*>Over a Box of Wax Rainbows<* by RisuBento

Red

It was finally the end of the end of the day and she was just finishing her good-bye's to her students and their parents when thunder rumbled overhead.

Wincing she opened her umbrella and waved one last good-bye to her last kindergartner before turning back into the school. She was unusually exhausted that day. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she and Sango had started going to the gym every night after work was over.

Stifling a yawning behind her hand, she entered her classroom and shook the water droplets from her umbrella over the large sink. She sniffled a little bit when she felt her nose run. She was sure she was getting a cold. Probably from one of the kids. Oh well. That's the life she chose. To be around children everyday, all the time.

A sniffle that wasn't coming from her caught her attention and she turned around to find a black haired girl sitting a the "Blue Table" with her back to Kagome. She set her umbrella down in the sink and dried her hands before going over to the sniffling child. When she did she realized that it was Rin Kagiyama.

The poor child. This wasn't an uncommon thing to find. Rin's father was very poor at remembering the time.

"Rin? Isn't your father coming to pick you up?" She asked, kneeling down and felt a lump in her throat form at the sight of large tears rolling down the girl's rosy cheeks.

"H-he m-must've f-forgot." The girl hiccuped. Kagome sighed and pulled the small girl into her arms.

"Rin? Do you know where you live? I'll take you home. How does that sound?" She suggested, pulling back and wiping the girl's running nose with a tissue.

Rin hiccuped again, and nodded. Kagome said a quiet okay and stood up.

Putting her coat on, she turned the classroom lights off and took the girl's hand. It was still raining out, now more harshly than ever. She'd forgotten her umbrella back in the classroom and she told Rin that she was going to hurry back and grab it and that she was to stay there.

Using her keys once again to open the door, she went in and grabbed the still damp umbrella and hurried back out. When she entered the hallway, she paused when she found Rin in the arms of a flustered looking man. He had long silver hair that was pulled back into a messy and rain ridden ponytail that spiraled down his wet back.

"I'm sorry Rin. Papa lost track of the time..." He panted.

"Rin love's you papa." Rin said, instead of answering with a "It's okay.". "Rin was just scared you were going to forget about Rin."

"I could never forget about my Rin. You know that." He answered standing up and holding his daughter tightly in his arms. "What were you doing out here in the hallway alone?"

"Rin was waiting for Miss Kagome. She was going to give Rin a ride home and she forgot her umblella..." Kagome's lips lifted into a small smile at her student's mispronunciation of umbrella.

"...she said she would be right back." Rin finished, pulling back so she could smile at her father.

That was Kagome's cue to come back as if she hadn't been standing there for awhile. Stepping back, she straightened out her outfit and hair before resuming her way around the corner.

They both looked up at her and she gave them a warm smiled.

"Sesshoumaru. It's nice to see you again." She said... It 'was' nice to see him again.

He only nodded and set Rin down onto her feet. "I apologize for my tardiness. I was at a gallery showing and I lost track of time."

Kagome only nodded and looked down next to him and saw a paint canvas, drenched and the paint running.

"Oh no! You're painting! It's ruined!" She exclaimed, stepping forward and pointing at the colourful sop of a mess.

Sesshoumaru looked down as well and shook his head.

"It wasn't much to begin with." He said quietly, shaking his head.

Kagome straightened up and gave a small smile. "I'm sure it was lovely."

She saw something flicker in his eyes for a moment, but concluded she was seeing things for it happened to quickly.

"Rin liked it papa." Came a small voice from beneath both of them. The two adults both looked down and found Rin hugging her father's leg in a tired manner. Sesshoumaru had the barest of smiles on his face when he patted his daughter on the head.

Kagome looked outside of the glass doors and watched at lightning flashed and the rain somehow began to beat down faster. She saw Sesshoumaru lift his ruined canvas and was turning towards the doors, Rin in tow when she blurted out the first thing that came to her lips.

"Are you walking in the rain?"

Sesshoumaru paused and turned around. Rin did as well, swinging her father's hand childishly.

"I haven't a vehicle with me. I was at the gallery down the street." He admitted, seemingly somewhat reluctantly.

Kagome sighed and stepped forward, placing a hand on his forearm. "I would be more than happy to give you a ride if you'd like. I wouldn't want either of you catch a cold."

Rin seemed to perk up at the suggestion and looked up her father with hopeful eyes. Could we papa? Miss Kagome's real nice and she has a nice car."

Kagome laughed. "I'm sure it's not 'that' amazing. Please I insist." She said, looking up at him at the last part.

He seemed to be contemplating his decision for more than a few moments but then he looked outside and nodded. "I suppose the weather isn't the best to travel in."

Kagome beamed and opened the doors outside. Not even bothering to open her umbrella, she jogged over to a black Ford Focus and clicked the automatic locking buttons. Rin opened the back door's handle with both hands and clambered in.

Sesshoumaru slipped into the passenger's seat and handed his canvas to Rin to set in the back. Kagome sighed and let out a "WHEW" when she was finally in the dry expanses of her car.

"Wow...that was really coming down." She panted, slipping the key into the ignition, turning it so the vehicle roared to life.

