Shirin No Kami

Chapter 2: Leaving New Home

            The fish were swimming wildly around the ocean, turning the serene water into ripples that would reverberate throughout the whole lake. Unknown, the fish were swimming all around, trying to dodge something. Then something came into view…

            Syaoran threw the net into the water catching all the fish below it. Syaoran took the other end of his fishing net and pulled it up, pulling a colossal amount of fish inside the sack. Syaoran in his peasant sweat drenched clothes pulled in the fishing net with ease. Releasing the net, Syaoran let the fish jump wildly on the boat until they all died out from not being in the water. Syaoran took off his long straw hat and tied it around his neck, picking up the fish on the boat and putting it into a bucket.

            "My you've been getting better at that!" a voice called behind Syaoran. He turned his head around and began to talk to the man with his wrinkled brow and healthy face. "Amano," Syaoran said with a smirk, "You know you can catch fish just as well as I can, you're just out of practice old man!" Amano smiled at the statement "old man". "Oh man," he said with a rough joking voice, "I should have left you in the ocean when we met. Now I have to face complete humiliation from you taking my title as best fisherman."

            Syaoran gave a hearty grunt, "It's only been a year Amano," Syaoran put the rest of the fish in the bucket, "And you let me take your title? My, how embarassing!" Amano got up from his recumbent position and began to stretch his arms and legs from lying down on the boat so long. "Maybe I'm getting too old for this!" Amano joked as he cracked his back. Syaoran gave a slight smirk on his face, "Maybe so old man…"

            "Hey what's that suppo-" Amano's sentence was cut off by the crashing of thunder in the sky, "My looks like a storms a brewing." Syaoran gazed into the sky, the dark grey clouds overshadowing their boat. "Quickly," Syaoran said putting the rest of the fish back into the boat, "Let's hurry before it rains." Amano quickly grabbed his oar and began to row backwards. Syaoran quickly took his oar and rowed with him backwards.

            Granny looked outside the window, streaming with tiny rivers on the glass. The tiny streams of water spread on the glass like a network of spider web. Her wise sage-like eyes stared out the rain, reflecting her image back onto her. Granny had her hands behind her back. Her shoulders dropped down as the rain continued to pour and she started to relax.

            "Do I want to tell him?" Granny asked herself, "I must tell him, he must go back home." Granny went to her table, where neatly green folded clothes sat. The center of the whole shirt had a large circle and in the center had a Chinese character on it which stood for "tao". On the sleeves, on sleeve said the character "sui", and the other sleeve had the character "lang". Granny frowned as she sipped her tea on the table.

            "After a year," Granny said, "We finally have a clue of where he comes from…"

            Syaoran and Amano had just made it back to the docks as the first drizzling water touched their skin. Immediately, Syaoran and Amano both took their big straw hats and tied it under their chin and over their head. "Come on," Syaoran said picking up the bucket of fish, "Let's go back to the main hut, we have to store these fish in the granaries." Amano took the other end of the bucket and hauled it together with Syaoran. "Let's go!" he said putting his hand over the bucket of fish.

            They ran together, like a three legged race, except they ran at the same pace. "Quickly the rain is getting harder." Light drizzle became harsh drops of water that poured down on them. Syaoran looked hard with the rain continuing to get harder, the rain dropping obscured their vision of what they saw up ahead. Suddenly, Syaoran begins to sense something nearby and reflexively points ahead. "There," he said, "There's the main hut, let's go. Maybe Granny can also watch over us a bit until this rain clears up."

            Amano searched around, looking for the main hut as the rain started to pour faster. "Where is the hut, I can't see it Syaoran!?" Syaoran put a shade over his eyes, trying to block the rain from hitting his eyelids. "Just stick your hand out," Syaoran commanded, "Stick your hand out and turn. You should get the doorknob." Amano gave a slight perplexed look at Syaoran right beside him, "How do you-" Suddenly, Amano slammed his right shoulder into the door. He stumbled back and fell on a puddle. "I told you!" said Syaoran. Helping Amano up, Syaoran turned the doorknob which he felt for in front of him and quickly opened the door. He pushed Amano in and proceeded after him.

            "Whew!" Syaoran panted, "That was close." Amano nodded and clutched his right shoulder. The pain was unbearable and Amano began to seethe through his teeth. Worriedly, Syaoran knelt beside him. "Are you alright Amano?" Syaoran asked. Amano tried to hold in the pain and got back up, standing tall with his shoulders upright. "Thank you Syaoran," Amano said twirling his shoulder around his socket, "I'm fine, let's go on and stay with Granny 'till the rain passes." Syaoran nodded, focusing on Amano's arm, "You sure you ok?" Syaoran asked again. "I'll be fine!" Syaoran gazed at Amano's bald head and saw him turning around and walking ahead into Granny's room.

