InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 104

Pride (In the Name of Love) 104 / ??
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, I figured it out. As of yesterday, I had 103 chapters written in 108 days. Meaning I'm five short to being wholly on track. I suppose that's acceptable, especially if you consider I have....six sidestories! That means I'm one up. Two up if you consider the prologue (chapter 0.) Hah. Go me. And if you consider that each chapter takes me...eh, roughly...two hours (I am easily distracted by emails or the thought to research something or other so I don't type it and make a TOTAL fool of myself....)...220 hours so far...that means I've put about nine days straight into writing this thing. XD

I've begun editing for spelling errors, typos, misplaced / mistyped words...and everything of the sort that I can find. Content changes will be exceedingly minor and will not make any rereading a necessity. Any further errors found once my self-beta catches up wholly with my current progress, please report them to me so I can fix them.
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Naraku was perched on a rock near their small campfire, keeping a wary eye on his traveling companion. Sesshoumaru was seated and leaning against another rock, his head cocked to one side as he stared into the fire in a crooked, one-eyed way, never blinking or moving.

The kumo sighed inwardly. It had been a harrowing trip so far. Sesshoumaru would alternate between shuffling along at random to being distracted and stopping dead, or suddenly bouncing ahead at a speed the kumo couldn't match. Luckily, he didn't travel in anything resembling a straight line, so Naraku was able to more or less keep up...although he had almost been wiped out by a wholly random - as far as he knew - blast of green light that Sesshoumaru had saw fit to level at a rock. His nerves were frayed.

// Travel with him like this much more and I'll be as batty as he is. // He sipped at the substance in his cup, scowling. Tea, indeed...he wasn't sure he really wanted to know what this concoction ACTUALLY was...but it was better than the plain and rather fetid water he'd located.

Sesshoumaru's gaze suddenly snapped up to him, beaming in mad delight. "Purple!"

Naraku lifted an eyebrow, and the inu's gaze slowly fell back to its previous position, staring at the dancing flames that didn't seem to give off much light at all. "Of course."

"She's howling. She can't see us, but we can see her." Sesshoumaru jabbed a finger roughly skyward and snickered. "It makes her angry, doesn't it, mother? Oh, yes, we know how you hate us...and fear us. We are out of your reach, and by the time you see us, it will be too late, too late...your children are screaming, and we will make them all pay. Oh yes...you twisted whore..."

Naraku just nodded in agreement and continued drinking his 'tea'. // It's always mother issues, isn't it... // Sesshoumaru's one-sided conversation had trailed off into muttering that the kumo couldn't quite pick up on until the inu slowly fell asleep.

Naraku stretched out, figuring it was as good a time as any to get a little rest himself. He barely bit back a yelp as Sesshoumaru's gaze snapped skyward and he let out a deranged scream. "You bitch!" Before Naraku could begin to calm his jangling nerves or react past his original jump, Sesshoumaru was apparently asleep again. // I hate my life. //

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

Sairex sighed heavily as he began the all-too- familiar ritual of opening the portal to the circle. He informed Miroku that he was off to make his daily rounds again.

Once through the portal, he melted into his bird form. He was fastest this way. He shot skyward and headed for his own hidden castle.

Once there, he hunted down Eskrai. The raven almost bowled him over in her eagerness to greet him.

"My Lord Sairex!"

"Yes, its me."

"We have found something!"

"What?!" Sairex's yellow eyes grew wider.

"Tatakal found a pair of creatures traveling across the blasted lands, near the Anfurinari. One was generally unremarkable...it could be the lich. The other was a mess but had the features you sent the murder looking for...silver hair, pale skin, a crescent moon and crimson slashes on the face."

Sairex couldn't believe what he was hearing. Sesshoumaru, alive? It made no sense that he would be traveling abroad, but...the raven wasn't about to question it. "Thanks, Es. I have to hurry."

Eskrai nodded and waved her wings at him in a shooing gesture. "Go, go..."

Sairex hopped to the window and then shot out of it, heading at top speed in the direction he had been pointed.

