Book 1: The Three of Us

Chapter 11: The Sacred Flower of the Temple

I follow the elderly man into the temple and in there is a hearty but modest meal waiting for us at a table. The two people at the man's side help him sit down at the low table before exiting the room.

He waves his hand at me, motioning towards the table, "Come sit and eat. We can talk as we eat."

I sit on the opposite side of the table as the elderly man and look at the food before me. There's a small bowl filled with nuts and seeds, along with a bowl of rice, and some sort of tea I've never seen before. I wait for the man to start eating before I do. The rice is tasty but different than what I'm used to, the grains are larger and probably grow much better in the harsh and unpredictable climate. I take a tentative sip of the tea and to my surprise it's a sweet milk tea, not my favorite but definitely tasty.

I wait in silence for the elderly man to speak first. It's a little while before he does, "You probably have a lot of questions."

Holding the warm cup in my hands, I nod, "I have tons of questions."

"Questions are always a good thing. But lets start with something simple like sharing our names."

"I'm Kisame Hoshigaki."

"Ngawang Pema Sherab Yeshe."

"That's a long name."

The elderly man laughs, "Yes, it is. In my culture we are given another name at each faze of our life. Most just call me Pema, you are welcome to call me that as well."

"I will do that, Pema-san. Now, how exactly did you see my arrival in a dream?"

"At times I have visions while I sleep of things that are yet to happen. They are not always clear and easy to understand. When I saw you in my dream, traveling through the Land of Lightning, I knew you were searching for this place and would be making your way here. I didn't know your name or why you were traveling to this place. However, I knew it was of utmost important. Whoever you are on a journey to save will change both the world and your world forever. Whether this person lives or dies could change the very history that is unfolding around us. Now, tell me, who is it that you are trying to save?"

His words leave an impression on me, something about this journey is way bigger than myself. I look down at the cup in my hands before looking back up at Pema, "I don't know who I'm saving," I admit, "I accepted a mission that was given directly from the Hokage. All I was told was that these ingredients I was collecting would help save the Leaf Villages most valuable shinobi."

Pema looks at me in interest, "I find it strange that you accepted such a mission."

"People do strange things," is my reply to him. In all honesty, I don't totally understand why I took the mission in the first place. I could of easily declined but I didn't. For some unknown reason I accepted. It felt as if something was calling me towards the mission.

"You felt called towards the mission, didn't you? Something about it made you unable to decline," his words are phrased as a question but I know what he's saying is actually a statement, "That feeling right there is Destiny  pulling you on the path you're meant to take. It's the universe telling you that the path you are on is the correct one. Great things are in store for you and the ones involved."

My mind is a tangle of thoughts, desperately trying to wrap itself around the idea. My whole life I felt insignificant, that my small blip of existence would mean nothing. Growing up I lived in an island village that most didn't even know existed. From there I moved to a big village where people didn't even bother to learn my first name. There I became a shinobi that blindly followed orders without any thought of why.

When I found out my sensei was selling village secrets, I killed him. Not long after, my own village betrayed me and accused me of treason and with not choice left, I defected from the village. To the world I was just another bad guy to add to the list. For years I've been nothing but a rank with a bounty. People would flip through the bingo book, read my page, and see nothing more than a monster or a good pay day. And here, this ancient man in front of me was saying my life had a greater purpose. It didn't feel right. There was nothing about me that deserved what ever this great thing was.

"With what you have shared with me, it sounds like you are in search of a special plant that this temple grows."

"Yes, I am in search of the Tsephel Flower."

At the very center of the temple I am brought to a greenhouse that is sunken slightly into the earth. The greenhouse is built in a way to keep the soil in there warmer during the long winter months. Stepping down into the greenhouse, I look at the flower before me. It's petals are white with a light hue of blue on the outside.  The center of the flower is a dark blue, a sharp contrast against the light colored petals.

I stand before it, afraid to touch the delicate flower. It felt as if one touch could kill it. I turn back around and help Pema-san down the steps into the greenhouse. He makes his way over to the flower and beckons me closer. With a hesitant step, I bring myself to stand next to him.

He gives me a smile, "Take the petals. Don't worry about the flower, it will bloom again next year."

I take a vile and tweezers from my pouch and bring them towards the flower. As gently as possible I pluck the petals off with the tweezers and put them in the vile. Not wasting any time, I shut the lid. Only one more ingredient to collect.

***

The people of this small mountain temple village are inspired by Tibetan and Tibetan Buddhist culture. Being a Tibetan Buddhist, it felt right for it to inspire some of my writing. And writing this was an amazing moment to reflect on where my religion comes from, and share even just a small bit of the culture is holds.

It would be greatly appreciated if you'd take a moment to educate yourself on the injustices the people of Tibet have been facing for decades. And all the harmful actions the Chinese government has done to suppress the rights of the Tibetan and Tibetan Buddhist people.