D'you... See my butt over there? That's life, kicking the crap out of it. xD Sorry, sorry, sorry- Apologies upon apologies are all that can literally come out of my mouth at this moment. I'm frantically prepping for end of the year exams, trying not to break down into a blubbering mess, and ALSO BEING A TERRIBLE BETA-READER FOR MY FRIENDS. I'm so sorry.
Please enjoy the long-awaited chapter! ;;
"I hate this!" Rin exploded, throwing her purse down on her table and swinging around on her heel to face her hungover fiance. "How- How dare you come home at three o' clock?" She was just- just blistering with fury. After she had told him not to come home late, he had come home in the bare hours of the early morning, passing out on the welcome mat just inside the house. She had been so angry that she had stepped right over his body when leaving for work that morning.
"Rin, please. I won't have a chance to celebrate after marrying, so let me have my fun." He tried to grab at her hair, but Rin lifted her magazine just at the right time to block his hand from her face. He sighed, even bearing the nerve to roll his eyes before ascending the staircase. She simply stood there at the counter for a moment, immersing herself with her rage, before she grabbed her purse again and left the house, slamming the door behind her.
Glass
Rin Yorozoku had finally cracked.
Sesshomaru rarely allowed a woman to cry in front of him, for he loathed tears with every fiber of his being. Crying, he had deemed, was a sign of weakness. But when Rin had started crying, he found himself so frozen by the sight that he was forced to bear witness to her anguish.
"I- I usually cry to K-Kagome o-or Jak," she explained through her fit of tears. "B-But J-Jak's on a d-date with his b-boyfriend and K-Kagome is at w-work, so I h-had n-nowhere else-" Sesshomaru, who was holding the tissue box and had been holding it for at least half an hour now, held it out instinctively as Rin reached for one more. She blew her nose and yanked another wispy tissue from the box to pat the skin beneath her eyes. "Oh, I simply can't go to Jak's later with such puffy eyes, he'll certainly be concerned-"
Sesshomaru sighed, placing the box down before leaning towards her. "Tilt your head towards me," he demanded, tilting her chin up as she complied. "There won't be a trace of tears in an hour," he assured with another soft sigh. "I simply fail to understand, Rin, which is something that I can assure you is uncommon for me." He paused, lifting the box once more as she reached for another tissue. "if you loathe him so, why are you still going to marry him?"
"I don't loathe him," Rin countered in denial. "I just don't like his awful habits! Coming home so late, drinking so much... If he's simply like this before marriage, can you even imagine what he'll be like afterwards? Is it too much to ask a man to mend his habits?" She allowed her head collapse into her hand before swinging her eyes back up towards Sesshomaru. "I'm- I'm sorry for springing on you like this," she mumbled, her lip quivering as she finally dried the last of the darned tears.
She looked like a sad puppy.
He felt conflicted by this.
And why did he want to pat her head?
"Here, let me show you your chocolate roses." he offered her his hand, and she cupped her tiny one within it to support herself. She allowed him to take her to the back room, and her face brightened once more until he could see almost every light on the ceiling inside her eyes.
"Are these going on my dress?" She held the stake that the rose sat upon, its frigid petals sweet-smelling and solidified. "Oh, but they're so lovely," she caressed one of them before gently setting it down beside its many siblings. Shivering only slightly, she beamed at him. "It looks like it's coming along wonderfully!"
And it was going rather smoothly- He'd sealed the gaps between the triangles with quick-hardening chocolate, much like one might solder glass together. To cover tiny imperfections, he would place roses where he saw fit or just fill it with more chocolate. It worked very well as a glue- he only hoped that the hall where Rin would wear the dress was not hot, or it would melt on her.
And then suddenly, he was thinking about Rin draped in melting chocolate.
Rin blinked, looking to the side and sweatdropping as she saw Sesshomaru bash his head in a quick, clean motion against the wall. "U-Uh, Sesshomaru? Are you alright?"
"Fine," he muttered, glowering derisively at the chocolate roses as though they had offended his ancestors. "Shall we go back to the showroom, then? There's very little else to see, beside the dress, and I obviously can't show you that." He permitted a small smile to cross his lips and glanced again at the empty shop. It had been quite empty lately, as the roads were coated with ice and dangerous. Furthermore, it was too unpleasantly cold for anyone to really want to spend an entire afternoon getting a dress. He'd also brilliantly sent Kouga and Jaken out for more material, and their constant bickering was sure to hold them up for at least a couple more hours. Sesshomaru didn't mind the emptiness, though, because it meant that he could focus his attention on Rin.
