Kitty-chan: Yays. I'm having so much fun with this story. I don't own any of the characters of Inuyasha. They are property of VIZ and Takahashi Rumiko-sama. Enjoy!
"Lesson one!" Inutaishou declared to the two boys and the audience as they began their first day of "training". They had set up a small campsite among the bones that littered the ground of the pearl's dimension. Their father being present with them, there was no giant skeleton to stay in, simply the countless bones of unknown demons scattered about the area. Inutaishou had gotten to know the group with which his sons traveled, and had taken a particular liking to Rin and Shippo. He did not, however, care much for Jaken or Miroku, and for what reason, Inuyasha could not figure out. But at this point in his life, why his father had distaste for one of his travel buddies was not on the priorities list. The thing that consumed his mind now was 'get the hell outta this place'.
Over the short period of time he had been there, he had hypothesized that he'd rather be spending his time with Kouga, Kagura, or even Moryoumaru than be here, stuck in the same area that Sesshomaru was. For not only was he forced to be in the same proximity as Sesshomaru, he was also forbidden from hitting him at all, which was the thing driving him mad at the time, and he expected the same of Sesshomaru. Fate seemed to be playing with them both. Every time he walked past his older brother, there would be an opening perfect for a smack, or a hit, or a punch, but each time, he was reminded of his Father's command not to harm either one. The little voice in the back of his head wouldn't help too much either. As he was walking by, the little voice would say; I won't hurt him, I'll just clear up his senses a bit!
So far he and his brother had only gotten into three scuffles since they had come the night before. They had generally been listening to their father's rules, since they owed so much to him anyway. In those few scuffles, his father had easily reminded them of his power by giving them each a good whack on the head. It seemed rather juvenille to hit them, but it sure worked. The two sons certainly didn't like the strikes and avoided them whenever possible. But sometimes, the temptation to strike the other was simply too much for a poor dog demon to take! Having a go at those infuriating dog-ears was just so tempting when the stupid hanyou had his back turned. Poor Sesshomaru. What else could he do but allow the temptation to posess him and attack the little appendages when they're right out in the open? There was simply no other choice.
But now, the group was settled down in the main area of the campsite. The two brothers were at opposite ends of the area, backs facing each other, not wanting to look at each other more than necissary. Inutaishou was standing in the center of the arena, his right index finger in the air as if pointing at the statement he was making. "The first lesson is to be able to stand in the same vicinity and not attack one another. You must learn to feel less hatred. Oh, and we'll work on the name-calling a bit here too." He scratched the back of his head. "Just tone the language down a bit. We'll work on it more later." He straightened, and cleared his throat. "Inuyasha… come here."
Inuyasha turned and stalked over to his father, staring at the ground and refusing to make eye contact with either his father or his brother. As soon as he was at his father's side, he heard Inutaishou call Sesshomaru over. The boys were soon standing right in front of one another, both gazes averted to keep from looking one another in the eye. They knew the doom their father was setting on his plan once he asked them to look at each other. Right in front of one another… completely open for an attack… it was the worst temptation Sesshomaru had ever been in. What was he to do now? He couldn't even resist trying to tear the ears off when they were down the road! How was he to resist shoving his claws into Inuyasha's gut when he was right in front of him?
Inuyasha was having a similar battle with temptation. Ever since his first fight with Sesshomaru, he had wanted to tear that fluffly thing off his shoulder and give him a nice close haircut. He had also been dying to cut off his other arm, simply to show that he could. But with their father around, and forcing them to stand so close together, how could he resist? His father was just moving this proccess along too fast.
"Now, on the count of three," Inutaishou began, a hand on each of his sons' backs. "I want you to look each other in the eye and remain still for a full minute. That shouldn't be too hard, should it?"
Oh. That was a relief. Only a minute. Inuyasha figured he could resist the temptation for a full minute. It wasn't that long. I mean come on… the temptation can't be that bad, can it?
Sesshomaru heaved a silent sigh of relief as well. As long as he didn't look at those damned ears, he should be alright. He could take this. He was Sesshomaru, son of the great dog-general that ruled the western lands. He could resist tearing those freaking little ears off his half-breed brother's head for a full minute. They were just infuriating little appendages just screaming to be slashed apart. Nothing to get worked up over.
Damnit.
"1…"
Inuyasha took a deep breath and was prepared to hold it for the full minute, if it would keep him from giving into temptation. Don't look at the fluffy thing… Don't look at the fluffy thing… he chanted to himself.
"2…"
Sesshomaru steeled himself and forced an uncaring look onto his face and gritted his teeth. He could do this. He could resist ripping those infuriating ears off his head for just one minute. GAH! Stop it! Don't look at the ears… Don't look at the ears…
"3!"
