Izakaya to Unmei
Chapter I.
She Is My Treasure
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It was the night before Rin Higurashi would turn fifteen. Gathered around the modest dinner table, the Higurashi family ate and chatted happily.
"How was work, Kagome?"
The pretty, young woman rolled her eyes at her Aunt Kikyo. She would never understand why she wanted a job outside the family shrine, so Kagome took to replying in an overly cheery, sarcastic voice.
"Terrific!"
She thrust her rice bowl to her mouth, practically inhaling her food, which made Kikyo's lips smirk in amusement. This was how her niece always tried to evade her questions. Placing her elbow on the table, Kikyo leaned the side of her head against the palm of her hand, feigning exhaustion.
"Ah! If only my carefree niece would spare some of her precious time to help her poor aunt with her endless shrine duties… Alas, it is perhaps too much to ask, since she is too busy working as a part-timer at that bar…"
"It isn't a bar! It's a high end restaurant!"
Kikyo slapped her hand on the table, making Rin jump.
"It is a bar! A bar where those shady demon scum go to pick up human girls!"
"Not every demon is Naraku!"
Now the two women were standing, throwing insults back and forth, until Rin stood up and yelled.
"SHUT UP!"
Everyone froze, staring at Rin. She hated any kind of violence; especially silly fights between her loved ones. Kagome was the first to apologize, then Kikyo. Rin nodded and plopped herself back down on her seat. Sheepishly, they exchanged a silent apology to one another and sat back down to resume eating.
"Sōta, can you please pass the takuwan?"
Rin extended her hand to take the dish of yellow sweet pickles from her older brother.
"Thanks!"
She said cheerily and began to pick a stack off the serving dish with her chopsticks to drop them on her plate. Picking up one expertly, she tossed it into her mouth, munching happily on the pickle.
"Sure, Rin-chan! By the way, where did you decide to go tomorrow for your birthday dinner?"
"Izakaya to Unmei!"
She chirped, causing Kikyo to nearly choke on her tea.
"Rin-chan? You don't mean you-"
"We decided on it together last week, actually," Mama Higurashi chimed in.
Kikyo turned to her in astonishment.
"But, but I didn't hear of that until now!"
"That's because we all knew you wouldn't like it, Kikyo," answered Kagome.
"Besides, it is where Kagome-chan works, so she can give us a great discount!"
Kikyo stared at Rin's cheery outburst, feeling a nasty headache coming on. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath in and then exhaled very, very slowly to calm down her fraying nerves.
"Oh, all right," she huffed wearily.
"Yay!"
Rin threw up her arms in celebration. It was never easy to change Kikyo's mind about something she was so dead-set against. They all knew that the izakaya brought back painful memories of when he had met and fell in love with the evil demon, Naraku, but it was a long time ago. Her family just wanted her to move on.
Standing up to leave, Kikyo asked Grandpa Higurashi for permission to retire. Her headache had gotten worse with the news of the impending birthday party at the dreaded izakaya. Once she'd left the room, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They all understood Kikyo's pain, but the family's finances were stretched tight, their shrine's meager offerings steadily decreasing year after year.
"What are you going to order, Rin?"
She grinned at Sōta, "All the sashimi I can eat!"
Patting her endless pit of a stomach, everyone laughed at the image of Rin ordering all the raw fish from the sushi conveyor belt. She'd always had a taste for demon food, which was always raw and rarely seasoned. It made her seem like she could have been a demon in a past life. Suddenly, the house phone rang and Rin darted towards it excitedly, knowing who would be calling. Picking up the receiver, she couldn't help the gasp that escaped her.
"Kohaku-senpai!"
Everyone turned to watch Rin as she chatted with her old childhood friend. Ever since he had plucked up the courage to confess to Rin during his senior year in high school and she had innocently shot him down, they felt sorry for him to say the least. He would call every Friday evening when he knew the Higurashi household was finishing dinner just to hear Rin's sweet voice. His was a hopeless love, but he never wavered. Even now he remained single in the hopes that he might have his feelings returned someday.
"Oh, really?!"
Rin's voice was near hysteria in her childish exuberance.
"What on earth are they talking about?" Grandpa Higurashi asked.
"Oh, probably something related to that new anime that came out last week," supplied Sōta, earning a puzzled look from the old man.
"Oh! What was it called again?"
Mama Higurashi started, racking her brain for the title. "It was a story about a girl going back to the Feudal era to battle evil demons, right?"
Kagome and Sōta both came out with the name at once, "'Magical Girl Time Jump'!"
"Guys, keep it down!" Rin scolded.
