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On the bus
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Rin tried hard to stop her own heart beat from racing. Her mind churned on and on about the many disastrous possibilities now that two unexpected intruders had joined them on the trip to the country. With staggering breaths, she passed occasional glances at the dark haired girl beside her and all the boys who were fighting for chances to get close.
"Sara-san, the other day, why did you faint?" Hojo pushed to be the first to hoard her with questions.
Sara dipped her head shyly while half scratching her head. "Erm.. Actually I'm anemic." She casually laughed. "And I guess I was a little too tensed up."
"It's okay. I'll be here to protect you throughout the trip. You can count on me." Hojo raced to the seat behind, wanting to place a comforting hand on her shoulder but was ruthlessly stared at by the other members of the team.
The dark haired girl gave a little bow. "Arigato, you're all so kind. When I first volunteered to join you guys, I was a little worried but now…." She covered her mouth gently as she chuckled.
"Sara-san, you're really very cute." Her dainty gestures had definitely gained much positive impression for Naraku. His eyes twinkled as he commended her but almost instantly, he received a loud and painful slap on his head. It came from the heinous girl by his side.
"Stop spurting nonsense!" Kagura glared at him with immense frustration. "I don't like her even one tiny bit! Who's she anyway?"
"Oh you don't know yet?" Naraku decided to fill her in. "She's the one who was betrothed to Sesshoumaru by his grandmother. She's his fiancé." He flashed an innocent grin. "But I think she doesn't like Sesshoumaru."
Kagura rolled her eyes as her lips smacked with annoyance. "She doesn't like Prince? I doubt so."
"It's true. You're too sensitive." The boy stated plainly while gauging her reactions.
"I think YOU're the one who's too insensitive!" She gave him a hard incredulous stare. "A girl sweet like candy and gentle like a breeze… She's the exact opposite of Sesshoumaru. Haven't you heard before that opposites attract? This was how I lost to Rin in the first place!" Her eyes narrowed at Sara as if about to attack her. "I think she's even more deadly than the ne-san herself."
The boy beside didn't take those words too well. His lips thinned as he turned more sullen. Kagura noticed it right away, utterly displeased.
"What!" She challenged.
Naraku shook his head, his head dipped to the ground. "I thought you'd already gotten over Sesshy. I didn't think you still care your relationship with Rin and him."
The girl was silenced immediately. She merely pursed her lips, preferring to avoid his question and look out of the window. Her heart, though, wasn't on the scenic view outside. She was pondering HARD on the last words of the boy. In some ways, Nak had misunderstood her. She wasn't clinging on to anything, just voicing out her feels of this love triangle that didn't involve her. That was all. Why did he have to put it that way?
"Sara, why do you want to joint the basketball club?" Rin finally couldn't take it anymore. She needed to know this.
The dark haired girl flashed an innocent smile. "Well, that's because I want to be friends with Sesshoumaru and ne-san, because ne-san has been so kind to me. I think you're great people."
Rin heaved an internal sigh, hiding as she turned her head. DAMN! I was right! She's here because I was too nice to her. She wanted to pull her hair right off her skull that very second.
Rin's narration
I have a feeling… that the road ahead of us will be rocky…
Is it really alright to let Sara to be that close to me … and Sessh?
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Outside the chalet
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Rin, Kagura and Sara stood on the pebbled steps leading to the chalet-like log cabin, watching as Sesshoumaru did a little jog up to where they stood. For a moment, the lovers' gazes locked just as the boy reached his destination. As if not noticing that there were others present, pure ambers were solely fixed on hazels until someone crudely broke the invisible bond.
"Prince, the rest of the team members are already gathered at the training ground." Kagura informed as she briefly checked for her camera and notebook. "I'm going there now. You want to come along?"
Sesshoumaru finally turned to acknowledge her, purposefully avoiding the one person in between. "I'll put down my bag first. Then, I'll join you."
Upon hearing that, Sara skipped down to the boy's side, offering her aid, intercepting what Rin would have done. "Sesshoumaru-ni-san, I'll help you take your bag."
But Sesshoumaru swallowed uneasily, still preferring not to look her in the eye direct. After a moment of ponder, he simply said calmly to the one furthest from him. "Rin, bring this in for me." With an elegance that could take one's breath away, he swung the bag to the girl who caught it nimbly with a smile.
