InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 23

Pride (In the Name of Love) 23 / ??
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!
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// blah // indicates thoughts.

A/N - Ah, Inuyasha the diplomat and political genius, right? XD I'm sure he made a good impression on Sesshy's chief rival from the East there. Good job, mate.

Now, I'm not about to disappoint my fanbase here...I promised some Sesshy-Inu action and so there will be. Eventually, when the time is right. But do keep in mind that I...for whatever reason, I don't understand it myself, being the hardcore yaoi fan I always have been - I am actually a fan of Sesshy / Rin. That is not to say I dislike Inu / Sesshy in any way - quite the contrary. But don't expect me to just write Rin out either. =P For the fans it may be, but I'm my number one fan. So ha. XD This is not to say that this story is ultimately going to end up as Sesshy / Rin either. Who the hell knows how this will evolve. I'm just wingin' it.
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Cornering Sesshoumaru for lunch turned out to be more of a feat than Inuyasha had thought it would be. The taiyoukai didn't show up on his own, nor did he call to order food from the kitchen. Inuyasha went on a hunt for his older brother and probably wouldn't have found him if he hadn't gotten lucky. Generally he was able to track by scent, but his brother had lived here so long and even still wandered the halls so much that everything pretty much smelled like him.

Inuyasha had been about to give up on his search when he caught a flash of silver vanishing around the corner at the opposite end of the hallway. With a triumphant crow, he darted down said hall and out the doorway that was there - it lead into one of the castle's many gardens.

Sesshoumaru had settled himself down on a rock overlooking a small pond filled with brightly-colored fish. He didn't bother to look up when Inuyasha bounced over and crouched next to him. "Whatcha doin, Sessh?""Observing the fish."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Fine. Why are you 'observing the fish'?""This Sesshoumaru desired a peaceful environment in which to contemplate my situation and my intended course of action."

Inuyasha's ears flicked and he made a face. "Why the hell can't you talk like a normal person?"

Sesshoumaru arched an eyebrow and peered at his brother. "Why can you not speak in a civilized manner befitting your station?"

"Keh... you didn't come to lunch, so I figured I'd come to you.""Had I desired company, I would have joined you for lunch.""Yeah, well...we don't have to talk about...what happened. But we do need to talk about that bastard lizard-thing.""And the destruction thereof, yes. What is there to speak of? We must go, find this phylactery that Sairex spoke of, and destroy it."

"What's a phylaccy-whatsit look like?"

"It can be any object that Tsetsukosei desired. Something elaborate or something as simple as a pebble."

"Fucking great. How will we know it when we see it then?"

"I would assume it is carefully guarded, although well-hidden. It is likely that the object radiates power, so efforts would be made to subdue said power and make it simpler to hide."

"Great....so we won't know what the fuck to look for and won't know it when we see it. Awesome."

"On the contrary. We should not look for the presence of an object of such power, but rather the lack of presence."

Inuyasha's ears flattened back as he tried to follow his brother's logic. "Eh?"

Sesshoumaru smirked. "I am not overly proficient with power of the sort Tsetsukosei utilizes. However, the entire realm seems to be infused with some level of energy. So rather than seek out an object that radiates power but is almost guaranteed to be shielded...we search his fortress for a...hole...in the energy field. A place where the power seems less than the area around it."

"Sessh, you really are a fucking genius."

"Hn. SOMEONE had to inherit the brains of our Lord Father."

"And someone had to inherit his good looks." Inuyasha smirked.

"Yes, although I suppose that didn't leave much for you.""Oh, very funny." Inuyasha took a half-hearted swipe at Sesshoumaru, who of course dodged it easily. Inuyasha was very surprised a moment later when his brother retaliated - by using his mokomoko to scoop up and fling a sizeable quantity of water at the hanyou. Inuyasha spluttered in shock. "Hey!"

Before the dripping hanyou could retaliate, however, Sesshoumaru had vanished up into one of the several willows dotting the courtyard. Inuyasha squinted through the drooping branches. He let out a startled yelp as he suddenly was snapped from behind by a wet mokomoko.

Sesshoumaru smirked, the wet furry length twitching around him. Inuyasha growled, his ears flattening back. "You are SUCH an asshole..."

