Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha nor any of its' characters. All I own are my OCs.
A/N: English is not my first language, so sorry for any mistakes. I have two other stories (which I'm neglecting a bit for now), so this one is a side project that came to life from a sudden idea. It's not finished. Posting will be sporadic, based on my mood. I'm curious if the idea has a potential/is interesting...
The story will be spiraling around canon (anime mainly and sometimes manga, when I will be lazy to watch the episodes) + movies + final act, but there will be a little expansion into a tengu territory - and it might slightly divert from the canon... No yashahime in the future of this story - I haven't watched that, maybe 10 episodes, and I'm not impressed.
Events of one day/different POVs are separated by hashtags "######", while days/weeks are separated by a horizontal line - this goes for the other chapters as well. And I use cursive for inner thoughts. I hope it's not too confusing.
Sorry for the long intro, I don't want you to be disappointed that I didn't warn you ;) For those who are willing to give it a shot... Here is a short chapter.
Enjoy!
Feudal era, somewhere in the forest:
"Sesshomaru-sama, look at that!" A green imp-demon stopped, pointing at a young woman lying on the ground, holding onto a weird hardwood coffin-shaped case. He approached the woman and poked her head with his staff. She didn't react. "Is she dead?!"
"Leave her be, Jaken." The demon lord frowned at him. The woman was a human; weak and harmless. Not dead; just unconscious. He could hear her faint heartbeat.
"But that, my lord," he knocked on the case with his staff, "is of demonic origin, is it not?" Purifying energy erupted from her, stinging him. "Kyah!" He jumped back and rubbed the offended spot.
Sesshomaru stopped and looked back. A priestess? Her spiritual energy was coiling around her; wild, untamed and bright. Why does she have this? He glanced at the hardwood case almost as big as the woman herself. The edges were strengthened by metal and it bore vines-like carvings. It was quietly humming with steady and calm protective youki (demonic energy) like his sword's sheath made from the same wood of the old magnolia tree demon.
"Hn. So it is." He continued walking. He had no use for such a thing, though he might ask Bokusen-Oh about the woman if he ever stopped by the old demon again.
No.
No, he wouldn't. He, the great dog demon, was certainly NOT curious about possessions of a mere mortal. There were more important things he had to accomplish: find his father's second sword and his rightful heirloom, become equal to his deceased father, build his own empire and then, maybe, find a powerful mate worthy of him and start his own pack.
He heard the imp hit the case again. With an inaudible huff he looked over his shoulder: "Jaken. Stop it."
The imp didn't listen and poked her shoulder, then her head.
When she received the third hit on the head, she stirred. She heard another thud and some creature shriek and jump away in the long grass. Her head hurt so much it could split.
"Kyaaah! Milord, she's moving!"
Hm? She turned her head towards the sound, pressing her temples.
"Hn…"
"Waaait, waaait for me, my lord! Wait for meeeee!"
She slowly sat up, trying to focus her sight. Everything was blurry and she had to shield her face from a whoosh of wind. When the wind receded she glimpsed a white dot moving away in the sky.
She was left alone.
Her eyes finally adjusted to the sharp autumn sunlight. She rubbed her face and looked all around her again. A beautiful oval meadow in the middle of a forest filled with grass and autumn flowers was surrounded by colourful trees. The sun was shining warmly, the air smelled fresh and pure. Water was burbling somewhere behind the trees. Birds were chirping, playing catch in the warm currents.
It was so pretty, so peaceful.
She almost smiled, but…
Where am I? Where is this place?
She looked down at her hands; she was clenching the hardwood coffin-shaped case like her life depended on it. She patted the thick but soft fabric of her robes… a white kimono top with a white undergarment and a dark red hakama with blue and black hydrangea pattern. A dark red haori was wrapped around her shoulders too.
"What…"
A terrible fear bloomed in her chest. Something was wrong. These clothes… "What is this?"
Why am I wearing these clothes? Shouldn't I be wearing…? What? What should I be wearing? What is… ? I can't remember? No, I'm sure I was going to… where was I going? A panic squeezed her heart. I am…
Who…?
"Who… who am I?" Her voice sounded foreign to her own ears. The migraine settled behind her temples in a dull thumping pain.
She pulled the case close, maybe it held some answers. Where does it open?! No, no, no, no, no. This is a bad dream I'll wake up from. Just a bad dream.
Only it wasn't. She couldn't remember anything.
She didn't know herself.
That's not possible. Tears welled in her eyes. What happened to me? What is this strange power I feel under my skin?
She squeezed her temples. The pain was coming in waves, going through her entire body and reappearing right when she thought it was finally gone. She curled up, hugging her knees.
She didn't know how many hours she spent like that; curled in foetal position, swaying, fighting the pain, analysing her situation, desperately trying to remember something, anything, while bitter tears were rolling down her cheeks.
