"But I AM Kaori Ogensai!" I snapped for the thousandth time as Sesshoumaru and I stared at the 'tree' that was our front door.
"But you do not look like her." Was the reply.
"UGH!! What a waste!!" I cried as I threw my hands into the air.
Sesshoumaru place a hand on my shoulder. "It's alright… Maybe you could just answer some question that only you would know…"
I sighed and turned to the tree to try again. "I am Kaori Ogensai, the first of Brielle's children. I am not the oldest, but the second oldest; Makoto is the oldest of the children. Makoto is married to Suzuki, one of the orphans that came to live with us towards the end of Brielle's life. Seiko and I are the only ones that live in the palace now that Brielle has passed away. Brielle was the last Haibane; she had teal blue hair, brown eyes, a halo and small gray wings. Open the god damn gates!!"
The trees faded and the walls that protected my village became visible. The gate opened slowly to my father's royal guard.
"Great… just freakin' great!" I groaned as I walked into the village with Sesshoumaru close behind.
"You are here-by summoned to a meeting with the village lord Shinji. You are to follow us to the palace." The commander stated before he turned and headed to the stairs that led to my home.
I knew I didn't have a choice so I followed him and the other guards fell in place on both sides and behind of Sesshoumaru and I.
The villagers began to gather on both sides and whisper amongst themselves; it felt like when I was brought here for the first time… Brielle had been carrying me then… I must have been four or five… The villagers had gathered around and whispered about how their lovely lady had brought in a dirty war orphan that was probably carrying disease but she just looked down at me and smiled.
"You can call me Brielle if you would like…" she had said.
"Can I call you mommy…?" I had asked as I looked into the face of what I had thought (and still think) was an angel.
She had smiled brighter than as she walked with me to the palace on the outcrop above the village. "Of course you can… I would like that very much if you did."
But this time I wasn't with my mother… I was with Sesshoumaru… I knew it wasn't him they were talking about… demons and humans still lived in peace in our village… they even intermarried so many of our children were half demons… It was me they were staring at… As if I had a disease… As if I was a plague and not their young lady…
"Who is that…?" some whispered.
"That's not lady Kaori…" others said.
"Lady Kaori would have never made it to the hidden temple… How dare that she witch call herself Kaori…"
I looked down with my hands clasped in front of my body.
"How can they say such things about you…?" Sesshoumaru murmured next to me.
"It's alright… Do not blame them… In their mind there was no way for me to make it to the temple before my birthday… They don't know what or who you are…" I answered as I kept my gaze down on the ground.
"They have such little faith in you…" Sesshoumaru replied.
"I was human when I left this village for the temple… a normal human would never make it…"
The climb to the outcrop where the palace sat over looking the village was a long one… It was always long but having the guards around me and the villagers watching us ascend made it seem even longer… Finally we made it to the top.
"You will wait for the Lord here…" the commander stated as he brought us to my father's meeting room.
I sighed and sat down on the pillow in front of the small raised platform, Sesshoumaru sat beside me.
After what felt like an excruciatingly long wait (where I wondered if this is how all of the people felt when they waited for my father) my father stepped from the partition behind the platform.
"Thank you for waiting, I am Lord Shinji." He said as he sat on the platform.
I bowed my head and kept my eyes on the floor.
"I have been told that you say you're my daughter, Kaori Ogensai, and that you know a lot of answers that she should only know…"
"That is because I am your daughter Kaori…" I answered as I kept my gaze on the floor; I knew better than to lock eyes with my father… especially in this position…
"I don't see why you're putting her though so much you know better than anyone here that she is your daughter." Sesshoumaru snapped.
"Please…" I whispered.
"No." Sesshoumaru answered. "I will not tolerate this treatment. He knows you are his daughter even if you look differently, I smell it on him. He knows too well that you're his child and how he is treating you is unjust." Sesshoumaru growled.
"Ah… You are truly the dog demon your father was… You deserve the title of Lord of the Western Lands that was passed to you." My father replied.
"Don't act as if you knew my father…" Sesshoumaru hissed.
