InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Student Teacher Relations ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

A/N: I’d like to take a moment and thank two very special people. Kat Morning and Literary Dragon. You two are the best Beta Readers in the world!


The elderly woman lifted her head at the soft knock on her door. Her graying hair was pulled into a loose bun with a few rebellious strands hanging in front of her brown eyes. Time had long ago swept away her youth and filled the void with wisdom. With a sigh, Kaede pushed aside her work and folded her hands on her desk. “Come in.”

“Good morning Headmistress,” Kikyou bowed respectfully with her greeting.

“Good morning, Edo-san. How may I help you?”

Kikyou took her time getting seated and primly folding her hands in her lap before she spoke. “I believe West-sensei is having an inappropriate relationship with a student.”

Kaede’s eyebrows rose sharply into her hair, and a frown twisted across her face. “That is a very serious accusation, Edo-san. One that neither this school, nor West-san family, will take lightly. I suppose you have proof to this claim.”

“Not as of yet,” Kikyou answered, wringing her hands nervously. “But I have reason to suspect– ”

“Miss Edo,” Kaede cut her off. “Unless you have more than suspicions, I cannot help you. An unfounded accusation against a family like the Wests would be disastrous for this school, myself, and for you. So, unless you have physical proof of your claims, I must ask that you not speak of this again. We cannot have that kind of rumor floating about.”

“Yes, Headmistress.” Kikyou answered, rising from her seat.

“And one more thing,” Kaede went on. “We never had this conversation.” Kikyou gave a quick bow and left the room.

&&&

Inuyasha carefully checked the small bouquet in his hand. Every flower was in place and every petal perfect. Nothing but the best for the most important woman in his life. He knocked on the door and waited. A moment later, a woman pulled it open. She had long black hair and shining brown eyes that danced with her smile. The woman was shorter than him by several inches and many years his senior.
“Inuyasha.”

“Hi, Mom,” he answered as he took her into a strong hug. “How are you feeling?”

The woman rolled her eyes as he released her. “I’m fine, dear. You worry too much.”

“I know,” He kissed her forehead gently. “I brought you some flowers.”

“Sweetie, they’re beautiful,” she answered as she led him into the house. The house was large, most of the rooms were larger than his apartment. But that was what he had come to expect from his father. He always said: “You can’t take it with you, so enjoy it while you can.”

His mother turned down the hall that led to the kitchen, in search of a vase for her flowers. Inuyasha turned the other way, following his memory to the main living room where he knew his father and brother would be found. Sure enough, both men were seated in front of the big screen TV watching the pre-game show.

It had become a family tradition. Every week they would get together and watch the game – be it football, soccer, boxing, or whatever else was in season and on at the moment. It had started back when Inuyasha was in high school, and even though the event that brought it about was no longer an issue, they continued it as often as possible.

“Hello, son,” Takashi said with a raise of his hand as Inuyasha entered the room. “You’re late, the game’s about to start.”

“Who’s playing?” he asked, leaping over the back of the couch and landing in the empty space on his father’s right.

“The Cowboys and the Steelers,” Sesshoumaru answered flatly, “It seems Father has taken a liking to American football.”

“No shit.” Inuyasha replied as he picked up a slice of pizza and popped open a soda. “He’s been obsessed for over a year. You’d know that if you bothered to make it home once in a while.”

“We can’t all be–”

“Boys,” their father cut off the impending fight. “Let’s not start that again.”

“Sorry,” both muttered in quiet reply. On the screen, the two teams took the field as the crowd roared.

“I got twenty on Dallas,” Inuyasha said as the Cowboys took the kickoff.

“I’ll take that bet,” his father replied, taking a drink from his soda, “Double or nothing if they win by more than three touchdowns.”
Inuyasha thought about it for a minute, weighing his odds. “All right, it’s bet.”

“You’re sure this isn’t getting too rich for your blood, Inuyasha?” Sesshoumaru asked casually as he opened a bottle of water and took a sip. Inuyasha gave a soft growl and glared at his brother. Their father sighed.

The game passed without much event. Both teams put up a good fight, but the Steelers dominated the offence and by half-time they were ahead 7 to 21. All through the game, Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha kept up a steady stream of jabs at each other. Every so often their father would cut in, but after an hour even he gave up trying.

