Make You Well
Chapter 5
A Blade & the First Mistake
'Thoughts'
Flashbacks
"Speaking"
"Speaking English" / "Speaking Japanese" / "Hablando Español"
Original Publish Date: 3/1/2018
Rin shoved her hands into the pockets of her long, white coat as she walked out the automatic double doors that lead to the rooftop of the children's hospital building, stopping once she reached the railing that fenced the edge, a colorful helipad nearby. She was suppose to go home soon, in about 10 minutes or so, but misplaced guilt stopped her from wanting to leave.
She knew it was misplaced. She knew she did everything she could. The family knew the risks, the team knew the risks, the hospital, her - everyone knew the odds were not favorable, but they weren't ready to let go of their child just yet, to give up. The original surgeon passed on the procedure due to the risk, not wanting to ding their perfect record… or deal with the heaviness of losing a patient, especially a child.
And she couldn't stop. After Samantha's tumors were removed, after... bleeding to death, Rin had to move on to the next surgery. And the next. Now, she finally had a moment of peace - 'Or not…' She thought as she heard the familiar 'wiissh' of the doors opening behind her. They knew she was up here and wanted solitude, who would -
"Rin?" 'Ah, they called Sesshomaru.' Rin was a bit miffed at that, she dealt with a patient's loss before alone. It was part of their job. She didn't need anyone... And… she didn't really want him to know, to know that she could fail, that she did fail, even if it wasn't her fault, even if she did do everything she possibly could. "Rin, I did something. I don't know if it was the right thing."
"What?" She turned at his strange tone, now seeing his brows tight in the center, his lips pulled to a frown and his brilliant golden eyes worried, unsure. "What are you talking about?" She asked again, her tone harsher this time. Rin just wanted to be alone, for just a moment… with no weird, inexplicable -
"DR. YUKIMARA!" A man she recognized as one of the surgical techs from earlier burst into the scene, "You need to come down! Now!" He didn't give a chance to respond before he turned back into the building.
Now she was worried. "What did you do?" She whispered before passing Sesshomaru but he told her that she should hurry, they would talk at home - and she didn't bother fighting him, quickly running into the building and catching up to the surgical tech. "What's going on?" They entered the elevator and the man picked a floor.
"She's alive." He responded once the doors closed.
"What? W-who?!" But she knew there was only one person the tech could be talking of.
"Samantha."
"That's…" Rin pursed her lips, her heart beginning to race, "That's impossible. I saw her… You saw her too."
"I know, but she's been moved from the basement and they are screening now." The doors opened again and the two raced down the hall. 'Did you do this, Sesshomaru…?'
:~;
When Rin returned to her apartment, feeling nearly numb after everything that transpired in the past 2 hours, Sesshomaru was sitting on the sofa with his hair a bit disheveled, leaning far forward with his arms resting on his knees and staring at the floor, bangs covering his eyes. As she put her things down in a chair nearby, she noticed two dirty, sheathed swords sitting on the coffee table. Moving in front of him, she knelt on the rug and cupped his face to force his gaze on her. "Did you bring that child back to life?"
A long silence ensued and she began to wonder if he would do anything other than stare until he finally replied, "I did…"
Rin felt her heart rate accelerate; super strength, hearing, speed - those were all 'typical' super powers she could reason and deal with, but bringing a life back from death... "H-how?"
His gaze flickered behind her, "One of my blades."
'A sword that can resurrect? … That's insane.' "Why?" She tried to swallow back the lump in her throat and blink back the water in her eyes, "Why did you do that?"
"Was it wrong...?"
"Answer me!" She hadn't meant to sound so harsh, and instantly felt guilt when his expression winced.
"It was selfish." He said under his breath, his eyes averting from her. "They wanted me there to escort you home, I could hear in the background what happened. And I knew the sword would help, I didn't know how or why I knew that… I just didn't want you to… You looked…" The man pursed his lips and shut his eyes.
