InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 93

Pride (In the Name of Love) 93 / ??
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 - Mmm...after I finish writing, I get to eat tacos. Mmm...then I'll either work on my sidestories or editing...unless the pull of watching more anime hits me harder. Hehehe....
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Sairex eyed Miroku for a long moment, not wanting to disturb his meditation. He sighed mentally. Miroku would not be happy about this, but Sairex really had no choice but to tell him. After all, he was going to have to possess his lover to open a portal back, since he'd not yet taught Miroku the process. // Decided lack of planning, that... //

Miroku surprised Sairex by speaking. He never opened his eyes or moved, however. "Hello, Sairex....something I can do for you?"

"Indeed. To make a long ztory zhort, I had a bit of a ... confrontation...vith Toga and ve are going to da Circle. He intends to bring back Jormandar's head, and I intend to get him out of dere alive vhen he realizes dat he's powerful but cannot take on an entire army in a vell-guarded fortress by himzelf."

Miroku's eyes popped open at that and he gave Sairex a deep frown. "I really don't like the sound of that."

"Kaa, me either...but he's ztubborn...and if he doesn't try, he von't be able to ztop letting it eat at him. And I really don't vish to be exiled or caged."

"He was going to exile you?"
"Kaa...probably not. I don't know. Anyvay...I have to go...and I'll need you to bring us back."

"I do not know how to open these doors yet, Sairex."

"And I don't have time to teach you. Vill you allow me to control you again?"

"Of course. Just...be careful, and make sure you both come back in one piece."

Sairex grinned a bit. "Kaa, of course...I have enough tricks up my zleeves to escape and I'm not fool enough to face Zezzhoumaru and let him know I let zometing happen to his father."

Miroku stood up and pulled Sairex into an embrace, giving him a soft kiss. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"Hmm. I've had dis converzation before."

"And you traded yourself to that monster. Please, Sairex."

"I have no intention of coming back vith zo much as a zcratch and abzolutely no intention of ztaying dere, I promise."

"Alright. I will see you when you return."

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

Sairex spent a few moments preparing himself. If he was going to be going into combat - and he had no doubt that it would come to that - then he was going to do so comfortably.

Toga's jaw almost hit the floor when Sairex finally returned. He was unable to do anything but stare. It was like a vision from his past.

Ever since his return, he had only seen the raven dressing in black, usually a simple haori and hakama without any real adornment. Not now, however. Now, Sairex was dressed in the same fashion he used to wear, long ago, when Toga had first met him.

He wore a simple white wrap around his waist that came down just above his knees and was edged in gold. Rune-carved gold bracers adorned his ankles and wrists, and a slender gold collar curved around the base of his throat. He was otherwise bare, which revealed almost all of the intricate, tribal-esque lines of his tattoos. Tiny gold hoops were in his ears as well, and his eyes were traced with long lines of kohl. Slung loosely around his hips in a criss-cross fashion were two slender gold bands containing sheaths for the identical tonfa-style swords the raven carried. Toga had only seen Sairex wield the thin, unconventional blades once...and had decided he never wanted to be on the wrong end of them. He had no doubt he could win if it really came to blows but he knew, too, that he would take one hell of a painful beating in the process.

Sairex eyed the inu Lord before arching an eyebrow, a slight smirk dancing across his lips. "Vhat? You have your battle-gear, I have mine."

"Yes, but how am I supposed to fight if I'm too busy staring? I haven't seen you like that since..."

Sairex nodded. "It vasn't practical to vear dis zort of ting vhen ztealth vas of da essence in my zurvival. Vhite is not a good color for hiding in a black realm. However...I don't tink you intend to be very ztealthy and I fight more comfortably like dis. Oh. And da gold is...zhiny. I like it. Not really necessary, but it looks nice."

Toga chuckled. "True enough. Let us go, then."

After a few moments, Sairex had worked open a portal and the two of them stepped through into the dreary landscape of the Black Circle. Toga looked about ready to charge off, but paused, realizing he didn't know where to charge to, exactly. "Which way?"

"Vest by zouthvest. It is a fair distance from 'ere. How vould you prefer to travel?"

Toga thought for a moment and grinned. "Ever ridden a dog before?"

Sairex looked about to make an immediate response before blushing fiercely and coughing a bit. "Ahem. You vould know, vouldn't you...."

The inu patriarch chuckled and closed his eyes, releasing his hold on his true form. He felt the wind whip his hair free of its knot, the familiar stretch and twist as his muscles shifted and realigned. When his transformation was complete, he glanced at Sairex. "Now, now, keep your mind clean. Honestly, what's with all you people lately?"

