Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, but that's okay, because last night's episode 78, Aiming for Sango, Only You! Well, the dubbed name is Only You, Sango, but... still... Unfortunately, though, I just found out that it was the last new episode to be played until December 22. That means, though, the new episodes will start on Christmas break, four a week! And I'll get to see Ayame dubbed! Heaven forbid she gets butchered... The moment I see her dubbed, I'm writing a Kouga/Ayame one-shot to celebrate!
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A/N:
I've been dying to work on this. Rin meets Sango, Kohaku, Kanna, Ayumi, and Souta in this chapter! Wow... lots of new faces, ne? I had hoped for a few more reviews... After all, this is actually one of my better fics, and to have my other fics surpass it in reviews for chapter one is a little discouraging. I do realize, though, that since Rin/Kohaku isn't quite as popular as Sango/Miroku that it is subject to have less reviews. Anyway, don't forget to tell your peers to read it. And review, people! Also, remember, AIM reviews do not count, so don't even think about trying it. I'll just nag at you until you write a review, even if all it says is 'I reviewed; now stop bugging me about it.'
Oh, and as for the part where Kagura said Kanna wasn't related to her... that will be explained in due time. I was surprised no one asked about it, though.
Once again, the chapter theme is a country song. Nya. :P
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Reviews:
Kuro Ranmyaku: Two lines of a review... fascinating... -pokes you-. You're getting lazy, Josh. You barely give me enough to reply to.
Aamalie: Yep. -nods- And I'm sure you'll remember that next time you start to not review. As far as dancing goes, I personally can't dance too well, either. That's why I'm slightly afraid of this fic - even though it's going pretty well at the moment, I fear I may screw it up with my very limited knowledge of dance. Oh well... if I didn't find some way to mess it up it would probably make all my other fics look really, really bad.
Stripe: Thank-you. They're like... my second/third favorite, but I'm pretty sure Miroku/Sango is stuck in first. So sue me, they're just so awesome... And that was a figure of speech, mind you. Please do not bring the lawyers out.
Skittlez: Yeah, same here. I think this is probably my best one, though... probably because I switched writing styles when I began it. I'm in a writing class at school, and my language teacher is really helping me to improve my writing.
PriestessMiko: Sorry, haven't read it. I just had to add in the M/S engagement... otherwise, I would have ended up centering the fic way too much on them. The third part will end up being about them, though it will mostly be set pre-Rin... mostly. The last few chapters will be the wedding, etc. - set after Rin hooks up with Kohaku. That way it won't seem like I've posted them in a strange order. And of course Kohaku's gonna appear this chapter! Unfortunately, I love both Kikyou and Kagome as well... so that one will probably end up having to practically write itself. As far as your brain not working, sit in front of your computer and force yourself to write something! I've nearly forgotten what your story was about because you haven't updated in so long!
Evil-Zukin: Thanks!
moonlit-night98: Thank-you.
Heart of Friendship: Glad you finally got your internet back. Y'know, you are kinda obligated to tell me you like it since you're my friend. I'd prefer something helpful, like what I can improve on. Just a thought... :)
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Chapter Two: Falling
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She says, you know the monkey bar rules
As she kisses away his playground bruise
You don't have to skip a bar each time
To make it to the other side
She picked him up from out of the sand
Then tied the shoelace that read, Superman
We all fall down
It's the gettin' back up that really counts
We live and we learn
To help someone up when it's their turn
In life there's only one guarantee
Your feet won't always be on the ground
'Cause we all fall down
-"We All Fall Down," by Diamond Rio
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She sighed deeply in relief, dropping her heavy bags to the floor and knocking on the door to see if her roommate was currently in the room. She didn't want to barge in, after all, even if it was technically her room, too. What if her roommate was doing something private - changing, for instance?
"Yes?" a soft voice replied as the door cracked open. "Can I help you?"
"You must be Kanna," she assumed, extending a hand to the other girl. "My name's Rin; I'm your new roommate." The girl nodded in acknowledgement, letting the door open and returning to the laptop sitting on her bed.
"You can sit your things over there," she explained, gesturing to the other side of the room, gaze fixed on the screen in front of her. Rin raised her eyebrows at the girl's antisocialism, but decided she may have just been shy around people she wasn't familiar with. As she folded her clothes and put them away she studied the girl she would be rooming with. Her mellow eyes were a deep coffee shade, contrasting beautifully with the pale-blonde hair that hung gracefully past her shoulders.
'She gorgeous,' Rin admitted silently, 'but I bet she'd look even better if she tried to smile...'
After putting away her things, Rin flopped down on her bed, examining the room. It resembled a typical three to four star hotel room, with two full sized beds, two dressers, a nightstand for each bed, and a bathroom. It was a bit small, but it was pretty luxurious compared to her apartment. The comforters were a deep burgundy, matching both the walls and the carpet. Rin noticed something else, as well: the room had air conditioner.
