A/N: Thanks everyone for your reviews! Kibachow, as suggested, I'm adding a short scene with Kohaku here. It was supposed to be a confrontational one but I've decided to twist it a little. This will be a short chapter – fluff here and there but I hope you all enjoy it!
NOVEMBER
RIN
It was during one of her trips to pick up Hiroki from school that she fell in love.
The space was perfect: nestled in a quiet corner along the busy shopping district, the two story shophouse even had a small balcony looking out into the streets. Rin could just imagine setting up a small table and some chairs where she could lounge and enjoy a cup of tea.
As the current owner brought her through the layout, Rin knew that this love affair with the shophouse would only end in heartache.
For one, her budget didn't allow for such an extravagant lease and second, the travelling distance from Hiroki's school and Sesshoumaru's home would be a nightmare! Shelving the dream away, Rin hopped onto the bus that would take her in front of her son's school. She hadn't planned on venturing this far south from the city centre but instincts had called out to her, only to have her hopes dashed.
Nevertheless when she picked up Hiroki, Rin decided then that it would be a good time to visit Kagome. If she remembered clearly, Sesshoumaru had mentioned something about his brother working in the real estate business. Perhaps she could see with Inuyasha if there were similar spaces on the market nearer home.
"Okaa-san, must we really go and see Suzuki-Sensei and Chi-chan?" whined Hiroki. Rin knew he was more concerned about the new born Chizuru whom he had conveniently dubbed as 'Chi-chan'. "But I don't like her! She's always crying and making this ugly face!" Her son tried to mimic, rather horridly of what looked and sounded like a wailing walrus.
"Nakamura Hiroki! That is not a nice thing to say!" Rin pinched her son's cheek lightly and watched as the tears came soon after.
"Why couldn't Sensei have a boy instead? Then Hiro-chan can play with him! Girls are stupid. They only play with dolls and stuff." That of course earned him another pinch and a whole week of no television. Rin didn't know what had brought about this sudden change in him. Was he jealous of the attention that the baby was receiving? How could he, when Izayoi-san and Inutaisho-Sensei have been taking him out almost every other weekend and spoiling him rotten?
And the baby wasn't even his sibling! What in the world would her son turn to if he had his own –
Wait a minute. Rin wasn't even going to go there. Trying to salvage the situation, she wiped away his tears and promised to make him his favourite dinner if he behaved during the visit.
"Ne Hiro-chan, do you like living with Sesshoumaru-Sensei?"
"Hai! I have my own room! And Sanzen eh, no Sessehoumaru-Sensei is so nice!" At her son's wide smile, Rin knew there would be no chance of them moving out and finding their own place now. She had considered converting the upper floor of that beautiful shophouse into a living space, maybe taking on a renter for the first few months but her chance of winning an argument regarding that with both Sesshoumaru and Hiroki was close to nil.
Not to mention that it would be incredibly stupid to move out of a 3LDK* to a one room apartment once again.
Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask Kagome to pass on her message to Inuyasha. Though she was finally enjoying a break from her usual hectic schedule, Rin truly wanted to go back to tending a shop. If she could really snag one sometime this week, that would give her a chance to renovate and redecorate the place in time for Christmas.
/ / /
SESSHOUMARU
He had gotten the call from Inuyasha just slightly before his shift ended at 5pm. Sesshoumaru considered accidentally leaning on the dismiss button on his phone but voted otherwise in case it had something to do with Kagome.
"Make this quick. If she's not dying, I'm putting down the phone." On the other line, his brother greeted him with equally macabre enthusiasm. "Rin what? I see. That place is really far from here. Don't you have anything nearer?" He didn't even blink at the price quoted. That wasn't the main issue.
Scribbling down some addresses, Sesshoumaru sighed as he hung up the phone with Inuyasha. Why hadn't Rin come straight to him for help? Sure Inuyasha knew the real estate market well but he was the person she should be depending on if she needed anything. When was she going to get that into her head?
As he drove to the first location Inuyasha had detailed for him, Sesshoumaru instantly knew why Rin had been so enchanted with the place. Unlike the small, almost crumbling shack she used to own, this particular store was a cluster of old wooden shophouses centred around a garden courtyard. And for its location, the quiet factor was a definite plus.
