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Author's Chapter Notes:
This fanfiction was co-written by my friend, AerionDyseti and is published here with their express knowledge and permission. Thanks, Aerion! This story includes a few events that are anime- and movie-exclusive that I think add to the story, but otherwise the goal was to keep it as manga-cannon as possible. I hope you find it as interesting to read as it was for us to write!

Of all the mighty daiyoukai that prowled central Japan, the Inu no Taishou was by far the most ferocious.

 

Only the foolhardy dared to challenge his ancient territorial claims and few of those demons lived to tell of their nightmarish encounters with him. As the impulsive brigands were slain or finally bent knee to him, the next generation of ambitious demons rose to take their place. Despite his reputation, they sought to challenge the great general and most met their ends soon after.

 

No matter how the general toiled, his work was never finished; but the presence of his long-time companion and Warmaster, the jackal demon Rekkonji, made the violent lifestyle more bearable.

 

Physically speaking, the two elder demons were quite the pair of opposites. Where the general was tall and solidly build, his jackal companion was shorter, compact, and lithe. The general kept his silvery hair high in a trailing pony tail while Rekkonji kept his tawny braid low to fall down his back. Rekkonji’s eyes were dark and touched with red; the general’s were kissed with marigold. The dog’s clean-shaven face bore a single set of cobalt stripes that tapered elegantly along his cheeks, while Rekkonji’s unmarked face sported a finely groomed goatee. Despite their great many centuries, both retained the youthful appearances common to all greater demons.

 

No one knew exactly how old the general himself was, but he had reached an age where the injudicious bloodlust of his nature had given way to the wisdom of experience and something akin to compassion. No one understood this change better than Rekkonji. The stalwart jackal had followed the general on his campaign to control central Japan for centuries, and suspected the birth of the general’s son, Sesshoumaru, was at the heart of these changes.

 

Where the general had once been mostly nomadic, he now built for himself a base from which to operate. Where he might have exacted harsh punishment for troublemaking, he now began showing more empathy and consideration to the demons of his lands. He had never been cruel, per se, but the difference was noticeable.

 

Of all the general’s acts of mercy, the most memorable and baffling to Rekkonji was the incident that had brought into the base a rather peculiar creature.

 

He and the general had been on patrol when they came across a pair of half-demons with a pup in tow trespassing in the general’s territory. Finding two humanoid half-breeds at once was strange enough, but finding ones that had spawned a child between them was unheard of.

 

When they groveled for their lives, Rekkonji was sure his friend would exact an appropriate punishment, but he simply ordered them out of his lands. Rekkonji had been taken aback, and demanded the hanyou pay tribute to the general for his mercy before leaving. Having nothing else, and seeming quite pleased with the opportunity, they abandoned their child to the general’s use and fled. Instead of leaving the unfortunate creature to fend for herself, the general had put her to work at the base under the scrutinizing vigil of Fuyutoka, the general’s Overseer.

 

 

For one hundred and sixty years the half-breed Kuroihi toiled, unseen and unheard by the greater demons of the Inu no Taishou’s castle-base; and all but forgotten save by Fuyutoka, who managed her invisible efforts. As she grew and came to understand her place in the world, the hanyou became convinced she would spend her entire life shirking through the dark spaces beneath the tatami mats and wooden floors. That was, if she left her life to fate…

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