Lines indicate a jump between past and present. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
After naming his son, the Inu no Taisho let himself fall asleep under the watch of his elder son. They needed to talk and he wanted to have some strength for it. Izayoi, whose strength had been renewed, took to making a fire and watching over Inuyasha. She also gathered some food and water. Sesshomaru refused to help more than to keep them alive. As night came, the mortal let herself sleep. Finally, when the moon was almost completely overhead, Sesshomaru woke his father. "Our agreement father."
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked up, "hmm. I would say it is not quite midnight. How about we begin the tale first and I'll give you the sword after?"
Sesshomaru was annoyed, but agreed, for now. He watched as his father took out So'unga and placed it between them.
"The sword of heaven, the sword of hell, and the sword of man. Everyone associates these swords with my power, but did you know I originally had another sword?" He took his son's blank stare to mean no, he didn't. "My original blade was called Hatobasuto." He laughed at his son's facial expression. "Yes, yes, I know. It hardly inspires fear. But I assure you, once I learned to wield it, it was actually more powerful than Tessaiga."
"What happened to it then?" his son questioned, now interested.
"Ah. Now that is part of the story. Alright, you are familiar with our clan's history?"
Sesshomaru nodded at the dumb question. It was basic history. "There were two royal inuyoukai clans: the Taiyo and Tsuki clans. Mother and I are of the royal Tsuki clan line, which is why we have the moon on our foreheads. You were the second born royal of the Taiyo clan. Mother was supposed to marry the lord of the Taiyo clan in order to unite the clans. You, the second born, however, won her heart and there was a scandal. It is what led to the war and near extinction of the Taiyo clan. In your path to Supreme Conquest, you destroyed all who defied you in the Taiyo clan, creating one unified clan."
"No, Sesshomaru." He looked away for a moment. "That is not what happened."
Sesshomaru only gave him a blank stare. "I do not understand father."
He sighed. "If there were ever a scandal to the Taiyo line, it would be that I was born at all. I… a half breed."
Sesshomaru couldn't help but glance at Inuyasha. "You are not- "
"Half dragon. I am half Taiyo inuyoukai and half dragon. From the same line as Ryukotsusei. It's why I do not bear the sun mark of the Taiyo. Like your brother, I am only half inuyoukai."
"Then I am- "
"A quarter dragon. Fortunately, no one can tell since apparently three quarters is inu-youkai enough for you to be royal marked. Though you might notice a few dragon qualities during your life. I have an attack called Soryuha, or Dragon Strike that I try to avoid using. I also feel an odd kinship with dragons. I acquired this egg that's supposed to birth a two headed dragon. I am looking forward to being alive to see that, at least."
"How does no one know?"
The Inu no Taisho looked at his son meaningfully, "history is written by the victors."
He was a half breed, that was the only thing anyone saw when they looked at him. He was the second born son of the Taiyo inuyoukai queen. Her husband, father of her first born, had perished a few years prior. She had been bored, and made a mistake resulting in a second pregnancy. When the son was born, all of the royals and nobles knew he was half dragon, but they were at least pleased to see he didn't look it. Thus, the full depth of her mistake was hidden from the public. There were uses for an illegitimate child of the royal line, and fortunately his lack of the royal sun mark meant he could never contest the right to the throne. It wouldn't be right. No half breed could carry the inuyoukai line into the future.
Instead, he was raised to be a personal guard to the prince. He was told the truth of his heritage, and that he was given a great honor to remain within the royal family in this capacity, despite his mixed blood. He grew up in luxury; he was given a room in the royal chambers, he was given high quality food, he was given the best education. He had all he could need, except perhaps company. His chambers were quiet and no one ever visited unless they needed something, he always ate alone, and his tutors always reminded him that he was not a true royal and that his education was wasted on him.
He learned the art of the sword, as it was to be his job. Growing up, occasionally, he would be placed as a secondary bodyguard to his brother, mostly to learn what his duties would be like. He watched some of his brother's courting to the Tsuki princess. Most of it caused second hand embarrassment; it was clear neither cared for the other. His brother never saw the princess' true self. He always took her cold demeanor to be indifference, and he took her lack of knowledge of swordsmanship as weakness. But the younger brother knew better. He joked openly with her, realizing she was just very sarcastic and hardly ever meant what she said, though she still did have a sadistic side. He also realized his elder brother was blind; she was no swordswoman, but her knowledge of magic was unparalleled.
