A TALE FROM THE PAST
-by Kittymui-
CHAPTER II
::DREAM SEQUENCE::
"Mommy...?"
Her dry voice reflected by invisible walls echoed in the darkness as she strode forward in her light yellow kimono and on her bare feet.
"What's the matter? Did you have a nightmare?" a familiar male's voice asked.
Shortly after that, she suddenly found herself standing in a small living room. A low square table stood at its center and there was someone kneeling on a thin cushion next to it.
A warm light, which was radiating from the small oil lamp on the table, made the face of the person visible.
It was a man with short dark hair and dark eyes, dressed in a navy blue haori and white hakama. He was smiling at her with his arms stretched out to her. "Come here," he said with a gentle voice.
There was not a single doubt in her heart as she listened to his words and walked to him.
She settled herself on his lap and waited for two protective arms to wrap around her small body.
The calm silence was soon broken by a female voice.
"Kagome?? Why aren't you in bed??"
Kagome looked up to the woman in the open doorway leading to the corridor. Her long black hair that reached her lower back collided softly against her pink kimono as she approached her.
"She had a nightmare," the man who held her answered in her place.
The look on the woman's face immediately softened. "There's nothing to be afraid of Kagome. It's just a silly dream," she comforted her as she knelt down next to the low table.
To Kagome's surprise, the man suddenly chuckled. "You can't be sure about that you know," she heard him say.
"What do you mean dear?" the woman responded.
Kagome felt a soft kiss on top of her head and she looked up, only to meet a pair of dark eyes.
"There is blood of a powerful priest running through the veins of my little girl, right?" he smiled at her.
The woman snorted. "Well, I don't recall having visions being one of your abilities."
A soft giggle escaped Kagome as she watched the playful argument. And immediately the two adults shifted their attention to her.
"Look! Now we're making fun of ourselves in front our daughter!" the woman pouted.
Kagome turned to the man and waited for a funny response. But instead of a smiling face, she saw a frown and narrowed eyes.
When she shifted her eyes back to the woman, she found a similar expression.
Something was wrong.
"What is it?"
"Shh..."
Kagome felt herself being pushed into the woman's embrace. Before she had the chance to realize what was happening, a deafening crash made her cringe into a ball.
-CRASH-
A dust cloud filled the room and blew out the oil lamp. And Kagome was forced to close her eyes.
When she was finally able to open them, everything was pitch-black except for two figures that were illuminated by the pale moonlight coming through an opening in one of the walls.
One of them was her father.
Kagome wasn't able to see her mother because of the darkness, but she knew she was with her as she felt two arms holding her close to a chest.
The other silhouette was standing in the opening in the wall. It looked like a large hairy creature with a thick furry tail. It was faint, but she could see several smaller shadows multiplying around the thick legs of the big shadow.
"You demons!! You've got a lot of nerve to barge in my house without asking!" she heard her father shout at the creature.
A roaring laughter filled the darkness. "How admirable your courage is, priest," the big shadow chuckled. "Let's see whether or not you can retain your arrogance after I've devoured your woman and child!!"
Kagome heard her mother gasp and realized that the smaller shadows were starting to enter the room and making their way towards them. She clung to her chest as she felt as if the moving darkness was about to swallow them up.
But before any of the shadows reached them, a burst of purplish light sent the front row flying towards the other side of the room.
"Izayoi! Take Kagome and run!!" the father's voice commanded.
"B-but-"
"Listen to me! Just go! I'll catch up with you as soon as I get rid of them!!"
"Uwah!!" Kagome shrieked as she saw another wave of darkness coming at them.
And again, another flash of purple light emerged and sent them flying back to the opening in the wall.
"Go! Take Kagome and go!!" her father cried out loud. "You must live on Izayoi!! Together with our daughter!!"
Suddenly, Kagome felt she was being lift up into the air and she quickly turned to the one who was about to face the monsters alone, only to realize that his figure was becoming smaller and smaller in her vision.
"Daddy-y-y-y!!!!"
::END DREAM SEQUENCE::
Kagome's eyes shot open with tears filling its corners. She quickly got up to a sitting position as she wiped the wetness from her eyes.
