Author's note: Sorry it took a long time to update. I got a new computer in the process, and it took quite a long while to get Microsoft Word software and install it. I don't like using any other typing documents… =/ But anyway, when I finally got Microsoft Word, I had a problem with Windows and couldn't open the floppy disk I saved this new chapter about. So, much thanks to my sister Rukiina, she helped me into getting my chapter back. I lovels her very much. ;
Anyway, on with the chapter. Though I think there's a mild ( Don't think it's even relatively mild. It could be relative to relatively mild fluff or kindness. ) fluff or developing friendship within the first segment of this chapter, the title is not what you would think.
Oh, and yes. The character Aislinn is aaaaaaaaaaaallllll mine. Plus I made this chapter look pretty. ;
x Iced Insanity
I must admit that Inuyasha was quite surprised when I told him about my occupation. It made me wonder what he really thought at the sight of me. Did I look as weak and defenseless as I was truly not? Whatever the matter, I can't help feeling a bit disappointed. Sure, looks aren't exactly everything, but it was a bit insulting to think I was being degraded just because of my stature, my skin tone, and my alleged 'optimistic' personality. Around I was not too comfortable with, I was friendly and a bit too polite. But around my friends, I figure they think I'm one of the bitchiest girls in the world. After all, what kind of best friend would kick her friend in the nuts for fun, and tease incessantly over another's crushes? This friend would, apparently.
As I sat on the bleachers outside the archery building, I fished around in my pockets for a handkerchief and surreptitiously wiped the sweat off my brow. I probably must have smelled worse than dirty socks that haven't been washed for over a year. Ruefully I braced a glance at the hanyou sitting next to me. Oh, poor Inuyasha. He was probably holding in all the breath he had, for he had a demon nose, thus giving him a heightened sense of smell.
"Inuyasha?" I called out to him.
"What?" He asked irritably.
"Don't you think you should be going home for tonight?" I nudged him in the ribs. "Myouga-chan must be worrying sick about you. Fluffy, too."
A pregnant silence followed, and for a moment I thought Inuyasha was not going to answer me. I kept quiet and decided not to say anything rude, however, and took delight in twiddling my thumbs. It was actually quite amusing, especially for a worn-out girl who had taught hours and hours of archery lessons. Twiddle, twiddle.
Eventually I heard my companion next to me sigh. "Rin is still in the locker rooms."
"Rin? You mean the little girl that's in my class?" I asked, staring straight ahead in front of me. I taught an archery class for children around four-o-click in the afternoon. It was a full class, since parents obviously wanted their little buggars to be taught by a miko, if not an inexperienced one. I had to particular favorite children who were among my group of students: a fox-demon kit, named Shippo, and a new student, named Rin. I loved both to death. Not only were they persevering, but also they were sweet. Whenever Shippo caught sight of me, he always had the heart to pummel into my belly, squealing my name in joy. Occasionally he would make me a small toy or other, such as a wooden train, or a wooden top. On my birthday he had granted me a stuffed toy of himself. Rin, on the other hand, did not spoil me with such things. She was not on the top of my class, however she was a trying student. She never complained, but always grit her teeth and tried harder.
"Yeah," Inuyasha said. "She's my cousin. Adopted."
"Oh," I said in reply, not bothering to hide the surprise in my tone. "I didn't know that. But she must love you very much."
"Feh." He said, and watched the subject of our conversation bound down the steps to us. Rin was solely focused on the steps that she had to go through, and did not even both in turning her head our way to greet us. Once she got through those stairs, however, she turned her eyes towards us and flashed a smile.
"Miss Higurashi!" She gasped when she neared, ignoring her cousin. "Did I do good in class today?"
"Of course, Rin!" I enthused. "You're one of my best students, did you know that?"
"I am?" She started to say, but got cut off when Inuyasha rudely spoke.
"You know," He huffed impatiently. "It's getting damn late and I'm tired. Are you two still gonna chat like chipmunks or am I gonna bring you home?"
"I'm sorry, Rin," I told the girl, smirking to myself when Inuyasha snorted when my apology did not include him. "I didn't mean to keep you so late… I suppose it's time for you to go home, ne? I'll see you next week."
"And where do you think you're going?" Inuyasha demanded, arching an eyebrow. "You don't have another class, so are you coming with us or not?"
"Y-you're walking me home?" I asked, dumbfounded.
"Well, isn't that what it seems like I'm doing?" Inuyasha retorted, holding out a hand towards Rin, who gladly accepted. Both looked expectantly at me, until I sighed, slinging my towel over my shoulder.
If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.
