The breeze blew her pony tail softly, the wind feeling refreshing on her red, hot face. Rin continued her post run stretches in the grass of her backyard, pulling her ankle behind her, bending her knee, and stretching her hamstrings with her good arm. She sighed grumpily, akwardly using her cased arm to switch legs. The cast typically didn't bother her but now that she had resumed her exercise routine her heavy forearm was a constant reminder that she was still healing and needed to take things slow. But she didn't want to take things slow. It had been four weeks since the attack and her back had healed quite well but she continued to be haunted by nightmares. The nightmares never consisted of what she would have expected though, mainly centering around her family's murder instead of the sword wielding mad man.
She was ready to move on.
Dropping her leg, she glanced over the the patio, seeing that Sesshomaru was still standing watch over her activities. His body was stock still, his face unreadable. She glanced to the magenta stripes gracing his high cheek bones and the crescent moon on his forehead. Rin didn't know much about demons. They were a rarity. Some feared them. Some obsessed over them. She simply felt indifferent. Demons' existence had never affected her before now, but she certainly hated how one particular demon was affecting her currently.
While the man was ever vigilant with his watchful eye, he hadn't spoken to her at all in the last two weeks since he moved in. Though it was originally what Rin wanted she now found the silence between them vexatious. He was outside her door. Following her around outside. Standing a foot behind her while she watched television on the couch. All while remaining as quiet as the dead. After lashing out at him in the beginning she couldn't bring herself to end the peaceful quiet between them. He seemed to be on speaking terms with the other members of her staff. Which only served to make the entire situation more uncomfortable for her. In retrospect she shouldn't have thrown such a fit over his presence when it was to keep her alive and well. Maybe she could get away with chalking it up to the trauma she had encountered and apologize?
Suddenly her breath hitched as his eyes met hers. Rin quickly averted her eyes to the lake that sat on her land in the distance, before taking off in a light jog. She had been staring at him for who knows how long, like a fool. Realizing she just ruined her post workout stretch session she resolved to run another mile or two to clear her head. She must look like a total idiot to the regal demon now.
An hour later she threw her sweaty jogging clothes on the floor and pulled her messy pony tail out, throwing her hair tie to the side. Walking into her bathroom, she began running the water for a nice hot shower. She bagged her cast up with a huff, completely over dealing with the white whale hugging her forearm. Stepping into the shower she let the hot water flow over her tangled hair and sore muscles. She missed life before. When she could go a day without being reminded of her parents and sibling or the attempt on her life. She missed singing on the stage in front of her fans. Over the last few years she had received bags of fan mail from young girls and women who connected with her music. They grew with her from the age of fourteen when she first entered the music business to now, as she morphed into a bright young woman with two platinum records. Even if she couldn't have an audience and inspire anyone right now, she could still enjoy her favorite thing.
When you are out there on the road
For several weeks of shows
And when you scan the radio,
I hope this song will guide you home
They will see us waving from such great heights,
"Come down now," they'll say
But everything looks perfect from far away,
"Come down now," but we'll stay...
I tried my best to leave
This all on your machine
But the persistent beat it sounded thin
Upon listening
And that frankly will not fly.
You will hear the shrillest highs
And lowest lows with the windows down
When this is guiding you home
They will see us waving from such great heights,
"Come down now," they'll say
But everything looks perfect from far away,
"Come down now," but we'll stay...
Tears streamed down Rin's face, mixing with the hot shower water coursing down her body. Before she knew what hit her she was sliding to the floor of the shower, her body wracked with sobs. Her cries grew louder, shaking her small frame. She gripped her hand over her mouth trying to stifle the loud moaning cries that she emitted pitifully. How she missed her family. Her friends were wonderful, her employees were wonderful. But they could never replace her mother's soothing touch when she didn't feel well. Or the way her father would tell cheesy jokes to cheer her up when she felt down. Nor her older brother's way of teasing her to the point she became so annoyed she forgot what she was upset about in the first place. She would give anything to have had more time with them than just her six short years. Would they be proud of her? Would they still be the perfect happy family she knew them to be back then?
