Author's Note: Of course I don't have an excuse for my obscenely long absence from the site. I would say thank you for the reviews, but I only received two. Two in… well over two years. Hm. Not that good. Oh, well. So, I've had this chapter written for a while. It was just a matter of getting around to typing it. Without further ado, here is the third installment of Pygmalion.

Pygmalion

Chapter Two

Rin quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth. "Oh, Kami-sama," she muttered.

"I think that answers your question, Rin," Shippou smiled, trying his hardest to keep from laughing as Sesshoumaru jerked the condom out of his hair. Kagura was doing just the opposite -- her eyes teared up and she buried her head in her arm to at least stifle the infectious laughter.

"You seem to have flung your condom at me, Okada. But, just for future reference, larges aren't big enough." The class snickered as Rin's face reddened to the shade of a beet.

"Hey, I said enough with the sexual jokes!" Kagura snapped, hitting him on the arm.

"Tell my parents that I love them, Shippou, and to leave my grave unmarked." Rin slid further into her seat as she covered her face with her hands.

"I never had the guts to actually fling anything at him. I commend you, Rin. You gave me my laugh for the day," Kagura giggled. A growl erupted from Sesshoumaru's throat.

"Would it help if I apologized profusely and offered to kill myself in gym so you don't have to?" Rin asked meekly.

"Nice, shrimp." Sesshoumaru stood up as the bell rang and walked out of the classroom with Kagura.

"I must say, that was the most humorous health class we've had in a long time," Shippou laughed. Rin moaned quietly and walked out of the class. "Have fun in Biology. We're starting to dissect frogs. I'll see you in Chemistry." The fox demon waved and headed off to Journalism.

"But, I'm squeamish!" Rin called after him.

"Tell that to your lab partner!" Shippou replied before ducking inside of a classroom.

Rin groaned and trudged up to the second floor for Nanaka's Biology IV class. As soon as she stepped into the classroom the smell of formaldehyde assaulted her nostrils. She covered her mouth with a hand and made her way to her lab partner, Houjo.

"You aren't going to throw up, are you?" the mousy haired boy asked. Rin slowly shook her head, through the motion only made her head swim even more.

"Konichiwa, class. I bet you are all regretting having lunch before Biology. Today we are dissecting frogs. Fun, fun. For those of you who are squeamish, I apologize. Just try not to vomit on the specimen," Nanaka stated.

"Yes! I've waited since August for this!" Inuyasha exclaimed happily. Kagome rolled her eyes and simply grabbed an apron from a nearby drawer.

"Get your aprons, gloves, and any other necessary equipment. Scalpels and other instruments are already on the trays. A list of the organs you are supposed to be identifying is on the board. Now, get to work," the teacher clapped her hands excitedly.

Rin sighed and carefully pulled her hair back with a hair tie she had on her wrist before grabbing an apron and a pair of gloves. She met Houjo back at the lab table and grimaced as she saw the frog.

"I feel like I should be praying right now," she muttered. Houjo grinned and picked up the scalpel, carefully making the first incision. Rin swayed slightly as fog began to cloud her mind.

"Hey, Rin? You okay?" Kagome asked from the lab table directly across from hers. "You look a little pale…" She hardly had time to finish the sentence before Rin collapsed onto the floor.

"Darn it!" Nanaka banged her fist on her desk. "I was hoping no one would faint."

Inuyasha laughed and said, "I think that answers your question, Kag." Kagome glared at him and fought the urge to slap him. She would get him in gym. As the teachers said, the lab was not the place for horseplay.

"Sensei, what am I supposed to do now? My partner's out cold," Houjo said. He looked down at Rin, her arms splayed out at her side.

"You go ahead and complete the assignment. I guess I'll just have to give Rin something else. Um… Sesshoumaru, carry her down to the nurse's office," Nanaka replied.

