Disclaimer – I do not own InuYasha and if I did, he would have ended up with Sango and there would be much more InuSan fan fictions. Since I have read most of the longer complete ones on here, I could only say in a deep, menacing voice "Fine, I'll do it myself."
I would still love to get some reviews for this story, even if it is just, 'I am enjoying it'.
I wanted to start bringing some attention to some of my own favorite InuSan stories to make sure they get the attention and love they deserve. If you have not read them before or even in a while, I would advise giving them a read.
For starters, my favorite InuSan Story I have read is Kagami to Ai by RavensFirefly, I almost always have it up on my phone and I have read it probably like 10 times. I would also advise reading pretty much all of their InuSan stories but my other favorites from them are Once the Dust Settles, Gone, and Memories.
My other favorite story is on Adult Fan Fiction and it is called Teasing by Atropa. If you have not, read all of their work because it is all great. If you are going to read Sango's New Role, read it on this site as it has the full first chapter and read Summer Days on Adult Fan Fiction as the full story was not uploaded here. If you are a fan of great one-shots, they have a group of 36 exceptional one-shots listed under the title Night Time. I spent an entire day reading them.
I also love all of CSI Panther-Skull's InuSan work, I would say my favorite from them is either WHAT IF because I love the idea of Hanyou Sango to give InuYasha a lover that has the same struggle of living between worlds or InuYasha is Hurt!, because it is just really good at exploring that relationship.
Dog Tired, Drunken Truth, and Darkness Within by VFSNAKE are all great stories that I have read multiple times each.
When the Truth Rings and Where the Sun Rises by OrangeFuu are an amazing one-two story combo and I have cannot read one without reading the other.
Now for the ones that are more single stories than authors in general. The Happily Ever After by InuSanReborn is a great one that actually follows the canonical ending of the Final Act. Gone Wrong by Michelle18 is amazing. A Stroke of Time by EmEx is, I think, the one that got me into InuSan and it is one I have gone back to many times. I also am gonna call out, a long list here but all worth at least one read; We Shouldn't by James P. Darcy, Not Enough by Soluna125, Something New by Kaze Kami, Unfinished Business by The Daughter of the Night, Secret Lovers by RolyRolyPoly, Drops of Gold by HardlyFatal, and Red and Black by S-Michael. Also, anything InuSan by Dante24 on both this site and Adult Fan Fiction is exceptional. Another one on Adult Fan Fiction I will call out is Meant to be by Piquini. As the name implies, Adult Fan Fiction is for adults so most stories do have at least one in depth love making scene.
I am usually a Sengoku Jidai fan but there are a few present era stories that I enjoy as well, Bless the Broken Road by Lady Fuyuki is a great one that breaks my heart as I read it. Also, The End Result is fantastic and really makes you feel with the twists and turns. Lastly, His Mask by Curious-George5498, I have only read this one once, but it really does justice to the InuSan pairing without making them too OOC.
If any of these authors stumble across this story, know that you are appreciated for your gifts and I would love to see more from you. If you have any other suggestions for me, please let me know. If you are an InuSan fan and potentially an author, please write it and publish it. I doubt my skills but I know that our fan circle is too small to not let our creativity be explored.
Sorry, that was long, but these stories are all so great and they need the traction in order to get more stuff out there. Just so you know, I am 32 years old next month and I am still doing this, some may say it is sad, but I say it is passion and so much fun. Don't let anything hold you back from what you love.
I will let you all know that I have been unemployed for the last month and I am starting a new job on Monday, the 24th. I will try to keep to my upload a week schedule that I have set for myself. At the worst, I would say one every 2 weeks.
The song for this chapter is Zidane's Theme, peppy energetic, perfect for a chapter with a little bit of Rin.
Chapter 6 – The Gift
As InuYasha was filling Sango in on the previous 3 years, Senshi was torn. She knew that if her friend told her that he had found her true mate, he must have or he would not have come all the way here to get her. But her loyalty and sense of duty to her lord made her take pause. She had been in his service for a hundred of her two hundred years and she couldn't imagine abandoning him for her own selfish desires. She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice when her lord approached her.
"Senshi, what troubles you?" he asked his general. Knowing that his usually composed general was so lost she didn't notice him arrive caused him a great deal of concern.
Senshi jumped and looked at her lord. She bowed lowly, apologizing for her disrespectful behavior. "I apologize, my lord. Inu-chan simply brought me some news that weighs heavily on my mind," she said, she refused to look her lord in the eyes, fearing that he would be able to read her emotions.
