Ohayo, I'm not dead, I was just working and going to and from the hospital so I had no time to actually write anything. However, I scribbled this at work whilst my computer was sending everything to be printed/e-mailed/fax. You don't want to to know that. Anyway, I remembered having some nice reviews for Sunset Scriptures and Fired Gold so I scribbled a companion piece to it. I quite like it, I hope you do too.
Midnight Lessons and Frosted Silver
It was winter, colder than usual, although snow had yet to fall on the Chang'an temple. However, a silver shimmer of frost over everything told Sanzo that snow was probably going to follow. He drew in a deep lungful of tobacco smoke and blew it out in a jet of silver, liking the way that the smoke mingled with the steam from his breath and lingered in the air.
It was at these times where Sanzo almost liked the Chang'an temple, something that he'd never admit to usually. It was approaching midnight, all the other monks had gone to bed and Sanzo had come out of his office onto the veranda. It was wonderfully quiet and dark with the only light coming from two lanterns hanging from the walkway, the glowing end of Sanzo's cigarette and the shining silver full moon that hung overhead. With the lack the constant pious chanting and genuflecting and just the moon for company, the place could feel distinctly spiritual.
Sanzo leaned on the balcony-like posts of the veranda and blew out another line of smoke. Today hadn't been so bad. Gojyo and Hakkai had come over to visit; Hakkai bringing a bag of assorted goodies for Goku and Gojyo smuggling in some beer and cigarettes for Sanzo, which the priest had endeavoured not to show his relief at. The two had then hung around for a while, generally keeping the monks away, amusing Goku and providing subject matter for talks and arguments. The suggestion had then been for Hakkai to tutor Goku, as the boy seemed to know the basics of reading and writing. Seizing an opportunity to keep his ward quiet for a few hours, Sanzo had given assent and before leaving, Hakkai had produced a book of short stories for Goku to try and get through and pick out what he couldn't read for when Hakkai visited next.
Sanzo stubbed out his cigarette and then decided not to bother with another. Unlike Gojyo who would perpetually have a hi-lite dangling from between his lips and was known to get withdrawal symptoms, much to Hakkai's chagrin, Sanzo wasn't so addicted that he felt the need to light up straight after stubbing one out. Right now he was just enjoying the moonlight and having a reminisce about nights like this which had happened before.
"The moon is certainly bright tonight, isn't it Kouryu, see it reflects in the sake cup."
The blond boy looks in his own un-drunk cup of sake and sees that his master is right, the moons reflection creates a silver mirror on the clear liquid.
"I see it, Master," he says disguising his surprise. Koumyou turns to look at him. Kouryu likes moments like this, when everyone else has gone to bed and its just him and his master. Koumyou has taken off his crown and scriptures and unloosed his silver hair from its thick braid, letting it flow freely down his back like a waterfall.
"Even on the darkest night, there's usually the moon around to light your way." he murmured, the reached for his pipe. "Are you sure you are warm enough, Kouryu? Wouldn't you like to go to bed?."
"I'm happy here Master." answers Kouryu, "And I'm warm enough." he pulls the heavy winter robe tighter around him.
"Creature of night you will always remain, Kouryu." chuckles his Master and takes up a small leather-bound book, holding it out to Kouryu.
The book has no real purpose to this night time meeting. It is something Koumyou has picked up from somewhere and has decided to pass it on to Kouryu to read. Kouryu has long realised that his master is not a typical Sanzo in his habits and has not been surprised to have been handed newspapers to read and well as scriptures from supposed other religions.
He opens it up and casts an eye down the slightly yellowed pages. It's a book of stories, not his Master's usual given reading matter and Kouryu flicks through it with interest, until several phrases and pictures catch his eye.
"Master this is a book of youkai folk tales." he said. "Should I be reading this?" He left the book open on a page that had an inked picture of a youkai King holding a scroll in front of a smiling human woman.
"You can read whatever you want to read, Kouryu," replied his Master. "This was given to me by a friend, a youkai himself, who died some years ago. It is a rather enlightening read if I do say so myself." he gave an encouraging smile.
"Thank you Master." replied Kouryu, swirling his still-undrunk sake around and watching the moon's reflection swirl and ripple.
"Kouryu?"
"Master?" the older man patted to the space beside him.
"Sit closer, I know you're cold." he said kindly. Kouryu didn't move at first but slowly edged his way over to rest against his master's side. Koumyou Sanzo smelled of incense but not the cloying overly sweet smell that clung to all the other monks, instead it was laced with the tobacco he favoured and it had a scent of fresh air and winter breezes covering over it. It was a good scent and Kouryu allowed himself to lean against his master.
