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Chapter 1 "Requiem"

Standing in the charred smoldering rubble of what once was a huge magnificent mansion was an armored youkai looking amongst the cinders and ashes in a futile attempt to find survivors. As he flipped over large charred timbers, he eventually saw the obi belonging to a fallen daiyoukai. Before the youkai could recover the body, his dog-ears perked hearing a woman weeping in from behind. When he turn around, he saw a woman cloaked in a red robe on her knees holding onto a newborn, which the newborn reeked of the stench of her and daiyoukai. His eyes narrowed as he walked towards her, and he frowned not sure how to console the woman after losing her most cherished lover. He gently put his hand on the woman's shoulder and looked her in the eyes. "Are you Lady Izayoi?" he asked firmly. She looked up at him and nodded before there was a gust of wind. He looked back briefly smelling humans nearby, and he glared back at her. "You mustn't be here...Takemaru's men are still here…" he spoke severely to her.

She looked deep into his golden eyes, and she stared into them for a few moments before she gulped and nodded. “Forgive me, but I don’t know where else to go. I don’t have the strength to run” she said timidly.

The youkai took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “It doesn’t matter…I will protect you” he said before he looked at the baby. "Is this my brother?" he asked as he pulled the blanket away from the baby’s face. The baby had the same silver hair and dog- ears as his before he beamed with pride.

Her eyes widened with worry as more tears welled up. "Which one are you?" she asked weakly. She looked away cringing while praying it was the good brother.

He looked at her confused before he stroked the infant’s face. "I'm InuGenki" he said giving her a faint smile. She let out a sigh of relief and exhaustion, while he stroked the baby's dog-ears.

She smiled at the sight beginning to trust him more. "I’m sorry…I just never seen any of my dearest’s children other than my son” she said before she looked down at her precious. “You and InuYasha do look alike" she said cheerfully. She noticed that the youkai was very distracted and knew straight away that trouble was near.

He looked back at her and wrapped an arm around her escorting her down the path. "You and InuYasha must come with me...and hurry" he said sternly.

She gulped. "Right" she muttered with a nod before draping the red robe over the infant.

"Stay close..." he told her while taking her hand.

He guided her away from the wreckage, while she got the baby settled down. "I'm sorry, but you'll have the time to mourn later...If Sesshomaru finds him, he’ll kill you both" he said.

She clutched her son tightly crying into him as they hid out in a hollowed out log. InuGenki sat at the entrance standing guard facing away giving her the opportunity to breastfeed her child. She looked up at him and studied his silhouette. “Thank you…I don’t think I could have made it without your help” she said before she covered up her breast and slug her baby around her back in a wrap. She crawled up to him and wrapped her arms around him from behind resting her cheek into his back. “I’m freezing” she said.

 Several hours later, two old youkai approached a giant dog beast in the middle of the woods. "Master InuGenki what are you doing here?!" the flea youkai cheered.

InuGenki looked up at him annoyed, but Izayoi poked her head out from behind his tail. They could hear InuYasha begin to cry out, which they grew excited. “I was worried that you’d freeze to death out here milady” the sword-smith youkai said before he looked directly at InuGenki. “I have an heirloom to give the boy” he said before he looked at her sternly. "Let me see the boy..." he requested.

She looked at them worried as she pulled her child out from her sling. "What's he going to do?" she asked nervously.

“Please be calm, milady. The Master had instructions for us to carry out in the event of his death” The flea youkai said as the sword-smith took InuYasha and held out a black orb to the infant’s right eye. The orb floated up, and it was absorbed into the child's eye, while the he started scream out in discomfort.

He smirked muttering in relief, "Well, now that’s done..." He handed InuYasha back to his mother which she gently took her son into her chest rocking him in her arms to quell his wailing. InuGenki reverted to his human form and wrapped his arm around her.

"What's going to happen now?" she asked as she continued to rock her baby.

The three youkai looked towards the ground, which InuGenki looked the most devastated amongst the three. He stood up and looked at them. "I'll take care of Sounga..." he said.

The sword-smith growled. "Don't be so foolish! That sword is way too dangerous for someone your level!" he yelled.

He looked back and growled loudly. "Father told me what to do with it...Just have a little faith in me just as he did" he said calmly.

“I don’t doubt you know what to do with it…you just need to get stronger before you handle it. I wouldn’t want to see the sword’s power corrupt you” he said before InuGenki stood up defiantly. “Damn it! Will you listen to me!” the sword-smith shouted. They others watched helplessly as he flew towards the sword in the rubble. “You idiot! Come back here!”

Once he landed, he grabbed the sword, and the sword tried to possess InuGenki after he pulled it from its sheathe. To the others shock and the sword's chagrin, the sword failed to possess him as the purple tentacles were repelled by electricity.

"No way!" The sword-smith yelled.

InuGenki gulped realizing this was probably a mistake as he had to exert a lot of youki to combat the sword’s. “I’m impressed boy! But, you won’t last long!” the sword spoke.

He slung the sword over his shoulder and looked at them with a glare before Saya, the sheathe spoke harshly at him, “What are you doing!? Put Sounga back before it’s too late!” InuGenki growled in frustration before he sheathed the sword, which Saya made a sigh of relief. “It’s fortunate to see you here Lord InuGenki. Since you’re able to handle Sounga, I have a favor to ask of you”

“A favor?”

“Yes, I want you to take us to that Bone eater’s well in Musashi Province”

“What are you nuts? That’s Sesshomaru’s domain!”

