Week 10, Friday
As he parked his car in his specialized parking spot, he could already feel the foreboding sense of dread that crept up his spine. The entire week he had been mentally preparing himself for this moment and yet he still felt as if he wasn't ready. Hell, he'd probably never be ready for this moment. Sure he could handle more than one, perhaps five at the most, but going in to the double digits was pushing it.
He walked up the steps slowly and he opened the doors, flooding the room with light. After setting his bag down in his office, he pulled out a few floor mats and set them out in three even rows. Every so often he would glance at the door with his ears heightened and ready. They would be here any minute. And once they arrived, it would be like devilish angels breaking out of the gates of heaven.
To make matters even worse, Bunza wasn't even going to be here today. Apparently he had a great grandmother on the other side of the city who was suddenly dying and needed her great grandson there. Inuyasha couldn't remember a time when Bunza had even mentioned that he had a great grandmother, but of course, the lynx had been insistent and expressive in that today was the only day he would have to be absent.
Just as he pulled out his mini speakers from his bag, he heard footsteps and stiffened. Someone had entered the room and he couldn't find the strength to look.
"My mom said yes!" Small arms wrapped around his waist from behind and Inuyasha nearly dropped dead in relief at the masculine voice. He was safe for now.
"What are you talking about?"
Shippo bounced up and down in place. "My mom said it was okay for me to come back today!"
He took a deep breath over the new information. "That's great Shippo, but listen…today isn't really a good day."
His face fell. "Why not? Now I can start practicing!"
He snuck another wary glance at the door. "Look… it's just really not a good time right now. I think that maybe you sh—" The half demon suddenly paused as an idea occurred to him. His eyes flashed and he smirked. "Actually Shippo…your timing is interesting."
"Interesting?"
"Yeah." He affirmed slowly. "Since Bunza isn't going to be able to make it today, I'm going to need some extra help with the special class that's coming in."
The young fox kit immediately saluted him. "Master Inuyasha, I promise to help you anyway I can!"
"Good." He chuckled, giving Shippo a pat on the back.
"Who's in this special class today?"
"You'll see." He replied, a mysterious glint in his eyes.
Within seconds after his words, about a dozen or so high pitched squeals echoed around the room. Following them, were the sounds of light pattering of feet along with sudden flashes of red, pink, and purple clothing. They all moved together, like a pack, in to the dojo, their eyes wide and wandering. Excited cries escaped them all and Inuyasha grinned inwardly as Shippo's jaw nearly dropped to the ground at the sight of them all.
A familiar blob of brown hair emerged from the crowd. "Uncle Inuyasha!" Rin cheered, coming to give him a big hug. He returned it, ruffling her hair.
"Hey Rin…are you and your friends ready for today?"
She nodded. "This is the best present ever! Thank you Uncle Inuyasha!" Her eyes suddenly found the blushing fox demon next to him. "Hi there! I'm Rin! What's your name?"
Inuyasha's eyebrows rose at the darkening of the boy's cheeks.
"I-I-I'm S-Shippo." He stuttered terribly.
But Rin remained unfazed. "Nice to meet you! Are you going to help my uncle teach the class?" Nod. "Yay! I'm so glad!" Her words matched her smile and Shippo looked like he was about to have a seizure. His hand was nervously tugging on the collar of his shirt as his face grew redder by the second.
Hiding a snicker, Inuyasha jumped in. "Go tell your friends to get ready." He commanded to Rin.
She nodded. "No problem! We're really excited about this lesson Uncle Inuyasha!" She beckoned him downward toward her level and he leaned forward so she could whisper in his ear. "Some more so than others."
He blinked at the warning tone of her voice. "Huh?"
She threw an odd glance over her shoulder at her friends before skipping off to tell them to get ready. While Inuyasha pondered for a moment on her words, he barely caught Shippo's poor attempt at an escape. The fox demon was tiptoeing away within five paces from the door, before his collar was snatched and pulled back toward the half demon. He gulped.
"You're not going anywhere Shippo. You have to help me!"
He shook his head frantically. "No way! You didn't tell me all these girls were going to be here!"
"Well too bad. You promised, and now you have to. Now go to the bathroom and get changed." He ordered, pushing him off. With a dramatically tired sigh, the fox demon walked off. As much as Inuyasha hated to admit it, he needed help with these girls. There was no way he would be able to take them all on at once. He'd rather face a bunch of demons any day.
A shudder ran up his spine.
