This fic was started as a dare by a friend of
mine. He challenged me that I couldn't write a
fic were the main characters didn't die horribly
or get tortured. ^_^ The subject matter is due
to the fact that I was born in Japan, and all the
fairy tales I grew up knowing were the Japanese
ones. My mother was telling me stories about the
rabbit in the moon long before I knew who Sleeping
Beauty was! Anyway, on with the story.
White Wishes
written by Kat Aubuchon
edited by Windlily
Shiori shook out the wet shirt she was
holding with a loud snap that echoed off the low
hanging fog in the yard. Once satisfied that all
the folds were out of the pristine white garment
she hung it on the line to dry. She looked down
the clothes line at her early morning work and
smiled with satisfaction. All the bed sheets and
Shuuichi's white school shirts had been washed and
hung along with her own aprons. It had taken her
all morning after she had fixed Shuuichi's
breakfast and sent him on his way to school, but
now that it was finished she could sit back and
enjoy the morning.
Shiori smiled when she thought of the wonder
that was her son. He had been her only comfort
when his father died and was the one thing in this
world that was truly hers. He tried so hard to
please her all the time. The funniest thing was
that all he had to do was wake in the morning and
call her Mother in that soft voice of his and she
would be happy. Even at this very moment he was
at the school working on a project so that he
would get the highest grade in the class.
Shuuichi was a model student, his homework was
always done ahead of time. He also made sure his
red hair was always cut to the perfect length
above his collar, and she made sure his uniform
was always clean and pressed. Still, Shiori would
have rather him stay home with her in the
mornings, instead of going to school early.
Sometimes Shiori wished that Shuuichi wasn't
so serious all the time. She had never heard him
talk about having any close friends at school and
no children ever came or called looking for him.
She hoped that now that he had started high school
that he would find some friends, or maybe a girl
friend. Sometimes he worried her with his quiet
ways.
It was still early and the sun was just
barely making its way over the roof tops. Soon
its light would find its way into her yard and
dispel the dream like fog that was settled around
her feet like a cool blanket. Shiori always loved
to watch the earthbound clouds shrink back from
the light. The mist would try and hide in the
shadows, but the warmth of the sun always found it
and sent home to where dreams slept.
Shiori closed her eyes and listened to the
silence around her, trying to hear the fog slip
over the grass and the rocks. When she was
younger she had sat in the woods and tried to hear
the trees whisper or the streams sing, but she
never could. She strained her ears until she
could hear the beating of her own heart, but she
still couldn't hear the fog.
"Why do humans always wish for things they
can not have, or hope to do things that are beyond
their ability?" a smooth, green voice whispered
across Shiori's ear.
Shiori's eyes slowly crept open at the
familiar tinkle of that soft voice. The mists
that had once been just a thin cover over the dew
damp grass was now a think carpet of wet, rolling
waves. Shiori could no longer see the clothes
line that had only been a few feet in front of
her. She looked all around, but all she could see
was the heavy whiteness that seemed to have
swallowed her whole.
"Byakko-sama?" Shiori asked.
Her question was answered with a delicate
laugher that reminded Shiori of the sea shell wind
chime she had hanging at the front door. The fog
swirled and gathered together in front of Shiori
as tall, sweet smelling trees came in to the edges
of her vision. She marveled at the large, waxy,
blue-green leaves and the delicate pink flowers
that swayed slightly and hung upside down on their
long stems. Shiori knew now that she was no
longer in her own backyard.
A sudden strong wind began to push the mists
away from the figure that was within. The air
carried the sweet almond scent of the trees with
it as it pulled at the white fog, but like cotton
pulled across rough wood, the mist clung on the
person within leaving trendals to wisp in the
wind.
This was only the third time she had seen the
figure in front of her, but no one could forget
someone like Byakko-sama. The first time had
been when Shiori was only six, the second was the
year before Shuuichi had been born. Shiori felt
her knees become weak and then collapse beneath
her. In the other two encounters this beautiful
youko had never been this close to her. Shiori
placed her head on the ground in homage to the
spirit before her.
