Insert Standard Disclaimer here
"Pupil"
Inuyasha was a fairly attentive student to his mother. She would whap his wrist with a reed if he got too distracted from his calligraphy, reading, human history, astronomy, and mathematics, but she didn't have to do it very often.
Myoga was a different story. "Lord Inuyasha, pay attention!" he squawked for the tenth time that morning.
"Sigh."
"Hmph. If you don't pay attention, I might just skip today's lesson on fighting demons!"
"No, no, Myoga, I'll pay attention. I promise!"
"Very well. Now, the youkai we'll study today is the common mountain oni. The oni is a fearsome beast that can grow to sizes comparable to the mountains they inhabit. They often…"
Unbeknownst to Myoga, Inuyasha was fast asleep, though his ears twitched unconsciously at the irritating noise. In fact, he slept with his eyes wide open for nearly half of the time he spent under Myoga's tutelage. The first time, it was purely by accident; he'd stayed out too late the night before hunting rabbits, a past-time which his mother only grudgingly approved of after Myoga explained to her that such behavior was "entirely normal" for a young dog-demon. Truthfully, she'd always liked stewed rabbit, so she gradually came to secretly enjoy Inuyasha's midnight capers.
The diminutive flea couldn't use corporal punishment to get his pupil in line, as Izayoi could, and Inuyasha literally found it very hard to focus on either his teacher or the subject matter. The only thing Myoga taught him that was of any interest was the actual fighting aspect of dealing with demons… and as Myoga hadn't done much of this himself, this topic was usually given the least attention. However, since Myoga always reserved that tasty tidbit for last, Inuyasha usually suffered through his boring lectures on demon history, culture, family lines and legacies, nomenclature, habits, etc.
Inuyasha had quickly figured out that the last ten minutes were all Myoga would quiz him on at the lesson's end. Since the old flea talked so much for so long, he couldn't remember more than the last ten or so minutes of what he himself said. When the time seemed right, Inuyasha slowly woke himself and began tuning in to Myoga's lecture. This time, Myoga had saved his personal favorite detail for last: the various properties of a demon's blood.
Inuyasha didn't mind it when the flea waxed especially eloquent about this aspect; his teacher's eyes glazed over and Inuyasha knew he'd be able to slip off and play for at least an hour and be back without Myoga realizing he had been gone.
This time, though, Myoga had surprisingly little to say, and his eyes didn't react like usual. "Lord Inuyasha, an oni's blood is quite revolting compared to that of most demons. But there is a second reason why oni blood is to be avoided: oni blood attracts other onis. It is not through their sense of smell, for onis lack that sense almost entirely.
"Within oni blood, there are small, vile creatures that emit a particular demonic aura unique to each host. Onis are innately drawn by any aura other than their own; an oni can't sense its own aura, since that same aura is also within itself. Thus, while under normal circumstances onis are solitary creatures, when one is wounded, others will gather. If a major threat is perceived, they will band together to fight a common foe; but if there is no apparent enemy, only an injured member of their species, then the wounded oni will become dinner for the others."
The lesson concluded, Myoga drilled his unwilling pupil on onis, focusing – as expected – on their blood. Inuyasha did absorb some information while asleep, and so managed to pass to Myoga's satisfaction, but what he learned was always jumbled and usually forgotten by the next day.
"Very well, Lord Inuyasha. For today's combat lesson, we will learn about names."
"Names?"
"Yes. In human martial arts, swordplay, and all civilized forms of demon combat, names are given to the various attacks. Besides being used to quickly plan a synchronized attack with your allies, a name can be shouted simultaneously with the attack as a means of focusing your demon energy on the attack."
"Hmm. So, I could say, 'Super Squeeze' while doing this?" Inuyasha smashed the flea flat.
"Yes…" Myoga wheezed.
"Or say 'Super Shake' while doing this?"
"Yeh – yeh – yeh – yes!" he gasped out from within Inuyasha's clenched and wildly gyrating hand.
"Is that all you had to tell me today about combat, Myoga?" He fixed an evil eye on the squirming pest.
"Inuyasha, put him down! You should not treat your sensei so cruelly!" Izayoi had just returned from the market.
"Yes, Mother…" Rats…
"Phew…" Myoga mopped his brow. "You still have a lot to learn! You should be grateful that I am passing on my knowledge, Lord Inuyasha!"
"Aw, come on… I try… it's just so boring!"
"Hmph!" He turned his back and folded all four arms. "What I know might just save your life someday!"
"Sigh… I'm sorry… I'll try harder next time."
"Very well. I must be off, though… responsibilities elsewhere…" He muttered something indistinct about some 'Old Lady' as he hopped down the path to town.
Izayoi and Inuyasha watched him leave. "He's sure a strange one."
"You don't know the half of it, Mother."
"Oh! Inuyasha… before I forget, there's something I need to tell you."
"What's that?"
Izayoi hesitated, trying to think up good way of breaking it to him. She'd heard reports in town: large, clawed footprints had been left in trampled crop fields; and one unlucky peasant discovered his chicken coop smashed in and all of the occupants missing. Though she had no conclusive proof, she had deduced that an oni had migrated from elsewhere and now prowled the area at night. And it was getting bolder. Of course, the townsfolk blamed bandits. But did bandits leave a trail of poultry carcasses?
"Inuyasha, I want you to stay at home at night from now on, until I tell you, ok? I've been lonely lately, and I'll feel better if you're here." It's entirely true, but still not the main reason… I don't want him to worry, or go off looking for trouble.
"Yes, Mother." Inuyasha knew better than to disobey; to him, Mother's word was law. Besides that, it made him happy that she wanted him to stay with her; he wanted to stay with her forever.
A/N: An oni is a common demon in Japanese mythology, fairly comparable to a European ogre with horns. The bit about oni blood is completely fictitious, as far as I know. If it is true, that's just creepy. I hope it made some sense. I also hope I didn't get your hopes up with the title… it's not about Inuyasha's eye, but Inuyasha himself. I am a fan of Ranma 1/2 as well as Inuyasha, and since Ranma and Happosai are the rough equivalents of Inuyasha and Myoga, respectively, I wanted to see how the feudal era pair would behave in the roles of student and teacher. What do you think?