InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 2

Pride (In the Name of Love) 2 / ??
Written by Jezz-Ra
Warnings - Not all warnings apply to all chapters. Yaoi, Het, Rape, Lemon, Violence, Language, Torture, Angst, Incest, Dark (at times). It's a massive story, folks, it's got a little bit of everything.
Disclaimer - I don't own Inuyasha, don't make money off it. Wish I did.

Sidestories can be found under my author profile at any of my archive sites.
Archived at - inu.adultfanfiction.net, fanfiction.net, and mediaminer.org ::: Anywhere else, ask!
Questions or Comments? - Email me at megami_no_remon@hotmail.com
Update List - If you wish for new chapters of this story to be e-mailed to you directly, please send me an email and I'll add you to my update list! Chapters will be mailed as soon as they're ready to go! If you are on my update list, I still appreciate reviews at any of the usual sites I post to!

// blah // indicates thoughts.

A/N - Nothing much to report.
--------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------

It was dark...darker than any natural blackness. It was cold and damp, too. Dull amber eyes slowly flickered open as he struggled to keep his head from lolling forward again. He made a valiant effort to take stock of the situation, but the effort was too great. Sesshoumaru's head dropped bonelessly forward again, his chin hitting his bare chest. Dirty, blood-soaked tangles of tarnished silver hair snaked down his bruised and lacerated torso. His wounds were healing more slowly this time - his regenerative powers were severely overtaxed, and some of the cuts had scraped him to the bone.

He shifted, the chains around his chafed and swollen wrists drawing fresh blood. Another disorienting wave of nausea gripped him and threatened to make him retch. He was able to choke it back this time, although barely. He felt weak and drained, far beyond what his injuries should have brought him to. // Mokomoko-sama... //

Still, Sesshoumaru could not bring himself to regret leaving his mokomoko with Rin. As ill as the effects of being separated from it may be, he could only imagine the anguish he would be in now if that beast had his claws in it.

A low, rumbling laugh echoed through the room, reverberating through the wet stone beneath his feet, through the wall, through the air itself. Sesshoumaru made a concerted effort to pull himself fully conscious - to stiffen his spine, school his expression, pull the tatters of his dignity and his pride around him like a shield.

A pair of malevolent, dark red eyes slowly opened across the room, signaling the arrival of the beast. Below them, a hideous maw full of countless teeth - row upon row like a shark's except longer, narrower, curved and yellowed - gaped open in a gruesome parody of a smile. The rasping voice spoke, each word seeming to grate along the length of Sesshoumaru's spine, to jangle discordantly in his ears. "Good evening, little Lord. I trust your accommodations are acceptable?"

Sesshoumaru did not deign to dignify the taunt with a response, keeping his expression calm and level. It took every ounce of strength he had - his body wanted nothing more than to collapse back into the blissful blackness of unconsciousness.

The too-wide, too-toothy smile turned into a snarl and a hand shot forward. The hand was massive, scaly and black, tipped with dark and grimy claws. The powerful reptilian fingers wrapped entirely around the graceful line of Sesshoumaru's throat. "So, the little pup still has some fire in him..no worry, I know how to smother it." A black, oozing tongue slid out of the fetid mouth to trail up the taiyoukai's face. The reek of rotting flesh and the sickly sweet smell of death on the youkai's breath was almost enough to knock the beleagured Sesshoumaru out. As it was, he was unable to suppress a shudder of horrified disgust at the contact. "Just remember, puppy...you belong to me now, through your own doing..."

Unbidden, Sesshoumaru thought back to the events that had brought him to this point.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

A high pitched scream tore through the air. Sesshoumaru's heart froze even as a violent snarl twisted his usually impassive features. // Rin! //

Sesshoumaru tore into his castle, heedless of anything that dared get into his way. If it didn't move quickly enough, be it door or obstacle, he simply smashed through it. In the back of his mind he took note of the castle's eerie stillness. Crumpled about on the ground like discarded scraps of paper lay his servants and his guard. The smell of blood, human and youkai alike, was heavy and cloying in the air.

