Prologue

The young warrior slowly pushed onwards. His injuries were many, and he was far from the battlefield he had just been in. It was an epic war, one of his firsts now that his father deemed him fit to participate. While he should have felt pride at his victory, the fact that he did not manage to escape unscathed pestered him. Now he was reduced to limping away in the hopes of finding safety….in the hopes of finding his father.

The snow didn't stop falling, and the farther the young warrior walked the more furious the snow began to fall. He grew cold, something very uncommon for him; being a demon of such high pedigree. However, he was unsure of whether the cold was from the snow or the loss of blood. His amber eyes shifted over the pelt on his shoulder, to analyze the path of blood he had left on his trek. The crimson blood was now leaving a puddle on the white ground below. He gritted his teeth at his own weakness. If he was stronger, if he had the power his father had or at least a weapon like his fathers, he wouldn't have been reduced to this. The reminder of his limitations infuriated him. He began pushing himself forward, only for his knee to give out. He felt his heart pounding; pleading for him to stop. His body weight rested against his knee for a single moment. Furry filled him again at his bodies request for rest. He stood to rise, falling directly into the snow. He let out a weak snarl. He tried to use his arms to push forward, but to no avail.

He laid in the cold snow for a few moments, feeling the weight begin to accumulate. Soon it would burry him, and no one would find him. His father's sense of smell would do him no good, not in this environment. His eyes barely stood open, and they focused in on the growing puddle of crimson blood. How much had he been bleeding? He briefly recalled his father's voice, reprimanding him, "You must know your limits"

He scoffed at the thought. If his father had no limits, then neither would he. He was destined to defeat his father, to surpass him in every aspect. How could he afford to have limits? He would prove to be undefeatable, like his father was. He came out victorious in his battle, killing any who entered his path. He ignored the injuries he received and fought on, killing many. He was injured only by the higher ranking men, but they too all fell.

His father had made him second in command of the second fleet, while he had battled the first fleet on the opposite field. His father left the foolish wolf demon, Sotoe, in charge of him. The young warrior scoffed at this as well. As soon as the battle began, he ignored Sotoe's commands and dealt with the battle his own way. He overlooked the weak army, and sought out the general and his men. He brought the General of the opposite army to his knees, receiving a fierce blow through his chest as he did so.

Seeing him injured, the general's head men attacked him. They too managed to send many blows his way, but in the end he defeated them. He stood alone, victorious over their corpses. It was then that he realized he was alone, far from the battlefield. The general lured the young warrior into a trap, by luring him far away and having his men attack him. The general's attempts at his life failed, but now the young warrior was heavily injured and alone. He panted heavily, barely able to stand, but he managed to push onward. If he made it through the mountain pass ahead of him he would eventually reach his father.

He didn't make it past the mountain. He couldn't help but think, that his father would have somehow survived the same predicament. His father wouldn't have been foolish enough to be drawn away from the battlefield. His father wouldn't be left injured and helpless to the elements, like he was. His furry built up, but it failed in fueling him. If only he had more power, he would have ended the battle sooner, yet here he was. Was this how it was to end? A foolish death? Not in a glorious battle, in which he had reached his ultimate power but to such an unworthy opponent? Was this the end. His heart tightened at the realization of it all. "Father….I have failed…"

His body grew numb, and only his internal anguish warmed him, but soon it was not enough. His body grew heavy under the blanket of snow and his eyelids followed. This was how it would end, it would seem...

He heard a soft voice first. It was soothing and comforting. It was calling to him. With a single movement it freed him from the hardening wall of ice that was suffocating him. The figure's touch sent waves of warmth through his body, and he greedily wished for more of it, to be surrounded by this figure's warmth. He tried to focus his vision. Who was it? He could not tell. His voice was soft and cracked in a strange way. "Fa-father?…" he spoke weakly, before his head slowly fell back into the figure's lap.

The warm hand touched him face, urging him to wake. He lazily did so, again pleased with the warmth it sent through his body. He heard the voice again, and concentrated on what was being said. He barely made out the words, still slightly incoherent. He knew the voice was soft, and not the booming bass of his father. He was slightly disappointed at this. The voice repeated itself. He successfully made out most of the figure's words. "… badly injured… young one… The elements… with your injuries…little I can do…"

He looked away from the blurry figure, failing to rise. He lacked the energy to keep his eyes open and was being drawn to the possibility of sleep, however whenever his eyes grew heavy, the warmth of the hand would wake him up.

