(Disclaimer) I don't own Inu Yasha. Takahashi Rumiko does. Rub it in, why don't you?
(:A.N:) Yippee! Over 10,000 words! (and... only ten reviews... oh well...) Anyways! ::perks right up:: In celebration, I will make this chapter a great one, okay? Or at least I will try. Thanks to Imagi Chan for the support, and to Kagome22 for so faithfully reading. Hell, thanks to all of you. ::hugs all reviewers:: Anyways--- I don't know what is going to happen in the end of the story, nor how I will continue it-- but fear not, for I shall prevail! ::evil laugh:: Now, to the chapter...
Haunting Me in Dreams
Chapter Eight : Different
By : Feng Shui Goddess
Kohaku and Kikyo came out of the other room that they were talking in, and Kohaku looked at me with a sympathedic expression on her look. "Inu Yasha, dear. Feel free to stay with us for as long as you like," she said in a comforting tone. I had no clue how to respond to this woman's kindness, for I knew it came mostly from her sympathy. I just sat up straighter against the wall, and said, "thank you." Kohaku just smiled, "I'm going to go finish cleaning the house. Kikyo, why don't you show Inu Yasha to the hot spring, and let him take a bath?" Kikyo agreed, and I followed, not in any way thrilled about bathing in a hot spring. Hot springs seemed to be more of a woman's past time, for my mother simply adored hot springs, and would often take me along with her when she went to them. After we left Kikyo's house, she looked at me. "I'm sorry that my mother spoke of such a matter," she said, apparently
adressing my mother. I just shrugged, pretending not to give a damn. "I know you're still very upset because of your loss, so Mother is allowing you to stay as long as you like." I smiled, "she's kind... Espicially to a hanyou." Kikyo seemed to care less at the fact that I was part demon. In fact, unlike many other humans I knew, she never once brought up the subject, nor showed any urge to grab at my ears, like most other women did. Kohaku didn't seem to mind, either, and hardly paid any attention to the fact that her daughter came home with a hanyou. Most humans were terrified by demons, and would go crazy if one was in their house. I always knew Kikyo was strange, and I supposed her whole family was. "So, Kikyo," I started, "do you live with anyone else?" Kikyo stared up at the starry sky, "well, I have a little sister named Kaede, and she just turned five. As for my father, well, we're not exactly sure of his whereabouts. But, it doesn't affect Mother and I one little bit, and Kaede doesn't even seem to notice he's gone."
When we reached the hot spring, Kikyo and I undressed, making sure not to peek at each other, and both got into the hotspring at different ends. Kikyo sat behind a rock that was about five feet away from me, indulging in the boiling water. It took me a while to get used to the hot water, because I was not used to hotsprings with such extreme temperatures. The springs in my villiage were just right in temperature, not too hot, yet not too cold. On the other hand, this water made me feel like I was being boiled alive. Kikyo continued to indulge, smiling up at the starry night sky. "Aren't you hot?" I asked, amazed that a human could handle the water better than I. She just shook her head, and sunk deeper into the water, pulling her head under the water. I'd always prefered to keep my ears out of water when possible, because my ears were very sensitive to change in water pressure, and espically water that was overly hot. I kept my head safely above water, leaning back against the sides of the spring. Kikyo popped her head out from under the water, gasping for breath. "Isn't the water wonderful?" she asked, excited at every little thing as usual. I agreed, not wanting to start a debate with the girl. She stuck her nose under the water, and began to blow water bubbles. I just stared at the foolish girl as she acted like a child. 'Oh, well,' I thought, 'at least she can enjoy her childhood.' In a strange way, I envied Kikyo. She was accepted for who she was, and she had an important purpose to protect the Shikon no Tama. She had a loving mother, and even had a younger sister. I was stuck with a dead mother, a neglectful father, and a rude as hell half brother. I could not even find the slightest resembelance between our two families.
Later that night, Kikyo and I walked back to her home. She was exhausted, and yawned every other minute. I
was pretty tired myself, actually. I'd been getting really tired lately, from being so stressed out. When we finally got back to the house, Kohaku warmly greeted us, "welcome back. Inu Yasha, I set you up a bed in the other room, because I figured you were pretty tired." I just looked down at the ground, and scratched one of my ears, "yeah... Thank you..." I don't know why I felt to uncomfortable around Kohaku, she was extremely kind from the looks of it. It's not like she gave me a hard time about anything, and she didn't even mind about me being a Hanyou. I yawned, figuring that I would worry about it later. I looked up at the two women staring at me. "I'll be going to bed now.... Thanks for your hospitality." Kohaku and Kikyo both said 'good night' and I walked into the room where I saw that my bed was. My things were piled up in the corner, still tied up in a sack like I had left it. Before I got into bed, I took off my shirt, for it was too hot outside to sleep fully dressed, and then I laid down in the futon. I closed my eyes, and was fast asleep.
