Chapter Five

The heat of the spring was inviting to the frazzled young woman as she hiked through the small bit of forest to its hiding place. Miho carried along with her a white towel and clean linen robe under one arm, while her other held her cherry blossom bath oil. It's going to take almost an hour to get my hair up and ready, but it shouldn't take me long to get this dirt out from underneath my fingernails…Miho lifted one of her occupied hands and attempted to study the grim that had accumulated, but the contents she happened to be holding made it next to impossible without dropping something. Instead she focused her attention on the path before and her and tried to calm her rapidly threading heart. My debut is still going to be held within a few weeks…but I can't believe I am going to be presented before my time. I thought I had more time…I didn't want this…She frowned, instantly unhappy and fighting off a panic attack. Oh gods…I don't know what to do…

The trek to the hot spring had proven an easy task for the young maiko, but the idea of performing in front of important people against her will made her wish she really had taken the chance to run when she had it. Too bad a demon had crossed her path and had gotten in her way. A demon! I'd forgotten about him! What if he is around here and watching me? As Miho disrobed and stepped into the warm water, she crossed her arms over her breasts and sunk down, embarrassed with herself. Come on, Miho…would that be so bad? He was really quite handsome…and he seemed oddly interested despite my lack of flirtation…or did I flirt? Oh! Stop this madness! Only one encounter and I have become nothing more than a silly girl like the others!

Determined to keep her hormones in check, she buried the demons golden eyed stare into the blackest regions of her mind and forced herself to bath and wait for her mentor to arrive with hair pins and combs.

(Inside the okiya)

By the time Miho had reached the hot spring, Kasumi had been introduced to and was showing around a young woman who appeared to be no older than twenty. This woman's hair was midnight black and pulled back into a knot with a few strands hanging free on either side of her fare face. She was glancing around, mildly interested by the design of the okiya, with deep brown eyes and a curious smile. "So this is what a geisha house looks like?"

Kasumi, who had hardly said a word outside of their previous introduction, smiled reluctantly at the choice of words that the woman had used to describe her home. "I am sorry, but we prefer okiya to geisha house." Something about the woman made Kasumi think that she was not the normal every day woman. She had no idea that her assumptions were correct. "So, Miss Kagome, is this your son?" She asked while indicating to the slightly tall child hooked to Kagome's side protectively.

The woman fixed her with a challenging, yet kind stare…the one only reserved for mothers, and gave another smile. "It is Mrs. and yes, this is Ehren, my son."

Kasumi nodded in understanding. "One of the gentlemen that accompanied you must be your husband. I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting either of them, so I am not sure who your son resembles more, although he does have the most beautiful amber eyes." She crouched down as best she could in her constricted clothing and smiled sweetly at the boy.

Ehren regarded her with expressionless eyes. "Thank you." His voice was almost lyrical when he spoke to her.

Kagome wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders and hugged him to her while her other hand came up and proceeded to run her fingers through his this mane of long silver hair. "He looks so much like his father. Although when it comes to his attitude, he acts more like his uncle. He is always calm…but when you say something that he doesn't like, he is every ounce like me." She giggled slightly while looking down at the boy who had lifted his head and fixed her with a smile.

"Daddy doesn't like to see me when I get mad…he says that if I had any of your powers, his face might end up permanently flat."

Kasumi cocked an eyebrow. "Powers?"

Ehren turned away from his mother and looked Kasumi straight in the eye. "My mother is a powerful priestess!" He boasted proudly. "And my father is a power half demon!"

Kasumi finally understood. Lifted off the ground, she smiled sweetly at the child then looked at Kagome, who was giving her an uncomfortable look. "No wonder Ehren looks so handsome. A priestess for a mother and a half demon for a father. Very impressive." As the words left her mouth, she noticed Kagome's expression relax. "So how old might you be, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ehren thought for a moment before answering, unsure himself of his exact age. "Mother, I can't remember."

Kagome helped him along. "He looks to be around six or seven, but when it comes down to actually, Ehren is no more than sixty years old."

Kasumi was not surprised. She had met demons thousands of years old that looked no more than Kagome did at the moment. It takes a demon years to age. "Your husband must have given you his demon essence. You, yourself look so young."

"He did. I was nineteen." Kagome was not shy at all to give a glimpse into her actual age. "Only a few years after, we had our son."

"What is it like to have a demon for a husband?"

