Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Inuyasha; they are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.

A/N: Hi all. One thing before we get started, italics indicate a person's thoughts. When I began reading FanFictions I was a bit confused, so this note goes out to all of you new to FanFics.

Also (READ THIS): This prologue is to get the readers up to speed with the original character. Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku are in this story, and it will focus on that group mostly, but they are not in the prologue. It is important to read this.

Sons of the Fang

Prologue: Born of the Shikon No Tama

400 years before Inuyasha was sealed to the Goshinboku.

The kingdom stood in anxious anticipation of their Lord's return. He had not come back from his travels in the east for some time, and many began to wonder whether a human had indeed captured his heart, as the rumors described. Hundreds, if not thousands of demons lined the gates of the Western Lands. The carriage that harbored their Lord stopped thirty feet from the gates entrance. Many of the demons spoke among themselves, sounding very excited.

'Open the gates! It is the Lord!' a demon called from the battlements. 'Make sure our Lord is greeted appropriately,' he mentioned to another demon wearing very official-looking clothing, 'I want the Lord to know that we never lost faith in him.' I don't think the Lord can suffer more sadness this day; some of these rumors speak the truth.

The Lord stepped from his carriage, an infant in his arms. The people, not expecting their Lord to have fathered another child, gasped at the sight. The Lord looked at the people, then at the child, then at the ground. He knew they would not approve of his taking a mortal as a mate, why was he acting ashamed? He understood the risks when he had pledged his love to her.

He walked to the entrance of the main hall of his castle. He longed only for sleep, the child and the three day journey took most of his energy. Although he did not show it, he was fatigued.

'Welcome back my Lord. We have not been the same since you left,' the demon greeted the Lord, his voice tinged with sarcasm. He stood tall, perhaps six and a half feet, and his body was lithe.

Kichiro. Why did I leave that snake in charge of my lands? Why not my son? Ah, I remember, my first born is a bit on the cruel side. The Lord smirked inwardly and wondered why he had not taken his son's advice and done away with Kichiro.

'Kichiro thank you. Your words mean much to me.' Snake.

'My Lord,' Kichiro announced, 'if you will follow me, we have urgent matters to discuss that involve the Western Lands.' The demon motioned as if to allow the Lord to pass. Before he was able to direct the Lord any further, a voice sounded from the interior of the hall.

'Kichiro, step aside and let my father rest before he undertakes any your important matters,' said the cold, unfeeling figure, who was now standing directly behind Kichiro. His eyes were an amber golden color, the same as his father's. His forehead was marked with a crescent moon.

'Of course Lord Sesshomaru,' Kichiro stated, 'how could I have been so foolish?' Curse that prince, always getting in the way! The Western Lands are more important that his father. If he was not the Lord Inu no Taisho's son, I would have had him killed long ago.

The Western Lord's Chamber

'Thank you Sesshomaru, I am much too tired to discuss politics with Kichiro. He and I don't often see eye to eye,' Inu no Taisho said.

'That was not my only reason, father. I wish to speak with you about this child, and his mother. Is it true that she has been killed?'

'Yes.' Inu no Taisho looked down at the ground for a second time that day in shame. He was not able to save her. He could not fend off mere humans, and had allowed himself to be lured away from her side. He should have known better! Damn, she was killed by her own family. I can't imagine how rejected she felt in her last hour. Not even I was there with her. At least I had the child with me.

'I see you are still grieving, so I will not press the matter of, what was her name, Natsumi?' Sesshomaru emotionlessly added. 'The subject I will discuss, however, is this child. You cannot allow a mere half breed to become heir to the Western Lands, it would weaken the bloodline.'

The Lord smiled grimly. 'You are correct Sesshomaru; he cannot become heir to the throne. That is your position and yours alone. However, he is a full demon, like you.'

Sesshomaru's eyes widened slightly. What? Has my father gone insane? Wait. The infant's smell is that of a full fledged demon. How? The child possesses all of the features of a half dog demon. How was such a thing possible? Unless…

'The Shikon no Tama.' The dog prince looked at the infant with disgust, them at his father in disappointment. The Shikon Jewel is a disgrace. Its power is nothing compared to true power like mine, or that of my father's. It is unnatural, and it manipulates the soul.

