Disclaimer: ::Gandalf voice:: THOU!!!!. SHALL NOT!!!!!!!. OWN INUYASHA!!!!!!!!!.
Thus all belongs to the very respectable and lovely Rumiko Takahashi©
Author: well I hoped you all enjoyed the first chapter and true to my word, I am updating this Friday!! Wh00t!!!lol
Also here is a head's up (yea I know so dang early ne?)
There will be no updates for 'Sweetness Of The Past' from December 23-29 due to Christmas holidays (- -) though I promise to have an immediate update before new Years lol
Here are your responses!!!:
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Orange-InuYasha: LEXY-CHAN!!! ::glomp:: also me wonderful beta!!! ::huggle::!!! Thankies though you do get a head start then everyone lol ::wink:: but thankies!!!!
Raihu: ::blush:: thanks so much for the compliments and the encouragements. ::blush:: wa! You get me flustered ::deep blush::
chibiNeko192: ::blush:: yea I usually have problems with the summaries but im so happy that it caught your eye! ::wink:: Setsuna Takemaru..um heh he is actually in the third InuYasha movie and I probably should have warned everyone that the first part I kind of a spoiler for the opening for the open of the third movie ::anime sweat drop:: im gonna add that to the summary. Thankies so much for your review!!!
Keiko Ookami: hee hee thankies so much for your review and you're my first reviewer!!! ::big smile::
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My anger flowed and ripped through my chamber like a tsunami set upon a modest village.
My Lord father could be so irritating! How can he just choose for me?! Couldn't I have a say in my own life!!
My heart raced as I pulled an old cedar trunk from its tidy storing space by my wardrobe and ripped the twine clasps that held it shut, open. I quickly shed the heavy kimonos that my father sent me that very morning and tossed them to the floor; the weight of the kimono restricting me and making me sweat with frustration.
"Honey child?" Miaka called out in a low respectful tone as she pushed the heavy oak doors closed.
"What my dear Miaka obaa-chan?" I replied trying to keep my tone back to my usual calm.
Miaka let out a sigh as she gathered the fine kimonos that I had tossed to the floor in her strong, yet withered, arms.
"Must ye make such a mess honey child?" she said in a more teasing way.
I didn't respond to my dear nanny's small question as I pulled out my wardrobe that held my other fine silk kimono's my father sent me the past week. The small bubble of anger growing as my pale fingertips glided over the light silks of my spring kimono's and the rich velvets of my capes for the cold nights. I folded them in an expert way and piled them in neatly in my cedar trunk.
I was thankful that my dear nanny didn't interfere as I packed with a vigorous pace, my mother's old miko robes out to the open and my sheen ebony tresses fluttering around me like a gale wind on the western land's cold beaches.
I stopped abruptly as I heard the heavy oak doors open and in file some of the higher priestesses and my ladies of the court. My eyes widened in horror as I finally realized that my mother's precious robes were exposed and I gave Miaka obaa-chan a fleeting look.
She looked so calm as she pushed the kimono's to one arm and ran to grab a rice-paper screen to set up carefully so that my body was hidden from the gossiping girl's eyes.
"Oh! My lady Izayoi be the rumors true?" came the shrilly voice of the girl who I found to be the most unpleasant of the group.
"Be what Megumi-chan?" I said showing my proper respect.
"That your Lord Father has betrothed you to the respectable Lord Setsuna Takemaru!"
I closed my eyes and pursed my lips in annoyance as that shrilly tone dug into the pain that had un-earthen within my heart. Hearing it from my father seemed to only make it an idea, but hearing it from one of the biggest gossips in court seemed to make it official.
"Hai Megumi-chan, my father has set up a betrothal between the Lord Takemaru-san and myself"
"I've heard that he is taking over for his recently deceased Father and that the reason for his death is due to a Dark Priestess of the Inu-Youkai's" Megumi told Izayoi as Miaka obaa-chan finished placing and smoothing the kimono's that now hung heavily from my eagle-spread arms.
Numerous gasps could be heard from the other ladies of court while one of the older, more respectable ladies hushed her swiftly.
"Don't talk about that kind of thing on this wonderful day!"
I rolled my eyes as Miaka obaa-chan folded up the rice-paper screen and tucked it in a corner.
"That is preposterous, a dark priestess of the Inu-Youkai's?" I laughed heartily trying to ease up the mood.
If looks could kill then Megumi would be my murderer. She sent me a cold look behind the long sleeve of her rich red silk kimono embroidered with small golden stitches.
