Disclaimer: I do not own the Inuyasha anime series. The only character I do own is Akari, my made up character to fit in with the people of this anime.

P.S. sorry if you don't like my OC...

CAUTION: THIS STORY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!

Key:

Bold: emphesis

Itallics: thoughts or flashback/dreams

"Quotes:" speaking

Chapter 1:

The Dream and a Reunion: Sesshomar's Childhood Love and a Mysterious Demon

The sun shone through gaps in the trees above the dirt path Sesshomaru and his party traveled on; his sevant, Jaken, and the human girl whom he had saved from death, Rin, followed him closly, Rin upon the back of Ah-Un, the two-headed dragon who Sesshomaru would ride on occasion, with Jaken holding its reins.

Sesshomaru had been in a different mood since the pervious night; he had actually taken time to sleep, which was unusual of him, and awoke at sunrise in a cold sweat. This event had puzzeled him, considering he had never done such a thing, but the dream had puzzeled him even more.

Why did this happen to me? He thought, walking into a bright patch of sunlight, ignoring the blinding light, How could a dream make me wake in fear? Why did I have this dream at all?

He suddenly stopped in the middle of the dirt road. His followers stopped as he did, confused slightly.

"Sesshomaru-sama?" Jacken asked, loosening his grip on Ah-Un's reins slightly, "Is something wrong?"

Sesshomaru was silent for a moment, and said, without turning, ""I'm going off alone for a while. I'll find you when I need you." With that said, he vanished.

The three followers stood alone on the dirt path, silent. Suddenly a low rumble was heard. Rin blushed and looked at Jaken innocently. "Jaken-sama, I'm hungry."

Jaken sighed, Humans...so useless...

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Sesshomaru stood on the edge of a cliff near the end of the forest; here the sun shone down upon the valley below him; the land was littered with patches of forest and water, lakes and rivers that ran like veins over the green fields, making the valley before him appear almost like a patchwork quilt. The wind blew towards Sesshomaru, causing his long, silver hair and clothes to billow softly in the breeze. Sesshomaru stood still, his eyes closed, as the wind brushed over him, recalling the dream . . .

He stood at the edge of a lake.

It was begining to snow.

The water was dark, a navy blue color, and reflected the light of the full moon as if it were a mirrored surface instead of a lake.

He looked down at his hands, they were smaller and appeared younger, through the space between his hands he saw his own reflecton in the mirror lake; he was younger, having the appearance of a fifteen-year-old boy, almost sixteen. He also noticed that his three swords, Tenseiga , Tokijin, and Bakusaiga, had disappeared. He touched his cheek in disbelief, when an alluring scent caught his attention. He turned and saw another person standing in the shadows at the edge of the lake only a few feet away.

The person appeared to have a feminin figure and wore a short kimono. It was too dark to see her features, but the light of the moon somehow managed to shine upon a pale blue rose that was tied up in her hair. The rose intriged Sesshomaru; it was in full bloom and seemed to release a sort of sparkeling, pale blue dust, the scent was unlike anything he imagined, yet it seemed so familiar . . . like as it was from a dream within a dream. . .

The girl turned to him. In doing so, the lower part of her facial features became visible, her eyes, however, were hidden behind a mass of pale, golden hair. She smiled.

Then something strange happened . . .

Sesshomaru flinched slightly. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks and a drop of sweat fell down the side of his face. Was he, the great Lord Sesshomaru, blushing? How could he be frightened of a woman?

The girl walked towards him, her hair shining in the moonlight and her eyes still blocked from view. She walked right up to Sesshomaru, who remained completely still, wrapped her arms around his waist, and embraced him, placing her head against his chest. Sesshomaru was puzzeled and was about to push this mysterious girl away from him, when suddenly, the rose brushed against his nose.

He was as still as a statue.

The scent was so wonderful and so familiar. He closed his eyes and simply sniffed the rose in the girl's hair.

"Promise you won't forget me Sesshomaru . . ."

Sesshomaru opened his eyes and looked down at the girl, who's head was still against his chest.

Her voice . . . he thought, still puzzeled, it sounds so familiar . . .

"Promise me . . ." the girl continued, lifting her head to him and raising herself up to meet his lips, "Promise you won't forget . . ."

The mass of bangs fell away from the girl's eyes. Sesshomaru gazed at them in astonishment as the girl continued to move towards his lips.

They were twin pools of a bright, ocean blue which shone in the moonlight.

They were so gentle and calm . . .

The girl's lips were an inch away from his.

So bright and loving . . .

Sesshomaru half closed his eyes, feeling entranced by the scent and pale light of the moon, his cheeks becoming a red color as the girl's warm breath blew gently over his lips.

So kind and peaceful . . .

Their lips were almost touching.

So . . . so . . .

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"So . . . beautiful . . . " Sesshomaru said, opning his eyes.

He sighed and looked down into the valley once again. The girl seemed so familiar, yet he could not bring himself to remember who she was. He then closed his eyes once again and took a deep breath.

