KAWAAKARI

"The river that glows amidst the darkness"

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Part I

Chapter IX

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The murmur of the water as it filled the metal tub, was a stark contrast to the silence the house was immersed in. Myoga had prepared everything as soon as his lord crossed the main gate, gathering towels and asking a couple of servants to bring the heated water that would be needed for the bath.

"Are you ready?" InuYasha inquired, as he took his shirt off, leaving it on the pool of clothes he had thrown to the floor.

"Yes, my lord," Myoga replied, his gaze lingering on, what hours before, had been an elegant attire, delicately crafted. He clicked his tongue as a soft complain as he picked the white cotton-made clothes, and observed the blue jacket with gold embroidery. Both were now unusable due to the stains of blood, spreading over them as if product of an explosion of red color.

"They are just clothes, Myoga," InuYasha voiced, as he threw his pants on the floor as well, "burn everything."

Myoga let out a sigh.

"At this rate, my lord, we'll have to arrange your clothes to arrive in those huge boxes that arrive through ships." The complaint was polite enough for InuYasha to take it well. Or maybe, it was just due to that slightly good mood he was in. "I hope the hunt was worth this squandering, at least."

InuYasha shrugged at his words, and introduced one foot in the tub. The water had filled the room with steam, and was a bit too hot to his taste.

"The prey was acceptable, although not what I would have liked to rake," he replied, then bade him to open the window.

Myoga nodded before the order, and as soon as he slid one of the window doors open, the steam began to escape through it.

"Has my lord been informed of the Agatsu, in some manner?" Myoga inquired, once he moved the towel rack of forged iron, closer, so that his lord could have what he needed within reach.

InuYasha looked up to the ceiling, his arms resting on the sides of the tub. He took a deep breath, then sighed. The old man remained silent.

"I have. And like always, I know more things than I'd like to," he conceded. To say that didn't mean he was about to give Myoga details of what he spoke with Sesshomaru. However, the elderly man knew enough of the clan Taisho to make a fair guess about, at least, part of that conversation. "By the way, I saw Totosai."

Myoga made a speculative sound, then added a verbal opinion.

"That ungrateful old man," he huffed.

InuYasha's lips curled into a smile, with a hint of sarcasm.

"You judge him too hastily," he retorted next.

"I do not comprehend why he stays with that branch of the family," Myoga expressed.

InuYasha pondered it for an instant.

"I don't understand it either. Even so, I believe he is waiting for something," he voiced, a moment before submerging his head in the water.

"That is likely; he is an old man, but a cunning one," Myoga admitted to himself.

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The whistling of the arrow as it cut through the air, had a soothing effect on Kagome, and the same could be said of the one produced as it impacted on the makiwara, a traditional target made of rice straw. To practice kyudo was one of the moments Kagome waited for eagerly, and during one she felt completely focused. Her grandfather had taught her that the bow was once a weapon meant for defense, yet even after it became obsolete on the battlefield, there were those who kept teaching its use. In that way, her grandfather had learnt kyudo from his father, who had learnt from his father, and so on. Kagome's father, however, died before she was old enough to learn, so her grandfather had given her the first lessons, which were later resumed by her current teacher, when she was nine years old.

"A bit higher, girl," Kaede-sama pointed out. Kagome felt the pressure of her fingers, soft yet firm, on her elbow, so that she would lift the bow a bit more. That gesture made her stretch her arms almost to their limit, before lowering them with an elegant cadence, nocking the arrow until it was at her eye level. She avoided, at every passing moment, to look at Kaede-sama's only eye; the other one was hidden behind an eyepatch of dark cloth. "Aim." The teacher waited, so close to Kagome, she could hear her held breath, same as her own, for a moment. "Now," the woman whispered.

Kagome let go of the place where the string met the arrow, which in turn accomplished its function of propelling the projectile. The air was broken by the brief whistling sound, which stopped a few meters ahead, a palm away from the center.

"Good," Kaede-sama accepted, with the usual calm demeanor she would show around her, regardless of the quality of the shot, "now, do it while holding a second arrow."

