4/23/06- Well, hello, my readers (assuming that there are any at this point.)! I probably can't express how sorry I am for leaving this so long! Really, life has been throwing me all sorts of weird curveballs, and it KNOWS I hate baseball, and pretty much all sports except for badminton and bowling (the teams of both I tried out for this year at my high school. I only made badminton. It's been okay)!
At any rate, this chapter has actually been done for several weeks, I've just been lazy about putting it up, considering I have a muse who is only slightly less scatter-brained than I.
So- an update on what has happened in the weeks apart!
I made badminton, but I never get to go to any of the invites, seeing as how I am still ranked as twelve out of twenty. Not too bad, but hey, I hate to be demoted.
On Friday, I gave an Oscar-winning performance for my mother (the Nazi of the house), and convinced her that I had a pounding headache and a light fever. So, naturally, I got to stay home from school. I tell you, it rocked! I got so caught up on the DVDs I checked out from the library. A hoot, really.
I can now officially say that I have seen every single Naruto episode in Japanese. From number one to 182, I have seen them all. Now I'm waiting for the next one to come out, sometime this week, I assume. I have also noticed that they've been getting lazy with the minor characters that are being introduced. It kind of looks like they come from Pokemon or something. Weird beyond belief.
Singing to the Wind
Chapter Twelve
Another Day
"Hii-chan! Hii-chan, wake up! It is now morning, and Rin wants you to come to breakfast!"
The bed was shaking so violently that Hikari had no choice but to try and halt it, and that involved actually waking up. Even if she managed to get Rin to stop bouncing, she'd have lost her fight with consciousness. Definitely a no-win situation this time.
She sat up, clearing the little grains of sleep from the corners of her eyes. Today would be a long, and undoubtedly interesting. She could hardly wait.
Rin continued to bounce and babble while Hikari changed into the kimono that Sesshomaru had brought her. It was just a little long, but only by an inch or so. It wasn't consequential. The color, however, when she looked into the full-length mirror, made her look very different. She almost didn't recognize herself. The blue made her eyes that much more bright, and the green caused her hair to veritably glow. It looked more red than it had ever been. Rin also noticed the difference the second Hikari stepped out from behind the changing screen.
"Sesshomaru-sama sure picked out a pretty one," she chirped, still jumping up and down on the bed. "It makes your eyes sparkle, Rin thinks."
Hikari walked up to the bed, her hands on her hips, and a playful grin decorating her features. "You should see what happens when I get mad."
Rin didn't reply. She jumped one last time, then fell on her butt on the edge of the bed so that she bounced off and landed on the gray fur rug, throwing her hands up, as though she had won something. Hikari clapped. Rin then grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room, giggling that it was time to eat.
They entered the dining room like that, laughing and smiling, and took immediate notice of two things- one, Sesshomaru and Jaken were already there, and two, the food was out on the table. Boiled chicken eggs, rice, and fresh peaches were the only things out. Rin took her place at the nearest end, and waved Hikari over to the spot beside her.
"Good morning," said the Taiyoukai formally. The responses came identically and at once.
"Morning!"
Once the greetings were said, Rin promptly grabbed her chopsticks and dug in to the meal, to Jaken's obvious dismay. He looked as though he would burst with anger.
"You insolent child," he harshly whispered. "You do not begin eating until his Lordship says you can!"
Sesshomaru, as Hikari could tell, didn't really care about who ate first, and he was getting irate about the toad's insistence that his master always come first. He was about to tell the little imp to shut his mouth when Hikari beat him to the punch.
"Jaken," she keened sweetly. The tiny retainer stopped berating Rin, and looked in the other girl's direction. "Can you come over here for a second? I want to ask you something." She pointed to her egg, as though she wanted to know how it had been cooked. Jaken, while startled, obeyed. He saw that Hikari had much more in the way of manners than Rin, and she wasn't human, so that made her better than Rin, in his mind.
She beckoned him over to whisper in his ear. "I just wanted to know... ARE YOU BRAIN DEAD?" The force of her words made the little green demon fly into the wall, flattened there by the sheer sound. Hikari, however, was still smiling politely, and began on her food. She ignored the imp as he slid to the floor with a high-pitched 'no'.
