'Tis an unweeded garden
That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely.
-Hamlet, 1.2.135-37
Chapter 5- Pale Yellow Narcissus
They were deep green eyes, flecked with gossamer gold, wide and doelike in appearance, framed with the dark of heavy lashes. She was a delicate thing, elfin and eerily beautiful, in an inhuman way. Those eyes watched her audience widely, taking in the way Shippou was grinning at his discovery, the way Kagome was beginning to beam at the idea they had found a living, conscious person, and the way Inuyasha was swearing as he peeled himself out of the somewhat overgrown earth. A small, petite frown marred her brow as she turned away from the snarling hanyou, and returned her attentions to the much more polite seeming girl.
"You are human?" she asked in a tentative voice, soft as clouds. Her eyes flicked again to Inuyasha, then Shippou. "Humans do not so often travel with youkai, so I thought. Though this little one," the heavy bloom of her body motioned toward Shippou, "was very kind in his words. That one seems rather vulgar."
Inuyasha bristled. "Feh! Who the hell are you?"
The little creature hedged away, curling defensively back into the shadows as the vines that lay around began to writhe rapidly, as though agitated, raising from the ground as though to attack. Shippou grabbed onto Kagome's arm as Inuyasha reflexively went for the hilt of Tetsusaiga. The fireflies winked out once the rustling in the trees picked up, as though the clattering of the branches were some unintelligible tongue, crackling an alarm. "Ah, gomen, gomen," Kagome held up her hands peaceably, apologizing rapidly as the flora prickled up around them. "Inuyasha's just rude...don't mind him. Your garden is so beautiful, and we really don't want to fight. If you're doing this, please stop, we'd love to talk more with you!"
The noisy clanging of branches dimmed to a whisper, as leaves scratched against each other, hesitating in indecision. In the brief pause, Inuyasha's head swiveled to the side, picking up the sound of approaching voices growing louder.
"Inuyasha! Kagome-chan!"
Struggling sounds came from the darkness, then Miroku stumbled into view, tugging his robes out of the gnarled grips of brambles and branches. Sango emerged a moment later, trying to hack back at the shrubbery with hiraikotsu, while the more conveniently small Kirara wriggled out from under a tangle of thick surface roots. Judging by the tangles and snarls in their hair and clothing, they had not been so fortunate to stumble into the path around the garden, and had been fighting their way through the thickets.
Very quietly, Kagome heard the words, "More
came?" as the defending plants retreated, leaving the newcomers free of
hindrance. Miroku, Sango and Kirara, released now, saw Kagome kneeling
beside a bed of flowers, and Inuyasha warily keeping an eye on the slow
withdrawal of the thorned, blackish rose vines, a hand still ready to draw
his sword. They did not speak, but rather cast glances, first at Inuyasha,
who turned back towards Kagome and whatever it was she and Shippou were
looking at. He edged back toward the girl and the kitsune, and the movement
seemed like a silent confirmation for them to look, but to be careful.
Whatever it was they had found could be dangerous- though perhaps it was
not best to be declaring that out loud.
More faces presented themselves before the lady in the pale yellow chrysanthemum, who was again emerging from the shadows to see the newcomers. They were easy to see, either kneeling or bending down more closely to see her, eyes wide as they searched for whatever it was so fascinating the human girl dressed so strangely. Her eyes roamed across the line of wanderers, and she mused a little space as her gaze moved past Shippou, Inuyasha, then Kirara, tallying the number presenting themselves. "One, two, three youkai...child kitsune, crude canine, fire feline..." Then she lifted her eyes to look at the humans. "One, two, three humans, female, female..." her voice hesitated as she blinked at Miroku, taking in his houshi robes and the shakujou in his hand. A most delighted smile suddenly altered her otherwise hesitant face, and her hands flew to her cheeks as though embarrassed, a red flush crossing beneath her hands, visible enough to cause Miroku to stare, and the girls and Shippou to suddenly look at him, trying to figure out what caused the abrupt change in attitude in the flower.
"Forgive me for my rudeness," she suddenly stuttered, bowing quickly while the surrounding defensive flora withdrew completely. "It has been so long since I have received any who serve the Buddha! Some used to come visit me so often! Tell me, did you search to find me? Are you a poet? An artist? Ai-ya," she sighed blissfully, "it has been far too long since anyone has come to admire me...." emerald eyes glittering hopefully up at the houshi, who was trying to assess the situation and say something fitting, without causing them problems. If this was a youkai flower, then it was very likely she was the one controlling all the local plant life, and therefore could cause them a lot of trouble if she decided she did not want them in her castle. Of course, she was an extremely beautiful youkai flower....
