InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Legend of Chri ❯ Mysterious Hero's Arrival ( Chapter 1 )

Author's Notes:
This is the new fic I'm currently starting. I've recently spent way too much time doing research about Mary Sue, and this is the result. I'm not sure if it deserves the genre Parody, but I guess it does. I'll try to be as serious as possible while exaggerating as much as possible.

Anyway, behold the arrival of Chri. ;)

Chri paid the taxi driver 20,000 yen, although he had no idea how much money that was. "The rest is for you," he announced generously; the man looked like he could need it, anyway.

"Thanks a lot! That's a lot of money!" the taxi driver exclaimed gratefully. 'Unbelievable! What a nice guy!'

Chri got out of the taxi. "No problem!" he told the driver and watched him drive off. 'Here I am, finally!' he thought relieved, looking up the stairs leading up to the shrine. 'Has taken long enough.' The trip to Japan had been tricky; because he had spent all of his money for charity organizations, he had had to sneak into the plane, unable to afford a ticked. Luckily, he was already used to traveling like this. There was always a free first class seat somewhere, so he had simply forged himself a ticket after spying out a free place.

'Well, lets go,' Chri thought to himself and walked up the stairs. Trained as he was, he took three stairs at once with every step. He wondered if there was someone living at the shrine; if he was living here, he would find it annoying to walk up the stairs every day. When he took the last step, he would almost have crashed into a woman if he hadn't evaded with his lightning-fast reflexes. He jumped to the side, rolled of his shoulder and stood up in one go.

"I'm sorry," the woman said after she recovered from the surprise. "I'm Mrs. Higurashi Asami, the owner of this shrine. What can I do for you?"

"Greetings, Mrs. Higurashi. I am Chri," he introduced himself in Japanese. He was glad that he had read the "Japanese in six months" book during his flight to Japan. Never having learned Japanese before, he would have had some problems without it. He actually had had to steal the book, but he didn't let that bother him. Living like he was, he couldn't help it. And, he always chose people who wouldn't miss a few goods, anyway.

Chri ran his fingers through his hair, pushing these thoughts aside. He wondered how he should explain to this woman why he was here. She was the owner of the shrine, so he could get important information from her, if he was able to convince her. Because she lived at a shrine, he hoped that she was used to dealing with extra-ordinary things. "I've come all the way to Japan to visit this shrine," he began.

"Really? Are you maybe a cousin of my daughter Kagome?" Asami interrupted. "We've had lots of them over here lately."

"I am sorry, but I am not related to your daughter," Chri answered, wondering what was going on with the woman. The feeling that something was wrong here only increased. Who in his right mind would assume that a complete stranger was one's nephew?

"I am from Europe," he said, hoping that he could gain her trust by providing more about himself.

"Oh, you should have said so immediately," Asami laughed. "All the cousins are from America." She actually wondered why Kagome had so many cousins there, because she didn't know of any relatives in America. But, who knew, they also might have some lost cousins in Europe, Jamaica and the Antarctic, so this didn't make absolutely sure. She actually felt a bit guilty for thinking that he couldn't be a cousin because he was from Europe; it was almost like discriminating him. 'It's just that so far the cousins have all been from either Japan or America,' she thought, sighing mentally.

She looked at the stranger. Although she had just met him, she found him likeable at once. He was taller than her, she guessed 179,5 centimeters. He was slender but not thin, she guessed that he had about 65,3 kilogram. The way he had avoided crashing into her assured her that he also had a trained body, although she couldn't see much because of the green T-Shirt and the black jeans he was wearing. She took in the face and almost lost herself in those blue eyes, shining with wisdom and soulfulness. 'If I was younger, I think I wouldn't mind spending a night with him. Maybe ...' Kagome wasn't at home, after all.

"Mrs. Higurashi, are you feeling ill?" Chri's voice startled her out of her thoughts.

Asami recovered quickly. "Yes, I'm fine. Umm... Would you like to come in and have a cup of coffee?" she asked, hastily thinking of something to not look like a complete fool.

"Thanks for the invitation, Mrs. Higurashi," Chri said quickly. He watched the woman, she had been staring right at him. He was annoyed again that this happened to him so often. Females of all age seemed to like his looks; it was almost like a disability because they all wanted to have sex with him. Sometimes guys got jealous, he sometimes got problems innocently. He cursed the fates for providing him with such handsome looks, it would make his life much easier if they hadn't. At least she had invited him in her house, obviously because she wanted to cover up her lapse of attention. "If it were possible, I would prefer tea," he added, hoping that she hadn't in turn noticed his pondering, although it was unlikely because he never let his attention slip completely.

