Inuyasha 1. Chapter 1

"_**Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, **_

_**Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."**_

… **John Howard Payne …**

Chapter I

With a quiet sigh, Sesshoumaru Takahashi stared out the window of the old train as it slowly made its way towards its destination. The train rocked gently from side to side as it clattered along the tracks that were barely visible in the arid landscape. Propping his chin up on his hand, he watched the scenery slowly pass him by as he tried to ignore the air of discomfort that had descended upon the compartment since he had been joined an elderly couple. A tiny frown creased his forehead as he looked out the window and the feeling of apprehension that he had been vaguely aware of since leaving home the day before seemed to grow steadily. Outside, the landscape was dull at best. The land was flat and featureless with only a few rocks and a withered looking clump of foliage dotted the dry and dusty ground at irregular intervals. He mused that his surroundings could probably quite easily pass for a desert since there was the distinct lack of life that he had seen before in documentaries about deserts.

His attention was soon pulled away from the barren lands outside when the slow train seemed to slow down even more. The conductor wandered down the aisles announcing the station name and Sesshoumaru felt a wave of relief wash over him. It was finally his stop. He had travelled all night and changed trains twice and the idea of being of the damned thing was very appealing. The elderly couple shifted to allow him room to gather his belongings and the woman smiled slightly as he nodded a silent farewell. Truthfully, he wasn't sure why he felt the need to bid them farewell. After all, they hadn't spoken a word since joining him and had shown no interest in him or anything else, but Sesshoumaru decided that it was best to be polite despite the lack of conversation and awkward atmosphere. Stepping down from the train and onto the platform, he paused and watched as the train slowly pulled away from the station and gathered as much speed as the ancient thing could manage, which really wasn't very much. Shaking his head at the thought of such old trains still being in service, he watched it until it disappeared and then sighed to himself as he turned around to survey his surroundings.

Sesshoumaru hadn't been sure what to expect when he stepped down from the train and given the barren landscape he had been idly watching as he travelled, his hopes of a well furnished, comfortable place to lay his head that night were dwindling with each moment he stood on the empty platform. Glancing around him, he realised that there was no one else around and there was only one platform. Grimacing, he realised that there being only one platform probably meant that only one train passed through the town and probably only once day considering how long it had taken to get to where he was. Taking a deep breath, he picked up his suitcase and looked around as he tried to decide in which direction to head. Despite there being a shelter overhead, the heat was almost unbearable for someone who had spent the majority of their life in a cooler climate. Spotting a tiny building at the end of the platform, Sesshoumaru headed towards it, carefully taking in his surroundings as he walked.

Stepping into the building, he was about to head towards the exit when he saw an elderly man. The man was fast asleep, his chair balanced precariously on two legs as he snored quietly. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at the man and wondered if he was supposed to speak to the man or if he should just leave him be. Deciding to leave the man to his sleep, Sesshoumaru made his way across the room and was mildly amused that the creaking floorboards didn't wake the sleeping man. He flinched when the door shrieked terribly as he pulled it open, but still the man remained oblivious to his surroundings and slept soundly as the town's newest arrival left the station.

The door swung shut behind him with yet another shriek of its hinges as it protested to being opened and then closed carelessly. Outside, the harsh midday sun beat down upon the tiny town that Sesshoumaru was looking at with an expression of disbelief. The town was tiny and he wondered if it could even be classed as a town. A few clusters of trees were scattered about the edges of the tiny town square between the houses and there was even a tiny water fountain in the middle of the square, but it had long since dried up and only a small empty shell covered in faded and chipped paint remained. Cicadas hummed noisily in the trees and a few birds sang cheerful choruses just as loudly as though they were trying to harmonize with the insects they shared the trees with. The cobbled ground was dusty and areas of grass were limited to the tiny patches that grew in abundance beneath the trees and the equally tiny gardens in front of the buildings.

Overall, the image the town had given him was not positive at all and Sesshoumaru could only wonder why he had agreed to take a job that had apparently brought him to the back end of nowhere. There was no one in sight and the only sounds came from the wildlife in the trees. If he hadn't already seen one of the town's inhabitants, Sesshoumaru was sure that he would have thought that the town was deserted. Feeling beads of perspiration on his brow, he advanced into the square and looked around, hoping for some sign that would tell him where he was supposed to go. The buildings had once been painted bright colours but had faded over the years of exposure to the harsh sunlight and even the flowers that people had tried to plant in their gardens seemed to be struggling to survive. Spotting a bench beneath a cluster of trees, he hastily made his way towards it, eager to be out of the heat. He sat down heavily on the rickety metal structure and wondered briefly if it would collapse beneath him. When he was certain that he wouldn't find himself on the ground anytime soon, he looked around and hoped that someone might have seen him. Unfortunately, the square was still empty and Sesshoumaru began to wonder if his presence had even been noted since he didn't particularly relish the idea of sitting in the heat until someone noticed him.

Sesshoumaru pulled a small notebook out of his pocket and flipped through the pages slowly. He had worked at one of the most prestigious schools in the city and had even briefly worked at the university, but eventually, he found that the repetitiveness of his job had begun to bore him and the thought of working in his father's company didn't appeal which resulted in Sesshoumaru feeling at a loss. After much badgering from his father and stepmother, although mostly his father, he had agreed to find another job after a brief period of unemployment. Fortunately for him, his sister-in-law, Kagome, had come to his rescue and told him about a school in a small town where a childhood friend lived that was in need of a teacher. After agreeing to take the job and receiving a very grateful letter from the school in question, Sesshoumaru had been given the name of Kagome's friend and told that she would arrange everything he needed in return for helping at the school.

When he found the page he was looking for, he stared at her name and address which Kagome had written down for him in her messy handwriting. He would never dream of mentioning to her that she ought to put more effort into making her writing easier to read since he had seen how badly she took criticism when Inuyasha attempted it, although he had to admit that his brother didn't know how to constructively criticise anyone. Inuyasha tended to brighten up his words with rather colourful phrases that really had no place in polite conversation and unfortunately for him, people tended to take offence to his words even when he was trying to be nice, which wasn't very often for anyone other than Kagome. Unlike his brother, Inuyasha was not eloquent at all and he didn't have the same charisma as Sesshoumaru and therefore struggled at times to put his words into polite sentences. Needless to say, his frustration often got the better of him and as a result, he had long since given up trying to be like his brother and had simply shrugged off the comments about his profanities, although since his marriage to Kagome his language had become a lot better.

Shaking his head at the thought of his brother and sister-in-law, Sesshoumaru closed the little notebook with a snap and put it back in his pocket after he memorised the woman's name. Casting his mind back, he remembered the woman vaguely from childhood. She had lived in the city then and had been very close friends with both Kagome and Inuyasha. He remembered his father and stepmother commenting on what a nice person she was and had agreed since she had always been almost excessively polite whenever they had spoken, which hadn't been much at all. She had always been quite studious and very quite in comparison to her two boisterous friends, but for the life of him, Sesshoumaru couldn't remember what she looked like. Deciding not to be concerned by that irrelevant fact, he glanced around the tiny town square and wondered what had brought her here. He couldn't imagine what the attraction would be and he was beginning to regret agreeing to take the job. If he had known it would be in the middle of nowhere in a town which could easily have passed for a ghost town, he'd have declined immediately.

Sighing to himself, he got to his feet and dusted off his travel creased suit and draped his coat over his arm as he picked up his suitcase and briefcase. The heat was definitely unpleasant and the need to be indoors was almost overwhelming. Sesshoumaru looked around the square again and spotted a tiny sign outside one of the buildings, proclaiming it to be a hotel. He raised an eyebrow as he looked at the building. It looked like a very questionable hotel if the exterior of it was any judge of what lay beyond its door. Still, the inside of a dingy old hotel would probably be much better than sitting out in the heat. He walked across to the building and took a deep breath before pushing the door open, not looking forward to seeing the interior. Unlike the station door, this one did not creak as he pushed it open and it swung shut silently behind him as he stepped inside. If he had been the type to openly show his emotions, Sesshoumaru was sure that his jaw would be hanging open as he looked around in amazement.

The building's exterior was very misleading for interior was exquisitely furnished. A wave of coolness washed over him as he stepped further into the room and it felt almost cold after being outside. Beneath his feet was a polished wooden floor that he felt almost guilty for walking over and to his left was a wooden counter, just slightly lighter than the floorboards. Behind it was a door that he assumed led to an office of some kind. Glancing around him, he saw a small waiting area directly opposite the door he had come through that would easily have passed for someone's living room and opposite the reception desk was an enormous archway that showed off the hallway leading towards the rooms. Amber eyes widened in surprise. He had had no idea that the building was so big on the inside as his gaze followed the elegant staircase up to the floor above.

Eventually, he came back to his senses and headed towards the reception desk. He rang the bell and waited patiently for someone to appear. The sound of papers rustling from the room beyond the desk alerted him to another's presence and presently, the sound of heels clicking against the floorboards announced the arrival of the other person. The door opened and a dark haired woman looked out curiously. Sesshoumaru felt his eyes widen slightly as he was surprised for the umpteenth time that day. He had been expecting and elderly woman with gray hair and a hunched back to come out of the office but instead, a young woman had stepped out. As she approached, he realised that she was younger than he thought, definitely younger than himself. Her brown eyes peered at him curiously and her long dark hair was pulled back into a braid that hung down her back. After a moment, a shy smile crept over her face and she pulled out a heavy book from beneath the counter.

"We weren't expecting visitors," she said in a quiet musical voice and smiled again as she flipped through the pages in the books. "How may I help?"

"I'm looking for Rin Nakamura," Sesshoumaru replied, recovering from the temporary state of shock he had fallen into when she had appeared.

The woman frowned slightly and put down the pen in her hand. "You're looking for me? Why?"

"My brother told me to look for you when I arrived."

"Your brother?" she repeated, staring at him as though he had just sprouted another head before a look of comprehension crossed her face. "You must be Inuyasha's brother then! I was wondering why you looked familiar."

"I'm Sesshoumaru Takahashi," he confirmed, not really pleased at being told he looked like his brother.

"I wasn't expecting you to arrive so soon," Rin said with a smile as she closed the book and replaced it. "The school term here doesn't start for at least another fortnight; we assumed you would arrive closer to that time."

"I thought I should have myself well established before starting work."

Rin nodded. "We were planning to arrange for a house for you to use, but unfortunately, there aren't any vacant ones at present so you'll have to stay here."

"How much does that cost?" Sesshoumaru queried, wondering if he could really afford to stay in a hotel for an extended period of time.

"No payment necessary," Rin said with a smile as she stepped out from behind the counter. "Follow me."

She walked past him towards the staircase and then turned to open a door that he hadn't seen. It was the same colour as the wooden panelling on the wall and he supposed that unless someone knew it was there, they probably wouldn't even notice it. They passed through the door and walked down a short, brightly lit passageway. Halfway down the passage, Rin stopped and opened a door, gesturing for him to step inside. Following him inside, she watched with a smile as he stared at the room he stood in. Moving past him, she drew back the curtains and opened the large windows to let the fresh air into the room.

Sesshoumaru stared at the room and then looked out of the windows, his eyes widening as they took in the lush green garden just outside. It looked like an oasis in the desert. Neatly trimmed shrubs sat against the fence and colourful flower beds decorated the landscape. A large tree stood in the corner of the garden, casting its cool shadow over part of the garden below while the sunlight glinted off the surface of the small pond on the other side of the garden. It was amazing to think that such a place existed in a town he had thought was a ghost town. Turning back to the room, he couldn't get over the room he stood in. He had been expecting a single bed in the corner, a couple of chairs and a communal bathroom, but what he was looking at now couldn't be further from that image. In the corner of the room was a small kitchenette equipped with a cooker and small refrigerator with a small dining table. Across from that was what he supposed was the living room. It was furnished with a very comfortable looking sofa and armchair that looked out over the gardens. There was an open doorway on the left wall that led to the bedroom and through it; Sesshoumaru could see the wooden frame of a double bed.

"The en suite bathroom is just through there," Rin said, gesturing to the bedroom and then smiling cheerfully at him. "This section of the hotel has been empty for quite some time and I thought that it might suit your needs better than a simple hotel room."

"This is more than I expected," Sesshoumaru said truthfully as he looked around in awe again.

Rin shrugged before moving back towards the door and gesturing down the passage. "At the end of the corridor is a back door that you can use if you'd rather not use the front entrance all the time, I'm sure I could get a copy of the key for you."

"Are you sure I don't need to pay for this?"

"It's all been taken care of," Rin said with another smile. "This isn't technically part of the hotel so you wouldn't pay for it anyway."

"It's not?" Sesshoumaru asked quizzically.

"Not really. I suppose its more part of my home. It's been empty for quite some time since there's no need for me to use these rooms," she said with a thoughtful look before giving him a teasing smile. "Besides, what would I need two kitchenettes and two bedrooms for?"

"Point taken," Sesshoumaru replied with a smirk.

Rin beckoned to him and walked down the corridor, pushing open the back door she had spoken about and stepping out into the sun. Sesshoumaru followed and stood beside her, looking at the garden in amazement. Now that he was outside, he could see parts of it that he hadn't seen through the window. A few small tables were scattered about and he assumed the guests sometimes spent time in the gardens. Rin turned her back to the garden and gestured to a small pathway leading away from the building.

"That will take you to the main square where you were earlier," she said. "I'll have to show you around at some point so you don't get lost, but the town's fairly easy to navigate."

"Is the school far from here?" Sesshoumaru asked, squinting in the sunlight as he tried to decide which of the buildings he could see a short distance away was the school.

"That's on the outskirts of town," Rin said. "It's a ten minute walk from here."

"Is it large?"

"No. There aren't very many people in the town so there aren't many children. Most of them have grown up and left for the cities."

"This place is very remote," he mused.

"It is," Rin said with a smile. "It's very peaceful though."

"It seems that way."

Rin led the way back into the building and gave him a smile as she watched him walk into his room. She smiled and stepped back into the passage.

"The door just down the passage leads to my rooms so you'll find me there if I'm not at the reception if you need anything," she said, her smile still in place. "Since it's your first night, I'll prepare your evening meal and when you're acquainted with the town, you can decide if you wish to prepare your own."

"Thank you," Sesshoumaru said sincerely.

She smiled again and waved briefly before closing the door behind her as she left him to become accustomed to his new living quarters. Sesshoumaru listened to her footsteps until they disappeared and sighed to himself. Maybe this place wouldn't be so bad. Picking up his suitcase, he made his way into the bedroom and started to put away his clothes as he thought about his situation. Rin had been very different from what he had expected. Even though he knew she was his brother's childhood friend, a part of him had refused to acknowledge her as a young woman rather than the child he could vaguely recall and when he had set eyes on her, he couldn't help but be surprised. She didn't seem to have changed from the way she used to be the few times he was spoken to her but she was so different from Inuyasha and Kagome that he could only wonder how they became friends. While his brother and sister-in-law were boisterous, Rin was demure and quiet. Even though he had never known her very well, he was glad that her demeanour didn't seem to have changed even if her looks had.

**AN:** So this is the first chapter of my latest story. I know I shouldn't start another when I've yet to finish some of the others I have going at the moment, but the idea just wouldn't go away so I thought I'd get it down and out of my head :)

I regret to say that in the coming weeks, my updates may be less frequent as my time will be taken up with my work. As much as I dislike this turn of events, there is little I can do about it, so please bear with me. My stories will be updated; I can't say which ones as that will depend on my imagination.

Apologies in advance for being slow to update! .

xMxAx


	2. Chapter 2

"_**No matter under what circumstances you leave it,**_

_**Home does not cease to be home. **_

_**No matter how you lived there – well or poorly."**_

… **Joseph Brodsky … **

Chapter II

Sesshoumaru felt thoroughly refreshed after spending the night in his new living quarters and waking up to the sound of birds singing cheerfully outside his window. Rolling onto his back, he reached out for his watch and realised that he had slept in quite late since the morning was almost over. Sighing to himself, he reluctantly got out of the soft bed and headed towards the bathroom as he prepared for the day ahead. He was going to attempt to find out as much as possible about the little town before exploring it himself. When he was suitably prepared to face the day, he wandered down the passage and found Rin sitting behind the reception desk. She looked up with a smile when she heard his footsteps. Nodding a greeting, he followed when she gestured for him to follow her into the office behind the counter.

"Did you sleep well?" Rin asked with a smile as she slid a fresh cup of coffee across the table towards him.

"Very well, thank you," Sesshoumaru replied as he accepted the drink.

"Have you any plans for today?"

"I thought I'd finish unpacking and go over the paperwork the school sent me."

Rin nodded. "I'll show you around the town tomorrow if you'd like. Since it's a Saturday, I can easily find someone to cover the hotel for the day."

"That would be useful."

"I'll arrange it then and you can let me know when you'd like to set out."

Nodding his agreement as he wandered back down to his rooms, Sesshoumaru wondered why there was a need for a hotel in this town. It was a beautiful place if you disregarded the slightly shabby look that the building had and it seemed a bit of a waste for such a place to be in the middle of nowhere. It was obvious that Rin had put a lot of time and effort into making it look as good as it did and how she had managed to create such a magnificent garden in such a climate was truly beyond him. An idea formed in his mind as he thought of the garden and hastily he made his way back to his room and picked up his briefcase quickly before heading for the back door Rin had shown him the day before. Since it was not quite midday, the sun he stepped into wasn't as hot as it had been the day before, but still, he imagined having to work in such conditions would not be conducive to a productive day. Once he was comfortably seated at one of the tables beneath the enormous tree, he sighed in content and set about his work. The next day was surely going to be busy and he knew that he shouldn't expect to be returning early enough to do any work.

The next day dawned just like any other and Sesshoumaru was loath to get out of the comfort of his bed, but eventually forced himself to his feet. Once he was suitably showered and dressed for a day exploring the town, he made his way down to the reception area of the hotel. He always made a point of going there before going to Rin's rooms as it seemed more likely that she'd be at the reception desk instead of her bedroom in the middle of the day. His eyes widened in surprise when he stepped into the foyer and he saw someone else sitting in Rin's seat. The elderly woman was engrossed in her book and didn't notice him until he made his way slowly towards him. Hearing his footsteps, she put down the book and smiled at him cheerfully.

"Can I help you, love?" she asked, her words slurred slightly by her missing teeth.

"I was looking for Rin," Sesshoumaru said uncertainly, not sure what to make of the woman behind the desk.

"Ah, she'll be here shortly. Shall I get you some tea while you wait?"

"No, thank you."

Sesshoumaru took a seat in one of the chairs in the miniature living room just beyond the reception desk and waited for Rin patiently. It was another five minutes before Rin appeared and she smiled cheerfully at him when she saw him. Nodding a greeting, Sesshoumaru rose to his feet and walked over to where she stood, giving last minute instructions to the older woman who smiled and nodded tolerantly before ushering the pair out the door.

"Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to visit first?" Rin asked, smiling at the tall man who walked quietly beside her.

Sesshoumaru shook his head. "I can't think of anywhere."

"Well, since we're on the square now, we'll start with the stores then. There aren't many so you shouldn't get them confused."

Deciding to remain silent, Sesshoumaru followed Rin as she walked across the square to the building almost exactly opposite the hotel. The building looked the same as every other one he had seen, but there was a tiny sign on the door with the store owner's name printed in elegant script. Rin knocked on the door once and pushed it open, calling out a greeting as she stepped aside to allow Sesshoumaru to step in beside her.

"Rin!" a woman's voice called from a nearby room. "We're in here."

"Hello, Sango," Rin greeted her friend with a smile as she returned the other woman's embrace.

"It's been quite some time since I've seen you," the other woman, Sango, exclaimed as she held her friend at arm's length and looked her over.

"Yes, of course. Three days is an awfully long time. I wasn't aware you were so attached to me," Rin returned with a teasing smile. "If you keep this up, Miroku will think you would have preferred to marry me."

"I heard my name and I sense the presence of a beautiful woman," a male's voice drifted into the room before he appeared.

"I sense the presence of a lecher," Sango muttered, crossing her arms as she turned to look at her husband.

"Now, now," Miroku said with a smile. "Don't go tarnishing my reputation in the presence of guests."

"I'm so sorry!" Sango exclaimed apologetically as she noticed the tall man standing beside her friend. "Is there something I can help with?"

"This is Sesshoumaru Takahashi," Rin said as she began introductions. "He's going to be working at the school."

"Oh, I see!" Sango murmured in understanding. "I'm Sango and this is my husband, Miroku. We run the grocery store in this town."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Takahashi?" Miroku asked thoughtfully. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Inuyasha by any chance, would you?"

"Unfortunately, I am."

"I thought as much. The family resemblance is uncanny."

"That is also unfortunate," Sesshoumaru replied with a grimace.

"Where are you staying?" Sango asked curiously, as she gestured for the pair to sit down.

"At the hotel. Rin was kind enough to put me up."

