CURSE OF THE DRAGON

Chapter 10 insinuations

InuYasha and Miroku had cruised around the city for over an hour, Miroku being an all knowing tour guide and InuYasha hardly paying attention. Miroku had absolutely refused to let InuYasha light up a stogie in his precious car, not the InuYasha blamed him, and had convinced the hanyou to reframe from getting high for the rest of the night. Since that conversation, the ride had been quiet other then for Miroku's scenic descriptions. They circled around the city once again and passed by the club Abyss that Naraku's father owned. InuYasha opened his eyes as his ears twitched under the confining bandana that he wore to cover them. "Miroku…wait."

Miroku gently laid off the gas to cruise by the local hangout. The line was already forming around the block and Miroku sighed. "Don't tell me your one of those losers who hang out at a club looking for an easy lay."

InuYasha ignored him as he scanned the crowd. He gawked for a moment then yelled, "hold up…I think I see Kagome..."

Miroku rolled his eyes as his foot fell back on the accelerator. "I think you scared her enough for today, Yash. Let her go…" his eyes traveled quickly to where InuYasha was staring and he gasped. "No…no InuYasha…" he couldn't help but let out a short chuckle as he stared at the skimpily clad girl who was hanging all over one of the bouncers. "That's Kikyo…. she's kind of Kagome's evil twin, as she has so appropriately been dubbed."

InuYasha glared at his friend for a moment, before looking back at the rapidly fading club. "So…what's their deal? Are they sisters?"

Miroku nearly chocked on laughter. He shook his head as he tried to answer his friend's question. "No…not at all. They hate each other with the passion of a thousand burning suns…"

InuYasha raised an eyebrow and repeated his friend, "the passion of a thousand burning suns?" he scoffed and shook his head.

Miroku laughed again and continued, "Kagome had a death in her family in tenth grade and had at attend a funeral over in the United States. At that same time, ironically, Kikyo joined our school. People thought that she was Kagome…and she played along with it. I still don't know why but she got a kick out of it. Man did she smear Kagome's good name." with a laugh Miroku continued, "lets say she was caught in all sorts of compromising positions…in the boy's room…in the boy's locker room…. in cars outside of school during lunch. She is the reason we lost one principal already, if you get where I'm going with that." his tone sobered up a little as he continued, "when Kagome got back to school, Kikyo had been suspended. It was kind of one of those comedic old movies…a real Abbott and Costello routine gone awry. Everyone teased Kagome and called her wicked nasty names. She nearly left school she was so embarrassed and upset. One guy…one senior had even tried to pull Kagome into the boy's room with him. That's when Kikyo made her grand entrance. People instantly understood the mix up but it took months for Kagome to get her nerve back to actually look up at people in the hallways. It was bad…real bad." He shook his head and shrugged, "Kikyo is a slut…blatantly stated. But she's become pretty dangerous on top of that. She is now associating with Naraku…"

InuYasha nodded until Naraku's name was mentioned, then he started to growl. "I know that asshole, I met him at the club last Friday night." He recalled the icy glare that he got for laying a hand on Kikyo and the insinuations made against him and his brother. "I really don't like that guy. Side note, though, Naraku and Kikyo are a little more then associates…I would say fuck buddies is more appropriate."

Miroku nodded in agreement. "She lately climbed her way up the social chain of The Right Hand…"

InuYasha glared at his friend in confusion. "The what now?"

Miroku grimaced as he drove down the dark highway towards Inuyasha's mansion. He knew the town well enough to know where the most famous château was located. "The Right Hand…its Naraku's clique. Basically they are scumbags…kind of like the Elites but the darker more sadistic side of them...they see themselves…" his eyes shifted once again off the road and onto the boy next to him. "…Nani?"

InuYasha stared at Miroku in disbelief then covered his mouth with one hand trying to stifle a laugh. Failing to do so, the boy broke out into hysterical laugher that shook Miroku's car. Miroku stared at the boy dumbstruck. After a long bout of laughing, InuYasha struggled to call out to his friend, "the Right hand? Are you freakin serious? That's what they call themselves?" shaking his head, he continued to jest about the name, "I can't believe that…"he tried to plaster on a fake all-knowing grin, "well…at least they got a part of the name right. We all know what they do with their right hands…" InuYasha made an obscene gesture and laughed once again before adding in an, "I'm sorry…that's just to great…."

