Terms of note:
youkai- demon
hanyou-half youkai
shoji- a paper door
ofuda- a piece of paper used by Miroku to seal or banish evil spirits
mononoke- a vengeful spirit/youkai/monster
bouzu- insulting term for monk
tatami- a floor mat
shikon no kakera- shikon shards
jiji- old man/geezer
babaa- old woman/old hag
daiymo- a feudal warlord
okaa-san- mother
Itadakimasu- variously translated. Said before eating.




Kami Monogatari

...after death, a human being becomes a spirit, sometimes a deity.
It is believed that eight million deities inhabit the heavens and the earth
- the mountains, the forests, the seas, and the very air that is breathed.
Traditions tell us that these deities
have two souls: one gentle (nigi-mitama), and the other violent (ara-mitama).
-from, 'Ghosts, Demons and Spirits in Japanese Lore'
by: Norman A. Rubin

Ara-mitama, nigi-mitama, kushi-mitama and saki-mitama.
 All together these become one spirit, and in the flesh they live inside the heart.
Human nature is correctly maintained between them.
-Miroku, Chapter 94, 'The Birth of the Jewel'






Chapter 1: The Place Where Dreams Are Born

It was a ruby sunset, a liquid prism melting into the western horizon, sinking behind the black wings of a classical manor. It was a green world, lush and still fragrant from fresh rain, clouds only now swept away, rushing from the dying beams of sunlight. Rain had poured though the day, making the river they followed rise and turn white with small rapids, leaving their path muddy and puddle filled, caking bare feet, sandals and knee socks alike with wet clay and dirt. And now the fading light haloed the old mansion that grew before them, touching the black roofs with red shadows.
"How beautiful," Sango commented, tilting back her head to look up the slope. She slid off Kirara's back, resting a hand on the firecat's muzzle a moment before the feline flickered a bit, reducing her size and leaping up into her mistress's arms, mewing faintly. "It looks old."
"And dangerous," Miroku continued, grip tightening on his staff for a moment, frowning thoughtfully. "I sense an evil aura over this mansion."
Inuyasha snorted, giving the houshi an untrusting look. "Feh. A real evil aura, or just one that'll get you a futon for the night?"
Miroku gave the hanyou a dirty look. "Do you doubt my judgment?"
"No, just your honesty, bouzu."
"Inuyasha..." Kagome said distractedly, only partially listening to the argument. She held the handlebars of her bicycle tightly, stepping off the pedals. "I think..."
"They're not listening, Kagome," Shippou told her from the basket. He turned around and shrugged. "Maybe you should-"
"Not in this muck," Kagome lifted a foot and wrinkled her nose. Arguing with Miroku was not a good enough excuse to 'osuwari' Inuyasha into a muddy road. "I'll just say, 'shikon no kakera' and..."
"Eh?"
"Kagome-sama?"
Kagome sighed and shook her head. "...that'll get their attention."
"A shikon shard? Here?" Sango asked, physically walking between the two males, to break them up a bit. She frowned when Kagome hesitated, biting her lip. "Kagome? What is it?"
"It's...strange. Faint..." she shook her head uncertainly, "but here. I don't know."
"Well, then we'll have to go in," Inuyasha decided, sending a quick glare at Miroku. "And take care of whatever's causing the 'evil aura'." He placed a hand on the hilt of the Tetsusaiga, intent clear.
"You can't always pummel your enemies into a pulp, Inuyasha."
"Feh."

