Chapter Fourteen of "To Be Human: Prelude" by Melinda-chan
I like to thank everyone that has read and reviewed this first part of my story (yes, this is just the prelude). I'm indebted to my small but loyal batch of readers- Rayame325, Kurai, Chocolate-lover1 and Silver-head angel, that have been reading this fic lately. I wished that for anyone else that would be reading this to make one last comment.
While this is the last chapter of this fic, there'll be a continuation called "To Be (Almost) Human", which will have the Inu-Yasha team in it! If you want to know more, I'll be having a preview (I hope that's allowed!) Please tell me what you think of it.
At the end of the story, I'll be having a mini-bio, fic recommendations, author notes and a segment featuring Nobu and Fumie, my two main original characters! I hope that you'll like the party and if you can, bring a friend! Believe it or not, I still get reviews from works that I've done years ago!
Since this is the epilogue, I have nothing else to say. So for the last time, let this chapter begin!
Rin waited until the sun was almost down before she went out.
Rin was in her orange and white kimono again. Toyoka had cleaned and repaired it, so that it looked like it never was damaged. She couldn't believe it when she saw it. She could never repay for all that she and Nobu had done to her. And now Rin was leaving them for the last time.
"Rin-chan…" Nobu spoke. In his hands were a small package wrapped with a small furoshiki. "I like to give you…this. It's for everything."
"You're giving me a farewell gift?" Rin inquired.
"Yes," Nobu replied. "You're leaving, aren't you?"
"Yes" Rin answered. She then saw Nobu's facial expression. Why did he look so uncomfortable? Maybe it was becoming too much for him.
"I like to thank you, Nobu, ah, sama," Rin said.
"Are you really going back to your lord?" Nobu inquired. He sounded concerned.
"Yes I am," Rin said. She then saw his facial expression. "Is something wrong, Nobu-sama?" He seemed to hesitate but finally spoke up.
"How long do you plan on staying with your…lord?" Nobu asked, looking down.
"I don't know," Rin replied.
"I hope that you've made the right decision," Nobu said. "You could stay here. We can train you to become a lady…even give you a husband when you're old enough."
"I need to go," Rin said. She then stopped as if thinking. "Would it be 'abayo' or 'sayonara'?" Rin stood there waiting whether the goodbye would be temporary or permanent.
"Sayonara, Rin-chan," Nobu said. "I don't know if we'll ever meet again, but I sure hope that you don't regret it."
"Sayonara then," Rin said. She then turned around and ran with tears in her eyes.
She didn't want to cry, but she felt like doing so. It wasn't that she knew she might never see him again. It was as if she felt a big gulf suddenly opening between them. No matter what, Rin knew that he'd never accept her demon lord. If that was the case, then she had no choice but to never see him again, lest she wanted trouble between them.
It was in this frame of mind that she entered the forest. She looked around, searching for any sign of Sesshoumaru or Jaken or An and Un.
'I hope I'm not lost' Rin thought. All of a sudden she saw a big shadow come over her. She spun as quickly as she could and then smiled when she saw who it was.
"SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!" Rin shouted. She then jumped up into his arms and tried to hug him with her little arms. The dog demon softly embraced her.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, I was so scared!" Rin cried.
"Did they treat you well?" Sesshoumaru asked.
"Oh yes!" Rin replied. "I mean, not everyone liked me, but I was treated well by most people." Sesshoumaru let her down. She then saw Jaken and An and Un nearby.
"Jaken-sama! An and Un!" Rin said. The two-headed dragon made a loud, grumbling sound like a cat does when its owner had come home. Rin smiled at them.
"Rin! I don't know how many years I lost trying to find you!" Jaken said a little flustered. "You're just lucky that Sesshoumaru-sama has a very good nose or I might be in real trouble!"
"It's good to see you too, Jaken-sama," Rin said. This caused Jaken to groan. She then turned to An and Un.
"An and Un! I'm so happy to see you again!" Rin said. The two-headed dragon responded by rubbing their snouts against her, purring like a happy cat.
"I'm back! I'm back! I'm back!" Rin said out loud. Sesshoumaru watched as she went around them in a joyful manner.
