InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Decisions of Love ❯ Twins ( Chapter 9 )

Twins

She didn't know how long she stood there, hand empty of the warmth that she had so

luxuriated in earlier. The grounds around her were getting darker and darker but she didn't

have the energy to move. Why had he forgotten her again? She had been standing there right

next to him and he moved away as if she was just a shadow. The tears had stopped and all she

could feel was this great confusion. She was so incredibly confused that she couldn't even

think of it anymore. She didn't know if she just didn't want to think at the moment or if she just

wanted to push it away and forget about it. Confusion was accompanied by a queer clenching

of her heart. She weakily slid down to the ground and held her head in her hands. *Forget? Or

not forget? Think? Or not think?* Why was this having such a big impact on her? She

didn't....love him....did she? Could she even dare think of the word love? But it made so much

sense. All the worrying, the strange sensations in her stomach, all the symptoms she had read

in those strange romantic novels in her father's library, could it be the result of love? "Stupid

stupid stupid." she whispered to herself. What had she done? Her intentions of just bringing

family honor had turned into the same intentions as those obnoxious girls.

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It had been not even an hour since he had come back from the Eastern provinces and already

his father was calling for him. Would it be another diplomatic mission that needed his

ruthless son? Or a formal request to assassinate some meddling noble? The guards bowed and

opened the doors to the courtroom. His father was sitting alone in the room, looking over a

few scrolls. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes just a tiny bit, he smelled magic in the room.

Magic of the possessive power, but it didn't smell have the familiar smell of youkai's magic

nor was it very strong. It was something foreign, was his father practicing magic of other

kinds?

"Ah, Sesshoumaru, come come." his father motioned to him, his eyes not looking up from the

scrolls spread around a table. Sesshoumaru kneeled before his father and stood straight,

awaiting orders.

"I need you to keep an eye on a suspect." his father ordered.

"What kind of suspect? And what crime did he committ?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"She, what crime she WILL committ." his father handed the scroll he had been carefully

scrutinizing for the past hour to Sesshoumaru. He quickly scanned over the scroll's contents

with his eyes.

"A prophecy?" Sesshoumaru read slower to digest the contents more.

"It was written a hundred years ago by a woman who came from a family of powerful seers.

She had never displayed any amount of talent in the area till the last few minutes before her

death. She predicted this kingdom's downfall in the form of twin girls. Of course, your mother

and I wanted to kill every pair of twin girls in the country but she predicted that the death of

twins in the hands of the royal family would result in an even greater disaster."

"Why? Killing both girls would be simpler and safer." Sesshoumaru rolled the scroll up and

tucked it in his wasitband for further research later on.

"Of the twin girls, the elder would bring the downfall of the kingdom and the younger would

save it. So we set up a law that very day issuing that the eldest born be branded then tossed

out to be an outcast."

"Have there been any twins born in the past hundred years?" Sesshoumaru asked his father

with grave eyes.

"None at all, and we've been keeping detailed records of family births. However, it has come

to my attention how much Kikyo and Kagome look alike, almost like twins to be exact. I've

already looked over both birth reports but they come up empty for some reason. Which is

why I want you to keep an eye out for Kagome. I want you to tell me if she displays any

power, whether it is magic or not. Anything of importance you will report directly back to

me." the king said in his usual orderly way.

"What of the other girl, Kikyo? Who will keep an eye on her?" Sesshoumaru inquired.

"My suspicions lie more on Kagome than Kikyo but that girl is taken care of by Inuyasha. Be

sure to stay with her Sesshoumaru. Your diligence on this mission is crucial to the kingdom.

Without birth records we have no idea who is the elder or the younger, which is why I have

you two on the case." The king thumbed through the scrolls, the sign that the meeting was

over. Sesshoumaru carefully mulled over the new information as he walked to his quarters. A

prophecy of two harmless mortal girls, what was this kingdom coming to? Upon walking

towards his far off rooms he sniffed the air. It smelled of some kind of magic, though very

subtle and not at all distinct. He had never smelled anything like it. He smoothly followed his

nose to the very girl he and his father had talked about. She was sitting slumped on the

ground, eyes gone glazed and distant. What caught his eye was that she was glowing softly,

like the gentle light of a firefly, only it was the lapis lazuli he had seen in foreign treasures. It

was beautiful, he had to admit, but it was magic coming from a human. Then the glow

disappeared in a breath and her eyes blinked, staring at the spot he was hiding.

"If you could please stop hiding, you're scaring the crickets from their music." she called out.

He walked out towards her, not embarassed at all.

"What form of mortal are you?" he said, cutting to the point.

"What are you talking about?" she asked with questioning eyes. They gave no hint of lie or

deceit. Could it be she herself had no idea of her own magic? He reached out and touched her

forehead with two fingers, scanning for any type of magic in her blood. Strange enough, she

didn't move from his fingers and almost seemed to lean towards them, closing her eyes. It

was all gone, not a trace to be found. So what was that glowing light he had just seen?