Miroku sighed and shook his head, trying not to laugh as well. He had a very similar reaction to the name when he had first heard it. "I do believe they mean that they are the right hand of the kamis."

InuYasha had finally broken free of his compelling laughter and slowly nodded. "Yeah…the right hand of god, I'm sure every one has heard of it. …And the left hand being possessed by the devil…" he threw a glare at Miroku and quickly added, "don't try to use that excuse monk!"

Miroku rolled his eyes and muttered, "I'm so misunderstood…I don't mean to grope, it is just something that happens…" loudly, he cleared his throat and continued, "anyway…Kikyo slept her way to the top of the Right hand," he threw an 'I dare you to laugh again' glare at InuYasha before adding, "and has been Naraku's special pet ever since. Wherever he is, she isn't far behind."

InuYasha stared at Miroku for a moment before cautiously asking, "do you have a history with her or something?"

Miroku pinned the hanyou with an angry glare and bellowed, "I might be a lecher but I'm not a baka. I would never, and I mean never, touch Kikyo!" The boy involuntarily shivered at the thought.

InuYasha scornfully laughed and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I had a run in with her at the club…its how I met Kagome actually." He laughed thinking about it and under Miroku's questioning glare; he repeated the night's events in full detail to his friend.

Miroku listened carefully to Inuyasha's story and laughed when he was done. The boy pulled his Ferrari into Inuyasha's driveway and stopped its purring engine. He turned to his friend, his face lit up in amusement. "Kagome must have shit a brick! I can't imagine…." With a slightly scornful laugh, Miroku continued, "if she only knew that you thought that she was Kikyo….man….i mean, I have never seen a guy torture her like what you have in all of our years in school together, let alone in one day!" Shaking his head, Miroku chuckled. "Man…. i can't say that she hasn't had it coming but I think there are a few things I need to warn you about with Kagome."

InuYasha nodded and opened the car door. "Come on in, you can chill with me downstairs. I need a drink anyways." The boy slammed the door shut, leaving Miroku winching behind him at the sharp steel clang. Miroku called out before closing his own door, "Don't hurt my baby, bastard!" He ran his hand over the car's roof thoughtfully then clicked the automatic lock button on his key chain and followed behind InuYasha in awe. The inside of the house was as amazing as the outside. The floors of the mansion were a beautiful oak wood color and the walls were doused in neutral beiges and tan browns. Beautiful molding and trims lightened the atmosphere along with some beautiful art works and accent tables. Miroku let out a low whistle while following the boy into the astounding palace.

"Oh, its only you."

Both boys turned to glare at the toad like servant who mystically appeared behind them, tapping his chubby foot impatiently. InuYasha scoffed and crossed his arms angrily. "What the fuck do you want, Myouga?"

Myouga nearly hissed at the youth and pinned him with a leering gaze. "Your mother is home and was wondering where her two bastard children were. So, where exactly is your brother?"

InuYasha raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "Why the hell should I know? The bastard does what he wants, when he wants. I ain't his keeper and you can tell that wench that too!"

Myouga's face suddenly became ablaze with anger as he seethed at the youngster, "the least you can do is pay some respect to your elders, you foolish boy! She doesn't have to care for you…"

InuYasha was in the old man's face in a second, screaming, "actually, she does! Not that I want to be here, old man, but I don't get much of a fuckin choice. Know your shit before you open your mouth!" turning on his heels, he roughly grabbed Miroku's arm and yanked him behind in his trail of quiet thunder. The two entered the amazing basement and Miroku's mouth dropped while gazing at the boy's entertainment palace. "Holy shit…" was all he could cough out before InuYasha was behind the wet bar, getting himself a shot Jack Daniels. InuYasha swigged it back and grinned maliciously as he felt it begin to burn in his chest. "Hit the fuckin spot…" he sighed once and shook his head, his eyes opening a little wider. "You want anything, monk?"

