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Want To Be Your Slave	By : LordYouko Category: InuYasha > Yaoi - Male/Male > InuYasha/Sessh?maru > InuYasha/Sessh?maru Views: 70996 -:- Recommendations : 6 -:- Currently Reading : 10
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, and I do not make any money from these writings.

Chapter List
- 30
- 31
- 32
___________________________________________________________________________
Chapter
31 � The Important Things
"If
it rusts, it can never be trusted
If
its owner fails to control it, it will cut him
Yes,
pride is...
Like
a blade.�
-Bleach
manga
Inu no Taisho looked up with a frown as the huge,
heavy antique doors of the courtroom slammed open and crashed deafeningly onto
the stone walls behind them, crumbling into bits like paper. His son and heir
appeared through the rubble, eyes cold as steel.
�What is the meaning of this, Sesshoumaru?� he
demanded, glaring at him as the advisors who were in the meeting with him, went
silent.
�May I speak with you, chichiue?�
the young prince asked, voice tight. �Sesshoumaru�s youki
crackled unsteadily; he seemed to be maintaining his control with difficulty.
Inu no Taisho quietly took in his son�s agitated
demeanour and dismissed his advisors from the room.
The latter filed out slowly, casting curious glances
at the obviously distressed prince. It was bad form for a person of such high
birth as Sesshoumaru to indulge in such vulgar displays of emotions. While it
was unusual for young youkai Sesshoumaru�s age to exhibit the level of control
that tradition demanded, Lord Inu no Taisho�s first born had always been
admired as someone with supreme command over himself. To see him slip up like
this, it was obvious that something must have been terribly wrong.
�What is it?� Inu no Taisho asked brusquely,
preparing himself for the worst.
�I need a weapon,� Sesshoumaru told him without
preamble.
Taisho�s eyebrows went up.
�You have the impertinence to demand a weapon from
your sire?�
�A youkai did
not receive a weapon of power till he proved himself to the alpha, till the
alpha deemed him worthy of it. It was unforgivable breach of protocol for a son
to demand it of his father.
�There are extenuating circumstances,� Sesshoumaru
replied shortly.
�What circumstances?�
Taisho�s eyes narrowed as Sesshoumaru averted his
gaze for a split second. �Inuyasha has run away on his human night.�
Inu no Taisho waited for him to continue. The prince
remained silent and Taisho frowned, wondering what this had to do with his
strange request.
�Men will be sent after him,� Taisho said at last,
trying to understand where his son was going with this.
Sesshoumaru took a deep breath, steeling himself for
what he had to say.
�I wish to go after him myself.�
The words dropped in the empty room like lead.
For a few moments, neither said anything. Both stood
still as statues � Sesshoumaru, waiting for his father�s response, Taisho,
astounded that his child was capable of a thought as foolish as that one.
�Have you taken leave of your senses?� Taisho inquired, his voice low and dangerous. �What absurdity is
this?�
Sesshoumaru met his father�s gaze dead on. �The
hanyou will be dead before the night is over. Your men cannot hope to find him
by then. I wish to go retrieve him myself.�
Taisho slowly turned fully to face the boy. �Were
you not present when your mother and I briefed you about our situation? About
Naraku and what he is capable of? For you � for anyone of the royal family to
venture out of the castle alone and without protection would be suicide. It is
what the dark hanyou wants; to draw one of us out of Lady Tsukiko�s
protection.�
�That is why I require the weapon,� Sesshoumaru
argued.� �Surely you cannot think me so
weak as to be defeated by a hanyou even with a weapon like tessaiga or so�unga-�
�Tessaiga and so�unga are not yours to wield,
Sesshoumaru,� Taisho ground out through gritted teeth. �I had hoped we were
past this squabble after the last time you threw a tantrum about not being
allowed to begin your training with tessaiga.�
�I am strong enough!� Sesshoumaru insisted, barely
managing to keep from raising his voice. �I have trained hard since that full
moon night. I am strong enough to wield tessaiga, father.�
�A weapon is only as strong as the person who wields
it,� Taisho reminded him, repeating the lesson that had been hammered in his
and Sesshoumaru�s skull a thousand times.�
�Father, I am! I-�
�Your mother and I will be the judge of that,�
Taisho responded coldly. �Do not take us for fools. Invincible and all-knowing
that you think you are, you are not ready to fight a
foe like Naraku.�
�He is hanyou,� Sesshoumaru pointed out
contemptuously.