"Ah yes, Rin has a very big heart," Miroku praised his friend. "You'll be well looked after if you're staying with her."

"We're not going to stay for long," Rin interrupted, a blush staining her cheeks at the compliment. "We're on a tour of the town today."

"Stop by again soon. We should have dinner sometime! A little welcome party for Sesshoumaru," Sango suggested, looking pleased with her idea.

"That's very kind of you, but it's really not necessary," Sesshoumaru murmured.

"Nonsense," Miroku said, waving away the other man's words. "We'll probably be seeing a lot of each other. This is a very small town and you're also staying with our friend."

Eventually, Rin and Sesshoumaru left the store and continued their walk. Miroku hadn't been lying when he said that the town was very small. They managed to get around all the stores in just over an hour and soon, Sesshoumaru found himself walking down a dusty pathway that led away from the town. Rin walked beside him, telling him something about one of the people they had met that day and seemed perfectly happy. Presently, she stopped and gestured towards a large building looming in the distance.

"That's the school. There'll be no one there, but I'm sure we can arrange for the head master to give you a tour before the term starts," she said with a smile before turning on her heel and starting back towards the town. "It's past midday, shall we have lunch?"

"If you wish," Sesshoumaru replied quietly, following her slowly back to the town and back to the hotel.

The elderly lady Rin had left in charge of the hotel waved away Rin's queries about what had happened during her absence until Rin eventually shook her head and led Sesshoumaru away from the reception. Without realising it, Sesshoumaru found himself standing in the middle of Rin's living room while she made her way towards the kitchenette. She smiled and gestured for him to sit down. Looking around him, he noted that the rooms were much the same as his own but the décor was very different. Where his room was furnished with dark colours, he found that Rin's furnished with the exact opposite and the only dark colours were the deep hues of the wood that the furniture was constructed of. It had a homely feel to it that reminded him much of the homely feel his stepmother had created at his own childhood home. Sesshoumaru felt himself relaxing as he listened to Rin's soft humming as she bustled around the kitchen.

"It's not much," Rin's voice brought him back to his senses. "I hope you don't mind."

"No, it's perfectly alright," Sesshoumaru replied hastily as he rose to his feet and joined her at the small dining table.

"I imagine you'll be quite busy when the term starts," she commented as she sipped her drink and looked at him seriously. "You should take advantage of the week or so you have left and relax. I don't think you'll get much time for that once your work starts."

"Perhaps not," he agreed. "I might do that. My stepmother always says I don't take enough time to relax."

Rin giggled. "The children will be quite a handful. You'll need to be able to keep up with them."

"One thing puzzles me," Sesshoumaru said slowly, putting down his cutlery to look across the table at Rin.

"Oh?"

"I remember you used to live in the city, how did you end up living here? It seems to be a strange place to move to."

"I'm surprised you remember anything about me," Rin replied with a smile as she leaned back in her chair. "I moved here because I did a voluntary programme when I finished college. I came to work at the school, funnily enough. I helped look after the very young children and decided that I didn't want to leave."

"So you packed up your belongings and left the city?"

"It sounds so easy when you say it that way, but yes, you're right."

"Was it not easy?"

"It's never easy to leave the place where you grew up and the people you care about," she said with a thoughtful look. "Even though it's only a temporary move in your case, didn't it bother you to come all the way here?"

Sesshoumaru frowned as he thought over her words. "Not particularly. I rarely saw my family and to be honest, it'll be a relief to get away from Inuyasha's profanities and boisterous behaviour for a time."

"Is he really that bad?" Rin asked with a laugh. "It seems he hasn't changed then."

"No. I've heard that as you age, you're supposed to mature, it seems that Inuyasha is exempt from that."

"I'm sure he's not that bad, but even if he is, you should try to enjoy your time here. I know it seems very out of the way and isn't anywhere near as sophisticated as the city is, but it's a lovely place to be."

After the day spent wandering around the town, Rin went back to work and Sesshoumaru disappeared to his room. While she tidied up her office, her mind was busy considering the quiet man who she had spent the day with. He was quite different to what she had been expecting. When Inuyasha had rung her up to tell her that his brother would be coming to work at the school, she had thought it was another of his jokes, but when Kagome confirmed it, she was shocked. Last thing she had heard of Sesshoumaru from Kagome's frequent family updates, he had been working in a well-known school. Since the place was so notorious for its high standards and it's tendencies to cater for the wealthy, Rin assumed that the pay would probably be good as well. Why Sesshoumaru would want to leave a place like that was truly beyond her.

Stacking away the last of the books that had been littered across the desk, Rin sat down and looked thoughtfully out of the window. She had always known that Sesshoumaru was a quiet individual, but he hadn't volunteered much information so making conversation was proving to be quite difficult. Still, she supposed that once he was more comfortable in his environment he might open up a bit more. The phone sitting on the desk just in front of her rang, echoing around the small room. Rin eyed it suspiciously. It was unlikely that it was someone ringing up to book a room since people tended to simply turn up and expect her to find rooms for them, but since the hotel was rarely crowded, finding vacant rooms was never a problem. She glanced at the clock on the wall and frowned. It was late afternoon and too early for Kagome to call. Kagome called in the evenings and always made a point of not disturbing Rin during working hours, but that left Rin at a loss as to who was calling. Sighing, she reached forward and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Rin!" an excited voice all but shouted back.

"Kagome?" Rin asked in confusion. "You never usually call this early, is something wrong?"

"I've got big news and I simply had to tell you!"

"What's the news?"

"I'm pregnant!"

"Really?"

"Yes! I found out today!"

"That's brilliant news," Rin said with a smile as she leaned back in her seat. "Does Inuyasha know?"

"No, I've not told anyone other than you yet. I was going to tell him when he comes home tonight."

"Do you think he'll be pleased?"

"He should be," Kagome replied thoughtfully. "We've been trying for ages and I thought it wasn't ever going to happen!"

"Well it has, so make sure you look after yourself properly."

"I always do."

"That's true, but an extra warning can't hurt."

"Will you do me a favour?"

"What is it?"

"Will you tell Sesshoumaru for me?"

"Wouldn't you rather tell him yourself? I can call him if you want to tell him now."

"No, no. It's fine for you to tell him."

"If you're sure…"

"I am. Listen, I've got things to do so I'll call you again soon. You must come to the city for a visit sometime; you know you're always welcome to stay with Inuyasha and I."

"I'll give that some thought," Rin murmured. "It has been a while since I've seen everyone."

"Well, you're definitely going to be here when the child's due."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else."

"Good to know," Kagome replied. "I'll call you again soon."

Rin put the receiver back in its cradle and leaned back in her chair, a smile tugging her lips. She had always wondered when Kagome and Inuyasha would decide to have children and now she had her answer. It was brilliant news and she couldn't be happier for her friend. Sighing to herself, she got to her feet and stretched as she walked out the office and headed towards the passage that led to the bedrooms. Pausing outside Sesshoumaru's door, she lifted her hand and knocked, pushing the door open when she heard a gruff invitation to come in. Sesshoumaru looked up when Rin stepped in and put down the pen in his hand as he looked at her questioningly.

"I just got a call from Kagome," Rin said quietly, a smile on her face.

"Oh? Has anything happened?" he asked curiously.

"As a matter of fact, something has happened and I believe it's going to affect you."

"And neither my father nor my brother could tell me this themselves?"

"They don't know about it yet."

Sesshoumaru stared at her in confusion and suddenly felt slightly anxious. "What has happened?"

"You're going to be an uncle."

As she watched the news sink in, Rin's smile grew. The normally stoic man's eyes lit up at the idea and the tiniest of smiles curved his lips before it vanished and he looked up at her, nodding his understanding but not giving any verbal indication of how pleased he was with this news. Fortunately, Rin was very observant and she had seen just how pleased he had been with the news.

"You can use the phone in my office if you want to call them," she offered as she turned to leave the room. "The only people who know about this are you and I. Kagome's going to tell Inuyasha tonight."

"Thank you, I'll call them later tonight."

While Rin left him to this thoughts, Sesshoumaru wondered if he'd he able to concentrate on what he had been doing until he had spoken to his brother that evening. They weren't particularly close as years of siblings rivalry had caused a slight rift between them, but just this once, Sesshoumaru decided that he could put aside his pride and allow himself to be proud of his sibling. He had never given much thought to being an uncle, but as he considered it, he decided that it was a very appealing idea. It was just a shame that he would have to wait nine months to meet his niece or nephew.


	3. Chapter 3

"_**Go to foreign countries and you will get to know the good**_

_**things one possesses at home."**_

… **Johann Wolfgang von Goethe …**

**Chapter III**

The days passed by quickly and Sesshoumaru became accustomed to living in the same building as Rin. It wasn't difficult and for the most part it was as though he were still living alone but happened to share meals with another person. That also wasn't very different from the lifestyle he had had back in the city since he frequently found himself either in the company of his brother and sister-in-law or his father and stepmother for meals. Even though she had initially said that she would leave him to decide whether or not he wanted to prepare his own meals, Rin had taken to preparing the evening meal for them both and Sesshoumaru hadn't put up an argument. During the day, he was left to his own devices as Rin worked in and around the hotel. He had no idea what it was she did since there were rarely any guests staying at the hotel, but he soon discovered what she spent the majority of her time doing.

Very soon, the day dawned when Sesshoumaru would start work at the school. He felt an unusual sense of apprehension as he left his room that morning and made his way down the passage to the back door that he preferred to use. Amber eyes widened slightly when he found Rin sitting at one of the tables in the garden. She smiled cheerfully when she saw him and got to her feet, walking over to where he stood.

"Are you nervous?" she asked when she stopped beside him.

"Not particularly," Sesshoumaru replied, deciding to ignore the apprehension he felt. Maybe if he ignored it, it'd go away.

Rin shrugged and started to walk towards the gate, pausing to smile at him over her shoulder. "You'll be late if you don't hurry."

Raising an eyebrow at the petite woman walking ahead of him, Sesshoumaru wondered if she was planning to walk to the school with him since she was heading in that direction. Shrugging away the thought, he decided that he should be grateful for the company if she was going to walk with him as he quickened his pace slightly to catch up with her before slowing his strides to match her shorter ones. They walked in companionable silence down the road towards the school and passed groups of students as they went. Seeing children of varying ages, Sesshoumaru was suddenly struck by the thought that he didn't know which year group he would be teaching. He sent a quick prayer up to whichever deity was listening that it wouldn't be teenagers since he could already hear the girls giggling as he passed and saw a few scowls on some male faces.

"Perhaps you're in the wrong line of work?" Rin commented quietly, a teasing smile on her face that she appeared to be trying to hide.

"That might be true."

"I'll be sure to give you the love letters that you will no doubt be receiving soon."

"I hope you're joking."

Rin smiled but said nothing as the school building came into view. Despite the town being quite small, there were a surprising number of students and most of them seemed to be standing near the gates, reluctant to go inside. Several of them turned to look when an unknown male approached, but they all stepped aside without a word to let him past after he bid Rin goodbye. He paused to watch her wave as she walked back down the road, stopping now and then to talk to students she knew. Shaking his head, he stepped into the building and was relieved to find that it was air-conditioned. It wasn't hot now, but he was sure that by midday the heat would be just as unbearable as it was nearly every other day.

"Ah, you must be Mr. Takahashi," a male voice said quietly, causing Sesshoumaru to jump slightly.

"Yes, I am," he replied, looking down at the short, plump old man standing just inside the doors, a smile barely visible through his bushy beard.

"Come this way, we've got some things to go over before lessons start," the man said and gestured towards a door nearby. "I'm the headmaster, by the way. Kiyoshi Akimoto."

Sesshoumaru followed the man into his office and was somewhat in awe of his surroundings. The office was furnished with various antiques and the large book case that stood in the corner of the room was straining under the weight of piles upon piles of books of various sizes. Briefly, he noted the names of some of the books and was surprised to find some that were classed as collector's editions stacked under books by lesser-known authors. Kiyoshi indicated that he should seat himself and Sesshoumaru glanced briefly at the rickety chair that he was supposed to sit in and prayed that it was stronger than it looked.

"We are very fortunate that you agreed to help us here," Kiyoshi said with a grateful smile. "Rin can truly work miracles sometimes."

"I think she'd contradict you if she heard that," Sesshoumaru murmured, slightly amused at the thought of what Rin would do.

"No doubt. You have experience as a teacher, I assume?"

"I do."

"I'll assign you to the older students then since you're more likely to be able to cope with their shenanigans. Most of the other teachers are fresh out of school so they haven't yet had enough experience to deal with them effectively."

"I see. I shall do my best," Sesshoumaru said quietly, cursing his bad luck.

"Do you have any queries?"

"None."

"Then I'll take you to your class. Each teacher is responsible for one class which they will visit at the beginning and end of each day."

Nodding to show his understanding, Sesshoumaru walked beside the shorter man down the corridor and stopped in front of a classroom. Kiyoshi pushed the door open and stepped inside and almost immediately the chatter in the room died down like a fire doused with water. Sesshoumaru could feel everyone's eyes on him as he stepped into the room as well and ignored the feeling of discomfort that was building up within him. Public speaking was not an issue for him, but the number of teenagers in front of him was somewhat daunting.

"This is Mr. Takahashi," Kiyoshi said by way of introduction. "He will be your new teacher. Please treat him well and help him as much as you can while he settles into the job."

The shorter man turned to look at Sesshoumaru with a beaming face and reached up to pat him on the shoulder and whispered a goodbye as he walked past him and out the door, leaving everyone in the room to stare after him silently before all attention was focused on Sesshoumaru once more. He sighed to himself and approached the desk, placing his briefcase on the smooth polished surface before sitting down and looking at the class over his clasped hands.

"As Mr. Akimoto said, I will be your teacher. I hope we get along well," he said quietly, glancing at each face individually and trying to commit them to memory.

"Is it true, sir, that you came from the city especially for this job?" a voice from the back of the room asked quietly.

"That is true," Sesshoumaru replied, leaning back in his chair and relaxing slightly now that the awkwardness was fading.

"Is it also true that you're staying with Rin, sir?" another voice asked curiously, when the murmuring in wake of his previous statement had died down.

"That is also true. She has been most kind in giving me accommodation until I find my own."

"That's typical of her," a girl in the middle of the room said with a giggle. "It's a wonder no one takes advantage of her kindness."

"No one would be able to do that and not feel guilty," a boy on the opposite side of the room said gruffly.

"Some people don't have consciences though," the girl argued.

"And some people don't have a soft spot for her in the same way Seiichi has," another boy said teasingly, poking the first boy in the ribs playfully.

Sesshoumaru's eyebrows rose as the class soon forgot his presence and fell into conversation that revolved around Rin and Seiichi's apparent soft spot for her. It was most interesting to hear the comments about her. He was mildly amused that Seiichi's face had turned bright red as his friends continued to tease him good-naturedly. The boy wasn't bad looking for a seventeen year old. His hair was dark and hung down to his shoulders in a careless manner and it was obvious that he was quite strong since the muscles in his arms strained against the fabric of his shirt, but Sesshoumaru couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy. Rin struck him as being very independent and he doubted that she would be so eager for a relationship that she would be running into the arms of the first man available even if he was at least five years younger than her. Still, he said nothing about this idea to the class and let the boy continue to harbour his affection for the petite, dark haired hotel manager.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

When the day drew to a close and Sesshoumaru had finished collecting his belongings and organising his desk according to his preferences, he slowly made his way down the dusty road back into town. The students had long since left and were probably enjoying themselves somewhere and Sesshoumaru was almost certain that a certain young man's thoughts would be occupied by the very woman he was going to be seeing in only a matter of minutes. The sound of jubilant laughter caused him to look up and he frowned slightly when he saw a group of his students standing around the entrance to the hotel talking animatedly to Rin.

"Ah, you're back!" Rin exclaimed with a smile when she saw him approach. "How did the first day go?"

"It was fine, thank you," Sesshoumaru replied, eyeing the students that were looking curiously from him to Rin and back again. "Is there a problem here?"

"Oh, no," came Rin's immediate reply as she turned her smile to the students. "I forgot to tell you that I rent out some of the hotel rooms to students from another town who come to study here. We don't get many tourists so it's an extra source of income. I've spent the last couple of weeks getting everything ready for their arrival."

Sesshoumaru suddenly realised what it was Rin had been doing when she had left him to his own devices during the day. She had been preparing all the rooms for the beginning of term. He was amused to find that one of the students who stood at the hotel's entrance was Seiichi. The boy was leaning against the wall slightly apart from the group, his eyes closed as though deep in thought and his arms crossed over his chest. Nodding at Rin's words, he excused himself and disappeared into the building, eager to be alone in the silence of his room. It certainly seemed that life would be getting quite interesting now that there were students staying at the hotel and he wondered if Rin knew of Seiichi's infatuation. He doubted it. If she did, she would no doubt have acted differently.

A smirk tugged his lips as he thought that it was almost like a drama about to unfold before his eyes. Perhaps he shouldn't find it amusing that the boy would be shot down if he ever voiced his feelings, but he couldn't help himself. He remembered being in a similar situation when he was a boy and felt a slight twinge of sympathy before he buried it. It had only happened to him once because he had then distanced himself from those of the female persuasion after it became unbearable to be in the same room as them with all the cooing and giggling about who would approach him and the arguments about who could ask him out. It was a sad state of affairs and he was not at all impressed that teenage girls still behaved in such a way even though he was definitely not a teenager himself. Teenage girls were far too much trouble and he made a mental note to keep a close eye on the ones in his class.

He had been looking through books and planning lessons and seating arrangements when there was a knock at the door and Rin popped her head around the door. She smiled slightly and Sesshoumaru watched her eyes widen at the sight of all the books stacked around him, smirking to himself. Beckoning her inside, he gestured to a seat nearby and stretched his arms as she made her way across the room.

"It's almost time for dinner," Rin said quietly, looking quite pale in contrast to the dark cover on the sofa. "I make dinner for the students as well so I'll be making theirs before ours."

"You don't have to make dinner for me, you know," Sesshoumaru murmured, glancing at her as he put down the book he had been holding.

"Oh, I know that," she replied with a shy smile. "But you spend so much time working that you'd probably forget to feed yourself. I'd feel awful if you fell ill."

Sesshoumaru smirked. "Thank you. What time will the meal be ready?"

"About an hour, is that alright?"

"It's fine, thank you."

An hour later, Sesshoumaru wandered down the passage to the tiny room that Rin had converted into a dining room. Pushing the door open, he was surprised to find that several of the students were still sitting around the table, talking to Rin who was clearing away the used cutlery. It came as no surprise to Sesshoumaru that Seiichi was in the room and decided that it would be best to ignore the boy since he was probably going to be somewhere near Rin most of the time. Rin turned around when he stepped into the room and smiled at him, picking up a small pile of plates and walking towards him.

"You arrived just in time!" she exclaimed, putting the plates into his hands. "Come with me to the kitchen."

Obediently, he turned on his heel and followed Rin towards her rooms. He ignored the dark look that crossed Seiichi's face before the boy looked away. Once in Rin's tiny kitchen, she placed her pile of cutlery in the sink and then took the pile of plates out of Sesshoumaru's hands and put them on the counter nearby. After handing him two glasses, she picked up a tray with their dinner and led the way back to the dining room. The room was empty when they returned and Rin sighed contentedly as she passed Sesshoumaru his food.

"As much as I like having them around, it gets a bit noisy sometimes," Rin said quietly as she sat down to her meal.

"I can imagine."  
"How did your first day go?"

"It was insightful," Sesshoumaru murmured as he thought over the conversation the class had had about her. "They are quite fond of you here, it seems."

Rin blushed. "They always make such a fuss. I've not done anything out of the ordinary."

"Perhaps not, but I'd say that everyone is very appreciative of what you've done for them and continue to do for them. I imagine the students are especially grateful."

"Well I remember not enjoying being a student much and I wanted to make them as happy as I could. If providing accommodation and food for them is all it takes, the noise is a small price to pay."

"It really is a wonder no one takes advantage of your kindness," Sesshoumaru mused, thinking back to one of his student's words earlier that day.

"I may be kind, but I'm not stupid," Rin said with a brief grin. "I know how to take care of myself."

"That's certainly true. If you've lived in this hotel and managed it with only a few students as company, you must be very capable when it comes to looking after yourself."

"The students help out a lot. I was quite surprised at how easy it was to keep the place tidy," she said with a giggle. "I feel a bit like a mother with a very large family."

The pair ate in silence for a while as Sesshoumaruthought over Rin's words. He was surprised to discover that she had not enjoyed her time as a student. They had attended the same high school for a two-year period, but because of the difference in their ages, he had finished school while she was still in her second year. Kagome, Inuyasha and the rest of her friends had been a year older than her, he remembered and once again wondered how they had all become friends. Putting aside that mystery for consideration at a later date, Sesshoumaru thought back to those two years they had been at the same school. He had, of course, been a brilliant student and been not only top of his class but always in the top ten of the year group. Studies had been something he had worked very hard at and while he studied away his childhood and teenage years, Inuyasha devoted most, if not all, of his time to sports. Although the siblings tended to argue from time to time, Sesshoumaru knew that they were a force to be reckoned with. He had been a high ranking academic student and his brother was the pride and joy of the school's sports department, they were truly gifted.

