author:chibighost
title: Fukai Mori
disclaimer: characters in Inuyasha don't belong to me. I merely write for my own enjoyment and others who wish to read my fics.
Ok, the story. The reason that I wrote this story in the first place [well, ok, the first paragraph to be honest] was to practice for the wordmaster test. I did it with my friend who sits in front of me in language arts [oh, and she happens to be Fluffy fan--and a bloodthirsty one at that ^-^]. During winter break, I read a lot of fanfics. Well, not that much, I guess, but it seemed like a long time to the poor people trying to call and getting a busy phone line [I seriously need cable internet...so not fair...grr--whoa, starting to act like a hanyou there! ^-^;;;] Anyway, when I get lonely, [and boy was I alone...-sighs-] I started to...well...talk to myself [an odd little habit of mine]. So I says to myself, "Aimi-chan," [my nickname--it has nothing to do with a char who shares the same name as me another one of my stories] "why don't you make this little paragraph into a fic?" So, here it is!
[these are my little comments]
words italisized are thoughts
-these represent the actions of yours truly-
Fukai Mori : Chapter One
He was often haunted by those fleeting dreams; they stirred something in him every time they passed through his mind during the night. Although he had no idea what they meant, he just couldn't brush off the lingering feeling of familiarity when he experienced them. The dreams--or nightmares since they were often full of violent encounters that ended in bloodshed--seemed to focus on one particular time in the past--the feudal era of Japan.
Even though he'd never been particularly fond of history, the one section he recalled from his relatively short schooling period was the feudal era--the age when demons were said to roam unbridled in wild forests that were Japan. It seemed to beckon him, and he had somehow formed the lunatic idea that the textbook was part of some greater existence from the past who was eager to share the secrets of the past with him. He had come to the conclusion that he had finally cracked, and was absolutely positive that he was going completely insane. The thought wasn't a pleasant one, but it was the only excuse that his stressed mind could form to ward off the urge to consume every bit of knowledge in that section--which in his opinion, was crazy enough by itself and as far as he was concerned, extremely unhealthy. Still, even after that, the thought of demons roaming free brought tingling sensations to his skin.
And then the dreams had started. They were impossible, preposterous, and in his personal opinion--outright ludicrous. [not that his vocabulary allowed him to think so, anyway, it was along those lines] They caused his nights to be haunted by kitsune who could change into anything in an instant, soothe-talking perverted monks who couldn't keep their hands to themselves, demon exterminators who had fire-breathing cat demons for pets, elegantly clothed youkai wielding swords with faces marked by indigo markings, a mystical jewel split into tiny pieces, a desperate search to keep them away from evil demons in [could he believe it? it was so weird] monkey suits, devoted toad demons with staffs that screamed bloody murder, swords created from giant fangs, death conquered but life stolen, and what haunted him the most--beautiful raven haired priestesses from another world with fiery personalities to match. Then, lastly, a hanyou clad in clothes made of fire rat--running barefoot with remarkable speed through a dense forest untouched by man, a rosary around his neck, long silver hair reaching past his shoulder, needle sharp nails more akin to claws, two sharp fangs, and possessing a countenance eerily similar to his own.
For some reason, the priestess, he just couldn't get her out of his mind. Once the dreams started, he saw her at every turn in his mind's eye. She seemed to follow him where ever he went--like a ghost or a shadow. It was strange, her presence never left him uncomfortable; rather, it soothed him. The one thing that bothered him was the feeling that he once knew her and wanted to again.
Unfortunately, this particular night, the thief was not spared from his nightmares. Shifting into a sitting position on the branch he was perched comfortably on, the young bandit known as Inuyasha attempted to cure his insomnia by staring at the stars above. He had always preferred it to be this way. Alone and out in nature-- even if in this case "nature" happened to be a park in the middle of a Tokyo suburb. Still, he was glad that the park was rather heavily dotted with trees and there wasn't anyone out at this time to bother his peace or report him to those pesky policemen.
