In the Classroom

~~~~~~Loyola HS, Monday~~~~~~

It seemed that Monday came before Rin could blink her eyes. The rest of the weekend had gone by in a blur. After going to the drug store, she and Sesshoumaru had spent as much time together as possible, as if they had believed that Tuesday was the end of everything.

She wasn’t sure if she was blissfully happy or woefully miserable. She was certain that she had found the love of her life, but their unorthodox relationship was the worst barrier imaginable. Then there was the problem with her attending college, which would require moving away since neither Loyola nor Clark had a decent community college to speak of. Her father’s choice, Harvard, had not yet sent a reply, but it, out of all the nearby universities, was the closet—about an hour away.

Now, sitting in her first class of the day, she wasn’t even paying attention to the English teacher desperately trying to keep her students awake. The weather that day was miserable, just like Rin’s mood. The sky threatened another snowstorm, but no precipitation had fallen—the wind just blew around the old snow, forming new drifts across sidewalks. The students were depressed that school wouldn’t be cancelled, at least not at the moment, and the dreary weather had made everyone sleepy. Rin wasn’t exactly sleepy, but she was distracted nonetheless. She was jotting down the occasional word on her notebook, but they weren’t notes for class…they were notes on how to keep the love of her life in her life. She wrote down anything, even if it seemed outlandish.

Spanish class was pretty much the same. The teacher listened to some skits that students were presenting, most of them on the comedic end of the spectrum. Rin’s group gave her a small, boring part, but she cracked a little smile during their skit’s punch line. The smile hadn’t lasted long, though, because her brain kept reminding her of tomorrow’s trial. Her only consolation was that track practice was only an hour today, and even it would get cancelled if the weather turned for the worst.

She was grateful for her study hour to continue her brainstorming session. Study hour stus wes were allowed to choose a designated area for their studying purposes: two classrooms, the cafeteria, or the library. She had always opted to use the library, especially since it had special meaning to her, and she needed the quiet atmosphere today.

The small number of students that did use the library always sat in the same spot, and Rin was no exception. Her usual seat was at the table that she and Sesshoumaru had once used, a table on the balcony level. The only other student who used the same table, a boy from her history class, sat at the far end reading some sort of paperback, obviously not a textbook. She cracked open her notebook and resumed her lip chewing as she stared at the many useless options she had come up with. One had a bit of merit…but she had to work out the details first.

She wrote a few more bullet points of questions beneath the option, using up half an hour of her time, before she set down her pencil and laid her head on her notebook.

I’m getting a headache…

With her eyes closed, she recalled the events of last night. She and Sesshoumaru had planned a romantic evening, complete with a candle lit dinner and slow dancing. The dinner was a bit burnt since they had been lip locking in the kitchen instead of paying attention to the stove, but after eating, they had meandered to the back room of the house. The radio was tuned to the Light Rock station since the songs were easier to dance to. It had been a romantic distraction…

The warm embrace, the soft conversation, and the open desire in his eyes…

She wasn’t sure when reality stopped and the dream began, but she was suddenly aware of being in his arms. She knew she was dreaming, but didn’t care—being there was better than being in the real world.

It was safe there…she felt loved, despite of everything that happenppened—and could still happen. He had become a part of her, like a new set of wings. He bolstered her, gave her strength, made her whole.

They swayed there, standing barefoot on the carpet. No particular song played; it was just a beat—like hearts thrumming in unison. The unique and masculine scent of his Blue Moon cologne came to her. His arms tightened around her waist, firm, drawing her closer. His lips touched her forehead, and she pressed her cheek to his chest, feeling her heart swell.

The beat began to sound familiar, steady, with a bit of syncopation. The soft voice of a male singer penetrated the haze in her mind…


That’s all I wanted,
Something special, something sacred in your eyes.
For just one moment,
To be bold and naked at your side.
Sometimes I think that you’ll never understand me.
Maybe this time is forever—say it can be…


She felt something desperate come over her, like the panic of being lost…or losing something precious. She knew that if she held tighter, it somehow wouldn’t help. And that was the worst of it—not being able to do anything…


That’s all you wanted
Something special, someone sacred in your life.
Just for one moment,
To be warm and naked at my side.
Sometimes I think that you’ll never understand me,
But something tells me together we’d be happy.


She wanted to believe that—wanted it so badly. A lump grew inside her throat, filling it and making it hard to breath…


I will be your father figure.
Put your tiny hand in mine.
I will be your preacher, teacher.
Anything you have in mind.
I will be your father figure.
I have had enough of crime.
I will be the one who loves you,
‘Til the end of time.


By the time the chorus had gone around again, there were steady tears sliding hotly down her face, and he simply held her, comforting her…


If you are the desert, I’ll be the sea.
If you ever hunger, hunger for me.
Whatever you ask for, that’s what I’ll be.
So when you remember the ones who have lied,
Who said that they cared but then laughed as you cried.
Beautiful darling, don’t think of me because all I ever wanted…
It’s in your eyes…
Baby, baby…
And love can’t lie, no…


When the last chorus began, she clung to him, holding on as if a strong breeze would blow them apart. If she could have, she would have pulled herself into his soul…


I will be your father figure.
Put your tiny hand in mine.
I will be your preacher, teacher.
Anything you have in mind.
I will be your father figure.
I have had enough of crime.
I will be the one who loves you,
‘Til the end of time.


When her head jerked up, Rin looked at her watch and saw that twenty more minutes had passed. Her head felt a bit clearer, but now her eyes were gritty. Her heart, however, was pounding, and she wondered if any outward signs of her rather intense dream had shown. The student at the end of the table was gone, for which Rin was grateful.

There were only five more minutes before the bell, so she packed away the notebook and pencil she had been using. She was zipping the bag shut when some low whispers caught her ear. Her head followed the sound, and she looked behind her.

