InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Time After Time ❯ Learning Alpha ( Chapter 5 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: kanna37 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.08.2011 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 498 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Divergence | Uploaded On: 03.08.2011 | Pages: 2 | Words: 3.8K | Visits: 498 | Status: Work In Progress
Chapter 5: Learning Alpha
Sugimi was lost in the scent of the woman he was holding close, lost in the feel of her, and lost in her words - she was fascinating him, bewitching him - and she didn't even realize it.
On top of that, something deep inside told him that he knew her - that he'd scented her, seen her, somewhere before. But that just wasn't possible... was it?
From what he'd been told, she came from the future, and traveled here, to this particular time. Which meant that he'd never met her before now - because he'd only just awoken in this time. And from everything he could gather, she'd never traveled to any other time...
But no matter what he told himself, there was just something niggling in the back of his mind that said he knew her. That he had met her before.
With an inwardly uneasy sigh, he pushed that away, and concentrated instead on the woman he was holding at this point in time.
"Tell me, Kagome... how did you find out that you are the reincarnation of the miko that Inuyasha knew so many years ago?"
Kagome looked startled at the question, though a pained look flashed in her eyes; with a sigh, she looked down on the red dot that was his son as it flashed in and out of the trees so far below them, then back up at him.
"When the elder miko Kaede first saw me, she thought that I was, Sugimi-sam- err, sorry, Sugimi," she said as he cast her a reproachful look. "Then, when I went to flee from Mistress Centipede, my soul reached out and woke Inuyasha from Kikyou's seal, pretty much confirming that I was."
He nodded encouragingly; she continued.
"Then... when Urasue went to revive Kikyou so that she could find the shards of the jewel for her, she found that her soul had reincarnated - passed into a new life. That's why she took me, and that allowed Kikyou to be re-born."
Sugimi frowned as he thought about it. Something just didn't sound right about this. "Tell me," he said, "does it hurt? Is there pain from the missing part of your soul?"
She looked taken aback at his question. "Uhm... hurt? Why would it? It's only a small part that's missing, you know."
He cast a doubtful look at her, then. "Kagome... if you were truly her reincarnation, and held the same soul, the division in it would be extremely painful. I've been wondering about that - how you could seem so pain-free, and thought you must be controlling it with meditation or such - but it does not seem so."
With a shake of her head, she negated that thought. "I'm not one for meditating much," she chuckled mirthlessly. "No... it's just never hurt. But my soul is rather large," she said suddenly. "When Kanna, one of Naraku's incarnations tried to steal my soul, her void mirror couldn't hold it all. Maybe that's why."
"Hmm. Perhaps. I must think more on this - you are quite the puzzle indeed, little one," he said, looking down at her with interest clear in his eyes.
Even as innocent as she was, she couldn't mistake the masculine interest and attraction in his look, and she blushed deeply as her eyes slid off to the side - she was too embarrassed to continue to meet his eyes.
He smiled slightly at that. Oh, yes, little miko - I am very interested. We will see where this road leads, I promise you.
He looked into the sky, noting the position of the sun, and decided that it would probably be a good idea to call a mid-day halt; the members of the pack, especially the children, would have needs that should be seen to.
With a signal to Sesshoumaru, he began to lower his cloud, heading for the ground, and Sesshoumaru followed, leading his dragon holding the children down, and when those riding Kirara noted them heading down, they too, followed.
It was readily apparent that Inuyasha had been keeping tabs on those airborne despite his anger, as he was waiting almost impatiently when the group once more touched the ground.
"Oi! What's the hold-up?" he demanded.
Kagome turned to him, and the flat glare she gave him immediately had his hackles up. "Inuyasha, don't start. Everyone needs a small break, as well as a little food and water. We've made much better time than we usually do, so I don't want to hear any complaining."
Sugimi watched his son, and, while the group went about taking care of their business, he took a seat against a tree, considering how he wanted to deal with him from here on out.