“That’s why I want you to do it! At least you can conjure Sounga’s power. He won’t dare think twice about crossing our path” Saya finished before InuGenki took flight. He landed near sword-smith youkai, which he was trying to help Izayoi onto his three eyed bull. “Things are going to turn out alright after all” Saya chimed.

“That was incredible milord! You’re just as powerful as your father” the flea youkai said.

The sword-smith youkai stuck his nose up and closed his eyes smugly. “Hardly, he’s still just a pup compared to him. He’s going to have to do a hell of a lot more than wield Sounga to get a nod from me” he scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. InuGenki shot him an ominous leer which unnerved the sword-smith. His youki flared up, and it frightened everyone making the baby cry out in fear.

 “You best not get on his bad side right now. He’s just as strong as Lord Sesshomaru” the flea youkai warned.

 “I’m well aware of that, Myoga, but even Lord Sesshomaru is nothing compared to their father” Totosai said sternly.

Izayoi rocked her baby, which he settled down once InuGenki relaxed. “Oh my…I’ve seen that look before. Must run in the family, doesn’t it, Totosai?” Izayoi said before she giggled to herself.

After he managed to calm himself down and looked at the group sternly. "I must go now " he said. He walked by Izayoi and smiled faintly at InuYasha reaching up to rub behind his ear.

She frowned at him. "Just don't hurt yourself, okay? He's going to need you when he's older. I’m only human after all" she said.

“I’ll be sure to have Myoga check in with you. If anything bad happens, I’ll step in” he said after he heard his little brother coo.

“Thank you, milord” she said bowing to him.

“Well, I’ll be taking her off to her estate. I would like to give you a memento from your father, so please visit me once you’re finished your errand” Totosai said.

“A memento?”

“It’s a surprise…so hurry up if you want to find out what it is”

“Alright then. Well, Sayonara" he said before he leaped into the air and flew off. A contrail followed behind him as he flew off into an approaching rainstorm. He stared into the cloud as it symbolized the melancholy inside. Flashbacks of his last conversation with his father flooded his consciousness as the rain pelted his face.

“You know…we’ve never gotten to talk much, but I want you to know something. It’s about why your mother and father grew apart from each other” Saya said.

“I know. It’s because father started preferring me” he said.

“Well…it’s a little more nuanced than that. He did not prefer you. He cared for you both just as equally. The fact in the matter is, he knew about your potential since you were born. In his words, he believed that you were created first, but Sesshomaru came out first. Your father grew more and more frustrated with your mother only focusing on Sesshomaru. She didn’t see the point in teaching you how to be a ruler, and he would argue with her tooth and nail that it would be irresponsible to do so. He focused on you just to motivate you. It irritated him greatly to see you not put any effort into sparring with Sesshomaru” Saya explained.

“Keh, well, at least I turned out decent” he said.

“That you did. But, I have something to ask you. Did you ever make love to a human before?” Saya asked.

InuGenki chuckled to himself. “I may have a few times, why?”

“Oh nothing. I just don’t know if you preferred humans over youkai”

“Nah, I don’t care. I get very friendly if she cooks me a big meal and strokes my ego” InuGenki added.

“I hope that’s the only thing they stroke” Saya remarked as they landed in the woods north of the well. “Whew, I thought we would have encountered Sesshomaru by now. We’re very lucky”

InuGenki walked through the woods and looked around cautiously. “Well, all he has to do is wait for me to throw you in” he added.

Saya chuckled to himself. “That’s true…” he said before the spirit inside the sheathe popped out. “But I don’t see him being that of a coward!” he shouted back hoping that he was listening in. The spirit looked to InuGenki and beamed with pride. “You are one of the only ones I know who can hold their own against the master. It doesn’t take the strongest to win a battle…all it takes is a little strategy. Speaking of which, I have some important information about Tensaiga that you’d might like to hear. You see that sword cannot cut something in this realm” he advised him.

“Sounds useful” InuGenki muttered as they drew near the well. He looked down the dry well, and he could smell the corpses of slain youkai. “What’s your plan?”

“I heard that if a youkai’s corpse was thrown into the well, it would vanish” Saya explained.

“I can still smell dead youkai in there. They aren’t gone if I can still smell ‘em” he muttered.

“I’m only intending to keep it sealed for seven-hundred years until we find a way to deal with it. Surely by then, you’ll be plenty strong enough to wield it without any effort” Saya muttered before the spirit looked back at him. “Well, It looks like this is goodbye for now” he said before InuGenki dangled the scabbard over.

“Yea…see you in seven-hundred years then” InuGenki said before he dropped the sword and scabbard. He watched it plunge into the darkness, and then a bright beam of purple light shot into the sky.

“Farewell!” Saya’s voice echoed.

“A portal?” InuGenki mumbled. He heard footsteps behind him and creaking of a bow. He looked back at a priestess aiming her arrow at him. He glanced back at her annoyed to have a weapon pointed at him. She had fair skin and was very beautiful.

 “What are you doing to our well?” she shouted as her bow strained.

“I’m not here to cause discord. I was sent here according to my father’s wishes” he said.

The priestess lowered her bow and let out a sigh of relief. “I believe you. The great evil I sensed has passed” she said before she stowed her arrow into her quiver. “You look familiar. You’re an Inu Youkai, correct? I’ve never seen you around here before. Was he your father?” she asked.

“I’m one of his son’s, yes” InuGenki said.

“One of? He had more than one son?” she gasped.

“Yes, I’m one of three. Sadly, father passed away protecting his newest child”

“I’m sorry to hear that” she said as she slung her bow over her shoulder. “Why don’t you come join me for tea” she said before she turned her back on him. She did her best to hide her blush, but he saw her infatuation as clear as day.

“I would love to” he said lowly.

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