(Author's note: Sorry all for the long wait.. But I was in the Bahamas and couldn't update.. Sorry! Plus school has started so I don't have much time. And thank you to Fire Phoenix for her story suggestions! But anyway.. Here's the cast list:
~ Life's Work, A Son's Love
The Poor Widow: Shiori
The Three Sons: Kurama, Shuiichi (Kurama's step-brother at the end of the series), and Yusuke.. Sorry.. But I kinda ran out of Characters for sons....
The Old Hag: Genkai
Fairies: Kizna, Botan, Keiko, Cristy.
Pairing: Kurama/Kizna
Just so you know.. I think everyone will be human in this tale.. Except for the fairies.)
Life's Work, A Son's Love pt. 1
Deep in the depths of the woods and countryside lived a poor widow and her three sons. She stood from her old bed and tied her dark tangled hair into a small ponytail as she tied a torn apron around her waist over her rags. She looked at her sons as they sat in the kitchen scrounging what food they could find to eat. 'If only..' she thought sighing quietly as her sons stood to leave. 'I could find a better life for them all...'
"Goodbye Yusuke," she said kindly as she hugged and kissed her dark haired brown eyed son goodbye.
"Bye.. Shiori," Yusuke muttered softly as he stepped into the morning sunlight and into the wild meadows and farms outside their home as the rocks and rough soil stung his bare and dirty feet.
"Shuiichi," she said softly into another son's ear. "Work hard ok?"
"Yes mother," he replied as he stepped into the morning sun a gentle breeze billowing his black hair as the sun's rays shined in his blue eyes. (Author's note: is this what Shuiichi looks like? I saw a pic of him with dark hair then I found one of him with red hair. If you know which is correct please tell me.)
"Mother," the last son whispered as he pulled his mother close.
"Kurama," Shiori whispered back as she held her youngest son close. "Be careful."
Kurama nodded and walked out into the morning light joining his brothers. Shiori watched as her sons walked off into the distance making their way to the forest and fields to start another day of endless work.
She walked back into the dark and dirty cottage headed for a small jar sitting abandoned on the counter near a makeshift sink. Gently, she removed the clay cover and looked inside and found small coins and bills of money. She smiled softly. 'It's not much,' she thought to herself softly. 'But it will get us some food for a while.' Taking the small jar in her hands, she walked out of the rundown shack and on to the country path just outside their home as slowly she made her way towards the village in the distance.
She walked into the village marketplace and browsed the small stalls as she ignored the spiteful stares of the villagers. Her dark eyes roamed over the sacks of rice and the bright red apples tempting her to buy.
"Either buy something or get out," the stall keeper said meanly as he glared at her. "I don't need urchins wasting my time."
Shiori cowered under the larger man's gaze as she looked behind him to something gold that had caught her eye. Then, she saw it. Surrounded by a gold frame, it was a beautiful painting of a large white home with a large garden filled with fruit trees, roses, and wild-flowers surrounded by a large black iron fence and gate. Just outside the home, a small and quiet stream ran the water and white foam playing with the fish and tripping over the rocks. Large misting mountains stood proud in the distance quietly watching over the large mansion. Warm inviting windows stood in the mansions face and all around letting in the warm sunlight and any guest that came the house's way. Sunlight shined through the clear glass windows showing the outside world the fine furniture and treasures hidden deep inside.
'What a beautiful tapestry that would make,' she thought dreamily sighing as she looked at the small jar in her hands. 'I must make a tapestry out of it.'
"How much for that painting?" Shiori asked softly as she pointed to the painting behind the larger man.
A flash of greed glazed the man's eyes as he looked down on the smaller woman.
"How much you got?" he asked greedily as he rubbed his hands together.
"Not much," Shiori replied softly and ashamed as she handed the jar to the large stall-keeper.
Loud shattering of clay echoed through the marketplace making heads turn in the direction of the sound. Shiori lightly blushed as all the eyes of the village watched her.
The stall-keeper sneered as he counted all the money in the jar. Angry, he crumpled a small bill in his hands and roughly threw it in Shiori's face.
"Not enough," the large man growled menacingly. "Give me more."
"I don't have anymore," Shiori replied as she backed down under the man's piercing gaze. "Please give me that painting."
The man sneered at her again and quickly took the painting off the wall behind them and tossed it to her. The painting crashed to the ground its gold frame shattering into wooden splinters at Shiori's feet.
"Take it and leave me be," the man said harshly as Shiori quickly nodded and picked up the painting as she ran away quickly.
Softly panting, she returned to the disheveled cottage holding her painting close. She looked at the beautiful painting once more and smiled.
Kurama, Shuiichi, and Yusuke raised their scythes and garden hoes high into the air and swung down quickly sending the amber waves of grain falling to the farm floor harvested and the dirt flying into the air as the warm afternoon sun shined harshly down on them. The golden yellow light shined down on them turning their skins red and tan as the salty sweat ran down their bare, dirty, and muscular chests and stomachs. Kurama laid down his scythe and walked over to his discarded shirt and cleaned the dirt and sweat off his face as young girls from the village watched him and the others with flirtatious stares and gawking drool filled mouths unable to avert their eyes from the beautiful sight before them. Sighing tiredly as he ignored the girls' stares, Kurama walked back over to his scythe and began his work once more.
(Author's note: well... I'm soooooooooooo sorry for this long wait just for an update.. And I know there's no romance here.. But the way the myth goes not much romance will be here until the middle/ending parts of the story.. But I hope this little bit of "shirtless and sweat-stained Kurama and Yusuke" makes up for it.. I'd include Shuiichi but do you all consider him a Bishonen? I don't know much about him and Shiori so I don't know what you people think.. Sorry again!)
