InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Facets of the Living Jewel ❯ Qualis pater talis filius: munit haec et altera vincit ( Chapter 53 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or the other characters. Ms. Takahashi does. I do, however, own this story's plot and I like the demon side of Inuyasha!

 

Thank you, everyone who voted for me at IYFG! 'Facets' finally won a first place! It was first in Best AU and fourth in Best Romance: Inuyasha and Kagome. Thanks for supporting me! I had the biggest grin on my face that day...it almost made up for the fact that my hard drive crashed and I lost tons of stuff that I didn't back up (including this chapter!). :(

 

Symbols for thoughts:

[Inudemon]

(Inuhuman)

`Inuyasha or Others'

 

 

Qualis pater talis filius: munit haec et altera vincit

By Licentia poetica

 

"You fucking bastard!" In one smooth action, Inuyasha leaped to the tallest tree surrounding the clearing and unsheathed the Tetsusaiga. He landed on an upper limb and used its rebound to propel him toward Yourei Taisei, intending to slice through his legs and release Shippo and Rin, but he was blown aside by a buffet of wind as the falcon bated his wings. Inuyasha tumbled to the ground, rolling quickly and crouching for another leap.

 

Yourei Taisei screamed a challenge and angled his body forward, using the weight of his body and the rising convection currents to kite upwards in the wind until he was well above reach.

 

Inuyasha stared malevolently up at the hovering falcon demon, his hands flexing in impotent rage.

 

[He will not be easy to kill, and we must protect the pups.]

 

(Not to mention that we can't reach him up there.)

 

'Think. Something isn't right here. This isn't normal for him, even if he is an asshole. It doesn't make sense.'

 

[He is not InuYoukai. He does not understand Pack.]

 

(I wouldn't object to beating the shit out of the Baka no Taisho.)

 

'Damnit! This isn't about Sesshoumaru and he's using the fact that we're Inu against us! Think!'

 

Trying to control both his demon and human sides, Inuyasha gripped the hilt of the Tetsusaiga and yelled "All the talk about choosing the honorable path, asshole, and you're using the pups to get me to fight?"

 

Yourei Taisei laughed in response: a harsh, deriding falcon's scream that made Inuyasha's ears flatten to his head. "Think, hanyou. Does Naraku fight with honor? Will he not use your chicks or your mate as tools? Will he not use every means to drive you to the point of blood madness?" Vaning idly, he turned his predator's glare to Sesshoumaru. "Lord Sesshoumaru. So quiet? Does your courage wane in the face of losing your pet, or have you strayed so far from the way of the InuYoukai that you do not honor your commitments? Or is it perhaps that you are afraid to appear as weak as your father?" The ridicule in his tone made Inuyasha wince and there was a moment of absolute quiet.

 

"Who defines your weakness, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha?” Yourei Taisei irritably demanded into their silence. When there was still no response, he casually flexed the talons that encased Rin. “Shall I drop the human?" The little girl paled as the talons loosened around her and one of her legs dropped free.

 

Given an instant of warning by a spike of scent, Inuyasha leaped to the side as Sesshoumaru's youki flared and his seishou whip tore the limbs off of several trees just below the area where Yourei Taisei hovered.

 

(Rin is threatened. He'll try to kill us to save her.)

 

[He will not. He is the Inu no Taisho...but...he is furious.]

 

"Yourei Taisei." The cold, calculating fury in his brother's voice made the hair on the back of Inuyasha's neck crawl. "This Sesshoumaru willkill you for this, but you have no intention of dropping either pup."

 

In response, Yourei Taisei beat upwards until Rin and Shippo were tiny dots in his talons and he appeared to be the size of a normal falcon.

 

"Shit!" Inuyasha yelled as he squinted against the glare of the sky. "The asshole dropped them both!" He flattened his ears as Sesshoumaru's youki flared again, accompanied by a guttural growl.

 

Rin began to scream as she tumbled through the air. Shippo tried to grab her and transform into his balloon, but Yourei Taisei stooped on the kitsune and struck him with a fisted talon: Shippo dropped like a stone. Diving below the children, Yourei Taisei flipped in midair and caught them both in his talons again, spinning quickly into a shallow dive that kept him well above the reach of the brothers. He hovered again, wings vaning and tail feathers adjusting to minute changes in air pressure as he resumed glaring at them.

 

"I believe that proves you are wrong, Sesshoumaru. I am more than willing to drop either chick."

 

'Although I made sure to drop them where I could easily catch them. Think, young hanyou. Feel something other than your power, Sesshoumaru.'

