1Chapter 6: Life of the Married
"Rin," Izayoi called, "Inutaisho and I are going to start heading back. You've packed some of your belongings, right?"
"Um... what belongings?" Asked Rin blankly. She was exhausted from the night of festivities and she was not in the mood for anymore uninvited surprises.
"You're going to stay with Sesshomaru from tonight on aren't you?"
"Oh... I guess so." 'That's right! Sesshomaru and I are married so technically we would be expected to co-habilitate.'
"Don't worry about your other luggage, it'll be sent over by tomorrow the latest."
"Thank you for telling me Izayoi and for planning everything." Replied Rin, vaguely gesturing at the banquet hall. It was midnight and most of the guests had began to stream out of the room after bidding farewell to their hosts, Izayoi and Inutaisho.
"Don't mention it Rin, it was my pleasure." Izayoi smiled warmly and cast a glance at the clock adorning the wall of the banquet hall. "Oh, dear, look at the time, it's past midnight. Inutaisho and I ought to be heading home. I hope you and Sesshomaru both enjoy your first night together as a married couple." Izayoi remarked winking.
Rin felt a blush spread across her cheeks at Izayoi's suggestive tone. "Good night, then."
"I'll see you soon." Izayoi, caught Rin in a hasty embrace before pulling away to join her husband at the door where their limousine was waiting. Rin watched as Izayoi glided to her husband's side exchanging a short kiss with him before Inutaisho led his wife to the limousine hand in hand. A part of Rin truly envied Izayoi for being able to spend every day with the person she loved but Rin knew that she could only dream of that day.
Rin jumped in surprise as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Oh... it's only you," murmured Rin in relief, "what are you doing scaring me like that? You could have given me a heart attack."
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow calmly, "So?"
Rin met Sesshomaru's cold gaze. After frightening her horribly by placing a cold ghostly hand on her shoulder the only word he managed to say was "so". 'He really has no consideration towards others.' Thought Rin.
After a minute Sesshomaru broke the stare and turned away. "I'm heading home, I still have to work tomorrow morning but you're welcome to stay here if it's to your liking."
"What? Wait!" Rin walked after Sesshomaru as quickly as she could in two inch heels almost tripping over an abandoned champagne glass laying across the floor of the banquet hall. 'My definition of home is staying with my parents in our cozy, welcoming house, not with a the cold hearted person which is... about to leave me behind!' Rin was forced to increase her already brisk walk into a run in order to catch up to Sesshomaru's lengthy strides.
Sesshomaru finally noticed Rin's heavy breathing after he had stopped at the entrance where the chauffeur had parked the limousine. Sesshomaru shot Rin a casual glance, "What's wrong with you, have you been running a marathon?"
"No," Rin, gasped trying to fill her lungs with air, "I was trying to catch up to you. Can't you walk any slower."
"No, if I walked any slower I would be reducing my pace to that of a snail's."
"Well, if you had even stopped to think about how hard it would be for a person to match your break neck pace wearing two inch heels and a floor length wedding gown, I wouldn't be in the current state I'm in now." Retorted Rin indignantly.
Sesshomaru merely shrugged, "This is technically none of my concern, in fact, it's not even mentioned in the contract at all."
Rin sighed, she should have known better than to try reasoning with a person like Sesshomaru, nothing penetrates his armour of apathy. 'He probably wouldn't even flinch if I died in front of him this instant.'
"Get in." Ordered Sesshomaru as the chauffeur opened the limousine door.
Rin, nodded and entered the limousine, immediately relaxing in the soft leather cushions of the limo. Rin reached down gingerly to rub her ankle, it was practically glowing red. When Rin pressed against it gently with her finger it sent a shock of pain up her leg causing her to grimace noticeably. 'Oh, well, there's nothing I can do about it now. I'll hunt for an ice pack once I arrive at Sesshomaru's house. Knowing his ice cold personality they must keep their freezers stocked with plenty of ice.'
Half an hour later the limousine pulled to an abrupt stop, parking in the circular drive in front of the grand double doors at the entrance of Sesshomaru's mansion. Rin had to admit that the mansion was grand and probably cost a fortune but it still lost to Izayoi and Inutaisho's mansion in terms of grandeur. Not to mention the fact that Izayoi's residence seemed much more pleasant and approachable in comparison.
When the chauffeur opened the door Rin slowly tried to ease herself from the limousine but the pain in her right ankle was complicating things slightly. Part limping and part hobbling Rin gradually made her way through the dors of the mansion into the foyer of the main floor. Sesshomaru was no where in sight but then again, Rin had more urgent matters to worry about, like how she would manoeuver herself to get up the flight of stairs to the second floor bedrooms.