Miroku had placed himself on the boy's micro fiber L-shaped couch and had turned on the plasma TV. "Just a coke…I don't drink."

InuYasha scoffed but complied. He threw the boy a can of coke and walked down to the guest room where all of his cloths had been piled away from the move. He found a red wife beater that must have just been washed and pulled off his black sweatshirt. He walked out of the room while putting the red shirt on over his head and glared at the television. "Do what you want, letch…I've got some steam to burn off."

Miroku glanced back over his shoulder and nodded at the half dressed hanyou. Taking notice to an oval shaped scar on the boy's upper right shoulder, he cautiously inquired, "What did you get that from?"

InuYasha followed the boy's stare to his shoulder and stared at the scar for a moment. His eyes replayed the cause of the scar in his eyes and he lost himself to the memory. He felt feverish and cold at the same time…he could smell the smoke again, he could hear his friends dying cries…. he could taste blood…shaking his head quickly; he broke out of the trance angrily. Growling out in a very primitive manor, his words could hardly be heard. "Mind you own god damn business."

Miroku raised an eyebrow and held his hands out towards his friend before turning himself back around to watch a movie he found on HBO. Shaking his head, he called out; "if you want to talk…" hearing a series of growls, the boy sighed and returned to his program.

InuYasha placed himself in front of the exercise machine that at some point Myouga had set up. Testing the machine for a possible error, or for that matter, a blatant attempt to rig the device to fail, InuYasha nodded at the acceptable craftsmanship and placed himself on the bench. He took a deep breath before he began to bench press his normal two hundred pounds. 'Damn that monk and his curiosity!' InuYasha thought as he pushed out his repetitions. 'He had to mention it…he had to make me remember.' His eyes blurred in anger and in pain on the events that had changed his life…. that had forced him into the person he was now.

FLASHBACK

InuYasha sat with his four best friends watching Saturday night live reruns in his overly large bedroom. The five boys, Nick, Andrew, Anthony, Dwayne and InuYasha sat laughing at the comedic acts oblivious to the happenings outside of the house. Sesshoumaru blazed into the boy's room, slamming the door off its hinges. It was the first time InuYasha had ever seen such a blatant emotion plastered onto the boy's face. Fear. It seeped out of his brothers pours like a raging waterfall. His eyes were wide and he was slightly shaking. It was something that every night InuYasha silently prayed he would never see again. Sesshoumaru grabbed InuYasha by his collar, lifting him up off the bed in a single stroke. Sesshoumaru's concealment charm, the one that hid his claws, his fangs and his facial markings, was gone in an instant, earning a loud yelp from the four humans that were in the room. Slamming his younger brother into the closest wall, Sesshoumaru held him a foot off the floor. "Where is it?"

InuYasha gazed into his brother's wide eyes in absolute terror. Never had his brother ever acted in such a manor. InuYasha gulped as best as he could before asking cautiously, "where is what?"

Sesshoumaru's fear turned into fury as he pulled his brother towards him then slammed him hard back against the wall. His voice was enraged as his eyes began to bleed red. "You know what I'm fuckin talking about, you little shit! What the fuck did you do with the drugs?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened at the word 'drugs' as he began to sweat. "uhh…" he glared in back of him to find the other four boys plastered in a corner, staring at the two in shock. His gaze retuned to his half brother's growing fury. He had snuck into his brothers room a week back and took a small bag of cocaine that Sesshoumaru had scored from his 'friends', or at least that was his impression. Not that InuYasha had used the cocaine himself; he just knew a few people who wanted it…and it bought him a wicked nice television and a play station 2. Inuyasha's silence answered his brother's question.

Sesshoumaru growled furiously and threw his brother halfway across the room. His eyes were completely red now and his demon nature seemed to be taking over. "Do you know what you fuckin did?" His voice was rasp and filled with danger. He stalked towards his brother and grabbed him once again by his collar, hoisting him into the air. "Your stupid games nearly cost me my life! I didn't even know it was missing…until I was nearly a thousand dollars short on the payback!" he brought his brother inches away from his face, "tell me you have the fuckin money, Yash!"

