Disclaimer:

Mizu in straitjacket, locked in a cell with no light, singing: "I own Inuyasha, I own Inuyasha."

Sesshy walks by the cell door, looks in: "that girl is absolutely insane." :p
 

^_~

Chapter 6: Showdown: It Has Just Begun

"Since we have two new students with us today, I thought we'd do something new." Kouga/Tomoeda sensei looked around and sought out two students. "Ken- kun, Marusato-kun, can you go to the equipment room and bring out some mats?"

Two very buff looking third graders nodded and went away.

"As you all know," Kouga continued, "I'm an expert on Kendo. But I also have some experience in fighting, oh, I mean Karate. So I thought I'd teach you guys Karate today."

Some guys cheered, a few wimpy looking guys yelped. Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at Kouga. 'Karate? What the fuck is Kouga doing? I don't know how to do Karate. I just fight.'

Standing far from Inuyasha, Mikagi Toji grinned at his friends.

"Who knows some Karate?" Kouga asked the class, and out of the thirty or so boys, at least ten raised their hands, including all of Toji's nasty looking friends. However, Miroku, Inuyasha, and Toji all kept their hands down.

"Wow, that's a lot of people." Kouga remarked. He noticed that Toji's hand wasn't up, and Kouga knew nothing of Toji being a black belt. 'Okay, Inuyasha, I'm giving you the chance, hurt him.'

The two boys from earlier came back, each carrying folded up mats. While they were spreading the mats out on the ground, the word got out that Tomoeda sensei's class was practicing Karate. And since all of first grade had lunch that period, most of them came to watch.

"I'm dividing you guys into groups of two." Kouga announced. Everyone was heating up. "The experienced ones will go first, to show those who don't know some example. Okay," He began to read of a list he made of those who knows Karate. "Touya-kun, you're up first against Sano-kun. You both know Karate, right?"

Two strong looking boys stepped up. They were both just talking with Toji, apparently they were part of Toji's gang. Toji nodded to them as if giving them consent, and they headed toward the mats.

"What's Kouga up to?" Sango asked absent-mindedly as she watched Touya and Sano bow.

Kagome shrugged. Suddenly, three familiar voices called out to her. "Kagome- chan!"

Kagome froze. Slowly and painfully, she turned her head to smile at her three friends. "Ayumi-chan, Yuka-chan, Emi-chan, aren't you guys going to eat lunch?"

Yuka smiled. "We were waiting for you in the back but you didn't show up."

Ayumi nodded to Sango, noting that they've already met. "Where's that cut looking guy, Kagome-chan? You know, the one with the ponytail."

Sango sweat-dropped. 'She thinks Houshi-sama's cute? People in this time have weird tastes.'

Kagome chuckled shyly. "Um, he's in that gym class right now." She pointed to the fenced area where Touya had just successfully beaten Sano.

"O yea, we heard that Tomoeda sensei was having a Karate lesson." Emi finally spoke.

Kagome nodded and introduced Sango to Emi and Yuka. There were so many people around now that the five girls were being pushed up against the fence.

"Sango-chan," Kagome suddenly shivered. She tugged on Sango's sleeve and pointed to a group of first graders across from them. They were far away so they didn't notice Kagome. One of the girls in that group, Sango recognized, was Kamiya Sonoko.

Kagome pointed to a girl with long, straight hair and green eyes. She was observing the match with a bored expression. Even though the area around the field was pretty crowded, all the people around her gave her space, a lot of space. She leaned on the low fence casually with a smirk on her face. Kamiya Sonoko was talking heatedly next to her.

Sango didn't like her. Even though she was wearing the standard uniform, somehow she managed to get one that's too small for her. The skirt was pulled down below her waist, the top was too high. The uniform revealed her bellybutton perfectly.

"Is that...?" Sango trailed off. But Kagome read her mind and nodded.

"Mikagi Akiko. She's always coming here during lunch to watch her brother's gym class." Kagome growled annoyingly. Her eyes sent poisonous darts at the girl. "She flirts with every single one of her brother's friends."

Sango studied Akiko further. She was wearing a moderate amount of makeup, and she didn't look all that bad. Akiko's eyes were shining in the sunlight. Even though she was wearing a smirk, there was something strange in the girl's eyes, something Sango didn't expect to see: Sadness.

