The day began like any other, the sun rising and the people slowely comming to terms with conciousness so that they may begin their morning activites. The long dirt road wound its way slowely across the countryside, bordered on either side by nothing but the farms that dotted the outskirts of the villiage. In the warm glow of the new sun, a figure trod gently down its path, whose gait held the air of someone who's confidence was evident, but also posibly artificial. He held a faraway glance in saddened eyes, but a pleased half smile on his lips. Much could be said of travelers such as these, and it is a well known fact that that is the very cause of most interesting stories. This, though, is a simple tale.
At around noon-time, the figure had made his way to the villiage, and now stood in the center of town trying to decide which direction to take next. A light breeze swept past him and he looked up, turning in that direction. There befor him stood the villiage leader's home, a large structure with a huge garden surounding the main one storied building. A fish pond was visable from the gate where the traveler stood. He looked up over this building, inhaling gently as his eyes narrowed in concern. A deep forboding clenched his stomach.
Well, he had to do something about it, now didn't he? It seemed like the right thing to do. He knocked on the gate and stood politally at the step untill one of the survants came to answer.
An interesting looking fellow with shallow beady eyes and a shrunken look about him peered out and gave the stranger a once-over. He noted the traveler's tattered black and purple robes and wooden staff with a gold decoration on the top- a shoukaju. So, the man was a priest. "Yes? what do you want?" He said, rather rudely.
The priest switched the hands that his staff rested in, "I
wish to speak to Oyakata-sama [[
"-yes we do. I don't know what milarky you're trying to pull, but we don't need the likes of you meddling in-"
"-oh, let the young man enter, Koura." an old man just off to the left leaning against the wall interupted the young survant's interuption. "What harm could he do?"
Koura sighed and after a moment opened the gate all the way, glaring that the old man all the while.
"I thank you, ji-sama [[
The man laughed, leading him toward the house. "No, we
can't. I'll leave you to you work, houshi." [[
The traveler gazed around the garden behind him and then at the porch befor him and closed his eyes. He then looked off to his right where stood a medium sized cherry tree. Below it was the small fish pond that he had noticed befor. He leaned the shoukaju over his shoulder and walked over to it, leaning over and peering at it's glassy curface. "..." His eyes narrowed and a slight from crossed his face and he exhaled a quick breath in a huff. Looking back at him was nothing but the fish. It cast no reflection. He turned, resting his staff against the tree and removing a small piece of paper from his robes. He then looked up at the tree's floral branches above his head, his scowel planted firmly on his face.
The sunlight hit a small strand of spider's web that glistened
slightly. He scratched his head, not quite understanding what,
exactly, was the situation. Suddenly he felt faint. "H-how
careless..." he thought, slumping over to the tree, "..of
me." Suddenly, he understood. He took the piece of paper and
threw it upward like a dart. There was the cry of an animal and
the priest looked up after it, panting slightly as he drew a vile
from the ressesses of his robes. A dark shape fell with a thud at
his feet as the houshi removed the cork with his teeth and took a
drink from it, regaining his posture and looking down at the
thing that twitched below him. The piece of paper, which happened
to be an ofuda scroll [[
The shining thread of spider-silk vanished.
He then sat down next to the demon's corps and leaned against the tree. "How bothersome," he thought gently and dozed off slightly in the sun undernieth the tree, flower peatles riding just as gently on a light breeze.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The girl's eyes fluttered open slowely, and she sat up. Her mouth was dry and her body stiff. "Just how long was I asleep?" She thought aloud. She then turned toward the door. Slowely, she rose to her feet awkwardly and stumbled towards it. "Oh, this is rediculous!" she huffed, leaning against it's paper curface. She slid it open and wobbled her way down the corridor. "I just need some fresh air."
At the end of the hallway to her left was the door leading to the garden. Yes, the last thing she remembered was the garden. She was sitting near the fish-pond when... she couldn't remember. So she clumsily stepped down off of the porch and started toward the pond when suddenly she noticed that someone had beaten her there.
Leaning beneith the cherry tree with pink flower peadles dotting his raven black hair slept a handsom young man. She slowely aproched him, cautiously. By the looks of his sandles, he had traveled a long way on foot. Looking over his garments she figured that he was a priest and relaxed a little, kneeling next to him. Her hand brushed against something and she turned to look, nearly letting out a startled yell as she wipped her hand away from a demon corps. It was the size of a cat with six hairy insect-like legs and a long, rat-like face with seven round red eyes staring blankly at nothing, a rectangular piece of parchment stuck to it's head with messy writing squareled on it. She nudged it away with a stick.