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

The journey was a bit long, but it was not unrewarding. Sairex's sharp eyes picked up the distant flicker of a dying fire in the midst of the barren landscape, and he slowly circled closer for a better look. He wanted to let out a triumphant crow of glee, but refrained, when he noticed Sesshoumaru. The inu was alive and apparently in good enough condition to travel.

Sairex's eyes turned to regard the inu's companion, blinking in surprise. It wasn't Tsetsukosei, it was....Naraku?

// Well, suppose this explains where the kumo got off to when he disappeared all that time ago. Who knew he'd be going after Sesshoumaru, though? Will wonders never cease... // The raven circled a few more times before landing, allowing his body to flow back into its humanoid shape. Sesshoumaru didn't so much as twitch, but Naraku's eyes snapped open. The kumo couldn't hide his relief.

"Vell, I must admit, I didn't expect to zee YOU here." Sairex muttered. In the time Naraku had spent at the Western castle as their 'prisoner', most of Sairex's hatred had turned to a neutral sort of dislike. After all...the kumo didn't remember the true darkness in his soul...COULDN'T remember without being able to bridge his mental gap...and he hadn't done anything terribly wicked in the interim since the villages. In fact, he was almost amusing...especially around Inuyasha. He took great delight in being friendly and cheerful around the hanyou, who was invariably mortified.

"I want you to know it has been my intention to bring Sesshoumaru back and ransom him for the Western Lands."

"Really..."

"Yes. However...I have since decided it would be entirely too much work to try and rule a whole kingdom like that and I don't really need a castle, although I would like a few personal attendants. Mostly, though, I just want to get the hell out of here."

Sairex nodded slowly. Even if he didn't care for the kumo personally...he knew Toga would want to thank him no matter his motivations. Who knew if they could have found him WITHOUT Naraku's 'help'? "Very vell. I vill open da portal home. Vake him an-"

"It's really probably better if you let him sleep, if at all possible." Naraku said wearily. Sairex took in the kumo's haggard look and slowly arched an eyebrow, waiting for an explanation. "He's quite mad. Besides, its not easy to wake him up when he's solidly out. I've tried."

Sairex frowned and looked at Sesshoumaru. // Mad, are you?... Well, time heals all wounds, at least enough to get by. I'm sure we'll find a way. // "Alright. Point noted. Let me get us home...vait. Vhere is his zvord and dat furry ting he vears?"

"He had no such things with him when I got there, so I have no idea what you're talking about."

Sairex sighed. // I suppose I'll do a return rescue mission for them later. // "Alright. I vill contact Miroku."

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

Miroku bit back an urge to laugh as he put the finishing touches on the latest talisman he had written. Sitting next to him was his daughter, concentrating hard on copying him. She had a big box of colored sticks Kagome had given her - crayons, the monk recalled - and was drawing her own set of symbols on a sheet of paper. She was very serious about it, and was dressed in her 'monk robes'...which consisted of a sheet she'd torn from her bed and wrapped around herself. Miroku still thought the idea of his little demon wanting to be a monk to be terribly amusing and flattering all at the same time.

Miroku gasped when Sairex's mental voice popped into his head. // Miroku! Quick, make vith da portal, I've got him! //

It took a bit of work, but soon Naraku, Sairex, and a soundly sleeping Sesshoumaru were back through the portal.

"Dear Buddha, it really is him..." Miroku stared at Sesshoumaru in surprise. He had given up hope of them ever finding the lost inu. The monk very studiously did not look at Naraku. No matter if the kumo was the same person as before or not...he wanted NOTHING to do with him. He could not forgive him for his past, which really wasn't much of a surprise.

Naraku, feeling his good deed had been done for the next, oh...two or three millenia, trudged off to take a bath and find himself a decent meal.

Sairex grinned hugely. "Can you vatch him for a minute? I have to go get Toga."

"Yes, of course. Hurry."

The raven didn't need to be told twice and he tore out the doorway.

Aliana peered at Sesshoumaru curiously, then slowly edged her way over. "Who is he?"

Miroku smiled. "That is your Uncle Sesshoumaru, Ali. He's been gone a very long time."