The taiyoukai burst into Rin's room a moment later, golden eyes darting about wildly. He almost tripped on something as he entered the room and he spared it a quick glance. It was Jaken's body, torn nearly in half. His staff lay scorched and splintered a few feet away.

The toad demon was forgotten, however, when Sesshoumaru's gaze finally fell on Rin's body. The girl lay in a heap in the corner of the room, her stomach torn wide open. Her eyes were glazed over in death.

Something twanged painfully inside Sesshoumaru's soul. He cast about wildly, but his sensitive nose couldn't find a trace of whoever had killed his ward. The heavy feeling in the air, the sense of horribly powerful youki, thrummed against his senses with a pressure like noiseless thunder.

// No. This Sesshoumaru will NOT allow this! // he growled to himself, snatching Tenseiga from its sheath. Dimly something whispered dark things into the back of his mind, telling him that it wouldn't work. He had revived Rin once this way before.

Heedless of the nagging voice, Sesshoumaru slashed the blade in a vicious arc before him. He stumbled backwards in pure shock a moment later as his vision and the room itself seemed to waver. Normally Tensaiga would show him the little demons that worked busily to prepare a soul for its departure from the world of the living.

This...this was horrific and different. The entire room seemed to darken to a shadow of its former self. The walls , floor, and ceiling had become indistinct, cloudy and vague. But the room was the least of Sesshoumaru's concerns. Crouched on the ground before him was a hulking, massive demon beast.

The demon's form was indistinct. amorphous and shifting. A pair of smoky red eyes gleamed in the mass of dark flesh. Off to one side a muscled, tentacle-arm was extended. The clawed hand was curled around the neck of Rin's soul, holding her high off the ground. Her eyes were blank, uncomprehending.

A low, echoing chuckle reverberated through the room, though it seemed to speak to Sesshoumaru's mind as much as it boomed in his sensitive ears. "Ah, so the mighty Inu no Taisho's little pup finally arrives."

Sesshoumaru eyed the beast impassively, showing no trace of the turbulent emotions roiling beneath the surface of his glacial stare. "What is it that brings you to this Sesshoumaru's castle?" Sesshoumaru's tone was level, but it was heavy with the threat of pain and death.

"Just like your father," the grating voice rumbled. "So much talking and false niceties."

"You have slain my ward, my guard, my retainer, and my servants?" Sesshoumaru snapped, his eyes narrowing.

"I have."

"Generally, threats work better if you have not already carried out the act you care to threaten with," Sesshoumaru quipped, eyes unconsciously locking on Rin's lifeless soul as it dangled in the demon's grip.

"I have not made threats yet, puppy."

"This Sesshoumaru has not been a puppy for nearly seven hundred years. I am Lord of these lands, and if you do not quit attempting to toy with me...""SILENCE!" the demon suddenly roared. The very walls shook from the force of the youkai's voice. "I am here to collect on a debt owed me from your father before you, and I care nothing for your lands! I do not desire them."

"You will release this Sesshoumaru's ward."

"If you agree to my terms. I shall not be denied a second time...puppy."

Sesshoumaru's teeth clenched tightly. He was angry at the knot of fear and worry for Rin that tugged at his heart. "Explain."

"I am Tsetsukosei, Lord of the Black Circle.""Black Circle," Sesshoumaru stated as much as questioned.

Tsetsukosei again let out his dry, malevolent chuckle. "It is a power far beyond your ken, foolish pup. The Black Circle is as the yawning maw of Hell itself, the outermost ring. I had...dealings...with your father. But he would not accept the price of my truce, refused to make repayment for what he had taken from me."

"And what was this...price?"

