Chapter 17:

While Kirsten worked out a training schedule for Inuyasha, she had left the half-demon somewhat at loose ends, but other things happened to occupy his time.

The tutor had arrived: a matronly Japanese lady, retired from teaching. Mrs. Mikata had given Inuyasha a good, long stare, tweaked one of his ears, then told him to sit down and they would begin.

Since Inuyasha was available for most of the day for the rest of the week, Mrs. Mikata had decided that it would be best to make a good start, then adjust the schedule to fit into whatever training regimen Kirsten deemed was necessary.

So Inuyasha spent two hours in the morning in Kirsten's home office learning to write, and then an hour before lunch learning to read, with a half hour break in between. Mrs. Mikata would eat lunch with him, then take him on a long walk either through the neighbourhood or through the park, and they would talk about various things of interest. Once they returned to the house, they spent two hours on math basics.

Inuyasha adored Mrs. Mikata and found it wonderful to communicate in his own language for a change. Mrs. Mikata liked the practice in speaking her native tongue. She had come to Canada as a teenager and mostly used English. She found ways to make the lessons interesting and was amazed at how quickly Inuyasha was picking up whatever she taught. Kagome would sometimes sit in on the math lesson and get some help with her own schoolwork.

OoOoOo

And Inuyasha had discovered Victoria's Secret. Quite by accident, of course. At first, he had thought it was one of the ladies' magazines that both Kirsten and Fawn bought, but once he turned a few pages, he discovered how wrong he was. He had slammed the book shut and flung it back on the coffee table as if it were a venomous snake.

"What's the matter, Yasha?" Jonathan asked, as he settled into a chair with his coffee and a newspaper.

Inuyasha's face blazed red and he pointed an accusing finger. "That… that… thing!"

"What thing… Hel – lo!" Jonathan picked up the offending magazine and began to page through it. He gave a low whistle. "Hmmm… think I could get Kirsty to… naw. Oh my! Now that's…"

Jonathan looked up at the half-demon, who had curled himself into a small ball on the couch. "What's your problem?"

"It's… it's… vulgar!"

"Oh pish-tosh. Here, look. A perfectly nice one-piece bathing suit. Nothing vulgar about it."

Inuyasha turned his head away. "I'm not looking."

At this point, Tamisé came into the room, looking for Jonathan. He surveyed the scene for a moment, then grinned.

"Trying to pervert the lad, Jon?"

"I can't believe a decent woman would wear anything like that," Inuyasha complained.

"Well, let's see here." Tamisé plucked the magazine from Jonathan's fingers. "Oh yes. Here we go. I got that nice little nightgown for Fawn last time."

Tamisé displayed the page. Jonathan whistled. Inuyasha sniffed.

"And here. Look, Inuyasha. Isn't that the bathing suit Kagome brought with her? If it isn't, it's darn close."

The half-demon's eyes slid sideways. "How would I know?"

"You haven't seen her in that suit yet? She's worn it several times to the pool at the office."

"She has?" And she hadn't told him? So he could come along to protect her, of course, from guys like… like David.

Tamisé gave the half-demon a considering look. "Swim at my place tonight, Jon? It's hot enough to enjoy a dip after supper."

Jonathan grinned. "Sure thing. And you, Inuyasha, you haven't worn that bathing suit I got you yet."

"I… "

"Oh – Inuyasha doesn't swim," Kagome's voice said brightly from the kitchen doorway. "He just dog paddles."

Inuyasha glowered at the love of his life while the two older men guffawed. "I don't dog paddle!"

Kagome ruffled his hair. "Sure you do. Oh – Victoria's Secret!"

Inuyasha snatched the magazine away. "You can't look at that, Kagome!"

"Oh – don't be such a prude, Inuyasha. Give it here."

"No."

"Inuyasha…"

"Don't say it!"

"Inuyasha, the magazine, please."

"No."

"Alright – you asked for it! Sit boy!"

Inuyasha yelped as the Beads of Subjugation activated and he was dragged to the floor. Kagome snatched the fluttering magazine from his numbed fingers.

"Geez, Inuyasha! Grow up, willya? I don't see David blushing over a silly magazine."

OoOoOo

A few hours later, Jonathan was tugging Inuyasha across the lawn towards Tamisé's back yard. Since Tamisé liked people using the pool, a key to the pool enclosure hung on the hooks by the Windrows' back door, and Jonathan now had the key in his hand in case Tamisé was still having his dinner.

Inuyasha wore his towel draped about his shoulders, instead of just around his neck like Jonathan. He felt very exposed in the bathing suit, and he wasn't quite sure he liked the way Kagome had just inspected him.

Kagome and Kirsten followed behind with Ryan between them. Both women wore loose t-shirts over their bathing suits.