Aliana stared at Sesshoumaru before giving Miroku a grave look. "He was bad. He skipped bathtime, I can tell. Father and you never let me skip bathtime."

Miroku chuckled and nodded. "Yes...but I'm sure his father will make certain he doesn't miss his next one."

"Who is that?""Your Uncle Toga."

"He is always very sad and quiet..."

"Well, I trust that he'll be a lot better now, very soon. He was sad because Sesshoumaru was lost. But now he isn't lost anymore."

"Oh. Well, thats good." The girl nodded, trying to mimic Miroku's calm and quiet wisdom, before turning back to the task of drawing her talisman. She thought hers looked MUCH better than her Daddy's, although she wouldn't tell him that....they were much more colorful. Oh, well. This was why she was going to be the best monk EVER.

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

Sairex didn't even bother to knock, just shot into the study so fast he almost collided with Toga's desk. The inu Lord was sitting with his hands folded, staring at nothing in particular. Slowly he flicked his gaze to the raven.

"Whatever i--"

"Toga, ve found him!"

"WHAT?!" Toga was on his feet before Sairex could even finish the sentence. "Where is he!?"

"My room."

Toga was out the door before the raven could even blink.

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

Toga's heart almost stopped when he took in the sight of Sesshoumaru. His pup was battered and a mess, but ALIVE and HERE. // My Sesshoumaru...oh, my dear Sesshoumaru... // Toga didn't bother to speak as he kneeled and scooped up his sleeping pup, tears of the sheerest relief and unfettered, disbelieving joy sliding unchecked down his cheeks.

Sairex finally caught up. His own heart skipped a beat, doing a little flip of happiness. It was as if someone had flipped a switch in his beloved inu friend, turning the life in him back on. He knew he had to exhibit a bit of caution, though. "Toga...it vas Naraku dat actually found him. Naraku zays he's ... vell. Gone mad. It may take a long time to undo vhat da lich has done to him."

Toga nodded and headed for the door. "I expected damage...but the simple fact that he is here and alive means the healing can begin. Mm. So that's where the kumo went...I shall speak with him later. I have other matters to attend."

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

Toga sighed as he stared at the tangle of Sesshoumaru's hair. // No idea how I'll work THAT out...might have to just cut it off. It's not like it won't grow back within a couple of days. // He barely refrained from jumping as Sesshoumaru's eyes suddenly snapped open with almost audible force.

"Sesshoumaru...?" he whispered. Those wide, bloodshot golden eyes were incredibly disconcerting. Sesshoumaru appeared to be both seeing but not comprehending his surroundings as he slowly sat up. It caught the younger inu's attention that he was unchained, and he stared at his wrists for a moment before ever so slowly turning his gaze to Toga, who was standing next to the bed. "My Sesshoumaru...dear gods, you cannot know how happy I am to have you back...I thought..." Toga swallowed, unable to continue past the lump of emotion in his throat.

Toga watched as Sesshoumaru stood up without responding to his words. The younger taiyoukai appeared to consider him for a long moment before moving.

Toga never saw it coming, could never have expected it. Before his emotionally overwhelmed mind could figure out what was going on, Sesshoumaru's hand had snaked out and snatched up Sounga...and then buried the blade in his belly.

Sounga hadn't even made an effort to possess Sesshoumaru...there was no mind there for the devilish sword to get a hold on.

Toga choked in surprise as the sword tore into him, pain and shock evident in his eyes. He slowly slid to his knees, quivering fingers reaching up to grasp Sounga's hilt, his vision rapidly starting to fade to black. He was losing blood...a lot of blood, and way too quickly. Sesshoumaru cocked his head slowly, as if weighing him in some way, then strode over towards the window. His pup's voice was cracked and twisted.

"We do not appreciate your tricks, mother...oh, how you think you can hide behind this yellow ball of fire...but it will pass, and then we will find you, and you will know our wrath. When the dark comes, you cannot hide...you cannot trick us with more false playthings and more ghosts..."

Sesshoumaru didn't even spare Toga a glance as he made his way out of the room, muttering dark words of vengeance to himself.