Bound by Privilege

This story is not for profit. It is purely fanfiction. I don't claim any ownership of the manga or anime Inuyasha, the original story, or the characters created by Rumiko Takahashi.

Chapter 9

Sesshoumaru's attention alternated between Rin and the last few weeks after his arrest. Takemaru's threat stuck with him and he'd known that going back into the rings wouldn't be easy but it was what needed to happen. He'd taken on lower-level fights and although he'd easily won them, the earnings would hardly be enough to make a dent in the debt. Still, he couldn't take the risk of being too injured to return to Rin's side. He was glad that the wounds healed quickly and disappeared, otherwise, it would leave Rin suspicious of where he was going and his ability to do his job. Despite the difficulty of the situation, he welcomed it after spending six years navigating life alone. Rin's kindness toward him was something he never expected from humans, yet she was willing to give him a chance when no one else would. She was the light in his life that he didn't want to risk losing. Still, Sesshoumaru cautioned himself to remember his position with her. Even now, feigning disinterest in this video shoot was becoming more difficult by the minute. Initially, he'd rather have left but Rin's uncharacteristic lack of movement during this dance was telling him he needed to stay. There was no protocol for where the line was drawn during moments like these when he saw the dancer's hands drift too far.

Rin had done multiple videos in the past. Most of which she was always relaxed in front of the cameras, easily making her audience fall in love with her and the music. Rin tried to make herself believe that she could get through this scene. It wasn't the temperature in the room that was causing her to be cold and unmoving. The dancer she was working with seemed to be taking advantage of every movement and the outfit left her feeling too exposed. Yes, she knew that her partner's actions and touches were meant to be believable. The song was about a couple sharing in a moment of love but was it all so necessary and did he have to be so literal? She'd heard the director yell for them to cut again as he expressed to her she was off and hardly believable. Rin could feel the frustration building but reminded herself that she was in control. She quickly stood from the futon and grabbed the robe the assistant handed to her.

Sesshoumaru got up without waiting for Rin to signal him. This was no longer an act and Rin's shift in body language was telling him everything he needed to know. Meeting Rin at her side he'd understood she was officially done with this man and she was not above raising her voice to the director.

"Etsuji, he goes or I do!"

"Luna, what is wrong now?! The dancer is doing a better job than you are."

"Yeah, lighten up. You're too..." The dancer moved forward to make his case but quickly found himself pushed back ten feet from where he started. Sesshoumaru reveled in the dazed and confused look on the dancer's face as to what just happened only for him to back up further.

"He's a dancer. He knows the choreography well."

"Obviously, too good! He's an opportunist!"

"You're irresistible. Your beauty is power. Can you please ask him to stop trying to kill my dancer?"

Rin looked over at Sesshoumaru who seemed to be doing rather little as the dancer tripped over about five different objects in his path to escape Sesshoumaru's grasp. She couldn't help but find it rather comical. She'd caught onto the fact that Sesshoumaru was purposefully letting the dancer make a fool of himself and it was justified payback.

"No, I'm rather enjoying it actually."

Etsuji sighed, watching the dancer finally fall out of the door and out of sight.

"Luna, we don't have anyone else to fill this role right now and this needs to get done."

"Shoot the video with just me."

"That requires a completely different setup. I need this to happen today."

"Then find someone else. I'll be in my dressing room."

Sesshoumaru caught the touch of Rin's hand against his arm in thanks as she walked off. Etsuji tossed the headphones onto a chair and uttered something walking only a short distance before putting his hand to his head in disbelief. Sesshoumaru didn't understand how the director couldn't see that Rin was uncomfortable during the entirety of the video shoot. Instead, he kept pushing eventually causing Rin to shut down.

"Hey, you!"

Sesshoumaru fought the urge not to threaten Etsuji as well but immediately wished he'd moved quicker out of the director's sight. He'd been referred to like that a few weeks ago by the police and it still didn't sit well. He'd turned to see the director approaching him.

"You're Luna's bodyguard. She's got to be comfortable with you."

Sesshoumaru decided that he did not like where this conversation was going.

"Look, I need you to fill in for the dancer she just fired."

"No."

"She trusts you. She likes you. You're a good look. I'm desperate here."

"Your desperation doesn't concern me."

"Come on. How about a thousand for one video?"

"No."

"How much is she paying you? Then again, I don't know if I can match that...but more than my original offer, definitely more. Name your price..."

Sesshoumaru listened to Etsuji ramble but noted Rin paying him at least 10 times that amount in the last month despite living with her and yet none of it could go toward the debt he owed. What Etsuji didn't realize, was that it had nothing to do with how much money was being offered. Sesshoumaru ignored the continued pleading.

"You know what, you're headed in the direction I need you to go anyway. I'll just follow you."

