InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dominating the Indomitable ❯ Tick Tock ( Chapter 6 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

“We know all about you, half-breed.”

The voice wavered, loud and soft, distant and close, fast and slow.  Inuyasha felt as though his eyelids were weighed down with boulders.  Nevertheless, he managed to slit them open.  Walls of white breathed in and out, rising and receding much like a chest.  The brightness blinded him, bringing back memories that he’d all but buried.

Desperation flooded Inuyasha’s mind and his gut churned at the remembrance of the multitude of tests, the needles and scalpels; so much pain, the blackouts that ended up leaving him with bruises and abrasions.  More often than not, he had awakened from those episodes that had left him bound and drugged, only to be asked a litany of questions.  Blackouts had followed the rages that the so-called doctor’s examinations had prompted.  He had hated the blackouts.  Who knew whether or not he had been comatose or slaughtering people?  He had no memories from those times.  The pain had been much preferable than the confusion he always had experienced.  Upon waking, he’d never recognized his surroundings, had never understood why he was there, restrained to a bed, tubes sticking out of him everywhere.  He had never understood why they had turned him onto his belly and meticulously sliced at him, clicking a stop watch and counting off seconds and minutes between each cut.

‘Not again…no, no, no,’ he groaned inside of his muddled mind.  ‘He promised; promised I wouldn’t go back.’

As he attempted to come to an understanding of his predicament, footsteps casually strolled around his position.  His immediate instinct told him to fight, to kill, to run as far away as possible.  Yanking at his bindings, he discovered that he had once again been confined to a straight jacket.  The chair he had been bound to was a hard, cold metal and was securely bolted to the floor.

“You’ll be out of that chair soon enough, half-breed.  Though, you shouldn’t be in a hurry to enjoy your new accommodations.”  He didn’t recognize the male voice and the place smelled of so many sterilizers that he couldn’t get a good scent.  It would be impossible to track down the bastard when he managed to get free.

Inuyasha attempted to survey his surroundings, but everything was swimming in slow motion.  A figure in a white coat stepped in front of him, holding a monster ass needle and syringe.

‘Drugged and weak.  I never left this place at all, did I?  Sesshoumaru lied.  He fucking lied!  I can’t believe I’m still here.  Fucking bastard!  You know what they’re doing and you won’t stop them,’ he mentally swore at Sesshoumaru.  ‘Hell, you’re running the whole show!  What are you fucking doing to me?!  You will pay, Sesshoumaru.  When I get out of here, I’m going to fucking kill you until you’re as dead as a century old corpse!’

Inuyasha had never been a quitter and he wouldn’t start now, although, his resolve couldn’t take away the dread eating its way through his veins.  Back then, no matter how many attempts he’d made at escaping, he’d never been able to make it through the first door; not until he’d awakened in Sesshoumaru’s bedroom…on Sesshoumaru’s bed.  He had never been able discern the first words his brother had spoken.  Everything had been so garbled.  But he remembered.  Yes, he remembered the soft caresses and strange, paperweight clothes.  Through his fog, nurses had come and gone, taking stats, feeding, and bathing him.  Sesshoumaru had never once behaved inappropriately.  He’d never awakened nude when in Sesshoumaru’s presence, had never smelled anything suspicious.  Yet, Sesshoumaru’s attention had unnerved him.  When he’d become more lucid, his anger had swelled to the forefront, washing away his discomfort, and he’d wanted to do nothing more than to bash in Sesshoumaru’s head.  Since then, he’d had as little as possible to do with his brother.  It hadn’t stopped Sesshoumaru from shadowing his footsteps, from directing his actions through others.  It had been suffocating.  That’s if it had all been in the past and his recent freedom hadn’t been a dream.

A sting in his shoulder brought Inuyasha back to the present and to that oddly fluctuating voice.  The male was chuckling.  Fucking annoying.  He’d just been shot up with more drugs and that asshole in the white coat was laughing at him.

‘I’ll kill you, too, bastard.  Just watch me.’

His limbs went from tingling to rubbery and his vision began to blur.  Had it not been for the drugs, panic would have sped his heartbeat and overwhelmed him.  He needed help, someone, someone to get him out of this shithole once and for all.  Anyone, it didn’t matter who.  Through the black buzz of oncoming unconsciousness, he broke through a barrier and a name blazed across his mind.  

