Dokyusei
by Nana
Chapter 7
Fair Warning
The orange-gold of the setting sun had made the shadows of the school appear longer, stretching the shade across the lawn. Surely it must be this capacity of illusion that sunsets carry which had led Kagome to make a mistake with the person before her, because when the boy turned slowly toward them, there was no mistaking this guy for Inu Yasha.
True--the long, white hair was the same rebellious length; even the golden gaze was familiar. But there the similarities ended.
There was none of the noisy, temperamental streak of Inu Yasha anywhere on this guy. The tilt of the head, the unconsciously dignified way the guy carried himself with all suggested maturity beyond Inu Yasha's years.
The lidded eyes carried none of the hot-blooded vitality so evident in the round orbs of Kagome's classmate. What she found instead was the cool, calculating stillness of a large, graceful predator--seemingly beautiful but vicious nonetheless.
And if Inu Yasha needed a lot of frowning and glaring to emphasize his point, this guy had no need for such actions to express his sense of acute distaste in being called by a certain name. The slanting gaze he gave Kagome said it all.
"What…did you call me?" The voice was deep and smooth, a mere ripple such as a stone would make when thrown in a deep pool.
Kagome found that she could not really say anything to that. Not when she was sure he had heard right--that she had called him Inu Yasha. And he was not happy about it. That, too, was certain.
Who was this complete and utter stranger who resembled Inu Yasha? Another one of his enemies? Somehow, after the long, hard day Kagome was not surprised about anything anymore.
"Our apologies, Sesshou Maru-senpai," said Sango, stepping forward. "We did not realize it was you."
The one called Sesshou Maru ignored her. He continued gazing at Kagome.
"Gomenasai," she finally muttered, just to have things over and done with, and moved to leave with Sango.
And suddenly found that her way was blocked by this person. He had moved so fast that Kagome did not realize he was immediately in front of her until she almost bumped into him.
"What the--" Kagome moved back, alarmed.
"We don't want any trouble, and she already said she was sorry," pointed out Sango, beginning to frown.
"Who is Inu Yasha to you?" he asked softly, looking down at Kagome.
Kagome could feel something inside her snap. "Listen, you," she said. "I've had enough of THAT today! I really don't know what is it with the guys around here, but just because a girl knows a boy doesn't mean they've got anything going! SO STOP ASKING THAT QUESTION!"
And Kagome was rewarded as she saw the unflappable Sesshou Maru hesitate at those words.
Sango was staring at her half in admiration, half as though she had gone mad.
"I apologize, Sesshou Maru-senpai," continued Kagome, her voice showing she wasn't sorry at all. "But I'm really very tired and I'd like to go home now, if you don't mind."
Sesshou Maru regarded the riddle in front of him with faintly knit brows, thinking that in all his three years in this school he had never seen a freshman as impertinent as this one. He should just let her have it. After all, he was not one to hesitate just because his opponent was a girl.
So why was it he could not move on that thought?
"You heard her; let them go," said a voice behind them.
Sesshou Maru moved back a fraction, turning his face unhurriedly to regard the newcomer.
Kagome closed her eyes, feeling a nightmarish repetition of the Kouga scene unfolding for the second time that day, and a nerve began to twitch on her temple. "Y--you---" she began, turning around. "I've had just about enough of you too, y--"
And she stopped when she saw Inu Yasha's face. She had seen him deal with Kouga, of course she had, but the expression she was seeing on his face now was not the one he had on earlier. There was none of the derisive, self- confident swagger anywhere about him and Kagome's eyes grew wide as she realized what she was seeing in those amber eyes.
She had not seen it before in Inu Yasha. In fact, she had never thought him capable of it.
Could it be…could it be that what she saw was fear lurking in those golden depths just now?
When he spoke, though, his voice was steady and a little wry. "Let those two go. You've got a problem with me, I'm right here," he said.
Sesshou Maru shook his head, a smile starting at a corner of his mouth.
It scared Kagome badly. She and Sango moved back as Sesshou Maru advanced on Inu Yasha.
"No. You're not a problem," said Sesshou Maru with quiet menace. "To say that you are a problem is a gross understatement."
Inu Yasha turned on Kagome, and shouted, "Well? What're you waiting for? Get the hell out of here! NOW!"
