***Author's Note***

Good Evening, my lovelies! I know it's been a long time since I posted, but life has been insane! Well, for those of you who are unfamiliar with Holy Pearl, it is the live action Chinese adaptation of InuYasha. If you have not seen it, I recommend that you do so before you read this. We pick up our story about two months after the events of the show. I truly hope you enjoy this!

***End Note***

Chapter 1

Jiu Gui stood in the Dragon Clan's throne room, adjusting for the hundredth time the unaccustomed weight of the crown on his head. How did I get here? He thought to himself. I never wanted this position, and the one who did handed it to me of his own free will. The only other who has the right of blood succession doesn't want it either and follows his brother wherever he goes. Jiu Gui sighed heavily, I just hope you're safe, wherever you are, Wu Dao. At least you have Wen Tian with you to protect you. I only hope that some day I will be able to return this crown to you, my lord.

Wen Tian stared after his brother sullenly, rain dripping from the end of his nose. "Wu Dao. How long are we going to walk like this? It's pouring rain out here. We should find somewhere to rest." His brother stopped abruptly, standing perfectly still in the cascading rain.

"You want to rest?" Wu Dao turned slowly, his face locked in the same frozen mask of cold disapproval and loneliness and his white hair plastered to his cheeks and neck. "We have only been walking for three days. You should not be so tired."

Wen Tian scowled at him, "I didn't say I'm tired. I just object to the constant soaking. Whatever. You want to slog through the rain and the mud for who-knows-how-long, it's your sodden feet, not mine. You're the one who's been doted on for all these years; I've had to live rough, so wet feet don't bother me. I was only thinking maybe you'd like to get out of the cold and rain, but whatever. It's up to you, after all. I'm only following you…"

"Fine," snapped Wu Dao. "If it means that much to you, then we'll find somewhere." The older Dragon paused for a moment with his head cocked to one side, as though listening intently for something. After a long moment, he turned onto a path to his left, striding down it so quickly that his brother had to jog to keep up.

Wen Tian smirked to himself. It had always been easy for him to get to his brother's temper, and the events of the last few months certainly hadn't improved the former King's temperament any. Wen Tian refrained from sighing heavily. Ever since the death of Yu Die, Wu Dao had seemed even less prone to emotion than before. If Wen Tian hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed that the powerful Dragon Lord had fallen in love – let alone with a human girl. The most concerning change that Wen Tian had noticed was the look in his brother's eyes. There was now constant regret and longing there where there had been nothing but ice before. Wen Tian shook his head. I just wish this lesson hadn't come at the cost of Yu Die's life. She changed him so much, and yet she was with him for so short a time. I wish she was still here. Then he might be a bit less cranky, at the very least.

Just then, a Monarch butterfly fluttered down out of the trees to perch on one of Wu Dao's horns. The Dragon Lord froze, hardly daring to move. Slowly and with great caution, he reached up and held out his right index finger for the beautiful insect. Obediently, it fluttered from it's favored perch and onto Wu Dao's finger. Distantly, Wen Tian heard a gusty sigh escape his brother's chest. Wu Dao placed the butterfly in the shelter of his cloak at the base of his neck and continued on as though a man carrying a butterfly on his neck was the most natural thing in the world. The odd thing was, for Wu Dao, it was perfectly normal – the butterfly was no ordinary insect. Rather, it was the spirit of his most beloved Yu Die. Wen Tian smothered a smile behind his hand and sloshed through the rain after his brother.

After a few minutes more of sodden misery, Wu Dao paused in front of a deserted shack. "It isn't the most luxurious of quarters, but it will keep the rain off of us," he mused.

Wen Tian put a hand on his brother's butterfly-free shoulder, "It's more than enough," he said. "You forget that I lived rougher than this for most of my life."