"Hey," she said suddenly, pink fluttering across her smooth cheekbones from the brisk chill. He glanced questioningly at her, locking the back door and thrusting the key into his pocket.
"Can I treat you to dinner?"
Sesshomaru had never been treated before.
Furthermore, he'd never accompanied a customer of his and her two gay friends out to what Rin called a 'casual get-together,' and now, as he looked over at her, Jakotsu, and Bankotsu, he felt strangely overdressed. Perhaps it was because Jakotsu was donning a glittery cardigan and painfully tight-looking black leggings that he appeared to be very comfortable in, and Bankotsu was wearing some sort of trench-coat that looked more in-season than anything his female customers wore.
And Rin, Rin was wearing a simple, dark brown dress that flared around her knees and gave her a bit of a younger look. Then again, Rin did look quite young to begin with.
And then there was him. With his Issey Miyake suit and pants that he'd worn, thinking it would be a highly formal occasion to which Rin was dragging him to. The place she had chosen was, as she had claimed, an old favorite, and Sesshomaru instantly appreciated the soothing jazz streaming throughout the dining area. They sat down at a cream table, Rin chattering away to her nail stylist as she untucked her brown curls from her collar.
"You must really like this, Jak," she was giggling as Sesshomaru stopped his scrutiny of the brown-bricked walls and the softly lit lamps and turned to her. "I mean, going out twice a day? Must be like a dream! And both with Ban!"
Jakotsu's face split into a mischievous smirk. "Welllll, I'm glad you accommodated me. After all, when I heard about your plans, I simply had to tag along... Although you never told me that your wedding dress designer was almost as gorgeous as I am!"
Sesshomaru tried not to pay too much heed to this comment, but his ears felt strangely warm. He wasn't sure how much he ought to acknowledge Jakotsu's flirtatious comments. Bankotsu wasn't helping, either- Instead of possessively reclaiming Jakotsu's attentions, he was just rolling his eyes and flipping through his menu.
"And that suit," Jakotsu purred, reaching out to toy with the lapel. "Oh, it just frames you so nicely, you Greek god. I wouldn't mind you in a toga any day!" Sesshomaru had just about frozen, hoping that Rin would save him from his dilemma. She, however, had run to go wash her hands, so he was stuck with the coquettish Jak. "And your legs are so long! If I were Rin, I would have-"
"Alright, that's quite enough, Jakotsu." Bankotsu rolled his eyes some more and turned to his boyfriend. "You're frightening the poor man." Sesshomaru was now the twin of a solid stone wall, and remained in this position until Rin returned. She took one look at the demon's face and burst into laughter.
"Oh, Jak, what did you do to him?"
Jak shrugged, pouting as he leaned into Bankotsu. "I'm sorry for misbehaving," he nudged the other sideways. "But you gotta admit, the guy's attractive." He continued as though Sesshomaru weren't freezing away across from them.
"I must admit that he is a fair amount attractive," Bankotsu relented civilly, shrugging his shoulders and bouncing Jak's head playfully. "Good job, Rin!"
This line made Rin choke on her complimentary water and ice. "I'm engaged," she coughed through the ice with a dirty look at Bankotsu.
"So? Jak and I are open to others."
"Yeah, but neither have you have actually dated anyone else, you ninny. You're totally committed to each other, but you just don't admit it." Rin huffed, rolling an ice cube along the top of her mouth. Jakotsu pouted in response.
"Well, maybe we just want to keep it open! So that I can date Sexy-pants here." Jakotsu jerked his thumb towards Sesshomaru, who had been in the process of thawing but was now freezing up once more.
"That won't do," Bankotsu paused for a moment, his nonchalant expression breaking for a split second to express plain annoyance. "You may be exclusive, but you're on a date with me now. Why can't I seem to claim all of your attention for one date, Jak?"
There was a tense pause- with Jakotsu looking rather startled -which Rin broke by humming along to the jazz. "You guys do this every time we go out," she tsked, tapping Jak and Bankotsu in turn on their noses. "Come on, Jak. Let's not flirt with my dress designer, you might make him drop the deal."
