Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Inuyasha.

Plot: Did you ever wonder why Hiten believed Kagome's story about Inuyasha loving her? Perhaps it was because he was once in love himself a long time ago. Here's the story of his first love.

Author's Notes: Hey there! I love Inuyasha and the many characters in his world. I've read many Inuyasha fanfics and wanted to try my hand at one. If there are things that are off, FORGIVE ME! I'm just an American trying to write a story! Yeah, I know that's no excuse. Sorry. Well, onto the story!

Hiten's First Love


Chapter One

"I dare you, Taka, to go to the forest of Inuyasha and take a strand of his hair."

Taka gazed steadily at her sister Ami, carefully thinking over the dare. Several seconds passed before she stirred.

"We've already done that, Ami," she said in low tones. They were outside, yes, but their father Nabutaka was nearby. He didn't know about his daughters' escapades and Taka preferred to keep it that way. Their father's heir, Kihoku (A/N: if this is not a Japanese name, forgive me), was away visiting one of their father's vassals, so they didn't have to worry about him for the next few days unless he did something insulting. Kihoku was brought up to their household when he was 14 and grew up beside Taka and Ami. He was like their brother, but soon Nabutaka separated them to teach Kihoku in war.

She wanted to do something else for a change…something dangerous. Her time was running out. Her father had decreed that she be betrothed or married by the end of summer. Already, she had received offers, but her father had declined those.

Taka wanted to choose for herself if she had to marry, not for alliances. It was her life, not her father's. Ah, such was the life of a demon! It was all about alliances and power. Taka didn't want anymore of that life. It was fun when she was just a young demon, but now that she was older and understood the struggles better, she wanted no more.

Ami tossed her dark hair over her shoulder, green eyes flashing. "What do you suggest then? It's not as if we have many choices, especially you."

Taka held back a snarl at Ami's pointed comment. Ami was lucky, being three years younger than she was, but it wouldn't be long until their father decided to offer her to one of his allies. Taka had often heard him say the eldest daughter was for gaining more allies, the youngest for cementing another alliance. It would be a few more years before Ami would be given to one of their father's supporters.

"Well," Taka began, using a reluctant tone. "I was thinking more of daring you to go to the Thunder Mountains."

Ami gasped, her shaking hand covering her mouth. Shock glowed in her wide green eyes. She shook her head, her black hair moving seemingly of its own accord. "You are crazy, Taka. You know that territory is forbidden. The demons there are our enemies! If Father ever found out about it, he'd kill us both!"

Taka smiled. She turned her head to the side, giving her profile to Ami. She nurtured an innocent expression and teased, "Are you afraid, sister dear, of the Thunder clan? Scared they'll fry you to a crisp?"

Ami's gaze spat green fire and Taka had a moment's warning before Ami launched herself at her. Taka threw herself to the side and Ami fell to the grass. Growling, Ami rolled towards her, blue fire dancing along her fingers. Taka scrambled out of the way as a small zigzag of white-blue lightning snapped at the spot she was at, cracking like a whip or thunder. Ami thrust her hand at Taka; white lightning flew from her fingertips. Taka raised her hand to ward off the attack. Ami's attack crashed against her palm, a tingling sensation she wanted to rub away.

Taka threw her own lightning and hit the edge of Ami's kimono. Burnt silk filled the air and Ami raised the crisped sleeve to eye level. She gazed at it in disbelief. Then she turned her shocked eyes to Taka. "I can't believe you did that! You never burned any of my clothes before. Just wait until Father sees this!"

She shrugged off Ami's threat. "I'm not afraid of Father. Besides, serves you right, Ami, for thinking you could play rough with me this time."

Ami scoffed. "If you're so brave, I dare you to go to the Thunder Mountains."

"Done." Taka rose to leave.

"Wait!" Ami hissed. Taka looked down at her. "How do I know you'll really go? How do I know if you just take off for a few hours and return, saying you went?"

"When have I ever cheated on a dare?" Taka asked innocently. There was no way she'd not go through with this one. It was too tempting. When else would she ever do something like this again? Taka sighed heavily. "What proof do you want?"

Ami frowned lightly as she thought about it. "I've heard there is a lake just below the mountains there. The rock surrounding the lake is a distinctive forest green. Get a rock for me there after you've jumped in the lake."

Taka felt her eyes go wide at this added step. She couldn't control it, but she managed to regain her composure. She nodded. "Fine. A rock for you after I go for a swim. You know the routine, right?"

