Ginzoku by DifferentDances

Chapter One

Ginzoku

Author's note: After much futzing with this story, I've finally decided to start putting it up; I keep revising and editing and revising and editing, and at this point I wonder if there's any real benefit to striving for perfection at the cost of completion.

Chapter 1

Sesshoumaru eyed the innocuous missive on his writing desk thoughtfully. The message was terse, and its implications disturbing. One of his men stationed in Lord Hone-yomi's court in the Southern territories had made several troubling observations, not the least of which was the fact that recently a mysterious man smelling of a foul mixture of demons had been counseling the lord. Sesshoumaru's instincts suspected Naraku, and he made a mental note to ask for a scent sample in the next missive.

The Western Lands had long been a fairly autonomous region, with borders secured by Sesshoumaru's father. Though Sesshoumaru was not the reigning demon in the West, he kept an eye on the Ginzoku Court as well as their allies, the Southern Lands. There were rumors of war and impending conquest brewing in the South, and as longtime allies of the Southern clans, the Western Lands would be affected. It was foolish to upset the precarious political balance that held the four corners of the lands in check, but times were brutal, rough, and unpredictable. Even rational minds could fall into savage delirium with the slightest provocation. Sesshoumaru could not begin to fathom a sane reason for the South to plan a campaign against the North, but if Naraku was indeed involved, then crafty if unsubtle manipulation would explain Hone-yomi's actions. There would normally be little reason for Sesshoumaru to be concerned about the West's potential involvement, but as the Eastern tribes were self-isolated and immersed in petty squabbles of their own, the South would look primarily to their Western Allies to provide safe passage and support for their crusade for conquest. It would be wise to refuse the aid, but the current leader of the Western Lands could hardly be called wise.

His uncle Shinomaru would be a fool to involve the Ginzoku, and yet Sesshoumaru's contacts in the Silver Court indicated that the old fool was indeed corresponding with Lord Hone-yomi. Corroborative observations indicated a slow but escalating buildup of military arms and a centralization of troops. Sesshoumaru felt a surge of rage and fought to control himself as his claws dug into the wood of the writing desk. If Shinomaru had his way, Sesshoumaru's father's lands would be ravaged by a foreign army fighting a foreign war for sheer insanity's sake –he could only surmise that Hone-yomi's grip on his wits was loose indeed, if Naraku could goad the normally rational Southern Lord into a bloodbath caused by an abundance of conceit.

He could feel a headache growing at the mere thought of his treacherous uncle. Sesshoumaru shut his eyes and willed the pounding to dissipate. Two hundred and fifty years and still the old man had no skill with the lands that belonged to Sesshoumaru by birthright, if not by might of strength.

The old man was cunning enough and devious and all too ready to play the political games of power necessary to ingratiate oneself to the nobility of the Silver Court. The Kounotori-youkai, the storks, were all too passive and were content to move with the flow of things; they were unlikely to rise up and protest the corruption of the Gintaishou unless something personal was at stake. The Anaguma-youkai, the badgers, were stubborn, and having thrown their lot in with Shinomaru upon the former Inu no Taisho's death, would be unlikely to relinquish their loyalties for anything less than a miracle. And the Forest Wolves...

Sesshoumaru sighed and pressed slender fingers to his temples. The Forest Wolves were steadfast in their personal loyalty to him and his lineage, but were a bumbling lot of incompetents; questioning the leader of the allied families of the Ginzoku was beyond them. Thankfully, Sesshoumaru had the majority of the bear demons, the kuma-youkai, on his side; they were as stubborn as the Anaguma-youkai clans but had not pledged their loyalty to the false Gintaishou.

Still, he needed more allies if he were to overthrow his uncle and his uncle's forces; Sesshoumaru had spent centuries developing strength so he didn't need to rely on others, and this latest report forced him to admit the impracticality of attempting a coup all on his own. He simply wasn't as powerful as his father had been upon his death, and Shinomaru undoubtedly learned a few additional devious tricks to remain alive after all this time. A battle for leadership of the clan would not be a fair fight, and while Sesshoumaru was confident in his abilities as a warrior, and as a daiyoukai of the highest caliber, he didn't trust his uncle to not cheat his way to victory.

Yet the situation, while increasingly dire, did not need of immediate attention. He had time yet to develop a strategy –time he would need, if he were to finally branch out his core set of strategic maneuvers and acknowledge the necessity of outside aid.

After more than two centuries of self-imposed isolation from the capricious games of the court, it would take time to create alliances, and he would have to expend energy in convincing the various clans of his sincerity for reclaiming his rightful place.

He frowned as he tried to think of potential allies. His contacts with the Ginzoku families were limited and casual at best. Perhaps some families that had been steadfastly loyal to his father could be swayed to his side? Or perhaps those who had been wronged by Shinomaru's reign?

