A/N: I'm so sorry for taking awhile on this update! I wanted to get this chapter out sooner, but had trouble finding time to go back and reread it. I'm always so paranoid about grammatical / spelling errors! Hopefully this latest copy is clean and you all enjoy the next installment! =] Thank you, as always, for reading and for your support!
Kohaku and Rin walked through the center of the city on their way to visit Kohaku's sister. Rin followed closely behind Kohaku as she glanced back and forth at the familiar shops and apartments they passed. Memories of exploring it with Kagome flooded Rin's mind as she revisited an old memory at almost every building she passed.
"Do you like the city?" Kohaku asked, apparently taking note of her wandering eyes. Rin glanced back at him for a moment before she looked at the ground with a blush and nodded sheepishly.
"I like it, too," he added as he glanced around at the scenery before returning his gaze to Rin, "my sister and I always seem to be moving from place to place for her job. I wouldn't mind if she decided to stay put for a change,"
I wonder what she does, Rin thought curiously. She opened her mouth to ask, but then quickly clamped it shut when the question remained lodged in her throat. It seemed she still couldn't bring herself to talk to Kohaku yet.
He gave her a friendly smile before he glanced to his right and his expression brightened. "There it is!" he told her before he signaled for her to follow him. Rin felt her own lips tug up into a slight smile as she quickened her pace to keep up with him.
He ran towards a newly modeled one story building. It was made entirely of brick and painted a bright white. Two big windows decorated the front of it, but the view of the inside was blocked off by a pair of dark pink curtains. A large wooden door at the front was painted a dark brown.
Kohaku ran up a couple of steps that led to the massive door while Rin followed close behind. He turned the knob before easily opening the door. "After you," he offered, and Rin smiled before she walked inside.
A fury of color met her eyes as Rin stared at the assortment of paintings hung on the walls. A soft palate of shades were used in each. Minor details were traded for heavy brushstrokes that gave a beautiful outline of the shapes depicted in each work.
"One of my sister's hobbies," Kohaku informed her as he came up beside her, "I keep trying to convince her to sell some, but she can't part with anything she paints," he added with a defeated laugh.
"Kohaku!" a woman called happily to them suddenly. Rin turned towards that voice and her eyes widened when they landed on the woman standing there. She was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, coming in at a close second to Kagome.
The woman's long brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail with bangs that hung over her eyes and elegantly framed her face. Her skin was lightly tanned, probably from being outside a lot, and dark eyes that glowed with a warmth Rin hadn't seen in someone's gaze in a long time.
"You're back sooner than I expected," the woman smiled before she turned to glance at Rin curiously, "and you brought a friend?" she asked.
"Yeah," Kohaku laughed sheepishly, "she's in one of my classes this semester. She was nice enough to come with me to see you,"
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Miss...?" the woman trailed off, obviously waiting for Rin to introduce herself. Rin blushed slightly before she glanced away nervously, letting the reflection of her glasses hide her eyes. She wanted to greet this woman, but still found herself crawling back into her shell instead.
"She's a little shy," Kohaku answered for her, "but I told her that she didn't need to feel pressured into talking to anyone. That she could talk when she felt comfortable doing so," he added with a kind smile in Rin's direction.
"Ah, I see," the woman replied with a proud smile, "that's very kind of you, Kohaku. My name is Sango. I'm Kohaku's older sister," she added with a nod in Rin's direction. Rin responded with a sheepish nod of her own.
"As you can see by all my paintings on the wall, I own this place. Because no other owner in their right mind would hang any of my work," Sango laughed proudly, and Rin gave her an empathetic look as she groped for a way to signal to her that she really liked her paintings.
"Your paintings are great, Sango. It's only you who think they aren't," Kohaku pointed out with a playful smirk.
"Say what you want. I still think they are incomplete," Sango replied before her expression cleared, "But we can't spend too much time chatting. I've got another job to do, so I'll need to get on the road soon,"
"Is it another missing person job?" Kohaku asked with a worried frown.