Inuyasha found himself strangely attracted to this park. When he first stepped onto the grass, those dreams in his head burst into life. It was like watching a previously black and white movie being flooded with color. As he had slipped through the shadows around the trees, Inuyasha had come across a sign containing some history on the park. Normally, he wouldn't have paid it more than a passing glance, but something had caught his eye. In the middle of the paragraph, in neat and clear kanji, it had read: "During the feudal era of Japan, this forest was called Inuyasha's Forest by the nearby villagers and said to have belonged to the hanyou, Inuyasha." It then went on to mention several warlords who later tried to colonize the forest but all disappeared mysteriously, as if someone was protecting it from harm. But Inuyasha saw and read none of it. His mind had lost its logical train of thought and his heart had stoppeds short in mid-"thump". [not that he had any logic to begin with, but hey!]
Muttering a variety of colorful curses under his breath any mother would have fainted at the sound of, Inuyasha racked his brain, willing it to work properly for once in his cursed life. "Sheesh, it doesn't mean anything, you jerk." He reasoned with himself, unaware that he was talking to none other than...himself. "It's just a stupid name and a stupid coincidence." Despite that, something still tugged at his mind. Grumbling, the thief cursed. "Damn it! Of all names, why did I have to pick something rare and just out of the blue, like Inuyasha?" Still, he had to admit, as an orphan, he did pick his own name, and Inuyasha wasn't about to curse himself...yet. That called for more extreme and life-threathening situations.
Remembering why he had come to this particular suburb in the first place, Inuyasha stood up, gazing out above the treetops to a certain shrine not far away. He was desperate to rid himself of those goddamned cursed nightmares. The bandit had heard of a jewel rumored to have mystical powers capable of curing any ailment imaginable. Although he'd never been one to place his trust in magic, Inuyasha was desperate; besides, it was always worth a try, right? Thus he had journeyed--mostly by foot--to the shrine where it was said to be gaurded by a priestess.
Feh. What can priestesses do anyway? The young thief Inuyasha thought to himself with a snort as he hopped down from the branch and onto the ground. Muttering a soft "thank-you" to Kami for the moonless night, [wow! Inu-chan said "thank you", and to a god too. -sigh- what is my fic coming to?] he began running toward the shrine, intent on snatching his prize.
----
The young priestess fidgeted, trying her best to focus on her meditation--instead of the tempting smells wafting through the thin screen from the next room. The fact that the kitchen was located right next to her training room didn't help her at all. Unconciously, her nose twitched as the delicious smell of her mother's famous fish dish [ok, that...rhymed and alliterated] tickled her senses. Her mouth watered as Kagome Higurashi lost the battle with her mind and an image of the scrumptous meal just waiting for her to tuck into flooded into her mind.
That was it, Kagome couldn't stand it anymore. She stood up, dusting the stray flakes of dust that had settled during her attempted meditation session. With a spring in her step, she slid open the door and burst into the kitchen. Allowing herself only one deep breath of the wonderful smell, the priestess began to quickly set the table. Kagome hurriedly put a china plate and bowl in each of the four places, laying a pair of chopsticks next to each.
Mrs. Higurashi suddenly turned to her daughter. "Kagome, would you get your grandfather and Souta? Tell them it's dinner time."
"Hai!" The teen called cheerfully, before slipping out of the kitchen and running up the stairs to her brother Souta's room. Although the door was closed, she didn't bother to knock, merely poked her head in and announced, "Souta, dinner time!" Kagome then turned and ran back down to the first floor to find her grandfather--who could usually be found examining some wierd artifact. However, as she passed a window, the priestess-in-training thought she heard something swish by outside. Curiousity getting the better of her, Kagome gazed out into the summer night; outside, it was almost completely still, only the leaves rustled as a warm zephyr swept by. I must be hearing things... Kagome determined, staring up at the moonless sky above, the fish and dinner utterly forgotten as the chilling beauty of the inky heavens hit her.
Moonless... The word stirred memories from before. The teenage girl suddenly remembered a certain hanyou from her travels into the feudal era. The memory stirred feelings the priestess thought she had buried deep within her heart. Inuyasha... Kagome recalled that he used to turn ningen on the moonless night of every month. ...I wonder what happened to him... "Inuyasha..." she whispered, before remembering her mother's request and rushing off to find her grandfather.
