Legacy by Aubrey Simone

The Fall of the Southern Star

Note: This is a plot bunny that I adopted from R0o—her original idea is here: http://dokuga.com/fanfiction/story/2733/11 –and if I can do this even an iota of justice I'll die a happy girl! Please let me know what you think, and enjoy! Oh and I’ll only do this once, so here goes… ;

Disclaimer: The anime/manga InuYasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, and I make no money from the writing of this fic. The Lord of the Southern Star is property of Sugar0o, and is being used with her permission. Any other original characters are property of the author, Aubrey Simone, and any resemblances to real people are purely coincidental.

Prologue: The Fall of the Southern Star

          There were few things that Yoshiro considered punishable by death, and the Inu no Taisho knew without a doubt that the human before him was deserving of the fate about to befall him. With nothing more than a slight growl building in his throat, the large silver inu nodded to his executioner, averting his gaze as the human's head was sliced from his shoulders.

          A light sigh left his lips, and he stepped carefully around the body, glancing at the Southern Lord from the corner of his eye as he joined him. "It was necessary, Yoshiro," the black inu murmured, giving condolences that only he knew Yoshiro required.

          "Even so," the silver male responded.

          They walked in silence for a moment, the sounds of the summer afternoon easily reaching their ears. "Is there news of the lady, Shinosamu?"

          His friend made a noise in the back of his throat. "She is close, very close." Vibrant blue eyes darted up to Yoshiro's face, and he chuckled. "Were you this nervous with your firstborn?"

          A clawed hand fell onto his shoulder, and the loud, booming laugh that left his friend's chest echoed through the halls. "Of course, my friend! Sesshomaru was an easy birth, and I have a feeling that your little one will be the same."

          A wry smile twisted Shinosamu's lips. "You must have heard tales of a different pup, Yoshiro, because we cannot be speaking of the same feisty thing that resides in my mate's belly."

          Another booming laugh shook the walls, and the silver youkai shook his head, choosing not to respond as they rounded the corner. Yoshiro watched the fondness spark in his friend's eyes as he beheld his very pregnant mate, and he smiled at his own demoness, though he knew for a fact that the same fondness did not light his own gaze.

          Matsu, though a suitable demoness, was not his mate and would never fulfill the role; Yoshiro knew that he would never be happy with a demoness—and Shinosamu teased him constantly for his fondness for a human hime that resided on his lands.

          Shaking the thoughts from his mind, he escorted Matsu to the dining hall, where his firstborn was already seated. The young inu, who bore the markings of an heir, stood and bowed to the entering elders before seating himself once more, eyes wandering curiously to the bulging belly of the Lady Atsuki.

          "Would you like to greet her, Sesshomaru-san?"

          It came as no surprise to Yoshiro that his inquisitive son instantly nodded, standing and rounding the low table to kneel before Atsuki's belly. Slowly, he reached out to lay a clawed hand against the silk of the lady's kimono, snatching his hand back as the pup responded to the touch. Atsuki chuckled lightly, and, as was her nature, she gently guided the hand back and held it.

          "She will be your mate one day, Sesshomaru-san," the demoness murmured, nodding to the questioning eyes that met her own.

          "This Sesshomaru shall take good care of her, if that is the case," the pup said.

          Yoshiro nodded approvingly in Shinosamu's direction.

          For some time afterward, they talked and laughed as old friends often did, and it was late before Shinosamu and his lady returned to the south, leaving Yoshiro to make the decision that would seal his fate.

          He brought his hime home the next day, and it was then that Sesshomaru began to change.

~|~

One Month Later

          A warm summer breeze blew through a peaceful clearing, stirring the silky, ebony strands of a tall figure that stood silently before a small white slab embedded into the lush grass. Vibrant blue eyes meandered along the lettering and clawed fingers twitched before the figure stooped, laying those same fingers against the warm stone.

          "There have been many things that I have been ashamed of, old friend," the youkai murmured, baritone voice floating easily through the air. Another breeze whistled in his pointed ears, and he sighed lightly before brushing a few blades of grass off of the slab. "But your death is the only one that will weigh heavily on my mind for the rest of my days."