Sesshomaru, though he didn't show it, was intensely amused. He'd wanted to smash Jaken into the wall every time he started one of his screeching rants, and it was strangely satisfying to see someone else do it for him. He almost had to repress a chuckle.
Rin was busy staring at Hikari's face, and her friend knew it.
"What is it," Hikari asked with a softness that had been totally absent from her voice mere moments ago.
Rin grinned customarily. "I see what you meant about the sparkling!" With that, she returned to gobbling down her food, and Hikari to consuming hers. Sesshomaru had no idea what his ward was talking about, and didn't bother asking. He simply ate his food in silence.
Hikari stole several glances around the table. Rin, for once, was silent, and didn't fidget as she normally did. The only time that probably ever happened was when she was eating. It was a nice change of pace, Hikari mused. The bubbly, hyperactive Rin made her want to sleep, and she had no idea why. It wasn't as though she didn't have the energy to deal with all of Rin's antics. She might even have fuel to spare, not being human.
The redhead now chanced a look at the Taiyoukai sitting to her left. According to her expert eyes and knowledge, Hikari could tell that he found her funny. Or, rather, he found something funny, because his eyes were laughing. Despite what his body language or the rest of his face might indicate, he was finding some aspect of the situation to be ludicrous enough that he was suppressing a chuckle.
Oh, right, she reminded herself. She'd yelled at Jaken. Hikari could see how that was funny. Really, she hadn't meant to yell at him. She'd wanted to tell him something that would make his blood run cold. That was always so much fun to watch, she thought. But, as she had witnessed, her temper had gotten the better of her, and Jaken had ended up as a submissive pancake on the floor. Oh, the hilarity.
Abruptly, Sesshomaru turned to her, catching her gaze for a moment. She held his stare, and spontaneously sent him a thought.
'Nice house.'
The shock spread across his amber orbs, not quite extending to his face. He was clearly surprised that she had done that, and he broke the eye contact, a bit disorientedly, returning his attention to the food in front of him. Hikari just smiled.
Rin broke her silence. "Can Hii-chan and I go play now?"
Sesshomaru shifted his eyes to the little girl, then replied shortly, "You may go play, but I must speak to Hikari." Rin nodded with false understanding, but left the room all the same. "Jaken," the lord snapped, "Watch after her." Jaken picked himself up off of the floor and hobbled out rather dejectedly.
He didn't look at Hikari when the other two left the room- he just stared out into space for a while. When he finally did speak, it took her a little off-guard, even though she'd been expecting it.
"What was it that you read in that book?"
Hikari bowed her head gracefully. "Things. I found my species," she stated mildly.
The inu youkai seemed to acknowledge that, as though he'd known all along. "Phoenix, no doubt?"
Her mouth curled up gently at the edges. "How did you know," she asked.
Sesshomaru merely gazed into nothingness. "I can remember meeting some of them, a long time ago, when my father still lived. Both of them were yellow, as I recall. Why is it that you are not?"
"Different tribe, I read. There seem to be three levels. The yellow are the bottom." Hikari looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was still staring. "After that, the red, and then, the white." He still wouldn't look at her. "Do you remember what they were like, even a little bit?"
This time, he slid his eyes to meet hers, icy amber meeting liquid sapphire. His response was callous, but not intentionally so. "Arrogant, if I remember correctly. They were notoriously difficult to work with. Father was under the false impression that an alliance could be made with all lords of all the demon tribes. The yellow phoenixes were one of the few that did not agree with it in the least." Hikari looked disappointed. "Also," he added, "If my memory serves me right, the male said that since they were not native to the land, they shouldn't have to join in any of its pitiful treaties. Father was merciful to not have them kicked out for such a remark."
Hikari gave a light chortle. "That isn't exactly what I'd hoped to learn about my family," she reflected outwardly. "Didn't you ever meet one that was a different strain besides the golden tribe?"
The Taiyoukai nodded. "My father told me later that he'd met all three tribes, back when they were more benevolent, and abundant in number. He said to me, 'The Golden Tribe is a poor representation of their race. They are quick to anger, and the easiest to break under pressure. They would be weak allies anyway.' He told me that it was the Fire Wind Tribe that he would rather not anger, that they aren't easily provoked, but that when taunted extensively, things tend to combust."