“Kouuugaaa…” he managed to groan.  ‘Was it…was it all a…a hallucination?  Kouga…Kou…ga…’

“Your Kouga will soon be dead and replaced by a new leader,” was the last thing he heard from the distant voice.

“Answer the question.  How far would you go to save Inuyasha?”  Sesshoumaru leaned forward and steepled his fingers.

Kouga shifted uncomfortably.  Despite Sesshoumaru’s bland expression, his eyes were fierce.  Kouga was forced to ignore Sesshoumaru’s gaze and to focus on the question.  Inuyasha had saved his ass too many times for him to do anything less than to die for him.  Not to mention, he just couldn’t imagine a world without Inuyasha’s cheeky smirk mocking him.  The answer was easy.

“Anything.”  

“Anything,” Sesshoumaru repeated as though tasting the word then he leaned back into his chair.

“That’s what I said.  I’m getting tired of this pussyfooting around.  Just give me a straight answer,” Kouga demanded with a scowl.

Sesshoumaru gave him a reproving glare before the mask of stoicism magically reappeared.  “Who did I indicate survived the attack?”

“Oh, that really answers my question,” Kouga sarcastically snorted, but answered the question.  “You said that the only ones alive are mated.”  Kouga scrunched his eyebrows together.  Sesshoumaru remained silent, giving him time to absorb the importance of that fact.  “I’d have to find him a mate?”

“Not just any mate; a youkai with youki strong enough to heal him, and due to his human blood, even that isn’t a guarantee.  Do you know any such person?” Sesshoumaru asked with a knowing smirk.

Kouga stared at the floor while running through a list of all the people he knew.  There weren’t any that he could imagine would equal or exceed Inuyasha’s power.  Well, excepting Sesshoumaru.

“You’re the only one I can think of.  Is that why you kept him so close to you?  Were you planning on mating him?” Kouga asked, though he was certain that he already had his answer.  He’d suspected it from the first night he’d spent with Inuyasha.

“If all else failed, yes,” Sesshoumaru stated matter of fact and sat back in his chair as though it was an easy thing to admit.

“I don’t believe he would have done it,” Kouga commented, shaking his head and imagining Inuyasha attempting to rip Sesshoumaru a new one.

“If necessary, I would have forced him,” Sesshoumaru stated and narrowed his eyes.

“Oh, he would have just loved that.  He’d have hated you forever.  I have to wonder why you care so much,” Kouga said, lifting an inquiring brow.  “He’s your half-brother, a half-breed, and possibly headed for the camps anyway.”  Kouga found Sesshoumaru’s concern odd, considering the history the two brothers shared.  Baiting the male could possibly get him more answers.

“Watch your tongue, wolf!  Blood of my blood will never be treated as a human,” Sesshoumaru spat.  “He is mine!  My pack, mine to kill, mine to protect!  He will not die until I give him permission to do so!”

‘Arrogant much?  Or does he really care?  Maybe he does?’  Kouga could have sworn that Sesshoumaru was about to spontaneously combust and redirected the DaiYoukai’s attention back to the problem at hand.  “So, the only option is for you to mate him.  Am I supposed to help you do that?”  He didn’t like the idea.  He wanted Inuyasha for himself.  Kouga scrunched his brow and wondered just how much he did want from Inuyasha.  It really didn’t matter.  Saving Inuyasha was top priority.

Again, that smug look rose on Sesshoumaru’s face.  “You’re forgetting one other person.”

“Well, you know a lot more of the powerful youkai than I do.  Who is it?”  If there was someone other than Sesshoumaru, he was sure that he could persuade Inuyasha to take his chances.

“You.”

Kouga nearly choked.  “Me?”

“You’re strong enough and you seem to care for him, perhaps…even love him,” Sesshoumaru calmly stated, but the barest shadow of a smirk tilted the right corner of his lips.

“He’s a dog!  I’m a wolf!” Kouga exclaimed.  Sure, he cared for the mutt and wanted him around, but mating was serious fucking business!  He wasn’t sure he was ready for the real deal.

Sesshoumaru’s eyes narrowed and his voice held a heavy menace.  “When I had you on the floor, I was given the opportunity for a much closer inspection of your scent.  You’ve been fucking my brother.  Is he your whore?”

Kouga’s eyes widened.  ‘Holy fucking dog balls!  His nose is good!’

