InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 53

Pride (In the Name of Love) 53 / ??
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.
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// blah // indicates thoughts.

A/N - At the end of this chapter I'll have a lil more scientific explanation of something that I talk about in this chapter.
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Miroku awoke to a sleepy, irritated hiss from his lover. He slowly arched one eyebrow and peered at Sairex.

"Hn...vhy don't ve have proper drapes, again?"

"Well, last time we had proper drapes, you got in a wrestling match with them. And lost."

"Figures da first ting I zee vhen I can zee again is da damn zun in my eyes."

"You REALLY aren't a morning person, are you?"

"No. Me an' Yellow Face dere..." Sairex jerked a thumb in the direction of the midday sun, "...have zome unresolved issues."

A sharp rap sounded on the door, coupled with Toga's voice. "Sairex!"

"I knew zometing voke me up..." The raven sighed and hopped up. "I'm coming, I'm coming..." He blinked when the agitated taiyoukai came in. "Or you can just come in...it is your castle, after all.""Are you well? Can you see again?"

Miroku frowned as he looked at Toga. The taiyoukai was disheveled and dressed only in a loose pair of pants, and obviously more than a little distracted and agitated.

"Yes...I zeem to be more or less better. Tings are ztill a little blurry, but my vision is returning and zo is my zpiritual magic."

"Good. I need your help. Something is wrong with my Sesshoumaru."

Sairex arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"He appeared to be in pain and then fainted."

"I zee...I vill have to take a look at him. Vhat vere you doing vhen dis happened?"

Neither of them missed the way Toga's spine shot ramrod-straight or a blank wall shielded his expression. "At the moment Sesshoumaru passed out?...Laying in bed."

Sairex glanced at Miroku, then narrowed his yellow eyes at Toga. "Toga..."

Toga's eyes darted to Miroku. Sairex sighed.

"Toga, my friend...I am training Miroku and vould trust him vith my life and more. Further, you zhould trust him too. He's practically your younger pup's zecond brother."Toga sighed heavily, his expressionless facade - something he wasn't as good at maintaining as he liked to pretend - vanished. "Since he is to be your apprentice and I need your services, fine. There may come a time I need to rely on you, monk."

Miroku nodded, finishing the final knot in his robes. "It is an honor to be allowed to serve your House.""The two of you will not discuss anything that you learn of this situation unless it is absolutely imperative to my Sesshoumaru's recovery, am I perfectly clear?"

"Kaa, of course. Now I'm all kinds of curious. Vhat's going on?"

Toga looked down, aware that he probably looked at least partly as guilty as he felt. "Prior to his...episode, Sesshoumaru and I were...being intimate."

Miroku was far more surprised than Sairex but, to his credit, did not react save an involuntary widening of violet eyes.

Sairex paused, musing, as he gathered his leather satchel of supplies. "I zee. And I'm assuming you vere finished and den he just...fainted?""He convulsed. I saw the change occur. He was fine, and then he abruptly was not."

"I vill have to look at him. Come, Miroku."

The three of them headed down the hallway towards Toga's room. The taiyoukai was silent and barely avoided chewing his lip from nervousness and worry. Once inside the Lord of the castle's large bedchambers, Sairex set down his supplies and pointed accusingly towards the window, squinting at Miroku.

"See dose? Nice, dark, heavy drapes. I vant zome." Miroku rolled his eyes and opened the drapes in question, letting some sunlight in so that Sairex could take a look at Sesshoumaru. The raven eyed the inu critically, pulling the sheet down to his waist. He sighed. "Vell, I found da problem."

"What is it?" Toga almost grabbed the raven but refrained.

"Look at dis." Sairex gestured to the angry red bite scar Tsetsukosei had left. Faint red lines traced away from the puncture points. "Zee dese little lines? Its poison in his blood."

"I did not believe Lord Sesshoumaru could be poisoned..." Miroku said with a frown.

"Kaa...vell. Da lines are fading. It is likely his natural defenses are beating da venom down. Tsetsukosei's bite injected lots of toxin. It's released vhen da victim experiences...er..." Sairex cast a glance at Toga. "Enough physical pleasure. Den, da toxin ztops being dormant and hits da bloodstream. Its zupposed to kill painfully, but...Zezzhoumaru has zuch ztrong natural defense against poison dat his body can handle it but not avoid da initial zhock."

Toga frowned deeply, staring at the ground. Sairex eyed him for a long moment before turning his attention to Miroku.
"Miroku, let me zee your ztaff, please."

Miroku blinked and handed his staff to the raven. Sairex promptly whacked Toga over the head with it, drawing a surprised growl from the taiyoukai and a wide-eyed gasp from Miroku.

