The heir of the Dog-Lord stood on the clifftop, staring down at the charred wreckage below him. Those who saw his elegant face would think that he was unmoved by the sight. But the fire in his eyes gave him away.
His father, the ruler of the Western Lands, was dead.
Sesshoumaru's eyes blazed at the thought. Though he had known his father was not invulnerable, the idea of him dying was almost unthinkable. And all because of that wretched human, who had weakened him over the years.
And there was still Inuyasha to deal with. Sesshoumaru's lips twisted slightly at the thought of his younger brother. Half-brother, that was.
It had been revolting enough when his father had taken a human girl as his mate -- a passing whim, Sesshoumaru had believed at first. He thought that the Dog-Lord would tire of Nagiko, and cast her aside. But instead he had kept the woman by his side whenever he had the opportunity. That indiscretion might be ignored -- Sesshoumaru did his best to ignore Nagiko's very existance, and for a time he was successful.
And then the unthinkable happened. The Dog-Lord, among the most powerful and feared demons in the world, chose to have a child with a weak, helpless human like Nagiko. A half-breed child. Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru couldn't understand why the Dog-Lord had done that -- he already had an heir. Why he chose to get a whelp upon that human girl, mingling pure demon blood with human blood, was beyond his understanding.
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. His father's lifeless body was the worst sight of his life. Second to that was the sight of that wretched concubine Nagiko, proudly holding her repugnant whelp in her arms. Sesshoumaru had left quickly; he did not wish to see Nagiko or her child again.Ê Why his father was so pleased with Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru did not know. The child had no true form as a true demon would have; he had no powers, aside from his claws.
If he could not revenge himself upon Nagiko, who had been slain, then he would revenge himself upon her child, and rid himself of a creature that ought not to have ever drawn breath. Inuyasha was only five years old. Wandering alone in the world, he would surely be dead in a matter of days.
Raising his hand, Sesshoumaru gathered the winds around himself and whisked across the sky.
*
The passages of the palace were darkened, in mourning for the passing of the Dog-Lord. Only a few candles sputtered on the walls as Sesshoumaru silently passed by. A few servant imps bowed and scampered out of his way. He paused in front of a screen, painted with flowers. Behind it, he could see the shape of a small boy, huddled over. He pushed the screen aside and stepped into the room.
Inuyasha sat up abruptly, wiping tears from his face. Sesshoumaru was annoyed to see that despite his human ancestry, the child had gained a greater likeness to their father in the past few years, with the golden eyes, clawed hands and pale hair bequeathed to them both. The one jarring note was the dog ears poking from the top of his head. Without those ears, he might have almost passed -- in looks, not in smell -- as a full demon.
"You know our father is dead," Sesshoumaru said flatly.
Inuyasha nodded slowly.
"And your mother with him." Sesshoumaru took a step, and the child fell back in a crouch. "Why our father kept either of you for this long is beyond my understanding. A problem I intend to deal with now."
Inuyasha leaped away, but Sesshoumaru was faster. His slim hand shot out and caught Inuyasha by the throat. The boy made a faint whimpering sound as Sesshoumaru slammed him back against the wall. His tiny hands dug into his brother's fingers, but he wasn't strong enough.
"You," he said slowly and carefully, "are no longer shielded by others. I have tolerated your presence for too long already -- and now I shall do what should have been done long ago."
Inuyasha clutched at Sesshoumaru's wrist, with fear in his eyes. But other things were blossoming behind the fear: resentment and rage. Sesshoumaru found himself impressed at the boy's courage. If he had been a full demon, he might even have admired him.
"Our father now lies dead because your mother weakened him. For that, she has shared his fate," he continued.
"That's not true," Inuyasha mumbled.
"Do you dare to call me liar?" Sesshoumaru asked coolly. "I have no reason to lie. It is because of her that he was slain, and her human weakness smolders in you still. But because the blood of our mighty and terrible father runs in your veins, even tainted by human blood, I shall not kill you."
