Disclaimer: All things Inuyasha goes to the one and only Rumiko Takahashi.

CHAPTER 4

The next few classes flew by and Inuyasha was almost running towards the lunchroom to sit in his usual spot. 'This time I will see him for sure', Inuyasha thought to himself. Anxiousness formed at the bottom of his stomach. He didn't want to waste any time roaming around in the hallways waiting for Myoga. He would be a sitting duck waiting for a kitsune to come and break his neck with its jaws. Inuyasha knew that Myoga would always be there for him in spirit and mentally but he just wasn't cut out for a physical fight. He will make a break for it at any chance that he would see an opening. Inuyasha learned that the hard way when he and Myoga first started to get picked on.

The two of them were surrounded by a couple of students that were set on having him and Myoga's blood on their knuckles. Inuyasha was ready to throw the first punch but he needed Myoga to have his blind spots in case the other kids decided to attack all at once. When Inuyasha punched a kid in front of him, and the attention was on him for only a second, Myoga vanished leaving Inuyasha to fight all on his own.

Inuyasha shook his head as he walked through the doors of the lunchroom. He tried not to think about Myoga's past actions, which could be considered betrayal, because he was still the crazy flea's friend. It wouldn't matter how many times Myoga abandoned him when it came to battle. Inuyasha would always have his back because he had a natural instinct to protect. At any rate, Myoga would always be able to find Inuyasha no matter where he went.

The large windows came into view and he set his bag down at his table. He looked out of it towards the parking lot to search for the black Nissan 370Z. He was disappointed when the parking space that the car was parked in the day before was empty. It was still the beginning of lunch so the driver could have already gone out to get his lunch. Either that or he wasn't going to be parking there at all because he'd never done it before. Inuyasha sighed to himself before standing and heading over to the lunch line.

"Half-breed!"

The insult passed his ears as he grabbed a tray with a plate on it and moved into the assembly line. He did his best to ignore it for all he wanted was to eat. For lunch, they were serving maki with a side of vegetable rice and white milk to drink. He grabbed the tongs from behind the hot glass covering and filled his plate. At the end of the line was a small refrigerator, from there he grabbed a carton of milk. Using a clawed finger, he stuck a hole into the carton and began to drink it as he walked in the direction of his table. Not paying attention to where he was going he bumped into a student and nearly dropped his tray. Before Inuyasha could swallow the milk and apologize, the human student punched him in the stomach. The white liquid sprayed from his mouth and landed on another student that was walking by. Inuyasha fell to his knees and held onto his stomach and used his other hand to wipe his mouth. His tray laid beside him overturned.

"Watch where you're going next time, you filthy demon. Oh wait, my mistake, filthy half-breed", the student said. He was about to say something else but it was replaced with a growl. Inuyasha looked up to see a clawed hand with stripes on it wrapped around the human student's neck. The human's feet were no longer touching the floor. He was scratching at the hand and his face was turning red as he struggled to breathe. Inuyasha eyes traveled across the arm to the body that belonged to a certain white-haired demon.

Inuyasha froze, and for a second, so did everything else. The only sounds he could hear were coming from the throat of the growling demon and failed attempts of inhalation from the human. The side of the demon's face was dripping with the same milk that was once inside of Inuyasha's mouth, as was his shirt. His brows were furrowed and it didn't look like he was going to release his hold, until he did. The human fell to his knees and inhaled deeply to fill his lungs with as much oxygen as possible. The student didn't glance back at Inuyasha as he scrambled away.

Inuyasha was still on the floor as the demon looked down at him. He was no longer growling but he looked just as intimidating with the stoic expression he wore. A blue crescent moon was on the center of his forehead with magenta stripes on his eyelids. His eyes were pools of golden treasure with slit pupils and it was almost as if Inuyasha was looking into a mirror. The demon leaned down so that he was eye-level with Inuyasha. Inuyasha's heart began thumping faster and he held his breath as if the demon was about to choke him next.

"Weak", the demon said before walking away.

Soft, puppy ears drooped as he exhaled and his surrounding came back into focus. He watched as the demon went through the lunchroom doors and he quickly got to his feet. He ran over towards his table to grab his bag, which he was surprised hadn't been tampered with. He slung it over his shoulder and quickly exited the lunchroom. Inuyasha caught a glimpse of white strands making a left at the end of the hall and he picked up his pace. When he turned the corner, an unfamiliar door at the end of that hall closed and Inuyasha continued to pursue the demon. He opened the door to be staring out at a field that was enclosed with a fence. He stepped out onto the platform and scanned the area.

