The Cursed Mask's Secret
Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairytale
Prologue – The Doll Festival of Wishes
The sun hung low in the sky, signaling the late hour; undoubtedly, a slight chill of winter still hung in the early spring air outside. However, Kaname Kururugi was unaware of this as the bus trundled down the street. The junior high student sighed heavily as she listened to her friend chatter on. Her friend's name was Yuka Takagan, and they had known one another since primary school; how their friendship had continued was beyond most that knew them, as Kaname was much more reserved than Yuka, who was somewhat of a gossip.
Which is what the brunette found herself listening to as Yuka rattled off all the new gossip of the week. She was mostly tuning it out, until one particular sentence caught her attention. "What, wait," she exclaimed as she jumped back to attention, a hand coming to cover her mouth in her shock. "You cannot be serious! Are you sure they're going steady?" The girl flinched as she realized how loud she had been, flushing as Yuka shushed her.
"Come on," Yuka hissed, face flushed red. "You don't have to make such a scene, Kaname." Flipping her hair over her shoulder, the girl huffed and turned her attention back to the window. "Just one look at them and it's totally obvious. They've probably been serious for a while now." With a slight smirk, the girl continued, "Just like another obvious couple?"
"N-no way! Hiro and Seiko?"
"Oh my God, you don't have to flip out about it! You've got to be the densest person ever when it comes to noticing stuff like that!"
Kaname flushed, one hand on the handgrip and the other adjusting her backpack. "Well, I mean…" Sighing, the brunette allowed herself to jostle with the movement of the bus. "It's just that they're still only in junior high…."
"Still in junior high?" Yuka snorted a laugh, shaking her head. "C'mon, already in junior high in more like it! Besides," she shrugged, still grinning in a slightly taunting manner. "There are tons of girls in our year that already have boyfriends! Like Yume and Takai-san… Miko… Oh, and Tomo-chan!"
"Tomo-chan, too?"
Yuka's grin fell at the genuinely distressed tone her friend's voice held. "Oops, you didn't know?"
Kaname shook her head, staring at her feet. "No… And here I thought I was her friend."
"Look," Yuka offered a smaller smile, placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "I bet she just didn't want to hurt your feelings. After all, it's not like you have a boyfriend yet!" The girl giggled again, quickly pressing the call button as the bus announced the next stop.
"Kururugi Shrine! Please ring the bell if you'd like to get off."
Kaname rushed towards the shrine steps as soon as the bus opened the doors. "I'll see you later at the festival, Yuka!" She called back, waving to her friend as she hurried through the crowd. Oh, she was so late! Her twin brother Michiru, usually the slacker, was even there before she was!
'Dad is going to be so mad,' the girl thought, hesitating as she saw her father at a stand. The man was already in his traditional clothing, handing out the ceremony dolls with a smile. However, as he locked eyes with the teen, his expression darkened slightly; Kaname gulped before plastering a grin on her face.
"Hi dad!"
"You're late," the middle-aged man grumbled, still smiling as the last couple of festival goers left his stand. "You know today is the doll festival of wishes…"
The brunette felt her entire body deflate as she nodded sullenly. "Yeah, I know, but my homeroom class went way over time and… You know what, dad? I'll go get changed and come right back, okay?" Turning on her heel, the girl took a few trotting steps towards the Kururugi household.
"Wait!"
Kaname stopped and turned back around, cocking her head in question at her father.
Face relaxing into a gentle expression, the man pointed towards the storage shed at the back of the shrine grounds. "First, run to the shed and get me some more amulets? Your brother and mother are giving enough help right now, but I've run out. Then get changed, young lady."
"Yes, sir!" Kaname nodded and smiled, adjusting her backpack and heading towards the storage shed. The small building was nestled at the back of the shrine grounds, behind the house and shrine itself. Despite the festival going on just a couple of feet away, it was somehow quiet near the shed. A slightly cold breeze blew through the air, causing Kaname to shudder slightly. When she had been younger, she had been deathly afraid of the storage house, something Michiru had teased her about relentlessly.
Squaring her shoulders, the girl shook her head and pushed the doors open. The setting sun lit up a small amount of the shed, causing the back of the building to be swallowed in shadows. Kaname pouted as she thought, 'I think we left the amulets in the back last year, which means I should have brought a flashlight…' Grumbling, the girl carefully stepped into the shed, blinking and hoping her eyes would adjust quickly. However, a yelp forced its way from her throat as the floor collapsed beneath her feet, causing one of her legs to become stuck in the wood.
"Oh geez, the floor is totally rotten!" The teen groaned and began trying to loosen her leg without cutting it up more than it had already been. "Just like my luck…. Dad's just going to love hearing about this…" Leaning over to wiggle her leg out easier, the girl froze as the floor wobbled a bit more. Before she could pull back, though, the wood collapsed beneath her.
Kaname saw a strange, swirling vortex of light before all consciousness left her.
A/N: Me, working on a fanfic while another one is unfinished? It's more likely than you'd think. But Inuyasha and the game Secret of the Cursed Mask was an important part of my childhood. I've tried many times over the years to write a fanfic like this one – a novelization of sorts of the SotCM game – and finally feel like I can do it justice. It should come out much faster than my JJBA fanfic, seeing as it's mostly pre-written. It will also be a bit choppy in dialogue sometimes since I'm going off how I remember the game.
This is a dream fanfic tbh and I hope you all like it!
…. No beta reader unfortunately so I apologize for any errors that I missed on my own….