"My lady, I am Miroku, humble servant of the Buddha, and I am afraid that rumor of your most exquisite beauty..." when her already beaming smile swelled proudly on her face, he decided this definitely was the right way to go, despite the very sour looks the rest of the group were now giving him. The flower, though, was absolutely preening, extending her petals to reveal their fullest yellow blossom. "...has not reached far outside these castle walls. We had to fight our way through a dangerous fence of roses in order to reach you. However, we are very glad to have found you here. Ah," he sighed dramatically, "it is a pity you are so small, my lady. If you were not, I would be tempted to ask you to bear my child...."
The chrysanthemum's hands flew from her cheeks to her mouth, and she was visibly suppressing a delighted giggle, not noticing the continued sour looks from the rest of the group, and the one quickly-growing-livid member wielding what could be used as a giant weed-whacker. She did not, though, and shyly drew away so that the shadows clung about her like a dramatic- and deliberate- cloak. "Ah, houshi-sama, I don't think I've ever been given such an odd marriage proposal before, but if my heart were not already held, I would perhaps be inclined to accept," she blushed, still half hiding her face in her hands with embarrassment.
"Marriage proposal, eh?" Sango asked in a slightly caustic tone, standing up straight and glowering down at the houshi, who was trying not to have a coughing fit. Hearing someone else talk turned the flower away from her pose, and she looked upward at Sango, her petals closing a bit more tightly as she talked to a woman, dressed in a fairly ordinary, if somewhat battered kimono, evidence of having been through the rougher patches of the garden. The oversized weapon was out of place, but otherwise she seemed normal. The three youkai were uninteresting overall, one being rude, obviously without any taste for true beauty. One was a cat, and the other a mere child. The remaining girl though was very odd, wearing clothing she normally would have considered ridiculous at best, indecent at worst. Who dressed the poor child?
Strangely though, it was this member of the group who had a little glass bottle on a chain around her neck, the end holding a very small, though glowing number of pulsing, crystal-like shards. She could feel their power calling her, and that alone changed the view she would carry of that girl.
"You are from the village?" the flower asked Sango, peering upward at the taller woman. "You have not yet introduced yourself."
"I'm Sango, and no, I'm not from any village around here." She sighed, then finally decided to kneel down, setting hiraikotsu behind her. It felt awkward, cinched in between the others and talking to such a small person. "You already met houshi-sama," she said dryly. "This is Kirara," she introduced, running a hand over the firecat's smooth head. Kirara was still standing, red eyes silently watchful on the chrysanthemum, though not alarmed, fur not on end.
"I'm Kagome," Kagome added, glancing at the hanyou behind her, "and that's Inuyasha." She looked at Shippou, who was already speaking for himself.
"These are my friends, like I said," he grinned, puffy tail flicking behind him and causing her to smile while he turned to the others and began telling them how he had stumbled across her, almost literally. "I followed the path," he pointed to a mass of darkness, "and heard the water, so I thought maybe I could look around here. I almost stepped on her, but I woke her up instead," he explained, then seemed to realize something. "You haven't told me your name yet."
"Kigiku," she said, drawing back into the moonlight, letting herself be more visible in the water's glimmering reflections. She turned to them all, bowing slightly, the closed blossoms of other chrysanthemums around her bending in unison, a pale yellow court. "I am named Kigiku."
"It is an honor to meet you, Kigiku-sama," Miroku bowed his head in return, earning another teasing smile from the flower. "You are the lady of this castle, are you not?"
She began to preen again, more subtly this time, staying out of the shadows and letting the moonlight touch her, adding a slightly mysterious look to her many layered petals. "This place is mine," she told them, giving off her best royal air, head held high, proud. "The lord was having pictures drawn of my beauty, to be his crest and symbol, since he was growing in power. All the lands and villages surrounding belong to him, where I am honored. Yes. I am the lady of this castle."
Inuyasha snorted, starting to get annoyed by the vanity of stupid flower everyone was so fascinated with all of a sudden. "Lands and villages surrounding? Feh. We've traveled almost a full day from the nearest one, because this weird castle is surrounded by a overgrown forest."
Her eyes grew sharp, picking up on the insulting tone of his voice and replied snippily, "I rose the wall of thorns to protect this place. All things surrounding it are influenced by its magic. If a forest chose to grow out of these many seasons, then that is the concern of the forest itself."