Rolling their eyes, Kagome and Sōta both finished their plates and excused themselves.
"Haha! Okay! See you then!"
Rin hung up and sat back down at the table, finishing the very last of the food. Sighing in satisfaction, she set down her chopsticks; she was a growing girl, after all!
"Rin-chan, how is Kohaku-kun?"
Mama Higurashi asked, looking fondly at her beautiful adopted daughter. Pausing in her mission in stuffing her face full of rice, she finished chewing, daintily wiped her mouth with her napkin and smiled broadly at her surrogate mother.
"He can make it!"
"Oh! How wonderful!" Mama Higurashi exclaimed, delighted at the prospect of seeing Rin's beloved friend again. He was such a nice boy…
"He's been really swamped at university and work recently, but he still managed to go see that anime I told him about. You know, the one with the girl who goes back in time?"
"Yes! I remember you telling me about it!"
More like Rin hadn't been able to stop talking everyone's ear off about it all week.
"Yes! He said he liked it, too! I'm so glad he enjoyed it!"
Rin's beaming smile was heartwarming as it was infectious. She excused herself from the table, taking her dishes with her to the kitchen to deposit them in the overly crowded sink. With a contented sigh, she raced up the stairs to her bedroom and flung herself on her bed. Opening up her modest laptop, she booted it up, waited, and then opened a book marked page on Inu no Taishō Sesshōmaru.
It was a blog dedicated to all the dog demon's comings and goings, with photos and sometimes video links to interviews. She squealed.
"Yes! It's been updated!"
This was her favorite time of day, when she could be alone with her beautiful Sesshōmaru-sama. Scanning all the updates, she chose the last entry for the day, a video interview on a local news website.
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'And now we return with an exclusive interview with the one and only Mr. Inu no Taishō Sesshōmaru!'
The audience clapped, cheered and a lot of women started screaming when Sesshōmaru stepped out onto the stage. Quite a few of them fainted. Rin's breath stopped the moment he appeared and slowly strode across the stage. He was still as graceful and magnificent as she remembered!
'Welcome, Mr. Inu no Taishō! Thank you so much for being on our show today!'
The show host didn't catch the pained wince Sesshōmaru made at all the noise. This was exactly why he hadn't wanted to come on this show…
'Here, have a seat right here,' the show host motioned to the plush vinyl chair across from him.
Sesshōmaru elegantly sat down in the chair, draping one long leg over the other, folding his arms. His lengthy, silver hair flowed like a river of starlight down his back. Full fringe framed his face perfectly, drawing out the molten gold hue of his eyes. Dressed impeccably in a tailor made suit, the color of freshly fallen snow, his dress shirt the shade of obsidian, and a silky white tie adorned with a crimson cherry blossom pattern hung from his pale neck, the symbol of his family's crest; the crest of demon royalty. His shoes were pointy-toed, black dress shoes polished to perfection and accentuated his long limbs.
'Wow! What a crowd we have today!'
The show host gulped as he turned to face the imposing dog demon, trying not to look like a scared rabbit.
'It seems there have been a lot of rumors circulating the tabloids recently,' he prodded cautiously, 'are any of the rumors true?'
Sesshōmaru's expression was calm, but his eyes shot daggers at the show host. After a moment, wanting the offending human to squirm, he steadily replied.
'No.'
The show host glanced about, albeit a little sheepishly before pressing him further.
'Really? Because there was one such headliner in the magazine, Scoop-Tastic, that you were spotted with the lovely Miss Kagura late last night at a romantic, candle lit dinner – at the Izakaya to Unmei, no less!'
Sesshōmaru flinched at the man's grating voice. He wished he could throttle him. It was no one's business who he was with, but he understood that this… celebrity gossip was what kept him in the limelight. Although he hated the extra attention he needed it to maintain his image as the perfect first son of Tōga and Vice President of Taisho Industries. He decided to set the record straight.
'This Sesshōmaru does not have any relations with Miss… Hitomi. It was solely a business meeting. Of course, I am not at liberty to disclose the details of such matters…'
The iciness in Sesshōmaru's voice was tangible. It looked like the show host was sweating under the scrutiny of his gaze. There, that should teach him some manners, Sesshōmaru thought with a barely-there smirk.
'Ah… I see… Yes…'
The show host was grasping at straws, trying to make a come back.
'Then, if I may ask, is there any lady love in your life at the moment?"
Did he just ask that?! Rin's mind shouted as she waited to see how the dog demon would handle this impossibly rude human.