          The hand withdrew after a few moments and the fingers curled inward until a large fist was formed. "I could have saved you, Yoshiro." The words were spoken through clenched teeth, and the ebony head shook sharply from side to side, as though the youkai wished to clear his thoughts. Momentarily, there was silence. "But you were always a stubborn old dog, weren't you?"

          Another sigh left the youkai's lips, and he rose to his full height, tucking his hands into the sleeves of his deep red haori. Black hakama rustled as he took one step backward and a gentle smile quirked the corners of his mouth.

         "We will see each other again, old friend." He turned and began to walk away, only to hesitate at the edge of the clearing. His smile faded, and a sort of uncertainty passed through his bright blue eyes. It was gone in a flash, but the thought that had halted his footsteps lingered in his mind.

          Aye, we will see each other soon…Much sooner than you think.

~|~

          The cooing, giggling noises of a newborn filtered through rice paper walls, summer air heating the rooms of a magnificent shiro to a comfortable temperature. Servants, youkai and human alike, smiled as their lord indulged in his greatest pride.

          Staring down into the sapphire eyes of his only daughter and unaware of the reactions that his behavior was inducing in his staff, Shinosamu couldn't help but feel as though she were the brightest, most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She was naught but a few weeks old, a tiny thing, and the markings of her heritage were slowly fading in as her youki developed.

          His little jewel was currently looking up at him with a childlike love in her big eyes, one clawed hand catching a lock of his hair before shoving it into her small mouth. He laughed, gently extracting the long ebony strands. Ignoring the saliva slicking them, he flicked them over his shoulder and allowed her to grasp at his finger, her lips closing over his knuckle as he chuckled at her antics.

          Turning to his beautiful mate, he nodded and passed the pup to her for feeding, placing a kiss against her tiny forehead before leaving the room. For a moment, he stood outside of the screen, waiting as the pup calmed. When her slight youki was lucid, he sighed lightly to himself, vibrant blue eyes finding and locking onto the smaller, younger form of his kitsune advisor.

          "My lord, there is a messenger seeking audience," the male murmured quietly, three tails swishing behind him.

          "Very well. I will receive them in the sitting room." The kitsune bowed, moved as though he were going to take a step, and then disappeared in a shimmering haze of fox magic.

          Shinosamu took his time going to the sitting room, noting when he arrived that the messenger was already kneeling on the tatami. The small demoness bowed as he entered, touching her forehead to her hands and remaining that way until he indicated that she could rise. Her vibrant green eyes were familiar, and he recognized her as the messenger that his younger brother was fond of. A sick sense of foreboding settled into his stomach.

          "Keiko, what news is there?"

          The inu demoness was silent for a moment. "My lord Takuma-sama has once more asked for a truce."

          Shinosamu resisted the urge to huff in irritation, clenching his jaw as his mind zoned in on the hidden meaning of his younger brother's message

          Takuma had slowly been drifting further and further away from the honor their late father had imparted on them as pups—after forming an alliance with a mixing of rogue youkai that roamed the Southern Lands, he had become increasingly adamant about getting Shinosamu to form a truce in order to stall the hostilities that had been forming between them. Needless to say, Shinosamu was no longer willing to fix things with his younger sibling; after years of dissent, there was nothing that could repair their bond.

          "You may tell him that his offer is refused. I feel no need to dally with traitors."

          The inu seemed to stiffen at his rebuttal, but pursed her lips and nodded sharply. "As you wish. The message shall be relayed." Shinosamu nodded, lifting a hand and gently dismissing the demoness. She stood, and turned, pausing at the door. "My lord, how is the pup?"

          Shinosamu looked at her. There was a glaze in her eyes, a hard glint that he recognized immediately. "She is fine."

          The messenger nodded. "Be well, my lord."

          And then she was gone.

          "Be well," he murmured, his voice echoing in the empty room. He blinked slowly, and then turned, finding his advisor to be at his side before he called for him. "Daisuke, inform Lady Atsuki that we will be leaving the shiro at nightfall." Daisuke's bright violet eyes lit in immediate understanding, and then he was gone.

          Shinosamu brooded.

~|~

          The Southern Star tribe prided itself in strength and intelligence, and could only be matched in stature to the Western Moon tribe. Shinosamu, being the eldest son of his father, had been raised as heir, and had ruled honorably for the past fifteen-hundred years of his life.

