Title: Shadows Against A Shoji Screen

Series: Inuyasha

Genre: action/romance/drama

Keywords: Kaede, Hiroyoshi

AN: This chapter focuses on three minor characters (one of them I made up) and is sort of a side story randomly put in.  I can't think of much to say, except the character's name, 'Bishou'.   I know, your wondering, 'what the heck is up with that name!?' It's short for bishonen which he definitely isn't...ironic, ne?

I know, I know: this isn't a chapter everyone wants to read, but come on, just because there is no Sessh or Inuyasha dosen't mean you skip every chapter! *kicks Sessh readers* just read. It's actually pretty short.

Chapter 18

Return of the Benevolent Winds

Outside the crickets had begun to chirp and sing the songs of the night in tune with a light breeze that was beginning to pick up from the seashore.  In the wet streets of the village, squares and patterns of light were cut out against the moist ground emanating from the nearby village inn alive with the sounds of people.  Currently, the great sliding door had been opened and two figures slowly stepped inside the vestibule crowded with sandals and shoes.   The screen door slid with a click and the sounds in recesses of the building grew dim only to be replaced by the croaks of frogs, sweet singing of the crickets, and the lonely calls of mating birds.

Slipping off their shoes caked with mud, the female glanced up at the man who was waiting for her in the hallway.  A slow, pretty smile appeared on her face and she questioned, "What are you staring at?"

The man, his eyes reflecting the candlelight, grinned and stepped closer to his love as he replied, "You are beautiful, Kaede."

Kaede flushed and took his hand for help up the step and into the wooden floored hallway.

"Oh?"  She asked comically, allowing their fingers to intertwine in their moment of privacy.  It was short lived as a waitress approached the two and greeted warmly in her country twang, "Welcome!"

Bowing respectfully the man, Hiroyoshi, replied in turn, "Thank you."

The waitress urged them forward among a maze of tables and benches filled with a mixture of travelers and villagers.  As they passed, Hiroyoshi and Kaede listened intently to the words that followed the two.

"A monk and a priestess—,"

"My, how quaint--,"

"Do you suppose they are married--?"

"Wonder what brings them these parts."

"True, it is dangerous 'round here nowadays,"

"Think they know of the war?"

"Might not, they could be from up north."

"Should someone tell them?"

"Better wait it out."

A waitress approached the group of men with their order of ramen and added, "The man is certainly handsome."

"We aren't looking at the man, miss."

The table roared with laughter as the waitress returned to the kitchen to get the sake they had ordered earlier.  As she departed she stopped by the table where the priestess and priest were comfortably seated at and questioned politely, "Have you decided what you would like to order?"

The female looked up and smiled though it was evident that she was very tired from the long journey.  Replying, Kaede answered, "Yes, I would like the yaki-soba and a pot of tea between the two of us."

Nodding and memorizing the order the waitress turned to the young and handsome man and averted her eyes ever-so-slightly as she realized how good looking he was, "And you, sir?"

The man smiled as well, a soft gentle smile, yet it was also burdened with exhaustion, "I will have the chicken ramen, if you would be so kind."

Bowing deeply the waitress assured them that their order would arrive shortly.

As she departed once more, Kaede and Hiroyoshi exchanged tired glances.  Hiroyoshi was the first to speak as he fiddled absently with the chopstick holder, "You know, if Inuyasha had only listened to us, we would not have to make this journey."

Kaede resting her head on her hands nodded, but argued gently, "Come now, Hiroyoshi, did you really expect him to?"

Hiroyoshi did not answer but was instead regarding the table of men nearby.  The four or five of them were roaring with laughter caused by too much sake.  Their volume did not disturb the two for they were very well aware that these men were farmers and nights with pleasures such as liquor was a way for them to enjoy their hum-drum life.

Kaede, studying her husband in earnest, continued on in a pressing voice, "But it is not Inuyasha that concerns me.  Eventually, he will realize the mess he got himself into.  Right now, it is the news of his wife's disappearance that is particularly shocking."