"But why did you raise the wall?" Kagome asked, shifting a bit where she knelt on the ground. "I assume to protect the people, but what happened to everyone in the first place? They're all...asleep..." she trailed softly, biting her lip and finally finding a more comfortable position as the tiny youkai flower focused her emerald eyes on the strange girl, watching hopefully with wide, pale blue eyes.
Under that gaze, Kigiku took a deep breath, backing into the cozy wreath of other, though less vibrant and eternal, chrysanthemums that shared her flowerbed. Though this one was a girl, she was certainly paying attention, and seemed to appreciate her importance. Besides, she carried with her the most delicious aura of power Kigiku had felt in ages. Something like that, drunk through the earth at her roots, would be enough to strengthen her for an eternity...though still, so strange that such power sources would be carried in bottles, seemingly broken. After a moment, she sighed, giving in. Those bits of crystal were not for her. At least they were people...regardless of the lack of fine culture they may have. It had been so long since she'd had any real company. With their focus on her, she would absorb their attention and revel in it.
"I'm not sure how many springs I have bloomed since my arrival here, though what you mention of the world outside the garden happened not long after." Settling into storytelling mode, she folded her hands neatly on the petals of her lap, modestly looking away, then up through her lashes, posing politely for her audience. "The daimyo had sent his soldiers far and wide, looking for a perfect crest for his emblem, to be emblazoned onto the armor of his men, and to be his standard. Many soldiers returned with empty hands, though others came bearing flowers, knowing the daimyo's fondness for us." She placed a hand to her cheek, mildly embarrassed, adding, "I was already quite well known for my beauty, and my new owner decided to bring me here, since at that time he was rather poor."
The pleased features of her face hardened slightly, as though she were trying very hard not to show anger. Her hand fell away from her cheek, turning into a fist she clasped tightly with her other hand. The fact that the majority of her watchers were rapt kept her calm, and she glanced quickly at the rude one, who was doing the best he could to look bored with the story. Primly, she continued, "He offered me in exchange for a place to stay, hoping that I would be beautiful enough to catch the daimyo's eye. Of course, he agreed upon seeing me," she finished smugly, though her face fell a moment later.
"But he was not allowed to stay as promised. As soon as I was planted here, my lord was escorted from the castle...youkai are not allowed to live amongst humans, however much they wish to do so." Her last words were very quiet, forlorn, and even those sitting close to her strained to listen. Kigiku's perfect posture was gone, replaced with rounded shoulders and a curled back, as she folded her arms over herself, dark hair falling as a curtain on either side of her face, as though to ward them away. Telling them the story made her uncomfortable, and she suddenly wished again for the solitude she had before Shippou arrived in her home. But still, it had been so long....
The others were quiet for a moment, until Kagome spoke again, prompting a response. "Your owner was a youkai?"
A small smile formed on her lips at the memory. Such a kind lord, taking her away from the horrible place she had been before. She closed her eyes for a moment, bracing herself, then looked up at Kagome again. "He saved me from a horrible place," she told the other girl, the smiling straying back to her lips. "No one wanted to care for me anymore...even youkai must eat and drink. It is hard to fend for oneself when not in the wild. I did not want to leave...but he was still not so strong then. At first, there were many artists and poets, who wanted to copy out my image onto paper and canvas. I was expecting more the next day, but people stopped coming to see me that next morning. I could feel a change in the earth...weeds began to grow wild, and I feared whatever happened, there could be an attack...the daimyo was cruel," she exclaimed, then her head hung low again, "but the others didn't deserve to be hurt. So I lifted a veil of thorns to protect whatever was inside...through my plants, I realized they slept."
When she stopped, head still bowed, Miroku cleared his throat. "You believe this youkai lord of yours cursed the castle? In retribution for..." he hesitated, then reconsidered what he'd been about to say. "For keeping you for himself?"
She turned sad eyes on the houshi, leaning closer towards him with an understanding smile. "Of course. Why else would he try to harm the castle? It would be an insult to take something of his without it being a gift or something traded." Again, her smile turned sad, empty, lonely somehow. "I only wish he would forgive me, for being so willing to leave...I only wished to have a garden again...."
"So you're waiting here for him to forgive you?" Sango tried not to choke, having already come to the conclusion of who this 'lord' of hers would have to be. Kigiku seemed vain, even pompous with her dramatically royal airs, but waiting for Naraku's 'forgiveness' was unlikely to ever happen. Judging by the continued silence of the others, they were following the story the way she was. She tried not to grind her teeth in disgust. Whatever Kigiku was, she didn't deserve what she was doing now. Silently hanging her head, as though ashamed. "There's nothing you can do, to wake them up? The people in the castle?"
