AN: Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter :) I have written some more chapters for Murder Most Foul, The Newsreader, Blessing or Curse and this story that just need to be checked for errors. Unfortunately, my computer and memory stick aren't talking to each so I may have to start them all from scratch if I can't find a solution. My knowledge of computers and all things related to them is fairly limited so please bear with me. I'll get everything updated as soon as I can :)

Chapter 8

Sesshoumaru struggled to come to terms with what had happened after the band's last performance and was still no closer to understanding the motivation behind Rin's actions two weeks later than he had been on the night it happened. The lessons they had together were torture for him and his lack of concentration was beginning to affect his studies much to his annoyance. Rin's behaviour didn't seem any different from normal when one was on the outside looking in, but Sesshoumaru was definitely not on the outside looking in. He was very much on the inside looking out.

He sat back in his seat at the back of the class and looked at the woman in question who sat near the front of the class. Her hair was tied up in its usual bun and she looked as normal as ever. As if she sensed his gaze, Rin looked over her shoulder and met his gaze. For a moment, Sesshoumaru felt as though his breath had been forced from his lungs as she looked back at him intensely before the corner of her mouth lifted up in the tiniest of smiles and she returned her attention to the front of the room. This wasn't the first time this had happened; it seemed that it was becoming a regular occurrence.

"C'mon, Sesh!" Kouga said with a grin, beckoning his friend over from the doorway.

Rin watched in amusement as Sesshoumaru got to his feet with a sigh and walked towards the door where his friends waited. She had deliberately kept her distance from him since the night at the bar, waiting to see if he would approach her to question her actions, but much to her disappointment, he didn't. Frowning, Rin sighed quietly as she watched him leave the room.

"Got your eye on someone, Rin?" Kagome asked with a sly grin as she sat on her friend's desk.

"Maybe," Rin replied, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

Hearing the little exchange, Sango grinned and pulled a chair up to where they sat while Ayame chose to sit on a nearby desk, eager to hear about this new revelation in her quiet friend's social life.

"Can it be?" Sango exclaimed dramatically. "Could our Rin have finally found a man worthy of her attentions?"

Rin laughed. "No need for such dramatics, Sango. Maybe you've been around Miroku too much and his habits are rubbing off on you?"

"He's not nearly as dramatic as you think he is," her friend replied with a smile.

"That's all beside the point!" Kagome said, rolling her eyes in mock exasperation. "Does he know?"

"Who is it?" Ayame demanded, feeling left out of the conversation.

"Sesshoumaru," Sango said matter-of-factly.

"Really? I thought you hated him?"

Rin shrugged nonchalantly. She hadn't really intended to have this conversation with her friends just yet, but evidently they had taken the decision out of her hands. When she thought about it, they could probably give her some useful advice.

"Well?" Kagome pressed, looking at her friend intently. "Does he know?"

Smirking, Rin thought back to the last time she spoke to him. "I'd say he has an inkling."

"An inkling?" Sango said with a raised eyebrow. "I guess that means both of you have realised your feelings and have done nothing about it?"

"I wouldn't say we've done nothing about it," Rin corrected.

"What have you done then?" Kagome interrupted, deciding to take control of the situation.

"We kissed a couple of times."

"You and Sesshoumaru?" Ayame gasped in surprise. "I didn't think he'd be capable of something like that."

"What are you going to do now?" Sango asked, ignoring Ayame's outburst.

"I guess I'll just see what happens."

"You need to take initiative, Rin," Kagome advised sagely. "If he's anything like his brother, he'll be a bit slow realising that you feel the same way he does."

Sighing, Rin closed her eyes and thought over her friend's words, knowing that she was right. Inuyasha had been very slow realising that Kagome liked him and it worried her that Sesshoumaru would be the same, although part of her told her that he was more intelligent than his brother. What would happen if he found someone else before he realised that she liked him? She'd be back at square one – avoiding all men for fear of being hurt.

"Well what do you suggest I do then?" Rin asked, feeling worry creep into her mind. "You all know how limited my experiences are with men."

"We'll help you," Ayame said cheerfully, patting her on the shoulder.

