Sesshomaru found it aggravating beyond the bounds of even his temper that with his lack of power, he was incredibly reduced in what he could do. There was no way of scaring people with his terror, or inspiring awe and worship in every mortal. He could not command respect so naturally as he did in his real form. There seemed to be much less to do in this confined flesh prison, and he was achingly bored.
He needed to hunt, conquer and rule – it was in his blood, even if his physicality did not show it in this human visage. So, he was left a lot of time to think, and for someone of his disposition and species, that was not a good thing.

After the second day of his trial, the Demon did not go back to the paltry room in the high-rise apartment block. Instead, he took a road to nowhere in particular and wandered down it, having changed in to some clothes that Jaken had acquired for him.

He stared at his hands as he walked, deeply wishing them to grow their claws back. The power of manifestation was not on his side, however, nor was the goodwill of the gods apparently. How was he to fight stuff, as Jaken had put it, if he didn't have any powers to fight it? He needed his true form to defeat enemies. He could kill any species below him, from demon to human, but if it was a serious trial the monster would have to be far more powerful than he to defeat it – if it were to be a true victory and ascension in power level.

He had ended up walking along the side of a canal that was more the size of a river, and low street lamps lit his path along a wide pavement, bordered with boxed shrubbery and flowers.

There was no denying that his mother in law had it out for him, placing him in such a world of lack-lustre attempts at the beauty fully realised in his realm.

Two days was like a thousand years in that place, and it almost felt that it had been two thousand years away from it. The other realm was so visceral yet ethereal that it sapped one's energy to be away from it once its air had been tasted.

There was a gust of wind that smelt of vehicle exhaust mingled with the scent of night flowers and many various minutiae of human waste. He screwed up his delicate nose, abhorring everything about his situation, wondering how long 'they - the gods' planned on keeping him in this place in such a state.

If only the horrible monster would appear now for him to vanquish, he'd defeat it with his bare human hands, by god.

Instead, he saw Rin.

The girl was about 80 meters ahead of him judging by his keen eyesight, leaning against the railing overlooking the river. Her hair was out instead of tied back as it was at school, and she held a thoughtful pose. The moon reflecting on the water sparkled in turn against her profile, outlining her nose and lips in silver.

Sesshomaru stopped in his tracks; the last thing he wanted was to encounter the human that disrespected him so openly; let alone any human when he was feeling so aggravated.

After about ten or so minutes Rin began walking the other way, towards the bridge that crossed to a tight knit collection of low-rise apartment buildings, separated by thin lanes only bikes could progress down with washing lines hung between the spaces.

Sesshomaru found himself following her slowly, telling himself that he did so to know information about her. Such knowledge can give a person a certain power over another, and a possibility of blackmail – or to simply shut them up if they became too subversive towards a certain Demon Prince.
Rin was a-part of his future realm after-all and it was people like her who needed to know their place within the world.
Her idealistic peace talk reminded him why he disliked the current generations – they could not understand the fine balance between that very peace and war, and that it had taken all the battles to preserve that amity. The fact that humans like her turned their nose up at war and violence ironically meant they also snubbed peace. What was peace, anyway, but a gross lack of excitement and bloodshed?
Humans like her had no idea the thrill of slicing open many bodies.

Sesshomaru knew human minds were simplistic to a worrying degree, but it just added to the fuel of his hatred for them.
Ruling was a matter of pride to him, and he respected the responsibility greatly. He would protect and preserve his land and the people as long as he lived – but it did not mean he had to love, or even like those very people.
Sesshomaru was made of power, and his duty was his existence. It had nothing to do with humans – all they were to him were vessels of worship towards beings such as he.

Rin had advanced across the bridge and Sesshomaru, with nothing else to do, kept following. So, she lived in the poor area? This was a matter of humour to him – she acted so high and mighty, yet came from nothing?
Well, this was interesting.

The Demon reached the end of the bridge, just as Rin turned a corner at the end of an alleyway. Sesshomaru's nose was highly offended by the stench coming from these apartments and almost turned back, if not for a strangely intense curiosity that made him continue after her.