 

Inuyasha began to curse fluently and Sesshoumaru unsheathed the Tenseiga. He gave a commanding bark to Inuyasha and the two began a heated conversation in Inu, stalking around each other and occasionally glaring up at Yourei Taisei.

 

'Come now, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. What will you do? Have you learned anything yet? You will only be able to solve this by working together.' Yourei Taisei kited up farther and spoke softly to the two chicks held securely in his talons. "I am sorry for frightening you like that, but I cannot say I didn't expect them to challenge this. If the situation were not so desperate I would not use you in this way."

 

Shippo gave a mumbling grunt that sounded suspiciously like "jerk," while Rin gasped softly "Lord Sesshoumaru would smell that Rin was not afraid, so Rin understands, Lord Yourei Taisei. But please don't drop Rin again from that high!" Her voice trembled and he could feel the answering tremors in her tiny body.

 

"I promised I would not let harm come to you, little ones." Yourei Taisei reassured them softly. "I swear it by my life."

 

"Yeah? Well you smacked..." Shippo began to whine, but a loud, angry yowl vibrated through the air. It began as a straight monotone that increased slowly in pitch and volume and suddenly dropped off into a threatening growl. It was followed by a long, drawn out hiss.

 

Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru, who had just entered into a tsubazeriai, stopped growling at each other and froze in place.

 

The hiss ended and the breeze died for a moment, leaving an eerie quiet. 'Damn! The neko chooses to enter now? I suspected she would, but it creates a problem. Well, I shall have to leave my pupils to finish the lesson without me.' Yourei Taisei began to climb, knowing that height would be his only advantage against the angry fire cat.

 

"Uh oh." Shippo twisted his head to look down. "Kirara's really mad!"

 

The neko demon was crouched to spring at the edge of the clearing, her flames so hot that the dirt underneath her paws was beginning to fuse. "Bird!" she spat. "Give me my kittens! You are not the only one who can fly!" She sprang into the air, racing up the air currents after him.

 

'I must get her far enough away from the brothers so that they will not be able to hear and I can explain. Perhaps, if the threat is not shielded, she will also be able to sense it.' Yourei Taisei turned abruptly in the air so that the wind aided his speed, angling his tail feathers so that each beat of his wings increased his height. The clearing was soon left far behind as he raced against Kirara's burst of speed. 'She is swift, but like most nekos she will not be able to keep up that pace for long. If Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru pursue, I will have at least one answer to my questions. I hope I will have some time to explain.'

 

As he reached his preferred height, he took a moment to inspect his two charges and gave a mental sigh of relief as he noted their bright pink cheeks. 'Good. I have not flown too high for them.' He glanced down and to the side where he sensed Kirara's youki. The neko was pursuing him silently, her eyes blazing, and he could not sense any other youkai. 'Is this a sign that Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru are fighting, or are they discussing strategy as I hoped, or is it just a further indication that the Inu no Taisho is still too cold-hearted to protect Rin? Damn! I needed to stay with them.'

 

He side slipped in the air as the fleeting impression of amassed youki reached him. 'There it is again!' As he turned toward the evil sensation, it flickered briefly and disappeared.

 

`Each time more have joined, and when I approach the youki is hidden again...what demon musters this army of lesser youkai and why?' He curved back and saw that Kirara had reached his height, but her pursuit was slower. `Was she able to sense it, or has she grown weary? It will make it easier if she felt the evil.'

 

Arriving at his destination, a knife-edged set of cliffs where he preferred to roost at night, he furled his wings in a sudden dive and ignored the gasps from Rin and Shippo as he tucked them into the soft down of his abdomen to protect them from the wind. He smiled inwardly as he sensed Kirara falling farther behind. 'Her body lacks the smooth contours to speed through the air.' A spike of fury pulsed in her youki, causing him to tuck his wings even tighter to his body and increase his air speed until the air was practically screaming past him. 'Unless I explain some of this to her she will attack me, and there is no time.' He pulled out of his dive and back winged abruptly, cupping his tail feathers to stall in the air. Deftly bringing his talons forward, he gently deposited the children on a rocky ledge which was protected both above and below by sheer cliff faces. `The chicks will be safe here until I can return.'

 

Both of their faces were flushed, and he was surprised to see Shippo's wide grin.

 

"Can we do that again? That was fun!" The kitsune's voice squeaked in excitement.

 

"Perhaps, little one, if time permits." He pulled away from the cliff, sensing Kirara's approach. "Guard Rin and stay here. Do not move from this place! I will fetch you in a few minutes."