"Unfortunately, yes," Sango sighed, "more requests keep coming in. Right now I have three missing person jobs going on at the same time. Can't complain about the business it's bringing in, but I still wish it dealt with a less troublesome topic,"
Rin's ears perked up at Sango's job title. So, she found people for a living? It seemed like a very unpredictable job, and possibly dangerous. Rin couldn't help but respect her courage.
"It'll be worth it when you can return them to their families," Kohaku answered confidently. Sango sent him a nod and a smile before it turned into a slight frown.
"I don't see you carrying any groceries. Did you forget to run those errands I asked you to do this morning?" Sango asked.
"I was going to do them now. I just wanted to show my classmate where my sister works," Kohaku replied with a sheepish grin. Sango nodded in understanding before she walked towards them and gave Rin a business card.
"I'm sorry I have to leave so soon, but I really have to try to make a break in some of these cases. Here's my business card if you or someone you know needs help finding someone," Sango explained before she bid them farewell and headed out the door.
"That's my sister for you," Kohaku shrugged, "never in the same spot for very long. She lives off of the excitement of it all, I think. She loves what she does,"
Rin nodded before she glanced back out the door where Kohaku's sister had gone. She wondered if she'd see more of her around campus or in town. Or if she'd ever need her help in the future.
"How about we start on those errands? If you still want to come with me, that is," Kohaku asked, and Rin excitedly nodded. He let out a laugh before ushering her out the door. Within a few minutes the two were back in town to buy the many things Sango needed for work.
Sesshomaru placed the artifact that he was examining on the table when the sound of a light knock reached his ears. His tail* flicked in annoyance before he hid it behind his human disguise. The demonic markings that surfaced on his face disappeared along with his tail as he pushed out of the chair and stood.
"Come in," he commanded, and watched in slight interest when a woman with dark hair let herself in. A purple suit jacket covered a white dress top with a purple pencil skirt to match. Her clothing clung to her body, and when she moved Sesshomaru noticed that it left little to the imagination. A pair of low strapped black heels decorated the woman's feet that clicked in rhythm as she walked towards him.
"Dr. Taisho," she greeted.
"Kagura," he greeted coldly in return. He noticed her left eyebrow twitch slightly before she forced a smile.
"It's Dr. Otaku, if you please," she stated, and Sesshomaru could practically hear her teeth grinding beneath her polite voice.
"What do you need?" he asked, and noticed another eyebrow twitch.
"I was hoping we could talk about it over dinner," she replied hopefully.
"I'm too busy for dinner," he retorted civilly, and although it was true, it was the mere thought of shoving human food down his throat that kept him from accepting her invitation.
"Fine. If you want to be difficult, then we'll talk right here," Kagura teased sarcastically as she turned to glance back at him. He paused for a moment when he noticed that her red eyes were visible. He hadn't looked too closely when she had come in, but knew that she typically hid them while in her human disguise.
"I see you've noticed that I am not trying to shield my eyes," Kagura observed with a slight smirk, "I told you we needed to talk,"
"What's going on?" he asked, and let his human disguise fade so that his markings and tail were easily visible.
"There's been a disturbance in my classroom," she told him, "a demon is not taking too well to keeping his human disguise on at all times when interacting with humans. He nearly set one of my students on fire during a lab when he wasn't paying attention to what his demonic energy was doing," she explained before she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I wanted to ask you if you've had a similar problem," Kagura added as Sesshomaru thought back to his earlier class. He hadn't sensed a demonic aura from any of his students. Then again he hadn't been paying close attention to any of them. Excluding the quiet female student who sat in the back of his classroom that afternoon.
"I didn't sense any demonic auras," Sesshomaru replied, "but if there was a demon in my classroom, they must have hidden their aura from me. I will keep an eye out for any disruptive behavior,"
"Good. I may need to teach that boy a lesson if he keeps this attitude problem going throughout the semester. I won't risk losing my life or my job over a kid who doesn't realize the consequences of his own actions," Kagura huffed before she glanced curiously at the object sitting on his desk.
