Something random I wanted to do after watching the show. Inugami is, personally, my favorite character and I thought about making a little back story for him. I don't own the show, but it would be cool if my little back story became a reality.
There was a cardboard box and in it was a stray puppy. For purposes of this story, we shall refer to the puppy as 'he'. But, no one really knew what the puppy's true gender was. In the business moments of day, the puppy would hop around in the box and wag his little tail for all to see. People passed by him, but none stopped to look at him.
The puppy soon grew hungry so he whined and whined until the moon was high in the sky. Eventually, some older strays came and dropped chewing bones and scraps into the box. The puppy barked his gratitude and chewed and ate. The scraps didn't move down his throat easily, but it made his stomach feel better. Wagging his tail, the puppy whined,
"It is cold. Can you stay with me?" The older strays looked at one another before running off into the darkness. Cold and lonely, the puppy snuggled into a corner and slept. A new day came and went by.
The stray puppy was a little bigger now, but still, no one bothered to look at it. He still retained his youth and cuteness, but his petite body was slowly giving away, exposing his bony interior. Still, he wagged his tail and barked for attention. Sometimes, the older strays would give him scraps but it was getting more and more dangerous out on the streets. Dog-catchers came by so frequently that the stray puppy had to move his home elsewhere.
It was a hard journey. He had scouted the area and found a comfy place uphill, but he barely had the strength to move his home upwards. In total, it took him three days to move. Exhausted but happy, the puppy spent the night howling to the moon and digging for scraps in nearby trashcans.
This new location showed signs of promise for the puppy. One day, a little girl visited his home and picked him up. His little tail wagged and wagged as the girl gently petted his head and scratched under his chin. She said nothing but her warm, loving touch caught the puppy's heart. He wanted to follow after her when she left, but he was much too tired to jump out of his box. But even so, he vowed to never forget the little girl.
He waited for her to show up again, but she never did. At night, the puppy would bark and whine to the moon, hoping that the little girl would hear him. He wanted to see her again.
By now, the puppy was no longer a puppy but a growing dog. Because of inconsistent meals, the dog barely grew and stayed in his puppy size for a very long time. His tail no longer wagged like it used to. His childish side left him and the reality of survival caught up to his young mind.
If he was going to see the little girl again, he would have to find her. It didn't feel right to leave his home, but the dog knew that if he was going to survive in this world, he needed to find things for himself. And off, his second journey began.
His sore paws and bony features made him easy picking for other strays. Often, there were days where he went without sleeping as he dragged his numb paws across the concrete and asphalt. The other strays wanted no business with a scrawny chain link. The dog's wanderings took him to places he would've never seen if he stayed in the box. For the first time, he had access to a viable water source, aka a park fountain. There were more scraps for him to eat in the big city and there was always a place for a stray like him to sleep at.
Still, no matter how much he barked and whined to the moon, he never saw the little girl.
Now, the dog was a little bigger now, but he was still scrawny. At least, he was able to fight his own fights now. With hard work and scraps, he dedicated a piece of land as his territory and he guarded it day and night.
The best thing about his territory was that people went through it frequently. All he had to do was hide and search for the little girl he met so many weeks ago. It was a brilliant plan and it wasted no energy on his part. But, days turned to weeks and weeks turned into months. The bitter winds of winter came and he did not store enough fat to keep himself warm at night. Eventually, he had to give up on his territory and hunt down trashcans for scraps at night. His black coat was a thin blanket and finding a good spot to sleep became a challenge every single day.
His water source stopped producing water, so he was on the move again. His third journey took him to a train station and he wagged his frozen tail for scraps and comfort and for a gentle hand like the little girl's. Like many times before in the past, no one bothered to look at him. And again, he had to move. He lost track on how many journeys he was on before someone took him off the streets.
This person was kind. They reminded him of the little girl, except this was an old man with a big belly. Nonetheless, he gave the dog a bowl of food and water and washed his dirty fur coat. The old man gave him a place to sleep and he liked it.
When the dog woke up, he was buried neck-deep into the ground. Before him, the old man was talking to other big bellied men. The dog was confused and tried to wiggle its paws and legs, but the earth held him firmly in its grip. Noticing that the dog was awake, they pushed a bowl of food and water near him, just close enough for his nose to touch the bowls, before leaving him where he was.
The dog howled and whined and struggled to break free. The chills of winter numbed his senses and he fell asleep. Inside, strange visions clouded his mind while slept so he opened his eyes. Stretching his tongue, the dog tried to taste the food and water. How very cruel the bellied men were. The food and water stared at him, taunting him and driving him mad.
The cold had already numbed all his senses and sleep was fast approaching him. He closed his eyes again and slept. Strange visions clouded his mind once again.
Three days had passed before the dog finally gave up. He stopped resisting. He let the cold harden his blood and he allowed for his strange visions to take over his mind. Sleep was a comfort in his final hours and the taunts from the food and water gave him no peace.
"Betrayal." The word crept out of his mouth as his head leaned to the side. Was is a hallucination or did he hear voices from men. The dog opened one eyelid. His final journey as a beast of four legs came to an end.
"What do you think's gonna happen now?" asked a bellied man to another. The two had finished burying their sacrifice under a busy road, at night. The other man shrugged.
"Otori says that the dog's spirit is going to do our bidding now. We'll be rolling in dough." Both men high-fived before sitting where the buried dog remains lied. Nothing in particular was going on. It was getting a bit foggy and the wind finally stopped, but the temperature was getting a little colder by the minute.
Then, out of the fog came out a well-dressed, young man. A red name tag was wrapped around his left arm, the character 犬神stamped on it. His bangs covered one of his eyes and growing smile formed over his lips. Bowing low, he whispered,
"Go aisatsu shinshi, my name is Inugami and I will be serving you from this day forth." The two bellied men looked at each other, not believing their luck. This Inu-whatever will be serving them, not Otori! The two did a little dance and praised Inugami.
"We're gonna be rich!"
"I'll have a girlfriend!"
"We'll be in a fifty-story mansion!"
"I'll donate my money to charity!" Both men glanced at each other and laughed. Grinning, Inugami stuck out his hand.
"Then, do you two agree on a contract?"
"Yes!" Hands were shook and the contract was made. Immediately, both men felt a great deal of power surging through their veins. There was a poof and the young man turned into a tender, young woman. She looked the same as the man but with added features.
"If you like, I can stay in this form," she winked. But then, she pulled out two hand guns from her sleeves. "But, you'll both be dead to remember." Shot.
Otori…and his men…are dead now. Wiping out all of the bellied men was an easy task for Inugami. Her hands were splashed with no blood, so you couldn't say that she had murder on her hands. Going off on her last journey, Inugami picked up a fruit box along the way. She thought about the first bellied man.
"That's what you get for betraying my trust," Inugami whispered to herself. Changing back into a man, he opened his eyes to the new world he was in—no, the world was still the same. Only now, he had changed. Only now, he can find the little girl that truly cared for him.