Pausing momentarily to rest, Rin noticed that the furnishings and interior design of the house were mainly based upon two contrasting colours, black and white. It was yet another exponential difference between Sesshomaru's mansion and the mansion that Izayoi and Inutaisho lived in. The designs and tile patterns were simplistic yet elegant which somehow reflected Sesshomaru's personality in a strange way, but the designs were pretty creative accounting for the fact that the designer was restricted to black and white only.
"So I guess this is home sweet home for the next year." muttered Rin. 'Well, it would take some time for her to adapt to the new environment but it wasn't impossible.'
Sighing, Rin began to move her right foot forward causing her to clench her fists tightly to prevent herself from unleashing a loud scream. When Rin tried to shift her left foot forward her right ankle sent a wave of searing pain up her leg causing her to lose her balance. Rin tumbled backwards and landed heavily on the smooth black and white checkered marble floor. Rin groaned in pain as she attempted to lift her self from the floor.
Suddenly Sesshomaru appeared next to her, staring down at her. He had already switched from his formal attire into a more casual ensemble of a light white shirt and pair of black pants.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm using your cold, hard marble floor as a bed." Replied Rin sarcastically.
"I don't think you're in any position to make smart remarks at this moment." Countered Sesshomaru calmly as he crouched down next to Rin.
"Fine, I fell."
"I noticed."
"How did you know I was here?"
"It wasn't difficult, you made quite a loud fall. I couldn't have ignored it even if I tried."
"Oh."
"Can you walk?"
Rin attempted to move her right foot but was rewarded by a sharp stab of pain causing Rin to wince painfully. "I'll take that as a no." Speculated Sesshomaru. "I guess that leaves me no other options then."
"What do you mean?"
"It means I have no other option but to carry you up the flight of stairs myself."
Sesshomaru placed an arm under Rin's shoulders and his other arm under Rin's knees. To Sesshomaru Rin weighed no more than a sack of flour and he walked up the staircase with ease. As Sesshomaru held Rin closely against his firm chest Rin felt her cheeks flush from the light contact even though Sesshomaru's night shirt acted as a thin barrier between them. On the second floor Sesshomaru turned left at the top of the staircase and leisurely walked to the last door at the end of the hall covering the distance rapidly with his long strides.
Once they were inside the room Sesshomaru dropped Rin on the bed unceremoniously before he sat down on the edge of the king-sized mattress.
"Can't you be a little more gentle?"
"Yes, but I merely chose not to be." Answered Sesshomaru with a tone of finality. Although unsatisfied, Rin refrained from making any auxiliary comments which would unleash Sesshomaru's temper.
"Well, thanks anyway. I guess you can go now."
Sesshomaru smirked, "I'm not going anywhere. In case you haven't realized it yet, you're in my bedroom enjoying the comfort of my bed." Rin's eyes widened in shock as she scanned the room only to find evidence that this was indeed Sesshomaru's bedroom.
"Well, why didn't you leave me in the guest room or something. I mean, you don't really think we're going to you know... share the same bed, do you."
Sesshomaru gave a sarcastic laugh, "Don't be conceited, the only way that would happen would be if I'd lost my senses and that will undoubtedly never happen."
"That still doesn't answer my first question, why didn't you bring me to the guest room or spare room. You have so many rooms in this mansion, you can't possibly expect me to believe that there aren't any spare rooms."
"Actually, for your information, this mansion was designed as a bachelor's residence and personally, I decided that spare rooms were pointless since I don't invite guests to spend the night regardless."
"Then what do you expect me to do? I refuse to sleep on the same bed as you."
Sesshomaru rolled his eyes lazily, "No need to state the obvious. I wouldn't want to sleep on the same bed as you either, the feeling is reciprocated. Which is why I have compiled a schedule."
"What kind of schedule?"
"Listen carefully, because I'm only saying this once. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, I will use the bed, which means you're spending those nights on the couch right there." Indicated Sesshomaru, pointing at a leather couch sitting in the other part of the luxurious bedroom by the bathroom.
"On the remaining days you get to occupy the bed, is that clear."
"Wait a minute, why do you get to use the bed four days a week while I only get three days?"
"That's because I own this house and either you accept these conditions or you'll find yourself spending every night on the living room couch."
"Yes, master." Mocked Rin. "Well, what day is today?"
"Today..." paused Sesshomaru dramatically, "is a Friday, which means the bed is mine."
Rin groaned, "Can't you make some adjustments in your schedule to accommodate my current situation." Rin caressed her ankle gingerly.
