The Next Morning

"Ka...um....."

Rin bit her bottom lip rolling her eyes to the side.

"Something wrong hon'?" Mrs. Kasama asked looking up across the table. Her fork clicked against the plate just as she stabbed a pancake piece.

"Oh..no, mam. Just had to clear my throat is all" Sesshomaru nonchalantly answered.

"Oh.. okay" she sweetly smiled at him and ate the piece of food on her fork. She dabbed a napkin to her lips and stood to get out of her chair, "You better finish up soon, Mr. Kasama will be coming for yea any minute now."

Sesshomaru had barely eatten much off his plate but took a few bites so not to look suspicious. He did not take one sip from his cup of orange juice. Rin was nearly done.

Just as Mrs. Kasama passed by the both of them Sesshomaru who had been keeping his eyes forward sitting perfectly still... lightly punched Rin on the shoulder.

Her posture shot up and her face flushed a beet red. Her lips pressed tight together to keep them close stifling that urge to shout "Hey!" Instead she angrily scowled at him with a furrowed wrinkled brow.

Sesshomaru scowled back at her, cleared his throat again and tossed his head towards Mrs. Kasama's back. A rush of running water sounded from the sink.

"I'm going to alright! Just give me a second! What do you want me to do?!" she harshly whispered.

"I don't care! Just do it now!" he quietly hissed glancing from her to Mrs. Kasama's back and then back to Rin. The sinks knob squeaked plugging up the running water.

"Okay I'll do it...." she angrily muttered between her teeth.

"Do what?"

"Uhh...mom!" Rin stiffened turning her head around and nervously smiled at her.

"Yes?" she asked while rubbing her hands under a wash cloth.

"You better not screw this up Rin.." Sesshomaru whispered keeping his back on Mrs. Kasama loudly forking at his plate pretending to eat.

Rin scowled at Sesshomaru giving him the evil eye.

"What is it Rin?"

"Oh! Um!" she swung back to her mom trying to appear as innocent as possible.

She coughed and cleared her throat, "Um...Sesshomaru and I were wondering if...if...."

Rin slowly darted her eyes around the kitchen. She paused and stared at the green leafy vines hanging outside of the kitchen window behind her mother.

'Eureka!'

She smiled more confidently now.

"If...when you're not too busy.. if we could help you out in your garden sometime. Sesshomaru had noticed the beautiful flowers you have growing out there and he..had wanted to.. help plant some too" she grinned looking over to Sesshomaru whom glared murderously at her from the side.

She stifled down the urge to laugh and kept at that smug air.

"Oh..." Mrs. Kasama sweetly smiled pressing her palm to her heart. "Oh that would just be lovely. And it's funny I was just thinking about it the other day, I haven't been in my garden in such a while. Those plants need tending to and I need to put some new fertilizer down and wouldn't it be grand to plant some pretty summer flowers?"

"Like...sunflowers?" Rin grinned with delight.

Mrs. Kasama happily smiled with alittle laugh, "Your favorite. Of course 'hon."

"Do you have any out back in the shed?"

She stopped and thought a moment tapping her finger against her chin. "You know I'm not sure. But I'll go and check"

"Great! Thanks mom!" Rin nearly laughed smiling, this was actually working.

"Hm, you're most welcome" she smiled stopping by the hall she then turned her eyes to the dog demon youth. "And thank you so much Sesshomaru for noticing my flower garden. It's so kind of you to want to help."

"Hehe it's no problem..." Sesshomaru cocked his head to the side and cracked his best fake grin.

' What a dear.. ' Mrs. Kasama placed her hand at her heart again smiling at him. He gave a slight nod and turned back to his plate of food. She was just about to leave the kitchen when it dawned on her.

"Oh and by the way is there any flower in particular you would like me to look into?"

Rin watched him as he stopped moving. His eyebrows creased indenting long lines in his forehead.

"I-uh...."

Pink painted lips twist into a lengthy, perfect grin, laughing. A very beautiful laugh.

And then it went ' POOF '. All gone.

' All gone Sesshomaru.'

He frowned and blinked at the wall and lowered his eyes.

"No, that's alright mom."

Immediately, he cut his eyes at Rin.

"But if he thinks of one he'll let you know. Right?" Rin turned her head around to him. He quirked his eyebrow at her. As if reading his thoughts Rin made a face that said "just go along with it."

"Well...." Mrs. Kasama looked over to him.

Sesshomaru quickly caught her eyes and swiftly nodded. She smiled again.

"Okay. And I'll let you two know when I'll be gardening. Do well today."

"We will" Rin replied smiling just as her mother turned and left out of the kitchen.

Once Mrs. Kasama was completely gone Rin blew a huge sigh of relief and sank down in her chair, deflated.

"What the hell was that Rin?!" Sesshomaru spat not too pleased.

She loudly groaned with a roll of her eyes.

"Shut up and eat this" she slid her plate over to him that had two pancakes still left on it, purposely saved for him. She then got up grabbing his plate and went over to the trash can and scraped the remaining food off into it. She covered some trash over the half eaten food so no one especially her mother would see it.

"I do not want to fuckin' plant some stupid flowers....with your mom" he whined while stuffing his face. She swiped his drink off the table.

"Hey it worked didn't it? She left! It was the only thing I could think of on the spot okay! Are you almost done?" she asked turning her head to him while pouring the orange juice from his cup down the sink drain.

"Yea almost" he replied while cutting the last pancake up in bite size pieces.

"Here I poured you a new glass" Rin set the cup down and sat next to him.

"Thanks Captain Obvious" he rolled his eyes and took a thirst quenching swing of it.

"Hey enough alright. I told yea this will be hard. Today we got off real easy, tomorrow we might not. You could at least thank me it was a crafty enough lie to get my mom to leave so we could get rid of your medication."

"She's got you there."

He rolled his eyes with an annoyed groan. He stared at her as she spoke some more. He started finishing off the rest of the food while trying to drown out the sound of her voice.

"AND don't you zone out on me like that again! My mom wouldn't have left then if she felt something was wrong with yea!"

He heavily sighed and lowered his eyes, "Sorry."

"What?!" she exclaimed mouth dropped wide open and she blinked. She had heard him apologize to her. She just couldn't believe it nor was she expecting him to do so.

He exasperatedly huffed and turned to her with pouted lips and a raised eyebrow.

"Hehe" she chuckled alittle embarrassed. "You're.. right I heard yea the first time."

"Good, because I don't say that word often unless I feel it is necessary and I'm not going to repeat myself. I'm just angry that now sometime in the future I'm going to have to be working in some damn, sissy, flower garden....But you..were..right... It did get your mom out of here so I can eat a decent breakfast without ingesting my medication. So I won't hold it against you. You did what I asked and even though it's something I'm not at all looking forward into fulfilling..you came through. And for that...I...am.....grateful."