Like many royals of the time, when he came of age, he was given a quest to prove his worth: slay the youkai of Ketsueki Tower. Apparently, years prior, the youkai had caused trouble for a group of traveling inuyoukai. Having recently discovered its hiding place, it was sentenced to death. Unlike for others, the test was merely a test of strength. They cared for nothing else. The only thing he was given to complete the task was a mediocre quality blade, Hasaikinzoku.
The tower was nothing special. Merely a column of wood comprised of a square base that shot up into the sky. He could probably topple the structure. What gave him pause, however, was the almost overpowering scent of blood. Many had died here. If nothing else, it was right for the creature to die, thus, he entered the tower. Following the scent of decay, he came across a large open room.
"Who dares to disturb me now?!" The creature came out of hiding. It had the appearance of a simple giant ogre. This is the creature I'm meant to destroy to prove myself?
He clutched his blade tight. "A bloodthirsty monster like yourself is not worthy to speak my name." He leapt at the ogre, only to completely miss. It's fast! Raising his blade quickly, he was able to stop the ogre's claws from their counterattack, although he got pushed back slightly. Since swinging a blade was too slow, "Sankon Tessou!" He growled. Missed again. But the ogre wasn't so unlucky. The inuyoukai tried to dodge the ogre's counterattack, only for its motion to change midswing. Instead of trying to claw him again, the ogre opened its hand to broaden the attack. Its massive hand shoved the inuyoukai into the wall.
The ogre laughed. "You inuyoukai are so predictable. Always using your swords or claws. Can't you be more creative?"
It hurt to get up, the youkai's attack certainly broke something. "Sankon Tessou!" If the ogre wanted creative, then he'd be creative! The attack was aimed at the ogre's leg instead of anything vital this time. Just as he thought the attack would land, the ogre moved his foot, just his foot. He raised it, before slamming it back down on top of the inuyoukai, pinning him. The ogre's claws dug into his back. He grunted in pain.
"Tsk. If you were going to disturb me, you should have made it interesting." Taking his second foot, and applying even more weight onto the inuyoukai, the ogre slammed down onto his opponent's weapon, breaking it in half. "You're finished. I only got one bite before, but at least inuyoukai flesh is of the tastier variety."
No.
"A half breed doesn't have time to play. If you're going to prove even the slightest bit useful, you'll need to train every moment you have."
No.
"This is your elder brother. You'll protect him with your life."
Why?
"A half breed? What's he going to do? Slow my opponents down by offering himself as a meal?"
The laughter.
"Spying on your elder brother's lessons? Don't worry, you're too stupid to learn anything like that."
I'm not.
"Good luck on your quest little brother. Wouldn't want the tower's guardian to get a taste for royal inuyoukai flesh. It would be such a mess if I had to kill it."
I won't fail.
"Your quest is the Ketsueki youkai?" He nodded to the Tsuki princess. "Watch his fangs, they're sharp."
His fangs are sharp? 'I only got one bite before, but at least inuyoukai flesh is of the tastier variety.'
"You bastard!" Reaching behind him, he dipped his claws in the blood oozing from his back, "Hijin Kesso!" He threw the blood at the creature's eyes. He missed, but the ogre shifted its weight enough for him to get out. Its claws came flying towards him again. He let them, and as the creature got close, he allowed his mokomoko to wrap around the creature's wrist, stopping it.
Using the broken blade he still clutched, he channeled as much youki as he could, more than he had ever used before and shouted, "Soryuha!" His mokomoko did not let go, preventing the ogre from fleeing. The damage to his own fur was worth it, the ogre was dead. Catching his breath, he looked down at the broken sword, thankful it was still able to channel enough power to strike. However, when he saw it, it was not the Hasaikinzoku. No, Hatobasuto, it whispered, formed of his own youki.
He took a second to marvel at the new blade, before lookin back to the youkai. Quickly using his claws, he removed the head. Biting the princess is unforgivable.
"Mother was bitten by a mere ogre?"
The Inu no Taisho laughed. "Yes, yes, we were both young. Do you honestly believe I'd have such trouble with a mere ogre now?"
Sesshomaru hummed in agreement. "So, you were harboring feelings for mother, and you were not pleased with the Taiyo clan's treatment of you. I do not see how this is different. However, I can better understand your motivation for decimating the Taiyo line.
But the father shook his head. "Not entirely. My thoughts during the battle were a turning point for myself. After my victory, I chose not to return to the castle. In fact, I spent several decades living on my own throughout the lands until I heard tale of my elder brother's upcoming marriage ceremony to the Tsuki princess, your mother. I had learned much during my travels, but I was dismayed to learn that my mother had also perished while I was away. I had hoped that having finally achieved a great deal of strength, that things could be different. I was foolish, and I thought it time to return home, armed with what I thought to be a good excuse."
