Oh my god. I can't believe it's been so long since I last updated. It was University fair week and I got so busy I didn't get to write at all! Plus I got sick after that so I only got to finish this chapter today! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! I promise to upload more this week since I'm on a break after getting sick.

-Ella

Chapter 5

It's a fine Saturday morning in the west's capital city, the light cold breeze of late spring makes its way passed the light curtains of open windows, the soothing sound of the light mid-May rain pitter pattering as it made contact with the surface.

Amidst the relaxing atmosphere of a peaceful weekend, Rin, who's been awake even before the sun was up in the sky, felt the most chaotic at the moment. The past month, after she just moved to the city, she has been enduring it, although it was really tough. She has expected that it wouldn't be easy, although for reasons she couldn't even begin to imagine when she just decided she would go through with her plans. She always thought she would be bullied by her classmates for being a transfer student, and that was the only thing she had prepared herself for. It turns out, that worry of hers would be non-existent, and a whole different brand of problems awaited her. So far, she was able to deal with the "Kaichou problem" and the home sickness she feels with only a little bit of difficulty. But the phone call she received the night before had somehow triggered some of the repressed feelings she had had before coming to the city.

She sat on her bed with her back against the wall, her head resting on her knees as she hugged her legs close to her body. She's been in that position for almost three hours already, and she remained unmoving as memories that came with the feelings came flooding back to her. She pulled out of her thoughts when her phone started ringing. It was the alarm set for her to get ready to go to the dojo for her training.

'I don't really want to go to the dojo today.' She thought to herself as she reached for her phone on the nightstand to turn off the alarm.

She let out a heavy and long breath as she made the move to put the phone back to her nightstand all the while contemplating whether she would send a message to her dojo's master and tell her she's feeling a bit under the weather and should not train, or just suck it up like the proper adult she's trying to prove herself to be and get her ass to training. She would very much rather choose the latter but in her present state of mind, her focus would be somewhere else and she would just get a ton of scolding if she pushes through with training. With a decision in mind, she withdrew her arm from its earlier outstretched position and started texting her dojo's master.

It took less than a minute for the dojo's master to reply with a short and simple "Get well soon then. You can take the time off tomorrow as well."

She sighed as she read the message, still feeling so lost in the pool of emotions she's currently drowning herself in. She was getting to returning her phone on her nightstand again to continue her sulking when her phone rang. She thought it was her master but when she looked at the caller ID, she saw that it was Kagome. Suddenly, she was puzzled as to why her friend would be calling her so early on a Saturday. Realizing she wouldn't get answers by just staring at her caller ID, she pressed answer and placed the receiver on her ear.

"Moshi moshi, Kagome-chan"

"Ah, Rin-chi, we know you have trainings on weekends but we're just wondering maybe you'd like to come with us for the weekend to Nara. Inuyasha's otousan is hosting a benefit gala tomorrow night for the annual Takigi O-Noh, and the gang is coming along with their parents to participate so it would be great if you could come! Also, since it's a school holiday on Monday, we get to stay in Nara for from today until Monday afternoon! Everything's paid for by Inuyasha's otousan so you don't have to worry about anything." Kagome said gleefully through the phone.

"Ano, Kagome-chan, you see-" Rin was cut off mid-sentence again by an overly enthusiastic and pleading Kagome.

"Rin-chi, onegai. We even get to stay in the Takahashi rest house in Nara! It's got its own open-air onsen which would be really good in cleansing our aura before we prepare for mid-terms. Ne, won't you take it from a miko?" Kagome continued as she worked on selling the idea to Rin.

Rin didn't want to go out of her apartment today that's why she called in sick for training. Although the sound of onsen and spiritual cleansing is somehow very appealing to her. Her obaa-chan who raised her would often let her soak in the okiya's indoor onsen whenever she feels troubled. Somehow, she feels like this trip was just what her mind needs. A change of scenery away from the bustling capital to the countryside of Nara does sound inviting and it may actually calm her nerves.

She sighed rather loudly in defeat then said to Kagome, "Fine. I'm going. What time do we leave? I do need to pack so I might need some time."

"Yaaay! Rin-chi daijoubu. We don't leave until before lunch time so you have plenty of time. We'll just pick you up from your apartment, ne? See you!"