 

He used the updraft of the winds hitting the cliff to assist his climb, watching the furious neko descend on him with her fire blazing and claws unsheathed. At the last possible second he twisted to the side, but she reacted quickly to his move, swiping her front paw across his exposed side. He braced for the pain of her sharp claws, but she did not turn into her strike; although a cloud of singed feathers burst away and she left four bleeding gashes he was not severely injured.

 

'She is a cunning predator and fast. I was lucky she didn't hit any of my primary feathers…but why did she not pursue me?' Furiously beating his wings, he pulled away and up, but was surprised to find that she did not return to engage him when he was at his most vulnerable. He glanced back quickly and saw that she was racing for Rin and Shippo. 'Ah, you seek to teach me a lesson in nurturing the little ones, neko, in spite of your ruthless posturing. Well, it will make my task that much easier.'

 

Spinning in the air, he furled his wings and dropped again, heading for her exposed back. He could see her ears swivel in his direction, and watched the flexing of her shoulder muscles to anticipate her next move. As he swept toward her she tried to twist and claw at him, but he side-slipped with her and fastened his talons in the back of her neck, immediately pulling up and hauling her away from the cliffs like a kitten held in its mother's mouth. She gave an enraged scream and tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but he tightened his hold, wincing as he unintentionally caused a small cut on the side of her neck. She stilled in his grip and hissed an insult at him. 'I have never taught such stubborn and difficult pupils.'

 

"Do not fight me, Kirara. I will not harm the chicks and I do not wish to harm you. Will you listen to me?”

 

“Put me down, overgrown chicken!”

 

He gave a mental shrug at her choice of insult. `I wonder if she always thinks of me that way, or if it is a result of her anger?' He beat upwards, trying to gain some height, but his wing muscles began to complain with the unaccustomed weight. `I must make this quick. Every second is precious.'

 

He reached the top of the cliffs and beat upwards for a few seconds more, partially transforming into his humanoid form to gain hands. Awkwardly reaching down to grasp her nape, he pulled her up and away from the rough surface just before landing gracelessly on the jagged rocks. She twisted again, trying to get free, but he held her above the ground facing away from him so that she could not reach him with her claws or teeth.

 

She gave a growl of protest. “Do not play with me, fat chicken! Either kill me or release me and explain your actions!”

 

He shook her lightly by the nape, knowing she would never forgive him for the loss of her dignity, but trying to use the physical messages of her species to force her to pay attention. “You must listen to me, Kirara. I have no time to spare to ease your feelings. Did you feel the gathering of evil youkai as we flew here?”

 

She ceased struggling and gave a low growl. “I felt it, fat chicken. It is no excuse for using my kittens as a tool in your inept lessons.”

 

He ignored her insults. “I have flown over them once, before something began to shield the group from detection. There are easily a thousand lesser youkai that surround another, evil youki. This youki has changed in strength and composition each time I have sensed it, and is…warped.”

 

She hissed briefly. “My Pride has fought many evil youkai, and Naraku's youki is twisted beyond any other I have met. My-Kagome and Mmrrowhhsssaa have nearly killed him before and they are stronger now. This still does not explain why you are using the kittens, fat chicken!” She had begun speaking calmly enough, but at the end of her speech she was practically yowling with suppressed anger.

 

“Since you do not understand Pack Law you would not appreciate the InuYoukai way, the absolute need to protect members of the Pack.” He stated calmly and ignored her as she spat out another insult. “I seek to know whether Sesshoumaru has truly become the Inu no Taisho, or whether it is merely another step in his quest for power. I seek to teach Inuyasha the benefits of strategy. Normally I would not inform you and I would not pressure my pupils by using their chicks to force the issue, but I am running out of time.”

 

“You are a male and impatient.” She bucked against his hold, refusing to yield to his authority. “And you use force when intelligence would serve you better.”

 

He raised an eyebrow but smiled at her sense of superiority. “I am most definitely male, Kirara, and I do get impatient with stubborn pupils. However, circumstances are forcing me to teach lessons too quickly.” He lifted her higher as she tried to squirm out of his grasp. “Be still, Kirara, and listen. Up until two days ago, the group of malevolent youkai was gathering. Now they seem to be slowly moving in this direction, hiding behind ridge lines and some sort of barrier for concealment.” He felt her go still in his grasp and repeated “Two…days…ago, Kirara.”

 

Kirara gave a low growl. “The Unscented One.”