Hikari was seriously intrigued. Questions began to line up for a chance to fly out of her mouth. "Did he ever meet one phoenix, or maybe a married couple, that could have abandoned an egg in the woods somewhere?" Her need for him to answer was clearly desperate, and she was just barely restraining herself.
It was a great letdown for her when Sesshomaru shook his white-tressed head. "If he did, he never shared the experience with this Sesshomaru. He did tell me a great deal, but never anything about an expecting lord. He only ever met the royalty, you see."
The girl fell silent, thoughts swirling around in her head. After several minutes of deep consideration, she finally formed a cohesive question and posed it. "What about the third tribe? Did he ever meet one of them?"
"Yes. We both met the same one." Hikari's expression grew into wonder, forcing the Taiyoukai to continue. "She said that she was part of a dying race."
Hikari's voice was hushed. "What did she look like," she asked.
Sesshomaru had to think. "She looked ageless. Everything about her glowed. The only thing about her that wasn't white were her eyes. They were what my father called 'the truest green ever to grace the earth'. He told me that she had come to Japan for an impossible task, but he would not mention what it was. I suppose it must have been a personal reason."
The girl sitting not six feet from him stared at the grain of the wood table for what seemed like hours. He foolishly thought for a moment that she would cry, but her eyes shed no tears. That did not, however stop her eyes from looking the most sorrowful he had ever seen them.
"You should not be sad." The inu youkai was trying to be comforting, but he fell short on his intentional meaning. "Everything will end sometime. It is simply a matter of when and how."
Hikari smiled sadly. "Thanks for the support, Fluffy."
He growled as lightly as he could manage. "You will not disrespect this Sesshomaru."
"Fine, Fluffy-san."
There was silence for a few more moments. Long, heavy, comfortable silence. Sesshomaru was the first to step through it and make a sound.
"If you never knew your parents, how did you manage to survive?"
The girl sighed. "You really should listen to the stories people are telling." She tucked an errant lock of red hair behind her ear. "I was found by a dragon. She raised me."
Now he remembered. "Yes. You said that she was foreign to Japan." Hikari nodded. "But if she was not native to Japan and its culture, how did she teach you to speak so well? Even reading would be out of your reach with such a mother."
Her head tilted upward. "I was the one who taught her to speak, actually. The first time I gained this form, I was a year old. I gave her a voice, and I suppose I was already speaking the language by then. I don't know how I learned it. The exact nature of my ability to read also remains a mystery." She suddenly laughed. "The obvious answer, in my opinion, would be that I was just born with it."
Sesshomaru seemed to be searching for something in his mind, as his gaze had turned inward. "You always smile," he observed. "When there is nothing to smile about at all. Very little in the world today is considered happy."
Hikari's answer was as cryptic as if she had said something in an incoherent language. "That's the point, isn't it?"
The graceful Taiyoukai said nothing to this. He knew that whatever he asked now, she would not respond to it in the way he would like. He was slowly getting used to the fact that Hikari's mind was not like anyone's that he had yet to meet. The more she told him, the less he understood. It would have infuriated him if he had a temper as short as Inuyasha's.
There he went again, thinking of his brother. It disgusted him to no end. Why should he waste precious time on the weak product of his father's mistaken affections, when he could be obtaining his father's fang? It made no sense to him in the least.
Hikari startled him once again, and displayed the subtle mix of powers that allowed her to know what was in another's mind.
"He's still your brother, you know. Nothing will change that, not even if you kill him. Besides, you know that your father didn't leave you his tooth, so why try to get it?"
"Tooth?" he asked. She was confusing him even more.
Turning to face him, she nodded naively. "Yeah. A fang is a tooth." This almost made Sesshomaru fall over. She didn't know that he meant 'sword' not tooth. She corrected her mistake. "Oh, sorry. It gets confusing when people use words that have double meanings." She grinned sheepishly. "Still, though, if your dad wanted for Inuyasha to have that sword, then you shouldn't bother with trying to get it from him. You already have two, one of which your father gave to you. I'm sure that Tensaiga feels rather resentful that you keep ignoring her."
His eyebrow twitched imperceptibly. "I was unaware that it was a girl." Heck, he didn't even know that swords could feel at all. As far as he was concerned, they weren't even living.