However, the reason he had cast his mind back so far was not to marvel at the achievements he and his brother had earned. Kagome had been a good influence on Rin during her teenage years and Sesshoumaru remembered coming home frequently from high school and later college to find both girls working studiously on their work while Inuyasha lounged behind them, content to watch the television. Although Kagome had been a good influence, she was certainly not a high ranking academic student, but she was certainly not the worst either. She had been on those students that could get by with decent grades regardless how much or little they studied and she was also quite content with her grades even though Sesshoumaru could never understand why. Rin had been a completely different kettle of fish. She was not especially talented academically, but she was always top of her class and always in the top five of her year group through sheer hard work and determination.

Sesshoumaru was quick to recognise a kindred spirit when it came to academics. He was not happy unless his grades were perfect or as perfect as possible and although his parents told him that he was becoming obsessive, he simply said that he wanted to make the best of his education and pave the way for a prosperous future. His parents had exchanged exasperated looks at his words, but had encouraged him nonetheless. Inuyasha always came home straight after school and the two girls were usually with him and Sesshoumaru had been present a few times when Rin and Kagome were discussing their grades. The first time he discovered Rin's grades, he had been surprised, but had surprised him even more was the fact that she was never pleased with them. Her ambition was to be the top student in the year group and while she came second several times, she never quite managed to get that top spot and that became a constant source of frustration for her.

Taking pity on her, Sesshoumaru had offered to help her once and she had politely declined, saying that if the work was not done through her own effort, the achievement would have little meaning. In that moment, he had gained a new sense of respect for the younger girl. Leaving her with the knowledge that his offer still stood if she should want to take it up, he had left her to her studies and focused on his own. Whenever any exams were taken, he made sure to check Rin's grades on the large notice board they were usually displayed on. For the last year of his high school education, he noticed that Rin placed second in her year group in every exam she sat and although he never spoke to her about it again, he sometimes saw her looking at that same notice board with an expression that varied from disgust to fury. Why she was obsessed with coming top in her year group was a mystery to him since he was perfectly happy to be anywhere in the top ten When he graduated from high school, he became busy with college and planning his future and he never found out if she ever managed to reached that first place.

"Did you ever manage to get to the top of your year group?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

Rin blinked in surprise and then laughed. "I did actually. In my third year and I kept it. I realised belatedly that I should have just accepted your help. I ended up getting a tutor to help me."

"A tutor?" Sesshoumaru asked, eyebrows rising since he knew private tutors were expensive to hire. "Wasn't that expensive?"

"Oh, no. One of Inuyasha's friends tutored me."

"I wasn't aware any of his friends aside from you and Kagome were any good academically," he muttered wryly.

"He might not seem it, but Miroku is very good academically," Rin replied with a giggle.

"Really?" Sesshoumaru asked in open surprise. "The same one we met the day you showed me around the town?"

"That's him. Sango's family are from somewhere around here so she moved back here after high school. Miroku was so taken with her that he followed and before we knew it, they were engaged."

"Hm, was that not perhaps a bit hasty?"

"It might have been," Rin admitted. "Marriage was certainly far from my mind when I graduated from high school, but people are all different. They have a strong relationship and it's lasted all these years so it was probably a good decision."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "I agree. Marriage wasn't on my mind either when I graduated. It's not good having a family to support and no way to do so."

"Exactly, but it all worked out well for them so it's fine."

Sesshoumaru watched Rin stack up their plates and then rose to his feet to help her take them back to the kitchen. Despite Rin's protests, he even stayed and helped her wash them. As he dried the dishes she handed him, he listened vaguely to Rin's cheerful conversation and mused that she was a very interesting individual. He was very glad that she had a sense of humour and that she hadn't changed much from her teenage years. It would have made living under the same roof as her slightly awkward. Admittedly, he had only ever had brief conversations with her and she hadn't been on his mind at all after high school, but still, it was good that some things didn't change. As he set down the last plate, he smiled to himself. Life here was more interesting than he first thought. He was definitely going to have to thank Kagome for giving him this opportunity when he saw her next.


	4. Chapter 4

"_**When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure;**_

_**But when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home."**_

… **Thornton Wilder …**

**Chapter IV**

Life quickly fell into a routine for Sesshoumaru after he started working again. He found that he enjoyed work a lot more than he had previously, but he wasn't certain if it was because the environment was so different to what he was used to or if it was simply because he had grown tired of being unemployed. Regardless of the reason though, the routine was comfortable and became something so familiar that it was almost as though he had been following it for many years rather than a couple of weeks. Every morning, he would prepare his breakfast and leave for work and every morning, Rin was waiting for him outside the back door. The students left the hotel earlier than the adults, which left the pair to walk together. Each morning was different from the previous one. Some mornings they walked in companionable silence and others, they talked quietly as they made their way towards the school.

What amazed Sesshoumaru the most was how easy it was for him to talk to Rin. Conversation had never been one of his strong points and he was perfectly content to just sit in silence, but Rin managed to draw out his inner conversationalist. He found that he voiced his curiosity more and more as they talked and he was stunned by Rin's playful nature even around someone as stoic as himself. She teased him playfully sometimes and Sesshoumaru was even more surprised to find himself responding to her playful nature with his own gentle teasing, although that was very rare. The fact remained, though, that Rin was turning him into a more sociable person slowly but surely.

Sesshoumaru began to look forward to the evening meals when he could discuss the day's events or anything else that happened to crop up with Rin. He discovered that she was quick to understand and her intelligence was not to be underestimated. Sesshoumaru was definitely not unintelligent. He had received the best education his family could afford and he was the pride and joy of the family in terms of academics, but he was smart enough to sense someone with intelligence to rival his own even if it was well hidden. He had observed Rin carefully and concluded that she was a mine of information even if some of it was utterly pointless information. His own knowledge was mostly limited to the areas that were of great interest to him, but Rin's knowledge seemed to have no limits. Sesshoumaru was quite certain that you could have asked her anything and she could have produced a fact about whatever it was you asked about even if she couldn't answer the question.

What baffled him was when she had had time to learn half of what she knew and why she thought some of it would be useful in life. Still, he found that since he lived with quite a few of his students, her knowledge was very useful since she was able to help the students from time to time. He discovered quite early on that while he didn't mind having to share the one peaceful hotel with a group of rowdy teenagers, it was very much like bringing his work home with him. Except this work could walk and had a mind of its own and would frequently voice its confusion when it came to something in the homework he had set that it didn't understand. After a while, he grew tired of the constant knocking at his door when students required help with their homework and sought him out. Giving the situation much thought, he eventually put together a study group just after dinner where all the students would gather in one room and do their homework while he did his own work. That way, there was no need for several of them to come looking for him one after another often with the same problem. It saved a lot of time and allowed him to work peacefully.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Time seemed to fly by and Sesshoumaru could only marvel at how quickly he had adjusted to life in the small town when he found himself slightly disappointed that the half term break was rapidly approaching. Ordinarily, he would have been silently thanking each and every god he could think of for the time away from work, but he had become quite attached to his class and enjoyed the time he spent with them. The half term break was a two-week holiday and on the last day of school, Sesshoumaru returned to the hotel to find all the students gathered outside the building surrounded by their suitcases. Raising an eyebrow, he approached the group that was crowding around Rin and was mildly amused when he almost managed to get past them without them noticing his presence. He had intended to walk past and make a beeline for the sanctity of his rooms, but he realised that the fates were not smiling on him when he heard someone call his name.

"You're not going to say goodbye to us?" one girl demanded indignantly when she spotted him walking past.

"Say goodbye to you?" Sesshoumaru asked, raising an eyebrow. "I believe I will probably see you just after your evening meal."

"He doesn't know?" the girl asked, looking at Rin in confusion.

"I assumed you would have told him," Rin said with a shrug and a vague smile before looking at Sesshoumaru. "The students are going home for the holiday. They won't be back until the term starts again."

"I see. Farewell then. Travel safely."

Rin shook her head and smiled to herself as she watched Sesshoumaru disappear into the building without another word. She should really have guessed that he would not be one for extended goodbyes, but decided against pointing out that it may have seemed a little uncaring to his students. Fortunately, the students laughed off his behaviour and turned to bid Rin farewell before disappearing towards the station. Following Sesshoumaru's steps inside, she paused as she heard the phone in her office ring loudly. Sighing to herself, she walked into the office and slid into her seat gracefully as she picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

"Rin! Where have you been?" Kagome's shrill voice demanded across the line. "I've called twice already!"

"Have you?" Rin asked in confusion having not heard the phone ring. "I was outside saying goodbye to the students staying here."

"Where were they going? Isn't it the middle of the school term?"

"No. It's their half term break. Two weeks off school."

"So, Sesshoumaru's not working?"

"No."

"Are you?"

"Not really. We don't get many guests and this time of year is especially quiet because of the heat."

"So you won't be busy at all?"

"It's not likely," Rin confirmed and grew suspicious. "Why are you asking? What do you want?"

There was a moment of silence before Kagome spoke again, excitement in her voice. "You remember when you said that you'd come to the city?"

"Yes…"

"Well, I was wondering if you'd like to come and spend the two weeks here with me and Inuyasha?"

"I don't mind the idea, but I'd feel a bit guilty leaving Sesshoumaru here alone."

"Give him marching orders. Tell him to come with you or you'll throw him out."

"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?"

Kagome laughed. "I suppose it is, but tell him to come with you. Everyone wants to see him again anyway."

"I'll see what I can do," Rin said with a giggle.

"We'll be expecting you two!"

As Rin put the receiver back in its cradle, she smiled to herself and rose to her feet. Heading towards the door, she wondered where she would find Sesshoumaru and decided that it was probably best to check his rooms first. She doubted he would have gone outside since the weather was still hot despite it being late afternoon. It was probably best to talk to him about what Kagome had suggested now before she forgot some of the details, although she was sure she wouldn't, but being cautious couldn't hurt.

Sesshoumaru looked up when he heard a knock at his door. Sighing to himself, he shrugged on the shirt he had discarded on the bed before his shower and made his way over to the door. Not bothering to button it up since it was probably only Rin, he pulled the door open and wasn't surprised at all to find Rin standing there. A tiny smile tugged his lips as he looked down at her and stepped back to allow her into the room. Her cheeks turned slightly pink when she saw him, but she smiled her usual cheerful smile as she sat down on the sofa and waited patiently for him to emerge from the bedroom after changing into fresh clothes.

"Did the students leave safely?" Sesshoumaru asked as he stepped back into the room and sat down opposite Rin.

"None of them have come back, so I assume so," Rin replied with a grin. "There was something I needed to talk to you about though."

"Oh? Am I in trouble?"

"No, not in trouble. I just wanted your opinion on something."

"What?"

"How do you feel about making the trip back to the city for the half term break?"

"The length of the journey isn't very appealing, but I suppose I should go back to show the family that I'm still alive."

"They know you're still alive," Rin said with a giggle.

"They've not spoken to me for quite some time."

"Kagome calls on a regular basis and I keep her up to date with what's going on," she explained, smiling as a look of understanding crossed Sesshoumaru's face.

"I see. Does Kagome have anything to do with my going back to the city," Sesshoumaru asked, a hint of amusement in his voice.

"Well, she did suggest it, but I thought it might be a good idea. After all, I've not been to the city in such a long time!"

"You're going as well?" he asked in surprise.

"Of course!" Rin said, smiling at his brief look of surprise. "I promised to go and visit her and she suggested you come back to the city as well."

"Hm. It seems I might need to have words with my sister-in-law about making plans without consulting others," Sesshoumaru murmured thoughtfully before smirking at Rin and ridding her of any worries she might have had about mentioning this topic.

Rin got to her feet and wandered over to the door before she turned to smile at him again. "You can use the phone in my office whenever you like."

Sesshoumaru had sat in his rooms for a while after the conversation and thought over Rin's idea carefully. He didn't particularly miss the city and he had very little to go back to save his family and he didn't feel much like imposing upon them. All the furniture that had once sat in his apartment now sat in the storage facility his father had gracious loaned him and Sesshoumaru knew that if he was to return to the city, he would have to stay with his brother or his parents. Sighing to himself, he got to his feet and wandered down to Rin's office to make use of her phone to find out the details of this trip from the person who seemed to have arranged it.

"Hello?"

"Kagome."

"Sesshoumaru! What a surprise! If Rin hadn't told me you were still alive and well, I'd have thought you had disappeared," Kagome said with a laugh.

"There is no need for such dramatics. I'm sure you would know one way or another if I was no longer in the land of the living."

"Of course I would. What did you call for? Do you want to speak to Inuyasha?"

"No, thank you. I wanted to talk to you actually."

"Oh?"

"I hear Rin is coming to visit you and I am supposed to be coming along?" Sesshoumaru asked, wondering what kind of response he would get.

"She told you! Don't you think it's a wonderful idea? We haven't seen either of you in quite some time!"

"It is a good idea, but I wanted to make sure that those were your only reasons for suggesting this."

Kagome sighed and there was silence for a moment before she spoke again. "We don't get to see Rin very often and I never push for her to come and visit us because it's a long journey for a woman to undertake on her own. Can you imagine what could happen to her?"

"I'm certain she is more than capable of looking after herself."

"I know she is, but I can't help worrying. She's quite impulsive sometimes and she really is quite innocent. She refuses to believe the worst in people and I worry that might be her downfall."

"So you want me to be her chaperone?"

"I suppose you could say that, but don't misunderstand. We want to see you too. It's more convenient for both of you to visit at the same time."

"I understand," Sesshoumaru muttered as he thought over the idea.

"Will you come?"

"I will. Rin is going to come regardless of my decision and like you, I would rather she didn't travel alone."

"Thank you," Kagome said gratefully. "We'll see you soon?"

"Indeed."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"I thought you would have put up more opposition to going back to the city," Rin said with a vague smile as she sat down on her small suitcase as she and Sesshoumaru waited for their train. "You didn't seem very enthusiastic about the idea."

"Truthfully, I'm not very enthusiastic about it," Sesshoumaru admitted, looking down at the seated woman from the corner of his eye as he leaned against the wall. "Having to live with members of my family is something I have not done for quite some time and it will require tolerance on my part."

Rin nodded understandingly as she leaned her head against the cool stonewall of the building behind her. It was understandable that Sesshoumaru would not be eager to have to stay with his family again. Before he had moved to the little town she lived in, he had lived alone and she suspected he rather liked those living arrangements. Even after moving into the hotel, he had not gone looking for her company but had accepted it when she pulled him out of his rooms for the evening meals they ate together. She wondered if he just tolerated her presence and if he would prefer to have his own home where he could be alone, but quickly pushed aside the thought since him having his own home in the town was not an option available to him at present.

"I get the impression that I will be staying with Kagome and Inuyasha," Rin said with a smile. "I'm sure staying with your brother would have made the situation even more uncomfortable for you."

"You are aware that we do not see eye to eye?" Sesshoumaru asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise at her observation.

"Of course. It's hardly surprising really. The two of you are like chalk and cheese. I don't think you would have ever gotten along well."

"Indeed. We tolerate each other."

There was a moment of silence after that statement and Sesshoumaru wondered if he should try to continue the conversation, but realised that he had no idea what to say next. He was saved from having to continue the conversation by the arrival of their train. Pushing himself upright, he picked up his bag and was about to reach for Rin's case when he realised that she had already moved towards the train and was waiting patiently for him next to the door. Smiling inwardly at her independence, Sesshoumaru followed her onto the train and soon found himself sitting opposite her in an empty compartment.

"I'm quite excited," Rin said with a blush. "It's been so long since I've been home. I wonder how many things have changed."

"Quite a lot, I imagine," Sesshoumaru replied with a smirk. "Hopefully it won't overwhelm you too much."

"It probably will, but it'll be so nice to see everyone again!"

"They seem to be eager to see you as well."

Rin laughed and waved her hand dismissively. "They're also eager to see you."

"I would be a lot more eager to see them if I didn't have to live with them."

"It won't be that bad. Your parents are lovely."

"Living with them is certainly better than living with Inuyasha. I feel rather sorry for you."

The pair soon fell into conversation and occasionally fell into comfortable silence before resuming conversation. Sesshoumaru had been tense about making this journey since he was not in any rush to return to the busy city life after spending a few weeks in the quiet town, but as the train slowly pulled out of the station and started towards the next town, he felt his tension ease. He carefully scrutinized Rin during one of the quiet periods when she stared out the window at the barren landscape that slowly passed by. She was not exceptionally beautiful, very pretty, but nothing like some of the beauties that dwelled in the cities. She was intelligent and very perceptive and what amazed Sesshoumaru the most was the aura of tranquillity that she seemed to radiate. Her sense of calmness was obviously having an effect on him since his worries seemed to be of little importance as he conversed with her. It was quite bizarre, but he wasn't going to complain. He did not enjoy being anxious and was pleased to have found a way to relieve himself of the awful feeling, even if it was a very strange way.

As the pair travelled, morning quickly turned to afternoon and soon, the sun was sinking low behind the hills as the train pulled into its final station. Rin followed Sesshoumaru off the train and to their next train which would take them to the city. Unfortunately, this train was quite crowded in comparison to the almost empty one they had just left. Eventually, Sesshoumaru found a compartment with just two people inside and was mildly amused to find that it was an elderly couple much like the couple he had travelled with when he had first arrived in the small town in which he now lived. The pair looked up and nodded a greeting when Sesshoumaru opened the door and stepped aside for Rin to take the window seat. Rin sighed softly as she sank down into the comfortable seat and looked out the window again. She looked away from the window when she felt Sesshoumaru sit beside her.

"I had forgotten how long this journey is," Rin murmured with a smile. "Any idea when we'll arrive?"

"Assuming there are no delays, we should be arriving mid-morning tomorrow," Sesshoumaru said, glancing at his watch.

Rin nodded and fell silent as she turned to look out the window again as she felt the train start to move. It was slightly faster than the one they had been on before, but not by much. Sesshoumaru became engrossed in a book while Rin admired the shadowy scenery and the older couple conversed quietly. He didn't know how long they had been sitting an almost complete silence, but his attention suddenly focused on his surroundings when he felt a slight weight on his shoulder. Looking down, he was surprised to find Rin fast asleep with her head on his shoulder. For a moment, he was at a loss for what to do and simply stared at her. From the corner of his eye, he saw the elderly man sitting opposite him smile and heard the elderly woman murmur something about how endearing the sight was before he finally realised that they probably thought he and Rin were a couple. Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru wrapped an arm around Rin's shoulders and gently slid her down the seat. When she lay lengthways across the seat with her head against his thigh, he draped his coat over her and went back to reading his book, trying hard to ignore the approving looks on the elderly couple's faces.

A sudden jolt woke Rin some time later and she looked around sleepily. The seats across from her were empty and she realised that the elderly couple that had sat there must've left. Frowning slightly, she wondered why she was looking at everything sideways before she realised that she was lying down and hastily sat up when she realised what she had been using as her pillow. Sesshoumaru looked at her when he realised that she was awake and nodded a greeting before looking back to the newspaper he held. Rin frowned again as she wondered if he had had any sleep at all.

"Did you sleep?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him seriously.

"No. It would have been careless for both of us to sleep in the presence of strangers," Sesshoumaru said quietly, turning the page of the newspaper.

"They wouldn't have done anything," Rin said with a giggle. "You needn't have feared for your modesty."

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her and shook his head as a tiny smirk tugged his lips. "It wasn't my modesty I was thinking about."

That statement instantly stopped any other words that were going to tumble from Rin's lips as she turned pink. She stared at him for a moment, her face a picture of embarrassment and gratitude, before clearing her throat and turning in her seat to look out the window and examine the station they were pulling into. Touched though she was that he had been that thoughtful, Rin didn't quite know how to respond to his words. Sighing softly, she closed her eyes and leaned away from the window. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly when he felt Rin's head drop to his shoulder again and wondered if she had fallen asleep again. He would have been convinced that she had if he had not heard her murmur a quiet "thank you" before they fell into comfortable silence.

Only a couple of stops later, the pair were stepping off the train and onto a busy platform. While Sesshoumaru was trying to negotiate a method of carrying both cases with one hand, Rin looked around her and sighed inwardly. Although she had missed the people who lived in the city, she certainly didn't miss the hustle and bustle. It was far too crowded and busy for her liking, but she supposed she could put up with it for a short while. She turned her gaze to the tall man beside her when she heard a soft growl of irritation and giggled as she saw him glaring at the two cases that sat innocently side by side in front of him. Evidently, he had failed to find a way to carry both cases, but Rin was glad since she intended to carry her own bag anyway. There was no need for someone else to carry it when she was perfectly capable of doing so. Amber eyes turned in her direction when he heard her giggle and Sesshoumaru was about to speak when she picked up the suitcase and tugged his sleeve impatiently.

