InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Alternate Storyteller ❯ The Traveller ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

After rising later than usual that morning, I began gathering the stuff I’d need for my travels. Hoshi and I spent most of the afternoon talking about my plans, or rather, she told me as much as she could about the terrain, people, and dangers beyond the Western Lands and my best course of action and I listened.

“Remember, because of your physical appearance, you will draw much unwanted attention from both human and demon alike,” she warned. I knew this speech by heart because this was the third time she said it since I’d gotten out of bed. “Do not reveal who or what you know beyond the things in this village, especially about Sesshoumaru and InuYasha. Since this is your home for an indefinite amount of time, you must choose a name and profession of some sort.”

Her last statement caught me by surprise. I hadn’t thought about what I was going to tell people beyond being a traveller, since my only desire was to disappear into the wild blue yonder. I returned my attention to what she was saying.

“When Kenichi-san comes by this evening, we will choose your new identity for your new life.”

“I don’t have to give up my true self completely, do I?” I asked, afraid of the possible answer.

“No,” Hoshi assured me, “this is merely to keep you safe until you either make powerful friends or you are fully capable of taking care of yourself. More than you are now.” She added when she saw the slightly insulted look on my face and turned back to her work. I sighed and continued with mine.

We spent the rest of the day putting together my pack. I really, really wanted to take my backpack, however, as Hoshi pointed out to my disappointment, it was modern and therefore out of the question. I huffed about that internally because Kagome used hers, but then, she had InuYasha to protect her. Here, I was alone. For a split second, golden eyes and a blue crescent moon flashed across my vision. No! I told myself sternly, that’ll never happen! So, I learned how to properly pack and haul those pieces of cloth around. Hoshi gave me a few bits of last minute advice about the weather, travel, and money before Kenichi showed up at sunset.

Supper was a happy affair, with good food and good stories. After we had eaten our fill and cleared everything away, Kenichi and Hoshi got down to business.

“First, we must give you a name that fits you.” Kenichi stated with his usual simplicity. “Nothing that speaks of high things…,” he paused for a moment thoughtfully. “Nor a simple peasant name.” he finished.

Hoshi looked at Kenichi with mild apprehension. I was confused for a moment. Why would that bother her? My confusion was pushed aside for the time being by Kenichi’s next words.

“What do you feel is a suitable name for yourself, Persephone-san?” he asked, turning his gaze to me. I had to think hard for a few moments. While my understanding of Japanese had improved greatly over the past weeks, I still had trouble with the accent and meaning of the more formal vocabulary. Just like on the beach that night, I had a total fangirl moment.

“Kijinko.”

Confusion, amusement, and then exasperation crossed my companions’ faces. They looked at each other and seemed to steel themselves. Finally, Kenichi broke the silence.

“Why do you pick that particular name?” he questioned, seemingly reluctant to hear my answer. I thought about it for a second. My answer had to be plausible, especially in light of the fact that walking around with a name like that could possibly get me killed.

“Well,” I began, “the second meaning fits me. I’m a strange person in this day and age, so why not? I’ll just have to make sure my accent and writing is perfect.” I finished my extremely short and somewhat lame explanation.

Kenichi and Hoshi took a minute to digest my little speech. There were two meanings for the word kijin; fierce god and eccentric person. If I walked around letting people think I had chosen the first definition, of course they were going to challenge my ’claim’. The second was something I was already considered back home, so I considered it fitting to continue that reputation here. The reason why I picked it? My fangirl moment was Toukijin. Go figure. If the two people sitting with me knew half the reason why I chose that name, they’d probably dump me off the nearest cliff for having the gall to name myself after such a powerful weapon. As it was, that’s what I wanted. I let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

“I think that as long as you are careful with your speech, you shall be fine. If nothing else, your choice of name will amuse whomever you meet in your travels.” Hoshi said at last. She turned to Kenichi, “Do you agree, Kenichi-san?”