^_~

Meanwhile, three matches were already done. So far, only the ones that already know Karate went. And two boys were hurt pretty badly. Kouga's heart twitched every time one of his students fell. When someone's nose bled, Kouga had a strong urge to stop the lesson. But one look at the scowling Inuyasha, and all of his regrets flew out the yard.

Inuyasha was getting impatient. 'Wolf, I get the fucking point. So I can't fight like I always do, just let me fight him already!' But Kouga still had two more pairs of experienced fighters to go.

"Next, Miroku-kun and Marusato-kun!" Kouga called off his list. "You both are beginners, but after seeing all those matches, you should get an idea. Let me just see how you both do."

The whole time Miroku was actually off on the side chatting with some first grade girls. When Kouga suddenly called his name, he had no idea what was going on. But he shrugged it off and jogged toward the mats.

Marusato was big. There was no other way to describe it. He was simply big. In fact, he looked as though he weighted at least 200 pounds more than Miroku. And when Miroku was standing before him, he was only up to the guy's chest.

The monk grimaced. He cursed at Kouga silently for pairing him up with this hulk of meat. Unexpectedly, as soon as Miroku and Marusato bowed to each other and got into fighting poses, the girls he was talking to before started to cheer. 'That's more like it.' Miroku smiled and turned his head slightly to give the girls a wink.

Not far from him, a very pissed off Sango was steaming.

But just as Miroku turned, Marusato took the chance and threw a punch.

Not for nothing, Miroku has been in training for most of his life, and he even faired against Inuyasha pretty well. He didn't need to look to know that the guy would try a sneak attack.

Miroku threw up his kazaana hand and blocked the attack. Next he did a perfect back flip to gain some distance. Not only that, as he did his back flip, his feet conveniently made contact with Marusato's chin.

The crowd was raving.

Marusato was only hurt slightly. He backed off a few steps and growled at Miroku. The monk saw his expression and simply smiled.

Sango's heart almost stopped. Back in the Sengoku Jidai, Sango is always fighting at the same time as Miroku. So she never had the chance to observe his skills. And this meant she never had to chance to see how confident Miroku looked when he's fighting.

Miroku didn't let his guard down. 'This guy is big, slow but big. Simple punches and kicks won't hurt him.' Miroku copied one of the fighters from earlier and went into a fighting stance. He tugged on the beads around his right hand a little tighter and waited for Marusato to charge at him.

Inuyasha stood with the other guys, arms crossed. He shook his head as Marusato charged toward Miroku. 'That big loaf doesn't stand a chance against Miroku.'

Marusato's arm reached for Miroku's left eye. The monk made no movements until his hand was about to make contact with his face. Then, without shifting his feet, Miroku turned his upper body 90 degrees and dodged the punch. Next Miroku grabbed Marusato's outreached arm. Finally, while still holding that arm with one hand, Miroku turning 180 degrees and threw Marusato's body over his shoulder.

The crowd was going crazy.

Marusato's body landed on the mats with a loud thud. He was definitely hurt, but still conscious. Miroku was just about to let go of his arm when he noticed healing teeth marks on Marusato's hand.

---Flashback---

Now panicking, Kagome started to struggle more against the body that was holding her. Finally she resolved to animalistic strategy - biting. With all the strength in her jaws, Kagome bit down on the hand that was closed around her mouth.

---End Flashback---

'Wait, didn't Kagome-sama mention something about biting the guy that was holding her?' Miroku's mind flashed back to when Kagome retold them about the first encounter with the bullies. Miroku's eyes opened wide at this sudden revelation. He whispered quietly, but loud enough for Inuyasha and Kouga's ears: "This guy was with Toji when Kagome-sama got hurt."

Inuyasha's body stiffened. He was just about to rush toward Marusato and give him a piece of his mind. But Miroku whispered again: "Leave him to me."

Inuyasha heard the sincerity in Miroku's tone and remained standing. 'Hurt him bad, Miroku.'

Miroku stood up and backed away, giving Marusato the time to stand and to regain his posture. But the big guy was still groaning about his back.

"Marusato, stand up!" A voice yelled out. Everyone turned quiet and searched around for the voice. It came from Mikagi Toji. "C'mon, get him!"

