I am so excited that I finally got to write this story! I have wanted to do this for so long! Just so everyone knows the regular Inuyasha characters will NOT be in this story. It is strictly about Jinenji, his Ma and Pa.
If you want to read a story about Inuyasha and the rest of the gang read and review my other story "One More Night". It hasn't been updated in a while, but I will change that soon!
Also check out my website! I just got it up and I think that it is pretty cool!
Just so everyone is aware this story is FINISHED! I wrote it for my Creative Writing project. It is in three parts. I will update when I get reviews if I don't get any I'll pull the story. There is no sense in leaving it up if no one is reading it.
Must I say it? I don't own Inuyasha or Jinenji. I only claim the names Sayuri and Kanjiro, the character Narumi, and my idea for the plot is based off of episode 31. The rest all belongs to the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi!
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"The Light of the Demon"
Part One: Sayuri's Story
Sayuri, that is what I am called. No last name. Only nobles are blessed with such a privilege. Please listen to my story. I am but a simple peasant. I am bound to the position I was born into. Just a simple peasant from a poor farming village. We only had about a dozen rice patties. We were not bothered by the constant wars that plagued the country at the time. The armies would merely pass by our village without so much as a side-glance, but for that I was glad. We did not have the same fear of being attacked as the others. We were able to live out our simple, yet boring lives in peace.
As I said, I believed myself to be unimportant to this world. My father was a poor man who worked in the fields. My father did not wish for me to share the same fate so he sought out a husband for me. I did feel sorry for my father, though. He had lost all hope in life. I was the only one he had. I did have a brother, two actually. My older brother died before he was even born. The second, my younger brother died during the birth. That was the day we also lost my mother, the day my father's spirit broke. I was six then and by the time I was fourteen my father had pretty much given up hope of ever marrying me off.
Sometimes I believe I was the one who broke my father down; for I refused the offers we did get, and they were few and far between because no man from a decent family wished to marry a poor peasant. Even so, I still would not marry a man just to get along in the world, even if that meant I was doomed to stay in that small village for the remainder of my life. So I continued on in my unimportant position as a poor farmer's daughter.
Truly I was no different from any of the other girls, dark hair and brown eyes, nothing that special. I knew my place though I yearned to escape from it. However, I bid my time waiting for opportunity.
Each day I would go out gathering medicinal herbs for the village. This was something unique about me. My father taught me about many plants and what they could be used for. I knew more than anyone else in the village about herbs, well except my father I suppose. I would gather herbs that were to be used as remedies for such things as burns and rashes. I enjoyed it but that was not what I wished to do with my life.
It was a cool spring afternoon when fate intervened. I had been out all day and my basket was heavy with herbs that I had collected. The path I usually followed along the edge of the forest was void of many choice plants that I was looking for so I ventured off the path. The soft grass soon became uneven stones that cut up my bare feet, and with my basket as full as it was I found it hard to balance. I stepped in a rather large hole twisting my ankle and spilling the contents of my basket in many directions. I couldn't stand let alone walk all the way back to my village, so I waited. There was not much else I could do.
It began to grow dark and the air held a chilling bite. During the long hours my mind began to wander. Throughout my childhood my father had told me stories of demons that devoured people. Through I usually brushed them off as stories that were used to scare young children into being good I could not help being just a little scared. After all, I knew demons did exist, I had just never seen one up close.
That night there was no moon so it was darker than usual. I began to give up hope that I would ever be found alive. If the demons did not kill me then the cold and lack of food would. I became more frightened as the time past. I knew there was no way for me to get out of the situation I had put myself into. All I kept thinking about was my father. If I died then my father would have truly been alone. He would probably follow me in death soon after out of grief. I began to cry for him. The thought of the pain I was going to cause him was overwhelming, not to mention I was just scared of dying.
Then I saw it, a strange light coming from the forest. It calmed me; somehow I knew it was safe. From behind the trees stepped a man with long silver hair and blue eyes, and all around him was a glowing light. He was perfect. At first I thought him to be a spirit that had come to take me from the world, but then he approached me and began to examine my ankle. He was of flesh and blood, like myself. Without a word he bandaged it up and then lifted me in his arms. It was then that I finally found the courage to speak.
"Who are you" I questioned.
He looked at me for a moment as if he were choosing his words carefully. He finally responded, "My name is Kanjiro."
