A big thanks to seyna and sesshie&rin4ever, who were the only people who bothered to review. I also want to thank the people who put this on story alert. And for the record, the onesided relationship is NOT on Sesshoumaru's side!
#~#~#
"Sesshoumaru."
The taiyoukai angrily stormed through the house, looking for something.
"Sesshoumaru!"
"What?" he snapped irritably.
"You've been in a bad mood since yesterday," his father commented. "Did anything happen at school?"
"The new transfer student dumped a bucket of water over me."
"On purpose?"
"Of course it was on purpose!"
"Sesshoumaru, I hope you're not planning on getting into another fight. You know that to take my place as the new ruler you must choose your fights carefully."
"I didn't challenge her, Chichi-ue," he answered truthfully. "She claims she isn't youkai."
"But I heard she was?"
"She calls her family 'autoretto'. She claims they are far stronger than you and me."
"And you didn't challenge her?" the Inu no Taisho raised his eyebrow.
"I didn't."
"Then she challenged you." It was not a question.
"She… may have mentioned a battle."
"Sesshoumaru…"
Inuyasha walked past the room. "Ah, let him fight. If we lucky she'll finish him off."
"Inuyasha!" Izayoi reproached.
"What?"
"It isn't to the death," Sesshoumaru said. "Only to first blood."
"Be careful not to injure her. You know what could happen to your record if she ends up maimed for life. You would never be able to take my place, and as Inuyasha has already been charged enough times…"
"I won't maim her."
"You know the rules, Sesshoumaru," his father warned. "No witnesses."
"Aikawa invited Rin to observe. I was against it."
"Make sure she isn't there. The student could be a minion of Ryuukotsusei sent to cut off our line by trapping you into harming her. Tanaka would be forced to testify against you and our ancestry would be ruined. There must be no witnesses, no matter how much you trust them. Your future depends on it. Understand?"
"Yes, Chichi-ue."
#~#~#
Saturday approached quickly. After lunch when Sesshoumaru went to his locker for his books he found another of Aikawa's traps. This time it was a stink-bomb, and opening the door dislodged it; it fell to the ground and broke open. He could smell it instantly but held his breath while snatching his books out. Before slamming the locker door shut he caught sight of a clever – or "smart-ass" – drawing of Aikawa holding her thumb up and the hiragana かんはれ[ganbare – do your best].
Sesshoumaru met Aikawa and Rin at the front of the school when class had finished. The autoretto was holding a gym bag over her shoulder in addition to her school satchel.
"What is in that?" Rin was asking.
"Clothes. Do you really think I am going to jump around in a miniskirt such as this?" She turned to him as he arrived and gave a cold, empty smile. "Are you sure you do not wish to back out?"
"Yes," he said in a hard voice. "Rin, you should go home."
Rin shook her head. "I want to see want happens. I can't bear not to know."
"Let her come, Takahashi," Aikawa said. "She will be out of harm's way the whole time, I will make sure of it."
"Sesshoumaru, please," the human pleaded.
He stood firm. "You can walk with us, but you have to go home before we start fighting."
Rin frowned, but didn't say anything. She followed the two of them in silence as Aikawa led the way to an old building site. An apartment block had been begun to be built several years before, but money ran out long before it was finished due to a bank going broke and the work was abandoned.
"Do you prefer fighting inside or out?"
"In," Sesshoumaru said. "Rin, this is where you leave us."
She pouted and turned on her heel, disappearing.
"Follow me," Aikawa led the way through the unfinished building, going up several stories until they were three floors off the ground.
"This is the largest area; we will fight here. Wait one moment, Takahashi." She disappeared into another room and returned half a minute later wearing a pair of black leggings that reached her knees, a black tank top, and bare feet. "I am ready. Are you?"
Wishing he had thought this through as much as she had, Sesshoumaru removed his uniform jacket and shirt before turning to face her again. "I am. There is still time to reconsider this."
"Then, by all means, take all the time you need to reconsider."
