From darkness I understand the night:
dreams flow, a star shines
The song of the star enchants my heart.
Ah! I desire....
-'Aniron' Lord of the Rings Soundtrack
Chapter 6- Nothing A Downpour Won't Erase
Shippou was running.
One day. Amazing how quickly things could
happen in one, single day.
So he ran.
Back to where he was before, down the path
that led to the river, down through the canopy of trees and past the chrysanthemums
that were still tightly closed from the night. Dawn stretched gossamer
fingers through the sky, turning it shades of yellow and pink on the horizon.
He'd left Miroku and Sango, both still sleeping,
in their rooms. Kirara had lifted her head curiously as he made for the
door, making a small, inquisitive growl at his disobeyment of orders. With the coming of the day, their hosts rose in unison, accustomed to certain
patterns of life. Kagan to work, Yanagi to cook, and to go about their
business at the mansion. He kept his head down and eyes closed as their
movements woke Inuyasha and Kagome, the latter of the two sitting up and
sleepily rubbing her eyes.
In the distance, he could smell breakfast
cooking, rice steaming into the cool of the morning. Inuyasha had paused
a moment, allowing Kagome to get herself together, before heading out after
Yanagi and breakfast. Sango and Miroku slept lightly on their futons, Miroku
from his round with the yurei, Sango from overhanging weariness. With the
room silent for a moment, Shippou slipped away in a little puff of magic,
intending to find out more about this strange yurei woman with white eyes.
Ukifune's were lavender.
He remembered that much, at least. And perhaps
she was still out playing, as she was yesterday, at the riverbank, playing
kemari alone. He wouldn't be scared this time. No, he'd march right up
to her, and ask her what she knew. He'd ask if she was trying to hurt anyone-
not that she was, just a question, after all, he had to be sure. And if
she knew something, and it wasn't her, then he'd demand she tell him who
it....
The thoughts whirling in his head faded away
with the darkness of the morning, hesitating on the last small hill of
the path to the river. Interlocking branches of trees gave way, drawing
back to reveal a tiny figure at the waterside, standing on a bare ledge
of rock. Pale lavender robes still clung around her, dark hair fell over
her back loosely, the ribbons used to adorn it clutched in little white
hands. Nervousness suddenly replaced the childlike determination. He really
hadn't thought much about what he was getting himself into, alone out here.
And now, alone out here, he suddenly thought of all things that were possible
for a yurei, particularly an angry yurei, to do to him. He gulped hard,
making his hands into fists, and tried to march over the way he'd planned
to that night.
"U...Ukifune?" The demand of her attention
came out unevenly, voice cracking a little. Frustration set in, feeling
silly. She may be a yurei, but he was a youkai, wasn't he? No girl was
going to respect him if he was scared shitless of her. He straightened
up hard when she paused, turning to the side for a moment to look at him.
Her eyes were dry, shadowed and hollow. But
they blinked in surprise at seeing him standing there, drawn up to his
full height in a bluff at confidence. Her ribbons were clutched in her
hands tightly, knuckles white. A tiny smile formed on her lips, and her
eyes softened, shining. "You came to see me again? Arigatou, Shippou-kun."
"Eh...." he began, looking down at his feet,
not really sure why he was so nervous again. "Uh, sorry...I ran off...I...."
He looked up at her again, and the small smile had spread, lighting her
face. "I came to...I came to ask...."
"I didn't bring my ball today," she told him
gently, looking back at the two purple ribbons in her hands, twined between
her fingers. "I thought I'd be alone again."
So very lonely, he realized. The relevation
gave him courage somehow, a little understanding. And with understanding
came a lessening in fear. He edged forward, standing beside her on the
edge of the river. He felt like he should say something, maybe something
consoling. He debated that with himself, worried about how stupid he'd
sound and all, being mushy and sweet next to some girl. Some dead girl,
on top of it.
"This is where I died."
It shattered his thoughts, and he looked up
to see her face, tilted slightly to the side, eyes trailing to the water.
He wasn't so much smaller than her, it seemed at the moment. She was so
tiny, like a porcelain doll, easily broken. Shippou followed her gaze,
and looked on the water, face serious as he decided to get down to business.
