Mocha
Sesshoumaru blocked a round-house kick aimed at his stomach and flipped his unfortunate sparring partner with ease.
“Your form is sloppy.” He commented blandly.
“Shut up.” His half-brother growled from the floor.
“You are put off-balance when you overextend your reach.”
“Shut up!” Inuyasha kipped up to his feet and lunged at Sesshoumaru, nearly landing a punch.
“Better. But your anger is ruling you now.” He side-stepped and neatly dodged another kick.
“You just don’t know how to quit being a damn teacher do you?!”
“Saiga-sensei!” A young man called from the other room and both silver-haired individuals looked up.
“Erm… I-Inuyasha-sensei.” He clarified.
“What?”
“You told me to let you know when-“
“Ah yeah, my next class. Get out of here ya bastard. Take out all that aggression on your students.” He strode off the sparring mat, waving off Sesshoumaru as he went.
The elder Saiga quickly changed in the office of the dojo, exchanging his gi for black slacks and a charcoal silk dress shirt. He didn’t spare a glance to where Inuyasha was starting his advanced martial arts class but heard the thud as the first black-belted student tried to take on their sensei.
Sesshomaru’s faint smirk turned to a sigh as he looked at the beautiful early fall day. It was cheerful and full of hope and new smells and perky new people. It marked the new beginning of a school year.
He hated it.
It was the reason for his early morning trip to the dojo his half-brother owned. He had to expel some of the tension before he started another year. He’d have to start all over as most of his students had already attained their doctorates and moved on. He hated new students. All of whom would have to be trained, who had no idea how to act courteously to a taiyoukai and would undoubtedly offend his nose with their undeniable humanness. Then of course there were the females, the dratted bane of his existence. Their simpering and hormone-driven inappropriate flirting. It was like they’d never seen a male before in their lives.
He flicked his heavy silver braid over his shoulder as he strode down the sidewalk to his first class. Those in his path quickly moved out of the way, even the jocks had learned their place after he’d bodily escorted the inebriated rugby team off campus when a party got too loud after lights-out.
“Sesshoumaru-sama!” A charmingly childish voice hailed him and he froze mid-step, closing his eyes in annoyance.
No. Not now. He thought, willing her away. He wanted to hold on to his bad mood, not feel uplifted.
“You forgot your lunch at home!” His adopted daughter, Rin, was running towards him, bento box in one hand and lopsided pigtail streaming behind her.
He sighed and resigned himself to being cheered up, catching her as she catapulted into his arms.
“I packed your FAVORITE lunch today!” She didn’t complain as he set her firmly back on her feet.
“Where are your manners?” He scolded half-heartedly.
“Apologies Sesshoumaru-sama.” She murmured, looking at her toes. “Rin knows you hate the first day of school and thought you needed a hug.”
Curse her for being so adorable. He valiantly tried to keep up his glower but sighed again and gave up when she raised sincere mocha-colored eyes to his face. “You are forgiven. Should you not be at school?”
An impish grin showed her to be missing a tooth. “I told Jaken-san it was an emergency.”
“You will return at once.” He ordered, taking the bento box from her.
The tempting scents of fresh sushi wafted out of it and he closed his eyes half-way, savoring the aroma. She really had gotten his favorite. When he focused back on Rin he found her grinning from ear-to-ear and knew he’d been caught.
She looked around as discreetly as a six-year-old was able and beckoned him closer. When he complied and stooped to put his ear by her mouth she kissed his cheek and whispered. “Have a good day father.”
“Be respectful of your sensei.” He commanded as he straightened.
She bowed and scampered back to where a black car was waiting with his harried chauffeur inside.
Sesshoumaru watched until she was inside and then continued walking to his first class of the new semester, Youkai History and Mythology. He tried to remember why he hated being a professor, coming up blank. It wasn’t until he heard a giggle and saw a flash of long black hair as a young woman jerked away from the window that he remembered. He hated female students.