InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 69

Pride (In the Name of Love) 69 / ??
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.

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// blah // indicates thoughts.

A/N - This chapter brings me over page three hundred...and well over 150k words. You sure you guys aren't tired of it yet? XD Not that I'd stop regardless, but...
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Sairex winced as he flexed his wings experimentally, making his way down the hall. Dear gods, the cramps were killing him! It felt like someone had dropped a noose of glass-encrusted cable around his muscles and then jerked it tight. But, really...his haste had been necessary. His news really couldn't wait.

He tapped lightly on Toga's door and waited for a long moment. He got no response. One delicate eyebrow lifted before the raven opened the door and peeked in. "Toga?"

The growl he got in response was low and dangerous, filled with deadly promise. "Get out."

Sairex sighed softly to himself. "I just got back from da East, Toga. You need to know vhat I've learned."

Toga's growl increased in volume and he lifted his head. Sairex barely held a reaction in check. Toga's teeth were bared in a violent snarl. His eyes were red and swollen, his hair disheveled. Tears still trailed unchecked down his face, and the slightest of tremors shook his body. He had Sesshoumaru's battered and heavily bandaged form cradled against his chest. "Get...OUT!"

Sairex narrowed his eyes. "Toga, I cannot tell you how zorry I am for dis, but you cannot ignore y--"

"Sairex, I do not care if the land and everyone in it rots. This is the last time I will warn you. Get out or I will kill you." The slightest tinge of crimson had bled into Toga's eyes. The raven eyed him for a long moment, his heart aching for his friend's grief, before he sketched a quick bow and slid out of the room.

// Well, that went well... // Sairex sighed and made his way down the hall. // Hopefully the son is a bit more together than the father... // He rapped on Inuyasha's door a moment later, bracing himself mentally for impact. He was met with silence and almost gave up when Inuyasha's voice mumbled for him to come in.

"Sairex? What are you doing here?" The hanyou frowned and sat up straighter. He had been laying curled up in his bed with Kouga, worrying heavily about his brother and feeling generally terrible. Sairex noted that he seemed more composed than Toga had, at least.

"I have zome very important tings to discuss about my recent mission."

"Then why are you telling me? Shouldn't you be telling my father?"

"Your father is, for da immediate future, unable and unvilling to rule. He is far too upset."

"I know he's upset...so am I. But still, this is kinda not my thing."

"Lord Inuyazha, he vouldn't even listen to my report. Even if he had, he vouldn't have cared. He threatened to kill me if I didn't leave, and he meant it."

Inuyasha was silent for a moment before giving Sairex a wary look. "How...how is Sessh? The healers won't tell me anything and none of them are brave enough to check in on him."Sairex sighed softly. "I...don't tink he has very long left. I'm zorry."

Inuyasha struggled to keep himself calm. He sucked in a long breath and let it out before managing to speak again. "Alright, tell me what's going on."

"Do you know vhat happened at da meeting your father attended?"

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, Miroku filled me in. Fucker framed the old man..."

"True enough...but da others are unlikely to believe dat vithout more zolid proof, and ve don't have time to get it. Da Northern armies are already preparing to march. I didn't pass troo da Zouth.""

"Great. So you went off to the East to save the cat's family, right?""Yes. Good news on dat front, at least."Inuyasha's ears pricked forward. "Good news? I thought they were going to be the biggest pains in our ass...""Zo did I. As it turns out, however, Lord Kanjiro's mate knew all about Jormandar's influence. He openly held her and her daughters captive. After he had zprung his trap vith Kanjiro, however, he had no use for dem. He vas apparently in a hurry and took off to tend to zome other tings. Dey didn't need zaving by da time I got dere. But...vhen I told her vhat had happened, zhe believed me fully. Not only dat, zhe vas so grateful dat Toga made da effort to help deir family despite everyting dat zhe zent a peace treaty vith me. Zhe vill try to help convince da North and Zouth of Toga's innocence. I need to get dis treaty zigned immediately."

"That's great news!" Inuyasha couldn't help a bit of a grin. "The East was the biggest threat of the three. If they're on our side now, things might turn out after all. Gimme a pen. Sessh... " Inuyasha paused and swallowed, continuing in a bit more subdued tone. "Sessh taught me how to sign my name. And draw the family crest. I... don't think he thought I was really paying attention..."

Sairex handed over a pen and the treaty wordlessly. Inuyasha signed it and handed it back. "I vill zee dat dis is delivered. In da meanvhile...make zure da guard is on high alert. Ve cannot afford mistakes."

Inuyasha nodded. "Kouga and I will take care of it."