So he had been here for an exorcism, eh? She gazed at his sleeping form fondly. He seemed like such a nice an already... Suddenly, she felt something on her rear. She looked down sharply to see that his hand was firmly placed there, purposefully. "Pervert! What do you think you're doing??" She slapped his cheak, awakening him with a snort.
"Huh? What? Who are you?" He blinked in confusion.
"Oh, don't you play innocent you lech!" She backed
away several feet without standing up. "You damn bouzu."
[[
The priest looked indignant at this insult. "Houshi desu." He had removed his hand from her and now used it to rub his jaw.
"I'd like to believe that." she said, rolling her eyes.
He had sat up and now leaned over to peer into the fish-pond,
his face rippling on the curface once more as huge, round
goldfish darted past. Problem adverted. He then looked up calmly
at the girl, smiling kindly. "Well, I would like to speak to
that elderly man who led me in here..." he said as he
started to get to his feet, brushing off his kesa [[
He bowed politaly and picked up the creature by it's tail, turning to leave. "Houshi...?" He turned, surprised at the girl's sudden change of tone and raised an eyebrow.
"Yes?"
"Uh- nevermind." she turned up her nose and rose onto shaky legs, running off back toward the house.
He watched her leave, and shook his head. "So pretty... shame about her personality, though." he sighed and headed toward where he would find the old man.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The priest found himself at the doorway in the back, looking in shyly. He cleared his throat. No one seemed to be home. "They must have gone out..." he thought to himself. "Oh good, that makes this easier." He cracked his knuckles and slipped inside, looking around cautiously. He went down the corridor and came to a main room, which was filled with expensive looking pottery, paintings, etc. He rested his staff down, grabing a cloth off of the table and using it as a bag, quickly piling in as much as he could without damaging it.
He worked quickly, and soon found himself at the gate once more, unnoticed. With a quick smile, he bowed to the building and took off down the road as quickly as he could, leaving the beast on their doorstep with a note attatched, explaining his findings. He had worked honestly; (the demon had casted a spell on the pond so that it could feed on the soul of who ever looked in) but even an exorcist needed to eat.
The afternoon soon brought evening, and with that, supper. The priest shook hands with the tradesman he had sold the stollen goods to, and took the bag of coins sullenly. He never was very good at haggling. He soon found himself in a nearby soba bar, and kneeled at the table over his "well-earned" supper. He then sighed and looked at the ceiling, chopsticks pressed to his lips. "I wonder where that girl ran off to-" he pondered.
After stomachs filled and meals paid for for the evening, the traveler set off once again. He had a mission. Nothing would distract him. Nothing would err his judgement, nor strike his path... his train of thought was broken as a beutiful courtess strutted by in her silken komono...
Maybe she needed some assistance first- you never know when demons may strike...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
A week or so later, the priest found himself in the woods. He looked down the road that cut through it and shook his head. The nearest town was far too far to walk. "Guess I'm camping here tonight." He sighed, and walked into the woods and away from the road. After a bit of hiking, he figured he was as far from the mark of man that no theif or other traveling down it deep into the night might come across him.
He looked around his surroundings and nodded, then set himself down against a tree. Weariness overtook him and he soon found himself in a deep sleep.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The woods grew dark and spooky as the girl made her way down
the road. Why was she doing this? Why did she care so much? It
was the princible of the thing. It belonged to her, and she
simply wanted it back. She had gone through all of this trouble
to track him down, and wasn't going to give up simply because she
was afraid of the dark! The shadows cast by the light of the moon
dancing off of the leaves of the forrest flashed across the
female traveler's face. Her eyes as brown as the wood that
surounded her, and her skin as pale as parchment her stobern
frown broke free of whatever "disguise" she may have
been bearing, proving that she was in fact the Hime [[
She sighed, weary from following the theif and turned into the woods, indignant about her being forced to now sleep in the wilderness. Suddenly, she heard a noise. She stopped in her tracks, and turned slowely, looking over her shoulder. A bush behind her rustled, and out of no where, a huge head lunged at her, forcing her to run away in terror. It's shaggy head shook and the boar grunted ferociously chasing after her, protecting it's territory as most males of any species may do.