Rin tried to clear her head allowing the stylist to fix the curls around her face although they hardly needed any more fixing and she was sure it would be pointless. She'd decided to give the director about ten minutes to come up with another option before calling it a day. Rin was surprised to hear a knock at her dressing room door. She was sure that she was going back out to give Etsuji a piece of her mind. Instead, the director met her at the door, smiling nervously as Sesshoumaru glared at him.

"Hear me out."

Rin caught Sesshoumaru's reactions to the suggestions Etsuji was making regarding him replacing the dancer she'd just fired. He was doing everything in his power to separate himself from the situation and if Sesshoumaru could've taken flight without it being obvious, he would have. The director's final words brought her back to their conversation.

"Luna, convince him. The cameras would love him. We'll pay him, whatever he wants. He's the only option we have left."

"Etsuji, can we have a few minutes?"

"Yes, take ten or twenty or whatever you need. Just, convince him, please?"

Rin waited until the director was out of earshot before she turned to Sesshoumaru.

"He's not wrong on one thing. The camera would love you. But, you don't have to try to convince me of anything. I have no intention of trying to make you do something you don't want to do. Your job is safe with me no matter what you answer. So, be honest. Do you want to do this?"

"This wasn't exactly at the top of my list today..."

"Fair enough. Etsuji, it's a wr..."

"but, I'll do it, if you're honest with me too."

Rin was surprised by the willingness but was trying to figure out what he meant. "Okay. What do you need me to be honest about?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but the dancer wasn't the only thing you were uncomfortable with was it?"

Rin cleared her throat slightly embarrassed but nodded at the purity of the question. Sesshoumaru was paying more attention than the director. He'd taken his title and his job literally today. He was guarding her body in every sense of the word. "That's true."

Sesshoumaru noted the genuine smile that crossed Rin's features as she exited the dressing room in a pale mauve, silk, night dress that scooped in the back. Despite its short length, it wasn't sheer and it still left enough to the imagination. It was the feminine match to his trousers and shirt that the stylist seemed to be fighting with herself about. Ultimately she'd decided to leave the shirt open on him. Rin would have the final say while the camera was rolling.

Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smile at Rin's playfulness shaking his arms or pushing against his shoulders but struggling even on the tips of her toes. It was an attempt to try to get him comfortable and figure out how they were going to make this happen with his lack of knowledge of choreography. The director even seemed to be okay with letting the camera roll during this candid moment of shenanigans as they got into position sitting facing each other. Rin was well aware that they would have to improvise. Sesshoumaru recognized Rin's experience shining through at her ability to cue him even as she pretended to sing the words to the song. Sesshoumaru was reluctant to the holds but gave in to her requests learning where his hands should be without it feeling like a violation versus when to give her more freedom. Their movements became easier. It was flirtatious, and rhythmic, matching the flow of the song. Sesshoumaru found joy in accepting Rin's challenges and caught on quickly as his focus remained on her rather than thinking about the intrusion of the camera. They'd easily made transitions, keeping each other close. Rin's arms wrapped around his neck, his hands resting against her lower back. They'd leaned their heads against each other the proximity bordering a kiss. It was a similar position that had gotten the dancer fired although the dancer's hands were exploring a lot lower than Rin's back and the kissing was very real. Sesshoumaru was immediately thrown out of the uncomfortable memory as Rin lay back into his hands fully trusting him to support her. He'd caught onto the words of the song to let her lay down as he joined her again taking them to their side. Rin faced the camera and let it chase her as she brought her head and hand to eventually lay against his chest. Rin maintained her position feeling the warmth of him as his arm crossed her back and his hand rested on her shoulder keeping her tucked into him. It was perfect. As much as the moment was an act, she felt the need for it to be real.

"And Cut! Yes! Wonderful! Great chemistry!"

Sesshoumaru met Rin's eyes. During the video he'd matched her eyes several times but only now with the cameras off as they lay facing each other had he been able to really see them. She was beautiful. Was this what Miorku was talking about? Surely, he was just doing his job and Rin was an amazing actress. But if the goal was to keep his distance, he'd already failed. His thoughts were interrupted by the whisper of Rin's voice.

"I saw that."

"What?"

Rin smiled and shook her head noticing Sesshoumaru's blush already faded. It was hard not to notice the connection between them. The director wasn't wrong on this. Although Sesshoumaru had to adjust to being on camera, she felt completely at ease. He brought the best out of her and she couldn't remember when she'd last smiled this much without it being tied to being on stage.

Sesshoumaru accepted Rin's kiss on his cheek as her thanks for stepping into the situation and he'd come to the conclusion, that was no act.

A/N: More to come soon! As always, my thanks for your reading and reviewing!