InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A New Love ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Authors note: Ok this whole chapter will be written as Kya telling her story as such I will not be putting in many quotation points. If this is in error please excuse me. It just makes it easier on me to type it out. On another note, I would like to thank my three reviewers. You guys are great and I hope that you are still enjoying the story. So happy reading and see ya on the flip side.


Chapter 8


I have no memories of my parents. Many times I have tried to picture how they look but I cannot see their faces. I do not even remember how they smell. Sometimes this upsets me a lot but you really cannot miss something that you have never had.

All of my earliest memories are of Grandpa Seto and Grandmother Mika. They are not my true grandparents of course. I always knew this, as they never tried to hide it. My childhood was happy. They gave me all of their love. I never understood that we were different. Not until I was older. I guess I was about eight at the time. We had just moved to Colorado from northern California. We lived in a big temple complex like the one that we had lived in there. The first day of school the other children laughed at me for my accent and the way I was dressed. Grandmother had made me a pretty hakama and matching shirt. This I loved but not the sandals on my feet. At home I never had to wear shoes and they pinched. I thought that I looked nice until they laughed. They were all wearing jeans and t-shirts. Their shoes were all tennis shoes or boots. This went on all week and then when one of them figured out that I lived on a shrine compound with two older Japanese people they picked on me even more wanting to know where my mom and dad were. When I said I did not know they said that my parents did not love me and given me to strangers to get rid of me. I cried and ran from school all the way home and into grandfathers loving arms.

Grandfather asked me what was wrong so I told him. I told him all about the teasing the other kids gave me. After I was through the tears were streaming down my face as I asked him why my parents did not want me.

By this time Grandmother had joined us and they sat in the fragrant grass of our courtyard to explain. I can still hear his words. He told me that he and grandmother had never been able to have children of their own. They regretted this loss for many years in their native homeland of Japan. Finally, they had decided that fate must want them to be that way. It must have a plan for them. They left the temple they had been caring for to start traveling. Trying to find the place that fate wanted them to be. They had traveled all over Japan before leaving to come to America. They had heard about many wondrous things there and wanted to see what it was like. As they traveled in California, they passed a temple grounds. Grandfather and grandmother both possessed enormous spiritual energy. This led them to feel the power calling them from the temple. So they stopped and went into the temple grounds. As they reached the shrine a shrunken little priest met them. He was the caretaker of the shrine, but he was old and his time on the earth was short he needed someone to care for the temple and he could feel the spiritual power of grandmother and grandfather. He told them that they would be perfect and that he knew the would care for his student who would take over the grounds when his training was complete.

So they did. A year passed before the old one died and ascended to his place in the afterlife. The acolyte was named Shinzo. Grandfather spent many hours training him to be a proper priest for the temple and shrine grounds. Shinzo was halfway through his training when I showed up. It came as a big surprise. You see I was left in the temple on the floor. No explanation. Only a short note. The note said that my mother had been murdered and my father who was writing the note was being hunted. He knew that he would not live and so was leaving me with people who would protect me. He prayed that they would love me and forgive him and my mother for leaving without being able do it themselves.

Love me they did. After being childless for so many years this was their one chance. They showered me in affection. Giving me all the love in their hearts. They adored me as I did them. Grandfather told me all of this as we sat. My mind tried to process this in my young brain. I had no true family. My parents were both dead. All that was left were the two who had taken me in and the note. My mind latched onto that. I asked to have the note left with me. Grandfather gave me a funny look and said that he was sorry the note had been lost years ago. I thought nothing else of it after that. I thought only of how I could repay the two who loved me and raised me as if I was part of their blood.

I changed after that. Before I had not been really disobedient as much as playful. Now I did what I was told. I ignored the children at school as they teased me. Instead, I focused on my schoolwork trying to be the best. Years went by in this fashion. Suddenly I was in high school and coming closer to graduation. I was at the top of my class. I was very happy. So proud was I the day I found out I was the Valedictorian that I skipped all the way home. As I got there grandfather met me at the door. The sun was in my eyes so all I could see was his silhouette as I told him that I would hurry and change so that I could sweep the shrine. As I made to walk past him he grabbed my shoulders. As he pulled me to him I could see his face. He looked very old and frail. I had never noticed before. He told me grandmother was dying and that I must hurry to her. She wanted to see me on last time.

I ran to her bedside. Grandmother looked pale and so very old. I grasped her hand in mine and told her that I was there. Her eyes opened and tears fell down her cheeks as she looked at me. Her mouth worked to form words and then she began to speak of how much I meant to her. She was sorry that she would miss my graduation. Nevertheless, I was to know how proud she was. She wanted me to know that I would always be the child of her heart and that she would wait for me in the afterlife. She motioned grandfather to her side then. We both held her hands as she said that we must take care of each other. She told grandfather that the time had come to tell me the entire story and to help me anyway that he could. I puzzled over this as grandmother looked at us both and said one final time that she would wait for us. With that on a quite breath, she passed over.

