InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Something Different ❯ Following the Cycle ( Chapter 1 )

Something Different

 

Ever since he could remember, his sister was….different. While he was normal his sister was everything but that. He had short tousled midnight black hair while she had long flowing hair that was silky and….silver. Not grey like an old woman's, but silver. Of course even up till the present, she dyes it so as to protect her from humiliation at school. But that's not the only reason. No. The first and most important reason was because when they were both very little, he walked in on his mother crying over his sleeping, very sick sister. She whispered a name that he had been long since forgotten but his mother wasn't looking at her daughter's face. His mother was touching the silky silver hair that was damp from fever, feeling it, her eyes trained on the color and how the moonlight reflected off the velvety hair. His sister's silver hair made their mother cry and feel lost and lonely. That reason alone made her dye her hair once she was old enough to do so. But, what makes them so different is that when she gets into a state of extreme emotion, two triangular ears will pop up on top of her head. It had happened on some occasions. In fear of upsetting their mother, they made sure that it never happens around her. But when it happened in public the first time in the playground, she ran away as people stared or laughed at her. From then on, she wore a black hat always on top her head.

 

Now, as Mimori looked different, Yui certainly was different in every other aspect. While he looked normal, Yui was stronger than any other person he knew so far, had the shortest temper, he never knew when to shut up, was never the charmer, and was quite violent when anyone threatened or challenged him. He acted so un-human that he questioned his sanity at times.

But the main things that were shared between the two were that they were both dangerously stubborn, and they were born on the same day from the same mother.

Now, at age thirteen, Yui and Mimori have concluded that Mimori was no ordinary girl and Yui was no ordinary boy. Their mother was maybe one of the most beautiful and caring person they knew. She always wore a smile in the presence of others and almost always when by herself. But not always. With their hearing and smell, their mother's tears have kept them up all night sometimes. But the next day, she would be making a delicious breakfast for them.

On the morning of their 15th birthday, after a night of watching their mother cry herself to sleep at the base of the ancient tree, Yui and Mimori walked down the steps of the old shrine home to the kitchen where they smelt their favorite birthday breakfast cooking, ramen.

“Good morning, mom” they both said in unison as they sat opposite each other at the table.

“Good morning, sweethearts,” their mother called over her shoulder as she poured the delicious meal into three bowls.

The room was quiet except for the cheerful humming coming from the woman standing at the table, setting the three meals on the table. The two teenagers gave each other looks that said, `don't say anything.' They smiled and thanked their mother and started their breakfast.

The meal was long and included small chit chat about memories, school, friends (boy friends and girl friends in particular), embarrassed faces and light chuckles. When it was over, their mother gathered their plates and shooed them away from the kitchen to stop them from helping her.

“Mom's in that mode again,” Yui commented as they sat in their respected areas of the living room.

“Well, she's always like this on our birthday, what is expected?” Mimori replied as she made a poof noise when she fell into the cushions of the couch.

Yui made a reach for the controller when a gasp and a dropping of china made him stop and snap his head in the direction. At the sound of the crash, Mimori was on her feet and they both ran to the kitchen where they found their mother over the kitchen sink, the now broken and scattered china on the floor.

“Mom!” Mimori cried and ran to her mother to see what had caused the disturbance. But she was stopped when she saw what had made her mother in the situation that she was in.

Her mother was staring out the window, looking at something. The look of complete shock was almost unbearable for Mimori to look at her mother. Cause in her mother's eyes, were tears.

“It…couldn't….be….,” was all the siblings heard out of her before they saw her run out of the kitchen and to the back door.

“What's gotten in to her?” Yui and Mimori ran after her, not noticing the figure was gone.

`It……isn't possible…I saw him…d-` she stopped at the base of the great tree where the figure had been, trying to catch her breath and calm her heart.

“Mom!” She turned her head at the sound of her children's cries to see them nearing her.

No one was there. She was imagining things. Again.

`Why do I always see him? Why am I haunted by him?' She thought at she placed a hand on her forehead to calm the raging headache coming on.

“Mom, is something wrong?” Her head snapped up at the sound of her daughter's worried voice. A smile instantly found its way on her face as she said to her daughter, “No baby, I just had a little headache. Thank you.”

The siblings walked with her back into the house. She went back to the kitchen to clean the mess and once again shooed her children out when they tried to convince her to help. Where do you think they got some of their unbelievable stubbornness?

Instead of staying in the house, they stepped outside to further investigate where their beloved mother had run to.

“Do you smell anyone?”

“Ya. And it's been here more than once.”

“You mean that one from…?” Mimori didn't finish when she saw her brother nod.

They searched around the tree and the steps and looked at the forest beyond the gate but didn't dare go any further in case their mother was in any trouble.

 

“I guess it's someone like us and can move quickly or maybe someone like us but like magical and can disappear,” Mimori thought aloud as they walked slowly back to the house.

“That's nonsense, there ain't anyone like us,” scoffed Yui as he found a soccer ball and started to kick it.

