Love Can Be Found in The Darkest of Places

Chapter 1:Go Back to the Day We Met

He sat in his tree watching, waiting. The sun was beginning to rise over the hills and he closed his eyes as the wind blew his hair around his muscular frame. The sun's orange rays colored his pale skin and he remembered sunrises just like this one. Especially the ones he spent with his mother. They sat in the same tree, on the same branch. He remembered as though it had happened yesterday.

His mother had her son on her lap playing with his soft smooth silver hair. He yawned sleepily and laid down in her arms. He smiled at his beautiful mother as she kissed his forehead.

"Just a little longer my prince." She had the same golden orbs and the same purple strips on her cheeks. "Soon I will show you how beautiful life can be."He shrugged and sat up.

"Life is not beautiful mother. All I've ever seen is war and destruction."She smiled and patted his head.

"You are but a child. You only see with your eyes."He looked confused.

"If you do not use your eyes how can you see?" She smiled and took his hands.

"Close your eyes."She whispered patiently. He looked confused but did as he was told. His mother turned him toward the hills just as the sun was rising. The colors streaked against the sky with its wonder. "All right Sesshomaru. What would make the world beautiful? What would make you happy? Picture it in your mind then open your eyes."He sat thinking and finally opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was the rising sun. It filtered over his face and he smiled at his mother.

"I still don't understand. Why is the world beautiful?"She wrapped her arms around her son.

"Do you know why you are so beautiful? So precious?"he shook his head. "Well, When your father and I first decided we wanted a child we . . . Let me put it this way, your father and I loved each other so dearly that our love for each other formed you inside my belly. That's how you came into being."He smiled and laid against his mother's chest.

"How did you and father meet?"She giggled and smiled.

"My son, it's a long romantic story. Are you sure you want to hear it?"He nodded and listened intently. "Well, I was fighting in a war alongside your father. I remember the scene so vividly as though it was yesterday . . . Your father was raged in combat against a demon rat called Sacomaru. I saw your father was in the middle of a miasma and was beginning to weaken. I never turn my back on an ally so I went to his aid. I covered my mouth and nose and went into the miasma . . ."

Sesshanaru covered her mouth and nose and dove into the vapor. InuTashio was on the ground struggling to breathe. She bent down beside him and placed her hand on his back. He looked at her in surprise.

"Hey, you look like you could use a hand."He looked worried. He did not want a woman fighting his battles for him.

"What are you doing you reckless wench! Get out of here!"She stood up and shook her head. She placed her hand on the handle of her sword. As she pulled it out it transformed into a huge sword and she smiled evilly. She faced the rat demon and sliced through the miasma and to InuTashio's amazement it dispersed. His eyes widened as he recognized the sword.

'Sunga, legendary sword of power and disarray. Wreaks havoc to the world and only one with true potential can unleash its true power and fight for all that's right in the world.' Myoga had once told him. He never dreamed it would be in existence. 'She's powerful that I'll admit."

Sesshanaru struck the rat with her sword and sliced it in half. InuTashio fell onto the ground too weak to even stay awake. She turned to him in horror and sheathed her sword quickly.

"InuTashio!"She ran to him and picked him up. The poison had made him very light and easy to carry. She knew he would not die. He was too strong. She smiled and hid behind a large boulder and held him in her arms. She sat him up his back at the base of the rock and began to tend to him. She ran to a stream which was not far away and made it in under a minute. She tore a piece of cloth from the base of her orange kimono. She dipped it into the water and filled her canteen for him to drink from. She ran back to where Inutashio was laying and saw a flea, sucking the blood from his neck.

"Hey! Leave him alone!"Just as she reached him InuTashio woke from his slumber and smiled at her. She kneeled down beside him and smiled back. She bowed in respect. "Lord Inutashio! You're awake!"The flea jumped to the girl's neck and began sucking her blood.

"Myoga! Leave her alone this instant."He stopped and jumped back onto InuTashio's shoulder.

"My apologies master." InuTashio went back to Sesshanaru who was still bowing in respect, forehead placed inches from the ground. He took the girl's hands and clasped them together inside his own. She looked at him and blushed.

"I owe you my life. What is your name?"She couldn't find her tongue.

"Your Lord just asked you a question!"The flea yelled. InuTashio glared at him angrily but then turned his eyes to the girl.

"It's quite all right. I won't harm you." She nodded and looked toward the ground. He was handsome and she blushed madly.

"Sesshanaru. My name is Sesshanaru."He nodded in reply and let her hands drop. He removed one of his silver necklaces from around his neck and placed it on hers. This felt like a dream. She picked up her hair as he fastened the necklace around her neck. When he finished she let it fall and examined the necklace. It had the royal emblem hanging from the chain. She bowed in gratitude and he lifted her chin with his finger.

"I owe you my life so forget formalities. You wield Sunga, the sword of destruction and power, correct?"She nodded and removed the sword from her belt. She out stretched her arm to show it to him.