Jakotsu shrugged his shoulders in agreement, sneaking a sly glance sideways towards the once-again calm Bankotsu.
"I'm sorryyyy," he purred, resting his head on the other's shoulder. "I guess I got a little carried away."
Bankotsu grunted.
"A lot carried away," Jak admitted with a pleading smile.
The other finally looked towards him. "Yes, you did. But I forgive you, because I can agree that he looks fantastic in that suit. Is that Issey Miyake, Sesshomaru?"
Sesshomaru nodded, relieved that he could finally speak about something he knew more about. "Yes, it was actually a gift from a bride and groom from about a month ago that I never got around to wearing."
"Oh, and a Rolex." Bankotsu's eyes flickered downwards to his wrist. "You have a very polished sense of style, I can see why Rin might want you to join her on this date rather than Kohak-" Jakotsu interrupted Bankotsu by crushing his high-heeled boot into the other's foot. Ban paled, grunting in displeasure.
"Why, you-"
Sesshomaru glanced at Rin, who was fiddling with her ring in silence and looking anywhere but him. "I was going to go out tonight with Kohaku," she finally admitted, "But after our falling out this morning, I ... I sort of made an adjustment, you see..."
Jakotsu winced, but Sesshomaru just acknowledged her with a nod. "I was very aware of your emotional presence today, Rin," he murmured, not really caring that she had more or less used him. She hadn't been in any sort of state to go out with Kohaku, anyway, and even he would have offered to go with her should she have told him she'd been planning on going with Kohaku.
Rin smiled wanly at him, and he casually noticed that he was mildly fretting. And then he hated himself once more and immediately stopped. Rin had started to look paler, which did concern him more than he cared to admit. She constantly looked even more exhausted than the day she had first sat in the room, as if she were transversing in the opposite direction of a normal bride. Normal brides began to glow the closer they approached their day of matrimony, yet Rin's was diminishing. She was ... Wilting, in a sense. And for some reason, he despised how that made him feel.
Jak lifted his head from his palm. "You alright, Rinny?"
"'M fine," Rin responded soothingly, lifting her eyes wearily from the menu. "I was just thinking that this alfredo pasta looks really delicious." Sesshomaru gripped his menu, his mask expressionless but his mind working at high speed.
"I myself find that the Minestrone soup looks delicious," Sesshomaru said calmly, still watching Rin. "I also find that people who look sick generally need rest."
Rin flinched at this statement and shot him a narrow look. "I-I'm not sick." she affirmed, "Just tired."
At this, Bankotsu slammed his menu down. "Cut the crap, Rin. You're just worried sick about going back home to find out how your fiancee's disappointed you this time." He glowered at her despite Jakotsu's angry gesturing. "And why wouldn't you? It's not like the little douche has done anything but go out late at night, get drunk or high, or screw around with some woman on a pool table in a bar- Son of a-" This last exclamation was halted by Jak ramming his elbow into Bankotsu's side. "What the hell was that for, it's not like what I was saying was a lie-"
The other simply pointed to Rin, who had ducked so that no one could see her expression and was instead gripping the napkin with surprising strength. Sesshomaru allowed his menu to fall from his hands, and Bankotsu cringed at Jakotsu's angry expression.
"You are very tactless," Jakotsu scolded, pulling Bankotsu up by the elbow. "Sesshomaru, be a dear and order for us. I want chicken ravioli, and Bankotsu wants the veal piccata."
Sesshomaru nodded, watching as Jakotsu hauled his loudly complaining companion to the restroom and attracted disconcerted looks from the people seated at their booths. He sighed, offering a napkin to Rin and watching as it vanished underneath the table with her. To his alarm, she was now sitting beneath the table.
He looked around for a moment before discretely sliding underneath the table with her. Definitely the weirdest thing he'd ever done, other than changing one of Inuyasha's diapers. "Rin...?" He spoke aloud, finding that she had buried her face into the silky lap napkin. She took a deep breath, lifting her surprisingly clean face from the cloth.
"I-It seems that I've cried out all my tears!" she tried to manage a perky smile, and he just stared at her as it began to falter. "W-Well, that's alright, at least I won't ruin my makeup!" Sesshomaru looked around, cringing when he saw the waiter's feet pause in front of their table and then back away in confusion. "I- I mean, it's not like he'll notice even if my makeup was running, right?" The false laughter was irritating to hear, because Rin's true laughter burst with clarity, like wind chimes during a brief silence.