As it turned out, the key was unnecessary. Tamisé and his family were already in the pool, along with Rod and Nanny Frances. The tall alien was teaching Colin to swim, while Fawn bounced Breanna up and down in the water.

Inuyasha took his sandals off and put them against the wall, then put his towel on a bench. When he turned, he got an eyeful of the women pulling the t-shirts off. He gulped. Although he had seen Kagome without a stitch on several occasions, it had never affected him the way it did now. He had been embarrassed, of course, but there had never been this funny, fluttering sensation in his stomach before. And his body had never reacted this way before either… And if she turned right now, she was going to see – and he was going to die of embarrassment.

Moving quickly, Inuyasha slid into the water, biting back an exclamation as the cool water hit his skin. Of course, he had had to enter at the deep end, and went in over his head. He came up sputtering.

Jonathan crouched at the side of the pool, grinning at him knowingly.

"You okay there, Yasha?"

"I'm FINE!"

"Any more of that floundering about and Kagome will have to come rescue you."

Inuyasha had seen Kagome tow people out of water before, and the thought of her touching him in his present condition made his face flame red again.

"You okay, Inuyasha?"

Kirsten was kneeling down beside Jonathan, concern on her face. Inuyasha could not help but stare at her. Kagome had a sweet little body, but she had some way to go before matching Kirsten's more mature curves. This was the first time Inuyasha had seen the mutant wear so little, and he could not help but wonder if the scales faded to nothing in certain areas. Jonathan's bare chest gave him an idea of what Kirsten's might look like… He hadn't thought his face could get redder than it was, but it could and it did.

"That's an… interesting colour, Yasha," Kirsten said, amused.

"What's the matter with Yasha?" Ryan said.

Kagome giggled. "Never mind. Let's go down to the shallow

end, shall we?"

OoOoOo

Things just seemed to get worse from that point on. Inuyasha found himself following Kirsten about like a lost puppy and making up excuses to touch her or brush against her.

Kirsten, for her part, ignored his antics. She understood what was happening, even if he did not, and was careful not to be provocative in any manner. Jonathan twitted her about her "new boyfriend", but never where there was a chance that Inuyasha could hear.

It did not help that the training put the two of them in close contact much of the time. Kirsten had started to teach the half-demon Tai Chi, and had to stop every so often to correct his stance. She was beginning to wonder if he stood off-balance on purpose just so she would touch him. But Thorne assured her that during their holhsi lessons, Inuyasha was still having problems with his balance. Tamisé also noticed the balance problem as he began to teach Inuyasha the quarterstaff.

"Inuyasha understands that he's not completely stable," Tamisé said. "But remember it's very hard to break a habit of a lifetime – and he's had a long lifetime. How long did it take you to learn to let your body stand naturally in the most stable position?"

"Hmmph. Nearly a year, I think," Kirsten replied. "But we don't have a year, Tam. We've got five months and a bit."

"So maybe we should accelerate things a little by using some of the training tapes."

"The best ones I can think of are Shane's – and I'm not sure that's a good idea right now. What if there's personality bleed-through like Jon had?"

"Well – the worst thing that can happen is his crush on you will intensify. You can deal with that, can't you?"

"Oh – you noticed too, did you?" Kirsten groaned.

"How could I not? Relax, sweeting. It's normal and you know it. Spider thinks he may even be going through a form of puberty – but who knows with demons? He looks to be about eighteen – we know he's over two hundred – but maybe biologically, he's only fourteen or fifteen or so."

"Oh – just wonderful."

"It's too bad he doesn't have Kagome around more often to distract him. She still going about with David?"

"Yeah. Inuyasha gets up in that big maple out front to watch them leave, and he sometimes won't come down until they're back. But he's remembering your advice, Tam, and he isn't interfering for now."

"Good lad." Tamisé nodded in satisfaction. "See, he can be mature about some things.

"Okay, then. For now, let's cancel his afternoon sessions and get him instead onto the training tapes. Then I'll take him for a swim at the pool at the time when it's likely to be busiest. I think repeated exposure will cure that blush of his."

Tamisé suddenly realized what he had said and began to laugh. Kirsten giggled.

"That's not quite what I meant, darlin'!"

Kirsten grinned. "Oh – I understand what you meant, and I concur. On both points."

OoOoOo

Inuyasha did not like the tape sessions at all. They made his brain feel a little fuzzy and he sometimes had a major headache afterwards.

But his training sessions began to go better, especially with Thorne, who was an even stricter taskmaster than Kirsten. Inuyasha was still not standing naturally in the most stable position, but now he was aware of it somewhere in the back of his consciousness, and it annoyed him.