"I'm perfectly capable of carrying my own luggage," Rin admonished him gently before gesturing to the exit at the end of the platform with her head. "We should go. Someone is bound to be waiting for us."

Sure enough, just outside the station, Inuyasha and Kagome stood side by side waiting somewhat impatiently for the pair to make their appearance. Inuyasha was just about to walk towards the building to find out what was taking them so long when two figures appeared in the doorway, causing both Inuyasha and Kagome to stare in surprise. Sesshoumaru was walking out of the door with his usual apathetic expression firmly in place while Rin walked just behind him with a slight frown on her face as she tried in vain to tug her suitcase from his firm grip. The pair came to a stop and Sesshoumaru scanned the car park for a sign of someone familiar, but just as he was about to set off towards his brother and sister-in-law, Rin tugged hard on the case, causing him to stop and turn to look at her. Inuyasha and Kagome watched the display in amazement that soon became shock when Sesshoumaru had smiled at Rin. It was a very brief and very vague smile, but it was definitely a smile. There was no questioning it. He leaned towards her and said something to her that made her blush red before she shoved the case towards him and stalked away towards her friends, leaving Sesshoumaru to bring up the rear.

"Living in that lonely little town seems to have softened him up a bit," Inuyasha said quietly to his wife.

Kagome shrugged and grinned. "Or perhaps it's Rin's doing?"

"No doubt we'll find out in time."

"Definitely."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**AN:** I'm sorry this chapter is so long! It was going to be two different chapters, but I changed my mind and decided to condense it into one chapter. You can probably tell where I was going to end the first chapter, but hopefully it's not too disjointed.

There are a couple of parts in this story that I'm not too sure about. The modesty bit for example, it sounds great when other writers refer to it but somehow it doesn't sound right to me. I've probably completely messed up the context in which such a reference is used and if I have, pleased do let me know and I'll see what I can do about correcting it.

Anyway, I'm sorry that I've not updated in a while. Free time is no longer a luxury available to me so updates will become rare, I think I mentioned this before. Please bear with me though; I will get them done when I have a moment or two to spare :)

So yeah… that's all there is to say for the moment. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story and all the others. I've noticed a couple of people have added some of my stories to their favourites list and one or two even added me to the favourite author bit. Thank you so much, I'm glad that others consider my random stories worth reading! :)

Thank you again! :)

xMxAx


	5. Chapter 5

**AN:** So this is the first update for like... two month-ish? Well, however long it's been, I'm so very sorry. Life's been hectic, but I think things are going to be going back to normal soon. The whole work thing has sort of fallen apart so I'll be having a lot more free time to devote to my writing again in the not too distant future. Anyhoo, I'm a bit rusty on the writing and my imagination has suffered a bit lately so please forgive me if this chapter's a bit crap. I will get back into the swing of things soon so hopefully the content and things will be a bit better. So yeah... this chapter I think is a bit bland, but hopefully you'll think differently. Thank you for all the reviews left for this story and the others and I hope you enjoy this. I'll try not to leave it so long until the next update as well :P

xMxAx 

_**"From quiet homes and first beginnings,  
Out to the undiscovered ends,  
There's nothing worth the wear of winning,  
But laughter and the love of friends."**_

**... Hilaire Belloc ...**

**Chapter V**

The first few days in the city were a blur for Rin and she couldn't help but be a bit overwhelmed by everything. After spending so long in such a small town, being in a city was a bit of an eye opener. She began to realise how much easier life was and how much she had missed certain aspects of citylife before remembering how peaceful her current home was. Sesshoumaru seemed to be in his element and it seemed that the transition from country life to citylife hadn't phased him in the slightest, although Rin was of the opinion that he wouldn't have let his thoughts on the transition show on his face even if it did bother him.

As it happened, Rin did not end up staying with Kagome and Inuyasha as she had initially thought she would. The couple had only one spare room and Inuyasha had dedicated himself to redecorating the room in preparation for the child which meant that Rin had to stay with Inutaisho and Izayoi where Sesshoumaru was staying. The family had showered the pair with attention the first few days after they arrived in the city before leaving them to their own devices during the day while the family went about their daily routine.

Sesshoumaru kept largely to himself as he did when he stayed at the hotel with Rin, emerging at meal times and a few other times between for refreshments. It was still a mystery to her what he spent his time doing, but she decided that it was probably best not to question him. As a result, Rin was left to amuse herself and found that she spent the majority of her time browsing the stores near the house. Since Inutaisho worked all day and Izayoi spent the majority of her time advising Inuyasha on the best way to decorate the spare bedroom, Rin took it upon herself to prepare the meals despite Izayoi's protests.

The peaceful routine that Rin had created for herself was disrupted one day towards the end of the first week she had been in the city. She had been browsing through the vegetables in the supermarket when she had heard someone calling her name. Looking up, she glanced around, expecting to see a member of the Takahashi family calling out to her, but she saw no one she recognised and went back to choosing the ingredients for the evening meal under the assumption that whoever had called her name must've been calling someone else. Rin looked up again with a frown of impatience when the same voice called out to her and she jumped in surprise when a hand landed on her shoulder. Spinning around, she stared in surprise at the tall, dark haired man and the petite red headed woman at his side who were both looking at her with broad smiles.

"It's been a while, Rin," the man said, crossing his arms over his broad chest and grinning at her bemusement.  
"You should visit more often!" the redhead exclaimed with a pout before launching herself towards Rin and wrapping her arms around her. "I heard from Kagome that you were in town, fancy bumping into you in the supermarket though. I was going to drop by the Takahashi house for a visit later today actually."  
"It is quite a surprise," Rin said with a smile, recovering from her shock. "I thought you'd left the city?"  
"We were going to," the man muttered and glared at the woman at his side. "But when Kagome announced that she was pregnant, Ayame put all plans on hold."  
"Kouga seems to think we're not needed here," Ayame said with a frown as she returned the glare. "Since Rin's not going to be here very long, I'm going to give Kagome all the support she needs."  
"She has her husband and the family for that," Kouga muttered, rolling his eyes.  
"It's a nice thought," Rin interrupted before a fight broke out. "I'm glad someone will be looking after her. I can't stay in town any longer than two weeks unfortunately. No doubt I'll be back sometime before the baby's born though."

The trio paid for their items and Rin was convinced to join the couple for lunch despite her protests that she should probably go back to the Takahashi house to prepare lunch for herself and Sesshoumaru.

"He's a big boy, Rin," Kouga commented as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and steered her towards the nearest café. "I'm sure he can manage to make lunch for himself."  
"Of course he can!" Ayame chimed in, slipping into a chair beside Rin. "He lived alone for quite some time before moving out to wherever it is you live. He can definitely manage to make lunch."  
"I suppose that's true," Rin said with a giggle. She looked at the couple who sat with her and smiled. "So, Kagome and Inuyasha are expecting. Miroku and Sango got married, what are you two up to? Will there be wedding bells soon?"  
"Not for some time yet," Ayame said with a vague smile and then gestured to Kouga with her thumb. "He finally proposed to me, but we're not planning to have the wedding just yet."  
"Really?" Rin asked, looking at Kouga who was looking slightly embarrassed with raised brows. "You certainly took your time working out how you felt about her, didn't you?"  
"I knew how I felt about her all along," Kouga muttered, looking away from the smiling females.  
"Well, you've finally done it and that's all that matters," Rin said with a smile. "I'll be waiting for my invitation."  
"What about you, Rin?" Kouga asked, looking interestedly at the dark haired woman sitting opposite him. "Any man caught your eye? Has Sesshoumaru made any moves on you?"  
Rin laughed. "Don't be silly. He hasn't made any moves on me at all, he's been an absolute pleasure to have around."  
"Are we talking about the same person?" Ayame queried with a look of mock surprise.  
"I certainly wouldn't say that he was a pleasure to have around when I lived with him in college," Kouga murmured. "He kept to himself most of the time. If we hadn't have shared a room in the dormitory, I'm sure I would never have seen him."  
"Are you going to come and visit him?" Rin asked, wondering if Sesshoumaru would welcome an unexpected visit.  
"Yeah, we probably will," Kouga nodded. "You're here another week, aren't you?"  
"Indeed."  
"Well, we'll come by for a visit before you leave."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

When Rin returned to the house later that evening, she was surprised to find Inutaisho and Izayoi not in and Sesshoumaru sitting at the kitchen table, a book in hand. He looked up when he heard her walk into the kitchen and got to his feet to help her put away the groceries she had brought back.

"Where are your parents?" Rin asked as she tried to decide what to make for dinner.  
"Father has an event to attend and Izayoi is accompanying him," Sesshoumaru said quietly, turning away from the cupboards to look at the petite woman.  
"So it's just us for dinner tonight then?"  
"Indeed."  
"Do you have anything in particular that you would like to have to eat tonight?"  
"No."

Nodding, Rin set about preparing the meal after glancing at the clock and realising that it was later than she had first thought. Sesshoumaru returned to his seat and picked up his book as he listened to the sounds of Rin moving about the kitchen. The meal was soon finished and the pair were tending to the dishes when there was a knock at the door. Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru put down the dish he had just finished drying and went to see who was visiting at such a late hour while Rin finished washing the dishes. Opening the door, he was fully prepared to see his brother standing there, but Sesshoumaru was taken aback when he saw Kouga and Ayame instead.

"You've been domesticated!" Kouga exclaimed with a chuckle as he saw the dish towel in Sesshoumaru's hand. "Never thought I'd see the day when you would be doing the dishes."  
"This is certainly a surprise," Sesshoumaru said calmly, ignoring his friend's teasing. "What can I do for you two?"  
"We came by for a visit!" Ayame said with a grin. "We saw Rin today and decided to pop by today instead of leaving it in case you left before we could see you."

Sighing again, Sesshoumaru stepped back and gestured for the pair to come inside, muttering something about Rin being in the kitchen before heading back to the dishes he had left behind. Rin smiled cheerfully as she saw her friends walk into the kitchen behind Sesshoumaru.

"I see you've domesticated him," Kouga grinned, nodding at Sesshoumaru who stood beside Rin, drying the dishes she washed.  
"I didn't have anything to do with it," Rin laughed.  
"Of course not," Ayame said with a wink. "Where's everyone else?"  
"They're out," Sesshoumaru muttered shortly, slightly irritated by the sudden visit.  
"No matter, we came to see you anyway!" Kouga exclaimed.  
"I'm honoured."

The group soon vacated the kitchen in favour of sitting in the living room. Kouga stretched widely and draped an arm around Ayame's shoulders before fixing his friend with a questioning look. Sesshoumaru sat on the sofa directly opposite him while Rin had chosen the armchair in the corner. It was slightly disappointing. He had been hoping that the two would have hit it off just a little bit, but it seemed that nothing had happened between them.

"So how's the new job?" Kouga asked. "Is is better than the one you left here?"  
"Much better," Sesshoumaru stated, obviously not feeling like going into detail.  
"He's certainly made an impression on the students in his class," Rin said with a smile. "It's only a matter of time before the declarations of love start pouring in from the female students."  
"And how will you let them down gently, Sesh?" Kouga queried, his grin growing. "They're only young girls, you know. You can't be too harsh."  
"Isn't it a shame you don't already have a woman in your life?" Ayame murmured with a smile. "Then you wouldn't have to make up excuses."  
"Anyone out there catch your eye?" Kouga asked, looking interested until Ayame's sharp jab to his ribs had him doubled over.  
"I did not go there to find a woman," Sesshoumaru muttered, looking unimpressed by his friends' antics. "I went there to work which is precisely what I'm doing. When my time there ends, I will return here. I had not planned to do anything other than that."  
"You're so dull, Sesh," Kouga complained.

The evening passed by slowly and Sesshoumaru found himself wishing his friends would leave so that he could be left with the comfortable silence that he found himself enjoying when in Rin's presence. She had opened up to him considerably since they began living under the same roof, but she seemed to have understood quite early on that Sesshoumaru didn't like talking more than necessary and that was something he was profoundly grateful for. Conversations with Rin were pleasant and the silences were just as comfortable. With thoughts of how much he enjoyed spending time in her presence, Sesshoumaru turned his amber gaze in Rin's direction and was startled to find her no longer in her seat. Kouga and Ayame didn't seem perturbed by her absence and he hid his surprise behind his usual expressionless mask. His curiosity was satisfied when Rin returned to the room moments later with four steaming mugs of coffee but he was surprised when she sat down on the sofa beside him after handing him his coffee. Rin curled her feet under her and continued the conversation she was having with Kouga and Ayame as though she hadn't changed seats and Sesshoumaru wondered if he was the only person to notice her seating choice. Shaking his head slightly, he pushed his thoughts aside. What did it matter if Rin chose to sit next to him rather than return to her previous seat? As he struggled to return his thoughts to the conversation, he decided that he was perhaps paying a little too much attention to Rin.

"I see Sesh is as talkative as ever," Kouga said a while later as he grinned at his friend.

Rin frowned slightly and realised that Sesshoumaru had not contributed a great deal to the conversation at all that evening. She turned in her seat and was about to ask if he was alright but stopped before the words left her lips. It had been quite some time since she had given him his coffee, but as she looked at him, she felt her jaw drop in surprise. Instead of sitting quietly in his seat as she expected, Sesshoumaru was fast asleep, his head tilted back against the back of the sofa and his long hair splayed out beneath his head as he slept peacefully. Leaning back in her seat, Rin could only stare at the quiet man in surprise. She had never seen him asleep before and it was truly something to behold. Kouga chuckled quietly on the other side of the room, causing her to look round.

"I guess he was tired," Kouga grinned and got to his feet, walking over to where his friend sat. Gently, he nudged his friend's shoulder with his hand and smirked when Sesshoumaru frowned and shifted slightly. "It's rare for him to fall asleep in the presence of others. We should be honoured."

Kouga's words fell on deaf ears as Rin stared at the man sleeping beside her. Her lips curved into a smile as Sesshoumaru slid down the sofa slightly and tilted his head to one side, completely unaware of his audience. Rin reached for the small rug that sat on a nearby chair and draped it over the sleeping man before turning her attention back to the couple sitting on the other side of the room with amused expressions.

"I think that's a hint that we should leave," Ayame said with a smile as she got to her feet. "It's been lovely to see you, Rin. No doubt we will see you again before you leave."  
"I hope so," Rin smiled, returning Ayame's hug. "Maybe Sesshoumaru will be awake next time."  
Kouga laughed. "Good luck trying to wake him. He sleeps like a dead man. I doubt an earthquake would wake him once he's asleep."

After seeing the pair out, Rin returned to the living room and sighed as she looked at the sleeping man who now lay lengthways on the sofa. She sat down at the end of the sofa and smiled slightly as she gently brushed a long strand of silver hair from his face when he rolled onto his back. Sesshoumaru sighed in his sleep and Rin wondered if he truly was as difficult to wake as Kouga said. He had responded in his own way to her touch but he hadn't woken up. Reaching out, she shook his shoulder gently and waited to see what kind of response she would get, but was disappointed when he just grunted quietly and rolled onto his side. After a couple more attempts to wake him, Rin sighed and left the room after giving up. She returned a short while later clutching a couple of pillows from her bed and larger blanket and couldn't resist smiling when she found Sesshoumaru hadn't moved an inch. Swiftly, she took the small rug away and replaced it with the blanket from her bed before gently lifting his head high enough for her to slip one of her pillows beneath it. Glancing back at him once more, Rin switched off the light and left Sesshoumaru to sleep as she went up to bed.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sesshoumaru groaned when he rolled over and felt sunlight on his face. There seemed to be an awful lot of sunlight streaming through the curtains that he would have made sure to close before falling asleep. Frowning, he turned over and hid his face beneath the covers before cracking them open slightly. Sighing to himself, he took a deep breath as he rolled onto his back. Despite the bright light, his eyes snapped open when he realised that he was not in his bed. His bed was not this narrow and his covers definitely didn't carry the vague scent of vanilla. Frowning, he lowered the covers from his face, forcing his eyes to adjust to the bright light and then looking around in amazement. The living room was where he had spent the night. He didn't remember falling asleep and he was amazed that he would've allowed himself to fall asleep in such a place when his own bedroom was just upstairs. The soft sound of footsteps caused him to look up just in time to see Rin elbowing the door open and looking at him with a smile as she set a steaming cup of coffee down on the table just in front of him.

"I didn't know if you'd be awake yet," Rin said as she sat down in the armchair between the two sofas and smiled again. "Did you sleep well?"  
"Yes, thank you," Sesshoumaru murmured, picking up the coffee with a nod of thanks. "Why am I in the living room?"  
"You fell asleep last night before Kouga and Ayame left. I tried to wake you up, but I couldn't so I thought I'd leave you to sleep."  
"Where did these come from?" he asked, gesturing to the pillow and covers.  
"They're from my bed," Rin murmured, sipping her coffee and looking at him. "I didn't think it was really proper to go into your room alone and without your permission."

Smirking at her reasoning, Sesshoumaru nodded his gratitude again and finished his coffee as the pair sat in content silence. They both looked up in surprise when the door opened and Inutaisho and Izayoi came in. Rin smiled as she nodded a greeting when Izayoi came into the room and gave her a warm hug. Inutaisho sat down on the sofa and grinned at the pair of them, not bothering to hide his amusement. Sesshoumaru suddenly realised how the scene looked. It was obvious that both he and Rin had just woken up and he could just tell that his father was jumping to conclusions about what had happened.

"So... did you have a good evening?" Inutaisho asked with a grin as he looked from Rin to Sesshoumaru and back again.  
"It was pleasant," Sesshoumaru replied shortly, wishing that his father would leave so that he could go upstairs for a much needed shower.  
"Oh..." the elder Takashashi sounded disappointed that he wasn't going to get any more information.  
"Kouga and Ayame came to visit," Rin added, looking at Inutaisho with a smile over the rim of her mug.  
"Oh..." this new piece of information seemed to cause Inutaisho to deflate even more before he nodded and excused himself from the room.

Izayoi smiled and shook her head as she rose to her feet to follow her husband upstairs, leaving the pair alone in the room. Rin sighed and leaned back in her chair as she turned to look at Sesshoumaru who was staring at the space his father had been sitting in as though deep in thought. She could only wonder what he was thinking about, his expressions were absolutely impossible to read. Eventually, he glanced at her and found her watching him with a vague smile.

"I think it's time for a shower," Rin said quietly, getting to her feet and stretching widely before giving him another smile and leaving the room.

Silently agreeing, Sesshoumaru got to his feet and followed her out the door and upstairs, trying very hard to convince himself that the strange start to the day did not bode ill for the rest of the day.

Little over an hour later, Rin came down the stairs and into the kitchen with a spring in her step and gave everyone a brilliant smile as she slid into a seat between Sesshoumaru and Izayoi. Izayoi returned the smile and the two women began discussing the night before while Sesshoumaru wondered why Rin seemed to be in such high spirits. Pushing aside the thought, he decided it best to ignore the unexplained cheeryness and simply carry on with his meal. Much to his relief, his parents left the house again shortly after breakfast and the kitchen fell into silence as both he and Rin cleared away the cutlery. When everything was washed, dried and put in its proper place, Sesshoumaru was surprised when Rin spun round to face him with a smile.

"Do you have any plans for today?" she asked, pulling on a light jacket as she spoke.  
"No," Sesshoumaru replied cautiously. "Why do you ask?"  
"Would you like to spend the day with me?"  
Amber eyes widened at the invitation and he paused to think the offer over briefly. "What did you have in mind?"  
Rin grinned happily and passed him his own jacket. "I need to pick up some things for the hotel while I'm here. I could really use some help, if you don't mind."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru pulled on his jacket and followed her out to his car that he hadn't used for quite some time. A part of him felt something akin to disappointment that she simply wanted an extra pair of hands to help with the shopping, but another part was elated that she had asked him and not anyone else. It was a strange feeling that he didn't remember having felt before, but he ignored it and slid into the car beside her.

Sesshoumaru would never have thought Rin was enthusiastic about shopping, but he soon discovered that he was wrong. The pair moved from store to store looking at various things for the hotel and he could only smile inwardly at Rin's enthusiasm. He felt comfortable with her and found out that he didn't mind shopping with Rin. When something caught her eye, she would tug his sleeve and pull him over to the store and after a while, Sesshoumaru noticed that somewhere during the course of the day, her arm had slipped through his without either of them noticing. He looked down at her hand which was resting on his arm and considered how delicate it looked before realising that he didn't mind the contact. Normally he would have put considerable distance between them if it had been someone else trying to initiate physical contact, but Rin was different somehow. She had an almost childlike innocence about her that you couldn't help but be drawn to particularly when she was as enthusiastic as she currently was and the way she smiled every time she looked at him left him with a feeling of breathlessness he had never known before. Sesshoumaru had long since stopped trying to follow Rin's words as they moved through the crowded shopping centre and focused on his thoughts about the woman beside him. She either didn't notice that he wasn't listening or didn't mind very much since she didn't comment as she continued to happily look at the shops.