"Kagura, ikuzo, let's go." His voice was plain when he turned heading toward the gathering point, leaving the dark haired girl behind him slightly disappointed. But she persisted on, racing down to him, calling out his name.
"Sesshoumaru-ni-san, Sesshoumaru-ni-san." She hopped like a little girl to a candy shop, the boy frustrated instantly knowing that he couldn't just pretend not to hear her. So, he halted in his step, though not wanting the least the face her. But she continued, panting as she reached his side. "Sesshoumaru-ni-san, I don't blame you for the other day because I know you cared for me."
The boy's brows lifted with sneering curiosity. "I scolded you and screamed at you and you're not angry?"
Sara shook her head, grinning. "I understood everything when I went back home and thought about it. You were right to reject acting with me because a person's feeling is not something that could be controlled or manipulated. If I don't love a person, I can never pretend to love him and if I love him, I can never pretend that I don't. You were right in not letting me do things that are so stubborn and spoilt."
Those seemingly touching words didn't gather an obvious effect on the boy's ever nonchalant face. He simply let off a sarcastic smirk. "Then why do you come here then?" He passed her an accusing glare. "You think you really have the ability to be a good basketball manager? Are you really up to the job? If not, isn't that just another show of your stubbornness and childishness?"
Sara bit her lips, fighting back her tears as Sesshoumaru left with Kagura. Even after her confessions and gestures of friendliness, she did all but move the boy. Perhaps, friendship was not meant to be between them. A few feet away, Rin stood watching the scene and the girl more looking so crestfallen and almost crying. An internal war was waging within her. Should she go up to console her? Should she continue to show her kindness, thus, risking her own relationship with Sesshoumaru? At that moment, the girl hated herself, finding that she just couldn't walk away. She just couldn't…
Rin paced down the stony steps, putting a soft hand on Sara's shoulders from behind. "Don't despair, Sara-san." She encouraged gently. "Sesshoumaru is letting himself be the bad person again." She shifted her shoulders so that Sara could see her smile. "Let's go and prepare dinner for the boys. If you do a good job, Sesshoumaru will be left with nothing to say."
Sara's face finally lit up with rekindled hope, scurrying along with Rin to the cabin.
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In the training ground
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After a series of stretching, throwing and passing warm up exercises, Miroku blew the whistle gathering the members. The boys skillfully placed their balls on the hard ground below as they came together in front of the young assistant coach.
"Everyone, this set of training we're about to do is a challenging one…" Miroku signaled up two boys to help him do the demonstration. "You'll get into pairs. The one with the ball will try to score and the one without will try to steal the ball from the other. In the forest, the difficult is increased as there're many trees all around and the ground is uneven."
Just a safe distance away from his partner, Inuyasha, Sesshoumaru bent down in preparation as he held onto the ball. His mind was all but on the exercise, his eyes focusing menacingly on the one about to sound the whistle rather than his opponent. Just as Miroku was taking in a breath to blow, the boy stood up, coolly walking to his side.
"Coach, this exercise that you've designed, if I were to challenge you..." His ambers flashed a hint of red. "I wonder …would you have the ability to steal the ball that's now in my hand?" That was obviously a dare though he still didn't know why he did it.
But Miroku gave a knowing nod. "I think the question if not if I have the ability." He passed him a look the boy swore he hated. "The true question is if I have the intention."
"Do you?" Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed, picking up the underlying meaning quickly.
"Do you care?" Miroku was not any less polite when he hurled the query back to the boy.
The boy made no answer. He simply maintained his stare, not a bit wanting to show weakness.
Gathering quietly at the side, Hojo gave Naraku a slight nudge. "Did you notice they were returning each other's question with another question?"
Naraku nodded nervously. "The mood here's a little too tensed to my liking. It's as if they weren't talking about basketball but something else."
The entire basketball watched in total silence as the two stood, Miroku's chest lowered, his eyes fixed with full attention on the ball now in the hands of his contester. Sesshoumaru's ambers were cold and sharp, his fingers shifting to get a better grasp of the round item in his possession. He wasn't going to let this seemingly just friendly senior steal what was already his, not the ball, and most definitely… not his girl.
