Warm-Ice: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Inu-yasha: (covering ears) What the hell is wrong with you!
Warm-Ice: M! M! (points to review board)
Everone: (looks at review board and eyes widen) WHAAAA--!
Kouga: You're getting nominated!
Shippou: At Single Spark! THE Single Spark!
Inu-yasha: no way!
Warm-Ice: (watery eyes) it's an honor… thank you so very much sesshyholic. Being nominated is enough to make me go absolutely gaga. Lol! Again, thanks! I'm so happy!
Dra Gan the Dragoniodian King: (smells the air happily) strawberriiiieeesss… thanks! I'm glad you liked his entrance!
genesis20: hehehe…
Kouga: what the--?
Kagome: they better not!
Sess: (smirks)
Haruko: (blushes)
Warm-Ice: thanks also to those who wished me good luck for the finals! It went great!
Inu-yasha: just go on with the story already.
Shippou: yes, Warm-Ice! You might just get nominated again!
Warm-Ice: (blushes madly) AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
My Father
Chapter 7: A Warm Embrace
Kouga strode forward towards the host of the grand ball. Kagome had come to Sesshoumaru's side and whispered softly, "Is that Kouga-kun?"
Kouga heard this easily and smirked arrogantly, feeling very proud of himself right then and there. Take that, aristocratic bastards! Stare in awe at my wicked transformation! He thought, remembering all the times that other people looked down upon him just because he was a wolf. Now he was the center of attention with their fallen jaws all over the floor. In their faces!
"Kouga? Isn't that the wolf from the Eastern Lands?" a woman whispered to her friend from among the crowd.
"I heard they were savages."
"Ooh, I hope so." She muttered before the two of them giggled mischievously.
He bowed down before Sesshoumaru and Hangyakusha. The latter raised his brow at the new comer, inspecting this man in royal robes, looking like a true prince and taking all the attention away from him.
"Lord Sesshoumaru, who is this…wolf who stands in my presence?" he spoke of Kouga's breed with disgust as if the mere word was like a cockroach.
"Please allow me to introduce myself, Hangyakusha-sama." Kouga spoke, rising to stand tall. "I am lord Kouga, Prince of the Eastern Lands and Suitor of the Lady Haruko." At the mention of her name, he glanced her way. She quickly averted her gaze, blushing almost unnoticeably. Almost.
"Oh?" Hangyakusha's eyebrows rose in interest. "And here I thought your beautiful daughter was already engaged to lord Shippou." He said, looking at Sesshoumaru.
"Yes, well, I challenged lord Shippou for her hand." Kouga explained with an air of diplomacy, saving Sesshoumaru the—honor—of answering.
"Well. How brave of you, I must say. Sesshoumaru-sama, you must be so proud of your daughter. It seems that already two lords have been smitten by her beauty. But of course I do not blame them. I can see that she gets her beautiful smile from her mother."
Kagome blushed at that and Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes. "Yes, thank you." He simply said. Sensing the thickening tension between them, Kagome figured that it was time to break the silence.
"Oh, please everyone! Enjoy the party!" she brightly announced. Soon the room buzzed again and the musicians resumed playing their songs.
"Hey, Kouga." Kouga turned to Kagome who smiled brightly at him, "Nice job." She mouthed out, giving him a thumb up. Kouga grinned at that. He turned around to look at Haruko who stood at a corner beside Shippou. Shippou was glaring at him menacingly and Kouga was just about to go there, rub it in his face and of course impress Haruko.
But just as he took a step forward, women of all ages, size and breed had already started gathering around him, talking to him and trying to charm him. If Kouga could just do it his way, he would've jumped out of there in a millisecond and landed right in front of Haruko with that impish grin of his.
Unfortunately if he was gonna be all princely, he would have to stay and entertain those annoying women who wanted to speak with him. Damn! Whoever made their putrid perfumes would have to die!
Haruko watched as Kouga looked completely uncomfortable, being surrounded by hoards of women who were obviously attracted to him. She couldn't help but smirk at how he looked, all dressed up and uncomfortable. She chuckled softly at his predicament and the action did not escape the keen Shippou's eyes.
