The city was growing more crowded. Local restaurants were closing later than normal to account for the traffic. The Corridor of Light attracted families and couples from the surrounding areas. Lanterns in the trees. Lights on the walls. The black castle was supposed to glow white in the darkness. The cherry blossom trees would be blooming and look romantic and make great atmosphere.
Tsukiizumi was the smallest and least impressive of the local shrines. The area was quiet and less traveled than the main roads. The sunset cast a warm glow on the aged wooden torii gate. It was not red like the Kasamori Inari Shrine. Inuyasha tucked his arms into his sleeves. Kagome was kneeling in front of the small, unpainted shrine. Whispers of prayers left her lips. The humble request to bless their life made his ears swivel. A sample of water from the little clear spring rested in the cup by her side.
"Kagome," he whispered.
Kneeling on the hard stone cast them in the shadow of the tree. In the Modern Era, it seemed out of place. The quiet was a pleasant break from the overcrowded castle and the shrines, each of which had a priest more disappointing than the last, a scholar with no spiritual powers or experience exorcising real spirits, but would happily sell them trinkets for protection. Kagome's respect for this shrine in particular kept him quiet. Her hands pressed together again for another prayer. The innocence and purity on display made him feel slightly guilty for lusting after her. Surely if a kami resided in the shrine it would know his thoughts?
The sound of the bubbling spring was the only sound. No birds had made their nest in the tree. Koi carp sometimes splashed water onto the path but the shrine was well preserved. The informational board beside the water listed details about the stone carved with a man and woman, a protective spirit preserving the town. With Kagome's eyes closed in prayer, he rested his fists on his knees. It had seemed dangerous to say much inside the Higurashi Shrine while Kagome's ancestors judged him. The Moon Fountain was smaller and less critical to his fortunes.
The gray sweater looked very cute. The thick cuffs around the sleeves were slightly too big and dwarfed her small hands. The way she had tucked her tangled hair up revealed her human ears and smooth neck. Several hours of strolling around the city had raised a thin layer of sweat on her skin, imperceptible to human senses. Dark lashes swept her cheeks. The thin line under her gray shoulder indicated the strap of her feminine wear.
A weird urge overtook him. Big blue eyes blinked at him from underneath the bill of the giant cap laying on her head. The panels that struggled to cover his ears drooped over her skull.
Fuck, that's adorable!
"Inuyasha?"
"T-the sun! You could get sunburned."
"Oh. We have been out here a while." There was doubt but she pulled out her little calling device to check the time. The festival at the castle meant more humans in the area but it gave them another opportunity to search the grounds. The sweet girl beside him stuck her tongue out at him before she messaged something to her friends. The attempt to explain how she sent pictures and letters through the air had gone over his head. There was a giggle about a comment from Yuka, the loud one. Beeps and clicks came from the little magic box. The little cap fell farther on her head.
"I'm thirsty! Can we stop to get a drink?"
Twenty minutes later Kagome had a large sugary drink in her hand. She skipped beside him while they turned in the direction of the castle. The cap had been returned to his head to 'protect' him. Other humans were in the streets. Families and couples and vendors bumped into them while they found a place in the queue. Kagome squealed and abandoned him to hold their place in line. She returned holding a pink cloud.
"What the hell is that?"
"Open!" Kagome's fingers brushed against his lip. The pink cloud felt like a spider's web but it was sugary and warm. He shared a sip from her cup. The 'cotton candy' made her bounce from foot-to-foot. It was a nice distraction from the line of humans and their smells. Eventually they were able to reach the gate guardian who took their paper money for stamps. Lanterns and string lights filled the shrubbery. The cherry blossom trees were lit internally with soft, pale lights. The humans, Kagome especially, seemed enthralled with the ability to see at night. The twilight sky and the sudden lack of sun didn't bother him. The way Kagome looked at him made his heart skip a beat. The gentle glow of the lanterns against her skin was unforgettable.
