The song in this chapter is originally by Sinead O'Connor, and re-done by Lorena McKennit.
Chapter 4: The Start Of a Ballad
He awoke to a burning pain on his side and across his shoulder. It felt like his skin was on fire. As the Praefectus tried to get his eyes to focus a soft murmuring caught his attention. It sounded like his mother when she had sung him to sleep. He gave a groan and attempted to roll over to see the face.
"I'd suggest you not move or else I'll have to knock you out and put you back together again."
Well that may have held the accent of his mother, but it certainly didn't hold her actual voice. Great, he thought to himself, the natives have kidnapped me. Again the singing started and the voice washed over him.
"My young love said to me my mother won't mind,
And my father won't slight you for your lack of kine,"
What was she singing? It sounded like a love song. It had been a long time since he had heard such soft words in a song. In the courts and homes of his fellow Romans, only songs of victorious battle were heard. Well there were the ballads of the gods and the mortals they lusted after. However this was different.
"And she stepp'd away from me and this she did say,
'It will not be long love till our wedding day.'"
The singing stopped and a rustle of skirts shifted over the floor. Whoever had been singing was now leaving. He didn't want her to go. Pathetically he reached out and hissed at the pain it cause his shoulder. "S-stop…"
But the rustling didn't stop. It continued on and the sound of feet on stone softly drifted away. Soon after his consciousness followed.
Kagome
As Kagome floated up the stairs from her room she muttered curses to the thing sleeping in her bed. For almost a week she had been forced to sleep in a place other then her bed because of his presence. Unfortunately for her, as Kaede has so boldly put, he was staying with them until fully healed. Kagome remembered the giant gash across his side that she had had to burn back together. "So he's stuck with us for the rest of the season."
"That would be right Kagome. Now stop your grumbling and come this onion. We'll need it for a soup tonight."
"My joy at your brilliant idea fills me Kaede."
She could feel Kaede's eyes on her as she picked up the knife on the tabled and chopped the onions to perfection. Many people would have though this because she was upset with the young woman standing at her table. However Kagome knew it was only because she was watching each stroke of the knife, making sure Kagome was precise and accurate in her cuts. This habit had formed on Mona when Kaede had been the chief Herbalist, and was in charge of teaching younger women about the lore.
"Perhaps this will help you learn more about the Romans? It could be a valuable experience."
So that was why the bloody man was here! Kaede wanted her to learn more about the people she hated. She had brought him here Well this just wouldn't do. She would be sure to prove Kaede wrong; she would prove that Romans were all scum. "If you think I will give into this so easily Kaede you are mistaken. I will heal him and nothing more. After he can walk on his own I will have nothing to do with him."
"Kagome, you will be his accompaniment. That shoulder will take the rest of the season to heal properly so he will be here for quite some time. I am old, I cannot take care as I used to."
Clenching the knife in her hands Kagome whirled around and flung the thing past Kaede. It struck the wooden staff and stuck into the wood. For a moment her eyes flared, her hair and dress lifted and she radiated raw power.
Kaede
Kaede took a step back as the black flames lashed and spiralled around her granddaughter. This hadn't been in the plan. She had known for some time that Kagome's power was getting steadily stronger and without the proper training would soon grow out of control. But not now, the girl was only in her fifteenth summer! Her own blessed mother hadn't started to show signs of the war craft until she was ten and eight.
"Kagome you must calm down! If you do not you may destroy the hut!"
Kaede watched as Kagome crumpled to the rough dirt floor. Ignoring the pain in her bones and joints, the old priestess rushed forward. She pulled Kagome's body to her and softly cried against the child's raven hair. It was a curse that had been passed to her, and now Kaede would have to watch the curse as it grew and consumed the body as a shell. For the rest of the night neither a word nor smile passed between them. Kagome got a third soup bowl ready and disappeared beneath the house to her room.
Inu-Yasha
He had regained consciousness again. This time however there was no singing to pleasantly help him shift to the land of the living. The shuffle of skirts across a floor hit his ears and he cracked an eye open to see the skirt wearer. Last time his eyes hadn't been focused enough to put detail to her. This time though he could see her clearly. And the hatred of him that shone in her eyes.
"So you've finally woken up. For good this time perhaps? It would be good to sleep in my own bed again before the fall."
Her disgust trickled out of her mouth and wrapped around him. He could feel it clog his very head and almost felt guilty. But for what? He had done nothing against this girl! He watched as she shuffled over to a table and returned with what looked like a bowl. In the darkness of the chamber he could barely see her. Of what he could see, he wasn't sure he liked. She was tall, too tall. In fact she was only about 5 inches shorter then himself. And because of his British heritage, he was abnormally tall for Roman. Also she was tanned. That in itself said she worked in the sun. How unpleasing it was when a woman worked. A good woman stayed in doors and sewed or some other such homely duties. Never would a Roman woman of good breeding dare to step out in the sun without some sort of covering. But then again, this wasn't Rome. After quickly scanning the room, Inu-Yasha also admitted that she wasn't of any proper status.
"Can you lift your arm or move at all?"
