InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Forgotten Life ❯ Unexpected Awakening ( Chapter 1 )

Forgotten Life

By: Katie Amori

 

Chapter 1: Unexpected Awakening

 

Kumiko woke with a start and rubbed her eyes as she looked over to find the offender who had awoken her from her sleep. As her eyes focused, she gasped and her hands flew up to cover her mouth. Two young men, clad in furs, stared down at her with confused expressions.

 

“Sister Kumiko, get up! Kouga wishes to see you!”

 

“Ginta,…Hakkaku?” she spat out, still in shock.

 

“What's the matter with you sis?” asked Hakkaku.

 

“Where am I? How did I get here?” she asked looking around her stone room and down at her straw bed and fur blankets.

 

“In the den…you've been here for two months!” Ginta said, looking quite worried.

 

“Two months!” Kumiko yelled, “I don't ever remember being here!”

 

“WHAT?!” yelled Hakkaku and Ginta together.

 

“Oh no, Ginta, I think she's lost her memory…what do we do?” squeaked Hakkaku.

 

“I dunno, I guess we should go tell Kouga” Ginta answered.

 

“But what if he thinks it's our fault…he's gonna be really angry!” Hakkaku replied, holding his head in his hands.

 

“What am I gonna be angry about?” asked Kouga as he stepped into the room.

 

Kumiko stared at him with wide eyes. He was even more dashing in person than on television. His fangs gleamed as he smirked at the two boys as they sputtered incoherently and clung to each other.

 

“Well…well, you see, Kouga…we came in to wake Kumiko and she seems to have lost her memory or something” Ginta finally stammered.

 

“What the hell are you two going on about?” said Kouga, “Come on, Kumiko, it's late and I have some rabbits for you to fix for lunch.”

 

Kumiko's jaw had now dropped as she gazed at him, “K…Kouga…y…you're real!”

 

“What the hell?” Kouga barked as he started to grasp the situation at hand.

 

“See, we told you, boss…she doesn't remember a thing!” said Hakkaku.

 

“Is that true, Kumiko?” asked Kouga.

 

“Yeah, I don't ever remember being here…are we in feudal Japan?” Kumiko responded.

 

“I think that's what Kagome called it too” Kouga said, more to himself.

 

“Kagome's here too?” asked Kumiko.

 

“Well, not here in the den…but you remember her, right?”

 

“Not exactly…my memories are different. Last night I was at home…in the future…in America…I'm not even from Japan!”

 

“I know that, you came from Kagome's time.”

 

“How did I get here in the den?”

 

“You were traveling with Kagome and that mutt, but you had some sense in you, so you came here to be my servant.”

 

“So I'm your servant?”

 

“Well, kind of…” Kouga responded, looking down at the floor, “Get ready, I'll take you to go see Kagome.”

 

With that, Ginta and Hakkaku dashed out the door. They had edged toward it after Kouga had entered, not wanting to be victims of his wrath, but were too curious to actually leave. Kumiko found her clothes lying near the bed. They were made of brown fur and the top went over one of her shoulders and tied on the other side. Her bottom was made of two pieces of pelt and attached to a silver belt. She felt a little exposed as she put it on. The top exposed most of her stomach and the bottom hung low and exposed her legs. “Wolf pigs” she thought to herself.

 

“Sis?” called Ginta's voice from outside.

 

“I'm ready” Kumiko responded as she pushed the bamboo flap aside and stepped into the hall. “Not really much of a hall…more like a tunnel.”

 

Ginta and Hakkaku were both waiting for her and they looked very worried. Kumiko was already feeling lost and confused at being thrown into this life which she didn't remember having.

 

“I know I don't remember anything…” she began, “but with your help I can try to fit in and maybe my memories will start to return.”

 

“How can we help?” asked Hakkaku.

 

“Well, you can start by explaining the pack and how I fit into it…what Kouga expects of me…you know.”

 

Ginta and Hakkaku looked at each other and their brows furrowed. Finally, Ginta sighed and looked at the floor, “It's kinda complicated.”

 

“Complicated…how?” Kumiko asked.

 

“Well, when you first came here, you wanted to be Kouga's servant” Hakkaku began, “you cooked for him and in the afternoons you would walk with him on patrol.”

 

“So I spent a lot of time with Kouga?”

 

“You spend all your time with Kouga…you followed him wherever he went” Ginta continued.

 

“I see…” Kumiko finally said, “Well, then I will just continue to follow him.”

 

The boys smiled and led her out into the main cavern. There, many wolves sat scattered on the floor and on the rocks. Some looked like wolves and others looked human like Ginta and Hakkaku. They were howling, barking and whining softly to each other. Kouga sat high among the rocks, on a bed of straw, deep in thought. She gazed up at him, the sun shone on him from a crack in the roof. His black hair glistened in the light of late morning.

 

“Go sit next to him” Ginta whispered into her ear, snapping her out of her haze.

 

She blinked twice and then slowly began to climb up to where he sat. He didn't look up as she sat down. Kumiko's brow furrowed as she looked down at her hands in her lap. She knew that she was the cause of his brooding.

 

“I am sorry, my Lord” she finally said quietly.

 

Kouga finally looked at her, but she kept her gaze on her hands. He sighed and reached out to touch her chin. He turned her head to look at him. Kumiko gazed deep into his bright blue eyes and had a feeling that this was not the first time she had gazed at him so. His eyes pierced her very soul and she found herself fighting back tears. “It's not your fault” was all he said. He let go of her chin and stood up. Kumiko looked up at him, confused. He gave her a half-hearted smile and offered her a hand up. “Let's go” he said. Kumiko daintily took his hand and stood up.

 

Ginta and Hakkaku hurried after Kouga and Kumiko as the left the cave. Kumiko had to blink a few times to adjust to the bright sunlight. Kouga's territory was just as she had seen it on T.V. They crossed the river and set out through the forest to the road, which she knew, lay ahead.

 

“Are you still hunting Naraku?” Kumiko finally asked.

 

Kouga stopped and looked at her, “Do you remember Naraku?”

 

“Well, in my memories…everything that happens here in the Feudal Era…all of you…are on a T.V. show back home.”

 

“T.V.?” Kouga repeated.

 

“It's a box and it plays moving pictures, but it's not supposed to be real…somebody makes it up.”

 

“So we were in moving pictures?” Ginta asked.

 

“Yes, the show was made in Japan and it's mostly about Inuyasha, his group and their search for Naraku and the jewel shards.”

 

“Damn mutt…can't believe he gets all the credit…” Kouga continued muttering as he stomped off.

 

Kumiko giggled, “He's just like this in the show…I think that's why I like him” she said to Ginta and Hakkaku.

 

“You mean, you like him?” asked Hakkaku.

 

“I had a big crush on him while watching the show…you have no idea how many times I dreamed of being here with him even though I thought it wasn't real.”

 

“So you don't have a `crush' on him now?” Ginta asked worriedly.

 

“No, I still do…I just wish I had my memories…why are you so worried?” Kumiko asked.

 

“No reason” Ginta replied hurriedly.

 

Kumiko eyed him suspiciously, but let the subject drop. She hurried to catch up with Kouga and a smile broke onto her face. Kouga was still rambling on about “stupid mutt” between sniffs. Finally, he seemed to catch their scent and turned north. After a few minutes, Kouga winked and then sped off ahead, leaving a cyclone of dust in his wake. Ginta and Hakkaku ran after him with Kumiko at their heels.