Uesugi Sesshoumaru of Echigo

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

:OoO:

Sesshoumaru was never loved by his father.

He had known this ever since he had been a child, ever since his inuyoukai mother had committed hara kiri because of her shame that she was never to win her husband's love over a ningen.

Ever since he was a child, he would look coldly upon his father, penetrating his father with his gaze.

But Uesugi Inutaisho was not born as a crude youkai; he was always just and generous in ruling over his land and sweet and caring towards his women. He loved all his children, especially his hanyou son, but sadly he hated his first born. Maybe it was because of the way he looked at him ever since he was a babe, as if reminding him that he had wronged his mother, reminding him that he had betrayed his ancestor by choosing a human hime as a second wife instead of keeping her only as a mistress, reminding him that he probably wronged his first born also by weighting the consideration to make his second son his successor.

Only his first born could provoke him to do something that was unlike him.

He would only act cruel towards Sesshoumaru, and Sesshoumaru would always defy him the need to break him.

One day he put his four years of age hanyou son on top of a horse and told him to gallop like a true yari cavalier. His hanyou son happily obliged him, always ready to make his father happy. To his delight his hanyou son performed some dangerous acrobatic stunts, and Inutaisho was proud of his bravery.

And then he threw a sneering glance towards his first born, who was only ten at that time, and said jeeringly. "Now, you try it."

But Sesshoumaru wouldn't budge; two retainers of his father were needed to put him on the horse. The horse that belonged to his hanyou brother reared in protest and dislodged him.

Sesshoumaru remained on the cold ground unmoving. He was trembling. Not because he was afraid, but because he ached; why was he not loved by his father?

But his father had mistaken the motive of his tremor; his son had humiliated him in front of his retainers. He walked towards his son and began to kick him furiously, calling him a coward repeatedly in front of his men. When he saw that his son remained motionless on the dirt, not defending himself or even fighting back, Inutaisho became more agitated; he spat on his eldest son's face and left him as he took his second son's hand and ushered all the other spectators to leave.

All of his father's retainers began to leave him one by one; no one moved to help the severely injured child. But one warrior stayed; his name was Ogiwara Myouga.

The old samurai helped Sesshoumaru up and dusted him off; he patted the boy's head as he addressed him. "What patient endurance. You suspected your father's feelings, and failed on purpose. You have a deep understanding of people. Excellent." Sesshoumaru watched him silently. The retainer was right, to prove himself to be above his brother over such task was stupid and a waste of energy; his father failed to see this but the old warrior didn't. Sesshoumaru had won an ally.

:OoOoOoO:

After the ceremony of his Genpuku (coming of age), Sesshoumaru began to understand his father's arranged plan; he wanted to marry his eldest son off in order to let someone else adopted him into the family. His father wanted to deny him his right and to give it to his hanyou brother.

Some of his father's retainers were naturally unsettled by such idea; how could a hanyou lead a demon army? What would other youkai daimyo say? Such offense would only lead to an open invitation of war and risked the post of the taiyoukai as the Kanto Kanrei (Deputy of the Shogun from Kanto).

And the fact that they had gained more lands under their reign would only add the insecurity of the province.

New and old enemies were becoming stronger; threats were coming from the provinces that bordered their lands. The cause of some fights was rumored for the hegemony of the nation; the new idea was to unite the land and to finally rid of the weak shogun.

And some battles were motivated by a holy cause, as they call it, to purify the youkai from the land. Even though the idea was absurd; the warriors of this sect were strong and could be considered as a real threat for the youkai community.

Instead of taking preparations for the upcoming prevention's war, Inutaisho decided to complicate the matter further by trying to unite their family with a ningen family; he was trying to shun Sesshoumaru out of the clan by marrying him to the daughter of Hojo clan's member. It was like a slap to the whole youkai community; in a way Uesugi Inutaisho was opening the war himself.

Many of Inutaisho's vassals turned their backs on him; the shogun himself warned him of his position as Kanto Kanrei. The situation was getting out of hands; the leader wasn't to be trusted anymore of his reign.

Sesshoumaru, being the cunning strategist, let the matter take care itself; he knew that it would never come to the arranged marriage. For he himself would never allow this marriage to happen; it was something that he had sworn on his mother's grave, that he would never stoop so low to take a ningen to his bed. And that his father had suggested that he was to enter wedlock with a ningen almost made Sesshoumaru hate him, but almost…

For Sesshoumaru loved his father; even though it was bitter to receive cruel manners from his father, Sesshoumaru couldn't help to admire him for the man that he was, a just ruler to his land, a fierce general and an excellent tactician of wars.

