InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Knotted Kite Strings ❯ When our kite lines first crossed ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: lostmarble 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 03.04.2005 | Updated On: 09.08.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 418 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 03.04.2005 | Updated On: 09.08.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.1K | Visits: 418 | Status: Completed
Chapter Three~
"Cool of a temperate breeze, from dark skies to wet grass.
We fell in a field-it seems, now, a thousand summers passed.
When our kite lines first crossed,
we tied them into knots,
and to finally fly apart,
we had to cut them off. "
We fell in a field-it seems, now, a thousand summers passed.
When our kite lines first crossed,
we tied them into knots,
and to finally fly apart,
we had to cut them off. "
{1000 years ago}
“Sessho! Wait up! I-” she panted, taking a moment to catch her breath, “I can't keep up with you! You're faster, remember? I want to get there fast, too…but…” she trailed off, still slightly breathless.
I instantly slowed down, and then stopped, waiting for her. “Sorry Gome! I forgot.” Instead of continuing in the direction of the field at a slower pace, as soon as Gome reached me, she sat down heavily on a dirty log. I sat down next to her, seeing the sweat that had begun to form on her brow, and her still quickened breathing. I forgot, she's human. How could I forget something like that? It was one of the things that mother always told me was the most important… I winced. That I should not grow too close to a human woman, or she might ensnare me. Whatever that means But Gome's not a woman, so….
We had only known each other a week or so, but I had already begun to value her company. Now that my father was busy with Izayoi, he had little time for me, and that hanyou pup of hers…not old enough to provide any real companionship. The servants were all frightened of me, so, were it not for Gome, I would have been left to myself. Though I enjoyed the occasional afternoon alone by the reflecting pool, book in hand, the solitude became lonely after a while. Gome had been at my home for just under a week, sleeping in some spare guest quarters. So far, I doubted that anyone in the large palace had even noticed the presence of the young human girl or, if they had, had dismissed her as a new servant or young relative of Izayoi's.
We just sat there together for a moment, silently drinking in the smell of wet leaves and trees.
“Sessho?” Gome began uncertainly.
I glanced at her, then away, but gave her a soft smile.
She seemed a bit surprised by my relaxed attitude, but ploughed ahead. “Are sure you know where we're going?”
“Of course,” I said, a but distracted, staring at the pattern that the brief afternoon sun was making through the trees between storms. We were headed for a clearing that I had spotted the day before. I was planning an afternoon of kite-flying with my new friend, but had decided to surprise her. She had mentioned that she liked surprises…
“Are we close?”
“It's just a little further. Ready?”
She nodded silently, and stood up, but winced as she did so. She glanced at her feet, and her eyes filled simultaneously with resolve and tears as she began to walk. This will slow us down… I smiled to myself. …perhaps not…
Suddenly, I was standing in front of Gome, blocking her way. “If you needed a longer rest, why didn't you say so?”
Gome flushed in embarrassment. “I didn't wanna slow us down, Sessho! You seemed so eager to get wherever we're going so …” She shrugged.
“You know that we could have stopped.”
“I didn't wanna make you hafta wait.”
“Here, now you can rest and I won't have to wait.” I knelt, my back to her. After a moment's hesitation, Gome climbed on. I flew between the trees. Gome let out a shriek of glee as the damp early summer air blew in her face. After a few minutes, I landed carefully, setting her down gently, and a little regretfully. She is warm, I reasoned and the breeze is chilly.
“Wow, Sessho! That's a neat trick! Can you go way up high, like over the trees? How'd ya do that? Can you teach me?” Gome was nearly bouncing with excitement.
“I can't go that high, yet, but I'm learning. But,” I smirked, “I'm pretty sure you couldn't do that, Gome.”
She pouted, but soon brightened again when she saw our surroundings. “Wow, it's pretty here!”
A self-satisfied smile crossed my face. I knew she would like it. I had chosen the spot, after much consideration, because I knew how much she liked flowers. There were tiny yellow ones all over the field, with a sakura tree in full bloom, hanging over a reflecting pond along the edge. The blossoms fell from the tree into the pond, looking like tiny pink dancers as they landed gracefully on the water. The rain of the night before had made everything glisten, and the colors all seemed brighter, the way they always do just after a heavy rain. I breathed in, catching the scent of the day, or the scent of Gome, I'm not sure which. I have the feeling that I will never forget the way she smells. It calms me, somehow….
