A pale beauty peered out of the windows of her home, her eyes red from weeping. She had been crying every night since she lost her one true love and had to move back to this dreadful village and all of its miserable people. She was surprised her father had even let her back, considering the way she had left. This woman had broken an age old rule. Never mingle with demons. And here she was, a widow already at such a young age. The great dog demon had loved her deeply and she loved him in return. But it was only because he loved her so much, that he met his fate. She never thought her decisions would lead to such tragedy.
She made her way over to a basket that laid in the corner of the room and moved the blanket that laid on top of it, smiling at the tiny bundle that occupied this little cradle. If she had anything to be happy about, it was that her lover had left her behind with a beautiful little baby boy. She had even had the great dog demon name him.
"You look like your father, little Inuyasha." She spoke to the sleeping infant.
She replaced the blanket and began to walk away from the cradle when she heard a thump outside. She curiously looked over to the door. It was much too late for any visitors at this time. Before she could take a step forward she heard a voice behind her.
"Izayoi." The voice called her by name. She whipped around and breathed out loudly when she saw who it was.
"Sesshomaru." She called him, shocked to see this figure in her home. The great dog demon's older son was highly objected to Izayoi being with his father, and was not quiet about it by any means. He despised her. He refused to address her existence most of the time. Sesshomaru took after his father in body, as he towered over her by a foot a half. He had a beautiful almost feminine face, though. Izayoi had never seen Sesshomaru's mother, the estranged wife of the great dog demon, but she assumed that he must look like her. All she knew was that she had been a noble dog demoness, therefore making Sesshomaru a full blooded dog demon. Unfortunately, she could not say the same for her baby. Izayoi was human, therefore the baby in result was a half-demon. Which Sesshomaru despised even more.
"I am deeply saddened by the death of your father. You must be grieving too. You have my condolences." Izayoi said, nodding her head to him.
"I do not grieve my father. I honor him by being his successor. Do not assume that a great noble demon such as I grieves."
Izayoi watched him walk slowly by her, not looking at her but at the wall to his side. She tried to study his face, but didn't let her eyes wander too far. Sesshomaru was not like his father in tenderness. He was cruel and killed at will. She was frightened of her lover's son especially now that the great dog demon was gone.
"There was a problem when I went to my mother to retrieve what was mine by birthright. I was given this instead." He said, seemingly calm but she knew that Sesshomaru was nothing aside from enraged. He held out a sword to her and she looked at it. Izayoi had no idea what kind of sword it was or what it did.
"And what is it?" Izayoi asked innocently, she really had never discussed swords and battles and stuff like that with her lover. She was there to get him away from all of that. The great dog demon was a gentle soul who loved to hold her and stroke her hair. It would take him to a place away from all the bloodshed and death.
"Surely my father must have told you. This is Tenseiga, and I didn't know of its existence until just a couple days ago. This must be a bad joke as this is not my birthright. When I went to my mother, she told me that my sword was to go to that… half breed." Sesshomaru said, glaring over to the basket in the corner of the room.
Izayoi began to head in the direction of the basket, afraid for her baby, when she felt a hand grab her arm and yank her back.
'What are you doing? Do you have any idea who I am and what I can do?" Sesshomaru held his grip on her arm and she winced. Izayoi knew that he could destroy her very easily, but her motherly instincts were to protect her baby at all costs.
Sesshomaru looked over to the basket and then back to Izayoi, who was looking scared.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill it. I don't fancy killing things that can't defend themselves."
"His name is Inuyasha and he is your brother!" Izayoi stated loudly, offended by the way Sesshomaru addressed his baby brother.
Izayoi felt the sting of Sesshomaru's free hand slapping her violently across the right side of her face. She shouted as he let go of her, dropping her to the floor.
"That thing is not my brother. Do not dare to speak to me this way." Sesshomaru growled.
Izayoi had fallen to her knees and stayed there, not moving at all, her hand covering her abused face as a few tears fell down her face.
"Sesshomaru. How can you be so cruel?" She cried to him. She was right after all to be frightened of Sesshomaru now that his father was no longer there to protect her from him.
A loud cry came from the basket. Sesshomaru looked over to it and started to walk over. He crouched down to move the blanket and retrieve the baby from his cradle. Izayoi knew that he wasn't going to kill the baby, but still felt her heart drop as Sesshomaru went to pick Inuyasha up.
Sesshomaru held the baby awkwardly in front of him as he studied him, both hands under the arms, letting the legs hang loosely. He was holding Inuyasha as if he were going to catch something from the little one, as he was holding him far away from his face. The baby had amber eyes and two dog ears atop of its head. The dog demon lifted an eyebrow as the baby stopped crying and looked at him in astonishment.
