So... yay! another update ^^ Just a little head's up, in my mother's attempt to smother the family, she's cutting off the internet for the month of June. Woo. So... what that means for you guys is that these updates might come "slower" than usual... yea... there's a reason I don't spend a lot of time with the family... because I don't want to! (as bad as that sounds) I do love them I really do, but my mother is desperate for us to spend more time together... which I don't want to do!

Anyway... enjoy!


Sesshomaru's knock was sharp against the apartment door, his arm barely lowering before the door was yanked open, a very surprised-looking Ayame, her green eyes wide and her face surprised until it broke out into a wide smile at his face.

"Oh hi Sesshomaru!" she beamed, "how have you been?"

"Stressed," the demon confessed, "but it won't get any better I'm afraid, exam season is only two weeks away."

"We're all feeling that," Ayame stood aside, "come on in!"

"Thank you-"

The demon stopped mid-sentence at the sight of the long-haired wolf demon standing awkwardly in the hall, his own blue eyes widening at the sight of the dog demon.

"Oh, Sesshomaru, hi… how-uh-how are you?"

"Fine," the elder murmured, a smile curling at the corner of his lips, "what are you doing over here?"

"Oh, uh… well um…"

"We were making out."

Both young men turned to the redheaded wolf standing calmly by the closed door, her green eyes looking from one to the other.

"What?" she asked, her shoulders raising slightly in confusion while Koga seemed both stunned and impressed with her confidence.

"I wasn't aware you two were… dating," Sesshomaru murmured softly, his eyebrow raised in interest at the wolf demon.

"Sorta just started," Ayame shrugged, "we had lunch, he searched my room for some sort of shrine he thought I had and I wound up searching his mouth with my-"

"Ayame!"

"What!?" the young wolf asked, "it's not like he isn't doing it with Rin! Oh, Rin," her hand went to her mouth, "I feel like such an idiot! You're probably here to see her."

"Well she is my girlfriend," the demon murmured as he followed the pigtailed demon passed the stunned one, "where is she?"

"In her bed… sleeping," Ayame murmured, "I'll… I'll let her know you're here."

"Why is she in her bed? It's two in the afternoon."

"She's caught a cold," the wolf demon informed him, her fingers rapping on the door, "she didn't tell you?"

"We've both been busy with school and everything," Sesshomaru shook his head, his ears catching the weak "yes" from the closed door, Ayame swallowing as she spoke.

"Um… Rin?"

"I'm still mad at you!" the young woman snapped weakly, "so no, you can't come in!"

"That… That's fine," the green eyes shifted, "but what about Sesshomaru?"

"Sesshomaru's… here?"

"He sort of… just showed up… like right now..."

"He-He did!?"

"Yes I did," the demon interrupted, a small smirk on his lips at the sound of her squeaking followed swiftly by her shuffling, "Rin? May I come in?"

"Just, um, give me a minute," the young woman murmured almost nervously as she moved things about in room while Ayame stepped aside.

"So… we'll leave you two now," the young demon murmured as she grabbed Koga's arm much to the other two's confusion.

"Why?" both males seemed to ask in unison, their eyes looking at the young woman now pulling the other wolf demon with her.

"Well, see, I may have made a small teensy weensy little mistake that Rin took entirely the wrong way and now hates me for," Ayame explained, "anyway, she really doesn't wanna see me right about now and well," she shrugged, "you'll see."

"So why do I have to leave?" Koga asked, his black brow raised in confusion.

"Because I want you to," the young demon explained as she tried to tug the demon along with her, "and because Rin probably doesn't want to be seen like that."

"But-"

"Have a good afternoon," Ayame called as she shoved the other out the door, "and don't do anything too strenuous."

Sesshomaru stood awkwardly in the hallway as the door shut behind a protesting Koga and a bouncing Ayame, his eyebrow raised as he turned to his girlfriend's room, his hand on the knob as he pushed it open, his head shaking lose any thoughts of Koga and Ayame together.

"Rin?" the demon called softly to the darkened room, the small lump on the bed shuffling to face him, the normally pale face even paler with her sickness while her nose was a bright red, the rings under her eyes making her look even frailer, her hair pulled back and covered with a bandana.