"We have no classes this afternoon," Sango said excitedly. "We can start today!"

Unbeknownst to the chattering women, three men stood in the hallway outside the room listening to the conversation in surprise. Miroku looked at Inuyasha who looked as though he had just seen a ghost. The idea of someone liking his brother had been surprising, but the fact that his stoic seemingly asexual brother had kissed this woman, not once but twice! He shuddered to think about what else his brother had done that he didn't know about.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Rin sighed as she stared at herself in the mirror just a couple of days later. The person looking back at her didn't really look like herself and she wasn't sure that it was an image that suited her, but her friends insisted that it did so she just had to trust their judgement. The trio of girls had organised a group get-together that night and were currently spending as much of their time as possible ensuring that Rin looked spectacular. Normally, she wouldn't bother with make up or fancy clothing, but her friends insisted that it was necessary for tonight.

Later, when they were approaching the restaurant where they would meet the four men, Rin found herself receiving tips of all kinds from the trio of women. She sat in the back of Ayame's car beside Kagome and wondered how she was supposed to remember any of the information they were drilling into her head.

"Remember the eye contact," Kagome said, looking out the window as the building came into view.

"Not too much though!" Ayame said from the front. "Maintain it for a short time and then look away."

"Don't forget to smile," Sango added, turning in her seat to grin at her friend. "This is so cute!"

Rin sighed and unbuckled her seat belt as the car rolled to a stop. While she stood beside the car with the other girls, she smoothed her dress down and wished she hadn't told them about Sesshoumaru. Just as she wondering how she could get out of the situation, she felt someone nudge her in the side and looked up to see Kagome looking straight ahead at the three males approaching them. Her jaw almost dropped when she saw that they were all dressed as smartly as the girls. Perhaps it was a fancy restaurant?

Somehow through the course of the evening, everyone ended up paired up, although it didn't really surprise Rin that much. Kagome and Inuyasha had been a couple for a while. Miroku and Sango were working their way towards a relationship slowly, but she was at a complete loss as to what was happening between Kouga and Ayame. They fought like cat and dog, but there was obviously something between them despite their disagreements.

The meal passed quickly which allowed Rin to relax a little more when she sensed an end to the evening approaching rapidly. Much to her surprise, Inuyasha and the rest of them left soon after the meal, once again leaving Sesshoumaru to foot the bill. If she had been the suspicious type, she could've sworn that everyone was trying to set them up and that this was their discreet way of throwing the pair together. She rolled her eyes slightly as she watched them leave the restaurant, knowing that at least one of her friends would end up in a bed that didn't belong to them.

"Another drink?" the waiter appeared beside the table, clutching a bottle of champagne, ready to pour the liquid in their glasses.

"Please," Sesshoumaru said gruffly, training his eyes on the rapidly filling glasses.

"I didn't know you were planning to treat me again," Rin said, catching his gaze briefly then looking away, just like Ayame had taught her.

"They don't serve cocktails here, I'm afraid," he said, watching as she daintily picked up one of the grapes on the plate in front of them.

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as he watched her. She definitely looked stunning, there was no questioning that, but what put him on edge was the look in her eyes. It reminded him so much of their last encounter that he decided it was best to be slightly wary of the woman. It was difficult to try and understand her thoughts as she seemed to have learnt how to hide them expertly behind a calm mask, much like his own.

"You've been avoiding me," she said with a vague smile as she watched him carefully.

"I think you've been avoiding me," Sesshoumaru replied in a seemingly calm manner.

Rin laughed. "I guess we've both been avoiding each other then."

"How are you getting home?" he asked, desperate for a topic change.

"I don't know," she admitted. "I didn't think of that."

Sighing, Sesshoumaru got to his feet and motioned for her to follow. "Come on then."

Rin followed him out of the building, almost crashing into him when she found him standing in the doorway looking out with a frown. Curiously, she peered over his shoulder to see sheets of rain falling from the heavens and the trees leaning almost at right angles in the strong winds. Rin watched as he turned back into the restaurant and approached the front desk.

