Chapter 4: Cold Looks and Bad Talk
Kagome sat quietly chewing on her nails. Instead of being in study hall with her classmates she was in Priestess Training, a class she was taking seriously. During her study halls she was to accompany four other girls in a class taught by Headmistress Shikon. She was even excused from gym class to be in this class.
Today was all about beads. In the beginning of the class, she had obtained a necklace adorned with prayer beads. In fact she counted 42 dark blue beads and 10 comma shaped beads called magatama. She was drawn to it from the moment she laid eyes on it. Her assignment was to find a suitable use for the beads. Kagome remembered that when she first began looking through the book she found a sort of friendship charm. She skimmed the pages looking for the right incantation.
"Yo, Midoriko!" a familiar voice called out.
Kagome's eyes darted up in time to see Inuyasha walk in. She quietly groaned before returning to her work.
"Inuyasha. I have told you this before, please call me Headmistress Shikon or Ms. Shikon." Midoriko corrected him.
"Whatever." Inuyasha scoffed. "Here, my ol' man wanted me to give you this."
Eureka! She found the passage! Kagome began reading about the charm. Seemed like such silly spell. Whoever wore the necklace would instantly befriend that person who placed it on them.
"Thank you, Mr. Nishimura." Midoriko said.
"Yeah, yeah."
She looked up in hopes that perhaps he left. But instead she found him admiring her necklace. "What do you want Inuyasha?" She sounded bitter. But in her defense, he wasn't nice to her, either.
He glared at her, "Just wondering what a numbskull like you is doing it this class."
She returned his glare, though hers was burning with fury. "I'm studying, now please go away!"
"There is no way you can pull off being a priestess!" He crossed his arms, obviously trying to pick a fight.
"I can too." She angrily flipped the page.
"Prove it." He smirked, tempting her.
It was against school rules to do anything to another student. She looked down at the book, the words for the incantation was right in front of her. "Fine." she snapped making Inuyasha jump slightly.
Kagome grabbed the beads and focused her energy in them. Concentrating hard, she began to speak the words that were in front of her. The beads lifted out of her hands, glowing a purple color. They floated there for a while, then as she said her last word the bead separated and formed again around Inuyasha's neck.
"What the hell did you do?" he yelled before trying to yank the necklace off. Of course it wouldn't budge.
"You don't like me yet?" she whispered to herself curiously.
"No, and I never will!" he growled. He repeatedly tried to remove the necklace.
"Hmp!" She turned back to the book. "Speak the words of subjugation, a word to hold his spirit."
Inuyasha slammed his fist on the table. "Take it off!"
"Let me read this and I will!" she glared at him.
"Take it off!" His voice got louder.
"I need to read this!" She told him throw her teeth.
"You should have read it before you did this to me, Stupid!"
"Just sit, and I'll-" before she could finish she sentence Inuyasha's face planted into the table before dropping to the ground.
Headmistress Shikon jumped up, "What is going on?" she quickly moved to aid Inuyasha.
"Wha- what the hell was that?" Inuyasha struggled to yell, pulling himself up with the help of the desk.
"I don't know." Kagome stood up in defense. "It was supposed to be a friendship charm!"
"Friendship? Kagome, that was an incantation to the Necklace of Subjugation." Midoriko showed her in the book.
"No, it was the friendship one. Or at least I thought it was." she looked at Inuyasha. "Oops."
"Oops? Oops!" He growled, "you made the floor high-five my face you idiot!"
Kagome balled her fists up and stomped her foot, "Don't call me an idiot!"
"You are an idiot!" he told her, growling.
"Sit!" She yelled, sending him flying to the ground.
Midoriko shook her head. "Kagome, you are not supposed to place incantations on other students."
Kagome sighed, "I hoped you wouldn't remember that."
"Midoriko! Get this damn thing off of me!" Inuyasha yelped.
"I can't." she told him coolly, "Only Kagome can remove it."
