To Slay a Kingdom by Aimee Blue

Prologue

Prologue

The Inu Hanyou growled in frustration and his white dog ears flattened to his head. He was sat next to the small lake that ran through the grounds of his father’s palace. He was a short while away from the practise fields where his brother was going through some intensive training with the guards. Actually it was more like his brother was mopping the floor with the guards.

For years the Inu Hanyou named Inuyasha had looked up to his full demon brother Sesshoumaru. But he had been treated with cold detachment and sometimes even blatant hostility. Eventually he had given up on the idea of getting his brothers affections. Now all he wanted was the respect of his brother.

Inuyasha knew that if he could beat his brother in combat then he would gain the Yokai’s respect. However this was a feat that none had yet accomplished. Not even their own father.

Since the age of seven Sesshoumaru had shown a keen intelligence and a high endurance. He was agile and had a way with words. Now that he was seventeen no one could stop him.

“What is wrong?” a soft child like voice asked

Inuyasha glanced behind him to see a young girl of around twelve stood there. She was obviously a peasant with her kimono made out of different coloured patches of blue material, but her raven black hair sparkled with a blue tint that suggested care was taken over it. Her eyes were unusual a slate grey that faded into a light lilac as the colour drew closer to her pupils. She was barefoot but that mattered very little considering she was stood on the silky smooth grass of the palace gardens.

“Nothing, stupid kid” he muttered glaring at her

She took in the strange Hanyou with his red kimono and silver hair, fangs, teeth and dog ears. He was interesting and his ears made her want to touch them. They twitched as he talked.

“I may be a child but you must only be a few years older than I” she told him

“I’m fourteen!” he retorted “what are you? Nine?”

“I’m twelve” she was calm but a little resentful at his harsh tone

“Yeah well I don’t need some child’s help” he said

She hit him around the head with a fan she produced from the sleeve of her kimono “don’t be a spoilt baby” she advised “it is unbecoming of you”

“Why do you speak like you’re an adult?” he rolled her eyes “you aren’t fooling anyone”

“I do not wish to deceive” she said coolly “nor do I wish to speak like a baka”

“Leave me alone” he ordered

“No”

“I am the Prince of this land and I say you leave wench!” he growled

“Stop being a baka” she advised hitting him with the fan again “tell me what it is that ails you”

“My brother” he growled

“Sesshoumaru-sama” she nodded “what about him?”

“I want him to be less of an arrogant bastard”

She hit him with her fan again “I am only twelve, refrain from such language around me”

“Make up your mind” he muttered “are you a child or aren’t you?”

“Do you want help with your problem?”  she asked pretending not to hear his grumblings

“How can you help?” he asked

“Those sounds, are they of your brother fighting?”

“Yes” he was sceptical, wondering what she was going to do next.

She smiled at down at him as she stood next to him “Let’s go and see him”

She took the Hanyou’s clawed hand and dragged him over to the fighting ring where his brother was currently fending off a bear demon with lithe ease.

The young girl watched the silver hair Inu Yokai with detached amusement. She knew he was very handsome and his long silver hair was tied in a loose braid over his shoulder so he could fight in ease. He had a crescent moon on his forehead and two magenta stripes running down his proud cheekbones. The stripes also ran across his wrists and because of his absence of upper body clothing another two magenta stripes could be seen on his hips before they disappeared into his waist band. His eyes were the same golden as her Hanyou companion but those orbs belonging to Sesshoumaru were much colder.

He pulled Toukijin, his evil sword from its sheath and pressed it to the artery that was pulsing in the bear demons throat. It appeared he had already won this battle without the need for a sword, he was merely using Toukijin to prove a point. Only a Daiyokai could wield a sword as powerful as Toukijin.

“Do you yield?” he asked, his voice was cool and detached as if he cared little for the answer that would be given.

The bear demon panted “Yes Ouji-sama”

He pulled the sword away from his neck and replaced it in its sheath. His eyes showed no victory, he seemed not to care that he had won.

He turned away and spotted his idiotic half brother who was standing on the side of the practise ring with his hand in the grasp of a young girl. A human no less.

The girl was watching him, a half smile playing on her lips, her grey lilac eyes shrewd.

She stepped over the line into the practise pit and bowed. His half brother tried to stop her but she paid him no heed.

“What does a human peasant want with this Sesshoumaru?” he asked coldly. She didn’t miss the way he made human sound like slug.

“Tell me Ouji-sama” she said smoothly “what happened to make you so emotionless?”

There was a brittle silence in which Inuyasha prayed to god that she might survive this encounter somehow. He knew it was merely wishful thinking.

The guards who had recently been defeated all gulped in unison. This human child had touched upon a bad subject.