"Was it wrong?" He asked again, his voice barely audible. He saved the girl for her? Rin didn't know how to react or what to say or… She felt the dam break, and her tears began to fall as her hands dropped from his face to his shoulders, the weight of the day too much to bare. "You're crying." He mumbled, his gaze too intense now for her to keep, "Don't. I want you to be happy…"
"I am…" Rin was able to say between sobs, wiping her cheeks, but the flow didn't stop. "It's just…" She couldn't find the words for the rush of emotions threatening to drown her, somewhere between the chaos in her head and the overwhelming pain and joy in her heart; She pulled him close and caught his lips in a quick, soft kiss.
Rin let out a choked laugh at his shocked expression when she pulled away, and smiled at the man as one of her hands absently fixed his hair. She whispered, "Thank you." There was a moment of silence; Rin desperately trying to reign in her tears and failing, and Sesshomaru looking at her strangely. She spoke first, "You didn't just bring her back, you know… The first thing they noticed… were the incisions done during surgery were gone, and any scars from previous operations too."
She looked down, staring at her lap as she continued, "She had more strength than she did when she was admitted. So they went to look for her cancer… and there was nothing. The radiation damage on her organs was gone also. Complete clean bill of health… for a girl whose illness was killing her hours before…
I don't… I don't know if what you did was wrong… But I don't think you should do it again - no matter what I feel, or the family, or whomever… I'm afraid…" Rin trailed off, thinking of the men in suits that barged in after.
"Afraid of what?"
She tucked a loose silver lock of his behind his ear, "Afraid of them finding you."
"Who?" He asked, catching her wrist before she pulled away.
"I don't know." She replied honestly, "There were government men poking around after Dr. Lopez informed administration about our 'miracle child'. They wanted tapes, records, interrogate the doctors and nurses - the directors were arguing with them, mentioning HIPAA and other legal stuff - I don't want them to find you."
His grip loosened, "They won't."
Rin scoffed as she rose to her feet, "You're so sure." He told her to trust him… And she did, but couldn't phantom what made him so confident. She fumbled with the tie in her hair as she began to walk to her bedroom, suddenly feeling the grime of the day and wanting it gone. "I'm going to take a quick shower."
Once the hot water hit her tense muscles, she let out a moan of relief, closing her eyes for a moment to relax against the warm pressure. 'Oh god, I kissed him.' Rin's eyes snapped open at the thought, only just now having truly realized what she did. 'He didn't say anything…' She groaned in despair, letting her forehead hit the tile. 'Of course he didn't say anything. He lives in my apartment, lives on my food - he isn't going to -'
"I want you to be happy."
But he went completely out of his way today. He freaking brought a patient back to life. That couldn't have been easy for him, right? It couldn't just be some swipe of his sword and that's it? With no consequences?
A part of her still didn't believe this day was real, that she was going to wake up and find it was all some crazy dream. She shut off the water, wrapped herself in a towel and stepped out into the bedroom. Rummaging through her dresser, she opted out of the usual over-sized t-shirt and shorts for a satin teal chemise decorated with pink peacocks, wanting something that felt nice against her skin. She ran a dryer through her hair long enough that it wasn't dripping, not wanting to stand forever until it was dry.
And her stomach made a point of food, but her mind protested as it had for the whole day, not feeling up to eating. 'Maybe just a little something?' Rin decided before leaving the room, making her way to the kitchen, "Hey, Sesshomaru?" He was at the sink, cleaning a patterned sheath coated in dirt and 'hmmed' in acknowledgement. She looked at the exposed sword resting on the counter, its hilt matched the rune-like pattern on the sheath and realized she never held one before… but there was some dark and powerful force swirling around it that screamed 'don't touch me'.
Which made her really want to touch it.
"It would not be wise." His voice broke her thoughts and she pouted, wondering how he knew about that. Did curiosity have its own scent too? 'Jeez.'
"I was just wondering if there is any food?" Rin asked innocently, opening the fridge and blinking in surprise at the cooked leftovers and one of her favorite desserts that she discovered soon after moving to the city, Suspiro de limeña. But how would he know that? "Did you cook…?"
"I did. I wanted to apologize for disturbing your… sleep…"
Rin frowned at his trailing voice and looked at him, flushing when she realized his eyes were trailing down her body. She hadn't worn this particular sleepwear around him, but didn't think much of it… It's not like it was any more revealing than a tank top and shorts, but felt a lot nicer. He never looked up at her face to notice she caught him, averting his gaze back to the task in the sink, scrubbing the sheath with a bit more vigor.
