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jamjar wished for Samurai Champloo crossed over with Saiyuki, theme: tea and sympathy. It began as a drabble but turned into 950 words - would that be a nonadrabble and half, then?
Title: The White Dragon Tea House
Rating: G
Notes: This only has one Saiyuki character in it, but I thought I was doing well getting these two worlds together at all. There is tea (implied) and sympathy (explicit).
The White Dragon Tea House
The owner of the White Dragon Tea House (pets welcome) was rather odd. Jin sipped his tea and kept his eyes trained on him as if watching a dangerous animal.
'A journey westwards, the three of you? What a classic scenario. Additionally, so wonderfully exciting.' He sighed. 'Wait. Is it, though? Or is it bad?'
'Terrible!' Fuu cried
'Quite bad,' said Jin.
'Fucking awful,' said Mugen.
The owner smiled at that. It was the first really honest smile Jin had seen from him. Mugen smiled back, looking foolishly pleased with himself.
'Yes. I remember...' and here the man drifted off.
He did that a lot. Jin found his fingers tapping on the dark wooden table top as they sat and waited for him to come back to them.
'Er. Mister,' said Fuu, waving her hand in his eyes, 'we're looking for someone, actually. Have you seen him?' She leant foward. 'He's a samurai and he smells like sunflowers.'
'Sun-flowers?' He made round, surprised eyes.
'You know. Big, yellow. Like the sun,' Fuu said.
'Oh. No.' The owner looked away as if caught again by a memory. His eyes were misty and little lines gathered in their corners when he frowned. 'No,' he said, as if speaking from a dream. 'I know of no one who is like the sun.' His voice was a breath of sadness.
'Not the sun. Sun-flowers.'
'Or those,' and it was clear he was back with them, his eyes needle-sharp again and his smile raw and cutting. It made Jin uneasy. He was reminded of his fellow students at the school, when a blade stopped at their neck and the knowledge that they were about to die filled their eyes.
The man's dark hair fell around his shoulders like a waterfall. 'Forgive me,' and he pushed more food at them on plates of blue and white porcelain. 'I must seem strange.'
No one said anything.
'It gets a little lonely, up here.'
The little inn was high up in the mountains and from the front door there was nothing to see but dense, dark green woods and pale, cool sky that stretched all around and caught the mists of early morning.
Fuu put her hand on his and patted it. Her skin looked dark next to his. 'You're all alone? Isn't there anyone else here with you? Looks like you don't get many customers, either,' Fuu said. 'But your food's delicious, I must say!'
'There were others,' he looked off again, 'once. I think. I read a lot,' he added, with a gesture at his books, as if that explained something.
The room was cluttered with scrolls of all sizes. The tables that should have been laid with cups and bowls instead carried piles of leather-bound volumes. They were stamped with gold in foreign letters.
'No kidding,' Mugen said. He toed a pile of books that stood near the table. It shivered and then parchment and leather hissed together in a tumbling stream. 'Oops.'
'Be careful, Mugen. They're precious,' Jin said, softly.
'No, no matter. It was an accident,' he said, then turned on Jin a beautiful wide smile. 'But they are precious.'
It lit a flare of warmth in his stomach and he sat up a bit straighter.
Mugen stared at him. 'Didn't know you liked to read.'
'It broadens the mind,' he said, wondering why he sounded so defensive. There was no reason Mugen or Fuu needed to know anything about him or know his interests or his personal tastes. They were just travelling companions.
'But why do you stay here, then?' Fuu was saying. She grabbed his hand tight. 'Come with us. You're very clever and a great cook. We need someone like you.'
Her eyes were shining with the dangerous light Jin recognised as 'lost cause'.
'What? Fuu, wait,' Mugen said.
The owner of the White Dragon Tea House smiled a sad smile like the smoke of autumn leaves.
'No, I can't. There is no place for me, anymore. I know it, as though the sun and the moon were telling me afresh with each passing season. I'll stay. My books are enough.'
