Chapter fourteen
Petitefeeme: And here's the fourteen's chapter ^_^ ! I hope for those who have holidays that you're enjoying them fully. As for me I have no holidays (not even the Friday free as the Thursday was) T-T
After a few years, things finally settled down in the slayer village. Demons attacked less and less, and the pearl, well hidden, was more and more forgotten.
Soon I would be able to return to the western shiro.
I was currently teaching some children in the fields to replace the tired local healer when I saw Kiseki walk to me.
"Kiseki?" I asked curiously.
"Someone is asking for you." Shortly said the man "Silver hairs and golden eyes."
I blinked in surprise, an image immediately imposing in my mind. I shooked myself, reasoning that the man wasn't the only one with silver hairs and golden eyes before turning to the children.
"Class is finished, you can go play." I said.
The children squealed in delight and scattered around. I got up from the grass covered ground, brushing my kimono and trying to not make that much an effort to look presentable.
"Okay." I added "Lead me to him."
The man nodded, raising slightly an eyebrow at my badly hidden nervoursness before deciding that it wasn't any of his business and led me to the entrance of the village.
"Sesshomaru?" I asked, surprised (and a tiny bit disapointed, though I stubbornly rejected any ideas) to see him "Where is Haruki? Did something happen?"
"We need to talk." He said seriously.
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Haruki, earlier that week, was peacefully reading in a private garden when Sesshomaru burst in, looking furious.
"Sesshomaru?" asked worriedly the girl, getting up.
The boy began pacing and Haruki had to grab him to make him stop.
"Sesshomaru." She said softly, taking his hands in hers, making him sit with her "Tell me."
"I followed him." The boy finally said, taking a deep breath.
Haruki nodded, understanding. For some time now Toga had chronically disappeared for a few days, sometimes a week before coming back. Since it began he looked a bit more at ease, more relaxed should she say.
"And?" she asked "What did you saw?"
"He was with…with." Hesitated Sesshomaru, becoming furious once again.
"With who Sesshomaru?" beckoned him softly his intended.
"He was with this woman." Finally said the boy in almost a whisper "A human hime of the western land."
Haruki's eyes widened at the implications.
"Is he…?" she asked, not daring finish the sentence.
Sesshomaru nodded gravely before adding softly:
"She looks a lot like mother."
Haruki's eyes widened again before she sighed softly in defeat, sadly.
"It's hopeless." She said "Is this why you're furious?"
"How dare he!" he replied furiously "He has everything under his nose and yet he, he…!"
"I know." Haruki sighed, snaking her arms around his neck.
Sesshomaru surrounded her frame with his own, letting her burry herself against his chest.
"You should go see okaa-san." Said Haruki after a moment of silence "I'm sure she will help you."
"Hn." Only said Sesshomaru, nuzzling her tenderly.
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I sighed, ignoring the cruel pinch in my heart as I heard the news.
"Dear." I said softly, taking his hands in mine "I know it will be hard, but let your father have his happiness."
She sensed Sesshomaru's anger before he even said a word.
"Before you say anything." I added "Do you remember the fairytale I told you about the king that wanted love."
"He kidnapped a young girl and ordered her to love him." Said Sesshomaru.
"But you can't force love or any feelings and the girl was miserable away from her family." I continued.
"She let herself die from despair and sadness." Finished Sesshomaru.
I smiled before caressing softly his cheek.
"Be happy for your father." She said "You can't force him to love who you want. And while I'm sure he will listen to your opinion on the matter, he cannot help who he falls in love with. And it would be unfair to be deprived from your love, you're his only son."
The boy stayed silent and I smiled, kissing his forehead tenderly.
"Concentrate on your intended dear." I smiled before smirking slightly, teasing "I hope you're treating her well and that she's happy."
"Don't worry mother she is." Smirked back arrogantly the boy.
"Full of yourself as ever." I scoffed playfully, punching him lightly on his arm "Now go son, you don't want to make her wait."
"Will you come back to the western shiro?" asked Sesshomaru before stepping out of the hut, sounding hopeful.
"In a month or so." I said, smiling when I felt his happiness.
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The urge was stronger than the reason. I had to see her.
Localising her wasn't that hard, I just had to follow Sesshomaru and Toga's track to a little shiro of a minor human lord.