It was as if everyone had stopped breathing when the two began charging toward each other, the boy bouncing the ball in his hand at the fiercest speed, passing from the left to the right with agility, each touch down to the ground so specific and swift. Not more than a split moment did he let the item leave his grip. When they passed each other by the shoulder, Miroku did a swift turn, his hand intercepting the ball right the exact second it was off the boy.
Everyone gasped! Sesshoumaru stood there, frozen, speechless as his fingers trembled in mid air, his heart sank to the utter pit of his stomach, his long guarded pride smashed in an instance. The young coach regarded the item now in his hand, deep in thought. Though he didn't make an attempt to flout his victory, Hojo and Naraku were still too afraid to go near their leader at this awkward moment.
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At the barbeque site
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Rin sate herself beside the dark haired girl as she took the canned drinks out of their carton boxes. Casually, she tried to pick up a conversation with her.
"Ano… Sara-san, I remembered you mentioned before that you like someone else? Have you expressed your feelings for him or…Are you two dating now?" Yes, she admitted she was curious about that. She wanted so much to know more.
A rosy blush appeared on Sara's face almost instantly upon hearing that. Shyly, she dipped her head. "No, actually, I don't know where he is now. I'm not even sure what he looks like."
Rin raised an eyebrow, bemused and clouded by the statement. "What do you mean?"
A soft laugh escaped from Sara's lips. "That's because I'm short-sighted. I'm wearing contacts now." Dreamily, she looked heavenward, as if trying to remember a scene not so long ago. "That day, my glasses broke and I was in the middle of a street. And he came to me like a knight in shiny armor and he rescued me like a princess. From then now, I would think of no one but him."
Rin heaved a concerned sigh.
Rin's narration
Sara… she's so much like me before…..
One-sidedly conjuring beautiful scenes of romance, unreal relationships…. Immature infatuations…
Love…. is existing only in her imagination….
A sneering chuckle echoed from behind the two and both stood up in shock. It was Kagura and she was shaking her head sarcastically. "I see. So the one she likes is merely a figment she made up herself." She smirked even louder, turning to Rin with a serious look. "Will she not one day decide to switch this sort of feeling to another person, or even Prince."
Rin's hazels fixed on Kagura, her mind repeating her earlier words again and again. Kagura, she's warning me that I'm in a dangerous position.
"Rin, not that I wish to scare you." The heinous girl continued, her blue eyes turned wider by the second. "There's a type of rival that's most deadly. It's the kind that twines herself into her relationship so subtly and when you discover it, it's all too late. And when you look into her innocent eyes, you won't even find the heart to blame her for it."
Obviously, Sara did not understand all that was converse between the two older girls. She scratched her head, confused. "Ano… I don't understand." She turned to Rin. "Ne-san, do you have someone you like as well?"
Hesitantly, Rin shook her head, denying and avoiding exposing any further details. Wittily, she switched the topic. "Kagura, I thought you're supposed to be with the team, taking photos and making reports. Why have you returned?"
The girl smacked her lips as she sighed. "They're going through the toughest part of the training now, that is, to race to the hill top. I don't have the stamina to follow, so I came back."
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At the foot of the hill
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After a short break, the boys were once again gathered but this time, at the foot of the hill. During their rest, no one dared to go near Sesshoumaru, sensing the foul mood that he was in. There was as though an evil aura surrounded him, one that could kill anyone who drew close.
"Okay boys," Miroku started his instructions, not wanting to dwell further into what had happened just now between him and the chairman's only son, Rin's Otooto. "Racing to Mount Koya is a traditional event for the basketball team. The old members should strive to outdo their previous record and the new members should try to break the record."
Inuyasha nodded, swinging his arms in a half stretch. "Yes, and since the journey up to the hill top not uneven and filled with curves and dips, the coach will not be joining us."
Immediately, Sesshoumaru gave off a sneering laughter. "I see. Being an assistant coach is such an easy job." He gave Miroku a look of mocking disapproval.
"Well, even our coach himself didn't used to join us." The basketball captain defended innocently, stating merely facts but the young coach nodded his head.
"It's okay. I'll join in the race." Miroku kept his eyes on the boy, though without a hint of malice, just a sort of fighting spirit, with a sort of determination Sesshoumaru found it most uncomfortable.
