InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Silver turns to Red ❯ Chapter 1 - The Arrival ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha that privilege belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. I do however own Tara O'Connor and her dog Bran.

 

Chapter 1 - The Arrival

 

The plane had been circling the airport for the past forty minutes waiting for its chance to land as I looked out the window. `My first time flying and I end up half way around the world' I thought `Well I never do anything half way, when I decide to do something I always put my whole heart and soul into it - and not even God himself could stop me once I made up my mind as my Family likes to often point out. `Like my current situation' mentally chuckling `Two years ago I was rifling through the world literature section of our little library and my hand fell upon a book on Japanese legends. It had the most captivating tales and drawings of youkai, that from the moment I opened up the book I felt this inexplicable connection to that land. So needless to say I became absolutely obsessed with all things Japanese. I started learning the language the very next day and by the end of the week I had informed my family - to their horror - that I was moving to Japan as soon as possible.'

 

My Mother was actually the first one in the family to accept my newfound love of all things Japanese by reminding me that her younger brother had married a Japanese woman and their oldest daughter should be about the same age as me. So I immediately began writing to my cousin Kagome. We exchanged letters for about six months and found that we had this natural, almost sisterly, connection to each other. Yet I always felt that there was something important that was going on in her life that she wasn't telling me. My suspicions were verified one day when I began to read her latest letter when she revealed to me her adventures in the distant past.

 

Dear Tara,

 

I don't care whether you think I'm crazy, but if I don't tell someone the whole story…not the half-truths I've been telling my family…I'm going to literally fall apart soon! It was two and half years ago when this whole ordeal started. On my fifteenth birthday I was pulled down the ancient bone-eaters well (which is located on our Shrine) by a centipede demon and landed five hundred years in the past. Well to make a long story short the first person I met was a inuhanyou (half-dog demon) named Inuyasha, who I freed from a magical spell that had sealed him to a tree for the past fifty years. I freed him so he could kill the centipede demon that was attacking me because I had (unknown to me) the Shikon No Tama (jewel of four souls) inside my body, which she ripped out of me before Inuyasha killed her.

 

A few days latter while I was trying to return to the bone eaters well in an attempt to go back home the jewel was stolen from me by a crow demon. Now you have to understand I have never even held a bow before that day let alone used one before so it's understandable that when I did shoot the crow that I also hit the jewel and shattered it in the air. This means there are little shards laying around all over Japan for any wayward youkai (demon) to pickup and thereby become twice as strong and twice as evil.

 

Well in the end we decided to work together to retrieve the jewel shards since I'm the only one that can sense them and he's definitely strong enough to defeat those jewel enhanced youkai. Along the way though we've accumulated three more companions. The first was an orphaned kitsune (fox demon) named Shippou, who I've basically adopted as my own. Next was Miroku a priest who was cursed by a demon with a wind tunnel slowly growing inside his hand. He's also a lecher, but he's still a good guy, you just have to watch where his hand is at all times. The last person to join our group was Sango a youkai exterminator and her little cat demon Kirara. Her entire family and village were destroyed by the most evil hanyou ever, Naraku. He is also trying to find the jewel shards so that he can have the power to become a full-blooded youkai for some horribly evil purpose I'm sure.

 

Now that you know the basic story I can finally ask you what I've wanted to for so long. I need you help desperately Tara! Against my better judgment I've fallen in love with Inuyasha, but I swear to God I can't figure out whether he feels the same way or what? I mean he constantly calls me `bitch' - especially when I refuse to do what he says. He's always making me so mad that invariably I have to subdue him with a magical rosary at least once a day which only makes him sulk afterwards instead of apologizing for upsetting me. Yet he protects me with a ferocity that makes my heart skip a beat. He becomes extremely possessive of me when Kouga (a wolf youkai) comes around saying I'm his woman, yet the only reason he ever gives for his possessive behavior is that he can't stand having that stinky wolf around. I feel like I'm missing something but I just can't figure him out Tara! Not knowing where I stand in his life is driving me insane! Please, if you have any information that could shed some light on my situation please tell me!

 

You probably think I'm completely nuts right about now, but I just had to tell someone and I've always felt like I could trust you even though I've never met you.

 

Your cousin,

Kagome

 

P.S. If you know anything about spiritual powers let me know because no matter how hard I try I can't control mine.

 

 

You can just imagine my surprise at reading such a fantastic tale and of course I believed every word she wrote - I felt a closer connection to her than I did with my twin sister! So I promptly wrote back detailing how she should go about fixing some of her problems.