With that, Kagome hung up the phone leaving an overwhelmed but somehow relieved Rin sitting on her bed, wondering about what she should do first. Her plans for the weekend took a complete 180, it originally being she holes up in her apartment, sulking until she eventually thinks of a solution for her predicament. Now she's just agreed to go on a trip with her new friends that would take up the entire weekend.

She headed to her closet and took out her white and black rectangular duffle bag that she used to use for light travelling when her obaa-chan took her to Gion for the annual Matsuri. She looked around her closet and took out a few casual outfits, some sleepwear and some underwear. When she thought she was done packing, she realized she was going to a benefit gala and had to bring appropriate evening wear. She opened her closet that she just closed and scanned the area on the far corner of her closet where clothes in garment bags were neatly hung. She settled her eyes on a black, off-shoulder, elbow-length sleeved, sweetheart neckline long gown that hugs the top and the torso and flows freely just from mid-thigh level where the slit begins, and a low, wide v-shaped back neckline. It was fairly new since she only wore it once, when she was introduced to the business partners of the Yamatos (her mother's family). She took the matching pair of muted silver sandals and clutch adorned with crystal dust as accent and placed them in her duffle as she hung the gown outside her closet door.

She grabbed a few accessories including a simple diamond drop earing, a diamond crusted bangle bracelet, and the small silver Tachibana Kuge crest ring, and some hair stuff including some hair pins, bobby pins, and a backpiece that matched the silver motif of her accessories. She tossed in some make-up, hairspray, and a pouch of her travel-sized toiletries. She took one more look at her now filled duffle bag and zipped it up once she was satisfied.

She went out of her room straight to the kitchen and grabbed the box of cereals on the shelf and poured some into a bowl before grabbing and pouring in the milk from the fridge. She took her bowl to the free surface of the island counter of her kitchen and sat on one of the tall bar stools. She took her time eating her breakfast, thinking that it would be her last few moments of silence before the weekend.

She willed herself to think about other things besides the still-irking-her-to-death phone call from her Mother's mother. She tried to recount the things that happened before she got that phone call. She went grocery shopping, they were on sale so she got a lot of stuff for a cheaper price, yadda yadda yadda. She remembered she felt like she was being watched and followed. Then a thought struck her. She was suddenly faced with the memories from the student council room.

She remembered so clearly how they looked, what they were doing, and how they looked at her as if she was the biggest nuisance in the world. She remembered how white Kanna's skin looked against the rosiness of the president's lips. It was like ume hana blooming in the middle of winter. She tried to push back the thoughts that were now forming in her mind. She remembered how disgusted he sounded when he said he would never desire a human like her. She also remembered about all the different rumors about him brutally rejecting anyone who confesses to him. Somehow, it was making sense to her bit by bit. Of course, the seemingly perfect Sesshomaru Takahashi only settles for perfection of the same caliber. That thought seems to tug at Rin's heart lightly, why though, she doesn't know.

She tried to shake the thoughts out of her head thinking that an empty mind is better than trying to fill it with distractions that would just end up worsening the current situation. She gulped down the milk and the few remaining cereals floating about and proceeded to putting away the dishes she used. After that, she went back to her room and grabbed her towel right before checking the time on her phone's screen and heading out again for the bathroom to take a shower.

She took the shower rather quickly, trying so hard not to waste time philosophizing and rationalizing the different things happening in her life. She looked at herself at the mirror as she was just about to be finished with her skin care routine. She felt slightly ridiculous but she thought she needed some words of encouragement from herself to shove her ass to the right direction.

"Rin. Calm down. Take deep breaths, you'll get over this. Clear your mind and take things slow. Don't lose sight of what it is you really came here for." She said to her reflection on the mirror.

Taking a deep breathe, she walked out of the bathroom and went back to her room to get dressed. She mindlessly took out some clothes from her closet and put them on. She looked at herself at the floor length mirror in her room. She was wearing a white cotton camisole and a loose, faded jean short overalls with the hem loosely folded up to the middle of her thighs. She gazed out the window as she felt the cold wind caress her bare arms. Realizing it's still too cold to not wear some additional layers, she grabbed the thick oversized gray cardigan that her obaa-chan knitted for her. Satisfied with the extra layer she added, she grabbed her classic white canvas Keds and put them on. She finished dressing up and put her hair on a low loose bun with some of her fringe falling to the front of her face.