No one stood there, and she couldn’t see anyone standing behind the shelves from between the books, so she assumed it was her imagination. She zipped the bag shut, and was standing up to straighten her urm wrm when she heard the whispers again. Turning around with a little frown on her face, she looked to the rows of books sitting in a diagonal formation behind her. She and Sesshoumaru had shared their second kiss in the first row, but from here, she couldn’t see anyone standing in that row.

However, she couldn’t see down the other rows. The whispers continued, and she cautiously stepped forward, looking down the second row of books. She saw no one, so she snuck down the row, thinking that maybe someone was muttering to himself near the back windows of the balcony level.

Again, everywhere she looked was vacant. She looked for a brief moment at the weather outside, seeing that it was finally snowing, and prayed that school would be cancelled soon. The whispers resumed, catching her attention, and she turned to look down the third aisle. The raspy sounds were getting a bit louder, and she could almost make out the words. Walking down the third aisle, she paused for a second, straining her ears, but the whispers had suddenly stopped. She was about to give up and just go back to her bag when a gloved hand heavily clamped down over her mouth. Her head was roughly pulled back against the person’s chest, and his other arm trapped her arms against her body. She knew immediately that it wasn’t Sesshoumaru playing games—he would never be so rough.

She began to fight whoever was manhandling her, her mind racing in an attempt to explain why anyone would do this to her. The person holding her was completely unfazed by the futile punches she landed on his arms and sides. She tried to jerk her head so that his hand would fall away from her mouth, but he had her head pressed back against his chest, and she couldn’t move her neck that much.

She jumped and kicked in an attempt to get him to let her go, and even tried lifting her feet to make him take all of her weight and pitch him forward, but he was ready for every trick and steadily walked them to the back aisle. There, it was darker since the shelves blocked the light from the windows, and the shelves ended at a wall rather than against the balcony railing, so her only exit was the way they had entered. There was a set of back stairs at the end of the aisle next to them, and they led to an emergency exit at the back of the building.

An escape route…

The bell rang then, signaling that the period was over, and she desperately hoped that it wouldn’t be too long until Sesshoumaru came looking for her—they always had lunch together, and he knew where she liked to spend her free hour.

She nearly had a panic attack when she realized that a second person had followed them—she could hear the person walking into the aisle. The hand left her mouth abruptly, and before she could gather a breath to scream, a piece of duct tape was slapped over her mouth. She kicked and struggled even more, especially when a black cloth bag was pulled over her head. She managed to kick some books off of the shelf, making a bit of noise, and could only wish that someone would hear the clatter from downstairs.

The first person adjusted his hold, tightly gripping her elbows in his hands. It was almost enough to make the tendons in her elbows creak. He then pushed her against the wall where the shelves ended. One hand let go of one of her elbows, only to push her head to the wall, forcing her to turn her cheek to it or else get a broken nose. His other hand gripped her wrist and pulled it up her back.

Pain shot through her elbow, and she gasped against the duct tape pulling at her lips. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she was upset to hear that her sobbing was audible to her assailants.

“You should cry, you God damned whore,” the second man said. She didn’t recognize the voice at all. The first man pulled her wrist a tiny bit higher, and she sobbed a bit louder with pain.

“My other girls had boyfriends, so it was no surprise that they were no longer as pure, but you…you were supposed to be my purest girl—the one I’d save my best performance for. And now you’re just like them!” he whispered violently.

“But I’m upping the stakes, something to make killing you harder so that you’ll appreciate how much I put into my work when I finally get my hands on you in a place where no one can help you. Now that you know I’m after you, the cops will guard you like a priceless diamond. It won’t do them any good, though. Everyone makes mistakes…except me,” he said, after a pause. His voice was so close to her ear, and his tone was full of loathing.

She had never been this scared in her life—her father’s tantrums paled in comparison.

“Think of me between now and the next time we meet. I want to be in your nightmares. I want to be the one you think of at all times, even when that teacher is lying between your legs,” he spat. The hold on the back of her head adjusted, changing to a grip that held a fistful of the black cloth bag and her hair.

“Sweet dreams,” the first man said. Rin had barely any warning before her temple was slammed against the wall. If Rin weren’t already seeing black, she surely would have by then. Her head swam, and she couldn’t react as the first man abruptly let go of her. She slid to the floor, unable to catch herself or at least wit with more grace. She barely heard the two men retreating over the pounding of blood in her head.

“Miss Ginta?” a familiar voice called up from the library’s ground floor. “Are you up there?” Rin would have called out to him if she weren’t so dizzy. Sesshoumaru’s voice was like the resounding chords of God’s singing angels. She heard a set of hastened footsteps, Sesshoumaru’s, and simply sat there against the wall.

“Rin!” he cried, rounding the corner of the last aisle. She tried to move to let him know that she at least was alive, but she was in too much pain. Her head was pounding fiercely, and a trickle of something warm was dripping down over her left eyelid. I almost forgot what it felt like to be a black and blue pulp.

“Mrs. Kennedy! We need an ambulance!” he yelled, and Rin heard the librarian give a flustered reply. She felt him kneeling down next to her, and his hands gently turned her towards him. His chest was a very comforting place to lean on, and when she felt the sack removed from her head, she opened her eyes.

The look of concern on his face only made her cry harder. There was no gentle way to remove the tape, so he took it off with one pull, careful not to touch the rest of the non-sticky side of the tape. He hugged her in his arms, and that’s when she began to sob.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice rough with emotion.

“Two men…one said he was going to hurt me next time,” she throatily muttered, not realizing that she didn’t make a lot of sense. Sesshoumaru wanted to point out that they had already hurt her, making him practically livid, but at the moment, he was more worried about getting her medical ntiontion.

“You’re okay now,” he said instead. “Help is on the way.”

“Help is already here,” she replied, looking at him with relief. “Thank you…” His eyes softened, looking down at her.

“I’ll always be here for you.”

