fivebyfiction: Script
Title: Script
Fandom: Saiyuki
Claim: Koumyou Sanzo and Kouryuu
Set: #3
Prompt: Evening
Word Count: 698
Rating: G
Summary: Koumyou begins teaching Kouryuu to write.
Notes: Wow, it's been a while. Happy Birthday to our favorite surly priest, 11/29. ^_^ The kanji I talk about are provided.
日
“Here, Kouryuu… this kanji means ‘sun.’ Do you see how the strokes form a picture that looks like the sun?”
Kouryuu frowned and stared down at the blank paper upon which Koumyou had just drawn the character. “The sun is round. This looks like a window.”
Koumyou blinked, but then genuinely laughed. “So it does. But ‘window’ is much more complex. Perhaps it’s ‘seeing the sun through a window?’”
“I guess.” Kouryuu took up the ink brush and softly copied the four strokes that Koumyou had done, forming what still looked to him like a long, thin window.
“There, very good,” Koumyou said, looking over at his son’s progress. Since Kouryuu’s fifth birthday a few weeks ago, the Sanzo priest had taken it upon himself to teach the boy how to write. Kouryuu already knew how to read his own name and had mastered writing simple characters like “Kinzan” and his numbers.
One of the ideas that Koumyou liked the most was asking Kouryuu which words he wanted to learn. The priest knew more of the readings than any other monk in the temple and had the ability to recall most of them without the aid of a dictionary - although there were still certain lesser-used ones that escaped him. He figured at this point that the boy could read about 15 so far, but didn’t want to rush too fast. If the speed picked up too much, it could be overwhelming for such a small child.
Kouryuu copied the new character five times and sat back to check over his work. “If this one is sun, what’s ‘moon’?”
“Ah, that one’s quite easy as well.” Koumyou moved his hand back over the paper they were using and swiftly made one downward curved stroke. Making sure that the boy was watching closely, he moved the brush back up the line he had already made and hooked it over to make a second downward stroke. Finally, he connected the two pieces further by drawing two horizontal lines between the vertical ones. “Four counts also. Does this one look more like a moon?”
月
“Yeah,” Kouryuu said, keeping his finger just above the paper and the wet ink. “It looks like a crescent moon. That’s easy to remember!”
Koumyou watched as the boy copied the character for “moon,” alternating it with “sun.” It made a nice pattern dancing down the page. Finally, the Sanzo priest had to tear himself away from watching; he only had a limited amount of time to teach Kouryuu anyway, and that time was up. He still had duties, after all, and evening mediation was something he was required to attend.
“Daddy?” Kouryuu’s voice brought him back as he was standing and preparing to leave. “How do you write your name? You taught me mine and…” He trailed off, playing with the bamboo handle of the brush.
“My name’s a little complicated for you,” Koumyou answered honestly. “I can teach it to you once you know a few more kanji.”
“Please?”
Koumyou took a deep breath. “Well,” he tried, “there is one I don’t think would be too hard for you.” He sat down once again at the low table they’d been using for writing lessons and took the brush out of Kouryuu’s hand. He hesitated over the paper for a moment and then made four more simple strokes: one diagonal forward, one diagonal back right across from it, a third stroke down from the second, and a forth that crossed over the third making an “x.”
父
Kouryuu peered at the character curiously. “That one little thing says “Koumyou Sanzo?”” he asked in disbelief.
Koumyou smiled, closing his eyes and giving the boy back his brush. “It’s the kanji for ‘father.’ I know it’s rather presumptuous of me to claim such a thing, but…”
Kouryuu’s eyes had rounded in surprise and delight. “That’s the one for ‘Daddy’?” He immediately set to work on copying the stroke order. Soon, “father” ran down the page, which the beaming child held up for inspection.
“Very good.” Now, Koumyou felt he could leave. “We’ll learn some more important ones soon.”
