Chapter 24: Deep Words
Shoutouts to:
BeraniandSeverus4eva: Thank you for your last review post! I'm so sorry I didn't post any shoutouts on the last chapter - had been so tired and my eyes were falling asleep on me.
I love the name you came out with 'Snare'. Isn't it so ironic? Lol.
Haha we will see about that! I am thinking of making another story though. SnapexOc pairing this time. Just for you! XD
A/N: Ahem, this Author and the cast of 'The Muggle,The Greasy Git and The Proud Wizard' would like to wish a Merry Christmas for all of you who celebrating today/tomorrow. Hope you have a splendid day today celebrating with family and friends. We thank all of you for your constant supports and hope to keep you around for some more fun! :)
"HERE we are, finally. Suneipu-san, Rurinzu-san. Allow me to welcome you to the Shuujin's Shrine!" Ono said as soon as they have reached in front of the Shrine.
Claire wiped her damp forehead using the back of her sleeves. Behind her, Severus was doing the same, except he was using a small white handkerchief.
Claire looked at her wristwatch.
The time was now twelve and a half o'clock in the afternoon. They had been walking and hiking from the HeadQuarter since sunrise, at six forty-five in the morning until now, to finally reach to their destination.
Almost six hours of travelling.
Severus had asked the soft-spoken Priest why didn't they just Apparate from the HeadQuarter to the Shrine halfway through the journey.
Ono had merely answered, "In Japan, we japanese often walk around as it is very beneficial for the health, Suneipu-san. Besides, this is good training for Rurinzu-san. To prepare herself for the upcoming trainings desu."
Ono led his guests into the Shrine, and was immediately greeted by the other Priests. He introduced Claire and Severus to them in Japanese.
The Priests bowed their head. They said something in japanese to them before ushering the couple to come inside the shrine.
"They are saying the afternoon meals have already been prepared for you, Suneipu-san. Rurinzu-san." said Ono, following behind them.
At the mention of food, Claire's stomach made a loud grumble.
The other priests snickered at the loud grumbling sound of her starving stomach, much to her embarrassment.
Severus merely raised an eyebrow while Ono politely smiled at her.
"Here you go, Rurinzu-san." He handed her a tray of a small bowl of white rice, a grilled fish and radish miso soup. "Enjoy your meal, please."
"Itadakimasu." Claire said the prayer, and dug the food. She ate expertly using the chopsticks that were given to her along with the set meal.
As Claire chewed on her food, ýshe stole a glance to her left and was surprised to see Severus was managing well with his food using a pair of chopsticks.
Severus, noticed her stare, stared back at her with a small grin appeared across his lips.
"Like what you see, Rollins?"
"I'm merely surprise to be honest, Snape. You knew nothing about Japan yet you know how to use a chopstick to eat! What's your best kept secret?"
Deep vibrating chuckles came from the man instead. Severus shook his head and finishing up his meal without answering the question.
Soon after the two had finished their meals and satisfied their hunger for food, Ono took them to a path that led them to a small passage in the forest behind the shrine.
"We shall began our trainings here." Said Ono once they reached at the top of an opened space field. On the left side, there was a beautiful waterfall.
Ono walked toward the waterfall. He then shed the outer layer of his many layered clothes and neatly folded it before putting it aside.
Claire and Severus watched him in silent. Severus was having a hard time understanding what was going on. Claire on the other hand, managed to piece up the puzzles together.
"Many years ago, monks would come to this waterfall to meditate. It is said, the Gurēto gurando masutā Tamaki Sai, was the first Erementarisu. He was said to be a Half-Blood monk. His mother was said a Muggle born and his father came a well known Pure-Blood samurai family. It is from Sai-sama that we Eremetarisu learned how to use our gifts to the fullest."
Ono bowed his head down respectfully toward the waterfall and to the two of his guests.
"I shall now show you some insighto what you will learn, Rorinzu-san." He bowed again. Ono turned around and slowly, let his left foot touched the cold waterfall.
At first, the water was touching his skin. As he moved deeper into the waterfall and the water rinsed on him, something made Claire gasped when she realised how the waterdrops from the waterfall were literally floating in the air, around him.
Ono turned at them with a pair of very light sky blue eyes - that looked almost silverish blue. He blinked once and twice, before he spoke in a soft and lightful tone.
"Shuujin-san, your eyes.."
"Rorinzu-san, Suneipu-san, this is what it will looks like once you have sucessfully control the element." Ono blinked his eyes, and the floating water around him began to evaporate - leaving nothing behind.
Ono looked and smiled at Claire, who was amased by his performance. Even Severus was left stunned.
Ono bowed his head at them. He straightened his back and faced them again. This time, he looked straight at Severus.
"Suneipu-san, would you please cast a powerful curse at me?"
"What?" Claire looked from the Priest to Severus. "You're not serious.."
"Please, Rurinzu-san. I assure you I will be all right. Watashi no naka de shinkō o motte kudasai."
"What did he say?" Severus asked, taking his battle stance.
"He simply said to have some faith in him." Claire answered, backing away from the two men and watched for a distance.