"Yes. Tell Father you went to visit Grandmother for a while, but you'll be back before sundown. I know, I know. You've only used it a hundred times," Ami grumbled.

"It works," was all Taka said. She summoned a cloud and hopped on it, felt it propel her to the north. She looked ahead to the mountain outline on the horizon. A thrill of danger went through her and she shivered. Nervousness pervaded her mind, but Taka took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

The mountains got closer. Taka took to thinking about the demons that lived atop the peaks, close to the sky, rather like her family. They were like her family, able to manipulate lightning, thunder, rain, etc. They despised humans completely as hers did. Both her family and theirs had much in common, but they were enemies. Taka had never really heard the story, just something about territory and a young female demon.

She shook her head. It was possible she would never find out the entire story at all. Taka didn't feel any remorse about that. It didn't affect her and probably never would, so why should she care? It's not as if a reconciliation or alliance would happen any time soon. Her father would rather die than allow any such thing to happen.

Taka looked up and saw how close she was to the mountains. She moved closer to the ground so she would not be noticed easily. She could do her dare in half an hour, even less than that. Her cousins had once been to that lake. She'd made them tell her where it was. Ami didn't know that little fact.

The green rock came quickly into sight. Her heart began to pound, adrenalin rushed through her. The lake was a deep sapphire blue, rivaling the brilliance of any real sapphire. The cloud stopped above the bank of the lake and Taka jumped down. She didn't have to look to know the cloud immediately dissipated.

She crouched down and took careful survey of the area. Nothing was amiss. The natural world continued on as usual, caught up in its own struggles. It seemed like minutes before Taka moved. She had taken care to land on the side where the forest hugged the shoreline but was close enough to the green rock. The added bonus was an outcropping of rock jutting out like a small peninsula. She looked around again before beginning to disrobe. Her kimono was of simple design, needing no other help but her own.

Taka hung her kimono on a low hanging branch and took her hair down. Then she stepped towards the water naked. Taking a deep breath, she jumped in. Water surged around her, pressing at her. She came up for air, gasping.

"Cold, cold, cold," she muttered. Taka smoothed her hair back and moved further out from shore. The water didn't seem so bad now. She did a few strokes and flipped onto her back. The sky was wonderfully clear. Taka turned over then and dove beneath the surface. The lake was also clear. She caught silvery glimpses of fish and smiled.

She surfaced and sighed. It was peaceful here. If not for the Thunder clan, she'd come here often. She backstroked for a while, thinking about a number of things she wished she could do before she married. Her father would soon pick someone out. In fact, it wasn't often she got away on her own. Kihoku kept a close watch over her and Ami for their father.

He needs a wife, she thought. Kihoku was 23, five years older than she was. Now, yes, they were young, but battles for territory were always happening and new battlefield fodder was always needed. People of her clan used to live to 200 years at least, but that was rare now.

Taka shook her head. Peace was a story, a myth, to her. She had never known peace. It could never be realized. There were too many conflicting interests to allow peace to prevail. Her father ruled with the sword and an iron will.

She glanced at the sun and decided to get out. It would be a while before she was dry enough to pull her clothes on and it would be safer if she waited. Her father would no doubt punish her if he saw her in damp clothing. Taka swam towards shore and walked out, wringing her hair. A slight breeze came from the east, raising goose bumps on her skin. She shivered reflexively and crossed her arms.

Spotting the grassy part of the bank, she went over and rolled around to dry more quickly. Her wet hair rubbed against the delicate skin of her back strangely. She had never done that—the rolling on the grass, not the wet hair—before, but Kihoku had done it. He'd told her when he still acted like a caring brother to her, telling her stories and protecting her, before war and her father burned it out of him.

Taka padded over to where her clothes hung. She could feel her hair swinging past her hips. She stepped into the trees just as a clap of thunder boomed across the clear sky. Gasping, she whirled around and scanned the skies. Dark storm clouds bloomed from the east. Flashes of lightning flickered in the darkness.

Oh no, the Thunder clan!

Snatching her kimono from the tree branch, she struggled into it, conscious the entire time of the thunder coming closer by the second. Taka fumbled with the belt tie. Her fingers stumbled, but she managed to tie it. She grabbed the silk tie for her hair and tied it back.

A clap of thunder nearly flattened her to the ground, but she kept her footing. There was a brilliant flash of lightning, reminding her she wasn't without a weapon. She'd use her lightning bolts if she had to. Taka concentrated on breathing steadily, remembering what Kihoku's instructions. She couldn't afford to hesitate in the face of an enemy. She had to strike first and last.