InuYasha could feel the sweat running down his face as he stared at his brother. Shaking his head slowly, he tried so hard to think of a good come back but all he could manage was, "keh." He nodded slowly towards the PS2 and the big screen TV he had bought with the extra four hundred dollars.

Sesshoumaru threw the boy into the wall once again and stormed from the room calling over his shoulder. "I have to fix your mess…. again….I swear InuYasha…when I am done with this, your ass is dead!"

InuYasha stood up and ran after his brother, confused and aghast. "Sesshoumaru, just give them the fuckin cash! It's not that hard! Your rich, or did you forget that?"

Sesshoumaru stalked out of his room, plowing into the hanyou. With his claws, he swung blindly at the boy, catching him across his chest, creating a shallow wound that bled easily. Hissing in anger, Sesshoumaru shouted, "its not the money, InuYasha, it's the trust and the fact that The Dragons now believe I'm stealing from them! Do you know the power they possess? Do you know what they do to those who steal?"

InuYasha laughed while winching and holding his chest. "What does it matter…your Sesshoumaru, the great tai-Youkai, or did you forget that? Isn't your credo to fear no one?"

Sesshoumaru gave InuYasha a stare that could turn something to stone. "I do not fear them as a group…I fear what they are capable of doing…" his eyes darkened as he clenched a wad of cash in his hand. "Don't ever touch my shit again, InuYasha…" he turned and stormed from the house, leaving his brother bleeding on the ground.

With a growl of frustration, InuYasha stood up and walked to the bathroom. He removed his shirt and grabbed a towel to stop his bleeding. "Stupid Youkai," he called out to no one. He grimaced as cleaned the wound with antiseptics.

A small voice called out from the doorway, "dude…what the fuck just happened?"

With a deep sigh, InuYasha turned to face his long time friend Nick. He was the first person that InuYasha had made friends with when he arrived in the states. He had taught InuYasha how to speak English, how to surf, how to skate…how to live and breath normally. With Nick's friendship, he became close with the others. Now they were inseparable. "Nothing Nick…just pretend like you didn't see that." He hated to cover the demon heritage of his family but no one in the states had ever seen a demon, let alone believed in them. His mother had made them concealment charms when they left Japan. Tonight was the first time either of the boys had managed to break it.

Nick's face shifted with Inuyasha's words to mimic a pure kind of terror. "What is your brother?" with a soft scoff, Nick added, "cause he sure as hell wasn't human."

InuYasha growled once and looked at the boy. "Do you really want me to explain this? All you need to know is that I messed up and took something I shouldn't have…."

Nick nodded and added thoughtfully, "Does it have to do with how you managed to get yourself a forty inch television?"

InuYasha nodded as he dropped his eyes to the floor. "Look…it doesn't matter…let's get back…"

A loud explosion jolted the two boy's conversation. InuYasha ran to the nearest window and peered out into the dark night sky. At the end of their gated driveway, Sesshoumaru's corvette was ablaze with blue flames. InuYasha gasped and ran from the bathroom, screaming, "stay here," over his shoulder at the human. He ran out the front door and down the long driveway. He could hear the stomps of his friend next to him and he cursed angrily. "Nick, go back inside, this isn't…."