"So you will receive the Tetsaiga, then? Not if I have any say." Sesshomaru said, replacing the baby into the basket and putting the blanket back over. Izayoi sighed in relief.
The dog demon began to walk back towards Izayoi. She turned her head to look away from him, still holding her right cheek. He could hear her breathing heavily.
"Good. You should be frightened of me." He thought.
Sesshomaru grabbed a fistful of her long black hair and yanked her up by it, making her stand and face him. He kept his hold on her as he looked her in the eyes. She was absolutely terrified. It made his demon blood run hot with satisfaction.
"Izayoi, where is the Tetsaiga?" Sesshomaru asked intimidatingly. Surely she knew of its whereabouts as it was supposedly to go to the half breed Inuyasha.
"I don't know." She said quietly. She knew that the great dog demon kept a sword of great power on him, and that the one that Sesshomaru had was definitely not it. But anything past that, she had no clue.
Sesshomaru became angrier at her response and pulled tighter on her hair. Izayoi flinched and groaned at his unforgiving grasp.
"It would be best to answer me honestly, woman."
"Please, Sesshomaru! I don't have it!" She cried.
He flung her by her hair on to the ground and turned his back to her. She cried out as she landed on her side on the ground. Izayoi wanted to stay silent as to further avoid Sesshomaru's wrath but her mouth betrayed her.
"Is it not apparent to you? Why would your father tell me where the Tetsaiga was if he knew you would come after me looking for it?"
She brought herself to her feet and looked at Sesshomaru's back.
"Please, Sesshomaru, you must believe me. I know nothing of the Tetsaiga. Your father never spoke to me of such things."
Sesshomaru turned back around and walked toward his father's young human lover, and stopped before her. She flinched at his touch when he grasped her chin and lifted her face to look at her. A blood red bruise was already beginning to form on the right side of her face. He studied her eyes, looking deeply into them for a minute, before releasing his grip. Izayoi had told the truth. He could smell lies and see them in the eyes of men, but did not pick up even a trace of dishonesty on her. He had been cruel to Izayoi and she was innocent.
"No. She is not innocent. She stole my father away. She deserves nothing less." He convinced himself.
"This Sesshomaru has been benevolent." He said, before he started to make his way out.
"It is not your intention to kill me, then?" Izayoi responded, bravely. "Your father isn't here to stop you. So why didn't you?"
"Is it your intention to die?" Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow and looked back at her.
Izayoi shook her head and brought her eyes to the floor, knowing that the question had been a stupid one. But Sesshomaru had despised her for so long.
"Like I said, I don't fancy killing things that can't defend themselves. Besides… death would be far too good for you. No. You must live with your decisions and your pitiful human grief for the rest of your life. That is most fitting for someone like you."
"Oh, Sesshomaru. Don't assume I am miserable. I have the love of my son, that's all I need to be happy."
Sesshomaru scoffed at her and started to head towards the door, and then just like that, he was gone. Izayoi burst out into tears as soon as she knew he was completely gone. It was true, she would grieve her lover for the rest of her life. Their love had been so strong, she couldn't stand it. Izayoi made her way over to a mirror on the wall and peered into it. She traced her hands on the shoulder of her kimono and pulled it down a little. On either sides of her shoulder were scars that resembled teeth marks. They looked so menacing on skin as fair as hers. Izayoi stopped crying and closed her eyes and thought of her lover fondly. The passions that burned between them were unrivaled. She imagined him leaning down and biting her, making her his forever. She hissed with desire.
Izayoi snapped herself out of it and pulled the kimono back over her shoulder and made her way over to the basket, taking Inuyasha out and held him close to her. She began to walk towards her room as she rocked and cradled her precious son in her arms. She hummed quietly until she got to the futon and laid the bundle down next to her as she laid on her side, gasping when she hit a sore spot on her side. Sesshomaru said he had been benevolent, but it sure didn't feel like it. He had beaten her without even a trace of remorse. She was glad, however, that he had not tried to harm her son. He said it was because he didn't fancy killing things that couldn't defend themselves, but she wasn't convinced.
Maybe he wasn't as cold as he tried to make himself out to be… Izayoi hoped on this with all of her heart. After all he had just done to her, she still wanted to believe that he had inherit some kind of gentle nature from his father. Maybe him and Inuyasha could even act as brothers someday.
"Oh, Inuyasha." She said cuddling her infant to her. "Your brother does not know the joys you bring me."
Inuyasha cooed and she kissed him gently on the forehead.
"Sesshomaru, I do pray that someday you will find your heart."