Kenichi nodded his head after a moment’s hesitation, “Yes, I agree.” Suddenly, a stern look crossed his face, “However,” he continued, “because we have agreed to this new name, you will not leave us until you have the ability to speak and write your name as well as a scholar can!” I blanched at his words. It could take me days, or even weeks, before I could possibly hope to be that good. But, it was better than ending up in a ditch somewhere…I guess. All I wanted was to get out of here. Kenichi reached for some paper and a brush. After preparing some ink, he wrote out some characters and pushed the finished product towards me.

“These are the characters of your name.” he explained as I looked at the nightmare before me, “I want you to try writing your new name.” I gulped and took the brush from his hand. As I made my first clumsy attempts, Kenichi and Hoshi moved on to the next item of business.

“She will have to be more than a traveller to explain her knowledge base.” Hoshi was saying as I tried concentrating on my exercise. Kenichi nodded in agreement.

“Yes. Her ability to read and write will set her apart from the majority of the people she will meet, as well as her battle gear.” I started at that comment. I had forgotten in the course of my training that there were practically no women warriors outside of the priestesses in the Sengoku Jidai. I had been staring at them without realizing it because they both turned to look at me when they noticed I had stopped writing.

“I would not worry too much, since your training is better than most of the riffraff you will encounter.” Kenichi stated with confidence. I beamed when he said that. It was nice to hear such a compliment from a seasoned warrior. They returned to the problem at hand.

“A learned traveller should be a decent enough explanation. She can simply say she is gathering information about the different regions of the country and enjoying a journey at the same time.” Hoshi spoke thoughtfully. Kenichi, however, looked a bit doubtful.

“I am unsure about that. They will want to know where she is from.” he said, thinking hard, “And do not forget her appearance. She is clearly a foreigner.” I was sick of the whole different look thing and said so.

“I cannot pretend to fully understand how you feel about that.” She spoke gently, showing that she was doing her best to understand my comment, “Unfortunately, it is something to consider at all times.” I sighed, knowing she was right but hoping it would magically change overnight anyway. Just then I was hit by a moment of inspiration.

“What about a concealing spell of some sort?” I burst out excitedly, “That way I wouldn’t have to worry about my appearance drawing unwanted attention!” Hoshi and Kenichi were startled by my outburst, but considered it for a few minutes. Then Hoshi asked me an important question.

“How do you know about the powers of this era?”

“Um…,” was my brilliant answer. While I had told her about the InuYasha storyline, not once had my knowledge of magic and spiritual powers come into the conversation. “The story I told you has a great deal of powers and magics in it as well.” I replied at last. I inwardly sighed in relief, since I had only read about the concealing spell in fanfic, but never seen it on the show. At least, not as the one I was thinking of. As I watched Hoshi, her face darkened somewhat.

“This is something new that has to be taken into consideration.” she stated firmly, “Tell me how vast your knowledge is of this subject.” It took me about twenty minutes to relay absolutely every last detail I knew about the magics of their reality. When I was done, the priestess looked considerably happier than she had over the last few days.

“Excellent!” she exclaimed, “It is good to know that I can help equip you now for your journey.” I looked at her quizzically, wondering what she could give me, since I had no magics of my own. She caught the look on my face and proceeded to explain.

“Because you know what sutras, charms, and spells are, I can give you a variety of seals that will help you along the way.” I perked up. “I will prepare them for you and write a list of instructions for each of their uses. Despite the fact that you have no spiritual powers that I can detect, the seals can still be used if the proper incantations are spoken. You will be well-protected and well-armed against all but the most dire of threats.” This was great, considering a sword wouldn’t always be the tool for the job. I noticed Kenichi also looked pleased with this new development.

“I had wondered what Perse-..er…Kijinko-san was to do if she came up against a spirit of some kind and needed a sacred seal. My heart is relieved to know that she will have this added protection.” Then he remembered I was supposed to be practicing my writing. “Continue with your work for a few minutes longer and I will check your progress.” I dutifully went back to my homework as Kenichi sat to reflect on the conversations we had had and Hoshi went off to prepare the seals. When I had deemed myself done, I called Kenichi over to inspect my work. To my surprise, he thought it was decent.

