Chapter 9

I sat on one of the chairs in the music room with one hand on my chin silently watching as Isabella and Will shouted at each other.

"I told you it's a B flat not a sharp!" cried Isabella, hands circled into fists and waving in the air.

"Open your ears, Isabella!" Will shouted back, "That was a B flat!"

I sighed and leaned back in my chair staring up at the ceiling. I was at my first practice for the NHSMC and it wasn't going too well. In fact, it had been like this all afternoon, people shouting at each other and generally just not agreeing on a single thing.

Lucas was still in the hospital and the others couldn't seem to come to agreeable terms on anything. They had the music all picked out for the first completion but I had come to realize that they all had very different views on how it should be played.

I was sitting by Sesshomaru and we were the only ones who hadn't tried to play anything so far, choosing instead to simply watch the drama unfold.

Turning to Sesshomaru, I asked, "Are they always like this?"

He snorted and answered, "You've only ever really played with one other person so I guess you wouldn't know but in a group there is always one too many options and one too many ideas. This can go on for days before we all actually settle on something."

I winced. "How can you stand it?" I asked.

Sesshomaru shrugged and said, "Mostly I just sit back until they come up with something they all agree on and then work on it to make it perfect. Tiring as it may be, when you get a bunch of child prodigies in one room you need to just go with the flow."

"I guess so," I said with a sigh watching as Lily entered the argument. I eventually pulled out a book and read until Lily's voice cut through my mind. "Rin, if you have nothing better to do than read a book why don't you play a piece for us?" she asked huffily, "after all we have only heard you play once before."

I looked up to find the five of them staring at me. Seeing no way out of this one, I picked my old violin up with a shrug and said, "Ok. Why not?"

Walking to the center of the room I had time to think that I would really need to get a new violin before any competitions as I hefted the instrument onto my shoulder. This one was getting old and worn. I thought for a moment before starting to play an old time favorite, Ave Maria. It was a piece that wasn't too advanced but certainly not something a beginner could play well.

From the first note I was sucked into the music just like I had always been. I was vaguely aware that maybe I shouldn't feel this way without Shou but I quickly pushed that thought away. I had made my decision and there was no going back.

The notes floated together, rising and falling in a beautiful, pure song. This was my mother's favorite and had always been very special to me.

At the end of the piece I finally looked up to see the others all watching me very carefully. "Well I can see that the forest wasn't just some big fluke," said Isabella, only a little bit sour.

I laughed nervously and putting my violin on the table answered, "No, it wasn't. Listen you guys, I'm new to this so I really have no input for what music we choose but whatever it is odds are I can play it. The years haven't seemed to take away my skill apparently."

"That's great!" exclaimed Lily, "if we are ever able to agree on something that is."

I glanced at my watch and to my surprise I saw it was already five o clock. "I'm sure you'll come up with something," I said picking up my violin case and school bag, "but I need to get going. When's the next practice?"

Will laughed and said, "You have been away from this for a while haven't you? Practice is after school every day and on the weekends. It will be even more if we get past the state competition."

I winced at the long schedule and asked, "Just how many competitions are there?"

"Just three," Lily answered, "State, Regional and National."

"This should be interesting if nothing else," I commented.

We all packed up both our school work and musical equipment quickly, eager to be home after a hard day. As I was leaving the music room I heard someone call out my name and I turned to find myself face to face with Sesshomaru.

"Sesshomaru!" I said in surprise, "What is it?"

He walked up to me and with a slight smirk said, "My driver's car broke down so I need to walk home. I believe we live in the same direction. I'll walk you home."

I stood gapping at him for a few moments before spluttering, "Um, most of the time when a boy wants to walk a girl home he politely asks her not just tells her like she has no say in the matter!"

"That is usually only the case when the boy is trying to make a move," Sesshomaru answered smugly, starting to walk, "which is totally cliché."

I had to almost run to catch up to him as I demanded, "So why then are you walking me home?"

Sesshomaru turned his head to look thoughtfully at me before saying, "I guess that would have to be because you amuse me."

I spluttered for a moment, unable to come up with a sharp retort so I settled on an infuriated silence.

We walked out the school building and across the field to the road without a word. Then Sesshomaru suddenly said, "I must know Rin. What was it that made you finally join us? I was sure that we wouldn't be able to convince you and yet here you are."

I glanced across at him and meeting his golden eye looked down. "I guess it was Lucas's accident that finally convinced me," I said slowly, "I realized that people I care about are always eventually going to leave but I shouldn't waste any of my time with them."

