KAWAAKARI

"The river that glows amidst the darkness"

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Part I

Chapter X

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It was already afternoon, and there were still a few hours before sunset. The cold was gentle in comparison with the harshest part of winter, something Kagome could notice through the komon she was wearing as her steps led her to the Koishikawa garden. The place was known for its delicate harmony and beauty, and it was also where she expected to find Mr. Taisho.

That morning, long she had pondered whether to wear a kimono, with elaborated and elegant decorations, or to dress casually; it was not just any decision either, for it was the kind that define the path to follow. There, hanging in the room, she observed a kimono with a decay of ocher on the top, to a pale pink, that only intensified, much like the deep pink of a flower's core. The golden cherry blossoms decorating it, were cascading as petals, until reaching the fully bloomed flowers at the bottom. The kimono was a beautiful piece, her mother had given her as a gift during her last birthday, and since then she hadn't had the chance of wearing it. Even so, such a garment may expose a greater interest than what she would otherwise wish to show InuYasha, she considered, and her family would surely notice and suspect something as well. Her fingers tenderly caressed the fabric, then leaned towards the correct choice; a komon.

Her next cavillation came in the shape of what color she should choose; colors could send a message, and the traditional vestments tied to the aspects of her culture, more so. Finally, she picked a green tone, akin to the fresh tree leaves, slightly diminished due to its natural coloration. Its decoration was composed by stems and flowers embroidered in white, creating a perfect combination that inspired joviality and purity. Kagome thought that, given her age, it was comprehensible for her to wear something like that. Even so, she noted a certain rebellious spur before the notion of showing InuYasha what was expected of her, and so she chose to add an obi with a tone akin to sand, together with some orange details. She knew it was still soon for these kinds of colors, given that the season asked for sobriety, and they were much less the color a young woman like her could, or should, allow herself due to the emotions they may instill in a man who was not her future husband. Even so, she had the secret desire of arousing in InuYasha a deeper interest than what he may feel for someone else, a sensation that felt odd before her; it was the first time she actually wanted someone's attention, and Mr. Taisho didn't seem like the kind of person to be bound by the conventional. A characteristic, Kagome knew, which was precisely what was drawing her own attention to him, aside from the energy she could perceive when he was close. Before that thought, she recalled the conversation they had held, back at the Taijiya residence, a few nights ago, and how the butterflies had spread around her stomach when near him.

And to even think about a possible meeting now, was emptying it, an anxiety filling her from the very first moment he mentioned that he usually took strolls through the Koishikawa garden, once every seven days. And said anxiety had only intensified during the time it took her to prepare herself to go out, to then calm down as she spend time with Sango, trying to help her friend free her own anxiety she did not want to let out.

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"My lord, your garments are ready, if you would like to use them this afternoon," Myoga mentioned, as he held the red kosode and hakama in his hands.

Those vestments, woven with hair from a fire rat, was the only thing InuYasha considered really his, aside from the Tessaiga that now lay by the bed. Those objects were intimately bound to old memories of his mother, and to the freedom that he, at some point, found in the forests, aside from the wish of learning who his father really was; that feared Daiyoukai who had laid in his path those belongings. Maybe, that was why he wouldn't allow himself to wear them beyond those moments of reunion with the forest, and himself. They were part of something he did not show anyone else.

"Don't. I'll wear western clothes today," he clarified.

The man nodded, then started towards the closet to bring out what was needed.

This afternoon was the one Kagome had mentioned likely for them to meet. They hadn't really promised to see each other, but even so, he would assist against his own reason. The last days had felt uncomfortable, annoyingly so, and in a way he couldn't quite define, an uneasiness whose source, even if he was not ignorant to the feeling itself, he could not fathom; he wanted to now more about that strange woman who could feel his presence, and whose will was so hard to bend. Such a perturbance, he noted with the pass of days, would recede when he lurked near her, and although his predator instincts would flare up, urging him to pursue, capture and end his prey, so would a certain curiosity he couldn't quite elucidate.

Miss Higurashi was becoming an enigma to him, and the sooner he dominated her, the sooner he would realize just how ordinary she was, putting an end to his restlessness.