Time seemed to stand still at that point as everything happened at once. A red blotch appeared on Inuyasha's bare chest…a small laser point dot. His eyes widened as he heard the whistle of a small metallic object hurtling in his direction. Jumping to the side, the first bullet grazed his left arm; slightly singeing the skin. "Nick," he bellowed over the crackling fire, "get down!" Turning to glare at his friend, he froze in panic. Nick had stopped dead in his tracks, two dots had appeared on his body…one on his forehead, the other on his chest. Two pops echoed somewhere from behind the burning inferno that had been Sesshoumaru's car. Inuyasha's eyes widened as he watched in slow motion his friend take the first bullet through his chest, his head jolting back like a crash test dummy. InuYasha tried to leap in front of the other bullet, praying for his friend to withstand his first wound. The bullet caught InuYasha in the right shoulder and passed through his body with ease, cutting all muscle and bone out of its way. It then embedded itself in Nick's skull, sealing the boy's fate. InuYasha crashed to the ground and groaned in pain as two more red dots appeared on his body. A figure stepped out of the smoke dressed completely in black holding a high powered sniper rifle and took aim at the boy on the ground. The person fired two more shots at InuYasha, one penetrating his left leg, the other his chest. Inuyasha's head rolled back as he watched a bright light settle between his eyes. He then heard four more pops but the pain never came. He unclenched his muscles and his head drifted to his right shoulder and he stared in helpless horror as his four friends dropped dead in the doorway of his house as they piled out to see what happened. He opened his mouth to scream to them, to tell them to go back, but he quickly realized they were all long dead. He could no longer move any part of his body. Then with a vengence his demon blood took over. Speeding blindly through is veins, InuYasha felt himself turn into a demon. His vision blurred to see a crimson tint to the area and he jumped to his feet. He was sluggish at best for his wounds were severe. But nothing could stop the boy at this time. Gazing at the bodies of the only people in the world he trusted, he lunged at the figure in black. In an instant, they had drawn what looked like an eighteenth century sword and was running at him. He brandished his clawed hand and the attacker was obliterated…sliced to pieces in front of him. Then there was more pain…as if a thousand volts of electricity passed through his body again and again, he screamed bloody murder before collapsing into a accumulating puddle of blood; blood that had belonged to him…to his attacker…to his friends. He felt another bullet pass through his chest as he heard someone else walking away from behind him. He heard some mans deep voice but could not understand what he said. He picked up the sword from their fallen companion and InuYasha felt another stab of blinding pain in his abdomen. The second attacker…god only knows how many there truly were…. then removed the sword and left him for dead. Some time before he lost consciousness, he watched his house go up in flames before allowing the darkness of the night claim his soul.

END FLASHBACK

Inuyasha's eyes were nearly red as he pushed himself into continuing his repetitions after his body threatened to give out. Anger now fueled his adrenaline as he stared at the ceiling in rage. He could feel his arms shaking and buckling under the weight of the barbells but he could not move his arms to put down the weights. 'My friends died…they all died because I fucked up.' He felt the weight crash onto his chest and rock him from his nightmare. He grimaced and tried to push up the weights but had no luck. It was as if his energy had been drained from his body. He coughed out roughly, trying to get Miroku's attention. No such luck. With a growl, he tired to push up the weights. He felt his breath constricting in his chest as he pushed up against the metal bar.

Suddenly the weight flew off his chest with the help of a clenched fist and was placed into its holder. A cold voice, a tone that InuYasha didn't wish to hear at that present moment, echoed in his ears, "Are you that weak now, you filthy hanyou?"

InuYasha let out a sigh and sat up, his gaze falling onto his brother's amused smirk. He couldn't help the sudden burst of rage that engulfed his body, "asshole!" He lunged at the demon, which was mildly shocked at his action. He swung once at the demon's head, connecting with his jaw. With a defining crack, Sesshoumaru flew backwards ten feet before crashing into the back of the couch, alerting Miroku to the ensuing fight.

Sesshoumaru stood up and frowned. He brought his right hand up to his jaw and roughly cracked it back into place. He shed the black leather duster he had been wearing and smirked at his brother. "You'll regret that, half-breed!" With that, he flew at his brother with amazing speed and threw a kick at the hanyou's mid section. As the boy blocked his brother's leg with both hand, Sesshoumaru managed to rabbit punch him in the windpipe, hurtling him backwards into the wall. He then darted forward, and punched the boy in the stomach. InuYasha fell to the floor and Sesshoumaru kicked him once in the ribs. "Stupid baka, did you really think you could beat me?"