Happy to hear this she laughed alittle bashful in the face and looked down cupping a fist in her hand. In between her giggling she had softly replied a you're welcome. He watched her with mild interest while chugging down the rest of his drink.

' For all tough and mighty in the way she talks. Even she gets shy sometimes.'

He craned his neck back further raising the glass higher as the last drops of orange juice streamed down into his mouth.

"So..." Rin now completely serious looked at him. "Um..what had happened? Where did you go?"

He swallowed and set the cup down. His brow creased as he tried to imagine and smacked his lips. He looked down tapping his fingers against the side of the table. She watched him patiently waiting for him to answer. Slowly, he stopped tapping his fingers and sighed. He could hear the air suck in his mouth as he opened it about to speak. She moved in closer to listen.

' SWACK! '

Rin and Sesshomaru shot up in alarm. Mr. Kasama stood on the back steps his hand pressed against the screen door.

"Yea'll ready?"

~*~

Sunshine beamed upon the two of them as they followed behind her father who was a couple of yards ahead of them. A big white barn with a dark green roof stood on the far end of the pathway they were walking down. As they walked upon the clay, sandy, path their sneakers kicked brownish-orange gravel stones and dirt clots.

Sesshomaru blinked and squinted his eyes towards the long winded barn. Heat waves were already rippling in the morning air. Though with his keen eyesight he could see a brass almost black weather vane at the top of the barn's roof top. It was a rooster. The rooster wavered, gleaming brightly against the blue.

The image of the rooster glinted a perk to his eyes, fading his usual scowling expression.

"They've come to snuff the rooster...ah yeah...you know he ain't gonna die...." he softly sang to himself staring up ahead at the white barn.

"And by the way that punch you gave me..still hurts."

Sesshomaru stopped and rolled his eyes, "Boo-fucking-hoo Rin. I didn't hit you that hard anyway."

"Yea did too!"

"I did!? Oh! I'm sooooo sorry!!!! I didn't realize how much of a wimpyou were!" he sneered mockingly with a teasing laugh.

Rin felt what was like a deep growl in the back of her throat. Feeling like it might be a scream she clenched her teeth together and eyed furious daggers at his 'stupid ' face. Within seconds, without realizing it, and without even a second thought, she struck her arm out.

"OOOOUUU!!!!!" Sesshomaru screeched painfully while he lopsidedly stood with his head and neck slanted to a tilt. He squeezed his eyes shut.

"Ah....AHH...!" he tried to open his squinted, blinking eyes.

"Does it hurt?" Rin maliciously replied tightening the grip she had in her hot fist. She was too angry and too steamed up to smirk at his pain she was causing.

"You little bi-AH!-Ahh! Let go! LET GO!" he growled, now tottering on one foot while the other was slightly raised up.

She narrowed her eyes even further and tugged harder.

"AH!!!"

"Hey...."

Sesshomaru eyed her the best he could and clenched his teeth.

"DON'T EVER CALL ME WEAK AGAIN!"

She released the fistful of his flowing hair she had yanked. This led to the undoing of his balance. He made a sort of funny noise and landed right on his flat stomach.

"GRRRRRRRR...."

By now Rin had considered the consequences of her let's just say not so intelligent actions, but she did not take a step back even at the fearful hiss of his growling. He slowly rose up onto his knees. His hands pressed hard against the clay that his fingers curled and claws raked in the soil. He swung his head to her, his face a perfect picture of ' Rage ' if the feelings of ' Rage ' ever could physically have such a face.

His furrowed brow a mass of wrinkled tight flesh that the indigo crescent moon embedded in his forehead appeared slightly twisted. The nostrils of his nose flared in and out. His mouth parted open, his fangs and sharp teeth could be visibly seen and noted. His ears pointed straight back and just like his moon, the demon stripes on his cheeks had changed, rigid and spiky like bloody razors. But his eyes. Oh how much larger they had become! His iris' amber color shone, alive and full of embers, the pupils were no longer round but black narrow slits. And when Rin stared into those eyes she could see a red light shine iridescently and flash over them like a cast shadow.

' If looks could kill...'

It wouldn't surprise her if a fire exploded right then and there. But Rin held herself. The way he looked at her did nothing. Her face did not cringe in shock or cower in horror. No flinching, crying, or frowning. She just glared down at him with her own heated stare, tight lipped, fists planted at her sides.

In her young life, there were certain things that Rin could only take for so long.

Taunting and teasing? Yes, of course we all go through that, it leaves an aching thorn at your side but with time that thorn gets old and breaks off and eventually doesn't matter anymore. It just leaves an ol' worn war scar.

Loneliness? At times and especially at school, but deep down she knew, always knew, she was never truly alone.

Embarrassment? Those were the kind of things that she needed to hide, things other people really didn't need to know about and to do that sometimes she would lie. Lying has always been her "lock and key".

Death? ....Well let's not get into that.

Those were the kind of things Rin could live with. Live with for the rest of her entire life.

But one certain thing she would never, never, never ever, ever, ever live with is being dubbed "weak."

She would never, by any circumstance, be they man or beast, natural disaster or unruly predicament ever let them leave her weak. Call her weak. Make her weak.

She was strong. Strong enough to take down anything, over come anything. Strong enough to do tasks just as everyone else or not like everyone else. Strong enough to live freely in this world and be herself.

As far as she knew she was strong and to anyone or anything who thought otherwise well she was certainly not afraid to prove them wrong.

' He's not going to kill me . '

' He's just bluffing. '

Underneath it all though, her heart was racing.

"Grrr.....WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?!!!!" he yelled as saliva flew from the corners of his snarling lips. To her, his shouting sounded more like mad barking, except audible.

She stared crossly at him. He growled in both anger and frustration.

' Dammit! Why is she not afraid of me?! She should be pissing in her pants right now! '

He abruptly stopped, once Kasama's voice interrupted from the distance.

"Rin! Is everything alright? I thought I heard.....barking."

She bit her bottom lip and reluctantly swayed her head to side.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, ' Oh yea Rin.. as if I would do something with your dad watching us! '

"Yea dad! It's nothing Sesshomaru just tripped and fell is all!"

"Is he okay?"

"Yea!"

"Oh, alright..well hurry it up! These horses aren't going to clean themselves yea know!"

"Yea...I know.." she whispered to herself. She lingered for a couple of seconds, watching her father turn and walk away. Once he did, she turned back around.

"Come on."

Sesshomaru's upper lip curled and his nostrils flared at how cold her voice had sounded. A low growl vibrated from his throat. His knuckles cracked as he raked his fingers into a fist just as she turned her back on him.

