Shirin No Kami
Chapter 1: "I am Syaoran!"
"Water…"
"Water is around me everywhere…"
"This water is like ambience, all surrounding and encompassing me,"
"Water, where exactly am I, am I dead? No, I am alive, but why can't I open my eyes?"
It was a bright and sunny day. The sun's rays reflected on the pristine water, like gold had been thrown into the river. The river shined a bright yellow with the sun shining directly upon the peaceful still water. Suddenly, ripples formed around the center of the lake, where a net was thrown off a fisherman's canoe. The fisherman with sweat trickling down his forehead fixed his straw hat over his head to cover the sun's rays from damaging his skin.
The fisherman sat back for a while, staring into the clouds as they began to obscure the sun. As the man stared at the obscured heavens, it reminded him the beauty of looking at the shining cottons in the sky, all in their vast obscurity managed to glow with a silver white tint. "Looks like a storms brewing," he said, "Maybe I'll make this the last catch of the day and I will finally go back to the docks." The fisherman lay on his back, his arms serving as his pillow.
The man was peaceful, dressed in raggedly old ripped clothes; he displayed a face of experience and wisdom. The wrinkles under his eyes showed how old he was, however, he was not too old to the degree to be called grandfather. He was bald, making him look even more like he was going to become an elderly man, but his eyes, they were the only feature that separated him from the elders and the young. His stern patient eyes gave a look of reassurance and youth.
"At long last, I will finally get some sleep," he said as he began to doze off. Suddenly, his boat rocked as his fish net was being pulled. "Got a bite already!" he excitedly jumped and pulled the rope to the net, "My you're a big one!" he exclaimed as he began to pull with all his effort. The net weighed a lot, more so than what the net could carry at maximum. "I need to keep pulling; this could be the catch of the century!" The man pulled even harder then before and the net finally began to budge.
"I got it now!" the man gave one last tug, and the net came dragging into the side of the small canoe, tipping it off balance. "I got it!" the man celebrated, he cut the net open and finally saw what he had caught. A young man, trapped in his net, all unconscious and weak. "Hey, wake up!" he said alarmed as he found out it was a person and not an animal, "Wake up, are you okay?" The man slapped the young man with dark brown hair in order to wake him up. He saw his clothes, his clothes were not from here, they were from the west, he had recognized that his clothes was a traditional Chinese robe with green and brown lining, and it was also made of a cheap material only found in the west.
"We've got to get you back into the village," the man told himself quickly bringing out the paddle and rowing, "You might not have time to live if you continue to stay here." The man began to paddle furiously towards a small dock to a village that was surrounded by wilderness.
His vision was hazy, but surely, Syaoran could see what was going on. He felt his forehead, burning like a night fire, hotter than any stove could ever make him. He turned his head to the right to see an open roasting fire in the fireplace where a pot was being boiled. As he looked at the lady next to the pot, he began to moan with a weak voice, "Mother…" he called out, "Is my medicine ready yet?"
Syaoran was sick; he was wrapped in many layers of fur and cloth that made him perspire. His boyish face and red tint gave away that he was very high in fever. "I'm coming Syaoran!" his mother spoke with such a noble tone in her voice; it was almost powerful and dominating. Syaoran's mother slowly marched towards Syaoran's bed with a bowl in her hand, carefully balancing it so no liquid could spill out.
When she had reached Syaoran's bed, she sat down and turned her waist to Syaoran, feeling his forehead. "Syaoran, you are getting hotter," his mother put the bowl up to his lips and began to slowly pour the boiling hot medicine in his mouth, "Drink this so you may recover tomorrow." Syaoran felt the burning sensation in his mouth. It was like his whole mouth wanted to melt off his face, nevertheless, he stood the pain of the burn and continued to swallow, making his throat hurt even more. "Tomorrow Syaoran, you will get better, rest now." Syaoran lied down and closed his eyes, smiling as he drifted off to a recovering sleep.