 

“Perhaps, though there may not be a connection. I do not have a name for the warped youki and I have never faced Naraku. In any case, I cannot be sure that the group means to attack our friends, but I know that Inuyasha will not ignore a threat so close to his Pack.” Since she remained still, Yourei Taisei gently lowered Kirara and let go of her neck. She leaped away and spun around to face him, landing in a crouch and baring her teeth in a snarl. He completed his transformation into the humanoid form and spread his hands in a gesture of peace.

 

“The youkai will overwhelm Inuyasha and the others unless they can learn to fight as a unit. I have run out of time to be patient with my pupils, Kirara. Inuyasha must learn to anticipate his opponent's next move instead of reacting to attacks, and I am hoping that Sesshoumaru will fight alongside him as an ally even though it is not to his advantage to do so.”

 

Kirara eyed him warily, cocking her head to one side. “I understand why you do not tell them about this evil: you wish to prevent Mmrrowhhsssaa from attacking prematurely and you hope that Pfffffft Hhhsssss will truly become his ally in spite of his hatred of humans.” She sat and inspected her claws for a moment. “But you seek to teach them these behaviors by insulting their honor? By threatening the kittens? By pitting them against each other instead of letting them share Pride Leadership?” She looked away from him as if totally bored. “How very…male.”

 

He snorted derisively. “They are stubborn pupils and set in their ways, not unlike some females of my acquaintance.” He turned his back to her and stared toward the area where they had left Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. “I have only had two other students who were as difficult to teach: their father…and you.”

 

“I am not your pupil, bird.” Her tone was abrupt and angry. “Perhaps their sensei is too used to teaching through force.” She arched her back and elevated her tails, hissing at him. He ignored her threat posture, watching her quietly until she began to relax.

 

Finally she sat again and began to clean her front paw. Placing it daintily in front of her, she purred “There are other methods to accomplish what has to be done, bird, and I know more of Pack behavior than you realize.”

 

`At least she has stopped calling me a chicken.' He raised his eyebrows and folded his arms, turning his head to watch her as she began to move. “I am listening.”

 

Kirara padded up next to him and wrapped her tails around her front paws. “You do not give enough credit to Mmrrowhhsssaa. He already anticipates, and his desire to protect My-Kagome and the other Pride members causes him to plan ahead, unlike most males.”

 

As he grunted disdainfully at her last words, she gave him a meaningful look and deliberately began to lick her paw and clean the area on her neck that he had punctured with his talons. He sighed, conceding her point as she swiped at the small amount of congealed blood.

 

“I apologize for your injury, Kirara, but I needed to get your attention and you sought to test my authority.”

 

“Exactly my point, bird. You chose to dominate me, as you choose to teach Mmrrowhhsssaa and Pfffffft Hhhsssss by dominating them.” She gave him a disgusted look. “Do you understand so little about Pride Leaders? It is not in your nature to fly in packs. Perhaps your training has helped Mmrrowhhsssaa, but now you are pushing too hard and you are completely wrong where the Pfffffft Hhhsssss is concerned.”

 

“You have another suggestion?” He cocked his head and stared at her. `Interesting. Inuyasha's Pack is different from all other InuYoukai, and perhaps she has insights that I have not been able to see.'

 

She flexed her front claws and glared at him. “Mmrrowhhsssaa is intelligent and cunning, bird. Do not let his mannerisms fool you into thinking otherwise. You have given him some tools and the discipline is helping, but it is time to recognize that you will not break him with insults. He has lived too long with derision from both human and youkai.” Giving a self-satisfied purr, she stretched languorously. “My-Kagome is teaching him what he needs to know, and your role is done, male. You will never dominate him.”

 

Yourei Taisei suppressed a smile. “I will take that under consideration. And Lord Sesshoumaru?”

 

She sat straight abruptly, licked her paw, and began to vigorously wash her neck, straining to reach the back of it. He frowned for a moment, thinking that he had injured her more severely than he had thought, but she stilled in the midst of scrubbing as he raised a hand toward her. She primly placed her paw in front of her and looked away toward the distant clearing, giving an irritated growl.

 

`Damn Pffffft Hhhssss and his stupid scent. I still haven't gotten rid of it, but I will have my revenge.' She gave a small sigh. “You seek to melt a heart of ice, bird, and hope to bind the brothers to each other with their shared anger at you. You forget that anger can be either cold or hot, and you have only succeeded in making the Pfffffft Hhhsssss colder.” She turned her head back to him and stared straight into his eyes. “He is too used to responding to male threats, and you will not succeed.” She spread the toes of one paw and allowed her flames to flare momentarily. “There are other ways to melt ice, Shrewd-Falcon. Perhaps you should learn that there are lessons that only a female can teach.”

