Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Warnings: None in this chapter ;)

Betaed by: Bleach-ed-Na-tsu

Izayoi watched fearfully as her father paced the length of the meeting hall. Her mother sat calmly and silently at the head of the room, watching with narrowed eyes as her husband did his best not to strike their daughter.

"How?" He murmured to himself for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "How could this have happened? To my daughter no less? My only daughter."

Izayoi said nothing. It had been an hour at least since her secret had been revealed, and her father had struck her across the face in anger. His wife had calmed him and he took to walking aimlessly through the meeting hall, not even glancing towards his child.

"Father…please. I love him, and he loves me. This is proof of that love."

Her father rounded on her, eyes blazing with fury. "How dare you! My own child, a little whore! What will the people say when word of this scandal spreads?"

His wife rose from her cushioned seat and stroked her hand gently down his arm. "Now calm down dear. This can easily be fixed and no one will ever have to know."

Izayoi began to fidget. She knew of the "solution" her mother was thinking of. It was murder, an abomination created by a shallow person. It was a beverage, a type of concoction sold only underground in the black market.

Izayoi watched her father's expression tighten. "It's awful that I'm even considering it but…what do you think will happen if the lady of the West were to discover this? She is rumored to have torn the tongue out of one of her servants for coughing in her presence. When she finds out that Izayoi was smitten with her husband, none of us will be spared her wrath."

Izayoi watched her mother nod in agreement. She turned to her daughter. "This is the only way Izayoi, my child. You have made this decision and now you must bare the consequences. Rid yourself of that bastard child and let us be done with this. I shall have the vile delivered by this evening. You'll need a few days rest afterwards and you may feel a bit sick but it is far better than the alternative."

Izayoi clasped her hands together in her lap and remained silent. She didn't know what would become of her if she were to argue. Her mother and father had always expected immediate and everlasting obedience in their daughter, and Izayoi had always willingly given it to them, always eager to please. But now…

"I will not take it mother."

"Excuse me." Izayoi watched fury flare in her mother's eyes. "You'll do as we deem fit. You've already proven that you cannot make your own choices, so we shall make them for you. You will do this Izayoi for you have no other option. This family and these lands will not be implicated because you became Inu no Taisho's whore!"

Izayoi winced at her mother's harsh words. She was no whore. Inu no Taisho was an honorable lord who ruled the western lands. True, he had a beautiful wife, but it was not uncommon for lords or even ladies to have lovers aside from their husbands or wives. Izayoi knew her father had several, and that her mother favored a particular servant boy whom often shared her bed. Izayoi didn't necessarily agree with such behavior but who was she to judge? She was pregnant with Inu no Taisho's illegitimate child.

"You'll take the vile Izayoi." Her father's steel hard voice broke through her inner thoughts. "The lady of the west will kill you. She'll rip that bastard child out of your belly and leave to bleed out slowly and die. I will not sit by and watch as my only daughter is murdered."

Izayoi smiled gently at her father. Deep down she knew he loved her and cared for her well being. But the child growing inside her was a living being. She could feel the tickles of a child moving inside her swelled belly, and she would lovingly run her fingers across her stomach each night before falling into a peaceful sleep.

"This child…it belongs to Inu no Taisho. What do you think he would say when he finds out that you killed it?"

Izayoi's mother stalked closer to her. "That demon could care less. Izayoi, this thing will not only be a bastard child but it will also be a hanyou. It will live a life of ridicule and despair."

Izayoi wrapped her arms protectively around the lump. "I will not get rid of it. This is mine and Inu no Taisho's child. I will do nothing before consulting with him first."

Izayoi's mother glared intensely at her daughter. "You are a fool girl. If the lady does not rip the child from your belly then certainly he will. Inu no Taisho is a good leader I'll admit, but he would never allow you to tarnish his good name with a scandal like this."

Izayoi shook her head. Inu no Taisho was far more than a good leader. He was gentle and caring, honorable, and loyal. He'd explained to her that his relationship with his wife had been arranged when they were pups and that they had never held any true affection for one another. His wife was a cold demon and held herself high and above others. She despised humans and hanyous alike and often went out of her way to dispose of them.

"Inu no Taisho isn't like that." Izayoi insisted. "He's a good man and will accept responsibility for this. He will accept the child, I know he will."

Her mother growled. "Fool! If you think he will be so accepting then go to him! I will arrange for a carriage to have you taken to the western castle. You can explain your situation to him and see if he will accept you and this bastard child into his home."

"Mother…what are you saying?" Izayoi asked, her lips quivering in fear.

"Darling…" her father approached his wife, but she shook him off.

"No! She will accept responsibility for this. If she will not take our offered help and do as we say then she is no longer a part of this family!" The woman stormed out of the room, Izayoi watched her go.

"Oh dear." Izayoi's father sighed. He ran his hand through his raven colored hair and dropped it at his side as if it weighed fifty pounds.

