The time before time: First encounters
Naraku was sipping his minted tea.
A storm was brewing outside.
He hummed against the rain and thunder
'The road drives me to you tonight
Your eyes, your hair that spills like endless nights
A moment I am your mad lover, the other your sworn enemy
Is it me who calls to you or the other way round?!'
Today marks the day of his first encounter with the one who will be his future blight.
He was running for his life, injured .. burnt and bruised. That daimo was particularly brutal and his mercenaries, like all the others vowless and he swears upon all that is mighty if he survives .. he will make them pay.
Finally all wisps of strength leave him and his legs give out.
If He ...
And as his his world blackens and the pain weighs deeply upon both his eyes and heart
he wonders if he is too worn down, too traumatised to even want to.
He is faraway from this place now, but the weariness, it didn't leave him.
Once he was a pristine prince .. exiled, dethroned and usurped, kinless save from his sisters whom he had to fend for, no allies, no friends.
With a poisoned mind and a ruthless heart, He survived back then.
Now, he is a king and a warlord, vicious , feared and respected. He avenged himself and his late house.
He winced in pain.
His first instinct was to break those hands that were touching him, and indeed he held hard on the wrists, a little more and they might have snapped or so he thought back then.
He knows now that he was too frail and she is too strong.
"leave my wrists, so I could finish cleaning your wounds"
It was a woman's voice, quiet , soft yet authorative and firm.
His vision was blurred, the lights were dim, he could only make out the contours and soft lines of her face.
He loosened his grip.
"Where am I?"
"Safe"
"Such a curt reassuring answer" his voice was laced with venom and mockery yet it failed to unnerve her, to shake her even for the slightest bit.
He was so pathetic.
"Kikyo" a voice called as a young girl barged through the door, panting
"Kikyo ... Inuyasha is here"
"I am coming with you in a moment"
It took te girl a moment to rest, to register the scene around her , Only a huff escaped her when her eyes fell on his body, particularly the burn mark then she fell dead silent.
"Get back to sleep" She stood up "I will come back in the evening"
By the time, the young girl- her sister Kaede- he would learn later, had opened the door and Kikyo already marched towards it, sparing him a one last glance.
The light by the door now illuminated her features and there she stood, Lady Kikyo shining in all her glory.
He was instantly struck.
Kagome and her mother walked through halls. something about how the way maids backed off once they looked at her freaked her out. Sure Miroku creeped her enough but now ...
It doesn't matter
They would meet the lady Inutaisho first, mother of Lord Sesshomaru and the rest of the noble women.
They were led to a large room, a common room maybe that filled with all kind of noise, whispers, giggles and ...
Then silence.
Lady Inutaisho's presence was being announced.
Her first impression of the lady was that she was very proud, with defined features and a very confidant aura. Granted, she was extremely beautiful in the past and she remains even in her current age, but she lacked a certain softness that her mother possessed, that she herself thought possessed.
Her presence was truly over whelming.
Her smile was contained, her facade tight and guarded as she greeted them.
Her mother curtsied, Kagome followed suite
"Lady Inutaisho"
"Lady Higurashi"
"Your daughter.." she stated matter of fact as she gestured towards Kagome
"Yes"
"I am Kagome, Higurashi Kagome"
Something shifted in the room, did she do something wrong? ohh... those looks again.
She felt like a cornered animal ...
"You look so much like Lady Kikyo of Shikon" Lady Inutaisho cleared the air "You are quite as remarkable as well"
Kagome spoke nothing in turn, she had already made a fool of herself.
"You will find lots of peers among the courtisians here, Lady Kaede, Lady Sango and of course my dear grand daughter, Lady Rin." She motioned respectively at each of the three,in turn Kagome and her mother nodded at each "I hope you find your stay her comfortable, lady Higurashi, Kagome" now the lady said with finality as she set to leave.