Amber eyes widened slightly whenever a crowd of people pushed Rin into his side even more or when she spotted something that caused her to lean past him to get a good look at it. It was moments like these when his instincts kicked into actions as much as he tried to repress them. Instinct told him to wrap an arm around her and shield her from the other people when they roughly pushed past her, but he had so far managed to prevent himself from actually doing so, but his mind went blank when she leaned past him in stores. With her arm still linked with his, something that seemed to have escaped her notice, he could feel her breasts against him when she moved closer and her soft vanilla scent left him wondering if it was simply the scent from her clothes or if her skin would carry that same scent. Just as he thought he could take no more, Rin looked up at him and smiled.

"We should get some lunch!" she declared, tugging him in the direction of a food store nearby. "We've not eaten since breakfast. You must be starving by now!"  
"I hadn't given it much thought," Sesshoumaru replied truthfully, stopping beside her as she searched the shelves for a suitable lunch for them both.  
"Hmm. It's a good thing you have me to look after you then," Rin said with a teasing smile as she glanced at him over her shoulder. "I wouldn't want you to waste away."

While Sesshoumaru chose not to answer, Rin's mind was running in circles as she hastily picked up food and put it in the basket he was carrying. She hadn't realised until she had stopped to pick up a basket that her arm had been linked with his and she didn't want to admit to herself that she had been loath to let go. If he had noticed, he hadn't commented which surprised her somewhat so she decided that he must not have noticed. As they left the store, she was very aware of his presence beside her and wondered what had changed. Shrugging the thought away, she helped him unload the packages when they reached the car. They sat in silence as they headed back towards the house and after a while, Rin sighed softly.

"I think I'm going to miss everyone when I go home," she said quietly.  
"No doubt they will miss you too," Sesshoumaru replied, casting a glance in her direction briefly before looking back to the road ahead.

The remaining few days the pair had in the city seemed to fly by and eventually, Rin found herself standing in front of the station beside Sesshoumaru and saying farewell to her friends. Kagome was in tears and holding onto her so tightly she wondered if her ribs might break, but Inuyasha stepped in just in time to prevent injury. He gave her a crooked grin and ruffled her hair as he bid her goodbye before escorting his weeping wife away.

"I hope we see you again soon," Izayoi said with a smile as she embraced the pair warmly. "Both of you."  
"Hopefully," Rin replied as she returned the hug and then stepped bcak to pick up her case.  
"Call us when you get back to let us know you got home safely," Inutaisho instructed Sesshoumaru.  
"I will."

Rin sighed as she sat down heavily in her seat when they finally boarded the train. Sesshoumaru cast her a brief glance before continuing to rearrange the cases in the overhead rack before sitting down beside her. He had hoped that since the train was leaving quite late at night, it wouldn't be crowded but he was wrong. People were wandering up and down the aisles looking for seats and luggage sat on every available surfaces as well as the storage racks. Still, he knew that it was only a few hours until they would change trains and get one that was a lot less crowded. A movement from the corner of his eye caused him to look in Rin's direction and he was surprised to find her wiping tears from her cheeks. She sensed his gaze and turned to give him an apologetic smile before wiping the last of her tears away. For a moment, Sesshoumaru didn't know what to do and then came to his senses and realised that he should be comforting her instead of staring at her. Sighing to himself, he reached over to her and put an arm around her shoulders as she struggled to stem the flow of her tears. Eventually she gave up completely and buried her face in his shoulder. She hadn't thought she would miss her friends this much when it came to leaving again, but clearly she had been very wrong. When she finally calmed down she realised that the train was moving and that a large hand was rubbing soothing circles on her lower back. Peeking up at the man beside her, she saw that he was staring out the window over her head with a thoughtful expression and seemed to be unaware that she had stopped crying. As a wave of fatigue washed over her, she decided against bringing him out of his reverie and chose to snuggle closer into his side as she closed her eyes and waited for sleep to take her. Just before she fell asleep, Rin couldn't help but think that their relationship had changed slightly, but sleep claimed her before she could pursue that thought any further. It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if their relationship had changed but only time would tell if it had changed or not.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN:** Sorry for the delay in updating again. I thought I could get this update done faster, but I was wrong. Please bear with me if this chapter isn't particularly good - I'm still trying to get back into the habit of writing so I'm probably still a bit rusty. I've got plans for the next chapter so with any luck it won't take too long to do, but I won't make any promises. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed any of my stories - feedback is greatly appreciated :)

xMxAx

_**"He is the happiest,  
be he king or peasant,  
who finds peace in his home."**_

**... Johann Wolfgang von Goethe ...**

**Chapter VI**

Warm sunlight on her face made her eyes flutter as Rin slowly regained consciousness. She felt very warm and so comfortable, she didn't want to move. Sighing softly, Rin rolled onto her side and opened her eyes before sitting up hastily as she looked around her in confusion. There was no doubting the room she was in now was her own bedroom, but quite how she got there, she didn't know. Lying back against her pillows, she thought over the events from the night before. She remembered leaving the city and falling asleep on the train, but getting from the train to the hotel was a mystery. A slight blush covered her cheeks as she remembered falling asleep tucked into Sesshoumaru's side, but she quickly pushed the thought aside as she got out of bed and set about preparing for the day.

When she was suitably dressed, she made her way down the familiar corridor to the reception area to open the doors. After perusing the book she had recorded all her bookings in, Rin realised that the students were due to return that same day. Sighing, she put the book down and decided that it was probably best to check their rooms before they returned. Just as she was about to turn down the corridor, she found herself face to face with Sesshoumaru. Smiling, she stepped back to allow him to step out of the corridor.

"Good morning," Rin said cheerfully.  
"Good morning," Sesshoumaru replied. "Did you sleep well?"  
"Yes thank you, but how did I end up in my room?"  
"I put you there."  
"You did?"  
"Indeed. You fell asleep on the train and I thought it simpler to carry you rather than to wake you."  
"How did you manage the luggage as well?" Rin asked in amazement.  
"I had some help," he admitted with a smirk as he thought back. "One of the guards carried the luggage."  
"Thank you," she murmured, blushing prettily at the thought of being carried by the man before her.  
Sesshoumaru nodded. "When are the students due to return?"  
"Today. I was just going to check I'd remade their rooms."  
"Would you like some help?"  
"If you don't mind," Rin said with a smile and led the way up to the top floor of the building where the students made their home during term times.

As they walked, Sesshoumaru looked around with interest. The rooms were very simple and furnished nicely with the basics which he supposed meant that there was less for them to damage during their stay. He watched as Rin opened the windows to allow the cool breeze into the rooms while she made the beds and dusted down the surfaces. She seemed to have forgotten his presence for she jumped slightly when she turned to find him leaning against the doorframe and watching her with interest.

"How many more rooms do you need to do?" he asked after half an hour.  
"Only two more," Rin replied with a smile. "Then we can have lunch. The students return later this afternoon so I suggest you relish the peace and quiet while you can."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Sesshoumaru sighed to himself as he sat back in his seat and looked across the classroom at the students who were working quietly on the task he had set them. He was quite surprised how quiet they were being especially since they had only been back at school for a couple of days. Still, the silence was not unpleasant and it allowed his thoughts to drift for the first time in some time. Rin had not been lying when she hinted at the peace and quiet disappearing after the students returned. The peace that had descended over the hotel when it was just the pair of them present had been shattered and in it's place was a kind of chaos that made him wonder how anything ever got done.

In the midst of all the chaos was Rin. She seemed undeterred by the goings on around her and continued as normal. Meals were cooked to perfection and somehow everyone had everything they needed on the first day of school. Looking back to that first hectic day, Sesshoumaru could only marvel at Rin's organisational skills. How she had managed to make that day run smoothly for so many people would probably remain a mystery to him. He smiled to himself as he remembered how she had walked to the school with him as she had done the previous term and how she had even prepared lunch for him. It was quite touching really to think that she did that just for him and it had given him an ego boost as well.

Turning his gaze to the clear blue sky outside the window, he thought back over the past two weeks he had spent in her company. As the events drifted through his mind, Sesshoumaru arrived at the conclusion that something between them had changed slightly over the past couple of weeks, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. They spent more time together than they did previously and he found that he enjoyed simply being in the same room as her even if they sat in silence. It baffled him.

"...sir?"  
"Mr Takahashi?"  
Sesshoumaru turned his attention back to his class when he heard a couple of voices. "Yes?"  
"We just wanted to know what we should do when we finish?" a girl asked, looking at him curiously over her glasses and gestured towards her books with a wave of her hand.  
"Ah. Read the next section and start on the exercises at the bottom of the next page, please."

As the class returned to their work, Sesshoumaru frowned slightly as he watched them all begin their next task. He had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed that the class was nearly over and all those thoughts had been focused on one woman. There had never been a time when his thoughts had been so occupied by a woman and this wasn't just any woman, this was Rin. This was the woman who had known his family for many, many years and who had been accepted by them as one of their own even if her name was different. She wasn't a woman he could see how things went with and then leave if things turned out badly. One bad decision or one bad move where she was concerned and he knew that his family would probably never forgive him.

That wasn't to say, however, that Sesshoumaru Takahashi had any intention of pursuing any sort of relationship with Rin other than the one they currently had. It was simply an observation that he would be wise to remember. Still, he couldn't deny that a part of him, albeit a very small part that was pushed away to the back of his mind, was curious about how a relationship with Rin might turn out. She was obviously a caring soul who would no doubt make a brilliant mother if she should want to have children and her air of innocence made one feel the urge to protect her despite the fact that she was a fully grown woman who had proved that she could fend for herself. Her affectionate nature could melt even the coldest of hearts and Sesshoumaru knew this from experience.

Sesshoumaru was not known to be affectionate or particularly open with his thoughts and emotions, but he had noticed a difference in himself since his arrival at the hotel. Slowly, he was being brought out of his shell and he knew that there was very little he could do to stop this except for leaving and going back to the city and that was something he definitely wasn't going to do be doing any time soon. Somehow, Rin had managed to get him to open up to her somewhat and that was a feat in itself since no one had managed that yet, although he was willing to bet that no one had tried. Rin was different to the other women he had met. It was obvious that when she asked questions, she was genuinely interested in the answers. What amazed him the most was her memory. She seemed to store little pieces of information away that she would slip into conversation at a later date. More than once she had surprised him by bringing something up in conversation that he had mentioned a week or so previously.

Shaking his head as though he thought that would clear it of his thoughts of the petite woman, Sesshoumaru glanced up at the clock and then at his students, most of whom were writing studiously while a few gazed out the windows with a look of longing. There was only a few minutes until the bell rang to signal the end of the day and he supposed there was nothing wrong with letting them leave a few minutes early. They looked eager to be elsewhere and he was eager to return to the hotel. It was amazing to think that he wanted to return the place that was now his home purely because he knew Rin would be waiting with a smile. Sighing to himself, he gathered his papers and rose to his feet, clearing his throat and gaining the attention of the students.

"The bell will ring shortly, you may leave if you have finished the work. Please put your books on my desk as you leave," he said and gestured towards the door as he packed away his papers and waited for the students to leave their work on his desk as he left.

There was a ripple of excitement followed by the screeching of chairs against the tiled floor as the students rose as one and walked past his desk towards the door, chatting cheerfully as they went. Sesshoumaru watched the growing pile of books on his desk with a vague frown. It was another pile of work to look over. When the last book was placed on the pile and the door closed behind the last student, he sighed and reached over to pick them up to place in his bag.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A short while later, Rin looked up from the meal she was beginning to prepare when Sesshoumaru stepped through the kitchen door with a weary expression. She smiled and nodded a greeting as he dropped down into a nearby chair.

"Hard day?" she asked as she placed a cup of coffee down in front of him.  
"Indeed," he replied with a quiet sigh as he sipped the coffee. "Thank you."  
"You look like you need it. Do you want something to eat now or would you rather wait until dinner is ready?"  
"I'll wait. Do you need any help?"  
"No thank you," Rin said with a smile as she returned to the vegetables she had been cutting. "You should get some rest before dinner. No doubt your help and advice will be in demand afterwards."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru finished his coffee and got to his feet. As he walked past, he paused behind her and peered over her shoulder in an attempt to see what she was cooking. Sensing his presence just behind her, Rin looked up at him and smiled again before returning to her task. Unable to discern what the meal would be, he patted her shoulder briefly before disappearing out the room.

Rin looked after him with a thoughtful expression until he disappeared from sight. The man was a mystery to her. There were times when he was distant and seemed to build an enormous wall between himself and the rest of the world, but then there were moments like the one she had just witnessed. He wasn't the type to initiate physical contact and yet he had just done so. That light pat on her shoulder had surprised her to say the least and she wondered what the meaning of it was, if indeed there was a meaning. Shrugging, she turned back to the food.

There had been a subtle difference in him since their return from the city although not many would notice it. She was certain that the man he had been before their journey to the city would not have carried her from the train to her bed because she was asleep. It was a welcome change in his behaviour. Smiling to herself, she wondered if this was a permanent change and how many more surprises he had in store for her.

When Sesshoumaru returned to the kitchen, he found the students eating happily as Rin looked on from her position near the back of the room with a smile. She waved slightly when she saw him and gave him a cheerful smile when he came to a stop beside her. He looked around at the students and was mildly amused to find that Seiichi's gaze was trained on the two adults. It had been quite some time since he had thought of the infatuated youth and remembering his blush when his friends teased him about his soft spot for Rin almost made Sesshoumaru smile.

"They're nearly finished," Rin murmured, smiling up at him. "We should be able to have our food in a little while."  
"Alright. Do you want help clearing away their plates?"  
"Yes, thank you. That would help me a lot."

Sesshoumaru followed Rin back to the kitchen with an armful of plates a short while later and then they returned to the dining room to begin their meal. The students bid them farewell and left them to their own devices. Rin sighed and leaned back in her seat before starting to eat.

"How are you finding being back at work?" Rin asked with a vague smile.  
"It's quite easy to fall back into the routine," Sesshoumaru replied, looking into his wine glass for a moment before turning his gaze to Rin. "The workload will just gradually increase the closer we get to the exam period."  
"I hope you will take care of yourself at that time. You mustn't overwork yourself."  
"I will try not to."

As they finshed their meals and took their plates back to the kitchen, Sesshoumaru was touched by Rin's concern for him and wondered what he had done to deserve her concern. Whatever it was, he was pleased that Rin obviously cared a little about him. She chatted happily to him as she passed him the washed dishes for him to dry and he nodded absently as he observed her. It seemed that she didn't mind his lack of contribution to the conversation and he was glad for that since he would not be able to reply to any question she could have asked since he had no idea what she was talking about. He was far too caught up in his thoughts. From where he stood, he had a very good view of her and couldn't help but admire her. Her diminutive size brought her up to just below his shoulder but her lack of height didn't seem to be an issue for her. She was slim and had an air of elegance about her that wouldn't have been out of place with ladies of aristocratic heritage. However, despite all that, what caught Sesshoumaru's eye the most was her face. Her lips seemed to be constantly drawn into a vague smile that seemed to grow as conversation carried on and her eyes twinkled with mischief and good humour. Long dark hair was pulled back from her face in a rough ponytail that hung down her back while a few wisps escaped from the clasp and hung loose against her skin.

A slight smile curved his lips for the briefest moment as he watched her splash soapy water all over her face and down her front before she erupted into laughter at the mishap. Still giggling to herself, she continued with the dishes, shaking her head every so often to try and deter the water on her face from dripping into her eyes. Her giggles ceased when Sesshoumaru leaned towards her, tilted her face towards him and dabbed it dry with the sleeve of his shirt. She stared at him in surprise before giving him one of her brilliant smiles and returning to the dishes and the conversation as though nothing had happened. When she turned away from the sink eventually, she looked down at the front of her shirt and shook her head as the wet shirt clung to her figure.

"I suppose I should go and change," she said with a frown. "I don't really see a point in putting on clean clothes so late at night though."  
Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and wondered briefly if she intended to stay in the wet shirt. "It would be unwise to wear something wet though."  
"I suppose," Rin sighed as she looked at her shirt again.  
"Here."

Rin's reply was a muffled squeak as a light weight jumper landed on her head. Pulling it off, she glanced from it to its owner who was looking at her with a slight smirk. Before she could say anything, she found herself pushed gently towards the nearby bathroom. When she emerged, she wrung out her shirt and put it in the nearby washing basket, hoping it would dry before anything else was added to the laundry pile. While she bustled about the kitchen, Sesshoumaru watched her with some satisfaction. He had not been particularly cold when he had pulled the jumper on over his shirt before dinner, but it was a habit he had adopted a long time ago. There was something quite satisfying seeing the woman who had occupied his thoughts for the majority of the day wandering around the kitchen in his jumper.

"I'll wash this for you when I do the next wash," Rin said, plucking the front of the jumper as she spoke. "I doubt you'd want to wear it again when it'll probably smell of dishwater."  
"I doubt it will smell of dishwater," he replied with a smirk as he pushed himself away from the counter he had been leaning against. "You don't need to wash it."

There had been no argument about washing the jumper and Sesshoumaru had left Rin to finish what little she had left to do in the kitchen as he headed towards his rooms. He paused just outside the room that had become a study for both him and the students, wondering if he had left anything he would need for the next day in there. Deciding that it was best to check, he pushed the door open and was surprised to find the small table lamp in the corner of the room shining brightly. Raising an eyebrow, he walked towards it to switch it off and noticed that one of the students was still sitting at the table. Upon closer inspection, Sesshoumaru discovered that the student was Seiichi, Rin's secret admirer. Sighing to himself, he shook the boy's shoulder and waited patiently for him to wake up.

"Are you awake?" he queried as he watched the youth stir slightly.  
"Yes," the boy mumbled, rubbing his forehead as he looked around. His eyes widened when he recognised his teacher standing in front of him, looking at him curiously. "Is it late?"  
"Nearly eleven," Sesshoumaru replied. "Why did you not simply go to bed if you were that tired? You won't remember anything if you force yourself to study when you're tired."

Seiichi looked away from the tall man who was waiting patiently for a response and glanced around the room as though searching for an excuse. After a moment, he sighed and rested his head on the table in front of him as he tried to think of a suitable place to start his tale. Sensing that there was more to the situation than a youth overworking himself, Sesshoumaru crossed the room and closed the door before taking a seat opposite the boy. Seiichi looked uncertain for a moment when he sat up, but the uncertainty was soon replaced by a look of resignation.

"I wasn't studying, I wasn't even trying to," the teenager said, carefully avoiding his teacher's gaze. "I just wanted to be somewhere quiet where I could be alone."  
"Why?"  
"Ah... well... I've got a bit of a problem and I suppose I'm trying to run away from it, but it's not working very well."  
"I see," Sesshoumaru said quietly, leaning back in his seat and looking at the boy intently. "And what is this problem? Is there a way to solve it?"  
"Yes, there is, but I don't want to make the decision."  
"What decision is this?"  
Seiichi sighed heavily and looked at Sesshoumaru seriously as though debating whether or not to speak about it. "There is a girl in my class who stays here at the hotel who says she likes me."  
"That's a problem?" Sesshoumaru asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.  
"Well, I suppose not, but I don't know if I like her. I don't want to hurt her by saying I don't want anything to do with her in any way other than just as classmates," he replied with a shrug before looking at the other man suspiciously. "You probably already know I like Rin."  
A tiny smirk tilted Sesshoumaru's lips for a fraction of a second. "Yes, I had heard rumours about that."  
"This girl won't leave me alone. She keeps trying to spend all her time with me, asking if I like her and if I'll go out with her. I don't know what to do."  
"Do you like her as more than a classmate?"  
"I'm not sure."  
"Do you like Rin more than this other girl?"  
"I don't know." Seiichi shook his head and buried his face in his hands. "This is stupid. I know Rin won't ever look at me as more than a student."  
"If you know that, then why are you uncertain about how to respond to the other girl?"  
"A part of me hopes Rin might change her mind, I suppose. Do you think I'm foolish for wishing for that?"  
Sesshoumaru looked thoughtful. "Not necessarily. I think it's quite natural, but you might want to draw a line between what could happen and what you wish would happen."  
"What does that mean?"  
"It means that even though you wish something will happen, it mustn't get in the way of things that definitely will happen."  
"So, I should give up on Rin and go out with this other girl?" Seiichi asked, looking slightly confused.  
"You don't have to give up on Rin. Just do other things in the mean time. It's perfectly possible that in the future she might see you as more than a student she offered a room to, but at the moment it doesn't look that way."  
"Do you think she ever will?"  
Sesshoumaru shrugged. "I am not Rin, I really wouldn't know what she thinks of people. She tends to keep opinions on such matters to herself."  
"You two are very close, aren't you?" Seiichi asked, leaning back in his seat and looking at his teacher with interest, the previous conversation forgotten.  
"Not especially. Before I moved here I had not seen her in several years."  
The teenager made a sound of disbelief. "That hasn't stopped you two from getting on quite well though, has it?"  
"Apparently not."  
"Do you like her as more than a friend?"  
"I have not given that any thought," Sesshoumaru said firmly, although he knew in his mind that it was a lie of monumental proportions. He had spent most of the day thinking about that very thing. "There are issues surrouding a relationship with Rin and I am not sure it would be wise to jump head first into one without considering the implications beforehand."  
"Implications?"  
"Indeed. She is very close to my family and I am fairly sure that they would make a person's life very unpleasant if they were to hurt her."

