Time Trip: The Long Haul
"Papa, the sun is setting, fast."
"We are moving east fast enough to shorten the days. It's a form of time travel that boggles the mind, and its part of the reason I majored in science when I went to college in your time. I so enjoyed studying the planets and stars."
"You must know more then most people in this time."
"Oh, heavens yes! Look at the horizon a moment. That gentle curve has many believing that the earth is dome shaped. Most humans on my lands think the earth is flat! I know better, and I have accurate maps of distant lands. I've sold a few partial maps of the coastline, and corrected a few of the other lords. For the most part they respect me for my knowledge. I am also in high demand for my familiarity with many languages. I've trained plenty of translators, and been present at many important meetings. A great amount of work goes into finding a place to sell the wine produced within my borders. I control all of what will one day be Spain and France, and a significant portion of Italy."
"I mentioned it because I'm getting sleepy, Papa."
"Then sleep, your wings know what to do as long as you trust them. I'll wake you if there is something worth seeing."
"Alright, Papa." Kagome closed her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that she was currently moving much faster then she ever had on her own power many miles from the ground.
She woke up feeling like her heart was being ripped from her chest. Looking down, it took her a moment to remember where she was. When she got over the fact that she was more then a mile from the ground, she noticed a new horror. She was flying over a battlefield.
"Oh... oh my!" Kagome stammered in her songbird voice. "It's so horrible!"
"Yes, men do strange things for the sake of power and fame."
"Papa, it hurts when I look down or hear them cry out."
"One of a phoenix's greatest gifts is the gift of healing. Our tears heal the body and our songs heal the soul. To have that gift and not use it is a terrible thing, and I feel it too, but if we helped everyone who needed it we would never get anything done. I very rarely see your aunt sitting down in the castle. My dear sister runs herself ragged, flying endless circles over desolate towns and battlefields, singing, begging the killings to stop, raining down tears to heal those she can. It's a sad existence, but she chose that. What you need to understand is that there are terrible things in the world, and sometimes it takes bloodshed to fix them. This whole jewel business of yours seems like a good example. How many have died attempting to get rid of it? How many have risked everything to obtain it? This little battle, though particularly horrific, isn't much in the scheme of things. If you hurt that badly, then sing with me." Kagome listened as her father started singing in a soft nightingale voice. The wordless song was beautiful and haunting, like the sound of sorrow and hope combined.
Kagome lifted her voice along with him, singing the pain and sorrow they felt for the lost lives below. With her now eagle-sharp eyes Kagome saw some wounded soldiers look up as they retreated from battle, and heard one cry out:
"The angels are watching us today!" When the father daughter pair left the battle behind them, Jonathan spoke.
"I suppose a young phoenix would appear as an angel. I usually don't get comments like that myself."
"Did we really help them just by singing?"
"Yes and no. We eased their suffering but did nothing for their wounds or the root cause of their problem. Sometimes a little comfort brightens a dark day, but in that situation it would fade fast. A phoenix song is best used on those who have internal problems rather then external ones, which is why it's best to just keep flying strait. Those wounded men who responded most likely were thinking of their wives and children and we eased their fears a little. Fat lot of good it will do them as they die."
"I guess everything has limits."
"That's the natural balance of life. We need death to balance birth, and sadness so we can be happy. Without the horror of war we can't possibly enjoy peace, so you should count yourself lucky to live in such a comfortable world but know what it is like to travel, constantly in mortal danger, with no safe haven."
"You're right, Papa. I... I never thought of it that way, but it's true. I enjoy just being at home more then used to."
"You took it for granted before, now it matters to you."
"When did we cross the sea of Japan?"
"I was wondering when you were going to ask why you understood that man. About ten minutes ago, you looked like you could use the rest. I think we should set down over there." Jonathan indicated a clearing with a small clear stream. "We could rest our wings and have a drink."
"Alright, I am getting a bit stiff, but how exactly..."
"Do you go down? Dip your head and lilt your wings back toward your tail, see? It isn't hard to drop, just be sure to keep your speed in control. Or don't and have some fun learning to swoop and dive. Just soaring around is so easy it's boring."
"Race you to the pond!" Kagome chirped, sweeping down into the narrow alley in the branches above the stream. Her father wasn't small enough to fit, and his large tail made acceleration difficult, but when Kagome skipped over the water, he was already there. He landed in the water, sliding along like a crimson swan, his tail fan spread to slow him down and prevent it from becoming a sopping wet mess. The round 'eyes' in the feathery screen were green with crimson and gold flames, and the gilded tips reflected the sunlight.