"Forgive me my lord but, I'm afraid if you touch it, it will scorch your hand."He nodded but touched it with one finger. Electricity surged through the sword scorching his finger. Sesshanaru looked worried and grabbed his hand to examine his finger.

"My lord! You should not have done that. Are you all right? She took the cloth she had wet earlier and placed it on his finger. He smiled at how worried she got over something so trivial. She was trying to bandage his finger up when he placed his hand over hers.

"You are kind but I am all right. It does not hurt."She began to speak in protest but he placed his burnt finger on her lips. "Like I said, I'm all right. Don't bother with something so silly."She removed his finger from her lips and continued bandaging it.

"I'm sorry. I'm always jumping when a child gets a cut or scrapes himself. I've always been like that."She tied the bandage in a bow and brought it to her lips. She kissed it and he froze in shock. "I do that to the children I look after when they hurt themselves. Especially the younger ones. It helps them stop crying or fusing."InuTashio tensed and stood completely still. Then he looked paralyzed with fear.

"My lord?"He pulled her toward him and tucked her head down. Just as they ducked behind the rock an explosive device soared over their heads and blew up only feet away from them. He bent down and whispered in her ear.

"Sesshanaru I want you to leave. Get as far away from here as you can. These are demons from the continent. They have weapons like we've never seen. You'll die if you stay here. As the Lord of the western lands I must stay and fight. I have no other choice. It's my duty."He ducked with her again as another explosive soared over their heads.

"I won't leave you. You'll surely die if you fight alone but if I help you we'll at least stand a chance. I will never run away. If I die, I want to die alongside my lord with honor. If I run, I disgrace myself."He nodded and looked serious.

"All right. We have to think fast. Act like your hurt and if they have mercy on you then I'll sneak around behind them and attack, but if they don't you use Sunga. It's our only hope."She nodded and he smiled. "One last thing."She nodded.

"Yeah? What?"He bent down and kissed her cheek. She felt her face flush red. He pulled away and smiled at her.

"That's for good luck."With that he snuck into the surrounding forest. She waited a while then took her claws and cut her leg deep enough to where blood came out of the wound. She stood up and held her hands up in surrender.

"Please! Don't shoot!"She staggered from behind the rock, limping.

"Drop your weapon!"Said the strange looking demon. Sesshanaru took Sunga from her belt and threw it on the ground. She watched as behind the demon a few yards away her lord crept from out of the tree's.

The demon approached her with seductive eyes. He took her chin and noticed the necklace around her neck. He through her to the ground in disgust. He pulled his own sword from it's sheath.

"Sunga!"She outstretched her arm and the sword flew from it's sheath into her hand. She blocked his sword and InuTashio sliced him in the back with his sword. She gasped as the demon's large body fell on her own. He took the demon's collar and threw him off of her. She smiled and coughed blood.

"The miasma's taking effect on her. Myoga."The flee appeared from the bushes and began to suck her blood. He sucked the poison from her system and she stopped coughing. InuTashio bent down to Sesshanaru and picked up her weak body. "Myoga you wouldn't happen to know were there's a village around her would you?" He nodded and folded his arms.

"Yes, there's the village were she lives up ahead. It's nothing but human's though."InuTashio looked at the girl.

"She resides with humans? Very well. We will leave her in their care for now."InuTashio ran into the forest heading towards the village. He arrived at his destination and closed his eyes. His silver hair began to blow in a non existent breeze and turned darker and darker until it was as black as the night itself. His eyes changed from gold to a dark brown and his fangs and nails retreated and grew short. He looked like a mere mortal not the strong lord he truly was.

"Lord InuTashio. . ."

"Wait here Myoga."He held the girl in his arms and walked into the village. Everyone stopped and watched as the man shouted for help. The priestess went to InuTashio and looked at his burden.

"What happened?"He waited for the priestess to take the girl.

"I know you're a demon. It's alright, we do not fear demons here. Only ones good of heart can enter the village."He smiled.

"I'm afraid that my appearance would startle the children. Sesshanaru would be angry at me for that."She nodded.

"Very well, follow me."The villagers went back to there work when the priestess assured them that everything was alright."The priestess lead him into her hut. She laid Sesshanaru onto the ground and covered her with a blanket.

"You are a very kind priestess." She nodded and examined the girl.

"She needs rest but she'll be fine. You may transform into your demon form here so she may have a familiar face to awake to."He nodded in agreement and closed his eyes as a bright light surrounded and enclosed him. His features came back and he smiled.

"I'm sorry. I have not any manners. My name is InuTashio."She smiled.

"My name is Kiko. Sesshanaru lives here and often plays with the children. She's extremely kind to us."

"Yes, there as so little of us demons who don't want to destroy the human race."

"Yes. Sesshanaru is one of those select few."InuTashio nodded.

"Yes, She saved my life. I owe her everything for that."He thought for a brief moment.

"When she wakes keep her here. Tell her not to go looking for me. I don't want her interfering in my war." With that he left the hut, never to be seen or heard from for three years.