"That is no problem," the woman assured him and led the way into her house. Chri went with her and entered a room that seemed to be the living room. When she asked him to take a seat, he sat down at the table. She told him she would only take a minute and vanished into the kitchen. While the woman prepared the tea, Chri looked around the room. The furniture didn't look too expensive, the TV was normal size; he guessed that the family was living on an average income.

After a while, Mrs. Higurashi returned with the tea. She offered him a cup and took place opposite of him. "So, you said you came from Europe to visit this shrine?" she asked.

"Yes, Mrs. Higurashi," Chri answered and took a sip from the still hot tea. "What I'm going to tell you now might sound unbelievable, but I had a feeling that a great danger was lurking around here. It doesn't let me sleep at night, so I decided to come here and look for myself."

"A great danger, you say?" Asami asked warily. She wondered if Chri knew something. Had he really traveled all over from Europe just on a feeling? That was... stupid. Still, she couldn't help but think that somehow this young man knew what he was doing. He radiated confidence, and a voice in the back of her head was telling her to trust him. Still, she couldn't reveal anything just because a stranger danced into her home. "I'm sorry, but could you be more specific?" she asked politely.

"Of course, Mrs. Higurashi," Chri assured. "I'm trying to find the words to explain it best."

"Don't feel pushed," Asami calmed.

"It is hard to explain," Chri began hesitantly. "It is like something radiating evil energy over here, but it is not from this world. It's almost - No, it is as if time itself is being distorted here." He looked at the woman, hoping that she could tell that he was being honest. He admitted that it sounded like a script from a bad story, but there was no other way of putting it.

Asami's eyes widened. Either the young man knew something, or he was really feeling what was going on in this shrine. It had to be the latter, there was no way he could know that there was a time-traveling well here. Everyone in the family had been very cautious to not let anything slip. "I'm surprised now," she admitted.

"Mrs. Higurashi, have you noticed anything strange going on here?" Chri asked. "I'm sorry that I can't be more specific."

"To tell the truth, there are really strange things going on here," Asami admitted. She wondered why she was telling him this, but somehow she knew that she could trust him. And, he wouldn't have traveled to Japan if it wasn't important. "You are right about something being... unusual with time here. You see, we have a time-traveling well here."

She stopped, expecting a notice of disbelief or a laugh, but the young man only nodded and urged her to continue. She wondered how he could stay so calm, hearing something outlandish like this. Still, it assured her that she was doing the right thing in telling him. "It opened up a few months ago. My daughter, Kagome, fell through the well. It lead her 500 years into the past; into the Sengoku Jidai, to be specific. There, she -"

"Excuse me for interrupting, Mrs. Higurashi, but did it also transport her to a different location, or only back in time?"

"No, as far as I understand she only travels back in time."

Chri narrowed his eyes at the woman's tone. He had a feeling that she was very concerned about something. Well, for now it was better to listen to her, what she was saying sounded very interesting. He made a notice in the back of his mind to listen very carefully.

"Anyway, she met with a half-youkai there. Youkai are -"

"Don't bother explaining, Mrs. Higurashi," Chri interrupted again. "I'm able to speak Japanese and also have some knowledge about the legends from here. Although, I still have some problems with the different scripts, especially Kanji," he joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

Asami smiled. "Yes, this is the most complicated of them. Well, she met Inuyasha - the hanyou. He helped her in a fight against a monster, which had ripped a strange jewel named the Shikon no Tama out of her. Inuyasha also wants the jewel, but Kagome accidentally shattered it and the shards were scattered all over Japan. It is a jewel of great power, and they have been trying to piece it together ever since, to stop it from falling into the wrong hands."

"How old is your daughter, Mrs. Higurashi?" Chri asked.

"She'll turn 16 next spring."

"Rather young for this kind of responsibility," Chri mused out aloud, reminded of his own childhood. "Is anyone helping her?"

"Not from this time. Kagome is the only one who can use the well," Mrs. Higurashi explained. "But she has made friends with some people in the other time, although I don't know much about them."

