Dance in the Forest of Krishna by InLethe
Of Love and Kami's
“Kagome-chan! Kagome-chan!” A tiny blur of orange and yellow sped towards the young miko in the dying light of the camp fire.
A week had gone by since Sesshoumaru had declared a truce between himself and their rag tag group, and each night Rin found herself on the receiving end of a bed time story.
According to Shippou-chan, Kagome told one every night. Sometimes she told the same story more than once, but it was alright since she always told them with a lot of enthusiasm. Scooping up the ball of energy, Kagome sat the kids inbetween Ah-Un and Kirara.
“What do you want to hear tonight?”
“Pirates!” Shippou exclaimed, but Rin frowned. They had heard about Pirates twice since she’d been with them, and she wanted to pick the story tonight. It would be her first time requesting something, so she thought extra hard.
Sneaking a glance at her lord her fist hit her palm as she made up her mind. “Love!”
Kagome blinked at her in surprise. “Love?” She inquired.
Rin nodded vigorously. “Yes! Rin would like to hear about love... and..” she glanced again at Sesshoumaru, “.. Kami.”
The Miko caught the young wards meaning. But what could she tell them... She’d already worked her way through a couple Disney stories, and then of course the pirates. What was something new?
Aha!
Grinning excitedly, Kagome placed herself in front of the fire, striking a pose. One hand stretching limply behind her as her other one came up to rest faintly on her forehead.
“Once there were two Kami! Krishna, the Hindu Kami of Love and Divine Joy, and Radha who was his first love.“
“Hindu?” Rin asked in puzzlement.
“It is a religion and culture outside of Japan in what becomes known as India in my time. But don’t worry about that, just listen.” Kagome tweaked Rins’ nose in playful reprimand.
“Krishna was always playing in the forest, equipped with his flute he danced and attracted a lot of attention. He often earned the audience of many nymphs, and this made Radha very jealous. Instead of lashing out, she became very conscious of herself and lost confidence.”
"What's a nymph Kagome-chan?"
"A nymph is a very beautiful woman that embodies the certain aspects and spirits of nature."
"Ooooh... I see..." she nodded her head in understanding, "But wait!" Rin frowned, "If she is the first love, then she should be happy!”
“Yes, Rin, but even first love -however true- can hurt.” The Miko sent a remorseful stare at the Hanyou propped in the tree on the outskirts of camp. Now was not the time to be thinking like that, she shook her head slightly then jumped back into the story.
“Now, I’m going to sing this to you. Pay close attention to the story.” She winked and the children stared in rapt attention.
Posing dramatically Kagome tapped her foot once then cocked her hip before blatantly staring at Sesshoumaru, her eyes encouraging him to join her. A moment passed and she was about to give up on the thought of his participation when suddenly he surprised everyone in the camp. Moving to stand behind the Miko he placed his hand in her offered one.
Rin squeaked excitedly and Shippou’s jaw hung slightly open in wonder.
Good, Kagome thought playfully. Shooting a quick prayer to the heavens that everything ran without incident she began.
“If Krishna should meet some nymph in the forest,
if he should smile at her...”
Kagome smiled up at him to help convey her point.
“If he should tease her, talk with her..”
She fiddled with a strand of his hair before turning abruptly away from him.
“How could she not be jealous?”
Rins’ eyes were saucers and her body leaned forward. Kagome twirled around her lord coming to an arrest beside him.
“No matter whether Krishna meets some nymph in the forest,
in his heart, flowers of love bloom only for Radha.”
Sesshoumaru allowed the enthusiastic Miko to grab the ends of his sleeve, showcasing the pattern on the fabric. Her movements were deft if not fleeting and he found himself unbothered by them. Seeing Rin so enraptured by the story he took a chance and spoke what he hoped was the next line,
“Why then, should Radha be jealous?”
Judging by the shock on Kagome’s face he’d guessed correctly. Rin’s face nearly split in half she was so delighted. Sesshoumaru-sama never told stories.
Playfully Kagome picked up the rest of his verse, “She’s not thinking clearly; why should she be jealous?!”
“Nymphs are only stars; Radha is the moon!” She tapped the crescent on his forehead lightly, “So why then is her trust in Krishna so shaky?”
She leapt lightly away from him, moving about the fire as she clapped her hands lightly above her head. No sound truly emanating, only the slight swish of skin brushing against skin.
“Krishna’s attention is always flitting here and there,
so how can poor Radha keep her self respect?”
She thrust her hands speculatively to and fro, stepping beside the Taiyoukai, she dared to place her hand above his heart, eyes full of mirth as she sang to the kids.
“Nymphs come and go, but Radha is the queen of my heart!
Night and day, on the banks of the River Jumna
Krishna only calls for Radha!”
At the last line Kagome moved his hand to his mouth as if to emulate shouting while she looked to the side.
“When some other woman drapes Krishna in the necklace of her arms,” Kagome wrapped her arms around the demon as politely as she could from the side, her foot popping to emphasize the movement, “How can Radha not be jealous?”
Miroku and Sango had moved to sit on either side of Shippou and Rin by this point.
“If Krishna has settled only Radha in his heart,
then why doesn’t he tell her so?”
Kagome wanted to laugh as she noted Sango nodding her head in agreement.
Twirling to the opposite side now she gestured to her eyes, and Sesshoumaru stepped in again, “The eyes speak to each other-”
“At least so Krishna hopes!” she quipped.
Laughter bubbled in the clearing encouraging Kagome to step forward.
“Well, these eyes of Krishnas’ keep robbing all the nymphs of their peace!
They snare a glance, the lure is cast,
and some pretty girl’s a goner for him!”
Her eyes expressive and brimming with petty jealousy, she leapt back, landing daintily on the balls of her feet. Standing proudly she sang dismissively, “If some nymph nurses a secret passion for Krishna, why should Radha be jealous about it?”
Miroku nodded in complete understanding and Kagome couldn’t help the giggle that escaped as Sango shot him a murderous glare.
“But how could Radha not be jealous?” She twirled again, before finishing one last time, “How could Radha not be jealous?”
Bowing with a flourish Kagome smiled wide, breathless, but happy. Walking back to the children, she tucked them in for the night, listening to Rins’ excited but sleepy chatter, before making her rounds of the camp and settling down to bed.
Entirely oblivious to a pair of amber eyes tracking her movements with newfound appreciation.
Rin saw though, and Rin was ecstatic. She let the warm fuzzy feelings of love wash over her for her two favorite adults, and drifted happily into dreams.
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(A/N) The writing flow is a bit shaky still, it comes with the territory of getting back into the swing of things, but over all I’m pretty pleased with it. Especially considering it was meant for practice, it was a fun little one shot to write. I’m not much one for those myself, always preferring longer, chaptered stories, but it never hurts to branch out and try something new.
Plus it’s good for when you’re in the mood to write but not in the mood to map out an entire plot line for at least 20 plus chapters. X) The song I used is “Radha Kaise Na Jale” from the bollywood film “Laagan”. Not too bad a film, you can find it on youtube, but I warn you in advance it’s like a three hour movie about Cricket and the British government over taxing small villages and towns. I recommend looking up the song simply for the sake that it's a great song. Anyways, read, enjoy, review :)
InLethe, out.