'Sesshomaru, I am your father; your blood relative. I know what you must think of me. Believe me when I say that I would think no different if I had not experienced the loss of someone so dear to me.'

His words were heartfelt. Sadness lurked at the edges of Inu no Taisho's voice. Sesshomaru could see he was not making excuses; not that he would need to make excuses for his son. He deserved the chance of explaining himself.

'I understand, father.'

'I loved Natsumi, Sesshomaru. She was everything to me. Her father did not approve of her being with a demon. She died by his hand, when she was away from my side. I cannot afford to lose this child. He is all I have left of her. That is why I used the Shikon Jewel. My heart was pure; this child is not corrupted. I could not take the chance of his being persecuted as a half demon in his homeland. He has suffered enough.'

Father has given some thought to this. However, there is still the matter of his half breed features. 'I see, why does he look like a half breed?' Sesshomaru paused and looked at the child for the first time. He had silver hair down to his back, tiny claws and fangs, and the traditional dog demon markings. His most profound physical feature, the two dog ears that perched on the top of his head, was definitely a half breed feature.

'Sesshomaru, you will treat him with respect. He is your brother and he is no less of a demon than you are.' Inu no Taisho paused when he heard Sesshomaru smirk at the comment. 'And,' the Lord continued, 'he looks like a half demon, not a half breed.' He sighed as Sesshomaru smirked again.

'Surely the child could not have escaped from the Shikon Jewel's tainted energy so easily. Are you certain nothing else is wrong with him?' That came out harsher than it was meant to be.

Inu no Taisho's face took on a serious look. 'I will not know for certain, Sesshomaru, until the healer examines him.

'Then I will leave you to your rest father.' He turned and began walking away. His father sat on the edge of a large bed with elegant sheets. He sighed heavily, and was about to close his eyes and embrace the darkness of sleep when his son spoke again.

'By the way, father, what is the child's name?'

'Inunobu.'

A combination of two names, interesting; it suits him.

Two days later

There was a knocking sound at the door. It was soft and timid. Inu no Taisho's enhanced senses had picked up the sound of the footsteps and the scent of the person. He could tell it was the healer. She was always very faithful, but she never seemed to be able to tell bad news without seeming guilty.

'Enter,' the Lord stated.

The healer, a dog demoness, with subtle beauty and grace walked through the doorway. Her footsteps were also timid. She must bring me bad news. Perhaps using the Shikon no Tama on Inunobu was a worse choice than I had first imagined it to be.

'My Lord, I have examined your son thoroughly. For an infant his demon aura is incredible. I am sure his power will be great. My Lord, what is the matter?' she questioned as she saw his surprised expression.

'I was expecting bad news is all, please continue,' he said warmly.

'Please,' she added almost sadly, 'be patient my Lord, the news is not all good. Your son, as I have said, is going to be very strong indeed. However, I have not heard him make a single sound besides a low growling noise. He did not cry, laugh, or even respond with anything more than a cold glare. If we attempted to touch him, he would very angry.

Inu no Taisho laughed half-heartedly. Sesshomaru would already have a reason to convince his father that using the Shikon no Tama on Inunobu was a bad choice. 'I'm sorry Hana; it's just that my first born son, Sesshomaru, thinks less of me for what I have done. It seems the news was not as bad as I feared it would be, at least he has no physical defects.'

Hana winced at this remark. 'There is one more thing my Lord. The assistant healer, Hanako, is dead.'

'What! How?'

'Inunobu…he killed her.'

'He is merely an infant, how is he capable of such a thing?'

'My Lord, I am sorry but I do not know, I turned my back to fetch some herbs and when I looked back at Inunobu his claws were in Hanako's throat.'

Damn it all, he must have absorbed more of the tainted jewels energy than I first thought. What have I done?

One Hundred Years Later

Inu no Taisho had gone away to the east again. His sons did not approve. He had left earlier that day, and Sesshomaru and Inunobu agreed to practice their fighting together to work off some steam, thought neither admitted that the reason for their aggression was their fathers recent departure. The guards and other fighters in the dojo had learned to stay away from the battling brothers. Several onlookers had been killed in Inunobu's crossfire in previous battles.

