From Wonderful to Powerful
No Regrets
Inu Tasho was huddled over various scrolls which littered his once pristine War Room table. He reread many of the same scrolls while awaiting the arrival of his councilmen before going to war. The mood of the room was ominous as the windows were covered to be hidden from sunlight and the Great Lord sat in his chair with his head in his hands. He knew this was going to be his final battle. After the death of his Queen, Inu Tasho had received a message from a Seer stating that he would indeed kill his lovers' murderer, but in doing so, his beast would have no want of this land anymore. Inu Tasho knew this was the day the in which the Seer spoke of, but that was not what had the Great Lord in such an ominous mood. It was his son, Sesshomaru.
A knock on the door alerted the Great Lord that his councilmen had finally arrived. Alas, maybe now he may die with peace in his heart.
"Come in, we haven't time to spare." He spoke as the doors opened to his darkly lit War Room. The sliver of light the hallway let in shadowed the silhouettes of three male demons, only the most trusted members of the council had been called.
"What is the meaning of this secret meeting, Inu Tasho!" asked his most trusted and oldest friend, Dasuike. "We are on the brink of war just outside the castle walls and you wish to pull this?" exclaimed the fox demon as he slammed the Great Lord's note on the War Rooms' table.
"Patience Dasuike, our Great Lord has never been a rash man. Give the Inu time to explain and I am sure your control will be well worth it." purred Koyato, a neko demon. He was new to the council but his patience and unyielding loyalty to the Great Inu Lord had allowed him to quickly become a most treasured and trusted councilman.
"Why are we denying Sesshomaru the throne?" questioned the last councilman, an Inu like the Great Lord, but from a different blood line. Toran gave a sideways glance to Inu Tasho before he leaned over the table some more and continued to read the scrolls that lay there. The two demons gave a shocked look between Inu Tasho and Toran.
"Please sit and all will be explained." Inu Tasho said as he stretched his arms open towards the chairs forgotten behind them. Inu Tasho took a minute to think of how best to explain the situation. "Sesshomaru is a powerful demon, especially at his age, and can easily over power many demons older than him. I am proud to say that I believe he will continue to become one of the more powerful demons this century has ever seen. I fear, however, that I will not be there to teach him to use power for the good of his people instead of simply growing greed over control. I do not want to leave my people at the hands of an unruly dictator simply because he means to be as much my opposite as possible. Ever since I choose a human as my mate, I have noticed the hate that grows within him. I do not mean to deny my son his birthright, I simply wish to protect my people until he is worthy of being a great ruler. He has honor so he will not go against my wishes – even in death. All I need is you to approve the trials and requirements I wish to be complete before he can truly be the one and only Lord of my Lands." Inu Tasho in stone-faced determination to see this done before the battle began - and his life ended.
After an hour of debate, they all signed the approved scroll and made one final vow to their Great Lord, Inu Tasho. The battle lasted all into the night and just as the first rays of sunlight hit the battlefield, a final roar sounded throughout all the land – the Lord had won the battle. As his men ran to their leader, they saw his Inu leave his body, a symbol of death, and a sense of peace washed over the field. They knew their Great Lord was gone, but he left with no regrets. A claim few had.