It appeared that Kagome was the only one with any sort of control over the boy, since he didn't seem to have much control over himself. But she shouldn't be stuck disciplining him every time he decided to throw a temper-tantrum.
As the hanyou started muttering complaints as soon as Kagome was out of earshot, he shook his head - there was no other way but to establish who was alpha - and who was not.
He would have to take his son aside and show him his dominance. It would not be pretty, but it had to be done, or they would never have any peace... nor would the brat grow up if he weren't forced into it. It was time he started learning pack hierarchy.
With a rueful glance at the now returning young miko, he realized that it would have to be done when she went home - he didn't think she'd be comfortable watching someone she cared for getting his ass kicked.
Inwardly chuckling, he continued to watch her surreptitiously, entranced with her.
In his long lifetime, he'd seen women with more physical perfection than her, that was true. Not that she wasn't a very, very attractive female.
Blue-black hair that ran down her back like a waterfall, smooth, soft ivory skin framing deep indigo eyes with lashes long and curling, and rose-colored lips that he wanted to kiss repeatedly, were only the first of many delights.
Her long, swan-like neck that just begged to be bared to her alpha, set above slender shoulders and arms, and a very lovely, curvy chest that he could already tell would be a nice handful. A slender waist flaring out perfectly creating an hourglass figure - yes, she was quite attractive.
But it was what shone from within - the soul she carried, that brought her into the realms of beauty. She literally glowed with the light of that soul, its purity unmatched by anything he'd ever seen. Looking in her eyes was something he found that he could be happy doing forever... that glow lit them from within, turning them the most vivid, gorgeous shade of electric blue that had ever existed.
He had the feeling that he would quickly become addicted to her - she drew him in ways he was unfamiliar with, even considering his years.
And his past.
It wasn't like he was inexperienced in the ways of women. After all, he had two sons to show for his past experience with them... but this was beyond his experience. Such instant and total attraction...
It was maddening.
And not unwelcome.
For it had, indeed, been a long while since he had been with a woman, and he was not at all averse to finding one – especially one that drew him so strongly. Perhaps this time he might be allowed to live peacefully with said female? Of course, that depended on defeating this Naraku that was this era's evil – with him still around, it was doubtful that anyone would be finding any peace, or happiness in anything.
With an inward growl, he turned his mind to the information he'd so far gathered from everyone, about Naraku – and Kikyou.
Kagome hurried to do her business, wanting to get everyone some snacks and water so they could continue on. She wanted to get back to the well and get through it – she needed the breather from the male currently staring off into the distance with a thoughtful look on his face.
She couldn't understand herself or her reaction to him at all.
She'd never reacted to any male, in this time, or her own, the way she was reacting to him. In all her eighteen years of life, she'd never known an attraction like this. When others spoke of such things in glowing terms, she'd always scoffed inwardly, not believing that anything could be that intense.
And yet... she was being proven very, very wrong.
With a slight sigh, she dragged a breath in, then let it out, and reached for her bag, grabbing plastic zip bags of dried meats and trail mixes along with bottles of water to hand out, smiling at Sesshoumaru when he looked askance at her offerings.
“This bag here,” she indicated the meat, “is dried beef, this bag contains nuts and dried fruits, and this is simple water,” she showed him how to unscrew the cap and drink from it. “They are all things that can be consumed while we continue traveling.” She smiled when he nodded, clearly taken with the plastic container of water.
“What is this material, miko?” he questioned, squeezing the bottle curiously.
“It's called plastic – it comes in very handy and is used for many things in my era,” she answered.
He nodded, and the group all prepared to leave again, Sugimi standing and holding out his hand to her, even as Inuyasha looked ready to argue the point. It didn't do any good, his father completely ignoring him and lifting into the air with Kagome firmly in his grasp.
Damn him! He gritted inwardly. As soon as Kagome goes through that well, the old man and I are going to have it out!
He had no idea that the 'old man' was thinking along the same lines - and looking forward to the confrontation.
