Memory #02 [Sound and Taste]
It was a rare day off, so Moon didn't notice anything out of the ordinary when he made his simple breakfast. He'd slept in, and didn't have any plans, so he padded around the empty, sparse house, peering out the window at the weather and waiting for his bread to finish toasting.
He had poured his juice into a glass and was just looking over some books with a morning cigarette, when he noticed something inside the glass had made a clanking noise. He drained the juice carefully, and came nose to nose with a small shining crystal. Great, another one of these memory things. Gingerly, he dumped out the crystal into his palm and took a deep breath. What odd part of his past would he be learning today?
The first thing Moon noticed was that his vision was gone. He could only hear the patter of rain on the rooftop above him, and the creak of the floorboards as he walked. He could taste the dampness in the air and there was an aftertaste of tea in his mouth. He was carrying something, that he set down with a thud.
"They say the rain brings many blessings," a gentle male voice started, breaking into his thoughts, and Moon stopped dead in his tracks. That voice! It was one of the ones from his dream, so comforting and enveloping that he forgot it was only a memory. He longed to hear the man speak more.
"But much more and I'll get depressed," the man continued, and Moon could hear the smile in the man's tone, as well as taste the tobacco-scented air. "What about you, Kouryuu?"
Kouryuu? Was that his name? Was he finally allowed to hear it? Moon could hear himself respond, and his voice sounded higher, younger. It hit him. He was a child in this memory.
"I suppose, but it should let up by nightfall... Master S[fzzt]." That name he couldn't hear. But it convinced him all the more that this man was of utmost importance. They apparently shared a similar name or title. If this man was Moon's master... He urgently wished for sight, so he could see what the man looked like, if his eyes were as kind as his voice, if they looked alike.
His footsteps echoed on the wooden floorboards, and Moon knew he was walking away from Master. No! he reprimanded himself. Don't leave him! Moon heard other voices, mocking tones from several other men.
"Hey look. It's Kouryuu, the River Rat."
"Thrown into the river right after he was born! He's got a lot of nerve acting like Lord S[fzzt]'s favorite pupil."
"He might be good at martial arts and Buddhist spells, but he's still just a kid. He doesn't even practice Buddhism, and they say he's gonna get an official title!"
"I can hear you," Moon's younger self muttered, but just then the other men's taunts turned to cries of pain.
"Shouldn't you be working? What are you standing around chit-chatting for?" A deeper male voice broke in, and the slackers all began making excuses at once. "If you're so full of energy, why don't I have you clean the entire grounds? Back to work! Slackers don't get dinner!"
Moon's younger self laughed harshly. "You don't ever change, do you, Shuuei?" Another name he was allowed to hear. Who was this new man?
"Look who's talking, Kouryuu," Shuuei replied with a 'heh' of his own. "So, just because you're teacher's pet to Priest S[fzzt], you think you can kick around a bunch of adults?"
"They're not a challenge," Kouryuu said, dismissively. "They're scum.
Shuuei found that amusing. "Ha! And an attitude. Great. Glad I'm an instructor, so I don't have to compete with you."
Kouryuu stuck out his tongue. "Like you're scared, 'Charm Master' Shuuei. You became a teacher right after your training. All the priests know the power of your spells."
"Ooh, flattery." Shuuei shifted next to him and Kouryuu turned to him expectantly. "So it's true what they say? You're getting a title?"
"It was Master S[fzzt]'s idea," Kouryuu said with a shrug. "Whatever. Kouryuu's a crappy name anyway."
"But you don't follow Buddhism." It wasn't a question from the older man.
"I don't serve Buddha," Kouryuu said, leaning against the railing. He could feel a few raindrops on his tongue as he spoke. "I serve Master S[fzzt]. That is my will.
And then Moon was back in his kitchen, staring at an empty juice glass. "Master..." he pondered aloud. And apparently, his past involved Buddhism. Maybe there was a way to learn more about that.
He would meet his Master again. And next time, he'd see his face.