Taisho smiled without humour. �You have yet to
learn, boy, that there are many kinds of strengths, not the least of which is
evil and cunning and the desire to win at any cost. Were
I to give you tessaiga and so�unga both, they would not be enough to allow you
to return safely should Naraku decide to use you otherwise.�
The remark stung like it had meant to and
Sesshoumaru felt his face burning with the humiliation.
Father,
you think me so weak that I would lose, even with the most powerful weapons in
the world?
�This discussion is over,� Taisho announced, turning
away from him. �I have more important matters to deal with than your ludicrous
schemes.�
For a moment, Sesshoumaru stood staring at his
father�s turned back, anger and humiliation holding him immobile.
Then the humiliation hardened into resolve. If his
father did not consider him worthy of tessaiga, he would just have to prove the
Lord of the West wrong.
___________________________________________________________________________
Inuyasha�s every comfort was looked after in
Naraku�s mansion.
Water appeared on his nightstand as soon as he had
finished what he�d been given, even though he had not seen any servants around,
except for the guards posted around the castle and outside his door, and a
young girl all in white carrying a mirror in her hand who appeared from time to
time and said something to Naraku in a low voice that he could not understand.
Naraku had offered him platters full of the most
succulent food Inuyasha had ever come across � food that smelled tangy and
sharp and amazing. Even the food provided by Sesshoumaru paled in comparison.
At first, the hanyou had been too wary to eat
anything offered to him but his human body wasn�t as equipped as his hanyou one
to ignore hunger.
Eventually, Naraku�s kindness the gentle comforts he
was surrounded with did their job and Inuyasha hesitantly accepted the meal.
He�d intended to eat only enough to get by but the
first morsel of the delicious meats and mouth-watering desserts made him
ravenous. Inuyasha quickly devoured everything offered to him, blushing all the
while as Naraku watched him eat.
From time to time, Inuyasha also furtively raised
his eyes to study his captor. The older man was dressed in a simple, but
graceful loose haori and hakama. Dark curly hair fell
over his shoulders, contrasting beautifully with his pale skin. His purple eyes
were knowing and too old for his face. True, the man had brought him here
against his will but there was nothing at all threatening in his demeanour.
Once his hunger was satisfied, Naraku offered him a
warm bath in his hotsprings. His body rejoiced at the
thought but despite everything, Inuyasha didn�t trust the stranger nearly
enough to undress in his home, so he refused.
He was gratified when Naraku didn�t press him and
instead asked what he would like to do for the rest of the night. Besides being
the first time anyone had asked him what he would like to do, it was also the
first time someone hadn�t asked him
to go to sleep on his human night and it made Inuyasha look at Naraku in a
different light; for the first time, someone understood him, understood all
those unnameable fears that he couldn�t articulate even to his master, that
couldn�t be explained to a demon Lord who had never known what it meant to be
him.
All the while, Naraku kept him company, engaging him
in pleasant conversation, telling him stories about the places he�d travelled,
the things he�d seen and Inuyasha listened, spellbound. He had never before met
a man who had travelled across the seas, further than the borders of the
Western Lands. Inuyasha had never about the fact that there was a world outside
this one, a world that was different from the one he knew. Naraku told him all
about it; about what those lands were like and about the strange people who
lived there. The food that he had just eaten, Inuyasha learned, was cooked from
recipes he had found there and the bed sheets that he was sleeping on were made
from fabric he had brought from there.
Inuyasha listened to all of it with rapt attention,
all the while marvelling at the fact that all these stories, everything Naraku
was saying, was for him. There was no one else listening; all these wonderful
tales were all for him. Never before had anybody ever talked
to him � really talked to him- like
he was a person, not just property.
