Chapter 3: Thunder and Tea

With a satisfied sigh, Rin pulled the sheet on her bed tight and tucked it in. Perfecting the pillows, she looked over her small, simple but perfect room. A wardrobe for her clothes, table with mirror and chair, a desk for writing and window that looked over the gardens. She smiled happily then heard someone push open her door. "Well, well, well. If it isn't the little prodigy."

Rin sighed and turned on the spot, looking over at the woman by her door. "Good morning Kagura." She said politely and looked over her elder but not her better. Her hair was up with two feathers today and she wore a white and pink dress while she had that fan in her hands.

Her red eyes shot at Rin. "Bets are on you mastering another dance today Rin. Should I just congratulate you now?"

Rin lowered her eyes. "Kagura, I am sorry about the other day. I never meant to show you up. I just thought you needed help."

"I need nothing from you!" She huffed, opening her fan quickly. Rin visibly cringed, making the demon smile. She knew Rin hated the sound of her fan, the way it sounded like bones breaking. The demon had never liked Rin. She hated her every day since she became a student. She couldn't stand to be so close so she turned and walked away, fanning herself to remove the smell.

Rin sighed as the red eyed demon walked away then turned back to her bed when she heard other footsteps. She turned to see five of her classmates walking over to her from their rooms across the hallway. "Wow Rin… Kagura really doesn't like you, does she?"

Rin sighed loudly and sat on her bed, looking at her bare feet. "Can you blame her? I'm about a hundred years younger than her, been a student for only four and already mastered four dances and today I get tested on my fifth. She's only mastered three and it's taken her over ten years. She has every right to hate me."

"Yeah." One girl said, smiling as she crashed on Rin's bed beside her. "Everyone keeps saying you'll master the Dance of Snow soon."

Another girl nodded from the doorway. "It's been a hundred years since anyone from this school mastered the Dance of Snow."

"Two hundred if you go outside the school."

Quickly Rin held up her hands and blushed. "Hey, wait a minute. I only know a couple of steps in the Dance of Snow. I'm nowhere near ready to perform it."

The girls stared at her in shock. "Oh come on Rin!" one of them gasped, pulling her arm close in a comforting hug. "Everyone knows you're the best of us all."

"Yeah, you're as good as Lady Mother."

The blush grew deeper. "I… I'm not. No one is better than Lady Mother. When she dances… the whole WORLD stops to watch. I'm nowhere near as good as her and don't compare me to her." She lowered her eyes and smiled. "Lady Mother is the kindest person in the world. Even if I could, I would never upstage her. I would break my own legs before doing anything like that."

"Oh Rin, you're too modest."

There was silence for a while as Rin smiled and blushed. The girls had to admire her. They couldn't ignore the talent she had. Rin wasn't just a star with dance, she was a great at conversation, music, art… all the aspects of a desired Kantra, this child had.

One girl blinked suddenly. "You have heard the rumour right? That Lady Mother is considering naming you as 'Daughter' when you graduate?"

Rin looked up at the speaker. "What?"

"You hadn't heard?"

"No. I've heard nothing like that."

"Well, it's what I heard too. That at your graduation, Lady Mother wishes to name you as her daughter."

"Wow… that would mean Rin would become the next teacher when she gets too old to dance."

"But… Lady Mother is a demon. Wouldn't that means she'll take several hundred years to retire? Rin will be long dead by then."

"And wasn't the title of Daughter meant to go to Kagura?"

"It was." A girl giggled, covering her mouth. "But with you Rin…." She trailed off, realising the possibilities.

Rin lowered her head again. To be daughter of a school… particularly Chien School, the greatest school of all, would make her both desirable and expensive. Only a king or emperor would be able to afford her at that rate. She'd be showered in gifts and luxury. The idea was slightly mouth-watering.

All five of the girls were sharing in the same image when one shuddered. "But then… if you became Daughter… Sesshomaru would be your brother!"

Rin blinked at the name and snapped out of her dream. "What? Why should that matter?"

The girls all glared at her, knowingly and smug. "Oh come off it Rin." One girl said with clear pride. "Everyone knows you like him."

"I do not!" Rin returned and tried not to blush. "And besides, we are Kantras."

A girl nodded, solemnly. "Yeah. We're not meant to look at a man unless he is our Lenre."

"But everyone knows about the two of you."

"The fact that you look him in the eye."

Rin forehead creased. "That's what's got you so… up?" She laughed once. "Look, I just don't see the point to looking at the feet of a man I see every day and clearly has no interest in me." She stood off the bed and smoothed down her knee length blue dress. "In fact, he doesn't care about anyone." Her brown eyes sparkled as she looked up. "Well, apart from himself of course."

The girls all laughed at her, knowing it was true. Sesshomaru was a very reserved man and even if the students couldn't look him in the eye, they still looked at the rest of him. He was very handsome.

But even try and get close…

Those eyes could send the devil himself running!