It was the eastern gate, a tall black archway lifting overhead as they walked though, gracefully welcoming visitors. But it was an empty place, and the small group looked around to see only vacant courtyard, broken with a small lake and streams leading away and under the mansion's light columns. Willowy trees graced the narrow banks. Several of the small bridges used to cross the streams had been broken, and across the open plaza, the western gate showed signs of abuse, several chunks of rock crumbling to the ground. Shadows gathered in the porches, touched only with the redness of the setting sun. Had the water of the lake not sparkled crimson, it would clearly reflect the home, lending it the appearance of a floating world, celestial and heavenly, light. Above the clouds. But it was edging closer to ruin, somewhat battered.
Inuyasha sniffed the wind. "There's been fighting here," he considered the damage around them. "Not recently, but not too long ago. Month or so, maybe. Youkai. But the scent's old. Sure you're not confused, bouzu?"
"I am not confused. There is an evil aura here."
"Feh," he turned away and looked at Kagome, who had propped her bike up against a wall, and was tentatively walking further out into the courtyard, Shippou on her shoulder. "Oy, Kagome! Anything?"
Kagome held her fingertips to her lips in uncertainty, trying to figure out where the feeling was coming from. It was permeating the place, flowing and shifting around her, making the hair on her neck prickle and her blood run cold. Her ability of sensing shards was still a bit erratic, and the search always involved scrounging around, interacting with people. And there was no one here, or so it seemed.
"Shippou-chan!"
She grabbed the kitsune and leapt to the side as an arrow sliced though the air, embedding itself where she had stood.
"Kagome!" Inuyasha called, rushing forward. Seeing she was unhurt, he switched directions, this time following the arrow's arc, a place hidden in the recesses of the nearest porch. A second arrow flew outward, and he knocked it aside, swatting it away easily, focusing on the man emerging on the porch steps, already nocking another arrow. Even as the man drew back again, Inuyasha reached him, grabbing him by the throat and pinning him against the light column beside the steps. "Who the hell are you?"
Their attacker refused to meet Inuyasha's eyes and struggled, scratching at the hand pinning him, then thinking better of it and going for the hanyou's eyes.
"Hey!" Inuyasha smacked the hands away from his face, hefting the man up a bit more. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
That only served to infuriate the man, who was quickly loosing strength, shoulders slumping down. Whitening hair had been loosed from a small tail, falling in tangles into a lined face. "I will not abandon my home to filthy youkai!"
Inuyasha arched an eyebrow. "Who's filthy?"
"Inuyasha," Kagome warned as she approached, "he's just protecting his home. Put him down."
"He tried to kill you!"
Inuyasha was able to read the following expression that formed on Kagome's face. It usually preceded the word 'osuwari.'
Inuyasha dropped the man into a heap, who began to rub his neck, coughing lightly as he warily eyed the people standing over him. A white haired youkai and a girl dressed very strangely, carrying what appeared to be a small child...with a tail. Two others approached from behind, coming to peer into the shadows under the porch, a woman carrying a cat and a man dressed as monk.
"I will not leave," the man repeated, still suspicious.
"Who's asking you to-" Inuyasha began, but was cut off as Miroku pushed his way forward.
"Gomen, for Inuyasha's rudeness. I am Miroku, a servant of-"
"Feh! Who asked you to interrupt, bouzu!"
Miroku ignored him.
The argument only confused the man, who backed away a bit, until the girl in strange clothes pushed them aside. "Don't listen to Inuyasha and Miroku-sama," she sighed, shaking her head. "My name is Higurashi Kagome. And this is Sango, and Shippou. Miroku-sama sensed an evil aura over your home...we don't mean any harm."
The man's eyes shifted to Inuyasha, who had his arms folded and was glaring.
Kagome tried to smile encouragingly. "Don't mind Inuyasha. His bark is worse than his bite."
"Feh!"
Kagome shook her head. "See?"
Slowly, the man gathered himself, leaning up against the roofbeam beside him for support. His knees crackled slightly from age and use, and he stepped away from the group a bit, warily. "So then why are you here?"
"Kagan, stop being so suspicious," a voice snapped from behind the shoji door. A woman emerged from behind it, somewhat plump and with grey streaked black hair. She slid the door back into place, coming to stand beside the man. "If they meant harm, that one would have killed you already."
"I told you to stay inside!"
The woman made a small 'humph' sound, shrugging and appearing not to listen to the man she addressed as Kagan. "Don't mind him. He's too much of a worrier." She smiled warmly, brown eyes full of teasing.
"And you're reckless!"
She shrugged. "I'm Yanagi. This is my husband, Kagan. It has been some time since we have received visitors. And never youkai."
She spoke calmly, evenly, with authority, as though accustomed to explaining and giving orders. Watchfully, she seemed to be examining each member of the group, eyes finally resting on Miroku, and piecing together one part of the story. "There is nothing that can be done, houshi-sama."
"Eh?"
Yanagi shook her head, and she and Kagan seemed to lean in towards one another, either out of habit or support. She was silent, and Kagan continued for her. "You're not the only ones who've come. You'd best leave, before it gets dark."
"Too late for that," Sango said, glancing up at the sky. "Sunset already. What's going on?"
"None of your damn business-" Kagan began, but was cut off by Yanagi.
"We won't leave," she said, clasping the sleeve of Kagan's kimono and clenching her fingers until her knuckles turned white. "It's dangerous here. You'd best go."
"This is getting really stupid," Inuyasha muttered, then spoke up. "Look, there's no youkai around here. We're just here to get the shikon no kakera. That's probably your problem in the first place."
"Shikon..." Kagan began.
"...no kakera?" Yanagi finished, both looking puzzled. "Nani?"
"This," Kagome tried to explain, pulling out her portion of the jewel from her shirt, glowing faintly. "We're trying to find the rest...it attracts youkai, sometimes...really, we don't mean any harm. We'll find it and leave."
"Kagome, I told you, there's no damn youkai here!"
"Yeah, but something's got to be causing the evil aura!"
"Hell if I know what! It's not youkai!"
"But then...."
They were interrupted by Yanagi's laughter, a light chuckle, accompanied by a wave of her hand. "Yare, yare. Your youkai friend is correct." Her expression sobered a bit as she continued, folding her hands together. "There hasn't been a youkai here for better than a cycle of the moon. Come...if you're determined to find this...shard...then we'd best speak indoors. I've got rice cooking, and-"
"Yanagi!" Kagan exclaimed.
"...and you're welcome here," she concluded, bowing slightly. "Come, before my rice boils over." She released her husband and began to walk down the steps, pushing her way past the group and heading across the courtyard. "So horrible to clean up."

