Chapter Three

Where am I... Rin looked around in the pitch darkness. It was cold and dark, like a void. It felt like it was freezing, but Rin wasn't cold. She wasn't warm either though, and she couldn't see a thing. She asked aloud, her voice resounding over nothing, "I can't see... Where... Am I...?"

"Rin."

Rin whipped around to look for where the voice came from. She recognized the voice immediately and called out hesitantly, "Masamune?" She looked around but could still only see the dark.

"Rin."

Again, she heard her name, but she couldn't find the source of the voice. She asked, "Masamune, where are you? I can't... I can't see..."

"Rin, come here."

Rin looked frantically around her, unable to see. "Where? I don't know where to go."

The voice became fainter, as if the speaker where leaving and Rin began to panic. "No, Masamune, don't go! Please, don't leave me!"

She looked across the way, and suddenly, she could see him. Masamune stood calmly, not too far from her. He grinned and she could feel her heart race immediately. "I'm not leaving you, Rin." He motioned for her and said calmly, "Come on, let's go."

Rin started running to him, but instead of getting closer, he was getting farther and farther away and Rin was sent back into a panic mode. She tried running, faster and faster, but she just couldn't keep up with him. She stretched her hand out to him as she shouted, "Wait, please! Wait for me!"

His previously outstretched hand suddenly dropped and he promptly turned his back on her as he began walking away. He said in a disappointed voice, "I can't, Rin."

"Wait, Masamune!" Rin shouted as she tried running faster. "I'll keep up with you, I can! So please, just wait-" Rin tripped and fell on her face, sliding a few feet on the frictionless surface. The ground was cold as ice on Rin's cheek, and it sent a stinging pain but she ignored it, keeping her eyes solely on Masamune's disappearing form. She wanted to shout out to him again, but she'd lost the strength and could only sit up on knees, too tired to even reach out anymore to his non-existent form. She could feel warm tears run down her cheeks as she whispered brokenly, "Masamune... Please... Don't go."


"Rin..." A hand shook Rin's shoulder, attempting to wake her up but Rin shook her head in her sleep.

She muttered, "No... Don't... Go..."

Wondering whether she meant him or not, Masamune told her bluntly, "I'm right here, moron." Masamune tried a few more seconds of shaking her awake, but finally he sighed, giving up on trying to wake Rin up nicely. He shouted in her ear, "Oi, Rin, wake up, dammit!"

That got her up instantly. She shot up so quickly her head collided with Masamune's and they both shot back.

"You were having a nightmare again," he told her, still rubbing his forehead. "God, your head is like a cannonball you know. I should probably go to the hospital, because I think I may have a concussion."

"Well, yours isn't exactly a pillow either!" she shot back as she mirrored his movements.

"Tch," he snorted. They took a moment to wait for the pain to go down when he said more seriously, "You were tossing and turning for ages, you woke even me up."

"Again..." she muttered. It was always the same dream every time lately, she didn't know why she felt so surprised about it. It was like watching a horror movie over and over, but still never quite getting used to when the bad guy started his terror. But, in this case... Who was the bad guy?

"What were you dreaming about, anyway? You kept muttering something like, 'don't go' and 'don't leave me' and it was kind of freaking me out, you know? And I'm used to your weirdness." Masamune laughed lightly.

Rin was silent as she thought to herself.

Masamune's face turned more seriously as he asked with slight concern, "Oi, Rin, are you even listening?"

"Meat buns," she finally said.

"….Hah?..." Masamune asked, unsure if he heard correctly.

Rin sighed and said mock woefully, "I was dreaming about meat buns. You see, I was really hungry because we never ate last night since you were so tired, and since I can't cook, well, I had to live off left overs."

"Are you trying to tell me something? They aren't even in season you know."

"What are you talking about?" she asked cheerfully, "It's February. It's not too late, besides, it's never too late for meat buns."

"Hai, hai… I thought you were a watermelon and strawberry fan...

"I am~, but I like meat buns just as much," she said cheerfully.

He waved her comment away in disbelief. He lay back down and closed his eye as he turned on his side and yawned, "I can't believe you can even think about food at this time of day. It's, like, eight at night."

Rin glanced at the clock on the table bedside the bed and she snorted when she replied, "Masamune, it's almost 9:30 in the morning. You're still on the American clock."

"Eight at night," was all Masamune said back.

"And are you honestly telling me you went to bed at eight at night every night when you were gone?" Masamune didn't answer so Rin told him promptly, "Liar."

