Inuyasha, "Shiori Chronicles" Chapter 1, Shiori/Kohaku, rated PG
Fandom: Inuyasha
Title: Next Generation: Shiori Chronicles
Chapter (1) Title: The Boy Who Dreams
Author: Paynesgrey
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama/Fluff
Characters/Pairings: Shiori, Kohaku (slight Shiori/Kohaku)
Word Count: 926
Notes: Post-manga. Part two continuation (Chapter 1) to my "Shiori Chronicles". Written for the "Dreams" theme at inuyasha_et_al.
Warnings: none.
Summary: Shiori tries to soothe Kohaku during a bad dream.
Under the silver light of a near-full moon, Shiori wakes up to the sound of crying.
She rubs her eyes, and for a moment she has to remember where she is. Two days ago she met a traveling pack of pacifist bat youkai, who by a strange turn of events, asked her to be their next Elder to wield a powerful scepter.
Shiori remembers accepting, of course, and she quickly recalls the moment she informs her mother Shizu, who declines traveling with her and lets her daughter travel on her own. Shiori misses her mother already, but she has enough to think about while traveling. She’s met more of her people - kind people, who are very different from her father’s tribe.
She’s also met Kohaku, a demon slayer boy around her age, who is protecting elderly youkai and has wildly changed her views about humans.
Shiori blinks away the sleep from her eyes, and she turns toward the direction of the sounds of whimpering. Worried, Shiori quietly rises from her spot and heads over to Kohaku’s bedding. She sees tears running down his cheeks as he sobs in his sleep, calling out to his sister, and Shiori feels a piercing ache in her heart.
He’s crying in his sleep again, she thinks mournfully, and after traveling with him for a couple days now, she’s woken up to his crying for the second time. She doesn’t know how, but the other bat youkai seem to be unaware of it, and they sleep soundly despite Kohaku’s nightmares.
Shiori doesn’t know what to do, but she wants to help him. She wants Kohaku to have a good night sleep; though, she thinks it may be harder to accomplish than she realizes. She really doesn't know Kohaku that well. He doesn’t talk much on their journey north, even though Shiori is mindful to walk by his side every day. She tells Elder Haruna that Kohaku is a calming presence, and the Elder is not offended, for she understands Shiori likes connecting with someone her own age.
For Shiori, it’s more than that. But she doesn’t want Kohaku to know that, for she’s not sure of the feelings she has for him yet.
Like the night before, Shiori stands up and leaves Kohaku’s side, and he does not even stir to her presence. For a skilled warrior that does not wake to her movements, he must be in a deep sleep, she supposes. A deep, terrible sleep full of darkness and monsters. And all Shiori knows is what little Kohaku offers her - that he once was Naraku’s slave and that he’s done a lot of bad things in his past. Shiori knows little of this Naraku through stories, and she understands he was a terrible menace, and she admires Kohaku for battling him, and surviving.
She only hates knowing that the nightmares have remained, even if the villain he once fought is long gone.
Shiori tiptoes back to her bedding, and she pulls out her yellow ceramic cup from her bag and a few dried lavender flowers. She quietly walks down a path through the forest to a nearby hot spring. Like the evening before, Kohaku won’t be able to drink the remedy while he’s asleep, but at least the steam from the lavender mixture will somewhat calm his distressed sleep. She’s adamant to try the same thing tonight as she’s done before.
She finds the hot spring and mixes the hot water with the three lavender flower heads, and she pads back to camp toward Kohaku, setting the steaming cup near him and using a fan to direct the steam toward his face.
After a minute of watching him breathe it in, Shiori is startled when Kohaku opens his eyes, and he grabs her hand tightly, squeezing enough to bruise. When he realizes who it is, his tension fades and he meets her eyes and purses his lips.
“Shiori-san, you don’t have to do this,” he whispers softly, and she hates seeing the pain, such old, untouchable pain, so prevalent in his soft brown eyes.
“I want to,” she whispers resolutely. “You woke me up again, Kohaku-kun.”
Kohaku looks away awkwardly. “I apologize.”
Shiori lurches forward, mindful not to spill the hot water on him, and instead, she takes his hand that held her wrist into her hand, and she squeezes it lightly. “Don’t. I’m not bothered by it. I just wanted to help you sleep.”
He gives her a small smile. “Shiori-san, you are too kind. You’re going to be an amazing Elder someday.”
She shakes her head with embarrassment, and she’s delighted when Kohaku does not release his hand from hers. She clutches it to her chest. “Please, Kohaku-kun, don’t call me that.” She pauses and when he looks at her, he makes her stomach flutter, just as he always has since the first time she met him. “Call me, Shiori-chan.”
He nods. “Shiori-chan.” She smiles widely and loves how beautiful his words sound.
“Now, drink,” she says, handing him the lavender tea. He obliges, his fingers brushing hers for a stand-still moment before he takes the cup into his own hands.
Shiori watches him happily, waiting until the moment he closes his eyes and finally settles back to sleep. When she goes back to her own bedding, she realizes the steam from the lavender tea has affected her too, and she gives into the pleasant grogginess.