~ Life's Work, A Son's Love
The Poor Widow: Shiori
The Three Sons: Kurama, Shuiichi (Kurama's step-brother at the end of the series), and Yusuke.. Sorry.. But I kinda ran out of Characters for sons....
The Old Hag: Genkai
Fairies: Kizna, Botan, Keiko, Cristy.
Pairing: Kurama/Kizna
Just so you know.. I think everyone will be human in this tale.. Except for the fairies.)
Life's Work, A Son's Love pt. 1
Deep in the depths of the woods and countryside lived a poor widow and her three sons. She stood from her old bed and tied her dark tangled hair into a small ponytail as she tied a torn apron around her waist over her rags. She looked at her sons as they sat in the kitchen scrounging what food they could find to eat. 'If only..' she thought sighing quietly as her sons stood to leave. 'I could find a better life for them all...'
"Goodbye Yusuke," she said kindly as she hugged and kissed her dark haired brown eyed son goodbye.
"Bye.. Shiori," Yusuke muttered softly as he stepped into the morning sunlight and into the wild meadows and farms outside their home as the rocks and rough soil stung his bare and dirty feet.
"Shuiichi," she said softly into another son's ear. "Work hard ok?"
"Yes mother," he replied as he stepped into the morning sun a gentle breeze billowing his black hair as the sun's rays shined in his blue eyes. (Author's note: is this what Shuiichi looks like? I saw a pic of him with dark hair then I found one of him with red hair. If you know which is correct please tell me.)
"Mother," the last son whispered as he pulled his mother close.
"Kurama," Shiori whispered back as she held her youngest son close. "Be careful."
Kurama nodded and walked out into the morning light joining his brothers. Shiori watched as her sons walked off into the distance making their way to the forest and fields to start another day of endless work.
She walked back into the dark and dirty cottage headed for a small jar sitting abandoned on the counter near a makeshift sink. Gently, she removed the clay cover and looked inside and found small coins and bills of money. She smiled softly. 'It's not much,' she thought to herself softly. 'But it will get us some food for a while.' Taking the small jar in her hands, she walked out of the rundown shack and on to the country path just outside their home as slowly she made her way towards the village in the distance.
She walked into the village marketplace and browsed the small stalls as she ignored the spiteful stares of the villagers. Her dark eyes roamed over the sacks of rice and the bright red apples tempting her to buy.
"Either buy something or get out," the stall keeper said meanly as he glared at her. "I don't need urchins wasting my time."
Shiori cowered under the larger man's gaze as she looked behind him to something gold that had caught her eye. Then, she saw it. Surrounded by a gold frame, it was a beautiful painting of a large white home with a large garden filled with fruit trees, roses, and wild-flowers surrounded by a large black iron fence and gate. Just outside the home, a small and quiet stream ran the water and white foam playing with the fish and tripping over the rocks. Large misting mountains stood proud in the distance quietly watching over the large mansion. Warm inviting windows stood in the mansions face and all around letting in the warm sunlight and any guest that came the house's way. Sunlight shined through the clear glass windows showing the outside world the fine furniture and treasures hidden deep inside.
'What a beautiful tapestry that would make,' she thought dreamily sighing as she looked at the small jar in her hands. 'I must make a tapestry out of it.'
"How much for that painting?" Shiori asked softly as she pointed to the painting behind the larger man.
A flash of greed glazed the man's eyes as he looked down on the smaller woman.
"How much you got?" he asked greedily as he rubbed his hands together.
"Not much," Shiori replied softly and ashamed as she handed the jar to the large stall-keeper.
Loud shattering of clay echoed through the marketplace making heads turn in the direction of the sound. Shiori lightly blushed as all the eyes of the village watched her.
The stall-keeper sneered as he counted all the money in the jar. Angry, he crumpled a small bill in his hands and roughly threw it in Shiori's face.
"Not enough," the large man growled menacingly. "Give me more."
"I don't have anymore," Shiori replied as she backed down under the man's piercing gaze. "Please give me that painting."
The man sneered at her again and quickly took the painting off the wall behind them and tossed it to her. The painting crashed to the ground its gold frame shattering into wooden splinters at Shiori's feet.
"Take it and leave me be," the man said harshly as Shiori quickly nodded and picked up the painting as she ran away quickly.
Softly panting, she returned to the disheveled cottage holding her painting close. She looked at the beautiful painting once more and smiled.
Kurama, Shuiichi, and Yusuke raised their scythes and garden hoes high into the air and swung down quickly sending the amber waves of grain falling to the farm floor harvested and the dirt flying into the air as the warm afternoon sun shined harshly down on them. The golden yellow light shined down on them turning their skins red and tan as the salty sweat ran down their bare, dirty, and muscular chests and stomachs. Kurama laid down his scythe and walked over to his discarded shirt and cleaned the dirt and sweat off his face as young girls from the village watched him and the others with flirtatious stares and gawking drool filled mouths unable to avert their eyes from the beautiful sight before them. Sighing tiredly as he ignored the girls' stares, Kurama walked back over to his scythe and began his work once more.
(Author's note: well... I'm soooooooooooo sorry for this long wait just for an update.. And I know there's no romance here.. But the way the myth goes not much romance will be here until the middle/ending parts of the story.. But I hope this little bit of "shirtless and sweat-stained Kurama and Yusuke" makes up for it.. I'd include Shuiichi but do you all consider him a Bishonen? I don't know much about him and Shiori so I don't know what you people think.. Sorry again!)