A/N : Hi ! Missed me ? (ok don't answer that...)

Anyway, here's finally another chapter !

Raiu : Yeah, « finally », that's the word...

Oh you don't start !... So, I'm gonna write this one last time, just to be sure :


DISCLAIMER : Never owned Inuyasha and its characters, never will. All the credit goes to Rumiko Takahashi. Too bad... But I do own the plot of this story !

WARNINGS : This fic will contain YAOI and INCEST, don't say I didn't warn you, and NO flames on the subject ! Get it ? Got it. Also OOCness and possible male pregnancy in later chapters. Don't like, don't read. Easy enough for you ?

PAIRING : Sessh/Inu as the main focus.


Ok, that's done with. Now let's get on with the fic !

Raiu : I'm gonna go get some painkillers...

Sesshomaru : Bring me back some.

Raiu : Alright. (walks away)

I'M STILL HERE YOU KNOW, YOU UNGRATEFUL PRICKS !

Sesshomaru : (ignores her, like always...)

Akari : (watches as enraged cherry-chan tackles Sesshomaru) Hum... I hope Sesshy doesn't hurt her too much... (smiles to readers) Well everyone, enjoy the chapter !

Sesshomaru : (yells over his shoulder while beating cherry-chan) DON'T CALL ME "SESSHY", MORTAL !

Akari : (gone to buy chocolate)


.: Itsumademo :.

by cherry fantasy


Chapter one : Higeki

( Tragedy )

Inu no Taisho and his Izayoi didn't know how right they were when they'd thought that Inuyasha's arrival would change things for the better in the palace. It was barely six days since he was born and the whole atmosphere was already totally transformed ; it was as if everyone was in a permanent good mood. Not that anybody was complaining !

Every women, human or demon, were fawning over little Inuyasha each times he crossed their sight, and even when he wasn't there they talked non-stop about how he was the cutest thing they'd ever seen (and of course his puppy ears would often be mentioned in those conversations). It was true that the young pup was quite a beautiful baby, and also well behaved ; he hardly ever cried, he laughed often and slept peacefully at night. In short, so far he'd been a little angel.

The men were not more immune to him than the women. Even the grumpiest guard of the castle, a bear demon named Shuriyo, was unable to repress a smile when baby Inuyasha came in his range of vision. It was very funny to watch him try to hide it afterwards.

It was easy to see that Inuyasha had subdued everyone in the palace already, but it was nothing compared to the effect he had on the royal family : Lady Izayoi was all happiness and smiles, even more than she'd been before. Inu no Taisho had softened too, and a permanent grin was plastered on his face. He was more considerate in his decisions and less harsh in his punishments... Which left one person to mention : Sesshomaru.

The changes in him were the most obvious, and he was warming up to Inuyasha even faster than his parents had predicted... He spent all his free time with the little hanyou, either they were alone or with other people. As soon as his studies and training were done with for the day, you could find him at his baby brother's side, taking care of him for Lady Izayoi and even... playing with him. Sesshomaru's change in behavior didn't go unnoticed by any of the palace's residents ; Inu no Taisho's older son seemed more happy and serene than they'd ever seen him since his mother's death, and everybody knew who to thank for that. It had saddened them a lot to see their prince become so cold and lose all apparent interest in life after Tsukiyo's death... But once again, it seemed that baby Inuyasha had worked his magic on his older sibling as effortlessly as with the rest of the castle's inhabitants. And to everyone's delight, Sesshomaru's iciness was melting like a snow bank under the summer sun.

How the little baby hanyou was doing it, nobody knew. But it was sure a welcomed change...!

Today was a bright sunny day, and the four members of the royal family were presently all settled in the Lord's study, sharing a pleasant moment together ; Inu no Taisho sat at his desk, working, while his mate was seated in a couch, sewing a small gi for her newborn pup and humming softly through her lips. Sesshomaru sat beside her reading a book and Inuyasha had been installed on a soft blanket at his mother's feet, a couple of toys lying all around him. At the moment he was playing with a little blue spinning top ; of course he was way too young to know how to make it spin, but it seemed to amuse him nonetheless. He would just throw the top away, then clumsily (but very cutely) crawl toward it, take it back and repeat the action. He would then giggle happily as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

Inu no Taisho slightly raised his gaze from his papers, smiling softly at his youngest son's antics. He turned to look at Izayoi and she looked back at him, a smile also gracing her features... Inuyasha was a very aware baby, curious and awed by his surroundings. It was obvious already that he would be an adventurous child, and probably quite a handful to deal with. They were better be prepared !