The feeling of loss, helplessness and great longing was overwhelming, but she had no clue what or who she longed for. She felt so weak, so tired and so empty. Her whole body was trembling in pain and emotional exhaustion. Her memories were gone. All of them.
What happened to me? I have to know! The thought was coming back like an annoying stinging wasp. A question she couldn't answer, but sitting there crying would not solve her issue. She frowned at the treeline.
If at least I knew my name! What is my name? How can someone forget their name?!
'Hotaru… '
She looked around her. A voice? Whose?
"Hotaru?" She repeated out loud. "Is that me?"
'Hotaru…'
"Hotaru…" Shaking her head to get rid of the strange voice, she tasted the word again. She nodded, wiping her tears. "Sounds about right."
Leaves rustled. Unease washed over her. She shouldn't stay here during the night. Something was lurking in the forest and she decided to trust her gut feeling. There was no reason to linger in the meadow any longer. Her answers weren't here.
She got up and threw the case onto her back, thankful for the shoulder straps it had. She turned towards the setting sun, determined to follow it. Taking in a deep breath, Hotaru stepped out into the unknown.
Soon she was running for her life, being chased by a huge centipede.
She was hurtling down the hill. What the hell is that thing?! A demon?! They really exist?!
"Waaaah–" She tripped over a root and made a few flips, until she stopped. She grabbed her case and hid behind it, closing her eyes like a child.
Strange power came to life. Her skin tingled.
A soft glow intruded her vision. She peeked from her silly hiding place and blinked in surprise.
The huge centipede was hovering over a warm, protective bubble erected all around her. It was moving its antennas and legs, clicking its jaws, staring at her. Considering. But it was not attacking. What is it? Did I make it? No, I… how? She poked the bubble from the inside, fascinated. It rippled, but remained intact. How long will it last…? she glanced at the centipede and shuddered.
"Here it is!" A man wearing tight armour emerged from bushes opposite the demon, drawing its attention. "Sango!"
A girl silently appeared in the sky riding a two-tailed cat. "Hiraikotsu!" She grunted as she threw her huge boomerang at the centipede.
The bug turned to face her, but it was too late. The Hiraikotsu severed its head, then its body on the way back. Miasma seeped from the wounds. It washed over Hotaru's bubble, keeping her safe from the poisonous mist.
Several people came out from the forest checking the demon they'd just slain. "Yeah! It's definitely the one troubling the villagers!" One of them confirmed.
The girl with the two-tailed cat landed next to the leader. "Good job, Sango." He patted her shoulder. "I haven't expected anything less from you."
"Thank you, father."
The wind picked up, carrying away the poisonous miasma. The man nodded and taking off his protective face mask he turned to Hotaru. "Are you all right, Miko-sama?"
Hotaru blinked at him. Miko-sama…?
She eyed the group of at least seven members, all dressed in the same tight clothes and light protective armour, each carrying a different weapon.
She nodded hesitantly. "Who… Who are you?"
"We're demon slayers. We were sent to hunt down this centipede." He frowned, explaining the obvious. "In the village they told us no one was out in the forest. Who are you? What are you doing here?"
That I'd love to know too... "I'm not from the village. I didn't know about the demon." She got up, holding onto the case.
"Are you a travelling miko, perhaps?" He was looking at her typical priestess outfit of a higher quality. Judging her. "I see your barrier is quite strong."
My barrier? It is not mine. "Miko?" She raised an eyebrow. "I-I… Mmm." Act normal.
"What are you doing out here in the middle of the night then?"
"Uhm… I…" The world was apparently filled with demons and with no memories she couldn't make it far alone or alive. But they were all strangers. Some of them were holding their weapons, ready to fight. Truth or lie? Urgh, I can't convincingly lie if I don't know anything about this place! If they catch me lying, I might end up dead. What if they can help? If not, I can always run.
"Honestly? I don't remember. I woke up in a meadow in that direction," she pointed the way and as they all glanced that way she took a few quick steps back, "but I can't remember anything except my name. Perhaps I am a miko, however, I don't remember becoming one. Or what exactly it means."
"Nothing at all?"
"Nothing at all." She shook her head. "Only my name…"
"That's severe." The older man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Did the demon butterfly eat your memories?"
"A demon butterfly?"
"It's a curse more than a creature. The one we know, but not the only one capable of such a deed. It seals memories, but it also steals the ability to dream, or rather to sleep. For a human it can be lethal…"
"How can a curse like that be broken?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. I only ever heard about it."
"Well… If it is the demon butterfly curse and I can't sleep, I have around a week left."
"A week?" A young man with a scar on his cheek turned to her.
"Yeah, a human without sleep will turn insane within a week, more or less."
