InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Hidden Past, Hidden Self ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Prologue

A young Japanese woman ran through the forest towards a well in the clearing. Her long raven hair blew behind her as she held her kimono up to keep herself from tripping over it. Her sapphire eyes reflected fear and desperation. Suddenly, the bundle she carried in her hands started to cry. "My baby girl, don't be afraid! I won't let that demon get you." She whispered into the tiny infant's ear. Some of her tears fell from her cheek onto the baby's face. "If only your father were still alive."

The trees behind her began to rattle and shake from the noise of the demon's footsteps. The woman almost screamed when she saw that she had not lost the demon at all, but her courage told her not to; instead she kept running. The well was so close; almost close enough to…the woman shook off the idea. No, she was going with her into that well, to where ever it took them. She held onto her load with delicate yet firm support as it continued to cry into the night.

"Give me your daughter!" The demon called out from behind her in his hideous voice.

"No! She never meant to kill all of your comrades!" The woman called out to the demon. She continued to run, but tripped over a rock and skidded on the ground with the infant in front of her. The demon picked her up by the neck single handedly. He was very handsome, yet he had the looks of a demon. His red eyes glowed in the moonlight, and his fangs glinted as he smirked.

"Woman, that child of yours has no business in this world; her life belongs to me!"

"Leave her alone; she's only a baby." The woman pleaded, cradling the infant with protection. She saw how close the well was, and knew that if she threw the baby, she would somehow make it. `My darling baby, you look so much like your father; you're beautiful and I know you'll make it in the world of the well.' The woman acted like she was going to hand her daughter over, holding her arms out with the baby. Just as he was about to take the infant, she threw her over towards the well as gently as possible. Since it was only a foot away from where she dangled, the bundle went into the well without trouble or hitting the sides. Inside the well, a bluish glow showed that the baby had been transported safely.

"You bitch; you have no idea what you've done!" Reaching over his shoulder, he unsheathed his deadly blade and struck her. The blade connected with flesh and bones, cutting her open for the world to see. She watched the demon's crimson hair sway with his steps as he walked away, leaving her to die.

As she lay dying by the well which was left empty, her heart slowed more and more as her blood seeped onto the ground. "My daughter, I'm sorry I had to do that. Please forgive me." She closed her eyes and died with tears falling down her cheeks.

***

An old man was sweeping the front steps of a shrine like he did every morning as his granddaughter played next to old well house. Her mother was doing laundry in the house and the father had gone off to work earlier that morning. The little girl ran over to he doors and pressed her ears to them. The grandfather wondered what she was doing so he stopped to see. "Kagome, is something the matter?”

Being only three years old, she answered, "Gwandpa, somebody is crying." She pressed her ears to the door again. "A baby."

Grandpa opened the well house doors and walked in. He listened with his weakening ears, picking up ever so slightly the sound of an infant's wailing. He went down the steps and looked around; he could hear the baby, but he couldn't see it at all. "Kagome, go get your mother. Tell her to bring a flashlight."

"Hai!" She said as she ran into the house.

He continued to look around, but saw nothing. He could hear the infant's cry, but it sounded as if it was coming from the well. Not sure if he'd actually find the baby in there, he peered over the side. The sound was stronger there, but his eyes couldn't pick up any thing.

"Jii-san? Kagome said something about a baby in the well house. Are you spouting nonsense again?" The girl's mother asked.

"Give me your flashlight." He said desperately. She gave him the light and he clicked it on. He pointed it down there and almost dropped it. "Daughter, go get me a ladder; quickly!"

"Why Jii-san; do you see something?" She looked down the well and saw the same thing her father did; a crying infant wrapped in a blanket.

***

Life itself is a mystery; you never know which way it's going to go. One minute you could be living your normal, everyday life. The next you could be hit by some tragedy or told your life is a lie.

To understand this obscurity, you have to look at yourself and--

"Mama! I'm trying to finish my paper!" The teenage girl yelled out to her mother.

"Kane, your friend is on the phone! Should I tell her to call back?"

"No, I'll call her back." She turned back to her paper. --think of all the times your life was flipped upside down, like a death or injury. Maybe even yesterday's news.

However, not every twist and turn is bad. It may seem terrible in the beginning, but it might turn out to be betterlater on.The girl looked on at her work. `This could end up being my best paper yet.' She smiled.

"Kane-Sakura, ready to go?" Her mother called up from the bottom of the stairs. "Your singing competition begins in two hours and Tokyo is a ways away."

"Coming Mama!" She threw on her jacket and ran towards the door. She remembered her paper and looked around her room again. Life itself is a mystery; you never know which way it's going to go…However, not every twist and turn is bad. It might seem terrible in the beginning, but it mightturn out to be better later on.

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