"I apologize if I have offended you Lord Sesshoumaru… True I personally did not know your father but my late wife spoke highly of him and it feels as if I knew him myself." He turned to look at my down cast face. "It is true that I know she is my child, but the villagers do not think so… And I have to be fair to my people and to my daughter and have her prove herself to them in front of me… Did you not receive wings Kaori…? Your mother said you would…"
"I did my Lord…" I answered as I slid the Michiyuki from my shoulders to produce the small gray wings. "The women thought it was best that I hid them to be safe when I am outside our village walls…"
"Wise choice… I commemorate them for that… You do not have the halo like your mother, did they think it was wise that you not have it and make you seem more like you are only half Haibane?"
I nodded in reply. "Yes my lord…"
My father sighed. "Oh Kaori-chan your manners are unprecedented… your mother taught you quite well… You were the best mannered of all the children Brielle had here with us in our home…"
"Thank you my lord…" I bowed my head still keeping my gaze fixated on the floor.
"Kaori… you are home you do not need to be so formal…"
"I know father… but I have been gone a long time and I do not look like I did once… I do not look like your daughter anymore…" I could feel the tears well up in my eyes as I sat there staring at the floor.
I could feel Sesshoumaru fight to not touch me as my father got off the platform and moved to kneel before me.
"Kaori-chan… No matter what you look like you are still my daughter…" he lifted my chin to look up at him. "You still have the face of a little angel just like the day she brought you home… even if your eyes are colored differently and your hair is red and not black… Kaori-chan… You are my daughter… You always will be…"
I smiled at him. "Thank you father…"
He smiled back and kissed my forehead as he'd done for years before then stood up and walked back to the platform. "Now… your first task to prove you are Kaori Ogensai and not an imposter is to go to all the villagers that have lost a body part they need to continue their life and replace it… Only my late wife and my daughter Kaori knew how to perform the spell needed to produce such strong magic to replace living tissue. If that is not enough to prove you are Kaori then we shall move to the second task. You will return to live amongst the villagers tonight and shall stay there until the task is complete."
I bowed my head. "So it is said… So it shall be…" I answered and stood to leave the room. "Will Lord Sesshoumaru be granted room here in the palace or will he have to return to the village with me…?" I asked.
"He will be granted room here." My father answered. "He is the Lord of the Western Lands and he does not need to prove his is, so he is granted room here in the palace."
I nodded. "Very well then, I shall be taking my leave…" I turned to my father. "Lord Shinji…" I bowed, and then turned to Sesshoumaru, "Lord Sesshoumaru…" I bowed to him as well and then I left. Part of my heart ached as I left Sesshoumaru's side, but there was nothing I could do about it so I began my descent to the village below.
I began to head over to Makoto and Suzuki's home but than realized that they probably didn't know who I was either so I prepared to sleep in the woods behind the farm fields.
"Kaori-san…?" A voice from behind me said.
I turned to see Rin standing there outside my bother's hut. "Rin-chan… How did you know it was me…?"
"Because only Kaori-san walks as if there is much weighing her down…" She answered.
I smiled and walked over to her. "You are a very wise little girl Rin-chan… not many people see the world like you do…"
"Where are you going Kaori-san…? Aren't you supposed to be in the palace with your daddy…?"
I patted her head. "The villagers don't think I am Kaori so I am not allowed to be there until I can prove myself to them…"
"But you ARE Kaori-san!! How can they not know you're you?" She looked extremely upset.
I smiled at her. "You are a very wise little girl… and not many people are as wise as you… That's why Rin-chan… They can't see me through the color of my hair, or the color of my eyes, or the wings on my back… They just see me as I am and not who I am inside like you do…" I gave her a little hug. "Don't worry… I'll make sure they know it's me." I assured her.
By the morning the whole village knew what my father had decided was my first task to prove myself and they came to watch me perform the spell on the villagers that needed it.
My first was one of the orphans my mother had brought to an older couple who had lost their child to a disease. The young girl had lost her leg in a riding accident and could no longer help her mother around the house.
"Don't be afraid…" I assured the young girl. "It won't hurt I promise… it'll be just like last time…" I smiled at her.
As I began the spell I realized that the words I was saying were different… they felt different as I said them and they even came out different… it felt more powerful than the one I was use to…
The older villagers gasped and began whispering amongst themselves.