'And all this time I thought the money I saved up went toward textbooks and soap for the bathrooms,' she thought teasingly. She thought about sharing the joke with her new roommate, but the girl seemed a bit withdrawn. Besides, the girl was probably rich and might sneer at someone who thought the tuition was a large sum.
Her roommate glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand and turned off her laptop, folding it up. "I'll be back later," she explained quietly. "Remember to lock the door if you leave, and don't let in anyone that you don't know. There are bullies in the school, though Principal Hane doesn't like to admit it." Rin raised an eyebrow, cocking her head to one side. This girl was starting to act like somebody's mother...
She watched the girl exit, and hopping off the bed and into the floor. Sitting cross-legged on the carpet, she pulled her black dancing leotard and silk pants out of the dresser drawer. When she first wanted to learn to dance, she was about four, and like most girls, she had wanted to learn ballet. When she was eleven or so, though, she had decided that modern dance and swing dancing seemed more her style.
She remembered the last time Hane "Wildfire" Kagura had been in a public performance, which had been a little over two years ago. Rin confessed that it was "the most beautiful choreography ever composed in the history of choreography." She had tried and tried to remember and perfect parts of the dance, but she had been an utter failure. She couldn't figure why or how she messed up every time, either. It just seemed to happen, and that was all she knew. That was why she had to become a student at Odoriko - to find what her mistakes were, and then to correct them.
She sighed, laying them gently back into the drawer and hopping to her feet. "Maybe the library's open..." she mused, pacing out the door, locking it behind her as Kanna had told her to.
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The shelves towered over her, stretching for what seemed like forever in all directions. She gaped at the vast amount of books around her, trembling in awe.
"Can I help you?" a sweet, syrupy voice that was almost perfect for a kindergarten teacher asked. Rin turned to see a young woman with brilliant amber eyes and thick, ebony curls that reached the center of her back. She didn't look old enough to be a teacher, but she didn't appear to be a student, either. "I'm Ms. Yamaguchi Ayumi, an intern here. I probably can't be of as much assistance as a teacher, but I'm pretty familiar with the building."
"Just browsing," she admitted. The young woman nodded with a smile.
"Alright, then, but If you need any help, just let me know."
Rin gawked, backing in the direction of the skits and plays. She had never seen so many books in a school library before... She came in hard contact with a shelf, yelping and jumping back at the unexpected feeling of the icy metal against her back. She winced as a few books plummeted to the beige carpet.
"Maybe you should try looking where you're going," a voice suggested sincerely.
"Sorry..." she murmured, turning to meet the woman's eyes. The woman smirked, shaking her head and gathering the books into her arms.
"Be careful about walking backwards," she warned teasingly, "that's how I met my fiancé. You must be new here, right?" She nodded.
"It's painfully obvious, isn't it?" Rin sighed, leaning against the bookshelf. "Tsukino Rin, grade nine."
"Ms. Kuwashima," the woman stated. "I teach drama for all grades. Plan on taking the class?"
"I was thinking about it-" she began. "Wait! Aren't you engaged to Mr. Tsujitani?" The young woman rolled her eyes, sighing in slight exasperation and tucking a lock of mahogany behind her right ear.
"So he's already started announcing it to random people and I haven't even had the chance to tell Kagura and Ayame yet," she muttered. "Word travels fast, hmm?" Rin hid a smile with her hand turning away so that she couldn't tell that she was almost ready to laugh. Rin bit her lip, thinking for a moment.
"Ms. Kuwashima, you wouldn't know anyone who could help me with dance, would you?" she asked hesitantly. "I keep messing up, and I don't think Ms. Hane's class alone will be enough to show me what I'm doing wrong." A light chuckled escaped her teacher's throat as she removed a book from the shelf.
"I used to have trouble dancing, as well..." she recalled, looking over her shoulder at the young girl; "My brother, Kohaku - he's in tenth grade- could probably help you. If you like, I could tell you where to find him." The girl beamed, brown eyes shining.
"Thank-you."
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She bit her lip, glancing from the number she'd written on her hand to the brass digits on the door, sighing in relief. This was it. She rapped her knuckles on the door in front of her, fidgeting with a loose thread on her blouse.
"Hello," a boy answered, stepping out of the now opened door. "Can I help you?" The boy wasn't exactly how she'd pictured him. He's was shorter than she would expect a tenth grader to be, not to mention he didn't share any of Ms. Kuwashima's facial features. It was hard to believe he was the woman's younger brother...
She took a deep breath.
"Your sister suggested that I should come to you for help with my dancing," she blurted thoughtlessly, "I'm having a little trouble, and-"
"Kagome wants me to help you dance?" he questioned as utter confusion washed over his face.
