Title: Tides Against Time
Rating: M (Language, Violence, and Adult Content)
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the Little Mermaid. All rights should go to Inuyasha Inc. and Disney.
Music: The song I have selected for his chapter is: "Old Celtic & Nordic Ballads – The Mermaid's Croon" and "The Little Mermaid - Part of Your World (Ocarina)" Start at Minuet 2:02-2:33. I love to listen to music while I read to add to the atmosphere. You are welcome to listen along with my music selection if you want. It is not required. When you see these marks (***) that means to begin to play the selected song. When you see these marks (xxx) that means to stop the selected work. I do not have credit for either of these songs or channels but I think they add to the story.
Note: Demon Aging – 3 human years is 1 in demon. It's been 50 years so that makes Inuyasha 16 in demon years. Demons stop aging at their prime age, males being 25-35 and females 20-30. Their life is infinitely after that. Mermaids live for 300-500 years. They age the same rate as demons and stop the same maturity ages as demons but do not have infinite life spans.
Tides Against Time: Curioso
[50 years later]
The long winter's chill was finally blowing away by the warm front coming up from the Atlantic ocean. With the warming weather, the water and the land itself began to come alive with green and new life. Crops were breaking the earth's surface and blushing buds opened on tree and flower. Migratory birds and sea life returned to the Balearic Sea, bringing increased fishing, produce, goods and traveling merchants into the city of Valencia, Spain. People from all over the countryside poured into the market places to sell and to purchase these goods. Threaded throughout the city were small canals and water ways. They bustled with long merchant and passenger boats. Cafés, bakeries and flower shops filled the air with their sale calls and fragrant smells.
Unbeknownst to the city dwellers, a gossip of water nymphs were making their way to their annual spawning grounds. Every year at the turn of the season the Royal tribe migrates up the coastline of Western Africa to retreat from its rainy season. As they travel they keep low to the sea floor to avoid being seen by the humans and demons above. Ships, nets, and traps create a complex maze through the sea's waters. Younglings keep close to their mothers as they learn from their elders the safe way to go. They twist and twirl with little effort but they know better than to touch anything. One mistake could be your last. Some have scares along their bodies or tares in their fins from the hard life in the sea. Passing the city's fishing grounds they continued up the coast until they reach a hidden cove along Spain's rocky shoreline. They swim through an underwater tunnel hidden from the land above. The tunnel opens up into a large cave with a beach and lagoon in its center. A few cracks along the cave's wall bring in light. Inside the secret cave was safe from predatory eyes and a great place to relax after their long journey.
"Finally! I thought we'd never get here!" said a young newt as he pulled himself out of the water to lie flat on his back. His wet form quickly coated in sand from the gritty cave shore. Resting his hands behind his head he soaked up the warm sunlight peeking through the cracks above him. He had brown hair, a bright orange tail with white patches on it and ornery hazel eyes. He was about 10 years old in human years and was starting to gain his confidence and independence.
"Stop your grumbling Sota. We're all tired." said his older sister Kikyo.
She was the eldest spawn of the Mer-King Poseidon. As heir to the Water Kingdom she felt it was her responsibility to keep her brother in line. Now was not the time to mess around; especially while her father got everyone settled. Kikyo was elegant, graceful and seen to be perfect in everyway. Everyone respected her leadership and discernment. She was praised for her quick whit and maturity. She had long, silky, black hair that swept behind her as she swam. Her breast shells and tail were a dark red color with maroon undertones. The dark combination made her skin look freshly fallen snow. Her eyes were a rich chocolate brown but darkened when she stared at Sota with authority and displeasure. On top of her head was a golden coral crown embedded with blue pearls, purple sea glass, and pink seashells. She had white pearls and white seashells strung around her neck and both upper arms. She gracefully pulled herself up onto a rock and reclined into its arched grove. Once settled she began running her fingers through her hair in an attempt to making it smooth and tangle free.
Just then a purple fin came out of the water. It slapped the surface making a large splash, spraying Kikyo and Sota on the shoreline.