He was just about to open his mouth to divert her attention when he suddenly felt a presence from the shadows behind him. Haruko felt it as well and was just about to turn when Shippou spoke, "What is it, Aki?" she relaxed and let him handle the guard.
Aki came forward to whisper in Shippou's ear; obviously it was not for Haruko to hear. After Aki whispered to him, Shippou's eyebrows furrowed and his frown deepened. "Where?" Shippou whispered back.
Aki whispered the location to him and Shippou's eyes narrowed. Haruko watched his expression carefully at the corner of her eyes, clearly there was a problem.
"Alright." He whispered then turned to Haruko as Aki delved back into the shadows. "Forgive me, m'lady." He said, bowing to her then standing to look at her with such…cold eyes. Just like father…
She gave him a small smile and bowed to him as well, watching him leave. She sighed, finding nothing else to do.
"Hey, don't look so serious." She turned around and smiled uncontrollably, seeing Inu-yasha grinning at her.
"Yasha-sa—Inu-yasha…"
"Come outside with me." He offered her his arm and she took it quickly, letting him lead her out to the gardens. When they arrived to the wide grassy plane, Haruko's eyes widened as did her smile. For a moment, the child that was never there was visible in her eyes.
It was a humungous fountain, gushing with sparkling clear water like a majestic waterfall. And floating in the water were crisp leaves of Fall. It was so…beautiful.
"Yasha-sama…"
"Happy birthday, Haru-dono." Inu-yasha whispered. Haruko looked up at him with a warm smile. She was happy now. For the first time the whole day, somebody finally greeted her happy birthday.
Inu-yasha understood that. In parties such as these, the celebrant wasn't really important. It was how you looked in front of other people. She doubted they even knew it was her birthday. They just came for the party. And Inu-yasha understood that. A single happy birthday was enough to make her happy. "Thank you so much, Yasha-sama…" she whispered.
"Hey, your mom and dad thought of it. Rin and I just made it."
Her eyes watered at that, to think that the four most important people to her would care so much. Her hand rose to the yang necklace and she closed her eyes, a serene smile on her face. "Thank you..."
Inu-yasha smiled as he watched Haruko take control of the water, manipulating it to come to life and dance. To think that a princess, who was so used to grand and extravagant things, would be completely content and delighted with two simple things; the leaves of Fall and a body of water. It didn't even make sense to him. It seemed that only Kagome understood her daughter.
When Haruko entered the hall once more, she no longer had Inu-yasha by her side. He told her earlier that he didn't like to attend parties, especially when it's full of snot nosed, spoiled, brats who called themselves adults. She could merely smile at that. When she entered, nothing had changed except for the absence of Kouga on the floor.
She wondered where he was for a moment before Kagome came to her. "Haruko-chan, where've you been?"
"Oh, Inu-yasha…he took me to the gardens."
For a moment, Kagome seemed to have forgotten. But soon she remembered exactly what was so special about the garden and she smiled to her daughter. "And?"
Haruko smiled as well, "It is…magnificent. Thank you."
"See! I knew you'd like it!" Kagome squealed with joy. Haruko nodded softly.
"Haruko-chan!" they turned to the voice and Haruko's eyes widened. It was…
"Oka—yaki—san…" she spoke despite her shock. She was supposed to be dead. Okayaki was supposed to be dead six years ago. Sesshoumaru killed her. She saw it with her own eyes. Why was she still alive?
Okayaki smiled brightly at Haruko as she came closer and quickly engulfed her into a tight hug, making the hanyou princess very uncomfortable. "Happy birthday, Haruko-chan! Oh, gosh, I can't believe you're nineteen now! It seems like it was just yesterday when we played in the gardens."
There was only one loophole in her rather loud proclamation. She didn't play with her in the gardens when they were kids. Actually, it used to be that Okayaki would always shun her from the group and brag to her about how many friends she had and how grand her toys were. Of course Haruko took no offence in it, figuring that Okayaki was just proud of what she has.
But ever since that night, the night she realized that Okayaki actually hated her, she learned to never trust again.
"Oh, hey, is it true that the handsome prince Kouga is courting you as well? What a shock! You must be so proud of her, Kagome-sama!"
