InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Actions Speak Louder Than Words ❯ Myouga has his say ( Chapter 3 )

Actions Speak Louder than Words

 

by mshutts

 

disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters here-in.

 

warning: implied incestuous relationship (or implied attempt at beginning an incestuous relationship)

 

Chapter 3: Myouga Has His Say

 

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`Myouga! You'll tell them I'm not crazy won't you?”

 

“My lord?”

 

“Tell them I'm not crazy!”

 

“Um, why do they think you're crazy, Master Inuyasha?”

 

“He has been acting unusual,” commented Miroku.

 

“He had a fight with Sesshoumaru and completely freaked out, you mean,” elaborated Shippo.

 

“I did NOT freak out! Besides Sesshoumaru was trying to do THINGS to me!” interjected Inuyasha.

 

“Oh, honestly, Inuyasha. He was not!” Kagome shrieked.

 

“Yes, he was! You saw what he was doing!” Inuyasha cried in outrage.

 

“He wasn't DOING anything! He barely even attacked you!” Kagome continued, getting more frustrated.

 

“He was trying to molest me!” Inuyasha yelled back, equally annoyed.

 

“Molest you?” Myouga questioned, confused.

 

“He keeps touching me and shit,” Inuyasha expounded.

 

“Really? How?” the flea probed.

 

“Oh, come on! You can't honestly be buying into this madness!” Kagome exclaimed.

 

“Well, touching is important, especially among inuyoukai,” Myouga explained patiently. “For instance, mating rituals among dog demons are always initiated with touch.”

 

“Mating rituals?” questioned everyone in the hut with mixed reactions from confusion and shock to outright horror in Inuyasha's case.

 

“Oh, yes. Dog demon mating rituals are quite complex. First, there is a battle to determine who the dominant will be. Although I suppose it is really more of a series of battles. Why, when the Great Dog General first began the mating ritual with Lord Sesshoumaru's mother, they fought off and on for decades. For, you see, the submissive must accept that they are the submissive or the mating cannot progress any further. If the two are very close in power, which they generally are, it can take decades or even centuries for them to finally move to the next stage.”

 

“So you can tell who an inuyoukai is interested in mating by watching who they fight?” Sango asked, intrigued.

 

“Oh, no, it's not like that at all. Dog demons love fighting. They fight with anyone who is willing to fight with them as a general rule. No, the differences between a courting pair and a simple fight is very subtle. In fact, it is often not until after the pair has moved on to the next stage of courtship that one can even tell they were courting.”

 

“Let me get this straight: the courtship is begun through fighting? That doesn't make any sense! Who would want to be with someone who had beat the living daylights out of them repeatedly for years?” Kagome asked.

 

“It is not just the fights, Kagome. It is how the fights are done. The purpose of the fights is not only to determine dominance but to get the other used to their touch. As I said, inuyoukai are very sensitive about touching. In a courtship fight, for instance, there would always be a touch of skin to skin at some point. In a regular fight, the dog demon would not even allow their opponent to touch them, but in a courtship fight… well, the touch is half the point,” he attempted to clarify.

 

“But I thought you said there was no way to tell if they were courting or fighting until after they had moved on to the second stage,” Miroku pointed out.

 

“No, I said it was a subtle difference. The touches I mentioned are often fleeting, no more than a slight brush. Those brushes, while evident to the two fighting, are often missed entirely by any audience there might be. There are other things as well: the decision to use a claw attack instead of a sword or other weapon would fall in line with a courtship fight, or, perhaps, grabbing the opponent in an offensive stance.”

 

As Myouga was talking, Inuyasha was freaking out more and more. That was describing his encounters with Sesshoumaru to a T. How is it that his retainer had never thought to give him all this critical information before? Had he been involved in the first stage of a courtship ritual with his brother for years? But how could he have been? He had been unaware of it. You couldn't be entered into one of these things without knowing about it, could you?

 

Desperately needing answers, Inuyasha asked, “Hey, old man, do both parties have to be aware that they are starting a courtship ritual?”

 

“Why, no, Master Inuyasha. In fact, neither party need be aware of it for the first portion to commence. It is generally advisable for them to figure it out before the second portion begins, though.”

 

“What happens if they don't figure it out by then?” Inuyasha asked with morbid curiosity.

 

“Well, they generally begin freaking out, my lord.”

 

“What?”s came from around the room at this statement.

 

“Well, you see, the second stage is getting used to being in each other's presence. If you are aware you are in the courtship part of the mating ritual, it is quite simple. You simply go to see your intended once every week or so and spend a few hours with them.

 

“But if the courting pair are unaware that they are courting and they enter the second stage, all of the sudden they find themselves being drawn to where the other half of the pair is and having no idea why. If they continue to be obtuse about it long enough, they begin to get paranoid that the other one is stalking them because their youki force them to find each other over and over and over again.

 

“As you can see, not figuring it out can be a real mess. But, don't worry, that hasn't happened to a pair in centuries.”

 

“But, what if one of them doesn't WANT to court?” Inuyasha asked.

 

“Doesn't want to court? Well, it's quite simple. They simply refuse to touch the other and try not to let the other touch them.”

 

That was it? That was all there was to it? Inuyasha could hardly believe his luck. All he had to do was not touch Sesshoumaru and his brother would be forced to stop this courtship ritual he had started. It was so easy. He was sure it would work and determined to put it into action the next time he saw him.

 

Feeling immensely better, Inuyasha simply left the room with a “thanks, flea,” over his shoulder before going off to sleep in his tree ignoring the rest of the continuing conversation. He already had his answer and besides, he had a lot of shuteye to catch up on.

 

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Thank you for reading and/or reviewing. I am just having a little too much fun writing this. Oh, and in case you are concerned, I have no real intention of making this too serious. Although, it is looking like there are going to be more chapters now. No idea where it's going though.