"Hey," the young woman murmured weakly, "what are you doing here?"

"Just came to talk to you about something," he smiled softly as he stepped into the room, "I didn't know you were sick."

"Just came on," Rin told him as she adjusted the pillows, her body now popped up to look at her approaching boyfriend, a weak smile on her lips, "it always happens after midterm season though, it's no big deal."

"If you're sure," the demon told her as his hand gently slipped to her forehead, "you don't feel that warm."

"Should've been here yesterday," the young woman grinned, "you could've made an omelette on my forehead."

"I doubt that," Sesshomaru chuckled, "but other than your fever, how are you feeling?"

"Throat hurts, body aches, nose is stuffed," she sighed, "colds are fun."

"That they are," the demon grinned, "however… why are you wearing this?"

"Oh, no reason," the young woman flushed lightly, her hand holding the bandana to her forehead, the look on the demon's face telling her that he wasn't buying anything, "look," she sighed deeply, "do you… promise not laugh?"

"Depends on how funny it is," he teased, the ducking brown eyes causing him to chuckle softly, "I won't laugh Rin, I promise."

"Okay," she bit her lip as she removed the bandana from her hair, the demon's eyes widening at the sight of her exposed bright orange bangs.

"Oh my…"

"I know, they're hideous right?" Rin moaned as she hung her head in a vain attempt to hide them, "I told Ayame that I wasn't feeling well and she sort of… blackmailed me into doing this to make me feel better."

"Why would you ask for this in the first place?"

"I didn't want this," the young woman protested, "since she was doing this anyway, I asked her to maybe give me just a bit of colour in my bangs, like over the black and then… this happened," she slumped over her knees, "go ahead, make fun of me for this."

Fingers gently found her bangs, the long digits playing with the coloured strands.

"I promised I wouldn't," Sesshomaru told her as her brown eyes peaked out at him, "besides, they're not entirely bad… if anything, their very much you."

"How?"

The demon felt his lips pull into an uncharacteristically soft smile.

"Unexpected."

Rin flushed lightly at the words, her fingers gently running over the bright orange as the demon leaned towards her, her fingers gently stopping his lips.

"Don't," she murmured, "you'll get sick too."

"I don't particularly mind," he told her honestly, surprising even himself with the words, "but if you insist…"

"I don't want you to get sick," Rin smiled before she turned her head to cough in her arm. "Sorry," she coughed, "I didn't mean-"

"You're ill," Sesshomaru murmured, "it's understandable," his body straightened up from her, "do you want something for your throat?"

Confused brown eyes turned to meet his amber ones, "like what?"

His shoulders shrugged, "tea with some honey?"

"That… that sounds lovely," Rin smiled genuinely, "but you don't have too…"

"I want to."

Sesshomaru was unsure of who was more confused by his actions and words, Rin or him; her brown eyes widening slightly while his remained impassive, surprised at the ease that he spoke his words with.

"Well… um…"

"I can make tea," the demon smirked, "it's not that hard."

"O-Okay," Rin caved, her smile and flushing cheeks making her appearance even more innocent-looking, "everything, um-"

"I'll find it," Sesshomaru murmured as he slipped out the door, the small thank you from Rin did not go unnoticed by his sensitive ears as he shut the door behind him, his feet taking him back to the kitchen, his nose quick to find stack of green tea Rin had labeled as hers, the package tapping against his lips as he left the kettle boil.

The two hadn't seen each other in what felt like forever, their midterm schedules never giving them a moment's peace let alone a moment together; the oddest thing about though, was that he actually missed her company and her smile and the fact that she practically radiated optimism and happiness that even he wasn't immune to. He was slowly feeling her warmth of her smile and her kindness melt him; her flustered attitude and innocence were becoming endearing rather than annoying as he first thought, her spontaneity making her one of a kind unlike anything he had ever known.

The kettle snapped off as the demon filled the tea ball with the leaves, the door opening causing his attention to look up, a small smile on his lips as he saw the young woman approach him, her bright bangs poking through the comforter wrapped around her head and body, her feet shuffling against the tiles.