As was Sesshoumaru – he really wanted to see his father kick the hell out of his whelp of a brother.
-sSs-
Several days later, Kagome smiled at the elder daiyoukai that had walked with her to the well, along with a sulky hanyou, then hopped through the well with a sigh of relief. She didn't know how much more she could have dealt with, without a break.
She needed to think... a lot.
The moment she dropped out of sight, Sugimi had his son by his fire-rat, and pulled into his face. “Come along, boy – you and I need to have a long talk.” He turned on his heel; dragging a very shocked hanyou behind him, he took off, looking for a nice, large open space in which to begin whipping his son into shape.
It didn't take long to find just what he was searching for, and having so far ignored his son's struggles, he set down in the middle of the meadow, and tossed the boy to the ground. “Now, we are going to discuss your uncouth behavior. I may not have been around for the last two hundred years, but that is no excuse for one of my blood to behave in the manner that you do. It is unacceptable, boy.”
Inuyasha lay there gaping up at the male demon that was his father – until his words sunk in, then he was on his feet, face as red as his clothes. “No fuckin' way! You think you can just come back from the grave and start acting like a father and I'm just going to accept it?!” He drew Tessaiga, pointing the now-transformed blade at the Inu no Taisho. “I don't bow down to nobody!” he shouted.
Sugimi simply drew his own sword and waited for his son to attack – he knew it wouldn't take much for the boy to do so. He was loud and aggressive, but undisciplined and untrained, and no kind of opponent for one such as him.
“Well, boy? Are you just going to stand there breathing heavily?” he asked dryly. “Surely you know that in order to fight, you must move your sword, and attack.”
Inuyasha growled loudly with rage, swinging Tessaiga in a great arc, he leaped towards his father, throwing all his strength into the swing. He'd show the bastard that hanyou or not, he was no weakling.
It didn't turn out quite like he'd hoped, as Sugimi met his wild swing with an elegant hand, his own sword meeting Tessaiga in a cloud of sparks as he stood his ground effortlessly. Inuyasha fell back after a few moments, unable to even budge the daiyoukai.
“You must control your temper, boy – wild swings like that will do you no good. Control is needed to best an opponent.”
Sugimi let all else fall by the wayside as he darted forward, using only a fraction of his speed, and crossed swords with his son again, swinging quickly into a complicated set of moves that Inuyasha was hard-pressed to counter – it was taking everything he had just to keep his father's new sword from his body. He snarled with rage; it was apparent that the former Western Lord wasn't even trying very hard, and yet it was all he could do just to defend his position.
Breaking away, he jumped backwards, breathing heavily as he glared at the male that had sired him and then disappeared from he and his mother's life. Sugimi stood tall and cool across from him, not even breathing hard, and it pissed him off to no end.
“Well? Is that all? I find that I am sorely disappointed in your lack of skill, Inuyasha – you need much work, especially if you think to defeat this Naraku character,” he said coolly.
Inuyasha grinned ferally as he dashed forward and his father locked blades with him again, oh, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve to show the arrogant bastard. Just as their swords clanged together, he sliced his claws into his palm and yanked backwards, flinging out his hand, he yelled out his blades of blood attack, hoping to take his father by surprise.
While Sugimi was surprised, he wasn't actually hit, and Inuyasha was almost enraged as his father immediately dashed after him, throwing his own attack as waves of youki flowed outward from him, slicing into Inuyasha from every angle as he staggered and fell to the ground, stunned, blood pouring from several wounds. He barely managed to get Tessaiga into position to block his father's downward stroke, kicking out with his legs, he tried to take his feet from under him, but the older male merely jumped, avoiding the attack, landing untouched a few feet away.
Nonetheless, the attack gave him a few seconds to leap back to his own feet and charge his father once more, bringing his sword up, he again initiated an attack pattern, this time using one he'd noticed Sesshoumaru using more than once.
