Through the course of our lives
a song is sung and spun
delicate melodies and harmonies
beautifully intertwined
to create a song that never ends.
Flowers of Forgiveness
"Ayame-Sama!" a man rushed into the main the room of a feudal era Japanese temple.
A girl about 15 years old stood up, she was wearing a miko's outfit and had deep brown hair almost black, her eyes were the color of violets.
"What's wrong?" she questioned alarmed by the panicked look on his face.
"We've just received the news, your Lady Mother is dead!" he said in a rush.
"What! How can this be?" tears formed around her soft gentle eyes.
"I know you and your late father haven't been in contact with her since she ran off with that demon but he to is dead!" he said excitedly "What's more they have a child! A little whelp, a hanyou! They say no youkai will take him in because of his ningen half, but no ningens will take him in because of his youkai-half! They are going to kill him…" he was stopped as the girl stood up.
" Bring me my horse! I ride now!" she said forcefully her eyes flaming in the torchlight.
Her horse was brought and she rode as she was. Mounting she said,
"Which way is were my mother was?".
"West… Miko-Sama you don't mean to go to her deathbed do you?" the man exclaimed.
"No … I have other business there with my half-brother." she called after her as she rode away.
He may be a hanyou… but I'm prepared to take him in, after all he is my brother even if I've never heard of him before!
After riding long and hard she came upon a castle and dismounting went inside. There was all sorts of yelling and shouting it was easy to see the source, a mob and a houshi kicking and beating what seemed to be an animal except with a humans face and body. Immediatley she knew who that was. Pushing her way through the crowd the young Miko made it to the center.
"What is the meaning of this!" her voice cut through the noise like a knife and it became quiet.
"We are excorcising a demon, not that it's any of your concern woman." sneered the Houshi.
"It is after all I am a miko, and that is not a full demon that is a hanyou, I am the late ladies daughter, that is my half-brother. I intend to take him back with me alive." she said icily, her eyes narrowing.
"Your insane the whelp needs to be put down," the houshi said with a smirk "just like a rabid dog!"
"I won't listen to your annoying nasal voice any longer." she stated in a matter of fact way.
Walking right past the houshi and to the poor creature lying on the ground. She kneeled down and gently picked him up cradling him in her arms. He was crying and had been brutally beaten. Walking right back through the crowd the way she came she mounted her horse. She picked up the reigns with one hand and let the other hand curl around the child pulling him close instinctively. Making a soft clucking noise to her horse she gently tapped her heels into it's sides. They set off at a walk, a lazy sort of walk they weren't in a real hurry.
The Houshi's face was turning red very quickly with barely controlled anger. "We are killing it!" he yelled "You are a Miko! Of all people you should know that a hanyou is dangerous and should be exterminated! If it lives then who knows what it'll do to us! It will kill for blood and be untamable like a wild beast!"
"How dare you say that about my Brother you filth!" screamed Ayame. "You ought to be ashamed of yourself he's naught but a child!"
"You mark my words Miko you'll live to regret the day you ever laid eyes on that whelp!" the Houshi shouted at her.
Ayame urged her horse to go faster not wanting to here what that evil man had to say.
"I will never regret it! Do you hear me? NEVER!!" she yelled back at him. With a kick to the flanks of her horse she galloped away not looking back.
"Poor lass she'll regret her involvement with the whelp mark my words." the Houshi muttered as the figure grew smaller and smaller riding into the distance.
10 years later…
"INUYASHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" a girl's cry could be heard all over the town.
The girl doing the yelling was sitting on her knees in a garden looking with dismay at what had been her garden. It was now a bunch of scraps of flowers and dirt.
The boy in question was currently hiding in a large oak tree, ears twitching grinning at the girl's obvious distress. His ears twitched as he suppressed laughter that was threatening to explode. It was all to perfect, he knew this would get the town's people mad, her too. Shaking hard with laughter he fell out of the tree, and he fell hard.
"There you are, InuYasha why did you destroy my flowers? She asked softly eyes starting to water.