"Yash." Sesshoumaru peered at the captain from the corner of one eye, the other persisting in matching Miroku's. "What was your record last year?"
The firmness in his tone made the captain gulped. "Erm… 1 hour 36 minutes 23 seconds."
The corner of the boy's lips lifted slightly, accepting the challenge with full confidence.
And the competition began, first starting as the whole crowd sprinted with enthusiasm up the grassy slopes. As time ticked on, slowly, Inuyasha gained the lead and following behind closely was Sesshoumaru, then Miroku.
Inuyasha's mind was flooded with a myriad of thoughts as he sped up, seeing the boy almost at his heel throughout the race. Damn! To keep my record this year is indeed tough. Not mentioning that Sesshoumaru's so close behind me breathing down my neck, even Miroku-sensei has amazing stamina.
One by one, the rest of the members found their pace dampened by exhaustion and heat, their heart rate beating to an intolerable pounding they just had a take a moment to calm down and catch their breath. Finally, Hojo stopped, landing on a soft turf of grass panting heavily and Naraku seeing that, flipped down beside him, giving up on the race.
Towards the last lap to the summit, it was left between Yash in the lead, and then the boy, and then the young coach, the rest. Three had long surpassed the rest by such a great distance that none could be spot within view. As the basketball engaged a sharp stony turn, he heard the boy shouted.
"Yash, Watch out!" Sesshoumaru swung his hand toward the captain as he passed him by his shoulder, giving a nudge and landing him safety on the patch of soft turf. It was a planned move on his part, keeping in mind both victory and his friend's safety. With that, he continued ahead, leaving behind Inuyasha being hugged by fluffy daffodils on the side.
Miroku reached Inuyasha's side, helping him up and giving the boy who had gained the lead a hard stare of disagreement. He wasn't at all pleased with what had happened. At the peak, when the captain and the young coach arrived, the boy was already there, his back facing them, his hand on the railing and he was seemingly enjoying a perfect sunset but not quite.
Not able to control his anger anymore, Miroku strode up to him, flipped his shoulder so that he could force the boy to face him. A little taken aback this sudden aggression, Sesshoumaru merely looked on blankly.
"Sesshoumaru, do you have any idea how dangerous it was just now what you did?" The young coach lectured as the captain kept his silence.
His face turned impassive in a moment and he coolly brushed the coach's hand from him. "Was he hurt? No!" He let off a smirk. "I don't suppose you'll believe me if I say I didn't do it on purpose."
Miroku shook in head, disappointed and disgusted with the response. "I see. So this is your idea of good sportsmanship…that you would do anything just to win."
Sesshoumaru had no interest in answering that comment but the captain did. Inuyasha finally gave his honest opinion. "Miroku-sensei, I believe Sesshy."
The young coach's brows furrowed, not understanding why Yash had stood up for the boy.
"I mean, I believe that Sesshoumaru would not do anything just because he wants to win." The captain explained. "And if in the process, there'd be possible casualties, I believe whole-heartedly that he'll make sure to minimize the hurt and injury caused."
After some moments of thought, the young coach finally nodded, walking away. "Yash, I don't know why you're so confident of his integrity." He took in a calming breath before he added. "But I supposed you were once the person he tried to minimize hurt and injury."
His words brought back a lot of past memories of the captain. Inuyasha stood speechless as recollections waved in, especially the scene where he had caught Sesshoumaru stealing a kiss from Rin.
I thought you said you guys are siblings…..We're to become the sort of dangerous siblings who would do this kind of stuff… She's mine…. No matter who she chooses to be with now, I ensure you…one day…I'll make her change her mind…
Perhaps Miroku was right. Sesshoumaru had indeed tried to lessen his hurt by letting him have a punch at him. Still, Yash decided that all was in the past and they're good friends now. It was pointless to dig up something that would ruin what they've both built. Moreover, the tension now wasn't between him and the boy, it was between Sesshoumaru and the coach!
As the coach left them, Sesshoumaru returned to his position by the railings, admiring the magnificence of the view of the hilly plains and lush forestry patches beneath him. Yash paced up slowly to join him.
"Sesshy, you're very different today." He said calmly.
