InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Himitsu/Secrets ❯ kago no naka no tori wa itsu itsu deyaru? / When Does the Bird Inside the Cage Come Out? ( Chapter 6 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Naishin no Miko 
(Psychological -- Kagome) Where does one belong? And just old is that damn game anyway??
Kagome reflects on her homes of two different eras.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 11.18.2004 | Updated On: 11.18.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 368 | Status: Completed
(Psychological -- Kagome) Where does one belong? And just old is that damn game anyway??
Kagome reflects on her homes of two different eras.
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Comedy | Type: One Shot | Uploaded On: 11.18.2004 | Updated On: 11.18.2004 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.3K | Visits: 368 | Status: Completed
kago no naka no tori wa itsu itsu deyaru? / When Does the Bird Inside the Cage Come Out?
The summer breeze worked its way through every strand of her ebony hair and around every molecule of her pale peach skin, almost like some sweet, knowing kiss. Sadly, the wind was starting to become mildly chilly because of the sun’s soon departure, and none of the earlier warmth was reaching her.
She had settled herself atop the stairs to the pre-Edo shrine to watch dusk approach without all the encroaching skyscrapers and multi-floored houses that were common in her modern skyline. It was also an excuse for a moment to herself, to think, and to take a peek at the area that would one day become a part of her home. Time after time, she found herself thinking about how one day soon, her mother would plant a plum tree here, and one day, Souta would fall from his tricycle and chip his tooth over there; all of it had once seemed so trivial, but now she was amused and awed by irony of inevitability.
The voices from the village below drifted up to her ears; each voice playing a small aria to one big opera. Pleasant laughter sounded like the truest note rung from a set of chimes, and she smiled as it soothed her. How could she not be soothed by the merry sounds coming from Kaede’s hut? The squeak of a clever yet foolish young kitsune, the shouts of murder from an irritated inu-hanyou, the reserved giggles from an old miko and a young houshi, and a titter from an emotionally-scarred yet physically strong taijiya--each one was a precious gift to her. What would she be doing right now if it weren’t for their company?
Not the first time that had passed through her thoughts, nor would it be the last.
Sure, she missed certain things about her era--hot baths on hand being the most important--but how could she ever give up the love radiating from those people, the ones dearest to her heart? Even this era had become so familiar to her that she often felt more at ease here than her own modern home.
A group of children from the village had gathered at the base of the shrine steps; each one took turns waving and calling up to her, and as one boy with eyes closed tightly sat in the middle of a circle of children clasping hands, she gasped aloud because she recognized the game.
“Kagome, Kagome,
When does the bird inside the cage come out?
At dawns and evenings.
Who is in front of the back where a crane and turtle slipped and fell?”
The other children circled and circled as the lonely boy in the center licked his lips and bit his tongue, trying to achieve total concentration for his efforts, but in the end, he remained the oni in the middle.
Just how old was that blasted game anyway?
The game continued on, and she noticed that some children would look to her at the beginning of the verse with deliberate smiles plastered to their impish faces. After a short while, their chanting grew more and more tired, and they dispersed when their mothers called for them, so she was left to herself again.
Where did she belong?
A lackluster nail caught her attention; its cuticles marred with dirt and grime from helping in the rice patties. Ancient dirt on and beneath her fingers--ancient now and ancient in her time. Such a paradox to her agonized mind, but yet. . .yet strangely, she was so close. . .so close.
Soon, she would have an answer for the question that had plagued her mind the most. It was a feeling deep within her bones; something that bit at her, like a dog getting at the marrow of a beloved bone.
She could not keep herself from laughing maniacally at the irony of her own bizarre thought, and it was such a welcome, this laughter, because it had been too long. Regrettably, she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt relief wash over her, bringing a newfound sense of hope with it.
“So, Kagome, when does the bird in the cage come out?” she asked herself, absentmindedly twirling a few strands of unwashed hair around her calloused index finger. “And when did it even go in?”
An irritated male voice that was all too familiar broke her concentration as he bellowed her name. “Kagome! Kaede-baaba has food for you! What in all the hells are you doing up there, dammit!!”
If this had been months earlier, she would have used “the word” the minute he had uttered “what” without a second thought, but she had grown a lot…perhaps in other more obvious ways, but mentally, she had matured way beyond other girls her age, she knew. Instead, she sighed inwardly, and flashed a smile that she knew damn well that he could see.
At least she wasn’t pretending; she was honestly glad to see him.
Slowly, she made her way down the long flight of stone steps, and the wave of déjà vu was not lost on her. How many times had she dashed up and down these steps in her lifetime? How many times would she continue to do so? How would she have felt a year ago, knowing that she had traveled that same way centuries before? Just as now she was confused and awed by the situation, she knew that her younger self would have fainted from all this knowledge. These things were ordinary thoughts to her, these days.
And would wonders never cease! Here was her beloved inu-hanyou offering her a rare treat--a bright fanged grin returning her own brilliant smile!
He hooked his left arm around her right arm and muttered softly, “Come.” Onward they walked to Kaede-bachan’s pleasant little hut.
“Birds should be free,” she said matter-of-factly; really talking to no one but herself, although her companion heard her anyway. “Not behind wooden bars but truly free to fly where their heart wills them.” Then she paused in thought and then tentatively added, “Right?” The two oddly glowing eyes next to her peered at her in bewilderment, but he nodded, choosing to stay quiet for once.
Yes, birds should remain free, and here she was, a bird struggling to get out of the cage that the future had put her in. As long as she remained tied to modern rules, she would never be free to live as she desperately wanted to live.