Did she really live here? He had to make sure so his future blackmail could be a real threat.

She had gone through a gate in a wall, and down another dingy dark lane. Sesshomaru moved noiselessly and watched her ascend a flight of stairs, at the top of which was a door; Rin un-locked this door and went up some further flights of stairs. She had locked the door behind her again, so he could not follow any more.

The Demon went around the other side of the alleyway, to a slightly larger road along the other side of the small apartment complex that Rin had entered. He looked up the building facade to see a light turn on at the fourth floor, second to the top level. His ears discerned movement within the room and he could hear voices quite well.

'There is no need to do that, Okasan'

'But you need it!'

'No, I don't need it more than you. Please, stop mentioning it'

There was a brief pause;

'If you don't take this money, your brother won't be able to see you'

Another pause.

'I will get a job and work it outside of school and see my brother with my own money'

'What work? There is none around here!'

'I'll – find something'

Sesshomaru's ears could hear no more as they seemed to have moved in to another room, and a loud scooter passed behind him.
So she did live here in this dirty hovel, and she had a brother? He didn't quite yet know what he'd do with this information, but it was interesting enough to his deathly bored mind that required no sleep. Or, so he thought.
His human form had many limitations he was not yet aware of; he began to feel a heaviness descend behind his eyes and seep throughout his muscles. Was this – tiredness? What an abhorrent sensation it was! It felt as though he'd been psychically attacked.
Continuing to wander around without much aim, the moon balanced at 3am in the sky when he was standing on a high hill overlooking the town. He'd have to head back to his filthy apartment room soon.

Jaken no doubt was enjoying having the place to himself, and the Demon's thoughts toward that imp were not conciliatory in the slightest. He knew the toad was keeping something from him.
As the Prince descended the forested hill, a chill swept up the valley below and rustled the leaves of the inky trees swaying in the darkness. A noise not natural to the surrounds caught Sesshomaru's fine-tuned hearing, and in the distance, far down the overhanging path he was on, his limited eye sight still managed to catch a glimpse of something the size of a deer scurrying from one side of the underbrush in to the larger wooded side of the hill on the other side of the path. It appeared to have six or so legs, and its body was strangely contorted.
Kami, it looked like an ancient lowly demon from his childhood!
Forgetting his tiredness and his very human limitations, the Demon Prince immediately sprung after the grotesque creature – his mind telling him that surely this might have something to do with his trial?
Fighting things, and all that.
The tree branches whipped him in the face as he rushed down the path toward the apparition and Sesshomaru could certainly feel the difference in agility and speed outside of his real form. That aside, he was bent on hunting this thing down – this was his element, as a Spirit of time past, denizen of the forests, tracking down a parasitic demon, just like the old days.

He reached the place he had seen the thing cross over, and didn't hesitate to rush head long in to the woods where it had disappeared in to.

Black night enveloped him completely, away from the guidance of the moon rays hidden by high tree tops. The air was closer and cooler in here, mist rose from the damp leaf covered ground like tendrils of smoke from the underworld.
Using his only intact power – his hearing – he followed the scuffling noises in the distance, ignoring the ominous noises of owls and various night time beasts.

Sesshomaru gained on the specter quickly – it was grousing around the undergrowth supposedly for food. Sure enough, the thing was uglier than Jaken – festering wrinkled skin pulled over bony protrusions, covered in sparse coarse hair, the size of a large dog.

Sesshomaru held out his hand – and the awful realisation dawned on him in the heat of the moment that no poison whips were going to lash out, nor were his claws going to unsheathe and slash the critter to pieces.

Snuffling horrifically the demon parasite turned to face its aggressor and promptly jumped on him in attack, throwing the Demon Prince to the ground. Parasites like this one always sensed when a fight was against a greater or lesser foe, and this one knew it was versing a mere mortal man. This would be easy for it.

