Disclaimer: Even if I did own Inuyasha, this is too sad to think about for the ending . . . *sniff* Don't own the song either.
A/N -- Not much to say now, only that there should only be one more installment of "Butterfly Kisses"
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Butterfly Kisses
An Inu Yasha Fanfiction by Besa
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Sweet sixteen today
She's looking like her Mama
A little more every day
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Still a bit sweaty from kendo practice, the raven-haired teenager wipes her forehead with the back of her hand as she finishes climbing the shrine steps. She quickly crosses the distance between the steps and her house, sliding open the door almost noiselessly.
'That's funny,' she thinks, noticing that her shoes aren't the only ones at the entryway. 'Why are there people at home? Daddy never said anything about --'
Chiyo gasps in surprise as she steps into the living room. Before a bright camera flash nearly blinds her, she catches sight of streamers hung from the ceiling and balloons strewn about the floor, . As the spots clear from her vision, she is swept into a crushing hug by her older brother.
"Happy birthday, Chiyo!" shouts her ten-year-old 'cousin,' Aiko; a sentiment that is soon echoed by the rest of those assembled.
Inu Yasha smiles at the look of bewilderment on his daughter's face. The past few weeks have been hectic for him, arranging the party, finding her present, sneaking Shippo home from college and generally keeping all his special plans a secret. But all of it has been worth it. Because Chiyo is worth it.
Said girl finally is able to focus on the grinning, red-headed man in front of her, tongue tripping over its own questions. "Oh my -- this is so -- how the -- Shippo, weren't you off in America?!" Finally, Chiyo can form a coherent thought. Shippo nods, chuckling deeply at Chiyo's almost accusatory tone.
"Well, I was, but --"
"Papa and Uncle Inu brought him home!" Aiko interrupts, beaming up at her cousins, the braided pigtails at the back of her head bouncing with her enthusiasm. Chiyo looks over at the two cohorts.
"Is it true, Daddy? Did you and Uncle Miroku really get Shippo home just for my birthday?"
Luckily for Inu Yasha, Miroku saves him from answering. "Partly, Chiyo. We thought it would be a nice surprise, and since he had a vacation week anyway. . . Here he is."
Shippo puffs out his chest. "Yep! Here I am!" Chiyo pokes her elder brother in the stomach, causing him to pretend to gasp and wheeze.
"Arrogant. Pompous. Conceited."
"Hey!"
Further sibling verbal sparring is avoided, however, when the lights dim. Chiyo's grandmother and Sango come out of the kitchen bearing a huge two layer vanilla cake with chocolate frosting. All join in singing "Happy Birthday" to Chiyo, even her great-grandfather in his scratchy voice, with Aiko's loud, high-pitched trill leading them on.
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One part woman
The other part girl
To perfume and make-up
From ribbons and curls
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After cake has been served, each of the family members presents their gifts to Chiyo, one by one. A new bike from Grandmother. A set of paints from Uncle Souta. A small jewel charm from Great-grandfather. A beautiful kimono from Uncle Miroku, Aunt Sango and Shippo. A story written in a messy hand from Aiko. . . Items from the heart, given with love. Inu Yasha saves his for last, and, after admiring the other presents, finally places a long, thin package in Chiyo's hands.
"What's this, Daddy?" she asks, puzzled. He smiles.
"Come with me outside, and I'll show you."
Chiyo follows her father onto the shrine grounds in the fading twilight. Momentarily her eyes are caught by the ancient covered well they pass, a place she was taught to stay away from at an early age.
Inu Yasha stops at the base of the tall Goshimboku, staring up at the large spot halfway off the ground, the only place n the tree where bark does not grow.
"Daddy?"
"Have you ever heard the legend of the Shikon no Tama, Chiyo?" he asks without moving his gaze.
"The Shikon no what?"
"The Shikon no Tama." Inu Yasha turns to face his daughter, dark eyes laughing at her confusion. "Obviously not, then. Do you want to hear the story?"