"I, uhm… You didn't have to. Thank you." She said, grabbing a jar of dessert before shutting the fridge and getting a spoon, then sat on the sofa while indulging in the sweet cream. The other sheathed blade was still on the coffee table but it appeared he had already cleaned it while she was in the shower. This one didn't have any ominous aura around it, in fact it didn't have any feeling around it, like it was normal.
Was this the one that heals?
Glancing behind her to make sure Sesshomaru was still busy, she quietly set down her food and stood, grabbing the blade from hilt and sheath - and with one more glance to be super sure - she pulled it out. Rin turned her wrist a few times, examining both sides of the steel and frowned when she still felt... absolutely nothing. 'Maybe it is the other one…?' She thought as she made a move to return it, only to go too fast and miss the hole of the sheath and nick the top of her hand - at least it should have.
The cut shone white and just dissipated. No blood, no scar, nothing. "What…?" Rin whispered in shock, looking closely at her hand - and then it was covered by another.
"I'd expect a surgeon to be more careful with sharp objects…" Sesshomaru teased, taking it from her and putting away the blade. She blushed, mumbling about just being curious while trying to ignore the warmth his hand left, something that she shouldn't have noticed in the first place. She pegged it on all the whirlwind of heavy emotions for the day, leaving her hollow and wanting to be filled.
Rin flushed darkly at her own choice of phrasing when her mind ran with that thought a bit too wildy, scolding herself. 'That's not what I mean!' A clawed hand returned, gently grabbing her chin and bringing her gaze up to his exotic gold.
"Are you listening? Why are you red?" He was talking? Her gaze moved to down his high cheekbones, his thin nose, and lingered on his lips for a few seconds before they met his eyes again. Why was he so close? She could smell him-a forest scent with a stormy undertone that made her want to… No.
Rest. She was tired. 'I need to go.' She needed rest… and… Rin dragged her hand up his chest, vividly remembering the sculpted muscles hidden by his tee that now twitched under her touch until she reached the side of his face with the other hand on his shoulder. He lowered just enough for their foreheads to touch, "Rin?" His voice betrayed what his face would not, lower than usual, feeling the rumble of it against her palm. But it sounded almost cute in a way, as if he didn't know what was happening – and quite frankly, she didn't really know either.
It wouldn't be right. It would be using him-using him for comfort and relief as she innocently does when they lay together in bed. But her mind wickedly persisted he didn't mind as two clawed hands gripped her waist and pulled her body against his-and of course, with a shuddering breath, she felt they fit perfectly. There was no protest when she kissed him again, only the sensation of his strong arms wrapping around her. She savored it for but a moment before her guilt ebbed at her again, "I'm sorry…" She whimpered under her breath, "This isn't right." But she couldn't pull away.
"Why?"
Rin let out a soft chuckle, her tone self-deprecating. "There are a few million reasons."
"Are they important to you?"
She chewed on that question, and her bottom lip, for a moment before her eyes caught him staring at her mouth. "Most… aren't." Her dull senses felt a humming in the air that was becoming familiar to her, a warmth from him that was more inviting to her than ever. "That's not fair." She teasingly said with a slight huff. How was she supposed to resist just sinking into that cozy, protective force and forget the trials of today and what awaited her tomorrow?
"What isn't fair?" He asked, head tilted a bit to the side.
But Rin just shook her head and buried her face in his chest, trying to grasp at her fleeting threads of control. Senses muddled by all that was him, she didn't hear the soft 'swish' and mistakened the feeling of a warm cloud against her skin as his energy. But when a slight tickle against her legs caused her to pull away and look down, she gasped at the curl of fur that encompassed them.
"What is…?" Rin began to ask but noticed Sesshomaru looked just as confused as her. She didn't know why, but she began to laugh before giving him one last squeeze and pulling away as far as the fluff around her waist allowed. "I think I just want to sleep before anything else strange happens." She joked while running her fingers through the white fluff, marveling at its texture. It was possibly the softest and most fluffiest thing she ever touched. It would be the best pillow ever. EVER.
