InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Heart of the Sea ❯ Day and Night Cycles ( Chapter 2 )

HEART OF THE SEA

By: Rhexi

CHAPTER ONE

Day and Night Cycles

The lush green scenery of the forest swayed to the gentle breeze of the ever-beloved spring. Tall grass swished on the ground, as the leaves danced, making a harmonious song. Sunlight beamed at the green life with the paternal air of a parent, as the wind swirled from one plant to the next.

The inhabitants of the forest heard the sweet song of their playmate and all ceased. Songbirds paused in their morning chirps. Foxes quieted their playful yips. Even the trees stopped their songs to listen to the gentle melody that slowly drifted through the tranquility of the forest.

It wrapped around her, the quiet humming that she released. She wore but a simple white gown, her hair holding no adornment what so ever. Walking through the grassy fields in nothing but simple slips, the melody danced around her before floating off to bestow their song to others. Her eyes remained closed, as she felt the life that surrounded her so steadily. Holding the basket by her side, she stepped to the center of the familiar field and sang her song.

The winds swirled around her, lifting her hair, playing with the hem of her dress. Laughing at the playful wind spirits that so surrounded her, she released her basket and twirled. "...Someone holds me safe and warm...horses prance through the silver storm...figures dancing gracefully.... Across my memory!!!"

The birds each swirled around her, dipping in union with her swirls, pecking their welcomes, before following the rest in a swirl around their beloved treasure. "...And a song...someone siiiings....."

Lashes fluttered. "Once Upon A...December...!" Stunning eyes opened. A strange combination of misty-silver and aquamarine-gray, the gentleness behind them made the onlooker feel as though they're basked within her love.

She smiled, when she saw the birds' shadows hovering beneath the glare of the morning sun. "Hello," she greeted, her voice a subtle range between a soprano and an alto. "Were you listening to my song?

A red-chested robin fluttered over, feeling comfortable enough with her to land onto her fingers. Careful not to scratch her or hurt her delicate skin, it chirped a greeting before taking flight. Smiling in return, Kagome reached down to retrieve her forgotten basket filled with various herbs. A waterfall of silky-black tumbled past her shoulders and onto the ground, covering the single snowdrop on the ground.

Holding the basket in her hands, she hummed as she walked through the forest, back towards her town. The brick roads that the townsfolk had managed to pave onto the ground marked the edge of the forest. With a large sigh, the girl crossed the border of the forest and into civilization.

There, sitting atop everyone else's, is rested the home, where she lived. A rather large house, surrounded completely by a gate, the entire establishment seems to be shrouded in shadows and darkness. Chills wanted to crawl down her back, but the stubborn girl refused to be intimidated. She's lived in this house ever since her birth and never did she get use to the darkness.

Her only consolidation had been that the master had actually allowed her to plant a garden before the house. Granted, it had taken much persuasion from the household chief cook, but after a while, he had agreed, saying that some "decoration may be in need." But either way, it had warmed Kagome's heart to be near the beautiful plants. It warmed her that these lovelies were the first to greet her each day when she returns from her nature walks.

Walking past the gate, she smiled when she saw her flowers. They were each leaning to their fullest towards the sun. Flower pollens twinkled in the air, as Kagome stepped through. It seems as though they wanted their mistress to know just how happy they are and how grateful they are of her.

Smiling, Kagome coaxed a particularly shy foxglove from under the shades of the domineering buttercups and bluebells. The girl laughed, when the foxglove finally extended its stem towards the golden glow, as the other flowers shifted a little to allow their new member into the light.

Sighing happily, she patted each flower bud once before hurrying back into the home of her master. The household servants were already busy in preparation for tonight's banquet by the time she had returned. The kitchen was a flurry of movements as the head cook ordered her helpers to do various tasks. Kagome walked through the thick of everything and placed the herbs down onto the large table overflowing with ingredients.

"Kagome!" Kokolo, the master cook of her lord's home, waved her over. "Did you get every herb I asked for?" The messy bun of the elder woman promptly flopped over, as she turned to the younger woman. Her brown eyes were more than just a little frenzied, as she tried her best to keep an eye on everyone.

"Hai, hai, Kolo baa-san," Kagome said, using her nickname for the elder woman. Kokolo had been serving this house long before Kagome had been brought here, almost seventeen years ago. It was Kokolo herself who had found Kagome by the edge of the forest, wailing her little heart out in the cold of the night. She had brought Kagome back to her home, hoping that her master would allow her to train the orphan infant as her assistant.

"Here," Kagome continued, taking the pomegranate out of the Kolo's hands. Turning to the pot that was beginning to simmer, Kagome deftly squeezed the fruit until all its juices mixed with the brew. Taking a pair of oversized chopsticks, she began stirring the stew, checking to see whether it had thickened enough to serve.

Seeing that Kagome had taken matters out of her hand, Kolo immediately sat down onto a nearby mat with a quiet plop. She quickly wiped her brows, as her eyes continued to survey the rest of the kitchen staff.

