InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Shard in Kyoto ❯ chapter 1 ( Prologue )

A shard in Kyoto

I do not own any of the characters in this story.

Historical notes: I will be using various real life names and locations. Please note I am using these for my purposes and they will not be used with any historical accuracy. For the purposes of this story, I am assuming the story of Inu-yasha takes place around 1550 ad. (+/- 5 years)

Summary: The group will go to Kyoto and get caught up in the intrigues of the capital of Japan during the chaos of a Civil war.

Japanese terms: I will limit the number of pure Japanese terms, suffixes, etc. Why? I know that there are readers that like and enjoy them. I am sorry, but this is a personal preference. When I read a story that requires a large glossary, I just do not like it. I think putting in those terms, which disrupts the flow of the story, as the reader has to stop and refer back to the glossary to get the full meaning of the terms. Yes, I do know that this means that I'm losing a lot of the subtlety in Japanese, but I think I gain enough in readability that I'm willing to accept that loss.

While this is not a direct sequel to my story "when friends find out," I will assume that story has happened and I will expand upon ideas and themes started in that story. Reading that story should not be required to read and understand this story.

This should be a quite long story and hopefully I can get some interesting twists in . . .

Corrected version 1-4-04 corrected by Nuala. Thank you.

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chapter 1

Early morning . . .

"I'm back!" Kagome shouts as she appears at the bottom of the well.

Inu-yasha's head pops over the side of the well. "HI, Inu-yasha! I even managed to come back early this time!"

"Feh."

Kagome points to her heavy bag, "Could you please get this. My mother packed some extra ramen this time, and it's a bit heavier than normal."

"Feh" inu-yasha grunts as he jumps down to get the bag while Kagome climbs out.

Kagome looks at him, with a concerned expression on her face. "Inu-yasha, what's wrong? I'm early, I have extra ramen, even some new varieties that I think you'll love, but all you're doing is grunting with a sour look on your face."

"Feh"

"Inu-yasha . . . I was in a great mood. Please tell me something, so I can get back in that mood."

"Feh . . . Miroku's found a new rumor where a shard is."

"And you're upset because of that?"

"Feh."

"Well, lets go see him. Obviously trying to talk to you today is a lost cause." Kagome starts to walk to the village, with Inu-yasha following behind her. Kagome looks over her shoulder a couple of times, just to see if Inu-yasha's sour expression has changed. It hasn't.

Shippo meets them and jumps on Kagome at the village edge. "You're back!"

"Yep! Even early, though Inu-yasha isn't being all that appreciative of my effort." She looks at Inu-yasha, "I mean, a simple, `thank you for being early,' would be nice for once."

"Feh. Do you need praise when you don't pee on yourself?" Inu-yasha sneers.

Kagome stops and looks at him, "Shippo, do you know what is causing him to be this much of an idiot?"

"Nope. Him, Miroku and a monk friend of Miroku's were talking yesterday about shards and he's been like this ever since. Sit him. He deserves it, I promise."

"I'm tempted, though I'm still in a good enough mood that I'll ignore it for now. But I'm going to talk to Miroku, and if I don't understand why he's being such a beast, well, I might change my mind."

"Feh."

They enter the village, where Miroku, Sango, Kirara and Keade wait for them on Keade's porch.

"HI, guys!" Kagome yells and waves at them.

"HI, Kagome!"

"Lady Kagome, welcome."

"Kagome, child"

"What's got Inu-yasha into the horrible mood he's in?" Kagome asks as she watches Inu-yasha drop the bag on the porch and jump on the roof: he's ignoring the group.

"I'm afraid I did, Kagome," Miroku says.

"How?"

"A friend of mine came by while you were gone. He brought me word that a shard has appeared in Kyoto."

"Kyoto! That's great! All the movies and guides I've seen of old Kyoto have been great! I've always wanted to go there on this side on the well. But I always thought taking Inu-yasha there, just so I could play tourist, would be a bad idea." Kagome says excitedly

"Movies? Guides?" Sango and Miroku ask.

"Hmmm. I've told you about movies, remember, moving pictures that tell stories."

"So you have lady Kagome. I am sorry, I forgot for a minute."