“You never know,” she pointed out as she tried to take the ball from him.

“I have never once smelt another like us.”

“What are we?” She almost got the ball.

“We're not human.” He went around her in a circle as she whipped around the other way to try and intersect his movement.

“No shit Sherlock.” She tripped him and stole the ball.

Picking himself up at a godly speed, he sprinted after her and so began the chase. Around the tree, up the steps, down steps on the other side, around the main shrine, the shop, then the house where their mother was currently watching them, then down the walkway and then off and pass the tree and kept going.

`They're going towards…, ` her mind began to spin as her memory took her back to a time long long ago when a girl around their age went towards those same doors.

Biting back her scream for them to stop, she scrambled out of the kitchen and headed for the door when something stopped her. She had sealed it. With a sigh of relief, she traveled back to the kitchen and fell into a seat with a loud sigh.

 

“HA! I got it!” Yui stood triumphant at the top of the stairs as he looked at his sister at the bottom near the base of the box structure.

“You pushed me down the stairs you dumb ass!” Mimori snapped irritably as she stood up to dust herself off.

`This place never fails to completely creep me out,' she thought with a shiver.

“You comin out or not?” Yui gazed down at his sister as she stood there in front of the ancient well.

When she failed to answer him, his curiosity got the better of him and he climbed down the steps, jumping down the last five to land next to Mimori who squeaked in surprise. She narrowed her eyes at him to show him that she was not pleased but he merely shrugged and looked around.

“It's dusty,” he stated as he started to sniffle and blink his eyes.

“Wow. Nothing gets past you. Tell me more,” she responded dryly at her brother's lack of intelligence.

“Keh,” was her only response.

She rolled her eyes.

“Sometimes, it reminds me so much of him when he acts all stubborn. Then he makes the sound and then I know he's his son,” the woman finished with a humorless laugh.

“I know honey, I know,” An older woman held the younger persons hand.

“It's so horrible of me, mama, but sometimes I…wish that I never fell through the well… but then I wouldn't have met him and I wouldn't have them now. I would die without my babies…I…just…,”

Her whole body was shaking from the emotions that were raging through the figures body and her mother wrapped her arms around her daughter and rubbed her back while whispering incomprehensible yet comforting words into her daughter's ear.

“Fall through the well…” Mimori suddenly snapped her head towards the well. It was the only well she knew of in the entire city of Tokyo.

“What did ya say, Mi?” Her brother called over his shoulder as he continued to look at the well.

“Yuu, what do you know about this we-“ Mimori never got to finish her questions because right then, the doors slammed open and their frantic looking mother stood there with her hands gripping the doors so tight, her knuckles turned white.

At the sight of her children, she visibly relaxed and smiled at them and asked almost jokingly, “What on earth brought my two lovely children into a dusty ol' place such as this?”

The two stared at her without saying anything for a good few seconds, almost in a shock state as they watched their mother collect herself, let go of the doors and start to walk away, silently begging them to follow her and never return. The way she just immediately turned her back and left made it almost final that she was to never return.

“Nevermind,” Mimori quickly collected herself and hurried to catch up with her mother.

Yui stayed behind for another good five seconds to look at everything and then skipped the steps to follow the two women in his life.

 

“Lunch is served!” The cheerful announcement reached the twins ears in the living room and without another word they darted to the kitchen for their next delicious meal.

Lunch was once again, simple chatter and some laughs here and there.

 

“I think this has officially been the strangest birthday yet.”

“I agree.”

“I wanna go back to the well.”

“Yuu,” she tried to reason with him.

“I sensed something.”

“…”

“Mi, I know you did too.”

“But mom-”

“Will be asleep and we will write her a note saying that went to spend the rest of the night or sumthin with a few friends.”

“She didn't want us to go the well; it would be cruel to her to refuse to obey this one wish of hers.”

“Mom has been hiding something from us; something that I want to find out. NOW.”

He had that stubborn look again. No arguments.

“You don't have to come if you don't want to. No one's forcing you.”

“Don't give me that crap. I'm going with you just so that you don't break your neck when falling down the stairs.”

“You mean how you did today?”

“You pushed me.”

“Keh.”

She fiddled with her hat nervously as she watched the sun start to set. They would be called to dinner soon and then some home made dessert that their mother would make and then she would clean up, watch some news maybe, then sit somewhere and read. Around 11 she would fall asleep.

 

“Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Yuu and Mii!! Happy Birthday to you!!!” They all sang happily.

The small chocolate cake was cut into three slices and the rest was stored in the refrigerator.

 

“Is mom asleep?” Yui asked as his sister entered the room and closed the door behind her so as to not disturb their sleeping mother.

With a nod, Yui pulled out the note from his pocket and brought a small bag with equipment for digging and some snacks and four packs of instant ramen if they got hungry before their mother woke up before them.

“Are you sure?” Mimori checked one last time to see if she could change her brother's mind but when he gave her a face, she smiled weakly and climbed out the window with him and jumped. They ran across the shrine grounds and took a deep breath before opening the doors.