"He found him, didn't he?" Sesshoumaru asked, no emotion showing on his face as he spoke. "You have never told me about him, but I have seen you gazing off into the distance in thought. I also heard you tell Rin that you had found your true mate but did not know where he was. InuYasha found him and he is offering to take you to him." All of this was stated, no questions were asked. Sesshoumaru knew he was correct before she nodded her head.
As soon as she had, he understood what caused her such turmoil. He would be lying if he said he had not begun to develop some sort of feelings for his general. She was after all his only friend; it was only natural given the trust he gave her. But nothing could ever happen, I am her lord and she is my general. Besides, her heart already belongs to another. "Senshi, I hereby relieve you of your obligation to me."
Senshi turned to her lord with a stunned look in her eye. "What was that, my lord?" She refused to believe her own ears.
"You are relieved of your obligation to me. Go and find your true happiness."
After hearing him say it again, Senshi did something she never thought she would. She hugged Sesshoumaru. "Thank you, my lord," she said softly as she released him.
"Go prepare yourself to go be in your new home. I am sure my brother and his mate want to get back home quickly."
With that, Senshi rushed to her room and began preparing herself for the journey. I hope that you find true happiness, my dear Senshi-chan. Sesshoumaru turned toward his quarters and decided to retire for the evening to work through his own thoughts. I also need to assign a new general.
XxXxXxXxX
InuYasha awoke in his favorite way. He could feel his mate's head resting on his chest and his arms around her. He took in her scent and breathed a sigh of contentment. It would take a lot for life to get better than this. He could feel her love and affection radiating in their bond and knew she had the same thought as him. "Good morning, koibito," InuYasha whispered softly.
"Mmm, good morning, Inu-kun," Sango responded lifting her head slightly to look into his eyes, still resting her chin on his shoulder. She gave him a beaming smile before stretching up to kiss him gently on the lips. As they parted for air, she said, "I love you."
"I love you too," he responded holding his face a centimeter from hers before capturing her mouth again. His tongue danced with hers as they poured all their passion and love into the kiss. Slowly, they pulled apart before finally rising from the bed. Dressing themselves for the day, they headed out to the dining hall as they had missed eating the previous night.
They came upon Rin, Senshi, and Sesshoumaru eating at the large table with Kirara sitting on a seat beside Rin. "I see that my brother has not banished you back to the soldier table since I left, Senshi-chan," InuYasha said as he took his seat. Sango took a seat next to him and two servants rushed to them placing heaping plates in front of them. They began eating their food slowly, savoring the flavor of each bite.
"Yeah, he decided that if I was eating in here for almost three years, I might as well keep eating here. It gives him someone else to keep an eye on Rin to make sure she doesn't choke on her food so he can brood in peace," Senshi said with a grin to her former lord. She was happy she could now tease her friend now that he was not in a position of power over her.
He gave her a stony glare before turning to Sango. "I trust your first night in my palace was satisfactory," he asked.
"Very much so, I haven't had a chance to look around yet but what I have seen has been amazing," she replied, still nervously surprised given her previous encounters with the lord of the west. "Inu-kun told me the story about his time here yesterday. At least what he deemed the important things."
"Yeah, did he tell you about the time I caught him stroking it while moaning, 'brown-haired girl'," Senshi asked as she sent a teasing look at her friend. Sango couldn't help but catch the blush that rushed to her mate's face as she giggled.
"It's OK, Inu-kun, I missed you too." She gave her mate a hug to let him know she appreciated him even as she giggled further. She was getting a feeling that Senshi and her would get along just fine.
"There was also the time he forgot that all of his other clothes were taken to be cleaned and he dropped his clothes outside his door to picked up for cleaning. He was three hours late to training because he was locked in his room naked as the day he was born." Sango couldn't stop her giggles from turning into full laughter.
"Enough stories, Senshi," InuYasha snapped as his face turned even more red.
"Inu-kun, you know that none of these make me love you less, if anything I love you more for having the insight into you," Sango said trying to reassure her mate.
"I know, but it's still embarrassing," InuYasha replied, throwing a dirty look at Senshi.
"Think about it this way, for any embarrassing story she tells your mate, you can tell hers one," Sesshoumaru said, a slight smile showing in his eyes.
"I like that idea." InuYasha's dirty look to a mischievous grin. Then, after fully registering his words, he quickly turned to look at his brother. "You know about that?"