"We found your memorial yesterday. In the garden. It had your name on it."
"Did it?" she asked faintly. "I don't go there."
"Kagan was taking care of it." he said in
a rush, then added nervously, "He said he kept it up, him and Yanagi."
"I know," she told him in a whispery voice.
"Miroku and I found it," he continued after
a moment, screwing up a little more courage. "He was attacked last night."
Peering around to see her face did him little good. She was still, downcast,
hands folded into her sleeves, ribbons trailing. The silence made him persistent,
trying to force himself into her vision. "I wanted to ask you if you knew
anything about it. He said he saw some woman in a nightmare. With white
eyes. Dressed like a nun or something. If you're always around here, I
thought maybe you'd know. We're looking for this thing called the Shikon
no Tama...it gives power to youkai, and if something bad's got it, we could
use some help finding the shards that are around here."
"A woman...with white eyes...." she returned
his look, then pulled away, returning to the water's surface. Still, very
still, troubled and silent, voice scratchy and faint. She closed her eyes
in remembrance, folded hands raised to her lips. "Ash grey robes, shorn
hair. White eyes, blank and sightless. White eyes, washed away in the downpour
in the river...." The ribbons in her hands loosened, slipping away into
the water, swirling along the surface. Slowly, her eyes opened, and she
looked at her hands, at the traceries and patterns in her palms. "Shikon
no kakera. Shards of something larger than itself. Power used for good,"
she lifted one hand, "or evil," she lifted the other, cupping them together.
Then, solemnly, "I'm not strong enough to protect you from her, too."
A mixture of thoughts swirled through his
head, mingled with a bit of awe and relief, as well as fear. He felt relief
because she knew of this attacker, and relief because it was not her. Fear,
because she knew of this attacker. Fear because that meant there was an
unknown enemy out there, and she just stated she could not protect him
from it. Not that he wanted her to.
"I can protect myself," he managed with a
little bluster, folding his arms and looking a bit smug. At the moment,
he was pretty sure he could, too. He had to show off, if something happened.
No running away in front of Ukifune. She'd think he was a coward, and he
definitely didn't want that. "I'm more worried about you. I mean, you're
a girl. I'd have to protect you and all. Fancy ladies don't go around fighting.
Inuyasha always is protecting Kagome, and you're a noble or something too,
aren't you?"
Ukifune was quietly smiling again, shoulders
shaking slightly as she giggled lightly, hands pressed to her mouth to
cover it. "You're very sweet, Shippou-kun."
"Eh?" he looked up, startled at her. He was
trying to sound matter of fact and blunt. Sweet was not exactly what he'd
been aiming for. Slightly insulted, he said, "I am not. I'm just saying,
you're a lady, and I'd have to protect you. It's just because you're a
girl."
There was a look of amusement on her face
still, half hidden by her long sleeves. "Maybe I'd be stronger if I were
a soldier or a boy. Playing kemari wouldn't be so strange then, even if
I'm not very good at it, ne?"
He scratched his head, shrugging. "Dunno.
We didn't play too long yester...aw, shimatta," he muttered, looking up.
"Somebody's going to miss me if I don't get back..." he took a breath,
deciding what to do. She knew about their yurei. And she'd help, wouldn't
she? All fear of her had left him now. He wasn't frightened anymore. "Ukifune,
will you come back with me and tell everyone what you know about...."
The words trailed as she suddenly looked up,
the sleeves falling away from her face, lips drawing into a thin, pained
line. "No..." her voice was again faint, but this time, edged. Bewildered
at her sudden intensity, he turned back and forth between her and the direction
she was staring, towards the mansion's far side, the kitchens.
"Ukifune, daijobu ka?"
She clapped her hands together, holding them
before her and squeezing her eyes shut as though pained. "Their kindness
will not be repaid with harm! I will not let you hurt them! No!" Her eyes
flew open again as a brilliant light emanated from her clasped hands, blinding
Shippou in a dazzling glow of lavender.
Inuyasha suppressed a yawn, heading forward
along the path. Breakfast was quick, seeing he wanted to get moving early.
