Izayoi bolted out of her room and down the corridor like a tornado, fuming. She darted past Inuyasha, nearly making him topple over as he ran into the wall in an attempt to keep them from colliding.
"Woah, lady!" he protested, recovering his footing while balancing the bags of toasted almonds that he hugged to his chest to keep them from plummeting to the ground. "Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked, curious.
But Izayoi paid no mind to his question as she thundered down the stairs wordlessly.
"Mom?" Inuyasha called out, scrunching his brows. His eyes fitted from the guest room to the stairs, time after time. He cursed, hustling inside the room and shutting the door closed behind him.
"Rin?" he whispered in a hurry, nearing the bed and dumping his load of snacks onto the mattress. "I got you some food."
"Inuyasha?" Rin fluttered her eyes open, her voice came out scratchy, groggy.
"Were you sleeping?" he muttered, incredulous, "Just what did he do to you?"
"Inuyasha!" Rin groaned, tossing a pillow at him, he caught it on time. Her muscles throbbed in protest just as she attempted to sit up, moving a hand to her eyes, shielding them from the beaming sunlight.
Before she could say anything else, Inuyasha's vigilant stare had shifted back to the door.
"Just a minute," he told her, quickly putting away the pillow before sneaking out of the room, "Mom?" he called again, sprinting down the stairs after closing the door. Something felt terribly off.
Thankfully he didn't search long for his mother. Izayoi had claimed her usual spot in the living room, right by the window. From afar it didn't seem like an out-of-the-ordinary sight. She was usually there whenever he came back from campus. Except, this time, her face didn't portray the calmness it had whenever she sat down with a copy of her favorite poetry book in her hands, nor did she showcase the droll expression she sported when in an endless phone call with her friends. No. A scowl had replaced her gentle smile, and her hands were gripping her phone as her thumbs typed away, the tapping of her nails against the glass of the screen echoed in the home.
"Hey...mom..." Inuyasha approached tentatively, he spotted just then the blur of white curled up at her feet. "And Mokomoko," he greeted the pup, who lifted his head from the carpet at the sound of his name.
"Not now, Inuyasha, please," Izayoi finally spoke, a sense of defeat, and desperation, was etched in her words.
"What happened?"
Sighing loudly, her fingers ceased their typing as she tossed her phone aside, it bounced off a cushion, "Your father called."
Worry hit Inuyasha cold, winter morning cold, "Is he okay?" He was quick to ask. Izayoi snorted at this, crossing her legs.
"Oh, he's wonderful!" she spat sarcastically, "Thoroughly enjoying the surprise visit I suppose."
Inuyasha blinked, his puzzlement was most evident in his eyes, "You lost me. Whose...surprise visit are we talking about?"
Izayoi set her eyes on her son, inspecting the worry, the doubt, and the searing cluelessness that were all plain on his face, " Kirinmaru's sister, that's who."
Inuyasha's brows furrowed, "He has a sister?"
Izayoi felt dry chuckles surge to her lips, she let them out, "Baby, you last saw her when you were two, I'm not surprised you don't remember her."
Inuyasha huffed, not quite fond of being the only one in the dark. "So what about her? If she's anything like her brother then-"
"Zero is..." Izayoi cut in, giving second thoughts to the words she sought to use, "An old friend of your father's, and no, she's...quite different from her brother."
Inuyasha was tempted to dig further into the lore he was sure his mother was leaving out of their conversation, on purpose. But again, more often than not his curiosity got him into trouble, and as things were now, he had enough on his plate.
Seeing that he didn't elaborate on his interrogation, Izayoi got up from her seat. "Your dad is coming in an hour to pick me up. We're having lunch with her."
Inuyasha watched, without knowing exactly what to say in return, as his mother vanished from sight like a lurking ghost. What he thought to be a perpetual sheen in her eyes was gone too, it bothered him, somehow. But another pressing matter hijacked his attention and he was rushing back to the guest room in a blink of an eye. Mokomoko nuzzled against the leather of the couch, snoozing.
