I'll Marry You For the Greencard!

by XxDezzidancexX

After an unprecedented email, Sesshomaru finds himself struck by the uncanny resemblance of the sender to his long-lost love. Through a series of blunders, the two folks strike an uncanny friendship and become life-long pen pals. After discovering the girl's awful living conditions, Sesshomaru proposes a quick solution to get her out and avoid unnecessary paperwork and processing.

14. Alone Again

A/N: I want to apologize for taking nearly two years to update this story! There's never a day I stop thinking about finishing this monster I've embarked on. It makes me so happy to bring this story to fruition and I'm sad I haven't been able to sooner. I hope you guys can forgive me - and I hope you all enjoy!

Y-icey - Thank you so much hun! I apologize for the late update! I hope you're doing well :)

SammyJams - Awh hun TYSM! You'll get to see more of Dion in future chapters! I hope my Oc's will continue to entertain you, and that my writing will be pleasing in this chapter!

Jeanbeannie - Thank you babe! You're such a sweetheart!

Taraah36 - Thank you so so much! I'm so happy you enjoyed! I want to give you teasers so badly but i absolutely promise it'll be addressed in future chapters! Also, big hugs, dealing with bullying/racism/sexism is NEVER alright, and I hope you're not dealing with closeminded folks like that anymore :(

Tw: Menstruation
Edit: Chapter 14 was taken down to rectify some issues as of 5/6/2022. I decided to change Komako's assistant's name to Christoff because I did not want to offend. I also want to mention that one of the characters says something pretty insensitive, but I promise as usual it is for the plot and that said character will have some growth.

Since I've taken it down and reposted it, I also wanted to ask you guys something! I'm thinking of making some major changes to the first few chapters (changing some events, etc) and wanted to know your opinions. I'm mainly considering ousting some of the cooking scenes (boy, I swear I was hungry while writing those scenes LOL. And, a few of the instances of racial microaggressions.)

Lastly, I've noticed I ABUSE the phrase "Such a Thing." So I will be going back and removing those. Inuyasha-Loves-Hanyou-Kagome was kind enough to call out an error in my Timeline in Chapter 12 (Rings'n'Things) and since I was making the correction, I briefly removed several appearances of the phrase. I will be going back to clean up several of the chapters overuse of it!

The indoor garage felt cold as he stepped out. He sighed before kicking the door closed, walking towards the house's entrance, and practically slamming the key fob onto the wall display for his several vehicles. His hands slid down the wall, manually lowering the sensor powered lights.

He supposed he had work to do, anyways.

He kicked off his shoes while shrugging off his coat, absentmindedly noticing the flowers on the countertop were still quite lively. He washed his hands in the kitchen sink, before seeing himself to the office.

Then, he managed to accomplish nothing.

Around midnight his phone rang, and he was pulled from his piteous reverie. Hell, he'd forgotten to call her. He briefly watched the phone ring as if in disbelief, before picking up. He didn't greet her, but true to nature, she began speaking. "Shigeto-sama? I know you're safe, but it's still nice to hear it!" He took a breath before carefully choosing his words, "You….sound like my mother."

She laughed heartily, "It just means we care about you! But, since I've taken it you're home safely - I'll let you go. Goodnight, Shigeto-sama."

He wanted to say so many things, to hold her attention, to hear more from her. But, God help him, he just muttered a "hn" and waited for the line to die.

Great, he wasn't cut for this. He slumped in the chair, suddenly feeling drained. He was hopeless, missing her the way he did - after her only falling into his life for a week or so.

Even worse, he just left her about 3 hours prior. If he couldn't cope with her being gone for hours, how could he manage days?

Moments passed, before he stood up from the desk and saw himself to a nice, hot, shower.

00000

Rin fell between sleep and wake, noticing a slight ache in her stomach. She turned, sneezed, and in that moment a rush of wetness assaulted her, bringing her to full alertness. "NO!" she seethed, jumping out of the bed hotly. She flipped the comforter up, gasping upon realizing the true gravity of the situation. "Oh no! Oh no! Oh please, no!" She growled while jumping on the balls of her feet and slapping the mattress. First off, she ruined the woman's pajamas, secondly, as she stripped the bed, realized it soaked through to the mattress, and thirdly, she was going to die of embarrassment having to ask for a change of pajamas.

She learned a valuable lesson - she'd keep an overnight duffle bag in the trunk from now on.

She turned and looked at herself in the mirror, freaking out that a red stain ruined the pajamas. Rummaging through her purse, she found the sanitary items she needed, and put it on before swallowing her embarrassment. She decided the mattress came first. Slipping her feet into the slippers, she practically booked it down the stairs, searching for the laundry room, grabbing a laundry measuring cup half filled with detergent, and rummaging through the kitchen for salt.

After a moment, she huffed - raiding what she assumed to be the servant's break room for the first-aid items, and helping herself to a generous amount of hydrogen peroxide. Violently she stirred the items together, leaving the cabinets opened, and utensils in the sink - before booking it back up the stairs. "Oh, Please let me get this out before she wakes!"

She poured the mixture on the mattress, taking the stains up and blotting at it with a washcloth, before suddenly remembering that she was residing in Sesshomaru's old bedroom. "Augh!" she spat, suddenly horrified at the thought of him smelling the accident at some point in the near future. She really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

At least the stain was coming out.

"Ooh, you make a lot of noise." Komako intoned quietly, frankly scaring the hell out of Rin. She jumped, rambling a mile-a-minute, "I am so sorry! I usually feel it coming beforehand, but it caught me by surprise, and I didn't expect this to happen and I'm s-" Komako laughed, "You're crying over this?" Rin gave a short nod, eyes watering from embarrassment - "Firstly, it's a mattress cover - so no harm done even if it were more...severe. It's almost gone, anyway." She shrugged.

Rin still looked petrified.

"You," She chuckled, "consider this bad? It's nothing. I went through many futons in my day." Rin barely managed to stop herself from stammering, "Come again?" her head cocked sideways, before giving a minute shake at the inconceivable notion. Weren't demon's bodies different from theirs? Weren't they blessed to avoid menstruation entirely? Perhaps maybe some species of demons did whereas others didn't?

Komako nodded while picking up the stained fitted bedsheet, "Mine was unpredictable for the longest, so I ruined futons even in the presence of my husband" Komako added with a quirk of the brow, which made Rin slink internally from shame, before realization dawned on her, "You knew?"

She smirked, "An inkling, if you will." She paused for a long moment, before assessing her from head to toe; "I was much like you, you know." A soft smile curved on her lip, and she left to grab another fitted sheet. Rin pulled the bedspread off while trying to decipher what she meant. Kin-Komako returned with another fitted sheet that matched the comforter. She opened with a small yawn, "I hated shoes, I ran about wildly, terribly curious...I was untamed in the least." Rin gasped, disbelieving the elegant woman before her was anything akin to her. Komako sat on the plush chair beside her, "The only place where you and I differ - was that I was terribly self-centered" she admitted airily.

Rin's body language clearly begged for an explanation, but the girl tapered her curiosity, not wishing to pry.

Komako decided she would clarify, nevertheless - as they truly had more in common than the girl thought. She hoped that by expressing her own life story, Rin could begin the long process of healing from her trauma - rather than suppressing and locking it away.

"Growing up, I was a pawn to my parent's game. My father could not conceive a boy; consequently - he wanted his daughters to be the pick of the crop to procure wealth. My elder sisters were all married off, leaving young me with a cruel mother and an emotionless father. So," she smirked, a mischievous gleam twinkling in her eyes, "they treated me like the worst, and I gave them my worst. I ran barefoot all of the time, ran away from home to live uncouth in the forests. But, I also loved finery, and they wouldn't let me have it. I simply stole it. Used it until it was no more. I acted terribly around all of my suitors, pranking them and scaring them off. I responded to their cordial correspondences with death threats, and oh! Was it entertaining! No man would've spared a second glance at me. Beauty without sustenance..."

Rin covered her mouth, briefly remembering herself running about barefoot in an orange silk kimono, knocking over Jaken and hopping on Ah-Un's back - waving goodbye to Sesshomaru in the field below. "Sesshomaru takes his wandering after you?" Komako smiled, "Indeed, his adventurous streak originates from his small mother, it seems." Rin smiled, "But I've never ran off any suitors, or at least any I recall." But creeps? Yes!

Komako laughed, "Well, telling you this shouldn't hurt. But, you were a feisty one. I recall Sesshomaru having to settle diplomatic relations between a particular lord after you spat in his face." Rin gasped, "Me?"

She laughed, "Oh, yes, you. You were never easy, and one lord had taken the liberty of," Komako chose her terms carefully, "insulting your friend's honor and dignity. You had given him many chances, but when he crossed the line. He left the altercation with a bloody nose, and a broken pride. Even threatened to burn the village." Rin covered her mouth, not seeing herself being able to do that - but then again, her anger did inspire her to new heights. Afterall, she didn't survive the streets without having a little street-smarts.

Rin endured the pregnant pause for a long moment, before steeling her resolve - "Lady Komako, how did you meet your Lord husband?"

Komako took a moment to compose herself, thrown slightly off-guard by the question. But the girl's reaction was warranted. "He took me in when I ran away" she sighed nostalgically, "My sire promised to have me sold into whoredom because I wouldn't obey him. I had successfully managed to drive away six suitors, and he was at his wits' end.

He knew The Inu no Taisho of the Western Lands was unmarried - and was the strongest InuYokai to live - even against those in the mainland. But, his 'condition' made him ineligible to marry into our lineage. Prostitution was seen as a more viable option."

Rin didn't have to ask what his 'condition' was.

"I took off, barely escaping with my life and laying low to avoid my father. My sisters' and I's relationship was terribly strained, and having no one to call upon - I took to disguising myself as a human. Now, I was quite young at the time, and untrained in the arts of combat - as my sire feared I would be the one to ultimately commit patricide."

Rin couldn't believe her ears, but respectfully schooled her features into a calm facade. "My Lady, what was it like living with them? Why would your own father fear you so much?"

She shook her head, "I was the only one to inherit his dokkasou, and also contained the strongest demonic aura within our clan. As for the humans? I disliked it. The men leered at me, and the women disliked me - I became a servant in the landowner's home since I was easy on the eyes. I swallowed my pride, a necessity until my father's brigade could no longer locate me. But, I'd inadvertently ousted myself, killing the landowner's brother after he made a lewd preposition of me. I was driven from the village by a mob, and crossed paths with the Lord of the Western Lands during my escape. With a simple flick of his claws, I found myself in a home more lavish than my own. I'd never seen anything of the likes - his servants? Truly admired and respected him - whereas ours plotted against us. We quite literally had to sleep with one eye open."

"...Something inconceivable to me was that he had pricey decor all over his home. Even in the servants quarters. My own family brought them out only when guests were to arrive, or only in receiving areas. I was about fifteen at the time, and thought I was cunning. I tried to steal from him, too." She smiled softly, knowing Rin would relate to the desperation one would feel to resort to thievery.

"Instead of growing angry, or berating me as my own family would - he'd simply told me to place the item down. Reassuring me I'd be safe in his home. I didn't trust him at the time, and still hoarded small trinkets in fear that one day I'd be ousted once more - with nothing to my name. I think he knew, but he never said anything." Komako looked into Rin's eyes, before boldly commenting, "Desperation is an amazing phenomenon, hn? Even the kindest, the most noble - would do it."

Rin felt her stomach drop. Komako continued, "He taught me combat, he taught me everything I know about class and decorum. He paid for me to have etiquette classes, and an education. Gave me the best room in his home, the finest jewels and kimonos, and, fearing I'd still take off one day, gave me a generous cut of his wealth to sustain myself in the event I did."

"Hahaue, I-"

She closed her eyes, placing a slender finger to her lips. She took a breath before continuing, "Upon discovering my whereabouts, my sire conjured up a tale, bemoaning my disappearance. Touga knew he was lying, but wishing to avoid conflict - he honored my father with a hefty bride price - the largest bride price ever paid in our clan. The same ones who wished the worst of me, suddenly began doting on me and praising him for his strength and chivalry - but behind his back, cursing him cruelly. Touga never allowed them to stay around me for long, knowing their ill intentions. All without ever prying. Soonafter, the young lord had made his eighteenth, and I made my sixteenth. I'd conceived. It was the freedom I needed, as during that time - one did not consummate the marriage until their 23rd or 25th birthday; for females and males, respectively. If I had not had Sesshomaru, it would've given my parents the time to dispose of me, or use me as a pawn to overthrow the Western Lands. As ashamed as I am to admit it, Sesshomaru was my lifeline, my miracle child that saved me from the suffering I'd anticipated from the day I left the womb."