"What about the assignment?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

"You don't have to stay with her. Just take her down there, explain what happened, then come back. I'll write you a note so you can take the elevator." She pulled a stack of sticky notes towards her and quickly began writing. "Someone remove her apron and gloves." Houjo did as she said and placed the items back in their proper places.

Sesshoumaru carefully picked up her limp body, one hand under her knees, the other supporting her back, and walked to the teacher's desk. She handed him the note and he exited the classroom.

'She really is light. Can't weigh more than a hundred pounds,' he thought as he entered the elevator. He tapped the button for the first floor with his foot and waited until the descent ended. The elevator finally stopped and he stepped out.

Rin squirmed in his arms, slowly opening her eyes. "What… happened?" she asked weakly.

"You passed out," Sesshoumaru answered. "Stop squirming. You'll make me drop you."

"Great. My doctor's going to kill me," she muttered. Sesshoumaru walked into the nurse's office and placed her on the cot.

"Dear me, what happened?" the nurse, Suzaka, asked.

"She passed out in Biology. Couldn't take a little gore," Sesshoumaru told her.

"Oh, bite me," Rin grumbled. She rubbed her head and glared at the floor. Sesshoumaru growled quietly, but walked back out of the office.

"This isn't the first time you've been in here, Rin," Suzaka stated. She was a kindly woman, looking to be around middle aged. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I remember hitting the floor, but that's about it," Rin replied.

"You're doctor's going to kill you?" she asked with a smile. Rin nodded bitterly. "I think he'll understand. You have a history of being quite squeamish. Why don't you take your hair down and try to relax? You can stay in here until gym." Rin pulled the hair tie out, sighing as the tension was instantly relieved. "Here, I'm sure your head hurts." Suzaka held out an ice pack, a small cup of water, and a pill.

"When will I be able to take a full dose of Tylenol?" Rin asked as she swallowed the pill with a sip of water.

"As soon as you gain enough weight," the nurse answered.

"Kami, why do people always rag on me about my weight? It's not like I'm anorexic or anything." Rin sighed, lying down on the cot. She saw the shadow of a person on the other side of the door and Sesshoumaru walked back in.

"Nanaka requested I bring Rin's book bag." He dropped the item beside the cot and walked back out. Rin dug around in the bag for a few seconds before pulling out her script for drama.

"Do you have a highlighter, sensei?" she asked. Suzaka nodded and pulled one out of a drawer. She handed it to the teenager and sat on a chair beside the cot.

"New play?"

"Yes. Romeo and Juliet. And I'm stuck playing Juliet," Rin murmured. She opened the script to the front page and began searching for her lines.

"Who's Romeo?" Suzaka grinned.

"Sesshoumaru. Personally, I would rather kiss Shippou than him." Rin slid the highlighter over her first lines.

"I remember playing Juliet in my high school play," Suzaka sighed.

"How'd it go?"

"Horribly. I was too nervous to do the kissing scenes. I nearly fell off of the balcony, and I caught mono from Romeo." She paused for a moment and smile sheepishly. "You know, maybe I'm not the person you should be talking to about that."

"I would have to agree," Rin mumbled. "What if I was to dramatically sprain my ankle during rehearsal?"

"A dramatically sprained ankle for you, dear, would be on the verge of a break. Then your doctor would rally yell at you. Speaking of which, when's your next appointment?" The nurse pushed the chair at her desk closer to the cot.

"Tomorrow. Up before the sun and still getting to school late. There is just something wrong with that." She highlighted another line and shook her head.

"You know you're going to have to tell him, right?"

"Of course. He'd figure it out someway or other, even if I didn't tell him. He's just going to yell at me and say that if I ate more I wouldn't have passed out, though," Rin mumbled.

"He's right. You don't eat enough," the woman answered.

"I eat two meals a day, sensei. Not including the snack I have when I get home," she told the nurse.

"You eat one item at hose meals, Rin. And you've always been small for your age." The bell signaling the end of fifth period rang.