“So, Inuyasha,” his mother cut off another snide comment by her stepson. “Are you seeing anyone?” Inuyasha choked slightly on the food in his mouth and gave a guilty wince. His mother smiled brightly. “Oooh, you are! What’s her name? When can I meet her? Tell me you have a picture at least.”

“Er... heh,” He took a deliberate swallow from his drink as he tried to wash down the half-chewed pizza and give himself time to think. He didn’t want to lie to his family, but he certainly couldn’t tell them the truth either. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m seeing someone. But... she’s in school, so I can’t see her until she gets out at the next break. I don’t have a picture yet. Sorry.”

His mother slumped slightly, then brightened. “I’m glad you found someone. Bring her to dinner when she next comes into town.”

“Sure, Mama.”

“Are you sure, little brother,” Sesshoumaru asked in a bored tone as he examined one of his organic energy bars before he took a bite. “That this girl isn’t seeing you for... other reasons?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Inuyasha huffed as he rolled his eyes and slumped down in his seat. He could already hear the lecturing tone in his brother’s voice.

“It is only friendly advice, little brother. There are always those out there willing to take advantage of the unwary.”

“Remind me,” Inuyasha responded without looking away from the television, “which one of us is paying child support?” He finally turned towards his brother with a cocky smile. “How is Rin, by the way?”

Sesshoumaru scowled darkly. “She has been remanded to my custody due to her mother’s... habits.”

Inuyasha’s eyebrows came together in confusion. There was something in his voice that Inuyasha had never heard before, and made him pause. “Anyway, I’m sure she doesn’t know. She’s not much for sports as far as I can tell.” He saw Sesshoumaru begin to protest. “Fine. But I’ve been wrong before. Are you happy?” The older brother merely snorted.

&&&

Kagome yawned as she sat down in her chair; Mondays were the worst. It was so easy to just curl back up and stay in the warmth of her covers. But on the upside, it was nice to see Inuyasha, even if it was only from afar.

Speaking of which, he was not sitting at his desk at the front of the class per usual. She looked around to see where he was. The door to his office at the back of the room was shut, and the curtains closed. A number of other students were looking around as well, several muttering their curiosity out loud.

“Where’s West-sensei?” Sango asked as she took the seat behind Kagome. The other girl shrugged.

“All I know,” Kouga cut in with a grin, “is that if he’s not here soon, the five minute rule goes into affect.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, Ookami-kun.” Inuyasha replied calmly as he opened the door and stepped out of his office. Kouga turned around sharply to glare at him. “Everyone please take your seats and settle down.” The class turned as a whole to look at him. Eyes widened and several people gave audible gasps. It took all of Kagome’s willpower to remain seated.

Inuyasha walked up to his desk in his usual dress, but he also sported a black eye, bruised jaw, and a slight limp. It also sounded to Kagome like his breathing was painful. He took his time setting his supplies for the day down on his desk, before walking around the front and leaning against it, letting out a rush of breath.

“It is safe to assume on my part that you are all curious as to what happened to me.” He gestured towards his face. Several members of the class leaned forward in curiosity and anticipation. “Normally, I would say it is none of your business, but due to a clause in my contract, I am compelled to explain my appearance.

“As you know, my name is West. West Inuyasha, to be exact.” A couple of students’ eyes widened, but many more lowered in confusion. Kagome was among the latter, causing a smile to tug at the edge of Inuyasha’s lips. “Some of you may have heard of my father, Takashi, and my older brother, Sesshoumaru. The short version of this story is that my brother and I had a little... practice fight this weekend.”

“Who won?” Shippou asked.

Inuyasha really did smile. “It wasn’t a sanctioned match, so there was no real winner. But he was the one who walked away with the broken arm.”

“What sport is this?” Sango asked. Kagome held her breath, willing him to say something non-contact even if his bruises showed differently.

“Kick boxing,” Inuyasha replied calmly. A murmur ran through the class.

“I don’t get it, teach,” Kouga added. “Why be a teacher when you could be making loads more as a fighter?”