"Ohayo, are you here to check out the place sir?" A middle aged lady came out to greet him. "It must be a lucky day today. Just this afternoon another potential buyer dropped by. I can show you around if you'd like."
Sesshoumaru didn't need to ask if the potential buyer was female and in her late twenties. Taking up on the lady's offer, he walked into the shop and saw all the pockets of space that Rin had definitely taken into account as she too traced the same route.
"Forgive me for asking, but do you know if there are any houses in this area that are also up for sale?" Sesshoumaru was grateful when the lady shared with him the names of a few nearby neighbourhoods that had houses on offer. Seemed like the outskirts of Inuyama was becoming quite a popular residential area for the city folks seeking a quieter and less stressful atmosphere.
Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad place to consider raising a family.
When Sesshoumaru finally tumbled home, he hadn't noticed that it was close to midnight until he found Rin curled up on the sofa with her head angled towards the door. She had fallen asleep, likely waiting for him and the gesture instantly doused any anger he had been brewing for the past few hours.
To be fair, Rin had been on her own for years, so to readily expect her to accept his help and his presence in her life was quite selfish on his part. Already, the self-reliant woman had opened her heart slowly to him and if anything, that was enough, for now.
Scooping her up into his arms, Sesshoumaru took her to bed, curling around her petite body as they drifted off to sleep together. Perhaps tomorrow, he would have a word with Inuyasha about buying the place… and then a little talk with his little boy.
/ / / /
RIN
That weekend, Sesshoumaru had bullied her into the car, taking the three of them on a day long trip around the prefecture to look for her shop space. How could she have been so naïve to think that the brothers wouldn't talk to each other about her small inquiry? Hadn't Kagome warned her that the whole pseudo hatred they had for each other was simply a cover for respect and admiration?
"I saw the place you liked. I like it too."
"But it's out of question. It's far too expensive." Rin had already prepared a rebuttal if he dared suggest paying for the mortgage.
"You could sell your soul to me in exchange."
Rin offered him a cold sideward glance. How could he say that with such a straight face?! "It's quite a distance from Hiroki's school and your office."
"So how were you planning to get from work to home then to school and back to work?" He flicked a warning look at her before returning his attention to the road. "And don't even propose moving out."
Nothing escaped him of course.
"Who said I was?" She was such a terrible liar. "That's why I said it's out of the question. So why are we still driving towards the place?"
Rin didn't trust that grin on his face. Sesshoumaru had something up his sleeves and she wasn't sure if she would like it. When he had parked his car and gotten Hiroki out, Rin watched as man and boy whispered excitedly before turning to look at her with equally broad smiles.
"What are the two of you up to?"
Hiroki grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the shophouse. "It's an early Christmas present Okaa-san! From Sensei and me!" Her son gave her a box and urged her to open it quickly. Judging from the little ducky wrapping paper and polka-dotted ribbon, Rin guessed that this had to be her son's only contribution.
"No… you didn't…" One hand covered her mouth as the keys to the store lay in the box on her palm. Turning teary eyed, Rin leaned into the steady chest of her lover. "Sesshoumaru, I didn't want you to do this for me…"
"This isn't for you Rin. This is for us," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Though I still accept repayment in the form of hugs, cuddles and kisses."
Angling her face up, she offered him her first instalment –ignoring the gagging from her son next to her – the kiss filled with all her gratitude and love for this man. She should refuse, maybe even pretend to be angry but truly, what was the point? He had seen the place and likely saw what she had imagined in her head and bought the space for her; for them.
"I was just wondering if you'd like to turn the second floor into some sort of café space? We could fill it with books and you could serve those sweets you love making so much," he suggested as they walked into the empty shop together. "And look there's this courtyard that totally caught my eye –"
"Oh Sesshoumaru!" Rin had jumped and hugged him tight. She knew then that he too had fallen in love with the place as she had; it wasn't just a gift. "I love you so much!"