He smelled Jaken approaching his door before he heard the little servant's squawk announcing his presence. Irritated by the distraction, he said impatiently, "Yes, Jaken, what is it?"

"Visitors, Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken answered, his voice thick with distaste. "Futaba no Mimaru and Futaba no Hatsuki request an audience."

Sesshoumaru blinked. His cousins, distant as they were through a marriage alliance between the inu-youkai and kounotori-youkai some centuries ago, were not given to surprise visits. The Storks as a general rule preferred cautious planning and proper protocol. He was so startled by the unprecedented breach of conduct, in fact, that he found himself cataloging his memories methodically, wondering if he'd forgotten a memo of a date for visitation somewhere along the way, distracted as he was hunting Naraku and his minions and fighting his half-brother. When a brief search of his memories yielded nothing, he was forced to conclude that the visit truly was an unplanned one, which was worrisome to say the least. "Send them in, Jaken."

Jaken gaped at his master's willingness to indulge such rude interlopers, but did as he was told and escorted the stork siblings into the study.

Hatsuki of the Futaba Clan slipped into the room, sliding the door open gently. She smiled and bowed politely. "Sesshoumaru-sama, it's very kind of you to receive us on such short notice."

"Forgive my sister's forwardness, my lord," her older brother said apologetically as he stepped hastily into the room behind her. "She has a tendency to forget her manners." He pursed his lips with disapproval, and Hatsuki wilted under his cool grey stare. He had a tall presence, though he was shorter than Sesshoumaru. Twin braids of long black hair fell past his shoulders, contrasting sharply with the red-trimmed, grey robes favored by the elite of the Futaba Clan. He wore no armor, and at his side bore two sai, His younger sister, in contrast, wore the long sleeves of the unmarried female, and kept only a small dagger tied at her side. "However, I also apologize for the suddenness of our visit; we were bound by our loyalty to you to come as quickly as possible once we realized matters of great importance."

Sesshoumaru sighed and resumed reading his reports from his agents. He tolerated Mimaru of the Futaba Clan for much the same reason he tolerated Jaken; despite their obstinate, irritating tendency to cling to protocol and courtesy, they were genuinely loyal to him and had proved themselves reliable, if not trustworthy. "What is the purpose of your visit, Mimaru?"

Mimaru stepped forward and gracefully slid to his knees; a second later his sharp glance forced his sister to follow suit. Satisfied that she was properly situated, Mimaru turned his attention back to Sesshoumaru. "It's about your uncle, Shinomaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru's eyes twitched toward the ill-boding report on his desk. "Yes?" he asked impatiently, masking his curiosity as to what other news Mimaru might offer.

Mimaru licked his lips nervously, and Sesshoumaru could smell the sour tang of anxiety from the Stork demon. The clash of loyalties and obligations must have taxed the bird's poor mind, so used to following clea codes of conduct. Finally, Mimaru inhaled sharply, gathering his courage, and looked into Sesshoumaru's eyes steadily. "Your uncle is planning a war."

Hatsuki flickered worried eyes at her brother's statement, and her scent became less tinted with admiration and desire, and more with nervousness and anxiety.

Interesting. Why would Mimaru, of all people, bring such dangerous rumors to him? "You'd best explain yourself; you speak against the Gintaishou himself, and false accusations have a way of being heard by those eager to take advantage of a scapegoat."

To his credit, Mimaru kept a straight back. "With all due respect, Sesshoumaru-sama, the title of Gintaishou was never formally granted your uncle."

Mimaru was no longer skirting with potential treason –he was blatantly defying the current Gintaishou; usurper though he was, Shinomaru still ruled. Sesshoumaru smiled thinly. "Perhaps. Perhaps not. Explain your allegations, Mimaru."

"My humble sister was conversing with one of the royal guards, whose older brother is a high-level chancellor in Shinomaru-sama's court. The royal guard let it slip that my sister would do well to ally herself with him, as times would be changing with the coming war."

"Such talk is common with brash idiots with more cock than sense," Sesshoumaru said dismissively.

"But he said more than that!" Hatsuki said plaintively, ignoring the startled and offended stare of her older brother. "He said that I should expect requests for able young warriors from my family to join the army, and that if anyone from my family was chosen, I should be honored!" Having said her piece, she glanced at her brother and cringed under the censure in his stern gaze.

Sesshoumaru frowned. "Did he mention the Futaba Clan specifically, the Storks in general, or was it just another attempt to bolster his worth in your eyes?" If it was the last, then there was little that concerned Sesshoumaru about the boastful guard; the fierce and bloody politics of the court would soon dispose of a heedless troublemaker. If it was the first or second, however, something serious was afoot –no royal guardsman worth his sword would be foolish enough to banter about non-credible rumors that would panic a people so isolated from the brutal reality of wars and battle –especially with family in the higher echelon. If false, such rumors would easily stir up the nobility, eager as always for games and casual bloodshed, and the guardsman would likely be dead before nightfall. Yet if the royal guardsman felt comfortable enough with the plans as factual, then his uncle was indeed planning to aid the Southern territories in their war, and there was enough support from the court that such talk would be tolerated, if not encouraged. Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth at the ensuing silence. "Well?"