"Father…"

"Don't speak!" He bit back sharply. Izayoi cringed at the tone. "You are making a grave mistake my child. But I cannot shield you forever. You will have to learn to live with your decisions as I have lived with mine." He paused and Izayoi could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke. "I will arrange for a carriage and a group of men to escort you to the castle."

Izayoi didn't answer. She watched as her father left, most likely in search of her mother and to make preparations for her trip.

Gently, Izayoi ran her fingers over her stomach and felt as a soft kick made itself known. She smiled. She couldn't wait to show Inu no Taisho the little miracle they'd created.

XXXX

The lady of the west glared at her husband. She didn't know why the man was telling her this now. She had always known that their relationship was more for appearance and politics than anything else. At one time she was sure she was in love with the handsome and kind man known as Inu no Taisho. Her parents had revealed to her at a very young age that she was to one day marry the prince Inu no Taisho and produce an heir to his thrown. They had been forced upon each other as pups in the hopes that they would bond but as time went on the lady discovered that while there was much to be admired about the young lord, there was also much to be desired. Inu no Taisho was completely devoted to his people and to his work. He often put his wife second and would leave her to her own devices for weeks on end, before returning to their bed for a night of love making to compensate for his long absence. The lady didn't deny that Inu no Taisho was talented in bed, on the contraire; she thought he was the most talented and pleasurable of all the men she'd ever taken on. That was beside the point though.

"Why do you tell me this now?" She asked calmly.

Her husband stiffened. "Because you have a right to know my fair lady."

"Perhaps."

Inu no Taisho sighed and stroked her hand. "I know you must be furious my lady but please understand that this was not a planned event."

"Then tell me, what exactly was it?"

Again he tensed and the lady relished in his uncomfortable squirming. "Izayoi…she is a beautiful woman with a pure heart, unlike so many other humans now a days. I saw her for the first time when I was meeting with her father over a land dispute. She was sitting in the gardens observing the flowers. Her long raven hair flowed over her shoulders and spilled into her lap, it looked so smooth and shiny in that day's sunlight. Then there were her lips. Thin lips colored red. And then when she finally turned towards us, I saw her eyes. Sparkling brown eyes with the depth that most eyes lacked. She was lovely."

The lady frowned. While she wasn't exactly angry that her husband had sought out this human woman for pleasure, she didn't want to hear about how beautiful and lovely she was. The lady admitted that she was a very vain demoness. She kept a small hand mirror in her robes, always, and made sure to have her hair brushed out and be re-pinned at least three times a day so that it always looked fresh and neat. That was beside the point though. The lady highly doubted this human was as beautiful as her husband described. Humans were disgusting creatures with few, if any, good qualities.

"How do you know she is with child then? And how, my dear husband, do you know it is your child?" The lady asked with a scathing tone.

Inu no Taisho almost looked angry at his lady's tone. "Izayoi is not like that! I was the first person she'd ever shared a bed with!"

"That doesn't mean you were the last."

Inu no Taisho glared at his wife but said nothing. The lady smirked. Good. He had no right to be angry after what he'd done. The lady had taken on one or two lovers in the years she'd been married to her husband but she'd never bragged about them to anyone and it was kept a secret. The lady had an image to maintain, but she was not about to live in celibacy because her husband was selfish.

"I know the child is mine because I can sense it, my lady." Inu no Taisho finally said after a long silence. "Izayoi is on her way here."

The lady stroked the fur around her shoulders. "You think she wants money?"

"I suspect she wants more than money, my lady."

"What?"

"She wants me…as a husband. Or at least as support for her and the child."

The lady dug her claws into the fur. "Are you going to provide the support she is in search of?"

"Of course I will! The child is mine after all. I will not abandon Izayoi to raise the child on her own."

The lady slowly released her grip on her furs and glanced at her husband. "Have you told Sesshomaru yet?"

"No. It was your right, as my wife, to know first."

The lady couldn't help but give a dry chuckle at that. "Was your wife you mean?"

Inu no Taisho glanced down at his hands in shame. "We can remain married if you would like my lady. I'm not disowning you or forcing you to leave. This is as much your home as it is mine. I have no right to ask you to leave, if anything it is you who should be forcing me to leave."

The lady shook her head. "And you expect me to stay here and watch as my husband raises a hanyou child and fall madly in love with another? I think not. We will end our marriage and I shall leave this place."

"And go where my lady? Your parents have both moved on from this world."

"Yes, indeed they have. But they left behind their palace in the mountains. I shall reside there." She answered.

"My lady…"

The lady stood and began making her way out of the chamber. "You should inform Sesshomaru soon. He will need to know of this new arrangement and his new sibling that is on the way." The lady couldn't help but smirk at the last part. Sesshomaru shared her opinions on hanyou and humans. He would most certainly not be pleased.

