A/N: I want to write a fairy tale! :)
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Chapter 1
The emblem was swimming and soaring tall against the dry howling winds, soaking in the shades of brilliant evening haze, floating among the pristine clouds, as a symbol, as a hope, as their pride and strength manifested in the phizog of the silver dog, engraved in the richest of satin threads. The plateau was raised in a level above which the mighty Moon Palace was perched high, strong and impeccable.
The menacing sound of marching drums cleared the silent whispers that were exchanged in the brazen royal arena. The waft cleared the desert's dust, an unnatural serenity seeped through the pores of every being, commanding silence and resulting in the demanded stillness. The natives bowed and was already in their knees, heads declined with the needed reverence, an arm across their mighty chest, palm fisted on their beating heart as a silent pledge, an honour to serve their Prince, their home warrior, strong and ruthless as a destined leader, their future King, the dictator who would lead them to the prophesied path of light.
The Western Heir stood tall in the middle of the well raised gallery, his regal white kimono flowing wild, ruffling and fighting the evening blows as the burning Sun sank in to the ocean lighting the crystal sheen of the water in a perfect mass of gold, the blazing orange luminance sketched an edge of halo over his long silvery tress, beautifying the length of each streaks. His armour was dark, spiky, unyielding and covered his chiselled chest with the same mighty dog as an insignia above his heart. His sword was already drawn out, the blades shining under the incandescent brightness shouting the devilish sharpness of the silvered weapon.
The opponent was a being of bulk muscles; the bear demon was much taller than the Prince. The large demon swung a lengthy sword fitted in a crimson hilt in his right and his left palm had a short knife hooked in what could be defined as a manner of precision. His malevolent eyes gazed over his Prince and smirked, the smug, the mocking that oozed out from the black demon didn't go unnoticed by Sesshomaru. His thin brows narrowed in an unwritten threat, his golden eyes gleamed with excitement, his fangs in a perfect sneer, his claws itching to draw the blood of his opponent.
The drum's roar ceased and the spectators cheered aloud to commence the fight. The two warriors came close and bowed in a complete grace to start the much awaited game. A minute of silence rolled by, an eerie calmness encased, both calculating their hidden weaknesses and formulating mental strategies and then there was a blinding war cry with clashes of swords.
Every move of Prince Sesshomaru was an art to be lusted over, his muscles under the silk danced in a determined accuracy, his crouches and blows were graceful and spontaneous that could put other warriors, demons, to shame. The spars of the sharp blades were like a composed rhythm, the clangs swam across the anxious zephyr, rising above the cheers, drums and curses.
The royal family was placed on the raised up decorated balcony to view the sporting event. The curved fences were adorned with creepers of softest red flowers, glowing under the evening light, waiting to be shed as victory petals on the mane of the Prince. It was a custom to conduct this event before the accreditation of the Crown Prince. And the Royal family was almost ecstatic that evening. Well except for one, that is!
Inuyasha was bored to the core, he was leaning across the brick wall, his arms were crossed, a lazy grin pasted on his face when the maids near blushed on seeing his flexing muscles ripping beneath his red silk robes.
"Inuyasha, we all know you are the man that all the women are after, but could you just for once leave them out and start taking things seriously. This is a royal event" Inukimi stated, her voice was like a pricking ice and her eyes never left the fight that went below. She gave a sharp annoyed look at the maids who lusted after her step son and they fled almost instantly with shivering legs. The Queen just couldn't understand how the brothers were this shockingly different from each other.
But according to her mate, they weren't that alarmingly different. He had a point though, the boys of hers were one hell of a powered up female magnets, and the dangers were always drawn to them with no hesitation of whatsoever. The whole castle had to be rebuilt at least twice and no, they don't fight with each other that often like her subjects believed, also, they rarely join hands as allies even though they share a DNA, but when they do, there is chaos, fiasco and a maddening ordeal.
"Feh! And we all do know that Sesshomaru is gonna win the stupid fight. If you want a real fight, you should have allowed me to compete against him" He said, the sly look in his face was almost spontaneous and his claws edged the ends of his inherited silver strands. He heard a sigh from his sire, the King and dutifully closed his trap without further ado.
He knew that the comment was low, but he was bored and he just couldn't understand the concept of the whole fight. What was the point of the match if they all knew who the winning demon was gonna be? He wished he could go back in time and hunt all the ugly retarded old flea bags that had formed all these rules that precisely defined the word 'stupidity'. The most hated rule was that the heirs of the King aren't supposed to compete against each other unless it was a direct challenge to the throne.
Inuyasha hated responsibilities and he would any time gladly step aside with all his heart to give his half brother the full access to the crown. To be honest, he had formed a list that dealt with the very fact in why the role of king wouldn't suit him. The first point being, 'the stupid crown hurts my damn ears!'. Sesshomaru had called him an idiot, Inuyasha had answered back with 'Sesshomaru is a walking dead with a silver spoon stuck in his ass' and the whole name calling battle started and Inutaisho, the King, had to leave his political meeting with an embarrassed apology and deal with the little match that the brothers had organised between themselves.