Shoot he hadn't meant for her to start to cry. He'd known all the time she had put into it, but the town's people never left him alone. It was so frustrating they were always picking on him and his Onee-Sama, yet when they were sick or needed help they always came to her for help. She always forgave them, his kind gentle sister didn't deserve this and it was all his fault. They mocked her for taking him in a hanyou born out of wedlock not even a full brother. No matter what he did or what they did she always forgave them.
"Gomen Ayame Onee-Sama." he whispered softly eyes cast down to look at his feet, he was ashamed of himself.
"It's OK InuYasha I'll start a new garden maybe you could help me clean up a little so I can." she said.
InuYasha looked up to meet her eyes. She was so forgiving. As they began to clean what had once been a flower bed he watched her. She was twenty-three now, but still just as beautiful as when she had first saved him. She was tall and slender although still shorter than him, everything she did was so graceful, one fluid motion after another. She was… how did he want to say it without sounding perverted? She was… curvy, very curvy if you know what I mean. Her brown hair had a few strands of gold here and there making it shimmer in the afternoon sun. Her gentle violet eyes were always happy he had never seen another emotion from her. He hoped he never would. She was so pretty, so perfect even when she had dirt smears on her face.
"InuYasha do you think that you could pass me the hoe?" she said standing up. Carefully she stretched out her back and wiped the sweat off of her face successfully smearing more dirt on it.
"Sure." he said and lazily got up, he was in no rush.
"Miko-Sama!" a young woman rushed in carrying a small child who was crying, ok more like bawling at the top of her lungs. InuYasha could barely stand it his ears were pressed flat against his head, but even then he couldn't block out the sound.
"Ayame-Sama, please she fell and hurt her arm will you help me?" the young woman cried out.
InuYasha recognized her as Megumi a local and the wife of the headman. This was there oldest, Jin they called her he thought. What a brat he thought with contempt.
"All right please come inside while I clean up and get my herbs." Ayame said without any hesitation, she turned around and walked into the temple where both of them lived.
InuYasha made to follow them but was stopped short at what the headman's wife said.
"You are not allowed in you disgusting filth!" He stopped dead surprised.
"Now, now Megumi-San he's been living here with me after all he is my brother." Ayame said gently as though reprimanding a child.
"You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" she screamed slapping Ayame was thrown to the ground by the force of it. She pulled her head up a little and tears shimmered in her eyes. "I….I…"
A voice snarled close by "You dare to… I'll kill you…"
It was InuYasha eyes narrowed body tensed and looked ready to rip the girl to shreds.
"InuYasha it's Ok… don't threaten or hurt anyone…" whispered a very tired sounding voice.
"Onee-Sama, you think I'll just let her do that to you? I am not below taking revenge on someone for my own family!" he yelled
Slowly Ayame picked herself up off of the ground straightening up and brushing off her hakama. "After all… what sort of priestess would I be if I never forgave the people who insult, spit, and hit me?" she said softly.
"They do what?" he was snarling again, a deep sound coming from his chest.
"Say no more of it, Nii-Chan." she said the tone in her voice leaving no room for argument. "Now Megumi-San let me see little Jin please?"
The woman grudgingly let her see the child. "All right but don't let him near her." she said vehemence clearly the undertone of her voice. InuYasha felt his ears flatten to the back of his head and he ran off towards the woods lest he forget himself and rip the pathetic woman to pieces.
"I wish he would get a better control on his emotions…" Ayame whispered more to herself than to anyone else.
InuYasha ran deep into the forest and jumped into a tree to sit and mull over his thoughts, just as his Onee-Sama had taught him. Why was it that she was so forgiving?
Flashback
"Onee-Sama?" InuYasha questioned. He was about six years old at the time while his sister was sixteen.
"What?" she had asked looking up from her infamous flower garden.
"Why don't you get married? Then you won't have people so mean to you 'cause your husband would protect you. Then peoples wouldn' be mean and spit and hit you." it was a simple childish question but a deep and penetrating question.
"InuYasha, I can't get married you see no one would marry me." she said her voice gentle and kind.
"Why Onee-Sama, your nice, pretty," he paused for a minute contemplating this "And you make really good food!" he said beaming at his sister, obviously pleased with his answer.
"I can't get married because no one wants…" she stopped for a moment struggling with the words she wanted to say.
"It's me isn't it! They all hate me…" he broke off and started to cry.