[ooc info: Dialogue and description from Gensomaden Saiyuki episode 6 (2:45-5:03) and Saiyuki manga chapter 10, page 139-142, 2nd Volume, Tokyopop Edition.]
He had poured his juice into a glass and was just looking over some books with a morning cigarette, when he noticed something inside the glass had made a clanking noise. He drained the juice carefully, and came nose to nose with a small shining crystal. Great, another one of these memory things. Gingerly, he dumped out the crystal into his palm and took a deep breath. What odd part of his past would he be learning today?
The first thing Moon noticed was that his vision was gone. He could only hear the patter of rain on the rooftop above him, and the creak of the floorboards as he walked. He could taste the dampness in the air and there was an aftertaste of tea in his mouth. He was carrying something, that he set down with a thud.
"They say the rain brings many blessings," a gentle male voice started, breaking into his thoughts, and Moon stopped dead in his tracks. That voice! It was one of the ones from his dream, so comforting and enveloping that he forgot it was only a memory. He longed to hear the man speak more.
"But much more and I'll get depressed," the man continued, and Moon could hear the smile in the man's tone, as well as taste the tobacco-scented air. "What about you, Kouryuu?"
Kouryuu? Was that his name? Was he finally allowed to hear it? Moon could hear himself respond, and his voice sounded higher, younger. It hit him. He was a child in this memory.
"I suppose, but it should let up by nightfall... Master S[fzzt]." That name he couldn't hear. But it convinced him all the more that this man was of utmost importance. They apparently shared a similar name or title. If this man was Moon's master... He urgently wished for sight, so he could see what the man looked like, if his eyes were as kind as his voice, if they looked alike.
His footsteps echoed on the wooden floorboards, and Moon knew he was walking away from Master. No! he reprimanded himself. Don't leave him! Moon heard other voices, mocking tones from several other men.
"Hey look. It's Kouryuu, the River Rat."
"Thrown into the river right after he was born! He's got a lot of nerve acting like Lord S[fzzt]'s favorite pupil."
"He might be good at martial arts and Buddhist spells, but he's still just a kid. He doesn't even practice Buddhism, and they say he's gonna get an official title!"
"I can hear you," Moon's younger self muttered, but just then the other men's taunts turned to cries of pain.
"Shouldn't you be working? What are you standing around chit-chatting for?" A deeper male voice broke in, and the slackers all began making excuses at once. "If you're so full of energy, why don't I have you clean the entire grounds? Back to work! Slackers don't get dinner!"
Moon's younger self laughed harshly. "You don't ever change, do you, Shuuei?" Another name he was allowed to hear. Who was this new man?
"Look who's talking, Kouryuu," Shuuei replied with a 'heh' of his own. "So, just because you're teacher's pet to Priest S[fzzt], you think you can kick around a bunch of adults?"
"They're not a challenge," Kouryuu said, dismissively. "They're scum.
Shuuei found that amusing. "Ha! And an attitude. Great. Glad I'm an instructor, so I don't have to compete with you."
Kouryuu stuck out his tongue. "Like you're scared, 'Charm Master' Shuuei. You became a teacher right after your training. All the priests know the power of your spells."
"Ooh, flattery." Shuuei shifted next to him and Kouryuu turned to him expectantly. "So it's true what they say? You're getting a title?"
"It was Master S[fzzt]'s idea," Kouryuu said with a shrug. "Whatever. Kouryuu's a crappy name anyway."
"But you don't follow Buddhism." It wasn't a question from the older man.
"I don't serve Buddha," Kouryuu said, leaning against the railing. He could feel a few raindrops on his tongue as he spoke. "I serve Master S[fzzt]. That is my will.
And then Moon was back in his kitchen, staring at an empty juice glass. "Master..." he pondered aloud. And apparently, his past involved Buddhism. Maybe there was a way to learn more about that.
He would meet his Master again. And next time, he'd see his face.
[ooc info: Dialogue and description from Gensomaden Saiyuki episode 6 (2:45-5:03) and Saiyuki manga chapter 10, page 139-142, 2nd Volume, Tokyopop Edition.]