Disclaimers: I own Nothing
Authors Beginning Note: Well, I had planned on waiting till I'd managed to finish the next chap. of my SP fic as well, it appears however that my 'office' -if you want to call it that- was taken over by relatives and younger siblings-thus leaving me with limited resources. The good news, I had had this saved on the site previously and since its close to christmas-why not update it anyways?
Shout It Outs
DramaQueenABZ: A year-yes it is long. Basically, I have a hectic life and I tried to bite off more than I could chew. I'd been doing already 2 fics, four was too much for me to keep up with. So I put these 2 fics on Hiatus. I'm glad you like it thus far though!
Rayame325: Hmmm, maybe they will-maybe not. More about the curse in chapter 7 is mentioned though.
The Christmas Dolls
Chapter 5
Frost Bidden Maidens
Kagome sat at the intimadatingly large table with the intimidatingly large stack of books. Not even half had been opened for years. Sango Walked over and dropped another large stack of books. Dust flew up causing them to cough. She sat down with a plop.
"Any luck?"
"No. Just boring details about wars that I've never even heard of." Kagome looked up at the piles they were buried in. They couldn't even see past to the librarian's desk.
"I guess there's just one way to get the job done." Each settled comfortably into a chair, making sure an extra few books were at arms reach.
They spent hours upon hours scouring over the ancient texts. Not one bit of helpful information surfaced. Slowly Kagome felt her head rest against a rather comfortable page of a book, and Sango's eyes drooped ever so slightly.
The sun fell down below the horizon. Piles surrounded to table, and the poor tired Librarian shrugged at the many books. They weren't going any where. And what harm could it do to go home and give her poor back and tender feet some TLC ? She locked the doors behind, some how feeling almost as if she had forgotten something, but didn't bother to look back.
"Kagome! Wake up!" Kagome snapped her head up, and looked around in bleary confusion.
"Where are we?"
"At the library!" Kagome's breath stopped for a moment. Only a few miniscule lights were on, and all else was in a blanket of black.
"What time is it?"
"11:30" Sango said after looking down at her watch. Dread covered them.
Kagome slowly crept away from the many books and went to the door, ready to jump at any movement. She pulled the handle. The door didn't budge. Frantically she began to jerk at it, back and forth. To no avail. It was locked.
"What are we going to do?" Kagome whispered. Sango stood up, and jumped as a book fell to the floor. She stared at the open page.
"Kagome, come take a look at this." Sango knealt and picked it up as if it were made of delicate gold.
A woman's portrait was etched onto the piece of paper. Her face long, as if she were 18, but held the responsibility of a woman much older. Her brown eyes were sad and her black hair was pulled back to the nape of her neck. They both looked at the caption below the picture.
'Empress Elect Keade. Youngest heir to the throne. Studied medicines and trained to be a healer.'
They turned the page and Kagome shivered. A woman almost identical to her looked into her eyes. Sango gasped.
The woman stood rigid and regal. Her long straight black hair fell gracefully over her slim shoulders. Her neck was tall and propped her proud head high. Her face was long and graceful. Her skin was a perfect snow drop white, and her dark brown eyes held a mystery and conflicting emotion. In one light, you could look at her portrait as a kind ruler, proud and gentl. In another, she was a dark angel. Betrayer and sly killer. And there, nestled gently upon her breast, was a purple orb held by a simple gold chain.
'Empress Kikyo. Third-Year reining. First heir to the throne. Both priestess and Empress. Died in child labor."
Kagome back away.
"I don't want to look at it." Sango nodded before shutting the book.
A nearby clock tolled loudly. Both girls seemed to cling together as twelve rings slashed the air, proclaiming their possible doom. The temperature dropped at a drmatic rate and Kagome shivered. They could see their breaths hang in the air.
"Lets try to hide." Kagome nodded. They crept past the many book shelves. Kagome looked back.
"Sango." She tugged the older girls arm and they stared at the army squeazing through the door. Thousands of tiny spiders. They squeazed and writhed. Some died in the process and were gruesomely eaten by their comrades. Others tried to force their way through and died on impact with the glass.
Kagome and Sango huddled on the floor, against the bookshelf in the very far back, shivering. Frost covered the books edges as the temperature dropped even farther. Kagome and Sango shivered uncontrollably. Minutes ticked by, and still no sign of the spiders or Naraku.
Sango's watched stopped, but neither girl were conscious enough to notice. Their hearts slowed and the blood in their veins pumped sluggishly. They were dieing.
A shadow fell across their forms and grinned maliciously.
"Now I can take it and with out interfearence." Kagome didn't even feel the chain break free from her neck and slip into those dark fingers. She did however shiver as they traced the contour of her face.
The sound of glass and wood broke the silence.
"Naraku! Get your filthy hands off of her!" Inuyasha said darkly. Naraku smiled as he hid the jewel. Standing up he smirked at Inuyasha.
"That's all right. I can always claim the girl later. I have what I originally came for."
"What the hell does that mean?" Inuyasha lunged, but Naraku fell away into thousands of arachnids, disappearing before he had time enough to squish them between his bandaged toes. He shivered and looked down at the two girls.
"Inuyasha!" Miroku came into the building, panting.
"Come help me carry them." Inuyasha tried to pry them loose but it was useless. Miroku assited as well, but they were frozen together.
"They'll die frozen like this. But if we try to force them apart we may cause more harm them good." Miroku stepped back and assessed the situation.
It frustrated him to see sucha strong beauty crippled by the elements. Her hair was stiff like a water fall in mid cascade. Her eyes were closed and her lips were lonely. His gaze slowly crept down before he mentally slapped himself.