"He said 'You Storks,' my lord." Hatsuki sighed and settled back into her seiza. She cast a worried glance through lowered lashes. "I find the idea of a widespread call to arms from my people...disturbing, at best."

Mimaru nodded in agreement, though his sour expression indicated his sister's interruption had irritated him. "I too find it troubling, Sesshoumaru-sama. My people are not naturally given to battle."

"And what would you have me do, Mimaru?" Sesshoumaru turned his attention back to his papers, though no one was foolish enough to believe he had dismissed the conversation.

"I would not have you do anything, my lord," Mimaru stated quietly. "I wish to do your family honor by informing the rightful heir to the Gintaishou title about this latest turn in policy. The lands are already battered by the constant, uncontrolled fighting from the human warlords. The lesser demons are all running amuck, lured into a false sense of security by the chaotic infighting of the ruling clans. Not to mention the ridiculous strife caused by rumors of a sacred jewel."

The scorn in his voice for bloodshed over such a petty bauble was clear, and Sesshoumaru suddenly felt very tired; Mimaru's attitude reflected the prevalent belief among the more civilized youkai that the Shikon no Tama was a devious myth designed by a masterful trickster to create chaos in its promise for easy power. Having witnessed and experienced the effects of even a small shard of the jewel, Sesshoumaru had found his own opinion changed, but that meant little to a court full of demons so removed from the realities of the lands as to ignore the threat and evidence of the magical jewel.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Mimaru continued, averting his gaze from Sesshoumaru's narrowed eyes."I mean you no disrespect. If you choose to maintain your current policy of inaction and observe this war from the sidelines, I will honor that decision." He fell silent and averted his eyes to the tatami mats. The challenge in his otherwise polite words could not go ignored, and Sesshoumaru glared at the deceptively docile stork. The Futaba Clan, while generally submissive and obedient, had a long history of using their intellectual capacities to manipulate war lords throughout the ages. Loyal or not, Mimaru was playing a dangerous game if he thought he could sway Sesshoumaru into blindly following his counsel.

Hatsuki chose this moment to speak up once more. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she said quietly, her grey eyes locked onto his golden ones,"Please forgive my rudeness, but unless something is done, your father's lands will be bathed in blood because of a group of petty nobles eager to defile what was once a treasured, prosperous land in the name of their own greed."

He glared at her, and she inhaled sharply but faced his glare with determination. "Sesshoumaru-sama," she added,"I did not know your father, but I grew up on his lands and have watched them deteriorate over the past two hundred years of your uncle's lackadaisical rule, its resources squandered and abused. It is a measure of how great a demon the Inu no Taisho was that it has taken centuries of decay for the lands to have finally fallen to this point." She licked her lips, and said carefully,"It is simply my humble opinion that such decay is unwarranted, and further destruction disrespectful."

"That's enough, sister." Mimaru's calm voice cut through the tension in the room, and he gazed at Sesshoumaru thoughtfully. "Sesshoumaru-sama, I came here today to inform you about what is happening in your uncle's court because of my family's ties to yours. And because of our long history together, I will take my cue from whatever decision you may make." His voice wavered just slightly as he murmured,"If you should choose to take action to oppose this war, you will also have my full support."

Sesshoumaru glanced at him, eyes widened slightly, before his face smoothed into an expressionless mask once more. For Mimaru to pledge support as the head of the Futaba Clan meant that Sesshoumaru would have whatever aid he needed from the Futaba Clan, and potentially whatever allies were loyal to them. It was an unexpected and generous offer, and dangerous for the Futaba Clan if Shinomaru's allies discovered their duplicity.

In the past he would have graciously accepted and ignored such outreachs by allies. He could no longer afford to ignore offers of aid from potential allies, not if he wanted to rescue his father's lands from the stagnant wasteland it had become. As unsubtle as Hatsuki's comments had been, she had a very legitimate point that ignoring the situation would be nothing less than disrespectful to the former Inu no Taisho. Still, her forwardness and accusatory tone galled Sesshoumaru, and judging from the annoyed glare Mimaru shot at her, there would be corrective measures taken later.

Now was not the time to set any plans in concrete –rumors had a way of circulating, even among allies. He needed time to think and strategize. So Sesshoumaru inclined his head regally. "I will keep that in mind, Futaba no Mimaru, and I will advise you of my decisions once I have further information."