“Answer me, wolf,” Sesshoumaru growled.

Kouga gathered his wits about him and hurried with his answer.  “No!  But you’re talking fucking mating!”

“Do you deny taking his virginity?” Sesshoumaru asked, rising from his chair.

“No, but…”

“No ‘buts’, Kouga.  You took my brother.  Either he is your whore or he is your intended mate.  Decide.”  Sesshoumaru’s voice had taken on a deep, gravelly tone that made Kouga flinch.  The crimson bleeding around the rims of Sesshoumaru’s eyeballs didn’t help Kouga’s anxiety.

“You know how Inuyasha is!  He’d never be pushed into a situation.  He’ll rebel unless he has choices.  Give me some time to come up with something, okay?” Kouga backpedaled.

“My brother doesn’t have much time before he will be beyond all hope.  Only our father’s blood has kept him alive this long.  Either he will go insane and need to be put down like a rabid dog, or he will die from something as common as infection,” Sesshoumaru hissed.

“I don’t know how fast that shit deteriorates a person!  How much time do I have?” Kouga asked as his heart rate picked up the pace now that he knew the urgency of the situation.

Moments passed while Sesshoumaru tapped his fingers on the desk.  “The new moon was two days ago and I know that you are aware of his night of weakness.  You are his lover, did you observe his condition?”

“That’s why I’m here,” Kouga sighed.  “He was obviously in a lot of pain and he was quite senseless once he fell asleep.  He never sleeps on the moonless night.  And, he was bleeding from his nose—not just blood, but blood mixed with water.”

Kouga couldn’t help but notice the immediate droop of Sesshoumaru’s shoulders.  

Sesshoumaru’s eyes dropped to his desk and his lips turned down.  “I had hoped his condition would continue to hold at current levels.”  Sesshoumaru’s eyes rose to meet Kouga’s, emotion flowing behind those golden irises.  “He will need time to recover before his next night of weakness or his condition may progress too far to bring him back from the edge.  Two weeks; you have two weeks or I must force a mating on him.”

“Two weeks,” Kouga muttered and slumped down further into his chair.  “That’s not much time.”

“What will make the situation even more difficult is the fact that he does not acknowledge his condition.  He insists on believing that he will recover,” Sesshoumaru added.

“I know.  And people call me stubborn,” Kouga sighed.  “I don’t know how I can manage it, but I’ll get him to agree to a mating with one of us.”

“Time is short.  Leave.  Now.”

“No,” Kouga said, shaking his head.  “I have one more question.”

“If you had come out of the jungles when you should have, I would have no need to spend precious time giving you a history lesson,” Sesshoumaru growled.  “What could you possibly need to know now?”  

Sesshoumaru sounded exasperated, but Kouga didn’t care.  The asshole would answer his question.  “What are those scars on Inuyasha’s body?”

“Scars?” Sesshoumaru asked, coming out of his chair.  “Where?” he asked after Kouga nodded.

“How could you not know about them?  They’re all over him and they’re old…like someone took a razor to him!”

Sesshoumaru closed his eyes and rubbed his temples.  “Inuyasha believes I tortured him during his time of mental…distress.  Now I know why.”  He stared at Kouga and spoke through clenched teeth.  “I will find who did it and they will pay.”

“You’d better make sure I get a piece of whoever did it,” Kouga snarled.

“I’ll be sure to leave you…a piece, however small it may be,” Sesshoumaru said with a grim determination.

Kouga nodded.  “Two weeks,” he reminded Sesshoumaru and turned to leave.

“I’ll be there,” Sesshoumaru assured, or threatened.  Kouga wasn’t sure which.  He kept walking at a quick pace, anxious to return to Inuyasha.

‘What the hell am I going to do?  Mating?  That just…’  After Kagome, Kouga had never found anyone worthy of the consideration.  If anyone had the qualifications, it was Inuyasha, except that he was a guy, and guys couldn’t carry children within their bodies.  Well, most couldn’t.  Only the strange breeds could do that, and they were extremely rare, practically extinct.  And, now that Kouga seriously thought about it, he’d never been in much of a hurry to have cubs.  His patience just wasn’t up to the job.  At least, with Kagome, he had known that she would be able to raise them well.  However, it hadn’t even been a serious issue.  Rarely, if ever, had his own progeny been the focus of his attention.  It just wasn’t important.  ‘Is it really that important?  There are enough wolves that still retain the ability to breed, and they do.  I don’t really need to.’

