Title: Two Raven's Tale
Author: Brad C
Disclaimer: Kazuya Minekura
Warnings: No spoilers
The blood orange sky begin to set across the horizon, the dark blue sky slowly emerging from the shadows as the sun starts to disappear into resting as the day ends. A steadily pace of foots steps crunching the leaves between his sandals and the ground as he makes his way towards the Kinzan Temple. A subtle cawing from a crow echoed in the forest as the night finally devours morning skies. The moon continues to glow in the skies as it watches the day gone back into hiding, and now spending his time with the night before him.
The young man yawns tiredly, covering his hand over his mouth. He finally reaches the foot of the temple. The door then suddenly slides open as the young man comes to a jolt as figure suddenly appears out of nowhere. "Ukoku! Glad you made it..." Koumyou chirped cheerfully, popping his head out the wooden door with a graceful smile reaching his eyes. "Can't you ever set up a better schedule?" Ukoku looks at the older man with mouth crooked to the side. Koumyou gazes back at the younger man, "Why? Did I ruin your resting hour?" Ukoku stares back somewhat amused, and bursts out laughing nervously, "That was not what I meant!"
The elder high priest nods his head, "Are you going to be standing there all day?" Ukoku shakes his head, chuckling to himself a bit as he walks through the door into a room, and closes the door from behind. Koumyou returns to his seat behind the bare wooden table with two small cups and a small vase of rice wine. Ukoku paces over to the other side of the table, settling himself comfortably on his robes with his legs crossed. "Care for some rice wine?" Koumyou asks in an offering elegant voice, holding the small vase in his hand as he pour the clear liquid into the two cups. The younger high priest nods his head quietly, watching the elder man pour the wine into the cups.
Koumyou takes his cup and sipping slowly, "So what brings you here?" The younger high priest blinks his eyes a few times with laughs, "What are you talking about?" he asks; continuing laughing nervously, "You were the one who called me over..." The younger man laughs again; the rich sound of laughter of his voice fills the room. "You still come out from hiding, whether I have called you out or not..." The elder high priest lowers his head and smiles delightfully. "Right... right..." Ukoku answered quietly, picking up a fried baby roe fish, placing in his mouth and sipping his cup of rice wine.
A long silence filled the room.
Koumyou sits with both of his hands underneath his white robes with his eyes closed. He lifts up his head for a bit, pondering and thinking; and then lowers his head again, pondering and thinking again. "Ah... I finally remembered why I called you over..." The elder priest grins sheepishly, smiling gently at the younger man. "What..." Ukoku says, glancing back at the elder man dumbfoundedly as he drops his black chopsticks onto the table. The high ranked priest slowly and quietly rose from his seat, pacing in graceful steps towards the door and heads outside the temple. Ukoku stood up and following the elder man. They both walk outside of the temple into the looming darkness, where only the moon shines against the night skies.
Koumyou walks further away from the temple with Ukoku following behind. The elder high priest turn his head towards Ukoku, "It just occurred to me just now, why we are so alike..." He says with a smile reaching his eyes as his long light blonde bangs elegantly shimmers between his smile and his eyes. "Did Jikaku Sanzo say something about us again?" Ukoku asks curiously while lighting up a cigarette, placing it between his lips as he follow the older man in their usual short hiking trips several meters away from the temple. "No, no... Nothing like that at all..." Koumyou laughs heartedly as his smile becomes even more graciously, both hands still under the sleeves of his robes.
Ukoku stare at the elder man as his thoughts goes through the back of his mind. "Then, what is it?" The younger man's voice becomes even more curious than before. Koumyou glances back at the younger priest as he continues on smiling, "Have you heard of story of White Raven and his twin, Black Raven?" Ukoku shakes his head while looking at the older man without a word, savouring the taste of his nicotine held between his two fingers. The elder high priest comes to a stop as the soft glowing light from the moon shines above him.
"They are both creators of the world," Koumyou says softly, behind his golden smile. Ukoku removes the cigarette from his mouth, tapping the ashes into the ground, "But how are they alike?" He questions and thinking quietly to himself as he listens to the older man, "And still be creators of the world?" The elder high priest grins amusingly at Ukoku questions, nodding his head with his eyes closed. Ukoku stares at the ground thinking and thinking, puffing away at his half smoked nicotine but still could not come up with an answer. The sound of silence stood between them.
Koumyou nods his head and smiling quietly, "The white raven is the creator of the unconsciousness, the ruler of the mystical world and dreams." He continues, looking at the younger man with his eyes open, "What does this say about his twin?" Ukoku looks up from the ground as he retrieves his almost finished cigarette from his mouth, "The black raven is the creator of the consciousness, the ruler of the earth and enact with the ancestors of the past." The younger man answers quietly, lost in streams of thoughts.
The white raven slowly begins to make his way back, walking in slow graceful steps. Ukoku stood still, still lost deeply in his own consciousness. "Are you coming my brother?" Koumyou voice asks playfully, still smiling like the glowing moon above the night sky. The black raven looks up, startled. As he staggers a few running paces, although not far behind his older brother the white raven.
The twin ravens take their time as they return home, where they belong.
