A/N: Well, this took forever to get together. Now when you read this, it's supposed to sound familiar, yet backwards. Basically, it's the same story, but with all the characters switched around with someone that could be considered their 'opposite.' Now, it's not going to be exactly the same since 1) I don't have any of the mangas, and 2) I'm writing this with words and not pictures so I've had to fill in a few gaps. Don't worry, it should be close to the actual story since I'm having a couple of friends, who are very into Inu Yasha and own the mangas, read over it before I even type it up. Hope you all like this.
Disclaimer: Well, this is definitely not mine at all. The original idea was my friend, Jessica's (aka Kags/LadyDragonStar), she mentioned it in one of her Inu fics as a TV show called Tales of a Cat, she mentioned that it was basically Inu, but with the characters switched. So I asked her about it and she ended up showing me some notes on it, like which characters she switched with each other, and said that she wasn't going to work on the story and if I wanted it I could have it. The original Inu Yasha is not mine either, I can't remember their name, but I'm sure at lest one avid Inu fan will tell me.
Tales of a Cat
Scroll 1: The Damned Youth
Japan, a Long Time Ago
"This is your fate!" the hanyou hissed as she crouched atop one of the burning huts. She watched in satisfaction as the village burned. She chuckled as the villagers ran around trying to put out the fires. She looked at her prize and smiled. "Finally, I have my Jewel of the Four Souls. Now to become a full demon!" She grinned and leapt off the building and ran out of the destroyed village.
"Kagome!" a voice called out from behind her. She turned—thunk! She flew back against a tree.
"Ses-Sesshomaru!"
The priest Sesshomaru glared at the hanyou. "How dare you…take the Jewel for…you know it was not meant…" He couldn't finish his sentence. The hanyou attempted to glare at him in response, but she was already under the influence of the binding spell.
The tall priest began to make his way out of the forest, leaving the limp figure behind. As he reached the edge of the tree line, he stumbled and something fell out of his hand. A young girl ran to help him.
"Brother, you are wounded, we must get you ba—"
"No, Kaede," he said, cutting her off. "I am dying, little sister," he said quietly. He bent down to pick up the fallen object. "You must burn this with my body," he instructed, indicating the Jewel in his hand. "No demon can be allowed to possess it." He coughed and spit out blood.
Later, the entire village watched in silence as their beloved priest's body burned. Even the wounded attended his funeral pyre. Clasped in his hands was the jewel he spent his life protecting, the Jewel of the Four Souls.
A short ways away, in the middle of the forest, a young raven-haired hanyou remained unconscious pinned against a tree.
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Tokyo, Now
"I can't believe people actually pay money for these pathetic marbles," Inu Yasha told his grandfather incredulously.
"But of course!" the old man replied. "If one has the Shikon Jewel, one's family will know safety and prosperity," he began. The boy snorted and began to play fetch with his small puppy and the 'jewel' keychain. "Are you listening, Inu Yasha? You should learn the Jewel's legend," the old man continued in a lecturing tone.
"No."
"In the beginning, the 'Jewel of Four Souls'—" he began.
"You're wasting your breath, Gramps," the fair-haired boy said. "What you could tell me is that you didn't forget what tomorrow is," he said hopefully.
"That would be too easy," Gramps replied with a sigh. "Of course I didn't forget my handsome grandson's fifteenth birthday." He pulled out a wrapped box and muttered, "You wouldn't let me forget."
"Oh yeah!" the boy said, ignoring the old man's last comment. He tore into the box and pulled out what was inside. He made a face. "What the hell is it?"
"It's the mummified hand of a 'Kappa' water sprite," his grandfather explained. "The legends hold that whosoever possesses this—"
Inu Yasha snorted and offered the hand to the puppy. "Here you go, Buyo, a new toy."
"Hey!" the old man cried. "Those things aren't cheep!" He winced as the puppy began to wrestle with the hand.
After Gramps closed up the Sunset Shrine gift shop, he and Inu Yasha headed into the house. The 'house' was also a very old shrine, occupied by Inu Yasha, Gramps, Inu Yasha's mother, and his younger brother Sota.
"The legend of these pickles is that—" Gramps began at breakfast the next day.
"You bought them from Mr. Ujiko, right?" Inu Yasha cut in.