"Shippou's going to freak if I don't show up for Chemistry," Rin muttered.

"He'll get over it. Now, back to your diet."

"There's nothing wrong with my diet. I'm a vegetarian and I have a small appetite. I should be small," Rin insisted.

"Step onto the scale, dear." Suzaka grabbed the script from Rin and helped her off of the cot. Rin, muttering all the while, stepped onto the scale and felt her stomach drop. "Eighty-two pounds," Suzaka sighed and shook her head solemnly.

"Now he'll really kill me. That's ten pounds in a month." Rin sat heavily on the cot and kicked the floor. "He gets made when I've just lost one pound."

"I'd say I told you so, but it doesn't seem appropriate." Rin shook her head and slumped against the wall.

"Oh, well. If it's not my weight we're arguing about, it's my 'strenuous exercise regime'. And that I refuse to change."

"Why?" the nurse asked.

"Running from Konoe is rather fun," Rin laughed quietly and picked up her script. "Besides, I'd rather have to run everyday than get beat up." Suzaka shrugged and went back to her desk.

"Understandable," she replied. "The bell's about to ring, so I'll write you a note for your Chemistry teacher and then you can go to gym." A short note was scribbled and handed to Rin before she jumped off of the cot.

"I'm sure I'll see you again, Suzaka-sama," she laughed, heaving her book bag onto her shoulders. "That is, if I'm not killed in gym."

"Should I write you a note for that class as well?" Suzaka asked. Rin shook her head, gave a short wave, and walked out of the office. "Take the elevator!" the older woman called after her.

Sighing softly, Rin pressed the button for the elevator. It took her to the second floor, stopping as soon as the bell rang. Apparently Shippou saw fit to stay behind in the class so he could yell at her there.

"Where were you?" he asked angrily. Rin glanced back at him and handed the note to the teacher.

"Fainted in Biology," she answered. "Houjo made the first cut and then bam."

Shippou and the teacher smiled sympathetically. "You will need to get today's notes from a classmate. There is a test next Monday, so make sure you're prepared." Rin nodded to the teacher and walked out of the room with Shippou.

"Take the elevator with me. That way you aren't late." Rin and Shippou rode the elevator to the top floor, walked down the slowly emptying hall, and entered the gym, parting at their respective locker rooms.

"Feeling better, Rin?" Kagome asked as Rin pulled her gym bag from one of the lockers.

"I suppose so," Rin answered. She pulled on a pair of track pants and a long-sleeved white shirt while the others changed into shorts and tank-tops. "I just have a headache now."

"I can get Sesshoumaru to take it easy on you today," Kagura offered. Rin shook her head, pulled her hair back again, and walked out of the locker room.

"Gather 'round, everyone," Kaede, the wizened gym teacher, called once everyone was out of the locker rooms. "Don't get your weapons yet." The students who had made to grab theirs quickly turned around. "We are nearing the end of our unit," she stated. "Tomorrow there will be a practical examination. You will be asked to perform certain tasks and then you will fight your partner. Okada, Konoe, you will have to go today as Okada's doctor's appointment will leave her incapacitated and unable to do anything in here tomorrow." Rin and Sesshoumaru nodded in response. "Starting Monday we will being our new unit: high-diving." The teacher handed the student closest to her a stack of papers. "You will need to get your parent or guardian to sign these permission forms saying it is okay for you to get into the pool. Everyone was issued a school swimsuit at the beginning of the year. You will bring it with you everyday. Understood?"

"Hai, Kaede-sama," the class replied. Soon everyone had the permission and fell into their pairs after collecting their weapons.

"Rin, Sesshoumaru, are you ready?" Kaede asked. They both nodded again. "All right. Please show me the proper way to unsheathe your weapons and get into the first position." They did as instructed, Sesshoumaru's long sword gripped in front of him with both hands, one foot some length behind the other. Rin was in a similar position, though her two swords were on either side of her body, one higher than the other. "Without lifting your feet, move into the second position."