Naraku did not seem to mind his endless questions;
in fact, he seemed pleased by them and asked him about himself in return.
Inuyasha was surprised but told him readily enough about his life, about
Sesshoumaru-sama and how he�d been rescued, and
whatever little he knew about Lady Tsukiko. He was afraid he may have rambled
on for too long about his Master but Naraku seemed absorbed in what he said and
it gave Inuyasha the courage to continue.
_______________________________________________________________________
In the darkness of the moonless night, Sesshoumaru
stole into his father�s chambers like a shadow.
There, in plain view, were tessaiga and so�unga
along with tenseiga. The two most powerful swords in
the world, tessaiga and So�unga, lying in disuse while an enemy like Naraku
threatened what was his.
He reached out reverentially, heart beating at the
impudence he was about to commit, and closed his fingers around tessaiga.
Electricity as strong as lightning, crackled through
the handle of the sword, burning Sesshoumaru�s hand, forcing him to let go.
Sesshoumaru examined his hand in disbelief, the burn
still smoking. Tessaiga, his father�s sword had rejected him. The sword that he
had always thought would be passed down to him some day,
the most powerful weapon in the world had rejected him.
He glanced at So�unga, but he didn�t even need to
touch it to feel the strong dark barrier surrounding it. His father had really
made sure his own son could not so much as unsheathe his swords.
Eyes flashing red with betrayal and fury,
Sesshoumaru turned on his heel and walked out of the room.
Inu no Taisho did not want his only son even
touching his swords. And that was just fine. There were other ways of procuring
a weapon.
_________________________________________________________________________
Kaijinbo�s
cave was surrounded by an aura of evil that repelled and decent living beings.
The ostracised disciple of the master swordsman Totosai
liked that just fine; the peace of darkness and shadows was better than having
to live under the thumb of someone like the old fool Totosai,
who did not appreciate his genius, who was too afraid of the darker side of
life to reap and enjoy the rewards it could give.
The visit of the illustrious Lord Sesshoumaru in the
middle of the night made Kaijinbo grin. The nature of
demons was one and the same everywhere after all; treachery and deceit and
bitterness had permeated even the great House of the Western Lord.
No one ever came to him unless they had something
malevolent in mind, especially since Inu no Taisho had the services of that
wily old bastard Totosai who had somehow managed to
conceal some of the secrets of his trade so that no matter how powerful Kaijinbo became, he could never equal some of his feats in
being a swordsmith.
�Sesshoumaru-sama,� Kaijinbo greeted. �What can I do for you?�
�I need a sword,� Sesshoumaru told him.
Kaijinbo
inclined his head. �What kind of a sword does my Lord desire?�
�A powerful sword,� Sesshoumaru answered. �Give me
the most powerful sword you have ever created.�
�Ah,� Kaijinbo answered.
�I have just the thing. But��
He trailed of and turned away from him and
Sesshoumaru frowned impatiently. �But what?�
Kaijinbo
raised his wide, red eyes again. �It is something that will control the wielder,
make him do it�s bidding, drive him insane and ultimately destroy him, if he is
not strong enough.�
Reverentially, Kaijinbo
reached into the dark shadows thrown by the fire of his furnace and brought out
a long, straight blade, glowing crimson.
Sesshoumaru smiled contemptuously and grabbed the
sword by its handle, lifting it to his eyelevel to examine it. The crimson aura
surrounding the blade increased, then swirled around the blade and eventually
died down.
�Just what do you take me for?� the demon prince asked.
Kaijinbo
bowed his head low to hide the grin that had broken out on his face.
�That sword has taken the lives of many who sought
to possess it,� Kaijinbo told him. �My Lord is the
first one to be able to tame.�
Sesshoumaru disregarded this and threw a bag full of
coins at the swordsmith.
�Does it not have a sheath?� he asked Kaijinbo who hadn�t so much as looked at the money.
