Disclaimer: I do not own the anime or manga InuYasha, they belong to Rumiko Takahashi. I'm am writing these stories as a fan or her work. However, the character Draba was created by me, and if you want to use him, all you need do is put a small note that tells people he belongs to me, and please send me the story!

Note: Remember this is slightly AU in the fact that InuTaisho does not die. The Vignettes can range from many chapters to just one, and can range from very serious to comedic. Also we may jump around the timeline, based on when we RP, we'll let you know.

This current multichapterarc focuses on InuTaisho, his mariage to his first wife, his father's death and his ascention to Lord of the Western Lands, and the birth of his first son.

The Royal Family

Chapter 1 - InuTaisho: Love and marriage...or not

InuTaisho, heir to the Lord of Western Lands, InuMaru (also known as the tyrant of the western lands), was feeling terribly vexed that morning. It was true that before his little trip around the world the prince of the western lands was rarely happy or in good humor. However, afterwards he had returned bright and happy with a completely new outlook on life, and no one not even his father could beat it out of him.

Even still this morning saw the young lord sitting on one of the many verandas of the palace, terribly vexed. Just about anyone would be if their father woke them up before sunrise and announced that they were to be married in a month to a person they had never known, met, or even seen before.

"What's the matter, Taisho?" A deep voice resounded behind the young prince.

"Oh, nothing much Draba, I'm just getting married to someone I have never seen before." InuTaisho snorted resting his head in his right hand.

He had met Draba in the African continent during his travels around the known world. It was ironic that a leopard demon had become the only true friend and protector InuTaisho had ever known.

"So it is true." Draba took a seat next to the prince, transferring his zanbato from his shoulder to his lap, with the blade facing away from InuTaisho of course.

"Has your father at least told you where your bride will be from?" Draba raised an eyebrow.

InuTaisho let out a humorless laugh. "Yes my father did pay his own son that curtesy. She's a princess from India."

"Ah, that was beautiful country, though most importantly it was rich one, an alliance with them will make for good trade." Draba said in a mock noble tone.

"Exactly." InuTaisho sighed. "At least I know a little bit of her language from when we passed through there. "

"Should make for an interesting wedding night." Draba smirked.

InuTaisho gave him a "that's not funny" glare.

0000

InuTaisho's heart was racing, for the wedding was only hours away. He had been awoken while it was still dark to get properly made up and clothed for the ceremony. Presently he was sitting and having his hair properly styled and adorned with ringlets, and other trinkets.

He breathed a sigh of relief as the servants finished. Though his scalp had long since gone numb, all of the pulls and tugs made his neck quite sore. However, no sooner had they finished with his hair, then he was dragged off to have his face made up. He glanced out the window as he was taken from one room to the other, judging by the sun it was about mid morning. 8 hours of beautification no wonder he already felt tired. And he still had to get dressed in the wedding clothes…

0000

Sesshoulara was her name and she had the look of a goddess. Everything, from her chocolate colored skin, to her raven hair, to her sun colored eyes, to the crescent moon mark that adorned her forehead. InuTaisho counted himself lucky that he was not stuck some frump.

However he would soon find out that that she was a goddess of ice. Through the entirety of the wedding her face heldwas a cold emotionless mask, she hardly looked at him, and said nothing except the vows for the marriage.

0000

"Interesting" was not the word to describe their wedding night. "Awkward" was a more appropriate choice.

InuTaisho sighed as he finally shed the outer ceremonial wedding robes, and released his hair and scalp from the imprisoning ringlets and strings. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sesshoulara doing the same.

The servants had been dismissed from the room as to not distract the newlyweds from doing what was expected of them. It was InuTaisho's duty to impregnant his new wife with an heir, and consummate the marriage and the alliance between the two countries, and it was her duty to allow him to do so.

InuTaisho turned around in time to see Sesshoulara, dressed only in a light under robe, crawling on to his bed. After pulling out the last hair band he steeled himself and walked over to the end of the bed.

He was trying to figure out what had him so nervous. He was not a virgin by any means, however in all of his previous experiences, the females had been very ready and willing, some of them had practically thrown themselves at him. However in Sesshoulara's case, though her body was in a very inviting position, her face was completely void of emotion as if she had resigned herself to something she did not want to do.

Well that was one thing they had in common, they both had been forced into a marriage by their parents, and in a situation that neither of them wanted. It was not that he did not want her sexually, she was very desirable, but the idea of taking a female, even if it was his duty, when she did not want to completely turned him off.

InuTaisho frowned and sat down on the end of the bed not facing her. He could hear the rustling of cloth behind him, most likely she was sitting up.