I spent the last weeks of school in a daze. My grief ate at me. Grandfather was not much better. He began to neglect his duties as the temple priest. Visitors were not allowed on the grounds. He had retreated from the world and me. All of his time was spent at the grave that held my grandmothers ashes. He would talk to her as if she was right beside him. I thought that it would not be long until he would will himself to join her.

I guess that was why I was so surprised that on the morning of the day I was to graduate he suddenly snapped out of it. I awoke to grandfather telling me that today was the first day of the real me. I did not understand what he meant by this but as he got me out of bed and down to breakfast it did not matter. Grandfather was alive again. He smiled at me as I ate my breakfast. When I was done he said that he had a surprise for me. He led me to his and grandmothers room. Laying on their futon was a beautiful kimono. It was pitch black silk. Embroidered with silver paw prints at each sleeve. As he held it up I could see a big silver dog embroidered on the back. It was like no dog I had ever seen before. Grandfather said that it was from old legends concerning youkai. Of course I knew what youkai were. Grandfather had told me all the old stories of youkai and mikos. Priests and battles.

Reverently I touched the kimono. As I looked down at the futon I could see the two under kimonos that went with the first one was silver and one was stark white. An all black obi lay to the side of it. I was speechless. I could tell immediately that it was all made by grandmother. I started to cry. After the day I cried over the teasing of my classmates grandmother had never given me any more clothes she had made. She took me shopping for modern clothes so that I would look like all the other kids. Grandfather patted my back as I wept and told me that it was ok. Grandmother had wanted me to be happy. She never minded that I wore the modern clothes. This was her final gift to me. She wanted me to wear it after my graduation for my party. As I hugged grandfather I knew that I would wear it instead to my graduation to show them all how proud I was of my adopted heritage.

I began preparations at noon. I cleansed myself and meditated for hours to calm my nerves. Finally, after bathing I began to put on my grandmothers gift. First, the white layer of the kimono then the silver. After I put on the final black layer and started to tie the obi grandfather came in. His eyes filled with tears as he stepped close to help me tie it correctly. His gentle voice told me how beautiful I looked and how proud he was. As he stepped back, he wiped his eyes and said it was time to go. He laughed at my bare feet and loose hair. As we came to the gym that was housing the graduation ceremony grandfather gave me a final hug and told me that when he got home he would give me my gift from him. I walked proudly to my seat with the eyes of all my classmates on me. I think they were stunned that I was not wearing the traditional robes like them. The ceremony passed quickly and then we were at home. I sat gracefully on the floor at our table as grandfather sat with me. Before us were two cups and a bottle of sake.

I did not have long to wonder about the sake as grandfather told me an unbelievable story. He claimed that I was in fact a youkai like the one on my kimono. Well actually only half. He said that my mother was human and my father demon. He said that something had killed my mother and then came after my father and me. It could have been anything but being as I was a hanyou it was probably just my existence. There were still some demons he said that still did not like hanyou children. Humans too for that matter. He said as a priest they were expected to kill me but one look at my face when they found me and they could not. This only strengthened as they kept me so they put a strong spell on me.

I had to stop grandfather at this point. How could I believe that I was a hanyou. I looked all human. He had no proof. He told me I must not have been listening. He again stated that I was under a spell. Finally, at my incredulous look he reached into his inner robe and pulled out a roll of parchment tied with a single ribbon. This he handed to me and demanded me to read. Slowly I removed the ribbon and unrolled the note. It took me many moments to finish. It was the note that grandfather had found with me. It was written in the hand of my long dead father. It explained that my mother and father had fallen in love. My father had chosen her above all others. Their love had created me. They loved me with all of their hearts and were very happy. Then things went bad. They had been living in Japan at the time and a priest had seen my mother and me in the park. He knew at once that I was a demon child. He followed us to our home. For days he must have watched until he knew the workings of our family. My father had left for work when he came in and killed my mother. He would have killed me too but at that moment my father came back home. He had forgotten to tell mother that he loved her that morning. He stopped the priest from killing me by killing him. Father mourned for his mate but knew that he had to hide. Where there was one priest there where more. Sure enough they began to chase us. All over Japan we moved trying to lie low so that we could be free. Yet always they found us. Father knew that they would only stop when we were dead. So he had brought us to America. He had hoped that we could hide here. Only the priests were right behind us. Father was wounded when he found grandfather temple. He could sense that grandfather and grandmother possessed strong powers and that they were for good. The priests that were chasing us all possessed dark powers. Father went on to say that this temple was the only hope for me. So he had left me hoping that even with his death I would live on. The last part of him and my mother.