Rin debated asking another question while leaning on the dresser, holding the other pajamas offered to her. "Did you ever love him, hahaue?"

She smiled softly, "Initially I did not, he was a means to an end. Despite that, I remained loyal to him, and never complained. But, in time I grew to love him."

'But, by then, it was too late'. Komako thought to herself.

She patted the inner corners of her eyes with her indexes, catching the tears before they swelled. "Hahaue, have you ever mended things with your sisters, are they still around? How did your parents pass on? Forgive me if I appear nosy, it's just that -"

Komako laughed, "My sire foolishly tried to take Sesshomaru's life, then attempted to assassinate my husband - after I refused to be an instrument in his game for the throne. My mother committed seppuku after Touga killed him in self defense. My sisters still resent me because of it. One of my sisters died in the inquisition of the Catholic Church, though."

She sighed, "I regret every moment I did not appreciate Touga the way I should've. He gave me everything I could've ever needed or wanted, but I was poisoned - indoctrinated to see affection as a means of control. I got over that quickly, but I still struggled with receiving and doling affection from the way I was raised. Genuine affection was seen as vulnerability - so I hardened my heart. Only flattery was acceptable in my home..."

Rin approached Komako, placing a hand on her shoulder, "You shouldn't. You were abused so severely it impacted your ability to reciprocate affection." Komako looked at the hand on her shoulder, still refusing to flinch all these years later. Touch was meant to control, touch was meant to harm. It was something she couldn't overcome - she could touch of her own volition, but others touching her? Rin gave Komako a heartfelt side hug, and the older woman found herself leaning into her touch. "Thank you, Rin."

00000

That night, Rin dreamt of smoky gray eyes, blue-black hair, and a flash of red and white that she couldn't quite place.

Monday

Sesshomaru arrived at work, more edgy than usual. Yanina asked him how the ring search went, before he replied with a mysterious, "You'll see." The group beat their brains trying to decipher the meaning of the statement. "Think he's going to invite us to his engagement party?" Nancy asked, before Soichi coughed, "Uh, no. His rich friends will be there. I mean, why would he want us there?" Yasuo nodded, "If we're there, then they need bodies to make the event seem more populated. Something's up." Jordan simply shook his head, "Maybe, but if we have fun out of it, then what's the harm?"

Meanwhile, he locked his office and made a few calls, plus a few orders - he'd had a few plans of his own.

M

Rin stood beside Christoff in the receiving room. She held the coffee, while he greeted the models who sauntered in. Rin stared in awe at each of the tall, gorgeous girls - and watched as Komako sauntered. She gave them all an appraising stare, before pointing at one slender girl in particular. "You, you've lost weight recently. I will not have such an unhealthy body representing my line." The model seethed, "Well, maybe I'd like other contracts than just you."

Another girl crossed her legs before muttering, "You're just greedy - I thought we were on a mission to change the face of modeling."

Rin grimaced, and Christoff only sighed - crossing his legs while leaning his back onto the desk. "So, will you be staying or no, Danila?" "I don't know, I would like to expand my career" she retorted rudely, cutting her eyes at Komako. "Tell me your decision no later than tomorrow" she stated coldly, staring at her nails. The other models pursed their lips, watching in disbelief as Danila trashed the woman they were indebted to. Komako turned her back, and clapped twice - "Girls, move. You need to be fitted. Danila, you are excused. And, Oh! Don't forget coffee is available." She motioned towards Rin with a flick of the wrist, and the girls gratefully accepted either a caramel or chocolate macchiato. One of them briefly wondered aloud if she were a new intern. At the end of the line, stood Danila - Rin dutifully handed the girl a coffee, and Danila backhanded it while everyone was preparing to exit the room.

"Oh, sorry" she scoffed, before bumping shoulders with Rin. The girl gaped at her chocolatey coated, sticky clothes. "Let me tell you a secret, kid. You're not going to last here long, so I'd suggest you take what little pride you have left and scram."

Some of the models saw the commotion, and Christoff jogged over to Rin's corner, "What happened here?" Rin looked at her shoes, feeling all kinds of inadequate; insecurities from Japan giving her whip-lash.

The incessant clacking of red bottoms and tapered ankle pants suit came into view. Rin noticed Komako's reptile bangled hand snatching another coffee from the tray, and only in that moment did she gain enough confidence to look up from her self imposed pity party. In a split second, warmed coffee splashed all over Danila's face - and she poured the last of the syrupy substance from the cup onto Danila. She heaved, then shrieked. "You ruined my OUTFIT!" Komako laughed openly, "Good, that outfit was an eyesore - anyways. It deserved to be ruined!" She barked, "I want you out, NOW!"

Danila shot Komako a nasty glare, before skidding in the coffee and strutting out. Komako turned to Rin, "And you! You don't let people treat you that way!" Komako pinched her eyebrows. "Go to my office, and Christoff - send someone to clean this up!"

Moments later, Rin found herself sitting in the leather armchair facing her desk - as Komako tapped her fingers against the desk. Rin tried to wipe out the sugary syrup from her clothes to no avail.

"You."

Rin cowered in her seat, sliding down to avoid her sharp gaze. "I know that you know how to use those hands of yours." Rin looked at her hands before looking back at Komako's face. "Eh?" "Don't play foolish with me! I know you can, as they say, 'throw hands'!"

Rin slid further into the seat, before an elegant heel gave her a quick correction of her posture beneath the desk. "I-I don't believe in fighting" Rin stuttered.

Komako mocked Rin's stuttering, "I-uh-uh! Please, save me the headache. The next time you let anyone do that to you, I will be the one to beat you." Despite herself Rin laughed. "What's so funny? Because I sure don't see anything funny here." She took a moment to scan the office, "SO, please, if you'd kindly enlighten this one?" Rin bit her lip, "...You sound like my grandma." Komako smirked, before leaning back in her chair - anger all but dissipating, "A wise woman, indeed. Nevertheless, Rin. If I need a doormat, I buy one. I don't look for people to fulfill that role." Rin grimaced, "Ouch?"

Komako pinned her with another sharp glare, "But I mean it. I may not be your mother, but Kami," she rolled her eyes, "help me, because you do NOT want to be at the receiving end of my anger." Rin nodded, already shying away from her sharp admonishment. "Let's go, we've got tons of work to do. And," Komako eyed Rin from head to toe, "change those clothes while we're at it."

Tuesday

3 businessmen practically came stumbling to the modern glass building in the distance. "Mr. Begor, we should consider another company. He did say he wouldn't service us again." The older man in a tailored navy suit rubbed his gloved hands, "He can't turn away the offer we're providing. This is the 'big fish.'" Andrew sighed, "I don't think so." The other man behind them sighed, "Turns out our predecessors had an affinity for Mr. Taishou - each time he'd save our asses. Hopefully since we're new after the previous scandal - he might reconsider." Andrew scratched his head, "Mr. Singh, I do think we should go with another company to perform the patchwork - I really don't advise this." The man shook his head, "No, Taishou is the best in the industry - and in order to restore people's faith, we need to keep it domestic." Andrew sighed, "But what if we leave again?" Mr. Begor sighed, "We will not be leaving them for a very, very long time."

Alicia, the receptionist watched as 3 men tried to yank the scan-in double glass doors open. With a sigh, she pressed the buzzer and spoke over the intercom, "Avexious Industrial solutions, Alicia speaking."

"Good Afternoon, This is Mark Begor. As you may have heard -"

Alicia sighed, "Oh, I know. I'll show you to the waiting room, but I cannot assure you that Mr. Taishou would agree to see you." Alicia buzzed the entrance button, before adjusting her shawl. She stood and walked to the door, welcoming the trio and showing them to the waiting room. After they'd settled and helped themselves to complimentary water and coffee, she opted to walk directly to his office rather than informing him over the intercom.

Alicia groaned, "Mr. Taishou," she called, tilting her head up to glance over his screen. He glared at her above his computer, and Alicia knew she had his attention. "They're here." He cut his eyes from her, "Clarify?"

"...Them" she whispered, hoping he'd catch the gist. "They arrived faster than I'd anticipated. Tell them...no." Alicia sighed, "Just hear them out, then dismiss them please." He briefly entertained the thought for one second before he pinned Alicia a cold glare. The woman shivered, and rubbed her hand up and down her goosebump addled arm. "As you wish," she turned on her heel with a frown before his voice rang out clearly. "Bring them."

Alicia held a sigh she didn't realize she was holding, the last time they'd turned them away - security got involved. "Mr. Begor, Mr. Singh, and Mr. Alneda, Mr. Taishou will see you. Come this way." The three let out a collective sigh of relief as Alicia guided them. The bottom floor of the production area went silent and everyone looked above their screens - while the folks working upstairs blatantly dropped everything and watched the three from the balcony. Soichi squinted, before leaning back in his seat and turning towards the left, "Ayo, Nancy - who are they?" Nancy shrugged, "Iunno man, beats me." Soichi turned to his right, watching Jordan type faster as he searched multiple tabs on his screen. "I think I have an idea who they are." Soichi grew annoyed, "Bro, that doesn't say a damn thing. Can everyone stop being vague!" Yanina shushed him, before turning towards him - "You're still new. But, after working here for a bit you'll know who they are." "Fuck, everyone is acting like this guy is Voldemort or something, 'he who must not be named'" Soichi grumbled, before testing his patchwork again.

In the meantime, the three men crowded into the spacious office - all nervous despite their barely contained demeanors. "Mr. Taishou, it is such a pleasure to meet y-" "Save me the pleasantries - Singh, I presume?" The man gave a curt nod before Begor beside him took over. "I understand this wasn't expected, but as you know Equifax had another leak. We need a domestic security company to fix this little-" Shigeto cut him off with a scoff, "Little? It's quite fitting Begor, as you're begging for my expertise once more." Begor grew red in the face, but he swallowed his pride - laughing off the sharp jab. "Yes, Taishou. We are here once more and -" Andrew handed him a plastic binder, "offering a ten year contract." Sesshomaru looked between him and the binder, "I was offered several extended contracts - and as it's more profitable for you to annul the contract and cover attorney's fees - you're foolish for thinking you can sway me into accepting this." Begor sighed, "Those were our predecessors, Taishou. Give us a chance to prove ourselves-"

Sesshomaru refused to take the binder offered to him, "Assuming you'd warm that seat for so long. I'd give you all three years, tops - before a scandal takes hold."

Begor scoffed, determined to take him on - before Singh placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's true, but we've thought ahead. This contract has clause 89.62 written on page 17, which states that if we were to cancel this contract - you'd be awarded 10.5 Billion, Mr. Taishou. Plus, the contract is for 615 million annually. Surely, it's worth your time to look it over."

Sesshomaru looked at the thick stack of papers, "Make it 3.5 billion annually, and I'll consider."

Begor, Singh, and Alneda pursed their lips, deliberating their final response.

"You'll hear from our attorney with the updated contract, ." Singh sighed, "We hope you'll reconsider."

Shigeto leaned back farther into his seat, finding the window more appealing than their groveling, piteous faces. "Do note, I am backlogged a few months out. The earliest we may be able to begin would be August of next year. It may be wiser to find another service provider."

"Perhaps" Alneda sighed, "perhaps." He is still the best in the industry…

The men had enough common sense to show themselves out, which relieved Sesshomaru. The last time, security and a tad smidgen of occult misfortune was the required catalyst for them to see themselves out.

Drained beyond all belief, he leaned back in his chair and sighed.

Wednesday

Rin stood on the small podium as Komako measured her back, and then left to fumble with different types of fabric. Rin shrugged internally, completely unsure as to why in the world she'd want to measure her back. A shawl or evening coat maybe? But, then again - it's winter. Outerwear would have to be way longer than her mid back.

Rin sighed as she poked her stomach, feeling awfully bloated and; For lack of a better term, "downcast." She glanced at the window, her mind running on the girl who'd thrown the coffee on her. She hated how small she felt, and how small she appeared. She couldn't help but berate herself for being a target.

As if Komako sensed her internal discomfort, she sighed, "Rin, you've been more than a help to me. Take the day for yourself. I trust you can find your way back to the house?"