He sneered at her. "I meant for you." They began circling each other slowly. "I found another note in my locker. It amazes me that you aren't intelligent enough to use kanji."
"I thought it would make the message easier to understand for you, since you are clearly not the model student." She stopped walking, as did he, and they began circling in the other direction.
"How did you get in to my locker?"
"My secret will remain a secret unless you defeat me now. Do you wish to place a wager on the outcome?"
"How serious a wager?"
"If I win…" another of her cold smiles appeared, "you will kiss a human in front of the entire school."
He frowned. "Why would you have me do that?"
"Because," she said hardly, her face completely devoid of expression. "You would be humiliated."
Sesshoumaru considered carefully. There was no way he would lose this fight, so… why not take advantage of her arrogance? "Fine. But if I win you leave this school."
"Agreed," she said immediately. He was slightly taken aback by her lack of hesitation. She must be very confident in herself.
Suddenly he charged at her, his hand glowing green, intent on cutting her arm slightly. Moving at his fastest speed there was no chance of her blocking or dodging.
A misty white bubble surrounded the grinning autoretto, preventing him from connecting with her.
Aikawa had the ability to generate and sustain a barrier strong enough to block him.
Leaping back, Sesshoumaru landed several feet away and waited for her to attack. When she didn't, he charged again. Instead of blocking him, this time she dodged despite the speed at which he traveled, and landed… on the ceiling, standing upside-down.
Aikawa had the speed and agility to dodge him, and even to hover in the air.
She sighed dejectedly. "This is boring," she stated. "I had thought it would be slightly more exciting than all my other fights, but apparently the power I sensed in you is not for battling opponents."
Sesshoumaru scowled. "I will show you power." He unleashed an unceasing barrage of attacks on her, following her small form as she nimbly dodged. In a second she leapt toward him, and he stepped backward while expecting to be hit. Instead, went he looked up, he saw… ten separate forms of Aikawa. Slashing out, he hit four with his poison whip and nothing happened other than a flicker.
Aikawa had the ability to create an illusion.
"That was… something," she said, her voice seemingly from nowhere. "Have you nothing else?"
"It is unfair for you to play with my eyes."
Cold laughter echoed around the room. "You mean it is unfair that you are losing. No matter; I am bored with this fight."
The replica illusions wavered away and vanished. She was nowhere in sight.
"Where are you?"
"Up here."
He looked up only to see her face close to his. He jumped slightly despite himself and glared at her.
"Look down," she said emotionlessly.
He did so… and saw the thin red liquid trickle down his arm.
Aikawa flipped herself the right way up and walked away as she sighed again. "It seems I've won… how boring."
Sesshoumaru was left alone, staring in disbelief at the blood on him. He wiped it away from the thin slit that he didn't even know how it got there.
How he hated to admit it, but… Aikawa was far more powerful than him. She hadn't been arrogant the whole week; she had been right.
#~#~#
Monday came faster than he would have liked. Rin kept calling him over the weekend, but he ignored the phone. There was no chance of blowing her off in person, though.
"Sesshoumaru-senpai!"
The moment he had been dreading.
"Sesshoumaru-senpai," Rin caught up with him breathlessly.
"Takahashi." An unwelcome voice hailed him from behind her. "I take it you remember our wager?"
Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth.
"Good. Choose your human. You have until the end of school." Aikawa walked ahead with her usual quick steps.
"Wager?" Rin questioned, looking at him. "You didn't… lose, did you?"
"I lost," he replied, walking toward the building.
"Then… what was the wager?"
"I'll tell you later."
Entering the school they received many strange looks. Some boys laughed, some girls glared – especially youkai.
"SESSHOUMARU!!!"
Inuyasha appeared looking enraged with Kagome behind him.
"You had better have a good excuse for this."
"What are you talking about, little brother?"
"This." He shoved a flier into the elder brother's hands.
Sesshoumaru took one glance at it and yelled, "AIKAWA, I AM GOING TO SLAUGHTER YOU!"
