Timeline: The Present - August -
Jinpachi Ogura had given up on the lovely Alice Sakaguchi when he finally realized that he had never had a chance with her, and probably never would. He was twenty-one years old when he'd made this realization. He had fallen in love with her when he was seventeen. Baka, was the only word that came to mind. For four years he had desired her, pursued her, and declared his love for her...a love that he told her, time and again, far surpassed the false love Shion had for her, for Mokuren. It hadn't mattered how he'd address it, Mokuren...Alice...they were one and the same.
"I'm not Mokuren!" Alice had once snapped at him. He could only stare at her, shocked by her uncharacteristic outburst. "I can't be her. How is it that you can be so certain I am? You speak of her as this perfect being, as something beyond reach, but I am neither of those things. I am only human."
Despite her words, he had failed to understand her. He could only see perfection. Mokuren...Alice...she was not a mere woman to him. She surpassed all that, she was not one of them...she was better than them. The sins of humanity could not touch her.
And yet, Shion had.
He had touched her heart. For some strange reason, Shion intrigued her. She was so easily crushed by his cruelty as she was easily moved by his false charms and consuming rage. Jinpachi had sensed from her an empathy for him, as if they shared a common bond. It enraged him even more to think just how Shion had misused her kindness and thoughtfulness for him...
He had dared to touch her.
"Shion took Mokuren by using violence," he recalled telling her, "He raped Mokuren!"
Shion could only hurt her. And yet she loved him.
And Rin, he...
But all that was behind them.
The past was becoming lost to them after all these years of dwelling in it and struggling to recapture it. Perhaps that was a good thing,...for all of them.
Issei Nishikiori spotted Sakura standing between a tree and a park bench with her back to him and her arms folded across her chest. Ten minutes late... He could tell by her stance that she had grown impatient waiting for him. He almost laughed out loud just thinking about how patient she had been with him all those years ago. It probably hadn't helped that he had been oblivious to her feelings as well. It was a characteristic he associated more with Issei than Enju. Enju probably would have seen through Sakura right away. They'd been friends for far too long to keep such secrets from each other.
The wind began to pick up as he walked toward her. Issei couldn't help but take notice as her skirt swayed, brushing against the curves of her legs, or how her hair blew to one side, dancing in the wind's current. It amazed him to think just how beautiful she was. After all these years she was still beautiful to him. When he came within a few feet from her, Issei instinctively slowed his pace and was careful not to make a sound as he crept up behind her.
Slowly...slowly...
Then, before she could understand what had occurred, Issei wrapped his arms around her and held her in a warm embrace. Sakura was noticeably startled at first, but within moments she eased herself into his arms and rested her head against his.
He loves me...
"You're late, you know." She finally uttered, her body still nested in his embrace.
He smiled. "I know."
"Hmm...and still, I don't detect an apology."
"Yeah." He nuzzled her hair, "but then we wouldn't have moments like these," he answered. He slid his arms down and wrapped them around hers like a shield.
"You always forget to bring a sweater. You'll freeze."
Sakura smiled. "Not if you keep holding me. Why do you think I even dated you in the first place? I was in college, sweaters were expensive...you do the math."
"You're terrible, you know that?"
Sakura laughed. She turned her body to face his, she was no longer pressed up against him but she made certain to remain close enough to take in his warmth. Issei dropped his arms and rested his hands on her hips.
"So what took you so long?" Sakura inquired.
"It was Jin, he called me up to let me know that he'll be returning to Tokyo."
Jinpachi Ogura. Just a few years ago the mention of that name made her uneasy. Issei had taken his rejection so hard. Enju's love for that man had been so unshakable, even knowing that she could never reside in his heart the way Mokuren did. She could never be more than the women in his bed, she was never a part of him, even though he was everything to Enju. Issei knew that. He was not as blindly faithful as Enju had been, but that didn't put his heart at any more ease. His own feelings had betrayed him. As his confidante and best friend, Sakura came to know all these things, Issei's feelings for Jinpachi, Enju's feelings for Gyokuran. How little things had changed, except Issei was now a man. Only this time her feelings for Issei, her empathy, compassion, concern, and her closeness and admiration for him had changed into something more.
How is it that I came to love you? It had always been a mystery to Sakura, but somehow it had occurred before she could even realize what had happened.
Issei stared at the top of Sakura's head as she grew silent. He knew she was lost in thought again. It always happened whenever he brought up Jin's name, then for a brief moment she would lose herself in the past. Issei brought his hand up to her face and caressed her cheek. He ran his fingers across her jaw line before gently pulling her chin up. Sakura looked up at his eyes questioningly. Issei smiled and leaned down to meet her in a kiss. He felt himself tickled a bit as Sakura slowly slid her arms inside his unzipped jacket and wrapped them around his waist. Several moments passed before Issei finally pulled away.