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On her way to the Koishikawa garden, Kagome caught glimpse of one of the men working for Hojō. She rummaged through her memory, in search of the name of that young man who, if she recalled correctly, had not been in the family's service for long. Once they were but a short distance away from each other, the young man made some quick gestures in her direction, ones that were trying to replace a longer, more proper bow; it seemed he was in a hurry, she comprehended, something she only ascertained when she read the consternation in the invisible energy coming out of him. Sango's warning, given a moment before, came to her mind then, instantly.

"Good afternoon," she greeted him, "Something the matter?" Was her direct question, in pro of the haste the man seemed to move with.

"Good afternoon, Kagome-sama. Forgive my rush, but my young lord Seijitsu is at the Order's guardians' office, and he urgently asked me to go there," he replied.

"Did something happen to him?" Kagome's concern was as genuine as the friendship between Hojō and her.

"Not to my lord, no," the man's brow furrowed, as his gaze dropped, seemingly pondering just how much he could say.

"Do not worry; I will speak to your lord and inquire about the details myself." Kagome felt regret from not remembering that young man's name, and reprimanded herself for not being more observant about those kinds of details.

The man nodded, and after a couple of bows, he went on his way. However, after taking two steps away, he turned to Kagome once again.

"Be careful, my lady; I would advice you not to go out alone. People are disappearing," he warned before leaving again.

Those last words left Kagome with a heavy silence, as her gaze followed the young man's receding figure.

"Good afternoon."

The words, suddenly spoken behind her, startled her into turning around; so focused she had been in the brief encounter she just had, InuYasha Taisho's presence had gone completely unnoticed.

"You have surprised me," she admitted, noting her heart racing beneath the fist she had brought, instinctively, to her chest.

"That is possible?" His voice had a mix of mockery, and actual amazement.

"It is evident now, as you can see; more so, given the worrying comment I've received," Kagome admitted, recovering her composure.

"What could be so worrying? If it's alright to ask." InuYasha Taisho seemed interested.

Such an ease, Kagome noted, with which they were now holding a conversation. Lowering her gaze, she found herself observing the embroidery of that man's jacket once again; this time, it was an ordinary filigree, twisting vines of a garnet color that came to represent its leaves, something she had already seen in other male garments. The color was a beautiful contrast against the dark gray he was wearing.

"If I am to be honest, I do not know; and I suppose that's the most worrying part," Kagome explained, elaborating less than she would have liked.

"Did something happen to an acquaintance, perhaps?" The question had a logic behind it.

Kagome looked back for an instant, seeking the now-lost figure of that boy working in Hojō 's house.

"No; not directly, at least. I think." Was all she felt like answering. She lacked information, and drawing conjectures was not her wish.

"Maybe, you would prefer to see your acquaintance. We can postpone our stroll, if that's your wish," InuYasha offered.

Kagome felt her whole body stiffening in a raw, blatant no, a reaction that made her feel slightly childish. Even so, she took a moment to consider her options, and what path may be the correct one, her gaze dropping in thought.

"I'm grateful," she began to reply, "but I don't believe it will be necessary."

InuYasha nodded in acceptance. He had hoped that the woman would refuse the impulsive offer he had made. As soon as it had left his mouth, he thought it absurd given what he wanted to achieve; however, it was also adequate.

"Let us take a walk, then," he invited her, indicating the path to follow with a gesture. There, he saw Kagome lowering her head lightly in agreement, before taking a step ahead of him.

Oddly pleasant, he found her aroma as his mind became aware of it. He wasn't sure what it smelled like, probably one of those perfumes human females used, and whose majority he found uncomfortable and artificial. However, in her, it was a delicate scent that seemed to come directly from her skin, and one he couldn't quite define.

"I see you are dressing traditionally today." It wasn't the first time he saw her with clothes that weren't in the western style, but it was the first time she knew about it.

"I found it proper." Her answer was polite, although far more distant than he would wish.

"It probably is," he accepted, as his gaze settled on the entrance to the garden they would walk through together, "yet, do you believe it proper to come without an escort?"