It was formal language, words that the Storks knew well. Mimaru's face brightened and then settled into a grim smile; while not explicitly stated, that Sesshoumaru had not turned him down meant that he firmly believed there was trouble brewing indeed. He nodded. "Very well, Sesshoumaru-sama. Thank you for your time. If you will excuse us?"

Sesshoumaru bent his head back to his papers, and this time it was a clear dismissal. The siblings rose and left quietly.

* * *

"You certainly proved that you are still a bumbling child yet, dear sister," Mimaru commented dryly as they strode through the forest. "Your mother would be so proud of you."

"I haven't the slightest clue what you mean, Mimaru-niisama." Hatsuki flitted over a particularly large and gnarled root as she claimed innocence of her half-brother's insult.

"Come off it, moron," he said with a roll of his eyes. "You were desperate to catch his attention –since when do you jump in a conversation unbidden?" he complained.

She flashed him a coy smile over her shoulder. "He's very handsome. He hasn't changed at all since I saw him last."

Mimaru closed his eyes and resisted the urge to sigh. "He's the Gintaishou heir-apparent of the Silver Dog lineage, sister. His blood will keep him young long after we have both rotted in our graves." Blood bred true in all the youkai species, and there were very few bloodlines as distinguished as that which led to Sesshoumaru. Mimaru's sister's admiration of the reclusive inu-youkai was perfectly understandable, if frustrating.

She paid him no mind. "You know, when I first saw him as a child, I expected an angry-looking, bitter, bulky warrior. I mean, mother had told me stories about the great Inu no Taisho, how he was the epitome of everything the Ginzoku represented, and that his wicked little brother stole the throne from the spoiled and arrogant heir." She shrugged. "She told me that after Inu no Taisho, there was no one remotely suitable for the position anymore."

Mimaru had to admit that her mother, the lady Koutsuki, had a point –Inu no Taisho had been the summation of honor, strength, and wisdom, holding both the Gintaishou and Inu no Taisho titles and doing an exemplary job of each. It was a credit to his reputation that his identity had long been wrapped and intergrated with the warrior title of 'Inu no Taisho;' few if any even remembered his original name, so interwoven was his identity with his position. Sesshoumaru had walked away from that legacy, much to the dismay of many of the noble families, including that of Hatsuki's mother. However... "That does not excuse your behavior. The dog demons have exceptional noses; I'm sure he smelled your desire long before we entered the room."

She smirked at him. "And if he desires me as well?"

The idea of Lord Sesshoumaru desiring anyone beyond a base relief of bodily urges was ludicrous, and a sharp laugh escaped Mimaru's lips despite his immediate efforts to quell his cynicism. Hatsuki shot him a nasty look, and he hastily added,"Sister mine, even if he wanted you, it's not likely he'd make a move. There are bigger concerns at the moment, and he's not one to push aside his responsibilities."

"You mean like when he chose not to stop Shinomaru two hundred and fifty years ago?" she retorted. Her face immediately fell as she regretted the flippant words.

He glared at her, straightening so that he towered imposingly over her smaller frame. She was reminded again of how much stronger and older he was, and she shrank back in deference. "You will not question his decisions," he hissed. "For whatever emotional or tactical reasons he's chosen to stay out of court life, it is not our place to question and deride your lord."

Her grey eyes flashed rebelliously, then calmed as she sighed. "You're right, Mimaru-niisama. What's done is done. But what happens next..." She gave him a mischievous smile.

Mimaru shook his head and resumed walking. "You are hopeless," he complained.

"No, I'm not." She trotted after him, a smug look on her face. "I have hopes, too, brother. Hopes that our lands will be safe and finally achieve respite from the turmoil of war." He made an assenting sound, and she quieted.

After all, Sesshoumaru would need allies if he were to retake the Western Lands. And what better way to secure an alliance than by marriage?

He was not a bad lord –the small parcel of land in the Owari province he retained full control over was well-cared for, well organized, and well-governed. She'd never heard any female –few that there were who had shared his bed– complain about his attentions beyond the lack of emotional attachment he displayed and the futility of trying to secure his affections. She thought she offered a more genuine affection for him than many of the superficial ladies of the Ginzoku Court, and the Futaba Clan would be a strong ally, existing in blissful isolation from the petty games and inter-related entanglements of the Ginzoku court.

If he chose to pursue a marriage alliance in preparation for retaking his power, she actually had a reasonable chance as a candidate. That she had accompanied her brother to inform Sesshoumaru of their loyalties would impress upon the inuyoukai the utmost seriousness of her respect for him, and she could bring as allies a different faction of the stork demons through her mother.

.

Hatsuki smiled secretively and hummed as she followed her brother through the brush. If all went well, she could very well become the next Lady of the Ginzoku, married to the most worthy husband a woman could hope for.

* * *

After the visitation from his cousins, Sesshoumaru sighed and pushed aside the documents on his desk. There was little to be gained by delaying strategizing his new plans, and he really could not justify prioritizing bean counts from his storehouses instead of brainstorming new solutions to the current problem.