It's sharp teeth bit in to Sesshomaru's left arm and sunk deep, causing the Prince to cry out in pain – another anomaly for the Great Dog Demon, for in his real form even if he was in dire pain, rarely did he vocalize it let alone show it at all.
In his human form, the pain was multiplied intensely, those teeth felt like a hundred daggers shredding his flesh open, the blood pulsing from the wound like wet fire running down his mauled limb.
With a charge of adrenaline, Sesshomaru yelled and shoved the beast off with his strong legs, catching it off-guard, and wasted no time in sprinting as fast as he could back toward the path, back in to the moonlight – down the rest of the way to the river, across the bridge, zig zagging through various roads and finally down the road that led to the apartment complex across the from the school as the first light of day broke through the night sky. Blood streaming through his torn-up shirt, he staggered to a jog as his heart pumped the blood faster than it should have been pumping out of the flesh wound.

'What the – milord!'

Oh dear, that shrill voice was the last thing Sesshomaru's exhausted ears wanted to hear at this hour. What was it? Probably 6am, judging by the position of the sun peeking over the horizon low in the sky.

'Milord, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere! AHHH!'

As Jaken quickly approached, still looking like a schoolboy albeit a disheveled one, his eyes registered enough in the dawn light to take in the vision of his blood-soaked master.

'On Kami's green earth! What's happened?' The boy demon rushed around Sesshomaru in circles as the tall demon kept walking in staggering motions toward the apartment block.

'I fought stuff like you said' Sesshomaru gritted out.

'N-no, what the hell did you fight milord? A rabid dinosaur?'

'A demon'

'A - ? No, you must be mistaken, we killed out those sorts hundreds of years ago!'

Sesshomaru finally slanted a withering glance at Jaken who hopped around him like an agitated dog.

'Check again. In the woods on that hill' the Demon vaguely pointed with his right hand toward the hill that masked the beginning rays of sunlight in the distance.

'In that wood? Impossible! What were you doing there?'

Sesshomaru did not deign to answer anymore questions, but he lost his balance and stumbled, grasping on to Jaken for support.

'Let's get you back inside' Jaken muttered, staggering under the Dog Demon's weight.

It seemed like it took half a day to get Sesshomaru up the flights of stairs to the room they were staying in, but once they did all the Prince could do was walk through the door and promptly collapse on the floor.

'To think the Great Sesshomaru is so wounded by a low earth form' Jaken muttered 'he really has lost all his powers'

'What was that?' Sesshomaru's voice sounded suddenly full of clarity as he dared Jaken to speak against his strength again.

'N-nothing milord, perhaps we should get you in the shower to wash all that blood off you. If you stain this carpet any more, we'll have to pay to replace the whole lot and probably be locked up for a murder investigation'

'You'll be the dead body' Sesshomaru snarled as he pulled himself off the floor and swayed to the bathroom with halting steps.

Turning on the tap, he fell fully clothed in the bath tub and let the hot water wash over him.

The Demon cursed as the water burned and stung the fresh wound, but once the water had washed away most of the blood, he could inspect the actual damage. Four upper teeth and three lower teeth had punctured his bicep; luckily the wound seemed clean although deep.

'Jaken throw me your school shirt' Sesshomaru called out as he tore the rest of his shirt off.

'It's my only one! What are you going to do with it?' The boy popped his head around the door.

'Give it to me!'

There was not another peep and Jaken threw his school shirt in to the bathroom immediately. The Great Lord might be almost utterly human, but his voice held no less menace.

Jaken pouted in the living room as he heard his shirt being torn in to strips to be used as bandages.

Sesshomaru came out of the bathroom looking worse for wear, bare torso almost translucently pale, his choppy white hair damp and roughed up, actual purple bags under his eyes, and his left upper arm entirely covered in strips of school shirt, the blood already dotting through.

Jaken opened his mouth, but the look in Sesshomaru's eyes made him close it again.