 

“I am never too old to learn something new, Kirara.”

 

“Listen well then, my pupil, and learn Pfffffft Hhhsssss's true weakness.” She briefly described her plan, and as he listened he began to smile at both the inherent simplicity and subtle coercion that she delineated. `Ah, Lord Sesshoumaru, you are lost. She is a wise and wily female.' As she finished speaking he chuckled and gestured to the ledge where Shippo and Rin stood.

 

“Since my pupils have not appeared I have no way of knowing whether my prodding has failed or succeeded. I agree to your plan, though I think you will not have an easy time of it, Kirara. I will monitor the evil and keep an eye on you from afar.”

 

“Then I shall begin, Shrewd-Falcon.” He watched as she transformed to her humanoid form and raised his eyebrows in surprise. `She is a lovely little thing.'

 

“Few have seen me in this aspect, Yourei Taisei.” She gave him a demure smile, but the look in her eyes was not shy and the expression on her face changed subtly into a threat. “And of those few, only two are currently alive.”

 

`Typical secretive neko.' He reached for her to complete the first phase of her plan, but hesitated as her eyes flashed in fury and she held out her hand in a warning gesture.

 

“You will touch me on my terms, male.” She walked up to him and shuddered, her shoulders twitching in disgust. 'I will have to take a water bath after all of this to regain my natural scent. Ugh.' She rubbed the top of her head against his chest and then, wincing in revulsion, placed his unresisting hand on her neck and face. He bit his lip to keep from laughing, but then grunted in surprise as she twirled, pressing her back and sides against the front of his body while still holding his hand for leverage. She dropped his hand as if it burned her and leaped away, changing back into her demonic form. The skin over her body rippled with loathing and she hunched her shoulders. “Uuuhhhhh!”

 

Biting back his laughter, he bowed his head to her. “I will give you one full day, Kirara, unless the evil moves closer to our friends. It will give Sango more time to heal and your plan a chance to succeed.”

 

“It will succeed, Shrewd-Falcon.” She padded to the edge of the cliff and looked back at him over her shoulder. “I am a Neko, and one way or another, I always catch my prey.”

 

He watched as she dropped to the ledge below. “Good hunting, Kirara. This will be most interesting,” he said softly to the wind.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Damnit! We should follow them and make sure the pups are safe!” Still speaking in Inu, Inuyasha disengaged from the tsubazeriai with a flick of his wrist and unconsciously performed the chiburi migi and noto.

 

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at his brother's automatic skill. “Is it wise to sheath your fang?” He brought the tip of Tenseiga to Inuyasha's throat.

 

“Fuck you, asshole.” Inuyasha folded his arms and pointedly ignored the threat, watching Yourei Taisei and Kirara dwindle to specks in the windblown sky. “We both know I could kick your ass.”

 

“Do we? This Sesshoumaru recalls that he kicked yours in our last encounter.” Sesshoumaru did not lower the Tenseiga.

 

[He is expecting us to acknowledge his alpha status.]

 

(Like fucking hell I will.)

 

`We can leave him guessing.'

 

Inuyasha gave a feral growl of dominance but leaned into the katana so that blood began to well from the tip as it pressed against his throat. He deliberately didn't lower his gaze, but continued to stare into his brother's eyes. “One of us might have some trouble recognizing who won last time, but that isn't the problem right now. Rin and Shippo need our protection.”

 

Sesshoumaru growled back, but withdrew the Tenseiga and added a deliberate flourish as he performed the chiburi migi, shaking off a few drops of Inuyasha's blood from the tip before finishing with the noto.

 

“Such a demonstration of your beta status was not necessary, Inuyasha.” His voice dripped sarcasm.

 

Inuyasha growled again. “Letting you cut me doesn't acknowledge shit, Sesshoumaru.”

 

The two brothers began circling each other, stances guarded, their youki causing their silver hair to billow from more than the world's wind. Animals in the nearby forest either stilled or ran into burrows to escape from the sense of impending danger. An eerie stillness pervaded the clearing, broken only by the soughing of the tree limbs.

 

Sesshoumaru was first to break the silence in the contest of wills. “This Sesshoumaru believes that Rin and your kit will not be harmed.”

 

“Well, this Inuyasha thinks the asshole just wanted to piss us off, so this Inuyasha thinks that you're a pompous ass but agrees with you.”