Kagome was waking up slowly, rubbing her eyes occasionally with her knuckles,
removing sleep. They kept pace evenly, walking alongside one another, and
he slipped a quick look at her. She was still slightly rumpled from the
night, but idly smoothing over wrinkles in the blue kimono Yanagi had given
her. The ribbon fell out of its loop long ago, but Kagome had used it to
tie her hair into a tail at the nape of her neck, revealing a smooth expanse
of white skin above the kimono's collar. He coughed a little, shaking his
head and trying to get to business.
"Kagan-jiji said the garden place was up here,
didn't he?" Inuyasha asked, perfectly aware of the strong scent of flowers
ahead. The screened the place, blossoms barely opening again from the night,
chrysanthemums and wisteria.
"Hai," she replied, moving forward and around
a hedge, emerging into the grove and flowers. Kagome knelt, running her
fingers over the closed blooms of wisteria. "Kirei." Looking around, beds
of flowers beneath trees around her, she smiled. "It's so beautiful, ne,
Inuyasha?"
He had moved several steps along, pausing
when he heard her question. Settled before the flowers, dawn's new light
touching her hair, he tried to think of what to say in return, so delicate
the smile on her face. She blinked up at him as he groped about for a proper
reply, standing and dusting off her kimono. "Yeah. Beautiful," he managed,
turning away and folding his arms.
She sighed. "Mou, Inuyasha, you act like you
don't know beauty when you see it-"
"I do so!"
"Oh really?" she drolled, lifting an eyebrow
and beginning to move towards the broad branches of a cedar tree. She brushed
away long willow fronds with a hand as she walked, looking over her shoulder
to see Inuyasha giving her the glare of death. "Now what?"
"You don't know what I'm thinking at all!"
She blinked a couple times, uncertainly. "Okay...."
He grunted, "Never mind. Didn't the jiji say
the gravestones were under a cedar?"
"Hai, that's where I'm...headed." She finished
as the base of the tree came into view, three black stone markers set at
the roots, pale purple chrysanthemums breaking the ground. Sunlight was
reflecting brightly off the edges of the stones, white light. Inuyasha
squatted down before the smallest of the three, marked with characters
of kanji, writing out the name of the deceased, the sharp cuts smoothed
from time.
"This must be the one, then," he said, running
a claw over the traceries in the stone. "Ukifune."
"I'm not sure what we should be expecting.
It is just a marker," Kagome frowned thoughtfully, leaning over Inuyasha's
shoulder and getting a look for herself. "Such a sad story, the parents.
I wonder what happened to the girl, to make her soul stay behind."
"Don't know." He glanced up, watching Kagome
as she looked, then her eyes switched to his. "You don't sense anything
around here?"
She shook her head. "I wasn't sure if there
would be anything or not but..." she straightened up, biting her lip and
looking around. Light was spreading across the ground, brightening the
garden and the flora within. "It must have been a terrible thing, to keep
a girl's soul here," she said quietly, folding her hands and moving away
from the memorial. "Shippou says he's seen a little girl named Ukifune,"
she counted on one finger, then another as she added, "Miroku-sama said
something about a woman in the robes of a nun...."
"That's what I'd like to know. What the hell
are we looking for? A kid or a Buddhist nun?"
"I don't know," she sighed, reaching the lip
of a pond. The water was cool, reflective, and she saw her form in the
surface, rippling quietly. A moment later, Inuyasha's red clad figure appeared
in the reflection as well, standing beside her. Her eyes scanned the surface
rapidly, slightly confused. Then, "Here."
Bewildered, "Here? What here?"
"The aura of a shikon no kakera."
"Why the hell didn't you say so before?" he
demanded, moving towards the water. She grabbed his sleeve, shaking her
head and halting him. "No?"
"Something was here. There was a shard
here. It's faint. Like its moved."
He frowned, backing away from the water and
shaking droplets off his feet as she released his arm. "Great. So the psychotic
yurei thing has it. Either some twisted kid or the demented nun from hell."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome snapped, scolding him.
"Don't say that. Especially not so close to a memorial for the dead." Her
eyes slipped to the three small obelisks. "We don't know what's going on
yet. Don't be rude."