"AH! KAGOME! I was just getting dry!" shouted Sota as he glared at his other sister.
Swimming up to her siblings Kagome breaks the surface only showing the crown of her head and mischievous eyes out of the water. Swimming to the water's rocky edge she quickly fills her mouth with water and spits it in his face. Watching her brother fall back on the beach in surprise the cave rings with her laughter. Sota makes a mighty war cry as he dives at his sister and wrestles her in the water. They yell, laugh, splash and roll around in the water making a huge mess. Merfolk on the shore watch them as they play and laugh at their games. Kikyo pulled herself up higher onto the cave rock to avoid being splashed and stared down at her boisterous siblings in annoyance. She shook her head and released a long sigh.
"Alright, alright you two. Break it up! How is it you both have such energy after our long journey?!" asked their father as he swim between them.
He had black hair that went bellow his shoulders and had a golden coral crown on his head. In his hand was a trident that had a large conch shell on the top. To mark him as king he was covered in dark blue tribal tattoos. They were on his chin, chest, back, and upper arms. His tail was navy blue with dark green undertones. His dark blue eyes stared down at them with amusement and a disbelieving smile curled his lips.
"We're just happy to be home is all!" Kagome said with a giggle.
As she swam backwards to the shoreline she gave him a teasing look. Kagome had long, wavy, black hair that reached to middle of her back. Upon her head sat a crown made of white coral and blue sea pearls. Above her ears the coral branched out making it look like she had sea bird wings. The front of the crown pointed down towards her nose and was decorated with a circular blue sea stone. Her lips were coral pink and her tail was deep purple with green, blue, and gold undertones. Her eyes were a deep blue and her white breast shells were embedded with tiny white pearls along the edge. Unlike her sister she was warm in personality and clumsy at times. She enjoyed every moment of life and loved to laugh. She brought joy with her wherever she went and made friends with everyone she met. She often pulled pranks and was known for sneaking off to go on adventures. She had an amazing voice and the Merfolk loved to hear her sing; especially her father.
"Well, the mermen and I are going to find some dinner. Why don't you three put together some music to celebrate our return and the beginning of mating season?" their father suggested.
"Sure! Sounds fun." Kagome said as she turned to look at her siblings. They both gave her a nod in agreement and quickly began making plans.
(*** Old Celtic & Nordic Ballads – The Mermaid's Croon ***)
Seeing his younglings making arrangements Poseidon made his way towards a gossip of mermen at the entrance of the tunnel. They returned about an hour later and everyone climbed onto the sandy shore to eat and relax with their families. Once everyone was ready Kagome, Kikyo and Sota began to play a song known to all Water creatures. Merfolk love music and are very creative in making instruments. They made flutes from skinny tube coral, horns and trumpets from conch shells and drums from broken barrels found near shipwrecks. They could even make harps and lutes from fishing crates with finishing line for strings. The combination of these instruments created vibrant colors and textures in tones. Their music filled the cave and the atmosphere was calming and warm.
Chorus: Kagome and Kikyo harmonize
Ho! Mo nigh'n dugh. Mo nighean dubh 's tum o chauchag. (2x's)
Verses: Kagome sings and shakes shell filled with sand, Kikyo on harp, Sota plays flute
Caidil a luaidh fo chobhair nan stuadh. Air bodha na suain 's do bhruadar 's a' cheòban.
Caidil a ghraidh o caidil mu thràth. Is t'athair air bhàigh is fadal mo phòig air.
Eala rid' thaobh is roin os do chionn. Lacha Mhoire 's a' chaol 's cha'n flaobar bhrònag.
Translation:
Sleep beneath the foam, o' the waves. On reefs of sleep dreaming in dew mist. Thy seabed, the seals o'er head. From reivers dread securely guarding. While I croon, white swan of the moon. Wild duck of sound, by thee are resting.
