InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ First Name Last, Last Name First ❯ Dreary ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Cold. It was unbelievably cold that morning. The sun was just starting to peek over the murmuring waves, turning the dark sky into a slightly lighter violet. The waves were shedding their dark forbidding look and replacing it with a more congenial appearance, while continuing their dance with the grey rocky shore.
The regular morning fog had disappeared, as if it understood the importance of this moment and had crept away to leave the family alone. And there they stood.
A small family, only four members. The house that shadowed them was modest and seemed to withdraw attention from itself instead of boasting the family’s wealth like so many other houses. It was surrounded by a large garden that, in the summer and spring, bloomed magnificently with flowers, shrubs, trees and plants of all kinds. The garden was then surrounded by a low black iron rail fence and a wide gate that was crawling with branches of barren ivy. It was beside this gate that the family stood.
A dark haired woman stood with a baby in her arms and tears in her eyes, the baby reached towards the woman’s face with his small pudgy arms and fingers unaware of what was happening. A slim and handsome man stood opposite the woman. He smiled reassuringly while waiting for his horse that was being brought to him by one of the stable hands.
The man and woman exchanged brave farewells and the man held his baby son in his arms before returning him to his wife and facing his young daughter who stood by quietly.
She was scrawny, with fair skin that was identical to her mother’s, except that her cheeks were turning red with the cold and a small bruise showed below her small lips. The bruise was from running around the gardens with one of the family dogs; the dog had kicked up a rock while in front of the girl.
Presently, the man kneeled in front of the girl and lifted his hands to her face. He flashed her a winning smile and leaned in closer to whisper in her ear.
“Take care of Mama and the babe, and do not forget me. I will return soon.”
The girl looked at her father with tear stained eyes but she nodded, spilling some of her unruly ebony hair from her linen cap. The man’s smile widened and he tickled his daughter’s nose with the ruffled lace that peeked out from his jacket sleeve. The girl smiled, her mouth lifting and casting an innocent hope. That did nothing to raise either the man’s, or his wife’s, fears however.
The near sound of horse hooves sounded behind them. The man stood, brushed off his navy coat while his family looked at him with evident worry.
“You will be back soon?”
The man looked at his wife and gave way to his urge to gather her up in his arms, at least one more time. The woman smiled and relaxed into what she hoped wouldn’t be her last embrace with her husband; the baby gurgled and laughed as he was squeezed between the adults.
“I will come back. I promise it to you all.”
A young boy came to the man and bowed, “Sir, your horse.”
The man nodded, swung himself onto the big grey mare and motioned to the servant to bring him his bag. The boy complied and nearly dropped the bag when he tried to pass it to the man in one motion.
“Steady there, boy.”
And with a last wave to his family and a quick smile, the man set into motion. To help create the new government. In America.
The girl gazed after her father’s retreating back, with his departure something inside her strained to get loose. Selfishness. The key emotion to all unjust actions.
“Daddy!”
The scream echoed to the man and beyond, a shrill sound parting the still air as a knife does skin. The man just rode on, thinking of the money and change he would bring to this new place. The scream of his daughter came and went without a second thought.
And all that he had said and done at the house was erased by his vision of power and wealth.
Some people are born actors.

