InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mika- the Inu Ookami Hanyou ❯ The Beginning- Part One ( Prologue )

The Beginning: Part One

 

Feudal Era Japan: 75 to 100 years before Kagome breaks the seal of Inuyasha

 

The fight went on for what seemed to be hours. Sesshomaru had met his match. His opponent, a full blood demon bear, was used to close hand-to-hand combat style of fighting. Sesshomaru fought hard and as fast as he could, although they were evenly matched, both were heavily injured and bleeding profusely from various wounds. The Bear was beginning to weaken as Sesshomaru broke the brute's arm. With Sesshomaru within striking distance, the Bear made contact with his opponent's face with an overhand right, smashing with full force into Sesshomaru's nose. Blood gushed from the nose, causing his sense of smell to be completely incapacitated by his own scent of blood. After a few more jabs, both were gasping for air. Sesshomaru's vision was beginning to become blurry, and he had noticed that the Bear was beginning to stumble over his own feet. Just as suddenly as it had started, the fight was over.

 

“You fight like the Devil is at your tail, Dog!” The Bear roared, his breathing coming in labored breaths. Sesshomaru just stared at him as best he could, just trying to maintain his balance. The Bear, unfazed by his opponent's lack of words, continued, “Let's call this match a draw and pick it up after we've recovered our strength a bit.”

 

“You're afraid to die. That is why you stall like this. Let's finish this battle that you started,” Sesshomaru replied. With what stamina he had left, Sesshomaru launched his final attack. He zigzagged toward his opponent. His poisoned claws hung at the ready, to strike his final blow on the Bear. Before he reached his target, the Bear hit him in the chest with full force, launching him backwards onto the ground on his back, knocking the wind out of him. The impact cracked several ribs, and caused him to black out, completely losing consciousness. The Bear looked at his unconscious opponent.

 

“I told you we should take this up again later. With both my arms in working order, I'll rip you apart. For now I'll leave you here. If you die, oh well. That just means that I got the upper hand on you. Until next time,” The Bear turned and lumbered carefully away to his nearby mountain cave to lick his wounds and let his arm heal. He had not expected the savage beating that Dog demon had dished out. He was a fairly powerful fighter with both fists and a sword.

 

A short time after the Bear demon left the unconscious Sesshomaru, a young maiden happened upon the scene. Her fiery red hair hung about her shoulders, as her blue eyes took in the entire battle scene before her. When they fell upon Sesshomaru, she rushed to his side, noting the bloody face and numerous cuts about his torso, arms and handsome face. Despite her lithe frame and average size, she pulled him as far from the battle field as possible to a place of safety near her village. Her wolf demon blood assisted in her strength for the effort that it took to move Sesshomaru to safety. Once he was in the small cave, lying upon a mound of leaves and moss, the young maiden collected water, medicinal herbs and clean bandages to help care for the injured lord. Carefully, she removed his haori and under shirt, revealing a well muscled chest with numerous cuts and bruises. Enlisting the assistance of another young wolf demon, Akane bathed the deep wounds with clean water, clearing away the dried blood and debris so that she could apply medicinal herbs to assist in the already fast healing abilities of the full demon. Once his chest wounds had been cared for, Akane moved to his handsome face. As with the previous wounds, Akane carefully cleaned the blood from his face and neck. She noticed some blood having dried into his beautiful silvery hair. Once his face was cleared, Akane carefully set his nose to where it was originally placed. By the time all of Sesshomaru's wounds had been cared for, Akane washed his hair, removing the blood and mud from it as well. She took his clothing to the river and washed them as well, taking great care in removing the blood without damaging the delicate material. Knowing that he would awaken shortly, she quickly finished her cleaning, leaving him alone for a short period of time to locate some clean water to drink and a blanket to cover him with. When she returned, he stirred in his sleep, no doubt lost in a dream of a previous battle. She covered him and went to another corner of her cave.