The kitchen was small, filled with cookpots and a low table in the corner, where the males of the group quickly settled in, save for Shippou, who settled himself on the counter. He was quickly given the task of stirring the rice, and began to wish he had chosen another place to put himself. The women began to move about the kitchen, Yanagi issuing quick orders to feed the increased numbers at their table. Food was pulled out of storage bins, and began to fill the room with the savory scent of their meal.
Kagan frowned at the two who had settled themselves on either side of him. He had taken his place at the head of the table, legs folded and back straight, absently combing his hair with his fingers and returning it to the small ponytail. "We'll let you stay," he allowed after a moment, gruffly. "For tonight. You'll find your shikon thing and leave."
"Eh...sounds fine with me, Kagan-jiji," Inuyasha said, eyeing the older man. "That's all we want. If there's no youkai here, we'll just take the thing and leave."
Kagan didn't seem particularly persuaded by Inuyasha, remaining suspicious of the outsiders. Simply strolling up to the gate and looking around. No one came this way, not for a long time, and not without reason. Though the area was beautiful, old legends of the past haunted the shadows, and recent events only held to the stories. Recent attacks he had seen made him skeptical of strangers, and there was a bit of challenge in his voice when he asked, "Don't want to run into any more of your kind here, youkai?"
Inuyasha had decided the man wasn't worth getting worried over. "Feh."
Miroku sighed, wondering at the like personalities. "Actually, Kagan-san, Inuyasha is hanyou, not youkai."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" came the sharp retort.
"Maybe not. But you shouldn't assume simply by appearances," the houshi warned Kagan, who nodded slightly at the words.
He regarded the two for a moment, then glanced over the houshi's shoulder at the bustling figure of his wife in the kitchen, ordering the strangely dressed one- Kagome, he remembered- on how to properly work the brazier, keeping the coals the right temperature. Smoke drifted up into their faces, accompanied by small waves of heat. Strange people, he thought, but then the houshi did have a point. Slowly, he conceded, calling a small truce, "I suppose you could have killed me then."
It hung for a moment, and Inuyasha shrugged. "You're slow, jiji."
And that seemed to be the end of it.
"This...shikon no kakera...you're looking for. It's what's causing the accidents?"
"Probably," Inuyasha replied, deciding to answer the question before asking about the 'accidents'. "Kagome did say earlier it brings a lot of youkai around, looking for it. Don't know what's causing the problems now, but when we find out what does have it, we'll take care of things." He stretched his claws idly, intent clear.
"Kagan-san," Miroku asked, "when exactly did these youkai attacks end?"
He shrugged, and opened his mouth to answer, only to hesitate at the arrival of Yanagi, kneeling and placing a dish of rice between them. Moving back so that he could look the houshi in the face, he began, "About a month ago, they stopped. Not really sure why. But that was the beginning of the worst of it."
"Worst of it?"
Kagan nodded, edging away to give Yanagi more room to stand. "Hai. Strange accidents. People started getting sick. Collapsing. We've never had this kind of problem here before. Started scaring people away, even those who'd lived here most of their lives," he said, pausing for a moment at the end, implying that he and Yanagi had also lived here 'most of their lives.'
"And most of us didn't want to leave," Yanagi added as she returned, this time with a stack of bowls in her hands, handing them down to Miroku, who accepted them. Kagome and Sango arrived, carrying bowls of food and setting them out, to the clattering of plates being sent around the table. Steam wafted up from the dishes, grilled eggplant and steamed fish, a delicious assortment varying from their usual fare. "Kagan and I are very fortunate. We've never been hurt."
"Why?" Miroku asked, curiously.
The couple looked at each other and shook their heads. "We don't know," she replied softly. "But so long as we're not, we've decided to stay."
"Itadakimasu!" Shippou cried as he began to scoop rice into his bowl from the larger plate. "Finally, real food!"
Yanagi smiled at the kitsune's exuberance and settled herself down opposite Kagan. Sango sat on Shippou's opposite side, well out of Miroku's wandering reach. Kagome sat beside Inuyasha, telling him to straighten up since he was partially sprawled across that side of the table.
"Inuyasha, that's rude...get your feet out of my way."
Grumbling, he sat up, reaching for his own bowl and scooping fish and eggplant into it. "So this place has been your home for awhile, eh?" he asked as he stuffed his face with food. "Pretty old."
"Hai," Yanagi nodded, bowing her head for a moment. "Several hundred years. We've rebuilt time and again, even during my lifetime."
"Mansions like this used to be for court members, ne?" Sango asked, placing a few bits of fish into a spare bowl and setting it beside her, causing Kirara to dart out of her corner and begin her own dinner. "It's very elaborate."
"Hai. Okaa-san told me that this place has an old story, about the first people who lived here," Yanagi told her, lifting some eggplant to her lips thoughtfully. "A nobleman built this place for his young wife. But one day, when he was in court, there was a tremor in the earth, and her lamp overturned. There are still old char marks in the older wing of the house."
"How awful," Sango murmured, assuming the rest of the story from the somber tone Yanagi used when speaking of it. "Did he stop coming here, then?"
Yanagi swallowed and shook her head. "Court kept him in Kyoto most of the time. He never remarried, and died many years later, of a sickness. Or at least that's what okaa-san said."
"Cheerful story," Inuyasha muttered, and got a sharp elbow in the side from Kagome. "Oy!"
"Inuyasha," Kagome hissed quietly. "Be nice."
"Yeah, well everybody died!"
Kagome sighed and shook her head. "It's a beautiful home, Yanagi-san."
"It's been passed though that family's line for years," Kagan continued as Yanagi stood, brushing off her cooking apron. Moments later, she returned with a pitcher of clear water, setting it on the table for them to pour. "But it's people like Yanagi and I who keep it up. In this era, I don't think anyone owns it anymore."
"Then that should make it your home," Sango told him. "With the daiymo constantly infighting, this place has been overlooked without a feudal lord of its own. Once we get the shikon no kakera out of here, then the others who lived-"
"Shikon no kakera, shikon no kakera," Kagan repeated, sending a sharp glance at Sango, since she was speaking. "They told me it attracts youkai. What worries me is why it attracts you."
She met his gaze evenly, lightly resting a hand on Kirara's uplifted head. "That's a long story in and of itself, Kagan-san. But we all have good reason."
The skeptical man held her eyes, reading them cautiously. They were steady, but open, face set firmly, decidedly. Slowly, he shifted his look, meeting each in turn. Even the kitsune child looked back at him, with a variation of the same expression. Determination, anger, and a sense of duty. Kagan decided not to press, since it would seem rude. Personal reasons, he began to realize, and to ask for more would be wrong.
"Hai, then," he said after a time. "Daimyo aside. We'll show you to a set of rooms after dinner."

