Disclaimer: this unworthy one does not own Inuyasha. This unworthy one isn't even making a profit!

A Cool Kind Of Punishment

Chapter Two : Parent-he-(s)is

I collapse against the door of my home, my sanctuary. Detention with Mr. Cheavers went from ten minutes to two, considering I actually found a historical article in the paper. Mr. Dillon's detention however…

I grimaced as I raised my arm to put the key into the lock. Twisting it was agony.

… was Hell. Can you believe he made me do textbook transporting all by myself? I spent a whole hour just carrying half a storeroom of textbooks to yet another storeroom of textbooks. Not only will the airborne mould most likely kill me, I think I'm falling behind on homework now. Not mine. The homework of the idiots who pay me to do theirs.

Hello Diary,

I suppose I should tell you about my dad huh? Well, to start off with, I'm adopted. When I was six my parents were killed by a wannabe gang looking for what little money they had. They were loading some stuff into the car, while I was playing in the backyard of my then-neighbor. I heard yelling and ran out to the front… where I saw some teenage shits stabbing my father, then my mother.

I remember being at the funeral. I was wearing a simple black skirt and blouse with my hair in a headband. My real mother had always said I had hair that was meant to be left out. And that's when I started wearing my hair out, with only one pony for the front section to keep it out of my face. Now I've gone into the habit of two ponies instead of one.

The few days afterwards are wiped from my memory. Perhaps I was at the orphanage. Or maybe staying at my neighbors until the arrangements were made. I don't know. The first memory I have after that of the funeral was being in a hospital in front of a bed with sick woman lying on it. It's a hazy memory but she was my adoptive mother. She had always wanted a child but had been battling with tumor. And so dad adopted me for the sole purpose of bringing her life meaning in those last few months. Everyday I used to come to the hospital and sit by her side and smile. For the first week I didn't speak. But I eventually warmed up to her and started to talk. Every night I would come home with dad, where he would collapse into a chair and start drinking. I would go up to my room and hide under the covers. For the record, my adoptive parents had bought that house only a few months before to prepare for a child, before she miscarried due to the tumor in her left lung.

This continued for three months before my… mum died. I remember dad coming up to me - unshaven, red-eyed and alcohol on his breath. He kneeled in front of me and asked what I wanted most in the world. I don't know how I came up with such an answer, but I said that all I wanted was a father who loved me.

And that's what I got.

My dad. I don't know how to explain him. He doesn't judge me; he just loves me and cares for me. He's like a father, a best friend and a flat mate all in one. Are you getting me? He knows how I work. And vice versa. We are each other's pillars of support.

I don't know what I'd do without dad.

I can't breathe.

My eyes flew open.

Why couldn't I breathe?

I moved my head… and found that I had been sleeping with my face down in the pillow. Very smart, Rin-Poo. Yawning, I turned over and noticed that I was still in my school uniform. I looked up at my Pucca clock only to see that it was 5pm. I groaned. I stayed back for one hour… it's a 20 minute walk home, but with added tiredness, I'd say it took half an hour… so I slept for a half hour? I swore to myself that I'd have to make up for it later. Loss of time meant loss of money… and a very angry idiot.

I groaned as I sat up. I might as well get started on dinner for two. My dad and I. I walked down the stairs into the kitchen and stopped. My dad was at the dinner table reading a newspaper.

"What are you doing here so early?"

"Why? Is it so important to have me come home later? You have a boy up in your room or something?" My mouth dropped open. I think there is something wrong with the hinges that hold it up. My dad laughed. "Mr. Smith decided to drop the charges against my client. There was no trial" I smiled.

"Dad, I think dinner's gonna be a bit late tonight…"

"Don't worry about it, I made a call to the pizza place while you were sleeping. What tired you out so much huh? You hardly ever sleep before midnight"

"Stupid Mr. Dillon gave me an after school detention! Can you believe he made me move half the textbooks from Storeroom 1 all the way to Storeroom 2?" Dad used to attend the same school, so he knew what I was talking about.

"By yourself?" My dad raised an eyebrow.

"Yea!"

"Maybe I ought to pay a visit to Mr. Dillon…" he paused "Why did he give you detention in the first place?" I swallowed.

"Because a- I was late to class, b- I asked him a question without raising my hand and c- I… uh… said something outside of the classroom..." I faded, not wanting to go into my run in with attempted murder.

"Something outside of the classroom?" dad prompted. I sighed and told him about my day. When I got to my run-in with Mr. Ice-Prince, dad started grinning like crazy, trying hiding behind his newspaper.

"… dad?", my voice dangerously low.

"It's nothing honey, seriously" I gave him a disbelieving look. He put up his hands in surrender. "I just remember that's how I met your adoptive mum"

"You bashed her into the wall and annoyed the hell out of her? What happened to old-fashioned sending flowers?" I asked, incredulous. He laughed.

"No, we started off hating each other" The doorbell rang. I shook my head as I went to get it. That night, after we ate pizza, drank Coke and I had a shower, we had a little night in. Our theme: Comedies.

But all the while we were laughing, my dad's words kept echoing in my head…

… "We started off hating each other"

"… Rin! Rin!" I opened one eye. My dad. I groaned and tried swatting at his face, but he just grinned and moved to the side. "Wake up, it's only Tuesday and already you look like you trampled through No Man's Land" I sat up and groaned.

"Dad… I don't feel good…" You'd think that hearing his daughter sick would make him worry, but all he did was grin.

"You're not getting out of school today, Rin" I clutched my stomach.