Sesshoumaru paused to think over that idea again before shaking his head slightly as he realised just who he was discussing this with. The boy was looking at him seriously and then seemed to come to a conclusion as he pushed his chair back and got to his feet.

"You're right. I need to draw a line somewhere," Seiichi said, smiling for the first time since Sesshoumaru had known him. "Thank you for the help."

Without another word, Seiichi left the room, leaving Sesshoumaru to stare after him in surprise. A tiny smile pulled his lips as he too rose to his feet and headed towards the door. He was glad he had managed to help the boy, but he still had his own issues surrounding his feelings for Rin to deal with. Just what he felt for her, he didn't quite know yet. The only thing he could do was to keep an open mind and see what would happen as time went on.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** So here's the next chapter. I'm not 100% happy with it, but I can always come back to change it. Please excuse any spelling or grammar mistakes, I've tried to correct as many of them as I can, but there might be some I've missed. I'll be making a start on the next chapter soon, so I'll update as soon as I can :)__Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, it's greatly appreciated :)

xMxAx_****_

"A man's homeland is wherever he prospers."

__**... Aristophanes ...**

**Chapter VII**

As the days passed, Rin began to notice a change in Seiichi and also in a girl named Mizuki who seemed to have taken to following the boy around like a love sick puppy. She kept her silence on the subject for quite some time as she watched their relationship blossom slowly but surely. Gradually, Seiichi seemed to lower his guard around the girl and soon, he was waiting for her before and after school. They studied together and seemed so wrapped up in each other that nothing else mattered much.

Eventually though, Rin couldn't contain how pleased she was to see the pair of them so happy. It was late one Friday evening when she was passing the doorway leading out into the dimly lit garden that she saw Sesshoumaru leaning against the doorframe, looking out into the quiet garden. She stopped beside him, her arms full of clean linen she had been about to take to his room and tried to follow his gaze. After some squinting, Rin managed to make out the shape of two figures sitting at one of the tables and gasped when she recognised them as the couple she had been watching over the past few weeks. Hearing a sound beside him, Sesshoumaru turned his gaze to her and shifted slightly in surprise.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked quietly, turning his gaze back to the youths outside.  
"Not long," Rin replied and then gestured towards the couple when she saw Seiichi glance towards them and smile happily. "It's official then, is it?"  
"It seems so."  
"It's about time he got over that silly infatuation of his. He told me the other day that he quite likes Mizuki now."  
"Indeed. He drew his line and it's worked well."

Out of the corner of her eye, Rin glanced up at the tall man beside her and frowned slightly as she thought over his words. During a very brief conversation with Seiichi, he too had mentioned a line and she had been baffled by his words. Turning around, she slipped her arm through Sesshoumaru's and gently pulled him back into the building. He followed without a question and allowed her to pull him down the corridor towards her rooms. Once inside her small living room, Rin turned around to face the tall man and crossed her arms.

"What is this thing about a line? What does that mean?" she asked, unable to hide her curiosity.  
"He asked for some advice, I told him to draw a line and he did."  
"Draw a line?"  
"Between what can happen and what he wishes would happen."  
Rin's eyes widened and she smiled as she caught his drift. "I see. I'm glad it worked for him."  
"So am I."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Late one evening when she was alone in her room, Rin sighed to herself as she slipped into her pyjamas. It was still warm in evenings, but winter was definitely on its way since the temperature had lowered quite a lot at night. Regardless of the cool breeze that drifted through her windows, she pulled on her usual pair of short sleeping shorts and the matching sleeveless shirt that formed part of the set she had been given as a gift for her last birthday. Stepping out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom, Rin sighed as she sat down on her bed to braid her hair as she always did before going to bed. Halfway through the braid, she her a noise from outside and got up to see what its source was. Peering through the window, she caught sight of a dark shape moving just behind the shrubbery nearby and she squinted through the darkness as though that would somehow help. After staring into the darkness for a while, Rin's eyes became accustomed to the poor lighting and soon realised that the dark shapes she had seen were two men, although she couldn't tell who they were. Sighing and trying not to let her discovery unnerve her, she reached up to draw the curtains but froze when she saw the figures come closer.

Swallowing the scream of surprise and fear that threatened to spill from her lips with difficulty, Rin shut the curtains violently and looked around her, wondering what she should do. Staying in the room alone was definitely out of the question with two strange men so close outside. The thin window was all that stood between her and them and it didn't make her feel any safer. All the students would be in their rooms or asleep, although she wouldn't seek aid from them in case it put them in danger. That left Sesshoumaru. It was quite late and she assumed he would be asleep or about to go to sleep, but he would know what to do about the situation. Gathering her courage and slipping a thin robe over her shoulders, Rin stepped out of her room into the dark corridor and looked towards the door nearby that led to Sesshoumaru's rooms.

Sesshoumaru sighed as he heard a knock at his door and turned on the light in the bedroom to glance at the clock beside his bed. It was just past midnight, who could want him at this hour? With great difficulty, he got to his feet and headed towards the door, not bothering to pick up a shirt as he went. When he opened the door, his jaw nearly dropped in surprise when he saw Rin standing on the other side. She was barefoot and clad in her pyjamas, a robe hastily pulled over the top of them but not pulled closed. Long dark hair spilled over her shoulders and her eyes were wide with a look of fear in their depths. Ridding his mind of the indecent thoughts that crept into it, Sesshoumaru gestured for her to come inside and sit down.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees as he sat opposite her.  
"There're people outside my window," Rin said in a small voice, her hands clutching the fabric of her robe tightly.  
"People?"  
"Two men, I think."  
Sesshoumaru looked confused for a moment and then nodded. "Wait here."

Leaving Rin sitting on his sofa with an apprehensive look on her face, Sesshoumaru stepped out into the corridor and slipped into Rin's rooms, switching off the light as he went. Once his eyes became accustomed to the darkness, he slowly made his way towards the window. Pressing himself against the wall, he pulled the curtain back slightly and looked out, scanning the surrounding area for any signs of the men. After a while of seeing nothing, Sesshoumaru was about to leave and tell Rin that there was no one there, but a slight rustling in the shrubbery made him pause. There was definite movement coming from just below the window, although what caused it, he really couldn't say. The wind wasn't strong enough to make such a loud noise, but that didn't mean that there was a man hiding in the shrubbery.

Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru stepped away from the wall and back towards the door. When he stepped back into his rooms, he found Rin sitting exactly where he had left her, her hands shaking slightly from the tight grip she kept on her robe. Realising that his findings would not put her at ease, he bent down beside her and took her hands in his. She looked vaguely surprised but didn't put up any protest about the sudden contact. He led her to the adjoining bedroom and pushed her gently towards the bed.

"Get some sleep. I'll look into it again tomorrow," Sesshoumaru said quietly, answering the silent question in her eyes.

Rin watched him leave the bedroom, pausing only to pick up a spare pillow and a light blanket before making his bed on the sofa. From where she stood beside the bed she could clearly see him as he made himself comfortable and promptly fell asleep. Stepping towards the bed, she looked at the covers that had been pulled back and the soft pillows looked very inviting. Suddenly, a wave of fatigue washed over her and she slid beneath the covers, pulling them up tightly around her. The musky scent of sandalwood teased her senses as she inhaled deeply and burrowed deeper into the warmth of the blankets. Sighing to herself, she let herself drift into slumber safe in the knowledge that she was safe.

The next morning was bright but cold and Sesshoumaru shivered slightly as a cool breeze drifted past. Cracking open an amber eye, he looked around and remembered the events of the night before that led to him sleeping on the sofa. Propping himself up on an elbow, he looked through the archway towards the large bed and saw the small shape that was Rin curled up in the middle of it. Making his way over to the bathroom, he paused to look at her and nearly smiled. Her hair had come loose from it's rough bun that she had tied it in before falling asleep and was splayed out over the pillow while a few strands lay across her face, moving slightly with every breath she took. Rin lay on her back, one delicate hand clutching the covers that lay across her middle and her face was the picture of serenity. As Sesshoumaru watched for a moment longer, she frowned in her sleep and shifted to her side, curling up into a ball and pulling the covers closer around her.

Rin was still not awake when Sesshoumaru emerged from the shower a short while later and he decided that it was probably best to simply leave her to sleep. She was always awake long before everyone else and if she was sleeping this long, it probably meant she was desperately needing to catch up on her sleep. Leaving her to sleep, he made his way to the door and pulled it open only to come face to face with Seiichi who looked as though he was about to knock. Raising an eyebrow, Sesshoumaru looked at the youth thoughtfully and wondered if it would be wise to let him inside when Rin lay in the bed just in the other room. Unfortunately, the choice was taken from his hands when Seiichi looked seriously at him and crossed his arms.

"I can't find Rin, so I need to speak to you about something," he said gravely. "It's very important."  
Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru glanced over his shoulder and was relieved to see that Rin had shifted out of sight beneath the covers. "Come in."

While Seiichi made himself comfortable in the small living room, Sesshoumaru disappeared into the bedroom and looked around for something to keep Rin out of sight with. If the students caught wind of her having spent the night in his room, rumours would fly no matter how innocent the situation was. She was in his bed and that was definitely not a point in his favour if he wanted to convince others that there was nothing between them. After looking around the room and finding nothing to help him hide the sleeping woman, he decided the only thing he could do was to pray that Seiichi wouldn't notice her.

"What did you want to discuss?" Sesshoumaru asked, taking a seat in one of the chairs where he could keep an eye on Rin.  
"Mizuki told me what she thought there was someone outside her room last night," Seiichi said bluntly. "I overheard another girl saying something similar at breakfast."  
"I see. That is a serious claim."  
"Where's Rin? Have you seen her at all today? She wasn't at breakfast."  
"If she wasn't at breakfast, I think it's safe to assume she is still asleep."  
"It's about time she slept in on the weekend," the boy said with a shrug. "I've been staying here since I started high school and she's rarely missed meals."

Shrugging, Sesshoumaru discreetly cast a glance through the doorway to the bedroom behind Seiichi. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Rin shift slightly and then roll over onto her back before slowly sitting up and rubbing her eyes as she tried to become accustomed to the bright light. Getting to his feet, Sesshoumaru opened the door, giving his student an obvious hint that it was time to leave.

"I will discuss this with Rin if I see her before you do. There are some things that require my attention before I come down to breakfast," Sesshoumaru said in a calm voice.

The door was closed firmly behind the youth before he could utter another word and Sesshoumaru turned back to the woman currently sitting in his bed looking slightly bewildered. When her gaze fell on him, she smiled slightly before pulling the covers around her more securely and clearing her throat.

"Good morning," she murmured, blushing slightly.  
"Morning. Did you sleep well?" Sesshoumaru asked casually as he returned to his seat.  
"Yes, thank you. I'm sorry for robbing you of your bed though."  
He shrugged. "No matter. Once we've had breakfast, I believe there is a matter we need to discuss."

As Sesshoumaru left the room, Rin stared after him for a moment before getting to her feet and following in his footsteps as she headed back to her room. A short while later, she was sitting in the little dining room opposite Sesshoumaru as they ate breakfast in companionable silence.

"What is it you wanted to discuss?" Rin asked at length, putting down her coffee cup with a soft tap on the table in front of her.  
"It's regarding what happened last night."  
Rin blushed slightly at the thought of her having gone running to him in the middle of the night. "What about it?"  
"I spoke to Seiichi just before you woke up and he said that Mizuki told him that she thought there was someone outisde her room last night and apparently another girl said the same."  
"Really? What do you think was going on?"  
"I believe it was probably the same person or people who were outside your window," Sesshoumaru replied with a thoughtful look. "Since you left your room, it's likely that they realised you weren't going to return and decided to look elsewhere for their fun."  
"Meaning going to the female students' windows?"  
"Indeed."  
"But how would they know where they were?" Rin asked with a frown. "Surely someone else would have heard them or seen them if they were creeping about trying to find they girls' rooms?"  
Sesshoumaru shrugged. "Perhaps they already knew where they were?"  
"How could that possibly be?" Rin shook her head firmly. "The only people who know who uses which room here are the students themselves."  
"Can you be certain that it wasn't any of the boys?"  
"No, I can't," she admitted with a frown. "But I do know that I weeded out the badly behaved ones a long time ago and they no longer stay here."  
"That's not to say that they don't stay elsewhere in the town, though is it?" Sitting forward in his chair, Sesshoumaru looked at her seriously. "Where else can they stay? Is there another hotel?"  
"No, mine is the only one. We don't get enough visitors to the town to need more than one. There is a small youth hostel on the outskirts of the town near the school so I'd not be surprised if some students stay there."  
"Well, wherever they are staying, they authorities need to be informed," Sesshoumaru replied as he finished his coffee and got to his feet.  
"What are you going to do?" Rin asked, hastily getting to her feet and falling into step beside him as he made his way to the front door of the hotel.  
"I know that the police force here is miniscule, but they should be informed. They could probably help."

Rin was silent as she walked beside the tall man to the tiny building that served as a police station for the town. She sat quietly throughout the discussion that followed the claim, nodding when spoken to, but she couldn't shake the feeling of unease that fell over her. It was only when they were heading back to the hotel to inform the students of what had happened, that Rin finally decided to break the silence between them.

"What are we supposed to do in the meantime? Is it safe for the girls to be alone in their rooms?" she asked, looking slightly fearful.  
"I imagine if the police are keeping an eye on the hotel," Sesshoumaru replied after a moment's thought. "If you're not happy, why not just ask some of the girls to share rooms."  
"I suppose I could, I don't think they'll mind considering the circumstances. The last thing I need is them creeping off down the corridor in the middle of the night because they're afraid and ending up in one of the boys' rooms."  
Sesshoumaru smirked. "How do you know that doesn't already happen without the help of these people lurking about outside?"  
"Oh, don't say that!" Rin exclaimed, stopping in her tracks and staring at him. "It's easier to ignore if I feign ignorance."  
"Should you not put a stop to it?"  
Rin smiled at him and patted his arm gently before walking on. "You're their teacher. I'm pretty sure that out of the two of us, you're more qualified to give them the 'birds and the bees' talk."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It didn't take much convincing for the girls to agree to share rooms, but Mizuki refused and Rin resigned herself to the fact that she was going to be one of the girls who ended up in a boy's room by the end of the night. Still, she didn't let it bother her too much. All the students were old enough to know what they were doing and what the consequences of their actions were. However, despite knowing this, Rin couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy. Her friends were all married and, in Kagome and Inuyasha's case, about to have children. The students in the hotel had their own budding relationships and she was alone. It was a sad state of affairs when she thought about it more. She was a young woman of twenty-two and she was alone, but she supposed that she was to blame for that. If she had been after a relationship, it was probably not the best idea to move to a remote little town where the young men were still in high school and the other men were either married or elderly. Sighing, she pushed aside the thoughts and focused on helping the students move their belongings.

When Rin had told him about Mizuki refusing to move into a friend's room for the night, Sesshoumaru had fought the urge to sigh. Like Rin, he had a good idea where she would be spending the night, but decided not to bring this subject up lest he embarrass the teenagers and himself. Having such an obvious couple amongst them made him feel rather old and he grimaced at the thought of calling himself that. He remembered clearly what young love felt like and how sometimes your infatuation caused you to take leave of your senses. Fortunately for him, he had never taken leave of his senses even for a moment, but he still knew what infatuation did to a person.

Glancing across the room to where Rin was making a bed, Sesshoumaru remembered what she had been like in high school and wondered if she was thinking similar thoughts. An image of Rin as she had been in highschool popped into his mind causing him to smirk slightly. He remembered overhearing boys discussing her and some of the other girls and couldn't blame them. She had been very pretty as a teenager and he noted now that she had only gotten prettier over the years. Although, calling her pretty seemed to be a bit childish when they were both adults. Pretty was what you called a little girl or a flower, but not a woman like Rin. Beautiful was probably a more apt word. It amazed him that there was no man in her life, but in this tiny town, it was probably impossible to find one.

"Where will you stay, Rin?" one of the girls asked as they finished tidying the room. "You're not going to stay alone are you?"  
"Of course I will," Rin said with a smile, brushing a lock of dark hair out of her eyes. "I'll be fine on my own."  
The girl grinned at her and leaned closer to whisper into her ear. "Well, if you do get scared in the night, I don't think Mr. Takahashi would turn you away."

A blush coloured Rin's cheeks as the girl walked away, laughing cheerfully at her little joke. Thinking about the situation, she didn't really want to stay alone but there was very little choice. She couldn't impose on Sesshoumaru again, it just wouldn't do. He'd be a gentleman again and take the sofa while she took his bed. Frowning slightly, she decided that she would not allow that to happen a second time. She wasn't against sleeping in his bed by any means, it had been very comfortable and the fact that the pillows and covers smelled of him had comforted her even more, but it had caused her to dream of him. Impossible dreams of things she could only wish would happen but that would never actually happen. There was no way he would stay in the bed beside her and there was no way he'd look at her as anything other than someone he knew when he was younger. Sighing, she couldn't help but curse her bad luck at having such a good looking man staying so close but having him be so far out of her league.

That evening, Rin prepared for bed as usual and tried very hard not to think about the possibility of there being someone outside her window. With the events of the night before in mind, she selected her pyjamas and turned out the light in her bedroom before changing in the bathroom. When she returned to her room, everything was as she left it and there was no noise outside except the wind. She began to wonder if she had just imagined the events of the night before and opened her curtains slightly to look outside. The moon was full and shone down on the little town square, bathing it in a silver light. It was a beautiful sight that looked like something out of a painting. In the light of the moon, you couldn't see that the dry fountain in the middle of the square desperately need a lick of paint and you couldn't see the little weeds springing up between the cobbles on the street. Looking at everything in this light, it was like looking at what the town had once been like and it was quite sad to think that the next time she looked out this window, the sight she saw would be very different.

Sighing to herself, Rin stepped back and reached for the curtain to draw it closed again. She cast another look at the square and smiled slightly, maybe one day it will actually look this beautiful. A rustling in the bushes nearby and she leaned forward to look out, the fact that there was potentially a man hiding in the shrubbery temporarily forgotten as she was caught up in the idea of her having imagined the events of the night before. Expecting to find a cat or some other kind of animal crouched between the bushes, she squinted her eyes to look closer but stumbled backwards in surprise moments later. There was no animal, but there was a much larger figure and that figure had been looking up towards her room. She had met its gaze and knew instantly that it was human. As she gasped for breath and her heart thudded wildly in her chest, she reached for the curtain again, determined to close it against what she had seen. Just as she stepped toward the curtain, she saw the fingers clasping the ledge just outside her window and slowly, the dark shape that was undoubtly the person's head came into sight.

Unable to face looking into those eyes again, Rin whirled on the spot and bolted for the door without looking back. Fear caused her to stumble as she tried to negotiate the corridor in the dark and a sudden panic gripped her, causing her to stop abruptly. Had she locked all the doors? She couldn't remember and glanced over her shoulder towards the door at the very end of the corridor that led to the garden, half expecting it to be open and some dark figure with terrifying eyes lurching towards her. There was nothing there and the door was closed just as it had been when she had gone to bed, but this discovery did little to ease her fears. What if there was another person and they had gotten inside during the day? What if that person was waiting for her to pass by before he took action? Unbidden, tears welled in her eyes as she suddenly felt very trapped in the corridor. Cursing the tears mentally, she hastily wiped them away as she felt one trickle down her cheek. Now was not the time to crying because she was afraid. Trying very hard to control the tears that seemed to just keep coming, she reached out for the wall and made her way as quickly as she could down the corridor to Sesshoumaru's room.

On the other side of the door, Sesshoumaru groaned as he heard a knock on his door. He knew it was late and didn't bother to check for the exact time. It was irrelevant. Heaving a sigh, he got out of bed and walked towards the door, not bothering to take the time to pull on a shirt. Surely anyone disturbing him at this time of night had better things to worry about than his state of undress? Reaching the door, he pulled it open and was slightly surprised to find Rin standing on the other side. She appeared to have been about to go to bed, but why she was standing outside his door in her pyjamas was beyond his thinking capabilities at this time of night. His senses came back to him as he stood looking at her stupidly for a few moments and then he realised that there were tears in her eyes and that she was shaking slightly. She tried to smile but failed as tears welled up in her eyes again. Sighing inwardly, Sesshoumaru reached out and pulled her into the room, closing the door behind her before leading her to the sofa. He sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as she continued to shake. After a while, she seemed to calm down and sat back, wiping away her tears.