"That's Brielle's spell… that's the one only Brielle used… she never told Kaori it…" they whispered.
…I was doomed…
I finished the spell and the girl had her leg back once again, but my chance to prove myself had left the moment I uttered words I didn't know… that I wasn't supposed to know…
The girl smiled and thanked me as she ran off to her parents.
I sighed… I had lost… there was no chance they would believe me now… Even if my wings were like my mothers… even if I walked the same, sounded the same, or acted the same… none of it mattered… Not now anyway… I would have to leave my beloved home and never return…
"Amazing Onee-chan!" someone cried from the back of the crowd.
Seiko emerged from the crowd of people along with Makoto, Suzuki and Rin.
"Simply stunning Kaori-chan…" Suzuki chimed with her bell-like voice. "I knew you would have mother's powers when you returned from the hidden temple but I had no idea you would even know her spells."
"Seiko-san… Suzuki-san… Makoto-san… Why are you here…?" I asked as I choked back tears.
"We heard you returned home," Makoto replied, "And we heard that father had told you to live with the villagers and to use your spell to replace the missing body parts of the villagers who needed them, but you never came to our home last night. Then Rin-chan said she saw you and that you were afraid we wouldn't know you." Makoto laughed and smiled at me. "Of course I would know my own sister! Why would you think such a silly thing?"
"Oh Makoto-san…" I murmured. "Please… don't try and stand up for me… It will just get you and your wife frowned upon…"
"Nonsense Kaori-chan." Suzuki answered as she sat next to me. "We are family and family does not sit idly by while one of their members is being picked on. Now…" She turned to the crowd. "Who's next…?"
I smiled at my younger sister. She knew that if she did this and the villagers never recognized me as Kaori that she and Makoto would be ostracized and yet she was still doing it…
The day proceeded and the villagers came willingly to have me replace the missing part they needed but they still didn't believe I was me… So I continued to replace the missing part and sadly accept my fate of leaving my home when the villagers decided that no matter how hard I tried I was never going to be Kaori in their eyes.
As the day continued to evening my father came down with this royal guard to watch me replace the arm of another villager… The demons had refused to see me… they didn't trust me.
"Very well preformed… That's the exact spell my late wife used to perform on the villagers… whatever she replaced would be permanently replaced and would never disappear. My daughter never learned that spell… My wife had been waiting until our daughter gained the abilities of the Haibane before teaching her harder magic."
"Lady Brielle was a very smart Lady…" I murmured.
My father smiled and nodded. "She was…" He straightened himself up to address the villagers as well. "I have heard that even with this task you do not believe that she is Kaori Ogensai returned from the temple so I have a new task…" He looked down at me. "My daughter traveled here with a young man that helped her pass safely to the village but also get safely to the temple… If you would leave and walk to the woods I would like to address my villagers about this man and a secret only my daughter knows about him. You will return and then tell us about him."
I stood, bowed and headed out into the woods.
"Now…" Lord Shinji said when he knew Kaori had gone far enough away so she couldn't hear what was being said. "The man that my daughter traveled with has come forth to tell me some things that only he and my daughter would know. He was willing to share with me so that we would all believe that the woman that claims she's Kaori really is Kaori… He is Sesshoumaru… Lord of the Western Lands… and not many people knows what he really looks like. He travels with a little human girl named Rin, a toad demon called Jaken and a two headed dragon called Ah-Un… He is also missing his left arm but Kaori replaced it before she came to the village… At the temple he was removed from her side as she was taken to the room where she would receive her mother's gifts and just at the moment her wings tore from her back he had ripped open to door because she had been screaming. He saw the whole transformation and doesn't understand why none of believe she is who she says she is… So I have decided to see if she can tell us the same information he has given us. If so in my eyes it proves that she is my daughter Kaori… I hope it will do the same for you…"
One of the demons came for me and literally dragged me back to where my father and the other villagers stood waiting.
When he let me go I stumbled a little then straightened up and bowed my head. "How may I prove myself to you…?"
"You are to tell us about my daughter's traveling companion."