Wu Dao raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulder – the movement hardly more than a twitch – his expression otherwise remaining unchanged. It was incredibly rare for the Dragon Lord to show emotion of any kind, be it humor, anger, or love – the latter being the most rare. Wen Tian hadn't seen his brother's expression change since Yu Die's death a few months before. Not only had Wu Dao not made any signs of progress after the loss of his beloved, but he seemed to be getting worse. But then, Wen Tian thought he could understand his brother's reaction. After all, he thought, I haven't been the same since Yao Yao left, either. Her decision to leave left me just as hollow and empty as Wu Dao. I don't think I'll ever get over her, either. It's almost worse for Wu Dao. I never thought he'd fall in love with anyone, let alone a human. Well, we'll see how things turn out. I can't just leave him alone. And besides; it's not like I have anywhere to go, either.

Wu Dao glanced over his shoulder at his brother, "I am going to get some fruit. You start a fire." Wen Tian nodded, saying nothing. The pair spoke little, if at all. Traveling together was still a bit odd for them, given that until recently they had tried to kill each other every time they saw each other. Glancing in the direction his brother had taken, Wen Tian took out the odd little box Yao Yao had left with him and pressed the side of it, like she had taught him. A sudden light filled the small shack and her face winked suddenly into view on the box. Wen Tian's heart thumped painfully in his chest at the sight of her face. With one hand, he gently traced the shape of her face, a deep and desperate longing twisting his gut.

Wen Tian cleared his throat and wiped a tear from his cheek as he glanced around the small room to see what he might use for kindling. Luck was with him, it seemed; with very little effort, he found enough kindling and sufficiently dry wood to start a respectable fire that was large and warm enough to dry another stack of wood for later use. It seemed that the shack Wu Dao had discovered had been used by travelers before. The previous travelers had considerately left a stack of cut wood near the front door for the next traveler to come along, and Wen Tian resolved to do the same.

Just then, Wu Dao returned. Glancing around, he nodded slightly as he shrugged out of his traveling cloak, hanging it near enough to the fire to dry. Wen Tian stared out the window at the rain, his expression downcast and clouded. Wu Dao watched his half-brother for a moment before sighing heavily, "You miss her very much, don't you?" He asked quietly.

Wen Tian looked up in surprise that his brother had spoken to him at all let alone initiating the conversation. His surprise faded quickly as he studied his brother's nearly-emotionless expression. After nearly two months of traveling with him, Wen Tian had begun to read his brother's expression with more accuracy. Where he had once seen distance and a dispassionate lack of caring, now he saw loneliness and bone-deep sorrow. He supposed that he and his brother had never really understood each other, but Yao Yao and Yu Die had done their level best to draw the two closer together and get them to see each other as brothers for the first time in their lives. Raising n eyebrow and echoing his brother's sigh, Wen Tian nodded, "Yes. I miss her very much. Most days, I find it difficult to breathe, let alone wake up every morning. I find smiling to be all but impossible now."

Wu Dao nodded in understanding, "I feel the same way," he confessed quietly. "Most days I wish I could die so that I could be near to her. But...She wouldn't want that." Wen Tian stayed very still and watched his brother silently – he felt that his brother was trying to make some kind of breakthrough. The Dragon Lord sighed again, "I don't know what I would do if it weren't for you," he all but whispered.

Wen Tian would have thought he'd been hearing things if he his brother hadn't looked pointedly away from him and picked uncomfortably at the hem of his cloak. He smiled slightly after a moment, reaching across the fire to lay a hand on his brother's wrist, "That's what family is for," he said softly. "Even if we can't stand each other most of the time."

A humorous glint sprang into Wu Dao's eyes, which was the closest to laughing the man ever came. The only time Wen Tian had ever seen his brother smile, in fact, was when Yu Die asked him to with her dying breath. "Well, don't let it stoke your ego. Here," he said roughly as he shoved a pair of peached at his brother. "This is all I could find."

Wen Tian smiled and bowed his head respectfully, "These will be more than enough. Thank you. It's a lot better than starving." Wu Dao inclined his head in gracious acceptance of his brother's thanks, and the two fell into a thoughtful silence, neither speaking for the remainder of the night until they went to sleep, both deep in their own memories.