"Yes, I relieved her of her obligation to me last night. She is free to go at any time. Please don't take that to mean that you have to leave immediately. Stay a day or two, show Sango around the grounds, relax. Whatever you wish to do. This was your home for 3 years and it will be for as long as you wish it." Sesshoumaru rose from his seat at the head of the table and began walking towards his main hall.
"Thank you, Onii-sama," InuYasha smiled at his brother. He had only referred to Sesshoumaru as onii anything when he first lost his memory, simply because it didn't feel quite right. He understood why just as he spoke it this time. He had been welcomed into his home, the home of a man who had tried to kill him numerous times, in the most vulnerable of positions and rather than kill him, his brother had put the past behind them and helped him get his memories back. That deserved a great deal of respect, far more than he had shown in the past.
"You are welcome," Sesshoumaru responded just before stepping through the door and turning out of sight.
After breakfast was completed, Rin, InuYasha, and Senshi led Sango, with Kirara hot on Rin's heel, to the nearby garden. It stood outside of the castle as it would have been a weak point and it was still near enough to be appreciated by the lord of the west and his ward.
Rin rushed into the garden started picking various flowers and expertly started weaving them into crowns. Even though she was now a teenager, she was still the same sweet little girl. Sesshoumaru had fostered that in her, not wanting her to lose her love for the smaller things. Sango laughed at the teenage girl's energy and held her mate's hand tightly. A quick glance passed between them and they knew that they had the same thought even before they pushed it into each other's minds. I hope we have a daughter like that. The fact that they heard their thought in the other's voice made them both start to laugh.
Rin quickly finished the first crown and rushed over to Sango. Sango gratefully accepted and rather than place it on her head, she placed it on Senshi. The teenager giggled at her new 'aunt's' actions and hurried to make another crown. Once she was done, she handed it to Senshi who then placed it on InuYasha. This made the little girl laugh harder. Making the last crown, she quickly handed it to InuYasha giggling as she did so. InuYasha placed it on Sango's head before taking her into a firm hug.
The young human and wolf demon laughed at the display of affection. Senshi led the teenager away from the other two so they could have some time alone. Kirara looked to her mistress, before shaking her head and following the other two. She started playing with Rin in the garden with Senshi looking on as the other two stood, hands clasped together, and stared into each other's eyes seeming to have their own silent conversation.
When do you want to start our family, Inu-kun?
I was thinking after we get our first group of recruits going. So, not now but soon.
I love that idea. She leaned in and gave him a kiss full of love. The couple pulled back and looked at each other's eyes again. They released one hand but kept the other connected and looked to the others in the garden. Senshi was standing directly between them and Rin, blocking the young girl's view of the lovers.
She was looking over her shoulder with her good eye, watching the two. Once she saw they were done, she shifted so that the girl could see them again. The couple approached them and kneeled down beside them. Sometime later, Sesshoumaru came out and joined them and they enjoying the beautiful day in the beautiful place like a happy family.
XxXxXxXxX
The next morning, the departing quartet bid a tearful farewell to Rin and friendly farewell to Sesshoumaru. They promised to visit some time and told Sesshoumaru that he was always welcome to visit as well. With a final farewell, they loaded Senshi's belongings and what few items InuYasha cared about into the back of a large wagon and the two demons started pulling it behind them. Sango elected to walk beside them with Kirara resting on her shoulder.
They had decided to take a wagon because if they were moving three adults and a child, it would be best to go prepared for a large load. With the two demons pulling the wagon, they were making better time than they would have with horses, however after a few hours, Sango noticed they were not on the same road and were completely off track to get back to Mushin's temple. "Where are we going, this isn't the path to Mushin's Temple?" she asked InuYasha who was watching the road ahead.
"We just need to make a quick stop before heading there," he responded, not taking his eyes from the road.
"OK, I vaguely remember you mentioning needing to make a stop before heading back." Sango just kept pace with the wagon. If either of the demons got tired, she would take over for them. By midday, they arrived at a large cave with a strange fire flashing on and off. Of the group, only InuYasha had ever been to Toutousai's workshop so the others had no idea what they were looking at.
"Hey, Toutousai, did Myouga come by?" InuYasha yelled as he entered the cave.
"Eh?" the old demon turned around an gave his visitors a serious glance, before his eyes opened full again and he turned back to his work. "What do you want, InuYasha?"
"I sent Myouga with," InuYasha started before looking over his shoulder at his mate. He dropped his voice and leaned in to the old smith. "I sent him with one of my fangs and a note."
"Oh, that replica, yeah I knocked it out in about twenty minutes," the old smith replied not even looking from his work. It was then that InuYasha noticed he was forging the head of a pitch fork. "It's over there somewhere." He gestured around the entirety of the room.