It came as a bit of a surprise when she was the first to speak. She seemed to have a firm grasp of Japanese. Then again she too was a full-blooded youkai, and youkai carried the ability that all children had (human or youkai) to easily and quickly pick up on languages, throughout their lives.

"You do not want me?" Her voice was smoother than satin, but colder than ice, yet their seemed to be a touch of disappointment in it, though InuTaisho was not sure whether it was him rejecting her, or her failing in her duty which was the same as his.

"Not like this." He said trying to match her cold tone, but found his tongue and lips completely out of practice. "Not if you do not want it."

"I must—"

"I know, so must I, but I do not feel passion went it is forced. I will think of something to say tomorrow. You may have my bed tonight, but you need not have me." He said dully.

There was no direct answer from her, instead there was another shuffling of cloth. He turned his head and saw she had pulled the covers over her and closed her eyes. InuTaisho felt a small lump rise in his throat. She did not feel anything for him at all. All of this was just her duty.

InuTaisho sighed heavily while he walked over and slid under the covers on the other side of the bed. It had been a long day…

The young couple walked out the door to InuTaisho's room to find practically the entire court standing outside the door. Of course it was customary, but InuTaisho was quite unprepared for it, thankfully Sesshoulara was.

"He as one would have expected a prince of this house to be, and much more." She said calmly. " Now I shall retire to my room to get some proper sleep. I trust it is ready."

The courtiers clapped as Sesshoulara followed her handmaids to her permanent room, while InuTaisho plastered a smile on his face as he was being congratulated by everyone.

InuTaisho, felt a wave of nausea when he saw the pride in his father, InuMaru's eyes. None of InuTaisho's previous accomplishments, not even his complete domination over his opponents in the alpha trials, had ever brought a look of pride from his father, and now all he had to have done was screw a female forced upon him for a political alliance? It was sickening.

0000

Things only got worst over the next five months. By now it was evident the new princess was not pregnant, because of this InuMaru was constantly putting pressure on InuTaisho to "do his duty," and on top of it all, the Lord of the Southern lands declared war on the west.

InuTaisho sat in his room drearily watching the rain fall, not caring for much of anything. In three days time he was to accompany his father to fight Hideaki, the Lord of the Southern lands. In truth his father had been looking for a reason to expand and now he had it.

The young youkai lord glanced over at the door that connected Sesshoulara's room to his own, the door that was meant for the wife to come and "join" her husband, and vise versa if the husband so chose. The door had not been opened since before they were married. She did not come, she hardly spoke to him, she only did when he tried to engage her conversation, and even then her answers always quick, concise conversation enders.

Actually a battle would suit him just fine, maybe he'd get lucky and take an arrow or a sword to the heart and get it over with.

His eyes went back to the rain, slowly becoming hypnotized by the falling drops of water. He almost did not hear the sound of the connector door opening. He turned his head around and saw Sesshoulara standing there. She gently slipped in, shut the door behind her and walked up to him.

"You are leaving off to war in 3 days time?" She asked in her usual tone.

He turned his head back to the rain.

"Yes." His tongue had finally learned how imitate Sesshoulara's cold tones.

"Then you know we must truly consummate the marriage tonight or tomorrow." She said in an almost business like tone.

"No."

There was a long pause, apparently she was taken off guard by his response.

"Why?" She asked softly.

"WHY!" He stood up and towered over her, his face contorted with anger and hurt. Months and years of pent up rage and sorrow, was beginning to unleash itself. "You ask me why!"

Sesshoulara's face was no longer the cold sheet of ice, it was a face now full of surprise and fear at his actions, yet even still she was not cowering in his presence as many in this situation would.

"Do you really want to know!" he snarled, bearing his fangs.

"Yes," she whispered.

InuTaisho let out a humorless laugh and began to storm around the room.

"Let's see I have a father who hates and hits his own son! A father who has been telling me what I 'must' do all my life! I am then forcefully bonded to a cold bitch for a wife because it is also something I "must" do, and now I am going off to war with nothing worth coming back too!"

After that last statement he stopped and leaned against the wall, slowly sliding down into a sitting position, his forehead resting on his knees. His shoulders began to shake as tears from months and years of pent up sorrow began to flow from his eyes.

Sesshoulara, looked at him as if seeing him for the first time. There was still surprise, but the fear on her face had been replaced by a pity and concern.

She quietly walked over and carefully placed a hand on the smooth white hair of InuTaisho's head.

"I am sorry. I misjudged you." She lifted up his face so their eyes met.

"I was told by my family to be careful, that if I gave you my heart as well as my body, and everything that I was, then when you got what you wanted from me, I would be discarded." She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his, in response he wrapped his arms around her.