Lying on his back on the blanket and the blue top still in his hands, Inuyasha suddenly yelped happily and threw the top... right at Sesshomaru's head !

Inu no Taisho's eyes widened and Izayoi held her breath, but Sesshomaru merely peeked over his book and easily caught the toy in his hand. The Demon Lord and his mate softly sighed in relief... Even if he was just a baby, Inuyasha was also a hanyou and had his father's powerful demon blood flowing in his veins... The strength of his throws was by no mean insignificant...

"Bah bah !" Inuyasha exclaimed joyfully, whatever it meant...

He waved his little feet in the air and made a face at his brother. Izayoi laughed and Inu no Taisho rolled his eyes, then they turned to Sesshomaru to see his reaction... This one didn't seem to pay attention to them as he calmly put his book aside and went to kneel beside his younger sibling. He handed out the top to Inuyasha but the pup grabbed one of his fingers instead, cooing softly and gazing at Sesshomaru with his large golden eyes... Inuyasha always seemed calmer when Sesshomaru was close, his parents had noticed. It was as if his presence appeased him...

The feeling was mutual though : whenever Sesshomaru would focus his attention on Inuyasha, it was as if the world around him didn't exist anymore. Like if he was entranced... There was definitely an odd connection between the two brothers...

Sesshomaru put the blue top away and brought his free hand to Inuyasha's head, gently caressing the little puppy ears. He smiled very slightly and said with a soft tone :

"No need to be violent, little one. If you wanted my attention, you just had to ask"

Inuyasha giggled, his eyes never leaving his brother, and Izayoi could've sworn he understood everything Sesshomaru was telling him...

Sesshomaru carefully picked up his baby brother and sat back, not bothering to get back on the couch and just leaning against it from his position on the floor. The pup immediately snuggled in his embrace and closed his eyes, a soft yawn escaping his mouth. Sesshomaru cradled him closer and continued petting his little doggy ears... Quickly the baby fell asleep, his small hands fisted in Sesshomaru's haori.

Inu no Taisho and Izayoi watched the endearing picture silently, noting the small smile that was still playing on Sesshomaru's lips... They didn't think it was possible to be more happy than they were now... Everything was perfect...

o0o

Many miles away from the Dog Demon Lord's castle was situated a village, in the eastern part of their kingdom. In that village was a tea house, where two demons from Inu no Taisho's Royal Guard were presently seated at one of the tables, each drinking a cup of sake. They were heading back to the palace after a scouting mission, and had decided to take a short break before pursuing their journey. They knew they had the right to do so since their mission wasn't an urgent one.

"I almost wish we could've found some kind of threat, all this peace is starting to get boring !" the youngest of the two, a fox demon, suddenly said.

"Shut your mouth Meireiku !" the other one exclaimed, also a kitsune. "Or your stupid wishes could very well come true one of those days !"

"Oh come on Kudan, you don't really believe that do you ?" Meireiku answered with a smirk. "You're way too superstitious ! You're talking like an old witch"

"Well I've always been right about my intuitions until now, and at the moment they're telling me that all your yapping will bring us bad luck. So you'd better quit fooling around and listen to my old witch talk for once"

"Alright alright, I'm sorry ! Jeez, don't make such a big deal out of it..."

"Joking about war isn't very wise, Meireiku, nor is wishing for it. Anybody would make it a big deal"

Meireiku lowered his head a little, admitting that Kudan was right. He took a sip of his sake before saying :

"You're right Kudan, I shouldn't have said that. Now that I think of it, I kind of like these peaceful times... No need to worry about an enemy attacking by surprise or about losing our homes. No need to fear for our lives and most importantly, for the lives of our families and friends. Yeah... I could get use to this..."

Kudan smiled and retorted :

"Well you're actually saying something that makes sense for once !" He ignored Meireiku's snort and added : "And anyway, we wouldn't want little prince Inuyasha growing up in a time of war, now would we ?"