There was this creepy chill that had suddenly entered the room. He couldn't find a single word for it. It was like the feeling you got when you were in the middle of something horrible. Or perhaps that tingling sensation you might feel when you come face to face with your greatest fears. It was a combination of emotions, all swirling within the thickness of the air. And it was coming from right behind him.
Almost fearfully, he peered over his shoulder at the source. One face stood out among the chattering girls; a porcelain white face with two pools of dark brown eyes. Her smile…it was too cheerful, even beyond Rin's standards. And there was something in her eyes that Inuyasha didn't like. They looked …predatory, almost enough to make him feel like he was a piece of meat or something. And yet they glowed with this unnatural and unyielding adoration.
XxXxXx
"Alright. So we're going to start with some basic stretches so that our bodies will be strong and ready for the self-defense movements. Now, I want you all to lie down on the mat in front of you and—" A hand shot up and he stopped. "Yes?"
A young girl picked up her mat. "Do you have this in a different color?"
"No."
She made an icky face. "But black is so ugly!"
He took a deep, calming breath. "That's…all we have right now." The girl pouted at his response and sat down on the mat. He cleared his throat. "Okay. I want you all to try and—"
"I don't like this music."
'I will not yell at these girls. I will not yell at these girls.' He chanted.
"We're just starting with this music for the stretches. This music is so that we can all…relax and feel stronger." The smooth and yet uplifting rhythmic sounds and beats he had playing apparently did not suit the girl.
"But there are no words!"
"Yeah and I'm not feeling much stronger."
"Me neither!" Another girl piped in.
"I have a High School Musical CD we can u—!"
"No!" He shouted, causing the room to go silent. He drew in another calming breath through his lungs and turned off his stereo. "Let's…just keep moving forward with the stretches and we'll work out the music later." The girls thankfully agreed and he sat back down.
"I liked your music Inuyasha."
Inuyasha flinched at her sweet voice and he shuddered. It was her…that creepy girl. She said she liked his music. And plus she had said his name. It disturbed him greatly the way it had rolled off her tongue too casually. Had he even told the girls his name? He couldn't remember.
"That's Master Inuyasha." He corrected. "You all need to address your teacher formally."
She giggled, eyes flashing. "Okay." She said, her smile reaching her eyes. He gulped fearfully. 'Oh God…help me now…' Next to her, Rin rolled her eyes while Shippo choked on nothing.
The lesson continued smoothly for a few more minutes as Inuyasha managed to get through half of the stretches before deciding to move on. He started off explaining the reasons for self-defense. After a few demos on what they were about to learn, he finished off by focusing on certain points of the body.
"We're going to start by targeting the weak areas of the body." Then, with the reluctant help of Shippo, showed them the proper way to attack the weak spots. "Go find a partner. One person can hold the leather pad while the other attacks. Then you guys can trade afterwards. Just go through a few rounds each and then stop. Okay?"
They all nodded, quickly moving in to pairs.
"I don't have a partner, Master Inuyasha." The sugary voice called and he shivered.
Rin stepped forward. "I can be your partner Kikyou." She offered. Kikyou? So that was the girl's name. It suited her…somewhat. And wasn't that the name he first called Kagome like two months ago? He remembered now. Kagome had laughed at him. He sighed. Kagome…he could really use her here right now. She always knew what to do.
"No. It's okay Rin. I know Shiori wanted to be your partner. Don't worry. I'll be fine." She insisted evenly, shooting Inuyasha another coy glance. Rin merely sighed, and gave him an apologetic look before moving to join Shiori.
He turned to see her bright brown eyes. "You sure there isn't anyone else?"
"Well…there are fifteen of us."
Damn her and the odd numbers. There was no way he was going to be able to stand working with her with the way she was acting. "Uh…" He fumbled, looking around frantically. When she batted her eyelashes, he freaked. "Shippo!"
The fox jumped in surprise at his voice and scurried over. "Yeah?"
"Kikyou needs a partner." He pointed out, noting the girl's deepening frown. "And you will be her partner."
"But—"
"Just do it." He growled. He could practically feel the intensity of the two icy glares coming from both of them, but he managed to ignore them and walked off to inspect the other students. Some of the girls were doing fairly well, while the others just laughed as they hit each other. They continued working forward through more basic moves, the time passing by slower than he would have liked. His ears were already hurting from their numerous squeals and complaints.
"I'm tired!"
"Can we have a break now?"
"I hurt my finger!"
"Where's the bathroom?"
"It's so hot in here!"
He was as patient as he could ever be with them and attempted to correct their movements, but they eventually went back to their own way of doing things. In the end, he just watched them. It wasn't like he could make them do the routines. Plus, they weren't paying for the lesson (he painfully recalled) and were just here to have fun. And it seemed like they were for the most part.