Shaking his head, InuYasha started looking around the room. After a moment, he noticed a familiar looking speck sleeping on one of the shelves. "Hey, Myouga!" InuYasha yelled, getting as close to the speck as he could.
The flea demon leapt into the air in surprise, before instinctively grabbing his master's nose and sucking blood. With a deft slap, InuYasha knocked the flea from his nose and held out his hand. Once he had regained his wits, the flea hopped to his feet and started bouncing on InuYasha's hand. "InuYasha-sama! I was not expecting you until tomorrow!"
"Yeah, things went a little smoother at the palace than I expected. Do you know where my 'order' is?" He said the second part so quietly that Myouga only heard it because his ear was right next to InuYasha's mouth.
"Of course, my lord!" the flea leapt from his master's hand and started hopping toward a table covered in farming supplies. "It's at the bottom of this pile."
InuYasha dug through the pile until he found a very familiar handle. It was nearly identical to the handle of the blade he wore on his hip. Drawing the blade from its sheath, he examined it and the writing etched into the blade. It said exactly what he had written on his note 踊る花. Satisfied with the blade, he turned to face his mate.
She had stepped into the workshop and was admire some of the blades the smith had resting in a corner against the wall. He approached her and said, "Koibito, I had this made for you from one my fangs. It was knocked out in the fight with the ape demon. I hope that you like it."
Sango turned to face InuYasha and smiled at him before looking at the weapon in his hands. An identical replica of his own, she took the weapon and examined the blade. She saw the writing and read it aloud, "Odoru hana, is this the name of my blade?"
"Name of the blade, description of the wielder, either way works." InuYasha grinned at his mate as she left the cave with the blade in hand and approached the nearest tree. She stood about 5 meters from the tree and flicked the blade as she had InuYasha's, the same blue flash erupted from the end of the blade. Flicking quickly, the tree's trunk was filled with marks before Sango lowered her shoulder toward the tree and yelled, "Shishisenkou!" causing a large ethereal dog's head to erupt from her shoulder, uprooting the tree and launching it 10 meters.
InuYasha turned to Senshi and whispered, "Remind me never to piss off my mate."
"Noted," was Senshi's response. She had felt what the human could do first hand, but seeing it from an observer's perspective was even more terrifying. Imagine if she hadn't been holding back. I would probably be dead.
Sango sheathed her new blade and walked to her mate and gave him a passion filled kiss. "I love it. Thank you, Inu-kun."
"My absolute pleasure," he growled as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Something about the amount of power she held was driving him wild.
"Ok, either we need a village or you guys need to find some place private to take care of that." Senshi looked at the pair and gestured to InuYasha's tented hakama.
Looking at his friend with a mischievous gleam, he couldn't help but say, "Your just jealous," before grabbing his mate and bound in the direction of a nearby stream hoping for some privacy.
Of course I am Senshi thought as she entered the work shop. While she waited, might as well see if the old demon could make her some new gauntlets and greaves. She could really use some of a higher quality material.
The private time had ended up taking the entire rest of the day. Senshi had relinquished two of her fangs to have her new weapons made and she was told they would be ready by morning. She then proceeded to climb into the back of the wagon to get some sleep. After a searing pain dug into her back, she pulled out the sword that burned her and threw it over the edge of the wagon.
Burrowing into her bundled pelts of wrapped belongings, she fell into a deep sleep. Her dreams were filled with the face of the young boy she had met all those years ago. She was so deep in her sleep; she didn't notice someone approach the wagon and pick up the thrown sword.
XxXxXxXxX
Senshi awoke from her sleep to find that InuYasha and Sango had returned and set up a small campfire beside the wagon. Resting in the campfire were a quartet of fish, roasting on sticks. "Hey," InuYasha said looking up from his place cooking the fish. "Look who's up."
Sango was practicing with both Odoru hana and Majinken and was flaying the nearby forest alive. She managed to swing both swords as efficiently as the other, both hands working in tandem with the other as she swung the blades like a dancer would scarves. After another moment, she sheathed the blades on her left hip and turned on her heel to return to the camp. InuYasha held a bucket of water up to her and she drank from it greedily. "Thank you, mate," she smiled to him as she handed the bucket back. "Did you sleep well, Senshi-chan?"
The wolf demon smiled at her new friend and nodded, her throat feeling too dry to speak. She walked over to the fire and sat next to InuYasha and motioned for the bucket. InuYasha handed her the bucket with a slight nod and started removing the cooked fish from the campfire. After taking a large drink from the bucket, she cleared her throat and was able to speak. "Yeah, just had a dream last night that dried me out."
