InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Flailing Dreams ❯ Chapter 3 Disappear ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter 3 Disappear

“Curse these ol' senses of mine! I cannot see a single thing in this weather. Why am I even out here in these conditions? It is much too cold for a geezer like me. Why did I not listen to my granddaughter and move to the Continent with her and that husband of hers? Wait. Never mind. I do not ever want to think of that little, embarrassing ninny grandson-in-law who cannot tell the difference between herbal tea and sake. I still cannot believe she left her lonely, ailing, helpless grandfather just to marry that idiot. If only she had married that nice village boy, my life, I mean, her life would not be so horrible. Woe is the life we live.”

“Gramps, are you talking to yourself again? And what are you doing out here in the snow storm? You know you're too old to be out here alone.”

The elder lifted a shriveled hand and removed the long wisps of his eyebrows from his eyes. His gray eyes saw a young boy of about 20 years swinging some rope across his shoulders. “Now listen here, Tori, I am not too old to teach you a lesson or two about how I have gone through trials thousand times worse than a measly snow storm. In fact, I am quite young, if I do say so myself.” The old man started again, stopped, and added, “And there is absolutely nothing wrong with a person, such as myself, talking to himself.”

Tori rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that's what old and decrepit fools, such as you, do. Now come back inside before you catch your death of cold.”

The old man waved his cane back at his grandson. “Not now. I have some business to attend to. You are welcome to join me, if you wish.”

“As if I'd want to get stuck out in a storm and get frostbite!” he yelled at the retreating geezer. The old man continued his pace unwavering. Tori sighed. “Senile ol' fool.”

Eventually, the pair stopped at a point where a forest might have been visible had it not been snowing. “Hey, Gramps, what're we doing-”

The old man shushed Tori. “Listen. Someone is speaking. Can you hear it?”

Tori held out an ear to the wind. “I don't-”

The old man slapped him on the back. “Of course not! You are too simple to understand such things. Stay here as a good grandson would do.”

“Oi, old man!”

Again, he shushed Tori. “And stay quiet!” Tori began grumbling.

The old man trudged forward in the snow and whispered softly, “Such a sad song you sing. So lonely, so broken…” He approached a figure surrounded by a small barrier lying in the snow. He kneeled next to the person, extending a hand to the person as he continued talking. “Is your story so full of despair, so abandoned? Will you let me listen, see what has made you ache so? Maybe I can heal you if you let me listen.” The song faded as did the barrier. He placed his hand on the girl's forehead and saw a beautiful maiden within a pink orb. “You have been protecting her, I see. But you could not stop the pain. Allow us both some time and I might be able to help her, if she wills it. Now…tell me. What has happened?”

 

Kagome groaned when she tried to move. Opening her eyes, she noticed that she was in a hut. “Wha-?” She sat up immediately. “Where am I-?” Suddenly, she fell back, the blood rushing to her head making her dizzy.

“So she's finally awake, nee? It's about time.”

Kagome turned to see a young man with short, dark brown hair carrying two buckets of water over his shoulders. Finally discovering the blanket covering her, she pulled it closer to her chin. “Um, excuse me, but…who are you?”

“Keh, I should be asking you the same thing. I had to carry you all the way back home, and where's the gratitude? You would've probably frozen to death if Gramps hadn't found you.”

“Gomen nasai,” she said quietly, pulling the blankets even closer.

The young man sat the buckets down and looked at the blushing girl. “Keh, that's not what you're supposed to say.”

She thought for a second. “A-Arigatou-gozaimasu.”

“No problem. Say, what's your name? You're kinda cute.”

“N-Nani yo?”

The boy chuckled. “Don't worry; I'm harmless. Listen, my name is-“

“Tori, my boy! Hitting on young, helpless girls again, I see!”

Tori choked on his sentence when an elder slapped him on the back. “Jijii!”

“Quiet down. You will scare this fair maiden. Do not mind my grandson. He is just relieved that you are okay. You should have seen him when we rescued you; all in a fit, worrying his little, empty head off.” The elder chortled heartily.

Kagome laughed quietly.

“Ah, it is good to see such a fine miss laugh. So, tell us, what is your name, young miss? This is my grandson, Torikkii, and my name is Shinrei.”

“I'm Kagome. Hajimemashite.”

“Like I said: no problem. You can call me Tori, if you want.”

Shinrei elbowed Tori playfully. “A show of intimacy already, nee, Tori? No wonder your mother named you such. Tricky indeed you are.”

“Quit messing around, you old fool! Only you would make up such things.”

Kagome laughed less timidly. Both men looked at her, intrigued. “Gomen ne. I see that you two get along well.” They looked at each and seated themselves near her.

“Keh, what do you know?” Tori scoffed.

“Kaasan always told me that if two people argue a lot, it means they get along well with each other.”

“That's stupid. Itai!”

“Sumimasen, Kagome-sama. As you can see, my grandson has no shame or restraint,” Shinrei-jiichan spoke after hitting his grandson on the head.

“That's okay. He kinda reminds me of someone…someone I know.” Kagome stared off into space.