Inuyasha closed the door with caution, aware of the heavy silence across the entire house. When he turned, his eyes sought the figure of the young woman resting in bed. Except she wasn't there. Rin stood in the far-off corner of the room, facing the wall with her phone pressed to her ear and her lips moving in hushed whispers.
"Yes, I don't mind...Me? No, not at all," she muffled her giggles, trying to keep her voice low, "Well maybe a little, that's your mom we're talking about, of course I'm nervous..." she turned, her eyes darted at Inuyasha's standing figure and her smile widened in recognition, "Inuyasha is here, I have to go...Hmm...Right, bye."
"Making plans already?" he muttered, walking to the center of the room. Rin nodded, clutching her phone to her chest.
"Sesshomaru called. He...invited me to have lunch with his mother."
Inuyasha's eyes grew large in surprise, "His mother? As in only the two of you?"
Rin smiled, nodding again, "Is there anything I should know in advance?"
She laughed when we were kids and Sesshomaru dropped my birthday cake on accident, her favorite food is water, sparkling, and I haven't seen her do anything else other than drink tea and read books for hours.
"She's...something else," Inuyasha coughed.
Rin chuckled, walking back to the bed, "Thanks for the heads up. Sesshomaru said I didn't have to go if I didn't feel comfortable but I feel like I'm ready. I hope..she's too," she turned to Inuyasha, her eyes widened ever so slightly, "Wait, is everything okay downstairs? I heard you talking with your mom."
Inuyasha ran a hand through his hair, "I...don't think I have an answer for that," he shook his head, making a mental note to ask his mother again once they returned from lunch with...Zero. "By the way, you can stay at the house till you have to go to meet up with Inukimi."
"Thanks, Inu, but..." her eyes recoiled from him, a very present concern hadn't let her go back to sleep after she woke up, "I have to make a quick stop somewhere else before that."
Meaning she needed to leave the house as soon as possible to avoid running late for her meeting with Inukimi Takahashi.
"I know what you're doing," Inukimi concluded from her seat, inspecting Sesshomaru's loose smirk as he ended the call and set the phone down on the desk.
"And is it working?" He asked, returning his attention to the computer screen before him.
Inukimi scoffed, enjoying the challenge perhaps a little too much. "Maybe," she told him. "You do realize I would've asked to meet her even if you hadn't...plotted this."
He paused his work and let his gaze fall onto his mother, "Alright, then does that mean you're okay with seeing her today?"
"Of course I am. I think..." her eyes wandered to the glass behind him, to the mesmeric sea of clouds dotting the sky, "Sharing a nice meal with someone to talk to is what I need."
Sesshomaru knew this when he called Rin. He knew his mother hadn't come to talk with him. No, he wasn't particularly good at serving as her confidant. He showed his support through actions, very similar to what she did. They kept each other company, sometimes in silence, but today that wasn't enough.
And Sesshomaru knew just the right person to help his mother ease her mind.
"But since today you're busy," Inukimi continued, "We should schedule another time to go visit your new home. The place is mostly furnished, all you'd need to do is bring whatever you brought with you from America, and maybe buy some groceries too, the pantry is empty."
Again with that. His eyes flicked to the envelope resting beside his phone. A short twenty-minute drive from his office, located in a mostly residential part of town. They really thought of everything. Except for one thing, he thought.
"Will we have the apartment locked and catching dust while I'm away?"
She shook her head, "I suggest thinking of starting decorating it for..future visits to Japan."
Of course, that was their idea. His parents wanted him to have a place of his own for when he returned to Japan most likely already with a family of his own. He hadn't seen the apartment yet and somehow he already knew they had designated at least one room to be the nursery.
"Future visits you say," Sesshomaru commented, resuming his work.
"I won't ask you to come every year but," she took a pause, pensive, "At the very least be here when they really need you."
When they really need you, the thought stuck with him throughout the day, as the hours went by, and even when his mother rose from her seat unanticipatedly and headed out for her meeting with Rin.
Her lungs screamed for air, but Rin didn't bother to pause for a break. She worried more about pumping her legs as fast as she could, zig-zagging her way through the huddle of slow-paced pedestrians that crowded the streets.