�No,� Kaijinbo answered,
eyes fixed on the demon Lord. �That sword cannot be sheathed.�
___________________________________________________________________________
After Sesshoumaru left, Kaijinbo
allowed the cackle that had been building up inside him to burst out.
The man had spoken the truth. Sesshoumaru had indeed
come for the sword. Even he had been hesitant when the man had commissioned a
sword of such power and evil, even if only because there would be nobody
powerful enough to wield it.
When he had been Prince Sesshoumaru would come to
collect it, he had laughed in his commissioner�s face. The hanyou was clearly
insane. But insane or not, he paid well; Kaijinbo
cared nothing for money. It was power that he was after. One thousand heads of
demon children who had died in agony, with their life force still trapped
inside them�from them, he would forge swords of unequalled power. Many of his
clients had attempted to cheat him of his just rewards by lying to him about
the material which he received in payment for the job. But when Naraku told him
he had overseen the torture and death of these children himself, Kaijinbo believed him. The evil emanating from the dark
hanyou sent the most delicious shivers down his spine.
Tokijin
was his most evil creation yet; it contained untamed evil. Kaijinbo
hoped that if Sesshoumaru did not survive the confrontation with the man who
had commissioned the sword, Naraku would find it in his heart to let him have Tokijin.
Then he laughed out loud at the thought; Naraku, the
dark hanyou who had commissioned this great sword, was even more heartless than
he was and Tokijin, made from the bone of Naraku
himself, would eventually overtake Sesshoumaru and anyone else who was arrogant
enough to think they could use evil to their own ends.
Tokijin
would become the most powerful sword in the world someday and he, Kaijinbo would become immortal as the creator Tokijin. The fame and respect denied to him because of old Totosai would finally be his.
The grisly mass of heads stacked in a corner of his
lair made him ecstatic and the sound of Kaijinbo�s
crazed laughter echoed in the quiet night. Right away, he would begin working
on the most evil sword ever, forged from the evil born of innocence destroyed
in the most horrific way possible�after Tokijin, of
course.
__________________________________________________________________________
�Why are you here now?� Tsukiko asked Kaede.
They were seated in one of the rooms kept for
informal meetings. The chair Kaede was seated on was
cushioned and luxurious but the old priestess sat at the very edge of it, back
ram-rod straight. She had yet to relinquish her grip on her bow.
�To tell you things about that bastard that no one
else can,� Kaede rasped.
Tsukiko raised an eyebrow on hearing the holy woman
cursing.
�How did you know about Naraku?� the Lady asked.
Kaede
laughed, though she didn�t sound at all amused. �If he hid at the other end of
the kingdom, I�d still recognize that slimy spider�s ki
anywhere. Naraku is back in the Western Lands and he is close by.�
�Why should I believe you, miko?� Tsukiko asked
dispassionately. �Everything you have told me so far could very well be lies
spun for some ulterior motive.
Kaede
didn�t seem to be surprised by the accusation. �Because I can tell you things
about him that no one other than you, who fought him to the last, can know.�
She stared of into the distance and began: �Naraku
has the ability to disintegrate into innumerable fragments and still remain
alive. You can strike him with power enough to annihilate a kingdom, yet is not
destroyed.�
Kaede
took a deep breath and met the eyes of the Lady of the West.
�Within Naraku, beats the heart of a human.�
Tsukiko took a sharp intake of breath.
�Alright,� she relented. �Tell me what it that you
have come so far to say.�
__________________________________________________________________________
Hours had passed; Inuyasha wasn�t sure how many but
he was sure it was way past midnight.
Then there was a flash of bright light outside that
lit up the night sky like the sun, and the sound of an
explosion somewhere close by.
Inuyasha�s eyes widened in fear but Naraku didn�t
seem at all perturbed. He glanced in the direction of the disturbance as if
things exploding in his castle, was a fairly regular
occurrence for him.
Sesshoumaru walked through the door, through the debri and the dust, Tokijin
dripping with blood and Inuyasha�s heart skipped a beat.
