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UNPLEASANT NEWS

He knew it. Looking back, he had only himself to blame.

Well, it was mostly hers, she had been falling after all, but he wasn't exactly innocent either. He had seen something pummeling to the ground fast, as he stormed towards that goddamn cliff.

He could scent Inuyasha nearby, and he would not associate with that Hanyou. Today had been disgraceful enough.

The words of his mother, the Lady of the West, still rang in his ears as he rushed through the cliff.

In remembrance of their dreadful conversation, he frowned.

"I'm going to take a new mate. His name is Fudo Nakamura, and he is a powerful Taiyoukai."

She was eerily calm.

"I have grown to hate your father and what he has done to me in the past. That human and her son is the evidence of my failure in keeping my mate. The betrayal and the feeling of incompetence have ruled me for too long."

His mother sighed deeply, before she continued.

"I've come to hate the humans and the responsibilities these lands bury me under. I even wanted to leave the political wars and the deviousness of this house behind me. But…"

A smile had appeared on her face, and her eyes had seemed to be glowing with an emotion he could not place.

Oh God no.

"…then I met him and started to open up again. His love and kindness have shown me what I long had lost. Compassion. And with the return of that feeling, I realized we cannot keep this land in the tight grip of the Youkai court. If we do, there will be war. I consider his guidance and presence in my life a blessing. So, I've come up with a solution for our problem."

His mother had paused dramatically and had looked directly into Sesshomaru's expressionless face.

This wasn't going to end well for him. He just knew it.

"You are to mate a human."

His bland expression had changed into a grimace of hatred. Baring his fangs, he growled.

The beast understood first, what his mother just relayed to him and red bled into his eyes as it awoke and pleaded for dominance.

This was beneath him. He could clearly see that his mother masked herself with a bland expression, her body started to shake slightly.

Good.

How dare you.

The blood-curdling sound of his warning, with the mix of his wild Youki lashing out at her, left her with no other choice but to lock his gaze with hard and determined eyes.

This wasn't a battle of power.

This wasn't even a battle of will.

This was a command.

She was the renewed Lady of the West and she is damned if her son succeeded with his little intimidation tricks.

She had a solid 700 years on him and could make him do it if need be, though she'd much rather take the peaceful road, which was threatening him with his inheritance, of course.

It wouldn't be an idle threat either, the courts would not take his insubordination in this matter, lightly and she knew that he knew that, too.

"You are to take a human mate. Her lifespan won't be a problem, as it will expand to meet yours in the mating."

She paused as she saw her son struggeling to regain his composure.

"You will provide this house with an heir, and it will be a Hanyou, one to rule these lands."

She clasped her hands together, as she continued to explain.

"This will prevent a future in which Youkai and human battle each other to death, which will, by the way, not end well for us. We may be strong and biological superior in every possible way, but they have much, much larger numbers, and they keep increasing.

Don't even think about dishonoring your dear father by making light of their strengths."

He flinched at the word 'dear'. His father had been the most powerful Taiyoukai that ever existed, and he had died to protect his mistress and their Hanyou son. Though it was through the hands of unworthy humans, he was still renown as the strongest fighter of their time.

There were so many of them, that in the end, even his father did not stand a chance.

He himself would have been next in line for the throne, but his young age and the presence of his more than capable mother had prevented his immediate culmination.

Her position as the ruling Lady of the West made it possible for him to wander the lands and seek ways to improve his skills, as was custom for young Inuyoukai.

And even though he believed to have surpassed his father at this point in time, he couldn't be sure since there wasn't a way for him to measure up against him.

"I don't think I have to tell you that we Inuyoukai aren't exactly the most reproductive of species. Many humans are born every year and I believe that there will come a day where the human race will take over due to their sheer number. They will destroy the earth, pest the lands and kill the nature with their dirt and because of their ignorance. They do not have a natural connection to these lands. They do not feel the vibrant spirit of nature all around them. We can't afford for them to gain any more influence over the lands. We need to take measures to prevent this."

She looked deep into his eyes, the beast retreated, and her eyes looked warm and hopeful in their amber glow. This was a look Sesshomaru had never before seen in his mother.

She looked happy, loving even.

He sighed somewhat defeated by logic. Though, he tried not to, he couldn't help but feel happy for her. A small part of him did. To be precise, the part that had not, as of yet, processed that his mother had just commanded him to mate a human.