He stood up and walked over to the window overlooking his gardens. He could see Rin playing with the patches of flowers his gardener worked hard to maintain; he recalled getting more than one complaint from the gardener about the dismal chunks of flowers missing from his carefully planned landscaping upon Rin's introduction to the grounds. A ghost of a smile drifted across his lips as he remembered Rin's solemn, wide eyes when he informed her to be less brutal with the flowers. The smile vanished as quickly as it appeared as he considered the implications for her of the new developments with his uncle.

When the Inu no Taisho died over two centuries ago, Sesshoumaru dealt with the loss as he did with everything that troubled him: he left it behind and went on a journey. Ostensibly, his wandering had been intended to seek out the swords Tessaiga and Sounga, valuable inheritances gone missing after his father's demise. He had been furious at the casual and dismissive manner in which he'd found his lone inheritance, the Tenseiga; the sword dangling from the nose of a tree demon had been an insult in the meaninglessness of the carrier and its careless presentation. At the time, the sword held nothing save sentimental value and a sense of obligation to hold onto the one thing that his father had given him. The method with which his father's cronies had bequeathed it to him enraged him.

He'd spent two months relentlessly hunting down both Toutousai and the little flea demon Myouga, and if his rage was slightly out of proportion to the actual slight, he didn't care. When his search proved fruitless and his soul grew weary, he returned to the Ginjoukaku, the Silver Pavillion, at the majestic Lake Biwa, only to find that his uncle Shinomaru, the younger brother of Inu no Taisho, neatly ensconced as leader of the Ginzoku, the Silver Clan. In his youthful quest for raw power, strength in its most basic form, Sesshoumaru had no use for the petty games of the court, and now he found that without allies, his stance was ironically weak. He left the tumultuous court and returned to Gessaki, the Moon Point Fortress, the one place where his will was iron clad and the land fiercely loyal to him and his bloodline; Inu no Taisho had used it as a summer palace, and Sesshoumaru distantly remembered months as a child spent at the heel of his father.

Sesshoumaru shook his head, clearing it of the cotton-fluffed, useless nostalgia. He'd learned at the tender age of 50 that his uncle, in the vacuum left by Inu no Taisho's death, had made use of his allies to usurp a position of power not rightfully his in the absence of his grieving nephew, and Sesshoumaru's disgust with the whole system of alliances bloomed like a cancerous growth. He had remained isolated ever since, striving for the sheer raw power that would set everything to rights again.

Except even now he still lacked sufficient raw power to overtake his uncle, and Naraku's bloodthirsty influence would soon warp the lands kept so protected and prosperous by his father. The twinge of guilt at not being a better caretaker of his father's greatest pride gave way to determination. If he had to change the rules of power by playing by the current rules, then he would do so. His presence at the Silver Court was vital if he wanted any chance of averting the coming war with the North.

"Jaken," he called, and the little river demon ran to his door, ever eager to aid his lord.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama?" His large eyes gazed at him worshipfully.

Sesshoumaru had long ago determined that since he hadn't actually done anything to merit such loyalty, then there was simply something inherent to his being that demanded idolization. He credited his natural superiority; his breeding was so pure and refined that other youkai knew instinctively that they owed him their submission. "Bring me a list of the current families of the Ginzoku, including official and unofficial alliances, marriages in the past hundred years, and the unmarried females." He added the last almost reluctantly; marriage was likely more trouble than worthwhile, though it was an option he might have to pursue. He tapped his claws on the wooden windowsill thoughtfully; he had everything to offer as a husband –family name, lineage, power, and a strong future. Unless his marital prospects were stupid enough to take his uncle's side against him, he easily had the pick of the bunch. He brightened at the prospect; perhaps he could find a quiet demoness who would serve amiably to cement a strong alliance without giving up his freedom.

Dismissed, Jaken squawked with surprise at the orders, and at Sesshoumaru's sharp glare he scampered off to find the appropriate documents.

Two days later, the little demon returned, panting with exertion under the weight of a large pile of scrolls. "Sesshoumaru-sama, here is everything you required. A separate list of the unmarried women, along with their alliances, will require a little more time to acquire-" meaning Jaken had to write up the unexpected document– "But everything else is here!"

Sesshoumaru nodded once and removed a scroll from the middle of the pile, causing the precariously balanced stack to tumble off Jaken's shaky limbs. He glared at Jaken, who immediately set about restacking them in a more organized fashion, and he sat down at his writing desk to examine the families. The annual Autumn Equinox gathering was in a little over a month, and that would be a prime occasion to invade the court and shake up Shinomaru's steady grasp on the nobility. He hadn't attended a Gathering in the last century, as his increasing disgust overruled what remained of his sense of duty to the throne.