His gaze snapped back from the many dark objects hidden along the shadows of the wall. It landed on what he could see of her face. A cloth was draped over the bridge of her nose and over her forehead so that I covered her hair. The girl's eyes however were a deep orchid that left him slightly puzzled. The colour didn't seem right for her face.
"From your silence I'll take it that you can't."
Carefully she placed the bowl gently on her lap and held out a spoon of broth. Giving her a glare, he opened his mouth and accepted the food. He tasted it the moment before he swallowed and his eyes opened wide in realization. That broth was damn amazing! Still he would not give this chit the idea that he was enjoying her presence in anyway what so ever. The spoon appeared in front of him again, his mouth opened to accept it.
"I'm going to answer anything necessary right now. So don't interrupt me, or ask me anything else."
Kagome
Kagome could see his anger. Her mouth twitched up into a smile underneath the veil she used to cover her features. She knew that wearing it was stupid but Kaede had insisted. It was something about in case he remembered her and somehow her features were leaked to the public or some such nonsense. "You are in the middle of a forest, in my hut; in fact you are even in my bed. Another officer with black hair brought you here when you were badly wounded by the Ravens. If the wound continues to heal properly and you do not exert yourself, you may be able to leave by the end of the summer."
Why was he staring at her in such shock? Was the idea of getting well that horrifying if he needed to stay here? Well if he did have qualms about it she could always agree to poison him. It would give her bed back three weeks earlier then planned. Then the floorboards of the ceiling creak and she knew Kaede would never allow it. "Blasted Romans. Always getting your noses in where it shouldn't be."
"I think you'd best keep your self in your place girl. Lest I cut out your tongue for such talk."
The man in her bed glared and Kagome couldn't help but laugh at him. He seemed so childish, and oblivious that if she wanted to she could have killed him; multiple times. However who was she to tell him that? Oh no… she'd let him think she was still deciding on what to do with him. That would be her fun. She laughed evilly in her head as her eyes narrowed to watch him closely. "Well Praefectus Inu-Yasha, I think you are the one who should be keeping yourself in their place. This is my home and I think you should remember at whose will it is that you still live. In fact you should almost be grateful to me Roman, after all, it was your body that I found laying in a bloody puddle in the forest abandoned."
The shock in his eyes was priceless. But the sadness that soon covered it was enough to almost make her cry. Obviously this man had experienced abandonment in his life. Perhaps she had gone too far? No this Roman needed to know that he was no longer among friends, and should there fore hold his tongue.
"Please leave me alone now."
Well… what would be a proper return for this? No would work well. "I don't think so. At the moment my job is to make sure that you finish this soup. Then it will be to properly help you recover. Meaning, do not piss me off."
Inu-Yasha
Did she just cuss at him? Now he was sure that he wasn't in the place of a proper lady. Although the veil fabric flowed down over her shoulders, he could see that her arms were bare. She was well muscled. Why couldn't he have gotten a captor that would at least be somewhat nice to look at? The Gods were being cruel to him now. Not only was he alone, with an undesirable captor, but also he was uncertain of what happened to Miroku. Inu-Yasha knew that his cousin wouldn't just leave him out in the forest to die. Of that he was certain. The spoon once again appeared before him.
Kaede
Quietly Kaede had come down Kagome's stairs and no she listened and watched from the shadows. Kagome's lie had upset her but it was done now. The poor man must have thought his friends had abandoned him. Witch was only partially true. The one called Miroku had left him in their care and had gone to resume control over the troops until they were either dispatched or Inu-Yasha was feeling better. He had stopped by a few days ago in hopes of seeing his friend 'awake and arguing' as he had said. But the man had still been unconscious.
Kagome had healed him with her own energy because of the extreme amounts of lost blood. Normally Kaede would have done the healing but this was beyond her power. Kagome had begrudgingly accepted the fact that if she did not help the Roman, Kaede would have sold Etain to the next traveller. Her scowl was enough to put wood into flames, but she had agreed, and now here they were.
Kagome laughed at something the man had said. Kaede listened to Kagome's chuckle, how sweet her laughter was. Perhaps this had been the right decision? The fierce scream that followed and a demanding yell signalled otherwise. Kaede turned and moved her old body up the stairs. She didn't want to know what they were talking about or what her granddaughter had done to make him yell at her. All she knew was that the man, who was looking into her window, strangely reminded her of Camden. Although much older, and a little more insane looking. He smiled at her and put a finger to his lips in a signal to be silent. The black robes that flowed around him were the only things that made her recognize what this man was. Her eyes went wide and she bit her lip.
"It is good to see you survived Lady Kaede. Don't worry, I won't tell of your hiding spot. I will be back to meet young Kagome though. Not yet, but soon." And with that he disappeared. Not a trace was left of him. Almost as if the wind had borne him away.
Falling into her chair, Kaede put her head in her hands. What would she do now? How long did Kagome have? "My poor little storm cloud."
A hand reached out from the shadows and a voice followed it that Kaede had only heard once before. It was the voice of Her, the queen of the faerie. "Everything happens for a reason Kaede."
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I was extremely disappointed with this chapter, so if you don't like it I will not mind.