>---------------------------<

“Kamika ze is really a very simple technique. Hold out your hands and...do not forget to put your gloves on, Renni...Where was I? Oh yes...”
The aged instructor was using exaggerated hand motions while most of his students followed. There were a few exceptions, such as-
“Yashi! Pay attention, I will not repeat the Kamikaze again!”
The young man had been caught dozing, he often did in this class and he was plenty used to being reprimanded. This time he just sat up, flicked back his newly cut forelocks and glowered at the instructor’s turned back.
“Keh, not like I don’t know this already.”
“Shut it. You never do anything in this class. I’m surprised you haven’t totally flunked yet.”
The addressed person turned his head, gave a half-hearted glare and reached towards the girl who had spoken to him. She flinched back but tried to hold her ground as the man’s fingers hovered in front of her lips.
“Hmm, maybe I should show my talents in class. How about I start with showing you?” The boy smirked and whispered something under his breath.
“Oh, Master Smot? I want to inform you of something.”
The old teacher turned around from drawing a proper pentagram upon the board, “What is it, Eri? I am in the midst of this and need concentration!”
Eri stood from her cramped desk and began to saunter towards her elder, “I just wanted to tell you how much I crave your wonderfully delicious hands. They just speak of experience.”
Yashi snickered in his seat as the Mystik teacher’s eyes grew to triple their size amongst the numerous creases of skin.
“What are you speaking?! Have you no idea who you are speaking to? I am no playful young sir. I am-”
By now the girl had reached Master Smot and had raised a hand to his lips and traced them, gently brushing the sparse hairs that grew nearby. Some students were trying to hopelessly hide their obvious mirth while others were horrified that this might develop into something more serious. Then there was always the few that were rooting for Master Smot.
A faint whistle could be heard from somewhere in the class and Eri immediately stopped her demonstrations. Sensing that something had changed the students quieted, leaning over their desks to hear anything that was said.
“Oh-oh-oh, er, Master Smot? I, um, did not mean anything by what I said.” Eri turned towards the class a bit so that everyone could see the bright blush that covered her normally pale neck and face, “In fact, I was under some manner of-of spell. Otherwise I would never have done or said any such things!”
The students stared at the scene to see how their instructor would react to such an obvious lie and being openly humiliated.
“You must believe me. That horrid Yashi did something to me and I couldn’t-”
Master Smot held up his hand, “If you are referring to that,” he paused to nudge his head towards the seemingly napping Yashi, “sleeping idiot then I suggest you try to think of a new excuse. Preferably one that does not fabricate falsehoods and insult my intelligence.”
Eri looked away and tried to keep her classmates from seeing her distress and embarrassment. This day started so well, why did I have to be such a disharmonious prissy, today of all days?
“And, you may think of it as I speak of this to the headmaster. I believe he will be very...amused.”
“But...” Eri sighed knowing she should never have spoken, “As you think is wise, Master Smot.”
Yashi opened a single amber tinged eye and grinned at the girl. Maybe she’ll get expelled and then have to become a maid or a chimney sweep. She should be glad I set up her future so nicely for her.
As Eri was heading back to her seat, Yashi stuck his foot out and sent the girl sprawling on the floor. She could barely contain her tears.

>---------------------------<

Fresh new light gushed through partially closed curtains. The light fell upon a over stuffed quilt made of rough fabric that sat upon a large four poster bed. That bed was placed in the midst of an extensive bedroom.
The walls were hung with brightly flushed hangings that depicted scenes of cherry blossoms, meadows of white roses, snow swirling in gusts of wind and beautiful sunrises upon the ocean.
But the hanging that stood out amongst the others was smaller, darker and warped by age. It was nearly hidden by an oak bookshelf that housed many books that had more lovely pictures in them. Below the hanging was a tiny silver plaque that read-
“Of light, Of day,
Which shall lead thou astray?
The dark, The night,
Trust these with thou might.
Forget, Remind,
Thou shall come in time.
He that so walks ‘pon crooked path,
Let virtue lead thou or Let thou be taken by Wrath?”
This plaque was fairly smooth if a bit tarnished. Which was nothing compared to the even smaller plaque below it. That plaque was scraped and rubbed until whatever words had resided there before were unreadable. It also had strange marks, as if it been seared to the wall by some amazing power.
The girl who slept in this bedroom had often tried to decipher the message, failing each time. Though, at night she sometimes imagined that the plaque’s words shone with a bright clear light.
The girl in question was coming to her tenth year at the house, making her seventeen at last. She had been studying fervently the past four years with various tutors so that she may be enrolled at Academia Hekataea, the grandest of the academies in this new world and possibly England as well.
Presently she was engaged in a daring battle of wits.
“This is boring, why don’t we go outside and-”
The girl held a finger to the boy’s mouth. Concentrating on the small ivory pieces standing before her.
“At least let me finish, brother. We won’t be seeing each other for awhile once I go to the Academy. We can go ride later on.”
The boy slumped in his chair and scratched at his itchy shirt collar. Every few minutes he would let out a dramatic sigh and wave his arms around. The girl’s teeth were grinding with hard maintained irritation.
“Sooota...”
The boy chanced a look at his sister before slowly sliding off the chair. His sister’s eyes were glued to the table and she didn’t notice him sneaking away until he was to the door.
“Where are you going? It’s your turn.”
“I thought that I would go see Kohaku.”
“You think the stable boy is more interesting than your own sister?”
Sota glanced around nervously before nearly running out the door, bowling over an older servant on the way out. The old man hardly took notice as he slipped into the kitchens.
Kagome sighed as she watched her brother chatting with his old friend. She knew she had never taken much interest in being Sota’s friend. She had barely seen him when she had been studying for those long years. Her mother had become less familiar and the few friends she had had were long forgotten. She had pushed the memories of her father out of her mind after she figured out that he would never come home. That he had broken his promise.
“Mis’ress, there is a pack’ge for ye.”
Kagome nodded before taking the mail from the maid. She carefully opened it and looked through the contents.