"Daddy, what does this have to do with my birthday and," she hefts the package, "my present?"
He sobers slightly. "Everything, Chiyo. Everything. If it weren't for the Shikon no Tama, your mother and I would never have met."
"Really? So let me get this straight," Chiyo shoots Inu Yasha a suspicious glance. "You're saying that this 'Jewel of Four Souls' or whatever brought you and Mom together? You never said your parents were religious fanatics like Great-grandfather."
He chuckles, shaking his head. "No, you're right about that. Your grandparents from my side definitely weren't as superstitious as your Great-grandfather is. What I mean is that your mother and I were, are, intricately connected to the Legend of the Shikon no Tama. We are part of it, and it is part of us."
"I don't believe you," Chiyo states flatly. "Come on, Daddy, generally, legends and tales like this would take place thousands of years ago."
"Only hundreds, actually."
"Huh?" Inu Yasha's smile widens.
"The story of the Shikon takes place only hundreds of years ago, not thousands. In fact, it began in the 1300s, but that is long before your mother or I came into the story. But I guess, I should start with the truth about myself, Chiyo, and go into the rest later. I was born in the year 1460, during what is now known as the Muromachi Period of our history." He smirks. ". . . Of course, if you're as good in history class as your mother was, you should know that already."
Raising an eyebrow, Chiyo questions skeptically, "Are you trying to tell me that you're over five hundred years old, Daddy?" Inu Yasha waves off the query.
"Of course not, Chiyo. I'm only thirty-seven, give or take about fifty years."
Chiyo's other eyebrow raises to join the first. "Daddy, that's a long period of time to be unsure of."
"Don't worry, you'll understand." He takes one more look at the Goshimboku. "The other thing you should know is that I'm not fully human. And neither are you."
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Trying her wings out
In a great big world
But I remember
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"Daddy," the girl's voice carries a slight note of hysteria. "What do you mean you're not fully human?!" Inu Yasha shrugs.
"Exactly what I said."
Staring at him, Chiyo remarks, "You don't look any less human than, say, Uncle Miroku."
"Looks aren't always everything, Chiyo. You've probably heard that enough times in school. And it's true. See?" Inu Yasha makes a small slashing gesture with his hand. The color in his hair bleeds away, only silvery-white remaining. His pupils slim down to mere slits as the midnight blue irises morph into amber. Human ears turn pointy and slither up the side of his head, reforming into the shape of a dog's ear, lightly furred. Nails become thicker, stronger, and sharper. Chiyo gasps. This is not the father she knows.
"Is this your. . . true form?" she questions, hesitantly.
"Yes. This is my real body, nearly identical to how I looked when your mother met me. I am clearly not human, but am a hanyou; my mother human, and my father being a demon. Now that you know, I should tell you the events leading up to my meeting your mother."
"Alright, Daddy." Settling against the roots of the tree, Chiyo motions for her father to begin his tale.
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Butterfly kisses
After bedtime prayer
Sticking little white flowers
All up in her hair
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"So, Kikyou shot you with an enchanted arrow that was supposed to kill you? Is that how you got your 'give or take fifty years?'"
"Yes." Inu Yasha fingers the set of ever-present beads that encircle his neck. "So fifty years after I was sealed instead of killed, your mother woke me from my slumber. Now I guess I can be a twisted Sleeping Beauty. After all, her spell was supposed to be death, too." Chiyo giggles.
"That's just strange, Daddy. But what happened to Mom to make her come to your time?"
Inu Yasha frowns, thinking back. "Once, she told me that it was the morning of her fifteenth birthday that she was pulled back in time. Souta was scared of the well house and wouldn't go in to find Buyo, that fur ball. She had walked in and found the cat, when a demon with the head and torso of a woman, but the body of a centipede, broke through the well seals and grabbed her, pulling her back in time in the process. Soon after, I ended up killing that demon to save her, though I know I was thinking more along the lines of 'get the Shikon no Tama' then 'save the girl.'"