Kami, all it took was a long line at checkout while at the pharmacy, and now she was running late. At the very least, her concerns were over. She took the pill and willed away any nagging thoughts.
"Alright, Rin," she commanded herself, turning her run into a trot once the restaurant came into view, "You can do this."
Don't panic. Whatever you do, don't panic.
She pushed the handle, and the ring of a bell prompted a few heads to turn in her direction. Her heart throbbed instantly at the sight of the small reception desk at the entrance.
"Do you have a reservation?" asked the brunette behind the desk.
When Rin gave her Inukimi's name, the woman led her past the crowd and up the stairs to a secluded corner of the restaurant. A place where the monotonous cloud of speech looming over the establishment wouldn't reach them.
"Takahashi-sama," softly called the hostess, motioning Rin towards the small set up for two.
A teapot with two cups, one for each, was set upon a circular table with a marble-colored cloth. Inukimi sat patiently at the table, seemingly undisturbed by the zipping cars and the city noises coming from right across the street. She glanced up upon their arrival.
The hostess bowed on her way out, granting them privacy. Her quickened steps faded in the distance as Rin took her seat, almost meekly.
The fine patterns on the cushioned seats embellished the enigmatic air surrounding the stunning woman. Inukimi Takahashi didn't look her age, not by a long shot. Her statuesque figure and delicate features made her look more like a porcelain doll than a woman in her fifties.
Breathe, Rin, she had to remind herself. Under Inukimi's peculiar stare, even blinking felt impossibly hard.
"It really is you, Rin," Inukimi greeted, her voice coming out firm but soothing, like the sharp tune of a viola.
Rin let a smile slip in response, "It's very nice to finally meet you, a-again, that is," her hands felt uncomfortably empty as she rested them on her lap, crumpling the cotton of her blouse.
"What can you tell me about yourself?" Inukimi broached the subject head-first. Though impassive at first glance, her countenance denoted genuine interest.
"About...myself," Rin repeated, hoping to wrap her mind around the question at hand. Was that her way of asking how her day was going?
"Don't overthink it. I'm just trying to get to know you better."
Right, because she was undoubtedly a stranger. Sesshomaru mentioned that they'd met before, that at times his mother invited her over for tea, once in a blue moon of course. But if they were starting anew, what things would Rin want Inukimi to know?
"I...work as a Project Manager at a graphic design studio in Kyoto, I'm currently living on my own, and just recently I...adopted a puppy. His name is Mokomoko, and...well..."
Was there more to it? Rin chewed her lip, fighting to recall anything else Inukimi might want to know about her. Granted the woman wouldn't care much for an in scoop on her knitting proficiency or her recently acquired love for journaling.
"I've noticed that you've been keeping in touch with my son, yes?"
Ah, the million-dollar question. Rin gulped, keeping in touch was an understatement but that was for her to know and for Inukimi to find out in due time.
"We're...good friends," that wasn't a lie.
Inukimi nodded, attentive, "Has Sesshomaru filled you in everything?"
Her hands sweated cold beneath the cloth, still a little shaky, Rin didn't dare to bring them to rest on the table, "It wasn't easy but I think I got all the answers to my questions."
Inukimi took another chance at sizing Rin's expression, "It must've been difficult for you," she noted, watching the passing emotions in those brown eyes, "When Sesshomaru told me everything, I had a hard time processing the idea. Like everyone at the time, I suppose."
"I myself had a hard time understanding some things," Rin admitted, "And I know you and Toga-sama are actively participating in the investigation. That really means a lot to me, thank you."
Inukimi contemplated Rin's confidence in her words, nodding once, "You should know I'm not only doing this because of you. As a mother, more so as Sesshomaru Taisho's mother, I need to make sure my son won't ever cross paths with low-class criminals that might be attempting to infiltrate our trusted circle. It is a matter of responsibility."
"Need? Or want?" The question slipped. Rin felt her tongue knot and her heart go still for a painfully long second. Then, as her words lingered in the air, her rate began to quicken. It soared, thumping inside her chest.