Tasting the stew, Kagome added in a pinch of salt and pepper before tasting it again. Smiling her satisfaction, she removed the pot from the fireplace and turned to find her favorite "baa-san" watching her every movement.

"Worried that I'll slip in extra something into the soup, Kolo baa-san?" Kagome teased, as she set the pot down, before turning back to the counter. She grabbed the previously cut meat and began dicing them into smaller pieces.

"Hush," Kokolo sniffed, the image of a grandmother's injured pride. "Did I or did I not raise you to be more respectful of your elders, child?"

"Hai, Kokolo baa-sama, you did." A solemn bow greeted the amused elder woman, as Kagome's mass of black hair tumbled over her face. "Please forgive this one's rudeness, baa-sama. I shall, of course, accept any punishment you deem fair to my high crime of offense."

"Dear Goddess!" Kokolo laughed, exasperation clear in her eyes. "You would never let this poor woman have the last word, will you!"

"Perhaps one day, Kolo baa-san," Kagome teased and returned to her dicing.

------

Everyone was laughing at the banquet that night, when Kagome entered to serve for the first time. The lords of the surrounding villages had all decided to meet in her master, Naraku's, home for the celebration of the marriage alliance between his daughter, Kagura, and the neighboring village's son, Kenaii.

As it was, Kagura was sitting by her father's side at the head of the table. Her long dark hair was tied into a high ponytail with two feathers for adornment. Long jaded earrings danced on her ears every time she shook her head. Her hands were placed demurely before her lap, her eyes quietly set downwards to give her the appearance of a shy maiden with high morals.

"Kagura-san!" one of Kenaii's cousins proclaimed. "It is to our pleasure that you'll soon be decorating the halls of our dear cousin's home. Please, I ask, that you allow us the right in drinking to your health-that your beauty shall remain as beautiful as this joyous time in your life!"

Everyone laughed at this dramatic proclamation and each raised a glass filled with sake to their lips. Kagome, finished with her serving, headed back into the kitchen. Kokolo was ready with the next dish ready by the time she returned. Kagome sighed at the delicious aroma of the trout that was laid out so artfully on the dish, before accepting it onto her hands.

The topic of the conversation was still upon the marriage when Kagome returned with the fish. She carefully placed it before everyone, careful not to drip anything, before heading back to the kitchen.

When Kagome returned to the kitchen, everyone visibly relaxed when she grinned. She laughed outright when she saw some of the younger staff slump onto the ground, wiping theatrically at their brows.

"Good job, my children," Kolo baa-san smiled, her panicked edge finally relaxed a bit. "The worst is over. Dishes duty is, of course, being carried on as usual. Stay here and have your treats until my Lord and his guests are finished with the main course. You each know the drill."

Anything else that Kokolo might have said was lost to Kagome because she saw that the last ray of sunlight had just disappeared from behind the ray of the horizon. Her sea-gray eyes gleamed in the lack of sunlight. Turning over to the elder woman, she nodded at her, before disappearing from the backdoor of the home.

-----

Kagura giggled quietly into her hands and fluttered her lashes at Kenaii on the other end of the table. She made sure her cheeks were flushed, before glancing up at him. When she saw that he grinned back, she quickly ducked her head back down.

It was fun, this game of love that she played. Kagura herself had mastered its arts long before she could talk. Charming the others around her had kept her alive for this long. It was all only to help her on her way to an even better life. This marriage arrangement was to both their village's advantage and Kenaii's wealth was as far and vast as theirs were.

The second time she looked back up, she found that Kenaii was no longer looking at her with that smile of his. His eyes were turned towards the left, when one of the serving girls had entered the room. Kagura's eyes flashed when she saw that it was the maid, Kagome. Turning back to Kenaii, she narrowed her eyes at the smile that lit onto the face of her fiancé. A promised man should not look so perversely at another!

"Arigato," Kenaii murmured, when Kagome served him. The girl, to her credit, merely bowed before serving the next lord.

Watching Kenaii for the rest of the evening, Kagura did not smile at him anymore. To have his attention so easily distracted when she was present made him a foolish and weak man to her eyes. Not once did Kagome return after that last serving for the rest of the meal.

Talk of her family's garden reached Kagura's ears once again, as they were enjoying the delicious sweet bean curd that their cook had made for them. Her eyes swerved to Kenaii, who had asked about the garden.

"Kagome?" he had said. "That is your gardener, Naraku-sama?"

"No," Kagura replied, giving him a rather frosty smile. "She is a maid."

"Surely a maid cannot have enough knowledge to produce a garden as beautiful as yours?" Kenaii asked. "After all, what would a maid know other than cooking and cleaning?"

"You seem rather intrigued by our garden, Kenaii-san," Kagura heard her father say. Turning her eyes onto him, Kagura saw the calculation behind her father's seemingly friendly eyes. Swirls of black purple gleamed in his eyes, as he leaned a bit closer to the dining table. "May I ask why?"

