Secret of the Cursed Mask

Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairytale

Chapter 1 – The Strange Light

Kaname groaned, slowly sitting up and rubbing the back of her head. It throbbed in time with her heartbeat, like the time she had been hit over the head with a volleyball in gym class. Blinking the stars out of her eyes, the girl looked around the sunset tinted forest. The sound of birds filtered through the trees, creating an almost calming atmosphere. It had been so long since she had been to the woods…

Wait, there weren't that many trees around her house. And, not to mention, she had just been in the storage shed….

Heart beginning to pound, the brunette carefully stood up and took in her surroundings. Deep woods surrounded her on all sides, nothing like the woods around her house. And noise of the festival couldn't be heard; regardless of the distance, she still should have been able to hear something.

"H-hello?" Kaname cautiously called out. "Mom? Dad? Michiru?" Hesitantly walking forward, the girl grew bolder in her shouting. "Is anybody there? Can anyone hear me?" When only the sound of the forest reached her ears, the girl sighed and hugged herself. Her heart continued to beat wildly, and her hands shook very slightly. 'Just what is going on?'

After a moment of standing in the forest field, finding her phone had no signal despite being outside, the girl sighed. 'No use standing around here,' she thought, tossing her phone back in her backpack and adjusting the pack. 'Might as well start looking for where I am… Maybe I'm not far from home at all!'

Filled with sudden excitement, the girl hurried through the thick woods. The fading sunlight made her nervous, anxious to get home as soon as she possibly could. Besides, she would be in so much trouble for not getting those doll amulets to Dad. And Yuka was probably waiting somewhere at the festival for her… Oh, this was just horrible…

A sudden crack of a tree branch startled the teen from her thoughts. The dim light of torches illuminated the heavily shadowed woods, causing Kaname's heart to pick up speed again. 'Is that Dad and Mom?' Walking closer to the light, she took a breath and called out, "H-hey! What-" However, as the small group turned towards her, the girl's voice died in her throat. The group of men in kimono and hakama, farming tools turned weapons clutched in their hands, were not from the festival.

"A demon!" One of the men shouted, alerting the others to the girl's presence.

"Is it the demon in the temple?"

"You damn demon, give me my daughter back!" Another man rushed forward, swinging his weapon at Kaname. The girl dodged shakily, nearly stumbling over her own feet.

Backing up, Kaname held her hands in front of her, in an attempt to show she meant no harm. "W-wait, listen, I don't know what you're talking about! Just wait, please!"

"Don't listen to it!"

"Don't let the demon get away, it's trying to run!"

Kaname gulped, terrified tears welling up in her eyes. 'I have to get away,' she thought, taking a shaky step back. 'I can't stay here; I need to run.' Nodding to herself, she clenched her fists and turned on her heel. The soft earth was turned up beneath her feet and her breath came in short bursts. However, the faster she made her legs move, the further away the men's voices were. 'I can get away, I need to get away!'

Panting for breath, Kaname slouched against a tree. Sweat beaded at her forehead and it felt as though her uniform shirt and vest were drenched. She never ran that fast, even in gym class. "But," she sighed out, fanning herself absently as she listened to her surroundings. "I think it paid off; I got away from those people…."

Slowly slipping down the tree, Kaname ignored the slight sting in her back as she settled on the soft grass. The cool breeze of the early night sent a chill down her spine; it wasn't exactly cold, but being alone in the woods at night… The thought naturally made her nervous.

'It'll be okay,' she thought, bringing her arms in to hug herself; her knees were kept close to her chest, making her smaller. The sound of a cricket chirping made her jump. 'I'm sure… It'll all be okay….' Sniffling, the girl shuddered again and allowed her eyes to slowly drift closed. 'Even so, those guys were weird… What did they mean that I was a demon?'

Just as the brunette felt herself dozing off, the sound of careful footsteps caught her attention. Her head jolted up and she squeezed her knees tighter. "Wh-who's there?" She whimpered, eyes widening as a figure came into the clearing.

It was a large creature, with red eyes and a gaping maw of sharp teeth. Thick, viscous drool slid down the teeth, hitting the forest floor with a sickening squelch. Its skin was a mottled green-blue, looking more and more like a corpse the more Kaname looked at it. Thick talons adorned the creature's long fingers; its ribs were visible through the skin. Kaname felt sick just looking at the creature, and it was looking right back at her.

