InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 27

Pride (In the Name of Love) 27 / ??
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 - So here I am, trying to visualize this chapter...and no matter what angle I looked at it from, it was playing to the Mortal Kombat theme song in my head. So I figured...why not... and listened to said theme song while writing. Just thought I'd share, it amused me.

In answer to a reviewer's question - When is Rin coming back? Eventually. I have things planned on that front. Where is Shippo? Er...floating around the Western Castle somewhere, learning demon stuff. I love the lil kitsune, dun get me wrong, but there wasn't much place in this story for him as a major player so he sorta got shunted off to the side.
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Sesshoumaru stretched his muscles in silence, limbering up a bit. Outwardly he was calm - inwardly he was in a state of violent turmoil. He closed his eyes and attempted to clear his mind, find his center. Sesshoumaru didn't really know how Tsetsukosei was in a real fight, but he was not about to take any foolish chances.

Inuyasha glanced at Sesshoumaru, figuring his brother was mentally preparing himself. His gaze slowly traveled to Sairex, who still lay at Sesshoumaru's feet. // Fuck... I don't care how necessary it was...I don't think I ever could have done it. Poor bird. //

"Inuyasha."

Inuyasha blinked and glanced over at his brother again. He was surprised to see how close Sesshoumaru was. "Er..y...yeah?"

Sesshoumaru eyed him for a long moment and then abruptly yanked Inuyasha against him in a tight but somewhat awkward hug. He pressed his lips to the surprised hanyou's forehead and then released him. "If things go wrong, you must not die here.""I won't leave you, Sessh.""Inuyasha...his fight will be more with me than you. I am stronger than you, you cannot deny it." Inuyasha huffed but didn't protest the statement - it WAS true. "If I should fall, you must safeguard Rin and our Lord Father's lands. At that point in the battle, there would be no reason for your life to be needlessly lost."

"That's assuming we fail at all. It's just another youkai. We'll be home in time for dinner."

Sesshoumaru's lips twitched into a smirk. "Indeed. And now we wait."

They didn't have to wait long - rather than bursting through the door, the walls of the castle turned thick and shadowy. Both Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru had the impression of moving. When the castle had fully melted away, they stood in the midst of a barren rocky field littered with jagged spikes of obsidian. The sky was a roiling shade of the deepest purple and massive forks of lightning cracked behind thick, rolling black clouds.

Tsetsukosei appeared before them slowly, wearing his true form. He was a massive and twisted dragon-like beast. Dark and yellowing bone showed through his rotting flesh. Tattered scraps of hide still clung to some areas of the beast's fetid body. Tsetsukosei opened his horrible, twisted mouth and let out a rumbling roar that shook the ground beneath them, his rows of teeth yellow and jaggedly broken but still deadly. As he roared, he unfurled a skeletal pair of wings that were draped with rotting leathery skin, filled with holes.

Despite being dead, Tsetsukosei was still broad and obviously strong, his mostly visible but thickly-corded muscles rippling with every movement. Long and wicked talons gouged into the stone beneath him as easily as if it were hot butter. Jagged bone spikes jutted up from his spine and down along the length of his skeletal tail. His pupilless, smoky crimson eyes burned with malice and hatred from deep in his skull.

Tsetsukosei's gaze slowly dropped to Sairex's still form and he spoke. Inuyasha felt vaguely queasy as he watched the tiny white worms writhing in the dragon's flesh even inside his dark maw. "So you were willing to kill the raven for your chance at me? Foolish puppies, both of you..." The wicked eyes turned to Sesshoumaru. "Ah, my pretty little pet...you were much more fun than the bird. I enjoyed your screams..."

Sesshoumaru's spine stiffened and he tightened his grip on Toukijin. "Enough talk. This ends now." He glanced at his brother and nodded slightly, wordlessly communicating. Inuyasha returned his nod, hefting Tetsusaiga. As one they turned their attention back to the dracolich and charged, Inuyasha's voice raising in a fierce battle-cry and Sesshoumaru's as silent as death.

Their movements were a blur, almost too fast for a human eye to follow. Sesshoumaru's strikes were fast and precise, and he moved with the fluidity and grace of a dancer. He was beautiful and deadly in that moment, living for the battle. His sunfire golden eyes flared with vibrant intensity and his lips were pulled back in a snarl, almost a feral grin. Blood thrummed in his veins and adrenaline screamed through him.

Sesshoumaru had never felt so alive as he did in this moment, locked in this violent and vicious dance of death. He ran along the razor's edge with no fear, no shame, and no regret. The slightest mistake would cost him everything.

Sesshoumaru made no mistakes.

Inuyasha was also a thing of beauty, but of a different sort. His attacks were not so fluid or rapid as his elder brother's, but they were stronger, the Tetsusaiga devastating. His smile and his eyes mirrored those of Sesshoumaru - they were opposite sides of the same coin, moving in perfect concert with each other.

Tsetsukosei was truly impressed and he whirled, tail smashing through stone and jaws snapping powerfully at Sesshoumaru. The taiyoukai was simply faster than he was. No matter.

Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha retreated not a moment too soon when a dark pulse of black energy erupted around Tsetsukosei. The two of them skidded to a halt, digging in to slow their momentum and sliding across the glassy scree. A slight scowl drifted to Sesshoumaru's features even as he leapt back into the fray like a coiled spring. He was scoring innumerable hits - Inuyasha was scoring his fair share as well - and they seemed to be having little effect. Bits of rotting flesh were shorn from bone, and thick black blood oozed from several places.

Inuyasha glanced at his brother, and without needing to be told, Sesshoumaru bounced out of the way. He heard his brother's battle-cry as he unleashed his Wind Scar.

Tsetsukosei was hit full on, not having expected the attack, His form shuddered briefly before he growled and dug his claws in - that had HURT. A hole had been torn in his ribcage, exposing glimpses of slimy black organs oozing in his chest.

He moved faster than anything so large should have been able, his tail lashing out with a whiplike SNAP. One of the long bone spikes drove clear through Inuyasha's stomach and his body was hoisted off the ground, hurled with shattering force into a massive rock. The hanyou didn't even have it in him to cry out, he simply grunted as he slid to the ground.

"You bastard..." Sesshoumaru hissed, leaping out of the way and barely avoiding the same fate Inuyasha had just suffered. // My brother...you shall pay. No one ... no one but me touches him. His life or death is mine to choose, and NOT yours! //

The taiyoukai's dance of death raged around Tsetsukosei, but Sesshoumaru was beginning to be discouraged. He had landed a hundred hits that would have slain most demons already to practically no effect. Tsetsukosei simply was not alive, not subject to pain or flesh wounds. However much of the putrid rot he managed to slice off, it seemed the beast simply had more.

// If I do not come up with something quickly, I will die this day... // Sesshoumaru thought with frigid calm. And he was surprised when he realized he did not wish to die any longer. He had Rin...and he had Inuyasha. Both of them were worth fighting for - worth living for. Worth loving. //

It came to him suddenly, and Sesshoumaru had to fight the urge to look around to see if he was indeed still alone with Tsetsukosei. In that moment, he felt his father's presence. He felt his father guiding him. // My son...I am so proud of you...// Almost in a trance, Sesshoumaru dropped Toukijin and drew Tenseiga. A brilliant glimmer of light ran down the length of the blade before the taiyoukai lifted it and charged.

Inuyasha opened his eyes slowly and was struck dumb by the sight unfolding before him. Sesshoumaru flew at the dark beast enshrouded in a glowing white light shot through with flecks of gold. He met the beast like some sort of avenging angel, his hair streaming like wings behind him as he moved. He was beautiful. He was, in that moment, perfect. Inuyasha found himself unable to breathe.

Tenseiga slashed through the air in devastating strikes, and Tsetsukosei howled. The blade did not cut living flesh...but it surely was wickedly effective against that of the animated dead. The dragon's confidence began to waver and his attacks became more desperate, but he was powerless to catch the darting taiyoukai, and not fast enough to get fully away from each slice of that terrible sword.

Suddenly Sesshoumaru was directly in front of him, his eyes flaming with triumph. Tsetsukosei had no time to react short of a piercing shriek as the taiyoukai whirled. Tenseiga sang as it cleaved the air, as it sliced cleanly through the dracolich's bony throat. Sesshoumaru landed in a crouch, sword held before him and his eyes closed, his back to the beast.

Bloody crimson eyes flickered in shock at the taiyoukai before slowly fading and winking out. The massive skull fell to the rocky ground with a wet thump of cracking bone and splattering, rotted flesh. The rest of the force animating the beast left it. A shudder ran through the decayed body as everything binding it dissipated and it crumbled into a heap.

Sesshoumaru stood and looked at his sword...his father's fang...for a long time. The light faded to a few golden flickers before dying out entirely, leaving the sword as pristine as if it had never been used before. Sesshoumaru's eyes closed and he bowed his head humbly. // Thank you, my Lord Father... //

The taiyoukai made his way over to where Inuyasha was struggling to stand and helped him to his feet. "Sessh...that was...amazing. I've seen you fight before, but never...""Hush," Sesshoumaru responded softly. "How badly are you injured?""Eh....I'll heal. You should go wake up Sairex though..."

Sesshoumaru nodded a bit - he had forgotten about the raven youkai. He drew on Tenseiga's more familiar powers as he resurrected Sairex, then sheathed the blade.

Sairex blinked slowly, his gaze slowly going to the rotted mound of flesh and bone that had once been the most diabolical fiend he had ever known. "You killed him..."Sesshoumaru nodded once. "Yes."

"You are more powerful dan even I thought..." Sairex said softly. "And da bond...I...I am free."

"Not quite. You swore yourself into service to my family."

A grin split the raven youkai's face as he sketched a quick, jaunty bow. "Of course, Lord Zezzhoumaru. I owe you my life."

Inuyasha smiled tiredly and patted the raven on the shoulder. "Let's get home...I'm sure Miroku is worried sick, especially since you didn't tell him about the whole you-being-alive-again plan."

Sairex chuckled. "Yes...I believe I vill zurprise him..." With a thoughtful look, the raven youkai vanished. A moment later, a portal appeared in his wake for Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru to use - and they did.

It was good to be home.