Miroku watched the fight in amazement at the speed and power that the two boys possessed. Though he wasn't sure what they were, he knew that neither could possibly be human. He knew the name of their father, and knew how powerful of a Youkai he had been…but listening to the words that the two exchanged and the glowering looks that passed, he understood more then he would let onto about their relationship. He winched as Sesshoumaru grounded InuYasha. Though the older boy tried to mask his annoyance, he didn't do such a great job.

InuYasha glared up at his brother, his face a mask of anger. He jumped back to his feet and threw another punch at Sesshoumaru's face. The demon lord blocked it and countered with a reverse punch to Inuyasha's stomach. The boy crumpled forward and met Sesshoumaru's kneecap halfway down, snapping his head backwards and his body followed. Sesshoumaru shrugged his shirt back into place on his shoulders and threw his hair over his shoulder. He turned from his brothers form and walked to the bar, pouring himself a martini, as if nothing had happened. "What happened that your this upset over it?"

Miroku's mouth dropped as he listened to Sesshoumaru's tone. He could read the Youkai's emotions and it left him awe-struck. Sesshoumaru was acting as if this kind of fighting was a normal routine between the two. He was so calm, indeed, that Miroku even began to question if this was their way of saying 'hello'. Miroku did a double take of the pair and rubbed his eyes with one hand to make sure his vision was working correctly. He first appealed to InuYasha, mainly because he was still face down on the carpeted floor. "Man, are you okay?"

InuYasha grumbled incoherently as he tried to sit up.

Sesshoumaru sighed and took a sip of his drink, placing himself on the golden bar stool. "Don't speak to him, human, its utterly pointless at this time." He took another sip and tired hard not to laugh at the human. "Do not fret, he'll be fine in a few minutes."

Miroku looked back at InuYasha and nodded in understanding. He sighed and stood from the comfy couch and walked to his friend's side. Holding down a hand, he helped the hanyou to his feet and moved him slowly to the couch. After dropping the half beaten boy on the couch, Miroku took a seat on the floor and turned off the glowing television. "so are either of you going to tell me what the hell just happened?"

Sesshoumaru turned very slowly to stare at Miroku in befuddlement. "are you dense boy?"

Miroku rolled his eyes and sighed once, beginning to become agitated with this demon's overly large ego. "I know you just kicked his ass, I mean why!"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and sipped at his drink. He turned his icy glare to the back of Inuyasha's head. "Why indeed." InuYasha, who had his eyes closed, only scoffed. Sesshoumaru let the slightest smirk wash over his hardened features but vanquished it not a moment later. "That should be your answer enough, human. Because he is a baka."

Miroku bit his tongue to snap at the demon and looked at InuYasha. "Man, are you okay? You don't look so good…."

InuYasha waved a hand at Miroku to signify to leave him alone then closed his eyes for a moment. He called out from his relaxed state to his friend, "what did you want to tell me about Kagome?"

Sesshoumaru's ears perked up though he continued to avoid direct conversation about the topic.

Miroku grinned and slid onto the other end of the couch away from InuYasha and cracked open the coke InuYasha had thrown him. he took a swig and propped his feet on the coffee table that was in front of the couch. "well…oh yeah…Kagome isn't a girl who could be considered easy…"

InuYasha opened one eye to peer at his friend with a sarcastic smile plastered to his face, "no…you don't say?"

Miroku cleared his throat and asked quickly, "do you want to hear this or not?"

InuYasha closed his eyes with a single, "keh."

Miroku nodded once and continued, "She has only dated two guys that I know of…both who were perfects as well and also rather…prude, might I say? At one point, in our freshman year, the captain of the football team who was a senior, cliché I know, asked her out. She turned him down…feeling that his actions were only driven by passion. She was right…but he perused her for half the year. She is a cheerleader, after all…"

InuYasha coughed hard at that moment and his eyes flew open. He stared at his friend in shock, "Kagome is a cheerleader?" his mouth twisted into a sick grin as he laughed maliciously, "that figures."