"Rin..." Sesshomaru began. She looked at him, her face pretty and pale and wrong. "We're, um-" He coughed. "We're underneath the table..."
She blinked and also looked around. "Oh! Oh, silly me." she conked herself lightly and grinned shakily at him. "Yeah, we should probably-" He started to stand up, but Rin didn't move. In fact, she had stilled once more, her petite body hunched over and her brown eyes fixated blankly on the legs of the chair across from her.
"Rin." Sesshomaru knelt in front of her, "Rin, you have to stand up."
"Am I-" Her breaths weren't right. They were shallow and airy, too frequent. Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed sharply, his eyelashes flickering as he allowed his hand to stray towards his phone. "A-Am I not good enough for him- It's my fault, isn't it- For always picking a fight-"
"No." Sesshomaru didn't like this at all- he'd never faced such a situation, but he wasn't so unaware that he didn't have some sort of inkling that Rin was breaking down. "It's definitely not you, Rin-"
"I can't breathe," she wheezed, and alarm bells began ringing in the back of Sesshomaru's head, so loudly that he could feel his head pounding. He didn't know what to do, and he hated feeling so helpless. He hadn't known what to do with his mother, either, when she had cried over losing his father- never in front of him, because he had always known her as woefully strong, independent, brazen. He hadn't known what to do with Kagura, when she walked out on him, when he tried to figure out what he did wrong and tried to fix it but only ended up working harder. He simply wasn't able to woman, whether it was his mother or Rin. And now, he didn't know what to do- Rin was most likely having an anxiety attack, and he was sitting there like a gutted fish. "My heart is hurting," she gripped his arm, and he dragged his eyes from hers to her arm. "It's loud, and I can't hear- Sesshomaru, I can't hear anything- A-Am I going to die? I'm going to die, I'm going to lose control and die, and-" She was flushed, waning, she was slipping out of his grasp.
Sesshomaru finally managed to jolt into action.
"What should I do, Rin." He gripped her reddening visage between both his palms, and her trembling fingers grasped at his wrists.
"Jak," she breathed, "But you won't make it, because I'm going to die, Sesshomaru, because I'm not good enough for anyone and useless and-"
He was already running for the bathroom.
"And let's remember that he's a useless prick who's no good for you, Rin!" Jak reminded her with a firm smile, gripping her shoulders as Rin wiped the last of her tears. It had only been a few minutes, but Sesshomaru felt like he'd been watching Jakotsu comfort Rin for an hour. "You're a strong, beautiful woman, and if I weren't gay, I'd be on you like toppings on a pizza." Rin's shoulders sagged, but she smiled weakly at that, weaving her fingers through her messy hair. They were now all unabashedly underneath the table, garnering strange looks.
"This is her second one," Bankotsu shuffled his feet, prompting Sesshomaru to look sideways at him. "Obviously it's because Kohaku keeps leaving her on her own... A damn shame, really, that she's stuck with him."
"I'm curious as to know why she remains with him," Sesshomaru posed the same question he had asked of Rin earlier- the one she had cleverly evaded. Bankotsu lifted an eyebrow towards the taller white-haired man.
"Obviously for his sister, Sango. She's one of Rin's closest friends."
This sentence, in turn, clarified almost every scrambled thought in Sesshomaru's head in regards to Rin and finally made some sense of it. "Hm," was all he uttered, but he had managed to put the wrecked puzzle together again. "So Rin is with Kohaku because she feels indebted to Sango."
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Sango was a big help to Rin as the kiddo was growing up. Lost her dad and went through a lot of shit with her mom."
Sesshomaru's expression begged an explanation, so Bankotsu continued speaking. "Rin's mother isn't really dead, y'see." he muttered, watching Jakotsu and Rin hug it out on the floor of the fancy restaurant. "In fact," he continued in undertones, "She's at the Okiwa Mental Institution. Used to be a brilliant patissiére, too... She'd make the greatest cakes for our events with her signature, white chocolate. Yeah... And then Rin's dad offed himself." Bankotsu said sharply, the admiring light put out. "Rin's mom sort of lost it, so they deemed her unfit to take care of Rin and threw her into- well, basically, an asylum. Sango and Kagome've been sort of watching out for Rin ever since."
