All characters, named weapons, and attacks borrowed from Inuyasha are not my own, but belong to Takahashi-dono.
"What Has Come Before"
A Brief Explanation by the Author
My Inuyasha Alternate Universe fic, "A Twist in Time" was based on a simple premise: what would have happened if Kikyou had not sealed Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree? This story is a continuation of that one. I highly recommend you read "A Twist in Time" first… it's really good, I promise!
On the other hand, I have provided this first chapter here as a short summary of the events that took place in that story; so if you'd rather just read this chapter and get mostly caught up to speed, that's fine, just be warned: it is full of spoilers, and you will probably get very confused at some point. Or, if you have already read "A Twist in Time" but would like a refresher, here it is!
As a third option, you could ignore the first part of the tale and skip past this chapter entirely, and go straight to Chapter 2. You won't know why this particular group of characters is together (or who some of them are), but hey, what's life without a little mystery? If you know nothing else, at least be aware of this: this story takes place fifty years before the original canon storyline does…
What Has Come Before (Prior Events by Chapter)
1. The hanyou (half-demon) Inuyasha and miko (shrine priestess) Kikyou are deceived into thinking that each had betrayed the other. Kikyou attempts to seal Inuyasha to the Sacred Tree, but her arrow only strikes and pins his fire-rat robe. Kikyou dies before she can instruct her younger sister Kaede to burn the Shikon Jewel with her body. Kaede places a rosary enchanted by her sister around Inuyasha's neck, and subjugates him with the word kokuzoku – "traitor".
2. The night of the New Moon, Inuyasha comes to Kaede as a human, begging her to remove the rosary – she refuses, as she still believes him to have murdered Kikyou. She reluctantly agrees, however, to meet with him later so he can attempt to prove his innocence.
3. Before he can meet with Kaede, Inuyasha encounters Jaken, the water-imp retainer of his elder full-demon half-brother, Sesshomaru. Jaken asks Inuyasha to assist his brother in battle against the invading Panther Demon Tribe, ancient enemies of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's mutual father. Spoiling for a good fight, Inuyasha agrees. Sesshomaru accepts Inuyasha's help, with the proviso that Inuyasha keep out of his way.
4. Fighting alongside other demons who have come to assist Sesshomaru, Inuyasha slays several panther demons. The panther demon army retreats in a panic from Sesshomaru's fearsome true form, which Inuyasha here sees for the first time. He feels once more the poignant need to become much stronger.
5. Kaede finds Inuyasha (who is recovering from the injuries he sustained during the battle) at the appointed meeting place and time. He manages to convince her that he did not kill Kikyou. Kaede believes she lacks the power to keep the Shikon Jewel pure and protect it from demons – including Inuyasha – so she decides to take it to the safekeeping of another priestess: the miko Tsubaki, who Kaede encountered once before. Meanwhile, at the temple she inhabits, Tsubaki entertains an itinerant Buddhist monk, Miatsu, as her guest. Inuyasha and Kaede arrive at the temple, and Tsubaki reluctantly allows them to spend the night, at Miatsu's insistence (inspired by an approaching thunderstorm). Tsubaki is tempted by the demon familiar inhabiting her right eye to kill them all and take the Shikon Jewel for herself.
6. A horde of demons assails the temple. The four occupants fight the demons off, but Tsubaki's familiar decides to take the Jewel for itself, since she will not. The snake swallows the Jewel, becoming like a dragon, and even Inuyasha is powerless to stop it. A battered sword emerges from Inuyasha's eye. It is initially useless, but once it transforms, Inuyasha is able to use it to defeat the demon. However, as the blade cuts through the demon's body, it strikes and shatters the Shikon Jewel; the sword suffers some damage as well. One shard of the Jewel lodges in Kaede's previously injured eye, restoring her sight, but the rest of the shards cannot be located.
7. The temple is in ruins from the extended combat. The group burns the demon corpses and slowly come to terms with what has transpired. Unbeknownst to them, a cunning demon named Naraku provoked the attack on the shrine, and now possesses a shard of the Jewel – what's more, he is capable of tainting individual shards!
