Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha characters or any related to Rumiko Takahashi©

IM BAAAAAAACK!!!!

And with a new fanfic lol

Im experimenting a new kind of writing technique, first person then author then third person technique, I want to see how this worked out so tell me I you like it!

Also I do not accept flames, constructive criticism people!!

So sit back, relax and enjoy my latest book:

"Sweetness of the Past"

-

The flames were ablaze in their torches, as well as in their oil cups.

In front of a thin rice-paper screen in the middle of a simple tatami mat floor room sat a beautiful woman. Her priestess robes almost completely covered by her sakura blossom twelve-layered kimono, her ebony tresses falling to the floor as she kneeled next to her little boy...her baby boy.

She reached out to him with a pale hand as she went to touch his puppy ears and giggled softly as they flickered. Her eyes filled with crystalline tears as she looked at her only son... his only son with her.... and how she was still in shock over his death....

Her Lord InuTaisho....

After running for endless hours in the surrounding forests, her arms grew weary from carrying her precious bundle that wasn't even a day old. Her legs were getting sore from cramps in her legs...after all she died and gave birth only a few hours ago.

She remembered the piercing cut of his spear through her chest as she worked up her final effort to give her son life, just as the lunar eclipse passed over head. She felt him leave and heard the heart-struck howl of her beloved Lord. The next thing she knew she was standing in the middle of her burning home, her husband's kariginu (the fire rat robe) draped over her form and her newborn babe in her arms.

Izayoi let the tears fall at the memory of looking back and seeing the burning building collapse on her beloved and him...the man that took her life away from her...

She ran towards the neighboring castle of Lord Hirei... her beloveds close advisor and an old childhood friend of his...he quickly sent guards to the destroyed castle and shipped her and her son to her father's home...he was happy to see his daughter alive...but not happy to see the newborn.

She heard a gurgle from her side and looked down to see her little boy...her InuYasha give a yawn and open his amber eyes. More tears fell in streams as she realized that her son would never know his father...never even see his face....

How did it come to this?

How did she end up back into her father's home?

What wrong path did she take that led to her dearly beloved's death and led her to the point where her life would take a downfall....

How?

-

"Now don't ye be a lazy one miss, tis the sunrise! Hurry and get up so ye can get dressed, your father sent ye a lovely new kimono that he did!"

I sat up slowly before flopping over on my other side as I saw my old nanny from birth she knelt next to me holding a rice-paper package in her arms, the clear color of pale-blue silk shining through it.

"Please Miaka obaa-chan; let me have but a few more minutes?"

"And let ye snooze thy day away? I think not honey child" she told her as she gave a small wave to the young servants to open the bamboo doors and let the pure, unfiltered sunshine fill the spacious room.

I let out a moan and flopped the light-blue coverlet down to my waist and gave her a pathetic glare.

"That's it dear, now ye shall come and help me take a look that this new kimono you father sent this morning"

"Another one? He wants something" I declared as she got to a kneeling position and shuffled her way close to her life-long friend and servant.

"Now, now Izayoi, just because ye father showers ye with these kimonos does not mean he wants something from ye"

"Oh then? He must have a bit of extra spending cash then?" I asked while rolling my eyes.

"My lady ye be polite now, and besides what of ye to expect from thy Lord Tanakashi?" her wizened eyes glittered amongst the wrinkles.

Izayoi's hands carefully ripped through the rice-paper wrappings and pulled out one end of what seemed to be a sky-blue kimono carefully embroidered with a scenery of a forest and clouds wrapping around her upper body. The second was a forest green kimono with two purple moons on the chest and the bottom littered with carefully embroidered silver stars, the others were just plain bulk kimonos made of simple colors of cerulean, indigo, ruby red, light pink, pale orange, and a silky sand color. Miaka went into the small chest of drawers at one end of the room and pulled out miko attire for me to wear under all of my new kimonos, a great inheritance from my dearly departed mother, head priestess of the lands and a dear counsel for my father.

I remembered the great gift she passed onto me as I ran my finger tips over the simple white cotton of the haori, the simple attire that I keep to myself and only to myself. The simple attire which also shares my deepest secret, for if my father were to find it under all for the silk and weave, I fear it would be burned or worse, hidden from me.

Miaka obaa-chan quickly sent her girls to work smoothing out weak creases as she helped me tie the hakama over my miko haori so it reached the perfect length; right over my zori that covered feet. Three of the young girls carefully draped the bulk kimonos over my frame, running their young hands gently down the side to coax it into being smooth, as they finished, two of the older servants rushed over with the forest green one first, draping it over my already weighed down arms before stepping back and letting the servants with the sky-blue kimono step in and put on the last layer.

Miaka obaa-chan snapped her fingers with a clear snap that signaled the servants to bow respectfully and back out of the room, leaving my beloved nanny and myself alone.

Miaka picked up a chestnut horse hair bristle brush lightly coated with coconut oil and glided it down my ebony tresses, her wizened hands carefully patting down the static and she smiled as she started on my bangs.