Ayame dropped to her knees hugging the sobbing boy close to her no, no InuYasha it's not you… you've done nothing wrong I… It was me I did something wrong so now it's all my fault…"
End Flashback
It wasn't her fault he had found out it really was because of him… it wasn't her fault it was really his fault…
No one would marry her because she had kept him, a hanyou even when the consequence could mean her own death. This was something his thirteen year old mind just couldn't grasp. He sighed then got up to go back his sister needed him to help with things right before sunset. He grimaces sunset… It was a new moon… dangit! Why today? There were rumors of bandits in the area. It could be dangerous and he needed to protect his Onee-sama.
At the shrine Ayame had already tended the young child and sent the young mother and girl away with her blessing. There was a rustling sound then she felt a pair of strong hands slide over her mouth and pull her close. Her eyes widened and her heart pounded in her chest. Then quite suddenly she was released and turned around to face…
"INUYASHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed "DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN!!!!!!"
The boy in question was currently rolling on the ground laughing, "You shoulda seen your face, it was priceless.. Hahahahahaha…"he broke off into hysterical laughter.
"it wasn't funny I thought I was going to die! If you weren't thirteen, and you hadn't experienced love yet I would've killed you!" she was breathing very hard by now, after all it had been a long time since she had ever lost her temper and she had never lost her temper before with him. It was very new to him.
"Your angry that's a change." he said raising an eyebrow, well at least it went higher than normal.
"Well, you seem to assume I'm perfect, but I am only human InuYasha." she said with a soft smile, all the anger gone only the love for her little brother remained.
"It's a full moon tonight so be careful." he warned "I won't be able to protect you." he said abruptly
"I'll be fine." She looked up at the sky noticing that the sun was setting, she looked back at her brother and watched as he slowly turned into a human.
"I hate this transformation…"he grumbled under his breathe.
"Come now, it's only once a month." Ayame said with a comforting smile. She put one of her arms around his shoulder and then with a chuckle she told him, "If I were you I'd work on my attitude, if you train as a human you'll be even stronger as a hanyou."
"Thaaaannnnnkkkksssss I just love that rubbed in my face!" he said wrinkling up his nose in irritation.
"I know." she said ruffling his hair with a small giggle she asked, "Your hair is getting so long maybe we should cut it?" she teased knowing all to well that her brother would as soon get his arm cut off then let his hair be cut.
"NO!" he shouted shying away from her arms thrown over head defensively.
"I wouldn't you know I wouldn't." she said with a gentle laugh. "Now go inside and get ready for bed it's time to go to sleep now that it's night."
"All right but first I have to go and make sure all of the animals are fed." he said running off into the night.
Ayame looked around breathing in the cool refreshing summer night air. A scream sounded in the darkness of the night. Turning around she looked around for the source of the scream. The village. A flame started up in the distance.
"Bandits…there burning the village!" her voice which had started as a whisper was now very loud.
Turning she ran searching for InuYasha, they had to leave and hide if they found him who knows what they would do to the hanyou.
InuYasha patted the old mare he had dubbed 'kas-san and whispered quietly into her ear, "Silly horse, dumb animal tomorrow you hafta work hard lazy beast.
His nose twitched as he caught the scent of wood smoke, swiveling his ears around he held still as he listened for sounds. He heard it the cry of 'bandit'. Turning around he ran for the door. "Onee-sama!" he screamed.
Ayame ran towards the barn hearing the scream of her brother, "Onee-Sama!". She quickened her pace. Had they gotten to him? She sighed in relief as her brother came hurtling towards her.
He stopped in front of her and managed to gasp out," Onee-Sama…bandits…village…burning…" he breathed hard trying to catch his breathe.
"I know we have to go hide in the forrest." she said grabbing for his hand.
"Onee-Sama!" he screamed.
A rough pair of hands grabbed her from behind, she did the only rational thing to do, she screamed.
Hello everyone this is my first fanfiction ever so please read and review. Especially if you see mistakes. Since that's a pet peeve of mine you can definintely call me out on it! Flames are excepted also, I would also like for you to tell me or recommend to me other good fanfiction I love reading it and leave me the name after you rate my fic. and I promise to read it and review it!
Jane!
LadyKawaiiAyame