 

Dear Kagome,

 

First off I don't think your crazy and I believe everything you said in your last letter. You're probably wondering how I can so readily believe such a story, well it has to do with my family's ancestry - some of which we share since your father was my mother's brother. Anyway, I'm an O'Connor which means “lover of hounds”. Now I know that doesn't really mean much since there are about a million O'Connors in the world, but unlike the rest of those people my particular family - through my Father's blood - are the direct descendants of an inuyoukai warrior named Sgeolan. He and his brother Bran decided to serve a human warlord named Fionn Mac Cumhaill. He ended up marrying the granddaughter of his lord, Blaithín, who was part Sidhe - the Sidhe are a race of magical beings with almost god-like abilities. So from that union comes my family. Wasn't that just a fascinating history lesson - not!

 

Since that was almost two thousand years ago my family has not retained any particularly non-human physical characteristics like I'm sure your friend Inuyasha has. The only physical attributes that we haven't been able to shake off are our height, eye and hair color. Our eyes are always bright blue and our hair is always a reddish fawn color. Luckily for us these are not unusual characteristics for Irish humans so no one gives our family a second glance. Unfortunately our height is not common and even I tower over the men a good foot or so. - My poor Mother looks like a tiny fairy when she's stands next to Father, it is one the funniest sights you've ever seen! - I digress.

 

Now to help you with an unruly hanyou. My family may physically be human but we still have all the same instincts and mannerisms of a full-blooded inuyoukai - which your friend has too. Inuyoukai are similar to wolves in their pack hierarchy and behavior. Since the two of you met as individuals and subsequently added to it with other adults that means that the two of you are already in the relationship of lead male and lead female. So yes you are his equal in the pack but that doesn't give you the right to argue with him - especially in front of the rest of the pack! Now that doesn't mean you can't cajole him into doing what you want in certain situations. So here's how you do it, you do everything in a submissive manner - which means you never raise your voice or look him in the eye when your doing this. Displaying your neck to him will definitely pacify him - possibly to the point that he'll agree with you.

 

Now to address his special name for you. He calls you `bitch' because he sees you as his mate. It's a term of endearment among inuyoukai and is only used with your mate. Also when you're arguing with him he's using it as the nicest way to remind you of your place in the pack. Think of it this way, he could easily use physical force to put you in your place but instead he's telling you (in inuyoukai fashion mind you) what to do because he cares for you as his life partner. So actually it's quite romantic when you think of it that way.

 

So he's basically told you he loves you but you haven't responded in the inuyoukai way. Well I'd suggest that you tell him that you'd like to be his back scrubber the next time he takes a bath. You see grooming shows your acceptance of him as a mate. Physical interaction is very important in inuyoukai courtships because your scent will be mixed with his - demonstrating that you two are romantically involved. When the two of you do decide to become full fledged mates you will exchange blood right after having sex the first time. That way you will take on some of his characteristics, the most important of which will be an extended life span as well as heightened senses and healing abilities.

 

The possible answer to why you're unable to handle your powers is because they're not Japanese spiritual powers but Irish spiritual powers. Which means they're used for a different purpose and are honed through a different type of training. See you've inherited your spiritual powers through your Father's family as I have too through my Mother (which has given me the ability to awaken my Sidhe and inuyoukai blood too). Our powers are more warrior like than protective. You need to channel your powers through an object that you have an emotional and spiritual connection to, the more personal the object the easier it will be to channel more energy through it. You attach this object to your weapon of choice and concentrate your powers through it so that your weapon will be engulfed by your powers. Always keep half your mind focused on that object so that you can control the amount of power flowing into it and the intensity of that power. Don't be afraid of the amount of spiritual power you have it is completely normal for Irish priestesses to have more spiritual power than Japanese priestesses because our powers are meant to be used in battle not just to protect against youkai. Actually our powers can hurt both humans and youkai just as easily as protect the two species.

 

I hope that this information will help you with all your problems. You are so going to have to tell me what happens with you and Inuyasha. I just know his jaws going to drop to the ground when you offer to be his back scrubber! Seriously though I do want to tell you that I would be more than happy to help train you and if you should for any reason fail to complete your quest than, as a fellow clanswoman and priestess, I will take your place.

 

Your cousin,

Tara

 

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” the pilot interrupts my silent musings, “we are now first in line to be landing and will arrive in the next ten minutes.” This announcement over the intercom is met with great praise from the passengers. Blatantly subdued by my culture's standards but incredibly enthusiastic to Japanese sensibilities.