"Papa, you are beautiful that way." Kagome said as she landed not quite as gracefully in the water beside him.
"You don't look half bad yourself. Green is the family color; there is no doubt that as my daughter you will have some of this jewel bright green on you. I don't know how that and pink would blend... then again you might not have any pink. You could be blue or yellow or purple, any color of the rainbow. Also, you will have metallic highlights. For phoenixes metallic highlights are an indicator of noble birth. Your Aunt, as a young girl, had silver highlights. When you were born she molted, since she was no longer in direct line for the throne. That is how I knew for certain that you had a phoenix spirit. If Souta was born a phoenix you would have molted, because the rules of succession favor sons. You would have re-grown your feathers with highlights, until he had a suitable heir, but you would lose the crest that marks you as the next in line."
"I have a crest?" Kagome looked down into the water, surprised at her reflection. She had green eyes, but otherwise looked like a bleached version of her father. She had the same sharp pointed beak, graceful neck, and royal crest, but all in the purest snow white.
"Why don't you practice taking off and landing? I saw a waterfall a mile or so upstream that would make taking off a bit easier. I'll go scouting around for a young demi-dog demon in a red haori and matching hamaka. If I can't find any information about him or this jewel of yours I'll come back and show you how to make a portal."
"Ok, Papa. I didn't sense any jewel shards on the way here so I'm not sure we're in the right time."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Could you hit the little "go" button down there? It is the one next to the box that says "Submit Review" that makes all authors happy? Two chapters up in one day! That's what makes readers happy. I think. ^_^
DISCLAIMER(since I've forgotten it in places): I sit here, sipping tea, processing bills, writing fan fiction, and avoiding my boss, for $8 an hour. If anyone thinks I could possibly buy rights to Inuyasha doing this job with this salary, you are quite mistaken. Do not mistake me for a middle-aged Japanese woman, for I am a young American woman of Slavic, Italian, Irish, French, and Native American decent. (And Sesshoumaru criticizes Inuyasha for being a mixed breed...)
"Papa, the sun is setting, fast."
"We are moving east fast enough to shorten the days. It's a form of time travel that boggles the mind, and its part of the reason I majored in science when I went to college in your time. I so enjoyed studying the planets and stars."
"You must know more then most people in this time."
"Oh, heavens yes! Look at the horizon a moment. That gentle curve has many believing that the earth is dome shaped. Most humans on my lands think the earth is flat! I know better, and I have accurate maps of distant lands. I've sold a few partial maps of the coastline, and corrected a few of the other lords. For the most part they respect me for my knowledge. I am also in high demand for my familiarity with many languages. I've trained plenty of translators, and been present at many important meetings. A great amount of work goes into finding a place to sell the wine produced within my borders. I control all of what will one day be Spain and France, and a significant portion of Italy."
"I mentioned it because I'm getting sleepy, Papa."
"Then sleep, your wings know what to do as long as you trust them. I'll wake you if there is something worth seeing."
"Alright, Papa." Kagome closed her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that she was currently moving much faster then she ever had on her own power many miles from the ground.
She woke up feeling like her heart was being ripped from her chest. Looking down, it took her a moment to remember where she was. When she got over the fact that she was more then a mile from the ground, she noticed a new horror. She was flying over a battlefield.
"Oh... oh my!" Kagome stammered in her songbird voice. "It's so horrible!"
"Yes, men do strange things for the sake of power and fame."
"Papa, it hurts when I look down or hear them cry out."
"One of a phoenix's greatest gifts is the gift of healing. Our tears heal the body and our songs heal the soul. To have that gift and not use it is a terrible thing, and I feel it too, but if we helped everyone who needed it we would never get anything done. I very rarely see your aunt sitting down in the castle. My dear sister runs herself ragged, flying endless circles over desolate towns and battlefields, singing, begging the killings to stop, raining down tears to heal those she can. It's a sad existence, but she chose that. What you need to understand is that there are terrible things in the world, and sometimes it takes bloodshed to fix them. This whole jewel business of yours seems like a good example. How many have died attempting to get rid of it? How many have risked everything to obtain it? This little battle, though particularly horrific, isn't much in the scheme of things. If you hurt that badly, then sing with me." Kagome listened as her father started singing in a soft nightingale voice. The wordless song was beautiful and haunting, like the sound of sorrow and hope combined.
