'Ah, Hakai-kun!' Rika said with a bit too much enthusiasm to override the overwhelming awkwardness. He'd just come out of a building behind them – at one of the modelling agencies who had been to their school.

Hakai wore dark sun glasses, skinny jeans, a tight long-sleeved tee with a V-neck and a thin black scarf that framed his collarbones; his hair was straight and styled with cutting edge fashion. He looked so good the Ayami almost fainted.

Rin's face froze in to a wooden smile as she glanced at Kohaku for some help.

'Hey, Hakai-kun, good job on that billboard!' Kohaku saw Rin's look of desperation and tried to step in halfheartedly. He was still star struck; he knew Hakai was a prickly guy, but he had something strangely magnetic about him.

Sesshomaru's eyes were like molten lava behind the dark glasses having overheard Rin abuse him so openly to all her friends. He shouldn't have saved her life last night after all. Was he surprised? Wasn't it all she ever seemed to do – disrespect him? When he saw her turn around and recognise him, the Demon felt an extreme smugness seeing her face go in to shock. Why should she look like she'd been caught red-handed? Rin had done an excellent job of berating him to his face last night – how was this any different?
Now with his face all around the place, she would have to look up at him wherever she went.
In person she was short enough to have to look up at him – and now even if he wasn't there, she would still have to raise her eyes, just as every other despicable mortal like her who dared to not praise him.
She would look up to him.

These thoughts ran quickly through his mind as Rin's friends spoke to him, and he finally said;

'Thank you. It was natural for me to accept one of the agencies offers. Can I join you?'

Rin had moved aside by now so that she wasn't standing in front of Hakai, and her eyes swung round to him at hearing his – almost good-natured? – tone of reply. Suspicion settled in her face, even though she was still blushing from humiliation.

'Uh, sure!' Ayami said quickly 'we were just going to the arcade'

The group moved forward to continue on their way, and Rika with Ayami flanked Sesshomaru immediately, asking him all sorts of questions about the agency he'd just signed with.

Rin fell behind the trio with Kohaku.

'What. Was that' Rin spoke lowly.

'You messed up' Kohaku giggled 'he so heard you'

'Ssh!' Rin pinched his arm 'That was the worst timing of my life'

'I don't think so. Remember when you asked how Sensei's girlfriend was going and he didn't even have one? He'd always been complaining about being single too. You mixed him up the science teacher'

'This is worse' Rin shook her head 'what's his game plan now though?'

Kohaku looked ahead of them at the tall white-haired guy.

'I don't know. Hey, maybe you can do some of your assignment properly now' Kohaku grinned.

'Maybe you can confess to Rika properly now' Rin re-joined passionately.

'Hey, that's not on the same level of joke' Kohaku whined 'please don't say it so loud!'

'Sorry Kohaku-kun, I'm just on edge with that – ' Rin glared meaningfully at Sesshomaru 'in my vicinity'

'Don't worry, I'll stick with you Rin-chan. After all you actually look pretty today so I won't be ashamed to be seen next to you' he smiled with a sparkling expression, only to crease in pain when Rin prodded his ribs.

'I'm never putting effort in to my appearance again' Rin promised him darkly.

'It's probably why he's joined us, because he didn't recognise you' Kohaku chuckled. 'He's a brave man if he's hanging out with Rin-chan after getting a verbal lashing from her'

'Is that a hint?' Rin glared at Kohaku.

'No, please I've had enough of your verbs today, Rin-chan!' he made a mock movement of self-defense.

Rin gave up her gravity and laughed at him, pushing her friend playfully on the arm just as they reached the arcade.

'Claw machine first?' Kohaku asked Rin and she nodded, heading to the one with Ghibli plushies – there was Totoro and cat buses as well as Jiji available.

After about five goes, alternating with Kohaku, they finally got a Jiji plush and Rin was so happy that she high fived her friend and urged him to play another round with her.

'Nope' Kohaku said 'it's my turn to choose a game'

'Oh ok' Rin mock pouted, cuddling the cat plush. 'Which one?'

'The shooter'

The two made their way to the line of gun games at the back wall, a bit hidden from the main area. Rika, Ayami and Hakai were at the cars – Kohaku saw that the new guy wasn't playing with them.

Putting the necessary change in two machines, they picked up the guns and began the round – Rin actually won the first go (usually Kohaku won every time).

'What that's impossible!' Kohaku waved his gun around 'You didn't even have aim on that guy, I carried you through that whole map!'

'Sore loser!' Rin jeered, laughing.

'No I'm not! Wait a sec, I just need the bathroom' Kohaku said in a very sore-loser tone of voice.

Rin was already gearing up to go and she pressed 'next game' when she heard her friend return, promising him that she'd beat him easily again.

Rin thought his moves had changed a bit, Kohaku was being a lot more ruthless and decisive in his game play. Glancing over she froze momentarily as she saw not her friend, but Hakai.

He was coolly standing there nonchalantly holding the gun, barely even looking at the screen.

'W-weren't you with the others?' Was all Rin could say.

Hakai had taken his glasses off, naturally, as soon as they came indoors, and Rin found herself unable to return his gaze for long, her shame still powerful at his having overheard her before. Mentally kicking herself, she told herself that everything she had said was true. After all, hadn't she said pretty much the same thing to him last night? Yet there was something different about him today that Rin couldn't put her finger on.

'You're going to lose' was all he said in a casual voice, looking pointedly at her screen. She had already died twice.

Rin fumbled to regain her position and tried not to remember the way in which the guy next to her had been leaning over her last night at far-too-close quarters. She scrambled to think of something, anything to say so she could force herself to feel normal, despite the very healthy dislike she had of her assignment partner.