Sugimi grinned, then. “Ah... now we are getting somewhere, boy! Much better – you have watched your brother use this one, I believe.” He played along, waiting for just the right moment, then just as their swords met high on the blade, he slid his own down, catching Inuyasha off-balance and shoving him back. The moment the hanyou skidded to a halt, he was there again, backhanding him into a tree at the edge of the meadow.
“You make the same mistake your brother did when younger – that last move is not to be taken so high on the blade. It leaves your grip weak and your balance off, and you cannot then meet the next attack,” he said calmly, as though this were merely a lesson, rather than an ass-kicking. “Stand and come at me again, Inuyasha – and this time, do not make that mistake.”
Inuyasha climbed painfully to his feet, crouched at the base of the tree for a moment, he wiped the blood from his mouth and flung it away, staring at his father from under his bangs. Just as the daiyoukai started to move towards him, Inuyasha leapt up and met his blade, easily moving back into that same pattern.
“Why are you doing this? Think it's funny to make the half-breed bleed just like Sesshoumaru, eh?” he hissed as they once again clashed. This time, despite speaking, he was able to forgo the mistake he'd made earlier, barely, taking the hit lower on the blade so that he didn't end up in the same position as last time. Not that it mattered, because as soon as the pattern ended, his father reached in and backhanded him again, sending him flying once more into a different tree.
“Do not be a fool, Inuyasha. If I was worried about your half-blood status, I would not have married your mother. No, I am making you bleed, as you put it, to teach you several lessons. One in swordsmanship, and another in behavior. This is nothing so much as an ass-whipping for you, boy – it is disgraceful how you treat others... especially Kagome, and this one is going to teach you how to behave in a fitting manner, even if I have to beat it into you one bloody inch at a time,” he finished on a growl.
Inuyasha merely growled back as he climbed to his feet, barely able to see straight as his eyes blurred from the blows he'd already taken and the pain of several broken ribs and one broken arm from hitting the tree. After all of that, he hadn't managed to land one blow to his father, the dai's elegant clothing still pristine and unbloodied.
“And why the hell should I listen to anything you have to say? You think you can just show up and start raising me? I don't need you – I raised myself, and I musta done somethin' right, 'cause despite the fact that humans and youkai both hate and despise me, I'm still here!” Once again, he wiped the blood from his face, trying to keep it out of his eyes.
Sugimi sheathed his sword, then lashed out with his whip, the bright blue glow of it startling the hanyou even as it reached him and slashed across his chest, making him stagger. “Yes, actually, I do think I can just show up and start raising you – because there is nothing you can do to stop me. I am alpha, and you will quickly learn what that means. I may be your sire, but the position of alpha supersedes even that, and it is one you will never have the power to take from me. Not even your brother has that power, whelp, so do not think that it is a position you can aspire to.”
Inuyasha reciprocated his father's action, sheathing Tessaiga, then taking advantage of his bloodied form, once again flung his bloody youki attack, followed immediately by another. He wasn't even able to move before that glowing blue whip slashed once more over his form, this time, tangling around his feet and yanking him to the ground. Before he even realized he was down, his father was above him with one booted foot pressed to his chest, holding him in place.
“You will submit to me as alpha, Inuyasha, now. You are in no shape to even continue fighting,” Sugimi said with a snarl, baring his fangs demandingly at his son; Inuyasha didn't have much choice, unable to move, and barely conscious, he managed to just bare his throat before finally passing out from the pain.
Sugimi shook his head with a frown. Stubborn pup. Even unconscious, he's still growling. Bending down, he gathered his son up carefully and took him towards the hut of the elderly miko he'd been introduced to earlier. He needed to be cleaned up a bit and treated for his wounds, even though he'd heal in a day or so.
He took note of the flash of silver as he left the clearing. Did you enjoy the fight, Sesshoumaru? I hope that you are not as foolish as Inuyasha, thinking to challenge this one. You may be the Western Lord, but I am alpha, and Inu no Taisho, and even you are not strong enough to defeat me for either title.