 

[Is it necessary to insult him? Even if we don't acknowledge his status as Inu no Taisho we owe him allegiance.]

 

(Damn right, it's necessary. He is a pompous ass.)

 

`Butt out, both of you. Either work with me or shut up. Hitotsu. Jinkaku kansei ni tsutomuro koto.'

 

“This Sesshoumaru will not pursue the neko and the falcon. They will return, and this Sesshoumaru will kill the falcon for his presumption.”

 

“Get in line behind me, Sesshoumaru.” Inuyasha bared his fangs as they continued to circle.

 

“This Sesshoumaru claims the kill. Do not interfere.” Sesshoumaru's aura began to glow red.

 

“I don't care about the kill. I want information.”

 

Sesshoumaru slowed, a calculating look appearing on his face. “This is unusual for you, Inuyasha. You seek knowledge before you act?” He stopped circling completely and glanced at the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. “You strive for skill and comprehension instead of using brute force. This Sesshoumaru approves.”

 

“Like I give a shit.”

 

Sesshoumaru's face became stoic and he began circling again. “This Sesshoumaru believes you need lessons in protocol. Negotiation is a ruthless art, yet you are relying on insults, as did Yourei Taisei. Do not fail as he did; it sullies the blood of my father that flows in your veins.”

 

“If the old man was a pompous ass like you he could have used some sullying.”

 

Sesshoumaru glared at the features of his brother. `With the stripes highlighted, he looks too much like father. I have not found another who could challenge me, even Yourei Taisei. Perhaps my little brother has grown enough to test again?'

 

“You speak from ignorance, hanyou.”

 

“And this ignorant hanyou can still whip your ass.”

 

“Your bitch knows that there are other ways to defeat opponents besides brute force.”

 

“Leave her out of this, bastard.”

 

Sesshoumaru gave an evil smile. “As I said, negotiations are ruthless. Your bitch has shown qualities that have caused this Sesshoumaru to ignore the fact that she is a weak human and respect her somewhat, but she is still a way to defeat you. I have no mate or pups to weaken me, hanyou.”

 

Inuyasha gave a short, derisive laugh. “You haven't learned shit from becoming Inu no Taisho, have you? Protecting my Pack and my mate is not a weakness, asshole. You don't understand the strength that my youkai half gains from being Pack Leader any more than you could understand the power that my human half gives me.”

 

Sesshoumaru bared his fangs. “Strength? Power? You are nothing without the Tetsusaiga. Our father gave you the Fang of Destruction because you are weak.” He drew the Tenseiga from its saya and stabbed it point first into the ground. “Even with only one arm I am more than a match for you.”

 

(He wants us to let go of the Tetsusaiga. Do we have enough control to do that?)

 

[Hitotsu. Kekki no yuu o imashimuru koto.We can do this.]

 

`Hitotsu. Doryoku no seishin o yashinau koto. We can do this.'

 

(Then let's kick his ass.)

 

Inuyasha unsheathed the Tetsusaiga and threw it point first toward the Tenseiga. It never transformed into the fang, but stabbed into the ground and vibrated, striking the Tenseiga and causing both blades to resonate with a low, sonorous sound.

 

As if the reverberation was a signal for the challenge, Inuyasha tapped into his youki and leaped at Sesshoumaru's throat, lunging with both hands raised, fingers rigidly extended. Sesshoumaru easily dodged to the left and spun as Inuyasha passed by, extending his seishou whip and scourging Inuyasha across the upper back at almost point blank range. The tip of the whip wrapped around his shoulder and opened a cut across his chest.

 

Inuyasha hissed at the pain and fell forward, but used his momentum to twist while slapping his right hand across his chest and grabbing at the bleeding injury. As he continued his spin he threw the blood at his brother's face. “Hijin Ketsusou!”

 

Sesshoumaru recoiled from the attack, but Inuyasha's speed surprised him. The razor sharp blades of blood struck the right side of his face, neck, and upper chest, forcing him backwards as his own blood mixed with his brother's, staining his kimono. `He is mastering his youki. Finally, a worthy opponent.'

 

Before Sesshoumaru could recover his balance, Inuyasha used the momentum of his spin to lunge forward again, his left fist flashing toward Sesshoumaru's chest. The taiyoukai growled and blocked Inuyasha's blow with a downward strike, flowing into an impossibly fast reverse slash of his own poison claw across Inuyasha's chest. Inuyasha narrowed his eyes as the poison stung but brought his right arm around in an open handed slap across the left side of Sesshoumaru's face, dragging his claws and leaving four parallel gashes.