'If the damn gods want me to fight stuff, they should divest me of this deplorable form'

Sesshomaru said half to himself as he hunted around for his school shirt. He had to go to school in 20 minutes.

Jaken tried to tactfully reply; 'Well, milord, maybe the fighting part doesn't, ah, come - yet?'

'Then what the HELL am I doing here?' Sesshomaru roared so loudly that Jaken yelped and hit his elbow on the low coffee table he was sitting next to.

'S-sorry milord'

All Jaken was awarded with was a menacing sneer. Sesshomaru looked like he needed 3 days of sleep and the small demon couldn't let him force himself just to attend school. He lifted a trembling finger in question.

'Can I say, milord – '

A shoe was suddenly thrown at his head.

'O – okay' Jaken concluded, rubbing his temple.
Milord was really pissed off then. Jaken thought it best not to say anything even in Lord Sesshomaru's best interests at this stage; he was obviously extremely angered by his lack of power and the as yet unknown purpose of the trial.

Sesshomaru tried to roughly brush his hair out with his fingers, to little avail, and he eventually just swung out of the apartment room and disappeared down the stair well.

Jaken sighed and eventually stood. He went in to the bathroom and sighed again at the sight of watered-down blood everywhere and the pile of grime-soaked clothing on the tiled floor. Sesshomaru was not a good house mate. Jaken turned to the mirror and became preoccupied with his muscles in the mirror as well as how cool his hair looked. He'd never had hair before. He had always worshiped Sesshomaru's silver mane, wishing he could know what it felt like to have silky tresses surrounding his face. No wonder he had girls giggling at him at this school over the road. This was great, even if he did have to deal with his Lord's foul temper.

It was a few minutes before Rin had to leave for school, and she was standing in the kitchen staring dispassionately at the pile of money on the counter.

It was her mother's entire annual savings.

Her brother Shippo lived in a village far away, where many rice fields were grown, and the ocean was far. This was because their father was a farmer, and she and her mother had moved to a larger town for work when Rin was quite young. Rin knew her parents were no longer together, and this was another reason for the separation.
Due to money constraints, Rin had not seen her brother in ten years – she and her mother had left the village when she was 7 and a half, and Shippo had only been 4. All she could remember was a thatch of red hair and a cheeky grin – and as for her father, well, there was not even a single facial feature her imagination could conjure up to attribute to him.
Her mother worked slave hours and was paid slave money, yet her maternal instincts still told her that her daughter dearly missed her young brother. She had pulled out that money a week ago and just last night offered it to her daughter to go away for a while and stay with her brother and father.
Rin was in no way going to take that money, not any way in hell. Her mother was the one who deserved a holiday for working her fingers to the bone to put her daughter through school and pay for their little one-bedroom room.

Rin took the money and placed it back in the safe under the kitchen sink, locking it with a new code so her mother couldn't pre-preemptively buy Rin a one-way ticket to see Shippo.

Rin had decided now was certainly the time to get a job and go and earn her own way in the world, and most of all to go and see her little red headed rascal sibling. He would be just fourteen now! She often wondered what he looked like, if he resembled herself in any way. She hoped that he also thought of her, but she knew that he'd have even less money to travel than she and her mother did even if he did wish to visit. It was up to Rin to close the gap.

She pulled her hair back in to a pony tail and made her way down the flights of stairs, through the door ways and alley ways to the bridge, stopping at the street vendor just before the river to buy a paper advertising available work.

She skimmed over it as she continued her walk to school. Of course, anything full time was a no-go as she had school during the day, so anything after hours would have to do.

'Cleaner – full time'
'Nanny – full time'
'Gardener – part time'

Rin read further on the gardening job, but it required the hired person to have supplied their own equipment which Rin did not have the money for.

'Maid – After hours'

Rin's eyes widened slightly in half hope and read the requirements:

'No experience needed; training provided to successful applicant. Must be over fourteen years of age and female, refer resume to the below address'

The address was for a place right near her school! This was perfect. It would be the first thing she did when school was let out this afternoon; she felt a twinge of excitement at the thought of earning her own money and finally, one day, going to see her brother.

