Chapter 8: The Power of Love, An Unbreakable Bond.

Later the same night…

Kai, Grandfather, and Lillie were in the dinning hall. They were discussing what they had seen earlier in the garden. "Kai, please tell what you know about this. What does your sister know?" "I'm not sure, grandfather." "You tell me what you know!" our Grandfather said fiercely. "I don't know anything, Grandfather." Lillie just stood there watching her brother and grandfather fight. "You do know something, I heard the way you spoke in the courtyard. Now tell me Kai, what do you know?" Kai was already walking towards the front door, "I'm going for a little walk." And before anyone had a chance to stop him, he was out the door.

Kai started towards the park…

When he got there, he sat down at the tree where I usually read, and looked up at the night sky. I wonder what Kayuri is thinking right now… She's probably mad at me…heh. And he fell asleep…
Back at home…

I sat upright in my bed. Lillie was up in her bunk, but Kai wasn't anywhere to be seen. I got changed and walked outside, something told me to go the park. When I was there I saw Kai, he was sitting under a tree, he head was hanging down as though he were asleep, but when I went to him, his eyes were in a sort of trance, half-closed and dazed looking, it took me awhile to realize he was just sleeping. "You almost had me there, Kai." I said in a soft whisper. I sighed and smiled and tried to pick him up, Man, you're heavy! I thought. But nonetheless, I flew him to our house and placed him in his bed, and as for me, got changed and went to get some well-deserved rest.

The next morning…

I woke up at 8:00 in the morning. Later than usual, I thought. And for some reason, none of the others were still awake, not even grandfather, so as usual, I ate, but this time I went to the Temple. I usually go here to learn about Japan and its history from the monks, they usually welcomed me, if I had the right clothes on, which meant, I had to wear my kimono. Great, now I have to get choked to death. But, whatever I needed to do to get the information I needed, it was necessary.

When I arrived at the Temple…

A young monk greeted me at the Temple, "Good morning! May I be of any service?" I explained why I had come and wished to see the scholar, who knew me very well. And he took me there at once. Once we reached the scholar's section in the temple he left me. So I went in. "Excuse me, sir? It's me Kayuri." "Ah, Kayuri, yes, come in." As I walked in, "Sir I wondered if I could ask you a favor." "Ah, well then ask away." "Sir, is it possible if you can tell me the poem of The 6 Ways of True Love one last time?" "You never get tired of that poem do you?" "No sir, its not that, its just that, I'm just looking for answers to a question that I have been trying to solve for a very long time.""Ah, you wish seek a story of answers, yet these answers will bring more questions, but I must daresay, if you came all this way for this poem, then, I might well tell it."

And so the poem began…

"How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I love thee to the depth and breadth and height

My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight

For the ends of being and ideal grace.

I love thee to the level of every day's

Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.

I love thee freely, as men strive for right.

I love thee purely, as they turn from praise.

I love thee with the passion put to use

In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.

I love thee with a love I seemed to lose

With my lost saints. I love with the breath,

Smiles, tears, of all my life; and, if God choose,

I shall but love thee better after death."

"Thank you so much, sir!" "Think nothing of it, now did that answer your problems?" "Yes sir, but now I think I'm more confused then before." His eyes were twinkling, "One answer leads to other questions, but the answer to these questions can be easily sought in others, do you understand?" I thought a moment, then realized what he had just said, "I do sir! Quite well, indeed. Um, sir do you mind if I drop by later today?" "Not at all, just knock first." "Thank you sir!" and with that I rushed off the temple grounds and went back home.

When I got home…

Kai and Lillie were eating, they saw me at the door. "Hi sis!" Lillie said. "Hey, Kayuri, where've you been? And why are you wearing that kimono?" "Went to the temple again." "But it's not Tuesday, Thursday, or Friday, the days you should be taking your lessons, so why did you go?" "Just to brush up on a little history." And I walked down the hall to my study room, Kai, Lillie, and me had separate studies, you know, so we don't distract each other. When I got there, it was quite full of scrolls and assignments I had yet to finish. Yet, I pushed all of these aside, and went to my archives of books and scrolls, and then I found it, a book called, "Finding True Happiness." It was about a girl who was lost found long lost family then lived happily ever after, but aside from that, there was another reason I picked up this book. I quickly flipped to chapter 18 of the book, The Power Of Love. I started reading the chapter hopefully looking for the answer to my question. "Where is it? Where is it?" I asked myself. Then I flipped to a sub-chapter that pops up every so often in the book, the sub-chapter was An Unbreakable Bond. It was about the girl, she had found her long lost brother. Sound familiar? I thought so, this is the reason I picked up the book. I read it, and found out how similar it was to my own life, aside from the trips to The Palace, it was pretty much my life in a book. I sighed, life is wonderful if you live it to the fullest… that was the last line in the chapter. I closed the book and placed it in the my lap…that last line was so true…to live life to the fullest makes it all the more wonderful… I out the book back in it's shelf and walked upstairs, no one was in the room… but instead Kai and Lillie had hid behind the door as soon as I closed it. They pressed their ears against the door to listen to what I was going to say. I sat in my bunk, "Is my life really wonderful? My life has just been loneliness and sorrow…" Kai was no longer listening, instead he was in the doorway, looking at me as I kept talking to myself, "My life is meaningless, who would care if I just left?" "Kayuri…I never knew…" I turned around instantly, just to see Kai in the doorway, instantly I knew what he had heard. "Kai…I…I really didn't mean…" He could see the tears in my eyes as I looked at him, he knew how I felt, Lillie was no where to be seen, evidently she left as soon as Kai had opened the door. Kai just stood in the doorway, he knew how I felt, but he couldn't help… I looked away. He too, started to cry and walked away, he knew of nothing to help… and so I sat there in my bed and wondered why, just why my life had to be like this… I didn't see anyone for the rest of the day… so I slept around 6:00 at night, I didn't even go downstairs to eat, I just fell asleep…

End Of Chapter 8, Next Chapter: Reliving A Forgotten Memory…………