Hikari laughed, in a mocking sort of way. Her voice turned into a more icy version of her previous tone. "Everything has a life. We all want what we cannot have. Tell me, Sesshomaru, what will you do once you have the Tetsusaiga? Will you kill your defenseless hanyou brother? Will a fresh killing spree sate you? What will happen when you find that all this you see around you now no longer suits you as you would like it? Will you-" Hikari had pushed him to within the edge of his rationality, and he lashed out, picking her up at the neck with his one hand.
Now it was his turn to sound below freezing. "Do not mock me. I may have more restraint that most, but there are limits. Push me past them, and face the consequences."
Hikari looked at him with her exceptionally large blue eyes. "I just wanted to know," she said. "You shouldn't feel obliged to answer the questions. Just like you shouldn't feel the need to take something from your little brother. It would be like taking candy from a baby. He can't hurt you with it, and it would serve you no real purpose, so why want it?"
The inu slitted his eyes. "He is the weaker brother. He should have the weaker sword."
The grin returned to the girl's face, despite the fact that she was hanging about two feet off of the floor. "That's quite the debatable statement there."
Her body seemed to flicker for a second, and Sesshomaru blinked. She was gone from the end of his arm. He turned to the doorway, seeing her there, laughing at him, with his outstretched claws. Having her suddenly disappear from his sight made him very annoyed indeed, not to mention perplexed. He'd never met any demon that was gifted with so many abilities. Or, at least, he'd never been told of one. Perhaps his knowledge of demonic powers could use a refresher course.
Without warning, Hikari dashed off down the hall, giggling. He figured that she was going to find Rin, and also went out of the dining room. When he reached the garden, he found Rin babbling off to Jaken. There was no sign of Hikari at all. Maybe she'd gotten lost, he mused. It wasn't as if he could find her in this castle. That annoying father of his had brought in some old hag with powers long ago who made it unable for a demon to use his powers to find another demon. Smelling her out, because of this little fact, was not an option. So if she was lost, she'd have to find her way back on her own.
Hikari was lost. She'd taken a wrong turn a while back, and all these twists and alleys that the halls formed were not helping in the least. There was absolutely no one around to help her. Where were all the servants? She seen some on the way to breakfast, and a couple last night, but it seemed that they were either avoiding her or in a staff meeting.
She took another right, and saw at the end of the hall a very large, very familiar-looking door. It was the door to the library. She was in known territory now. There was still the problem of not really being able to navigate down to where the garden was, but there might be a map of the castle in the library that she could look at.
Hikari walked to the carved doors. When she attempted opening it, it stuck, and she was afraid for a moment that they were locked, but another tug caused them to budge. She slipped in, once again admiring the scent of aged leather and paper, along with who-knows-how-many tons of dust that had accumulated throughout the years. It was a very peaceful sort of smell, she thought. It was almost as though wisdom had been captured and made into a tincture for the smelling pleasure of the masses. No one could possibly hate it.
"Now, how does he organize this," she muttered aloud, skimming the rows that were at her head level. Her first guess would have been alphabetic by author, but that theory was soon demolished. It would group together the ones that a certain author wrote, but the names were in no particular order.
She came to a few books that looked very different. She didn't know how. There was nothing really special about them, they just... felt like they should be read. By her. Like the books wanted her to read them. The names on their spines were just dates, so they must be journals of some sort. It couldn't hurt to read them, would it.
"Duh not."
Hikari picked the first one off of the shelf, noting that it had a fine layer of dust on it. She blew gently on the cover, scattering the dust nodes into the sunlit room to float about before settling on something else.
The date on the book read, 'Winter, 1103 a.d.'. It was the first one in an apparent series of journals, because it had the earliest date. The next one after it was 'Spring- Summer, 1104 a.d.'. Then the series skipped a few years. There seemed to be no discernible pattern among the dates that the books had embossed on their spines.
She opened it, noting that the paper was extra thick, and all the print was completely hand done, with no block print to be seen. The script was elegant, but readable. It was one of the more sophisticated sorts of handwriting Hikari had seen.
In the inside of the cover was written a name. The first part of it was smudged, but there were some below it, that read "Demon Dog, Lord of the Western Lands". It was obvious that these journals had been owned and written by Sesshomaru's father. Hikari figured that they would at least be slightly informative. As to what the information would be, she had no clue whatsoever.