Rin gaped like a fish out of water, "I'm fine, really. I just need a moment to recuperate." Komako shook her head, "That wasn't my question."

Rin's countenance fell, "Yeah, I know the way. Thank you."

Moments passed awkwardly as Komako seemed to stare right through her. Rin nodded her leave, as her mother-in-law simply handed over her keys.

Rin shuffled through the hustle and bustle of people, finally managing to cram her way down the dank stairwell with hoardes of other New Yorkers. Most seemed to be following the unofficial two single file lines. One that went up, and the other that went down. Unfortunately, someone was rushing their way through, and shoved her into someone else. The person turned back, and gave a mean glare - to which she responded with a sheepish apology. The person huffed, and jogged their way down the rest of the narrow corridor. Rin slid her metrocard through the turnstile, but unfortunately prompted her to do it again.

Now, she was truly embarrassed beyond relief. People behind her in the line were complaining; remarking about how late she was making them.

"If you can't swipe your metrocard, get out of the line please!" A heavy-set man behind her grouched.

Upon the final swipe, she got in, and, upon her embarrassment - people were communicating their relief with exasperated cries of "finally"

She stood beside a metal [pole] and watched as the train pulled in, and to her amazement - people were cramming onto the train in the most disorderly fashion. Someone grumbled, telling a woman to move her handbag so he could squeeze in.

The woman, on the other hand, wasn't having it. "Can't you see your fat-ass cannot get into this cart?"

"If it weren't for your stupid shopping cart, I could!"

A man in his late twenties leaned out of the conductor's window, "So are you getting on? Or nah? 'Cause I've gotta train to move!"

Inside the doors, a passenger yelled, "Move man!" before he was shoved out of the entryway. Rin looked on with wide eyes, deciding to hop onto the next one. She felt bad for wanting to laugh, but admittedly, the guy was a jerk. She took a double take, and her eyes made four with the conductor, and for a brief moment - everything felt frozen.

He had striking silver hair and brown eyes that weirdly seemed too golden. Perhaps his hair grayed early? They weren't hazel, but a striking light brown that was too golden to be called brown. He seemed so familiar, and yet she couldn't place his face. Aside from the similarities in coloring, he had features that reminded her of Sesshomaru. She was relatively(?) sure he was human.

She didn't know what came over her, "I know you!"

His eyes flashed as though he heard her despite the crowd. He ducked back into the conductor's booth and the train pulled off.

Across on the outbound platform, sat a violinist playing for money. Actually, multiple people were performing for money on the platform. It was...chaotic in comparison to Japan. Why would they live in a place that so easily disturbed their sensitive hearing?

She had never met someone who looked like him, so why did he seem familiar? 'From my other life, huh?' She figured. 'Maybe a reincarnation like myself? Or a concealment charm?"

Another train announced its arrival with its deafening screech and gust of stale air. She boarded mindlessly, and grabbed onto a pole.

XXX

She exited the station, after getting lost and losing cell reception. When her signal returned, She'd missed three calls and two texts inquiring about her well being.

She texted back quickly, "I'm fine, thank you! I just got lost, but I'm almost at the house" with an emoji to lighten the mood. She didn't want to call back if Komako-sama were a meeting of some sort.

She was broken from her reverie as she reached the brownstone. Two blocks down, an older woman (presumably Eastern European) struggled with four WholeFoods bags chock full of groceries.

"Wait ma'am, I'm coming!" Rin sprinted down the block to help the older woman, who smiled kindly. "Thank you, young lady" she rasped, thankful that someone could help her. "My children are at work, and since I was home I wanted to surprise them."

Rin felt a shooting pain in her heart while looking at the little old lady. "Where do you live, ma'am?" The lady pointed an arthritic finger towards the brownstone beside her mother-in-law's. "Right here!"

'Oh, God Damnit!'

Rin laughed nervously as the old lady continued. "My son lives here with his wife and their children! I live downstairs to give them their privacy, but his grandchildren keep me on my toes" She laughed heartily, before talking about her son again, "He graduated from MIT, and I'm so proud of him. He goes out to work everyday, and his wife works at a childcare center. Sometimes, they even take the children along with them."

The older woman lost her footing on the stairwell down, and Rin grabbed her waist, "Careful Ma'am! We don't want you getting hurt."

"If it weren't for you, I'd've surely fallen!" she exclaimed while clutching her chest. After a moment, she fished her pocket for her keys, "I haven't introduced myself, I am Baruska."

"Rin. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance!"

The elder laughed a bit, "You are so formal! Where are you from?"

Rin smiled, and without a shadow of a doubt answered, "Brazil." Japan was a place she'd temporarily wish to forget.

The woman smiled as she opened the door, "Czech Republic."

Rin placed the grocery bags down in the foyer, "I'll take my leave now, have a great day!"

"No, no! At least join me for tea."

Rin felt immense guilt, 'These bastards have been lying to their cute little grandma! Unbelievable!'

Needless to say, the mysterious conductor in the subway was forgotten.

"I shouldn't ma'am"

"Don't deny an old woman, I beg."

That did her in. "Thank you for your hospitality." Rin closed the door behind herself, and found herself sitting in the woman's lace doily covered couch. The setup seemingly remained untouched from the 70's. Rin practically folded in on herself, while Baruska gathered her supplies and turned on the kettle. "Do you need any help?"

The elder waved her over, and with that - Rin was stuck.

XXX

Rin kneaded some dough while Baruska chopped some veal. The woman was grateful for the companionship, and Rin had lost track of time.

'I hope I leave before they arrive!'

As if following her train of thought, Baruska asked, "Would you like to stay for dinner and meet my family?"

Rin recalled Rascal Flats' song in her mind's ear, guitar rift and all, but with a slight twist; 'I'm on the highway! ALL TO HELL!"

"I would love to!" she commented, "But I have to meet my Mother-in-law." Silently she prayed it was a good lie.

"Oh! What a lucky mother-in-law!" She chuckled, then winked, "and a lucky man!"

Rin blushed, and tore at the dough to roll dumplings.

Rin mind wandered on Sesshomaru for a brief moment, and she figured she should check her phone to see if she'd missed any calls.

She washed her hands, and the ceramic bowl after dropping the potato dumplings in the pot with the boiling cabbage, carrots, onions, and garlic. "Excuse me, I have to check my phone."

"Oh! Why didn't you say that earlier, go, go! I have the rest."

She maneuvered around the lady in the small kitchen, and opened her purse on the coat rack. She had a text that read, "I'm glad. I was worried I'd have to send the police to find you!" and a 'laughing behind the hand' emoji from Komako. Rin laughed, and responded "Thank Goodness that didn't happen" with a rofl emoji.

She'd also oddly missed a text from Naera, containing a link of some sort - and decided that from previous interactions - it'd best be ignored for the moment. She knew Naera's humour was abstract...at best. With that, she slid her phone back into her coat pocket.

Rin returned to help the elder woman with her dish. She watched as the old woman placed the veal to broil in the oven. She felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her, if things were different - She'd be standing there with her own grandma.

Baruska pulled the kettle from the gas stove as it whistled, "Have you ever tried Medovnik?"

Rin shook her head, "No, I haven't."

"I think you'll love it, then. Could you slice it for me?"

Rin nodded, and took the cake knife from her, while Baruska steeped the tea.

"Now," the elder woman laughed, "I think it's time you knew my real reason for holding you back."

Rin's nerves began to fray - her mind running to the worst possible outcome- "Could you explain how these smartphones work? My son brought me a new one," she pulled out an Iphone XS, which had barely been released two months prior, "and I have no idea how these things work." Baruska chuckled, and Rin calmed.

"I have no idea either! But I'm sure I can help!" Rin smiled and scooched the dining chair closer to Baruska as she gently pried the phone from her hands.

"So here is where you'd access your contacts..." Rin started, falling into a comfortable atmosphere with the woman.

00000

Baruska felt so accomplished having learned how to save new contacts to her phone, and asked the girl if she'd be around anytime soon to teach her a little about social media. Rin smiled brightly, "I might be, although I can't give a specific time-"

Rin turned abruptly as she heard the door's lock jingle before unlocking, "Grandma!"

Rin recognized the couple's three older children bursting through the door, the wife held the baby while the husband stood behind them.

'I SHOULD'VE LEFT EARLIER!"

Baruska leaned down to kiss and hug them, "My lovelies! How was your day?"

The couple shot Rin a warning glance which encompassed their general dislike, as well as hinting for her to keep her mouth shut.

Rin could only gape. Baruska's back was to Rin as she began speaking, "I've almost finished dinner! You've arrived just in time, as well as to meet this kind young lady that helped me today! Not only did she stop me from falling, but she also helped me with this new phone!"

The couple's mean glare lessened upon hearing that Rin helped their matriarch. "I know you've both been so busy working…"

The couple sighed, and the daughter-in-law walked forward and gave her mother-in-law a warm hug, "Oh, grandma - you could ask us anytime. We'd make time for you."

Baruska smiled with watery eyes, her voice cracking, "Thank you…."

After a moment, she composed herself, "Well, help me set up this table will you!" The kids jumped in joy, and the trio of adults moved to help their beloved mother, and her newfound friend.

00000

After dinner concluded, everyone helped clean up. Baruska waved them all off with a warm hug. Her son and his family headed upstairs to the floor above, which they shared, and Rin opened the gate to enter the brownstone beside them. The wife looked over her shoulder as the door shut from their mother-in-law's home, and watched as her husband ushered the kids upstairs.

She stood by the opened gate, waiting for Rin to acknowledge her. Rin froze, looking at her briefly before deciding it best to keep walking.

"Hey, Rin - that's your name, right?"

"Yeah…" Rin answered hesitantly, not quite making eye contact with her.

"Thanks for helping my mother-in-law. If something happened to her, we'd be devastated."

Rin nodded, turning slowly on her heel.

"Also, thank you, for not saying anything about seeing us on the train."

Rin pursed her lips, before starting quietly "You know, one day those kids will grow big enough to oust you themselves. It was hard listening to your mother-in-law brag about you guys' lifestyles…."

The woman nodded, "Yeah, we know…"

"Then….why?" Rin intoned, unable to contain herself.

"My husband used to work for a fortune 500 company...but he was never home. He worked from dusk till dawn and only ever saw us while we were asleep. I worked with children, and depleted my energy, resulting in me neglecting my own children. Our own children didn't recognize us, they only knew their grandma and grandpa. But then grandpa died, and we'd realized we'd missed all of those precious years with our family."

The woman bit back tears, "We had no photos of each other, no memories to recount...and it made us realize this life wasn't worth it. What's swindling a few tourists on the train for a few hours a day if it means we can be together."

Despite herself, Rin gave the young woman a hug, "I'm in no position to judge. Just know...that I know where your heart is." Rin gave a half-hearted smile before bidding her a goodnight. Rin unlocked the door to Lady Komako's house, and watched through the window as the couple kissed each other for the evening.

They weren't so different after all.

00000

Rin scrolled through her phone, making notes on a notepad she found in Sesshomaru's old room. She heard about 'Little Brazil' and made notes on the places she wanted to visit.

She also wanted to buy an overnight bag to keep her items in. Seemed like she'd be doing a LOT of traveling in the foreseeable future. She wrote a list of items she needed, then took a picture with her phone. Typing things into the notes app wasn't the same.

She placed her phone down, looking at the English manuals he used to use, as well as a few workbooks and a Japanese-to-English Dictionary. She also looked at his old driver's manual. She didn't mean to find them, but while looking for paper; they fell off of the bookshelf.

They told a story about him that she wished to learn more about.

She wanted to know everything about him...and in that moment, she realized she wanted nothing more than to be near him. She still had half a mind to call the marriage off, but in a moment of utter selfishness - she realized that she wanted to do this, if it meant being close to him.

She sucked in a gasp at her own thinking. Her stomach flip-flopped.

"I've never been this selfish in my entire life..." She touched her face as she began to feel detached from her surroundings; as if she were outside of her own body. Her reality seemed...unreal...

Derealization….

Her phone buzzed on the table, bringing her back to the world of the living. She squinted at the notification in the top bar, Naera - again.

"Hey, um, do you have anything to do with this?"

Rin furrowed her brows, clicking the article link - "People are demanding to Storm Area 51" The girl had absolutely no idea why this was sent to her, or why it even...until she read the first paragraph of the Vice article.