            Rain poured, thunder clashed, the sky shook with a terrible roar. The dark clouds shadowing the village were also shadowed by four silhouettes of men on horses, in the formation of a diamond (two men on the sides, one in the front, one in the back). They were out in the forest, slowly approaching the village with small huts for each person to live in and the one big hut for the village elder. The four men on horses all wore something covering their mouths and a straw hat covering their head. The overcoats they wore made out of deerskin that protected them from the rain.

            The slow rhythm of the horses' hooves echoed on the fallow ground. Then, the man behind the formation spoke his first words, having his speech muffled by the cover over his mouth. "So boss, what are we going to do after we get this land?" The man in the front marched on, having his eyes squint angrily, "This is my land," he said with a raspy voice, "I own this land and if they don't give it to me, they deserve to die." The two men on the sides holstered rifles on their backs, covered with paper to protect the gunpowder from getting wet.

            "But Lord Bukai," asked one man, "What shall we do with the villagers? You don't expect us to kill them do you?" Lord Bukai looked behind him, seeing the cowardice in the man. "Whatever it takes to get this land. They have already violated staying there and I have let it pass, my men couldn't retrieve it last year. If you want something done, do it yourself."

            Lighting flashed, the window reflected with this blue ray of light right through the window of Granny's residence. Amano and Syaoran both sat around the table while Granny was sipping her tea. "Granny," Amano said, "Is something the matter?" Granny poured the teacup down and drank every last drop. "Syaoran," Granny began to say.

            The prescence around the room reflected the mood at the current moment, mysterious and dark. Syaoran and Amano both stared at Granny's wise eyes and listened on to what she had to say. "Is something wrong, Granny?" Granny didn't say a word. Instead, she took out a rectangular box from below the table and placed it on the top of the table.

"Syaoran," she began to say, "You must leave this village." Syaoran and Amano were both shocked. "Why?" Syaoran asked. "Yes why?" Amano repeated, thinking he didn't hear correctly. Granny only slid the box toward the two. Syaoran stared at the box questionably, "Should I open it?" he confirmed with Granny. Granny nodded. Slowly, Syaoran placed both his hands on the side of the box, carefully pulling the cover off of the box.

Syaoran felt something soft, saw something green and fabric-like. Suddenly, he finally realized when he saw the "tao" character on the center of the fabric. "This…this is…" Granny nodded, confirming Syaoran's thoughts. "That's the same character you have marked on your chest," Granny stated, "Those clothes were found in a village not too far from here." Syaoran pulled out the clothes and unfolded it, letting it spread out and drop to the floor. "These clothes aren't mine," he denied, "Just because it bears the same character as my chest, does not mean these are mine."

Amano looked in awe, he didn't know how to feel now. Should he feel happy that there is some clue for Syaoran to get back home, or should he feel disappointed that his friend was leaving the village? "Syaoran," he said, stuttering, "I don't know what to say, I guess you can finally return home now." "NO!" Syaoran snapped, "This is my home, this is where I belong!" Granny got off of the floor and put her soft wrinkled hand on his cheek, trying to reassure him. "Syaoran, you  must return home," Granny said.

"No," Syaoran denied, "This is my home, you are all my family." Amano and Granny were touched by this gratitude Syaoran felt, but knowing that he had a family somewhere out there waiting for him made them deny their true feelings. Amano sadly patted Syaoran on the shoulder for comfort. "Don't worry," Amano said, "You will always be family here, just go!" Syaoran couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Granny?" Syaoran asked, "Do you wish for me to leave as well?" Granny nodded, "I want what's best for you Syaoran, I want you to return home and see your family again so you may remember who you are." Syaoran began to frown, "So this means, I'll never see you guys again."

"Nonsense," Amano snapped, "You will always see us whenever you wish. But if you don't see your family now, you may never ever remember them, and that will not only hurt you, but your family as well." Amano looked outside and began to see the rain dying down, "It seems that I must leave, I will go prepare your boat so that you may leave as soon as possible." Amano left the room.

Now it was Syaoran and Granny, alone and in the same room. Syaoran looked at the ground, seeing his dark shadow and Granny's shadow approaching him. Granny placed her hand on Syaoran's shoulder and picked his head up. "Syaoran," she said, "You have been a great help and have allowed me to fulfill my mother's last dying wish to help wayward spirits. I thank you!" Syaoran humbly nodded as Granny went to go get something inside her drawer. From her drawer, she pulled out a shell tied to a string and placed it inside Syaoran's hand. "This is a talisman that should keep you safe," she said, "There is a town not far from here where I found your clothes. Please go there and ask questions like where they found your clothes and maybe you can one day find out who you truly are."

Granny gave one last hug, Syaoran reluctantly hugged back. "Whatever you do from here, promise not to look back." Syaoran lightly feeling Granny's cozy frail body nodded in agreement, "I promise Granny," he said having a tear drop out of his eye, "I promise."

