I Do Not Own InuYasha

Prologue...

The scent of the perfumed oils she had been forced to bathe in were still clinging to her even as her scalp itched and her sweat rolled down her temple in this summer's heat. There were clouds on the horizon, but they would not bring the rain they needed, or she desired. She desired the rain, she wanted the world to unleash it's pain and weep with her for her situation.

Normally she would've been awed at standing in such finery, but it was a stifling prison. The silks she wore were irritating her, and she wanted to dispose of them. She would happily, gleefully burn the entire outfit if she had it her way, but she could not do that as she waited for the day's proceedings to start. She had been forced to be purified and taught the proper way to serve tea, and what would be expected of her immediately, but it would not ready for the long term.

She stood there trembling in the breeze, her body still ached, and her mind was still fatigued. The silks she was forced to wear were hot, and she wanted to run, but she couldn't. Not only would the uchikake she had been forced to wear not permit it, but the guard escort here would never permit her to run. And running would condemn her brothers and father to death, so she stood here, looking at the greenery of the grass. She wanted to take off her shoes and move over the grass, it looked so soft and inviting.

The shōgun was waiting to present her as if he were her father. She would personally have no part to do with this deceit, but she was here by command of her shōgun.

For the first time in the past few days she truly regretted saving one life, the life she was being exchanged for.

The guard shouted, and she didn't look up hearing the wedding parade coming for her. She trembled a bit and fought her fear back by sheer will, she would do this, she would do this, and her father and brothers would live peaceful lives.

"You do this, and your family is safe," the shōgun whispered in her ear.

"You promise?" she asked.

"You save my daughter, I save your family," he muttered sourly, and she looked at the ground again. She had saved the shōgun's daughter, she had saved Higurashi-hime from drowning a handful of days ago. And now she was the stand in lookalike for Higurashi-hime so the shōgun's daughter did not marry the daiyōkai coming for her hand. No, the hime was too precious for such a fate, she mused bitterly, but the farmer's daughter, blessed with near identical looks as the hime, that daughter was expendable.

There were kami above, and she knew they despised her.

Taking a steadying breath, she lifted her eyes while keeping her head bowed and decided she would look her death in the eye today and smile before she greeted her end. For surely that would be the price of such deceit today.

He was bored today.

Sesshōmaru was only doing this because his father had ordered it, if he had it his way he would be a monk or something for eternity. He had no interests in building a harem or producing an heir at this point in his life, he was nearly a thousand years old, he would have much time before he had to have a mate or an heir.

However, a human bride, his father had seen value in them exerting claims in the mortal realm, and this particular mortal was one his father desired for her spiritual prowess. She was said to be protector of the Shikon no Tama, which was of great interest to the Inu no Taishō.

Not to Sesshōmaru, but his father had been keen on obtaining the jewel, the union was simple enough to procure, Sesshōmaru had been shocked though when his father had put him in the marriage contract rather than InuYasha or Tōga himself. And because it was his father's orders, he was going to find this Higurashi Kagome and bring her back as his wife. Sesshōmaru figured out he would have a few decades of annoyances with a wife, but he had no grand plans for having a wife in his life. It wouldn't change him or change anything, and when she passed on in a few decades he would continue on as he always had.

The human bride would mean nothing. In the few decades she was to be with him he would accommodate her needs and see to her immediate comforts, but there would be no hanyō pups from him. He was not his father, he was not InuYasha either.

They were coming upon the bridal party, he had not gone with a lot of fanfare for the event of their wedding, having felt it pointless and an immediate short term solution for what was likely to evolve into a long term problem with his father's strategies. Humans did not live long enough to impact their lives, and he wished his father would see this, because marrying Izayoi had not brought the lasting union his father had wanted between the inuyōkai and humans of Setsuna.

Sesshōmaru's nose revolted when he was assaulted with the stench of the humans as he neared.

The bride, his bride, stood beside a male, her face was mostly hidden within the shadows of her veil but he saw her red lips and the delicate curve of her jaw. He was certain she was rather petite, even by a human's standards, barely coming up to his chest.

She smelled rather appealing to him, now that the wind had washed off most the heavy scents that had been encasing her, he was stunned she smelled like the forest and fresh rain and peach blossoms, there was also a vague trace of honey in her scent. It wasn't unpleasant, he found it tolerable. The humans shifted nervously around her, but she had yet to move, remaining utterly still as if she were a mountain, he was a bit impressed. He scented everyone else's fear, but not hers, her scent only held sorrow and trepidation, which was an interesting combination for a human in his presence.

The human procession talked, and he pretended to listen while his own procession talked and then he offered his hand to his bride.

This was the first sign of movement he had seen from the onna other than her breathing, her red lips curved into a delicate, sad smile as she slowly lifted her own hand to his.

He was stunned to feel a calloused hand in his, this was not his bride.

She smiled sadly at the offered clawed hand, knowing the moment she touched his hand it would all be over, she would be had and he would kill her. But she smiled anyway, he was truly the most stunning of creatures she had ever witnessed. His hair was silver and long, there were magenta slashes on his cheeks and magenta highlighting his brilliant honey colored eyes, with a violet crescent moon on his brow. He wore a heavy fur on his right shoulder and heavy black armor, she had noted his swords immediately and wondered if that was how she was going to die.

Slowly she lifted her own calloused hand to his and placed it in his as she waited for him to cut her down.

"Why are you smiling?" a soft, tempered, icy voice asked.

She chuckled and dared to look at him, and she knew he wasn't fooled as his hand tightened on hers.

At least her death would be beautiful, that was more than most received.

She smiled broadly at him then.