Those Damned Feet

You know, you think you're just clever, little Rin. But I know what's best. Amelia will find out what you've done and then she'll be very angry. She'll find out; she'll find out when you dance.

Rin scoffed. "Be quiet, Miro-san," she mumbled under her breath. "I am clever; I won't get caught so easily. So just be quiet and let me shop in peace." Rin smiled when she got no reply and walked into the brightly lit grocery store with a slight hum. It just so happened to be 1:30 in the morning, but nothing in Tokyo ever closed, and besides, it was the only time Rin could get away from the company instructors and rehearsals to do something normal. Granted, Rin never actually ate any food in her house because she was always away and Amelia would come back and empty the fridge before Rin even had a chance to attempt to prepare it, but it was still fun. It was still normal.

It had been a few days since Rin had promptly chucked those pills into the flower vase, and she'd still been able to hide that fact. But Miro was right and pretty soon it'd be out; God only knows what Amelia would do when she found out. "I'll deal with that when I have to."

Rin grinned deliriously at her newfound independence and did not notice as she bumped into another woman's cart. She stopped abruptly and shook herself to wake-up. "I'm sorry, ma'am," Rin bowed apologetically.

The woman turned and smiled at Rin, shaking her head. "No, no. It's fine…" she trailed off as she got a good look at Rin's face and her face split into a wide grin.

"Oh my God! You're Hanata Rin!" she looked flustered and quickly moved around the cart to get closer to her.

Rin drew back a bit and wrinkled her nose. Who is this woman? What does she want? "Go away," Rin muttered under her breath as she squared her shoulders and bent her head. "Yes, yes I am,"

"I am so honored to meet you! I've been a fan ever since I first saw you dance in England three years ago," the woman was talking excitedly in a rush, clutching her hands into fists.

Rin tried to be nice, but she had no idea how to respond to the woman since Amelia never really let her talk to people to begin with. Rin was only permitted to speak with her fellow dancers and the show production staff; otherwise, Amelia handled everything else. Rin's eyes got really large as she tried to think up a response to this woman's admiration.

Fortunately, Rin didn't have to think very hard since the woman kept talking. "My name is Toyotomi Kagura and I would be more than honored if you joined my boyfriend and me for dinner next week!" the woman, Kagura apparently, bowed deeply.

"…Boyfriend?" Rin echoed softly.

"Yes, he lives a few blocks away from here. Hanata-san, I won't take no for answer! You must come to dinner with us! Ask for any dish you wish and I will prepare it for you!"

Rin laughed nervously and nodded. "Ah…okay."

I don't like this woman. Mori suddenly came to the fore, sneering at Kagura as she babbled on working out the details of their dinner date. She doesn't know us; she doesn't know anything for us. Why are you talking to her?!

Rin bit her lip in an attempt to stifle a retort. "Here's the apartment number. I can't wait, Hanata-san!" And Kagura bounced away before Rin could mention that they lived in the same building.

"Well she was…eager," Rin murmured as she tucked the business card into her pocket and continued to push her cart down the hall.

You don't need to go to dinner with her. You don't know her. And I don't like her.

"Mori-san, stop being so mean. You just aren't used to people anymore. We live upstairs all alone and we don't get to talk with anyone. You just have to get used to people again. People are nice, they won't hurt us. You'll see."


Sesshoumaru looked up at Kagura as she walked into his apartment with a happy grin on her face. "Why do you look so happy with yourself?" he muttered.

Kagura's face dropped as she looked distastefully at her boyfriend. "Well, I was in a good mood until you opened your mouth."

Sesshoumaru looked at her blandly. He really didn't care for her answer, so he snatched his laptop off the desk and retreated to his bedroom where he could research in peace. Finally hidden within the grey confines of his bedroom, Sesshoumaru frowned at the pictures splayed across his LCD screen. "I finally found her."

For some reason known only to the Gods, Sesshoumaru woke up that morning with an intense desire to know more about Hanata. So he put his powers to good use and began researching. There were an unbelievable amount of Hanatas in Tokyo. But there was only one Hanata, and it had taken him a total of six hours with breaks to find her, but he had.

And he hated her image now as well as her damned feet.

She was small and slender like most Japanese woman, including the current one inhabiting his apartment with him, but her feet were particularly peculiar. They held so much power…so much STOMP, even though she wasn't possibly capable of it herself. Nobody cares about the girl's face. Nobody cares about the girl.

It's those fucking feet.

And as Sesshoumaru cast an angry and hate-filled gaze towards the ceiling, they started up again, their fervor strong and fast and steady. They pounded so hard and so loud and so MUCH. Sesshoumaru growled under his breath, biting his tongue until he could taste the blood.

"I'll have those fucking feet,"

In response to ahnimals review: yes I am definitely doing something different. Yeah, I'm usually in a mood for humor and the like, but as school winds down and I get ready to go home, I'm just trying a little something different. I hope I am accomplishing the goal of making everything as creepy as possible. It gets a LOT darker as the story goes on. For now, though review and enjoy!!