All of them buckled there seatbelts and just as she was pulling out from the parking lot, she mentioned that she didn't know where they lived.

"On Nakao Minami-ku. Down by the local bakery beltline." Sesshoumaru said, his deep baritone voice making goosebumps sweep over her skin.

She nodded and flipped the radio on to a soft classic oldies station. The car was filled with an uncomfortable silence for almost 10 minutes before Rin sneezed in the back.

"Bless you Rin. Here, can you hand me the tissue's in the dashboard drawer in front of you, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked, pointing the clipped up door in front of his knees. He nodded and opened the compartment. A small pack of plastic wrapped tissues was laying among an assortment of maps and other papers like her car deeds and such. Taking one out he handed it to Kagome, who handed it back to the sniffling Rin.

"Thanks, Miss Kagome." Rin piped blowing her runny nose.

"You can call me Kagome when we're not in school all right Rin?" Kagome smiled, looking at the sniffling girl in the back through her rear view mirror.

"Okay!" Rin smiled a toothy grin and placed the soiled tissue into a small plastic baggy that Kagome instructed her students to carry around with them as garbage bags.

Just as she was turning onto their street her car splashed into a large puddle and it stalled.

"Oh darn! Isn't this embarrassing." She admitted, trying the ignition numerous times.

"Our apartment is only a block away. Rin and I can walk from here." Sesshoumaru suggested.

"Are you sure? I mean..." Kagome said, feeling ultimately stupid her position.

"Can Mi- uh...Kagome come too papa? Rin wants to show her the drawings Rin made." Rin said, her voice sounding hopeful from the back.

Kagome and Sesshoumaru looked at each other at the same time and she blushed.

"I suppose if Kagome hasn't anything better to do." He said, looking directly in her eyes. She felt as if he was searching for something, deep down and it felt so strange to be scrutinized as such.

Kagome shrugged and lifted her umbrella from her side door pocket before opening the door and climbing out into the onslaught of pouring rain.

She met up with them on the sidewalk and Sesshoumaru made a gesture for him to take the umbrella. She handed it to him and she turned to lift Rin so she was resting on her hip.

She wondered to herself if this was what it felt like to have a family of her own. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a firm hand pressed itself against her lower back, guiding her down the unusually crowded sidewalk. Looking back, she was thankful that her car had stalled right next to a parking space, which was where it was parked now.

She soon found them at the base of an old brick building that loomed, some 30 stories up. Following after the silver haired man, readjusting Rin on her hip, she entered the building.

Sesshoumaru's apartment was on the top floor and was a nicely decorated loft for a single parent. It was bare in some places but the splashes of odd and exotic looking paintings on canvas, on the walls, made up for it all.

Setting Rin to her feet, she was removing her coat when a pair of hands took hold of it; guiding it from her shoulders.

"Thank you." She said, sheepishly, turning around and giving Rin's father a small smile. Rin had darted down a hallway, no doubt to her room and had left small water droplet trails from her dripping coat.

"Please...have a seat." Sesshoumaru said, gesturing towards the living room. She smiled a bashful thank you and did just as he told.

"Would you like anything to drink?" He asked walking into the kitchen.

"If you have tea that would be wonderful." She answered truthfully, needing something to warm her up a bit.

There was a rummaging sound followed by the sound of a faucet filling a kettle up with water.

"Here, Kagome! Rin found 'em!" Rin called, running back into the living room no longer wearing her wet rain coat. It was probably lying in some heap in the middle of her bedroom.

Kagome took the 'Lisa Frank' folder, and squinted slightly as the brightly coloured animals on the cover hurt her eyes. Opening it up, she smiled at the sight of the drawings.

"Oh Rin, they're absolutely lovely." She said, taking them out and slowly sifting through them; listening to every description Rin gave for each picture.

"...and that was when papa and Rin went to a park and we played with frisbee with our old dog, Rin Tin Tin." Rin concluded.

Kagome smirked. No doubt the dog was named after Rin, either that or the American story dog character from children's books. She chose the former.

Rin was actually a very good artist for a 4 year old. 'She definitely gets it from her father...' She concluded after finishing Rin's pictures and looking around the room at the beautifully painted canvas' adorning the walls.

She was closely observing a rather different looking one when a shadow covered her light and she looked up. Sesshoumaru was standing there holding two mugs; one was being handed to her.

"Oh! Thank you." She smiled taking the heated mug.

Sipping it cautiously she relished at the tangy flavor running down her throat.

"Do you like art?" Came his voice from next to her.

She jumped and looked at him. His eyes were a...gold...almost amber in color. She realized she was staring at him and immediately flushed a bright pink before looking back at the painting and answering his question.

"I'll admit that I've never really given art so much as a second glance before. But...I also admit that your work is absolutely phenomenal...if that means anything coming from someone who doesn't know the first thing about art..." She answered with a light laugh.

Sesshoumaru sighed and sipped his tea.

"It's nice to hear it from anyone. At least someone other than Rin enjoys my work." He admitted calmly.

Kagome frowned and looked up at him. "You mean...no one likes your art?"

He shook his head. "I can't seem to find the 'right' way to paint."