"I apologize my lord, but I could not stay knowing I was unfit to protect you. I needed experience, not just training. The ogre exposed my inadequacies."
"Your inadequacies? There are a great many I'm sure." He growled, "but it hardly excuses your sudden disappearance!"
He bowed, "please my lord, allow me to show you how much I have grown in my absence."
The lord looked like he was going to simply order his brother's death for insubordination. But instead, a cruel smile appeared, "Very well, you will face against an opponent of my choosing. Should you prevail, I will reinstate your position without consequence. Should you fail, consider it your execution."
"What I told my half-brother was true. I learned a great deal from practical experience with my new blade. He, having grown up a purely pampered lifestyle in the castle, was unprepared. Unfortunately, pampering wasn't his only flaw. He had a dishonorable streak and sometimes, his eyes would shine with a depth of cold that would surprise even you, Sesshomaru."
It was sunrise the next day, the time chosen for his 'trial' as they were all calling it. When the first beams of sunlight appeared over the horizon, and graced the fields of the Taiyo clan, his brother came forth and announced his opponent. "Today, you will be given a chance to redeem your honor with a display of strength. Today, we will reinstate your position in the clan if you are able to defeat me in a duel."
"You? Brother?"
"There is no use for a weak half breed within our clan. Today, mother's mistake will be rectified."
"What you need to understand, Sesshomaru, is that when we youkai form a blade made from our own power, it becomes an extension of ourselves, our truest power. In the moment I needed it most, I was overcome with emotion: anger, fear, longing. That became the power of my blade, Hatobasuto. The blade amplifies my own natural abilities in relation to my own emotions, and my opponent's. Every blow we brothers exchanged heightened everything. My conviction, my will. But, I could never understand his blind disgust of me. And unfortunately, it is only natural to try to destroy that which disgusts you. My blade heeded the emotion of my opponent, and in my own desperate strike, it carried out his will." He looked up at Sesshomaru. "I killed the last Taiyo lord, my own brother."
For several minutes, neither spoke. "What happened father? Accident or not, the Taiyo clan would not have let you live. How did they come to perish?"
He hesitated, but finally answered, "your mother. Hundreds died that day. All of the royals and nobles to be sure. Others fled and faded into obscurity." He laughed, "I remember what your mother said to me that day."
"What are you doing, little sun dog sitting around like that?"
"You slaughtered them." He was still in shock.
"Merely proof that they were weak." The blood red eyes of her true form stared down at him, "And what of you? We of the night are often overshadowed by the boisterous dogs of the sun. It was always insulting. But you are part dragon. I wonder, are you worthy to spare?" It was a challenge.
"They were my clan!"
"They cared nothing for you. We both know this." He knew this, he couldn't deny it. "How would you like to marry me?"
"M-marry?"
"Hmm. Taking out the royal clan is one matter. Conquering the loyal citizens is another. How would you like to take command? You are genuinely of the royal bloodline, the people need not know the truth. Assume command, marry me, and unite our people. The bloodshed may end here. You know the people well enough to assume command. The common citizen cares little who the ruler is as long as their lives remain unaffected."
"If you wished to unite our people why did you not just marry my brother?"
"He was a spineless puppy. You my… Taisho… amuse me. I do not fear your strength. Do you fear mine?"
He could not hesitate before her. "No."
"The story told was that your mother and I were deeply in love and she had to call off the marriage to my brother. It then resulted in a war, which to preserve peace, the majority of the kills were supposedly mine. Your mother stayed behind to rule the inuyoukai kingdom in the sky palace. I remained on the Earth to lead our people. Your mother wasn't wrong, few sought to challenge me after that, but the few that did only served to make me stronger."
Sesshomaru was genuinely unsure of what to say. "Why was I not told of this sooner?"
The Inu no Taisho sighed. "Sesshomaru, I am not proud of what happened that day. The outcome was not my choice, it was still my clan, our clan, that was slaughtered. By choice, I do not carry that blade any longer. Over the years I have come to appreciate your mothers strength and character, but we've always been at odds. Her only condition when I took Izayoi was that our child would not be permitted into the kingdom until its mother passed."
Without a word, Sesshomaru got up and left the clearing. He left So'unga behind.
Tsuki = moon, Taiyo = sun, Hasaikinzoku = crushed metal, Hatobasuto = heart burst (I think, I tried)