That was why Sesshoumaru decided to only exile his father from the land when the vassals mutinied under his leading against his father. But his father had unsheathed his katana, weapon of war, before him. Such act under the roof of the castle was an unforgivable one; it could only lead to the punishment of seppuku.

But before Inutaisho was to commit the act of ritualistic suicide before his men, he asked for permission to hand Tensaiga, the Heavenly Life Fang, to his first son, and to allow him to leave his second son the Tetsusaiga, Pulverizing Steel Fang.

Although Sesshoumaru would prefer the latter fang, he consented with his father's last wish and accepted the healing sword. But when he touched the katana, he could feel all the energy of hate his father had for him. The sword didn't refuse him but it had sealed his fate. His father had put a curse upon him; one was to seal Tetsusaiga's power against him, and that Tetsusaiga only accepted the domination of his half brother. The second curse was to reveal itself when the time chanced upon it.

With eyes shone with satisfaction and pure hatred against his son, he inserted the tanto into his stomach with both hands and drew it from left to right, before finally twisting the dagger at the other side and drawing it up to the solar plexus by following the lower rib. This done; he withdrew his tanto, laid it down, then bent forward and stretched out his neck, all the while without moving a muscle of his face. The kaishaku sprang to his feet, poised his sword for a second in the air; and then there was a flash, a heavy, ugly thud, a crashing fall; with one blow the head of the youkai daimyo had been severed from his body.

Sesshoumaru watched the procession with a mixed feeling of hate, rage and love; he lifted the severed head of his father and held it before him for the last time; the blood that throbbed out of it was drenching the material of his clothing. He put the head down and exited the room in silent grief.

:OoOoOoO:

This was the era of the young taiyoukai Uesugi Sesshoumaru, the daimyo of Echigo and the Kanto Kanrei.

Although he was still young in his demon age, he had proved himself to be a fierce general of his battles, and upon reining his lands he was almost unconventionally democratic in his justice.

His reputation almost overshadowed his father's, and it had secured him of his lands; there was no one who was dimwitted enough to challenge his immortal army. Having the power to raise the dead, it had won him a new title to his name, echigo no kami.

One day two warlords from the area Shinano requested his alliance to battle against a new powerful enemy. Sesshoumaru consented to give his assistance, and that was when he encountered his most powerful rival, Takeda Naraku of Kai.

Takeda Naraku was a hanyou daimyo from the eastern part of the land. Along the years he had won many new lands to reinforce his power, and now he was moving closer to the northern part of Shinano, a piece of land almost bordered to Echigo. Naraku was famous for his tactics of wars. Never to carry his battle at his own land, he made his move by advancing the region he desired to conquer, but it was said that he never personally attended his own battle.

Takeda Naraku had many doubles; normally they were disguised under baboon mask and pelt. No one had ever personally encountered him in a battle.

Sesshoumaru, though cold and merciless, hated one thing passionately, and that was treacherous cowardice. He didn't hate Naraku in particular, he only hated him for what he stood for, a power lusted, depraved hanyou who had dishonorably obtained his title through treachery.

Sesshoumaru got his chance to battle him as Naraku marched up and onto the Kawanakajima, a stretch of flat land that was so-named as it was lapped three sides by the waters of the Sai and Chikuma rivers. Sesshoumaru responded by leading an army down from Echigo; they both fought fiercely, but the battle was inconclusive.

Their armies were to clash against each other three times but each battle always ended up inconclusive.

:OoOoOoO:

He didn't know how long he had been kept locked in this wretched room, he looked to his surrounding only to find that the movement was jerked back by chains that attached to his collar. Never before had he been so furious.

He knew that he had found himself in the Owari province. He had tracked Naraku down to this area only to find himself attacked by a group of dark powered miko, and when he fell into a state of unconsciousness, they had to have brought him here.

The chains were strong enough to hold him as they were covered with strong spells; every time he tried to liberate himself, a purifying aura would appeared and burned him.

He had taken as a captive and chained to the bed. A woman had put beads around his neck; at first they didn't hurt but they subdued him to do the things that the bitch ordered him to do.

Sesshoumaru had felt her eyes on his body and he could smell the state of her arousal. Her effect on him was revolting, just to smell her odor was nauseating, but like other ningen female she had thought that her presentation of heavy make up and strongly perfume-soaked skin would drive him wild with desire; if only they knew what demon could actually see and smell.