(xxx stop song xxx)
Once they were finished playing everyone settled in for the night, gathering together in their collected family gossips. Fathers, mothers and their dozens of younglings would nestle together on the rocks and sand; gaining warmth and comfort from each other. Kagome and her family were cozied up together near the far edge of the lagoon. The King wanted to be near the entrance incase he needed to make a hasty retreat to protect his tribe and family. Being close to the water however, allowed Kagome the ability to sneak out without her family's knowledge. It was dangerous at night to swim alone. It was difficult to see and one could easily get tangled in fishing lines or run into dangerous deep-water creatures. Kagome always stuck close to the shoreline though, never going out into open water without someone else. The last time she did that was 4 years ago and she almost lost her life to a Great White. If it wasn't for the shark getting tangled in lose netting that was weighed down by an anchor she would have been a goner.
Soundlessly slipping into the water she quietly made her way out of the cove's main tunnel. She then quickly swam along the coastline until she reached the cities maze of canals. As she swam further into the city she hid under bridges and behind docked boats, fishing crates and stray barrels. She knew of the dangers of being seen and getting caught. She wasn't a fool. However, that didn't stop her curiosity. One of her favorite things she loved was to people watch. The lively hood of the land dwellers had always fascinated her. Knowing better than to push her luck she only dared to come to the city under the cloak of darkness. Being confined to the water ways she knew she was missing a large portion of the city. Never the less the portion of the city she did see was always active and its nightlife was entertaining. People, demons, animals and carriages of all shapes, colors and sizes move about the city.
On occasion she caught lovers embracing in shadowed alleyways. She never stayed too long in fear of getting caught but what she did observe in those brief moments filled her with longing. As she grew closer to her destination she noticed that tonight was quite active in its evening activity. Every where she turned she could hear boisterous laughing and singing and near the squares she could see dancers dancing along to the music that was being played. Music seemed to pour our all across the city and she had to hold back a laugh as she watched two-legged beings zigzagging across the walkways struggling to keep upright. Knowing she needed to get moving she continued her way up a narrow canal she is all too familiar with. It opened up into a deep mote that circled around a stone castle. On the backside of the mote was an iron drain leading inside the castle. This drain fed a small pond that the castle used as decoration in the Royal family's courtyard. It is in this courtyard where she hides.
Peeping through some water grass she looks up a tall tower and sees two silhouettes making their way towards a balcony. She gasps when she recognizes one of the figures. It was the same boy she had saved all those years ago but now he is no longer a child. He was tall and in great physical shape. He looked to be in his mid twenties in human years and was very handsome. His silver hair was laying loosely behind his shoulders and reached his mid back. His amber eyes and facial markings almost glowed in the moonlight. He wore a loose fit white covering that hung open around his neck showing his broad chest. It was taught around his arms showing his strength as he leaned on the railing.
She then took of the other figure who was talking behind him. She notices that this figure looked very similar to the male with blue streaks across his cheeks she had saved all those years ago. However, this one looked too young to be the same and wasn't nearly as tall or filled out as he had been. Their facial shape, golden eyes and silver hair were very similar but since he lacked the markings on his cheeks she knew they could not be the same. Plus he had strange fluffy ears on the top of his head. His facial expressions were softer and his eyes appeared to twinkle with youth. With him standing next to the relaxed male she could tell that he was shorter than him as well. She could only assume that he was probably in his late teens. As she secretly watched from the shadows they continued to discuss something. Having not grown up upon the land she can't understand what they were saying in their foreign tongue. However, despite the lack of understanding whatever the taller male had said the shorter male was not too pleased about it. It was funny to watch.
(On the Balcony)
"Do I really have to Sesshomaru?" whined the short male.
"Yes, you must little brother. It is written in Father's contract with the Duke of York. If you were to be a boy and their second child was to be a girl you were predestined to be married. Unfortunately for the both of you it just so happened to work out that way." said Sesshomaru as he looked up into the evening sky.
"Ah… man! You would think with you getting married to the oldest daughter that I wouldn't have to marry into the same family!" he complained as he flopped down in defeat with a humph onto one of balcony chairs. Growing irritated he crossed his arms over his chest.
"I have a feeling the Duke wanted to make sure that if either his eldest or I were to die the family ties would still be there. With our countries having worked closely the past few centuries it makes sense to secure a stronger union between us. Simple strategy if you think about it." He said uninterestedly.