And speaking of having fun… Kikyou seemed to enjoying herself a little too much despite the fact that she wasn't even doing anything. Half the time she was either complaining or calling out his name. Even with Shippo being her partner, she always seemed to be having one problem or another that demanded his immediate attention. Whether it was for him to do another demonstration, or asking if she was doing it right, it was all starting to get on his nerves. Plus her constant stares and waves made him feel uncomfortable.
After a few minutes, he called them all together. "Alright. We're going to take a short break now, but afterwards, we'll work on a few more things." The girls dispersed in giddy cheers and Inuyasha dropped dead in his chair. His stress was growing and his brain hurt. A few seconds later, Shippo appeared at his side.
"I hate you."
He chuckled, rubbing his forehead. "I know."
"Now I see why Bunza didn't come in today." He pondered out loud. "I should have read that sign."
"Well you didn't."
Shippo crossed his arms. "You owe me." The half demon quirked an eyebrow. "Otherwise I'm leaving."
"You can't leave." He rebutted unconvincingly. Technically, he couldn't do anything if Shippo did want to leave. Man, did he really have absolutely no power as a teacher? Well hopefully Shippo didn't know about his lack of authority in that area.
"You can't make me stay here." Okay, maybe he did. Great.
Inuyasha groaned. "Fine. What do you want?"
He shot him a toothy grin. "Ice cream. Triple scoop with four toppings."
"Double with three."
"Fine." He agreed and the half demon smirked. After a few more precious minutes of peace, he was ready to begin the next part of the lesson. He called Rin over to him. "I need you to go grab the protective padding in the back room. We're going to need it for the next lesson. Shippo will help you." He finished, handing her the keys.
"No problem!" She flashed Shippo a brilliant smile and his scent shifted. A heavy flush appeared on his cheeks, but he managed a few flustered sounding words to her. Her smile only grew as they walked off toward the back room. Inuyasha was brought out of his amused watching when someone tugged on his sleeve.
"Gah!" He cried at her unwaveringly persistent stare. "Kikyou?"
She grinned. "I want to help you. Can I go to the back room with Rin and Shippo?"
"Uh…" He began, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well…I think they'll be fine on their own."
Her smile faded. "Well is there something else I can do?"
"Not…really."
Her eyes narrowed at him. "I think you're lying to me." She informed rather boldly. Quite observant, wasn't she? Another flash reminder of Kagome flew in to his mind and he sighed tiredly, wishing she were here. She would know what to say to this girl. She was good with kids. She usually made things better.
He tried a different approach. "You know what? You're right. There are a couple more things to do around here." Honesty usually worked, right?
She brightened. "I knew it."
"But…uh I'm going to take care of them myself, so you don't have to worry about it. Thanks for offering though." He added, trying to sound as sincere as possible.
"But you asked Rin to help you." She pointed out.
"Yeah well…Rin is my niece so she's familiar with how things work around here." He explained, hoping she would accept his somewhat true answer. Surprisingly she did, but with a sad and rejected look to her face.
"You…you just don't like me, do you? You don't trust me." She whispered sadly. He winced at her words and guilt filled him.
"I don't really know you. We haven't really had much time to get to know one another."
She sniffed, wiping her eyes. "I understand." But her scent disagreed with her. Hesitantly he bent down and placed an awkward arm around her shoulder. She immediately buried her face in his clothes while he patted her pack. After she had successfully soaked his collar, he pulled away.
"You okay now? Want to take a break or something?"
She looked visibly happier. He guessed it was the hug. He felt accomplished. "I'm okay now! And I'm sorry for being weird to you. I just think you're really cute." She giggled at his blush.
"Uh…thanks."
"You're welco—" Her eyes suddenly locked with something above him. She studied it for a few seconds, a confused look coming over her.
He turned around, searching for any problems, but found nothing. "What is it?"
She pointed to something above his head. "You have dog ears."
"Uh…yeah." They twitched and her eyes widened. "I'm a half demon."
She looked completely surprised. "Half demon? But Rin is human."
"She's adopted. Didn't she tell you that?" She nodded, not taking her eyes off his ears. "Something wrong?" He asked, having a feeling where this was going.
Kikyou stared at his ears for another second and then shrugged. "Never mind. I don't really care anymore."
"Care about what?"
But she ignored his words. "We can still be friends, right?"
Fickle, wasn't she? "Yeah…sure." He was at a loss for better words. She bobbed up and down happily at his response before skipping off toward the other girls. Inuyasha shook his head tiredly. Strange girl. He'd give her props for her determination though. And at least she didn't pine over the past for too long.
