[yamabe toshiro]
REFLECTIONS BESIDE THE KOI POND
by aiwritingfic
Sai strolled down the corridor as quietly as possible. This area was adjacent to the Emperor's chambers, and he did not want to disturb His Majesty unduly, but his steps were light and eager all the same. Ten minutes ago, Shura-dono had chanced upon Sai in the library, moping forlornly as he gazed upon a scroll of exquisitely detailed carp. Shura-dono had harumphed resignedly, and then told Sai there was a koi pond in this part of the palace, and that His Majesty had not forbidden the use of the garden it was in.
It had been very kind of the minister, Sai thought. But ... if only Shura-dono could have been more explicit with his directions! Sai felt slightly vexed. He had arrived at this wing brimming internally with enthusiasm, only to find that there were at least three ways one could interpret Shura-dono's (admittedly vague) instructions. At that time, there had been no other retainers in sight to guide him; none that Sai would approach without a trusted companion, that was.
Sai knew the other courtiers considered him an oddity at the best of times, and blatantly strange at others. He had heard whispered comments that his hair was too long, yet no one approached him to cut it. No one commented on his garments either, though Sai was keenly aware they were different from what everyone else wore. The women of the court enjoyed Sai's company, for Sai was a gentle and patient teacher, and when they tired of black and white stones, sometimes Sai would play his flute. Sai's flute wasn't as good as his go, but it pleased them nonetheless--it was simple and touching, yet did not demand too much from its listeners.
To the men, however, Fujiwara no Sai was too soft and too young for the Emperor's go instructor. Sai had proven himself on the goban time and time again, and still they muttered quietly on the fringes, softly so the Emperor would not hear. It was possible they might find some amusement in Sai's search for a pond that wasn't there.
Then again, Sai thought, Shura-dono had not shown any outward signs of animosity towards him yet, and by all accounts was a fair man who placed more importance in results than in flattery. Perhaps Shura-dono's instructions and intentions were free from malice. After all, this wasn't a part of the palace ministers often visited; they were too busy with the country's affairs for this sort of idle leisure. Sai was sure Shura-dono's directions had merely been influenced with the passage of time; he preferred to believe that was so. He nodded his head firmly to himself. That was it, and Sai would have to rely on himself now, using the general hints Shura-dono had so generously provided.
At an intersection of three corridors, Sai paused, trying to decide. Shura-dono had said the garden with the pond was to the west of His Majesty's chambers. He looked up, noting the directions of the shadows outside. The day was nearing sunset. To the left, then, towards the sun.
He turned, walking quietly, hoping for the sounds of a garden--birds, the rustle of leaves in the wind--or for the scent of autumn grass and dirt, but he could not detect anything. How strange, Sai thought to himself. Could Shura-dono have been mistaken? Despite his misgivings, Sai continued to the end of the corridor, and then turned right. Then he stopped in amazement, greeted with an unexpected sight. "Oh," he said, for words had left him.
Before him was a pond, perhaps the size of the antechamber to his quarters, ringed with small rocks and white sand carefully raked in rippling waves that radiated outward from the pond's edges. There were boulders in the water--sizeable unevenly-shaped natural stones that rose serenely from the water's surface. A large bonsai tree had been planted next to a stone bench perched on a small ledge above the pool. He looked up to see a raised ceiling with a skylight that let in the afternoon sun. "There was a pond after all," he said in wonder, approaching.
Beneath the water's surface, Sai could see colored shapes gliding smoothly. "And fish!" he said, delighted. Looking about for a way to aspire to the bench, he stepped onto the smooth slabs set in the white sand, careful lest his robes disturb the delicate swirled patterns on the sand's surface. The bench was cool to the touch. He leaned a little, gazing down into the clear water.
A large tancho approached, dignified, elegant in alabaster white with a brilliant red patch on its head. It paused before the bench at the edges of Sai's shadow, stayed a moment, and then swam away, slowly patrolling the rest of the pond. Other koi moved out of its way as it advanced serenely through the water.
"You act as if the entire pond was yours," Sai told the stately fish when it neared him again. "How would you welcome another fish into your pond, I wonder?"
The tancho seemed to look at him, considering. For a few moments, Sai looked into the fish's eyes. Then it moved its tail and glided away.
It swam past two other fish, one a taisho sanke whose white was accented by deep reds and black, the other a very unusual black-on-gold ogon. Gold approached Red-and-black, and then blew bubbles at it. The red-and-black fish turned away, only to be chased by the gold. The two fish began to circle, a back-and-forth race from one edge of the pool to the other. Red-and-black smoothly skirted around the boulders and other fish. Gold was more erratic, but faster, managing to catch up each time Red-and-black suddenly veered away, only to have Red-and-black break away again with another quick change of direction.
