InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Perfect Reflection ❯ Chapter 3 ( Chapter 3 )

CHAPTER 3:   Izayoi woke that morning with a feeling of infinite happiness.  She had not felt this way at any time in her life that she remembered.  Her people were safe, her lands were safe, and Inu no Taishou was an honored guest of her house.  She washed her face and dressed quickly in her nicest clothes and long, pink, flowered kimono jacket.  She brushed out her hair laboriously, and it shone like ebony when she was done.   However, when Izayoi opened the sliding door to her father’s rooms, Inu no Taishou was no longer there.  She hung her head in shame.  Of course, he would no longer be there.  It must be a great inconvenience for him to have to be housed by humans.  Izayoi felt tears of shame burn in her eyes.  He would not even stay for her.  She had misread his kindness – it was just kindness.  The best she could hope for would be a traveling monk who could help her chronicle Inu no Taishou’s brief visit to her house, and how he saved the land from Oyakata.  She silently closed the door and turned out towards the garden.   Inu no Taishou stood bathed in the purity of morning light, his silvery hair gleaming brightly.  Izayoi scolded herself.  Inu no Taishou was a noble demon; he would not leave without at least saying farewell.  He turned suddenly and stared up at her.  His golden eyes flashed.  Izayoi nodded and she came down the wooden stairs to where Inu no Taishou stood at the mouth of the garden.   “My lord,” she said smoothly, bowing.  “I am so glad to see you healed.”  He had once again donned his metal armor and mantle, and he looked every inch a lord, a warrior, and a general.    He grunted without comment and took off down the path to the garden.  Izayoi stayed behind him a step and to his right.  If there was one thing her castle could take pride in it was the gardens.  Her father had been a botanist in his spare time, and grew many different orchids.  The gardens were always kept in perfect shape, even after his death and with the limited resources the castle had.  Izayoi was proud to have the Great Dog Demon in her gardens, for she knew that there must only be grander in the heavens.   “Izayoi,” the Great Dog Demon said suddenly, pivoting to face her gracefully.   Izayoi bowed in a surprised manner.  “My lord,” she replied softly.   “I must leave, Izayoi,” he said simply.  “But your kindness and hospitality will not go unrewarded.  Meet me where you first saw me at the next full moon.”   Izayoi swallowed hard.  “My lord, I do not expect any kind of reward.  Your honored presence is all I could have hoped for.”   At this, the Dog General cupped her cheek in his large, clawed hand and tipped her face to him.  To her pleasure, she saw that he smiled.  “Nonetheless…” he said in a low voice.  “The next full moon.”   Izayoi was beyond words as she watched him take off, white fur floating grandly behind him.     For days Izayoi was listless.  Every waking moment she had her thoughts on the Great Dog Demon, and she moved through her duties languidly.  It didn’t really matter, though, because many people were still too scared to venture out of the mountains.  Izayoi received a lone message from her fiancé saying that he was trying to end the war as soon as possible, and might be home by the New Year – almost five months away.  Izayoi tried to occupy herself, but the most she could do was clean or tend the garden, neither of which she minded.   As the moon began to wax Izayoi became impatient, and villagers began to creep cautiously from the mountains about the castle.  She realized that it might be difficult to reach the peak she met Inu no Taishou in secret.  Nevertheless, when the moon reached its fullness, Izayoi was reasonably sure that no one suspected her true reason for visiting the village below the castle.   Izayoi was on the peak right as the full moon began to rise, but she still had several hours to wait.  She knelt in the shadow of a nearby, low-hanging tree until the moon was at its zenith.  With her hands folded patiently in her lap, Izayoi concentrated on staying calm.  She refused to make a fool of herself before Inu no Taishou yet again.  As she stared at her hands a chill breeze filled her hair.  Looking up she saw the Dog General.   “Inu no Taishou,” she whispered, pushing her hands out in front of her and bowing her head to meet them.   “Please, stand, Izayoi,” he said to her, his voice low and almost sad sounding.   When she rose she saw that his brows were knitted together.  He beaconed to her.  “Come,” he requested.   She nodded and stood at his side.  He towered above her, gleaming in his armor and silvery hair.  Silently, he placed a hand on her shoulder and a cloud formed at their feet.  Where is he taking me, she asked herself.  The moment she looked up at him questioningly the cloud began to move, and though it was quite solid beneath her feet, Izayoi fought the strongest urge to cling to the Great Dog Demon franticly.  With her eyes closed and her hands clenched together in prayer, Izayoi shook with fear, but did not touch Inu no Taishou.  She did not see the odd flash of emotion that passed over the Dog General’s face before he drew her close to him, holding her firmly to his side.   Izayoi’s shuddering was calmed, and she inhaled deeply into Inu no Taishou’s robes.  He smelled of the summer wind and ancient power.  Izayoi noticed the air becoming thin, and the temperature dropping rapidly.  Soon she was shivering because of the cold, not because of fear.  It was then that the Great Dog Demon draped the white fur of his mantle around her shoulders, and – for the first time in Izayoi’s life – she felt completely safe.   Sooner than she would have liked, Inu no Taishou removed his hand from her back, and she stepped away.  Izayoi gasped at what she saw.  A thin mist rose about her feet, and she saw that she was atop a seemingly endless mountain.  They were at the top of a set of limestone stairs that disappeared into the mist down the mountainside.  But the sight that would never leave her was the austere perfection and absolute beauty of the Great Dog Demon’s home.  