InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Return To Me ❯ Chapter One ( Chapter 1 )

Return To Me
By Lady Kagome
March 23, 2004

Chapter One:

Inuyasha gazed around at his surroundings, making sure that the coast was clear, before stepping from his clothes. He didn't feel like ripping them for the thousandth time, and decided to remove them before attempting to shift. Once he stood naked in the clearing, he closed his eyes, willing himself to take on his second form. He could feel himself shrinking as his thought concentration increased, focusing on the last remnants of his shift. When the transformation was completed, he trotted over to a puddle on all fours.

Staring into the watery reflection he gave a puppy-like grin at his mirrored image. This time he had been able to shift completely into his second true form. With time it wouldn't take near as much concentration, but for now, he was content with practicing. He was a bit irked with the form that his body had decided to take on, he wasn't a damn puppy, but he decided he would live it. All shape shifters knew that their second form had to grow to match their hanyou form. Grinning at his reflection again, he decided that he could deal with the form as long as he grew to be large and fearsome. As he trotted around the meadow, testing out his balance on all fours, his ears perked at the sound of a single person approaching. He paused his meanderings and kept still, eyes focusing on an old woman in the garb of miko.

He decided to test his abilities of acting as a true dog, and walked up to her. To his shock, she slipped a beaded necklace around his head. The necklace was made of dark purple bone beads, with some sort of animal tooth every few bead. He began to grow angry at this woman's audacity and attempted to shift back to his original human form in order to set the situation to rights.

To his horror the old woman just looked at him and laughed.

"You cannot shift, boy." She reached down and picked up the struggling white puppy. "This necklace shall keep you in this form until a woman decides to remove it of her free will. And don't think this will be an easy task, boy, for she will have to remove it out of love. She must free you from herself before you are free to shift back."

Inuyasha stopped struggling, glaring at the woman in horror. What had he done to deserve such horrible treatment from a stranger?

As if in response to his thought the woman broke into laughter. "You hurt my daughter, mutt. And now, I curse you." With those words she strode to a well that Inuyasha had missed in his earlier concentration. Without a backwards glance she tossed the puppy, formerly the strong and regal hanyou, into the well. She walked off chuckling to herself.

"No one will ever free you mutt…"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome ran around her old house trying to gather any last necessities she may need for her new apartment. Today was finally the day! She was moving out on her own! She had turned twenty the day before, and over the past year had gradually gained her independence. Her family had resigned themselves to losing the bright and loving soul that had lived with them for so long.

"Momma! I am going to run out to the well house to see if Buyo is there!" she set the few things she had found left in her room on the table next to the door and ran out of the house with an abundance of energy. She burst into the old well house, softly calling Buyo's name. This was the family cats typical haunt, and she really wanted to say goodbye before she left.

Moving over to the well, she gave it a worried glance hoping that Buyo had not fallen down the open shaft. As she peered into the dark abyss she heard a small whine from the bottom.

"Buyo?" she called to him, hoping that he was all right. As a furry body brushed against her leg she let out a short shriek.

"Buyo! You scared the living daylights out of me!" As she picked up the massive feline she heard the small whine again. "If you are here… then who, or what is at the bottom of the well? It sounds harmless enough…" she set Buyo back down, placing a leg over the side of the well. She used the old, almost rotten ladder, to lower herself to the bottom of the dark pit. Once her feet were on firm ground again, she began to call to the hurt animal.

"Here boy… or girl… are you hurt?" As she knelt down she heard the whine again, coming from her left. She reached out, her hand brushing up against soft fur. Picking up the bundle she climbed back out of the well one handed. When she had reached the top she looked down into the soft bundle in her arms.

"Aww! What a cute puppy!" she held the small white dog in front of her, looking into its golden eyes. "How did you get all the way down that well cutie?" She began to scratch between the small dog's ears, hearing it respond with little whimpers.

"What a cutie! I wonder what your name is?" She set the dog on the ground and kneeled next to him, fingering the beaded necklace around its throat.

"That's an odd chain," she commented out loud, to no one but herself. As she twisted the chain in her hands a small slip of paper fell to the ground. Reaching to pick it up, she read the single word that was written on it.

"Inuyasha."