InuYasha made the question with the same fireproof intensity of one who throws themselves in search of a blaze that may burn them alive, without ever being able to truly burn. He noted the way how that woman, Kagome, became tense under her clothes. He could practically hear the way her hair stood on end against the fabric.

"Do you believe I may need it?" InuYasha felt then, his own skin reacting before the swiftness with which she voiced the question.

He looked at her through the corners of his eyes, and caught sight of her blushing cheeks; yet that had not stopped her, something that only excited him more.

"Let us say that, for now, you are safe," he assured, as he returned his gaze forward.

Kagome's lips curled into a soft smile, with a small hum that InuYasha managed to hear.

The Koishikawa garden was designed with harmony in mind, whose roads were able to create gorgeous and peaceful corners that invited to contemplation. Kagome and InuYasha wandered through such paths under a comfortable silence, one they only interrupted to comment on some elements around them. Kagome pointed out how the spring plants were now sprouting, and InuYasha added how those sprouts would die before they became flowers.

"I see you are an extremely optimist man," she poked him politely, smartly. InuYasha, however, already knew such comments were the usual among humans.

"I'm extremely realist." He wanted to find in her something more. Even so, he would play along. "Maybe, you find it a problem?"

They stopped before the central lake, in whose middle there were a few small islands that represented a zone of Japan that Kagome did not know.

"As I see it, to be a realist is not necessarily opposite to optimism. In the latter, there is hope, and until something has not defined itself, its possibilities are still there," Kagome said, resolute, as her gaze remained on the lake, and the way the breeze brushed its surface, sliding over its mirror-like illusion.

"Then, if I understand right, if something has defined itself, there is no chance of it ever being different," he inquired. In a way, the words of the woman by his side, fragile and just human, challenged him.

She looked at him. Today there were no heels beneath her, and so she looked slightly shorter.

"Something that has defined itself already; just is. However, what matter, in nature, remains forever the same?" Her lips curled into a light smile once the words left them.

InuYasha felt the annoyance becoming evident within him. This woman, this human woman definitely had no idea how the world she was allowed to live in, really worked. For a moment, he weighted the idea of capturing her and taking the only thing that could interest him from her; he was wasting his time by not sticking to his original plan, which disregarded the distractions that had appeared on the way.

"I'd like to resume the stroll," InuYasha voiced, unable to hide the tension in his tone.

"Yes, of course," Kagome accepted, wondering if she had said something that may had upset him. However, she didn't feel there was enough trust between them for her to ask.

It didn't take them long to find a path that led inside a small forest. InuYasha walked two steps ahead of her, and looked back when he came to stand right by the umbral between the exterior light, and that deep darkness that found refuge between the trees. He took off his left white glove then, and extended his hand towards her, inciting her. Kagome had a peculiar sensation, almost foreboding, as she lifted her own towards InuYasha, and left it there, hanging for an instant. She knew how to read signs, and in him, she had seen many despite the few occasions in which they had met. To the ordinary eye, he was a polite man, from noble birth; yet he didn't seem to associate with the court nor with most prominent, traditional families. The symbols embroidered into his clothes, were rarely mere decorations, and Kagome believed they spoke of him and of a wild side that, most probably, only a few persons knew existed. She also believed that side of him was the source of the coldness surrounding him, every time, at the beginning of their meetings, a coldness that would usually fade as the conversation flowed. Now, however, it was an exception; now, it had possessed him as if their previous conversation had created some sort of void she could not understand. Even knowing that, Kagome reached for InuYasha Taisho's hand, touching his fingertips with her own, noting the heat of his skin as soon as they made contact. Next, he captured her hand fully, and Kagome's mind returned to her previous thought; she was going to be taken to a world she was ignorant of, a notion spoken by the energy that man emanated right now. He pulled her hand softly, bringing her with him, closer to that darkness that for a moment, seemed to swallow her whole.

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To be continued.

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A/N

I LOVE TO WRITE KAWAAKARI

It is a subtle and intricate story to me, and that excites me. Besides, it has a sort of game with words that I like quite a lot. I hope that you are enjoying as well.

A kiss,

Anyara

This text is possible thanks to the translation of: Dezart