A while back, years before he had died, Father waged war against a tribe of imposing cat demons. He beat the leader easily and restored peace to the region. I had nothing to do with that battle; Father thought I was still too young to engage in true warfare at that time. After many years of remission, they returned and attempted to get their revenge by ravaging my territory. Obviously I could not let them take the land that had been my father's and that doesn't even take into account that I would never let anyone keep something that is mine. However, they would be a formidable enemy for they were resentful for the death of their master and I had few allies in the beginning. Many other demon lords in the region were bitter about my rising authority and would have loved to have watched me flounder after a string of recent victorious battles. Jaken, without my direct permission, would try to amass the support of the lords in the region and all would laugh and turn their backs. One of my longtime enemies, Taizomaru, would actually confront me on the matter.
"Well if it isn't the Lord War Monger Sesshomaru," he said mockingly and trying (and I hate to say successfully) to be demeaning. He is arrogant, but in an "I'm better than you, so I pity you" sort of way. He is a demon, but an avid humanitarian like my father was. This is definitely not a trait I respect in a demon especially. It shows ignorance to the true order of power. "Things have a way of evening themselves out, don't they? It is inevitable that you meet your match eventually. But I don't see how you could have the audacity to ask anyone else for help. You got yourself into this alone and you will have to sort it out yourself."
"This is a remnant of my father's war, you ignorant fool." I snapped at him, despising him. His strange yellow hair fluttered and his weird icy-blue eyes glimmered as he laughed.
"Yes but if you weren't such an ignorant fool yourself the other lord's of the region would assist you and it would be over in a day. Instead, you will fail painfully over a long period of time. I do hope you enjoy this, for it is sure to be your last battle" he told me.
I simply abhorred him. A decedent of the cat demon tribe himself, he would not help me anyway, as much as he hated the brutal, imperialistic ways of his family. I also knew if I died, he would take over my father's land. He was known through out the land for his kindness, compassion, and composure. He ruled a large sect of the southern lands, appealing to the people with his "good nature and empathy". I could not comprehend how people say these as his strengths. Taizomaru sacrificed so much for the humans under his jurisdiction; his wife and son later be murdered by an old friend Hataki who turned violent toward him. I don't know the whole story; nor do I care to, but I do know that he was once a vassal of the previous Lord of the South; as was Hataki. When he was killed, he left the land to Taizomaru and Hataki waged jealous warfare on him. He had to resort to those methods because Taizomaru was a formidable military force. Taizomaru was a fool for all he had given to the mortals; he was a fool for being so light with them. He even paid some of the debts of poor peasants with his own revenues. His way of governing could be aptly described as compassionate communism.
(A/N: I don't know if the word 'communism' even existed back then, but hey. Whatever.)
I, on the other hand, had little, if anything to do with the people. I cared not whether they thrived or failed so long as they paid their taxes. I defended them not because I cared, but because they in habited the land that was the basis of my power. I would never give up as much as Taizomaru on their behalf. However, I would be damned to hell before I let a group of disgusting cat demons defeat me and I would never let my enemy take over my territory.
The leader of the cat demon tribe was the blue-haired ice mistress Touron. She and her siblings were bent on destroying me to avenge their father and Master's death. Touron herself was the most difficult enemy. I personally battled her while a her siblings and minions slaughtered my force, most of whom felt "indebted" to Father after he saved them from the cat demons years ago and came back to assist me.
The battles were long and painstaking. In them many powerful demons were killed. I also learned in these battles that the sword left to me by Father is useless in battle. It does can not kill. I know that Inuyasha, on the other hand, was to be given a sword with an immeasurable power. I began to become desperate as the war dragged on for years. Again, Jaken, in one of his schemes to gain an alliance, sought my brother for assistance. He came back and informed me that Inuyasha had been seduced and ensorcelled by a mortal priestess. I was extremely angered, disgusted by his weakness, however I was not surprised. It seemed like a plausible thing for a sniveling half-demon to do. I made a mental note of this instant, deciding at that moment that Inuyasha was too much of a burden for me, a reminder of my past and present problems. I vowed at this instant to get rid of him should the opportunity ever arise. How right Father was in presuming that I would be a threat to his mangy, illegitimate excuse for a son. I hated to go against his wishes, but Inuyasha was simply the bane of my existence no matter which way I looked at it. He killed my parents first and foremost, and he could not even keep from falling in love with a witch who would lay him inert when he actually could have been of some use to me. All this and he got the powerful of the two swords left behind by Father. This was more salt in my wounds. Why had Father left Inuyasha something of so much worth and me with a sword that would have been more useful as a paperweight? Did he really thing that little of me? I was enraged that my father seemed to care more for a half-demon mockery than myself. These vexing thoughts distracted me from the fight with the cat demons and may have been the reason for the ensuing draw. They retreated, however I had not killed them and thus I could not, to the unspoken delight of my enemies, declare victory. After this battle, I found some solace in the fact that Inuyasha was sealed to that tree and unable to do any further dishonor to me. I put him out of sight and out of mind and continued my life as if he didn't exist.
A/N:I want to try to convey Tenseiga as an apology from Sesshy's dad, playing off of what he said earlier about his father's apologies not being able to raise the dead...with the Tenseiga, they could. In this story, Sesshy's dad also gave it to him out of respect for his mother, who was really protective. And also I think it was meant to teach him compassion, which I will try to weave in. Okay. Sorry. Just trying to clarify this all to myself too.