He was a totally jackass, in charge with the finances and the logistics of the school but also its security. Many tried to enter the school by climbing the walls; demons for the female flesh, men for the women.

He was merciless on any that tried to hurt the females. No one got past him and got near the girls.

But there was one soft side to Sesshomaru that the girls saw sometimes.

He was the schools most talented shamisen player and was called to play at all of the tests to become a master one of the seven dances.

Rin cringed at the thought of her test today, with him sat there, watching, his eyes burning as he tries to put her off, like he always did.

She put the thought to the back of her mind and went with the others to breakfast. After, she washed and had her hair done up by an older student so it was out of her face and decorated with some white fur to look like a cloud. Then another helped with the makeup, painting on two red lines like the mother's and colouring her lips and cheeks. She dressed in a long knee length yellow wrap around dress and went with the others to the main hall for her exam.

Lady Mother was there, sat in her high round chair watching over the ceremony while five men in long black jackets sat before her, watching the dancer. In the corner of the room sat the five musicians, Sesshomaru standing out most of all as the only male among them but also the one with a cold look of boredom. The officals watched then spoke then gave judgement.

After three hours waiting with the others it was finally Rin's turn and she entered the hall, bowing at the hips to the men but keeping her eyes lazily closed, avoiding their gaze.

She took a deep breath and stood up straight, her lowered to the floor. "Lady Mother. I wish to honour the school and become a master of the Dance of Thunder."

"Honour the school with your performance, Rin."

One of the officials blinked suddenly. "Rin? As in…"

"Shush." Another snapped.

Rin took a deep breath and nodded polity to the musicians, showing she was ready to start. Sesshomaru smirked as he patted the others on the shoulder five times. It told them which piece of music they were to do and they started to play.

But Rin already knew which he would choose. The hardest. The sly, pain in the neck of a mutt always gave her the hardest music for the dance. The Dance of Thunder called for a fast, hard drum beat so the dancer could keep in time with it. The inuyoukai gave her a steady beat that would go better with a gentle storm, not a raging hurricane as the dance normally demanded.

However, Rin was ready for it and Lady Mother had taught her well. She performed expertly and ended with a simple flutter of her eyes, enticing the men. She could almost feel Sesshomaru's anger burning on her skin like the sun. She quite enjoyed his pain.

Once finished with her dance and the men got over their shock, they began asking her questions that would reflect a Kantra who had mastered five dances. They asked the right way to serve tea and what she thought of music and dance. She gave expert answers with her own smart twist on them. She flirted with her words while her body was still, her head down and eyes closed.

A Kantra is a jewel that no man has seen yet wishes to possess. But men can tell a fake or a damaged jewel just by its sound and shape. That is why you must keep yourself hidden but at the same time show yourself Rin. That is why we keep our eyes closed. The eyes are the most erotic part of a Kantra. For a Lenre to know he is the first man a Kantra has ever seen. Anyone can see you undressed but only a Lenre can see your eyes. And your eyes Rin… well, a man could lose himself in your eyes.

Rin sighed in her mind at the memory. The lady had knelt before her as a child and held her hand, talking about why she couldn't look at Sesshomaru anymore. It seemed so silly to a child of ten but to a fourteen year old, it made sense. Standing before the officials, she could feel their gaze, the way they almost called out to her, begging her to open her eyes and look at them. The last mystery of a Kantra.

When the questions were over, the officials spoke to each other before awarding Rin master of the Dance of Thunder. She thanked them then slowly left the room.

That was Stone, Water, Thunder, Wind and Fire she had mastered. Only two left. Life and Snow. She was the youngest Five Master the school had ever known. Only fourteen years old. She smiled to herself with pride.

"Hum… well done street rat."

Her eyes shot to the side as Sesshomaru walked around the building with his shamisen in one hand. His long hair was loose over his shoulder and he was wearing the same red and white puffy pants and long sleeved shirt he always wore.

At the cold look in his eyes, Rin let her training slip. "Well, if it isn't the mutt." She jeered, staring at him.

"Watch your tongue Rat." He hissed in return, walking past her. "Or I will make it so you never dance again."

"Your mother would never forgive you." She grinned. "And you have to do as mother says, don't you?"

He stopped, pride pricked a little too deeply. He turned sharply, his hair swinging over his shoulder as he glared at her. "Do you think you are the first? The first she has taken a shine to? The first to be treated specially?" He reached over to her with his free hand and grabbed her by the throat, almost lifting her off the ground with his strength. He stared at her as she choked for a moment. "Hmm… all this because of your eyes." He squeezed a little tighter, ignoring her gasps of pain as his claws sliced her skin. "Let me see them then." He stepped closer, leaning over her face. "Let me see them… these eyes that would break a man's soul."

Normally Rin wasn't scared of the demon. She wasn't afraid to look him in the eye and speak her mind or twist her words so a compliment was an insult. She could stare him down at the best of times. But right then, with his hand on her neck, crushing the air out of her, blood running down her neck from his claws, she couldn't. She couldn't raise her eyes or even open them. In fact, they scrunched up tight.

