Here's chapter fourteen on the stray. See? That didn't take too long! Just had to work on "Changing the future." Anyways, enjoy this! Also, thanks to those who reviewed about a little error I did. It has been fixed.

Disclaimer:: I do not own any characters or original weapons used in this story. Those rights belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter fourteen: Father, blades and tears

A groan escaped his throat as he reached for his head. It fucking hurt! What, had he been sat a thousand times or something?! He pushed those thoughts aside as some unfamiliar scents filled his nose. Everything smelled....old. There seemed to be a lot of dust, and he had a hard time not sneezing. It was disgusting compared to the smell of his home, of his room, of his Kagome...

Inuyasha's eyes shot open. Kagome! He sat up too quickly, and instantly regretted it. His head seemed to be pounding. Placing a hand on his head, he looked around at the same room. He was lying in a large bed in the far right corner of a very large bedroom. It was pretty empty though. A large oak desk was in the corner of the room, and a large rug covered the center of the floor which seemed to be made out of some kind of weird fur.

The bed he laid in could easily sleep four people at once, lying side by side, without feeling too cramped. Silk crimson sheets covered the mattress he was in, and he pushed them off of him. He got up and stretched. Examining the room further, he looked out the window and gasped. Before him was a large courtyard filled with many different kinds of flowers and trees.

It looked like some servants were down their, hurrying to their next job. Where in the world was he? A growl erupted from his body. Why did his 'brother' take him to this? There's no way this could be his...

After looking at the room a little more, and taking in the huge walk in closet and large master bathroom, he exited the room and walked down a large dark hallway. This place was huge! A chuckle sounded from behind him, and his body quickly turned to view who it was. It was a girl.

The woman had long black hair that reached her waistline. Her chocolate brown seemed to be smiling at him, though it was really her pink lips. She wore an orange and light yellow kimono with a green tie around her waist. She seemed to be a little older looking, probably around 19 or 20. She took a step towards him, bowing slightly.

"Forgive me for laughing, my lord. It's just funny to see someone looking so lost."

Inuyasha just blinked. He put his hands up in defense. "Um...I think you have me mistaken with someone else..." he said, but felt like an idiot. Who could mistake a half demon with long silver hair and doggy ears with someone else? Even he and his brother didn't look too much alike.

She just smiled. "You are Inuyasha, are you not?" He gave a slow nod. "Then I am not mistaken. I shall tell your brother and father that you are awake." She said before bounding off.

Inuyasha stood where he was, confused. He had no idea where he was, why he was here, where his friends were, or who that girl was. He wasn't alone for long. His brother came down the hall, and Inuyasha let out a growl.

"Stop your growling, Inuyasha. I am not here to fight."

"Where the hell is this place?" Inuyasha asked, clenching his fist.

Sesshoumaru sighed. "You're in the western lands, far from the village you resided. This is our castle, little brother."

"Why am I here?"

"That will be explained soon enough. Father has been waiting for you to awaken to explain. I must have hit you a little to hard, you've been unconscious for three days." Sesshoumaru smirked.

He turned his back towards Inuyasha, and starting walking. "Come, little brother."

Inuyasha was really wanting to kick his ass, but he was caught on to what he said. He had been out for three days? What happened to his friends. "Hey, Sesshoumaru. What did you do to my friends?" He growled.

Sesshoumaru paused for a moment. "The demon slayer and monk were not harmed. I do not know what happened to the miko once she left." He explained, before continuing on his walk.

'Kagome...' he thought. He didn't think he should feel worried, but something felt wrong and he couldn't explain it. He sighed and shrugged. It was silly, he knew Sango and Miroku would take care of her. He followed slowly, keeping his distance.

-x-

The two brothers walked into a large meeting room. A large table was in the middle of the room, surrounded by many chairs. Some scrolls hung on the wall, In one of the chairs sat a man, and Inuyasha just stood frozen in the doorway.

He was clad in lots of armor, two large plates over his shoulders. The mans hand flicked some silver hair off of his shoulder, as his amber eyes stared deep into Inuyasha's. His gaze was intimidating, even to someone like Inuyasha. There was a lot of power locked behind his eyes, and Inuyasha's demon blood seemed to want to submit to this person. 'I take it he's...' Inuyasha gulped, 'my father.'

The mans gaze seemed to soften before he let out a wide grin. "My my Inuyasha, how you've grown. The last time I saw you, you were just a pup." He laughed before standing up and walked up to Inuyasha. "I doubt you remember me, boy. I am your father, the lord of the west lands, InuTaisho." A light smile appeared on InuTaisho's lips. "Your mother always told me how proud of you she was."

