Disclaimer: sorry wrong lady ::wink:: InuYasha and all that is affiliated belong to the lovely Manga-ka Rumiko Takahashi© Viz, YTV, and Sun.

Authors note: well I hope all of my faithful readers have indeed had a great break but now is the time to get back to writing and reading but hey ::shrugs:: its fun ne?

Also, thanks to a wonderful tip, I am to put the Japanese dictionary at the beginning of the chapter, I hope that this will aid you in your enjoyment with my story ::bow::

Now I leave you to read

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JAPANESE DICTIONARY:

Kami: God

Sou'unga: the famous sword of the third movie, and according too, it is also a famous and powerful sword that is passed down to the entire lord of the InuYoukai line, its origins are unknown, attack: "Goukoryuha!"

Jyaki: Demonic Aura

Ningen: human

Chichi-ue: formal word-form for father

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HERE ARE YOUR RESPONSES!:

chibiNeko192: ::blushes for all of the compliments:: I feel so happy now ! ::big smile:: also I am taking you wonderful advice and placing my dictionary at the top of the screen. Thankies so much for you review!!

orangeInuYasha: LEXY-CHAN!!!!!!!!! ::ONLINE GLOMP BACK:: lol ::realyb ig smile:: thankies soo much!! Call me a.s.a.p.!!! lol ::winks:: (my online smiles wont work

Keiko Ookami: sorry for the delay ::big smile:: hope you enjoy! Thanks soo much for yor review!!

SilverStar-AquarianAngel: ah marchmellows, the source of whipped up sugar ::big smile:: yea I know how ya feel, my borhter wont let me go near the game now so I can finish collecting those 30 frickin' samurais!!!! ::calms down:: lol

Qem: ::blush:: thankies for pointing out my mistake ::big smile:: and thanks for you review!

Cassie: yes Ma'am lol ::big smile:: ::blush:: thanks for you wonderful compliments and you review!!!

Kimpster: pleasure too ::big smile::

case-closed-lover-1: hee hee thankies soo much!! And thanks for your review!!

-

"How are you faring?"

I softly blushed against the heavy sun as he asked me this question, through these days I have not seen hide nor hair of the Lord Takemaru, and my discreet body response only reminded me of my childish crush towards my betrothed.

But maybe it was a good thing.

I mean how bad could it be to be maybe a little giddy about the one you are forced to marry....

Scratch that.

"I've been faring my Lord" I responded, my eyes carefully trained to the cedar lacquered floor.

"Please my lady stop calling me such nonsense, I am not your lord, I am your betrothed, please call me Takemaru" he told me kindly. Again I could feel my cheeks flaring.

"Yes my lor-....I mean Takemaru" I said as I turned my head up a little towards his and gave him a small smile.

But which astounded me was that he was smiling right back...but he wasn't acting as a flirting man...but like a boy...a bashful one staring at his secret crush and I was so stunned could have jumped with surprise.

I thought that my role was supposed to be the child once more, and have the secret crush...not the reverse! How Kami worked in such ways still baffles me.

"You know my lady-"

"If I can call you Takemaru, then you can call me Izayoi" I responded playfully.

"Alright Izayoi," he gave me another one of his boyish smiles "you know, you are totally different from what I expected from your letters" he said, lowering his voice tone to a whisper.

"In what kind of way may I ask?" I laughed teasingly to him.

"Please, I do not mean to insult, but I was almost expecting this little girl running around in cotton yukata's and rolling in the mud" he laughed out the last part which made me playfully bat at his shoulder.

"Takemaru! How about I tell you that I was like that when I was little?!" I pretended to seem insulted though a bright smile, one I haven't worn since I was a little girl graced my face.

"Please forgive me Izayoi, I probably seemed like a stuck-up, little rich kid or something" he laughed placing one of his smooth hands on my shoulder, something a little bold for only courting couples to do. I felt both surprised, yet comfortable.

