A/N: I'm afraid to say it, but I think we all know someone like Ichikawa.

Belly-Up

As soon as Kichiruka had completed the transition back to the ocean, the ache in his chest was quickly overcome by a searing pain in his cheek. "YEOWCH!" An intense stinging wrecked havoc on Kichiruka's nervous system the second that the saltwater made contact with the open slashes Sesshomaru left.

Making his way into his capsized ship, Kichiruka slid the door shut on the little red clouds of blood that trailed after him. Why hasn't it closed yet? For yokai, even common ones, most wounds developed scabs in a few minutes. By the next day only a shiny scar would be evidence of any altercation.

Fumbling through his own assortment of jars and cures with one hand on his cheek, Kichiruka searched hastily for some sort of coolant just to ease the searing pain. He came up empty-handed. And clenched his teeth.

But I'm not about to crying to anyone about this.

oOo

"Such a fool," Tensai grumbled as he dabbed on some salve. "If you had come to me sooner we could have prevented any permanent scarring."

Kichiruka gritted his teeth as his teacher rubbed in the poultice over the sore scratches on his cheek. "It's going to scar?"

"Now it will." The swordfish heaved an exasperated sigh. "There was venom in the laceration. You were lucky to only get a brush of it otherwise this whole side of your face should be gone."

Kichiruka gulped.

"You know," Tensai said, applying a final coating, "I've heard of lovers who are into this sort of physical taxation, but don't you think this is a bit extreme?"

Kichiruka smirked at his instructor's dry attempt at humor. Then winced when fresh pain made it clear one side of his face wasn't ready to smile yet.

Tensai folded his arms, his expression serious again. "So, what happened?"

Kichiruka fiddled with some stray kelp peeking from under a rock. "I was with Rin and then Lord Sesshomaru just shows up…"

"You weren't aware a demon of that stature was drawing close?"

"I was, uh, kinda distracted."

Large, yellow eyes rolled irritably.

"Well, I mean, we were only…geez, y'know, the same thing you do when you think you're alone with a woman."

"You were doing all that?" Tensai looked positively appalled.

"Huh?" It took Kichiruka a moment to register the implications. "Master Tensai, you have such a dirty mind! No."

Before Tensai could retort, a ripple went through his study, heralding a visitor at the door. The swordfish slapped a hand over his eyes and it was no stretch of the imagination who had drifted on by to pay him a cheerful how-thee-do.

Without waiting for a proper invitation, Ichikawa forced his way through the security barrier in one violent pulse of yoki. When he entered, however, it was with his most affable of smiles.

"Oh come now, Kichiruka, you know he's sexually repressed." There was no accounting for Ichikawa's offhand greetings.

Tensai squared his jaw and glared. "Lord Ichikawa, if you continue making such remarks I will withdraw my services."

"Ah, very well. My mistake anyway." The daiyokai waved his fin as if he were batting a fly. "I forgot that you're of the domestic persuasion, correct?"

Kichiruka had to restrain his teacher before he did anything rash. Sesshomaru's aura may have been an inferno, but when he was upset Tensai's blazed strong enough to rattle every glass and ceramic in the cavern. "Master Tensai, please!" Kichiruka begged. "It was just an observation. Is there any reason to deny…"

"It's that sort of attitude, you naïve fool," Tensai snapped at Kichiruka, "that screws over any sort of chance you have with Rin. And damn this deranged, manipulative, overgrown tadpole! I swear to –"

Ichikawa cleared his throat. "I don't mind admitting to my eccentric tastes and opportunism, but I do resent being called an oversized tadpole. I'm a manta ray," he said primly.

Tensai was about to continue his tirade without a care when the horns on Ichikawa's crown glowed a bright violet. Eyes flashing as he looked toward the cavern's exit, the daiyokai bit down on his lower lip. "Mierde."

Kichiruka's ears flexed at the foreign word. It sounded like the same tone Master Tensai used for over to the glowing sphere the swordfish kept to observe ongoing outside activity. And what Kichiruka often employed to "spy" on Rin.

Whatever he saw didn't lighten the shadows onIchikawa's face. "Kichiruka, stay in here with your instructor." Without even a gibe or grin, the ocean lord rippled out of the room.

Once Ichikawa was gone, Tensai straightened a bit, although he didn't say good riddance. "You know what it is, don't you?" Tensai looked at Kichiruka, eyeing his pupil's searching gaze.

"Something's here." The spikes on the top of Kichiruka's head quivered. "Lord Ichikawa is putting up a barrier, I guess."

Tensai nodded gravely. "This is the third time in the past two years he's had to protect us to this extent. And when I say 'us' I mean everyone in his territory." "I've always wondered,"

Kichiruka said, tugging pensively on one of his long silver bangs, "What is it exactly that Lord Ichikawa does?"

"His wings expand," Tensai said. "I don't know if it's unique to him, but one of Ichikawa's techniques is that he can cover his entire domain and make us dim to any threats."

"You mean invisible long enough for danger to pass?"