The humans had changed their clothing. Rather than the common street wear, yukata in pale colors and traditional hakama seemed to be the attire of choice. Blankets covered the grass to sit on. A princess and her escorts seemed to be making her way across the grass. The humans would stop to bow as the Moon Princess handed out gifts to the children. The guards were doing a poor job protecting her from strangers touching her clothing.
"The castle looks beautiful!"
Lights had been directed to illuminate the castle. The black exterior nearly gleamed white. His wife dropped her food remains in a nearby can. She raced him down the path to hear the beat of drums. The crowd of humans made it hard to search for other scents. An idiot stepped on Kagome's foot but he slipped into the crowd. She giggled at his ranting about the idiot. The gentle curve of her hip as he guided her through the humans was nice. The bump of other humans against his body made his lip curl. He easily swung Kagome into his arms and jumped out of the area.
No perverts are going to 'bump' my wife!
The little bridge by the moat reflected the cherry blossoms. Several had drifted free. The partial moon gave his human enough light to find her way onto the paved path. The castle looming overhead twinkled! He scowled at the structure.
Kagome twirled under the cherry blossom trees. Her body created shadows on the path. The tension in his shoulders lessened. Kagome lifted her arms over her head to pick blossoms. The little exposure of naked skin reflected the lantern light. Pride swelled in his chest. The memory of kissing her warm, soft belly was his.
"Inuyasha. Pick me up!"
"Why?"
"Up!" The good-natured command came with a smile. Blood rushed to his face when he realized Kagome wanted to sit on his shoulders. Happy squeals came from the girl filling his cap with flowers. Since the other guests were busy with the bridge and the castle, they were alone. It almost leveled him to feel Kagome's warm thighs surround his head. The weight of her was nothing.
"The sign says - "
"I know what the sign says! We'll just pick a few." By the time Kagome had returned to the ground, the cap was full. A few? Ha! She studied the pink petal with a happy, distant expression he did not dare interrupt. The girl pivoted on her pretty legs. They passed signs with details about the gardens that were visible across the outer moat. She looked up at the waning crescent moon and cradled the hat to her chest.
"Kagome?"
"When I was little, my parents took me to the Meguro River to see the cherry blossoms. My dad put me on his shoulders so I could see everything. I had this great white jacket with a furry hood. My mom was pregnant with Souta so she got tired. She went to sit down but I wanted to see the trees! So Dad took me down by the river and we picked cherry blossoms and it was the best time. He told me that if I made a wish on a cherry blossom it would come true." There was a sadness in her voice. It was the first time she had said anything about her father, besides saying that he had died in an accident. Kagome offered him the hat. The petals were soft in his palm.
"Do I say the wish out loud?"
"No, then it won't come true!" Both hands clasped around her blossoms. Eyes shut.
A wish?
Kagome dipped her chin to rest on her clasped hands. When she had made her wish, she kneeled down on the grass. The pink blossoms floated towards the center of the water. The thin reflection of the moon glinted in their direction when the wind shifted. It seemed feminine but Kagome would not mock him for something her dad did. He shut his eyes. In the past, he had obsessed over the wish he would make with the Shikon Jewel. This wish was different. There was only one thing he wanted. If Kagome's father was one of the ancestors that had approved of their union, he was grateful, and the guy that had married Mama Higurashi definitely had sense. That woman could cook!
I wish for Kagome to be happy. I hope I have your blessing, old man.
Their blossoms collided on the water but did not sink. He would never admit it to Kagome but the floating flowers made him happy. The quiet was broken when brilliant lights broke in the sky to create colorful patterns. Fireworks, Kagome called them. A quick leap to one of the stone tower ruins gave them a better view.
"What were you going out in the woods with a bunch of bandits, anyway?! You could've gotten yourself killed!"
"I was trying to go home! It wasn't like you cared."
Matsumoto Castle was also called the Crow Castle. The mention of crows had led to a discussion about the carrion crow that had possessed the body of a human bandit, the crow that had eaten the Jewel and shattered when she shot it. It was surreal to remember what a jerk Inuyasha had been. Only caring about the Jewel!
