Learning to live

By: Kibou32

Part II

Inuyasha sat in the classroom reading his homework before handing it over to his teacher when he was called over. And then there's a knock at the door and there is the school's inspector with two people standing behind him. Inuyasha's eyes narrowed as he perceives that the two young men in front of him and the rest of the class are demons. High class demons no less.

"Class, it has come to my attention that there are to be two new students in our class. This is Shippou Fox that comes from Ireland and Kouga Wolf who comes from England. They have transferred from their respective countries to study here as exchange students. I hope you help them get settled in their new surroundings and bare in mind that they are foreigners and thus they should be excuse to some of our traditions until they learn." "Very well, there're two empty desks in the back, please take a seat." – and at once they sat down at their respective desks and began to work it out.

They noticed however that even though most of the girls were staring at them in fascination because of their good looks; there was also a pair of narrowed golden eyes looking at them with suspicion laced with anger.

Hours went by up until the part where they had to leave and they were attested by several if not all of the girls in the classroom trying to get to 'know' them better. But Kouga had already found his blue eyes straying over to a black haired beauty that was standing next to the reason as to why he'd had to come into a school as if he really were a teenager and not an adult. He learnt briefly by making short inquiries to the other girls that the girl's name was Kagome and that she was not available.

Inuyasha half heartedly – once again nodded to Kagome knowing she was speaking of inviting him over to her house to eat. Just because he lived alone, she thought he would starve to death if she didn't feed him. But tonight… it was the night of the New Moon and Inuyasha had never ever gone out on that particular night. So he declined to Kagome's invitation to going over her house for dinner and stayed at home doing homework and working out.

It was nearly four in the morning when there was a knock at the door. Inuyasha had been awake for awhile but didn't understand who in their right mind would knock at an old and empty apartment building unless he or she would know where he lived! He prepared himself… and opened the door to find Shippou Fox standing there with breakfast.

"What the hell?!" – he exclaimed surprised and a bit too grateful at the fact that the sun had already peeked at him allowing him to go back to normal.

"Look… hear me out ok? I don't mean to harm you or anything like that, I just wish to speak to you, ok? Will you let me in so we could talk?"

Inuyasha looked at him hard and then he shrugged opening the door a bit wider but not opened wide, just wide enough for the other young man to slide in. As the door closed, Inuyasha thought he'd smell a dragon, but even though he spread his senses to see if by concentrating on smelling that scent; that it was true, he found nothing and closed the door tight.

"Master!! Master wait for me!!" – Jaken ran behind him trying to get next to the big and tall dragon called Ryukotsusei.

But Jaken was forced to follow his master as he walked down the street at 4am near the apartment complex that he owned. And he was sad to know that it was about to keel over. There was almost no one living there, but he was sure that that almost no one person didn't mind that it was such a ridden down hole because it offered him a perfect fort to bear out from others who might attack him.

He wished he had known of him before. That he was here was just a somewhat added bonus to make things right. A long long time ago, his brother Kyosuke made the mistake of falling into lust with a human female that went by the name of Izayoi Taiyou. Now because Kyosuke hadn't managed to keep his big mouth shut and incurred the wrath of the one that had given the woman a boy. A young inu-hanyou that went by the name of Inuyasha.

Ryukotsusei was sure that whilst the man who fathered the young hanyou was already past dead… probably about to be reborn if possible, he knew that it was his duty as the eldest brother to keep those younger than him in line. He had failed with his brother Kyosuke so he had tried to make up with the young hanyou who by his brother's fault had been left motherless at the tender age of three. This turned the hanyou, his responsibility. As told by his father, he had known that the boy existed, however he had not had anything to do with the boy before. His father had somewhat reluctantly taken care of sending the boy to China to live with a demon slayer clan to ensure his safety as others didn't take kindly to hanyous then. So he took him to a man that owed him a favor… Ryoga Satoshi – head leader of the last group of demon slayers. In complete truthfulness, it was not Satoshi-san who took the hanyou boy in, but the matron lady of the family: Akemi Takahashi.

Usually, in eastern cultures; it was the man who carried the torch so to speak and the women were not even supposed to have a say in anything… well usually. In the past one hundred years, females had taken a lot more responsibility than they were given before due to the sexual revolution and what not. However, in the Takahashi clan; it was the female who kept the name going, made decisions and pretty much ruled over the clan. Akemi Takahashi was married to Ryoga Satoshi, but it was ultimately her decision to take the hanyou in and raise him to be a demon slayer.

However not long after that, he had to live for the Americas for some business and he lost contact with the boy's progress and his foster family. Now Inuyasha was back in town and Ryukotsusei was going to have to deal with him. However, he knew that this new turn of events were going to go in his favor one way or the other and he found out that he could hardly wait.