Sesshoumaru slid his front foot to the left, circling around Rin as she did the same. "Sesshoumaru, perform a complex forward attack on Rin. Rin, flat sided block with a break. Hold the position."

Their swords clashed first above Rin's head, then the left, and finally the bottom. Once the last position was achieved, Rin brought her free sword down, catching Sesshoumaru's between the two. Kaede inspected the position and nodded her approval. "Now, get into your own positions. You will freestyle for thirty seconds. Your grade will be based on accuracy, speed, precision, and style. The only way you can fail is if you continue fighting after I call time or intentionally hurt the other. Is that clear?"

They responded by getting into their opening positions. Sesshoumaru held his sword in front of him, his back leg positioned as if he were in the middle of a lunge. Rin crouched onto one knee, one sword held level with his shin, the other one at his thigh. "Begin," Kaede stated shortly.

Sesshoumaru took the offensive and thrust at her abdomen. Rin parried the strike and pushed herself to both feet, glaring fiercely at her opponent as he struck once more. Her swords formed and 'x' shape in front of her as she was forced against the wall, their swords locked together.

"Got any new moves you'd care to show me?" Sesshoumaru asked playfully.

Rin smirked, tossed the sword in her right hand up to readjust her grip on it, and swung it underhandedly at his neck. He bent backwards, causing the blade to slice only through air. During his momentary lapse in attention, Rin forced him backwards and put more distance between herself and the wall.

Sesshoumaru nodded approvingly and circled her once, their eyes never leaving the other. He feigned an overhead attack and as she brought her swords up to block, quickly swung at her feet. She was airborne for only a second, landing on the blade of Sesshoumaru's sword. He smirked at her and Rin's eyes widened before she back-flipped away from him, landing in a split. He brought the flat side of his sword down at her, but she managed to block it with a leg.

"Time," Kaede called. Sesshoumaru pulled his sword away and, surprising though it may have seemed to the spectators, as they had gathered quite an audience, he held out a hand to help Rin up. The girl looked at him for a short second, took his had, and pulled herself to her feet. "Well, well, well," the old woman smiled. "Rather unorthodox moves, though effective nonetheless. You played off of each other very well. One hundreds for both of you." Rin let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall to catch her breath. "I may have you two show that last maneuver to the sophomores."

"Gomen-nasai, Kaede-sama," Rin answered. "My doctor would not be too pleased if he found out I was performing gymnastic stunts when he told me not to."

The woman laughed and shrugged. "Oh, well. Can't have everything." She turned, staring at the circle of bystanders. "Back to work everyone!" The crowd cleared and Rin slid to the floor.

"Hey, Rin?" Kagura asked. She was to the left of her and Sesshoumaru, sparring with Shippou. "How can you still do a split like that?"

"Hm? Oh, I, uh, I guess I just can," Rin answered hesitantly. "I don't really think about it much."

"Man, listen to yourself, Kagura," Kagome laughed as she blocked one of Inuyasha's attacks with her archery bow. "Marveling over a split despite the fact that she did a back-flip off of a sword."

"It's really not that--," Rin sighed softly once nearly everyone in the immediate vicinity was talking about the sword fight. "Much." She sighed again and leaned her head back, her eyes staring at the ceiling. "What do you want, Konoe?"

Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow and looked down at her. "Finally started your period, have you?" he asked, sitting down next to her.

"Oh, really clever. Did you come up with that all on your own?" she replied sarcastically. "You're bending back too much, Shippou. One good kick and you hand the match to her." Rin looked over at Shippou and Kagura just as Shippou fell down. "If she's aiming that low you should either sidestep it or use a hand to keep yourself off the ground."

"After all I helped you with today, Rin, you're giving him tips to beat me?" Kagura asked cheekily.

"You are taking too long to think of the moves. Once he learns to read a face he will block and parry everything," Rin added.