Shiori dreams that night, peacefully, of soft hands, and of a brown-eyed demon slayer who conquers all his troubles and fears.
Title: Next Generation: Shiori Chronicles
Chapter (1) Title: The Boy Who Dreams
Author: Paynesgrey
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama/Fluff
Characters/Pairings: Shiori, Kohaku (slight Shiori/Kohaku)
Word Count: 926
Notes: Post-manga. Part two continuation (Chapter 1) to my "Shiori Chronicles". Written for the "Dreams" theme at inuyasha_et_al.
Warnings: none.
Summary: Shiori tries to soothe Kohaku during a bad dream.
Under the silver light of a near-full moon, Shiori wakes up to the sound of crying.
She rubs her eyes, and for a moment she has to remember where she is. Two days ago she met a traveling pack of pacifist bat youkai, who by a strange turn of events, asked her to be their next Elder to wield a powerful scepter.
Shiori remembers accepting, of course, and she quickly recalls the moment she informs her mother Shizu, who declines traveling with her and lets her daughter travel on her own. Shiori misses her mother already, but she has enough to think about while traveling. She’s met more of her people - kind people, who are very different from her father’s tribe.
She’s also met Kohaku, a demon slayer boy around her age, who is protecting elderly youkai and has wildly changed her views about humans.
Shiori blinks away the sleep from her eyes, and she turns toward the direction of the sounds of whimpering. Worried, Shiori quietly rises from her spot and heads over to Kohaku’s bedding. She sees tears running down his cheeks as he sobs in his sleep, calling out to his sister, and Shiori feels a piercing ache in her heart.
He’s crying in his sleep again, she thinks mournfully, and after traveling with him for a couple days now, she’s woken up to his crying for the second time. She doesn’t know how, but the other bat youkai seem to be unaware of it, and they sleep soundly despite Kohaku’s nightmares.
Shiori doesn’t know what to do, but she wants to help him. She wants Kohaku to have a good night sleep; though, she thinks it may be harder to accomplish than she realizes. She really doesn't know Kohaku that well. He doesn’t talk much on their journey north, even though Shiori is mindful to walk by his side every day. She tells Elder Haruna that Kohaku is a calming presence, and the Elder is not offended, for she understands Shiori likes connecting with someone her own age.
For Shiori, it’s more than that. But she doesn’t want Kohaku to know that, for she’s not sure of the feelings she has for him yet.
Like the night before, Shiori stands up and leaves Kohaku’s side, and he does not even stir to her presence. For a skilled warrior that does not wake to her movements, he must be in a deep sleep, she supposes. A deep, terrible sleep full of darkness and monsters. And all Shiori knows is what little Kohaku offers her - that he once was Naraku’s slave and that he’s done a lot of bad things in his past. Shiori knows little of this Naraku through stories, and she understands he was a terrible menace, and she admires Kohaku for battling him, and surviving.
She only hates knowing that the nightmares have remained, even if the villain he once fought is long gone.
Shiori tiptoes back to her bedding, and she pulls out her yellow ceramic cup from her bag and a few dried lavender flowers. She quietly walks down a path through the forest to a nearby hot spring. Like the evening before, Kohaku won’t be able to drink the remedy while he’s asleep, but at least the steam from the lavender mixture will somewhat calm his distressed sleep. She’s adamant to try the same thing tonight as she’s done before.
She finds the hot spring and mixes the hot water with the three lavender flower heads, and she pads back to camp toward Kohaku, setting the steaming cup near him and using a fan to direct the steam toward his face.
After a minute of watching him breathe it in, Shiori is startled when Kohaku opens his eyes, and he grabs her hand tightly, squeezing enough to bruise. When he realizes who it is, his tension fades and he meets her eyes and purses his lips.
“Shiori-san, you don’t have to do this,” he whispers softly, and she hates seeing the pain, such old, untouchable pain, so prevalent in his soft brown eyes.
“I want to,” she whispers resolutely. “You woke me up again, Kohaku-kun.”
Kohaku looks away awkwardly. “I apologize.”
Shiori lurches forward, mindful not to spill the hot water on him, and instead, she takes his hand that held her wrist into her hand, and she squeezes it lightly. “Don’t. I’m not bothered by it. I just wanted to help you sleep.”
He gives her a small smile. “Shiori-san, you are too kind. You’re going to be an amazing Elder someday.”
She shakes her head with embarrassment, and she’s delighted when Kohaku does not release his hand from hers. She clutches it to her chest. “Please, Kohaku-kun, don’t call me that.” She pauses and when he looks at her, he makes her stomach flutter, just as he always has since the first time she met him. “Call me, Shiori-chan.”
He nods. “Shiori-chan.” She smiles widely and loves how beautiful his words sound.
“Now, drink,” she says, handing him the lavender tea. He obliges, his fingers brushing hers for a stand-still moment before he takes the cup into his own hands.
Shiori watches him happily, waiting until the moment he closes his eyes and finally settles back to sleep. When she goes back to her own bedding, she realizes the steam from the lavender tea has affected her too, and she gives into the pleasant grogginess.
Shiori dreams that night, peacefully, of soft hands, and of a brown-eyed demon slayer who conquers all his troubles and fears.