"If there were no cherry blossoms in this world
How much more tranquil our hearts would be in Spring."

-Ariwara no Narihira (825-880)

April 2 Saturday

RIN

The typical weekend started at 4am with Higurashi Ojiisan beginning the morning chants; the younger priests and priestesses cleaning the shrine in anticipation of the large crowd for the day.

Though she didn't have a hangover, Rin still felt a little sluggish as her senpai and adoptive sister Kagome dragged her off her futon. "Ohayo Rin-chan! You're on cooking duty this morning so hurry! You know how Ojiisan gets cranky without his tea."

Water was splashed on her face and Rin vaguely registered Kagome stuffing her into the simple shrine uniform of cotton wraparound pants and a blouse.

"How do you ever look so gorgeous this early in the morning Kagome?" Rin stifled a yawn as she rubbed her eyes. "Did you go to sleep in that Miko outfit?"

That earned her a tap on the head. "Don't be silly. Yours is hanging in the room. Change once everyone has finished breakfast. We're manning the amulet booth together today so I want to hear all about last night!"

Rin sulked as she dragged her feet to the kitchen. Kagome made it sound like the date was something out of a fairytale but if only she knew the truth! That hardass didn't even drop her a message after last night and if the three-day rule applied, then he would likely call her again on Monday – if she was lucky.

"He should take this more seriously!" she moaned to no one in particular, pushing the sliding door of the kitchen with a bit more force than necessary.

"Who should take what seriously Rin Onee-chan?" The gentle voice of a young man greeted her as the door was thrown wide open. Sota, Kagome's younger brother had already started cooking the rice porridge and from the vegetables already cut and boiled on the table, Rin was beyond late for her morning duties.

"Gomen ne Sota-kun! You've almost done everything, this is too much!" Snapping into work-mode, Rin tied her hair back and grabbed a spare apron. "Shall I at least prepare the fish?"

Sota didn't answer but his eyes trailed slightly to the table behind Rin. Turning on her heels, Rin groaned again. "Sota-kun! You shouldn't have!" Perfectly portioned white fish had already been steamed and set in individual plates. Did this boy even sleep?

Cheeks blushing slightly, Sota hurriedly pointed to the daikon radishes on his chopping board. "Iye! I heard you had a long night so I didn't want to burden you. But… you can put these in the soup bowls if you'd like."

Sighing, Rin did as he suggested. Honestly these Higurashis were too kind-hearted. When her shabby orphanage had burnt down due to an arsonist, her then kendo club senpai had offered to put her up at her home for a few days. Somehow, the days stretched to weeks and soon Higurashi Ojiisan had insisted that Rin's name be added to the family's koseki.

Back then, Sota had only been nine; doe eyed and a whole head shorter than her. He had accepted her wholeheartedly as his new sister and never once treated her like an outsider.

He still retained that look of pure innocence and gentleness though but boy had he grown! Despite being four years younger, he now towered over her; his presence nearly taking up all the space in the small kitchen of theirs.

"So uh… ano… how was the date?" his voice trembled slightly. "I heard from Aneki…" he added quickly when Rin offered him a raised eyebrow.

"It's not a date! It's work!" Rin was almost growling as she ladled soup into bowls. Can't trust that Kagome one bit not to distort the truth. "And besides, a Miko is not supposed to be dating right?"

If his face could blush any redder, Sato would have burst out in flames. "We're not living in ancient times Onee-chan. And… and you're not a real Miko so… well…"

Patting his head, Rin laughed before pinching his cheek. "Sato-kun, you're too cute. I'm just joking! But Onee-chan doesn't think dating is in it for her just yet. There's still so much I want to do." Releasing her hold on him, she smiled. "And you? Are you dating anyone? You know you can tell me right? Or if you need help, I can even match make you with a nice girl for free."

Hands covering his face, Sato turned his back towards her and pretended to be busy stirring the cooked porridge.

"Ah-ah! There is someone. Tell me, tell me." She was practically jumping up and down behind him. The last time Sato had a crush on someone was in middle school and Kagome had had a hand in that. Ever since then, he hadn't really gone out with anyone so unless he was pledging the life of a celibate monk, Rin hoped that he would find someone too.

"Whoever marries you is very lucky Sato-kun. You're intelligent and kind and best of all, you are an amazing cook…" Rin stuck her tongue out at the row of white-only dishes before her. "Anyone who can make daikon, yam, rice, white fish and tofu appetizing is seriously a cooking-kami."