Kagome lifted her voice along with him, singing the pain and sorrow they felt for the lost lives below. With her now eagle-sharp eyes Kagome saw some wounded soldiers look up as they retreated from battle, and heard one cry out:
"The angels are watching us today!" When the father daughter pair left the battle behind them, Jonathan spoke.
"I suppose a young phoenix would appear as an angel. I usually don't get comments like that myself."
"Did we really help them just by singing?"
"Yes and no. We eased their suffering but did nothing for their wounds or the root cause of their problem. Sometimes a little comfort brightens a dark day, but in that situation it would fade fast. A phoenix song is best used on those who have internal problems rather then external ones, which is why it's best to just keep flying strait. Those wounded men who responded most likely were thinking of their wives and children and we eased their fears a little. Fat lot of good it will do them as they die."
"I guess everything has limits."
"That's the natural balance of life. We need death to balance birth, and sadness so we can be happy. Without the horror of war we can't possibly enjoy peace, so you should count yourself lucky to live in such a comfortable world but know what it is like to travel, constantly in mortal danger, with no safe haven."
"You're right, Papa. I... I never thought of it that way, but it's true. I enjoy just being at home more then used to."
"You took it for granted before, now it matters to you."
"When did we cross the sea of Japan?"
"I was wondering when you were going to ask why you understood that man. About ten minutes ago, you looked like you could use the rest. I think we should set down over there." Jonathan indicated a clearing with a small clear stream. "We could rest our wings and have a drink."
"Alright, I am getting a bit stiff, but how exactly..."
"Do you go down? Dip your head and lilt your wings back toward your tail, see? It isn't hard to drop, just be sure to keep your speed in control. Or don't and have some fun learning to swoop and dive. Just soaring around is so easy it's boring."
"Race you to the pond!" Kagome chirped, sweeping down into the narrow alley in the branches above the stream. Her father wasn't small enough to fit, and his large tail made acceleration difficult, but when Kagome skipped over the water, he was already there. He landed in the water, sliding along like a crimson swan, his tail fan spread to slow him down and prevent it from becoming a sopping wet mess. The round 'eyes' in the feathery screen were green with crimson and gold flames, and the gilded tips reflected the sunlight.
"Papa, you are beautiful that way." Kagome said as she landed not quite as gracefully in the water beside him.
"You don't look half bad yourself. Green is the family color; there is no doubt that as my daughter you will have some of this jewel bright green on you. I don't know how that and pink would blend... then again you might not have any pink. You could be blue or yellow or purple, any color of the rainbow. Also, you will have metallic highlights. For phoenixes metallic highlights are an indicator of noble birth. Your Aunt, as a young girl, had silver highlights. When you were born she molted, since she was no longer in direct line for the throne. That is how I knew for certain that you had a phoenix spirit. If Souta was born a phoenix you would have molted, because the rules of succession favor sons. You would have re-grown your feathers with highlights, until he had a suitable heir, but you would lose the crest that marks you as the next in line."
"I have a crest?" Kagome looked down into the water, surprised at her reflection. She had green eyes, but otherwise looked like a bleached version of her father. She had the same sharp pointed beak, graceful neck, and royal crest, but all in the purest snow white.
"Why don't you practice taking off and landing? I saw a waterfall a mile or so upstream that would make taking off a bit easier. I'll go scouting around for a young demi-dog demon in a red haori and matching hamaka. If I can't find any information about him or this jewel of yours I'll come back and show you how to make a portal."
"Ok, Papa. I didn't sense any jewel shards on the way here so I'm not sure we're in the right time."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Could you hit the little "go" button down there? It is the one next to the box that says "Submit Review" that makes all authors happy? Two chapters up in one day! That's what makes readers happy. I think. ^_^
DISCLAIMER(since I've forgotten it in places): I sit here, sipping tea, processing bills, writing fan fiction, and avoiding my boss, for $8 an hour. If anyone thinks I could possibly buy rights to Inuyasha doing this job with this salary, you are quite mistaken. Do not mistake me for a middle-aged Japanese woman, for I am a young American woman of Slavic, Italian, Irish, French, and Native American decent. (And Sesshoumaru criticizes Inuyasha for being a mixed breed...)
