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


CHAPTER 7

"You know that I wouldn't call you unless it was necessary."

"…"

"Are you looking after him?"

"…Always."

"Good."

"…"

"The reason I'm calling is because of something that came to my attention. He told me about a demon that he met at school. Apparently, there was something about him that was very interesting. I don't know if it was the white hair, demon markings, or the fact that he found someone who looks just like him that intrigued him so. To be honest, I agree that that is a pretty interesting person to meet. However, there couldn't be anyone in that school who fits that description. Why do you think that he would make up something like that?"

"…"

"Unless... there is indeed someone who fits the profile. But you already knew about this and failed to tell me. Why is he there!? Damn it, I swear to Kami, if you told—

"I assure you that quiet has been kept on my end, Princess. I do apologize for not letting you know sooner but you know as well as I do that he also needs protection. And maybe it's not a bad idea, perhaps it's about time that they got to know each other."

"And you know as well as I do why that can't happen and it's not your decision as to when it happens if it happens. I was under the impression that there would be absolutely no contact between them. He's not even supposed to still be at that school. You and I have gone this far without them finding us and I intend to keep it that way."

"…"

"I can feel you giving me that look, so stop it. When he's ready, I'll tell him…the both of them. As for now, he will not hear a word of it, are we clear?"

"Crystal."

"Thank you"

"Princess, there have been things that are happening. Bad things. If they get too out of hand I'll have to take action. For the time being, I'll keep you updated on what I've gathered and we'll talk when I see you."

"I know that you won't let me down. But um…is he…how is he?"

"I think it would be better if you heard it from him."

"…"

"…"

Click.


His puppy ears subconsciously twitched as droplets of rain came down across his window. What jolted him awake was the boom of thunder that followed after. Inuyasha lifted his head up from the soft cushion it was resting on and rubbed his eyes. He propped up on his elbows and let out a yawn as he looked around with half-lidded eyes. Aside from the little light that the gray clouds were allowing to come in from the window, it was dark and his vision was blurry. But from the smell of it, he could tell that he was in his room on the bed. He took a deep breath and attempted stretch his limbs but he couldn't move. He felt an extra weight on his back and lower half of his body and it made his muscles ache.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his temples. He put a hand on his forehead and winced as it began to throb. His stomach then began to twist as if someone was playing jump rope with his insides. He didn't feel too good and he knew that in a couple of seconds he would see the contents of his stomach spewed on his pillow. The weight on his back was preventing him from getting up to go to the bathroom but when he shook his legs to free himself the weight started to stir. Once it made itself comfortable, it…snored?

"What the hell?"

Inuyasha lifted his upper half up on his hands, and paused for effect. He bent his elbows and pushed up in a quick motion letting the momentum of his weight carry him to the side. There was a yelp from under him as Inuyasha landed on the floor with a thud. This made the pounding in his head more painful and he sat up glaring at Myoga.

What the hell are you doing in my room, Myoga?!" Inuyasha yelled.

"I was dreaming about swimming in a pool of rich, delicious blood. That is no way to wake someone up from their slumber," Myoga said, rubbing at his own eyes.

Inuyasha didn't have time to respond as he scrambled towards his personal bathroom and retched into the toilet.

"That's disgusting, Master," Myoga said, as he got up from the floor and crawled under the covers of the bed pulling them over his head.

A 'fuck you' was going to come from Inuyasha's end but the smell of his own vomit triggered another round of bile to fill the toilet. He pulled some tissue from the roll, wiped his mouth and then flushed the toilet.

"Myoga, what's going on and why do I feel like crap?" Inuyasha asked with a groan. He went over to the sink and rinsed the foul taste from his mouth. Grabbing his toothbrush and the toothpaste, he squeezed it on the bristles and thoroughly scrubbed his teeth and tongue.

"Nothing at all, Master. Although it seems like you're suffering from a mild hangover." Myoga answered.

"Hangover?" Inuyasha muffled out with toothpaste foam running down his chin. His mom had said that there would be alcohol there but he didn't remember seeing any let alone drinking any.