"Too much moisture going down south, Senshi-chan," InuYasha asked with that mischievous gleam back in his eye as he handed his friend one of the fish. Her blush at his question just made him break out in laughter. Sango smacked her mate on the back of the head before looking at Senshi. She was still blushing and the color didn't seem to want to leave her cheeks.
"Sango-chan," Senshi said as she looked at the fish before her. "Can you tell me about Kohaku?"
Sango looked at Senshi as she swallowed her first bite of fish. "Of course," she said, smiling as she thought of her brother. "He is strong and brave, but at the same time he can be shy and sweet. If something threatens someone he loves, he will do anything to keep them safe. Keeping him alive the last few years has been quite a chore because he is still struggling from time to time to get passed the things he did under Naraku's control, but I think we have finally gotten there. He was always such a sweet boy, the horrors that he went through have really stuck with him." Her appetite suddenly gone, Sango put her fish down on the ground and stood up. Thinking of the dark being that had tortured her brother, she redrew the two swords and started practicing again.
InuYasha put his own half-finished fish on the ground before saying to Senshi, "Don't feel bad for bringing it up," and walked after his mate. He stood far enough back that he wouldn't get hit by the flares that flew from the blades, but close enough that his mate knew that he was there for her. Senshi finished her fish before standing and heading towards Toutousai's forge, leaving the tiny Nekomata to enjoy the feast her mistress and master had left her.
As she approached the workshop, she saw that the old demon was banging on a large metal shield. "Hey Toutousai-sama, are my weapons done?" she asked the old demon.
"Eh," the old demon stopped his banging and looked at his visitor. "Ah, Senshi, yeah, they're over here." He motioned for her to follow him and he took her to a bench with two bone gauntlets and bracers resting on it. "These are them, should be stronger than anything you have ever used. You'll have to figure out how to use them yourself."
She put the gauntlets on and struck the knuckles together and six-inch metal claws emerged from the fist. She looked at the old demon and he patted his arm where the vambrace would be with his hand. Senshi mirrored the movement and the claws retracted. She then put on the grieves and looked at him confused. He then picked up on foot and crossed it over the other, tapping his shin with his calf. She mirrored this and metal spikes came out the from. He then kicked his calf with his toe. She mirrored again and the spikes retracted.
"Thank you, Toutousai-sama. I will use these well," she bowed to the old demon turned toward the entrance to the cave.
As Toutousai was returning to the shield he was making, Senshi and him heard InuYasha yell in shock. "Where the hell is Tessaiga!"
Realization suddenly struck Senshi of what she had thrown from the wagon the previous night and she rushed outside. As she approached the wagon, her stomach sank as she saw where the sword should have fallen and there was nothing there. "Inu-chan," she started as she saw her friend pulling everything out of the wagon, searching frantically for the sword his father had left him. "I laid down on it last night and it burned me. I instinctively threw it out of the wagon and it isn't where it should have landed." She knelt down in front of the friend who at this point was shocked into stillness by his friend's word. "I am so sorry, please forgive me." She bent forward and placed her hands on the ground before placing her head on her hands.
"Senshi-chan," InuYasha started as he started to gather his wits about him. That blade was one of the only things he had from his father. He had not been able to use it, but he had intended to pass it on to one of his children when Sango and him had started their family. Now I have nothing to pass on. He was torn, he knew it was an accident, however, his prized weapon, something that made him feel connected to the father he never knew was gone. Looking at her, he knew what he had to do. Walking over to his bowing friend, he knelt next to her and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You did nothing wrong; I would rather enjoy my time with my living friend than get angry over something from my deceased father."
Senshi rose from her bow and took her friend into a strong hug. She had felt horrible about losing the sword but the fact that her friend forgave her was more than she had ever hoped for. The two friends rose from the ground after releasing their hug and Sango was standing next to them holding Majinken out for InuYasha to put back on his hip. He took the blade and returned it to its resting place as his mate took Senshi into a hug of her own. He couldn't help but smile as his two best friends held each other. He felt so luck that they had clicked like they did, so now he had his best friend who was his mate and his best friend wasn't his mate who also seemed to be becoming good friends.
A pained meow could be heard from the campfire and the trio turned to see Kirara laying on her back with her stomach distended and three fish skeletons laying on the ground. The trio couldn't help but laugh as they realized that the Nekomata had eaten all three fish and was stuffed to the gills.
