Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters associated with it. This story is rated for a mature audience.

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oOOOo

Inuyasha was lost. Finding his way around the massive school turned out to be easy. Following the teacher was another matter entirely. He knew going in that it wouldn't be easy to catch up. Many of his fellow students had the best education money could buy while he received his 'bounty' of knowledge from an ancient mountain hermit. The amount of strings Myoga must have pulled to get Inuyasha into the school was mindboggling. He managed to catch a glimpse of the entrance exam – the one he magically didn't have to take. There were problems and concepts on it he had never even heard of before. The fact that the 'math' problems had more letters and words in the equations than numbers struck him as ridiculous, and that wasn't including the ones where the answer to the equation was another equation. What was the point of doing all that work if you were going to end up with another question?

Staring at the jumbled heap of words on the exam made him realize that short of a miracle, he would never catch up to the class considering the relentless pacing the teachers pushed on. After finding himself immersed in school life, his desire to study quickly plummeted to nothing. He wasn't going to completely give up, but he was definitely not going to give it his all like he had originally planned to.

This essentially left him with one thing left: girls – and there were plenty to capture his attention. Most of his dreaded math class he spent eyeing a fox demon a few rows in front of him. With sparkling jade eyes, lengthy orange-red hair, a petite body and a graceful swagger, Inuyasha's eyes weren't the only ones captivated by her presence. But he knew that she would forever be something to be gazed upon, not acted on. One of the major things Myoga had dilled into him was the dangers of demons and the opposite sex. The topic of female fox demons brought a lengthy sermon from the old man. They were especially promiscuous beings who rarely turned away a potential bedmate. A loyal relationship was simply impossible as they would lay with another man the moment you looked away. Even worse, with their impossibly gorgeous looks, a remorseful expression combined with a light sprinkle of tears would have their 'significant' other begging her for forgiveness. Inuyasha felt pity for the lustful looks of the other men around her, wondering how many were caught in her inescapable web. Or the Old Bastard was pulling my leg… With him, he never could tell.

Miroku was turning into an indispensable resource when it came to girls. The man may not have been able to fight, but his information network was a thousand times more frightening. All he needed was the class number and a basic description and the man would spit out a name, hobbies, clubs, grades; anything you would want to know. He would even give you the bust and waist sizes – provided you cough up a moderate information fee. How Miroku got his mystery was a carefully guarded secret, but Inuyasha was convinced that if the man put even a fraction of his effort into his school work and training as he did collecting information on the girls of the school, he would be in a much better position than he was now.

Unfortunately, Miroku was also a liability. It hadn't even been a week and already the taint of his presence was surrounding Inuyasha. The problem with being the top resident girl-crazy-information guy was that they knew who and what he did. Thus, the girls avoided him at all possible. Being his roommate and also in the same class, Inuyasha was spending a great deal of time around him. He had seen the looks the girls cast over on Miroku when his back was turned.

Already the number of people who approached him to talk after introducing themselves had plummeted, especially among the female population. He noticed them giving him judging looks as well, as if he hung around Miroku because of similar interests. Even when Inuyasha tried talking to them, both males and females tended to spend as little time with him as possible. Yes, Miroku was… odd, but Inuyasha had gotten to know him a bit over the past several days and as long as you avoided the topic of girls, he was actually pretty normal. Inuyasha felt especially comfortable around Miroku as they both shared humbler backgrounds than the rest of the school. In fact, Inuyasha learned that the only reason why Miroku had picked up his questionable line of work was originally to pay the schools ridiculous tuition rather than enjoyment. Apparently, a craftily forged picture of a secret crush went for an easy hundred bucks. The semi-nude and nude ones went for well over that. It was actually quite sickening how much money people were willing to throw around for something so sketchy. Yet despite all the dirty looks thrown his way, Miroku remained nonchalant about his situation. When Inuyasha asked him about it, he simply shrugged and told him, 'They can belittle me all they want, but at the end of the day, they're all paying customers.'