"It's ok, Miroku. But, anyway, I've just seen so many stories set in old Kyoto that going there was something I've always wanted to do on this side of the well. I've visited Kyoto several times in my home time, and I just want to see how accurate the movies are," Kagome says with excitement in her voice.

"You've visited Kyoto?" Sango asks.

"Yes. I have been there, on a couple of school trips, and Grandfather took me and Sota there a few times to show us various shrines and to show us off to his friends." Kagome stops for a second and realizes that she might be excited, but her friends are not. "Ok, What's the problem with a shard being in Kyoto?"

"Several things, but I think, the one that Inu-yasha is most upset about, is the time it will take to get there and back," Miroku says.

"Huh? Kyoto is only a few hours away by train. It's not that far . . . I forgot . . . no trains here. Ummmm . . . How long does it take to get there nowadays?"

"A month, with good weather and spending a lot of time walking."

"..." Kagome pauses, "A month or more? One-way?"

"Yes, Lady Kagome. Which means two months to get there and back, and whatever time it takes in Kyoto itself."

"Two months . . . no. More than two months."

"Yes, Lady Kagome. I think Inu-yasha is upset because with, hmmm, how do I . . . with the well and your . . . I think, he thinks that there will not be the time to get the shard."

"Oh . . . I see. Yeah, two months straight, that is a problem," Kagome says in a small voice. She licks her lips and looks at her two friends, "You're sure about the time?"

Miroku and Sango look at each other and shrug, "If we take Kirara and you stay on Inu-yasha's back, we can reduce it to two weeks to Kyoto, perhaps one week," Sango says.

"If the weather cooperates, but typhoon season is starting," Miroku corrects.

"Still a month probably."

"Yes."

"You said several things, what is the others." Kagome asks with concern in her voice.

Miroku pauses, then he starts talking, "Another reason is that it's Kyoto we're talking about, not some village in the middle of nowhere. I remember a story from the season I spent in Kyoto, Lady Kagome. A low-class samurai came to Kyoto, saying he had a legendary sword, I'm sorry, but I forget the name of the blade In the struggle for ownership of the blade, at least six samurai died. Then the blade broke, so everyone knew it was fake, and the low-class samurai died a long and painful death."

"Scary."

"Yes, but the shard is not a fake. It can provide humans with powers. How bad will the struggle for it be, especially if six or more died over a fake?"

Kagome shudders. "I think, Lady Kagome, that we are all concerned about entering a situation in which half a dozen or more different families might be fighting for a shard."

"Any other reasons?"

"Yes, in and near Kyoto, like you are aware, are many hundreds of temples with thousands of priests, monks and mikos living in Kyoto. I know, from my time in Kyoto, that there are thousands of various anti-demon spells, seals and other things."

"So, will Inu-yasha, Shippo and Kirara be able to come with us?" Kagome asks.

"That is a question we've asked each other," Sango says.

"I've been in fucking Kyoto. It hurts, but I can go in. Anyway, I was younger then, I'm more powerful now, so that anti-demon bullshit won't affect me." Inu-yasha interrupts from the roof of the hut.

Kagome looks at Miroku. He shrugs, then shakes his head no. Kagome grimaces. "I see." She pauses then continues, "You guys have obviously talked this over. Do we have any advantages in Kyoto?"

"Some. We're unknown, so we'll probably be looked down upon and ignored at first," Sango says.

"Unlike the families in Kyoto, we will not have the web of promises, feuds, and personal problems that intertwine, shape and limit the actions of the families in Kyoto." Miroku continues when Sango pauses.

"And then there is you, Kagome."

"Me," Kagome asks in surprise.

"Yes, you can sense the shard at a distance. There will be many rumors about which family, or even which member of each family, possesses the shard. Your ability to spot the shard will help locate it that much faster," Sango says.

"Of course, that assumes that the possessor of the shard has not used its power to take control of Kyoto first. And, as such, he would be displaying it openly," Miroku adds.

Kagome bites her lips, and asks, "You think . . . "

"It's possible. The balance of power in Kyoto is close and unstable. In fighting for the shard, many things are possible." Miroku shrugs. "The shard will be in Kyoto at least two months before we can arrive. Who knows what will happen in that time?"

