InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 66

Pride (In the Name of Love) 66 / ??
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!
Questions or Comments? - Email me at megami_no_remon@hotmail.com
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// blah // indicates thoughts.

A/N - So yesterday, in a fit of writing inspiration, I wrote a lil ten page story that could be considered either Sairex's backstory or the prequel to this story. It explains a few things - such as how Sairex and one Toga-Inu-no-Taisho know each other. There are slight references to said sidestory contained in this chapter, actually. It is not necessary to read it if you don't like...but I'd recommend it. You can find it by going to my author profile thingy and finding "A Crow Left of the Murder" (cunning title stolen from an Incubus album, but I always always loved it and it was fitting. Describes Sairex perfectly). Enjoy!
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Toga was sitting on the floor, head bowed and leaning against the wall when Sairex arrived. The raven landed on the windowsill before hopping in to the floor, still in his bird form. Yellow eyes widened and his head cocked to one side as he surveyed the carnage in the room. Toga didn't twitch, and for a sickening moment, Sairex feared his friend, too, had fallen in this inexplicable battle.

Sairex transformed in mid-hop, sliding next to Toga on his knees and reaching out for the inu, letting out a startled noise when Toga looked up at him. He clutched his chest before sitting down heavily. "Hn...Don't zcare me like dat, I thought you vere...vell."

"I didn't do it. Well. I did kill Kanjiro, but he killed the other two. He was mad."

Sairex frowned and leaned back against the wall next to his friend. "Vhat are you going to do?""You're the advisor, you're supposed to tell me."

Sairex snorted. "Dis is vhy you called me, den?"

Toga blinked and sat up straighter. "No, it isn't. Something's not right here, Sairex. Kanjiro was acting strangely all day...insulted me in perhaps the most dire manner possible, then later the same night came trembling to me and begging for help. He said Jormandar had his family and was threatening them to force him into action. That was why I called you...to see if you would go to his castle and see if his family yet lived and if there was anything that could be done for them.""I zee..."

"The next thing I knew, Shirizu and I heard some awful noises coming from down the hall and we ran here to find Shimaku and Kanjiro tied together fighting. Shimaku was pretty well done for by the time we got here. Then..." Toga paused to take a deep breath. "He got past me and took Shirizu down. He made a few weak attempts to take me as well but by that point I could have blown him over. Even if I hadn't taken him, he would have probably died of his wounds."

Sairex frowned deeply and was silent for a long moment before speaking again. "You don't need me to tell you vhat vill happen because of dis...even vith you innocent, few vill believe it. It vill be too easy to blame you regardless den to zearch for da truth."

"Ironically, the North will liably hit us the hardest and the worst. Shirizu's people loved her dearly, almost fanatically. I am not sure how swiftly the east will respond, it depends on how deep Jormandar's influence ran or if he was playing Kanjiro in secret. Either way, I'm a demon of my word and I still want you to try to see to his family as I promised. They are innocent regardless of this. The south...I'm not sure of either. Shimaku was neither well loved nor trusted, but he was respected. But they tend to be...opportunists and thieves, bandits all. The opportunity to take me and mine down and topple what they could never hope to touch alone..."

Sairex nodded slightly. "Even if Jormandar keeps his filthy claws out of dis henceforth, you vill zee var."

"Our survival will depend on how coordinated our opposing number is and whether or not I can sway even one of them to non-aggression. If all three of them come for us, the West is done." Toga's voice was strained - the admission pained him deeply.

"Vell, ve vill zee vhat ve can do. Dey have to be made to understand dat even if da Vest is taken, den vhat? Vhat vill dey do vith it? Many are da demon dat dreams of taking you down zimply because you are ztrong, Toga...but few are da demons dat tink of vhat dey vould do if dey managed. And even ztill...ve can use dis to our advantage. Vhile I ztill tink it vill come to fighting, ve may be able to dissuade dem zimply because of you and your zons. You are...fearsome. Any one of da tree of you could take out a tousand times your own veight in demons before breakfast."

"Hn. Flattery will get you everywhere, raven."

Sairex grinned faintly. "I myzelf vill...zee vhat I can do to dissuade Jormandar. His living army I can...probably terrorize into disobedience. Da dead are mindless zlaves, however. I'm not zo sure dere is much I can do about dem...and Toga..."

"Yes?"Sairex was staring at Sounga. "Vhat in da hell are you doing vith zometing like dat?"

"Do not worry about this, my friend. I subjugated this sword long ago. It does not control me, although it has tried more than once. As long as it remains in my possession, it is not a threat."

"Hn, enough to make a bird nervous...vell. I zuppose I best go zee about da cat's family. Den I vill come back to your castle and zee how tings are, yes?"

"Indeed."Sairex snapped his fingers. "Oh...I almost forgot. Dere is a new problem."

"Of course there is. Why wouldn't there be?" Toga muttered bitterly. "What is it?"

