Weaved
Title: Yura and Nae
Author ginnekomiko
Prompt: Weaved
POV: Yura
Rating: T
Word Count: 570
Summary: Yura reflects on her new job looking after Naraku's bride. (Nae from Mermaid Saga.)
Yura and Nae
It was strange to be in a castle instead of in a forest. Yura would have never thought she’d be called to live in a place like this, but her unique services were needed by a very important youkai. The woman in her care was a very lovely corpse. Her long black hair was of particular merit. Yura could, and often did, comb it for hours weaving the hair into all sorts of interesting styles.
“Lady Nae,” Yura said gently as she combed her hair.
“Mm?” said the young woman.
“How are you feeling today?”
“Alright, I suppose.”
“Nothing hurts today?”
“No. No more than yesterday.”
“I see. That’s good then. Let me know if something changes.”
“Yes.”
Revived corpses were never the most talkative sorts, yet this was the one Naraku chose to be his bride. She must have been lovely back then, too. It had been quite a story when Kagura told it. How Nae had been murdered by her fiancée and then was reborn in the very flower field she had cared for. The flowers themselves were unique. Apparently, Nae had spread the ashes of a mermaid on the flower field.
Yura smiled to herself. Foolish mortals. Didn’t they know to never mess with youkai and mermaids?
Naraku had fallen in love with her at some point before her murder. Perhaps, it was when he had been cornered by the villagers for his crimes and forced to hide out due to the burns on his body. Perhaps, he watched her from the safety of his prison as she came to that field day by day to look after the flowers. Apparently, he was there when she died. He watched the whole thing, unable to move from his prison.
He called the youkai to consume him some point after that.
He used his newly found power to call Yura to him to help retrieve Nae’s body.
Because of dying near the mermaid’s ashes, Nae had achieved a half-state of life and death. Yura had not known her in life, but she knew enough about how Kagura’s Dance of the Dead worked, to know that the girl in her care was not the girl she used to be.
Not that either Nae or Naraku seemed to mind.
“I want to see him,” Nae said.
“Oh, alright. You know it’s the new moon, correct?”
“I know,” she said as she stood up.
Yura knocked. “I’ve brought Lady Nae. She said she wants to see you,” Yura announced.
“Enter,” Naraku’s voice answered.
When Yura opened the door, hundreds of eyes stared in her direction. Neither Yura or Nae was unnerved by this point at the untangled mess that composed their master’s body.
Naraku was comfortable enough with Nae that showed himself to her, even on the night of the new moon. All of his parts, and the souls that made Naraku who he was, Nae just walked past them until she reached his head.
“Nae,” he said.
“Lord Naraku.” Nae embraced his head very gently in her arms.
“You missed me?”
“I did.”
Naraku’s eyes trailed back to Yura.
“You’re dismissed,” he said.
Yura shrugged. “Right, right, alone time. Lady Nae, I’ll be around if you need me to escort you back to your room.”
Nae smiled at her then. “Thank you, Yura.”
Yura shut the door behind her. Their narrative was a tangled mess, but they seemed happy.
Author ginnekomiko
Prompt: Weaved
POV: Yura
Rating: T
Word Count: 570
Summary: Yura reflects on her new job looking after Naraku's bride. (Nae from Mermaid Saga.)
Yura and Nae
It was strange to be in a castle instead of in a forest. Yura would have never thought she’d be called to live in a place like this, but her unique services were needed by a very important youkai. The woman in her care was a very lovely corpse. Her long black hair was of particular merit. Yura could, and often did, comb it for hours weaving the hair into all sorts of interesting styles.
“Lady Nae,” Yura said gently as she combed her hair.
“Mm?” said the young woman.
“How are you feeling today?”
“Alright, I suppose.”
“Nothing hurts today?”
“No. No more than yesterday.”
“I see. That’s good then. Let me know if something changes.”
“Yes.”
Revived corpses were never the most talkative sorts, yet this was the one Naraku chose to be his bride. She must have been lovely back then, too. It had been quite a story when Kagura told it. How Nae had been murdered by her fiancée and then was reborn in the very flower field she had cared for. The flowers themselves were unique. Apparently, Nae had spread the ashes of a mermaid on the flower field.
Yura smiled to herself. Foolish mortals. Didn’t they know to never mess with youkai and mermaids?
Naraku had fallen in love with her at some point before her murder. Perhaps, it was when he had been cornered by the villagers for his crimes and forced to hide out due to the burns on his body. Perhaps, he watched her from the safety of his prison as she came to that field day by day to look after the flowers. Apparently, he was there when she died. He watched the whole thing, unable to move from his prison.
He called the youkai to consume him some point after that.
He used his newly found power to call Yura to him to help retrieve Nae’s body.
Because of dying near the mermaid’s ashes, Nae had achieved a half-state of life and death. Yura had not known her in life, but she knew enough about how Kagura’s Dance of the Dead worked, to know that the girl in her care was not the girl she used to be.
Not that either Nae or Naraku seemed to mind.
“I want to see him,” Nae said.
“Oh, alright. You know it’s the new moon, correct?”
“I know,” she said as she stood up.
Yura knocked. “I’ve brought Lady Nae. She said she wants to see you,” Yura announced.
“Enter,” Naraku’s voice answered.
When Yura opened the door, hundreds of eyes stared in her direction. Neither Yura or Nae was unnerved by this point at the untangled mess that composed their master’s body.
Naraku was comfortable enough with Nae that showed himself to her, even on the night of the new moon. All of his parts, and the souls that made Naraku who he was, Nae just walked past them until she reached his head.
“Nae,” he said.
“Lord Naraku.” Nae embraced his head very gently in her arms.
“You missed me?”
“I did.”
Naraku’s eyes trailed back to Yura.
“You’re dismissed,” he said.
Yura shrugged. “Right, right, alone time. Lady Nae, I’ll be around if you need me to escort you back to your room.”
Nae smiled at her then. “Thank you, Yura.”
Yura shut the door behind her. Their narrative was a tangled mess, but they seemed happy.