Inu-yasha jumps off the roof and moves in front of Kagome. "All this is hogwash. Unless you can be here for at least a couple of months. Talking is all we can do," He says with an ugly growl in his voice.

Kagome, sighs, then she looks at Inu-yasha and the rest of the group. "Well, What's the chance of it leaving Kyoto?"

Miroku replies, "None, really, Kyoto is the center of power in Japan. Why would something that would make you more powerful leave the center of power?"

Kagome nods her head. She closes her eyes for a minute. Inu-yasha starts to speak, but Miroku knocks him on the head with his staff and puts his finger to his mouth. "Shhh . . . "

"Ok." Kagome purses her lips and swallows, "I can stay."

"Just like that!" Inu-yasha yells at her.

"No!" Kagome yells back, "No, not just like that! I've got to go back and explain this to my family!"

"You just got here! You're not going back right now!"

"Sit, boy!" she screams. "If I'm going to be gone for at least two months, than my family will know about it, Inu-yasha! And if you try to stop me from telling them, I will break your back!"

Kagome leaves the hut and starts to go back to the well. "In addition, I can get more supplies. I can get maps of Kyoto and other things that will help us. So I'm leaving. I'll be back in a little while." She says as she leaves. Then she stops turns back around and says, "Oh, Inu-yasha about the piss statement earlier. . . Sit, boy! Sit, boy! Sit, boy!" then she leaves to go the well.

The next day in the afternoon . . .

"Inu-yasha! I need some help!" Kagome yells from the bottom of the well.

"Bitch! You said a little while, not the next fucking day!" Inu-yasha yells from the top of the well.

"I had to get some things to help us, inu-yasha and it took longer than I thought."

"Wench! Bitch!" Inu-yasha yells as he jumps in to get the new bag sitting beside Kagome. "What's in here?"

"I'll unpack with the others, Inu-yasha."

At the village . . . Keade's hut . . .

"As you guys know, ever since my friends found out, I'm having to explain my actions here more. But now that they know more, my mother and grandfather are trying to help me more, so they had a couple of suggestions that might help and they loaded me down with some things," Kagome explains as she opens up the bag she just brought. "In addition since my family knows I'm going to be gone a while, "she glares at Inu-yasha, "My mother came up something different to explain my disappearance this time."

"What, Kagome?" Sango asks.

"My grandfather and I will be going on a long pilgrimage to various shrines throughout Japan. It will take at least a couple of months. I think my mom came up with it more to get my grandfather out of her hair for a couple of months that to explain about me, but. . . " Shrug. "I'm not going to ask her."

She pulls a long tube, in which you can fit painting or posters, shakes her head and puts it off to one side. "What's in there, Kagome?" Shippo asks.

"I've told you guys before that my mother's an artist, right?"

"Yes."

"Well she gave me these paintings to take with me. She paints in traditional styles and some of her favorite artists live in the this time. She gave me a list of artists that should be alive in Kyoto now and she wants me to see if one of them will do a critique of the paintings."

"That's stupid! We're not going to have to time to do that crap!" Inu-yasha yells.

"I know that, Inu-yasha, but I'm not going to tell my mom that. I just told her, I'll bring them and if I get the time, I'll do it."

"Waste of space," Inu-yasha mumbles.

"Do you want to tell my mother that?"

"..."

"I didn't think so."

"I must say, Lady Kagome, the more you talk about your mother, the more I wish that the well would allow us to meet. Any woman that can cow Inu-yasha, I would like to meet," Miroku muses.

"She's told me that she'd like to meet all of you as well," Kagome says as she brings out a couple of cameras and a camcorder.

"Your, what did you call them, photography machines?" Sango asks.

"Yes, and plenty of film. And my mother got a camcorder to video tape things as well. And batteries."

"Camcorder? Video tape?"

"Remember when I talked about movies. This can make them. I'll show you it later."

Kagome then pulls out a sheath of maps and guidebooks and spreads them on the floor. "Look through these, guys. See if they can help. Miroku, you said you spent a season in Kyoto, earlier, right?"

"Yes, Lady Kagome."

"Could you make sure these maps and such are accurate?"