"Hmmm… How do you know, if you forgot everything?" His eyes darted between her and the leader, taking a step towards her.
"?"
The leader rubbed his chin, assessing her with a deep frown again. "Hmmm, when we are done with collecting what we need from the demon, we will accompany you to the village. Someone there might recognise you."
Maybe… but I don't feel like going there. Hotaru nodded, deciding to stay silent. The barrier around her faded and disappeared on its own. She frowned. Why disappear now?
She observed them collecting different parts of the demon and its poison. It was disgusting, but she didn't feel sick. It fascinated her. The two men stayed close to her, watching her, ready to defend themselves. By the corner of her eye she was watching them too, unsure of what to expect. She was the one without a weapon here.
She froze, when a cold nose touched her hand. She subtly turned her head a few millimetres to check out the creature sniffing her. The two tailed cat was curiously assessing her, its ears turning back and forth. The cat was relaxed, but Hotaru was frozen on the spot. The white cat was huge as a horse and as far as she could tell, it was a demon too.
The cat yawned, presenting her huge fangs, licked Hotaru's hand and shrunk into its smaller cuter form. "Huh?" She blinked in shock. "You can shrink?" A relieved sigh. "You look friendlier like this. I might even…" With a smile and leaned down to pet it. It purred.
The leader blinked in bewilderment. "Kirara?"
"Oh, sorry!" She straightened. "Was I not allowed to touch her?"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "No… er, it's okay… Though, she is rarely friendly with strangers."
Kirara jumped into her arms and snuggled there. "Uff! Lighter than I thought, Kitty-cat." She chuckled, scratching the kitten's head. "She is a demon too, right?" She looked at the leader.
"She is a nekomata, yes." He sighed in relief, his entire posture relaxed. As did the two men watching her. They walked away to help their comrades with the centipede's corpse, now that Kirara approved of the young woman. "And she is a good judge of character."
A cold breeze blew past and Hotaru shivered. Days might've been warm, but the nights were getting chilly. "You didn't believe me?"
"It's hard to believe anyone these days and you don't seem to trust us either." He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You are all armed and there are eight of you plus the demon. Besides, I can't even trust myself. But… I've got no reason to lie to you."
"Now I know that for sure." He smiled. "I had a suspicion you might be a demon too."
"Me?" She pointed at herself. "Why? I almost got eaten by that bug. How could I be one?"
"Believe me, strong, intelligent demons do resemble humans. They can easily trick us. And I've never seen a human with such vibrant blue eyes like yours. Or a young woman with a white strand of hair."
Her hand instinctively reached to the left side of her head, touching her tied hair. "So I do look weird, aside from being dirty and dishevelled after those few flips… Could she tell if I was a demon?" She caressed Kirara's cheek.
"Yes, demons can detect each other. Especially her."
"So you keep demons as pets?"
"Only Kirara. She's been with our clan for centuries now."
"Hmmmm…" She frowned. "So not all demons are bad?"
"Depends… Not all demons feed on humans and not all demons kill humans. We slay those troublesome ones. Pest. No reason to waste our energy on demons that are not dangerous. Why? Did you remember something?"
"No… it's not like that. Not a memory. But…" Her frown deepened and she scratched the back of her neck. "Knowledge? Uhm… I would have known what a nekomata is, even if I hadn't seen one? Uhm, I'm not sure it makes sense."
"It does. Do you know where you are? What is going on around here?"
"Not a clue."
"But we speak the same tongue." He pointed out, rubbing the back of his head. He sighed. "There are wars brewing around. As the demon slayers our village is small. We are neutral, focusing on our craft. Since you don't know anything, they might kill you in the first village you find."
"Kill me? For the blue eyes and a white strand of hair?"
He shrugged. "Mikos are usually respected. But there is a thin line between people respecting you and fearing you. Your energy is untamed, wild, anyone who is slightly spiritually sensitive can detect you, misjudge you, even mistake you for a demon."
"So what should I do? I want to remember. I have to. I can't be hiding in the woods forever, hoping for a miracle."
"We need to visit that village, if no one recognises you, you can come with us."
She pondered the idea for a moment. "Sounds fair… You're not going to kill me, or sacrifice me, right?"
The man laughed and several others, who were listening, chuckled. "No, Kirara wouldn't let us, now that she's sleeping in your arms."
Thanks to you I have some answers and a possible plan. I hope I can trust you at least. She glanced at the demon cat and she would swear the cat was smiling at her. "You might be my best chance."
She decided. She was still lost. Lost in her head, lost in this world. She knew no one, she remembered no one. Her name was the only thing she was certain about, everything else she had to figure out again. And these people might be her best chance.
Let me know what you think but remember, reviews are appreciated but never necessary.
S.