It was a beautiful room, in the northern hall, old and elegant, with polished wooden floors, partially covered by newly woven tatami. Yanagi had commandeered Inuyasha and Miroku, making them drag futons halfway across the mansion's expanse. The rooms, being old, were sets of screens, beautifully painted, portraying wild geese and bamboo shoots, cranes half hidden by the imaginary marshland. Lit by candles, the warm yellow glow made them float, as though shadows passing over the paper.
"They'd better not try peering around," Sango muttered as she untied her hair, then rummaged through her packs. She pitched her voice a bit louder, asking, "Hear that, houshi-sama? No peeping!"
A dry, "Hai," called back from the other side of the screen, and Sango frowned, not really trusting him.
She turned back to Kagome, running a comb though her hair. Then, quieter, so not to be overheard, "I wish there were separate rooms. Real separate rooms."
"Miroku-sama will behave," Kagome replied just as quietly, with a small grin as she kicked off her shoes and socks, then rolled back her futon. "I'll tell Inuyasha to pound him good if he doesn't."
Sango rolled her eyes and tucked her hair behind her ear. "It's different on the road. Somehow having an actual room to sleep in makes you want to act a bit more civilized." She yawned, rubbing her eyes with her fingertips, then set her comb aside.
"These were probably rooms for a lady once," Kagome said softly as she pulled the covers up to her chin, fluffing out her hair around her head so that it didn't stick to her neck. Her hair fell in a dark aureole around her face, slipping across the small pillow. "The screens for her ladies in waiting. No privacy," she sighed, suppressing a yawn, "not really."
"You're probably right," Sango sighed, sliding into her own futon, Kirara curling up under her chin and purring faintly. She gave the twin tailed cat an amused look, then pushed her back just a bit. "You reek of sulfur, Kirara. Not good to sleep with. Have to get you cleaned up soon."
"Maybe they have a bath," Kagome mumbled sleepily, her eyes lightly closed, lashes resting against her cheeks. "We'll have to ask...."
"Hai," Sango agreed, curling up around Kirara, regardless of smell, closing her eyes and turning away. But Kagome was not listening, resting lightly and drifting away to sleep. The day was a long one with the morning rain, and she had quickly changed into her spare clothes, her uniform dirty from the rain and road dirt. The tatami made the hardwood floor a bit softer, and with the futon, it was easy to relax. On the edges of her senses, she could hear the sound of water, flowing. Drowsily, she realized she was not imagining it, and mentally ran though the way the old palace looked. One of the streams ran under the structure, flowing out into the river beyond the mansion's walls; a simple, contrived elegance. Below her, she could hear its murmur, and the sound of water subtly shifting and splashing against stone and streambed.
She drifted on a loose tide of dreams, relaxing into a welcoming sleep. Neither girl saw the swirling of shadows that accompanied the silencing of their candlelight. Kagome did not acknowledge the sensation of coldness that pressed with invisible fingertips to her throat, lightly touching. Only buried herself deeper into the light blanket, shivering slightly as her dreams flowed into the water, submerging into a glassy, blackened illusion.