Sesshoumaru refused to look him straight in the eye. "Really, how so?" Though he knew EXACTLY what he was talking about.
"You're unattractive, uncool…" Yash counted with his fingers as Sesshoumaru turned and blurted the last bit.
"And blind!" The boy spat, internally cursing knowingly his own childish behavior.
Inuyasha laughed, patting the boy's shoulder. "Yes, you're very blind. Why are you losing your confidence in front of the coach? Is it because of Rin?"
Sesshoumaru did not make an attempt to reply. Heaving an audible sigh, he started walking away, back to the cabin.
"I'm just not used to seeing Sesshoumaru not as cool as he was before. That's all." The captain shouted and then followed behind him as both began their descent. "I guess… you're not quite used to that too, am I right Sesshy?"
The boy kept quiet as though deep in his own musing.
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At the barbeque site
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Rin gently wiped the thin sheen of perspiration off her temple as she turned to look at the girl just a slight distance away. "Sara-san, could you pass me the mineral water please?"
In an overly ecstatic eagerness, the dark haired girl got up from her squatting position and sprinted toward the water bottle, not noticing the many bottles of other items in her way. Smash! Crash! The sauces, butter and several bottles fell, rolling haphazardly around. Some made of glass were broken due to the impact and others found their way into the river next to them.
Rin gasped in shock as she stood up. But before she could speak, someone else behind her had made it first. "What's this?" The girl recognized that the voice belonged to Kagura. The heinous girl was nothing but kind toward this mishap. "I wonder if Inuyasha has asked you to come to help us or to make trouble."
Immediately, Sara flinched in shame. She said nothing, just accepted the chiding.
But Kagura didn't seem to want to just end it there. She lifted a pointed finger at the fearful looking girl, inching closer to her.
"YOU!" She spurted callously. "You came here one-sidedly wanting to join the club, one-sidedly wanting to make friends with Sesshoumaru and Rin and everyone else, one-sidedly wanting to help. BUT WHY THE HELL MUST WE JUST ACCEPT ALL THESE ONESIDED CONTRIBUTIONS FROM YOU?"
A single tear drop trickled down the girl's cheek as she raised a finger to brush it away. She heaved a soft smile in the end after a lengthened silence. "Arigato, Kagura-san." Their eyes met, gentle black with fury blue. "Because you're only a kind person who doesn't wish to lie to others." Timidly, she fished out a chocolate truffle from her pocket, seemingly wanting to hand it to the girl who had just given her a piece of her mind.
Kagura's lips pursed instantly, her heart slightly softened by the words of the girl but she obstinately refused to admit to it. "I hate chocolates!" She plainly said, turning and walking away, settling on a stone bench not far away.
But Sara fought not to be disheartened. "Then, I'll go wash the fruits." She scurried away as Rin paced toward Kagura.
"Kagura, don't be so mean to Sara. She's just a simple girl."
Kagura glared at her disbelievingly. "Rin, are you nuts? She's your rival! Why are you so nice to her?
A difficult expression appeared on the girl's face. She knew Kagura was right, but… "Till now, I still don't see how she can be of any trouble to us."
"Rin, do not say I didn't warn you. Don't you think it's wise for you not to let her be too close to Prince? Are you prepared for the consequences? Don't come crying to me one day when your Sessh is lost to you!"
Rin's cheeks puffed as she became more and more torn between the two. On one side, she knew it was actually sort of nice for Kagura to give her warnings such as this. In a way, does it mean that the girl had finally come to terms… that she had accepted her as Sessh's girlfriend. But on the hand, she couldn't help to be worried about Sara. She had gone to the river by herself. Is it safe? Plus the fact that she had left in such a depressed mood? Rin clenched her teeth, making a decision she feared she'd regret but for now…
Rin's narration
No matter how things would turn out in the end… or perhaps…. I'm truly a fool…. But… I found that I just can't leave Sara alone…
She needs me now….
With that, even though Kagura's eyes were shooting daggers at her, fuming and almost bursting out in flames, Rin rushed along the steps, after her new friend.