"Did you get another donation?" she asked before walking over to the table to take a closer look. The item was a small golden elephant with a saddle covered in a variety of jewels. Two large rubies functioned as eyes that Sesshomaru was sure could be worth about as much as his Feudal Era collection put together.
"Yes, but it won't fit in with my collection. I could still showcase it, but it won't have a theme to go along with it,"
"Who needs a theme when you've got something this beautiful?" Kagura retorted in disbelief, "I'm sure this alone could bring in bigger crowds and more donations. You might be able to branch out the museum into more than just a Feudal Era exhibit," she added with a playful wink.
"The Feudal Era is my specialty. I wouldn't do that item justice," Sesshomaru replied logically. He knew that he and Kagura had a truce of sorts going, given that they were both demons stuck in a human run world. He still didn't quite understand her though. One moment she seemed like an ally, but then she'd make a suspicious move and throw him off her trail.
"Then just do some digging and find out more about it," Kagura stated as she moved towards the door, "I'll leave you to your work. Keep me informed on any deviant behavior caused by a demon in your classroom," she added, and Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is he that much of threat?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Not yet," Kagura replied in a serious tone, a forlorn look in her crimson eyes, "but that doesn't mean he won't ever be. He gives me a bad feeling. He isn't like any of the demons I've met in this time before,"
"If he's a student, then he's merely a child. Perhaps he's having difficulty keeping his demonic powers hidden," Sesshomaru offered, although he was quickly growing bored with their conversation. He had never had a problem dealing with inexperienced demons. If this boy was really causing Kagura problems, he could easily take care of him.
"Maybe," Kagura hesitantly agreed, "but I can't know for sure. He seems more in control than he lets on. It makes me wonder whether he's doing his acts purposefully or not. Something just doesn't seem right with that boy," she added gravely.
Sesshomaru surveyed her for a moment as he mulled over what she said. Although he assumed his coworker was merely worrying over nothing, he sensed something darker behind her haunted gaze. Although she had only had a day's experience with the demon, she already appeared shaken by him.
"I'll let you know if I have any problems with a demon in my classes," Sesshomaru stated with a slight huff, already regretting that he agreed to help her. He really didn't like teaching to begin with. It was just a cover to keep the humans from asking questions. Now he'd have to really get to know his students if he wanted to help Kagura. What a bother.
"Thank you," he heard her murmur softly, "I'll leave you to your work, then," she added as she let herself out and quietly shut the door behind her. He gazed at the door for a moment before he let out a light sigh. Just what had he gotten himself into this time?
"Alright. The next thing we need are some bean sprouts. Now, where would those be...?" Kohaku murmured as he gazed at the list of ingredients in his hand. He still couldn't believe Sango put him in charge of grocery duty again. Although she had it harder with her job than he had with school, he was still going to school! He deserved a little break from time to time too!
He let out a groan as he glanced at the already filled cart he was pushing. His sister wanted a feast when she got home. Kohaku could already feel his body caving in at the thought of slaving in the kitchen for hours over the meal she wanted.
His thoughts cleared when he realized that his classmate wasn't with him. He blinked in surprise before he glanced around the general area for her. Where had she gone? And without him even noticing her leave?
Is she a ninja? He thought with a suspicious eyebrow twitch. As if reading his thoughts, she appeared with a bag of bean sprouts in tow. Kohaku let out a surprised grunt before letting out an awkward laugh.
"Oh – there you are! I was worried you took off on me," Kohaku tried to play it off cool, though felt his mouth twitch nervously when she didn't even respond. He felt strange, but excited about having her tag along with him. He had felt like the luckiest guy when she agreed to go on this silly errand run with him. She was really sweet, and cute too!