Amano burst into the room, frantic and desperate. "Granny!" he exclaimed, "They've come back, the landlord has come back! And this time he is killing the innocent villagers!" Syaoran snapped his eyes open and bravely stepped forward, "Them again, but I-" Syaoran was interrupted by Granny holding him back from going outside. "From here on Syaoran, you will no longer be a part of this village. Therefore you must go." Syaoran hesitantly worried and looked at Amano giving him a reassuring nod. "We will be alright. You must leave before they find you and kill you too." Amano's white eyebrows crunched together displaying angriness. "We will handle them, just go Syaoran."

Syaoran saw Granny and Amano about to leave the room to meet their fate and he could do nothing but watch them throw their life away. "Whatever you do now Syaoran, do not look back. Just go to the docks and take the boat out of here." Syaoran nodded while seeing Granny and Amano leave. Then after waiting a little while longer, Syaoran opened a secret passage through the South wall and escaped from the back.

"Burn the houses!" the man on the horse said as he took his torch and threw it on the top of a straw roofed house, "Leave no survivors this time." "Yahhhh!" a middle aged man with bald head and white eyebrows ran with his pitchfork over his head, ready to take off the man on the horse. "Get out of our village!" Suddenly, as the man got closer to the masked stranger on the horse, his right shoulder shot out with pain and made him drop the pitchfork. "My arm!" he shouted clutching on his arm to ease the pain.

"Shoot him!" the masked man commanded as two men who took out their rifles and shot the man. Amano, the man who was trying so bravely to defend his village, met an unfortunate fate when one bullet drove itself right through his right shoulder, amputating it and the other bullet hit him square in the forehead.

"Amano…" Granny sadly moaned as she looked at the man on the horse. "So you are the village chief," the masked man on the horse said, "This land now belongs to me, I will allow you to give up this land to me without any problems while I let your people escape. If you oppose me, then this land shall be taken by force." Granny silently closed her eyes and prepared to meet her fate, "This is my home of my anscestors," she stated, "My spirit shall die with my home."

Syaoran tried to escape, the burning houses and burning corpses were scattered throughout. Syaoran could no longer find his way to the docks. "I need to escape quickly, before I-" Suddenly, Syaoran approached the village square where he saw Granny's lifeless body laid out flat and the two gunmen still pointing their rifles at her. Syaoran began to feel despair within him. "There's a survivor!" shouted the other gunman as he took a shot at Syaoran. Syaoran quickly dodged the bullet and tried to make his way through the tight spots of burning huts. "I have to escape, I have to find the docks, I have to-" "He's over here!" shouted a man standing next top the docks. The man ran up to Syaoran, trying to pin him down. But Syaoran quickly dodged him and kicked him in the stomach.

Syaoran saw his boat. Hastily he jumped in and cut the string which tied it to the dock. "My home, destroyed," he said sadly as he rowed away. "Don't let him get away!" shouted the two gunmen shooting at his boat. Syaoran tried to row faster away from the burning smoke of the village. The bullets hit the top of the water like rocks failing to skip across. The leader took one of the rifles of the gunmen, "You guys are terrible shots, this is how it's done!"

BLAM!

Syaoran's boat broke an open hole right behind him. "What the?" he shouted as he tried to cover up the hole seeping with water. "What am I going to do?" Syaoran's boat began to sink deeper and deeper, slowly bringing his boat deeper into the depth of the pristine calm waters. But suddenly out of nowhere, a current ripped away the boat and Syaoran no longer had control. Syaoran's clothes which were attached to the side of the boat began to get pulled away from the current. "My clothes!" he shouted in desperation as he dove off the boat and reaching for his clothes in the current.

Syaoran's boat sunk, and from the distance. The men saw the single canoe sink into the depths of the currents. "Nobody can survive those currents," said the leader, "And even if he does survive, what might he do to get back onto dry land?" The leader turned around and placed a flag with his insignia on it. "This land is now under my control. Send all the labor workers here so that the emperor may get a great harvest. Put the dead bodies into the ocean where all the evidence will disappear." The two gunmen and the last man bowed down and split in different directions to carry about their assigned tasks.

"Alas," the leader said taking off his face cover, revealing a scar upon his left cheek. "This land is now mine.

Syaoran stroked furiously trying to get his clothes back from the current. As his clothes continued to drift away into the torrential abyss, he stroked faster trying to get his clothes back. "Got them!" Syaoran stopped stroking as he finally caught his clothes in his arm. Suddenly, the current got strong and Syaoran was pulled under the waters where he could not see anything because the water was rushing into his face.

Syaoran tried to swim back up but their was a current above him holding him down. "Am I done?" Syaoran thought weakly, "This is how I will die?" Syaoran gave up swimming and began to close his eyes as he was in deep water. Darkness approached Syaoran and grasped him by the hand taking him into death slowly.