InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Pride (In the Name of Love) ❯ Chapter 118

Pride (In the Name of Love) 118 / ??
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 - Sorry to have missed yesterday's update, but I had to work first shift which royally screws up my entire schedule...I don't have time to write in the morning and am so exhausted by the time I get home that I have no recourse but to sleep. Coupled with the fact I had some errands in town...I just didn't have the time. Heh. This one came late due to....circumstance. I should have tomorrow's pretty much on time, though.
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Naraku was sprawled idly on his bed and staring at the ceiling. He sighed, bored, and was contemplating finding Inuyasha to tease when he received a knock on his door. Blinking in surprise - after all, his company was not something that was ever really sought out in the Western Castle - he sat up. They had kept him around, he knew, because it was better to keep him close in case he tried something dastardly rather than for any desire to show him hospitality.

"The door is open," the kumo finally said. He was further surprised when none other than the Inu no Taisho himself swept into the room. // Always so dramatic-looking, the elder two inus...armor and flowing fluffy things and whatnot. I wonder if they do it on purpose? Inuyasha should take lessons. // "Well. Good morning."

Toga nodded. "I have not yet properly thanked you for your role in the retrieval of my Sesshoumaru, and wish to do so. My gratitude is deep."

Naraku waved it away idly. "Eh. I wanted to ransom him off so I could take control of your castle..." Toga's eyebrows hiked and he gave the kumo a doubtful look. Naraku continued quickly. "...But I decided it was entirely too much work to run something like this. I'd be happy just to have an attendant or two."

Toga smirked a bit. "Well, I suppose that will be a small enough price to pay for the service you have already rendered and the one I shall ask of you now."

Naraku's own eyebrow lifted at that. "You plan on asking a favor of me?"

"Yes. You are, as yet, the only one that knows the location in which my Sesshoumaru was held previously. While I do not intend to go out of my way to fight the dracolich at this time...I need to retrieve Sesshoumaru's mokomoko and, if at all possible, Tenseiga."

Naraku appeared to consider it for a long moment. "So you wish for me to guide you there to get these things."

"Yes."

Naraku was silent for a long moment before shaking his head. "No."

"No?" Toga narrowed his eyes a bit. Being told 'no' was not something he was particularly used to. Surely, he was usually quite in control of himself and could take a bit of criticism....but it didn't stop his hackles from rising a bit regardless. "Explain."

"I will do it myself."

Toga scowled slightly. "And why is that?"Naraku sighed heavily. "I broke into that damned place a lot easier than I broke out. I can shapeshift and blah blah. Believe me when I say I can do this far more efficiently and quickly alone, with a far smaller chance of detection, than if I go with you. Besides, you're needed here. What if something goes wrong?"Toga stared at the kumo in wary surprise. "You...will go alone?"

"Well...it'd be nice if the raven came with me at least part of the way. I'm terribly unfamiliar with the territory. Believe me when I say I won't let him come in with me either, I merely need a guide."

Toga mulled it over. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the offer, nor that he was afraid for Sairex's wellbeing if the raven was simply providing guidance...he was far more worried about Sairex's fixation on fixing Kouga and whether or not the raven would even comply. // He has to. Sesshoumaru is suffering without his mokomoko, even if he does not let it show. // "I shall request Sairex's assistance. And...I do thank you for this."

"Hn. I'm just doing it to hold it over you in the future so I can exploit you and yours for my own ends."

The inu patriarch smiled. "Ah. Yes. Of course." Toga inclined his head and then slid from the room.

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

Darting golden eyes were - more or less - fixated on the calm fish pond in front of him. A small waterfall fed crystalline water into the pond continuously. Occasionally, a bright silvery flash hinted at one of the pond's denizens darting near the surface of the water.

Sesshoumaru had always loved this garden. It was secluded and gave the illusion of being in its own private little world, what with the way the vines grew up the walls and hid them...the deceptive feeling of distance due to the unbalanced levels of the terrain...yes, Sesshoumaru had always been fond of the place. He recalled, with a brief grin, how he had once claimed it as his own autonomous nation when he was small. His Lord Father hadn't argued, either. Toga had never argued his outrageous claims or dissuaded him from some of his childish schemes, but had always agreed and humored him. // Of course, // Sesshoumaru mused, // He was always able to casually distract me from almost all of my plots back to normal life, and I never noticed him doing it. //

Sesshoumaru's eyes stopped their nervous jittering as he allowed himself to be lost in thought, reflecting on his childhood. It had always been something - he was never still. He always had the next new plan to make himself the greatest and most powerful demon lord ever. Really, it amounted to wanting to be just like his dearly beloved Lord Father, his constant companion and the guiding light of his life.

Sesshoumaru's eyes slid mostly shut as he lazily contemplated his childhood. It had been a good one. Toga had doted on him, given him everything he wanted, humored him, protected him, and yet still guided him in a calm and orderly fashion to make sure he took his lessons and learned the things he would need to know to be Lord himself one day. Toga had never discouraged his pride, but had quietly leashed it and made sure Sesshoumaru knew his limitations. He had taught him well, without humiliating him or discouraging him, not to ever give in to any pride in himself that was not fully deserved. Ultimately, Sesshoumaru had ended up with a hell of an ego...but it was almost wholly justifiable.

Sesshoumaru had almost fallen asleep when an incredible crash sounded behind him. The taiyoukai leapt up in startled panic, eyes darting wildly and his coherency ripping to shreds as the voices in his head began giving him conflicting directions on how to deal with this threat.