'No! What sort of loser talk is that? It's your own choice to stay, not the moon or stars making you, or whatever. So you can choose to leave here too, if you want. You can come with us.'
He sat silent. The three of them waited, hardly breathing.
'Again, no.'
Jin didn’t want to own that he was disappointed, but Fuu was distraught and even Mugen looked uncomfortable.
'I won't leave here. Why should I? Who would I look for?' His brows drew together in a frown. 'Where would I even begin to look?' He sounded like he truly had no answers, but then he smiled again and his voice was no longer vague. 'You need to take care of one another. Remember to-- love. Yes, that's always important. I think. I might have read it somewhere, once or perhaps someone told me. Love each other.'
'Right,' Fuu said and stood up. 'Okay, Mister. Thanks for the food and everything.'
He looked pleased. Three pairs of eyes desperately avoided one another.
'We'd better go,' Jin said.
'Good to meet ya,' said Mugen.
'Likewise,' the man said.
He came outside with them and stood at the top of the path. His kimono was the same colour as the soft new pine needles.
Jin waited until the others moved off. 'It was good,' he said. 'I hope you--' but he couldn't finish; he didn't know what he hoped.
'Don't worry about me,' and the man’s smile was as sweet as a fresh almond. 'I'm never alone for very long.'
jamjar wished for Samurai Champloo crossed over with Saiyuki, theme: tea and sympathy. It began as a drabble but turned into 950 words - would that be a nonadrabble and half, then?Title: The White Dragon Tea House
Rating: G
Notes: This only has one Saiyuki character in it, but I thought I was doing well getting these two worlds together at all. There is tea (implied) and sympathy (explicit).
The White Dragon Tea House
The owner of the White Dragon Tea House (pets welcome) was rather odd. Jin sipped his tea and kept his eyes trained on him as if watching a dangerous animal.
'A journey westwards, the three of you? What a classic scenario. Additionally, so wonderfully exciting.' He sighed. 'Wait. Is it, though? Or is it bad?'
'Terrible!' Fuu cried
'Quite bad,' said Jin.
'Fucking awful,' said Mugen.
The owner smiled at that. It was the first really honest smile Jin had seen from him. Mugen smiled back, looking foolishly pleased with himself.
'Yes. I remember...' and here the man drifted off.
He did that a lot. Jin found his fingers tapping on the dark wooden table top as they sat and waited for him to come back to them.
'Er. Mister,' said Fuu, waving her hand in his eyes, 'we're looking for someone, actually. Have you seen him?' She leant foward. 'He's a samurai and he smells like sunflowers.'
'Sun-flowers?' He made round, surprised eyes.
'You know. Big, yellow. Like the sun,' Fuu said.
'Oh. No.' The owner looked away as if caught again by a memory. His eyes were misty and little lines gathered in their corners when he frowned. 'No,' he said, as if speaking from a dream. 'I know of no one who is like the sun.' His voice was a breath of sadness.
'Not the sun. Sun-flowers.'
'Or those,' and it was clear he was back with them, his eyes needle-sharp again and his smile raw and cutting. It made Jin uneasy. He was reminded of his fellow students at the school, when a blade stopped at their neck and the knowledge that they were about to die filled their eyes.
The man's dark hair fell around his shoulders like a waterfall. 'Forgive me,' and he pushed more food at them on plates of blue and white porcelain. 'I must seem strange.'
No one said anything.
'It gets a little lonely, up here.'
The little inn was high up in the mountains and from the front door there was nothing to see but dense, dark green woods and pale, cool sky that stretched all around and caught the mists of early morning.
Fuu put her hand on his and patted it. Her skin looked dark next to his. 'You're all alone? Isn't there anyone else here with you? Looks like you don't get many customers, either,' Fuu said. 'But your food's delicious, I must say!'
'There were others,' he looked off again, 'once. I think. I read a lot,' he added, with a gesture at his books, as if that explained something.
The room was cluttered with scrolls of all sizes. The tables that should have been laid with cups and bowls instead carried piles of leather-bound volumes. They were stamped with gold in foreign letters.
