Chapter Three
Inuyasha Comes Home
It was much later in the afternoon that InuYasha arrived at the mansion. As his jeep drove through the ancient double doors of the wrought-iron gate his mind wandered. He could have skipped this weekend thing entirely by just changing the time he flew his mission. As senior pilot he had the pick of the schedule. No one would have known.
He would have. He wasn't a coward. Granted he had actually hoped the flight would be delayed.
He took a deep breath and threw back his shoulders. He was going to face his demon this weekend.
The flight went perfect. He had arrived at the airport, picked up Kagome and come straight here. Dressed in his flight uniform, his hair held in a neat low ponytail, his suit coat buttoned and pressed, he looked debonaire, dashing and confident.
Internally, however, his butterflies were having butterflies.
He pulled up in the portico in front of the mansion and stepped out of his old beat-up jeep wrangler. It was his "airporter," a title for old vehicles pilots chose to drive to work and leave out in the weather for days on end. He drove the ugly old jeep to the beautiful old mansion as a statement to his brother. He left the keys in the ignition for the gardener or valet, whoever his brother had kept on staff. Inuyasha retrieved his luggage from the back. His mind wandered.
'Fifteen years. Fifteen whole years. This place has hardly changed at all. I wonder if it's been long enough. So much has happened. Was it a mistake to come back now, after all this time? I guess I really didn't have a choice according to Jaken. How will it be seeing...him? Maybe coming back is a mistake.'
A deep sigh left him as he turned to look upon his childhood home. His mind began to wonder back into the dark recesses.
The great doors flung wide open as two young boys ran out of them. Laughing freely as the younger chased after his beloved big brother.
'Aniki San! Aniki San! Wait fo' me!'
The older turned and caught him before the younger could run into him. 'Don't worry, otouto. Your Aniki will NEVER leave you behind.' Swinging the young boy up in the air, he carried him to the car that had been waiting for them. From the doorway, a dark-haired beauty stood smiling at them. She was joined by her tall roguishly handsome husband.
"Have a good day, dearest. Call me if InuYasha starts up, I'll come get him."
A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. "My love, what kind of businessman would I be, if I let a toddler rattle me?" He leaned in and kissed her sweetly on the lips. "Besides, Sesshomaru has always been the best way to calm our Inu-chan down. That boy will do ANYTHING Sesshomaru says. Later."
Inuyasha reached into his inside breast pocket and pulled out a well-worn envelope. He looked at it and then clutched it tightly in his hand. It was browned from sweat and grime. He had tried to throw it away many times only to retrieve it from the trash. Today, though, he was going to throw it at Sesshomaru and be done with him. His heart beat hard in his chest.
He continued staring at the front doors.
Kagome, his best friend, had met him at the airport and offered to keep him company. She had been his friend from their early teens, a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen. Kagome dropped her bags on the ground next to him, jarring him out of his thoughts. She squeezed his arm to get his attention.
"It'll be okay, Inuyasha. I'll be here next to you the whole time. Only death can take me from your side."
Inuyasha turned to look at his friend.
"I'm so blessed to have your friendship, Kagome. In another world I'd be chasing your tail, but -," Inuyasha's voice cracked.
"It's okay, Inuyasha," Kagome cooed, "I know you "play for the other team". All the good ones do." She laughed at her own joke and gently pushed Inuyasha's shoulder playfully.
That's what the inuhanyou needed. Soon they were playfully batting at each other as they walked to the front door. Inuyasha was so distracted he didn't know the front door had been opened for him and Myoga, Shoga, and Kaede had all come to the door to welcome home their young master.
When Inuyasha looked up and saw his faithful friends, tears poured from his eyes and he group hugged them all.
The servants allowed the affection for a few seconds but quickly separated themselves from the master and bowed lowly.
Inuyasha gathered his wits. Wiping his eyes of tattle tale tears, he cleared his throat and dismissed them. Then grabbing Kagome's hand, he walked into the one place he swore he'd never enter again. As soon as he cleared the entranceway, his ears were assaulted by an excited greeting.
"UNCLE INUYASHA!"
Kagome stepped aside as an enthusiastic Rin rushed to his arms and squealed with joy. She engulfed him in a tight hug. InuYasha returned the hug and twirled her around. When he stop twirling them he appraised the young woman.
"RIN! You've gotten so big. Hell, you're a grown woman! Hope my brother is beating off any would-be suiters! You look just like your beautiful momma." He smiled warmly through tears of happiness.
"Uncle, I missed you so much," Rin sobbed. "I'm so happy you're home. I'm not letting go of you ever!" She squeezed him with childlike exuberance to emphasize the message. Her voice softened as she choked on her words. "I've missed you so much!" Tears flowed as she hugged him even tighter.
Inuyasha savored her warmth and focused on keeping the hug in his memories.
"I've missed you too, kiddo! You have no idea how much!"
He had missed her. Missed her more than he had even realized. His bubbly little—scratch that-grown niece Rin!
He pulled back just a little and gave her a painful smile. Then he spoke again.
"I'm going to have to disappoint you, Rin. I can't stay here. The world needs me."
"Then I'm going with you," Rin pouted. "I'll go to my apartment and pack a few bags. Family needs to stick together."
Her response, so innocent and sweet, choked him up. 'Same old Rin chan. Ha ha, I'm glad she hasn't changed.' InuYasha mused pulling her back into a big hug. His nose buried into her hair. That long lost sweet scent soothing his soul.
The tender moment was broken up when everyone heard a brash voice and clicking sounds cross the doorway.