"Hmm?" Sakura opened her eyes slowly, a little disappointed to break the kiss so soon.
"You were going to tell me something, baka. Or have you already forgotten?"
Sakura shook herself back into reality.
"Oh, that's right. I called you to meet me here."
"So?"
Sakura grinned, "Well...."
"I'm waiting." Issei knew Sakura's song and dance by now. She always took pleasure in delaying news. She enjoyed watching others grow anxious and impatient, but mostly she liked to it when it was Issei who was at the receiving end of her little game. But today he had no intention of letting her win.
"I'm not sure if I should say anything after all..." Sakura taunted.
"Fine. I'm gone." Issei began to turn away when Sakura suddenly grabbed him arm to stop him and wrapped her arms around around his shoulders, burying her face in his neck.
"Please don't go." She begged.
Issei was surprised by her sudden seriousness. He wrapped his arms around her waist.
"It's okay, don't get upset. I was only joking. I just thought I would play your game too...Sakura?" Issei felt his neck grow hot and wet. "Sakura? Are you crying?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm so emotional. It's not like anything is wrong." Issei could feel her warm breath on his ear as she spoke. She laughed, "I was just so excited and I didn't know how to say it, but..."
Sakura paused a moment and dropped her voice to a whisper.
"You're gonna be a Daddy."
Rin waited at the Passenger Pick up area of the Airport, leaning against the side of Issei's car. He had it on loan while he went to pick up Ogura Jinpachi from the airport as a favor to Issei Nishikiori. Not to say that he wasn't looking forward to meeting up with his old rival once again. Actually, he looked forward to it. Ten years had passed since he first met him--Jinpachi who had once been a hated enemy and a threat to his relationship with Alice. The Gyokuran persona had become very integral to Jinpachi's current self which is probably why Rin still found himself resenting him. But those feelings would pass. Still--controlling his emotions still took some effort. Shion's memories were very much a part of his current self. Although he knew he was Rin, much of his maturity came from Shion's past.
"There are times that I don't know where Rin ends and Shion begins," he'd once told Alice, standing with her in the balcony of her parent's apartment. "Would I still be me if I had never remembered Shion?"
There had been silence for a long stretch of time before Alice finally spoke up. Her eyes had been transfixed by the moon which was half in darkness.
"It's not so easy with us, Rin-kun. We've experienced some very extraordinary things....You were the one who knew I was Mokuren long before I finally let myself remember. Before I even had those memories, you knew me. Maybe there is always a part of us that lingers."
Alice had moved closer to the fourteen year old. She stood behind him and hesitantly set her hand on his shoulder.
"But then, what does that say about us, Alice?" Rin had turned around as soon as he felt her touch his shoulder. He took her hand in his and caressed it, tracing the lines of her palm with his fingers. Alice blushed and looked away. "It was Mokuren and Shion's love that brought us together. It scares me sometimes, to think that is the only reason why you're with me." Alice looked up at Rin. Rin had known that his words had surprised her. He recalled her looking as though she wanted to speak, but he knew she'd been too agitated by his touch.
Sometimes she makes it feel like it's so wrong to touch her.
Rin pulled her hand up to his lips and gently kissed her palm. Alice gasped softly, startled by Rin's actions.
"Rin, please--"
Rin let go of her hand and turned away from her. "I'm sorry, I've made you uncomfortable."
"Rin, it's not--"
"It's okay. You still can't see me as a man. I understand that. But that also scares me, Alice. Sometimes I think that you will never be able to see me as one."
Even now as the seventeen-year-old Rin looked up at a plane ascending into the sky, he could still hear remnants of that conversation that had occurred several years ago.
"But you're still so young, Rin. There's no need to make yourself grow up so fast..." Rin closed his eyes and tilted his head back in exasperation. The sunlight felt so hot on his fully exposed face.
Alice, you are so stupid sometimes.
Jinpachi was exhausted. The long flight hours, airport security, and finally baggage, it all amounted to a dire need for sleep. Yet he still had the ride home to look forward to. Jinpachi set down his suitcase and his carry on bag and felt relief come to his body from the loss of the excess weight. Small crowds of people rushed passed him, seeking out family, friends, and taxicabs. Jinpachi also tried to find a familiar face in the crowd, but saw no one. He had no clue who would be picking him up from the airport, he only knew they'd be picking him up in Issei's car. Damn it! What Kinda car did Issei drive again? He picked up his baggage and moved through the crowd again, walking up and down the pick up platform when he finally saw him.
God. Is it really him?
The young man stood leaning against a black car just fifteen feet ahead of him. It had been years since he'd last seen him, but Jinpachi was sure it was him.
"Rin?"
The youth turned around. There was no mistaking it; he'd grown taller and his features had become more defined, but it was unmistakably him.
"Rin Kobayashi. It's been ages. Looks like you've finally grown up."
Rin smirked. "Yeah, so have you."