Severus briefly bowed his head and pointed his wand at the man and shouted, "Confringo!"
An explosion occur right before her very eyes that left Claire alling down on the rocky ground while screaming as she covered her ears and shut her eyes tightly.
When she reopened them, her eyes searched for Ono instantly.
"Shuujin-san! Shuujin-san!" Claire called out coughing, through the thick and heavy smoke from the blast.
When the smoke finally cleared a bit, Claire could see a light blue partly invisible barrier was shielding something or someone from its protection bubble.
"Shuujin-san..?"
Ono's eyes colour changed once again. were back to its silverish blue.
"Depending on your strength of power and how much you are able to control them, Rurinzu-san, the elemental powers that you possessed could either protect from the enemies or even kill you.."
The barrier around him scattered to pieces like broken glasses. Ono fell down his knee and panting heavily.
"Shuujin-san!" Claire rushed toward him. In seconds, she was by his side with Severus followed closely behind her.
"Are you okay, Shuujin-san?"
Shuujin gave her a weak smile. He looked up to Severus and chuckled weakly.
"I should have told you to go easy on me, Suneipu-san. Little did I knew how incredibly powerful you really are... It seems I have underestimated you.
Severus said nothing but offered the man a hand to help him get back up on his feet.
"Shuujin-san, maybe we should head back home and let you have a little rest, at least?"
Ono shook his head. "I am fine, Rurinzu-san. Please do not worry about me. More importantly, I should apologise to you."
"Apologise... to me? Why would you want to do that?"
"Hai. You see, Rurinzu-san, tonight is the night of the full moon. It is a custom that we priests must performed a prayer on every full moon to the Japanese Moon Deity, known as Tsukiyomi-no-mikoto. Hence, I will not be able to train you tonight."
I see.." Claire nodded. "Can we not do it tomorrow night then?"
Ono shook his head again. There is another bad news, Rurinzu-san. The praying ceremony will be on each night for a full week."
W-what?! But that's our-"
"Hai. Indeed Rurinzu-san. Which is why, suneipu-san and I have discussed and we have already came out with a conclusion: you will have to conduct the training alone. I will guide you on what to do, of course. However, the rest will be all up to you. Do you agree with this, Rurinzu-san?"
Claire pondered on it. It didn't take her long to make up her mind. It was now or never.
"Hai. I agree."
"Very good, Rurinzu-san." Ono waves his hands and a white haori, a kimono jacket, and a red Hakama, a type of japanese traditional clothint appeared. He handed it over to her.
"I would like you to get ready, Rurinzu-san. Here is your outfits. Please change behind the waterfall over there."
Claire looked at the outfit she held in her hands before silently nodded.
"ARE you still not ready yet, Miss Rollins?" Severus' deep voice echoed through the sound of the falling water.
"Coming!"
Claire came out with a gleeful smile. There were pink blushes on her cheeks as she stood before the older man with his arms crossed on his chest.
"What do you think?" She made a full circle for him to see.
For a moment, Severus was at loss of words.
So many words he wished to say to her.
Beautiful. Lovely. Oustanding.
None of them however, he braved enough to utter it out loud for her to hear. So instead,
but did not have enough courage to spill it out. Instead, he decided on one safe word.
"Wonderful. You look wonderful, Claire."
Claire smiled grew widened. Together with Severus, she carefully made her way up the wet stoney staircases, to where Ono was waiting.
"Konbanwa, Rurinzu-san."
"Konbanwa, Shuujin-san." Claire bowed her head respectfully.
"Have a seat, Rurinzu-san. Please." Ono urshed her to sit beside him in a zazen posture.
"Before we begin, Rurinzu-san, I would like you to breathe in deeply and clear your mind - away from all the problems you have been kept inside. Say, a certain koibito, for instance?"
Claire looked at him stunningly with her face slowly growing red. Ono on the other hand, had his eyes closed. His face was as calm as the summer's sea.
Silence slowly filled in between them, until Claire decided to end the silence.
"W-What makes you say such things, Shuujin-san? Koibito nonetheless.."
Ono opened one eye and looked at the red faced Muggle with a small smirk.
"Come now, Rurinzu-san. Surely, an attractive young lady as you must have a koibito already? Moreover, I sensed it from you ever since I met you yesterday. Your face looked trouble. Your aura is unbalanced. In order to master the Elementarily magic, Rurinzu-san, you must be able to have a clear head and abe to control your emotions."
Claire nodded silently.
"Oshietekudasai." His voice was gentle.
Claire looked up at him to find that he was looking at her with a warm smile and an understanding look.
Sighed defeatedly, Claire looked at the man with a wearily smile.
"It's complicated."
Ono nodded. He allowed her to continue speaking.
"I'm.. I'm in a complicated relationship..."
Claire began to tell him about her and Lucius' relationship. About Narcissa and when she suddenly showed in their lives after being assumed dead, had caused Claire's world to turn nothing but upside down.
Claire rambled continously how she refused to become a married man's Mistress, and how her doubtfulness had led them to have their first fight before she had left for Japan.