“That, Ookami-kun, is not something I have to answer. Now,” he turned back to the rest of the class. “if there are no other questions, I will return your tests and find out who did their reading over the weekend.” The class groaned.

&&&

Kagome glared at him from her desk as the students began to file out of the room, many talking excitedly about Inuyasha’s announcement. Her book was open, turned to a page in the general vicinity of their assigned reading; she had not been paying that close of attention when she had opened it.

Inuyasha was doing his best to look busy with the homework quiz he had given, but she could tell he was avoiding her. The glare may have had something to do with it.

Finally, the last student wandered out of the room and the door closed with an almost ominous thud. Inuyasha swallowed hard. This certainly was not the way he had wanted her to find out about his family. Why did he have to rise to his brother’s bait? He knew better. Kagome cleared her throat loudly and he winced as if it had been a physical blow. He sighed and accepted his fate, seeing no way around it.

Standing up, he draped his coat over the back of his chair and moved to Kagome’s desk, leaning over her shoulder in a pretense of looking at her book.

“When were you planning to tell me about all of this?” Kagome asked in a tense whisper.

“I... I’m not sure,” he replied honestly. Her shoulders tensed in annoyance and he hurried to recover. “I was going to tell you! Eventually. Really I was... just not this way or this soon...”

“You lied to me,” Kagome snapped sharply. “You made me think you were just an ordinary teacher!”

“I did not such thing,” Inuyasha retaliated defensively. “I never said I wasn’t part of the West family.”

“Do I look like I watch sports? I wouldn’t know your father if I fell over him.” Kagome hissed. “What were you planning to tell me the first time I saw you like this,” She made a gesture towards his many bruises. “You were mugged?”

Inuyasha sighed, walking around to sit in the chair in front of her desk. “I know, and I’m sorry.” She was still glaring at him. “Look, Kagome, I am a teacher. You’ve seen my diploma. I didn’t lie to you about that.”

“It’s still a sin of omission,” Kagome huffed, crossing her arms.

“It is,” Inuyasha agreed, running his hand through his hair. “But try to understand my position. My family has a lot of money. My dad and brother are famous. Aside from the money won from the fights, there are movie contracts, promotions, public appearances. Do you have any idea how many women I’ve dated that just wanted me for the money or because they wanted to get to my brother?”

Kagome softened a bit. “I guess I didn’t think of it like that. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right.” He waved his hand dismissively. “I was kind of expecting you to react this way when you found out.”

An uneasy silence fell between them and Kagome shifted in her chair. “Does... does it hurt? You look kind of beat up.”

“I’ve taken worse,” he answered with a cocky grin. “But like I said, my brother left with the worst of it.”

Kagome smiled and gave a short mirthless laugh. “So why did you become a teacher? You obviously didn’t do it for the money.”

“You really want to know?”

“Yes.”

He shrugged and took a deep breath. “I was in my first year of college on a sports scholarship, as you can imagine, when my mother began getting sick. After a bunch of tests and several months in the hospital, the doctors finally had some answers for us. Mom had cancer, a particularly nasty one too. Even with all the right treatments and medications, she only had a ten percent chance of survival. Of course, Dad spared no expense.

“One of mom’s wishes was that one of us would become a teacher, like she was. But both of us had followed Dad. We both had his talent, and his career just seemed so much more glamorous.

“But, she was my mother, and she was dying. So I switched majors and became a teacher.” He gave another shrug, a distant look on his face.

“Oh, Inuyasha.” Kagome said softly, a sad smile on her lips. “I’m so sorry. It must have been hard losing her like that.”

He blinked a few times, coming back to the present. Then he gave a short laugh. “Oh, no. Mom went into remission. She’s doing fine now. And she’s expecting to meet you at Christmas, by the way – ouch! Hey, that hurt.” He rubbed the place where she had punched his arm. It was just bad luck she had landed on a very tender bruise. “I’m all beat up, remember.”

“Humph,” Kagome glared at him. “You jerk. You made me think she was dead.”

He grinned back, showing no signs of regret. “I said nothing of the sort. You just jumped to conclusions.”

As the two continued their verbal battle, neither noticed the figure that moved away from the door.