She read the first sentence, and then slammed the tome shut.
"Did I just read what I think I read?" She opened to the first entry again. And shut the book once more, less forcefully this time. "Yup. The great Dog Demon Lord wrote 'tickling people is so much fun'. I hope he isn't talking about Fluffy there."
The nearest chair made a generous donation of dust to the atmosphere as Hikari sat on it, to continue reading the journal. Good smelling dust, though, hardly sneeze-worthy. She would have looked to see it swirl in the sunlight if it weren't for the book.
Which, interestingly enough, proved to be a good read. The writing style of Sesshomaru's father was nutty, to say the least. He would often go off on little tangents, then reroute himself by making an odd reference to something that no one could ever possibly know about.
There was one passage near the middle of the volume that particularly caught her attention, although that may just have been because it had Sesshomaru mentioned in it.
"My little boy takes after his mother. Stuck up, rude, and an egomaniac to boot. If he didn't like me, I could assure you that he'd have me thrown out of the house. He himself would never undertake such a task; he might break a nail. Fortunately for me, he has a softer side. Undoubtedly from me and mine, rather than his mother's kin. She was raised by a pack of rabid hounds, in my opinion. She laughs whenever I say this, insisting that her family was perfectly civilized. She never had to see her father's face when I told him that she was going to have a pup. Redder than anything I've ever seen, and then, once he'd calmed down, he told me I'd be dead if it was a girl. Highly unlikely, if you ask me. I could have his fang lodged in a mountainside before the old fart could give me a daily dose of 'if you've done anything I don't like' threats. I think he sits at a desk all day, just thinking up ways to insult me. I should make a list, see if he repeats himself."
Hikari chuckled. She'd never in a million years have guessed that the father of Sesshomaru, the Ice Prince, would have a genuine sense of humor. It was so unexpected.
She flipped through the pages a bit, going to an entry about a month and a half later.
"Ruts ruts ruts. I hate all these ruts. I have been on the exact same schedule for a week. It's left me severely bored out of my wits. I'd love to take a walk around the lands I control, or even around the castle grounds (drab as they are at this time of year), but apparently it's considered generally rude when the host of a peace talks neglects to show up to a meeting. Which happens once in the morning, and once in the afternoon... for two weeks. Someone save me! The horror! Actually, it's not that bad. I just hate the other lords. They're so stuffy, and full of rules that even my dear mate and son would find... how shall I say... uncannily idiotic?"
Hikari spared a giggle.
"I suppose that I should stop insulting them unless it's to their faces, though. Truth be told, not all of them annoy me with an unknown fervor. The Great Land is split into four major sections- named by the compass rose. East, South, West, and North. The leaders are as follows, in order- A trio of demon tribes control the East (Raven, Marten, and a water sprite tribe), almost always shifting the power from one to another every decade of so. They do it tremendously well, might I add. The Lion Demon Tribe generally rules over the South. They have a strictly 'bloodline first' sort of monarchy. If you aren't related to the tribe, then you cannot possibly hope to have any sort of standing position in their house. I, of course, am head honcho of the west here, and I must say, I think I handle the responsibility of ruler far greater than many of my equals. More detail on that later- otherwise, I might forget to describe the other sect. The wolves used to preside over the north, but for some reason, the royal line died off, taking with it most of the good nature and common sense of the breed, and the decision was made to transfer them to under my rule some sixty years ago. Now, in a more temporary status, a group of very colorful birds watch over it. At least until the Kitsunes are appointed, in a few years. The proceedings are taking a decidedly longer time than is wanted, and far more than necessary. For now, the very capable birds will handle it.
I can recall meeting some of their kind a long while ago, a little more than a hundred years ago. Passerbys, I believe. A man and his mate, though that detail was not told to me. I could smell it. The woman was with child. If one looked closely enough, they could see that she was just barely starting to show. Sweet couple, really. They almost acted like newlyweds. I have to strain my mind to remember the names... Sorairo, was the woman, and her mate was... Daisuke, I think. Both very fitting names, if I do say so myself.
I recall that they didn't stay long- past that, it all goes surreptitiously fuzzy. Though I do remember that the woman ate quite a good bit of the salad the two nights she stayed here. It must have been her crave food- my mate's was a minty paste. It made her breath smell very nice while she was carrying my son, though. I'm surprised he didn't come out smelling like mint."