Prying her off, Sesshoumaru gave a sheepish look; his cheeks for once tinted slightly pink. "Umm, well... tell me that again in a bit," he laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Those keys don't only open the door to this shop…"
"What?" Taking the keys out from the box, Rin finally took a good look at it. Indeed, there were clearly two sets of different keys put together. One was definitely a lock for the main shop gate but the other was too modern for the store's set up. "What does it open?"
Rin looked from man to boy, knowing full well that they were up to something.
"I'm not sure if you would like it," he blurted after a while. "I've not bought it or anything. That's just a viewing key. Hiroki-kun, would you like to show your mother?"
"Roger!" saluted the boy as he led them up a small flight of stairs, past the store and away from the bustling shopping area.
"How much further is it?" huffed Rin, catching her breath. "Don't tell me you bought a shrine on top of this hill or something." At Sesshoumaru's guilty look, Rin let out a groan. "I know you're the owner of a private clinic but really Sensei, it's not necessary –"
"We're here!" Hiroki's gleeful shout cut her short as the two storey house came into view.
"What… I don't understand."
"It's our new house Okaa-san! Do you like it? I picked it out of all the houses that Sensei and I went to!" boasted Hiroki, tugging his mother towards the door. "Hayaku! I want you to see the inside!"
If she thought the shophouse was the love of her life, this abandoned shrine was heaven sent. From where she stood, she could see the entire town and even further towards the sea. Having lived with her grandmother and parents in a very traditional home, Rin revelled in the wooden floorings and translucent sliding doors slightly worn from age and decay. They'll fix it together of course.
Turning to the nervous man standing behind her, Rin offered her kindest smile. "I can't accept this Sesshoumaru. It's too much. I'm happy enough with the shop and I'll work out a schedule to fetch Hiroki from school… but I cannot impose more on you."
"But do you like it?"
What, was he crazy? Of course she did! But Rin hadn't planned on being his lover to get access to his bank account! "Let's go home. There's going to be a lot of work to be done with the shop and I'd like to get it up and ready for Christmas!"
/ / / /
DECEMBER
RIN
Two weeks left till Christmas and her shop was slowly taking form. Though the upstairs section still needed some work done, the bottom half was more or less ready for business. All her old shelves and stock that were kept in storage fitted perfectly into a corner of the shop. Her only problem now was what to do with the rest of the space.
Initially designed for a ramen restaurant, the back portion of the shop was now an abandoned kitchen space. Rin figured she could use it to make her traditional sweets but there were still a lot of empty pockets that needed to be filled.
Maybe she shouldn't have been greedy and accepted such a large space to begin with.
At the sound of the doorbell however, Rin turned; half expecting Sesshoumaru or one of the builders to walk in.
"Ojama-shimasu…" came the polite greeting; her guest excusing himself for the intrusion.
Rin couldn't believe it. "Kohaku? How… how did you know I was here?"
The handsome young man raked a hand nervously through his hair. "I asked my Onee-san. Please don't be angry Rin. I'm not here to create trouble or anything."
"I'm not sure if I can believe that. What do you want?" Holding back the barb in her words had not been easy but Rin kept calm as she folded her hands and listened to him.
"It's a nice place you've got here Rin. The doctor's treating you well… isn't he?" When she didn't answer, he took a deep breath and continued. "I know this sounds stupid but… argh! This was a mistake. I'm going."
"What? That's it? You tracked me all the way here to say nothing?" Her former self would have balked at the idea of even reaching out to touch him but the new Rin did; taking him by the hand and turning him around to face her. "How can I help you?"
"It's… it's not you Rin, it's me. I want to help you." He snatched his hands back and clenched them tight. "And Hiroki too."
"Kohaku… I don't understand –"
"Look! I'm jealous alright! I hate that you have all these," he gestured to their surroundings. "And I have nothing! Not even the rights to my own son. That boy hates me Rin. No one has ever hated me before, not even you."
"Hiroki didn't mean –"
"No, he did. You were not there to see his eyes – my eyes Rin. I know when I'm staring into the mirror and I see a man who hates himself. Look, I'm not asking for custodial rights or anything stupid like that. I just want to be able to come here and say hi to you, to Hiroki and maybe even that doctor of yours without getting punched in the face."