"After a fast-moving sphere of light was detected flying overhead by satellite from America to Japan, and back, - within the span of an hour, on two separate occasions mere days apart; people are wondering, what kind of technological feat was it? There has been speculation that the UFO may have been a Russian prototype, while others have simply chalked it up to aliens. Leading us to wonder, what could it have been?"

She was speechless. The article was dated the same day Mei awoke. She fumbled with several responses, but came up with none. What could she say? As if 'yes' was a good answer; it couldn't even tip the iceberg of the true story. She also didn't want to confirm electronically either, knowing that demons hid their identities for a reason.

Finally, she steeled her resolve. "Naera, I can't answer that. Even if I wanted to." she added a sobbing emoji for good measure.

She hoped it conveyed the answer she couldn't give outright; 'Yes.' She placed her phone down, and resorted to picking the skin off her fingers; a telltale manifestation of her anxiety.

She knew it had what to do with them. She recalled how immediately after waking up she'd inquired about how he arrived so quickly. He was that sphere of light captured by the satellites' surveillance. Nothing could tell her otherwise.

Rin sighed, abandoning all of the materials on the small desk before her, opting to stare out the window into the dark sky. She'd just have to wait until Friday.

00000

Sesshomaru stared at the dead flowers on the kitchen counter. He wanted to discard them, but refused. They reminded him of Rin. He realized that without her, the house felt cold and empty.

He even refused for the housekeeper, Aka, to tend the house. He wanted to grasp onto the remains of her fragrance that still graced his abode.

He closed his eyes, deciding to leave the dried blooms on the counter. He turned from the kitchen island to check the fridge, he knew Rin hated food waste - and he disliked the stench of rotting produce. It only took him a few moments to dump the fresh produce bin into the freezer. He was sure he should've chopped them, and placed them into storage containers. But, frankly, he didn't have the patience for that.

After shutting the fridge he looked over at the Amazon package sitting on the coffee table. He made up his mind, with Ayame's advice from the day prior egging him on.

He entered the guest bedroom that she had been barely frequenting, and began throwing all of her belongings onto the bed. After he was sure he cleared the room of her items, he wrapped up the comforter for use as a makeshift bag. He set the items in his master room's bed.

He couldn't believe he was going through with this.

He began rearranging the guest room, moving the queen sized bed frame and mattress into the basement. The dresser and chest of drawers could stay. He padded around the empty room, inspecting his handiwork. He sat against the wall, propping up one knee while stretching the other flat.

'What kind of tablets do artists really need?'

It would've been best to let Rin choose what she needed, but she was a pain, frankly - and wouldn't accept it because they probably ran for good money.

'Just because she could get the job done with a Huion tablet doesn't mean she should. Seems like it would require more work."

He spent hours researching Wacom tablets on his phone, finally deciding on the Wacom Cintiq Pro 24,' as well as the ergonomic stand for desk attachment. Thankfully, having a Business Tax-ID had never benefited him so much. He received a discount, as well as overnight express shipping on the nearly 3,500 price tag. What was 3k in comparison to Rin's comfort?

Feeling satisfied that everything was coming together, he stood - busying himself with organizing Rin's belongings into his room. It took no time to relocate the rest of the clothing into his closet, but some other knick-knacks he struggled with placing. 'Where would she want them?'

He was pulled from his task by the brash ringtone he'd set specifically for Ayame. Why was she calling him so late? It was nearly midnight. He simply ignored the call, not wishing to lose his momentum. Whatever it was could wait till morning.

It rang again, and he felt a slight silver of panic. 'Did something happen to Rin?'

He picked up, knowing that he didn't have to greet Ayame to announce his attention.

"Shigeto" she tried her best to keep up appearances while using electronics, "there's an article I sent you. I really think you should read it. Naera brought it to my attention and I think we should lay low to avoid getting caught up in these folk's hysteria."

"..."

"Skim the article and you'll get what I'm saying!" With that, she hung up.

Understanding dawned on him.

His escapade had inspired conspiracy theorists to start planning "Storm 'Area 51.'" Now he really understood why he'd been warned NOT to use his youki for traveling.

He scrubbed a hand on his face, he was going to catch a warning from the Council for this. He felt his concentration from the task of moving Rin's items falter. If he was called to trial, he would tell them the truth, he reasoned. He thought it was a good excuse, any person who feared losing someone close to them would utilize any means necessary to rescue them. He'd also tried to stick to the conventional method of travel, he had the proof of the money he'd transferred to her account for a plane ticket. He did try to avoid using his youki. If they didn't find his excuse good enough, they might sanction him by subduing his youki, and he knew neither he, nor the council looked forward to that. He wouldn't go down without a fight. He hoped they'd simply leave it be with a mere warning.

He'd just have to cross that bridge when he got there.

He laid across the bed, wondering how Rin was doing at the moment. He hoped she wouldn't take offense to him moving her things. He should've probably tried speaking to her about it, but it was best he didn't. Ayame had warned Immigration could literally drop by at any time, and them having separate rooms would be enough to trigger a red flag on their file, separating them before the marriage could even commence.

But, if he were being entirely honest - Ayame's advice was at the bottom of the barrel. He just wanted her near.

He closed his eyes, reminiscing on his failed attempts to integrate into human society. He'd simply avoided humanity, and remembered key events from Kagome's history textbooks - allowing him to avoid mass extinction events. He had several failed attempts at reintegration lasting days at a time in the 1800s, but didn't really try until the late 1900s. Up until the 1970's, most land still remained uncharted and wild - allowing him to roam in peace.

In the 80s, he'd grown tired of wandering, especially since land development exploded, making it harder to roam - he'd hoped to find some semblance of normalcy in Japan. He recalled standing on a street corner in Tokyo, and having a massive panic attack. He'd been so ill, he retched in an alley and swore integration off for good.

Like a glutton for punishment, he'd tried again in the early 90s, this time in Korea. He managed to nail himself an alias and a small apartment, but found himself annoyed by the constant noise his neighbors created. He was a salaryman, and had a utter-meltdown at the office. Cursing his superiors, and trashing the office. His last straw was when said older-coworker beckoned for him like a dog.

He'd beaten him soundly.

He'd managed five weeks, which was a grand record.

In 2000, he tried managing in China for all but a week. The expectation of work was overbearing upon his free spirit. Like Korea and Japan, he was expected to live at work.

Ultimately, he recognized he couldn't stand working for a living. He couldn't spend 40 hours a week working for some dumb company. Most jobs required that people arrived before and stayed after their shifts, which equated more to 50 hours. Another 21 hours of which was spent travelling to and from said stupid job. 71 hours out of 168 hours in a week spent toiling for some delirious wage-hoarder.

In 2002, his mother approached him - offering her help. He'd ignored the offer for three years, before taking up on it in 2005. It didn't count though, he barely ever left the house for the entire month he stayed. Holing himself up in his room, having grown agoraphobic. He was overwhelmed by how fast everything moved, the constant noises, the scents, the people, the lights. Everything was so fast paced, and he couldn't live in a rural area. He'd raise eyebrows, and possibly face law-enforcement meddling in his business.

He didn't age. Even if he did live on some desolate farm, everyone would know he was a single unagaing man. Despite modernization, people were still superstitious, and the last thing he needed was being attacked by rural country folk. 'Plus, what difference was living in a desolate farm and rotting in a prison?'

He had so much wealth, and during his first plans for integration, he thought he could exchange it for modern currency - but how could he transfer his wealth without flagging himself for law-enforcement? His dilemma was made clear in the 70s when he'd brought pure gold talents to a jewelry-shop in Singapore. Within moments, police had surrounded him - thinking he'd robbed a museum for the old coins. Thankfully, he made a quick getaway.

The silks and finery he'd amassed over the centuries were museum worthy artifacts, and if he wanted to integrate - he should've been working on exchanging his wealth from the 1700s to blend in easier. The items were so well preserved that even crime syndicates avoided them, believing the artifacts to be counterfeits.

He returned to wandering for the last time in 2006. For six years he crossed the earth, only to find there was nowhere else to roam. What little wild of the earth that was left were mostly nature preserves that were heavily guarded by park rangers - as poaching had increased in frequency since natural habitats dwindled to nothing. The rest of what little uncharted territory was left were controlled by religious extremists, political dictators, guerilla warfare soldiers, illegal mining/farming/hunting operations, utterly desolate or destroyed by climate change, or overrun by illegal dumping of chemicals and/or plastic waste.

There was nowhere else to hide or roam.

In 2012, he agreed to integrate, no matter how sick it made him. He'd received his fake paperwork and officially registered himself with the "International Preservation of Demon Heritage Council", known as the "IPDHC." They'd known about him for years, since he was such a high-profile demon gone rogue, and Jin-Hae's dozens of attempts to track him, earning her several warnings and a botched subduing of her youki.

He'd remember the day. It was May 21st, the day was too hot even for him. When the blanket of nightfall fell across the sky, he sought his mother. She'd invited him in, and warned him to take it slow this time around. He needed to learn the English tongue, and since he was so young - he could pass himself off as a student.

He went to Totosai, and they'd agreed to "pick up where he left off," so to speak, making his official age 20 at the time (despite being 27). He received his documentation and recited a cover-story for himself, if he'd come to need it.

He'd enrolled into college and took poorly to it. Being surrounded by technology he couldn't navigate, unable to socialize, constantly sickened by scents and close proximity to people. His looks didn't help either, he stuck out like a sore thumb - attracting the wrong kinds of positive attention. The final insult was that he was more knowledgeable than his professors. He dropped out of NYU. His first year at integrating was a failure, but he'd tried.

His mother had warned him to take it slow, and he regretted not listening to her for once. She helped him enroll into an English class, and a world history course. For two years he spent his days tinkering with the new technology humans had developed, and spent his evenings attending English and World History. It was the only place he could tolerate. Nobody else was Japanese like himself, so no-one tried to strike conversation with him, or "hit on" him for that matter.

He found himself knowledgeable with repairing devices, developing programs, coding, firewall security. He built servers and dabbled in web and app design. He did it out of curiosity, really - he just wanted to learn about the technology that dominated human life.

His mother pulled a few strings, and soon he found himself working on internet security for a few of her associates' businesses. He also found himself creating encrypted methods of communication for demons, since their identity needed to be hidden while relaying important information.

Soon, the demands grew to become unreasonable.

The Council had asked him to create encrypted servers and applications for them to utilize, and he'd initially refused, but the need reared its ugly head when a member was abducted and experimented upon, escaped, then needed to be transported to a youkai specialist for antidote treatment.

He saw just how potent the man-made chemicals were. How they began to decay flesh instantly, and drain their life force. He felt some obligation to prevent Youkai from getting caught, and having a safe method of communication between them - when the need arose again.

His mother's house was a mess at this point, because he was running all sorts of cables and towers to provide the processing power for their encrypted communication channels. Her guest room and part of his room had begun operating as a makeshift server-room, and he realized he needed help and space. It was hard to control the temperature of the computers in a house that was not adequately chilled.

The Council made a proposal to him, they'd fund a project to build a facility where he would be able to continue providing these encrypted channels, making it hard for individuals to spy on them. Within this, he was made aware that pharmaceutical companies and even certain governments wanted in on youkai's natural regenerative and anti-aging abilities. A new fountain of youth was there to exploit, and it was up to him to help what little of them remained to survive in this new climate. He partially didn't care, but it gave him some semblance of purpose to his life so he agreed.

The Council unfortunately chose where the building would be built, but thankfully allowed him to work closely with the builders to choose the specifications of the facility to his liking. The members of the Council required him to keep up appearances by accepting contracts from different companies to aid against security breaches. He received glowing recommendations from the members, who held status in their positions outside of the council. Before the facility was even completed, he was getting barraged by requests for cybersecurity from all kinds of companies, from retail companies, to university systems, and even their hospitals.

The facility was huge, finished in November of 2014, but didn't officially open until January 2015. The facility initially remained half empty, considering he had only onboarded 20 individuals - but within 6 months the entire building was being used and he'd exploded to 100, not including maintenance. He was biting more than he could chew taking contracts from human companies because the Council made him. Otherwise, he would've turned them down. Running essential private communications systems was enough. Which is also why he didn't take Equifax's contract yet again. They'd stay with him for a few months, outsource elsewhere, have another leak, and come crawling back to him. It was ridiculous.