"I guess… but when are they supposed to get here?" his brother asked.
"The letter said they would get here on the 50th year anniversary of the contract. That being the two days before my birthday and three days before yours. With that almost two months away it will give you plenty of time to work on your ballroom dancing. Wouldn't want to embarrass yourself in front of your fiancé now would you Inuyasha?" Sesshomaru taunted.
"Hey! I can dance just fine thank you! Just because I tripped during the winter solstice doesn't mean I can't dance." Inuyasha defended.
"If you say so," Sesshomaru shrugged.
"Whatever." Inuyasha grumbled not wanting to continue arguing.
Sesshomaru had been really stressed out as of late. With the increased number of travelers in the city, security needed to increase to keep everything running smoothly. Plus new management needed to be constructed in the markets and ports to regulate trading goods coming in and out. To add to the mix he had to prepare the castle for the incoming officials and neighboring allies for Inuyasha's coming of age birthday celebration. Normally this task would have been passed over to the Lady of the house. However, since he had yet to mate it fell into his lap. He was already pushing his patience to the max with being a cardinal Lord but now he had his fiancé and family coming as well. Sesshomaru was good at hiding his emotions and state of mind but Inuyasha knew better. It was then Inuyasha got an idea.
"Hey, do you want to go down to the beach tomorrow afternoon? It's been a while since we've gone and it would be good to get out of this place before it gets any crazier. We can go down a ways from the city and relax. I could get Kaede to make us a picnic or somethin?" he asked.
Sesshomaru stood there quietly for a moment contemplating his brother's suggestion. He was starting to feel the discomfort of the added load but would never complain. Thinking of all of the things needed done and mentally weighing the list he figured he could cram most of his duties in the morning and make preparations to manage the city in his absence for a couple of hours.
"Hn, I'll make preparations with Jaken in the morning. We'll leave once I have everything arranged." he said turning around to look at his brother.
Inuyasha then stood up from his chair and said, "Great, well I'm off to bed then. I'll see you in the morning."
He then bowed to his brother before leaving Sesshomaru alone to his thoughts on the balcony. After seeing his brother leave Sesshomaru walked over to his nightstand in his bedchambers and pulled open a drawer. Reaching inside he pulled out a small wooden flute. Returning to his balcony he rests his back against a pillar and reclines with one knee bent. Once comfortable he lift the flute to his lips, closed his eyes and began to play a song he had not played in a very long time.
(*** The Little Mermaid - Part of Your World (Ocarina) Start at Minuet 2:02-2:33 ***)
Kagome watched as Sesshomaru disappeared into his room. Sneaking over to the shore she quickly left a surprise on the edge for him before returning to her hiding spot. Just as she was settled she saw him return with a stick in his hand. She watched him rest with his back along the railing of the building. She moved around the waters edge to get a better view from where she was hiding and gasped as she heard him begin to play. It was a song she knew with every fiber of her being and it warmed her heart and soul to hear him play it. It was the very song she had sung to him when she had saved his life 50 years ago. They had stared into each other's eyes for only a moment. But she had felt like a piece of her soul became one with him. It was a powerful feeling so she had poured her heart into that song wishing desperately to be able to tell him how she felt. Even as young as she had been at the time she knew she wanted to be a part of his life.
"He remembers…" she whispered to herself as a single tear ran down her cheek.
As he continued to play she watched his handsome face relax and show emotion. Since the day she had saved him she watched him grow every spring and summer. She had seen his boyish charm harden into the demon before her but loved him anyway. She did not know why he only showed emotion when alone but she was happy that she was able to see him for who he was. She just wished she could get a chance to know this demon. However their circumstances were a bitch seeing as she was tied to the sea. She would die if she left its waters for too long and she did not have legs as he did. To make up for it she left him gifts. They were always different and many of them she had collected from her travels across the sea. Every night while she was in town she would sneak into his lagoon and leave a gift for him to find on a large rock. She had been nearly caught two years ago but was able to hide just in time.