"and you should be introduced to Izaiyou at her quarters later today .. then to my esteemed son, Lord Sesshomaru. Lady Kaede, be kind enough to introduce Kagome and lady Higurashi to our customs"
Now Kagome felt at loss, so many names and people that she knew nothing about, she doubted her mother was faring any better than her but Sure enough, her mother hid it well.
the fatigue of the journey caught up to her mother who asked to be shown to her room, however Kagome still felt inquisitive and thus decided to stay behind with Kaede, Sango and the other women in the room.
"I take it you are a little bit overwhelmed" Kaede spoke.
Kagome eyed the girl, she seemed quite young, gentle ... although her eyes were dim, wisdom beyond her years, sadness ... a mixture of both, maybe.
"I am Kaede of Shikon, our house is an ally of House Inutaisho."
"Shikon like .. Kikyo"
"Yes, we are sisters"
"Where is she?"
"Kikyo is hostage"
Kagome fell silent, those moments were ones that people know whatever they say will mean nothing.
"Nevermind, this is Sango of Taijiya House."
The other girl looked intimidating. She was lean and she had a certain hardness to her though much less pronounced than Lady Inutaisho's. She even had a fighter's stance.
"And I am Rin." the little girl smiled at her
"Hello, lady Rin"
"Kagome, we practically live together so you can't go around 'Lady'ing everyone you need to talk to, save lady Inutaisho of course and Rin in her presence" Kaede laughed "We go around on first name basis'
"Of course. Rin, where is your mother?"
"She is dead" Sango deadpanned this time before getting to her leave, sparing no backward glance towards anybody.
Kagome felt awful. this was the second time she said something ...blunt but in her defence how would she have known.
"It is fine, Kagome. You are at no faullt. Recently, this place has become much sadder than it used to be but hopefully this will change soon"
"I ... I hope you aren't upset Rin"
"Nevermind at all, Kagome-chan"
"I hope Sango isn't upset with me"
"Don't worry about her Sango is a kind girl. She will open up in time. Her brother, Kohaku, was also taken Hostage along with Kikyo during a skirmish with Naraku"
'It seemed like that filthy monster is the catalyst behind everybody's pain' Kagome seethed
"Now get up, let me show you around the place"
She became fast friends with Kaede, Maybe her resemblance to Kikyo facilitated their bond and made Kaede more at ease with her, and honestly Kaede was kind and resourceful bu the looks of it and having someone like her in this strange foreign place was extreme help and a chance not to miss by.
She has shown her the whereabouts of lady Inutaisho's headquarters and a heavily guarded room she told her was off limits .. a prisoner was there.
"Lord Sesshomaru ordered she would be kept here instead of the dungeons under his mother's eyes and her guards. She seems important."
"You don't know who she is?"
"No, we aren't allowed in there."
She walked her through a garden towards a relatively quiet part of the massive estate
"This is where lady Izaiyou resides"
"And who is Lady Izaiyou?"
"Lord Inutaisho's concubine and mother to his second son, Inuyasha"
He hates her with passion.
That is what he told himself everytime she would come over to see him.
He hated her tentative soothing touch whenever she would put whatever salve she made onto his burn.
It made him nervous and while he had many scars that littered his body and none of them hurt him, none of his wounds hurt as much as those she tended to.
A good sliver of his lateral neck was burnt, parts of his back and his hair was singed at the tips.
He had a knife wound to his left flank and multiple scattered abrasions around his body.
"Everything look good now, you might as well on your feet in a couple of days"
"I despise you" he made no effort to hide his hostility towards her, especially since his burn stung too much after her touch , testing her kindness to full limit.
She simply smiled and left him to see this 'Inuyasha' of hers and while he guessed this Inuyasha could be connected to the Inutaisho clan, he couldn't quite figure out why it riled him up so much when she left to be with him.
"I see you aren't up to see your prisoner" He must have been so absorbed in thought that he didn't notice Kanna sneaking up on him, intruding on his solitude.
"What now? I have something more pressing to think about than you or the prisoner for what matters"
"Good to know that. Anyway, she slept without supper"
"There is nothing I can do about this, is there?"
"Thought you should know, goodnight"
While Kanna was young, she was certainly wile and perceptive, one of the very few who understood him so well for his own liking.