Inuyasha couldn't believe his eyes or ears. This was his father? This...demon lord? It was hard for him to accept. "Mom said that...?"

InuTaisho nodded. "She wished for you to grow into a strong man, and from what Sesshoumaru told me, you have. Well, you still need some training, but nothing we can't do." He smirked, patting Inuyasha's shoulder.

The hanyou just stared silently, before glaring. "Why after all these years did you finally come for me now? I'm sure the 'lord of the western lands' could've found someone like me anytime they wanted."

"We didn't need you until now." InuTaisho said bluntly.

Inuyasha recoiled. His ears dropped to his head, as a scowl planted itself on his face. Droplets of blood landed on the floor as his nails dug into his hand while he clenched it tightly, trying to not punch his own father in square in the face. Especially knowing the title he had. InuTaisho watched his sons reaction, laughing lightly.

"Don't take it to heart. You were too young, so I left you in your mothers care. When she past away, we thought that it would be good for you to experience the real world." He defended, but had no emotion in his voice.

"You bastard!" Inuyasha yelled, thrusting his first forward. Screw him being the ruler of the western lands. Screw him being his father. Screw him!

His fist was caught in InuTaisho's hand, using little effort to catch it. Inuyasha's eyes widened. Inutaisho just smiled softly. "Forgive me, Inuyasha. I did not think that it would have caused you this much anger. I promise you, that you will be happy here Inuyasha. I assure you. One day, the land will be yours."

"What about my friends?" Inuyasha asked, his fist still in his fathers.

InuTaisho thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I suppose they could come and live here if you like. If you want, I can send a servant to get..."

"No. I want to go." Inuyasha interrupted.

InuTaisho sighed, but turned to his eldest son. "Sesshoumaru, you will accompany Inuyasha tomorrow to the village and pick up his friends." Sesshoumaru just gave a nod, not wanting to upset his father. The demon lord let go of his sons fist, and turned his back to him. He took a few steps forward, and looked at a large scroll on the wall which held a picture on it. It was a picture of a young woman, smiling. Inuyasha gasped. It was his mother.

"Inuyasha, do you have someone you wish to protect? Someone you love?" His father asked, never taking his gaze off the scroll.

Inuyasha's cheeks turned a light pink, instantly thinking of Kagome. "Y-yes..." he said quietly, looking down at the floor. She had always been kind to him. Kagome was everything he could've ever dreamed of in a girl. She was beautiful, kind, funny, sweet, easy to talk to, a little feisty, honest, pure and easy to love. She had a strong will, and he knew she would make a great mother and wife one day. He gripped his chest, where he felt his heart pounding.

Why...why did it hurt to think about her? Ever since he woke up, something seemed wrong. He shook his head, trying to get those thoughts out. 'No...Miroku and Sango took care of her, and Sesshoumaru didn't harm her. She's fine, I know it...' he thought, but something in his heart told him otherwise.

"Then will you accept that girl as your mate?" Inutaisho asked, breaking Inuyasha's thoughts. His eyes widened. The pink on his cheeks grew darker, until they reached a rich shade of crimson. He crossed his arms, and looked up at the scroll with his father.

"I marked her, but I don't know what her response yet. She was going to choose who she would pick tomorrow." he explained, examining the photo of his mother. This seemed to have been made before he was born. The castle looked different, and her body seemed to look pure. Her curves were noticeable, even with her large kimono. 'Mother...' He thought sadly.

"I see..." his father started, who seemed to be in deep thought as he reminisced about the past. "Then if she accepts, bring her back here so I may meet her. I want to see the woman who my son fall in love." he smiled. Turning around, he looked at his youngest son straight in the eyes. "What is her name?"

"Kagome." Inuyasha said, without any hesitation. Noticing how quick he said her name, his cheeks flushed again. His father just smiled. 'He reminds me of when I was younger and met Izayoi...'

"I hope to see her, Inuyasha." He smiled, placing a hand on the young mans shoulders. "Follow me, I have something I wish to give you." He explained before taking a step back and walked into the far corner of the room. There was a door, and he opened it. Inuyasha followed, noticing it was a large room filled with many chests and boxes. His father looked through the many different boxes, growling.

"Where did I put that darn thing..." he asked himself, searching through box after box. Inuyasha sighed, leaning against the wood wall. He closed his eyes, relaxing. A lot was floating in his mind. How he was now the son of someone worthy, the lord of the western lands. His brother was a powerful youkai who also ruled the lands. Kagome's smile popped in his mind, and he frowned.