"I cared!"
"You cared about the Jewel. That is why you were following me."
"W-well I didn't want you to get hurt! Those bandits could have hurt you, stupid. You have to be more careful. Wandering off alone is really dangerous." Inuyasha's angry concern made her feel better. The path around the castle was less crowded than it had been. After the fireworks, the families with young children had gone home. The castle grounds were still populated but the demographics had changed. "You attract everything dangerous. Do you remember what happened those first few days? Mistress Centipede. Bandits. Carrion Crows. Yuka of the Hair. Sesshomaru!"
"How was Sesshomaru my fault? He's your brother! Oh!" She was married to Inuyasha. Sesshomaru was technically her brother-in-law. Her feet stopped dead on the path. It was too weird to contemplate. Weird and wrong! How are you today, big brother? It's good to see you, big brother!
"What?"
Both arms wrapped around her waist. A burst of laughter filled the air.
"What the hell are you laughing at, wench?"
"Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha blinked at her jovial attitude towards their sometimes ally. "Souta calls you big brother."
"So? Oh, fuck. No! Kagome, no!" Dark eyebrows slanted. She giggled at his serious horror. "You are not calling him anything, do you hear me? Just stay out of his way. He does not tolerate humans 'disrespecting' him. Don't poke the bear!"
"You mean the dog?" He listens when I explain modern sayings!
"Yes, that's what I meant. No poking the dog!" Inuyasha mistook her joke for a correction. It made her laugh harder. "Let the bastard ignore you. He visits the kid and he leaves. That is it!"
"I cannot say hello? What will my big brother think?" She grinned at Inuyasha. His eyes narrowed suspiciously while he figured out that she was teasing him. "We have to have a house warming party. It would be rude not to invite him."
"House warming? Don't you trust the irori?"
"It's a gathering where friends and family visit to see the new house! The guests bring presents. The couple cooks dinner."
"MORE presents?"
"Inuyasha, you can never have too many presents!"
Fewer and fewer people were wandering the gardens. The doors to the castle entrance were closed to prevent unwanted festival-goers from entering the unlit castle. Staff were moving carts of equipment in preparation of closing the grounds. Inuyasha led her to the edge of the inner moat. The dark water slapped against the stones. The dark castle looming overhead was a stark contrast to the house Inuyasha had built. Light, unvarnished wood. A large open living space with a sliding door and its own interior lock. Beautiful sliding doors that led to their sleeping area. Cabinetry! Sango had practically swooned at the shelving. Grandpa was a fan of shows and magazines showing the restoration of kominka housing. It would not surprise her to learn that Grandpa had spoken to Inuyasha about their house, how it should look. Some of the features were absolutely Inuyasha. The closed ceiling would help with help with heating in the winter, which the men had warned him about, but the sliding doors that opened into the back garden? No one in the village had that feature! No one else had a support beam running across the ceiling with hooks for lanterns.
Kagome shook her head as a thought came forward, something unexpected.
The craftsmen Inuyasha hired from the village were regular farmers, peasants! The village was peaceful so most of the men had been spared from the surrounding wars. The land was disconnected from the main roads so visitors did not find it by accident. Their house had design features from much grander towns, villages and castles. How did Inuyasha know about the kamado? Kaede did not have one. She cooked over her irori like any other villager. Miroku, perhaps? The monk had an eye for expensive luxury goods but he had grown up in a fairly simple monastery. There was a definite feminine element to the number of shelves in their living space and bedroom.
Inuyasha! The house is Inuyasha!
The realization melted her brain. The size of the irori. The detail on the woodwork. None of the villagers would consider details like that for their own homes! Their homes were built for function rather than elegance. The window was clearly an attempt to mime her modern home with a protective amado. The gable on the roof with overhanging eaves and a genkan to fight the rain. A landscaped garden with flower plots. Inuyasha wanted to build a tsukeshoin in their living room. A desk! There was a single rectangular transom above the sliding doors to the bedroom to allow more natural lighting into the space. Lacquered red storage chests and a low table. She had even made a note to acquire sitting cushions from her mother!
