And Quiet Flows the Shimanto.
The dew was glistening in the soft morning light. The sakura trees were in bloom, and with the wind that carried their petals, Sesshomaru moved west. Last night, he had left his ward's care into the hands of his vassal, Jaken. Rin was to be kept on his easternmost manor for the duration of the summer, for the purpose of being educated in the ways of a lady. She was now past her thirteenth winter, and he had overheard her maids speaking of her monthly flux, which was a recent development. Since she was now of marriageable age and fertile, he thought it proper for her to be educated so that she might one day make a respectable ningen lord happy. She would, of course have a proper dowry being his ward, and considering her level of education and refined features, the Lord of the West was confident he'd receive numerous offers for his ward's hand. Rin was restless in the weeks before his departure. She had desperately wanted to go with him to Gensou, his manor on the island of Shikoku. She had visited last summer and had fallen in love with its gardens, but he had been firm, ending any of her childish and wanton begging. She could Come to Gensou When She was Finished with Her Training.
As he progressed through his forests to Gensou, he noticed an unnatural lack of youki. He moved closer to what he sensed as the source of it, a ningen presence, and another that he could not categorize. Separating the rushes in his way, he noticed a swatch of black hair covering a quivering body. It flinched, and jumped up. Sesshomaru advanced, and the creature faced him. Her eyes were dilated, and her body fluoresced blue. He stood still, calculating the risks. She reared and pounced; he deflected her claws, and struck a blow to her abdomen, causing her to whimper loudly and faint. In his arms she sank, and the blue vanished. He recognized her scent immediately, now aware that this was his half-brother's comrade, a ningen female with a strange dialect. Although he could not remember her name, if memory served him, she was brash and loud, and would undoubtedly divulge it later.
He outweighed the benefits of taking her with him to Gensou, and decided that it would be best to have her accompany him in the hope that she would explain her odd behavior, which was feral, and the strange blue fluorescence that surrounded her. He slung her over his shoulder and continued.
One movement of the sun later and he had reached the channel that separated him and Shikoku. In one swift leap, he crossed it, and landed on a sturdy branch. Shikoku was full of dense forests and hidden alcoves, making it one of his favored summer residences. As he ran through the trees, he kept alert for the scent of water. Three trees later, and he had it. Moving closer, he caught sight of it and jumped down to the river's shore. The water was exceptionally clear, and the life in it flourished. But this is not what he cared for. Moving further downriver, he found his gates, with sentries posted. They knelt with their hands fisted over their chests in salute, and opened the gates. He walked along the stone path to the entrance, listening to the shouts of "Lord Sesshomaru has arrived!" circulating throughout the manor. As he reached the door, a young Inu youkai maiden knelt and slid the shift open for him. She followed as he entered and inhaled a shaky breath before saying,
"My Lord, the morning meal will be served just as you like, three hours before the sun reaches its highest."
He did not reply, simply walking to his receiving room. She trailed uncertainly behind him, confusing herself by her own actions. She had heard the whispers, but she had not paid them much heed. The Lord of the West, her lord, was indeed a handsome youkai. But her gaze was torn from his face and to the creature on his shoulder, a scantily clad ningen female.
"Your name." His rigid voice shook her from her reverie and into reality. She curtseyed hastily.
"A-ya, an it please you, my Lord." She kept her head down, not raising it until he spoke.
"A-ya, you are to escort this ningen to the bathhouse, bathe her, clothe her and set her in the lady's guest room. You are to keep vigil by her side until she wakes, and when she does, tend to any wounds and alert me." He handed the girl over to A-ya.
"Yes, my Lord." He nodded a dismissal, and she awkwardly curtseyed one last time before exiting and closing the door.
She did not wake while A-ya was carrying out her orders. A-ya was a shy female, unmated and uncourted, with sharp features. Her hair and eyes were the same tawny color; her cheeks were soft and supple, her face had a fresh milk and roses complexion. A-ya had grown up on Gensou; her family life long servants in the Lord of the West's household. A-ya, having never left Gensou before, led a sheltered life. And so when she was to touch a ningen for the first time, she was cautious. Fear did not motivate her meticulousness; uncertainty did. She did not want the ningen to wake, because she did not know what to expect.