 

`I may have read every book I could get my hands on about their culture, but to actually experience this controlled calmness is another thing entirely.' A sigh escapes my lips as I uncross my legs in an attempt to stretch my muscles. My brow furrows as this dreaded question rears its ugly head again in my mind - `Why have I not felt that same connection amongst these people that I had back home miles away from this land? Maybe I only have this connection with Japan's history. No that's not true, I only had this connection with its legends. When I read a story about youkai or looked at a picture of one I would feel drawn to it like it was the other half of my soul - especially those tales about…NO! I will not go down that road again…at least not right now.'

 

I start rummaging through my backpack trying to find a cd I haven't listened to in the last twelve hours. `Aha' I mentally congratulate myself on finding one of my favorite Coors songs. So I pop it into my cd player put my headphones on and listen to the soothing sounds of one of the best Irish bands ever.

 

I mentally groan upon hearing the first wail of the guitar, `So much for music distracting me from my hopeless romanticism. This song never fails to bring my mystery man to mind in all his masculine glory…Grrrrrrr…but its one of my favorites and I never can say no to this particular daydream.' So I close my eyes and lose myself in the song as the image of a tall sinewy man wraps his strong arm around me.

 

Runaway

Say it's true, there's nothing like me and you

I'm not alone, tell me you feel it too

 

And I would run away

I would run away with you

 

Cause I am falling in love with you

No never I'm never gonna stop

Falling in love with you

 

Close the door, lay down upon the floor

And by candlelight, make love to me through the night

 

Cause I have run away

I have run away with you

 

Cause I am falling in love with you

No never I'm never gonna stop

Falling in love with you...

 

The jerky movements of the plane rips me from my daydream and back into reality. I mentally groan `how long was I lost in that fantasy' I wonder as I quickly shove my stuff back into my backpack. I rub my hands together to dispel the feeling of my imaginary lover's silky strands flowing through my fingers.

 

Finally the plane comes to a stop and I get up with the rest of the passengers, my backpack and carryon bag in hand as I walk through the terminal into my new life.

 

************************************

 

 

While trying to pick out my surrogate family from the eager crowd hovering around the terminal I grab the rest of my bags from the conveyer belt. Immediately I spy my name, TARA O'CONNER, hastily scrawled on a small sign held high above the sea of black heads. Rushing forward I embrace the Higurashi branch of my clan for the first time.

 

Smiling widely I hug all three of them at once since I easily tower over them a good five inches or more. “I'm so glad to finally meet you” I say as I release them from my spontaneous bear hug.

 

Speaking directly to Mrs. Higurashi I bow saying, “Thank you so much for allowing me to stay with your family while I look for my own place.”

 

“Of course you're welcome to stay with us my dear!” She exclaims after returning my bow. “Your Mother and father have been so generous over the past years since my late husband's death that this is the least I could do to repay their kindness. Now let's get your bags and go home.”

 

“Yeah” reaching down to pickup my bags, “I'll probably have to sign some special papers or something just to get Bran off the plane.”

 

“So you couldn't get rid of the guard dog” my cousin Kagome says to me with a conspiratol wink.

 

With a knowing smirk I reply, “Like you could yours. I'm surprised he's not here protecting you from the giant metal birds.”

 

Before Kagome could reply her younger brother Souta interrupts our friendly banter, “We didn't want to scare you with a crazy hanyou, so we decided to lock him in Kag's so he'd only have that room to destroy instead of the whole house.”

 

“Souta!” screams Kagome as she hits him upside his head for talking about her boyfriend like he was temperamental dog.

 

Mrs. Higurashi turns around and gives her children the `shape up or ship out' look, which has the desired effect upon the two siblings.

 

“Tara, I've already spoken with the authorities and arranged for Bran to be transported via a small truck so he should be arriving at the shrine within the hour.”

 

“Good. I hope that sedative is still working, an agitated Irish Wolfhound is definitely not something I want the deliverymen to have to deal with.”

 

“Oh! Like Inuyasha when he use to have to wait for Kags to come home from school?” questions Souta.

 

“Ug” Kagome pales at the remembrance of the irate hanyou, “Well it's a good thing we left Inuyasha behind so he could help the deliverymen pacify him. He's always been very good with dogs - I guess that just comes from being part inuyoukai.”

 

“Yeah it does help, but Bran won't relax `till I'm in his sight. Father specifically told him that I am not to be left unattended for even a moment and he always does exactly what my Father tells him to do. Yep, he's definitely the perfect guardian for Daddy's little girl” I say as we finally reach the Higurashi's car.

 

Mrs. Higurashi pop's the trunk and I stuff all my worldly possessions inside it. Driving out of the airport parking lot and onto the highway I lean over to Kagome telling her that we'll start training tomorrow. She responds with feigned disgust, but I can tell she's excited to start honing her skills.

 

 

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