"Feh. What we need is to exorcize the damn
things."
Kagome considered that a moment, then agreed,
"Mm, yes, and the only one of us who would know how to perform that kind
of rite is-"
"Currently snoozing his perverted mind away,"
Inuyasha muttered darkly. "That thing is attacking in a pattern, we know
that at least." At Kagome's startled look, Inuyasha elaborated. "Look,
first it attacks you, trying to get to the shikon no kakera we already
have. Whatever happened to you, you somehow managed to fight it off," he
stated, frowning at his own inability to help. Looking back down at her,
he continued, "Sango was next, since it failed with you. She's not able
to protect herself from spirit attacks like that as good as you. The bouzu
next, removing our ability to exorcize it once we realized it was a ghost.
Both completely drained afterwards, even Miroku, who's supposed to be trained
for that sort of thing."
Kagome had been thinking through his explanation,
a hand to her chin. "It's growing stronger then. Attacking us one at a
time, while we're alone," she shivered. "Almost like it's feeding off our
nightmares. And also...you said it was trying to get my shards," she said,
pulling the chain out from under her kimono and looking at their slivers
of glowing jewel. "If it already has the shards that were here...then why
go after mine? Why try to gain strength off of us?"
"I don't know."
Kagome slipped the jewel back under her clothes,
pressing a hand against where it rested under the soft blue cloth, a worried
look in her eyes.
"Don't worry."
"Eh?" She looked up. His face was serious,
hard set. "If it tries to go after you again..." his golden eyes grew very
hard, dark brows drawing down under white bangs. The words hung, the implication
clear, even if he wasn't entirely sure of what he would do were the situation
to arise.
Faintly, she smiled, the sunlight growing
brighter against her face. "Don't worry, Inuyasha," she told him gently.
"I have faith in you."
She smelled faintly of the flowers she had
touched earlier, and of her shampoo, sweet in the dew on the grass, and
against the cool water of the reflective pond, pink lotuses drifting silently
on the surface. A few strands of hair were loose from the ribbon, floating
around her face in the light breeze. She believed in him, even if he hadn't
been able to help her last time....
But then there was something discordant in
the air. He sniffed the wind, catching the acidic scent.
"Inuyasha?"
He grabbed her, tucking her neatly under an
arm and breaking into a run.
"Inuyasha!" she repeated, no longer just curious,
but alarmed.
"There's smoke in the air."
In mansions of this one's age, the threat
of an untamed flame could be serious, entire buildings going up in smoke
within minutes. Wood posts and floors, with paper shoji and screens, made
for easy kindling. And there were people inside. Kagome felt a shock of
fear as the word registered on her lips.
"Fire."
And they ran.
Yanagi covered her mouth and nose with her
sleeve, coughing hard as smoke swirled around her, filling her lungs. "Kagan!"
Her eyes roamed dizzily around the room, vision hedged with the dark glow
of one about to lose consciousness. Despite the heat from the flames, something
cold ran down her spine, making her shiver in impulse.
And yet as quickly as the darkness came, bursting
in accordance with the flames of the brazier, it vanished as the firelight
washed across the floor, both warming and terrifying at once.
The kitchen was a mess, floor strewn with
cutlery and pans, shelves overturned and drawers yanked from their slots,
evidence of an angry poltergeist. Flames soared upward from the brazier,
overturned onto the floor as the fire climbed up the side of the wooden
counter. Her eyes watered, stinging from the air, and then saw the hazy
form of Kagan, stumbling his way over to her and yanking her to her feet
from where she had fallen. He coughed hard, laboring to breathe as he steered
them clear of the fallen knives and sharp shards of broken pottery.
A hand grabbed his elbow, and he heard Inuyasha
shout at him, "Come on!" leading him straight to the doorway, where Kagome
was waiting, arms outstretched, ushering the older couple outside. Once
out the door, Inuyasha snapped, "There's a pump inside, right?" Yanagi
barely had time to nod before he was gone again, charging into the fire.
Black smoke was beginning to billow through the doorframe, and Kagome smacked
her forehead, following his train of thought and running in after him.