Her mournful thoughts were torn by her bathroom door bursting open. With a shriek she stood up and kicked her glass shower door open, ready to defend herself against the intruder. She threw her hands up, ready to scratch them to death as that was really the only defense she knew. What she saw instead of the murderer she envisioned it to be was Sesshomaru standing in front of her completely unaffected by her scream of surprise and naked form.
After a delayed recognizing that she was naked, wet, and puffy eyed, she screamed louder, grabbing her towel from the wall beside her shower and desperately throwing it around her body.
"Get out!" she demanded, shoving her hand in the direction of the door.
"This Sesshomaru is sim-" the demon began, but Rin cut him off with another shrill yell.
"Get out!" she yelled again in a panic, "Get out, get out, get out!"
She watched his quickly retreating back, and stepped forward as soon as he exited, slamming her bathroom door behind him. Tucking the corner of her towel into the band already snug across her chest, she braced her elbows on the counter of the sink and bowed her head.
What the fuck was he thinking? Why would he bust in like that? It was so rare for her to allow herself a complete breakdown or to dwell too deeply on the past and he interrupted her during an incredibly vulnerable moment. And worst of all, he saw her naked!
She thew underwear, sweats, and a purple racer back tank top on, deciding brushing her hair out could wait. Her bedroom door smacked into her wall with force enough to shake some of her shelves. Rin's fast paced stride had her in the living room in seconds, where Sesshomaru was already leaning on the wall, clearly waiting for her arrival.
"What the hell was that?" she spat out, her eyes wide.
"I heard screams. Crying. It was reasonable to assume you may be in trouble," he explained, unmoved by her apparent anger, his eyes staring down into hers.
"I was singing! Singing! It's what I do for a living!" she yelled, flailing her arms around, nearly smacking him on accident.
"Perhaps at first, but I heard screams and crying," Sesshomaru insisted, staying a statue.
Rin stilled, faltering in her movements. Of course he could hear her singing.. and the crying, through the walls and over running water. He was a demon. The fact that he belonged to the other worldly race was most likely the sole reason he was in the bodyguard line of work. Tears slipped down her cheeks all over again and she turned away from Sesshomaru in embarrassment. Her breakdown was meant to be a private moment for her alone to know about.
From behind her she heard soft spoken words, meant for comfort. "Do not feel ashamed little bird. Humans experience these weak moments often. It is a fault in your race that is shared by all," he said, his body coming off the wall and straightening into a tall stance.
His words made her swirl around indignantly her eyes narrowed. "I don't think that's a fair thing to say. Just because you choose to be a damn ice bucket doesn't mean the rest of us have to be."
Sesshomaru simply stared at her before reaching a long, thin finger out to wipe a tear away from under her eye. Rin caught a glimpse of magenta stripes across his wrist and reached out to trace them with her own finger. A feeling of comfort overwhelmed her suddenly.
The tears began falling faster and the young woman stepped forward, pressing her face into his chest, letting her forearms rest against it as well. Her shoulders shook as she let the rest of her emotions out that had been cut short earlier.
The demon she leaned into stood awkwardly. Finally as her shoulders stopped heaving as much, he placed an elegant hand on her back, eventually moving up to cup the back of her head, curling his fingers into her wet messy locks.
Rin looked up then, looking into his eyes, sniffling softly.
"I'm sorry, Sesshomaru. For being such a jerk the last few weeks. I think.. I think I was holding too much in. It's not easy for me to let myself cry," she admitted, gently pulling away from him and stepping back.
Sesshomaru nodded with a barely audible,"Hn," and continued to look at her blankly.
Rin gave him a small smile, thankful for his quiet demeanor for the first time since she met him.
The song featured is Such Great Heights by The Postal Service. My favorite cover is by Madi Diaz and K.S. Rhoads from an episode of Grey's Anatomy if you want to listen to it. It was inspiration for writing this chapter.
