The Beauty of the Moon

“Speech”
“Thought”

Chapter Three: Breakfast Discussions

Sunday July 14th, 1811 Tournesol, Louisiana

“I hate corsets,” Kagome gasped as Mitsuchi was lacing up her corset over her linen shift.

“They’re not that bad,” Ayame said as she lounged against the lavender wall of the powder room in a beige patterned dress with lace trim that she had borrowed from Kikyô.

“That’s because you have a higher tolerance for pain!” Kagome retorted as her maid yanked a pale pink dress on over her head.

“So? You’d think you’d be used to it by now,” Ayame said.

“Are you two finished bickering yet?” Kikyô asked as she walked out of the adjoining bedchamber. “We don’t want to get there late, or Sôta will take all of the best food again.”

“We’re not gonna be late,” Ayame said with a placating tone, “and even if we are Sôta wouldn’t dare to do that again. Not after last time anyways.”

Kikyô’s sage green skirts rustled as she walked over to where Mitsuchi was attempting to pin Kagome’s unruly black hair up. The somber miko took a pale pink and white blossom she was holding and wove it into her sister’s hair while the maid dusted pale rouge across Kagome’s cheekbones and hung a small golden cross around her neck. The two women stepped back from her as she turned to look in the full length mirror hanging on the wall opposite

“You look lovely, Miss,” Mitsuchi said gently.

“Is all of this really necessary?” Kagome asked as she gestured at herself. “I mean, I like it, but…”

“Kagome,” Ayame said, “you have a gorgeous fiancé to impress, and if you keep looking this good he’ll never be able to resist you.”

“But I’m human, and Kagura is…”

“Don’t you worry your pretty little head about Kagura,” Kikyô reprimanded. “We won’t let her do anything to you.”

“That’s not what I was talking about. She’s stunningly beautiful,” Kagome sighed.

“Kagome, Kagura dresses like a courtesan, but you appear as if you are a princess,” Ayame said as she tapped Kagome on the tip of her now with her closed fan. “And that is much better.”

“Thanks,” Kagome whispered. “Although I still think dressing up like a porcelain doll is ridiculous.”

“Ah, but a porcelain doll is very attractive to males who are seeking a bride,” Ayame said wisely.

“But I’m not a doll. Even if he likes me now, which I don’t think he does, he’ll be repulsed when he finds out what I’m really like.”

“Who knows,” Kikyô cajoled. “Maybe he’ll like the side of you that society doesn’t see also. After all, Rin is very similar to you.”

“Oh yeah, before we leave,” Ayame whispered, stopping the twins as they were about to open the door, “Kôga said he’d pass the message along, but we should probably go to town and check to make sure he remembered to tell everyone. Besides, we wouldn’t want to miss Kaguya getting knocked off of her pedestal.”

“I agree,” Kagome said, “but we can’t just leave our guests for no apparent reason and we can’t tell them either.”

“I need to go to Tournesol to speak with Jakotsu about getting new strings for my corset,” Kikyô said, “and there is the matter of our costumes for Carnival next year.”

“You’re going to be late if the three of you don’t head down now,” Mitsuchi warned.

The three young women left the lavender room and walked down the wooden staircase as they tossed around ideas about what theme they should use for their Carnival costumes for the coming year. They entered the warm red room and saw Mai, Izayoi, Toga, and Rin already seated and eating at the table filled with various breakfast foods. Kikyô sat over by her mother, while Kagome sat on the other side of the table by Rin.

“Hello,” Rin chirped to Kagome when she sat beside her.

“Good morning,” Kagome responded as she plucked a still warm croissant from a basket in front of her and spread some orange marmalade on it before taking a bite of the flaky crescent roll.

“It’s not good. Good only happens when I don’t have to wear a corset,” Rin muttered darkly as she sipped her hot chocolate.

“Rin, you shouldn’t say such things,” Izayoi admonished from across the table. “It is rude to speak such at the table, and you might have offended Kagome.”

“Oh, don’t worry, Mrs. Taisho, I don’t mind at all,” Kagome said. “I quite agree with her.”