The fire had spread up the counter to the
wall, heading towards the roofbeams that held the ceiling up. Burned through,
they'd collapse, taking down a good portion of the building with them.
Kagome kicked aside the clutter at her feet, heading towards the moving
person, currently grabbing up a bucket from the sink. "Inuyasha!"
"Kagome? What the...get the fuck out of here!"
"Baka!" she shouted back, grabbing the bucket
from his hands. "Use your kimono! Smother it!"
"My..." the idea clicked, and he ripped off
the dark red fire rat cloth, using it like a blanket to cover the flames.
Kagome hurled the contents of the bucket at the flame's base, the overturned
brazier, dampening the coals. Beating at the flames, Inuyasha watched her
run back to the sink, then hesitate, abandoning the bucket for a pot of
water on the stove, grabbing for an armload of dishrags on her way, scattered
on the floor. Wet rags began to fly against the walls, splattering heavily
with water as the flames were doused, and only the metallic smell of smoke
remained.
"I'll have to remember to bring a fire extinguisher
with me next time...." Kagome sighed as Inuyasha decided not to put on
his newly charred clothing. His hair was singed, and Kagome, though with
improving aim, had nailed him in the head once with a wet dishrag, successfully
drenching him.
"Don't you ever do something that stupid again,"
he growled at her darkly, glad for the help, but not that she'd gone and
put herself in danger again.
Kagome ignored the warning, and instead settled
down next to Yanagi and Kagan, who had settled themselves on the steps
by the kitchen's door. "Daijobu ka?"
Yanagi was holding her head, a throbbing headache
settling in. "Headache...I don't feel so good...." she mumbled, trying
to clear her head from pounding pain. Kagan coughed hard, the movement
racking his lungs as he tried to catch his breath. The air outside was
clear, the wind slight and carrying away the remains of smoke coming through
the doorframe.
"Yanagi...." Kagan leaned forward, pushing
a lock of grey hair from the side of his wife's face, seeing how pale she
had become. He slipped an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned against
him for a moment, eyes squeezed shut as she held her fingers to her temples.
"Kagan-san," Kagome asked quietly, positioning
herself on the ground before them and kneeling forward to see Yanagi better.
Kagan eased away from her a moment as another round of coughing seized
him, then grimaced as it ended. Kagome, with a First Aid Kit from the future
or not, didn't have anything to deal with bad breathing. "What happened?"
He hesitated a moment, waiting for Yanagi
to speak. At her silence, he began, "I was about to head out, but I turned
back when everything exploded. Like the porch last night." He made a motion
with a hand, imitating the path of last night's attack. "Came back to get
her," he ended abruptly, as Yanagi lifted her head. "You going to be all
right?"
She nodded once, hanging her head. "Everything
went black. Then...bright...I think..." she drew herself small, and Kagan's
grip on her shoulders tightened for a moment. Her eyes lifted to Kagome's.
"Others fell this way. I've seen it before."
"Yanagi-"
She cut him off. "The others, Kagan. Our luck
has left us now."
"Feh. I'd say you were pretty damn lucky to
walk out of there alive, babaa," Inuyasha commented from behind them, turning
heads to look up at the standing member of the group. He'd tossed the charred
kimono over his shoulder, and he stepped down the first stair. "Good damn
thing we got here. Whole place would've burnt down."
Kagan snorted, but as he opened his mouth
to retort, another coughing spasm began, his shoulders shaking as he cleared
his lungs of smoke.
"Kagan..." Yanagi rested a hand on his shoulder,
then patted his back lightly as he continued. Her worried look deepened
as the fit continued a minute, finally subsiding with an audible wheeze.
"We're going to town."
"Nani?"
"Eh?"
Yanagi set her eyes on Kagome firmly, vision
clearing in the fresh air. "Help me up, ne?"
"Hai...."
A protest began from Kagan, disliking the
decision his wife had just arrived at. "We're not abandoning-"
"We are not abandoning!" came the sharp reply
as she released Kagome's hand, gaining her balance. "We will come back.
With the others." She looked sharply at Kagome, then Inuyasha, intent clear.
"When it is safe."
They nodded once, understanding her meaning.
