InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Moonlit Sun ❯ Prologue

Child of darkness, child of light

Souls entwined from the first night

He of the moon, proud and hale

She of the sun, fierce and veiled

Until thirteen moons pass by

Their union shines in the sky

Prosperity and hope rests

On their foreheads marks impressed

Vanquishers of the Damned Soul

Unite the land, make it whole

Joy abounds if they prevail

Disaster reigns if they fail

Their kin shall preserve the earth

Bringing with them a rebirth

Shield the Destined at all costs

Else hope for the world be lost

 

Izayoi folded up the prophecy and placed it back in her jewelry box for safekeeping. Rubbing her protruding stomach, she sighed.

 

`Life is going to be very difficult for you, my precious sun.'

 

~*~

 

Many miles away, on a different plane, Amaterasu looked down upon her earthly incarnation still in the womb. She knew that life would be difficult for the little one and her Destined mate, but there was no way for them to escape fate.

 

For centuries, darkness had been rising in the lands of Japan. As the sun shone over the country and brought life to the land, this darkness seeped into the earth, corrupting everything in its path. The gods had watched the growing menace carefully, hoping that their intervention would be unnecessary. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The greed of the worldly creatures was great, and it was this avarice that had created and fed the rising Shadow. Knowing that their assistance would be required, the gods got together and decided upon a course of action.

 

Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and her brother Tsukiyomi, the moon god, would be the ones best suited for the task. As they could not appear directly to the mortals, a rather ingenious plan was devised. The gods would grant them earthly incarnations, born as the chosen children of a prophecy handed down in shrine and temple lore. These two godly manifestations would possess the ability to manipulate the elements. The sun goddess incarnate would have control over fire and earth while her male counterpart would rule the wind and water.

 

There was a catch, however. The Destined would only succeed if they worked together using their powers against the evil, and they could only achieve their full potential if they were mated. The four elements were not happy about being separated—each one necessary for world harmony—so they would not manifest themselves until the two had consummated their union. To ensure this happened, the gods decided on a family whose connection with the gods, nature and mortals was strong—the Inu Youkai family. In particular, they picked the Royal Dog Demon family.

 

The patriarch of the family and his heir, Inuginji were respectful of all life forms—plant or animal, demon or human. It was this understanding that was necessary to complete the task, for the saviors of the world must be born from a demon and a human, not just one of them. The cupidity and enmity between the groups created and fueled the Shadow's desire for destruction. The Destined would have the best of both groups, and thus be better prepared for the task at hand.

 

This joining would come at a cost, however. Both Inuginji and his fated mate Izayoi would suffer recrimination from friend and foe, family and clan. They would have to fight to secure their place in their world, and it would be a good while before they would be able to settle down and have children without fear of someone harming the child. Also, the lives of their children would not be easy, and the devoted parents would eventually be separated from their children for two hundred years, only connected by a thread of fate that would be severed when the Destined joined.

 

The undertaking was not to be accepted lightly. It would test the mettle and worth of not only the Destined saviors, but also their parents. If they could survive it and thrive, however, it would only make them that much stronger. Fate had big plans for this family, if only it could accept them.

 

~*~

 

As Amaterasu gazed down on Izayoi, she saw the baby quicken within her mother's stomach. Her earthly personification recognized its spiritual counterpart, even while in her mother's womb. Amaterasu couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, brightening the day over Japan.

 

“It seems you know who I am, little one,” she murmured to the image. “I am sorry for the hardships you will face, but with an awareness such as yours, I have no doubt you will succeed, Inuyasha.”

 

The baby kicked again, as if understanding the goddess's words. Amaterasu looked fondly at the child within the woman's womb, carefully studying her. The girl would be a handful, she could tell, and her brother was going to have a hard time with her. She could only wish them luck in their endeavor.

 

Amaterasu turned away from the image and left the room. She had much to discuss with her brother. Walking down the hallways of the massive Horai palace, she came to the entrance of the library. This room was enormous, taking up one-quarter of the space on that side of the palace. Every mortal book that had ever been written was there, as well as scrolls and histories of the gods that extended beyond the creation of the world. If one needed an answer and it couldn't be found in a book in Horai library, then that answer did not exist. In fact, that is most likely why her brother was there—he and his sister needed a solution for their current problem.

 

The Shadow had been experiencing meteoric growth recently, and if it continued on such a path, the Chosen ones would not have enough time to grow into their powers and their destinies. Tsukiyomi had spent the last two months sequestered in the library in the hopes of finding anything that would allow them to aid their incarnates without directly interfering in the matter. So far, he had little luck, but Amaterasu was confident that he would find a resolution to their predicament.

 

“Tsukiyomi, have you found anything,” Amaterasu asked.

“The spirits are restless, Sister. They speak to me of the evil being committed and the atrocities to come if we allow the Shadow to continue on his rampage,” Tsukiyomi replied.

 

“I know, Brother. I have felt it in the air—danger is approaching, and I fear if we do not find a way to slow it, all of our efforts will be in vain,” Amaterasu confessed.

 

“There is a way, Amaterasu. On the island of Okinawa resides a secluded priest. He is in possession of Kusanagi, and has been charged with delivering it to the Atsuta shrine in Nagoya. The Shadow approaches from the Southeast, and with a little manipulation, it will encounter this priest,” Tsukiyomi informed his sister.

 

“You cannot be serious, Tsukiyomi. What do you expect a mortal priest to be able to do against a conglomeration of evil?” Amaterasu questioned, bewildered.

 

“Of course the priest will not defeat the evil, but he can seal it. He has had dire dreams of late, and knows that he must go off into battle soon. With his spiritual knowledge and mastery of Kusanagi, he should be able to contain the Shadow long enough to allow the Destined to mature,” Tsukiyomi stated.

 

“I am not comfortable with this idea, Brother, but I can tell that it is our only chance,” Amaterasu admitted. “How long until their paths collide?”

 

“Fifteen months,” Tsukiyomi told her.

 

“Fifteen months? But the girl child will barely be a year old!” Amaterasu exclaimed.

 

“I am sorry, Ama, but there is little more that I can do. It appears that our earthly friends will have to enact their plan sooner than anyone would have liked,” Tsukiyomi told his sister, getting up from the table to hug her.

 

Amaterasu knew the situation was dire. Her and Tsukiyomi, while close, almost never used their childhood nicknames for one another unless they knew the other was upset. For her brother to address her as such meant that things were much worse than he was willing to divulge. She allowed herself to relax into her brother's comforting hold, knowing that many trials and tribulations awaited their incarnations.