 

Sesshoumaru backhanded Inuyasha, sending the hanyou flying to the side. Inuyasha's eyes glittered dangerously as he crouched, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. “You used your poison on me, bastard. Trying to kill me slowly?”

 

Sesshoumaru gave him a cruel smile. “I gave you a mild dose, Inuyasha. It is enough to cause intense pain, but not enough to kill.” He wiped at the blood on both sides of his face and flicked it off to the side. “Not many have been able to strike me in the face and live, Inuyasha.”

 

“Keh. Now you have an extra set of stripes.”

 

“Indeed.” Sesshoumaru leaped forward, intending to drive his poison claws into Inuyasha's neck, but the hanyou sprang from his crouch to meet him in midair.

 

“Sankon Tetsusou!”

 

Clawed hand met clawed hand, and the force of the combined youki in the blows caused a minor explosion, blasting each brother backwards. Sesshoumaru landed gracefully on his feet and noted with surprise that Inuyasha had not only landed, but was coming at him again.

 

`He does not have the scent of madness, but he is determined to dominate me. I must teach him who is master here.'

 

Inuyasha feinted with his left hand, trying to draw a block from Sesshoumaru's arm so that he could counter with his right, but his brother smirked and blocked the feint and then cleared his right handed strike with a sweep of his arm, his poison claws raking gashes down Inuyasha's forearm.

 

But Sesshoumaru had not learned the human katas, and Inuyasha saw an opening.

 

As Sesshoumaru finished his strike, his body was partially turned toward Inuyasha's right side, leaving his legs vulnerable. Ignoring the flash of pain in his forearm, Inuyasha gave a vicious roundhouse kick to Sesshoumaru's right knee, causing his brother to fall forward in an uncharacteristic stumble.

 

Inuyasha followed through with his left hand; an open fisted palm strike to Sesshoumaru's head, but he paid for his blow by opening himself up to impalement by Sesshoumaru's claws. Without looking back, the taiyoukai struck upwards with a knife-hand attack, stabbing Inuyasha in the abdomen.

 

“Shit!” Inuyasha pulled away from the strike by twisting backwards, spinning off his left hand which was still connected to the back of Sesshoumaru's head. He managed to prevent the poison claws from piercing his stomach, but the abdominal muscles had been cut and he winced at the sharp pain from Sesshoumaru's poison.

 

As Inuyasha twisted away, Sesshoumaru shook his head to clear it. Inuyasha's blow would have killed a human and most demons, and it was powerful enough to momentarily daze the taiyoukai. 'No one has ever managed to strike me on the back of the head except father. Damn Inuyasha!'

 

He swiftly stood and the two brothers began their cautious circle again. Sesshoumaru's eyes flashed red, but not with anger. `It is exhilarating to face an opponent who might defeat me. I have been cautious with Yourai Taisei, and it has been too long since I was truly tested.'

 

Inuyasha was energized and focused in a way that he had never felt before. The voices in his head were stilled and he pulled energy from both the human and demonic aspects with equal ease. The stubborn defiance of his human emotions fueled the energy of his youki and he was able to anticipate many of Sesshoumaru's actions through the discipline of the katas.

 

He waited for the inevitable attack using every sense available; every nuance of Sesshoumaru's movements, every flicker of his youki, each fluctuation of his scent telegraphed messages to the hanyou. When Sesshoumaru finally attacked, he dodged the seishou whip with ease and slid under his brother's arm to land a vicious blow to his ribs. He felt something give way and knew that he had cracked or broken at least one of his brother's ribs.

 

Sesshoumaru snarled and grabbed the back of Inuyasha's neck, holding his head in place as he went for the jugular vein with his fangs, but Inuyasha spun out from under his hold, using the momentum to land a spin kick on Sesshoumaru's side. Instead of falling, the taiyoukai grabbed at Inuyasha's leg and flipped the hanyou over. Inuyasha fell onto his stomach but immediately rolled onto his back.

 

Sesshoumaru stepped between Inuyasha's sprawled legs and leaned over, intending to subdue Inuyasha by gripping his neck.

 

`Thanks, Sango,' Inuyasha thought and caught Sesshoumaru in the scissor kick that the taiji-ya had used in her fight against her maddened brother. The taiyoukai flailed his arm and sprawled gracelessly on his side.

 

Both brothers rolled to their sides, a little slower than previously, and were about to stand up to engage again when Kirara landed in the clearing, Rin and Shippo on her back. She gave a warning growl as the children climbed off and began trotting over to the two brothers.

