The Beauty of the Moon

"Speaking"
'Thinking'

Chapter One: A Gathering of Friends

Saturday July 13th, 1811 Tournesol, Louisiana

“It was him!” a large, beefy boar demon shouted as he waved an enormous, blood-stained cleaver in the direction of a lanky teen with scruffy red-orange hair, luminous emerald eyes, and a bushy tail.

“What’re you pointing at me for?” the young fox demon called out indignantly, stepping toward the butcher before being held back by an attractive young woman with ebony hair and sparkling sapphire eyes dressed in a teal riding habit.

“Settle down, Shippo,” she murmured so softly that he barely heard it, even with his highly developed hearing.

“What seems to be the problem, Sheriff?” the woman asked patiently of the tall man with a smiling disposition who was strolling over to the trio. She absently swept a few strands of glossy black hair that had escaped her chignon back behind her ear.

“Nothing for you to worry about, Miss Kagome,” Bankotsu said evenly as he tipped his hat to her. “Just a little matter that has need of being settled.”

“Little matter? Little matter!” the butcher spluttered. “It is no little matter! That little whelp stole several strings of sausages! I’ll have him hanged for this!”

“Hanging seems a bit extreme, doesn’t it,” Bankotsu laughed tensely.

“I’ll say it does,” Shippo muttered quietly as he sulked. “Specially since I didn’t take the stinking sausages.”

“Liar!” the boar demon squealed.

“Silence pig,” Kagome hissed coldly. “Shippo couldn’t have taken your precious sausages; he’s been with me all morning.”

“I’m not a pig, and he did steal those sausages,” the demon whined, completely oblivious to the look of amusement on the sheriff’s face.

“Are you calling me a liar?” Kagome asked calmly.

“Well…no…I,” he stuttered.

“So, you’re saying that I’m delusional?”

“No, but…”

“Then what are you saying?” Bankotsu demanded.

“He’s a kitsune; he could have tricked her!”

“My good sir, I am a miko,” Kagome declared haughtily. “Are you saying that I am incapable of sensing something so paltry as a simple illusion?”

“Well no, but…”

“Then there is no way that Shippo could have stolen your sausages,” Kagome stated simply.

“Miss Kagome,” Bankotsu interrupted, “may I ask what it was that Shippo and yourself were up to this morning?”

“Shippo was accompanying Sango and myself as we were looking at dresses for my brother’s birthday at Jakotsu’s shop. I’m sure he would be more than willing to vouch for us.”

“And where is Sango now?” Bankotsu asked.

“She had to return to her father’s forge to assist him in loading a shipment of horseshoes into crates for Mr. Gorotsuki.”

“Very well, that’ll be all, Miss Kagome, Shippo,” Bankotsu tipped his hat again. “Good day. Come along, Chokyukai.”

“But I know it was that kitsune!” the demon whined, his voice fading as they walked away.

“C’mon, Kagome,” Shippo said as he began walking toward the blacksmith’s forge on the edge of the small town. “Sango’s waiting with Kirara, and we’re gonna be late for the meeting if we don’t leave now!”

“I know, Shippo, and I’m coming,” Kagome sighed with exasperation. “Don’t get your tail in a twist.”

“Nyah!” the young fox demon stuck his tongue out and bounded away towards their friend’s house, Kagome sprinting after him as best as she could in the unwieldy dress and heeled boots. Both of them arrived at the blacksmith’s forge shortly after their encounter with the irate butcher, Kagome panting heavily in the sweltering air and Shippo showing no outward signs of exhaustion. Sango’s father came out, wiping his grimy hands on his canvas apron. He greeted the two comrades and told them that Sango was waiting out back by the house.
They went to where he indicated and found Sango leaning against a large oak tree, dressed in a pair of nondescript britches and a loose fitting long-sleeved linen shirt with her straight brown hair pulled up in a ponytail.

The two-tailed fire cat, Kirara, was resting on Sango’s shoulder. She mewed when she saw them approach and jumped down onto the ground, invoking a torrent of flames that enveloped her black and tan body as she transformed into her imposing, larger form. Sango swung astride the demon cat as her aristocratic friend scooted on behind her and grasped her tightly around the waist.

