A Kludge of One Shots by tenchi no mai
Ghosts Of The Past
This was written in response to Nobo's weekly challenge.
Prompt: Hauntings
Due: May 9th, 2009
Word Limit: None
Actual Word Count: 3875
Additional Info: Karma will be given for the creative use of peanut butter.
Disclaimer: The characters of InuYasha are not mine, they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Yomiuri TV, Sunrise, and Viz Media. Only the plot to this story and my original character, Shun, are my intellectual property. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
'Italics' = thoughts
XXXXXX
Ghosts Of The Past
They were sitting at one end of the large table in the breakfast room. The sun was shining through the wall of windows that overlooked the gardens. It appeared as though it would be another perfect summer day. Inuyasha was spreading his favorite creamy peanut butter on toast, then quaffing down milk between slices. Sesshoumaru and Shun were finishing their breakfasts, while keeping worried eyes on Kagome. She was quietly picking at a muffin and sipping her coffee, definitely not her usual bubbly self.
Kagome had been having nightmares for the past several weeks. She would wake up screaming about a fire, and having to get everyone out of the house, as well as saving the family heirlooms.
Sesshoumaru was extremely concerned; after these nightmares she was mentioning beings who had been dead for centuries, as well as items from the shiro that had also not been in existance for approximately the same time period. He was beginning to wonder if her dreams were being haunted by a ghost.
"Kagome, was the nightmare the same one you have been having lately?" Sesshoumaru was going to get to the bottom of this before it made her sick. He would not have his beloved mate plagued by a recurrent night time visitation.
"Yes, it seemed to be the same, but this time it continued past where it usually ends." Kagome was rubbing her eyes and forehead, as though she had a headache. "I was carrying something, I don't know what it was, running down a hallway, burning wood was falling all around me, then a man, I think he was wearing haramaki, picked me up and continued running. There was a loud noise and everything went black."
Sesshoumaru and Shun looked at each other. Haramaki, that was a term they both knew well, but hadn't heard in a unbelievably long time. Neither one of them had worn battle armor in well over two hundred years.
"What do you think is the meaning of these nightmares that are tormenting you so, little one?" Shun was leaning towards a visitation by a spirit who was, for some reason, unable to continue on to the next world. He and Sesshoumaru had been discussing this just yesterday, and were going to call Miroku to come over and see about having the ex-priest perform a ceremony for the dead to help this spirit or spirits move along.
"I feel like someone is trying to tell me something, or is asking for my help with something, but I can't quite figure out who it is or what they might want." As a semi-trained priestess Kagome could often pick up vibes that none of the demons or the hanyou could feel as anything other than a disturbance in the atmosphere.
To change the subject, Kagome began asking questions about the history of the shiro. She knew a little from reading some old scrolls that were in the library, but loved to hear Sesshoumaru talk about the past, both about the area and the Inu no Taisho family. History was one of her favorite subjects. Between Sesshoumaru and Shun, who she found out had served as an officer with Sesshoumaru's army since the early 1500's, these were always interesting and informative stories.
Sesshoumaru decided that this line of questioning may give them some clues to the current situation, so was more willing than usual to go into some depth with his answers, drawing from his vast knowledge of the history of the shiro.
As Sesshoumaru began talking, Shun picked Kagome up and sat her in his lap, being careful not to spill the coffee from the mug she still held.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes, and snorted. For some reason he couldn't understand, Shun just loved to have Kagome sitting in his lap, his arms wrapped around her. It was disgusting, they were always touching each other... or kissing. 'It's not like the bitch can't sit in a chair by herself.' He spread some peanut butter on another piece of toast. ' I may as well stay and listen, maybe It'll help jog something in my brain, and bring back some more of my memories.' The memories he had managed to regain so far were really old ones, mostly from his childhood.
The shiro had been rebuilt, as well as modernized, numerous times over the millennia, by his great-great-great grandfather on up to himself, until it reached its present form. It now bore more of a resemblance to a haphazardly designed modern mansion, while looking less like an ancient, traditional Japanese castle. To Sesshoumaru though it would always be a shiro, no other word could adequately explain his point of view on his family stronghold.
"The sections of stone wall surrounding the compound are the original walls of the sannomaru, or outermost circle of fortifications of the shiro. Where they have deteriorated, they have been replaced with fencing. When I find a craftsperson capable of working with the old ways, materials and tools, I will have the walls repaired to their original condition. The moat was where the outside road is now, as it circles the shiro. If you look closely off to the side of the front gate, there is the stone foundation of a yagura. This guard tower burned down after it was hit by lightning. It was not rebuilt, because by that time the wars were over."