Miroku sighed once more and continued with the story despite his friends comments. "He tried to pin her in the back of the bus after the homecoming games and failed miserably. Sango took care of revenge not long after that by completely calling him out and kicking his ass in the middle of the senior lunch. To have your ass handed to you by a girl is one thing, but by a freshman…the jock nearly left school he was that embarrassed." Miroku sighed as InuYasha flopped backwards into the couch again. "What I'm trying to say is that girl is the embodiment of purity….she's whole, InuYasha…and is very defensive of that….wholeness…"

Sesshoumaru sighed from the bar and finished his martini. Dropping the glass behind the bar, he decided to elaborate for his brother. Resting both of his arms on the couch, he spitefully added, "Kagome isn't going to be some easy whore for you to use and loose, InuYasha."

InuYasha glared once up at his brother and snotily asked, "why are you still here?" turning his attention back to Miroku, he added, "So…Kagome is a virgin huh?"

Miroku didn't like the gleam that was coming from the hanyou's eyes. It was troublesome, to say the least. "Good luck with that, InuYasha…she is very…prude. Hojo, one of the more popular kids in school, has tried to date this girl for the last two years but she won't even give him the time of day."

"Keh, I've heard that one before…trust me…. by time I'm done with her…prude won't even be in her vocabulary." InuYasha grinned in anticipation.

The last comment earned a very defiant glare from Sesshoumaru. His voice dropped an octave to accompany his threat, "InuYasha…if you even try to…."

InuYasha returned his brothers glare and angrily cut him off, "I wouldn't force her to, don't even fuckin think that way."

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed for a moment and silence ensued for a moment, before Sesshoumaru tore his gaze away from InuYasha and plastered it onto Miroku. "Tell me…what do you know about a young girl in your grade named Rin?"

Miroku raised an eyebrow and looked slightly stumped. "Rin? She's…. Rin." He felt the ice prince's glare harden and gulped in fear. Stuttering, he continued quickly, "She is a nice girl…kind of a Perfect by association. She came to our school two years ago and immediately hit it off with Sango and Kagome. They have all been inseparable since then." He could feel the demon's eyes burying deeper into his soul for more information. Unfortunately, Miroku hardly knew anything about her. He grasped for the minor details that everyone knew, "well…She is a cheerleader as well…thanks to Kagome. She is a good student….and uhh…she isn't currently dating anyone…" he nearly smirked when he noticed Seshoumaru's eyes lighten, "she did date Kouga when she first moved here but something went wrong. I heard that she didn't want to have sex with him and he tried to force her…"

InuYasha stared at the Miorku and frowned, "that happens a lot around here, doesn't it?"

Miroku countered without a second thought, "it happens wherever money presides over logic. With money comes power…with power comes the ability to defy the law. Needless to say, kids take what they want…" he paused as a moment of a very disturbing silence passed between the brothers, resulting in Inuyasha's cheeks turning slightly red and dropping his gaze to the ground. Miroku cautiously continued, "well…after that, Kouga quickly became a hood, regardless of his jock-status."

InuYasha sighed deeply and quickly asked, "Kouga is a jock."

At the same time, Sesshoumaru coughed out, "she dated that weak wolf demon that I tossed across the bus?" he cliqued his tongue and quickly added, "I thought she would have had more taste."

Miroku smirked as he watched the emotions flicker across the brother's faces. He turned towards Sesshoumaru and quickly added, "She is also a feisty one…has more spunk then Kagome and Sango put together. She really is a kind person though…though for some reason she works at Abyss as a bartender…"

"…which is illegal because of her age…" Sesshoumaru quickly added.

Miroku nodded and stated, "she's been there for the last year and a half. Rumor has it that her father has some link to Diegosan…and that can't be good."

Sesshoumaru straightened his back at the mention of Diegosan. His face twisted to mirror sever distaste, "what about her relationship with his son?"

Miroku raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "I think Naraku is more interested in Kikyo then anything else. I can't see Rin mingling with someone of his kind…"

InuYasha yawned and painfully stood from the couch. "As interesting as this conversation about Rin is, I'm tired…I don't care…and oh yes…I don't care." He worked his way over to the bar and grabbed a bottle of absolute. "So you two pussies do whatever you want, I'm getting drunk, probably stoned and defiantly going to be unconscious in…" he glanced at the Rolex on his wrist, "…probably one hour." He gave the pair a shit-eating grin and held up the bottle towards the two. "Cheers!" With that, he began to down the large bottle.

