[wakame]
by tuuli_chan
An Ideal Heian Gentleman
Ever since they had returned home from the concert Sai had been standing by the window, staring out, every now and then sighing deeply, and refusing to dodge. Hikaru was used to his mood swings and had learned to ignore them (at least for the most part), but nevertheless, it was beginning to irritate him. Wasn’t it just for Sai’s sake he had let his grandfather to drag him to that awful gagaku concert… he had thought that a chance to hear classical Japanese court music might be something the ghost would enjoy.
And Sai certainly had seemed to enjoy it, but all the way home and now for the better part of an hour he had done nothing but, in a word, moped.
Some kind of home sickness? Hikaru sighed and threw aside the magazine he had been reading. “Alright.” He sat up on his bed. “What is it?”
Sai glanced at him from the corner of his eye but said nothing. Hikaru knew that look, and it made his annoyance grow. This wasn’t home sickness or anything such, no. For whatever reason, Sai was mad at him.
“What did I do now?” he exclaimed. “Didn’t you like that concert?”
“I did,” Sai said, finally turning to face him. “You didn’t seem to enjoy it, though.”
“Isn’t it enough that I subject myself to stuff like that for your sake, do I have to like it, too?”
A small, indignant sniff was his reply. “I am grateful, then, that you make such sacrifices on my behalf…”
“You’d better be,” Hikaru muttered and lying down again picked up his magazine. “Geez, I can’t get you at times…”
“…but the fact remains,” Sai went on, unaffected, “that had you lived in the Heian times, you would have made a very poor gentleman.”
“What the…” Lowering the magazine again, Hikaru gave him an incredulous look. “In the case it’s escaped your notice, Sai… we’re not living in the Heian period, and I’m not a gentleman of any kind.”
“That much is clear!” Sai pointed an accusing fan toward him. “It is great that you like go, but otherwise… you really don’t seem to be able to appreciate the fine arts.”
“Sai, I don’t…”
“Calligraphy, poetry, music… these all, at least, should a well-bred man master. I was myself quite competent with the flute…”
“Hey, I do like music! Just not that kind.”
“The things they call music these days,” Sai muttered. “I’m eternally thankful for that empyreal thing you use, so that I don’t have to listen to that horrible noise.”
“Empyreal?” Hikaru blinked. “You mean mp3, don’t you? It’s an mp3-player, idiot.”
“And that’s another thing.” Sai’s glare turned several degrees icier. “Your insensitiveness. A real gentleman should, above all, be sensitive. But you… when was the last time you shed a tear for a beautiful sight or were truly moved by other people’s joy or pain?”
Hikaru shot a glare back at him. “You really think I’m so totally inconsiderate, huh? Now who’s the jerk here…” He turned back to his magazine, decidedly ignoring the ghost whose expression softened a little.
“No… not so, but…” Sai shook his head sadly. “I have been your teacher, but still neglected all this. I am as much to blame as you… but it would be hopeless, wouldn’t it? To turn someone like you into a gentleman…” He gave a deep sigh and looked out of the window at the clouds the setting sun colored golden.
“Yeah right,” Hikaru muttered and turned a page.
Sai kept on watching the clouds, as magnificent in the sunlight as in the days he had been alive. “No…” he mumbled. “I must not give up so easily. There was a time when I thought you would never learn go, and I was proven wrong. Hikaru!”
The boy gave a start and looked up at him in confusion.
“I will not give up! Hikaru, from this day on I shall train you not only in go, but also in the art of being an ideal gentleman. It will not do for people to say that a student of mine has no manners. This might be a hard path, but I’m confident you will be able to walk it. Even the ugliest caterpillar can turn into a beautiful butterfly.”
There was something very close to horror in Hikaru’s eyes as he stared at the determined ghost standing next to his bed. As Sai babbled on about calligraphy and etiquette lessons, he wondered frantically if a game of go would be big enough distraction to save him from this impending doom, or if more desperate means were in order. Exorcism? Toads? Bribing with a chance of a game against the Meijin? He should come up with something soon, or he’d spend the rest of the day listening to a lecture about Heian values.