Her big brown eyes widened slightly at his staring before she gave him a sympathetic smile. Who was he kidding? He didn't even know her name! Not that anyone really did since she didn't talk...but still! Kohaku let out a defeated sigh before his body straightened when he noticed a quizzical look appear on his classmate's face.
"I'm fine! Nothing's wrong!" he interjected, and silently cursed himself for letting her looks get to him. Why was he such a sucker for a cute face?
"Uh – Alright, you got the bean sprouts, so the next thing is...chicken! Yes, we need to get chicken!" Kohaku added, and noted that his classmate had disappeared yet again. Was she planning on retrieving everything for him?
In the next instant she appeared with a package of chicken breasts in her arms. So fast! He thought in surprise before he smiled at her.
"Thank you! Now we only need milk and then we can head back," he told her before he noticed her start to take off again. Before she could hightail it away from him, he hastily grabbed for her arm to stop her. He noticed her body tense at his touch and he quickly let go of her.
"Uh – sorry about that! I just thought – well – maybe we could get the milk together. It doesn't feel right making you do all the work," he tried to explain, even though it sounded so choppy to his own ears. Her eyes widened slightly before he noticed a blush coat her cheeks. So...cute! He thought blissfully.
She gave him a shy nod before she came to his side and walked beside him. Kohaku counted himself lucky again as he walked as if he were on a bed of clouds. Alright, time to focus, he thought to himself confidently, so you have a beautiful girl at your side. That isn't a big deal, and even as he thought that he noticed that his face was completely flushed.
He hoped that his classmate didn't notice, and glanced curiously in her direction. He gave a start when his gaze met with hers head on. He hadn't expected her to be staring at him the entire time.
His posture relaxed as he sent her a small smile before she returned it with a bright smile of her own. He wondered what had caused her to become mute in the first place. Would she ever speak to him? Would he ever learn her name so he wouldn't have to keep referring to her as his "classmate?"
"Uh – looks like we found everything!" he stated, and inwardly cursed his own skills at making things awkward. Why did he have to start getting embarrassed around her now? He barely knew her, and he was already acting like she was a high school crush!
She blinked at his random change of subject before she nodded curtly and followed him to the checkout line. Kohaku felt his face start to go red again when he noted all the stares the two were getting. He even swore he heard a woman murmur how cute of a couple they made. His ears burned as he pushed the cart towards the checkout line faster.
When they made it into a line, Kohaku felt a light touch on his arm. He glanced down to spot his classmate's hand resting atop his forearm. His cheeks burned at the sight before he noticed the worried look in her eyes. His body instantly relaxed and he gave her a genuine smile.
"Don't worry, everything's fine," he assured her, and saw a small smile tug at the ends of her lips. He picked up on the fact that she was smiling more than she had earlier that day. Was it really because of him? His heart skipped a beat at the thought.
"Next please," he heard the clerk state, and he quickly broke out of his daze to start unloading the cart. His classmate helped him stack items before they were scanned and put into bags. After everything was accounted for, Kohaku quickly paid the bill with money his sister had given him.
The two pushed the cart away from the line as they made their way out of the store. Kohaku grabbed most of the bags, and his classmate grabbed the last few remaining bags. Kohaku had made sure to grab all the heavy items so not to burden her with the weight.
"Thanks for coming with me," Kohaku stated as they walked back towards his sister's office building that also served as their home. His classmate shook her head with a smile, indicating that it wasn't a big deal.
"You're free to stay for dinner, if you like," he offered, and was sure the disappointment showed on his face when she nervously shook her head, "that's alright. It was still nice to have company while I ran these errands for my slave driver of a sister," he laughed, trying to shrug off the rejection.
Rin gave him a helpless smile before she blushed and hid her eyes behind the reflection of her glasses. Kohaku watched her curiously for a second before he turned away. He wondered why she felt the need to hide like that. What was so scary about him? He didn't think he looked very intimidating...
His house came up too quickly for his liking, and before he knew it he was saying goodbye to his classmate. He grabbed the extra bags from her hands and they exchanged waves before she hurried on her way. He wanted to offer to walk her home, but she was already gone before he got the chance.