Hikari's face shifted to that of intrigued wonder. Though Sesshomaru's father hadn't said that they were phoenix, she wondered if the two 'passerbys' had in fact been her parents. The timing for it was about right- the entry had been written about a hundred years after her birth.
"Daisuke..." she muttered, reading over that passage again.
"Too bad he couldn't give a description, the lazy ass." Her double was back, and as facetious as ever.
"Hi there!"
The reflection didn't seen quite as enthusiastic as Hikari. She gave a standard 'good morning' as she sat by the window. Hikari got confused.
"It isn't morning, is it? I thought it was afternoon."
The scrunched nose of the original gave the copy something to smirk about. "Not only is it morning now, it's morning all the time. Think about it. There's always another noon coming, so it can't truly be after noon, can it?"
Hikari nodded, and the other her changed the subject.
"Honestly, if you want to know, I don't know if the people he described are our parents. And a description really wouldn't help that much. The fact that they never found us, if they ever looked, tells me that they might just be out of commission." She leaned back against the wall of the nook, tucking her legs under her. Hikari, of course, misunderstood the words.
"So they didn't come looking for me because they don't have jobs?"
That prompted a laugh. "Not only was that not what I meant, though it is true...- but you're completely missing the point." At this time, the clone turned to Hikari. "The only reason why a couple who were obviously happy to be having a child would abandon it, and then not seek it out, would be if they were dead."
Hikari's mouth went a little dry. "I wanted to meet them," she breathed.
Her double (whom Hikari had begun to think of as Onee-chan) gave a softly reassuring smile. "It doesn't mean I'm right. There may be extenuating circumstances here." She paused, then revised the last sentence. "Something may have happened to them, and they just never knew you were alive. Or maybe they just missed you every time they'd come close to finding you."
These statements calmed Hikari slightly. Onee-chan was making sense.
Suddenly, the duplicate came out with a question that threw Hikari off. And with good reason.
"Do you like ponies?"
Hikari stuttered for a moment. "I- um- yeah. Why?"
The copy shrugged. "No reason. It was just something that flitted through my mind."
Silence from the peanut gallery.
"Besides," the nonchalant one continued, "You were thinking too much. You know what that does to you..."
The next phrase was spoken in unison.
"Brain go kablooey!" Raucous laughter from both parties followed directly after the exclamation.
Once the laughter died, Hikari began to contemplate another thing that had just occurred to her.
"If you're part of me, then how can you come out here and still have me think this well?"
Her counterpart rose from the window seat, throwing her arms out in an open gesture, as though she were showing herself to the whole world. "Projection," she stated simply. "You know how your shadow is shaped just like you, but it isn't you? Think of me as a shadow, because wherever I appear is where you are." Her explanation didn't leave Hikari nodding, but it was apparent to anyone that she understood nonetheless.
"Then why aren't you on the floor?"
Hikari nearly corrected herself, for her double was now on the floor. She'd fallen over, for whatever reason, and was now shaking slightly. When the 'shadow' rolled over, it was apparent to anyone that would chance to look that she was laughing incredibly hard.
"You realize that if you said that with a serious voice, someone would mistake you for being smart?" Onee-chan had only enough of a space in the giggling for that sentence, and was again back to lying prostrate at Hikari's feet.
Who, by the way, had barely any idea of why that was funny. She normally found the humor in anything. Maybe it was because she hadn't meant it to be a joke.
Nonetheless, she chuckled a little bit. Genuine laughter is contagious, as Hikari very well knew. Even Fluffy probably wanted to at least smile when Rin was happy and frolicking.
"Speaking of which," a voice mentioned from the ground, "Where is that wonderful ray of sunshine and daisies?"
Hikari shrugged. "Well, I- er- we got lost, and maybe he didn't know where we'd gone. I don't know why he didn't go looking for me- us."
Onee-chan propped herself up on her elbows. "So let's go find him, then. I'm sure this castle is in some way negotiable." Her last word was met with a stare that was both blank and confused at the same time, and Onee-chan sighed. "I'm sure that we don't need a map to find a familiar hallway."