"I don't think so...maybe a stuck-up little rich kid who wore cotton yukata's and rolled in the mud, but other than that no, not at all!" I laughed again bringing a corner of my kimono sleeve up to my mouth as I laughed. It felt good to laugh like this, it was a good omen, and I was content with this feeling.

Takemaru suddenly stopped walking beside me, but kept his hand placed on my shoulder. I turned around to see why he stopped walking besides me, my stocking feet slipping just a little on the glossy outdoor hall as I turned.

His face looked serious as he stared into my eyes, the sun setting in my view right behind him giving his face a shadow which made him very seductive. His hair starting to come a little loose from his top knot and his silken sea-foam green silk kimono glinting with red rouge.

I could feel my heart stop.

His hand glided from my shoulder down my sky-blue silken sleeve to rest on my partially cover hand to which he gripped and brought to his lips to give a swift kiss.

"Izayoi, never before have I met a woman that I have been able to laugh with, one that I am so comfortable to be around with in such a short time. Izayoi.... you are probably one of the only women that I have met that I could be so dear of in less than a week. I can already tell you that already, I am very happy with this engagement" he told me in a low, gruff sort of voice that made me almost swoon.

"T-Takemaru...I...I"

The sudden thumping of stocking feet on the lacquered made him drop my hand rather quickly and spin on his heel and almost shield me from the on comer.

"My Lord come quickly!" a boy dressed in the mandatory white cotton yukata with a tie bearing the family crest strapped to his forward cried as he slipped down the outdoor hall.

"Yes. Of course" he told the panting boy as he quickly gave me a fleeting glance before walking, rather and running, back to his main chamber.

The boy collapsed in the hall, his face pink and sweat running down his brow.

"P-Pardon miss" he told me before collapsing onto his back, still panting heavily.

My eyes widened and for a moment, I came out of the stance that Takemaru left me in as I rushed to the boy, took of his head band and started dabbing his forehead and letting out a breath I didn't realize that I had been holding.

Takemaru...

I never finished my sentence...

-

"We will not have this!!!"

The guards dressed in dragon-scale armor winced at the temper as their young lord smacked the unsigned treaty against the high cedar table.

"Where is the messenger?!" he yelled again, his eyes starting to bleed red as he glanced at the castle guard who where shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. A guard in back suddenly reached his bulk arm through the shaking men and dragged a scared little man dressed in a white yukata, dragged him in by his upper arm.

"Here He is my Lord Sesshoumaru" the guard said quietly as he threw the cowering human at his lord's feet.

"Did you know of this treaty messenger? That it was disrespectfully not signed and thrown onto my father's high table like it was street trash? Did you know that we Inu-Youkai do not tolerate disrespect to our region and punish those who do with torture then decapitation?" he told the shaking man in a low, yet cold, sinister voice.

The poor messenger shook his head no and gulped loudly as he felt his bare, sweaty knees start to slip against the cold stone floor.

Sesshoumaru gave the cowering messenger an icy glare and stepped out from behind the high table, tow of his long, elegant fingers stuck together and his claws glistening with the beautiful venom starting to drip from the tips of his claws.

He raised his hand across his chest and lifted it above his head; his eyes narrowed and was about to strike the messenger before a bright light was filtered into the candle lit room.

"Sesshoumaru, stop"

Sesshoumaru felt his muscles seize as he heard the superior tone of his Lord father.

"Back down now"

All the men lowered their eyes simultaneously and quickly bowed low before their lord. The guard still next to the human messenger thrust the man's face into the hard stone floor causing his nose to start bleeding as it collided with the hard floor.

The heavy foot falls of the Lord InuTaisho filled the room and the soft sweeping of his furs gently glided above the ground. He approached his son and gave him a scolding glare as he put up his chin slightly to look down upon him.

"What is the meaning of this Sesshoumaru?" he asked in a deadly calm, the candles reflecting off his silver breast-plate and the lacquered rope hilt of his Sou'unga.

Sesshoumaru could feel his father's Jyaki rise slightly and could feel his instincts tell him to back down a bit.

