I would appreciate reviews also! When I ask for them, however, I also ask for you to give me your opinion on the story. In other words, I want you to tell me what you like and what you think should be condemned to the fires of hel...heck. You can tell me that you think this is no more than a piece of despicable filth or that you love it with all your heart, but I also need you to tell me why! What parts do you like? What parts do you dislike? What do you think could be made better? I would also like opinions on my original characters, if you don't mind!
Before I begin, I must introduce some characters!
Iinaka - Iinaka is a single mother with one daughter. As in the actual Manga and Anime, Rin's family was slain by bandits and or thieves (Which are technically the same thing, right?) and I'm going to stick to that, just leaving her mother and little Rin alive from that encounter. Iinaka lives alone with Rin, trying to function in their small village without a husband and with immense grief. Iinaka is about 25 or so in the Prologue.
Rin - In the prologue, Rin is no more than a girl of five or so years, living with her mother, and spending most of her time alone, playing in a small area near to the village that they live in.
The Young Man - He is just that, a young man who happens to be nearby when needed. He's only a few years younger than Iinaka, around age nineteen to be precise. I'm considering giving him a larger part in the fic and I would love opinions on whether or not to!
Maruchiizu(-sama) - Maruchiizu is the current Western Lord. After seeing a few pictures of him protecting InuYasha and his mother in what I am supposing is the third movie, I've gained a more unbiased opinion of him. I see him now as a caring family man who welcomes humans and demons alike. Also, he seems to care greatly about his two sons since he doesn't want them killing each other. This is a major change from before.
Oh! Before I forget, here's the glossary of terms! haha - mother
chan - an honorific that shows a good relationship between two people, usually set aside for children and good friends
aijou - beloved daughter
sama - an honorific denoting great respect towards an individual, the equivalent of lord/lady
Gomen-nasai - I'm sorry
If any of these terms are incorrect, please let me know! Now, on to the prologue!
Prologue
"I'm going outside now haha!" called a young girl as she burst from the hut that she and her mother knew as their home.
"Be careful, Rin-chan!" replied the older of the two, a small smile upon her face as she watched her daughter leave.
"I will!" the one dubbed Rin-chan shouted before heading off into the bright morning.
Around noon, an uproar had begun within the small village, wolves had been spotted in the woods on the outskirts of it.
As soon as Iinaka had heard of this, she'd rushed off, as had many others, in search of her daughter.
Drawing nearer to Rin's favorite place to play, a little meadow less than a mile from the village, her heart caught in her throat and she fell to her knees.
Before her, a small troop of wolves was tearing apart the still body of her daughter, jerking it this way and that as they attempted to tear of bite size chunks of flesh.
A sudden rage overtook Iinaka and she got up, rushing the partial pack.
"Get away!" she screamed, beating on the animals with her mere fists while tears began to blur her vision.
The wolf she was currently assaulting gave a growl of warning, but Iinaka ignored it, choosing instead to try and pull it off. The creature's fangs sunk into her arm, grazing the bone in the process. She bit back a curse before releasing the wolf and then kicking it as hard as she could in the side. It yelped and then lunged at her.
Iinaka fell back with the wolf on top of her, eyes sliding closed as she waited for the beast to tear out her throat.
'I'll see you soon, aijou.' she thought as she felt the wolf's hot breath against her neck.
'What have I to live fore if not for my family?'
Iinaka let out a surprised gasp as something warm and wet suddenly came into contact with her face, a dead weight falling onto her soon after that forced the air from her lungs.
Only a moment or so after, the large wolf was drug off of her and she was pulled to her feet.
"Here, you can use this to clean up." she heard the voice of a young man say.
She numbly took the cloth he offered her, wiping the wolf's dying blood from her face.
"Sorry, ma'am, didn't want you to get hurt so we had to get it while it was on ya."
The man glanced around, pausing as his eyes hit the body of the child. "Oh.." he whispered as he felt a pang of sadness.
Iinaka finished cleaning her face and quietly went over to Rin, kneeling down beside her. "My baby.." she breathed as she scooped her carefully into her arms. "Mama is so sorry.."
The man watched quietly, an uncomfortable feeling settling in his stomach. "I could...I could help you bury.." He suddenly paused. "No, wait!" he exclaimed. "There's a way!"
"A way to what?" Iinaka asked bitterly.
"A way to get her back!"
She spun, glaring at him. "You are cruel to play such jests as a mother mourns the loss of the last of her family!" She then turned once more, heading away again.
"No, wait miss!" he called after her. "Haven't you heard the stories?"
"What stories?" she prompted as stray tears ran down her cheeks.
"About the Western Lord."
"What about him?" she demanded, annoyed by his evasive answers.
"He has a sword that brings people back from the dead! Least, that's what I heard anyway.."
Iinaka wordlessly digested this information before saying quietly, "If that's true, how do I know that he will do so for my daughter?"
"It never hurts to ask, ma'am." he replied quietly.
She nodded slowly before turning to him a final time. "Thank you." she whispered.
