Winner Takes All

Running Away

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any other anime/manga. Or anything else that doesn't belong to me. Funny that.

He hated this. The calm before the storm. He was just itching to thrust his sword through another wolf demon but he had to wait. He knew it wouldn't be much longer, after all, they had just declared open war, and not one hour ago his first in command, the Monk Miroku had informed him of an army coming from the Eastern Kingdom, where the wolf-demon Kouga reigned.

"Inuyasha-sama!" called a man, dressed in purple robes holding a staff, his black hair tied into a short ponytail and his purple eyes gleaming excitedly. He was also, Inuyasha's best friend.

"Baka! Stop yelling!" Inuyasha, the Lord of the Northern Lands shouted back. He had long, silver hair and golden eyes. He wore his usual red haori and of course, was barefoot. He had never worn shoes unless they were forced upon him. He used to throw the biggest tantrums when his mother would even suggest it. However, it wasn't his eye or hair colour that showed he was different (although it was uncommon), it was his ears.

He had the cutest little puppy ears anyone had ever seen. When he was younger, they seemed to be a sign, pointing out his half-demon, half-human status. It showed he was a hanyou. Now, as he was older, they still drew unwanted attention as any youkai around the area who saw this immediately attacked him.

"I wasn't yelling." Miroku said calmly, looking away. "I just thought you'd like to know that the wolves are now half-an-hour away from the edge of town. I have also just sent our troops to meet them." He finished, almost smugly. When he turned to face the hanyou his calm demeanor was quickly replaced with fear as the hanyou in question was sending the most murderous glare ever seen.

"How dare you give orders without my permission idiot monk!" Inuyasha then leaped of his 'throne' and started to beat the life out of the monk.

"Inuyasha." Another voice said from behind them. "This is not the time nor place to be fooling around. We have to go fight!" The feminine voice stated. She had her black hair tied into a high ponytail and was wearing the usual, black and red fighting outfit. She also had her trademark boomerang strapped to her shoulders. Her magenta coloured eyes glared at the two men with annoyance.

"My dearest Sango, I beg your forgiveness and I-" Miroku said, immediately by her side.

"Save it houshi. Lets- HENTAI!" the girl screamed and jumped back from the monks lecherous hands and slapped his face with fury.

"HENTAI! HENTAI! HENTAI!" she screamed as she started to beat him with her boormerang.

"Come on Sango, lets mount up and join my army" Inuyasha said as he and the girl left the swirly-eyed monk on the floor. As they left, the monk recovered enough to make his way out of the room and staggered out onto the courtyard. Seeing Inuyasha and Sango already mounted, he stumbled towards the horse and mounted. As they made their way out of the courtyard, he caught up to the others and together, they road through the town and away to meet the demon-youkai.

"Ginta! Hakkaku! Lets go!" a tall, well built, wolf youkai Lord ordered. He had black hair, tied into a high ponytail with bright, icy blue eyes. He was easily identifiable by his pointed ears, wolf tail and clothing. He always wore the same, furred leg and arm wraps.

"Hai Kouga!" They replied, kneeling down in front of him. Ginta and Hakkaku were also members of the wolf clan and you could never find them apart. Both were captains for Kouga's army.

"It's time to crush that dog-turd" Kouga stated before sweeping out of the room with his two captains stumbling after him.

On the other side of Kouga's lands, a tall, white haired youkai was standing in his castle, looking out one of the windows in his study. He was the half brother of Inuyasha with the same hair and golden eyes. However, the similarities stopped their. He had a purple crescentmoon mark on his head and two red stripes on either side of his face. He wore the same armour as usual, and of course, it was white.

"Sesshoumaru-sama!!" yelled a small, toad-like demon, none other then the infamous Jaken. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" he yelled again and stumbled into the room.

"Jaken" the white haired youkai – now known as Sesshoumaru - said in an empty, monotone voice. "Desist that incessant noise."

"Yes my lord! I am unworthy to have you listen to this humble servant" the smaller, green demon replied, and then continued to ramble on about his 'unworthiness'.

'How did I ever end up with such an annoying servant? He's more aggravating then my brother. Wait, I can't believe I just thought that! But I guess it is true…' Sesshoumaru thought, still looking out the window with Jaken still blathering on about something or another. Sesshoumaru couldn't really care less.

"Jaken. You will go tend to the needs of Rin. You will never enter my study without my permission and without announcing yourself ever again" The Lord of the Western Lands stated. Still with his monotone-voice but with annoyance flickering in his eyes.

"But my Lord Sesshoumaru! We have just received word that your worthless and stupid half-brother has declared war on the wolf-clan army! And a messenger just arrived from the Southern Kingdom. The horse-youkai had the indecency to assume that he was important enough to talk to you, my lord. I however, put him in his place." The annoying toad stated, proudly puffing himself up as he said the last part.

"His message?" Sesshoumaru questioned, bored already.

"Umm.." Jaken replied, looking uncomfortable for a minute.

Sesshoumaru tilted his head and glared at the unfortunate, lesser-demon who started on a long, boring apology and explanation of even more boring events. "Jaken, find out what the message is."

"Yes my lord, I shall return with all haste!" Jaken said, relieved at the fact that he had escaped punishment.

Sesshoumaru almost rolled his eyes – the only thing stopping him was the fact that he was to composed to do anything so undignified. He then turned his thoughts to more important matters. 'What could that hanyou Naraku want with this Sesshoumaru? He know I have despised him ever since he tried to kidnap my ward. He knows she could be used as a weakness against me, and since he almost killed her, he is certainly not in favour with this Sesshoumaru now or ever.'