“It is written well enough that most will simply think you are a young, inexperienced scholar. This is good, since it will deter them from challenging your ’authority’ based on your reading and writing skills. However,” he cautioned, “you are more likely to be challenged because you are a woman.” I sighed. There was always something working against me. Hoshi reappeared at the door and proclaimed it was time for everyone to turn in for the night.

“I will need tomorrow to prepare the necessary seals and spells. The disguise will be several hours. You are to spend the day fine-tuning everything and start early the day after tomorrow, Kijinko-chan.” I had to stop and think when she used my new name. This was going to take some getting used to. “You will need to make your way to a village before nightfall.”

I readily agreed and began to get my stuff out for the night. Kenichi wished us a goodnight and went back to his own hut, promising to come see to my final training in the morning.

Hoshi went through her nightly routine and lay down. We said goodnight to each other and although my mind was racing with excitement, I quickly fell asleep.

The next day was spent preparing, training with Kenichi and cleaning up the final details. Hoshi showed up around midday with a paper and cloth in her hands. She handed me a stack of paper slips with sacred sutras written on them.


“These are separated into several uses,” she explained as she handed me a rolled up piece of paper, “This will explain what they are and how they are activated. Ensure that you study them well so you can use them quickly in a tight situation. The proper pronunciation is also included, since you are not a disciple of our beliefs,” she finished. I thanked her profusely, bowing low to show the full extent of my gratitude. When I straightened up, she handed me a small cloth bundle.

“I gave much thought to the concealing spell you suggested last night, and this is the result.” I opened the package carefully, revealing a ring with what looked like pieces of cloth attached to it. I was completely baffled, and Hoshi laughed when she saw the look on my face. She took pity on me and helped me put it on. Once it was on, it looked totally familiar, but I couldn’t place where I had seen it before. I turned my left hand over, looking at it closely. The ring fit onto my ring finger and the cloth covered the top of my hand and completely covered my wrist up to mid forearm. During my inspection, I was startled to see my skin take on an olive colour, and upon inspection, my hair had turned black. Kenichi was surprised and complimented Hoshi on her fine work.

“Now you look as though you were born here.” He said, inspecting the concealment. Hoshi handed me a reflective piece of metal and I almost dropped it when I saw myself. I had the complexion typical of the Asian people, along with shiny black hair. My cheekbones were high and my chin was narrow and slightly pointed. I looked somewhat familiar and had a flashback to the show, but it disappeared before I could pin it down. The only things that stayed the same were my eyes and a couple of tattoos I had. I would never have recognised me if I’d passed me in the street, which was the point. Duh.

“So long as you keep the cloth on, your appearance will remain this way. I also put a special detection spell on the ring, to warn you when a youkai or some type of malevolent energy is drawing near.” I felt tears burning at the back of my eyes. These people had shown me such generosity even though I was such a stranger to them. I thanked them many times, which they graciously accepted.

Hoshi went back to her regular chores, and Kenichi finished up his drills. We headed to Hoshi’s and spent the rest of the day packing and practicing my calligraphy. After a good supper, we went to out respective beds.

Hoshi woke me up a couple of hours before dawn. I washed and dressed in what I had taken to calling my battle outfit, the training clothes, and put my armour on. I packed my stores in my ‘bag’ I was taking and joined my hostess of the last nine weeks at the fire for breakfast. After we finished eating, Kenichi showed up and we all went through a checklist to make sure I had everything I needed. Checklist complete, we took our final farewells. I thanked them many, many times with tears in my eyes, and Hoshi pulled me into a warm hug. I sniffled softly and thanked her again. She released me and promised she would look after my more futuristic things until I decided to return for them. I turned to Kenichi, bowing low several times and thanking him for the training and weapons.


“I know you will honour your old teacher, Kijinko-san. Take care and do not be a stranger to us.” he said with a smile, bowing to me in turn and continued, “I strongly suggest that should you have the time, put your face covering on to conceal your identity before entering a conflict. I feel very much it will aid you while in battle.” I promised I would be careful, cover my face when needed, and do my best not to do anything really stupid. He laughed, saying he trusted me to know the difference. After my goodbyes were said, I gathered my things, placed Tomoshibi at my waist, and walked outside. Kenichi gave me two pieces of advice as we walked to the edge of the village.

