Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha or Yashahime
Chapter 1: Two Weeks
Tokyo 2004
'This year's Kimora Summit will welcome old and new faces into the scene of research! Look out for exciting announcements from Japan's powerhouses like Mori & Co., Ikeda Inc., and the Taisho Group. Stay tuned for more news!'
"Bo~ring" groused a fatigue-drenched voice from the couch as the TV screen flicked black.
"Inuyasha!" chided Izayoi, snatching the TV remote from her son's grasp as the middle schooler groaned in defeat, sprawled on the leather. "People are watching, don't be rude" she carried on, turning the screen back on to a commercial break.
"Only you are" he objected, tilting his silver head to his left, to the two 18-year-olds peacefully napping on the loveseat. Their soft breaths getting lost in the amplitude of the parlor "See?"
Izayoi shook her head, unable to fight back the smile that sneaked into her face. She pushed herself up from the couch, patting her son's head on her way to the kitchen.
"Come along, little demon" she whispered "Let them rest"
"Geez" he turned the volume down before haphazardly tossing the remote to the side, only to freeze in terror when it hit his brother's shoulder like a sharp nudge. Inuyasha didn't think it twice before dashing down the hall, heading to the kitchen like a spooked deer.
Not long after that, Sesshomaru's bleary eyes cracked open. He darted them to the spot where his younger half-brother had been standing mere seconds ago, only the vestiges of his mischievous ways remained in the sight of the TV remote laying on his lap. He sighed, dropping his glare to the origami-strewed carpet beneath their feet. Paper cranes. Too many to count, just enough to show for the effort they put into folding them that evening.
It'd been Rin's idea after all.
He looked to the side. To the girl curled up beside him, a familiar white fur cradled in her paper-thin arms. Her dark tresses slovenly falling down her shoulders. Her complexion was fair though matted, without its sun-kissed sheen that used to make her glister on broad daylight. Like an incandescent wick that warmed the coldest day and lit up the dullest sky. Ebony lashes masked those stounding eyes the shade of roasted coffee beans that he so loved.
Sesshomaru moved his stare to the screen, to the news anchor narrating the thrilling announcements to be made next week. Swayed by the enthusiastic way in which the woman presented the clips of previous summits, he decided to turn the volume slightly up, just enough for the narration to reach his ears like a hushed bubble of speech. Straining his ears, he managed to make out the woman's words just fine.
'Please join us this Saturday, at the Ueno Hotel Conference Hall. We will have very special guest speakers. Including famous author, Ikuyo Mashima; Dr. Juri Nomura, professor at the University of Osaka; and our favorite, young Sesshomaru Taisho, heir to the Taisho Group. What extraordinary tales will they share with us this year? Don't forget to save your seat and get ready for a delightful evening of research and innovation!'
He turned the TV off, irked. There were a few things that he abhorred about seeing his name on the screen. Vain and pretentious remarks that left a peculiar soreness in his chest, one of which he was not particularly fond of. Pride? Sure, he owned his pride like he would any other 'privilege' he'd inherited through his last name. But it wasn't that. He was a Taisho after all, he'd grasped that much. The name came with perks, the perks quelled his whims when young, but each whim came at a cost. A price tag which he was just now learning to respect, resent even. Because unbeknown to the public watching the news, expecting his presence on the summit this weekend, he loathed the idea of attending the event.
Sesshomaru Taisho was, before and foremost, a picture-perfect rich boy. A future billionaire with a title worth astronomical sums of money and twice as many duties. Smile, shake hands, stand tall and proud, have excellent marks at school, attend a well-known university, outshine. Be the perfect image of whatever agenda PR had to push to keep the business of real state thriving.
Unfortunately, out of all the boxes he had to check, none of them included tending for his girlfriend with cancer.
When they met at 13 he stood firm on the idea that the 'annoying' girl seated next to him in class would be just that, a hassle he'd have to deal with for as long as they had to see each other daily. Too plain, too simple, too ordinary. She was nothing like the life of luxury he was used to. Yet she became everything he could've ever wished for.
But happiness was not eternal, nothing in life seemed to be. Or so did Sesshomaru came to understand when Rin handed him her biopsy results almost four years into their relationship.