(xxx stop song xxx)
Sesshomaru finished his song and looked down towards the lagoon near his balcony. The moon was reflecting on its ripples and he couldn't help but think of the beautiful girl's eyes who had saved him. Now that he had stopped aging at 25 in human years, his court officials have been nagging him to marrying his fiancé from York. Plus the contract was reaching its 50th year anniversary in a few days making both countries restless for an heir. It was on that fateful trip of engagement where their ship went down. Being reminded of that night had made the mysterious maiden frequent his mind. He had searched the countryside over the years looking for her but no one knew where this mysterious girl came from. He thought it was possible that she might have left the country, sailed far away or had been a figment of his imagination; but he knew that last option wasn't true.
He had felt her touch and listened to her song that day. They had shared an unmistakable connection and he knew he had felt a piece of his heart be filled by her gentle touches. He knew not what she said with her foreign tongue but knew it was meant only for him. Focusing back on the water he sees something on the shoreline shining. Growing curious he made his way down the stairs to the waters edge. Once close enough he discovers the shinny object to be a large teal sea stone. He held it up in the moonlight and watched it glisten. The stone cast vibrant hues of blues and greens along his hand. It was almost the size of his palm making it the largest sea stone he had ever seen. Looking back to the water he scans about the courtyard hoping to catch the being who had left the gift.
Knowing the time of year it was he had come to anticipate the gifts. When the gifts first started coming it made him nervous that someone was able to sneak into his home undetected. As a child he had tried to stay up and wait to capture the being. He had sworn he saw something hiding in the shadows near the water a couple times but never found anyone there. He only saw a large purple fish disappear in the waters. Over time he came to appreciate the gifts and wait in anticipation for their arrival. The gifts had always been harmless and were beautiful. Sometimes they were items he had never seen before. Not knowing who gave him the gifts made it special and it made him feel appreciated that someone was thinking of him. Whoever the humble being was he enjoyed then attention.
"Muchas gracias, Curioso" he said making Kagome's heart flutter.
He had come to calling the mysterious being over the years, "Curioso" because not knowing whom sparked his curiosity. He felt rude not thanking them regardless of not knowing who they were. So he had to come up with some type of name to make up for it. Kagome over time learned to understand that he was saying thank you in his own way. It always made her feel happy that they had this special moment together under the moonlight. Although their moments together were brief and only lasted a few weeks a year she felt complete with him. Putting the stone in his pocket Sesshomaru made his way back up to his balcony, closed the patio door and got ready for bed. Kagome no longer being able to see him slipped out of the drain, meandered her way through the canal system and down the coast to the cove's hidden tunnel. Slowly coming out of the water so not to wake her sleeping family she pulled herself up next to them and fell asleep. Soon she was dreaming of the silver haired lord and his amber eyes. Little did she know that he too is dreaming of her.
(End of Chapter 1)
(I wonder what's going to happen at the beach tomorrow? Only time will tell! Make sure to follow along to find out! Thank you for reading! I hope you are enjoying the story so far. Please leave a review on what you think!)
Translation: Muchas gracias, Curioso: Thank you very much, Curious.
Timeline catchup:
50 years ago the Duke of York and The Lord of Spain signed a marriage contract binding their children. They set sail the day after and on the eve of the following day the ship is lost in a storm and sinks. This just so happens to be on Sesshomaru's 13th birthday. Kagome rescues Sesshomaru and his father from their sinking ship then disappears. Inuyasha's mother due to the stress of the ship sinking and Toga getting hurt gave birth to Inuyasha the next day. Five days after the signing and two days after the ship has sunk Sesshomaru wakes up from his coma and meets his brother for the first time. Later that same day their father wakes up to tell them goodbye and names Inuyasha before succumbing to his wounds. 50 years later Inuyasha is about to have his coming of age ceremony and the anniversary of their marriage contract to the Duke of York's daughters. The contract was signed two days previous to the ship sinking. They are said to arrive the day of the marriage contract. Thats two days before Sesshomaru's birthday, three days before Inuyasha's and four days for the anniversary of their father's death.