After another moment I added in a softer tone, "And I suppose that meeting you all reminded me just how much I missed music."

"I was wondering if that would be it," commented the smug boy beside me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You, me, and the four others are part of a very small group," said Sesshomaru thoughtfully. "Our music is than just an instrument to us. Our music is a part of us. If we ever lose it then it is like losing an arm or a leg. It's hard to live without it. I must say that I'm surprised that you managed to for so long. That may be why you never lost your skill."

"I never really thought of it like that," I said and I hadn't. I couldn't remember a time in my life where music wasn't in the center so it really had been like losing a part of my soul. Playing today had felt like heaven again. Even without Shou I now realized that I could still love music because he would have wanted me too. Besides, his soul was still in my violin and I could think of him every time I picked it up to play.

Sesshomaru and I pasted through the streets in a silence that could almost be called companionable. I realized that when I was around Sesshomaru our silence actually spoke more than words could. A week ago I thought we had nothing in common but know I saw that we did, maybe more than I'd like.

"Rin," said Sesshomaru after a long time, "did you know that we are the two youths that hold the most musical records in the world?"

I shrugged. "To be perfectly honest I stopped paying attention to that sort of thing," I answered.

"Well, we do," said Sesshomaru in a matter of fact tone, "I believe that you have six and I have five."

"So?" I asked, not really liking where this was going.

To my immense surprise Sesshomaru turned and actually gave me a real smile. "For a long time I wanted to beat you because you were the best around. Not to mention you were a girl and younger than me. However, I never could."

"Why couldn't you?" I asked, "you had a whole year after I left."

He nodded. "I know, but it wasn't enough. Something about your music just demanded to be at the top. Now I'm just wondering if it still will be."

"Does it matter?" I challenged, "The NHSMC is for groups, not individuals. I don't think we should be trying to beat each other but instead make our music work with all the others."

"I suppose you're right," Sesshomaru said with a dramatic sigh, "but I do so do better with competition then corporation."

I snorted. "You don't have to worry about that," I replied, "Something tells me that we are going to get plenty of competition in the NHSMC, just a new kind."

To my surprise, Sesshomaru laughed and said almost gleefully, "Well, I am always up for a new challenge. That makes winning all the more fun!"

"You are full of yourself, aren't you?" I asked dryly but couldn't help smiling a little. Sesshomaru Ito was different then I thought he would be when I saw him again after these last years. He may be slightly obsessed with being the best, but all the greatest athletics and musicians in the world had that same obsession. No, it was more than that, it was the fact that he actually seemed to love his music and wanted to be known for that.

I admired that trait but it was more than that. I understood it like not many people could. This music competition may be more fun than I thought.

"Hey when is the first competition anyway?" I asked. It was mid October now so it couldn't be until at least February…

"December 16," said Sesshomaru in a monotone.

I stopped dead and stared at him. "Two months!" I cried in horror. "Two months, are you all nuts! We don't even have the music worked out yet!"

Sesshomaru had also stopped and know he simply shrugged, "Don't get so worked up about it, Rin. Honestly it's always like this. I can personally promise you that by the end of the week we'll music to practice with."

"But only two months?" I asked miserably, staring the walk again.

"You've played for royalty remember?" Sesshomaru replied, "This should be a piece of cake for you."

I glared at him and huffed, "Hello, it's been two years remember? I'm not as good as I used to be."

"Well you had better relearn quickly if we are going to stand a chance," the boy next to me answered with that infuriating smirk of his.

I was about to give a smart retort about if we lost it would certainly be because of a certain silver haired idiot when I realized we were in front of my house. I looked up at my modest two story house and then turned back to my high and mighty escort.

"We'll see about that," I said, "anyway thanks for walking me home Sesshomaru."

He grinned and to my immense surprise leaned in. I stumbled back only to hit my gate, trapped. I'm not sure what I expected him to do but he simply leaned in and said in an incredibly soft voice, "Oh thank you, Rin. I had so much fun today, you are truly very amusing. Until next time, Rin Tsukimori."

With that the silver haired boy stood up and walked down the street presumably to where ever it was that he lived.

I stood frozen by the gate, face totally red and staring after him. He was such an idiot! Shaking with something that was a mix of anger, embarrassment and something that I didn't want to acknowledge I walked back into my house. I was going to have an interesting two months.

Ooo a little (good) tension between our two favorite characters! Review Everyone!