Normalcy: Mornings + Mountains

Mornings and Mountains



The sky was dull through the heavy clouds that hung low in the atmosphere, the air chilled and crisp. Northern winds pushed the cover southwest from the northern territories, the edges of the storms folding over Edo for nine leagues and more in all directions. It was late November and the weather was beginning to turn over for the long winter months, leaves all but fallen from their slender branches, great cedars joining to drop their coverage to the forest floor.

Sugi lined the path from the shrine and main gates to the gardens, stone lanterns sitting in the grasses in front of the aged trees, the koi ponds that were murky from the foliage that littered the waters further up the paths. The fish had dived deeper, looking to avoid the icy chill of the surface. Stones with moss lined the pools under the bridges that connected sections of the garden together, frosted over from the moisture in the air.

Wilted plum trees sat silently across one set of bridges, where cherry and magnolias sat over another. Stone seating benches were placed at the base of the flowery trees, across from a stone pagoda that burned incense under its roof as an offering.

A chilling breeze shook the shoji of the first house through the hisashi bracings, the walkway polished and washed. The winding expanse wrapped around the garden, providing an alternate path from the gates. Adjacent to the entrance house was a two level secondary building, connected by painted fusuma of weeping cherry blossoms that spilled across the cream rice paper. Two divisions separated the greeting hall to the living area, the first floor moya designed for tea and dinning, and the second a war room, shelves of scrolls lining two walls with a low desk and cushion in the middle, a balcony circling the outer walls.

Through the back was another, more private garden that held an aged cedar, taller than the young sugi, and a range of exotic plants that returned in the spring, protected by sprouts of bamboo and weaning bonsai. The arching, walled walkways around the sacred garden block the view, reserving it only for the residents of the house. A bathhouse resided to the south, and the rooming quarters to the west in a multi-leveled structure.

Stone and woods walled in the lord's home, protected by nature itself.

It was a quiet morning, the birds singing their last songs before winter came and they would be force to bed down more often and save their melodies for the spring. The shoji windows rattled from the wind, the wood and clay walls groaning softly.

Embers smoldered and crackled in a stone pit, built into the floor of the second story room by a clever mind that thought to heat the upper floors of the house to provide comfort for the room's occupants. A feather stuffed futon rested close to the heat, sheets in disarray, and pillow missing from the pile completely.

A small desk sat beside the slide door that lead to the outer balcony, were two women sat, whispering to one another in the early morning. The eldest had raven hair that fell to her waist, clutching the missing pillow to her chest, head resting on its soft surface. She tried desperately to reclaim the precious sleep she was missing, and the cold weather only made her drowsier. The second, and youngest, was having none of it though, and proceeded to tug on the raven tresses she held in her grasp.

The older women yelped, glassy cobalt eyes narrowing on the smaller brown haired girl. "Hey, was that really necessary, Rin-chan?"

The teen giggled as she brushed Kagome's hair with long strokes of the horsehair brush. "You were falling asleep again, Kagome-sama, I really had no other choice!"

"Uh huh…right…" grumbled the tired woman.

The brush pulled back her long since grown out bangs, adding them to the rest of the hair Rin had clutched in her fingers as she smiled. "Please don't be angry, it's just exciting, don't you agree?"

"Rin, nothing, and I mean nothing, not even your mate coming home is exciting this early in the morning. And I bet he knows that too."

An obsidian comb with gold trim was laid out on the lacquered wooden table, removed from the small box of ornaments that sat on a corner next to a battered, but still usable mirror.

The teen huffed at the nonsense that came from the grumpy woman in front of her. Trained fingers twisted the priestess's hair into a simple, but elegant bun that the modern girl had taught her, using the pins of her era to hold the coil in place before sticking the comb on the right side, sliding the piece amongst black locks.

Chirping that she was done, Rin leaped up and ran for the closet, sliding the door open and searching through the paper wrappings for the 'perfect' kimono.

Sighing, Kagome rubbed her tired eyes and moved to stand, the slight bump in her abdomen showing through her sleeping yukata when she stretched, tossing her pillow back to the futon. Her eyes drifted around the room, taking in of what little she could see past the dull light of the candle on the desk. Rin seemed to have no problem as she shifted and rearranged the closet and the few silks that Kagome owned.