“Walk with the sun at your back at sunrise and follow the shoreline until you come the small piece of land that connects us with the Eastern Lands. After that, go where your spirit pulls you.” He turned to me, suddenly very grave. “Make sure you keep your wrist marking covered at all times. Those markings on a human will bring you to the attention of many unpleasant people. Perhaps even the Taiyoukai himself. ” One day while training, my right sleeve slid back, revealing the tattoo I had on my wrist. As a show of complete and utter fangirling and stupidity, I had gotten Sesshoumaru’s facial markings and crescent moon tattooed on the underside. Ken almost had a heart attack when he’d seen it. After that day, I had to wrap a piece of cloth around my arm to keep it from showing. I certainly didn’t want Sesshoumaru knowing that a filthy human, a female no less, had his markings permanently inked into her skin. I assured Kenichi I would take the utmost care. We reached the path that would eventually take me to the main island. I turned and faced the warrior and the priestess, said goodbye once again, spun around and walked down the hill.

I was on my way.

I spent the majority of the morning walking along the path Kenichi had described to me the day before, keeping an eye on my direction of travel by watching the sun’s position while ensuring I didn‘t trip over anything in the mist that was covering the forest floor. Since it was early summer, the flowers were fragrant, the birds were singing, and I was feeling at peace with the world. Just after noon, I finally left the forest and stepped onto the shore. Because of the season, the sight of the shoreline opposite to mine was already hazy with the impending heat and humidity of the climate. I still had a ways to go until I reached the nearest village, so I consumed my meal of rice and vegetables quickly and continued on my way. Finally, after several hours of hiking through the forest and just as the sun hovered above the horizon, I reached the outskirts of my destination. I passed rice fields and the occasional worker packing up for the day as I headed towards the cluster of building running beside a clear, quiet creek. As soon as I entered the village, I headed straight for the biggest and busiest house I saw, thinking about Miroku always doing the same on their travels. I chuckled to myself as I stepped onto the porch. Sure enough, it was an inn, and luckily they had a room for me. I dropped my stuff off and went to the common room to get something to eat and gather some information. I drew more than a few strange looks as I walked to an empty spot and sat down. A young girl in serving clothes came by and asked if I wanted anything. I gave my order and settled in to listen to the surrounding conversations.

“The lords are having their yearly gathering in two days’ time.” an old man told his companion. “There is talk of completely ridding the land of demons and other evil creatures.” I wondered at that. Were they talking about Sesshoumaru, or was there a problem with some demon tribe elsewhere? I hadn’t had any problems while on my way here. I missed what they said next because the girl came back with my supper. The old men got up and left, talking low enough I couldn’t hear them as they headed out the door. I focused my attention on my meal for awhile. Once I satisfied the beast in my stomach, I relaxed somewhat and made another attempt to get some news. Just my luck, some freak decided to come keep me company at that moment.

“Good evening, my lady,” he greeted me with a smile I’m sure he thought was warm and friendly, but made him look like a really shallow beauty contestant. I silently gagged and prayed the idiot would just fall into the earth as I gave a very cool smile in response. This had no effect on him whatsoever and the jack just stood there, still smiling like the fool he was.

“May I sit down?” he tried again. This time I shook my head and refused to look at him. Next thing I knew, he was seating himself and started asking all sorts of questions. Where was I from? Where was I going? Who was I and what did I do for a living? I finally got fed up with his nosiness.

“Look,” I interrupted, “it’s really none of your business about my life! I did not give you permission to even sit with me, so why should I answer?!” I finished, my voice raised enough to attract the attention of the innkeeper and pretty much everyone else in the room. The man in charge scurried over to see what all the commotion was about.

“Is something the matter, miss?” he asked concernedly, glancing between me and my unwelcome guest.

“No, my good sir.” The moron replied, scowling at me, “I was just leaving.” And he stalked across the room and out the door. I took a deep breath and smiled reassuringly at the poor innkeeper. “No problem. However, I think I will pay for my meal and retire for the night.” I put out some money on the table and went to my room, still fuming over the audacity of that guy. Just because I was a woman travelling alone didn’t mean I…what? I needed protection? Was naïve and stupid? Just thinking about it made my brain hurt and race all at once, so I made up my bed and lay down. After another hour of tossing and turning, I fell into a restless sleep, dreaming once again of people I’d never met and places I’d never seen, with an unknown man always at my side.