Next time then, he thought as he stared in the direction she had gone with a worried look in his eyes.
Rin felt her heart give another flutter as she continued on her way home. She had never met someone as nice as Kohaku before. Kagome was very sweet to her, but Kohaku was so kind to her right from the start. He really is a nice guy, Rin thought with a beaming smile.
She felt a bounce develop in her step as she continued to think about Kohaku. She was glad that he had reached out to her. Maybe she'd even kick this fear of hers and start talking to him. It would be nice to be able to talk to someone other than Kagome.
She was so caught up in her daydreams of the future that she didn't notice someone making their way towards her until they almost bumped into each other.
"Sorry about that," a male voice apologized. Rin glanced up to find herself staring into a pair of red eyes. Red eyes. Not a light brown or a dark hazel, but pure red eyes that matched the fiery color of his hair.
Rin hurriedly shook her head to signal that it wasn't a big deal, gave him an awkward smile, and tried to walk around him. A hand lashed out and grabbed hold of her forearm then, hard. She visibly flinched as pain shot up her arm.
"Hold on. There's no need to run away so quickly," the man laughed gently, "I didn't even get your name, pretty girl,"
A chill ran up Rin's spine as she tried to break out of his hold, but his fingers didn't budge. In fact, it felt like he was squeezing her arm even harder than before. When she didn't say a word, a crooked smile spread across his face.
"Just tell me your name and I'll let you go," he offered, "it's not like I'm going to hurt you or anything,"
Except that you already are! She wanted to scream at him, but her lips wouldn't move. His smile faltered slightly when she continued to struggle in his grasp.
"Hey...I think I know you," he murmured as he roughly tugged her closer so he could get a good look at her face, "Yeah! You're in my history class! I thought I recognized you!" he added happily.
That's great...now let me go! Rin thought angrily before she let out a faint groan when he twisted her arm over her head at a weird angle. Her shoulder pulsed in protest at the force he was exerting against her, and yet no look of strain appeared on his face. Was he not aware of his own strength?
"Now, about that name – " he started again, but was cut short when Rin brought back her free arm and punched the right side of his face with all of her might. His head barely moved from the impact, and Rin hissed in pain when her knuckles pulsed in protest. What was he?
He blinked in surprise before his hold on her arm loosened and Rin quickly pulled it out of his grasp. He didn't even register her movements, just stood and stared in shock at nothing in particular, and Rin took the opportunity to run.
She whirled on her heel and made a break for it. She didn't dare look behind her as she ran, and felt her eyes burn with unshed tears. She refused to stop and rest. She wouldn't stop until she got back to her apartment.
Luckily her apartment complex was only a few blocks away, and she didn't hear the sound of anyone pursuing her. Maybe luck was on her side. She reached into her backpack for her keys, and flinched when her shoulder twisted painfully to get them out of her bag.
She let herself into the building without hesitation. When she heard the door lock as it closed behind her, she finally turned to look behind her. She expected to see the man from earlier standing right outside, but no one was there. She did a quick search of the area for any sign of life, but there was none.
She finally let out a strangled breath before the tears came streaming down her cheeks. The man really hadn't done anything but scare her, but it was the fear of what could have happened that terrified Rin. Her body shook as she quickly grabbed her middle to try to calm herself down. She couldn't approach Kagome like this. She'd ask too many questions that Rin wasn't willing to answer.
She let out a shaky breath as she tried to collect her thoughts. You're fine, he didn't do anything to you, she consoled herself as she took in more uneven breaths. She took a few more minutes to level out her breathing and stop her tears. She angrily wiped them away before she took a couple deep breaths. It helped, and she felt her heartbeat finally return to normal.
With another deep breath, Rin forced a smile and wiped away any trance of tears from her cheeks. She didn't want to worry Kagome. When she was sure she looked presentable, she made her way to the stairs.