With that, she bounded out of the room, followed by Hikari, who, for some unfathomable reason, was singing to herself. "Skipping through the daisies, let's skip through the daisies!"
The shadow's pace slowed to an enthusiastic walk, but Hikari continued to skip. Not only did she skip, but she added twirling to her jovial movements. The singing, of course, continued. Oddly enough, though, she managed to follow her 'shadow' just fine.
Thirteen turns later, the pair came across a staircase. That would have lead to a whoop of joy for both, had it not been for the fact that it only went up. Their intention was to go downstairs. So they bypassed the stairs.
Two minutes later, Hikari halted. She sniffed the air, and briefly muttered "flowers" before dashing off. Her Onee-chan could hardly keep up.
Around corners, down a set of steps, and through a few doorways, Hikari finally found what she had smelled. It was the garden. Her face fell, however, when she saw that it was unoccupied. She followed form and entered, staring up at the multihued sky. It was almost dusk.
Onee-chan came in soon after her and took her place next to the original copy. She didn't say a word, afraid to break the spell the clouds were casting.
Hikari stood perfectly still (a rarity, for sure) for who knows how long. The colors faded, as did the light, and then the moon had appeared in the background of sparkling stars. She remained, unmoving. The only thing that had changed was that her eyes were now closed.
Softly, she began to sway, entranced by a melody none could hear. She spun and twirled, twisted and jumped. Onee-chan watched. The moon had that effect on Hikari which made her want to do things that would be considered less odd than her normal repertoire.
There was a soft rustling of grass by the doorway, and Hikari broke out of her current spin to face the sound. Much of her hair settled in front of one shoulder, still visibly contrasting with the green in her kimono. Standing in the doorway was the young boy whom she'd seen the day before. Takayo, she remembered. His hand rested lightly on the door frame, and he wore an expression that was a combination of serenity and captivation.
She blinked. "Hello."
Takayo took a step forward, and Hikari a step back. His hand went out.
"Please, don't stop dancing because of me. I didn't mean to interrupt you."
Her wide doe eyes softened, and her chin dropped a little. There was something in the boy's eyes that she found incredibly and irresistibly sincere. Her swaying motions started up again, but they were not as they had been a few moments ago. She spun and jumped several times, always bringing her eyes back to rest on the one watching her. It barely even registered in her mind that Onee-chan was gone. She just continued to dance playfully, and the boy slowly moved over to the bench, still not taking his gaze off of the one who had bewitched him.
He was about to sit down when Hikari made a very bold move indeed. She grasped one of his hands in each of her own, and pulled him along with her. Now they were both caught up in a strange waving pattern, guided only by the light from the moon and the stars. She let go of one of hs hands, and he spun her around by the one they were still connected with.
Takayo didn't even notice that he was no longer on the ground until his feet touched down on an uneven surface. He looked down, letting Hikari spin off on her own. Turned out that he was on the roof. How he had gotten there, he could only wonder. Much less to his knowledge was how he was going to get down.
Meanwhile, his 'dance partner' was still spinning, and also happened to be giggling as she did it. She began to go a little faster, reveling in the unbroken moonlight. As she flitted past him for a third time, he grabbed one of her outstretched hands, effectively stopping her. She opened her eyes, let the other hand fall to her side, and put on an innocent expression.
"What," she asked simply.
"How did we get up here?" The question brought a coy smile to Hikari's lips.
"We flew, silly." Another short laugh resounded. "Or rather, we floated. It would have been faster if we just flew."
Takayo took a look over the edge of the roof, briefly noting that it was, in fact, a long way down. He was about to ask his second question when a fit of uncontrollable dizziness over took him. The world spun a few times, and when it stopped, he found that he was sitting down on the lightly slanted surface. Hikari was standing above him, still holding onto his hand. The moon was casting a halo upon her head. A kind smile adorned her face.
"You shouldn't stand so close to the edge like that," she intoned. "Not unless you have someone to keep you from falling." Her other hand extended, and he took it, pulling himself up. It was then that he noticed that she was rather short compared to him. At least by four inches.
She began to turn away, but he held on and prevented her from doing so. "I still don't know your name."
Her lips turned up a little more.
"Hikari," she said, before stepping away, taking Takayo along with her. One hand released, and she led him to the edge of the roof once more. He was astounded when she stepped off and... kept on walking. He hesitated, unsure of if he should follow.