Suddenly, she heard laughter. Taka peered through the bushes, hiding her.

"Manten, you'll never learn to swim if you don't come out farther!" someone yelled. "Come on! Don't be scared!"

"Brother Hiten, stop!" someone else yelled.

Taka stared at the two boys. One was treading water. As far as she could tell, he was naked. The other, much larger and homely-looking, stood knee deep in the water wearing a strip of cloth around his waist; that must be the one called Manten. Her gaze went to the other, Hiten, who was more human looking than Manten. He was taunting, "Come, Manten. I won't let you drown…much!"

He threw his head back and laughed aloud. He must have stopped moving because he plunged below the surface. He came up spluttering. Manten laughed and pointed. "Perhaps you should learn to swim!"

"I swim a lot better than you, idiot!"

"Idiot?" Manten yelled. "Who are you calling an idiot? Come out and say that to my face, Hiten!"

"I am saying it to your face," Hiten yelled back.

Taka carefully stepped back. Now was her chance to make her getaway. She could still hear them yell at each other. She backed up slowly, looking behind her to make sure she didn't step on anything, but it was too much to wish for. Her foot found a twig and before she could stop herself, her full weight came down upon it.

The snap broke the air and Hiten and Manten stopped yelling. She heard splashes as Hiten rushed out, no doubt, and Taka whirled around to find a hiding place. She fell to her knees and crawled beneath low hanging branches, squeezing herself against a boulder surrounded by bushes. She fought to control her breathing.

"Do you see anything over there, Brother?" Manten asked, his voice wasn't that close.

"Nothing," came Hiten's reply. His voice was much closer. Taka held her breath when she saw feet walking towards her hiding place. A spot of color caught her eye. It was a blue strip of silk, lying on the ground. Only then did she notice her hair was loose. Taka prayed he wouldn't look down.

He came closer. Her heart was in her throat, its beat in her ears, as she watched his left foot come down right on top of it. Taka cursed silently when he stopped. He crouched down. She looked away when his…male parts came into view. He was still naked!

Taka heard his intake of breath and couldn't help but look. Crimson eyes stared at her in shock. He was holding her blue silk hair tie in his hand. The thing that struck her the most was how handsome he was. Then she mentally berated herself. This was an enemy of her father, hence of her. That was no way to be thinking about him like that.

"Brother Hiten, I don't see anything over here. I think it must have been an animal." Manten's voice was coming closer. She jerked and Hiten glanced over his shoulder, then back at her. She started when he winked at her.

"Yeah, I think so, too," Hiten said, getting to his feet. Taka looked away before she could get a glimpse of his thing.

"I'm going back home. Going to the lake's not fun with you anyway," Manten pouted. "You're always making fun of me."

"Whatever. Do what you want. I'm going to swim a little more." Hiten moved away.

She didn't hear a reply from Manten, just a growl of thunder. A few seconds later, he came back. "Come on out. Slowly."

Taka felt a charged energy in the air and struggled to guess which power he wielded, and then realized it wasn't doing anything for her nerves. She crept out, slowly, just as he said. Then he added, "Now stand up."

She tensed, building her energy to strike. Slowly, she stood to her full height, and looked him in the eye defiantly. Hiten had pulled on loose-fitting pants and was holding a sword. He had broad shoulders and muscle-toned chest, which was bare. His hips were lean and his legs were long. She caught sight of his hair in a long braid. She glanced at his gold earpieces. Somehow, they didn't detract from his looks.

"Well, well," he said. "What have we here?" He looked her up and down. "I've never seen you before. Who are you?"

Should she tell him her name, or fake it? Regarding him closely, she figured it didn't matter. "Taka."

"Taka." Then he said it again, as if trying to taste it. "Taka. I don't believe you're from around here, are you? Yeah, you're from the clan to the south, aren't you? What the hell are you doing this far north? This is our territory."

"I…I got lost and saw this lake. Thought it would be a good place to rest—" Taka broke off when he brought the sword up. She tensed even more, ready to attack.

"Don't lie to me," Hiten growled, moving his sword even closer to her throat.

With a cry, she brought her hands up and threw a huge bolt of lightning at him, taking care to aim at the ground to drive him back. Taka summoned a cloud and leapt upon it, throwing another lightning bolt at Hiten. He had no chance to retaliate. She sped away, faster than she'd ever gone before. Looking back, she saw him get to his feet, staring after her, a strip of blue hanging from his hand.

So, what did you all think? I need loyal reviewers to give me suggestions on what's wrong with the storyline, but reviews on how you liked it are also appreciated!

—TG