I sat in my bed, exhausted. With great effort, I started taking off my socks, one by one, scrunching my nose in the sweaty odor that it gave off. Disgusted, and feeling ready to vomit, I flicked the material to the side.
I fell back in bed, feeling moist and dirty, for teaching a class of archery lessons. A knock on my door startled me out of my thoughts. Knowing it was Souta, I pretended to be asleep because there was no way I was going to do the little idiot's homework. Not me, not now. I rolled over in bed, scrunching up my nose at the smell of the buckets of sweat that lingered on my school uniform. Oh, how disgusting. I shouldn't have tried that fencing practice afterwards; I smelled so vile.
"Sis, please… I really need your help," Souta said from the doorway. Although his voice did not resemble a whine, he sounded desperate, almost as if he had to cry. I knew my heart was too kind to turn him away, so I stood up grumpily and headed to the door. With a heavy sigh, I opened it, ushering my youngest sibling inside.
"Make yourself comfortable," I said dryly. Souta gave me a cute smile of appreciation, pushing through one of my three sets of curtains that divided my room from my sleeping area, my tea area, and my study area. My brother headed to my small tea 'room' and placed his third grade textbooks on my small table. Souta loved the tea area in my room; it was near the balcony, of which I had decorated simply with my favorite flowers: pink roses. Souta loved these flowers, and he also loved the breathtaking view my balcony offered.
"What do you need help with?" I asked my little brother, after setting my tea tray down on another table. Souta pushed his notebook towards me. Glancing at his scribbles, I winced. "Ew! Long multiplication! Really, Souta, isn't there anything else you need help with?"
"Nope," He said meekly. He bowed his head, as if he were ashamed of himself. "Sorry, sis."
As I watched him, I couldn't help but give in to defeat. Even though I called him names, played pranks and taunted him, Souta was and always will be my little brother. I couldn't help but love him to pieces, and both Kikyo and I knew that. Whatever Souta asked for, I would grudgingly (but willingly) comply. And it was this sisterly love that got me here in the first place, helping him with the dreaded multiplication. I shuddered. It wasn't that I didn't know multiplication: I just didn't like it. Multiplication was needed in order for geometry, and geometry was something I could not, would not do. Even my math teacher knew that, and despite all the help he tried to offer me, nothing worked. Ever since I was little, I always had trouble with math – all my other grades were just perfect A pluses. It seemed like Souta was stuck in the same ditch as me.
"So what's the first problem?" I asked, and Souta searched around for his math textbook, and opened up to the first problem. I tilted my head to the side, reading along as he did. I nodded every now and then as he tried to complete the problem – and with my beloved calculator I checked the problems. Half of them were right. Wearily I glanced at an incorrect problem, and tore out a piece of paper from his notebook.
"Here's the problem: one thousand twenty three times seventeen," I read, and looked at his answer. It was nineteen thousand, four hundred thirty seven. I frowned at this, forming quick calculations inside my head. "No, Souta… You multiplied by nineteen, not by the seventeen you were supposed to do…"
Again I found myself sprawled upon my silk bed sheets. The only difference, that this time around, I clean, and actually smelled good. After my laborious hours tutoring Souta, I took a nice, long shower, reveling in the feel of hot water against my skin. Afterwards I headed straight to bed, too tired to even bother around with the hours of homework I was assigned. I would start on it tomorrow morning, I figured, while I set my alarm clock to 5:00am in the morning. Then, I had about two hours to do some homework before the bus came at 7:30.
I tucked myself under my blankets, burrowing deep to find a good spot to sleep in. Once I made myself comfortable, I reached for my velvet kitsune stuffed toy, mainly out of habit. It was my most favorite out of my many collections. That was because a student of mine at the archery building gave it to me. The student was Shippo, the cutest little boy I had ever seen. When I first met him, I often would obsess over his foxtail, and he let me – albeit grudgingly.
Smiling to myself the memory, I felt my eyelids drift shut and soon I fell into a deep sleep. Little did I know that it was going to be a long night – the start of many troubled, sleepless nights.
"Kagome," I heard someone call. Groggily I opened my eyes, startled at the soft, cool touch of someone's fingers against my forehead. I was staring up at the face of the Spirit Queen, whom I grudgingly paid a visit to moments earlier. Warily, and almost untrusting, I glanced about me, seeing that I no longer lay on my soft, comfortable bed. I looked at her sourly, like a mouse deprived of cheese would. I crossed my arms and subconsciously pouted, silently demanding that I get more beauty sleep.