The woman had the audacity to try feeding him from her hand, but each time she had succeeded. He could feel a pure hatred that built inside him; he knew that he was drugged from the food. Fortunately his demon energy was refusing the substance out of his system, he was able to keep his alert sense, and that was why he was able to smell the most heavenly scent he had ever came upon. The perfume of wild cherry blossom and spring rain showered over his senses.

:OoOoOoO:

Kagome had made her way stealthily into the east wing of the palace. When she got there, she found that the door was covered with spells to keep humans and demons away. Kagome didn't know much about the study of sutra and spells, but she tried to break the barrier with her own ki.

Although it had burned at first, but in the end she was able to break the barrier. She opened the door and stepped carefully inside.

What she saw inside almost broke her heart out of pity. On the bed lie the legendary Uesugi Sesshoumaru, bloodied and half naked, chained to the bed; he was in such a pitiful state that she almost wept even though she barely knew him.

She caught his shining golden eyes and was surprised to see the hatred that shone from them, but she breathed in relief; at least they hadn't broken his spirit.

She stepped closer to him, and he let out a warning growl. She held a finger against his lips, he jerked his head forward to nip it, but she didn't even flinch from the pain. Sesshoumaru looked up in surprise. He was more shocked when he found that she was giving him a warm reassuring smile.

Her body moved closer towards his, and he couldn't help but to breathe her scent in deeply. He closed his eyes in bliss; her scent was intoxicating and divine. When he opened his eyes, he found that she had successfully removed the subduing beads from his neck; his face remained expressionless but his eyes shone with gratification.

She smiled in response and drew out her shoto; his eyes went wide, and he was about to howl in rage when her blade hit the chain connecting to his steel collar, and then to the chain around his wrists and the last one around his ankles.

The blade cut through the steel easily, but he also recognized the hidden ki behind the strike; the girl was powerful.

Finally he was free. Kagome studied her shoto and was devastated to find the state of her blade; it was fatally chipped from the cut. Sesshoumaru could feel her sudden grief over her sword, he almost felt guilty.

But Kagome gulped down her misery and turned towards Sesshoumaru. "You have to make your escape quick, milord."

"Girl, you know who I am?"

She nodded vigorously and gave him a look of pure awe. Sesshoumaru almost smiled against her open admiration, but he kept his face impassive.

He studied the subduing beads in his hand and had to fight the urge to dissolve it with his toxic drips, but he decided against it and handed the girl the beads instead. She looked up at him in question.

"This is a token; if you ever in need of my service, I will repay you in any form you wish."

Kagome timidly took the beads, and that was when he noticed the breaking skin on her finger where he nipped it, he held her hand in his and brought the assaulted finger against his lips, he licked the wound to close it.

Kagome watched with a mixed feeling that she couldn't identify, for a moment she held her eyes closed, and when she opened them again, she found that he was already gone.

:OoOoOoO:

After the incident Sesshoumaru returned to his land. Although every pore of his body yelled after revenge, he held the urges back. He would leisurely plan his vengeance; the ningen bitch would excruciatingly pay.

:OoOoOoO:

One early morning Sesshoumaru went for patrol accompanied by his vassal, Ogiwara Myouga.

A sudden rush of cherry blossoms rained upon Sesshoumaru's face, covering the sight of vicinity; his sense of scent could only capture the faintly perfume of the blossoms, 'not the scent he wished for'

He turned his head towards his most trusted vassal. "I've encountered a most interesting fact."

Myouga raised his brow in question. "And what would it be?"

Sesshoumaru captured one of the blossoms in his hand; he caressed it lightly between his fingers before he scented it, holding the blossom lightly near his regal nose.

"The wild cherry blossoms's perfume from Owari."

Myouga waited in suspense, but Sesshoumaru turned and left, leaving a bedazzled Myouga, then the loyal old vassal shook his head and mumbled something about spring and a demon with his attempt of poetry.

The spring was indeed in the air.

:end of chapter:

Yari cavalry: mounted samurai, their weapons were long spears

Seppuku: ritualistic suicide

Tanto: a dagger, less than one foot in length

Kaishaku: his role was to behead the performer of seppuku as the act was completed

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

AN: I know, I know, it looked like a lesson in Japan's history, but I needed to explain the background of the story. For those who might've noticed, yes I have put Takeda Shingen life's history as Sessshoumaru's. I know that this chapter is quite flat and boring, but I'll try to be better, so please bear with for a while, kay? And please do review.