That started another round of blushing and teasing between the two, so much so that by the time breakfast was over, Sato immediately ran off to escape her clutches. He probably would be getting ready to sound the shrine drum anyway so best not to rile the poor boy's nerves.

After dressing in her traditional Miko outfit, Rin met with Kagome who had already prepared the range of protective amulets out for sale. "Since you're late, you can help to write the charms on those." She jerked a finger at the pile of wooden planks behind her.

"My calligraphy stinks." Unlike other shrines that mass-print their home protection charms, Higurashi-jinja chose to do retain the old method of painstakingly writing them.

"It's beautiful. Stop trying to get out of it," chided Kagome, pushing the ink and brush towards Rin. "Besides, I heard from Sota that your date isn't a date. Explain."

Rin held her brush mid-air. "So I'm being punished for being late and being mysterious?" At Kagome's smile, Rin burst out laughing herself. "Only because I love you and I owe you for leaving the backdoor open last night…"

Ojiisan had insisted that if anyone needed to stay out past 11pm, they would have to either sleep outside the gates or find somewhere else for the night. Being given a choice like that while in the presence of Triple H was like a death wish.

"So what's the Oshiro heir like? I've seen photos of him in the papers and he is so dashing!"

Rin let out a gust of breath from the corner of her lips. "If he wasn't a client, I'd have walked out within a minute. Whenever we meet, he always speaks as if he's the smartest one in the room. Oh he'd be extremely polite of course but that snide look in his eyes – you just know he's trying to insult you." Rin jabbed the end of her brush into the pot of ink in disgust. "He's looking for a bride but he's so picky I'm not sure if he actually wants to get married. I don't even know if he even likes women!"

"Whoa, that's a major accusation there Rin-chan!" Kagome took one of the amulets from the stand, whispered a small prayer and tucked it into Rin's haori folds. "This charm should rid you of such nasty thoughts."

Rin pulled out the amulet and winced. "Charm for love? Hey! I'm supposed to be helping him find love not fall in love with him." She tried to put it back on the display but Kagome slapped the top of her hand.

"Then give it to him. After all, it sounds like he seriously needs it."

As the morning flow of worshippers and visitors soon arrived, Rin and Kagome barely had time to talk about it again until it was nearly mid-day.

"Alright girls, you're free for the day. Thank you so much for your help!" Kagome's mother, dressed as a Miko herself had taken over the duties for the afternoon shift. "Sato's in the kitchen so if you want anything to eat, just let him know."

Bowing out respectfully, the two women made their way out of the stall.

"Ne Rin-chan, what are your plans today?" asked Kagome as they walked towards the main house. "I have a night shift at the hospital so I'm going to catch on some sleep. But if you want me to accompany you anywhere I'll ditch that –"

"No, you get some rest. I know you've been up earlier than me today." They had initially promised to go to the movies but a sudden change in the hospital's schedule had Kagome rostered for the next 48hours. Ah, the life of a medical intern.

"So, since I won't be seeing you until Monday… won't you at least tell me more about Mr I-can't-stand-him-although-he's-so-suave?" Kagome's eyes were full of laughter when Rin snarled at her. "Come on Rin… admit it. You think he's handsome too right? So what if he's annoying?"

Clearly defeated, Rin let out a slow breath. "Well… yes." Her system signaled an overload warning at her confession; the bells blinking red and a siren blasting in her ears. "He's really tall, maybe slightly more than Sota. Broad shoulders that fill his suit perfectly and incredibly long silvery-white hair that makes him look like an angel or something. But if I had to choose my favourite feature, I'd say it's his eyes. Amber eyes are such a rarity that looking at them reminds me of a precious gem!" Snapping out of her daze, Rin slapped the side of her cheeks repeatedly. "But they're full of malice! And nothing apart from his appearance is nice. So there, I've said it all!"

Shame was a five-letter word that she didn't know where to hide at the moment. Kagome on the other hand had clasped her hands tight; eyes shining in admiration. "Oh and you said he'd call you for another date right? He sounds so romantic!"

"My ass. He's just trying to torment me –"

"I believe a Miko shouldn't be cursing. Not after that delightful praise you had for me." That voice.

Turning carefully around, Rin had to raise her eyes from the kimono-clad chest of the man all the way up to those very amber eyes she had just admitted to liking earlier. "Sesshoumaru-san!" Shooing a grinning Kagome away, Rin took a step back herself to put some distance between them. "Ano… what are you doing here? And dressed like that?!" She flicked her finger up and down to the white kimono he was wearing.