 

Akane knew that taking in this particular Dog demon was dangerous due to his reputed dislike of humans. Even though Akane lived in a Wolf demon tribe, she was only half demon. Her father was one of a group of marauders who had abducted her wolf demon mother and other women. After the assault on the women, Akane's mother was able to escape back to her tribe. Her wolf demon mate accepted the infant that was born shortly there after as his own flesh and blood, despite the faint human scent. Akane grew up as a Wolf demon, and yet, knew that she was not like the others in that she had no desire to kill humans needlessly as some of the others did. She stayed mostly to herself after her parents died from a surprise attack when she was little. By then the only family she had left was her full demon half-brother Koga. Due to her dislike of his ways, she had traveled a half-mile or so from the tribe and lived mainly by herself in a cave near the river, down stream from the tribe.

 

As night fell, Akane lit a small fire from dried wood and cooked a couple of fish from the river. She ate the fish slowly remembering the night that her parents were brutally murdered. Suddenly a voice from the dark shocked her from her memories. “Is there any water?” Akane looked around, lost in thought, and then focused on the corner where her guest laid. He had propped himself onto his left side, gazing intently at Akane.

 

She stammered a bit before saying, “I will get some for you, my lord.” With hast she grabbed a small bucket and raced to the river for the requested water. When she returned, Sesshomaru was sitting up, and carefully pulling on his undershirt. Akane set the bucket before him, and kneeled respectfully in front of him. “My lord, you are badly wounded and need to let your body heal. Please stay for a few days to allow the wounds to mend themselves. The additional medicinal herbs that I included in the bandages will help your body heal faster. I've also had to reset your nose, so your sense of smell is severely limited until it also has a chance to heal,” she pleaded.

 

“Where am I? And who are you?” Sesshomaru demanded.

 

Akane diverted her eyes as she returned to her meek dinner. “You are in a cave of the Wolf demon tribe, a great distance from where you were in battle earlier today. I was drawn to the site by the smell of blood and the horrific sounds of clashing bodies and snapping of limbs.” She stirred the coals of her dying fire, adding a couple more pieces of wood which added a little more light to the small cave. Once she regained her composure, Akane continued, “My name is Akane, of the Wolf demon tribe. My half-brother, Koga is the next in line of the Eastern Wolf Demon Tribe. They are upstream from here near the waterfall.”

 

Sesshomaru looked around at the small cave and asked, “So you live here by yourself, away from the tribe?” He grasped the bucket of water and drank his fill before putting it back down. His hands were shaking from the little effort that it took to pick up the water. Taking stock of his situation, Sesshomaru laid back onto the pile of leaves, resting his hands upon his chest and closed his eyes.

 

Akane looked upon the resting lord and replied, “I like the solitude of being alone. The tribe is so noisy and smelly, that I just left. I wander up there every now and then to see what's new, but for the most part I leave them alone. I like it better this way.” By then a soft, rhythmic sound filled the cave to signify that Sesshomaru had fallen asleep. Akane looked upon his resting body and was relieved that he had not asked about her human scent. Unfortunately, she realized that his nose would soon heal and he may be furious that she did not tell him outright about her human scent. After finishing her fish, Akane laid upon her pile of leaves and thought of her brief conversation with Sesshomaru.

 

Early the next morning, Akane retrieved another bucket of fresh water and placed it near the resting lord. She noticed a couple of bandages had seeped some blood through the night and she wanted to change them relatively soon. He stirred in his sleep as she gazed over his muscular body, falling farther in love with this man whom she had taken in to her home.

 

“Why are you standing there?” he asked, as he glanced at her through half closed eyes, moving slightly onto his left side to reach for the bucket of water.

 

Akane knelt down, assisting him with the water bucket. “I was just checking on the bandages. There are a few on your chest that I would like to change out, if you don't mind,” she replied meekly.

 

“Do as you wish.” He let the blanket that was covering the majority of his chest; fall to his waist as he rose into a sitting position. His muscular arms hung at his sides, with his hands in lap. Akane moved slowly forward, the new bandages nearby with the medicinal herbs. Carefully she removed the dressings from his arms, back and chest. As each bandage was removed, she washed the wound, applied the herbs and reapplied a new dressing. Where some of the minor wounds were located, only a faint red line remained. Once she was done, Akane took the old bandages out and cleaned them in the river. She returned a short time later with some gathered nuts and berries, offering to share them with Sesshomaru.

 

“I don't need them. Just let me be,” as he rolled onto his side toward the cave wall. Shortly he was asleep again, restoring his energy and allowing his wounds to mend.