I hope you are wise enough to know this, and do not have to be beaten bloody, too.
Converting /tmp/phpbbjaLz to /dev/stdout
Sugimi was lost in the scent of the woman he was holding close, lost in the feel of her, and lost in her words - she was fascinating him, bewitching him - and she didn't even realize it.
On top of that, something deep inside told him that he knew her - that he'd scented her, seen her, somewhere before. But that just wasn't possible... was it?
From what he'd been told, she came from the future, and traveled here, to this particular time. Which meant that he'd never met her before now - because he'd only just awoken in this time. And from everything he could gather, she'd never traveled to any other time...
But no matter what he told himself, there was just something niggling in the back of his mind that said he knew her. That he had met her before.
With an inwardly uneasy sigh, he pushed that away, and concentrated instead on the woman he was holding at this point in time.
"Tell me, Kagome... how did you find out that you are the reincarnation of the miko that Inuyasha knew so many years ago?"
Kagome looked startled at the question, though a pained look flashed in her eyes; with a sigh, she looked down on the red dot that was his son as it flashed in and out of the trees so far below them, then back up at him.
"When the elder miko Kaede first saw me, she thought that I was, Sugimi-sam- err, sorry, Sugimi," she said as he cast her a reproachful look. "Then, when I went to flee from Mistress Centipede, my soul reached out and woke Inuyasha from Kikyou's seal, pretty much confirming that I was."
He nodded encouragingly; she continued.
"Then... when Urasue went to revive Kikyou so that she could find the shards of the jewel for her, she found that her soul had reincarnated - passed into a new life. That's why she took me, and that allowed Kikyou to be re-born."
Sugimi frowned as he thought about it. Something just didn't sound right about this. "Tell me," he said, "does it hurt? Is there pain from the missing part of your soul?"
She looked taken aback at his question. "Uhm... hurt? Why would it? It's only a small part that's missing, you know."
He cast a doubtful look at her, then. "Kagome... if you were truly her reincarnation, and held the same soul, the division in it would be extremely painful. I've been wondering about that - how you could seem so pain-free, and thought you must be controlling it with meditation or such - but it does not seem so."
With a shake of her head, she negated that thought. "I'm not one for meditating much," she chuckled mirthlessly. "No... it's just never hurt. But my soul is rather large," she said suddenly. "When Kanna, one of Naraku's incarnations tried to steal my soul, her void mirror couldn't hold it all. Maybe that's why."
"Hmm. Perhaps. I must think more on this - you are quite the puzzle indeed, little one," he said, looking down at her with interest clear in his eyes.
Even as innocent as she was, she couldn't mistake the masculine interest and attraction in his look, and she blushed deeply as her eyes slid off to the side - she was too embarrassed to continue to meet his eyes.
He smiled slightly at that. Oh, yes, little miko - I am very interested. We will see where this road leads, I promise you.
He looked into the sky, noting the position of the sun, and decided that it would probably be a good idea to call a mid-day halt; the members of the pack, especially the children, would have needs that should be seen to.
With a signal to Sesshoumaru, he began to lower his cloud, heading for the ground, and Sesshoumaru followed, leading his dragon holding the children down, and when those riding Kirara noted them heading down, they too, followed.
It was readily apparent that Inuyasha had been keeping tabs on those airborne despite his anger, as he was waiting almost impatiently when the group once more touched the ground.
"Oi! What's the hold-up?" he demanded.
Kagome turned to him, and the flat glare she gave him immediately had his hackles up. "Inuyasha, don't start. Everyone needs a small break, as well as a little food and water. We've made much better time than we usually do, so I don't want to hear any complaining."
Sugimi watched his son, and, while the group went about taking care of their business, he took a seat against a tree, considering how he wanted to deal with him from here on out.
It appeared that Kagome was the only one with any sort of control over the boy, since he didn't seem to have much control over himself. But she shouldn't be stuck disciplining him every time he decided to throw a temper-tantrum.