I nodded slightly. "His name is Sesshoumaru-dono and he is the Lord of the Western Lands… When I first met him I had been protecting his young human companion, Rin-san… After he arrived I left to find my brother Seiko who had gone missing from our camp, he was being attacked by demons… I distracted my brother and he was injured… I slue the demon but I didn't think there was any chance to save my brother or myself since I had been badly injured while protecting the young girl… Somehow we were both saved by Lord Sesshoumaru and I woke up in his camp with his other traveling companion Jaken-san and their pet dragon Ah-Un... We left their camp to travel home alone even though it was obvious to everyone I was getting very ill… during our return home we were attacked by a nest of ogre's… I told Seiko to run and I tried to keep them away from him… One of ogre's grabbed me and continued to smash me into a tree waiting for me to die… that's when Sesshoumaru-dono showed up and save me once again…" I looked up for a second. I had everyone's attention… everyone had gathered around by now to hear the story… "He came over and lifted me against him, I remember wondering why he didn't just lift me up and carry me… That's when I realized he was missing his left arm… So I tried to replace it… of course at the time the only spell I knew was the temporary one… so I don't know how much longer he has with his new arm until it disappears…"
"And what about after returning here?" My father asked.
"Well…" I continued, "He asked you where it was I was supposed to go because none of us thought I was going to live… He carried me the whole way, we didn't stop until we got to the temple… I was taken away into another room where the pain I had centered around my shoulder blades… I screamed a lot… I remember Sesshoumaru-dono had pulled open the door just as the wings tore through the skin on my shoulder blades… I passed out after that…"
The whole village was silent they were all waiting for what would happen next… Everyone had gathered around to hear what had happened to me and the Lord…
"Could you point out to us who the Lord is…?" My father asked finally.
I knew he had purposefully made Sesshoumaru stand somewhere where it would be hard to pick him out of the crowd… but that was the point. I bowed my head and walked the perimeter of the circle that had been created around me and my father.
"He is there…" I answered as I pointed to Sesshoumaru, god my father had hid him well. "He is the one with silver hair and gold eyes; that is Sesshoumaru-dono…"
My father applauded and before he could say anything Rin's voice echoed over the crowd.
"Kaori-san!!" She cried as she ran through the crowd before Sesshoumaru could stop her.
"Rin-chan…" I murmured as I knelt and hugged her against me.
"Why are they picking on you Kaori-san…?" she wailed
"Because they don't know if I really am who I say I am…" I answered as I ran my hand down the back of her head softly.
"But I know it's you! And Makoto-san and Suzuki-san and Seiko-san all know it's you! And Lord Sesshoumaru knows it's you too! Why don't they know?" she sniffed.
I laid my cheek on the top of her head as I moved my hand to rub her back. "I don't know why Rin-chan…"
Sesshoumaru had made his way through the crowd and stood beside us. "You told them a lot more than I did…"
I looked up at him. "I didn't know what you had told them so I told them everything… How is your arm…?"
Sesshoumaru knelt beside me and held it out to me.
"It's disappearing a lot faster than the others did…" I murmured as I took it in my right hand as I continued to rub Rin with my left. His arm was starting to turn translucent a lot faster than it should have. I started the spell I had used all day today and the arm I had made before disappeared altogether just to have a new arm form in its place.
"There…" I let go of his arm and gazed into his eyes. "This one will be yours always…" I wanted to kiss him… It took all my will power to not just tilt my head and kiss him in front of everyone, but I didn't.
A small fur ball ran up to me and meowed.
"Kaage…" I smiled and picked up the little cat and placed him on my lap. "Hello Kaage… I missed you."
Sesshoumaru had taken Rin from me as he stood. "I don't see how none of you believe that she is Kaori-san…"
"Kaori-dono…?" one of the children asked as he came through the crowd.
I smiled at him "Hello Washi-kun."
More children started coming through the crowd now… I knew most of them by name… I played with them all the time. I loved the children of my village.
"Kaori-dono!" one cried as she ran over to me. "It is Kaori-dono!! You didn't come play with me today Kaori-dono!!"
I patted her head. "I'm sorry Umeko-chan… I've been busy helping the villagers today…"
More children began to run up to me asking me why I hadn't played with them or where my wings had come from and if they could touch them. Some wondered why my hair was red and not black or why my eyes were orange. Some thought I didn't love them anymore so I didn't want to play with them.
