My Death, My Love, My Incarnation

Written By SexySesshieSama

Author's Note: This is a story I am very proud of that has already had much written of it; sorry, I've been too lazy up to now. Please read and enjoy, it should be quite interesting. Questions, review or message me. My OCs are, you guessed it, my original characters; steal them and perish. I make up most of the names I use (at least in here), and I do not own the show Inu-Yasha or any of the characters contained within. If I did I wouldn't be wasting my time with fanfiction. Also, I would be older and less poor.

Chapter One: Mate-To-Be

The yukata Father chose for me was inadequate, I thought. Mother liked it, but Mother's pregnant again, so her opinion can hardly be trusted. My maid, Naruka, had nothing to say on the matter, but I noticed how her back straightened, her pupils narrowed and her nostrils flared. An old maid dress, Chibara would call it. And it was that, I had to agree. The color was okay, I guess; faded green, a bit old ladyish, but doable, when put with anything but a straight down cut, pale pink trim and a high neckline. I hated it; Father likes hiding my beauty, for he knows how pretty I am, and he doesn't want any other males to as well. This was a prime example of that jealous, overprotective eccentricity. Most Demon Lords are the opposite, but my parents are unique in many ways, so it was almost to be expected.

However! as a Princess, I can refuse such requests when not in the form of direct orders, and so I tossed it into the fire and watched it burn. Dressed only in a pure white loincloth and matching breastband, I walked over to my own clothing and sorted through them. Finally I found a pretty royal blue silk kimono with flowers embroidered into the fabric in varying shades of sky and midnight blues, darker and lighter than the foundation color. I slipped it on, and liking how it hugged my curves perfectly, I smiled and returned to my place by the window.

My father, Daizano, Demon Lord of the North, also known as the Dragon King, and my mother, Demon Lord of the South, also known as the Royal Phoenix, are but two of the four greatest living taiyoukai. There is also Kitara in the East, daughter of an old friend of my parents, Mei, who passed away recently; and then Sesshomaru in the West, son of another old friend of my parents, Inutaisho, who also passed away recently. Mei and Inutaisho's mates, cat demon Akira and dog demon Mesukei, had died even before them. When I speak of recently, I refer to how youkai view time; I was four at the times of their deaths, and although I am "only" eighteen now, I stopped aging at a normal rate when I turned ten. It has been several centuries since their children took over.

Now we are going to go visit Lord Sesshomaru of the West. A few months ago we visited Kitara, and gave my only brother, Yujinn, to her as her mate (the nekoyoukai women are dominant); now we are going to go visit Sesshomaru, and give me to him to be his mate (the inuyoukai men are dominant). It's all politics, and I have known my place from the beginning, so it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Besides, I wouldn't want to rule a territory all on my own: it's a rather boring occupation. Ironically enough, the ones who are to inherit my parents lands will be the youngest ones; the son not yet born, Ryuumaru, and the daughter just recently had, Aniara.

I heard a knock on my door. It was my adolescent sister, Chibara, the smart-aleck and trickster of the family. I smiled and waved my hand in that general direction; the door automatically slid open. Chibara walked in slowly, just as much in awe of that trick now as she was when first I showed her. I smiled at her easily procured joy. "Wow...that was so cool! I wish I could do that..."

"I've told you a thousand times, sister, you can; we all can. As a Dragon-Phoenix, you are so infused with power that the skies are yours to command," I said, not looking at her, instead sorting through my dresses to choose which ones I wanted to take with me. It would be rude to bring all but the best ones; as my mate-to-be, it was Sesshomaru's job to provide such things. But some of them I just had to take. The rest would go to my sisters, as well as my mother, once the swelling is rid of.

Seeing her preoccupied disposition, I stood up and looked at her directly. "What ails you, sister?"

She turned to me, a confused expression on her face, as if something didn't belong; almost as if she had just awoken from sleep-walking. "What?"

I sighed softly and shook my head slowly. "You are so silly." I walked over to her and ruffled her wild curls. "You came here for a reason. I can tell these things, trust me. What is it that you want to ask me?"

Chibara shrugged, looking away, as if she didn't care; she was unhappy, I could tell by the pout of her lips. I pulled her into a hug and squeezed her tight. She was caught off-guard, only able to stand there, completely rigid, eyes wide as I hugged her as a sister does. "I'll miss you too. But it's not like I'll be gone forever. Once settled I will visit you plenty, and you can visit me. Nothing will change, Little Rose. Nothing at all. We'll just be farther apart."

Chibara nodded, resting her cheek on my shoulder. "Kinda like several castle-lengths away instead of one," she mumbled.

I laughed. "Something like."

Silence fell, but it was a warm, happy, sisterly silence. Not cold and painful like those born out of hate or displeasure. We sat down at my table and sorted through my many kimonos and yukatas. Aside from the one I was wearing, I would only take five others: a red one, a green one, a silver-gray one, a black one and a white one. As for the countless others I had—yellow, pink, purple, orange, brown, rainbow, two-colors, mixes, hybrids, etc—they would stay here, divided into several piles: Some for Mother, some for Chibara, some for Aniara, some for Naruka, some to send to Kitara, and a few for Riera, an old childhood friend of mine. And so much time passed in silence as all there was to hear was the chirping of some birds, the wind moving the trees, and the slow, relaxed heartbeats of those who would never be separated, even if the distances between them were to stretch on for an eternity.