"A human?" It hissed, a deformed smile stretching its mouth. It let out a stuttering laugh and took a jerky step forward. "And a human girl no less…. I thought I had smelled something tasty…."

"A… A demon?" Kaname gasped, shakily pulling herself to her feet. If that's what it was, then the demon was still some ways away from her. If she timed it right, she could probably run. "Stay away from me!"

Of course, it didn't listen. Rather, the demon continued jerking towards her, more and more drool slipping out of its mouth. "Yes, be afraid… It's always the scared ones that taste the best!"

'Taste? No way, it's gonna eat me?'

Jaw seeming to unhinge, the demon let out a roar. A disgustingly slimy, black tongue lolled out of its mouth and even at the distance, Kaname could feel its warm breath. "Just try to run, girl. I'm going to eat you!"

"No!" Kaname felt herself turning before she could even register what she was doing. It was as though her body had been switched to autopilot, trying to remove her from the danger. However, it didn't work; Kaname only felt herself running for a few steps before searing pain erupted in her lower back. Blood splattered the ground as she fell, and a whimper came from her throat. 'That… That's my blood?'

'I don't… Want to die here,' Kaname blinked through the tears, absently hearing the demon laughing loudly. It was right over her at this point, it had to be. 'I want… To go home!' A bright red light that faded into warm nothingness was the last thing she was aware of.

"Hey, wake up."

Kaname groaned, tiredly shoving the hand that pushed her cheek away. "Michiru, five more minutes…"

"Listen, wake up!"

There was a pause. 'That's not Michiru's voice….' The brunette slowly blinked her eyes open, gasping. 'The demon, where did the demon go?' There was the sound of an exasperated sigh next to her, causing the girl to jump. A boy probably around her age sat next to her, legs and arms crossed. He wore a red outfit that didn't look unlike some of the traditional clothes she and her family wore at festivals. His hair was white and… And he had fluffy dog ears.

Kaname found herself screaming before she could stop herself. A hand flew to her heart and she did her best to scramble away.

"Hey, what are you screaming for?" The boy yelled back, eyes wide.

"D-d-dog ears! You have dog ears and fangs!" Kaname pointed an accusing finger at the boy, feeling tears in her eyes yet again. "Stay away from me!"

"What a pain," the boy groaned out, placing a hand to his forehead. He stood and held a out to the brunette. "Look, I'm not gonna hurt you. I was walking through the woods and smelled human blood; got here just in time to see you kill that demon with some strange light. How'd you do that?"

The girl hesitantly took the offered hand, patting the dirt and wrinkles from her skirt as she thought. 'A light… That's right, I was about to die… But that light…'

"Plus, you've got a pretty nasty wound on your lower back. Seems to have stopped bleeding but if you're an actual human we'd better get you to the village quickly."

"Wait, why are you trusting me?" Kaname remembered the men she'd run into earlier. With their torches and weapons, and the screams of how she was a demon… "I don't even know you."

"You've got clothes like Kagome's clothes, which means you come from the present right? Now, let's get going; if any demons show up you can just use that red light again."

"I don't know how!"

With that exclamation, the forest seemed to go quiet. The boy stopped walking, turning to look at her incredulously.

"What do you mean you don't know how?" He asked, crossing his arms again.

Huffing, she stormed forward and poked the boy in the chest. "Listen, I have no idea where I am, and I don't know what caused that red light! I just want to go home, okay? I don't know who this Kagome is, I don't know who you are, and I don't want to answer any questions! Just –"

"If I may, Master Inuyasha."

Kaname jolted at the voice, slapping her fist lightly when the feeling of a mosquito bite startled her. A small, almost humanoid figure groaned in the palm of her hand. "Oh, what a small person…."

"Tch, person? That's just Myoga the flea…" The boy rolled his eyes. Which, if judging from what was just said, she now knew his name. Inuyasha…. How strange…

"'Just', Master Inuyasha? You wound me!" The apparent flea – did that mean this was a demon too; strange but it was the only explanation – seemed to reflate in the palm of Kaname's hand. "How could you be so cruel to your loyal body guard?"

"Can't really be called that when you run at the slightest sign of danger…"

Kaname stifled a giggle, her anxiety feeling as though it were slowly draining away. Demon or not, these two didn't seem that bad.

"A-anyway," Myoga crossed his arms – of which he had four – and turned his attention back to Kaname. "Don't slow Master Inuyasha down, yes? You don't know how to use that light that saved you earlier."

