Times of Change

Summary: InuYasha has done what no other half-demon has ever done. He has lived long enough for his demon blood to come of rightful mating age. Now he has to fight against his demon blood for control and all for one woman. Will InuYasha win in the battle of wills or will InuYasha's demon nature finally take what it has waited so long for?

Chapter One:

Coming of Age

In the demonic world of ancient Japan there are many customs and rights of passage for the average demon. One of which is the coming of age. After a male demon has reached his two hundred and fifty first year his instincts will desire the taking of a mate or wife and conception of offspring.

For demons the coming of age is a right that many go through, but for half demons it is rare in fact none had ever made it to their two hundred and fifty first year until now.

InuYasha the second born son of the great Inu Daiyokai if the Western Lands sat up in a tree in the midst of his forest in the branches that had sheltered him as he slept for fifty years. As he sat hidden by the green leaves his thoughts consumed him to the point where he was unaware of his surroundings, which for this particular hanyo was uncommon.

I can't believe that I actually did it. He thought as he crossed his claw tipped hands in the voluminous red sleeves of his fire rat kimono. I actually lived long enough to reach my coming of age. Though many had tried to kill the hanyo and he had fought and defeated every foe that had come at him and yet he had never truly believed he'd live long enough for the demon blood in him to drive him to find a female and produce pups of his own.

And yet here he sat two hundred and fifty one years after his birth on that night of the lunar eclipse and already he could feel his demon side become stronger as his instincts began to rise to the surface.

Most demons that reached their coming of age already have a female in mind and InuYasha did even if he himself didn't realize it.

Mate.

The voice came like smooth chocolate through his mind as his demon began to find his voice.

Where is my mate?

InuYasha shook his head as he tried to rid himself of the weak voice slowly growing stronger.

Though a part of InuYasha wanted to give into his instincts and find his mate and have a family, something he hadn't had since his mother's death, he was also afraid of his demonic blood and what would happen if he allowed it free reign for what needed to be done.

Kagome.

InuYasha's heart stopped as the name of the woman he cherished most came to his mind in that same voice now laced with a deep, animalistic growl.

NO! He thought as he hit his head against the Sacred Tree's trunk trying to rid his mind of the young miko from the future.

Anyone but her, anyone.

Kagome is the one. She is the one we want.

InuYasha closed his eyes as he realized his demon was talking directly to him now. It wasn't that he didn't care about Kagome he did, she was the most important thing in his world now and had been for a long time. That's why he didn't want her for his mate. She didn't deserve this fate. He had seen what being the mother to a demon's child had done to his own mother and that wasn't the future he wanted for his Kagome.

But she loves us. She wants us for her mate.

No! She doesn't know what that means. She doesn't want that! Who could ever want to be the mother to a hanyo's child?

"InuYasha!"

InuYasha's head snapped to the left, his ears perked at the soft voice that reached his them. There standing beneath the boughs of the ancient tree of ages stood the woman whom was the center of the internal battle waging with in him.

Kagome Higurashi stood dressed in her green schoolgirl skirt and white blouse. Her black hair had a dark blue tint to it in the afternoon sun and her brown eye shone with a love for life and all it had to offer.

He couldn't let that light fade from her eyes and if she became his mate and mothered his child that's what would happen.

"InuYasha why are you just staring at me like that?" Kagome asked with a soft smile. "You look like you haven't seen me in ages, I was only gone for two days."

InuYasha averted his eyes and faked an air of indifference.

"Feh you act like I missed you or something as if."

Kagome rolled her eyes as the hanyo became defensive over his staring as if he would be scolded for looking at her. Kagome had long ago figured the hanyo out and though sometimes he drove her crazy she could help but love him with all her heart and soul. The only thing she felt stood between them was one thing. Kikyo. The half demon's undying loyalty and devotion to the undead priestess sometimes made Kagome feel as if she were merely a replacement in his eyes of the woman he had loved but she would ask for him to change even that about himself. His loyalty and devotion is what made him who he was even though the thought of Kikyo dragging InuYasha to Hell terrified her.

"Well while you were not missing me I was picking up some Ramen and potato chips for you so either come back to the village or Shippo will eat your share."

At the mention of his favorite food InuYasha's ears perked up and he looked to Kagome with an almost innocent, child like excitement on his face then he leapt down and stood in front of Kagome.

"As if Shippo would even get close to my Ramen Wench!"

Kagome laughed and began to walk toward the village.

"Then you better hurry up!"

InuYasha smiled as he prepared to run after her but he was stopped in his tracks by the voice of his demon side.

My beautiful mate.

InuYasha growled and shook the thought from his head one more time before he raced after Kagome.

I can ignore this stupid coming of age. I have to for her sake.

A/N: Okay so my other stories have kind of dried up and died on me so I am deleting them and will repost them once I finish them. This is an old story that I wrote years ago and posted on another website under the name MoonMiko25. I have changed the title and cleaned up the spelling and grammar and the whole flow of the story but the plot is the same. The original title was called 'The Demon's Soul.' Since I don't write on that other site anymore I figured I'd move this story here.

I hope you enjoy it and please review.

P.S. The original had some very graphic and violent scenes and I had also tried my hand at lemons. This is a cleaner version of the story and though the lemons will be implied I don't intend to go into detail.

I also figured that though InuYasha is half human and would think mostly in human terms his demon is more in tuned to his dog demon nature and so would think along more animalistic lines.

Thanks and enjoy.

Vocabulary:

Hanyo: Half demon

Miko: Priestess

Daiyokai: Demon Lord; Great Demon

Yokai: Demon

Disclaimer: Rumiko Takahashi owns InuYasha and Company.