When A-ya had finished, she kept by the sleeping ningen's bedside. The ningen did not stir once, and if it had not been for A-ya's acute hearing, she might have thought her to be dead. The ningen was not fair; in fact her hair was black as sin. Even so, her skin was very soft, albeit lightly tanned. This was a sign of low birth to A-ya, but the ningen showed no signs of hard work. No discolorations or calluses, nor stress wrinkles. A-ya had not encountered anything like her before.
Then the ningen flinched, A-ya jumped; her eyes slowly flittered open, and A-ya's quickly grew wide. She backed off as the ningen rose and yawned. She heard a soft moan as she stretched. The ningen rubbed her eyes once, twice, and then faced A-ya. Her eyes widened.
"Who are you?" The voice was strange and melodic. A-ya dropped into a hasty curtsey.
"I am A-ya, an it please you, my Lady. I have taken care of you in your slumber." The ningen blinked.
""My Lady"?" she asked softly. A-ya inclined her head, not knowing how else to respond. "Where am I?"
"You are in the guest room of Lord Sesshomaru's summer home, Gensou." A-ya could almost see the thought process in the ningen's eyes. Then the eyes centered on her.
"A-ya?"
"Yes my Lady?"
"Don't refer to me so formally. My name is Higurashi Kagome. May I call you A-ya?" A-ya was suddenly afraid, never having a guest of her Lord's want to so blatantly disregard the rules of courtesy. How was she to respond?
"I do not think my Lord would be pleased if I did not treat his guest with proper respect." A-ya settled for the diplomatic approach, and the ningen pouted.
"Sesshomaru needs to chill." A-ya's sharp intake of breath had Kagome quickly facing her, watching the color drain from the servant's face. Kagome recalculated her strategy. "A-ya, don't worry. Sesshomaru and I were comrades once. He won't take it as disrespect." I hope, she thought. Kagome and A-ya sat in an awkward silence for a moment before Kagome cleared her throat.
"Um, so... what happened to me?"
"I do not know, my Lady."
"Kagome."
"Whatever pleases my Lady... I was ordered to inform my Lord upon your awakening." A-ya's sentence seemed to lead on.
"... Ok...?" A-ya waited. "Oh. Eh, you can go?" A-ya quickly curtseyed and left. Her departure gave Kagome time to look at her surroundings. Her kimono was of fine white silk, obviously for sleeping. The bed she sat on was furnished with thick silk coverlets, the mattress and pillows were stuffed with feathers. Behind the bed, the windows told her that she was on the second floor. She turned in the bed, and looked out. The first thought she had when she saw his gardens was that This was a Disney Fairytale Garden on Crack. Everything seemed ethereal, with many fountains, koi ponds, bridges, creeks, exotic flowers and several types of rare trees. She had never seen such a beautiful place. It was several moments later until she felt the familiar burn in her chest and was reminded of her need of air.
"My lady?" A-ya's voice made Kagome jump and spin around.
"Holy-" her words froze on her tongue as she recognized the Inu youkai in front of A-ya. "Sesshomaru?"
"Lord Sesshomaru, ningen."
"My name is Kagome, not ningen." The Lord of the West smirked.
"You are not a ningen, then?"
"I am but that is not my name!" A-ya was shocked by the total disrespect given to her Lord. Sesshoumaru dismissed her. As A-ya left the room, she heard,
"Kagome," he repeated slowly, "why were you in such a state when I found you?"
"What state?"
"This Sesshoumaru does not repeat himself." Kagome thought for a moment before speaking.
"... I don't know what you're talking about."
"No matter. A-ya will escort you to the dining hall when it is time to break fast." As he turned to leave, he heard her mutter, "...hot shot.". He closed the door and reminded A-ya to attend to Lady Kagome's wounds and instructed her to dress his guest properly when the time came.