It was the first time that Sango noticed Mikagi Toji's facial features. Just like his sister, Toji had those green eyes. His hair was spiked up with too much gel. But no matter how much Sango tried to hate him, she also couldn't stop thinking that Toji was actually quite handsome. He was standing cross armed, in a pose that was a lot like Inuyasha's. At least ten other guys were crowding around him. They were all cheering for Marusato earlier. But as soon as Toji began to speak, everyone, including the crowd outside the fence, quieted down.

Marusato nodded as he heard Toji's voice. He grunted a few times before lifting himself up from the mat. Like a biker, Marusato cracked his neck and knuckles.

Miroku smiled.

Marusato also got into a fighting stance. Miroku knew the pose, he was expecting Miroku to attack him this time. 'Well, if that's what you want.' Miroku charged.

In a flash, Miroku's right hand flew up in an uppercut, aiming at Marusato's chin. But Marusato saw it coming. Just as Miroku's hand went out, Marusato shifted his body and went around Miroku in a half circle. Now Marusato was behind Miroku.

Marusato opened his arms wide, hoping to catch Miroku in a chokehold. But Miroku was too fast for him. He bent his knees slightly and turned around to face Marusato's stomach. With a smile, Miroku aimed a punch at Marusato's stomach.

The crowd was silent. Then, with Kagome and her friends as lead, it exploded with cheers and applauds. The punch Miroku gave threw Marusato completely backwards. The big loaf landed on the mat a few feet away from Miroku. And it didn't look like he was going to get up anytime soon.

Miroku wasn't even sweating. He turned sideways to face Kagome and Sango. And with that same smile, he gave them a thumb-up and a wink.

^_~

But perhaps it would be better if he hadn't done that. Everyone's attention shifted toward Kagome and Sango as Miroku winked at the two, including the Mikagi siblings.

"Wow, that guy with the ponytail isn't bad." Mikagi Akiko remarked to Kamiya Sonoko. "And not bad looking either, not at all."

Sonoko growled slightly. "He's in a lot of my classes. But he's also the Higurashi bitch's friend."

Akiko froze; her smile was gone as soon as she saw Miroku give a thumb-up and a wink to Kagome's direction. "She's here too."

Sonoko narrowed her eyes. "And so is her new boyfriend."

Akiko raised an eyebrow. "Her new boyfriend? What do you mean? I thought she was going out with Hojo-kun."

"Weren't you listening, Akiko-chan, I been talking about it since the period started." Sonoko cried out desperately. "He made fun of me in the hallway!"

Akiko frowned. "Which one is he?"

Sonoko pointed at Inuyasha, who was currently patting Miroku on the shoulder to congratulate him. "That white haired freak."

Akiko's eyes widened. "He's a hottie!" Her smile returned.

Sonoko snorted. "Yea, I know. And Higurashi has him. It's not fair."

Akiko's smile widened. "She can have Hojo. I want that guy." She took out her makeup mirror and put on more lipstick.

"I already told you, Akiko-chan, he's Kagome's boyfriend."

Akiko laughed. "But don't forget, I'm Mikagi Toji's little sister."

^_~

"Whoa, did you see that?!"

"Yea, and with just one punch he knocked Marusato off his feet!"

"And he's a beginner too!"

"Wow, he's so hot!!!"

"I wonder if he's single."

And so, the conversation between the bystanders changed from admiration of Miroku's fighting skills to titles of love letters the girls plan on writing to him.

Sango was no longer smiling. 'Argh, that showoff! He just did it to impress all the girls! He didn't have to hit the guy that hard.'

"Sugoi!" Kagome was cheering. "I hate to say this, but Inuyasha was right, revenge is sweet!" There was something devilish in Kagome's eyes.

Sango turned her attention to Kagome. "What are you talking about, Kagome- chan?"

Kagome clapped. "Marusato is Toji's right hand man. Even though he doesn't Karate, he's a really strong fighter. I bet he was with Toji when they ambushed me."

"Ooo!" Sango gasped. 'So that must be why Houshi-sama went all out on him. Okay then, I guess I'll let this one slip.'

"Wow, Kagome-chan, your friend is a really good fighter!" Ayumi was beaming. Kagome saw the expression on Sango's face and decided not to say anything.