The stranger with brown hair slowly opened his eyes. As his eyelid opened, it appeared to be blinding his eyes at first, producing a haze in which he would see a crescent moon light. The stranger felt his forehead was wet with perspiration, and his body was gritty and humid from the steam in the room. The stranger turned his head to see an old lady in the center of the room stirring a pot on top of the fireplace. He didn't know what this scene reminded him of, but surely, he had felt this comfortable before, though he could not recall where. The brown haired stranger opened his eyes halfway and began to speak his first words.
"Where am I?" he asked. The old lady turned around and finally revealed her face to the stranger. Her face was old and wrinkly, just how you'd expect an elderly woman to look, complete from head to toe, her hair was tied in a big bun on the top of her head and her body was short and wide. Wearing a long brown robe and hood which she never put over her head, she looked at the stranger with a sweet face and smiled, "You're finally up!" she said in old sweet tone, "I was wondering when you were going to wake up." The stranger sat up on the bed, removing the bed sheets off of his naked body. When he had realized he was not wearing any clothes, he nervously blushed and wrapped the bed sheets around his shoulders. "Don't worry," the old woman said stirring the pot, "You are in my village on Daito Island, we found you in the lake and we brought you in. Your clothes are drying so please wait till we supply you with another change of clothes."
The stranger nodded, feeling relieved, he let the bed sheets drop, exposing his body, as he felt very hot. "So stranger," the old woman said, "I am the chief of this village, everyone calls me Granny, but we didn't know what do call you, what's your name?" The stranger stared off into a deep space void trying to remember, when he couldn't, he banged his head trying to force himself to remember. "What is my name?" he asked himself.
"SYAORAN!!!" a young girl's voice screamed, "Syaoran don't ever forget who you are, don't ever forget your true identity, don't ever forget me…"
"Syaoran?" the stranger responded, rubbing his fingers through his dark brown hair, "My name is Syaoran." Syaoran, as he was called, was still in confusion, unsure of whom he was. "Syaoran eh?" Granny responded, "That's a strange name, most people who have names like that are people who come from the west, just like the clothes you were wearing." Granny stopped stirring the pot and poured some of the liquid of the pot into a red bowl, the steam rose from the bowl like cold vapor emanating from an ice block. With her patient balance, Granny managed to walk to Syaoran's bedside and hand him the bowl. "This is a medicine; make sure you drink all of it!" Granny passed the bowl to Syaoran as she observed his well built chest and saw a weird character engraved on his chest, as if it was a scar. "That's a strange tattoo you have young man," she said with manners, "I have never seen that character before either."
Syaoran slowly poured the bowl of hot medicine down his throat, burning his throat like it was sore. When he finished gulping the whole medicine, he handed the bowl back to Granny and tucked himself into bed. "Good night Syaoran," Granny said putting the bedcovers over his body, "Tomorrow we shall see what we can do to make you go back home." Syaoran nodded as Granny blew out the oil lamps. She walked out of the hut with a candle in her hand. "Granny!" Syaoran called as she turned around, "Just who am I, and what am I doing here?" Granny smiled with her wrinkly mouth and sighed, "I don't know," she said, "But we'll try to find out tomorrow, just rest well before you can start moving again."
Syaoran looked at the ceiling in darkness, confused and scared what would happen to him. "Just who am I?" he asked himself as he drifted off to sleep.
The next day:
Syaoran saw new clothes as well as his old clothes right next to him as he woke up. Grabbing the new pair of clothes, he quickly put them on and went outside to try to find someone who might be able to help him. When he reached outside, he saw many huts on one side of the village, and the other side had bigger huts which seemed to be shops and important places to go such as clinics and blacksmiths. Syaoran saw many people up talking and chatting with each other. The moment Syaoran began taking his few steps toward the village square, people began to stare at him and stop talking, creating a silent vacuum where nothing but the chirping of the birds could be heard.