It sometimes felt like there was another person inside his head, yammering at him about one thing or another. The only thing he and the voice inside his head could agree upon was Kirsten. He started getting flashes of memories that he knew were not his. He had never touched Kirsten in such a manner, nor had she ever given him a heated look like that or said such things to him.

Tamisé, it seemed, had been watching him like a hawk, and took him into his office one afternoon. He carefully locked the door, so they would not be disturbed and made a pot of tea on the hotplate he kept there.

Inuyasha accepted the mug of tea gratefully and eyed the redhaired alien warily. Tamisé had a most serious look on his face and Inuyasha knew that did not bode well for him. He was trying to remember if he had done anything he shouldn't, because Tamisé was looking as if he would cheerfully skin him alive.

They began by talking about the training tapes. It did not take long for Inuyasha to tell Tamisé about the weird 'memories' he was getting. He was surprised when Tamisé sighed gustily.

"Okay, then. You're experiencing bleed-through. What that means is that the personality of the person who made the tape is forcing itself on your consciousness. It happens sometimes. The person whose tapes you're using had a very strong personality. His name was Shane."

"And he was something special to Kirsty, wasn't he?"

Tamisé nodded. "He was Kirsty's lover a long time ago."

Inuyasha blushed. "So that's why…"

"That's why, indeed." Tamisé settled back in his chair. "I suppose I'd better tell you the story, so you understand.

"Shane was a prince of his world, and had come here to escape a political marriage he didn't want. He was a superb warrior – one of the best Krull-fighters I'd ever seen. Some people say he was better than me. Me – I don't care one way or the other – but Shane was indeed incredible.

"Anyway, I paired him up with Kirsten so her own skills would be improved. They didn't like each other at first, but soon came to respect each other's abilities. Shane was a very reserved person, and I never realized he was falling in love with Kirsten until it was too late. Something happened at a festival – I was never sure exactly what, but the next day, they were together.

"I never really approved of the relationship. You see, Shane looked very much like a human man, but there were some external differences…" Tamisé shrugged. "Well, it was good for Kirsty to have a man, and she seemed happy. But eventually, Shane was ordered home. His world was on the brink of civil war, and his marriage to the woman he disliked was demanded. He wasn't going to go, but Kirsten made him see reason and understand that his duty to his people came first. He wanted her to go with him, but she refused."

Inuyasha stared at the floor for a moment. "These tapes were made when he was in the relationship with Kirsty?"

Tamisé nodded. "The effect they're having on you will fade with time. Kirsty didn't want to use them, but they were the best we had for our purposes. Even Jon used those tapes when he was starting out."

"So some of what I'm feeling is Shane – not me."

"Yes."

"He loved Kirsty a great deal."

"I believe he did. Kirsten was devastated for a long time after he left for home. It was a good thing that Jon came into her life. He's better for her than Shane ever was."

Inuyasha swallowed hard. He understood what Tamisé was trying to say without coming right out with words that could hurt. Jonathan was better for Kirsten than, say, a half-demon like himself.

"Tam?"

"Hmmm?"

"This growing up thing…it sucks."

"Okay!" Tamisé laughed. "Spider thought you might be going through puberty, or something like it. Now I know he's right! Feel like working off some of that frustration?"

Inuyasha set his mug down and cracked his knuckles. "Oh yeah!"

OoOoOo

A few hours later, Inuyasha was pounding the wall in frustration.

"Damn! Damn! Damn! I will never get this right!"

He had been working on his balance and stance, and it was not going well. That annoying voice in his head was beginning to confuse him and just would NOT shut up!

"Easy now," Kirsten's voice said through the intercom. "We all get like this once in a while. Even me. Just walk away from it for now and we'll work on something else."

Kirsten and Tamisé had stayed in the observation room, so they might monitor his progress. To Inuyasha's mind, it was a good thing that neither of them were in the room with him in his present state.

"I will NOT walk away!" he yelled. He drove his fist into the wall once more, not heeding the pain.

"You're losing control, Inuyasha."

"I WANT to lose control. Dammit – I'm sick of control!" He pulled the Tetsusaiga's sheath from the harness and tossed it aside.

"What are you doing? Pick up your sword, Inuyasha."

"NO!" he howled.

"Inuyasha…don't make me come in there."

"Come in and face me, bitch!"

Kirsten and Tamisé exchanged worried looks. The half-demon's face was contorting with rage. They had never seen him so angry. As they watched, his eyes turned red and ragged purple marks appeared on his cheekbones.

"What's happened to his face?" Tamisé gasped. "Kirsten, what's happening to him?"

"Oh shit! I think he's transforming. Kagome told me if he's separated from the Tetsusaiga this could happen to him. He's becoming full demon, Tam! Cerberus – tell Jonathan to get his ass over here, stat! We'll have to go in and bring him back into contact with the sword if he won't do it on his own."