"Just five more minutes of sleep, please?" I begged, clasping my hands cutely to make her waver. It was my special trick: I always got what I wanted when I was a child because of this. "…I'll give you a cookie."
"…Do you feel drowsy?" Aislinn asked, the tone of her voice containing a slight sense of concern. She arched a brow at me, scanning my face for any sign of fatigue.
I stared at her stupidly, shifting my position from kneeling prostrated on the floor. We were in the throne room of Aislinn's castle, she, upon her chair, and I, kneeling to her of all things! I grunted at my unmeant position, curling up to sit down, Indian style, in front of the otherworldly woman in front of me. Whispers of the spirits watching us silently ricocheted across the room, indignant and astonished.
It was then I brightly realized that not even an ounce of sleep weighed on my eyelids. Perplexed, I shook my head in affirmation, and an easy grin crept across my Guardian's mouth. Her eyes sparkled in silent laughter as she straightened against her throne.
"You are in a dream," She explained. "A subconscious of the reality that exists around you. From now on our conferences will exist here. I cannot have you in the Het veld van Bloed again."
"The Head von whatta?" I repeated.
"It is Dutch for 'Field of Blood'," Aislinn replied patiently. "Legend articulates about a woman who was slaughtered brutally in Het veld van Bloed. Her murderers realized she was pregnant for about four or five months. The child that they had discovered was eradicated of its mother's womb, and before they could dispose of the fetus, they perceived that it held both human and demon-like characteristics. It was definitely a hanyou.
"The band of assassins feared for the child's father. They fled from the area soon after, and they appeared to be secure for a small number of days. However, one night, the demon father found the murderers and brought them to the field and butchered them. Once his task was completed, the demon vanished. He was never seen again.
"Some say that the blood that lies on the field is the blood of the murderers. Others say it is the blood of the human mother and her hanyou son. No one is certain – but on the nights of the crescent moon, feminine shrieks could be heard. Most believe it is the shrieks of the human girl, but again, no one will ever know.
"Oh." I replied, a little to freaked out by the tale she told. I clenched my hands until they turned completely white, expecting a raging demon to come out and slaughter me any moment. Aislinn sensed this, I noticed, as I glanced at the smirk upon her lips.
"Um, anyway. Just to make sure, and to totally switch the topic, I have a question to ask." I said in a squeaky whisper.
"Yes?"
"Am I… sleepwalking somewhere?" I asked uncertainly. This time, there was no Inuyasha around to save me. My soulless body could have been jumping off the balcony for all I knew.
"No." Aislinn said calmly, her vivid blue eyes probing into my own. "Your body currently lies in your bed, living, breathing, and, of course, dreaming. It is your spirit – your soul that exists here."
"But… why am I not sleepwalking this time?"
I would expect my Guardian to roll her eyes in frustration because of my never-ending questions, but her expression never changed. I would never know if she thought ill of me that moment, but she was calm as ever, that was for sure.
"Our Bond then did not exist," She said softly. "Calling you to me would not be possible, so I merely waited until you freely came to me. Once formalities were tied, our Bond was created. With that Bond, I may come to your aid whenever I deem you need it. In this case, I called you to me to prepare you for what is to come."
She watched me silently as I began to digest this. As I opened my mouth to ask another question, Aislinn stood up, stretching her hand out to me. Her gaze on me was impersonal and beckoning. Immediately I stood up, feeling the need to obey, to grant her every wish. It was strange how a simple gaze can cause me to feel like this. It was probably something Aislinn was trained to do – a tool, a device that made others gladly fall to her feet. I was probably just one of them: a pawn in her game. I was a pawn that had no choice but to follow.
"I have no wish to respond to any more of your inquiries, my child," She said, her fingers curling lightly around mine. "I would oblige to your requests if I could. But I cannot; I brought you here to do what I must do. There is no time for small distractions."
I nodded. Aislinn grinned down at me as she tugged me out of the throne room. We walked through the lonely corridors of the castle. The dark hallways lit up as we passed by, and vaguely I noticed that the castle was actually well decorated and beautiful – once the lights were on, that was. Portraits of many pets and family members hung grandly in the larger hallways. When I walked past, sometimes I would see the frowns of their mouths shift into the most faint, but visible ghost of a smile. It was strange, almost like the portraits in those Harry Potter series. The only difference here was that these faces didn't move, they just appeared to be: almost like a hallucination.
As my Guardian walked, I could hear the soft echoes of her crystal shoes click against the stone floors. I couldn't help but wonder if she stole those slippers from Cinderella herself. I was just about to ask, except I was under the fear of her abandoning her mission to teach me what she was supposed to. Instead I took my own delight in watching her feet move. She carried her body with such a distinguished air of grace and superiority… I hoped she was going to teach me to act like that.