“Wait `till you see what I made you.”
Taking her hand, I led her over the pond. There was a large rock under the sakura tree, behind which I had hidden the kites. I had made them the previous afternoon, and was thanking Kami that I had remembered to ask for a waterproofing charm to tie onto them. I pulled them out now, relishing the admiration that shone in her wide eyes.
“You made those? They're so cool!” I frowned slightly, not understanding the word, but Gome didn't notice. “They must have taken forever! Which one is mine?”
Proud that my work was appreciated, I handed her the kite shaped like a brightly colored dragon. Mine was, predictably, a large white dog.
Gome immediately began to run across the clearing, trying to get her kite to take off. Within seconds, it was high in the air, its blue string taut in the breeze. I began to run as well, and my kite was in the air soon after, its golden string and white paper catching the warm light of the afternoon sun. Neither of us paying attention to our direction, so intent were we on watching our kites as they dipped and swirled in the cloudy blue sky above. So, it was to be expected that, after a few minutes of avoiding each other's paths out of sheer luck…
THUMP
…we crashed into each other. We laid there for a moment, rubbing our foreheads as the wetness of the grass began to soak through our clothes. Eventually, we both sat up and looked around.
Gome was still gingerly rubbing her forehead, and I leaned towards her, worried that se might be hurt. Already, a purple bruise was forming where out heads had cracked together. I could feel a similar lump forming on my temple.
Seeing that I was worried, Gome nudged my hand away from her forehead, and placed her fingers over the bruise. She smiled at my confused expression, and her fingers flashed bright pink.
I jumped slightly, surprised, and blinked to clear my vision. The bruise on her forehead was gone.
Gome noticed the bruise on my own forehead, and touched it lightly.
“Owie! Let me kiss it and make it better!” As I blushed profusely, she did just that. As her lips connected with my skin, there was another flash of pink light. When it faded, I touched my forehead gingerly. The bump that had been emerging there was gone.
How did she…? I thought that only demons, and some very powerful mikos, could heal people…
Seeing my increasingly confused expression, Gome shrugged.
“I dunno. Grandpa told me that if I get a boo-boo and I wish hard enough, it will go away. So, I wished yours away too.”
I gave her one last glance, then shrugged, figuring that it was just another mystery about Gome that I would have to accept. I turned my attention to the kites, to see if they were salvageable. The kites themselves were undamaged, but the strings were hopelessly knotted, making a tangle of blue and gold under the darkening sky. I sniffed. It smelled like it would rain again, and I wanted to gather up the kites and get home before the downpour began.
I walked over to the kites and began to tug at the strings. However, this only tightened the knots, making them even more impossible to untie. Gome noticed what I was doing, and sighed lightly.
“I think we're gonna have to cut them Sessho. Here, let me do it.”
She pulled from somewhere a tiny knife and set to work. Though she was able to untie most of the knots, there was a small section that she had to cut apart. She was left with four pieces of string, two from each of our kites. She knotted together the two halves that were left of the strings or each of our kites, and then looked thoughtfully at the four bits of bright string in her hand. Suddenly, her face lit up.
“I know what we can do with these! Here, give me your wrist.” I raised an eyebrow, but did as she asked. She tied two strings, a blue and a gold, around my wrist, and then handed me the other two, holding her wrist out. I tied them around her wrist. She grinned.
“There, Sessho, now you can never forget me!”
I glanced at the strings. They glowed slightly for a moment, then faded. I shook my head, trying to clear my vision. I looked up at Gome, a slight smile on my face, despite the odd sense of foreboding growing in the pit of my stomach.
“And you'll never forget me either, Gome.”
Two days later, she was gone.
“Sessho! Wait up! I-” she panted, taking a moment to catch her breath, “I can't keep up with you! You're faster, remember? I want to get there fast, too…but…” she trailed off, still slightly breathless.