At the end of the week, school life was beginning to lose its luster. Inuyasha was beginning to realize just how tedious school was going to be. Besides the fox demon Kala, only a few other attractive girls stood out from the others in his classes. No one was hideous looking, quite the opposite. But spend enough time surrounded by illustrious gems and they quickly lose their luster as the extraordinary becomes ordinary. Combine that with Kagome building up this picture of fights happening all over the place, yet Inuyasha had only seen one and it was pathetic. Granted, it was between two E-class members. He got most of the information of the complex situation from Miroku. Through some clever manipulation of what Miroku called the 'relationship rules', the first guy, a burly Russian named Isai, had challenged Goro, a reedy Japanese fellow's girlfriend to a duel and won – breaking them up and forcing her to date him. In response, Goro invoked several more of the relationship rules to force Isai to fight him to void the win. Inuyasha found the whole situation ridiculous. It was clear that Aoi had feelings for Goro and felt nothing for her new boyfriend, but that didn't seem to matter in the grand scheme of things. Miroku tried to quickly explain things as they waited for the presiding teacher to go through the motions of making sure the reasons the fight was happening as well as the rewards for winning and losing were clearly documented.

According to Miroku, the rules regarding relationships were in a special class, much like the retaliation ones. The founders of the school knew youths naturally sought to form relationships and wanting to encourage yet more fights, set up special rules for those in them. Only those who are in relationships are affected, so being single grants immunity. After explaining the situation, it suddenly made sense to Inuyasha as to why the women wanted strong men. In the case that they lost, their boyfriend could challenge the victor to void the win. It worked the other way too. If the boyfriend got defeated, the girlfriend could come in and kick the victor's ass to get him back.

Miroku had tried to explain to him all the rules involved, but Inuyasha was already overwhelmed with information. He could remember some, like it was explicitly forbidden to force someone to have sex using relationship rules – even if you won. Though it sounded like there was a massive grey area with making out and feeling them up. Frowned upon? Yes. Forbidden? No. It was a risk everyone took entering a relationship. Though if there was a big enough rank gap between them, there seemed to be a lot more leeway to what you could ask for if disadvantaged.

Another rule was that after a month, the loser had the option to drop the relationship and become single, thus exempting them from the rules. Once single, they were free to start dating again at any time but they were instantly subject to the rules once more. To Inuyasha, the whole process seemed pointless. Why steal someone away if after a month they were just going to dump you? Apparently, people here did find a point to it because the way Miroku talked about it, these fights happened fairly often. In fact, the rules regarding relationship were the most frequently updated by the people in charge. Nothing motivated someone to train harder than losing someone you loved to another person.

There were many other rules regarding relationships: the length of time the loser had to wait before challenging someone again, conditions in which a relationship challenge could be issued, limitations on which ranks could fight which; on and on the rules went. Inuyasha was impressed that Miroku knew so many. It made his head spin just trying to imagine knowing the rules for relationships, regular fights and retaliation fights all at the same time and keeping on top of your regular studies as well.

The actual fight was over quickly, but it was surprisingly brutal. Isai was a powerhouse of raw strength, but Goro knew what he was doing. Using his agility to his advantage, Goro always positioned himself in such a way to use Isai's own strength against him. On one knee, face bloody from his gushing nose and busted lip, Isai conceded defeat. Inuyasha still shivered in disgust when he remembered the sound of Isai's nose breaking against his opponent's knee. Victorious, Goro spat blood from his busted lip where the Russian had managed to land a blow before turning his attention to his jubilant love.

That fight had happened two days ago. Since then, everything had been quiet. With the last class of the day over, Inuyasha and Miroku were walking down the hall. Inuyasha was actually looking forward to the evening. Tomorrow was the one free day where classes weren't in session so Miroku had decided to give him a tour of the large entertainment venues outside of the main school area.

"I was thinking we could get something to eat first," Miroku said, his bag slung over his shoulder to rest against his back. "The problem is choices. There is a restaurant of just about every major culture, so what do you feel like?"

Inuyasha didn't have to think too hard before making a decision. "Any good Ramen places?"

"Ramen?" Miroku frowned in thought. "I think a few places may sell it but I'm sure you won't find a specialty place. These rich folk love expensive food." He patted Inuyasha on the shoulder as they walked. "You know, just because I said I would pay doesn't mean you have to pick something cheap. I just completed a couple jobs so money isn't an issue at the moment."