That was one thing about Kouga; he had no grand designs.  Living in the moment, he only sought to protect his pack, and now, the world in which they lived.  Sure, it sometimes caused a bit of short-sightedness, but in the long run, it was better than stressing over things too far in the future to be of any significance to him.  He was a simple youkai and he liked it that way.  

Too bad the humans had really put a crimp in his style.

Sesshoumaru sat back in his chair and rubbed his temples.  He’d intentionally given Kouga a short time frame.  Though it was true that he had hoped Inuyasha’s condition hadn’t worsened as much as it had, there was hope that his brother had more time.  No one whom he’d introduced to Inuyasha had taken the boy’s interest, leaving him with no options other than mating Inuyasha himself.  No matter how strong or how old Inuyasha became, he would always be an insolent child in Sesshoumaru’s eyes.  That was one of the things holding him back.  Nevertheless, he had determined do what was necessary to save his brother’s life.  Things that didn’t include giving up his role as Inuyasha’s alpha.

A near silent growl filtered from between his lips when he thought of how easy it appeared that Inuyasha had thrown off the mantle of his protection.  Whether or not Inuyasha was aware, he’d be dead fifty times over had it not been for Sesshoumaru’s intervention.  The boy just didn’t understand the manipulative and underhanded nature of their rivals.  He was completely clueless.  And wolves?  Those wild things had the brains of fleas.  How could he hand himself over to such lower beings?  Kouga was honorable and always had good intentions, but the wolf was almost as naïve as Inuyasha.  The naïveté made them good pawns, but significantly lowered their ability to protect what was theirs.  Wolves, of all things.

Sesshoumaru shook those thoughts from his head.  It wouldn’t do to get his ire raging.  Kouga would pay a price for taking what was his to protect.  Without thought, Sesshoumaru cracked his knuckles.  Yes, there would be a steep price to pay.  Sesshoumaru would own every one of them.

Even so, he had to be grateful that Inuyasha had found a relationship with someone capable of saving him, no matter how unwittingly.  It also appeared that Kouga was willing.  Despite how Inuyasha’s choice grated on his nerves, it was progress.  All that was left was to insure that Kouga followed through, which meant a trip to the wolves territory.  

Sesshoumaru could already feel a headache coming on.

He had a few days to prepare, which would give him some time to investigate what may have caused the scars Kouga had claimed littered Inuyasha’s body.  If nothing else, an explanation for his presence might contain Inuyasha’s anger at his presence, and answers concerning his supposed torture of Inuyasha would be just the ticket.

The medical compound would be his first target.

“I think it’s the human blood,” Inuyasha heard as a stinging cut on the right side of his back woke him from his drugged sleep.  “Time.”

The familiar sound of a stopwatch clicking was a trigger for panic and he yanked at his bindings without opening his eyes.  The brightness of the room already hurt from behind his eyelids.  At least the cuffs were soft and not those damn metal pieces of shit that had previously cut him all to hell.

“Now, don’t do that,” a male voice growled at him and wrapped a large stubby hand around his neck and pressed him face down into the bed.  “Be still.”

“I think his brother spoiled the brat.”  Inuyasha supposed that was the one with the stop watch.  A rubber-gloved finger wiped at the cut on his back, causing him to become aware of numerous other wounds.  “Still open.  Why the hell is he still alive?”

“Like I said…”

Stubby Fingers was cut off by Stop Watch.  “No, other humans and hanyou have had no special immunity.  This one is different.”

When a muted clatter sounded close to his ear, Inuyasha pried his eyes open.  Bright white was all he could see at first.  It took a few blinks before he could make out any shapes.  An IV line and its clip scraped against a metal bedrail as Stop Watch shoved a needle into the line.  As the syringe was emptied, Inuyasha could feel the warm/cool rush through his veins and the tension in his body began to fade.  This was different.  In the past, they hadn’t always been so kind.

“Time.”  The stop watch clicked and the male droned on, his voice drifting further away.  “The deterioration has advanced, but not near as quickly as it should have.  I need the sperm sample next.”

Inuyasha didn’t have time to even consider fighting.  Darkness quickly stole over his mind just as he felt a frigid gel wash down the crack of his ass.  ‘Bastards!’