"As you drive up the road from the gate, it flattens out slightly a little less than half way to where the house is now located. This is where the ninomaru, or second circle of fortifications was located. There are some sections of this wall still standing. These stones have been used over time to repair the sannomaru."
"The road continues uphill to the arched entry gate into the part we now call home. This was where the honmaru, or inner circle of fortifications were. Inside the honmaru was the donjon, or military structure, and the palace itself along with yagura and storage rooms along the walls. One of the guard towers was used as a moon viewing platform."
"Kagome, it is a shame that you never saw the shiro when you were here during the Sengoku Jidai. It was absoutely beautiful at that time, entirely intact. If you had not been transported back to your time by the jewel after the last battle, you would have seen the shiro at the height of it's perfection." Sesshoumaru had a regretful expression in his eyes as he waxed nostalgic about his home. He had imagined many times over the ensuing years how much Kagome would have enjoyed the palace.
"The palace which Inuyasha may remember from his very early childhood, Tsuki-ja, the Palace of the Moon, had mostly burned down when a fire in the kitchens got out of control. It had raged through almost 90% of the structure before it was extinguished. With the help of every one of the servants and the majority of the standing army from the barracks most of the treasures and family heirlooms had been saved. The same could not be said for the building itself. I had it rebuilt in the same location, only with a smaller floorplan. This was after Izayoi's death but before Inuyasha was pinned to the Goshinbuko. There had been several deaths from that fire. If I remember correctly, one of the servant girls and a few soldiers had been killed when several of the palace walls warped and the roof over the main section of the palace caved in."
Shun was suddenly lost in a sea of memories. He could once again see the raging inferno that lit up the night, as well as feel the tremendous heat as the palace burned. The screaming and confusion, beings running in every direction, trying to salvage as much as possible before it was incinerated. Then the aftermath, there were many burns to be treated, and several more beings died from their injuries. "Yes, I remember that one clearly. Takeru, my most talented apprentice, and his wife, Akiko, were killed in that fire. It was only by the grace of the Kamis that more beings were not lost that night." He absently began rubbing Kagome's back.
"Indeed. We were very fortunate." Sesshoumaru had a sudden insight into what may be causing Kagome's nightmares.
Inuyasha suddenly spoke up. "I remember my Mother telling me stories about the palace, and how one section was supposed to be haunted by the ghost of a woman who killed herself over a lost lover who died in battle. She would suddenly materialize and walk through the palace at night, crying and calling out for her lover to return to her. "
"Oh, how sad!" Kagome sat her coffee mug down on the table.
Golden eyes glittering wickedly, Inuyasha leaned over towards Kagome. "Then, of course, there were the ghosts of all the beings who were tortured and died in the dungeons. This whole place is full of spirits!" He waited until her eyes got huge, then leaning closer, yelled, "Boo!" As she jumped out of her skin, and almost fell out of Shun's lap, he rolled off the chair and onto the floor, laughing hysterically.
"Inuyasha! That was totally uncalled for!" Shun was ready to pound him into the floor for scaring Kagome. After the fight a couple months ago, Inuyasha with amnesia was like dealing with a teenager, a juvenile delinquent at that. He had caused more problems in the last few months than Shun could count. 'I almost can't wait for him to get his memory back so we can get him out of this house. Between the practical jokes and immature, sophomoric pranks, not to mention the excess cable bill last month for the pay-per-view porn, everyone is getting fed up.'
"I do not appreciate you scaring my mate by telling tall tales on the subject of things you know nothing about!" Sesshoumaru, whose patience with Inuyasha was almost non-existant any more on a good day, had had enough. "If you cannot control yourself, you will be sent to your room, and I will seal you in there for a couple of hours. Or, better yet, there are a number of chores that need to be done around the shiro, I'm sure Shippo would be more than happy to oversee you completing several of the more strenuous ones on the list."
"Are there really, I mean were there really dungeons on the property?" Kagome was still somewhat wide-eyed as she turned within Shun's arms to look at Sesshoumaru.
He hesitated for a second before answering. "Yes, a long time ago, during Togaou's rule as Lord of the West, there were dungeons that were in use. Since this was well before he was born, Inuyasha certainly would have no idea what may or may not have occurred there." Sesshoumaru couldn't outright lie, but he could withhold parts of the truth, especially since he knew it would upset her. 'Oh, how I wish the dungeons were still useable. I know just who I would incarcerate there! For as long as it took for him to get his memories back, or maybe forever!'
"Where were they, relative to where the house is now?" Picturing them living over top of the old dungeons was more than Kagome wanted to think about.
Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes, he could almost envision what Kagome was imagining. He stopped and thought for a few minutes while glaring at Inuyasha who was still on the floor, laughing. "If I remember correctly, they were on the other side of the honmaru, under the military section of the fortress. When the military side was dismantled, they were filled in and planted over. I am sure by this point in time, there is nothing left of them. In case you are curious, the current house is built over the area where the original palace was, and the garages are where several of the storehouses were located."
"Oh, ok." Kagome breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned back against Shun's chest.
Inuyasha sat up on the floor, still laughing, but not as hard. "Damn, that's a shame, I would have liked to have had a Halloween party in the dungeons!"
"Inuyasha, that is so sick! I can't image anyone wanting to party in an old, dirty, creepy dungeon. Especially if it is haunted!" Shivering, Kagome rubbed her hands up and down her arms.
"That's why it would be perfect for a Halloween party Kagome. Wouldn't have to decorate, just supply food and music. Besides, we can always use some type of ghost... stuff, you know, like bug spray." Inuyasha was laughing again, this time at the expression on Kagome's face.
"You are so weird, Inuyasha! There is no such thing as ghost spray." Kagome crossed her arms and glared at hiim. "The only rebarbative that is currently here is the peanut butter, and that repellent only works on me. You know I hate the smell of it, close the lid, it is making me nauseous."
"Inuyasha, stop agitating. I saw Shippo as well as the gardener drive up. Go help them. They are planning on moving some of the rose bushes, and will need someone to dig new holes for replanting them." Sesshoumaru dismissed Inuyasha, then screwed the lid back on the peanut butter jar, after eating a spoonful of it. 'Hn, it's a shame Kagome doesn't like the smell of the peanut butter, I would love to smear it all over her body, then lick it off. I wonder if they make an odorless peanut butter?"
"Kagome, what are your plans for this morning?" Looking out the windows, Sesshoumaru watched as Shippo handed Inuyasha a shovel, then, with the gardener, begin marking off the new placement for the roses.
Kagome sighed. "Laundry, laundry, and then more laundry. The sun is out, it's supposed to be nice today, I will probably hang it outside to dry. Maybe after lunch I'll lay down and take a nap, I'm tired after waking up several times last night."
Nodding, he gave her a kiss then went to call Miroku and see if he had any ideas for laying their ghost or ghosts to rest. 'I really can't understand Kagome's aversion to using the clothes dryer. She says the clothes smell better after being hung outside. Oh well, at least she doesn't beat the clothes clean on a rock in the river."
XXXXXX
A couple of hours later Sesshoumaru went in search of Shun and Kagome. Walking through the laundry, hanging neatly and flapping in the breeze, he found them under the trees. Kagome was laying down in the shade on a blanket, sound asleep, with her head on Shun's thigh. Shun was leaning against the tree, reading the file listing the requirements for the new security system installation at the diamond exchange, and making notes.
"I have spoken with Miroku, he is coming out here this evening. He will be offering a ceremony for the dead, and has asked that Kagome act as priestess to help him. He thinks if we keep it traditional, with all of us in dress from the Sengoku Jidai, it may appease the spirits and allow them to depart on the journey to the next life." Sesshoumaru knew how much Kagome disliked wearing priestess garb, and was going to let Miroku sweet talk her into doing it.
"That sounds like a good plan to me. Will you sit here with Kagome for a while? I would like to go send a couple e-mails regarding this latest project we have. There are some questions regarding both the installation as well as the problem with Mr. Yomiuri having his current personnel getting fingerprinted and background checked." Shun was gently moving Kagome's head off his thigh.
Sesshoumaru sat down on Kagome's other side, running his claws through her hair as she settled back down into a deeper sleep. "I'll stay here and let her sleep for a while longer before we need to wake her to get ready. This seems to be the longest she has slept without having a nightmare."
XXXXXX
Kagome finished dressing in the traditional shinto priestess garb. White haori, red hakama, white tabi socks and geta. Pulling her hair into a low pony tail, she tied it with a white strip of cloth. She really hated this outfit. It reminded her too much of Kikyo. If anyone other than Miroku had requested that she dress like this, she would have outright refused. He had been very courteous in supplicating her help with the ceremony, explaining that he wished to have the atmosphere as traditional as possible. If this would placate the ghosts that were haunting her sleep and causing her nightmares, she would do almost anything to help Miroku.
Leaving the family wing, she headed over the to office to meet up with Sesshoumaru, Shun and Miroku. Listening to the clack-clack sound the geta made as she walked, she was remembering helping her grandfather at the shrine on holidays, when both she and her mother helped perform the services as miko.
Reaching the office, she was surprised to see Sesshoumaru and Shun both wearing clothing from the past. Her heart overflowed as she took in the picture Sesshoumaru made. He looked like he had the last time she had seen him in the Sengoku Jidai. White silk kimono with red sakura blossoms on the shoulder and sleeves, white silk hakama, blue and gold sash. The only things missing were mokomoko-sama, the armor and swords.
