InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 65

Pride (In the Name of Love) 65 / ??
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 - Mmmm...day off. I wasn't going to update today - got a World of Warcraft LAN party to go to tonight...but I got up early so I decided..what the hell. Besides, I forgot just how bloody amazing the Inuyasha series was... I've owned it forever, read the manga again a couple weeks ago...but hadn't watched it in so long. I forgot exactly how epic it was and was squealing - at least internally - like a little girl as I watched my beautiful Sesshoumaru bouncing about and sounding all sexy. So, thus inspired...
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Cold, night-dark eyes watched the trembling neko lord sitting in Toga's room, staring at the flickering flame of the oil lamp. A smile curled the split lips and Jormandar's long, spindly fingers twitched. // So you thought to beseech him...I had not expected that of you, cat...but no matter. Even the Inu no Taisho is not THAT fast. //

Jormandar smiled at the dark glass of the viewing mirror, slowly spreading his fingers.

"Dance, puppet...dance..."

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

Kanjiro hit the floor face first as the words slithered within his skull. A tiny voice of protest died on his lips as his body twisted. He had been too late.

A terrible scream tore itself free of him as his body bowed against his will, his fingers hooking into claws. Emerald eyes widened in horror. The pain was shocking in its intensity. Bones began to snap as they were bent past their limits. Unbidden, in a last-ditch effort to defend himself, Kanjiro fell into his true form, a great, sleek cat.

Still, the wrenching continued. The doorway was thrown open as his yowl shook the room. Shimaku blinked, eyes widening in alarm. "Kanjiro? What in the hells...?!"

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

Jormandar paused briefly in his breaking of the cat, his tone musing. "Perhaps there is a better way for me to use you..."

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

Shimaku slammed into the wall, the breath blasted from his lungs as long claws punctured his stomach, raking him open. He let out a terrible hiss, his body exploding into writhing coils and twisting around the horrible, crazed cat. Shimaku squeezed, his mind aching almost as much as the deep wounds. He knew he was in trouble. Vital things had been torn in the unexpected assault. But still, he did not want to kill the neko... he had been the closest friend the serpent youkai had ever had.

Despite the crushing force, Kanjiro fought wildly, entirely heedless of the pain and the danger. Again and again he tore at the coils binding him even as tears slid from his eyes.

This was not what he had wanted. Shimaku had been as a brother to him. Kanjiro was not evil. He was cunning and sometimes merciless. He had taken his fair share of lives, as had any demon lord of note - with the possible and rare exception like Lady Shirizu. But he was not a cold-blooded murderer. He did not delight in such things. // Oh please, kill me... do not let me cause this war...don't let me kill you... //

Shimaku squinted his eyes shut, sinking his fangs into the cat. // Forgive me, brother...//

Kanjiro felt the burn of venom seeping into his veins almost as acutely as he felt the flesh tearing beneath his claws. He was glad he was not in enough control of his body to see the damage he had caused.

Toga and Shirizu came around the corner at almost the same instant, stunned at the sight. Toga drew Sounga from his belt. "Kanjiro! What treachery is this?!"

Shimaku sighed inwardly as they approached, feeling somewhat relieved. The pain was distant now, and he felt his coils loosening as the floor rushed up to meet him. It was strange, this dark warmth... he never felt his head hit the stone as the feral cat broke free.

Shirizu gasped. "Shimaku! Lord Shimaku! Kanjiro, what have you DONE?!"

Kanjiro was wheezing, blood pouring from his jaws from internal wounds. His ribs were snapped and he could scarcely draw air into his damaged lungs. His eyes were red and lolling wildly. Distantly he knew that his body could not handle this. The venom was making his limbs heavy. Despite that, he turned his wild look to Toga, ignoring the sword leveled his way.

The neko crouched and sprang. Toga immediately moved to block, but the angle was wrong. The cat shot over his head. Sounga tore the beast open as he flew past, showering the inu in a crimson fall of blood. Kanjiro's aim had been accurate, however, and he landed on Shirizu claws-first.

"No!" Toga screamed and again launched himself at the crazed nekoyoukai. Kanjiro leapt again, this time dragging Shirizu along in his jaws. Toga's strike didn't miss - Kanjiro felt his leg almost severed as he landed behind Shimaku's still form. He ignored Toga, tearing desperately at the delicate bird-youkai's body.

Toga struck again, driving him off of Shirizu's body as Sounga lashed wildly. Kanjiro tried to bite, but the wounds had finally become too great. Sounga's devastating strikes, the venom, his crushed body...it was simply too much. He tried to fight Toga off, but only managed a few last glancing blows. As Jormandar released his control, Kanjiro stumbled and fell.

Toga did not hesitate to drive Sounga deeply into the cat's body, spearing him through the heart. With a shuddering, bloody gasp, Kanjiro fell silent, finally succumbing to the damage. The taiyoukai stood and then whirled, hurrying over to Shirizu.

He knew from long experience that she was done. Shirizu had never been a fighter and had had no real defense against the cat's talons and powerful jaws. Toga pulled her into his arms, wishing desperately that he had his Tenseiga. It was only a matter of a few moments before she breathed her last.

Toga glanced at Shimaku's still form, wondering how long the serpent had held on to the feral cat. His body was in ribbons. Slowly the inu taiyoukai stood, Sounga in hand.

It was then he heard a small gasp behind him and the full impact of the situation hit him with the cold weight of an avalanche. He turned slowly to look at Shirizu's horrified handmaiden. He realized with a numb sense of dread then, as he watched the girl flee, what was going to occur...what all this looked like.