~~~~~~Late Afternoon~~~~~~

The attack on Rin was considered to be more than enough reason to cancel school that day, especially on top of the snowstorm that began around lunchtime. No one besides the principal, Mr. Hakkaku, and the police and medical team had been allowed to see Rin. Her father had been called at home, but the storm was getting so bad that he had to call the school halfway there to say that his car was stuck in a ditch. A police car agreed to find him and take him to Sesshoumaru’s home, which was much closer to the school. Rin had insisted on going there rather than the hospital.

The police officer who questioned her was Loyola’s new sheriff, Robin Kurzwell. A female paramedic with cool, gentle hands patched up the bruised cut on Rin’s left temple while Kurzwell questioned her, and though she initially disliked being questioned by him, he was understanding and easy-going, the exact opposite of the evangelist that she saw on TV.

“Did“Did you hear them say anything after they hit your head against the wall?” he asked, pen and paper in hand. She had seen him take a ton of notes, nearly filling up the last of the notepad he had been holding. Though she felt bad about it, she left out one part of her story—the fact that the two men knew she was the lover of her history teacher.

“All I heard was them running away,” she answered. She looked over to Sesshoumaru, who was watching their exchange intently. Another detective had already questioned him, so he was sitting quietly at the opposite corner of the table. The questioning was being done on the bottom floor of the library, giving the forensics team room to search for and gather any evidence they could.

“So the second man did almost all of the talking?”

“Yes, except for the last couple of words. The first man was the one who said, ‘sweet dreams,’” she clarified, whispering her thanks to the paramedic who had just finished cleaning and bandaging her temple.

“Okay, Miss Ginta…I’m going to have a few words with the other two detectives, and we’ll come up with what to do next,” he assured her, standing up. She nodded, watching him go up the stairs to the second level. Sesshoumaru was almost instantly next to her, and though he didn’t dare show much affection in front of so many people, he gripped her hand briefly beneath the table.

“You must have been so frightened,” he said, his voice low enough for her ears only.

“I was mostly confused the entire time…I didn’t get really scared until the second man started talking.”

“Why would they be stalking you inticuticular? …And they had said you had been the purest girl, but that you weren’t pure anymore.”

“They know about the two of us,” she whispered, her eyes locked onto his. “They know that you and I are lovers.”

“…And you didn’t tell the police that…”

“Yes…” Her eyes drifted down to the table where a cup of lukewarm watet.
t.

“Then they must know that you live with me. Why don’t you go back to live with your father? That house probably has better security than mine does, anyway,” he suggested, deciding to ignore the fact that she had just lied to the police. She knew it was illegal well as he did, but he didn’t need to point it out to make it any obv obvious.

“I feel safe in your house,” she said, looking at him again with a voice that was becoming more emphatic. “I don’t know if it’s my childhood memories of that place, or if it’s just that you are there, but I feel safe in that house.”