"Let's go," Sesshoumaru said. At that, Rin stopped and looked at him.
"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Rin said.
"Yes Rin?" Sesshoumaru said. Rin then looked at the gift in her hands. She then looked up at him again.
"Sesshoumaru-sama, can you teach me to read and write?" Rin asked. He tried not to look shocked.
"Do you really think you're old enough to do it?" the dog demon asked. "It wouldn't be easy."
"I know, but…" Rin started to say. She then shook her head. "But I want to be able to read and write! I mean, you know how to read and write, right?" Sesshoumaru looked at her for a few more minutes before turning to Jaken.
"Jaken, when we get settled down, teach Rin how to read and write," the dog demon commanded.
"Do you really think she's old enough, my lord?" Jaken asked.
"You can teach her the simple characters first," Sesshoumaru said.
"If you believe so…" Jaken started to say.
"Now let's go," Sesshoumaru said. The group, including An and Un, started walking.
"Where are we going?" Rin asked.
"Somewhere far away from here," Sesshoumaru answered. "And where we could get a good bath."
"Like a hot spring, my lord?" Jaken asked.
"A cold spring, to be more precise," Sesshoumaru said.
"Oh!" Jaken said. Rin just smiled. She may have to come to another human village to learn to be a human again, but for now, she was content to be with her demon lord for now.
Not far away, Nobu and Toyoka were overlooking an altar that was being built. Nobu stood there, holding a bunch of prayer beads in his hands.
"Do you really think that this is a good idea?" his grandmother asked.
"I don't know any other way to thank him for my life" Nobu said. Fumie then came to him.
"So you really are making an altar for him?" Fumie said. "It's awfully big."
"It's not as big as the Amida Buddha one, but it's up there, to be for sure," Nobu said. They all then watched as the men put the red torii (gate) in front of it.
"Father wants to talk to you" Fumie said. "He said that he's interested in making Sesshu into our patron kami."
"I'll be glad to talk to him about it" Nobu said. He then smiled at his fiancée. "Why don't we go together?" At that, she smiled.
"I'll watch over the men," Toyoka said. "Take care, Nobu, Fumie." At that, Nobu gave her his prayer beads and left with Fumie.
'Still I wonder about Rin' Toyoka thought. 'May Amida Buddha watch over her until she's ready to be a woman.' The men then started placing the white dog statues beside the altar.
The End (how I love writing that!)
All I can say is finally! This was just a prelude (hence the title) but this still required a lot of work- both in writing and in research. Writing an Inu-Yasha story required me to have knowledge of Japanese mythology, religion, culture and a little bit of history. Since there are no Japanese families where I live (the only sushi restaurant in the area is owned by a Korean couple), most of the information I had to get was from books, magazines and websites, aside from anime and manga. My main focus, however, was on religion, in particular, Amida Buddhism.
In Amida Buddhism, much like Catholicism, repeated prayers and idol worship form an integral part of their worship. Amida Buddha was said to be an incarnation of Siddhartha Gautama himself, who reside over the Pure Land, a form of heaven where blessed souls are said to dwell. All a person has to do is recite three words "Namu Amida Buddha" (roughly translated as "in the name of Amida Buddha") as many times during the day. Amidist groups are divided on whether blessings can only be obtained in the hereafter or not. Of the latter, Tenryu is the most well-known.
While I did research for my story, I looked up information on such things as the kesa and the shakujo (as it's more commonly spelled in English). The kesa, of course, is the robe that Buddhist priests wear. The design is pretty much the same as Miroku's, but the colour of the robe was usually brown, though other dark colours except black was used too. The shakujo was a houshi's (travelling Buddhist priest) walking stick. It was used not just as a walking stick but also to deter animals as well as a weapon as Miroku himself had shown. Some houshis even used a two-piece shakujo so that the end of the first piece would hold a concealed knife, which he can use to stab someone. The rings of the shakujo was supposed to symbolize wisdom- two rings represent a novice while six rings represent a very wise and experienced houshi- not surprisingly, the six-ringed shakujo was the most popular. While houshis aren't as common as they were in the past, monks still put on a houshi outfit while on trips, as most people in Japan still recognize the houshi outfit, and some will even give a donation though most monks are self-sufficient nowadays.
