InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mark the Beginning of Love ❯ Another Day, another New Thing to Learn ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi. Doi.

 

A/N: Ok, I'm soooo sorry for the long update. Writer's block totally killed me and I thought I should just give up. But, of course, that would be unfair, right? So, here's the next chapter! Gomen nasai!!!

 

Mark the Beginning of Love

 

Chapter Five~

Another Day, another New Thing to Learn

 

She slept there peacefully for quite a long period of time. When she did arise, it was because she had had her fill of rest and was suddenly eager to explore this new house which she had been so kindly made a part of.

 

A pair of fuzzy slippers had been placed at the foot of the bed for her. She could tell they were for her because they were a bright pinkish color, and if she knew any better, boys did not wear fuzzy pink slippers. So, after she put on the slippers, she quietly padded across the vast room and opened the door. There was no one in sight.

 

Smirking, Kagura tiptoed out of the bedroom and looked around at all the doors that led to mysterious wonders.

 

There are so many doors to choose...which one?

 

She didn't know just how long she stood there, gazing at each and every individual door. However, she did know that when she finally decided, she was happy with her decision.

 

Before her was a vast room, filled with toys of every kind. There were teddy bears, dolls, plastic contraptions, trains, toy castles, building blocks, and baby books galore. Every corner held a different kind of scene. In one corner, she observed, the toys and buildings were made to represent the medieval times. There were an assortment of teddy bears dressed in the traditional medieval knight uniforms and girl dolls adorned with red and gold gowns and those weird hats. A castle had been set up and a little moat had been added along with it. It was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

 

But, oh, she hadn't seen the other side of the room yet. The moment she laid her eyes on it, she almost squealed in excitement.

 

It was a mermaid set, the thought of the idea a classic. Every single piece fit perfectly, though, and there wasn't a doll out of place. Attached to the wall was a large pool like machine. It was the kind that allowed water to fall down the rocks and into the gourd like bottom, but it never overflowed because the water almost magically found its way up the rocks again. She desperately wanted to touch and feel the water- it was so crystal clear!

 

Wow, I wonder whose room this is. They are so lucky!

 

After a few more minutes gazing and admiring the different scenes, Kagura came to the conclusion that she had to get out of that room. Sure, it was a fantastic room and all, but she was still dying to find out what the rest of the house looked like.

 

Carefully shutting the door to the toy room close, she made her way to the room down the hall and, taking a deep breath, opened the door.

 

Although it wasn't as toy galore-ish as the previous room, it still amazed her.

 

Books lined the shelves, hundreds- no, thousands -of novels. This room was by far the largest and for a good reason! If the room had been even the slightest bit smaller, it would not have been able to contain so many books and keep its comforting feeling. She could just feel the comfort the room provided. How splendid it would be to be allowed to read in such a room!

 

With small steps, Kagura approached the shelves with interest surpassing any she had ever felt before. The books were in alphabetical order, she noticed, for the authors on the first shelf all started with A-F. There was a children's section, a young adult section, and, of course, the adult section.

 

Kagura couldn't help but go around, just feeling the spines of each book. It had been her dream to visit a library and this room made her dream comes true.

 

There are so many books...I wish I could read them all!

 

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming towards the room she was in. Thinking fast, Kagura hid behind a large stack of books and hoped no one would see her hidden there.

 

When the door opened, she shut her mouth tightly, so as not to make the slightest sound. The person who entered looked out the door just in case someone was following him, closed the door in satisfaction, and walked over to one of the aisles. Kagura peeked very slowly and quietly to catch a glimpse of the person. To her surprise, she found it was Sesshoumaru.

 

Sesshoumaru walked down to the farthest part of the room and pulled out a stool. Climbing onto it, he reached up and revealed a golden-spine novel, complete with a made in bookmark- a radiant gold strip of cloth. He stepped off the stool and proceeded to sit upon it, taking out a pen that had been stuffed in his pocket. He opened the book to the page which was marked by the bookmark, raised his pen, and began writing.

 

Just how long he sat there writing was completely unknown to Kagura. All she could do was cower behind the stack of books and pray she did not sneeze on the tiny dust particles that seemed to brush off the old books. He continued to write secretly, pausing every now and then to rethink what he had written. At long last, he closed the book and stood up onto the stool, attempting to place it back in its proper position.

 

To her dismay, Kagura did the very think that she had so vigorously wished against. She sneezed.

 

The boy she had come to know little about instantly turned around. His expression was as placid as ever, but a twinge of curiosity and perplexity slighted edged his features. After situating the novel back onto the shelf, he put away the stool and looked around the room. With a raised eyebrow, he noticed there was shuffling coming from behind the stack of old novels his father had collected over the years.