          He was an old dog, much like his Western ally, and while his late friend was strict and calculating, he was lenient and warm. They were complete opposites, night and day, and yet they formed a friendship that went much deeper than most. They had formed a blood pact, and Shinosamu, once he was informed that his lady was going to have a daughter, had promised her to Yoshiro's firstborn, Sesshomaru. Shinosamu was honor bound to uphold that pact, and no matter what happened to him tonight, he would be sure that his daughter made it out alive.

          Tucking his sword into his obi, he swept from his room and strode through the halls, feeling the youki of his lady and pup as they exited the nursery. Motioning for the demoness to be silent, he led them through the gardens and out through the back gate of the shiro, meeting Daisuke and a few other kitsune guards.

          Nodding to them, he pulled Atsuki and his pup close to him, gathering his youki at his feet and taking to the air. The kitsune followed, clutching at the ebony mokomoko that flowed over his shoulder. They were light, buoyed by fox magic and his immensely supporting youki, and they flew quickly, their presences masked.

          "My lord, the Seers have been notified of our arrival," Daisuke murmured in his ear. Shinosamu nodded sharply, picking up speed as he eagerly headed toward the two women who may be able to guide him in the right direction.

          It was a mere half hour later when they touched down in the Nusaki Mountain Range, and Shinosamu kept Atsuki close to him as Daisuke and the rest of the kitsune inspected the area. He only moved toward the small cave in the face of the nearest peak after they assured him that it was safe and free of any threat.

          There was a flare of powerful youki and an answering flare of equally powerful reiki as they neared the cave entrance, and Shinosamu halted a good ten feet away from the entrance, noting that his lady had stiffened beside him, their pup hugged protectively to her chest. Shifting until he stood in front of her, Shinosamu stared into the dark of the cave until two figures emerged from the darkness; like yin and yang, they stood side by side, one demon and one human, youkai and miko.

          "Ah, my lord Shinosamu-sama. To what do we owe the pleasure?" They spoke as one, their voices very different but blending perfectly.

          The ebony inu didn't bother beating around the bush. "You know the plight of these lands just as well as I do," he murmured, staring unrelentingly at them as they swayed from side to side, faces falling in and out of shadow.

          "That we do," they responded, sultry voices sliding along his ears in tendrils of barely veiled power. "What is it that you require of us, my lord?"

          For a moment, the black inu was silent. "There are many reasons why I come to you this night. The first, and the most important, regards my daughter and my mate." The fair haired youkai inclined her head and spoke alone, her tone laced with what could have been amusement of not for the sliver of knowing timbre.

          "You wish for a reading then?"

          "Yes."

          The demoness stood silently, blue eyes carefully regarding Shinosamu and the rest of his group. Slowly, she nodded, pupils expanding until her eyes were completely black. She took a deep, ragged breath, and then came forward swiftly, halting abruptly and lifting a clawed hand to Shinosamu's face. Her fingers didn't touch him, but the chill of her skin wafted freely to his cheek.

          "A decision awaits you, my lord, which will change the pup's destiny for the rest of her life." Her voice was soft, filled with the raspy tone of a Seer falling into the depths of her magic. "She will be saved, tormented, taunted, threatened, but never broken. She will be yelled at, scolded, talked down to, but never despondent. She will be strong and when the time is right, she will take up her birthright and her place as Lady of the Southern Lands."

          Another deep breath shook the air, this time passing through the lips of the miko. Shinosamu had been to them enough to know that the miko's brown eyes had disappeared to leave behind a pure white color that signified her fall into the power of the kami. "But first, she must be abandoned to time. She must live five hundred years from now, never to return until she is ready to grow and face her fears."

          Shinosamu remained silent and endured the uncomfortable, burning sensation of reiki and youki washing over him. There was an instinctual urge to protect his mate and pup from the feeling, but even as his lady's breath became shallow and short with pain, he knew not to move.

          A third breath rattled the air, and the Seers spoke together. "There is a miko called Sayuri, but she is unreachable except by way of travel—the pup must be tossed to the bottom of the Bone Eater's Well."

          "No!"

          Atsuki's outburst rewarded her with comforting words from Daisuke, and Shinosamu swallowed thickly, his stomach churning.

