The old man behind him nodded. "That's good enough for today. You may go." InuYasha rolled his eyes. The old hack wasn't training him, he was trying to feel important. 'But if he doesn't tell me how Tetsaigia works in a week, I may break a couple of his withered bones.'
InuYasha left the range and walked back through town toward the madness that was the apartment the four them had been crammed into. Between the pervert and Sango who could, they had discovered, punch said pervert out, the apartment was in a constant state of violence.
InuYasha wandered up the stairs and pushed the door open. He was greeted by a scream of shock and the sound of bone slamming into bone.
'Home sweet home.'
Someone, in a stroke of dubious intelligence, had found some video games to keep everyone amused. Miroku had done nothing but use it as an excuse to sexually harrass Sango, who had used that as an excuse to physically abuse him. Well, it had kept InuYasha and Kagome amused at least.
InuYasha walked in and was greated by Kagome, who was reading the newspaper in the kitchen with the radio on. Miroku and Sango were too busy groping/killing each other to notice him.
InuYasha returned the greeting and flopped down on the couch in front of the TV, which had just become vacant in the fist fight. He idly lit up as the fight died down.
He closed his eyes and drifted off, whistling the tune on the radio, when the fight started up again.
"Hey! That was my kill!" "Yeah yeah, face it Miroku, you're my bitch." "Does that come with sexual favors?" "NO!" Sango screamed, punching him. "There ya go! Get into the spirit my mistress!" Miroku yelled, laughing despite the fact he was getting his ass kicked by a woman.
InuYasha scowled and turned over so he didn't have to hear this shit. Fucking pervert.
Kagome flicked off the radio and headed for the bedroom. They had decided unanimously, well Miroku was the dissenting opinion but he didn't count, that they would split up the apartment, girls in the bedroom, boys in the living room.
Turns out that still didn't protect them from Miroku's perversion. Two girls and one bed was something he wouldn't let go for the next two years.
About an hour after Kagome retired. Miroku finally said something to drive Sango off, but not before she kicked the shit out of him. InuYasha even rolled over and gave him a shot to the kidneys for interrupting his sleep.
"Nice work, Casanova." InuYasha muttered. "It was worth it. And I don't see you in there with Kagome." "Because I'd be smart enough for you not to see it!" "Oh? So you admit you would!"
InuYasha's hand groped for the first heavy object in reach, which he sent sailing toward the sound of Miroku's voice. InuYasha was beginning to suspect he may have to make an excuse as to why Miroku was killed in his sleep..
The next day, InuYasha again made his way to find the old bastard. When he had located the senile gunsmith, the old man announced the training for the day.
"We'll work on your aim today." "We did that yesterday." "Did we?" InuYasha resisted the urge to demonstrate. "Yes old man, you said it was fine." "Umm.. yes. Of course. In that case you need to work on your concentration." "We did that too." "Err.. yes... physical conditioning?" "Twice."
If InuYasha were the more easy going type, he would of found amusement in watching the old man rack his brains for more 'training'. "Hurry it the hell up Gramps!" "Patience ya damned whippersnapper! If I were twenty years younger I'd give ya a whupin'!" "Twenty years younger and three feet taller.." InuYasha added under his breath.
"Well then, I had my doubts, but I finally believe you are ready to master the secret of the Wind Scar." "The wha?" "The Wind Scar is an ancient technique capable of eliminating several people with one round." "Ancient? It's a 1911! Do the math, that's less than a hundred years ago!" Totosai faltered. "Huh? Really? Oh my... how time does crawl..." He trailed off in memory.
"What? How old ar.. no. I didn't hear that. Moving on." "Yes, come with me to the range, and I shall teach you what you wish to know."
InuYasha stared at the target. It looked the same to him, but according to the mummy, this one was different.
'What the hell is that? Am I imagining things?' Thin blue and red lines had begun to play over the target. Totosai said something like this might happen, but InuYasha stopped paying attention when the old man mentioned some words that made no sense to him.
The lines began to collide and push against each other. They increased in speed. Something sparked between the two lines. A flash of white. Then another. The lines covering the target ripped apart to reveal a quivering, living, bright, light, like the one at the end of a tunnel.
InuYasha had no idea what the fuck it was, or if it was dangerous, so he didn't like it. He decided that was the part he was going to shoot.
He pulled the trigger. The gun kicked in his hand, the slide shot back. The muzzle flash seemed to fold in on itself and shot outwards in a golden light. It travel through the target, disintegrating it.
The light continued outwards, slamming through the brick wall at the far end of the range. Several bricks fell loose, and the sound of glass crashing reached thier ears.
"Totosai.." "What is it?" "You do know this the second floor right? And we're facing the parking lot?" "Umm. Why are you focusing on such tripe as a brick hitting a car? You mastered the Wind Scar!" "Yeah, and said 'Wind Scar' just sailed cleeean over I-88 and into a subdivison." "This concludes your training. I don't know you, you don't know me. Goodbye!"
And with that, the old man was gone.
"Miroku! Stop using the sniper rifle to look at my ass!" "I can't help it!" Kagome sighed and got up from the table. It was the first week with good weather of the year, and if those two wanted to waste it playing grab ass, she wasn't. She grabbed her jacket and walked out into the night.
As she walked through the park, an orange light appeared above a bench. The glow of the cigarette revealed InuYasha leaning back, his head pointing skywards.
Kagome walked over and sat down next to him. "Hey." "Hey." Their voices cut through the warm spring air. Kagome reached in her jacket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes InuYasha had noticed missing. "Ya got me hooked." She chuckled, leaning forward into a disposable lighter. "Heh, glad to know I can kill at least one more person, even if it takes a while."
Kagome jammed her hands in her pockets and let the cigarette hang from her lips. Above them the dull roar of a departing jet filled the air.
After a moment of not-all-that-uncomfortable silence, InuYasha spoke up. "Well, I learned what I need to know.. guess we really gotta leave finally.." Kagome sighed and stared up at the passing collision lights of the jet. "Yeah... I guess..."
The two colored lights on the jet's wingtips passed steadily through the air over the two youths as two trails of smoke curled into one , drifting up to the heavens.