He needed to get back to the village, something was wrong. Inuyasha's eyes slowly opened when his father chuckled. "Ah ha! I've found it!" he exclaimed, reaching his hand into a large chest. An eyebrow raised on Inuyasha's forehead. What was he up to?

As his amber eyes fixed on his fathers hand, Inuyasha watched the item that was pulled out. It was a sword, which was sheathed in a black sheath. InuTaisho smiled and placed it in his sons hands.

"This is the Tetsusaiga, made from my own fang. It is a powerful sword that I entrust with you." He said as he handed the sword to Inuyasha. The hanyou unsheathed the sword, and looked at it with confusion and distaste.

"This thing? Powerful? It's a rusty, beaten up blade. You couldn't cut anything with this." he spat, glaring at the thing. What a waste of metal. He heard his father sigh, and looked up to see him shaking his head.

"Inuyasha, this sword is not as it appears. Right now, the Tetsusaiga is...sleeping, I suppose you could say. When used to protect those you care about, it turns into a mighty blade. It has amazing powers, such as to destroy one hundred enemies from one swing of the sword. This sword was used many times to protect your mother." he said gently, looking at the blade. He smiled softly, remembering the good times he had had with the blade. But, he needed to pass it on in order to continue the family legacy.

Inuyasha held up the sword, trying to figure out how to make it transform. "How do I get it to...awaken then?" He asked, swinging the sword. Besides the little swoosh noises it made, it did nothing spectacular.

"I cannot answer that. You must figure it out on your own, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked at the blade, holding onto it tightly. 'I will figure out how to use this sword, to protect my friends. To protect my family in the village. To protect Kagome...'

-x-

Knuckles cracked as the two glared at one another as they walked side by side down the dirt road. One, hating the fact HE had received something he always wish for. The other hating him because...well, he's a bastard. Inuyasha glare never diminished as they neared the village. He had spent the night at the castle before they set out when the sun rose in the morning. Training all night, Inuyasha had no sleep that night as he tried to use his new Tetsusaiga.

No luck. He hadn't been able to make it transform.

Though Inuyasha knew that if looks could kill, he swore he would be six feet under right now. Sesshoumaru was very upset at the fast he hadn't received the tetsusaiga. Apparently, his brother was always after the sword, but father didn't wish for him to have it. Inuyasha could only smirk.

"Well now, how's your tetsusaiga Sesshoumaru? Oh that's right, you don't have one!" Inuyasha grinned, and had to quickly dodge the punch that was thrown at him.

"Watch your tongue, unless you wish me to rip it out with my claws." Sesshoumaru threatened, raising his hand. Inuyasha just rolled his eyes.

"Ooooh I'm so scared."

Dodging another punch, Inuyasha laughed and ran into the village. He was glad he would be able to see his home again. Even if it was only a day for him, it had really been four days. Sniffing the village, he tried tracking down their scent. But he couldn't help but frown at something that caught his nose. Tears...Sango's tears.

Tracking the scent, he followed it back to his home. "Hello?" He asked as he walked in, looking around. Miroku turned around and saw him, a frown on his face, but looked somewhat relieved.

"Inuyasha...Thank goodness you're safe..."

"What's going on?" Inuyasha questioned. Something was wrong. Miroku looked very upset, Sango was crying, but what about Kagome? Sango walked out of his and Kagome's bedroom, tears still rolling down her cheek. She gasped as she saw him, but looked down at the ground biting her lip.

"I'm so sorry, Inuyasha..."

His heart dropped instantly. What had happened? He ran into the bedroom and froze at what he saw. There laid a pale Kagome on her bed, her eyes shut, her scent disappearing. Rushing over to her side, he got on his knees and grabbed her hand in his own. They were ice cold.

"Kagome..." he whispered, grinding his teeth together. "What happened to you?"

He placed a hand on her neck while he listened for her breathing. There was no breathing. There was no heartbeat. There was nothing but her cold skin.

Kagome was dead.

-Attempts to dodge all the knives going to be thrown at her- Dear lord, don't kill me or you'll never find out what happens next! Anyways, I do hope you enjoyed the chapter and hope you stick around for the next one! I stayed up all night and worked on this, and now I'm tired! But I plan to stay up the rest of the night. Anyways, please review and I hope to see you soon! I'm hoping to get just three reviews before I update, BUT we'll see! See ya soon!

-Miko