A Different Fairytale by Utena

A Stormy Tale

A Different Fairytale

by Utena-chan

Tokyo, Japan

The Present

The stormed raged violently outside, sending winds to howl in outrage and rain splattering against the roof and windows.

Inside, Higurashi Kagome snuggled deeper beneath the coverlet as her dark eyes drew their attention to the rain soaked windows. Thankful, she had gone out earlier and done all the shopping needed for the entire day. At least, she would not be out there caught in the storm's fury. She was disappointed however. She wished she had picked up something to read upon a night such as this. She had tried the tv earlier, but nothing seemed to hold her interest longer than two minutes. After flipping through the channels at least twice, she had turned it off and allowed her mind to play upon every imaginable dream it could come up with. In some form, this was far more better than any novel could be as she controlled the direction in which every possibilty could happen.

"Momma?" a little voice trembled

Kagome snapped herself back into reality and turned her attentions towards the entrance of her bedroom. There before her stood her daughter holding her treasured blanket close as if to draw comfort from her fears. She had been expecting her little one to enter, knowing full well that she was frightened of the storm outside and she welcomed this. Any chance possible she could to be close to the little girl she loved more than life itself.

"Sweetheart," Kagome spoke finally. Her voice soft and comforting to the scared little girl as she moved back the coverlet and motioned for her to come lay beside her. "Did that storm outside scare you, my little love?" She asked, wrapping her arms and the coverlet around her.

"It scared me," her daughter replied. "It made sleep impossible."

Kagome's slender hand reached up, brushing away stray strands of silver hair away from her daughter's face and looked down into golden eyes. Even now looking at her precious daughter, she could still see him. It was like looking in a mirror but this image of him was a far different cry than what he was or what he had been.

"Would you like me to tell you a story?" She asked softly, tucking her in at her side.

"Hai, Momma," came the little reply.

Kagome nodded her head, trying to decide exactly how she was going to spin her tale. Of course, stories were never really her forte. It had always been her grandfather's, but now she was a mother and her grandfather was nowhere near this sanctuary to help her out. Then again, she saw no reason why she couldn't try..even if it meant spilling just a bit of truth within.

"Once upon a time," she begun, "there lived a great prince of the Western lands. He was handsome with hair as white as the purest snow and eyes to rival the sun's goldest of sunsets, but he had a cold heart. He was pure youkai who, like many of his own kind, had a great dislike for the human race. No one really knows the reasons behind this as it was never said nor written down. Unfortunately, Fate had other ideas. Though not truly cruel in her dealings, she opted to show him that there were humans out there far different than the ones he had experienced."

"How could Fate do that, Momma? Is she powerful?" her little girl asked curiously settling in next to her mother. Her silvery hair spilling across her mother's arm.

"She is," Kagome answered and continued on with her tale. "One day, the youkai prince set out to find himself a mate as it had been declared by the ruling youkais. He was still in his quest for a bride when a storm rolled in from the East."

"Like this one?" came the interruption at her side.

Kagome nodded her head. "As the rain came down in great sheets of ice cold water, he took refuge in a nearby abandoned hut. However, the place was not nearly abandoned as he thought. Inside was a human woman who, too, had taken refuge from the storm itself. You see, the girl had fled her companions, refusing to remain with any longer with the one who continued to hurt her heart."

"What did she look like?"

"Well, she had blue-black hair that fell down to the small of her back and piercing brown eyes that seemed to change color as her moods did. To some, she had an etheral beauty to her but to herself, she hardly didn't think so. After all, if she was as beautiful as they said, why did the one she love continue to hurt her so? The human girl knew the only one to answer that was not here to do nor protect her from the youkai who decided to share this place. She was far too caught up in her own grief and too kind-hearted to make him leave."

"Poor girl," her daughter replied frowning sadly. "I think the one that hurt her should be hunted down and beaten into the ground!"

Kagome couldn't help but smile down at the precious bundle next to her. Out of the mouth of babes, she thought slightly proud that her daughter was indeed like her in every way.

"The youkai prince, though unused to seeing a woman cry, gentle took the girl into his arms and gave her comfort as best as he could. As the storm continued to rage, the youkai prince and the human woman forged a love that would span centuries afterwards. Unfortunately, storms do not last long and the youkai prince reluctantly had to part from his beloved but before he left, he gave his necklace promising that he would come for her one day. The human girl, taken back by such a gift, nodded her head and then watched her beloved leave her behind."

"Poor girl," her daughter remarked. "Did the necklace reunite them?"

"Hai, it did but the happiness was only short-lived. The girl did not belong in his world and thus had to return to her own but she never stopped searching...never stopped hoping that one day they would be reunited again."

With those words as the last of the story, Kagome reached into her shirt and removed the necklace from its place. She heard her daughter gasp and her topaz-colored eyes widen in shock.

"The girl was you, Momma?"

"Hai," Kagome answered sadly as she returned the necklace back inside her nightshirt. "One day, you will wear this necklace and maybe it will lead you to an adventure of your own."

"Maybe I shall meet someone like the youkai prince," her daughter said wistfully.

"Perhaps," Kagome whispered. Her heart constricted with pain. Tears were threatening to spill down her face but she couldn't let her daughter see the pain this story caused. She would save them for later when she was alone again. Only then would she allow the pain of loneliness take her. Although the tale had helped her in some form, she had not exactly told her daughter the entire truth. Some things were best left as they were. Rin was far too young to truly understand it all. Later, when she was older...much later would tell her everything.

"Goodnight, Momma," Rin yawned from behind a small hand. She snuggled deep within the large blankets of her mother's bed and settled herself comfortably in the middle.

"Goodnight, my darling," Kagome answered back lowering her head and placing a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead.

As soon as she was sure Rin had fallen asleep, only then did she rise from the bed and move to the large window to watch the raging storm. Her hand absentedly raised itself to touch the gold chain of her necklace. All these years, she still wore it...still held onto the piece of jewelry as if it were some lifeline to her. In a way, it was. It helped her through all those months with Inuyasha and continued to keep her sane long enough for Sesshoumaru to come for her just before the final showdown with Naraku.

"Every little girl should know her father," she whispered softly to no one, other than the storm itself, in particular. It was an impossible dream now. Too impossible since she had sealed the well all those years ago. Now her beloved daughter would never truly know the man, rather youkai, that fathered her. In this, she felt guilty. She should have returned to tell him...given him some sign that she loved him but it was too late. She had made her bed and now she had to sleep within it. This did little to ease the aching feel of her heart. She had taken the one thing from Rin--her father--and she would never forgive herself for it.

Kagome sighed. There was no point in further torturing herself upon the matter nor did she have the strength to continue further on the thought. She pushed herself away from the window and crawled into bed next to her daughter.

Outside as the lightning lit up the darkened corners of the land, a figure stood watching the Higurashi shrine. Wisps of silver strands clinging to an elegant visage. Eyes of gold narrowed as the lights went off in the house.

"Kagome..."

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The End