The priestess shivered in the cold despite the fresh embers the ward had brought with her at dawn from the hearth in the kitchen under the study. The socks she wore did little to stop the chill of the floor mats from creeping into her bones, bringing forth another set of shivers.

Setting her hands on her stomach, Kagome gently rubbed the tiny bulge. Six months and she was barely showing, something she though was a miracle. Her body almost hummed with her pregnancy, her powers thrumming strongly through her veins and under her complete control for the first time in years. It felt amazing, being able to have control and know if they were ever needed in order to protect herself, she wouldn't have to rely on luck alone.

Grinning to herself, she reached out and pulled the shoji back enough to peek out of the small opening, eyeing the cloud cover through the weather guards. Somehow, she had convinced her mate that simple bamboo and grass mats would block most of the snow and ice from gathering on the walks, therefore helping prevent any mishaps in the coming winter months. Having commissioned a wandering carpenter desperate for work and boarding for a few short weeks, Kagome had explained that many would have to be weaved to cover the open walk ways. Much to her surprise, the young man had brought to her a finished mat in little over a week, its surface area made to stretch across half of the railings. The Lady of the house welcomed the product, and two months later, the main living quarters had been safe guarded for the winter.

A breeze slid across her cheek, bringing the scent of winter with it to whisper in her ear. Closing her eyes, she reached her aura out over the area, searching for persons of interest, yet feeling none she had hoped to feel. Some of the few servants on the grounds were youkai, kitsune that lacked a home, or lone okami seeking shelter in turn for work. In addition, there were a few humans, to tend to the shrine at the base of the steps or to go to the village to barter supplies like rice without invoking fear in the market.

She couldn't help the small hint of disappointment at the lack of the familiar, golden pulse that would ebb across the grounds, warm and strong, radiating power that some would say felt harsh and cold, but that she welcomed easily, the feeling comforting.

When she had first felt her mates' intimidating aura, it had been just that, intimidating. Bitter too. Mentally, she giggled, think it had been more then just bitter and intimidating; it had been bored, lacking the brightness back then compared to now. She had been terrified, of course, something she still felt when his power spiked, his aura becoming visible to the human eyes when it swirled around him, his eyes glowing a furious red-

"Kagome-sama?"

Epping, the distracted priestess spun, snapping the shoji shut with widened eyes and stared at the girl across the room like a bandit caught red handed. Rin blinked her honey coloured eyes, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the look on her Lady's face. Instead, she simply held up the white bottom layer of the kimono she'd picked out.

Placing her hand to her chest to slow her rapid heartbeat, she stuck her tongue out at the young girl, finally causing the teen to laugh.

Sliding out of her yukata and leaving her bare to the cold in nothing but one of the few pairs of underwear she had left, she gratefully took the thinnest layer with a blush, folding it over her form. The second joined the first, a grey this time that hid the white, and then the third, a faded gold. Its collar had foiled tones of the previous color that reminded her of a color from her time, stardust.

The obi to tie it off was a remarkable color in her eyes, much like the collar. It wasn't until after it was tied and Rin reached for the final layer, the one that was left open over the obi in a coat like fashion that she just about passed out in amazement.

"Oh kami…it's like winter in the mountains..."

Rin nodded, slipping the layer over and making sure the sleeves were tucked in properly and all the folds were aligned. "One of the kitsune told me about it, but I was not able to find it until last night. I just had to pull it out! The pattern is tsujigahana. It's dyed in parts to make a picture."

Kagome could only nod, having heard of this style back home. Tie-dyeing, it was old, but a wonderful method she had to admire, and even more so now that she could bare witness to it in this era. The dusty gold train blended into different shades of grey with hints of white and black to her thighs, where it turned into the mountains reflected in the snow and depicted in dark shades like the night sky.

The teen helped her change into black tabi before slipping on her modern black geta, that were flatter then the sandals of this time, and more comfortable on her feet.

Stepping back, Rin smiled. "Sesshoumaru-sama will approve!"

The woman smiled, "And he'll be grateful for Rin-chan's help, as well." Wiggling from foot to foot, Kagome played with her sleeves. "I hope he returns soon."

The brunette smiled, "He'll be home before night fall, if I remember correctly."

There was silence before Kagome groaned in despair. "Then why did you make me get up this early?"

"I couldn't wait any longer!"


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