�Sesshoumaru-dono,� Naraku
greeted as if the demon Lord hadn�t just destroyed half his castle. �So we
finally meet.�
�Naraku,� Sesshoumaru growled,
voice tight with anger. �You should have known better than to lay a hand on
what is mine.�
Naraku laughed. �You will forgive me for my methods,
Sesshoumaru-dono. But had I requested a meeting with
young Inuyasha here, I hardly think you would have acquiesced. But as you see,
Inuyasha has not been harmed.�
A quick glance over the terrified hanyou sitting
amongst silk and furs on the bed told Sesshoumaru that Naraku was telling the
truth. Inuyasha had not been hurt. But Naraku still had to pay for thinking he
could just take what belonged to him.
�Prepare to die, Naraku,� Sesshoumaru said icily,
raising a clawed hand that glowed with poison.
�S-Sesshoumaru-sama,� came a small voice from the bed and the demon Lord glanced
at Inuyasha who seemed even more terrified. �P-Please don�t hurt Naraku-sama.�
It took a lot of effort for Sesshoumaru to not let
his surprise show on his face.
�N-Naraku-sama has been
nothing but kind to me,� Inuyasha pleaded. �Please, don�t hurt him.�
�That is not up to you,� Sesshoumaru answered
coldly, eyes fixed on the gently smiling dark hanyou.
The clawed hand drew back, preparing to snatch
Naraku�s neck in a fatal grasp and Inuyasha cried out, falling forward on the
bed in his agaitation.
Sesshoumaru paused despite himself, glancing in
wonder at his puppy. �This vermin kidnapped you,� Sesshoumaru spat angrily.
�If I hadn�t, Inuyasha would have been dead by now,�
Naraku answered smoothly, unperturbed by the poison dripping hand aimed at his
throat. �Inuyasha is the one who ran away from you; I did not enter your castle
and steal him away. If my Lord doesn�t know what happens to hanyou on their
human night, I can assure you that they weaken even more than humans and fall
prey and die.�
The hand that had been so far poised in the air
hesitated minutely.
�I would not dream of challenging the claim of the
prince of the Western Lands but if I would not forgive myself if I watched this
hanyou�s life end simply because I was too cowardly to rectify my
Lord�s�oversight.�
Inwardly, Sesshoumaru flinched. Isn�t that what he
himself had been afraid of? That Inuyasha would die before he could get to him?
Wasn�t it his responsibility that the hanyou had managed to escape him?
�Tell me, how is Lady Tsukiko?� Naraku asked
conversationally, looking benignly up at Sesshoumaru.
�You dare ask that after you tried to kill her?�
Sesshoumaru seethed, fury rekindling.
�Is that what you have heard?� Naraku asked, raising
and eyebrow. �As I remember it, it was she who tried to kill me.�
Inuyasha gasped, glancing from Sesshoumaru to
Naraku.
�Certain transgressions warrant nothing less than
death,� Sesshoumaru told him.
Naraku inclined his head smiling and Inuyasha
couldn�t help but think he looked old, worn out under heavy burdens.
�Yes, the Lord and Lady of the West are unforgiving
of transgressions,� Naraku reminisced. �Land and power and honor�those
are the things worth fighting and killing for but life...a worthless hanyou
life like mine�that is worth nothing at all.�
Blood drained from Inuyasha�s face and his small
hand reached out unconsciously towards the other hanyou.
�You took many lives,� Sesshoumaru reminded him.
�You killed and pillaged and perpetrated unspeakable crimes.�
�None worse than those of the Lady herself,� Naraku
thundered, blazing eyes snapping up to meet Sesshoumaru�s. �Yes, I killed; for
a hanyou of the lower orders alone in the world, it is either take lives or
forfeit yours. Yes, I pillaged; I did not know another way. And as for
unspeakable crimes, I never understood that term. You and I are grown ups, Sesshoumaru. After all we have seen of the world
� � his hand gestured towards Inuyasha �-after all
that even this child has seen of the world, what really is unspeakable?�
Naraku�s outstretched hand trembled and he clenched
it in a fist and withdrew it into his lap.