The two of them looked up and began their heated staring contest. Kagome swore she saw sparks flying in between their eyes, and she almost thought she saw Inuyasha's face beginning to turn blue.
Don'tlookatthefluffything! Don'tlookatthefluffything!
Don'tlookattheears! Don'tlookattheears!
Sesshomaru's eyes twitched a few times, his willpower desperately trying to keep them from looking north, toward the small white protrusions aka the object of his utter loathing. Slowly, temptation began to win the tug of war it was having with his willpower and his eye reached Inuyasha's wild bangs. Surely the minute was over by now!
"Great job boys!" Inutaishou smiled proudly. Sesshomaru's spirits soared. "Fifteen seconds down, fourty-five more to go." And then they did a nose-dive. With the way his eyes were traveling now, they'd reach Inuyasha's ears by then! And he'd be forced (against his will) to rip them off!
Inuyasha noticed Sesshomaru's eyes twitch. He began to relish in his brother's pained expression. He could tell he was losing it. But he would never admit to himself the kind of pressure he himself was under. Instead of his eyes wandering north as his brother's were, his eyes began trekking south, toward the large fluffy boa on Sesshomaru's shoulder. He knew that it was somehow attached to Sesshomaru, so imagine the pain if he bit into it. Oh, he'd revel in that moment, sinking his teeth into the stupid thing. But he must stay focused. He needed to remain calm for fourty-five more seconds. Only fourty-five more, and he'd be alright. He just had to not think of the anguished cry of pain he'd hear from Sesshomaru if he sank his teeth into it. Just don't think of how funny and fun it would be to tear it right off his shoulder. What is a poor half-demon to do?
"Half-way there, boys!"
Sesshomaru felt as if he were being stifled, and the first one to gasp for breath would lose. He noticed Inuyasha's intensifying glare and noticed that he was having similar issues to himself. He couldn't figure out what was the object of his brother's hatred, but he didn't care. The one thing consuming his mind right now were the stupid little white appendages atop Inuyasha's head. I must stay focused.
EARS!
I must not let my father down. He'll whack us again if we fail this!
EARS!
I will not touch those ears. I will continue to stare at him until this minute is up.
EARS!
Sesshomaru grunted as his eyes finally settled on the object of his insanity. He was proud to find that his body did not make a move for them. Rather, his demon nature taking over, he remained calm and continued to stare at them, hoping that imagining himself tearing them up would satisfy his urges. It worked. He was able to bring himself fully under control by appeasing the evil temptation. But at the same time that Sesshomaru let out a breath, causing his boa to shift on his shoulder, something happened to shatter his demon control…
Those infuriating little ears twitched.
Oh, Damnit all.
Inutaishou was about to call off the fifteen seconds marker when, all at once, Inuyasha grabbed Sesshomaru's boa and began yanking on it, and Sesshomaru seized both of Inuyasha's ears and began pulling on them, using his claws to scratch them. They both let out canine growls and snarls as the insults began pouring from their mouths. The fight just didn't seem right without the foul language.
"You damned hanyou! Why'd you have to go and move these stupid little things! You've ruined my concentration! This is all your fault!"
"My fault! If you hadn't moved your stupid fluffy thing, we wouldn't be in this predicament! It's your fault!"
Inutaishou, along with the audience rubbed their fingers into their temples as the two boys rolled into a classic rendition of shifting the blame back and forth between each other. After a few moments, the weapons were drawn and Inutaishou decided that it was time to stop the fight. "Alright you two, stop bickering and sit down!"
"Sit, Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted. The rosary around Inuyasha's neck immediately pulled him, face-first, into the dirt below. Inutaishou stared at Inuyasha for a moment before looking to Kagome.
"Wow… amazing! How did you do that, Miko-san?" he exclaimed, looking to Sesshomaru, who got his meaning and sheathed his sword.
"It's the necklace around his neck." Kagome shrugged. "It's not me."
Inutaishou looked to Sesshomaru. "You behave yourself, Sesshomaru, or we'll get you one of those necklaces." Sesshomaru sat down and bowed his head.
Inuyasha managed to sit up and sheathe his weapon as Inutaishou began walking back and forth in front of them. "You boys are an embarrassment! I asked you to stay still for what, a full minute, and you can't even do that!"
There was silence for a moment before two clawed fingers were pointed between the two boys. "He started it." They both growled. They began growling at one another as if it was infuriating that they had even shared the same breath. Inutaishou was immediately behind them and gave them each a good pounding in the back of the head.
"Go to your rooms, and meet me back here in an hour! Go calm yourselves. We will try again in an hour, and you'd better do it this time!" The boys huffed and retreated to their rooms, their travel parties following quickly behind.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Alright. On the count of three, look up at one another." Inutaishou growled as his sons faced one another again.