Kigiku peered upward, curious at the underlying tone of anger in the older girl's voice. "Oh, I'm far from strong enough to awaken all the people within the castle walls. I've been alone too long, without tending." Her eyes moved to Kagome, then to her neck, where the Shikon no Tama lay. "And I don't think you'd be willing to part with those lovely shards...what are they called?"
"You're not getting your fucking hands on the Shikon no Tama!" Inuyasha snarled, stomping over as Kagome unobtrusively tucked the bottle back under her shirt.
"Oh?" Kigiku asked archly, bringing her chin up. "And I suppose you are the one who will use them, hanyou?" She let the last word drip with sarcasm as she busied herself with perfecting the layout of her petals. "You may be a youkai, but so am I. You are certainly not like me, half blooded mongrel."
"Who the hell do you think you are?"
Before anyone could reply, she snapped, "I am lady Kigiku, fairest of them all, and you are nothing more than a mixed breed mutt. Get out of my garden before you taint it!"
Thick vines swirled up at her sharp words, thorns visibly growing menacing in the deepening night, causing the group to scramble to their feet in alarm, weapons ready. The softness of the flowers faded away to reveal a wilder side of the garden, the thick weeds and sticker plants underfoot, sharp branches revealing themselves with a heavy clatter as the beautiful place became a small fortress, ready for battle. Through the heavy flora, a tunnel formed, leading away into darkness.
"You may stay in the castle," she told them,
a deep frown etching lines on her face as she told them lowly, "I will
not turn away those who need a place to stay, whatever they may be. But
I will not be insulted in my home. I asked a simple question, and received
an insult in return. I wish to be alone now. Leave my garden. That is the
way out." She pointed towards the black tunnel, and the many folds of her
petals began to enclose her, covering the tiny body within them, drawing
her back into the depths of the other flowers and camouflaging her into
nonexistence.
~o~O~o~o~O~o~o~O~o~o~O~o~
Kagome turned an icy glare on Inuyasha, who looked about ready to stomp on some flowers. "If you even try to crush her, Inuyasha, I'll say it until your back breaks!"
"She's after the shards!"
The icy glare turning into a furious shout. "You don't know that! She wanted to know what they were! If she's a youkai, she'd be picking up on it's presence! Besides, if she's been here for years, she probably doesn't even know what it is! It's not like-"
"Kagome-chan!" Sango interrupted, putting an hand on Kagome's arm to keep her from exploding. "We'd better talk about this away from here." She cut her eyes at the flowerbed, knowing the flower could very well still be listening. Shouting could easily disturb their reluctant hostess further, and the intention was to make it out of the garden without getting killed by rampaging plants. "She said we could stay in the castle- let's go there."
Taking a couple deep breaths, Kagome allowed
Sango to steer her away from Inuyasha and another fight. Shippou had decided
to settle himself safely on Miroku's shoulder, and Kirara was padding around
the thick grass carefully, darting towards the tunnel, wanting to leave.
Inuyasha sulked the way back, defensively folding his arms and scowling.
He was right. He was sure of it. Why would she be asking about the tama
if she was harmless? Besides, she called him a mongrel, the bitch! 'Fairest
of them all' his ass...he could think of prettier girls than her, so what
the hell was with her, calling him a mutt? And Kagome taking her side!
Feh. Bitch. Now she was all pissed at him. This was going to be a long
night....
~o~O~o~o~O~o~o~O~o~o~O~o~
The second fairy tale in this fic is the story
of Lady Yellow and Lady White. 'Kigiku' should translate to 'yellow chrysanthemum'
in Japanese. (I opted for literal names...^.~) The story gives her
many human qualities as far as physical appearance, even describing her
with tiny feet- I opted for a kind of cross between a flower and a little
person, since it is a bit ambiguous in the fairy tale at other points,
and it works just a bit better in the fic. Flower from the waist down,
human-ish from the waist up, and about the size of Thumbelina.
I suppose you could say this fic takes place
sometime after the actual fairy tale of Lady Yellow and Lady White was
supposed to complete. A little more background about it will be forthcoming
in further chapters, though not enough to spoil the fic, at least not til
the end. I had a lot of fun writing her scenes...and her lines, ack, her
lines! 'Mixed breed mutt' indeed. Where that came from I have no idea.
kukuku. Though I leave it to you to decide what role she plays in the story.
^.~
Until next chapter-
~Queen