'Kikyo, I hate you'
Kaede told her all about the epic love story between Lady Izaiyou and the late lord Inutaisho.
Apparently, he fell in love with her, fought a war for her and finally granted her and her son legitmacy before he passed away, although she remained well below Lady Inutaisho's status
"Do you want to see her? Lady Izaiyou"
"I ... Is it normal to visit her out the blue without prior notice or anything. I thought we would see her before meeting Lord Sesshomaru at night"
"Izaiyou is much more lenient than Lady Inutaisho. You will see for yourself"
Kaede pulled her towards the door of her chamber, requesting the chaperone relay her a request to see her.
Lady Izaiyou received them with a kind smile. She was a frail sickly middle-aged woman, with warm brown eyes and tender expression, and while not prettier than Lady Inutaisho, she could understand what lord Inutaisho saw in Izaiyou; she had a measure of gentleness and sympathy evident in her manner.
They made their visit short and promised to come back another time.
Yet the moment they pulled th Shoji door open, Kagome stumbled upon a man walking straight into her as she was leaving out.
She hit a brick wall.
"Watch where you are going"
"Inuyasha, it was your fault, not hers"
"Stay out of it, Kaede"
Kagome breathed in then out, trying to muster all the vile in the world and focus it into one lethal look as she lifted her head up to his level.
The young man took a double step back
"Kikyo" he whispered
'No, this can't be her'
"No, Kagome" she corrected "and you should look where you are going, you aren't blind after all. Now let us pass, please."
"Kagome, is it?" he tried to recover fast "Well, in that case .. it is still you who should look and you should tae a step back so I would pass in then you should leave"
He stood his ground and she stood hers neither budging under the other's contempt.
'loathsome cocky insensitive ...'
"Now Inuyasha" Kaede said "Stop mucking over and let us pass"
"I won't"
"My son, please"
Izaiyou held his gaze for some seconds before he complied
"Huff .. fine, go on"
"Good boy" Kaede sassed and he went bright red after her comment yet she gave him no time to reply as she hurled herself and Kagome out of his sight.
"Nevermind Inuyasha. he is just like that" as they marched forward.
A good distance behind, she looked towards Izaiyou's chambers again, something about this brat interested her, maybe the way he looked at her when they faced each other for the first time.
'Inuyasha' she thought 'let's hope this is the last I will hear from you'
Kikyo lied in bed, eyes closed as he entered the room.
"I know you are awake"
He set a tray on the table, as he grabbed a chair to sit down his back to the bed.
"Know that I won't let you go"
'I won't until either I die or rid myself of your haunting shadow'
"until I get my prisoner for you"
"And Know that I will kill you if things don't go the way I plan, and that whatever you have done in the past will not deter me from this, I will kill Kaede if I have to and your precious Inuyasha for sure."
He hears the bed creak as her weight shifts upon it. She has probably sit up by now
"You are weak, a coward in his worst form .. such a desperate man you are, Naraku.
You come here, everyday against your will .. repeating the same things everytime and expecting me to be afraid, maybe? What are you trying to prove to yourself, to me? What is the object of your obsession exactly: Pure power... envy of Inuyasha?"
'You .. the object of my obsession is you'
"I am not weak, Kikyo. you haven't seen the extend of my strength yet."
"Then save your strength and don't come here, again."
"You hate me that much?"
"On the contrary, I feel nothing for you. nothing but pity and disrespect."
Naraku now stood up, turning around to face her before walking full speed at her and yanking her by the arm to her full height that she could level to him.
"I come here the time I want Kikyo. I do whatever I want" he hovered dangerously close to her, so close they could smell each other, his mad eyes searching hers for any sign of fear or malice .. yet whatever inside was defiance, pure defiance.
"Let go of my arm"
He let go of her arm as he walked away towards the door.
"Naraku" she called after him
"You come here to see me, right? Just to see me suffer, don't you?"
He doesn't reply. he closes the heavy door between them.
'I only ever come here to feel alive, to see you'
The song at the beginning is a liberal translation of a Persian song.