I just had to find the one covered in Toga's smell and indeed the hime (Izayoi if I heard the servant addressing her correctly) looked a lot like me.
Of course her hairs and eyes were ebony black, but there was a similarity in her facial traits, the way she moved and acted, a certain softness in her tone that indeed reminded me of…well, me.
I observed her for some time in the disguise of a bird.
The more I observed her, the more I could observe similarities. A faraway look in her eyes, the way people subtly evaded her presence, not wanting to hurt her but not wanting to be with her for long.
She let a soft yet slightly sad sigh out of her lips as she exposed her face to the warm sun above her. She seemed nostalgic, as if waiting for someone.
Yet she continued to smile, just like me.
I hopped a bit nearer and she turned to me, a sparkle lighting in her dark eyes.
"And what are you doing here little bird?" she said kindly "You should fly free as you're able to."
I blinked, replying nothing (I was a bird, I wasn't supposed to say something). But I wanted to ease the sadness I felt pouring out of her in waves a bit.
So I opened my beak and sang.
I sang for a few minutes before flying away, after I saw the invisible weight on her shoulder lift up slightly.
I barely heard the young woman whisper her thanks to me.
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A month passed where I made sure the pearl was highly protected before going.
I also periodically visited Izayoi. Of course the hime didn't know who I was, only seeing me as a bird, but sometimes she talked to me.
She was narrating me her life, her everyday battle. I found her intelligent, smart and mature for someone so young (but then again it wasn't my time anymore, it was the feudal area where young girls married at 12 to die at 24).
Before I went back to the western shiro though, I visited Mikomi and little Akiro.
Akiro had magenta hairs. It was a bit weird yet beautiful, a pinkish purple. His eyes were of an orange very close to his father's.
He was a lot like Mikomi when she was little, always running around, curious and full of energy. But physically he was more like his father.
I had to admit that having a grandchild made me feel old, but it was only an understandable and unimportant part comparing to the love and hapiness radiating from the little family. And Akiro was so adorable!
When I was visiting the Eastern shiro, I heard worrying news about the North. More and more lizard demons were attacking the West, South and East, sabotaging and attacking randomly. Hayate tried to make contact with the new lord Taro but Ryukotsusei always came in between (this fact was even more worrying for me).
I settled back in the Oôkooen swiftly and comfortably.
The only down point was that this time I was alone. Now that Haruki was courting Sesshomaru, they shared the same rooms. It was an old courting custom. Intendeds had to groom together to get accustomed to each other. Basically they had to sleep in the same bed and when they were more at ease with each other, bath together and dress each other.
Sometimes I wished they were still all children, running around the garden or the inner courts, begging for a snack at mid-afternoon.
The only thing I didn't miss were the tone of paperwork waiting for me on my desk.
Apparently Lady Inukimi hadn't changed at all while I was away.
I was also happy to see that the orphanage I created was well taken care of during my absence. Most human and demon children were adopted into families and were checked on every year as I ordered. The hanyo children hadn't as much chance but at least they had a roof, clothes, food and basic education. And now the orphanage had even a good reputation and people literally travelled great lengths to adopt (especially demons as the females could have fewer children than they wanted).
"So okaa-san?" asked Haruko, entering the Oôkooen's inner court and sitting with me on the bench near the fountain "How does it feel to be back?"
"It feels like home dear." I answered softly, enjoying the last sun rays of the day on my face "It feels like home."
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I was reading peacefully in the western library (which I found back with delight as I loved to read, and being unable to at the village was pure torture) when I felt Haruki enter the room.
I lifted my eyes to meet hers, surprised to see her without Sesshomaru (the two were literally glued together).
"Haruki?" I questioned, tempted to smile amusedly "Where is your Sesshomaru-kun?"
She lightly glared at me, fighting the blush creeping on her neck before sighing irritatedly and nearing me to tug at me hand.
"I want to go for a fly with you." She answered quickly, trying to ignore my smirk while trying to beckon me to stand "It's been so long since..."
I smiled sadly at her longing and nostalgic face before getting up, kissing her brows.
"Let me get ready." I answered, smiling at her triumphant face "Meet me in an hour at the gates.
She nodded eagerly and ran out of the room, probably to warn her precious Sesshomaru.
I smirked at the thought before walking out too.