"Is that how you speak to your valuable worshippers?" The long sleeves of his kimono crossed in front of his chest in mock disappointment. "I am legitimately here to visit the shrine and ask a fair shrine maiden to maybe bless me with some luck in love."

The only thing she wanted to bless him with was a broom to his head. Instead, she mirrored his posture and tilted her head away from him with a defiant huff. "No amount of charms would help you mister. Only sheer determination and the will power of this Nakado will save you," she pointed to herself. "Now, I shall leave you to your prayers. Have a good day."

She had barely taken two steps when a firm, warm hand tugged her backwards by the shoulders. "Matte!" Twirling her around to face him, Rin was about to complain when she saw his head bowed in a polite request. "Forgive me Rin-san. I am actually here to see you. I have a request."

/ / / /

SESSHOUMARU

To fulfill his request, he was willing to drag or carry her on his shoulders if he must. But first, Sesshoumaru would attempt the nice way – by asking. "I have a spot reserved in the park close to this shrine. Will you be so kind as to accompany me on this hanami?"

The Miko blinked her eyes rapidly as though trying to comprehend what he had just said. But as soon as her confusion cleared, Rin was all frowns. "What's the catch?"

"None. Just consider this part of your job." Tugging at her arm, he pulled the reluctant woman along, surprised at the amount of resistance her small frame could manage. "Weren't you the one who proposed to date me?"

"Hold up." This time, she managed to free her hand from his grasp. "I thought you were going to call me first? This feels almost like an ambush which means you're up to something. Spill it Oshiro-san."

Damn it! Why was she always this sharp? Those dark eyes of hers were narrowed and focused on him like a hawk zeroing in on its prey.

"Ah well you see… the Oshiro women of my family hold a Hanami party very Saturday in April. Since this is the first one, I've been forced to attend." It would have been fine if it was just his mother and the familial branch under her care. But for some unknown reason, Izayoi, his father's second and most favoured wife had chosen to turn up today as well. "It would ease my father's worries greatly if I were to attend with a woman in hand."

"I'm dressed as a Miko!"

"All the better!" Nothing like the idea of a pure, virginal maiden to aid the illusion. One look at Rin, Izayoi would definitely report the best to his father. All he needed to do was to make sure Rin didn't open her mouth.

The woman before him looked like she was debating furiously with herself; her eyes closed and brows deeply furrowed.

"Alright," she finally whispered, looking up at him with a finger in the air. "But! This seals the deal Oshiro Sesshoumaru-san. No backing out. I'm determined to get you married at the end of the month even if I have to personally tie you to the altar!"

"Hai, hai…" He had to usher her away from the main shrine, lest she allowed the whole world to know their embarrassing situation. For such a tiny woman, she sure had a loud mouth. "Just promise me you will not speak to anyone without my permission? We don't want anyone finding out about our... arrangements."

"I will promise no such thing." She flicked that long dark hair of hers on purpose. "I just need to behave like a perfect wife material right? Worry not my darling. I am actually really good at my job. Just show me the way."

He had a retort prepared for her but to his surprise; Rin wound her arm around his elbow, head leaning on his arm. This close, he could smell the sweet peachy scent of her shampoo and see for the first time the light dusting of freckles on her cheeks. On another day, he might have been repulsed at the casual way she claimed close contact but with the desperate circumstances…

"Ne, Rin... shall we uh, drop our honorifics just for today?"

"Why of course Sesshoumaru. We're supposed to be lovey dovey after all!" She gripped his arm tighter – more of a reminder that he was at her mercy than an act of affection. Sesshoumaru only hoped that this ruse of theirs would work. His mother had absolutely no interest in whom he chose to date but Izayoi on the other hand…

"Sesshoumaru-kun! I'm so happy you could made it and oh! Who is this beautiful young lady?" His stepmother offered a polite nod towards Rin. "I hope you didn't kidnap a random Miko from the shrine next door and paid her." Izayoi was laughing but Sesshoumaru could tell from her eyes that she knew he wasn't above doing such things.

"Of course not Izayoi-san. Let me introduce you to my date." Technically he wasn't lying.

Rin bowed at the waist before smiling brightly at her. "I'm Higurashi Rin. It's a pleasure to meet you Oshiro-san."

Izayoi flicked her eyes first at Sesshoumaru in suspicion before looking at Rin. "It's a pleasure to meet you my dear. But please, you can call me Izayoi. After all, it's not every day that Sesshoumaru introduces a woman to his family!" She gestured for Rin to sit next to her, much to his dismay. "But I have to ask – you are a Miko from the Higurashi Shrine aren't you?"