"Yo, Sis. So, this is the Takahashi manor, huh! Care to welcome your hard-working sister? My captain is a slave driver and barely got our plane to the gate in time for this shindig."
Rin looked to see who had just come in. She blinked. That woman looked exactly like Kagome.
Kagome groaned. Her older sister was so embarrassing.
Inuyasha kept hold of Rin but spun the two around to face the newcomer.
"Welcome Kikyo. You can stop the annoying narrative on my skills as your pilot. We were one minute early. Kami, you wear me out! This lovely woman on my arm is my niece Rin. You know your sister. I don't know who else is here so you guys can make your own introductions." At that he turned his back to her. Anyone else would have realized the conversation was over. However, Kikyo didn't.
"Well, you know I will," she replied with a snarky tone. Loudly she called out to the crowd. "Hi everyone! I'm Kikyo, Inuyasha's lead flight attendant, indispensable to him." She modeled and strutted toward the sitting room and the captive audience.
Quietly Inuyasha muttered, "Bullshit".
Rin had to swallow her laughter.
During this lively interaction, Kagome took a minute to see who all she would have to apologize to for her sister's behavior. Within seconds she spied Sango. She rushed to her friend's side. All eyes followed her rather than her sister. The proceeding noise drowned out anything else Kikyo could blather.
The conversations peaked. Friends boisterously greeted each other. Laughs and jokes abounded. It was the sound of a dinner bell that finally got their attention. Myoga asked them to follow him to the dining room.
Sesshomaru listened to all of this secretly from his office. He still didn't know why he agreed to this dinner party engagement announcement except that Kagura was a force of nature. It would have been easier to harness a tornado. Once their relationship started moving forward he released his control and Kagura dominated. He told her he had business to take care of up until dinner. Then he told Myoga to sit everyone in the sitting room. That way he could hear them from his office across the grand foyer and when he was finished with his business he could join them. Kagura agreed and proceeded to coordinate their dinner party.
Sesshomaru had gone to his office right after lunch with the intention to do work. He had tried to read a business proposal but had quickly put it aside to stare at the wall. His mind had drifted from his work. Resolved he wouldn't accomplish any business; he allowed the multiple memories to captivate him.
A vision of Kagura came to mind. She was a kind woman.
He ignored her when they were grade school kids, but he did remember his father telling him to welcome her to the manor "like a gentleman" so he had. He bowed.
She laughed at him.
He walked off and played with his little brother for the rest of her visit.
Funny, he didn't remember seeing her after that until after Sara had come into his life.
Sara's smiling face floating into his mind. That amazing flutist music student who filled the campus green with cheerful sounds. He purposefully walked to class through the green just to hear her.
He had loved her music.
She was beautiful.
When he told his father and Inuyasha about her, they teased him. Their teasing encouraged him to ask her on a date. Six weeks later they were talking about dates for their wedding.
He was so in love with her.
Funny.
He didn't feel the same way for Kagura. But he did like her. She was elegant and classy and his father's best friend's daughter.
That made him think of Naraku: His father's best friend. They had been in business together until Naraku was bitten by that neurotoxic spider. The doctors called it a progressive neuropathy, similar to ALS. There was no cure for it. Toga tried to help by investing heavily into research and pharmaceutical companies, trying to save his longtime friend.
His mind brought up visions of his Father. He had so many good characteristics. Sesshomaru wanted to be just like him. He tried to follow all his father's rules. He married a good woman, had a precious baby, just like father. And then just like father, his wife died. If it hadn't been for Inuyasha, he wouldn't have been …
No thinking of Inuyasha. Not now.
He forced an image of Father back to the forefront of his thoughts. When Toga passed away, Sesshomaru had reached out to check on Naraku. That's when he and Kagura were reintroduced. She invited him to attend the hospital's grief group she led. As a member talked of the loss of their loved one, Sesshomaru touched the tips of his elegant fingers to his cheek. Pulling his hand away he was surprised to see moisture. 'Tears? I didn't think I had the ability to cry anymore.'
After that he spent his free time with Kagura and embarked on a budding relationship. Afterall no one was at home at the manor.
Rin had left him.
Images of Rin raced through his mind.
His precious baby.
Kami ! He missed her.
Jaken had suggested he call her and ask her to return home but Sesshomaru sadly shook his head. No point in bringing his cheerful baby girl back into this dark, dismal home. It would put her light out. She should be free. He imagined a butterfly hovering over one of Rin's roses and then flying away.
His stomach started fluttering like a butterfly.
Sesshomaru charged a shot glass with demon whiskey and nursed it slowly.
He stared at the glass. They called the stuff "Liquid Courage". Humph. All it did was loosen his control on his emotions.
Why did he agree to this public announcement?
He sipped the liquor and listened to the conversations, muted by the wooden doors.
He had earlier assumed he would hear everyone's voice and then join them just before dinner was to be served. But just about the time he was going to exit his office and join his guests he heard it.
That voice, that voice still made his heart skip beats.
Why did his rejection hurt so much?
Why? Tears welled in his eyes.
His knees bent and he clasped on to the nearest chair back. His heart hurt so badly.
Sesshomaru was saved from his thoughts.
Myoga had rang a bell.
"Dinner is served in the formal dining room. This way please."
Just then Jaken walked in the servant's side entrance of the library and came to his side.
"Come my Lord. Sit in this chair. Let me take that glass and give you some water. Here's the tissue box."
As Jaken assisted his boss to a chair and offered the simple comforts he could, Jaken knew he would be making his Lord's excuse from the dinner.