Crimson Petals upon the Wind

The Sengoku Jidai era, also known as the Feudal Japan era where the lands were split into four represented by the location that they representated. The Northern Lands ruled by the Wolves of the mountains, the Eastern Lands ruled by the nocturnal Bats, the Southern Lands ruled by the majestic cats, and finally the Western Lands beneath the high rule of the great dog demon; Inu no Taisho.

Each land respectivly was it's own nation, allowing its high rulers to do with what they deemed necesary, all within their boards bowed to them. It was no different than in the Western Lands, though the great Inu No Taisho was a general of war, and a great tactition the one to fear was his mate....Izanami. She dared not let anyone look upon her 'house' with distaste, and several times made another regret such an action. It was no different towards her own son, it wasn't unusual for the sudden sound of her hand connecting with his cheek sending him to the ground.

Her cold golden eyes, showing no love, no remorse for her actions "Again, Sesshoumaru." she stated coldly as she stood there. "How many times must we go through this exercise till you get it right?" her voice cold as she glared down upon her child who she was training to be an even greater ruler. "If you wish to one day hold the attention of other demons....to be regarded as a true Taisho....then you will do this correctly!" she said coldly. They were in the middle of training, practicing his ability to fight his clothing torn and dirt smeared on it. His hands cut up from the sword she had made him practice with, rather than starting out with a wooden one she made him learn the true worth of a sword. "ou can't even use the poison in your claws correctly....your a worthless son....you are to stay out here, till you can draw that sword without so much as a sound....in perfect form....and cutting your enemy down without them realizing it....."

she had done this to her son since he was old enough to be on 'his own' as she stated, he could walk, talk, and care for himself so he was ready to start the harsh training. To learn to be a lord of the west, to be a true youkai...She turned from her son, clearly distaste in her voice as she moved from him and returned back into the palace leaving him out in the training grounds. That was Izanami, a ruthless women even to her own child...her mate understood it to well that little to no 'love' was within her heart....she mated Inu no Taisho for political reasons not for love and it showed well.

Sesshoumaru clenched his jaw tightly as his hand shook the rattling sword in its sheath as he tucked it at his waist taking a deep breath as tears streamed down his face though he didn't make a sound as he drew his sword hearing it scrape and ring against the scabbard as he sheathed the blade and practiced drawing it again and again until he soon fell to his knees, the weight of the metal sword finally taking its toll on the young boy as he panting softly as he sheathed the sword to try again

Inu no Taishou stood in a large window looking out of the palace towards his son's training a deep frown etched into the strong features of his face "Izanami's overworking him again hm? I shouldn't be surprised."he said with a sigh "I suppose it's time I tell him that's enough for today"he said as he turned around to leave his study to retrieve his son

As he continued to train, the afternoon sun soon was dropping behind the mountains Izanami didn't even once come back out to see if he was doing well, none of the servants even dared near him to see if he desired water or food to keep up his strength. It was a typical training session that his mother had set up, till he got it right she ignored him....but as he dropped to his knees, his body shaking from the strain.

Though as Inu no Taisho went to go relieve his son, Izanami would speak from behind him "If you continue to go easy on him Taisho he will never learn" she stated quickly as she stood there, "He is the future lord of these lands, life will not and should not be easy for him as a pup.."

Inu no Taishou simply paused as he was addressed but did not bother turning around "His upbringing matters not. Just because we grew up in a time when the west was unlawful and wild does not mean Sesshoumaru is doomed to suffer the same fate. Is that not why we conquered these lands to give him a brighter future? As long as Sesshoumaru harbors the will to protect, his blade shall never falter"he said before continuing outside as he walked out to Sesshoumaru gently laying a hand on his shoulder "Enough for today Sesshoumaru. Go back inside"

"It is that hardship that turned us into who we are, a true youkai can tolerate such a training..." she stated coldly as she watched him, even as he would tell their son he could head inside. Her golden eyes cold and Sesshoumaru could see in her eyes, the judgment she cast upon him 'worthless...' was all he saw before she turned and would walk away. "He will never become a youkai if you treat him like a pup Taisho...he's worthless to me" she stated, causing her voice to echo around her.