"Well, some nights…" he started to say.

Rin cut him off to snort and accuse, "You are such a liar you can't even look me in the eye when you say that." She poked him in the back and he groaned.

"I'm tired," was all he said. He'd turned to rest on his back and put the pillow over his face.

Rin laughed, finally escaping the clutches of her previous dream after their light banter. "In any case," she stretched and dangled her legs off the side of the bed, "I need to get up and go to work. It's late enough as it is." She was about to slide off when a pair of arms slid around her waist.

Masamune pressed his forehead against the curve of her back and groaned, "No, staaay, Rin. It's too early for you to go. Besides, it's Saturday." Rin made a noise that was half-squeak half-gasp as he pulled her back until he could pin her down by the waist and hold her like a body pillow.

They stayed like that for a few moments as the process settled into Rin's head and her face slowly came to a boiling point. "M-M-Masamune, k-knock it off, this is-"

"Shameless, right?" he snorted as he predicted her next words, his eye remaining shut the whole time. "Honestly, what are you? Thirteen? We're adults now you know, so it's not that big of a deal."

Rin stuck her tongue out at him and told him frankly, "Actually, I'm still nineteen for your information."

"But still not a minor anymore."

Rin could practically feel him smirk with glee and she resisted taking his pillow and smothering him, the little bastard. Barely even a whole week in Japan and he'd already reminded her of what a troublesome brat he could be. Rin had kind of hoped he would grow out of that phase by the time he came back, but obviously not. Masamune was as Masamune is. Honestly.

Rin sighed, quickly realizing that he wasn't going to let her go until he had his way. She briefly thought back to her dream; how she'd been so heartbroken as she watched Masamune walk away from her, leaving her in the darkness on her own… "Wait, please! Wait for me!" "I can't, Rin."

Finally, she gave in as she grumbled half-heartedly, "Fine, but only for today."

Masamune grinned.


In the following week of Masamune's return, Masamune was exhausted; like, totally drained, which sounds unusual for him. Because of the vast time difference between the U.S and Japan, Masamune often pulled all-nighters because of his inability to fall asleep at the correct time.

He was given about two weeks' worth of break before he had to go back to school, but it wasn't nearly enough time to get back into a normal sleeping pattern. Rin would sometimes get up in the middle of the night only to find him still awake and working on his laptop at the kitchen table. Although he wasn't back in school officially, apparently he had already been assigned an essay to type out that would be due by the time he got back. Most of the assignments he got were like that.

Masamune's things from the U.S were coming back in bits and pieces, and Rin had moved in what little things she owned as well, so the apartment was almost completely furnished. They decided to turn one of the guest rooms into a study room, but sometimes Masamune decided to work at the kitchen table or the couch for a "change of scenery".

Rin would sometimes sit by his side to keep him company. If she fell asleep though, she could always count on her waking up in bed the next morning…

While he was at home, Rin would be working at Kanon's old store. She wouldn't say she took Kanon's place per say, but Rin did uphold her previous boss's position while she was 'away'. Despite everyone else's pessimism, Rin held onto a strong hope that Kanon was still alive somewhere.

Working Kanon's job though, taught Rin how hard Kanon really worked. Back in high school, Rin only ever saw Kanon lazing around the shop despite the dozens of job requests Rin brought her, but now Rin wondered how Kanon managed to make time to do that. It took Rin just about every day all day to do just half the work Kanon used to complete. Some nights, Rin came home late because of all the work she had to finish and Kanon used to be able to complete every single job in record timing and still have time for everything else.

Not that Rin completely minded. As much as she wanted to be with Masamune, coming home late ensured that she wouldn't have to go to sleep with him. As one could imagine, Rin wasn't particularly happy with the sleeping arrangements. Rin thought she would only have to share a bed with Masamune until his was shipped from the U.S, but even when it did come, she wasn't given that luxury. Masamune had ordered her to be by his side when they slept, again throwing out that not-so-subtle threat of taking Kanon's shop away from her. It got to the point where it was practically a joke now, but one Rin didn't want to test the patience of.

Rin knew he'd never really take Kanon's precious shop away from her, but she didn't doubt that he'd make her do something awful if she didn't listen to him otherwise.

Like Masamune, Rin was also having trouble getting to sleep at a proper time on some nights. She was a light sleeper by nature, but having Masamune right there made it about ten times worse, and now with this dream, sleeping became nearly impossible.

