Ascending the steps of a wide veranda, the two women drew to a stop before one of the palace’s outer doors. Mayuri bent low at the waist, the ends of her loosely bound hair nearly brushing the floorboards.
“Let me know if there is anything at all that you need.”
“Thank you, I—”
“Kaa-san!”
Both women turned in surprise as a small, blue-clad figure raced up the porch steps and tackled Mayuri at the waist. Laughing a little, the servant gently prised the young boy’s arms from around her.
“Yahiko,” she scolded lightly, “what have I told you about running on the palace grounds?”
“Not to,” the boy replied with a sheepish blush, the color deepening as he hazarded a glance at Kagome. “But, Kaa-san, look—I had to show you what Tou-san made for me!”
From his pocket, Yahiko withdrew a wooden carving of a samurai, his caramel eyes meeting his mother’s in barely-contained excitement. “Isn’t it great?”
“It certainly is,” Mayuri said warmly, brushing a lock of his dark hair back behind his ear. “Go tell your father I think so.” As the boy started to take off again, she called after him, “Slowly!”
Yahiko slowed to a walk before taking the steps down two at a time. The moment he passed through the palace gates, he broke out into a full sprint again. Watching after him, Kagome didn’t even realize she was frowning until Mayuri turned toward her with a hesitant smile.
“Gomen, Kagome-sama—Yahiko is a sweet boy, but sometimes he forgets his manners.”
“No need to apologize,” Kagome said, smiling back. “How old is he?”
“Four, my lady—almost five.”
The miko nodded, her heart weighing heavy in her chest as she laid a hand on the door of her room. “…I think I will rest for just a bit.”
“Of course,” Mayuri said with a parting bow.
The room Lord Tatsumi had appointed for Kagome’s stay had the same rustic elegance as the rest of the palace. A bed of coals glowed brightly in the central iron brazier, interlocking planks of rich, polished oak lining the floor beneath it. Setting her belongings down next to the crisp white futon in one corner, Kagome collapsed onto the low bench beside it.
Her head fell back against the wall behind her, a soft sigh leaving her lips as she thought of Mayuri’s son, Yahiko. Four years old…had she and Inuyasha had a child of their own, he or she would have been about the same age by now. At the start of their marriage, before the Beast had surfaced and driven his thoughts away from such things, Inuyasha had longed for a child. It was Kagome who had wanted to wait, and now…
Now there was no one—no one to carry on her husband’s blood and legacy. No one to carry his sword. There was only Sesshoumaru, yet even when Kagome had offered him Tessaiga, he had bluntly refused it.
It is not for me to wield, he had said, and when Kagome had argued if not him then who, he had replied, to her profound displeasure, My heir, perhaps.
The thought of some stranger—some arrogant, entitled demon princeling—who had never known or cared anything for Inuyasha wielding his precious sword was more than Kagome’s heart could bear. Even now, the recollection filled her with jaw-clenching bitterness. She’d destroy Tessaiga herself before she let such a travesty come to pass.
Shaking her head to dispel the dark melancholy that had descended over her, Kagome rose from the bench and set about seeing to the sick in need. She spent the rest of the afternoon and a good chunk of the evening visiting the homes of the afflicted with Mayuri and applying the healing salve to their wounds.
Upon contact, the lingering youki was dispelled, along with any infection, and the open sores were sealed. For all of the victims, relief was immediate, and most would be up and about again after a few days’ rest. But to help speed the recovery process along, especially for those who had suffered more severely, Kagome decided to extend her stay a day longer and concoct a restorative to supplement their bodies’ healing efforts. This aim in mind, she went the next morning to the lord of the castle to ask for the necessary supplies.
“Our stores are at your disposal, Kagome-sama,” Tatsumi replied graciously. “Take whatever you need.”
Fortunately, most of the ingredients for the restorative draught were fairly common. Scouring the castle’s pantries with Mayuri’s assistance, Kagome was able to collect all but one.
“Fire moss,” she mumbled. “That’s going to be tricky this time of year…”
“Is that a reddish moss that grows out in a spiked pattern?” Mayuri ventured. “If so, I know where we can still find some.”
“Really?” Kagome asked, brightening.
Mayuri nodded. “Follow me.”
Outside, the servant led them behind the palace kitchens, over to the high, thick-timbered fence surrounding the castle’s perimeter. Darting a swift glance around, Mayuri pulled back a curtain of vines to reveal a gap in the fencing—just large enough for a single person to squeeze through.
“A shortcut into the woods,” the servant whispered with a mischievous smile. “Yahiko showed me this—only after I swore to ‘absolute silence.’”
Kagome snickered. “Don’t worry, Mayuri-san, your secret’s safe with me.”
As the two women slipped through the fence and descended the leaf-strewn slope into the surrounding forest, they continued the game of ‘keep the secret’—each trying to make the other crack as they exchanged increasingly ridiculous expressions while motioning not to speak. Smothering her giggles behind her hand, Kagome felt lighter than she had in years. Here she was, out in the world again—helping others, making new friends, and exploring undiscovered places.
It felt good. It felt right.
About a mile in, the two women drew to a stop before a series of small shallow caverns pocketing the tree-covered hillside, the caves’ interiors cool enough so that a few sparse patches of the red winter moss remained. Baskets in hand, Kagome and Mayuri split up to collect it. Plucking the last scarlet clump from the granite wall before her, the miko turned back to meet up with her companion. As she rounded the hillside, she could have sworn she heard a strange rustle in the branches ahead, but as she pushed past the tall underbrush into the clearing, Mayuri was alone.
With a wink, the servant lifted her brimming basket as if to say, Ready?
Kagome grinned in reply: Game on.
Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi
He followed Mayuri and was going to snatch her?! He must really be getting desperate to track them and attempt a kidnap a woman standing fifty feet away from Kagome. Ridiculous.
She really needs to patch up that hole and instruct them to never go down that path again. What’s she thinking??
“She really needs to patch up that hole and instruct them to never go down that path again” – hahaha! very true
Oh, Kagome…
<3