"Toga! Ztop blaming yourself for dis. You didn't know dis vould happen. Its only your doing on a very zmall technicality. Doesn't count. You didn't put da poison dere, you didn't know vhat vould trigger it."Toga glared at Sairex before sighing. "I know, I know...so how do we fix it? I've seen the same mark on you, long ago. It is not there now."Sairex frowned uneasily. "Vell...it vas never pleasant to remove. I had to cut out da flesh vell around each hole and burn out any traces of da venom vith acid."

Miroku stared slack-jawed at Sairex, not even wanting to think about how painful it would be to carve huge chunks out of yourself, let alone pour acid on the wounds. "How...many times did he mark you?"Sairex grinned slightly. "Every time I took it off. He considered me...and probably ztill does tink of me...as his mate. I never exactly zhared his viewpoint."

"Is there any way to get this mark and this venom out of my pup short of gouging it out of his flesh?" Toga asked with a frown. Sairex sat for a long moment, considering.

"Vell...I don't know. I vas never able to come up vith a vay before, but...I vill tink on it. For now...he'll be zafe enough as long as...er..."

"Understood. You do understand I appreciate your discretion in this matter." Toga's tone clearly warned just how much he would not appreciate indiscretion.

"Kaa, of course, of course." Sairex waved him off, digging through his bag. He mixed a few things together and then handed the bowl of powder to Toga. "Here. Put dis in vater and have him drink it vhen he vakes up. It'll make him feel a bit better."

"Thank you."

"I really don't know of a vay to remove da venom vithout cutting it out. It is painful, but if he can handle it...of course, I could do da cutting myzelf and just keep him unconscious. He'd never feel a ting."

"I will ask him what he wishes done when he wakes."

"What I wish done about what?" Sesshoumaru mumbled groggily.

Sairex glanced at Toga before filling Sesshoumaru in on what had happened and the only solution he knew of. Sesshoumaru stared at him, his eyes narrowing.

"You didn't think to tell me sooner that I could be rid of this damn scar, raven?" A low, angry growl rumbled in his chest. Toga rested his hand on Sesshoumaru's shoulder.

"I vas unavare dat y ou had it. You keep it hidden."

"Hn. Fine. Cut it off me."

"Er...right now?" Sairex blinked.

"I don't want this damn thing a moment longer if you can take it off! Do it or I will damn well do it myself!"

"Sesshoumaru."Sesshoumaru flinched at his father's reprimand and then sighed. "Forgive me, Sairex."

"Kaa, no vorries. I underztand. Mmm. Come, come...ve go to da healer's chambers, I need tings from dere and it vill be easier to clean up. You two..." Sairex gestured to Miroku and Toga, "You two vill need to find zometing elze to do. I vill need to concentrate."

Toga looked incredibly reluctant to let his pup go off to be hacked up without his supervision, but Sesshoumaru gave him a glance. "I will be fine, my Lord Father. And if I am not, surely you can destroy one little raven."

Sairex chuckled. "Indeed, indeed...come." Sairex escorted Sesshoumaru from the room. Miroku glanced at Toga, who was staring at the door as if he intended to dart out immediately after them.

"You trust him, right?" Miroku asked quietly. Toga nodded.

"Absolutely. I just...still feel badly."

"It is not your fault, m'lord. Had you known, you likely would have withheld yourself...and ultimately, not that you asked my opinion, I feel Lord Sesshoumaru needed this."

Toga arched an eyebrow. "Oh really..."

"Emotional bonding, love, and someone to prove to him that all is not so dire as his past experience has dictated. Yes. I know he had some sort of intimacy with Inuyasha, but that is different. No one else can be who you are to him. He submits to no one else. Where he can find enjoyment with Inuyasha, I believe he will find more peace with you. And perhaps things will go from there."

"Mm. You are very open minded for a human. Most of youkai society will not accept this union should they find out. They may even be incited to rebellion."

"Eh. I'm not your average human. I suppose I will go to the kitchen and see what I can do with the herbs I have. I can probably make something to help the pain he'll be in...""Good. Thank you. I suppose I will tend to some of the duties I have been neglecting. Thank you, Miroku."

"Oh, anything I can do to help. Oh...er...sorry about the staff thing. I didn't know what he wanted it for."

Toga rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit. "That bird is something else. You are good for each other."

Miroku smiled. "Thank you."

Toga nodded. "I shall see you at dinner, then."

With a nod, Miroku departed.

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A/N - The more scientific reason for why Tsetsukosei's venom works has to do with the chemicals released into the body during orgasm. The venom reacts with them and turns what is normally a burst of pleasure-happiness chemicals and twists it into pain instead. Pleasure and pain are very closely related on a chemical level.

However, smart as Sairex is, he doesn't know the technical explanation.