A/N: I would like to again give credit to my friend. About half this chapter was written by her.

Inuyasha POV

"Wow," Rin said as soon as the song ended. "You guys wrote this?" She asked with awe.

"Yup." I said, putting down my guitar and sitting on the edge of the stage.

"Wow. You play like a demon!" She exclaimed. I beamed.

"More like a half-demon. Inuyasha lacks the sheer coolness to be a full demon," Sango said. Everyone else laughed outright, effectively dampening my mood.

"Who did you write it for?" Rin asked innocently.

She was smart, too. Not many people would assume that just because we sang a fast-paced love song that it was automatically written for someone. Or was it, when someone wrote any love song that it was automatically for someone? I was so confused…but the fact was, she was right.

It had taken Koga and Sango two days to figure out that I had based the lyrics on my feelings for Kagome. Kikyo was even faster, cornering me about it not even fifteen minutes after we finished composing it. Miroku, being a natural procrastinator, took about a month to figure it out. Kagome, in my utter brilliance and talent at keeping secrets, still hadn't figured it out. I didn't want her to because I would feel exceedingly embarrassed. I was still very reluctant to show my feelings in public. Even after we'd been dating for as long as we had….

"Umm…" I started, trying to avoid the subject.

"Kagome," Sango, Kikyo, Miroku and Koga said in unison. I glared at them, blushing slightly.

Kagome looked at me. "And why wasn't I informed? Hm?"

"Umm….Can I use one of my lifelines?" I asked, backing up as she advanced onto me.

"No!" She began to chase me around the room. "I told you to stop keeping secrets!"

I jumped over a guitar case and dodged an unidentified flying book.

"Children!" Koga scolded in a motherly tone. Kagome and I skidded to a halt. "What have I told you about running in my room? Now, get your asses back to your place. We're playing another song."

I walked over to my guitar and picked it back up. Koga walked over to Rin and stopped her from putting back on her guitar, which had been set down sometime when Kagome and I were running around.

"Hang on a moment. Do you think you can sing this?" Koga asked.

Rin frowned and reached for the music. Her eyebrows shot up as she scanned the page.

"Hey, there's hardly any guitar in this piece, only piano and vocals!" Rin exclaimed. At Koga's raised eyebrow, she blushed. "Oh! You want me to sing it!"

Koga cleared his throat. "Kikyo was doing the solo, but it's too high for her." Kikyo folded her arms and glared at her boyfriend.

"Alright." She picked up her guitar and began to put it away.

A few minutes later, Kikyo was finishing a final sound check. We were almost ready to begin.

"Okay! Done and done!" Kikyo jumped off the platform and shuffled over to Kagome.

"Now remember—," I began again.

"I know, I know," Rin said, exasperated. "Sango plays eight beats, than I come in. You've told me a thousand times! I think I can remember something as simple as that."

I received a scowl, before Kagome gave the signal for Sango to begin.

Sango began, and I was increasingly nervous that Rin would miss her entrance. It would have been a perfect opportunity for her to ruin the mood that was already set only after four beats of the song. I jumped out of my thoughts when Rin began to sing.

It was like listening to an angel. She held all of the emotion that Kikyo had had, with the range of Sango. The piano melded perfectly with her voice. I looked to Koga, who was also in awe. Miroku was falling asleep. He just didn't appreciate a good voice. To him, it was slow and boring.

Rin gradually raised her voice as she became more confident. She repeated the chorus with more vigor than before. Koga, Miroku and I got ready for our cue. Rin sang the end of the chorus, and Kagome and Kikyo's tech skills were used to prolong that last note. I thought Rin would become surprised and ruin the moment, but she seemed oblivious to all but the music.

We waited just before Rin began the chorus again before joining her. Sango cut off her part, and Rin continued to shine.

When she was about to sing the final line, Miroku and Koga cut their ending and I let my guitar ring. Sango started up again.

On the three last words, Rin softened to a mere whisper. She hung her head while Sango played for a stretch longer. Then she, too, cut her instrument.