But, despite it all - he was glad. Every single frustration led up to the moment he reconnected with Rin. The real Rin. He had initially sworn off integration because he never wanted to cross paths with her reincarnation. He'd feared that it would have been similar to the Kikyo conundrum his brother had encountered, but instead of the second iteration being "better," so to speak, she'd be "worse." He'd feel obligated to a girl who was nothing like Rin. A girl who shared a similar scent and face, but not the same kind soul who touched a place deep inside of him he didn't know existed.

But in some sick twist of fate, she was the same person in a slightly different body with a slightly different name. He was grateful yet simultaneously terrified. He wished he could've taken back his wish, to spare Rin the pain of discovering her past. Being a reincarnation would've been less cruel. He never realized how selfish he was, until it came to pass.

Not only did his job allow him to reconnect with her, but it allowed him enough wealth to provide material comforts. Not the same amount of wealth he still had hoarded in the shiro of the sky (that had now gone defunct, since it was too lavish to receive financial compensation for, and had fallen into disrepair), but enough that she could be comfortable, not work another day in her life if she so chose, and still pursue her interests.

Once again, he felt a heavy ache in his chest "What if he had never crossed paths with her?"

The question tore him up from the inside out throughout the entire week. What if he had met her on her deathbed? What if he had met her when it was too late?

Maybe she had been reincarnated before, but because he was too busy roaming, he missed his chance to be with her earlier?

He doubted so, but still pondered on it. Inuyasha's woman was spaced 500 years apart, so maybe Rin came around exceptionally early? Maybe one of the Kami took pity on him? Maybe multiple? He was a disgrace for 322 years after all, 328 if one counted the additional 6 years he spent roaming.

His mind continued wandering, but most of all, he wished he were better with words. He wanted to hear Rin's voice, he briefly wondered if she was up - but he didn't want to be seen as invasive.

He opened his eyes, remembering to check the tracking label for some computer parts he'd ordered.

Package 9400-6723-2984-0341 scanned at Schenectady Fedex Onsite, delivery on schedule for Today, 8am.

The desk was also scheduled to arrive midday to the house, so he'd most likely take an early lunch to prepare for the delivery.

Good, at least he'd have a head start in the morning, and he'd finish his little project before he left on Friday.

"Friday," he muttered, feeling oddly excited at the prospect of seeing Rin again. He wasn't looking forward to his mother's decennial gathering, but if Rin was close - it made it worthwhile.

He took a deep breath, rolling on top of Rin's knick knacks. He pushed them towards one side of the bed, before rolling beneath his own comforter. He clicked on the youtube app, remembering the playlist she'd made for him. She'd just updated the playlist it seemed, so he figured she must've been up.

The newest track on the playlist was called, "Why iii love the Moon," by an artist named Phony Ppl. He shrugged, clicking on the track to quell his curiosity.

That's why I love the moon

Every night it's there for you

It's constant

Unlike these human beings

Who lie about what it seems to be

You think the earth is where you stand

Your in the palm of someone's hand

And that's why I love the moon

'Cause its always there for me

Every night about my window

He refreshed the page, finding the track gone. He listened to some of the track, figuring she added it by accident to the wrong playlist.

"Why did she remove it?"

He figured it was an accident, but silently yearned for it to be something different. "Maybe it was too personal, so she removed it? Maybe she was trying to convey something?"

00000

Thursday

Rin awoke early Thursday morning to find Komako drinking a cup of tea. Rin joined her with a slight bow.

"Have any plans for today?" Komako asked.

"Yes ma'am!" she beamed, "I'm going to "Little Brazil" later today and I'm going to stockpile some things. Would you like to come along?"

Kin-Komako smiled over her cup, "I'd love to, but I have to check the venue for the event Saturday. I want it to be a surprise, so sorry you can't tag along."

Rin breathed out a small laugh behind her hand, "Understandable! I wouldn't want to spoil a surprise either," she winked, "speaking of which, today I want to purchase a travel bag. It's quite embarrassing planning for a day trip and realize you're staying a few days without preparing. I should keep it stocked and leave it in the car for when I visit again!"

Komako gave a slight "hn" of approval from the back of her throat. "You know, I really enjoy your company. Having a daybag is good, but I'd really prefer if you left some of your items here. You could drop-by anytime." She seemed to backtrack then, "I mean, both. It's always good to have a daybag for a day excursion, but I'd like it if-"

Rin beamed even more brightly at her, "It means a ton, thank you! I was worried I'd clutter your house up by leaving my things here."

"It would be of no consequence, I miss the chaos of a little clutter." She quipped smartly, before smirking. Komako stood, already dressed and ready to go. "I'm driving today, would you like me to wait and give you a ride?"

Rin's brows raised in minor surprise, "You drive?"

Komako gave a lopsided smile, "Who else could have the patience to teach Sesshomaru?"

Rin laughed softly, "I should've known! I apologize!" she calmed momentarily, "It'll take me too long to dress, so I'll let you go. But thank you for the offer!"

Komako waved her off, "Okay then, stay safe and call if you get lost! Later on I'll tell you about a certain somebody's driving debacles."

Rin snorted despite herself, she couldn't wait for that juicy bit of gossip.

00000

Within minutes of reaching the office, the package he'd been expecting was delivered, and he received an update from Wacom stating that his order was out for delivery for 5pm. He brought the big box inside, to protect it from the cold.

00000

Rin exited the train station, coming face to face with the storefront of a TJ-Maxx. Something pulled her into the store. She grabbed a cart, and as she went into the handbag/luggage section, saw an orange convertible bag marked for 39.99. When she opened it, to her surprise, it was a backpack. She immediately liked how versatile it was.

She dropped the bag in her cart, and decided to look it up. Muttering while she typed, "Sherpani...tempest.." her brows hit her bangs to see the bag retailed for 169.99$. Honestly, she would've never brought it for that price, but since it was marked down - she was sold!

'I guess since it's orange someone must've clearanced it out for Thanksgiving stock?'

She moved throughout the store, and found a few other cool things. She saw a wool sweater that reminded her of Sesshomaru, so she picked it up for him. She moved through the aisles and didn't see anything for his mother at the moment, but she did find a hoodie that screamed Naera all over it. She didn't initially plan to stop in the store, or even spend that much time - but she was happy she could at least gift something from her trip. She got distracted in the candle aisle, sniffing all of them. She ended up buying a candle for his mom. She knew Komako liked soy candles from the little collection she had.

As she stood in the checkout aisle, she made up her mind that she'd get a trinket for Ayame another day.

00000

Sesshomaru left early for lunch, arriving the same time as the furniture delivery truck did. They unloaded the desk and chair he'd ordered into the guest room, and he tipped them for their service. The corner shaped art desk he'd ordered could be lifted into an easel of sorts, or tilted for comfort. The opposite side of the large sturdy desk served as a computer area.

He sat on the chair to test it for comfort, despite hating the scent of the newness of it. It was a comfortable chair with multiple options for customization. The seat was also large enough that if she wanted to put her feet up in it, she could do so.

He stuck his hand beneath the desk, ensuring that it adjusted for height smoothly, while also remaining sturdy. The wooden desk didn't wobble, so he was satisfied with the purchase. It also matched the gray of the dresser and chest of drawers. She could use it to store her art supplies and completed works he reasoned. The desk also had built-in storage for any larger artworks if she had them.

He had custom ordered the desk back when she'd gotten sick. It arrived faster than expected, which was good. He'd give the company another try if he ever needed something in the future.

He placed the large package onto the desk, and opened it - removing the custom made parts he'd needed. It took everything to stop at removing them, and not working on assembling it immediately.

He looked forward to coming back and having something to work on. Something that interested him - because it was for her.

He glanced at the hard drive one last time before picking up the amazon box, taking the Huion tablet it contained to return back at the Amazon Hub Locker.

00000

Rin walked into the Brazilian grocery store she'd sniffed out on google. She greeted the workers as she walked in, and her eyes lit up at the variety of Brazilian goods she hadn't seen in a long time. She saw some Pacoca in a display, and knew exactly where she was heading after she finished obtaining her list.

00000

Rin finished checking out at the grocery store, thankful to have stopped and brought those huge canvas tote bags from TJ-Maxx while she stood in the checkout line there. She struggled with hefting the overflowing large totes over her shoulder.

"Tem certeza de que pode carregar isso? [Are you sure you can carry that?]" The cashier asked with an arched brow.

Rin jumped out of her own little world, "O, sim. Desculpe, eu estava fora disso." [Oh, Yes. Sorry, I was out of it.] Rin stood with the heavy bags on her shoulders for a moment, looking around to ensure she wasn't holding up the checkout line. When she saw no one was near, she continued, "Você recomenda algum lugar para o almoço?" [Do you recommend anywhere for lunch?]

"Mhm, meu cunhado é dono de um restaurante no mesmo quarteirão! Eu acho que você gosta de lá. Se você não se importa com a minha pergunta, há quanto tempo está aqui em NY?" [my brother-in-law owns a restaurant down the block! I'd think you like it there. If you don't mind my asking, how long have you been here in NY?]

"Ai vim visitar um amigo!" [Oh, I came to visit a friend] Rin laughed, sounding slightly embarrassed. The cashier caught the hint and stopped her line of questioning about her "friend."

"De onde você está visitando?" [Where are you visiting from?]

'Nossa, essa senhora com certeza é intrometida' Rin thought.[Wow, this lady sure is nosy]

"Estou visitando o Japão. Crescemos juntos, perdemos contato e nos reconhecemos!"

[I'm visiting from Japan. We grew up together, lost contact, then reconnected!]

'não é mentira …apenas uma meia verdade' [it 's not a lie...just a half-truth]

The cashier seemed to take a hint, waving her off under the pretext of an urgent matter.

Rin readjusted her bags and quickly left the store. She decided to walk down the block to the restaurant, hoping to get off her feet and quell some of the anxiety rising in her chest.

She thought briefly about what she'd like to buy, but wasn't sure. Her mind roamed until she pushed the door of the small establishment.

She went up to the counter, and made a quick order. Who could go wrong with feijoada?

As she walked across the booths, she noticed a man slumped over in his MTA uniform. His leg was kicked out, and his eyes were closed. She gasped upon recognizing him as the conductor from the day before.

His eyes opened upon hearing her gasp, and he grew obviously uncomfortable under her intense scrutiny.

"What the literal hell are you looking at, kid?" He furrowed his thick brows, glaring her down with his light brown eyes.

Before Rin could stop herself, she slipped, "Inuyasha? You're Inuyasha?"

His eyes widened, but then he managed to compose himself, "Who the hell are you talking about? You've got the wrong person. Plus, that's a weird ass name." He couldn't keep up the facade, causing his eyes to dart from side to side. Avoiding eye contact with her.

She closed her eyes, "No, I know you. I..You'll think I'm crazy but.."

"Yeah, I already know you're crazy. Did you forget your meds? Did'ya slip out of Bellevue hospital?" Inuyasha visibly panicked, trying to figure out who this girl was and where she knew him from. He could not place a finger on her, but he couldn't shake the feeling of how familiar she seemed.

Rin took it upon herself to slip into the booth with him. "I'm sorry, you seemed like someone I knew from a really long time ago…" She breathed softly in English.

She looked him in the eye before switching to Japanese, "I also don't appreciate your slights about my sanity."

Inuyasha's eyes lit up immediately upon recognizing her. "RIN!?" He dared not say her name aloud.

Rin didn't miss his expression, but let it slide. Was this really Inuyasha? If she recalled correctly, Sesshomaru's brother? Memories of a past life were clicking little by little, but not enough to compose an entire storyline. Why didn't Sesshomaru talk about his brother if they lived so close? Did they lose contact, somehow? Something inside of her told her that wasn't quite it. She wanted to ask but he seemed adamant on denying everything. Maybe he was a reincarnation and merely looked like his predecessor and Sesshomaru figured it best to leave him be….

Rin introduced herself in English, seeing as how he didn't respond when she spoke in Japanese, "My name is Rin. Sorry for intruding during your lunchtime…I saw you on the train the other day and I thought you looked like someone I knew. Anyways, what's your name?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at her, "I don't share my name with people like that. You probably shouldn't either. Ever heard of "stranger danger?" You seem like you're just asking to get kidnapped." I can't tell her I go by Yasha Taisho. She'd definitely put the pieces of the puzzle together. Sesshomaru made it very clear he wanted nothing to do with anything related to Rin.

Rin made a sour face, "Hey look, I'm just trying to prove I'm not a random nutso who decided to tail you like some kind of weirdo-stalker because I get the feeling you're painting me as one in your mind!"