Her brain tumor was detected at an early stage and treatment options were less 'risky', as the neurologist put it. With the new year, many things came to a conclusion. High school, college entrance examinations, and now, with some luck, her treatment as well. This Saturday, when Dr. Nakamura attempted to remove the tumor, ought to be the climax of a well-waged battle. Rin was heading to America with her parents for the surgery. If he had it his way, he would've booked his plane tickets by now. He would've assured her he was going to be by her side when she opened her eyes after the procedure. But duty called. The invisible strains that tied him to Tokyo came clean to the seeing eye when he tried to remove himself from the equation. He was needed somewhere else and Kami knew she would never allow for any more predicaments to rise because of her. Albeit displeased with the agreement they'd reached, he saw no other option but to oblige in hopes his worries didn't look unfounded. Rin differed, reminding him that she was going to a trusted hospital, with a neurosurgeon his family had known for some time. She was in good hands and, to his amusement, she tried to shove that tranquility down his throat with long sessions of origami and tea. In her own way, she wished to replicate on him the soothing effect that those endless hours of folding had on her. He chuckled at her quirky demeanor. That was his Rin. The beat to his heart even if he didn't voice out the compliment as often as other boyfriends did to their girlfriends. He was content enough knowing she could read his silence just as well as he could a novel.
With that in mind, he allowed himself to relax and to contemplate her as the days passed by and their time together began to feel like a gift more so than something he took for granted.
Two weeks. Rin was going to be gone for two weeks and he already missed her. How...intriguing. Surely if he were a dog his brother might mock him about separation anxiety. And likely he'd wag his tail the moment she came back to him. Truly, that's all he wished for. To have her in his arms again. Where she belonged, he thought, startled out of his train of thought when she stirred slightly beside him.
"Sesshomaru?"
"Rin" he muttered, drawing a strand of unruly hair away from her face
"The...cranes" she swallowed, her voice came out slurred, dripping with unresolved slumber.
"We made plenty" he assured her, his chest warming as she nuzzled closer to him
"Plenty is good" she whispered slackly as her eyes screwed shut yet again.
Plenty is good, he repeated as he secured his arm around her small form. 'A few' were never enough. A few months, a few years, a few kisses, a few 'I love you's. Plenty. Yes, he much rather favored that word. If he could he'd offer her a lifetime together. The future they'd envisioned for some time now. One which cemented with the acceptance letters they'd just received from the University of Tokyo. They were set to start their first term once Rin recovered. Then plenty would turn into forever.
"Will you look after Mokomoko while I'm gone?" she murmured suddenly, drawing his attention like a moth to the fire. Molten amber eyes turned her way.
"Of course" he retorted, his eyes drifting to the white fur nestled in her arms. A doggie plush with a crescent moon on its forehead. He'd given it to her for her 17th birthday. The simplest gift that conveyed even more meaning than diamond earrings or golden bracelets. She hugged the doggie closer to her chest.
"Will you cuddle with him too?" she snickered laxly, at his silence she chuckled "No need to answer that one, though I still know you will"
"I wasn't aware of your divination abilities" he cut her an amused look, raising his brows as her smile stretched further,
"I saw you" she yawned herself, snuggling closer to his body "You looked so cute with Moki in your arms" she giggled, her cheeks dusting rose.
"Busted" he pressed his lips to her forehead, pulling her closer. Rin giggled, ticklish as only she was.
"S-stop!" she laughed, squirming in his arms as his mouth trailed down her jawline. She cast a glance at the TV, the sheen of the black screen reflecting the empty parlor of the Taisho residence. Inuyasha's quick tread in the kitchen was the only sound echoing in the first story of the large home.
"Where is everyone?" she chuckled, letting him plaster a trail of wet kisses down her neck
"My father is at work, Inuyasha and Izayoi are in the kitchen" he reminded her. She hummed, fishing his short silver locks with a wandering hand. He relished in the touch of her digits as she ran them through his hair without an ounce of reluctance. His hands found their way around her waist, causing her skin to prickle with goosebumps.
"Then we should stop" she planted a firm kiss on his lips, cupping the sides of his face as she inched back slowly "We can't start what we can't finish" she added coyly, flushed cheeks staring back at him.
"Guess not" he agreed, backing away. The warmth spreading across his cheeks was far too familiar. Rin smiled back at him, releasing her hold on his face as she clasped his hands with hers.
"Besides" she continued in a voice only they could hear, "I think... waiting will make it even more special." she blushed at her proclamation, bashfully recoiling from his stare.
"More special than the first time?" he asked, an exhale escaped his lips as he welcomed her back into his embrace, her head peacefully resting on his chest, right below his heart.
