8.


The next day went in a predictable way, following already established pattern. Kagome woke up, dressed, checked the slumbering fae in the other room and went to prepare breakfast with the maid before she went to do her other morning chores. She used to help her mother around the house, but here she didn't really have as much work to do, with the Hojos taking care of keeping the estate clean and the livestock tended to. According to her grandfather, as a maiden from an important family she was supposed to have delicate hands and devote herself to ladylike hobbies like crochet or painting. Kagome wasn't much for both, but she filled her free time with walks in the forest and helping her mom as before.

So, it was no surprise, that when all her work was finished, she went to the forest, armed with a stick to ward off wild animals and carrying a basket for mushrooms. The past weeks were hot and humid, with lots of rains, the perfect weather for mushrooms. She'd already found a few places where they grew in the forest behind the shrine grounds. Sometimes Souta joined her on the expeditions, but since today he was studying with their grandfather, Kagome went alone. Their mother couldn't go for long walks in an uneven terrain, since her hip often started to ache when she had to walk for too long. Kagome didn't mind the solitude on her walks, since this way she could allow her mind to meander between topics as she walked, appreciating the fresh air, the scents of dirt and plants, the songs of various birds and the general sense of freedom that filled her when she was in the woods.

Sometimes, she felt as if she was back in the forest of her dreams, and she started to look up, half-expecting to see the one that ran through the woodlands of her dreams each and every night. But no flash of red passed overhead, no tree limb swayed as someone used it to launch themselves forward.

The fae was still asleep and sealed in the hidden room, in a forest that was painted on the walls of his prison.

As Kagome walked along a narrow, but easy enough to follow path up one of the many inclines in the terrain, she sighed. It felt right to think about the fae man - Inuyasha, as he told her to call him - in the forest, with the music of the rustling leaves and wind.

She imagined him waking up - she hoped she could be there to witness him opening his eyes and lifting his head, his gaze catching the 'punishment braid' she'd made.

Oh, he was going to be so livid!

She couldn't imagine any boy not yelling in outrage at seeing flowers braided into his hair. Kagome felt the tips of her fingers tingle with the memory of how soft his hair was. Her heart filled with jealousy for a moment, it was not fair that this man had hair softer and longer than hers.

The girl stepped off the path to the foot of a big oak, where she spotted a mushroom sticking out of the dry leaves. Carefully, she twisted it free and cleaned with a small knife before she put it in her basket. Then she went back to her path.

The initial fear of the unknown entity in the hidden room was gradually ebbing away in her heart, replaced by growing fascination. He was a mischievous one, this Inuyasha, but didn't seem violent or dishonorable. A part of her felt guilty for not setting him free, but she always reminded herself, that he was a fae and was sealed in a hidden room for a reason. She couldn't just set him free - what if he was going to do something bad? She'd never forgive herself. She had to make sure he behaved - that was why she needed his true name. With its power she could make him promise to be good - a promise she had to word very carefully - before she could remove the arrow.

"I need to ask him how he got stuck there in the first place," she decided, whispering the words to herself. Absentmindedly she reached a hand and adjusted the green ribbon that tied her hair back to keep it out of her face. For some reason it was keeping to loosen since she came into the forest.

Hair fixed, Kagome went on with her hunt, following the path as it went more or less in a wide arc, up and down many slopes. She was keeping track of where she was, not wanting to get lost in the woods, especially so late in the day. Soon she was going to go back if she wanted to catch Inuyasha's awakening. The basket was getting fuller with each and every mushroom she spotted as she walked and she decided to go just a bit further down the path, just to check out the area near the base of a steep hillside.

As she went, she didn't notice a pair of foxes sitting in the bushes a bit away to the left of her path. The adult fox looked amused, his ears perked up as he peered down his pointed nose at the small kit next to him. The kit pouted and after a minute went to follow his target, working his spell to loosen the ribbon on the girl's hair. He really liked the color and his hair was growing pretty long. It'd be really cool if he could steal a miko's ribbon and wear it as his. That'd show that thunder beast Souten who was better at sneaky tricks - foxes of course. No one dared to steal from a priest or a miko, but with his dad at his side, the boy feared no human.

"Oh, goodness!" Kagome clasped her hands as she watched in awe the lovely view. Surrounded by a pine thicket, the foot of the hillside was a true miracle. It was like a natural alcove, with the pine trees surrounding it from three sides, almost as tall as the rocks that made up the hillside. It was too steep to climb, but it created the perfect terrain to allow a stream, that flew from somewhere uphill to create a waterfall and a small basin under it before it meandered away between the trees. The water tinkled and bubbled as it flew and Kagome was in love with this tiny meadow. It was the perfect place for a picnic. She put her basket on the lush grass and went to the waterfall. The water was clear like crystal and refreshingly cold.

"I have to bring Souta here next time," she said as she admired the area. "He'll love it, it's just like a picture of a magical meadow."

She imagined Inuyasha sprawled out on the ground, he'd be totally at home here. Maybe, if he was really a nice fae and decided to stick around, she could show this place to him too?

She looked to the sky and went to fetch her basket, hurrying back home. The frail hope that she could actually befriend a fae, that she could share things like this with him, made her step lighter.

She didn't realize her ribbon had slipped off until she was back at home, putting the basket on the kitchen table. She felt a bit annoyed, but she didn't really have time to go look for it, besides there was little chance of finding it in the impending dusk.

As she went to change her clothes before supper, Kagome forgot about the ribbon, already excited for the short time of Inuyasha's wakefulness.