He extended his free hand. There was a distant rumble of thunder.
"I shall let you live -- but only on condition that you are cast from this place now, and do not return. Not now, not ever. I do not wish to have my sight sullied by you ever again. If you do, I shall kill you before you have time to cry out."
Inuyasha's eyes widened as Sesshoumaru released him. He crumpled to the floor, as a great dark abyss opened behind him, drew him in....
... and he landed with a thump on the ground.
For a moment he lay still, whimpering softly. The sky above him was pale pink with the setting sun, and the dark trees were swaying ominously in the wind. Crickets were singing; a nightingale fluttered up into a tree, its song ruined by the arrival of this child.
Inuyasha slowly sat up, wiping the dirt from his face. His lips formed the word "Mama," but no sound came out. His mother was gone.
He wandered down a lonely back road for many hours, with his head down and his arms tightly hugging himself. His tiny dog ears had drooped almost out of sight. The moon was hidden behind the clouds. It was dark enough that he could barely see where he was going. But what did it matter? His brother had thrown him out, and he had nowhere to go. He wiped tears from his dirty face.
Suddenly a spot of light appeared down the road, and he heard voice speaking. Inuyasha thought about hiding -- what if they were bandits, like Mama had warned him about? He stood, staring off into the woods.
"Hey!" a man's voice called. "Who's there?"
"It's just a little boy," a woman said, startled. "Poor little lad, are you lost? Turn around so I can get a good look at you..."
Inuyasha turned around hesitantly. The woman shrieked.
Inuyasha jumped back, holding up a hand. The lantern light caught his dog ears and golden eyes. "Gods, he has claws!" the man shouted. "It's a demon lying in wait! Back in the wagon!"
Inuyasha was too stunned to say a word as the wagon rattled away, with the frightened humans calling out for help. He wondered if they were going to call for others. He stumbled blindly into the forest, stumbling over briars and trailing vines. He slashed the out of his way and kept running until he was far from the road. Then he huddled under a tree, shivering.
Deep inside him, something cold and hard was forming. His half-brother had thrown him out because Mama had been a human, and Inuyasha wasn't all demon. But those people had screamed and run away because he was part demon.
"Halfbreed." He'd heard that word whispered all his life, by people who thought he couldn't hear them. It meant something nasty, because nobody had ever said it kindly. Mama had said not to worry about it. She'd had tears in her eyes. But now it was why he was wandering, lost and cold, in a forest he didn't even know.
Inuyasha clenched his fists.
*
He managed to get a feeble fire going in a forest clearing. His father had taught him how, on one of the few times he had been at Mama's palace.
Inuyasha had chased and captured a rabbit, and had managed to cook most of it over the fire. He'd burned quite a bit of it, but it was better than starving. And the autumn chill made him shiver if he left the fire for too long.
Suddenly something stung his face. "Ah, delicious," a voice said. "Truly scrumptious. You take after your father, little one."
Inuyasha slapped his cheek, and something fluttered to the ground. "Ow, ah... just hungry after such a long journey," the voice called.
"Myoga?" Inuyasha said, shocked.
"None other," the flea said, dusting himself off and adjusting his tiny pack. "I'm quite lucky you didn't go any faster, Lord Inuyasha. After all, I am merely a flea. I can leap quite a distance, but compared to the running of a dog-demon -- ah, it isn't worth considering."
"What are you doing here?"
"What else? Looking after you, my lad. With the sad loss of your father, you'll be needing someone to make sure you don't run into trouble. I shall do my best," Myoga said, hopping into Inuyasha's hand. "Now then, you'd better eat that rabbit before it burns... any more than it has already. We can't have you hungry, especially not while you're still growing."
Inuyasha mechanically took the rabbit off the spit and bit into it. It finally came to him that his parents were gone. He was alone. Rejected by demons, and feared by humans. No one wanted him.
"We'll journey to a town tomorrow, and see what can be found there," Myoga said solemnly. "Is there something wrong, Lord Inuyasha?"
