The Mokomoko Drabbles

Chapter 52: Unnerving

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

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Rin spent most of the time on the phone consoling her distraught homosexual friend. She had no idea that Jakotsu would be taking her leaving to America so hard, because even Sesshomaru had sullenly nodded his understanding and left without further protest. Actually, she was a little frightened that he might be angry with her for making him stay. They were going to have to have another serious discussion.

Jakotsu was of no help calming her nerves.

"Why?" he wailed into the phone. "Why must you leave me in my time of need? I still haven't told him yet!"

Rin smiled sympathetically, visualizing the pouting face he made whenever he was upset. "Bankotsu likes you, I really mean it! You don't need to depend on me anymore to assure you of that."

"I need to depend on someone… something."

She rolled her eyes, flopping down on her now empty bed. Again, she found herself wishing Sesshomaru hadn't left so soon. Did she hurt his feelings, maybe? It wasn't that Rin didn't love him – Kami-sama, she was head over heels for that boy! – but it was the best decision for both of them. She could not have him rearranging his entire life just for her. That would be too overwhelming. The transition to America and back might be easier if she knew he would be at home, waiting for her to return. The notion was fairly romantic in her mind, but Sesshomaru looked uncharacteristically dejected.

Rin wanted to discuss all this with Jakotsu, but he was too busy getting over the initial shock of her being gone.

"For how long?" he asked, "The rest of high school?"

"And college, which is another four years."

She could practically hear him doing the math in his head.

"You'll be like, twenty-two! Aw, I can't wait that long! I'm going to kill myself!"

Rin bolted upright in alarm, "Jak, don't even joke around like that." A quick glance at the bedside clock told her she had ten minutes before her father would tell her to go to bed. "Don't do anything stupid."

There was no reply.

"Yamamoto…" she warned.

"It's too late," he whispered softly. "You can't save me…" There was the loud slamming of wooden cabinets on the other end of the line.

Carefully choosing her next words: "Honey," Rin said sweetly, adjusting the sleeve of her nightgown, "Do us both a favor and put the Cheez Whiz down."

"I… no…" he whimpered, obviously torn.

"Jak-kun, think about how many calories that is! You don't want to do that to yourself."

"But – but… cheese!"

Rin listened in horror as he began to devour the entire can.

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Naraku stood alone in the dark, watching as Rin walk around her room, seemingly talking to another person that he could not see. He didn't know why he was up walking around in the middle of the night, or why he had particularly chosen to go to Rin's house. He briefly saw he drop her towel to dress into a white nightgown. He arched an eyebrow, slightly intrigued. Within minutes after this, Sesshomaru had leaped out the girl's window, landing lithely on his feet. They saw each other immediately, and a solid minute crawled by before either of them made a move.

They met at the end of the driveway.

"Kagura," the inuyoukai said. Naraku understood it was an inquiry of her well being. She had been released from the hospital for awhile now, but still failed to turn up for school.

"Still humiliated," he answered, seething. Not that Naraku had ever been in a close relationship with his sister – or any of his family members for that matter – but he just felt a certain degree of hostility toward Sesshomaru that he didn't know how else to express it.

The spider hanyou no longer felt the desire to devour Sesshomaru. He just wanted him to suffer.

"So, Romeo," Naraku eyed him up and down. "I would have thought such midnight detours were beneath you."

The suggestion slightly offended Sesshomaru, but he decided to ignore it. "Obviously the same cannot be said of you. What are you doing here, Half-Breed?" He wasn't going to stand here all night with the boy he wanted to strangle. "Rin is not interested in you, if she hasn't made that clear enough."

"I don't want the ningen," Naraku said, refusing to be intimidated. "I actually set up some standards."

Sesshomaru didn't take the bait. "Then I suppose it just runs in the family." That was the truth. Which reminded him, he wanted to make an appointment with his mother again (yeah, that's right, appointments). Inukimi had been wise enough to convince him to accept Rin as the beautiful young human woman she was, maybe she could direct him in the proper direction. Should he let Rin go? "You haven't answered my question yet. What do you want?"

That was a good question. What did Naraku want? He was angry he had let himself be entranced by Rin's kiss at the carnival, and to want her. Poor Kagura still held a grudge against Sesshomaru, and oddly he felt the same way too. Just the thought of him and that girl being happy together made him feel sick.

He must do something about this.

Naraku turned. "Just passing through," and proceeded to walk away.

Sesshomaru watched him for a few moments, feeling slightly uneasy. Perhaps… it was best Rin was leaving after all.

Word Count: 902

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