As she scanned her surroundings, she found herself sitting on a white futon with a light-green blanket covering her lap, on a wooden floor, in an unfamiliar room. It was partly partitioned by opaque panels with surfaces that had beautiful scenes of trees and birds painted on them. The artwork, even continuing on the sliding doors, formed a colorful panorama in front of her. Her back was facing a wall, consisting of a row of wooden lattice frames and translucent paper made from mulberry bark, segmenting the interior from the exterior.
From the color of the diffused light that seeped through the thin white paper, it looked like it was starting to become dusk.
To Kagome's shock, the doors in front of her suddenly slid open and revealed a young woman dressed in a black kimono with white floral patterns embroidered on the lower half.
The woman had dark brown eyes and medium-long black hair tied into a small knot at the back of her head. "Oh, you're awake," she said surprised. "Don't be afraid, I will get your mother right away."
With that, she left the door open and excused herself into the corridor again.
'Mommy...?' Kagome thought puzzled.
The sound of footsteps faded and returned multiplied. And within minutes, another woman appeared in the open doorway. This one was dressed in a dark red kimono with pink blossoms near her legs. Her long black tresses were held together with a white sash and resting on one of her shoulders.
Kagome immediately recognized her mother and hastily got up to her feet. "Mommy!!" she cried. It didn't take long before she felt the stinging pain from the bruises on her small feet and she toppled forward.
Luckily, her mother caught her on time.
She embraced her tightly as if she could fall out of her grasp any time.
It felt good to be in her mother's arms again.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kagome saw another person standing in the doorway and she looked over her mother's shoulder.
It was the man whom she met in the forest.
Eventually, her mother's noticed the distraction and loosened her arms around Kagome while turning to the one standing near the sliding doors. "He's the one who saved mommy's life Kagome," she explained to her.
Kagome carefully set her feet on the wooden floor and slowly walked to the tall man. When she stopped in front of him, the man went down to his knees until their faces were almost on the same height.
Not really knowing what to say, she just blurted out the first sentence that came into mind.
"W-will you...protect us...?"
She was surprised to see a smile appearing on the man's face. "Yes Kagome, I will protect both you and your mother," he replied.
Kagome hesitated for a while. "J-just like...daddy...?"
-.-.-
There was a brief silence.
InuTaisho didn't know how to respond to this. It would be the best if they stayed under his protection until the child's father meets up with them.
But he feared that that day would never come.
The girl probably wouldn't understand even if he told her.
InuTaisho shifted his eyes to the mother and then back to the child. And then he made a decision.
"Yes, just like your father," he responded as he raised his clawed hand and placed it on top of her small head.
"Arigatou," was her meek reply.
Without asking permission, InuTaisho lifted the infant up in his arms and started walking to the white futon at the center of room. "You're still too weak to be out of bed for this long," he reasoned with a gentle voice. "Be a good girl and sleep," he said as he pulled the blanket over her chest.
After making sure she was sleeping, he stood up and turned to leave.
-.-
The demon lord entered the corridor and started walking towards his own quarters. But it didn't take long before he was halted.
"InuTaisho-sama."
He turned around.
It was the girl's mother.
"I-I know I have said this before, but I want you to know how grateful I am and that I'm forever in your debt," she said with a deep bow.
InuTaisho could hardly suppress a smile at witnessing her recurring politeness and submissiveness. But he wasn't very happy to hear what she said next.
"But I do not want to be a nuisance to you. Those wolves would probably attack this place because of us, that's why we-"
"That's why you want to leave...?" InuTaisho finished her sentence for her. "Young lady, you do know who you are talking to, don't you?" he asked with a raised brow. "Do you think that I, the lord of the Western Lands, would allow a helpless woman and her child wander out there and freeze to death? That I would let you and your daughter walk towards your own-"
He immediately swallowed his words when he saw an apologetic and sorrowful expression on the woman's face. He let out a small sigh and walked closer to her. "What I said to your daughter wasn't just a mere sweet lie," he spoke with a calmer voice. "It was a promise."
He raised his hand and cupped one of her soft pink cheeks, startling her. "One that will never be broken," he added with a warm smile.
With that, he turned around and walked away.
-.-
As InuTaisho reached the end of the corridor, he wondered why he wanted to protect the mother and child so badly.