Finding more nerve I continued, "Where did you come from, because there are no villages around here that I know of? Are you a wanderer?"
Kanjiro looked at me and a playful smile graced his lips. I almost melted in his arms. "One could say that."
I must have had a puzzled look on my face because he chuckled and continued, "I am a Forest Demon. Please do not be afraid I intend you no harm. I merely wish to assist you."
I smiled at him. "I'm not scared. I never was. My name is Sayuri."
He gave me the most beautiful smile I had ever seen. After I explained to him the location of my village I snuggled down into his warm embrace and drifted off into a happy slumber.
When we reached the village it was almost dawn. I could see the light from the fire pit inside our hut. My father had obviously been up all night worrying about me. I felt guilty for putting him through that. Kanjiro set me down, he looked anxious to leave but I begged him to stay and meet my father. I approached my home but before I could reach the curtain door my father appeared. He embraced me and asked so many questions my head began to spin. When I managed to break free of his firm hold I backed up beside to my savior to introduce him.
"Father," I began, "This is Kanjiro. He-" I paused when I saw my father's face contorted in fear. He was pointing at Kanjiro and trembling. Kanjiro looked upset but did not seem surprised by my father's actions. "Father?" I questioned.
"A…a…A DEMON!" my father shouted. He ran to me and ripped me away from the man who had saved me. He continued on his tirade screaming at Kanjiro for touching me, and in the process waking up all the other villagers. I tried to calm him by explaining what Kanjiro had done for me but it was just no use he refused to listen. Many villagers had gathered with spears and bows in hand and formed a circle around Kanjiro. I wept as they prepared to get rid of the kind man even if it meant killing him. I tried to push my way through the many bodies but I was knocked down and pushed back. I wanted to get to him. I had to show them that he was not a monster.
But I knew Kanjiro couldn't stay, and so did he. He gave me one final sad smile and in an instant had disappeared in that same calming glowing light. I dropped to my knees and cried openly as the other villagers returned to their huts for a few more hours of sleep. My father led me to our home. He had managed to convince himself that Kanjiro had been controlling my mind. I knew different through, and from then on I lost all respect for my father. I no longer felt sorry for the pain I had caused him. He had caused me pain by driving off the one man I truly enjoyed being around. Also, he had jumped to a conclusion and judged someone by what they were, not who they were. I thought maybe some, or even most demons were bad, but Kanjiro was not, and I knew I had to see him again.
I waited a few weeks for the commotion over that night's events to calm. It was a warm evening when I set out for that rocky spot where we had met. The moon was high in the sky by the time I reached my destination. Even if he wasn't there, just being where I knew he had been calmed me. I wanted nothing more than to be with him. It was then that I realized that for the first time in my life I was in love with a man. It didn't matter to me that he was a demon. No one had ever shown me that sort of respect or kindness before. For once I didn't feel like a piece of property that could be sold, as my father had been doing for so many years. No, when I was with Kanjiro that night I felt as though I was a real human, as if I were truly worth something.
Lost in my own thoughts I failed to notice the presence that had come up behind me. I jumped in surprise when I saw the shadow of a man on the ground next to me. When my eyes focused I realized that the shadow belonged to none other than my savior, the kind demon, my Kanjiro.
I giggled like the young girl I was and threw myself into his arms. He seemed surprised not only by my presence, but by my reaction as well, after all I had just acted as though I were a child, but I did not care, and it seemed neither did he. He wrapped his arms around my body and held me close. For a long time no words were spoken. I simply relaxed against his chest listening to his steady yet strong heartbeat. All I wanted was to stay there forever.
I took a deep breath and whispered, "Please let me come with you."
Kanjiro stiffened, and my eyes filled with tears. I could not look up at him because I knew that if I did I would cry, but I just could not bear to live without him.
"Sayuri," he spoke softly, for my ears only. "I can not provide much for you."
I looked at him with tears openly spilling down my cheeks and exclaimed, "I don't care. None of that matters to me. I just want to be with you. I…I…" I blushed and lowered my head at my forwardness, but I had to tell him. "Kanjiro, I love you."
He gave me that beautiful smile that I had missed so much, bent his head down and whispered in my ear, "I love you too, Sayuri"
With that he took my hand and we walked into the darkness of the night to begin our difficult journey as a demon and his human wife.
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Please review! Tell me what you think, good or bad. I really want to update!