The request wasn't unknow to Kagome, and in fact, it was during it when she failed the most. Her mind could not find the sense of holding a second arrow as she shot the first, if what she was learning was not meant for, in any case, self-defense. That was the premise through which, socially, it was alright for her to practice kyudo. She knew that, if with one arrow she had not been able to hit the makiwara, with two she would be lucky to land a shot near it. Even so, she picked up two arrows, without showing the slightest reticence.

On her skin, she felt her teacher's gaze, that implacable, careful stare of the one eye through which Kaede-sama could see. She didn't know the cause of her partial blindness, although she had heard many rumors surrounding it; from an infection she suffered when she was a child, through a robbery attempt in which she was injured, to a missed shot from one of her disciples. Kagome preferred to think that, maybe, someday, her own teacher would tell her about it, during their reflections at the end of class.

"Go ahead," Kaede invited her to stand in her respective place. Kagome nodded, giving her a delicate bow that was a stark contrast to the strength her vestments and weapon in hand showed.

Kagome planted her feet, then rested both arrows so that they were parallel to the center of the bow, as to measure the place from which she had to hold it. Once she fit the nock of the arrow on the string, she took the second projectile by its shaft, more to its point, with her right little finger, to keep it as a reserve. This was the part where she struggled; her concentration had to split between the shot, and the hold on the second arrow. Kagome took a deep breath, hoping that her teacher would not pay too much attention to that gesture, and held the nocked arrow with two fingers of her gloved-hand. The next steps were the same as the ones from a normal shot. She lifted the bow until both arms were practically fully stretched upwards, to then descend, her gaze on the target, the string tensed.

Kagome waited for an instant to Kaede-sama's order, noting the extra tension she was putting on the little finger holding the second arrow, her concentration lesser because of it. She inhaled through her nose, filling herself with an air she let go of slowly, in search of that much needed calm. The hand holding the nock of the arrow began to tremble, almost imperceptibly so, as time began to turn into an eternity, that was probably composed of only a few seconds.

"Now," her teacher gave the order.

The arrow was freed, whistling through the air like the ones before, but with less harmony. That was enough for Kagome to know she would miss the shot, something that became a fact when the wall behind the target was impacted by the arrow.

"With this, we are finished." Kaede-sama made a soft gesture with her head, filling Kagome with mixed feelings. She wanted to try again, and land that shot once and for all.

"I'll do it again," she showed determination, so her teacher could see her spirit.

Kaede-sama looked at her, a soft smile adorning her features, and tracing a thin line across them. Kagome noted how young her teacher looked when she smiled. It wasn't polite to inquire about her age, yet she had an inkling she should be a decade older than her, at least.

"You will, but not today," Kaede-sama remarked, gesturing, delicately, to the place on the floor where they would meditate, at the end of class.

Kagome almost furrowed her brow in response, but stopped herself when her own inner voice reminded her of the values kyudo is meant to cultivate; calm and discipline.

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The Taijiya residence was a calm place, a traditional house that, thanks to its gardens and their structures, inspired peace and introspection. That was something Sango's mother had achieved, and one of her most treasured memories. Her father conserved its aspect thanks to gardeners that had worked for them while his wife lived, something that, along with many other aspects, made Sango wonder if her father had loved her mother, in the same way she imagined love to be. The question had gained weight after the surprising engagement she had seen herself pushed to, a situation she had yet to find the necessary strength to face.

"Sango-sama," one of her servants called her. She looked at him, as his gaze dropped to his shoes, and his hands squeezed a cloth made of cotton that had been once white, but that now had a yellow tint due to the wax on the floors. "We've finished the third layer today."

"I'm grateful, Kairi-san," Sango replied, accompanying her words with a soft bow, meant to further remark her sincere thanks, "Now, I ask that you rest."

The man accepted, bowing to her repeatedly as a way of showing how grateful he was for being able to rest. The finished task had required much work; some servants had restored the wooden floor in parts that had been greatly damaged, using many layers of bee wax that they applied vigorously. All of this was happening during the days right after the occidental-styled gathering that had been held at the residence, and Sango could only feel grateful for the effort put into returning the halls to their lustrous elegance after they had been opened for guests. Internally, however, she regretted the way everything had happened, for her father had given an order that was hard to avoid, requesting the servants to return the residence its shine in three days, without delay.