"Syaoran!" shouted out a baldheaded man with wrinkles under his eyes. Syaoran turned around to meet a man with ragged clothes and a hat tied behind his back. "So that's your name?" he asked, "I was wondering who you were." Syaoran silently stared at the man blankly, "I'm sorry, but who are you?" Syaoran never felt more confused and embarrassed in his life, the villagers were beginning to stare and his mind was a total blank. "Oh I'm sorry," the man apologized, "My name is Amano and I rescued you from the sea yesterday." Syaoran was not sure what he was talking about. "He saved you just in time," Granny said popping out from behind Amano, "He saved you, you should be grateful." Syaoran coldly ignored Amano and began to desperately seek an answer from Granny. "Granny, you said you would answer my question, who am I? What am I doing here?"
Amano butted in and smiled at Syaoran, "That's what I'm here for," Amano interrupted, "I am under orders of Granny to take you back to the sea and show you the whole thing, make sure if you recognize anything familiar." Syaoran nodded, "Okay?" he said disappointed, "But I can barely remember my name, what makes you think I will remember areas?" Granny butted back in to further comfort Syaoran, "I will go outside the village today and ask people if they know you," Granny snapped her fingers, making three rugged men with cloth tied around their heads appear, "These men will help me in my search. We will find out who you are today!" Syaoran nodded, "Thank you everyone…" he trailed off.
Amano grabbed Syaoran's hand and his net in the other, "Alright Syaoran," he jumped with zeal, "Let's go go go! There are fish waiting to be caught!" Amano dragged Syaoran to the docks, quickly donning his straw hat and jumping into the boat with a powerful entrance. Amano got up and quickly released the sails, allowing for the ship to flow in the wind and sail off into the sun.
As the wind grew calmer, the boat finally stopped at a place where the water did not ripple and showed a beautiful reflection of the sun. Amano reached for his net and quickly threw it into the water to catch the fish before they could swim away. Syaoran stared into the sun, trying to remember what had happened to him, and why they found him in the ocean. "If you remember anything tell me," Amano told Syaoran, but Syaoran could not hear as he began to daydream, "Hey you listening? Syaoran?"
The sun rising in the east as two young boys stare into its golden shine. "I can't believe how we have gotten so much better," said a black haired boy, "you've been training well my brother." Syaoran looked at the black haired boy and gave him a smirk, "You've also been getting better Dailan."
"SYAORAN!" Amano interrupted, "Syaoran are you okay?" Syaoran, shocked from what he had just remembered, looked into the sea and sulked. "No," he replied, "I still cannot remember, I wish to go to land; maybe Granny has found someone who knows me." Amano nodded reluctantly, "Okay Syaoran," he said, "Let me just catch one more batch of fish and then we'll leave." Syaoran looked at the bottom of the sea, trying to erase his mind. "This is just a bad dream," he told himself.
Amano took the paddles and threw one over to Syaoran. He pulled the net up, making the net half full with fish. "Wow!" Amano exclaimed, trying to make Syaoran cheer up, "Look Syaoran, we caught a lot of fish, and as a thank you, I'll use these to cook for a banquet." Syaoran nonchalantly rested his face on his palm, "Do whatever you wish," he said coldly. Amano crushed by seeing his fellow man so sad, just shook off Syaoran's coldness and began to paddle back to the dock. Quietness filled the air as Syaoran and Amano paddled the way back without talking to each other. "Syaoran," Amano said trying to start conversation, "Are you sad you cannot remember?" Syaoran coldly stared at him, and Amano quickly stopped trying to start conversation.
Syaoran felt extreme fear. He was rowing in a boat, with someone he never knew, some place he was unsure about, some area that confused him. He truly didn't know where he was or what he came from, he only gets recurring visions of him and other people he cannot seem to remember. Syaoran even begins to question his identity, is his name really Syaoran? Am I really from the West, as some people have said? Where do I truly come from? What is my mission? These are the questions Syaoran asks himself as he is scared about his life, about who knows him. There are even thoughts in Syaoran's head that he might be dead.