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At the riverside
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Sesshoumaru treaded down the forestry path after his shower, making his way to look for his girl. Since the morning, he hadn't seen her and when he left her at the cabin, he wasn't even allowed the chance to speak to her. Throughout the day, even as his mood rose and fell, a secret part of him was missing her, her ever buoyant smiles, her feminine giggles as he teased her and the way she had always made him feel…. comforted. Yes, he agreed with that word inwardly. Comforted and also… a strange sort of peace…. If he'd known earlier that Rin's irritating 'old flame' was to follow them for the trip, he'd have gone to the girl's room the night before no matter how tired they'd be the next day. He'd have made her scream out in helpless ecstasy to his claims and he'd make her cum so hard, so many times she'd be too sore to stand and her mind… he chuckled… would be too tired to think of the possibility of another. And with the inclusion of Sara, it'd have probably made Rin feel more secure. He sighed.
Just as he was smiling smugly at his own amorous ideas, a soft mumble stopped him in his path. His pupils dilated, spotting the silhouette of the dark haired girl sitting by the river bank and seemingly talking to herself. He traced to her, standing silently behind, listening in.
Now away from Rin and Kagura, Sara finally let her tears flow freely down her pale pink cheeks. "So, there're people who don't fancy chocolate truffles… and also Sara." She sniffed. "Being detested isn't a good feeling at all. I guess after this trip, I'd quite the club and also school. No matter how hard I wish to be friends to everyone, I can't do it one-sidedly against their wishes all that time."
A little remorseful on how badly he had treated her from the beginning, Sesshoumaru went forward, wanting to console the girl… on a friendly basis. "Sara." He called out to her.
The girl screamed out in shock. She turned, lost her balance in a split second on the wet and slippery rock, sliding into the river with a loud splash.
His ambers widened with terror as he saw her fall. Swiftly and elegantly, he jumped into the water, thankfully shallow and heaved her out in a sweep. He placed her safety on the river bank, himself still in knee deep in the water.
Sara squinted her eyes, the boy in front of her only appearing as a blurry image. She realized something was amiss, a strong sense of similarity hit her. "Sesshoumaru-ni-san, I think… I dropped my contact lens in the river." She fought to outline his form. Those set of indistinct fragments, it was… it was so familiar… as if she'd seen it before.
Seeing that the girl was shivering, the boy knew that the evening chills had set in and he didn't wish for her to catch a cold. He removed his jacket, placing it round Sara's shoulders as she hugged it to gain warmth. Then, he hopped back into the waters, trying his best to see if he could spot her missing lens.
Trembling from the cold, Sara grasped the jacket closer, her fingers feeling to the ends of the long sleeves. Then, suddenly, she felt something odd. On one side, one button was missing. Instinctively, she took out her own button, the one that she had picked up in the optical shop, comparing it with the button on the other sleeve. An ecstatic smile rainbowed on her face. They're the same! It's him! It's him! I found him!
Not noticing what was happening, the boy eventually gave up his search, shifting and walking back to the girl. As he reached her side, he flung her hands round him, hugging him tightly. "It's you! It's really you! I've found you!" She backed off just enough to see his face, not releasing her hold on him though. "You're the one I liked. I'm so happy. I can't believe that you're the one my father had betrothed me to. We're destined to meet and be together!"
Just a few feet away, someone froze behind the shrubs. Rin's hands shook violently as her eyes narrowed on the too romantic scene before her, her ears still ringing what was just conversed between the two. She swallowed agitatedly, not believing that this could be happening. Sesshoumaru and Sara… they're hugging so passionately. And what? Sesshoumaru is the one Sara was looking for? He was the one who saved her? He never told her. Fearing that her heart wouldn't be able to take it, Rin left them, going back to the barbeque site, her mind flustered with many thoughts.
The boy heaved a loud enough sigh he fervently hoped Sara could hear. "If you're done, can you let me go now?" There was clear frustration in his voice and the girl did free him of her embrace.
"Ni-san, that day, you saved me and brought me to the optician." Her face turned redder, flushed as she spoke. "I haven't got the chance to really thank you yet."
Sesshoumaru smacked his lips, annoyed. "No matter whether you're a girl whom I casually picked up at a roadside… or even someone my grandmother pushed to me as my fiancé…" He gave her a firm stare. "I have absolutely NO INTEREST in you." He made sure the two words were louder than the rest.