FLASHBACK

"Rin, go play with Jaken. Do not stray far from the castle" Sesshoumaru said.

"Ok Sesshoumaru-sama!"she said in that sweet, innocent voice she had. "Jaken-sama! Lets go play hide-and-don't-peep!"

"Oh Kami, why me?" the annoying toad said before shutting his eyes and started counting, sounding as bored and uncaring as Sesshoumaru. "1… 2… 3…"

As Rin ran off, Sesshoumaru returned to the breakfast table and started to eat. Then he heard a high-pitched, terrified cry.

"SESSHOUMARU!!" his ward cried and within the blink of an eye he had arrived at the place where he saw his charge being strangled by a strange hanyou, wearing a baboon skin. Sesshoumaru saw Rin desperately try to fight to get out of his grasp and so, swept passed the hanyou and cut the head off. He grabbed Rin before she fell to the ground and turned to see the rest of the hanyou's body dissolve. Leaving a strange wooden puppet with a hair twisted around it.

"Sesshoumaru-sama saved Rin" whispered the young girl in his arms. Still half shocked and filled with awe at what had occurred.

The tall youkai didn't bother to answer her but was preoccupied with a letter that had fallen to the ground.

It read:

So, the mighty Sesshoumaru has a weakness after all. You'd better watch out, if you don't take care of your ward better, I might have to hurt her for real…

Naraku.

END FLASHBACK

'so what could he want now?' Sesshoumaru thought as he turned and swept out of his study, off to deal with important affairs of the kingdom.

"Kukukukuku" (A/N: soz guys, seen that in waaaayyy to many fanfics and just had to put it in but dw, I won't put it in again) Naraku chuckled as the vision faded on his sister/slave Kanna's mirror. "Gather everyone, tell them to meet me outside. It's time." He said and walked confidently out of the room.

Shortly afterwards, everyone was assembled in the courtyard. There were ten, not including Naraku himself. Kanna, is a youkai that held the form of a little girl of the age of ten. She has shoulder-length, white hair pushed back from her face with equally white flowers. Her eyes are empty and black and she speaks rarely. She wore a simple white kimono and always holds her mirror. The mirror is made out of Naraku's bones and could suck in the sole of anyone who gazed into it. It also holds the power to show the past or present.

Kagura was a wind-demon. She has jet black hair that is always tied up and held with two feathers. Her eyes are blood red and she always holds her fan, a black, white and red object that allows her to release her youkai powers.

Goshinki is a large, ugly demon that looks like a cross between an ogre and a giant. He has two large horns coming from his head and red eyes. He can read minds, allowing him to see his opponents move before they make it, making it almost impossible to defeat him.

Then came the Shichi'nintai. Bankotsu was the sub leader of the seven brothers. He has long, black hair that he keeps tied in a plat. He isn't a youkai but is stronger then most. He also has a purple star on his forehead. Bankotsu always carries a giant Halberd called Banryu.

Renkotsu is a bald human who has two large purple stripes running vertically up his face and another smaller one on his forehead. His powers are fire and explosives.

Suikotsu is another brother who uses huge, metalic, claw like blades attatched to his hand which cuts people to ribbons. He has short, black messy hair with six green stripes across his face. Two on each cheek and another two on his forehead.

Ginkotsu is more machine then man. He speaks rarely and uses guns built onto him as weapons.

Mukotsu uses poisons and toxins to fight. He is fat with huge eyes. He also has red stripes on his face. Two circling under each eye and another two on his chin.

Jakostu dresses as a girl and uses a retractable, sword. He has black hair and wears makeup, but also sports two blue stripes that go vertically down his face and over his eyes.

The last brother is Kyokotsu who is a humungous being. His sheer size and power are what makes him a worthy opponent in battle.

Naraku stood at the head of the group, tall and menacing. He is a powerful hanyou who originally was human. However, on the verge of death, he allowed youkai to consume him. Giving him a powerful body and new life.

"It is time to pay Sesshoumaru a visit" Naraku stated, and chuckled to himself as he floated into the air and sped with his servants to Sesshoumaru's castle.

"Kikyou-sama, Kikyou-sama!" someone called her. She was right now, in her room, thinking over the vision she'd just had. Right now it was fading from her mind but she'd finally gotten it.

She was going to ruin Kagome, and she'd finally gotten the plan to do so.

"Kagome-chan, Kikyou-chan requests your presence immediately" a miko in training informed the girl called Kagome.

Kagome was a fully trained miko. She has long black hair with a slight wave to it. She had dark blue eyes that drew immediate attention to her. She was known as being the most beautiful and powerful miko around, and she was kind.

'What could Kikyo want with me? She'd all but banished my presence ever since I'd beaten her at that one archery contest. What could she possibly want now?' Kagome thought. She stood up and quickly checked her appearance in the mirror. She wore a flowing, midnight blue kimono with a sky blue yukata. Her hair was kept out today but she wore the customary pendant which settled just between her eyes.

Every miko was given one when they'd completed their training, and the pendent always held the colour that symbolized their specific miko skill. Kagome was a purifying miko so she was given a sky-blue gem.

She turned and walked swiftly out of the room. With every step she took, she felt a deep sense of foreboding.

'If only I hadn't been sold to Kikyou! Why did my family have to be poor? Didn't they love me? All I can remember is being given to Kikyou and Kaede when I was old enough to walk. I can't remember anything before that. Now that Kaede went away, Kikyo controls me. I have to leave, as soon as I return to my room, I'll leave, claiming I'm going to become a wondering miko. I wonder what she'll think of that?' Kagome thought and looked up. She'd arrived.

But she never would return to that room.

YAY! Done the first chap!! Now I've got introductions out o the way, I can start the plot!