' You were made to look up at her, while SHE LOOKED DOWN AT YOU!!! '

He steadily stood up, heavily breathing. He stared madly at the soil caked in his palms and caught in his long fingernails. And then darkly narrowed his eyes at the back of the girl.

"HEY RIN!"

At that tone of voice she swiftly turned around and faced him.

' You really pissed him off now, Rin. '

' I don't care. '

Though it was to be expected, she supposed.

Inside him raged a wild beast desperately seeking to unleash...and claw her eyes out.

"What?"

"DON'T TREAT ME LIKE I'M YOUR PET!" he angrily exclaimed with slight hyper breaths. He took a couple steps forward.

"I am not some animal you can just boss around whenever you so damn well feel like!"

Rin's eyebrow's furrowed just as she scowled.

"And I am not somebody you can push around and walk all over! Maybe if you actually gave me some respect I wouldn't have to treat you like one. And you know what?! You're right! You're not an animal-

' Even though you act like one....'

but technically you still have to listen to me!"

He growled furiously, she did have him there at least at the end of her shouting. He was hers and her family for the rest of the summer all because of some stupid broken tombstones.

This was all her fault and he hated her for it.

"Now come on..."

He just growled.

"I mean it Sesshomaru, do you want my dad to come out here and start asking questions? I really don't. So let's go."

He just continued growling as he followed behind her. His feet started to hurt and it only made him more angrier. Angry not only because she had pulled his hair and made him fall but because he still did not understand what the hell was going on. Now she had really crossed him.

"You know.."

Rin sucked an inhale of breath and stopped to place her hand over her chest, just as Sesshomaru unexpectedly appeared right in front of her. They just made it to the entrance to the horse stables when he and without a sound approached from the side and decided to block her. She couldn't help the sudden chills that spiked up her spine or rapid heart beat.

He leaned in closer so he could tower over her and spoke almost in the secret way of a whisper, "I could just tell your dad about you throwing up all over the place."

"What about being a snitch?" she sneered and let her hand off her heart.

"Psh, that doesn't matter considering it's you I'd be telling on."

"And I can just tell my dad all the wonderful "goodies" you have hiding right under your bed" she spat, grinning most wickedly.

He took a step back and momentarily raised his eyebrows in alarm. But soon he gritted his teeth and vehemently snarled a grissly growl.

' She knows where my stash is! '

A fang poked out from his curled upper lip. He lunged forward and glared at her through piercing, narrow eyes.

"You're a bitch."

Irately he whipped around and stormed off not giving a shit what she thought about that.

Instead of more shouting or whatever comeback he assumed Rin would come up with she only stood there and watched him go.

It was quiet.

"Psh...finally shut her up..." Sesshomaru muttered to himself tossing his head up higher and and began to walk more faster.

In a few seconds though, amongst his own, he distinctly heard the shuffle of footsteps following behind him.

~*~

A half an hour had passed and Rin watched Sesshomaru tend to the horses while at the same time minding the horses herself with affectionate pats. They had both ignored the other and since then had increasingly cooled down...somewhat.

Rin waited by an empty stable holding a granny smith apple in her hand. She leaned back against the stable's wooden post and quietly observed Sesshomaru giving a dapple gray horse it's last brush down.

' He certainly has gotten accustomed to working with the animals...' she craned her head alittle just as he switched over to brush the horse's left side and then looked down at the apple with a hard stare.

' He seems alright now but I bet if I bring it all up again he'll get really mad...'

"Alright, come on Steeltoe..."

Rin looked up and immediately stood up off the horse's stable and watched as Sesshomaru gently led Steeltoe into his stall. She couldn't help but smile, just a little bit, as he appropriately guided the horse in the stall, then swung him to the left and guided him up forward so the horse was facing him once he back stepped out of the stall, unlatched the lead rope, and shut the door.

Sesshomaru bent down to gather up the trailing lead rope but stopped halfway and stood up in sudden realization.

"Oh shit..."

"What's the matter?! Did your stitc-" she frowned glancing at his bad arm.

"No. I forgot to take off his halter" he frowned aggravated, the horse had already turned his back around to nibble on some hay in the far right corner of the stall.

"Oh! Is that all? Here.."

He turned just as Rin cut two slices out of the apple with a pocket knife in her hands. He frowned at her. She tucked the little knife into the back pocket of her shorts.

"I was going to give this apple to him anyway. Steeltoe is a sucker for them, here take them" she handed them off and he begrudgingly accepted them. He stared at the apple slices for a second and then turned to the side to hang his arm over the stall door.

"Tck, tck, Steeltoe.." he called clicking his tongue.

The dapple gray gelding snorted pricking his ears in Sesshomaru's direction. He lifted his head up while stray straws of hay shook from his dark gray forlock.

"Here boy" Rin cooed waving her own apple slice in the air.

Steeltoe nostril's blew and quickly approached the two.

"That's a good boy..." she grinned steadily lowering her hand and taking a step back just as the large horse reared his entire neck out to reach for her.

Sesshomaru then stepped forward and removed the halter off the horse's face.

"Good boy Steeltoe" Rin approached the ancy horse and put her hand under his black mouth. She grinned as he munched the apple out of her palm. While Rin was feeding him Sesshomaru about almost turned around until he felt a heavy nudge right at his shoulder.

"Hey!" he grimaced stepping back slightly from the horse. Steeltoe nickered and shook his head up and down.

Sesshomaru glared in Rin's direction as she laughed.

"He wants your apples" she simply stated.

Sesshomaru blinked feeling almost stupid as to having forgotten he was holding them in his other hand. He lifted his hand out.

"Here."

"No. No."

"What?" he impatiently groaned putting his hand down much to Steeltoe's dismay. "You told me to give him the stupid apple."

"Give me your hand."

"What?!"

Without warning she stepped in closer and took his wrist.

"Hey! What are you-" he angrily exclaimed about ready to pull his arm away.

"Like this Sesshomaru.."

His eyes widened and he shut his mouth just as she then held his hand and cupped his palm. She guided his cupped hand under the horse's mouth. Sesshomaru quietly swallowed a gulp lodged in his throat watching the big animal's nose engulf over his whole hand just as Rin had let go. He stiffened at the funny tickling sensation he suddenly felt from the horse's velvet muzzle and whiskers roaming against his skin. He cleared his throat some and straightened up his posture. The corners of his mouth twitched as he listened to the sound of Steeltoe loudly crunching.

"You know.."

He turned at her, she was smiling, warmly at him. He raised an eyebrow at her and turned back towards Steeltoe whom had finishing consuming the apple slices out of his hand. He briefly stared at his palm before wiping it at the side of his jeans.

"You are quite a natural with the horses."