~*Dream*~
My mother was lying down in a room, coughing and wheezing. I wanted to go down and help her, but it was like I wasn't even there. Mother started to cry, knowing that she wasn't going to make it much longer. She rolled over on her side, and grabbed a piece of rice paper that was next to her bed, and put it on her lap. Then she got some ink and a brush that was on her other side, opened the ink, and started to write. 'My Dearest Inu Yasha....' was how it started. I knew at that moment that I was looking down on my mother's last minutes of life. Emotions overpowered me, and I shut my eyes, not wanting to see what was happening. Suddenly, I heard someone enter the house, just as my mother was folding up the finished letter, and she held it tightly in her hand. My mother laid back down in her bed, and looked up at the intruder. My Father. He came in, looking sorrowful, and sat down next to my mother. "Minoku..." my mother coughed, "why are you here? Where... have you been...?" My father smiled, "I'm sorry, Hotaru, I really am. Look, I've even brought you some herbal medicine that will make you feel better." I knew the truth about what was in that vile. Poison. I never knew how sick my father really was, and I wanted to strangle him for it. My mother grabbed the vile, and smiled. "Nee, Minoku. Will you please... Take care of our son? I love him so much, and I don't want to see him all alone..." My father nodded, and smiled, "of course I will. You know that." I was furious, and I wanted to do something... But I couldin't. Mother drank the liquid that was in the vile, and her eyes shot wide open, realizing what the liquid was. She coughed and coughed, giving my father extremely cold eyes. "I'm sorry... Inu Yasha..." she said, and she collapsed, her eyes rolling back. She was dead. My father had killed her, no doubt about it. He stood up, smiling. "Well, then," he started, "let's go tell my darling son about this terrible news." And that was how my mother died.
~*End of Dream*~
(A.N) Well, that's it for chapter eight! Do you think the ending was a cliffhanger? I hope not! I've been waking up an hour and a half early every morning to work on this story (girls my age need their beauty sleeeeeeppppp! ::cries::) So, for the fact that I'm giving up my beautiful skin complection (I'm porcelan white, so it's not THAT beautiful...) please review! Pleaseeee? I'll love you eternally throughtout all time!
(:A.N:) Yippee! Over 10,000 words! (and... only ten reviews... oh well...) Anyways! ::perks right up:: In celebration, I will make this chapter a great one, okay? Or at least I will try. Thanks to Imagi Chan for the support, and to Kagome22 for so faithfully reading. Hell, thanks to all of you. ::hugs all reviewers:: Anyways--- I don't know what is going to happen in the end of the story, nor how I will continue it-- but fear not, for I shall prevail! ::evil laugh:: Now, to the chapter...
Haunting Me in Dreams
Chapter Eight : Different
By : Feng Shui Goddess
Kohaku and Kikyo came out of the other room that they were talking in, and Kohaku looked at me with a sympathedic expression on her look. "Inu Yasha, dear. Feel free to stay with us for as long as you like," she said in a comforting tone. I had no clue how to respond to this woman's kindness, for I knew it came mostly from her sympathy. I just sat up straighter against the wall, and said, "thank you." Kohaku just smiled, "I'm going to go finish cleaning the house. Kikyo, why don't you show Inu Yasha to the hot spring, and let him take a bath?" Kikyo agreed, and I followed, not in any way thrilled about bathing in a hot spring. Hot springs seemed to be more of a woman's past time, for my mother simply adored hot springs, and would often take me along with her when she went to them. After we left Kikyo's house, she looked at me. "I'm sorry that my mother spoke of such a matter," she said, apparently
adressing my mother. I just shrugged, pretending not to give a damn. "I know you're still very upset because of your loss, so Mother is allowing you to stay as long as you like." I smiled, "she's kind... Espicially to a hanyou." Kikyo seemed to care less at the fact that I was part demon. In fact, unlike many other humans I knew, she never once brought up the subject, nor showed any urge to grab at my ears, like most other women did. Kohaku didn't seem to mind, either, and hardly paid any attention to the fact that her daughter came home with a hanyou. Most humans were terrified by demons, and would go crazy if one was in their house. I always knew Kikyo was strange, and I supposed her whole family was. "So, Kikyo," I started, "do you live with anyone else?" Kikyo stared up at the starry sky, "well, I have a little sister named Kaede, and she just turned five. As for my father, well, we're not exactly sure of his whereabouts. But, it doesn't affect Mother and I one little bit, and Kaede doesn't even seem to notice he's gone."