His eyes traveled from the white garden in front of him to his hand, on which he still felt the warmth of the human.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when a human guard walked up to him and knelt down to the wooden floor.
"InuTaisho-sama, both the mother and daughter have settled themselves inside their chamber," he reported.
"Good," the demon lord responded.
"Milord, should we inform Sesshoumaru-sama about the new guests when he comes back?" the guard suggested.
InuTaisho thought for a moment but eventually shook his head. "No need to, I will explain to him myself when the time comes. In the meantime, make sure the mother and child don't go near his quarters."
"Yes milord. I shall take my leave now," the human acknowledged and stood up to leave.
"Wait," InuTaisho halted the guard as he turned to him.
It turned out to be a young man with curled dark hair and dark-gray eyes. A thin katana was attached to his side with a white sash that also kept his white haori and black hakama on their places.
"Yes milord?"
"Tell me young man," he began. "Why have you sworn loyalty to a youkai like me? Weren't humans like yourself despising us because of the endless wars between the four lands? You join the army because you want to protect your homes, but why are you protecting the home of a youkai as well?"
There was a short moment of silence, but suddenly the human guard smiled at him. "Then let me ask you milord," he said. "Have you as a youkai ever killed a human or another youkai just for pleasure? Have you ever sent us out to a battle knowing it would be a losing one? Have you ever ruled these Western Lands half-heartedly even for one second?"
"You are a good ruler InuTaisho-sama," he continued. "Don't ever compare yourself to the other youkai. Your compassion towards us humans had chased out most of the youkai from these lands, but despite that you have still managed to keep the borders unchanged even today."
"It is not just me, but everybody thinks that way about you milord," he finished.
This time, InuTaisho was the one smiling, showing that he was satisfied with the answer given to him.
"I bid you a good evening milord," the guard bowed politely.
"Yes, a good evening to you too," the demon lord nodded.
And both of them walked into separate directions.
-.-
As he took the corridor leading to his own quarters, he began to sink into his own thoughts again. 'My compassion towards humans huh...?' he thought about the young human's words. 'If only half of this feeling was inherited by my son...'
The demon lord actually had the least of intention to have his guards keep an eye on the mother and daughter. But it would probably be for the best if they didn't have to confront his son yet.
With that decided, InuTaisho entered his room and closed the sliding doors behind him.
-.-.-
Several days have passed and Izayoi and Kagome were slowly getting used to their new living environment.
They didn't lack anything regarding clothing and nourishments. It was far beyond what they could possibly wish for. They even had the freedom to explore the fortress whenever they want to.
Except for one place.
Naturally, the mother had noticed that their movements were being tracked most of the time, thought not for what reasons exactly.
When she asked the guards, they replied that it was the lord's order. And when she asked the demon lord why, the answer always ended up involving their safety.
Of course, as an adult, Izayoi would be able to accept this as an adequate reason. But how was she able to make a five-year-old infant understand the limitations to her playfulness and her need to explore?
-.- one morning -.-
Kagome slowly opened her eyes when several rays of diffused sunlight, which was let through by the translucent panels, landed on her face.
She pushed aside the light-green blanket and left the warm futon.
As she stood up and looked around, she realized that the large futon lying next to hers was empty.
"Mommy?" she called.
When no reply came, she made her way to the opaque sliding doors.
'Maybe I can look around using the excuse to find mommy...' she thought to herself mischievously.
In her snowy white kimono and on her matching socks, Kagome pushed open the door and slipped into the hallway.
While passing guards behind their backs, she thought about her mother's words.
"Kagome, remember not to enter the left part of the fortress."
"Why mommy?"
"Because they will punish mommy if you do."
Of course she didn't want her mother to be punished, but what about the things the tall silver-haired man said to her?
"Yes Kagome, I will protect both you and your mother."
He wouldn't lie to her. After all, he did save her mother's life.
But what was it with the left part of this big fortress?
Kagome had seen the place from afar. It had a beautiful garden with a small frozen pond in the middle and a tree covered with snow could be seen at the corner.
What started her curiosity, however, was the room that was located in front of the garden. Whose chamber was it? And most importantly, why weren't they allowed to approach it?
'There's no way I can sleep tonight if I can't solve this riddle!' she thought to herself.