"Indeed I am, Izayoi-san. But only on the weekends. During the week, Sesshoumaru and I are work colleagues." That was stretching the truth a little but Izayoi's face immediately broke into a warm smile.

"That's wonderful to hear! I have been so worried that he wouldn't meet anyone to be honest with you. So Rin-san, I suppose your family has been taking care of the sakura trees in this park for generations?"

The women launched into a conversation about the shrine, cherry blossoms and poetry. Sesshoumaru was almost shocked that Rin could hold Izayoi's interest long enough that she hadn't even once asked about their relationship.

But true to her word, Rin was the perfect lady in front of his family. She had poured tea for his mother and Izayoi and even offered some to him, complete with his favourite mochi she had somehow unearthed from the piles of bento boxes in front of them.

"I know I always say I hate interfering with your life but… who is that girl Sesshoumaru?"

The quiet tone of his mother's words were only for his ears alone. Moving closer to where she was seated, Sesshoumaru poured a cup of sake for her and then one for himself. "She's actually really my date Haha-ue. I wouldn't have lied to Izayoi."

His mother's eyes lit up at the corners as though she saw right through him. "But you're not going to marry her. So this is just a temporary solution to appease the snake." She held out her empty cup for him to refill. "Such a commoner would not be suitable for you Sesshoumaru. Remember that."

He knew she wasn't talking about Rin per se for his father had not forbidden him from marrying someone outside of their social class. If anything, her words were directed more at Izayoi. Looking over at the pair of them, Sesshoumaru caught the wide eyes of Rin staring at him.

"Please excuse me Haha-ue. I do believe my date is in distress."

Slipping next to her, he immediately noticed how exhausted she looked from the blue bags under her eyes. Though she was still smiling, he hadn't missed the slight tremor in her fingers each time she poured another cup of sake or tea.

Looking down at his watch, Sesshoumaru decided that two hours was fair enough a time to put up with appearances. "Izayoi-san, it's been lovely meeting you today but Rin and I actually have plans for this afternoon. Would you excuse us please?"

Without waiting for her reply, Sesshoumaru grabbed Rin by her hand and whisked her away from his family. "Have you eaten anything at all today except tea and sake?" he scolded, the moment they were away from anyone's hearing range.

"You did kidnap me at lunchtime!" she protested, pulling her hand away in annoyance. "And don't you think it's rude to leave in the middle of a conversation? Now the illusion's shattered."

Taking back her hand in his, Sesshoumaru led her towards the parking lot, ignoring the nagging woman beside him. "Get in. We're going for food. A proper one."

"But I'm still in my – "

Her words were cut short as he slipped in the car, using his body weight to push her aside. "What would you like to eat? Italian? French? Hmm, I know a good place where they make really good paella actually."

Rin didn't even pause a heartbeat."Tonkatsu-don."

"Pork cutlet rice? Are you even allowed to eat meat?" Sesshoumaru didn't remember the last time he had eaten that. Maybe in high school? Tapping a button by the side of his seat, he called to the driver through the privacy screen. "Jaken, take me to the nearest decent place that sells tonkatsu-don."

"Hai Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Satisfied that his partner in crime would be watered and fed soon, Sesshoumaru turned towards Rin, only to have her peer curiously at his face. "What?"

"Do you eat Japanese food?"

"Of course I do! I'm just not familiar with this area."

Never would he admit that he had slipped into his natural habit of bringing his dates to high class western restaurants. One look at Rin and he knew that she was completely aware of that. She might think him arrogant, but for him it was important to find out if his woman felt comfortable in unfamiliar surroundings. There was nothing more of a turn off than a woman who couldn't read the menu.

"You're holding your chopsticks wrongly." Her own set was lightly rapped on his knuckles. "Has no one taught you how?" When he shrugged, Sesshoumaru was surprised to find her soft fingers parting his gently as she tried to teach him how to grip the two wooden sticks properly.

"Stop nagging or else I'll complain to the high priest that you're binging on meat!" With that, he stuffed a piece of battered pork in her mouth. The Miko showed no remorse whatsoever as she chewed the offering happily.

"Oishi!" she crooned, reaching for the menu for the third time. "Now dessert! Oh look, they're all too sweet for you so all for me then!"

"Give me that!" Snatching the menu from her, Sesshoumaru frowned at all the traditional desserts of green tea ice-cream, mochi balls and red-bean paste. "Hah! Who says so? Macha ice cream isn't too sweet." Just to be sure, he also ordered a café latte to dunk the ice-cream in.