I instantly slowed down, and then stopped, waiting for her. “Sorry Gome! I forgot.” Instead of continuing in the direction of the field at a slower pace, as soon as Gome reached me, she sat down heavily on a dirty log. I sat down next to her, seeing the sweat that had begun to form on her brow, and her still quickened breathing. I forgot, she's human. How could I forget something like that? It was one of the things that mother always told me was the most important… I winced. That I should not grow too close to a human woman, or she might ensnare me. Whatever that means But Gome's not a woman, so….
We had only known each other a week or so, but I had already begun to value her company. Now that my father was busy with Izayoi, he had little time for me, and that hanyou pup of hers…not old enough to provide any real companionship. The servants were all frightened of me, so, were it not for Gome, I would have been left to myself. Though I enjoyed the occasional afternoon alone by the reflecting pool, book in hand, the solitude became lonely after a while. Gome had been at my home for just under a week, sleeping in some spare guest quarters. So far, I doubted that anyone in the large palace had even noticed the presence of the young human girl or, if they had, had dismissed her as a new servant or young relative of Izayoi's.
We just sat there together for a moment, silently drinking in the smell of wet leaves and trees.
“Sessho?” Gome began uncertainly.
I glanced at her, then away, but gave her a soft smile.
She seemed a bit surprised by my relaxed attitude, but ploughed ahead. “Are sure you know where we're going?”
“Of course,” I said, a but distracted, staring at the pattern that the brief afternoon sun was making through the trees between storms. We were headed for a clearing that I had spotted the day before. I was planning an afternoon of kite-flying with my new friend, but had decided to surprise her. She had mentioned that she liked surprises…
“Are we close?”
“It's just a little further. Ready?”
She nodded silently, and stood up, but winced as she did so. She glanced at her feet, and her eyes filled simultaneously with resolve and tears as she began to walk. This will slow us down… I smiled to myself. …perhaps not…
Suddenly, I was standing in front of Gome, blocking her way. “If you needed a longer rest, why didn't you say so?”
Gome flushed in embarrassment. “I didn't wanna slow us down, Sessho! You seemed so eager to get wherever we're going so …” She shrugged.
“You know that we could have stopped.”
“I didn't wanna make you hafta wait.”
“Here, now you can rest and I won't have to wait.” I knelt, my back to her. After a moment's hesitation, Gome climbed on. I flew between the trees. Gome let out a shriek of glee as the damp early summer air blew in her face. After a few minutes, I landed carefully, setting her down gently, and a little regretfully. She is warm, I reasoned and the breeze is chilly.
“Wow, Sessho! That's a neat trick! Can you go way up high, like over the trees? How'd ya do that? Can you teach me?” Gome was nearly bouncing with excitement.
“I can't go that high, yet, but I'm learning. But,” I smirked, “I'm pretty sure you couldn't do that, Gome.”
She pouted, but soon brightened again when she saw our surroundings. “Wow, it's pretty here!”
A self-satisfied smile crossed my face. I knew she would like it. I had chosen the spot, after much consideration, because I knew how much she liked flowers. There were tiny yellow ones all over the field, with a sakura tree in full bloom, hanging over a reflecting pond along the edge. The blossoms fell from the tree into the pond, looking like tiny pink dancers as they landed gracefully on the water. The rain of the night before had made everything glisten, and the colors all seemed brighter, the way they always do just after a heavy rain. I breathed in, catching the scent of the day, or the scent of Gome, I'm not sure which. I have the feeling that I will never forget the way she smells. It calms me, somehow….
“Wait `till you see what I made you.”
Taking her hand, I led her over the pond. There was a large rock under the sakura tree, behind which I had hidden the kites. I had made them the previous afternoon, and was thanking Kami that I had remembered to ask for a waterproofing charm to tie onto them. I pulled them out now, relishing the admiration that shone in her wide eyes.
“You made those? They're so cool!” I frowned slightly, not understanding the word, but Gome didn't notice. “They must have taken forever! Which one is mine?”
Proud that my work was appreciated, I handed her the kite shaped like a brightly colored dragon. Mine was, predictably, a large white dog.