"I see." Sesshomaru said, because he knew not what else he could say. Certainly, she was undeserving of such a traumatic life, but what could one do now that the harm had been done? "I would say that it would be nice if she found someone who cared about her, but-"
Bankotsu quite literally barked out a sharp laugh. "Ha! Kohaku? Please! He's a polar opposite from his sister. He wouldn't recognize responsibility if it slapped him upside his cocky mug."
Somewhat put off by Bankotsu's slang, Sesshomaru blinked and merely nodded, finally reemerging from underneath the table. He offered his hand to Rin, who took it as she also surfaced and returned to her seat, looking far more energetic than she had when they had first arrived.
"They say a good cry makes everything better," she assured Sesshomaru with, he was relieved to see, a bright smile. "And yeah, I feel so much better. I guess I was being a bit selfish, because I sort of wanted to be told that I was good enough for him-" She laughed, looking a little ashamed of herself. "I mean... Narcissism much?"
"No." Sesshomaru said this with such conviction that Rin jolted a little bit. "When my father divorced her," he continued by way of cryptic explanation as he traced a golden curl on the menu, "my mother was a bit of a wreck. I was never able to make her happy- and even if I did, it was a false smile that she bore simply for my well-being and my state. Then, I may not have realized it, but I actually wish that she had cried. Maybe it might have helped her move on."
He started when Rin gripped his hand, her smaller fingers curling over his palm. "You did what you could," she assured, sensing his dissatisfaction with the behavior of his younger self. "You were young. Your mother didn't want to see you in pain." she added softly, raising her fingers to brush hair from his face- rather boldly, he might add.
But he didn't mind.
Remarkable woman, what is this effect you're having on me? he chided her mentally, allowing himself just a moment to gaze in such a sappy manner at her enchanting eyes. How is it possible that she has put into words what I've been trying to tell myself? How is she able to allow me to forgive myself?
This moment, of course, was cut short when Jakotsu began to hum Can You Feel the Love Tonight underneath his breath subtly while he chewed on his food, prompting dirty glares from both Rin and Sesshomaru. Bankotsu just smirked behind his fork and exchanged a knowing look with his boyfriend.
"I suppose Sesshomaru will be taking you home? My car cannot hold more than two people." Jak announced at the end of their meal with such feigned sorrow that he nearly had them hanging onto his words. Until Rin broke the moment by slamming her fork down.
"You big liar!" she accused, trying not to smile at her dorky friend. "Your car fits four as always!"
"New model, gotta rush." Jakotsu mwah-ed her cheek (and Sesshomaru's!) and offered a whimsical smile. "Take advantage of the limited space, honey."
"I'm eng-" Rin tried to protest, but the two males had already beat a hasty retreat. Her eyes flickered towards Sesshomaru, who had gone slack-jawed at being kissed and was touching the corner of his mouth in stunned silence. Honestly, the man had no boundaries. She giggled at his expression and touched his shoulder.
"Maru? Since Jak's car apparently shrunk, do I get to sit in your Mercedes again?"
He finally stopped staring and reached into his pocket for his keys. "So long as you don't try to hotwire it, Ms. Yorozoku." He teased very subtly, holding the door open for her. She bowed, unable to hold her peals of laughter, and headed outside into the brisk weather.
"I make no promises, Mr. Takahashi," she tittered, "For it really is such a nice car."
"So I'm aware." Sesshomaru smirked, sliding into the seats and waiting a moment for her to do the same. "Rin, if it doesn't bother you too much... May I ask about your mom?"
Instead of her smile fading like Sesshomaru had predicted it might, Rin's smile brightened. "Oh, of course not! I adore her, you see. She was warm and loving and beautiful, and oh, she always, always smelled like chocolate when she came home!" The speckles of copper in her eyes glittered wistfully as she laced her fingers together. "And oh, she'd bring all sorts of things- chocolate flowers, little cookies with fun designs on them, fudge... And sometimes, she would make a hot chocolate like no other, straight from pure chocolate melted with water." Rin fell back against her seat, her brown waves spreading like a fan as she snapped them free from the constricting braids once wrapped around her head.
