For the Honour of My Family

Sesshomaru stared impassively at the older inuyoukai male that stood, head bowed, before him. He stared at him for several moments, taking in the male's appearance. Three dark green, jagged stripes on his cheeks, bright and intense golden eyes, long and flowing silver hair pulled into a warrior's topknot, the rigid formality in his behaviour and the pride of his status and his prowess in his posture . . . NatsuMaru was just as he remembered him.

"You may raise your head now, NatsuMaru."

"Hai, my Lord," came the murmur. Golden orbs met his and NatsuMaru relaxed. A little. Sesshomaru knew that there wasn't anything he or anyone else could do to get the warrior to relax more than that. Over seven thousand years old, there were too many things that had been ingrained into NatsuMaru. Too many instincts.

'That's what makes him perfect for training Inuyasha.'

At the thought of his brother, Sesshomaru fought back the urge to sigh. It had been at least two weeks since he'd brought the hanyou back to the castle . . . two very long weeks. Inuyasha had used as much profane language as possible to the tutors, had attempted at least five escapes a day, and attacked him whenever possible. His patience, which had been thin to begin with, waned even more. He'd had to erect a barrier to keep Inuyasha in but allow everyone else in the castle the ability to leave as needed and he'd had to place a collar on the boy to keep him from drawing the Tetsusaiga. It wouldn't do to have your sibling kill your servants and guards, after all. However, the collar didn't prevent Inuyasha from hurling out threats and insults and from using his claws. Just the fang.

"Is there something wrong, my Lord?"

NatsuMaru's voice immediately brought Sesshomaru's thoughts away from the last two weeks and to the present. It was with NatsuMaru's help that he hoped to accomplish what he had set out to do. To tame his brother a little and to see that the boy received a proper education. Sesshomaru, however, shook his head 'no' to NatsuMaru's inquiry.

"No. There is nothing wrong. I've just had my patience taxed the last few weeks . . ."

"My Lord?"

"My half brother, Inuyasha, is back in the palace. Against his will, I might add," Sesshomaru allowed himself a light smirk.

NatsuMaru raised an eyebrow at him. The only person who could do so and get away with it.

"Against his will, my Lord?"

"Hai," Sesshomaru nodded. "I've brought him back here to carry out my father's wishes."

"Ah," NatsuMaru smiled, his eyes lighting up. "The wish for his children to have the best learning possible."

"Hai. He was . . . unwilling to comply with my desire for him to come with me . . . his ningen friends did not help matters any."

"I take it you wish for me to train him on how to fight."

"And to help keep him in line should he threaten his tutors. They are refusing to go near him without having someone there to protect them."

"A feisty one . . ." NatsuMaru's expression became thoughtful. "He grew up wild, didn't he?"

"Hai. A . . . mistake on my part."

"A mistake you're trying to correct, if I know you . . . very well then. I shall start now."

"Now?" Sesshomaru echoed. He had no doubts that NatsuMaru would take Inuyasha on as a challenge – being of the warrior class, and being inuyoukai, NatsuMaru would never back away from one – but he hadn't expected him to want to start right away.

"Hai, my Lord . . . if it is all right with you, of course . . ."

Sesshomaru opened his mouth to speak, only to hesitate. Though he hadn't expected NatsuMaru to want to start after traveling such a long distance – NatsuMaru resided in the southern mountain range, at his uncle's palace – he saw no reason as to why NatsuMaru couldn't begin right away.

'Besides,' he reasoned to himself, 'it'll provide me with some amusement to see how Inuyasha reacts to him.'

Sesshomaru allowed himself another little smirk as he nodded.

"Of course, it's all right with me, NatsuMaru. Follow me."

As with humans, inuyoukai had a caste system. Royalty, nobility, warrior, merchant, scholar, artisan, and servant were very similar to how the humans had their system set up. Inuyoukai also had healers and seers. And, like humans, most inuyoukai were born into their stations. Unlike most humans, however, inuyoukai had markings to prove that they were of status or not, hanyous being the exception to the rule. Royalty and nobility often had a single stripe on either cheek and bore a crescent moon in the center of the forehead. On occasion, some of royal or noble birth had two stripes on either cheek. What separated royalty from nobility was the colour of the stripes. Nobility bore blue stripes only. Royalty bore any shade of red, blue, or violet. Another distinguishing factor was the crescent moon or the presence (in some cases) of silver stars in the birth of royalty. Artisans, servants, scholars, and merchants also bore similar markings, each being identified by colour. Healers and seers only bore a single stripe – silver for healer, yellow for seer – on one cheek only. Warriors . . . warriors were the most identifiable of all inuyoukai.

Unlike the other classes, warrior inuyoukai all bore three jagged stripes on their cheeks, green in colour. The darker the green, the older and more skilled the inuyoukai. All inuyoukai knew this. Even those in royalty knew better than to try and outmatch an inuyoukai warrior in a true sparring match. A warrior inuyoukai knew how to fight. He was born to fight. Very few warrior inuyoukai lived long lives, often preferring to die in the heat of battle. The harder the battle, the more honour and fame the warrior received after death.

Sesshomaru knew this. His father, and his tutors, had explained it to him. The fact that NatsuMaru had reached the age that he had was truly a marvel in and of itself. NatsuMaru himself had fought his way up the ranks, becoming his grandfather's then his uncle's most elite soldier. Only a few others had gained such a position in such a powerful family.

'Little brother, you are in for a shock. That you are.'