InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Online Drama ❯ Fight of the One Armed Man ( Chapter 11 )

Sesshoumaru hissed as the old woman who was in charge of the emergency medical staff of the event put his arm in a sling after wrapping it tightly. He was highly surprised at how aggressively she treated his arm. He may have been youkai and therefore have a higher tolerance for pain, but there was no need for the treatment she gave.

"Hag, be more careful. My elbow is broken," Sesshoumaru barked out angrily as he jerked his abused appendage away from her grasp.

"Young man, I am perfectly aware that you have fractured your olecranon. I'm actually surprised that your humorous escaped any damage." Kaede answered giving his injured elbow one more not so gentle tug.

Kagome and Miroku stood against the wall and watched the exchange between Sesshoumaru and the old woman nervously. Miroku's gaze flickered back and forth between from the young man to his watch.

"Ahem, Sesshoumaru, your match is in fifteen minutes."

Sesshoumaru cast his friend a cold golden stare before rising to his feet and ignoring the herbs the old woman offered him to ease the pain.

"Young man, young man, you really should consider taking these herbs to ease your pain if you consider competing," Kaede told him.

"Your herbs would only serve to dull my senses," Sesshoumaru answered paying the old woman little attention. His mind was already focused on his strategy for defeating Juromaru and on how much he should make the cheat suffer for his brother's dirty trick.

Kagome ran up to Sesshoumaru and placed her hands upon his uninjured arm. He peered down at her and locked his eyes with her.

"Maru-chan, do you really intend to compete with your injury?" Kagome asked concerned.

Sesshoumaru forcefully pulled his arm out of her grasp. "Woman, do not hinder this Sesshoumaru. I will compete. I wouldn't make it so easy for my incompetent brother or your foolish ex-boyfriend to win my title without a challenge." Sesshoumaru left the room with the three humans behind.

Kagome stared at his retreating form in shock. He had never snapped at her before. He had never been anything other than a complete gentleman to her before. What happened to the Maru-chan she had come to know? This Sesshoumaru was more like the jerk off the internet that she had tattooed his name on her belly. Perhaps it was a mistake to think that side of him had been incidental.

"How could he think I want him to lose? I was just worried about him." Kagome looked over to Miroku for answers.

Miroku shifted his feet as he grew thoughtful. "You see, Kagome, Sesshoumaru takes his title as Judo champion very seriously. He thinks he's like Lord of Judo in all the lands."

Kagome didn't comment. Even Kouga, who took sporting competition so seriously, never snapped at her if she showed concern for his health. Maybe Sesshoumaru wasn't so perfect after all.

"Young lady, Kagome was it?" Kaede inquired after tapping the girl on the shoulder to gain her attention. Kagome nodded that Kaede had addressed her correctly.

"Kagome, you seemed to have a real knack for nursing that young man's wounds. At least, when he allowed you to when he first came in here," Kaede commented.

"Thanks. I used to study pre-medicine at school, but I changed my major to focus more on genetic research." Kagome answered vaguely.

"Really? Why the change?" Kaede further implored.

"Dad has a research division that I plan to head up after graduation." Kagome answered.

Miroku stared at her in shock, violet eyes wide. He had no idea she had such high career goals. Guess you can't judge someone's intelligence by who they date.

Kagome's slumped shoulders straightened suddenly and she looked at Kaede directly. The old woman adjusted her eye patch under the intensity of Kagome's gaze. "I will be studying here this next semester. Do you need anybody else on your EMS team?"

Kaede pondered the American's offer and then gave a generous smile. "I would love to have you on my staff. Let me give you my business card." Kaede reached into her medical supply bag to procure a card to hand to Kagome.

"Come on Kagome. We'll miss the match." Miroku pulled Kagome out after him as soon as she had received the business card.

Kaede watched the two leave her medical station and could only shake her head. She had a feeling she would be learning a lot more about those young people.

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

Sesshoumaru stared at his useless left arm and cursed silently. He was anxious to beat the cheater's smirk off his face. Perhaps he would use that slimy brother of his, Kageromaru and shove his head far up where "the sun don't shine" on Juromaru.

