Pride

A/N: Hey guys, this is my first full-fledged fic ever posted! I'm actually pretty...proud... of how this is turning out. I'm sorry ahead of time for my short chapters, but I'm a college student so I don't often have time to contiguously write much more than this.
This story will be drawing on a couple sources, but was mostly inspired by "Topsy Turvy" by VixenArgentum, which is really a fantastic story if you have the time to read some incredibly well-written Inucest (which will not come into this fic... sorry! XD). I did steal the concepts of the Midnight Dragon clan and mating rituals from it, though.


So, otherwise, enjoy and please, please, for yaoi's sake PLEASE review!
On to the story!
~Fluffy

Edit 8/2019: Well. What a long, strange trip it's been! As mentioned at the end of chapter 5, I was away from the internet for a while... after which came a torrent of IRL crap that somewhat destroyed my motivation to work on this. Now all these years later, and hopefully as an improved writer, I got an itch to pick it back up. I'll be fixing all the issues with old text that didn't move to the new site well and of course adding a new chapter. I guess I'll see if this community still cares about this old fandom. See y'all on the other side.

Pride- Prologue

Ryokotsusei watched the life slowly fade from his mate's eyes.

He tasted the bitter tang of helplessness watching the once-magnificent body wither, the long, final sigh bubbling from between blue lips. It didn't matter now that he was trapped in hiding, deep within the mountainous lair of the Midnight Dragons. It didn't matter that he was still too weak to join the battle, the scar on his abdomen raw and unhealing. His clan's chance of fighting to maintain their place had just expired, lids slipping shut.

The dragon lord knelt next to the body, running a finger over a high cheekbone, a pointed chin. A slight, ironic grimace twisted his lips. The face that had once been a source of annoyance, almost hatred, had somehow become so familiar, so welcome. Not beloved, no. There was little love lost between himself and his contracted consort. However, another face, already echoing the deceased in its planes, despite youthful softness, came to mind.

A slight brush of downy blackness against his arm.

"Daddy?"

The Ryokotsusei gathered the soft shadow into his arms.

"He's dead. It's time to go out, Kodori."


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Inutaisho was too old to be surprised. Or so he had thought.

He reread the note in his clawed hand, face carefully neutral.

Inutaisho was surprised.

He raised his eyes to the pair crouching before him. A very grizzled pair of dragon guards, unarmed but stone-faced and bold in their manner, staring directly at the great demon.

Inutaisho allowed an eyebrow to creep up, just a tiny quirk.

"A meeting."

It was not a question. The guards nodded.

"The almighty lord of dragons wants to meet me."

The dragons didn't dare to nod this time. There was something in the youkai's eyes that said that would be a mistake.

"Ryokotsusei is going to offer a treaty. Face to face. With me."

"He believes he has an offer that you will find-- intriguing." The last word was said with a hint of disgust. There was something about this meeting that the guards did not like.

Inutaisho was intrigued.