“Ano, Kagome-sama? Daijoubu ka?” Tori asked looking up and pulling Kagome from her reverie.

“Hm? Ah, hai. Daijoubu desu.” Kagome tried to smile.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, I'm fine.”

“You know,” Shinrei-jiichan said as he began fixing the tea, “When someone says they are fine, it usually means that they are, instead, troubled by something.” He looked at Kagome intently, studying her as she stared back uncomfortably. “What troubles you, miko?”

Tori looked confoundedly at his grandfather. “Miko?” He turned to Kagome, and she nodded in affirmation. “But then…why would someone like you be lying unconscious in the snow like that?”

“I-It's a rather long story.”

“There is always time for a story, especially one of a miko as great as you are, Kagome-sama.”

“Demo, Shinrei-jiichan…”

“You never know what help someone can give you if you do not allow him the information he needs.”

Kagome sighed. There was no avoiding it. Besides, it wouldn't do any good just bottling it up inside. “I was…running away.”

“Were you being chased?”

“No. I don't think anyone would have cared whether I went missing or not. It doesn't matter anymore. I'm away from it all now.”

“Something tells me that you wish you were not though.”

Kagome looked at the old man, and he simply wore a smile. She cast her gaze down again. “Perhaps. I don't know anymore. I just…don't know anymore…what I should do. When I ran away, I wasn't really thinking. Just the fact that I didn't want to face the truth.”

“Well, maybe, then you should just confront it and get it over with,” Tori interrupted.

“Excuse me?”

“The way I look at it, you're just avoiding the situation. Eventually, you'll have no choice but to face it, and probably in a way that you'd rather not where you have no choice. You should just confront it while you still have choices and you won't get too hurt in the process. The longer it takes, the worst it'll get, so take the short and straight route, and you won't get lost.”

There was a pause before Shinrei-jiichan engulfed Tori in a hug. “I am so proud of you, my grandson. You have finally grown into a fine young man who spouts such great wisdom as your grandfather does. Ojiisan is so proud, so proud!”

“Get off of me, you crazy old man. Get off, I say!” When Tori wrestled himself from his grandfather's grasp, he ran to the door. “See, this is what happens when you decide to look out for an old geezer by living with him!” He rushed out of the room as Shinrei-jiichan chuckled light-heartedly.

“There goes the blundering boy of a grandson of mine. Excuse him, if you would like. He hardly voices his opinion like that.”

“No, I don't mind at all.” Kagome smiled bleakly. “They're alike, those two…”

Shinrei-jiichan eyed Kagome suspiciously before continuing, “As far as I can see, however, it is best that you take his advice into consideration. Foolish as we may seem, our words of wisdom should not be taken as spouts of ignorant nonsense. Kagome-sama, I believe this truth that you speak of involves this aforementioned friend of yours, nee?”

Kagome shifted around uncomfortably. “Well, kinda. It's about him, really.”

“And it is he whom you are avoiding because it is he who is hurting you, nee?”

Kagome hesitated. “H-Hai.”

“But would it not make sense if you would only face him and ask him the truth instead of only assuming and risk the chance of being wrong?”

“I don't know…maybe…But what if I'm right? How could I face him? How could I go on knowing that I was right?”

“But would it not be better to do so and know than to live on dreading the worst? That way, you would not torture yourself like so.”

Kagome shook her head furiously. “No, I can't. If I am right, nothing will be the way I thought it was. I'd rather not know, or even forget everything, than find out that I mean nothing to him. That way, it wouldn't matter whether he acknowledged me or not, just as long as I didn't know.”

“You would rather forget than to know the truth?” Shinrei-jiichan gathered the bawling girl into his arms in a soothing embrace.

“Yes. If it meant that I wouldn't have to suffer alone, then yes.”

Shinrei-jiichan sighed inwardly as he placed a hand to her head. “If this is truly what you want, then allow me to help. Sleep, young miko. Sleep and remember not your troubles as you dream.”

Kagome calmed, slowly slipping into slumber. Before she was fully asleep, she asked one last thing. “Why are you doing this for me?”

“Because I want to grant your wish for you. Such a beautiful soul should not have to suffer as you do. But with all wishes comes a price, and yours is the greatest of them all.” With that, Kagome fell into darkness.

A/N

Nee -Is it so/Right?
Nani yo -What?
Hai -Yes
Demo -But
Torikki -Tricky (just as it sounds)
Shinrei -Divine Spirit
Gomen nasai (ne) -I'm sorry; excuse me
Arigatou-gozaimasu -Thank you (formal)
Itai -Ow!/It hurts!
Hajimemashite -Nice to meet you
Daijoubu -Are you alright/It's alright
Ojiisan, Jiichan, Jijii -Grandfather, old man

That's a lot of Japanese terms. I amaze myself. Of course I'm special.

Another chapter, another attempt at making another sappy and angsty fanfic. I can only do what my mind wills and remembers. Sorry if it's kinda short. I was gonna add another part, but it didn't fit well. Well, time to go. See ya.