Disclaimer: Yeah, whatever it is you'd expect to be here.
Summary: AU.She was so frightened that she left, and he was too proud to follow. It was all but settled until one of her best friends and his brother decided to get married.
Pairings: Sesshomaru/Rin, Inuyasha/Kagome, Sango/Miroku, Naraku/Kikyo. I'm still thinking over the last pairing. :D
Rating: R for language (Inuyasha's mainly—kidding. :D ) and sexual content. Don't worry, I'll leave warnings. ;D
Author's Note: I'm so sorry it's so confusing! I'll try to clear it up in the succeeding chapters! So that this one will be less confusing, you should know that this chapter is taking place in the same time frame as the first chapter. We pick up from where Rin went to bed—this is when she wakes up. The reason the first two chapters are entitled "Before" and "Before Part 2" is because apart from the latter being flashback chapter, it gives us a look at what happened in the months after Rin left Sesshomaru. The real story kicks off during the present time—when Kagome and Inuyasha get engaged and Rin and Sesshomaru are pulled together again. That'll be in the next chapter. :D
The flashback parts in this chapter are italicized and Rin's thoughts during those flashbacks are in bold letters. :D Sorry guys—I know there could have been a better way to set this story up, and I promise to do some heavy editing when I find the time. For now, please bear with me. :D
Also, to everyone who reviewed, thank you very much! I would say more here, but you remember the rule about posting thank-you-s at the top of the chapter...so please know that I'm grateful for your feedback. Again, thank you! ;P
Chapter 2
Before Part 2
Rin Fujii had grown up a normal girl. She had been brought up an only child by parents who—though often busy with their work as sociologists—had lavished her with attention and love. She was a good student in all fields, though she was a natural at home economics, and while she loved sports she never truly excelled at them. She was pretty and well-liked, and being sparingly exposed to anything extremely out of the ordinary, she was as firmly grounded in the realities of the world around her as could.
So when Kagome Higurashi—her best friend since elementary school—had dragged her into the ladies' room during dinner at a swanky resto and told her that she was interning as the personal assistant of a demon, she couldn't help it.
She laughed.
"Honestly, Kagome!" she choked between the gales of hilarity. "I'm not overworking myself with this internship. Stop trying to trick me into quitting it. God, I thought you were going to tell me something really awful the way you sounded!"
"I'm serious!" Kagome snapped, grabbing Rin by the shoulders painfully. "Rin, I'm telling you, quit this job right now! You can come with me to my internship—they're still accepting applications! You can't go on working for that thing!"
"Hey, Mr. Takahashi's okay! Sure, he's a little eccentric with all that silvery hair and those weird eyes, but it hasn't stopped him from being a great businessman and a great boss! I'm really learning from him!"
I should have quit then and there, she mused hollowly.
Goddamn it, woman, go back to sleep!
But she couldn't. Her head still felt heavy, but if her mind wasn't sluggish enough to block out those memories and the resulting thoughts, it was active enough for her to put it to good use. Gripping the nightstand, she got up slowly, gritting her teeth as a wave of nausea assaulted her. Freezing, she shut her eyes and clamped her mouth shut, swallowing the bitter tang of chyme before she could vomit.
Not today, she thought urgently, frantically.
The morning sickness was still frustratingly erratic—she'd hoped it would have established a pattern by now, so she could work her way around it. As it was, it was only making her already chaotic schedule steadily worse, and she was beginning to wish she'd enrolled the semester after fall instead of pushing herself to study in the summer to make up for the semester she'd miss when she—
She swallowed back another bout, resignedly lying down.
With the upheaval she'd been through since she'd found out three months ago, her schedule should have been easy to deal with. After all, she'd drastically altered her life within a week and had been able to deal with the inevitable pandemonium with relative ease.
Though, of course, there had been help then.
Her parents had been understanding, and they hadn't pushed her when she'd expressed her desperate need for a change of scenery. It was not as if they could do much to remedy the situation past giving her what she wanted—persuading her to reconsider was impossible, since she'd already withdrawn her records from the university, quit her internship, and moved out. Even if they didn't know why she'd done it, they knew their daughter well enough to be certain that whatever had prompted her into it would have to be serious.
They hadn't pushed or prodded her into telling them what was wrong. They'd simply done what she'd asked—acquired her papers, gotten her into a new university, and helped her settle. Perhaps that was why she'd told them so easily before they left for home. It was shameful to admit it, but before they'd given her help she'd kept her mouth shut for fear they'd recoil from her and leave her to fend for herself.
Stupid of me, really, she sighed to herself, wishing she hadn't acted so gung-ho the last time they visited. Perhaps, if she'd been less cavalier, her mother would have been worried enough to "impose" herself and take care of Rin.
I'm pregnant.
Her father's face crumpled, his eyes closed. For one horrifying moment she prayed for his anger, his disgust—anything other than the glimpse of disappointment she was sure was there. Then he opened his eyes and put his arms around her.