A few hours later Sesshoumaru was ready to hunt down each and every head of family within the Ginzoku and torture them all to death for being all so thoroughly entangled that any choice he made from the list of unmarried women would alienate him from people he could not afford to offend. If he went ahead with his plans to remove his uncle from power, he would need support, or at least not outright rage from the families who held longstanding vendettas with each other, who would be so offended if he chose Lady-So-and-So from Such-and-Such family that they would rise against him because of the association with the hated family. It wouldn't be personal, just politics.

"Jaken," he called out wearily,"Put a hold on that list of women." He heard the indignant squawk of his vassal and stared at the pile of scrolls ruefully. A piece of scrap paper held his attempts to map out the connections and alliances of the various families, and it had long been soaked a solid black with the many strokes of his brush. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples in an effort to ward off his encroaching headache.

Perhaps a different approach was needed. He needed obvious power, power enough to convince the various families that they would be wise to stay out of the coming conflict with his uncle, if not ally themselves with him. None of the Ginzoku clans currently held any personages of any real strength that would balance out the socio-political detriments embedded with family allegiances and obligations. Sesshoumaru looked over at the thoroughly blackened piece of paper and shook his head slightly.

His golden eyes flickered over the profile of the Futaba Clan, and dismissed Hatsuki as a a potential mate. She was too young, too weak, and he already had the loyalty pledged by her brother, the Clan Leader; there would be very little gained and every weakness acquired that route. The same was true of too many potential wives through which an alliance could be forged. No, a marriage allegiance within the Ginzoku would not bring him enough strength to justify the insulted lords he would have to kill as a result.

He stood up, ignoring the stiffness of his muscles as he walked over to the window. Evening had fallen, and Rin had long since bid him a goodnight. The stars twinkled overhead, mocking him with their dainty loftiness. They were not connected, each star bright and individual as the next.

Sesshoumaru realized that he needed someone without the political traplines of the Ginzoku clans and allies. Though if he brought in an outsider, he stood a chance of offending some clans who probably would be eager to solidify their political power and prestige by marrying into the head family of the Ginzoku. Still, offended clan leaders were marginally better than clan leaders who reflexively became his enemy because of his alliance to an enemy clan. He could overcome a cool reception based on the mild slight of marring an outsider; risking centuries of political animosity would be suicide.

He debated briefly going in without a wife, but reluctantly concluded that it would be foolish to arrive as the single most eligible bachelor in the entire Ginzoku. To dangle such a tempting prize would be worse than just picking a bride –he risked offending all by choosing to remain alone.

He closed his eyes and inhaled the warm night air; the scent of the world filled his senses, the living and the rutting and the eating and the rotting. It was a calming smell, as all was as it always had been. His eyes opened once more and he pondered his new problem. If he needed to bring in an outsider to become his ally and to provide a buffer against all the politics of marriage offers within the Ginzoku, he needed sheer, overwhelming power.

He tried to think of women he knew who possessed strength, and found himself surprised at the very short list of women he knew at all. There was the one demoness he'd bedded well over a century ago, there was the now-dead Mu-onna, and there were assorted whores he'd killed rather than touch along the way. He gave a frustrated sigh and thought harder.

Kagura's image appeared in his mind, and he considered her briefly. She was certainly powerful, but held an incredible handicap: she was Naraku's offspring, and she smelled of the garbage from which she sprang. Not only was she a liability because of her ties to Naraku, her low-grade scent would never justify to the Ginzoku Clans why their eligible daughters were ignored in favor of her. He dismissed her as a possibility readily, and moved on to the next potential wife.

He cursed his misfortune at being so successful in isolating himself. There were few demons he knew at all, and all held very real liabilities and negative associations. He gave a grim, humorless smile, and cast his thoughts to Inuyasha. How blissful an existence the filthy brat lived, isolated without a care for the disasters that were befalling their shared father's lands.

Unbidden, the image of his brother's scowling face floated before him, and he gave an irritated snarl. Then he recalled the woman who always stood beside Inuyasha, and a bitter laugh escaped his lips.

So it has come to pass that I'm even considering a human female, he thought. Of all the lows I've sunk to, this is the lowest. He decided to humor his insanity and catalogued the female as methodically as he had the others.

She was human. That was one major strike against her. Though with Rin as his ward, he'd learned to tolerate the smell of mortality, and he would be able to tolerate the miko's scent given time. But she was well bred, intelligent, resourceful, and clearly from a good family –her clothes, though bizarrely indecent, were of surprisingly high quality. And as for being human, she would die soon enough, freeing him from the marriage and all such obligations within a century. He brightened at the thought of regaining his freedom once the Ginzoku Court was sorted out. If he married a demoness, he'd have to put up with her a lot longer, and while he knew spousal murder was secretly practiced by less savory members of the Court, Sesshoumaru was not one to harm those under his protection without just cause.