Kouga looked at his wrist watch and noticed that there were only ten minutes left in the period. If they needed five to change, that means there's only enough time for one or two matches. 'Maybe I should stall longer. It won't take long for Inuyasha to take Toji if the guy's a beginner.'

But Inuyasha was getting beyond irritated. Under his breath, Inuyasha whispered so only Kouga can hear: "What are you waiting for, wolf?"

Kouga sighed in resignation. "Next up," His voice silenced the crowds, "Mikagi Toji versus Taisho Inuyasha!"

(A/N: I had full intention of ending it here. But I really don't want all those death threats to become more than just threats. So I'll be a good little girl and continue.)

Toji smirked. His friends around them cheered for him.

"Beat the crap out of him, Toji!"

"Yea, show them who you are, Toji!"

Calmly, Mikagi Toji walked onto the center of the mat and waited for this Taisho Inuyasha person. 'Isn't he the new kid? Well, then, let this be a welcome warning.' Then he noticed his little sister standing in the crowds, sticking out like usual. He made a funny face at her. She smiled back.

"Why didn't Toji-kun raise his hands when Tomoeda sensei asked who knew Karate?" Sonoko mumbled to no one in perticular. "I thought he was a black belt."

Akiko snorted next to her arrogantly. "Ani has been taking Karate since he was three. He doesn't like to fight personally. He has Marusato and the gang to do his fighting. If he raised his hand, Tomoeda sensei would've called on him to go first."

Akiko's eyes were focused on Inuyasha. The white-haired boy with the violet eyes was looking angry for some unknown reason. 'This should be interesting. Onii-chan, don't hurt him too bad.'

^_~

Just as Inuyasha was about to go up to face Toji, Miroku pulled him back a bit and whispered into his fake ears: "Don't get too angry. Don't forget, Tessaiga is in the locker room at the moment. Go easy on him, killing him will bring trouble."

Inuyasha growled to show that he knows what he was doing. Miroku let him go with some hesitation.

The crowd was silent with anticipation. Kagome and Sango were gripping the fence until their knuckles turned white.

Kouga sighed for the last time. There was no going back now. Toji was facing his sister. Inuyasha was facing Kagome. The two were about the size and height. On Kouga's whistle, the two bowed slightly to each other.

Toji was rising slowly from his bow, not giving much care into his opponent. But Inuyasha has been waiting for that moment for three days now. Like lightning, Inuyasha fist went out, aiming for Toji's chest.

Toji was caught by surprise. He hasn't expected his opponent to attack so suddenly. But being the experienced fighter he was, he managed to shift away before Inuyasha's fist made impact.

Inuyasha's punch missed, and he was certainly very surprised. 'This bastard's not a beginner at all!'

Toji was surprised as well. 'He's fast, I barely managed to dodge that one.'

And at that moment, one single thought was in everyone's minds: 'This is going to be good.'

Toji smirked arrogantly. He waved his hands, signaling Inuyasha to attack him. Inuyasha's no coward. He lunged forward with his right hand, this time, for Toji's face.

Toji shifted his head sideways with his hands behind his back. Inuyasha's fist passed by the front of his eyes and the hanyou withdrew quickly. Toji's head went back to normal position. Wasting no time or energy, Inuyasha directed his left hand this time at the same spot. Toji turned his head sideways again.

And the same process went on. Inuyasha attacked continuously, shifting between left and right hands. Toji dodged all of his attacks perfectly, with his hands behind his back no less. Their movement was so fast that the audiences dared not blink.

Inuyasha was getting irritated. With an audible growl, he threw out both hands at once. Not expecting the change of strategy, Toji wasn't able to dodge that one completely, and his right cheek was slightly scratched.

Toji rubbed his cheek with a smile. "Hey, not bad. What was your name again? Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha smirked back, his arms at his sides. "Shut up and fight seriously."

Toji sighed and shook his head. "It's just gym class, Inuyasha-san. But," Toji got into a fighting stance, "I never backed down from a challenge before."

Inuyasha remained in the same pose. "Good, neither have I."

Toji charged forward with a prepared right hook, aiming at Inuyasha's left cheek. Inuyasha used the same tactic Miroku used before. He stood his ground, but turned his upper body 90 degrees so that Toji's fist zoomed past in front of his eyes.