"You can do this, Inuyasha! I know you can!" Kagome cried from the sidelines.
Inuyasha growled. Just because I calmed down doesn't mean that I've lost the urge to kill that stupid thing! It just gives me another chance to get at it!
"1…"
Sesshomaru steeled himself once again. I can make it this time. I know I can. If I can do it this time, I won't have to look at that stupid mutt's face again until tomorrow. Yes… that stupid mutt with the most awful little ears on earth. The ears, which, to Sesshomaru, embodied the true incarnation of insanity. How could a simple demon ever hope to overcome the-!
Damnit, stop that!
"2…"
"You can do this, Lord Sesshomaru! You are better than that filthy half-breed!" Jaken was screaming. He earned a very dirty look from both Inuyasha's father and Sesshomaru.
That little toad's begging for his death, he is. Inutaishou seethed angrily.
"3!"
Inuyasha and Sesshomaru stared at one another, neither one moving, both of them using up incredible amounts of willpower to keep from attacking the object which lay so tortuously within their grasp. Inuyasha stared at the boa for a long moment before turning back to Sesshomaru. Just… think of something else. He looked up to his hair. Suddenly, in the most juvenille of urges, he was compelled greatly, by a strong wave of temptation, to grab a handfull of it and rip it right out of Sesshomaru's head. He was such a pretty boy. Inuyasha thought that he should not find himself surprised if he found out that Sesshomaru daily washed and spit shined his hair to get that very look. He thought of his own hair, and immediately began defending it against his own subconscious. At least his hair, while still being long, was masculine, unlike Sesshomaru's, which was long and elegant, making any girl he should pass by long for hair like his. It was rather gross, and Inuyasha couldn't stand the sight of it. He kept his hands at his sides, however, and balled his fists until they shook.
Sesshomaru decided that he should find something else about his brother to hate. Finding something to tolerate was out of the question. He was in a hateful mood right now, and he wanted to find something about Inuyasha that he hated. His eyes took short recesses from Inuyasha's stare, searching him, trying to find something to loathe, besides his stench. He couldn't stand his smell at all. He almost grinned in his accomplishment. He had succefully found something to hate his brother for. His scent. He couldn't stand his proud and mighty father's blood to be mixed in with the repulsive scent of the human race. He hated humans, all of them. They were weak. Weak enough to give anything to spare their pathetic lives only so they could go and sacrifice another to continue to live. He found this neverending chain disgusting, and Inuyasha absolutely reeked of human. Not only were they in his blood, but they were all around him. In a juvemille urge, much like the once that had overtaken Inuyasha, Sesshomaru was compelled to hold his nose to declare his distaste for the half-breed, but he controlled himself.
He wasn't sure how long he could control himself like this. This new object of his hatred was suddenly wearing on his last nerve. It had always bothered him before, but he had reawakened it and it was almost as if the hate was shining brighter than ever, in order to try and convince him that it was worth keeping around. Gladly. Now that he had found the new object of evil, he just needed to come up with an idea of how to hurt Inuyasha for it. What could he do that would show to the repulsive sibling how much he hated his smell.
Kill him!
Oh, now there was a novel concept. It's not as if he had tried this theory a million times already. Something just under killing that would not warrant a one-way ticket to hell from his father, and still express his message.
Maim him!
Well, duh! After all, that's what he had wanted to do from the start, right? He just hadn't realized it yet. He knew what he wanted to do, and now that the desire was identified, it burned him intensely, every muscle in his body screaming at him to grab his brother's neck and twist his head right off.
That would be killing, Sesshomaru no state-the-obvious.
Oh yeah…
"Great boys! Only fifteen seconds left!" Inutaishou praised them.
Sesshomaru found that in his musings of maiming, he had not heard his father count the seconds down. He was beginning to feel very proud in his self-control.
Inuyasha hadn't heard any of the count-downs. He was too focused on the perfect hair to listen. The temptation to grab two fistfulls and yank them in two different directions was burning his hands. He began to actually imagine the locks within his hands already, just begging to be ripped out by the roots, so much that he thought he felt the hair in his hand. He clenched his fists and bared his teeth at Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru was glaring back at him, but a small smile graced his thin lips. This infuriated Inuyasha even more, and the desire for his hair made a great leap. He then suddenly remembered that their father had not forbidden them from talking, only from moving. He spoke in a low tone.
"What are you smirking about, boa-boy?"
Sesshomaru's rage flared at the sound of Inuyasha's condecending tone. "What did you just say, you worthless little half-breed?"
"You seem happy about something. What is there to be happy about?"
