Chapter 1

Tough Decisions a Mother Must Make

A regal lady sat watching as her son left her shiro, his long silver hair waving behind him as his long strides tore at the floor beneath him. Satori pursed her lips, angry at her son once again. She was a cold demon, trained to be so, but she was still a mother, and a mother always loved her son.

Again, she had argued with her one and only offspring, simply requesting that he look for a mate and settle down. It was time for him to produce an heir to his throne. It had been time for a while, however, contrary to popular belief, Satori was not cruel.

She wanted her son to be happy, and being tied down to one who you cared nothing for would not bring such. So, even when it came time for the Western Lord to perform his duty and create the next line of royalty, she never pushed.

She wished for her son to fall in love and experience what only very few could. However, time was beginning to run short, and Satori was losing ground with the council. So far, she had been able to keep the annoying beings off of her son's back, but soon, she would have no say.

After all, while she held the title of the Lady of the West, she really wasn't. The moment her own mate had died, and her son stepped up, she was pushed down. She didn't mind so much. After all, ruling over any amount of land was difficult, and taxing. The West was large, and she had grown tired of such a feat.

Soon, if her son didn't listen to her offered wisdom, he would be forced into a mating, and to someone even she despised. He would be given the option to take the female as a mate or lose his title. She knew what her son would chose, meaning he would live the rest of his life in unhappiness.

The doors to her sky castle slammed shut, announcing the retreat of her angered and hardheaded son, and Satori began to play with one of the four bunches of hair tied to her scalp. Silvery silken locks flowed through slim fingers, deadly claws glinting in the sunlight filtering through the roofless room.

She loved having her throne room open to the skies. It was thanks to her mage that none of the weather entered into her home. Did she ever properly thank the female? Probably not. With a shrug of her shoulders, and a slouch to lean her head on her chin and her elbow on the golden armrest of her chair, she pushed that thought away.

Raised into royalty, much like Sesshomaru, she was trained at an early age not to show any emotion. Unfortunately for her, it backfired in her raising of her son. She was unable to show how she loved him, and now, he believed that she held no such feelings.

Meaning he didn't trust her.

Satori's free hand absentmindedly picked at her thick and heavy kimono, careful claws gently running over the fabric. It wouldn't do to snag such an expensive garment.

What was a mother to do about a stubborn son?

She had told her son countless times as he grew that showing emotion wasn't a weakness at all. Yes, enemies can, and will, use things like that against you, but there are a select few that could be trusted.

A mate, for example, would be perfect.

The only problem was her son did nothing other than wander around, protecting his ward and fighting off anything he possibly could. For a brief moment, Satori had voiced the option to mate the child once she was grown, but Sesshomaru quickly shot that down, stating that it would be much the same as him mating her, his mother.

The fact that her cold and frozen son took in a human female and basically declared himself as her father told a worried mother that her son did carry compassion. He just needed the right person to bring it out of him.

Now, if her son would simply slow down long enough to meet that person, Satori wouldn't worry so much. Another sigh, and the beautiful inu demon shifted hands, racking her brain for any ideas on how to help the annoying child she loved dearly…without him knowing.

A loud booming clap of thunder echoed overhead and the female leaned back against the thick red cushion of her chair, watching as the now-pouring rain pattered onto an invisible shield, rolled to the side of the shiro, and down the outside walls.

The Lady of the West rolled her eyes at the pointless show and waved her hand in dismissal. "Come, Wakanda, the show is not needed."

"You are always such a bore, Satori. Did the infidelity and death of your mate ruin you so? Perhaps it is your arrogant and egotistical son?" The very mage Satori had been thinking about mocked as she floated from her dark grey cloud, allowing the thick air to dissipate before she landed before the now-even-more-annoyed female inu.

Wakanda was named appropriately, Satori would give her that. The mage possessed strong magical powers, and that was literally the only reason she was kept around. Her attitude towards any that were not her left a lot to be desired.

The female was beautiful…if you were into that kind of thing.

She had short, dark brown hair in the kind of style small pixies wore. It was rare for a female of her stature to desire short hair, and most felt she resembled a male too much, though that thought was quickly dashed with once glance at the breasts the being carried.

Sometimes even Satori had a hard time looking away, and the thought that only an oni's hand could cup the abominations went through her mind. Was she jealous? Of course not. Satori, Lady of the West, never got jealous.

Besides, Wakanda didn't leave much to the imagination. She wore simple armor that covered nothing. Just a small breast plate made of soft medal that wrapped around the females back tightly, only being held on by the huge jiggling bags of squishy…

Satori mentally slapped herself and forced her eyes away from the damned temptation. Other than the breast covering that didn't even meet in the middle, Wakanda only chose to wear an even smaller linen cloth over her womanhood. Just the right breeze and everyone would know what she had to offer.

That was a sight Satori would never forget, even if she would willingly cut off her hair for that memory to be removed.

Golden-hued eyes met the eerie white of the witch and Satori growled as her mind came back to the mage's taunting. There were only certain things Satori tolerated, and this imbecile knew that. "Say what you will about Mattaki, Wakanda, but leave my son from your lips."