"I mean, everything you've done so far definitely screams 'stalker.' You can't blame me for being freaked out. Especially since you think it's fun to just join people for lunch without their consent!"

Inuyasha wanted to ask many questions, but anything he said had the ability to trigger her suspicions, or worse yet - trigger any memories she might have. He had heard of some reincarnations having memories of their previous lives. If he triggered her memory about Sesshomaru she might go searching for him when he wanted nothing to do with her.

An awkward silence fell between them.

A waiter showed up with their food, recognizing them from when they'd made their orders merely minutes prior.

Rin thanked the waiter, before looking back at Inuyasha, "Uh, hey. Does the name…Shigeto sound familiar to you?"

"Huh, no? The fuck?"

"Do you speak Japanese?"

He ignored her by looking out of the window.

"Are you on your lunch break?"

"Jesus Christ, you're about as annoying as they get, aren't you? Fuck does it look like?"

"I couldn't tell if you were on your lunch break or getting off from your shift?"

Inuyasha shivered, "Yeah, Classic stalker shit. You should probably try dating guys your own age or something."

Rin dropped her fork, offended by the notion. "I am NOT a stalker, and WHERE did you get the idea I was attracted to you?"

"Some chicks dig the muscle, I guess?"

"You're pretty conceited! My God! I tried striking up a conversation since you're here alone, I'm here alone, and I thought you were someone else. But since it's obvious you have a terrible attitude, I will see myself out."

Rin picked up her plate to move to one of the other unoccupied tables, but Inuyasha's hand shot out. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such a dick."

"You have the social skills of an elementary schooler! Good GOD"

"Ouch, okay - you didn't have to go for the jugular. Give me another chance" I might hate Sesshomaru, but Rin was always pretty chill. I should probably get her phone number and pass it onto him. Let the chips fall where they may. "So, uh, why'd'ya ask about some dude named Shigeto?"

"I just wondered if you'd know him. I figured since you were Japanese and lived in the area you might know him?" Rin tested the waters.

"Uh, so, since I'm Japanese I'm supposed to know every Japanese person in a 20 mile radius? Have a Japanese radar," he then placed both hands on his head, pointing both of his pointer fingers up - as though they were antennas. He then rotated his head from side to side, like a radar of sorts, "that pings when it detects people of Japanese ancestry?"

'Bingo!' she thought, 'He admitted to being Japanese!'. Despite her internal glee, Rin cut him a sharp glare.

"Shit, Fuck. I'm sorry. That was another dick thing to say. No, I dunno who that is. Who is this "Shigeto" person to you?"

"I don't talk about people I know that easily." Rin quipped back with a smile.

Inuyasha became dumbfounded, "Whoa. You're a sharp one. So, uh, are you Japanese or one of those weebs that are so obsessed with anime they paid for classes?"

Rin rubbed her face with her hand, "Good grief, no! I am Japanese. My dad is at least. Why'd you even think that?"

"I see too many weebs on a daily basis. Working for the transit system is a fucking dinner and a movie. Or in my case, work and a circus."

Rin chucked despite herself, "I've noticed. I thought about that yesterday. I thought it was crazy just how much goes on in the train. It's nothing like Japan. I mean, the performers. Not to mention people fighting. So much chaos. But it's very lively."

Inuyasha nodded, "Yeah, aren't people like..not allowed to talk and shit on the train in Japan?"

Rin nodded, "Mm-hmm! It's considered disrespectful to be on your phone, to talk, to play music too loudly. It's imperative to be silent and polite. Even crossing your legs at the thigh is considered disrespectful. You're only supposed to cross at the ankle."

"Talk about a fucking drag." Inuyasha sighed.

Rin laughed beneath her hand, "Have you ever been on the train in Japan?"

"Jesus no, not since the railways-nevermind I said anything." Way to go, fuckface. Almost let it slip. She has such a way of making people open up to her.

Rin nodded, "Like I said, the train system is entirely different. It's mind-boggling. But to be honest, I love it. It kind of reminds me of when we used to visit Sao Paulo when I was a kid. But it's definitely more chaotic here."

Inuyasha looked up from his plate, "That's Brazil if I didn't entirely bomb geography class."
"Yeah! You get an A+ from your teacher today."

"Pffbt, you're funny. So Brazil, huh? That's pretty fucking neat. I've never been."

"Should visit sometime, you'd love it."

"I've been to Latin America before. But it was for work, so to speak. I didn't get to enjoy it as a vacation."

"I hope you can go back as a vacation for once. Did you have anywhere you liked while you were there?"

"Honestly I couldn't choose. But, I liked Puerto Rico a lot. But I might be biased because of the area I live in."

Rin nodded, "Well, I haven't been. If I could, I'd visit every country in the world!"

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah!"

"So, just like, fuck North Korea, huh?"

Rin shot him another dirty glare, "You know what I meant!"

He chuckled as he picked up his napkin, "Yeah, I know. I'm just being an ass."

"I see it's a favorite pastime of yours."

Inuyasha shot his own dirty glare back at her, "Ha-Ha. Very funny."

He took a sip of his lemonade, "So, if you're from Brazil - then what the hell are you doing here?"

Rin gave a mock gasp, "So people can't visit other countries?"

Inuyasha scrubbed his hand over his hair, "That's not what I meant and you know it!"
Rin snorted, "I'm kidding, but in all seriousness I'm visiting a friend and considering establishing residency here."

"It sucks and is boring here, I don't really recommend it. There's better places to choose from."

She nodded, "I kind of agree. How do you guys cope with healthcare here? It's nonsense…"

Inuyasha nodded, "That's the tip of the iceberg."

"Jeez, tell me about it. Well, back to your question - I don't have much family left, and those who are still kicking want nothing to do with me. I want a fresh start surrounded by people who appreciate my presence and if it means settling here for a bit - I'll take the tradeoff."

Inuyasha spoke solemnly, "I get that. I'm sorry you have to put up with that. I hope everything works out for you."

"Thank you, it means a ton!"
"You said your name is Rin, right? You can call me Issei." I haven't called myself Issei in years!

Rin scoffed, "I thought you don't give out your name to people like that. Haven't you heard of 'stranger danger?'"

"I have, but I'm also twice your size. They couldn't do anything to me."

"But what if they have chloroform or horse tranquilizer?"

"Kid, you've gotta work on the stalker vibes you give off; because WHAT? Why are you thinking about tying people up and drugging them?"

Rin chuckled, "I'm sorry, I swear I didn't mean that in a weird way!"

"I sure hope you didn't! Next thing I'll see you on Nightline 2020 on a Friday night."

"What's that?"

"True crime show they exhibit on channel 7. They talk about developing crime cases. Usually egregious ones."

Rin deadpanned, "Not funny."

"Wasn't meant to be."

"Oh shoot, that reminds me! I've gotta do something really quick!" Rin pulled out her phone and worked on sending a text.

"What is it you remembered? Why would a true crime show remind you of something?"

Rin bit her lip, trying to gloss over her recollection "I forgot about my ID, I want them to place my preferred name on the card."

"I don't see how that's related but…okay. So you mentioned a preferred name?" Inuyasha edged.

"Yeah, I want my ID to say "Rin" and not "Rinako.""

"Oh shit, good luck with the department of records. I uh, I'm off of work actually. Do you need a ride?"

"No thank you, Mr. Issei! I appreciate the offer, but I've got some errands to run."

Inuyasha had a skeptical look on his face. "If you're heading there, that's' an all day affair. You won't be running any errands after that."

"Yeah, you're not wrong. Well I've gotta get going now. Thank you for your time!"

"Hey, before you go. Can I get your number? Not for anything weird, just in case you ever feel like you need someone to call for help or whatever…" God, I hope that doesn't sound weird.

"Sure! Give me your phone!" Inuyasha reluctantly handed it over, and Rin saved her number and texted herself.

"Thank you again Mr. Issei, I'll save your number in a bit. Have a great day!" Inuyasha watched her take her leave before making up his mind.

He was going to tail her.

He waited a few minutes after she left. He walked outside to the curb and looked at the escalade's parking meter. Shit, I should've left the truck at the depo.

Inuyasha fished in his pocket for more quarters, and filled it for 2 hours. Hopefully that should be enough time to figure out where she was heading.

The street looked desolate. He rounded the corner to the alley before scaling the building to follow her from the rooftops.

She stood at the bus stop, seemingly frustrated while making a call. Inuyasha tilted his head from the rooftop.

Suddenly, she broke out into a run.

"What the fuck?" Inuyasha whispered to himself as he leapt across the rooftops to keep up with her. Thankfully there's not too many people on the street.

Meanwhile, Rin grumbled to herself, "It's getting late, Totosai isn't picking up his phone, Sesshomaru's phone is off, and his work extension is busy. Lady Komako is at work. I don't want Totosai-sama to put all his hard work into my documents for it to say "Rinako" and for him to work all over again. Plus, Poor Ayame would have to update all the records in the government database and I don't want to get her in trouble for my foolishness. I hope I remember how to get there."

Rin stopped running, and typed in "Antique sword shop."

She recognized the building of Totosai's office in the search results, and then clicked on directions.

She was approximately 32 minutes away on foot, but 23 by bus. She sighed, knowing how the buses ran in NYC. It was a mixed bag, and you never knew if twenty buses would pass with 'Out Of Service' written on it.

"Looks like I'm walking it! I'll make that 32 minute walk in 15 just watch me!" She murmured in exasperation to herself, but loud enough for Inuyasha to hear. Although, he couldn't make out exact words.

'God, does she realize how loud she is?'

0000

Sesshomaru took a late lunch, opting to come home and work on the display for Rin. The package arrived the next day, allowing him to spare an hour on installing the tablet's mount onto the desk, as well as finally connect the custom-built computer he'd been working on.

As he placed the screwdriver down into the toolbox, he turned on his phone.

0000

Rin climbed up the stairs to Totasai's "forge." "Totosai-sama? Where are you?" she murmured lowly as she knocked. He didn't seem to be there. She noticed the door upstairs was closed, so she sat on the stairwell to the roof as she waited. She didn't want to seem rude. Her arms were tired from holding her heavy bags. I should buy one of those roll carts.

0000

Inuyasha stood on the roof of the building she was currently in, and he pinged the location using his phone so he could "snoop" afterwards. He lingered on the building for a bit.

0000

Totosai struggled to carry a large bag of rice. The bag weighed enough to bend his knees and he hefted it from shoulder to shoulder. He sniffed as he caught the whiff of a familiar scent. He looked around, but saw nobody. Maybe someone he knew passed in the area recently. Maybe he missed some company.

0000

"Holy shit!" Inuyasha gasped beneath his breath, "Is that TOTOSAI?" There's no fucking way I'm seeing this right. I can't believe he's still alive!?"

Inuyasha leaned over the rooftop with the intention of jumping down to confront the old man.

He stopped midway, "I shouldn't…I can't compromise my identity. Is this who Rin was looking for? How does she know him?"

0000

Rin sat on the stairwell, heaving from overexertion. She blew strands of hair from her face, "I can't believe I ran all this way for Totosai not to be here…"

She heard heavy footsteps on the lower floors' staircase.

She saw the familiar gaunt face over the set of stairs and called out, "Totosai-sama! How are you?"

She saw the bag of rice he was lugging, "Do you need help?"

"Oh, no-no. I'm almost there!"

Rin ran up to him anyway, and non-verbally asked for his keys by placing her hand out. Totosai took the hint and fished for his keys that were in his pocket. Rin took them, and unlocked his door. She propped it open with a water gallon by the doorway so that Totosai was able to walk in. He dropped the bag onto the floor gracelessly, before sighing and taking a seat on one of the dining chairs by his kitchenette table.

"Ah Rin-san, what did you stop by for?" He asked while picking his ears.

Rin was a bit skeeved out by his actions, "I uh, I stopped because I wanted to ask you to put "Rin" as my name on the documents and not Rinako.

A pregnant pause ticked by uncomfortably.

"Was I…Was I supposed to put "Rinako?"

"No! Not at all, I didn't clarify earlier and I was worried I confused you because I didn't specify my preferences."

"Well, you're good! No worries here, I've got 'Rin' listed as you requested.

Rin sighed in relief as Totosai stood, "Do you need a cab? You've got a lot of stuff there young miss."

"Oh no, I just need a moment to catch my breath and I'll be on my way!" She answered brightly.