An Ideal Heian Gentleman
Ever since they had returned home from the concert Sai had been standing by the window, staring out, every now and then sighing deeply, and refusing to dodge. Hikaru was used to his mood swings and had learned to ignore them (at least for the most part), but nevertheless, it was beginning to irritate him. Wasn’t it just for Sai’s sake he had let his grandfather to drag him to that awful gagaku concert… he had thought that a chance to hear classical Japanese court music might be something the ghost would enjoy.
And Sai certainly had seemed to enjoy it, but all the way home and now for the better part of an hour he had done nothing but, in a word, moped.
Some kind of home sickness? Hikaru sighed and threw aside the magazine he had been reading. “Alright.” He sat up on his bed. “What is it?”
Sai glanced at him from the corner of his eye but said nothing. Hikaru knew that look, and it made his annoyance grow. This wasn’t home sickness or anything such, no. For whatever reason, Sai was mad at him.
“What did I do now?” he exclaimed. “Didn’t you like that concert?”
“I did,” Sai said, finally turning to face him. “You didn’t seem to enjoy it, though.”
“Isn’t it enough that I subject myself to stuff like that for your sake, do I have to like it, too?”
A small, indignant sniff was his reply. “I am grateful, then, that you make such sacrifices on my behalf…”
“You’d better be,” Hikaru muttered and lying down again picked up his magazine. “Geez, I can’t get you at times…”
“…but the fact remains,” Sai went on, unaffected, “that had you lived in the Heian times, you would have made a very poor gentleman.”
“What the…” Lowering the magazine again, Hikaru gave him an incredulous look. “In the case it’s escaped your notice, Sai… we’re not living in the Heian period, and I’m not a gentleman of any kind.”
“That much is clear!” Sai pointed an accusing fan toward him. “It is great that you like go, but otherwise… you really don’t seem to be able to appreciate the fine arts.”
“Sai, I don’t…”
“Calligraphy, poetry, music… these all, at least, should a well-bred man master. I was myself quite competent with the flute…”
“Hey, I do like music! Just not that kind.”
“The things they call music these days,” Sai muttered. “I’m eternally thankful for that empyreal thing you use, so that I don’t have to listen to that horrible noise.”
“Empyreal?” Hikaru blinked. “You mean mp3, don’t you? It’s an mp3-player, idiot.”
“And that’s another thing.” Sai’s glare turned several degrees icier. “Your insensitiveness. A real gentleman should, above all, be sensitive. But you… when was the last time you shed a tear for a beautiful sight or were truly moved by other people’s joy or pain?”
Hikaru shot a glare back at him. “You really think I’m so totally inconsiderate, huh? Now who’s the jerk here…” He turned back to his magazine, decidedly ignoring the ghost whose expression softened a little.
“No… not so, but…” Sai shook his head sadly. “I have been your teacher, but still neglected all this. I am as much to blame as you… but it would be hopeless, wouldn’t it? To turn someone like you into a gentleman…” He gave a deep sigh and looked out of the window at the clouds the setting sun colored golden.
“Yeah right,” Hikaru muttered and turned a page.
Sai kept on watching the clouds, as magnificent in the sunlight as in the days he had been alive. “No…” he mumbled. “I must not give up so easily. There was a time when I thought you would never learn go, and I was proven wrong. Hikaru!”
The boy gave a start and looked up at him in confusion.
“I will not give up! Hikaru, from this day on I shall train you not only in go, but also in the art of being an ideal gentleman. It will not do for people to say that a student of mine has no manners. This might be a hard path, but I’m confident you will be able to walk it. Even the ugliest caterpillar can turn into a beautiful butterfly.”
There was something very close to horror in Hikaru’s eyes as he stared at the determined ghost standing next to his bed. As Sai babbled on about calligraphy and etiquette lessons, he wondered frantically if a game of go would be big enough distraction to save him from this impending doom, or if more desperate means were in order. Exorcism? Toads? Bribing with a chance of a game against the Meijin? He should come up with something soon, or he’d spend the rest of the day listening to a lecture about Heian values.