By the time Jonathan came running in, Inuyasha had trashed the training room. The balance beam lay in several pieces, smashed by his fists. The rings had been torn from the ceiling and the vaulting horse lay on its side, its back broken. Long, vicious scratches marred the walls and several of the lights had been broken.

"Holy shit!" Jonathan said, surveying the carnage in the room.

"Jon – we have to go in there. He's thrown the Tetsusaiga against the wall and is refusing any contact with it. If you can distract him, I'll get around behind and see if my toxin will knock him out."

"We'll have to go in full throttle, love. In that condition, he's easily as fast as us and just as strong."

"Cerberus, call a medical team to the room, just in case. And get Kagome. She told me invoking the spell on his beads often breaks him out of transformation. Okay – ready, Jon?"

Jonathan nodded.

"Tam – unlock the door. Make sure it secures behind us. We don't want him getting out where he can cause real damage."

On Kirsten's mark, Tamisé pulled open the door to the training room and slammed it shut behind them. He watched with his heart in his mouth as his two best warriors took on the enraged demon.

Jonathan ran at Inuyasha at his top speed, managing a blow to the demon's face before he had to dodge the razor-sharp claws that tried to disembowel him. Kirsten went around the perimeter of the room, snatching up the abandoned sword on her way. Inuyasha pressed Jonathan into retreat, slashing at him with his claws relentlessly. Kirsten dashed up behind him and brought the Tetsusaiga across his chest. He flipped her off his back easily and laughed, as she slammed hard against the wall.

"Silly bitch!" he taunted.

Jonathan got in a blow to Inuyasha's ribs, then another to his chin. "That's my wife, you two-bit, stupid excuse for a man!"

While Inuyasha dealt with the fresh onslaught from Jonathan, Kirsten got to her feet. Obviously, she needed to go for the strike directly. Trying to bring him in contact with the sword would not work. "Alright, that's it, you long-haired mutt! You're going down!"

Jonathan provided her with the opening she needed to leap on Inuyasha's back. He twisted, trying to throw her off, but she wrapped her legs around his waist. Throwing one arm about his neck to steady herself, she raised her other hand and brought it across his neck sharply, injecting her toxin.

Thankfully, the toxin had the same effect as it would on anyone else. Inuyasha groaned and slumped to the ground. Kirsten untangled herself from him, dusting her hands.

"I put enough in him to take down a bull elephant," she said to her husband. "You okay, Jon?"

"A few bruises, but I'll live."

"Same here." Suddenly, she sagged to the floor, holding her side. "Uh-oh. Spoke too soon. Medic!"

Tamisé came running in with Spider behind him. Kagome followed, shouting for Inuyasha.

Spider would have come right for Kirsten, but she waved him in the direction of the fallen half-demon. Kagome knelt over Inuyasha's prone body, weeping. Spider felt for a pulse and found one.

"He's alive," he said. "But he'll be under for a while. Should I get him strapped down?"

"No!" Kagome sobbed. "No – he'll be back to normal soon. Look at his face. Where's the Tetsusaiga?"

Jonathan handed her the sword. She placed it across Inuyasha's chest and closed one of his hands around it. Spider reared back as a pulse of energy went through the half-demon's body.

"Whoa! What just happened?"

"It's okay. He's back to normal." Kagome looked up. "Are you okay, Kirsten? Did he hurt you?"

Spider came over and knelt beside the small mutant, running his hands expertly down her sides.

"Owtch! Goddammit, Spider! Be careful!"

Spider grinned. "Got one or two cracked ribs, I'll bet. They'll have to be taken care of."

"Yeah."

Spider motioned several people into the room. Two of the men carried a stretcher.

"Okay, people. Let's get Kirsty and Inuyasha moved to the First Aid rooms."

"I can walk, Spider," Kirsten said.

"Jon – see to her, will you? Room One. I'll put Inuyasha in Room Two. Kagome, are you sure he won't need restraints?"

Kagome nodded her tear-streaked face. "He'll be okay when he awakes. I'll stay with him until then. Oh, Kirsty…. I'm so sorry!"

"Don't worry about it, honey." Kirsten grimaced. "I know someone who's gonna be a whole lot sorrier. Especially when he finds out what I've got planned!"

"Kirsten…" Tamisé began.

"Oh, stubble it, Tam. I ain't gonna lay a finger on him. I'm going to let Tayne beat the snot out of him. She was about due to start her section of the training anyway."

Tamisé laid a hand across his eyes dramatically. "Alas! A fate worse than death!"

Kirsten put on a vicious grin. "Oh, he may wish he were dead, alright."