Chri noticed again that an insecure tone had entered her voice. He took up his cup of tea and downed what was left of it. "Mrs. Higurashi, can you show me that well?" he asked.

Mrs. Higurashi nodded and stood up. She led the way out of her house and Chri followed her.

"Mrs. Higurashi, is there anything troubling you concerning your daughter?" Chri asked directly while they were on the way over to a small shrine. He had a feeling that she tried to hide her concern, and not only because her tone had changed before.

"No, I'm -"

"Mrs. Higurashi," Chri interrupted with a determined voice. "I can only help if I know what is going on."

Asami was silent for a second. "You see, I don't know what is going on with my daughter. I mean, she talks to me when she comes back, but she doesn't tell me much." She gulped, stopping to speak, and continued walking strictly looking ahead. She hadn't even talked to Kagome's grandfather about this. But now that she had started, she couldn't hold it back any longer.

"I sometimes feel like I don't even know her any longer; I have caught her crying, but when I entered her room she smiled as if nothing was wrong." A sob escaped her, and she couldn't hold the tears back any longer. "She - She doesn't talk to me any longer, and not only about the things in the other time. I don't know... About my own daughter! What kind of mother am I?" She continued to sob, wiping away her tears with the back of her sleeve.

"I understand," Chri said with his most reassuring voice and threw an arm around her shoulders. "It must be hard, especially as there is no possibility to check on your daughter. But you shouldn't worry too much, this is normal for someone growing up."

"Until she went back in time, we've always had a good relationship. But then, suddenly..."

"She likely only wants to keep things from you which she thinks would scare you," Chri assured and pressed her against his side for a moment, hoping that would calm her down.

"You think so?" Asami asked. "Kagome is doing this for me?"

"Well, of course I don't know your daughter, Mrs. Higurashi," Chri said and let go of her, "but I have a feeling that she only wants to help."

"Call me Asami, please," she offered, extending her hand.

"I'm Chri," he took up the offer, shaking her hand. "You can call me Chri," he joked.

"Pleased to meet you, Chri," Asami said, smiling again. She noticed that she hadn't called him his name until now. He had only offered his first name, and she hadn't wanted to call him that familiarly. After all, he looked like at least twenty. "I didn't catch your last name."

Chri's smile vanished instantly, replaced by a serious look. "I'm sorry, Chri will have to do." He felt bad for repulsing her, but there was no other way. He couldn't place her in danger over something as simple as his name. Just being here and leading this conversation was something he couldn't have done under normal circumstances. "It would be dangerous for you to know more of me. Facts like my name or my age will have to remain secret. I also ask you to tell no one of my presence."

Asami looked at the young man in bewilderment. She would have taken it as a bad joke from someone else, but the words were spoken with such seriousness and a hint of underlying sadness, that she couldn't help but believe them. "No, I am sorry for embarrassing you. And I swear to not tell anyone."

"Don't worry," Chri said in a matter of fact tone, "I am used to this. Thank you for your assistance." He paused, turning his attention back to the matters at hand. "So, let's observe this well," he proposed and lead the way into the shrine. He looked around, but, beside the well and the stairs that led down to it, there wasn't anything relevant to see. "Are you sure that the well doesn't work for anyone else?"

"Yes," Asami answered. "Souta has tried it, but it didn't work." She paused. "I myself have also tried, but the well rejected me, too," she admitted, fisting her hand. She had climbed down during night, to not let anyone notice. She had reached the ground of the dried-out well without anything unusual happening. "Also, a few years ago, a schoolmate of Kagome fell down the well. Luckily, she wasn't hurt, but we closed the well."

"I understand; it looks dangerous for a child to fall down here," Chri said encouragingly, looking down the well. "Maybe I can notice something down there."

"Wait, I can get a rope."

"It's no problem," Chri assured, already standing on the edge of the well. "It's not that deep," he said, jumping down.

Asami went to the well, looking down. There was no sign of Chri. 'Well, I already expected that the well would work for him.' She sighed, remembering what he had said to her. "Is Kagome really just protecting me?" she asked, almost expecting an answer from the well.

After a few moments of silence, she turned around and left the shrine in better spirits. What he had said about Kagome really made sense. Feeling reassured, she went for the kitchen. 'I need a coffee now.'

'Good luck, Chri!' she thought, looking over her shoulder a final time. 'And, thank you very much!'