InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 73

Pride (In the Name of Love) 73 / ??
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 - New sidestory, "Only To Be With You" was posted yesterday afternoon at all my usual sites, you can find the link under my profile. I'm on somethin' of a writing roll. Kinda going back and doing backstories for various events and characters to further illustrate how it all ties together in my main fic here. Hope you all enjoy.
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Just before dawn, Sairex climbed to his feet. He smiled inwardly to himself and closed his eyes. It was a sad smile, a private one he indulged in only when he knew no one would see. No, it wasn't that he actually hated the break of dawn and the sun early in the morning despite is frequent complaints...rather, it brought back too many memories. Memories of the few peaceful times of his youth, memories of a certain summer where the sunrise signaled his need to hurriedly sneak back to his own room before he was caught...and the Black Circle had no sun. It had always seemed painfully symbolic to him, in retrospect...he had left behind the brightest lights of his life, physically and emotionally.

The raven turned his gaze to Miroku. He watched him sleep affectionately for a long moment. He really was incredible, for a human, but Sairex could feel the despair roiling just under the surface ever since his curse had returned. Miroku continued to smile for everyone, but the raven knew it was not a smile that reached the monk's own heart.

Slowly, Sairex reached out one taloned hand and rested it on Miroku's head, murmuring a soft chant. Miroku sighed softly and slid deeper into sleep. The raven stood, content that his lover would not wake before he was ready for him to now.

After dressing and tending to his hair and wings, making sure he was once more in pristine condition, Sairex went to Kagome's room and knocked lightly on the door. "Lady Priestess...? I am zorry to vake you dis early, but I need to talk to you in private."

A sleepy Kagome eventually fumbled the door open, although she turned bright red and couldn't look directly at Sairex for no reason that he could fathom. "Er..." She yawned. "Mrrph. What do you need?"

"It has much to do vith da reason I chose to come personally instead of letting Miroku handle tings on his own. Please, come zit down."

"We'll wake Miroku up. He's a pretty light sleeper."

"No. He vill remain asleep. I made zure of dat."

Kagome nodded sleepily and trudged out to settle down on a chair, studiously not looking directly at Miroku either. She had relaxed a bit - she realized Sairex knew ABSOLUTELY nothing about his lecherous monk's devious little wink the night before... // Damn it, Miroku did that on PURPOSE... //

That didn't mean she was going to be able to look at him for a while without blushing. Especially once he woke up.

"You are familiar vith da curse he now bears, yes?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah...he had it almost the whole time I was originally over there. He always acted like it was never a big deal and just kept smiling and being cheerful and...well. Being Miroku."

Sairex nodded, his expression taking on a hard, grim quality. It was a darkly calculating look, one that more than a few enemies had seen as Sairex had evaluated them before his attack. "I vill not ztand for it. But dat is only one part of it. Miroku is mortal. If he lives a hundred years, it vill ztill only be a mere fraction of da life I have already lived, vill continue to live."

The woman blinked, a slight frown twitching her lips. "Well, like you said...he's mortal. We all age and die."

Sairex was silent for a long time before speaking. "All tings exist vithin time. It is because of dis dat mortals age and die, dat da mightiest of buildings crumbles to dust and da most powerful of creatures returns to earth. He who controls time has da vorld in his hands. But vhat if dere vas a vay to...remove one...from da timeztream?"

Kagome's eyes widened. The mere concept was crazy. Remove Miroku from the timestream? "You...mean...make him immortal?"

"I intend to prevent him from aging and dying, yes. Immortality of a zort, I zuppose. It vill make him no less immune to death from outzide influences...but he vill live until he is killed."

"You...you can do that?" Kagome didn't know whether to be fascinated or horrified.

"Da alternative is to find a vay to make him into a demon himzelf, and I think he'd be less amenable to dat. For all his zeemingly impure actions...he is a monk at heart. He truly is a holy creature, and a powerful one at dat."

"Do you think Miroku will just let you do this to him?"Sairex's expression clouded further. "He better. I am as yet less zure of how to cope vith his vind tunnel. I need to find out more about it before I can figure a vay to close it zhort of killing dis Naraku."

"Why wouldn't you want to kill Naraku?"

"I never zaid dat...I just do not like taking unnecessary risks. I vould rather find another vay if Naraku does not present himzelf vithin da time ve have."

"Oh...I see. So...erm...what's all this got to do with me?"

"I need zometing from you, Lady Priestess. A vial of holy vater and a blessing."

Kagome blinked. "Er...are you sure you need me for this?""Yes."

"Why?"Sairex grinned faintly. "You are curious and ask da right questions. It is no vonder you vere a good priestess. Vhy? I do not tink I vould ever find a priestess near your power elsevhere in dis vorld, and I need a truly powerful blessing...one of power dat exists outzide of time."

"Eh? But..."

"You vere born da reincarnation of a priestess dat lived hundreds of years ago. However, da power changed zubtly vith you, as it vould have to do...da zoul is now yours. But noting can exist in two places at once unless it exists outzide of time itzelf. Zhould I bring back vith me tings blessed vith your power...it vill be in defiance to da timeztream as dis power exists vithin da past already."