 

Akane didn't mind his standoffishness; she was use to being treated like that from the other Wolf demons. With her mixed blood, the other demons were afraid that she would not be loyal to them in a fight against humans, that she would become a traitor and fight against the Wolves. Because of the mixed signals that she was getting from them was her main desire to live alone, away from their presence. She returned to the river to go fishing for more food for her dinner.

 

Awhile later, after the fish were cooked, she requested Sesshomaru to allow her to redo the bandages again. As Akane removed the bandages she realized that his body was recovering faster than she had thought. Only a few deep wounds still remained. She figured that they would be completely healed within the next day or so with the most severe wound being his nose. She redressed those needing to be dressed and retired to her sleeping area.

 

Later that night, as the full moon bathed the cave entrance with its pale light, Akane was awakened by movement near the back of the cave. She lay still as soft footfalls passed by her motionless body toward the mouth of the cave. When the figure was silhouetted in the mouth of the cave, Akane gasped slightly at the wonderful sight. The moonlight caught Sesshomaru's silvery hair, causing it to appear almost a brilliant white. His bare chest, back and arms, although slightly bandaged, appeared as if chiseled from marble. To Akane, he appeared as if a god among men with a strong, noble presence and rippling hard body.

 

“Are you awake?” he asked, without turning his head, conscious of her steady gaze on his body.

 

Slightly embarrassed, Akane shifted on her bed and rolled away from the cave entrance, focusing her attention to the back of the cave. “I'm sorry if I offended you, my lord. I was just startled when you got up is all. I didn't mean to intrude.” Akane wiped a tear that had started to flow down her cheek. Wishing to be able to run her hands over the muscular body, and yet knowing that it would never happen because of her lineage. As she lay on her bed, Akane heard the footsteps move from the mouth of the cave toward her. A slight hesitation, maybe even a misstep and the footsteps stopped. Akane lay motionless, her heart in her throat, beating loud and wildly, as she tried to figure out what was going on. Suddenly, she felt a weight shift on her bed of leaves and a strong hand slowly caressing her bare shoulder. His breath was warm against the back of her neck as he slowly kissed the nape. As he kissed her neck, Akane melted at his touch. She let herself go into his strong and powerful embrace. As the full moon cruised across the early morning sky, she let herself go into sweet oblivion.

 

Early the next morning, Akane crept from her bed. Sesshomaru stirred slightly as she slid from his embrace. Gathering her clothes and armor, she exited the cave and washed in the river. With her mind reeling from the previous evening, Akane became oblivious to her surroundings and imminent danger. Suddenly, Akane was grabbed from behind in a fierce bear hug that threatened to crush her ribs. As she tried to scream, her mouth was covered with a huge hand and a “shushing” sound was heard at her ear.

 

“We don't want to draw his attention just yet. I have a plan that will lure him out into the open and you're the bait. I never fancied that he would go for the likes of you, seeing his dislike for even his half demon brother. I wonder if he knows, since his sense of smell is slightly impaired,” a gruff voice came from behind her. Relying on her wits, Akane bit down on the hand that covered her mouth. Blood poured into her mouth as her fangs dug deeper into the leathery flesh of his palm. Suddenly, the grip around her chest went a little slack. She released her grip on his hand and slipped from his grasp. Akane raced away from the lumbering Bear. While running in a zigzagging pattern, she led the Bear away from her cave, toward the waterfall and her Wolf demon tribe. Before she is able to reach the waterfall, the Bear lunges at her, knocking her to the ground in a crushing blow. With the wind knocked out of her, Akane could only struggle to get away from the brute.

 

He rolled her over on to her back, straddling her body and effectively pinning her to the ground. In one hand he held her arms as she tried to claw at the Bear's face, leaving a set of three long and deep scratches from his forehead down his right cheek to his chin. He roared in pain and hit her with his free hand, knocking her unconscious. Before he was able to regain his footing, the Bear was struck by a snake like whip that pierced his heart and cut him down.