The two orange-haired males sat on a fallen log in the forest near the waterfall. The boy smugly allowed his proud father to tie his hair in a stylish ponytail, a big bow of green complimenting his hair color.

Back in her room, Kagome changed quickly in a fresh dress and went to the hidden room door. Excitedly, she marched in, just to find out she had a few minutes before the sunset woke the sleeping man.

She bit her bottom lip, she couldn't just stand there and stare at him. Sitting on the foot of his bed didn't feel right either. After a moment of thinking, she went to her room and brought one of her chairs, putting it near the door. As soon as she sat down, the magic in the arrow faded for the short while, allowing Inuyasha to wake.

First his ears twitched, then he took a long, audible inhale. His head lifted, his golden eyes flying to her as if he'd smelled her sitting there.

"Um, hello," she said awkwardly, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear anxiously. Under the watchful, a bit wary gaze of these golden eyes she felt uncertain what to do and say. The man's face relaxed a bit. A blush started to heat up her cheeks.

"Did you wait for me to wake up, so you could undo the seal?" he asked, hope in his voice.

"What? No way, I'm not unsealing you before you tell me your true name," she shook her head. He pouted. "So, what's your true name?"

"You may call me the one who was born out of the New Moon." he responded, a tad amused. It felt like he was enjoying this, treating it as a game of sorts. It was Kagome's time to pout. "Just call me Inuyasha, wench,"

"I am not a wench," she glared at the silver-haired man. "I have a name, you know!"

"Ah, yes, I heard humans do have names too. So, what is it?"

"It's..." Kagome stopped, her mouth open and already forming the first syllable of her name. But the image of his ears perking up and swiveling in her direction, gave her pause. Humans couldn't be bound by their names like fae could with their true names, but revealing a name to a fae was still dangerous, since a malevolent fae could use it against you.

The ears drooped and the man sighed dejectedly. He put his hand next to the arrow sticking out of his chest.

"I, by my true name, hereby vow that I shall not misuse the name of the woman sitting in front of me, nor bespell her in any way that wouldn't be beneficial and desired by her. May my tree lose its flowers for a decade if I break this vow.'"

Nothing happened, no aura pulsed around him, no eerie light came to illuminate the room, not even an eerie wind passed to pick up their hair. And yet, somehow, she knew that his words had weight and that he meant what he swore.

"...Kagome," she said, her whole body relaxing. A smile, a real one, appeared on his lips, making him look handsome and innocent. It was hard not to smile in return. His promise was formal and even if she didn't know what significance the losing of flowers of his tree was, it was clear to her he didn't want that to happen. He offered her this promise to gain her trust and she found herself giving that trust with ease. It actually was a bit scary to think, that a handful of words made her discard one of the rules.

"Kagome," he repeated. The sound of her own name felt new and somehow refined when he spoke it. She felt a funny feeling in her belly as she heard him say her name and it was hard to look at him, so she cast her gaze to the leaves underfoot and quickly thought about subject she could use to distract herself from that feeling.

"Do you like your braid?" she asked, desperately. He blinked and then looked to the flowery plait across his chest. He picked it up with two clawed fingers and shrugged.

"It isn't half bad, but I ain't into flowers that much," he said and resumed looking at her. That wasn't the reaction she had been expecting. Which meant this distraction wouldn't work...

"So, how come you're pinned to the bed?" she asked. Inuyasha shrugged

"Well, at the time your ancestors came to settle here and built the house, I was living in the forest nearby, so when the house was finished, I wanted to use the right of the first night," he confessed. He sounded outrageously casual as he said that, as if it was no big deal. Kagome gasped, her face turning crimson as she covered her mouth with both her hands, staring at the boy. He tilted his head to the side. "What's the deal? You humans are weird."

Kagome didn't answer, too stunned, embarrassed and shocked to form words. Here he was, shamelessly admitting that he wanted to... Wanted to...

"Oi! Don't look at me this way! There were like four bedrooms and I thought I could use one, since the priest had only a wife and they definitely wouldn't be impaired if I took a bed for a night!" the fae scoffed, scowling at her. "But no, you lot are so bloody territorial about who sleep in the house for the first night as it's finished, that your damn ancestor didn't even let me go away when he heard that. He borderline foamed at the mouth! To think I was the only dog between the two of us!"

One thing became clear to Kagome as she listened to the rambling fae in front of her.

He knew very little about human customs.

And, judging that the house was at least a hundred years old, he was paying a big price for his ignorance.

She felt a wave of relief wash over her, despite all of this. At least he wasn't a perverted man, on top of not being a malevolent fae. Actually, it was a bit amusing when she thought about it. And a bit saddening, too, but it was hard to feel sad for him when he made this confused, miffed face.

This fae, kami knew how old actually, was was punished by a hundred years of sleep in this small room only because he had no knowledge about the customs of the people that sealed him in here.

Just like her dad used to say - knowledge was all the difference.

The girl went from being shocked to madly giggling. The fae tried to make her tell them what was so funny, which only made her giggle more. She had to cover her mouth again, this time to not make too loud noises and alert anyone else in the home. The fae pouted until the sun set and he fell back to sleep.

"Oh, you poor boy," Kagome snickered as she finally stood up. She reached a hand and almost tweaked his ear as he slept, but she caught herself just in time.

A/N: I'm sorry it's not as good as it should be.
I'm not sure when the next update will be, since we caught up to the finished chapters. Will try to get the next one done before the next Sunday.

Edit; betad by NeutronStarchild