Title: Love Me Love Me Not

Chapter: Ending

Date: February 6, 2011

Disclaimer: I do not own nor make any profit from the writing of this fiction.

InuTaisho watched the small child with familiar triangular puppy ears that rested in a nest of moonlight colored hair. Ever since the death of the child's mother, the DaiYoukai had made vast changes in the treatment of hanyous within his borders. The child that ran around so happily with a large smile on her face and looking so much like her mother was part of his inspiration for the changes that he had made. He had been making a slow effort before his mate had died, but when the death of Inuyasha and the fact that their first and only daughter had been denied the right to know her mother had pushed him over the brink. Iasha was born hanyou just as her mother had been, but this time, InuTaisho had been resolved and determined to do better by her than her other parent had had the opportunity.

InuTaisho had made it punishable by death to abuse any demon child regardless of parentage, had set up institutions for orphaned hanyous, and for those that were of age, he offered them citizenship so that they had the basic rights that both humans and demons shared that lived in the Western Lands. Not only that, next to the painting of his first mate and child, he had one commissioned of Inuyasha during his happiest moment hung next to theirs. He was determined to at least give that much to the pure soul that had deserved so much more in life than the hell that he had been given. It had been quite a shock (a bit of a slap in the face) to the servants and visitors of the palace who had known how the man had felt towards hanyous. None were suicidal enough to comment. However, that was yet to be the hardest thing that InuTaisho would have to do in his long life. No, the hardest thing that he would have to do was about to happen. He called his daughter to him from where she was annoying her brothers in the garden.

"Iasha."

"Yes, Father?" She came running to him in a way that he imagined Inuyasha would have done when he were little if he had ever been given the chance to be a child.

"Tomorrow you turn a century old and its time that you were given your birthright from you mother." With a heavy heart he led the she demon off into the forest that held the ancient tree demon Bokusenou. He made sure to leave a scent trail so she could find her way back since it was her first visit to the forest. All other visits had been made without her as they waited for her to become of age.

My Dearest Daughter,

I am sincerely sorry that I will never be able to watch you grow up or even be born. I knew I was not going to survive your birth and it is through no fault of yours. I want you to know that I do love you as much as remains of heart and I hope that when I pass on I can bless you with the life and happiness that I never had. I had a vision before my letter to you and I know that the life of a hanyou can be hard due to the prejudice of others. Please do not give up. I have seen that you will change the hearts of those that despise us hanyou for being of both worlds and yet we are of neither. I was ashamed of my heritage because of the pain it brought me, but I want you to know that you should never be ashamed of who or what you are. It has taken many decades for me to reach this conclusion and I am finally at peace, so please take my advice seriously. I know it can be hard, but no matter what others do to you, show them that hanyou are not weak and yet we are not monsters. Show them by loving everyone despites their faults and forgive them for assumptions. Be above them, but remain humble and always know that whenever you need help, I will be there to guide your path. Just call for me.

Your Mother,

Inuyasha

As Iasha read the letter, InuTaisho had returned to the palace. While he waited for his daughter to read whatever confession was in the letter that Inuyasha had left in Pancho's care, he once again admired the painting that he had (at the time) been forced to commission as tradition states. It was of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, the day after Sesshoumaru had been born. Inuyasha had been nursing and he had been so happy that it was the first time that InuTaisho had seen such a beautiful and purely happy smile on his mate's face. Hopefully, his daughter would not hate him when she finished reading her mother's letter. He had changed from the man that had tormented such innocents.

A/N: I know that it is anti-climatic, but I figure bittersweet fit this ending the best. The rest is up to you guys for interpretation. Please review to tell me what you think.

Nama