Author's Note: Hello everyone!!! This is my very first FanFic and I really hope you like it. I am so happy that I got this up, it seems like a eternity since I wrote it. Any way , I am not the best writer in the world but I truly hope to get better with your help and POSITIVE reviews (I don't cope well with negativity). Please enjoy. ^ _ ^
Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own him. . . . not YET at least ~Mel-Chan topples over and goes into a string of mad laughter. . . then is promptly hit with a shoe.~
The Will of the Heart
Chapter 1: A Questionable Inheritance
Inuyasha mentally groaned as he sat in the small, dismal room; not really listening to what the man at the head of the table was saying as he read the long list aloud. It had been two months since his father, Lord Inutaisho, had been killed in battle. And NOW they were reading his will?!! In Inuyasha's opinion the mourning had gone on for far longer than it should have. It wasn't like he didn't feel remorse over losing his father, but he had never been that close to him anyway. From his childhood until present day, Lord Inutaisho had always been off in some distant land either negotiating or fighting. And when he was home he usually shut himself up in his thrown room with his advisors for days on end. He never took the time to get close to his sons. So in Inuyasha's mind there really was no reason to mourn, was there?
"For my agricultural advisor, Hishimoto, Satoshi, I leave a small portion of my estate and . . ." Inuyasha's ears stopped listening and again he was lost in his own little world. 'This has to be one of the dullest moments of my life,' he thought to himself. The monotone droning on of the will reader in the background wasn't helping to make the situation any more interesting either. He put a clawed hand to his mouth to stifle a oncoming yawn as he drifted slowly into his own thoughts.
He knew exactly how this would turn out. His mother would get most of his father's estate, Sesshoumaru would of course get the thrown, various items would go to close friends and servants, and he would be left with some money and other royal crap that held no meaning to him what so ever. He really didn't care about what he was left or what the others got, all he wanted right now was to escape from the melancholy party.
"To my son Inuyasha . . ." At that moment Inuyasha's ears suddenly swivelled forward and his head lifted from the spot on the table he had been watching interest. The reader continued. "I leave a portion of my estate, access to the royal military and the sword Tetsusaiga."
"Yep, just as I thought, nothing interesting," Inuyasha said as he suddenly leapt out of his chair and landed gracefully on the floor behind him. "I'm out of here."
"What?" Lady Inutaisho questioned as she swiftly jerked her tear streaked face up from her hands. "We aren't even half way done with the reading, Inuyasha."
"Well I already heard what the old man left me, so is there really any reason for me to stick around this damn funeral?"
"Inuyasha!" his mother hissed. "You will sit back down in your chair and listen to your father's last requests. It's the least you can do out of respect for you beloved fa . . . fath . . . ,"Lady Inutaisho tried again. "Father," with that last word she broke down into another round of mournful sobs.
Inuyasha sighed and gritted his teeth a little. If there was one thing he couldn't stand it was a crying woman especially if it was his own mother. For a second he thought about retreating back to his seat to please her, but one look at the weatherbeaten, old reader and he knew if he stayed in that godforsaken room one more minute he would go insane. Slowly, so as not to attract the attention of the heartbroken woman, he turned and exited the room.
At the sound of the door closing Lady Inutaisho, again, brought her head violently up. "Inuyasha?"
"He just left my Lady," a hand maiden spoke up softly.
"And no one stopped him? Oh, Inuyasha why do you intentionally try to make your mother unhappy?"
"It's alright my Lady. I'm sure he didn't want to do that. It's just the sadness of the day talking," another maid chimed in.
As the women made futile attempts to console their Queen, everyone else in the room slowly began to ease from the events that had just taken place.
"Goodness," sighed the old reader as he once again scanned the seemingly endless list of names and items written on the will. Then suddenly his eye happened to glance upon a extremely small hand written sentence on the side of the page. "Eh? How could I have missed this?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Inuyasha grumpily trudged down the corridor cursing under his breath all the way. "Oh Kami, this is a shitty day. I can't even do anything with the stuff Dad left to me"
Inuyasha continued on his way thinking as he went. 'No one's going to let me do anything with the royal army, there is no thing that I already don't own that I can buy, and the Tetsusaiga . . . .'
"Wait, what the hell?" he stopped dead in his tracks. A slow devious smile spread across his face. "Maybe the old man did leave something worth while."
"LECHER!!!!!!" Inuyasha's train of thought was completely broken when from across the hall a ear-splitting scream sounded followed by a painful "SLAP!".
Inuyasha looked up just as a dazed looking man dressed in Houshi robes stumble out of a washroom with a large, red slap mark on his cheek.. After the man came what looked to be a young and extremely pissed Washer girl.
"You disgusting pig!!!" she shrieked as she lunged towards the boy, whipping her hand back and giving him a red slap-mark that matched the one on the other side of his face perfectly.
Inuyasha watched with mild interest as the guy was hurled in the air, landing flat on his back from the sheer impact of the slap.
"Ouch!" he whimpered hoarsely as he hit the ground. "But you really did have something 'there'!"