This was the usual meal conversation in the Higurashi household. The family took care of the Sunset Shrine where they also lived. There was also a 500-year-old sacred 'Go-Shinboku' god-tree and a covered well that they cared for as well that each probably had their own 'legends.' According to Gramps, everything at the Shrine had a legend, which he tried to teach his grandsons. Neither one paid much attention, that is, Inu Yasha never paid attention or cared until the day of his fifteenth birthday.
"Hey! Squirt!" Inu Yasha called out.
"Inu Yasha!" Sota cried, startled.
"You'd better not be messin' around in the mini shrine!" Inu Yasha said, approaching his brother who was standing at the door to the mini shrine that surrounded the well.
"But Buyo, he's in the well-house." Inu Yasha sighed and entered the well-house with Sota.
"Buuu-yo!" Sota called out. The well-house, lit only by the light coming in through the door behind them, creaked eerily. "He's down there some where." Sota whispered to Inu Yasha.
"What are you waiting for then? Go get him," Inu Yasha said exasperatedly.
"But doesn't this place kinda…give you the creeps?" Sota asked staring down into the dark.
"What? You scared? C'mon, you're a boy, suck it up!"
There was a scratching sound from below.
"Th-there's something in there!" Sota gasped.
"Hm, I wonder what it is." Inu Yasha asked sarcastically. "Maybe it's our dog!" The scratching noise came again. Inu Yasha sighed and headed down the stairs to get the dog.
Again, he heard the scratching noise. "Huh?" he mumbled. That sounds like it's coming from inside the well! he thought in surprise. Suddenly, he felt something cold and wet touch the back of his leg. "What the--!" he yelled in surprise, causing Sota to yell also. "I hate it when you do that, Buyo," Inu Yasha said as he picked the puppy up.
"Don't yell like that, Inu Yasha! You scared me!" Sota gasped. Inu Yasha rolled his eyes and turned to head back up the stairs.
Everything seemed to happen all at once. The cover on the well moved and Sota stared in shock. He tried to warn his brother just as the cover broke apart and a woman reached out and grabbed Inu Yasha. At least it looked like a woman apart from the four extra arms.
"Hey!" Inu Yasha yelled in surprise, dropping the puppy. Then the six-armed woman pulled him into the well with her. As they fell, Inu Yasha noticed that at the waist, instead of legs, the creature had a long boned tail. What the hell! he thought, not believing what his eyes were seeing. Other than the fact that they still hadn't hit the bottom of the well yet, Inu Yasha noticed that the creature's flesh was growing back to resemble a giant centipede. Inu Yasha was too stunned to speak.
"What joy. What strength I feel," the creature said in an inhuman voice. "My flesh returns to me!" It grabbed him closer and flicked its abnormally long tongue over his face. "You…have it…Yes?"
Getting over his shock and surprise, Inu Yasha began to struggle against the centipede woman's grasp. "Sick! Get your nasty tongue off me, bitch!" he said shoving her face away from his. As he did, a bright light flashed and the creature let him go except for one arm that ripped off at the elbow and still gripped his arm.
As the creature fell away from him, he heard it shout, "I...will not…lose it…now…the Jewel of Four Souls…will be…mi…" Its voice faded away.
Inu Yasha looked after it confusedly. Where have I heard that before. Jewel of Four Souls? he thought to himself.
Suddenly his foot caught a rock and he began to roll and tumble. A couple seconds later, he hit the ground. Looking up, he noticed that he hadn't actually fallen very far. Well, I guess that whole thing was a dream, since I'm just in the well. He looked around and saw the arm that had been latched onto him. Damn, so it was real. So what was that about some jewel? He thought, trying to remember what Gramps had said. Guess I'll just ask him about it.
"Hey, Shrimp!" he yelled. "Go get Gramps! Now!" He paused, but didn't hear any response. "Sota, you miserable little brat. The stupid chicken ran away!" he muttered to himself as he began to climb out of the well. There were many rocks and vines sticking out of the walls so it wasn't too difficult for him to climb out. He pulled himself over the edge of the well, and rolled onto the ground. He looked around. What in the…? It looked like he was standing in the middle of a clearing. Where'd the Shrine go? The well was inside the mini-shrine, and now it's in a clearing? Now how the hell did that happen? he thought, looking around for any familiar landmarks. "Mom? Gramps?" No response.
He began to run into the trees. Suddenly ahead of him, he saw a big tree that stood above the others. Now that, I recognize, he thought in excitement. If I can just get to the old god-tree, I should be able to get home from there.