Hiroyoshi returned his eyes to his wife and nodded solemely.  His wise and calm face was like a strong pillar that she could hold onto even in the worst of storms.

"Yes, it is unexpected.  If Naraku has kidnapped Lady Kagome then it will be extremely hard to find her.  Even with our abilities, there are spells and enchantments that lie about his castle, preventing ones such as ourselves to enter."

Not replying, Kaede's eyes slipped down to the worn and scratched table.  Her lips turned downward in a frown as she traced each line with her finger.

…Inuyasha, can't you just be satisfied with life…?

A few silent minutes later their meal arrived in large steaming bowls.  Glancing up, Kaede called after the waitress as she turned to leave.  Trying to act nonchalant, she inquired in a friendly voice, "Excuse me, waitress?"

"Yes?" the young country girl inquired sweetly, her large dark eyes straying to Hiroyoshi's form, "Is the food not satisfactory?"

Hiroyoshi coughed on a noodle but said nothing.

Kaede continued, her large dark eyes gazing into the young girl's face.  Soon, this girl would know the ravishes of war, soon this innocence, her fragile innocence, would forever be lost to the fountains of blood and sorrow.

"Excuse me, but have you ever heard of a warlord named Naraku?"

The girl stiffened almost instantly and her face became placid and noncommittal like the gray shores of a frozen lake.

"N-No, I have not," she answered stiffly.  A moment later, she bowed and hurried back into the kitchen.  When their tea was served, it was by a different waitress.

Hiroyoshi glanced up at his wife, a gentle smile residing on his face, "Well, what did that prove?"

Kaede glared at her husband who always seemed to be right.  She loved the man with all her heart, yet still, it was so infuriating when his intellect won over hers.

"Now you have scared the girl and the rumors will spread."  He bit into another mouthful of noodles and chewed.

"Do you think we should push on to the next town?"  Kaede asked, ill at ease as she watched with some apprehension as their former waitress pointed to them from across the crowded room.

"No." Hiroyoshi replied firmly, reaching out across the table and taking his wife's delicate yet powerful hand in his, "We have come this far.  We have a duty to fulfill, both to Inuyasha and his wife."

Kaede blinked back tears.  She loved it when Hiroyoshi was like this—he was her strength to rest upon in her hour of need.  Kaede truly loved the man with all of her heart, with everything she had ever known.

Interrupting the reverie of Hiroyoshi, the screen door in the vestibule slid open with a snap and all faces turned curiously to see who would be the next guest to the restaurant.  When the man appeared the group of rowdy farmers shouted a welcome and beckoned him over to the table.  The thin tanned man paused and whispered to a waitress of his order then strode across the room in long even steps.  He was a handsome man in some respects.  His eyes and nose were fine, and although his lips might have been a touch pale the way in which they were arranged on his face gave the impression he was always smiling.

"Bishou!"  One of the farmers in brown garments called, "We have figured you for dead!"

Another man with curly hair nodded and sipped some of his sake, "That was a damn foolish delivery you took today—even if your father was sick."

A teenager with a shaved hair-cut added, "Who knows what the crazy-ass demon lord will do?  He might eat you if he didn't like the products he delivered!"

Bishou said nothing but smiled a rather cat-like smile (it was inherit to his family) and settled himself down on a bench between the teenager and brown-clothed farmer.

"Sake?" the curly haired man asked, leaning forward eagerly and pouring Bishou a cup that sloshed only ever-so-slightly.  These men were a bit tipsy.

"I ordered another round," Bishou informed good naturedly before draining the offered cup, "But a starter can't hurt, hm?"

The group of men laughed heartily slapping one another on the back and causing a general commotion in the small and cramped inn.

The waitress, formerly Hiroyoshi's and Kaede's, appeared with a tray onto which a large chilled container was presented.

"Y'like your sake cold?" the teenager questioned, grabbing Bishou's empty cup and refilling it.