He blinked at her and stopped wiping his palm. He bit his lip annoyed and looked away from her gaze. He looked like he was caught doing something he shouldn't.

"Yea, well..." he placed Steeltoe's halter on a hook near the stall and turned back around.

"Wait! Sesshomaru.."

He loudly groaned and stopped. She dropped the rest of the apple into Steeltoe's stall.

"What do you want?!" he swung around, fiercely glaring at her. Clearly telling her that he was still very angry at her.

"I'm..." she exhaled quickly gathering herself. "Only looking for an apology."

"An apology!? You want me to apologize toyou! For what?! You're the one who fucking pulled my hair! " he exclaimed and angrily tossed the lead rope. The metal clip of the rope smacked loudly against the wall.

"For calling me weak!"

He growled, "Not this shit again...What the hell are you talking about?! I didn't call you weak!"

"You called me a wimp."

He swung his head and gave her a double take with large eyes, "AND....?!"

"Ughh! It's the same thing!"

He swung his head again, "This is fucking ridiculous...I repeat! I did not call you weak!"

"YES you did! Rin is such a wimp she can't even take a hit! I'mso much stronger than she is! She's so inferior to me just because I'm a demon. The proof that she is hurting shows it! She's so weak! Such a weak wimp! Rin is a big weakling that she absolutely has no purpose in society! "

Sesshomaru raised his eyebrow at her once she had stopped her violent tirade. She had been stomping around in a zig zaggy kind of circle swinging her arms around her and now stood facing him. She previously had sounded as if she had been speaking in tongues what with her voice changing from mocking, bitter lows to extreme high tones. Her face was flushed and her mouth hung open panting for air but her enraged expression never faltered. He stared at her carefully.

' All this damn fuss over me calling her a wimp. '

"Hey, you've been known to cause plenty of uproars yourself."

' Yea, but still..what the fucking hell?! Something just doesn't add up here... '

"Rin.." he finally spoke feeling he had been quiet long enough. He looked down and then back up. A strange bobbing sense of curiosity was swelling up like a blown bubble inside of him.

She stopped panting and croaked out a, "Yea?"

"Why did you pull my hair?" he asked, sorely.

Again he carefully watched her every move, her eyes were solely locked to his.

"I was proving a point" she coolly answered with much hatred treading in her voice.

"You mean you were getting even.."

She tilted her head at him and sharply replied, "No. I was proving a point. You hit me so I pulled your hair just so you could see that it's normal when somebody does this to someone it's going to hurt them. We are completely different but when it comes down to feeling pain..."

Sesshomaru looked askance at her, still listening.

"Well.. that's where we are equal."

He cocked an eye and wrinkled his nose at her, "Is that all?"

"That and do not under estimate me."

Sesshomaru blinked at her in obvious suprise to her choice of words. Normally Rin would burst out laughing at his funny looking expression but she remained and was utterly serious.

"Just because I maybe smaller in a size and human does not give you the right to just assume that you are stronger than I am. Just because you're a demon and have all these powers and teeth and claws you think you're so bad...I'm just as strong as you are! I am not some good for nothing!"

Sesshomaru sniffed and narrowed his eyes.

"She's putting words in your mouth!"

"Look let's get one thing straight here..."

Rin blinked a little bug eyed as she suddenly was face to face with him.

' Gota get used to his demonic bursts of speed...'

She exhaled and arched her eyebrow at him.

"What?"

He stared at her briefly before answering, "I don't know what the hell has gotten into your head but I am getting damn sick of it. So I called you a wimp..I'll admit that, but I did not go so far as to insult your heritage or say you were a good for nothing weakling!"

She glared daggers at him and replied almost childishly, "You still meant it. Even if you didn't say it you still meant it. "

He clenched his teeth and lightly growled at her.

' This chick is REALLY driving my patience! '

Tight lipped Rin crossed her arms over her chest. His eyes spun in disbelief and he snarled at her.

"Listen you little bitch..." he zoomed his face in front of hers. "You have no idea what exactly I'm capable of...with just one claw..."

She warily followed his finger with her eyes and dropped her arms to her sides as he floated his claw tipped finger up and over the bridge of her nose and then down the line of her cheek. He hissed once he lowered his finger and hovered it over the area of her neck.

' Just one scratch away...'

He growled furiously as he dropped his hand and drew back a step. She was still glaring at him determined to not let him get to her. Yet even so he could hear the tense beating of her heart.

"So...I suggest you take your own advice...Rin..and do not under estimate me.

She tilted her head slightly and stared up at him, "I'm not scared of you."

He irritably growled unable to stand the sight of her any longer. His knuckles cracked as he tried to keep his fist at his side.

' Damn....this girl....is......'

"Fierce?"

"Wild?"

' Hellbent and relentless! '

"Why?" he asked and was the only thing he could muster speaking out of a very tight locked jaw. His shoulders started to tremble some.

She eyed him and spoke quite crisply.

"Because you are nothing to fear that I haven't already before."

Sesshomaru arched his eyebrow and stared at Rin, quizzically. She of course stared back at him with that insane determination.

I certainly was not expecting that for an answer. It was funny and weird, I suddenly wasn't mad anymore....okay I was still mad but...... You already had me chasing after white rabbits...and I was born to run.

He swung his head back and loudly exhaled a sigh. He blinked at something moving in the high corner of the frame of Steeltoe's stall. He focused his eyes. It was a barn spider. He watched it lightly crawl around, weaving it's web.

Rin glared at him questioningly and was about to sprout her head up to see whatever it was he was staring at.

"You're......"

She never got a chance and turned her eyes back to him whom already was now facing her again. She looked in his eyes and tried to figure out what exactly he was thinking. But he was too difficult to read.

".....Kind of strange..."

She gaped her mouth open. Her puzzled expression did not last long, she frowned with a twitch at the side of her lips and lowered her eyes from him.

"Hn..so I've been told....Hey! Where are you going?"

Rin's jaw dropped. He was already standing on the other end of the hall.

He turned slightly and held up the lead rope to show her.

"I got work to do."

She blinked at him, perplexed. He turned back and continued walking. Suddenly she felt hot with stubborn anger and was about to shout something at him.

"Oh and Rin.." he cocked his head to the side only. His left eye peered out from the tangling of his bangs.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and reluctantly answered, "Yes?"

He hesitated.

"I...." he sighed, exasperated. "What you did today was....really stupid. So stupid that I still refuse to apologize to you."

Rin balled a fist and clenched her teeth.

"But..I will say this."

She narrowed her eyes again and lowered her fist.

"You are definately the first.. other than my own father to take a swing at me....yea got guts Rin."

A weird pulse feeling went off in Sesshomaru's brain just as he turned his head back forward.

