Serenay Moon
Special XX: Little Wish I: The rose and the sword
©2002 Kitty Ocean
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary. How does your garden grow..."
She listened to the high voices of the singing children, but their happiness could not brighten up her heart. A young woman with white hair and aqua coloured eyes looked at them and the surroundings where they played.
Another woman stepped next to her. Her hair was aqua coloured and she had green eyes. "So this is the place you grew up?" Lady Aqua asked her.
Her soul sister nodded. "The monastery was right at this spot." Lady Luna replied.
Her mind floated back to a time long ago. A time she remembered well, as if it was yesterday.
"You should try to focus more Sky." The monk said. "You can't complete this course without it."
Sky nodded politely. "I know it Father and I'm so sorry!" She apologised. "It's just that... each time that I try to focus, I suddenly feel darkness closing in. And then I just need to breathe."
The monk understood it. "My child, this course is essential for this school. I know you are human, but if you want to stay here we can't make an exception."
Sky understood what the monk had mend. She was the only human at this monastery. All the other girls were Hinotenshi, meaning Angels of the Sun. These girls were an elite part from their planet. They were chosen for their remarkable abilities with their mind; to study at Serenay Moon's most famous monastery. Sky had no special abilities, yet she was here too.
"I want to try, honestly." She softly said. "I just..."
The monk nodded. "Maybe you need to try something else first." He suggested. "Kontan Meditation is something that needs to be done with a pure heart; a heart freed from pain and joy. Only then people can find their true powers."
"How can I do that?" Sky asked. "I have no pain hidden in my heart."
"Pain is sometimes forgotten, but still there." The monk stood up. "Find the source of that pain. Answer your own question."
"My own question?" Sky wanted to know when the monk stepped towards the door.
The monk looked back. "How can you resolve your own pain?" He said. "What keeps you bonded to this world?" The monk opened the door. "What is your heart's biggest wish?"
The door closed. Sky looked at the door. "My heart's biggest wish?"
Both the Guardians walked through the ashes. It smelled still fresh, though the fire destroyed the monastery many years ago. Flowers bloomed through the black wood.
"I always wondered..." Lady Aqua started. "What happened at this school."
"Nothing special." Lady Luna lifted a plank with her magical powers and saw a burned book. She took it and read the ancient letters.
"If nothing special happened here, then why do you keep it hidden?" Lady Aqua continued. "When we became guardians, we got to know every detail about everyone. Yet somehow you managed to keep it hidden."
"Kontan Meditation." Lady Luna smiled revealing. "But really, it's not that special."
"I doubt it."
Sky sat in her room on the floor. Even though the stars were high, the window was wide open. The cold wind filled the room, but it didn't bother her. Sky loved the smell of the wind. It filled her lungs with joy.
Her hands were folded as well as her legs. She had untied her 2 ponytails and the wind played with her white hair. Sky's uniform lay on the bed. Nothing should remind her of this place. The rules, the clothes, everything that came from this place were set aside.
12 p.m. The large and dark bell rang midnight. It echoed through the hallway. Every Hinotenshi should be in bed by now. That was the rule. Those who weren't in bed were heavenly punished. But Sky needed time away from this place.
'What is my heart's biggest wish?' Sky asked herself while she sat on the floor. The monk told her to find that out. If she knew the answer, she would have no problem any more with Kontan Meditation- the meditation that shields your soul and mind from other influences. Friend or foe, no one would find out the secrets that lay in your heart. Whoever you are; no one would learn about the true you unless you wanted them to.
'What gives me pain? What gives me joy?' Sky's mind was still in her body, trying to figure out what the monk asked of her. As always, her mind became clear. It looked like the galaxy, with thousands of little stars. She felt no joy with it, nor pain. This was the place she needed to be. If she could only stay that way, to learn the true secret of Kontan Meditation…
Suddenly the stars vanished and Sky's eyes snapped open. She sighed and felt her heartbeat. It went fast, as always. Something there scared her. Until now, she had no word for it, but what she felt was fear!
Sky held her arms around her legs and tried to become calm. "Something keeps me from keeping peace. What is it?" She whispered. "Is it my heart's biggest wish?" She thought about everything that had been her wish once. From her child's memory till now. It was empty.
"I've got to find it out!" Sky sat down with her legs crossed and placed her hands against each other. She noticed her hands were trembling. "No more fear..." Sky whispered. "Not until I know what my heart's biggest wish is."
Her eyes closed slowly and Sky tried to focus. The fear that she would encounter it again kept her from focusing but Sky didn't give up. "Not until I know...." She whispered.
The path was the same as always. From the monastery to the galaxy above; this was an easy path. She had walked it many times. 'What is my heart afraid to tell me?' She thought. 'What secret do I not know about?'.
For a Hinotenshi this would be an easy question, but for a human being it could take a lifetime to find out what really hides in their heart. All humans have a wish in the inside. Most people claim it is something like becoming a doctor, or being a king, but that is a goal, not their true wishes. Those people need to ask themselves why they want to become that. For a doctor it could be to cure people; help those who need help. Each person deserves a right to live.
Sky already knew that this could also be wrong. Hardly anyone finds his or her true wish. Their goal is easily found; their wish most of time hidden. And now Sky was on a quest to find her own hidden wish.
The stars were among her. Sky was ready for whatever would be out there and wasn't afraid nor happy when she saw a black crow. "You don't scare me any more." She said to the crow. She knew it wasn't a crow- it was only a body. This was fear.
The crow cracked a few times and hopped backwards when Sky took a step forward. "Tell me!" She commanded. "Pain keeps me away from a pure heart. What pain?"
The crow scratched again with its dark snappy voice. It spread its wings. A few feathers fell out of them. They covered the ground. Sky knew this sign; it mend past. Her pain came from the past.