"Byakko-sama," Shiori repeated, from her
bowed position.
Shiori stiffened in fright when she felt the
silk of the bellowing white robes the youko wore
touch the top of her head. Suddenly a hand passed
through the long hair that curtained her face and
velvet soft fingers grasped her chin. Shiori let
the gentle hand pull her head up and was surprised
to find the youko kneeling before her on the
ground.
The youko was dressed in soft white silk
robes that had stalks of rice embroidered in
emerald green silk on the hem and sleeves. Shiori
hesitantly looked into the face of the fox spirit
and was held captive by the gold brilliance of her
eyes.
Shiori had been too young the first time she
had seen this youko to realize how truly
magnificent she was, and the second time was so
brief that she had thought that she had been
dreaming. She had almost forgotten how wild and
beautiful this youko looked with her snow white
hair and fur and her crystal clear topaz eyes.
Soft bangs hung into the youko's eyes, half
shading them from her sight. On each side of the
spirit's face were long locks that fell to the
tops of her breasts and ended with a clutch of
tiny gold bells that could barely be heard even
though she was this close. The rest of the
youko's hair was held together with ribbons that
were the same golden topaz as her eyes.
"Why do you insist on calling me
'Byakko-sama'?" the youko asked as she used her
other taloned hand to push Shiori's hair behind
her ear.
"If you wish to call me by a name I guess
'Byakko' is as good as any. My true name would be
too much for you to say, anyway," she sighed as
she rocked back on her heels, away from Shiori.
"But please leave the 'sama' off. We are old
friends after all," Byakko said with a smile.
Shiori still sat there gapping at Byakko with
awe and wonder. The youko gave a delicate little
snort and took both of Shiori's hands in her own.
Byakko lifted the human's hands to her face and
ran them over her cheek and neck.
"I am flesh and blood, just like you are. I
have a heart that beats in my breast just as you
do," Byakko told her as she pressed Shiori's hand
tighter to the base of her throat.
Shiori could felt a strong pulse under
Byakko's pale, creamy skin in a rhythm that was
differently not human, but real all the same.
Slowly Shiori's fright chilled hands warmed
against Byakko's skin, and she gave a weak smile
to the youko.
"I'm sorry, Byakko-sa..." Shiori stopped when
she saw the slight narrowing of Byakko's eyes,
"Byakko," she corrected.
"Sorry for what? Me scaring you to death,"
Byakko asked with a grin and a twitch of her white
furry ear.
Shiori couldn't help and smile at the pure
mischief that was behind that gentle grin. She
gave a sigh of relief and pulled her hands from
the youko's grip. Byakko gave her a nod of
approval and offered her hand as she stood.
Shiori looked at the offered hand and the sharp
talons that could surly rip her skin open as
easily as any knife and placed her own in it.
"Why have you brought me here, Byakko? I
thought that I would never see you again after my
wish was made," Shiori asked as she stood beside
the taller woman.
Shiori became slightly alarmed when Byakko
looked away, avoiding her eyes. Before she had a
chance to ask the youko what was wrong, Byakko
swept her hand towards the trees in front of them.
To Shiori's astonishment they parted to reveal a
smooth lake beyond.
"I have brought you here to tell you about
the son that I gave you. The one that you call
Shuuichi," Byakko said without looking at her as
she guided them to the crystal blue lake.
Shiori followed close behind Byakko with her
heart in her throat. She was terrified of what
the youko had to say. The gravness in Byakko's
voice scared her. Was Shuuichi sick? Was there
something wrong with him that she didn't know
about?
Byakko stopped at the edge of the lake and
sat on one of the thigh high boulders that were
scattered along the shore. The rock was close
enough to the lake that her long robe floated on
its surface when she sat down. Shiori came to
Byakko's side and looked at the youko's image on
the mirror like surface of the water. Shiori was
surprised to find that she didn't see the tall,
slender woman reflected back at her, but the
figure of a white fox with it's many tails wrapped
around it's feet.
