
"Takako," he said. "I want to see Takako."
Gou shook his head no, but Sasame got a stubborn look on his face. "You said anything- Gou," he reminded Gou firmly.
"But," Gou started to protest.
Sasame stood up, crossed his arms, and waited for Gou to give in.
"We don't know where to find her even, Sasame. And it's dangerous." his voice trailed off at the look on Sasame's face. His heart sank. I really am the wrong one for this job, he thought. Hayate would never let this happen.
"I can find her if I focus hard enough," Sasame said confidently.
Hayate! Gou called to him, but there was no answer. Unhappy, he followed Sasame.