"I've had a long time to perfect it. And if I am to stand thus accused, I may as well reap the benefits and live up to the title."

"Yeah, yeah, whatev--SHIT! SESSH!" Inuyasha yelped and scrambled for his Tetsusaiga, leaping forward. Sesshoumaru whirled, hands flying to the hilt of Toukijin. Almost as soon as he began to turn, however, Sesshoumaru realized he'd been had. Before he could get out of range, Inuyasha had snagged his clothes and dropped something squirmy down his back. "HAH!"

Sesshoumaru gave Inuyasha a baleful glare and hefted his blade. "I should use this on you for that..." He sheathed Toukijin so he could begin digging into his clothing, trying to extricate the cold, flopping critter from his back. He finally pulled out the small fish. "Hn...""You're just jealous cause you didn't think of it first.""You do not want to see what places this Sesshoumaru could shove this fish before you could stop me, Inuyasha." He held aloft the squirming little creature threateningly. Instead of violently forcing it somewhere on his brother, however, he released it in the pond. "Hn. Abusing my fish..."

"Hey, you were the one that threw it at me with that stupid furry thing of yours!""Mokomoko-sama is NOT a 'stupid furry thing'."

"Yeah, yeah...whatever..."Sesshoumaru smirked triumphantly. "You are just jealous that you do not have one.""What the hell would I do with a furball gone wrong like that?"

Sesshoumaru sighed. "Truly you have no imagination, little brother.""I stuck a fish down your shirt and you say I have no imagination."

"Admittedly that's a first for me...come, lets go inside. We have preparations to make."Inuyasha grinned. "Alright...truce, for now..."

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

"DAMN you, you feathered bastard! TELL ME HOW THEY GOT OUT!""Kaa...Zetsukosei..." Sairex scowled and spit out a mouthful of blood, a sardonic smirk on his face. "You KNOW I'm not going to tell you a DAMN ting.""No one besides you has ever escaped me before, Sairex. Of course, no one ended up with YOUR help either. I know portals cannot be opened from THIS side...I've made sure its quite impossible to undo my wards against such things without the proper knowledge. Knowledge that even YOU don't have for all your cunning.""Knowledge I never bothered to try to get. Vhat da hell good does a portal I can't use do me? I can't leave dis damn place and you know it.""Be that as it may..." Zetsukosei tightened his grip on Sairex's right wing, grinning at the satisfying cracks and crunches of delicate bones breaking. The raven youkai winced, his pale face going a shade or two whiter and his lips pulling into a thin line, but he didn't make a sound. "...A portal was opened nonetheless. So that means...someone on the outside was involved. The inu do not possess the appropriate sort of magic. Hmm...so, whom did you show how to break in here, little bird?""Even if your theory is correct, Zetsukosei...I vill die before I zpeak."

"Hn. You know I can't kill you. Oh, I'd dearly love to...perhaps it would wipe that smirk off your face or teach you a few manners. But as you are bound to me, so too am I bound to you. I trusted you once when I cast that damnable spell.""Den ya go and destroy my damn life!"

Tsetsukosei growled dangerously and snatched Sairex by the throat, slamming him back against the hard stone wall painfully. Sairex bit his lip as the impact jarred his broken wing and cracked the other one. "Tell...me. Or I will TAKE the information from you!"Sairex narrowed his eyes. "You vouldn't dare. And risk all else I know? Risk losing to me? Kaa, a pleasing prospect. By all means...challenge me.""Oh, little bird, you may be spiritually strong, but you forget...you are hindered here. You cannot harm me." Tsetsukosei made sure his grip was secure before closing his eyes. Despite his bold and angry words, he knew the raven was a formidable opponent - indeed, one he would never face on a fair playing field. Even on this sorely tilted battleground, the risk was tremendous.

Sairex growled and thrashed madly as Tsetsukosei forced open a mental connection. The raven was enraged - he knew he could defeat the demon beast in any normal circumstance, but he could not do so without harming him. It was impossible to block his entry.