"I see," Sesshomaru smiled slightly at her expression, taking a turn. "So, we're headed to your house?"
This brought on the fading smile, as he had expected. He slowed down at the intersection, hesitating to turn. "Rin?"
"I- I, um-" Rin turned to face him, her face illuminated by the green lights. "I don't want to go home-"
And that was all it took. Sesshomaru swerved the car left and headed, instead, towards the family house. He really had no idea what he was doing, but he had no other plans, and Rin had changed her mind on him rather abruptly.
"S-Sesshomaru? Where are we going?" she spoke up hesitantly, hugging herself in almost a protective way.
"To the family home," he said calmly. "You see, I don't live with Inuyasha and my- his parents at the mansion all that often- Instead, I live in the house my mother left behind when she passed away. My father, Izayoi- Inuyasha's mother -and Inuyasha live here. It's easier for my father to go with the half-breed to work when they live together, yes?" He looked behind him as he pulled into the gravel driveway of the splendidly- and to Rin, astonishingly -big house.
"It's... Massive," she uttered, intimidated, blinking as he opened the door for her. A smile quirked the corners of his mouth upwards.
"You get used to it," he answered by way of dismissal, tapping the code into the keypad smartly before the garage opened soundlessly. In the winter hours, it had already grown rather dark outside, so Rin blinked a little, taking the hand he offered and following him gingerly so that her heels didn't click too loudly. "Oh, you don't have to worry about noise. It'll be a bit chaotic, as it's around dinnertime for them."
"Why don't you live here, with them?" Rin whispered as her eyes grew adjusted to rows of quite nice and extremely expensive cars, placed as though they were candies.
His dark eyes were indiscernible as he swung the door open, not quite answering her. As he had predicted, sounds coming from the kitchen conveyed to Rin some sort of mad panic. A chubby bulldog pottered around with a slab of bacon clamped between his teeth. He promptly growled at the two of them before scampering towards the stairs. Rin's eyes trailed in confused fascination from the bulldog to the entrance of the kitchen. Sesshomaru rolled his eyes, pushing the door slightly open for her.
"May I present to you my family," he said dryly, with an inane eye roll at the sight of them. His father donned a hideous lime-green apron that said Kiss the Cook in bright, pink, bubbly letters. He was paused mid-chop, and Izayoi was as well with a crazed look on her face and a knife buried hilt-deep into a chicken. Inuyasha, meanwhile, had frozen looking much like the bulldog with bacon hanging from his mouth.
"It's so lovely to meet you," Rin said, her expression bewildered.
"...He brought home a girl." His father said, turning to Izayoi. "Izzy, he brought home a girl."
"..." Sesshomaru pinched the bridge of his nose. They did this every time. "Yes, father, I've brought home a girl, and-" Sesshomaru grabbed her hand and held it up towards the light for them to see. "Obviously, she has a ring."
"Oh, Izayoi!" his father cried, grabbing his wife into a hug. She, in turn, was shrieking with delight and rummaging for some rice- And Inuyasha was still staring at Rin with a stupid look that was quickly melting into realization.
"Oi, aren't you-"
"You proposed so soon, you sly dog! And you didn't even tell us!" His father slapped him on the back, and Sesshomaru nearly threw Inuyasha into a wall. For scapegoat purposes.
"She's engaged," he enunciated, his voice quiet yet cold enough to freeze the occupants once more, "To someone else."
Izayoi and his father deflated, uttering matching "Oh"s.
"Ah, that's it! You're the one getting married to Sango's brother." Inuyasha said through his bacon, snapping it up wolfishly and sifting through his phone. "Say, could I get your friend Kagome's number? I accidentally took one of her shopping bags with me." As Rin ducked her head to punch the phone number, Inuyasha tossed a questioning, dark look at Sesshomaru that the older chose not to answer.
Izayoi threw the bag of rice into the pantry and shuffled towards the counter, resuming her fierce chopping and choosing not to question the girl's presence. "Are you hungry, dear?" she instead asked kindly, now exchanging a quite different look with her husband. "You must stay for dinner, we have pasta, fried chicken, fillets, a garden salad if you're a vegetarian-"
"That's really alright," Rin protested with a soft smile. "Maru and I just ate."
