Chronicles of the West

Chapter One hundred and Five

Tohru sat beside Amari's bed, a fluffy scrap cradled in her arms. Amari smiled as the velvety nose wiggled and the rabbit munched on green sprigs of grass. "She's getting better" he remarked. Tohru nodded, "Yes, we'll set her free soon". Amari reached out to stroke a long ear. Tohru was quiet today, subdued, not herself at all.

"Tell me what bothers you" he commanded softly. She blinked and shook her head, "Nothing. I'm fine" she told him. He grunted, "You don't lie very well". She lifted her eyes and he was shocked to see them glazed with tears. "Tohru.."

"It's all my fault" she blurted out and threw herself at Amari. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Between them the rabbit squirmed. "It is" she went on, nearly wailing now. Amari blinked down at the bght crown of her hair, "What is your fault?" he asked.

Tohru took a deep breath, "That Taima died" she whispered, "I made the wrong wish and now she's gone". Amari shook his head but Tohru was sniffling against his shoulder. "It isn't" he told her, gently, "You made a good wish, you did".

Little hands tightened into fists in his long hair, "No!" she wailed, "I killed her, I should have wished her to be stronger, wished for anything!". Amari caught her shoulders and held her away from himself, he gave her a small shake to shut her up.

"That's just dumb" he said baldly, "Taima went to fight. You heard, she said it was the end. It wasn't your fault Tohru, you didn't kill her. You made a good wish". She sagged against him, the rabbit leaping free to stare up at her. Tohru looked at her own hands through her tears, "I killed him though".

Amari dried her cheeks with a corner of his blanket, "You hurt him Tohru, but he needed it. You aren't a killer". She hiccupped loudly, twice. He reached to the bedside table and poured her some water, "Here, drink this" he told her. She sipped it slowly.

Amari plucked the rabbit up and cuddled it. It nosed it's way happily into his hair. His hair. "hey Tohru?" he asked suddenly and she looked up at him over the rim of her cup, "Will you do something for me?". She cocked her head, "Of course Amari". He smiled sheepishly, "Will you cut my hair?".

Tohru blinked at him, "Cut. Your. Hair" she repeated. He nodded, "Seeing it so long makes me think of them" he whispered. Tohru's eyes went wide with understanding and she nodded, "I will" she agreed, "I will have to borrow mama's sewing shears. Not like she uses them anyway".

Amari nodded and handed the rabbit back to her, "Can we do it now?" he asked, "In the gardens?". Tohru rose, "I'll go and get them. Meet you there". She turned and rushed to settle the rabbit back in her temporary home before racing off to find the shears.

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Sesshoumaru looked over at Satoru and Inuyasha as they walked the gardens. "You think it will work?" he asked. Satoru nodded, "Yes, Taima was quite precise in her request". Sesshoumaru lifted his head to look into the sky, the breeze lifting long silver strands. Could such a thing actually be done?

"Have you spoken with Kagome about this?" he asked his brother. Inuyasha shook his head, "Not yet. We want to work out all the details before I bring it up. I'm not sure what her reaction will be. How often can a woman say she's given birth to the same child twice?".

Giggles drew their attention and they paused to listen. "Hold still Amari, I can do it right if you are wiggling all over the place" Tohru's voice rang out. "Are you sure you're doing it right?" he asked. A long suffering sigh followed, "How should I know? I've never done this before but this is what it looked like when other people did it".

Sesshoumaru's brows rose in question as the conversation went on. "Are you sure it goes there?" Amari asked.Tohru's exasperated sigh, "Yes, it goes in between like this. Here let me do it, your gonna mess it up". There was a rustling of clothing. Then her voice rang out, "Ouch! Amari you made me bleed. Stop moving, that hurts".

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha turned the corner to find two children staring up at them in question. One look was all it took for them to realize that Tohru and Amari had not been doing what they had suspected. Satoru was gaping, "What are you doing?" he asked.

Long silver locks littered the grass and Tohru stood with the shears in one hand. Amari's hair was a wild sight. Sticking up in spiky formations all over his head. "He wanted a haircut" she blurted out. Inuyasha cleared his throat and looked at Sesshoumaru, "A haircut" he said.

Sesshoumaru took his daughter's hand and looked at the nick on her fingertip. Gently lapping the wound, he sighed, "You've made a mess of his hair" he said to her. Amari reached down and picked up the hand mirror from the grass. He blinked at his reflection and then looked over at Tohru's quivering lower lip. "It's perfect" he announced.

Sesshoumaru could barely hold in his smile as his daughter flung her arms around her newest playmate. Cocking his head to one side, he took in this new look. "Strangely, it looks quite good on you" he commented. Amari looked down at the long locks that had recently fallen from his head. "I…. Didn't want to look like them" he said softly.

Inuyasha grunted, "Yeah well you sure don't now". He chuckled to himself and turned to leave the gardens, "Sesshoumaru I think perhaps we'd better go see to other matters". Sesshoumaru nodded, giving both youngsters a firm 'behave yourselves' look.

Tohru blinked at his retreating figure, then looked back at Amari. "Wonder what that was all about?" she asked. Amari shrugged, and knelt picking up the fallen hair. "What are you doing?" she asked him. Amari smirked, "Cleaning up the mess we made". Tohru slipped the shears into her pocket and began to help him.

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Taisha sat in her rooms, staring out the window, her mind wandering elsewhere. She felt like such a fool. How could she have been so wrong? Kurama different from the rest? Hardly. He'd just proven that he was not the ideal she'd held so dear. Mere possession! Ha! As if she, Taisha, the daughter of the west could be owned.

Kurama had tried to see her, her personal guard sending him away time and again. She had no desire to listen to him. Not now, not when the hurt was still so fresh. Days had passed since her return, and she had confided only to her mother, the sorrows of her heart. Her mother had left her a handful of hours ago.

She loved him, oh that was true and sadly he knew it. How could she be happy in a world where she loved but he didn't? She folded her arms on her dressing table and rested her head on them. She wouldn't cry. She couldn't.

She was stronger than this and she would not be the fool for loving him. She'd forget him. Steel herself against the ache he caused and in time…maybe… she'd be able to look at him. Without wanting to weep.

Her mother had asked if perhaps she'd overreacted. Taisha didn't think she had, after all her mother had suffered similar set backs with her father and she hadn't settled. Why should she do so then?

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Satoru and Daishi worked closely over the next month. Digging into the words that Taima had left for them. Like a trail of shining pebbles through a dark forest. Victor helping when he could and all was done in secret. A mission borne of purest love, to see her return.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha refused to speak of this matter to Kagome or anyone until they were certain that this plan would work. Kagome remained withdrawn and grieving and Inuyasha urged his son to work faster. It seemed with each passing day, she slipped a little further from him and into herself. He didn't want to lose her to her grief.