Their two bedroom apartment was on the third floor of the building. A choice Kagome had wanted since it was off the ground floor. In her mind, having to go up two flights of stairs to rob someone was far more work than it would be to just rob someone on the ground floor. Rin didn't argue with her logic.
When Rin made it to the right floor and to her apartment, she paused in front of the door. Her fears had swelled up inside her yet again, but she hurriedly cast them aside. She would not break down. With a confident nod she unlocked the door and let herself in.
Kagome was sitting in the front room with a book in hand, and looked up at the sound of the door opening. In her most comfortable pajamas, Kagome looked like she had been home for a while.
"You're back kinda late. Did something happen?" Kagome asked her curiously. Rin stiffened slightly before she forced her body to relax and shut the door behind her.
"A boy talked to me in class, and then invited me out," she responded, her voice hoarse from underuse. Kagome didn't seem fazed by the sound of it, already so used to it from years of knowing Rin.
"Aw, that's nice! Was it a cute boy?" Kagome teased knowingly with a grin and Rin blushed, "Oh he was! Tell me all the details!" Kagome gushed like a teenager as she perked up on the couch.
"Do you mind if I get something to eat first?" Rin asked with a helpless laugh.
"Of course not!" Kagome replied before she returned her gaze to the book in her hand. Rin quickly hid herself in the kitchen as she busied herself with finding something to eat. She picked out leftovers from the night before and poured some for herself before placing it in the microwave.
The task of preparing her easy meal kept her mind off of what happened that day. It wasn't until the ping of the microwave went off that the image of red eyes flooded her thoughts. She hurriedly shut her eyes to stop the tears from falling again. What was wrong with her? She shook her head angrily to clear her thoughts.
The microwave let off a reminder ping, and Rin jumped slightly at the sound.
"Hey, Rin. Is everything okay in there?" Rin heard Kagome call out to her.
"Yeah! Everything's fine!" Rin called back, though winced slightly when she heard her voice catch. She let out a worried squeak when the sound of Kagome's running feet resounded in the other room. Her friend threw the door open as she stared openly at Rin with fire burning in her eyes.
"Everything is not fine!" she seethed before her expression cleared, "tell me what happened," she added kindly. Rin stared back at her wide eyed before water welled up within them and Rin let out a choked sob.
"Someone grabbed me on the way home," she got out as her cheeks burned as hot tears ran down her cheeks again. A look of horror overtook Kagome's face for a moment before she walked briskly to Rin's side and took her into a fierce hug.
"Did he hurt you?" her friend asked, her voice tight with pain, "I swear I'll call the police right now, and we'll have that creep arrested tonight," she seethed.
"No, he didn't hurt me too badly," Rin murmured as she rested her cheek on Kagome's shoulder and buried her face in her hair, "he just scared me,"
"Too badly? So he did hurt you?" Kagome questioned angrily, even as she was slowly rubbing Rin's back with her hand to soothe her.
"He grabbed my arm and twisted it while he was trying to get me to talk to him," Rin explained as she wrapped her arms around Kagome's waist, gaining strength from her friend's embrace.
"That bastard," Kagome growled, "what did he look like? We can get a warrant out for his arrest. A man like that shouldn't be free to prowl around the streets,"
"No, I mean he didn't seem to have any kind of intent of going any further. He didn't even seem to realize that he was hurting me. He said that he recognized me from class," Rin answered.
"That's even worse! That man can keep harassing you when he sees you in class!" Kagome bit back.
"Maybe he didn't mean any harm by it," Rin explained, "I'm probably overreacting," she added softly.
"No, you're not," Kagome replied as she pulled back so she could look Rin straight in the eye, "you had reason to be afraid of him. Thank goodness you didn't go anywhere with him. Who knows what he could have done to you..." Kagome trailed off before she pulled Rin into another tight hug.