"What made you think that I would do that?" He whispered.

"It happened to my older sister, she was married off to a lord that was very much like your father, and they say 'like father, like son.' I should have realized that you were not like that, that first night. You were very kind." She whispered back.

"In all honesty." His voice was above a whisper, but just barely. "Did you want me at all that night?"

She let out a small laugh and stroked his cheek. "You looked very handsome that night, but I was very tired."

They both started laughing, and rested their foreheads together again, smiling.

"I think I am beginning to like you Inu no Taisho." She said after the laughter subsided.

"I think I am beginning to like you too Sesshoulara."

"Lara. That is my short name for those who are familiar with me."

"Taisho. That is my short name."

"Taisho, for both our sakes we should do what we need to do." She said, but not with the business tone she had used before.

"Do you really want to Lara?"

"Yes, I—" Sesshoulara was interrupted when InuTaisho took the invitation and pressed his lips to hers.

Despite the surprise attack, she did not resist, quite the contrary, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back…

0000

There was no way he was going to get out of this alive. He had been lucky that the spear in his abdomen had not hit any major organs, but in this case he was in the middle of a battlefield, where he couldn't get medical help immediately. In other words, if he removed the spear, the wound was big enough that he could bleed to death, but if he didn't pull the spear out it would tear up his entrails if he tried to move, on top of that if he didn't move soon one of the enemy soldiers might come by and finish him off.

Raven hair, golden eyes, soft, warm lips flashed through his memory.

Lara! No! I Promised! I can't die! He screamed inside his head.

InuTaisho took hold of the hilt of the spear, he had a better chance of living with the blood letting, than if he allowed his organs to get cut up.

"Taisho!"

InuTaisho was relieved to hear the heavy footsteps and voice of Draba.

"Draba," InuTaisho rasped. "Pull this out!"

"Brace yourself." Draba warned as he took hold of the spear.

With one swift movement Draba freed the spear from the bloody sheath that was InuTaisho's abdomen, and helped the youkai prince to his feet.

InuTaisho untied the tattered red and blue sash around his waist, and repositioned it over the wound. Draba took both ends and pulled, in the hopes of the sash pulled tight enough, in conjunction with his armor, to stop, or at least slow the bleeding.

"Can you still breathe?" Draba asked tightening the sash even more.

"Enough," InuTaisho answered.

Draba completed the knot.

"What is happening?" InuTaisho picked up his trusty battle sword Tetsusaiga and followed Draba to where the battle seemed to be escalating.

"The Lord of the Southern Lands himself has arrived at the battlefield, I last saw your father fighting him, then went off to look for you." Draba explained between breaths as they jogged close and closer to the action, careful not to trod on the bodies of their fellow soldiers that lay strewn across the field.

"Glad someone took the time to look for me." InuTaisho spat.

They reached the top of the hill, and saw a mass of soldiers had stopped the battling to watch the one on one battle between the two leaders InuMaru and Hideaki, the Lord of the Southern lands.

"Father's going to lose." InuTaisho huffed, eliciting a look of surprise from Draba "The Southern lord is quick and agile, father's lumbering swings will do no good, all the Hideaki need do is wait till he wears down."

"And your father does not realize this?" Draba turned his head toward InuTaisho and asked carefully.

"My father is very used to just over powering everybody with Sounga, it has been ages since he fought in a one on one battle that last more than fives minutes." InuTaisho spoke without any care or worry in his voice.

Draba raised an eyebrow at InuTaisho's careless tone, but said nothing and turned back to the battle.

"I know what you are thinking. I am not a brutal person, you know that, but I am not sorry to see my father fall because he forgot the advice he, oh, so "delicately" battered in into my skull." InuTaisho spat not taking his eyes away from the fight.

Draba glanced at InuTaisho, then back at the battle. "I understand."

InuTaisho's predictions came true. In only an hour the mighty tyrant InuMaru fell to the blade of the southern lord.

"Does anyone else challenge me?" The Lord of the Southern lands bellowed, placing a triumphant foot on InuMaru's body. "I, Hideaki, Lord of the Southern lands and now the West!"

"I challenge." A loud, but calm voice resounded from behind the western troops.

The soldiers parted in one smooth motion, making way for their young prince, now king, as he walked by.

"Who are you, pup?" Hideaki narrowed his eyes at InuTaisho.

"I am InuTaisho, son of InuMaru. Let us fight. You and I, and only us. Our soldiers have shed enough blood. Let the final battle be between its leaders!" He spoke unsheathing Tetsusaiga.

"A good proposition with a high stake, I accept!"

