Author note: I am so sorry for the delay. I have an excuse though, or more of them: during 4 - 16 december was European Handball Championship, and my eyes were glued on the TV. After that I had to do cleaning chores for the Christmas, and when finally I had the time to write I couldn't since I had caugh a cold. Now I am fine and in shape to write more for this story.
It was decided, this story will have 18 chapters, so except this chapter, another 7 to go. Chapter 12 is called Catching up
If you have questions regarding the story you can asked them - it's possible that I didn't explain well in my story; however do not ask for spoilers.

As always, the chapter is not edited; please excuse my poor english; you're free to point out my mistakes, but do it nicely.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

Chapter 11

Lingering Feelings

He was here, a foot away from her. Dressed in his usual black suit, she found him handsome as always. Rin was staring at him, slowly feeling frustrated. He was gazing at her, not escaping her a moment from his sight but saying no word.

'Hello, how are you doing?' don't I deserve at least a greeting? I know we didn't separate in good terms and hadn't speak to each other for two years but I think I deserve more than watching me like I am some sort of a ghost.

Sesshomaru couldn't believe what he was seeing. Months, years, he tried to find in women similarities with his Rin; he found none. But he was here, in Osaka, staring at a stranger woman, amazed by how much she was alike his Rin. The shine in her eyes was the same with his Rin when he first met her.

He wanted her to be his Rin.

Impossible.

It was impossible for this woman to be one and the same with his wife. But at least he shall pretend.

Pretend.

It was what he needed for. A night where he should imagine the woman is the one he wished the most. Pretend she never left his side; pretend nothing ever happened.

Will she think I am insane if I will ask her to pretend?

Sesshomaru turned fully towards the woman, his feet carrying him closer to the woman. Instinctively she backed away, her back hitting the wall when she had no room to run to, making her feel like a trapped animal. Impossible to run away from him, Rin lifted her gaze and looked at the man who once was her husband, determinate to confront him. Her mouth opened, trying to escape some words but was silenced by his low voice.

"Miss…I know it might sound strange but – " she was looking at him in shock. The way he spoke to her it made her think he doesn't….

And now he's amnesic? You got to be kidding me.

"You look alike so much with my wife."

Ok, he remembers he had a wife. Don't tell me he doesn't think it's me? After six years together I had higher expectation from you Sesshomaru Takahashi.

"She's not on my side anymore. She was taken away from me. I miss her so much!"

He's talking like I am dead.

"Can you just tonight…replace her? Can you only tonight pretend you're her? Maybe I sound to you like a mad man but I need her. She's not in my reach anymore; my life doesn't have a meaning without her. Please, just tonight pretend to be my wife. Only for a night I want to hold her in my arms, and say to her how much I love her."

"I don't think it's a good idea – "

"Mm…even your voice sound like hers. Can you say my name too? Please say Sesshomaru!"

"Sesshomaru I don't think we – " she was at the loss only by watching him, unable to finish her sentence.

"She used to say my name the same. Just tonight, please listen the plead of this foolish man!" His face was much closer to hers, Rin feeling his breath upon her lips. She knew what was he about to do and did nothing to stop him.

Only tonight she will pretend.

Pretend she's a stranger who cannot say no to a suffering man.

Sesshomaru closed the distance between their mouths, taking her lips with his own. Upon his own he could feel the softness of her lips, similar with his Rin. The movements of his lips upon her own increased their speed, his tongue asking the permission to enter her cavity.

Rin gasped in surprise at the force of his kiss, Sesshomaru taking advantage of her opened lips to insert his tongue in, pressing hungry on her own tongue, forcing her to respond to his demanding kiss.

Rin's arms wrapped around his neck bringing him closer to her if that it was even possible.

When the need of air surfaced, he released her lips, his own taking the path of her slender neck. She moaned in the small elevator, the sound filling his ears.

"Your moan sound like hers too." she said nothing at all; her mind void of any rational thoughts but filled only with pleasurable sensations caused by him. The door ding open, their breaths heavy as they stopped from their kissing.

"It's my floor." Sesshomaru said quietly, and dragged the woman along with him out of the elevator. In no time they were inside his room, he locking the door behind them.

The click of the lock brought her back to the reality, her mind starting to function again. She needed to escape, she needed space for herself, she needed an excuse.

"I need to use the restroom."

"Hn" he replied softly, heading to the bed. The moment he lay on it, his eyes lids became heavy, and in the end closed, falling asleep.

