INUYASHA © Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan • Yomiuri TV • Sunrise 2000
No money is being made from the creation or viewing of this piece of fanwork, which is strictly for personal, non-commercial recreation, in accordance with the copyright.


"You rebellious brat!"

Surprise wasn't what Inuyasha felt, it wasn't anger either. No envy or sadness similarly. Nope, nothing. Inuyasha felt nothing when his father said those things. He would never stoop so low as to get angry at the man, he was after all was said and done, his father. Besides that, the man also wanted Inuyasha to be angry at him. He craved the anger the half-demon could give because it meant that he could punish the boy, send him to his room without supper or electronics. Or beat the boy with his belt. That would work as well.

"I know."

Inuyasha turned to stare at the picture of his Ma. He'd barely known the woman before she got sick. She'd been so very sick and he'd been so very young. He could remember when his Pa came home, tears shining on his cheeks, his ears and nose red. Matted white hair hung loose instead of in his father's normally high ponytail. His clothes were soaked thoroughly, as if the Heavens were crying for some reason. Perhaps it had been the same reason his father was crying, the young child had rationalized.

"Leave!"

Inuyasha left. He'd rather be anywhere but there, in that office where his father always degraded him. Where his father would tell him to take off his shirt and kneel. Then there would be searing pain that not even getting run over by a car could match. Cold metal and brown leather would meet scarred skin, scarring it even further.

The half-demon climbed the stairs. He knew better than to turn the TV on when his father was around. He knew better than to play his Xbox as well. If he did, Father would be upset. An upset Father meant the belt and that meant pain. Inuyasha might've been brash and rude in front of peers but his father…

That was an entirely different story. A story he wasn't proud of, one that he hated with all his heart.

Brash, rude, rebellious, class-clown, and un-caring is how his teachers would describe him. To them he was the troublemaker, the one that didn't read the chapters assigned nor do the work-sheet to go along with it and then when asked, flipped the teacher off, told them to fuck off and mind their own business.

With his father, he was quiet and submissive. He didn't argue back, didn't tell him to mind his own business, didn't ask question, and didn't, on any level or any form, rebel. His physical health mattered a lot, unlike the offensive rumors about him having multiple strains of sexually transmitted diseases wanted you to believe.

That was another thing his father didn't know and wouldn't ever know while Inuyasha lived in his house. The half-demon was gay.

Bullying really hadn't even been that much of problem and the small wisps of it that Inuyasha had suffered from paled in comparison to his father's actions. Father would beat him, kids would tease him. They weren't on the same scale at all. Words could hurt a lot, if they were uttered from the mouth of someone you cared about and wanted the approval of. Beatings hurt more from those that you yearned to be accepted by. Although Inuyasha would publicly deny craving his father's support, inside he recognized that sought it.

With a soft click, Inuyasha's door shut behind him and he locked. Right now, he'd rather not have his father come into his room. Inuyasha wanted to use the laptop the local monk had provided him when he'd gotten lost while drunk. Long story short, Inuyasha hadn't been able to hold more than just his liquor. Days later, father was out of town and a friendly monk was waiting at his door with a used laptop and device that allowed a person to hook up to phone networks in the area. Now if he wanted porn he didn't have to go through all of his father's hetero stuff in the basement.

Inuyasha quickly logged in and went to a site he'd found a long time ago. The place allowed gays to meet up via webcam with other gays. It was sweet in his opinion, and it let him vent his anger to others who actually gave a fuck about how he felt. He clicked the 'begin chatting' button and the browser quickly loaded the first person of the evening.

Cold gold eyes bore right back at him. It was the most striking thing in the video. Almost all the lights were off in the room, the only light being the computer monitor. It showed him not only gold eyes, but silver-white hair, and perhaps the outline of markings. Inuyasha could admit that the man was damn hot.

"Yo," Inuyasha said quietly. He saw the eyebrows of the other man momentarily flick up in challenge… or disgust.

"Hello, half-breed," the other man said in a tone that clearly said he was utterly disgusted with Inuyasha. Well, this started off just wonderful. Too bad neither of them were allowed to switch partners for five minutes, well, too bad for beauty queen on the other side of the screen. Inuyasha snickered.

"You will decease this snickering at once."

"And you will take the stick out of your ass."