"You haven't done this in almost nine years, Kouryu." murmured Koumyou. "Sometimes I miss it, just you and I sat here in the darkness with nothing protecting us but the moon... Kouryu?"
Kouryu pretended to be asleep.
Sanzo allowed a small smile and fancied he could feel the brush of silk across his face as his master put an arm around him all those years ago. It had only bene the slightest hint of physical affection but Kouryu had treasured it and Sanzo still thought about it now. He had read the book scarcely hours later and although hadn't really thought it as suiting him, he had still felt indebted to his master for actively seeking out literature for him and teaching him something besides the buddhist teachings. In addition, in a roundabout way, it had made Kouryu feel wanted and given him a sense of security.
Sanzo exhaled watching the steam from his breath dissipate, his face suddenly becoming sour when he saw something skitter down one of the corridors in the familiar robes of a novice. He heard hushed laughter and his eyes became hard. It was the middle of the night, hadn't the little novice brats gone to bed? Sanzo reached for his fan and stormed down the corridor ready the smack the little buggers from here to Heaven for disturbing his once peaceful night.
"Ha! He's trying to read!" came a jubilant shout. "Stupid - moagh!" the unfortunate novice's tirade was cut short by a paper fan hitting him clean across the head. The glint of blond hair and violet eyes that spelled murder immediately had the three novices falling to their knees and prostrating themselves.
"Sanzo-sama!" "Most Reverend Sanzo!" "Revered Sanzo-sama!" Came all three voices at once. Sanzo seethed and gave each bald head a slap of annoyance.
"What hell are you doing running around at this time of night?!" he barked at the sudden cacophony of excuses, he clamped his hands over his ears. "I don't wanna hear it! Get back to your rooms. The night is for sleeping!"
The novices all bowed as one and scampered off, all muttering under their breath. Surprisingly the mutterings weren't about Sanzo, but about 'the monkey'. The 'Monkey' could only mean one thing; Goku was up and out of bed. Sanzo rolled his eyes and pulled up his sleeves; if Goku was raiding the food stores, again he was going to solemnly wish to go back in that damned cave.
"Godsdamned irritating monkey!" he hissed, striding down the corridor.
His searches in the compound came to nothing. Goku's room, right next-door to Sanzo's – was empty, the bed not slept in and there was no trace of the monkey in the stores either. Sanzo actually felt a twitch of concern but ignored it. He strode out in the courtyard and was about to give up and go to bed himself when he spied a lantern-lit splotch of red and gold clashing hideously with the starkly white and silvered peach tree. It was Goku.
Sanzo strode up.
"Stupid monkey." He muttered, raising the fan.
However, before he could bring it crashing down on the boy's head, Goku suddenly looked up from whatever he was reading and blinked blearily at him with sleepy eyes.
"San-Sanzo? What you doing here?" he mumbled tiredly, pulling a blanket closer around him.
"You stupid monkey!" Sanzo started to yell, then stopped to look down at what Goku was holding. It was the book given to him earlier by Hakkai. "You were reading out here?! In this weather?!" he said suddenly, letting his arm drop.
"Well, yeah. It's really pretty outside, all silvery and nice and dark." Said Goku was a wide grin then his feature fell a bit. "I tried reading in the big room where all the others read but they laughed and I couldn't read with the noise and everything, so I came out here to read, but the words are starting to muddle up ... why do they do that Sanzo?" he asked, keeping his voice quiet, for a change.
Sanzo put two fingers to his forehead. Goku was either the stupidest person he had ever met, or the boy was just too clever to stoop to the level of simple teasing. The handful of novices they had here at Chang'An hated Goku, seeing him as being a bad influence on Master Sanzo. They also hated the fact that whilst they stayed inside studying endless scriptures and teachings, Goku would be out running around, chasing butterflies or falling in the river. Naturally, a bout of teasing had started up and Sanzo had noticed a sharp increase in the jibes since Hakkai's arrival as a tutor. It was sheer jealousy on the novices' behalf but Goku didn't notice.
"Sanzo? Are you okay? Can you help me with this?" Came Goku's voice, lancing through his thoughts.
"What?" he asked.
Goku held up the book and Sanzo was hit in the face with a memory that was strong enough to make him step back in surprise. The illustration was one he could see just as clearly in his memories from twelve years ago. The same picture of the youkai king with his richly patterned robes with the smiling human woman kneeling in front of him holding out a hand. The King holding out the scroll seemed to move on the page and a little part of Sanzo would kill Hakkai later.
"It's a –" started Goku.
"-book of youkai folk-tales, I know." Murmured Sanzo. Goku looked surprised as Sanzo strode over to sit on one of the tree roots. "So what do you wanna know?"