"Last night was quite eventful. Did you have fun?"

Inuyasha almost snorted. If standing around looking awkward and lame was fun then yeah, he had plenty of it. Things didn't get that interesting until Sesshomaru showed up and then—

And then…?

He gargled some mouthwash before spitting it out and wiping his face with a damp cloth. He looked at himself in the mirror realizing that he was wearing his same clothes from last night and frowned. Why didn't he change when he got home? He walked to the doorway of the bathroom and leaned against the frame with his arms folded.

"What exactly happened yesterday?" Inuyasha asked with a confused expression on his face.

Myoga poked his head from under the covers and raised an eyebrow. "You don't remember?"

He thought about it for a moment but could only recall the moments up until the time he was standing in the kitchen with Sesshomaru. Strangely, everything was blank and he couldn't figure out what happened after.

"I guess being drugged would do that to you. I met your new friend," Myoga said, changing his tone.

"Drugged?" he asked. "What are you talking about?"

"He was the one, I presume, who found you in your influenced state. Why didn't you come to me for help? I'm your best friend, you know." Myoga narrowed his eyes, ignoring Inuyasha. "Or did you forget that too?"

"I was drugged?!"

"It was very strange because at first I thought he was you. But then I saw you and realized that you were you and he was him," Myoga said, pulling the covers back over his head. Inuyasha rushed over to the bed and with one foot, kicked Myoga and sent him over the edge.

"Are you going to keep babbling or are you going to tell me what the hell happened?" he yelled.

Myoga untangled himself from the covers and sighed in annoyance. "Your friend came to me and asked if I knew where you lived. I said yes and we left the party because you were under the influence of..something? We all got in his car and he dropped us off here. We hauled you up the stairs and then he left. During the night you wouldn't keep still so I sat on your back until you drifted off. I guess I drifted off too." Myoga explained.

Inuyasha moved his hands to his pants and patted his pockets. He pulled out his phone and looked at the time, 10:03am.

He was glad that his phone was there but his keys were missing. "Where are my keys?" he asked, looking at the floor around him.

"Hmm. I must've left them in the front door."

"Then how did you get in my room?"

"Inuyasha Takahashi! What in Kami's name is this?!"

Inuyasha and Myoga looked up to see his mom's face frowning at them through the hole above the doorknob. Another round of thunder boomed outside his window, sounding just as frightening as Izayoi's face looked.

"You want to explain to me how this got here?" Izayoi opened the door as Inuyasha sent another glare Myoga's way. Then the smell of breakfast filled his nose and his stomach twisted in a weird way.

"I have no idea," Inuyasha answered as he clutched his stomach.

Izayoi rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "Well when you figure it out food is waiting for you two downstairs. Goddamnit, boy. I don't know what's been getting into you but the payment to repair this is coming out of your allowance. Wash yourself up, you smell like dog." She retreated back down the stairs and Inuyasha found himself in the bathroom again, leaning over the toilet.

"Kinda ironic. Haha. Because she said you smelled like dog, but you are a dog so you would smell like one all of the time, right?" Myoga chuckled to himself.


During breakfast, Myoga talked nonstop about how he and Inuyasha would be the most popular kids at school come Monday. Apparently, the party was an initiation for first years and (they were one of the only ones invited) they passed. This was news to Inuyasha but he let the crazy flea demon continue. They wouldn't get into fights with the other students anymore and they were going to sit at the cool kids table. They would basically be jocks? They were going to be co-presidents of multiple clubs. Also, he said something about them joining the Mathletes? No fucking way in hell.

He continued to talk about how he was his only best friend and they would be best friends forever when there was banging on the door. Izayoi went to open it and it was an angry flea demon looking for her son. Said son didn't call or text her and she'd been worried about him. Myoga, sad and scared to go, took his whole plate of food with him and left.