His slammed shut his locker door with his open palm flush against the surface. In his anger he had released his melting poison from his claws.

"Shit," he cried stunned after realizing that in his frustration he had dropped his concealing spell. He looked around quickly and was relieved to find that he was alone.

He took a deep breath to compose himself and then walked out to the arena to face his challenger.

All other thoughts fled his mind. The only contemplation running through his brain was winning and how he was going to remain champion. To the great Sesshoumaru, nothing else mattered at the moment.

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

"There he is." Jakotsu pointed out, leaning back on the bleachers to rest his head and back against Kagome's legs, who sat behind him.

Kagome watched at Sesshoumaru met Juromaru at the ring in the center of the arena. The judo mats were removed and one giant ring now stood in its place. There only remained eight competitors. The world champion would be decided this day.

Sesshoumaru's left arm was in a sling and his incredibly long silver hair hung loose down his back. "Is he going to leave his hair down like that?" Kagome asked leaning with her forearms resting on her lap and bringing her lips close to Jakotsu's ear to whisper.

Bankotsu turned around from his spot beside his brother to answer Kagome's question. "Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha both fight with their hair down like that. One would think it would serve as a target for their opponent, but its more of a mesmerizing distraction."

Kagome gave a non-committal sound and begun to run her fingers through Jakotsu's soft hair. One of her nervous habits was to braid hair. Sitting beside her, Miroku noticed Kagome's actions and ran his own fingers through his hair. He vividly remembered the intricate corn row design he sported during Kouga's last track race back in America.

Miroku turned his attention to Sango, who sat on his other side. She was ignoring him and playing with her gameboy. He tried to see what the game was but she quickly hunched over it to obscure his view.

Miroku crossed his arms at being ignored by his friends and decided to focus his attention back to the center of the arena. He noticed Inuyasha just now arriving to stand with the other competitors that weren't fighting just yet.

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

Inuyasha had walked into the locker room moments after his brother left it to grab his water bottle. He noticed the acidic scars on Sesshoumaru's locker door.

"Crap," Inuyasha muttered before running after his brother to make sure he didn't blow his youkai cover in front of the judges. It wasn't illegal for a demon to be in the tournament, but it was safer if they didn't know.

Unfortunately, his brother was already at the ring before he could speak with him. Fretting, Inuyasha went to join the other five remaining tournament participants standing not too far away from the ring where Sesshoumaru and Juromaru stood in their respective corners.

Kouga greeted Inuyasha with a brief smile. He seemed to realize he was smiling so it faded quickly. The temporary alliance in defense of Sesshoumaru was not to change the fact that Inuyasha was his competition and was trying to steal his girlfriend.

"Ready to see your brother knock the snot out of that pink haired freak?" Kouga asked when Inuyasha stood beside him.

"Keh, like you can talk about freaks you wimpy wolf." Inuyasha began their casual friendly taunts.

"I have as much right as you have to talk about freaks dog-breath," Kouga answered with the same arrogant tone as Inuyasha. The two exchanged a passing smirk before focusing on Sesshoumaru.

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

Sesshoumaru stood in his corner at ease. His opponent seemed nervous to be all alone without his meddlesome brother at his side. To add to that unease, Sesshoumaru cocked his head to the right and then the left and emitted an audible snap as he popped his neck.

Golden eyes had the look of promised pain directed at the pink haired fool. The referee of the match rang a bell to indicate the start of the match.

Juromaru began to circle Sesshoumaru. However, the latter remained standing immobile as he calculated his move.

Suddenly, Juromaru lunged for a low attack taking advantage of the side with the injured arm, only to be effortlessly countered and find himself sprawled on his back.

Sesshoumaru looked down at his fallen opponent. Where was the challenge? The pink haired man rose to his feet quickly.

Sesshoumaru was growing impatient and decided to make the first attack this time and not a moment later, found his opponent once more fallen to the mat.