Across from her, Inukimi arched one brow, those amber eyes bored into Rin's soul so enigmatically, "I need to do what's best for him," Inukimi explained matter-of-factly.
"Even if what's best for him isn't always what he wants?" The knot loosened, her words rushed forth.
This would be a good time to stop, Rin, her mind warned at her, paranoid. Where did this bold inquisitiveness come from anyway?
Except Inukimi didn't seem disturbed by the question. No, she looked rather...curious, "You seem a little confused. Do you perhaps have a question for me?"
It was as if her life revolved around endless episodes of confusion. Somehow, Rin rarely felt confident enough about something to stand her ground without faltering her footing. The one true thing she knew to be certain was that she loved him, and that she might not have another opportunity to get his mother's take on the future. So though risky and a tad naive, she asked away.
"I do have a question, many, actually."
"Go on," Inukimi prompted her to continue.
Rin clutched her hands in her lap, tossing her doubts out the window.
"Sesshomaru always speaks about his life, your lives, as if...all you had to do was serve the greater good. At times he seems very determined on what the right course of action is, what he has to do. Then other times...it almost seems as if he doesn't know how to choose freely without thinking for a moment about what is expected of him. Why is that?"
Inukimi cracked a gentle smile that Rin hoped wasn't meant to show pity. Yes, she might've just sounded like a complete lunatic for someone like Inukimi who held a firm and solid grasp on the world, a world so foreign to Rin. The woman leaned back, her smile prevailed.
"Sesshomaru was born with privileges that didn't come for free," she began, "From day one Toga and I knew what the future held for him. You're asking if he has free will? In a way, he does. He chose what college to attend, what car to purchase, and what jobs to apply to after graduation. We never imposed any of that on him."
"Yet he chose out of the options presented to him," Rin interjected, sourcing her confidence from an unknown place in her heart, "Would you have been okay with him choosing to buy a second-hand car? Or if he'd applied to work at the local library instead of an international billion-dollar company?" Inukimi's silence called Rin to continue, less hesitant this time, "All I'm saying is, what if he didn't want that? What if, for once, he chose the path that wasn't a shortcut to success?"
For a moment it appeared as if her words had resonated with the older woman. Rin hoped, prayed, that she hadn't taken offense to her intuition.
"Let me share something with you," Inukimi said calmly, "My marriage to Toga was, as you put it, a shortcut to success. My family had what his needed, and we engaged in business. The cover story was simply that, a genuine wedding between two college sweethearts."
Beneath the rich kaleidoscope in her golden eyes, Rin spotted melancholy that didn't match the dry tone of her words.
"For however long it lasted, short-lived or not, our union served a purpose. We had Sesshomaru. The single success Toga and I shared suddenly became parenthood," she took a pause, getting lost in countless memories of years that would never come back, "I saw him grow up, following in his father's footsteps as it was expected of him. That is, of course, until he drifted from that path because of you."
Rin blinked, startled by the statement "What did I even-"
" He would've traded all the money in his piggy bank for an afternoon free of responsibilities just so he could spend it with you," Inukimi cut in, a glint sprung in her eyes, " And I always said yes. Whenever he asked, I said yes," she paused again, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly, lost in deep thinking, "It baffled me how...I didn't care any more about what others thought than I did about seeing Sesshomaru happy."
Day-in-day-out, it was always the same. Inukimi's visits to Japan weren't frequent during those years but whenever she was around, Sesshomaru had something new to share with her about the plans he and Rin had. He was just a kid, Inukimi reminded herself. A hopeful, optimistic, happy kid. But the future couldn't have disagreed more with him, thwarting his plans, crushing his hopes.
Inukimi knocked on the door, patiently waiting for a reply that she knew wouldn't come. She twisted the knob and pushed the door, slowly revealing the inside of the room to her eyes. Birds chirped from a branch that reached a few inches away from the window. Outside, the sun shone brighter than any other day.
The shelves were empty, the closet was too, and only the expensive bedwear remained on display as everything else was packed and stored. A suitcase rested beside the closet, ready to be wheeled out of the house.