Inuyasha didn't give Toji the time to withdraw. He grabbed Toji's fist with both hands, turning his entire body so that his back faced Toji's front, and threw Toji over his shoulder.

The crowd froze, they anticipated the heavy thud.

But it never came. Unlike Marusato, Toji was an experienced Karate fighter. Instead of landing painfully on his back, Toji bent his knees so his feet landed first. He created a perfect bridge, using Inuyasha as support for his hands.

The crowd howled. Kouga took another look at his watch. 'Three more minutes. Dammit, I should've realized that Toji wasn't a beginner.'

Still in bridge position, Toji made a 180-degree turn and straightened his back. Now the two were face to face. More like smiling face to scowling face.

'Dammit!' Inuyasha was very pissed off. 'Looks like I'll have to tap into my youkai powers.' He let go of Toji's fist and backed off two steps.

Toji smiled at him more. "Arigatoo, Inuyasha-san, for supporting my bridge, otherwise, I would've fell on my back."

Inuyasha looked like he was about to explode. He could hear Miroku's voice just faintly over the cheers: "Inuyasha, be calm."

Inuyasha took a deep breath, calming his heart rate. Toji was in fighting position once again. This time, Inuyasha copied him.

The crowd was cheering louder and louder. The two opponents were both waiting for the other one to strike first. Kouga was counting down to the minute of when this would be over. Kagome and Sango were holding their breaths. Akiko held that same sinister grin.

"What's going on here?!" An angry voice boomed over the field. Everyone stopped their cheering and turned to the source of the voice.

Kouga gulped. "Principal Tanaka! What uh... what brings you here?"

A short man with a beard in his fifties stomped over to face Kouga. "Tomoeda sensei, what is the meaning of this?!?" He was pissed.

Kouga stuttered. "Uh... um... it's just a simple demonstration of Karate, Principal Tanaka."

The principal narrowed his eyes. He looked around and saw the injured students from earlier, including Marusato and the guy with the bleeding nose.

"'A simple demonstration'?! Tomoeda sensei, this is preposterous! This is brutal! This is unacceptable on school grounds! What were you thinking?! This is...." He never got to finish his sentence.

"This is none of your business, Principal Tanaka." Toji was back with his buddies, leaving Inuyasha standing in the middle of the mat alone.

The principal turned around and saw Toji's smiling face. He gulped. "Mikagi- kun, this kind of 'demonstrations' are not allowed in gym classes."

Toji scratched his head with a fake frown. "Really, it isn't? Well, I guess I'll have to ask my father to change the rules a bit."

There was a definite tension in the air. Sango tugged on Kagome's sleeve and whispered a question.

"What's going on?"

Kagome's eyes remained focused on the principal. "If the principal backs down, he'll lose his authority over the students. But he can't exactly send Toji to detention; otherwise he'll lose his job. Mikagi Toji's father controls the entire school system in Tokyo."

Sango nodded half-understandingly.

Seeing that this was getting them nowhere, Kouga stepped up. In an apologetic tone, he pleaded to the principal: "I'm sorry, Principal Tanaka. I was just trying something new. But this won't happen again."

Kouga was actually helping the principal finding an escape route. Tanaka took the chance and grunted. He left the gym field without another word.

Kouga exhaled in relief. "Okay, class over. Go get changed!" Kouga was tired. Even though he didn't do anything, the mental stress was enough. He didn't even give instructions on putting the mats back to the equipment room, and just left with an audible sigh.

Inuyasha stared at the back of the principal, hating the man for interrupting his fight. But Toji's voice grabbed his attention.

"Inuyasha-san. Not bad. I hope we'll get a chance to continue out fight another day." Toji smirked for the last time and headed back to the locker room. His gang of goons followed closely behind. As Marusato passed by Miroku, he gave the monk a shove. Miroku just kept on smiling.

The crowd was next to go. Since the period was coming to a close as well.

"C'mon, Kagome-chan, Sango-chan, we have gym ourselves now." Ayumi ran off after Yuka and Emi.

Kagome and Sango hesitated. But tardiness meant dealing with the horrors of Mikagi sensei: Their gym teacher and the Mikagi siblings' evil aunt. The girls in her class have dubbed the woman "Satan's wife", they weren't far off from the truth.

And so, with a last glance at the grinning Miroku and fuming Inuyasha, the two girls rushed to their locker rooms.

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