As the hanyou started muttering complaints as soon as Kagome was out of earshot, he shook his head - there was no other way but to establish who was alpha - and who was not.
He would have to take his son aside and show him his dominance. It would not be pretty, but it had to be done, or they would never have any peace... nor would the brat grow up if he weren't forced into it. It was time he started learning pack hierarchy.
With a rueful glance at the now returning young miko, he realized that it would have to be done when she went home - he didn't think she'd be comfortable watching someone she cared for getting his ass kicked.
Inwardly chuckling, he continued to watch her surreptitiously, entranced with her.
In his long lifetime, he'd seen women with more physical perfection than her, that was true. Not that she wasn't a very, very attractive female.
Blue-black hair that ran down her back like a waterfall, smooth, soft ivory skin framing deep indigo eyes with lashes long and curling, and rose-colored lips that he wanted to kiss repeatedly, were only the first of many delights.
Her long, swan-like neck that just begged to be bared to her alpha, set above slender shoulders and arms, and a very lovely, curvy chest that he could already tell would be a nice handful. A slender waist flaring out perfectly creating an hourglass figure - yes, she was quite attractive.
But it was what shone from within - the soul she carried, that brought her into the realms of beauty. She literally glowed with the light of that soul, its purity unmatched by anything he'd ever seen. Looking in her eyes was something he found that he could be happy doing forever... that glow lit them from within, turning them the most vivid, gorgeous shade of electric blue that had ever existed.
He had the feeling that he would quickly become addicted to her - she drew him in ways he was unfamiliar with, even considering his years.
And his past.
It wasn't like he was inexperienced in the ways of women. After all, he had two sons to show for his past experience with them... but this was beyond his experience. Such instant and total attraction...
It was maddening.
And not unwelcome.
For it had, indeed, been a long while since he had been with a woman, and he was not at all averse to finding one – especially one that drew him so strongly. Perhaps this time he might be allowed to live peacefully with said female? Of course, that depended on defeating this Naraku that was this era's evil – with him still around, it was doubtful that anyone would be finding any peace, or happiness in anything.
With an inward growl, he turned his mind to the information he'd so far gathered from everyone, about Naraku – and Kikyou.
Kagome hurried to do her business, wanting to get everyone some snacks and water so they could continue on. She wanted to get back to the well and get through it – she needed the breather from the male currently staring off into the distance with a thoughtful look on his face.
She couldn't understand herself or her reaction to him at all.
She'd never reacted to any male, in this time, or her own, the way she was reacting to him. In all her eighteen years of life, she'd never known an attraction like this. When others spoke of such things in glowing terms, she'd always scoffed inwardly, not believing that anything could be that intense.
And yet... she was being proven very, very wrong.
With a slight sigh, she dragged a breath in, then let it out, and reached for her bag, grabbing plastic zip bags of dried meats and trail mixes along with bottles of water to hand out, smiling at Sesshoumaru when he looked askance at her offerings.
“This bag here,” she indicated the meat, “is dried beef, this bag contains nuts and dried fruits, and this is simple water,” she showed him how to unscrew the cap and drink from it. “They are all things that can be consumed while we continue traveling.” She smiled when he nodded, clearly taken with the plastic container of water.
“What is this material, miko?” he questioned, squeezing the bottle curiously.
“It's called plastic – it comes in very handy and is used for many things in my era,” she answered.
He nodded, and the group all prepared to leave again, Sugimi standing and holding out his hand to her, even as Inuyasha looked ready to argue the point. It didn't do any good, his father completely ignoring him and lifting into the air with Kagome firmly in his grasp.
Damn him! He gritted inwardly. As soon as Kagome goes through that well, the old man and I are going to have it out!
He had no idea that the 'old man' was thinking along the same lines - and looking forward to the confrontation.
As was Sesshoumaru – he really wanted to see his father kick the hell out of his whelp of a brother.