"Have I ever told ye how much you have grown honey child?" emphasizing on her pet name for me.

"Hai Miaka obaa-chan"

"Well, this old woman hasn't said it enough to ye no I have not" she cooed as she placed her withered hands on my soft cheeks and tilted my head up to look into my eyes.

"Ye are the most beautiful child I have ever seen that is no lie, but ye spirit...it reminds me so much of ye mothers, strong and beautiful, never faltering and always succeeding in what she wanted"

I blush modestly and advert my eyes as she praises me, she's been doing this a lot lately, but then, I am nearing the age in which father wants to marry me off at.

Miaka obaa-chan gives me one more endearing look before standing up and helping me to my feet, the weight of the kimono's making me struggle.

"Come now honey child, ye dear father wishes to see ye"

-

Izayoi and Miaka passed through the narrow halls, the servants dressed in all plain white cotton kimonos smiled and dipped their heads respectfully to her as she did back to them, it might have been her home and she might have been the lords daughter, but everyone held a rare respect for them, she never had to express her power and she sometimes, in secret of course, would sneak off to the servant quarters just to talk to them and chat with some of the girls her age; it was horribly boring just being an only daughter to the lord after all, and she rarely went into market and if she did, her over protective father would send a small army with her.

She rolled her eyes at the memory of the ten guards flanking her side, which was such an embarrassing trip indeed.

Miaka led her into her fathers counsel room where the long, glossed, kneeling table shone like a mirror and littered with stark white scrolls every now and then, she followed the path of the scrolls to find her father at the head of the table, his top knot starting to come loose already at this time of day, his slender face and warm eyes scanned a few lines before looking up and noticing his daughters presence. She immediately went to her knees and settled into a low bow before sitting up and keeping her eyes down to the floor modestly.

"Come, come Izayoi, don't you be like that, sit at this old man's side" his joyful voice rounded out as she patted the thick sitting cushion next to him.

Izayoi nodded and took her place at her

Father's side, a maid running in with a china pot filled with herbal tea, Izayoi poured a cup for both her and her father as she rolled up his scroll and pushed it away so his daughter had his full attention.

The minutes passed and the two just sat there sipping their tea, Miaka waiting by the entrance into the chamber.

"Please father, would you tell me why you have summoned me?"

Her father sent her another warm look and Izayoi felt small bubbles of anger well up in her chest.

"Dearest father...May I get an answer as to why im being showered with kimonos?"

"Aren't I allowed to spoil my only daughter and child"

"If you to wish to, but forgive me father but im inkling curious" Izayoi laughed lightly at the end of her sentence trying to get the conversation into a relaxing setting.

"As sharp as you mother ill give you that" Lord Tanakashi praised before continuing "but maybe too sharp, but as well you know dear daughter...you're reaching your sixteenth birthday and of course you're of marrying age"

Izayoi nodded recalling what she had been told her entire life.

"And I certain that you remember a certain young Lord Takemaru?"

Izayoi brought her tea-cup to her lips for a moment in reconcile before placing the cup down on the table with a small splash.

"You mean Setsuna Takemaru?"

"He is but the only one I thought" her father joked to her.

"What does Takemaru have to do with this?" Izayoi pondered.

"Daughter, you do know that there was a reason for you to go to the human settling in the west" her father said suddenly putting on his stern decisive face.

"Takemaru is but a good friend of mine and I enjoyed being in his presence"

"Good then you shouldn't mind being betrothed to him" Lord Tanakashi told her matter-of-factly.

Izayoi fell silent and had to stop herself from yelling 'WHAT?!?!?'

"Excuse me dear father...what?"

Her father gave her an arched eyebrow "you are to be betrothed to young lord Setsuna Takemaru" her father said slowly making sure I caught every word.

Izayoi sat back a bit, her eyes fluttering with the thought.

"But father. He's a friend!"

"And the happier you'll be" he said with a definite tone as he swept up his cup of tea and unfurled another scroll.

Izayoi had difficulty in hiding her anger on how her father just announced that she was to be wedded off too...and then get to work! She wanted to think of herself being calm and collected but this was too much!

"Father, I'd rather not marry Takemaru!" Izayoi exclaimed in her risen voice.

Her father looked from his scroll to see his silently fuming daughter.

"You don't have a say in the matter Izayoi"

"So I can't choose who I want to share a home in, sleep in a bed with and whose child I am to bear?!"

"No"

Izayoi looked at her father exasperatedly; she roughly pushed her cup of tea into the middle making the tea slosh around, she got from her knees, her face completely red and started storming out of the room.

"Izayoi!" her father yelled out after her but she just ignored him as she stormed down the corridor, Miaka following behind five steps back being wary of her anger.

-

Author: oki my first chapter done and complete, so how do you like it? Also ill try to update next Friday at the most, ill be following my usual schedule by updating every Friday and such with updates in my profile

Im hoping to hear from my old reviewers as well!!

Kariginu- InuYasha's fire-rat robe, mistaken usually for a haori. Not to mention this author made the same mistake, pass it on