"You can take it with you." He said, a knowing smirk on his face. She should probably ask where it came from, what exactly is it, and if it's alive and safe to handle because it certainly seemed like it was clinging on to her… But… 'Those are questions for tomorrow.' Rin gathered the massive boa in her arms, having to wrap around her shoulders first due to its length and noticed him with a small smile on his lips. "What?"
He just shook his head, "It's nothing. Go. Rest."
She didn't need to be told twice. Nearly tripping over the fur before getting into her room, Rin just dropped herself on her bed, losing to her exhaustion in minutes.
Sesshomaru on the other hand…
:~;
"Did… Did you just drop that?"
"...No."
"Then how did it end up shattered on the floor?" The bat daiyoukai, Tsukuyomaru, growled at his subordinate, before snatching the other two glimmering orbs from their hands. "We haven't the slightest idea what these are and if they pertain to Emperor Sesshomaru. If you have crippled him in some way due to your negligence…!"
"I'm sure it's fine." The younger youkai blurted out, rather unsmartily, while scratching the side of his nose, "I mean, if they think the pentagram on the ground was a-"
"We have not heard back from Inuyasha-sama. We will make no assumptions until then." Tsukuyomaru interrupted before sighing as he slipped the golf ball-sized orbs in his pocket, "Just.. sit over here and wait."
They had been searching the islands for weeks, following a trace of Naraku that weakened with every passing day. His original assessment that the spider had been hiding in Chiburijima was correct, unfortunately the tiny fraction of the already small island occupied by Naraku was littered with miasma traps, pockets of crazed puppet youkai, a few misleading illusions within caverns, and an electromagnetic barrier that stopped them from phoning for back-up-which they thankfully were able to disable a moment ago. They didn't find the hanyou once they reached the hideout but they did find evidence of a massive fight.
The angry gashes of broken stone across the ground and walls made him more than a little uneasy, questioning the structural integrity of the cave that he and Hideyo currently stood in. Not that the younger youkai showed any concern over it-the sound of a body clusimly hitting the floor nearly made the bat roll his eyes-or his footing. "Oh hey, there's another one down here!" Hideyo exclaimed, reaching out into the deep break in the ground he tripped over. "Its bigger too-and red."
Now he had his attention. The daiyoukai quickly walked over, "Hideyo, I'll grab it, don't-"
His ultra-sensitive ears picked up the crystalline sound of the ball hitting the rough walls of the small trench before it likely free falled into the cavern below them, and the sound of glass shattering. Would it be wrong for him to kill Hideyo now?
His phone ringing brought him out of his thoughts of homicide, "Inuyasha-sama."
"Stop calling me that." The hanyou growled, "How many of those glowing things have you found?"
"Five." The bat daiyoukai then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, "It was five."
"Ugh. Hideyo?"
"Yes."
"Damn it Hideyo!"
Tsukuyomaru heard the youkai yell 'sorry' from whatever dark corner he was now inspecting, before asking, "Was our suspicion correct?"
"Yeah, Naraku couldn't just absorb Sesshomaru whole. So he used whatever bullshit ancient holy ritual to trap his youki into those balls. He didn't have to trap memories too, but probably did to make him more vulnerable. Breaking them isn't the end of the world, but I would really fucking appreciate it if no more were broken without giving a heads-up to Sango. We don't know how much of his youki is trapped, and we don't know what memories are trapped in what either." He heard the hanyou sigh, and realized his tone sounded rather exhausted and unusual for him.
"And you? How has the Lady Mother been treating you?"
"She's a crazy bitch." Inuyasha replied plainly before switching back, "Just find me Naraku so I can beat the living shit out of him for causing all this fucking trouble for me, alright? And if you find any more of those balls, get them over here especially any ominous looking ones."
"Is a dull, cackling swirl of red and black considered ominous?" He didn't know when Hideyo came up right next to him but there he was, holding up none-too-carefully another shiny ball-this one the size of a baseball.
"I would consider that pretty fucking ominous." Inuyasha mumbled, having heard the younger youkai and Tsukuyomaru agreed, then promptly took it from the clumsy youkai.
"Oh! Well, it looks just like the one that fell through the floor earlier." Hideyo revealed with a far too casual smile.
Tsukuyomaru heard an exclamation of 'For fuck's sake' before the call ended.
:~;
A capybara is a youkai's best friend, but its a weird relationship considering they are also the prey of many, many predator and aggressive youkai.