Inuyasha was currently washing the dishes. He was wearing some pajama bottoms and a long sleeved cotton shirt. Today was going to be a relaxing day, but with his mom in the house, he didn't know if it would be only that.

He got his answer when she came up behind him and reached over to put a plate in the sink. Anxiousness formed at the bottom of his stomach.

"I see things are getting better already for my beautiful boy," Izayoi said as she moved her body so close that, if he moved, his ass would press against her stomach. Inuyasha froze and held onto the the glass cup that he was washing under the water. He closed his eyes and slightly flinched as she rubbed circles on his back. "But let's not forget", she smiled and put her hands on his waist. "I'm the one who can make it all better."

His breathing picked up as she snaked her arm around his torso and slid the other one down to the front of his bottoms. Inuyasha could hear his heart beating through his ears, it was so loud. He tightened his grip on the cup as she began to caress him through the fabric.

He knew that he couldn't lash out at her, for he was too strong and it may do more damage than intended. His body wasn't responding to her touch so maybe she would stop and leave him be. It would be over soon enough, he hoped.

Unfortunately for him, she quickly slipped her hand inside of his bottoms, touching and feeling. Inuyasha practically clenched his fist forgetting that the cup he was holding was, indeed, glass and hissed as it broke in his left hand.

Damn his nerves.

He bit his lip to keep from verbally crying out at the pain and a second later, a metallic tasting liquid dripped into his mouth. He squeezed his eyes tight as they stung with salty tears. They did not fall.

Izayoi removed her hands and stood on her toes to whisper in Inuyasha's ear, "My big beautiful boy."

She stepped away from him and exited the kitchen to go to her room. As soon as the sound of her door shut, Inuyasha sunk to his knees and held his wrist. Blood, along with soap suds, was oozing out of the cut in the middle of his palm in different directions. A feeling of dread came rushing through his mind and the tears that he was holding released. He put his right hand on his chest, his heart beating hard against it. He knew that he was more than just out of breath, he was hyperventilating. This was familiar, very familiar. Inuyasha was sure that he was going to die and it wouldn't be because of blood loss.

He needed to calm down. That was it, right? Just calm down and it'll pass. It's gonna be over soon. Inuyasha tried gain control of his breathing but he couldn't quite focus. He leaned against the counter and closed his eyes.

What was wrong with him?

Sesshomaru. He needed Sesshomaru here with him. To tell him that he was going to protect Inuyasha from whatever was coming for him. When he opened his eyes, Sesshomaru was not there.

No one was there to protect him.

So Inuyasha sat there and waited for, whatever this was, to pass. It would be over soon enough, he hoped. And he glad that this time it did end soon.

He stood from his spot and walked up the stairs to his bedroom, locking the door behind him. He wiped the tears from his cheeks as he walked to his dresser. He pulled a sock from the drawer and ripped it in half. Using one strip, he dabbed at the excess blood around the cut to keep it from potentially dripping on the floor. With the other strip, he put it on the cut and wrapped the sides around to the back of his hand, securing it with a knot. The only blood stain was one that trailed from the cut to a little below his wrist.

It hurt like a bitch but he would take the pain because his body healed like a demon's would. This cut would be less than a scar in a couple of days, so there's no need to complain too much. Inuyasha went to lay on his bed, one hand behind his head and the injured hand palm up, at his side. His pulse throbbed in the middle of his hand and he sighed. There was a possibility that he wasn't taking the cut as seriously as he should but he wasn't going to a doctor anytime soon. People of authority ask too many questions and he wasn't going to give any answers.

He could bleed out instead and that would stop him from feeling...dirty. His mom always made him feel very dirty. Sadly, no amount of soap could wash away the indecency that she provides.

Would anyone even care if he did bleed to death? Myoga definitely would, without a doubt.

Inuyasha thought about what Myoga told him and then he thought about Sesshomaru, again. Did Sesshomaru actually see to it personally that he got home after he'd been drugged? (Something that he still couldn't get over.)

