If only I could call the rain to melt and wash away the pain you feel, I would! You gave yourself to me and showed me what the truth could be, for that I say thank you! I close my eyes and watch as my life passes by, the only thing I see is you! For all the times you've walked the line for me and standing by my side I say thank you…
*****
Gossamer Dreams
Part 8
*****
Inuyasha was hiding again. As far as he was concerned, there were two people that loved him, that would always protect him. Those two people were his mother and his father. They were both dead. When he heard, he could not conceive of it at first. How could his whole world be taken away from him like that? He had not felt any warning, any hint that this might happen. And now, what was he to do? He had a brother, a distant, ephemeral figure he sometimes glimpsed in passageways, beautiful and graceful and cold and distant. He had a stepmother, the scariest woman he knew. He had his nurse, who would only tell him not to cry and not to fret, as he was a prince. He could think of no one…
But then…a quiet girl, a soft voice, a shaky smile, two eyes a shade of purple that almost glowed with something forbidden and wonderful and familiar all at once. Kikyo. She was a good girl. A nice girl. And her stories could make him forget this pain in his chest. Surely…
It took very little time to find the staircase and burst into the apartment, his golden eyes glistening with tears he could not bring himself to actually let fall. The women were staring at him as though they had never seen him before, as though they thought that when his world had collapsed, he would go down with it. He wished he could have…it hurt so bad, being all alone. And they were all looking at him like they wanted him to go away, to leave them. Of course they did. None of them knew him. None of them cared about him. He was just another Youkai to them, and they hated Youkai.
"Inuyasha!" the voice seemed small usually, but in the silence, it pierced him, and pulled at him, and when she ran forward, breaking through the crowd of taller Gifted, she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "Is…what they have said. Is it true?"
"They're both dead." He told her, his voice shaking. "If that's what you mean."
"Oh gods…" tears welled in those perfect, violet orbs, and Inuyasha did the first thing he thought of. He hugged her. At first, she froze, but as reservations and shyness melted away in the face of grief, she clung to him, her face burrowing into his chest, tears spilling onto his shirt as she let herself, for just a moment, feel like she was home, and this person holding her was Miroku, and it was okay to cry, because Keiko had died. But then, the fact that she knew Keiko ruined the illusion, and she found herself with Inuyasha. He was much shorter than Miroku. That was likely due to the age difference, but that was still something that bothered her at the moment. He was taller than her, though, so perhaps she could just lean on him for a little while longer. And surely, he would be sad as well. Keiko was her friend, but she was his mother, and while she did not know too much about Inuyasha, she had gathered that he had very few people to turn to. She had lived for so long with such a small base of trust and love that she could understand how he must feel. How had she felt when Kaede had died? What if Miroku had died on that same day? The fact that he was not crying was frankly amazing to her. "It is okay to cry," she whispered against him. "When someone dies, there is no shame in it."
"I'm a prince." He told her, his voice barely audible as he lowered it so that the surrounding women would not hear. "I'm not allowed to have tears."
"That is horrible." She clung to him tighter than before, suddenly feeling very sorry for this boy who had turned to her of all people, in his hour of sadness and need. "I will cry for both of us then, shall I?"
"Thanks." He shifted away from her slightly; rubbing his face to be sure none of that moisture had actually trickled down his cheeks. Satisfied, he took her hand in his and led her back to the corner where Keiko had once spent all her free time, reading or grooming or simply thinking of life and its many intricacies. "Kikyo, you are my best friend now."
"I am?" Kikyo made a face at this. How very alone he must be, that she was his best friend. She had told him stories a few times, but surely someone must show him more attention than that. She had obviously misjudged him in her recent bitter state toward all those who could enter and leave the Apartment at will and without worry of repercussions.
"If you want to be." He suddenly seemed very unsure of himself, like he was afraid she would attack him in some way. Kikyo puzzled over this for a moment before nodding firmly at the boy sitting next to her.
"Of course, I have no other friends. If we are friends, and you are the only friend I have, that makes you my best friend right away, doesn't it?" she figured.
"That's right." Inuyasha smiled broadly, looking very relieved. "I'm glad, because now that mother and father are gone, I had no one else to care about me."
"Keiko said you had a brother." Kikyo told him doubtfully. "He must love you."
"Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha's face twisted slightly. "He doesn't know I exist. I see him sometimes, walking around the Palace like he's already Emperor. He never talks to me."
"Really?" Kikyo blinked, thinking of Miroku simply ignoring her. It was utterly inconceivable. Even now, he must be worrying and searching for her as hard as he could. Surely, since he was Miroku, and he was exceedingly clever, he would find where she was and break her out. That was why she was not very concerned about her stay here in the Apartment, and the eventual duties that such service would entail. The Lord Naraku had seemed very interested in her, but she would be long gone before she was old enough for him to touch, so it was no problem. However, while she was here, it would be lovely to have a friend, and Inuyasha certainly seemed in dire need of one at the moment. "I have a brother, and he loves me very much."
"What's his name?" Inuyasha seemed interested in this, blinking his eyes and leaning in slightly.
"Miroku." She answered before thinking. Kikyo immediately covered her mouth and gasped in shock. "Oh no…please forget I said that."
"Why?" he cocked his head to one side, obviously confused at her request.
"Of course, he is my brother, so he must be Gifted as well. I should not have told you his name. If someone found out, he would be arrested and thrown in the dungeons to die." Kikyo felt her heart racing at this possibility. "He is the person I love most in the world, I could never forgive myself if it was my fault…"
"I wouldn't tell." Inuyasha seemed slightly insulted. "We're best friends. We can say anything to each other now."
"Oh…really?" she felt herself calming down. "I didn't know that. I have never had a best friend before."
"Neither have I." He told her, smiling slightly. "We can learn together."
"I think…I would like that." Kikyo grinned, but she faltered as she heard the door to the Apartment opening. Even though she knew that they were not coming for her, every time the door opened, she felt her stomach flip over and her throat tighten nervously. She hoped it was not that Naraku man. He was a very unpleasant sort, and she did not care for the way he would look at her when he came on his visits, leaving with two or three terrified looking Gifted. Naraku had a horrible reputation with the women in the Apartment, as she had learned from her first day, a night with him was a night to be dreaded. Of course, Miroku would come for her soon, and she would be done worrying about it.
It was not Naraku that entered, as Kikyo had feared it might be. Inuyasha had suspected it would be Moriyaku, but he was also wrong. It was the Princess Kagura. Everyone stopped to look at her, vaguely puzzled. Only Inuyasha and a few of the Gifted who had glimpsed her in the halls knew who it was for sure, but the circlet she wore communicated her rank easily enough. Her eyes were a bright shade of red like nothing the women had ever seen, and her delicate features added to the exotic beauty she exuded. She was easily prettier than most of the women in the room, and they were among the most beautiful of her kind. It ground against their pride that she was the Naraku's daughter, and therefore someone to be hated as much as the man himself, and yet she was so beautiful at only thirteen years of age.
"Yes, I have spotted him." She turned toward the still open door, and the person she addressed stepped forward, eliciting gasps from the women in the room. The Crown Prince Sesshoumaru was said to be a beautiful young man, but very few had ever had occasion to see him, and even then, the full sight of him was something awe-inspiring. He was a man, and yet he was at least as beautiful as his wife, if not more so. If he had not been a Youkai, and therefore someone to be hated, many of the women would have stepped forward to introduce themselves in hopes of impressing him, making some sort of impression on the gorgeous young man, or at least having him look at them full on with his lovely, slanted golden eyes framed by dark lashes and endless tresses of shimmering silver hair. "He is just there, do you see?" Kagura pointed imperiously, and all eyes turned to see Inuyasha, looking rather shocked, and Kikyo, looking terribly frightened at having her little hideaway suddenly exposed to all eyes.
"Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru's voice was deep, a surprise to most women present, who had expected a feminine sound to emit from that gorgeous mouth. "I believe I have yet to introduce myself to you. I am your older brother, Sesshoumaru."
"I know who you are." Inuyasha was trying his best not to sound completely flabbergasted at this turn of events. "What do you want?"
"I wished to express my condolences on this day of loss, and offer my sympathy at the passing of your mother in addition to our father, who shall be sorely missed." Sesshoumaru intoned, his voice and language as formal as ever.