          "You will pay a price, my lord, there is no doubt of that. But the pup has been touched by the kami, and she must fulfill her destiny. The miko Sayuri is one of great power—only she is able to conceal the pup as needed, though it will be at the price of her own life if the pup decides not to return and claim her birthright." For a moment, there was a tense silence, and then the Seers looked to the sky. "And so it shall be!"

          And then they were gone.

          Shinosamu felt his mate close a frantic hand in his haori, and just as quickly as he realized what was happening, he turned, sword leaving its sheath in a blur of silver light, deflecting the arrow that had been aimed at his pup. Atsuki snarled, her youki rising as she instinctively began to shield the pup from detection.

          "My lady, come."

          Together, they took to the skies, kitsune guard following after disposing of the rogue panthers that had decided to attack.

          Shinosamu had known that things would be changing drastically, but he had not anticipated something as dire as losing his pup to the ravages of time. He was no fool, and knew of the magical properties of the Bone Eater's Well—if he were to drop the light of his life into the well, she would be safe from his brother and safe from the fate that awaited her.

          "My lord, I cannot part with her. Please, there must be another way." Hugging his small demoness to his chest, he shook his head, his heart clenching at the anguish in her voice. Her clawed fist came down hard against his shoulder, his armor taking the brunt of her blow. "I will not part with her!"

          Shinosamu snarled at her, forgoing all sense of decency as he landed in the clearing that held the Bone Eater's Well, pushing her away from his person with a snarl. His mate glared at him, dark eyes flashing with defiance as she clutched the squirming pup to her chest. He snarled.

          "Think you that I wish this for her? There is nothing I can do except send her to this Sayuri!"

          "And what of me, my lord? Your brother will kill you, and I will be left here, alone and hurting!" The fight suddenly left her, and she slumped, falling to her knees in the moonlit grass. A sob shook her shoulders, and she hunched over the now whimpering pup, her tears stinging his nose.

          He stood and watched her, heart breaking into a million tiny pieces. He had no choice, and yet he wished there was some other way. His brother was a cruel, heatless bastard, and after throwing away the life their father had made for them, he had become increasingly hostile; Shinosamu had known that it would come down to this, and he looked up to the sky, unable to hold back his smirk at the irony.

          His old friend, the Inu no Taisho, had taken a human mate, and had lost his court and his pup all in the space of a few weeks, and because Shinosamu held the same fondness and had defended humanity on countless occasions, his brother had turned against him. And now? Now he was about to meet the same fate as his lifelong friend.

          Oh how the fates must have laughed.

          "My lord, the panthers approach."

          The call came from deep within the forest, and Shinosamu growled. His lady looked up at him, tears streaking her beautiful face. He couldn't resist, and went to kneel before her, wrapping his arms around her. She trembled in his hold.

          "My lady, there is no choice. We must."

          "I know," she whispered, voice thick with emotion. She swallowed, and they stood together, sharing a deep, desperate kiss.

          Under the watchful light of the full moon, Shinosamu ordered Daisuke to fetch him a scroll and quill, and moments later, he was writing a quick, anxious note to the woman who would forever take care of his pup.

          Daisuke was growling and pacing, his calm façade slowly being shattered in the face of the danger that he knew was coming. Shinosamu was grateful for the kitsune's loyalty and grit, and he held his pup once more, looking down into her large blue eyes, so much like his own.

          Atsuki took a deep breath, and together, they lowered their pup as far as they could, loathe to drop her into the bottom of the dry well. The pup cooed, squirming and rustling the parchment that had been tucked into her blankets. Shinosamu knew that she would cry, and that she would be found by the miko she was being sent to, but the knowledge did nothing to ease his anxiety. He swallowed his fears.

          "Goodbye, Kagome."

          They let her go. The magic of the well reacted instantly, and by the time the light faded, Takuma and his rogue youkai party were upon them.

          The Lord and Lady of the South fought valiantly that night, eager to protect the well that would bring their daughter back to her proper time. In the end, the well was sealed, and only one was left standing. As he glared down at the body of his dead elder brother, a wicked gleam entered his eye.

          He could bide his time, and he knew that he would one day see his precious little niece again.

~|~

Author's Note: And that's that! 

I'm not sure how often this will be updated, but I'll work on it as much as possible, I promise! I hope you all enjoyed, and thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think!

~Aubrey