Sesshoumaru sat there awhile, simply looking at her without expression. He then blinked a few times, looking down once before meeting her eyes again.

“Okay. You just have to convince your father when we get there,” he said. She nodded, relief bursting through her chest.

Sesshoumaru was relieved as well. He knew to suggest her father’s house if he wanted her to be safe, but he also wanted to be with her at all times, and sending her off to live with her father, bypassing the trial entirely, meant that he couldn’t personally ensure her safety. But she had just opted to stay in his house, and his heart was much more at ease than it had been a few moments ago.

Knowing someone was after her made him want to put his fist through that someone’s face. Though his first reaction to finding her was a gut-wrenching fear that had him racing towards her, his second reaction was to kill whoever had terrorized her.

Sheriff Kurzwell returned then, followed by two detectives that looked to be at least five years older than the sheriff. It made Rin wonder just how old he was.

“Miss Ginta, we feel its best that, despite the estrangement between you and your father, you would be much safer with him at his house. The social worker that just arrived is willing to waive the restraining order in light of the events and your father’s successful therapy sess—” he said, but he was interrupted by Rin’s ardent voice.

“I wish to stay in Mr. Hakkaku’s house. I feel safe there.”

“Miss…Miss Ginta, I understand that you’re feeling upset right now, but that’s no reason to—”

“I said that I wanted to stay there, and I mean it,” she said, her voice firm. “My father can stay there with us if he wants, and if Mr. Hakkaku agrees, but I’m not leaving that house to stay anywhere else.” She saw the sheriff swallow, and he then turned to the detectives behind him. They whispered for a few seconds, discussing this new development.

“Okay,” Kurzwell said, turning back around. “Detectives Black and Connors will escort you and Mr. Hakkaku back to his residence, along with three of our officers. They’ll secure the area and set up watch.

“Now…we highly suspect these two assailants to be the serial killers that have been going after young females in this area for the past decade. Knowing that the killings were done by two men makes it easier to understand how they’ve been able to evade the law for so long, but it makes it more difficult to guard you, so beyond this concession to let you stay in Mr. Hakkaku’s house, there can be no more compromises that would endanger your safety. We’ll do everything in our power to stop these men before they can do anything more, though. You’ve got my word on that, Miss Ginta,” Kurzwell said, his sincerity obvious.