"It's nothing to be ashamed about," he said gruffly. "A grandchild is a gift."
"But he's going to be hanyou," she'd whispered through her tears, burying herself in his comforting warmth. "Sesshomaru—Mr. Takahashi—doesn't want children, much less half-breeds!"
"Are you sure, sweetheart?" her mother pressed gently. "Because you may only be getting the impression—"
"He said so himself!"
Her mother's voice sharpened, her eyes rounded out. "So you've told him you're pregnant?"
Rin shook her head vigorously. "NO! And I don't mean to! He can't find out—he told me himself how he felt a long time ago! Please don't confront him!"
"We won't," her father promised, tightening his arms reassuringly. "Regardless of the father, your child s a gift. If your—" he paused, then said the next word with carefully-leashed contempt—"lover can't see that, we certainly can."
She had to type that report. She had to pull things together—not just for her sake, but for her baby's as well.
"You'll be all right," she murmured reassuringly, placing a hand over her abdomen. Laughing at herself, she added, "You'll be all right, too, Rin. Just relax a little and wait for it to pass."
"...we should simply wait for it to pass."
She looked miserably at the wall of rain that began a few feet from where she was standing. Curtains of moisture surrounded them on all sides and she twirled around impatiently, annoyed at the lack of seating in the waiting shed and their MIA driver.
"I can't believe we're going to miss the meeting," she huffed after another five minutes. "After all the trouble we went through to set it up! Ooh, when I get my hands on Kureno...!"
She realized belatedly that Mr. Takahashi was giving her a sidelong stare and she flushed, mentally slapping herself on the forehead for displaying such a lack of control in front of her employer. Hastily she schooled her expression into one patient and dignified.
Only to have it crack into one of surprise when he turned his face towards her and asked her a question far removed from the lecture on control she was expecting.
"You truly wish to attend that meeting?"
She blinked. "Well—yes. Don't you?"
He didn't reply.
She swallowed, agonizing over her blinding knack for committing faux pas with the worst possible people. Under his steady, stoic gaze, she began to squirm, her words rushing out even more carelessly due to her tension.
"W-Well...three of the people there are flying in from other countries just to be there and if we don't show up we'd be inexcusably rude."
"Hmph." His eyes seemed to harden at this and she was beginning to feel that getting drowned in the deluge was preferable to standing there and upsetting him. "When you have the power, you are never 'inexcusably rude'. When you are in charge there is no need to justify yourself to those who are beneath you."
For some reason, that hurt. Maybe because she was one of those people who were "beneath" him. He'd meant it figuratively, she knew, but her mind couldn't help conjuring a very literal picture.
For the nth time that day, she flushed.
RIN, HENTAI! Inwardly, she cringed and stuffed cotton in her ears as her outraged, timid reservations began screaming bloody murder as she relived—
Well.
Wrong place, definitely wrong time to be thinking about that, darling, she reminded herself firmly. Concentrate...Kureno is going to be in so much trouble when I get my hands on him...
"Y-Yes," she said quietly, lowering her eyes. "Of course, sir."
His next question differed in no way from the previous in its tone, but she was certain he was guarded when he asked it.
"Being here with me bothers you so?"
She'd been so surprised she'd forgotten her earlier resolve to be meeker around him and swung her gaze around to look him full in the eye. Coming from anyone else, the question sounded almost...
...hurt? Mr. Takahashi? Impossible!
But just in case...on the incredibly off chance that he actually was...
"Actually," she said with a smile, "I rather like the rain. When I'm in good company, of course."
Typically, he didn't even blink. He'd simply stared at her and then looked away.
"Damn you, Sesshomaru," she hissed, shutting her eyes as angry tears squeezed themselves out. "Can you blame me if I'm so confused?"
---
"Earth to Sesshomaru...HELLO!"
Sesshomaru shut his eyes, his muscles tightening as he fought the urge to cringe and the simultaneous need to savagely rip his brother's head from his shoulders. Somewhere in the midst of Inuyasha's long, uninspired, and boring insult-filled speech his voice had blended in with the air-conditioning in his office to form a low buzzing sound. He struggled to remember why he had agreed to see his brother in the first place and what he had listened to when his brother had begun speaking.
Half-brother, he thought venomously, opening his eyes a moment later to stare coldly back into identical honey-gold orbs.
"Why is it that you're so angry with Inuyasha, my lord?"
"He is a half-demon and he is beneath me. It is as simple as that."
"But he shares your blood nonetheless, doesn't he? Perhaps if you remembered that more often than the fact that he has other blood in him—
HALF BROTHER, his mind repeated viciously, drowning out her voice.
"Stop spacing out, will you?" Inuyasha snapped, once more dangerously unaware of the nerves he was recklessly grating at that point. "I'm saying something important!"