Nobody moved. The air had a feel of glass to it; any movement might break it.

It finally got to much for me, and I set down my guitar. I whistled. "Damn, Rin. Who knew you could sing like that?" I looked at Miroku for evidence of another secret, but he was just as surprised as the rest of us.

"Rin?" Sango asked, when she noticed Rin was shaking.

Kagome and Kikyo walked up to her, and then stepped back. "What's wrong?" Kikyo asked her gently.

"Nothing," Rin said with a sniff. It surprised me, and probably everyone else, too, when a teak leaked from the corner of her eyes to run down her face. She licked the corner of her mouth when the offending tear reached the corner of her mouth.

"You know we never believe anyone who says 'Nothing,' dear." Sango left her piano and walked over to her as the rest of us gathered around.

"Fine," Rin said with a sad smile. "I was remembering my parent."

"Miroku's look told us he had never heard this before. We all listened intently.

"They were out to see a movie when the car hit an icy patch and the car flipped." She wiped away more tears, before continuing. "I was told that they were impaled and died almost immediately. They wouldn't let me see them, and the caskets were closed at the burial."

"You know," I began, the mood catching me, too. "My mother died when I was younger."

"What happened?"

"She was murdered." Everyone gasped. I never liked to talk about my painful past, and Kagome had only known that I had no mother. "I came home one night from a party when I was seven. She-," I took a deep breath. "She had been stabbed five times and raped by a lunatic. By the time they found the rapist, he had already died from a drug overdose." I took a shaky breath, pain, anger and sorrow welling up in my chest.

"My dad died from leukemia when I was three," Kagome stated. Another round of gasps went around as she said this. Of course I knew, but I was surprised she would say this. I had to coax it out of her when we were first dating, and even then, it took forever for her to say it. It then hit me on how little I knew about my friends' pasts.

"I was abandoned and raised in the monastery where I live," Miroku said. "I've been taking care of another boy, Shippo, who was orphaned at birth. You know, talking, feeding, playing…" he trailed. "Shippo used to believe that the monks hated him because they had taken a vow of silence." Miroku let out a shaky laugh that died quickly in the gloomy mood. "He really believed it was him that caused the monks to not talk."

"Mine were killed in an armed robbery," Kikyo added. "They were withdrawing money so they could take me out to eat for my birthday." Koga put an arm around Kikyo's shoulder.

"My mother left after I was born, leaving me with my father." Koga sighed. "My father left soon after my fourth birthday."

"M-my brother…" Sango paused and drew a calming breath. I could see she was trying her hardest not to cry in front of us. "My brother and I were very close. One time…one time he caught our dad beating on our mom. He lost it and…" She whined before continuing. "He killed our parents, then himself!" She blurted all at once. It sounded, to me, like she was on the verge of hysterics. Miroku allowed her to cry on his chest, his hand holding her and rubbing her back. For once, maybe because it was such a serious moment, his hand stayed above the equator. Rin, Kikyo and Kagome shifted so that Sango was now in the middle and everyone else was circled around her. She broke into hysterics, and the girls began making sympathetic noises while Koga and I shifted uncertainly. Miroku was still holding her, but she had turned into his arms so she could lean against him and place her head under his chin. I knew that was her favorite pose, so I could bet my guitar that it was doing a great deal to comfort her.

Koga, when Kikyo started to cry and become affected by Sango's depressed state, walked up behind his girl and gripped her shoulders. She leaned into his touch, and allowed the tears to fall. When Kagome started to cry, I walked up behind her and put my arms around her waist, my face burying itself into her raven-colored hair.

"Th-thank you," Sango chocked some time later. She began to hiccup, trying to calm down as much as she could.

"Of all of us, You've been through the most." Miroku kissed her neck.

"What about Inuyasha? Kikyo? Rin?" She looked at us.

"My mother wasn't murdered by someone she knew. Even if she was raped," I told her. It hurt me to see a friend like this.