Sai laughed, entertained. "Don't let him catch you," he called out in encouragement to the taisho sanke, leaning closer. A movement beneath him drew Sai's attention, and he settled back onto the bench again as he studied the pure white ogon that now stood still within his shadow.
The ogon shifted a little, as if looking for something, and Sai looked too, scanning the waters. Was there something in the water near the bench that drew fish? He couldn't see anything, though. Then White moved away.
Sai watched as White skirted the borders of the pond. It approached a kohaku, smaller than itself, with a long red patch on its tail. White nudged the smaller fish, causing it to swim out towards the center of the pool where it slowly glided along, seemingly content just to be in the waters of the pool.
Red-and-black streaked past the quiet fish, followed closely by Gold, but the quiet fish didn't startle as Sai thought it would have. "So settled, for one so young," Sai said with a smile. He fanned himself gently, hiding a smile. "Or perhaps you are no longer young, but only look it."
White approached the quiet fish again, hovering beside it a moment, blowing a bubble before swimming away slowly. Sai watched as the quiet fish trailed White and they circled the pond slowly, passing the stately tancho. Was it Sai's imagination, or did the tancho seem to nod in approval? It must have been his imagination, Sai thought. After all, why would the other fish need the tancho's approval to swim together? Perhaps he was attributing his own human need for acceptance to the koi.
It would be a point of reflection for himself later tonight, Sai decided, nodding to himself firmly. In the meantime, he noticed that White and the quiet koi had been approached by a bekko, its black spots faded with age, looking more gray than patterned. The bekko had managed to position itself directly in the path of the other two fish. Sai watched as White avoided the bekko, only to double back when the quiet one was cornered. White blew bubbles at the bekko, which didn't seem at all perturbed, and continued to nudge against the quiet kohaku.
With a shake and a sudden movement--a flash of brilliant gold--the kohaku moved past the bekko so quickly Sai blinked, trying to find it again. Then he saw White, blowing more bubbles at the bekko, before turning to swim off in another direction.
Sai instinctively looked ahead of the white ogon to see the small kohaku circling a boulder on the other side of the pond. The sight drew a chuckle as Sai hid his smile behind his fan. "Well-played, little one," he said to no one in particular, filled with admiring delight at the maneuver. "Well-played."
"Who are you speaking to, Fujiwara-dono?"
Sai nearly fell into the pond in surprise. He recovered quickly, though, regaining his balance and turning his head to see two of the court ladies standing at the edge of the garden. "I-- Er, no one," Sai said.
The ladies covered their mouths, but Sai could still hear the soft giggles as they leaned towards each other even as they continued to look at him. He stood, and thankfully remembered at the last moment to mind the hem of his robes as he crossed the path back towards them. "Only replaying a game in my head," he said, smiling at them. "I would play my flute, but His Majesty should not be disturbed unduly by those unworthy sounds so close to his chambers."
"Play for us, Fujiwara-dono," one of them--Akiko-dono (Shura-dono's escort, Sai remembered)--urged, her hand softly tugging at Sai's sleeve. "Come, there are some more of your admirers seeking a game. Fujiwara-dono is a most excellent teacher, kind and patient."
"And easy on the eyes," her companion Megumi-dono said with a quick dart of eyes towards Sai. She smiled.
One had to be polite, even if Megumi-dono sometimes looked like a fish herself. "This humble one has to do his best not to pollute the beauty of the court with his presence," Sai said, smiling back. "Akiko-dono, did Shura-dono send you to ensure I did not lose my way?"
"He did," she said, and smiled at Megumi-dono. "It would seem Fujiwara-dono obviously did not need our concern, though."
"Far from it; you touch me deeply," Sai said, giving her a radiant smile. "I must thank Shura-dono for telling me about this beautiful pond. Before then, however, I shall do my duty and return with you to the courts. I would not be forgiven easily if I monopolized two such beauties." He beamed. "After you, Akiko-dono, Megumi-dono."
He was sorry to leave, but the sun was setting, and twilight was beginning to assert itself. It was difficult to look at fish in the dark of night, even with the aid of moonlight or a lantern. But that was all right. I'll be back tomorrow, he thought to himself with a smile.
In his mind's eye, he could see the tancho nod and swim away.
- end -
Author's note:
Types of koi (known as carp in the Western world):
- Tancho - White with a spot of red on top. Very prized.