"Did you talk to him?" – Ayame asked her beloved friend Shippou as soon as he entered the building.

"Yeah. I spoke with him but even if he answered every single question I threw at him, I was not able to 'sense' anything from him."

"What do you mean you didn't sense anything from him? That was the most prominent reason as to why we let you go there instead of just Kouga. You have honed in your skills to do this for over two centuries and now you tell me that he was an impenetrable wall to you?!" – Ayame couldn't believe that Shippou was telling him this now of all times! If it wasn't one thing, it was always something unexpected. And he had wanted to work this out for Sesshoumaru so much that he had volunteered to go even though Kouga was already pointed out as a good agent for this mission.

"Look! I didn't say I didn't get anything! I asked, I investigated and I found out a lot of what I didn't sense with my ability!!" – Shippou exclaimed annoyed at his boss thinking that Ayame should trust him for once given that there was another shot at being able to handle this case.

"You didn't push hard enough! I bet that if you had, I might've been able to have lots and lots of information on him for Sesshoumaru's benefit!"

At that exact moment, Myouga came in, stopped in front of them listening intently to what they were speaking of. Ayame immediately closed her mouth shut knowing she had said too much too quickly. And she knew when she saw Shippou narrow his deep green eye at Ayame own soft jewel green and snarled.

"Is this the whole reason?!"

"N…no… of course not!" – but Shippou could tell that who Ayame wanted was not Kouga but Sesshoumaru and he was willing to bet anything that it had always been this way.

"Sesshoumaru is waiting to see you Ayame." – Myouga uttered softly. His very short stature had allowed him to spy on both of the two youkais standing before him without them knowing it. In fact, he had heard them long before Ayame had noticed him being there. He would tell Sesshoumaru all that he had heard and seen about it and hope that the young woman in front of him did not fall too deeply from his Master's eyes.

Sesshoumaru was considered to be royalty. Not only because he was extremely strong both in character, physical strength and youki, but also because for generations he had been the interim Taiyoukai, ruler of all demons and those of demonic blood in Japan. At the beginning of the 1900's, he had suddenly decided that it was time to search for the rightful ruler as per his father's instructions. And so he began to organize the demon's society that were under him into separate organizations much like the human's had done in the Tokugawa Era, then he had to settle into being an agent – only because they had offered – and he found that to be an acceptable way to use his skills to find the true heir to the Taiyoukai's post. And even 75 years later, nothing.

But meeting Inuyasha had made him realize that finding what he wanted was not as far away from his grasp as he had thought of at first. And in trade, he might also gain his soul match.

Most of the old geezers that ran this shindig were reluctant to order him around and this made of a satisfactory way to make a living. He had been his own boss and even if he had relinquished the reins of the country to a bunch of other demons, and had volunteered to work for someone else; he was still his own boss. And he had found that while all his 'missions' were sporadic and not that difficult (but not too easy) to carry out, he liked his 'job' more than the duties he had had to carry out before.

Since he had seen the young one – for he was so much younger than himself – he hadn't been able to stop thinking of him; of wanting him for his own. Furthermore there was something about him that was too special. Could he find out that Inuyasha was indeed the true heir of the Western Lands? He hoped so. Now here came Ayame. Sesshoumaru remembered that while she was supposedly in love with him, he was only using her for his own benefits and he was not sorry for using her knowing that even if she claimed to not want something else from him but love, she was in reality lying.

Ryuokutsosei stood waiting next to his sports car that was stationed right in front of the high school building where the hanyou studied. As he waited for the lad to come out of the building knowing that by doing this he would be angering his father, but hoping to undo what couldn't be undone. Finally he saw the boy coming down the steps and as he approached him; he saw that the young man was intrigued by his presence.

"Inuyasha?" – he queried just to make sure he wouldn't make an utter fool of himself later on although he was certain it was him.

"Yes, that's me. Who wants to know?" – and Ryuo looked into the lad's eyes and found a certain amount of suspicion over who he was and what he wanted of the boy.

"I'm Ryuokutsosei. Lord of the Ryu clan. I've been meaning to come and talk to you for I Know that you lived in an old abandoned apartment building next to the old abandoned bank of the west side. I want to make you an offer you can't refuse." – and then he motioned for him to get into the car with him.

Inuyasha at first didn't wanted to, but he figured that whatever the dragon wanted to talk about must have been really important if he were risking to be seen with him in such a public place.

Sango was worried. Sango didn't worry often but there was something going on that scared her a lot. And she wasn't usually scared that easily… this worrying thought came in the form of not having heard of her otouto. Inuyasha. She had a younger sibling named Kohaku, but he was only ten and totally immature. Inuyasha was her otouto ever since he came into their lives in China at the tender age of four. By then, Sango was already six and well aware of the fact that whilst there were no others like him – hanyous were very scarce – he was her sibling and she loved him with all her heart.