�The only unspeakable crimes, Sesshoumaru-dono, are the ones we are too ashamed to speak of. Do not
ask Lady Tsukiko; instead, ask her men who worked with her all those years ago,
what unspeakable really means. They will tell you�that it means those crimes
which they dare not speak of if they do not wish to be slaughtered like sheep.�
Inuyasha could see the effort it took to Naraku to keep
his voice steady. That kind, calm face was raw with emotions now and Naraku
looked old.
Sesshoumaru remained silent and at length, Naraku
raised his eyes. They were no longer furious and blazing but resigned and tired.
�You know, when I heard the rumors
about Lord Sesshoumaru, about Lady Tsukiko�s heir, I expected someone as cold
as her.� He glanced smilingly at Inuyasha and his eyes gained some warmth. �But
Inuyasha has told me different. That the heir of the Western Lands showed such
kindness to a hanyou�it has made me happier than I have been in years. That the
son of such a cold-hearted woman would be so-�
�You shall not speak ill of the Lady of the West,�
Sesshoumaru bit out, cutting him off.
�Speak ill?� Naraku sounded incredulous. �I said she
is cold. Is that an insult for the ruler of a land? Would rather she were weak
and easily moved?�
Before Sesshoumaru could answer, he continued.
�Cold�isn�t that what you aim to become yourself,
Lord Sesshoumaru? Cold and powerful and perfect, like the ruthless, matchless
Lady of the West. But I cannot help but wish that you do not succeed, that you remain
as you are now, a strong ruler with a compassionate heart. Because if you ever
succeed in your quest for perfection�than it will mean the end for Inuyasha�and
all the hanyou that belong to neither worlds.�
A resounding silence reigned. There was only the
sound of Inuyasha�s harsh breathing and the sound of the wind rustling the
leaves of trees in the distance.
�Sesshoumaru-sama,� Naraku
said, using the honorific for the first time. He sounded subdued, no longer
like a nobleman but like a common peasant. �I beg your forgiveness for what I
had to do today. Know that I despise such methods, that I am no longer the man
I used to be. I own that it is unfortunate that Inuyasha is already claimed,
that I have no hopes of ever contesting the claim of one such as you but it is
what it is and I have made my peace with that.�
A tender glance in Inuyasha�s
direction.
�When I brought him here, I had no other thoughts
than to save a hanyou child from the fate that I have seen visited on many like
him, a fate that I myself barely managed to escape. But these past few hours I
have spent in his company have shown me his untainted heart, a heart that no
hanyou has any right to have after having undergone what he has. They have made
me attached to someone I have no hope of being close to. I only beg that you
allow him to spend the rest of this human night here, where I assure you he
will be will want for nothing. Sesshoumaru-sama is of
course welcome in my home anytime though I fear that is an honor
I should not presume to hope for.�
He turned to face Inuyasha, smiling tiredly as
though he had no real hope of getting what he was asking for.
�Inuyasha, I hope you will forgive me for saying so
but it was an incredibly stupid thing you did today, running away from your
Lord, from Sesshoumaru-sama who has been to you what
no hanyou has the privilege of having � a kind Master who protects and cares
and does not break. A life such as yours� - shining and bright and unblemished
even by the horrors it has endured � it does not deserve to be thrown away as
you have thrown it away. Inuyasha, don�t forget to forever be grateful to your
Master.�
Tears ran down Inuyasha�s cheeks and he nodded,
grabbing Naraku�s hand and kissing it impulsively. Naraku was startled and
stared in disbelief from his hand to the hanyou child. Then he turned his face
away, hiding his eyes under his bangs but his trembling hand betrayed the
emotion he felt.
Inuyasha looked pleadingly up at Sesshoumaru, though
he no longer dared to voice his requests after the reprimand he had received
from the demon Lord. Sesshoumaru glanced at him once than turned his eyes away
to the steadily darkening sky outside.
Without turning to look at either of the occupants
of the room, he declared: �We will stay the night.�
___________________________________________________________________________
A/N:
Review, please! ^.^
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