As anyone who watched the Inu-Yasha anime or read the Inu-Yasha manga know, Japanese mythology is filled with all kinds of otherworldly creatures like kami in it. "Kami" basically means "god," but it can mean anything of a divine nature, or at least supposed to be, like government or ancestors (called okami). In fact, in a land in which millions of gods are worshipped (traditionally eight million!), there's no real word for "God"- though "Kami-sama" is used. "Kami" is specifically used to mean nature gods, like kitsunes, that can control the forces of nature. Nobu may have thought that Sesshoumaru, being a beast demon, was one. Kappas are water kami- they cannot live without being in water, and their favourite food are cucumbers, which has lots of water in it
Chanoyu or the Japanese tea ceremony, has its roots in China, but like many other things, have been modified for Japanese tastes. It usually takes place in a teahouse, and the whole ritual can last a few hours, which is more than some people can sit down for. Nonetheless, chanoyu is regarded as a fine art in Japan, and many men and women go to classes- one can even get a certificate in chanoyu. You can search on the Internet for more information for more information, but be sure to put "chanoyu" in the search bar, or you'll get information on tea ceremonies from China, Korea, Britain and other places too.
If you're interested, I recommend the book by Victoria Ricciardi called "Untangling My Chopsticks: A Culinary Sojourn in Kyoto". Not only is it a good read on the tea ceremony in modern Japan, but it also information on kaiseki, the food that goes with it, and is regarded as the highest standard of food preparation in Japan, similar to "haute cuisine" in France. It also gives a foreigner's view of this art. If your local library has it or it is on its catalogue, I recommend that you get it and read it.
The reason why I made this prelude (you did remember that this was just a prelude?) was to introduce Nobu and a few of the other characters that will play a part in my main story "To Be Human." I have read many Rin-centric stories, usually with Sesshoumaru, but I want to write a story based on Rin herself. How would a child who wasn't raised by humans really be like? What about when she grows older? I've read both real and fictional accounts of people that were adopted or captured by other tribes, and when the chance to go back home came, they refused. They were now part of their new tribe and have lost all connections with their old one, if they remember it at all. I wonder how Rin will be like when she grows up- which side will she choose? Her dilemma really isn't any different than Inu-Yasha's.
Welcome to the party section!
I had invited all my readers to a party celebrating my last chapter. I hope everyone will have a good time! And yes, I did invite Nobu and Fumie, like I said I would.
Nobu: Where's the festival?
Fumie: I don't hear any music.
Melinda-chan: Uh, let's see…(gets a CD featuring Caribbean music and plays it) How's that?
Nobu: What sort of musical instruments can sound like the ocean?
Fumie: I bet she's really a water demon and is using her magic to recreate the ocean through that thing. Nobu-sama, why don't you try to destroy her?
Melinda-chan: What?!
Nobu: I don't think that would be appropriate, Fumie-chan. She did invite us here after all.
Fumie: Hmph.
Melinda-chan: Uh, I assure you that I'm no demon, well, I'm human. In any case, I got a couple of questions for you two.
Nobu: Oh?
Melinda-chan: Yes. Actually they're from Rayame325.
Fumie: Who the heck is Rayame325?
Melinda-chan: Rayame325 is a good reviewer of mine.
Nobu: A reviewer?
Melinda-chan: Uh, Rayame325 has the first questions to Nobu. It is, "What do you think of Sesshoumaru, and did you tell Fumie about him yet?"
Fumie: Who is this Sesshoumaru?
Nobu: (sweatdrops): Uh, er, he did save my life, so I am grateful. I still don't know how he managed to get her, though.
Fumie: WHO IS THIS SESSHOUMARU?
Nobu: He's, uh, Rin's lord.
Fumie: Really? What does he look like?
Nobu: He…has, uh, white hair…
Melinda-chan: I think that answers the second part of the question. By the way, Rayame325, thank you for reviewing my Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist fics as well. Fumie, I got a question for you.
Fumie: What is it?
Melinda-chan: What do you think of Rin now?
