AN: I'm sorry this took me so long to update but I was really stumped for a while. Anyhow, I hope that this chapter is okay for the time being. I'll try to finish this sometime soon, but I'm not promising any immediate updates since I may not be able to keep those promises. I've got a hectic few weeks ahead of me so updates may not be as often as I'd like, but please bear with me. I will get all the unfinished stories done eventually and then I'll start working on a couple of sequels :)

xMxAx

Chapter VIII

Ever since Rin and Sesshoumaru had spent the night in her old home, she had been toying with the idea of moving back there. It had been comforting to be somewhere she could call home and although the house brought back many memories, she found that she was able to deal with her emotions now. Witnessing the scene with Sesshoumaru's parents had been the deciding factor and she was pleased he had agreed with her suggestion as she had thought it would be a good idea for him to spend some time away from the city where most of his problems lay. Between them, they had managed to furnish the house and Rin had worked on touching up the décor to make the house seem a bit more homely and had been very pleased with the final results.

Rin had spoken to her manager and he had agreed to let her change her shifts so that she would no longer be working until late at night as she normally did. A few of the regulars overheard the conversation and had implored her not to change her hours, but she had simply smiled and waved away their pleas. She also cut down the days she would work at the bar in favour of getting a part time job a little closer to home and although Sesshoumaru had disapproved of her working two jobs initially, he eventually gave up trying to convince her not to get a second job. Rin had yet to find a second job so he supposed he still had a chance to change her mind, but he didn't have much faith in his ability to persuade her to change her mind.

Eventually the day came when Rin would work her last long shift at the bar and the day when she and Sesshoumaru would finally move into their new home. After picking up their suitcases, the pair left the apartment that had become Rin's home over the past few weeks and Sesshoumaru accompanied Rin to the bar as he always did. He took a seat in his usual seat, ignoring the looks he got from the other men for carrying two suitcases. Rin appeared shortly after and smiled brightly at him as she served the regulars before moving over to where he sat.

"I'll take the suitcases to the house and then come back for you," Sesshoumaru said quietly as he pushed his bottle to one side.

"I can get there on my own," Rin replied with a smile as she leaned on the bar in front of her.

"You are not getting on the train alone in the middle of the night," he countered firmly, his hand sliding around to the back of her neck and pulling her towards him.

"You're too protective."

"That's not a bad thing."

Rin's next words were lost as Sesshoumaru leaned towards her and captured her lips with his and kissed her hungrily. Smiling into the kiss, Rin allowed him to deepen the kiss as she tangled her hands in his long hair. When they parted, Sesshoumaru smirked before giving her a chaste kiss and getting to his feet, ruffling her hair before making his way out the door. Rin smiled to herself as she watched him leave before turning her attention back to the few men who sat at the bar. A blush stained her cheeks as she realised that Osamu was smirking at her.

"He treatin' you good?" Osamu asked gruffly when she came over to refill their drinks.

"I'd say that's obvious," Saburou interjected with a grin.

It had been a week since Rin started her new hours at the bar and since she and Sesshoumaru had moved out of the city and she found the life was far more pleasant outside the city. Sesshoumaru had even found a job with a local mechanic which he seemed to enjoy and Rin found a part time job at the supermarket they had visited when they had spent the night in the house before it was furnished. Initially, Sesshoumaru had protested when she had told him about her job and she had simply smiled and waved away his words saying that he worried too much. Eventually, all worries over her working too much amounted to nothing when Rin herself walking home every night in the company of Sesshoumaru after he promised to meet her after work everyday. Neither of them had heard anything from his parents since the day Rin had met them, but Sesshoumaru seemed to be convinced that they would do something even though it seemed very unlikely as they did not seem to know where their son was. Hours at the bar had been reduced to once a week and everything seemed to be working out perfectly.

Unfortunately, their few weeks of bliss soon came to an end much to Rin's disappointment and Sesshoumaru's irritation. Everything had changed one day when Rin had a day off from working at the supermarket and was left alone at home while Sesshoumaru was at work. She had been trying to decide if she liked the way the living room was currently arranged when she heard a knock at the front door. Frowning, she made her way over to see who was visiting. Pulling the door open, she was tempted to close it and go back to her musing in the living room since she was convinced that her mind was playing tricks on her, but a large hand prevented her from closing the door. She stared at the hand that rested against the door and then glanced up at it's owner, marvelling at how much he looked like Sesshoumaru. Sighing, she eventually crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at the man standing in front of her with a slightly apologetic look on his face.

