Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
Warnings: None
Author's Note: I felt like writing an Inuyasha fic, so I figured I might as well. I'm planning on having about 11 chapters, along with this prologue. Hope you enjoy the fic!
Maiden Lane
Prologue
How could two natural enemies live side by side in peace for hundreds of years? It was not supposed to happen. The Great War, as the ancient ones had dubbed it, was to continue until all life perished and the land, sky, and seas were red with blood. The war had ended, yet billions of humans were alive and well. Insects buzzed and chirped during the warmest months of the year; birds sang cheerful songs until the snow caused them to flee. Plants were still being grown and harvested for the nation's hungry mouths. Last but definitely not least, demons lived and died and raised families, just like the humans.
Demons were around long before humans. They had been the ones to discover fire; humans had only discovered it because a demon with control over lightning was angry and threw a bolt of electricity into a tree branch. Had the demon not been raging during that day, humankind would have perished from the earth. This is the most deeply rooted reason in a demon's mind as to why his blood is more superior than a mortal's. In fact, languages had been developed by humankind's enemies before the first human could walk upright! So, why shouldn't demons enslave the human race?
Despite claiming to be civilized, every human in the early stages of the war acted like a cornered beast. They rebelled against the demon's beliefs and moral standards. It was humankind who first started the Great War! That is what the demons argued, anyway.
The verbal conflict soon turned physical. Blood fell from both races, but humans suffered most of the losses. Over time, demons and humans turned even more bitter towards the other, and peace negotiations halted. At least, until the greatest demon of them all appeared in front of the most powerful human.
"Let us stop this war," the large canine demon growled, although not in a threatening manner. His fur was as pure as freshly fallen snow and his eyes as red as blood. His ears were folded back against his head, a sign that he was anxious for an ambush. However, his tremendous fangs were not bared towards the human leader.
"Had we not attempted that years ago?" the old man asked, stroking his long, gray beard with nimble fingers. His head was completely bald, another testament to his age. In fact, he was nearly as old as the demon before him! However, that did his height no justice. He appeared to be as small as mouse while standing next to the fearsome dog.
"Let us attempt again," the demon offered, sitting down. "There is no reason for the entire world to suffer because of our differences."
"Our differences, or those between our races?" the old man inquired wisely. "If you refer to the latter, then that is a conflict that will never be solved."
"Perhaps so," the dog demon sighed. "Let us try once more. Perhaps with luck, we will be successful."
"Let us hope," the old man whispered.
A miracle had occurred that night. Demonkind had sacrificed its power for the wilderness around the villages, and humankind was now allowed to rule itself. A human found to be hurting a demon, or vice-versa, was to be put to death immediately. Because of these traditions, the sky had not blazed crimson. However, humankind advanced much faster than the demons could believe. Now restricted for living space, demons as large as the famous dog demon were never seen again. As the years went on, the demons had to beg for permission to use humankind's cities. A descendant of the old man allowed it, as long as conflicts did not occur between the races. The only reason why the war had halted was because of the space between demons and humans.
However, some traditions never change. A mating between a demon and human was occasionally heard of during those ancient times. Likewise, the mating between the races was occasionally heard of in modern times. Although the mating was always controversial, the offspring was always despised. Such is the case of the half-breed Inuyasha.
Demons were eventually allowed into the educational systems, but half-breeds were not guaranteed entrance. It made no sense, as humans were automatically allowed in, as were demons. Inuyasha, as he grew older, learned to skip school and rebel against the cruel society that thrust itself upon him mere moments after his birth.
However, Kagome Higurashi was lucky. First off, she was able to have a full name - only full-breeds could have one. She was fully human and living with her mother and brother in a small little house in the suburbs. Inuyasha lived in a trashy house (if one could call it that) in the slums of the town. Kagome studied hard and got good grades. Inuyasha rarely attended school at all.
It was mere fate that these two radically different people met during a regular, everyday Japanese class.
Author's Note: Kind of long for a prologue, huh? I was originally going to have them meet during English class, but since the story takes place in Japan and the assigned project for them is Japanese legends and folktales, I figured that would make no sense. At least, in my school, we were never asked to learn about another country's legends (unless it was a class like Spanish or French).