Toga, the Inu no Taisho and Lord of the West, stood alone with a bloody sword amidst the bodies of the other three cardinal Lords.

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

Inuyasha watched as mountains of scrolls, jars of ink, pens, and a few heavy books went flying, crashing and clattering to the floor in one sudden wave as Sesshoumaru lashed at them. The hanyou was surprised, very surprised, at his brother's reaction. It was almost entirely unexpected.

Thought flew from him a split second later as his back hit the suddenly clean desk and Sesshoumaru's lips met his in a kiss so brutal that he tasted the sweet, metallic tang of blood. Such wild passion was so unlike his brother, from all that he recalled. Exactly what sort of beast had his father awakened within his brother?

Not that he minded, really. With a subconscious growl he tore at Sesshoumaru's haori even as he heard the loud rip of his own leaving him, rent by sharp claws. Sesshoumaru apparently had not had the patience to deal with knots. He felt those same, deadly claws and cool fingertips suddenly running over his chest and redoubled his efforts, leaving them both naked to the waist. Sesshoumaru caught him in another vicious kiss and ground his hips against him, letting Inuyasha feel the full force of his arousal.

The door opened.

Miroku paused and blinked slowly as two pairs of golden eyes looked at him. Inuyasha's cheeks flushed slowly. The monk wondered briefly if Sesshoumaru was going to attack and he clutched his staff more tightly.

Sesshoumaru stood slowly, his glare baleful and murderous. "This had best be good, monk, or you lose your head."

"You coulda knocked..." Inuyasha mumbled as he sat up, painfully aware of his blush.

Miroku frowned and then looked at the floor. His countenance was so grave that it gave them both pause, and the brothers exchanged a glance. "I am sorry to interrupt you."

"What's wrong, Miroku?" Inuyasha frowned and swung his legs over the desk, hopping to his feet. He glanced down as he felt something wet - he was standing in a puddle of ink all over one of the very expensive rugs. // Heh... oops. //

Miroku simply shifted his grip on his staff and looked up at Inuyasha for a long moment. He had a distantly sad, haunted expression that the hanyou hadn't seen lurking in those violet eyes in years. Sesshoumaru noticed something else.

"Why do you wear the beads on your hand again, monk?"

Inuyasha's eyes shot to the beads in question. Sesshoumaru always HAD been an observant bastard...

"If I did not, my wind tunnel would run rampant."

"But...but that's impossible!" Inuyasha's ears flattened back and he scrambled over to his friend, almost making a grab for Miroku's hand in his sudden panic. "When we killed Naraku, it w...oh, no. FUCK no..."

Miroku kept his eyes on the floor. He struggled to maintain his calm and his acceptance, but it was so much HARDER than it used to be. Before, the void had simply been a fact of his life. He dealt with it as anyone dealt with a birth defect. It was simply there, an inescapable fact of life. Something you put up with and didn't give much thought, it was just...part of who he was.

He had accepted it so readily, then. Surely, he would do what he could to attempt to get rid of it...but he had been resigned to his ultimate fate. He had reached a measure of peace, knowing that some day, the void would consume him. Surely, he had feared it and dreaded it...but it had never weighed on him so much as it did now.

When they had finally killed Naraku and he had been freed of the curse, granted a new lease on life...everything had changed. The shadow of death that had haunted him all his life had fled, and with this stay of execution he was suddenly filled with something that he had never really experienced much before. Hope. He was no longer living on borrowed time - his time was his own.

And when he had finally settled down, gotten used to his life...found so much joy and even love... this dark cancer had surged back to life, mocking his free existence and laughing at the cruel joke of his hope. Despair was never an emotion that Miroku had dealt well with...indeed, despite everything of before, it was not one he had often felt.

He was feeling it now.

"But...but he can't be back. Miroku, we killed that bastard..."

"I was there. I remember what happened. But I can tell you that we must have failed. I can...I can feel him." Miroku felt the sarcastic smile on his face, heard the bitterness in his tone. "I don't know how, or why, or where he is. All I can tell you is that he IS."

"Then we will kill him again," Sesshoumaru stated simply. "For now, maintain your barriers. Enhance them further, if you and the raven can."

"Sairex was called away by your father. It seems it was urgent."

Sesshoumaru's eyebrow arched. That certainly meant something less than good was up. Did it have something to do with him? // Probably. // he mused darkly. // None of this turmoil would be necessary if he would have let me simply concede to the bastard's demands. I bear no desire to suffer through what he would surely bring upon me, but better that than to have these lands and all those that I care for suffer for me. Because of me. I am not worth all that. //

"This Sesshoumaru will look into the matter. Inuyasha, inform your wolf of the rebirth of Naraku so that he knows what to look for."Inuyasha nodded. "Right." His glance went to Miroku, who was quietly slipping out the door. "Hey, monk...you gonna be alright?"Miroku smiled, although it didn't reach his eyes despite the lightness of his tone. "Oh, I'll be fine. It is nothing I haven't dealt with before. We'll take care of Naraku and it won't be a concern."

Inuyasha's ears drooped further as he watched his friend turn and continue his slow retreat. "Poor bastard..." He glanced at Sesshoumaru and his expression darkened further. Sesshoumaru's eyes were focused and distant, full of the dead and hollow pain that had only recently begun to recede and allow some spark of life to shine through. // Fuck.. what's going on in his head now? What the hell do I do?! //

Sadly for Inuyasha, no answers were forthcoming.