Kirara leapt into the air and flew towards the murky green depths of the bayou across the river. The young fox demon swiftly followed on foot. Kirara dodged the bulky branches of the gnarly oaks as she dove so as to be hidden by the dense canopy from any unwanted attention. Shippo swiftly threaded his way through the tangled underbrush on the outskirts of the bayou and then leapt into the lower branches of the trees to avoid the murky water that concealed the ground and lapped at the tree trunks whenever an alligator slipped into the water. It didn’t take long for them to come across two small islands in the midst of the bog-stained water far away from any signs of civilization.

A swinging bridge consisting of weathered wood planks and thick hemp rope was suspended over the stagnant water between the two patches of land. Vibrant green Spanish moss was draped over the two lengths of rope at the top of the makeshift bridge that spanned the distance between the two islands, and led from the island on which several skiffs were beached to the larger island. Hidden amongst the large, sturdy boughs of the ancient trees inhabiting the isle was a large, derelict house made up of the same weathered wood as the bridge. The slanted roof had a thick coating of rotting, dead leaves that camouflaged it from anyone passing by overhead.

Kirara landed in the center of the larger island and let her passengers slip off of her before transforming yet again in a burst of flames, this time returning to her adorable miniature form, and returning to her owner’s shoulder. Shippo came to a skidding stop beside them before scrambling up the fraying rope ladder swaying beside them, and vanishing into the darkness of the square orifice above them.

Sango followed the impetuous kitsune no less eagerly, and Kagome climbed the hanging ladder at a more sedate pace due to the difficulty caused by the dress she was wearing. Once she got to the top two pairs of hands grasped her pale arms and heaved the blue-eyed miko into the seemingly dilapidated tree house. She thanked Naraku Gorotsuki and Koga Shuzoku for assisting her into the old smugglers hideout before glancing around to see who else was here today. Her sister, Kikyo, and the wolf demon Ayame were chatting with Hiten’s little sister, Souten, and Sango and Shippo talking to Hiten Ikazuchi, and the priest’s son, Miroku Bakuzen.

“Wow, a lot of us are here,” Kagome commented as she absently brushed some dirt off of the front of her dress.

“Yeah,” Naraku said with a wicked smile in his crimson eyes. “It’s a good thing we swiped so many sausages.”

“You should have seen the look on old Chokyukai’s face when Kagome talked circles around him and made him look like a fool,” Shippo exclaimed as he hopped over with a huge grin on his face.

“It was priceless,” Kagome giggled. “He couldn’t even get two words in edgewise and kept stammering the whole time.”

“Heh, the idiot didn’t stand a chance against our Kagome,” Koga claimed, his voice filled to bursting with pride. “Looks as though everyone who’s coming is here, so let’s get this party started.”

At this, everyone in the house formed a circle and sat on the worn cushions that had been previously strewn about. A platter of cooked sausages was passed around counterclockwise, starting with Shippo and ending with Ayame.

“Alright, I hereby declare this meeting of the Association of Southern Louisiana Tricksters in session,” Koga stated formally as he handed a blank sheet of paper and a quill and inkwell to Kikyo. “Today’s agenda includes coming up with a new prank for the week, the request of refurbishing the clubhouse, schemes to get ahold of rum to replenish our dwindling supplies, and impending engagements that could potentially affect the club. So, any ideas for the next prank?”

“We could slip bluing into the Taisho’s water supply,” Souten chirped.

“Nah, that’s stupid,” Hiten said, lightly smacking his sister across the back of the head as he took a large bite of his sausage.

“Why’s that!” she demanded.

“Because bluing would only make their hair whiter. Blue dye would be better,” he responded thoughtfully through the mouthful of spicy meat.

“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Naraku said, Shippo nodding in agreement.

“Too easy to trace,” Koga said. “It would draw suspicion to Ayame and myself because we are known tricksters, and it is easy for us to attain the indigo dye without anyone noticing.”

“Besides, we wouldn’t want Kagome’s fiancé to look like a fool. Entertaining as it would be, it would reflect badly on her, and we wouldn’t want her to be embarrassed. Although, if some dye were to happen to slip into the youngest son’s soap container,” Ayame’s voice trailed off in insinuation.