He reached the tree and stopped. There, pinned to the tree, was what looked like a girl about his age. She looked normal enough except for the delicate ears on top of her head poking out of her long, black hair. She appeared to be sleeping, and from the vines and roots wrapped around her, Inu Yasha figured she'd been there a while. He couldn't tell if it was the spear sticking out of her stomach or the roots and vines around her that were holding her up off of the ground. Curious, he walked closer. "Hey, you alive?" he asked. Nothing. He climbed up onto the roots that were wrapped around her. As he climbed up, he noticed a black thing sticking out behind her leg. Looking closer, he realized that it must be a tail. Standing up to look her in the face, he realized that she was actually pretty good looking, despite the odd ears and the tail.
Unable to resist the urge, he reached up and poked one of her ears, then reached out and tugged on both of them. They're real! he thought in surprise.
Suddenly a voice called out from behind him, "What do you there!" and several things thunked into the tree around him and the girl. He was surprised to see several arrows sticking out of the tree around him.
"This land is forbidden!" the voice yelled again.
"Be you a stranger!" a second voice called.
Inu Yasha turned around and saw more arrows pointed directly at him. Okay, then, he thought, raising his hands to show he wasn't holding anything. They motioned for him to jump back down to the ground and he did so. One of the men dropped his bow and approached him as his companions kept their weapons trained on Inu Yasha. The man grabbed Inu Yasha's hands and tied them tightly behind his back. Inu Yasha winced at the pressure and the rough ropes. As the man prodded Inu Yasha towards his companions, Inu Yasha got a chance to study his captors. They were dressed in weird looking cloths that reminded Inu Yasha of how his grandfather dressed, especially when he was the shrine store. He tried to remember what his grandfather had said when Inu Yasha questioned his outfit, but all he could remember was something about farms. Inu Yasha sighed when he realized he should have listened to his grandfather more often.
The men led Inu Yasha into a small village and up to one of the buildings. One of the men, the one who had tied his hands, went inside. Inu Yasha could hear him speaking to someone, but couldn't make out the words. The other men who had found him came up behind him and forced him to sit down on the ground.
"Hey! That hurt!" Inu Yasha grumbled. Soon a crowd began to gather around him. Men, women, and children all dressed in the same weird fashion as the handful of men who had found him began to gather. Turning to look at the building the one man had entered, he could hear the voices coming closer to the door, and he could finally make out a few sentences.
"You found him in Kagome's forest?" a voice inquired.
"Aye, a lad in the queerest rags, he is!" the man replied.
The crowd around him began to murmur and whisper.
"He's come spyin', I wager!" one man said, giving Inu Yasha a hard look.
"Then another battle's a brewin'?" a woman asked fearfully.
"I wager 'e's one of them 'kitsune' foxes magicked to look like a boy!" another woman suggested.
There were other suggestions and questions, all confusing to Inu Yasha. Wars? Kitsune? Magic? What the hell are they talkin' about? Inu Yasha thought bewildered. If I didn't know any better, I'd think I fell into my history book. This place and these people look like one of those museum displays.
Suddenly the voice of the man who had entered the little building called out above the muttering crowd. "Make way! Make way!"
"Lady Kaede, the priestess, is come!" one of the villagers commented, moving out from between Inu Yasha and the door to the hut. An old, hunched woman with an eye patch approached him using a bow as a walking staff. As she stopped next to him, she threw a handful of powder at him. "Show your true form, demon!" Inu Yasha flinched away from the powder, but still managed to get some in his face, causing him to sneeze. The villagers stared at him.
"Who are you?" the woman asked. "Why were you in the forest of Kagome?"
Inu Yasha turned to face the woman fully. The weirdoes just keep getting weirder, he thought.
The old woman started in surprise as he turned to face her. "Let me see your face," she commanded, grabbing his chin and turning his head from side to side. "So, trying to look like a clever one, are you?" she asked with a frown.
Inu Yasha gave her an indignant stare.
"You're his image, though…" Kaede said thoughtfully. "…my elder brother…Sesshomaru…"
"Huh? What's a Sess-Ses-sho-ma-ru?" Inu Yasha asked, finally getting control of his tongue.
"You try to come here looking like him, yet you do not know who he is?" the woman asked in surprise. "Bring him inside," she commanded the group who had brought him into the village. She walked back into the little hut and two of the men grabbed his arms and helped him up and into the hut behind her.