Fumie (turns to Nobu): Is she gone now?
Nobu: Um, yes, as far as I know…
Fumie: She's okay.
Nobu: Is there any other comments or questions?
Melinda-chan: Silver-head angel said that it's cute.
Nobu: What's cute?
Melinda-chan: She didn't say.
Fumie: Is that all?
Melinda-chan: That's all for the last few chapters. If anyone want to know how I replied to previous chapters, check Chapter Ten of this story. Now that I did the questions, let me introduce myself.
Name: Melinda-chan (you know my real name if I sent you an e-mail- the sender's name is my real name).
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Occupation: On-and-off volunteer with the Canadian Mental Health Association, job seeker
Hobbies: Reading, writing, cooking, watching TV, computers, and of course anime and manga
Favourite Foods: Pizza! I also can't live without root beer.
Favourite Animes (beside Inu-Yasha): Digimon series, Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, .hack series, D.N. Angel, Spiral, Oh My Goddess, Zatch Bell!, Peacemaker, Evangelion, MAR and probably a few others I can't think of now.
Favourite Mangas (beside Inu-Yasha): Fruits Basket, Fullmetal Alchemist, Ranma 1/2, Oh My Goddess, Rurouni Kenshin, Buso Renkin, Kimagure Orange Road, D N Angel, Naruto, Zatch Bell and probably a few others I can't think of now.
Favourite Characters: Rin, Shippo, Inu-Yasha and Kohaku (Inu-Yasha), Kyo, Momiji, Hatsuharu, Ayame and Manabe (Fruits Basket), Alphonse, Scar, Mei and Ed (Fullmetal Alchemist), Matt, Ken, Koji, Koichi, Gatomon, Wormmon and Impmon (Digimon), Sakura (Naruto), Daisuke and With (D N Angel), Skuld (Oh My Goddess), Kosuke and Hiyono (Spiral).
That's all for my mini-bio. If you want to know more about my life, you can check my journal under "CurlerGirl" or my TOKYOPOP blog under "Melinda-chan" at my profile link. You can find all about my semi-boring life and see what I do besides writing fanfiction!
You may also want to know about my work habits as well as a few other things. So here it goes:
My work habits aren't organized. I write first on paper, and depending on the number of fics I'm doing, a chapter can take a few weeks to a few months. Most of the chapters of this story took a month to do, though editing and typing of course took longer. I take great pride in my work, and after I'm through with a chapter, I staple it, put it in a paper protector and then put it in a binder. (I already got three). This makes it easier to edit, and I can see how long each chapter is. I highly recommend that if you don't write on paper to print it out or save it in a disk for backup reasons.
As for tools and supplies, I take advantage of the annual back-to-school sale in August and buy lots of paper, pencils, erasers, and other things I need for the year. I use mechanical pencils because they're much easier to use than regular pencils and they don't break when I try to sharpen them. I se vinyl erasers because they're cleaner.
"To Be Human: Prelude" was published in 2004. I use a Dell computer with Word '97, which still works very well. My first fanfiction work was "The Dark Ocean of My Mind," a Digimon poem that was published way back in 2001, when still had original fiction and lemons. My poem "A Place To Belong" was the first Inu-Yasha work that I published in 2004. I followed that up with "Kon'ichi's Story," "To Be Human: Prelude," and "Two is Trouble," which is a tie-in with this story. "To Be (Almost) Human" will be the sequel if people wants it.
Now that you know something about my fanfiction career, I can go to my other notes:
A few of the names for the characters of my story had a reason: "Himitsu" means "secret" in Japanese, which would be ideal for a snake, "Nobu" means "faith" and Fumie, well, because she fumes. Most of the other names are also common names, whether in the past or present.
"To Be Human: Prelude" Chapter Notes:
Chapter One
This fic starts with Rin and Jaken alone in the forest, where Himitsu the great snake demon attacked Rin. Himitsu was styled after a garden snake but acted more like a cobra. After Rin was poisoned and Jaken was knocked unconscious, Nobu appeared. Nobu has a sword that used a "Holy Sword Shock Attack" to stun demons, which he can then kill with his sword. Since rosary beads and paper talismans (o-fudas) have a special power to deflect anything demonic in Inu-Yasha, Nobu would've lots of them. "Ku ku ku," which Himitsu uttered, is a typical villainous laugh in anime and manga. Naraku also uses this sound effect- it's a way of showing that a person has evil intentions to someone without saying a word.
