Intro
Those who know Inuyasha know it is a story about a young hanyou (half human, half youkai) boy named Inuyasha, a young girl from the present named Kagome and the pair's adventures through the feudal age in Japan.
What one might not know is that the literal translation of the name 'Inuyasha.' 'Inu' is Japanese for 'dog.' 'Yasha' is Japanese for 'female youkai.' So the name 'Inuyasha' essentially means 'female dog youkai/demon' and while the name is feminine, the character is most certainly male. This might be confusing to some and just funny to others. For me, it was an inspiration.
What if Inuyasha wasn't male? What if he was a she instead?
And what if every main character in the show was also of the opposite gender?
So, a fanfiction is born.
Please note, as this is an AU fic, things might differ from the norm. I will try to stay in character but as the characters themselves have changed on a fundamental level, certain other aspects may change as well. Also be warned that the first couple of chapters may stick rather close to the original Inuyasha story, if only to establish the main characters and set the personalities in a familiar setting. Thank you.
Soon there will be a help file up for unfamiliar terms and the changes in character names. More info when applicable.
Prologue:
The One Who Was Sealed
It was a quiet village, like any other quiet village around. The houses were simple and a little rough compared to modern standards but that was okay because it wasn't modern times. In fact, it was feudal Japan, where Tokyo would one day be. At the moment though, it was nothing more than a simple, quint village with all the simple, quaint problems every village of the time had. Wars between lords, crops coming in, the occasional youkai attacking. But that day it was particularly quiet, peaceful in a simple sort of way.
At least, that's how the day started.
Out of the quiet there came a sudden shout from edges bordering the forest, then another and another. Soon the alarm was struck and the village was a rush of people. Women and children ran for cover and the men grabbed up bows and arrows, spears and swords, and ran for the start of the commotion. Soon the village was mass of confusion, buried in the plethora of sounds. And what should come out of this chaos but a single shout, a name, a cry of alarm.
Inuyasha.
"It's Inuyasha! Run!"
"Inuyasha!"
"RUN! Run for your lives!"
An explosion on the edge of the village filled the surrounding area with smoke and out of the cloud, a red-cloaked, white-haired figure burst into the clear, practically flying over the fleeing villagers with a well-aimed jump. A small smirk flashed across the figure's features, the long hair whipping about the face as they soared through the air. A crash, a cloud of dust, and the figure crashed through the roof of one of the buildings, a particularly important building to the villagers and the village itself; the local shrine. Bare feet landed on the floor, scatting pieces of wood and dust across the normally immaculate building. Obviously there was only one goal in mind, as the feet soon moved through the clouds of dust towards a glowing pedestal at the back of the enclosure. On that pedestal was a pinkish, glowing glass ball, threaded onto a special necklace meant to help seal its power. Even in the dust-clogged room, it shone with a special, inner light and cast its reflections across the particles floating in the air and the shrouded walls. With hardly a pause, the intruder snatched the charm up in a clawed hand and fled from the room. Out the door and with another jump, they were soon heading up and away from the village once again.
Once clear of the dust and debris, it was obvious to see that the intruder could very well have been human. The body was that of a human female, though cloaked in the garb usually reserved for men. The hair, though a brilliant shade of white, was long and fluttered around her shoulders in an enticing way. She had a thin, yet wiry body that looked as if it could stand up to just about anything. And if you ignored the bright hair and the sharper-than-average fingernails, you could very well mistake her for human. Except for one thing. Perched atop her head was a pair of fuzzy, white, dog ears that twitched and rotated with each new sound around her. These ears completely took the place of the normal ears that might be on a regular human female. Upon closer inspection, one might notice her eyes were not human either; instead, they were slitted like a cat's but a deep golden colour. Her reflexes and strength were many times more than that of a human and she deftly avoided the spears and arrows that came her way, knocking them aside with a sweep of her arm.
She was Inuyasha, a hanyou, a half breed. And today she was about to escape with the Shikon no Tama.
"Ha! Now that I have this, I can become a real youkai." Inuyasha smirked and clasped the jewel in her clawed fist. None of the villagers could stop her; their nets would not hold her and their arrows couldn't pierce her special clothing. Nothing was going to stop her now! Nothing!
"Inuyasha!"
A deep voice caused the hanyou to turn, despite her better intentions. A shrieking whistle caused her ears to twitch even as the cold, steal tip of an arrow pierced her left shoulder and thrust her violently into the huge tree behind her. The Shikon no Tama slipped out of her fingers and clattered to the ground in front of the tree, bouncing once, twice, then stopping in front of her even as she reached out uselessly towards it. On the steps leading up to the shrine but away from the village, the very steps Inuyasha had just leaped down, a lone houshi stood with bow in hand, the string still vibrating from the recent shot. The houshi's dark hair, shoulder length, was loose about his face though usually tied up in a tight ponytail on the back of his head. His white shirt flapped in the breeze and the dark gray hakama whipped about his legs. Inuyasha's eyes turned upwards towards the sight and widened. Shock, betrayal, anger....all flashed through their golden depths in a split second.
"Kiro....you....you bastard! I...."
But what the hanyou was about to say was forever lost. Already her limbs grew weak and cold and her lids dropped down as if in slumber. As the power of the arrow took effect, Inuyasha's body slipped down into what would most likely be an eternal unconsciousness. A breeze shifted through the trees, tossing the white hair around the still body, fluttering the white and gray robes on Kiro, then disappearing into the forest depths. Once again, it was still and quiet.
Kiro staggered down towards the tree even as the villagers rushed up to him. The fight with Inuyasha, though easy on the hanyou, had been grievous on the villagers and many were wounded, including the small boy who ran up to the injured houshi with a bandage wrapped firmly over his eye and across his face. Kiro ignored the commotion though and continued his halting journey down the stairs, his right side covered with dark red blood and dragging against the forward movement of the rest of his body. Blood followed his path, staining the ground with it's deep crimson, too much blood to possibly be healthy.
"Kiro onii-sama!" The boy finally reached the priest and grabbed a hold of his good arm, trying to halt his movement. But Kiro would not be stopped and quickly scooped up the Shikon no Tama, clutching it close to his chest. The effort was too much for him though and he finally fell to his knees, his skin deathly pale in his eyes cloudy with pain. The boy tried to help him back up again, but Kiro merely shook his head slowly, with effort.
"No, Kaette, there is little time. I will not last long."
"No, onii-sama! You can't give up. We can still heal your wounds! You'll get better!"
"My wounds are too deep to ever be healed." Clasping his brother's hand, Kiro pushed the jewel into it and closed the small fingers around it. "The Shikon no Tama, you must burn it with my body. It has caused too much pain and suffering and I will not allow it to do so ever again."
"But Onii-sama...."
"Promise me, Kaette!"
"I do, onii-sama! I promise!"
With a satisfied nod, the priest closed his eyes as if resting, but his body slumped and started to fall sideways. Even as his younger brother's shouts chased his spirit into the darkness of the afterlife, one thought followed him down, always down.
I will take the Shikon no Tama with me to the afterlife. It will harm no longer......