Sango need not be told twice. Grabbing Kagome, she started to sprint across the lawn.
*********************
"We can't just leave him, Sango!" cried Kagome, alarmed.
"We can't do anything back there!" shouted Sango. "There's only one thing we can do--"
The only thing they can do died on Sango's mind when they rounded the corner and reached the main building to find Mizuno Naraku, of all people, coming out the front door.
He raised an eyebrow at the two girls as they stopped, panting, a few feet away. "Well, well, what do we have here?" he asked. "Higurashi and Mikagi--what have you been up to?"
Sango tightened her hold on Kagome's arm in an unmistakable sign of warning. She straightened up and said casually, "Nothing."
Mizuno moved in closer, and managed to take a suspicious peek from where they came from. It was certainly lucky he couldn't see the lawn from where they were standing.
He turned back to the girls. "I hope you haven't been into trouble," he said.
"Of…of course not!" said Sango, the color of her cheeks bright. "It's…it's just that we need to get some papers from the administrative office, and we have to get them now before they close, so…"
Mizuno moved aside. "Be my guest," he said.
"What a rotten piece of bad luck…!" gritted Sango as they got into the building and stopped after rounding the corner.
"Sango! We can't report him to the teachers! He'll get into more trouble!" Kagome hissed at her ear.
"I wasn't planning to! I was looking for people to break up the fight. Why did Mizuno have to get in the way?!" cried Sango, frustrated. " Look, let's go back, shall we? But first, let's check on Mizuno. Has he gone yet?"
"Yeah," Higurashi said, looking back and seeing nobody standing outside the building.
"Let's just hope he didn't go around the back to check if anything was wrong!" Sango said. "The last thing we need is Mizuno sticking his ugly head in!"
"Sango, who is he?" Kagome wanted to know as they traced their steps back.
"Sesshou Maru. He's a senior student who's better known as president of the school's Kendo Club, and…" Sango pursed her lips, not sure if she should go on.
"And…?"
"Well, of course those two would never admit it, but rumor has it…rumor has it they're half-brothers…"
****************************
Sesshou Maru watched them go, his face impassive. He turned back to Inu Yasha.
"Some girl you've got. Quite a runner," he observed. "Do you always stick to losers like that, Inu Yasha? People who just can't wait to quit on you?"
"She's not my girl," Inu Yasha said, feeling the first stirrings of anger. "And is that the only reason why you've come to see me? To throw mud on my face?"
Sesshou Maru regarded him speculatively. "No. If it were only that, you're not even worth half the effort," he said, smoothly.
Inu Yasha knew then what was coming.
"Of all the high schools around Tokyo, why did you have to come into this one?" Sesshou Maru said almost conversationally as he continued to walk toward Inu Yasha.
Inu Yasha snorted. "Luck, I suppose," he said. He wasn't going to back down. Sesshou Maru might be his half-brother, and he may be older, and he may certainly hate his guts, but Inu Yasha wasn't going to back down from him.
Especially since he had caught him harassing Kagome. It was really his fault, to begin with. With Kagome gone, Inu Yasha found he could breathe a little easier. To be truthful, fear had wrenched him when he turned the corner to find Sesshou Maru looming over her.
The girl seemed to have fared very well on her own, though. He had to give her that much.
"Something interesting turned up at the Kendo Club meeting earlier," said Sesshou Maru, stopping in front of the younger boy. "The Club secretary reported that he received a new application for entry from a student. Yours."
"I don't see anything wrong with that."
"But I do," said Sesshou Maru, coldly. "Of course, I will not be able to stop you from entering, but consider this as fair warning: once you enter, your days will be filled with so much pain you'll wish you've never joined."
Inu Yasha did not seem very impressed.
Kendo was, to him, an obsession above Sesshou Maru. He had given it a lot of consideration, and Sesshou Maru being president of the Club might be difficult, but Kendo was worth far more than that.
"I will be looking forward to it," said Inu Yasha.
"Let that be on your own head, then." With that, Sesshou Maru turned abruptly to leave.
Inu Yasha watched him go, feeling curiously relieved that this single encounter had not escalated into anything else.
He turned to the opposite side and left, leaving the lawn peaceful and seemingly undisturbed, so that rounding the corner a moment later, neither Mizuno Naraku nor the two girls who came after Mizuno's departure, saw anything out of the ordinary.
