Magik
AN: Inutaisho – as I believe InuYasha and Sesshomaru's father is called – now. You have to admit he's one of the first characters who jump to mind when you say 'emperor'.
Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, own any part of the InuYasha franchise. All characters belong to Ms. Rumiko Takahashi.
IV – The Emperor
Inutaisho
He was sure his followers wondered how such a morally driven demon could possibly rule the Western Lands. He had no such qualms. His morals didn't come into play when he ruled his subjects.
Inutaisho was renown for his fighting prowess, for his fierceness in battle and his contrasting gentleness outside of it. It was not to say that he was a saint – demons and saints were two opposite poles, never to meet, after all. But he was kind enough that rumors spread about the new King, and his insistence to adhere by just laws.
Never before had the demons of the West heard of such a thing. Some rebelled, seeing the new leader's 'justice' as a sign of weakness. Inutaisho quickly put the rebels in their place, crushing their feeble resistance in one fell swoop. Although he was often spoken out against after that, no one else dared to lead a full-scale revolt again.
He mated with a lady of prestige, fathering a son and heir. He thought he would never be as proud as he was that day – when his mate finally stepped aside and revealed his pup. Demon emotions were muted at best – they were driven by their instincts, not their feelings. But some strong emotions still remained, and familial ties were the strongest in the world.
Inutaisho was firmly convinced that he would live on to rule the Western Lands for many more years to come. He hadn't expected such an immense distraction in the form of a simple raven-haired woman.
Only weeks after meeting Izayoi, he had set aside his mate and child, wrapping himself up in her smile and her embrace. She didn't care that he was demon and she was human. She didn't care that he was Lord of the Western Lands, and she a nobleman's daughter. All she wanted was him.
Her affection had been intoxicating, to say the least, but Inutaisho had never dreamed of falling in love with her.
Slowly, inexorably, he found himself growing happier and happier at the queerest things – the way she tossed her head when she laughed, the way she interlaced her fingers in her lap when she was thinking, the way she spoke to him, in that soft, caressing voice. He knew what they were doing was wrong – every touch, every word, every emotion went against his very nature. Demons were not supposed to be so gentle.
But he didn't care. He was a lord – he made the rules! He could break them if he wanted to!
As he curled up next to her and watched her breathe, he didn't know what his actions had reaped. He didn't know that within a year, he would be dead, and Izayoi alone with a half-breed son.
Not even lords could flout the rules without suffering the consequences.
AN: Oh, ew. I'm sorry, but I could not find ANY way to make this better. Believe me, I tried. I just can't get a grasp on Inutaisho's character, and I wanted to make this a drabble, not a full-fledged story. I think it came out too rushed, but I liked parts of it.
470 words.