8. Tsubaki and Miatsu decide to accompany Kaede and Inuyasha as they search for more Jewel shards.
9. Inuyasha and Kaede, seeking additional shards, encounter Myoga (a flea demon and servant of Inuyasha's father), who informs them of the origin of Inuyasha's new weapon. Sesshomaru appears, demanding the Tetsusaiga, and easily defeats Inuyasha; but he is unable to touch the blade, and departs without further violence. Sesshomaru's mother arrives and bestows to Inuyasha the Tetsusaiga's sheath, apparently at the behest of her husband's spirit. She too departs without shedding blood.
10. Inuyasha and Kaede next encounter a rampant beast who is suffering from a Jewel shard stuck in its forehead. Inuyasha manages to remove the shard without killing the beast, but is injured in the process.
11. Tsubaki and Miatsu journey back to Kaede's village in search of clues to the identity of Kikyou's killer. On the way, Tsubaki reveals snippets of her past to the monk, then demonstrates her power in combat against a giant oni.
12. When Tsubaki and Miatsu reach the village, they sense an evil aura; they follow it and find a cave possessed by a malicious will. Fleeing the evil, they wait in Kaede's home for the other two to return.
13. As Kaede tends to his wounds, Inuyasha opens up to her – just a bit.
14. When they do return, Inuyasha overhears Tsubaki insulting him. Enraged, he disappears into the forest as night (and a heavy rain) falls. His departure brings Kaede to tears, so Tsubaki pursues him to apologize. When she finds him, he senses her apology is genuine and heartfelt – though she does not reveal her own issues with demons.
15. Inuyasha and Tsubaki take shelter from the storm in an abandoned house; to pass the time, Tsubaki asks Inuyasha about his past. [NOTE: Since it slowed the story down too much, I eventually removed the actual stories he told, but left their conversations in between. If you wish to read the stories Inuyasha told her, you'll have to read my other fic, "Mother".]
16. That same night, Kaede suffers from intense nightmares. Waking up in the middle of the night, she remembers the bandit her sister Kikyou had been tending, Onigumo. Miatsu insists they wait for morning before going to check on him.
17. Inuyasha and Tsubaki return in the morning, on much better terms. Tsubaki finds out firsthand that Miatsu has a naughty habit…
18. The foursome investigate Onigumo's cave further; Inuyasha smells something that is like a demon, yet is not a demon. They compare the aura in the cave to the one that left traces on the arrows shot at Inuyasha by "Kikyou", and determine that they match. They conclude that something disguised itself as Kikyou to attack Inuyasha, but do not understand why. Kaede reveals that Onigumo had the will to do so, but not the power. Momentarily at a standstill, the four decide to hunt for more Jewel shards while also searching for Kikyou's killer.
19. A demon calling itself "Hell" is also hunting for the Jewel shards, though Inuyasha and the others do not yet know it. The demon already has several shards, and with their power, can transform its shape for extended periods. [If you didn't know yet (shame on you), naraku means "hell"…]
20. While traveling, Inuyasha and the others obtain two more Jewel shards. Having lost their traveling funds, Miatsu offers a wealthy household an exorcism in exchange for food and lodging. Kaede and Tsubaki force Inuyasha to take a bath [hilarious!], while Miatsu goes to give the master's daughter a blessing. Miatsu is trapped inside the daughter's room under the spell of a demon who has disguised itself as the girl.
21. Inuyasha, Tsubaki, and Kaede discover Miatsu's predicament and come to his rescue. Tsubaki and Kaede are rendered paralyzed, just as Miatsu was. The demon reveals that he, Naraku, is the one who set Inuyasha and Kikyou against one another. Enraged, Inuyasha attacks, but cannot land a blow on Naraku's false form. Naraku disarms Inuyasha, who continues to attack bare-handed. Kikyou, who can see the demon's true form through the shard in her eye, watches helplessly as Naraku finally counterattacks.
22. Miatsu blocks the projectile with his right hand, saving Inuyasha; Miatsu seems to be uninjured aside from some small cuts. As his scheme has "failed", Naraku flees. The master's daughter, Risa, who was actually in the room, but bespelled, awakens. She asks to leave with them, as her father refuses to let her marry the man she loves, a demon slayer named Shako. Inuyasha refuses, but is overruled. Kaede informs the others that she could see Naraku had many Jewel shards.