"That's right… I have no clue how it happened…."

"Pain in the ass…" Inuyasha grumbled out.

Myoga nodded slowly, though Kaname wasn't sure if he was agreeing with Inuyasha or not. "You were so afraid for your life, it happened instantly. Master Inuyasha, it would appear that this girl has a strange ability, though she cannot use it just yet. It would be best to take her back to the village, but beyond that I don't know how to proceed."

"Hmph, that was my plan anyway, idiot…"

"Well then," Myoga's voice held a sheepish tone. "I'll be going on ahead. See you soon!"

Inuyasha let out a shout when the flea leaped out of Kaname's hand. "Hey, wait! Damn it, he's run off again…." The boy scratched behind his twitching ears, turning on his heel with a glare seemingly permanent on his face. "Now c'mon; any demons that are around here are small fry, I can handle them no problem."

Kaname adjusted her backpack, surprised it had stayed together through the demon attack. A dull throb of pain shot through her back; although it wasn't bleeding any more, it certainly hurt as though it were still raw. 'Just what's going on,' the girl through, sniffling as she began to follow the white haired boy. 'I don't understand any of this.'

"Finally, we made it!" Inuyasha exclaimed as they entered the village. The sun was slowly rising in the distance and it seemed as though the village was slowly waking up. Kaname was mostly shocked that she'd apparently been out that long. It couldn't have taken more than thirty minutes to get to the village, meaning she'd been unconscious for the entire night. "Follow me, Kagome should be at Kaede's house."

"W-wait," Kaname stuttered out, looking around the village. People wore kimonos and lead horse drawn carts. The dialect was a tad different than what she was used to even. "Are… Are those horses? Why are there horses?"

"You really scared of a horse?"

The brunette flushed, shifting from foot to foot. "N-no, it's just… That not normal!"

Rolling his eyes, the boy moved to reply, however he was cut off.

"Inuyasha!" A female voice cried, the sound of hurried footsteps getting closer and closer. "Inuyasha, where have you been? There were demons attacking earlier this morning, and we seriously could've used your help." Kaname felt her breath catch; this girl was dressed in a school uniform, just like her! Though she couldn't say she recognized the school the uniform was from. "You're never around when we need you."

"Listen, if you're talking about the small demons in the forest then I already took care of them on the way back."

"Oh really? Wait," the girl peeked around Inuyasha's shoulder, looking at Kaname with a quirked eyebrow. "Who're you?"

Inuyasha grabbed Kaname by the arm and moved her in front of him. Though the grip was gentle, the girl yelped in surprise. "This girl was passed out in the forest, so I decided to help out. She's dressed like you are."

"You're right… And you were in the forest?" Kaname nodded and the other girl sighed. "Then how'd you get here? You're from the present, right?"

"The present? What do you mean? Where is this?" Kaname felt tears fill her eyes again and she cursed herself for crying so much. "My cellphone doesn't work, I can't find my house, and people chased me! I was even attacked by a demon; I didn't think demons actually existed!" Sniffling, the girl shakily wiped her face off.

The other girl reached out, gently placing a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Are you okay?" When Kaname nodded, the other smiled softly. "That's good. Now, I need you to take a deep breath. You've been through a lot already, but I can promise you'll be safe here."

"Where is here?"

"Feudal Japan."

Kaname snorted.

"I'm serious. This is Japan in the feudal era, during the time of Nobunaga Oda and when guns were first brought here."

"T-then this is the past? But that doesn't make any sense! I was sent to the warehouse to get amulets and fell through the floor; how did I end up here?"

"I don't know; I'm so sorry, but just calm down." The girl placed her other hand on Kaname's free shoulder, offering another smile. "Let's start from the top. My name is Kagome Higurashi, and the guy that brought you here is Inuyasha. This is the village headed by the priestess Kaede."

"My name is Kaname Kururugi…. So, even though this is the feudal era, you're from the present?"

Kagome nodded sharply. "Yup! I'm in junior high."

Kaname finally felt a small smile tugging her face. "Oh, that's great; I'm in junior high too! And you're from Japan? Do…" The brunette fidgeted before continuing, "Do you think you could help me get back home?"

"Geez," Inuyasha sighed, arms crossed behind his head. "I don't know what got into you, but you sure got excited."

