written by Christine

Chapter 12

Present day
 
"'Thanks for the wonderful time but my heat was over and it was time for me to move on.' I was very cold in the letter. I had to stop Inutaishou from waiting for me to return, or from hunting for me. It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do in my life. I could not have done it face to face.”

“I tried watching them for a while from a distance, but it was too painful.  I missed my family so badly.  I spent all my time in Unicorn form to avoid detection but even then there were many close calls.  Sesshomaru finally caught me and I confessed the truth to him.  He begged me to come back.  I told him that I would but not until Akina turned thirteen.  He just could not understand why I would let these visions rule my life.  When we finally parted I decided I couldn’t torture myself any further and I went to live in Otherworld."

"Inutaishou took my advice and continued to visit and get closer to the human girl, the one whom fate had chosen for him. I lived nearby on purpose and occasionally caught them together.  For five years I checked on them.  I couldn't help but felt jealous even though she was only a young girl and I was the one that had caused the relationship to develop."

"Eventually she grew up and I could see the affection and physical attraction in both their eyes. That's when I was sure they were going to complete the prophecy.  That's when I left the area so there was no chance that I would accidentally interfere.  Part of me still wanted Inutaishou to reject her love and desire only me."

“I don’t recall anything of the next two years except loneliness. I wandered in Otherworld, drifting from place to place but I was just biding my time until I could return for Akina. I knew there would be little chance that Inutaishou would forgive me, but at least I could get to see my children again."

“When the designated year arrived I headed back to demon world, but first I wanted to make a side trip. I went to the village where the human girl lived and sought her out. I had to meet the girl that had filled the void in my husband’s heart, the one I gave him when I left."

"I discovered her name was Izayoi.  I told her I was just a traveler passing through and I was seeking the leader of the Dog Clan. I didn’t tell her anything about my relationship to Inutaishou. I was no longer disguising myself as a dog demon. To Izayoi, I was different, not human but she wasn’t quite sure what I was.  Fortunately she was not afraid of me.”

 
“I found that Izayoi was a lovely and caring young woman. She had a beautiful soul. It was no wonder that Inutaishou had been attracted to her, even though everything physically about her was opposite of me. She was a dark beauty, with raven black hair and dark brown eyes."
 
"She also had a refine and gentle nature. She was of the type of person that inspired others to protect her, yet she was willing to sacrifice to protect others. She was a true princess at heart. When I found out that her family rejected her and put her out of her home and village shunned her so she had to live in a cave for a month, I was shocked. I just couldn’t imagine such cruelty to any pregnant girl, much less her. She must have been so lonely and scared. She told me how Inutaishou, whom she spoke of with such love, forced the villagers to build her a house and make sure her needs were attended to but she was still shunned and alone.  She told me she almost died when she gave birth to InuYasha.”

“This is InuYasha’s mother you’re talking about?” Luka asked.

“Yes. You’ve heard of InuYasha?”

“Yes, and your son Sesshomaru, although my mother said before the Princess Aara bound him, he was very cold and cruel.”

“Cruel? How so?”

“I don’t know. Something about not tolerating humans.”

“That must have been my fault.  His hatred toward humans, and Hanyous for that matter, probably began when I confessed to him. I witnessed some of it myself, which I will tell you about in a minute.  Who is this Princess Aara and what do you mean by bound?” she asked.

“She is the protector, or rather her bound demons are, of Otherworld. InuYasha is bound to her too.”

“Is that like being mated? And both InuYasha and Sesshomaru are bound to her?”

“Well, Sesshomaru isn’t bound anymore. I’m not sure how it works but the Princess has six males but it’s not like being mated. She had a mate too, his name was Vash, but he died defeating Jodah.”

“Does she have children from all these bonding?”

“No, only by her mate,” he said.

“So she has bound these demons and they are no longer able to find mates and have children?”

“Yes, but they seem very happy. Why does it matter so much?”

“Because there are so few Dog Demons left in the world, only Sesshomaru, InuYasha and I believe my daughter, Akina. I’m glad that Sesshomaru is no longer bound as you call it, or there would be no more Dog Demons in the world.”

“He has a son, Kai, just a couple of years older than I am,” Luka said

“A son?” Isabo said with excitement. “Who is his mate?”

“No mate, at least none I ever heard of, just the son.”

“Oh,” she said disappointedly “Have you ever heard of anything about my daughter Akina?”

“No, I’m sorry... Wait, didn't you say that her uncle was a mage and he was going to train her?”

Isabo nodded.

"Then maybe I have heard of her, just not by her name.  There is a rumor about a female mage in Demon World, a good one.  I was thinking of seeking her out to break the spell on your collar and chain."

"NO!" Isabo said.  "It's too dangerous for a human to travel through Demon World.  As much as I want to be free and be reunited with my children, I don't want to lose you.  There must be a Mage in Otherworld that could help us.  Couldn't we ask him?"

"There is Bakura.  He lives at the Castle and is also bound to the Princess.  He should be strong enough to help us, but it'll take several days to travel there," he said.

"Then, that's where you should go.  You should leave tomorrow.  There is no telling when your father will return.  You must go before he does."

"But who will protect and care for you?"

"Your mother can feed and care for me.  As for protecting me, only luck and the fates can do that.  Luka, our daughter is starting to show.  Your father is familiar with every inch of me.  Even at this early stage he will know I'm pregnant.  He might think the baby's his, but not if he catches us together.  I think it would be better for you to be gone when he returns.  I fear what he will to you if  he finds out the truth.  When you reach the Castle, tell them everything.  If they are protectors like you say, they will not only help set me free, they will stop your father's bandit attacks."

"Very well, I'll leave tomorrow.  So, on with your story.  What happened next?” Luka asked.

Isabo continued her tale,  “Where was I?  Oh, yes.... Izayoi talked about Inutaishou, calling him her mate.  She told me how they met and the day when he had come to her terribly wounded.  Then she told me how they realized their love for each other.  I asked her more about how he got wounded and she told me what he had told her about the battle with Ryuukoysusei, the lesser dragon that was prophesied to kill him.  I grew hopeful then that the second half of the prophecy had been averted. After our talk, Izayoi trusted me enough to show to me her infant son."

 
"He was beautiful, but unusual looking. There was no doubt that he was not fully human. My own son could pass easier for human than InuYasha. He got his coloring from his father, the white hair, and golden eyes with oval pupils. But that was not what made him so different. He had the most unusual dog-ears located high on his head instead of where a humanoid’s ears are normally located. "
 
"I think the ears were an indication that he could not alter his shape like his father and our children could. Still, anyone that spent any time with him could not help but fall immediately in love with him. Only the very cold and unloving could hope to resist him."

"When Izayoi saw only admiration from me, she let me hold him.  When I took him into my arms, he looked into my eyes and then he smiled.  My heart melted right then and there.  Suddenly all the sacrificing and pain was worth it.  This little baby boy, this special child, was worth all that and more."

"Then I got a cold shiver down my back.  I thought about the possibility that the prophecy was not over yet. With her family rejecting them and the villagers only tolerating her because of her mate, she and her son were in a vulnerable position if Inutaishou was suddenly no longer around. That’s when I decided right then that if Inutaishou was ever no longer able care for them, I would assist her and her son. They needed to have at least one friend on their side.”
 

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