=========
end part one
mine. He challenged me that I couldn't write a
fic were the main characters didn't die horribly
or get tortured. ^_^ The subject matter is due
to the fact that I was born in Japan, and all the
fairy tales I grew up knowing were the Japanese
ones. My mother was telling me stories about the
rabbit in the moon long before I knew who Sleeping
Beauty was! Anyway, on with the story.
White Wishes
written by Kat Aubuchon
edited by Windlily
Shiori shook out the wet shirt she was
holding with a loud snap that echoed off the low
hanging fog in the yard. Once satisfied that all
the folds were out of the pristine white garment
she hung it on the line to dry. She looked down
the clothes line at her early morning work and
smiled with satisfaction. All the bed sheets and
Shuuichi's white school shirts had been washed and
hung along with her own aprons. It had taken her
all morning after she had fixed Shuuichi's
breakfast and sent him on his way to school, but
now that it was finished she could sit back and
enjoy the morning.
Shiori smiled when she thought of the wonder
that was her son. He had been her only comfort
when his father died and was the one thing in this
world that was truly hers. He tried so hard to
please her all the time. The funniest thing was
that all he had to do was wake in the morning and
call her Mother in that soft voice of his and she
would be happy. Even at this very moment he was
at the school working on a project so that he
would get the highest grade in the class.
Shuuichi was a model student, his homework was
always done ahead of time. He also made sure his
red hair was always cut to the perfect length
above his collar, and she made sure his uniform
was always clean and pressed. Still, Shiori would
have rather him stay home with her in the
mornings, instead of going to school early.
Sometimes Shiori wished that Shuuichi wasn't
so serious all the time. She had never heard him
talk about having any close friends at school and
no children ever came or called looking for him.
She hoped that now that he had started high school
that he would find some friends, or maybe a girl
friend. Sometimes he worried her with his quiet
ways.
It was still early and the sun was just
barely making its way over the roof tops. Soon
its light would find its way into her yard and
dispel the dream like fog that was settled around
her feet like a cool blanket. Shiori always loved
to watch the earthbound clouds shrink back from
the light. The mist would try and hide in the
shadows, but the warmth of the sun always found it
and sent home to where dreams slept.
Shiori closed her eyes and listened to the
silence around her, trying to hear the fog slip
over the grass and the rocks. When she was
younger she had sat in the woods and tried to hear
the trees whisper or the streams sing, but she
never could. She strained her ears until she
could hear the beating of her own heart, but she
still couldn't hear the fog.
"Why do humans always wish for things they
can not have, or hope to do things that are beyond
their ability?" a smooth, green voice whispered
across Shiori's ear.
Shiori's eyes slowly crept open at the
familiar tinkle of that soft voice. The mists
that had once been just a thin cover over the dew
damp grass was now a think carpet of wet, rolling
waves. Shiori could no longer see the clothes
line that had only been a few feet in front of
her. She looked all around, but all she could see
was the heavy whiteness that seemed to have
swallowed her whole.
"Byakko-sama?" Shiori asked.
Her question was answered with a delicate
laugher that reminded Shiori of the sea shell wind
chime she had hanging at the front door. The fog
swirled and gathered together in front of Shiori
as tall, sweet smelling trees came in to the edges
of her vision. She marveled at the large, waxy,
blue-green leaves and the delicate pink flowers
that swayed slightly and hung upside down on their
long stems. Shiori knew now that she was no
longer in her own backyard.
A sudden strong wind began to push the mists
away from the figure that was within. The air
carried the sweet almond scent of the trees with
it as it pulled at the white fog, but like cotton
pulled across rough wood, the mist clung on the
person within leaving trendals to wisp in the
wind.
This was only the third time she had seen the
figure in front of her, but no one could forget
someone like Byakko-sama. The first time had
been when Shiori was only six, the second was the
year before Shuuichi had been born. Shiori felt
her knees become weak and then collapse beneath
her. In the other two encounters this beautiful
youko had never been this close to her. Shiori
placed her head on the ground in homage to the
spirit before her.
