Within Darkness
Chapter 1
The night was quiet, the land lit only by the stars and crescent moon. A single large mass moved across the land toward the Castle of the Stars.
Amaya jolted up in bed she had been given. A cold sweat covered her body from her nightmare. She had been taken in by Togaou, who ruled over the Western Lands. It had only been two weeks since the night when Amaya lost everything she knew and cared for. She attempted to sleep through the night during those two weeks, but nightmares kept her up.
Amaya looked around and realized where she was. She stood from her futon and left her room. The night was quiet, much like that fateful night, but it was the full moon that provided most of the light. She still felt out of place within the Castle of the Moon; it did not feel like home to her. She had attempted to acclimate herself to her new surroundings, but still felt out of place.
Amaya walked along the platform walkway and listened to the nightlife. There were soldiers patrolling, but they ignored her for the most part. They were accustomed to Amaya's late night wanderings and kept a semi-watchful eye on her.
Amaya kept her wanderings to inside the palace walls, still feeling safer within than without. Then she stopped, having caught a scent that was new to her.
"So, you are the one that my mate found," Amaya heard. "What is your name?"
"Amaya."
"An odd name for my mate's mistress."
Amaya was hit with a wave of tears. Then anger hit just as quickly as the tears.
"I'm no one's mistress, so do not accuse me as such. I am the Lady of the East and I demand respect."
"Lady? Hardly. Perhaps a servant."
"Sakura," a male voiced said.
The elder female turned and saw her mate standing there. He approached both Sakura and Amaya, but stood at Amaya's side.
"You will do well to give Amaya the respect she deserves as the Lady of the East," he said.
Amaya looked at Togaou. It was the first time she saw the Lord of the Western Lands.
"She is a runt, my love," Sakura said. "You should get rid of her."
"No, Sakura. I will be raising Amaya as if she was my own daughter."
Sakura glared at Amaya before she left. Amaya looked at Togaou.
"Sakura is threatened by you," he said.
"She called me your mistress."
"You did well in words against her. Come, you should go to bed."
Amaya did not argue when Togaou escorted her back to her chamber.
Hours later, Amaya emerged from her chamber fully dressed and ready for the day. She made her way to the private dining room where Togaou and Sakura were already sitting.
"Good morning, Amaya," Togaou greeted.
"Morning, Togaou."
Sakura looked at Amaya, expecting a greeting as well. Amaya ignored Sakura when a servant placed food infront of the young Ryuu.
"Amaya, where are your manners," Sakura asked.
"Where are yours? I do not do well with those with such bad manners."
"Such bad manners towards the Lady of the West. You must be feral."
"I'm not feral," Amaya shouted. She had straighten on her knees, hands slammed on the table. "I"m the Lady of the Eastern Lands."
"You're too young to be ruling taiyoukai."
"Sakura," Togaou spoke before Sakura could continue. "Amaya is the only daughter of Kiyoshi, the now late Lord of the East."
Amaya stood and left the table. She could not handle the aggressiveness of Sakura and the calm, yet dominate, Togaou. She silently left the room.
Outside, Amaya walked along a garden path and plucked an apple from a tree. She bit into it and began to feel calm again. She had a garden like the one she was walking through in the Castle of the Stars. The youngest of four children, Amaya had always been the most sensitive of them. The Eastern Lands were ruled by a type of dragon demon that legend said that came from the coupling of heaven and earth: the Spirit Dragons.
When Amaya was a child, Kiyoshi realized that of his four offspring, Amaya was the most sensitive to spirits. She had just begun training with her older brothers when the unknown black mass attacked the castle.
She felt a spirit nearby and looked around to locate the body. One a covered walkway stood a man dressed in white baggy pants and a white haori that had red at the ends of the sleeves that reached about two feet from the end and a red design on the left shoulder. On the right shoulder of the male was some sort of white fluff; similar to Togaou's own. Amaya bit into the apple, keeping her gaze on the unknown man. Finally, he approached her.
"Who are you," he asked.
"Amaya of the Eastern Lands. You?"
"Sesshomaru, the son of Lord Togaou." Amaya nodded. "I expected a better sign of respect..."
"I'm the daughter of Lord Kiyoshi," Amaya interrupted. "I'm already getting that attitude from Sakura. I do not need it from the lord's bratty son."
Sesshomaru began to raise a hand to strike at Amaya, but stayed it. He saw something in her eyes, but could not describe it.
"You two have met. Good," the two young taiyoukai heard. Both turned their heads and saw Togaou standing there. "Sesshomaru, will you please show Amaya around? She will be staying with us for some time."