Outside the palace a figure would rush through the streets cradling something in their arms "get back here you little thief!' came a hardened voice, as the small figure kept running. It was a young girl, dirt and a few scratches marked her body and face as her brown hair rippled behind her but looked as if it hadn't had a brush through it a long time. She kept moving before she came up along side the palace wall, and slipped through a small opening as she hid herself in the garden breathing heavily as the man ran by cursing slightly about her getting away. She smiled some, as she looked at her prize it was a piece of bread as she soon took a bite out of it happily eating.

Inu no Taishou stood where he was as he watchedd his wife as he sighed "that is where our philosophies differ. Sesshoumaru will grow into a powerful daiyoukai in his own right one day."he said "We named him Sesshoumaru, the destruction of the circle of life. There is power in a name and our son has a power hidden deep within him. Though he will grow to hate us both."he said before pausing as his eyes turned red for a moment as he turned to face the bushes around the inside of the gate his hand going to his sword "Who dares enter my palace?"he barked out

Izanami would shake her head, "do what you please then Taisho...but till he can perfect the training I have given him....he is nothing to me but a worthless pup" she stated, she could smell the tears running down her sons face...a daiyoukai did not cry...she just narrowed her eyes more 'he is worthless...'

The young girl would take another bite of the bread, feeling the hunger in her stomach starting to go away she didn't even realize she had gone into an area that was always off limits or patrolled by guards. Though when she heard the harsh words she jumped as she turned, only to have her eyes widen...it was the Dog Lord...she wasn't sure what to do...she was scared...she just wanted some bread.

She sat there scared, but when his hand slid to his sword she gulped as she would slowly step out. The bushes rustling about, till she stepped out the small child she looked to be only a year or two younger than Sesshoumaru. "I...I'm so sorry!" she cried out as she soon would drop to her knees in a quick bow pressing her forehead to the ground as she was suppose to when ever those like her saw those of the royal family. "i...I meant no harm i...I was just hiding..." she stated

Inu no Taishou's harsh gaze instantly softened as his hand lowered from the hilt of his sword "Oh it's just a child, I didn't mean to scare you my young one"he said as he walked forward kneeling down gently putting a finger under her chin to raise her head "and what might your name be? And how did you get behind the palace walls unnoticed?"

She was shaking in fear, her heart seemed to be pounding in her ears as all she could hear was the heavy beat of her heart. She gulped, till the sound of his feet would step infront of her making her still that much even more, but when he put his hand beneath her chin and raised her head she looked up at him. Her brown hair falling to the side revealing her golden eye color, if her hair was pulled back it would show her pointed ears...this was a young youkai...and by her scent...a dog youkai as well "I....I slipped through t...this ho..hole in t..the wall milord..." she stated.

Her eyes though did dart some over towards the child behind him, the mark on his forehead made her gulp. He was the young lord she heard about, as she glanced back towards Inu no Taisho though as her lips parted again to speak, the loud rumble of her stomach was heard making her glance away, her eyes going towards the discarded piece of bread..it was the only thing she even had to eat for days now. "I..I promise I won't do it again milord!...I trully am sorry!"

Inu no Taishou frowned hearing her stomach rumble as he slowly stood up again "You are under the protection of the great Dog General. As such no child will go hungry in my kingdom, you smell of dog, but I smell no others on you, are you an orphan child?"he asked

Sesshoumaru curiously watched his father from behind, his father was always a gentle, compassionate man whenever he wasn't fighting who truly cared about the well being of the people he protects, the things his mother said would make him weak and unfit to rule

She watched him blinking slightly as she would slowly push herself up, her bare feet slightly rubbed together as she shifted on her feet. When he brought up others, she paused and would look down as her hair hid her face she shook her head. "I...I don't know...I've been on my own....since I can remember milord..." she stated as she stood there, she couldn't even remember her parents faces let alone where she came from...she just wondered she had gotten lucky a few times people helping her out till she got to this city.