"I'll pay you back, I promise," Inuyasha said. He didn't like the idea of being in Miroku's debt, anyone's debt for that matter, but Myoga's promised allowance hadn't arrived yet. The bastard isn't sending any on purpose. Knowing the old man, there was some senseless reasoning behind it. Inuyasha knew his teacher had a sizable hoard of cash built up from his youth, so it wasn't like he was struggling to come up with the money. He certainly wasn't spending it on his living expenses. It was starting to make Inuyasha uncomfortable. Living on campus wasn't cheap. All the venders knew the students had money and therefore charged ridiculous prices for everything. All the money Myoga had given him had dried up by the end of the first week, and all Inuyasha had been buying was food.

Miroku waved the offer away. "Don't even bother. Think of this as repayment for the company. You have no idea how nice it is to have someone talk to you."

"Yeah, don't mention it," Inuyasha said, looking away. They weren't the only ones in the hall. Classes had just let out so it was pretty busy. While Miroku seemed oblivious to it, the sideways glares of their schoolmates as they passed were definitely noticeable. Inuyasha had given up on making friends. Sure, at the beginning, everyone wanted to talk to him and it surprised him to have so many people trying to buddy up with him. Once it became obvious that he was hanging around with Miroku however… No, it wasn't even Miroku. It was him. They were being friendly with him in case he turned out to be some amazing fighter. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to be challenging anyone big, they quickly dismissed him. No one wanted to be friends with someone they couldn't use. Maybe that's why he had stuck around with Miroku for so long. Sure, he was weird, but at the same time, he was honestly happy just to have someone to talk to. Besides, he wasn't girl crazy all the time. He had shown Inuyasha his artwork he used to make before switching to his less reputable craft. It was fantastic. How a man of his talent ended up here instead of art school was a mystery. Whenever Inuyasha asked, Miroku would simply shrug and respond, "Life circumstances led me here. I'm here now so I make the best of what I can."

"Something wrong?" Miroku asked, giving him a sideways glance. Inuyasha realized he had gotten caught up with eyeing their surroundings that he hadn't been paying attention.

"No, nothing's wrong," he answered, giving Miroku a forced smile. While he said everything was fine, something didn't sit right with him. The passing glimpses and hushed whispers of others bothered him more than he let on. Myoga had taught him a great deal about reading the atmosphere of an area. It felt like the hair on the back of his neck was just waiting to stand up. Smile fading, Inuyasha's expression turned serious as they approached one of the stairways. If something was going to happen… Sure enough, as soon as they turned to exit down the stairs, Miroku turned, and preoccupied with his conversation with Inuyasha, ran headfirst into a woman. At the leisurely pace they had been walking, there was no way the impact could do as much damage as it did.

To the untrained eye, it appeared that Miroku had slammed into the dark haired woman and toppled her over, him going down with her to land face-first into her breasts. Inuyasha on the other hand, saw a completely different story. When Miroku ran into her, she expertly fell back, her foot gently nudging his pivot foot, throwing him off balance. From there, a simple tug of his shirt and he was on his way down with her. Skilled as it was, Inuyasha doubted Miroku even realized he had been set up.

"Shit, sorry," Miroku said, quickly scrambling to his feet. In his haste, his hand quickly grazed the woman's breast on his way up. Offering his hand to the fallen woman, he gave an apologetic smile. "I wasn't paying—" He froze as his breath caught in his throat, face going pale as his eyes met the enraged woman's. "Sango," he whimpered softly, his smile gone.

Slowly picking herself up, Sango brushed her skirt and blouse off with an angry huff. Eyes flashing in anger she straightened before the two. "Miroku," she answered coldly.

Unconsciously, Inuyasha slipped a foot back to better position himself for an attack. His gaze was everywhere but Miroku and Sango, though it wasn't obvious. Judging by the people's expressions around them, this had hardly been an accident. No, someone had set a trap and they had blindly fallen in. He tried to remember Myoga's advice for engaging multiple people. "Don't," his master's voice echoed. "You'll get your ass kicked."

Thanks for the help Myoga, Inuyasha thought bitterly, preparing himself for the hopeless battle that was inching steadily closer. He wasn't sure how he ranked compared to everyone else, but he knew one thing for certain, if they thought numbers were going to make him an easy target, they were sadly mistaken. As prepared as he could be in this situation, Inuyasha focused back on the two.