They walked in blissful silence toward the lone hut, and the night air enveloped her with its chilly embrace. She was happy to be going inside. No matter how often she heard her friends complain of its cold wood floors, the hut would always flow with warmth and comfort for her as long as she could stay with those encased in the cozy space.
Off in the distance, a lonely sparrow shrilled, singing of its newfound freedom to everyone beneath the moonlit sky.
The summer breeze worked its way through every strand of her ebony hair and around every molecule of her pale peach skin, almost like some sweet, knowing kiss. Sadly, the wind was starting to become mildly chilly because of the sun’s soon departure, and none of the earlier warmth was reaching her.
She had settled herself atop the stairs to the pre-Edo shrine to watch dusk approach without all the encroaching skyscrapers and multi-floored houses that were common in her modern skyline. It was also an excuse for a moment to herself, to think, and to take a peek at the area that would one day become a part of her home. Time after time, she found herself thinking about how one day soon, her mother would plant a plum tree here, and one day, Souta would fall from his tricycle and chip his tooth over there; all of it had once seemed so trivial, but now she was amused and awed by irony of inevitability.
The voices from the village below drifted up to her ears; each voice playing a small aria to one big opera. Pleasant laughter sounded like the truest note rung from a set of chimes, and she smiled as it soothed her. How could she not be soothed by the merry sounds coming from Kaede’s hut? The squeak of a clever yet foolish young kitsune, the shouts of murder from an irritated inu-hanyou, the reserved giggles from an old miko and a young houshi, and a titter from an emotionally-scarred yet physically strong taijiya--each one was a precious gift to her. What would she be doing right now if it weren’t for their company?
Not the first time that had passed through her thoughts, nor would it be the last.
Sure, she missed certain things about her era--hot baths on hand being the most important--but how could she ever give up the love radiating from those people, the ones dearest to her heart? Even this era had become so familiar to her that she often felt more at ease here than her own modern home.
A group of children from the village had gathered at the base of the shrine steps; each one took turns waving and calling up to her, and as one boy with eyes closed tightly sat in the middle of a circle of children clasping hands, she gasped aloud because she recognized the game.
“Kagome, Kagome,
When does the bird inside the cage come out?
At dawns and evenings.
Who is in front of the back where a crane and turtle slipped and fell?”
The other children circled and circled as the lonely boy in the center licked his lips and bit his tongue, trying to achieve total concentration for his efforts, but in the end, he remained the oni in the middle.
Just how old was that blasted game anyway?
The game continued on, and she noticed that some children would look to her at the beginning of the verse with deliberate smiles plastered to their impish faces. After a short while, their chanting grew more and more tired, and they dispersed when their mothers called for them, so she was left to herself again.
Where did she belong?
A lackluster nail caught her attention; its cuticles marred with dirt and grime from helping in the rice patties. Ancient dirt on and beneath her fingers--ancient now and ancient in her time. Such a paradox to her agonized mind, but yet. . .yet strangely, she was so close. . .so close.
Soon, she would have an answer for the question that had plagued her mind the most. It was a feeling deep within her bones; something that bit at her, like a dog getting at the marrow of a beloved bone.
She could not keep herself from laughing maniacally at the irony of her own bizarre thought, and it was such a welcome, this laughter, because it had been too long. Regrettably, she couldn’t remember the last time she had felt relief wash over her, bringing a newfound sense of hope with it.
“So, Kagome, when does the bird in the cage come out?” she asked herself, absentmindedly twirling a few strands of unwashed hair around her calloused index finger. “And when did it even go in?”
An irritated male voice that was all too familiar broke her concentration as he bellowed her name. “Kagome! Kaede-baaba has food for you! What in all the hells are you doing up there, dammit!!”
If this had been months earlier, she would have used “the word” the minute he had uttered “what” without a second thought, but she had grown a lot…perhaps in other more obvious ways, but mentally, she had matured way beyond other girls her age, she knew. Instead, she sighed inwardly, and flashed a smile that she knew damn well that he could see.
At least she wasn’t pretending; she was honestly glad to see him.
Slowly, she made her way down the long flight of stone steps, and the wave of déjà vu was not lost on her. How many times had she dashed up and down these steps in her lifetime? How many times would she continue to do so? How would she have felt a year ago, knowing that she had traveled that same way centuries before? Just as now she was confused and awed by the situation, she knew that her younger self would have fainted from all this knowledge. These things were ordinary thoughts to her, these days.
And would wonders never cease! Here was her beloved inu-hanyou offering her a rare treat--a bright fanged grin returning her own brilliant smile!
He hooked his left arm around her right arm and muttered softly, “Come.” Onward they walked to Kaede-bachan’s pleasant little hut.
“Birds should be free,” she said matter-of-factly; really talking to no one but herself, although her companion heard her anyway. “Not behind wooden bars but truly free to fly where their heart wills them.” Then she paused in thought and then tentatively added, “Right?” The two oddly glowing eyes next to her peered at her in bewilderment, but he nodded, choosing to stay quiet for once.
Yes, birds should remain free, and here she was, a bird struggling to get out of the cage that the future had put her in. As long as she remained tied to modern rules, she would never be free to live as she desperately wanted to live.
They walked in blissful silence toward the lone hut, and the night air enveloped her with its chilly embrace. She was happy to be going inside. No matter how often she heard her friends complain of its cold wood floors, the hut would always flow with warmth and comfort for her as long as she could stay with those encased in the cozy space.
Off in the distance, a lonely sparrow shrilled, singing of its newfound freedom to everyone beneath the moonlit sky.