For a person who didn't seem to care about anyone or anything, he sure seemed to take a liking towards Inuyasha. Perhaps that was something Inuyasha hadn't exactly thought about. He didn't know Sesshomaru too well so there was no telling who he really was. Maybe he was that person who looked mean but was actually sweet when you talked to them.

Maybe.

Inuyasha like the idea of Sesshomaru only showing special treatment to him better. He would maybe even tell Sesshomaru that he had another...episode again. Just like the one at the dojo.

'Oh shit. I am supposed to meet up with him today. And tomorrow, too.'

Inuyasha smiled a bit even though the pain still stung his hand. How was he going to explain that? Surely, Sesshomaru would ask and Inuyasha wasn't sure if he would allow him to practice with a dysfunctional hand.

Nevertheless, he was going to basically have the weekend with just him and the demon. More than enough time to ask whatever he wanted. He had so many questions, could he even remember them all?

They weren't even all about his heritage. He wanted to know more about Sesshomaru as a person.

Wasn't there a word for that? When someone peaks your interest and you just want to know everything about them.

Riveting?

Intriguing?

Obsessed, even?

No matter what it was, Inuyasha was going to find out what he's been wanting to know for a long time.


Inuyasha walked down the school hall with a small bag slung over his right shoulder and a folder being carried by the tips of his fingers in his left hand.

Inuyasha had decided to write down all of the questions he had on a piece of paper. He put it in the folder to keep it from wrinkling. In his bag, a towel, an old shirt that he didn't mind sweating in and some loose shorts. They weren't nearly as short as the ones he remembered Sesshomaru wearing. He wouldn't embarrass himself by buying any shorts like that or by walking around in them. Lastly, he had two bottles of water: One for him and one for the demon. It was a struggle to tie his hair up as neatly as Sesshomaru's was, with his hand being injured and all. Which meant that his bangs were still hanging over his forehead.

Anxiousness was forming in his stomach as he walked to the unfamiliar, yet familiar door that led out to the field. He had at least 15 minutes before it was three o'clock and he would use that time to get dressed in the stoned building that Sesshomaru said was the lockeroom.

This door was similar to the door that was on the dojo. Wooden lining with a storm door behind it, only this didn't have a bell that chimed when it opened. Like any lockeroom, there was the girls' side and the boys' side. Inuyasha went to the boys' and sat his folder and bag down on the bench provided. On the left and right side were the lockers and towards the back was a door that had the word 'BATHROOM' plaque on it.

He removed the clothes from his bag and paused before he began to undress. He sniffed the air and his ears twitched as he looked and listened.

It must've been his imagination but he was sure that he sensed something. A presence, a very ominous one at that. It was nearby, almost closing in on him.

Five seconds went by.

He shook his clearly paranoid head, before undressing and dressing. He put the towel over his shoulder and debated on whether or not he should leave his belongings in a locker. It wasn't like anyone was going to take his things; he was the only one there.

Why not? He put them in the locker and walked out with his folder.

The bell chimed as he walked in and looked around. A punching bag was swinging back and forth and spinning on its chain. Inuyasha heard grunting and the sound of something being hit. He set his towel and folder down to the side and walked towards it.

Sesshomaru was behind it shuffling from side to side going into a fighting stance each time he stood still. Sweat dripped down his jaw and he was out of breath. Like before, he was in his purple shorts, upper body and legs bare, and hands wrapped in handwraps. As the punching bag came towards him, Sesshomaru extended his left, then right arm with a grunt and the bag was swinging the other way again. Not a single strand of hair came out of his neat white bun.

Inuyasha was impressed by the speed of his strikes and the look on his face. Sesshomaru's normal stoic expression was replaced by a determined frown that made him look dangerous.

When the punching bag swung back to him, Sesshomaru turned on the ball of his left foot in a half spin and landed on his right foot. Now facing sideways, he slightly bent the knee of his right leg while lifting his left leg. At the last second, when it seemed like the bag was going to crash into Sesshomaru, his leg shot out. The kick was so powerful that the bag flew up and crashed into the ceiling instead. Inuyasha's gaze followed the bag and as it came back down another time, Sesshomaru's one hand was there to stop it in its tracks.

