Chapter 6- And I'm Dying To Know if It's Killing You like It's Killing Me

Rin, huh, Kagome thought bitterly, a treacherous tear traveled on her ivory skin. By the sound of it, she was a child? Kagome knew that Inuyasha don't babysit a woman, more if it was his brother's wife, so a little girl was most likely the one who was waiting for him. She wiped that tears briskly before stepping out of her office.

I was right, she thought. He married and have a child. But if Inuyasha was babysitting his daughter, then what is the mother doing?

Kagome stop, she told herself. It was not your business, and they're probably a happy family.

With a sullen mood, she rode the elevator to the ground floor where limited employees park their cars. Her face was dark and her eyes puffy, she opened the driver's seat door, when she heard a voice behind her.

"Kagome..." she stiffened and skinned around suddenly with a gasp.

"Sesshoumaru," she said in an apathetic voice.

He was staring at her with a blank face but emotional eyes. She refused to read them, though, because she was afraid of what she was going to read in them. The silence that follows broke when a high-pitch, happy voice called out to them.

"Papa!" Rin said. "Papa, you found her!"

They looked at the bounding girl that coming towards them. She was surprised to see the same girl she helped in the grocery store of the mall last weekend. She was Sesshoumaru's daughter?

"Hello, miss," the little angel looked up at her with a toothy grin. "Thank you for helping me, and I am sorry for not saying sorry, but papa said that you have probably went home already. But that's okay because papa found you. Thank you, papa."

"Oi," Inuyasha called out. "Hi, Kagome. How's Kikyo?"

They ignored him. Their focus was on the girl who seems to be always happy. Right now, she stared up at the two adults in front of her with her toothy grin and an innocent face. Kagome doesn't really know what she think about the "Papa, you found her!" because that was just messed up, it wasn't like Sesshoumaru was looking for her. But she love how she gave her reason, it was just too cute.

"Rin, I didn't know you've met Higurashi-san before," the father said.

"I don't know her name. I just know that she's pretty," the girl said smartly. Her eyes staring at Kagome with fascination, like she saw Hawkgirl just flew by.

Sesshoumaru chuckled... wait, chuckled? What on earth is happening? "Then you had your wish, Rin." He look at Kagome. "She's been looking for the nice lady who helped her."

"I didn't even do much," she reddened. "Your daughter?" State the obvious, Kagome. Go on.

"Yes, Rin, this is Kagome Higurashi-san, say hello to her," he turned to her. "Meet my daughter, Rin Taisho.

She crouched, "Rin-chan, nice to meet you." She offered her right hand to her.

Rin didn't receive the offered hand, instead, the girl's arms made their way to her neck, embracing her. Shocked, Kagome's eyes widened and her mouth gaped open. The half-brothers watched the whole thing. When the girl didn't stop hugging her, she smiled brightly and returned the embrace.

Sesshoumaru smiled mildly. He doesn't want to use his daughter to get to Kagome, but it did cross his mind when he saw the touching scene.

"Oi," Inuyasha interrupted, and he saw Kagome glared at his younger brother. She stood and fetch for Rin's left hand. He wondered if she knew what she did, but it pleased him greatly.

"Inuyasha, you just don't interrupt something, okay?" she snapped. The boy visibly backed down.

"I just want to know how Kikyo been doing," Inuyasha complained.

"Why ask me?" she said. "Don't you talk to each other every week?" Kikyo is a distant cousin who lives with the Higurashi family in their shrine when her parents send her to study at the capital. The two of them doesn't really see eye to eye, and she's also one of the reasons she moved out. Her younger brother and Kikyo's younger sister, Kaede, did get along with each other.

"Who's Kikyo?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"The most beautiful I've ever seen!" declared Inuyasha, and Kagome stared at him blankly. "W-what?"

"Visit her at the shrine if you want," she said. "I will be going home this weekend to visit Souta, mom, and gramps."

"No mention of Kikyo?" Sesshoumaru's always great at reading people, and his Kagome's behavior borders from dislike to intolerance.

"Ah, no," she said. "I don't really ask about her in my calls."

"Che, you bitch hate Kikyo like she's done bad to you," Inuyasha said. "Not like you're so good yourself."

Sesshoumaru stiffened, "Take that back, Inuyasha. You don't speak like that to Kagome nor in front of my daughter."

His brother look at him with wide eyes, "Oh shi-, I mean, I'm sorry bro. 'Gome, sorry." He turned to Rin, "Never repeat that, 'kay?"

"Repeat what, 'cle Yasha?" she asked. She knew, but she doesn't want her Uncle Inuyasha to get in trouble a little further even though she doesn't like how he speak to Kagome-san.

The adults visibly relaxed, "Nothing, Rin-chan," Kagome said. "Well, I'll be going home then. I'll see you, Rin-chan. Inuyasha, behaved. Sesshoumaru..."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Kagome," he said, and she nod slightly at him.

"Good night," she said.

What's with the first name basis? Inuyasha thought. Then he remembered that they went to school together, but Kagome didn't graduate there? Did she dropped out? Or moved? Inuyasha doesn't know, but one thing he knows was that the two have a history together. Hmm...

A/N: Did I portray my characters right? I want then to sound more mature or something. I guess I need to work with them more.

I melted the cold barrier that Kagome wrapped around her heart when she saw the cute and warm Rin-chan because that's just the way she is around children, and although she showed coldness to Sesshoumaru, it was just an automatic reaction to someone that hurt her deeply, and it was possibly a defense mechanism of a person who distrust someone.

I don't want to warp her personality that much because she wouldn't be Kagome if she stayed cold and untouchable. She stayed the same when she's around other people: always understanding, forgiving, and just plain Kagome.

She's going to warm up to Sesshoumaru when they fix this something between them. I think that Kagome wouldn't stay cold for long because she knew that somehow it was also her fault when she turned him down abruptly, or bluntly.