"What is the weather forecast for tonight?" Sesshoumaru asked.

The man stared at him for a moment in surprise at the strange question. "Rain, sir."

"Thank you."

Sesshoumaru resisted the urge to sigh and rub his temples. He didn't mind spending time with Rin, in fact he'd like nothing more than to spend more time with her, but he didn't like the dressed up Rin that she was tonight. She was exceptionally beautiful, but he had to admit that he liked her best when she was her usual self. Shaking his head to clear it of such thoughts, he walked over to the door and pulled off his jacket before turning to Rin.

"What're you doing?" she question in confusion when she felt the jacket drape over her head and shoulders.

"Do you want to get wet?"

She remained silent and stared at him. Who'd have thought he'd be so considerate to her not once, but twice? Shock ran through her as she felt him take one of her hands in his own and open the door wide before making his way towards his car that waited nearby. When they were on their way, Rin turned in her seat slightly to look at him. There was something very appealing about his seriousness and she had to admit that he still looked devastatingly good looking even when his hair was wet and clinging to his skin. Sighing softly, she wondered how he had somehow managed to change her somewhere along the way.

"What do we do now? Rin asked, deciding that he was leaving it up to her to break the silence.

Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by his phone ringing loudly. "One moment," he nodded to Rin as he scowled at the phone telling him it ws Inuyasha.

"Sesh?"

"What?"

"Are you and Rin still at the restaurant?"

"Yes."

"I think you two should leave soon."

"Why?"

"It's raining…"

"Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru interrupted, beginning to get annoyed. "Did you phone me just to give me a weather update? I can see that it's raining."

"Well, no. I didn't call just for that."

"Then what is it?"

"We just heard that the rain's not going to let up for a couple of days." There was a moment of silence. "There might be a typhoon."

"That's unfortunate," Sesshoumaru replied, looking thoughtfully at Rin as he spoke.

"Yeah, you two may want to get home just in case it does happen."

"What will you do?"

"We're all at Kagome's so we're okay."

Sesshoumaru stared at the phone when there was a moment of silence and then something that sounded like a series of whispers before the sound of a man in pain came across the line.

"Sesshoumaru?" This time it was Kagome.

"Yes?"

"Please look after Rin. Storms make her quite uncomfortable."

"I'm aware of this."

"You are?" she sounded surprised. "Well just go somewhere safe."

"We will."

"Take care of yourselves."

The line went dead and he was once again left staring at the phone. Sighing, he shook his head slightly as he pocketed the phone. Why was everyone making such a big deal out of this? It was just a typhoon, not the end of the world. Sure it caused a mess and a few people died, but as long as they were somewhere safe, Sesshoumaru saw no reason to panic about the situation. Feeling a gaze on him, he turned to see Rin looking at him curiously, clearly wanting to know what was happening.

"We will go to your home first," he said, turning in his seat to look at the beautiful woman beside him. "Then we will both return to mine."

"Why?" Rin stared at him in confusion. If that was supposed to be a romantic proposition, then he had failed miserably.

"According to my brother, a typhoon has been predicted," Sesshoumaru paused and watched realisation dawn on her face. "If I remember correctly, you do not like storms."

"No," she said quietly, looking out over at the rain.

"Then you are not to be left alone. We will return to my home after visiting yours."

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

By the time they reached Sesshoumaru's house an hour later, the rain had lessened, but the wind still blew ferociously. If it had been any other situation, he would have found the fact that the wind nearly blew Rin over as she got out the car quite amusing, but he decided that she probably wouldn't appreciate humour just then. Instead, he took her bag from her and guided her towards the door, ushering her inside quickly once he had unlocked it. Taking her hand, he tugged her gently along beside as he made his way up the stairs and to the bedroom.

"I won't be using a guest room?" she squeaked in surprise as she once again found herself standing in Sesshoumaru's enormous bedroom.

"We have none," Sesshoumaru said and looked at her with mild amusement. "You will have to stay here unless you prefer the sofa downstairs."

"Point taken," Rin said with a sigh and looked around before her eyes settled on the bed. "Can I not just sleep on the floor?"