"We've arrived on dock," Amano said stopping the boat on the dock and tying the boat to the pole, "Syaoran, do you mind helping me with the fish while I go talk to Granny?" Syaoran, finding he had no choice, decided he would just do it and proceeded to haul the net of fish over to two barrels where he would separate the good fish from the bad ones. For a while, Amano assisted him, but after a while, he saw that Syaoran grew accustomed to it and also Granny was coming back with her full party of searchers, he approached them quietly, trying not to catch Syaoran's attention.
"How is the search coming?" Amano asked, "Have you found anyone who knows him?" Granny sadly shook her head, "No," she stated, "Has he remembered anything?" Amano shrugged and shook his head, "No!" he replied, "He tried to, but somehow, he couldn't, he never talked on the boat so I don't know what he had to remember." Granny hung her head down thinking, "I see!" she said, "If he cannot remember, then I suppose we can send him back home." Sarcastically, Amano replied, "He doesn't know where home is, where will we send him?" "His clothes he wore and his name sound like they come from the west, from that nation to the west, if we send him there, maybe he can find answers there." Amano thought about it for a while, and finally agreed, "That is a great idea, I think we should hold a banquet for him so that he may at least remember us when he needs help again."
Granny nodded and agreed, "That is good," she stated, "'Help all travelers and wayward spirits'; that is what my mother wished, and I shall keep her promise." "I'm done!" Syaoran announced as he sat solitary on the barrel. "That's great," Amano replied, "Hey Syaoran." Syaoran turned listening to Amano for the first time, "Listen, we know you can't remember anything, so I thought that maybe we could send you back to the west and you can find some answers there." Syaoran for once didn't give Amano the cold shoulder, instead, he gave give a slight frown and turned to look at the sea, "That wouldn't trouble you for me to leave, would it?" Amano shook his head. Somehow, Syaoran could sense his answer. "Good, I shall get going as soon as you supply me with transportation." Granny interrupted to further tell Syaoran their plan, "Before you go however, we wish for you to join us in a banquet, so that you may never forget our hospitality." Syaoran turned and looked at Granny, her sincere eyes staring into his soul, "You are too nice," he stated, "You shall be repaid in the future."
Later that night, as the banquet was about to begin, Syaoran sat at one end of the long table, accompanied by Granny and Amano by his sides. In front of everyone in the banquet table, was a fish entrée which came from the catch Amano caught today. Amano stood up before the 15 villagers around the table and held his glass up into the air. "I offer a toast to our beloved stranger friend, Syaoran, who will be leaving us today," everybody claps at Syaoran, Syaoran feels gracious and closes his eyes to accept the applause, "Syaoran, our honored guest, you are welcome back anytime at this village when you feel like it, now let us eat dear friends!" Everyone clapped as they began to dig in and eat the fish with insatiable appetites. Syaoran however, stayed in one spot and looked at his fish with askance. "What's wrong?" Granny asked, "Do you not like fish?"
Syaoran shook his head, "I don't know," he stated, "Allow me to try…" Syaoran slowly reached for the chopsticks and fixed them into his hand carefully, shaking as he was holding his chopsticks. Trying to control his shaking, he quickly tried to grab for a piece of the fish. He managed to get the fish between the two chopsticks, but his hand shook as he began to draw the fish closer to his lips. Suddenly, Syaoran popped the fish into his mouth, in less than a second; he spit it out across the room, gasping for air. "Are you okay!?" Amano and Granny tended to Syaoran, helping him up as the other villagers got up and tried to see if Syaoran was okay. "I cannot eat fish?" Syaoran questioned himself, "Why can't I?" Granny tried to find a quick recovering and pulled a vegetable entrée from the table. "Syaoran, maybe you like vegetables?"
Syaoran sat back down in his chair, everyone relieved that he was ok, sat back down and began to eat. "You cannot leave with an empty stomach," Granny said, "I need to make sure that you eat before your travels." Syaoran looked at the vegetables, afraid that he might spit them out just like the fish. However, this time, he held his chopsticks without shaking and reached for the vegetables and put it in his mouth easily. Chewing the soft green vegetables, Syaoran felt relieved, like the thorn had been removed from his side. "Oh so you like vegetables?" Amano said laughing, "Well that's just great, nobody eats them much anyways." Syaoran chewed down on the vegetables like he had never eaten before.