"Only on special occasions," Bishou answered gulping down the sake and breathing a sigh of relief, "Or when I been sweatin' all day."

The group chuckled and the teenager prodded, "Come on, Bishou, tell us what happened with that demon lord."

Kaede and Hiroyoshi who had only been half listening to the conversation nearly sprung out of their chairs.

"Do you think?" Kaede gasped, glancing over her shoulder at the soon-to-be intoxicated man.

Hiroyoshi's dark eyes swiveled towards the newcomer 'Bishou' and whispered, "Best to listen for a bit more before we interrogate them.  Most of the men over there are drunk, and we don' know if they are 'happy drunks' or 'angry drunks'." 

Hiroyoshi tucked a strand of his long hair behind his ears and focused on the group of rowdy men some three meters away.

"Yeah, come on, Bishou!  Tell us about that bastard Sesshoumaru!"  The curly haired man insisted, slamming his hand down on the table in a good natured manner.

Bishou sipped his sake slowly and replied after a bit, "I'll tell you one thing though, that demon has got the finest grounds in the country!  Not a twig out-a place out there!  Quiet as hell too, only thing I could hear there was the birds!"

The men nodded, but the curly haired chap didn't seem satisfied, "Who gives a rat's ass 'bout his land?  Bishou—you're holding out on us! Did yeh see him or not?"

Bishou slurped his sake and chewed on a piece of chicken.  Finally, he answered, his handsome country face lighting up in pride, "Yes, I saw him.  I even talked to him!"

"What!?" The people seated at the round table burst out, "You talked to Sesshoumaru?"

Kaede leaned back into the bench, breathing a sigh of relief.  "So, it would seem that we are now in Sesshoumaru's domain; not Naraku's as we first presumed."

Hiroyoshi, his eyes still peeled to the table, nodded and whispered, "And very close to the lord's dwelling, I believe."

"This is disappointing.  Lady Kagome would most likely be held in Naraku's castle, yet we still do not know where it lies." Kaede pointed out in earnest, her eyes narrowing in apprehension and discontent.

Hiroyoshi opened his mouth to speak, but Kaede instantly silenced him by putting her finger to her lips.  Motioning towards the group behind her, she mouthed silently, "We can still get some information."

Nodding, Hiroyoshi returned to his food though his ears were pricked at attention.

"Course I spoke to him! He had to come out to inspect the food and the packages.  Supposedly, he does the same thing with m'father!"  Bishou roared indignantly, slightly put off by his comrades questions.

"Well?"  The curly haired man questioned.

"What did he say?" the shaved teenager encouraged.

"Not much, I'll give yeh that!  The bloke walked out there, looking as though he had just taken an ice cold bath—,"

The men chuckled at this comment.

"—An' he says to me, "Where is your father?" An' I asks, "How do you know who my father is? And he answers, "I am a demon.  I can smell blood.  Yours is similar to Yoshinada, and so, I must 'presume' you are his son." Bishou scowled and continued without encouragement this time.  He was finally getting into the 'story-telling' mood.  "I was sort of taken aback by that, but I didn't let on.  So, I gave him his stuff and he told me to wait while he went and got the money."

Bishou let out a long, long whistle and dropped his voice a notch, though it could still be heard perfectly well by Kaede and her husband.

"But I tell you, Sesshoumaru may be a demon lord and have nice land; but the only thing I want that he has is his girl."

The men leaned closer.

"Sesshoumaru's got a wife?"

"No, not a wife.  I don't know who she is, might be a relative."

"Why is she staying there?"

"How long has she been there?"

"Why didn't she come through town were there's that road that'll take you up to his place?"

"Maybe she did come—at night!"

"Hey, hey, we're getting side tracked.  Who cares how she got here and why she's here! Bishou, what she look like, eh?"  The teenager questioned, hanging over the table, a wide devious smile on his face.

Bishou groaned and clasped at his heart, "I haven't seen a woman more beautiful in all my years!"

"But you're only eighteen," someone pointed out.

"Let the man talk!" another barked.

