Slight spoilers to the chapters Kusuri Uri, and Genjutsu I suppose. This is an entry in the Inu-Yasha Fanfiction community on livejournal's Summer contest.
After long you start to mark time by events. The unsuspecting victim that doesn't fall prey to the illusions, or the wise mouthed young girl who tells you flatly that she is in no need of a medicine that can cure all. The second of those has happened all to many times in the last twenty or so years. But I suppose I should start at the beginning.
The beginning would be in Japan, 500 so years ago from what I can tell. I came about during that feudal time much as if I had already been there. My most clear memories are of a pounding head, and a woman who actually gave me permission to feed. Otherwise it was normal feeding, nothing more or less. Over time just after them I heard things of hanyous dying but never paid much mind to it. There were also things regarding a jewel that I don't remember caring for in the least. The things might have been tied together but it's rather useless to remember.
Some time after it all in any case I somehow managed to find myself journeying on a huge, strange ship. I had not gotten onto it, but must have been carried into it on whatever I had been resting on in my true form. But none of that matters now.
Even that journey was rather a blur. Blood, suspicion, and not much else there. Calls of 'vampire' or 'monster', words I hadn't heard before, but now vaguely know the meaning of whispered about me. A rather humorous time it was really.
The only place that memories really begin to become clear is just recently, fifty years ago I'd say. I came to a land called 'America' one way or another and was utterly ignorant to the words of those I saw. I survived mainly in my true form, or by using my faux ones charm rather then promises. I still don't understand the language, and I still have not changed the garb on my faux form. Lest I forget what I have now.
But I did eventually meet another youkai, in a human guise of course, who spoke my language and had fled here after the human battles had stopped and the sole hunting of demons had commenced. He told me what my phrase was in this language, and it is thanks to his forgotten face that I, most likely, am still alive.
A favorite discovery here has been 'Summer'. The first time shocked me, the mass amounts of people wearing less then it would take to make the sleeve of my kimono rattled me. The lack of modesty here! But summer was also good for that reason I'd learned. Warm bodies, with more exposed skin so bites were not kept to only a few areas of skin. The overall heat of the season itself was terrific. Such a welcome change to the frosty winter in which it was all one could do to survive to remain in a single house and feed on it's inhabitants to remain living.
Bug spray also came along with both though. The first appearance of it a reminder of the gas bombs used by the demon exterminators, then discovered to be much less effective, though more annoying. In insect form it dizzied and blinded me, rattling my senses, so that if I didn't transform soon enough I would black out.
That would be how I came back to Japan. I had been sprayed as was usual, and in the stupor flew towards where I sensed the heat of bodies. Upon reaching a place I had thought was safe I transformed, then stared wide-eyed around me. Normally it was the young that wore little in summer but here, it did not appear the case was. So I gaped, sparkling as usual on my hands and knees as I looked around the area of beach that held many people, and even more skin, but not a shred of clothing.
Transformation back followed soon and I gained access that way to a 'plane' back to Japan, my eyes scarred for eternity. The journey was successful and upon exploring a bit it was still much changed, though one point seemed to be emitting an aura of age. Making for that, I was disapointed to find naught but a tree.
There was, however, something familiar about the girl working in the shrine there. A slight pang of hunger hit me, so I took on the fake form. My eyes did not notice the can she was holding however. As the girl with dark, wavy hair turned though, our eyes met and that moment was one of recognition.
My mind wondering how this human was still alive, while both our mouths formed an identical 'You!'. Seconds later a panging in my head began, followed by the raising of her hand, and her spraying of the contents of the can into my face. This resulted in a single memory of '103' to surface, followed by darkness.
For the moment, that is all I know.