'So – you have a brother?' Damn, she sounded stupid. Of course he had a brother, she already knew that – a better question might have been 'how old is your brother?' But no, she hadn't thought of that had she.

'I do' Sesshomaru answered – just not the brother she thought it was.
He couldn't begin to imagine Rin and Inuyasha together – this girl was a different ball game to what he knew of Kagome. Inuyasha's human 'friend' (Sesshomaru refused to call her anything different) had a loud mouth, but she cried if you so much as yelled back at her.
Rin seemed to not only bark but also bite.
Yet, he sensed such a vulnerable, delicate air around her that he wondered – she was only a flesh lump, after all. All of them at base were weak and defenseless. Useless.

'How old is he?' Rin ventured, walking on egg shells, wondering at Hakai's seemingly calm demeanour.

The truth: Inuyasha was two hundred years old.
The semi-truth: Jaken was at least eight hundred years old.

'Fourteen' Sesshomaru answered.

Rin sighed involuntarily, making Hakai glance at her as he won their round.

'My brother is the same age' she said softly, half to herself, as she replaced the gun in its rack. Just as Sesshomaru was about to say something else, Kohaku had come back to them with the two girls.

'Shall we go and eat something? We're starving' Rika looked from Rin to Hakai, sensing a strange atmosphere. Kohaku was hoping Rin wasn't angry at him for leaving her; well, technically he hadn't. He'd gone to the bathroom as he'd said, and when he came out, he saw Hakai was playing a game with her. He'd decided to leave them to it at that point.

As the others decided what to eat, Sesshomaru still looked at Rin.

'Do you want to meet him properly?' He said abruptly, interrupting the discussion at hand. Everyone looked at the two.

Rin went red to her chagrin and looked stunned at Hakai, almost angry at him for singling her out.

'Meet your brother?' Rin echoed.

'You have a brother?' Ayami exclaimed 'I want to meet him too!'

'Me too!' Rika added with emphasis.

Kohaku watched Hakai closely, seeing the very faintest trace of annoyance cross his features.

'No!' Kohaku said loudly in a whingeing tone 'I'm so hungry! Rika-san, Ayami-san, take me to get food!'

The two girls huffed, but their own growling stomachs betrayed them. Blushing at the noises of their hunger, the girls quickly walked off with Kohaku. Rin was glaring at her friends back with a 'how dare you' expression and she faked a light hearted laugh as she turned to Hakai:

'I'm going to have to leave you here, I'm pretty hungry. Can I meet your brother another time?'

Sesshomaru raised an eye brow at her, his face blank.

'Not only that' he said 'but the assignment needs to be done'

Rin cringed inwardly so hard she almost bent over. It was going to be extremely bothersome for her to get a fabricated second opinion. Maybe if his brother was with them things wouldn't get too awkward?

'A- alright' Rin mumbled dubiously. She knew he had heard her before, and he had certainly heard her last night – so why was he acting so nice now? It was an off-putting contrast, too fast-changing for her to keep up.
Why would he want her to meet his brother – would it somehow make her 'respect' him more? It was the only motive she could possibly imagine – he certainly didn't like her, that much was clear.

'This way' he spoke with imperturbable authority, and though the tone grated on Rin she went after him.

She had to walk quite fast, almost with a skipping sort of jog to keep up with Hakai's long legs and swift stride. What was she doing right now? Couldn't she just turn around and leave him? But the thought of meeting his fourteen-year-old brother, so similar to what she imagined Shippo might be, ended up urging her on.

On Sesshomaru's part, he simply wanted to keep Rin close to him.
There seemed to be a definite link between her and multitudes of those vermin demons – and it seemed the more he slew, the more his powers returned. As soon as he finished killing them, however, he returned to being human. The Demon reasoned that he had to watch Rin closely to see what it was about her that attracted the parasitic fiends – and in turn, why killing them gave him his powers back.
He swallowed his ire admirably after hearing her insult him to her friends earlier so he could try and get in her 'good books' as quickly as possible – so he could carry out his true purpose.

'Where is your brother now?' Rin asked.

'At home' Hakai replied.

'What?' Rin was not counting on this at all.

'We're going to Inugami shrine first' Hakai explained as though annoyed at her lack of acuity.

Rin quickly felt her patience running thin, but as she was about to retort, some passers by stopped, pointing at them saying:

'Look, it's that model!'

'He's so handsome!'

'Excuse me, could we get a picture?'

'Who's the girl?'

Rin looked around bewildered to find herself the subject of sudden stranger scrutiny.

Before she knew it, her hand was in an iron grip and she was being pulled very quickly away from the gathering crowd. Camera clicks sounded behind them, but Hakai had pulled Rin under his arm, shielding her face with his hand.

As soon as they had navigated a few alley ways that became quieter and quieter as they advanced, the pair entered a courtyard to a grand temple.

Rin had immediately pushed away from Hakai as soon as the main crowd had been lost to them, trying with all her mental capacity to disperse the blush in her cheeks.
His body was so strong when she knocked against it as Hakai had pulled her to him – she'd not experienced anything like it before – she thought it seemed as though he could have been a great stone or tree, such was the solidity of his frame.
Strange, as the boy was also so slim.
His arm felt like a powerful wing of protection around her and for a moment – just for a split second, the feeling Rin had got from his arm made her believe she was entirely wrong about his character.
But that idea left as it had come – she remembered the equally strong feeling of his fingers around her throat, and the murderous expression on his face when he had choked her.
This person was not be trusted – raging and calm like the ocean or a fire, he was not someone to believe.
A bad friend – and an even worse master.