"I'm sorry Sango, I wasn't paying attention." He gestured quickly between him and Inuyasha. "We were just on our way out to go get something to eat so if you don't mind…" Voice trailing off as he rubbed his hands together anxiously, Miroku stepped cautiously to the side to make his escape around the furious woman. She smoothly slid to block him, causing him to leap back as if the floor had suddenly caught fire.

Hands on her hips, Sango gave him a smirk. "You weren't paying attention? Is that the excuse you use for feeling up women these days?" Several people in the crowd chuckled. Inuyasha noticed that more people were gathering to see what was happening. This is bad. Before, Inuyasha had several escape routes in mind. A few quick strikes to a select surprised individuals and he would have an opening. Now, with so many people clogging up the hall, escape wasn't likely.

"No, no, no," Miroku answered quickly, his head down. "I must assure you this is all just a misunderstanding."

"'A misunderstanding?'" she said mockingly. "Yes, there must be a misunderstanding here. See, I seem to remember a certain… arrangement, but apparently the impact has made my memory a little fuzzy." She rubbed her forehead as she pretending to be in deep thought. "Hmm, I can't seem to remember. Perhaps you can recall what it was for me?"

"T-that I wouldn't bother you anymore," Miroku answered softly, looking away.

"Yes, that's it! But I feel that wasn't all to it."

"I wouldn't draw you, touch you, speak to you—"

"Yes! That's it!" Sango cried out as if having an epiphany. Her expression darkened. "And I believe you just broke two of those." Miroku visibly tensed.

"Now wait just a moment," Inuyasha said, unable to remain neutral as the only person he could remotely consider a friend was verbally beat on. "I believe you are being a little overdramatic here. It was clearly an accident."

Sango gave him a once-over, as if noticing him for the first time. "This is none of your business." She turned her attention back to Miroku before having second thoughts. Her attention once more focused on Inuyasha she pointed a finger at him. "And if you know what's good for you, you'll stop hanging out with him. He has a habit of bringing misfortune to those that willingly associate with him."

Miroku pressed the back of his hand against Inuyasha's chest, stopping him from responding. "Thanks," he whispered, "but I go this." Straightening, he straightened. "I apologize for my mistake and will do my best to ensure it doesn't happen again. I beg your forgiveness and ask that you allow me and my friend to continue on our way." He gave a bow at the end of his lengthy apology.

She seemed to think it over, running a finger over her lips. "Since this is a breach of a fight contract, the correct thing to do is report it to the student discipline committee."

Miroku's head shot up. "No please! Anything but that!" he cried out in panic. He stopped just short of grabbing her. From the brief flash of anger in Sango's eyes, Inuyasha assumed that Miroku had stopped short of making a fatal mistake.

A thin smile formed on Sango's lips. "Anything eh? I suppose I can think of something…"

Cradling her elbow in her other hand, she gently tapped a finger against her lip in thought. With a snap of her finger, her smile widened. "I've got it! I'll keep quiet if you agree to challenge me."

"Actually, reporting this to the student discipline committee might not be such a bad thing…" Miroku said, quickly reversing his position.

"I would think hard on this situation," Sango said darkly. "I could simply declare Retaliation and report it to the committee. Both are perfectly in my right to do so. You should be thankful I'm even giving you this chance." Her fists tightened. "I'll make you regret everything you've done to Kotone," she muttered.

"K-Kotone? What does she—?" Miroku looked past Sango, his gaze settling on a shy looking woman who was hiding behind… Kagome? Inuyasha thought, surprised to see her here. He hadn't seen her since the first day of school. No, he thought, giving the woman a second look. It wasn't Kagome now that he had a better look. She was taller with more defined curves, not to mention she radiated a more mature aura than Kagome had. Her icy glare was locked on Miroku. He could feel they held every bit of hatred as Sango. "Oh, oh no," Miroku said weakly, bringing Inuyasha's attention back to the conversation.

"Oh yes," Sango said, cracking her knuckles. "Now that you understand the situation… I believe you have a decision to make."

Throat tightening, Miroku clenched his fists, his eyes moving from Sango to Kotone to back to Sango. Licking his lips, he took a deep breath. "Fine. Sango, I challenge you to a fight of my choosing.

The smile on Sango's face was one of pure joy. "Wonderful! Shall we go get a teacher?" All Miroku could answer with was a moan as he was dragged off in the crowd as they all rushed to follow Sango down the stairs. Within minutes, Inuyasha found himself alone, suddenly weary as he was freed from the tension of an impending fight.