XXX

Mother wanted to accompany Father and I, but she had been present for the actual proposal and negotiation, and since that was stretching it at four months of pregnancy, lightly foolish as it were, eight months would be downright idiotic. Besides, this was only, in essence, to drop me off: Father would come, they would discuss things, speak of last minute details, talk about alliances and the state of the world. The next day Father would leave, and I would then be Sesshomaru's mate, his possession; I will belong to him, and there shall be no turning back.

However, there is no turning back now, really; I stopped being able to turn back when I reached adulthood at fifteen. Father often times reminds me that he was a very lenient and understanding parent; the standard for taiyoukai mating is fifteen, maybe sixteen, usually not eighteen. Almost never, in fact, unless the daughter is hard to marry off—which I most definitely was not (if you don't count my father wanting only the best for me). I know all of that, and I love him for it; hence why I'm perfectly okay with all of this. I know how fortunate I am. In addition to that, Sesshomaru is handsome, not likely to overuse or abuse me. Yes, my life was good, great even. Wonderful Father, choice Mate, good life. One day the rebellious and sour Chibara will understand that as I do now.

Umayoukai servants of my father drove the carriage in which we were to travel the hundreds of miles from our castle to his. By law set forth millennia ago, the Demon Lords strongholds were to be placed near the center in which their territories meet. In times of war between them, they were to move back, as a sort of symbol or sign that things were not right and peaceful. And since the taiyoukai almost never fight, for the effects would be devastating, things are always at peace; at least, on the grandest scale. True, this is the Warring States Era, but that mostly applies to weak and useless humans who act as if their problems actually amount to something.

Father liked my outfit, I could tell. And in his liking it he grew to loathe it, for it was very pretty and extremely flattering. He thought that it would look good on Mother (I cannot read minds, only people, and my father is extremely predictable—to his oldest daughter, in any case), which really upped his ire. I laughed silently. The shoes I had chosen at the last moment, seemingly delicate blue slippers that were actually made from dyed ushiyoukai leather.

I patted his hand. "Don't worry, Father. No man will dare look at me with Sesshomaru and your scents upon me. And in any case, I am loyal and can take care of myself. So try not to worry." He smiled, overwhelmingly proud of his little girl; the one who had grown up already.

"I won't, I promise," he said, as if that had been true the whole time. I smiled knowingly and let it go. One of the first lessons I ever learned concerning men: Let them think they are right, so that it is easier for you to pull the strings and have things the way you want them. And ain't that the truth.

The scenery changed quickly. In the North, which houses my father's castle, that we use in the warm months of Spring and Summer, things are very green with lots of trees and rocks and unhindered, unbusy nature. Closer to the mountains, things tend to be colder, cool in the heated months. In the West, where we were going, things are still cool, but warmer in these months, with lots of fresh and warm breezes and rains. More flowers and less trees, with only one kind of grass that grows at a very short length. Known for the water and lack of mountains.

It took us several hours to arrive, most of which was traveled in silence. Youkai are not easily bored, and chatter is not necessary for comfort, as it often is for humans. My father and I, we were close, and happy, together. That's all we needed. My father is not talkative, and so I'm used to long, seemingly infinite, moments of silence. Which was good, because my mate-to-be is worse than my father-dearest.

I could see it, so close it was almost as if I could reach out and touch it. Impossibly high and infinitely long, it looked like a place made for giants. As we neared it I realized that it was only about twenty stories high and fifty rooms wide, with walls that extended much further to the sides and back, making for large courtyards almost fit to be their own countries. If one didn't feel like leaving their home, ever, one might as well make trees and gardens and meadows and lakes and rivers abundant. The place was made of marble with gold trim, the walls fashioned out of gray rock and steel so hard and thick not even a taiyoukai could break them down; enchanted, to be there for all of an eternity. Nothing moved, no living thing could be seen or heard or sensed. No birds chirped, no sounds shattered the silence, the peace. It was a cold and heartless place. Yet oddly safe and calmly comforting.

We had arrived.

XXX

yukata - a dress worn around the house, outside, wherever; for informal settings and occasions

Chibara (Little Rose) - Chi means Blood, Bara means Rose, Little Rose would be Bara-chan, it just sounds better

Mesukei - a hybrid of two Japanese words that mean "bitch" or "female dog"; sorry I don't remember them off the top of my head, and I'm too damn lazy

youkai - demon

nekoyoukai - cat demon

inuyoukai - dog demon

umayoukai - horse demon

taiyoukai - demon lord, higher level of demon

Warring States Era - the era Inu-Yasha is set in; it has a Japanese name I can't remember, if I ever knew

ushiyoukai - cow demon

If you have any other questions on vocabulary, be it English look it up, and if its Japanese I failed to mention, review or message me. Much obliged, thanks for reading, and please review!