Suddenly, the tedious task of watching the girl didn't seem so tedious anymore, it was now

becoming somewhat fascinating and a change from the boring monotony of life.

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Once she got back to her bedroom she sank into her futon and pull her blanket over her head,

not bothering to change. Her chest ached so badly, desperately trying to relieve the torrent

of tears that fought to come out. Remembered, then forgotten. The room felt suffocating and

she kicked the covers off angrily, there would be no sleep for her tonight. She felt so

infuriated, why should she be the one to feel hurt? Why did she have to feel sad when she

didn't want to? Why didn't Inuyasha feel any of the things she felt? She had always sworn to be

an independent and strong woman, what had gotten in the way? Love, a voice whispered in

her head. Love always gets in the way, it whispered again. She stumbled out of the tangle of

blankets and stormed outside, only to walk right into Sesshoumaru.

"Excuse me." she didn't even look at him and just stepped to the side, only to storm further to

who knew where. He gazed at her, somewhat puzzled at her angry tone. Lifeless before,

energetic the next. She didn't even recognize him. But where was she going so late in the

evening, and unchaperoned as well? He padded quietly behind her, keeping his distance. His

eyes furrowed when he saw her slip behind a waterfall and towards the dragon's lands. What

business did she have with the dragons? The girl in question breathed against the door and it

solemnly opened, as if recognizing the bewilderment of her own emotions. All the dragons

had disappeared to night outings or rest in their caves, leaving the capacious meadow empty.

The moon shone full and bright, the autumn equinox having no affect on the spelled land.

With a reluctant look she began to turn around but a hand grabbed her sleeve and she gave a

jump. Akira crept out of the shadows, or perhaps from the very air itself.

"Akira! Don't you ever make noise when you move?" Kagome exclaimed, trying to slow down

her beating heart.

"You came." he said in a low tone.

"I couldn't sleep, can I stay here for a while?" she asked hopefully.

"You don't even have to ask." he said and took a few steps back. He spread his arms out, as if

trying to draw something to him. A wind suddenly blew, warm and smelling like the ancient

magic of dragons. It covered him and he began to shapechange to his original form. Limb and

body lengthened and covered with scales while wings exploded from shoulder blades,

glittering brightly in moonlight. Kagome stood before it all, the glory of his true form still

taking her breath away.

"There's another less flashier way to change, but I felt like being a bit ostentatious tonight."

Akira said from a long snout, he gave a wink and moved his wings to his side. "Hop on, I want

to take you somewhere."

Kagome tried to keep the grin off her face but she couldn't help it, a ride on a dragon? She

carefully climbed up his enormous arm and in the bend of his neck. Without waiting a second

later he pumped powerful wings and leaped into the air. She gave a shriek but there was no

danger of slipping off, he was too quick to let her fall. They kept on flying higher and higher

till she thought they must have reached the stars. She giggled and reached out as if she really

could. Akira turned his head and gave a dragon smile at the girl on his back, he had

succeeded in cheering her up. Now all that was left was to show her the highest point in the

valley. He did one last spiral then smoothly landed on top of a large stretch of black marble

that floated in the sky. A dizzy Kagome carefully got off and felt the ground lurch under her

feet. Akira, already shapechanged into a human, guided her away from the edge. Every step

left an imprint of gleaming symbols similar to those on the entrance door of the dragons'

land. She leaned down and touched the marble, leaving a trail of sparkling archaic writing.

"What is it?" she asked, peering up at Akira's face. He leaned down and gently pressed his

palm, whispering something. What he had said began to make the whole marble glow with the

writing, it was a stunning and detailed pattern that went in circles and swirls everywhere on

the marble top.

"Sugoi...what does it say? Is it some magic spell to keep this floating?" she traced some of the

symbols and felt a slight tickling sensation underneath her fingertips.

"It's our scrying table. We read the stars here and try to look into the future." Akira explained,

sitting down crosslegged. Kagome laid down on the marble, the stone emanating a

comfortable warmth. She tucked her hands under her head and looked up at the sky, the

carefree feeling of flying gone. Images of Inuyasha forgetting her began to enter into the

empty spaces of her mind.

"Akira, why do people forget?"

"Sometimes because their mind forces them to."

"What if they chose to forget?"

"Then that person has just lost a special memory."

Kagome gave a yawn, feeling the lulling pull of sleep on her eyes. She had just one last

question before falling asleep in the stars.

"Would you forget, Akira?"

"No, I wouldn't."

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When she woke up, she was back in her room, tucked into her blankets which had been tidied

out. She sat up and stretched out her arms, trying to remember what had happened last

night. She remembered flying, then that scrying table, then a soothing and dreamless sleep.