Her thoughts were so full of Shippo as she walked to the bus stop, and on the bus ride to school, that she almost bumped in to someone holding a camera as she came up to the school gates.

A bustle of what looked like journalists and camera men surrounded someone, and Rin had a hard time of it trying to get past them all.

'Rin!' Ayami came bouncing up to her 'He must be famous! Everyone wants his autograph!'

Rin raised her eyebrows in question and turned to look to where Ayami was excitedly pointing. Amid the rabble, there was one slightly taller than the rest, and he had white hair. Oh, for Kami's sake. Hakai.

'I don't have time for this' Rin started walking away, highly uninterested.

'Stop, Rin! The teacher won't be mad if we're late, they're all out here trying to control everyone!' and indeed, most of the students were excitedly bobbing around the crowd of photographers who had come to solicit Hakai's image to include in the local news.

'I don't care about being late or early, this is ridiculous'

'Hey, hey!' Kohaku came sidling up to Rin. 'Looks like your bf is hot news'

Rin put a hand up 'if you speak another word – I'll take my art scissors to your hair'

'Not the ones crusted with glue?' Kohaku moaned 'No, Rin, my hair is the only good thing about me!'

'The only good thing about you is when you're not talking' Rin muttered, walking past him.

She caught the eye of Rika who happened to be coming in to school from the other side around all the commotion. Rin watched the girls gaze swing to Kohaku, a puzzled, pondering expression in them. Rin chuckled. That note had evidently got under her skin.
As Rin's eyes scanned back across the gathering crowd, she saw Hakai swatting people away like insects, pushing them out of his path. Rin felt strangely satisfied to see the horrendously foul expression on his angelic features; it reminded her that just because someone was beautiful on the outside did not mean their evil soul could tarnish the outer shell. It was lovely and comical to her sense of humour to see Hakai so perturbed.

She would have continued on unphased had she not also caught a glimpse of something bright red on the new boy's arm; - was that, blood?

'Hakai-san! Please work for our company!'

'Student-san, could you sign this picture?'

'Excuse me, smile!'

There was so much shouting and jostling around the poor new kid that Rin felt a bit worried looking at his injury which seemed significant. What the hell had he done? She shook herself. That was not her business to worry about in any way. She kept walking and left them all to it.

Meanwhile, Rika joined Ayami and Kohaku – the latter blushed slightly in her presence. Rika looked coyly up at him very briefly before saying to Ayami;

'Did you send his image to a journalist or something?'

'Pff, no!' Ayami deflected 'It was probably one of the underclassmen already obsessed with him'

'There's so many people! I mean, there's not much surprise because Hakai-san is way too handsome'

Kohaku glanced at Rika; eyes slightly narrowed.

'Oh, isn't he' Ayami gushed, clutching her hands to her chest. Kohaku scratched his head.

'Well I'm going to leave you two to gush over this apparent god' and he made a quick exit to go and find Rin again.

To say Sesshomaru was angry was of course a hilarious understatement.
He was seething, irate, incensed! This had to be it.
This had to be the trial, to be suffocated by obnoxious flesh lumps shoving cameras in his face.
Surely his step mother in a fit of spite had sent these demons with flash action contraptions to give him a migraine on top of his throbbing arm.
He didn't even engage conversation with the cretins in any way, attempting to wade through the human morass with his injured arm being poked and prodded most painfully.
If he was in his full form – well.
Let's just say, the school would be painted red right now, with nice textural affects of brains and guts spread nicely among the blood. How he would love to let loose his claws and enormous power to rid the earth of them entirely! These humans were entirely abominable.