"Well, of course Okayaki-chan. But really, there is more to a woman than just how many suitors she gets."
"Oh, I completely agree, Kagome-sama." Okayaki cheerfully said, flipping her long sandy blonde hair, her deep black orbs twinkling like the stars up above. "That's why I always tell Haruko-chan here to have books first before boys because boys bring…bad luck?"
"Babies." Kagome corrected.
"Oh, right. It was just at the tip of my tongue." She said.
"I'm sure." Kagome smiled kindly. "Well, if you'll excuse us."
"Oh, of course, Kagome-sama." Okayaki said, getting the signal to let them leave and bowing as they walked away. As Kagome escorted her daughter away, Okayaki hid a glare at them. "Books before boys. What a stupid thing to say." She muttered.
"How's your birthday, darling?" Kagome asked her daughter. Haruko gave a smile and a nod for an answer. Kagome smiled as well. "Great! Well, you're father wanted to dance with you."
"Huh?" it was then that Haruko realized that Kagome had led her to a spot on the dance floor where her father stood gracefully. She quickly became uncomfortable, not used to dancing with her father.
But there he was, standing regally and looking at her expectantly with that neutral façade. She looked up at him, a bit intimidated.
"Go! Dance!" Kagome encouraged, walking back into the crowd and leaving the two to stare at each other. Haruko quickly gathered her wits and bowed. Sesshoumaru offered her his hand and she quickly took it, starting to dance to the beautiful melody.
They were quiet for a long while, each not knowing what to say. Then, "Thank you."
He looked down at her and she gave him a small smile. "For the birthday gift."
He smirked, glad that she liked it. The moment he did, all she could think of was how almost perfect he was and how lucky she was to have a father like him. "Are you…happy?"
"Of course, father. I am dancing with you, am I not?" it seemed to have simply escaped her lips but she didn't express the surprise she felt upon uttering the words. After all, it was how she felt at the moment.
It was then that Sesshoumaru's smirk faltered, turning back into a grim frown. Her eyebrows knitted together ever so slightly with concern. Was it wrong of her to say such a thing? She was just about to ask for his forgiveness for whatever it was that she had done wrong when,
"You have been…patient with me, Haruko."
Her eyebrows knitted together fully now, unable to understand. What was her father telling her?
"And your mother and I believe…that…the truth cannot be kept from you."
Kagome watched from her spot on the throne as her daughter and her husband, the two most beautiful people in the world, danced. She watched with a pained heart as Sesshoumaru whispered to Haruko's ears, no doubt telling her exactly what she had been deprived of.
Answers
On their first spin, she could see that Haruko's eyes had widened, she must have been shocked. They spun once more, revealing the face of Sesshoumaru, his eyes expressing something akin to sadness but not quite. They spun once more and this time, Kagome could clearly see her daughter's face. She was absolutely petrified. Her widened eyes were glistening with tears as her lips parted. As Sesshoumaru went on speaking, her grip on his hand and shoulder tightened for a long while then loosened as if in resignation.
And before she let go completely of her father, stepping back curtly and bowing her leave, a single tear fell from her eye.
Her tears were inconspicuous as she hurriedly left the halls; no one seemed to notice the birthday girl's distress. All save for one dark shadow lurking in the corner. He had been listening to their conversation the whole time and found the whole idea of Sesshoumaru's condition very…interesting.
Sesshoumaru stood in the middle of the dance floor, alone as he once was. He was looking down at the space his daughter once occupied with a sadness one could never believe to be seeing in his eyes. And just as he was about to sink into the emptiness of his sorrow, Kagome came forward.
She smiled sadly at him, cocking her head to the side. "You alright?" she asked softly. Sesshoumaru raised his eyes to look at her but said nothing in return. She gently took his hand and guided him away from the crowd, never taking her eyes from him. When they were finally outside, Kagome let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his form, engulfing him into a warm embrace.
Numbly, his arms raised and wrapped themselves around her shoulders, becoming tighter and tighter as his need for her comfort grew.