The smaller girl in front of him smiled reassuringly. "You won't fall," she teased. "Trust me."
It was such a large request, dropped so lightly from between her lips, that he doubted she knew the gravity of the thing she was asking. He'd just met her. How did she expect him to trust her with his life already?
And yet, he accepted. Just like that, he let himself step off of the high perch into nothingness- and was greeted with the blissful feeling of safety. With Hikari, he walked at a downward angle, until they were on the soft ground once again.
The feeling fled all to quickly, and he didn't like it. Being weighted down was no fun at all.
When he looked up from his musings, he was that Hikari was watching him. She seemed amused. Their eyes met, and she lifted up his hand, and twirled under his arm. He laughed. She was so... cute, he supposed was the word. One couldn't help but like her, he imagined.
They sat down on the bench, and struck up a conversation.
"What kind of person are you, Hikari, that you can defy gravity?"
"A phoenix," she declared, drawing out the word with a childish air.
His tone took on a playfully disbelieving quality. "A phoenix? Being this chibi? How strange."
"Hey! I'm not chibi!" she protested.
"You're shorter than me," he pointed out, "And I'm not exactly a giant among men."
The banter continued on in that manner for several more hours, until Hikari cut off abruptly.
"I forgot about Rin," she exclaimed. Takayo agreed to take her to the little girl's room, and he led her along the twisting passageways. She wondered how he did it- the place was large enough that you would need a map to navigate properly. Once the destination was reached, they parted with the promise to meet again and talk.
"Oh, and Hikari..."
She turned, halfway though the door. "Yes?"
"Call me Kayo, if you will," he said gently.
She smiled warmly, returning the gesture. "Call me whatever you want, 'kay?"
Kayo nodded and bowed slightly, before heading off.
When Hikari entered the room, Rin was fast asleep, and Sesshomaru was sitting in a chair in front of the window. He was very much awake, and oddly peeved at something, most likely his house guest. He gave off that vibe that made it well known that there was a very rough stick up his ass.
Well, that would be how Hikari would percieve and translate it as. Not may others had the audacity to even think such things about him.
"You shouldn't wander off for a whole day without an escort," he enunciated, with a hard edge to his voice. "You might get lost." A pause. "Though I suppose 'might' is giving you a little too much credit, ne?"
Hikari wasn't smiling, but yet, not frowning either. "You're an awfully hot-and-cold person," she said, as more of a statement than a question. She walked over to the dresser, and extracted a nightgown. Sesshomaru walked up behind her, sniffing at the air delicately.
"And you shouldn't bother associating with the staff," he added icily. "You'll no doubt like to be heading home in a few days."
She sidestepped him, quipping, "If you keep up that attitude, I might just stay longer." She dropped the clothing onto the end of the bed, and faced him with a mocking smirk. "Now, I know you like to spy on naked women, Fluffy, but will you please give a girl her privacy?"
It was almost disappointing when Sesshomaru growled and left quickly. She snickered. Getting rid of the old fart was too easy. And too much fun, as well. She changed, and climbed into bed. Rin, her thumb stuck firmly between her teeth, snuggled over.
Another night... Hikari was almost too used to the place already.
Hikari- Well, well, another night in the castle... I wonder what I'll explore tomorrow.
Kayo- Well, Why don't I try exploring something?
Hikari- Really? What?
Kayo- You.
Saikyou- Don't mind them, they have dirty minds.
Hikari- How can our minds be dirty if they never need to be cleaned?
Saikyou- Not that kind of dirty, Hii-chan. The kind of dirty that makes people in hardware stores stare at you and wonder why people do that in public.
Hikari- Oh, so you heard about that?
Saikyou- Yup. What, does he follow you around everywhere or something? Honestly, Kayo- is HOME DEPOT the preferable place to molest your girlfriend?
Kayo- No... it was just where we were.
Saikyou- I give up.
Hikari- No, Sai-sai, you can do it! You just need the assistance of Shiro, or someone who has an equally strange mind as me! Don't give up!
Kayo- 'Kari, do you even realize that you're rooting for her to make you un-hentai?
Hikari- What! Nobody ever told me that!
Saikyou- You should have been listening. I'll just go now.