"I've dealt with that." Sky replied. "It wasn't my fault it happened and the monks said that too!"
The crow held his head a bit tipped. It was as if it wanted to say: 'Are you sure?'.
Sky bit on her lips. "It wasn't my fault, and it doesn't give me pain any more! Even if I had to relive it, I would have done the same thing!"
The crow flew high and flew over Sky. It left her and Sky was proud. She chased fear away. Now, she would be ready for Kontan Meditation!
Suddenly Sky fell. She didn't know how it happened, but she felt like she was falling. Her body crashed on the ground and she lay still. Rain started pouring out of the grey sky. This was a new place for Sky. Was this the place of her pure heart?
Sky opened her eyes and looked around. The ground was muddy, but the soft rain washed it away without any trouble. Water dripped from her hair. Sky knew this was a sign also. Rain mend that something terrible was about to happen.
Sky started walking until she reached a street. On the other side of the street, it seemed sunny. However, each time Sky did a step forward, the sun backed away one step. 'My mind is one weird place' Sky grinned.
All of a sudden, colours filled the sunny place. The colours formed shapes. It was a nice cafe with red and white umbrellas outside. The white metal chairs got filled with chattering humans. Sky felt something familiar was about this place.
At that moment, Sky spotted a man walking towards a chair. Sky became more silent then ever. Even her heartbeat was unheard. This man, this so ordinary man... her father....
"Not again...." She whispered.
Then a young girl hopped by, followed by a woman. "Daddy!" She heard the young girl cry out when she flew into his arms.
Sky stepped forward, and the street backed out again. She started to run. The street didn't come any closer. Her feet went faster and faster. "Dad, Mom! Look out!" She cried with tears in her eyes.
She heard what a waiter said to another waiter. "They are having problems in the kitchen with the gas. They asked if you could take a look at it."
"Sure!" The other waiter replied and walked inside.
"Mom! Dad! Get away from there!" Sky yelled to the image of her parents. "No!"
A few seconds later, a big explosion came from the café and all vanished. Rain still poured down from the sky and Sky crashed down. Sobbing she lay on the ground.
"Mom... dad...." She cried.
"Why are you crying?"
Sky looked up and saw a young girl. Her white hair was tied in 2 ponytails. It was herself, at the day the explosion happened. "It's my fault!" Sky cried.
"Why is it your fault?" The younger Sky asked.
Sky looked up. "I wanted mom and dad to get back together! I tricked dad into coming to that café! I tricked mom!"
"What did you want?" The younger Sky asked.
"I wanted them to get together."
"Why did you want them to get together?" The younger Sky asked again.
Sky became silent. She had no answer to herself. Why? Why did she want them to get together?
Suddenly the younger Sky vanished. All that was left behind was a small rose. A rose, the sign of peace and love. "I wanted to be with them, in peace." Sky whispered. "Finally, a place without war." She remembered how her father was send to places with war as a military. She always prayed he would come home in one piece. When her parents divorced, she prayed even more. War was horrible, and she took an oath she would never fight against anyone.
Next to the rose, Sky all of a sudden noticed a sword. The sword was a sign of war. The tears were still among her, as well as the rain. "I wanted to protect them. Especially after..." She swallowed. "It was too late then."
"It's never too late." She suddenly heard. But all Sky saw was the black crow from before. "You must choose what path to take."
Sky looked at the rose and the sword. She took the sword. With the sword she was able to protect those she loved.
In her other hand she took the rose. If she chose the red flower, she would never have to fight again. But she also wouldn't be able to protect those she loved.
Her oath, or...
"Choose." The voice whispered and the crow cracked.
"I don't want to fight!" Sky yelled out. "But I want to protect!" She kneeled before the crow. "Tell me," She asked. "How can I be the rose and the sword?"
The crow didn't reply and flew away. "Wait!" Sky tried to run after him, but he was already gone. "I don't know what to choose!"
Sky's mind slowly came back to her body as the tears flowed out of her flesh-eyes. "I want to be the rose and the sword..." She whispered with her eyes closed. "My heart's biggest dream... is that I want to be the rose and the sword...."
When her mind was completely back into her body, Sky opened her eyes and crashed down crying....
Lady Luna lay back the book in the ashes. "We found out what happened to your father." Lady Aqua continued. "We know he got into a coma. He was alive... if you call a life in total darkness a life..."
Lady Luna swallowed. "If I was still human four years later, I would have been able to heal him." She walked away. "I could have wakened him up if I didn't become a Guardian. The night I found my powers, I found my new destiny."
"We all have a story like that." Lady Aqua laid a hand on her shoulder. "But we can't alter time because of our selfish needs. However, we never found out what happened to your mother. What happened?"
"She died." Lady Luna replied short and walked away from the monastery.
A young Sky walked into the garden, followed by a monk. "Agnes, someone came to visit you today."
A woman looked up. "A child...." She whispered seriously. "Do you like bunnies? I do. I have a lot of bunnies. But none of them can talk."
Sky touched her fingers. "Mom...?" She only asked.
"All my bunnies have a mom." Her mother replied. "Do you have a mom?"
The monk took Sky's hand. "It's enough for today Agnes. Why don't you go and feed the bunnies?"
Agnes stood up. "Yes, I'll go and feed the bunnies."
The monk kneeled at Sky. "Don't worry my child. She will have the best care here. She might not be from this world any more, but one day she'll come back. Did they find your aunt?" Sky shook her head. "Well, you can stay here until we find her. Come, I'll show you the Hinotenshi."
The monk and she walked out of the garden. Sky looked backwards when she saw a woman, which once was her mother, feeding the rabbits. This woman wasn't her mother any more... her mother had died....
The end.