Alright first major change: I split chapter 4 in half. It was abnormally long, and this is a good place to end a chapter.
Disclaimer: I own Mizuki! She's mine, and I love her like my own imaginary sister. Having written a piece that is particularly emotional for me, I am quite attached to her. Her name means "beautiful moon" which I felt was appropriate for a character who has a moon on her forehead! The concepts of Inu no Taisho and Sesshomaru's mother belong to Takahashi-sensei; I'm simply elaborating on their relationships and a possible reason for their split.
Enjoy! I'm almost done with the edit of Chapter 4.5 (officially chapter 5). I should have it up sometime this evening... make that morning. It's 2:22 AM. Staying up late for the win!!!
"As you know the ruling family of the Western Lands is an Inu clan, a Dog clan. However not all the Demon Lords were Dogs. In fact, the family of the South is a Kitsune clan, Foxes; the Northerners belong to an Urufu clan, Wolves; and the members of the family of the East are Cats, a Neko clan. The Creators divided the power long ago, but most of the clans have never been at peace.
"Before I was born, the Lord of the West, my father, and the Lord of the East were at war. Both sides were evenly matched, battling for one hundred years in cruel bloody mayhem. Finally, my father decided to put an end to it. He proposed that his first son and the Cat Lord's first daughter would be married when they assumed adult forms at the age of twenty years. The East agreed and, less than a year later, I was born.
"Father kept my fate from me until I was ten. 'Halfway to maturity,' he called it. At about that time, he and my mother had another child, a daughter. They named her Mizuki.
"I don't think you know this but all demons are born in their animal form, and cannot transform for several weeks. Mizuki was a bright, happy puppy right from the start. She had the same silver hair as I do and a similar crescent moon on her forehead; both are family traits. Mizuki's spirited personality is probably the characteristic that the two of you both share. Her smile could melt the snow of a thousand mountains, and a thousand flowers would bloom at the sight of her.
"At first, I was apprehensive. After all, a wrinkly, bumbling ball of silver fuzz would be a little startling to any ten-year old boy, even a demon. In time, I grew more and more comfortable around her. I don't know if it was her endearing personality or simply the realization that I would be stuck with her for a while that melted me. She and I, eventually, became the best of friends even though I was so much older than she.
"However, Mizuki-chan's arrival was a mixed blessing. Shortly after she was born, my mother, Lady Nishi, and my father got into an argument about my betrothal. For months, they battled over Father's decision until, six months after Mizuki's birth, she left without a word, leaving both her son and daughter behind, having apparently lost the argument.
"I did not speak for a long while after Mother left. I felt that there was something more I could have done, something that could have made her stay. I was silent because I was depressed, and I was silent because I was angry with myself, but mostly because I felt that it was my fault; she had left because of me and my birthright and I couldn't bear it.
"I sat in my room in a month-long silence, waiting for her to come back home. She never did. Afterward, I decided that my vigil had been a mistake; it made the parting that much more difficult to bear. I had always felt like I could trust Mother to be there for me even when Father seemed to care nothing for my wishes. But, then Mother failed me.
Early on, I learned that I couldn't trust the ones I loved to support me, a notion cemented by events that took place many years later. That realization was one of the first steps along the road.
"The thing that finally brought me out of my silence was Mizuki. Even though Mother and I were close, I knew that my sister would never have that opportunity. It was then that I decided that to take care of her and try to fill the void that Mother's absence left. I was her playmate, teacher, a shoulder to cry on, and any other position she needed me to fill. I told her stories about Mother, everything from my earliest memories to her last days at the mansion. But when Mizuki-chan was about ten years old, not unlike you when I first took you in, our world changed and came crashing down around us, because I made a stupid, adolescent mistake.
How's that for foreshadowing? The abrupt ending - it works every time.
Review please, I'm on my knees begging. I wouldn't be staying up until the wee hours of the morning if this didn't mean something to me! Let me know if it means something to you too!
