Hello again everyone! *ahem* I got this idea a while ago and only just got around to typing up the first chapter on account of many things.
I'm predicting this story will take up most of my time aside from betaing. So those of you who read my other works will have to wait a little longer because I'm going to have to pour all my attention into this story. I really want to make this the best story I've ever written. With that being said I have Angelic Memories as my beta (karma for you girl! ^^) She was very helpful with helping me figure out the basic plot and I know she'll help me with the small details later on.
Some of the characters in here that you don't recognize are characters I came up with just for the story but the characters I almost always use are Sakura, Ichiro, and Akihiro (If you want to know what Akihiro looks like just look at the banner in my siggie)
Disclaimer: Anything Inuyasha related belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. The storyline and OC characters that will be introduced are my creations.
P.S Throughout the story I'll be using Japanese vocabulary and other things that may not be familar to most of you guys so I will graciously put foot notes and a glossary at the end of each chapter should I use unfamilar words just for your convienience. I hope that ya'll enjoy the story and don't forget to review and tell me what you think. I love the encouragement ^^
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They say fate is inevitable. Once it's course had been determined that is is impossible to change. I never really believed much in fate. I lived life the way I saw fit and viewed the good and bad things in life just as any other thing in my life. It was always just another day. But Fate always had a way of bestowing on me challenges that at first seemed to be impossible to overcome.
I grew up an only child to a shrine family. My childhood was filled with much love and laughter. My oka-san was a stay-at-home mom who also helped my onjii-san running the shrine. My otou-san was hardly at home. He was busy with his work and I never got the pleasure of being spoiled by my father. Then one day everything changed. I thought it was a mistake. Yes. I thought the kamis made a mistake and took my otou-san early for not being a good and studious Japanese girl. I scoffed at Fate and became bitter but my oka-san and onjii-san helped me through my trials. Eventually, I became my normal cheerful self.
Things went great for me. I excelled in my studies and I felt like a weight was lifted from my shoulders since my father's death. For the first time I felt like I accomplished something and that I was on the right track. A few years later my shatei was born. Finally, I felt the joy of being an older sibling and I was just about glued to my mother's side cooing softly at my shatei. To me life was a miracle in itself. It was something to be treasured; a belief I stood firm on even to my death. It made me question those who abused life; the ones who raped, the ones who murdered thousands with bombs or other weapons, and those who just killed just for the sake of killing. Unlike everyone else who hated and feared those people I pitied them. Some of them were just misunderstood because they saw life differently and the rest were mentally unstable.
Life would have never prepared me for my journey down the well on my fifteenth birthday. The day started out just as all my birthdays. My oka-san would wake me up early so I could eat her special recipes and recieve my gifts. Now, over the years my onjii-san was with the belief that youkai and magical mikos were reality. I merely brushed all his far-fetched stories of as pure fiction; the product of a highly imaginative mind. Oh how wrong I was. I sat down at the table eatting my oka-san's cooking and I felt at peace. Onjii-san gave me another wierd gift which I threw to the fat family cat Buyo. I had school that day and I hurried to change into my school uniform. Rushing out the house that when my destiny was set in motion.
As I was just about to run down the steps of the shrine I spotted my shatei, Souta, shivered just outside the old wellhouse. I remembered oka-san saying long ago that she didn't want us to play down there because it was dark and we could hurt ourselves. Never being one to disobey my mother I followed this rule like the samurai does with the samurai code. To say the least I was a bit peeved that Souta was even near the wellhouse......with the sliding doors open just a crack. Being the overprotective sister I was I went to find out what the fuss was all about. Naturally, it seemed Buyo got himself in a bit of trouble and was somewhere stuck down in the wellhouse.
I took it upon myself to to investigate the wellhouse and look for the obecese cat. Sliding the doors of the wellhouse wider so I could get more light I bravely stepped down the stairs looking fruitlessly in the dark emptiness around me. All I could see was darkness; a blackhole. Scratching sounds startled me and when I looked down I found that Buyo had pounced on my leg and was eagerly purring and rubbing his face against it. I sighed and shook my head then completely unwares that Buyo scurried up the stairs in fright. I heard scratching sounds again and when I strained my ears to pinpoint the source I found it was coming from inside the well. A silent fear gripped me and a cold chill decended on my body. I turned and was just about to head up the stairs when my brother began screaming. I felt light glowing arms encase themselves around my and with force pulled me down the well.
