Spider Lilies

HeartsXShadow

Rating: T

Warnings: If you don't like this pairing, I'd advise you against reading it. AU

Summary: She would go there to pick the flowers, even when they weren't in bloom.

Pairing: Kikyou/Bankotsu

She walked down the worn path, doing her best to avoid the icy puddles that formed over the ground. She carefully took in her surroundings, appreciating the ironic beauty of the leafless trees. The bare barks were immune to the cold just as she was; it was only fitting that she spent her time here with the unforgiving elements instead of the warm embrace of her grieving relatives. Dead. The single word seemed to describe everything around her: the trees that surrounded her, the few animals that couldn't find shelter in time for winter, and her parents. She stopped in her tracks. She hadn't meant to think of them, but once she had, images of her deceased parents flooded her mind.

She dug her porcelain fingers into the nearest tree, preferring her blood to spill than her tears. She watched in stoic silence as her blood spilled onto the pure, white snow, staining it with her sorrow. The raven haired beauty didn't know how much time had gone by as she willed the memories to stop, but when she had finally composed herself, she continued her journey. The chilling winds blew all around the young woman, numbing her to the core. But that didn't matter. As long as it keeps me from thinking…

At last she found what she was looking for: a small clearing in the middle of the woods. She had wonderful memories there, but she supposed it didn't matter anymore. Those died with mom and dad. When she came to the edge of the clearing, she finally couldn't force herself to go on. She dropped on her knees in the thick snow, allowing the cold to seep into her soul. She refused to cry; she was much too strong for that. It's not acceptable for me to show any weaknesses now. I have to be the strong one…She could feel her lower lip quivering as her vision began to blur. If not for me, for Kaede. She closed her eyes and gripped the frozen earth, steadying her breaths.

"Isn't it a little cold to be wearing a thin, white dress?"

Her head snapped to the voice, her eyes narrowing at the person it belonged to. "Bankotsu."

"Kikyou." He bowed slightly, his face just as blank as hers. "Have you just come from a party?" He eyed the knee length dress that hugged her frame. "And if so, why would you walk out in this weather dressed like that?"

"…" Her mouth opened as if about to speak, but she closed it slowly. Instead, she rose from the ground and brushed away the snow that had clung to her knees. "I could ask you the same. Why come all the way out here?" She tilted her head at Bankotsu and placed a finger on her delicate lips. "Of course, it's no one's business but our own…right?"

Bankotsu shrugged in response. "I suppose you're right." He walked past the pale girl to a tree with branches just low enough to climb and sit on without much effort. "But the world would be a lonely place if we always kept to ourselves, wouldn't you agree?"

She laughed bitterly, turning towards the other teen. "Sometimes it's best to be alone."

"Now's not one of those times." She stared up at Bankotsu as he laid across the branch, extending a hand towards the ebony haired woman. "Why not talk about it?"

Kikyou let out a sad, quiet laugh. "I don't have the time." She turned to leave, hesitating only when he called out her name.

"Take my jacket." He threw it to as she twisted to catch it. "You're much too cold." She didn't thank him; instead, she continued to make her way back home. Only when he was out of sight did she pull the large jacket over her shoulders, allowing herself to smile.

Months had passed since the funeral. The snow had melted away to give rise to life: flowers bloomed in a chaotic fury, leaves grew in lush bunches, reviving the dead trees, while animals returned from their long sleep or migrations. It was then that Kikyou took her young sister down the same path to the clearing in the woods. She sat in the now green growth, smiling as her young sister frolicked in the lush undergrowth. Though she had to work late shifts and went to school for long hours, Kikyou still found time to play with her sister. After all, she was working hard to keep Kaede living with her; it would be a waste if she didn't spend any time with her.

Kikyou had settled on the tree with low branches, lying across the tree with her arms hanging off of the side.

"Sister! When do mom's flowers bloom?" Kaede called out from across the meadow.

"Not until late summer, or early fall." Kikyou replied, closing her eyes. It was simply too comfortable to be on the tree. A moment's rest is all I need…And with that, Kikyou found herself drifting into a deep slumber. Kaede looked to her older sister, sighing in relief when she saw that Kikyou was asleep.

"She works too hard…" Kaede sighed softly, but smiled again as she ran about. "At least she can get a little rest." She jumped in shock when a man stumbled into the clearing. She was about to call her sister for help, but the man quickly waved his hands.

"Don't worry, kid. I'm a friend of hers." He jerked his head at the sleeping form.

"Do you expect me to trust you?" Kaede asked incredulously. The man sighed in irritation, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Look, kid. I care about Kikyou too. Can't you help me out?" He asked gruffly.

Kaede really didn't know what to think of the man. If he had wanted to harm her, or even Kikyou for that matter, he would have done so already. Besides, the guy didn't seem to be that bad. She hesitated and looked back at Kikyou. Going against her better judgment, she sat down and patted the ground next to her. The man smiled in relief and walked towards the young girl, plopping down across from her and crossing his legs.

"Well…" She stared out awkwardly. "I guess we should start with names."

