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Fragments of Broken Pride	By : Areitus Category: InuYasha > Het - Male/Female Views: 10084 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

Chapter List
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Fragments of Broken Pride

Chapter 1

After a battle that had lasted three days and two nights, the proud demon lord of the western lands had fallen. He clenched his bloodied sword, using it as a crutch as he attempted to rise again, but let out a frustrated growl when his legs would not lift him. His eyes rose to his battered, but still standing enemy, and he snarled bitterly at the hanyou.

Naraku was leaning on his own knees panting rather sporadically. His eyes were still fixed on the beast-like demon lord as he finally straightened himself upright and let out a half-hearted chuckle. �It ends here, Sesshoumaru. The outcome of this battle was inevitable from the first swing of your sword. With only one shard remaining to collect, someone of your level can�t compare to my perfection.� He cackled smugly even as blood still oozed from his lips and stomach.

Sesshoumaru had no energy left. He had spent every last bit of himself trying to defeat the abomination that stood before him, but it was looking as if his efforts were all for nothing. He had transformed early on in the battle, but even his purest form could not halt Naraku�s assault, and he had been forced to retire the form to return to a less expending one. His breath came in rapid uneven gasps, while blood nearly coated his entire form. Half of his vision had been impaired during the night prior due to a well timed attack by Naraku. His shoulder and chest were red and damp from the wounds he�d received, and his armor was cracked and battered into the wound on his chest, making almost any motion tremendously agonizing. The lord of the west shakily leaned on his sword as he finally got his legs to comply to his will. They shook with tension as he tried to straighten himself, but for the time being, they continued to hold his weight.

The lord of the west had never been so uncertain of himself before, and in truth, he was afraid that this was going to be the end�he knew it would be the end.

Naraku began to advance, keeping his motions as fluid and steady as he could make them, attempting to flaunt the strength he still had even after the thorny battle. He wasn�t as strong as he seemed, however. He was in a lot of pain, and because of wasting so much energy, his usually fast-healing wounds were slowed dramatically, and continued to bleed even after half an hour had passed since their infliction. He was good and ready to end this bothersome battle. Surprise crossed his features momentarily, as he advanced and the lord of the west did nothing. He was defenseless. Naraku smiled narcissistically as he coiled his abrasive limbs around Sesshoumaru�s exhausted form. �You can finally be one with my body, Sesshoumaru-sama. Your hard-earned might won�t go to waste. I�ll take good care of it for you.�

Sesshoumaru�s legs collapsed from under him as the ridged tentacle-like limbs wound around his sore body. He pushed weakly against them, but his efforts were futile, as more appeared around him and snuggled close to his body, snaking under his armor and clothes as they sought to soak up his being. As the lord surrendered himself to his rival�s victory he couldn�t help the sneer that crossed his lips as he saw the last glance of Naraku�s smiling face before his vision was blockaded by the arms that encased him. His skin burned where the hanyou�s flesh touched his own, and his sword slipped from his twitching fingers. The scent of masma filled his nostrils as a strange purple liquid oozed from the acidic limbs, and he heard himself whimper softly as the pain grew with every passing second.

�So this is how it ends�� he muttered as his eyelids grew heavy, and he finally submitted to the blackness.

Naraku�s smile widens as he feels the lord give up in his grasp, �This is only the beginning, my pet.� he said as he probed the body in his grip for the power he was seeking. �yes, here it is�this is what I want.� he thought as he began to pull his prize from the lord of the west.

�KAZE NO KIZU!� yelled an all too familiar voice as rays of white-hot light passed between Naraku and his prey, severing the arms that were the medium for the sought after power.

The dark hanyou gave a most outraged snarl as his eyes shot to the source of that light. �Inuyasha, how very unpleasant to see you.� he all but growled out.

The newly arrived hanyou returned the nasty look to his enemy, �That�s too bad, I�ve been wanting to see you for a long -TIME!� He said as the threw his blade into the ground and caused another wave of power to shoot toward his long sought-after adversary.

Naraku scrambled to get out of the way, and just barely made it. He was in no condition to take on another opponent. The lord of the west has been hard enough to defeat, but he couldn�t take him and his little brother consecutively. He needed time to recuperate. �Dreadfully sorry, Inuyasha, but I really am in no condition to fight you after killing that brother of yours. I�ll play with you some other time!� he said as he retreated, using a large amount of masma to cover his retreat and deter the hanyou from following him.