Rin looked over his shoulder. On the flier was a photograph – digitally edited, she supposed – of Sesshoumaru with his arms around a girl with long dark hair. Underneath the photo was printed "WHO IS THE GREAT TAKAHASHI SESSHOUMARU INVOLVED WITH? COULD IT BE A HUMAN EVEN AFTER PUBLICALLY STATED HIS HATRED FOR THEM? CAN TAKAHASHI'S WORD BE TRUSTED, OR IS IT MERELY A FRONT?"
"These are up all over the school," Kagome explained. "Are you sure it was the transfer student?"
"No one else would do something like that to Sesshoumaru-senpai," Rin said. "And Aikawa-san is the only one who has… ever…" she trailed off when she saw the taiyoukai glaring at her. "I just remembered I have to go do something important. See you in English, Sesshoumaru-senpai."
She hurried down the hall and into the girls' locker room. It was empty apart from Aikawa-san.
"Aikawa-senpai, did you make those leaflets about Sesshoumaru?"
"What does it matter who did it?" Aikawa replied, putting her lunch in her locker."Takahashi was humiliated by it; that is what is important."
"But why would you do something like that?"
"Because," she said in a hard voice. "Someone with his level of arrogance disgusts me. In our fight two days ago I did not even need to show him the power of my attack to win. In one of the many occasions when his guard was down I was able to place a small cut on his arm. He moved so slowly that he did not even notice me doing it – and he had the audacity to call himself strong."
"Sesshoumaru-senpai is strong; I've seen him fight."
"By human terms, yes. But you do not know what I can do."
"But you haven't seen him in his true form, he's – "
"Tanaka-san," Aikawa interrupted. "I have felt his power. I know he is stronger than most taiyoukai, but when fighting against an autoretto he is worthless."
"But why plague him?"
"Humility is a hard lesson to learn, Tanaka-san," she said, turning to leave. "Perhaps when the lesson is over he will be more likeable a person."
#~#~#
"Rin, come with me," Sesshoumaru grasped her wrist and dragged her to a deserted hallway.
"What is it?" Rin asked, confused as to why he was not in their usual lunch spot behind the shed.
"About the wager…" he began, not looking at her. "I need a favor from you."
"Of course."
"Aikawa stated that if I lost I would have to… kiss… a human… in front of the school," he suddenly found the floor very interesting.
She gasped and covered her mouth, turning red as she realized where he was going with this.
"You know that I like you better than any other human in the school, and I know that you are too level headed to fantasize anything between us when you know perfectly well otherwise," he finally made eye contact with her. "I would prefer to kiss you than anyone else; but you have to be willing. Because of Aikawa's fliers there will be a lot of rumors about us after this and I have no desire to force them upon you without your consent."
Rin swallowed quietly, her hands shaking. She knew he had no intent to hurt her with his words, but she couldn't help but wish they were different. On the other hand, she appreciated his honesty. If he chose another human and said nothing to her, she would have been more hurt by his sudden love life. Then there was the issue with his fan club; they were mostly youkai and could easily harm her. But to miss the opportunity to kiss Sesshoumaru! She couldn't do it, could she?
She nodded slowly. "It would be less surprising to the school for you to kiss me than anyone else, because we're always together," she said. "I'll do it." And I'll just have to avoid going to the bathroom in school for the rest of my life.
Sesshoumaru nodded emotionlessly. "Come on; let's get this over with." He began walking toward the cafeteria. "Something else: after this we're not going to pretend to have a relationship."
"I understand."
"And… it would be best if you didn't come to my house after school today."
She felt a sting of disappointment, she said, "I agree."
She felt her heart pounding as they hurried through the empty corridors. This would be… her first kiss… and with Takahashi Sesshoumaru!
#~#~#
The cafeteria was its usual self until the most desirable student entered. Students suddenly turned toward Takahashi Sesshoumaru in amazement, as he never ate inside, and he instantly held the whole school's attention. No one noticed the transfer student standing in the shadows, watching the scene intently.