"Is there something I can do for you?" Rin asked in an unusually cold tone as she eyed the man suspiciously.
The man winced visibly but gave her a crooked smile. "You're so much like Sesh that it's almost as though you're his female equivalent."
"I don't believe that was the answer to my question."
"You won't drop the cold tone of voice if I tell you I'm his brother and I need to speak to you?"
"Why should I?" Rin asked, frowning as she looked the man over. "What makes you think you can find him here anyway?"
"I'm not stupid," the man replied, becoming serious as he pulled back his hand and shoved it into the pocket of his jacket. "I know you're the latest woman to occupy his bed and previous experience tells me that he will not be very far from where you are."
Rin smirked. "It seems I'm in the presence of a genius. However, I suggest that you leave me alone. I'm not interested in your little family feud. If you came to find me, you must've known that I would be alone. I don't care about why you came and I don't want to hear what you've got to say. If it's truly important then you won't mind coming back when Sesshoumaru is present as well."

Without another word, Rin took advantage of the man's shock and closed the door firmly, locking it with an audible click before turning and making her way back into the living room. It was there that Sesshoumaru found her several hours later when he returned from work. He had been surprised to find the door locked, but Rin sitting sedately in the living room. Deciding not to think much of it, he sat down beside her and smirked when she looked at him with a surprised look on her face.

"When did you come back?" she asked, frowning as she glanced at her watch.
"Just now. What are you doing? It's unusual for you to be so dazed," Sesshoumaru asked, looking at her carefully as he waited for her response.
"I was just thinking."
"About?"
"Your family."
"I see. Why would you be thinking about them?" he asked, frowning at the mention of them.
"Your brother came to visit me today."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I didn't give him a chance to tell me and just closed the door in his face."
"Good girl."

Rin's eyes widened slightly when she felt an arm slip around her waist before she was pulled against Sesshoumaru's warm, firm chest. Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and snuggled closer to him as he pulled her onto his lap and nuzzled her neck sat in silence for a little while until Rin eventually grew curious about what Sesshoumaru was thinking and bit her lip as she looked at him seriously.

"What?" Sesshoumaru asked, staring back at her with a slightly confused expression.
"I was wondering what you were thinking."
Sesshoumaru smirked. "I knew that my family would visit you at some point. What did you tell my brother?"
"Just that if he seriously wanted to talk to me, he should come back when you were here," Rin replied with a nonchalant shrug before looking at him curiously. "Have they done this sort of thing before?"
"They have. In fact they seem to do it everytime they discover that there is a woman in my life."
"Then that's why none of the relationships have lasted?"
"Partly," Sesshoumaru said with a sigh. "My family is convinced that the reason why I act the way I do is because of the company I keep. When they realise that I actually might be interested in a woman who they don't think is suitable, they make pests of themselves. They found out about you purely by chance and I had been hoping that they wouldn't ever discover our relationship, but it seems that that will not happen."
"Have you always been on such bad terms with your family?"
"No, not always."

Amber eyes closed as Sesshoumaru leaned back in his seat while Rin sat still on his lap, waiting patiently to hear the story. Sesshoumaru opened his eyes after a moment and looked at her seriously before pulling her against him, resting his cheek on the top of her head as he traced abstract patterns on her skin beneath her shirt. Sighing softly, Rin relaxed against him and Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smirk slightly when she seemed to melt against him. Pulling her closer, he took a deep breath and cleared his throat as he prepared to tell her the long story he had not told anyone in a long time.

"We were quite close at one point actually. My brother and I have always been at each other's throats but it never interfered with the family. From a young age I knew that I was supposed to take over the company when I finished school and my father thought me capable, but as I grew up, I began to realise that I didn't like my future being decided for me," Sesshoumaru said quietly.
"So you rebelled?" Rin asked, slipping her arms around his neck and snuggling closer.
"I suppose you could say that. I didn't plan to rebel, I just decided to do what I wanted to do. Alcohol never really appealed to me, but after a while whether or not it tasted nice didn't matter and it was the same with cigarettes, I suppose. I went in search of places to drink where I knew my father would never find me."
"And you found the little bar I worked in?"
"I did, but it was long before you started working there. There have been numerous women who worked there and most of them gave up after only a week or so."
"Hm, they gave up too easily," Rin said with a smile.
"It was quite a surprise when you started working there, you know," Sesshoumaru said thoughtfully.
"Oh?"
"Everyone was betting how long it would be before you left as well."
"Well I'm tougher than I look!" Rin exclaimed with a grin.
"You certainly are."
"So what do you think your family will do with me?"
"I don't know. They might try to convince you to leave me or they might even try to make a deal of some kind with you. They're devious and they have a lot of power in the city so they're capable of just about anything. Just be careful of them."