"You shall not have the western lands wilst I still live!" InuTaisho pointed Tetsusiaga at the southern lord.

"Then the western lands shall be mine before the sun sets." Hideaki smirked.

"We shall see."

I need your help old friend. InuTaisho thought tightening his grip on Tetsusaiga, trying to ignore the pain in his abdomen.

"WIND SCAR!" InuTaisho shouted at the top of his lungs.

The power emanating from the sword and the young king cut through the air toward Hideaki. However, the Lord of the Southern Lands had powers of his own.

"PYROCLASTIC FLOW!"

A tornado of fire and rock and ash countered the wind scar and broke through, but to Hideaki's surprise, the young western lord was gone.

Did his attack annihilate the young lord completely? No! He had moved! That was why the Pyroclastic Flow had broken the Wind Scar so easily, the young lord was no longer there to power the attack. That meant…

The southern lord brought his sword around just in time to block the Tetsusaiga and prevent his head from being cut off. He had to give the young lord of the west credit for that trick. Too bad the young youkai was destined to die very soon.

Hideaki made a quick scan of his enemy for weak points. He noticed the red and blue sash the young lord wore was not positioned at his waist, but higher up on his abdomen almost to his chest. The color of the sash was darker in that area than the rest of the sash, obviously stained dark by blood.

The southern lord pushed forward and brought up his knee, which collided with the younger youkai's abdomen, causing him to gasp and cough. The giant sword fell from his hand, and little dots of red splattered on the southern lord's armor.

Young western Lord crumpled to his knees on the ground, clutching his abdomen, bowing his head, trying to endure the excruciating pain.

It was time to end this. The southern lord raised his sword.

Do something Taisho! DO SOMETHING OR DIE! InuTaisho growled at himself. He brought a hand to Tenseiga still sitting loyally at his side

The southern brought his sword down as InuTaisho brought his sword up to block the strike.

Tenseiga please…

Hideaki's sword hit the Tenseiga with metal shattering force, but it was not the Tenseiga that broke. The sharp tip of the southern lord's sword separated from the rest, ricocheted back at Hideaki and struck him in the throat.

Running on pure will and adrenaline, InuTaisho jumped to his feet and rushed the southern lord, slamming his hand to the sword point shoving it further into the older youkai's throat.

Out of the corner of his eye InuTaisho saw a flash of metal on the ground. Tetsusaiga!

"Let me ease your passing." InuTaisho rasped picking up Tetsusaiga and sliced the Southern lord's head clean off.

InuTaisho caught his breath leaning heavily on Tetsusaiga. Cheers and shouts came from the crowd of soldiers.

Get up Taisho. InuTaisho thought, the fight was not over yet, there were still things to be settled.

"Soldiers of the South! Hear me!" InuTaisho shouted forcefully to the troops. " If you continue to fight, you will be slaughtered just as your king has been, and if you continue to spill our blood, we will demand blood in return. If you continue to fight, when we defeat you here, we will continue a crusade to the south, slaughtering every house we come upon! However, if you surrender, and grant us this southern land from here to the western sea, the rest of your country will be left unharmed by us. Let the bloodshed end here!"

Ten seconds ringing silence hung in the air, before someone stepped out of the crowd of demon soldiers and approached InuTaisho. He was an older youkai, about the age of InuTaisho's father, and dressed in highly decorated armor.

"I am the high commander of the army, second only to the king." The southern youkai general greeted InuTaisho. " Your terms are fair considering, and on behalf of the army I accept!"

With that the general planted his sword in the ground at InuTaisho's feet and bowed, InuTaisho nodded his head respectfully in return.

A little more than an hour later, InuTaisho was surrounded by cheering soldiers. They were chanting his name and clapping him on the back as they walked toward the encampment. InuTaisho might have enjoyed it if he hadn't been experiencing excruciating pain with every step, and feel his blood rise up and begin to pool inside his mouth. He did not want to falter in front of his soldiers at the moment of victory, if he could just get back to his tent it would be okay.

Suddenly the world turned upside down and started spinning, he stumbled and for once his reflexes failed him.

The soldiers of the west watched as their young lord collapsed in a bloody heap on the ground…..

0000

Oooooh! Poor InuTaisho will he survive?

Please review! I want know what you think of my portrayal of InuTaisho and Sesshoumaru's mother.

Did you like my OC, Draba? You'll find out more about him later.

Oh by the way, a Pyroclastic Flow is a cloud of hot gas, ash and rock created when an ash column or dome of an erupting volcano collapses.

Don't worry the next chapter will be posted soon.

Till Next Time,

Vega Sailor