"Shouldn't you be in bed, resting?" the demon teased softly while she groaned softly, her head bobbing as she nodded.

"It's a little awkward," she murmured, "having you do everything for me while I lay in bed and do nothing."

"How is it awkward?" Sesshomaru murmured as the tea steeped in the cup, the young woman flushing lightly as she chose her words while the demon grabbed the honey.

"I just feel like I should be doing something," Rin confessed quietly as she accepted the cup from the demon, the honey drizzled into her tea.

"You're sick," he commented as his hand touched her back, "you should be resting."

"Yes mom," she grumbled as she giggled lightly, the demon following her back into her bedroom as she slipped to the mattress, Sesshomaru surprising her as he slipped to the other half of her bed, his back resting against her propped up pillow as though he naturally belonged there, her flushing cheeks did not go amiss on the demon.

"What is it?" Sesshomaru laughed lightly, continually amused by her antics.

"It's just… this is my first time in bed with a guy," her blush deepened, "I just thought I'd be a little more… appealing."

"Appealing?" the demon pressed, his eyebrows raised as she took a tentative sip of tea.

"Just, uh… Oh you know," she smacked him lightly, "not sick and frumpy-looking," her brown eyes looked up, "and not with these."

"These aren't so bad," Sesshomaru told her as his fingers ran through the bangs, "besides, you don't look as bad as you claim."

"… debateable," Rin murmured softly, her chocolate orbs flickering up to meet his amber ones, "and these are going in two weeks; so… what did you come over here to do?"

"Hmm?"

"You didn't know I was sick until you got here," she smiled up at him, "so tell me, why did you come over?"

"I wanted to ask you what your plans were for the holiday season," he murmured, his head tilting as she mulled over the idea.

"Nothing much," her shoulders shrugged, "I'll just… stick around here until the second semester starts."

"You're not going home?"

Rin paused before she shook her head, her lower lip bitten as she swallowed.

"Don't really have a home to go to," the young woman confessed softly, "I… I'm sort of a foster child… my family died when I was young and I've just been moving from home to home ever since I was a kid," she smiled weakly up at him, "so I don't go anywhere for the holidays. Just… don't tell the girls that."

"Why not?" Sesshomaru asked her, his curiosity piqued as she cleared her throat.

"It's not like I don't want to spend the holidays with them or anything, it's just… I've done that once before, gone to a friend's for a holiday. I got nothing but pitying looks," her smile fell, "it wasn't fun."

"Well," the demon pressed, "how would you feel coming out to Mount Hotaka with me and my family for the holidays."

Rin's coughing was almost indistinguishable from her sickness as she covered her mouth, her eyes widening as she turned to the demon sitting beside her.

"Wh-What?" she asked his softly, her brows still risen in surprise as the demon chuckled.

"You've already figured out by now that my family is wealthy," Sesshomaru told her softly, "every year, my family hosts a new year's ball, it's boring, it's tedious… would you be interested in joining me for the holiday weeks out in Mount Hotaka?"

"If it's boring and tedious…"

"There's also a hot spring in the area and skiing if that's what you're interested in," he smiled kindly at her, "there's also hiking trails we can go on."

"I-I don't know," Rin stammered, "I-I've never really done anything like that…"

"I won't do anything you don't want," Sesshomaru promised her softly, "but I would honestly enjoy your company over the holidays," his amber eyes looking at her chocolate orbs, "what do you say?"

"I-I… uh…" the young woman swallowed thickly, her heart hammering wildly in her chest as the demon slowly stood from her bed.

"Don't worry about making a decision immediately," the demon premised her, his lips pressing to her black locks, "all I ask is that you tell me by the end of the exam season, alright?"

"Yeah…"

"I'll go grab you something to eat," Sesshomaru murmured, "you sound hungry."

"Um… sure…" Rin nodded as the demon stepped around the room to the door, her voice stopping him, his amber eyes turning in curiosity to her.

"What is it, Rin?"

The young woman swallowed thickly as she steadied herself, her usual smile slipping onto her features as she faced him.

"About the trip… in the holidays," she steadied herself for a moment before she pressed on, "I'd love to go with you."


Woo... not much happens... review?