When their desserts came, Sesshoumaru learnt another weird thing about his matchmaker. For one, she had carefully scooped up all the tiny mochi balls and was eating the ice cream in a concentric manner.

"You don't like them?" he asked, pointing to the discarded balls.

"They're my favourite!" Rin had her eyes closed; a wide grin on her face as she ate a spoonful of ice-cream. "Don't you know the saying: Save the best for last?"

That didn't justify her weirdness so he reached across and popped a mochi into his mouth. "Delicious," he winked as her eyes grew wide with shock. So there began their battle for the remaining pieces of glutinous rice balls.

/ / /

RIN

Naturally she won. No one messed with her desserts unless they were in for serious pain.

"Rin-san, I don't know how you can eat so much when you're so thin." Sesshoumaru had balked at the bill when it arrived – not so much at the cost –but at the sheer amount of food she had ordered that rivalled a family of five. "Where does all that sugar disappear to?"

Rin gave him a sideward glance. "Well, when you have to run after clients who chase away their dates, you burn a lot of calories."

"Hey, it's not my fault that we're not compatible." Rin wasn't all too sure about that. So many times had she been certain that her match was exceedingly perfect for his background and personality but he consistently proved her wrong.

"Do you think we're approaching this task all wrong?" Rin hadn't considered it until just now when they were fighting over her food. "Maybe what you need is spontaneity – like our lunch today. Fixing a date just forces you to brace yourself and you end up too guarded. You enter the date knowing you're going to fight through it and I know how competitive you are - which is why you never let any of your dates leave unscathed."

Sesshoumaru who had been walking slightly in front of her came to a complete standstill; the hands he had been crossing slowly coming down to his sides. Had she struck a nerve?

Closing the gap between them, Rin looked up at the expressionless face of her client. "Would you like to try something?"

Those cold amber eyes dipped down to stare at her. "Depends."

"Let me set you up for a gokon –"

"No. Never in a million years." He started walking furiously away, causing Rin to break into a run to catch up. "Your job is to match me to the one. Not make me do all the work myself!"

She couldn't believe it. Oshiro Sesshoumaru had finally hit the mark with her. So all these time he hadn't been putting in any effort on his dates; simply sitting back and expecting a perfect woman to be served on a plate?

And damn him! She was already going above and beyond her job! Didn't he know that her office was closed on weekends? And yet here she was spending her off day as a stand-in date to appease his family and coming up with ideas to help him with his love life.

"I'll be there," she forced the words out as politely as she could. "It's an 'Archery in the Park' event so you're not obliged to speak to anyone if no one in the group date interests you. Take it as… a chance for me to observe you with others."

"No."

By now, Rin was out of breath for every one of his large strides was equal to almost three of her running steps. Unsure if she could keep up with his ridiculous pace, Rin did the only thing she could think of.

"Stop right there Sesshoumaru-san or else I'm pressing this button." Her phone was set to dial his father's personal line, the threat clear as she stared breathlessly at him.

"Don't you dare." Those cold eyes were devoid of emotion as he marched back towards her; firm hands closing tight over her wrist. "Do you think me a child you could threaten? I can have you out on the streets jobless and never able to find employment just like that. " He clicked his fingers for emphasis.

Though her heart was racing, Rin held her ground, staring up into those amber eyes with equal intensity. "Yes I do. If you truly do not need me, then go ahead and fire me." He'll soon find that no one else in the company had the balls to stand up to his incessant demands. And if he wanted to meet his father's dateline to be married by the end of the month, Sesshoumaru-san had to be an idiot to reject her idea this late in the game.

Snapping away from their locked staring match, he released her hand and stormed off, but not before reminding her exactly who held the reins in their relationship. "Suki ni shiro."

Rin was left flabbergasted and alone – a classic scene of the dejected lover.

/ / /

A/N: Translation: 'Suki ni shiro' is a phrase Sesshoumaru often use in the anime when telling Rin to 'Do what you want'. It is often used in a commanding (i.e. archaic) or condescending tone (naturally for Sesshy) so a more modern reading of this might be 'Suit yourself. I don't care.'

Ages: In the anime, Sota is 6 years younger than Kagome while Rin would be 7 years younger. But for the sake of the story, I've aged Rin slightly so that she is 4 years older than Sota. Also note that Rin had introduced herself as Higurashi Rin to follow Kagome's surname but at work, she reverts to her original family name which is Nakamura. Ahah, this is important for later developments!

I'm taking requests for where they should go next so let me know if you'd like Sess and Rin to go somewhere!