With a bow, Sairex headed out of the room to see that the treaty was sent off properly...and then to take some much needed rest.

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

Sairex blinked several times as he entered his room and caught Miroku in the act of rubbing some fashion of herbal salve on a series of punctures along the side of his thighs. "Vhat da 'ell happened to you? Lay down." Miroku arched an eyebrow as the small jar of salve was whisked out of his hands.

"Well...er...I rather picked a fight with Toga just long enough for him to NOT mindlessly kill Inuyasha. He simply reached back, latched on, and then threw me."

Miroku sighed and relaxed as Sairex took over massaging the remedy over his injuries. "You know, you could give a less pure-hearted person ideas with a touch like that."

Sairex snorted. "Much as I vould enjoy letting you ravish me or ravishing you myzelf, I barely have da ztrength to remain upright. Vhat tanks do I get? Oh, Zairex, get out of 'ere or I kill you. Hmph."

"Toga wouldn't have hurt you, I don't care what he said. It's just his grief talking. What an awful thing it would be, to outlive your own son."

"Vell...does it count dat he didn't? Technically?"

"I'm not sure. Most people don't get another chance. But I'll say no, it doesn't count. Poor Sesshoumaru...to go through all he has and now this besides. I did sense some lingering trace of spiritual magic in all this mess."

"I can't imagine othervise. Likely it vas a trap left behind. No new magic zhould have gotten past you."

"I assure you, it did not."

"If he does not vake he vill die. He cannot eat or drink like dis."

"Hmm...I wonder if Kagome has any knowledge and could help..."

"Vhat is a Kagome, again? I dimly remember you mentioning da name..."

"A human girl. A priestess from five hundred years in the future. She's saved me and the others with some of her future concoctions more than once." He noticed Sairex's hands had stilled and he blinked, looking up at the raven's somewhat queer expression. "What?""Da future?...Vell, if you have access to da future, dat explains how dey hid Lady Rin from Zetsukosei a vhile back. I vas painfully curious how da girl moved troo time like dat."

"Yes. It's rather a long story and I will tell you if you like, while you rest."Sairex snorted and flopped back next to Miroku with a smirk. "Dis bird is a bit old for bedtime ztories."

Miroku chuckled and gathered his raven into his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Oh, quiet, you, and let me tell you the story."

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

// Stupid body. // Sesshoumaru thought to himself. Really, the sight of his own mangled form was more than a little disconcerting to the taiyoukai. He could see, despite the bandages, that there were definite pieces missing. Secretly, he was as surprised as the raven demoness that he was still clinging to life.

Worse than the sight of his broken body, however, was his sire's heartrending grief. It made his soul hurt. He had tried all he could think of to communicate his presence to Toga, but with no luck. The elder inu hadn't left his side in days, not since the moment he had been brought to his room. Sesshoumaru had never even begun to imagine that anyone could ever feel so very strongly about him, to care about him so deeply as to be so affected. He ached to offer Toga any sort of solace, no matter how minor.

// Perhaps if he had not been so quick to rid us of Sairex, he might have sensed something. //

He sensed the raven demoness' return well before he saw her. Without a second thought he curled his youki around his fingers and whirled, his light whip sizzling out and scything through Karalichala's midsection. She gasped and staggered back a step before pasting a sneer on her face.

"You can't hurt me here, you fool. You're noting but a ghost."

She did indeed appear entirely unharmed despite his direct hit. However, Sesshoumaru was intrigued by her reaction. If she truly could not be harmed here, why had she reacted so strongly? It could have been mere surprise...but the taiyoukai filed the information away. // Perhaps it is as it was with my vision. I may merely need to train myself to learn how to use my abilities here. //

"Do you really insist on prolonging dis foolishness, dog? Do you enjoy vatching your father zuffer because you insist on continuing to draw breath, even knowing you can never vake up?"

"No. This Sesshoumaru does not appreciate the pain you have caused my Lord Father, and my vengeance will not be merciful. However, even if all you say is true and I ultimately must end up in your possession regardless of my decisions...I intend to make things as inconvenient as possible for you."

Karalichala ground her teeth in frustration before whirling and vanishing. Sesshoumaru smirked to himself, considering their meeting something of a minor victory. Once again she had left in frustration, unable to convince him to give in to her demands. Sesshoumaru assumed that it was not a lack of desire to force him to comply, but a lack of ability. If she could so easily take him, force him into what she wanted...he figured she would have already done so.

// So long as my body lives and I am not truly dead, I do not think she has power over me. But I cannot remain thus and my body will perish should I not wake up. And should my soul remain here, I do not believe it will. But how to get back into my body?... //