-sSs-
Several days later, Kagome smiled at the elder daiyoukai that had walked with her to the well, along with a sulky hanyou, then hopped through the well with a sigh of relief. She didn't know how much more she could have dealt with, without a break.
She needed to think... a lot.
The moment she dropped out of sight, Sugimi had his son by his fire-rat, and pulled into his face. “Come along, boy – you and I need to have a long talk.” He turned on his heel; dragging a very shocked hanyou behind him, he took off, looking for a nice, large open space in which to begin whipping his son into shape.
It didn't take long to find just what he was searching for, and having so far ignored his son's struggles, he set down in the middle of the meadow, and tossed the boy to the ground. “Now, we are going to discuss your uncouth behavior. I may not have been around for the last two hundred years, but that is no excuse for one of my blood to behave in the manner that you do. It is unacceptable, boy.”
Inuyasha lay there gaping up at the male demon that was his father – until his words sunk in, then he was on his feet, face as red as his clothes. “No fuckin' way! You think you can just come back from the grave and start acting like a father and I'm just going to accept it?!” He drew Tessaiga, pointing the now-transformed blade at the Inu no Taisho. “I don't bow down to nobody!” he shouted.
Sugimi simply drew his own sword and waited for his son to attack – he knew it wouldn't take much for the boy to do so. He was loud and aggressive, but undisciplined and untrained, and no kind of opponent for one such as him.
“Well, boy? Are you just going to stand there breathing heavily?” he asked dryly. “Surely you know that in order to fight, you must move your sword, and attack.”
Inuyasha growled loudly with rage, swinging Tessaiga in a great arc, he leaped towards his father, throwing all his strength into the swing. He'd show the bastard that hanyou or not, he was no weakling.
It didn't turn out quite like he'd hoped, as Sugimi met his wild swing with an elegant hand, his own sword meeting Tessaiga in a cloud of sparks as he stood his ground effortlessly. Inuyasha fell back after a few moments, unable to even budge the daiyoukai.
“You must control your temper, boy – wild swings like that will do you no good. Control is needed to best an opponent.”
Sugimi let all else fall by the wayside as he darted forward, using only a fraction of his speed, and crossed swords with his son again, swinging quickly into a complicated set of moves that Inuyasha was hard-pressed to counter – it was taking everything he had just to keep his father's new sword from his body. He snarled with rage; it was apparent that the former Western Lord wasn't even trying very hard, and yet it was all he could do just to defend his position.
Breaking away, he jumped backwards, breathing heavily as he glared at the male that had sired him and then disappeared from he and his mother's life. Sugimi stood tall and cool across from him, not even breathing hard, and it pissed him off to no end.
“Well? Is that all? I find that I am sorely disappointed in your lack of skill, Inuyasha – you need much work, especially if you think to defeat this Naraku character,” he said coolly.
Inuyasha grinned ferally as he dashed forward and his father locked blades with him again, oh, he still had a few tricks up his sleeve to show the arrogant bastard. Just as their swords clanged together, he sliced his claws into his palm and yanked backwards, flinging out his hand, he yelled out his blades of blood attack, hoping to take his father by surprise.
While Sugimi was surprised, he wasn't actually hit, and Inuyasha was almost enraged as his father immediately dashed after him, throwing his own attack as waves of youki flowed outward from him, slicing into Inuyasha from every angle as he staggered and fell to the ground, stunned, blood pouring from several wounds. He barely managed to get Tessaiga into position to block his father's downward stroke, kicking out with his legs, he tried to take his feet from under him, but the older male merely jumped, avoiding the attack, landing untouched a few feet away.
Nonetheless, the attack gave him a few seconds to leap back to his own feet and charge his father once more, bringing his sword up, he again initiated an attack pattern, this time using one he'd noticed Sesshoumaru using more than once.
