InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 88

Pride (In the Name of Love) 88 / ??
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
Update List - If you wish for new chapters of this story to be e-mailed to you directly, please send me an email and I'll add you to my update list! Chapters will be mailed as soon as they're ready to go! If you are on my update list, I still appreciate reviews at any of the usual sites I post to!

// blah // indicates thoughts.

A/N - So it looks like I managed to work a chapter into my schedule before I left for the rest of the weekend anyways, although my sidestory is giving me fits and doesn't want to come out right. I know the middle part and the end, it's just...the start. I'm not sure I like it and not sure how to change it. I'll probably post it anyways when I finish...though I can't promise it'll make it before I have to leave.

I'm starting to suspect I have less readers now than I once did...lol.. I get far less reviews these days. Sorrow. Maybe this beast has gotten too big?...Maybe my craziness has driven y'all away....

So hey...even if you don't leave a real review, I'm just curious as to how many followers this beast still has. So just give me a shout out and say hi or somethin' to let me know y'all are out there still!
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Toga heard a soft chuckle on the other side of the invisible wall of sutras that caged him. It was malevolent and wicked. Sounga was apparently curious enough too that both of them paused in their struggle against each other to look.

Aziraphe was leaning against the wall, a dark smile on her face. Toga felt the first threads of alarm, although they were heavily mixed with confusion. The heron didn't seem like she could be a wicked sort...surely Sairex would not have called her if she were?...

"Well, well...it seems everything has gone according to plan. More or less. In fact, things are working out better than I previously intended."

// What does she mean? // Sounga griped angrily.

// If I knew that, believe me, I probably wouldn't have ended up in this mess with you. // Toga growled mentally to highlight his response. His body, of course, remained silent but stared at Aziraphe, waiting for her to continue.

"Initially, my allies and I wished for the sword to take you and for you to run about and kill all you held dear yourself. Then it would simply be a matter of plucking up the souls before they reached the underworld. You yourself would have been overcome with grief or rage and ultimately ended up dead, unable to handle knowing you yourself had slaughtered your children."

// What?... // The heron had Toga's full attention, now.

"But this will probably work out even better." Aziraphe gave Toga a sweet smile. "Especially in regards to Sesshoumaru. He will make a delightful slave."

// WHAT?! // A low and dangerous growl slid from Toga's throat as a spike of protective fear and rage drove into him.

"It is a shame we could not subjugate you yourself. Your son will do, though. Perhaps even better. He is a prettier thing than you, more...delicate. Appealing to either gender. Do you know how many demons will pay well to make use of him? Simply for their own pleasure or to acquire a powerful child. Your bloodline is potent."

The volume of Toga's growl increased as his muscles began to quiver, his gaze locked on the heron demoness. His disbelief was wilting, fading in a white-hot rush of rage.

"I myself will use him. I wonder how loud I can make him scream...and how much I can make before he is too broken to be of use. Not that there is much left of him to break...but it will be delightful revenge for you causing my sister's death."

Sounga felt a sudden jolt of alarm. The continual, deadly rumble in Toga's throat was the sort of growl that began in one throat and ended in someone else's. The pure, unfettered rage at the heron demoness' words was utterly consuming him. // What?! NO! I WILL NOT LET YOU GO, DOG!! //

Sounga turned out not to have a choice. Toga let out a mighty roar, and the sword's control on him shattered. The tendrils that had woven themselves through his body were burned away in a flash of powerful demonic energy. Sounga was forced back under control despite its protests, and the angry voice silenced.

Toga was back in control of himself, and his aura flared. His eyes were liquid, crimson rage. A feral snarl tore itself from him as he leapt forward.

The taiyoukai hit the barrier and the sutras put up to contain him sizzled with energy before burning to nothingness. The barrier was dissolved. Two leaps put him within striking range of Aziraphe, and Sounga came crashing down with a vengeance, hitting her personal barrier.

All traces of malevolence had left the heron demoness' face. She blanched as she looked at the angry inu and poured everything she had into maintaining her barrier. // Perhaps I did not think this plan through very carefully....// She winced as he struck again and again, her barrier shuddering under the strain. "Lord Toga, stop!"

Her only response was another snarl, and this strike caused her barrier to crack. Aziraphe was old, and while she poured her energies into healing and protecting others, she was a powerful demoness. Right now, though, she could feel how utterly dwarfed her power was. Sairex had been right about the inu lord, it seemed. His power was terrifying.
"Lord Toga, please, stop...I would never do any of those things, I swear it on my sister's grave!"

Toga's words were so infused with anger that his growl was difficult to translate. "You would say anything to save your hide now, wouldn't you..."

"I had to get you free of that sword! Please, believe me...I am a healer, I would never hurt ANYONE, especially not like that!"

Toga growled but held his next strike. He was sure he could blast through the barrier this time. He was not sure if her words were truth or lie, but her fear was evident.