A little disappointed, Sesshoumaru turned his back to the man. Hoping he would take some cheap shot so that at least there would be some sort of effort on Sesshoumaru's part to defeat him. He used the fingers of his uninjured hand to brush the hair that had fallen over his eyes to the side.

As anticipated, Juromaru chose that moment to attack. Before Juromaru could register what happened, he found himself on his back once more for the third and final time. The match was over and not even a minute had expired.

Sesshoumaru glared at his worthless opponent. "You are a disgrace," he informed the loser with disgust and disappointment evident in his tone.

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

Kagome could only watch in shock at the ease of which Sesshoumaru, with his arm in a sling, so quickly disposed of his enemy. She had little doubt that this man would get anything he decided he wanted with as much determination he has.

"Impressive, wasn't it?" Jakotsu broke into her thoughts, noticing the expression of awe on her face.

Kagome could only nod, words escaped at her at the moment.

"That's why everyone, women and men both, fall at his feet," Jakotsu replied casting an appreciative sigh in Sesshoumaru's direction.

Kagome dropped her hands from Jakotsu's braid and crossed her arms in front of herself. What was she thinking? Of course he had girls throwing themselves at his feet. Did she really think she would be the only one to notice all his charming qualities?

But then, this cold and domineering personality of Sesshoumaru was greatly different from the compassionate side she had grown to treasure about her Maru-chan. Perhaps it was all an act. She watched guiltily as Kouga entered the ring next.

Far from what others may believe, Kagome was no idiot. She was used to men falling for her. Personally, she didn't understand what was so special about her, but she knew it happened a lot. She really liked being friends with Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru. She had a suspicion that they may have liked her.

Since she was dating Kouga; that didn't really matter before. But now that she was single, it made all the difference in the world when you try to distinguish people's motives. She could tell that Inuyasha cared for her in his own way, but what about Sesshoumaru?

Or was she merely another prize to win? She hated to think that last thought, but it came to mind regardless. A shiver ran down her spine. She simply wouldn't think about it. She wouldn't analyze anything. She would just live day to day, moment by moment and not worry about the meaning behind people's motives.

So lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the new presence that positioned himself beside her.

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

After defeating Juromaru with so little effort Sesshoumaru decided that he should probably find Kagome. She had never seen him in competition mode before. It probably scared her a little.

He noticed she was staring with a vacant expression and not participating in any of the conversations around her. She must have been deep in thought. Audience members quickly scampered out of his way as he moved to sit beside her on the bench.

"What did you think?" Sesshoumaru asked in the most husky voice he possessed. It took all his willpower to keep the smirk wishing to emerge off his face when Kagome jumped a foot into the air in surprise.

"Maru-chan, what are you doing here?" Kagome asked with her hand pressed to her heart in an effort to control its rapid beating.

In front of her, Jakotsu couldn't help but look at her curiously for using the name `Maru-chan.' He knew from personal experience that Sesshoumaru didn't allow anyone to call him that.

Sesshoumaru extended his right hand to grasp her wrist and pull it away from her heart. He was satisfied to feel her excited pulse. It was the exact effect he hoped to have upon her. "I wanted to apologize if my game face scared you."

Kagome smiled quickly. "It's okay, really. I understand. I act weird before I have an archery tournament."

Sesshoumaru's right brow rose marginally at the declaration. He was unaware of her competitive side or that she was involved with archery. What else did he not know about her? "So what did you think of the match?"

Kagome pulled her wrist out of his grasp to hold his hand instead. She gave it a slight squeeze. "I was very impressed by you. I could hardly believe how quickly you beat him! It didn't seem like it took any effort at all on your part. And to think I was worried about you!"

Sesshoumaru offered a rare smile at her genuine enthusiasm. Most people only wanted to impress him with their admiration of him, hoping to get in his good graces. Kagome had no idea of his financial status and was expressing sincere enthusiasm.

He removed his hand from hers and scooted closer on the bench towards her. Feeling extremely confident right now, he stretched his arm to wrap around her shoulders. No one else in the group of friends had made any comments of any sort to acknowledge his presence. He approved of that.

