Chapter 1 Humans can’t be lonely!?
He looked about furiously. Trying to hide from everyone’s eyes was always a difficult sight. His friend continued to hound him, “…And so you should come outta yer shell more, Mauro. Is all I’m sayin’. Hey you should really play that new game with us…”But he just ignored it all and blissfully smiled away. Meanwhile in the background, lurked one more experienced in staying out of sight. One Lee who thought, “Look at them all with their friends. Don’t they know friends are just a desire. Friends are bad for everyone involved. I’ll just practice Buddhist teachings and avoid such things. That’s why I’m different then everyone else.” When the courtyard cleared he headed on his way. Meanwhile at Tavuro’s shrine, the god was sleeping away simply since he had nothing better to do. Tavuro stirred awake when he realized he had a visitor. Instinctively he spoke, “Leave now trespasser. This is my territory and…” Tavuro noticed something about his intruder as he spoke. It was a child, looking frantically for the voice he had just heard. Tavuro also felt the child was in need of something, “Well lemme check the To-do-list.” He again read the scroll he had with him. Then quickly put it away. Tavuro pondered on how to meet the child, when he noticed he still had some powers left, but no more than any human like an exorcist or a shaman or some other spiritually proud human. So Tavuro did appear, hovering over the shrine’s offering box in a traditionally Buddhist fashion as he thought fit for this place,” O child of man why are you here? To this old place? With my eyes I have seen that there is something you lack and due to your nowadays uncommon heart, I Tavuro shall grant you a wish. For your patience and strength you may have any of your desires. Financial wealth, growing prosperity, good health, vigilance and diligence. Your call. ” The boy was the same Lee as before. Lee simply looked at the god and spoke,” since when has this shrine had anyone but me?” Lee carried a sharp cold tone and Tavuro noticed, “This place is mine now. You can do whatever you want later just tell me what you wish for already.” Lee sneered, “As a practitioner of Buddhism you should know that this is a Shinto shrine and that you wouldn’t grant me any desires. So this is a test.” He shouted with joy now,” The earth will be my witness to this occasion.” He sat cross-legged and placed one hand flat on the ground while the other he touched his thumb and ring finger together. Tavuro landed on the ground with both feet and intimidation in his steps as he walked towards Lee. Tavuro then commenced to stepping on Lee’s hand. “Ow! My fingers. You’re stepping on them!” ” I don’t give a shit about your fingers, kid. You preach all big about this crap then come up short? That damn hand on the ground shouldn’t be flat, and that other one, aren’t you supposed to hold thumb to index finger or something? I was just gonna grant you a wish, it was real simple. You scuttlebutt!” He then kicked Lee down. Lee managed to land on his butt. He looked up and really took this stranger in for the first time. Boots without buckles it seemed, slacks, and a pull over shirt maybe with buttons on it, without sleeves. Not to mention the long hair that seemed to change as the wind moved around it. That hair was exceptionally long without hiding its owner’s face, and in the back it was pulled back in a single, straight braid. The black and red ribbon was the strangest part as it tied the hair and overlapped itself as though defying gravity, yet not before falling down the length of the hair wrapping itself once more. “Did you think you would come here today and find no one? To disrespect me so, you must of thought I was a human; there must be some weapon you have that works well or gives you an edge against humans. But your shitty brain never even forged the thought that I may not have been human, did it? What weapon do you have for a god!?” Lee was a gape in awe. Maybe this was the real deal after all. The god then spoke again, “I am Tavuro! A plebian god! The one to choose his own path and at his leisure. Who the hell are you!? You are nothing more than a lowly glory hound; talking about fortitude then calling for such attention. You will know why man once feared the gods and showed them reverence. Now what is your wish? It’s kinda what I gotta do.” Lee was still frozen after realizing what was going on. He moved to speak but before he could he heard someone call out, “Hey Lee! You here?” Lee’s eyes shot back to see Mauro casually walking up the stairs to the shrine. Lee sighed with relief,” Mauro? Shouldn’t you be off playing some game with your friends?” Lee twitched with a nearly unnoticeable smile. Before Mauro could answer Tavuro spoke up,” What more followers already? Good job Lee. That aside; hey newbie, don’t interrupt a god.” But Mauro didn’t seem to care about the malicious glare, “Sorry ‘bout that. Anyway, Lee, that game sucks. I don’t recommend it. Besides, I can’t just let my roommate run off anywhere.” Lee and Tavuro were silent for a bit. Tavuro soon regained his composure though,” Hey. Don’t you think it’s strange for a god to be right here, in front of you? Don’t tell me you people forgot what that means.” Mauro said, “At first I thought it might be a dream, hoax, or a real god. This isn’t a dream, it’s a farce of a hoax, so you must indeed be a god. Or something.” Tavuro smiled approvingly, “Mauro was it? How well do you know this Lee? I may just turn both of you into disciples.” Mauro replied, “Since middle school.” Lee was beginning to become irritated by these babbling idiots, “Geez you moron! We aren’t roomies anymore. Just move on and stop acting like you have to take care of me.” Mauro snickered, “Well someone has to keep an eye on you. You never bother to make any friends and you spend all your time alone. I know how much that bothers you.” Lee was becoming much more impatient with Mauro now, “Shut up dammit! What do you know! You couldn’t possibly know anything about me!” Tavuro laughed in amazement at the spectacle before him, “Humans not needing friends, huh. Even some gods require strong bonds, but isolation also exists as a means for certain gods. For a human to say he needs no one is mere posturing. One human cannot survive without another. What you want is none of my concern, however I can’t allow for a human to not grow and realize their own potential.” Lee and Mauro both looked quite confused at this god, who has proven himself to be quite the jerkass, with no intention of returning to his old position or following his own orders. The same god who just offered help without any provocation or payment. Tavuro smile wryly, “You will be my disciples, I will teach you, and I shall grant Lee’s wish; albeit I will also make sure he gets some friends. Now, where do you two live?” Lee became short of breath, “Wh-wh-what do you mean? Hey Mauro, what’s he talking about?” Mauro just shrugged. Tavuro sighed and explained, “We will need to stay in contact as much as possible. You humans have become an interest to me. So, I will study you and try to understand what makes you so damn entertaining.” Mauro nodded, “Sure, but we both live in the same dorm. Oh, and then there’s school. We have to go.” Lee looked at Mauro with a bewildered look.
Chapter 1 Humans can’t be lonely!?
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