“Sounds good to me,” Miroku said, everyone agreeing.

“Alright then, we’ll do that next week,” Koga proclaimed, “but that still leaves the problem of our current trick.”

“How about tricking old Myoga into thinking that Kaguya is in love with him,” Kagome offered.

“Yes, and I can copy her handwriting to forge the letters,” Kikyo agreed.

“I like that,” Sango said. “We should make sure that he confronts her on her love for him in a public place too.”

“Right, so let’s get started!” Koga grinned. “Kikyo, get writing that love letter and make it sappy. We should have them meet at Jakotsu’s shop because it will be easier to get Kaguya there. The question is how to make sure she’s at the right place at the right time, any ideas?”

“I’ll ask her for help deciding on the fabric for a new dress. She’s a sucker for helping those who do not have as wonderful a sense of style as she does,” Souten mocked, grimacing in distaste.

“Yeah, that’ll work. Good job, sis,” Hiten said.

“Finished with that letter yet?” Koga asked.

“Yes.”

Naraku snatched the sheet of parchment paper cover with flowing black script and began to read aloud in a girly voice:

“Myoga, my darling,

I simply cannot suppress my affections for you any longer. For yeaers now I have watched you out of the corner of my eye, praying that you would notice me as I do you and that my love would no longer go unrequited. I have long fantasized of holding your mighty, virile body in my arms and lavishing my love on you with all of my being. My passion can no longer be contained by inhibitions, and I cannot live any longer without your love and gentle caresses. Meet me at Jakotsu’s shop tomorrow at noon if you return my affections.

Eternally Yours,
Kaguya Hakanai”

All members of the small group had collapsed in laughter at the simpering words spoken by Naraku’s high-pitched, breathy imitation of how the celestial demon speaks when around men. Ayame grabbed the letter from Naraku and placed it to her lips, leaving a crimson kiss mark beside the flowery signature the same shade of blood-red that Kaguya always wore. She then folded the prank letter and sealed it in an envelope that Kikyo had already addressed to the old lawyer.

“Alright, so Shippo will slip this under Myoga’s door before he gets home from work tonight, and Souten will make sure Kaguya makes her appointment, anything else?” Koga asked.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure Yura is there also,” Sango offered, grinning ferally. “She’ll make sure everyone in town knows about it by the end of the day, and I’m sure she can be convinced to embellish it so that snobby woman will never live this down. After all, Yura’s opinion of Kaguya’s airs is almost as strong as my own.”

“Okay, a bit scary there Sango, but it is a noble idea. Now that that is all settled, shall we get on with the next order of business on the agenda?” Koga waited until everybody had nodded their assent before continuing. “Several members of our illustrious association have requested that we remodel our beloved clubhouse because it is getting to be a bit rundown. Any suggestions as to how we should go about doing this?”

“We could use some more pillows,” Shippo said as he patted the faded green silk cushion he was seated on. “These ones are getting kind of flat.”

“How about some paintings,” Kikyo suggested. “We could put up portraits of all of us from our childhoods so we will always remember our beginnings.”

“Uh-huh, our parents wouldn’t miss them,” Souten said.

“But what if we don’t have any portraits?” Sango wondered.

“Yes, that is a problem,” Miroku agreed.

“Don’t worry, I have those sketches I made of all of us several summers back,” Shippo said. “It’d probably be best if we just used them instead of the fancy portraits. They have more feeling in them anyways, not to mention memories.”

“Great idea Shippo,” Ayame said. “How about some candles so we can meet at night without having to pilfer them from our homes and risk someone finding out?”

“And some mirrors,” Hiten added.

“Yeah, so he can stare at yourself,” Shippo muttered to Kagome.

“No, so they reflect the light and save on the candles used. The fact that it makes it that much easier to see my glorious self is just a bonus.”

“We’d need some curtains to block the light from any demons passing by overhead then,” Kagome said.

“Right, these are all good ideas, although some seem to be a bit questionable,” Koga said with a sidelong glance at Hiten. “We’ll consult Hakudoshi on the state of our funds at our next meeting, so make sure he comes, Naraku. Alright, now our supply of rum is dwindling, and we need to find a more efficient way of appropriating some more because Bankotsu nearly caught Renkotsu smuggling the rum in last time. This means that he will have trouble bringing it in by the usual ways.”