There was a scent on the breeze that was familiar. His eyes snapped open and he took another sniff. He looked over towards the nothwest and saw several trees between the edge of a large forest and a stream crash down and two figures come out of the wreckage. Curious of what was happening, and wanting to know what the fimiliar scent was, he ran towards the stream.

When he was relativly close to the water's edge, he began to make out what the two figure's were:

The larger of the two was what appeared to be a man, he wore creasted and royal battle armor and carried with him a large sword and shield. His long, dark green hair was tied in a pony-tail and his red eyes shone brightly. A pair of large, black wings spurted from his back and were covered in blood. Sesshomaru could instantly tell he was a demon, from not only his appearance, but his stench as well.

He stinks of a demon, without a doubt, he thought, eyeing him intently, but his scent is unknown to me.

He was skilled in sword play and was defeating the second figure.

The second appeared to be a woman. She wore a tattered, red kimono that was quite small for her, so small in fact that the end almost reached her womanhood. Her long, golden hair fell loosely around her thin body and fell almost to her bottom. Her face was abscured by strands of her long hair as she dodged attacks from the demon's large sword. Her body was covered with cuts, brusies, dirt, blood, and sweat. She knelt on the grass for a moment, breathing heavily, before she dodged another attack.

Sesshomaru's eyes widened.

In the moment the girl knelt, her hair moved away from her eyes, revealing to Sesshomaru a glimps of a bright, sea blue color.

It's her... Sesshomaru thought as he drew Tokijin from his side, The girl from my dream . . .

The girl landed on the grass benieth her, misplaced her footing, and triped, hurting her ankel. She fell face first onto the grass, unable to turn as the demon brought his sword down upon her. She flinched as she waited for the pain. There was a sudden clash of metal upon metal, some sparks flew as another blade blocked the male demon's. He looked up the tang of the strange blade and glared at its weilder.

"You have no business here stranger," he said outraged as he tried to force his blade down upon the girl, "Be off before I remove your head from your body!"

The girl was too frightened to look up at her savior; she brought her legs as close to her body as she could, shaking slightly.

Sesshomaru had stopped the large sword merely inches away from the girl's delicate body. As he stood between the two, he looked down at her; her bangs had fallen away from her eyes once again, allowing him a good look at her young, slender face. He then turned from the girl to the demon, controled anger flaring in his eyes.

The demon was now beyond his rage, he tried to force his blade down, but was not strong enough. "Leave fool! This does not concern you!!"

Sesshomaru pushed back the demon without even trying, forcing him to land on the grass with a grunt. The demon glared up at Sesshomaru ready to charge at him, but stopped when Sesshomaru's blade gently touched the skin on his bare neck. Sesshomaru finally got a chance to look at him, and found him to be rather too elegant in dress and appearance; his face was stubbeled, angled and thin, yet Sesshomaru guessed he was older than himself, appearing to look like a twenty-four-year-old man. His long, dark green hair hung behind him in a tight sparring pony tail and several strands stuck out to form a mess of disordered bangs. His armour was shone a silver color and was etched with entricate designs. It was dented from battle with the girl and stained with blood, most of it the girl's. His red eyes would have terrified any human, but Sesshomaru was immune to their piercing gaze. Sesshomaru guessed he was some kind of Dragon Demon, but certainly not one of the most kindhearted...

The demon bared fangs and was ready to push the tip of Sesshomaru's blade away and continue to fight, when he stopped and raised a dark green eyebrow, he looked more closly at him. He seemed familiar. The demon then got up and sheithed his sword. Sesshomaru was slightly confused, but watched him carefully. "I am not strong enough to face a demon with your skill and power," the demon said, picking up his fallen shield, "so I will leave for the moment. But know that I will return for this girl, and you best pray you can defeat me when I come back."

The demon then flapped his large wings and took off into the sky. He grinned to himself, I shall return for her, and you will be bowing at my feet for mercy, Sesshomaru.

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Sesshomaru sheithed Tokijin and turned to the girl, who still lay in a quivering bundle on the grass. He bent down to her but stopped when she flinched.

"Please . . ." she said, quivering madly, "It's not that I don't appriciate your rescuing me, but please just leave me be . . ."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened and his heart began to beat slightly faster.

That voice . . . he thought as his hand slowly inched forward towards the girl's thin shoulder, she is the girl from my dream. Without a doubt. His hand gently touched her shoulder and the girl flinched again. What's more is . . . I . . . He lowered his head down to her ear, his cheeks flushing slightly, . . . remember . . . her . . .

"Please . . ." the girl begged, shaking uncontrolably now, "Leave me alone . . ."

Sesshomaru stopped himself an inch away from her ear. He looked down and saw she was crying. She must be really frightened . . . He smiled and brushed the hair away from her ear, before he whispered:

"How can you be frightened of me if you haven't even looked upon me?"

The girl's eyes snapped open. The voice was familiar, but she didn't belive it was who she thought.

"Why do you shake so at my touch Akari?"

She looked up and instantly smiled, her cheeks flushing a bright red. Sesshomaru was shocked slightly at her sudden movement, which brought her lips only an inch away from his, and blushed a slightly deeper shade of red.