“Leave the palace grounds now” Sesshoumaru’s Yokai aura flexed with vexation.

“If you continue to fight without any cares you will have nothing to live for” she told him “to you being the strongest is your mission, but what will you do when that becomes a reality?”

Everyone in the near vicinity winced as Sesshoumaru snapped. He grabbed the young girl around the neck with a clawed hand and picked her up off the ground of the practise arena. She felt him crushing her windpipe but didn’t struggle.

“Onii-chan!” Inuyasha yelled jumping into the fray “Let her go!”

Sesshoumaru turned his gaze onto the Hanyou and dropped the young girl. She hit the floor without attempting to break her fall and lay with her head on the ground; regaining oxygen.

Sesshoumaru backhanded his half brother across the arena.

“Do not oppose this Sesshoumaru little brother” he said coldly

“Looks like I hit a nerve” she coughed smiling up at the elder brother she slowed pulled herself to her feet.

“This Sesshoumaru will not ask you again” Sesshoumaru glared down at the younger girl, if looks could kill... “Leave the palace grounds”

“I believe you did just ask me again” she pointed out

He growled at the insubordinate child. Normal human adults were terrified of him, so much so that they could barely look him in the eyes. But this child of barely a decade was challenging him.

“If you beat me in a fair fight, then I will leave” she said

“You believe you can beat this Sesshoumaru?” he demanded “you are a pup”

“I’m twelve” she rolled her grey eyes “why is everyone so hung up on that?”

“You are a pup” he said

“Scared you’ll lose?” she asked a wicked smile curving her lips.

He growled and drew Toukijin. “This Sesshoumaru has never killed without necessity” he said slowly venom dripping from his tone “but the necessity to stop your infernal noise is pushing this Sesshoumaru to ending your insignificant little life”

She giggled “Can you fight as well as you can talk?” she asked

He struck the sword towards her and the energy created by his sword hit upon a barrier. The barrier was not visible until the energy collided with it and then as it did the barrier glowed purple in an orb around the child before dissipating.

“You are a Miko” he said coldly

“You are an Inu Yokai; actually more like a Daiyokai” she said “Is this turning into a race war?”

“You failed to mention it” said Sesshoumaru

“You did not tell me either” she said

“It matters not what you are” Sesshoumaru warned “This Sesshoumaru shall not lose”

“Confidence, no over confidence will be your down fall” she told him

“We’ll see” he said swinging Toukijin he advanced on her with demons speed and she smiled and closed her eyes. Her true eyes were useless to his demon speed but her inner eye was able to sense the movements much more aptly.

The assembled guard who had been thoroughly beaten and Inuyasha watched in shock as Sesshoumaru lunged again and again at the young girl.

She danced.

Or at least her movements were fluid enough that it appeared this was what she was doing. She was reminiscent of a small ballerina and just as graceful.

She opened her mischievously glinting silver purple eyes as he stopped the assault to growl at her his eyes bleeding red.

 He was beginning to get annoyed at his failed attempts and his left eye was twitching “Dragon strike”

She watched in awe as Toukijin glowed with a blue. Spectacular blue fireworks burst forth and a dragon was formed from the blue light.

She looked at it and wondered why the sky had gone dark and then mentally shrugged. She considered defensive techniques. But then something occurred to her and she smiled.

Inuyasha felt a thrill of irrational fear shoot down her spine at the sight of her humourless smile.

She waited until the dragon of light was close enough and she threw her energy at it and wrapped the dragon in her purple shield. The purple orb contracted around the blue light and crushed the dragon until the orb was the size of a basket ball.

“No way” Inuyasha said in a whisper

She held the purple orb in one hand and threw it at Sesshoumaru.

He could have moved. But he was rooted to the spot in shock. No one should have been able to subdue Toukijin’s dragon strike. But this pup had managed it with seemingly no qualms.

He snapped back to reality in time to realise he needed to move to avoid death. He stepped to the left a fraction of a second too late.

The resulting explosion knocked the young prince unconscious and left him in a crater.

“Kami” Inuyasha exclaimed

“That worked better than I thought” Kagome said

“You mean to say that you were winging it?” Inuyasha was flabbergasted

“Sort of” she shrugged

“Kagome!” a distant voice yelled and Kagome turned to see Kaede standing near the gates of the palace calling for her ward.

“Ja ne” she said to Inuyasha

“Hey where are you going?” he asked as she ran away

“I’ll come back... someday” she promised before disappearing into the distance.

A/N: I do not own Inuyasha ne? I make no profit from this either. Anyway please review and remember this is only the prologue and that in the actual story Kagome will not be twelve.

This is my first attempt at a fight sequence so please be nice. Also there is a reason Kagome is so damn powerful so bare with me.