CHAPTER 4

Almost three more years had passed since Inutaisho and Izayoi had officially spoken to one another. Now it was every chance he had that Inutaisho would go and secretly meet Izayoi, whether she was out in the mansion gardens or in her room at night. He would come bearing gifts for her whether it were trinkets or flowers, he would have given her the whole world if he could have. It was the only safe times for either of them to speak to one another since the security around the mansion had become tighter and tighter with each passing month. Neither knew why, Bu Izayoi found out soon enough.

It was a couple months after her twentieth birthday. She was in the study with one of the tutors when one of her maids came into the room.

"My lady, there is someone here to see you," she said as she lowered her head to the princess. Izayoi stopped her studies and looked at her.

"Please show them in" she said kindly. Her tutor knew better than to stay in a room where a meeting were to be held, so he gathered all of the material and left quickly. It was only after a few moments that the doors to the study area came open as a young man entered the room. Izayoi rose from her seat and turned to the visitor.

"My lady, I am Shinobu of Nakagima, I have come to ask your hand in marriage." Izayoi was not surprised, men would always come to her; asking for her hand; and come with gifts. This became the usual for her.

"That's very kind of you—"but she was cut off by Shinobu.

"I have not come with any miraculous gifts that would suit a beauty like you, I have come only with my whole heart to give," he said as he took her hand in his. Izayoi was speechless; this was a first for her. None of the men who had come earlier had said such words. But she could not return the favor.

"I am sorry," she said as she slipped her own hand away from him. She didn't have the heart to tell the man that she had not already given her love to a demon, nor could she ever tell anyone.

Another man then came into the room and interrupted the meeting.

"Uncle?" Izayoi said. Izayoi's only remaining relative was her uncle, who took care of the diplomatic work while Izayoi was only a child. He was not the kindest man, but she could bear with him.

"I believe what the lady meant was she could not give you her hand now, but once wed she will" he said sort of cutting in between the two. Shinobu bowed his head and left the room.

"What do you mean by this?" Izayoi asked, troubled at what her uncle was doing.

"Izayoi, I will not be around forever, and you need to get married as soon as possible so that I may leave here and return to my own region. I have already spoken with the council and they agreed that this arranged marriage with the nobleman's son is the only way for you to keep rule over the house."

"Then let me not be the lady of the house anymore!" Izayoi said. She had not meant to lash back at him, but her love for Inutaisho was now on the line.

"Is there something wrong with the nobleman's son?" Her uncle asked with the raise of an eyebrow. She couldn't exactly explain herself that she had fallen for another man, so she shook her head no.

"Then it is decided," he said as he turned face and exited the room. He left Izayoi to stand there looking at the ground. She found it might have been too late for her and Inutaisho. She didn't want to think down that path, but she had to tell Inutaisho. The only problem was that he told her that he would have been gone for a week, and that he would come and see her as soon as he returned. She turned and looked up the mountain, "Where are you my lord?" She asked quietly.

Inutaisho was actually visiting the old sword maker totosai. He needed an upgrade on tetsuseiga. As he sat before the great sword maker, Izayoi was the only thing on his mind. He actually wanted the old demon to hurry with the sword so that he may return as quickly as possible. It was only every 100 years that he needed to upgrade the sword.

"What troubles you lord Taisho?" Totosai asked as he breathed fire onto the sword and clanked the blade into place with his hammer.

Inutaisho looked over at Totosai, his eyes narrowed as to say, "Its none of your business just keep working," But Totosai was too big of a snoop, that he would have guessed what was wrong with the lord sooner or later.

"So the young lord is in love," He inquired as he began to mold the blade now. Inutaisho flinched only about an inch and stood up.

"I will be back," He said as he left the boned cave. He walked out and looked at the baron wasteland. He was too far to just visit Izayoi, so all he could do was wait patiently, which really wasn't one of is stronger abilities.

Totosai not much later emerged from the cave. Three days of waiting for his sword and it was finally done. Upon turning around Totosai had actually handed Inutaisho TWO swords. He recognized his own tetsuseiga, but the other was new.

"This is the sword Tenseiga," Totosai said to him handing the sheathed sword to him. The black sheath had picture engravings that were dark blue, almost like the vine of a flower wrapping itself around the core.

"The sword you already posses kills 100 lives with one swing, this one can save 100 lives."

Inutaisho took the sword from the makers hands. He could feel the pulse from the blade within his own two hands. He tied the sword along with his other, to his waistline and thanked Totosai.

He turned and ran back towards the west. His demon dog self taking form to have him run faster. He felt like Totosai already knew about Izayoi, but was thankful that he said nothing. Totosai was like a comrade, no, a friend to the lord. That he was someone that Taisho could trust.

It wasn't long until the western lands were within mere bounds. But as he came closer the air had an unsettling feeling about it. It only became thicker and thicker as he approached Izayoi's domain. He didn't know what to expect when he got there, but deep down he knew it was not good.

well i cant beleive how fast i am cranking these chapters out for this story. But i am going to slow down a little since i need to update my three other stories lol. But i at least make 1 chapter a day, so a new one will probably be posted within a day, or two tops. remember to review or follow or whatever you like doing with these stories!

~~KAZU~~