"Oh, thanks," Shippou and Kagura replied simultaneously.

"Do you see fit to offer your little nutshells of wisdom all the time?" Sesshoumaru asked. "Because if so, I find myself wondering why you never helped me."

Rin rolled her eyes and stood up, straightening her track pants. "No, and even if I did, there is not enough help in the world." The bell rang as she walked into the girls' locker room and quickly changed into her regular clothes. The other girls were just walking in as she left. She passed without a word and walked back to the first floor, depositing her unnecessary books in her locker before walking into the drama class.

"Why, hello there, Rin," Gachi greeted excitedly.

"Hello, Gachi-sama," Rin returned stiffly and sat in one of the vacant chairs.

"Still angry about getting detention, huh?" she asked, looking up from some papers on her desk.

"Oh course she is." Rin stifled a groan as Sesshoumaru entered the room. "Didn't you know that this is her first detention in her entire school career?"

"Hello to you, too, Sesshoumaru," Gachi grinned and stood once he was seated. "Now, assignment… I want you to get to know each other. You're costars, so it needs to seem like you're friends at the very least. Therefore, you will meet at least three days a week outside of school, so this does not count. You will talk. I can force you to do little else. I expect to see progress. Is that understood?" Both students nodded. "You have… thirty-five minutes remaining, so I suggest you get to work." She gave a wave and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"This is just great," Rin muttered. "I'm going to die."

Sesshoumaru smirked at her, turned his chair around, and propped his feet up on the one next to his. "Well, well, well. Alone at last. I'm sure this isn't how you pictured your first time, but it'll do."

"Why do you like having the reputation of a player?" Rin asked.

"Because I'm trying to hide my insecurities behind my devilishly good looks," he answered quickly. She rolled her eyes and pulled Hannibal out of her book bag. "Are you always reading?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Obviously not," she replied. "Not exactly the brightest person, are you?"

His eyes narrowed slightly and he took the book from her. "I'm ranked second in our class."

Her eyes widened slightly and she turned sharply to look at him. "What?"

"I'm ranked--," she quickly cut him off.

"You mean, you're my competition for valedictorian?" she asked in awe.

"Looks like it," he answered. "Though, if you do me a few favors I could hold back some and keep the way clear."

Rin gagged lightly and covered her mouth with her hand. "Forgive me, I just threw up a little in my mouth."

"Hey, as long as you keep it down when you --," he let the end hang slightly, smirking at her shudder.

"You disgust me," she muttered. "I want to get the assignment over with, so meet me at my house around 5:00 p.m."

"No can do," he replied. "My date with Kagura should run until around 8:00. I'll come then."

Rin lifted a thin eyebrow and pulled her bag onto her shoulders. "And if I'm not awake?"

"You go to sleep at 8:00?" Sesshoumaru asked, returning the lifted brow.

"I try to take my medicine by 7:30," she stated. "It tends to knock me out within half an hour."

"Not one for partying, are you?" he smirked and picked up his own books, walking out of the class with her once the bell rang, signaling the end of detention. Rin merely shook her head, scribbled her address down on a small piece of paper, and held it out for him.

"If you're going to be late, don't come at all," she told him and walked out of the school.

"Wait!" Sesshoumaru jumped down the stairs and was in front of her within a millisecond. "Why do I have to go to your house?"

She mounted her bike and looked at him. "You'll see that if you actually show up," she answered before riding away from the school.

He smirked at her back and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, walking towards a sleek black Mitsubishi. "Hey, babe," he spoke into the receiver. "Yeah, I'm on my way. Bye." He hung up as he started the car and pulled onto the road.

Rin dropped her bike next to the porch once she got home and ran inside. "Mom?" she called gently, slipping her shoes off of her feet and walking into the kitchen. A small black Labrador Retriever bounded towards her instead of her mother. "Hey, Susa. How's my good guard doggy doing? Harassing those mean old doctors?" The dog yelped excitedly and Rin scratched his ears. "That's my good boy."