Meireiku chuckled and said :

"Oh yeah, that little one ! I've seen him three days ago, babbling in Lady Izayoi's arms. He's such a cute thing, although I can already say he'll be quite a handful to handle when he'll get older ! He's Lord Inu no Taisho's son, after all !"

"Can't argue with you on that !" Kudan replied with a grin, before pursuing : "I've seen him too, but he was with prince Sesshomaru. I still can't believe how much that little pup managed to change him ! It's really great to watch"

"Yeah I know... That baby must have magical powers or something !"

"Somehow I doubt it" Kudan said with a grin while raising his cup of sake to his lips. He then set it down and continued : "But whatever it is he's doing, it's working damn well. And not only on prince Sesshomaru... Honestly, the whole palace seems to be happy, and I've never seen Lord Inu no Taisho so relaxed in all the years I've known him ! I could swear his good mood is contagious !"

"Ah ah ah ! I can see it from here : the joy illness, ravaging the Western castle !" Meireiku exclaimed with a laugh. "Nobody will be spared ! Ah ah ! Wait til the other kingdoms hear about it !"

Kudan laughed too at his friend's joke, before slowly finishing his drink. He then took a calmer tone and said :

"But seriously Mei, I think that little Inuyasha's birth was a blessing... And I mean for all of us..."

Meireiku smiled and answered :

"Yes, I think that too..."

The two guards talked a bit more, then paid for their drinks and left the tea house... Not once did they notice the figure sitting at the table next to theirs, cloaked in a dark cape with a hood over its head. After they left, the figure smirked and said softly :

"A blessing, hum...? Well there is what I was waiting for... Now all I have to do... is turn the blessing into a curse... and the tragedy will work itself out without me having to raise a single finger..."

The hooded figure rose calmly and walked out of the slightly crowded tea house, nobody ever noticing it leave... Or that it had been there at the first place...

o0o

Inu no Taisho couldn't really tell what had woken him ; there had been no suspicious noise, everything was calm. The Lord tilted his head and took a tentative sniff ; nope, no suspicious scent either.

The dog demon frowned confusedly. He was sure yet that something had woken him... He looked down at his mate ; Izayoi was still sleeping soundly, undisturbed. But then again, she couldn't pick up scents like he could... And if there was a noise too weak for her human hearing, she obviously wouldn't hear it... Inu no Taisho's frown deepened. Even if she didn't have his demon abilities, Izayoi was a very perceptive woman. She'd proven that to him more than once. If something had really been wrong, she'd be awake as well...

' But I'm sure something woke me up...' thought Inu no Taisho. ' It was like... a feeling... A bad one... Like if my youki was warning me that something was wrong even though I couldn't consciously acknowledge it...'

He growled softly, even more confused than before... His youki was never wrong. He'd learned to trust it with his life. But right now, and despite his youki's warning, he couldn't pick up anything signaling a threat. The night was silent and his mate was sleeping peacefully in his arms...

Just as he was thinking that, Izayoi suddenly shifted and opened her eyes. He watched as she took a quick look around before bringing her violet gaze back on him...

"What's wrong saiai (1) ?" he asked her as they sat up in their bed.

"I... I'm not sure..." she answered, taking another look at her surroundings. "I just... I have a bad feeling all of a sudden..."

Without really knowing why, Inu no Taisho felt a knot of worry beginning to form in his throat at his mate's words... But it was nothing compared to what he felt when someone suddenly knocked softly at their door, stepping in a moment later...

Sesshomaru stood at the doorstep, wearing only his sleeping yukata (2). He gazed at his father and at Izayoi before saying :

"Forgive me for the intrusion father, but I..."

"You felt something unusual ?" Inu no Taisho interrupted, although he already knew the answer...

"Yes" Sesshomaru simply told him.

"I know, we felt it too"

He swiftly got out of bed, Izayoi quickly imitating him. They smoothed out their yukatas and turned to Sesshomaru, who hadn't moved from his spot. Fidgeting nervously, Izayoi said :

"Maybe we should... check it out ?"

"But we don't even know what the problem is" the Lord answered, glancing at his son to see if he was as clueless as them.

Sesshomaru stayed silent, letting him know that he had no idea either.