Her heart was in her throat at the mention of Miki’s murderers, and her stomach rolled sickeningly as fear seeped into her veins. In her mind, she thought that it was somehow fitting that after all of these years, the men who took her best friend away from her were now going after her, too.

~~~~~~Sesshoumaru’s Home, Early Evening~~~~~~

Rin’s father embraced her as soon as she exited the police car. It was one of the hugs from her youth that had always held a warm place in her memories. He hauled her up into his brawny arms and swung her around once, hugging her tightly. The look on his face was such a jumble of emotions too complicated for her to figure out. He looked concerned, jubilant, and angry at the same time. The moisture in his eyes soon took over his expression, though, scrunching it up as he shed fatherly tears.

“It’s good to see you, honey,” he said, swaying gently from side to side as her feet hung suspended in the air.

Sesshoumaru watched from the driver’s side of his car, barely able to see the exchange through the sheets of snow blowing around them. He and his car were in the garage, but Rin and her father were quickly being covered with wet snow. He looked to the social worker, standing to the side with a police officer, and was glad to see a smile on her face.

The police officers sent ahead had already declared the house clear and secure, so everyone made their way insidThe The social worker and Rin’s father had to finish up some paperwork that nullified the restraining order and stated that the charges were “settled out of court,” negating the need for a trial. After the detectives and officers informed Rin, her father, and Sesshoumaru of how they would be taking shifts, everyone left except for one detective and one officer. They would patrol the perimeter of the house once an hour, keeping radio contact with the other person on duty and the stationhouse. The rest of the time, they would be patrolling the house, checking all doors and windows.

Sesshoumaru had whole-heartily agreed to having Rin’s father stay there, after a sincere but awkward first conversation, so by the time her father returned with some clothes and food for the refrigerator, it was well past six, and snowsnowstorm was an hour away from becoming a blizzard.

Rin had taken the time while her father was gone to move her things from Sesshoumaru’s bedroom to the spare bedroom that had a made-up bed. After dinner, which consisted of spaghetti and stilted conversation, Sesshoumaru did the dishes while Rin’s father settled in on the couch in the back room. Rin was on the phone, talking to Yukino.

“W-what?! They’re trying to kill you??!!” she squeaked over the phone. Rin held the receiver a good two inches from her ear, trying to save her eardrum from damage.

“I just wanted to say that I wasn’t the only girl on their list, by the way they said it. I want you to stay at home for a few days, please,” Rin begged.

“Y-yeah, sure! My mom has forbid me from the leaving the house, anyway, including school. She’s not only worried about what happened at the school today, but…she also found the letters from Robbie. So I’ve been grounded for the rest of the school year, and I’m under house arrest, she says, until the murderers are caught.”

For once, Rin was glad that Yukino’s mother was so protective.

“Oh, and I’m not supposed to be talking to you, but mother was in a panic and ran to the store for supplies before the storm gets to full force.”

Rin wanted to say that the blizzard was already here, but thought better of it. It was best not to worry Yukino much more than she already was.

“…Do you remember something I said to you when we first met? About the old captain of the track team?” Yukino then asked. Her voice was quieter, so Rin put the receiver back to her ear.

“I don’t really remember you saying anything about her,” Rin responded. Yukino was quiet for a short moment.

“The old captain was Miki Ogata’s older sister. Mrs. Roenstein had wanted to ask you to join the team two years ago, but the captain kept saying that you weren’t interested and that you ran like a sissy under pressure. The only reason why I asked this year was because I knew that she was lying about you not being interested. I had never seen her actually speak to you.

“Mrs. Roenstein was oblivious. But anyway, Miki’s older sister always thought that the man who took Miki really meant to grab you.”

“Wha-…why does she think he was going to kidnap me? I wasn’t with Miki that day.”

“You were like, eight-years-old, weren’t you? Maybe you don’t remember then…the old captain said that you and Miki went through this phase where you both had to wear the same outfit. Your moms would shop for your clothes together.” Rin’s entire body froze as her mind grasped and held onto this new information.

Now I remember…

“And…I thought you were there that day…Miki’s sister said that you were on the swings with the boy who testified for the police. Don’t you remember?” Rin sat down hard on the bed, reeling at the rush of memories she had blocked for so many years.

Miki was going to make a sand castle from the water that her mom was fetching from the water fountain next to the vending machines, and Rin wasn’t good at making sand castles, so she had decided to go swing and watch Miki make the castle from over there. She had remembered it as being that Miki’s mom was getting a soda pop, but her mind’s eye played back the scene: Miki’s mother was walking away, holding an empty plastic bucket, and Miki was piling sand to the side. Rin had just pushed off, and the boy next to her…he looked familiar, somehow. He was watching Miki, too.

Miki wore a light green sundress, the same dress that she was wearing. They both had black hair, tied up in sloppy pigtails. So in every way that counted, they looked like twins…

“So she blamed you for Miki’s death.”

“What? …How do you know this?” Rin asked, barely hearing anything Yukino said anymore.

The man had walked by as calmly as if he were going for a stroll. He passed the swing set from behind her, walking between the boy and the empty swing next to him. He wore large sunglasses that hid almost half of hice, ce, and his mustache looked weird, like it was too big. Miki wasn’t looking in his direction when he picked her up. She had jerked in reaction, but his big hand was over her mouth. He had barely stopped to get her, as if just swinging her up like he was on a horse. He then cut to the right, walking just as calmly as before.

Rin had stopped swinging, her feet dragging in the rough sand beneath the swing set, and simply stared, unable to move, or scream. Someone was taking away Miki, and it wasn’t her mom or dad.

“She told me. I had confronted her about not really speaking to you about a spot on the team, and she told me to butt out of it unless I wanted to get kicked off the team. Then she told me about Miki. I valued my spot so much, though…it’s the only reason why I’ve got an athletic scholarship, or else I’d be making my way through college on student loans.”

“I see,” Rin said. She really didn’t blame Yukino for keeping quiet for two years, but to know that someone secretly hated her just for being Miki’s friend…

But it was easy to see it the same way. He could have been aiming to nab one girl in particular, and it might not have been Miki.

“Oh, no! My mom’s home! You take care of yourself! I promise to stay home!” Rin was about to say good-bye, but there was a sudden click, indicating that Yukino had hung up.

“Oh, well…”

She set the receiver on its base and simply stared at it, not sure what to make of her newfound memories.

Her body knew how to react, though.

It shivered…

~~~~~~Late That Night~~~~~~

It was a bit past midnight. A new detective and officer had changed shifts with the first set, and the third officer had arrived around ten p.m. to help keep the watch overnight. One officer would patrol twice an hour, and the other two men would watch the front and back doors to the house.

Her father was asleep on the couch downstairs, Sesshoumaru was in his room, and she was in the second bedroom. The blizzard was whistling around the house, hammering on the wood siding and shaking the windows. Her bed was comfortable enough, but her thoughts and worries kept her awake. She wished that she were in Sesshoumaru’s bed, wrapped up safe and sound in his arms, sharing his body warmth. The adrenalin from when she was attacked was still swirling in her veins, making her heart beat faster. She felt dizzy just lying there, as if on a roller coaster.