----
The bandit crouched under the window, listening with intense longing to the smells and sounds of dinner being prepared inside the house. Inuyasha just couldn't resist a sigh as he imagined the possible things that could be going on on the other side of the wall. How he wished he could be part of his imagined sene. What he wouldn't give to have a family, a real family. Then, before he knew what he was doing, he was sitting up and staring into the house. A warm feeling touched his heart. The thief found that he actually felt a bit remorseful--he almost didn't want to steal from them--almost, but not quite. Quickly remembering the reason he was there in the first place, Inuyasha decided to stop wishing before his brain could form the crazy idea to be nice to these people. At the thought, Inuyasha couldn't help but shudder.
For some reason though, he just couldn't seem to tear himself away. Just one more minute, he thought to himself, one more minute, and I'll turn away and steal that damn jewel while they're eating. Suddenly, Inuyasha's sensitive ears heard the sound of footsteps. He barely had time to slip into some nearby bushes before they came even closer. A wince crossed his face when he heard a swish as he dove into the vegetation in a hurry.
He watched from the safety of his living shelter as a girl walked up the window he had been staring through a split second ago. He watched as a frown crossed her face and as she looked out through the open window--obviously searching for something...or someone, he chided himself. He watched as she seemed to lose herself as she gazed at the moonless sky above. And he watched--startled--for moments long after she was gone, as a name fell from her lips and into the night. Inuyasha...
Glossary
[i'll bet that you already know what these mean...but just in case, these are some Japanese terms used. i don't take Japanese, so it any of these are incorrect, i would really appreciate it if you told me--so I won't be embarrassed in the future ^.^]
kitsune: fox
youkai: demon
hanyou: half demon...i think
ningen: i think that's how you spell human
[author's notes: gomen! that was really short, I know, but it seemed like a good place to stop. If I continued, it just...didn't seem to flow? erm...well...the next chapter should be longer! oh yeah, could someone tell me if Inuyasha says "feh" or "keh"? I see both ways in fics and i'm sure which one he really say…if you can tell me, it would great! arigato!]
title: Fukai Mori
disclaimer: characters in Inuyasha don't belong to me. I merely write for my own enjoyment and others who wish to read my fics.
Ok, the story. The reason that I wrote this story in the first place [well, ok, the first paragraph to be honest] was to practice for the wordmaster test. I did it with my friend who sits in front of me in language arts [oh, and she happens to be Fluffy fan--and a bloodthirsty one at that ^-^]. During winter break, I read a lot of fanfics. Well, not that much, I guess, but it seemed like a long time to the poor people trying to call and getting a busy phone line [I seriously need cable internet...so not fair...grr--whoa, starting to act like a hanyou there! ^-^;;;] Anyway, when I get lonely, [and boy was I alone...-sighs-] I started to...well...talk to myself [an odd little habit of mine]. So I says to myself, "Aimi-chan," [my nickname--it has nothing to do with a char who shares the same name as me another one of my stories] "why don't you make this little paragraph into a fic?" So, here it is!
words italisized are thoughts
-these represent the actions of yours truly-
Fukai Mori : Chapter One
He was often haunted by those fleeting dreams; they stirred something in him every time they passed through his mind during the night. Although he had no idea what they meant, he just couldn't brush off the lingering feeling of familiarity when he experienced them. The dreams--or nightmares since they were often full of violent encounters that ended in bloodshed--seemed to focus on one particular time in the past--the feudal era of Japan.
Even though he'd never been particularly fond of history, the one section he recalled from his relatively short schooling period was the feudal era--the age when demons were said to roam unbridled in wild forests that were Japan. It seemed to beckon him, and he had somehow formed the lunatic idea that the textbook was part of some greater existence from the past who was eager to share the secrets of the past with him. He had come to the conclusion that he had finally cracked, and was absolutely positive that he was going completely insane. The thought wasn't a pleasant one, but it was the only excuse that his stressed mind could form to ward off the urge to consume every bit of knowledge in that section--which in his opinion, was crazy enough by itself and as far as he was concerned, extremely unhealthy. Still, even after that, the thought of demons roaming free brought tingling sensations to his skin.
