Animal I Have Become by Akai-chan

Animal I Have Become

Sesshourmaru was in a blind rage.

It was ironic really. He was, after all, the famed Dog Lord of the West, known widely for his cold and calculating tactics and unrelenting control. Never had he lost hold of his emotions in battle, no matter how dire the straights. Such a thing left one useless in a fight, and even the smallest, most miniscule loss of control could mean an agonizing death.

His great and terrible father had beaten this lesson into him, and it was one that stayed the test of time.

Today, however, held a scenario that Sesshoumaru wasn't sure he had ever been prepared for.

Today, his home had been ravaged by war.

Now, war itself was not something the young lord was unaccustomed to. He spent the better part of his rule fighting battles just to keep what he had. Such experiences had left him to be a brilliant war tactician, his vast intellect aiding him in building new strategies and more efficient ways to take down his enemy.

And this war in particular had also been expected.

It was only a matter of time before at least one of the other cardinal lords turned against him. He had, after all, mated a human.

He had also been prepared for the demise of the Western Fortress, should any of his many enemies ever overtake it. It was not, of course, the main base of operations; that particular location was secreted away inside the mountains within his territories. The fortress was just where he chose to dwell; a safety precaution if you will.

The fortress was, however, the same place where he kept his mate and new-born pup.

And it was burning to the ground right before his very eyes.

/I can't escape this hell.

So many times I've tried./

All he could see was the flames, hear the shouts of the soldiers bearing the crest of the House of the North as they overran his once beautiful home. All he could think about were the cries of his little girl, and the screams of his wife and mate as she protected their child.

/But I'm still caged inside.

Somebody get me through this nightmare./

He stood frozen in the open field, his mind filling in the possibilities of all the horrible and unspeakable things that could be happening to his loved ones, the only two people in the entire world that he cherished.

/I can't control myself./

And that's when he snapped.

/So what if you can see the darkest side of me?

No one will ever change this animal I have become

Help me believe it's not the real me

Somebody help me tame this animal

(This animal, this animal)/

His eyes bled until they were enveloped in crimson, and he belted out an enraged howl on the wind. He didn't even realize that his body began change, bones cracking and shifting to accommodate a different shape, fangs and claws elongating, muscles enlarging, his body morphing into the true form of his ancestors.

/I can't escape myself

So many times I've lied/

He was lost in the all consuming need to make sure that that which belonged to him was unharmed, so much so that he didn't know when he arrived on the scene. He did not notice when the first soldier screamed underneath his massive paws, dying a gruesome death from the poison that involuntarily leaked from the tips of his deadly claws.

/But there's still rage inside/

He wasn't aware that his teeth were dripping with mixtures of the acrid, sweet-smelling solution and the blood of his enemies.

/Somebody get me through this nightmare

I can't control myself/

He only knew the path on which his nose led him. The scent of lilac, violets, and vanilla was getting stronger. The beast that was currently in control involuntarily yipped and growled, calling for it's mate.

One might have been surprised that there was a distant, answering whimper that reached the beast's massive ears...

She was alive!

/So what if you can see the darkest side of me?

No one will ever change this animal I have become

Help me believe it's not the real me

Somebody help me tame this animal I have become

Help me believe it's not the real me

Somebody help me tame this animal/

The gigantic dog-demon bounded in the direction of the sound, subconsciously aware that he was in the now-ruined Royal wing of their home.

Amazingly, the room he shared with his mate and pup was still intact. The beast was elated as their scents rolled over him in strong and comforting waves.

It was enough to bring calm to Sesshoumaru's rage clouded-mind, to bring him back to his senses and his self.

As soon as he was back in his humanoid form, he tore open the door the separated him and his quarry, slipping unharmed through the extraordinarily powerful holy barrier that surrounded the rooms, protecting it's occupants from all that meant them ill.

The sight of his mate, untouched and unharmed, nearly brought him to his knees, and in an uncharacteristic show of desperation, he ran to her like a starved and dying man, grasping her in a crushing embrace. He growled low and long, his relief escaping from him in the form of sound.

/Somebody help me through this nightmare

I can't control myself

Somebody wake me from this nightmare

I can't escape this hell/

It was gutteral, and animalistic, clear signs of the raw emotions that rocked through him, his head buried in the crook of her neck, nose pressed against the mark he had given her on the night they mated.

The young woman could do nothing more than reassure him that she and their child were fine, that everything was all right, stroking his hair in a gesture of comfort.

They were okay...

As long as he had them, he didn't give a damn about everything else. At that moment, the world had been reduced to the one thing that was most important, and always would remain so.

"Kagome.."

/So what if you can see the darkest side of me?

No one will ever change this animal I have become

Help me believe it's not the real me

Somebody help me tame this animal I have become

Help me believe it's not the real me

Somebody help me tame this animal!

(This animal I have become!)/