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "You think I would let you sleep on the floor?"

Rin gave him a crooked smile and looked up at him from beneath her lashes. "No, but it was worth a try."

Rin withheld a laugh as she watched him shake his head slightly, the tinniest of the smiles gracing his lips before he turned and put her bag on the bed and leaving the room briefly. When he returned, he placed a towel beside her bag and she nodded her thanks. At least the man was considerate and knew how to treat guests. She doubted she would receive the same treatment had she been with Inuyasha instead.

"I suggest you get changed," Sesshoumaru said as he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over the back of his desk chair, loosening his tie as he turned back to face her.

Sesshoumaru sighed as he watched the bathroom door close behind Rin. He liked to be in control of things and everything that had anything to do with Rin was beyond his control and it was frustrating him no end. First she doesn't like him, then she opens up to him, then she kisses him. Did that mean she was going accept his feelings toward her? Or did it simply mean that she was playing with him, humouring him until he lost interest? He sat down heavily on the bed and carefully thought over the situation. Surely she had some interest in him, even if only a little? The simplest solution would be to simply ask her where he stood, but his pride stood in the way and he felt himself unable to ask. Regardless of her motivation, Sesshoumaru decided that the best thing he could do was to go along with her advances, humour her and see where it led. He might get an answer out of her actions.

Rin emerged from the bathroom dressed in a pair of trousers and a long t-shirt that was clearly not hers. Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the shirt, knowing that it was definitely a man's shirt. He didn't like the idea of her being dressed in another man's clothing, even though he knew that it probably belonged to one of her two band mates. A vision of her dressed in his shirt the last time she had been in this room flashed through his mind and he discovered that he liked that image a lot more.

"So what are we going to do?" Rin asked, sitting in the centre of the, legs crossed and head tilted as she looked at him curiously.

"About what?"

"We aren't going to sit here in silence until the rain passes, are we?"

"I have work to do," Sesshoumaru said, leaning back in his chair to look at her before waving his hand around the room. "Feel free to look for something to entertain you."

Rin stared at him in surprise, not sure if he meant what he said or was merely trying to appease her. Her curiosity, however, had been piqued when he said that he had work to do. She wondered what that work could be, it was obviously not work from class because they had none that was due in. She was just about to question him about it when he rose to his feet and crossed the room, approaching a large cabinet that sat directly opposite the bed. Rin gasped when she saw the television kept discreetly inside the cabinet and was stunned when Sesshoumaru dropped the remote on the bed beside her.

"Maybe that will alleviate your boredom," he said quietly before sitting down in his chair and switching on his desk light, leaving the rest of the room to bask in the glow from the television screen.

After watching him for a few minutes, Rin decided that perhaps the television was going to be her only source of entertainment since Sesshoumaru was now thoroughly engrossed in whatever work he had on the desk in front of him. Sighing, she flicked through the channels, hoping that there would at least be something decent to watch. Having gone through them all twice, she finally settled for a film that she had seen a couple of times before. Romantic comedies were never really her favourite type of film, but there was nothing else on so she had to make do with what she had.

Time passed quickly and Sesshoumaru eventually turned around in his seat when he realised that it was already past midnight. The sound from the television was low and it's glow illuminated the room just enough to make out the shapes of everything in the room. Rising to his feet, he made his way over to the side of the bed he normally slept on to turn on the light, but he paused when his eyes fell on the figure lying on the bed. At some point during the film, Rin had fallen asleep and obviously made herself quite comfortable. She had curled up into a ball, clutching his pillow to her chest and the faintest hints of a smile on her lips. Her long hair cascaded down her back and over her shoulders, making her appear almost childlike.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help staring at the woman in awe. Her beauty never ceased to amaze him. When he came to his senses, he realised that he should probably take a leaf out of her book and get some sleep as well, although he doubted he would get much knowing that she shared his bed. Shaking the thought from his head, Sesshoumaru slipped beneath the covers, making sure there was a respectable distance between the pair of them. He felt a wave of weariness overwhelm him and he looked at Rin again before falling asleep, a smile gracing his lips as he knew that she would plague his dreams that night.