All eyes fell on Kagome. She looked back between the two. "I just take it off?" after Midoriko nodded she moved to remove the necklace.
"Move faster, stupid!" Inuyasha snapped.
She glared at him. "No. Oh, and sit." As Inuyasha became one with the ground again, Kagome grabbed her books and headed back to her homeroom.
Rin sat patiently with her hands folded in her lap. She nervously chewed the inside of her cheek. Today was Monday. It was the day she started her speech therapy with Headmaster Nishimura. Of course he was running late. Rin assumed it was because another fight broke out. It seemed there was a fight every hour, though the school was pretty good at covering it up. To the public and the media the school was going just splendidly.
According to Inuyasha, Headmaster InuTaisho said it was important that the public saw that they all got along. It showed the world that demons and humans could coexists.
The door to her right clicked open. The Headmaster stepped in and gave her a stressed smile. She stood up and bowed her head in respect.
"Rin, I apologize for being late." He returned her bow.
She nodded at him, accepting his apology.
He removed his jacket, throwing it on his chair before taking a seat. "Shall we begin?"
Rin took her seat and nodded.
"Good." He picked up a notebook off his desk and hand it to her along with a pen. "I would like for you to answer my questions."
Taking the items in hand, she furrowed her brows before she looked at the Headmaster, questioning him.
InuTaisho smiled at her. "When I ask you a question I would like you to respond by writing out your answer or reaction. It can be our way of communicating."
Looking down at the notebook, she sighed. Ever since her parents died she never felt the need to talk. She didn't understand why but something inside her feared to speaking. She couldn't remember why she had this fear but it has been there since their death.
"Alright, tell me Rin, why do you not speak?" InuTaisho picked up a pen, probably to take notes.
The question was simple. Might be easy to answer if she actually wanted to answer it. But suddenly that alarming fear came over her. This wasn't like school or homework, she would literally be communicating. She pressed her lips together, before placing the notebook on his desk and laying the pen on top on it.
She heard him sigh. "Rin." His face was heavy with disappointment. "If you do not speak by the end of the quarter, you will be removed from the school. I do not want that for you. Your entrance exam scores are outstanding, one of the best in fact. You keep that up and you could go to a top notch college. But you need to speak."
Rin looked away from him, guilt consuming her. She hated the disappointment that washed over his face. She didn't want to leave the school. The gang was becoming her close friends. Every night they watched a movie in the So'unga hall rec room. In the mornings, Miroku and she had a habit of meeting in the Library until they met Inuyasha for breakfast.
"Alright." he finally said. "I've noticed you are comfortable with nodding, so we will start there."
She gave a heavy sigh and nodded while looking to the ground.
"You have not spoken since-" the Headmaster was suddenly interrupted when his door went flying open.
It hit the wall with a loud bang. In the doorway stood a demon with long silver hair and blue markings all over his face. There was something eerie about the air around him. Rin knew that if this was a horror movie a bright flash of lighting would have accompanied his entrance, and the loud roaring thunder would strike as he smirked at them.
"InuTaisho," His deep voice filled the room. "It's been a long time since we've spoken, my good friend."
"Yes." the Headmaster stood up, "I do believe the last time was when I asked you not to return to the school. I did fire you for a reason."
The sly demon tilted his head. "You know Taisho," he spoke his name as if he was a child, insulting the Headmaster, "I have every right to be on the school grounds, I'm here to see how my boys are doing."
InuTaisho's jaw tightened, "Shall I have someone retrieve them for you?" The Headmaster obviously had forced himself to say the sentence.
The stranger's blood red eyes drifted to Rin. She had never seen such eyes. His whole eye ball was a scarlet color. She pressed herself down into her chair, her body filled with fear.
"That is quite alright, my friend. They know I am coming and where to meet me." he stared as if he was studying her. "InuTaisho, don't be rude."
She heard the Headmaster make a frustrated sound. "Rin, this is Ryuukotsusei Shitoshin. This Rin… Kichida." He sounded almost reluctant to say her last name.