"Hmm? Oh, right. I'm Bankotsu." He grinned at the girl. "And you are?"

"Kaede. I'm Kikyou's little sister."

"I see…well, Kaede, do you think you could tell me a few things about Kikyou?"

"I guess so." She picked at the weeds that sprouted from the ground. "What do you want to know?"

"What does she like?"

"Kikyou likes lot'sa things." Kaede beamed up at Bankotsu. "She loves music and drawing, books of all sorts, and some movies."

"What about clothes or flowers? Candies, stuff like that?" Bankotsu asked, staring the napping teen.

"Flowers are her favorite. She loves all kinds of them, especially spider lilies. And yeah, she likes candy and stuff. Especially during that time of the month." Kaede whispered the last part, earning her a laugh from Bankotsu. "She's not much of a fan of clothes, except for this one jacket she bought home the day of...well, never mind

"She likes my jacket, huh?" He grinned momentarily, stopping when he noticed the little girl tearing up. "Hey, what's wrong?" He placed a hand on her shoulder. She only shook her head, keeping her gaze on the ground. "…You said that Kikyou likes flowers, right? How about we pick some for you and her?" Kaede stopped crying, and sniffling, agreed. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she began to pick the many different flowers that bloomed in the meadow.

Bankotsu started his own collection of flowers, keeping an eye out for any spider lilies. "So Kaede, why's Kikyou always so tired?"

"She works really late and studies really hard to support me." Kaede replied softly.

"Ah." It was then that he pieced everything together. He glanced at the bouquet of flowers in his hands, sighing deeply. "Well, I think it's time to go. Thanks, kid." He jogged over to Kikyou's sleeping form and, folding her arms, placed the flowers on her. As he walked out of the clearing, he stopped. "I've got two favors for you."

Kaede turned to Bankotsu . "And they would be?"

"Don't…don't let Kikyou know I was here." He looked again at Kikyou and smiled. "And tell me…when do spider lilies bloom?"

"September…" Kaede answered.

"Thanks, kid." He jogged out of the clearing and into the woods. Kaede stared after him for a few moments, shaking her head and smiling.

"Oh…Kaede?" Kikyou mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. "Are these for me?" She smiled and bought the flowers to her nose. "They're beautiful."

It was blazing hot. Kaede had been sent to their cousins over the summer so that Kikyou could work full time and not worry about her younger sister being left alone in their apartment. It was one of the few days she didn't have to work, and she reveled in it. However, it was too stuffy to remain cooped up in her small apartment, and decided that a picnic would be refreshing. And so she found herself walking a familiar trail. Even though there was an abundance of life, not a single creature stirred. It looks like even nature can't handle this heat. When she finally came to the clearing, she pulled out her umbrella and raised it over her head. She hesitated halfway through when she noticed a figure sitting on the tree with low branches. Recognizing him in an instant, she continued at a slow pace, until she was directly under him.

"Good afternoon, Bankotsu." She owed to the figure and shrugged her backpack off. Sitting on her knees, she took out a large blanket and spread it out in the shade. "Will you be joining me?"

"Isn't it better to be lonely sometimes?" He asked sarcastically.

"This isn't one of those times." She stared out at the flowers and growth as a cooling wind blew past them. "I do understand if you'd rather not be disturbed." She began to take out the food and drinks she had prepared.

"Why'd you bring enough for two?" Bankotsu questioned, dropping from the tree. "Your sister doesn't seem to be here…"

"Whenever I come here…" Kikyou began softly, "I seem to find you here." She turned to look at the other teen. "Wouldn't it be rude to come here with food only for me, knowing you would be here?"

"Knowing?" He asked, blushing slightly. "I've only been here once when you were here…"

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you really complaining?"

He grinned at Kikyou and sat next to her. He noticed that she looked much less exhausted than she had when he had seen her during spring—there wasn't dark rings around her eyes anymore, and her skin had a healthy color to it. Her hair shined where the leaves didn't shade her and her grey eyes seemed to have more emotion in them than he'd ever seen. There was no denying it anymore—she was beautiful, stunning really. Though she could be cold, once you got past that exterior, she was kind and compassionate.

"Back in the winter…" Kikyou began, drawing Bankotsu out of his thoughts, "when you found me…tell me, why were you here?"

"You're not the only one with connections to this place." He laughed, taking a bite of the food she had prepared. "My parents took me here when I was a kid. My dad would play catch with me while mom sat under this tree and watched us." He kept his gaze away from Kikyou's eyes. "Things were great, you know?"

"How did things go so wrong, then?" Kikyou asked quietly. "You say that you come from a loving family…why, then, are you with the Band of Seven?" There was no contempt in her voice; it only held honest curiosity.

"Heh…I'm getting there." He sighed, running a hand through his black hair. "Well, one night…they were murdered. Right in front of my eyes." Kikyou let out a soft gasp, her eyes brimming with tears. "I was a child…and my innocence…was robbed from me. I was weak; I couldn't protect them. The bastard looked into my eyes and smiled. He knew I wasn't going to do anything. He got away with it. He fled, and no one ever caught him.