Sesshomaru shook his head the slightest bit. "I'm not happy, I'm imagining you in a kettle as the cook shouts that it's dinnertime. I couldn't be happy here. Not this close to you, that is."
"Likewise, pal. Your scent is rather strong. How long has it been since you took a bath?"
"Shorter time than you. Or perhaps it's your human buddies that make your scent so incredibly revolting."
Kagome rolled her eyes at their petty echanged of insults. Of course, what she didn't know was that the two of them were pushed so far toward the line between anger and insanity at the close proximity to the object of their rage, that they had not the capacity to imagine more threatening insults.
"Only five more seconds!" Inutaishou declared proudly.
Five more seconds and I'm giving this crappy know-it-all a real close haircut!
"5…"
I'll twist his arm behind his back until I hear his shoulder crack, and then I'll tie it there!
"4…"
I'll go for his bangs first. Maybe I'll poke him in the eye too. His eyes really piss me off.
"3…"
I'll hit him in the head so many times he'll think there are ten of me!
"2…"
After I've torn out his bangs, I'll grab the hair at the base of his neck. Those hairs really hurt when their pulled.
"1…"
Then… I'll use Tenseiga's new power and send those little ears of his to hell!
"0! Yeah! You boys did… it." Inutaishou clapped a hand to his head. The two of them, the minute he had said zero, had set about their self appointed tasks. Inuyasha had two fistfulls of Sesshomaru's hair and was yanking on it as Sesshomaru began to hit him in the sides and twist his wrists.
"Lousy pretty boy! I'll tear your stupid hair out!"
"At least I don't stink like you! You make me wanna puke, you half-demon!"
"Likewise, my lady!"
"Why you… damned little insect!"
Inutaishou suddenly appeared between them and shoved them away from one another with a strong hand placed on each forehead. He held them an arms length away as they continued to glare at each other and growl. "That's enough you two! I'll give you credit for completing the minute, but this whole thing has got to stop!"
"Inuyasha started it!"
"You started it you bag of hot air!" Inuyasha lunged foreward, putting strain on Inutaishou's elbow. The boy had certainly grown up. Quite the powerful legs he had. After a few more insults were exchanged, Inuyasha began to fling his arms around, trying to futiely scratch or, in any other way, injure the older brother. Inutaishou rolled his eyes as Sesshomaru also lunged at Inuyasha. Suddenly, Inutaishou bent his elbows, allowing the boys to rush at each other, only to be caught by the necks by the father once again. He locked them in firm headlocks and forced them to look at each other. "You swing, I squeeze."
The two resigned themselves to their predicament for now, crossing arms, and doing their best to look away from each other. Inutaishou sighed and began. "Let's try this whole name-calling thing. Inuyasha… what do you call your older brother?"
"Baka yarou!" he answered enthusiastically.
Inutaishou squeezed his bicep tighter around Inuyasha's neck for a moment then relaxed it again. "Let me rephrase that. What should you call him?"
"Sesshomaru no baka! Sesshomaru no yarou! Pretty boy! Gay! The list is endless!"
"I'm not gay you pathetic sack of-!"
Inutaishou squeezed his grip on both of them to shut them up, then looked to Inuyasha. "Inuyasha… what is Sesshomaru to you?"
He's setting himself up for that one. Kagome rolled her eyes.
"A pain in the ass!"
Squeeze!
"Answer me in truth, Inuyasha! How is Sesshomaru related to you?"
"He's related to me only in the fact that he's like the plague! He keeps coming back no matter how many times I try to kill him!"
Inutaishou sighed. "This is hopeless."
Kagome stepped foreward. "I think they're just a bit worn out from standing each other for that minute. It's late. Why don't we rest for now? They're a bit worked up to cooperate."
Inutaishou nodded and first began to release Inuyasha, who had his feet planted in a way such that once he was released, he would launch himself straight into Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru looked ready and eager to receive his attack, cracking his knuckles and charging them with poison. Inutaishou's grip came off of Inuyasha's neck and the half-demon chraged ahead. He had only gotten a few inches when a familiar cry rang out.
"SIT!"
Inuyasha stared at the ground and groaned, aince he really couldn't stare at anything else. He heard his father turn on the ball of his foot to look at Kagome and the others. "Will you make sure Inuyasha gets to his quarters and stays there? I'll take care of Sesshomaru."
"Hai." Kagome bowed to him as he once again hoisted Sesshomaru onto his shoulder and walked out.
After a moment, Miroku leaned over to Kagome and began to whisper, "Kagome-sama… is it just me or does this exercise seem to be making the boys even more violent?"
Kagome nodded. "It's not just you, Miroku-sama."
Kitty-chan: Woo! Having fun here! Review! Oh! And for those of you wondering, yarou means bastard. o.o