He didn't always need to be the center of attention. Why couldn't people realize that sometimes he just wanted to be in the back corner silently enjoying the show with someone that would see him for who he is and not just as an image.

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

Lucky for everyone, Kouga was unaware of where Kagome sat in the stands and so never saw Sesshoumaru with his arm wrapped possessively around her shoulders. If he had seen that, his rage probably would have consumed him and he might have lost his match.

However, Inuyasha was aware of where his friends sat in the bleachers and noticed everything. The anger he felt at the scene was channeled into an intense force as he brutally attacked his opponent. He was sorely disappointed when his matched only last half a minute.

The competitors for the next round would be announced next. Mostly likely he would be up against either Kouga or Sesshoumaru. He sincerely hoped he would have the opportunity to beat the hell out of his big brother. It would be great to knock his highness of that high horse.

As fate would have it, Kouga's second match was called to go first. His opponent was a sophomore from a university in Japan. It was a fairly even match, however, Kouga prevailed in the end to earn his position in the final match.

After winning, Kouga found his friends in the stands and joined them. He took up the seat recently vacated by Sesshoumaru.

"What did you think love?" Kouga asked Kagome slightly out of breath as he gently danced his fingers up and down her spine. He knew she loved it when he did that.

It took all of Kagome's self control to contain the sigh of pleasure she was sure to release at the sensations down her back. "You fought well. Congratulations on making it to the final round. Just don't call me love, we're just friends."

Kouga stopped running his fingers and clasped them together in his lap and directed his gaze to the center of the arena. He was familiar with this conversation. After all, they broke up like clockwork only to get back together. This time was no different. "Alright, love."

Kagome shook her head at his comment, but decided to ignore it. Instead she leaned over to Miroku. "Have those two ever fought before?" She inquired addressing Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha who stood in opposite corners of the ring.

Miroku looked across to Kouga who snorted at the question. "Yes, they fight all the time." Miroku answered, thinking the question ridiculous himself. Everyone knew those two brothers fought all the time.

"Who do you think will win?" Kagome turned to first Miroku and then Kouga to get their opinions. Miroku shrugged.

Kouga looked thoughtful as he watched the two brothers psych themselves up. "It's hard to say. They are both talented fighters. I would say it would be which ever one was more motivated. Even with Sesshoumaru's arm in a sling he is still highly formidable. I've definitely got my work cut out for me in the final match."

Bankotsu sensed a lull in the conversation and turned to speak to the individuals behind him. Sango was still absorbed in her gameboy, so he ignored her. "We're having a party tonight at Naraku's. You are all to be in attendance of course."

Miroku's eyes widened at the prospects of all the scantily clad women sure to be present. Sango finally showed everyone that she was indeed paying attention and swiftly slapped Miroku on the back of his head.

"You better not be thinking about other women," Sango told him, never once moving her eyes from her game.

"I would never do such a thing Sango my darling!" Miroku declared in an effort to prove his unwavering love for her. Sango either didn't hear him or choose not to comment as her thumbs continued to play with the videogame controllers.

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

Sesshoumaru was surprised by the focus his younger, somewhat irrational, brother had for this match. It made him proud as the older sibling, but annoyed that he would have to tire himself out fighting against his brother in this round.

When he defeated him and fought Kouga he would have to do so slightly fatigued. He was confident that he would win anyway, he always did. However, it was still annoying.

"Don't think I'm going to let you win," Inuyasha told his brother, breaking into his thoughts.

"But little brother, you forget, I always win."

Inuyasha smirked, revealing his fangs. "You really should learn that you don't always get everything you want."

Sesshoumaru's golden eyes glinted with amusement at the serious manner Inuyasha spoke. "Of course, I realize I don't get everything I want. I always wanted an intelligent little brother and I got you instead," he taunted hoping to get a rise from his temperamental brother.

He was sorely disappointed when Inuyasha failed to take the bait. Sesshoumaru quickly altered his stance. Looks like his little brother was going to take this match very seriously and he might even prove a challenge.