Chapter XII
The next day was cold and a shiver ran down Rin's spine as she felt cool air wash over her exposed shoulders. Blindly, she reached out and searched for the covers as she curled up in an attempt to keep herself warm. Her eyes cracked open and squinted against the light pouring in through the windows when her hand was captured and she was pulled into an embrace. When her eyes had finally adjusted to the light, Rin sighed and attempted to roll onto her back. She smiled to herself when the arm wrapped around her waist prevented her from moving too far. Eventually, she pushed herself upright and looked out the large windows nearby, silently watching the clouds drift by lazily before she turned and looked at the man lying beside her, his arm still wrapped firmly around her waist. Sesshoumaru lay on his back, eyes still shut and his chest rising and falling gently as he slept peacefully. It amused Rin to think that he was possessive even in his sleep as she felt his arm tighten around her waist slightly.
Sighing to herself, Rin managed to extricate herself from Sesshoumaru's tight grip and pull on the shirt he had discarded the night before as she made her way towards the door. She was just doing up a couple of the buttons as she stepped into the kitchen and began making coffee when she heard a noise behind her. Turning around, she gasped in surprise as she found Sesshoumaru standing behind her, looking very much like he wasn't quite awake yet. Smiling to herself, she handed him the cup of coffee she had just made before making another. He watched her silently as he drank the dark liquid and smiled to himself as he realised that she wore only his shirt. There was something about the sight of her in just that that made him feel quite happy. He was perfectly happy to simply sit and watch her bustle about clad in just that and he knew that he wouldn't tire of the sight. What pleased him the most was that this sight was exclusively his to view. No one else would be seeing what he saw and that pleased him immensely.
"I expected you to sleep a bit longer," Rin murmured as she looked up at the tall man beside her. "You looked so peaceful."
Sesshoumaru shrugged. "There is little reason to stay in bed when the reason I was peaceful is no longer present."
"You're that dependent on me to be peaceful? What did you do before I came along?"
"I drank and smoked. You haven't forgotten have you?"
"How could I forget?" Rin asked with a grimace. "It's one of the reasons you and your family don't see eye to eye."
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Sesshoumaru assured her with a smirk before he became serious again. "Speaking of the family, they have organised a formal dinner this evening."
"This evening? Isn't that a bit short notice?"
"It is, but because of who they are, things like that don't matter much, I suppose. Regardless of that though, I'm required to attend it and therefore you're coming with me."
Rin raised an eyebrow as she sipped her coffee. "Why would I be going with you? We both know your parents can't stand me."
"I wouldn't go that far," Sesshoumaru corrected her gently, brushing back her hair. "I want you to come with me because I don't want you to spend the evening alone."
"Spending an evening alone would hardly be the worst thing I've ever faced."
"Obviously not, but I still want you with me."
"You're absolutely certain this is a good idea? What will your parents say?"
"I don't particularly care what they have to say about the matter. If they don't like the fact that I brought you with me, we'll leave and spend the evening together elsewhere."
"You're just looking for an excuse to rile up your father, aren't you?" Rin asked with a giggle.
"Perhaps," Sesshoumaru replied with a vague smile. "You shall just have to wait until tonight to find out my plan."
After a day spent trying to decide what was best to wear for the evening, Rin eventually chose her outfit. Despite it taking so long to choose her dress, the day had been thoroughly enjoyable. However, when she reflected on the day's events, Rin decided that she would not seek Sesshoumaru's opinion on her clothing unless she was desperate. It wasn't that he had bad taste, in fact that was as far from the truth as one could get since he had very good taste, but the problem Rin had found was that he was very particular about what she wore. In the end, the afternoon had turned into a long fashion show as she tried on outfit after outfit only to have him disagree with her choice. The whole situation would have been very irritating if he had not made it up to her.
Every time he had disagreed with her choice, he had pulled her towards him and slowly divested her of the offending item of clothing until she stood in only her underwear. Rin caught on to his game as soon as he had started to leave trails of kisses in the wake of his hands and she grinned each time she had been divested of her clothing before stepping just out of his reach and searching for yet another outfit. Needless to say, her teasing had gotten him hot and bothered, although he'd never admit it. By the time they came to a mutual agreement on her clothing for the evening, they were both eager to end their game. Now, as Rin carefully pinned her hair in place, she smiled to herself as she thought over the rather eventful afternoon she had spent with her lover. It made her tingle all over just thinking about it and she wasn't ashamed to admit that she was eager to have a repeat of the afternoon's activities.
"Are you ready?" Sesshoumaru asked, stepping into the room as he pulled on his suit jacket and straightened his tie.
"Almost," Rin murmured in response as she pinned the last few stray strands of hair back neatly and rose to her feet, twirling on the spot and grinning devilishly at Sesshoumaru. "Don't you think we made a good choice?"
"A very good choice," he agreed huskily, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck. "It's a shame we have to go out."