Sairex snorted and hopped onto Toga's back. "It's not my fault...you all are bad influences on me...and you know full vell vhat you zaid before you zaid it, you just like to tease me and make me blush."

"Well, you make it so easy..." With a low, amused growl, the inu bounded off in the direction Sairex had indicated.

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

Inuyasha leaned against the wall next to Kouga, dressed up in his official armor and such himself. "So, what is it exactly that yer smelly wolves found that is SOOO important as to require us to get off our lazy asses and investigate?"

"Dunno what's causin' it, but there are several villages southeast of here gettin' destroyed. Could be the work of a demon or a successful group of bandits, dunno. And my wolves smell a lot nicer than your doggy palace. Ugh."

"As if. Well, come on then, fleabait."

"Come on yourself, mutt! I'm still faster than you'll ever be!" Kouga flashed Inuyasha a grin before bounding off, leaping to the top of the wall and then over. Inuyasha was right on his heels. Both of them were very careful to leap well clear of the wall - neither wanted to be snagged by what Rin had termed "Lord Sesshoumaru's flower". The carnivorous vines had almost entirely surrounded the castle walls now, not only surviving but thriving. The flowers had a mild, pleasant scent that often drifted on the breeze through the castle grounds. The vines may have looked like an open invitation to encourage would-be assailants to scale the walls...but that would be the worst and last mistake they would make in their lives. The plants had mutated, as well...or perhaps simply reached a higher stage of evolution than what Sesshoumaru had originally plucked them in. Large, spiny green pods grew near the bases of each plant and sometimes would open, revealing massive hooked teeth within a gaping maw. The plants had developed a taste for eating the flesh and bones of the victims they caught after their thorns had drained them of blood.

Kouga and Inuyasha ran swiftly, a small pack of wolves at their heels. Their conversation ranged from lewd and flirtatious to challenges and insults.

All chatter ceased, however, when they approached the first village. Most of it had been burned to the ground, although several buildings still smoldered. They searched around for a few moments, trying to determine what could have caused the devastation...and both Inuyasha and Kouga froze, catching the scent at the same time. Their eyes flew wide as they looked at each other.

"Do you smell..."

"Yeah, no doubt about it. I would never forget that stench anywhere. Naraku..."

"I thought we destroyed that bastard for good! How can he keep coming back!?"

"Fuck if I know. He's like a bad rash. He just keeps coming back no matter what you do."

"But why destroy villages at random? They aren't even in a straight line. It's like he's just randomly wandering from place to place to blow shit up."

"This is Naraku we're talking about. Who knows what goes on in that rotten mess of slimy worms he calls a brain?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."

Inuyasha snorted. "Kouga, I'm with you on this one...but be careful. This could all be the beginnings of a trap..."

"Well, how'd you deal with Naraku's traps before?"

"Charged in anyways and came out on top."

"So no worries, then."

"Right. Let's figure out which way this asshole went and what he's up to."

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

He still had no real grasp of who he was or what his purpose was, but Naraku had figured out a few things.

He had learned that he was most assuredly not human, even if he did not know how to utilize most of his demonic powers. To his delight, he had discovered that his body closed itself up after almost any wound, and when he was cut, a spray of toxic miasma poisoned and melted most of those that dared to try.

He had not quite yet figured out why he was so at war within himself. A part of him was urged to live the life of a bandit, and yet another part of him desperately wanted to crush that urge. It was not a puzzle he could solve. He had attempted to give in to his bandit urges but wound up disgusted with himself. He burned the village and its spoiled.

The next few villages he burned and destroyed just for the simple sake of doing it and confirming his hatred of humanity. He took great delight in the most recent village...he had slid in under the guise of being a poor, weary traveler...and when they least expected it he had destroyed them all. The little betrayal, the shock and horror as he turned on them....mm, that had been delicious...although it really would be better if he could get some minions to do his dirty work for him. These pathetic worms did not deserve his direct attentions.

Further, he needed a castle or a manor or something. A base of operations. Visions of conquest squirmed in his brain. Yes, a base would do nicely. He simply had to find one that was worthy and take it over, that was all.

With his new plan in mind, Naraku continued his destructive path southward. He didn't know where he was headed, but knew he needed to put some distance between himself and....and....

...and whatever it was that loomed to the north of him, potent and hostile to him.

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A/N - To clarify a bit more, Sairex's mode of dress is very Egyptian-ish. The raven himself is not, by any means, egyptian of course. This is more the standard sort of clothing he wore back in the day when he was still future chief and shaman of his clan, and it was how he used to look when he first met Toga.