She grabbed her duffle bag, the garment bag with her dress, and a small white and black leather sling purse with panda-style design and draped it across her body from her shoulders. She decided to just wait at the loading stop in front of her apartment's building so she wouldn't have to rush down the building when they arrive.

She went down the building and sat on one of the benches on the loading stop. She set down her duffle and garment bag next to her and the purse on her lap before she took out her phone to text Kagome. She was about to open their conversation thread when a black expensive looking car halted in front of the loading stop. The windows on the co-pilot side rolled down revealing the sunglasses-covered face of the president on the driver seat.

"Get in." He said simply.

"Maru-onii-chan, I told you to be nice." Said a girl from the back of the car whom she recognized as Kagome, in a half complaining, half reprimanding tone. The windows at the passengers' area rolled down as well revealing Kagome and an annoyed Inuyasha with a very evident vein popping on his forehead, matching the slightly annoyed shift on the president's features.

"Yah, Kagome, I told you not to call him that. Omae, Sesshomaru, stop being an asshole." Inuyasha said further irritating Sesshomaru with his bickering.

"Rin-chi, you sit at the front and the bags stay here with me and Inuyasha." Kagome said as she pointed to the seat next to the president.

She deposited her bags next to Kagome and Inuyasha, then went in to sit at the front while saying a low and soft 'sumimasen'.

Without a single word from the president, the car sped up towards the road to Nara. Rin just sat there awkwardly and stared straight ahead at the road in front of her. She tried to steal side glances of the president as he drove, taking notice of how his face remained perfectly stoic and focused on the road. Her sight slowly trailed down the thin pinkish line that his lips were pursed into, and slightly blushed as the thought of the sight of him and Kanna in the student council room. Once again, she tried to push those thoughts further back into her mind.

She retreated her gaze back to where it should be, the front of the car where the road seems to be swallowed up by the speeding of the car. After a few minutes or so, she felt so silly for staring so straight onto the road and the growing stiffness of her neck reminded her of how unnatural and uncomfortable she must've looked. She took a deep breath and used that motion to shift her gaze down to her lap where her hands were lightly fidgeting with the folded hem of her overalls. The car ride was so silent and devoid of conversation especially since Kagome and Inuyasha already fell asleep in the backseat. Although she wasn't alone with the president in the car, she still felt some anxiety rising up within her knowing that they were the only ones awake. This anxiety she feels around the president is something that continues to puzzle her. She thought back to when she started feeling it, she always believed it was during that time he mistook her for an assassin sent to kill him, but then she knows that it was from that very first time she saw his face and his striking golden eyes that she started having this strange anxiety that seems to be tugging at her insides. From then, whenever she sees him, there seems to be this weird sensation that renders her awkward and speechless around him just like at this moment. Despite her usual outgoing and composed personality and her ability to hide her own troubles and discomfort, when it comes to him, all of those things seem to crumble and fade away.

She sighed as she felt like the thoughts she's currently having are not helping her figure out anything about why she feels that way. Just when she was going to steal another glance at the president, she stopped herself, realizing that she's been doing that since she got into the car. With that realization, she consciously put in effort to constantly police her self from stealing glances at him. She tried to focus on the minimal music that played in the car's speakers and recognized the cool symphony of brass, piano, and an upright bass that makes up beautiful jazz tunes. Now that she was focused on the music, she realized that the playlist is from the president's phone as it was displayed on the dashboard entertainment system's Bluetooth information. It surprised her that the president's choice of music includes something so calming like jazz, although when she thought about it, se realized that it somehow complimented his icy personality. She herself loves jazz and the smooth tunes helped calm her anxiety, although she feels like the calming effect has more to do with the small delight that came from knowing that they liked the same music, rather than the sound itself.

They spent the rest of the drive to Nara enveloped in that comforting swaying of the jazz melody, and Rin no longer found her hands fidgeting the hem of her overalls and she just let herself be swayed by the relaxing scenery of the Nara countryside without having to force herself to look at something else besides the president that remained oblivious to the effect he has towards the small raven haired girl that sat next to him in the car.