She was powerful. As untrained as she was (and she was dreadfully untrained in her miko powers), she held raw power that Naraku was wise to fear, and had on the occasion unnerved Sesshoumaru. The first time the untrained priestess had shot an arrow at him in the belly of his father's skeleton, he'd caught it easily, ignoring the very slight sting of purification on his fingertips. The next time the power sizzling in the arrow had grown and counteracted his protective aura of youki, destroying his armor.

He was reluctant to have a third arrow shot at him, and he admitted that his developing wariness was a major point in her favor.

She collected allies that were strong and united. She had no known enemies beyond Naraku, and the strength of the allies she had brought to Inuyasha was enviable; the hanyou would never have been so successful in developing such a strong group on his own. The human monk was quick on his feet, smooth with his words, and utilized a curse as an effective weapon. The taijiya was a formidable opponent for any save the highest order of demons all on her own, and she made good use of her demon cat. The brat fox was a liability, though potentially useful with a few decades' more growth.

Inuyasha was another liability. He would have to wrest her away from his lesser, younger brother, who could prove troublesome.

On the other hand, he would be dealing a severe psychological blow to the hanyou who possessed the sword Sesshoumaru so desperately needed to retake the court. This was an added bonus to retrieving the human priestess, and Sesshoumaru mulled over the attractive image of a devastated Inuyasha.

She was short-lived, but powerful, and would neatly serve as a temporary solution to the temporary problem of his uncle.

The more he pondered the outsider named Kagome, the more appealing she became as a solution to his problems. And, if he were to be completely honest, she was attractive enough that being her husband would not be a terrible hardship. In all their encounters, she was fiercely loyal and fiercely protective of the innocent; coaxing her to stand at his side against his uncle and against Naraku would not be difficult.

Satisfied, he knocked aside the useless records of the Ginzoku clans, and settled in to write a message to his brother.

* * *

When Sesshoumaru had returned to the Gessaki Fortress after his tireless seach for Tessaiga, the fortress had come alive with excitement. He was a troublesome lord, content with wandering around with only his vassal Jaken at his side; the servants rarely had a chance to properly pay their respects to the young lord. He visited the grounds but once every three years, spending most of his time roaming the Western lands on an eternal quest for power. He was a good lord, and kept his lands in stable condition, and his steward knew that all he had to do was send out an urgent message and Sesshoumaru would return to deal with whatever urgent situations arose. All in all, the servants and vassals knew there were few lords so capable despite his relative youth, and were proudly loyal to him.

This time, however, he had returned with a little human girl, and the fortress had buzzed with confusion as servants were followed by the curious little child, as the dragon Aun coddled her, as Sesshoumaru visited her daily to inquire as to her care, and as the vassal Jaken, respected and acknowledged on castle grounds as the hardworking righthand man to their lord, tolerated the abuse and embarrassments lavished upon him in the forms of flower crowns and hugs. The human child named Rin was an anomaly, and for the most part the servants were uncertain what to do with her. Thankfully, the child seemed to thrive if left to her own devices, and felt no shame in seeking out Jaken if she wanted something.

The Captain of the Guards at Gessaki in particular found Rin troublesome. She had no origin, no known history, and as his job was to be suspicious of everyone and everything, Captain Nanonaka found the presence of this fearless stranger problematic. She felt no qualms in playing at the border of the fortress, and he had more than once retrieved her and placed her on safer, more secure grounds in the territory. For some reason, this automatic protection of Lord Sesshoumaru's property had translated into 'caring' in her worldview, and she gleefully engaged him in conversation whenever she saw him. The fact that she didn't fear him, as large and menacing as he looked –the bear youkai had scars on his face that would never heal, the original damage having been too severe– disconcerted him. Humans were supposed to fear him, not scamper about with delight to chat with him.

Rin was a distraction to his duties, and he gruffly tried to discourage her from hanging around him. That had the unfortunate result of a brief meeting with Sesshoumaru wherein his lord mentioned that Rin was under the impression Nanonaka disliked her. The cold golden eyes had given Nanonaka chills, and he reluctantly resigned himself to the long-term presence of the little girl. To her credit, though, after that she only visited him when he was clearly not already engaged or preoccupied, and Nanonaka suspected she had gotten a similar, brief talk from Sesshoumaru.

He had guards under his command, however, that were less than tolerant of the human in their midst, and Nanonaka found that there was a lot of resentment from various servants on the property who disliked having a human so insignificantly tiny and young run amuck on the land they carefully preserved for the former Gintaishou, the Inu no Taisho.

One of his most steadfast underlings, Lieutenant Moriaka, was one such demon who felt it was an insult to have the child's feet touch the grass of the Gessaki Fortress. And now Lord Sesshoumaru wanted to meet with Moriaka. Nanonaka was concerned for the safety of his underling; had he done something wrong recently? Sesshoumaru so rarely met with anyone that the impetus was entirely unpredictable. He shook his head and stepped into the training hall, musty with years of sweat and musk. His brown eyes fell upon the lone, lumbering figure training into the night.