"Of course, Father."
Amaya followed Sesshomaru without a word.
"The dojo," Sesshomaru told Amaya. "You are forbidden to enter the dojo."
"Then how am I to train? I had full access to the dojo in the East."
"You have no need for training. Women of our status have no need to be in battle."
"You don't know who exactly ruled over the Eastern Lands, do you," Amaya asked.
"The Ryuu."
"Not only the Ryuu, but the Konjou Ryuu. You see, Sesshomaru, it's my duty and responsibility to take up arms."
Amaya had been told that taking up arms was only part of her duty as a Spirit Dragon. Amaya looked at Sesshomaru and saw that he may not have expected her response.
"You are a Konjou Ryuu? They were wiped out mere weeks ago," Sesshomaru argued.
"Lord Togaou found me and brought me here. You will have to ask him how he found me," Amaya replied.
"You do not remember?"
Amaya looked down. "I remember... flashes of the attack. Before the flashes, three older brothers, loving parents, and a home that was warm and welcoming."
Amaya felt a hand on a shoulder and looked up to see Seeshomaru looking some what sadly at her. She did not know what he was thinking since up until that point, he was uncaring and cold toward her.
"I am sorry you lost your family, Amaya," he said. "I would be honored to continue your sword training."
"Why the sudden change? Two minutes ago, you told me the dojo's forbidden to me. Now you're offer training."
"I see something in you. Come, we can begin now."
Amaya watched Sesshomaru climb the three stairs into the dojo before he turned and looked at her. That look told Amaya to follow him into the dojo. She climbed the stairs and entered the dojo.
"Take a sword of your choice," Sesshomaru instructed.
"There's so many. How can I?"
Amaya looked at Sesshomaru after she had stopped and looked at some of the swords.
"Stand before me."
Amaya did so and watched Sesshomaru circle her, as if he was measuring and judging her. Finally, he walked over to a wall and removed a sword from where it rested. He returned to stand in front of Amaya and presented the sword to her.
"This will be yours until such time Father presents you with another," he told her.
Amaya accepted the sword from Sesshomaru and felt the weight of it. It was not the actual sword that was heavy; it was the power instilled within it.
"Father said that the sword never responded to him," Sesshomaru told Amaya as she studied it. "He said that it was made for a special kind of Ryuu."
Amaya studied the sword she had accepted from Sesshomaru and felt the power that resided in it.
"Did he name it," she asked.
"No."
Amaya did not speak so she could search for a name for the sword. She felt the familiar power of the spirit that stemmed from heaven and the less familiar, yet known, power of the earth.
"Kenkon," Amaya named the sword.
Amaya half expected Sesshomaru to question the name, but found that he only went for another sword.
0o
Togaou had been walking near the dojo when he heard the clash of swords. He walked to the door and found Sesshomaru and Amaya sparring. At first, Togaou though that Sesshomaru was attempting to kill Amaya. Yet when Togaou continued to watch, he saw that Amaya knew the basics of swordplay. Which told the Lord that Amaya had just begun her training before the fall of the Eastern Lands. Togaou walked into the dojo, which caused Sesshomaru to end his attack before he finished it.
"She wished to spar, Father," Sesshomaru said. "I did not see the harm in doing so."
"Liar. Sesshomaru told me that the dojo was forbidden to me."
"I see. Sesshomaru." Togaou looked at his son.
"That was before I was informed of what she is, Father."
"And what have you learned about Amaya?"
Amaya remained silent while the two had their talk. She now waited to hear what Sesshomaru learned.
"That she is a Konjou Ryuu. And that the sword you found reacted to her," Sesshomaru answered.
Togaou looked at Amaya. "Really? And what do you have to say about that?"
"I don't have a problem with Sesshomaru knowing."
"That's good. Come, Amaya. I wish to speak with you."
Amaya handed Kenkon back to Sesshomaru, who replaced it where he retrieved it. Amaya joined Togaou as he left the dojo.
"I see that you and Sesshomaru gotten along well for your first meeting," Togaou said. "Better than Sakura."
"I think it was because she saw me as a threat to her position," Amaya offered.
"She said as much. I told her of the circumstances of how you came to be here. I told her than you were staying for the foreseeable future."
"Are you sure, Lord Togaou?"
"There'll be none of that from you. You're part of my family now."
Amaya was not sure what to say to that. She had lost all her family a fortnight ago and had believed that she would not gain even an adopted one.
"I don't know what to say, Lord Togaou," she said.
"You can start by calling me Father."
Amaya stopped and looked at Togaou, who turned and faced Amaya with a smile.