A/N:

This chapter was supposed to be longer, been working on this but I KEEP GETTING DISTRACTED and delayed. SORRYY! T.T

Chapter 10 Uncertainties

Warm water trickled down Sesshomaru's naked body as he stood under the running shower. He let the jets of water knead his back, while his arms were stretched and leaning against the wall. His long silver hair formed a curtain around him. Slowly, he opened his eyes as Bokuseno's words from yesterday interrupted his relaxing mind.

"The girl is hiding something. It is irrelevant whether you find out what it is. But I must warn you, do not make irresponsible decisions regarding her, because it will bring many misfortunes."

Sesshomaru couldn't think of anything important that Rin might be keeping from him. The girl was very loquacious about herself, to the point that he thought he knew everything he had to know. Which made manipulating her easier.

She didn't seem to be the type keeping secrets.

What could that sweet, little human be hiding? Irrelevant or not, he was curious to know. As for Bokuseno's warning about his… plans for her…. He believed that the old tree may be trying to save her from his evil.

He smirked. As if mere "misfortunes" would be enough to stop him.

The handsome demon turned the shower off, and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. When he opened the door, steam billowed out from the shower room.

Then he smelled something… burning.

"Alright! We can do this!" Rin picked up her sleeves, spatula in one hand and was glaring at the frying pan. On the counter was a plate of rejected, burnt pancakes. She was frustrated and irritated that she couldn't even accomplish the simple task of making good breakfast. It didn't help that she had zero experience in cooking, since the cooks at the Yamanaka mansion never allowed Rin in the kitchen.

"What in the world are you doing?"

She didn't let his silky voice ruin her concentration as she stared at the batter solidifying on the frying pan. "What does it look like?" She answered, without turning around.

"I thought you were trying to burn my villa." Sesshomaru's nose wrinkled at the burnt abomination on the table.

Rin exhaled irately and turned around, ready to give him a piece of her mind, but was unprepared with what assaulted her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat, she stared blankly at Sesshomaru who wore nothing but a towel around his midriff and was making a small puddle on the floor. He obviously just came out from the shower, seeing his glistening sculpted chest and stomach. Not to mention the wet hair…

She squealed and faced the other way hastily stabbing the pancake she was cooking. She felt heat on her face that had nothing to do with the stove in front of her.

"Can you please put some clothes on?!"

Sesshomaru stared at the girl's back. Before she turned away from him, he saw her appealing look. She had on a simple triangular bandana to tame her hair, an apron and her face was smudged with flour and batter. Her eyes held the fire of annoyance when he bothered her before it was suddenly replaced with shock and, whether she knew it or not, appreciation of what she saw. His male pride swelled and a wicked thought formed in his mind.

He walked towards her, making sure that she could hear his approaching footsteps.

Rin swallowed. She continued to stare at the pancake she was cooking and nervously flipped it with the spatula.

He leaned down and whispered softly in her ear. "I thought you would prefer that I look this way." His hands gently grasped her upper arms sensually.

His breath fanned her face and she knew she was beet red.

"Sesshomaru, you flirt…" She protested. Already she could feel her knees weakening. Kami, it was amazing what this man could do to her. He was so bold and confident.

His lips trailed kisses from her ears to her neck, and unconsciously she tilted her head to accommodate him. His growl of approval made her shiver.

He continued his ministrations and held her chin with his other hand, forcing Rin to look up at him. She was lost in his penetrating gaze, as if he was looking deep in her soul.

"Rin…" He murmured as he leaned into her face so close she could smell his intoxicating breath. Her eyes were half lidded, and her unfocused expression made him thought of unspeakable things he could do to her.

"Mhm…?" She had half a mind to close the distance between them and just kiss him, but he spoke.

"Your food is burning."

It took her a few seconds to process what he just said. Dumbly she looked down, blinking comically at the blackened smoke. The girl squealed indignantly, and pushed herself away from Sesshomaru while checking if she could salvage her breakfast.

He suppressed the urge to laugh while watching her scramble about.

"Ugh. This is all your fault!" She finally said after throwing the pan into the sink.

She actually had to audacity to glare at him? He watched her innocently and shrugged his shoulders. "I will ask Jaken to get you something, but in the meantime, try not to burn anything." He swept his hair to the side and left Rin grumbling to herself.

Acting as if he didn't ruin my cooking on purpose. She sighed. What a painful distraction he was.

Rin paced inside her room and glanced at the sun setting. She fidgeted apprehensively, remembering what Sesshomaru had told her.

Meet me at the shore tonight after dusk.

She plopped herself backwards on the four poster bed, an arm across her forehead.

He didn't explain why. Having no reason was enough to make her feel edgy. The demon was unpredictable, and she had no idea what was in store for her this time.

"Stop doing this to yourself. Don't get too close to him. He's nothing but trouble. Please."

She picked up her head slightly and saw No Name kneeling next to her bed and her small arms on the mattress. Her gray eyes held doubt and fear.

"I'll be fine. I swear."

"You asked him to love you! Why?! Did you not learn your lesson from before?"

Rin froze, feeling a sense of Déjà vu. But she couldn't tell where it was coming from…

"Don't go to him. Go back to Kagome. Leave him."

Rin hugged her knees to herself. "I don't want to."

"He wants to know what we hide. When he finds out he will leave. A shallow demon like him could never understand. He will not pity."

She covered her ears. "There's nothing for him to know! I, Yamanaka Rin have nothing to hide!" The girl declared stubbornly. From the window, she saw that the sun had disappeared into the horizon. She stood up and composed herself. "I'm going now."

"Why don't you listen to me anymore? I cared for you and protected you. You would never be yourself if it was not for me." Her tone held slight disdain.

Rin glanced at No name, who slowly vanished on the spot.

"I'm grateful. But it's time that… I have the courage again and stand up for myself." Rin whispered before she left the room.

Rin stopped thinking about No Name's appearance and focused on the task on hand; she was trying to reach the shore by descending from the small, rocky hill.

She decided to take the route that would get her closer to her destination since she had no idea how to get to the beach.

Carefully she treaded the rocks, the moonlight and the stars her only guide to see. Midway she adjusted her foothold. While her right hand searched for a better grip, her foot inadvertently slipped. She shrieked, felt the wind behind her as she fell backwards, and prepared herself for the impact.

Her breath was knocked out of her when she felt something warm and hard against her side, and firm limbs behind her knees and back.

"Rin, are you trying to break your bones all over again?" His exasperated, masculine voice greeted her.

She cracked one eye open, and saw his dark, amber eyes staring at her.

"Why did you not follow the trail to get here?"

"What trail?" She blurted out.

Sesshomaru sighed inwardly. He should have shown her the way instead of assuming she would find it.

Troublesome, careless human.

He shook his head, set her on her feet and bid Rin to follow him.

She inhaled deeply, appreciating the briny smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore and the cold wind on her face. While he walked, Rin looked after him in awe. He was always there to save her. It was almost… romantic. She bit her lip to hide her giggle while removing her shoes, welcoming the warm sand between her toes. She wondered where he would take her and what for…

Next Chapter: Forgotten Past

Note: Rin's conversation with No Name has NOTHING to do with the feudal era. In this fic, the feudal era is nonexistent at all. Rin IS human, and had NEVER met Sesshomaru until that day they met in the prison.

A/N:

So I decided to stop here and continue to the next chapter instead, which I'm not sure when I'm going to post. (Hotel Birthday party this weekend for a friend, so I may not be able to write!) Anyway thank you for supporting and being patient with me!