Kagome’s mother hid a smile behind her hand as Rin grinned at her soon to be sister, and the two of them launched into a vivacious discussion on the evils of restrictive bindings and layered skirts.

“Have you ever ridden astride?” Rin asked, ignoring her father as he choked on his tea. “I like to, but I’m not supposed to because it is unladylike and people would think less of me if they saw me wearing men’s clothing.”

“Really? I prefer riding astride, but I only do so when there is nobody else around,” Kagome commented. “After all, neither horses nor trees care whether you are dressed in pants or dresses.”

“They’re so much more comfortable aren’t they?” Rin asked. “I don’t see why women have to wear such heavy and impractical clothing all of the time.”

“The very least they could do is come up with a better choice for riding clothes,” Kagome agreed.

“I know! I think that whoever came up with the preposterous idea of trying to ride a horse in a dress that wears more than the person wearing it should try to do so themselves,” Rin smirked. “I bet they’d change their tune pretty quickly.”

Inuyasha ambled into the room and took a seat beside Kikyô, shortly followed by a slow moving Sôta who was yawning deeply and fell into the chair to the left of Ayame. Inuyasha blinked and looked around at everybody else who were already eating and conversing casually with their neighbors, blanching when he saw Kagome speaking emphatically with his little sister. He shook his head and began piling food onto his plate haphazardly.

“How come not everyone is eating together?” he asked Kikyô, his ears twitching back and forth as he unconsciously picked up snippets of conversations.

“Do you want to sit by Kagura?” Kikyô retorted.

“Not particularly, but I do want to know why everyone isn’t eating at the same time like last night.”

Kikyô sighed, “Breakfasts are informal unless there is a special occasion.”

“Having guests over doesn’t count as a special occasion?”

“Not if they are close friends of the family.”

“So we’re close friends?”

“You’re practically family.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” Inuyasha paused. “What about luncheon?”

“It is either in the gardens or on the veranda.”

“But I haven’t seen any tables in the gardens, and the ones on the veranda are too small.”

“Do you ever stop asking questions?” Kikyô inquired peevishly.

“No, and you haven’t answered my question.”

“There is a pavilion close to the river, and the wicker tables are not meant for everyone. It is likely that our parents will eat in the privacy of the veranda, and the rest of us will eat out in the gardens.”

“You’re family is kinda strange,” Inuyasha commented as he resumed stuffing his face.

“Maybe,” Kikyô shrugged, “but it works for us. Now, are there any more questions?”

“Not for the moment.”

“Good.”

Rin grinned and turned to Sesshômaru, who had just sat down beside her. “I told you so big brother!”

“Told me what, Rin?”

“That I wasn’t the only girl who thinks that men aren’t the only ones who should be able to wear pants,” Rin said smugly as a pink tinge spread across Kagome’s face as she concentrated intensely on the food in front of her.

“That doesn’t make it proper,” Sesshômaru responded with a skeptical glance between his sister and his fiancé. “Besides, it is only the two of you against the rest of society.”

“Three of us actually,” Ayame chirped as she looked around Kagome.

“A woman dressed as a man is unseemly,” Sesshômaru said as he shook his head, “no matter how many people you can persuade otherwise.”

“Just you wait, brother,” Rin declared. “Someday women everywhere will be wearing pants and it will be acceptable! I’ll make sure of it!”

“Never going to happen,” Sesshômaru said slowly as he turned away from determined young half-demon as a sign that the debate was postponed.

“Why do males have to be so unfair?” Rin pouted as she crossed her arms.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Ayame asked, shaking her head when Rin looked at her in confusion. She sighed. “Men obviously have a superiority complex and do not want to share such comfortable clothing with us womenfolk out of an ill-placed sense of jealous greed.”

“They could also just be sadists,” Kagome added from where Ayame had pushed her forward so she could talk to Rin easier.

“Or a combination of all of the above,” Ayame said.

“Alright,” Toga interrupted, “no more conversations during mealtimes about changing the established and effective order of society.”

“They’re right though,” Izayoi said to her husband. “It is unfair that women are bound by so many restrictions.”