Sesshoumaru sighed and turned quickly around to face the young boy. With his awing speed, he grabbed the bottle from the teen's hands and brought it down over his head, sending InuYasha fifty-nine minutes ahead of schedule to the land of unconsciousness. "Baka!" He threw the remaining piece of the bottle into the sink behind the bar and glared down at his brother's slumped form. Shaking his head, he turned to look at Miroku, who was staring at the two in utter shock. Sesshoumaru made the motion to lunge forward towards the startled boy, who in turn, hightailed it out of the basement, up the steps, tripped over the Oriental rug in the hallway, and upon grasping his footing, ran out the front door. Sesshoumaru followed behind Miroku slowly, watching him scamper away as fast as his legs would carry him. Leaning on the doorframe, Sesshoumaru smiled as he watched the overly expensive Ferrari speed down the driveway and out into the distance. He shook his head and closed the door of the mansion. Turning on his heels, he came face to face with his angry mother.

"Its nearly eleven o'clock at night, where have you been? Did you not understand me when I grounded you and your bastard brother for the mess you made of this house when I was gone?"

Sesshoumaru winched at the annoyingly loud nagging voice that echoed out of the woman in front of him. Rage began to boil in his blood, as he seethed back, "you are no one to question me, wench!" With a deep breath, Sesshoumaru struggled to regain his stoic control.

Launia reached out and slapped her son hard across his face. Her normal gray eyes began to change to an eerie cat like yellow. "I am sick and tired of your antics, Sesshoumaru. It is time for you to show some respect! Learn your place, boy!"

Sesshoumaru turned his head with the slap, and then returned a blow of his own across her face. Sending his mother to the floor, Sesshoumaru hissed, "learn my place? Wench, have you not figured it out by now? You have no say in what I do! You have no say in how I act!" towering over the woman, he growled deeply. "Stop trying to intervene in my life now that I'm old enough to take care of myself. I have no need for you."

The woman glared up at her son from the floor and with a piercing scream, she threw herself backwards and jumped to her feet. "How dare you blame me for not being there for you when you were young!" she spat back at the angry demon. "All I am at fault for is spoiling you!"

Sesshoumaru growled deeply and turned his back to the woman he called mother. "You were never there, Launia…never. All I remember of you from my childhood was your whorish behavior…you never gave a damn about my welfare…all that mattered was father's paycheck." He narrowed his eyes as he took a menacing step towards Launia. "But once those stopped coming to you," he snapped his fingers in front of her face and his tone deepened, "he was gone."

His mother growled and clenched his fists. "What are you insinuating?"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and turned away from his mother. Walking to the staircase, he called behind him without turning around, his voice nearly a whisper, "out, damned spot, out I say…"

Launia had begun to walk towards the kitchen when her son's words fell upon her ears. Turning to face him, her face was blazing with anger and rage. "What did you just say to me?"

Sesshoumaru continued to walk up the steps then paused. Still not looking over his shoulder, a smile played upon his lips. 'Finally, the wench is where I have waited for her to be all these years…at my mercy.' Calling back, Sesshoumaru answered, "What need you fear who knows it, when none can call your power to account?--Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him?" (CR)

All color drained from Launia's face as she stared up at her ascending son. She gasped and brought a hand to her mouth. 'What words does he curse me with? How does he…' Launia did not know how long she stood there staring at the stairwell…but the hours continued to pass by regardless.

- CR Macbeth, act V, scene 1. Shakespeare.

((((For those who I lost in the quote, Sesshoumaru is stating that much like Lady Macbeth, Launia is harboring secrets. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth killed Duncan and is driven insane by the guilt…he is suggesting that Launia killed his father.)))

- R&R please, I hate begging but I need to know that these people who read aren't appalled with the antics of the characters.