After warning several persons of my departure and making sure everything would be alright (which took almost the whole hour), I changed quickly before meeting a beaming Haruki.
"Let's go." I simply said before transforming, my scales silver, my eyes dark red, my mane dark blue, my horns white and my spines light yellow.
Haruki smiled before transforming too.
We took off, soon soaring within the clouds, challenging each other in battles of dexterity and rapidity.
"We should go back." I said after a few hours "I sense a storm coming up."
Haruki nodded and we were about to turn around when we heard an anguished cry.
We stopped, our large wings flapping largely the air to stay in suspension.
"Do you think it is...?" asked hesitantly Haruki.
"...I think." I replied slowly after a while "We better go check."
My daughter looked unsure but agreed nonetheless, trusting my judgement. We used an ascendant wind to fly toward the storm, careful for any cumulonimbus which was the centrepiece of it.
The wind was becoming harsher and stronger, rendering our flight difficult.
"We should go back." Yelled Haruki over the howling of the wind currents "It's becoming too difficult!"
I sighed internally and was about to nod when we suddenly entered a valley.
I had no time to swear at our error before the winds pushed us apart violently.
I swore internally, using my wind power to push me at the other end of the valley.
But it was of no use (when I manipulated one current, another would ruin my efforts) and I was trying to desperately find a solution when I caught the one we were looking for.
The dragon was rather tiny compared to me or Haruki, fighting brokenly against the upcoming storm (and failing miserably). He or she looked dead tired.
I looked toward Haruki and was able to catch her attention for a fleeting second. I beckoned her to him and she nodded.
Reassured, I struggled to fold my wings against my body, letting myself fall to the ground, toward the youngling.
I brought it against me before opening my wings again.
The wind set us up again, sending us spiralling upstairs. I heard vaguely Haruki yelling my name and looked toward her.
She directed my gaze toward an enormous amount of clouds columning high in the sky, coming almost lazily at us.
This time I swore aloud before gesturing to Haruki to go land on the ground.
We dived wildly and used a fortunate descendant wind to get us to the earth. We landed just in time as the currant died, letting an ascending one take its place.
"This way!" I yelled to Haruki, gesturing mound of rocks not too far away from us.
My daughter helped me put the youngling on my back and together we waddled to it (our dragon bodies weren't made to walk easily on earth).
Haruki used her earth power to form a cavern with the rocks and we got inside just in time as a hailstorm crashed down on us.
Inside, Haruki helped me put the young dragon on a side of the cavern before we transformed back.
"Check him for wounds." I said quickly "I'll go gather water."
Haruki nodded before nearing the dragon, her hands glowing slightly.
I stepped slightly outside to gather a ball of icy and clear water from the hails.
"He is hardly wounded externally." said Haruki when I came back "But I'm worried for internal wounds."
I nodded before heating the water near the dragon's body's temperature and mixed my power within it.
I put my hands on the dragon's body, letting the water slowly sink past the rocky scales and under the deep leathery skin.
I let it ran down the entire body, repairing the damages which with time would have become internal bleeding.
"Done." I said shortly after finishing, getting the excess of water out of the dragon's body and tossing it outside "All we have to do now is to wait."
Haruki nodded and we busied ourselves to light a fire to warm us during the long wait.
We talked a bit, but essentially the atmosphere was silent and serene.
I silently observed the dragon, feeling Haruko doing the same beside me.
For now we couldn't know whether it was a male or a female, but I noted its rich brown scales, so dark in the confined space of the cavern they appeared black. It's mane seemed to be of the same colour, though I couldn't be sure so little light we had, the hailstorm blocking the sun's rays.
The only thing really noticeable in this atmosphere was the white spines glinting softly with each respiration the youngling took.
I almost couldn't wait for it to wake up, but I knew after fighting against a wind like that, it was bound to be exhausted.
"Sleep." I told Haruki, noticing her nodding off at the corner of my eyes "I'll wake you up when the youngling wakes up."
Haruki nodded tiredly before complying, her eyelids too heavy for her to protest.
Petitefeeme: Woohoo! Another original character added! And yes Izayoi is gonna play a role in this story.
Haruko:…You just love to torture me aren't you?
Petitefeeme: ^_^! Weeeeelll…that light be right. Please read and review!