"Oh, hey, honey," her mom smiled and stepped into the kitchen. "How was school?"

"Decent," Rin answered. "Where is he?"

"Now, you really shouldn't get yourself worked up, dear. Your health is already questionable," the woman who went by the name of Ami stated. Rin placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. "Upstairs in bed. The doctors said he needed to rest."

"Thank you," Rin pulled a tea kettle out of a cabinet, filled it with water, and placed it on one of the burners on the stove. "I'm having company tonight. Assignment from Gachi-sama."

"Oh?" her mom asked. "What kind of assignment?"

"Get to knoweth thy enemy so that he may become thine lover," Rin laughed. "Her idea so Konoe and I won't rip each other's throats out."

"All right, dear," the woman looked at a clock and groaned. She grabbed a nurse's hat and her car keys off of the counter. "Rice is already in the steamer. I got some fresh tuna from the market today. Don't forget to take your medicine. Do your homework. Daddy will need his injection. If he's in too much pain the doctors said he could take a little bit of morphine. Let Susa out later. Make sure that Konoe fellow takes his shoes off when he gets here."

Rin smiled gently and led her mom to the door. "We go through the same routine every time you're the night nurse at the hospital, mom. I think I know what to do by now."

Her mom laughed and nodded. "Of course you do, sweetie. I'll see you in the morning at --," Rin sighed and finished the sentence.

"6:00. I know, mom. Bye." Ami finally walked out of the house and left for work.

Rin sighed softly and walked upstairs, pressing her ear to the first door on the left. He's sleeping," she whispered and walked to the end of the hall where her room was. She gathered her laptop and walked back downstairs, curling up on the sofa with her book bag. "All right, paper for Konoe," she muttered.

Rummaging around in her bag, she found the piece of paper Inuyasha had chucked at her earlier that day. "Analyze the character of either Ophelia or Gertrude from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. Include the woman's role in the play and how it compares to the role of men," she mumbled. "Cite quotes in MLA format. Why couldn't he do this himself?" She carefully placed her laptop next to her and walked back upstairs to the makeshift library next to her room. "Plays, plays, plays." She found the section and scanned the titles. "There you are, Hamlet." The book was removed and she walked back downstairs just as her cell phone began to ring.

She rushed into the living room and glanced at the caller ID as it flashed Shippou. "What is it, Shippou?" Rin asked irritably as she placed the phone to her ear.

"Ah, you live," Shippou cheered gently. "Or is this your ghost speaking?"

"No, I survived," she laughed. "I was just about to start on Konoe's essay."

"So, you're not busy then?" he asked. "Need any help with it?"

"Yes, actually. How soon can you get here?" She had barely finished speaking when the front door opened.

"Here I am," Shippou laughed at her facial expression, which was a mixture of surprise and annoyance. "I was in the neighborhood."

"You really need to give me more of a warning," Rin answered as he took his shoes off and placed them next to the door.

Shippou smirked and closed his phone, sitting next to his best friend on the sofa. "What's the essay on?"

"Hamlet," she muttered. "Have to analyze either Gertrude or Ophelia."

"And which one are you going to use?"

"Inuyasha chooses to analyze Ophelia," she laughed and opened her laptop. "Look through the play and start finding quotes that might help." Silence enveloped them, Rin's fingers gliding along the keys and Shippou occasionally feeding her some quotes. "All right, the last period is in place," Rin saved the essay to her hard drive and closed the computer. "Any idea what time it is?"

Shippou glanced at his watched and replied, "6:00."

She nodded slightly and stood up, stretching her arms above her head. "Want to stay for dinner? Mom got some fresh tuna from the market."

"You're going to eat fish?" he asked in amazement, a lifted eyebrow accompanying his dropped jaw.

"Of course not," she answered. "I'm just going to have some rice."