Chapter Two
"Namu Amida Buddha," the prayer that Nobu said, is an essential part of Amidism, much like "Ave Maria" is for Catholicism. It was believed to guarantee entrance into the Pure Land, where Amida Buddha rules. This takes place after Kohaku tried to kill Rin, which I believe was in episode 81 of the anime. I've included a little bit on Himitsu's history in case you wanted to know how Sesshoumaru knew about Himitsu. The snake demon was a rival of power to Sesshoumaru's father, but was defeated, who then decided to hide for a while. A humourous, but canonical part is when Sesshoumaru kicked Jaken off An and Un only for him to fall on the barrier. Nobu created the barrier by posting o-fudas on four strategic stakes at the corner of the village (Nobu did this on all the villages threatened by Himitsu).
Chapter Three
Ah, the black snakes! I didn't have a word for them, though "shadow snakes" or "illusion snakes" works well. They're basically illusions but Himitsu can transmit some of his venom to them, as Sesshoumaru found out the hard way. I made a blunder- I meant to say his left shoulder was bitten. The venom would've spread very quickly throughout his body (some of the most poisonous snakes can kill in a matter of minutes!), which would paralyzed him. I think Tenseiga would still protect him from death, but he would totally be exhausted by the ordeal. After all, if poison could kill him, you think he would be dead by now!
Chapter Four
I typed the entire chapter in bold without realizing it! Gomen nasai!
Aside from that blooper, this chapter tells about Nobu's status in the village. Despite his age, he would've had a prominent position in the village. The honorifics used by most people- either "Obou-sama" or "Nobu-sama" would indicate that Nobu had a superior position and very high honour and respect (though Miroku uses "sama" to all the girls he knows). Since Toshiki is the village headman, he doesn't need to use any honorific to him, though the lack of any honorific doesn't mean disrespect- Kagome never calls Inu-Yasha anything but his name, probably to keep their relationship ambigious.
Nobu's arranged marriage to Fumie is called "omiai" in Japan, and is still fairly common in Japan even now. A go-between (matchmaker) would be hired and conduct interviews with any marriage prospects, though sometimes a relative or family friend may do this. Once both sides agree on the conditions, then the couple will have to agree with the terms, though sometimes they may be able to judge by a picture of him or her or by observing the other in secret. Most of the time, the couple has the right to refuse. In many cases, the bride and groom may only meet for the first time on the wedding day or a few days before.
In modern Japan, both omiai and Western-style marriages (called "love marriages") are considered legitimate. In fact, the government has recently subsidized many matchmaking services in order to boost the birth rate. However, many women, in an effort to get good jobs, are delaying marriage until later in life, and the divorce rate is no different than in many Western countries. See Chapter Ten for more information.
Chapter Five
Jaken's first encounter with the women from the village- I had to find a way to get the people to realize that Jaken and Sesshoumaru were in the area. A yutaka is a long shirt that's worn like a kimono. As for Japanese writing, there are a few Japanese/English dictionaries on the Internet, though the one by linear. is the best in my opinion. I also got help from the early Shonen Jump magazines. As for the meaning of Rin, you got me. "Rin" has many meanings, and even Chris Rijk didn't know what meaning Rumiko Takahashi had in mind. I thought that "companion" was the appropriate meaning. I based the kanji for "Rin" from the online dictionary. When Nobu collapsed, he did the "Takahashi pose", which the Ranma 1/2 characters did a lot and which I noticed at least a few times in Inu-Yasha. It always happened when someone's in pain or in shock- I thought it would look canonical.
Chapter Six
I used both Chris Rijk's text translations and the Viz manga as a basis for the flashbacks and I like to thank them both of them. It was still a bit hard to go into Sesshoumaru's head, but I hope that I got him down pat (though we all know how he truly feels about Rin, right?) This is also the first time that Nobu sees Sesshoumaru, though they didn't actually meet yet.