"You have been too kind," Syaoran said carrying a pack on his back while next to the dock. "Oh, it was nothing," Granny replied, "You just make sure you are safe on your journeys." Syaoran graciously bowed, "I will thank you-" "Granny!" Amano interrupted running with haste, "Those landlords, they're back again, they want to talk to you!" Granny widened her eyes almost scared. "Okay, tell them I'll be right there, let me just wish our traveler goodbye!" "Do you need help?" Syaoran offered with a concerned tone. "No, thank you though, I can handle this," Granny hugged Syaoran and gave him a sweet innocent kiss on his cheek, "Don't be a stranger, stranger!" Syaoran nodded to confirm and walked to the docks, slowly untying the boat.
"Granny hurry," Amano warned, "they gathered all the villagers and now he's demanding them to surrender the land." Granny gave a mean face ahead of herself, "We'll see about that!" she said as she came to the village square where they had gathered all the villagers and began to harass them. "What you won't give me your crappy house?" a man with a club yelled, "Then die!" Just when he was about to hit a young girl in her teens, Granny yelled out and stopped the man. "What are you doing?" she yelled out, "This village is under safety of the last emperor, stay away from these lands." The man with the club approached Granny, "You have lived on these lands long enough old woman. Our rich leader has offered you many pounds of gold and you decline, if we cannot receive this land legally, we will steal it from you." Granny began to feel fear as she felt their dark intentions. "Please this land is ours, leave now!"
"We also know you people have the secret that is needed to get to Spirit Forest, tell us now and we will leave you people in peace." Amano snapped trying to defend his village, "Spirit Forest is a haven for the spirits which dwell our very world, we will never reveal the location of that island." Granny agreed, "You may not take this land, you may not take our secret, if you wish so much, then we will die before these things which hold so dear to us." The man with the club snapped his fingers as 9 other men took out clubs and sticks and flint axes. "Well men, you heard what she said," the leader commanded, "Kill all the villagers, but lets start with the old lady!" Granny alarmed, stumbled back and tripped on her own two feet, the fear in her eyes showed a reflection of the man ready to smash her skull in.
The man swung the club down, but suddenly, a young man blocks the club from going any farther with his forearm. "Picking on old ladies are we?" The young man grabs the club and disarms the man, whacking him with his own club. The other 9 men see their leader knocked down and come to his rescue, the first one rushes in recklessly and gets hit in the stomach by the club. Then the young man hits the man in the back of the head, making him flip over. Another man rushes in and tries to whack the young man with his long stick over the head, but the young man puts the club up to block this attack and kicks him in the stomach to send him flying. Two men come rushing in to the young man, but he quickly steps aside and bumps the two heads of the men into each other, knocking them out unconscious.
Another man came running to attack the young man with his stone axe, he missed his mark, and then the young man took advantage by kicking him in the face. The other men looked at their fallen comrades and ran for the hills. The boss and the other injured thugs got up and ran too. "This isn't over!" the boss said running away in pain, "I'll be back!" The young man walked into the light so that the villagers could see who he was. "It's you!" Amano shouted happily, "It's Syaoran, what an incredible fighter!" The whole village began to chat amongst themselves and comment on how Syaoran was very good, Syaoran slowly approached Granny and fell on his knees. "I am unsure of who I am," he begged, "I do not know who or what I am or where I'm from." Syaoran began to have tears streak down his face, "I'm alone and I can't find my way around, I want to live here, amongst you fellow villagers, so I can find who I am slowly day by day." Syaoran began to cry as he was so scared and confused what he was doing and who he was. Granny simply smiled and got back up on her feet. Approaching Syaoran, she put her hand on his shoulder and stroked his hair, "Now now," she comforted, "You are lost and confused; you can be a part of our village."
Graciously touched, Syaoran bowed down thanked her, "Just who am I?" he asked himself quietly. Granny heard his silence and responded with comforting words, "You are Syaoran!"