"What the hell?" he said aloud, starting off to follow the group down the stairs. He wasn't sure if he was more relieved or disappointed that things didn't end up in a fight. Miroku on the other hand…

oOOOo

Miroku looked like a doomed man awaiting his fate. Inuyasha had managed to wiggle past most of the large group that had surrounded the two, watching as his – friend – faced his own personal horror story. Luckily, the group was fairly close and Inuyasha could get in close enough to talk to Miroku.

"Hey," he said, coming up behind Miroku. His roommate jumped at his voice.

"Oh, hey Inuyasha," Miroku said in a shaky voice. The poor guy was terrified. He looked like he was about to pass out from fright.

"What's going on?"

"You remember that story I told you, the one with me ending up near death?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha said, getting an idea where this story was heading. "That's her?" he asked, looking over across the courtyard to where Sango stood. She was talking to Kotone and the Kagome-who-wasn't-Kagome. From the angry glances she cast over her shoulder towards Miroku, she looked determined to finish what she started. "Jesus, what the hell did you do?"

"Nothing!" Inuyasha gave him a dubious look. "Well, okay, almost nothing. So I made some drawings of her, big deal! I never sold them to anyone!" Inuyasha held his gaze. "What? I didn't! Why would I do that? I told you before I liked her." His voice lowered. "They weren't even the trashy kind I make now." He looked hurt as he retreated inward to reminisce on old memories.

"That doesn't explain her obvious passionate love for you."

"For one thing, she never even saw my drawings. She just assumed they were like my others."

"That's reasonable I guess."

Miroku gave him an angry glare. "Whose side are you on?"

"I'm just saying it's a reasonable assumption. How many people have seen your other works?"

He looked down. "Just you and my previous roommate."

"See? She had no reason to believe they weren't like your current works."

"Still…"

"So, she got pissed just because she thought you had some inappropriate fake pictures of her?"

"I may have… overstepped my bounds," he continued with some hesitation. Inuyasha only stared, waiting for him to continue. "Okay, I really overstepped my bounds. When I asked her out, I may have inadvertently grabbed her ass." The only thing Inuyasha could do was cover his face with his palm, shaking his head. "Yeah, I know. I couldn't help it! I was nervous and it just happened! It was like I couldn't control myself."

Inuyasha sighed, lowering his hand. "Okay well that explains Sango's hatred, but what about Kotone? How is she involved in all this?"

"Well, she's attractive." Inuyasha couldn't argue with that, but most girls here were attractive. Kotone had the quiet, vulnerable look going for her which would set her apart from most other girls if you were into that sort of thing. Her black hair stopped at the neck. It looked layered too, but it was difficult to see from this range. From earlier, he remembered her having brown eyes. Other than that, she looked frail. That's what interested Inuyasha the most. Why was someone like her here? It was hard to imagine someone like her fighting when she looked ready to snap in half in a strong breeze. "Her innocent act causes a lot of the guys to fall for her. Thus, she's a common request."

"Great, so this is a business feud."

Miroku nodded sadly. "I deal with angry boyfriends and girlfriends all the time. I rarely get challenged though." He let out a dreary sigh. "No one will stand up for me now though, not against someone who's in the Triple-A rank."

"Wait, innocent act?" Inuyasha asked, the words sinking in.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Kotone's a complete slut. Not many people know, or even suspect." He puffed his chest out proudly. "But you can't fool me. My information network never lies."

"And look what good it did you," Inuyasha said, gesturing towards the angry women across from them. "So you made some pictures of her? Besides the obvious, what's wrong with that? No one's bothered you before and she's not the first."

"Ah, but this one was quite different. These are photos, and I didn't fake them."

"You're joking."

"I wish I was. Tuition bills were due and a guy was offering a lot of money to break her up with her boyfriend. He wasn't strong enough to challenge the boyfriend, so he decided to take a more… cautious approach. Honestly? I was doing her boyfriend a favor. What I caught her doing…" Miroku shook his head. "Anyways, the boyfriend obviously wasn't happy with what his girlfriend was doing behind his back and ended it. This was all handled behind closed doors of course, so no one knows the real reason why they split. Everyone still imagines Kotone as the innocent little angel that was dumped by a violent psychopath."