Gome immediately began to run across the clearing, trying to get her kite to take off. Within seconds, it was high in the air, its blue string taut in the breeze. I began to run as well, and my kite was in the air soon after, its golden string and white paper catching the warm light of the afternoon sun. Neither of us paying attention to our direction, so intent were we on watching our kites as they dipped and swirled in the cloudy blue sky above. So, it was to be expected that, after a few minutes of avoiding each other's paths out of sheer luck…
THUMP
…we crashed into each other. We laid there for a moment, rubbing our foreheads as the wetness of the grass began to soak through our clothes. Eventually, we both sat up and looked around.
Gome was still gingerly rubbing her forehead, and I leaned towards her, worried that se might be hurt. Already, a purple bruise was forming where out heads had cracked together. I could feel a similar lump forming on my temple.
Seeing that I was worried, Gome nudged my hand away from her forehead, and placed her fingers over the bruise. She smiled at my confused expression, and her fingers flashed bright pink.
I jumped slightly, surprised, and blinked to clear my vision. The bruise on her forehead was gone.
Gome noticed the bruise on my own forehead, and touched it lightly.
“Owie! Let me kiss it and make it better!” As I blushed profusely, she did just that. As her lips connected with my skin, there was another flash of pink light. When it faded, I touched my forehead gingerly. The bump that had been emerging there was gone.
How did she…? I thought that only demons, and some very powerful mikos, could heal people…
Seeing my increasingly confused expression, Gome shrugged.
“I dunno. Grandpa told me that if I get a boo-boo and I wish hard enough, it will go away. So, I wished yours away too.”
I gave her one last glance, then shrugged, figuring that it was just another mystery about Gome that I would have to accept. I turned my attention to the kites, to see if they were salvageable. The kites themselves were undamaged, but the strings were hopelessly knotted, making a tangle of blue and gold under the darkening sky. I sniffed. It smelled like it would rain again, and I wanted to gather up the kites and get home before the downpour began.
I walked over to the kites and began to tug at the strings. However, this only tightened the knots, making them even more impossible to untie. Gome noticed what I was doing, and sighed lightly.
“I think we're gonna have to cut them Sessho. Here, let me do it.”
She pulled from somewhere a tiny knife and set to work. Though she was able to untie most of the knots, there was a small section that she had to cut apart. She was left with four pieces of string, two from each of our kites. She knotted together the two halves that were left of the strings or each of our kites, and then looked thoughtfully at the four bits of bright string in her hand. Suddenly, her face lit up.
“I know what we can do with these! Here, give me your wrist.” I raised an eyebrow, but did as she asked. She tied two strings, a blue and a gold, around my wrist, and then handed me the other two, holding her wrist out. I tied them around her wrist. She grinned.
“There, Sessho, now you can never forget me!”
I glanced at the strings. They glowed slightly for a moment, then faded. I shook my head, trying to clear my vision. I looked up at Gome, a slight smile on my face, despite the odd sense of foreboding growing in the pit of my stomach.
“And you'll never forget me either, Gome.”
Two days later, she was gone.
Note:
I screwed up! I said that this took place before my Sleeping to Dream…I meant after. The first sort of gives you Kagome's point of view, and a glimpse into her feelings for Sesshomaru. She seems surer of how she feels than he does…and he's had 1000 years to think!
I screwed up! I said that this took place before my Sleeping to Dream…I meant after. The first sort of gives you Kagome's point of view, and a glimpse into her feelings for Sesshomaru. She seems surer of how she feels than he does…and he's had 1000 years to think!
Otherwise…only two reviews this time (sob)…
Spdsgirl: thanks, sweetie! I'm glad you can follow. I was a little worried that it was too much of a time jump. Did I really give you goose bumps? Yay! I literally did a little happy dance when I read that. But…I'm sorry to say that you won't learn a lot about the older Kagome until the next part of this series (which is, I now see, what this will be…a series. sigh so time-consuming…but I will do as the characters and plot demand!). However, that should not be too long off…and you'll have some sweet scenes between now and then that (I hope) you will like just as well…
(p.s. …love your story! Continue on with it. AU is such fun to read, even if I'm no good at writing it…)
(p.s. …love your story! Continue on with it. AU is such fun to read, even if I'm no good at writing it…)
toxic: thanks! Glad you like it. For sure, I'll keep on with this one, and maybe, if enough people say that they would like it, I will write other follow-up stories!