"Byakko-sama," Shiori repeated, from her
bowed position.
Shiori stiffened in fright when she felt the
silk of the bellowing white robes the youko wore
touch the top of her head. Suddenly a hand passed
through the long hair that curtained her face and
velvet soft fingers grasped her chin. Shiori let
the gentle hand pull her head up and was surprised
to find the youko kneeling before her on the
ground.
The youko was dressed in soft white silk
robes that had stalks of rice embroidered in
emerald green silk on the hem and sleeves. Shiori
hesitantly looked into the face of the fox spirit
and was held captive by the gold brilliance of her
eyes.
Shiori had been too young the first time she
had seen this youko to realize how truly
magnificent she was, and the second time was so
brief that she had thought that she had been
dreaming. She had almost forgotten how wild and
beautiful this youko looked with her snow white
hair and fur and her crystal clear topaz eyes.
Soft bangs hung into the youko's eyes, half
shading them from her sight. On each side of the
spirit's face were long locks that fell to the
tops of her breasts and ended with a clutch of
tiny gold bells that could barely be heard even
though she was this close. The rest of the
youko's hair was held together with ribbons that
were the same golden topaz as her eyes.
"Why do you insist on calling me
'Byakko-sama'?" the youko asked as she used her
other taloned hand to push Shiori's hair behind
her ear.
"If you wish to call me by a name I guess
'Byakko' is as good as any. My true name would be
too much for you to say, anyway," she sighed as
she rocked back on her heels, away from Shiori.
"But please leave the 'sama' off. We are old
friends after all," Byakko said with a smile.
Shiori still sat there gapping at Byakko with
awe and wonder. The youko gave a delicate little
snort and took both of Shiori's hands in her own.
Byakko lifted the human's hands to her face and
ran them over her cheek and neck.
"I am flesh and blood, just like you are. I
have a heart that beats in my breast just as you
do," Byakko told her as she pressed Shiori's hand
tighter to the base of her throat.
Shiori could felt a strong pulse under
Byakko's pale, creamy skin in a rhythm that was
differently not human, but real all the same.
Slowly Shiori's fright chilled hands warmed
against Byakko's skin, and she gave a weak smile
to the youko.
"I'm sorry, Byakko-sa..." Shiori stopped when
she saw the slight narrowing of Byakko's eyes,
"Byakko," she corrected.
"Sorry for what? Me scaring you to death,"
Byakko asked with a grin and a twitch of her white
furry ear.
Shiori couldn't help and smile at the pure
mischief that was behind that gentle grin. She
gave a sigh of relief and pulled her hands from
the youko's grip. Byakko gave her a nod of
approval and offered her hand as she stood.
Shiori looked at the offered hand and the sharp
talons that could surly rip her skin open as
easily as any knife and placed her own in it.
"Why have you brought me here, Byakko? I
thought that I would never see you again after my
wish was made," Shiori asked as she stood beside
the taller woman.
Shiori became slightly alarmed when Byakko
looked away, avoiding her eyes. Before she had a
chance to ask the youko what was wrong, Byakko
swept her hand towards the trees in front of them.
To Shiori's astonishment they parted to reveal a
smooth lake beyond.
"I have brought you here to tell you about
the son that I gave you. The one that you call
Shuuichi," Byakko said without looking at her as
she guided them to the crystal blue lake.
Shiori followed close behind Byakko with her
heart in her throat. She was terrified of what
the youko had to say. The gravness in Byakko's
voice scared her. Was Shuuichi sick? Was there
something wrong with him that she didn't know
about?
Byakko stopped at the edge of the lake and
sat on one of the thigh high boulders that were
scattered along the shore. The rock was close
enough to the lake that her long robe floated on
its surface when she sat down. Shiori came to
Byakko's side and looked at the youko's image on
the mirror like surface of the water. Shiori was
surprised to find that she didn't see the tall,
slender woman reflected back at her, but the
figure of a white fox with it's many tails wrapped
around it's feet.
=========
end part one