23. Miatsu's injured right hand is behaving strangely (more so than usual): it periodically sucks nearby objects up. After it absorbs an entire blanket, Miatsu decides there is something very wrong, and asks Inuyasha to take him to the temple where he trained with haste. The women agree to meet them at the temple, and the men depart at top speed.
24. The women journey together towards the temple, but a "shortcut" results in disaster when Tsubaki's magic backfires; Tsubaki faces imminent death.
25. Inuyasha and Miatsu race towards the temple, only reaching it thanks to a last-ditch effort by Miatsu, who uses a time-stopped sutra on his hand. Other monks appear and hustle Miatsu inside to begin treating his condition.
26. Inuyasha encounters two strange travelers, one of whom helped treat Miatsu. Dim-witted though he is, Inuyasha manages to understand that Miatsu has been cursed; he is shocked when the traveler announces that he (Inuyasha) should not exist.
27. Miatsu awakens and reunited with his old friend Mushin, a fellow monk. Inuyasha relays the traveler's instructions to Miatsu regarding his injury, including the purpose for the beads wrapped around his hand. Inuyasha's sleep is fitful, as he is plagued with nightmares where Kikyou kills him.
28. When Inuyasha awakens, he meets yet another traveler named Kotsu, and his two-tailed cat. Kotsu follows Inuyasha and Miatsu as they depart the temple, later joining them at Miatsu's request. They arrive just as Tsubaki begins her fall into certain death.
29. The day is saved [I won't reveal how – you'll have to read it]. Kotsu reveals that he is actually Shako, Risa's betrothed. Tsubaki realizes that Inuyasha has become special to her… and vice versa.
30. Shako informs the others that the Shikon Jewel originated in his home village, and that it was he who sent the Jewel to Kikyou. The whole group travels to the village of the Demon Slayers.
31. Inuyasha and company find Myoga waiting for them at the village. Leaving Risa behind to make preparations for her wedding to Shako, the others visit the nearby limestone cave where the priestess Midoriko and the demons she fought are encased in stone. Due to Myoga's curiosity and a fair bit of bad luck, some demon spirits revive; they are defeated by Inuyasha (or Midoriko's spirit, depending on who you ask). After the others leave, a bittersweet reunion occurs between two very old compatriots.
32. Miatsu convinces Inuyasha to try to peep on Tsubaki when she goes to bathe. Pure hilarity ensues. [I won't spoil any details…]
33. Miatsu practices his skills, and encounters a fearsome enemy. Kaede practices her skills in archery… and cooking. After a mysterious absence, Inuyasha tries to have the Tetsusaiga repaired, but is the village smiths cannot help.
34. While wandering through the village, Tsubaki encounters a strange old herbalist woman…
35. Shako determines that the woman Tsubaki met was the spirit of his own departed great-grandmother, Rindou. He shares his insecurities about his upcoming marriage with her; she inadvertently reveals her feelings for Inuyasha. Tsubaki discerns a strange connection between Rindou's name and that of another dead woman.
36. Inuyasha and Shako converse about their fathers, and the legacies each left to his son. Inuyasha works out how to make his sword transform.
37. Shako and Risa are finally able to get married! But Inuyasha has his eyes on one of the officiants of the wedding, rather than on the participants…
38. The after-wedding party commences, replete with wine, song, wine, dancing, wine, food, and… well, you get the picture. A drunken young priestess does things she ordinarily would not; but are her actions really what they seem? The older priestess thinks so, but the monk suspects otherwise, and tells the half-demon so…
39. Inuyasha seeks out Tsubaki, who went missing after seeing him in a compromising situation. [No spoilers for you!] A very touching chapter, according to my wife…
40. Myoga reveals his results of his investigations on the Jewel. Uncovering his cursed hand for the first time since it was bound, Miatsu discovers that the curse may actually be a powerful weapon, dubbing it the Kazaana, or "Wind Tunnel". Shako and Risa state their intentions to remain in the village, but send Kilala along with the group. Myoga tells Inuyasha that the swordsmith who forged the Tetsusaiga may be able to repair the damage it suffered when it broke the Jewel. Shako helps the group figure out how to get to where this swordsmith lives from the Slayer's village. After saying their goodbyes (some terse, some tearful) to their generous hosts, Inuyasha, Kaede, Tsubaki, Miatsu, and Kilala set off for parts unknown.
And now the story continues, in "A Twist in Time, Book II"!