' The first to hit you?....Wait......Is that right? '

He frowned, troubled, and mentally shook his brain of the confusing thought. He left and Rin was standing there in awe and disbelief, alone.

"Was that a....compliment?"

Steeltoe shrilly neighed and Rin, a little shaken, snapped her head in his direction.

~*~

'I'm so strange? I am. You? You are so strange. He is strange. She is strange. "It" is strange. WE ARE STRANGE...' Rin idly thought while swinging her legs over a bar she was sitting on.

"Strange...strange....strange..." she whispered to herself watching a near dying stream swirl under her feet. Swinging her head back up she observed Sesshomaru from a short distance in front of her spraying the body of a very dirty chestnut horse with a hose.

She had been watching Sesshomaru work over the past hour. He of course paid no mind to her and avoided all eye contact.

' He said I had guts....so in a round about way he sort of said I was strong.....But he didn't really take back what he said before...'

The chestnut grunted with a loud snort. Rin shot her head back up. The horse swung it's head and tried to stretch it's neck farther. On both sides of the clearly agitated horse were two ropes clipped from the bars to the halter to keep the horse standing in place during baths and grooming.

"Come on..." Sesshomaru groaned lowering the hose in his hand. "I need to wash off your damn chest..."

He stepped closer and the horse flared it's nostrils keeping it's head stretched as high and far as it could. It's red ears pinned back and began to hoof at the pavement.

He frustratedly sighed and walked away from the horse. With the hose away from it's face the horse started to relax again but kept a sharp look out at him from the corner of it's eyeball.

"It's afraid of the hose...how the hell I'm I suppose to get near it...." he muttered to himself just as his eyes landed on a musty looking towel half hanging out of a big bucket where other horse cleaning gear was tossed into.

~*~

"There we go..." Sesshomaru cautiously peered up at the horse while he massaged it's neck with a soaking wet towel.

The chestnut blew through it's nostrils and blinked a couple of times. It made weird noises from it's throat.

"That's a good girl...." he watched her as he lowered himself onto his knees.

She swung her head apprehensively and snorted. Sesshomaru cursed under his breath and bolted upright.

"No...easy girl....easy..." he replied calmly as he could and grabbed onto her halter to steady her head from swinging anymore. The horse whinnied as Sesshomaru began to rub the wet towel along her neck again. Droplets of water streamed down the interweavings of her auburn coat to her tense muscular shoulders.

"Easy..." he whispered slowly releasing his fingers from their clutch. She quieted, flicking her ears back and forth getting a feel of the towel against her body once more.

Rin had almost about jumped from her post but now slowly eased back in her posture and watched, captivated by what she was seeing.

"See..not bad..." he kept an eye on her as he steadily massaged the towel trailing it from her neck to her throat, right under her jaw.

He stiffened for a brief second at the sound of her tail swish but other than that she remained still and so he continued. He squeezed the towel as he rubbed it against her throat. Water ringed out and poured down the middle of her neck to her bulking chest. He looked down at the streaming water drip dropping from her chest and cascading down the long length of her legs onto the pavement below and then looked back up. She softly snorted, pinning her ears back.

Instead of groaning, he sighed. Groaning he figured would only make the horse more unsettled about letting him bathe at her chest.

"You've allowed me to get this close.." he said as he scrubbed up and down the middle of her neck. She flicked her ears at him, breathing alittle louder.

"Easy girl..." he hesitantly began to lightly pat her neck with his other hand. He felt the drenched coarseness of her coat. She was quiet except for the loud back and forth swatting of her tail. Her mild demeanor had caused him to relax some as he turned his pats into gentle strokes.

"Easy..." he whispered not leaving her gaze. In mid stroke he slid his fingers down and took his hand off her neck.

He stared at the palm of his hand unsurely and uplifted his eyes back to the horse. She grunted with a toss of her head. His eyes trailed up her long snout to her wide forehead where the red hairs of her coat adjoined and spiraled out under the nappy strands of her auburn forlock. She flicked her ears back and forth and stared at him, half curious and half vigilant.

He blinked as his eyesight began to blur from staring too long and looked down for a couple of seconds before pumping up a loud sigh rolling his eyes back into the mare's. With little effort though, visibly shaking, he lifted his hand.

A warm puff of air steamed out beneath the curvy lines of his palm. Sesshomaru looked up from his hand into those huge, dark, pupils that blinked under flickering eyelashes that he could not find himself to draw away from. Her benevolent gaze speaked so tenderly and he bore the expression of child like wonder and respectful maturity.

The trembles in his fingers drew him back and he blinked twice feeling the tap, tap, tap. He gazed downward, tracing his fingers upon her rugged, umber skin.

Her lips parted open and all swinging of her limbs ceased to a halt. She watched him in quiet awe and that was all she could. Fore in that brief moment she felt she was no longer even there. She was a ghost.

After taking his time he finally closed his split up fingers together and he flashed his eyes back into hers just as the quake of her nostrils gave to another sighing breath.

"Now will you let me wash your chest?" he asked with not a complete, but a teeny, tiny, smile, pinching at the corners of his mouth.

~*~

He was a spur of energy. It actually worked! She allowed him to wash her chest! Feeling invigorated, he with much bounce in his step than a tap dancer quickly got to shampooing her back. The mare flexed, tettering her sides like a rocking boat against the wave and whipped her tail at a couple of annoying flies pecking at her rump. She blew through her nostrils with a twist of her ears. Sesshomaru did not take this sign as threatening at all, only normal and with the catchy beat of a song stuck in his head spun the soapy sponge over her water and sudsy soaked back faster.

' I feel like the fuckin' Karate Kid... '

The "wax on, wax off" scene from movie played in his head while he repeated the exact clock wise hand motion, except he was doing it on a horse instead of on a car. Same huge yellow sponge though. The memory made him grin and then he bit all the way down on his bottom lip to keep himself from laughing out loud. It was hard though as he roamed the sponge up the horse's withers and then rotated the sponge over her hefty right shoulder. The memory still fresh in his brain begun to rewind back farther.

' Koga had that movie...I was sleeping over at his house..we watched it. We had to be...What?....Nine? Yea! Nine! I remember that...when Mr. Miyagi made Daniel wash cars and told him about wax on, wax off. We thought that was so hilarious. We kept saying it to eachother and laughing...wax on...wax off....wax on...wax off...'

"Wax on...wax off...." softly slipped out his lips as he continued to squish the sponge over her shoulder and then bent down to wash along her foreleg. Still quoting the line under his breath, he squeezed the sponge brushing it back up her foreleg and then flung himself up rotating the sponge over the right side of her stomach.

"Wa-" he flashed his eyes up and all that left his throat was but a cut-off inaudible squeak just before he clamped his mouth entirely shut. His hand halted in place and he froze still as a statue. She was standing right across the horse, facing him. Standing tall with those two obnoxious and girlish plaits braided in her hair, and staring.