"I want us to thrive along with the human race, preventing them from destroying our lands."

Still holding onto the hope that the other houses would never agree to his mother's decision, he argued.

"The other houses won't agree with this."

She laughed aloud. "The houses of the North, South, and East started this discussion a long time ago. There are, as you very well know, a lot of humans and strong Hanyou in the courts of the South and North. I, in my pettiness, wouldn't even consider the possibilities of a peaceful coexistence."

"I am not agreeable."

"I don't need you to be agreeable, my son."

"That half-breed can't even control his beast. He falls victim to his own youkai blood. Do you really wish to breed Hanyou who are too weak to control themselves?" he spat in disgust.

His mother sighed deeply. "That is regrettable, indeed. But you have to know that, even though the human who birthed him was weak, he could have been able to control his beast if he was taught how to do so."

Sesshomaru's amber eyes looked shocked. "Explain yourself."

"His beast never had the chance to develop a consciousness. It does not communicate with him. The reason for this lies in the fact that he did not learn how to let it out or separate it from his human side. If he'd learned how to control his youkai blood, he would be able to tame his beast, but I'm afraid… it's too late for that now…"

The sad look in her eyes irritated him.

"This Sesshomaru hopes you do not mean that his beast is craving to have its most basic instincts fulfilled while fighting to overrule the mind and the body of a fully-grown man."

She sighed sadly, and continued, "If it is not let out, it cannot learn."

He shook his head in disbelief, "A mere toddler of a beast, wreaking havoc in a man. What a shameful fate to endure."

Realizing he was pitying the Hanyou, he got his act together and made his point, "This Sesshomaru is not unreasonable, and he understands what you require from him, but he will not mate a mere human."

His mother shrugged him off, "Who told you to mate a mere human? Find a woman of true worth, so powerful herself, that she can produce an heir of the west who can, even though he will be Hanyou, stand above the full-blooded with might and strength."

He smirked. It was a cold, dark smile when he asked, "And who, that is human, could be considered so powerful to even destroy a full-blooded Inuyoukai?"

The look in his mother's eyes changed and she smiled knowingly at him. "Search for a Miko."

He stared at her in badly concealed surprise as she continued.

"Your pup, your heir, he would be powerful. Carrying the best of both species… His power would make him immune to every attack possible, for he would hold the holiest of powers from the human, the Reiki, and the darkest, most animalistic of powers from us, the youkai. With both darkness and light, he will find the balance between two worlds."

The smirk vanished from his face. She was being serious. Not only that, her conclusion was valid. That would be the best course of action to take.

It would also mean a huge advantage towards the other houses. If they were able to make the key movement in the human-youkai-relations, it would automatically grant them superiority above the North, East, and South.

"The moment you mate a human Miko, I shall grant you all the rights to the throne and the lands. Furthermore, you will lead the discussions regarding our coexistence, with your mate as an equal."

"I would not care for the pup, neither the woman. No matter how convenient that outcome would be for our house, you would have bought it with this Sesshomaru's life."

He growled lowly, with barely contained rage.

"It is not fair to the pup and the woman, either. You should not withhold my birthright from me, either. I always did what was expected of me, I deserve it and I will fight to get it."

He managed to press the last words through gritted teeth, as he was slowly losing his patience, seeing that he was cornered and fighting a losing battle.

"Sesshomaru, your future lies within this land. If we don't change our course, there will be no future for you as the heir of the land. Humans live mere fifty through sixty years. They are not fit to rule. They would never be able to do what needs to be done, and they wouldn't accomplish great changes within their short lives. You were born to rule, but to rule you need to know and do what is best for the land, not yourself!"

Her eyes were warm, as she said "Besides, you do not know what it means to have a pup. Once a child is born, you will be unable to suppress the emotions that child will elicit from you. You are an Inu after all. You are already being protective, thinking of your future child; it's in your blood."

"Now go. Go and search for that Miko. I will not, under any circumstances, accept your failure."

There she was again, the woman he loved to hate. The sad look in her eyes didn't quite fit the picture, though.

Irritating, so very irritating.

He gave her a short nod and left the palace.

Sesshomaru snarled angrily as he left. He would mate a human. Nevertheless, this was his responsibility as the heir of the West. This was his legacy, and he would accept it, even though he detested it.