So… she first went over to her father – now that her mother had passed away for three weeks – to ask if she could leave China and found the scent of a ryu of high energy level. Before she could go into the room and demand to know what was a ryu doing in her father's office, she heard the ryu say…

"It has been a long time Ryoga. From Ryuokutsosei… greetings and thanks for taking good care over the hanyou Inuyasha. You have taught him your work as fine as if he were your own son. For that I congratulate you personally." – and then Sango saw him bow at her father in reverence and without a tiny bit of mocking.

She slid the shoji apart for at least 1cm so that she could see what was going on without letting anyone else know that she was spying so.

"Thank you Ryumaru, it is a pleasure to see you always. What brings you here? Inuyasha isn't here."

"I know. Ryuokutsosei is with him at that moment I believe. My son does things in ways I don't like sometimes, but this time… I am glad that he saved that three year old hanyou from being abandoned to the authorities. It seems that the boy has been contacted by the special demon's agency."

"Is that so?" – said Sango's father and Sango wondered what was a special demon's agency.

"Yes. By no other than Sesshoumaru Lord of the Western Lands himself."

Sango's heart stopped. Even if she didn't know what the special demon's agency was and what it did, she did know of Sesshoumaru Lord of the Western Lands. He – the great demon lord that kept everyone in line for the two thousand years that he had been alive. He was closing in on three thousand now, what would he want with a seventeen going on eighteen half-demon?

"I see. Could he be the heir of the Western Lands? The inu-youkai have been restless for leadership ever since Sesshoumaru left the command. He was only the interim tai-youkai, but still he was a good leader and even I have to commend him for his work. He got the demons under control and organized them so well to be able to act accordingly around the humans without being found."

Sango couldn't believe it. Her father knew that the demons were organized and that few of those said demons hunted humans to eat them or otherwise, then why would he have the need to teach her and her brother Kohaku and Inuyasha to defend themselves and how to hunt and kill demons?! She didn't get it and she felt a little betrayed at how they had kept them in the dark.

"We don't know. Ryuokutsosei's certain of it, but we don't know for real up until he is tested and he gets his hands on Tetsusaiga. If he manages to take it out, then the inu-youkai will get the leader they have so wanted for so long. However, I don't understand what is Sesshoumaru thinking of doing with the boy should it be as we all think it is. And I don't believe that he knows where Inuyasha really comes from. Up until now, neither did my family."

"Yes, I know. Inuyasha not only is powerful with his demon energy, but he is also strong with his spiritual energy. Which is why I had the local miko teach him how to use his spiritual energy as weapons instead of just defense against those who might hurt him."

Her Inuyasha had spiritual energy? Like a priestess or a monk? And she hadn't known?!

"I heard Inuyasha's mother reached tenshi level before begetting him. Though of course he has the coloring and the looks of a human on the night of the new moon, he is nothing of the sort. Have you told him about this?"

She saw her father shake his head.

"No. I have not told him. He never had any sort of problems controlling either of his types of energy, so why should I tell him about it."

"Ah. Well you should have. He is after all only a teenager now. But I've been told that even a hanyou goes thru changes when reaching maturity. Unlike humans' teenage years, demons don't go thru pre-adulthood. They just reach maturity at the age of two hundred years of age. Since the pup is half-demon, he will reach maturity at the equivalent age of two hundred years; that being on his eighteenth birthday."

Sango was shocked. His birthday was due in two weeks! She would never be able to make it even if she left today. There were too many things to do before she could leave… who would take care of him whilst he were vulnerable? She prayed she could get him on the phone thru Kikyou. She was the only one who could help them at all.

Kikyou Iwaki was the local priestess of the local chinese shrine that resided near the dojo of their small town where everyone knew the other. And everyone knew that the Takahashi's were demon slayers. Even still they knew that their adopted son Inuyasha was an inu-hanyou. So… it was no wonder that when Sango came to her in hopes of getting some help with Inuyasha, Kikyou Iwaki decided to do it. She knew Inuyasha-kun and she loved him for sure. So wanting to help him and make sure he was okay in Japan, she set out to meditate for a whole day stopping only to go to the bathroom and to eat something so she wouldn't get sick. Getting sick wouldn't help Inuyasha in any way so she stuck to doing what she could to finding Inuyasha thru her meditation.

It was close to three in the morning when Kikyou awoke to find a name ringing in her head… Higurashi.