She shifted to her side, sighing softly, and scratched the front of her chest. Her thumb accidentally brushed the tip of her breast, and she abruptly inhaled at the pleasure that stiffened her spine. Her breasts had been very sensitive all afternoon. She rolled her hips beneath the blankets and discovered that she was also uncommonly warm between her thighs.

Moaning lightly with disbelief and frustration, she knew then that the only way she would sleep that night would be if Sesshoumaru soothed her sexual aches with his body. She would have attempted to sneak to Sesshoumaru’s room, but he was probably asleep, and she didn’t want to wake him up. Thinking of what she needed produced unbidden mental pictures, making the ache in her body even more pronounced.

Sitting up, she tossed the bedspread to the side and set her feet on the floor. Normally, she slept nude, but since there were four other men in the house that didn’t know of her penchant for sleeping with the house’s owner, she wore a simple blue nightgown. It hinted at more of her than it revealed because it was a little too large for her, and it swirled softly around her as she walked to the bathroom.

There, she flipped on the light switch and blinked at the bright light. After doing her business and flushing the toilet, she washed her face and s wis with the coldest water that the faucet would produce. Hoping that she was cooled down enough to fall asleep, she began blotting her skin with a face towel.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she saw the damp face of a girl who needed sleep more than anything else. Not including the ugly bruised cut above her left eye, dark smudges sat beneath her eyes and lines of strain bracketed her mouth. She forced her face to relax, and the wrinkles of worry smoothed away, so she finished drying her face.

The door to the bathroom creaked softly as it opened, and Rin turned to the doorway in a rush of renewed adrenalin. Sesshoumaru poked his head in, his hair messy and his eyes blinking against the light. Her heart leapt, and a smile rose to her lips.

“I thought I heard you moving around,” he said, his voice a bit gravelly. She realized that she must have woken him up with all the noises she had been making, and her half-formed smile fell away.

“Sorry I woke you up.” Her voice sounded small, and she looked down at the towel in her hands.

“I wasn’t asleep. You just gave me a good excuse to get up.” She heard him close the door behind him, and began to fold the towel to place it back on the rack next to the sink. She absent-mindedly noticed that the counter next to the sink needed to be dusted, but a wave of body warmth flowed over her neck, and she knew that Sesshoumaru stood less than a foot behind her.

His arms slid around her shoulders, and his somewhat stubbly cheek came down to rest against the side of her face. She closed her eyes, standing in that circle of warmth with his wonderful scent filling her nostrils.

“I’ve wanted to do this all day,” he whispered, tightening his arms around her. “I wanted to show you how worried I was, and I was jealous that your father could show his affection so freely,” he confessed. She was moved by the tone of his voice, so raw, and the words rushed out of her in an effort to console him.

“I knew…I knew you were worried. I saw it in your eyes every time you looked at me. You showed as much affection as you could, and it was enough for me.” Unfortunately, her voice broke, and her hands fluttered up to settle on his forearms.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” he whispered, over and over again. She turned in his arms, sliding her hands up his chest until she could twine her arms around his neck. She swallowed his words as she fit her mouth over his, and softly moaned as the tender peaks of her breasts brushed against his chest. His kiss was far from gentle, but it wasn’t bruising, either. He firmly parted her lips, repeatedly slanting his mouth over hers and sliding his hot tongue into her sweet mouth.

She pulled herself closer to him even as he pulled her closer to himself, and it wasn’t long until the air sawed in and out of their lungs. A creak outside the door startled her, though, and she jerked away from him, thinking that it might be one of the officers, or worse, her father. Sesshoumaru looked to the door, and they stood there for an endless minute, waiting for another noise, but it quickly became apparent that the noise was the sound of the house groaning against the gales outside.

They sighed with relief at the same time. She looked up at him, wishing that they were alone in the house.

“We should probably go back to bed…alone,” he clarified, taking a hard swallow. She wanted to agree because being caught by her father would be epitome to Yukino being caught by her mother, but her bout of insomnia wouldn’t be cured with a kiss. In fact, the kiss had only inflamed her body’s needs, stoking them into a roaring fire beneath her skin.

“I can’t fall asleep, though. I’m too worked up over what happened today so my body needs a release,” she softly and blushingly explained.

“I think there’s some artificial melatonin somewhere in here,” he said, avoiding the suggestion in her words. He didn’t want to get caught up in the moment and make so much noise that her father came racing up the stairs and into the bathroom. He wasn’t worried about his own skin too much, but he wanted to avoid putting Rin through any more difficulties with her father.

“Please…we can be fast and quiet, right?” she begged, sidling up to him. “I don’t know why I need it after a day like today, but my body doesn’t care what my minds says to it…please.”

He fisted his hands, trying to ignore the soft body pressed against him. He whole-heartily agreed that the body sometimes doesn’t listen to the mind’s demands…because he was swiftly reaching full arousal. He knew she could feel his reaction, too, because she deliberately rubbed against it.