"Stupid Rin, what do you think you're doing taking advantage of a drunk man?" she turned the cold water on, splashing some on her face. She needed to return back to normal. "When you will get out this bathroom, you will say no to him. You cannot do what he wants you to do. Beside he doesn't even know it's you. He thinks you're a stranger who just ressemble his ex-wife."

Taking a breath of fresh air, Rin made her mind up and came out. Stepping inside the room she knew he will be, instantly her eyes searched for him and found him laying on the soft mattress sleeping soundly.

Rin came closer to the bed, and watched him.

"Sesshomaru, are you awake?" her voice was low while asking him, afraid of waking him up. When he said no sound at all, she sighed in relief. "I never told you this but you're adorable when you're drunk. When you're sober you're composed but in the state you're now, you say things you usually don't. After two years from our divorce I didn't think I will hear you say you missed me. It made me happy."

Staying on his bed side watching him, Rin was contemplating; he seemed to be uncomfortable in his sleep. Standing up, Rin decided it will be the best if she will bring him some sort of comfort. Slowly, she started to take his shoes off, and later his coat. When she was about to unzip his pants she stopped in her tracks.

"Should I take his pants off as well? The last time I did it but can I do it again?"

"I cannot believe you came here in such state." The man of her life, the man who will become her husband in a matter of hours was standing in the middle of her hotel room, barely able to stand on his feet. And by the scent of alcohol coming from him, Rin knew he was drunk. She never saw him in such state.

"I missed you, so I had to come see you."

"You're drunk?" she wanted to sound as an affirmation, however on her lips sounded like a question.

"Yes I am. My brother and his friends tried to get me drunk and they eventually did it."

"Shouldn't you have had denied?"

"Why should I deny the obvious? If I am drunk then I am drunk." The new Sesshomaru standing in front of her vey eyes, Rin found it funny.

She should throw him out. It was the day before the wedding, the day where he shouldn't have come to see the future bride. But seeing him in the state he was, Rin became reluctant.

"Sesshomaru, why won't you sleep here tonight? The girls are in the room across this but they should never know I let you in." She couldn't risk throwing him out, letting the vultures to attack such a weak man. She had to keep him to a place where no other woman was around.

"Yeah, I came precisely to spend the night with you. Your girls will never find out we have seen each other during the "forbidden night"."

Coming closer to him, she stretched her arms, pushing him on the bed behind. Her frame later towered upon him, slowly planting kisses on his pale neck. When she stopped her moves, he whined in protest.

"Why did you stop?" her eyes were gazing intensely at the collar of his shirt, more precisely at the smeared lipstick marring the white fabric.

"Sesshomaru, who's the woman?" By now she was straddling his hips, her small fist grabbing the white collar of his shirt.

"Woman? What woman?"

"The woman who's lipstick is on your shirt? Who's the woman you kissed?"

"I kissed no woman today."

"You have lipstick on your shirt. Do you call me a liar?"

"That must be the stripper's."

"They brought you a stripper?" and she dammed warned his boys to not do such. She will strangle them tomorrow. "Did she do a –"

"A lap dance? Yep she did. She moved her sinuously body above me, tried to touch me, tried to make me respond to her advances – " ok, she takes her words back; she does not like this honest side of his; he's too honest for her taste. "But I felt nothing. She was half naked and she didn't arouse me one bit." Ok, she takes her words back; she likes this new side of him.

"At all? You say she stirred nothing inside you?"

"She was not you. If I wanted someone to do a lap dance then I wanted you to be the one. You wearing that jersey of yours. You were so sexy wearing that."

"Why won't you make yourself comfortable while I am in the bathroom." She had to leave him just a little bit, to give him enough time to cool himself down. Also, by her departure she refused to listen his biggest wish; the lap lance.

By the time she returned, he was already sleeping soundly. Coming closer to his side, Rin bent over his frame, her mouth closer to his own. "I love you" she whispered to the sleeping man before planting a short kiss on his lips.

Before joining him in the same bed, Rin proceeded in removing his clothes, item by item until he was left only in his undergarments. Satisfied by her antics, she cuddled on his side, happy to sleep with his arm as a pillow.

"You finally answered!" after her inner turmoil ended, Rin decided for his trousers to join to his other clothes, pulled the covers over his body and dialed a phone number. The person she called refused to answer her first but after many calls picked up her courage and confronted to other woman.

