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Sleep and Forget

Sleep and Forget
忘れて眠れ
Wasurete nemure

One day while out on a walk, Haruka Kamishiro comes across a young man she had seen at school named Ryohei Fuse. Ryohei seems a bit distant, and not one for small talk. Before sending her on her way, Ryohei instructs Haruka not to take the left fork in the road. Unfortunately Haruka's dog runs down the path, and she has no choice but to follow.

Both Haruka and her dog pass out, and later her dog gives birth to a demon pup. While Haruka was unconscious she has a dream of being someone else many years ago. She lived with an old woman that opposed her relationship with a young man who wanted her to run away with him. After a few days, Haruka realizes that the dream is from a previous life, and that Ryohei is the present day incarnation of the man she keeps seeing. She also realizes that the dog demon is the evil woman that opposed her relationship and killed Ryohei in his previous life. Ryohei believes that Haruka's previous incarnation was responsible for his death after he destroyed the old woman, but in actuallity, the old woman used Wakanae's (Haruka's previous incarnation) dog against him.

By the end of the story, Haruka and Ryohei have a final face down with the old woman/dog-demon and must summon the spirits of their dogs to finish the battle.

Published In:
  • Shonen Sunday Zokan 1984 #1
  • Rumic World Vol. 1
Publication Date: December 21, 1983
Pages: 46 (black and white)
Anime Adaptation: None
Notes:
  • "City K Prefecture N" - With only these hints the reader can determine that the story takes place in either the city of Kamo or Kashiwazaki in Niigata prefecture. Niigata is known for its cold, wintery climate.
  • Inugami (犬神) is possession by a dog spirit, widely known about in western Japan. The belief is firmly rooted in eastern Ōita Prefecture, Shimane Prefecture, and a part of Kōchi Prefecture in northern Shikoku. It is also theorized that Shikoku, where no foxes (kitsune) could be found, is the main base of the inugami.
  • Karna and Tendo - Ryohei's dogs from his past life are named Karna and Tendo. Karna's name comes from a character in the Hindu epic poem Mahābhārata. Karna (कर्ण) is a demigod who is given up by his birth mother and grew up raised by a foster family. He eventually found himself at war with his blood relatives. Tendo (天道) or the "Way of Heaven" is a religion in Japan that is related to Xiantiandao, which was founded in the 18th century Qing dynasty.
  • This story was published the same day as Urusei Yatsura chapter 213.
  • Kazuhiro Fujita states in an interview he gave about Takahashi's influence on him that this short story was particularly meaningful to him.