Author Notes: This story is under revision... again... so I'm simply going to post a prologue, and write it all out so that I won't have to revise it again. :P Tell me what you think.

!AU! of a sort.

Prologue

Once upon a time there was a mighty emperor known as Takeru Yamato, the 13th Emperor of the Yamato Dynasty, and many of his kin, his family, were spread throughout the Great Land, known as the Land of the Sun. He has been called Takeru the Great, and Takeru the kind, and in the underworld: Takeru the Last. It was said that it was his mighty spirit alone that held back the demons from descending on the land and he ruled his subjects with a peaceful smile.

However like many great people Takeru was envied for his position in life and many desired his power that came with his inheritance and, when marriage no longer seemed an option and he did not take concubines they sought that power through less savoury means delving into the powers of magic and chakra manipulation, illusions and attempts to drive him mad, fear, drugs and eventually poison.

Emperor Takeru Yamato fell ill, and became listless he was no longer able to make his way out of his bedroom and didn't hear when his pregnant wife Chika called for help when she was killed and the baby was ripped from her stomach. He aged prematurely and his eyes became white and then he died, and some say he took every secret of the Yamato kin with him.

He had no definite heir when he died and so many moons passed and the world grew dark, for no longer was there a ruler, an emperor, to hold the demons at bay, to stop them and to hold them to their prison.

The Okami, wolf demons, woke and feasted on the stars, moon and sun (1). The Kitsune, the fox demons, awoke and began to play their tricks, some harmless. Others not so. The dead no longer stayed dead and preyed on the unfortunate (2).

Chaos descended over the empire and slowly society began to regress to a time that had once existed before the time of emperors. No longer was there peace, and no longer did people trust each other. Then there came war for the much coveted crown which had disappeared in Takeru's death.

No longer did the corners of the empire meet, to laugh and to trade their varied merchandise.

No longer did the islanders journey to the mainland and the islands descended into depression.

The smell of rotted flesh became as natural to the nose as fresh leaves had once been.

For forty years (3) it lasted and the ones who had caused it died.

For forty years a Dark Age desceneded upon the land and much of what had been learnt, was lost.

For forty years humans and demons coexisted together, corrupting each other.

For forty years certain demons grew in strength to be known as the tailed ones and the Orochi-no-Yamata (4) unwillingly was forced to concede his throne and crown to another demon. The Kyuubi-no-Youka who reigned supreme as the strongest of the strong.

And the Dark Age continued till eight great mages (5) were born across the lands.

Qian, a mage who had holy powers and Zhen, a mage who manipulated thunder and lighting. Kan, the water mage and Xun of the wind. Gen from the moutains, and Dui of the Swamp. Kun of the earth and Li of the Flame.

The mages were drawn to each other and together they they split again the boundaries of the world sealing the gateway inside five mystical objects that came to be known as the Crowns of Shadows, to be worn no longer by a genealogy of blood but by a kingship defined purely by strength and intelligence.

Only the strongest could wear the crowns and become king and then the crowns were scattered taken and divided by chance by the great mages and together they searched the land for places for them to hide and to simply exist.

The light shone again and people who had never seen the sun rejoiced in harmony but no matter how hard they celebrated they always feared that time of year when the demons were sealed away. They called it Samhain, the end of the year, for it was on these two days that the binding was the weakest for the veil was particularly thing at that time of years.

Life returned to the land but no longer were people ruled by Emperors or a single monarch, the land was now irreversibly split apart, or so the people said.

The Mages passed down their skills to apprentices and eventually villages were founded, dedicated to learning arts of the mage, the ninja, in each village groups of kin congregated and eventually tribes were formed and kingdoms were founded and began to dominate certain areas.

The Land of Fire, Wind and Water especially so.

The peoples made use of their demon blood and eventually forgot all reference to it.

But they never forgot about demons. Or the tailed ones.

Never

For when the veil bindings were particularly weak, or the demon particularly strong, a demon would break through and appear; unexpected as natural disasters to wreak havoc upon the world. Nonetheless there were sometimes exceptions because there were times they were summoned sometimes intentionally others times not so intentionally and were sealed inside a human child so that child would be intended for greatness.

It was a dark curse however.

For while they are great they will never be loved fully, for people will always fear them waiting for the demon to escape for the bonds to crack and the demon to be unleashed to either wreck havoc or to disappear back behind the veil.

For demons have no thought about others, and are entirely self-centred, self-serving characters.

But while they are locked away we shall live: happily ever after.

Things you didn't want to know but went into my thought process.

(1) – This quote refers to many myths. When there is no light in the sky it shows isolation, evil and desolation. I wrote it in to symbolise a similarity to the Norse Myths concerning Ragnorak, the end of the world. One of my favourite cultures and myths. It is said in the prophecies that the wolves bound beneath earth will rise and swallow the sun and the Wolf that chases the moon through the sky will finally devour her. Just a side note Kouga from Inuyasha was an Okami, as are the wolves in Wolf Rain… I think anyway.

(2) – Nekomata are known for animating the dead and it's particularly demonic. Like Necromancy, best Necromancer novel however has to be Garth Nix's Abhorsen Series. Going back to Inuyasha Kirara is kinda like a Nekomata and in Inuyasha I'm told that the Nekomata of the Bijuu has been caught and bound on television: being incased in a young girl.

(3) – 40 is a very special in many religions. It's a time of waiting, especially in many Middle Eastern founded religions, 40 Years is also the amount of time that it takes for new generation to rise.

(4) – Orochi-no-Yamata is a Japanese legend about a dragon with eight heads and eight tails. In a special episode of Ranma he fought the Orochi-no-Yamata. It is obvious that's where Orochimaru gets him name from, but only hells knows why anybody would call their child after a demon, especially when they are so against them.

(5) – These names and attributes come from the IChing, a method called the Book of Changes.