OXOXOXO

"And then Inuyasha jumps in after it, and just starts paddling along," Miroku ended. Of course everyone laughed at the funny image of Inuyasha.

"Why can't you tell your own embarrassing stories?" Inuyasha grumbled as he randomly pushed around the last morsels on his plate.

"Are you kidding? I'm loving this," Kagome said sitting forward attentively, eyes locked on Miroku.

"Wench."

"Mutt."

"Why the hell does everyone compare me to a freakin' dog?"

"Maybe it's all your whining and barking," Sesshomaru said evenly. Kagome snorted before breaking into whole-hearted laughter.

"Some brother…" Inuyasha pouted.

"I know, but he's all I have," Sesshomaru said dully.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said between laughs, "I think… I'm in love… with your brother." Rin watched the two brothers.

Rin had never seen Inuyasha before Sango started dating his best friend. She'd never seen Sesshomaru interact with his little brother before. TO someone that knew him fairly well, and that someone being Rin, Sesshomaru was actually loving towards Inuyasha. He'd hardly ever bantered with her, but it just looked like joking with his brother came so natural. IT made her jealous for a sibling.

"Well, shall we retire to the living room?" Miroku suggested with some grand waving gesture.

"Sounds good," Ayame said and stood, "as long as we don't have another game of Twister." She patted her absolutely fland and rock-hard abs. "I'm past stuffed." Miroku raised an eyebrow at Sango but remained silent. Women 101: Never comment on their weight, good or bad. "Oh, 7."

"What?" Inuyasha's eyebrows came together.

"9," Kagome added.

"Pardon?" Miroku asked.

"2," Rin said. "Dishes," she explained to the males. "The host picks a number between one and ten. The two closest get the dishes."

"Sure do," Sango said. She showed him she was hiding a hand behind her back.

"Hm, interesting method," he commented. The girls stared pointedly at Inuyasha and Sesshomaru.

"Oh, us?" Inuyasha said innocently.

"Yes," Kagome and Ayame said at the same time.

"Fine, 8."

"4." It surprisingly took very little to sway Sesshomaru. Sango regretfully held her hand up. Three fingers up. She would have changed it, but Miroku had already seen her choice and she was under the impression they were still hiding their friend's old relationship. She tried to convey her apologies with her eyes. Rin half smiled and started gathering dishes while everyone else retired to the living room.

"Should we leave them alone?" Sango asked Kagome quietly.

"Do we have a choice?"

"Well, no…" The group settled in the living room. They sat silent for a moment, simply looking around at each others' hardly masked concern. Well, except for Inuyasha, but that is so common it hardly warrants mentioning. Miroku scratched the back of his head as he spoke.

"Okay, I'm going to assume we all already know, and I'm also going to be honest and admit I want to eavesdrop." Three girls stood.

"Me too!"

"To the pantry!" Miroku said dramatically, pointing a finger off into the distance.

"The pantry and the washroom are the same thing," Sango explained, "and it's connected to the kitchen and the bathroom." Miroku led the parade through the hallway, into the bathroom, and through the inner, previously locked, door. Kagome paused before grabbing Inuyasha's arm and pulling him towards the dining room.

"What are you doing?" he grumped.

"Shhh, how many people do you think one door cracked one inch open can hide?"

"Okay, so?"

"So we use the pie window to peak."

"Whatever," he said, ignoring his brother and paying more attention to their clasped hands. It ended all too soon, in his opinion, when she dropped his hand to ease the accordion screen open an inch. She looked over, and sure enough, there were three eye balls poking out from behind the pantry door. Stifling a giggle at their teenage behavior, Kagome turned her attention back to their other friend. Rin stood at the sink washing silently. Sesshomaru stood two feet away drying the dishes, also silently.

"Jeez," Kagome breathed, "can you say emotional constipation?"

Rin's wet, somewhat shaky hands fumbled a plate. Sesshomaru's warm hand covered hers in the attempt to save the ceramic. Rin's eyes widened momentarily before she checked herself by withdrawing her own.

"You seem nervous," Sesshomaru observed. Rin laughed awkwardly as she dumped the silverware into the sink full of water.

"I wander why," she said sarcastically. Maybe Ayame was right and she did have some anger against him.

"Are you really so insecure as to live in the past?" Rin knew Sesshomaru well enough to know it was an honest question and not a jab, but it still stung.

"For your information, I'm not living in the past. It did, however, come barging in today. I don't understand, Sesshomaru! How can you act so blasé? Did I really mean that little to you?" Sesshomaru glowered, something known to make a grown man back off whimpering. Not Rin. She stood toe-to-toe with him.

"Of course not." All the friends in hiding were slightly shocked at the Emotionless Wonder's admission. Rin cooled slightly.

"I know you must have had your reasons, but you could have at least told me what they were. Or were you afraid I'd understand and we would work them out? I loved you, but you never once confided in me."

"I don't have to explain my actions to you."

"The hell you don't!" Sango's jaw dropped. Was that really Rin in there? Their Rin? Cussing? "For once in your life, trust somebody." Her expression was half pleading and half frustrated. His eyes narrowed on her.

"I had a goal. You were in the way."

"Bull! There's no way that dating me would have kept you from joining your father's business. You were scared, weren't you? I figured it out after I hadn't seen you for about a year. For the first time in your life you didn't have complete control, and it scared you. That's why you ran, wasn't it?"

"That's ridiculous."

"Yes, it is. You broke my heart because what we had was so amazing you couldn't bend it to your will. Life isn't a movie and you can't be the director. You have to take it as it's given to you. When it gives you something wonderful, you should embrace it, not push it away. I would have told you all of that years ago, but you never gave me the chance. You just disappeared. I've started doubting that you ever cared for me at all." Her eyes were wet, but not brimming with tears. He only stared back evenly "I'm right, aren't I?" She turned and ran from the room before he could see her tears.

OXOXOXO