After another two days of travel, I came to the narrow bridge of land that connected Kyushu with Honshu. I made my way across and stopped for a late afternoon snack. After resting for a while, I picked my butt up and continued on. Late in the afternoon, I came upon a road seemed to run along the shore as far as the eye could see. I kept on it, stopping only when the sun had gone down completely. I left it to find a place a bit further into the woods to sleep for the night. Since I was exhausted from the hike, I slept like a log and woke up with the sun. I kept this up for over a week, stopping once or twice in a small village for the night and to replenish my supplies. All along the way, the mountains always gave me something to admire. I normally hated the mountains, and got claustrophobic from being in them too long, but the ocean on the other side of me seemed to take the edge off. I also noticed that the weather was getting progressively hotter as I journeyed on. I was removing my haori only a couple of hours after the sun rose and adding the humidity to the heat made it almost unbearable. I ended up passing few people on the road as the days passed, which I thought surprising, considering the ocean was where the majority of the population seemed to settle. At the same time, I didn’t have a problem with it because I was getting the impression it was somewhat scandalous for me to be seen with only my inner kimono and hakama on when I did encounter someone. Honestly, what a pain in the ass to be a woman in this country. During this time, I decided the only person who would really understand my situation was Kagome.

Thinking of Kagome gave me a destination, and I steadily made my way north, hoping someone would know how to get to Musashi’s Domain, since I had only a vague idea of where it lay. I only hoped she would be able to help me in some capacity.

Finally, after two weeks of travelling, I made it to Nagoya. I found a small, inexpensive inn and firmly planted myself there for three days, enjoying the comfort of a warm bath and comfortable blankets. During the day, I walked around the markets located not far away, admiring the fine, and not so fine, wares. I almost stopped and bought a gorgeous pink, flowered kimono, but knew my money had to last me indefinitely, so I reluctantly passed it by. There were also some wonderful katanas I came across, but I had a fine one wrapped up in my room, so I left those behind a little easier than the clothes.

My last night in Nagoya brought a realization that I hadn’t considered since my first night in Feudal Japan. I had no idea what the year was. When I had seen Sesshoumaru, he was wearing what every fan of InuYasha knew him for, but I hadn’t seen Rin around, although that actually didn’t help me. He often left Rin behind, but Jaken had been with him that night as well. So, was the time before or after he revived her? I thought about asking some people for the date, but most probably wouldn’t know unless they were noblemen. I thought about it for a while, then decided to ask the innkeeper’s wife about the events of the past few years. Something like the defeat of a demon like Naraku or the arrival of the Wolf Demon Tribe would surely be known here. She came in after supper to see if I needed something. I assured her I was fine, but asked her what big events had happened that were worth noting.

“Well, “ she began, “several years ago, there was a great battle that involved the Shikon no Tama, some great evil demon, and the hanyou, Lord InuYasha.” My heart leapt at her words. So, Naraku was defeated and the Jewel put back together.

“Do you know exactly how many years ago that was?” I asked hesitantly.

“No, I do not.” she answered apologetically, “However, “she continued and I looked up hopefully, “my husband would know. We had several men come through, telling an amazing story of battle and magic.” I answered as calmly as possible that I would very much like to talk to him about it. She scurried off to find him. The innkeeper announced himself several minutes later and I let him in and asked him about the Final Battle.

“Aye, I remember that year,” he nodded, “Several men came through, claiming that they had seen the sons of the InuTaisho battling that cursed demon, Naraku. They said the magic and battle was something out of legend.”

“How long ago was this?” I asked, trembling inside for some reason.

“T’was nearly seven years ago.” he replied, satisfied that he was of some help. I thanked him and saw him out of the room. I returned to my previous spot on the floor to ponder my new knowledge.