"It's a challenge because he is almost always stubborn and arrogant, but if it were not for him, I would not be alive today. I love him." The subtle glint of happiness in her eyes made Kasumi feel a little lonely on the inside, but suppressed it.

"I'd say you are very lucky to have found someone so wonderful and had been able to produce such a lovely child. It's not every day I have to opportunity to meet someone so handsome." Kasumi indicated toward the little boy at Kagome side, who had just released a powerful yawn. "Come! I will show you to your rooms so that you might rest from your journey."

They made their way through the corridors and classrooms, up the back stairs to the bedrooms and into a vacant space with a large window overlooking the forest. "Blankets and towels are in the closet. A trunk to hold your possessions is also in there, but just be sure to lock it with the key that was given to you upon arrival. It is the same key that will lock your door in case you leave for a short while to protect your things. Is there anything you need?"

Kagome was busy undressing her son out of his black and white kimono and into his bed clothes when she noticed a small table with bath oils. "Um, would it be possible to bath after my son has gone to bed?"

Kasumi nodded while she stood at the door, watching the young mother tuck her child beneath the bed covers. "Of course. I was just about to go down to assist one of our students with her hair and clothes. She is to be presented before your companions this evening."

After finishing with her son and kissing him goodnight, Kagome lifted and turned to face Kasumi and nodded. "Is it possible for me to see the show?"

"It is not unusual for a woman to partake in a maiko's performance. I am sure she would be delighted to have you there. Come." The two women gathered a few bath items and headed down to the spring.

(At the hot spring)

In the middle of her bath, a twig snapping forced Miho to pause in her attempt to cover herself in bathing oils. Looking up slowly, a quick figure dashed in and out of her periphery and made her whole body stiffen in fear. "Who is there?" She called softly, unsure if she really wanted to know.

The figure was spotted again running through the surrounding forest and hid briefly behind several trees like a frightened animal. Miho watched the spot where the figure had disappeared for a good minute before it jumped out from behind the same tree and sprinted a little farther away from her. She wasn't sure, but she could have sworn that the figure had caught sight of her with its huge green eyes before taking off. "Hello? Who is there?" Miho asked, feeling a little bolder despite being naked and vulnerable. She put down the oil bottle and swam over, closer to where the figure had gone. The more she looked, the less she was able to see given the fact that the sky was dark and the only light source was the lantern behind her.

The sound of twigs snapping and leaves rustling just a little farther up the way lead Miho to believe that whoever it was, did not want to come nearer, but did not want to leave either. "I know you are there! Are you the demon from before? Did you follow me?" She was just about to emerge from her steaming bath when more rustling leaves snatched her attention.

The sounds were closer than before as she studied the spot where the figure had gone. She could see no black mass in the cluster of trees but could hear the rustling as if it were somewhere within her reach. "Hello?" Feeling slightly modest, she ducked her body down into the water and sat down on her feet. The water just barely made it to her throat.

At the tree line just at the edge of the hot spring, more rustling and snapping filled the young maiko with apprehension and she braced herself for every possibility that she might encounter from the intruder. Her dagger, which was still hooked onto her submerged ankle, beckoned her to release it from its sheath and prepare to attack if she needed to, but she resisted her gut instinct and waited patiently.

All became quiet. The night animals stopped their wild songs, and the wind ceased to whistle through the tree branches as two nearby bushes parted.

Miho held her breath and focused her chocolate brown eyes on the source of her curiosity. She was stunned. "I…I know…you…" She whispered in disbelief, releasing the breath she had been holding as the shock took hold of her. "You…can't be here…you can't be…real…" Her head was spinning from the mixture of shock and moist heat from the spring.

The small green imp demon regarded the young maiko with the exact same look of disbelief as the shock caused him to lose his grip on his wooden staff. The two headed weapon fell to the ground with a dull thump and rolled a few inches away. "Rin…is it really possible…?"

Author's Note: This isn't about the story or chapter. I just wanted to take at moment to remember one of the most talented, most inspirational women of the music world. RIP Whitney Huston! Your voice was one of my biggest inspirations during all of my choral performances. Not one person alive today came compare to your greatness and it is an absolute shame that you had fallen victim to one of the most notorious killers of this century…drugs. I hope that one day; drug addiction can be a thing of the past and I hope that your devastating end inspires your fans to overcome those deadly habits and just live.

OliviaAR