And then, they heard it. The muffled but loud sound of something hitting the floor and breaking, quickly followed by a small whimper. After that, nothing. Total silence.

But what made their heart stop and all colors drain from their faces wasn't the noise in itself ; it was where it came from...

"Oh dear Kami !" Izayoi exclaimed in a breath, before dashing for the door separating their room and the one on the other side.

Sesshomaru and his father were right behind her as she reached her destination, practically throwing the shôji door open with enough force to make doorframe tremble... Although they were probably lucky it was her who'd opened it, because if it had been Inu no Taisho or Sesshomaru, there wouldn't even be a door anymore...

They rushed in the room, still as pale as ghosts. Everything was calm and nothing was out of place, except... except the little wooden crib.

The small bed was knocked over to the side and the head was broken, as well as one of the legs. The blankets were laying randomly on the floor, while a little blue top had rolled a few feet away... But what really made them feel sick, was that... the crib was empty. And that there was not a single trace of its occupant anywhere in the room.

"NO !" Izayoi shouted as tears spilled out of her eyes. "INUYASHA !"

She rushed toward the fallen crib, dropping to her knees before it and sobbing painfully.

The Western Lord and Sesshomaru were frozen on the spot, unable to breathe... This couldn't be true... This had to be a nightmare... It just HAD to...

But it wasn't.

"No..." Inu no Taisho merely whispered, while Sesshomaru tried to stop his hands from shaking.

' Oh Kami, please no...'

They snapped back to reality when Izayoi suddenly let out a sharp cry, holding something in her hands. Quickly they ran to her ; she turned toward them with an horrified expression on her face. She showed them what she was holding, and it wasn't long before they understood why she was acting so distressed : in her hands were the crib's blankets. Completely stained with blood. And it didn't take them long to identify the scent either...

' No, for Heaven's sake, no...! '

Sesshomaru fell to his knees beside his stepmother, his legs refusing to support his weight any longer. He stared at the red stained blankets with wide eyes, as if they were vipers that would suddenly spring up and bite him. He couldn't think straight, his mind was clouded... And all he could smell was Inuyasha's blood...

"My baby..." Izayoi was saying between her sobs, "They... they took my baby... Taisho... They took our Inuyasha...!"

Inu no Taisho slowly kneeled behind her, passing his arms around her waist. He was trying to think clearly despite the tears welling up in his eyes and his heart that was clenching painfully in his chest... He didn't understand... Why wasn't there any unknown scent in the room ? Why hadn't he heard the intruder come in ? Why hadn't he noticed anything unusual sooner ? And how had the intruder escaped... with his son... without leaving a single trace behind, even for his keen senses ? How could've all this happen ?

Suddenly something caught his gaze ; lying in the fallen crib was a lone sheet of paper, obviously left there for them to find. He quickly grabbed it, then brought it before his watery eyes... The sheet had absolutely no scent, and no distinctive sign whatsoever... It was just a white sheet, showing a message written in black... Inu no Taisho could feel his mate's eyes on him, as well as Sesshomaru's, when he slowly read the note...

May your blessing become your curse

And your broken hearts my revenge

May the royal family suffer and despair

For the youngest of your kin is now lost to you

Forever


Translations

Itsumademo : everlasting

1) saiai : beloved

2) yukata : Informal unlined summer kimono usually worn outdoors for festivals and such. It can also be worn under a kimono or a gi, and for sleeping.


A/N : So, did you like the chapter ?

Raiu : What kind of question is that ? Of course they didn't like it !

I'm not even going to grace that with an answer. It's getting old.

Raiu : (mumbles darkly about stupid authors)

Akari : Well for my part, I liked the chapter very much !

Thanks Akari ! Oh and for those who are wondering : Inuyasha is NOT dead, so no need to worry, ok ?

Sesshomaru : You should've killed him to save me the trouble. Oh and by the way I was still horribly OOC.

Yeah well you think I'm gonna listen to someone who sent me to the intensive care unit a few moments ago !

Sesshomaru : It would be wise if you don't want to go back.

That's what you think. Don't forget that in MY fic I can make you do anything I want. That could be my revenge.

Sesshomaru : ...

I see you get my point... Anyway, please review everyone !

Akari : (smiles) And see you in the next chapter !