"A Hint of Vanilla."
Written by: Be . Inspirational
Couple: Inu No Taisho and Izayoi (InuYasha's parents)
Rating: T (For battles and language)
Disclaimers: The characters and universe were created by Rumiko Takahashi.
Important: Any similarities that can be found to any other fan fictions or works are COMPLETELY unintentional.
Due to the enormous amount of InuYasha related fan fiction, I must put this to make sure it's clear I have not intended any cross over to any other fan work.
I'm sorry for any similarities. Please enjoy my work as a separate piece of fandom literature. :D
Chapter One: The Mark
Present Day - Read Future Chapters for Past
"Are you a fool Menzaifu-dono? You truly believe your daughter is worth anything after what has transpired?"
"Why would she be worth any less? She's still my daughter and our deal can still be applicable."
"She has been tainted! Spoiled! To think she is worthy of being a wife to my lord when she is truly not worthy of being a wife to a common bandit-"
Their voices were escalating now. I heard my father stand which I could determine from the shuffle of the wooden table that could be heard. His voice stern and precise when he spoke again. "Hold your tongue! You are overstepping boundaries you cannot hope to return from."
"How can you be so blind? Have you not seen it - the mark?"
My father's voice seemed to slowly return to its quieter state, his confusion slowly leaking through his voice. "What do you mean? What mark?"
The other man's voice, the man who spoke in the young lord's place, grew stronger with my father's weakness. There was a deafening confidence that caused my heart to skip and flat line into nothingness. "Your daughter Izayoi has allowed herself to be mated to a demon! Her shoulder bares his mark! No man alive will be seen with such a woman as his bride. It would be dishonour."
"This can't be possible. My daughter would never have allowed her captor to do such a thing!" my father's voice bellowed.
"Look her over yourself my lord! I can assure you there is no lie in my words."
There was only silence after that. No voices could be heard through the paper walls. I could only hear the shuffling as someone made their way from the sitting room. A small sigh gently crossed the air, one that I had come to associate with my father's frustration. "Izayoi, come in here," I heard him say.
I glanced at the paper door which divided our two rooms. I had been asked to stay here through their 'negotiations' and I had hoped I would remain here. Nothing good would come from me stepping into the other room, for I know what my father wanted. He wanted to see if what this messenger said was true. He wanted to see my shoulder- to see my dearest's delicate bite. With hesitance, I began to push myself up from the small pillow I sat on. I glanced down at the small table I had sat in front of. The pot of tea sat which had filled the room with the calming scent of vanilla. It had become such a familiar thing. I held in the tears which welded in the bottom of my eyes as I made my way to the door. One of the servants, a young woman, who must have entered the house during my absence, opened the door and allowed me to enter. I glanced down at her in a effort to thank her but she looked at me with a look that made me feel- filthy. She looked at me with contempt, with disgust… with a look that only questioned why I was deemed her superior. "Izayoi, come sit. Leave us Sakura."
The girl pushed herself up and left the room, leaving only my father and I in the small paper containment. I moved and sat down on the cushion as he requested. "You undoubtedly heard what was just said here. Is it true? Have you been possessed by a demon… a mate to that monstrous thing?"
My eyes locked onto the ground, using my silence as my own defence. "Answer me you ungrateful child," he growled, moving towards me.
My eyes shifted up to my father, their gloss was almost instantly noted by him. I watched my father as he searched my expression for some kind of refusal of these claims, one that he couldn't find. He was a man of his mid-forties, but the stress of his life had caused him to look beyond his years. His black hair and dark brown eyes seemed to have almost greyed with his stress and age. Those eyes looked at me with such a look of pain that I remained silent. I would not lie to him- for I did not want to repent on my oath to Inu no Taisho. I would not lie for his comfort, not in this moment… not when my father looked as though his heart was shattering. He moved to me and knelt down in front of me. His hand moved to my cheek and our eyes met. I watched how his expression changed… how the calm look of pain seemed to shift to one of anger. He was shivering, trembling with his anger within moments. His eyes began to weld with tears as a groan of fury escaped him. His fingers went to my cheeks, squeezing my jaw harshly. He held my face in his hand and in that moment I believed his intention was to crush my jaw. I gasped, trying to pull myself from his grasp. "Have you truly dishonoured me like this!?" he questioned loudly, pushing me back with all his strength, "My own daughter a wench to a demon!?"
I fell back onto my back, feeling the air escape me. I pushed myself up, shuffling back in fear. The tears that I had tried to hold back did not hesitate to fall now. I wept but even still I found no words escaping me. "Say something Izayoi! Say something!" he bellowed.
I shook my head, blinking to push some of my tears from my eyes as sobs racked my core. I pushed myself forward and bowed down before him. "Otosan, I hope one day you can find it in your heart to forgive me…" I mumbled, but his voice quickly broke through mine.
"So it is true!" He moved forward, his step firm and quick. His hand slipped into my black locks and found a handful in which to pull me from my bow. I screamed in pain out of instinct, causing me to receive a slap harshly across my face. He sat me up and fell to his knees in front of me. His hand grappled with my collar, pulling it down in a jerking motion. I squirmed but when he saw what he searched for, both of us were instantly motionless. I glanced at my shoulder as his hand pushed some of my hair aside. The markings of my dearest Inu no Taisho were clear, distinct on my pale skin. His finger grazed over the small digits in the skin, the first aside from Taisho and myself to do so. I looked at him as he examined the markings. The tears which left his eyes were not ones of anger, now- he looked as though the wound had been my death. In his mind- perhaps I was… his daughter was dead… claimed by a demon. "Do you- have nothing to say about this? Truly?" he asked me quietly, refusing to meet my eyes.