Sara slapped her hands covering her face in utter disappointment but she braced herself quickly. "I know that love cannot be forced and it takes two hands to clap. But because of you, I'm beginning to have a special throb in my heart, something I've never felt before." Her gaze was tender and soft. "Perhaps if we spend more time together, you'll grow to know me and grow to like me. We're to be married you know." She purposefully used that to remind the boy.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Sesshoumaru exploded as he started to walk away. He stopped after a few step, wanting to add on. "Kaede-ba-san can arrange a marriage, but she can never force me to say I do in front of the priest."
Sara tugged on his hand pleadingly. "It's alright you feel this way now. But I don't want to give up."
Sesshoumaru shook her free of him, then continued his way back.
At the barbeque site, Kagura noticed that Rin had returned alone. She picked up the crestfallen hue over her form as the girl blankly strode pass her like a zombie, sitting down at a stony rock beside the river, picking up her task where she had left off. Has something happened? Her head lifted to another who had just come near. It was Miroku. Silently, he paced to the girl, squatting down so that he was at eye level with her. "Rin, let me help you with this." He said softly, instantly realizing that she hadn't heard him at all. It was as if she was in a trance or… in a world of her own… But nonetheless, she was troubled and that was obvious.
"Rin!" He repeated, in a slightly louder tone. The girl looked up, shocked to see her senior so nearby. When had he come? Why hadn't she noticed? But he simply smiled soothing her. "I said let me help you with this." And he took over the task, taking in all of her dampened mood and not knowing how to begin to ask her about it. Just as Rin stood up, she saw Sesshoumaru returning from the river with Sara tagging so closely and intimately behind.
The eyes of the lovers locked, resigned hazels with feral ambers as he noted the contester now beside his girl. He had only left her for a moment and she couldn't wait to be with him. Misunderstood thoughts swarmed both their minds as their hearts ached with a mix of envy, jealousy, lost and hurt.
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At dinner
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The barbeque fire was set up and the boys each held positions in the cooking. Rin performed her role rather professionally, arranging the plates and cutleries and making sure everything the members needed was available. And even when she was seemingly smiling, listening and responding to jokes, her mind had been miles away. Now that Sara had figured out who her valiant knight was, the girl found it really difficult to be near to Sesshoumaru. She didn't want to appear too close to him, fearing that their relationship would be exposed. But yet, her heart had not once, throughout this entire trip, stopped yearning and wishing to be by his side.
But as situations were presently, that would be out of the question, Rin thought to herself bitterly. It would be too obvious to all eyes, especially dangerously Sara's.
Every step that the girl took, every gesture, every conversation, Sesshoumaru's gaze did not once leave her even though he had seated himself a distance away. He watched Rin as she went about her tasks, once or twice, talking to the young coach about casual things like 'how's the food?' and so on. Though Miroku and the girl never did spend anytime alone away from the crowd, the boy still found that he couldn't stand even one second of seeing the two together. It brought out a strange rage inside him, an untamed emotion he was unfamiliar with and definitely…. uncomfortable with. It was calling out to him, as though warning him that this was his opponent.
This person was his true match… one whom the girl might just decide to rekindle where they had left off. Yes. Rin's childhood…. Who she'd spend it with… it was something beyond his capability to change. And Sesshoumaru hated every bit of that. And the way they were that evening, together so happily… so he thought… he just couldn't swallow it. His girl! What nerve! How dare he try to steal his girl!
"Ano… Rin-san, we have no more beer." One of the boys called out and Rin hopped up instantly.
"Oh, I'll get it right away." The girl headed toward the cabin, her hazels did a little scan of the area hoping to catch a glance of Sesshoumaru but to no avail. Heaving a muted sigh from the world, she went on her way.
One brief inspection of the cabin as she opened the door told her that it was empty. Of course, everyone was out at the barbeque pit by the river's edge, who'd be here? Remembering her objective, she went to the kitchen, squatting down to a box containing the beverage, taking out a couple of cans she could cope with.
Suddenly, the door slammed and Rin's heart almost stopped. She turned toward the direction of the exit and around but saw no one. Calming herself internally and convincing herself that it was probably a gush of wind responsible for that kind of force, she shifted back to the carton of drinks.