“And next you’ll be saying that women should be allowed to vote or fight in the army,” Toga replied sarcastically.

“It could happen,” Rin said.

“You might as well give up, Father. We are surrounded by feminists who do not know the meaning of giving up,” Sesshômaru drawled as Rin smacked him on the arm.

“So, does anyone have any plans for today?” Mai said hastily in an attempt to prevent the ensuing argument.

“Actually Mother, we need to go see Jakotsu,” Kikyô said, indicating herself, Ayame, and her sister.

“Oh, what for?” Mai asked.

“I need to get replacement ties for my corset,” Kikyô said as she glared at the three girls across from her who were desperately smothering giggles, “and we wish to consult with him about our costumes for Carnival.”

“And I promised Kôga I’d check in with him today,” Ayame added.

“We should take the carriages and make an outing of it,” Mai suggested.

‘That does sound lovely,” Izayoi agreed, “and I have been meaning to stop by Mukotsu’s Apothecary to pick up another infusion of herbs. Will you be coming dearest?”

“Well, you see, I have some very important paperwork I have to take care of,” Toga stuttered nervously, “and I really don’t want to leave it ‘til another day.”

“Very well, dear,” Izayoi replied slowly with a look of suspicion towards her suddenly anxious husband.

“So it will only be the eight of us going then,” Mai said.

“Hey, Mom?” Sôta said.

“Yes?”

“If only eight of us are going, but there are ten people here and Mr. Taisho is staying, then who else isn’t going?” Sôta wondered.

“You are going to be helping your grandfather today,” Mai answered.

“Aww,” Sôta groaned, “alright, but I’m not dressing up in some weird clothing and dancing around chanting to keep demons away, again.”

“You won’t have to, Sôta,” Mai said reassuringly.

“Shouldn’t we wake Kagura up to see if she would like to come along also?” Izayoi asked.

“No!” Inuyasha, Kikyô, Ayame, Kagome, and Rin all shouted simultaneously.

“We really wouldn’t want to take her away from her precious beauty sleep for something so trivial,” Kikyô said quickly in response to the adults’ inquisitive looks.

“Not to mention she’d probably be bored since she isn’t interested in the Carnival festivities anyways,” Ayame added.

“So we really wouldn’t be doing any favors to wake her up and drag her along,” Kagome finished. ‘That witch would only ruin any of our fun if she was along.’

“Alright, that makes sense, I guess,” Mai said hesitantly as she stood up. “I’m going to go tell the servants to prepare a lunch for us to take along.”

Mai Higurashi swept out of the room and towards the kitchen with Izayoi to set about preparations for their picnic. Kikyô and Kagome exchanged looks and the latter nodded once.

“I’m going to go let Jinenji know that we need the horses to be harnessed,” she said as she stood up.

“May I come?” Rin asked.

“Of course,” Kagome answered.

Rin and Kagome left the dining room and walked briskly out the back door beside the stairs as they rushed off to the stables. Kikyô and Ayame soon followed the example of the other women and also left for the stables, leaving only the men in the crimson room.

Inuyasha turned to his father, flattened his white ears to his head, and glared. “What paperwork?”

“That was low,” Sesshômaru said.

“Not to mention it wasn’t a very good excuse,” Sôta added.

Toga’s right eye twitched. “What do you mean it wasn’t a good excuse? It was perfectly plausible,” he growled.

“Better excuses than that have failed to get past Mom,” Sôta said solemnly. “I think the only reason they let you get away with it was because they don’t want you going with them.”

“You’re a sharp kid,” Inuyasha said. “How do you know that they know?”

“Because Kikyô and Kagome are really good at thinking up excuses and they can fool anyone except for Mom. The only times they don’t get busted is when Mom lets them get away with whatever they were doing.”

“What kinds of things would they need to come up with excuses for?” Sesshômaru asked.

“I’m not allowed to say,” Sôta replied automatically.

“Why?” Inuyasha asked.

“Sis can be very scary when she wants to be,” he answered as he hopped off of his chair. “You’d better go now, or you’re gonna be late.”