That remark sent the girl right over the edge. "HENTAI!!!!!" lifting her sandaled foot, she brought it down mercilessly upon the man's exposed hand.
Inuyasha couldn't help but let a small whimper of laughter escape his lips and a very wide smirk spread across his face, as the sounds of the boy's girlish screams entered and filled the large hallway.
"Your Highness," she bowed to Inuyasha as she turned to walk away. Smiling triumphantly from her victory over the pervert.
"Sexual harassment so early in the day Miroku?" Inuyasha asked as he watched the man bring his throbbing hand up close to his chest and smile slyly up at him.
"It wasn't sexual harassment," Miroku started defensively. "I was simply helping her get some dirt off the front of her Kimono. Can I really help it if she mistook it for something else?"
"Isn't strange how all the good-looking girls in this castle just happen to have 'spots' on their Kimonos when you're around," Inuyasha lifted a quizzical eyebrow. "Feh, sleaze-bag, no wonder we can't keep decent looking female servants around here for more than a month."
Inuyasha smiled, Miroku was hard to stay annoyed at even if it was just fake irritation. He was his best friend and like a second brother to him. Miroku had come to live with them when he was only a child. Early on in his life his mother had died and left Miroku with his father, a Houshi. Later on, his father had also died leaving Miroku with nowhere to go. Seeing that his friend needed help, Inuyasha had persuaded his parents to take him in. He had lived with them ever since.
Miroku slowly lifted himself off the ground and smiled at Inuyasha. "Aren't you supposed to be in the will-reading for the rest of the morning?"
"I left. Couldn't take it any more"
Miroku's mouth made a small "O" . "So did he leave anything worth while? Girls? Priceless bottles of Sake? A mountain of gold?"
Inuyasha inwardly sighed. "Come on Miroku, I'm not you."
"Well that sucks! If he didn't any of that then what did he leave you?"
Inuyasha suddenly grinned from ear to ear, exposing his sharp, canine teeth."Tetsusaiga!"
"Tet.. what?" asked a confused Miroku.
"BAKA!! Don't tell me you don't know what the Tetsusaiga is!"
Before he had a chance to reply, Inuyasha was already talking again. "It's only the best sword in the whole kingdom! Maybe in the whole country! It has the power to slay 100 youkai in one swing and it has tons of hidden techniques and attacks. My old man had it forged from his own fang and used it in every battle he ever fought in!"
"Geez, Inuyasha. Don't forget to breath," Miroku replied. "If that's the case why didn't he give it to Sesshoumaru?"
" Dad must of known I was the better warrior out of the two of us," Inuyasha said cockily. "Besides, I don't give a damn about Sesshoumaru."
"Glad to know the feeling is mutual," a new voice said as it stepped into the hall.
"What are you doing here Sesshoumaru?" Inuyasha hissed angrily.
"Isn't it obvious?" the tall, regal looking Youkai retorted. "I came to listen to your 'highly intelligent' conversation."
Miroku noticed the tension between the two brothers and decided to brake it before it got out of control. "Is the reading over so soon Sesshoumaru?"
"That's Sesshoumaru-Sama to you, Ningen," Sesshoumaru said to the Houshi flashing his trade mark scowl before turning to Inuyasha.
"You caused quite a scene this morning, little brother," Sesshoumaru said dryly. I wouldn't be surprised if that mother of yours hunts you down and kills you."
Inuyasha glared angrily at his half-brother, seriously considering jumping on him and ripping out his vocal cords. But decided that changing the subject would be a better method. "How did you manage to weasel your way out of the meeting asshole?"
"We were delayed after your little tantrum and following a conversation with the reader, that wench of a mother of yours announced we would resume tomorrow."
"Now that, that is taken care of . . ." Sesshoumaru began. "I want the Tetsusaiga!"
"What the? Yea right dumb-ass, I haven't even gotten it yet. And even if I did have it, do you think that I'd give it to you?"
"You don't even know how to handle a sword like that."
"I'll kill you !!!" Inuyasha growled.
"You can't even scratch me, let alone kill me."
"You want me to test that theory."
"Like a Hanyou could ever hurt I, Sesshoumaru."
"Damn it, I'll waste you bastard!" Inuyasha suddenly lunged at Sesshoumaru with claws raised.
"Hmpf," Sesshoumaru grunted as he raised his hand towards Inuyasha.
"Oh, Kami!" Miroku sighed, running to take cover.
Instantaneously both brothers charged at each other. "Die, basta- -"
"Sesshoumaru-Sama," a young voice squealed, cutting off Inuyasha.
All three men looked up to see bright-eyed girl, from the looks of it only about eight years old, dressed in a orange and yellow Yukata smiling warmly at them.
"Sesshoumaru-Sama,"She said again happily, "I've been looking all over for you!"
Sesshoumaru's icy scowl softened immediately as he looked at the grinning child.
In a way he was like a surrogate father to the girl. He had found, Rin as she called herself, one day when taking a walk in a nearby forest. She had been huddled in some bushes half-starved, wounded, and obviously scared to death. He always wandered what had compelled him, the powerful son of a great Youkai lord, to take pity on her, a insignificant ningen girl, but really he was glad he had. Even though he would tell no one as much, he liked her and enjoyed her company.