“I don’t have the condoms in here,” he said, giving in but needing to extract himself from her womanly wiles before he forgot about contraceptives entirely. He began to pull back a bit, but she only tightened her hold. “Honey, I need to go to the bedroom.”

“I just finished my cycle four days ago, remember? We don’t need a condom,” she explained, too logical for Sesshoumaru’s peace of mind. She tugged him forward, backing up towards the slightly dusty bathroom counter. It had a few small things sitting on it, but she pushed them to the back of the counter.

“Here,” she said, turning back to him. He was about to lift her to the counter, but she lowered herself to her knees, pulling down his boxer briefs as she went.

“No, wait,” he hoarsely commanded, firmly bringing her back to her feet. The part that ached for her now pointed at her stomach as if magnetized to her, and it bobbed ever so slightly in time to his heartbeat. She looked at him with a bit of hurt in her eyes, not sure what she did wrong.

“I don’t need any fluffing, Rin…I’m hot for you now,” he said, smirking at her. She relaxed almost imperiblyibly. He looked down at her body, and almost moaned to see her pouting nipples poking against the material of her nightgown. “Take off your panties for me,” he instructed, his voice no longer joking.

He watched her smooth limbs as she wriggled out of her panties, managing to do so without showing him a glimpse of anything more than the tops of her sleek thighs. When she had stepped out of her undergarments and kicked them a couple feet away, he lovingly slid his hands beneath her rear, rubbing her posterior for a few brief heartbeats before lifting her slight weight to the countertop behind her.

He softly groaned his approval when she parted her legs to make room for him, and he stepped between her spread thighs. Sliding his hands from her bare knees to the sweet flesh covered by the skirt of her nightgown, he lowered his head to press a kiss to her soft lips.

Her heartbeat was out of control. All her mind could concentrate on was pleasing him and doing it as quietly as possible. She had to catch herself a couple of times already before a loud noise of pleasure could escape her throat. His kisses had never been more sensual, and his hands were gently teasing her beneath her nightgown.

Needing a break before she completely lost it, Rin pulled back from their kiss, sucking in a refreshing breath of air. Through glazed eyes she looked at her lover. His blue-black hair was a bit ruffled, more than the usual bed head, and his cheeks were ever so slightly flushed.

“Sess,” she sighed, savoring the warm hum in her veins. Her hands found his trim hips and firmly grasped them, pulling him closer to her so that his surging member was positioned a hand’s breadth from her willing body. “Aah!” she cried out, more of a harsh whisper than a real cry. His fingers were pinching the sensitized nipples that begged for attention beneath her nightgown.

For some reason, at that moment, a horrible voice entered her head: Think of me between now and the next time we meet. I want to be in your nightmares.

“N-no…stop,” she croaked, pushing his hands away.

“What? What’s wrong?” he throatily asked. He took one step back, but one step only. She further moistened just looking at his manly physique, but the man’s voice was still in her head.

“That man today…he…he had said that he wanted me to think of him at all times, even when ‘that teacher’ is lying b-between my legs,” she got out, her sobs getting louder.

“Shh, shh…he said this to you today?” he said, his voice hardening in anger. She swallowed her tears, calming herself down.

“Yes…I didn’t want to remember that, but I did remember. I don’t want him to get me,” she desperately whispered, grasping his forearms.

“He won’t come near you if I have anything to say about it,” Sesshoumaru promised, his voice deepening. “If he does despite my best efforts, I’ll kill him before he can hurt you.” He set his hands on her shoulders, gripping them tightly.

“I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I just want…I want you to…oh, I don’t know what I want,” she sighed, getting too flustered. It was a long minute before either of them spoke again.

“I’ll distract you, if only for a few moments…I don’t know how much longer I can last beyond that,” he joked, regaining his lost step. She looked up and felt her heartbeat quickening again, seeing that hot look in his eyes. He leaned down, and she was ready to catch his kiss, but he kept going, molding his lips over the cloth that covered the blushing tips of her breasts.

“Mm! S-se—” she brokenly sighed. Her knees automatically clamped against his sides, and she was forced to lean back to give him room. Her hair fell like a waterfall to hang just a few kisses away from the counter. His lips and teeth were rough and yet gentle, walking a fine line between pleasure and pain. Every tug and nibble went straight to the nest of nerves at the apex of her thighs, making her legs tremble and her breath catch in her throat.

“As hard as a little pink pearl,” he mumbled into her soft bosom. He moved onto the other nipple that begged to be teased just as cruelly and sweetly as the other. Rather than opening his eyes, his mouth routed for the tight bud of her breast like a baby.

“Yes.” She slid her hand into his mussed hair, holding him to her breast. If possible, her other nipple tightened even more when the wet tip met open air. That part of her nightgown was now more see-through, matching the other breast quite well. One of his arms held her up, forcing her back to arch, and the other arm ventured beneath the skirt of her nightgown again. When he lifted his head, she lazily opened her eyes to look at him.