"It's late Rin-chan, and just now I heard the phone ringing." It was a lie, a lie Kagome knew Rin sensed it in her voice.

"It was you isn't it?"

"Did I do something? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't like to me. I know you're the one who told Sesshomaru I am here; you were the only one who knew. You're the one who planned for us to meet."

"Kind of." It was no point to pretend innocent when the other one knew perfectly well. "I never told him you're in Osaka. All I did was to change his hotel's reservation and put him on the same floor as you."

"Yeah, across my room. Why did you do it?"

"Because I was tired of both of you, and because you two annoyed me. For two years all I have heard from both parties was how much you love each other, how much you missed each other, blah blah blah. But despite all these, none of you did something. Since you're a coward, and Sesshomaru follows you closely, I decided to put you two on the same floor of a hotel, and hope you two will meet and spare my ears of your nagging."

"Kagome-chan, I had no idea I am bothering so much. If you would have told me, I wouldn't have nagged you with my voice, but I thought you're my friend and I can confide in you."

"Of course you're my friend, and I am glad each time when you can openly talk with me. I was just tired to heard only words and see no action. If you want something just stretch your hands and take it. You wanted to see him but had no courage to do so. As your good friend, I kicked your ass into that direction. You don't need to say thank you."

"Was I really annoying?"

"Do you remember me and Inuyasha before being a couple?"

"Yeah, all day long you talked only about him and how much you dislike him when the truth was you wanted him for yourself. You pissed me off big time at that time."

" 'Stop being a coward and be his woman. It's obvious you want him; I know it, he knows it, and heck even you knows it but you damn refuse to believe it. It's annoying to hear you saying something when your heart wants the opposite. Go and move your ass or else I will kick you! ' these were the words you told me in that day. I thought it was time to return the service."

"I won't thank you for that."

"Mm, I can live with that. So, what did he do? Or more precisely what did you do when you had met him?"

"Well, he was drunk and thought I am a stranger."

"What? And what did you do?"

"I did the only thing I could do: pretend to be one. When he asked me to spend my night with him I couldn't say no. And hoped by tomorrow he won't remember a thing."

"You slept with him? Not even in my wildest dreams I hoped for that."

"Of course not; he was already asleep when I came out the bathroom. But even if he would have been awake I wouldn't have slept with him. I would have quietly walked out his room and going fast into mine, and lock myself in if necessary."

"So, how was seeing him?"

"Despite his odd request it was fine. He seemed a little tired but this is probably because of his work; he tends to work too much and forget about himself. He seemed to be sad; according to his own words he's missing me. I am glad I wasn't the only one felling lonely."

Three whole months passed since Rin parted ways with him. She was not even there when their lawyers meet to finalize their divorce. Returning to the place where she grew up, she tried to find the old she. In the first month she spent her time doing chores around the house, the place turning into the home she recognized from years back.

In the second month, she started planting her favorite flowers with the hope soon her small little flower garden will bloom. And by the time she reached the third month, she started thinking at him.

She was laying on her bed, starring at her cell phone. Her phone number she changed it, her little poor attempt to stop him calling her, and somewhere deep she hoped she won't have a chance to dial his number.

How wrong she was.

Her new cell phone's book was void of his number but not her mind. Often she found herself typing his phone number, and hung it up before ringing and chastised herself for the mistake she committed.

She missed him; she missed hearing his voice, wanted him to say her name once more. She was worried; she knew he's working too much, probably forgetting about his own health in the process. She wanted to know if he's well; while seeing his picture from magazine's columns didn't bring her satisfying answers.

She would have given anything to not think at him. He hurt her so much, made her shade tears for months, made her curse the day she meet him, the day she said yes to him. A man like him who made her suffer like no other didn't deserve a mere thought from her.

She wanted to see him, wanted to know how much she changed in the last three months. Will she have the same ill thoughts as in the past? Will she crumble like she did in the day when she divorced? Will she say him 'I forgive you' and accept him back if she still wants him?

Rin was afraid of her reaction while seeing him. She had no confidence in herself, now she being weaker than three months ago. Three months ago she was strong enough to leave him, to start anew in a place he isn't.

One day she will see him; stay face to face and say the words he so much desperately wants. Until that day she will try to make sure she will have a place to return to, a man to talk to.

Finding her resolution, Rin picked up the device, and dialed the only number she was allowed to.

"Hello!" a feminine voice answered the phone.

"Kagome-chan, I have a favor to ask you."