"She's late again." Kinta sighed handing a cup of tea to Sesshomaru then grabbed herself one. "She has skating pratice after school today remember, Mom?" Yoshimitsu replied sipping his hot chocolate. "Yeah,but that ends at four. Its four-thirty and shes still not home." "Maybe shes hanging out with Kagome and forgot about Sesshomaru?" Sesshomaru eyed him then went back to his tea trying to relieve himself of his restlessness. "No...Leanika wouldn't do that. Shes too responsible." She looked down at her cup worriedly. "The weatherman said that their'd be ice and snow today. And the whole entire city is covered in it. What if your sister slipped on the ice and got knocked out and is possibly out there all alone freezing to death?" This caused Sesshomaru to feel on edge and to look up. "Or worse...what if some guy just came up and whisked her away?" "Mom! Shes probably just fine! Like I said-" He paused pulling uneasily at his dirty blonde hair."-she's probably with Kagome and will be home right about now." Almost emidiatlly she stumbled through the door and landed on her knees on the step that led to the rest of the house. "I'm home." Sesshomaru gazed at her. She was wearing the same school outfit he saw Kagome wearing all te time, but this one belonged to Leankia. She was untieing her ice skates when her mother walked over. "Oh, Sweetie, you're okay!" She hugged her daughter around the shoulders. "Mom, its kinda hard to take my skates off with you like that." She mumbled taking one off and focusing on the other. "Why're you in your skates anyway?"Yoshimitsu asked. "The sidewalk and streets are covered in ice. No one was out so I decided to skate home." "So why were you so late?" "I ran into Kagome. Literally. And we started talking." "See? I told you!" Yoshimitsu laughed pointing a finger at his mother. Leanika sighed heavily taking her skates and heading up to her room. "i'm going up to change." Sesshomaru set his cup down and started following. Hearing him she turned. "Oh no you don't! Stay down there until I say to come up!" He just narrowed his eyes and passed her heading for her bedroom. Urg! Does he listen to me? No. She stomped up the rest of the stairs into her bedroom. He was on the balcony as usual staring out at sea. Shivering she grabbed his left arm pulling him back and away from the balcony ignoring his death glare so she could shut the sliding glass door.
"Can you not tell how cold it is out there?! Some of us prefer warmth ya know!"
"Don't take that tone with me, wench."
"Bite me! I'll take what ever tone I want!" She took out her white T-shirt, a green sweater that had a few pink flowers here and there and a long flowing pink skirt that matched. "I'm getting dressed." She went into her bathroom quickly changed and came out to hear the phone ring.
"Leankia, its for you!" Her mother called up.
"Coming!" She called back. "Wait here. I'll be right back."
She rushed out the door groaning as she heard him following, but he stopped at the foot of the stairs while she took five steps forward taking the phone from her mother. "Hello?"
"Hey, Sweetie, its me." A male's voice said on the other line.
"Hi, Dad! Whats up?"
"Well...I'm sorry to do this, but we have to cancel this weekend."
"Oh." He face fell. Sesshomaru saw it.
"Its just that tomorrow is mine and your step-mom's aniversery.
So, we want to spend some time alone. You know how it is."
No I don't She wanted to scream at him. I don't see whyyou'd rather postpone my weekend with you for a woman you see every day 24/7 And after saying that she'd hang up. But she held back her anger. "Yeah... I understand."
"I knew you would. I'll see you the weekend after next then, right?"
"Mmmhmm." That is if you don't cancel on me like you've been doing lately.
"Okay then. Talk to ya later, Sweetheart. Love you lots."
"Yeah...you too, Dad." She said half heartedly hanging up after. She left her hand on the reciever before turning to Sesshomaru and walking up the stairs sadly.
"Honey? What'd he say?" Her mother stood at the foot. Two steps from Sesshomaru.
She could feel their gazes on her back as she paused in mid-step. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" She tried to keep her voice firm gripping the wooden railing on her right.
"He canceled on you again didn't he?"
She clutched the rail tighter not wanting to admit that the number one male in her life and her best friend canceled on her again. She ran up the rest of the stairs and slammed the door shout before falling on to her bed crying.
"He really did it this time, huh, Mom?" Yoshimitsu asked walking to stand next to her.
"Yeah. I'm gonna make her some peppermint tea. That'll cheer her up." She informed walking to the kitchen.
Sesshomaru looked at the wall lining the stairway. The third picture was of a young girl about eight or nine on a strong young man's shoulders laughing along with his daughter. The man looked about twenty-six.
"Thats my dad." He remembered her telling him the week after they first met. "Hes the most important guy in my life." He remembered her happy smile that made her glow with so much raidience.
He walked curiously up the stairs before being stopped by her mother. "Can you take this up to her, Dear?"
Sighing he took the cup and continued up. When he reached the room he found her outside on the balcony staring out to the ocean He set the cup on the stand next to her alarm clock and walked over to her.
"I thought you said it was too cold out?"
"I really don't care right now." She said without turning. "Why does he do that to me? He gets my hopes up then shoots them down." She sighed turning to him. "I really hate it when he does it too."
He stared into her deeply hurt eyes before sheturned away before she would be entranced in his gaze. She walked past him, motioned him in, then shut the door turning to him. "Well, we better get to sleep so we can get an early start in the morning."
"What're you-?"
"We're going back to your era tomorrow morning right? I mean there's no reason for me to stay here anymore, is there?"
He stared at her false smile emotionless. But he felt his heart sink for some reason that he didn't know and would not admit to.
"Anyway, I'm tired." She walked to the bed and laid down under the covers. Then he noticed she already had changed into her pjs.
He crawled in next to her suddenly feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He ignored it sensing nothing and he didn't smell anything unusual around.
She turned to face him feeling tense, "Do you feel that?" When he didn't answer she gripped his bycep looking around with her eyes feeling him tense even more.
Suddenly he sat up quickly her following pressing her right cheek against his shoulder. There at the end of the bed, seen through the dimly lit lamp, was Atsushi.