Shippou sighed and stood up, following her into the kitchen. He should have known to not get his hopes up. She once again filed the tea kettle and placed it on the stove along with a sauce pan.

"Could you hand me the soy and chili sauce, please?" she asked as she carefully removed the fish from its packaging and set it on a wooden cutting board. Shippou handed her the items and leaned against the counter.

"Are you going to sear it?" he asked.

"Nope. Tuna sashimi and a sauce for it," she poured some of the two sauces into the pan and turned the burner on. She dipped a finger into the mixture once it was warm and 'hmed' quietly. "It's missing something. What do you think?"

Shippou tasted it as well and shrugged. "Sesame, maybe?" he suggested.

Rin's eyebrows furrowed slightly and she pulled the sesame from the spice cabinet. After adding a little bit, she tasted the sauce again. "Much better."

Dinner passed and Shippou left, leaving the house quiet and rather empty. "7:30," Rin groaned and walked upstairs, deposited her laptop on her desk, and went into the bathroom for a quick shower. She could always soak tomorrow when she might have time to relax.

It was 7:45 by the time she was in her pajamas, which consisted of a pair of flowered pants and a light blue long-sleeved shirt, and hand her hair and teeth brushed. She grabbed a folder from under her pillows on her bed and walked downstairs, placing herself on the wooden bench in front of the piano.

Ten, twenty, thirty minutes passed and she was still working on one of her own compositions. Her father came downstairs at five till nine and kissed his daughter's cheek. "That boy still hasn't shown up?"

Rin sighed and shook her head, her eyes following the man for a moment. He was average height and from the back almost looked normal. His frame was a bit small for a man, but that didn't accurately show the battle his immune system was fighting. To see that, one would have to see his pallid face. His eyes, once bright and shining, had sunken into their sockets, his skin, once taught and firm, was loose and hanging, at least three shades paler since the previous month, and his hair, once thick and glistening, was all but gone due to the Chemotherapy. Then there was the smell. It was virtually undetectable to those who weren't looking for it, but Rin noticed: it was like the walking dead. A mixture of graveyard dirt and age that always followed him, despite his frequent baths. "Almost an hour late," she mumbled over the tinkling coming from the piano as she turned her attention back to her music. "That part still doesn't sound right."

"Have you tried using a B minor instead?" the elderly man asked.

"I've tried using every other note and it just doesn't sound right," Rin shrugged and began playing through the song again as the door bell rang.

Her father answered it, staring at Sesshoumaru for a long minute before allowing him to enter.

"Shoes," Rin kept her back to him, but pointed at the shoes next to the door. He removed his and pushed them against the wall.

Sesshoumaru had just opened his mouth to say something when Susa jumped on him, barking loudly. "Down, dog," he hissed. The animal continued barking.

"Rin, control the dog before he bites someone," her father ordered.

"Now, now, dad, it's not nice to insult our guests." She turned around on the bench and released a sigh. "Susa, get off of Konoe-sama." She patted her legs and the dog left Sesshoumaru to walk to her. "Good boy." She stood up and scratched the dog's head. "Daddy, Konoe Sesshoumaru. Konoe-sama, Okada Rei."

Sesshoumaru gave a bow to the older man and looked down at Rin. "Date lasted longer than I thought."

Rin nodded and was just about to walk into the kitchen when a familiar jingle reached her ears. "Oh, news!" She spun around and ran into the living room, vaulted the back of the couch, and landed upside down.

Rei shook his head as Sesshoumaru opened his mouth to say something. "War report. She'll slay you alive, boy."

"Why, that stupid, idiotic, --," Rin cut herself off before she could say anything truly devastating and threw a small pillow at the television. "Deploying more soldiers." She glared at the box and stood up, turning to the men behind her. "Daddy, upstairs." She walked passed them, into the kitchen, grabbed a small bottle of pills, and downed one with a sip of water. "March." She poked her father in the back and followed him up the stairs, Sesshoumaru lagging behind. The overwhelming scents of death and desperation reached his nostrils, though he couldn't tell exactly who they came from. It would be something he asked Rin.