Subconsciously, he wondered how long had she just been standing there, staring. He blinked at her and swallowed a build up of saliva down his throat. The skin above his upper lip twitched and he slowly began to push the sponge back and forth.

The horse shook it's head and nickered, swaying her body impatiently. Her lips curved into a smile turning her eyes up at the the red horse that gazed down at her from the corner of it's eye. She raised her arm and petted the animal on the neck.

"I meant it."

Sesshomaru stopped again and glanced at her.

"When I said you were a natural with the horses."

"Uh.." he blinked at her and then shifted his eyes and walked further towards the horse's thigh with the sponge.

"I was only doing what I thought was right. Nothing natural about it..." he frowned and glimpsed at her for a second before looking at the horse's thigh again.

"Well...you are."

He quickly glanced at her just as she turned around to continue doting on the horse.

"Yea I'd have to say the way you handled Wildfire, here, was most impressively, considering you're new at this n' all. This is the first time you've actually bathed her isn't it?"

Rin faced him, idly brushing her fingers along the horse's red ear. He only nodded and she was sufficed and went back to facing the horse.

"Yea dad should've mentioned she hates it when you get too close to her with the hose. When she was alot younger my brother was helping my dad give her a bath. At one point he wasn't looking and not paying attention to where he had his hand pointed and accidently sprayed water right in her eyes and face. That's why she's like that, but anywhere else on her body she doesn't mind the hose."

Sesshomaru didn't reply as he ran the soapy sponge over the horse's hindquarters. And Rin continued talking.

"She's also not so fond of stranger's handling her.." she smiled with a laugh as the horse playfully tried to nudge at her.

Sesshomaru kept his eyes lowered on his hand washing but against his better judgement every few seconds glanced quickly back and forth at her. She had moved infront of the mare and swept her hand over the horse's wet and kinky forelock, giggling. The horse seemed to be just as jolly and yearned with impatient sways to be free.

She grinned as the horse shook it's head, softly snorting and nickering. Rin raised her hand and begun to pet the animal's forehead all the way down her snout.

"Wildfire, now, she's my horse. She was mine my dad told me the night after she was born. She was the horse I was riding that day you..um.." she stopped and cleared her throat with a fake cough to correct herself. "Anyway...we've always owned horses on our farm but when I was about to turn eight I was determined to have and take care of a horse that I could call my very own. He promised me that whichever mare at the time was pregnant and who gave birth first that coming spring, that mare's foal would be mine. And then came Wildfire.."

Sesshomaru stopped washing the horse once he noticed how eerily quiet it had gotten. He stood still hovering some over the horse's thigh, half afraid to look up and over just so she could catch him in the act when he was pretending not to listen. He waited a few more seconds and then uplifted his eyes for another quick glance anyway just as curiosity got the better of him. She was beaming admirably up at her horse. His eyebrow raised alittle and he gazed passively at the girl he once went to middleschool with and now under court law, lived with. Her hazel eyes shone distant and far away twinkling of pride and love and her cheek-blooming, bright smile was at the same time almost sad looking. She had big, funny looking ears too.

' This is a record for her...' he remarked about her sudden long silence and turned his eyes back to the attention of his unfinished work. A few seconds after he started bathing the horse's hindquarters again, Rin moved her limp hand to pet her horse above the eye.

"I named her Wildfire, after that song....I heard it playing on the radio once when I was sitting in the backseat of my mom's car. It became my favorite, especially since it's about a wild horse" she spoke this time looking and smiling at him. He was nearly done with shampooing her horse. She looked up at Wildfire and gave her pat on the neck and then looked back over at him.

"Hey Sesshomaru, sometime on one of your Sunday's off, we should go horse back riding."

He stopped everything he was doing and looked at her like she was, well, insane. "You're joking, right?"

"No."

He shook his head and wiped the sponge one last time on the horse and dropped it into the bucket of water near him, "Forget it."

"Come on...it'd be fun..."

He picked up the bucket and walked toward her, "I said forget it. I fucking hate horses anyway..."

She blinked in suprise as he glided past her, "What?! Why?"

He irritably sighed carefully placing the bucket down. He decided to answer her after all, he probably would not hear the end of it from her if he didn't. He spoke harshly and sarcastically without looking at her while he bent over to pick up the hose and went over to the wall to turn the facuet on.

"Because....when I was a kid, my dad made me go to some client of his' son's birthday party. I didn't even know the kid, really. It was an outside party with a clown, a moon bounce, and all that shit and just because my dad was there I had to go along with everything the other kids did. So I'm stuck in a line with a bunch of these spoiled, bitch-whiny kids to go on the pony ride.... when it was my turn...the pony guy then grabs me, calls me "sprout," as if I'm his own damn boy and seats me fast and hard in this big saddle..." Sesshomaru approached Wildfire and ran the slow steady hose water stream over her back and sides. She swatted her tail and swayed a little at the sudden cold chill.

"..He tells me to hold onto the reins and to "not worry...it's safe....you'll have so much fun you'll be back in line to go again..." Well I hold on as tight as I can just as he gets the pony moving....and the next thing I know.. I'm down on the ground after the damn horse suddenly freaked out and reared. My hands slipped out and I fell right off..." he then sneered lifting the hose up and down to get the water and soap streaming faster down her thigh and left back leg. "Last time I fucking tried trusting an adult."

Rin frowned at him with pity, "Okay, so you had one accident. There's no guarentee that it will happen again."

"Sounds like a pretty slim guarentee to me" he doubtfully replied with a hint of his dry sarcasm, while watering down the last suds on the horse's left side. He lowered the hose and put it in his other hand so Wildfire wouldn't see it as he was about to walk infront and around her to hose down the right side of her, but Rin stopped him.

He scowled at her.

"Look I know you said you got hurt before, but believe me, if you keep thinking like that you will."

"So what's the point then?" he was getting frustrated, she could tell.

"Sesshomaru, haven't you ever heard that old saying?"

"Don't go on beating a dead horse?" he sarcastically remarked.

She rolled her eyes knowing he was just trying to irritate her and to that he bit his bottom lip to hide an amused, small smile.

"No..smart guy. When you fall off a-" Rin started just as Sesshomaru nodded his head a couple of times with a roll of his eyes repeating the last part of the quote with her, obviously well aware she was going to say that.

"-Horse you gota get back on...yea, yea..I've heard that one before..who knew some took it literally.."

He of course was directing to her and she knew it, "Come on Sesshomaru, I can teach you."

"Oh, now I'm leaping for joy...by the way you're wasting my time... and water" he replied like a downright smartass and gave the still running hose in his hand a little shake.