"Inuyasha!"
"Is something wrong?"
"Did you live in a castle?"
"What is it with you humans? Your brother asked me the same question. No!"
"Was your mother a princess?" The house was lacking in artwork but she suspected Inuyasha had limited exposure. He rolled his eyes before walking along the water. She chased after him before he could dismiss the subject. "You lived with her when you were little, didn't you? Where – oh!"
"I went to my mother's castle."
Inuyasha had told her! His mother was a princess, a real princess! He knew more about castles than anyone else in the village. The mother spirit had transformed into the likeness of Izayoi. Only princesses wore so many layers of kimono.
"What does it matter?"
"You did live in a castle!"
"I barely remember, wench! it isn't like they wanted me." Her enthusiasm crashed when Inuyasha's shoulders tensed. He glared at the glassy stillness of the water.
"Oh, I didn't think - "
"Where is the reflection?" Inuyasha's eyebrows came together. The castle loomed over the inner moat with the crescent moon behind it. Inuyasha was right! There was no reflection on the water, not even the cherry blossom trees. People strolled by on the other side but the water remained a still layer of black. There was no mirroring of the stars or the moon. She tossed a small stone into the water but there was no ripple.
"Kaguya was consumed by Naraku, right?"
"Definitely." Kagome hugged herself for warmth. The awful memory of Naraku using Kohaku's body to consume Kaguya was vivid. How could it not? It was the first time she had kissed Inuyasha. Kaguya had almost taken him from her, from his friends! Shippo had barely looked at them for a week. None of the other attendees seemed to notice anything amiss with the moat. People posed to take pictures, to sit by the water.
Creepy.
Inuyasha easily carried her to a window high on the castle. She stayed pressed against his side while she rooted around in her purse. The small flashlight came to life with a few taps of her palm to highlight the interior. Her human eyes were almost blind. Dark and unlit, the walls looked taller than before. The earlier tour with children and parents ambling through the halls had seemed harmless. Weird floorboards creaked under their weight. The silence was deep. Inuyasha held her hand while they moved through the darkness. There was no noticeable demonic aura permeating the halls, only the smell of old damp wood and dust.
Someone had discarded their soda cup in the corner. The old furnishings on the wall absorbed the light rather than reflected. The glare of the flashlight bounced off the glass cases and the shiny display armor. While Inuyasha could step lightly, she nearly tripped on the traditional runner. A rat ran across the hall and she screamed.
"Kagome? Kagome!"
"Rat!" She buried her face in his arm. That long tail!
"It is an old castle, wench. There's bound to be scavengers."
"Too quiet. Can we talk about something? It is scary." The way her voice bounced off the stone carried far down the hallways. Light made Inuyasha's eyes shine in the dimness. The comforting shrug of his shoulders helped.
"Sure. You wanted to know about my mother's castle, right? It was not as big as this." Inuyasha squeezed her hand. She followed him up the next flight of stairs. "It belonged to some cousin of hers. They treated her with respect. They never denied her food or clothes because of me."
"I am glad." Inuyasha's mother! She must have truly looked scared if he was willing to discuss his mother. No topic made him more defensive. Demons mocked him because she was human. It had left him feeling ashamed of her, which made him feel guilt, which made him angry! The shame of being a half-demon almost made him wish on the Jewel. I'm sure his mother wouldn't have wanted him to change.
"The lord had money, I think. He would throw large dinners for his guests. Mother wasn't invited often. I think she must have been lonely but I didn't see it. It meant that we could eat together." The sad, quiet ache in her breast grew. Being punished for loving your own child! Quietly tolerated by your own family but never accepted.
"Do you have human family, somewhere?" The idea unwittingly popped from her mouth. Did Inuyasha have family somewhere? If her mother had parents and cousins and siblings, maybe their descendants were still alive!