She heard the inuyoukai huff, triumphant and squeezed a little more. "Street rat."

"SESSHOMARU!"

He looked up just as his mother appeared from a door, her eyes glowing red with anger. He released Rin just in time as she almost tore his arm off and jumped backwards over a fence to avoid her. She snapped and snarled in her native tongue and he actually looked a little pale.

Rin, coughing against the side of the building, guessed she was not being very Kantra like. After a while, Sesshomaru walked off while the Lady Mother turned to Rin, looking at her neck. She sighed after a moment. "They won't scar and will heal quickly."

Rin rubbed the small punctures and nodded. "Thank you, mother."

"Go to your room and get changed. We will talk later." she stood up and straightened herself out. "I need to go speak to my son."

With a bow, Rin walked away and to the dorm where she returned to her room, changed from the exam outfit and into a white and gold dress she was fond of. Then she sat before the mirror, wiped away the makeup and undid her hair.

As she began to brush it, the door opened and the Lady Mother walked in. Dropping the brush, Rin stood and bowed at the hips. "Mother."

"Please, Rin, sit." She walked over and stood behind Rin, reaching over to the fallen brush. "You know I always liked seeing to your hair."

Rin watched the mirror as the demoness began to brush her hair, running her cold fingers down to her skin, sending shivers down girl's spine. She closed her eyes and leant back at the sensation. It was nice to have her mother so close.

She sighed softly as the lady began platting her hair. "Mother… mother I wish to apologise… for my behaviour with Sesshomaru."

The woman scratched her skin slightly but then regained her control. "Sesshomaru is a male. He is dominant and aggressive. He does not like having his domain tested and he holds very little value to the ways of the Kantras. To him… their only value is to the school."

"I see mother."

She was silent and still as she finished with Rin's hair. "But even if Sesshomaru's behaviour was disgraceful… yours was well. You acted unbecoming of a Kantra." She placed her hands on her shoulders, taking a tight grip on her. "I have to punish you Rin."

Rin lowered her head. "I understand mother."

"You will have to learn to hold your tongue and deal with unusual situations. I shall punish you and Sesshomaru at the same time." She took a deep breath and let it out. "From today, you alone will serve Sesshomaru his afternoon tea."

Rin's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT! Mother that's…" She froze as the claws dug into her shoulders and looked at the glare in the mirror almost snapped under such pressure. Rin swallowed and submitted, lowering her eyes. "Yes mother."

"Very well. And if I hear one bad word from you…." She gave a hopeless sigh. "I will expect arguments and complaints from Sesshomaru but you will remain professional and stay within the ways of the Kantra. It will teach you humility and how to remain calm in the hardest of situations. And it might teach my son some manners."

Rin kept silent. She could see how the crafty demoness had punished them both fittingly. She had acted outside the ways of a Kantra and was now to learn control. Sesshomaru had physically attacked her and now was to put up with her being close.

The fact that they both hated each other made it even worse, being anywhere close to each other… was a punishment in its self but for Rin to serve him tea… she was basically submitting to his orders.

It would be an unbearable punishment for all involved. But they would both have to put up with it. Mother had spoken.

With a deep breath, Rin steadied herself, hands closed tight around the tray and she walked over to the tree where the demon was sat, looking up at the sky. She knelt carefully and put the tray down silently, keeping her eyes down on the small, round, handless cup of white clay and dark blue paint. "Good afternoon, my lord Sesshomaru." She felt sick addressing him as such but it was the proper and tradition.

He growled. "Go. Away."

Rin kept her eyes on the cup, lifting the teapot in both hands and began to pour slowly into the cup. "My lord, you're as temperamental as always. A fire in your blood you have so little control over."

He sat for a moment, sifting through her words for their true meaning. You're a hot tempered quick to anger old dog! It made him growl as he turned where he was and grabbed her wrist, almost making her drop the teapot. "I'll show you control you little rat."

She flinched but kept herself steady, slowly putting the pot down and looking at his hand on hers. She lowered her head a little more. "Listen here Sesshomaru." She whispered, trying not to move her mouth. "The sooner you accept this, the sooner it will be over."

He growled a little more then released her hand, sitting back against the tree. "Get on with it. And don't say another word."

With a hidden sigh, she smiled and lifted up the cup, holding it in the palm of her hand. She was meant to say 'it's a pleasure serving you my lord' but chose to keep silent.

He moved quickly and took the mug, swallowing the content in one go. He cough against the heat but bared it, slamming the cup on the tray, making the pot rattle. Rin went to refill it but he held up his hand. "Get out of my sight."

"Very well, Lord Sesshomaru." She stood with the tray and walked away, her head down as she controls her temper. "Stupid dog." She hissed to herself.

A/N: Yeah, Kagura made a cameo in this but come on, it's a story about dancing. I had to bring her in somewhere! Review and Enjoy!