The boy didn't answer. He watched the fire burning, with emptiness in his eyes.
His father, the ruler of the Western Lands, was dead.
Sesshoumaru's eyes blazed at the thought. Though he had known his father was not invulnerable, the idea of him dying was almost unthinkable. And all because of that wretched human, who had weakened him over the years.
And there was still Inuyasha to deal with. Sesshoumaru's lips twisted slightly at the thought of his younger brother. Half-brother, that was.
It had been revolting enough when his father had taken a human girl as his mate -- a passing whim, Sesshoumaru had believed at first. He thought that the Dog-Lord would tire of Nagiko, and cast her aside. But instead he had kept the woman by his side whenever he had the opportunity. That indiscretion might be ignored -- Sesshoumaru did his best to ignore Nagiko's very existance, and for a time he was successful.
And then the unthinkable happened. The Dog-Lord, among the most powerful and feared demons in the world, chose to have a child with a weak, helpless human like Nagiko. A half-breed child. Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru couldn't understand why the Dog-Lord had done that -- he already had an heir. Why he chose to get a whelp upon that human girl, mingling pure demon blood with human blood, was beyond his understanding.
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed. His father's lifeless body was the worst sight of his life. Second to that was the sight of that wretched concubine Nagiko, proudly holding her repugnant whelp in her arms. Sesshoumaru had left quickly; he did not wish to see Nagiko or her child again.Ê Why his father was so pleased with Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru did not know. The child had no true form as a true demon would have; he had no powers, aside from his claws.
If he could not revenge himself upon Nagiko, who had been slain, then he would revenge himself upon her child, and rid himself of a creature that ought not to have ever drawn breath. Inuyasha was only five years old. Wandering alone in the world, he would surely be dead in a matter of days.
Raising his hand, Sesshoumaru gathered the winds around himself and whisked across the sky.
*
The passages of the palace were darkened, in mourning for the passing of the Dog-Lord. Only a few candles sputtered on the walls as Sesshoumaru silently passed by. A few servant imps bowed and scampered out of his way. He paused in front of a screen, painted with flowers. Behind it, he could see the shape of a small boy, huddled over. He pushed the screen aside and stepped into the room.
Inuyasha sat up abruptly, wiping tears from his face. Sesshoumaru was annoyed to see that despite his human ancestry, the child had gained a greater likeness to their father in the past few years, with the golden eyes, clawed hands and pale hair bequeathed to them both. The one jarring note was the dog ears poking from the top of his head. Without those ears, he might have almost passed -- in looks, not in smell -- as a full demon.
"You know our father is dead," Sesshoumaru said flatly.
Inuyasha nodded slowly.
"And your mother with him." Sesshoumaru took a step, and the child fell back in a crouch. "Why our father kept either of you for this long is beyond my understanding. A problem I intend to deal with now."
Inuyasha leaped away, but Sesshoumaru was faster. His slim hand shot out and caught Inuyasha by the throat. The boy made a faint whimpering sound as Sesshoumaru slammed him back against the wall. His tiny hands dug into his brother's fingers, but he wasn't strong enough.
"You," he said slowly and carefully, "are no longer shielded by others. I have tolerated your presence for too long already -- and now I shall do what should have been done long ago."
Inuyasha clutched at Sesshoumaru's wrist, with fear in his eyes. But other things were blossoming behind the fear: resentment and rage. Sesshoumaru found himself impressed at the boy's courage. If he had been a full demon, he might even have admired him.
"Our father now lies dead because your mother weakened him. For that, she has shared his fate," he continued.
"That's not true," Inuyasha mumbled.
"Do you dare to call me liar?" Sesshoumaru asked coolly. "I have no reason to lie. It is because of her that he was slain, and her human weakness smolders in you still. But because the blood of our mighty and terrible father runs in your veins, even tainted by human blood, I shall not kill you."
He extended his free hand. There was a distant rumble of thunder.