"I will not apologize otosan… as much as you might wish I would… I- I have chosen… I have not been possessed or forced… I let the mark sit on my skin of my own free will. He is my dearest, my darling. If you wish to let me go- I understand. Leave me to the wilds, I will not utter anything against you… you will not hear of me again- for I will be gone with him. He will find me. My dearest will come for me."
This seemed to gather his attention. He looked between my expression and the mark. "You will do no such thing," he began, causing my attention and nerves to spike back to him. "The only time you will see him again is when I put his head on a spear. Afterwards, after you see what dishonour you have brought to him, with the act of seppuku, you will restore honour to the family you have destroyed."
His voice hissed and my eyes once more dripped with my fear. He pushed himself away, using me as a stool to levy himself up. "Guards!" he called him out. "Take Izayoi to the shed. Let her not stay under my roof!"
He threw the door open and left the room, leaving me to weep into the mats that lined the floor. I pulled my kimono back into place, covering the mark that had so offended my father. My dearest, please do not come for me… I feared for him- I feared for myself- I feared for my father's men. I knew Taisho was powerful, more powerful than any man I had come to know. I feared with my father's army would come a false sense of strength, a belief that they could be a force to match him. It was not only his men that hunted for my dearest's head. My father would surely bring forth the men of other lords to kill the man whom I loved. I feared not that my dearest would be slain… but that the naive nature of my father and his followers would not be the only price for my safety. I was scooped up in the arms of the guards, roughly like a sack of rice. I squirmed as I felt a wandering hand cross my form. Several hands followed before I heard another voice, a familiar and reassuring voice break the air. "Enough!"
My eyes opened and in my sight was the vision of Takemaru, the man who had been my guard in my youth, my protector. The hands left me and they stood firmly. Takemaru had gained a following through his years of service for my father. He had become a trusted companion for me… well- he had been. If he still felt the same tenderness towards me was left to be seen. "She may be a demon's mate but she is still Menzaifu-dono's child. I will not tolerate such behaviour."
His voice was firm, enough to snap the guards who held me into shape. The group of them brought me from the house, away from the sweet smell of vanilla and tea to the shed which held the horses for our guards. I was put into one of the stalls near one of the large mares. I walked with as much pride as I could. I could hear the whispers, the mumbles as we past. I had dishonoured the house in my love of Inu no Taisho… they awaited for me to make it right… to commit suicide. Once in the barn, I sat down in the hay and looked up at the men. Takemaru dismissed the guards to their duties before sitting down in the stall alongside me. My eyes moved to him, pained from the tears. His expression softly as he met my puffed eyes. "Izayoi- my lady why have you done this? Why did you become the mate of that beast?" he asked me.
As we sat there, the smell of hay and grime hanging over us, I heard no hatred in his words. No- he was concerned for me… concerned for my fate. "I love him Takemaru. I know it doesn't make sense but I do-" he cut me off, putting down the spear and moving closer to me. "Why?" he insisted.
I met his eyes, those eyes I had grown up with. I raised a hand and put it on his cheek. He sighed and looked down at the ground, taking the small gesture as a reason to calm himself. I pulled my hand back, sitting it on my lap. "I love him because of what he is… how he sees the world and for how he treated me."
Takemaru's eyes rose from the hay to once more to meet mine. I continued, "In a time when I was his captive, where there were more than enough opportunities to treat me with neglect… he treated me with nothing but kindness." Takemaru growled under his breath but I progressed regardless, "The humans in his care are not afraid of him- for they understand he only wants to live at peace with our kind. In times of sickness, he cared for me. It wasn't long before I was no longer a captive in his home, but a guest. My dearest saved me from the most horrendous of fates. The fact that he is a yokai is of little relevance to me."
"He is a yokai though Izayoi and because of that he has condemned you to die without any honour to your name!"
"My family's honour is savable… As for my own, I don't believe my love is the cause of dishonour as my father and you do."
"You've been taken over by him Izayoi! Don't you see? He has bewitched you in your time there," Takemaru plead.
"No Takemaru… My spirit is still my own…"
He sighed, slumping down into the hay. I knew I was frustrating him, I had come to know his signals, the signs. "You'll die Izayoi. They will kill you to restore honour to your family."
"I do not have to die Takemaru. You know what can be done- I can see it on your face."
His eyes shot to me and I could see a slight surprise cross my face with the intensity of his gaze. "Even if I did let you go Izayoi, found a way to release you without any question- made them believe you had died… I would know that you'd be wandering off to that demon. That's something I couldn't allow... not in good conscious. They will leave you alive until your 'dearest' comes for you… when he is dead… you will need to accept the consequences of your actions my lady."
"I hope I am to die before that happens," I mumble.
His eyes are not as quick this time- as if his mind cannot comprehend my words. "I would rather die than him come for me… there would be too much bloodshed for my heart to bear."
"You assume we could kill him then?" Takemaru mumbled, a smirk pulling across his face.
"No," I replied, causing his smile to fade, "I'm afraid there would be no one left - strong enough to fend him off."
A howl echoed around the valley in which the house was situated. "Please Takemaru-" I begged, leaning forward and taking his hands. "Let me go so no one else has to die. His might is too strong for you and your men… please Takemaru- believe me."
Hesitation… the silence was deafening. Another howl, much louder broke through the air… one that I had become familiar with. "Please Takemaru…"
[a/n: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. I love this couple. Please leave a review or comment. I'd love to see what people think. It's my first fan fiction in a long time. I went on hiatus due to some very hurtful people. I hope that I'm starting off on the right foot. Thanks for reading.]