"The more I thought about it, the more I realized that we are totally different people. Not just our background and status or even age, as a matter in fact. We are really quite the opposite. Our last arguement makes me realised how dangerous he could be - being a former Death-Eater. I don't know... I really don't know what to do. I don't want to keep going forward and then back all over again. If there isn't any hope left for Lucius and I, then I would like to end it for once and all.."
Once she finished telling him, Claire expected the Priest would shake his head and with a pitiful smile. Instead, he simply stared at her with a forlorn look in his eyes.
Claire looked away and avoided his gaze. Her knuckles had turned to white. Claire had clenched them tightly as she told him her story earlier.
"'Life is not like water. Things in life don't necessarily flow over the shortest possible route.'" Ono looked at her with a small smile. He pointed at the stream from the waterfall surrounded them. "Japanese famous proverb."
"Rurinzu-san, if you can love someone with your whole heart, even one person, then there's salvation in life. Even if you can't get together with that person."
"Do you perhaps speaking from an experience, Shuujin-san?"
"Hai. Indeed I am." Ono closed his eyes again.
"She had been the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on. A foreigner, like yourself, whose father had worked with the Japanese-Muggle's Embassy. We were neighbours, best friends and lovers, the woman and I. She smelled of the jasmine fragrance whenever she goes. Back in the old days, status differences played a big role in our lives. She was a muggle while I am a Pure-Blood wizard and a samurai bloodline. It was impossible for us to be together, yet we did. That was until my grandfather, who had been the Head of the Family at that time, found out about us. He'd forbidden me to see and to cut all ties with her."
"That's horrible." Claire looked at him pitifully.
"Hai. My grandfather had even threatened to sabotage her family and ended their business if we disobeyed. I had no choice but to leave her.." Ono's voice softened. "Right afterwards, I left my family and met with Guo-sama. It had been him who persuaded me to began my Erementarily training. I have been an Eremental Master since then."
"When was the last you'd heard of her?"
"A couple of years ago. I'd heard she was getting married to a Japanese Businessman."
"I'm very sorry for you, Shuujin-san. Here I am laminating my love problems to you when you had lose yours.."
"Īe, Rurinzu-san. Please do not apologise. What happened to me was already in the past. What matters the most is that I had loved her whole heartedly. Though we had to part, though we could never be together again. We had no regrets. Even if she married another man and had children with him, as long the woman I loved was happy, then I could be happy. And I am. There are love that's worth fighting for, Rorinzu-san, and some not worth the efforts. You simply need to choose your own battle."
Ono gazed at her from the corner of his eyes. He smiled.
"Based from what you had just told me, I personally think it's worth to give a shot. The road of love is a long way and filled with obstacles. However, the heart can't lies what the heart wants You love him. He loves you. What the both of you need right now is to find something in between so that your love may continue to blossom. 'Yake bokkui-ni-wa hi-ga tsukiyasui.' It means, passion of those lovers stopped by fate is easy to return,Rurinzu-san."
Claire took the deep meaningful words he had told her to heart. She took a long deep breath and exhaled.
"You look better than you were minutes ago, Rurinzu-san. That's a good improvement."
Ono raised to his feet. He looked outside; night was approaching. Claire followed but soon stopped by him.
"Rurinzu-san, you are to stay here and meditate under the waterfall."
"For how long?"
"For the whole of tonight."
"What?!"
"Daijobu, daijobu, Rorinzu-san! Suneipu-san and myself will be watching you from outside. Suneipu-san will be around to watch over you when I have to leave for the ceremony. Please, take your seat under the waterfall."
Severus waited patiently for the Priest to arrive. He had been standing outside for almost half an hour.
As soon as he had taken the young Muggle to climb up the stoned staircases, Severus had been asked to leave them alone for a short while by the kind Priest so that he may have 'the talk' with the Muggle.
Severus had known about it. Ono had talked to him and had asked for Severus' permission.
A moment later, Ono arrived.
"Suneipu-san, Rurinzu-san has finally settle."
"Good."
"Are you sure you want to stay here and watch? Things might get nasty. The Kappa is not known to be gentle creatures after all."
"I'll stay. It at least gives me a peaceful mind to know how she's doing."
"You are a kind man, Suneipu-san. For helping out Rurinzu-san."
Severus grunted. He focused on the Muggle woman sitting on a stone, in a Zazen posture, underneath the waterfall.
"It will be a while before the Kappa arrive. In the meanwhile, you should get something to eat first, Suneipu-san. Dinner should be ready by now."
Itadakimasu - bon appetite
Koibito - lover/darling
Gurēto gurando masutā - Great Grand Master
Watashi no naka de shinkō o motte kudasai - Please have faith in me.
Oshietekudasai - Please tell me
Daijoubu- it's alright/ it's fine
Īe- No
Disclaimed: All of the japanese proverbs belongs to the Haruki Murakami and Tatara from the Fushigi Yuugi manga/anime. I owned nothing but the characters Claire and Ono Shuugin and this story.