It was odd though, after all, there had been a few occasions in the past that Masamune had slept beside her, so why was it that Rin was so nervous? Her anxiety seemed even worse now than it had been then, if that was even possible.

For God's sake, she wasn't some goddamn love-sick, hormonal teenager anymore, so being near Masamune shouldn't make her feel so much like one. Or, maybe it was because they weren't teenagers anymore… As adults, they didn't have the restrictions like they used to.

Masamune had always been a promiscuous son of a gun, but he'd managed to tone it down for Rin's sake. Despite sleeping together, Rin had absolutely refused having sex with him while in high school, but now… Rin was only nineteen, but she wasn't young enough or in high school to use that excuse anymore. As far as Masamune was concerned, he figured she was more than adult enough now to be like one.

Rin didn't want to think about it.

She heaved a sigh as she stirred about a whole jarful of sugar into her coffee. It seemed to be all she drank in the mornings lately. She winced as she tried sipping the hot liquid. Bitter. She put in about another jar's worth of sugar and then plugged her nose and swallowed everything. Still tasted bad.

She made a face when a voice told her, "Your face is going to freeze if you make a face like that so much."

Rin snorted as she rolled her eyes and told Masamune, "Oh shut up. I make this face at you all the time and it doesn't seem to have had too much of an effect."

Masamune laughed and teased, "It must be your natural face then." He kissed her quickly across the counter and made a face of his own, "Ick, too sweet. How much sugar do you put in there? You'll attract ants and dentists."

"Not enough." Rin made another face.

"Agree to disagree." Rin was surprised by the fact that Masamune wasn't a fan of sweet things. He told her it happened back when he was eight, he'd accidentally eaten a few sticks of Kanon's Pocky, and boy, did she teach him a lesson about eating Pocky negligently. The experience stopped him from eating sweet things period.

Rin laughed with him and noticed that he'd changed out of his night clothes (just a pair of loose pants and a thin sweater) into a blue mid-length sleeved shirt and jeans. His casual clothes. Rin raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Are you… Going out somewhere?"

"Yeah," he answered, pretending to wipe his tongue and making a big show of trying to brush his teeth with his finger, "With you."

Rin blinked for a second before replying, "What for? I'm going to work."

"So?"

"…So…? Rin trailed off in confusion. "Why do you want to come? This is the first time all week you've shown any interest in going out to meet the sun."

"Completely untrue," Masamune snorted, suddenly dropping his act. "It's just the first time all week I've shown any interest in seeing the sun before noon." Rin laughed with him and finally he said, "I wanted to go out with you to see Kanon-sama's store… It's been a few years, after all." He traced a finger lightly on the counter, almost nostalgic and Rin nodded in understanding.

"Ah, that makes sense."

"And anyway," he grinned, "It wouldn't be a bad thing to see you there working for once."

Rin rolled her eyes with a slight smile as she headed out the door and countered, "Well, same to you."


Sendai was always busy, 24/7, like the City that Never Sleeps, but it was especially packed in the mornings, when people were rushing to work. Even more so now, during these times of Oda Nobunaga's long put out of business.

During the final 'territory war' at the end of April three years ago, Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura had finally gotten the jump on the great "Devil King" and, working together, they seemed to have managed to put him out of commission. No one really knew what happened to him, only that he had disappeared from sight and was never heard from since.

The gun industry he had been ruling over, along with the schooling district, were taken over by minor groups and a sort of 'peace' had begun. Or, as peaceful as a city that still clung to its old fashioned ways of samurai and shinobi could get.

The 'business' world was nothing but a cover for the real politics. Territory amongst the whole of Japan was still settled through skills of the blade and tested for a total of one month every year. Flights were cancelled temporarily for these three weeks in summer and one in spring, and the fights taken outside the area.

But lately, such needs for these acts of violence, ever since the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven had disappeared, were unnecessary. Clans such as the Takeda and Uesugi or Date and Sanada still butt heads from time to time, but nothing nearly as life threatening as the times of Oda. For once, it really seemed like the times of old were starting to die down and be put to rest.

So Rin hoped.

At the time of the wars' peak, she had still been in high school and Kanon's apprentice, and by Kanon's orders for her own reasons, Rin had never been allowed to join these battles, not that she was jealous. She'd been in enough of the skirmishes in Kanon's place to be smart enough not to wish for anything more. Rin didn't much like fighting. No, Rin was happy as a clam just staying undercover as an odd jobs antique store owner. That was hectic enough of a life for her.