Inuyasha�s eyes went wide as he registered what that devil had just said. �Killed�� His party arrived behind him as Naraku disappeared from sight. He had smelled his brother, but he hadn�t been worried for him. He saw the dead mass of flesh he had severed from the demon, and slowly approached it. His mouth slipped open in shock as he saw the bloodied hand that sat between the folds of poisonous flesh, knowing it was his brother�s hand because of the crimson marks that were presented over the wrist. He suddenly didn�t know how to feel. Should he rejoice that his long time adversary was dead? Should he mourn the passing of his only real family. �Sesshoumaru�� he found himself muttering softly.

The young miko had wide eyes as they observed the same thing her protector was seeing. She, unlike Inuyasha, went up to the putrid pile and knelt down next to it, reaching in boldly to recover the body that lay inside. She pushed the heavy limbs from the hand, following the arm deeper into the pile. No one else helped. Inuyasha was about to pull her back off of the mass when she turned to him, �Don�t just stand there! Help me!� She yelled irritably at him. The hanyou still looked confused as to what he was feeling, but he complied without argument for once, reaching into the pile of reeking tissue to uncover his enemy and brother.

Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Shippo looked on, not quite knowing their place in this particular situation. Then Sango finally stepped forward and joined her friends in their efforts, triggering the monk and fire cat demon to follow her, then slowly but surly the tiny kitsune followed as well.

Together, the group dug the motionless body out of the masma covered limbs, dragging it free from the mound. Blood caked the nearly unrecognizable body from head to toe, and the clothes were half-way eaten away from the acidic masma that had been trying to absorb the lord of the west. The group stood over the body, suddenly wondering why they had all recovered it in the first place. Kagome softly touched the unmoving demon lord on the deeply bruised cheek, noticing the warmth that still resided there.

Inuyasha was quiet as he looked at his brother, in denial that this was truly happening. �Sesshoumaru can�t die� he thought to himself as he continued to stare at the pale figure, �He wouldn�t die like this.�

Kagome was puzzled. She moved her hand down and touched two fingers just below his jaw. The softest flicker of a pulse could be felt. Her eyes went wide, �He�s alive!� she shouted, almost in disbelief. The group all went wide eyed as well, especially Inuyasha. He certainly didn�t look alive� The hanyou squatted down on the opposite side of his brother as the miko, �Are you sure?� he asked with a newfound ray of hope.

�He is! I�m sure!� She said enthusiastically, �His pulse is faint, but its still there. We have to save him.�

Inuyasha looked peculiarly at the still body before returning his eyes to the miko, �Kagome, we can�t. He�s an enemy no matter what condition he�s in. This is for the best.� he said calmly.

Kagome nearly lashed out and slapped him across the face, �He�s your brother!� she shouted, �I know you aren�t close, but he�s the only family you have, and I don�t care if you do think of each other as enemies, you�re still brothers! You�re family!�

The others looked on with a mild fear of getting involved in the squabble, and no one was quite willing to take sides.

Inuyasha looked depressed for the first time in a long time, �I know that.� he said with an odd gloom in his voice. He stood up, �Do what you want.� He then proceeded away from the scene, deciding to have some much needed alone time.

Kagome stood up as well, �Where are you going? Inuyasha!� She was about to run after him and bring him back, when she felt a hand clasp her shoulder. She looked back to see Miroku staring back at her, �Let�s leave him alone. I don�t think we can really understand how he feels in this situation.�

Kagome lowered her head an nodded. She really didn�t know how he felt, because she could never imagine hating her own brother, even if he was annoying at times. She turned back to the unconscious demon lord. �I suppose I have something more important to do at the moment than chase after Inuyasha.�

* * *

Kagome and the others had moved from the barren, masma-laden spot where they had found the demon lord to a more wooded area where they could gather wood for a fire and set up camp for the night. Kagome and Sango had nursed Sesshoumaru�s wounds, and Kirara had carried his heavy body back to the campsite, where he now rested in the miko�s sleeping bag. Kagome wasn�t sure where she was going to sleep, but she was sure the demon lord needed the warmth more than she did. His wounds had been bad ones. She had never tended to wounds of that extreme, and was surprised, after seeing them, that the youkai could live through such injuries. She imagined if it had been anyone else they would have perished, but she knew Sesshoumaru was strong, and she had high hopes that he would pull through okay.

The group sat gathered around the fire eating supper as Inuyasha finally strolled up from the direction they�d come from the battle site. He sat down by the miko as she handed him a bowl of ramen that had already been prepared for him. He ate in silence as the others made small talk to try and lighten the mood.

