The Great General of the Western Lands was angrily pacing in his private chambers. The number of pressing matters he had to deal with seemed to increase every day. Rumors of tensions in the South reached the palace. Nothing specific enough to act on right away - Inutaishō's advisors didn't seem to think there was a cause for concern, but still… The great demon wondered if there was a crack in the foundation of his carefully constructed empire. He frowned in deep contemplation. It wasn't hard to believe that not everyone would appreciate his pacifist way of ruling. For most of his life, he was known for conquest and lack of mercy towards whoever opposed him. He was feared as much as he was respected. He was the Beast King, Wielder of Sō'unga, Destroyer of Comets. Not all tales were true, but it would have been hard to find anyone in the West who hadn't heard of him.

Wherever there was conquest, there was destruction. Tōga had come to regret his past actions before the consequences would come to haunt him. Those days were behind him now. He wanted nothing more than peace and prosperity within his domain. Those who knew him before his change of mind found themselves robbed of the glory they expected to come.

Tōga knew perfectly well that for some, he was a traitor.

He resolved to keep an eye out.

At least Sesshōmaru was doing better now. At the end of the day, he had something to look forward to - he would check in on his son every night, although he did not enjoy their time spent together. Ever since his mysterious illness, Sesshōmaru has been difficult to deal with and the two could barely have a civil conversation.

But Sesshōmaru was awake now, and able to talk. 'Today is not the worst day', that was the thought that kept the great general going.

His son was gone for a month. Tōga thought he left the comfort of their home in pursuit of adventure - he did feel some resentment over the fact that Sesshōmaru didn't bother telling anyone, but he himself had acted this way when he was his age, so he didn't feel too bothered. Besides, patience and good manners did not run in the Inu family. He knew his son had been longing for adventure. He also felt it in his heart that they would see each other again, and soon. Tōga tended to have a good intuition about family matters and his premonitions usually came true.

During his oldest son's absence the youngest was conceived. He was to grow up to become the heir of the Western Lands, a symbol of coexistence between yōkai and humankind. His parents settled on the name 'Inuyasha' - a simple, honest name. Giving such straightforward names was common practice in noble circles, as offsprings bearing these names were believed to be destined to achieve glory.

Inuyasha's coming has not been announced yet, and Tōga wondered how Sesshōmaru would take the news.

Surprisingly, the aforementioned son returned sooner than expected. His time away was not long enough to leave room for conquest, or any kind of achievement at all. Nobody had heard of him while he was gone, and the month in his absence had been uneventful.

But something must have happened, because he looked different. There was something obviously very wrong with him and it was easy to see the moment he stepped through the gates. He was disheveled - Tōga had never seen him in such a state -, his expression forlorn and his clothes covered in fine, silver dust.

Later on, when things started getting worse, Inutaisho wondered if it was the same dust that had somehow ended up in his son's lungs.

He ordered the dirty clothes to be burned, far away from the court.

It was all wrong. Demons were not supposed to get sick. Especially not Sesshōmaru, who was the progeny of two daiyōkai. He was the embodiment of perfection, not one to succumb to illness easily. Furthermore, he was immune to all known poisons, and he had demonstrated to recover from injuries at supernatural speed. When he started coughing, Tōga grew concerned. He had no idea how to deal with this situation. He ordered Sesshōmaru to rest in the room adjacent to his personal chambers, and Sesshōmaru begrudgingly agreed. He wouldn't tell his father what happened and Tōga didn't push it. He thought they had plenty of time to have that conversation. He could feel his son's presence while he was attending to other matters in his study. Sesshōmaru's yōki was as strong as ever.

The second day brought more developments. Although the coughing stopped, Sesshōmaru now had a fever, and no longer argued about having to stay inside. On the third day, they found out he couldn't get up anymore. That day, Tōga didn't move away from his side. Matters of his domain were neglected for the time being. There was a lot to do, all of which had to be postponed - the most important thing was finding out what was ailing the young daiyōkai who was supposed to be indestructible.

From time to time, his son would wake up from his uneasy slumber. Tōga urged him to speak. He needed to know.

Sesshōmaru proceeded to tell the most outrageous story ever to be told in the Western Lands. Tōga cut him off before he could finish it. His son seemed to be spouting nonsense in the middle of a fever dream. He needed a healer - and perhaps, some dignity. Tōga left the room without another word. A mere few hours later, the domain's best doctors and shamans would gather in the court, inspecting the scion of the Great Dog General one by one, then discussing his state with each other, and finally, not reaching any useful conclusion other than the mysterious illness was neither a work of poison, nor a work of a curse.

Knowledge was lacking, magic ran dry. Some experimental treatments were tried, none of it being effectful. Inutaishō had always known Sesshōmaru would surpass him one day. But when his hair started falling out, he started to doubt he would ever live long enough to try.