Sesshoumaru smirked as he watched Kagome give him the once over. He could feel the love and adoration pouring out into her aura, as she gazed at him. He heard the deep intake of breath, saw her eyes widen, and then wondered why he hadn't thought to wear this outfit for her before now. "I'll have to remember this reaction. I am now curious if she will still fit into that indecent school fuku that she used to wear. That would certainly lead to some interesting encounters. I'll have to clue Shun into the idea and see where we can go from there."
Shun was noting Kagome's reaction also. After seeing Miroku standing there in his robes, waraji on his feet, holding his shakujo, he now remembered seeing him like this once before. He had left the shiro to find Sesshoumaru to relay a message of extreme importance from the Lord of the North. It had taken a while to track him down, he was traveling with Inuyasha's tachi, hunting the Shikon no Kakera and the spider. Coming upon their campsite, he and Sesshoumaru spoke for quite some time. Trying to remember who else may have been there, he remembered seeing Rin, Ah-Un, Jaken, a female demon slayer, the young male demon slayer that traveled with Sesshoumaru, a fox kit, and a young girl in the most outlandish clothes he had ever seen. At the time he had assumed she was Inuyasha's pansuke, and dismissed them all as unimportant to his mission.
After admiring Sesshoumaru, Kagome turned towards Shun. He was wearing a black haori with the symbol for the Taisho household embroidered on it as well as some old style kanji that she was unable to decipher, with black hakamas, and a red and gold sash. He also had no armor or swords.
Finally looking over at Miroku, she smiled as she went over to give him a hug. "Well, this certainly brings back memories." As Miroku hugged her back the rings on the shakujo jingled with his movement. "I haven't heard that sound in a few years!"
Stepping over to the desk, she picked up the paper lanterns that Shun had helped her make earlier, and put the matches in the sleeve of her haori. "I guess we're ready when you are Miroku."
With Miroku leading the way, they went outside to the courtyard between the main house and the garages. Miroku had already set up a small portable altar facing the gardens, with cushions arranged on the ground behind where he would kneel for the ceremony. The traditional incense sticks were burning, giving off the familiar, pungent smell that was used for funerals. Flowers had been cut and placed in the appropriate containers. The total effect was quite beautiful and peaceful. Sesshoumaru, Shun and Kagome took their places sitting on the cushions, with Kagome between the two males.
Miroku started the ceremony with the old style prayers for the departed souls, kneeling and bowing towards the altar. After completing the somewhat lengthy Buddhist service, he then began the circular dance for the odori chanting the song for the peaceful departure of said souls to their afterlife in the next dimension. The rings on the shakoju jingled as he carefully tapped the end of the shakoju on the ground in time with his steps as he seemed to enter a trance like state.
Shesshoumaru and Shun both put out a hand to help Kagome stand up. She took Miroku's place on the cushion in front of the altar, offering the final prayers before she lit the candles inside the paper lanterns. As they watched, it appeared as though smoke, or mist, was beginning to twine around Miroku's shakoju, moving from the ground upwards toward the rings. The mist thickened and took the form of two beings, one male and one female. With a start, Shun recognized the images of Takeru and Akiko as they turned and smiled at him before swirling out from the top of the shakoju to dissappear into the twilight.
Kagome lit the tea lights inside the lanterns, then took them over to the small stream that exited from the koi pond and ran down the gentle grade of the shiro towards the beach and the sea. Setting them onto the slowly flowing water, she watched them until they were out of sight, the flickering glow of the candles disappearing through the trees at the edge of the honmaru. As she turned to walk back to her mates, she softy smiled, feeling a lightening of her sorrow, realizing the haunting of her dreams was at an end.
Miroku, finishing his chants, turned towards Sesshoumaru and Shun, who had stood, bowing once. "I think your haunting has reached a satisfactory conclusion, gentlemen."
Shun, after bowing back, said "It certainly appears to be the closure we have been seeking. I thank you for your help in this delicate matter."
"I would do anything within my power to help Kagome, she gave me back my life many years ago when she killed Naraku and lifted the curse from my family." Miroku was removing the prayer beads and purple silk wrapping from his right hand as he spoke. He still couldn't understand the compulsion to put them on to begin with, but when he donned his kesu, the urge to do so was simply undeniable.
Sesshoumaru was holding his hand out to Kagome. "Come, miko, we have a small dinner that has been prepared and is waiting for us."
Shun and Miroku followed Shesshoumaru and Kagome into the house, closing the door quietly on this rather unforgetable episode in their long lives.