"My parents never really seemed to care about me. It was just nice to know I had family." Rin hugged herself.

Kikyo made a tsk-ing noise. "Rin, I'll be your sister."

Rin's face filled with hope. "Really?"

"Yes."

"I'll be your sister, too." Kagome smiled encouragingly.

"Me too." Sango seemed to have cheered up so much in just these few minutes.

"I guess I'll be your brother," Miroku drawled, causing Sango to hit him lightly on the hand.

"Me too." Koga and Kikyo started to play with each other's hands, making for a very fun show to watch.

Everyone looked at me. "What? Who am I to turn down family?"

Everyone smiled, and it spread to me. We stood there, all of us in a circle, happy to have a family again.

Suddenly, Sango began to laugh.

"What is it?" I heard Kagome ask.

"It's just," Sango said between laughter, "it must look really odd. Seven teens, all standing in a silent circle, doing nothing." I had no idea what she was talking about, but she obviously found it funny. She began to laugh, and soon, we all caught the bug.

When we calmed down, Rin asked Koga a question.

"Hey, if you were abandoned when you were younger, how come you have a mother upstairs?" Rin asked from the place where she had fallen from laughing.

Kagome snuggled closer to me, where we had claimed the floor. Across the room, Sango was sitting with Miroku, her head on his shoulder and falling asleep. Koga and Kikyo had migrated to the stage. Kikyo had her head resting on Koga's chest, and I think she had fallen asleep.

"Adopted. My real birth name is Koga Richardson. My name changed to Wolf when I moved with my mom."

I snickered quietly. Richardson was as bad a name for Koga as chocolate was for dogs.

"Oh." Rin yawned.

We all began to relax, and soon we were all caught up in the exciting pass time of slumber.

Kikyo POV

I could hear screams. I was four again, and the bank robbery was happening. I turned to my right, where my father should have been. Koga looked back at me, his eyes frantic. I looked around. Inuyasha, Miroku, Rin, Sango and Kagome surrounded me.

This wasn't how the dream went. I always knew what would happen, but could never do anything about it. Over and over I was forced to relive it, the most terrible moment of my life. But this wasn't how it went. My parents had been separated from me in the rush. Lost and confused, I wandered about. My parents caught sight of me on the other side of me and rushed to protect me.

"Kiki, get down!" Kiki was my parent's nickname for me.

Two shots echoed. My father reeled and fell. Another shot. My mother crumpled, still reaching for me.

This time was different. My friends vanished into the crowd. I was alone. I wandered about, calling for them.

"Kikyo!"

Koga burst through the terrified crowd, closely followed by Rin and the rest of the group. I tried to call out to them, warn them to stay back. Unfortunately, my voice was stuck. Kagome's shrill cry broke through my frozen thoughts.

"Kikyo! Do something! Move!"

I just couldn't do it. I watched, horrified, as a bullet flew towards Koga. It hit his shoulder and he spun, clutching his bleeding wound. Halfway around, another shot hit him. This time it was the center of his back. Koga tumbled forward. Sango and Kagome screamed, stopping by his body.

Inuyasha and Miroku tried to drag them to safety. Rin raced on, unhindered. A single shot rang through the air, and Rin fell, bleeding onto the crème marbled floor. I caught sight of her eyes, full of fear and accusation. The paralysis disappeared and I turned to gape at the person holding the fun. Instead of the robber with a mask, it was someone I knew. Someone I was still terrified of- Naraku.

Rin POV

It was cold. I squirmed into a tight ball, but it didn't help. Whatever I was sleeping on was hard. Giving up, I opened my eyes. I was in Koga's basement. Sitting up, I realized all the other girls were curled up against their boyfriends. No wonder I was cold, over here all alone.