Inuyasha snickered more, trying his best to keep it quiet so that his demon lord father didn't pick it up. The other man's lips drew back into a snarl. Wow, this guy was pissed.

For the next few minutes insults and jabs were thrown at each other over the internet. The timer had reached 4:21 when the other man's cell phone rang. The screen went black, allowing Inuyasha to know that he'd closed out of the window.

Well, it wasn't every day you got to insult random strangers over the internet.


Ishiro fumed as he talked with the headmaster of Spring Healing Academy, discussing the possibility of sending his troublesome son there. It happened quickly, the headmaster was filling out papers for him and then some idiot barged in saying that someone was using the internet to chat with some person. It was strictly forbidden, doing things of that nature there. It would be a perfect place for his son, having so many rules and expectations placed on him. Like this kid, he'd break them in the beginning but as things progressed, he'd get used to them and grow up to be a much better man. He'd have good skills and a wonderful college application. And to top it off, Ishiro wouldn't always shave a constant remembrance of his late wife.

Over the phone he heard the man who'd reported it scamper off, most likely to find the boy. The head master returned to the converstation though, and that was all that mattered to Ishiro.


The two males awkwardly ate dinner in silence. Ishiro was looking for the perfect way to break to his son that he was extremely displeased with his rebellious behavior and would be sending him off to Spring Healing Academy. Inuyasha was replaying the odd conversation with the man he didn't even know the name of. The man who'd called him every name in the book, insulted every possible thing he could about the half-demon, and not even break a sweat.

"Inuyasha, I'm highly disappointed in your behavior. You lie, don't care about teachers or other people you disrespect people, abandon others, step on them to get what you want, and get into fights. Inuyasha, I will be sending you to an academy that focuses on kids who have problems like your own." The teenager who'd been shoveling down carrots and peas stopped, a single pea rolling off his spoon and onto the plate. Ishiro dipped a spoon into his mashed potatoes and brought it up to his mouth in a polite manner. "Inuyasha, I believe this is for the best. I've tr—"

"Bullshit! You're the one with problems, ol' man!" Inuyasha yelled, forgetting that his father was only riling him up so that he could beat him. He forgot how awful his father was, resulting to all those things he had said Inuyasha did, and stood up, accusing finger pointed straight at the forty-eight year old man who indifferently watched Inuyasha. "You're the one that whipped me with your belt! You're the one who doesn't allow me talk about mom! You're the one that lies about how you treat me! You're the one that talks down to me just so you can feel all fucking superior. Guess what ol' man; I hate you! I want you to fucking leave me alone!"

Inuyasha's breathing came out hitched and harsh. His teeth were gritted and his eyes blazed with fury. Ishiro watched him calmly.

"Go to your room. Your flight departs in two days."

"Bastard!"


Inuyasha flung himself at his bed, narrowly missing the laptop from the monk. He wanted to vent so badly that he didn't even care to notice who was the person on the other side of the screen as he ranted about his father. He lost himself in the anger, not noticing when tears rolled down his cheeks and onto the laptop. The anger consumed him so heavily that he didn't notice the female joining the male on the other side of the screen.

And when all was said and done, the male from earlier spoke in his cold regal tone.

"Half-breed, do you want my sympathy?"

Inuyasha's head shot up to see the man from earlier in the dark room. A curious female had also joined the picture and looked at him with sympathy… or pity. The question the stranger asked wrapped around his brain, forcing him to think why he was there.

"Of course he wants sympathy," the female said in a bright, girly voice. "Why else would he tell you, a complete stranger?" Her eyes darted to the other man, then back to Inuyasha.

"Sorry about him, he can be rather rude at times. Ignore him, I'm all ears."

Inuyasha didn't want sympathy though. The girl was wrong, the other man was right. He could spill his guts to the girl, she seemed perfectly willing to listen, or he could answer the bored man's question.

"No, I don't want your sympathy."

"Then what do you seek to gain?"

Again, Inuyasha found himself letting the other man's question dig into his brain, inserting itself into his stream of consciousness. The girl watched him with doe eyes, waiting to see what his answer would be. This should've been awkward to Inuyasha but it wasn't. It was completely normal to him for some reason beyond his explanation.

"I want your approval."

That was the answer that had presented itself to the half-demon. It made sense, the yearning for his father's approval could never be reached but a stranger's was easily attainable.

"Then I won't give it to you."