InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dreams of a Past Long Forgotten ❯ Chapter 1 ( Chapter 1 )

Title: Dreams of a Past Long Forgotten

Author: reach4thestars

Story brief: A human girl in Kagome's time called Mina is haunted by dreams of a place she has never heard of nor seen before. Some are peaceful, while others are filled with so much pain and death she wakes up screaming. Secrets are found, but they only bring about more questions. A face from her past comes back at a much needed time, which leads Mina to go on a search to find answers and put her soul at peace again. If only it were straightforward and easy as that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha - I only lay claim to all the characters that I conjured up myself.

Rating: There will be a few X-rated scenes in this story, though in later chapters. I will place warnings at the beginning of each chapter.

A/N: Yes, I am back after a too long vacation away from writing Inuyasha fanfiction. I have no one to blame but myself really. Anyway, this story idea has been sitting in a notebook since I last wrote an Inuyasha story, so I thought I'd start there. Though I have to admit, after playing Secrets of the Divine Jewel on the DS lately, I've noticed the storyline is pretty similar. Hmm…oh well, hopefully, I haven't lost my touch…

 

Names and meanings:-

 

Mina - South

Umeko - child of the plum blossom

Akemi - bright beauty

Tsutomu - worker

 

~*~*~

 

Chapter 1 - rated A

 

Feeling beady eyes on her, Mina turned her blank face from the window she was looking out and at the cage sitting next to her. Rocco, her pet parrot she got on her twelfth birthday, swayed slightly on his perch from the motions of the car they travelled in. While the rest of his body moved in adjustment to the gentle rocking, his head stayed in its cocked position as he regarded her.

You're about as confused as I am about all this moving lark, huh, pal.

At sixteen years old, Mina thought the moving bug would have left her parents by now. For as long as she could remember, her family had travelled from place to place. They never stayed more than a year or two in one town or city. Sometimes Mina had the silliest feeling they were running from something. However, when she accidentally let slip her fear a few months before her sixteen birthday, her mother had looked away nervously while her father looked straight at his daughter with a haunted shadow in his usually warm brown eyes.

“We're not running from anything, Mina - we're just living.”

That had been his cryptic answer before the conversation was pushed aside with her mother ordering her up to bed in a soft voice. For the rest of the evening, Mina had second-guessed her feelings and thoughts on what was going on. Apart from the constant moving, she knew she had a good life. She wanted for nothing, except maybe a few more steady friends. The only friends she could count on at the moment were Rocco and her diary, though she supposed they didn't count. True, the schools she had attended in the past had been great and she had made numerous friends, but once she had moved away, those same friends had gone back on their promises to keep in touch and soon forgot about her. It would hurt at first, but Mina had learnt to accept it. Heck, nowadays, she could rehearse her life without a second thought.

Why can't we stay in one place forever? What are Mum an Dad hiding from me?

Mina only realised she had fallen asleep when a soft touch to her shoulder woke her up. Gazing up at her mother's gentle smiling face, Mina stifled a yawn before lazily climbing from the car. She took care of Rocco and carried him and his cage up to their new home, while her parents took care of the few suitcases they had. The rest of their belongings had already been moved to the house, and were laying in wait in their respectable rooms when Mina walked the two-story building. She soon found her room at the back of the property. It had a view of their large, well-kept garden and the trees that separated their house from those on the street over. Muffled noises of cars driving by and people going about their business reached Mina's ears as she continued to gaze out her window with unseeing eyes.

Something feels…off…about this city.

Tokyo was the biggest city Mina and her family had resided in so far. They had lived in places from quaint countryside towns to bustling metropolises. However, until now, Mina had never had a feeling from them as she did now. Her whole body seemed to thrum, as if someone had hit a tuning fork next to her. Rubbing her hands over the gooseflesh that broke out on her bare arms, Mina turned from the window with a violent shiver.

“Close your window if you're cold, Mina,” Akemi offered, as she passed by her open doorway.