She frowned at him as he brushed past her left and turned her head as he went around and over to Wildfire's right side.

"Really I can! Come on, Sesshomaru.... at least it would be a lot better than working on the farm and staying cooped up in the guest bedroom all summer..."

"She's got a point there.." (laughs)

' Shutup.'

He glared at her, hating to admit the fact that she, indeed, was right. He had been very bored for the past few days, aside from all the conflict going on in his head and between the two of them. This was his summer and he was doing nothing and then he thought suddenly what of all the rest of June, July, and the first two weeks of August before highschool starts. What then?

' I'll be doing nothing but fucking..farmwork...'

He tightened his clutch on the hose and faced away from her so she wouldn't see a self inflicted frown fall upon his face. He would not be bested though, and returned to his scowl. His pride was at stake and he was always one to put his pride first, before anything else.

"I don't care" he replied keeping his eyes low while spraying at the chestnut's back legs.

"You're a horrible liar" she replied in a brutally honest tone.

He growled exasperatedly and glared at her again, "And you're a fuckin' HUGE pain in my ass."

Choosing to ignore his insult, which relatively surprised him, Rin only grinned and said, "So, is that a yes?"

He lowered the hose in his hand and faced her, "You enjoy bugging me, don't you?"

She bit her lip and smiled, a guilty smile, "Some..times."

He just huffed and rolled his ever angry and full of angst eyes, "Figures...Rin do me a favor and just drop it okay? 'Cause it ain't ever gonna happen."

He turned around to get a spot he had missed on Wildfire's stomach.

Her snickering smile was now gone and she was serious again, "You really want to spend the whole summer doing this..?"

She waved her arms out.

"Yep...pretty much..." he nonchalantly answered while forcing the words right from his throat trying to keep himself from throwing up a little in his mouth. He still felt a rotten taste on his tongue.

' I think I just died a little on the inside.'

"Oh come on, don't kid yourself Sesshomaru" she shook her head thinking to herself.

' He really is a lousy liar. '

"Look, I really don't want to watch you do this all summer."

"Thanks for the sympathy.." he sneered brushing past her to get around her and the horse again. He stood by the bucket, which he previously had drained into the nearby sink while he was telling Rin his pony ride story, and begun filling it up again with fresh hose water.

"You know what I mean.." she pressed.

"Do I?" he raised his eyebrow questionably at her, playing dumb.

"Okay, Sesshomaru, you tell me what you think I mean" she eagerly awaited his answer with a haughty stare and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I think you just want to see me fall flat on my ass" he irritably growled with a slight groan regretting how he ever got into this conversation with her. He glanced down at the bucket, still not adqeuately full enough yet.

"Are you serious? I already told you I would he-"

His eyes then got livid and she stopped herself just in time before saying the "H" word. She softly groaned having to pause and think for a second before answering again.

"I.. said that I would teach you how to ride a horse the right way, didn't I?"

"Yea, but that still doesn't mean there isn't a chance I could fall."

She sighed, hating to admit it to herself and shrugged her shoulders some, "Yea, but-"

"Then I'm not going. See? Easy" he replied self-satisfied and looked at the bucket again. Good enough, he moved the hose away from the bucket.

"Why are you so afraid of getting hurt so badly? You weren't before when you tried to jump out that window" she sincerely asked losing her temper a little without intentionally meaning to do so. She hadn't meant to bring up that ugly incident but she just really wanted to know.

His eyes widened angrily, glaring, "I'm not afraid."

"Well, then, what is it?" she again asked not so nicely and more impatiently.

"I just-"

' We just don't want to see you get hurt anymore. If something happens we..would never forgive ourselves. '

Mrs. Kasama....

He frowned, "I just don't want to, alright?! Damn! Is that so hard?! Just leave me the fuck alone Rin.."

She stared at him, not blinking an eye.

He growled and looked away, hoping she would stop, he looked back at her and growled again loudly frustrated, gnashing his teeth, his free hand now a fist (you could hear his knuckles crack).

"What?!"

She kept staring at him until.. and then incrediably, ("un-FUCKING-believable",as Sesshomaru would so lightly pronounce it) a slow, trembling, creeping, smile snaked itself across her face.

"You're scared."

He addressed that sickening ' Aw, isn't that cute look ' in her eyes and snarled.

"I am not" he retorted, narrowing his eyes that they were but slits.

"Are too."

"Are not!"

"Are too."

"Are not! And I'm gonna rip that fucking smile off your face if you don't stop-"

"Then prove it!"

"No! For the love of-Get it through your fucking hillbilly head Rin! I-AM-NOT-GOING! Not now, not ever. I hate horses. And the last fucking thing I would want to do is to go and ride one. So this conversation is officially over, it's done. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, you can say to convince me otherwise..." he stopped and inhaled some much needed air for his nearly expired lungs. His flashing red, amber eyes glared at her in the most ornery manner, but not near as ferocious as before. A drop of sweat glistened and trickled down his temple.

Rin glanced at her side as her horse started to shift uncomfortablely and vibrated through her nose. She kinda looked far off, thinking, and touched Wildfire's muzzle. Then her eyebrow popped up and she looked over at Sesshomaru and soon approached where he stood.

He sniffed at her, upper lip snarling some, a growl lowly rattling around in his throat. Not the least bit frightened was she but a tad nervous knowing full well he was serious and she soon should back off but she was now on the verge of wishful thinking. She boldly stared into the face of 'Danger,' exhaled, and dared to take the plunge.

"My..guitar."

Slowly, his silver eyebrows rose, creasing lines into his forhead. His growling soon dwindled away into nothing and his snarl wilted into a stunted sort of frown, his set of teeth still clenched together. Slowly, but surely though his mouth opened up a little as his jaw lowered.

He blinked, "....What?"

She swallowed in some courage and began to speak again, confident she had his full undivided attention now.

"This Sunday. If you (she pointed at him) go horseback riding out with me, I'll let you play with my (she then pointed at herself) guitar anytime you want to."

Sesshomaru's shoulders slumped as he stood back and looked away from her in a daze sort of stare.

' That guitar....'

Rin's blue and black acoustic twinkled like a diamond in the sunlight as he thought of it, hugged securely in her arms, lying in the shady grass.

His eyes grew a little bigger as he watched his hand raise and strike the pick at the guitar strings. His fingers pressing up and down, up and down, to and fro across the Fender's neck. He could hear music. All kinds of music. His music.

' I want that guitar....'

' But...'

He looked at Rin.

"Oh just think of what you could do!"

He frowned, "...Anytime?"

"Yea."

He a little angry and excited lunged a little closer in front of her, "But..you mean it? You're serious? Anytime I want? Literally whenever I want? Morning, noon or night?"