"Are you king now?" The sound of Rin's joyful voice brought his thoughts to a halt.
"I suppose you could say that," he responded unruffled.
"HOORAY!!!" She laughed as she bounced into the air. But thinking better of it, she stopped abruptly and bowed deeply."
"Oh, I remember what I came here for now," the little girl chirped turning to Inuyasha. "Lady Inutaisho would like to talk to you, Inuyasha-Sama."
"It seems you haven't escaped punishment," Miroku slid in slyly, watching Inuyasha curse his bad luck.
"Oh yes, and Miroku-Sama, later lady Inutaisho requires a word with you as well. Something about a washer girl and the 'last straw'?"
Now it was Inuyasha's turn to laugh as he set off to find his mother. He knew he couldn't avoid her and wanted more than anything to get this "talk" over with as soon as possible.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Lady Inutaisho sat calmly, on a stone bench, in the castle garden. She gazed at the falling petals of the Sakura tree before her and sighed deeply. She loved this time of year. It was always so beautiful; the blooming Sakura trees, the soft wind that carried a hint of the oncoming summer's humidity, and the green hills that seemed to roll on forever. In her eyes the world was as pristine and lovely as could be in this season.
Inuyasha entered the courtyard quietly. Looking up he saw his mother in the middle, no longer in tears but with a serene look spread across her young face. 'Well, at least she's not pissed,' he thought as he started off towards her.
Upon hearing footsteps, Lady Inutaisho's eyes drifted from the Sakura tree and up to her son's oncoming form. "Inuyasha, you've come," she said quietly.
"Yeah-uh-you wanted to see me?"
"Yes. . ." She trailed off.
"Listen, about this morning. I just couldn't take being in that room and . . ."
"This morning?" the woman interrupted. "Oh, Inuyasha, forget about this morning. I have."
Inuyasha stared at her like she had a third arm growing out of her head. If this wasn't about this morning, what was it about?
"I'll bet that you're wandering why I needed to talk to you," she said as if reading his mind.
"Well yeah," he managed.
"Inuyasha, war has been ever lingering around us for years, wouldn't you agree? All because of that deviant, Lord Naraku, two out of the four kingdoms have been pulled into it."
"We in this kingdom are lucky. Thanks to your father the threat of war upon this kingdom is far less than our neighboring kingdom ruled by Lord Higuarashi."
"His kingdom is not as blessed as our own, over the years it has grown weak and vulnerable. At this very moment there are whispers all over the country of a attack upon them."
Though we are not considered allies or enemies, I suppose your father took pity on them."
'Why is she telling me this,' Inuyasha thought, 'What does this have to do with me?'
"Inuyasha," Lady Inutaisho interrupted his train of thought, "What if I were to tell you that your father left something else to you in his will."
"Something else. . ." he repeated slowly.
"When the reader was re-examining the will he found something. . ." Lady Inutaisho silently cursed her inability to get out what she was trying to say.
"He left you a girl."
Inuyasha's eyes widened to the size of frying pans then suddenly narrowed, rage evident in his golden orbs.
"WHAT THE FUCK??!! I AM NOT GETTING MARRIED!!!!"
Lady Inutaisho could have dropped dead at that very moment. Again, she had managed to screw up what she really meant to say.
"Inuyasha, calm down," Lady Inutaisho tried, as the cursing Inuyasha having already torn up a flower bed was in the process of pulling a nearby tree out of the ground.
"How can I calm down," he screamed, "When the rest of my life is being screwed up by a dead man."
Inuyasha had now successfully pulled the tree out and flung it across the courtyard.
"INUYASHA, YOU'RE NOT GETTING MARRIED!!!" Lady Inutaisho yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Your father wanted you to protect a girl, not marry one."
"Protect?" Inuyasha questioned, taking a break from his destruction.
"He wanted you to serve as like . . a body guard."
Inuyasha relaxed for a moment but soon found another outlet for his anger. "So I have to tag along, protecting some little snot-nosed brat? Yeah right!"
Lady Inutaisho sighed, she truly wished her son wouldn't have such a bad attitude about everything. Still it wasn't like she hadn't anticipated this happening.
"Please Inuyasha, you really don't have a choice. Your father made it crystal clear that this is YOUR job. That is why he left you the Tetsusaiga.
"Damn, I knew there was a catch to getting that sword!"
"Do you understand why I was telling you about the Higuarashi kingdom now?"
Inuyasha was again left clueless as to what his mother was talking about.
"Their kingdom is being pulled into the war and she is in great danger right now."
"Who is 'she' exactly," Inuyasha scoffed sarcastically.
"'She' is the princess of the Higuarashi kingdom, Kagome Hime-sama."
~End of chapter one~
Thank you so much for reading this! I know it was kinda slow but first chapters are always like that, I promise it will get better very soon. Also I'm really sorry about the spacing of this chapter! Please, just bear with me. Remember reviews= a happy author!
A happy author= a faster chappy! Love you all!!! ^_^