The female waved a hand and shook her head as if to try to move her almost-nonexistent black hair. "I came here for a reason. The council has called upon me. I am to deliver a message to you." Wakanda paused for a moment, a scowl coming to her own face. "You will not like what they have to say."

"How long?" Satori asked, sitting back in her throne and crossing her long legs. The rustling of fabric was all that was heard for a few seconds before an answer was finally given.

"A year."

"A year." The Western Lady repeated in a breathless whisper. "My son has a year to find a female, fall in love, and mate her, or he will be forced into a mating of the council's choosing?"

"Unfortunately. I told them that was impossible, but they only said that they have given him enough time. They told me to deliver the message or they would shorten what they have graciously given. Their words, not mine." The mage mumbled. She hated the council as much as Satori did. They may disagree on the Lord of the West, and what they truly thought of them, but the council…that was something all would agree on.

"What is this one to do? My only son will live a life of unhappiness unless I find a way to change that." Satori asked, her voice holding a tone of desperation, ignoring the look of pity her companion sent her.

Yes, Satori and Wakanda fought like cats and dogs, but they held a deep friendship, one that went back many years. A friendship that the Western Lord despised, and every time he laid eyes on the mage, he attempts to kill her.

He always almost does until Satori grows bored and breaks the two apart. She couldn't really blame her son for it was a direct result of Wakanda's interference that Mattaki was lead to another woman, and then ultimately killed.

Thoughts of the past suddenly had Satori perking up in her seat, her eyes holding just the tiniest bit of excitement. Inside, she was full of hope and joy because the sudden idea that popped into her head, while having its risks, was almost foolproof.

"Wakanda, do you still remember how you ruined my mating and life?" Satori questioned, turning those bright gold eyes on the other female.

Wakanda's mouth dropped in astonishment before she snapped it shut, a look of anger overcoming her face. "You can't be serious. You thanked me for my spell…to a certain extent." The mage defended, crossing her arms which inadvertently forced her too large breasts out.

Satori scowled before looking away, all while Wakanda continued to steal curious glances at her longtime friend, wondering where her mind had gone. The mage lost and broke the silence first.

"I admit it, I should have asked for your permission first. Now, why do you want to know about that spell?" It wasn't until the female received a certain look that she realized what Satori's plan was, and it took all she had not to laugh. A snicker escaped but nothing more.

"Do not find this situation amusing. This could work." Satori argued, glaring at the other woman.

"Or he could be stuck like that forever, and you would be forced into a mating so you could produce another heir." Wakanda warned, crossing one arm over her chest and holding out a pointed finger as she listed off all of the reasons not to do such a spell. "Or he could overpower my spell, breaking it, and come to find me just to tear me to shreds. Not an appealing option I must say. He could find a female, but she would be horrible as a lady, forcing him to step down anyway. Or, as I believe, there just isn't anyone out there that can love him."

Satori sighed and placed a hand over her eyes, slender fingers rubbing her temples. "If the spell works, he would have found the perfect female for him, his true mate. That means she would be able to lead. As far as him overpowering you, there is one time you can cast the spell, and he will not even know until it is too late."

Satori then stood and casually walked towards one of the many windows in the large room, sunlight lighting it once again. She was able to get a clear view of the bustling town and watched for a few minutes as demons ran themselves down trying to prepare for the inevitable.

Wakanda waited in silence as the lady composed her thoughts. It didn't take long before she finally began to speak. "As you know, mating season is just around the corner. My son will lock himself in one of his many caves and go into a deep sleep, so much so that he won't notice your spell, not until he awakens. Once your spell is set, he will have to find the female for him to break it…or he will remain in that form."

"It's risky, Satori. Are you willing to pay the price? Look what happened to Mattaki and that human. What if that is what Sesshomaru brings back instead of a yokai female? Or, worse, what if he brings home a male?"

Wakanda had to suddenly duck as a very sharp dagger flew past her head and embedded itself in the wall behind her. She looked back at the angry inu and somewhat regretted her words. After all, she wasn't the only one that questioned what company the lord chose to keep.

"My son does not prefer males to females, Mage. Do not insinuate such again. As far as the human, this one would not mind as long as he was happy. Izayoi…she was a different story." Satori reprimanded, her voice trailing off. "Wakanda, what choice do I have? As a mother, I would rather my son be stuck in that form, and free, than to be forced into unhappiness."

Desperate eyes met white and the mage caved. She gave a small nod with a sigh before confirming in words. "I'll do the spell, Satori, but if he tries to kill or eat me, you better stop him."

Satori nodded before turning to look out the window once more. Wakanda took that as her cue to leave and promptly did so. She had a lot to get ready for the upcoming disaster she was about to create.

The lady whispered one last thing to her long-gone son, hoping he heard her plea.

"Forgive me, Sesshomaru, for a mother must do what she must do."

-sSs-

So, this is one of my many new stories. I also think I am going to like it a lot. The idea has somewhat been done before, but I am changing a lot of things and making it my own so it should be a new experience for all. Hopefully. In the next chapter, we will find out just what this spell entails and how Sesshomaru reacts to it. Quite honestly, I would be pissed, especially if I carried as much pride as Sesshomaru does. I hope you all enjoy.

I do not own InuYasha.