Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of it's original characters. I do howerver, claim my own characters and themes. I would also like to give a shoutout to my editor Erica! couldn't have done it without ya!
Chapter 1: Monotony
Kiyomi watches the rain running down the windows of the car. Her father and mother have a conversation in the front about everyday things, while her mind wanders. She continue to stare at the rain falling against the window; her focus only broken by the voice of her father.
"Kiyomi, you did very well at your recital tonight"
"Yes, very well. We might have a future ballerina on our hands" her mother replied. Kiyomi nods her head and continues to gaze out the window.
" This rain is terrible tonight" her father notes.
"Awful really. Kiyomi, you have your seatbelt on right?" her mother asks turning around to check. As soon as she sees her mother's smiling face, a blinding light engulfs the car. It was soon followed by the sound of screeching tires, crushed metal and broken glass. Hearing the screams of her mother and father…..it all goes black……
Kiyomi wakes up to the sound of her alarm. The noise which would usually be unwelcome to most, is a blessing to her; an interruption to the dreams that plagued her night after night. Sweat runs down her face and neck. She turns to look at the clock, and the time reads 5:30 a.m. She lets out a deep sigh she rises from the bed to get ready for the day. After getting dressed, she walks down the steps and makes her way into the kitchen. She puts on a pot for tea and sees a postcard sent from her younger sisters who are away at University.
Kiyomi,
Hope everything is well with you! We are having a blast at school. Sorry to make this short. Write to you soon.
Love you,
Hideko Etsuko
Kiyomi smiles and turns back to her tea pot, and pours the tea. She takes her tea outside and sits on the bench. She looks at her surroundings. This large shrine she has called home since she was young seems smaller everyday. Taking a deep breath she closes her eyes, and when she opens them she sees the sacred tree; a tree that has stood there for so long. She remembers the previous owner of the shrine, Gramps, telling her and her sisters tall tales surrounding that tree. All the stories of demons, mikos, wild adventures, friendship and love. All the stories started at this tree. The tree of ages, he called it. She closes her eyes once again, taking in the breeze. Her small moment of peace and tranquility was interrupted by a voice calling out to her.
"Kiyomi! Hey, good morning" the man called out.
"Oh hello, Herro. How are you this morning?" she says with a sigh.
"I'm doing quite well" Herro replies, "I'm ready to start my day. This shrine won't take care of itself, I suppose" he says with a chuckle.
She hums with a nod in vague agreeance.
"Heard from your sisters lately?" he asks.
"No, not lately," she says lowering her head. "I'll let you get to work then. I have to leave soon myself. I don't want late for work," She says with a smile and walks back into the house to grab her things.
"Have a good day at work Kiyomi," Herro says as he heads for the shed to get his supplies for the day.
Kiyomi heads off to work keeping a thought in her mind that today will be a good day.
Quite a few hours later she returns home. The sun starts to set as she walks up the long stairway. Orange, red and yellow dance along and graces her skin with warmth. She takes in a deep cleansing breath and continues her climb.A large sigh comes over her, as she surveys her surroundings. "Such an monotonous life" she mutters as she makes her way back to the house.
The next morning, to much relief, her alarm wakes her from another nightmare.. She turns to the alarm; it reads 5:30 a.m. per usual. Kiyomi lets out a large sigh, and starts her day.
"Hey Kiyomi, good morning" Herro calls out to her as she sits sipping her morning tea.
"Good morning Herro" she says in a monotone voice.
"I'll get to work then, have a good day at work Kiyomi" Herro says as he slightly frowns, turning to walk away. Kiyomi nods and walks inside to get her things for work.
Hours later, she returns home and walks up the long stairway with the colorful sunset warming her skin. Reaching the top she realizes something isn't quite right. She surveys the area, but she doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary. She feels something is different, but she can't see anything wrong. She shrugs her shoulders takes in another deep sigh and heads toward the house.
The next morning Kiyomi wakes up to the soothing sound of her alarm. Opening her eyes she lingers in her bed. "It's Saturday" she mumbles. She gets up and continues her morning routine. The morning is a bit chilly so she grabs a jacket to wear while she sips her tea. The uneasy feeling is still there from the night before. She couldn't quite place what it was, but it was stronger then it was last night.
She puts the cup down on the bench and follows an invisible line. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of the old well house. A puzzling look crosses her face. She slowly opens the door and walks down the steps to the dirt covered floor of the well house. The well covering on the floor is the first thing she notices.
"How did this open? " she wonders aloud."Herro must have left it open. Why would he even be in here?"
Then, a small sparkle of light comes from deep within the well. She steps closer to investigate. Peering over the side she can barely see it in the depths of the dark well. Yet, it felt so close she can almost touch it. She reaches out to grab the sparkling item just beyond her reach.
She struggles…
Then…
Her foot slips.