The days after the unexpected visit passed quickly and there was no sign of anyone related to Sesshoumaru. Rin didn't particularly care if they wanted to come back to talk to her because she would simply do the same thing she had done the time before, but Sesshoumaru was convinced that his family were plotting something sinister. Eventually the day came when both of them came face to face with what Sesshoumaru had been dreading since the day his family had burst into his apartment back in the city. He had been sitting quietly with Rin in the living room one Saturday when Rin had left him to answer a knock at the door. After a short while, Rin returned to the living room with a livid expression on her face and sat down heavily beside him, huffing angrily as she crossed her arms over her chest. Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrow at her unusually hostile behaviour and was about to question her when a movement caught his eye. Looking up, he stiffened when he recognised the three figures standing in the living room doorway with uncertain looks on their faces.

"What do you want?" he asked coldly as he slipped an arm around Rin's waist, hoping to calm her somehow.
"We need to talk," his father said seriously, sitting down on the nearest chair and looking at his son with an unusually stern expression.
"I don't believe there is anything we have to say to each other that hasn't already been said," Sesshoumaru said with a shrug, glad when Rin relaxed against him a moment later.
"This is quite childish, we need to come to an agreement of some sort. We're both grown men after all."
"It took you a long time to come to that realisation."
"Don't argue, dear," Izayoi said quietly. "Please just listen to what your father has to say."
"Very well," Sesshoumaru said impatiently. "Speak."

Sesshoumaru watched his father carefully as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat as he tried to think of the words he needed. Beside him, Rin shifted slightly, leaning against him and watching the scene with interest as she watched the older man stare at his son to herself, she rested her head against Sesshoumaru's shoulder and smiled inwardly when she felt his arm tighten around her even though he said nothing.

"Is there no way for you to come back to the family?" Inutaisho asked, a pleading look on his face.
"Why would I want to return to the family? You simply gave me orders and expected me to follow them. I enjoy my life the way it is now," Sesshoumaru said with a nonchalant shrug.
"You enjoy drinking and smoking in dirty little bars and having hussies occupy your bed?" Inuyasha exclaimed in disbelief.
"Now look here," Rin said suddenly, sitting up and glaring at the younger brother venomously. "I don't care what your problems are with your brother, but I am not a hussy."
"If you're not going to be polite, then I suggest you leave," Sesshoumaru interrupted hastily, pulling Rin back against him and frowning at his family.
"That was very rude," Izayoi admonished Inuyasha sternly.
"Putting that aside," Inutaisho said with a voice tinged with irritation and exasperation. "We need your help, Sesshoumaru. You are more qualified than your brother to run the business and everyone knows that."
"Perhaps I am, but I'm not interested in that business. Like I said, I'm happy the way I am now."
"The company needs you!"
"No, it does not. It does not need me in particular, all it needs is a strong and capable president."
"But you are the best candidate for that job!"
"That is only because you spend the majority of your time making sure I was capable of taking over the company when you could also have taught Inuyasha. It's entirely your own fault that the future company president knows nothing."
"Can we not make a deal?"
"What did I say to you the other day?" Sesshoumaru asked Rin with a smirk before turning to his father, his smirk still in place. "I'm not going to agree to anything until I hear what you have in mind."

Sighing audibly, Inutaisho leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and clasping his hands together tightly. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at Sesshoumaru and then glanced briefly at the woman beside him. It was obvious that this woman meant more to Sesshoumaru than the other women had done if he had left the city to live with her in her family's home and that could be a problem. Closing his eyes briefly, Inutaisho considered his options. If he was going to get Sesshoumaru to agree to anything, the offer would most likely have to include that woman. Coming to a decision, the head of the family opened his eyes and looked at his son seriously.