"I shall let you live -- but only on condition that you are cast from this place now, and do not return. Not now, not ever. I do not wish to have my sight sullied by you ever again. If you do, I shall kill you before you have time to cry out."
Inuyasha's eyes widened as Sesshoumaru released him. He crumpled to the floor, as a great dark abyss opened behind him, drew him in....
... and he landed with a thump on the ground.
For a moment he lay still, whimpering softly. The sky above him was pale pink with the setting sun, and the dark trees were swaying ominously in the wind. Crickets were singing; a nightingale fluttered up into a tree, its song ruined by the arrival of this child.
Inuyasha slowly sat up, wiping the dirt from his face. His lips formed the word "Mama," but no sound came out. His mother was gone.
He wandered down a lonely back road for many hours, with his head down and his arms tightly hugging himself. His tiny dog ears had drooped almost out of sight. The moon was hidden behind the clouds. It was dark enough that he could barely see where he was going. But what did it matter? His brother had thrown him out, and he had nowhere to go. He wiped tears from his dirty face.
Suddenly a spot of light appeared down the road, and he heard voice speaking. Inuyasha thought about hiding -- what if they were bandits, like Mama had warned him about? He stood, staring off into the woods.
"Hey!" a man's voice called. "Who's there?"
"It's just a little boy," a woman said, startled. "Poor little lad, are you lost? Turn around so I can get a good look at you..."
Inuyasha turned around hesitantly. The woman shrieked.
Inuyasha jumped back, holding up a hand. The lantern light caught his dog ears and golden eyes. "Gods, he has claws!" the man shouted. "It's a demon lying in wait! Back in the wagon!"
Inuyasha was too stunned to say a word as the wagon rattled away, with the frightened humans calling out for help. He wondered if they were going to call for others. He stumbled blindly into the forest, stumbling over briars and trailing vines. He slashed the out of his way and kept running until he was far from the road. Then he huddled under a tree, shivering.
Deep inside him, something cold and hard was forming. His half-brother had thrown him out because Mama had been a human, and Inuyasha wasn't all demon. But those people had screamed and run away because he was part demon.
"Halfbreed." He'd heard that word whispered all his life, by people who thought he couldn't hear them. It meant something nasty, because nobody had ever said it kindly. Mama had said not to worry about it. She'd had tears in her eyes. But now it was why he was wandering, lost and cold, in a forest he didn't even know.
Inuyasha clenched his fists.
*
He managed to get a feeble fire going in a forest clearing. His father had taught him how, on one of the few times he had been at Mama's palace.
Inuyasha had chased and captured a rabbit, and had managed to cook most of it over the fire. He'd burned quite a bit of it, but it was better than starving. And the autumn chill made him shiver if he left the fire for too long.
Suddenly something stung his face. "Ah, delicious," a voice said. "Truly scrumptious. You take after your father, little one."
Inuyasha slapped his cheek, and something fluttered to the ground. "Ow, ah... just hungry after such a long journey," the voice called.
"Myoga?" Inuyasha said, shocked.
"None other," the flea said, dusting himself off and adjusting his tiny pack. "I'm quite lucky you didn't go any faster, Lord Inuyasha. After all, I am merely a flea. I can leap quite a distance, but compared to the running of a dog-demon -- ah, it isn't worth considering."
"What are you doing here?"
"What else? Looking after you, my lad. With the sad loss of your father, you'll be needing someone to make sure you don't run into trouble. I shall do my best," Myoga said, hopping into Inuyasha's hand. "Now then, you'd better eat that rabbit before it burns... any more than it has already. We can't have you hungry, especially not while you're still growing."
Inuyasha mechanically took the rabbit off the spit and bit into it. It finally came to him that his parents were gone. He was alone. Rejected by demons, and feared by humans. No one wanted him.
"We'll journey to a town tomorrow, and see what can be found there," Myoga said solemnly. "Is there something wrong, Lord Inuyasha?"
The boy didn't answer. He watched the fire burning, with emptiness in his eyes.