Tanaka Rin hurried past Takahashi's circle of fans and ran up the steps to exit, carrying her newly bought lunch. Everyone felt a surge of disappointment and resentment as Takahashi called out to her and she stopped and turned.
Sesshoumaru ran up the stairs after her and, to the shock of every person in the building, embraced her. Girls began screaming as he pulled away slightly and then leaned in towards her face, and pandemonium ensued as he pressed his lips to her cheek before the two of them ran from the cafeteria and out of sight.
No one was more shocked than Aikawa Kiyoe. She stared wide-eyed at the place where the "event" had happened before running after them. If she was right in her assumption, they wouldn't still be together. Using her senses she managed to track Tanaka Rin locked in a bathroom cubicle. She knocked the door gently.
"Tanaka-san, it is me," she said. "Aikawa."
"Go away," Tanaka replied in a muffled voice. "Please, Aikawa-senpai, just go away."
"Tanaka-san, please open the door."
There was silence except for the dry hiccupping sobs coming from the cubicle.
"Tanaka-san, I will force the door open if I must. The sooner I speak to your face, the sooner I will leave you."
After a brief pause the door unlocked and creaked open. Tanaka didn't exactly look her best.
"I'm sorry," Kiyoe said.
"For what?" Tanaka was surprised.
"I had no idea he would choose you. If I had, I would never have made that wager or the fliers. I know this will cause you much trouble with his fan club, but I truly thought he would choose a random human."
"Why wouldn't he have chosen me? There's nothing between us, so he has nothing to hide."
Now she was surprised. "Then you do not know – " she caught herself. "But I forget humans cannot sense the feelings of others."
Tanaka looked shocked now. "You can sense people's emotions?"
Kiyoe nodded. "If I choose to. It gives me a strong idea of my opponents. But I generally look into their heart after I have battled them so as not to have an unfair advantage. What I will do to anyone I meet, however, is feel how strong they are."
"Then what did you feel in Sesshoumaru-senpai?" Tanaka asked. "What don't I know?"
"It is not for me to say. I should not have brought it up. Again, I apologize for my rash wager with Takahashi." She turned to leave.
#~#~#
Rin saw Aikawa leave the school when classed were finished and followed her quietly. She walked for a time, and Rin noticed that it was in the same direction as the unfinished building where the fight had taken place. Before reaching it, however, Aikawa looked down a street and suddenly swerved into it, as though she had not intended to previously. Rin hurried to the street corner and peered down it after her. A child was sitting on the ground outside a shop, crying.
"Ochibi-chan [Shrimp]," Aikawa said. "What are you doing?"
"A b- b- b-ul- ly t- took my –y c- c- cand- dy!" the child wailed.
"So you are just going to cry about it?"
The boy looked fearfully up at her.
"Stand up."
He fearfully obeyed.
"Stop crying."
Sniffing, he rubbed his eyes fiercely. They were still watery, but he was doing his best to hold his tears in for fear of the woman in front of him.
Aikawa walked up to him and bent down to sit on her heels, so they were eye-level. "The bully will get what he deserves one way or another," she said more gently. "For now all you can do is be strong. The weak will sit and mope over their misfortunes, but the strong will get up and move on. Life is not about your candy. You can always get more."
"Someone else might steal it!"
"Do not let them. I am not saying to recklessly fight anyone who opposes you, but to stand up for yourself and not allow most to take advantage of you. Remember this: bullies are weak. They steal from those who they think are helpless. If you can prove to them that you are not like that, they will leave you alone to protect themselves."
The boy stared at her in wonder as Aikawa stood up and walked into the candy shop they were beside. After a minute she came out holding a large bar of chocolate and handed it to the boy, looking in another direction.
"I will be very irritated if I find that you let a bully take that from you also," she said.
The boy grinned wide and took the candy bar. "Thanks, Onee-chan!"
Aikawa seemed disinterested. "Ja ne, Ochibi-chan," she said before continuing down the street. Rin followed again, only to find that her destination was indeed the place she had fought Sesshoumaru, but she had taken a longer detour down that street to get there.
#~#~#
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