To one, Miss Kagome Higurashi.
You have been chosen as the new pupil for our academy in this coming winter. Please respond immediately and with all due haste. We will be expecting your presence in one month’s time when we will formally introduce you to our breath-taking buildings and land.
You may bring a hand maid, and two other servants, and of course the ones driving the carriage. You may bring your most important items. However, we do not tolerate or allow mystik weapons. Only 5-year students may house mystik weapons.

Academia Hekataea
Headmaster Camillus Irving Knox

Camillus Irving Knox

Kagome gasped as the message squeezed through to her brain. Her life time dream was so much closer now. She could almost feel her mind swelling with the new knowledge she would receive.
“Excuse me? Could you pack some things for me? I will be leaving to go to,” Kagome paused and tasted the words as she spoke them, “Academia Hekataea as soon as possible.”
The servant nodded stiffly and made a quick get away. Kagome hugged the letter to her chest and relished in this new feeling of being wanted. She knew her mother loved her, but hardly acknowledged it. Her father leaving them had devastated the young girl.

“What do you mean daddy isn’t coming home, Mommy?”
“I’m sorry, dear, he-he...daddy has left. I’m sure he’ll come back. Some day. So you must try very hard in your studies so he can see what a smart daughter he has.”
“So daddy is coming back?”
“I’m sure he will.”
“Then I’ll try real hard, Mommy. Don’t worry. I’ll get started right away! But can I have some cake first? Please? I’ll start afterwards. I promise.”
“Of course, dear.”

It was several years before the girl found the letter that had been sent from the government. One of her father’s colleagues had written a letter saying that her sweet father had disappeared. No one had seen him in over a month, his belongings were still there. All but the clothes on his back and a missing document he had been writing.
After that, Kagome threw herself into her studies with a fury. Secretly believing that her father had run away from her and that if she was the smartest daughter of anyone in these parts, her father would come back.
Of course, he hadn’t come back.

>---------------------------<

The sky was darkening outside and the rain was beginning to fall. The smarter students had gone inside long ago. But a few were just now running in the main building with their papers. Once the rain really started coming down, there was only one student left outside. It was, of course, Yashi.
He didn’t like the rain but he hated being indoors with all the other students. He considered himself much better than them only because he had taught himself most of the things they were teaching here anyways. His brother had convinced his mother that sending Yashi to a academy would be good decision. Yashi hated this place.
His black hair was getting wetter and wetter while his mind was coming up with more horrible things to do to Shesshomaru. His elder brother.
In the distance, a faint shape made it’s way towards the academy. It was a pale white and blue carriage which was being driven by an old driver. Yashi only noticed it through the sleeting rain as it drove up the road to the academy. He looked at it with slight interest. He was going to turn away and admit defeat to the rain when the door of the carriage opened.
Out stepped out a young maiden. Her ebony hair was kept up in a slightly messy bun that flopped somewhat sideways on her head. Her already pale skin was powdered further to try and disguise the girl’s obvious blush. She wore a plain dress that didn’t show off her wealth but her beauty.
As soon as the heavy rain hit the girl, her bun fell apart, the powder streamed off her face and her, luckily, dark dress soaked. But she hardly noticed.
Yashi was taking a good look at this strange creature. He was already turning the anger against his brother towards devising a plan to embarrass this girl.
Kagome raised her hands to the sky and welcomed the oncoming rain. She was too proud of herself for coming this far. Her heart was whispering that this would fix everything, but her mind shouted that this would only change her. Her heart whispered in such a lovely voice, she could not resist it.
It was at the time when she was starting after her servants when she spotted someone standing under a small elm in the courtyard. Kagome decided to start making new friends right here and now. Maybe this person was bullied and needed a friend, needed her more importantly.
Yashi’s eyes widened as he saw the girl coming at him, nearly tripping in her heavy, wet skirt. She raised her hand in greeting and gave him a bright smile. He only sneered more. Yashi hated bright and happy people.
“Good morning. I’ve just arrived here. It’s really very beautiful, I’m sure it’s even more so inside. Maybe you could show me to the headmaster’s room? He’s to give me my room.”
Yashi crossed his arms and turned away from the girl. Suddenly all he wanted to do was get away from her like it was an instinct. From close up she looked much worse than farther away. The girls at the academy loved to flirt with the boys. So they always had their hair pinned perfectly, their powder perfectly applied and their dresses always showed more than Yashi liked to see.
This girl was an odd sight here among perfection. Why not make the most of it?
Yashi silently walked towards the headmaster’s building, Kagome faithfully keeping up. The rain slowly turned colder and colder, snowflakes soon appeared among the wet visitors. Winter had begun to settle herself in for a long visit.

>---------------------------<

Hokey Goshness! I finally finished the first chapter of this. I tried to fix my writing and experiment with different things. I’ve no idea when the second chapter will be out. Hopefully earlier than a month...
Happi Evilness!