His murderous rage-filled eyes locked on to a small figure across the crowd of people, making its way toward the class rooms, past the mob of photographers.
Rin, one of the few mortals who were utterly not bothered by his presence.
His anger increased, all at once wishing to make her bow to him yet despising those who were indeed bowing to him shoving cameras in his face.
What sort of sick paradox was this, that he required their worship, yet hated them?
That when faced with those who refused to see him as a superior being, he was filled with an anger worse than what consumed him towards his swarming fans? Simple mindedness, he concluded in the red mist of his mind, must cause both sickening devotion, or nauseating revulsion, and Rin was of the latter.
Well, she needed to learn a lesson.

Not helping his case that he was over-tired, injured, in pain, confused and angry, he finally freed himself of the rabble as the teachers successfully closed the gates on them all, and stalked toward where Rin had gone, intending to – he barely knew what.

But Rin had already sat down and was talking comfortably with Kohaku by the time Sesshomaru had reached the classroom, and other students were trickling in after him, taking photos on their phones. Rin didn't care to look up to see everyone enter following Hakai, as she was too interested in Kohaku's story.

'Yeah, so she messaged me last night saying I told her I loved her? I don't get it, I never said anything like it!'

Rin was using all her powers of self-control to not laugh and maintain a straight face as Kohaku had the most ridiculous look of confusion on his face.

'Oh wow, it definitely sounds weird! I wonder what's got in to her, because you don't like her at all!'

'Sssh! She's about to come in to the room!' Kohaku cleared his throat after whispering hoarsely.

He glared at Rin, as a certain realisation seemed to dawn on him.

'Rin' he said lowly.

'Hm?' She was opening up her desk to get out some text books.

'That book you gave me to put in her locker'

Rin glanced up at Kohaku with supreme innocence.

'What about it?'

'Yes, what about it, Rin-chan?'

'I don't know what you mean' Rin continued, her voice sweetness itself.

She knew that Hakai had sat down in his place next to her, but she was studiously trying to avoid what seemed to be an intense stare from that despicable person.

'I simply borrowed a book from her; and you so kindly returned it'

'Yes, I bet. And did you happen to add an extra 'page' to that book?'

Rika was now seated at her desk and Kohaku cleared his throat again, not wanting to draw her attention to their conversation.

Rin only smiled beatifically, leafing through her note book, not benefiting Kohaku with a single word.

'Students!' Their social history teacher came in to the room and clapped his hands once loudly to get their attention.

Everyone sat in their seats and faced the front.

'It has come to our collective attention that someone has contacted certain journalists in the area, and now have them harassing our new student Hakai-san. This must stop immediately. If Hakai-san wishes to be in commercials, in newspapers, on tv, an idol group or modelling sites, I am sure he would have already gone and done it himself. Am I right, Hakai-san?' the teacher looked at Sesshomaru.

The Demon Prince tore his gaze from Rin and pierced the teacher with his fuming ire filled eyes.

'Just so' the teacher rushed on nervously, completely intimidated. 'So if there is any further subversion of school rules, the offending students will be tracked down and suspended or even expelled. Harassing newcomers is not a part of our school policy'

'Sir?'

A girl had raised her hand.

'Go on, Akane-san'

'Maybe no one tipped anyone off? It could be that Hakai-san is really famous anyway'

'Ah – ' the teacher seemed to stumble a bit, looking at Hakai, almost if pleading him to shut everyone up on his behalf.

Sesshomaru was so far above the conversation at hand, and more in the realm of genocide lust, that he did not say a word. He needed blood and now. Red was all he saw and thought.

Instead, he fainted.

Everyone went silent as Hakai's limp body hit the floor. Then, all the girls screamed and Kohaku was the only one with sense who got up and started fanning Hakai's face.

'He's got a really high temperature Sensei, he needs the hospital!'

'Ok, I'll call an ambulance!'

The class room was in uproar, and within minutes they had Hakai laid out on their rolled-up jackets for cushioning.

'He's pretty badly injured too' Ayami commented.

'What the hell happened to him?' Rika wondered aloud.

'He really must be famous, up close he's even more beautiful' Akane sighed.

'Not the time to be fan girling' a boy chimed in.

A few girls pouted at that enlightened truth speaker.