"My father," Sesshoumaru bowed his head submissively "this ningen messenger just brought back our treaty to the human provinces of the west"

"Continue" the Lords voice still a deadly calm.

"It has been rejected by the ningen lord Setsuna Takemaru" Sesshoumaru said quietly.

"Pick up you head Sesshoumaru" InuTaisho said quietly as his son did follow his command, "Now take a look at the messenger you were about to strike with you claws"

Sesshoumaru snapped his head in the direction of the human with his nose bleeding profusely.

"This man is dressed in the white kimono, he is just a messenger who was commanded to deliver us back the treaty, and you were to kill him?"

Sesshoumaru turned his head back to his father and lowered his eyes.

"Hai, Chichi-ue"

"I have told you countless times my son, do not harm the ningen's, they are a fellow race to us and it is best to treat them with the respect as they treat us, now do you hear me?" InuTaisho asked as he let his Jyaki lower and his regal voice get louder as he retracted from anger.

"Hai Chichi-ue" Sesshoumaru responded slowly raising his eyes to look at his father's impassive face.

"Bandage the messengers nose and stop the bleeding, then I want you to send him back with a square of blood-red silk for him to hand-deliver to this new lord of the ningen west" commanded InuTaisho to his men swiftly and was replied with hushed "Yes Milord's" and a quiet exit.

The resolving 'Thump' of the heavy wood was replied with a long sigh from the Lord InuTaisho.

"Sesshoumaru, next time I wish for you to not make me scold you like a young pup in front of the men next time you are displeased with news" InuTaisho told him.

"I understand father, it will not happen again I assure"

"It better damn not happen again" InuTaisho told him one final time before cracking his only son a smirk.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smirk at his father in return. He couldn't help it, he idolized his father, and after all he was the only parent he ever knew.

"Sesshoumaru, may I confide that I am very displeased with the actions of this lord Takemaru?" InuTaisho mocked questioned his son.

"I believe you already have Chichi-ue" Sesshoumaru responded as he walked towards his father who sat on a regal kneeling pillow and placed himself in the one right next to him.

"And what would you suggest my son?"

"I believe some sort of invasion into the castle and drag this lord Takemaru to us be almost a pleasant idea" replied Sesshoumaru.

"Don't you think it to be but a little brash my son?"

"It is what we do to those who disrespect us isn't it not father?"

InuTaisho let out a sigh and looked at the heavy doors.

"It is, but Takemaru's departed father was almost aiding to this kingdom in a sort of way, he always signed the treaty and traded with us InuYoukai happily for a time, and now his bull-headed son has gotten rein of control on the ningen lands, he's most likely going to conjure an army to flush us out, it will be a start to the racialism of demons to the humans, and to the humans from us demons." InuTaisho replied, "What do you say we put our best men to guard the road out of the ningen west for any odd caravans other than traveling village people out of the west and into either the north, west, or east?"

Sesshoumaru bit his lip for a bit before nodding slowly "But instead of just having the village people pass, what if we gave them order to search their caravans for anything suspicious? Contracts and treaties to other lands or ammo trade?" Sesshoumaru suggested.

InuTaisho nodded his head in return, "you're to make a fine general my son, and when I am to die, a fine lord"

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but give a boyish smile to his father at such high praise; after all he was still young, a pup of only fifty years, and 15 years in human.

"Its decided then, ship out the three archers and three of my personal guards out to watch the roads and inspect, and warn them for me, if I find out about unnecessary blood-shed or the deaths of children and women, tell them they will answer to me and most likely not return outside of my chamber"

"Yes father"

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Author's note: and the fine InuTaisho makes his entrance (wh00t!) also the young Sesshoumaru (watches all the Sesshoumaru fan girls drop dead lol ). Also before I get flames for putting Sesshoumaru in OOC, he isn't, he's just younger and can-you-believe-it? More innocent! (if that is even possible lol)

Also please forgive me for the delay ::anime sweat drop::

Also new announcement, new chapters, I have decided with be posted on EITHER/ OR Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. Just because you readers make my day and keep me going with this fan fic ::big smile::

InuPhoenix