"I too, wish to offer my condolences. I was never very close to your father or your mother, but I am sure they were lovely people, and as Sesshoumaru has told me much about your father, I was looking forward to making his acquaintance more casually, but for now, I shall have to hope only that you will look kindly upon me." Kagura spoke as soon as he had finished. Inuyasha gaped at them in surprise before he heard Moriyaku's voice in his mind telling him that princes never let their mouths hang open like windows on a hot day, and he promptly snapped his jaw closed.
"Okay. Well, thank you." He cleared his throat, trying to sound a bit more proper. He felt foolish talking to these two; they were so much more sophisticated than him. Even Kikyo was better at speaking than he was, but that was mostly because he did not like speaking like that when it felt unnatural and forced to him. "I accept your offer graciously and…offer my sympathy in return."
"Also, I was hoping that in the future you might turn to me as a confidant, now that I am your closest living relation." Sesshoumaru offered, and Inuyasha nodded mutely. "I apologize for not speaking to you in the past, but my mother forbids it."
"Oh, yeah, her." Inuyasha flushed, feeling like an idiot again. "I mean, that is perfectly understandable, and I hold no grudge…concerning this…er…affair."
"Nice." Kikyo sounded snide as she whispered the word, but that was something he would worry about later.
"Having said that, would you be opposed to a private breakfast tomorrow morning? It seems that we are obligated this evening, but we would love the opportunity to spend time with you, our brother." Kagura smiled warmly at him, and he found himself smiling back. That was true, wasn't it? Now that they were married, he was Kagura's brother as well. She seemed a very nice sister, though he had nothing to compare her to.
"I would like that." He answered more easily this time, and he thought that Sesshoumaru almost smiled at him in return for his own shy grin.
"Excellent. Until tomorrow." Sesshoumaru nodded sharply and swept out of the room. Kagura looked after him before gliding over to Inuyasha, leaning down, and kissing the top of his head.
"We are truly sorry, Inuyasha." She told him, and he felt some of the ache ebb away. It was odd, yesterday his world had been his mother and father. Now he had three people to care for him even though they had gone away. Perhaps he would be all right after all.
----------
"Lovely, isn't it?" Kijo sighed as she watched the sunset over the edge of the city, the wind whipping her dark hair back from her smooth face. Warm arms wrapped around her waist and a head rested on her own.
"Yes, it is." The low, smooth voice was one of the sounds she truly loved in the whole world. "All the more beautiful after the new dawn which broke this very morning, dear sister."
"Ah, Naraku, you were brilliant, as usual." She leaned back, letting him support her weight more fully, covering his hands with her own. "I thought there might be a danger of discovery, but you were able to slip in and out of his chambers as if they were your own, moving so stealthily in the dark…"
"Did you worry, Kijo?" his head moved lower, hot breath puffing against her ear. "Could you sleep at all?"
"You know I couldn't, I was up when you returned to me." She turned, letting him hug her more tightly. "I wondered what could be happening, if you had been spotted, if there had been a struggle, if you were hurt…the danger…you know what that does to me."
"I know." He chuckled, malicious as always. "That is why I agreed to it, sister. I love to see you sweat."
"You're horrible to me, brother." She nuzzled against his throat. "Only because you know I let you get away with everything, you horrid cheat."
"You enjoy pain as much as I do, Kijo." He told her, his lips curling up in a grin that only she could love. "I have the scars to prove it, as well."
"Hush, you are such a tease, brother dear." She giggled horribly, kissing his chin lightly. "Now then, we had best keep our minds set. There is a dinner to attend, as you will recall. We are in mourning, all of us, and so we shall be forced to dress in black. Have you anything suitable?"
"Naturally, I am always prepared for tragic days such as these." He winked at her as she danced across the room to her own store of dresses, looking at one after another. "And you, my dear sister? Do you need assistance preparing for the feast?"
"I think I shall be sufficiently aided by my own ladies in waiting, but your selflessness is, as always, appreciated." She winked back at him as she rang a bell to call her ladies. "And now, off with you. A woman must have her modesty, you know."
"Ah yes, even keeping hidden from your own brother." He caught her waist and kissed her cheek softly. "Truly a mysterious and elegant lady, my sister is."
"Do not play, the women will be coming to help me." She swatted his hands away. "Off with you."
"Until dinner, my sweet."
*****
The End (Of Part 8, That Is)