InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 11

Pride (In the Name of Love) 11 / ??
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.
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// blah // indicates thoughts.

A/N - So the Inu brothers have escaped! Roaming the wilds and all that good stuff. It took Inuyasha about a day and a half to make the journey at speed, so...it'll probably take a while longer otherwise. But there's no reason to hurry...and why would any pursuit think they were casually strolling along, right?

Things are not all they seem, however. After all, Bad Guy is in Location Unknown...and they have no idea of the world they're in. Oh, the action is far from over. This fic is looking like it'll be bloody long...and before anyone asks, no, I do not know how long. Y'see, I don't write from a script. I just sit down in the morning and start typing and then I get to read it and discover what I wrote. Stories...happen...for me. They aren't pre-planned events. They just kinda come through me.

And this is my first IY ficcy. ^^ Previously I was almost exclusively a GW author...still working on a couple there. And I had a couple Fushigi Yugi ones in the works, thought he script is on my dead comp...Anyway, on with the story.
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They pressed on for as long as Sesshoumaru's waning strength held out. Inuyasha wanted to get the hell out of the area, and Sesshoumaru apparently shared his wish. Things slowly ground to a halt however. Sesshoumaru trudged forward with grim determination, leaning more and more heavily on his walking stick as the ground slid away behind them. He stumbled eventually, and Inuyasha caught him. They went on for a while longer, with Inuyasha helping support him.

Inuyasha was grateful they'd made it as far as they had. Sesshoumaru finally collapsed beyond his ability to go further. They made camp pretty much where he dropped, in a tiny clearing in the dark forest. Dark seemed to be a word that applied to everything in this shadow-world, however, so it wasn't any more foreboding than any other location they'd been in previously.

Sesshoumaru sat huddled near the fire, staring deeply into the flames as if he could almost grasp some divine but horrible truth contained within the flickering embers. Inuyasha had never seen such a forlorn, lost look on anyone before. The fact that it was his previously ice-cold, stoic brother made it even harder to accept. He eyed his elder sibling uncomfortably, not at all sure how to deal with this.

He was having a hard time accepting that he'd lost his hatred for his brother, if indeed he'd ever truly held it. Sesshoumaru was MUCH more than Inuyasha knew - ultimately, they were strangers. And they were family. That had to count for something.

And didn't Sesshoumaru just apologize to him, and explain - albeit briefly - why he'd done the things he'd done? Inuyasha was rather surprised that almost all of Sesshoumaru's actions against him had nothing to do with him personally, or anything he'd done - but simply that he was born a hanyou. Somewhere in his mind he'd always thought it was just an excuse, a barb...but no. Sesshoumaru was truly worried that he would weaken the bloodline. Inuyasha was more than a little angry about that, but he guessed he could at least on the surface see his brother's point.

Sesshoumaru and his father were royal demons with a name and reputation that MUST be kept up to keep their rule of the Western Lands secure. Any weaknesses - even a perceived one - could prove troublesome, possibly disastrous. Their father's sudden interest in a human and the child of that union - it could definitely look like a weakness to others.

And so Sesshoumaru had been angry...and he had left Inuyasha to survive on his own, despite his admitted guilt for doing so. And Inuyasha had survived. So Sesshoumaru tested his strength...insulted him, attacked him, tried to hurt him...and Inuyasha had proven himself worthy.

And Sesshoumaru changed his mind about him, and had truly and deeply apologized. // This could be the start of a whole new relationship between us. I don't know how I feel about that...shit, I spent so long convinced that I hated him...but...I think it'd be good. I'd like to try it. And he doesn't have anyone except Rin. He could use a friend, and a brother. Though if he doesn't eat something soon he'll break in half if he tries to stand...fuck, he's skin and bones. //

Inuyasha stood up and stretched, yawning loudly and over-exaggeratedly to draw his brother's attention. Haunted amber eyes flicked over to regard his little performance. "Well, now that we're set up, I think I'll go out and hunt us up something to eat," Inuyasha said cheerily, hoping the thought of food would brighten his brother's mood.