With a grumbled reply, Mina did just that. She went one better and pulled the thin curtains closed, blocking out the fading sunlight, and pitching her room into murky gloominess. Disliking the near darkness more than the cold, Mina swiftly turned on the light and closed her door. She could hear her parents puttering about the house, rearranging furniture and putting things away. Not feeling up to the task of sorting her own belongings out, Mina crawled onto her bare mattress. She heard Rocco squawk before he said “sleepy Mina” before her eyelids fluttered closed.

She was asleep in seconds.

 

~*~*~

 

Rolling hills and forests passed by in a blur of colour. The trees gave way to fields full of wildflowers, their bright colours nearly blinding and obscuring the well-worn path that wound between them. The path soon met a manmade road of packed earth. It had large square stones on either side of the road at long intervals, before they made way for thick wooden poles that were topped with the same flag over and over again. The sounds of a bustling village were heard before it came into view. Residents were busy trading and buying wares, while children ran around playing in groups. Other people came and went in carts or on horseback, only interrupted by small bands of passing samurai or farmers herding their cattle.

Beyond the town, huge twin gates of deep red wood rose up, while a strong brick wall flared to either side, disappearing into the trees. Flying over them revealed the castle beyond, which was partly built into the side of the mountain that loomed behind it. The ground level was empty of life, save the guards that lined the path, which led to the first set of steps. The first floor held only a large cherry blossom tree in its centre, while neat gardens sprawled out around it. Birds of varying species littered the ground or perched in the tree and on fences. More men in gleaming armour were strategically standing at attention here, clearly showing that security wasn't taken lightly.

Up on the second floor, a beautiful pond took up the entire level. The only way across was a red bridge, which had its own roof. It snaked around the large pond until it reached the other side, where a one-story building sat. Its sweeping roof cast shadows over the many shoji doors. However, when one of them opened, a blinding light filled the area…

 

~*~*~

 

Coming too with a slight jerk, Mina groggily smacked her lips together as she rolled onto her back. She winced at the pins and needles sensation in her left arm as the feeling slowly returned to the limb. She must have been asleep some time, because her light had been turned off, while a thick blanket had been placed over her body. Even in the black and grey of her room, Mina could see the shooting star patterns on the blanket, which she usually kept, folded up at the bottom of her bed.

Mum must have come in. Wonder what time it is.

Rubbing the rest of the sleep from her eyes, Mina finally climbed from her bed. She noted it was nearing one in the morning as she reached for the cord hanging from the ceiling. Through the blinding light, she saw a packed lunch resting atop her desk, while a flask sat next to it. At the sight of the waiting meal, Mina's stomach chimed in, letting her know how hungry she was. First checking on Rocco to make sure he had enough food himself, Mina soon tucked into hers. Her mind drifted to the odd dream she could still recall in clear clarity. Once she had finished eating, Mina reached for her backpack and pulled out her diary. She felt too paranoid leaving it in one of her boxes when she first packed, so had stuffed it into her bag.

Dear Diary,

Well, here I am - in a new city and living in a new home. I wonder how long we'll be staying here? Only God knows, I guess. I just wish Mum and Dad would finally stop moving around all the time.

Anyway, all the stress from moving made me fall asleep. I had the strangest dream, too. I dreamt of a majestic castle, nestled into a mountainside. It was beautiful, I must admit. I didn't know I had that much of an active imagination still. However…I don't know. I keep having this deep feeling that that place was real. I can still remember the signs on the flags. Heck, I'm no bird buff, but I bet I could recall each one that I saw, too.

And that's not all. I keep getting this…buzz…off this city, Tokyo. It's like there's this energy surrounding it, and I'm the only one picking up on it. Naw, that's just ludicrous! Perhaps it's just my feelings about moving, again, that are making me feel like this. Yeah, that sounds about right…

Stopping in her writing as she concluded she had nothing more to put down, Mina signed off for the time being, before slipping the diary back into her backpack. With a full stomach and slightly eased mind, Mina finally felt ready for sleep again and wondered if she would be dreaming of that place as she closed her eyes and waited to drift off.