"Keh. How would I know?"
"Well, what was your mother's family name?"
Kagome crashed into Inuyasha's arm when he stopped. In the room beyond, the flatware previously displayed on the wall was floating in the air. Swishes and dips made the porcelain flip through the room. Several pieces crashed into each other. Cutlery fell to embed itself into the floor. A teacup floated by Inuyasha's face. He caught it.
"Inuyasha!"
"It's just a cup!" His hand released the dainty piece. It immediately wandered back to its friends. They both stared in puzzlement.
"There has to be something here. A possessed scroll. Maybe the spirit is protecting treasure! Wouldn't that be cool?"
"A scary voice and flying teacups? It is not doing a very good job."
"Don't forget the Wind Scar! The castle repaired itself overnight. There is no reflection in the water!"
The flashlight blinked and fizzled. Dead. Kagome found the robe of the fire-rat and clutched hard. It was warm and rough against her skin; a physical reminder that her husband had not disappeared in the darkness. It was scary to stumble forward without light. Her worried cry was soothed when Inuyasha answered. The flashlight refused to revive with a little shake. The crash could only be the abandonment of the flying pottery.
"Inuyasha, what is happening?"
"The plates dropped. They broke." Hands on her shoulders steadied her. "Can you see me? You can't, can you?"
"It's dark."
A calloused, warm hand gripped her fingers lightly. She used her other hand to rest on Inuyasha's elbow. He led her to a bench.
"Are you going through my purse?" A white light nearly blinded her. She cheered when Inuyasha's body became apparent. The glare from her phone showed a half-demon kneeling on the floor by her knees.
"See? Not so scary."
"I guess the batteries died." It was still spooky inside the castle. Inuyasha set her purse on the bench to search around inside. Inuyasha never asks before going through my yellow backpack either. I'll have to teach him to respect a girl's purse. Later. He grinned enthusiastically when he found a loose match in a pocket. A thumb claw made a strike against the phosphorus. A decorative torch was yanked from the wall. Yellow light reflected from Inuyasha's eyes.
Sometimes I forget how cool Inuyasha can be!
"Want to keep hunting for cursed treasure?"
Prowling through the hall of a cursed castle in the dead of night?
Following their treasure theory, they descended down the stairs to the first floor. Poking around the closed off sections revealed a service closet, ancient dusty door locks, tapestries waiting to be repaired, a tool belt and a broken key. She did scream once when Inuyasha surprised her with a salamander. The jerk only grinned and released the amphibian loose on a nearby ledge. Guys!
"Eh, Kagome! Is this plumbing? Like in your house?" Ancient bamboo piping had been fitted into the kitchen. It didn't look original to the castle built in the Feudal Era but it was somewhat recent. Her husband's keen interest in the pressurization of the water and the materials elicited questions she didn't know how to answer. She wasn't a plumber! The basics of cutting the bamboo to irrigate fields and bring water she described.
"That doesn't sound so hard!" He made a fist and crouched down.
Is he trying to adapt plumbing to suit our house? Oh, Inuyasha! She clasped her hands together when she imagined having a proper bath in the Feudal Era. A heated onsen in the sculpted garden behind their house. A romantic evening with candles and champagne!
"Must be the dust," Inuyasha mused. "Quit dancing around like that, wench!"
There was an old door closed by a detached semi-modern pipe stove. Kagome held up the light while Inuyasha pulled the cast iron aside. Dust flew loose. The wood splintered. A stone staircase led downwards. Scents of disturbed dust rolled into the kitchen. No guard rails or slick prevention steps, no artsy signs to 'Keep Out'. Inuyasha went first down the stairs. Dead insects littered the floor. Cob webs made Kagome shiver until Inuyasha grabbed an old broom to clear the way. The tunnel went straight for an undetermined distance. It was narrow and cramped. An escape tunnel, perhaps? A secret way to bring messages to the city? It was less exciting than she had hoped.
Inuyasha is desperate for a good battle. This is just...filthy.