Like jaguars, anacondas, ocelots, certain eagles… Maybe even a hungry dog.
Luckily, Sesshomaru was not hungry, just enraged for some inexplicable reason that Enzo has been trying to decipher for the past 30 minutes. The daiyoukai was 'there' enough to agree to leave the apartment and met on the rooftop of the Hilton (for Rin's sake), to sit down, to take even breaths, to even speak calmly-but something, there was something there that he knew the dog was hiding and he couldn't get him to open up.
At first, it wasn't rage. His youki was flared but in a different kind of way-something done to impress or woo a prospective female. Normally, this kind of presentation was confined to whatever room or area the youkai are in, but Sesshomaru didn't have the control to do that… so his presentation was the equivalent to a parade marching down Ocean Drive in the middle of a sunny, summer day. Satoshi was a bit too happy about it and making rather inappropriate comments, while Sango was burning red and Shizu laughed at their antics. None of them had it in them to interrupt.
But it quelled for a moment and then changed into something dangerous, and now here they were.
The capybara had resigned to sit quietly with the amped-up youkai for the moment. It helped to an extent, but if the inuyoukai wasn't willing to unravel that knot of anger… A buzz from his phone caught his attention, a text from Sango telling that the Emperor may gotten some of his youki and a small fraction of his memories back. Now, that would explain the core cause of this… Perhaps the memories he recovered were not exactly happy, combined with extra power that he can't control…
He looked at were the dog youkai had worn the cheap wooden armchair with his raking claws, up the pinched eyebrows and conflicted eyes, to a mouth that struggled to keep his hackles in. Now, he didn't know much about the Emperor… but from the bits that Sango and Satoshi relayed to him before they met up here, there was one sure-fire thing that could anger the dog daiyoukai beyond reason.
"Do you remember your father?"
The look that Sesshomaru gave him was almost enough to make him believe that he is prey and flee. The capybara silently gave the dog credit for that-having dealt with rogue youkai for centuries had desensitized him to a predator's drive and never felt true danger for a long time until that moment… but he would not run.
And the harsh glare crumbled into uncertainty, "I don't know. Maybe."
"He had hair like your's-before, long-but almost always in a ponytail. Golden eyes too. His skin was a bit darker though…"
"Yes, him."
"What do you remember…?" Enzo asked carefully, watching for any twitches, any disturbances in his youki, anything that the daiyoukai wouldn't say.
"It's not clear." His voice was taunt. The daiyoukai leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and a hand clutching his temple. "Hundreds of snippets of… things that don't make any sense to me."
"I wish I had the knowledge to walk you through what memories you have recovered. The only one around might be Lord Satoshi but…" When the daiyoukai shot him a flat look, he couldn't help but smile. "I thought so."
"How much longer?"
Enzo smiled softly, "That depends on you, Sesshomaru."
"There is nothing else to say."
"Just tell me whatever runs through your mind."
The capybara thought the dog would not listen, golden eyes looking straight across the rooftop but unfocused for what felt like quite some time. "I was sent away when I was an adolescent." A deep frown pulled his lips, "I can't understand what he is saying, but I'm angry and I attack him. We fight… And when he wins. Guards, or something of the sort, grab me and hold me. I'm still angry and I can't control it, even bloodied and wounded. He tells me something that…" The Emperor trailed off, his gaze dropping to the dirty concrete floor. "I stop. They take me away. It ends there."
That knot of rage was unraveling, unfortunately not because the daiyoukai was feeling better. Sadness doesn't spike youki, but mellows it-though the capybara much preferred to leave the dog happy, or at the very least neutral. When the sun's light began peeking through the horizon, Enzo knew there wasn't any time left. Rin would wake soon for work and it would be best that Sesshomaru was in her apartment before then. "You may go back. You won't hurt her or anyone else." It was relief that flashed in the Emperor's eyes as he wasted no time returning back to his temporary home.
"Do you know what is troubling him?" Enzo asked once the white owl came swooping down from whatever spot he was patrolling and changed into his humanoid form.
"I may have an idea." Satoshi answered, but his tone was so unfamiliar. The owl was a very… perky youkai, and to hear his somber voice was a bit unsettling. "That day feels like eons ago. Can't say I agreed with the Lord's decision. You know well, Enzo-san, that separating a wild youkai from family only worses the child's development."