Not wanting to see Inuyasha, she went on an early morning ride with a lunch safely tucked in

a bag. Just a few minutes into her riding she heard hoofs in the distance. Her heart leaped in

her mouth, was it Inuyasha? She gradually turned around to see who it was as the rider

galloped passed her then quickly turned her head forward.

"Sesshoumaru?" she said curiously to herself.

Did he even know how to ride horses? She had never seen him outside before. He was either

away on diplomatic missions or in his rooms, doing whatever he usually he did. The

strangeness of seeing the withdrawn and imperious brother of Inuyasha on a ride was

puzzling. He urged his horse a little faster and Kagome tapped her heels to make her own

catch up with him.

"I didn't know you went riding." she said politely, trying to start a conversation.

"I've never had the luxory of free time." he put his horse at a full gallop, leaving her behind.

She furrowed her eyebrows, what was he implying? That all she did was ride horses and

nothing else? She kicked her heels and Sora gave a joyeous shake of her head as her speed

increased. Soon she was neck to neck with Sesshoumaru's own horse, a silver stallion.

Kagome gave a loud laugh and Sora responded by moving even faster, the thrill of the race

filling adrenaline in the veins of both horse and rider. Sesshoumaru's stoic face gave away

nothing as he admired the sight of the high spirited pair. Her long ebony hair whipped in the

wind, throwing the lulling scent of her hair into his face. This easy to please girl was supposed

to be a suspect in the kingdom's future downfall? He scoffed at the idea as he tightened the

reins to slow down his horse. Kagome was waiting a few yards from him, her hair mussed but

eyes glittering with energy.

"We self-conceited princesses don't always waste time." she said.

Was she being sarcastic with him? This child was talking back in a manner completely unlike

the princess she was saying she was.

'Where is your respect to the heir of the kingdom?" his caustic tone not bringing her down at

all.

"Where is your respect to a lady, Prince Sesshoumaru? Surely, you have been taught the

proper manners in regard to treating a female?" she asked, hopping off of Sora. She dug her

hand into a bag hanging on the horse's saddle. She took out two apples and threw one at

Sesshoumaru. He smoothly caught it with one hand and looked at it.

"It's called an apple that has not yet been cut, peeled, sugared, or dressed up in some fancy

dish." she bit the apple and began to climb up a tree's branch, sitting on the one closest to the

ground. "It's not poisoned, if that is why you are staring at your apple so."

"I have no need of nourishment right now."he stated, still gripping the apple in his hand.

"Give it to your horse, I'm sure he will enjoy it after a good run." she finished her apple and

threw the core in the grass.

"So, what is the reason for you following me? I know it's not because you wanted to go for a

ride. You don't strike me as the person to spend a 'free' day outside, especially in the presence

of a contestant for your's or Inuyasha's hand in marriage." she looked at him straight in the

eyes, not ashamed at all of what she had just said. The nerve of the girl! Where was the

customary and traditional manner that all Japanese ladies had? The girl was neither quiet,

courteous, or diffident. In the place of a demure maiden was a free-willed and unconcerned

woman. She was treating him as if he was a close friend or acquaintance and not her royal

highness! He was very hard put not to admonish her for such behavior to a prince. He gritted

his teeth and thought his father very lucky that his son was so obedient.

"My parents want me to spend time with the women before I marry one of them." the lie

slipping off the tongue easier than oil on water.

"Wonderful lie, but not close enough to the truth." she said without hesitating. There was no

sorrow or anger that had shone in her eyes the night before. It was all wiped clean as if it had

never been there in the first place. Was she hiding everything under a confident mask?

"You won't believe your prince?" he asked, still sitting on his horse. She looked at him coolly

with her azure eyes.

"Intuition, Sesshoumaru-sama." she tapped her head with a finger. "I trust my instincts when

it comes to people."

"And you don't trust me?" he asked inquisitively.

"No farther than I can throw that boulder." She gave a sharp whistle and Sora came running

by. Kagome stood on top of the branch and jumped into Sora's saddle, taking the reins in her

hands.

"Good day Sesshoumaru. And please don't follow me anymore." she gave a bow of the head

and Sora took off in a gallop. What an odd brother of Inuyasha. Yet, for all their physical

similarities, she hadn't thought once of Inuyasha while she had talked to Sesshoumaru. How

did that happen when her thoughts for the past few weeks had been consumed by the younger

and wilder brother? It felt nice all the same, not having to feel a painful confusion for just an

hour. If she forgot about Inuyasha around Sesshoumaru, perhaps she should talk to him

more often.

*I think after this chapter, I'll start having some important events happen. I'm getting more and more into this story! and isn't Akira a sweetie? I'm having Kagome not being too battered and teary about Inuyasha forgetting her. She had come to the palace simply for the honor, and didn't want to seem like she was vying for Inuyasha's attention. Of course it still hurt her, duh, who likes being forgotten by their own friend? I hope my chapters are long enough, I'm trying to lengthen them.