"Er...then why didn't I have any trouble?"

"It is not zometing you vould notice. You vere alvays a mere ztep from creating a paradox, and tings you did changed da future of da vorld."

"I didn't do that much..."

"Lady Priestess...I do not know vhat you know about me. But I am a zeer. In a limited vay, I can zee vhat paths da future might take."

"You can see the future?!" Kagome was shocked and terribly intrigued all at the same time. Sairex held up a hand and shook his head to try to dim her enthusiasm a bit.

"It is...not dat zimple. Da future is not fixed...it is not zet in ztone. Every ting you do has zeveral potential outcomes. Each of dose outcomes has zeveral potential outcomes...and zo on. Every choice you make, no matter how minor it may zeem, changes your course, eliminates other possible courses. Zo in a limited vay, I could tell you vhat could happen...but cannot ever tell you vith certainty vhat VILL happen. Admittedly, I could guide you to a point in a vague direction in an effort to affect a certain outcome...dat is vhat zeeing and prophecy is all about. But I cannot guarantee tings. Da future is written by da actions of da present and past, it is not already defined."

Kagome nodded slowly. "I see. And what is it you have seen for Miroku?"

Sairex's expression turned grim and he set his lip. "Countless vays for him to die...and zoon. I have not yet found a vay to make him live. And dat is zometing I vill not accept."

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

Naraku growled in frustration. "You are destroying opportunities with your paranoia about keeping me here. Your raven holds my heart and I cannot defy her, much as I would love to kill her and take it. I am fully reborn and in full possession of my abilities."

Jormandar eyed him skeptically.

"Make no mistake, I do not do this solely to please you. I call no one master. However, I have my own vengeance to wreak on Inuyasha and his family. I can tell you that Sesshoumaru will be trouble if he survives...but from what I know of his father... we are wasting an opportunity."

"Very well, Naraku. I will let you go for a short while."

"I need not go myself. I merely wish to send a demon puppet of my own."

"As you will, then."

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

Toga was snapped out of his partial slumber when he sensed a presence in his room. He immediately glared around the room until he found what had dared disturb him - it was a humanoid figure in a white baboon pelt.

"Good morning, Inu no Taisho..."

"Who are you and what the hell are you doing in my room?" Toga growled. Oh, he ached to draw Sounga...but he did not. The hell-sword was very strong and Toga knew himself well enough to admit that his willpower was not what it should be right now. There was the chance that the sword would overpower him in his mentally weakened state and...well, that just wouldn't be good for anyone. "Get out..." he snarled dangerously.

"How rude. And here I come with an offer you are really in no position to refuse..."

Toga growled but said nothing. Naraku was on edge - he could tell the dangerous inu patriarch was a split second from destroying his puppet and not hearing a thing he had to say. He was disheveled, his eyes were red-rimmed and swollen...he looked exhausted and...crazed. Dangerous.

"I have come to offer you Sesshoumaru's life."

Toga was across the room before Naraku could blink, his fingers clenched in the thick white pelt at Naraku's throat.

"The reason he dies is that his spirit is separate from his body because his body is not healing. Ultimately, it is a vicious circle. Without his soul his body cannot heal, and without healing his soul cannot enter his body. I know a way to break that cycle..."

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

Sesshoumaru snarled in rage. How DARE that treacherous, slimy beast play on his father's pain like this?! And worse, Sesshoumaru saw the doubt that flickered in his sire's eyes. His own eyes widened in horror as Naraku made clear his price.

"You will give yourself over to me and mine, willingly submit to our captivity and any measures we deem fit to assure your future captivity and cooperation. In return...your precious little puppy shall live. You for your son. What do you think?"

Toga never got the chance to reply. Sesshoumaru simply couldn't allow this to happen. // No, my Lord Father... for love of me, you would give yourself when I am done in anyways. Naraku makes no benevolent deals. For love of you, I will NOT allow this to occur. Even if it means they find a way to make it so I cannot see you anymore until I succumb to this spell... I will not let this happen. //

Sesshoumaru poured everything he had into concentrating, praying to gods he knew would never hear him that this would work. With a defiant roar he lashed out at the demon puppet.

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

Before Toga could begin to accept Naraku's order, the demon puppet was slit in half by a blazing lash of light. It seemed to originate from nowhere. And yet...oh, only one being he knew used their youki like that...

"My Sesshoumaru...?" Toga whispered, looking from dissipating baboon pelt to his son's still form. // What is going on here...? //

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

"My Lord Father..." Sesshoumaru sighed, his attempt to reach out and touch his sire ending in the same failure as it always had. "I am here...please don't do anything stupid for my sake, I could never bear it...I will find a way to return to you. I swear it."

Toga turned unexpectedly and walked right through Sesshoumaru's ghostly form. For a moment, both of them felt...SOMETHING... and froze. Toga shook his head slightly and returned to his bed after changing the damp cloth on Sesshoumaru's forehead. The fever had not abated.

Sesshoumaru swallowed thickly and clung to that brief instant of contact. // I swear it. I will find a way to come back to you... //