"If you are so against becoming the next company president," Inutaisho began, leaning back in his seat as he spoke. "Would you consider helping me train Inuyasha to take your place?"
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow. "Why would you need my help when you managed to train me just fine on your own?"
"I am older now, Sesshoumaru. Besides, you might have ideas of your own that could help him."
"And I would have nothing to do with running the company? Not even any menial tasks?"
"None whatsoever."
"There has to be something else you want. Surely you are not willing to give up so easily?"
"All I ask is that you stop your bad habits and return to your old apartment."
"That's it?"
"That's it."
"It is something to consider certainly," Sesshoumaru said slowly, glancing down at Rin who returned his gaze silently. "However, I do not agree with what you ask me to give up."
"Why?" Inutaisho demanded impatiently.
"I can easily give up the alcohol and the smoking, but I will not give up Rin."
"I never said that you had to."
"I was just making myself clear," Sesshoumaru said firmly. "But in terms of moving back to my own apartment, that is something that I will discuss with Rin in our own time."
"You will consider the deal then?"
"I will discuss it with Rin and inform you of my decision."

There was a long silence as father and son stared at each other, hoping to see something in the other's expression that would give away his thoughts. Eventually, Inutaisho sighed and rose to his feet. Nodding at his eldest son, he simply told him to be quick with his decision before walking out of the room with the rest of the family in tow. When the front door closed, Sesshoumaru sighed and relaxed against the sofa. Rin glanced up at him with a slight frown. If he was going to move back to his old apartment, it would complicate things between them and although she was glad that his father seemed to have finally accepted his son's decision, she wondered if that was truly worth the trouble that their relationship would go through if Sesshoumaru accepted the deal. Almost as though he knew what she was thinking, Sesshoumaru pulled Rin against him and nuzzled her neck gently.

"I will not give you up," he murmured against her neck, his grip on her tightening as he spoke.
"I think you might have to eventually," Rin said sadly and sat back, biting her lip as she thought over their situation.
"I mean what I say," Sesshoumaru said seriously. "If I go back to the city, will you come with me?"
"I have nowhere to live and only a part time job," she said with a helpless shrug. "What will I do with this place if I went back to the city?"
"Then we will stay here."
"But one of the conditions of the deal was you moving back to the city!"
"That may be so, but if my help is as valuable as my father makes it seem, then he will simply have to deal with that slight alteration to the agreement."

Sesshoumaru left no room for arguments as he rose to his feet and swept Rin up into his arms. She sighed softly and wrapped her arms around his neck as he made his way to the bedroom. Going back to the city wouldn't be such a bad thing. They could probably use this house as a holiday home since most people seemed to have one of those somewhere. The manager at the bar would probably be overjoyed if she appeared and asked for her hours to be returned to the way they were, but she wondered how different life would be if Sesshoumaru would no longer be sitting at the end of the bar, watching over her and making sure she got home safely each night. Would the change be for the better or for worse? She couldn't tell but she knew that the only way to know would be to make the change and hope for the best.

"Sesshoumaru?" Rin questioned softly, smiling slightly at him as he laid her gently on the bed and stretched out beside her.
"Yes?"
"Do you suppose life would be different if we went back to the city?"
"I suppose it would in a way," Sesshoumaru murmured, leaning back against the pillows and wrapping an arm around her waist when she leaned against him. "There may be slight changes, but as long as you are there, I don't think it'll be anything I can't deal with."
"Hm, you're a romantic at heart, aren't you?"
"Not really. You seem to have a calming effect on me. Normally I would have flown into a rage and simply thrown the family out instead of listening to them."
Rin giggled. "I made my decision."
"About what?"
"About what we were talking about before we left the living room."
"Oh?"
"I don't really mind moving back to the city, but only as long as I can have my room back."
Sesshoumaru raised a silver eyebrow. "There was really no questioning where you would stay if we went back to the city. You will get your room back, but it will not be the one you used before."
"Why not?" RIn asked with a slight frown.
"Because there is no longer any need for us to use separate bedrooms, is there?"
"That's true," she replied, her smile disappearing as a smile took it's place.

Sighing contently, Rin closed her eyes and drifted into sleep. The future looked uncertain at the present, but she knew that if everything worked out the way it was supposed to, the future would be much happier than the present. The only thing she could do was support Sesshoumaru and hope for the best. It was obvious that his family didn't approve of her although she was inclined to believe that perhaps Izayoi had a different opinion from the other two men. Her life had changed so much since she had met this man and if she could help him just a little to show her appreciation for all he had done for her, she would jump at the chance. This deal Inutaisho had suggested was the chance she had been waiting for. Part of her feared that she was looking at the whole situation through rose-tinted glasses, but another part of her knew that she should not be thinking of herself in this situation. As sleep claimed her, she contented herself with the knowledge that if anything did happen, Sesshoumaru would be there to help her work through any problem that arose.