"No," Rin corrected, raising an eyebrow in equal confusion, "Ms. Kuwashima."
"Oh." He turned around to look at his roommate, who was sitting on the bed nearest the door and reading an American book by Tamora Pierce. "You must be looking for Kohaku, then."
She flushed beet red, turning away to look at the wall, grinning foolishly. She forgot that there were two people in each room. "Sorry..."
The boy looked up, turning to her. He nodded in acknowledgement, folded over one page of the book to mark his place and put it on the table next to his bed. A band of freckles stretched across the bridge of his nose, complementing his small nose and dark eyes. He stood a few inches taller than his roommate, with his shoulder-length black hair tied at his crown. Rin felt her cheeks warm as he smiled at her.
"I'll see what I can do," he promised, leading her down the hallway to the staircase. "Principal Hane usually doesn't mind if I practice in the dance room."
She nodded, trying to repress the red tint painted over her cheeks. "I'm really sorry about that - all Ms. Kuwashima told me was your name and room number... You're roommate must think I'm an idiot now-"
"You're a first-year, aren't you?" he guessed, leading her down the flight of stairs.
"It's that obvious...?" she questioned, even more humiliated than before. He chuckled lightly, shaking his head at her.
"Only a newbie would be that cynical," he explained. "That kind of stuff happens all the time here." She sighed in relief, loosening her death grip in the banister.
"Oh..." was all that she could manage to get out. She'd been accused of being many things in her life, but 'cynical' was never one of them.
Kohaku held the door open for her as they entered the dance room. The walls were light amethyst; the floors, pale mahogany. It was a beautiful sight.
"Okay," he announced, replacing his shy tone with one far more professional than she would expect a schoolboy to posses. "Assume position." He watched her intently, shaking his head. "Fist of all, your feet are wrong." He carefully repositioned her feet, making sure that they were exactly right. She could feel the blood flowing back into her cheeks as his hand brushed against the skin on her ankle. What was the big deal? He was just a boy - why was shy blushing?
"My feet feel weird," she pointed out. "The other way felt more natural." He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his temples.
"If dancing came naturally," he explained pointedly, "then it probably wouldn't be an art." Rin snickered lightly. She couldn't tell whether he was amused or exasperated - she wasn't sure which was worse.
"I guess not," she admitted, forcing her feet to hold their position.
"It may strain your muscles at first," he explained patiently, "but it will start to feel more natural if you keep at it." She clenched her teeth, feeling her leg muscles tighten. She had to endure, no matter how obnoxiously painful it was. "Let's start with a few basic dances," he suggested. "Do you know any?" She shook her head. "Alright, I'll demonstrate. Watch."
She watching in awe of how graceful his transition was as he preformed the dance she'd seen Hane Kagura perform so many times before. It was hard to believe it was one of the simpler dances, but it was choreographed by The Wildfire herself - for it to be simple would be a crime against nature.
"Okay, see if you can copy that," he asked, "and I'll tell you what you're doing wrong." He watched at she attempted to repeat the performance, drawing his nails to his teeth. It was an old habit, and one he could never manage to break.
His sister was wise to send the girl to him. She toppled forward, she fell backwards, her feet would slide out from under her and send her crashing to the floor. She did everything but dance.
She moved her feet the wrong way, collapsing onto the floor. "I guess my form needs a little work..." she confessed, pushing herself upwards.
"I think we need to work on your coordination," he recommended, extending a hand to her and helping her to her feet. "I think some of Sango's stage exercises might be helpful." Rin nodded, trying to remember who Sango had been. She'd met a lot of people in the past day, and putting a name with a face was hard work. "Uh, I mean, Ms. Kuwashima," he corrected himself. "Her first name is 'Sango.' I keep forgetting that I'm not supposed to be on a first-name-basis with the teachers. Anyway, she has some exercises to help actors improved their coordination. I suppose if it's good enough for an actor, it's good enough for a dancer."
It did make sense - like dancing, acting required memory, coordination, balance, and poise.
"Okay, now reposition your feet and I'll explain each step to you."
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A/N:
Does anyone know if Ayumi was ever given a last name? Anyway, next chapter we meet everyone's favorite living-stone, a tomboy and an overly perky girl with a crush on everyone's favorite lech! Won't that be fun? The chapter was shorter than last time, but I wanted to save the next part for the next chapter, since I'm still contemplating it.
Oh, and I now have a poll I'd like you all to participate in, which will have an impact on the story in future chapters:
Would you like Kaede to be...
A) Rin's age (Kikyou's sister)
B) Eleven (Kikyou's niece)
C) A teacher - same age as anime/manga (Kikyou's aunt)
D) The school nurse - same age as anime/manga (same as above)