“What are you thinking, Koga?” Ayame asked.

“That we could allow him to stash any illegal goods in the bayou near here and protect them,” Koga stated, “for a small fee of course.”

“Brilliant!” Naraku exclaimed gleefully. “Then we don’t have to pay for our rum so long as we keep him safe.”

“A symbiotic relationship,” Kikyo said. “He couldn’t refuse.”

“Are there any disagreements to this course of action?” Kagome asked, looking around as everyone shook their heads in the negative. “Good. Miroku, you are in charge of contacting Renkotsu to conduct negotiations before he comes through here again.”

“Yes, Kagome,” he answered, his hand slowly snaking its way toward Sango’s rear. “It would perhaps be easiest if I were to borrow Kirara for the trip, if I may, Sango?”

“Of course you can, Miro…” Sango stiffened and slapped the wayward male across the face. “Pervert!”

“Okay, now that that is settled,” Koga said, shaking his head, “all we have left to discuss before we can call it a night is the engagements. As everybody knows, Kikyo and I are set to be married next spring, but this shouldn’t have any profound effect on the club because we are both members. But Kagome is going to be marrying the eldest Taisho son and that could cause some potential problems. Does anybody know anything about that family that could be used to formulate an opinion on the man our vice-president is to be sent off with?”

“Well, Sesshomaru’s mother died in childbirth, so he was raised by his father’s second wife, a human woman named Izayoi, and his half-brother and half-sister. He shouldn’t have too contemptuous an attitude towards humans like some have,” Naraku said. “I’ve never met Sesshomaru, but Inuyasha is fairly nice, albeit a bit of an idiot. Rin is a sweet child who adores her oldest brother, so he can’t be all bad.”

“How do you know all of this?” Kikyo asked. “Kagome and I have never met any of them and we’re about to become family.”

“Yeah,” Kagome said, slightly peeved at being left out.

“Inuyasha is engaged to Kagura,” Naraku grimaced, “poor boy.”

“Kagura?” Ayame questioned, looking as though she just smelled something putrid. “As in your bitch of an older sister, Kagura?”

“That would be the one,” he answered.

“Well, that’s one black mark against Toga’s judgement,” Souten said. “Let’s hope that Sesshomaru doesn’t take after his father in that regard.”

“Does anyone else know anything?” Miroku asked.

“Tsubaki would be the one to ask,” Sango offered. “I know she talks with Izayoi every time she comes into her father’s shop for medicinal cures.”

“So she is interested in homemade herbal remedies?” Hiten asked.

“Must be,” Sango replied with a shrug. “Though I would be too, since the only other real option is to go to the doctor, and everybody knows that Dr. Suikotsu can be a few bananas short of a bunch at times due to his multiple personality disorder.”

“I think it’s safe to assume that nobody really knows much about the demon that our beloved Kagome is going to be taken away by,” Koga sighed. “She’ll always remain in our hearts.”

“You make it sound like I’m dying,” Kagome said tonelessly, her right eye twitching with repressed irritation.

Koga chuckled nervously and began to glance around before quickly stating that the meeting was adjourned. He made a mad dash to the trap door and jumped down it after yanking it open, not even bothering with the ladder. The others shook their heads and followed the chicken masquerading as a wolf after saying their own goodbyes until only Kikyo, Kagome, and Ayame remained.

“Aren’t you going to follow your idiot brother?” Kagome asked.

“No, I think I’ll stay with you for the night if it’s okay.”

“I don’t see any problems with it,” Kikyo said, looking at her twin. “Do you, Kagome?”

“I’d be happy for the company,” she answered as she got up and walked over to the aperture in the floor and peered over to see if Miroku was still there before lowering herself down onto the ladder.

“Hurry up, Kagome!” Sango called up.

“I’m coming!” she yelled back down. “Kikyo will be coming with us too!”

“Alright, but make it quick! I need to be back by suppertime or father and Kohaku will worry!”

The three girls climbed down the ladder one by one and then headed for the edge of the large swamp, the three humans riding on the full sized firecat and Ayame leaping through the tree branches above the darkened water. Kirara dropped them off at Sango’s house, and the three girls parted ways with their friend as she went into her house and they went to the stable to ready their horses for the return trip to the plantation.