Totosai shrugged, then walked into the kitchenette. He filled a large pot of water nearly to the brim, cut the bag of rice open, and dumped a small scoop into the pot.

Rin watched in horror, "Mr. Totosai, what are you doing?"

"I'm gonna make some rice. I always make it this way."

"Rice, or rice-porridge?" Rin asked, eyes still glued to the pot.

"Rice!" he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Rin internally gagged at his response.

"No..Totosai-sama, no. That's not how you make it. It's going to be really soggy and…watery."

He laughed, "I could never really get it right, anyway. It's just fine for me."

Rin felt a burst of energy overtake her, causing her to jump from her seat. She snatched the pot from him and threw off half of the water, using the rest to wash the rice in the pot plus an additional scoop. She dumped it off, then briefly explained that rice needed to be washed, and cooked in an equal amount of water in order for it not to be soggy.

He looked at her as though she were speaking another foreign language to him.

"When you cook rice, don't use so much water. So you can have it like rice in the restaurants!" She reiterated. He shrugged, side-eyeing her method with distaste.

Until the rice was finished, that is.

"It's so nice and fluffy!" He remarked.

"Yeah! What are you having your rice with though?" Rin asked.

Totosai rummaged through his bags, "pork floss and corn!"

"Well, if it makes you happy…" Rin smiled sheepishly. Admittedly she was worried about the old man's poor diet.

He got a big bowl out for himself; serving the rice, a handful of pork floss, and pre-cooked corn from a plastic container.

He then promptly inhaled it. Then belched fire.

Rin watched in equal parts disgust, terror, and awe.

"Totosai, are you still hungry?"

"No, this should be enough for now. I'll make something later." He commented nonchalantly.

Rin slowly backed away, "Okay, Totosai-sama. If you, uh, say so?"

She picked up her bags, "If you ever need help, or anyone to cook for you - please give me a call."

"Okay," he said, before adding something as an afterthought, "You do make good rice. I might take you up on the offer sometime."

"Please..please do…." She stated as she backed away slowly from his home. She picked up her bags, awkwardly laughing on her way out.

"Eh, what an odd girl." Totosai commented, looking at the door of his now empty home.

0000

Inuyasha saw when Rin left the building, looking befuddled. He wanted to ask her what happened up there to freak her out so much.

But he came to his conclusion with ease. "She definitely knows the old fart, Totosai. How does he have any connection to her IDs? Is the old fart forging documents now? Wait," Inuyasha chucked to himself after restropection of his thoughts, "From the forge to the forgery."

"...Why the hell does she need fake IDs? Is she involved in something? Is she running away from someone?"

Inuyasha's brows hit his bangs, "Is she running from her family? She did say they wanted nothing to do with her?"

Inuyasha felt the chilly breeze lift his shaggy, long hair - "I'll find that asshole Sesshomaru even if it kills me! And I know just where to start!"

Inuyasha spun on his heel, determined to find Sesshomaru - and beat that parking meter before it ran out.

0000

Rin made her way to the train station, and noticed a discount store beside it. There were carts with wheels on them.

"How much is that?"

"29.99!"

"I want the blue one!"

0000

Inuyasha weaved through traffic in his huge Escalade, earning tons of honks and aggressive gestures along the way.

It was getting late, and he wanted to get home soon - but he had a bone to pick.

He arrived at a huge skyscraper, and stuck his head outside of the driver window. He pursed his lips - then laid on the horn without regard for anyone in the immediate area. His incessant honking set off several car alarms, heated words from disgruntled pedestrians, and a person slapping the front of his SUV. He ignored the person, looking for his stepmom's assistant to come and curse him out.

He saw the glass doors fly open and knew he made the right choice.

"What the literal hell is your fucking problem!?" Christoff yelled.

"Yeah, you know why I'm here. The only," Inuyasha drawled, "reason why I ever head this way."

"You're the rudest and most uncouth person I've ever met in my entire life," Christoff yelled as he pulled at his hair, "You're also homophobic!"

"Nah, calling something for what it is is just common sense. The way you yell is just so...fruity. You have a weird, like, twang in your voice that I can't put a finger on."

Christoff grunted in frustration, followed by an exasperated yell.

"SO," Inuyasha continued, cutting him off from his vent of frustration, "Where's your boss?"

"None of your fucking business, especially with that attitude."

Inuyasha shrugged before hitting the horn in a row of multiple successions, "I've got all day. I'm in no rush at all." He emphasized every word, ensuring crystal-clear understanding.

"God, fuck! She's at the New York Harbor! Will that make you just STOP?!"

"Thanks! See, it ain't so bad when you just answer. I wouldn't have had to do this if you'd've just picked up the office phone when I rang." Inuyasha turned towards the pissed off bystanders, "You've got him to thank for this show today."

Inuyasha moved from the reserved bus stop, hitting the road to hopefully intercept her there.

They hadn't spoken in years. Maybe 10, 15? She would be surprised regarding his visit he figured. "But it was a damn good reason," if he said so himself.

He continued his erratic driving until he got to the Harbor. He parked at an unauthorized employee area. "If I get a ticket, she'll have to pay for it. Ain't no way I'm paying after this juicy info."

He climbed on top of his monstrous suv by the bay, garnering the attention of some police in the area.

The police approached him, to which he rolled his eyes.

"I'm here for the rich designer. It's an emergency and she asked me to meet her."

"Sir, I don't care who it is - you need to move your vehicle or you will be cited."

Inuyasha grumbled, "Fucking NYPD is the scum of public servants in NYC."

The officer's partner placed his hand on his hip, over his baton, "What did you just say?"

"I said," Inuyasha increased his volume, "You are the fucking scum of the city. Got a problem with it, bouzou?"

Lady Komako was distraught as she stepped off of the yacht; so much, that she was assisted by one of the captains during offboarding. She heard some noise to the left of her - only to see Inuyasha standing on a bright cherry red Escalade, spouting nonsense off to the police.

She briefly thought to ignore him, but knew if she didn't quell him now - they'd be on the 11pm news for a scandal. She sighed, steeling her resolve and began to walk over.
Her guards accompanied her, but she motioned for them to stay back. "I am fine, gentlemen. Let me handle this."

She stomped over to the commotion. "Issei, what do you want!?" She yelled, effectively stopping his political rant.

"I've got some info about your runaway son. Do you want it?"

Komako narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha, before turning to the police - putting on a sob story.

"I'm so sorry about his behavior," she knew her tears and lovely eyes would wriggle them out of a ticket, "my son's been missing for years." She half-lied. "Any leads on him are important to me, and I must've missed Issei's call due to being on the waterways. I don't condone his behavior, but please try to try to understand," she clenched her chest, "an aching mother's heart."

The two police officers shot Inuyasha a dirty look, before turning their attention to the graceful, young, yet simultaneously mature woman before them. One of the officers turned to her, "Yes ma'am, we understand. Please have him move this car immediately."

"Thank you," She muttered with her crocodile tear display.

She opened Inuyasha's passenger door and hopped in. "Drive onto the Verrazano bridge and spill, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha cranked the shift from park to drive without a word.

After some time, he spoke - "I met a girl today who reminded me a lot of Rin. I thought Sesshomaru should know."

Komako sighed, understanding that Inuyasha had no idea Sesshomaru already knew. But it wasn't her place to correct his misunderstanding.

"I see," she muttered simply.

Inuyasha arched a brow as they got onto the bridge, "Do you already know about this?"

She neither confirmed or denied.

"Go to the bistro around the corner from my office at 2pm tomorrow."

"Lady, you do realize I've got bills to pay. I need to work and you can't just spring shit like that onto people."

"You don't work tomorrow." Komako countered.

"Doesn't matter! What if I did? Haven't you ever heard the saying, "Just because I'm free, doesn't mean I'm open?"

Komako nailed Inuyasha with a dirty look. He began to wither under her glare. "Okay, fuck - I will be there! Just stop staring at me like that!"

Komako sighed, leaning her head back onto the passenger headrest. "You're so crass."

"It's your fault. You totally had the choice to take me in as a kid. But nope, you didn't. So reap what you sow."

Komako rubbed her temples, "Inuyasha, I hated the very thought of your existence. I've grown since then. If it were up to me in the past, I would've had you killed if it weren't for your father's instruction. I'm genuinely sorry now. I've grown so much since then."
"Jeez, that's so fucking reassuring…" Inuyasha muttered sarcastically, his voice cracked at the end - betraying his hurt.

This wasn't the conversation he wanted to tackle. "It's whatever. It's just water under the bridge."

Komako opened her eyes and assessed him through the side of his eye, "It's not. I know I hurted you so much back then - and even now. I was never a good mother, Inuyasha. Neither to you or Sesshomaru. The only difference between you two is that one was neglected in a house full of stuff - the other was neglected in the wilderness."

"More like abandoned, but okay." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

Komako sighed, "You're right. I know it doesn't sound reassuring, but Sesshomaru was kept in a gilded cage while you were in a barbed cage. There's a difference, yes - but psychologically they both have the same damaging effects. I never had an ounce of maternal affection in me. If it makes you feel any better I had Sesshomaru to save my own ass. You know this already."

"No wonder he's the way he fucking is. Anyways, I give you kudos for admitting it. So what's the deal with the bistro?"

"You'll know when you get there. We'll meet in the afternoon."

Inuyasha didn't believe her, but agreed, "I'll be there. Do you want me to take you home or drop you back at the harbor?"

"Just drop me back at the harbor. How's the kids?"

"They're alright. Danuja still doesn't talk much. Kisshu is still yet to be found."

Komako nodded, "Is she making friends at least?"

"Nah, I transferred her again. She's at an all girl's academy now. She doesn't..relate good with people. She fears they'll disappear. She's got bad attachment issues. Worse than her daddy if that tells you something."

"If you'd like, you could send her to live with me. The offer is always there."

"Lady, fuck - you just admitted you were a shit mum. You think I'd trust you with my kid?"

"Fair enough, but having a female figure in her life might help. I'm a distant person so she might gravitate towards me as some sort of permanent fixture in her life."

"Yeah…I'll think about it and let you know on January 32nd."

"Funny," she bemoaned dryly, "Is she taking therapy?"
"Nah, she refuses. Last therapist kinda got somewhere but it's hard to explain the cause of her pain when her makes her sound crazy. She's..been holing herself up as usual. We haven't made much progress. At this point, it's feeling pretty hopeless."

"Since Rin showed up, do you have any faith that Kagome might soon?"

"I don't think so…I'm still scared Kagome got pulled farther back in time rather than pushed forward. It's been nearly 250 years, I don't know if we'll ever see her again. If I do, she'd probably want jack shit to do with me."

Komako nodded, "Have you ever tried contacting her mom? I'm sure she's still alive."

"God, Noriko would hate me. The fact that I fucked up so bad that time stole her daughter from me? That's not something you want to tell any parent. She would die of heartbreak if she's still alive. I can't bear to face her. Sometimes knowledge isn't power. I've..snooped occasionally by the family home - no signs of Kagome."

Komako sighed, "Still - it might give you a lead. Noriko deserves to meet her granddaughter, too. But, the most terrifying thing is that Kagome's stuck in a time rip without anyone there to support her there. Kisshu too, probably."

"I don't know how I could… even try to find her."

Komako bit her lip, "I heard about a kid - with the ability to manipulate time. She's…learning her skill but maybe she could help when she becomes sufficient?"

Inuyasha's eyes widened - true hope shining in them for the first time since Kagome's disappearance, "Yeah, I haven't met her yet. But, I heard about her from a source. She's related to Ayame..too. I think it's worth a shot. I could..try to meet her for you, and get a feel if you'd like."

Inuyasha stuttered, "I'd…I'd like that a lot."

"I can…do that..at least." Komako offered, "I have a decennial gathering this Saturday. You're welcome to attend. Maybe someone attending has some kind of lead."

"You know I don't bother with those hosh posh gatherings."

"It's not like it was in the past, Inuyasha. Most of the demons attending aren't pure blooded. Many of them have human blood flowing in their veins. People attending are happy to be surrounded by the likes of their own - most of them have human partners or partly human children."

"Still, there's an air of elitism I hate. I don't want to be anywhere I wasn't welcomed. Even if the sentiment has changed, my feelings on it haven't. I don't wanna be there. We're almost back at the harbor. Do you have your stuff?"

