Pride (in the Name of Love), Foreword

~ A work of fanfiction by Jezz-Ra

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Free at last, they took your life

They could not take your pride

In the name of love

What more, in the name of love?

~ Pride (in the Name of Love), U2

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Sit a while, and let me spin you a tale of dragons and demons, good versus evil, love and lust, tragedy and ecstasy and all else that lies between.

This is the first story I have ever written that I felt the need to...introduce... simply due to its sheer size if nothing else. When I first conceived this story, my intent was to make a ten or twelve chapter story to ease back into writing after a long hiatus, and this was my first attempt at the Inuyasha fandom.

I prefer to write my fanfiction relatively true to the original text. My characters are, by and large, as true to their original nature as I can write them within the parameters of the story. I keep canon storylines together, and if I deviate from some aspect, I will generally explain the circumstances surrounding how it came to be. This particular piece is set post-series - and was started at a time when I had only seen the original anime and only read bits and pieces of the manga. I had a general idea of what happened after the anime's ending, but no specifics. It doesn't matter a terrible lot, really - only minor details will be different, and those mostly in regards to Sesshoumaru. At the initial time I wrote this, I was unaware that he picked up Kohaku, unaware that he got his arm back complete with his own sword and lost his Toukijin, and other such things.

In my ignorance of the original ending of the manga, as well, I changed the way everyone parted as well. Miroku and Sango's relationship did not turn out so well (no marriage and no children), Kagome went home to her own time after several months. I'm sure there are other things I inadvertently changed as well. Perhaps one day I will rework those details in an edit - but for the most part, the original series is intact and characters are mostly true to form. You can safely assume that all the events in the anime and a good amount of what occurred in the manga also occurred in this story.

The per-chapter warning list is likely missing pieces - I was adding as I went and tried to cover everything in my first major edit, and of course not all chapters are going to contain instances flagging all warnings. But I give you this foreword, in addition to other things, as an extended warning. As this story grew, so too did the list of warnings. I suppose its like driving a car - the more miles you put on, the more roads you traverse or cities you visit, the more likely you are to crop up against an unexpected situation!

There are several issues that do indeed crop up throughout this story that some viewers may find controversial or are disturbed by. This is primarily a Yaoi (m/m relationship) story. While there are instances of Het relationships as well, they generally take a back seat. No, not everyone is gay for each other... I simply am not featuring most of those relationships here. XD

There are several instances of graphic sexual conduct, mostly consensual but a few that are not, a couple of which are incestual in nature. There are scenes of extreme violence, torture, and some gore as well as angst and depression and darkness. There are even a few instances of death, although as in most anime, death seems to be a setback rather than an ending. Some of the events that occur do cause some of the major characters to perhaps break from their standard personalities and roles in some fashions to deal with events. I also do not pull my punches with language - while I'm not overtly crude, I do indeed swear often, especially for the brash and loud sorts of characters where it simply seems fitting that they would do so. I also use the occasional...not-so-scientific term when it comes to things like anatomy.

Dire warnings, I know...but don't be dissuaded. I'm simply covering all the bases. This is actually NOT a tale of doom and gloom, ultimately... it's a tale of romance and fantasy and adventure, and for any lengthy plot to succeed, there has to be SOME sort of bad guy running around causing trouble!

I also, of course, do not have the pleasure of owning Inuyasha or anything / anyone related to the series or the universe. There are some original ideas in here, however, and the occasional original character helping to populate their world. These things are mine, expressly, and may not be reproduced without permission.

Along the way, I also wrote several side-stories, detailing bits and pieces of things touched on in this story, backstories, or a few things just for fun that helped color my versions of the characters and their lives (for example, some of Sesshoumaru's adventures when he was a child). This story, as with all my works, can be found at any of the following places. My preferred posting site is my Dreamwidth Journal - I'd love to have you subscribe and leave feedback there. No part of this story may be reproduced or archived elsewhere without my permission - but if you ask, you likely shall receive.

My personal archives, for this and all other works are as follows :

Dreamwidth - jezzra. dreamwidth. org/

AFF - inu. adultfanfiction. net/ authors. php? no = 1296867178

FFnet - fanfiction. net/ u/ 1431121/ Jezz _ Ra

Mediaminer - mediaminer. org/ user _ info. php/ 172417

Ao3 - archiveofourown. org/ users / JezzRa

Any questions or comments, please contact me via PM, on my Dreamwidth, or via email ( megami _ no _ remon hotmail. com).

My little plot snippet has evolved into a monster, growing as it went and bowling me over in the process. All I could do was grab my keyboard and hang on. I hope you all enjoy the ride as much as I did, and wish you happy reading. Feedback is always appreciated, and my most sincere thank yous to everyone who has listened to me rant, shared their thoughts with me, and supported me throughout writing this!

~ Jezz-Ra

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Pride (In the Name of Love), Prologue

Written by Jezz-Ra

Warnings - Not all warnings apply to all chapters. Yaoi, Het, Rape, Lemon, Violence, Torture, Language, 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. My main archive & journal is located at jezzra. dreamwidth. com. All new works and information posted there first, and you can subscribe!