She bobbed her head in a bit of a nod, "Anytime you want, Sesshomaru."

He then narrowed his eyes crossly, "You better not be fucking messing with me Rin 'cause if you are-"

"I swear" she held up her right hand. "I mean it, anytime you want to play with it, just let me know and I'll give it to you. But first you have to let me take you horse back riding this Sunday and-"

"And?" he asked not too eagerly.

"And I want you from now on to start treating me with respect and not tease or belittle me anymore."

He sniffed indifferently, "And if I refuse?"

She narrowed her eyes now staring him straight in the eyes, "Then no guitar. Ever."

He softly growled as she and him stood their ground in a staring contest of battling wits. She smirked knowing she had him and it only made him angrier but he had it written all over his face. He not only wanted the guitar, he needed it. He cursed himself on the inside for now but all he could think about was playing with that guitar later on. He snarled at her cocky self.

"Rin..you really are a pain in my ass.."

Her smirk deepened into a full out grin, "A pain or a total delight to have around?"

"A pain.." Sesshomaru deadpanned and raised the hose.

"Ah!" she exclaimed having no time to react other than her eyes widening in the one second she had before the instant shock of cold hose water splashed her entire face. Comically looking she gasped and touched her wet cheeks with both hands. Her bangs flattened and stuck to her soaked forehead while her drenched braids dripped drop consistent beads of water. The area below her neck and shoulders were damp as well. She dropped her hands and stared at him in disbelief.

"Now, we're even.." Sesshomaru replied with a very mirthy smirk.

She blew from her mouth and shook her soaking wet head and hair.

"Here."

She opened her eyes just to get a nice dry towel from the shelf handed to her. She looked down at the towel and back at him.

"Take this and then get away from me.." he tried to say seriously while trying to get rid of his smile but the little bursts of laughter kept hiccuping through his throat.

Rin stared at him wanting to be angry but couldn't help the contagiousness of his smile as hers creeped up on her and she swayed her head at him and her chest bubbled until she laughed out loud and buried her face in the towel. She then went back to sitting on the bar, swinging her legs, and watching him at a distant while he tended to her horse. All the while, grinning.

~*~

"What have I gotten myself into..." Sesshomaru groaned sitting up and on the edge of the bedside. He groggily turned his head and growled at the alarm clock's incessant beep and pressed it to stop. He then stared sleepily into space again and then rolled his eyes back into his skull just as he fell back onto the mattress.

All of last night he had asked himself the same question and barely got any sleep because of it. He just agreed to the unthinkable; go and hang out with Rin and for all the damn things it had to be horse back riding, one of many of his intense dislikes. He closed his eyes with a stern expression upon his face while he relaxed to the sound of silence. It was short though, as he flicked his ear and could perfectly hear the Kasama family gathered in the kitchen. Well most of them the one missing was..

There was a loud knock at his door.

"Hey Sesshomaru you awake?"

He opened his eyes and narrowed them tiredly at the door.

"Yes..."

"Alright then, get dressed, breakfast is ready" Mr. Kasama instructed and left.

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes up at the ceiling.

"I let Rin talk me into spending my day off with her..."

"Sounded more like bribery to me..."

"Exactly. That conniving little..grrr..she knew what she was doing...didn't she?"

"Not sure, maybe."

"Yea well..whatever...what's done is done.. unfortunately. Damn, if Koga ever saw me on a horse with Rin there he'd be laughing his ass off. My cousin...oh man he'd just make it worse..a whole lot worse.."

He even covered his hand over his eyes in deep embarrassment.

Sesshomaru could just picture his eccentric cousin laughing his ass off too but rubbing it in his face more so until he was asking for a punch or a shove. He could hear him cheerfully taunting, "You got whipped by this human girl."

But then all other thoughts ceased as he remembered the reason why he agreed to go horse back riding with Rin in the first place. He playfully smirked.

"Hmph...It's worth it, for that guitar. Even Sullie would have to agree to that.."

~*~

With the guitar in his thoughts it diminished his dim spirits and enabled him to get up and out of bed. He yawned and rubbed the sleep still at his eye with the back of his hand while stepping down the last couple of stairs. He walked down the hall pass the living room and found himself in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Oh there you are hon', here grab a seat."

His eyes widened a little noticing Mrs. Kasama sitting at the kitchen table and Rin cooking in front of the stove. He nodded at Mrs. Kasama and sat in the seat she gestured to which was right beside her. He pushed his chair in and cautiously looked around the table. Kasama, Danny, and Mrs. Kasama were all seated and were already eating their breakfast. He turned and watched as Rin slid a sunny side up egg with a spatula from the frying pan onto a plate. She quickly added four slices of toast to the same plate and turned off the stove.

He looked at Mrs. Kasama as she began to speak.

"Rin, it is so generous of you to volunteer and wake yourself up early in the morning just to make breakfast for everyone."

Rin turned around with two plates in her hands. "Well mom you work just as hard as dad and I just thought that this would be a nice thing to do for you, yea know just to give you a break from having to rush in the morning and make everyone breakfast."

"Hon' where did we ever get such a wonderful daughter?" Mrs. Kasama smiled facing her husband.

"She's a gift from Heaven, dear" he lovingly smiled back to his wife. Danny shifted his eyes from both parents while he ate.

"Dad.." she smiled just as she stood by him so he could give her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you pumpkin."

She laughed, "It's no problem really. I'm happy to do it.."

Sesshomaru watched while Rin made her way past her father and placed the plates of breakfast on the table and sat down in the only other available chair which was next to him. He stared at her while she slid one plate in front of him and subtly winked.

"Eat up Sesshomaru."

A broad and a true genuine smile graced his features. Rin grinned back at him while cutting a white sliver of her sunny side up egg with her fork. He then stared at his plate and hungrily dug in.

I know I told you that one day, before, that I trusted you and you made us shake hands. I gota be honest, I didn't really mean it as sad as that is. No, you completely earned my entire trust the morning you decided to make breakfast for me for the rest of the summer, just so I wouldn't have to take my medication. Rin, that was the moment when I started to consider...when I began to look at you.. as a friend.

Hey hoped you enjoyed Chapter 13! Please Review! Thanks! As you have read we are starting to get more in depth with Rin's character and yes Sullie is Sesshomaru's cousin and the same cousin that was referenced as a Klepto in Chapter 1. Sullie is my own original idea so please do not steal him and use him in any of your own Sesshomaru fanfics. That song Sesshomaru sang when he saw the rooster weather vane is an actual song if you already did not know that, it's "Rooster" by Alice in Chains. Awesome song from an awesome alternative grungy 90's band. As always spontoneous updates will be expected. Thank you once again for reading my fanfic and putting up with the long wait.

Much love,

Vinyl_Mono