The pair of us remained silent until we finally reached our destination. We had trekked through the farthest wing of the castle, and through a flight of murderous staircases until I was pretty much sure I finally accomplished the goal of losing ten pounds. I was panting when my companion pushed open the golden doors of the room she wanted to show to me.
"Come, child." Aislinn whispered to me softly. "There is not much time."
She guided me to a small outlet near to the exit and instructed me to remove my slippers. I obediently followed through with her orders, expecting her to do the same. But she didn't. Looking to me again, she spoke in a soft voice that dripped of her obvious warning.
"The place I shall show you is completely sacred. No mortal is permitted here, but under these circumstances, I requested to the Council that you come. They granted me permission to send you here, but you must abide by their rules." At this, she paused. I had the feeling that she was waiting for my agreement, my promise, so without thinking, I nodded. My Guardian studied my face for any hint of a lie, but I supposed she saw none, since she continued.
"You must wear a blindfold," Aislinn instructed, handing me a piece of cloth. I glanced distastefully at it, but because I had no other choice, I fastened it on tightly.
"With this blindfold, you will see through closed eyes," She continued, only to get a skeptical grunt from me. I opened my mouth to ask a question, but I came to a conclusion that I could not speak. It was probably Aislinn's doing. I cursed at her mentally.
"The only way you are able to see is if you clear your mind," My Guardian continued. "That means any selfish form of thought is forbidden. These especially count for those that are egotistical or profane."
Aislinn stressed the word 'profane', and from then on I knew she could read my thoughts. I winced, but nodded again. I had to watch myself around this woman.
"This is both a test and a training device," She said. "We will observe if your soul is pure enough to push back the evil recesses of your mind. We will also use this experience to allow your mind to grow accustomed to having no distracting trains of thought. Because of this understanding, you will apply this lesson to further circumstances that require this technique. Though you may not encounter the event immediately, it still is vital information for you to study."
I nodded. I was actually a bit nervous from the way Aislinn talked. She seemed so serious and so worried for what is to come my way. From what I gather, it looked as if it was going to be something life threatening. I did not do life threatening – I preferred to be very safe, thank you very much. Whenever I watched those horror movies at the cinema I was glad I led a quiet life. Things like that, I vowed, would never happen to me. The irony of it all…
"Seeing that you agree," Aislinn said. "I understand that you are prepared to cross the threshold?"
After another bob of my head, I tried to 'clear my mind' as my Guardian instructed me to. It wasn't as easy as I had expected it to be – I was a dreamer sort of girl. I dreamed things up instead of taking action. Even though I was athletic, I was always lazy… I didn't like to move around for my own good. Most of the time I wished I could curl up and sleep. If not for the will to escape Kikyo's shadow, I would have been a fat couch potato.
I felt Aislinn's light grip on my fingers. She never fully held me by the hand; instead she just gave me the faintest grasps of my forefinger, middle finger, and my ring finger. When she tried to lead me to a certain area, she merely squeezed my fingers slightly and tugged with the softest of pressures. Afterwards, when she was sure that I followed, she let go and led the way.
This instance made no difference to the usual occasions. Once she forced me to follow her, I nearly whined out of fear. I still couldn't see: thoughts of failure clouded my so-called 'vision'. All my life, I had been pressured to not fail – the least I could do, according to my mother, was to be remotely as good as Kikyo.
No, no, no, no! I pushed these memories aside, refusing to think anymore of my semi-unhappy childhood. I took a moment to remain where I was, clenching and unclenching my hands. I needed to regain my composure. I needed to stop thinking about this, and live my life the way I wanted to. I couldn't live as Kikyo's shadow for the rest of my life, I reminded myself again.
This slight reassurance caused my blind eyes (Not a literal meaning, but you could sorta guess where I'm going) to see blurry images. Through my closed eyes and the blindfold covering them, I was able to see the lone figure of a woman standing in front of me. Her body twisted slightly, her head inclined towards me as if she was waiting for me to follow – a silent beckoning. I suspected this figure was Aislinn.
I pushed back any wandering thoughts and went forward. Though I could only interpret shadows with my mind, the blurry quality to them gradually decreased and I could finally make my way through. I held my chin up high, suddenly confident with my actions. Aislinn's outline turned at my movements and started walking. I cheerfully followed. Sometimes my vision would blur, but after a bit of my coaxing, it eventually would regain its quality.