He listened to the voice again, "I…save you…young one…you wish…"

"s-save…me?" he slowly repeated, not liking the sound of his voice.

"Indeed….the bond….save you….eternal….."

"Wh-what….bond?" he felt his eyes begin to close again. No warm hand ushered him awake this time. He was roughly thrown into a sitting position, leaning against the being's arm. The voice called to him again, "You…..must drink…."

"d-drink?" he weakly repeated. A strong whiff entered his nose. It was the sent of blood…only different. He focused on the scent, as it came to his lips. It was not from a container as he supposed, rather it was from a gash from the being's wrist. He sent her an untrusting scowl. Her grip was firm on his neck as she spoke, "Drink…must...trust"

He let his lips open slightly as the crimson drips fell into his mouth. Immediately a strange warmth filled him. It had the taste of blood, but it was different. It was as if he was drinking her...light. The terrorizing cold was leaving. His hands greedily grasped the beings wrists as he drank the strange liquid, stopping only when he subconsciously knew that death was evaded. His head fell back in exhaust and he fought the urge for his eyes to close, un-admittedly scared that they would not open.

He heard the soft voice again. It was whispering to him. Only this time the voice was clear….but he didn't exactly hear it. His eyebrows scrunched in agitated confusion for a second, until he understood. She was speaking into him. "Our thoughts…"

"Yes young one" she answered

"Who are you?"

"My name is Karu, young one"

"Stop referring to me as young one, woman"

"My apologies, what should I refer to you as?"

"My name is Sesshomaru. The young lord of the Western Province"

"I see, my apologies young lord Sesshomaru" the voice softly cooed with a hint of amusement. "I was not aware of your station"

"Hn" he snorted

"You must rest now, young lord Sesshomaru"

"I require no such thing"

"Oh, but you must" she gently urged caressing his face softly, "Sleep, I will be here when you awake in the morning"

Her pleas did nothing in persuading him, but her soft voice and caressing hands stifled the fear of sleeping. He snorted at her words and fell asleep in her arms, thinking only of his father.

"My lord, I must advise against this!"

The fierce eyes of the dog shifted to his shoulder, "What choice do I have Myoga?"

The old flea gulped in fear of continuing, not because he was worried about the dangers of the mountain anymore, but rather from further infuriating his lord. "M-master, if I may, this is no ordinary mountain. Those who enter..."

"Let me guess" a new flat tone interjected, "They don't return?"

The dog sent a hard glare to the wolf's words. While under normal circumstances this would not have phased the wolf, he knew better then to push his luck. He awkwardly changed the subject. "So...what's the story Myoga?"

"Not much is certain, but legends say it is cursed. Once you enter...you can never leave; The mountain of everlasting snow..."

"You are permitted to stay" the dog spoke in a firm tone to his companions as he stepped towards his destination. The danger was his alone to face, and he would not put the obligation on the others. His blood...his only son was in danger and that was all that mattered.

Myoga gave a sigh of relief from the wolf's shoulder. "Looks like we lucked out, eh Sotoe?"

The wolf's expression flattened in realization at the flea's actions. "... You didn't even wait for him to finish his sentence before you hopped over here...huh?"

"I was merely following my masters orders!..."

In a quick fluid motion the flea was grasped in the wolf's hands. Ignoring the pleas of help from his palm he followed after his friend into the forest at the base of the mountain."Itsumaru..." the wolf began awkwardly. He was not use to speaking so sincerely about such things. "...I'm...I mean..." he sighed in aggravation at his own complex. Taking a deep breath he placed his hand on the dog's shoulder. "My friend...we will find him. I give my word to that"

"Sotoe..." Itsumaru slowly sighed. "You are my dearest friend..." he turned to the wolf. "Do not force yourself to come with me...it is not your blame"

"I never said it was!" he shot back crossing his arms in insult. He told the little bastard to stand back and protect the front. Not a minute after he was gone. "It doesn't matter either way" he started, "Like hell I'm gonna be left behind and let you have all the fun"

The dog gave a single nod, "Indeed"

Prologue is finished and will make more sense as the story continues. If you are familiar with my other stories you are aware of Sotoe and Itsumaru, but the story isn't about them. The story focuses on Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. Please review, and enjoy the next chapter!