Kouryuu just continued to smile. “I learned the most important one already.”
x-posted to fivebyfiction, sanzou, saiyuki
Fandom: Saiyuki
Claim: Koumyou Sanzo and Kouryuu
Set: #3
Prompt: Evening
Word Count: 698
Rating: G
Summary: Koumyou begins teaching Kouryuu to write.
Notes: Wow, it's been a while. Happy Birthday to our favorite surly priest, 11/29. ^_^ The kanji I talk about are provided.
日
“Here, Kouryuu… this kanji means ‘sun.’ Do you see how the strokes form a picture that looks like the sun?”
Kouryuu frowned and stared down at the blank paper upon which Koumyou had just drawn the character. “The sun is round. This looks like a window.”
Koumyou blinked, but then genuinely laughed. “So it does. But ‘window’ is much more complex. Perhaps it’s ‘seeing the sun through a window?’”
“I guess.” Kouryuu took up the ink brush and softly copied the four strokes that Koumyou had done, forming what still looked to him like a long, thin window.
“There, very good,” Koumyou said, looking over at his son’s progress. Since Kouryuu’s fifth birthday a few weeks ago, the Sanzo priest had taken it upon himself to teach the boy how to write. Kouryuu already knew how to read his own name and had mastered writing simple characters like “Kinzan” and his numbers.
One of the ideas that Koumyou liked the most was asking Kouryuu which words he wanted to learn. The priest knew more of the readings than any other monk in the temple and had the ability to recall most of them without the aid of a dictionary - although there were still certain lesser-used ones that escaped him. He figured at this point that the boy could read about 15 so far, but didn’t want to rush too fast. If the speed picked up too much, it could be overwhelming for such a small child.
Kouryuu copied the new character five times and sat back to check over his work. “If this one is sun, what’s ‘moon’?”
“Ah, that one’s quite easy as well.” Koumyou moved his hand back over the paper they were using and swiftly made one downward curved stroke. Making sure that the boy was watching closely, he moved the brush back up the line he had already made and hooked it over to make a second downward stroke. Finally, he connected the two pieces further by drawing two horizontal lines between the vertical ones. “Four counts also. Does this one look more like a moon?”
月
“Yeah,” Kouryuu said, keeping his finger just above the paper and the wet ink. “It looks like a crescent moon. That’s easy to remember!”
Koumyou watched as the boy copied the character for “moon,” alternating it with “sun.” It made a nice pattern dancing down the page. Finally, the Sanzo priest had to tear himself away from watching; he only had a limited amount of time to teach Kouryuu anyway, and that time was up. He still had duties, after all, and evening mediation was something he was required to attend.
“Daddy?” Kouryuu’s voice brought him back as he was standing and preparing to leave. “How do you write your name? You taught me mine and…” He trailed off, playing with the bamboo handle of the brush.
“My name’s a little complicated for you,” Koumyou answered honestly. “I can teach it to you once you know a few more kanji.”
“Please?”
Koumyou took a deep breath. “Well,” he tried, “there is one I don’t think would be too hard for you.” He sat down once again at the low table they’d been using for writing lessons and took the brush out of Kouryuu’s hand. He hesitated over the paper for a moment and then made four more simple strokes: one diagonal forward, one diagonal back right across from it, a third stroke down from the second, and a forth that crossed over the third making an “x.”
父
Kouryuu peered at the character curiously. “That one little thing says “Koumyou Sanzo?”” he asked in disbelief.
Koumyou smiled, closing his eyes and giving the boy back his brush. “It’s the kanji for ‘father.’ I know it’s rather presumptuous of me to claim such a thing, but…”
Kouryuu’s eyes had rounded in surprise and delight. “That’s the one for ‘Daddy’?” He immediately set to work on copying the stroke order. Soon, “father” ran down the page, which the beaming child held up for inspection.
“Very good.” Now, Koumyou felt he could leave. “We’ll learn some more important ones soon.”
Kouryuu just continued to smile. “I learned the most important one already.”
x-posted to fivebyfiction, sanzou, saiyuki