"Dad, I'm serious…"

"Yea, I know you are. I always knew there was a downside to pizza, coke and laughing. Now get up!" I collapsed back onto the pillows behind me and breathed in deeply. No way am I giving up a few extra minutes of sleep. I gasped as my dad lifted me up and hefted me over his shoulder. He walked into my bathroom (mine because my dad has an ensuite in his room, and there is no-one to share the bathroom with) and let me down in the bath.

"Dad wha- ARGH!" I shrieked as I felt cold water trickle down my back.

My dad grinned and walked out saying "Don't laugh too much today…"

I heard the front door slam, and his car pull out of the driveway. I sighed, once upon a time my dad used to offer me lifts until he finally figured I wasn't exactly a morning person. Standing up, I carefully stepped out of the bath - as to not slip – and began to get ready for school. I looked into the mirror.

God I was a wreck. My hair was all poofy and my eyes still wearied. I slowly made my way to my room and took my uniform off the hook. Although most girls at Port Street wore the grey box-pleated (that is, two big folds in the skirt, on the front and on the back, going towards one another) up to their pink, lacy, 'lil panties, I wore it so that it settled just above my knees. It gave me room to run and didn't let in too much a draught (or give the boys a good peek!). I looked out my window. It was sunny, so I decided to wear a short-sleeved white blouse instead of the long sleeved one. After buttoning it up, I started tying up my tie.

I grabbed my comb and looked into the mirror. I sighed; once again I would wage war on my hair. I started pulling the comb through the knots, and then pulled it through another few times to smooth the wispy bits of my hair down. Grabbing two grey hair ties I pulled half of the front section to one side and tied it before repeating the same process of the other side. I remember when I was around six or seven, I used to only do one. I still have the picture of myself back then on my computer table of me running through flowers.

I smiled and stood back to check myself. Although my eyes were still sleepy, I looked the epitome of Preppy. In fact, on further analysis, I looked like the average giggly school girl. I shook my head, grabbing my bag. I slipped on knee-high socks along with my low-heel school shoes. The ones with that big hole and only one buckle thingy. You know the one. I headed out, locking the door behind me.

I made it to school early today, walking through the front gates just as the bell went. I made my way to Roll call and sat next to Theresa and Pristine.

"Tell me we didn't have homework!" I whispered to her.

"Would it matter if we did? You probably did it all during lunchtime detention or something" She had a point there. I yawned, stretching my arms above my head.

"What do we got first?" I asked, mid-yawn. I was one of those very fortunate people who shares all their classes with their best friends. Gotta love that Guardian Angel of mine.

Skipping to recess, Pristine, Theresa and I were standing outside my open locker, when who else should come along to the locker corridor but the Ice Prince, his arm being sexually assaulted by Kagura.

"Oh god, you know, I found this really nice skirt at the mall the other day but I didn't think buying it without your opinion would be wise…" she said superficially. "Are you free this Saturday?"

"I'm busy, probably until next get-lost-Kagura day" he said calmly, even though all could tell he was thoroughly annoyed.

"Just come with me to the mall to try on that skirt…" she pleaded, hurt. Sesshoumaru was obviously too gentlemanly to just make a run for it so he cast his eyes around the corridor, looking for someone to save him.

His eyes landed on me.

At first I considered walking away… but where's the fun in that? So I walked up to dear ol' Sesshie and tugged on a long tress of his hair…

"Oh Sesshoumaru…" I gushed enthusiastically. He looked thoroughly relieved to see that I was 'trying' to help him out. Kagura looked confused. "It's true; buying a skirt without your opinion would be an absolute crime… I think you two should really make a date of it. Goodness knows you'd be the best couple in the grade! That is, if he doesn't knock you to the wall in the middle of the History Hallway first" I added to her in a stage whisper. I turned around, walked back to my locker and slamming the door shut self-satisfactorily. I'm thinking that perhaps the roles have switched and now Sesshoumaru is thoroughly pissed, and Kagura thoroughly pleased.

"Teach you to knock me around," I said savagely to Pristine and Theresa, while walking to the garden.

"Rin… what was the point of that?" Pristine asked. I remembered she had missed first period yesterday, and explained what happened.

"Still, Rin… it's just gonna keep getting more hostile if you keep this up. He's Sesshoumaru! He shouldn't have to say sorry and you shouldn't have to expect it of him!" Theresa tried reasoning with me.

"He can't keep pushing people around, Theresa! Someone might get hurt! I'm not gonna stand around while he struts around like as if he owns the place!"

"Look," Pristine said calmly "We can understand why you wanna stand up for everyone. You're like the whole schools best friend! But he's him! He's rich and you know that one mistake and you could easily be thrown from this school"

"But that's it! He can't keep throwing money at his troubles and hope to make them go away! He's an asshole and I wanna teach him a lesson!"

"Rin! You're not a saint! You can't make a difference in the world by using violence and hostility! What do you hope to achieve by pissing him off? If you go far enough… he might found out," Theresa added the last part in a whisper. I looked at her considering and sighed.

"I just can't stand it when people push others around. It's not fair"

"We know, Rin, we know"

I flicked my hair out of my face and stared up into the sky.

… "We started off hating each other"

A/N: I know, not much but I swear next chapter has a bit of plot development. I've been wondering whether to put Sesshoumaru's POV into this story but I kept thinking that it'd be better if you all didn't know what he's thinking about Rin. Thank you to all the reviewers who reviewed me! It's much appreciated! Love 'n' affection to you all! hug And remember: keep reviewing!