My Guardian and I would continue to walk in silence, until suddenly she stopped in front of a… thing. It wasn't a large object, just about the size of my fist. My brows furrowed, trying to decipher what the hell it was. From the blurry shadows I could not see what it was, much to my dislike.
"If you touch it," Aislinn began. "You may see it in color."
I hesitated.
"Go on," She urged gently. "The Council allows it."
I knew this wasn't going to go along well, but nevertheless, I did it anyway. When I came into contact with it, I felt a sticky liquid in between my fingers. My mind immediately registered it as something perverted, until the touch allowed me to see the… thing in color. And when the image entered my mind, I fought the urge to scream. It was a heart – literally. It wasn't the kind that a normal person thought of when involving cupid, but more like the hearts involving one's respiratory system.
What made things worse, was that the heart was beating. As if it lived on its own. I grimaced.
"Beware those who have no heart," Aislinn said in her usual monotone. Her voice dripped with caution, instead of their usual indifference. "They are your allies, but also your adversaries. Do not be deterred by their primary façade."
Behind my Guardian, there stood two figures. I could not interpret their faces, and the only conclusion I came to was that these figures were most likely female. One was just about my height, if not just a few inches taller. She – I say she is a she because of her, um… womanly curves – stood around the height of 5'4. The other, of whom I can only guess was a female – she simply had long hair, and was most likely was too young to even near puberty.
As I finished examining the silhouettes of these two 'females', Aislinn's outline started to pace away. I quickened my steps to follow her. It was not a long walk this time, just a couple of steps. I waited patiently as Aislinn stood by an outline of a pedestal. At least, I presumed it looked like a pedestal… After a soft puff of breath, I knew she was going to speak. I raised my chin a little higher in her direction.
"Beware of the living dead," She said. "No soul or conscience exists in their synthetic bodies. Though they may also give the impression of being your ally, they are not. Towards you, they will show no mercy, whether you are their kin or close acquaintance. After all, they have no minds – they are simply a pawn to their master. Therefore do not hesitate if you ever encounter the choice in harming them."
"Kagome," Aislinn glanced at me expectantly. "Those spirits you met earlier -- they are bound to a fate that only you can change. This is why you are with me now, Kagome. You must save them.
Again I nodded. I watched her as her figure turned towards what seemed like a window. Her head tilted slightly towards the side, as if she was peering out from it. I stayed where I was, simply observing. I was too tired to move again, and somehow I felt my body heaving from exhaustion. There was no way I wanted to faint again, just like last time.
"Our time together will soon come to an end," Aislinn told me calmly. "If you wish to meet with me again before our next scheduled conference, speak my name and I will answer your call."
I nodded.
"I will see you again," My Guardian said, touching my hand. "Until next time."
I watched with my mind as her outline disappeared. There I stood, until I felt the slightest pressure on my hand. I tilted my head to look down at whatever I was holding, and I saw a flower. She probably put the thing into my hand when she said goodbye. And since I was the most incredible dolt alive, it was not surprising that I did not notice.
I lifted my head, trying to find the way out that Aislinn so brightly did not show me. It was dangerous to walk around with a vision such as mine. I couldn't see in good detail. Images were all in a black-and-gray blur. I could fall into a hole and not notice until it was too late.
I continued to walk around blindly – well, sort of – around the place where Aislinn last stood. The window was still there, I could tell. I debated whether I was desperate enough to jump out or not.
As luck would have it, I ungraciously tripped into a hole, yes; a hole (Just my luck) and I fell in. I let out a loud, surprised shriek while unconsciousness engulfed me.
I woke up in a sweat. As my eyes opened, I only found myself staring into the darkness that the blindfold offered me. I sat up immediately, ripping the silk cloth apart. I turned on my bedside light and gazed cautiously at my blindfold. There was absolutely no way of denying that my dream was not just my imagination; not just because of the blindfold I woke up with, but the flower. From the artificial light that came from my lamp, I classified the flower's color. White.
It was a white lily. A beautiful flower, even though it symbolized death.
Author's Note: Okay, how is it? I noticed the Dutch thing doesn't exactly translate, since I used once of those online translator machine-thingamajigs. I'm not even the least bit Dutch, so I really wouldn't know. I tried Latin, but I couldn't find a free Latin translator. Oh, I'm but a stupid Filipina…
But anyway, please tell me how you like it. It's your reviews that keep me going. If I don't get any per chapter, I don't write. Not that I'm demanding or anything, but it could just be that people don't read my stories. However, I'm very happy with the 18-or-so reviews that I have so far, and right now I'm willing to answer any questions in my future author's notes. – I just realized we could do that… Eh hehehe.