- Kohaku - red and white
- Ogon - usually gold or silver
- Taisho Sanke - red, white, black
- Bekko - white with black patterns
by aiwritingfic
Sai strolled down the corridor as quietly as possible. This area was adjacent to the Emperor's chambers, and he did not want to disturb His Majesty unduly, but his steps were light and eager all the same. Ten minutes ago, Shura-dono had chanced upon Sai in the library, moping forlornly as he gazed upon a scroll of exquisitely detailed carp. Shura-dono had harumphed resignedly, and then told Sai there was a koi pond in this part of the palace, and that His Majesty had not forbidden the use of the garden it was in.
It had been very kind of the minister, Sai thought. But ... if only Shura-dono could have been more explicit with his directions! Sai felt slightly vexed. He had arrived at this wing brimming internally with enthusiasm, only to find that there were at least three ways one could interpret Shura-dono's (admittedly vague) instructions. At that time, there had been no other retainers in sight to guide him; none that Sai would approach without a trusted companion, that was.
Sai knew the other courtiers considered him an oddity at the best of times, and blatantly strange at others. He had heard whispered comments that his hair was too long, yet no one approached him to cut it. No one commented on his garments either, though Sai was keenly aware they were different from what everyone else wore. The women of the court enjoyed Sai's company, for Sai was a gentle and patient teacher, and when they tired of black and white stones, sometimes Sai would play his flute. Sai's flute wasn't as good as his go, but it pleased them nonetheless--it was simple and touching, yet did not demand too much from its listeners.
To the men, however, Fujiwara no Sai was too soft and too young for the Emperor's go instructor. Sai had proven himself on the goban time and time again, and still they muttered quietly on the fringes, softly so the Emperor would not hear. It was possible they might find some amusement in Sai's search for a pond that wasn't there.
Then again, Sai thought, Shura-dono had not shown any outward signs of animosity towards him yet, and by all accounts was a fair man who placed more importance in results than in flattery. Perhaps Shura-dono's instructions and intentions were free from malice. After all, this wasn't a part of the palace ministers often visited; they were too busy with the country's affairs for this sort of idle leisure. Sai was sure Shura-dono's directions had merely been influenced with the passage of time; he preferred to believe that was so. He nodded his head firmly to himself. That was it, and Sai would have to rely on himself now, using the general hints Shura-dono had so generously provided.
At an intersection of three corridors, Sai paused, trying to decide. Shura-dono had said the garden with the pond was to the west of His Majesty's chambers. He looked up, noting the directions of the shadows outside. The day was nearing sunset. To the left, then, towards the sun.
He turned, walking quietly, hoping for the sounds of a garden--birds, the rustle of leaves in the wind--or for the scent of autumn grass and dirt, but he could not detect anything. How strange, Sai thought to himself. Could Shura-dono have been mistaken? Despite his misgivings, Sai continued to the end of the corridor, and then turned right. Then he stopped in amazement, greeted with an unexpected sight. "Oh," he said, for words had left him.
Before him was a pond, perhaps the size of the antechamber to his quarters, ringed with small rocks and white sand carefully raked in rippling waves that radiated outward from the pond's edges. There were boulders in the water--sizeable unevenly-shaped natural stones that rose serenely from the water's surface. A large bonsai tree had been planted next to a stone bench perched on a small ledge above the pool. He looked up to see a raised ceiling with a skylight that let in the afternoon sun. "There was a pond after all," he said in wonder, approaching.
Beneath the water's surface, Sai could see colored shapes gliding smoothly. "And fish!" he said, delighted. Looking about for a way to aspire to the bench, he stepped onto the smooth slabs set in the white sand, careful lest his robes disturb the delicate swirled patterns on the sand's surface. The bench was cool to the touch. He leaned a little, gazing down into the clear water.
A large tancho approached, dignified, elegant in alabaster white with a brilliant red patch on its head. It paused before the bench at the edges of Sai's shadow, stayed a moment, and then swam away, slowly patrolling the rest of the pond. Other koi moved out of its way as it advanced serenely through the water.
"You act as if the entire pond was yours," Sai told the stately fish when it neared him again. "How would you welcome another fish into your pond, I wonder?"
The tancho seemed to look at him, considering. For a few moments, Sai looked into the fish's eyes. Then it moved its tail and glided away.
It swam past two other fish, one a taisho sanke whose white was accented by deep reds and black, the other a very unusual black-on-gold ogon. Gold approached Red-and-black, and then blew bubbles at it. The red-and-black fish turned away, only to be chased by the gold. The two fish began to circle, a back-and-forth race from one edge of the pool to the other. Red-and-black smoothly skirted around the boulders and other fish. Gold was more erratic, but faster, managing to catch up each time Red-and-black suddenly veered away, only to have Red-and-black break away again with another quick change of direction.
