Hello everyone! Long time, no post - ne? So, this is a story I wrote a long time ago. In the time line of my writing, this one was done before the Perfection and Chaos stories were written. In a way, it fueled both those stories because while writing this story, I thought up the others and liked their ideas better. I rediscovered this one recently and thought I'd throw it up in case anyone's interested. As an FYI, this story is much shorter than my usual fare - around 23,000 words or so and probably somewhere between 7-9 chapters that will be shorter than my usual ones too. This story has a lot of angst, but as is typical with my writing, it also has what I hope is a happy or at least happy-ish ending. My favorite part about writing Inuyasha/Sesshomaru fics is getting them together simply because it seems like such an impossible task given their relationship. I hope I've still kept them in character enough.
Chapter One
Amazed, Inuyasha looked out the window of what was most likely his new room. There, spread before his amber eyes, laid the Western Lands. Rolling hills of green mixed with patches of brown and blue, as far as the eye could see. Beautiful carefree land that held no concept of what he was about to give up – the sacrifice he was going to make to keep that very same land from being bathed in a swath of crimson.
Hands tucked deep within the sleeves of his fire-rat, the young InuHanyou's face was solemn, his mouth a thin line of both regret and resolve as the gentle breeze tugged at his silvery-white strands of hair. Although Inuyasha knew loss better than any living creature, he thought this latest injustice might just break his soul. In the past, he'd lost humans he'd cared for due to disease, old age, or injury but through it all, he'd never had to give up who he was. No matter the pain and injustice thrust upon him, he'd always refused to give up. He was a fighter through and through and now . . . now . . . sighing deeply, Inuyasha hung his head. Eyes closed, he knew what he would have to do, what he'd agreed to do, what he never dreamed he'd ever willingly do – he was about to submit.
Shaking his head in disgust, Inuyasha knew what he'd agreed to do wasn't for the sake of his father's memory and it sure as hell wasn't for the sake of his bastard of a brother, Sesshomaru. No, he'd agreed to this for reasons he was sure Sesshomaru would never understand, or more likely, what his perfect InuDaiYoukai brother was incapable of understanding. In the end, it didn't really matter if Sesshomaru understood or not, as long as he accepted his decision, which, he had.
Eyes fixed upon a patch of purest blue set deep in the distance, Inuyasha thought back a few short days, to the moment when his life had crumbled before his very eyes. Of course, at the time, he hadn't known that was the case. He'd had no idea that the small contingent of youkai soldiers standing before him was the bearer of such a seemingly insane proposition. Letting out a short bark of mirthless laughter, Inuyasha remembered the exact words their leader, a hawk youkai named Mamoru, had said. "We have a proposition for you." Snorting, Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he growled, "Proposition, more like a fuckin' rope to hang myself with."
Tessaiga at the ready, he'd stood amongst the trees of his forest, listening as one insane word after another tumbled through Mamoru's mouth, amazed the hawk youkai had been able to say such things with a straight face. He'd been proud of himself, not once laughing at Mamoru's craziness. All in all, Inuyasha felt as if he'd been exceedingly generous given the nature of the conversation. But it seemed as if Mamoru took his odd politeness for complacency and when his own answer was an emphatic, "Take your proposal, and shove it up your ass," Mamoru and his soldiers had, not surprisingly, turned violent. A rare smile drifted across his lips. Inuyasha still remembered the stunned look upon all the Western soldiers faces at having been defeated by a half-breed. Yes, he'd sent Mamoru and his fellow pure-blooded youkai back to the Western Palace with their tail's tucked between their legs.
Despite his victory, Inuyasha could not ignore the words he'd heard. He was not some mindless youkai, nor was he the same hanyou he'd been before Kagome had come, before he'd met Sango and Miroku, before they'd all worked together to defeat Naraku.
After Naraku's death, Kagome had returned to her time while Sango and Miroku married. A few years later, old Lady Kaede passed from the world of the living and at that time, Inuyasha returned to his wandering ways, drifting from tree to tree, slaying random blood-thirsty youkai, living off the land and beholden to none. And yet, he was no longer alone. From time to time, he would drop by the Slayer's Village Sango and Miroku had started. He was there for the birth of every child, witnessed those children grow and blossom and had even recently been present for the marriage of their oldest child. Only two days before he'd seen Mamoru did Inuyasha learn that, come the following spring, Miroku and Sango were to become first time grandparents.
Gripping his hands into tight fists, Inuyasha cursed his life. If he'd simply done as everyone had always told him, if he'd actually listened to all the villagers and his asshole of a brother when they told him that it was a hanyou's destiny to be alone, then maybe he could have ignored Mamoru's words. Maybe then he could have turned his back on his friends, the humans he viewed as family, and let the Western Lands bleed. If Sango and Miroku had made their village in the Northern or Southern Lands, would he have simply walked away that day and never looked back?
Shaking his head, Inuyasha knew speculation was pointless. The simple truth was that they had made their village in the Western Lands and he well knew that should a war between youkai break out, it would not be long before Sango, Miroku and their children became involved. As youkai slayers, they would be one of the first ones called upon for aid by villages caught in the crossfire of youkai vengeance. The weak were always the ones to suffer the most in times of war. Human villages would burn quickly should the West fall victim to internal youkai strife.
With such thoughts weighing heavily on his mind, Inuyasha had traveled to his friends' home. He'd sat in their hut as Sango berated Miroku regarding his continually lecherous ways. He'd soaked in their laughter, cherished their teasing affection, memorized the warmth of their familiar scents and all the while, he'd known he could never place them in further jeopardy. Especially when Inuyasha had the ability to keep such pain and strife from their doorstep.
That night, he'd declined their invitation to stay over, instead taking refuge in a nearby tree. He did not sleep that night, but sat as still as the dead thinking over his options. No matter how many times he turned over Mamoru's words, he was left with the same damning conclusion. For once, there were no other options, no final way to save his hide from damnation. Sitting in that tree, watching the sun splash over the horizon, Inuyasha knew what he had to do, no matter what the consequences to himself – to his pride, to his soul, to his very life. As the sun rose into the sky, he'd stood, heading in the opposite direction, towards the Western Palace.
And now, as Inuyasha stood in his own room within that very same Western Palace, all he could feel was ice flooding his heart, sinking it down into a fathomless pit. Ever since he was a pup, Sesshomaru had claimed he would kill him - that Inuyasha's life was his to extinguish whenever the whim struck him. And, all his life, the InuHanyou had fought tooth and claw to avoid that very act from happening. But now . . . now it seemed as if Sesshomaru had finally won, although, Inuyasha greatly doubted his a brother saw it that way. By tomorrow morning, his body would still be alive, but Inuyasha was certain his soul would not fare so well. By tomorrow morning, Sesshomaru would have succeeded in killing that vital part of his very being. By tomorrow morning, the young InuHanyou would willingly submit to his older brother, allowing Sesshomaru to take his body and claim him as nothing more than property. Tomorrow morning, Inuyasha would consent to being his brother's mate.
End chapter one. Yes, a little short. The next should be longer and I will try and post it next Wednesday. For those of you interested, check out my updated profile and a website address where you can find out more about me and read another story I've started posting. For those of you who've read my stories before, I have a question: Should I start posting my previous Inuyasha fics to my website too? I wouldn't take them down from here. Just wondering if that would be helpful or simply redundant. Thanks so much and I'll "see" you all again next week. lunamist.