And before she knew it, she was already standing in front of the pair of white opaque sliding doors with her back facing the snowy garden.
It was a miracle how she had managed to reach the prohibited area without being noticed. But it puzzled her even more when she realized the absence of guards in this part of the fortress.
In her mind, she hesitated whether or not she should take a peek inside. But her hands, driven by her desire to know, eventually traveled to the spot where the vertical wooden borders met.
Just when she succeeded in creating a thin opening, a soft winter breeze coming from the right sent a shiver down her to spine.
Kagome halted her attempt to open the sliding door and slowly turned her face aside to her right.
Standing next to her was a young boy, not much older than fourteen. He was dressed in a grand white haori with a red pattern gracing his left shoulder and a matching white hakama. A strange furry thing was looping around his right shoulder and ending up behind his back. Armor of gray and black protected his torso and part of his lower body and a long dark-purple sash tied around his middle held it all together.
But what intrigued her the most were his long silver-white hair and the dark crescent moon mark on his forehead along with two pairs of dark stripes below each of his gold-amber eyes.
There was no way she could ignore the great resemblance between this boy and the man who saved their lives and offered them shelter.
But she also couldn't miss the icy glare he was giving her.
Despite his expressionless face, she felt as if she heard her conscience telling her to run away.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
How did you like this chapter? Hope you didn't mind the cliffhanger I put there. I thought it would be a good spot to stop since I'm going to change the point of view :). Anyway, please tell me what you think okay?
Most of you are probably enjoying the winter holiday right now, if so I wish you a very nice time!!
Greets,
Kittymui
-.-.-
Italic: thoughts
-- --: locations
"...": spoken words
-.-.-.-: time gap
-CAPSLOCKED WORDS-: noises
-.-.-
Next chapter: Chapter III
-.-
I guess you can all guess who's room it was that Kagome was planning to explore :). The next chapter will start with from his perspective. How will he react to the intruder? Will his hatred towards humans frighten her and scare her away? Or is it the contrary?
-.-
Vocabulary:
futon: a traditional Japanese cotton mattress. It can be filled with
foam, wool, polyester or a combination of fibers.
arigatou: thank you
youkai: demon
-.-.-
REPLIES ON REVIEWS:
Rhexi: Hahaha, actually I don't think I'm able to sap away your talent, because I'm sure you have your own unique way of writing stories :). But thanks! I'm happy to know that you find my story fascinating!
fallen-anqel: Good to hear that you're back on track! Thanks for reviewing! Euhm, about the Sess/Kag thingy. I can't let them fall in love with each other because that would be bad for the Bankotsu/Kagome pairing that I've set for this story. I hope you wouldn't mind that :).
Wake-Robin: Thanks! I think my muses are starting to cooperate :P.
Lost-Remembrance: Thank you :)! It's very encouraging to hear that hehehe.
Skitzoflame: Yup, he sure did :)!
sailorstarwinter: Sorry for all the cliffhangers :). But don't worry, I'm trying to set a 10-days limit to my postings so it won't take long before the next chapter is up :). Hahaha I must admit that your 'strange' feeling is pointing at the right direction.
Guardian-of-the-night: Thanks! I hope you will get over your writer's block soon. You've got a nice inspiration there for a summary, thanks a lot!! I'll have it changed right away! Hope this one's better :).
BelleDayNight: Thank you very much! I thought about that option as well, but it would be too sad if Kagome's mother died. And then...where would Inuyasha be (hint hint)? And euhm, just for the record, Bankotsu isn't going to show up for a while :), since I've got a special role for him hehehe -grins-.
Inukamisashi: Not blood-related no :). Thanks for reviewing!
whitewolfmoro11: Hahaha, well I'm trying to retain my 10-days limit of posting new chapters so it doesn't take too long before I update :). Sorry to disappoint you but Bankotsu isn't going to show up for a while, since I'm slowly building up the story :). Thanks for reviewing!
azn-sakura17: Thank you! A merry christmas to you too!!
Lots of greets
Kittymui
Posted: 20 December 2004
Last Edited: 20 December 2004
Spelling check: YES
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters of it. And I do not own whatever elements of this story that seem familiar and had already been used by other creative individuals before. But... I do own the idea of mixing all of these elements together into a new story!