The bell above the door jingled in its welcoming way as Rin opened it. She dumped her things on the counter in front of where Kanon always used to lounge. Rin tapped the desk twice out of habit, something she'd always do on her way in to wake Kanon up if she was asleep or get her attention if Kanon was in the 'back rooms', even as far from the main room as it was. Kanon always had a way of hearing things no matter where she was, in the shop or otherwise.

Rin got to work immediately, already doing her daily chores of cleaning the shop up and organizing things as Masamune meandered around, seemingly in a trance. He paused to look at everything he remembered, everything he hated, everything he thought would be better off thrown away (which included, well, almost of everything).

Even switching ownership, the shop hadn't changed in the least. Masamune went to the backroom where Kanon always used to rest. To the left was a white door with a black dot and to the right was a black door with a white dot. The white door belonged to Kanon's room and the black one, Suzume's. In the center was the same futon overlooking the small courtyard, seemingly too big to belong on the small patch of land the antique store claimed.

Masamune sighed. The place was the same as ever… And yet… It felt more foreign than the U.S did, without Kanon prowling about.

He was about to go back to the front to wander again when his eye caught a picture frame, sitting on Kanon's futon. It looked well cleaned; Rin must have set it there, though where she'd gotten the photo, he had no idea.

He walked up to it and picked it up to study it. The frame was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand and was a picture from the first time they'd all gone south for the summer, the first year of Rin's apprenticeship. Kojurou and Suzume stood beside each other in the back like a pair of worried geese as Kanon grinned that wild sort smirk she always had and her arms full with the two as she tried to bring them close. Masamune and Motonari were clearly looking peeved at each other and Rin stood between the two; her arms held in a sort of surrendering position, as if to prevent any fight that might erupt or to settle the two down. Talk about a group of misfits for a formal photo.

Masamune chuckled quietly to himself; honestly, it was the most family oriented photo he'd ever had. He stared at Kanon's face almost sadly though. She looked so lively and happy; but if he'd known how sick she really was back then…

He gripped the photo tightly. It wasn't like he could have done anything even if he had known, but… He could have at least listened to Kanon and not given her so much strife… Well, maybe not, but still. He couldn't admit it, but he loved Kanon, and the way she said her last good-bye to him showed that she loved him too, but the thought that she didn't trust him enough to handle her illness or give her some sort of solace… He didn't want to think that.

"Hey," Rin's voice pierced the stillness behind Masamune and he jumped slightly, a strange feeling of unnecessary guilt somehow settling on him, as if he were caught doing something he shouldn't have. She cocked a brow at him and asked with concern, "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost or something."

"I'm fine."

Rin looked down at his hand and noticed the photo he was clutching. Her face brightened instantly as she said, "Oh, you found the photo huh? Isn't it nice? I found it while I was cleaning some of the drawers at Kanon's desk, I think she really cherished it." After all, it was stuck in with all her guns and puppet tools, Rin thought inwardly. Talk about a 'treasure chest'.

"Yeah…" Masamune replied slowly. They looked at it together silently when the door could clearly be heard being opened from the front.

"Rin-sensei! Oooiii, you in here, Rin-senseii?"

"Back here!" Rin suddenly called. "I'll be out there in a sec!"

The other voice muttered but could somehow clearly be heard saying, "Tch… Probably slacking or something…"

Masamune looked down at Rin and asked with amusement, "Sensei?"

"Ehe…" Rin giggled slightly, poking her tongue out childishly as her cheeks turned slightly pink. "I guess you could call her my 'apprentice' of sorts. It's like Kanon-sama and I all over again, except now I play the role of Kanon-sama. Ironic, huh."

"Hm…" Masamune smirked with amusement. He ruffled her hair teasingly as she tried brushing it off and he slipped the picture frame into his jeans. It wasn't meant to be secretive, and honestly, even Masamune barely noticed what he was doing, but for some reason he had that irresistible need to take this photo, as if Kanon wanted him to have it. It was like she was telling him to keep it, like how she always forced things onto people when she was around. Rin would understand.

"In any case," Masamune started leaving the backroom and Rin followed, "I guess I should be going."

"Oh? You aren't staying to work?" Rin said sarcastically, "What a surprise."