***************************
by Nana
Chapter 7
Fair Warning
The orange-gold of the setting sun had made the shadows of the school appear longer, stretching the shade across the lawn. Surely it must be this capacity of illusion that sunsets carry which had led Kagome to make a mistake with the person before her, because when the boy turned slowly toward them, there was no mistaking this guy for Inu Yasha.
True--the long, white hair was the same rebellious length; even the golden gaze was familiar. But there the similarities ended.
There was none of the noisy, temperamental streak of Inu Yasha anywhere on this guy. The tilt of the head, the unconsciously dignified way the guy carried himself with all suggested maturity beyond Inu Yasha's years.
The lidded eyes carried none of the hot-blooded vitality so evident in the round orbs of Kagome's classmate. What she found instead was the cool, calculating stillness of a large, graceful predator--seemingly beautiful but vicious nonetheless.
And if Inu Yasha needed a lot of frowning and glaring to emphasize his point, this guy had no need for such actions to express his sense of acute distaste in being called by a certain name. The slanting gaze he gave Kagome said it all.
"What…did you call me?" The voice was deep and smooth, a mere ripple such as a stone would make when thrown in a deep pool.
Kagome found that she could not really say anything to that. Not when she was sure he had heard right--that she had called him Inu Yasha. And he was not happy about it. That, too, was certain.
Who was this complete and utter stranger who resembled Inu Yasha? Another one of his enemies? Somehow, after the long, hard day Kagome was not surprised about anything anymore.
"Our apologies, Sesshou Maru-senpai," said Sango, stepping forward. "We did not realize it was you."
The one called Sesshou Maru ignored her. He continued gazing at Kagome.
"Gomenasai," she finally muttered, just to have things over and done with, and moved to leave with Sango.
And suddenly found that her way was blocked by this person. He had moved so fast that Kagome did not realize he was immediately in front of her until she almost bumped into him.
"What the--" Kagome moved back, alarmed.
"We don't want any trouble, and she already said she was sorry," pointed out Sango, beginning to frown.
"Who is Inu Yasha to you?" he asked softly, looking down at Kagome.
Kagome could feel something inside her snap. "Listen, you," she said. "I've had enough of THAT today! I really don't know what is it with the guys around here, but just because a girl knows a boy doesn't mean they've got anything going! SO STOP ASKING THAT QUESTION!"
And Kagome was rewarded as she saw the unflappable Sesshou Maru hesitate at those words.
Sango was staring at her half in admiration, half as though she had gone mad.
"I apologize, Sesshou Maru-senpai," continued Kagome, her voice showing she wasn't sorry at all. "But I'm really very tired and I'd like to go home now, if you don't mind."
Sesshou Maru regarded the riddle in front of him with faintly knit brows, thinking that in all his three years in this school he had never seen a freshman as impertinent as this one. He should just let her have it. After all, he was not one to hesitate just because his opponent was a girl.
So why was it he could not move on that thought?
"You heard her; let them go," said a voice behind them.
Sesshou Maru moved back a fraction, turning his face unhurriedly to regard the newcomer.
Kagome closed her eyes, feeling a nightmarish repetition of the Kouga scene unfolding for the second time that day, and a nerve began to twitch on her temple. "Y--you---" she began, turning around. "I've had just about enough of you too, y--"
And she stopped when she saw Inu Yasha's face. She had seen him deal with Kouga, of course she had, but the expression she was seeing on his face now was not the one he had on earlier. There was none of the derisive, self- confident swagger anywhere about him and Kagome's eyes grew wide as she realized what she was seeing in those amber eyes.
She had not seen it before in Inu Yasha. In fact, she had never thought him capable of it.
Could it be…could it be that what she saw was fear lurking in those golden depths just now?
When he spoke, though, his voice was steady and a little wry. "Let those two go. You've got a problem with me, I'm right here," he said.
Sesshou Maru shook his head, a smile starting at a corner of his mouth.
It scared Kagome badly. She and Sango moved back as Sesshou Maru advanced on Inu Yasha.
"No. You're not a problem," said Sesshou Maru with quiet menace. "To say that you are a problem is a gross understatement."
Inu Yasha turned on Kagome, and shouted, "Well? What're you waiting for? Get the hell out of here! NOW!"
Sango need not be told twice. Grabbing Kagome, she started to sprint across the lawn.