A horrible, vaguely reptilian face stretched out of the blob. The fleshy mass slowly constricted and contorted until it roughly resembled the form of a hideous bipedal dragon. A terrible grin stretched across the gaping maw, revealing row upon row of teeth, layered something like a shark's but much longer and curved. "I demanded he hand over his precious puppy...you have always been such a pretty thing."

Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly, but he controlled himself quickly, only letting his disgust at the concept show. "Apparently, my Lord Father did not see fit to agree to your terms," he responded smoothly.

"No!" Tsetsukosei roared, angered. "But now I have come back. The father is gone, and all that is left is his pretty little puppy. You are strong for your age, but you are a candle in the face of the sun compared to your father! I have come to collect on my debt.""My father's personal debts are not my own. There is no proof of your alleged dealings."

The vaguely draconic face twisted into a gruesome glare. "I will deal with you, then. A willing victim is much more enjoyable than not. You will lay down your weapons and come with me as my prisoner. In return, I will allow your human-child to return to live out the rest of her short, miserable human days. If you do not agree to these terms, the anguish this soul will experience will be legend."

Sesshoumaru glared darkly at the demon before him, surprised to not only find himself considering it but already accepting the offer. // So I simply must agree to his terms until I find a way to escape. To trade this Sesshoumaru for the life of a human girl...forgive me my judgment of you in days gone by, my Lord Father. I understand now. // "We have an accord. Under condition."Tsetsukosei's malevolent red eyes narrowed and he gave Rin's motionless spirit a shake for good measure. "What...condition?" he growled at Sesshoumaru.

"You will return her to life. You will remain here, out of her sight. I will take this girl elsewhere, so I know she will be cared for and not stranded in a hostile land without me. You will not have dealings with the girl again, in this life or the next. I will return by dawn to hold up my end of the bargain."The massive youkai growled and gnashed his million teeth before grating out his response. "As you will, puppy. When you return, you will be mine.""And my lands?" Sesshoumaru truly had a hard time accepting that this assault was more personal than an attempt to take over some part of his father's hard-earned territory."I care not what happens to them. They can rot or be the start of a war. It does not matter. Where you will accompany me, this will seem like little more than a faded dream. Of course....should you behave well...I can reward you."Sesshoumaru didn't like the sick grin that spread on the demon's face, although he lost interest in the grin as a burning pain shot through his chest and into the severed stump of his arm. His flesh seemed to crawl painfully, stretching and twisting before splitting open forcefully with a spray of tattered flesh and blood. Sesshoumaru barely managed to keep the shock from his face as he realized that his arm was once again whole. It was no construct, but really and truly his own flesh, complete with markings. He turned a withering glare on Tsetsukosei. "This Sesshoumaru wants no part of your bribery."

Tsetsukosei hissed darkly. "Go. You have few hours before the dawn!"

Sesshoumaru found himself back in the castle, the dark void vanishing along with the horrible youkai. He looked down at Rin's body. Even as he watched, her injuries closed and her eyelids fluttered open. "Rin..."

As the girl sat up, he quickly told her to shut her eyes before carrying her swiftly from the castle. He did not want her to see Jaken's torn corpse or the others that littered his hallway as he brought her outside. When he finally had the girl asleep in his arms, he set off at a rapid pace, heading for his brother's camp. He did not know where else to go - Sesshoumaru had few allies and no true friends to rely on. Despite their conflicts, he knew his hanyou brother would not abandon a helpless human female in the woods to fend for herself, not even his ward.

He moved swiftly, finding it ironic that his brother's travels had taken him to the very forest in which he had first met Rin - indeed, the same clearing in which they had spent one of their first nights with her in his care. He could smell his brother nearby and knew he was downwind. The wind would change by morning, he knew, to blow in a mild rain shower that was still forming. His brother would have no choice but to notice the girl's scent...and his own. His curiosity would draw him and his altruism would keep him. Perfect.