Sai laughed, entertained. "Don't let him catch you," he called out in encouragement to the taisho sanke, leaning closer. A movement beneath him drew Sai's attention, and he settled back onto the bench again as he studied the pure white ogon that now stood still within his shadow.
The ogon shifted a little, as if looking for something, and Sai looked too, scanning the waters. Was there something in the water near the bench that drew fish? He couldn't see anything, though. Then White moved away.
Sai watched as White skirted the borders of the pond. It approached a kohaku, smaller than itself, with a long red patch on its tail. White nudged the smaller fish, causing it to swim out towards the center of the pool where it slowly glided along, seemingly content just to be in the waters of the pool.
Red-and-black streaked past the quiet fish, followed closely by Gold, but the quiet fish didn't startle as Sai thought it would have. "So settled, for one so young," Sai said with a smile. He fanned himself gently, hiding a smile. "Or perhaps you are no longer young, but only look it."
White approached the quiet fish again, hovering beside it a moment, blowing a bubble before swimming away slowly. Sai watched as the quiet fish trailed White and they circled the pond slowly, passing the stately tancho. Was it Sai's imagination, or did the tancho seem to nod in approval? It must have been his imagination, Sai thought. After all, why would the other fish need the tancho's approval to swim together? Perhaps he was attributing his own human need for acceptance to the koi.
It would be a point of reflection for himself later tonight, Sai decided, nodding to himself firmly. In the meantime, he noticed that White and the quiet koi had been approached by a bekko, its black spots faded with age, looking more gray than patterned. The bekko had managed to position itself directly in the path of the other two fish. Sai watched as White avoided the bekko, only to double back when the quiet one was cornered. White blew bubbles at the bekko, which didn't seem at all perturbed, and continued to nudge against the quiet kohaku.
With a shake and a sudden movement--a flash of brilliant gold--the kohaku moved past the bekko so quickly Sai blinked, trying to find it again. Then he saw White, blowing more bubbles at the bekko, before turning to swim off in another direction.
Sai instinctively looked ahead of the white ogon to see the small kohaku circling a boulder on the other side of the pond. The sight drew a chuckle as Sai hid his smile behind his fan. "Well-played, little one," he said to no one in particular, filled with admiring delight at the maneuver. "Well-played."
"Who are you speaking to, Fujiwara-dono?"
Sai nearly fell into the pond in surprise. He recovered quickly, though, regaining his balance and turning his head to see two of the court ladies standing at the edge of the garden. "I-- Er, no one," Sai said.
The ladies covered their mouths, but Sai could still hear the soft giggles as they leaned towards each other even as they continued to look at him. He stood, and thankfully remembered at the last moment to mind the hem of his robes as he crossed the path back towards them. "Only replaying a game in my head," he said, smiling at them. "I would play my flute, but His Majesty should not be disturbed unduly by those unworthy sounds so close to his chambers."
"Play for us, Fujiwara-dono," one of them--Akiko-dono (Shura-dono's escort, Sai remembered)--urged, her hand softly tugging at Sai's sleeve. "Come, there are some more of your admirers seeking a game. Fujiwara-dono is a most excellent teacher, kind and patient."
"And easy on the eyes," her companion Megumi-dono said with a quick dart of eyes towards Sai. She smiled.
One had to be polite, even if Megumi-dono sometimes looked like a fish herself. "This humble one has to do his best not to pollute the beauty of the court with his presence," Sai said, smiling back. "Akiko-dono, did Shura-dono send you to ensure I did not lose my way?"
"He did," she said, and smiled at Megumi-dono. "It would seem Fujiwara-dono obviously did not need our concern, though."
"Far from it; you touch me deeply," Sai said, giving her a radiant smile. "I must thank Shura-dono for telling me about this beautiful pond. Before then, however, I shall do my duty and return with you to the courts. I would not be forgiven easily if I monopolized two such beauties." He beamed. "After you, Akiko-dono, Megumi-dono."
He was sorry to leave, but the sun was setting, and twilight was beginning to assert itself. It was difficult to look at fish in the dark of night, even with the aid of moonlight or a lantern. But that was all right. I'll be back tomorrow, he thought to himself with a smile.
In his mind's eye, he could see the tancho nod and swim away.
- end -
Author's note:
Types of koi (known as carp in the Western world):
- Tancho - White with a spot of red on top. Very prized.
- Kohaku - red and white
- Ogon - usually gold or silver
- Taisho Sanke - red, white, black
- Bekko - white with black patterns