"Sesshomaru!!" Akari said loudly, pushing herself up from the ground and hugging him around the waist, placing her head against his chest. This action made Sesshomaru loose his balance and fall backwards onto the grass with a groan. Akari followed and landed on top of him. Sesshomaru opened his eyes and looked down at the scarred and dirty Akari.

It had been over one hundred years since they had parted, and Akari had certainly changed in that amount of time. Sesshomaru's memories of Akari were images of a small, thin girl with a flat chest, lacking curves and womanly hips. However, after the years took their toll, Akari had grown into a well built, sensual demoness; her legs had built up some muscle and her waist had become the valued hour-glass shape, her hips were wider and her womanly curves were well-devloped. Her flat chest was replaced by a large, volumptious bust and she had become taller, though was still quite short compaired to Sesshomaru's stature.

Sesshomaru looked down upon the woman who had returned to him as if from his dream and placed his hand on her head. Akari's grip tightened slightly on his waist and she unearthed her head from his shoulder, her dirty cheeks streaked clean with tears and a smile on her face.

"I can't believe it's really you!" she said, even disbeliving it herself, "You've been gone for so long!"

Sesshomaru was silent as he gazed into the swirling whirlpools of ocean hue. He remembered them so well, but felt as if there were still things he had forgotten about her. He placed his hand on her head and ruffeled her hair playfully. Akari let out a childish giggle and smiled again, a cute blush spreading across her face. She then got off of him and stood up, stumbling forward. Sesshomaru jumped up and caught her in his arms, Akari looked up at him meekly, the blush across her face no longer of innocence, but of embarrasment.

"I guess there's still something wrong with my ankle..." she said, hiding her face behind her mass of bangs.

Sesshomaru helped her stand on her two feet, then once more then bent down to look at her injured ankle; it was only a little sprain, nothing too serious for a demon such as herself. He placed his clawed hands gently on her slender, yet somewhat dirty foot, trying to feel for swollen areas. Akari let out a small yelp when his fingers moved over a sensitive area and she couldn't help but blush as his fingers continued to work their small amount of magic. Sesshomaru had found all the places where Akari's foot had become swollen, but his eyes were traveling from her foot up her slender, pale legs, but thankfully he stopped when he came to her knees. After he regained his sences he stood and cleared his throat. "Can you still walk?" he asked, trying to force his blush away.

Akari, stubborn and determined as she was when she was younger, put on a straight face and tried to act as serious as she could, saying in a proud voice, "Y-Yes I can still walk! I'm not a baby you know!" She moved too fast and ended up putting too much weight on her injured foot, causing herself to foolishly fall forward into Sesshomar's arms again, her embarrasment returning once again. Sesshomaru sighed and picked Akari up bridal stlye, each moment passing flodded his mind with past memories and he wanted to remember them all. He kept his face cold, but not too cold, and said "You never learn Akari." Akari simply placed her head against his fur boa as he too off into the forest with her in his arms, her cheeks still a bright pink and her heart merrily skippin a beat on occasion.

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"Your daughter refuses me once again, you lordship."

The large hall was carved of dark rock and lit with hundreds of floating blue flames. Among the nobles and scholars who were crowded aroung the green-haired, raven-winged demon sat the Dragon Commander and his beloved wife. The Commander was young in appearance, looking in his mid thirties or early fourties, and his wife looked only a few years younger than him, their ages in human years, however were unknown to the battle-worn demon. He cared not. This was the third time the Heir to the Commander's throne had denied him and he was becomming tired of her rejections. He was the only pure-blood dragon demon prince left in the land and it was his privilege--no, his right, to marry the Commander's daughter in order to keep the royal bloodline pure and flowing. He was normally a calm demon, but after this last battle with the foolish girl, he had snapped a bit.

"You must make her see it your way sire," he continued, bowing slightly to his higher authority, "without our marriage, the bloodline will diminish and your kingdom's reputation will be in jeopardy... "

The Commander looked down for a moment, the looked to his wife; it was known that the two shared a strange bond that allowed them to speak to one another through their own thoughts, giving then an advantage in certain things. The dark haired demon glared at his two superiors, he knew they were discussing with one another in secret, and it annoyed him greatly. As he pondered about what they were discussing through telepathic conversation, the Commander finally spoke.

"We shall give you one final chance to offer her your hand. You must find our daughter and bring her here where she shall fight with you in front of our court and your father's. We shall send message to your father and await his reply, until he sends a reply, you are to wait here in this castle and prepare or rest for the event. Should you win, our daughter is yours to wed, should you lose..." the Commander then stood and stared him down, his violet eyes glowing slightly, "You will give up your pursuits for her and find another bride. We only want the best for our daughter and we've been more than reasonable in letting you ask her three times before."

The demon disliked this proposal very much, but smiled, the wager was worth the risk. He bowed and turned to exit the hall, a grin spreading across his angled jaw, she would be his...one way or another, the Princess Akari would be his...