The Fake Princess by Yoru-101

Keepsake

The Fake Princess

Prompt: Keepsake

Words: 1000

Sighing heavily, Kagome looked up into the trees of the Goshinboku. The leaves glittered like tiny emeralds, sending threads of sunlight to tickle her face with warmth. The branches clicked and chimed to the beats of the summer breeze. The sky was fresh and blue, inviting as a mother with open arms. A shot of red cut through her calming demeanor. She sighed.

“What do you want, Inuyasha? I’m busy.”

The red-clad male scoffed. “Busy? All you’re doin’ in lyin’ around.”

Kagome made a face. “Maybe if you tried it you might find you’d like it.”

Another scoff. “Doubtful.”

A rustle of cloth was heard next to her, and the red was lost from her sight. Kagome breathed lightly, as if she’d break the spell of tranquility if she was too loud. Neither she nor Inuyasha said a word, they just lay there contently. The breeze picked up it’s tune once again, and the God Tree continued it’s symphony. The world was peaceful and quiet for those moments.

‘We need more moments like this’ Kagome thought to herself. They’d been traveling so much lately, nobody had anytime to relax.  These peaceful seconds that seemed to last for hours, the quiet company of close friends and family, no jewel, that’s what they needed. No fighting demons, no damsels in distress; just lying here peacefully, enjoying the music of nature.

The world continued to turn beneath them. A few seconds without demon hunting wouldn’t kill them, would it?

She heard Inuyasha sigh softly beside her. Kagome smiled gently and reached her hand over to gently grasp his. She fingered his palm until she found fing ers to interlace her own into. His calloused, rough, sword-handling fingers gave her hand a feeling of delicacy; she squeezed. She felt him slowly relax. His nerves were constantly being worn at from being on guard all the time. If anyone, it was he that needed relaxing the most.

In the past, Inuyasha would have never let his guard down for anyone. There would be no lying down peacefully in the grass, no listening to the music of the wind, no company.  A sad twinge plucked away at Kagome’s heart. He was so alone before…

“Inuyasha?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re family to me, you know that right?”

There was a pause, then a squeeze in her palm.

“Yeah. We are.”

Kagome smiled. The sky was so blue.

This was a perfect day. She wouldn’t change them for the world.

Getting up slowly, she didn’t want to disturb Inuyasha in his rare moment of peacefulness, Kagome slowly unfurled her finger’s from Inuyasha’s and stood. Placing her bare feet upon the grass, she marveled at the cool feeling between her toes. The dirt beneath the grass gave the air an aroma that  could not be duplicated in the future. The smell of life and purity. The smell on untainted air and crisp, fresh oxygen. She walked up to the Goshinboku, tracing her fingers upon the lines in the bark. The rough texture was a marvel to her. Her blue eyes and imagination saw pictures in the bark; stories from when the earth was young. She pressed her ear against the tree, listening to the very sounds of life. Her cheek brushed against the bark the touch of an old friend. She closed her eyes and silently thanked it.

She let the sound of the earth wash over her. She could hear the tree’s quiet pulse of life; old and wise. She could hear through her toes the thrumming of a hungry woodpecker a couple trees over. Kagome wondered vaguely if the trees were all family. She focused her hearing on the sleeping hanyou at the base of the tree. She smiled whist keeping her eyes closed. Family. They were family.

A quiet grumble was heard from the thought to be sleeping figure, that was followed by a high pitched squeal.

“Kagome!”

Brilliant blue eyes opened with glee.

“Shippo!”

She opened her arms to him as he bounded towards her.

“You didn’t tell me you were back already!”

Inuyasha grumbled. “You couldn’t have waited another 5 minutes? I was relaxin’ here!”

Kagome grinned. She looked back towards the rest of the expanse of the forest. A familiar jingle of a certain monk’s staff wasn’t too far off.

“Why don’t we all just lie down and have some R&R, then?” she said loud enough for Miroku and Sango to hear. She could hear the two lovebirds talking back and forth in the distance.

“Great idea!” Sango hollered as she came into view. Kagome continued in smiling.

Leaning against the Goshinboku, she waited for her friends, no family, to arrive. They all began to lie down on the expanse of grass at the foot of the tree. Kagome found herself watching them do so before lying down herself. They made an odd family, but they were close. Closer than blood in some aspects. They each trusted one another with their lives. Even Shippo had responsibilities. They were all loved, and they were all content. Their family perfect in her eyes. She wouldn’t change it for the world.

Lying down next to Inuyasha and Shippou, Kagome breathed in the smell of gratitude. Rather than trinkets, it was memories that Kagome liked the most. Memories could never be lost, and the feelings never changed. A trinket’s value might change over time, but a memory stays the same forever. You could always look back on a memory and smile.

Kagome closed her eyes once again. Behind the dark of her eyelids, her imagination roamed free. The blue sky reflected in her memory, swirling behind her eyes. The colours grew deeper, and more vivid. They spiraled around her in a flurry of sparkles and sounds, growing larger and larger. A feeling of weightlessness rushed through her body. A loud chime. A pulse of power. Kagome’s eyes shot open.

The expanse of space was around her. She was time traveling? But she was nowhere near the well!

A rush of panic flew through her. She shut her eyes again and wished for the blue sky. She wished for her family…