They may remain, and put a stop to the haunting, find the shards hiding
somewhere on the mansion's grounds. This was the first time for them to
be attacked; the first time to be hurt. Coughing was accompanied not only
by singed sleeves, but by scalded hands and cut feet from the broken dishes
and knives on the floor. "This was mild, Kagan," Yanagi told him flatly.
"You've seen worse. Whatever immunity we've had is gone." Her lips formed
a hard line, and the sheer force of her personality was bearing down on
her husband. "I won't have you catching another breathing sickness like
last winter."
He was pale, face drawn hard as he considered
her words. A cold look moved from Inuyasha to Kagome and back again, considering
what happened. A trick? All just a ruse to get them to leave? To steal
from them? Or worse? Who knew what a youkai would do? Half youkai, he reminded
himself. The idea crossed his mind, aware that Yanagi had already chosen
to trust them in their home. Doubt of their trustworthiness still lingered
in his thoughts. And yet. He knew his wife. Too trusting, maybe, but rarely
wrong. He may not trust them, but he did trust her, however oddly she passed
judgment. And it was not so much for his own coughing, but for the fact
Yanagi had been attacked. Not him. Her. She was the target. And though
she was safe this time, that could change very quickly.
"Hai," he said flatly, using a railing to
stand warily. "Town."
"The one we passed a couple days ago?" Kagome
asked quietly, stepping away as he descended the last steps. "The afternoon
of the day we came...."
"I have family there," Yanagi murmured.
"We'll manage," Kagan told them, then focused
a hard stare on Inuyasha. "This is our home."
It was a simple statement, though also a reminder.
Be careful, don't destroy it. We intend to return once this is over. Don't
take it away. Make it safe again. I'm trusting you. This is where we live.
This is our home.
Inuyasha was serious, and he inclined his
head slightly in recognition of what Kagan was telling him. "We'll see
you soon then, jiji."
"We'd better," Kagan muttered, turning to
walk alongside Yanagi, who bowed politely to Kagome before she left. And
quietly, the old couple headed their way across the lawn towards their
rooms.
"Ne, Inuyasha?"
"Nani?"
Kagome turned to face him as he stood beside
her. "You said something, about them being lucky to walk out alive."
"Yeah, so?"
She returned her gaze to their backs, and
watched them climb up the steps onto the verandah, shaded by the sloping
roof. It was barely past sunrise, and yellow shafts of light were glinting
down through the clouds, touching on the black tiles of the roofs. The
day had begun.
"I don't think they were just lucky. I think
something's been protecting them."
"Protecting? Well, it did a shitty job of
it today."
"Inuyasha!" Kagome glared at him for rudeness.
"Why it's been attacking us...a girl and a nun...not one ghost. Two. There's
two. And they're fighting."
He glanced down at her, beginning to understand
what she was thinking. There was an intense look on her face, now that
she had an idea. That, and she was annoyed with him again. Oddly, it was
almost funny. He tried to fight a little grin, and lost, ending up with
a smirk. Of course, this didn't exactly explain where these two yurei came
from...but at least now he knew what he was dealing with. "Then we have
an ally here somewhere."
"Maybe. And maybe one with the shikon no kakera
we've been looking for."
"Nani?"
Kagome shook her head, and began to explain.
"The shards were moved from where they landed. Nobody has them. So one
of the yurei does. Not the one attacking, otherwise we'd all be dead by
now."
"So then why the hell isn't the one that has
them using them to fight the other?"
She gave him a look.
He considered the usual effects of using a
shard of the tama.
"Understand?"
"Yeah."
A smile lit her face. "Come on. We'd better
check on the others, see if if Sango-chan is awake again yet."
And so they crossed the courtyard, flowers
of chrysanthemum blooming open in the day's new light.
*****************************************
lalala, plot twist....
So, there's two ghosts roaming around...you
think Kagome is correct? Or is Ukifune just really warped?
I had fun writing the Shippou/Ukifune scene..hehe,
Shippou going on about how he would have to protect her from things...that
was fun to write...and unexpected...I think I gave Shippou a little crush.
Though there was actually quite a bit of action
going on in this chapter, not much by way of notes. So, til next time.
-Queen