"Then you haven't heard that the curse to be passed on to your betrothed?" she told trying to hide her icy tone.
I gave her a cat like smirk and walked toward the small group of girls and bobbed to them as they enveloped me into the middle.
"I must say Megumi-chan, how superstitious you are" I told her with a laugh.
The other girls of my court paired up and started discussing the fabrics of their highly colorful kimono's and of the rice-powder makeup that covered their natural tones that made them look like wooden dolls for little children. I admit that some of these girls have been my friends since we were little children, I remember playing with them in my mother's flower gardens in simple colored yukata's and the girls that now flanked my sides picking flowers with me and getting just as dirty as me as well as scolded just like me.
The sound of hearty laughter filled my ears as we approached the spacious dinning hall for tonight's banquet dinner. The smell of green tea filled her nose and she gave an inward sigh.
'How I wish that I could be in the servant quarters or in the Shinto temple doing my services tonight instead of being in a room filled with stuffy nobles'
I smiled graciously as I stepped into the room and gave a deep bow to my dear fathers associates who bobbed their heads in return as I walked to the place on my lord father's right and sat back on my heels. He gave me a stern and yet apologetic look as I poured the first cup of tea for that evening from the fine sakura china tea-pot into his matching teacup, my small, pale hand pulling back the many sleeves of my twelve layered kimono's showing my soft underarm to the other nobles and signifying the opening of the banquet.
My father raised his teacup in a silent toast and took a quick swig of the hot liquid before placing it back onto it saucer and raising his hands yet again clapping twice for some of our older servants to come in and serve up some food.
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Hours into the ceremony, most of the food gone and the sun setting behind the high mountains, my father called for the servants to bring in some sake. Two servants entered in an orderly fashion, their eyes glued to the floor in respect; one set out the little saucer cups and another poured a fair amount of warm sake into them.
After father nodded to the girl who finished pouring his cup he raised the plain white saucer cup to the air signifying a toast.
"My hearty companions, officers, advisors, and friends, please join me in a toast to my dearest daughter, in celebration in her betrothal to the respectable Lord Takemaru" he heartily called out as he made a swift up movement and brought the cup to his lips sipping the drink slowly.
"To the Lady" the other gentlemen called; the ladies of the court only smiling and wetting their lips daintily refusing to take in any of the alcohol.
I bowed shortly to my father in a thank-you and wetted my own lips, my eyes turned down into the clear drink trying to stop my tears from falling.
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"Thank-you Kami!" I called out into my room as I shed my clothing behind the elegant rice-paper screen and changed into a simple white sleeping robe.
"Honey child?" Miaka obaa-chan questioned as I stepped out from behind the screen and came to sit upon my sleeping mat.
"Hai, Miaka obaa-chan?" I replied as I pulled back the blue coverlet and slipped in-between.
I heard the heavy sigh she gave as her strong, withered hands moved to the rice-paper screen and moved it so that it would block the sun when it came to rise in the morrow. She came to sit on my side, in front of the screen and smiled in a grandmother-like way before starting in a low melancholy tone.
"Dear honey child, ye Lord Father has told this old woman when ye are to depart from thy lands"
I bit my lip and turned towards her drawing my light coverlet to my chin and my black hair streaming behind me.
Miaka obaa-chan reached out a hand and stroked my bangs in a comforting way, almost like my mother did when I was little and upset.
"I'm sorry Miaka obaa-chan..." I called to her. Her hand stopped moving and went from my sheen bangs to my pale cheek.
"Don't ye say that dear" she said in a warm tone.
"But shouldn't I?" I asked in a whisper that was meant only for myself.
"Dear honey child....ye have every single right to be upset with ye Lord Father" she told me in a soft, yet defining tone that I drew strength from.
"But I can't Miaka obaa-chan I just can't! I'm supposed to be the dutiful daughter, obeying my father's whim and taking his orders! He is supposed to tell me what is right in life for the sake of reputations and our families name Miaka obaa-chan, since mother died this burden is left to me and I don't think I can handle it!" I cried out, lifting my head from the cushioned box to my old nanny's lap.
Miaka felt the warm rush of tears spring to her eyes and she stroked her lady's back with long slow strokes as she sobbed into her plain multicolored cotton kimono.
"Hush honey child, hush now, everything will work out, ye future is yet to come and trust me child you'll make the right decisions that ye see fit"
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Author: wow I just love Miaka ::smiles::
I hoped this chapter comes to everyone's liking and that It was just as good as the last one.
Next update will be on 12/10/04 so sit tight ::wink::