"Sesshomaru was the village priest… and its protector," the old woman informed him once the men left. She sat and began to spoon some dinner into bowls for herself and Inu Yasha. She was silent for a moment as she remembered the priest's last words to her echoing in her mind, You must burn this with my body. She shook her head. "That was over fifty years ago. He died when I was but a small child. I vowed to learn and fill his place as the protector of this village." She glanced over at Inu Yasha. "What? You don't like my cooking?" she asked frowning.
Inu Yasha rolled his eyes and replied in a very sarcastic voice, "Well, probably not, but seeing as my arms are still tied behind my back, I can't actually tell you if you're a horrible cook or not!"
Kaede gave him a sheepish look and untied him, muttering something about snappish foreigners. Inu Yasha was quite hungry by now and snatched the bowl of food that Kaede had placed before him. In his usual manner, he began to gulp down the food as fast as he could.
"So, I'm assuming this isn't Tokyo anymore," Inu Yasha said around a mouthful of food. The old woman gave him a strange look.
"I have never heard that name. Is this Tok-yo the land of your birth?"
"Sure, somethin' like that," he answered as he slurped the last of his food. "Well, it was fun chatting with you, but I guess I should be going now…" he began. Of course that could take a while since I have no idea where I am or how I got here. This is gonna be fun, he thought wryly.
Suddenly there was a commotion outside. Inu Yasha and Kaede jumped up and began to look out the door. "What--?" Kaede muttered. As they looked out the door though, one of the village horses landed right in front of them, a big hole gushing blood out of its belly.
"Oh, sick!" Inu Yasha yelled, jumping in surprise. The villagers were running around trying to get out of buildings and away from the destruction.
"Run!" "A demon!" The villagers yelled. Inu Yasha looked at what they were running from and gasped. It was the same creature that had pulled him into the well. As it turned, it spotted him and hissed.
"Give me the Jewel of Four Souls!" it yelled, charging straight for him.
Kaede turned to him in shock. "The- the Jewel…! You have the Jewel!" she cried.
"I dunno!" he yelled back. I guess that thing still wants me, he thought as he watched it charge towards him, stepping on and over any buildings or villagers in its way. Oh, that can't be good, he thought, wincing as the centipede woman stepped squarely on one of the villager's backs.
"No spears nor arrows stop it!" one of the villagers wailed, rushing up to Kaede and Inu Yasha.
"If we can lure it to the dry old well, we might trap it!" Kaede yelled.
"Dry old well?" Inu Yasha repeated in surprise. The one I climbed out of maybe?
"In Kagome's forest—" Kaede began. Inu Yasha's eyes widened. That's what they called the place where that…girl…was.
"How do I get to the forest!" he asked.
"Head east towards--" she started, gesturing towards the trees. He glanced where she was pointing.
"Towards the light! Got it!" he interrupted, taking off running towards Kagome's forest and the glowing light inside.
The creature turned and began to follow him yelling, "You will not escape me again!"
Kaede stared after Inu Yasha in surprise. That boy…did he truly say…? How could he see the evil aura of the forest…that no earthly being can see? she thought, staring after him towards the forest.
In the Forest of Kagome, something twitched. A black tail began to lash back ad forth. A black ear perked. Thu-thud. A heart began to beat. A pair of brown eyes snapped open. She took a deep breath and hissed. "That stench…!" she said in disgust. "The one who killed me…his scent is coming closer!" Anticipation surrounded each word as she spoke. She looked down at the spear protruding from her stomach, pinning her to the tree and she hissed again.
Inu Yasha continued to run through the trees. Damn, this thing just won't give up! he thought glancing over his shoulder again. The centipede creature was gaining on him.
"Give me the Jewel of Four Souls!" it cried.
"I don't even know what this Jewel thing is!" Inu Yasha complained over his shoulder. As he looked back, he stumbled on a root and tumbled face first into the dirt, saving him from the creature's lunge at him. The demon swooped over Inu Yasha's fallen form.
"Why are you bothering to play around with pathetic minors like Mistress Centipede?"
Startled, Inu Yasha looked up at the source of the voice.
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Hope you guys liked that, I'm posting the chapters how they're split in the mangas. And I'm only gonna post every couple of weeks, so I have time to write the latest chapters and type the next few. Currently, I'm in the middle of writing scroll 5 and I'm currently typing scroll 3. I hope to stay at least that far ahead of my postings. Well, I'd better get back to typing. Don't forget to R/R!