 

That little brat...Father must have left Inu Yasha out of his sight again...and after I told him never to enter this room.

 

Sesshoumaru obviously thought that it was his younger sibling, whom he had found a great dislike towards due to their situation with his mother and their shared father. When he drew nearer to the figure, he still had yet to realize his mistake. With an icy tone, he stated:

 

“What is your business here, little brother? Have I not warned you to steer far from this room when there are occupants within it?”

 

The reply was...well...quite unexpected to the young lord in waiting.

 

“I am not your little brother, you idiot!”

 

The word idiot in itself caused the boy to instantly comprehend his error, but the slightly low-pitched lady voice completely shook him. With both eyebrows raised, he stepped slightly to the side to allow her room to step aside from the cramped position behind the books and she proceeded to dusting herself. She gave him a slightly embarrassed expression, but skillfully covered it with a glare.

 

Neither of them had anything to say and for quite an eerily amount of time, there was nothing but silence. Sesshoumaru, never quite comfortable with an exaggerated amount of non-verbal communication (especially since she was a girl), decided to break the ice for once and said, “Why are you here?” so casually it almost made Kagura flinch.

 

“I'm just looking around,” she replied simply. “Is that against your wishes?” She had to smirk at that last remark. It wasn't like she cared what he wanted her to do anyway.

 

Looking her over skeptically, Sesshoumaru turned to face the door and spoke in his normal emotionless tone, “How long were you hiding behind that stack?”

 

“I wasn't hiding...”

 

“It seemed evident.”

 

Kagura glared at him. His words always made her stop and think over what he was saying before she could actually think up a retort worthy of voicing. Though most boys his age could barely pronounce `superstitious' without slipping up, he had an enlarged vocabulary. It sort of suits him, she observed. He seems like a kid who would have a mature vocabulary list in his head to make him sound more prestigious.

 

“Are you finished with your session of staring or should I continue to wait for a reply?” His tone wasn't all that different, except for the fact that he was becoming more and more impatient with her.

 

Very intelligently, Kagura replied with, “What?”

 

He sighed and asked, “Were you or were you not hiding?”

 

“Does it matter?”

 

...

 

Ha! Finally, the great and mighty Sesshoumaru has brought up something that is not worth talking about! I knew he was still a kid in that big block of walking, talking ice!

 

He didn't say anything as she inwardly congratulated herself on a job well done. Instead, he walked away, stopping only when she finally realized he was departing and told him to wait.

 

“What more do you need?” he asked.

 

“What was that book? You know, the pretty gold one that took you forever to write in?”

 

His response startled the girl greatly. He smashed his fist into the wall and told her angrily, “That is none of your concern! It would not be wise to pry into another's life.” With a glare in her direction, he left the room.

 

Kagura stood there, dumbfounded. He had just lost his composure, and it had freaked her out badly! Never had she even considered that he could possess the ability to get angry or emotional. From her very diminutive quantity of experience in his presence, Sesshoumaru had turned out to be a boy wise beyond his years. Indeed, he still was, but that image of him glaring at her in a very angry state had frightened her so much that she had almost considered ducking in case he suddenly developed the capability of breathing fire.

 

“That is none of your concern!” he had said but a few minutes ago. Already the words seemed to haunt her.

 

Of course not! Nothing is my concern anymore!

 

She was really getting tired of people responding to her questions with a snap like that. She may not have been considered equal to anyone, but she felt she deserved to make friends and learn more about them through difficult times and past memories. Just what had she done wrong to wonder? Was she not, after all, a child? Therefore, did she not have the privilege and desire to become more knowledgeable in topics that interested her?

 

Yes, she was a child, but a strong-willed one at that. And one little loss of composure was not going to cause her to start shivering in her boots, crying out for her mother. No. She knew better than that.

 

With a glance back at the bookshelves, Kagura realized that Sesshoumaru had made a great mistake. He had left her alone- which meant that she could easily take up that book herself and skim through the pages!

 

If one were to base her upon the majority of young girls like her, one would assume that with her feminine instinct, she would have neglected that idea and respected his privacy. Well, Kagura acted more like a boy anyhow so she practically leaped at the chance to read what he had written.

 

Grabbing the stool and placing it where she had previously seen the young lord in waiting place it, she hopped onto it and tip-toed to reach the desired novel. Once obtained, she grinned in delight and sat down to read. The writing was amazingly perfect and flawless, and it surprised her very subtly to know that it belonged to Sesshoumaru.

 

Once the front page was opened, Kagura had to admit, her eyes could not leave the pages. She read every word, sentence, and phrase on each page with wide eyes.

 

Perhaps it was a mistake to invade his privacy after all.