Rin sighed and gestured for him to sit down at the lone table by her till. "What changed Kohaku? Someone broke your heart really bad?"
"Yeah."
Ah, there it was. Reaching out for a small pack of sweets, Rin pushed it carefully towards him. She knew it was a long shot but Kohaku did have a sweet tooth just like her. It wasn't anything fancy but she hoped it would cheer him up.
"You know, I used to love this stuff when I was a kid. Silly huh." Kohaku pushed out one of the circular sweets from the foil and popped it in his mouth. A second later, a soft whistle could be heard. "You've got a kind heart Rin. I think that's what I loved most about you. I don't know how you put up with me or why you did it but the more you were kind to me, the more I felt I needed to break you. Stupid huh."
She had figured that out a long time ago. All those women, all those insults – they were not aimed at her but really it was to lash out at himself. Not everyone coped with reality the same way. Some cry, some overeat and some just get abusive.
"So what happened? There's just you and me and the walls now. Cry if you want, shout if you want." Rin shrugged as she helped herself to one of the sweets she had given him earlier.
"Well, it caught me by surprise honestly. She looked so much like you and was so kind hearted, I swear if you had a twin, she would be it. We've only known each other for like six months and then suddenly she asked if I would like to have children. And I said no – heck, I even got myself snipped –and that was it really. She said she wasn't looking to fool around with someone and that she wanted to get married and start a family and that if I wasn't interested, we should just part ways."
"Never been dumped before?" Rin whistled idly. She didn't know whether to be happy or sad for this man before her. No doubt he had always been the one to end things with his girls and to suddenly be put in this situation... "Well Kohaku, rolling in salt and maybe rubbing chilli oil over the wound might help."
"Ha Ha." He took another sweet. "But seriously Rin. It made me think a lot about things. I mean, I don't know if things will work out with her but I'm hoping it would with you and Hiroki." At Rin's raised eyebrow, he winced. "No, not get back together! I treasure my looks and that boyfriend of yours packs a punch alright. What I'm saying is… let me repay you back for all those years I've missed out, all those birthdays, those graduations. And more importantly, I want to make amends for the way I've treated you in the past."
"Karma?"
"Yeah."
"Want another sweet?"
"Yeah."
When Kohaku left her shop that evening, Rin was almost laughing at his stupid jokes once more. He promised he would come again the next day after taking a look around her shop. Little did she know that Kohaku now ran an interior design firm and had promised to give her shop a slight make over at cost price. Actually, he had offered to pay for it all but Rin didn't wish to owe Kohaku any favours in the future, so they settled for that.
For Rin, that was enough.
/ / /
SESSHOUMARU
Sesshoumaru had somehow managed to lug the six feet tall Christmas tree into his apartment lift and parked it in the corner of his living room. Leaning back on his sofa, he watched with interest as Rin and Hiroki excitedly hung the decorations.
He had wondered if the two of them had ever celebrated Christmas before but his question was answered by an ecstatic boy, bouncing next to him. "I've never seen a real Christmas tree! This one smells so good! Does this mean Santa's going to put presents under the tree?"
"Sure he will." Sesshoumaru ruffled the boy's hair as the three of them sat on the couch and watched the lit tree cast colourful shadows on the walls.
"Rin, do you think it would be a good idea to have Christmas Eve dinner at our place with my family? We usually have it at Inuyasha's but with the baby…"
Rin, who had her head on his shoulder curled closer and murmured, "I think that's a lovely idea." Tilting her head up, she inched for a kiss. "But I won't have much time to help you with cooking; I'm closing my shop at 5pm on the eve. Umm, what do you have for Christmas usually?"
Sesshoumaru kissed her temple and laughed. "Don't worry about it. Hiroki-kun and I will do all the cooking."
Rin had given him an incredulous look. True, he hadn't stepped into his kitchen since she had moved in but that's only because he loved being pampered so by her. He wasn't too bad himself with cooking and if all else failed; he'd call for home delivery.
So on the morning of the 24th, Sesshoumaru took Hiroki to the supermarket and armed themselves with enough ingredients to feed an army. Well, between Chichi-ue, himself and Inuyasha, the three of them could eat the entire turkey by themselves. So it was best to have something extra on the side.