Chapter Seven
Rin's dream of being abandoned was a nightmare that I thought would reflect on Rin very well- nothing scares anyone more than being totally abandoned, and Rin knows how that feels. A daimyo is a Japanese warlord, of which Oda Nobunaga and Ieyasu Tomigawa were the most well-known during the latter Sengoku Jidai period (1550-1600), of which Inu-Yasha was partly based on. The struggles between the daimyos were mostly responsible for the ongoing wars that marked that period. Not surprisingly, the general populace didn't like them or some of the samurai that worked for them. The story of Himitsu was the one that I worked the most up to this point. After Inu-Taisho, the Dog General, banished Himitsu from his domain, he came here and tried to take over the area. This was the first time that Nobu heard about Sesshoumaru, at least partly. A kesa is a Buddhist robe. Since Nobu was still a boy when he became a priest, he had his tailor-made from his father's robe. I should also mention that the Japanese hour system: in feudal Japan, the day was divided in twelve two-hour periods, named after the twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Hence, an hour is really two of our hours. The Hour of the Rat, the first hour, begins at 11:00 p.m. and goes every two hours until the 24 hours is up (as opposed to the 12-hour system some countries use). The old system is still understood by many Japanese.
Chapter Eight
The book of tea by Kakuzo Okakura was the first dealing with chanoyu (the Japanese tea ceremony) that became well-known in the West. He actually wrote it in rebuttal of the West, which he felt was eroding his native country's values, but it was still an influential book. Chanoyu, the tea ceremony, came from China, where Zen Buddhists formed it to fit their own beliefs. The rules for chanoyu was finalized in the 16th century and while there are variations, depending on the season and region, the ritual basically follows some strict guidelines. I was lucky enough to find a website that had a diagram of a chashitsu (teahouse) so I could get the description right. In a small village, a chashitsu would be modest. A small door would be at the front, so that the guests would enter in a kneeling position, which they would remain until the ceremony is over (which can take hours). The host or hostess will enter from the back door, with all of the utensils that weren't already there already. Chanoyu is supposed to show grace, balance and focus, and influenced by Zen Buddhism, harmony between everyone and the rest of the world. While teamasters can only be men, chanoyu is practiced by both sexes as an art and receives the support of the government. There are hundreds of chanoyu schools in Japan and a few even exist outside of Japan, such as New York City.
Chapter Nine
An and Un (which is more correctly spelled Ah and Un, but no one seemed to notice or care) is the only one of Sesshoumaru's crew that hasn't died and revived by Tenseiga yet so I had Himitsu (via the shadow snakes) kill An and Un, so Sesshoumaru can revive them. Taking off An and Un's armour is similar to the first step of committing seppuku, the Japanese ritual of suicide. It was here that I pondered whether it was possible for Tenseiga to revive someone twice (I later found out the answer, which I'll reveal under Chapter Twelve). This chapter was the saddest so far, but at least it ended happily. A blood duel is a duel to the death, thus showing that Sesshoumaru was really mad at what Himitsu did. Maybe because An and Un don't talk, but they have been neglected by writers and I wanted to correct this my own way. Sesshoumaru now await for Himitsu…
Chapter Ten
"Wild Child," the chapter title, refers to a feral child that was either abandoned or separated from their family and was left in his/her own in the wild. Rin, of course, is far from being a feral child. But even if other humans accept Sesshoumaru as her guardian, will they still see her as a wild child or a civilized human being?
Hanae finally appears in this chapter. She's one of the most tragic characters I've ever made, and I included a bit of a backstory to convey the sense of tragedy in her tale. In case you've forgotten, Hanae was the woman that lost her newlywed husband to Himitsu. She prays to Amida Buddha and was very kind to Rin- not so of Fumie.
One reviewer described Fumie as a "bitch," which is what I exactly wanted her to be seen. If Nobu didn't appear to diffuse the situation, Rin and Fumie would've likely gone into a fight, and Rin would've been expelled from the village. Rin's pride is a reflection of the dog demon himself. She didn't like to be called a beast and being a servant of anyone but Sesshoumaru is unthinkable for her. This is the turning point of the story, in which living in the village is now shattered for Rin and gives her the motive to find Sesshoumaru on her own.