The raven was still alive in a hostile world because he knew how to choose his battles. When he realized he would be unable to keep Tsetsukosei from entering his mind and rummaging about, he instead turned his attention to erecting some interior defenses. Tsetsukosei might learn some things, but the raven's deeper secrets would be his own.

However, it was only a matter of time before Tsetsukosei figured out what he wanted to know. There was nothing Sairex could do to keep him from finding the links he had to Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru, and Miroku. Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru were no secret - Tsetsukosei already knew about them, where they were, everything. Miroku was another matter. Without the monk, there was no way for them to get back and forth.

Sairex cursed roundly and threw all the barriers he could at Tsetsukosei. He erected extra barriers around meaningless bits of information to buy some time and draw the dracolich's attention in the wrong direction, and then sent his mind flying across the realms.

// MIROKU! //

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

Miroku let out a startled yelp and almost fell on his face. He had just finished a very satisfying meditation session and was in the process of standing up when Sairex's desperate mental cry reached him.

// Sairex? What is it? //

// Listen to me, monk, and listen to me carefully. Zetsukosei is in my mind, and zoon he vill be coming for you. He vill destroy you. He knows someone has been helping me help da Inu no Taizho's zons. //

// Great...what should I do? Is there some way I can defend against him? //

// Kaa...he von't care for your existence...you're human. He'll burn out your zoul. // Sairex's distress was evident, and his words did VERY little to make Miroku feel better - indeed, it was rather the opposite.

// Lovely...so is this your way of saying goodbye? //

// Miroku, do you trust me? //

// What? //

// Do you trust me?! And more, do you trust your friends? Quickly, I have no time! //

// Of course I trust my friends! I'd trust them with my life. And...I've trusted you with more than that before. So yes. //

// Don't fight me, den....and I'm zorry for what I must do. //

Miroku blinked and relaxed mentally as much as he was able. He had no idea what Sairex was planning, but he had been truthful. He trusted the raven. After all, Sairex had had ample opportunity to destroy him utterly and hadn't so much as mentally scratched him.

Miroku felt Sairex's blazing entry into his mind. It was a bit more forceful and urgent than previously, but the monk still didn't see the need for the raven's warnings...

Sairex had no time to be delicate about the matter - indeed, he had no idea if what he was doing was even going to work. He very well might be destroying all that made the monk tick...but it was a necessary risk. If he didn't try, Miroku was doomed anyways.

Miroku gasped in sudden, searing agony. He felt his spirit being roughly severed from his body. Instinctively he tried to struggle, but it was far too late. He fell to his knees with a choked gurgle that had been meant to be a scream. His consciousness blanked out and he briefly was aware of leaving his body. The empty shell toppled to the ground, bleeding from the ears...eyes wide open and sightless.

The raven had stolen his soul.

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

"What have you done, bird?!" Tsetsukosei screamed in rage. He had sensed the monk's presence suddenly, and all of it had made sense...and then the monk's existence simply blinked out.

Miroku realized with a start that he could see again, although his vision was far sharper than normal. It took him a few moments before he thought to question it. He slowly examined himself mentally. //...Sairex? //

// Oh, good...you made it. Velcome to my body...I can protect you here. Although, my apologies...you vill have to feel vhat I feel...vhich isn't a pleasant prospect at da moment...// "Vhat have I done? Oh, you mean da monk. Zorry, he's beyond your reach now and forever."

Tsetsukosei roared in angry defiance, shaking the raven's petite frame as if he were a rag doll. Each shake slammed him against the wall and it ultimately left him seeing stars. "SAIREXXXX! YOU HAVE DEFIED ME FOR THE LAST TIME!"

"Unlikely..." the raven muttered. Miroku winced inwardly - life was not going to be very good for a time.

// I hope my friends get you...er...us....out of here soon. //

// As do I. If dey don't hurry, your body vill die and you'll be stuck vith me for good. //

// Much as I like you, my friend, I'm rather partial to having my own body. //

// And I rather enjoy having myzelf to myzself. I'll do vhat I can to keep vhat he does from affecting you much...I'm zorry to bring you into dis. //

// You saved me the only way you could. I'm grateful. //

Sairex glanced up at the thunderous, animal rage gleaming in Tsetsukosei's smoky crimson eyes. // You might not be saying dat zoon... //