He studied her for a long ten seconds, his eyes traveling over her as if they were a ghostly set of hands outlining every curve and contour on her body. She could see the utter desire in his eyes, feel it radiating from his body, and hear it in the shuddering breaths he took.

“Black silk for hair.” He removed his arm from around her waist and combed his fingers through the loose locks of her raven-colored hair. “White gold for skin…albeit mistreated by clumsy hands,” he whispered, kissing the wound on her forehead lightly enough to be barely a touch at all. “Skin studded with precious pink pearls that rise from breasts as soft and fragrant as roses.” His free hand rolled a proud nipple between thumb and forefinger. She breathed in unsteadily, never as anxious for his attentions as she was now. “And at the center, the rarest of deep red rubies.” His thumb slipped between the swollen lips of her sex, rubbing the epicenter of her sexuality.

“Sess…take me…oh, please take me!” she softly begged.

“Ah, God…I can’t wait anymore, either,” he achingly agreed. She licked her bottom lip before holding it between her teeth, and rolled back on her hips to receive him. He held one of her legs by the crook in her knee, and used the other hand to guide himself into her body. She watched his face rather than the sight of him entering her body. The restraint and ecstasy that warred on his features was riveting. His naked limb squeezed into the tense muscles of her womanhood.

“Ohh,” she breathed out. When he had pressed his entire length deep into her pliant flesh, her head fell back and her hands grasped for his bare shoulders.

“Wrap your legs around me.” She locked her ankles behind him and encircled his neck with her arms. “I can feel you—really feel you…God, you feel good,” he said, bringing her against him with his arms. He began to move against her, pulling his hips back and swiftly driving them forward again.

“Yi>yei>yes,” she sighed, remembering to be quiet, but not remembering much else.

“Is this right? Is it what you wanted?” he asked, his voice low and barely audible next to her ear. The room was so quiet in their efforts to keep the house unaware of their amorous activities that she could hear liquid sliding in and between the slap of skin on skin, hear it as clearly as their soft panting. She could even hear the faint whistle of the blizzard’s winds.

Setting her chin against the crook of his neck and gripping a higher spot on his waist with her legs, she closed her eyes to the bathroom tile jerking in front of her.

“Just don’t stop, Sess…I swear if you looked at me long enough, I would come for you even then,” she admitted, gasping and biting her lip harder as the precursory tremors shook through her grasping thighs.

After that, thinking was too difficult a task to accomplish. His hips beat against hers fast enough to create a scalding friction that took her breath away. She could feel his length throbbing inside of her even as her muscles began to squeeze involuntarily.

“Deeper,” she demanded, her voice hoarse and shaky. He obeyed, slowing his pace but now plunging his phallus in to the hilt. It was endless minutes as they writhed together on the bathroom counter, pounding and rubbing their hips into and against the other’s.

When orgasm rose up like of wave of nausea that broke against her and turned over into wet, pleasurable throbs, she closed her throat against a loud, harsh cry and instead experienced the wonder in total silence. Her mouth was open in a silent scream, and she was aware of his body freezing. Something wonderfully warm and thick spilled into her, and she listened to his ragged, choking breaths as continuous pulses of his sexual balm soaked her from the inside.

Though they weren’t completely conscious of it, their bodies were still rocking together and as tightly wound up in the other that for those few seconds, they were one person in sinful bliss.

It was five minutes later that they were almost finished cleaning themselves up and replacing lost undergarments. They washed their hands, whispering affectionate things every once in a while. When it seemed that everything was back in order, and the only thing left was to return to bed alone, they found themselves hesitating.

“I’ve decided to tell my father about us when all of this is over,” Rin said, testing the waters. Sesshoumaru didn’t react at first, and then simply nodded.

“Do you want me there when you tell him?” It was her turn to nod.

“You’ll be the steel in my spine, so to speak.”

A resounding pop from outside the house was enough to make her jerk and gasp loudly. There was a shout from below, and then a second pop. Something large fell to the floor downstairs.

“Shit,” Sesshoumaru said. He quickly padded to the door, flipping the light switch off. The room plunged into darkness, and she whimpered despite her best efforts not to make a sound. There was more shouting, and all she could hear of it was “backup.” She heard Sesshoumaru doing something and then jumped when his hands found her shoulders. He shushed her and led her to the linen closet. Pushing her down and into the large bottom shelf, she tucked her knees up and slid back amongst the piles of clean towels.

“Stay here. Make no noise at all, no matter what.” He began to shut the door, but she frantically whispered,

“Where are you going? No, no, stay with me,” she begged, grasping for his hand.

“Be brave like you always are. And promise me you’ll stay here…promise me,” he said. She promised him, and shivered as he closed the door. She then heard, very faintly, another shout downstairs and a third pop. Then the bathroom door opened and closed. After that, she didn’t hear anything for five minutes…