Goku swallowed and pointed to a word.
"The King has put out a pro-cla-ma-shun. What's that?" he asked.
"When I go to the Sanbutsushin they give me orders right?" Goku nodded. "A proclamation is like if they gave the orders to lots of people."
Goku nodded and followed the words along the line with a finger.
"The King makes a pro-clam-ay-shun to his subjects – that's the people he rules over, right." Sanzo nods once and Goku smiles. "That he wants peace between humans and youkai and doesn't want the girl to be exe-cuted." He looked at the word. "I know that word, I asked Hakkai and he said it was to kill someone for doing wrong." He looked sage for a minute. "But she didn't do anything wrong, she just fell in love with the other guy." He narrowed his eye. "This is hard."
"You'll learn." Murmured Sanzo. "If you are prepared to kill someone because you think they have done wrong that you must be prepared to have someone think that you're wrong and try to execute you."
Goku nodded
"Yeah, that makes sense. Like with those novices and stuff; they're not nice to people but they're gonna have people being not nice to them." He said. Sanzo sniffed once and reached down for the book, nimbly plucking it out of Goku's hands. The boy made a noise but didn't object as Sanzo flipped open the book and looked at him with an unwavering gaze.
"You've marked this one." He said holding up a strip of paper. Goku hitched himself up to sit next to Sanzo to look at the page.
"Yeah, I couldn't make out what happens because a page is missing, but I really liked the story. It's about..."
"A youkai that is sent to the earth as a punishment tries to get back into Heaven so he can see his friends again." Answered Sanzo. "I know it."
Without any other words, Sanzo started to speak the words of the story in a low yet clear voice exactly as they appeared on the page. Goku was captivated, he had heard Sanzo chanting sutras a few times and thought then that he had an amazing voice and had told him so resulting in a fan-thwapping. However, now the voice was like hypnosis, pulling Goku directlu into the story that he'd tried desperately to understand with his limited talent in reading and had failed time and time again.
"... so he went up to the gates a second time, this time bringing with him the treasures he needed to enter heaven but still the gatekeeper turned him away ..."
Goku shut his eyes and could see himself stood at the big brass gate, seeing the youkai pleading with the gatekeeper, this time offering him the finest jewels. He could see that behind the gate, the youkai's friends were looking for him and wondering where he had gone, which was the bit had had missed. Sanzo's voice still smoothly moved the story, letting the youkai come back up to the gates and offering the gatekeeper treasures even more beautiful than the last. The gatekeeper again sends him back for something that is most precious to him. The youkai agrees but comes back with nothing saying that what is most precious to him it behind the gates and begs the gatekeeper for a deal. The gatekeeper agrees to a deal and tells the youkai that if he spends five hundred years in a prison, then he can be reunited with his friends. Goku then remembers the end of the story reaches out to touch the youkai to try and tell him that the gatekeeper betrays him ... but his hand just falls through the air.
"and still the youkai calls out for his friends every night when the moon is full." Finished Sanzo, closing the book with a sigh and sly smile; it had been his favourite tale at the time too. He had admired the youkai's persistency and will to serve and had seen something of himself in the story. He looked up at the full moon shining back at him like a mirror.
"Hey Goku, it's a full moon tonight." He said. There was no reply. "Oy, Goku." He nudged the boy. Goku gave a murmur and snuggled in closer to Sanzo, obviously having been asleep for a while "Damn monkey."
Sanzo rolled his eyes in disdain and then looked around to see if anyone was watching him. Seeing noone he put his arms around Goku's waist and lifted him up. Sanzo's skinny body often belied his strength and he didn't bat an eyelid as he carried his sleeping ward out of the courtyard and through the corridors, not needing any of the lanterns - which were guttering now – to find his way back to his and Goku's rooms.
"I swear I'm gonna ration your food portions, you weigh a ton." Sanzo mumbled, lowering his burden down onto Goku's bed. The boy said nothing in response, merely reached out for the pillow and pulled it close to him. Sanzo allowed a small smile and pulled a blanket over his charge and went to go to his own quarters. Then as an afterthought, wrenched open the shutters and let the frosted silver moonlight shine into Goku's room and rest on the bed.
Finally satisfied, Sanzo went close the door, looking back up at the moon.
"You don't need to call anymore." He muttered, closing the door and heading to bed.
This kept me quietly amused at work and I quite like it, I hope you do too. Please review it if you have the time or the inclination, I'd love to know if this makes a good companion piece to 'sunset scriptures'. 'First Time' also has a couple of chapters awaiting some finishing touches to make to the before they're posted, so they'll be up soon