"What's wrong?" Sesshoumaru asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.  
"There was definitely someone outside my window," Rin said in a shaky voice.  
"You're certain?"  
"I saw them."  
"Could you identify the person?"  
"No. It was too dark. They saw me looking at them."

Not sure what to say, Sesshoumaru simply nodded and leaned back in his chair. He wrapped his arm around Rin's shoulders again as she leaned her head against his shoulder. They sat in silence for a while and Sesshoumaru couldn't help but wish that the police would catch this person soon. He didn't think he could take many more visits in the night. If the police didn't catch the person soon, he was seriously considering just telling Rin to stay in his room until that time. It would save so much time because she wouldn't be afraid and he could sleep. While he was contemplating this idea, he glanced down at Rin and found her asleep. Sighing, he realised that he probably wasn't going to get back to bed and settled himself more comfortably on the sofa. In her sleep, Rin curled up against him and buried her face in his shoulder. With a final glance at her, Sesshoumaru decided that being woken up in the middle night wasn't so bad considering that he would go back to sleep with Rin next to him.


	8. Chapter 8

"_**My home is not a place, it is people."  
**_… Lois McMaster Bujold …

**Chapter VIII**

The warmth of the sun and a feeling of contentment made Sesshoumaru reluctant to open his eyes and face the day. He'd be having a rather pleasant dream involving his landlady when a quiet sound had pulled him towards consciousness. It was a sigh and when he heard it again, he realised that it seemed to vocalise the contentment he was currently feeling. A movement beside him caused him to forget about how comfortable he was as his eyes snapped open in surprise. For a moment he was disorientated by the sudden bright light of the sun and confused about what had caused the movement, but memories of the night before came flooding back and he soon remembered what events had led to his current predicament.

The very thought of Rin upset irked Sesshoumaru for a reason he was very careful not to look into in any great detail just yet, but the memory of her standing outside his doors in tears the night before made him see red. There was no possible way for anyone not to become at least a little bit attached to her. She was friendly and caring to everyone who knew her and everyone loved her for it. He had known her since childhood, but he'd known his brother since birth and felt no desire to step in and defend him in the numerous fights and arguments he got involved in, so why should Rin be any different?

As he considered this question, Sesshoumaru looked down at the woman who occupied his thoughts. She lay against him, sleeping peacefully with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest as though this was the norm. Sesshoumaru did not have a habit of taking women to his bed even though he knew he'd have no trouble doing so if he wanted to, but on the few occasions he had done, it had felt awkward to wake up beside the woman. With Rin though, there was no awkwardness at all and it felt very much like he had been waking up like this for as long as he could remember.

Even though he knew that he should be getting up, he couldn't resist making himself comfortable and pulling Rin closer. He stroked her back while he let his thoughts wander. Rin seemed to be as comfortable with him as he was with her as this was not the first time she had let her guard down and fallen asleep in his company and used him as a pillow. His eyes widened slightly when she moved again and pressed herself flush against him as she stretched. After a moment, her eyes opened slowly and she looked up at him briefly with a vague look of incomprehension before she gasped and blushed prettily as she lowered her gaze.

"How long have you been awake?" Rin asked quietly, blushing even more when she realised how close they were.

"Only a few minutes," Sesshoumaru replied, smirking at her blush.

Sighing to herself, Rin reluctantly pushed herself up and stretched her arms above her head. She had no desire whatsoever to move from where she lay, but since they were both awake it seemed to be the best thing to do. It was comforting to be held by him. It felt as though nothing could harm her as long as he was there. She couldn't explain how she knew that, but she was somehow certain of it. If Sesshoumaru really didn't care about her then he'd have turned her away when she first appeared at his door in the middle of the night, but instead he had comforted her. Waking up in his arms, while slightly embarrassing, was a bit like a dream come true. Ever since he had carried her home from the train station, Rin had wondered what it would be like to wake up in his arms and see his face first thing in the morning.

"Today I shall look into finding out who was outside your window," Sesshoumaru said as he got to his feet and walked across the room to the little kettle Rin had lent him.

"I'm sorry to be so troublesome," Rin murmured as she accepted a cup of coffee from him a short while later.

"You're hardly troublesome," he said reassuringly.

Rin smiled at her companion as he sat down beside her on the sofa and sighed softly as he leaned back. He had always seemed intimidating when she was younger, but now that she was seeing a different side of him, she realised that he wasn't in the least bit intimidating. She was so comfortable in his presence and there was such an aura of domesticity that it was hard for her to resist the urge to snuggle into his side. Smiling slightly at that particular thought, Rin wondered what he would do if she were to do just that.

The morning had started well and even though Rin was sitting beside him rather than wrapped in his arms where he decided he'd much prefer her to be, the day promised to be good. Just as he lifted his mug to drain it of its contents, he felt a sudden movement beside him before he felt a slim body pressed against him. Turning slightly to look down, Sesshoumaru was surprised to find Rin snuggled into his side, quite content with his arm draped loosely over her shoulder as she wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. When she felt his gaze on her, she looked up at him and gave him a cheerful smile as though there was nothing unusual about burrowing her way under his arm just to be closer to him.

"Comfortable?" Sesshoumaru asked, raising an eyebrow as he smirked at the petite woman at his side.

"Mmm. Very comfortable," Rin replied with a soft sigh as she leaned into his side and closed her eyes.

Smirking again at her antics, Sesshoumaru settled himself more comfortably in his new position and sighed. It had been a surprise for Rin to do what she did, but it was not an unwelcome surprise. Truthfully he was very pleased with what had just happened but decided to keep that to himself for the moment. When he felt Rin rest her head against his shoulder, he pulled her slightly closer for a moment before ruffling her hair and getting to his feet again. Hearing Rin's sigh, he hid a smirk as he glanced at her and found her gaze on him, watching his movements intently.

"We cannot stay indoors all day," Sesshoumaru matter of factly as he placed his mug on the table nearby.

"No, I suppose not," Rin agreed quietly as she too got to her feet and stretched before smiling cheerfully at him. "Well, I'll see you later then."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Did you hear?" Seiichi asked suddenly, swinging into Rin's line of sight unexpectedly while she was staring out the window, lost in thought.

"Hear what?" she asked, turning her gaze to the boy who seemed to be almost dancing on the spot with excitement.

"A storm's predicted for tonight!"

"You're excited about that, are you?" Rin asked with a smile as turned in her seat to gather up the papers that lay across her desk.

"Of course!" Seiiichi exclaimed, turning around abruptly to look over his shoulder to where Mizuki was sitting with her friends.

"I don't think I want to know why you're so excited."

The teenager raised his eyebrows and grinned. "Are you not afraid of storms?"  
" I don't really enjoy them, but I don't know if I'd go as far as to say I was afraid of them."  
"That's a shame. I'm sure Mr. Taisho wouldn't complain if you came to him seeking comfort."  
"Hush," Rin said with a teasing smile and vague blush. "Keep such thoughts to yourself. I don't know why you all seem to think there's anything more than friendship between us anyway."

Rin received no response as Seiichi just grinned at her and walked away. Left to her own devices for the remainder of the afternoon, she leaned forward to look out the window. It seemed that Seiichi was right. The little town received very little rainfall but when it did rain, a storm was the only way to describe it. Truth be told, she was slightly fearful of storms but she never admitted it to anyone. Memories of being alone as a child while storms raged outside were not pleasant and haunted her mind every so often when she found herself alone during a storm, but despite that, she had no intention of running to the nearest man for comfort.

As she stared out the window, she saw dark clouds hanging low in the sky. The wind had picked up slightly and the usually sunny town seemed somehow dull in the shadow of the heavy clouds. Sighing to himself, Rin rose to her feet and walked out of the room as she tried to push aside her nagging worry about the storm and focus on what to cook for dinner that evening. Just as she was walking down the corridor towards the kitchen, Sesshoumaru stepped out of his rooms and paused when he saw her.

"You look worried," Sesshoumaru said quietly as Rin came to a stop beside him.

Rin shook her head and smiled. "I was just wondering what to make for dinner."  
"Do you need any help?"  
"No, I think I can manage. Thank you for the offer though."

Much to Rin's surprise, Sesshoumaru followed her down the corridor towards the kitchen and sat himself down at the table to watch her move around. He didn't say anything and seemed content with the silence that was broken only by the gentle bubbling of the water in a pan on the cooker. Eventually, Rin turned around to look at him and walked towards him, wiping her hands on a cloth as she moved.

"I wasn't aware you were keen on cooking," she teased with a smile as she sat down opposite him.

"I'm not especially," Sesshoumaru admitted.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company then?"  
"I actually came to talk to you about the visitors you keep having."  
Rin stilled and the smile fell from her face. "What did you want to talk about?"  
"I'm afraid that I have not found any trace of them," Sesshoumaru said with a quiet sigh as he looked out of the window.

"So there's a chance they'll turn up again tonight?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

Sesshoumaru watched as Rin nodded and returned to her cooking. He knew that she was now going to be fearful of going to bed that evening, but it didn't seem right to not tell her the results of his investigations that day. It baffled him. If there truly were people outside then they'd have left something behind, but there was nothing there at all save a few broken bushes that could have been disturbed by animals or humans. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes and wondered what would happen when it was time to retire for the night. He certainly wouldn't complain if she came knocking on his door, but as much as he enjoyed her company at night, it was a habit that could not continue without causing suspicion. Something was going to have to be done even though he was loath to do it.

"I heard it's going to rain tonight," Sesshoumaru said quietly, staring out at the dark clouds.

"Apparently so," Rin murmured in response.

"This will be the first time I've seen rain since I've been here."  
Rin smiled as she turned away from the cooker. "It is the first rain you've seen, isn't it? I hope you enjoy storms."  
"A storm?"

"It usually is."  
"You don't sound overly pleased with the idea of it," Sesshoumaru stated, looking at her curiously.

Shrugging, Rin looked out the window. "Storms are not something I enjoy."

Letting the conversation drop, Sesshoumaru watched Rin for a while. She was lost in thought but a small frown creased her brow as she looked out the window. It seems that saying she didn't enjoy storms was not quite the truth, but he didn't push the topic. No doubt he'd find out how she truly felt in due course.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A short while after dinner, Sesshoumaru realised that Rin seemed to be putting off going to bed and he was fairly certain why. He decided against mentioning this observation and chose instead to go about his usual routine. Just before he went to his rooms for the night, he passed by her office near the front of the hotel and looked into the room when he saw the light on. Rin sat at the desk, her nose buried in a large book. She didn't even look up when he stepped into the room but jumped slightly when he leaned over her shoulder to have a look at what she was reading. Rin looked up quickly and found herself face to face with Sesshoumaru as he read a few sentences from the top of the page before looking her in the eye.

"You're not going to bed?" he asked.

"I'm not tired yet," Rin replied, turning her gaze back to the book and her cheeks turning slightly pink.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow as he rose to his full height. "Really?"

"Yes."

Nodding, Sesshoumaru turned and walked out of the room and decided to return once he was ready to retire for the evening to make sure that Rin did not spend her entire night in her study. Not only would it be an uncomfortable night's sleep, but it would also be cold as there was no type of heating in her office. Just as he stepped out into the hall, a loud knocking caught his attention and when he glanced over his shoulder, he saw that Rin had heard it too. She had turned around in her seat and was looking at him with wide, fearful eyes. Sesshoumaru took one last look at Rin before changing course and heading towards the front door.

The wind outside had picked up quite a lot over the evening and was making a frightening noise as it blew through the little town. Even over the drumming of the rain and the howling of the wind, Sesshoumaru could hear the knocking at the front door as clearly as though there was no other noise. Cautiously he unlocked and opened the door to see who was on the other side. His eyes widened in surprise when he found two teenage boys staring back at him, their wet clothes sticking to their skin as they shivered slightly. A gasp from Rin pulled him back to reality as she opened the door wide and ushered them inside to the kitchen.

"What on earth were you doing out in this weather?" Rin demanded as she glared at the two boys who sat shivering in her kitchen.

"We're looking for Seiichi," one of them said sullenly, but nodded gratefully when he was handed a large cup of tea.

"Seiichi?" Rin asked in a concerned voice as she glanced at Sesshoumaru who was leaning against the counter near the cooker.

"Yeah, him. We've been lookin' for him for 'bout a week now," the other boy explained.

"Seiichi is my student," Sesshoumaru stated, bringing everyone's attention to him. "I must ask why you are looking for him."  
"Just to catch up on things, y'know?" the second boy said with a shrug. "We don't mean him no harm. He's our cousin."

Rin visibly relaxed as she heard the words and leaned against the counter beside Sesshoumaru. Said man hid his grin at this movement. Evidently, even though she was relieved she was not willing to leave his side just yet. Whether she noticed or not, Rin edged closer to the tall man beside her when one of the boys moved until Sesshoumaru eventually put a hand on her waist to prevent her from moving so close to him that he would be trapped between her and the cold wooden kitchen cabinets. She turned slightly to look up at him from the corner of her eye but relaxed instantly at his touch.

"You have chosen a strange time to come visiting your cousin," Sesshoumaru stated, ignoring Rin's gaze as he turned back to the two boys. "You do realise that it is nearly 11 o'clock?"  
"We know what the time is," the first boy snapped, glaring at his cousin's teacher. "We were going to wait until tomorrow since we didn't see him today, but we got rained on."  
"I haven't seen you around the town today," Rin said thoughtfully as she recalled her brief outing earlier that day to buy more food. "Where have you been?"

"We arrived a couple of days ago," the second, more polite boy replied. "Camped outside the building the first night and last night thinking we'd see Seiichi on his way to school or somethin' but we must've missed him."

"Camped outside the building?" Sesshoumaru asked as an idea formed in his mind. "Was it a bedroom?"  
"Couldn't say, sir," the second boy said honestly. "I don't make a habit of lookin' into other people's bedrooms. My brother might know. Said he heard a noise in one of them and had a look inside."

Sesshoumaru looked down at Rin who had stiffened again and nodded when she glanced up at him with a questioning gaze. Giving her a brief squeeze that he hoped was reassuring; he turned his gaze back to the two boys who were watching him warily.

"Well I suppose that solves our mystery," he murmured, a vague smile tugging his lips before it disappeared. "I would advise you to come straight to the building next time you come looking for your cousin. You gave several people quite a scare."

"We're sorry," the first boy said apologetically and seemed sincere for the first time since they had met. "We didn't mean to cause any trouble."  
"As long as you don't plan to do that again, there's no problem," Rin said with a smile as she relaxed again. "Do you have anywhere to stay tonight?"  
"No, ma'am," the second boy replied.

"I'm sure Seiichi won't mind you staying in his room then," Rin said cheerfully before giving the boys directions to Seiichi's bedroom.

The two boys slowly made their way across the hall way to the stairs and soon disappeared from sight. Rin smiled vaguely as she watched before sighing heavily and leaning back against the counter behind her. She squeaked in surprise when she felt the arm around her waist tighten slightly and glanced up at Sesshoumaru who was watching her with a look of vague amusement.

"Relieved?" he asked.

"Definitely! At least I know who it was and that it wasn't intentional," Rin said with a smile. "Now you can have a peaceful night's sleep in your own bed."  
"Indeed, but will you be having a peaceful night's sleep in your bed?" Sesshoumaru asked, looking at her seriously as he recalled the earlier conversation about storms.

"Of course."

"Is that so? So the fact that there's a storm raging just outside your window doesn't matter?"  
"N-No."  
"You don't sound certain." Sesshoumaru pushed himself upright and turned around to face Rin, trapping her in place with a strong arm on either side of her and looked down at her seriously. "Could it be that you are afraid of storms?"  
Rin glared at him half-heartedly. "No. I'm not afraid of them."  
"But?"  
"But I just don't enjoy them much," she said with a sigh as she realised that she couldn't escape this conversation.

"Why is that?"  
"I don't know. I've just never liked the thunder very much."

Sesshoumaru nodded slowly and then glanced out the nearest window at the sheets of rain that pelted the glass. The wind was howling but there had been no thunder yet. However, that was not to say that there wouldn't be any thunder that night. He looked down at Rin who was avoiding his gaze determinedly and almost smiled at the slight blush on her face.

"I believe it is time to retire for the night," Sesshoumaru said suddenly, causing Rin to look at him in surprise.

"I'm not tired," she said again.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and shook his head as he took her hand in his and started to lead her towards the door. "Whether you are tired or not, it will not do you any good to stay in your cold office alone." 

Frowning at the tall man's back, Rin allowed herself to be led down the corridor towards her bedroom. She did want to go to bed and she really was tired, but the thought of being all alone was unsettling after the events of the past couple of days and not to mention the sudden storm. If she was being totally honest with herself, she had been perfectly happy when Sesshoumaru had wrapped an arm around her waist earlier and she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that he had not kissed her while she had been trapped between him and the counter. That's what she had seen in films and what she had read in books, but when it happened to her there was no kiss, not even a hint of romance in the situation and that was disheartening.

Rin looked up in surprise to find them standing outside her bedroom and Sesshoumaru was looking at her curiously. Blushing slightly, she pulled out the key to her room and unlocked the door, dropping the key on a nearby table as she made her way into the living room. She immediately noticed that she was being followed by Sesshoumaru and smiled to herself as she wondered what would happen tonight. Last night she had fallen asleep in his arms, could she hope for something else tonight?

"I'll stay with you until you fall asleep," Sesshoumaru stated as he sat down in a nearby chair and crossed his long legs at the ankles.

"You'll be waiting a while," Rin replied with a grin. "I'm not tired."  
He shrugged. "I have enough patience to wait until you fall asleep."  
"What do you intend to occupy yourself with until that happens?"

"I'm sure I'll find something."

Apparently giving up her attempts at conversation, Rin disappeared into the bathroom and Sesshoumaru was left to his thoughts. Rin was a stunning woman and he was sure that she probably didn't realise the effect she had on him. It had been very difficult trying to resist the temptation to kiss her senseless earlier, but he was quite proud of the amount of self-control he had demonstrated although he was slightly disappointed that he was now sitting in her living room instead of sitting beside her. Moments later Rin appeared in the doorway in her pyjamas with a robe wrapped loosely around her and Sesshoumaru could only marvel at how amazing she looked. She smiled slightly at him as she passed on her way across the room towards her bed in the corner. As he watched her, Sesshoumaru realised that there was a television sitting at the foot of her bed. Glancing towards the book shelf nearby, he looked over the titles of the books and wrinkled his nose at the thought of reading any of them.

A quiet laugh from the bed caused him to turn back towards her and he found Rin watching him with a smile. Moving over towards the wall, she patted the bed beside her and waited patiently to see if he'd take up her offer. Sesshoumaru didn't need to be asked twice and after a moment's deliberation, he got to his feet and slowly made his way across the room. Rin's bed was soft and he felt himself sink into its warm and comfortable embrace as he sat down beside her and made himself comfortable. Rin seemed to act without thinking and almost immediately curled up against his side as she had down that morning and gave him a shy smile before looking away.

"You know, I was always slightly afraid of you when I was younger," Rin murmured as she pulled the covers up around her.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow and looked down at her incredulously. "Why would you be afraid of me?"  
"You were always so quiet and serious."  
"I'm still quiet and serious."  
Rin giggled and smiled up at him. "Yes, you are. After the last few days though you're definitely as scary I used to think."  
"The last few days?"  
"If I was afraid of you, do you really think I'd have come to you last night when I was afraid of who might be outside my window?"  
"No, I suppose not. What made you change your mind?"

"Do you remember when we stayed with your parents and you fell asleep on the sofa?"  
"How could I forget such an embarrassing incident?"  
Rin playfully slapped his arm. "It's not embarrassing, but it was then that I changed my mind. I don't know what did it, but that was the day it happened." 

The pair sat in silence for a while and Rin laid her head against his shoulder, listening to the sound of the wind outside as she waited to hear Sesshoumaru's response. Her eyes widened when he shifted slightly to wrap an arm around her shoulders and she smiled to herself as she heard him sigh softly.

"You are a strange woman," Sesshoumaru murmured, gently running his hand up and down her back.

"Oh?"  
"You tell me that you used to be afraid of me but only a short while ago overcame that fear and yet you seem to be quite content with where you currently lie."  
Rin blushed slightly before sitting up and looking at him seriously. "I am content, aren't you?"  
Sesshoumaru smirked. "I believe you know the answer to that question."  
"I suppose it was a silly question really, wasn't it?" Rin asked sheepishly. "From what I remember, when it came to speaking about things you didn't like, you never were backward in coming forward."

Sesshoumaru smirked again and watched as Rin settled down against him again. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes as she snuggled closer. It had definitely been a strange day. He certainly wasn't complaining about anything that had happened, but it seemed strange that the usually shy Rin seemed to have become suddenly very confident around him. In the course of one day, their relationship seemed to have changed dramatically and it was only a matter of time before he discovered just how much it had changed.