Miroku starts to go through the maps and guidebooks. "Whenever, I look at objects from your side of the well, I always become amazed, Lady Kagome. Beautiful, objects these, wonderful colors and details, and the skill involved, it is amazing." Sango, Shippo and Keade also go through them. The others "oh, ah" at the maps and guides as they look at them. Inu-yasha just sits back with his arms crossed over his chest.

"They're why I'm late, Inu-yasha, my grandfather shoved me into a train and took me to Kyoto so I could get them." She shakes her head and sighs, "I could have gone to the tourist office downtown and got them much faster, but . . . sometimes my grandfather . . . "

"Kagome, you mean you went to Kyoto and returned just in the last day?" Sango asks.

"Yes."

"You said yesterday that you can travel that fast on your side of the well, but . . . "

"Didn't believe me, hmm? Don't worry about it, Sango. Stuff like trains and planes are hard to believe."

"I'll have to examine them more closely, Lady Kagome, but many of these appear to be useable. Some of them are wrong in one way or another, but even wrong they are better than anything else I've seen," Miroku states as he goes through the maps.

Kagome then pulls out a bag similar in size to a brown lunch bag. She shakes her head and puts it down. "Kagome?" Shippo asks.

"Ignore it, a stupid idea that my grandfather had."

She pulls out a couple of smaller pouches. "My mother had this idea. Miroku, my mother expects me to use this gift wisely." She hands one of them to Miroku. "So, don't steal."

"Lady Kagome! I would never!"

"Oh, tell me that after you open it up."

"Gold . . . " Miroku says as he opens the pouch. He lifts up what looks like a broken link in a chain. While everyone is looking at the gold, Kagome slips the other pouch into a pocket, unnoticed.

"Yes, about fifty grams. She had an old necklace that she didn't need anymore."

Kagome pulls out a scroll. "Well, this is the last weird item. Another one of my grandfather's ideas. Lady Keade, please look at it and tell me how stupid it is."

She hands the scroll to Keade who opens it. Keade eyebrows raise to the top of her forehead as she says, "My Dear Kagome. Do you know what's on this scroll?"

"Yes, I tried to talk my grandfather out of it. But he called a friend at Ise who faxed him the details on the seal. And then he had my mother write the letter." By this time the others, included Inu-yasha is looking over Keade's shoulders reading the scroll.

"Kagome, this says you're a Miko from Ise. On some secret mission from the head priest of Ise. And anybody helping you would be rewarded by the temple at Ise," Sango says with wonder in her voice.

"Hmmm, can I hold it, please Lady Keade," Miroku asks. She hands it to him. "The paper is different then it should be. The seal of the high priest of Ise is excellent, even included the harder to duplicate personal seals. This is a very nice forgery. Your mothers' calligraphy is also excellent, well on par with the head scribe of Ise -- I've seen his work before. Except for the paper, this is an excellent forgery. It should work with most people. But in Kyoto, hmmm . . . There will be people there that will notice the difference in the paper." Miroku muses as he hands it back to Lady Keade.

"The use of the seal of Ise . . . " Keade starts to say.

"That's my grandfather's idea! He said his friend agreed to let him use it. But . . . " Kagome starts to explain.

Lady Keade hands it back to her. "I would use it only as a last resort. If then. Moreover, should you use it, I would send a letter of explanation to Ise. " Keade says.

"Well, I am done. We can pack tonight and leave tomorrow morning. Ok?" Kagome says.

"Very early . . . " Inu-yasha growls.

End chapter 1

Authors' note the Temple at Ise is one of the major temples in Japan at this time. A letter of support like this would be very powerful. You would not want to get the high priest at Ise upset with you if you hurt/didn't help/upset one of his Miko's.

This is going to be a long and hopefully detailed story. (I've got to find a map of old Kyoto and post it somewhere as a reference.)

It would be very nice, if I knew that people wanted to read more of the story. Please review, or contact me via e-mail with comment, questions, etc. The more reviews/comments I receive the more time I will devote to this story. Otherwise . . . I just put this on hiatus and move on . . .

Updates may be irregular, but I will try. (Finding the correct references . . . )

Time travel/historical paradoxes. Using Kyoto means I have to address it. It's the one place in Japan where enough detailed records were kept so that if the group showed up, it would be recorded. I do have a plan and it will be explained toward the end of the story.

thank you for reading.

jws1@webtv.net

jeff shelton