Sesshoumaru flinched almost imperceptibly, his eyes drifting down to his empty fingertips. Inuyasha cursed mentally but hopped off anyways. His brother's distress wasn't going to vanish if he stuck around another couple minutes, and he DID need to eat.

Hunting proved more of a feat than Inuyasha would have previously assumed. Living, breathing, edible creatures seemed to be a bit more scarce than he would have guessed. Eventually he found a large, shaggy black boar with red eyes and spikes growing at odd angles. // Spiked pig? It'll do. // Killing it proved to be more of a feat than he would have guessed. The beast was short, squat, and strong. Its hide was very thick and leathery.

Eventually, however, the hanyou triumphed - despite a few bruises and cuts that healed before he even got his prey back to camp. Inuyasha wasn't surprised to see that Sesshoumaru didn't seem to have moved an inch from how he left him.

The hanyou dropped the boar with a thump. "Damn. That thing's heavy. Well...soup's on!" Inuyasha cheerily gestured to the boar. Sesshoumaru's eyes were riveted on it, but he still hadn't moved. "Er. Sessh. Eat."

Still his brother didn't move, then he forced his gaze back to the fire. "Its your kill. I am not hungry."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes in exasperation and growled. "Sesshoumaru, you are going to eat this damn thing if I have to rip it up and force it down your throat, ya get me? If you don't get some of your strength back you'll die before we even get back home. And then how the fuck will you protect Rin or take back your job?"

"I am no longer fit to rule, nor take care of Rin."

"Oh, fuck me. You can't be serious..."

Sesshoumaru didn't bother to respond.

Inuyasha sighed heavily - he was SO not good at this comforting thing. "Are you at least going to eat?"Sesshoumaru gave him a bitter, acidic look that was a bit more what Inuyasha was used to. "By savaging it open with my teeth, perhaps? This Sesshoumaru does so relish the thought of a mouthful of boar hair. Delectable."

Inuyasha blushed, having forgotten about his brother's lack of claws. Or anything else to cut with, for that matter. Once again, he was left feeling like an insensitive ass. Mumbling to himself he set to work rapidly skinning the beast and shredding its flesh.

Sesshoumaru's bitterness seemed to melt at the smell of so much fresh meat and blood. His stomach cramped violently, painfully - in his entire time at Tsetsukosei's fortress, he had only eaten a handful of times, and never fresh meat. An involuntary growl rumbled in his throat, but the taiyoukai didn't notice. Inuyasha arched an eyebrow and snagged himself a haunch before gesturing grandly at the majority of the beast that remained. "S'all you."

Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed a bloody crimson and he lunged at the carcass, largely ignoring the bits Inuyasha had made easy for him and savaging the thing with his teeth anyways. Inuyasha blinked and edged back a slight bit - he had never seen such a display of bestial savagery on his typically elegant and proper brother's part.

Inuyasha watched in growing amazement as the beast was devoured. Sesshoumaru eventually growled a bit at the bare bones, and Inuyasha had the feeling if he could have fit his mouth around him, his brother probably would have cracked them open and sucked out the marrow.

Not caring that he was now a bloody mess, the taiyoukai drug himself back to his spot by the fire and dropped down to the ground, curling up and going to sleep without a word.

Inuyasha couldn't help but grin - he knew that this would do his brother a world of good. He finished his own meal and settled back comfortably against a tree, Tetsusaiga resting across his lap. His eyes closed as he rested, but his nose was constantly testing the wind and his ears flicked about in various directions to pick up the slightest of sounds. Nothing would sneak up on them.

Inuyasha was almost asleep when a soft whimper caught his attention. His eyes jerked open as he looked around, trying to locate the source of it. When an anguished whine came again, he realized their source. His brother.

Sesshoumaru was quivering, lost deep in the throes of some horrible dream. Inuyasha crept over to him slowly, wondering if he should wake his brother. What he saw made him stop. Tears. Sesshoumaru was crying.

The pained, blood-chilling howl of raw torment his brother loosed a moment later froze Inuyasha in place. He stared, mortified, before quickly shaking Sesshoumaru's shoulder. "Sesshoumaru! Wake up!"