"Why is it that you have never married?" Rin asked quietly, looking up at him intently.

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "There is no reason in particular. What about you?"

"There's just never been anyone around who really seems like he'd be able to handle me."  
"You make it sound as though you're high maintenance."

"In a way I am," Rin admitted with a vague smile.

"In what way?"

"I'm not as strong as I pretend I am. It's all an act to make sure Kagome doesn't appear on my doorstep one day and drag me back to the city."  
"I was aware of that," Sesshoumaru replied, stroking her back again as he stared up at the ceiling.

"Really? How?"  
"If you were that strong, you'd not have appeared at my door last night or the night before. I think you know that I am not going to insist you return to the city so you feel that you can drop the act."  
Rin smiled. "That is true, I suppose. That is something I've missed about living out here on my own."  
"What?"  
"When I had a problem while I lived back home, I could always turn to your brother or Kagome. I know there's Sango and Miroku nearby, but it's not quite the same."

"I hope you're not suggesting that I'm a substitute for my brother," Sesshoumaru stated, raising an eyebrow and looking at her with barely concealed amusement at her look of shock.

"Of course not!" she exclaimed. "If I'm honest, I'd far rather you be here than your brother. It's much more reassuring."  
"Is that so?"  
"Oh yes. Inuyasha likes to run off and hit things if they cause trouble, but sometimes just having someone keep me company is what I need."

Sesshoumaru looked down at her as he thought over her words and felt himself struck by what a strange woman she was. She lay curled into his side with her head on his shoulder as though there was no place she'd rather be and Sesshoumaru couldn't help but wonder what she would do if he stayed where he was that night. He really had no desire to return to his cold bedroom alone when staying here seemed like a much more appealing idea. In order to stay here though, he would have to convince Rin that this would be a good idea too.

The pair had sat in silence for so long that Rin began to wonder if her companion had fallen asleep. She opened her eyes and almost gasped when she found him looking at her with an intense look in his amber eyes. Her breath caught in her throat when he leaned towards her and her eyes fluttered closed instinctively when she felt his breath on her lips. He paused for a moment but closed the distance between them just as she opened her eyes to look at him. Rin squeaked in surprise but relaxed when he pulled her closer and let his free hand drift down to her hip. When they parted for breath, she wrapped her arms around his neck and blushed when she met his heated gaze.

"I wasn't expecting that," she murmured shyly.

"I'll leave if you didn't enjoy it," Sesshoumaru said huskily as he watched her carefully.

Rin's eyes widened and her grip on his shoulders tightened. "I didn't say I didn't enjoy it, I was just surprised. I don't suppose I could persuade you to stay longer and surprise me a bit more, could I?"

"I'm sure I can be persuaded to surprise you as many times as you like," he replied with a smirk as he leaned down to take her lips in a passionate kiss.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

**AN:** Apologies for how long it took me to update this story. Life's been hectic at the moment which is my usual excuse I suppose but I'm intending to get back into writing again. It was nice to let my imagination run a bit wild for a change :)

Anyhoo, that you to everyone for all the reviews on this story and all the others and I'm so sorry it's take so long for this chapter. I got a bit carried away in this one I think, but hopefully it's not too bad. I'm aware it moved a bit fast and possibly covered a few too many things in one go, but again, I hope that all worked out. It's also a bit long which wasn't really intentional, but as I say, I got carried away. Apologies if there are any spelling/grammar mistakes, I tried to correct as many as I could but I may have missed some.

I've got a couple of other ideas that I'm going to work on when this is finished so hopefully some new ideas will get me back into the habit of writing again :D

Anyhoo, thank you again for all the reviews and I hope you enjoy this long overdue update :)

xMxAx


	9. Chapter 9

"_**Home is any four walls that enclose the right person."**_

… _Helen Rowland …_

_Chapter IX_

Sesshoumaru awoke with great reluctance the next day and once again he felt the sense of contentment that he had felt the day before except that this time it was for a completely different reason. Beside him, Rin stretched and sighed as a smile curved her lips. She burrowed deeper into his side and nuzzled his neck affectionately as she settled down again. Sesshoumaru ran a hand down her back as she settled in place and held her close against him.

The night before was a blur of memories that seemed to flow together so fluidly that it was hard to distinguish one from another. Sesshoumaru could remember sitting beside Rin on the bed and then the glorious moment when he had kissed her, but more than that it was the moment that their relationship had changed completely. They were no longer mere childhood acquaintances, they were lovers. As that thought crossed his mind, Sesshoumaru smirked and looked down at Rin where she lay against him. Her skin was soft to the touch and he distinctly remembered touching a lot of her and enjoying every moment of it. Even now as they lay in content silence he could remember the way her soft skin had moved against his the night before in vivid detail.

"I wasn't expecting to be surprised that many times or in that way," Rin murmured as she slid her arms up around his neck.

"You didn't specify how you wanted to be surprised," Sesshoumaru replied, running his hand up and down her back.

Rin giggled. "It's a shame you have to go to work today."  
"I suppose. I had better get up. I need to go back to my room to get clean clothes and shower."  
"You can use my shower. There's also a stack of your clothes that I washed the day before yesterday on one of the chairs."

Sesshoumaru shook his head in amazement. "You do surprise me. I think I'll take you up on your offer."

Not long after their brief conversation, Sesshoumaru emerged from the bathroom fully dressed and ready but unwilling to face the day. Stepping into the middle of the small living room, he glanced into the bedroom and found the bed empty. Rin stood in the kitchen clad in nothing but the shirt Sesshoumaru had worn the day before. Raising his eyebrows, he wandered over to her and looked over her shoulder to find her idly stirring one of the two mugs of coffee in front of her. Without looking up, she leaned back against him and sighed softly as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Do you have to go to work?" Rin asked plaintively, turning around to slip her arms up around his neck.

"Unfortunately, I must," Sesshoumaru replied gruffly and dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose before disentangling himself and reaching for one of the cups of coffee.

Once the mug was empty, Sesshoumaru placed it down on the counter and gave Rin a brief, vague smile. She returned it and tilted her head to one side as she looked up at him. With a gentleness that startled her, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close for a moment before giving her a kiss that took her breath away. While she was still reeling from the tenderness he had just shown, Sesshoumaru smirked and ruffled her hair before bidding her good bye and leaving for work.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The day had dragged by with a slowness that annoyed Rin immensely. She had never considered herself lonely while she lived alone in the hotel, but now that she had become reacquainted with the feeling of being close to someone, she was loath to simply walk away from such a feeling. Once she had had time to think about the events of the night before Rin was quite surprised that of all the men to end up in her bed, not that there had ever been that many, the man had to be Sesshoumaru Takahashi. It seemed surreal that the aloof person she had known years ago was the same person who had kissed her so tenderly that morning. The very thought of that kiss was enough to make her cheeks flush and she smiled to herself and smothered a girlish giggle.

The sound of a voice calling her name brought her back to reality and out of her memories. She glanced around the little office she sat in and sighed as she realised that it would soon be time to start preparing dinner. Pushing that thought aside, she looked towards the door as the person calling her name stepped into the small room.

"Seiichi?" Rin asked in surprise. "What's the matter?"  
"There's a couple in the hall. I think they might be looking for a room," the boy replied, raising an eyebrow at the sight of her flushed cheeks.

Rin nodded and rose to her feet. "Have you finished your homework?"  
"Not yet. I saw the people outside on my way to get drinks for the study group Mr. Takahashi's holding."

A loud laugh echoed across the hall causing both Rin and Seiichi to look towards the source in surprise. One of the people Seiichi had spoken about was standing in the doorway with a large grin on his face as he leaned against the doorframe and watched them with amusement. Rin stared at him in surprise for a moment before returning his smile.

"Mr. Takahashi's holding a study session, is he?" the man asked, his grin growing with every word spoken. "There's something I never thought I'd hear."

"Inuyasha! What are you doing here?" Rin asked, ignoring his words as her curiosity got the better of her.

"Just dropping by for a visit," he replied with a shrug.

"Alone?"  
"Of course he's not alone!" a shrill female voice interrupted. "Do you really think I'm going to let him go visit you when you're surrounded by girls?"

"Kagome!"

Kagome appeared at her husband's shoulder and waddled towards her friend to embrace her tightly. Inuyasha looked on with a smile and returned the hug Rin gave him while Seiichi looked on in amazement as a reunion of some sort seemed to be taking place before his eyes. Rin turned to him with a smile.

"Seiichi, will you do me a favour and call Mr. Takahashi please?" she asked before turning back to her friends after the boy left hesitantly. "What on earth were you thinking when you let her go on such a long journey, Inuyasha?"

"She's pregnant not crippled," Inuyasha remarked sardonically. "Besides, she's perfectly healthy so there's not much to worry about."  
"Your lack of regard for your wife's condition astounds me," a masculine voice muttered from behind the trio.

"Sesshoumaru!" Kagome squealed happily and made her way over to her brother-in-law to give him the same greeting she had given Rin.

"Although I am well aware that you are hardly a delicate woman needing a great deal of care, I believe Rin is correct. You should take more care when travelling," Sesshoumaru said tonelessly as he watched Kagome return to Inuyasha's side.

"Just where do you plan to stay while you're here and more importantly, why are you here?" Rin demanded, stepping up beside Sesshoumaru and crossing her arms as she looked at her friend.

"We hadn't planned where we would stay just yet," Inuyasha sighed, running a hand through his hair. "This was all pretty last minute. Kagome just decided she wanted to see you and here we are." 

Rin sighed and rubbed her eyes. It had been a long day and a lot of changes had happened over the course of one day. She wasn't entirely sure where she stood with Sesshoumaru and now his brother and sister-in-law were standing in her office claiming they had nowhere to stay.

"Since you clearly didn't think this plan through," Sesshoumaru said quietly. "You can stay in my rooms for the duration of your stay."

"Where will you stay though?" Kagome asked, her worry over his wellbeing etched on her face.

"Sesshoumaru can stay on my sofa," Rin said simply, casting a glance at the tall man beside her. "I'm fairly sure you're not too tall for it."

Sesshoumaru nodded in agreement after giving Rin a long look. "The problem is solved."

"You don't mind, Rin?" Inuyasha asked, looking at Rin thoughtfully before gesturing to his brother. "I doubt he's great company."  
"On the contrary, I enjoy your brother's company," Rin replied with a smile.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It had taken a long time to get Kagome to go to bed and stop worrying about Sesshoumaru being too tall for Rin's sofa and for her to stop worrying that she was causing problems for Rin by arriving to suddenly. Eventually, Inuyasha had pulled her away and firmly shut and locked the door behind him so that Rin and Sesshoumaru could be given some peace and quiet for the remainder of the evening but not before giving his brother and friend a knowing smile. Rin had blushed scarlet at the thought of her friend knowing anything about what had happened between her and Sesshoumaru the night before and then pushed aside the thought as she decided that she wasn't embarrassed by what had happened. In fact, she was rather hoping for a repeat performance.

"I'm afraid that I am too tall for your sofa," Sesshoumaru's deep voice cut across Rin's thoughts.

Turning around swiftly to look at the man in question, Rin was surprised her jaw didn't drop. He'd made himself quite comfortable on her sofa and was looking up at her with a smirk. Blushing slightly, she turned her gaze away to the open curtains at the window and made her way across the room to draw them closed. She took a deep breath before turning back round to face him, her blush resurfacing when she found him watching her intently.

"What does my landlady intend to do about the problem with my sleeping arrangements?" Sesshoumaru asked, holding out a hand towards her.

"I-I'm sure I can find a solution," Rin murmured, feeling suddenly shy as she took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled towards him.

"What solution is that?" he asked, drawing her down to sit beside him on the sofa.

Rin temporarily lost the ability to think as Sesshoumaru slid an arm around her waist and nuzzled her neck gently as he waited for a response. Her eyes were wide with surprise as she felt a large hand brushing her hair away from her sensitive neck before those same fingers trailed slowly down her back causing her to arch against the tall man occupying her sofa.

Sesshoumaru smirked at her response and pulled her down on the sofa beside him and released a silent sigh of content. The pair had only been lovers for little over a day, but already he knew that something had changed drastically between them. He realised now that he was truly at peace when Rin was in his arms and he couldn't help but smile slightly as he looked down at Rin when she snuggled into his side.

"You didn't really think I'd let you sleep on the sofa, did you?" Rin asked with a yawn.  
"I did wonder for a moment," Sesshoumaru admitted.

The pair fell into comfortable silence and Rin felt herself drifting towards sleep as the minutes ticked by. Sesshoumaru's arms were wrapped tightly around her as she lay against his chest and she couldn't be happier. The peace was shattered by a knock at the door before it clicked open. Despite knowing that it could be tricky to explain why she was currently lying sprawled across Sesshoumaru's chest but she couldn't really begin to care as she kept her eyes determinedly shut as she feigned sleep. It was difficult to keep the smile from her face as she heard a sharp intake of breath that obviously came from whoever had come through the door.

"I had my suspicions about this, but I never expected to walk in to see this," Inuyasha's voice echoed across the silence.

"Did you need something, Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly as he shifted slightly to look at his brother who towered over him.

"I was just going to tell Rin that we're staying indefinitely," he replied with a shrug. "Kagome hasn't decided when she wants to go back to the city."  
"I'll tell her that when she wakes up."

"Of course you will. Try not to tire her out, she's going to have to try and keep up with Kagome over the next few days and she'll need all the energy she can get," Inuyasha said with a wink as he walked out the door again.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The days passed without incident and Inuyasha and Kagome's sudden arrival was soon forgotten as they easily adjusted to life in the little town. Inuyasha did not mention the little scene he had walked in on when he had come to talk to Rin and even though Kagome was well aware of what was happening between her friend and brother-in-law, she didn't speak of it for fear of embarrassing her friend. The students took an instant liking to the new residents at the hotel and seemed to be none the wiser about the budding relationship between their teacher and landlady. However, the peace that had fallen over the little group was soon to be broken.

"Rin, are you busy?" Kagome asked, looking into her friend's living room.

"Not at all," Rin replied with a smile, beckoning her into the room and gesturing towards the sofa.

"I've needed to talk to you about something but I don't quite know how to say it."

Rin shrugged. "Just say it. I doubt there's much you could say that would really cause me to react badly."  
I need to ask you a favour, Rin. It's something that's very important to me and was partly why I decided to come here." 

Sensing that her friend was struggling with something, Rin put aside the linen she had been folding and sat down on the sofa beside Kagome. She felt a shiver of apprehension as she watched her friend open and close her mouth several times before taking a deep breath and finally saying what had been playing on her mind.

"I didn't come here because I missed you," Kagome said and then gasped in shock as she realised how her words might sound.

Rin raised an eyebrow and smiled slightly as she watched her friend try to stammer out what she had really met. "Kagome, calm down. Just say what you need to."  
"Alright," she replied, taking another deep breath and looking at her friend steadily. "I do miss you, you know that. What I mean is that missing you was not the only reason why I came here. I came because I'm afraid."  
"Afraid of what?" Rin asked in confusion.

"Having this child. I'm scared."

Sighing heavily, Rin leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her friend. It was understandable that she was afraid, but to travel such a distance just to tell her this was inexcusable in Rin's opinion. After a moment, she gave Kagome a gentle squeeze and then sat back.

"That's understandable," she said gently. "Do you not think you could have told me this over the phone though? If you had wanted to me come to you, I would've been on the next train back to the city."

"Really?" Kagome asked, hope shining in her eyes as she looked at her friend.

"Of course. I was planning to be there for the birth anyway, but if you'd needed me earlier I wouldn't have given it a second thought."  
"Even though it would mean leaving Sesshoumaru here?"

Rin smiled. "You really ought to have a bit more faith in him. I know he's not the most sociable person, but he cares about you in his own way too. He'd have come with me."

"In that case," Kagome said as she sat forward. "Will you come back to the city with me? Inuyasha's pestering me about going back, but I want you to come with me."  
"Of course I'll come with you. You'll have to give me a couple of days to put everything in order here though." 

Kagome wrapped her arms around Rin and held her tight for a moment before letting go and fairly bouncing out of the room in excitement. Shaking her head, Rin leaned back against the sofa and sighed as she considered what she had just agreed to. She'd have to find someone to look after the hotel while she was away which meant she would most likely have to turn to Miroku and Sango. Rubbing a hand over her eyes, Rin pushed herself to a feet and headed towards the door to set her plans in motion. Before Rin had even made it to the end of the corridor, she felt hands land on her shoulders and pull her into a room just off the corridor. Gasping in surprise she turned to face the person behind her and relaxed moments later when she came face to face with Sesshoumaru. He looked down at her with a curious expression and she smiled slightly as she reached up to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders.

"Where've you been?" Sesshoumaru asked quietly after a while.

"I was talking to Kagome," Rin replied as she finally let go of him.

"Anything interesting?"

"I'm not sure if you'd find it interesting," she said slowly as she burrowed deeper into his embrace. "Our conversation confirmed a lot of my suspicions though."  
"Oh?"

"She's scared."  
Sesshoumaru nodded, tightening his arms around Rin as he thought over her words. "Understandable." 

The pair stood in silence for a while as they each thought over the situation. Eventually, Rin stepped back and looked up at her lover with a sad smile which caused him to frown at her as he waited to hear what she would say next.

"Kagome wants me to go back to the city with her," Rin said sadly, lowering her gaze to one of the buttons on Sesshoumaru's shirt.

"And what did you say?" he enquired tonelessly.

"I have to go with her, Sesshoumaru. She's my best friend and she's scared. I don't like seeing her like this. I've got to give her as much support as I can."  
Sesshoumaru wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. "Of course you do, but what about your responsibilities here?"

"I'll have to find someone to look after the hotel while I'm away."

"I'll do that."  
Rin's eyes widened as she lifted her head to stare at him. "You're not coming with me?"

"I can't do that. I have a responsibility to my students."

Rin nodded. She knew that what he said made sense, but it wasn't right. She didn't want to be apart from him. Tears began to fill her eyes and she lowered her gaze again in an attempt to hide them from him. Sesshoumaru tilted her head up and looked at her seriously. For a moment Rin thought he was going to say something but he seemed to think better of it and leaned towards her to capture her lips in a gentle kiss.

"We'll organise accommodation for you in the city and I'll join you in a few weeks' time," Sesshoumaru murmured against her lips and smiled slightly when she nodded.

"What accommodation did you have in mind?" Rin asked quietly.

"You'll stay with my parents. My room there is always prepared so you can use that and there'll be no problems."

"What will your parents think about that though? They will guess our relationship has changed after hearing that request."

"Does it matter?" Sesshoumaru asked and kissed the tip of her nose affectionately. "Even if they didn't guess from that, I'm sure they'd realise when I arrived and shared that room with you."

Rin blushed but smiled happily. "Like you're sharing my room now?"

"Exactly."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It took quite some time for Rin to set everything in order at the hotel, but when she was finally satisfied that nothing could go wrong in her absence, she wished that there was still more to do. As much as she cared for Kagome, she didn't want to leave Sesshoumaru. He had become her world over the past few weeks. Long nights were spent in his arms and the days were spent wishing she was still in his arms, but the day soon dawned when she was leaving with Kagome and Inuyasha.

Sesshoumaru accompanied the trio to the train station and sighed to himself as he stepped onto the dusty platform he remembered from his very first arrival in the town. It was still empty and still dusty, not that he expected any different. They stood on the platform and talked quietly amongst themselves until the train pulled loudly into the station. Inuyasha sighed and picked up Kagome's suitcase in his free hand.

"I'll be sure to keep an eye on your girl for you," Inuyasha said with a grin that earned him glare from his brother.

"My girl, as you call her, is perfectly capable of looking after herself," Sesshoumaru stated as he glared at his brother before slipping an arm around Rin's waist and looking down at her with pride in his eyes.

Inuyasha waved a hand and waited patiently for his wife to finish saying her goodbyes before leading her onto the train. Left alone, Rin and Sesshoumaru watched him until he disappeared before turning to face each other. For a moment they stood in silence as though they didn't know what to say, but Rin reached forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders before he had a chance to utter a word.

"Let me know when you have arrived in the city," Sesshoumaru said quietly, running his fingers through her long hair.

"I will. Are you sure you can't come earlier than the holidays?" Rin asked hopefully as she leaned into his touch.

"I could try, but I doubt it. Don't worry, the time will pass quickly."

Rin opened her mouth to reply but caught sight of Inuyasha beckoning her over. Sighing, she reached up and flung her arms around Sesshoumaru's shoulders again and was surprised when her lips were claimed in passionate kiss that took her breath away. When they finally parted for breath, he smiled at her slightly before giving her one last, brief kiss and pushing her gently towards the open train door. She turned to look at him once more before the doors slid shut behind her and felt her breath catch in her throat as the train pulled slowly out of the station, leaving him far behind.


End file.