 

Inuyasha stared at her in bemusement. `Did she just say `Bad kittens' or am I hearing things?' He froze in place as the neko demon padded up to him and stared into his face, her back to Sesshoumaru. She gave him a meaningful look, and lightly licked his face. `What the fuck?'

 

“Stop it, Kirara!” He brought up his sleeve to wipe his face, but froze as she gave him the intense stare again.

 

“You are a bad kitten to play so roughly, Mmrrowhhsssaa.” She turned her back to him and faced Sesshoumaru. `Oh, Pfffffft Hhhsssss, you will not enjoy this, but I will.'

 

The Inu no Taisho stared coldly up at her as she padded over to him and placed a paw in the center of his chest to hold him down.

 

“Pfffffft Hhhsssss, you need to learn cleanliness.” The tones of her Neko speech implied that she was his mother and was chastising him for misbehaving. As Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed in anger, she continued “Your face is a mess and you need a bath.”

 

With a sense of unholy glee, Kirara began to wash Sesshoumaru.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Translation:

Qualis pater talis filius: munit haec et altera vincit: Latin; As is the father, so is the son (like father, like son): one defends and the other conquers.

 

Japanese:

Hitotsu. Jinkaku kansei ni tsutomuro koto: Strive for completion of character.
Hitotsu. Doryoku no seishin o yashinau koto: Cultivate courage and tenacity (put maximum effort into everything you do).
Hitotsu. Kekki no yuu o imashimuru koto. Develop self-control.

(The word hitotsu means one, while the word koto means thing or matter.)

Tsubazeriai: clash with the tsuba.

Chiburi migi: "shake off blood" by swinging the blade to the right, then pulling it back to a position in front of body, sword grip to the left and sword point to the right.

Noto: the action of placing the katana back into the saya.

Seishou: spirit, energy

 

Neko:

Mmrrowhhsssaa: Pride Leader with Neko ears, with specific tones for Inuyasha.

Pfffffft Hhhsssss: Bad Dog; always an insult.

 

 

R&R Thanks:

PM: Neko-Lady (You're in my thoughts, hope the computer is better…I HATE my old hard drive), Empatheia, Inuyasha05 (Nope, wrong color, but a good guess!)

 

 

FF:

Mrs. JediK1 (Yeah, he did drop them, but since he's a flying demon he wasn't as concerned about it as we would be), Moonlit Showers aka InuKag Fan, Neko-Lady, Fenikkusuken (Congrats again on all the awards, you deserved every one of them!), Photographing Poetry (Hey, Pho Poe!), billysgotagun (Thanks for the multiple reviews!), Inuyasha05, hanyou master (I'll be glad to help any time! I'm glad your brother likes the story), Sakrua, yoyo person (Aren't teachers jerks sometimes? I know I am. Aw, my poor students…bwahahahaha!), XxkittiexxstarxXl3, Archangel Gabrielle, MarcellaRyoko (I wonder if Shippo would survive being dropped from 300 feet? Thanks for the R&R), kitsune-koinu.

 

MM:

Okaasan-7: Thanks for the multiple reviews! The use of the Time Lord to give Kagome Inuyasha's life span IS a convenience, but no more so than the fanon use of `the mark' which is so prevalent. I wanted something different, especially since dogs do not bite their mates (that is a cat thing…uh, oh, poor Sesshy if Kirara gets ideas). I'm glad you like the fact that Sesshoumaru had to use his youki to power Tenseiga…I've always felt it was necessary for the chi of the user to be powerful enough to use the katanas, and the only way that would happen for Sesshoumaru is through the youki. I know Sesshy and Kirara is not a normal pairing, but it's one that I saw almost immediately: Sesshy's arrogance and aloofness is so catlike! And you were right, fifteen minutes WAS a bit too long for Yourei Taisei to just collect the kids…

 

Leo-mae: Congrats on graduation! Have you found a job yet? Good luck in college and spend your summer reading fanfics and relaxing…you'll work hard soon enough!

 

Kagome313: Hope you did well on exams, and nope, sorry…I don't give out hints! Deceptions, red herrings…now those I can and will do (evil laugh resonates in cyberspace). Cliffies? MOI? I never leave cliffies…just…interesting endings to the chapters (heh, heh...iPoe runs from thrown objects).

 

paju_13: Glad you like it…but you don't like cliffies? Aw…maybe I'll stop writing them (oh wait, I said I didn't…oops!)

 

 

Bless you all for reading, and thanks again for the reviews and support!

 

iPoe