Rin let out a faint hiss of pain when Kagome's shoulder bumped with her own injured one.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Kagome quickly apologized before she glanced around Rin's body for injuries, "let me at least report it if you don't want him to get arrested. I'd feel better knowing the authorities are keeping an eye on him,"
"Alright," Rin murmured back as she rolled the injured shoulder to ease the pain a little, "just make sure you don't make it sound like an actual attack. I don't know if he really had any intention of hurting me. The last thing I want to do is get one of my classmates falsely arrested for something he didn't do,"
"Okay," Kagome hesitantly agreed as she reached into her pajama pocket for her phone, "Sometimes you're just too nice, Rin," Kagome added before she pulled Rin into a side hug, mindful of her injured shoulder.
Kagome quickly dialed 9-1-1 and placed the report. She made sure to mention that it was just to have the police keep an eye on him. Rin described what the man looked like as Kagome repeated the information to the officer on the phone. When the conversation ended, Kagome flipped the phone closed.
"The officer on the phone said they'd keep his information on file. They'll keep an eye on him, and for any other reports made on someone with a similar description. They told me they won't take any action against him, but if he harasses you again they'll pull him in for questioning,"
"Thank you, Kagome," Rin replied as she rested her head on her friend's shoulder.
"Anytime," Kagome answered with a soft smile as she rested her head atop Rin's, "I'm sorry something like this had to happen on your first day. Hopefully things will die down. Do you want me or Inuyasha to walk you to classes from now on, just in case this creep tries anything again?" Kagome offered. Rin thought about it for a moment before she shook her head.
"I don't want to jump to conclusions just yet. If he does act weird towards me again, then I might take you up on that offer," Rin replied. Kagome didn't look satisfied with her answer, but didn't push.
Kagome brought up her hand to brush aside Rin's bangs, "If you want to talk more, you know that I'm always willing to listen, right?"
"Of course," Rin replied, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you what happened right when I got home. I was so shaken from it all that I really didn't want to bring it up,"
"I understand," Kagome answered before she turned so the girls were looking at one another face to face, "but I want you to know that no matter what, I would never do anything to make you feel uncomfortable about sharing things with me. You're one of my best friends, and I want you to be open with me about anything. Nothing is too personal to share with me,"
Rin gave her a curt nod in response before she took Kagome into a quick hug. She didn't even care when her shoulder hurt in the process. "I'm so glad you're the one living with me," she whispered before she pulled back to give her friend a bright smile.
Kagome smiled back before she nodded, "And I'm happy you're the one living with me, too," she added before glancing over at Rin's forgotten dinner plate, "why don't you eat your dinner and tell me about that cute boy you talked to in class?" she offered.
"Sure!" Rin beamed as the two parted and Rin quickly went over to the counter to grab her meal before she followed Kagome out to the front room. The two girls sat on the couch together, and Rin began retelling the events of the first day from the beginning.
* Not sure if the fluffy thing on Sesshomaru's shoulder is his tail or a separate entity. I've seen it referred to as either one of those in other fanfics. Rumiko Takahashi even stated in an interview that she didn't know what it was. Just that it looked cool on him, so she kept it! =) but for this fanfic it'll be his tail.
A/N: So, the story is getting a little darker now. This is definitely a whole new side of storytelling that I've never tackled before. I kinda like it! I hope you all are enjoying the read too!
I also wanted to comment on Kohaku and Kagura in this chapter. I mulled around the idea of making them both kinder / more open than most fan-fictions depict them. Especially, Kagura. I feel like she gets a bad wrap in Rin / Sessh fanfics, and I thought it'd be interesting to make her more complex than simply being a cruel counter love interest. I have been guilty of doing this myself in my stories, so I thought I'd branch out and try to represent her differently in this story. For Kohaku, I wanted to make him act more awkward than he's portrayed in most fanfics. Typically, Kohaku always seems to be Mr. Perfect or another mean counter love interest, so I thought making him more human (or more of a typical college male) would turn him into a more likeable and interesting character. Thank you for dealing with my finicky and ever-changing writing styles! Until next time!