With that thought, panic finally set in. He was watching his son waste away. There were few options left. Tōga decided to seek the help of his former companion, the mother of his son. Immediately after, he berated himself for not having done it sooner. He convinced himself it wasn't because of pride, but because of ignorance. He couldn't have known how dangerous a situation his son was in until it got to a breaking point.

Inukimi arrived very shortly after getting the message. Tōga never doubted she would come. She wasn't a very affectionate mother - or a warm-hearted person overall -, but she cared about her son immensely. Tōga felt a rush of sympathy for the woman. He knew the love they felt for Sesshōmaru would unite them, if only briefly.

That didn't make him trust the infernal witch though, and he insisted on being present while she examined their son.

'Sesshōmaru is not suffering from any ailments that I know of,' said Inukimi after hours that felt like days. 'This is truly an enigma. Did he truly not say anything?'

Tōga considered his answer for a moment.

'He started a strange ramble while he was in a confused state,' he started. '...because of the fever, I think. It didn't make any sense.'

Inukimi raised an eyebrow and Tōga felt his anger rising. She was already judging him!

'Did you think to ask him to elaborate on that?' snapped the woman. 'He could've said something important, if only you had the patience to listen. And now, it's too late!'

'You have some nerve to blame me, when you haven't managed to do anything for him either, and weren't even here when it all started!' Tōga's words were like thunder, but Inukimi wasn't intimidated.

'Well of course, had I been here I would have thought of getting the truth out of him sooner!'

'He was incoherent! He didn't know what he was talking about! If we added insanity to the list of his troubles, would that help us?! It already doesn't make any sense!'

They bickered for a while, Inukimi wailing about 'men' and 'their conversations' and Tōga retorting with similar insults.

'All I know is that Sesshōmaru's illness doesn't seem to have come from any sources that I know could present a danger to our kind,' Inukimi stated. 'These burn scars look more like rashes. They don't resemble the patterns fire makes, yet they were definitely caused by fire. Fire… coming from the inside, perhaps?'

'My people didn't detect any curses, and neither did you.'

'You told me he complained of nausea while he was still awake. But what would nausea mean for someone like us? I don't believe he would have consumed something in a human way, something that would cause an ailment like this. And the loss of his beautiful hair…' Inukimi sighed sadly. She could not let her sorrow for her son's health show, that would have made her look weak. But hair didn't matter at all, so some display of emotion was permitted.

'His hair falling out could be a symptom of his body being forced to age,' she continued. '...somehow. Again, I cannot detect anything. His body is deteriorating in a mortal way, but his youki is unaffected. I suspect supernatural forces are behind this.'

Inutaishō nodded in agreement.

'Someone must have attacked him,' he said. 'An unknown enemy. Could have been an outsider, or someone within the domain. Either way, if it took down Sesshōmaru it could pose a threat to all of us. This isn't looking good.'

'If this had any connection to the Underworld, I would know about it,' said Inukimi. 'Therefore it must have been something else. Demon slayers, god-spirits, sorcerers… There are a lot of possibilities. I will ask around and try to find out who did this. I won't return until I do.'

Good, thought Tōga as he watched her leave. At least he wouldn't have to put up with her presence any longer. He himself would spend the next few days in misery, desperately waiting for something to happen - for a healer to invent a cure, or the perpetrator to show up and confess… He was going mad with grief.

Oo•✦•oO

A week passed after that. Inukimi has not returned. Then suddenly, when Tōga thought there wasn't any hope anymore, Sesshōmaru got better. He regained consciousness, his skin took on a healthier color and the burns started fading. In a few days he was able to stand up and walk, although he was advised to rest. He even had enough energy to grow out his hair, until it reached his shoulders again. Soon, he didn't look any different from before the incident.

Tōga's relief could not be put into words. Whatever the illness was, his son has won the battle against it.

Although Inutaishō resented Inukimi, the first thing he did was heed her advice and have a conversation with Sesshōmaru when he awoke.

'I hope you have a good explanation for this,' He didn't mean to sound accusatory, but he had been worn down by the course of events and felt drained. He decided to be stern at first, then console his son later. 'Your mother and I have been worried sick. You have to tell me everything that happened. I promise not to get angry.'

This must not have sounded very reassuring because Sesshōmaru seemed to hesitate. Tōga tried again.

'I will not retaliate against you in any way. You have my word. I don't care if you've lost a battle… but if you have, I'm here to defend your honor. Whoever has done this to you will suffer."

If anything, that seemed to make Sesshōmaru more apprehensive. His eyes were darting around the room, as if looking for a way out. Inutaisho didn't understand. Was his son afraid? If yes, who was he afraid of?