Inuyasha had wanted to accept the Ryu's offer but was also very cautious of it. If life had taught him anything, it was to be wary of a stranger's good offer, 'cause chances were the person would be some evil-minded person that wanted to hurt you. But he did considered it long and hard before deciding to pack his things up. He accepted the offer and began to get ready for the dragon to come over and pick him up on Saturday night.

Friday night reached him having dinner with the Higurashi family. Kagome had often invited him to dinner on fridays and then when Kagome's mother found out that he lived in an apartment alone, she made it mandatory for him to have dinners with them on fridays.

Just as they were clearing the dishes, the phone rang. Souta – Kagome's younger brother – ran up to the phone and after listening a woman on the other line said…

"It's for you Inuyasha."

He cocked his head to the side wondering who the hell knew he was there at the time… he put the phone next to his seemingly human ear, but in reality waited until Kagome stopped looking at him to place it on top of his head near his puppy ear.

"Hello?" – he said wondering if maybe this was a trick.

"Inuyasha?" – came the voice he had longed to hear from the moment the owner of that voice had left Japan to go to Kyoto.

"Sango! How did you know I was here?!" – he exclaimed softly wanting not to attract the attention of an observant but sometimes very clueless girl named Kagome.

"I had Kikyou meditate about you… are you okay?" – he heard her ask.

"I am ok. I'm not bruised up or anything… I have so much to tell you, but I'm afraid you'll have to wait for me to call you back. Other than that, how was the matron ceremony?"

"It hasn't been done yet… I get the feeling that my father is hiding things from me. I managed to get here before mother parted, but even then she wasn't able to tell me a lot of what was to be expected of me now. I am actually more concerned over you. Has your youki begun to spiral out of control?" – she said with a tone of urgency in her voice.

"Uh, no. It hasn't. Sango.. I learnt to control it a long time ago. Why is it a concern to you? Not that I don't mind you calling, but I have a feeling you're dying to tell me something but cannot for some reason." – he scratched the hair that stood behind his ears in earnest. He sensed that Sango REALLY needed to speak to him but couldn't understand what about.

"It's important that we speak about your youki. I think something monumentally strange is going to happen to you on your–"

And then the line went dead. He tried doing the redial button twice but found to his amazement that it didn't do what he told it to do. A few minutes later, the house's electricity shut down and the house went dark.

"Is everyone ok?" – he heard Mrs. Higurashi ask and then he heard Kagome's grandfather saying that it was probably the beginning of a spring storm… which couldn't be right because they were still in fall season.

He moved over to the window of the foyer to look as it began to rain really hard. He was pretty sure that this was no ordinary rain and that it had nothing to do with a sudden spring or fall shower. This was done by an elemental demon he was sure. But the reasons as to why an elemental demon would mess with the weather exactly where he was at the moment proved to be difficult and he knew there was something really strange going on.

Sango was ready to pull her hair out. She was about to tell Inuyasha about the changes that he would have when he reached his eighteenth birthday… but the line went dead before she could say anything. It was definite… she was going back to Japan. She had to. Inuyasha was important to her and she did see him as her family despite the fact that just recently her father didn't seem all that concerned about the hanyou.

She looked over at Kikyou and found her looking pensively at the sky.

"What is it?"

"The line went dead?" – she asked nonchalantly, but Sango could detect no inquiry in her tone of voice.

"Yeah.. and just when I was getting to the important part. Damn!"

"The line went dead due to something supernatural. It has the feeling of evilness all upon it. Someone doesn't want you to talk to Inuyasha about his upcoming birthday and the changes that it represents. You have to go. And if you go… I'll go too. He is my friend and I will defend him."

"Kikyou…" – she said softly surprised that the miko was that determined to do right by her friend.

"Sango… I think something really bad is going to happen and unfortunately Inuyasha is in the middle of it all. We need to go see him and make sure he is alright."

She nodded firmly. She turned to go and get her stuff ready to leave, when suddenly she saw Kaede. She was the old lady that had been her nana up until before Inuyasha came to live with them.

"I finally found you!" – she exclaimed.

"Yes Nana Kaede. You found me." – she said as she let herself be hugged by the blind old woman.

"Your papa would have my head if you went away without his knowledge. I have to get you ready for the ceremony that will happen tomorrow night. Your mama would be so proud of you. You're going to become the new Matron of the family." – and Sango furrowed her brow feeling like their was some sort of a conspiracy going on. What was the ceremony about and why did she feel like the sooner she was out of China, the better.

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A/N: I had uploaded the other version on Friday from last week. But as I was writing Part III, I discovered some missing pieces in the story. So I made the changes and here it is. Sad thing is – though I really appreciate the fact that some people have written a very good review – nobody that has reviewed up until now has told me of the missing pieces that did not connect with the story. Sigh. Anyway… I hope this clears up to those that did see it but like me don't like to review all that much.