Sesshoumaru's eyes flew open in raw panic and he clutched Inuyasha's wrist with surprising force. When he realized who it was waking him up he slowly released his grasp and laid his head back down with a soft, keening moan, curling up into a tight ball.

Inuyasha could only assume he had fallen back asleep after no further movement or noises issued forth for a long time. He had never felt so helpless in all his life.

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

Morning - or what passed for morning here - came, as it was wont to do. Sesshoumaru woke up feeling better than he had in ages, although he felt terribly dirty and was a mess of dried blood. He winced - he was absolutely covered in it. Not that this was the first time he'd awaken with blood all over him recently - and at least this time it wasn't his own!

Inuyasha heard him stir and blinked open his eyes sleepily. "Mrr...mornin'..."

Sesshoumaru nodded slightly, still looking at the dreadful mess he'd made of himself. However, he knew it had been worth it. He felt better, stronger. He knew some of his lingering wounds had started healing again as well - he could move without his internal injuries tearing open again.

"You look like you could use a bath."

Sesshoumaru nodded again, sniffing slightly to try and catch the scent of nearby water. Inuyasha was doing the same. Soon the two of them were heading off to the east of their little encampment towards a stream. The stream actually connected to the river that ultimately connected to their destination.

When they arrived, Sesshoumaru set down his walking stick and then began systematically disrobing. Inuyasha had seen the spiderweb of scars and lashes that covered his brother's body, but it was still hard to look at them again. He swallowed the lump in his throat. // Just need to get him healthy again and most of that'll fade out. Wish it was that easy for his brain. //

Sesshoumaru waded into the slightly chilly water and began vigorously scrubbing himself with some fine sand he found on the riverbed. Once he was convinced that he had cleansed his body - more harshly than necessary, Inuyasha noted, in light of a few places he'd scraped his skin rather raw - he shifted to scrubbing his clothes. The thin silks may not be his choice of outfit, but it was all he had right now.

Inuyasha watched him, not knowing what to say to break the silence. He still had the distinct impression that Sesshoumaru was only going with him because he had no ambition to choose a different course, not because the taiyoukai had any care to escape. However, silence was not one of Inuyasha's strong suits. "So, whats the first thing you want to do when we get back home?"

Predictably, Sesshoumaru didn't respond except for an almost imperceptible shrug.

"Well, one of the first things we have to do is go to Kagome's time. When we get there I'm sure they'll have something so we can get that damn collar off."

Again, no real response from his brother. Inuyasha tried hard not to sigh as he busily cleaned his own clothes. "Look, Sessh...none of this was your fault. A--""It was entirely my fault. I could have let him take Rin.""Fuck, no you couldn't have. If you did and I found out, I probably would have never wanted to come for you.""...You should not have. I don't even know why you did. I deserved it."

"Stop saying shit like that. How the fuck did that bastard get you so down on yourself? You were always so damn proud, oh, look-at-me-im-the-big-bad-taiyoukai-alpha-male, hear me roar."

"...I was a fool. I was arrogant, blind, prejudiced, and stupid. What have I to be proud of? Power? What does it matter when I can be so easily crushed? The only one who would mourn my passing is Rin, and I have probably wronged her in keeping her from humans in a misguided attempt to protect her. If half of the truth was known, I would be a source of great amusement and derision to the youkai world. I am a disgrace to my House. I am no longer fit to rule, if ever I was. Our Lord Father..." Here Sesshoumaru stopped, unable to continue his angry, self-hating tirade.

"And if you believe all that, maybe you really ARE stupid."

Sesshoumaru turned a wounded glare on his brother, tears threatening to escape the corner of his eyes. He was quivering, and he couldn't seem to stop the tremor of his muscles. He looked away and then slowly got out of the water, sitting on a rock and running his fingers through his dripping hair in a feeble attempt to get some of the snarls out.

Inuyasha wanted to either hug his brother until he made him believe everything would be alright...or knock him on his ass off the rock he was sitting on and then club him with it. // This is going to be a long trip...and I don't mean just the traveling. I am SO not qualified for this... //