Rin was sitting in her chair, watching everyone in a resigned manner. Being beautiful had its perks, but hell, no way would she want this amount of attention every moment of her life.

The ambulance officers arrived, and Hakai was put on a stretcher.

'Anyone coming with him?' Asked one of the officers. 'He has a bad fever and concussion, he might be disoriented when he wakes up, and if someone is there to reassure him that will be best'

'Oh, me!' Akane and some other girls put up their hands.

'Silence!' The teacher was extremely tired of all this. 'I will say who goes. Rin, you're the only one here with a good head on your shoulders and the least likely to annoy Hakai even more on awaking. You will go'

'But - !' Rin immediately started, but the teacher silenced her with a hand, and the officers urged the matter of timeliness, and so Rin found herself following ambulance personnel out of the classroom, down the hallway, in to the emergency vehicle that had been parked inside the school.

'Please enter from the back once we've put your boyfriend inside' one of the workers said to Rin, and she didn't even have time to correct them as they were rushing around so much.

Rin stepped up in to the vehicle once Hakai was lain inside and sat gingerly on the edge of the van seats, uncomfortably close to the ambulance service people, and to Hakai himself. Thank goodness he was out of it.

Perhaps she could escape the hospital once they got there, before Hakai woke up, and she could make up some story to the Sensei.

'Your boyfriend has a temperature of 42, it's extreme. Please stay calm, we will get him injected with plenty of fluids and bring it down as fast as possible.'

42? Kami. How was he still alive? Rin watched as the officers shoved a canula in his arm and did all manner of tests such as blood pressure, a blood test, and began unwrapping the dodgy bandage around his arm injury. Her eyes fell to Hakai's face and she thought though he was pale as ghost, he looked awfully peaceful; his face for once devoid of it's sour expression.
Rin had the sudden thought of 'no wonder he's always grumpy with people annoying him all the time'. But she did not like him any more after the sympathetic thought.

They arrived at the hospital, and one of the personnel ensured Rin followed them to the emergency room, offering her a seat in the cubicle they ended up in. It was extremely strange to be landed in such a situation and wished Kohaku or Ayami were here. Hospitals smelt far too pungent for her liking – bleach and sickness filled her nose and offended her taste buds.

She sat in that chair in the corner of the emergency room, with curtains pulled around them, while a doctor came in and began working on Hakai. He took a sample from his arm wound, and Rin was on the right side of the bed in order to look at the injury. It looked like a large dog bite; Rin frowned. How curious.

The doctor turned to her.

'I presume you're his girlfriend?' Before Rin could even speak the doctor continued 'Do you know how he got this bite wound?'

'Ah – no, I don't know him very well at all'

The doctor peered over his glasses at her, confused. 'Oh. Well'

'Sorry, sir – he's a new student in our class, and my teacher sent me to go with him. I'm sorry I can't tell you anything'

'Oh I see' the doctor seemed a bit more reassured. 'Well, it seems he got in to a bad encounter with a large dog – or bear, by the size of that jaw width' The doctor looked back at the wound, deep purple bruising now apparent around it.

'I'll need to disinfect it and stitch three of those holes together, which means local anesthetic will be required. I won't be putting him under entirely in the state he is in. In the mean-time, I will need you to watch him and ensure he doesn't slip in to a coma'

'A coma?' Rin felt a sense of panic. This sounded quite serious, and despite her dislike of the boy, she was not heartless.

'I'm afraid so. The blood pressure and temperature monitors will go off if his readings become abnormal, but there are more subtleties I will need you to look for.'

Rin watched the doctor place those white patches on Hakai's arms, connecting them to a machine, and she blushed faintly as he opened the new boy's shirt to put more of them around his chest area. Hakai's chest was pale and yet well formed, like alabaster or marble statues.

The doctor continued to outline to Rin what she needed to do, and all she could do was agree. After all she couldn't just say 'no, sorry, not interested'. Someone was gravely ill, and it was partly up to her to ensure they returned to normal. So, she would, and that was all there was to it.