Let's just say, that the day ended up with a threat from their father that shook their very bone and fibre. The threat being, 'If you both don't shut the damn trap in your face, I will shave both of your heads and apply the smelly potions from the witches that would keep you both bald for eternity!'
They had promptly nodded, bowed and walked to their respective wings with no more noise or breath. It was a fine night in the end, there was silence and peace which was rather unusual in the moon palace, and the natives almost called it a 'day of blessed'. It was official! Few even wept with uncontrollable joy.
"Inuyasha, for one night, act like a prince. We would be having visitors from the North after this fight and I want you to be in a proper behaviour for once!" Inutaisho whispered, his tone hushed and harsh.
"Fine, fine, I will wear a new set of under wears if that is what you mean. So who is visiting?" He asked, his eyes drenched in a wicked glint. He got a much needed stab in his chest from the elbows of his Queen.
"Ow, Maa! What was that for?" He asked, rubbing his now bruised lungs.
"If you lay even one finger on the visiting ladies, I would personally rip your heart out and paint the whole palace with it" She threatened and Inuyasha winced. His birth mother had passed away years ago when he was a toddler and for some reason that he couldn't fathom, the cold Queen of West had raised him as her own pup. He gave her the respect that she was supposed to be given.
"I wasn't planning to. Maybe you should just run the condition by Sesshomaru too. We all know that he would be power drunk by the night and would do as he pleased." Inuyasha smirked. He knew his brother well than anyone else in the palace. He would be a head weighed dog with victory crowning his head and would demand the world to lick his feet.
"He had his fair share of lessons in etiquette class. He wouldn't step away from his duties and bring a degrading name to the West." Inutaisho stated. The match had come to an end with a dramatic whip and a boom. The Prince emerged and the crowd went absolutely mad, shouting the name of Sesshomaru.
'Oh, that smug bastard!' Inuyasha cursed and smiled at the same time. He hated the guts of his brother but he respected him as a warrior, who was an occasional ally, not that he would tell that out loud, of course. He grinned and winked when his half brother caught his eyes. The act was returned discreetly by Sesshomaru who had his head held high; his sword was raised offering a silent gratitude to the heavens above.
"Your Majesty" A soldier in blue reached the royal alcove carrying a message in a silk scroll.
"The visitors have arrived" The King informed his family and strolled towards the main hall to welcome them. Inukimi nodded and followed her mate, all the while giving Inuyasha a warning look.
"Feh!" He muttered under his breath ignoring the cruel scaring implied threat from the Queen and jumped over the railings to call for his brother.
"So, did you jump over to finally kneel down and accept that I'm the best?" Sesshomaru had a look of pride painted over his face and Inuyasha wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk with his claws. It's been days since he had used his moves on his brother and his claws almost begged to bath in the scarlet flow of the full demon.
"Oh dear brother, have you finally gone lunatic?" Inuyasha sneered, his eyes smiling with a defined glee. The crowds have moved out, not wanting to be a part of anything that arises between the half brothers. They didn't have a death wish and they certainly didn't want to be caught only to be produced in the court as witnesses to the impending doom.
"Maybe you should just attend lessons on 'How to be sarcastic', because your reply honestly isn't worth any come back" The eldest walked away with a raised brow and a swift turn. He knew Inuyasha would curse out loud and he didn't want to ruin the evening of his victory by indulging in a petty fight that would conclude with a smack on his head from his father.
"Maybe you should go for some lessons or I could just give you some tips. Anyways, I was just wondering if your mangy brain would know anything about the visitors from the North? "The hanyou asked, his eyes scanning for any visible sign of recognition from the Crown Prince.
"Yes I do know and you would have known about it if you had attended your daily sessions instead of spending your time in dark alcoves with your filthy hands wrapped around-"
"Okay, now can we just get past the comment about my daily activities and get to the tasks at hand about who are the dear visitors that our old man is tensed about?" Inuyasha asked before Sesshomaru could go on about his love life.
'Honestly, is it too much to ask for some privacy around this damn palace?' The hanyou wondered, gritting his teeth.
"The Visitors are from The North, majority being humans, lead by a miko who is considered to be special." Sesshomaru said ignoring the gritting from his younger brother. He almost smirked, his lips twitched when he realised that he had hit the sore spot. He was just as playful and good with the ladies as Inuyasha was, but the Hanyou lacked in what could be called as 'secrecy and discreet'.
"Miko? What is so special about this miko?" Inuyasha asked, following his brother towards the confines of their palace.
"We would know if we attend the scheduled meeting. Come little brother, it's time to learn diplomacy and deal signings" Sesshomaru declared strolling away to the main hall. He was equally intrigued and the incredulity on the rumours about the miko had left him sleepless. He was in need of many answers and he was sure he would be getting them by tonight.
"Feh!" Inuyasha mumbled but stopped his negation when he spotted a raven haired girl in the midst of a crowded foyer.
'Hmm the evening wouldn't be a waste after all' he delightfully decided and smirked when her eyes met his.
~.~.~