Maru? Sesshomaru blinked, glancing sideways at her. When had she started using that? It certainly was a bit more practical than the mouthful that was his name, and certainly perhaps for one whose name was only three letters long. His parents scrambled to respond, both looking quite surprised with the nickname as well.
"O-Oh," Izayoi finally answered, her slim shoulders lifting in a confused shrug. "Hello, sweetheart. You may call me Izayoi." Now that Rin was finally able to look at her, she realized the other woman was pretty in a very cozy, motherly way; black hair, smooth like the feathers of a raven's wing, curtained her face, and her eyes were soft and clear. She ruffled a flustered Inuyasha's hair with a giggle, and Rin watched on, her mouth parted as though she wished to say something. How Izayoi reminded her of her own mother, with that ... That glow of warmth that Rin missed so desperately.
How she suddenly wanted Izayoi to ruffle her hair as well, to offer her a plate with the cock of her head and the words, "Are you hungry, sweetheart? Take as many as you'd like!" And then Rin, Rin would happily reach out and take whatever she offered. In her younger version's case, one of the snowflake cookies drizzled with delicate webs of silver icing and edible pearls dotting the points.
One can, of course, imagine the alarm faced by the Takahashis when they found their guest on the verge of tears; Izayoi fretted as she rushed over with a tissue. "Oh, my dear, are you hurt? Did you accidentally hurt yourself?"
"No, no, I'm-" Rin, her throat suddenly choked with emotion, dabbed, embarrassed, at her tears and instead turned to Sesshomaru, hopelessly winding the tissue around her finger. "Y-You have such a lovely family, thank you for bringing me," she whispered, trapping another tear in the paper. Izayoi, the only one besides Sesshomaru who heard her, emitted a soft gasp before pressing her fingers to her mouth.
Sesshomaru stepped in to spare Izayoi. "I do," he admitted curtly, narrowing his eyes at Inuyasha. "If sometimes unbearably irritating."
Rin giggled helplessly at this and gripped Izayoi's smooth, lotiony hand. "Please, Izayoi, just-" She gazed earnestly at the older woman. "Please never stop doing that for Inuyasha. Annoying him, I mean. And offering him food." She bit her lip, hoping she didn't sound as though she were wishing for Izayoi to service her younger son forever. "I mean, just- please, keep being such a- such a mom." she finally whispered, searching for some kind of answer.
Izayoi stared at the young woman in front of her, already beguiled. "Of- Of course, Rin," she finally spoke, her voice breaking even though she didn't know the context. She didn't have to. As a mother, she just understood. "That's what I'll do forever- Annoy him." she chuckled weakly, squeezing Rin's hand reassuringly before sort of drifting back to the counter in a daze. The three men in the kitchen stood there, unsure, before Inuyasha finally decided to speak.
"Anyway, I'm going out." he grunted, grabbing an apple. Izayoi descended on him like an overgrown bat with great hair.
"Not before eating, you're not," she growled, gripping his ears and dragging the yelping boy to the table. Before she wrangled him into his seat, she winked at Rin, and her response was laughter. Although Sesshomaru was somewhat unsure as to what was happening, he chose to refrain from commenting as he could read the happiness on Rin's face.
"Say, Rin, dear," Izayoi piped up, "It's almost Christmas."
Sesshomaru groaned internally.
"Aaand, I was thinking-"
"Hate when she does that," his father grumbled, only to receive a hard thwack across the head with a newspaper that left him cringing.
"-The whole marriage aside, would you like to join us for a Christmas dinner?"
Sesshomaru was almost about to convince Rin of what a horribly, mind-numbingly boring event the dinner was, but Inuyasha decided to betray him and play for his mother instead.
"Oh, yeah! And if you could bring Kagome, that would be great! We'll both have dates," he crowed, looking rather like two birds had been knocked down with the same stone. Sesshomaru scowled at him, causing a whole new bird to come flying in. Like, an eagle-sized one. Inuyasha gulped, scarfing down his scalding pasta before Sesshomaru could rip his vocal chords out of his throat.
Rin laughed, the noise a hesitant, fluttery one. "I..." She trailed off in thought, twisting the ring on her finger slowly. Sesshomaru could sense that she was already feeling guilty for having come here rather than having gone home. "I'll have to think about it," she finally admitted, her voice saturated with sheepishness. "I mean, my wedding's in a little while, and-" she trailed off, hoping Izayoi would understand. Thankfully, she did, and nodded quickly.