"What I did…" he spoke softly like a child, "I was not mistaken…"
Kagome felt that he said it more to himself than her and simply decided to hold him tighter. "Of course not, koi." The moon shone bright high up above as the cool night breeze rustled the leaves about them. "Of course not…"
She walked the halls calmly until she was sure that no one was around anymore. As soon as she entered the more private halls, she broke out into a run and let her tears flow freely. As she ran, her hair fell from its beautiful design, the flower floating lightly to the floor.
Akito stepped to the fallen flower, picking it up and looking back to the sprinting figure of his mistress. He became increasingly concerned as he watched her run and soon he realized; she was not running…she was fleeing.
And only one reason could make her flee…
She's crying! My Lady is crying!
As soon as he realized that, he started running after her out of pure instinct. His mind was a complete blank and all that he knew was that he had to run after her.
Kouga looked up as he heard his doors slam open and light invaded his dark quarters. At first all he saw was a silhouette. But as his eyes focused, he realized that it was a rather shocked looking Haruko. What was she doing there?
Slowly his eyes widened as he realized that tears were flowing from her eyes. She blinked back her wits and realized she was standing at the doorway to Kouga's room with him staring at her from inside. How had she come there? His eyebrows furrowed and he stepped forward to ask her what was wrong but before he could she had already turned around.
"Forgive me. I—I did not mean to enter so rudely." She spoke. It amazed him how normal her voice sounded, as if she wasn't crying at all. But it was too late to hide from him what he had already seen. She was in pain. But why must she hide it from him? Why must she always hide it from everyone? Was it because she was selfless in that sense? Or was it because she believed that no one would actually care?
Before she could leave, Kouga was quick to say, "I don't mind." making another tear fall from her eye. "I don't mind if you cry on me."
Soon, another tear fell…another and another… her shoulders gently shook as her breaths became more haggard. Could she really? Could she really trust him?
But as she spun around, her silvery locks spinning as they once did hundreds of years ago according to Kouga's memory, all doubts, hesitations and fears were thrown to the wind. She ran into his arms and wrapped her arms around him, bringing them both down onto the floor with Kouga falling on his bottom.
He vaguely recalled a moment such as this; they were on his bed then. It was the first time he had broken through her mask. It was also the moment when she blew his mind away with that kiss he had not expected. But he pushed the thoughts of her lips away from his mind, reminding himself of his present…predicament.
She sobbed once, twice, thrice, again and again. No longer could she cry in silence. Her grief was simply too great to keep inside. Her pain was too deep to cover up. Her heart was too hurt to set aside.
Kouga watched her as she cried onto his chest, her tears soaking his silken robes. He had been in his room ever since he realized she was no longer at the party. What was the point of being there when the one he wanted to be with wasn't there to celebrate his achievement with him?
And now…he had two opposing thoughts in his mind. He had regretted leaving the party so soon. He wanted to know what made his Inu-hime cry. But at the same time, he was glad he left. If he had not been there, who would she run to?
She would just hide it like every other occasion. But he didn't want her to hide. She couldn't go on with her life, hiding her emotions, her voice…her heart.
Slowly and carefully, he wrapped his strong arms around her, whispering to her softly, "It's gonna be okay, Inu-hime…don't worry…it's gonna be okay…" whatever it may be.
Akito watched with shock as he watched his mistress cry in the arms of another man, her figure contrasting greatly to his own. They looked like the embodiment of Yin and Yang. Kouga was the black and Haruko was the white. Immediately he felt a pang of jealousy course through his veins.
And yet as she cried and as he soothed her, as Akito observed the differences between them, he realized what it was that he had felt for Kouga that time in the library. A great respect. Here he was, the most captivating woman crying in his arms, vulnerable and frail. Any man would be tempted by the devil to take advantage of the situation. But instead of doing such a thing, he was hugging her back and telling her that everything was going to be alright. He himself was not sure of how much self control he had over himself if he were in Kouga's shoes.
Kouga's eyes rose to look up at Akito, making the guardian snap out of his stupor and stand in attention. Kouga gave Akito a small sad smile, holding Haruko even closer. And it was then that Akito figured he should let them be.
Slowly, he gripped the doors and closed it, leaving the two in the darkness of Kouga's quarters and trusting Kouga with all his heart.