She'll die of your own leachery…if I can't control myself…there will be plenty of time to entertain such thoughts later…
Inuyasha looked down at the frozen girl who had some how become his charge.
Her black hair glistened with white frost, and her skin was as pale as ice. Her lips trembled ever so slightly, and as gentle breath escaped,a tinge of rose brightened their very edges.
Inuyasha tore down books upon books and slashed them to pieces. Miroku looked aghast.
"Inuyasha man! Have you taken leave of your senses?"
"They'll be just fine in the morning." Inuyasha growled. Using his sword, skill, and books, a small blaze came to life.
Miroku took the hands of Sango and began to rub them against his own. Inuyasha did likewise and slowly, color began to rise into their cheeks. A flushed rose colored their faces and their numb fingers came to life painfully.
Inuyasha threw down his Haori upon Kagome's shoulders, and Miroku removed the outer layer of his robes like wise for Sango.
They sat down in their narrow nook, watching and tending the flames that had saved two lives. Minutes ticked by slowly, adn yet escaped much too quickly.
The bell tolled one and the brotherly comrades gave each other a sardonic smile.
All fell into place as it should be.
"Oh my! This just shan't do!" Kagome and Sango awoke with a start, small outlines of words inked to their cheeks, they stared incredulously at the librarian.
"How well do you think Ms. Higurashi is going to take it?" Sango seemed almost worried. She carried Miroku's robes in her arms, wearing her original winter jacket. Kagome looked down at the blazing red Haori.
"She sounded relieved on the phone. Well, there are two possible outcomes I guess. Either she'll go a little over protective awry, or she'll laugh it off and tell us to go to bed if we aren't hungry." Sango nodded.
"I guess you're right." A silence befell the two as they lost each other in their own thoughts and worries that were silly to fret about since there was nothing either could do until they reached the Higurashi Shrine.
The subway rocked soothingly. It wasn't very crowded. It was still quite early. Even for most residence who worked on the early shifts. Lights occasionally passed by, and stops were made allowing one or two passengers on or off. It was all very…monotonous.
Kagome felt the hairs on her neck prickle as if she were being watched but looked around and saw no evidence to confirm her feeling. She looked to see that Sango had already fallen asleep, book open in her lap. Kagome took it and stared at Kikyo's portrait. Exquisitely painted, amazing that it had survived the times. There she sat for the artist, holding a flower branch and staring intensely.
Kagome's attention was grabbed by the feeling of being watched again. She looked, and still nothing.
They came to a halt, the captain announcing what station they were at and to which they were destined to. A man boarded, wrapped in a thick long trench coat. His head was covered by a broad hat. He looked over to Kagome and nodded, before crossing to the far end of the train and taking a seat. Kagome looked over the script in the book.
'Not many accounts are known of the Royals of this age. Especailly concerning the Empress Elect, Kikyo, and her family. It is known that the females were to descend to the throne, and should no female be able to full fill that role, than another possible male who will then choose a queen in which she will immediately gain dominate rule. Thus preserving….' Kagome skipped down a few paragraphs.
'There are rumors that the Empress had been involved in multiple love affairs, how ever the nature of these affairs are unknown…'
'The Empress Kikyo was betrothed to Iwomoto Hojo, a wealthy landlord of a neighboring land. Together they brought forth a prosperous and happy kingdom. Sadly however the Empress Kikyo gave birth to a young child, who's gender was un accounted for assumably because of the next following wars in this regent, causing the loss of historical records. It is known that the Empress died in child birth and that her own sister, Empress Elect Keade was suspected to have aided her trip into the after life…'
So enthralled in the story, Kagome didn't even notice that someone else was reading along besides her until a shadow fell across the book. She gave a startle squeak as she looked up at the man. The book fell to the ground and he picked it up.
"Interested in the Feudal Era? Not a very common topic."
"School research. My friend and I are partners. We're doing a project." The man sat besides her and Kagome tried to nudge Sango awake without having the man notice. She felt her scalp tingle.
"Ah yes. The Feudal Era. I must say though that that book is quite accurate, as far as it goes. Only, Keade wasn't the one who killed Kikyo. In fact, she knew of a plot on her and her future daughter's life. You could say that Keade saved their royal bloodline when she stole the babe and hid it. Though where, I am not quite sure." He seemed puzzled, even in his translucid knowlegable state.
"As for those rumors of a love triangle…every one knows what happened. A lowly bastard boy tried to challenge a high lord for the affections for the Empress Kikyo. Well, Empress Elect, she didn't inheiret the throne till another year later. At any rate, The Empress scorned both loves. One of them how ever was not a nice man and she fell ill, but no one could find the cure. Except for her other suiter, who found the cure and she returned to her normal state, but at a price. The moment he cured her, him and his associate befell a curse. She of course banished the both of them, kindly, since they themselves were suspected of causing her ill in the first place."
"But I thought that Kikyo was the one who cursed them. That they were both half demons, and one was her lover, and the other was jealous, so the jealous half demon caused the two lovers to split apart, and then Kikyo cursed both the monk and the lover." Kagome nearly choked when referring to Inuyasha as 'the lover'.
" Well, there's nothing like hearing the actual story is there?" His whole persona seemed to warp. Kagome tried to scoot away, but felt her body paralyized as a prick stabbed the nape of her neck.
"But how.." Kagome felt her body go limp into the sinister arms of her enemy. Naraku's finger traced her lips as he looked at her greedily.
"Because I was there. I suppose, if I can't have Kikyo, than I will just have to settle for the newest heir to her throne. But before I leave." Naraku left a message for the sleeping woman.
"Sweet dreams." Naraku laughed cruelly, his prey in arms and plan going accordingly.
When Sango awoke, her scream was enough to cause the hairs of the captain to stand on end and immediately stop the subway.