"Sango-sama," Kasumi's voice brought her out of that moment of ill-being and unrest. She turned around to face the middle-aged woman who, since Sango was a child, had been at her mother's service. "Kagome-sama is here," she announced, "should I escort her to the tearoom?"

"Please do, Kasumi. Thank you," she accepted.

The woman bowed in deference, and Sango gave one last look to the garden, where some men were still working, before starting towards the tearoom, sighing on the way before setting her mind to meet her friend.

Her steps were steady as she crossed the exterior hallways, catching sight of her brother Kohaku as he played with Kirara, a cat that had been living with them for a few years now. She reveled in the joy emanating from the boy, and hoped that it would remain with him for a long time.

As soon as Kagome and Sango were together in the tearoom, Kasumi placed a pot, the cups and some ground tea on the table, so the ritual could start, and she was about to prepare for the next task before Sango stopped her.

"Thank you, Kasumi. There is no need, I'll do it myself," she clarified.

The woman met her gaze for an instant, then nodded with a smile. Sango knew Kasumi would understand her wishes to be alone with her friend.

Kagome observed the exchange, and the way Sango placed every single element in its place to prepare the tea. She thought it would be best to wait for her friend to start the conversation, yet she seemed to be submerged in silence, so Kagome decided to do something about it instead.

"In front of this stormy world, let us keep a steadfast heart, like the pine rooted to the rock."

"What?" Sango's gaze lifted from her task, and voiced the question.

"It's a new gyosei our emperor has delivered." Kagome found surprising that her friend didn't know about it, for she had always been the first one to take the wisdom in those poems, and meditate.

"Oh, first time I hear it, is it recent?" She wondered, her gaze on the tea again.

"I think it doesn't matter that much, the emperor forgive me for that. What matters to me is to know how you are faring." She could not hide her worry any longer. Sango was pale, and her hair lacked its usual luster.

And there, she saw her friend trying to hide every gesture of pain her every face muscle wanted to show.

"Don't hold back," Kagome asked, her voice as soft as she could manage as one of her hands reached and rested on her friend's.

Sango held her breath, then sighed, her shoulders dropping in a movement that revealed the imposture she so dearly was seeking to have. The tea ceremony was left forgotten.

"There is something wrong, Kagome," she started to say, "No, actually, I believe everything is wrong." Sango's gaze fell on the hand Kagome rested on her own. "I don't want to be one of those daughters who see an enemy in the new interest of my father, but he is just not the same since that woman appeared."

Kagome believed to know who she was talking about, but even so, she asked, "do you mean, Kyōfū Kagura?"

Sango nodded, insistently, as if wanting to leave it quite clear it was about her.

"My father has always been a passionate person about his work, and I could even say it's the only passion I know he has. That, and his kenjutsu practice. But now, that woman occupies most of his free time, and tells him what he should and what he should not do in this house, as if it were hers." Kagome felt surprised, as much as for the information, as for the vehemency with which her friend spoke. She held back her opinion, however; she would do so until she was sure her friend was free from the burden she was carrying. "And then, there is that girl, who just stays seated by the garden, staring at nothing."

"Kanna?" Kagome recalled the name someone had mentioned during the gathering, right there, at the Taijiya residence.

"Yes, her. Although she left as soon as my father had to go urgently to the guard post," Sango explained, now calmer.

"I see," Kagome didn't know what to say. The circumstances were complex for her friend, although not all that unusual.

Sango remained silent for a few more moments, and finally sighed in that way only those who are aware of their situation do. Then, she met Kagome's gaze, who understood she still had something to say.

"By the way," she started, "be careful on your way home; stick to populated roads."

"Something happened?" The question was consequential.

"They've found a new body, this time kneeling inside an alleyway between two residences. It was partially dismembered, and it seemed to have been there several days already. It wasn't until someone noticed the putrid smell that the owners found it." Kagome received more details than she needed. It was cold now, she felt, but not on her skin; but rather, the kind of cold that freezes the muscle from within.

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To be continued.

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A/N

This chapter introduces a few more elements, which I hope I can use to give shape to the idea in my head, and my notes.

Thank you for reading, and leaving a comment.

Kisses,

Anyara.

This text is possible thanks to the translation of: Dezart