Sugimi grinned, then. “Ah... now we are getting somewhere, boy! Much better – you have watched your brother use this one, I believe.” He played along, waiting for just the right moment, then just as their swords met high on the blade, he slid his own down, catching Inuyasha off-balance and shoving him back. The moment the hanyou skidded to a halt, he was there again, backhanding him into a tree at the edge of the meadow.
“You make the same mistake your brother did when younger – that last move is not to be taken so high on the blade. It leaves your grip weak and your balance off, and you cannot then meet the next attack,” he said calmly, as though this were merely a lesson, rather than an ass-kicking. “Stand and come at me again, Inuyasha – and this time, do not make that mistake.”
Inuyasha climbed painfully to his feet, crouched at the base of the tree for a moment, he wiped the blood from his mouth and flung it away, staring at his father from under his bangs. Just as the daiyoukai started to move towards him, Inuyasha leapt up and met his blade, easily moving back into that same pattern.
“Why are you doing this? Think it's funny to make the half-breed bleed just like Sesshoumaru, eh?” he hissed as they once again clashed. This time, despite speaking, he was able to forgo the mistake he'd made earlier, barely, taking the hit lower on the blade so that he didn't end up in the same position as last time. Not that it mattered, because as soon as the pattern ended, his father reached in and backhanded him again, sending him flying once more into a different tree.
“Do not be a fool, Inuyasha. If I was worried about your half-blood status, I would not have married your mother. No, I am making you bleed, as you put it, to teach you several lessons. One in swordsmanship, and another in behavior. This is nothing so much as an ass-whipping for you, boy – it is disgraceful how you treat others... especially Kagome, and this one is going to teach you how to behave in a fitting manner, even if I have to beat it into you one bloody inch at a time,” he finished on a growl.
Inuyasha merely growled back as he climbed to his feet, barely able to see straight as his eyes blurred from the blows he'd already taken and the pain of several broken ribs and one broken arm from hitting the tree. After all of that, he hadn't managed to land one blow to his father, the dai's elegant clothing still pristine and unbloodied.
“And why the hell should I listen to anything you have to say? You think you can just show up and start raising me? I don't need you – I raised myself, and I musta done somethin' right, 'cause despite the fact that humans and youkai both hate and despise me, I'm still here!” Once again, he wiped the blood from his face, trying to keep it out of his eyes.
Sugimi sheathed his sword, then lashed out with his whip, the bright blue glow of it startling the hanyou even as it reached him and slashed across his chest, making him stagger. “Yes, actually, I do think I can just show up and start raising you – because there is nothing you can do to stop me. I am alpha, and you will quickly learn what that means. I may be your sire, but the position of alpha supersedes even that, and it is one you will never have the power to take from me. Not even your brother has that power, whelp, so do not think that it is a position you can aspire to.”
Inuyasha reciprocated his father's action, sheathing Tessaiga, then taking advantage of his bloodied form, once again flung his bloody youki attack, followed immediately by another. He wasn't even able to move before that glowing blue whip slashed once more over his form, this time, tangling around his feet and yanking him to the ground. Before he even realized he was down, his father was above him with one booted foot pressed to his chest, holding him in place.
“You will submit to me as alpha, Inuyasha, now. You are in no shape to even continue fighting,” Sugimi said with a snarl, baring his fangs demandingly at his son; Inuyasha didn't have much choice, unable to move, and barely conscious, he managed to just bare his throat before finally passing out from the pain.
Sugimi shook his head with a frown. Stubborn pup. Even unconscious, he's still growling. Bending down, he gathered his son up carefully and took him towards the hut of the elderly miko he'd been introduced to earlier. He needed to be cleaned up a bit and treated for his wounds, even though he'd heal in a day or so.
He took note of the flash of silver as he left the clearing. Did you enjoy the fight, Sesshoumaru? I hope that you are not as foolish as Inuyasha, thinking to challenge this one. You may be the Western Lord, but I am alpha, and Inu no Taisho, and even you are not strong enough to defeat me for either title.
I hope you are wise enough to know this, and do not have to be beaten bloody, too.
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