This was an epilogue-type thing that I hadn't originally intended; I ended up writing it in grammar class, on a fidget. The lyrics quotes (Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows, Jars Of Clay) are largely thanks to Hakuryuu's psychic random-shuffle. Yes, my iPod's name is Hakuryuu. It's small, it's cute, it's white, it beeps when some functions come on. -coughs- although after I put the passages where they seemed most appropriate, I realized there were implications I hadn't initially noticed…-coughs-
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Another sleepy Sunday
Safe within the walls
Outside a dying world
In desperation calls
But no one hears the cries
Or knows what they're about
All the doors are locked within
Frozen from without
Looking through rose colored stained glass windows
Never allowing the world to come in
Seeing no evil and feeling to pain
Making the light as it comes from within-
So dim
Chang An seemed to be busier, in more disorder, than I had ever remembered. There was a desperate cast to the crowds, more ragged than usual, with subdued murmurs running through; more beggars and homeless along the roads. It was a wheel of people as always, but the kaleidoscope seemed rusted and cracked. An acolyte ducked through the crowd nearby; I caught his shoulder, stopping him and tugging for him to turn around.
The boy started, almost cried out, then recognition caught up. "Honored Sanzo! We've been waiting for you - should I inform them of your arrival?" Honored Sanzo. This is one of the reasons I left.
"In a minute. What's going on?"
He tilts his head at me, struggling to pin down what I'm asking.
"Chang An's a mess. Why?"
"Ah! It's mostly the Youkai, really; there's many people from the country coming here for safety, and even the youkai here in Chang An are going out of control. The doctors are overloaded caring for both the people of the city and the people fleeing here from further west, and overtaxed again without being able to turn to the Youkai healers for the worst injuries. You'll be able to do something about this, right?"
He's looking to me for hope. It had occurred to me long ago that my job was to carry the world; it's not surprising that it's finally becoming literal. Why are they turning to me? I struggle to take care of those around me, and they want me to fix things for everyone? "I'll see what I can do. Go on ahead."
He bows as much as he can on the crowded street and darts off back toward the temple. I sent him off because I didn't want to put up with the usual parroting of dogmas following on my heels with delusions of my grandeur, but now that I sent him ahead to announce me, they'll be waiting for me to arrive. If I'm lucky, they won't have much time to prepare any ceremony.
I turn to scan the crowds, expecting to find Goku distracted at one of the vendor's stalls; instead he's standing right behind me where he had been, almost uncharacteristically quiet, just fixing me with a dry, vaguely accusing look. I've had warning of this for over a month, he's been nagging me to find out if this was something important, and it's been my own stubbornness dragging things to a halt; 'I told you so' would've been easier to take.
I try to find some excuse, but I don't have any. He's right and he's been right, and I've let things go when lives were at stake again. I turn back the direction of the temple, eyes on the cobblestones. "We're going."
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Out on your doorstep
Lay the masses in decay
Ignore them long enough and maybe they'll go away
We have so much, you think
You have so much to lose
You think you have no lack
We're really destitute
Looking through rose colored stained glass windows
Never allowing the world to come in
Seeing no evil and feeling no pain
Making the light as it comes from within -
So dim
The temple stairs rise out of the center of the city, immaculately kept, with groomed trees on either side of the white stone retaining walls that flank the steep white stone stairs. It's like passing through some kind of invisible wall from the city, the noise and murmur vanishing into the background with each step. Goku runs ahead, hopping easily onto the four inch wide retaining wall and dashing up that instead of the stairs, then stopping and sliding back down to where I'm resolutely walking up the stairs. "Come on, we're almost there!" I close my eyes and growl slightly, walking the stairs by rote memory. "Sanzooo!" He edges along the wall parallel to me for a few seconds, then huffs and runs back ahead, reaching the gates well ahead of me, where he has to wait; they won't let him in without me.
I stop at the gates to look back at Chang An, the noise of merchants, beggars, and refugees, then ahead at the temple courtyard as they open the gates to me; clean, mostly empty, quiet, carefully kept, as close to heaven as they can achieve, walled off from the world around them as if denying its existence - an illusion. Three of he highest ranking priests are waiting, the same ones that've harassing my dreams to get me to do all the work for them.
"Honored Genjo Sanzo." All three of them bow deeply, and I return it without a word; I'll follow their protocols while I'm here, but only as much as is necessary to deal with them. "The Sanbutshin have been awaiting your arrival." Sanbutshin? So they're cutting out even the high priests as intermediaries this time; no wonder they hadn't told me much, they probably weren't told. The one on the right gestures to lead me on; I turn back to Goku, standing off to the side, sticking out against the courtyard and the white robes everywhere. "Wait here in the courtyard; I'll be back as soon as this is finished."
"Yeah, yeah, don't take too long." I step forward to follow the priests; they cringed visibly at my instructions to him. I don't really care if he gets on their nerves for a while; they could use the interjection of reality from dealing with him.
We pass from the outer courtyard, through the central gates, to the main inner courtyard, the shrine of the Sanbutshin visible ahead.
I took this job on myself, and I will deal with this by my own choice, because people are suffering, not because they've asked or ordered me; it doesn't look like they're doing any more to actually help things than they usually do. I'll hear the Sanbutshin out, then take care of this as I see fit; if they want me to take on everything so they can hide behind their white walls and distant observations, they're just going to have to trust my judgement.