 

Sesshomaru gazed over the scene before him, taking in for the first time the scent of the woman who had helped heal his wounds and with whom he had made love to. His mind raced with the anger of being deceived in such a fashion, to have been lied to blatantly about the human blood that flowed through her veins. When he had awoken in the cave, alone on the bed of leaves, he breathed normally and a faint scent of human mixed with wolf began to permeate his senses. As he dressed to leave the cave, the scent of the same mix was laced into the clean clothing as well, driving his dislike for humans even further into a frenzy. As he exited the cave, the overpowering scent from the Bear covered the faint mixed human-wolf scent. He followed the scent like a blood hound on an escaped convict. When he saw the scene of Akane struggling in a desperate attempt to get away from the Bear and the scent of her human blood assaulting his nose his anger reached its peak. With one hand he killed the Bear, a whip spiraled from his fingers and sliced through the Bear, piercing his heart and cutting him down without a sound. The Bear fell heavily to the ground, falling off of Akane. Sesshomaru stood silent vigil over the fallen demons, contemplating his next move. Akane began to regain consciousness a short while later, by slowly opening her eyes and taking stock of her surroundings. When her eyes fell upon Sesshomaru, she knew that he knew about her human blood.

 

“Why didn't you tell me?” he asked in a quiet, but deadly voice. “You had plenty of opportunity, and yet you kept this from me.”

 

Akane slowly rose to a sitting position. She lowered her eyes to prevent direct eye contact with his piercing gaze. Gaining what little poise she had, Akane said, “There is no excuse for what I did. I knew about your dislike of humans, and I should have been upfront with you. I guess it was for selfish reasons, but I never meant for what happened last night to occur. That was purely accidental, but I will not say that it didn't mean something to me, for it did. I will not let what happened become a horrible memory for me. It meant a lot in regards to the way that you came to me and your caress. If you don't feel the same way, then just leave and forget about me.” Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the blood from a shattered lip.

 

He turned, leaving his back toward her. “You disgust me,” was all he said as he walked away from her. Akane crumpled onto the ground, writhing in grief of his treatment, in contrast to his loving embrace just a few short hours ago. In a last ditch effort to win him back, Akane lunged from the ground and raced toward his retreating silhouette. When she was within a few feet from Sesshomaru, he turned and struck her in the shoulder. His claws, slick with poison, easily sliced through the armor of her protected right shoulder as if it were tissue paper. She screamed, like the wolf howl of an animal in pain.

 

As he withdrew the claws from her shoulder, he said, “If you value your life, you will leave me be. I feel that I was more than generous in leaving you unscathed in the clearing. However, now you are tempting fate and my generosity is waning fast.” He turned and in a flash was gone, leaving Akane with an ache in her heart and a wound to remember him by.

 

Akane returned to the cave a short while later, the poison sapping what little energy she had left. She collapsed at the entrance to her home, exhausted and faint from lack of blood. A few seconds later, three Wolf demons raced by in pursuit of a runaway meal. One tripped on the sprawled out form of Akane, falling head first into the gravel of the river.

 

“Hey… Koga! I need some help back here.” He cried, looking back at what he had tripped over. The leader of the trio stopped and looked back. His blue eyes scanned the area that his friend had fallen.

 

“What is it Ginta? Did you fall over some drift wood?” he asked.

 

Ginta looked back at the female body, noting the blood on her back and replied, “No, not drift wood. But it looks like your sister. She's wounded and unconscious.” Koga ran back to the scene. He smelled the air and found it permeated by both Dog and Bear smells.

 

He reached his injured sister and looked over her wounds. “It looks as if she was attacked. The poison is draining her energy; we need to get her back to the tribe to get her help. I've never see this type of wound before. I hope that we are not too late in getting her some help.” He picked her up and carried her back to the village, running as fast as he could. Despite her human blood, she was still kin and he loved her as if she were full blood. He was one of the few who cared about her like that. What he disliked about the tribe was the ostracizing that they had when it came to her. It was their sever dislike of her human half that forced her away in the first place, now it may have killed her because of their stubbornness.

 

When he arrived back at the tribe with his frail package, Koga immediately headed to a healer who took control of Akane's care. She cleaned the wound and with leeches, removed as much of the toxin from her shoulder as possible. With some medicinal herbs and a fresh wrap of bandages, Akane's shoulder was ready for the healing process.

 

When Akane awoke, she was questioned by Koga as to what had happened, who attacked her and why she didn't call for help. Akane was vague in responses and only said that she had been attacked by a Bear demon that had startled her. When asked about the Dog demon smell near her cave, she declined any knowledge and passed it off as a stray looking for a new home