That's when the line between reality and fiction became obscure and everthing I know would be changed forever. I floated in time and space with a hideous thing I thought to be just another story my onjii-san would tell me while I sat on his lap. Never did I expect youkai to be real but here it was living proof for my eyes to feast on. The youkai kept babbling inccoherently asking for something I knew nothing about. Before I knew what happened I felt my body go into defense mode and I tightly shut my eyes and outstretched my hand. A pained scream that could only be described as excrutiating pain was heard and I opened my eyes to see that some of the arms of the youkai had been burned off.
There was no time fore wondering as I touched down to the bottom of the well; the youkai not in sight. I climbed out but was taken aback at the surroundings. It was at best primitive and strangely lacking in buildings, cars, and pollution. My mind raced with many questions but I pushed myself onward. That was when I met the inu hanyou named Inuyasha, who was pinned to the Sacred Tree by none other than the legendary miko, Kikyo. Both Inuyasha and Kikyo were decieved 50 years ago by a shape shifting hanyou and the master mind behind all the troubles I had to face. Inuyasha and I were not on the best of terms when we first met on account of the fact that he confused me with his old flame Kikyo (which he still does from time to time) He had to be put under a spell by Kaede that allowed me to subdue Inuyasha with but one simple word. Tension was created anew when a youkai sorceress name Urasue brought Kikyo back from the dead in a clay body using my soul (which half of it returned to my body while the other half stayed with Kikyo) I hurt internally when Inuyasha went to see Kikyo many a time. Inuyasha and I were always at each other's necks. But over time we learned to understand each other and sometimes I got to see a side of Inuyasha that I thought was almost non-existant due to his harsh childhood.
Along the way we met Shippo, a young kitsune whose father was killed by the Thunder Brothers. We then met Miroku, a Buddhist houshi, with a cursed wind tunnel in his right hand (one which he uses to grope a woman's rear in a most peverted fashion) Miroku was interesting to say the least. He was perverted yet he was supposed to be a holy man. But he did have extensive knowledge on most youkai and spells that proved invaluable. He could also sense auras as I could when I found out I had miko powers because I was Kikyo's reincarnation. Sango, the taijya was a different story, one which started out horribly. Naraku had somehow decieved her into thinking that Inuyasha had slaughtered her fellow taijiya friends when in truth Naraku had used Sango's younger brother Kohaku as a pawn. It was hard getting Sango to open up for the longest time and altough it felt nice to finally have another female in the group I just couldn't relate to Sango.
Both she and I grew up in different eras in time exposed to conflicting ways of life. While Sango was born and bred to hunt youkai and defend herself I in contrast was born and raised with an education free of worrying about youkai. She was more atlethic and could fight but I never even raised a fist against anyone....intentionally. It was hard fitting in when the others were so efficient at what they did. I began to feel like the odd man out whenever we went into battle. But looking back I realized I was still immature prone to making decisions or conclusions on a whim depending on my mood. I know I stunted my growth mentally, spiritually, and physically by relying on my friends to save me every time I happened to get kidnapped.
Things became alot more interesting when I met Sesshomaru, Inuyasha's older half-brother. Unlike Inuyasha who was a hanyou, Sesshomaru was a full inu youkai. He was the Daiyoukai of the Western Lands, strong and arrogant he was. At first his sheer beauty took my breath away. There he stood in his father's tomb wearing battle armor and a traditional silk haori and hakama. A fur pelt was attached to his left shoulder while a katana hung at his left side. He was, beyond a doubt, the most handsome man I'd ever laid eyes on. There was a strength I saw behind that cold visage. His pale alabaster skin looked smooth, his eyes the color of a shining sun, his lips a soft pink thinned out in a perpetual frown. On his face were the marking of his heritage; a purle cresent moon on his forehead and two lavender-colored stripes on either cheek. He also had lavender stripes on his wrists and other place on his body (of which I cannot discuss). Sesshomaru's nails were long and deadly....claws just waiting to shred his prey into pieces. I find myself wondering how I came to love one to dangerous and the enemy of my kind but I never was one for falling in love with someone who mirrored my interests. I found the unknown exciting and meeting someone new who didn't share my interests was refreshing. You know how that saying goes...opposites attract, right? Well it was certainly true in my case.
I know I should have been scared for my life then when Sesshomaru attempted to claim my life with his poison claw. I should've been screaming and on my knees begging for my life like the pathetic human I am. But I was curious and naive. Somehow I got caught up in the moment and I didn't think that that could've been the last time I ever drew oxygen. Of course Tetsusaiga saved me. It was created specifically to protect humans; the "Guardian of Men" as Totosai calls it. Long ago the Inu no Taisho, Touga; Sesshomaru and Inuyasha's father, needed a means of protection for Inuyasha's human mother Izayoi. Hence, the Tetsusaiga was created with Tensiaga, the Sword of Heaven, as a cast off of Tetsusaiga both created from a single fang from Touga.