'I know that you're brave, and I don't believe it to be dishonorable to tell on your attackers,' he continued. 'This is not merely an incident between you and them. You'll have plenty of time to fight your battles, but for now, you're still a child. Your problems are mine to solve. So you will tell me the truth now, because those who were involved in hurting you must answer to me.'

Sesshōmaru seemed to be contemplating his options for a second.

'I assure you, this was completely my own doing,' he said after a while, looking away. He was obviously lying. 'Besides, I've already told you. Nobody attacked me. It was a scientific experiment. Something went wrong, I'm not sure what. But I was successful in the end.'

'A "scientific experiment"?' Tōga was confused. His son had not shown any interest in 'science' before. This was the first time he had ever heard of something like this. Tōga urged Sesshōmaru to elaborate.

The story that followed sounded eerily similar to the one he recounted in his feverish state, and it didn't make more sense this time, either. Tōga felt his anxiety return - perhaps his son has not recovered yet. Perhaps the poison - as he started calling it, although he recognized the source of the illness couldn't have been that - ate away some of Sesshōmaru's brain.

Perhaps his son was of unsound mind. He shuddered at the thought and had to turn away for a second. He couldn't bear to look at Sesshōmaru in his current state: looking healthy outwards, but sounding disturbed.

Afterall, the events he described could not have happened. It was simply impossible, it went against all kinds of rules that defined how things worked…

Suddenly, it dawned on him that he might have been taken for a fool. It didn't make sense for Sessōmaru to suddenly start breaking the laws of nature, however it was perfectly in character for him to attempt to gouge a reaction from him in questionable ways. He had done it before.

Sesshōmaru was not mad, Tōga decided. He was just looking for attention. There was a reason behind everything, he just had to be patient. So he formulated a plan.

'A 'scientific experiment'. I see.' Inutaishō's face was unreadable when he turned back to face his son. 'You've made observations, did some… calculations, as you said... Hmm… There must have been quite a few of them, to achieve such an accomplishment, my boy.'

He paused for a while, pretending to think about what to say next.

'I myself am not very knowledgeable in the way nature works. But if I were to, say, summon a scholar who is, surely you would be able to describe the way this experiment works, in detail. Right?'

There was no reply.

'This scholar could then reassure your father that what you've told him is not completely made up and has some basis in reality,' he continued. 'Currently, I really doubt it.'

Sesshōmaru appeared angry.

'Everything I've said is the truth.' he replied. There was no emotion in his voice, but Tōga knew better. His son couldn't hide his nervousness as well as he thought. One only needed to be perceptive to the slight changes in yōki to understand the mood of an adolescent boy. Sesshōmaru hasn't mastered hiding his demonic energy yet, and it was betraying his true feelings. Tōga read him like an open book.

There was anger, restlessness, and… manipulation.

He was lying and Tōga was having none of it.

'My boy, you're too old to tell tall tales like this. Do you really think I am misled so easily? Suddenly pursuing knowledge for its own sake is unlike you. You're a warrior, not a scientist. If this is a story you're writing there are some plot holes. I suggest you reconsider.'

'It's not a story,' replied Sesshōmaru, now visibly irate.

'...it doesn't even touch on how you got ill,' Tōga continued ruthlessly. 'You were gone for a full moon cycle and you came back with a disease, weakened, dirty and with an explanation that doesn't explain anything at all! What reaction do you want from me?'

'I didn't do it because of you!' Sesshōmaru retorted, maybe too quickly.

Tōga raised an eyebrow - he learned this little tactic from his former partner.

"I… uhh, I did it to impress my girlfriend,' said Sesshōmaru, unconvincingly. A pitiful attempt, Tōga thought. He was very unimpressed.

'You don't understand a parent's pain, Sesshōmaru,' he said as he stood up to leave. He would have no strength to argue more for the rest of the day. He needed time to rest. But before that, as a father, he had to try one last time.

'Wouldn't you at least speak of how your illness came to be?' he asked, as gently as he could. 'Your mother deserves the truth, too. She was here, and she left to find something to help you. Forget everything else, but at least tell us about this!' He said, almost pleading.

Sesshōmaru looked pale. 'I don't know what to say,' he said in a restrained voice. 'I don't even know how I got sick. There must have been a mistake. I don't have an explanation.'

'There was a mistake indeed,' murmured Inutaishō. 'You're either mad, or a liar. Either way, I have no more time to spare today. We are going to talk about this tomorrow, and the following days after that, until you confess.' He turned to leave the room.

'I don't know what to say,' repeated Sesshōmaru, sounding defeated.

'You should rest now,' said Tōga with a heavy heart, and closed the door behind him. He retreated to his sleeping chambers and ruminated on their conversation until he fell asleep.

Only later did he realize that he forgot to tell Sesshōmaru about his little brother.