"Eventually everyone forgot about it—everyone but me. So I trained, I got stronger so I could kill him and get my revenge. I started the Band of Seven in hopes that they would know anything about this guy. One of them did…" He clenched his fists.

"Did you…did you ever get your revenge…?" Kikyou questioned, her tone cold.

"No." Her eyes widened in surprise, causing him to laugh. "The one who knew the guy—Suikotsu—he convinced me against killing him. He bought a sliver of conscious back to me; he reminded me that my parents wouldn't want me going to jail. Besides, killing him wouldn't bring my parents back to life. It was hard to do…but I let the authorities handle it.

"To honor my parents, I began to visit this place again. To let them live in my memories…and that day, that cold winter day… I saw drops of blood on the trail. I didn't think much of it, and continued to walk to the clearing. And that's when I saw you. Of course I've seen you around before, in school and stuff…but you looked so broken."

"You were worried about me?"

"Of course. I knew that you experienced some kind of loss…but I didn't imagine-"

"That I had lost my parents, too?" Kikyou finished, smiling grimly. "Yes, they died in a car crash. I had just come from their funeral…I cut my hand on a tree on my way out here. I suppose I couldn't take the cold anymore and collapsed at the base of this tree. And you know the rest." She picked up her water and took a drink, savoring the refreshing taste. "May I ask you something, Bankotsu?"

"Sure, anything."

"What am I to you?" Bankotsu spat out his drink, coughing.

"Wh-what?" He wiped the corner of his mouth. She stared at Bankotsu, tilting her head, causing her hair to spill over her shoulders.

"What am I to you?" She repeated.

"Why would you ask that?"

"I suppose I was curious is all." She took a strand of her dark hair in her hands, twirling it around in her fingers. "Why else would you want to know what I liked?"

"She told you." He turned away from Kikyou, embarrassed.

"She also told you that my favorite article of clothing was your jacket, right?" Kikyou smiled at Bankotsu. "We're even."

It was midnight. They had been going out for two months now; the heat of summer was finally starting to die down and was beginning blend with the cool, crisp air of autumn. He was leading Kikyou down the earthy trail with so much excitement that she had to jog to keep up. But she didn't mind as a bead of sweat trailed down her pink face, or that her feet hurt from running in heels. At last they made it to the end of the trail. He turned to face her, a wolfish grin in place.

"You gotta close your eyes now." She stared up at him, a mischievous grin of her own in place.

"Do you expect me to trust you?" She asked coyly, but complied. Taking her by the hands, he led her into the field. Though Kikyou stumbled in her heels, Bankotsu kept her from falling. "What are we doing?" She laughed, pausing to kick off her heels.

"Be patient." He mock scolded, grinning at the small pout she gave. Once they reached the center, he released her hands.

"You can open them." She opened her eyes slowly and gasped at what she saw: the meadow was in full bloom with red spider lilies. The full moon was directly overhead, bathing everything in silver beams of lights. Bankotsu thought that Kikyou was stunning in the sunlight, but in the moonlight she was something else. Her skin seemed to glow as the light reflected off of her porcelain skin and white dress, the same dress she wore that day all those months ago. A red shawl was wrapped around her shoulders, giving one the impression that she belonged in the clearing—she complimented it so well, it took his breath away.

She turned to him, her face filled with wonder. "How did you know that I loved spider lilies…?"

"Kaede gave me the idea…" He shuffled on his feet, staring at the beauty in front of him. "But she didn't tell me why they mean so much to you…"

"They were our mother's favorite." Kikyou replied softly, stooping down and bending the stems. He noticed that she didn't pick the flowers, nor did she break the flower's stem all the way. She continued to bend the stems until the area around her was completely broken. "Our mother did this with us all the time…it's rather cruel, and maybe a waste…but it reminds me of her."

"It's kind of pretty…" He smiled at her, picking a single lily from the ground. "But they're not beautiful like you." Bankotsu tucked the flower in her hair, brushing the long strands behind her ears. She laughed and pushed his hands away, finally meeting his gaze.

"That was probably the worst line I've ever heard."

Bankotsu rolled his eyes, taking her hands in his once more. "But I was thinking, Kikyou…this place, it doesn't need to be filled with sad memories. We can create our own traditions, our own memories together. A place where-"

"Who says the clearing is filled with sad memories?" Kikyou asked quietly, staring up at Bankotsu. "Yes, it reminds me of my parents, and you yours…but I only have great memories here. This is where you and I spent our most precious moments with our family, where you and I first met, where you and I had our first date…" She slowly leaned up on her tip-toes, pressing her body against his and only stopping when her lips were a few inches from his. "It's also where we had our first kiss."

"But we didn't kiss yet…" He closed his eyes and leaned down, bringing their lips closer together.

"Care to do anything about that…?" Kikyou asked, closing her own eyes.

Finally, under the silver moonbeams, his mouth met her soft, delicate lips—and in that moment they knew that even in the wake of tragedy, love could bloom like the crimson spider lilies that surrounded them.

A little cheesy ending, I know, but I couldn't resist! I hope you all liked it.