Chapter Twenty-Eight: Rememberance
The village was a sad place. A bombfire was lit in the middle. Family and friends gathered around weeping and talking.
The group walked around.
"Who knew there were so many fox demons in one place." Hiei commented.
Katsumi gave him a funny look, he half smiled back.
While the group stayed in one place, Kurama wondered out on his own. Walking out of the village he soon found Tara. She was sitting by the stream that ran through the area. Kurama quietly sat because she looked to be in her own world.
"I'm sorry. Sorry for having dragged you and your friends into this."
"What makes you say that?"
Tara closed her golden eyes. "I ran into Setsuna when I went to get Gwen. She let me have it on how she continued to wonder why I wouldn't let her and the others come."
"Did you tell her of the recent events?"
"No point in it Kurama. She wouldn't have listened." A few tears escaped her eyes. "We've trained for this for so many years, but I didn't think it would hurt this bad."
He was silent.
"Yusuke was right. If I didn't kill the human side of Rin, he would still be here." Gwen stirred in Tara's arms, yawned and then fell back to sleep. "I don't know if it is because you are married to my best friend or what...but I trust you alot Kurama."
"Thank you."
She looked at him. "You are famliar to me like this river here, but as distant as the moon is over head. I don't what it is about you but I feel a peace that I haven't felt since I was a child."
The ceramonial drums began. "We should go." Tara stood and walked back to the village. Several moments later Kurama followed.
"Demons and demonesses. Thank you for gathering here tonight. I'm Captain Kenzo Tokogero. As you all know the Tachi family has been watching our region for a long time. But tonight we are not here to celebrate that reunion. No tonight we are here to bury the last male Tachi member."
Some of the people in the audiance bagan to weep again.
Kenzo went on. "We are going to remember the Tachi family of this generation." He took out a piece of paper. "We begin with the oldest. Himura Tachi. Army general and father of three. As Tara had put it long ago, he was a great commander, but and even better father." This gained some laughs from the demons. "Rori. The youngest and only female Tachi sibling. She had a firery spirit and a heart to match. Himura's wife was Lydia, Tara's older sister. She was as stern as Himura, probably sterner, but she had the grace of any godly demoness there could be. Finally there was Koshi. That boy would have you on your toes all the time. Probably as firery as Rori and just as competitive." He looked back at Tara. "The youngest of Tara's family."
Things were silent for awhile as everyone remembered their own thought about the family. Kuwabara looked as if he could burst into tears at any moment. Yusuke slapped him over the head.
An older famale fox who was sitting next to Tara stood and walked over to the podeum. She cleared her throat. "You all may not know who I am...but I was the care taker of the Tachi's after their parents had died." She was an old demon. One of 3000 years or more. "What I remember most about Rin was the way he behaved as a child. He was always getting into trouble. I told him once that trouble wasn't a good thing and that he would be ruined by it." She smiled some. "But I was wrong. You see that's how Rin had met Tara and he told me that night long ago that he wasn't going to be in any more trouble because he was in love."
Tara's bottom lip quievered as the old woman retold the story. Rin had been chasing a couple of younger demons when he fell into her. The moment he saw her he knew then and there he was going to love her for the rest of his life.
"I'm sorry that fate has been cruel as to taking such and wonderful demon away from us again." She slowly walked back to her seat next to Tara. She whispered something and patted her on the leg.
Kenzo took his spot back by the podeum. "Rin Tachi will be buried by his brother Himura up by their house. Those who care to go may begin to travel up there, those who don't good night."