The capybara looked at the owl shocked, "Him? Emperor Sesshomaru… was wild?"
But the Lord changed gears and offered the capybara breakfast, and didn't say another another word of the past.
:-;
Rin didn't know what to expect to find at work when she arrived and hoped it would just be like any other day, normal and busy and above all, predictable. But the moment she sat in her office to review paperwork for the first surgery of the day, the door opened and two men in suits walked in-locking the door behind them. "Good morning…" She greeted cautiously as the men took the seats in front of her desk.
"Dr. Yukimura, last night you operated on a young girl, Samantha Velasquez, correct?" The larger, more serious looking man asked, cutting right to the chase.
"I am not at liberty to say." Rin replied immediately, using her best no-nonsense tone despite the thundering of her heart. "If you have any questions, I suggest you take it to my director."
"Dr. Yukimara…" The smaller, more friendlier looking man started, "We are just making sure we have our facts straight. We don't need any details of the girl's aliments. Its safe to say she was a sick child, requiring your attention. One who died, and stayed dead for hours and hours… and came back, alive and well. Is that true?"
"That is a question for my director."
The larger man persisted, "Surely, you are aware the child died on your table-"
"Get out." Rin hissed, trying to blink back the water building in her eyes. "Get out of my office. I have work to do."
"Dr. Yukimara, we cannot leave until you-"
"Dr. Yukimara?" A hand knocked on the office door, "We are ready for you in the OR." The suits had no choice but to leave at that point, thankfully, and Rin prayed she wouldn't see them again.
:~;
"This… This is really starting to get out of hand." Shizu groaned, watching from her spot at the breakfast table as Lord Satoshi argued with a strict lady in a black suit in the main room, a federal official representing Demon & Supernatural Arms Control, who happened to be an Amazonian Parrot youkai… and generally speaking, two different types of birds together is not a good idea, make them youkai and its even worse.
"I have missing children whose time of disappearance happen to coincide with every flare of youki in this region, owl. Youki, whose signature is currently not registered for clearance in this country-"
"Do you see any missing children here? Are you seriously suggesting that he is responsible?!" Satoshi snapped and the parrot youkai huffed, flicking a lock of her long, vibrant green hair behind her shoulder.
"I am simply stating facts. Mr. Taisho can start clearing himself of any wrongdoing by registering his visit in customs, and, above all, stop flaunting his youki around like anyone else here gives a damn. It is impeding our investigation, if he truly has nothing to do with it." The woman was shorter than Satoshi by a good 6-7 inches, but the glare her orange eyes gave made her far more intimidating. "If he does not… Next time we speak, it will be for an arrest."
Sango came into the hotel room just as the parrot youkai left, giving a worried look to both of them. "Her badge…"
"Yeah… She wasn't happy." Shizu grumbled, sinking into the hard chair, "They are going to grill him in customs, we can't take him there. He doesn't know anything about himself or what he is doing here."
"What happened at the hospital?" Satoshi asked, turning towards Sango.
"Two bureau agents snooping around things they have no business knowing… Sesshomaru…" She sighed, "...resurrected a child there."
Shizu stopped her partner, "Wait, he has his blades with him? Since when?"
"He ran off last night in a hurry, that's when the girl was brought back. That's probably when?"
"Now what? Rin has to know he did it. Are we going to tell her anything? Between her previous experiences with Kohaku, now Sesshomaru, and dead people coming to life… Are we really going to continue keeping her in the dark?" Shizu asked, shifting in her seat uncomfortably. She didn't like it. She didn't know the woman personally, but spent enough time following her around to know Rin was a good person who deserved to know more about the risks she was unknowingly taking.
"That's not our decision to make…" Sango replied, but Shizu could tell her partner also felt bad for Rin, on top of their shared history.
"I don't disagree, ladies…" Satoshi started, "But we must deal with Demon Control first. I might have an idea…"
End of Chapter 5
Author's Note: I have been trying to put this up all DAYYY guys. Kept getting errors trying to login. Lame. ):
Thank you for those who reviewed and fav'ed and followed. Hope you guys liked this chapter! The next one is almost done too! :D