Inuyasha thought he felt a connection in the story. "Let me guess who the guy who wanted to separate the two…"

Miroku smiled sadly. "My old roommate." Inuyasha thought so. It felt nice having guessed the connection. "He quit after sustaining serious injuries in a fight with Kotone's ex. They say he'll walk with a limp forever. As for the boyfriend, he was expelled. So, basically no one is left besides Kotone herself who knows the truth – well, except all the guys she sleeps with, but there is no way in hell they'll tell anyone."

"So let me get this straight, you're about to get your ass kicked over an old grudge you had already paid for and for what you did to a woman who clearly deserved it?"

Miroku shrugged. "Pretty much."

Inuyasha tightened his fists. "This isn't right."

"You're preaching to the choir here." He looked over at Sango. "But she has me cornered. It's get my ass kicked around here a bit, or go before the student discipline committee and I'll pick getting my ass kicked thank you."

"What is this discipline committee I hear about? What exactly do they do?"

"I have no fucking idea, and that's what scares the shit out of me. Everyone who has dealt with them before refuses to say anything about it. Whatever they did, it scared the shit out of them."

"Ah! A teachers here!" someone from the crowd called out. A path parted through the group, allowing the teacher to step inside. Inuyasha recognized him as Michael-sensei, an American who taught freshmen science. He yawned as he looked at the two fighters. His gaze settled on Miroku.

"Fighting a Triple-A rank eh? Someone has a death wish." A wave of laughter rippled through the crowd. "Ah well, that's good. This fight won't last too long then. Come on then, let's hear conditions."

Sango stepped away from the wall of people, pointing a gloved finger towards her challenger. "If I win, Miroku has to complete a school week wearing nothing. He isn't allowed to cover himself with anything and has to walk around with 'pervert' painted on his forehead and back."

"Oy, oy," Michael said, rubbing the back of his neck as a giggle ran through the girls in the crowd. "You can't ask for that, not at your rank."

Sango slammed her fists against her hips. "This is also punishment. He broke my previous win conditions."

The teacher's eyebrows rose. "Is this true?" he asked, looking over at Miroku. Body tense, Miroku only nodded. "Well… I guess I'll allow it, but I'm reducing it to a single school day. I'm also going to note it in the report, so don't even think of trying to double up on him by taking it before the discipline committee."

"No worries sensei, they couldn't hold a candle to what I'm about to do to him." This got cheers from the women in the crowds. To Inuyasha, things were sounding a lot like a mass murderer that was being publicly executed.

"And you?" the teacher asked, looking to Miroku. "What are you asking for?"

Miroku thought for a moment. "She has to pose for pictures and all rewards from the old fight are void."

The teacher waited for a moment before realizing that was all Miroku was going to ask for. Sighing, he shook his head. "I can't let you fight with just that."

"What does it matter? I'm going to lose anyways."

"Still, it will look bad if I authorize a fight with only those rewards for you."

Miroku sighed. "Fine." He straightened confidently. "Fine, if I win, she has to have sex with me."

"Big surprise there," a girl mumbled beside Inuyasha.

"I would ask for her virginity, but that was taken off the table since the end of freshmen year," Miroku said, proud that he got a zinger off of his own. Several snickers from the males in the audience meant that Miroku wasn't totally without fans. Sango's face was pure red, though Inuyasha doubted it was in embarrassment. She looked ready to kill.

"Why don't we save the mudslinging until the fight? Now, what else?"

"That's not even enough?" Miroku said, surprised.

"Are you kidding kid? You're about to get your ass beat and balls ground to dust. I'm not going to let you die for a quick lay in the sack and an apology."

"This guys a teacher?" Inuyasha whispered to a student beside him.

"Yeah, awesome isn't he?" came the reply. Awesome wasn't the way he would describe him…

"Uh… she has to have sex with me anytime I want for the rest of the time we are in school?"

"Good enough," Michael said, waving his hand, seemingly uninterested. "Any special fight considerations?"

"None here," Sango said firmly, her eyes locked on Miroku.

"No," Miroku answered.

"Very well." He took a deep breath. "'I'm Michael, here to supervise the fight between Miroku and Sango. They both have shit they want from the other person… yady yady yady. Try not to kill each other. Fight.'"