"Sesshoumaru-san, do you think Obaa-san will be here in time?" Hiroki looked up from his task of peeling the skin off the boiled potatoes.
It was still a little new to Sesshoumaru to hear his name coming out from the boy's mouth but now that Rin and him were on a first name basis, he didn't think it was right to have the boy call him Sensei all the time.
"Her train should be leaving any time soon," said Sesshoumaru looking up at the clock. "We'll pick her up at the station when she arrives okay?" Kaede Baba, as she insisted to be called, had been thrilled to come to Inuyama to spend time with Rin and her great-grandson. The only other family member who would not be joining them was his own mother.
As cordial as she was with Izayoi, it was his father that he was more worried about. Those two would ignore the massive iceberg between them even if everyone else around the table were freezing to death.
Putting his thoughts aside, Sesshoumaru paused his onion chopping to look down at the boy. "Ne Hiroki-kun, I've been thinking a lot about that house on the hill. Do you think Okaa-san likes it a lot but is pretending that she doesn't?" The boy's pout and vigorous nod was answer enough. "Well, what do you think if we get the house for your mother's birthday?"
"Really?!" A boiled potato flew out of Hiroki's hands and onto the wall. Shouting out in glee, he went to pick it up only to return with a frown on his face. "But then Okaa-san can't send Hiro-chan to school and make it back to the shop on time and Sensei can't send me…"
"Why not?"
The boy twiddled with his fingers and looked up shyly. "Well you know, because of the fight." The last word was whispered almost embarrassedly.
Sesshoumaru couldn't help but laugh at the adorable child. "Hiroki-kun, what do you say if I put your name in my ^koseki? That way I'll be your lawful guardian too and I can send you to school every day!"
Hiroki abandoned his potatoes in favour of jumping into Sesshoumaru's arms. "Really really really? Does that mean I can become an Oshiro too?"
"If you want. But Nakamura is a good name too no?" The boy's scream of joy nearly turned him deaf so Sesshoumaru never got to hear his answer.
/ / / /
RIN
The day had passed so quickly but Rin could barely manage attending the influx of customers coming in for last minute presents. Thanks to Kohaku's brilliant changes to the layout of her shop, half of the store now carried handcrafted sweets and chocolates – most of which were made in-house. The few days leading up to today had been hectic for her, causing Rin to rely almost exclusively on Kohaku to tend the till as she slogged to make the Christmas specials ready to be sold on the eve itself.
"I don't know what I'll do if you weren't here," sighed Rin as they finally closed up for the evening. "Although to be honest, why are you here again?"
Though he always said he needed to check on the progress of his workers, Kohaku always ended up tending to the shop. "Are you rejecting free labour? You should start to hire someone soon or my back's going to break," he whined in lieu of an answer.
"Alright get out now," she laughed, pushing him towards the door. "I've got a dinner to rush home to and I desperately need a shower!"
"Want me to send you back?" The offer was tempting but Rin wondered if it was a good idea. Though they had slowly started to fix their friendship, she was still not totally at ease with him when it had nothing to do with work.
"No that's alright. You should head back to Nagoya, Kohaku. You've been here for nearly two weeks now. The workers won't be coming in till after the New Year and the shop will only be open then."
For a moment, Kohaku looked like he wanted to say something but zipped his mouth at the last minute. Instead, he reached inside his pocket and took out a box.
"A Christmas present?"
"You can call it that," said Kohaku with a sad smile. When she opened it, Rin had to stifle back a cry of surprise. "Yeah, the same one you tossed at me when you left. I just increased the size of the diamond." But before she could refuse, he closed her hand over the box and shook his head. "I'm not asking you to marry me Rin, for godsake! Just take the damn ring already and do whatever you want with it. Sell it, pay for the bills, pay for Hiroki's school… whatever. Since you wouldn't accept anything from me anyway."
"But this is…"
"It's your ring. I'm not giving you anything new, just giving it back."