Rin bowed her head at the demon, as she tried to hide her fear.
"Kichida?" she heard him say.
She looked up at him, and saw the grin on his face and an eerie look in his eye. It was then she realized there was something familiar about him.
"You wouldn't be Kenji Kichida's daughter would you?" his smile widen when she didn't answer.
InuTaisho growled quietly, "Rin, I do believe we are done for today. You are dismissed."
Rin looked from the demon to her Headmaster, before nodding. She wanted to get out of that room as soon as possible. So, she grabbed her book bag and headed for the door. Ryuukotsusei stood in her way he tilted his head at her, before stepping slightly to let her pass. She swallowed what she could of her fright and walked past him.
"Miss Kichida." her name slithered out of his mouth. "You look like your mother, the pretty, pitiful thing. Let us just hope your throat doesn't end up slit as well."
Her eyes widened at his comment. Turning, she stared deep into his eyes as she painfully remembered a younger version of herself, hugging her mother's body. Her little body had been covered in blood from one of the people she loved most in the world. To this day she still believed she could smell that disgusting iron smell on her skin.
Ryuukotsusei grinned at her before shutting the door in her face. She stared blankly at the door in front of her. Not knowing how to respond or even how to act. Images that she had long tried to forget were floating around in her head. Tears threaten to pour from her eyes. This demon was the reason why humans feared his kind. From the moment she first saw him, she practically see the malice that ran in his veins.
Rin walked down the hallway, slowly. Her cold cheeks were stained with tears. Anyone looking at her could tell the state she was in, which is why she refused to return to her own friends. She didn't want them to see her like this, especially when she had no way to explain herself. They would be forced to assume the worst. Everyone had become rather caring towards Rin in their own way.
Miroku has the heart of a Saint, though tainted when it came to women. He was a good man, and in many ways his kindness reminded her of Kaede. He had a way of cheering her up by using that silver tongue of his. His words spoke directly to her heart and she believed he would be an amazing writer as he dreamed.
Inuyasha, on the other hand, treated her like a sibling. He'd sit there and knit pick her or poke fun at her. But in an instant that can change. One moment he could be playfully pushing her into a locker, the next his fist would connect to someone's jaw for saying a nasty comment towards her. Countless times in her short time here he had been thrown out of Sesshomaru's class room for standing up for Rin.
Kagome and Sango have extended out their hand from being purely roommates to something closer. They both watched out for her. And treated her like she was actually normal. It was rare that Rin was not at their side. She found comfort in them like no one else she knew.
"Sesshomaru! How can you be so… idiotic?"
Rin froze in her track to see the seen in front of her. Her teacher was standing in the middle of the hallway, with his hand gracefully tucked into his pockets. Like always he had the same detracted look about his face, even as the student in front of him insulted him.
The student himself, Rin had known of, though she had never met him. He had heard the rumors that from Kagome's friends. They claimed that this red headed demon, Kyora, had a love affair with Mister Nishimura. For a boy, he was very feminine looking. It was almost deceitful. But as pretty as he may be, could he tempt Sesshomaru?
Kyora glared at Sesshomaru, "Would you really be as foolish as that pathetic demon?"
Rin eyed the demon up and down, what exactly had she missed in their conversation? Then suddenly it clicked. His name was Kyora Shitoshin. Could this possibly be the son of that malevolent demon, Ryuukotsusei? That bit of information sent a small wave of fear throughout her body. She took a step back.
The scent hit his nose harshly. His eye's drifted to the side to see Rin cowering away. Her once sweet scent was now stained with fear. All Sesshomaru's attention went to the girl, as he wondered what exactly made her so scared. He locked eyes with her and watched her relax instantly, fueling his curiosity farther.
Kyora caught his stare, "I cannot believe all of our hope is wasted on you."
"Kyora," Sesshomaru said calmly. "Tell your father I am not interested."
The demon scoffed.
"You are dismissed, leave my presence." Sesshomaru stepped away from him, moving towards Rin.