“Turn on your flashlight, you twit, I can barely see,” Mimori felt around for the first step down.

“Alright, alright. I'm…aha! Got it!” At this, a click was heard in the silent darkness and then there was light.

They made it down the steps and quickly went to work on the well in opening it. There was no trouble. They just peeled the seals off, being that they were their mother's and she had long ago taught them the proper way to `un-magic' them. Of course they didn't actually believe her at the time, but then again, they were only around six years old.

They removed the well top and carefully set it down on the floor of the small building next to the well. Together, they climbed down into the darkness with only the beam of light to lead the way down.

Once there feet touched the bottom, Mimori sighed and slid down against the wall of the well to plop on her bottom on the ground.

“No time for restin, Mii. We got work to do.”

She watched as he pulled out two small shovels for gardening since their mother was a big gardener and a few other things that Mimori decided to ignore for the time being and just take a rest.

“Never fell through the well…through the well…”

“Never fell through the well…”

“Mii, you're mumbling to yourself again,” Yui pointed out as he started to inspect the soil.

“…”

“Mii?” He stopped what he was looking at and stared at his sister's face.

“I think mom fell down this well one time.”

“Why do you say that?” He sat down next to her, still holding his shovel in hand.

“It's such a vague memory, but I remember being in the kitchen one day I heard mom saying to grandma at least a year before she died how she wish she never fell down the well. She must've meant this well,” with her right hand, she patted the ground beneath them lightly.

“But would that make her not want us to go near the well after so long? That's stupid.”

“No it isn't, Yuu. I think it had something to do with her meeting d-“

“Don't you dare say that word,” his voice suddenly lowered and a noise closely related to a growl erupted in his throat.

“I know you don't like it, but this if this will help us help mom, I think you should listen,” she pointed out as she tried to calm her brother down.

“Keh, fine.”

“I think mom falling down this well is somehow connected to how she met him. She said something like wishing that she never fell down the well. Then, she regretted that by saying that she might not have met him or have us. Then she cried. That's all I remember. Yuu…maybe he was a doctor or sumthin or…”

“He was like us,” came his emotionless voice as he spoke of him.

“…how…?”

“I've seen one picture of him. And that's all I needed to see to know.”

“You never told me-“

“I wasn't supposed to see it.”

“Where?”

“In mom's room. In her old diary.”

“Yuu…”

“We were only eight! Do you remember when the boiling water splashed on my leg?”

“Yes.”

“Mom ran my leg under cold water in her bathroom and that night, I slept with her. I couldn't sleep and I didn't want to wake mom up so I slipped out of bed and just looked at her stuff. And I found it.”

“What did he look like?”

“It doesn't matter,” he started to get up when he was tugged on his hand by hers.

He looked back and said, “he's my father and your father, whether you like it or not. It does matter.”

“We have to get back to work if we're gonna finish by sun rise,” he slipped his hand out of hers and continued his work.

After he started to dig a little, she joined him reluctantly.

 

About an hour later, both were still digging.

“Ow.”

“What happened? Are you ok, Yuu?”

“Ya, but something hit-“

“Someone's there. Who are you!?”

There was only the scurrying on feet on the steps and the shutting of the door.

“It was the same as yesterdays….”

“That bastard, I'm gonna-“

“Yuu, look. It's glowing. Quick! Turn off you flashlight!”

The light went out and to Yui's astonishment, there was indeed a pink glow coming from the small round sphere on the ground at his feet. They bent down to take a closer look at it.

“What is it?” Mii reached out to touch it when her hand was sharply jerked away by her brother's strong grip.

“Don't touch it! You don't know if it will burn you!” He hissed.

“I'll be careful,” she promised as she yanked her hand from his hold and tentatively reached out again towards the glowing globe.

“Are you ok?” Yuu asked as she gasped lightly.

“…”

“Mii?”

`Such warmth and comfort yet such chaos I sense within it,' she thought as she wrapped her fingers around the warmth.

“Mii! Let go of it!” He cried frantically as the walls disappeared and was replaced by a blue light, surrounding them. He was surprised and unsettled by the sense of flying. He looked at his sister to find her eyes closed and a small smile playing on her lips as she brought the sphere to her heart.

He yanked the thing from her hands and instantly they were back to where they were.

“Yuu!” She complained as he stood up and prepared to throw the thing up and break it through the roof and get rid of it once and for all.

“No Yuu, don't!” Mii scrambled to her feet and reached to stop him to find that he was not even moving. She looked at his face and saw that his expression was filled with confusion and shock. She followed his line of sight and gasped. There was no more ceiling. Instead, thousands of millions of sprinkling stars were blinking right back at them.

“It's beautiful…” Mimori sighed breathlessly as she stared at the sky with a dreamy expression.

“And yet it's not home,” Yui pointed out as he lowered his hand to right in front of his face.

`What have you done you stupid ball?'