As they finished their meal Shippo, Sango, and Miroku all started for bed. The little kitsune crawled into Sango�s sleeping bag, along with Kirara. Miroku made himself comfortable and found sleep rather quickly. Kagome sat, clutching her knees, looking into the fire, with Inuyasha sitting nearby. She rocked subtly as the night air seemed to suddenly chill her.

Inuyasha noticed her chill bumps and abruptly removed his fire-mice coat and threw it around her. She clutched it with a bit of a shock on her face, �Thank you.� she said softly. Inuyasha shrugged and sat back where he had been before. �So where do you plan on sleeping?� he said blandly.

Kagome shrugged, �I can ruff it for one night.� She looked at him and couldn�t help feeling bad because he seemed so down. �Inuyasha, why don�t you go to sleep too. You seem like you need some good rest.

Inuyasha nodded, �I guess so.� He stood up. �I think it will get cold tonight.� he muttered.

Kagome frowned. Cold and here she was with nothing but his jacket to cover up with.

The hanyou turned back to his friend and took her by the hand, causing her to stand up. He lead her to the foot a tree that was still relatively close to the fire and sat at the base, between two large roots. �Sit.� he said still holding her hand. Kagome giggled as she sat beside him, �I�m the one who�s supposed to say that to you.�

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow as he realized the joke and gave a detached laugh. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. The miko was a bit surprised, but didn�t reject him. She laid her head on his shoulder and smiled lightly. �Goodnight Inuyasha.� she whispered softly as she closed her eyes. The hanyou laid his head atop of hers, �Goodnight. Kagome.�

* * *

Everything hurt. Every part of his body ached. He pushed himself up from the soft mat he was lying on. Around him there was darkness and behind him he saw a fire. He also saw his brother and the miko along with the other members of the party. His energy was still depleted, and he felt horribly nauseated. He gathered that his brother must have saved him from Naraku, though why, he didn�t know. He would have left if he�d had any strength at all, but he was running on empty. He disliked needing help from anyone, but in this situation he was about as helpless as a three day only infant.

He crawled onto his hands and knees, allowing one hand to leave the ground to clutch his stomach. His vision in his right eye was still impaired, but it seemed the wound had been cleaned and doctored. Slowly he crawled to his feet, shaking and wobbling as if they were his first steps. He held his stomach as if it would fall out if he released it, and, in a sense, it did. He felt the wave hit him like he�d just taken a blow to the gut. He clutched a tree with his free hand as he vomited. It was blood mostly, since he hadn�t eaten in three days. As he finished, another wave hit and he threw up again. The throbbing in his gut stopped for a moment and he stepped back a step before sinking to his knees. There was a sticky string of bloodied saliva that dangled from his bottom lip as he hung his head and panted softly. He�d never felt so disgraced before.

Inuyasha had heard his brother and was torn between staying in his warm embrace, or going to the taiyoukai. He finally decided to go to his brother and nudged Kagome softly to move her off of him. He rose and went to Sesshoumaru�s side, waking the miko in the process.

The demon lord was too ashamed to even look up from the puddle of crimson he�d just produced, and continued to hold onto the tree trunk, leaning his head on it feebly, while wiping his mouth on the remnants of his sleeve. The hanyou stood over the taiyoukai, silent for a long time, before he finally reached down and put his arm under his brother�s shoulders and lifted him to his feet. The demon lord seemed bewildered at the hanyou�s action, but didn�t let it show. He struggled to get his legs to stay under him, and found himself clasping his little brother�s shoulders, feeling rather humiliated about his condition. He let out a warning growl as the hanyou brought a hand up to steady him, and was pleased when the hand retreated back to it�s former position.

After battling with his own body for a moment he managed to find his balance, with his younger brother still crutching him. The miko appeared on the opposite side of the hanyou, seemingly a bit frightened of him. That was perfectly alright with him. He preferred it that way. If she feared him, then she respected him.

The hanyou walked his brother back to the sleeping bag and lowered him gently back down to the bedding. Sesshoumaru sat in a rather unlordly position as Inuyasha backed up a ways to give him his space. The demon lord remained quiet, making Inuyasha uneasy. The younger brother waited for a moment to see if the taiyoukai had anything to say, but when the silence persisted he finally turned away, tugging on Kagome�s sleeve to signal her to follow him. �Let him be. We�re probably making him edgy.� he mumbled as they left the lord to his silence.

Kagome looked back at Sesshoumaru before reluctantly following her guardian back to the tree where they had been resting before. �He seems so�depressed.� she thought sympathetically as she stole one last glance from the lord before, again, settling in the curve of Inuyasha�s arm.
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Fragments of Broken Pride