So, it had been seven years since the defeat of Naraku, eh? That would explain the lack of serious demonic activity I had seen on my travel through Honshu thus far. I kept thinking I was missing something about that first night in this era, some detail that would have told me when I was. After several moments of racking my brain, I realized that even though Sesshoumaru had only used his right arm to take care of the humans, I had seen an almost complete left arm poking out of his sleeve! Yet, he had two swords strapped to side. What the frick is going on?! I wondered. Did he find another sword to replace Toukijin? I thought he had been content with the reforging job Toutousai had done with Tenseiga. Hmm, something interesting to pursue. However, right now I just want to find Kagome and friends. If and when the time is right, I’ll ask about Sesshoumaru’s new sword. With those thoughts rolling around in my head, I went to bed and didn’t stir until the next morning.


Five days after I left Nagoya, I caught sight of Mount Fuji, the most famous tourist attraction in Japan. I sat down with lunch and did some gawking, admiring the pristine nature surrounding me and wishing I had someone here to talk to. A wave of homesickness washed over me as I thought of my siblings and friends who would’ve loved to have seen this. I lingered in the little flower field a while longer and continued on my way. The weather was absolutely oppressive today and I learned to appreciate what a slab of steak felt like on the grill. I stopped several times to find a creek so I could refill my water bottle, each time a sense of foreboding growing stronger. I began to pay closer attention to the forest surrounding me, noticing as I advanced that the birds and small animals that I usually heard were silent by the time I had crossed the Izu peninsula. As a precaution, I wrapped my face up with my mask. Just as my ring began tingling, a shriek of terror pierced the silence, making my hair stand on end when the bellow of an enormous beast followed. A sense of urgency came over me, driving me through the woods towards the sounds of struggle. I broke out of the forest into the grassy clearing and froze in sheer terror at the sight that met me.

A young woman was being held around the throat by a huge ogre. She was gasping for breath, kicking for all she was worth. The ogre was mocking her efforts, easing his grip only when his victim’s face began turning purple. She throttled his hand with her knee, startling the thing enough to get some lung power.

“HELP ME, SESSHOUMARU-SAMA!!!” she shrieked. Why is she screaming for Sess-Then realization barrelled through me. Rin! It’s Rin! I looked around frantically, trying to see if Jaken was anywhere to be found. After looking around for what seemed like forever, I spotted the toad’s small body towards the other end of the clearing. He was unconscious, his staff lying a few feet away. Sesshoumaru was nowhere to be seen and poor Rin was turning purple again. I gulped, terrified about what I was planning. As quickly as I could, I put on my armour, strapped Tomoshibi to my back and drew it. I took a calming breath and charged at the offending beast. When I reached its back, I aimed for the knees, slicing through the thick, smelly hide and crippled the one leg. The oni roared in pain and anger, dropping Rin and wheeling around to see what thing had dared to attack it.

“RUN!” I cried to her, keeping my attention on the filthy animal before me. She barrelled to where Jaken was sprawled, trying desperately to wake him up. The oni was swinging at me now, furious at losing his prey and being injured. I ducked and dodged, getting a slash in every now and again. The oni was almost mindless with rage by then, grasping wildly at me and almost getting me a couple of times. Finally, I’d had enough and went in for the kill, no longer caring about any injuries I could end up with. I swiped at its left arm, taking it off and aimed for its other leg to at least get in on the ground. I had just cut off the one leg when I was hurled back to the edge of the clearing, hitting the ground hard. I gasped for breath, feeling like every bone in my body was broken and trying desperately to get up before the beast got to where I was laying. My breath burned in my lungs and my body ached from the blow. I rose to my feet, hefted my sword and charged again, aiming to take off its head this time. It lunged for me and I jumped, using its knee to propel myself up and land on its back. Before the oni could recover, I raised Tomoshibi over my head and dealt the killing blow, slicing the head in half. The oni twitched a couple of times and fell over. Certain it was finished, I jumped off and headed for Rin and Jaken. Jaken was stirring, moaning about the pain in his head. Rin looked up at my approach, fear and gratitude warring on her face. Her eyes darted towards something behind me, and with a joyful cry, ran past me to the figure standing at the oni’s body. I turned and froze.

It was Sesshoumaru, Taiyoukai of the West.