A-ya did not have a particularly difficult time fitting Lady Kagome to a kimono. The Lady already had fine tastes, and so few complications arose in the selection process. A burgundy colored Homongi with a deep black silk obi were chosen, and to A-ya's dismay, Kagome refused to style her hair in the coiffeur fashion that had dangling jewels and coils akin; she was unyielding in her decision to keep her hair free-flowing. Although, secretly, Kagome yearned to know how elegant she could look with such adornments.
Upon arrival to the Great Hall, Kagome was seated across the rectangular table from Lord Sesshoumaru, who did not greet her. Smirking, and under the impression that she had the upper hand, Kagome curtseyed when she approached her seat. She waited until her gave her permission to sit with a motion of his chin, and took the open window for small talk.
"So, Sesshoumaru, why am I here?" She tried to sound blasé as she fiddled with her sakazuki. He finished his, and nodded for a servant to fill it again.
"As I was traveling to Gensou, I encountered you, and when you discovered my presence you proceeded to attack me." Kagome tried to digest this. She did not remember the circumstances of her unawares nor did she have any recollection of what Sesshoumaru had just described.
"You didn't answer my question."
"This Sesshoumaru does not repeat himself." Kagome laughed.
"You just did!" She watched the minute changes in expression as he processed this.
"Hn." He moaned when he understood.
"... So?" Subsequently, she shoved a piece of grilled eel into her mouth.
"I want you to explain." Kagome swallowed and cleared her throat.
"I don't remember anything." She said in a small voice.
The remainder of the breakfast was spent in awkward small conversations with Kagome chiming in every now and then about the grandeur of his manor. Lunch and dinner were the same way. By nighttime, Kagome had exhausted her resources. She dismissed A-ya with the argument that she could undress herself, and when she had finished, she decided to explore her room, not at all surprised that all the furnishings seemed utterly extravagant and had ornate embellishments and intricate patterns. Soon she discovered a door with the word "Bath" written on it in sweeping kanji. Kagome opened the door and was greeted by the soft candlelight that lit up the staircase. Down the winding staircase she went, and when she reached the bottom, she felt the warm humidity. A vast hot spring carved out of the area's natural rock steamed, making soothing warmth circle and caress her body. It was lit by candles with lilies floating on the surface. Bath oils and products were set on a miniature isle in the middle of the lagoon shaped bath. Kagome walked over to the water, and dipped a toe in. She was pleasantly surprised by the accommodating temperature.
Unable to resist, Kagome flung her dressing robe off, backed off for a running start and cannon balled into the water. She had underestimated this bath. It was more than heavenly. It was sinful. Relaxing, Kagome spread her body out to float. Changing her mind, she back flipped and dove deep into the water. The depth, as she felt it, was three times her height. Perfectly content, she swam over to the isle, sniffed about and selected her favorite and most familiar scents: hydrangea and peach. She lathered the hydrangea all over her body; the peach in her hair. When she felt that the oils had saturated her hair and skin, she rinsed them, feeling exotic and beautiful. She had to remind herself that she could come back again. That is what she convinced herself, regardless of faint doubts. She ungracefully exited the water, not seeing until after several slippery falls that there was a set of rock stairs leading up and out. Muttering curses, Kagome dried herself off and put back on her dressing robe.
When she closed the stairway door behind her, the first thing she noticed was the moonlight. At the sight of it, a searing pain ripped through her forehead, and Kagome blacked out.
A-ya closed the door to her room, and started down the corridor. Who knew waiting on Lady Kagome could be such an appetite suppressor! As she turned, she ran into a wall. No, it was too rounded-
"Oh, excuse me, Lady A-ya." A-ya backed up, but was already in his arms. She threw him a confused look in the torchlight. "Forgive me. My name is Hiroyuumu. I am a manor guard." He let go, and she looked up at him again.
"How did you know my name?" Hesitantly.