Not that I had anyone to curl up with. Sighing, I looked over to Inuyasha and Kagome, who were intertwined not far from me. She was a heap of black- black hair, black clothes, all in a tight bundle surrounded by Inuyasha's pale arms. His silky hair made him look a lot like his brother, Sesshomaru. That's what Inuyasha had called him. How weird to have your brother as your teacher. And I had to kiss him! I didn't know which was worse; the fact that he was my friend's older brother or the fact that he was my teacher. At least he was cute, I thought.

Still, I couldn't believe that I had to kiss him. It was all Miroku's fault!

I glanced at him and Sango. Unlike Inuyasha and Kagome, they were sprawled out everywhere. Miroku had his head cushioned by Sango's chest and one arm was flung between her legs. I had a hunch that when he woke up he would be graced with a black eye or worse. He had changed so much since I had known him.

The scrawny boy with a buzz cut and faded hand-me-downs was gone, replaced by this tall and lanky teenager with slightly long hair -although, compared to Inuyasha and Koga, it was quite short- several pierced places, and, most shocking for me, a style of clothes much like my own. I guessed that I had changed a great deal from then, too. I had gone from the daddy's-little-princess type to orphan and traded my sundress for spikes in just a year. Somehow, though, his life seemed to have changed for the better, while mine got worse. He had a group of amazing friends, a girlfriend, his music and was helping to raise another lonely soul. The only similarities were music and friends, friends I had only known for a day. I guess it was too late for—

Dear God! Late! What time was it?

I looked about frantically for a clock. There was one on the stereo over by Koga and Kikyo. I tried to be quiet as I picked my way past them, but Kikyo screamed something entirely unintelligible and started to thrash.

"Koga! Not Koga! Please, not him!" Kikyo whimpered and twisted in Koga's arms. Then she gasped and froze.

"Rin!" For a second I had thought she had woken up and seen me. Then I realized she was still asleep. It sounded like Kikyo was having a nightmare which included Koga and me. I hesitated, not sure whether to wake her up. Another moan persuaded me that to let her sleep was sheer torture. I shook her shoulder. She shifted restlessly and opened her eyes.

Kikyo POV

For just a moment, I was startled to see Rin. She had just been shot, after all. I knew that it was a dream, but it was still shocking to see her kneeling beside me. I took a shuddering breath.

"Wha-what time is it?" I asked. Rin craned her neck around to examine the clock.

"About one in the morning. He's gonna kill me." This remark would not have drawn so strong a reaction from me as it did, but my dream was still fresh and lingering.

"Who's going to kill you?"

"My uncle." Rin sighed, brushing her hair away from her face. "What were you dreaming of? You called Koga and then me. Are you okay?"

I sniffed, trying to figure out what I could say.

"It's nothing," I told her hesitantly. I expected her to frown or fuss.

Instead, she just smiled. "We all have things we don't want to talk about. Our pasts. Our families. Its just how we are." Rin shrugged.

"You aren't upset?" I asked.

"No, why should I be? You didn't quiz me this afternoon." It took me a second to realize what she was talking about. Then I remembered how she had cried on her arrival at Koga's.

Understandably, I was still curious. "Could you tell me? I won't tell the others if you don't want me to."

Biting her lip, Rin considered it. "Promise? I didn't want everyone to know, especially Miroku. He'd go nuts and probably do something stupid."

I nodded and she told me how she had hitched a ride and all that happened afterward. I winced, recalling Naraku's attack on me.

Rin didn't have a boyfriend to save her. In fact, she was the only one without one.

"We'll have to get you a guy."

Rin, when I said that, looked like a deer caught in some headlights. "Wh-what?"

I ignored her outburst and stuttering as I furrowed my brow. "He could take care of the ride problem, and would prevent you from doing stupid things if we got the right type."

Rin scowled. "I can take care of myself."

"You sure?"

"Okay, it was stupid," Rin conceded. "But you can't set me up with someone until after I kiss Mr. Youkai. I don't think my potential boyfriend would like that."

I nodded. "We should wake the others. It's late."

It was her turn to nod. I elbowed Koga and she headed to Sango and Miroku.

End Chapter

Any Suggestions? Comments? Questions?