"Sesshomaru," she called, keeping her voice low as she closed the door behind her and walked to the bed.
He looked up, and his eyes slowly moved to greet his mother.
"It's time," she announced, registering the forlorn gleam in those red-rimmed eyes before they slowly dropped to the floor.
He didn't lift them again, but Inukimi knew he'd listened. She drew in a deep breath, taking the spot beside him on the bed.
"What's on your mind?"
She tried to be gentle, tried to keep her voice low, and her presence as quiet as possible. Inukimi waited, keeping her eyes centered on the empty wall across from them.
"I don't understand," his voice came out scratchy, like a slurred whisper.
"What is it that you don't understand?" She asked in return.
Without tearing his glare from the floor, he elaborated, "I should be content." It took him some time. His breathing was even but short, quiet but tight, "She's no longer in pain."
Inukimi closed her eyes, listening only to his voice. A sharp pull at her heart rendered her mute for a moment.
"But instead, I'm...angry. I'm frustrated with myself, with life," he drew in a breath, struggling to keep his voice from wavering, "I just...wanted her to stay, but she didn't, she couldn't, and I can't accept that."
His eyes snapped close, Inukimi took in the tense shoulders, the fisted hands, the fire that was consuming his throat.
"Sesshomaru," she called again, but he didn't look. "Rin is safe now. Nothing will ever hurt her again. Do you understand?"
He kept quiet. Only the sound of wings flapping outside the window cut through the silence. Inukimi swallowed, a peculiar itching crawled up her throat. The question struck a chord as he set his jaw, fighting to conceal the ragged sobs.
"I don't know...how to live without her," he confessed in a shaky voice.
She acted out of an impulse, welcoming him into her arms, securing her hands on his shuddering back. Was it right? His plane would leave in a few hours, and it tore Inukimi to think he would be on his own next time he struck the same realization. Sesshomaru and his father insisted that it was for the best, that Tokyo reminded him of her, of Rin. Starting anew was the right path to follow, they thought. Inukimi just hoped they weren't making a mistake.
"Inukimi-sama?"
Rin's voice pulled her from her thoughts. Inukimi blinked, taking in the clear light surrounding them and the faint voices coming from downstairs.
"Some days it becomes..more difficult to understand or accept, the why of many things," Inukimi concluded with refreshed understanding in her stare. "Sesshomaru chose his path at the time, but as we now know, that didn't come to fruition," her eyes set on Rin as she continued, "He gave up on finding a new path since. That willpower that you speak of, he lost it a while back, and I haven't heard of it coming back to him. Sesshomaru will do whatever is best for the firm because that has proven to be best for him too, as simple as that."
Rin swallowed with a tight throat, her face softened, "But if he decided to change that? Would you...accept it?"
Inukimi glanced down at her tea, at the gentle swirl of the herbs in the warm liquid.
"There are some things you can't force. Toga and I could've remained oblivious to the sinking ship that our marriage was, but that would've only hurt us more, and Sesshomaru too," she looked up, hurt flashed in her eyes. "He already had his fair share of less than gracious experiences thanks to our immaturity, and I wouldn't have wanted for him to grow up with any more of that. I chose what was best for Sesshomaru, and myself, even if it wasn't what was best for everyone else."
Even if it wasn't the right course of action.
"And you would do it again," Rin murmured as a smile formed on her lips, "Because you love him."
As many times as it took, Inukimi closed her eyes, inhaling deep.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Sesshomaru kept his phone pressed to his ear, closely listening to the gentle voice on the other end of the line as his eyes were set on the grey wall across from him.
The screeching of wheels echoed in the parking lot as one by one people began to leave the office at the end of another workday, him included. Sesshomaru waited inside his car, attentive to Rin's words.
"Trust me on this. We have to start somewhere, just..think about it for a moment," she pleaded, whispering from inside the lady's room at the restaurant.
What if she was right? What if Rin was right in assuming his mother would take the news of their relationship better than anyone else? Sesshomaru couldn't picture a single scenario where Inukimi would jump up and down at the announcement, yet strangely, he couldn't see her frowning upon it either.