"Of course!" she declared, before grabbing her husband's elbow. "Sit down, dear. Your pasta is going to get cold." He did so eagerly, digging in. "They have such an appetite, my dog demons," Izayoi chirped, even reaching up to flatten a strand of uncooperative hair extended from Sesshomaru's head. Sesshomaru's mouth flattened into a line, but he said nothing, and a smile spread across Rin's mouth.
"I will think about it," she assured Izayoi, hugging her purse. "I'm sorry, but it's getting quite late- I think I should be heading home." she pursed her lips, now finding something else to look at as she had lost interest in the ring. Sesshomaru nodded, grabbing his keys off the table.
"I might eat whatever's left when I return," he said quietly to Izayoi, nodding at his father and Inuyasha before closing the door. Rin stood on the doorstep for a moment as if to soak in the last bit of warmth before reaching out to grip Sesshomaru's hand.
He startled at this bold move, almost yanking his hand right from her smaller fingers. Heat prickled along the contours of his neck, and he tried to relax as Rin pressed her hand to her mouth.
"I can't help it," she said, her voice surprised and terrified. "I- I can't stop crying, Sesshomaru. I've cried so many times today, I just can't stop. I'm such a baby, honestly-" she said, her voice breaking. "I- I miss my mother," she mourned, biting her thumbnail. "I- I've never said it out loud like this, but I- Oh, I miss her so much," she tried to hold the air in so she didn't dissolve into another panic attack.
"It is not a bad thing to miss her," Sesshomaru said quietly, helping Rin into her seat. He himself sat beside her, leaning forward to open the seat partition and withdraw a packet of tissues. "I cried after my mother died," he added, without shame. He once thought that it was such a terrible thing to cry, so idiotic and helpless, but watching Rin cry over her lost childhood made him remember the days he sat alone on her bed, tears racing down the hollows of his cheeks. And of all the people who tried to help him- to revive him from his endless slump -that damn Izayoi was the persistent one who would grip his face, make him face her, and force-feed him. And she would cry when he wouldn't! She, of all people, the one who should have been rejoicing!
And even when he would twist away, scream at her, push her from him- she always said, "Even though I may not be your mother, Sesshomaru, I am a mother and I know I have to take care of you."
"Rin," he assured her quietly, gripping the steering wheel for a moment. "I know what it's like to lose a mother, even though my relationship with her had its faltering moments. And I know what it means to watch someone walk out of your life," he murmured quietly, subtly hinting that he knew the fate of her father. Rin looked away, droplets clinging to her eyelashes. "After all, Kagura walked out of mine. So all I can do is empathize with you, even though I may not be the best at it, and-" He turned to her, twisting a pearly strand of hair away from his angled visage. "-Make you a really kickass dress."
Rin finally smiled at that statement, and, watery and unsure though it was, it was still a leap from where she had been before. "Th-Thank you, Maru," she murmured, her delicate wrist dabbing at her eyes. "I- I really needed that."
"Not at all," he said quietly, and meant it.
"Alright, then... I'm ready to go home and face him, I think." She looked although she were already mentally steeling herself, and her expression grew solemn. Her jaw set, and she gave him a nod. "Take me home."
Sesshomaru floored it, speeding (within the speed limit, of course) towards said woman's house. Although he wasn't quite sure he wanted her to reconcile with Kohaku, he didn't have a choice. He just wanted her to be happy.
And he wanted to smack himself, because that was the sappiest thing he had ever thought in his life. If one didn't count the muddled thoughts that befell him during his life with Kagura.
As they pulled up in front of Rin's place, he pressed down on the brake before turning to her. The car slid to a smooth stop, and Rin's white fingers came unclenched.
"Go," Sesshomaru urged her, "I'll be right here. Call me when you're alright with me leaving."
He watched as she trotted up to the garage and slipped inside like a lovely little shadow, her form disappearing behind the garage door. He began to count the minutes, reluctant as he was, his expression revealing nothing. And when it grew to be ten, fifteen, twenty minutes before her call, his fingers began to tap the sill a little harder.
Twenty-five.
Alright, Sesshomaru thought grimly as he jerked the keys from the hole and stepped out of the car, I'm coming inside, Rin.
Please don't kill me.
-Alias