So far..she had only been a burden upon anyone who had taken her in, it was why she had left them...she was just another mouth to feed, a 'stain' upon their lives. "I...do not wish to be a stain upon your home and family milord...i..I maybe a..dog youkai...b...but I am not blessed by Lady Luna..." she knew Luna of course what dog wouldn't?

"Fortunately for you, my family is highly favored by Luna, and we will be able to help you out with this."Inu no Taishou said "Luna's blessing rains down on all of our kind, no matter the color or breed you are."he said "If you want food and a place to sleep, you may earn your keep in the Western Palace. We are always in need of more servants and wait staff, especially for my young Prince who is steadily growing as he begins to come of age

She shifted as she stood there, could she even possibly live in a place like this? It was like a dream almost but she would look up at Inu no taisho as she listened to him, she had heard stories of what sort of youkai he was...highly respected, favored by the Goddess Luna...he ruled his land with authority and respect...Though her eyes soon drifted to the Young Prince Sesshoumaru she could tel he had been crying, his eyes red and his cheeks stained...though she would soon speak "if...if you would have someone like me I...I would be h...honored milord."

She turned her attention back to Inu No Taisho, "I...I may not be good at a lot of things bu..but I'll do my best not to be a burden to you" she said quickly, though as she stood there she would hear something. Myoga the flea would soon jump onto taisho's shoulder hidden to anyone who wasn't aware of the little creature. "Milord, perhaps she could be the young prince's attendant...they are close in age and...perhaps...she could help with the stress your mate puts him on" he whispered. "She is a inu after all....and they are getting harder to find I say she's about the only one within your boarders..."

"That is true, our kind was cursed a long ago and only those clans who were favored by the Goddess were saved the fate of turning to wolves and forced to live in the dens and outskirts of society amongst the lawless and untamed. I fear a girl like this wouldn't survive living in these harsh conditions so soon after the war to establish my territory"Inu no Taishou said "And you black inu are fewer and farther in between than the silver clan. You young pup, you may take refuge in my castle, and you will be at the beck and call of my son Sesshoumaru personally. You will grant his every desire and in return he will take care of and protect you until you ever wish to leave my service, of which you are free to go anytime. You are not a prisoner little one, I feel it is as though Luna herself is sending me her light with a chance encounter such as this"he said as he called to Sesshoumaru "Come son."he said as Sesshoumaru wiped his face on his kimono sleeve to not look so weak in front of his admirable father as he ran over bowing his head "Yes mi'lord"he said before blinking as his father kneeled down in front of him putting his hands on his shoulders "Sesshoumaru, everything your mother has told you up to this point is true. Being a ruler is a lot of work, and a lot of responsibility. Every day I get new challengers attempting to take my throne and take away the land we love so dearly. You must train every day to get strong and it will be hard work, but you my boy are the strongest youkai I have ever seen. You still have a ways to go to prove it to your mother, but you'll get there. She has high expectations for her little Emperor, but I am so proud of you Sesshoumaru, never give up, and find something to protect and protect it with your life, just like I do for you and your mother. This girl here is a dog just like us, but she has no clan, no family, she is yours to protect, and she will take care of you. Never stop trying Sesshoumaru."he said proudly as Sesshoumaru couldn't hold it any longer as tears streamed down his face as he nodded "Y-Yes sir"he said before bursting out into tears as he hugged his father as he cried into his shoulder "There there Sesshoumaru, let it all out, and then let's get right back to it"he said as he let his son go as Sesshoumaru worked on quieting his sniffles "Little girl what is your name?"he asked quietly as he stood at his father's side

She looked up at Inu no Taisho, the words he spoke seem to ripple through her being she could live here beneath the protection of the great Inu Youkai himself. Her golden eyes seemed to widen a bit in shock but she would nod her head "I'...I'll do my best milord!" she said quickly, she finally had a home..a place that she could learn to belong and not wonder the lands. When he turned his attention to his son, she couldn't help but shift a bit nervously on her feet she was to work at his side..could she do that? He was a prince..destined to one day be the ruling lord...would she even be able to match up to him?