“So, when is your fiancé coming over?” Ayame asked as they rode out onto the grassy, packed dirt path that led southwest toward the twin’s home.

“Mama said sometime this week,” Kagome answered, “but she didn’t specify when exactly. I think it’s supposed to be a surprise.

“You don’t seem so happy,” Ayame noted.

“I just know that I’m not going to like him, and then I will spend the weeks until my wedding in misery, only to be followed by a lifetime of unhappiness,” Kagome revealed what was on her mind with a deep sigh. “I envy you Kikyo. You already know who you’re marrying and you will get along with each other.”

“But we don’t love each other,” Kikyo said. “We are only friends.”

“Which is more than I will have.”

“Oh, stop being so gloomy you two,” Ayame chided. “Kagome, being pessimistic does not suit you, and you do not know that you won’t like him, so don’t decide that you can’t like him before you even meet him. Besides, even if his personality is found lacking, the Taishos are known for being drop-dead gorgeous men, so there’s your silver lining. And Kikyo, even if you and my brother don’t like each other in that way, friendship still allows for a good relationship. At the very least you will be able to enjoy each other’s company, and if my brother gets to be too much, you can always spend time with me. So, both of you need to cheer up and look on the bright side.”

Kagome leaned over the side of her bay mare and gave Ayame a hug at the same time as Kikyo did the same from her palomino.

“Thanks, Ayame,” they chorused.

“You’re welcome,” she responded. “Now that we’re all back to a semi-normal state of being, let’s race the rest of the way. Last one back has to kiss Miroku!”

With a shriek of mortified laughter, the two human women kicked their respective steeds into a gallop to catch up to the laughing wolf demon, all the while loudly accusing her of unfair play. In a relatively short period of time the three riders approached the towering live oaks that marked the front entrance to the Higurashi Plantation, and passed through half of the avenue before veering off to the left, passing through an opening between two trees and taking a shortcut around the manor to the stables facing the river. Kikyo and Kagome slipped off of their horses and collapsed on each other in laughter as Ayame was torn between horror and amusement.

“Poor Miroku,” Kagome laughed. “You’re going to be getting his hopes up for naught, Ayame.”

“Yes, make sure you let him down easy,” Kikyo razzed. “We wouldn’t want his innocent heart to be broken by a callous vixen such as yourself.”

“Very funny,” Ayame sulked as the two girls threw their arms around her shoulders and steered her toward the house.

“Don’t worry, Ayame, we support you,” Kagome said with a smile. “We even won’t mention it for the rest of the evening.”

“Now, why doesn’t that reassure me,” Ayame said dryly.

“We’ll also make sure that lecherous priest doesn’t proposition you again,” Kikyo muttered as she watched the grooms take their horses into the stable. “I wonder where those five horses came from?”

“Hmm?” Kagome glanced in the doors at the suspicious horses. “Good question.”

“You don’t think...” Kikyo began.

“That it’s them,” Kagome finished.

“Them who?” Ayame asked, puzzlement in her sea green eyes. “What are you talking about? You know I don’t have that whole twin telepathy thing going on.”

“The Taishos,” the Higurashi girls said simultaneously.

“Well, the only way to know for sure is to go in,” Ayame said. “Come on.”

The three young ladies walked in the back door and through the first floor until they were in front of the drawing room door at the front of the house. They stopped outside the closed oak doors when they heard voices inside. The twins exchanged a look of resignation while Ayame looked on with interest.

“Here goes nothing,” Kagome whispered softly as she placed her hand on the brass door handle and turned it.

The heavy oak door creaked open as her white gloved hand pressed forward on it. Inside the room decorated in shades of pale green and gold were ten people. Kagome’s mother, grandparents, and her younger brother were talking to five people she assumed were the Taishos, and Naraku’s vicious sister, Kagura. She barely glanced over the group collected in her house as her gaze settled on one of the white haired males. His amber eyes landed on her with boredom as she felt herself pale.

‘Him!’ she thought anxiously as her mind flashed back ten years ago to the day when she caught the eye of a young demon passing by as she and her friends were preparing for one of their infamous pranks.