"Is that how you got the prayer beads?" Inu Yasha grimaces at the memory of eating dirt, though is thankful for not being able to kill Kagome as he would have liked to at the time.
"Yes. May I continue now?."
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You know how much I love you Daddy
But if you don't mind
I'm only gonna kiss you on the cheek
This time
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Chiyo sits still after her father's voice concludes the story; trailing off after telling how the wish made on the Shikon no Tama had stranded the shard-hunting companions in present-day Tokyo, filled with strange, misty half-memories of an unlived life in that era. "So that's how it happened? How everyone met?" She feels slightly light-headed. "Excuse me if I'm a little dazed at the fact that twenty years ago you, Mom, Shippo, Uncle Miroku, and Aunt Sango battled demons in the Sengoku Jidai. Not to mention that you searched for a mega-powerful jewel that Mom accidentally shattered. Do you know if this legend is in any books?"
"Possibly. You can ask your Great-grandfather if you really want to know." The girl looks down at her lap for a moment, before grabbing the almost-forgotten package lying at her feet.
"Can I open my present now?" she asks.
"Yes." Inu Yasha smiles, although it is tinged with a slight sadness that Chiyo is unable to find the source for.
She carefully unties the ribbon and unsticks the tape binding the wrapping paper, revealing a long black box. Grasping the lid at both ends, she pulls the cover off to see a long, slender, wooden bow resting within. She turns to her father, questions in her eyes.
"Daddy?" Inu Yasha pulls an envelope from the box, pressing it into Chiyo's hands.
"Your mother wanted you to have it."
She follows the unspoken request to read the letter, eyes watering as they move over the faded ink that forms flowing script. To my dearest daughter, Chiyo, it begins.
If you are reading this, it means that I have not survived the cancer, and your father has judged you mature enough to tell you the truth about our past. It's not that we have ever lied to you outright, just that . . . certain details have been omitted from our answers to your questions. Please don't be mad about everyone keeping it a secret. And besides, now that you know, you have to promise to keep your mouth closed about it to Sango and Miroku's child, because I doubt that you would be told after he or she.
However, the reason you are receiving this bow, the one I used during my last adventuring days, is because I think you should know how to use it. Yes, you have your kendo, but humor me, alright? Think of it as a present and final request from the woman who gave birth to you.
With lots of Love,
Mother
PS - You will never know how sorry I am to have missed being there for you as you grew up.
Chiyo can barely choke back her tears at these last words her mother left for her. 'Oh, Mom . . . '
Leaning over, Inu Yasha hugs his daughter when she begins to tremble, a gesture of comfort that she returns. He himself is barely able to keep from crying.
"So now you know."
When Chiyo's sobs subside, she pulls away to wipe her eyes and gather up her precious gift. She yawns. "I think I'm going to go to bed now, Daddy," she says as she stands. The excitement of the day, the shocks, and finally all the crying leaving her feeling drained. "Don't stay out too late, okay?" With that appeal and a slight, red-eyed smile, the girl walks back to the house.
Inu Yasha, still in his hanyou form, climbs up to a branch on the Goshimboku. His mind drifts to back to the night one year before, when Chiyo stopped their customary goodnight kiss-on-the-cheek. When he had questioned her about it, she had responded, "Don't you think I'm a little old for that Daddy?" with a puzzled look on her face.
In the present, Inu Yasha sighs.
"You'll never be too old to be my little girl. . . ."
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Oh, with all that I've done wrong
I must have done something right
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With the retelling of the story of his past comes the memory of every belittling comment, every insult, every small betrayal, every fight Inu Yasha ever had with Kagome. He winces, surprised that she had never given up on him.
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To deserve her love
Every morning
And butterfly kisses
At night
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Later that night, Chiyo finally hears her father's footsteps from her position tucked under the covers of her bed. "Goodnight, Daddy," she whispers, closing her eyes. "I love you."
Inu Yasha walks past his daughter's room, smiling as he hears her whispers. "Goodnight Chiyo," he murmurs back. "I love you too."
A/N 2 -- Thanks for reading! See you in part 4!