The next morning, the rain had stopped; the brothers packed up their sleeping rolls and the few things they had brought with them. Wen Tian had woken earlier than his brother and chopped some fresh wood from large branches that had fallen over the years, which he stacked by the front door to replace what they had used. By early afternoon, they had made it to a nearby village. Without a word, Wen Tian glanced pointedly at a vendor selling various dried meats and shooting Wu Dao an inquisitive look. Wu Dao nodded and the pair of them strode to the vendor to purchase what they needed. The man greeted them pleasantly enough until he actually looked at them. "Mogui," He whispered – Demon.

Wen Tian and Wu Dao bristled at the word. The Dragon Lord's hand twitched, a violet glow emanating from his clawed hand. Wen Tian laid a cautioning hand on his brother's forearm before holding out his hands in a peaceful gesture towards the vendor, "Peace, friend. We're just looking for some provisions. As soon as we have what we need, we'll be on our way. You have nothing to fear from us."

The man trembled but snatched at the coins the half-demon offered to him, stashing them quickly into his pouch and shoving an amount of dried meat, fruit, and nuts at the two of them (which Wen Tian thought was rather too much for the money he'd given the man) and shoved the half-demon away from his stall, "There. You have your food, now leave and never come back."

Wu Dao raised an eyebrow at the man but let it go, as Wen Tian was already a good distance away. As they headed further into the village, a crowd of people began to gather around them, whispering angrily amongst themselves. A few of the braver souls began to call insults to them, and one foolhardy young man even threw a piece of rotten fruit at Wen Tian's head. Wu Dao's hand snapped up and caught it before it struck his brother and turned to the man, a quiet anger beginning to simmer in his eyes. The man rubbed his hands on his robes, looking distinctly nervous but plucked up his courage anyway, "We don't want your kind here, Mogui. Go back to whatever pit you crawled out of."

Wu Dao made to approach the man, but Wen Tian grabbed him around the chest and restrained him. "I understand," he said quietly, "We were just passing through anyway. Please. Just let us by, and we'll be gone before the sun begins to set."

From behind them, and angry man bellowed, "That's what they always say right before they burn villages down." Angry cries of agreement followed his words, "No. We can't let these things leave alive so they can come back with more of their kind! They'll feed our children to their people and take our women for their own twisted uses. Just look! That one clearly has human blood in him." The anger of the crowd grew as they took a closer look at Wen Tian.

Wu Dao tried to take a step forward, but his brother restrained him more tightly, "Please. We just want to go on our way. We have no one to bring. Please." Suddenly from behind, the man sounded a war-cry. Faster than a breath, Wu Dao had sprung into the air and rolled backwards over his brother's shoulder, landing on his feet and facing their attacker – just in time for the spear the man was holding to pierce his chest. "Wu Dao!" Cried the half-demon.

The man holding the spear froze in terror. "Wu...Wu Dao? You're...you're Wu Dao? The Dragon Lord?" Wu Dao said nothing. Instead, he straightened and yanked the spear first from his chest, then from the man's grasp. "Wait...I...I'm sorry. I didn't realize. I thought...I thought you were just a demon..."

Wu Dao curled his lip in disgust, "Then you should have asked first, shouldn't you?" Without another word, he lunged forward, plunging the pilfered spear so deeply into the man's gut that it burst out his back, leaving the man gasping and sputtering as blood bubbled from his mouth before he collapsed to the ground. "Now. My brother and I wish to pass," he said calmly and the crowd parted easily before them.

Wu Dao continued on as though nothing more than a mildly interesting argument had broken out, leaving his brother to follow after him, glaring. "Why did you do that?" he asked in a hissing whisper, "It barely wounded you, and we both know it. You didn't have to kill the man."