Sesshoumaru laid Rin down carefully in the grass at the base of a large tree. A tiny frown flitted across his elegant features as he saw her shiver. He removed his haori and used his mokomoko to carefully lift the girl. After securing her in said haori, he settled her back down, but left mokomoko to help keep her warm. He settled down next to her and simply watched her sleep.

In his mind, Sesshoumaru was replaying his life since Rin had become a part of it. He had never been able to understand how any one creature...especially something so fragile, powerless, and short-lived as a human...could be so incessantly loving and cheerful ALL THE TIME. And yet here she was. Her devotion to and worship of him was beyond question.

He knew, too, that the girl had come to love him. Even if he hadn't been able to smell the way she reacted to his presence, Rin always wore her heart on her sleeve. Her eyes spoke volumes to anyone that cared to look.

Sesshoumaru had looked far more than she knew. He found himself loathe to even attempt to live without the bright spark, the shooting star that was Rin, in his life. He understood now, as he had not in his younger days, how a taiyoukai could end up with a human. He had berated his father, judged him harshly...but he had not understood. He remembered the Inu no Taisho telling him as much.

Rin was still too young, of course - she had just entered her thirteenth summer. She hadn't had her first heat - Sesshoumaru definitely would have known. She was still a child and had more growing to do before she would make him a fitting mate and could bear him pups.

A fleeting pang of regret intruded on him. He found himself wishing he would have the chance, when she was older, to take her as his own...but such was not to be. Unless, of course, he found a quick way to escape from his bondage to Tsetsukosei. However, that was unlikely. It was much more likely the demon would torture him, probably even kill him.

A small, possessive growl echoed from his throat. If he could not have Rin, at least he would let the world know he had intended it. And his mark would give many demons pause and food for thought - the prominent mark of an inuyoukai would deter many.

His mind made up, he woke the girl. He hesitated, trying to find a way to broach the subject, and he hoped she understood all he had tried to say. A pang went through him when she first thought his bite, his mark, was a punishment, and he explained its role in protection...and even went so far as to admit it pleased him to see her carrying so obvious a flag of his possession.

A while later she was asleep again. He coiled his mokomoko around her gently, lovingly. She unconsciously hugged the furry length and he closed his eyes, reveling in the joy the snuggle brought him. It felt wonderful. // And so, too, could this be used to cause me the worst of pains... //

The thought set him back, and Sesshoumaru frowned deeply. He knew that Tsetsukosei was going to be neither nice nor gentle, and would use everything he had to attempt to bring him pain. The loss of his mokomoko...so much of his youkai, a part of his body itself!...would hurt. But it would not hurt as much as having it used against him.

Sesshoumaru wondered briefly if it could survive if it attached itself to Rin. Surely, the girl would not have the ability to mold its energy and make it an extension of her will, but perhaps...it would live. He liked that thought, that a part of him would live on even if the rest of him perished. Standing and steeling himself, he grasped the mokomoko in his hands. With one brutal motion, he tore it free of his body.

The shock, the pain, and the nausea brought him retching to his knees. Dark spots intruded on the corners of his vision. Mokomoko writhed like a skewered snake, oozing blood. Sesshoumaru panted, fangs bared, claws digging into the trunk of the tree before him as he looked. He watched out of the corner of his eye as his mokomoko coiled tightly around Rin.

Sesshoumaru sank down and sat against the tree, not moving until the sky began to lighten just above the horizon. It was time for him to go, and so he did. He did not look back as he left his most priceless of possessions and returned to his castle.

He slowly forced himself to take a knee before the terrible beast that was Tsetsukosei. With a gleeful, roaring howl the demon snatched him up. The world faded to black around Sesshoumaru as he lost consciousness.

When he woke, it would be to find himself chained to a wall. The vaguely draconic demon took great delight in rending his flesh, quickly or slowly, with whip and tail and claw. He was beaten, then left to heal, and beaten some more.

Now, Tsetsukosei once again stood before him, and the horrible fiend's intentions were obviously anything but pure.