"Zomeone by da name of Naraku has apparently been reincarnated. I don't know much about 'im but...from vhat I hear it zounds pretty bad. And his reappearance put a curse back on Miroku."

"A curse? What sort of curse?"

"Zome zort of...void...in his hand. Apparently it vas a curse placed on his line generations ago. It'll conzume him in time."

Toga blinked, and then frowned deeply. Sairex was doing his level best to relay the news calmly, but he could see how much it affected the raven. "Is there a way to fix it?""Killing dis Naraku zeems to be da easiest vay, but I intend to zeek out others."

"Then we will hunt for this Naraku thing."

"I tink your zons know a lot more about 'im dan I do, I'd talk to dem vhen you get back."

Toga nodded. "I shall. I suppose it would behoove me to start heading back sooner rather than later...I'd rather be safely home before everything explodes."

Sairex nodded and stood, stretching himself. "I vill go zee to da neko's family and return. Vill you be alright, my friend?"

"Yes, of course. I am curious, though..."

Sairex arched an eyebrow. "About?"

"I am not sure what you have told any of the others of our relationship. I haven't had the chance to speak with you since...I haven't had the chance to speak with you at all since you left me."

Sairex frowned and looked at the floor. "I didn't vant to leave you."

"I didn't mean it that way, Sairex."

The raven sighed. "Ultimately, it vas probably for da best. If tings had gone further, tink of da trouble den. And you might not have ended up vith your zons."

Toga nodded and smiled, but there was no humor in it. "I know... its just... do you know how much it hurt me, the last time I saw you? All those scars and...knowing what that monster was doing to you..." Toga growled reflexively at the memory, his eyes shutting.

"I got troo it because of you. Dere vas noting you could have done in any case, not den. Neither of us vere vhat ve are now. It may have ended poorly, but it vas a good zummer."

Toga smiled and then pulled the raven into a tight but brief hug. "I am glad you made it through it all more or less intact."

"Vell, you didn't, you vent and died...or I'd zay da zame ting."

"Ha, ha. Very funny. Mm. Do you think we should tell them?"

Sairex pondered this for a long while and then shrugged. "If it comes up, I vill. If not, I zee no reason to volunteer it."

Toga nodded. "It would be somewhat...strange. I must say, of all people I ever expected to see in my castle again, you were not one of them. It was a hell of a surprise when your monk brought me from the netherworld and I see you, of all creatures."

"Eh. I'm tricky like dat."

"You with a monk...a human monk, no less. I can't say I would ever have expected that."

Sairex blushed slightly but smiled. "Miroku is...a force to be reckoned vith. I have never before met a human vith zuch a ztrong presence and personality. And he's very zmart and vise, especially for his race."

Toga chuckled. "I see...so you're using him for his mind?"

"Kaa, more like he ztarted using me. Vhen ve vere zharing a body, you don't vant to know vhat he ztarted doing to me."

"I think I do want to know now, actually. What does it take to seduce Sairexannaras these days?"

Sairex blushed. "Kaa, lemme alone..."

"Are you happy with him?"

"Yes." Sairex's expression turned grim. "And I vill not allow a ztupid curse to take him from me any more dan I intend to let his mortality ztep in. I vill find a vay."

"He is a monk. He may not appreciate you altering his mortality."

"Kaa, most monks don't zeduce demons."

"Point taken. I will help you in any way I can, of course."

"And vhat of you, are YOU happy dese days? I know vhat you've been up to..."

It was Toga's turn to flush. "It is...very complicated. Nothing I do ends up simple, does it?... But I am. Despite the ramifications of what will happen when all this gets out...and I've no doubt it will after Kanjiro's recent outburst... and despite the fact that I should never have gotten involved like this in the first place...I do not regret it. My Sesshoumaru has always been very precious to me. Things just...matured...is all."

"Mm, you vouldn't be happy if everyting vas easy, anyvay. And it zeems you have a penchant for...mm... forbidden romances."

Toga blinked and then laughed. "Perhaps you are right...the only one I was ever with that society would have been properly accepting of was Sesshoumaru's mother. We know how long THAT lasted. All the rest...heh."

"Its because you're an animal."

"Oh, you have room to talk. Now go on, get out of here. Pleasant as this is, we both have business to attend and time is rather of the essence."

"I'll be home as zoon as possible. Jormandar isn't one to leave his victims alive long...but...if he already killed da cat, he might not even bother vith harming his family. Vhy vaste da energy killing dem vhen it'd zerve no purpose?"

Toga nodded. "Thank you, my friend. Be safe.""Eh, vhat could go vrong vith zending a bird into a cat's house?" Sairex winked and then hopped backwards, transforming to his bird form as he did so.

"Well, when you put it that way, I'm wholly convinced of your safety. I shall see you at home." Toga smirked and allowed his own beast to overtake his body. With a final nod to each other, the two flew out the window and went their separate ways.