Continuing on, Bishou described, "She is a real lady, I'll tell you that.  But, I've met real ladies before; but there is somethin' different 'bout her.  She's got life in her bones and she wants to live, not be all cooped up in some house like a scroll or ornament.  She was kind and everything, and even though we have obvious class differences, she treated me as an equal."

Bishou closed his eyes, a dumb smile highlighting his face.

"Well, how'd you meet her?" the farmer in brown clothes asked, pouring himself a cup of tea and sipping at it.

Looking about the group, Bishou grinned and continued, "Well, I was standin' there, waiting for old Sesshoumaru to return and all, when all of a sudden she comes rounding the corner from the gardens!  She looks at me and I look at her, but I'm too stupid to say anything, so she bows and says, 'Hello' and I bow, and say 'Hello'.  Obviously, she's waitin' for me to say something, but I'm too dumbstruck.  So, then, she walks forward, smiling a pretty smile an' says, 'Who are you?' and I say, 'I'm Bishou'.  'Are you the deliverer' she questions, so I says 'Yes, I am'.  She waits a bit, and then answers, 'I'm Gokame' or somethin' like that, I was too in love to catch it."

"What the heck kind a name is Gokame?" the teenager chortled, laughing to himself.

Seated at the table nearby, Kaede's and Hiroyoshi's eyes met.  There was a nod and the two stood up abruptly causing the benches to fall over.  Before anyone could notice, they were walking quickly towards 'Bishou' with looks of determination on their faces.

"It has to be her," Kaede whispered.

"Yes."

The group of men now turned to face them, caught rather off guard by a miko and a monk making their way towards them.  Wasting no time, Hiroyoshi barked in an unusually aggressive voice, "Sir, we are sorry to intrude but, we couldn't help listening to your conversation."

Kaede cut in and continued, "We were wondering if you could describe this girl."

Bishou blinked and recoiled slightly, "What were you doin' listenin' to my conversation, hm?"

Hiroyoshi kneeled on the ground so he was eye level to the man and replied in a gentler voice, "You see, we are looking for a courtier that might have been kidnapped.  It would make sense if it was by Lord Sesshoumaru."

"N-now we don't want any trouble," The curly haired man warned bitterly, standing up.

"We assure you, we mean no harm.  What you tell us we will repeat to no one."  Kaede whispered quietly, giving the man her 'I'm-an-innocent-priestess-please-don't-be-mean' look.

"Well," Bishou began, obviously haven taken their word, "She was good looking and curvy.  Even with her layered kimono, you could tell she was stack—,"

Hiroyoshi coughed.

"She had sort of long-hair, probably went down half way to her back.  But, what I remember most were her blue eyes, I swear, I hadn't thought that color was possible!"

The curly haired man added, "Well, supposedly, the lord Sesshoumaru has golden eyes, so, I suppose so."

Hiroyoshi and Kaede exchanged low whispers.

"Lady Kagome's blue eyes are famous.  I know not of another woman in Japan with eyes such as hers."

"It must be her then.  But why is she at Sesshoumaru's castle?"

Turning back towards the men, Kaede asked kindly, "Sir, it seems as though this is the person we were looking for.  However, might it be possible that her name was Kagome, and not Gokame?"

Bishou's face lit with recognition, "Ah! Yes, that was it!"

Hiroyoshi leaned forward and inquired, "Did she say anything else, besides her name?"

Bishou thought for a moment and replied, "Well, I mentioned to her that Obon was comin' up this weekend.  She said she would love to go and would try to see if she could make it.  I found this strange, because usually noble ladies don't participate in our festivals."

Kaede grinned.  That sounded like something the rumored Kagome would do.  She had a lust for life indeed, and even class ranks couldn't block her strong will.

"I see…"  Hiroyoshi murmured, glancing at his wife.

"What? Yeh still don't believe me!" Bishou roared, taking their silence for disbelief. "Fine, I got somethin' that'll prove it!"