"No, you're not the only one who needs a proper sleep tonight. I have an important conference with the CEO of Sony tomorrow morning."
"Fine! Be that way!" Rin, bolted up from the bed, momentarily forgetting the searing pain from her foot but a millisecond later when the pain registered in her brain it caused Rin to plunge forward rather ungracefully.
Sesshomaru clapped satirically, from his position on the bed. "If you're a woman then you should act like one, but then again it's pointless for me to offer advice to a person like yourself who has the grace of a full grown elephant."
Exhausted, Rin merely turned her back to him, she was far to tired to duel him even with words, but needless to say she would definitely remember this. 'Just you wait, Sesshomaru, I'll give you a taste of your own medicine.'
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The very next morning, Rin woke to find that her ankle was feeling better and that the searing pain had been reduced to a dull throb, although it was far from being completely healed. Luckily, Rin found that the household servants were more welcoming than she had expected, especially after they discovered that she wasn't arrogant and demanding like their master. Yoko, Rin's new personal maid had even brought her a special herbal patch to wear on her ankle last night which had helped to ease the pain considerably. Earlier in the morning Yoko had even offered to provide Rin with a tour of the mansion but Rin had politely declined insisting that she always found enjoyment in exploring on her own. After a light breakfast of french toast and scrambled eggs, Rin changed into some comfortable attire before leaving the bedroom.
While Yoko was dutifully setting the breakfast on a table in the bedroom Rin made a small inquiry. "Where's Sesshomaru?"
Yoko laughed, "Master Sesshomaru may not be a morning person, but he keeps a rigid schedule for everything, even his daily lifestyle. He usually wakes up at about six thirty every morning but on Sundays he may choose to sleep in until about eight or perhaps nine, but that's awfully rare."
"Wow, how do you know so much about Sesshomaru?"
"Well..." began Yoko, "for starters, it's practically mandatory for the servants to know their master's regular schedule. Also, I was recently assigned to a new post as your personal maid, but I've been working in this household for five years and counting already."
"Yoko, I've been thinking, since we're about the same age can you just address me as Rin instead of "miss", I'm more used to it."
"Sure, is there anything else you require?"
"Well, I've also been wondering if you could refer to Sesshomaru without the honorifics when you're with me, since it seems... I'm just disgusted by the fact that everyone I've met so far either admires or bows down to Sesshomaru in some way. It's not as if he were actually a god of some sort so why do people do self- depreciating things in order to worship him."
"Wealth, fame and influence are three things which are necessary for a person to succeed in the corporate world and for people that lack these things they have no choice but to acknowledge Sesshomaru's superiority. However..." Yoko paused for a moment, "I'll stop referring to Sesshomaru as lord or master when it's just the two of us."
"Thanks Yoko, you have no idea how grateful I am."
Half an hour later, Rin found herself wandering the long corridors of the mansion. Eventually, Rin can to a halt in front of a glass patio door which opened into the extensive courtyards and gardens of the mansion. Running outside Rin travelled from place to place, examining different varieties of roses, lilies and other exotic flowers. After a while, Rin noticed a flower which was an exquisite shade of blue and as Rin gazed intently at the flower a thought entered her mind. The more she stared at the flower the more it reminded her of Kohaku, the boy that sat next to her in the lecture hall at the university, the flower here was the exact same shade of blue. "Two pools of deep blue..." murmured Rin, she still remembered how comforting and calming it was when she first gazed into Kohaku's eyes, that time they were like two pools of clear blue water.
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Koga glanced at his watch trying to gauge the amount of time it would take for him to finish reading the numerous documents scattered across his varnished oak desk. 'At least an hour or more'
Koga leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily, working with Sesshomaru was tiresome, especially when he had to draw up more and more contracts for company take overs. Taisho Corp. was rapidly expanding and expansion always included signing new contracts with other companies which led to negotiation which eventually led to more paper work, his favourite enemy.
Closing his eyes, Koga sorted through a jumble of thoughts in his mind but stopped to think for a minute when he encountered something which attracted his interest. He knew that Sesshomaru had never really fallen in love with another person other that his first love which he met during college. Due to some unknown circumstances they had mysteriously split up years ago but it wasn't a completely clean break and Koga was almost certain that Sesshomaru still had feeling for her. Recently, while he was drinking in a bar with his friends he heard rumours about Sesshomaru's ex-girlfriend returning. If the rumour was indeed true, then he would be the spectator of a very lively show.
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Next Chapter: Conflict of Emotions : Rin and Sesshomaru embark on their honeymoon and a series of events causes Rin to question her own feelings. An unexpected surprise awaits them when they return to Tokyo.