"Is Kikyou over you Uncle Inuyasha?" He turned around to see Rin and Shippo. The fox kit had a large stack of padded armor in his arms while Rin stood by his side. He nodded to her question and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! She always scares me when she starts liking someone."
He laughed nervously. "Yeah…but she seemed to get over it quickly enough."
"Yeah, she's funny like that. I don't think her life will ever be normal. But at least she's fun! And she makes a great friend too!" Rin chirped up. She turned to the fox demon. "Thanks for carrying all the armor for me! That was so sweet of you!"
"Y-You're welcome." He replied with a smile. She returned his smile with a dazzling one of her own and he nearly dropped the teetering load that was in his arms. Only once she had ran off to her group of friends did Shippo finally relax, and collapsed on the floor. His racing heartbeat practically echoed off the walls and Inuyasha couldn't contain his laughter any longer.
"Shippo—"
"Shut up." He stuck his tongue out at the half demon.
"Listen Shippo…" He bent down to his level, a humorous glint in his golden eyes. "Why don't you just tell her?"
The fox's reaction was absolutely priceless. He sucked a shuddering breath, going completely still as a statue. His eyes grew wide as saucers, and his face was turning an inhumane shade of red. But soon it was gone and was quickly replaced by his narrowing eyes and bared fangs.
"Are you freaking crazy?!"
XxXxXx
The day eventually came to a close and Inuyasha had never been so glad. The girls all left with smiles, hopefully learning a thing or two from his class. They all waved goodbye to him, their faces shining in innocent glee and he gave them a small smile of his own. Ah Kagome would be so proud of him right now.
But just as the childish footsteps faded away, a new more powerful set of footsteps emerged from around the corner. A quick sniff confirmed the source and Inuyasha stood.
"Satisfied now?"
The dog demon didn't bat an eye. "It will do. Rin is pleased."
"Keh." He leaned against the doorframe. "I'm sure you didn't come up here to tell me that."
"I have news concerning your blackmail case." He stated, cutting straight to the point. Inuyasha immediately straightened.
"Did you get enough evidence?"
"Even better. Souten Hiroshi, the sister of Hiten Hiroshi has confessed." The shattering realization from Sesshomaru's simple sentence nearly caused him to fall over in shock. A light brightened within him and he swallowed.
"You're joking."
"I don't joke."
A smile allowed itself to creep in to his face. Things like this usually didn't happen, not for people like him. Was it luck? Karma? He didn't know. It was crazy. It was unreal. A tsunami of complete and utter relief washed over him and he laughed humorlessly at the sensation. Weight upon his shoulder vanished and he closed his eyes.
"Souten was part of the group's crimes. She confessed to committing, not only to your blackmail case, but also to the fox kit's case and some other convictions as well."
"Other convictions?"
"Robbery, assault, trespassing, damage of private property, jaywalking…" The dog demon listed aimlessly. "The location of the other two juvenal delinquents is not yet known. According to Souten, she hasn't seen them for a few days. They've been running around under the irresponsible indifference of their parents. But we will find them eventually."
Inuyasha paused. "Are you sure she is telling the truth?" It all seemed too crazy to be true.
"Her story fits with yours, along with everything else. We have no reason to doubt her as of now. Questioning will still continue."
"Who was the third?" he asked curiously. "Hiten and who else?"
"Manten Hiroshi, another brother."
Inuyasha scoffed. "Sounds like a whole family of troublemakers."
"Indeed." And with that, Sesshomaru walked off.
XxXxXx
This chapter was weird. Yeah I know. But I would really like it if you guys would be completely honest with me about what you thought of this chapter. If you look at all my other Inuyasha stories, most of them are products of my very best attempt to keep character IC. This is the first time that I've put such a contrasting spin on a character (Kikyou). I'll admit that it was fun. I was trying to make it different. Either you liked it or hated it; just tell me what you thought.
Please note: I don't hate Kikyou. She's done bad things and some good things and I guess I sympathize her more than anything. Kikyou is an interesting character that is always fun to work with. Don't get me wrong, I prefer Kagome/Inuyasha completely. Also, I don't really like Kikyou bashing. If you guys feel like I bashed her in this chapter, then so be it. I didn't mean to. I just expressed Kikyou in a different way, but with similar relation traits that she truly had with Inuyasha. Hopefully you guys picked up on those.
Thanks for the support guys!
I'm estimating no more than eight chapters left. We'll see!
Oh and BTW, I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow so be patient for the next chapter!