I included review responses for this chapter. I should point out that Spiritual Wolf hasn't reviewed this story at all, and that I haven't heard of SereneDolphin for a while (hope nothing happened to her!) I like to express my appreciation for all the reviews that I've received so far.
Chapter Eleven
Rin gets lost! I decided to make this into a filler chapter, which would eventually prepare for the action to come. I turned to Japanese mythology for this chapter- man-eating crows is a homage of course to the second Inu-Yasha episode, and kappas and tengus are traditional Japanese demons that are said to prey on lost children and lost travellers respectively. I also put in this chapter Rin's POV on her first contact with Sesshoumaru. He was probably the first person to pay any real attention to her since her parents died, even if it was just to ask her about her face.
"Kyuuri" means cucumber in Japanese. I don't think there was ever a river by that name, though to a kappa, would that really matter? The tengu scene was inspired by an Usagi Yojimbo book (I forgot which volume) in which the main character as a kid was challenged to a fight by a tengu, or give up his right hand. The fight only ended when he showed his bravery and the tengu, impressed, allowed him the victory. By the way, the weapon that Kohaku uses is indeed a kusarigama.
Chapter Twelve
Nobu's meeting with the dog demon created an air of tension that I quickly erased with Jaken's arrival- the biggest conflict is yet to come. I enjoyed writing the part in which Nobu and Jaken squabbled, with Nobu finally giving him some bumps in the end (Jaken must hate priests by now). Sesshoumaru's indifference to the whole thing, to me, was the high point. I also like the look Nobu gave when he realized that Sesshoumaru was immune to poison. Heh. Jaken sure got a lot of ill-treatment in this chapter, don't you think? Gomen nasai, Jaken, but Nobu can't be deterred from finding Rin. Nobu did help Jaken, though only to get An and Un to ride him. Himitsu showed his true form- it's a good thing that snakes like that big don't exist in the real world! Nobu's sword attack does indeed go to the nearest demon, so he got Sesshoumaru instead! This is the start of the climax of the story.
Chapter Thirteen
The climax continues- Nobu's obsession with killing Himitsu comes to an end (or does it?) despite Jaken's protesting (he was still on his back). Now that's an Inu-Yasha fanfiction moment! I admit that I was lapping it up by then on the Nobu-Jaken squabbles. I then decided to turn it serious. I really wanted to put a more sombre mood as Nobu went inside the cave and ended up dying in Rin's arms. When I was writing this, I was confronted by the possibility that Tenseiga may not revive Rin again if she did die a second time. I've decided to err on the side of caution and have Nobu die instead. (I now know from the manga that my assumption is correct). However, I didn't address the reason why Rin could survive while Nobu died. Oh well. Nobody seemed to notice or care. The ending here was really the best I've ever written so far. It was here that I knew that this fic was the best I've ever completed since 2001, when I started writing on Fourteen
All good things must come to an end, I'm afraid. I'll leave it up to my readers to give their own impression, but I must say that I'm very happy on how it all ended. I know that some of my readers must've been wondering how Nobu will react once he realized who Rin's lord was. Despite being human, Rin decided to leave the village and go back to Sesshoumaru. Nobu, for his part, made Sesshoumaru the protector of the village and erect an altar in his name. As I've said before, this was just a prelude- a very long prelude, but still the prelude. My next installment will be "To Be (Almost Human)." I'll tell you more when it comes out, but it'll not have Rin in it. The main installment "To Be Human" will almost be exclusively on Rin.
Since 2004, I've been reading Inu-Yasha fics and have had a good collection of favourites. A few are on Rin, while others focus on other characters and couplings. Since my whole collection will probably take at least half of this chapter, I've narrowed it down to my top five favourites so far. All of these are either finished or likely to be finished in the near future and all are available on They are:
The Courting of Rin by willow-wisp Rating: T Chapter(s): 8 A swan youkai decides to make Rin his mate. Maybe because I love swans, but I found this fic to be absolutely beautiful. Read it and see if you agree with me.