Rin gasped as a tall dark figure loomed above her, instantly grabbing her up to his level. She let out a scream and a hand swiftly moved to cover her mouth. She struggled to shake free but the person had an upper hand in strength. It was virtually impossible! She cried out inside the powerful palm, no sound seemed to seep through the tight grip.
As the angle of light fell upon them, Rin looked up at her attacker, finally caught sight of his features.
Instantly, she stopped struggling and the person let go.
"Sessh!" She blew a sigh, calming down significantly, taking a moment. Baffled, she chided him slightly. "What are you doing? You scared the hell out of me!"
She only dared say that much. There was a strange aura surrounding the boy and she found it most peculiar. Sesshoumaru looked very different from how he was always. He seemed lost, angered and well, agitated. His ambers fixed at her with a mix of confusion and something else she couldn't put a word to.
The girl had also wind of what had happened during the training this afternoon, how the boy was humbled under the hands of Miroku. Based on the recount of Naraku, Sesshoumaru definitely hadn't taken it well.
"Sessh…" She wanted to console him, to encourage him but was silenced as he pulled her to him, his mouth landing and locking hers fiercely in a kiss. He pressed against her, backing up to one of the sleeping rooms and onto the bed as he took her lips, suckling roughly the upper and then the lower as if devouring them. When Rin released a helpless moan, her mouth parted slightly, he pushed his tongue into her, tasting her, claiming every inch of her inner cravens as she landed onto some soft sheets.
His slightly shaking fingers didn't wait long before they traced to her buttons, undoing them with the most practiced manner. Immediately, Rin fought back as she got more worried about what he was to do.
"Sessh… we can't…. not here… everyone's outside…." She pushed his mouth away with great difficulty, pushing just so that she could see his face. She thought he would stop or give her an explanation for this unexpected flare of passion but he didn't.
Not heeding a word Rin said, Sesshoumaru anchored both her hands to her side above head, moving to the side of her neck. Biting away the side of her blouse revealing her fair skin, he breathed huskily into her, letting his tongue lick a line to her shoulder blade as she cringed and shivered to the itch.
"Sessh… no…" She called out in between moans, panting as her body reacted involuntarily to his caress. Finding that he wasn't at all responding to her, she raised a firmer voice. "Sesshoumaru!"
Sensing the seeming annoyance in the girl's tone, the boy wasn't pleased. He lurched forward, his ambers came into direct contact with her hazels. His slited eyes examined her suspiciously. "You're rejecting me?" He hissed, distinctly unhappy.
"It's not like that, Sessh…" Rin didn't want him to misunderstand. She was rejecting him, just that, she found this place most inappropriate for such intimacy. What if someone barged in on them? "It's just that…"
He cut her off crudely. "You've never said no before…. And now you're saying no to me…. why?" His tone was interrogative, distrustful.
Rin was instantly indignant. She shook her head violently. What was he trying to imply? "Sessh… I told you… I'm not rejecting you…."
"Then, be silent…." He plundered her mouth greedily, with a tension that left Rin breathless. But she finally yielded to him, giving in and allowing him to do what he pleased with her though her mind found it most unsettling. Why is Sessh behaving so strangely?
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Hey everyone,
I know… Sesshoumaru's feeling a little insecure at the moment and everyone's jumpy but things are going to get better… I promise.
Indomitable Spirit: Thanks for taking time to review even when you've read it all. You're just so sweet. And I can't help but wonder, why haven't you updated your fic? It's great you know… honest.
riceball909: Like I've said, nothing too gory's going to happen. Only a real witch could write horrible things to a sweet couple like them… haha
Wolf-Inu-Yasha38: The link to the picture is as follows http:(slash)(slash) because of the limitations of this site, you'll have to convert manually all the symbols in brackets to what they really represents. Hope you manage to find it. All the best.
mysterious advisor: It's complicated right… but they'll get out of this more deeply rooted into this relationship… that's what troubles make you, isn't it… stronger…
april: Believe me, I cried for weeks too and it made me really depressed. I never want to watch the little mermaid for Walt Disney ever again. But I must say though, the author wrote beautifully. She's an excellent writer. That's why we cried so hard.
Thoughts13: Nope, not Kagura… she's old news now. It's just a clash between Rin's old infatuation and Sesshoumaru new fiancé…
Reviews are greatly, greatly appreciated….