Inuyasha: The Story Continues

Chapter 83: Kayuma and the Stable Boy

Izayoi's POV

Another headman's house, another "evil presence" to sniff out. Miroku had finally found a headman's house and insisted that a demonic aura surrounded the place. We all knew it wasn't true but felt that maybe a little relaxation in a nice house wouldn't be bad, considering our recent string of luck in our efforts to find Naraku.

We all separated from each other and went to cover the grounds, since this manor was actually quite large and we needed to at least look like we were doing something.

3rd Person's POV

Kayuma walked along the back of the house, carrying her weapon with her while also looking at a book she had found in the last village they had visited. It was one filled with poetry by an original writer and Kayuma was eating up every single word. She stopped though when she heard a young man's voice come from the horse's stable. She went to investigate and found a boy about her age trying to calm down a horse that was riled up for some reason. He had his black hair up in a ponytail similar to that of Miroku, and he had deep brown eyes that made Kayuma go red in the face.

"Easy, easy!" He said as he tried to calm the horse.

Noticing his struggle, Kayuma put down her weapon and book and went inside the stable to help. "Here, let me try," she told the boy, taking the horse's reigns from him and putting her hand to it's snout, calming it down instantly. "There now, you're okay."

The boy's eyes grew wide as Kayuma calmed down one his master's horses and then gave him the reigns back. "How did you do that?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure, to be honest," Kayuma admitted. "My sister says that I'm just really good around animals for some reason."

"I see," the boy smiled. "I am Yori."

"I am Kayuma," Kayuma greeted. "So you are a servant of the headman?"

"Yes. My Father was a guard for him and my Mother was a gardener. They both died last year but the headman has agreed to let me stay if I can work for my keep. I work best with caring for the horses. Hopefully I can make my way up to writing poetry that everyone will read."

"You like poetry too?" Kayuma lightened up when she heard this. "I just bought this book of poems from a man in the village not too far from here."

A little while later, Miroku was getting his flirt on with one of the female servants when he noticed Kayuma and Yori walking and talking to each other. Kayuma seemed to laugh at something Yori had said, making Miroku suspicious. He followed behind them and listened in on their conversation;

"The fishing-boats are tossed about,

When stormy winds blow strong;

With rudder lost, how can they reach

  The port for which they long?

  So runs the old love-song." Yori recited.

"That was beautiful," Kayuma admired. "Did you write that?"

"No. An old poet came to stay here once and he told me of the verse. I learned to memorize it."

Kayuma giggled. "Well you already sound like a poet to me."

Yori's face grew flush with embarrassment. "Thank you, Kayuma."

As the two continued to converse, Miroku became even more skeptical of this boy being near his daughter. He was young once and knew how young men thought. Perhaps it would be best if I were to intervene, he thought, sneaking back to the guest portion of the headman's manor before calling out for Kayuma; "Kayuma? Where are you? We're about to eat."