Eien Ni Nakunatta Shunkan by wicked-oni Rating: M Chapter(s): 24 A story about Sesshoumaru and older Rin, as well as the rest of the characters (Naraku hasn't been defeated yet). Because of its heavily implied sexuality in a few of its chapters, it's not recommended for anyone under 16. But it's still a good Sesshoumaru and older Rin fic.
Makai to Jigoku no Aida by arisu-in-pink Rating: T Chapter(s): 39 This fic has the common "What-if-Inu-Yasha-and-Sesshoumaru-survive-to-the-modern-era" storyline but with a twist of revenge in it. It is long, however, so you can either read it bit by bit or read it when you have lots of time to kill.
If You Need Her by Scribe Figaro Rating: M Chapter(s): 31 One of the best Miroku/Sango fics I've ever read, it starts with Miroku being dead. No, seriously. It gets a bit sexual by the end but if you're old enough to read M-rated fics, then you'll love to read this one.
Buffy the Yokai Slayer by Sharibet Rating: M Chapter(s): 29 This one is unique, not only because it's a Buffy/Inu-Yasha crossover (and a very well-written one), but Sharibet's a real writer. She writes fantasy books and gave me writing tips and always reply to my e-mails, so if you need any writing advice, e-mail her and she'll respond.
Here's my other Inu-Yasha works:
A Place to Belong Rating: K Chapter: 1 This is a poem, my very first Inu-Yasha work. It's from Inu-Yasha and his POV of the world and how most people see him. I thought some people could relate. I actually got very good reviews; a few have reviewed my other works as well.
Kon' ichi's Story Rating T Chapter(s): 9 The Inu-Yasha gang finds a kitsune hanyou being abused and saves him. Now they have to find his mother, but Naraku and a new foe have plans of their own. For all of my efforts, I can't seem to get a consistent fanbase. Read it and see if you like it.
Two is Trouble Rating: M Chapter(s): 6 This is actually the companion piece to "To Be Human" so if you're reading this fic, you should read this one too. It's mainly a Miroku/Sango fic, but a character from the past will change their lives forever. I would like more people reading this. Go and see if you like it or not.
Now here's the preview of "To Be (Almost) Human," the sequel to "To Be Human: Prelude."
"Please come down!" Kagome yelled.
"NO!!!" Inu-Yasha's voice boomed down from the tree.
"It's not that bad!" Kagome yelled.
"Every time this happens, I either ended up almost dying or getting into a fight! Leave me alone!" Inu-Yasha shouted back.
"If you don't come down this instant, I'll say the word!" Kagome warned. That made a dark-haired Inu-Yasha come down fast.
"Are you happy now?" Inu-Yasha asked. Of course, Kagome could've said the word but she feared that if she did, he would get his skull crashed. His human side was now in control. There was no moon in the sky.
"We need to be together," Kagome said. "Since you've lost your youkai powers, we can't be separated." Inu-Yasha responded with a "Keh!" Since he always behaved like that, Kagome went to the others and prepared for a good night's sleep. Inu-Yasha, of course, was as vigilant as ever.
It was around midnight when everyone but Inu-Yasha was asleep. While he did thought of sleeping, his awareness of his human form prevented him from dozing off. Besides, with everyone else asleep, someone has to guard them all.
'If only I can be a pure demon,' he thought. 'I don't have to worry about this anymore.' There was very little to do so Inu--Yasha slowly dozed off- something that he rarely did during the night of the new moon.
A little while later, a snake appeared. It looked first at Kagome. It sensed her spiritual powers and decided to pass on. The snake also passed on Miroku and Sango for obvious reasons.
However, the other human male got its most attention. It appeared to be a full-blooded human male with a beat-up sword in his arms. Still, appearances can be deceiving.
The snake demon made its choice. It then sped rapidly on the ground toward the prey and then bared its fangs and bit.
End of Preview
In case I don't hear from you ever again, I like to thank all who have reviewed this fic. If you do want to know when I upload the first chapter of "To Be (Almost) Human," please let me know. As well, thank you for supporting Inu-Yasha. Just remember, keep on reading and writing!
Melinda-chan (July 8, 2007, 10:32 PM)