There was a path made of grass that was flat and brown from constantly being walked on. The path split into two. One led to a small stoned building that had a giant crescent moon painted on the side. And other led to an even smaller stoned building. Inuyasha had never come through this door before; he didn't even know that it was there let alone these small structures. This was another part of the school that he never thought to roam. It looked like it could be used for the practicing of other sports like soccer or football. But Black Pearl already had a football field with soccer goals at the end of each side.

He hesitated before taking a step onto the withered path and continued forward. As he got closer he could see a glass door with wooden lining around it and a storm door behind it. On the left side of the door was a water fountain and on the left side there was a sign.

Taisho's Fight Club

Muay Thai/Kickboxing, Modern Hapkido, Boxing, Self-Defense (Male participants welcome)

He didn't know that the school had a fight club. He'd done a lot of that by just going to his locker, they didn't have to make it an official club.

Taisho? Taisho was the surname of the demon who owned the school.

On the first day of school, the administration, and principle held an assembly for the first year students in the auditorium. They talked about the history of the school, the academics, the achievements, and extra-curricular activities. They spoke about the founder of the school and how he wished that he could be there but he was far too busy. Inuyasha had never seen the founder but he heard that he was a very powerful demon. Even Myoga had never seen him before and knew a lot about almost everyone. 'How would a demon that doesn't have time for his own students have time to run a fight club?' Inuyasha thought. He slid his bag down by the sign and he reached for the knob.

He opened the glass door and then the storm door that triggered the chime of a bell above him. He stepped inside and his eyes widened in shock at what he saw before him. The inside was definitely bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. The floor was covered with black cushioned mats but in the middle of the floor the mats were white. On top of the white mats was an imprinted design of a crescent moon just like the one on the side of the building. The walls were designed with wooden tile and there was a horizontal mirror that stretched from one side of the building all the way to the other side. It was like the mirrors that were used in dance classes. Lined up along the wall adjacent to the mirror was a pen of boxing gloves, head gear, shin guards, and Thai pads. On the other side, there was a rack filled with nun chucks and fighting sticks. A long vertical window was next, two Wing Chun dummies and then another vertical window. Hanging from the ceiling, by chains, were punching bags.

Inuyasha realized that he was standing in a dojo. He walked towards the pen, grabbed a pair of red gloves and put them on. He smirked to himself as he ran towards one of the punching bags ready to swing. His punch was stopped short when the bag turned into a white-haired demon and it grabbed his fist. The demon pulled Inuyasha's arm over his shoulder, sending Inuyasha into the air and flipped him on the mat. Inuyasha rubbed his head and sat up on his elbows. The demon was looking down at him again and Inuyasha's chest began thumping that familiar unsteady beat.

The demon wasn't wearing anything but some very short, purple shorts and that had something in a different language written on them. His long hair was tied up neatly at the top of his head and he had hand wraps wrapped around his hands. In Inuyasha's opinion, the demon's beautiful face did not match his masculine body. His broad shoulders and chiseled chest was enough to make Inuyasha uncomfortable, but his defined abs and toned legs sent shivers down his spine. With another look, Inuyasha took in his whole form and his cheeks burned with embarrassment. His body most definitely did not match his face!

"P-put some clothes on", Inuyasha mumbled as he looked the other way.

"Take off your shoes. When you walk into my dojo, they shouldn't be touching the mats. Put those gloves back where you found them", the demon said before walking to the middle of the dojo where the crescent moon was. He kneeled down on both knees and put his hands in his lap. Inuyasha took off the boxing gloves, along with his shoes and put them in the pen. Holding his shoes in his hand, he stared at the back muscles of the demon. He felt anxiousness form in his stomach.

"Shoes and other belongings go in the locker room. That's the other building that you saw on the way down here", the demon said without looking at him.

"What's your name?" Inuyasha asked, slowly walking up to the demon.

"I don't like repeating myself. I gave an introduction of myself when the class first started at the beginning of the school year. If you were or weren't present has nothing to do with me," the demon answered. "Most students don't join in the middle of the school year."

"I didn't come to join your stupid ass club", Inuyasha snapped and stood in front of him. He didn't like this guy's tone at all; he barely said three words to him!

"From the way you handled that human in the lunchroom proves otherwise. You're weak. You cannot even defend yourself against a simple assault. You are not worthy of being an Inu demon, whether it be full or half."