There was a notable shift in the air. Sesshōmaru uncrossed then recrossed his legs in an effort to look nonchalant. Inside he was seething. But something tugged playfully at his mind, begging him to play with this lowly human, a sort of recompense for this indignity.
'I do.'
There was a resounding gasp as the audience rippled with whispers and murmurings. Everyone was in shock. The show host had 'done for' written all over his ugly face, his sweat a repugnant scent that tasted of fear. He had won.
'Who,' he began tremulously, 'who is the lucky lady?'
Sesshōmaru smirked, allowing the small quirk of his lips to be discernible to the audience. The man gulped; he was enjoying this!
Rin held her breath in anticipation, her eyes glued to the lips of the majestic creature on the screen.
'Her identity is unknown to the public. As is her family's.'
He looked dead center at the nearest camera, as if addressing the woman in question.
'She is my treasure.'
Rin gasped at the familiar phrase. It was only a wisp of a memory from a conversation long ago between Grandpa Higurashi and her Sesshōmaru-sama.
'You must protect her… She is my treasure.'
Those words had meant more to her than any others' and she had clung on to them with all her might throughout the years. The rest of the interview covered much of the Taishō Industries' latest business ventures and was not really of any interest to Rin. Instead she gazed longingly upon the captivating features of her Sesshōmaru. Sighing when the video ended, she went back to the blog site and caught up on all of Sesshōmaru's daily news. It was not until after midnight that she remembered to brush her teeth and go to bed.
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The next morning Rin was greeted by an unearthly cacophony of a strangled version of 'Happy Birthday' by all the members of the Higurashi family in all their strident glory. Precariously tumbling out of bed she was immediately swarmed in a warm but suffocating embrace. After the whole ordeal was over she shooed them out of her room to boot up her laptop, her excitement building with each whir of the motor. Nearly attacking the device, she frantically checked her e-mail to see if there was an e-card waiting for her from Sesshōmaru. In her inbox, instead of an e-card there was a curious looking e-mail sent from Taishō Management; the sect of Taishō Industries that Sesshōmaru was the Vice President of. It read as follows:
Rin,
You are fifteen as of today. It has come to my attention that there will be a celebration held at the Izakaya to Unmei this evening.
Expect me at nine.
~Sesshōmaru
Unable to hold in her euphoria Rin canon-balled onto her bed and face planted into her mattress. She was ecstatic! He was really going to come see her! He hadn't forgotten about her at all! Rolling into a ball and hugging her knees tightly to her chest, she tried to quell the adrenaline pumping through her veins.
"Rin-chan?" Mama Higurashi knocked tentatively on the door.
"Yes?"
"Come downstairs, breakfast is ready. Okay?"
"Coming!"
Rin bounced off her bed and nimbly landed on her feet. She could tell that today was going to be the best birthday of her life!
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As the other family members were casually getting ready to go to the izakaya, Rin was nearly having a meltdown in her closet.
Nothing fit!
Nothing looked right!
Shoving the piles of clothes away with her foot, she angrily searched through hanger after hanger of no-good dresses, blouses, skirts and slacks. A knock at her door made her nearly jump out of her skin.
"YES?!"
The door clicked open and Kagome slipped in to the room, a knowing look creased her lovely smile with compassion at Rin's frazzled appearance.
"Need a hand?"
Rin teared up almost immediately.
"Oh, Kagome!"
She sobbed, running into the older girl's awaiting arms. Stroking her hair lovingly, Kagome wiped her tears and held her face.
"You poor thing. What's got you so flustered?"
Rin hung her head, miserable.
"Sesshōmaru's coming."
Kagome gasped in surprise.
"Isn't that wonderful, Rin? You'll finally get to see him again!"
"No! I-I… Of course I want to see him – with all my heart – but… Oh, Kagome! Please help me find something to wear!"
With that the younger girl buried her face in Kagome's chest, crying her eyes out.
"Oh, come now, Rin. Hush now. You're a big girl now, enough of this," she cooed as she comfortingly rubbed the poor girl's back.
Rin looked up at her once again, her eyes glistening and shining with hope.
"You'll help me?"
"I'll help you."
"With makeup, too?"
"With makeup, too. But not too much, you're still a kid," she said as she affectionately pinched Rin's dimpled cheek.
Jumping away from her, Rin stood aside so that Kagome could work her magic. If only just for tonight she would let her pick out her outfit and makeup.
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A/N: Welcome to my second Inu Yasha fanfic! I just started writing this about a month ago and cleaned it up a bit. Let me know what you think in your reviews and kindly fave and follow this story for future story updates!
Always,
Yours Anonymous