My group had many other runins with Sesshomaru and most were less than favorable; Inuyasha being the one instigating most of the fights. Sometimes I got the unmistakenable feeling that Sesshomaru didn't come to fight but merely to check in on the progress of Inuyasha as it were. I'm most certain Sesshomaru would never admit this but I had a feeling that he was actually looking out for Inu-baka. Other times it's like Sesshomaru is silently observing me. He sometimes gave me a look which made my skin crawl in an almost aroused way. In the end we all ended up teaming with Sesshomaru and his army to fight Naraku. The final battle was nothing short of a bloody battlefield. The loss of life was shocking. Even though Sesshomaru used Tenseiga to bring back his soldiers the battle seemed insurmountable. Every time we managed to corner Naraku or push his forces he found some sneaky to retaliate. It was then that I got fed up and shot a purifcation arrow pouring all my hate of Naraku into it. As I did Inuyasha did the Backlash Wave, Sesshomaru the Dragon Stike, Kouga a flying wind kick, Kagura the Dance of Blades, Sango with her Hiraikotsu, Miroku with his Windtunnel, Shippo with his Foxfire, Ah-Un with it's energy blast, Jaken with the fire attack from his Staff of Two Heads, and Kirara by her own energy blast made of wind and fire. With all our attacks combined into one Naraku was instantly incinerated into nothingness not even a speck of ash was left. The Shikon no Tama lay on the ground completed and tainted. Everyone stepped back as I stooped down to purify it. Without even touching the jewel it was purified even though my hand was an inch from touching it. It was my sheer powerful aura alone that allowed this.
For the next few days I spent contemplating on what to wish for that wouldn't end in the total destruction of the world. Inuyasha had matured over the span of four years of gathering jewel shards and with that came the realization of his feelings for me. I knew he couldn't completely forget about Kikyo and I figured it would be inevitable that he would come to me one day and tell me he'd rather be with Kikyo. I was completely prepared for it and I reassured Inuyasha when he finally got summed up the courage to tell me. He looked torn like he didn't want to hurt me but after confessing he pleaded on bended knee for us to still remain close friends. Of course I said yes I wouldn't have it any other way. With that I finally saw the light; an elightenment if you will. I gathered everyone together and I wished for Kikyo to be brought back to life with her own soul. All at once Kikyo and I were levitating in the air unconcious. Kikyo's half of my soul rammed into my chest while Kikyo glowed a brilliant blue. When we finally floated to the ground we were still unconcious and I didn't wake up until three days later with Inuyasha and Shippo worrying that something happened to me. Kikyo though awoken almost instantly and she was shocked that I would even consider bringing her back or that I was okay with her being with Inuyasha.
After bringing Kikyo back Inuyasha and Kikyo had a small wedding and consummated it by mating in the youkai rite. I was happy for them but deep down I did feel a sort of emptiness that ate my soul. It felt like a hole in my heart that steadily expanding until it fully consumed me in darkness. I couldn't tell anyone about this feeling so I kept it to myself even from Sango who came to become like the sister I never had (damn you Souta!) Sesshomaru started to make frequent visits to Kaede's village because Rin was staying there. Kaede bestowed Rin with her knowledge on herbs and womanly duties. Most recently Rin got miko training when it was discovered she had dormant miko powers, powers which Sesshomaru and Jaken were completely unawares of the whole time they travelled with Rin. I helped in Kaede's training which inadvertently strengthen my own untrained powers.
When I wasn't training with Rin I was helping to heal the wounded, gather herbs for medicines, read and teach the village children, perform exorcisms, or fend off unruly youkai with my purification arrow. There was hardly a moment spent being idle. In the Fuedal Era you had a job to do and you had to see to it that it was done right and done well. You weren't gifted with leisure time like in the Modern Era. While I was out gathering herbs I ran across Sesshomaru who was sitting by the river that ran through Kaede's village that was the water source for the villagers. He had come earlier to visit Rin and give her another silk kimono that he commissioned for her ever growing body. He sat there on a rock looking much the regal king I thought I was. I'll admit my secret fascination with Sesshomaru died down somewhat when I was faced with retrieving the jewel shards. I couldn't afford to think about my chilidish fantasies with him but now......
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Glossary-
Inu: Dog
Youkai: Demon
Miko: Priestess
Hanyou: Half Demon
Taijiya: Demon Slayer
Houshi- Monk
Shikon no Tama: Shikon Jewel
Otou-san: Father
Oka-san: Mother
Onjii-san: Grandfather
Shatei: Younger Brother
Baka- Idiot
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