"Inu demon?" Inuyasha calmed down instantly.

"We are the most powerful of all next to the dragon daiyokai. To let something as weak as a human get the better of you shows that you are just as weak."

"You and I…are the same?"

"Hardly."

"W-who are you?" Inuyasha's voice was almost a whisper. The anxiousness that he felt in his stomach rose up to his chest and his heart began to beat faster. He could feel a cold draft travel up his arms to his neck.

"I think that is a question you should be asking yourself."

Inuyasha couldn't keep his breath under control as he began to hyperventilate. He took a quick look around and realized couldn't stay there any longer, he had to leave immediately. He moved in the direction of the door but fell to one of his knees instead. His hands and legs were shaking and he could no longer walk. Why couldn't he move? His thumping heart seemed to beat harder and he clutched his chest. He could feel tears sting his eyes and he couldn't stop them from falling. What was happening to him? He wasn't in pain, he just had this feeling that something was out to get him. Was he going to die?

The demon, who had noticed the sudden change, went over to Inuyasha and knelt down in front of him. He put his index finger under Inuyasha's chin and his thumb under his lip. He looked into the golden eyes that looked so much like his own and frowned at what he saw. Through the blurriness from the tears there was a mix of woe, shame, and fear. The demon cleared his throat before speaking in a gentle tone.

"My name is Sesshomaru. I am a third year student at Black Pearl High School. I am valedictorian of my class and I am graduating in the spring. I am the president and founder of the fight club at Black Pearl. Right now, you are in the fight club with me. Nothing is going to hurt you while This One is here." Inuyasha nodded his head as Sesshomaru continued to speak. "I have somewhere that I'd like to show you. It is my safe place. It will keep you safe as well. In order to go there, you have to raise your hand."

Inuyasha raised his shaking hand.

"Good. We're almost there. I want you to put your hand down and count to ten."

Inuyasha lowered his hand to wipe the tears from his eyes. "One", he whispered still breathing hard. By the time he got to ten his breathing steady and he was no longer shaking.

Sesshomaru let go of his chin and held his hand out, "Take my hand and you will be completely safe."

Inuyasha quickly took his hand. A relief washed over him as thoughts of his inevitable demise vanished and his pulse stabilized. He looked at Sesshomaru, eyes wide with wonder. What did he do to him? Did he really save his life just then? First, he took care of the student in the lunchroom and now this. Maybe he had a natural instinct to protect just like he did. Was it because they were both, what did Sesshomaru say, Inu? So that was it, was it? He was half-human and half Inu.

"Inuyasha", Inuyasha finally spoke. "That's my name."

"Hn," Sesshomaru said and stood tall. His stoic expression didn't look so intimidating anymore. It was more like he gave Inuyasha a sense of security along with a feeling of belonging.

Inuyasha's eyes went to roam over Sesshomaru's form once again but stopped at his collarbone. Why hadn't he seen this before? Inuyasha really had to start paying more attention. Sesshomaru was wearing a necklace that looked oddly familiar. It was more of a chain; it had charms on the end of it. It started with three white flowers that were outlined in red, an incisor, and three more flowers. Inuyasha couldn't help reaching for his own chain but pretended to scratch his neck instead. He decided not to think anything of it, just concluding that they really were the same. Something in the back of his mind told him that he wouldn't be alone anymore.

Sesshomaru walked towards one of the windows on the wall and reached for a string hanging from it. He pulled it and a red, white, and blue flag rolled out, unfamiliar to Inuyasha. He walked over to the other window, pulled a similar string and another flag rolled out. Inuyasha immediately recognized it as the Japanese flag.

"Get your shoes off of my mat. Set them outside for now then come back."

Sesshomaru walked back to the center of the dojo and stood with his hands behind his back. Inuyasha joined him a couple seconds later in the same position; they were both facing the mirror.

"As of today, you are a member of the fight club. We will sort out your paperwork and fit you for gear another time. You may be a little uncomfortable in your current attire but this will be over shortly. In and only in this dojo will I be addressed as Master Sho," Sesshomaru said. "Just follow my lead."

Inuyasha nodded and they began. Sesshomaru clapped his hands together three times before turning towards the flags.

"Fighters, face the flags," he waited for Inuyasha to turn, "Bow."

He and Inuyasha bowed at the same time. Sesshomaru turned back towards the mirror as did Inuyasha.

"To Grandmaster. Bow."

They bowed.