Her eyes slowly found their way to Kyora, who had already taken his leave. Sesshomaru watched as his student pressed her lips together out of fear. But as he stepped closer to her, her eyes snapped back up to his.
He could smell the dried tears that stained her pale skin. Sesshomaru saw the grief in her eyes. Something stirred in him. Was he angry that someone had made the girl cry? Or was he merely disgusted with himself that he actually let the human enter his thought?
This child was like a parasite, biting a hold of his thoughts. When she was in class with him he found himself staring at her, however no one ever caught him. For the first time in his life his mind involuntarily went to her. Sesshomaru couldn't understand why. And to be perfectly honest he needed to rid his life of this little parasite.
Rin gripped her book bag as she slowly walked towards her dorm. It was about time she returned. It was getting closer to sunset. Most of the students, demon and human alike, were out in the court yard. They were in their separated groups, chatting, doing their homework. Normal student stuff. She even saw a couple playing an instrument.
"Well look who it is." He heard a voice say.
Her attention went to her right. The two wolf demons she encountered the other day walked up to her. One put their arm around her.
"How about a kiss, girl?" he tightened his grip around her shoulders and began to lean forward.
She pushed on his chest, trying to get away. She was panicking. There was no way in hell she wanted this demon to kiss her. Her first kiss should be loving. not forced. And the guy should definitely not smell like wet dog.
"Dude, I don't think she likes you." the other laughed.
"I'll make her." he grabbed her chin in his hands and tried to kiss her again.
Then out of no where she heard a voice. "Hey!"
Rin felt herself being pried away from the demon. She looked up to see Miroku standing in front of her. The expression on his face was not the happy go lucky Miroku she knew. He was deadly serious, angry even.
"I will kindly ask you to leave Miss Rin alone." Miroku said in a dangerous voice.
The demon snickered. "You kindly ask? What is a human going to do about it? Huh?"
When Miroku didn't reply, the demon grabbed him by the throat and hoisted in up in the air. She lunged herself forward to help her friend before he suffocated, but the other demon had her in his arms.
"You should really pick on someone your own size." It was Inuyasha's voice behind her.
She watched as Inuyasha's fist dented the demons face, knocking him to the ground and freeing her. Rin heard another thud, she looked back to Miroku to see he had managed to not only free himself, but to also knock down his opponent.
As the demons stood up, it was as if all hell broke loose. Demon verses human. A massive fight was happening right in front of her. And she was the cause. Within the chaos, she was knocked onto the ground. She quickly tried to crawl away from the fighting. Rin couldn't tell which direction she was heading but she knew she needed to get away.
In her hopes of getting away, she felt someone grab her ankle. She looked over her shoulder to look in the face of the wolf demon who had practically been stalking her. He growled at her before dragging her along the sidewalk to his side. Her outer left thigh scrapped across the cement surface. She cried out in pain before the demon placed hand over her mouth.
"You will submit to me." he said in a low voice.
Tears formed in her eyes. Her whole body was engulfed in fear. She struggled against him, trying to push him off. But the more she fought the stronger he became. In her head she was crying out, she cried for one person and one person only.
Sesshomaru.
Sesshomaru quickly followed his father outside. One of the teachers had alerted them of a fight on school grounds, but they failed to mention the number of students involved. As soon as they got outside, they both stopped in their tracks.
"No…" his father breathed.
The whole school was in a frenzy. Demons verses humans. It was a fight Sesshomaru had predicted from day one. He casually stood there, with his hands in his pockets, watching the students clash. He watched in silence as the other teachers tried to pull the students apart. He found himself somewhat impressed the human could keep up with some of the demons. Or could it be that the demons were that pathetic.
Then something caught his attention. Blood. It was Rin's blood. Some part of him leapt forward. Something in him had to seek her out. He slipped into the crowd, unnoticed. He followed his nose until her found her.
