Land of the Ravens

Chapter 1- The forest

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, the Inu-yasha characters do not belong to me, they belong to the great Rumiko Takahashi. However, Yuka and Rai DO belong to me!

Running through the Forest, she had to find him, but who? She didn't know, but she had a feeling that he was in trouble, he needed her help. A scream, her scream, why was she screaming? Golden-brown eyes, starring at her, full of pain. She screamed again and sat up, in bed. "Just another dream." She sighed as she got out of bed.

"YUKA!" A male voice said through her door, "Hurry up girl the Western Lord and his sons will be here any minute!" Yuka groaned, 'I have been up for hours waiting on them to arrive! Can I help it if I pass out from boredom?' She thought to herself, but managed to keep from talking aloud.

Yuka had dreaded this day for three years, on her fifteenth birthday. That's when the decision had first been made; she had no say in who she would marry. That decision had already been made for her, Inu-yasha.

Just when Yuka was starting to have feelings for him, Inu-taisho, Inu-yasha's father, was having second thoughts. He was beginning to wonder if he should, instead of Inu-yasha, marry her to Sesshomaru, his elder son. This was the reason for their visit, it was now her eighteenth birthday, she was now of age.

This angered Yuka to no end, she did not wish to wed the elder brother. No one cared; she was just a pawn to them, useful only in bringing the two clans together.

Yuka sighed as she picked her favorite kimono up off her bed; it had been her mother's wedding Kimono. She sighed again, as she refolded the pure-silk kimono," I will follow my heart, just as you did, mother" Yuka looked in the mirror as she went to leave her room. She was wearing a blood red kimono, which depicted a raven in mid-flight, just below her knees. Her Obi was as dark blue as the midnight sky. It was the only kimono that Inu-yasha liked, and her father requested that she wear it.

Yuka walked out of her room, "Oh, well" She said, and made her way outside. To her surprise, they were already there, and seemed to have been kept waiting. "About time you got out here…" Yuka heard one of them mutter. She knew who it was, "hello to you too, Inu-yasha" 'good' she thought, 'no emotion on my face, or in my voice'.

A long silence fell upon the group as Yuka and Inu-yasha began to glare at each other. Yuka's father, Rai, was the one to break the silence. "Why don't we go inside? I believe that breakfast is fixed by now." Yuka hung back as the others went inside. She wanted to speak with Inu-yasha, and now would be their only chance for privacy.

"Inu-yasha, may I speak with you for a moment?" Yuka did not like the way that her voice sounded so weak with that question, but it managed to get his attention and he stopped. Inu-yasha's ears perked up with that question, 'Is she going to chose me over Sesshomaru?' He had always liked Yuka; he just couldn't stand the way that she would drift off into her own thoughts all the time.

"Yuka, is this going to be the same conversation as last time? I've already told you that I would let you keep your freedom." To add emphasis to his words, he took two steps backwards, away from her. Yuka took two steps towards him at the same time, "Inu-yasha, I know this, but I have no say in the matter! Our fathers' are the ones who will have the last say in this, not us!" Yuka had not noticed that she was raising her voice, or that he was getting closer.

Inu-yasha wrapped his arms around Yuka, and held her against his chest. "Don't worry, nothing is going to happen." Inu-yasha could smell the tears when Yuka began to sob quietly against him. Yuka jumped she heard a growl rumble through his chest, she looked up to see him glaring at his father, who had come to see where they had gone off to.

YAY! Hope you guys liked this! It was a spur of the moment kind of thing, and yes I am working on my other story as well, I have hit writers block with it but I promise that I will try to update it soon! Oh, well maybe this fic will go better, I mean it is practically writing itself! Well, PLEASE REVIEW!! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!