The Hime lept through the forrest, jumping over bushes and fallen logs, screeming in horror as she bolted blindly deeper. Just then, she tripped on a root and fell face-forward into the dirt. She rolled over to see the glaring yellow eyes of the huge boar...
"S-Stay back! I- I---" She held up her hands to protect her face, but then another shape swished infront of her. Her eyes opened and she looked up at her protector. In the moonlight she saw the vegue shape of... someone... a man with a staff...
The boar grunted again and darted forward. The figure also lunged forward, smacking the beast square between the eyes with his weapon, sliding to a stop on the other side of it. It wobbled ever so slightly, then limped off into the woods.
"Yarre, yarre." He sighed [[
"I'm- I'm... f-" Her eyes rolled back and she passed out cold.
The man looked down at her and shook his head. He then picked her up and carried her to where he had built a small fire.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next morning, the girl awoke with a moan. A pleasent sent of cooking rice came to her nose and she sat up, rubbing her head. Her vision slowely came into focus and her attention was then brought to the figure stirring the bowl above the small fire and she let out a little yell. "YOU!"
The priest looked up from his cooking and smiled at her. "Ah, you're awake. Good, you can have some breakfast. You look as though you haven't eaten in days!" he chuckled.
"What the- where the hell did you come from??" She greedily grabbed the bowl he offered her and didn't wait for chopsticks, but drank from it greedily.
"Uh, well, one day my father and mother decided that it was time to-"
"No, I mean I've been looking for you!" She interupted.
The priest raised an eyebrow. The girl did seem familiar somehow- he was never good with faces though. "Oh?"
"Your the bastard that stole my pendant!" She exclaimed, slamming the bowl down on the ground, nearly cracking it.
"Pendant?" He thought for a moment... yes. Yes, he remembered a pendant being among some of the things he had sold a week or so ago... He then blinked at the girl. "Hime?" Her face was smudged with dirt and she woar a simple navy blue komono with a pink and green sash overtop like an extra skirt-- very not like the daughter of a fairly wealthy villiage leader.
"Ah, you remember me. Now, I thank you for destroying that demon that had taken over my fish pond, but I really would like my pendant back. It- means a great deal to me!"
The priest looked her over. What could he say? He couldn't tell her he had sold it... "You chased after me for days... weeks even, for a simple trinket?" He pretended to not be that interested.
Her face grew red. "A... friend gave it to me..."
He looked at her face, which now had saddened slightly. "..." He then looked away. She was so pretty despite the dirt from traveling. "Hime, what's your name?" He asked, gently without looking at her.
She looked at him blankly, not knowing where this was going. "...Reikin." She said simply.
He nodded. "Does your family know you went after me?"
Reikin looked down at her hands. "... no. Father never would have allowed it. He would have thought that I was just being silly... but... it's just..."
The priest then looked at her in the eye. "My name is Miroku." He said, sitting down next to her.
"Miroku..." She said it softly to herself then looked up at the handsome young priest named Miroku who sat next to her. She then turned to him sharply. "Mirko the priest, Give me back my pendant!" She pointed a hand at him threatingly.
He leaned back against the tree once more, then began to laugh. He stood up and began to leave, waving at her over his shoulder without looking back. "Agree to bare my child, and we'll see what we can do."
"......................what..............................?"
Miroku kept walking.
"...........you want me to what...................??"
This strategy was bound to work. All the others had failed so miserably.
"............That's Blackmail!! What kind of priest are you anyway??"
Miroku sighed. He was used to rejection. "Nevermind." He called.
Reikin quickly grabbed the bowl and used it to scoop up dirt to put the fire out then chase after him. "Wait! Where do you think you're going?? Come back here!"
He then bagan to run, her hot on his heels, bowl waving in the air angrily.
........to be continued....
Well, there you have it. First chapter finaly done! Writer's block it such a pain. =^-^= Well, please please leave me feedback! I want to know what you all thought of the product of many late nights... or early mornings... pick the best. =^-^= also, feel free to check out my website www.geocities.com/nekoyasha42 -- Inuyasha and Fushigi Yuugi galore! I wonder what's going to happen next! =^-^= tune in!
~Neko