And then the dreams had started. They were impossible, preposterous, and in his personal opinion--outright ludicrous. [not that his vocabulary allowed him to think so, anyway, it was along those lines] They caused his nights to be haunted by kitsune who could change into anything in an instant, soothe-talking perverted monks who couldn't keep their hands to themselves, demon exterminators who had fire-breathing cat demons for pets, elegantly clothed youkai wielding swords with faces marked by indigo markings, a mystical jewel split into tiny pieces, a desperate search to keep them away from evil demons in [could he believe it? it was so weird] monkey suits, devoted toad demons with staffs that screamed bloody murder, swords created from giant fangs, death conquered but life stolen, and what haunted him the most--beautiful raven haired priestesses from another world with fiery personalities to match. Then, lastly, a hanyou clad in clothes made of fire rat--running barefoot with remarkable speed through a dense forest untouched by man, a rosary around his neck, long silver hair reaching past his shoulder, needle sharp nails more akin to claws, two sharp fangs, and possessing a countenance eerily similar to his own.
For some reason, the priestess, he just couldn't get her out of his mind. Once the dreams started, he saw her at every turn in his mind's eye. She seemed to follow him where ever he went--like a ghost or a shadow. It was strange, her presence never left him uncomfortable; rather, it soothed him. The one thing that bothered him was the feeling that he once knew her and wanted to again.
Unfortunately, this particular night, the thief was not spared from his nightmares. Shifting into a sitting position on the branch he was perched comfortably on, the young bandit known as Inuyasha attempted to cure his insomnia by staring at the stars above. He had always preferred it to be this way. Alone and out in nature-- even if in this case "nature" happened to be a park in the middle of a Tokyo suburb. Still, he was glad that the park was rather heavily dotted with trees and there wasn't anyone out at this time to bother his peace or report him to those pesky policemen.
Inuyasha found himself strangely attracted to this park. When he first stepped onto the grass, those dreams in his head burst into life. It was like watching a previously black and white movie being flooded with color. As he had slipped through the shadows around the trees, Inuyasha had come across a sign containing some history on the park. Normally, he wouldn't have paid it more than a passing glance, but something had caught his eye. In the middle of the paragraph, in neat and clear kanji, it had read: "During the feudal era of Japan, this forest was called Inuyasha's Forest by the nearby villagers and said to have belonged to the hanyou, Inuyasha." It then went on to mention several warlords who later tried to colonize the forest but all disappeared mysteriously, as if someone was protecting it from harm. But Inuyasha saw and read none of it. His mind had lost its logical train of thought and his heart had stoppeds short in mid-"thump". [not that he had any logic to begin with, but hey!]
Muttering a variety of colorful curses under his breath any mother would have fainted at the sound of, Inuyasha racked his brain, willing it to work properly for once in his cursed life. "Sheesh, it doesn't mean anything, you jerk." He reasoned with himself, unaware that he was talking to none other than...himself. "It's just a stupid name and a stupid coincidence." Despite that, something still tugged at his mind. Grumbling, the thief cursed. "Damn it! Of all names, why did I have to pick something rare and just out of the blue, like Inuyasha?" Still, he had to admit, as an orphan, he did pick his own name, and Inuyasha wasn't about to curse himself...yet. That called for more extreme and life-threathening situations.
Remembering why he had come to this particular suburb in the first place, Inuyasha stood up, gazing out above the treetops to a certain shrine not far away. He was desperate to rid himself of those goddamned cursed nightmares. The bandit had heard of a jewel rumored to have mystical powers capable of curing any ailment imaginable. Although he'd never been one to place his trust in magic, Inuyasha was desperate; besides, it was always worth a try, right? Thus he had journeyed--mostly by foot--to the shrine where it was said to be gaurded by a priestess.
Feh. What can priestesses do anyway? The young thief Inuyasha thought to himself with a snort as he hopped down from the branch and onto the ground. Muttering a soft "thank-you" to Kami for the moonless night, [wow! Inu-chan said "thank you", and to a god too. -sigh- what is my fic coming to?] he began running toward the shrine, intent on snatching his prize.
