Disclaimer: The characters within this story all belong to Takahashi-san.
Warnings: Cross-dressing.
Summary: Rin gets a lecture from the two women she looks up to. With those words in mind, she decides on what it is she wants to do. Guard!Rin
Completed: January 26, 2010
AN: Half the usual word count. Gah.

Determined
by: Kagome-reincarnation

"How could you reveal yourself so easily?" Sango asked, a frown firmly in place on her face. Beside her, Kagome's expression was also disapproving – and yet understanding.

"It's not like I tried to show him that I was female," Rin muttered under her breathe. She felt as though she was being scolded unfairly – it had been an accident. His Highness had even protected her secret by taking care of her himself. Why were they so upset?

"It doesn't matter!" Sango scolded. The older woman's expression was disapproving – but thankfully not disappointment. Were the other cross-dresser disappointed, Rin knew she would have felt far more depressed than she would have sullen. "What if he hadn't been so kind?"

Rin shuddered at the thought. Forty-seven days' worth of torture before a blessed death? She'd be better off dying right away.

Still, she had to defend herself. She was innocent, after all! "I didn't do anything wrong." Rin said firmly. As firmly as a girl could when two older women were giving her the hairy eyeball, anyways. And if her voice had started off and sort of teetered off? That wasn't because she was cowed or anything. She just didn't want to hurt their ears. Their stares – one annoyed, the other amused – had absolutely nothing to do with it.

"I didn't!" She couldn't help it if her words came out as more of a whine than a protest. They were teaming up on her, darn it!

Kagome sighed, setting down the knife she'd held. She'd finished slicing the angelica she'd been working with into its respective pieces.

"It's not that you did anything wrong," she tried her hand at explaining their view to Rin. "It's more of the fact that you could have been caught by someone that wouldn't keep it a secret. You could have been given capital punishment." She gave a soft sigh.

"You worried us," Kagome admitted. "It's good that you told us about this, and we'd like for you to continue confiding in us. We're just asking you to be more careful in the future."

At that, Rin nodded. What else could she do? Feeling a bit guilty now that she knew that they were justifiably worried instead of upset with her, she moved around the table to give first Sango, and then Kagome, hugs.

"I'm sorry," she said apologetically. "I won't be so careless anymore."

Because no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't use the excuse of the circumstances to keep herself in the clear. She could have been swifter – she should've dropped to the ground and rolled until the fire was put out. Even if the corridor was narrow, she could've moved to the kitchen and done so. As the kitchen was based off of stone and dirt, there would have been no risk of the fire spreading and the fire would've been put out. There was a myriad of things that she could have done to prevent her identity from being discovered.

The facts were the facts, though. She hadn't done them.

Nonetheless, when Rin and Sango changed back into their men's clothes in Kagome's room, the younger of the two decided that she would learn. Next time, she wouldn't be taken by surprise. She wouldn't freeze in the same way she had fourteen days ago.

"Sango," she called the other woman's name with a request on her lips and the steely glint of determination within her eyes.

The older woman looked towards her, a quizzical eyebrow raised at the call. "What is it?"

"I have a request."