'No kidding,' Mugen said. He toed a pile of books that stood near the table. It shivered and then parchment and leather hissed together in a tumbling stream. 'Oops.'
'Be careful, Mugen. They're precious,' Jin said, softly.
'No, no matter. It was an accident,' he said, then turned on Jin a beautiful wide smile. 'But they are precious.'
It lit a flare of warmth in his stomach and he sat up a bit straighter.
Mugen stared at him. 'Didn't know you liked to read.'
'It broadens the mind,' he said, wondering why he sounded so defensive. There was no reason Mugen or Fuu needed to know anything about him or know his interests or his personal tastes. They were just travelling companions.
'But why do you stay here, then?' Fuu was saying. She grabbed his hand tight. 'Come with us. You're very clever and a great cook. We need someone like you.'
Her eyes were shining with the dangerous light Jin recognised as 'lost cause'.
'What? Fuu, wait,' Mugen said.
The owner of the White Dragon Tea House smiled a sad smile like the smoke of autumn leaves.
'No, I can't. There is no place for me, anymore. I know it, as though the sun and the moon were telling me afresh with each passing season. I'll stay. My books are enough.'
'No! What sort of loser talk is that? It's your own choice to stay, not the moon or stars making you, or whatever. So you can choose to leave here too, if you want. You can come with us.'
He sat silent. The three of them waited, hardly breathing.
'Again, no.'
Jin didn’t want to own that he was disappointed, but Fuu was distraught and even Mugen looked uncomfortable.
'I won't leave here. Why should I? Who would I look for?' His brows drew together in a frown. 'Where would I even begin to look?' He sounded like he truly had no answers, but then he smiled again and his voice was no longer vague. 'You need to take care of one another. Remember to-- love. Yes, that's always important. I think. I might have read it somewhere, once or perhaps someone told me. Love each other.'
'Right,' Fuu said and stood up. 'Okay, Mister. Thanks for the food and everything.'
He looked pleased. Three pairs of eyes desperately avoided one another.
'We'd better go,' Jin said.
'Good to meet ya,' said Mugen.
'Likewise,' the man said.
He came outside with them and stood at the top of the path. His kimono was the same colour as the soft new pine needles.
Jin waited until the others moved off. 'It was good,' he said. 'I hope you--' but he couldn't finish; he didn't know what he hoped.
'Don't worry about me,' and the man’s smile was as sweet as a fresh almond. 'I'm never alone for very long.'
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Date: 2005-05-16 03:35 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2005-05-16 06:12 pm (UTC)Just started Champloo, but it certainly fits with what I've seen so far.
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Date: 2005-05-17 01:55 pm (UTC)My own feeling is I haven't quite 'got' three of them beyond a certain level. Jin and Mugen are especially hard to figure out because it's not clear exactly why they're there.
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Date: 2005-05-17 01:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 02:22 pm (UTC)That's exactly what he would say, too. I love Jin. He tried to be all icy cool and mostly is, except when he gets all sweet and clumsy.
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Date: 2005-05-17 02:30 pm (UTC)OMG those glasses so hotand the thought of him all sweet and clumsy is delightful.no subject
Date: 2005-05-17 03:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-11-18 09:39 pm (UTC)And heh, for a second my heart stopped in fear that someone had already gotten to my "two groups headed westward cross paths at an inn" crossover idea, but this isn't it. *whew* It's lovely--very sad and bittersweet.
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Date: 2005-05-16 09:03 pm (UTC)'Terrible!' Fuu cried
'Quite bad,' said Jin.
'Fucking awful,' said Mugen.
Thank you.
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Date: 2008-06-30 12:02 pm (UTC)This is very much Hakkai though, it works so very well.
(I know it's an old fic but it just... said something to me and I wanted to tell you how much I liked it.)
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Date: 2008-06-30 12:34 pm (UTC)It's a good point, that line could apply to Goku too. I do wonder what will happen to him in the long term, if he is indeed immortal. Would he find them all again? I kind of feel bad for him.