Her mind snapped out of the thoughts that buzed her mind when she was asked her name, she would bit her lip.."Oh its um....Sa...Sayuri..R..Ren." she said softly as she stood there, she knew it was a strange name...to be named Lily, Water Lily but...it was what her parents called her...the last bit she had to them.

"Sayuri Ren, from this day forth you shall be the servant and personal ward of this Sesshoumaru" the boy said as his father stood from his kneeling position patting his son on the head "Very good job Sesshoumaru. Ignore what your mother says, your training is done for today, please go inside and both you and our new member need to be bathed and changed before dinner starts in a few hours. You also need to show her to your wing and put her in the room directly next to yours. She will be waiting on you but she needs times to learn our castle and our customs. If you want her to serve you correctly you will have to teach her Sesshoumaru, be prepared for accidents and mistakes"his father said as Sesshoumaru nodded "Yes sir"he said before his father pushed him along "Now get going, you both stink"he said as he turned his back to them looking out over the setting sun with a smile on his face

She looked at Sesshoumaru when he spoke, making her head tilt some and she waited till his father was gone before speaking "Why did you say 'this sesshoumaru'...." she asked a bit confused some, "Is that how your suppose to say things?...if so its weird..." Sayuri stated. Though even as she said that she followed him into the palace, people looking towards them as a few whispered but said nothing loud enough to get in trouble. Once in his wing the other servants had already prepared a bath for them, and the room besides his was set up with cloths already set out for Sayuri to wear.

Izanami waited for her mate to return to their wing before she spoke, "You should take a bath yourself Taisho....that girls scent is all over you." her sleeved hand slightly going over her nose and mouth as she eyed him. "I'm shocked your even letting a Black Inu pup within this palace...they abandoned us when we were rebuilding these lands...their fate was sealed"

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to answer her question as he trudged into his room stripping off his clothes as he marched into the bath and submersing himself up to his nose in the warm water closing his eyes. His whole body hurt from his brain down to his toes as the events of the day and the brutally harsh training session with his mother. His father only had time to train him a couple days out of the week for a brief time and his mother personally took care of the rest and she was a cruel master while he usually had fun and felt like he learned something doing combat with his father as he then opened his eyes looking at the girl simply standing there meekly as he brought his face out of the water to speak to her "You can't wash my hair and comb out my knots unless you are in the tub Sayuri"he said in his usual deadpan voice before closing his eyes again and leaning back against the edge letting his body soak

"If you do not like the way she smells, go get ready for dinner then, I have things I still need to take care of before I eat."Inu no Taishou said simply as he took off his armor and hung his three swords, Sou'unga, Tessaiga and Tenseiga on their rack "You are right however their clan did abandon ours in the reclaiming of the West and thus they lost favor with Luna but were not turned into Wolves. But not many of them survive, I would be no better than them to turn my back on one of our own, and our family is prospering under Luna's blessings. You were marked to give birth to her reincarnate with that crescent moon both you and Sesshoumaru share as mother and child, vessel and incarnate. Remember your kinder side woman, Sesshoumaru is still a child."

Sayuri would watch him as he removed his clothing and sunk into the water, all she could do was watch him unsure if she should join him or not. But at his words she snapped out of her inner battle and nodded, "so you...don't mind washing with me?" She asked but she would soon start to slid out of the filthy kimono she had worn for so long and let it hit the ground, he could now see faint bruises and healing cuts from what ever she had gone up against. Sayuri would then slowly climb into the bath with him the water working quickly to remove the grim and road from her smaller body, "what do you want me to do now?" She asked, she couldn't remember the last time she even took a bath.

Izanami rolled her eyes at him as she would speak "life is not kind Taisho our son must learn that and the sooner he does the better he will be for it." She stated before leaving the room unable to bare the stink of that girls scent any longer.