The castle was pure white, and rose several stories into the atmosphere.  Huge pines grew at the edges of the castle, and the grand entrance was guarded by two, humongous demon dog statues.    “Allow me to repay your kindness, Izayoi,” he entreated her.   Walking through the castle, one might wonder at the empty severity of it.  But to Izayoi it was the ultimate testament to his nobility.  Inu no Taishou’s castle was built with white wood and stone, and everything gleamed with its own light.  As he led her through the halls, Izayoi did her best to keep her eyes low, but she couldn’t help but marvel at the craftsmanship of the pillars or the richness of the floors.   Izayoi knelt before a low, long table with only a small box on it.  Inu no Taishou knelt on the other side, his eyes trained on her.  “I brought you here to give you this in appreciation for your kindness, Izayoi.  Open it.”   Izayoi knew better than to refuse a gift from a demon.  She did not wish to insult him, especially after all he had done for her and her people.  So she took the finely crafted and decorated box in her hand and undid the metal clasp.  Inside was the most beautiful hairpin she had ever laid eyes on.  She caressed the golden prongs and the pink and green lotus flower jade, her eyes filled with stars.   “Your gift,” she began softly, her voice heavy with emotion, “honors me more than you can know, my lord.”  She bowed her head and closed the box, pressing it to hers stomach.   “Hn,” he grunted lightly.  If she wasn’t completely mistaken, the Great Dog Demon sounded pleased.  Then he rose and motioned for Izayoi to follow.  She placed the box carefully into one of the massive pockets of her kimono and moved quickly to follow her host.   He turned out into a hallway, then into the open air of a garden.  Izayoi nearly gasped at its beauty.  Every rock and bush and flower was perfect in its construction and location.  The water seemed flicked with silver as the moon reflected into it.  Inu no Taishou led her slowly to a covered overlook of the water and pointed out the fish swimming below.  “They’re called moon koi,” he explained when she looked wide-eyed at the glowing, silvery white fish.  “On the full moon they radiate the same light as the moon.  Each one was, at one time, a princess of the moon.  When they died they come to the holy water that flows in this mountain, and rest in the pool in my garden.”   Izayoi gazed at the koi and then at the Great Dog Demon.  He was looking at her, piercing into her soul with his golden-amber eyes.  Suddenly, Izayoi felt her eyes sting with tears, and she turned away from Inu no Taishou.  She gripped the wood railing of the overlook and felt a tear slide down her cheek and into the water below.  The koi danced around it and shone brilliantly the light of the moon back at her.   “You…are not pleased,” the Great Dog Demon said in a low, slightly perplexed voice.   She turned to him as another tear escaped from the corner of her eye.  “My lord,” she said tearfully, “I am very pleased.”   Inu no Taishou frowned in confusion.  “Are you well, Izayoi?”   Izayoi could only shake her head.  “No, my lord,” she said quietly, hanging her head with shame.  “I am unwell because,” she paused and bit her lip, looking again into his eyes.  “I am unwell because I fear I will never see you again after tonight…and that…that is the worst thing I can imagine!”   She tore away from his gaze and looked again at the swimming princesses with their elegant dances.  After a moment of silence, Izayoi felt the Great Dog Demon’s clawed hand on hers.  He held it so gently that Izayoi forced herself to look into his eyes.  They were warm and open, and spoke of tenderness and compassion.  “Is that all?” he asked simply.   So slow it seemed to happen, as through water, the Great Dog Demon held her hand against his chest and drew her body to his with his other hand.  He leaned over her, his eyes pinning her still.  Izayoi closed her eyes in anticipation, and the Great Dog Demon kissed her tenderly, bringing her closer into his arms.  Izayoi felt like crying and singing at the same time.  A vibration and hum of energy seemed to radiate off her skin, and she felt herself spinning inside her own body.   When he released her it took Izayoi a moment to find sure footing.  He held her to him gently, his hand running through her hair.  “I must return you to your home, now, Izayoi.  But I will ask you to meet me once more where you did tonight upon the next full moon.”   Izayoi nodded wordlessly, then murmured, “My lord,” lightly into the Great Dog Demon’s chest.  She felt his chest rumble with approval, and then watched as the white cloud formed at their feet once again.   Inu no Taishou wrapped his fur mantle around Izayoi as he did before, her hand still pressed against his chest.  Once in the air he moved her closer to him, his hand on the small of her back.  The journey was made in silence, but Izayoi was no longer afraid of the height or the chill.  She was safe and warm inside the embrace of the Great Dog Demon, and she had never been so happy in all her life.   It seemed all too soon, but her feet met solid ground again on the top of the staircase leading to the gardens in her own castle.  Izayoi tilted her head up to face Inu no Taishou, and to her he appeared almost sad.  “You will join me next full moon.”  It was almost a question, but not quite.   “Nothing would honor me more, my lord,” she replied evenly.   He looked at her for a moment, and Izayoi couldn’t quite understand what was going on behind his eyes.  “Sugimi.  You are to call me Sugimi.”   Izayoi looked sharply at him.  Of course his name would not be Inu no Taishou or the Great Dog Demon, but she had not thought of what it could be.  She smiled sweetly, warmly, and nodded her head.  “Sugimi.”   Sugimi drew her into him once again, and Izayoi felt as if she was bathed in magic as he kissed her, curling his fingers into her hair.  He kissed her forehead and held her for a long moment – one Izayoi hoped would never end.  She felt suddenly freezing when he stepped away, though it was the middle of summer.  He did not look back as he took into the air.