Rin is where home is

Chapter 15: Rebound. Not!

Rin slammed the front door not minding if it hit him in the face. He came in shortly after her.

She was about to nag Sesshomaru about what happened when the incessant ringing came. Rin hurried to answer the phone. "Hello?" Rin smiled when he heard the voice on the other line.

"Oh, Kohaku. I'm really sorry about that. I'm coming right now…"

Sesshomaru took the receiver and hung up on the caller.

"What are you doing?" He's getting on her nerves now. He stood there, dismissively, one hand over the phone, the other at his waist. Not flinching despite her glare.

The damn phone rings again.

Sesshomaru was faster and picked up the receiver. "Yes?"

"Ah! Kagura."

Huh. Her again. He can talk freely with her and I can't with Kohaku?

Rin took the phone from him and slammed the receiver too.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sesshomaru's starting to lose his cool.

"Shut up!" She started to storm off to her room to get her bag. "I'm staying at Kagome's house tonight."

"You can't."

"Shut up!"

"Rin."

"Shut up!" Sesshomaru grabs hold of her arm. "Don't touch me."

He pushed her down the couch. It was all too fast that she didn't get the chance to react.

Sesshomaru held her face with both hands while towering over her.

"Who the hell do you think you're talking to?" He didn't give her the chance to answer.

The next thing she knew he was kissing her already.

She gave in then resisted. Pushed Sesshomaru with all her might and sat upright.

"Stop doing this! I…" Tears start to form at the brim of her eyes.

"I'm not a substitute for..." She bit back the words.

"Substitute?" Sesshomaru was taken aback by her choice of word.

"You were in love with her!" she fumed.

Sesshomaru blinked. More tears formed.

"There's no way you could give up so soon…"

I don't want to be compared.

Rin cries and burst into tears. She didn't see Sesshomaru's expression change. Softened.

He tapped her in the head. Like he was patting a small child. Hushing a crying child. I'm just a kid to him, am I?

"You cried for me, didn't you? When I lost her for good?"

Huh?

Her tears stopped flowing. Confusion replacing the hurt in her eyes.

"I thought I had masked my feelings perfectly, and yet you, a person I've barely known for six months, saw right into my heart."

She looked at him disbelievingly. Processing the things she just heard him say.

"And you were sobbing, even though it had nothing to do with you."

He wiped the tears at her eyes and dried the ones at her cheeks with his thumb.

"That's why, at that moment, I thought, Yes, she's the one."

She blinked. Once. Twice.

"So I can't keep a cool head when it comes to you."

He almost laughed at the admission. But settled for a smile.

"I don't ever want to see the one I love taken from me before my eyes again."

He loved her? Did she hear him right?

She continued to stare. Then she found her voice.

"Um, could it be that you were… jealous of Kohaku?"

She had the audacity to ask me that. Sesshomaru thought to himself.

"And if I was?" he teased.

Rin blushes despite still being in tears.

Sesshomaru held her face with both hands and kissed her again, now more gently, softly, longingly.

My heart feels like it's going to burst.

She didnt have time to doubletake what was going on. Her mind consumed by his mere presence.

And he gently pushes her down the couch. Again.