Sesshoumaru let out a sigh as bubbles rose from his nose in the water as he brought his face out of the water once again "You are going to be asking me a lot of questions aren't you?"he asked sighing once again "Wash yourself first, one because you should not be dirty before attempting to wash me, and two you are gross. Use the bath oils and soaps to clean yourself and the comb to brush your hair, then do the same to me, then we are going to get out, dry off, get dressed and go to sleep...any other questions before I can go back to enjoying my bath?"he asked shortly as he looked at her "Have you never taken a bath before?...don't answer that, just start getting clean"he said before sinking back into the water once more

"I was wondering how long it would take her to leave"Inu no Taishou said shaking his head. He didn't mind the smell of the girl. She smelled like adventure, travels, or trials and survival, all the things he faced as a young pup and the grandson of the great Dog Beast Tenzen though he never met his grandfather he was his reincarnation and his beast form was a splitting image of the great dog. "All Izanami has done has been attached to my side and lived a sheltered life under my protection. She preaches hardships but her life hasn't been hard since the day I met her in our youth. The bright eyed puppy who wanted her castle in the sky."he said with a soft smile in remembrance as he changed his clothes into a simple kimono before sitting down grabbing a parchment and brush as he began writing

Sayuri watched him and she would soon turn slightly from him as she began to wash her body off, she barely recalled bathing like this with another person, but she did remember what to do. As she sat there washing he saw her hair turning more and more black till it was like he was staring at a night sky as the water drops shimmered like stars. It took a bit but soon she was clean and woukd glance back at him. Her golden eyes looking at him as bubbles kept coming up around his nose and mouth, a small smile soon slid on her lips as she giggled "I never thought I'd see a boy pouting cause his momma yelled at him." She said teasing him a bit.

Sesshoumaru's eyes turned red instantly as he reached out grabbing her by the throat glaring at her before letting go and lowering back down into the water "My mother is a cold master to study under. She does not tolerate weakness. I was born to be a daiyoukai, a Great Demon. Daiyoukai rule kingdoms like the West. My father is a Daiyoukai. He is the man who killed the Panther King and freed Lord Sekai to take control of the Southern lands once again. Other daiyoukai challenge my father's right to rule this kingdom constantly. My mother is preparing me for the day it is my turn to fill my father's shoes."he told her as his eyes looked down at the water "One day I will make a sword of my own, just like my father. It will be a blade that will kill 10 times as many demons with a single stroke as my father's Tessaiga. I have seen it in my dreams. I will become strong."

When he suddenly latched out at her she gripped his wrists tightly, her clawed fingers digging into his wrists as he choked her till he let her go. Even as he spoke she choked and coughed some rubbing her throat, red lines formed around her throat as she would look at him with a glare if that was how he was going to be with her just teasing him...maybe she rather live on the harsh streets. "Who cares what you become in the future..." she stated simply as she sat there.

Her golden eyes on the waters surface, "whats good about a future if you aren't here...in a blink of an eye you can die...vanish from this world and be nothing but a faded memory..." she stated. "what good is being a daiyoukai if your dead?" she looked at him, "all I know is what is happening now...what can I do to live another day...." she said rubbing her throat some. "do...do you still want me to do your hair?" she asked not looking at him.

Sesshoumaru paused as he thought over her words. They were almost the same as his mothers, but in a much different light as he nodded "You have a point. Please wash my hair."he said as he bowed his head to her before turning his back to her and closing his eyes head down "I try as hard as I can every day with my mother. I train until my hands are bleeding and my legs cannot support my weight. I sleep with my sword in my hand to always be aware of it's weight and my grip. I have already defeated other lesser youkai who were running wildly through the woods but nothing I do is good enough to get my mother's approval. Hearing my father say he was proud of me really motivated me to want to do more. I wasn't crying because I was only sad. I was also very happy to hear that."he said "My Dad is the best demon to every live"

Sayuri sat there looking at him as he turned his back towards her, she then would see the comb for his hair sitting to the side as she picked it up and would move up behind him. Her hands grabbing a portion of it as she began to comb the silver strands, before she would speak "I don't remember my parents that well...I can picture my father just his back though....and my mom all I remember is her voice."

She dragged the comb down through it hoping she wasn't hurting him as she never really brushed another's hair before. "but i suppose parents know whats best....your parents seem to know what they are doing, even if your mothers methods seem harsh."