*****************************************


Hi again. More notes...let's see. Names? Yanagi and Kagan. Yanagi translates to 'willow' and Kagan to 'riverside' or 'riverbank.' I thought the names fit together well for an old married couple. ^.~ The mansion they live in is from the Heian era that I mentioned in the prologue. That's roughly the 11th century, and it was when the imperial court in Miyako -I've also seen 'Heianko'- modern day Kyoto- was at its peak. Heian was basically a classical era, and the court was full of the arts, music and literature being very important. It was in the Heian that the world's first novel was composed- 'Genji Monogatari' or, 'The Tale of Genji' and partial inspiration for the title of this fic. A monogatari is 'a telling' or, 'a story.' Kami are gods/divine spirits in Shinto. So the fic's title is something like 'A Tale of the Kami' or 'A Tale of Spirits.'
'The Tale of Genji' was written in the early 11th century by Lady...yes, a woman...Lady Murasaki Shikibu. (Murasaki means 'lavender.') She lived at the court, and most noblewomen of her era were literate, devoting themselves to music and poetry. Murasaki penned the world's first novel in 'The Tale of Genji.' (It's also been made into a very nifty anime.... ^_^)
Heian era mansions were usually large and somewhat bare of furniture...the lake and streams here were usual...they'd run under the structure, which was raised up from the ground. Rooms were usually large and without a lot of walls...so when Sango's worried about Miroku peeping, it'd be fairly easy for him to try...there's just a couple screens to move. >.;;
Ja ne til next chapter!
-Queen