"It is my duty to know all the names and faces of Lord Sesshoumaru's staff to better protect them."
A-ya nodded, not knowing much of Lord Sesshoumaru's procedures, thinking secretly that she did not much care to know.
"May I ask where you're going?"
"To the kitchens. I have not eaten all day." Hiroyuumu smirked.
"May I escort you there? I, too, am starved." She blushed prettily when he offered her his arm. She linked with his, and then went on their way.
There they spoke of their attachment to Gensou, in the course of family history and the like. Throughout the shared meal, A-ya noticed a look in Hiroyuumu's eyes that she had seen only a few times. This was the secret glares she had seen pass between lovers, a look of admiration and longing. The thought of it made her blush, and he, being a receptive individual, commented on this with clear delight. He said such a flush was becoming of her, and that she should do so more often, although he would do what he could to get this reaction. Likewise, A-ya thought he was at his most lovely when he smiled. As he spoke, A-ya surveyed his features. Although he was an Inu Youkai, he had dark russet hair, which he kept in an up do; a tanned complexion, which she reasoned was from his duties outdoors, eyes that seemed to her like the sky after a storm, and a very svelte and muscular build. He was also a head taller than her, making her feel very delicate.
By the time their plates were empty, they hadn't noticed; so engrossed they were in the other that all else seemed nonexistent. And when he did notice, he offered to escort her wherever she liked.
"I think I should retire to my room for the night." Hiroyuumu gave her an amused smile, and when she thought, she blushed brightly. He chuckled, saying he was just keeping his promise. She replied that she would have to choose her words with more care from now on, and Hiroyuumu thought to himself, From Now On, and again smiled.
When they reached her door, A-ya bid him goodnight. He took her wrist, and caressed it with his lips, his eyes never leaving hers. A-ya's blush was all he had expected and more, and his own matched hers. He let go without a word, and turned to leave.
"Hiroyuumu," She breathed. At once he returned, and he gathered her into his arms.
"I had noticed you quite a while ago, always with your nose stuck in the Master's flowers." He laughed softly, and then his voice took on a more serious tone. "You are to me a white lily in a sea of dandelions; seen so rarely and so fragile." By now, all of A-ya's maidenly hesitance had vanished. "A-ya," he said reverently, "will you give me permission to court you?" Since her parents were deceased, he needed only ask her.
Stunned to silence, A-ya could only give a weak and shocked nod. He then pulled her closer, burying his face into her fresh locks and breathed in her scent deeply, the scent of late summer lilies. When he pulled away, her blush had returned. Taking his liberties with her, he kissed her, and she could feel the restraint he used. A-ya sent a prayer of thanks to the kamis, for his restraint and hers, and for her good fortune. Dutifully, she placed her arms around his neck, and yielded her mouth to his. All too soon he pulled away, and bade her sweet dreams, to which she replied that with his inspiration she now would. He blushed, smiled, and left, leaving her stomach to twist sweetly.
When A-ya was safely behind her door, she ran to her bed and jumped into it, squealing with joy and stifled giggles. In her excitement, A-ya had not changed into her sleeping garment and fell into a contented sleep with her serving kimono on.
Read, review, and love it.
Cariad Breila
Vocab to Know:
Ningen: Japanese word for human
Shikoku: Prefecture in western Japan, an island
Gensou: Japanese word for illusion
Inu: Japanese word for Dog
Youkai: Japanese word for demon, as defined by the Inuyasha series
Vassal: a servant of sorts
"...three hours before the sun reaches its highest.": Simply three hours before noon
Kimono: Traditional Japanese robe
Homongi: Formal/semi formal kimono
Obi: A specific sash placed around the waist on a kimono
Sakazuki: A wide, nearly flat cup used only for the consumption of sake
Sake: Japanese rice wine, although, to my knowledge, it is brewed more like a beer
Kanji: System of Japanese writing
Youki: The Japanese word for the energy or aura given off by Youkai.
Any further questions or corrections are encouraged.