Inuyasha paused in chasing an incredibly fast little Kouga - who had stolen his lunch and darted into the gardens - when he caught sight of Sesshoumaru. The taiyoukai had backed up until he was flat against a tree, claws digging into the bark and his eyes rolling wildly. "Shit...Sessh, I didn't mean to startle you...are you alright?"

Sesshoumaru gave no outward sign that he heard Inuyasha, quivering between flight and lashing out blindly. When nothing happened around him or to him, the directionless terror slowly evaporated, and the taiyoukai slid to his knees bonelessly.

Inuyasha was at his side in an instant. "Shit! Sesshoumaru....hey, Sessh, can you hear me?" Hesitantly, the hanyou reached out to touch his brother's arm.

Sesshoumaru jerked back with a startled yelp as if he had been struck, his gaze casting about wildly before finally catching sight of Inuyasha. "I...Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha nodded warily, feeling rather guilty. "Yeah, its just me...I'm sorry for all the noise. I was just trying to catch Kouga...we didn't know you were out here. I didn't mean to surprise you."

Sesshoumaru slowly stood back up, mentally cursing the shaking in his limbs, the quivering in his breathing and the frightened pounding of his heart. "It...I'm fine. I just...I was not expecting company."

"Heh. Yeah, I know wh-...shit, hide me!" Inuyasha attempted to duck behind Sesshoumaru, but it was too late.

Naraku approached with a cheery smile. "Inuyasha!"

Inuyasha bristled. "Get the fuck away from me, you creep..." Before the hanyou could react, however, Naraku was behind him and had reached out to grab Inuyasha's fuzzy ears, rubbing them gently.

"Aw, I'm going to miss these..."

"GAH!" Inuyasha tore himself free and leapt halfway across the garden. "Damn straight you are, because you're never going to touch 'em again!"

Sesshoumaru slowly looked between the two of them and shook his head, deciding it was best to stay out of it.

Naraku sighed dramatically. "Well, I just wanted to say goodbye before I left...you don't have to be so rude about it. How about something for good luck?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened at the suggestive smirk on the kumo's face. "FUCK you....stay AWAY..."

"I don't think I can do both at the same time, although I AM pretty flexible and stretchy..."

Inuyasha growled in helpless frustration before a thought momentarily stole his ire. "Wait...goodbye? Where the fuck are you going?"

"I have a mission from your father so I'll be gone for a while."

Both of the brothers glanced at each other and then Naraku. Inuyasha's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Our old ma--OW!" Inuyasha didn't even see Sesshoumaru move before he got slapped upside the back of the head hard enough to plant his face in the hillside.

Sesshoumaru eyed Naraku. "Our Lord Father entrusted a mission to y ou?"

Naraku looked over and snickered to himself at the sight of a now wholly incensed Inuyasha spitting grass and dirt as he sat up. "Yes. I'll be departing with your advisor, Sairex, shortly. Apparently the raven has some things to take care of before we go."

Inuyasha growled angrily at Sesshoumaru. "What the FUCK did you do that for?!"

Sesshoumaru eyed him for a moment with oh-so-familiar disdain briefly flickering across his features. Inuyasha would have welcomed the sight of his brother looking so...well, Sesshoumaru-ish...had it not been directed at him. "You will respect our Lord Father in my presence at all times, hanyou. I will forgive your lack of proper appellation, but I will not allow you to refer to him so rudely."

Inuyasha scowled. "Keh...I don't actually mean any insult by it. And face it, he IS old, even by demon standards. It's practically unheard of to live to his age."

Sesshoumaru glared at Inuyasha. "His age is a testament to his power. Further, our Lord Father is no human and thus cannot be referred to as a 'man' in any situation."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Dammit, just when I was starting to think that maybe you DON'T have a stick rammed up your ass all the way to your throat, you have to go and prove me wrong..."

Naraku looked between the two of them before shrugging and heading out of the garden. Neither of the brothers seemed to pay his departure any heed.

Sesshoumaru scowled. "I cannot help that you are such a base, loutish cretin. Must you always be so crass and crude? Can you not speak in a manner befitting your station?"

"Oh, bite me, you supercilious ass!"

"You know a word as complex as 'supercilious' and yet your normal speech is that of an uncultured heathen. This Sesshoumaru fails to understand why that is."

Inuyasha growled. "And here I was, all concerned for you...you're a damned bastard, Naraku's a creepy fucking lech, and my damn lunch ran off with a fucking flea-ridden wolf...keh. Fuck my life."

Toga blinked, leaning against a nearby tree and waiting for either of his boys to notice him. Kouga was sitting in the crook of his arm and happily finishing the remains of Inuyasha's lunch. The inu patriarch simply shook his head slowly as he watched his pups.

"This Sesshoumaru thinks you're an ungrateful barbarian. You should shut up while you're ahead."

"Eh, I might be a barbarian but I can still kick YOUR ass, you pompous, prissy prick!"

"Oh, nice alliteration, little brother. Perhaps you have a talent or two after all."

"I don't kn-- Oh, I'll give you an alliter-what the fuck ever it is you said!" With a growl, Inuyasha launched himself at Sesshoumaru. His elder brother may have been a bit off his game and still recovering, but he was still able to catch Inuyasha in midflight, the two of them landing in a heap on the ground and snarling viciously.

Toga sighed. // Perhaps it would have been better if I had daughters? // He winced as Inuyasha let out a yelp at a particularly nasty clawing, and his wince turned into an outright cringe at Sesshoumaru's angry snarl as the hanyou yanked his hair hard. // I'm so glad I was an only child... //

That thought in mind, the inu patriarch set Kouga down and headed over to break up his boys.