Flushing, the teen turned her eyes to the ground. "Sorry, it's just that…"

"Inuyasha, don't be hard on her," Kagome cut in. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head. "She's been through a lot. Now, Kaname was it? I'm not sure how you got here, but I might know a way for you to get home!"

"Really?" Kaname gaped, practically feeling the sparkle in her eyes. "How? Please, tell me how I can get home!"

"You talking about the well?" Inuyasha asked, brow cocked as he watched Kagome start walking towards the forest.

Kaname hesitated a moment before following the other girl. "The well?" She asked. Looking around as they walked, Kaname was very aware of the eyes of villagers on her. The feudal era, really? Maybe she had just hit her head and-

"Kaname, where did you get that wound?"

And maybe it wasn't all just a dream… Her back still stung from that demon attack, though it didn't feel as painful as before.

"It's healed quite a bit," Inuyasha added, brows furrowed in confusion. "You sure you're a human?"

"Inuyasha, just what kind of question is that?"

Kaname sighed, turned her attention to the forest around her as they walked. In the early morning light, it was truly beautiful; sunlight filtered through the trees, obscured by leaves that shook slightly with a cool breeze. The grass was lush and squished slightly under her feet, a very different sensation when she was so used to the hard feeling of concrete. The brunette took a deep breath, the air feeling light and clean as she took a moment to calm down. Maybe it wasn't so bad that this wasn't a dream…. She had a way to get home now after all, right?

Finally, the trio came to a stop in a rather large clearing. Tall grass blew in the breeze and the sun was bright as it rose. Kaname looked around, taking in the sight of nature before her eyes settled on a dilapidated well. The wood looked old and a bit rotten; there was no way to lower a bucket down it.

"Is this the well you were talking about… Kagome?" She felt bad about the hesitation, but Kaname knew she had never been good with names. She only knew the names of those in her class because she was around them all the time. "How is this going to help me get home?"

Kagome turned and offered a smile, hands clasped behind her back. "Yup, this is the dry well. In the village it's called the Bone Eaters Well, but-"

"It's cause they used to throw the bones of dead demons in it," Inuyasha cut in, looking away sheepishly as Kagome turned to glare at him.

Kaname shuddered, looking back to the well. The village threw dead demons into it? Why would they do that?

"Nothing bad will happen to you, okay, Kaname? This well is how I first came to the feudal era, and it's how I get home."

"R-really?" Kaname shuddered again and moved towards the well, looking down it. It seemed to go on forever, with no light reaching the bottom. She knew, of course, that it couldn't be that deep, but a spike of fear shot through her. Maybe she should be sad this wasn't a dream. If it was a dream, then she wouldn't have to…. "You jump down this?"

"Yup!"

"Just get on with it," Inuyasha's voice came right beside her, startling the girl. Before Kaname could turn to look at the white haired boy, she felt a pressure on her back. The boy shoved her towards the well, causing her to topple over the edge and down it. Her stomach dropped out from under her as she fell, until it all caught up to her.

The moment she hit the bottom of the well. Hard.

"Ow," she groaned, sitting up shakily. Although her back had stopped hurting except for a slight sting, her entire body hurt now. Pain radiated through her backside, where she had hit rather hard. Her shoulders also hurt, as well as her head.

"Kaname, are you okay?" Kagome's voice echoed down the well as she peeked over the side. Her eyes were wide with worry. "Inuyasha, why did you do that?" She hissed, throwing a glare over her shoulder.

"Look, I thought I was helping out, okay?" The boy's voice came floating down the well, sounding far away. "How was I supposed to know the well wouldn't work?"

"You shouldn't just push people around!" The black haired girl shot back, the anger evident in her voice.

Kaname could just barely make out the sound of Inuyasha grumbling before Kagome muttered 'sit'. Following the utterance, the sound of a loud 'thunk' and a yelp of pain could be heard. This then seemed to lead to an argument, something that Kaname could infer as happening quite a bit.

'Won't someone help me out of here?' The brunette thought, sighing heavily and allowing herself to rest against the packed dirt of the well's bottom.

A/N: Hey, I said this would come out faster, right? And I also said that the dialogue would be choppy, right? I'm hoping that gets better as I go, but the original game was pretty choppy honestly. So, just consider it a more accurate story experience!

By the way, this fanfic will cover the entire game, along with one of the available endings.

Edit, 4/1/18: Made minor edits, added a few lines