"See!" someone cried from behind me.
I turned around still surrounded by the village children to see my youngest sister Amane standing by her new family.
"All the children know she's Kaori-san! Makoto-san, Suzuki-san, and Seiko-san know she's Kaori-san! I know she's Kaori-san! Why can't you see she's Kaori-san?!"
I smiled at Amane; she was barely six when she was placed with her new family after Brielle had died. I visited her as much as I could while I was down in the village with the children.
"Kaori-dono your wings are pretty!!" one of the littler children called.
"Thank you Toshi." I smiled at him, he looked just like his twin sister Nami and if their hair wasn't different lengths I would have had a problem telling them apart.
There were whispers throughout the circle of villagers as the children kept asking me questions and trying to get me to play with them.
"For me…" My father started; the village went quiet. "For me what she has said and how the children have acted is more than enough to prove that she is indeed my daughter Kaori Ogensai. Is it enough for you…?"
Murmurs broke out all through the villagers.
"Why does she look different then?" Someone yelled.
"That is because her mother gave her a gift that manifested itself in more than one form on her body." Sesshoumaru answered before my father could speak.
I gaped at him, I had no idea he was going to defend me in front of the villagers…
"But her mother had blue hair not red!!" another called.
"All of you know good and well the Kaori was an orphan, why would she look like her mother if she wasn't her own child to begin with?" My father answered. "All of you know that all of our children were orphans first. Brielle could never have children of her own so she took in orphans. Kaori was our first and we loved her both very much. Brielle wanted Kaori to take care of the village if she no longer could so she blessed Kaori with her own powers, and on Kaori's eighteenth birthday Kaori gained her mother's gifts."
"But how did she get there in time?! She should have died! She's not fast enough to run there in a day!!" a woman yelled.
Sesshoumaru vanished before the villagers, but I could see him now with my new abilities. He didn't vanish but he simply ran faster than a human could see. He reappeared before the woman who had asked the question.
"That is how…" he answered.
The villagers gasped while some screamed.
"Sesshoumaru-dono please do not scare the villagers… you'll cause a riot…" I spoke gently.
"As you wish Kaori-san…" He answered as he walked back to me and the horde of children.
"Hey mister you call Kaori-dono, Kaori-dono!" huffed one the small ones.
I bit my lip, the four year old had no idea what he was doing and I hoped Sesshoumaru didn't take any offense to it…
To my surprise (and relief) he didn't instead he knelt in front of the small boy and patted his head.
"You're right." He said, "I should have called her Kaori-dono and not Kaori-san. You're a very brave little boy…"
"Akio!" the boy said as he tried to make himself look bigger.
Sesshoumaru laughed. "Akio-san, you keep protecting Kaori-dono from the bad people."
I smiled at Sesshoumaru, I knew he didn't like humans much and he definitely didn't like half demons… and for him to be so nice to Akio was just amazing to me.
"Oh Sesshoumaru-dono…" I murmured softly.
He looked at my then and smiled slightly. "I believe it's getting late and Kaori-dono needs her sleep… don't you think so?" he asked the swarm of children.
There were groans and protests from the children as they returned to their parents.
"So…" My father asked as Sesshoumaru helped me to my feet. "Do you believe she is my daughter like I do…? Or shall I be forced to send my child away from our village…?"
I didn't let myself hope that they would believe me… I just waited… expecting to be sent away forever.
"I believe she is Kaori-dono…" Someone answered.
I looked up to see who had said it, but I couldn't find the person.
Suddenly the whole crowd began to answer… saying they believed me.
I was overjoyed and if Sesshoumaru hadn't put a warning hand on my arm I would have kissed him in front of everyone and that would have been very, very bad…
"It's settled then… You can return to the palace with me and stay in your own room tonight." With that my father turned and headed back to our home with his guards following right behind him.
I smiled, I couldn't help it. "Let's go…" I said to Sesshoumaru.
"Can I come too…?" Rin asked.
I smiled down at her. "Of course you can… And Jaken-san can come too if he wishes."
Jaken grumbled something but followed us anyway.
I was happy. My village believed I was really me and I wouldn't have to leave here.
Having Sesshoumaru by my side made it all even better…