The crowd had moved away, giving the two more room to move around. Inuyasha knew in the first five seconds just how badly Miroku was going to lose. Red skirt fluttering as she ran, Sango quickly closed the gap separating them. Miroku had barely managed to get his guard up when she was atop him. Not that his feeble defense mattered. She was like a cat playing with a ball of yarn. Her fists easily slid past his guard, hitting vital points on his face, chest and sides. In thirty seconds, Miroku was a bloody mess. Blood gushed from his broken nose; there were cuts on his face and arms and one of his eyes was already starting to swell. From the way he stood slumped forward, it was obvious several of his ribs were broken, not to mention his arm bones were probably fractured. How he was still standing was a testament to his willpower. Sango on the other hand was panting and sweating, but otherwise in perfect shape. It looked like she had been busy working out rather than fighting. In her eyes, this probably was nothing more than a workout.

Inuyasha glanced over at the teacher who yawned again. It looked like he wasn't even paying attention to the fight. At the sudden gasp from the crowd, Inuyasha turned to find Sango straddling Miroku, pounding her fists into his face. Gritting his teeth, his eyes shot back to the teacher who was focused on his nails. Shit, she's killing him! He has to end it sometime, right? Right! Miroku was barely reacting to the hail of punches that rained down upon him. This is madness! Between Sango's brutal treatment and the teacher's disinterest in the entire affair, no one seemed to care about what was happening. Inuyasha clenched his fists as the rage. The last thing he wanted was to get involved, but there was no way he was going to sit back and watch the only honest man around him die.

"Stop!" he shouted. Sango's hand froze in midair, ready to slam down on her unconscious opponent. Instantly, Inuyasha found himself alone as everyone around him got as far as they could.

"Excuse me?" Sango said, not quite believing what she heard.

"I said stop," Inuyasha repeated, glancing over at Miroku. "It's obvious who won here. He needs medical treatment."

Pushing down on his chest, Sango lifted herself off the beaten man. "Sensei, I think I'm finished with him."

"Err, right," he said, suddenly interested in the fight again. "Sango is the victor and all that." He turned to a few of the boys beside him. "You three, go take him to the infirmary." The three rushed off to carefully pick the injured man up and quickly carried him towards the main school building.

"You've got guts interrupting a fight," Sango said, her attention fully on Inuyasha.

Hmm… how do Miroku do this? "'Sango, I challenge you to a fight of my choosing,'" Inuyasha said, repeating what Miroku has said earlier.

She looked flabbergasted. "Are you serious?"

Inuyasha froze, not sure if he did it right or not. "Uh… yes?"

Sango only shook her head. "You were right to hang out with that looser if you're that dumb. Very well, I accept." She looked over her shoulder. "That's alright with you too sensei?" He waved his hand for her to continue. Sango straightened, giving Inuyasha a smile. "Fine, if I win, you get the same punishment as your friend – but only for a lap around school," she corrected quickly as Michael opened his mouth to protest. After a moment of thought, the teacher closed his mouth and nodded his approval.

"Okay, but in return, if I win, both of Miroku's fights are void."

"Are you two trying to get me in trouble? There's no way I can authorize a fight like that. Christ, it's not even a reward for yourself," Michael complained, crossing his arms.

Inuyasha shifted nervously, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on him. Damn it! What the fuck do I say? The only thing he could think of was what Miroku had said, but he didn't share the same feelings as him. Sure, Sango was attractive, but he didn't want his first time being with someone who hated him. It would be like raping someone. Just the thought sent shivers of disgust through him. "And uh… you have to pose for Miroku." Didn't Miroku like this girl? "And go on a date with him."

"You still haven't said anything for yourself," Michael said in a condescending tone. Several people snickered around him.

"Fine, you have to go on a date with both Miroku and I. Happy?" he asked, shooting a glare over at the teacher. Sango looked surprised, as did a lot of other people in the audience. Inuyasha was surprised to see the teacher giving him a smirk.

"I didn't think the new guy swung that way."

"Huh wha—" Oh shit, he thought, suddenly realizing his error. "Uh, no, not like tha—"

"I accept," Sango said quickly, interrupting him. "Not that it matters anyway since I'm going to win."

"It still seems a little unbalanced."