"If my attention is not on you, it means that there are other matters that are more important," he replied coolly. "Be grateful that I am even seeing you and stop wasting my time. What do you have to say?"
"Oh, nothing," Inuyasha said sarcastically. "Just wanted to let my dear Big Brother know that I got into that scholarship I applied for. Remember? The one where I get to train under the YYH Corps.?"
He's going to America.
He had to admit his surprise. Not at the fact that Inuyasha had gotten the scholarship—part of him was Takahashi, after all, and that counted for a lot of the good graces that the otherwise ill-deserving hanyou received. But the fact that Inuyasha was actually discussing it with him—as though it were something serious that merited notifying the head of the family.
He was not about to believe that Inuyasha was telling him merely because he was his brother.
Half-brother, came the automatic correction.
He knew Inuyasha, and Inuyasha would never let Sesshomaru in on his business if he could help it. But Sesshomaru was the head of the family, and he had assigned responsibilities to Inuyasha that he had to accept if he wanted to receive his share of their assets. If Inuyasha took the scholarship, he would be moving away, and that would mean a shifting of his responsibilities—something he could only discuss with the head.
"It's a four-year thing," Inuyasha went on when Sesshomaru failed to reply, his stance becoming more tense than irritated as he wondered what his brother was going to say. "I'm going to have to move to America—it's where Yusuke's been concentrating the classes." He paused, staring resolutely into Sesshomaru's unreadable eyes. "I know you think it's a waste of my time, this detective business, but you should also know that I don't give a damn what you think. I'm only letting you know so you don't start screeching the minute you realize I'm not holding up my end anymore."
Despite his current mood, Sesshomaru couldn't help but smirk. "Why, little brother," he answered evenly, knowing how much Inuyasha hated it when he addressed him that way, "knowing that you are no longer mucking up our family's affairs would be the most pleasant thing I would have learned regarding you as of yet." He reclined into his chair, watching Inuyasha's predictable temper filling the air around him. Before the hanyou could say something more unwise, Sesshomaru continued. "Go, if you will. Rest assured that our family's affairs will not suffer in your absence." On the contrary...Sesshomaru suppressed another smirk. "Perhaps Urameshi will be able to ingrain more wisdom and intelligence into that impenetrable skull of yours. I doubt it, but at least you'll be out of the way."
"Hmph," Inuyasha folded his arms. "Don't come crying to me if we go bankrupt. I won't come back here for any other reasons less dire than that."
The idea was so ludicrous that Sesshomaru almost snorted.
"In that case," he said with an aloof yet mocking smile, "then I am most fortunate in realizing that I will never see you again."
Further Author's Notes: Hehehe...here's to hoping it's not illegal to put the thank-you-s here...XP
gillian-raine: Thank you—your reviews make me smile! ;P Let me know what you think of this chapter, okay? ;;)
SesshomaruCrazy: Thank you! Thanks! Thank you! Right, I'm going to stop squeezing you to death now...hehe... ;P I had some insecurities with a few phrases in the last chapter, so your review did a lot to ease my tension! ;;) I really appreciate it and hope you'll like this chapter! ;P
icygirl2: By now you know why Rin left—but not the whole reason! ;P I'm sorry the first chapter was confusing—I'm still working my way into editing it so that it reads better, but I can't seem to find the right way without completely unraveling the thread, so bear with me! Thanks for reviewing (and wishing me well! ;P ) and I hope to hear from you soon! ;;)
misterious advisor: -flicks her magic wand- There! I've granted your wish sweetie—grant mine and let me know what you think, okay? XP
Chranze: Here's the update—the ending's a way off yet, though. XP Hope this'll do for now—thank you for reviewing! ;D
Chew Chew: Rin, honey. Most definitely Rin. :D XP
Starrilight-Hotaru: Thank you, thank you, thank you! ;P Haha, I did base some of the first chapter on real life, you know...in my case, without sexual frustrations too, hehe. :D I hope I get to know what you think of this one. :P
Darth Vader C11: I want to know what you think of this one next. :D
Fanficcrit: THANK YOU! ;P Oh...you got me all boo-hoo-ey...thanks so much... ;;)
Borrow-the-moonlight-untill...: You guessed right! ;P Here's the update—what do you think?
kiddtris: THANKS SO MUCH! ;P Yeah, it was initially a prologue, but I decided against it. Anyway, this chapter's longer—hope you like it. ;P
SugarN'SpiceRin: -'Addict grabs her and begins to squeeze her to death, all the while sobbing with hysterical gratitude- THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH! I really appreciate it—ooh, I'm not letting you go now! ;P
Aya-kun: It's you! ;P Hehe, thanks for checking this one out—you saved me from shamelessly plugging it in the other stories to get my other readers to take a look. –Bad Addict, Bad!– :D As to updating those...well...I could...for a price...-evil smile-...he...hehehehe...kidding. :D