Masamune grinned and said, "Well, Kanon-sama isn't here, so no, I don't think I will." The two walked to the front room to meet a young girl of about 15, the same age as Rin when she first became Kanon's apprentice, and she blinked in surprise at Masamune.

She stared at Masamune unabashedly, checking him out before asking in disinterest, "Who's this?"

"Oh, um… Maka, meet Date Masamune. Masamune, meet Maka. Masamune is my… My b-b….boy…" Rin turned a deep red before coughing out undiscernibly, "Boyfriend."

Maka and Masamune stared each other down, neither seemingly about to give in to the other. Masamune said easily, "Yo."

"Hi," Maka said as shortly. Masamune smirked but Maka only glared. Her temper was as fiery as her light red hair, and her gold eyes burned with it as proof.

Finally, Masamune turned to Rin and commented, "Interesting brat you've got."

Maka gaped at him before shouting, "What was that, you one-eyed-"

Rin clamped her hand over Maka's mouth before smiling innocently and asking, "Isn't she? I think she's cute." Maka struggled against Rin at first before finally settling down and settling with a hard glare at Masamune's smirking face.

"Anyway, I'll see you later, Rin."

"Sure," Rin finally released Maka as Masamune started leaving, Maka shooting her tongue out at his back.

Masamune paused and turned, as he said upon remembering, "Oh yeah, do you have some paper and something to write with that I can borrow?"

Maka's tongue disappeared as quickly as it had come before Masamune could see and Rin replied in confusion, "Sure, but why?…"

"Just hand it over."

Rin did as she told and then watched as Masamune wrote down what seemed to be a list of things. When he finished, he handed it to her and said, "See you." Rin studied the list curiously as Maka glared again at Masamune's back, when just as he was half-way out the door, he sent one quick look over his shoulder back at Maka.

He stuck his tongue out her as far as it could go, just as she had when she thought he wasn't looking…. And smirked. Maka turned deep red in disgust as he walked off, clearly heard laughing along the way.

She glared at where he had been before sticking her tongue out defiantly again and calling, "Mooo-rooon."

Amidst Maka's insults at Masamune, Rin asked curiously, "Hey, Maka."

"What," Maka asked in a huff. "Rin-sensei, did you see that man?! He stuck his tongue out at me like a child! The nerve! Are you sure he's an adult?"

Rin giggled and said, "Well, I'm not quite sure I'd go so far as to call him that, but Masamune is Masamune. In any case, take a look at this list for me. He wrote down a bunch of ingredients down for me to get on the way home, but I'm not quite sure what he plans on making."

"Crap, probably," Maka said bluntly.

Rin laughed again, shoving the paper towards the pink-haired girl, "Oh, no. Believe it or not, but Masamune is actually a very good cook. Better than me, at least."

"Well, that's not saying much," Maka muttered, rolling her eyes before turning her attention to the paper. She took a moment to go over them carefully before saying slowly, "Aren't these ingredients for meat buns…?"


"I'm home..." Rin called tiredly as she took her shoes off in front of front door. It was late by the time Rin got back home. As soon as she walked in the door she saw Masamune asleep at the table with the laptop open, as if he had been working and had just lay his head down for a short rest, but promptly fell asleep waiting for her instead.

Rin smiled and refrained from laughing too loud. Instead, she quietly took off her shoes and coat and tip-toed to their room. She grabbed the blanket off the bed and came back to wrap it carefully around his broad shoulders.

He moved slightly in his sleep and Rin froze after jumping in her skin slightly. She was afraid that she might have disturbed him, but then she relaxed when she remembered how heavy a sleeper Masamune actually was, and went back to what she was doing.

She put the blanket delicately over him and kissed him gently on the cheek before whispering, "Good night, Masamune." She brushed his cheek softly and then left to get ready for bed herself.


A/N: Kanon. Is. Not. Gone. I will not allow her to leave this series! She was/is my favorite character! And there is still so much to learn about her!
Anyway, it's kind of early, but I decided to introduce Maka as a character. Like in my first series, A Dragon and His Shadow, Maka is Rin's apprentice and is in a bit of a need for an attitude adjustment. Though, she wasn't nearly this feisty in my first series, haha, and she never actually met Masamune either because back then, she'd defected from Rin's army after a slight misconception and... Well, anyway, you'd have to actually read it to understand. :)
Oh yeah, and "Sendai" is actually the modern name of "Oushuu" (I think), the area Masamune really ruled over. So, yeah.

Thanks for reading,
Jackal