Also archived at - inu. fanfiction. net, fanfiction. net, and mediaminer. org, archiveofourown. org/ users /JezzRa

Questions or Comments? Email me at megami _ no _ remon hotmail. com ((remove spaces))

Blah indicates thoughts.

A/N - Guess I don't need much of an author's note after the foreword I wrote. Enjoy the prologue. =D Story born on March 21st, 2009.

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"Master Inuyasha..." a small voice said somberly. Inuyasha blinked, his ears flicking forward, pausing with his dinner still in his teeth.

"What?" the hanyou managed, not bothering to remove the meat from his jaws, instead completing the motion of tearing off a more manageable bite. Mid-chew, he paused and squinted, eyes focusing on the flea demon standing before him. "Hrff..." he began, then paused to swallow before squinting at Myouga suspiciously. "Hey! I don't think I've ever seen you just...walk up to me. Finally tired of getting squashed?"

"This is no time for games, Master Inuyasha," Myouga responded stiffly, his tone and expression grave.

"What's going on, Myouga?" Miroku asked, peering at the flea curiously.

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Four years had passed since they had finally gathered the last of the Shikon no Tama and defeated Naraku. After the battle, things had been strange for the little group. Without their great quest looming before them, the focus that had driven them forth with common purpose had disappeared.

Inuyasha had been increasingly restless. The topic of his relationship with Kagome had finally come up and been had out. They both agreed, on friendly enough terms, that it probably was for the best if they didn't pursue their relationship. Neither of them knew how it might affect things if Inuyasha were to move to her time to stay with her, and she wasn't inclined to stay with him.

Kagome had started going back to her own time more and more, for longer periods of time, until one day she announced she wasn't planning on returning. She had gotten her life back home jump-started and had some new friends, even a boyfriend, and intended to stay. The parting was tearful - after all, they had been good friends and through so much - but eventually they saw the last of her.

Sango had left the group and went back to her village to help with the construction and to safeguard against future demon assaults. It had been a difficult decision for her, but ultimately she felt she could do more good there than elsewhere. Miroku had initially gone with her.

Miroku, surprisingly, had returned and elected to stay with Inuyasha. Inuyasha was curious as to the whole story, but figured Miroku would tell it in his own good time. The two of them had made a little team dedicated to purging evil spirits, killing renegade youkai, and generally aiding and assisting the various villages their random wanderings took them to. They were beginning to get something of a reputation. They never charged for their work, but often were granted gifts for their service which they graciously accepted.

Shippo also stayed with Miroku and Inuyasha. Inuyasha treated him as he would his own pup, after all. The little kitsune really wasn't much of an effective demon hunter, but the villagers loved to see him anyways. Putting on small shows for them had actually driven him to learn more of his natural abilities.

Throughout their years of public service and demon-hunting, however, the trio had not seen Myouga in longer than they could recall. And his atypical announcement of his presence - actually walking forward instead of sneaking a bite in on Inuyasha - left them uneasy.

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"Master Inuyasha, you...you need to come home."

"Eh? Home? What you talkin' bout?" Inuyasha said with a squint.

"To the Castle of the Western Lands. Your home."

Inuyasha snorted. "Right. I'm sure my brother will welcome me with open arms."

Myouga was silent for a long time, bowing his head. Inuyasha's ears flattened back and he scowled at his retainer.

"What's that look for?"

"Master Inuyasha...your brother, Lord Sesshoumaru...is presumed to be dead. You are the sole heir to the throne of the Western Lands."

Inuyasha and Miroku both gasped, shocked. Inuyasha's initial instinct was to cheer, but the urge died before it had even fully formed. Yes, his brother had been a complete asshole to him for longer than he cared to remember...but Sesshoumaru was still family. He was still his brother. His only brother. His only actual family. A surprising spike of sadness wedged itself into his heart.

Myouga continued, his voice soft. "Everyone that was in the castle is dead. Lord Sesshoumaru's body was not among them...nor was his ward, Rin's...but..." The flea paused, finding it difficult to continue. "There was so much blood...and his swords are still there, including the other fang of your father."

Inuyasha nodded once, his expression grim. His brother...his father's entire castle staff...even the annoying toad Jaken and Sesshoumaru's unexplainable but sweet little human ward, butchered.

"You must return, Master Inuyasha. You're the only one left in line for the throne. If you don't claim it...and soon...the entire Western Lands will be thrown into chaos and war...no demon would give up the chance to rule what your father built."

Inuyasha was about to answer when the wind shifted slightly. He smelled rain heading their way, but that wasn't what caught his attention. He smirked in smug self-satisfaction. "HAH! I knew that tricky bastard was too stubborn to die!"

Before the startled flea or Miroku could react, Inuyasha had leaped to his feet. With another sniff to confirm his suspicions, he darted off into the trees.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku yelled, hurrying to try and follow the hanyou. "What is it? What do you smell?"

The increasingly distant reply left both Miroku and Myouga shocked. "My brother!"