Tensai nodded. "Something like that." Whatever sort of yokai or being was passing through Ichikawa near Mikan wasn't prepared to chance a fight. This is why he's so set on Sesshomaru alliance, hm? He fingered his black sleeve. "Going dim – not quite invisible – is one of the properties ofIchikawa's skin."

Kichiruka wondered if one of the materials that went into creating his teacher's robe. But instead he asked a better question. "Master Tensai, if you don't really like Lord Ichikawa how come you hang around here still?"

Tensai shrugged. "We have an…understanding."

"You said that you were denied candidacy as a Master of Arcane Arts." Kichiruka tilted his head to one side. "Did he assist you in…?"

"Lord Ichikawa likes to make his bets." Tensai laughed gruffly, sidestepping the question. "And whatever he sees in something, even if it only seems like some mad hope, he astounds everyone by bringing something out of nothing. You're a good poster child for that, Kichiruka," he added as a bit of an insult to neutralize any praise that might be mixed in. Naturally, his student completely missed it.

"Why, Master Tensai!" Kichiruka said, mimickingIchikawa's droll register. "That almost sounds like admiration for our sovereign lord!"

Tensai snorted. "Oh, I hate Ichikawa," he said, leaving no question in his tone. "But I have only the deepest regard for the Lord of Mikan who never forgets his people." While he spoke Tensai smoothed out a scroll, this one with different designs of his patterned floor highlighted. "Get me matrixes ten and one-eighty-six."

Kichiruka complied. "Are we helping him?"

"I'm just earning my keep." That said, Tensai focused on coating the proper grooves on the floor and finding the right incantations.

oOo

A full day had passed since she last saw him, but Rin had known Kichiruka to run late before. For the time being, she stocked up on fresh water and basic necessities. Then sat down to wait. She had her first visitor in just an hour.

"You remind me of a little kid waiting for the New Year to come," Shippo commented around a mouthful of baked lizard.

Rin gave a small "heh," but didn't say much else.

"Want some?" Shippo offered her a bite of his treat, but she silently declined. A spinning top and a solitary game that involved sticks and stones later, and Shippo lost interest. "I'll come back when you're moving around again, mk?"

Rin waved him goodbye. By dusk her head was drooping. Kichiruka would come back. Rin scratched a mosquito bite on her arm. She probably shouldn't have left the water uncovered. There were two bites so far, another one on her ankle, but other than that there wasn't much discomfort. Rin sneezed. Okay, and maybe hay fever. But so long as Sesshomaru was bent on killing Kichiruka on sight, Rin would not leave her post.

A loud gurgle erupted from her stomach. Quiet, you.

"Hey, kid," Inuyasha called as he approached. "What the hell do you think you're doin'?"

Rin looked up from over her knees where she sat curled up. "You got eyes. What's it look like?"

Inuyasha's ears pricked forward. "Hey, leave the wise-ass remarks to me." He clicked his claws impatiently along Tetsusaiga's scabbard. "So what's up?"

"I'm waiting," Rin said with all the explanatory prowess of her guardian. The thought of the similarity annoyed her, so she elaborated, "Lord Sesshomaru said he would kill Kichiruka the next time he saw him. I'm waiting here to prevent that and, if need be, go with Kichiruka."

Inuyasha cast a pleading glance to the heavens. "Ri-ight. And you think you can out-stubborn Sesshomaru?"

"It's not about that." Rin frowned and stared straight ahead before adding, "Besides you get into pissing contests with him all the time."

"Watch your damn mouth," Inuyasha snapped. "He's my bastard half-brother. We do that shit."

"And does it ever really have a point?" Rin remarked.

"Yeah, usually my life…" The words sounded hollow in Inuyasha' own ears. It had been a while since Sesshomaru had tried to kill him, but the memories were still there. It certainly wasn't that long ago.

Rin tugged at the collar of her yukata that still had her friend's blood on it. "And this case has Kichiruka's life at stake."

With a gusty sigh, Inuyasha roughly combed his claws through his bangs. Damn, he had told Kagome from the get-go not to encourage any of this between stuff between Rin and her vapor-brained boyfriend. The kid took after Sesshomaru way too frigging much to know when to call it quits. Damn hopeless little… "Lookit, brat, I want you to know right now that I think what you're doing is stupid. We've got a small virus outbreak and Kagome's tryin' her best to keep it quarantined. Said something about minding our emu systems or something."

"Immune system," Rin corrected, remembering from her biology book. She sneezed again. Blasted pollen.

"Well hell, if you already know all that then take better frickin' care of yourself." Inuyasha jabbed an accusing claw in Rin's direction. "You're looking kinda warm, too."

"I'm fine!" she growled.

"Whatever." Inuyasha tossed his mane to one side and sauntered off. He should've known that someone who followed around a creep like Sesshomaru wouldn't give up on too many other people either. "We'll come by every now and then to sweep the cobwebs from around ya."

And Kichiruka will be back before then, Rin thought.

.

A/N: Thank you for reading! Lookee: feral-instinct. deviantart. com/#/d3l3tnx I also hate to diffuse drama in a story, but I kept thinking of this commercial while writing: youtube. com/watch?v=Siz4Q-valXk