'Keh, it must be filled with feathers.'

"Hey, umm, Master Sho."

"We must bow in," Sesshomaru said getting straight to the point. He walked to the mirror and turned his back to it. Inuyasha stood at his side remembering how they bowed in last time.

"Can you recall the stance that I had you placed in?" Sesshomaru asked.

Inuyasha thought for a moment before nodding and putting his hands behind his back.

"Get into that stance but you will stand in front of me instead of on the side of me. Black belts and higher rankings always stand in front of the class in order to teach."

Inuyasha nodded and backed away a few feet from Sesshomaru, assuming his fighting stance.

"When I ask you a question or give you a command, you will answer by saying 'Sir', or 'Yes Sir'. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Inuyasha said.

"Let's begin."

They bowed in and began to work on the jab/cross. Inuyasha was hesitant at first but after a few rounds, he got more comfortable. There was more technical detail that came with a jab/cross and Sesshomaru explained it simple enough for Inuyasha to understand.

He didn't know how long Sesshomaru had been here but he had obviously worked up his own good sweat. He didn't seem the least bit tired and Inuyasha hoped that his stamina would be as great as that.

"As you execute each movement, I want you to exhale. When you exhale, make a 'shh' sound so that I know that you are breathing. Many fighters get winded in the ring because they unconsciously hold their breath."

Sesshomaru got into a fighting stance and threw a jab as a shh came out of his mouth. Another shh came out as he threw a cross.

Inuyasha stopped and nodded, "Yes, sir."

"Jab, cross."

Inuyasha followed the command and that's when Sesshomaru finally decided to acknowledge it.

"Your hand is wounded."

Inuyasha frowned and shook his head.

"You will not be able to wear gear or practice with the punching bags with a bleeding hand."

Inuyasha looked at his hand and noticed that a little of blood was coming from under the sock.

"It's nothing to worry about."

"Why didn't you heal it?"

How exactly was Inuyasha supposed to heal it? If he could recall, he didn't have a degree in medicine. Plus, he didn't think it was bad enough to get stitches or anything major.

Inuyasha looked at Sesshomaru to see if there was concern all over his face but he was as stoic as ever. "It will heal on its own."

Sesshomaru stepped in front of Inuyasha and grabbed his hand. He examined his palm before removing the sock. A small blush appeared on Inuyasha's cheeks at the at the proximity and contact. What exactly was he planning to do?

Sesshomaru lifted Inuyasha's hand so that his palm and forearm was facing him. Inuyasha's pulse quickened and he hoped that Sesshomaru couldn't feel it through his wrist.

"As Inu we have more advanced forms of abilities that makes us more powerful. One of them being, the healing properties that are located in our salivary glands." Sesshomaru spoke in a calm voice, not as monotone as it usually was.

Sesshomaru raised Inuyasha's hand closer to his face. Inuyasha's blush reddened as Sesshomaru's breath tickled his skin.

"For example, when a demon gets hurt his wound will simply heal over time. If an Inu gets hurt he can speed up his healing process by applying saliva to the wound."

Inuyasha's eyes widened once he pieced together what the demon was getting at.

"Because you are only a half-demon, it may not be as effective."

Inuyasha saw Sesshomaru's tongue dart out to moisten his lips. Anxiousness formed at the bottom of his stomach and he was sure that he was going to pass out at any moment.

"Is it causing you pain?"

Sesshomaru rubbed the pad of his thumb lightly over the spot just below the cut. Inuyasha stared at him with wide eyes and wanted to withdraw his hand but it didn't move.

Inuyasha couldn't find his voice at the moment and with how easy it was for Sesshomaru to suggest such an odd thing, he went with nodding his head.

"Then this will only take a second," Sesshomaru closed his eyes as he slid the tip of his tongue over Inuyasha's palm.


A/N: Reviews are the bomb!