The young priestess fidgeted, trying her best to focus on her meditation--instead of the tempting smells wafting through the thin screen from the next room. The fact that the kitchen was located right next to her training room didn't help her at all. Unconciously, her nose twitched as the delicious smell of her mother's famous fish dish [ok, that...rhymed and alliterated] tickled her senses. Her mouth watered as Kagome Higurashi lost the battle with her mind and an image of the scrumptous meal just waiting for her to tuck into flooded into her mind.
That was it, Kagome couldn't stand it anymore. She stood up, dusting the stray flakes of dust that had settled during her attempted meditation session. With a spring in her step, she slid open the door and burst into the kitchen. Allowing herself only one deep breath of the wonderful smell, the priestess began to quickly set the table. Kagome hurriedly put a china plate and bowl in each of the four places, laying a pair of chopsticks next to each.
Mrs. Higurashi suddenly turned to her daughter. "Kagome, would you get your grandfather and Souta? Tell them it's dinner time."
"Hai!" The teen called cheerfully, before slipping out of the kitchen and running up the stairs to her brother Souta's room. Although the door was closed, she didn't bother to knock, merely poked her head in and announced, "Souta, dinner time!" Kagome then turned and ran back down to the first floor to find her grandfather--who could usually be found examining some wierd artifact. However, as she passed a window, the priestess-in-training thought she heard something swish by outside. Curiousity getting the better of her, Kagome gazed out into the summer night; outside, it was almost completely still, only the leaves rustled as a warm zephyr swept by. I must be hearing things... Kagome determined, staring up at the moonless sky above, the fish and dinner utterly forgotten as the chilling beauty of the inky heavens hit her.
Moonless... The word stirred memories from before. The teenage girl suddenly remembered a certain hanyou from her travels into the feudal era. The memory stirred feelings the priestess thought she had buried deep within her heart. Inuyasha... Kagome recalled that he used to turn ningen on the moonless night of every month. ...I wonder what happened to him... "Inuyasha..." she whispered, before remembering her mother's request and rushing off to find her grandfather.
The bandit crouched under the window, listening with intense longing to the smells and sounds of dinner being prepared inside the house. Inuyasha just couldn't resist a sigh as he imagined the possible things that could be going on on the other side of the wall. How he wished he could be part of his imagined sene. What he wouldn't give to have a family, a real family. Then, before he knew what he was doing, he was sitting up and staring into the house. A warm feeling touched his heart. The thief found that he actually felt a bit remorseful--he almost didn't want to steal from them--almost, but not quite. Quickly remembering the reason he was there in the first place, Inuyasha decided to stop wishing before his brain could form the crazy idea to be nice to these people. At the thought, Inuyasha couldn't help but shudder.
For some reason though, he just couldn't seem to tear himself away. Just one more minute, he thought to himself, one more minute, and I'll turn away and steal that damn jewel while they're eating. Suddenly, Inuyasha's sensitive ears heard the sound of footsteps. He barely had time to slip into some nearby bushes before they came even closer. A wince crossed his face when he heard a swish as he dove into the vegetation in a hurry.
He watched from the safety of his living shelter as a girl walked up the window he had been staring through a split second ago. He watched as a frown crossed her face and as she looked out through the open window--obviously searching for something...or someone, he chided himself. He watched as she seemed to lose herself as she gazed at the moonless sky above. And he watched--startled--for moments long after she was gone, as a name fell from her lips and into the night. Inuyasha...
Glossary
[i'll bet that you already know what these mean...but just in case, these are some Japanese terms used. i don't take Japanese, so it any of these are incorrect, i would really appreciate it if you told me--so I won't be embarrassed in the future ^.^]
kitsune: fox
youkai: demon
hanyou: half demon...i think
ningen: i think that's how you spell human
[author's notes: gomen! that was really short, I know, but it seemed like a good place to stop. If I continued, it just...didn't seem to flow? erm...well...the next chapter should be longer! oh yeah, could someone tell me if Inuyasha says "feh" or "keh"? I see both ways in fics and i'm sure which one he really say…if you can tell me, it would great! arigato!]