"Yeah, I do. Thanks Inuyasha. Speaking of which, how's the others?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders, "Shiori and Asagi are in college. Shippo's living in the attic like a fucking leech. I'm surprised his girlfriend, Souten, puts up with his loser ass. Shion's been avoiding school, while Ai got accepted into some prestigious private boarding academy in Switzerland. I'm terrified of letting her go. I don't want anyone finding out her nature and harming her halfway across the world. I don't think I could make it in time to save her. Dai and Roku are doing pretty well. Dai's been traveling, while Roku's been dabbling in Audio production. They visit home pretty often to check in on Moegi. She's been doing virtual homeschooling to avoid people. Apparently she can hear their thoughts, and it's overwhelming when she's surrounded by too many people. Kid's fucking powerful, I couldn't imagine being in her shoes."

"I'm glad to hear they're doing alright, except Moegi. When did it start?"

"Uh, about a year ago or something. She's developed telepathy and telekinesis. Poor kid can't control it. If she gets angry or anything, her temper causes shit to fly. Literally. I had to pull her out of school because of it. She misses her classmates."

Komako nodded, "Give me your phone number. I want to make Moegi a charm to suppress her power."

Inuyasha's brows hit his bangs, "You could do that?"

Komakos' face only had a knowing smirk, "I can."

"It's not permanent, right?" Inuyasha asked.

"No, it would only be effective while she's wearing it. Do you have any paper?"

Inuyasha arched his brows, "Uh, No."

"Then give me your phone. I'll put my phone number in your contacts." She stated matter-of-factly.

"Woman, I know where to find you if I need you. I'm not comfortable with you having my phone number."

She rolled her eyes, then snatched the phone from his cargo thigh pocket.

Inuyasha swerved on the road, resulting in a few angry blares of fellow drivers' horns. Another driver passed him, and flipped him off for good measure.

"SHIT! You could've killed me and the other drivers on the lane!"

"That's on you for being a bad driver." She stated cooly, all without looking at him.

"Fucking hell, you miserable HAG! I work for the MTA, I've gotta be a good driver to transport people." Inuyasha sputtered, "I mean, did you forget what I do for a living? It's not that easy, considering it's one of the SHITTIEST JOBS here besides sanitation."

She ignored him, opting to attempt a passcode, and was able to get in on the first try.

Inuyasha was appalled, his jaw agape. "How'd you know my passcode?" He blurted out with a growl.

Komako flipped her long hair behind her shoulder, "The Miko's birthday. April 30th of 1981. It seemed I recalled correctly, so I took a chance and punched in 30-04-81. You should get a more secure password." She randomly switched back to another topic, "I'll have the charm done in a week's time, so think of it as a sacrifice for Moegi."

He felt angry at her dismissive behavior, but couldn't bring himself to continue chewing her out. Especially since she offered her help, twice. Maybe using the kid she mentioned, they could track down Kagome, and help Moegi regain some semblance of normality.

He did wonder however, "how did his father ever like Sesshomaru's mom in any fashion?"

The best he could figure was a political alliance. "It had to be…"

With that, Komako turned to unbuckle herself and he caught a brief whiff of Rin's scent.

Inuyasha arched a brow as she exited the vehicle. "Maybe she already knows about Rin? Especially since she didn't seem surprised when I mentioned it?"

0000

Rin stumbled up the stairs of the brownstone, only to notice a vehicle arrive behind her. She instantly recognized it as Komako's car. She stepped out, but a guard drove the vehicle into the garage.
"Oh I see you had a busy day!" Komako remarked, looking at Rin's bags. "Yeah, I got lots of spices and stuff to take back home!" Rin fumbled through the door, and Komako paused to watch her. She noticed Rin's attention was elsewhere, and she turned her own attention to the mailbox by her door. Komako toggled with the mailbox's inner chamber, turning the combination lock until it popped open. She took the spare house key from the mailbox's inner chamber and slammed it shut.

"Hahaue, are you alright?" Rin questioned from inside. Komako laughed airly, "No, but I am feeling tired. I think I'm going to take a partial day off tomorrow."

Rin sighed, "Yes ma'am, you've been doing so much and working so hard. I can only imagine how stressful it is."

Komako kicked the door in behind her, "Mmm Hmm, but it's busywork that gives me some modicum of purpose in this long life." Komako slipped the key into her purse as Rin deciphered her words.

Rin felt her heart ache upon hearing his mother's dejected tone. Komako seemed…lost in thought? Sad, even. Rin noted with a heavy heart.

His mother yawned in her hand, and kicked off her shoes. "I've got a LONG day tomorrow. The Decennial is Saturday but I've still got prepping to do. The event planner I hired did not decorate the upper floors of the venue we rented, so now she needs to do everything at the last minute and will need my input. I had emailed her all of the instructions and reiterated it over the phone several times over - over the course of several months. I know I won't be hiring them ever again."

Rin nodded, "Do you think she will agree to give a partial refund?"

Komako paused, then shook her head, "I don't think so. I have a feeling I'll have to take them to small claims court. She was very rude when I brought up my concerns. I also need to follow up on the catering company and performers for the event. I have a bad feeling she may have not scheduled anyone…."

Rin gasped, "What would you do if she didn't?"

"Worst case, I'd have to send a cancellation to everyone and offer to reimburse them for travel. Maybe even lost wages and other expenses. I really hope this all works out. It would be an embarrassment for me, but a waste of time for everyone invited."

Rin shook her head, "It'll work out. Worst case scenario we can dredge up something. It might not be as refined, but it'll be enjoyable." Rin smiled, feeling confident that in the worst case scenario a small family restaurant would jump at the chance to cater if the pay was good enough.

Komako dried her hands on a paper towel, "I sure hope so."

Rin washed her own hands after moving the bags, "I got you something! It's not much, but it reminded me of you!"

Komako arched her brow, "Oh?"

Rin excitedly rummaged through her bags and pulled out a decorated paper bag she brought on the way home. "It's for you!"

Komako took the bag from her, curious about the item. It felt heavy, but she couldn't gather what it was. She pushed back the paper stuffing and pulled out two soy candles - one lavender scented, and the other was lilac scented. She appreciated the gesture.

"Thank you, Rin. This was so sweet of you."

Rin smiled, "You've had a rough day - I hope it cheers you up, just a little."

Komako smirked, "Actually - I'll use it right now. I'll light it while taking a bath to unwind."

"Yes ma'am! I'll be here if you need anything."

0000

Rin finished putting her bags in the entryway closet so she wouldn't forget them, and began to pack her orange travel bag. Just then, she heard a door creak open. She jumped out of her skin, but the guard quickly apologized, "I'm sorry, young lady - I just wanted to inform you I've parked the vehicle and hung the keys in its proper location. I'll be taking my leave now."

"Oh, yeah! Sure. Um, have a good night?"

"Thank you, likewise."

He then left through the front door. Rin stood up to lock it behind him.

"That..was odd." She mumbled aloud. "He reminds me a bit of Isono…" Rin chuckled at her own line of thinking, remembering her childhood love of the Yugioh franchise.

Her phone rang, and without any real thought she answered on autopilot. "Rin speaking, who am I speaking with?"

The telltale silence on the other end alerted her to whom she was speaking with.

"Shigeto-sama! Hi!"

0000

Upstairs, Komako dunked her head beneath the water in the tub. She stayed there as long as her demon blood would allow before bolting up for a gasp of air.

She turned to the mirror on the wall across from the tub, gasping and panting.

She looked no older than 35, and many would argue she passed as younger. She admired her body despite her frazzled mental state.

"If I wanted to, I could start all over again. I could get remarried and start a new family and try again despite my terrible track record of being a subpar parent."

She looked at the water, then back to her reflection in the mirror. "Who am I kidding? Me, a mother? I was never cut out for it, and my son suffered a terrible fate because of me. I'd be doing any unborn children a favor by staying celibate."

Komako dunked herself again, pushing the limits of her stamina by nearly drowning herself. She continued berating herself for Inuyasha's comment earlier.

"If only I had just taken him in. He deserved so much more. I ruined two people's lives with my actions. If I had taken in Inuyasha, he wouldn't have been so crass as to chase Kagome away and rip the space-time continuum. If I had've been a better mother, Sesshomaru would've never lost Rin and went steering mad for over 300 years. These manifestations are testaments to my poor ability to parent. Then to be selfish enough to think of 'starting over' as atonement for my sins as though they'd wash my mistakes away!?"

She sprung forward out of the water again, determined to make it right. She stared at the purple, lilac scented candle Rin gifted her.

"The only way I can atone now, is by helping them get their respective lovers once more! They don't need to suffer alone…That's only my cross to bear."

0000

Rin had finished chatting about her day, to which Sesshomaru didn't say much. He was just glad to hear she was happy, well, and most importantly - still excited to speak with his non-engaging, boring self. He wished he had more to say, he wished he knew how to engage with her. The proper words. She was pulling all the heavy work when it came to communicating.

He felt distinct shame while she mentioned her anxiety regarding the decennial and his inability to say anything. He couldn't comfort her, nor reassure her. He felt as if his throat had closed and a wall was built between them. He couldn't understand why she was overjoyed to talk to him when he couldn't do much right. Coming up with effective responses was hard, and he was worried he'd say the wrong things.

0000

"I've been feeling a bit nervous about the decennial gathering coming on Saturday. I don't know why, but large events and the thought of being around so many people in a high-class setting make me feel nervous. I think it's because I feel like I don't have much manners, and I might do something to set off red-flags that I'm from a poor upbringing. I'm just so nervous that I really don't want to attend - especially since I'd probably one be one of the few humans there. I feel like I'd be infringing, you know."

"...There's no need to be embarrassed. Even if your background was disadvantageous, it doesn't negate your polite personality. Many of the people in attendance will be part human, or attending with their human spouses. Don't worry about it too much."

"Thank you, Sesshomaru-sama. It's just..I'm afraid I'll not know the proper utensils during dining, or be able to dance without making a fool of myself. I'll be in high class society for a night, and there's so many things I should know but just...don't. I get anxiety around food and having someone watch me as I eat. I'm afraid I'll clank my glass too hard, or sip my wine too quickly. The thought of dropping a utensil or saying something out of line is mortifying. I don't think I'd be able to carry a conversation, either."

"...I'll be there to assist you. If you have any questions about utensils, just follow my lead."

Sesshomaru struggled to put the next part of his thoughts into words, "It's..It's also viewed as 'romantic' by many to have their partner assist them in dining. If anything, I will assist and no one would think twice of it."

Mentally, he berated himself for sounding so clinical. An awkward pause fell on the line, and he resisted the urge to hang up. He thought she was upset with him, but little did he know she was blushing furiously on the other end of the line.

He attempted to restart the conversation by wholly answering her question. "If you're unsure of what to say, it's always fine not to respond. You already have a kind face, so no one would think you rude. They also don't know you, so they would think you are naturally demure."

"There, I said it." He thought to himself.

Rin sighed in relief, "Thank you for your kind words, Sesshomaru."

"They aren't just 'kind,' I meant them." He retorted. "We could always leave if it becomes overbearing. Truth be told, I wish to avoid it myself. But I did make a promise to attend at least part of the occasion for my mother's sake."

Rin nodded, "I see. Thank you again, Sesshomaru. I..I think i'll be alright as long as i'm with you."

He sighed, "You'd be able to stand on your own even without me Rin. You underestimate your abilities."

Rin giggled, "I think you're the one who is overestimating me."

"I dislike the confidence you lack. Have more pride in yourself."

Rin bit her lip at getting admonished. It was a gentle correction, but it made her throat feel tight and her heart ache. She didn't realize she was crying until she felt water on the screen pressed against her face. Her voice cracked as she spoke, "Yes. I will. Thank you."

"Very well, Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sesshomaru-sama."

He hung up the receiver and pressed his hand to his forehead. He had made her cry. He heard it over the phone. He had hurt her feelings after everything had been flowing so smoothly.

He hated himself for it.

Rin climbed up the stairs, managed to find the bedroom, and crashed on his bed. She cried about how kind he was, and how much faith he had in her. He told her to think better of herself, and hadn't had anyone tell her that in years. She realized in that moment that she was truly, and undeniably head over heels for him. She yearned to see him again and feel his warmth beside her. She couldn't wait to see him again. Just a few hours more, and she'd be able to be beside him again. Friday was on its way!

On the other side of the state, Sesshomaru berated himself for hurting Rin's feelings. Little did he know, he did the exact opposite.

Fin: Alone Again