For a split second, Kaede thought that the man was going to start a brawl in the middle of the inn.  But, to Kaede's, Hiroyoshi's and all the other men's disbelief, Bishou withdrew a piece of fabric from his clothing and slammed it down on the table.

"There!  That'll prove it!"  Bishou roared, glaring at Hiroyoshi who tentatively took a step forward and peered over the table.  Everyone else looked down at the cloth until the monk picked it up in his hands and studied it intently.

"What is it?"  Kaede whispered, leaning against her husband and gazing down at the piece of nearly translucent silk.

"It's…" Hiroyoshi began, tracing the stitching that had been carefully placed onto it.  The stitches themselves formed an open cherry blossom in varying shades of red, white and blank trimmed with silver silk thread.  In the corner was a few written pieces of kanji.

"It is a piece of embroidery by Kagome.  See, look here.  She embroidered her name in the silk."  Hiroyshi whispered, stroking the fine fabric and threads in his hands with a look of wonderment.

"It hast to be hers, no commoner could afford such a fine quality of silk and thread," Kaede whispered, glancing up at Bishou who pretended not to hear her last comment and was looking at the two in mild anger and pride.

"Well?" he grunted, folding his arms.

"But why would she give it to you?" Kaede whispered to herself.

Bishou needed no urging and explained, "Well, I was waitin' for Sesshoumaru and all, and we got to talking.  Then, when she heard Sesshoumaru commin' she gave it to me and said she had enjoyed our conversation very much."

Returning the fabric to Bishou, Hiroyoshi nodded and excused himself with his wife saying that they had much to discuss with this recent information.  The two paid for their food and walked out into the star filled night and into the quiet and deserted streets.

"Well, what do you make of all this?" Hiroyoshi questioned, leaning against a camphor tree.

"It seems to me that Kagome is perfectly fine, but obviously she wants to make her presence known to the outside world.  That is probably what that present was for.  She knew Bishou would talk and the word would spread.  No one may do anything about it, but still, she wants people to know where she is."  Kaede spoke quickly, her eyes narrowed in the starlight.  "There has to be the reason…"

Hiroyoshi squatted down and began to trace a map of the mountain ranges.  "Could we risk trying to infiltrate Sesshoumaru's quarters?" 

Kaede shook her head, a slight grin appearing on her lips, "No, he is much too powerful.  We need not bother to try and rescue Kagome anyways.  I have a feeling that we will be seeing her shortly."

Hiroyoshi looked up at his wife, a look of puzzlement on his features, "Why?  What do you mean?  Do you think she will be able to convince Sesshoumaru to take her to Obon?"

Kaede laughed and replied, "If it is one thing I have heard about Kagome, it is her persistence.  I'm sure we will be seeing her this weekend under the golden light of the lanterns.  Then, we may tell her of the past and her future."

Hiroyoshi nodded and stood up.  A moment later they were in each others arms as he whispered playfully into her ear, "I love it when you are cunning…"

********

Obon: the Bon Festival celebrated on July 15—August 15 depending on the areas of Japan. According to popular Buddhist belief, ancestral spirits return to their families during the festival. Religious services are held at all temples and families pray in front of the home altar and family grave, offering incense and small sweets. Many lanterns are lit to guide the spirits in their journeys home, and so the Bon Festival is also called the Feast of Lanterns. During this festival, people throughout Japan perform Bon folk dances in the evening to comfort and entertain their ancestors. After the Bon season is over, the spirits are said to return to heaven.

AN: So, yeah, a little side chapter focusing on some minor characters. I think this chapter goes by pretty fast and is just wrapping up some spare ends, if you know what I mean. ^_~ The next chapter that is coming up is probably my favorite because it is a good chapter with a lot of my personal philosophy. So, you guys get to read about it! It's also…I dun know…just good and sweet and sad and beautiful and everything! And it is a chapter where Sesshoumaru and Kagome interact, for all of you who read it only if it has S/K…*sigh*  but you know, I'm still not telling you the pairing. So HAH!

Read, review, say 'bleu'!

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