'You're worthless!' A whip of green light struck Inunobu hard in the chest, knocking him to the ground. Sesshomaru received a low growl in response to his attack. Inunobu rose from a position on his back with a quick leap and charged at Sesshomaru, claws bared and fangs gleaming. Sesshomaru dodged in a blur of demonic speed, and Inunobu received another whip to the chest.

'Inunobu, learn restraint, you will never defeat anyone fighting like a beast. You must use your mind.' I don't understand, father says he speaks with my younger brother, but I have never heard him utter a single sound to me other than a 'yes' or a 'no', and he rarely ever addresses me by my name. He simply waits for me to notice him. His respect of our father is well-founded, and the fact that he honors father's presence so much is noble, but this gets him no where. We dog demons are not beasts. Perhaps the Shikon Jewel transferred a great amount of savage and malevolent energy to Inunobu.

Inunobu watched Sesshomaru, knowing that his elder brother believed himself to be winning. Watch and learn, you fool. Just because I don't talk much doesn't mean I can't think. Inunobu lunged directly at Sesshomaru again, but this time he was lower to the ground. The green whip flashed once again but Inunobu was low enough to the ground to jump off it, above the whip. He flew into the air, and in a similar burst of speed, like that of his brother, he came within striking range. Die. He unleashed from his fingertips a blood red whip of energy and hurled it with incredible force at Sesshomaru, striking him in the face and sending him to the ground.

'Impressive,' Sesshomaru said casually as he rose, 'but I win. The agreement was first to five hits. If I am not mistaken, I struck you as you made your final attack.'

Inunobu only gazed at the older demon. Then his lips turned up into a slight smile, and he turned away and walked in the other direction.

200 Years Before Inuyasha Is Sealed

Sesshomaru walked down the halls of his newly acquired castle. After his father had died three days ago, he searched the grounds for Inunobu, but it seemed his younger brother was out hunting. A noise caught his attention. It was the sound of bare feet running on stone. Only one demon dared to walk with such indecency in this castle. Inunobu. He rounded the corner of the next hallway and came face to face with his younger brother.

'Is what the attendants say the truth?' Inunobu demanded. His eyes were dead serious, and now was not the time to point out to him that he was conducting himself as a civilized demon, and not a savage beast.

'I am afraid so,' the older dog demon responded, 'Inunobu…our father is dead.'

'How and by whose hand? Father must be avenged.'

Sesshomaru's gaze hardened. Inunobu does not need to hear all of this story, I cannot trust him to act with discretion. Perhaps some day I will tell him the full circumstances. For now, the basics are fine.

'I am afraid revenge will be impossible. Father sealed the demon that mortally wounded him with his fang. It was a very large dragon demon, named Ryuukotsusei. Father died later, trying to save a mortal woman, Izayoi and his half breed newborn son Inuyasha. He was crushed in the burning debris of a mansion, along with his mortal opponent, Takemaru.'

Inunobu's expression instantly turned to one of rage. 'Where is this Inuyasha and his mother?'

'You cannot slay them; I promised father that I would keep them under my protection until Inuyasha was capable of fending for himself. I do not like the prospect of defending that filth any more than you, Inunobu.' The brothers both turned and walked away in opposite directions.

A Day Later

'Have you found him?'

'No my Lord he is gone. Our scouts have reported seeing him leaving the Western Lands.'

Damn. Sesshomaru thought to himself and paced around his study at the same time. I should not have told Inunobu about our father's death without making sure he was not in a position to run. I was foolish. It is no matter; I cannot pursue Inunobu right now. I have other things to take care of. Mainly what to do with my father's kingdom, and secondly, sheltering that mortal woman Izayoi and her filthy half breed son Inuyasha. How could father make the same mistake twice? Sesshomaru let out a long, tired sigh. One day Inunobu, I will find you. Be prepared, little brother.

A/N: That's the premise of the story. A note to readers; if you don't review, I won't know that you are reading, so please, it's not hard to make a review. Just a couple words so I know someone is out there.