"No particular reason," Kenaii replied just as breezily. "I had just thought to replicate the beauty, if possible, that is all."

------

Nighttime in the forest was incredibly different from when it is illuminated with the light of the sun. The moon had yet to appear, but the stars had already started twinkling out. The constellations were slowly showing their face to Japan again. Walking along the paths of the forest, Kagome felt the cool wind brush against her and the slow rising of the dewy mist. The trees were blowing gently, drowsy with the promise of sleep.

Kagome opened her eyes, when she felt the first ray of moonlight appear from behind a midnight cloud. Her sea-gray eyes shot open and without having to search, latched right onto the silver orb so high in the sky. Her hands came up to wrap around her body when she felt the beginning tremors of her transformation.

Once it began, the changes came swiftly, as always. Long hair retracted back into its roots, fur grew in place of skin. Hands turned into paws with deadly claws retracted. A tail grew from where one had been absent before. A large snout grew in place of a nose and a mouth full of canine fangs grew where her dulled molars once dominated. Her bones and organs shifted inside her, moving and adjusting until she was human no more.

Opening sea-gray eyes, the fox yipped at the moon in greeting, before starting around the forest. It gave a few yips to call on its friends. Slowly, prancing around with impatience, the cheerful fox waited for her friends to appear.

Nothing, but a breeze fluttered through for a few silent moments, before the answering cries of various animals started clamoring. Birds, bunnies, deer, and foxes of all kinds came scurrying out of their hiding places to come greet this strange and friendly fox. They danced around her, each setting aside natural grievances to befriend this particular fox.

Her long bushy tail brushed against a male fox that had been trying to court her for a while. Her sea-gray eyes lit up with challenge as she "tagged" him and dashed off into the woods. The animals all chased after her, accepting the start of the game...

------

Kagome ran through the forest and hurried back to her master's home. The sun is hardly out yet, making her approach all the more unknown. The only ray of sunlight that dared to gleam past the mountains touched and blessed her, as she snuck through the gates.

Creaking the backdoor open a crack, she peered into the darkness that enshrouded the entire compound, before slowing sliding inside. The lights that suddenly burst throughout the room made her freeze, her aquamarine eyes going wide with terror. Her instincts told her to hurry but her mind told her to stay. To stay calm.

Her eyes finally rose, to stare at the contemptuous ruby orbs of her Lady, Kagura. The feather in her hair gleamed in the light as she folded her arms, her large fan tucked daintily beneath. A smirk lighted her lips when Kagome saw who stood behind her.

Her master, along with Kokolo. The elderly lady held onto her arms, her eyes streaming with tears. Beside her stood the dark, almost gothic, man who she had served since the beginning of her life. She did not know what he thought just then, but the darkness that swirled around his eyes made her feel as though he's staring into her souls.

"Well, father!" Kagura crowed, her eyes alighted with triumph. "Did I not say that she would?"

And still, her master said nothing. He only continued to stare. Finally, after an entire eternity, he asked her. "Where did you go, Kagome?"

Where did you go, Kagome?

Five, simple little words, burned slowly through her eardrums, imprinting its way into her mind. After so many years of hiding, she is about to be found out. What can she do now? The sun is up, and the moon is hours away. In this pathetic form, there is absolutely no way she can do anything about her situation.

Where did you go, Kagome?

How to answer? How to answer such a simple-and absolutely impossible-question?

"I was...in the forest, my Lord."

"Doing?" He shot his daughter a glare, when she snorted. Immediately, she quieted and lowered her eyes.

"Playing, my Lord, with the animals..."

"Playing with the animals." He repeated the question, as though he didn't quite believe that she'd just said that. "Are you trying to tell me you've been frolicking the forest at the dead of night with animals?"

"Hai, my Lord."

An eternity laid after that answer, but for the single snort, again, from Kagura. This time, her father did not even glance at her. His eyes remained solely upon the servant girl's bowed head. With each second that passed, Kagome grew more sure that she's about to be released. What would she do, if she'd been released? What would happen to her without Kokolo?

"Come, Kagome," he said finally. He released her mentor, who immediately dropped onto the ground in further tears. He turned to head to the rest of the darkened house. Sunrise was quickly chased away by the dewdrop sweetness, the epitome of dawn.

"My Lord?"

He turned back to her and, for just a moment, Kagome thought she saw read in her master's usually onyx black eyes. "To my private chambers, Kagome."

End Chapter

Author's Corner

The song that Kagome sang this chapter is from the movie, Anastasia. Again, if you wish to join my mailing lists, please go to the following site and sign up!

http:// Rhexi. notifylist. com (remove spaces when copying and pasting)

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End

Happy Holidays!!

Lots of greets,

Yukisora and Hachigatsu

Edited by: Wake-Robin

Last Checked: 12/24/04