"I will take down my barrier and give myself over to your mercies, Lord Toga...but before you destroy me in a fit of rage....please. Speak with your eldest son. He is in the study, I believe, attempting to find a way to rouse you enough to free you of the blade. I... I didn't really think this through. I had no idea it would...work so well."

Toga forced down the powerful flame of his rage and made himself calm down. Slowly the red faded from his eyes...mostly. A few faint sparks still danced in their golden depths, however...crimson glimmers shimmering just beneath the surface.

Aziraphe stood slowly and then released her barrier. She half expected to feel the bite of Sounga tearing her into pieces despite Toga's impressive control. She found her wrist grabbed abruptly and she was practically drug down the hallway.

Sesshoumaru leapt to his feet as his father smashed the door open to his study and drug Aziraphe in. The younger taiyoukai bit back his instinctual reaction to immediately display his submission and back off. He could not remember the last time he had seen his father quite so angry. However, despite the rage...his father looked coherent. "My...Lord Father?..."

"Sesshoumaru, validate this creature's story, else I shall cut her down here and now."

Sesshoumaru turned a surprised look to Aziraphe. "I see you did as you said, however, you neglected to tell this Sesshoumaru what your plan would entail...although I now understand why you assumed it may be fatal." Sesshoumaru turned his gaze to Toga. "She came in here a short time ago and left me a scroll to deliver to the late Lady Shirizu's chief advisor in the event of her demise. She stated she had an idea how to rouse you enough that you would overpower Sounga despite Jormandar's additions, but feared it may cost her her life."

Toga squinted at the heron suspiciously before slowly releasing his hold on her wrist. She gave him a somewhat dark look and rubbed at it ruefully, then sighed. "I apologize, Lord Toga, deeply and truly. I had no wish to utter such terrible things and no desire to cause you such ill feelings...but I owed it to you to free you from that hellish blade after I caused it's rise in the first place."

The inu patriarch squinted at her for a long moment before nodding slowly. He truly could not sense any malevolence in her. "Very well...I apologize if I am not appropriately grateful."

Aziraphe nodded. "I have learned all I need to know. I shall prevent the north from joining in the coming war. Perhaps we will speak of further alliance in the future."

Toga nodded stiffly. "Leave me."

Aziraphe did not protest, nor was she offended at his less than properly diplomatic treatment of her. She could fully understand why he didn't really want to see her or talk to her at the moment. Possession aside, she had stirred some dark things up inside him with her words. Truly, she felt terrible for it...but she figured he would get over it in time.

The moment she left, Toga pitched Sounga to the floor and jerked Sesshoumaru to him in an almost bone-crushing hug, closing his eyes. Sesshoumaru blinked several times, barely biting back the involuntary noise of surprise that tried to escape itself from him at the unexpected embrace. "My Lord Father...?"

"Hush." Toga sighed softly, nuzzling his face into Sesshoumaru's silky hair, allowing the scent to calm him down. His nerves were still jangling and demanding action, demanding he protect his pup from these horrible things Aziraphe had mentioned. Even though he knew, logically, that the threat did not exist from her...that did not mean the threat did not exist. He hated the thought of it. Also, there was the fact that he could still smell Sesshoumaru's blood, still see the dozens of cuts he had, himself, inflicted. While he knew it wasn't entirely his own fault and that Sesshoumaru surely did not blame him, it did not lessen his guilt.

Sesshoumaru rested his head against Toga's chest, aware that he probably couldn't escape even had he wanted to. It was rather nice, actually.

"I'm so sorry, my Sesshoumaru..."

"You owe me no apologies, my Lord Father..." Sesshoumaru murmured, blinking.

"I caused you harm. If you were less skilled than you are, I could have killed you.""I am and you did not."

"That doesn't mean that I feel any better about it. It...It horrifies me, how much of a target you have become for wickedry...and that I myself played a part in the effort to strike out against you. I do not like to think of anyone bringing you harm...least of all myself."

"I do not blame you. You could not help what you did while in the grip of Sounga. Besides, I could tell you were pulling the sword back. Had you TRULY been after me, I would not be able to stand before you now."

Toga made an unhappy little growl, not wanting to even think about it. "Just...shush and let me hold you for a while."

"As you are recovered, I no longer need to remain awake and try to resolve the issue. I would be more than willing to retire for the remainder of the evening with you in more comfort than standing in the middle of the study provides."

Toga released Sesshoumaru with great reluctance. "True enough. This time I promise to try not to wake you by attempting to bisect you."

Sesshoumaru's lips twitched into a smirk. "I should hope not. There would be less of me for you to obsess over, and I'm rather fond of both my halves."

Toga snorted and picked up Sounga. He gave the blade a warning glare, but it didn't even make an attempt or a peep. "Alright...let's go to bed, then...after all, who knows what great new...experience...tomorrow will bring? It's always something..."