Kagome sighed and turned back the couch, where Rin was currently reading a short story book. "Well...whoever they are, are quite stupid if they can't appreciate any artist's work. What're you reading Rin?"

Sesshoumaru put his mug onto the fireplace's mantle before bending down and placing kindling into the grate; along with some balled up newspaper. A strange woman, Kagome Higurashi was. A very strange one indeed, he thought as he lit a match.

Soon, there was a roaring fire in the fireplace and a squeal of delight was heard from behind him.

"Papa! It's "DOODLE DIME!" She called running into her bedroom.

"Doodle Dime?" Kagome asked, sipping her tea.

Sesshoumaru shook his head and sat on the couch across from her. "When Rin was younger, we started a project up instead of reading a story before bed. We would doodle or color pictures on a roll of paper. She was still too young to be able to say her 't's' correctly and she could only say Dime. I suppose is stuck." He explained, keeping his gaze on the flickering fire, making Kagome feeling as if his eyes were on fire.

Rin came stumbling back in with a storage bin full of assorted crayons and a large roll of banner paper.

"Here, Kagome! You can doodle with us!" She said, plunking the rolling onto the table.

Kagome felt a little silly to be doing this but after a few minutes, she was giggling along with Rin at her poorly drawn stick figures.

Minutes turned into hours and before long, Rin had fallen asleep on the couch and it was just she and Sesshoumaru, still doodling.

"...I haven't been able to look at my cat the same after that happened." She giggled at the memory of something stupid Buyo had done in the past. Sesshoumaru had let out a chuckle of his own.

Kagome stopped her doodling and looked up at what he was drawing. It was a picture of...her.

He caught her staring at what he was drawing and he paused. "I'm sorry...I--"

"No! It's perfectly all right. It's very nicely done. But I'll have to admit...I don't think I'm 'that' pretty."

Truly...it looked as if it hadn't been done by crayon. It was almost life-like---done by oil paints or something with a smooth texture.

"But you are pretty..." He blurted out in a whisper. Kagome flicked her eyes at his she blushed.

"I...truly don't understand how you can draw so well. Rin is truly taking after her father." She said, attempting to change the subject.

"What are you trying to draw?" He asked, climbing to his feet and sinking down next to her. By instinct, she scooted away only slightly at the proximity between them.

"I...a daisy." She admitted, looking down stupidly at her mutated looking flower. It didn't look like a daisy...it was red and...stupid looking.

Sesshoumaru didn't say anything. He just moved closer to her and reached his arms around her. Resting one of his hands on her hand holding the crayon and the other on the empty one, he shifted the paper so it was at a clean spot. He then began to speak instructions softly into her ear.

"First...you take the flower and draw it in a semi-side view." He did just that, guiding her hand flawlessly across the paper.

He continued to whisper words into her ear and she shivered at the way his breath teased the back of her neck.

Without ever realizing it, both of their empty hands had intertwined their fingers and was resting as one on the coffee table in silence.

When he stopped moving his hand, she looked down and smiled.

The flower was so beautifully drawn...it was shaded and everything.

"Wow..." She laughed turning her face to look at him. Her smile fell instantly when their noses bumped together. Looking up into his amber eyes, she swallowed and glanced at his lips before looking back up to his eyes.

The slightest touch of her lips against his and she closed her eyes; her mind not really registering what was really going on.

A sudden crash was heard and she pulled away from him as a shower of crayons fell onto the both of them. Looking over in surprise, she found Rin's leg twitching in her sleep. The now empty crayon tub lay some feet away, close to the fireplace.

"Rin...you'll have to watch out for her when she kicks in her sleep." He smirked standing up and moving away from her casually as if nothing had happened.

Kagome couldn't stop her heart from pounding. She watched as Sesshoumaru lifted his daughter into his arms and carry her down to her bedroom. She knew that things would grow even more awkward when he came back so she decided that it was time to leave. Looking at the clock on the wall, she sighed, not realizing that it was almost midnight.

Just as she was slipping her coat on, a voice was heard behind her.

"Are you leaving?" He sounded somewhat disappointed.

Turning around with an embarrassed smile on her lips, she answered as truthfully as she could.

"I'll admit, Sesshoumaru...that I hadn't meant to stay here this long...and I hadn't meant for...'that' to happen either. I just don't think anything between us could happen because I'm Rin's teacher." She said. Without waiting for an answer she turned and opened the door. Pausing she looked back and smiled.

"Thank you for the tea...and...for being a great father to Rin." She added almost at the last second. Turning around once again, she closed the door softly behind her, and went towards the elevator, leaving a confused and warmed Sesshoumaru contemplating in his loft.

Oo0O0oO

Allright. I came up with this idea actually by my cousin. He was colouring on the window's (of all things) of my aunt and uncle's townhome with a white crayon when lightning flashed outside and scared him so badly that he actually peed himself! It was his birthday...come on. He was turning 4!

Anyways...I hope to continue this if you guys also want me too! I know Sesshoumaru may seem a little out of character but...I couldn't figure out any other way to portray him.

PLEASE REVIEW!

Love,

RisuBento