Inuyasha looked down at the ground, shaking his head slowly. I should have just stayed quiet. How the fuck did my sexuality get pulled into this? Can I take things back? No, she already agreed to it. Damn it. Maybe I can clarify that it was a separate date. Why do I even need to clarify? It's not like I asked for her to be in a threesome or anything. Michaels snapping caught Inuyasha's attention.

"I don't have all day. You need to name something else."

"Uh…" Suddenly, the answer came to him. She's Triple-A right? "You have to protect us for the rest of the school year."

"Huh?"

"You know, fight to protect us."

She looked at him in disgust. "Why the hell would I do that?"

Inuyasha shrugged, giving her a small smirk. "I thought it didn't matter what I asked – unless you're not confident that you'll win."

She glared at him. "I accept," she spat.

"Finally," Michael said with a sigh. "Any special fight considerations?"

"None," Sango answered quickly.

"I have one." For a second, Inuyasha thought Michael muttered a curse or two. "I don't actually fight girls…"

"Then why the fuck did you challenge me?" Sango exploded.

Inuyasha stuck two fingers out before him confidently. "Two minutes. If I'm still standing in two minutes, I win." He smiled. "It shouldn't be that difficult for you considering you had Miroku on the ground in thirty seconds. He was a fellow rank E member, so two minutes should be more than enough."

The teacher looked over at Sango. "This is up to you. I'll authorize it if you accept."

Sango thought it over. "A time limit. Sounds interesting. I accept." She grinned. "Afraid no one is going to stop me for you?"

Inuyasha returned her grin. "Something like that."

With everything out of the way, Michael began his announcement that the fight was going to begin. Judging by how it was nearly identical to what he said before Miroku started fighting, all teachers probably had to announce it. As the teacher spoke, Inuyasha concentrated his breathing. Seeing Sango fight once was all he needed to know about her style. She was pure speed and power, with little technique. Still, she was a formidable force, even for him. Her speed was the true threat. From what he had seen, it exceeded even Myoga's. He was going to get hit and he couldn't afford to get hit, not with the power she was putting into her punches. One hit would stagger him long enough for her to get another in, and another. Pretty soon, he would be joining Miroku in the infirmary.

If there was anything working for him, it was that she got close, meaning he didn't have to worry about kicks, which was lucky considering how frightening her punches were. Dodging was out of the question. He was too slow for that. Blocking would only get him forty seconds, maybe a minute if he was lucky. After that, his arms would be too battered and numb to do anything. There was always his father's Absolute Defense Circle, but he didn't want to hurt her. Besides, it took forever to set up – and that was in controlled conditions. In this heightened state of battle, it would take forever to calm his mind enough to enter it. He wasn't like his Father who could fall into it at will.

Which leaves that, Inuyasha thought, focusing his attention on Sango. I'll have to time it perfectly. Once activated, he would have exactly two minutes before passing out. Too soon and he would fall before the time elapsed. Too late and Sango would be on him. His hand moved to his pocket, his grin widening as the teacher moved to the end of his required announcement.

Inuyasha felt his heart racing in excitement. He had never felt this way training with Myoga. It was exhilarating, an adrenaline rush like he had never felt before. Not forty feet away from him was someone willing and able to beat the living crap out of him and yet he could do nothing but smile. I have a three, maybe four second window. He resisted the urge to pull the metal container from his pocket in fear that it would ruin the element of surprise. Besides, the challenge made things interesting. Time to make my debut with a bang.

"'Try not to kill one another. Fight.'" The moment the word left his mouth, Sango was charging at him. Things seemed to move in heartbeats. Thump-thump. The case was out, open and in his hand. Thump-thump. He pulled a pill from the neat, organized rows as he snapped the case close, his hand traveling to his mouth. Thump-thump. The pill in his mouth, he bit down, the contents instantly vaporizing in his mouth. Thump-thump. Twisting to his right, he managed to block Sango's first punch. Though just a graze, it still caused him to stumble back. She seemed surprised that her fist hit didn't connect. Already, Inuyasha could feel his body tingle, his vision blurring as the world rocked from side-to-side. Still smiling, he watched as the figure of Sango recovered to attack again. He managed one last conscious thought as the swirling vision narrowed. I win.

oOOOo

Proofreading, minor edits, formatting update.