"You get more and more like your mother everyday," Rei grinned.

"Sesshoumaru, my room is the last one on the right. I'll be in there in a few minutes," Rin stated.

Sesshoumaru nodded and slowly walked down the hall as Rin and her dad walked into the first room.

"Mama said you still needed your shot," she muttered. Rei nodded and sat on the bed while she pulled a small black case from a drawer in the bedside table. She filled a syringe with some clear liquid and carefully stuck it into his arm, pressing down on the plunger. "Call me if you need anything, all right?" Rei nodded again. "Get some rest," she kissed his forehead and walked out of the room.

Sesshoumaru was standing in front of an open door, staring at the small shrine erected inside. "I believe I asked you to wait for me in my room," Rin growled, sliding the door closed with her foot.

"It's been forever since I've been in a traditional home," Sesshoumaru replied.

"So explore one of the others in this city; not mine." She pushed her bedroom door open and stepped inside. Sesshoumaru entered behind her and looked around. The walls were white and rather plain and her daybed was situated in front of some windows and was covered by a white comforter with pink cherry blossoms dotting the fabric. She had a desk on which sat her computer and a television and stereo stood on a small entertainment center.

"You actually look normal from this view," he smirked. "Though I have to ask who the hell these people are." He picked up a picture frame on the desk and examined the photo. A young woman, looking to be no older than twenty-five and a man appearing to be only a couple of years older, smiled at the camera, a small bundle of fabric grasped in the woman's arms.

"My parents," she replied and explained when he furrowed his eyebrows. "I was adopted when I was three. Those are my biological parents."

"I never knew that."

"You never asked," she stated. "Now, can we hurry, please?"

Sesshoumaru nodded and chose to ask the most pressing question. "Why do I smell death and desperation in this house?"

Rin sighed and sank onto her bed. She knew he would just press the matter if she didn't answer him now. "My dad has leukemia. He's been in therapy for a while, but the doctors say that he's not responding as well as he should. The timeline they've given him ends in spring."

"Oh…" he placed himself in her desk chair, his arms resting on the back of it. His mind screamed for a change of subject and, for once, he chose to heed another person's feelings and followed its command. He asked what she did for fun, not expecting such a long list of activities.

"Gymnastics, soccer, piano, judo, kendo, tai kwon do, and a bit of ballroom dancing," she replied.

"Did you write that song you were playing earlier?"

She nodded lightly. "Started writing it three years ago and I've hit a dead end."

"I could tell you were getting rather frustrated with it. So, I know you learned that back-flip and split from gymnastics; what else did you learn?" he asked.

She thought for a moment and responded, "I found out that I can support myself with one arm."

"One handed pushup?"

She shook her head, walked to the middle of the room, and flipped herself into a handstand. She slowly pulled one hand back and placed it on her abdomen to keep her shirt from falling. "With a one handed pushup, your weight is distributed throughout your body. With a one handed handstand, all of your weight is concentrated on that one hand." She groaned slightly and flipped back over, shaking her hair from her face.

The rest of the night passed quickly, filled with actual conversation rather than interrogation. "Before you go," Rin jumped off of her bed and stood in front of her laptop, hooked it up to a small printer, and printed off the Hamlet paper. "I'm going to be late tomorrow, so give this to your brother, please."

"You? Late, Okada?" Sesshoumaru asked, walking out of the room.

"Go home, Konoe." Rin forced him down the stairs and opened the front door as he pulled his shoes back on.

"Goodnight kiss?"

She glared at him and pushed him out of the house. "Goodbye, Konoe," she muttered, closing the door in his face.

Author's Note: All right, so not as long as it usually is, but I kind of wanted to end it there. It's still 12 pages and 6280 words, though. I guess that's decent. Please review. I'm sure I've lost several readers, but I'm begging. I need constructive feedback!