I sat for a long time absorbing the fact that I must really be a demon. Finally I lifted my eyes to grandfather. I asked him to lift the spell so that I could see just what he and my father meant by hanyou. Grandfather nodded his head and began to chant. Moments later I felt like I was being ripped in half. The last thing I saw was grandfather still chanting.

I came too the next morning. I was laid on my futon and my head was killing me. Strong smells were killing my nose. It was this awful oily smell. I wanted it to go away. Then there were the noises. It sounded like giant knats buzzing around my head. Finally knowing that I would not be able to sleep off my headache I opened my eyes. That's when it hit me that something was wrong. Everything was sharper and in more vivid color. My eyes darted back and forth. I went to run my tongue over my suddenly dry lips when I hit a fang cutting my tongue and drawing blood. As I lifted my hand to inspect my teeth I noticed the claws. By now I was really freaked out. I jumped out of bed and rushed to my full-length mirror. What I saw shocked me. Sometime during the night I had changed the girl in the mirror looked similar but she could not be me. This girl had longer hair and furry ears on her head. Her eyes were silver and not the dull grey of my own. Her mouth held razor sharp canines and her hands were claws.

Grandfather chose that moment to walk in. He explained that this was the real me. This was his present and what grandmother’s deathbed words meant. We talked all morning. Grandfather promised to help me get used to this new aspect of myself. In fact he had someone he wanted me to meet. Her name was Kenna and she was a Kitsune youkai. That is when she stepped through the door. Her and grandfather said that they would help me train and get used to this new me. There were many things that I could do now that a normal human could not. My main concern were the smells and sound by this point. I thought that they would drive me nuts. Kenna spent the rest of the day teaching me how to tune them out.

Over the next few months they taught me all that they knew. Grandfather teaching me how holy magic could both hurt and help me, while Kenna taught me how to survive. She taught me about my strength and quickness. Little by little grandfather was getting weaker though. Finally, I could smell death hovering on him like a sickness. I wanted to fight it but did not know how. On his deathbed grandfather told me to come to Japan and see the homeland. He had taught me all he knew. He wanted me to be strong and have courage. That is when he gave me the pendant on a fine silver chain. He said he had wanted to give it to me at graduation but had forgotten all about it. He kissed my cheek and said that he was going to join grandmother now. His last words were that he would see me in the afterlife. And just like that I lost my last bit of family.

Kenna stayed with me. My grief before had been bad but not like this. Instincts took over. I ran for miles finally ending on a lone hilltop where I howled in pain. That is how Kenna found me. I had not been off the shrine grounds in months. Not since the change. She admonished me for leaving where anyone could see me. She gave me a bracelet to put on and said that it contained a powerful spell to make me appear and smell human. She told me to never take it off when I was in public. That is when I noticed that she had one too.

So with my training at an end and all my family gone, we left the shrine. I decided to honor grandfather’s last wish and we came to Japan. My birthplace. For weeks we toured around saving Tokyo for last. I saw so many beautiful places and then here we were.

Tokyo amazed us. It was so big. The day that I came here was beautiful. Kenna and I had split up that morning. She wanted to go shopping and I wanted to sight see. We grabbed a travel guide and decided to meet back up at the Sunset Shrine. I spent all morning walking around and meeting people. Finally, in the early afternoon I was at the Sunset Shrine. I crossed over into the grounds and was amazed at the view. The place was huge. My eyes took in everything. Being curious I walked the grounds. I looked in every building. The only modern thing on the grounds was the family home at the back of the compound. Further up was an enormous old tree. I looked it over and decided to sit to wait on Kenna. She was late as usual.

Turning my head to the side I saw one last building that I had not explored. I decided to investigate. As I walked toward it my skin began to tingle. I could feel magic in the air. Also, there was a strange scent in the air. It smelled like a demon and not. The scent was old so I could not really make it out. I opened the door and crossed into the building. There was nothing much in there. Shallow steps led down to an old well. I crossed over to it and leaned over. A humming filled my senses. I jumped when I felt something brush my ankles. I had been so focused on the old well I had completely missed the cat at my feet. As I began a sudden turn it sprang at me. I was too off balance with my turn and as I tripped backwards I fell into the well. My first thought was damn it is really going to hurt when I hit the bottom. I tried to throw my arms out to slow my fall. My concealing bracelet caught on something and ripped from my arm as a blue light engulfed me.

When I finally came to a halt my senses were disoriented. I knew that my bracelet had come off. I tried to find it. I panicked at first when I could not find it. How was I supposed to get out of here and not let anyone see me. Not to mention I must have hit my head to see that weird light. Finally, I decided to climb out of the well and see if could just hide until Kenna showed up. That is when I noticed that sunlight was coming down the well. I looked up and wondered what had happened to the roof. I jumped straight up and out of the well. One look around was enough to convince me that I was not in my own time. Then after wandering around for about a week I knew it for sure. So here I am stuck in a time not my own.


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