Let me start by apologizing for the extremely long update. Sorry for my sleeping brain! u.u
Reviewers, I humbly thank you for your reviews (and for your patience). To publicly answer Dangerous BeautyxKikyo S2's question, I plan to reveal details on that question in the final chapter. Sorry, but you'll have to wait! XD Scandal and Disease, I just want to let you know that I have taken your suggestion into consideration and cleared up the first chapter. Sorry for taking such a long time dude! X.X
Well, time for me to shut up…Please R and R. No flames please! Thanks!
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha!
And now chapter 14…
Chapter 14- Nostalgia II: Shadow
-Winter-
⌐Sesshomaru¬
The days have grown long
And the hours have grown still.
The sunlit skies have turned
Into the luminance gray season
Of cold toils and the end of Spring's fruition.
Snow begins to fall,
Hiding the trails my beloved followed.
The path to the rhododendrons
Are now concealed with pure snow
And are made dangerous with frozen desolate tears.
A grim day for this ice rain,
Has the sky sent a message to me?
That I must convert my warm heart,
Back into its cold icy tundra?
Has fate not shed its slightest bit of pity on me?
⌐Following the path to the rhododendrons,
The King continued to think about his beloved,
Recalling the childish games they played at their age,
Thinking about all the love he once held,
And how quickly it was cast in exile.¬
⌐Sesshomaru¬
Her beloved shrubs have withered away to the frost,
Her darling blooms have quickly faded
And their petals have blended with the blanched snow.
It is now a crystallized beauty,
Icicles drape its pleading branches,
Begging me to relieve them from their suffering.
But what more can I do?
I cannot control the frost
That has befallen on this earth or on my love–
Have I grown mad with grief!?
Did I truly see the silhouette of my beloved,
Caressing the rhododendrons as if
She attempts to warm them?
It is her shadow!
My heart paces as I approach her beauty,
Her scent brings warmth in this cold air,
Does she not see me!?
She gracefully glides through the rhododendrons,
Hinting me her desire to caper in such strong Winter gusts.
Why does she taunt me!?
There is plenty of time to caper in the Spring,
For now, what I longed for is to hold her in my arms
And whisper to her that I loved her.
I finally had her in my arms,
We stood beside our dearly cherished rhododendron,
Remaining in silence as snow gently fell on us.
But as I tightened my embrace,
She dissolved into mist and snow.
What I held in my arms was the trickery of Winter,
They bestowed onto me…
A nymph made of snow, ice, jealousy and wickedness.
I can hear her laughing at my grief,
Or has my mind finally enveloped itself with lunacy?
Just for an instant…
I would like to have believed that I at least embraced her shadow.
And indeed I did.
The fog and snow did me a favor,
They turned my beloved into an ice beauty,
A memory for me to live,
For only an instant…
-Early Spring-
⌐Sesshomaru¬
All the living beings in my castle,
And all the creatures of nature,
Have noticed my change…
Never in my life have I felt so fatigue,
Nor have I felt so weakened and sick during the cold months.
Perhaps this early Spring day,
A walk through the gardens and woods,
With the sun graciously casting its light on me,
I may perhaps feel a bit better.
The ice slowly melts,
The branches of the trees shed tears,
For the freedom they gained from Winter.
Perhaps in a few days,
They will foliage into their victorious leaves,
And cast their cooling aura in the Summer.
Soon after, their leaves will turn into shades and hues
Of warm auburn and bright crimson and gold
On that cool Autumn morning…
Summer…
A time when my rime melted away,
Thawed from her love.
I do fear that it will return to its previous state.
I hear laughter,
A soft gentle laughter
Whose ring and tone I recognize!
I look at my left and I see her silhouette,
Prancing between trees,
Twirling with grace,
With one hand holding onto a low branch,
And her other arm extended towards me,
Tempting me to chase her once more.
I approached the dryad,
Knowing that it was not my darling flower,
Yet I dared to believe it was her…
Reluctantly, she did not run away from me.
She continued to giggle as she leaped and twirl,
Her natural ethereal majesty caught the attention
Of the shy forest inhabitants.
How easily she has lured them with her pleasant aura,
Small crimson robins followed her,
Infant rabbits approached the tree,
And scampered to follow her soft steps.
She finally stopped…
She gazed into my eyes,
I returned her pleasant gaze,
As she stumbled to make her way towards me.
She gently threw herself into my arms,
One of her warms hands rested on my cheek,
The other above my heart.
Her warmth reached my face,
But I took notice of the forest critters rapid escape.
I wondered if they left due to our intimate moment,
Or if they grew tiresome of our romantic scene…
I then realized why…
A small snowflake fell on her dark waiflike hair…
I turned my attention from her lovely visage
To the bleak Winter sky.
Snow soon began to dance with the wind,
Falling slowly onto the somewhat warm ground.
I held her in my arms,
Fearing that I may have been tricked once more.
I looked into her hazel eyes,
Searching for any sign of trickery,
Yet I could not find sadistic smile.
She seemed to have noticed my uncertainty…
Her visage reached mine again,
She placed a gentle kiss on my lips,
A touch of iciness and warmth.
Her countenance became petrifying
For she once again turned into mist and snow.
I tried to tighten my grip,
But she succeeded to escape from me.
Snow continued to fall,
As I became enraged from the nymph's hoax.
Eventually my anger subsided,
When I reached in my uniform's pocket
And found the dried flowers from the lei she made for me.
I looked back at the unforgivable sky,
Shadows of memories were painted on the dull clouds,
Vivid colors of bliss brought life into the day,
But such cheerfulness could not stop the crystallized snow.
I looked back at the lei and took notice of the ground,
I was encircled with the warmth of Spring,
For the infants of the lime grass began to grow,
And small pale pink and lilac buds
Slowly became enriched with deeper hues.
It seems that she is offering me her protection
From the troublesome ice princess.
A fiendish woman who offers me her comfort,
But reminds me of my ruthless heart months ago.
I only want the love and solace from my lovely Kikyo,
No other woman can compete with her…
The snow finally stopped,
My eyes were cast back down on the ground
And a change took place.
The snow melted away,
Blades of grass broke through their barriers,
The buds blossomed soon after.
A hand appeared on the lei
And I finally knew that sincere warmth.
My swan, her mirage, her shadow appeared before me.
She placed a kiss on my lips,
It was truly her…
Yet, just like the ice princess,
She soon left me.
Our meeting left me with some hope,
It appears that the heavens finally took pity on me
And has finally forgiven all my peccadilloes.
I kissed the lei,
Hoping that my love reaches her.
My life and soul rests in her hands,
My love solely belongs to her.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading! XD
Countdown to the final chapter:
1…