Rin was lying on the ground trying her hardest to fight a demon off. The wolf demon was on top of her, overpowering her petite body. He noticed the large scrape on her thigh and instantly growled. He reached down and grabbed the wolf by his shoulders before he effortlessly pried him off of her tossing him to the side.
His eyes locked onto her, they were full of terror. Within seconds she stood up and pressed herself against his chest. His whole body tensed up, he made an effort not to move as she sobbed. Her arms were wrapped tightly around him. Sesshomaru looked down at her. She was a human, he shouldn't be feeling this towards her. He should have never made a move to save such a weak creature. And yet, he did.
His attention snapped back to the wolf demon, the kid was ready to attack him. Sesshomaru growled at him in warning. Someone looking at him could see his eyes shift red as he felt a strange need to protect Rin. The wolf stared him down, before ultimately stepping down.
"Enough!" He heard a voice boom.
His father looked as though he could transform at any moment. The last time he saw him this angry was when Izayoi died. InuTaisho's outburst made all the students freeze in fear.
"Get in the auditorium." His voice boomed again. But the students didn't move. "Now!"
They all scattered and rushed to the auditorium.
"Hn." Sesshomaru looked back down to Rin. She smelt of blood and he couldn't stand it. Swiftly, he picked her up in his arms cradling her. Without a second thought, he carried her towards the Meido. His father eyed him curiously, but he simply ignored him and continued onto the medical ward.
Ryuukotsusei stared out the window frowning. His sons bowed on their knees behind him. He watched the students brawl before InuTaisho broke it up.
"Things are going in your favor, Father." the eldest, Ryura spoke.
"Ryura. You could not be more wrong." Ryuukotsusei turned to face his sons. "This fight is in InuTaisho's favor."
The three siblings looked at each other before Kyora spoke, "What do you mean father?"
"This fight will be the old dog's excuse to bring up his dead lover. No doubt his young students will feel guilt for their actions." The old dragon scoffed at the idea. "His way with words will melt the student's heart. It's why we need Sesshomaru."
Kyora pressed his teach together. "He refused the offer once again."
Ryuukotsusei sighed frustrated, "We won't get him to betray his father simply by asking."
"The Nishimura's have too much honor." the last sibling, Jura, commented.
"Sometimes too much honor is a bad trait." Ryura grin, seeing his father was coming up with a plan.
The older demon nodded, "We need to find a way to persuade him. Kyora," he looked at the boy he was addressing, "I will leave you in charge of that."
Kyora nodded. "Yes father."
He then looked at the other boy's, "I want you two to gather student demons together for our cause."
The two boys nodded.
"This school will be shut down before we know it." Ryuukotsusei grinned.
Sesshomaru gently laid Rin down on the bed in one of the rooms of the medical ward. She whimpered a little from the pain of her leg. It was scraped up badly. Her upper thigh had lots of dried blood covering it.
She watched as Sesshomaru removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He searched the cabinets, finding what he needed in no time at all, unlike the Headmistress. Without a single word he began to clean her wound.
It took the mighty demon a while to get through the caked on dried blood, but he eventually did. Sesshomaru was humbling himself for her sake. She didn't even know what to think of his action. Nor did she ever think he could be this tender. Especially to a human like her.
He gently tended to the wound before dressing it. She stared at his face. He looked so soft and elegant. Once again, she was staring at the face of an angel. She sat up slightly to get a better look.
Sesshomaru turned his head slightly, causing their faces to be inches apart. "It shouldn't scar." was all he said.
Even his breath was heavenly. She felt her cheeks warm up. Rin wanted to lean forward and kiss his lips, but he was her Teacher. Her stomach fluttered with butterflies. A simple nod of her head wouldn't do for her savior. She owed him much more than that.
Rin took in a deep breath, "Thank you."
-A Note From Roz-
SOOOO SORRY! I know it's been a while since I've update. XD Been some issues in my life. But anywho. Thank you all for the last reviews! I can't wait to see what you say now. And don't worry, more Sesshy/Rin will be coming up :)
Please review :) I loooove you guys review.
Roz