"To Sensei. Bow."

They bowed.

"To Master Sho. Bow," This time Inuyasha faced Sesshomaru. They bowed.

"Back to Grandmaster. Bow." They turned to the mirrors for the last time and bowed.

"Since we're short on time, the first thing we will work on is a jab/cross. Next time, I will go into more technical detail," Sesshomaru said walking in front of Inuyasha. "Go into a fighting stance."

Inuyasha balled his fists. He raised his right fist chest-level and raised his left fist just below it. Sesshomaru had his hands behind his back, just staring. Inuyasha was sure that he would laugh at how stupid he must've looked. He really didn't know what he was doing and he was beginning to feel awkward.

"Strike with your right hand and then your left. Go back into your fighting stance. Look into the mirror as you move," Sesshomaru told him. Inuyasha took a deep breath and punched the air with his right hand and then left. He almost fell forward from the momentum and he looked sloppy.

Sesshomaru looked over Inuyasha's stance about five times and made many corrections in his head. This weak half-demon would be lucky if he was still able to stand after a fight. His form left him open for any kind of attack that his opponent would give. It could even be something as simple as a thump to the middle of his forehead.

"When you are in your fighting stance, you should be both defending and offending. You are doing neither. You are showing me that your left hand is dominant but your feet are saying that it is recessive. Your hands are too close to your body and your feet are too close together," Sesshomaru explained.

He grabbed Inuyasha's fist and raised them both in front of Inuyasha's face. He lowered his right fist and tucked in the elbows on both arms. He crouched down in front of Inuyasha's legs and tapped the spots on the mat where he wanted his feet to go. Sesshomaru stood again.

"A jab will always be executed from the recessive hand. When I say 'jab', extend your left hand but keep the bend in your elbow."

Inuyasha nodded.

"A cross will always be executed from the dominant hand. When I say 'cross', extend your right arm and keep the bend in your elbow."

Inuyasha nodded again, hoping that he would understand what he was being told.

"Look in the mirror as you move. Jab, cross", Sesshomaru said and Inuyasha punched through the air once more. He could immediately feel the difference from his previous stance. This was more comfortable and he felt like he could do more damage to an opponent. In the mirror, he looked like he was in control.

"That is all for now. We must dismiss class."

Sesshomaru and Inuyasha repeated the same bowing movements as before and they exited the dojo. Sesshomaru locked the storm door and glass and bowed once again. Inuyasha quickly did the same before putting his shoes on.

"So am I supposed to come here after school?" Inuyasha asked as he slung his bag over his shoulder.

"No, class is canceled for the afternoon. You have much to learn before you can participate in the actual classes. Tomorrow, I will be here at 3:00pm and Sunday I will be here at 7:00am. You will meet me in front of the school doors at those hours and we will begin." Sesshomaru started to walk to the locker room to change.

"Wait," Inuyasha called out.

He stopped without looking back.

"I-I have so much to ask you. I'm… I'm not sure. I don't…know who I'm supposed to be." He mumbled the last part but Sesshomaru heard it clearly.

He wasn't anyone's therapist. He had better things to do than to try to help someone through an identity crisis. And it seemed that the kid had more than that going on in his life. The only reason why he's going out of his way for him this weekend was because he loved teaching. That and he didn't like to stop in the middle of his class if someone doesn't understand the movements. He didn't have the patience for slow learners and it seemed that this half-demon could pick up pretty easily. He saw something in him and wanted to see how far he could push the half-demon to reach that potential.

"I will be here at three o'clock tomorrow. Do not be late." He took a step forward.

"Well, can you…keep what happened back there just between us?" Inuyasha scratched the back of his head.

"Hn," was all Sesshomaru said and walked away.

A/N: Ok so let me explain a couple of things:

1.) Muay Thai shorts stop at your upper thigh. You have to wear compression shorts under them for obvious reasons. On the shorts it says, Muay Thai, in Thai on the front of them and they come in a variety of colors and designs. They're short because they give fighters enough room for strong kicks and they allow a lot of air to flow through them. That is what Sesshomaru was wearing, or wears, when he's teaching/practicing. The first flag that Sesshomaru rolled out was a Muay Thai flag.

Master Sho comes from SesSHOmaru. I thought that it sounded better than Master Sess and it didn't twist the tongue as much, I guess.

2.) Sesshomaru's kimono is designed with red outlined white flowers, that's where his charms came from.

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Sidenote: Shout out to my readers. I love you guys:)