When we reached the hot spring, Kikyo and I undressed, making sure not to peek at each other, and both got into the hotspring at different ends. Kikyo sat behind a rock that was about five feet away from me, indulging in the boiling water. It took me a while to get used to the hot water, because I was not used to hotsprings with such extreme temperatures. The springs in my villiage were just right in temperature, not too hot, yet not too cold. On the other hand, this water made me feel like I was being boiled alive. Kikyo continued to indulge, smiling up at the starry night sky. "Aren't you hot?" I asked, amazed that a human could handle the water better than I. She just shook her head, and sunk deeper into the water, pulling her head under the water. I'd always prefered to keep my ears out of water when possible, because my ears were very sensitive to change in water pressure, and espically water that was overly hot. I kept my head safely above water, leaning back against the sides of the spring. Kikyo popped her head out from under the water, gasping for breath. "Isn't the water wonderful?" she asked, excited at every little thing as usual. I agreed, not wanting to start a debate with the girl. She stuck her nose under the water, and began to blow water bubbles. I just stared at the foolish girl as she acted like a child. 'Oh, well,' I thought, 'at least she can enjoy her childhood.' In a strange way, I envied Kikyo. She was accepted for who she was, and she had an important purpose to protect the Shikon no Tama. She had a loving mother, and even had a younger sister. I was stuck with a dead mother, a neglectful father, and a rude as hell half brother. I could not even find the slightest resembelance between our two families.
Later that night, Kikyo and I walked back to her home. She was exhausted, and yawned every other minute. I
was pretty tired myself, actually. I'd been getting really tired lately, from being so stressed out. When we finally got back to the house, Kohaku warmly greeted us, "welcome back. Inu Yasha, I set you up a bed in the other room, because I figured you were pretty tired." I just looked down at the ground, and scratched one of my ears, "yeah... Thank you..." I don't know why I felt to uncomfortable around Kohaku, she was extremely kind from the looks of it. It's not like she gave me a hard time about anything, and she didn't even mind about me being a Hanyou. I yawned, figuring that I would worry about it later. I looked up at the two women staring at me. "I'll be going to bed now.... Thanks for your hospitality." Kohaku and Kikyo both said 'good night' and I walked into the room where I saw that my bed was. My things were piled up in the corner, still tied up in a sack like I had left it. Before I got into bed, I took off my shirt, for it was too hot outside to sleep fully dressed, and then I laid down in the futon. I closed my eyes, and was fast asleep.
~*Dream*~
My mother was lying down in a room, coughing and wheezing. I wanted to go down and help her, but it was like I wasn't even there. Mother started to cry, knowing that she wasn't going to make it much longer. She rolled over on her side, and grabbed a piece of rice paper that was next to her bed, and put it on her lap. Then she got some ink and a brush that was on her other side, opened the ink, and started to write. 'My Dearest Inu Yasha....' was how it started. I knew at that moment that I was looking down on my mother's last minutes of life. Emotions overpowered me, and I shut my eyes, not wanting to see what was happening. Suddenly, I heard someone enter the house, just as my mother was folding up the finished letter, and she held it tightly in her hand. My mother laid back down in her bed, and looked up at the intruder. My Father. He came in, looking sorrowful, and sat down next to my mother. "Minoku..." my mother coughed, "why are you here? Where... have you been...?" My father smiled, "I'm sorry, Hotaru, I really am. Look, I've even brought you some herbal medicine that will make you feel better." I knew the truth about what was in that vile. Poison. I never knew how sick my father really was, and I wanted to strangle him for it. My mother grabbed the vile, and smiled. "Nee, Minoku. Will you please... Take care of our son? I love him so much, and I don't want to see him all alone..." My father nodded, and smiled, "of course I will. You know that." I was furious, and I wanted to do something... But I couldin't. Mother drank the liquid that was in the vile, and her eyes shot wide open, realizing what the liquid was. She coughed and coughed, giving my father extremely cold eyes. "I'm sorry... Inu Yasha..." she said, and she collapsed, her eyes rolling back. She was dead. My father had killed her, no doubt about it. He stood up, smiling. "Well, then," he started, "let's go tell my darling son about this terrible news." And that was how my mother died.
~*End of Dream*~
(A.N) Well, that's it for chapter eight! Do you think the ending was a cliffhanger? I hope not! I've been waking up an hour and a half early every morning to work on this story (girls my age need their beauty sleeeeeeppppp! ::cries::) So, for the fact that I'm giving up my beautiful skin complection (I'm porcelan white, so it's not THAT beautiful...) please review! Pleaseeee? I'll love you eternally throughtout all time!