Chapter 15

I pushed through the last bush and stumbled awkwardly into the clearing. Grumbling, I picked myself up and looked around. I hadn't been back to my brother's clearing since the day the music students had first discovered me playing here.

I had thought I was done with this place but I was leaving for Nationals tomorrow and something had drawn me back here one last time. I knew Shou was always with me on stage but this place was special to both my brother and me and it seemed wrong to leave without saying goodbye.

Sitting down on a stump, I pulled my violin case up on my lap and opened it. My new violin was absolutely beautiful and I adored the instrument. It felt right that Shou would listen me play here one last time with it.

The silence of the forest was peaceful so I simply sat for quite a while listening to nothing. My friends would often comment on how it was strange that I loved silence so much but what I found was a little silence and a little music made one amazing combination.

Finally I stood and lifted the violin to my chin and began playing some of Shou's old favorite including Ave Maria. The notes hauntingly circled the woods and passed through the dark trees. As always I was instantly lost in the music as one song flowed into the next.

I found myself wondering what my life would be like if Shou had never died. Of course, we would still be performing but I wondered if I would have ever met Sesshomaru and the others if my brother had lived. I doubted it. Which would I choose? Sesshomaru and my friends or my beloved twin brother?

I missed my note and came to a screeching halt. Why was I thinking of something like this? There was no way to change the past and dwelling on it wouldn't help anyone. Tomorrow I was leaving on a trip that might very well change my life and that was what I should be focusing on.

Stretching out in the grass I looked up into the endless blue sky. Shou loved the sky and we had spent many happy hours laying on roves and hills staring up at the clouds and stars. Even when we were separated we knew that we would always be looking at the same sky no matter how many miles separated us.

I wondered that if wherever he was, if he could still see the sky. I hoped so. Shou certainly deserved paradise and it would have to include the sky to be complete.

After a long time I finally picked myself up and worked my way out of the forest. I didn't have much else to say to my brother. Everything he needed to know would be in my performance at Nationals.

My mom picked me up at the edge of the forest and raised an eyebrow at me as I slid into the seat next to her. "So are we done with the forest, Rin?" she asked softly.

I thought for a few moments and then slowly nodded. Looking back at the bright green trees I answered, "Yes. I don't think I'll be able to find anything else out there. Now it's just me and Nationals."

"Nationals and us," replied my mother with a smile.

"Right," I replied, "Nationals and us. Sesshomaru, Lily, Isabella, Kohaku, Will and Lucas. We will win it together."

The Next Day

I settled into the seat next to Sesshomaru on the plane ready for the four hour flight to Washington DC. "Ready to add more to our frequent flier mileages?" asked Sesshomaru with a smile.

I grimaced. "I never liked flying," I answered, "no matter how much I did."

Sesshomaru laughed and said, "Too bad. Personally I have always loved being in the air. "Safer than cars," he said.

I flinched and after a moment Sesshomaru winced. Reaching over to take my hand he squeezed and said softly, "Sorry. I wasn't thinking."

I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm not quite as sensitive as I once was."

"It isn't wrong to be sensitive on a subject like that," Sesshomaru said.

I laughed softly and replied, "Maybe you are right. I think it's just more like I've come to peace with it is all."

He nodded but didn't say anything else. I heard the others talking around us but I preferred Sesshomaru's and my silence. We really could understand each other really well. Or maybe it was just the calm before the storm, not sure.

Eventually I was pulled into a conversation by Will and Isabella arguing about some musical scale which I had absolutely no idea about. Just because I used to be famous didn't mean I knew everything. They continued arguing until we finally got to DC.

We had originally thought that we would be picked up in a limo and be driven to our hotel but we were in for a surprise as soon as we stepped out of the airport.

Standing in a dozen lines behind several yellow tape lines and at least ten police officers were dozens of reporters all shouting, apparently having a field day.

"There she is!" a woman called, pointing a styled finger straight at me. Instantly people began calling my name, my real name Rin Tsukimori, and shooting of a hundred questions a minute.

"Well," Will said dryly, "I think they finally got it through their thick heads who you really are."

"You think?" I asked with a sigh, "I was hoping that we could keep it under wraps until after Nationals."

"Actually we are lucky we could keep it a secret for as long as we did," Lily commented.

I made an unattractive face. "I was never very good with reporters. Think there is any way to avoid to trouble and get to our hotel?"

"Is there a back way?" asked Kohaku, practically yelling to be heard over the reporters.

Just then a police officer ran up to us and said, "I take it one of you is Rin Tsukimori?"

Rising up a hand sheepishly, I said, "That would be me. Any chance you can help us to avoid the angry crowd?"

The police man cracked a smile and told us, "Follow me."

He led us around the airport while his buddies kept the reporters busy. We were bustled into a car and after a quick thank you to the officer; we were off to the hotel.

I breathed a deep sigh as I settled into my seat. "If they are at the hotel too, I am going to scream," I commented dryly.

Sesshomaru laughed and said, "Wow, I had almost forgotten how crazy it was when that happened."

Lucas looked at us in horror and asked, "You mean this might happen again?"

Sesshomaru reached over to pat his friend on his back and replied cheerfully, "Comes with the fame."

"They can actually be fun to talk to sometimes," I said, "as long as they are not around every single corner you turn."

"Are they going to cause trouble at Nationals?" asked Lily, suddenly concerned.

"I doubt it," said Will thoughtfully, "Security is usually pretty darn tight at these competitions."

I nodded and added, "But if we do end up winning then we'll have to expect some interviews, especially Sesshomaru and I."

"Hey!" cried Isabella, gleeful again, "There is no if about it, Rin! We so totally have Nationals in the bag! With our piece there is no way we won't win!"

The rest of us grinned at our friend's words. Nationals this year was totally free, anything goes. We had managed to come up with a combination of all our instruments that was a soft and beautiful song.

Will, Lily and Sesshomaru had spent two weeks spending every single available hour working on the piece and when it was finally ready it had been only practice, practice, and more practice for all seven of us. It had definitely been a hard couple of months but I wouldn't have spent it any other way.

Come to think of it, if the others hadn't been able to convince me to join them my life would have been incredibly different. Right now I probably would have been lying in my bed totally depressed, thinking about everything I had lost. Instead here I was about to win just about everything that really mattered. I knew Shou would be so proud of me.

That was all that really mattered in the end wasn't it? The love and pride of the people who cared for you. Looking around the car I realized that I had already won everything that really mattered. That, of course, didn't mean I planned on losing at Nationals. On the contrary, I had a good feeling about tomorrow. I was going to do everything I could to help us bring home the trophy for me, my brother and my new musical family.

Story's close full tilt now! Review everyone, I really want to hear everyone's thoughts!