"My son will be most angry with me, won't he?" The lord asked nervously.

The lady laughed. "Do you fear your own son's wrath, my husband?"

"Of course my sweet lady. He did inherit his mother's temper."

The lady again let out a gentle laugh and so did Inu no Taisho.

XXXX

Izayoi stared out the window of the carriage. The western palace was just now coming into view. She felt the child in her belly become particularly active as she and her escorts approached.

The palace was even grander than she had ever imagined. Izayoi had never really ventured far from her own empire, and hadn't seen much of modern architecture or of other cultures. This was a whole new experience for her and she was relishing in it. The palace was large, at least two stories and wide. It was surrounded by a white stone wall and one single gate at the front center. Upon the wall hung the flag with Inu no Taisho's family crest embroidered on it. Surrounding the wall were a plethora of small buildings and fields.

"We are almost there Lady Izayoi." one of her escorts called from outside the carriage.

Izayoi poked her head out and smiled. "Yes, I can see it. Isn't it grand?"

The guard who had spoken looked a tad shaken at the question, but nodded nonetheless. "Yes, my lady. It is grand indeed."

Izayoi pulled back into her carriage and smiled to herself. She was excited and she could feel the child in her belly flutter. She rubbed her hand soothingly over the bulge.

"Soon little one. Very soon you will meet your father. He is such a wonderful man. Kind, and gentle, and honorable too." Izayoi continued rubbing her bump and almost squealed in delight when finally the carriage came to halt and the door was opened.

"We have arrived my lady." a guard helped her out and led her to the four other men that stood guard outside the stone wall.

They weren't ordinary men though. They were taller than most humans and had well toned muscles that flexed beneath their armor. They had molten golden eyes and claws the seemed to grow sharper with every step Izayoi and her men made towards them.

"What business do you have here, humans." The largest of the demons spat.

Izayoi instinctively took a step back and shielded her belly with her arms.

"We have come to speak with Lord Inu no Taisho." Izayoi spoke boldly. She couldn't show her fear. Surely they would sense it and take advantage of that.

The demon soldiers were silent for a moment before bursting out into explosive laughter. "A little human like you wants to speak with the great Lord Inu no Taisho?" One gasped. "Oh, thank you little human for the laugh, but really, you must be on your way."

Izayoi felt her face flush. It was hard to be taken seriously as a pregnant young woman in such situations, but she was determined to make it known that she was very serious.

"I demand to see Inu no Taisho this minute! As you can see I'm with child and must sit down soon lest you want to see my ankles swell!"

The demon guards again let out a string of laughs. "Where is your husband human woman? It is quite gutsy of you to travel without him at your side. It is nearly unheard of in human culture from what I've learned."

Izayoi huffed at that. It was quite a rarity to find a woman brave enough to travel alone without a husband, brother or father at their side, but Izayoi had hoped to break that cycle when she would one day be married. She would not be tied down to her house and be treated as nothing more than a breeding mare like so many other women.

"I have no husband of which to speak of, and as you can see I am not alone. I have my royal guards with me. Now please inform your lord that Lady Izayoi is here. He will come, I assure you."

The demons looked a bit shocked when Izayoi said she had no husband, but they seemed even more shocked when she demanded they retrieve their lord.

"Look here woman, be gone from here. You, as a human, have no right to be at our lord's gate and you certainly have no right to order us around."

"Lady Izayoi, perhaps we should leave-"

"Absolutely not! I've come to speak to Inu no Taisho and I shall not leave until I have!" Izayoi snapped at one of her guards. She was not about to be brushed off by insolent servants as if she were nothing. "Inform you lord that I am here for I shall not be leaving until then. I will be waiting in my carriage, my feet are becoming sore." and with that Izayoi began making her way back to her carriage. She felt her stomach begin fluttering and it had nothing to do with the developing child inside. Never had she ever spoken to anyone like that before and she almost felt ashamed for doing so. Her mother had always taught her to respect her elders, and men in general. Her mother always warned her that a man wanted an obedient, but beautiful wife who could produce many heirs.

Izayoi understood that things were different in the demon culture. Woman, often times, were just as powerful and independent as men. They chose their own husbands and held themselves high, not bowing down to anyone simply because they happened to be a man. Izayoi always admired the female demons. They had what she never could have if she continued to live as a human woman. Freedom. Freedom and respect.

Izayoi didn't have to wait long before there was a knock on the carriage door. She poked her head out and one of her guards stood their fidgeting nervously. "Lord Inu no Taisho is ready to see you now my lady."

Izayoi was again helped from her carriage and led to the front gate where she saw her love, in all his beauty and glory. His white hair pulled into a long tail and his molten gold eyes staring gently down at her.

"My lady…welcome."

AN: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! This story is actually completely written. There are four chapters plus an epilouge! I'll post chapter 2 sometime tommorow or this week.

Reviews are always appreciated! :D