"Moriaka," he called out, and Moriaka whipped his head around, surprised.

"Sesshoumaru-sama wants to see you. Now."

Moriaka's face crumpled with confusion, but stopped his training exercises. "All right," he acknowledged obediently, and trotted across the wooden panels and out the door.

Captain Nanonaka hoped the summons did not bode ill for the young warrior.

* * *

Moriaka stopped before the sliding shoji screen of Sesshoumaru's study. "Lieutenant Moriaka reporting."

The door slid open, and he found himself staring at the unusually pale face of Jaken. "Come in," he said hastily. Moriaka obeyed, ignoring how anxious the river demon smelled. Something was always on Jaken's mind, as would be expected for the primary vassal of lord Sesshoumaru.

His lord had an air of satisfaction about him, leaning back from the small writing desk in the middle of the bare room. "Moriaka, I have a task for you," Sesshoumaru said, his golden gaze penetrating the kuma-youkai's soul. Moriaka straightened with pride, encouraged by his lord's words. "Bring this message to my half-brother Inuyasha."

Excitement at being entrusted with a task for Sesshoumaru clashed with disappointment and indignation at playing a mere messenger. Whatever he had expected, this was not it. Moriaka gritted his teeth. "Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama." He reached out and took the small scroll from elegant white fingers, and then did a doubletake. "I beg your pardon, Sesshoumaru-sama, but you said Inuyasha-sama, did you not?"

Sesshoumaru raised one elegant eyebrow before turning his attention back to his papers. "I am not in the habit of repeating myself, Moriaka. Are you so incompetent that you cannot complete this simple task?"

Resolutely, Moriaka straightened. "My lord, if this task is so simple, then a messenger may amply serve your task."

Sesshoumaru stared at him as though surprised they were still conversing. "Are you suggesting that I entrust a vital communication with a mere messenger?" His tone chilled the bear demon, who was all too aware of the death wielded by those long fingers.

"No, Sesshoumaru-sama," he responded hastily. "That would be impudent of me. It is my honor to deliver your message."

"Do so quickly. You will likely find my brother in the Musashi province, though he might be in any one of the neighboring areas." He turned his attention back to the assorted papers on his desk.

Moriaka bowed and left the room.

He found his captain waiting with concern at the end of the hallway. Nanonaka gave him a questioning glance, and he responded to the silent query with,"He wants me to deliver this to Inuyasha-sama." Captain Nanonaka's eyes widened, and Moriaka shared in the same surprise.

Inuyasha was a lord in his own right, though he didn't seem particularly interested in the responsibilities that came with such prestige. His name was generally forbidden at Gessaki; Sesshoumaru had visited the child once and come back in a rage, declaring him outcast from the Ginzoku. No one had wanted to oppose the son of Inu no Taisho by defending an unimportant halfling, no matter how noble his bloodline. And Inuyasha had never returned to the homelands to reclaim his place in the family, leaving many to pity Inu no Taisho for having bred such a heartless, uncaring half-human son. There were rumors that Sesshoumaru had taken one look at the sickly child, decided that he wouldn't live long past infancy, and hastily cut him from the family. But rumors were rumors – no one knew for certain why Sesshoumaru had exiled the child who shared his own flesh and blood from the ancestral lands of Gessaki.

Hanyou rarely survived birth –oftentimes there were life-threatening deformities that killed offspring in infancy, or developments that killed off the mother too soon for the premature fetus. Surviving until adulthood was almost as unlikely as surviving birth, though for a different reason: there were those who hunted hanyou for fun, and life was not easy for the average, common hanyou.

Inuyasha was of noble heritage, though, on both sides of his family, and had basic protection from the usual cares and worries of lesser-born half-demons. The former Inu no Taisho's blood provided strength only dreamed of by low-grade youkai.

Still, hanyou were inherently flawed beings, and that he'd survived for as long as he had was nothing short of a miracle.

Contacting Inuyasha was a surprising turn of events that left Captain Nanonaka immediately suspicious; something dire was happening to create such an unorthodox change in Sesshoumaru's long-standing policy regarding the younger Gin-inu brother. He suspected it had to do with the baboon-pelted man seen by his spies at Shinomaru's side in recent weeks, and made a mental note to gather up all intelligence reports from the past month to see if there was something he'd overlooked.

He nodded at Moriaka. "Go, then. Deliver the message to Inuyasha-sama, and then hurry back." He gave him a pensive look. "Something unpleasant is happening, and I want all our strength here should we need it."

* * *

And so it begins. I hope everyone enjoyed this first chapter –reviews, criticisms, and comments are always welcome.