*********************
"We can't just leave him, Sango!" cried Kagome, alarmed.
"We can't do anything back there!" shouted Sango. "There's only one thing we can do--"
The only thing they can do died on Sango's mind when they rounded the corner and reached the main building to find Mizuno Naraku, of all people, coming out the front door.
He raised an eyebrow at the two girls as they stopped, panting, a few feet away. "Well, well, what do we have here?" he asked. "Higurashi and Mikagi--what have you been up to?"
Sango tightened her hold on Kagome's arm in an unmistakable sign of warning. She straightened up and said casually, "Nothing."
Mizuno moved in closer, and managed to take a suspicious peek from where they came from. It was certainly lucky he couldn't see the lawn from where they were standing.
He turned back to the girls. "I hope you haven't been into trouble," he said.
"Of…of course not!" said Sango, the color of her cheeks bright. "It's…it's just that we need to get some papers from the administrative office, and we have to get them now before they close, so…"
Mizuno moved aside. "Be my guest," he said.
"What a rotten piece of bad luck…!" gritted Sango as they got into the building and stopped after rounding the corner.
"Sango! We can't report him to the teachers! He'll get into more trouble!" Kagome hissed at her ear.
"I wasn't planning to! I was looking for people to break up the fight. Why did Mizuno have to get in the way?!" cried Sango, frustrated. " Look, let's go back, shall we? But first, let's check on Mizuno. Has he gone yet?"
"Yeah," Higurashi said, looking back and seeing nobody standing outside the building.
"Let's just hope he didn't go around the back to check if anything was wrong!" Sango said. "The last thing we need is Mizuno sticking his ugly head in!"
"Sango, who is he?" Kagome wanted to know as they traced their steps back.
"Sesshou Maru. He's a senior student who's better known as president of the school's Kendo Club, and…" Sango pursed her lips, not sure if she should go on.
"And…?"
"Well, of course those two would never admit it, but rumor has it…rumor has it they're half-brothers…"
****************************
Sesshou Maru watched them go, his face impassive. He turned back to Inu Yasha.
"Some girl you've got. Quite a runner," he observed. "Do you always stick to losers like that, Inu Yasha? People who just can't wait to quit on you?"
"She's not my girl," Inu Yasha said, feeling the first stirrings of anger. "And is that the only reason why you've come to see me? To throw mud on my face?"
Sesshou Maru regarded him speculatively. "No. If it were only that, you're not even worth half the effort," he said, smoothly.
Inu Yasha knew then what was coming.
"Of all the high schools around Tokyo, why did you have to come into this one?" Sesshou Maru said almost conversationally as he continued to walk toward Inu Yasha.
Inu Yasha snorted. "Luck, I suppose," he said. He wasn't going to back down. Sesshou Maru might be his half-brother, and he may be older, and he may certainly hate his guts, but Inu Yasha wasn't going to back down from him.
Especially since he had caught him harassing Kagome. It was really his fault, to begin with. With Kagome gone, Inu Yasha found he could breathe a little easier. To be truthful, fear had wrenched him when he turned the corner to find Sesshou Maru looming over her.
The girl seemed to have fared very well on her own, though. He had to give her that much.
"Something interesting turned up at the Kendo Club meeting earlier," said Sesshou Maru, stopping in front of the younger boy. "The Club secretary reported that he received a new application for entry from a student. Yours."
"I don't see anything wrong with that."
"But I do," said Sesshou Maru, coldly. "Of course, I will not be able to stop you from entering, but consider this as fair warning: once you enter, your days will be filled with so much pain you'll wish you've never joined."
Inu Yasha did not seem very impressed.
Kendo was, to him, an obsession above Sesshou Maru. He had given it a lot of consideration, and Sesshou Maru being president of the Club might be difficult, but Kendo was worth far more than that.
"I will be looking forward to it," said Inu Yasha.
"Let that be on your own head, then." With that, Sesshou Maru turned abruptly to leave.
Inu Yasha watched him go, feeling curiously relieved that this single encounter had not escalated into anything else.
He turned to the opposite side and left, leaving the lawn peaceful and seemingly undisturbed, so that rounding the corner a moment later, neither Mizuno Naraku nor the two girls who came after Mizuno's departure, saw anything out of the ordinary.
***************************