Rin said nothing this time as she tucked the ring into her bag. She had remembered exactly how she felt when she had thrown the small golden band at his face – anger, disgust, relief – then regret. Having nothing valuable of her own to pawn, Rin had no choice but to sell away some of her late mother's jewellery to support herself and the baby. It had broken her heart but Rin had done what she needed to survive.
"Alright, go now to your family. They must be waiting for you," said Kohaku.
Knowing she wouldn't be seeing him again for some time, Rin stepped closer and gave him a brief hug. "Goodbye Kohaku and take care. Go find your girl and make things work okay?"
When they stepped away, Kohaku gave her a warm smile. "Merry Christmas Rin. Take care of yourself."
/ / / / /
SESSHOUMARU
Hours later when the meats were roasting in the oven and the potatoes were mashed and dessert chilled, Sesshoumaru took Hiroki to the train station where they picked up Kaede Baba. By the time they were home, his family were already waiting outside and Sesshoumaru allowed the hoard to settle in his apartment.
Amidst the cries of the baby and the soothing coos of the adults, Sesshoumaru set the table; his eyes glued to the clock and to the front door waiting for his beloved to come home. Funny how he had hated Christmas reunions before moving here to Inuyama and now, he couldn't find a reason to.
"Hey, Nii-san." Sesshoumaru was surprised to find his brother leaning against the sink looking up at him. It was rare for Inuyasha to ever address him in anything honorific so this was something serious. "I'm only saying this once and then I'll pretend I never said it." Inuyasha's eyes roamed around to make sure no spy was in the vicinity.
"Spill it, brat."
"Keh! Now I want to take it back. Baka!" Though he said that, Inuyasha leaned closer to his brother, whispering into his ears. "You're a good guy and bla bla. Kagome told me to say that. She also said thanks for the invite."
"And?" How rare to find his brother's ears all red with embarrassment.
"What? Do you think I'm going to sing praises for you? Keh!" Inuyasha rolled his eyes and folded his hands over his chest. "Just you know… Kagome's offer about you being the godfather…"
Did Sesshoumaru really said no to Kagome before? That felt like aeons ago. "Okay."
"I mean, I know you see kids all the time –what? That's it? No crying to the hills and skinning me alive?" Inuyasha stared open-mouthed at his brother.
"I said I'll do it." Sesshoumaru poured sauce into small serving pots, ignoring his brother's yapping for a while. "But, you'll repay the favour when I have one of my own."
That got Inuyasha's attention. "What? Wait a minute… you and Nakamura… when?"
"Not yet. I'm just saying in the future Inuyasha!" His brother can really be an idiot sometimes. "I'm planning to marry her. But don't you dare tell Kagome!" Inuyasha was shaking his head but his cheeks were all puffed up – a sign that he was dying to either laugh or run towards Kagome and spill all his secrets. Sesshoumaru had a feeling it was the latter.
"So when are you going to ask her?"
"When we're ready." And that was the honest answer. His only worry was, whether Rin would say yes. But when he looked up at the clock for the tenth time that hour, Sesshoumaru wondered if he had bigger things to worry about. Rin should be home by now; it was nearly seven.
Passing the task to Inuyasha, he searched for his mobile and dialled Rin's number.
The number you are calling is currently unavailable. Please leave a message after the tone.
"Rin, where are you? Please call me back when you can. I love you."
/ / /
A/N: Oh boy I added the last four lines on a whim and I think it might open a can of worms! What could possibly happen to Rin? (This could potentially lead to a sequel; we'll see!)
NB: *A 3LDK is an ideal home in Japan if you will, consisting of three multipurpose rooms, a dining room and a kitchen. By the way, it is my dream to live in weird places like shrines or farms or treehouses. Am not sure how possible it is to actually buy an abandoned shrine in Japan (though I'm sure there are some) and what are the taboos surrounding it but hey! If Sesshoumaru wants to buy me a castle, I'd say yes!
^ The Koseki is like a family registry that includes all the marriages, birth, death and adoption of everyone in the family. It's quite cool since you can trace your ancestry really really far back but the only problem is that it's available to the public. The reason why I've added this in is because step-parents (where I come from) do not have legal consent or right to their stepchildren so Sesshy can't just marry Rin and get guardianship over Hiroki. Adopting him however does.