What if...for a change, he lucked out, and his mother understood?
"Alright."
Rin hummed, content, "We're leaving the restaurant in a moment, and I think we'll go back to her hotel. Do you need me to send you the address?"
"No need, I'll meet you there in a moment."
"Great, see you in a bit."
He pulled into the streets, letting his memory do the trick and guide him to the hotel. In a way, his mother was right. The location was perfect, just a fifteen-minute drive from the business district, close enough to a thriving hub of commerce yet far away enough to remain sheltered from the main roads. The building rose tall and mighty, and he didn't bother counting the floors or the cars on the underground parking.
"Sesshomaru-sama," greeted him the receptionist, already familiar with the sight of the young man dropping by to say hello to his mother.
He took the elevator, gathering his thoughts, imagining the many ways in which the meeting could go right, or wrong. It'll be fine, he told himself, easing his mind. He hadn't been this strangely anxious in too long that he had almost forgotten how uncomfortable it felt.
It'll be alright.
"Look who decided to join us," Inukimi got the door, standing tall and regale.
"Mother," he greeted, walking in.
His eyes searched for that droplet of familiarity in the wild canvas that his mother's suite was. When he found her, Rin smiled with the subtly of a pin-drop. She sat on a lounging chair set by a fireplace, across from his mother's reading station. Beside Rin was another empty seat.
"How was work?" Inukimi asked, closing the door before walking back to the sitting area.
"Busy," he replied, taking a seat on the empty chair beside Rin's.
"Isn't it always like that?" Inukimi smirked, sitting down as well. The licks of flame glimmered off her alabaster skin, casting a warm tint on it, "Rin and I shared a pleasant evening of..remembrance."
From her seat, Rin felt an even wider smile tug at her lips, "I didn't know you were such a mama's boy growing up," she teased.
Sesshomaru rose his brows, "That's up for debate."
"Keep telling yourself that," Inukimi interjected, letting her shoulders drop. She centered her attentive stare on her son, "Well, I've been told you wanted to have a word with me. I reckon it must be important."
Their eyes met, and Rin nodded slowly, betting it all for a chance of success. She saw the same juvenile hope lit up his stare. If only for a moment, they jumped together into the unknown.
Sesshomaru turned to his mother, choosing his words carefully, "You're right. There is something we want to share with you."
Inukimi stared in silence, and he took this as a cue to continue. Drawing in a much-needed breath, he spoke.
"Every year you ask me what I want for my birthday, and every year I fail to give you a proper answer. Maybe it's because I didn't feel like there was anything else I could've asked for. Like I had everything I needed, " he paused, taking a moment to gather his thoughts, "It doesn't feel that way anymore. Suddenly it doesn't feel like I have everything. I can finally understand what I really want, and...it isn't what I have."
He could sense Rin's eyes on him, contemplating his every word. It gave him the courage to continue.
"My life is heading somewhere I don't want to be, and I'm choosing to do something about it, " he turned to Rin, giving a single nod in her direction.
Inukimi's eyes shifted to the young woman almost instantly. Rin swallowed her fears, disregarding her sweaty palms.
"I'm grateful for having Sesshomaru return to me after so long, and...the truth is, while there was a time when what we lost felt irreplaceable, now it feels like...like I have another chance to say yes to a life with him."
Inukimi's eyes moved from Rin to Sesshomaru, seemingly impassive, or rather astonished.
"I'm calling off the wedding," Sesshomaru spelled it out loud so there wasn't room for ambiguity, "And I'm choosing her," he glanced to the side, their eyes meeting for a split of a moment, "I'm choosing Rin."
Inukimi's eyes closed like two gates refusing entry to a haven. She took in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and exhaled through her nose. Seconds of silence turned into a moment of uncertainty.
Rin turned to Sesshomaru, the plea in her visage was too vivid. Had she misjudged her pleasant afternoon with the woman? Had she fooled herself into believing Inukimi Takahashi would accept to let her son terminate a solid engagement because of a simple, ordinary girl?
Though they exchanged no word, Rin understood he had no answers for her questions.