Rin smiled as she closed her eyes. Letting the memories play back like a broken videotape. A few nights ago, after she was discharged from the hospital in preparation for the flight, it finally happened. Some rush into it, others wait until after marriage. But for them, it wasn't a matter of time but one of deep pondering. Of weeks spent planning and seeking advice from a professional. He declined to go through with it unless they were greenlighted by her doctor. Wary that it might meddle with her treatment. Yet once all doubts were cast away, there wasn't a single force in the whole wide universe that could keep them from hiking up the steep of pleasure together. Uncovering what it felt to love a person in more ways than they'd ever known. Shy, clumsy, yet endearing and thoroughly special. Their first time had been engraved in their memories. Forever to remain there.
"I doubt it" she confessed, speaking from the heart, "I think...there won't be anything as special as that time. But I'd like to believe I'm wrong, you know?" she smiled, thumbing his alabaster skin "Because there will be more things to look forward to. Many more nights together" she peered up his way "And they'd be special in their own way. I know they will, and then we'll look back at that first night and..." her voice quickly died out as she dropped her eyes to Mokomoko. She swallowed, her throat growing tight.
"And then?" he prompted her to continued
"And..." she paused, her eyes quickly watering. She buried her face in his chest, biting her lip to keep the sobs at bay. She had to be strong. Had to show him tomorrow's surgery didn't scare her.
"What's wrong?" he asked stroking her cheek dully. Albeit hesitant, Rin peaked up, meeting his stare.
It wasn't always, but when she allowed herself to feed on reveries, reality came crashing down on her. And reality brought well-valid thoughts spiraling into her head. Allowing more tears to sprout in her wistful eyes.
If I die, she thought, I'll miss him the most. His smile, his touch, his love, simply him. She had started to lose part of him already, snippets of her memory that were gone as fast as they came. But losing him altogether was something else, something which she'd tried to prepare herself for since the day she had the biopsy results in her hands. What would he do afterward? When she was no longer around. Would he find someone else? Would he move on like she once told him to do? Would he remember her? And suddenly she felt so small as if simply holding onto his bare back as they made love wasn't enough to keep him close to her. But if she could, maybe for one fraction of a second, she would ease the pain. His and hers. If she could, she would wish to be reborn and to meet him again. In a life where they didn't have to say goodbye. Where tomorrow didn't feel as daunting as it did now.
"Rin?"
"Life" she choked on her words, listening to his heartbeat as she pressed her cheek to his chest. "Life is beautiful"
"With you in it" he muttered, ignoring the pull at his heart as he grazed his thumb across her wet cheeks. "And it'll only get better."
Rin smiled as he wiped the tears off her cheeks.
"When I return, let's go to see the cherry blossoms" her voice sounded like bells, a lullaby, it made his heart both sore and wring. "I want to see them again"
The spring didn't end until a few months from now. They had time.
"You will" his voice was throaty. "I promise you will"
Rin sighed, letting her body relax in his arms, letting his love soak her entirely.
"Wait for me" it slipped without thinking, her eyes closing by inertia. "I promise not to take long"
Two weeks felt like a decent price for a lifetime together. And suddenly forever was just around the corner.
The day of the flight came by without much of a surprise. They stood amidst small crowds of passengers at the airport. Enraptured by monotonous chattery and the sound of suitcases being wheeled from left to right and right to left. Akihiro and Anzu Noto stood by their daughter's side until the woman tugged from her husband's arm to grant their only child some privacy before they had to depart. Rin's cheeks flared pink as her mother cut her a wry look before dragging Akihiro to the side. Rin clutched her pink handbag with a tight grip. Beholding Sesshomaru's warm stare, a rarety of its kind.
Sometimes words were not needed, sometimes all it took was a glance, a touch, and a smile. But this time words were all there had left as the seconds passed and she had to leave.
"Be safe" he leaned in, taking the initiative and pressing his lips against hers. Nothing else mattered except for the softness of her lips and the warmth of her hands as she reached for his. They pulled back slowly.
"Thank you for being my rock" she aimed a teary smile his way as a sudden urge to hold onto her swept through him "For being my best friend all these years. I'll be thinking of you, and…also, I'll watch your speech at the summit so you better do a good job, okay?"
Their fingers detangled slowly. Words evaded him.
"I'll be going then" she cooed, wiping her eyes.
"Rin" his heart stopped briefly as he gazed into misty brown eyes "Aishiteru" he breathed
"Aishiteru" she cooed "Never forget that"
Rin tightened her grip on her pink handbag and turned on her heels, making her way towards her parents. All the while Sesshomaru remained rooted to the tiled floor, his eyes glued to her back as she merged into the crowd of people, suddenly vanishing from his sight.