Summary: In a world where demons rule the land and humans are slaves, one family is tied by the strings of fate. But fate's made a mistake that can only be fixed by one human girl.

AN: This is my second attempt at an Inu-Yasha fanfiction. My first was an oneshot, that was truly shot down. I had tried to grasp the concept of Sesshoumaru. This one, I hope I have more successfully portrayed his being. Enjoy.

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Declaimer: I don't own Inu-Yasha.

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Fate's Mistake

Chapter 1

The sun had just peeked over the horizon, tainting the sky a brilliant array of reds and violets. High up above the trees, a single spot of cloud in the distance was speeding along at an alarming pace.

Standing atop the racing cloud, surveying the land with a look of distaste, was a six foot six tall, long white haired, pointy eared, dog demon. Upon his forehead, a blue crescent moon could be seen along with magenta stripes on the sides of his face. His tail, in his humanoid form, was long and fluffy, curling around one shoulder. His face was impassive, holding no hint of emotion other than that of disinterest.

The trees waved at him as the wind screamed with autumn delight. Far, far below, among the dense vegetation of the forest floor, his nose was picking up the scent of the creatures awakening. His eyes skimmed along the edges of the Western frontier, missing nothing. Every rustle of the leaves, every creep of the insect youkais were processed into his head and dismissed as unimportant.

He had been sent by his father, the Inutaikou, Lord of the Western Lands, to check the borders for stray youkai and invaders. Sesshoumaru's nose crinkled in annoyance. If his half brother were not so weak, he would not have been sent to do such a tedious job.

His sensitive nose detected the scent of a human even before his sharp ears heard the distant crash of shrubbery. The cloud he stood upon was above the source of noise in a second. Glancing down at the insignificant speck, he almost snorted. Almost "" for it was vulgar to snort.

The human was dressed in drab clothes that were muddied and torn, most likely from his frantic flight. He threw himself through the forest with such vigor; it was as though his life depended on it.

"Humph,"