"Sesshomaru," Inukimi's voice cut through the tension in the suite. Her eyes opened, they pinned to her son as she rose from her seat, taking the novel that rested in her lap with her.
She stepped closer to the fireplace. The slurred clatter of her heels was but a blurry sound in the back of Rin's head as she watched the woman halt and place the novel on a narrow shelf on top of the fireplace, beside a peppermint candle.
"It has been far too long since I was the one to decide for you," Inukimi spoke, now contemplating the dancing fire. "The clothes you wore, the toys you played with, I only did that when you weren't old enough to stand on your own feet and walk. Now you've grown, I wasn't always there, but I like to believe I was with you during the moments that you truly needed me. I tried to instill in you values I hoped you'd uphold in the future, one of them was...honesty," She took a pause, listening to the popping wood, to the whistling drafts outside, "Being honest doesn't only mean telling the truth to others, but also yourself," She turned, catching Sesshomaru's stare, "You know what you must do and I won't be the one standing in your way."
Rin couldn't help the edges of her mouth from lifting upwards as a sense of relief washed over her like a soothing spring drizzle.
"However," Inukimi spoke again, her words were firm and clear, "While I won't lecture you for taking action, I will advise you to be cautious with how you handle the situation, both of you." She looked at Rin this time, making sure her words had hit their mark before moving her attention back to Sesshomaru, "Talk with Kagura in private and at your soonest convenience. You don't owe her a life together, but you do, respect, Sesshomaru. End things properly."
"Yes, mother."
Inukimi sighed, walking back to her seat. Her eyes landed on Rin, "As I suspect you remember from our conversation, I told you that I was willing to cross the line back then and, given the circumstances, I can see myself doing the same for a second time. If and when you two figure this out appropriately."
With a bright smile on her face, Rin nodded effusively. It was happening, she couldn't believe her eyes, but it really was happening.
"Having said that," Inukimi reclaimed her seat, nestled between silk and pillows, "I'd like to congratulate you for taking this step together." Her eyes were on Rin again as the firmness in her stare wobbled, "The way you express your concern for my son, it tells me you truly care for him."
Rin smiled, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears that threatened to spill. She kept her mouth closed, not trusting her voice at the moment.
His hand found hers, and for the first time in too long, it didn't feel wrong to hold onto each other without fearing what others might think.
It was late when they decided to leave the opulent hotel. Rin went ahead, taking the elevator to the underground parking, insisting she'd wait there for Sesshomaru.
Standing by the doorframe, with her amber eyes resting on her son's face, Inukimi found it hard not to let a smile slip.
"You remind me of myself," she said, noticing there wasn't a single person in the carpeted hallway aside from Sesshomaru, "I never wished to marry your father. The truth is, he and I were in...different places in our life at the time."
Sesshomaru's eyes flickered to the side by instinct. Inukimi's stone gaze softened.
"If you're asking if I regret it, the answer is no. Without Toga we wouldn't be having this conversation now, would we?" she gave him a loose smile, "What I meant was, you're choosing to do what I didn't back then, and in doing so, you're showing me that you're a determined young man."
Was it always about making his parents proud? About not letting them down? When in truth, as Sesshomaru saw it now, he only wanted to find his own path.
"I learned from the best," he confessed, trusting his mother knew what he meant.
Inukimi stepped forth, bringing her arms around him, revisiting the act of showing affection. It didn't come as natural to her, but she liked to believe there wasn't a thing Inukimi Takahashi couldn't do.
"We should do this more often," she muttered, feeling Sesshomaru's arms hesitantly rising to return the gesture.
"I think we should," he agreed, letting his eyelids fall if only momentarily.
They could only push their luck so far. Eventually, Inukimi stepped back, as did Sesshomaru, "But not too often," she snorted a laugh.
"Agreed," he sighed, turning on his heel and walking down the hall.
A/N: An Inukimi & Sesshomaru chapter because why not? As a side note, I (kind of) finished the outline for the entire fic and it looks like we're going for around 30 chapters, give or take. So..we already made it through the first half of the story! Thank you for reading/commenting/following/adding to favs! ❤️