"S'no trouble." he replied as he offered her what he hoped to be a comforting smile.
With that having been said, Iinaka was off.
It took the grieving mother nearly two days to reach the castle of the Western Lord, grief and an overwhelming need to make things right driving her on without rest or food. At the front gate of the great dog demon's abode, however, she encountered yet another problem.
"Please!" Iinaka begged as a pair of guards attempted to drag her off.
"Maruchiizu-sama has better things to do than to revive the offspring of a mere villager!" one snarled at her, believing her quest to be nothing short of pure foolishness.
Iinaka tried to pull free of them. "How would you feel in my place!" she demanded.
"I, unlike you, would have protected my child!" the same retorted. "You are no more fit to be a mother than you are to have an audience with Maruchiizu-sama!"
She froze, his words hitting her with the same force as a physical blow. She then bowed her head before quietly saying, "You're right..it would only happen again.. This is the second time I've lost someone that I've cared about...I am sorry to have wasted your time..."
The two released her and she began back towards her village.
Iinaka was scarcely a few feet away when she heard someone call after her. She glanced back to be greeted by a tall man who had hair of a soft silver and eyes of a honeyed gold.
As he drew towards her, Iinaka swallowed hard, the hair on the back of her neck prickling. This person was a demon and a strong one at that.
"Y-Yes?" she stammered as the imposing figure halted before her.
"Are you the one that has been causing this unexpected disturbance?"
Not trusting her voice at the moment, she lamely nodded.
"Just what is the meaning of it?"
She faltered before taking a deep breath and telling him of her daughter's death.
"So you wish for me to revive her.." he mused aloud.
Iinaka paled and nearly stepped back from him. Having never seen the Western Lord before, this sudden introduction left her with fear in her heart. This man held the power to wipe out an entire village if he felt it would give him a better view of the sunset and she had the gall to walk up to his front door for charity?
He regarded her a moment before chuckling to himself. "There is no need to be so afraid." he said, merriment now in his eyes. "It isn't as though I would have someone terminated for simply interrupting my morning meal."
Oh, hell! She'd interrupted his breakfast! She began to wonder if there was a fate being planned for her that was worse than death.
"Gomen-nasai, my lord!" she exclaimed. "I didn't mean to cause you any inconvenience!" Iinaka looked ready to flee from the scene, but he placed a firm hand upon her shoulder, destroying that option. His face gained a more serious expression as he did so, his eyes now locking upon her own.
"I can revive your daughter," he began, "but you must understand that I will need to ask something of you in return. If I do so without consequence, I will be forever plagued by relatives, friends, and comrades who seek what you seek and therefore would be unable to perform my duties as the Western Lord. Knowing this, do you accept my offer?"
"Wh-What is it that you want of me..?"
"It isn't something that I am asking from you, but more so a decision that you would make for your daughter's future."
"What could you want from Rin...?"
"In return for this favor, I would ask that she become the mate of my eldest son."
Iinaka stared at him wide-eyed. "Is she not a little young...!"
"...in time.." he finished.
"How much time?"
"When she reaches the ripe age of eighteen."
"I-In thirteen years?"
He nodded once.
"Would it be all right if I met your son before I agreed..?"
He gave her an odd look before tilting his head a bit to one side. "I assure you that becoming Sesshoumaru's mate is not a fate that is worse than that of death."
Iinaka blinked as his comment registered in her mind. "No!" she said, in a slightly panicked tone. "I...I didn't mean it like..."
He gave her a slight smile before saying. "I know and I understand what it is like to be a parent. You only want what is best for your child."
She visibly frowned. "I..." she began.
"I can honestly say that Sesshoumaru would never intentionally do your Rin any harm."
Iinaka's eyes found the ground as she mulled over his words. 'That's comforting...' she thought sourly. 'What should I do...? If I accept, I'm forcing Rin to be a part of something that she may not like...I'm deciding the rest of her life for her...but then again, if I decline, she won't even have one..'
Maruchiizu watched her silently, waiting for her decision.
She slowly rose her gaze, meeting him eye to eye before saying finally, "I accept
your offer."
Fin
Once again, due to previous controversy, the glossary of terms! haha - mother
chan - an honorific that shows a good relationship between two people, usually set aside for children and good friends
aijou - beloved daughter
sama - an honorific denoting great respect towards an individual, the equivalent of lord/lady
Gomen-nasai - I'm sorry
Thank you so very much for reading and I hope that you liked it! So far, I have the first chapter completed and am still working on the second. Honestly, I can tell you that it will be very different from my first attempt, but with the overall effect in the end. I'm trying to stick to my original plot line, but it may sway a bit due to the changes that I have made. Once again, please read and review and I hope that I will be able to put the first chapter up very soon. Unfortunately, I've got midterms starting next week and running from Thursday to Tuesday and I've already been stressing over the one for Statistics.. Well, hope you liked it and I'm going to leave the first chapter up on my first attempt so that you all can tell me which you prefer! This prologue would be the equivalent to the minisection in the other chapter about the past. I thank you all for reading and reviewing! -Misti Star