The Dragon Lord made to answer when a sound of feminine despair rent the air behind them. Turning in mild surprise, Wu Dao watched as a heavily pregnant woman rushed from a nearby house and rushed – as much as her belly allowed – to the side of the man on the ground who still lay gasping. She wept over the man as he tried weakly to stroke her hair. Wu Dao watched in bemusement as the woman bent over the man's failing body, her screams of denial and pain filling the air and silencing the growing crowd around them. Wen Tian watched with amazement as first soul-rending pain, then sympathy flitted across his brother's eyes.

Without so much as the twitch of a muscle to change his expression, Wu Dao crossed to the pair and knelt near the man's body. "Woman. Why do you weep?" He asked with genuine curiosity in his eyes.

The woman glared back at him, "He is my husband," she said as though challenging the Dragon Lord.

Wu Dao's brow furrowed as though he was trying to grasp something. "And that means...what, exactly?"

The woman stared at him for a moment, uncertain if he was mocking her. "It means...It means he is mine, and I am his. He is my person for the rest of my life, and I am his. We support and love each other more than anyone else. We raise our children together and grow old together. And in the end, one of us will watch the other die and hold them as they go."

As the woman spoke, Wu Dao's expression changed to one of such immense pain that the woman reached for him instinctively. The moment her hand touched his, tears spilled over and ran down his cheeks. Jerking away from her, he stood and took hold of the spear that was still embedded in the man's gut, freeing it with a mighty tug. Tossing the weapon aside, Wu Dao knelt beside the man and held his hands over the wound, a faint purple glow emanating from them. After a moment's concentration, he nodded slightly and reached into a pouch at his hip. Wrenching the mortally wounded man's head off the ground, Wu Dao shoved a round pellet roughly into the the man's mouth and forced him to swallow it.

Wu Dao's brow furrowed again as his expression changed again to one of surprise as he reached up and wiped the tears from his face. Standing, he offered a hand to the heavily pregnant woman and helped her to her feet. "After three days of rest, he will be in perfect health. You have my word."

The woman burst into tears and flung her arms around Wu Dao's neck, causing him to freeze in discomfort. He stood awkwardly for a long moment until the woman released him. "I'm sorry. You don't seem like a man who is given to emotional displays. I just...I'm just so thankful to you, and relieved that my husband won't be dying today." Wu Dao nodded haltingly and turned on his heel, striding away from the woman. "You lost someone, didn't you?" The woman's words froze him in place. What was her name?"

Wu Dao turned slowly to the woman, his eyes so full of love and loss and heartache that the woman's eyes filled with tears again. "Yu Die," he said in a near-whisper. "Her name was Yu Die." Without another word, Wu Dao walked away, leaving the villagers in stunned silence.

Later that evening as they made camp, Wen Tian glanced over at his brother contemplatively. "You saved that man's life today."

Wu Dao looked up from his task and nodded, "Yes."

"Why?"

Wu Dao's brow furrowed again, "I...I'm not sure," he said haltingly. "I understood her pain. I feel it myself every day that I have to force myself to breathe without her. I wouldn't wish this pain on anyone," he finished quietly with an aching loneliness in his voice.

Wen Tian nodded, "I understand. This whole emotion thing is new for you. Still. I'm proud of you...For what it's worth."

Wu Dao stared at him for a moment with a calculating look in his eye. "Thank you. It means...More than I expected."

Wen Tian smiled and stood to cross to his brother. Laying a hand on Wu Dao's shoulder, he said softly, "Father would be proud, too."

Wu Dao stood and looked his brother in the eye. "Ah. Good night, then," he said awkwardly. The two spoke not a word to each other for three days after the incident at the village.

***Author's Note***

Phew. Well, I hope you're ready for another wild and twisting ride, my dears! This one is bound to throw you through a few loops. ^_^ I'm truly enjoying the creative process on this one. It's providing a welcome rest from my other projects I have going on - I needed a bit of a kickstart for my creativity, I suppose! Well, thank you as ever for reading, my lovelies. Lots of love!

- Lady Darkwind