"Is that so?" she queried, a smile tugging her lips. "Why would that be?"
"So that I can rid you of this dress and ravish you again."
"Again? I doubt I'd be able to walk if that happened."
"That is not necessarily a bad thing," Sesshoumaru murmured, his lips brushing against hers teasingly.
Rin kissed his lips gently and stepped away with a smile. "You're insatiable and as much as I'd like to see how that idea pans out, I think we should go. Your father will be livid if you're late."
Sighing dejectedly, Sesshoumaru stepped back and opened the bedroom door for her as they made their way into the living room. Wrapping an arm tightly around Rin's waist, he guided her down to the car and soon they were making their way to his parents' home. An anxious look crossed Rin's faced briefly as she looked at the huge building before it disappeared when Sesshoumaru took her hand in his. Inside, Izayoi and Inutaisho stood beside the door, greeting people as they entered. Izayoi's smile faltered when she saw Rin beside Sesshoumaru and Inutaisho froze in place, a frown creasing his brow as he watched the pair come towards him.
"Good evening, father," Sesshoumaru greeted seriously before nodding a greeting at Izayoi who looked fearfully at her husband.
"Good evening, Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho returned the greeting before pulling the pair aside into a room nearby and shutting the door firmly behind him. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at the pair who stood before him. "Just what do you think you're doing?"
"I'm not sure I understand your meaning," Sesshoumaru commented casually, tightening the arm around Rin's waist as she moved slightly.
"Do not pretend not to understand," the older man muttered in a warning tone. "I want to know what why this little tramp is with you. How dare you bring her with you to such a prestigious event! You will tarnish our family's name!"
Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I suggest you watch your words, father. You may be the head of this family, but I will not tolerate such language when talking about Rin. I'd advise you learn that she goes where I go and vice versa."
"I will not have such a person in my home!"
"I see," Sesshoumaru shrugged and looked down at Rin. "It seems that we will be leaving, is there anywhere you want to go?"
"You are not leaving!" Inutaisho all but bellowed at the pair. "She can leave. I couldn't care less if I ever see her again, but you are staying here where you belong. As the company's successor you are one of the guests of honour tonight!"
Sesshoumaru glared at his father and Rin caught her breath at the intense look in her lover's eyes. Even Inutaisho backed up a step towards the door, guessing that he had said the wrong thing. Sighing to himself, Sesshoumaru pushed Rin gently down into one of the chairs nearby and then turned to his father, arms crossed and a scowl on his normally expressionless face.
"I don't particularly care what you think of me, father," Sesshoumaru started, his voice dangerously low. "But I have warned you time and again about your language when referring to Rin. Putting that matter aside though, I am not your successor. Inuyasha is. I don't want any of your money, I don't really want anything to do with you if I'm totally honest."
"How dare you speak to me in such a manner?" Inutaisho demanded indignantly. "I am your father! You will respect me!"
"I do not respect you," Sesshoumaru deadpanned. "I will speak to you any way I please because I'm an adult the same as you. You cannot control my life any longer."
"You are the rightful successor of the company! Your return recently has proved that you are more capable than your brother will ever be!"
"That may be so, but you seem to have forgotten the terms of our agreement."
"I beg your pardon?"
"I told you that I will not step in to take your place when you retire. You have been trying to change my mind, but it has not worked. I will not change my mind. If I accepted your offer, I would have to end the relationship with Rin and that is something I'm not willing to do. I'm not even willing to consider it."
Not waiting to hear his father's words, Sesshoumaru pulled Rin to her feet and stalked out of the room and out of the house. The silence in the car was heavy and awkward and for the first time, Rin found herself at a loss for words. It was obvious to anyone that Sesshoumaru was definitely not happy and one could even go so far as to say he was angry. She had never seen him angry and it was not a pleasant experience. She bit her tongue and remained silent until they returned the apartment, but just as she was about to head towards the bedroom to change her clothes, a large hand caught hers and pulled her into a tight embrace. Air rushed out of her lungs and she managed a gasp that seemed to bring Sesshoumaru to his senses as he loosened his grip slightly. While Rin tried to catch her breath, Sesshoumaru guided them into the bedroom and sank down onto the edge of the bed, his arms still wrapped around her waist as he laid his head against her bosom. Unsure of what to do, Rin wrapped her arms around his shoulders and waited for him to speak.
"I'm sorry, Rin," Sesshoumaru murmured, his arms tightening slightly.
"What for?" she asked quietly.
"I had not intended to get so angry with my father."
"It's alright."
"It's not alright," he replied, looking up into her face seriously. "Why must I choose between my family and the woman I love? Life isn't fair."
"No one ever said it would be," Rin said with a wry smile.
Shaking his head slightly, Sesshoumaru leaned back and pulled Rin down beside him as he stared up at the ceiling for a short while. While he was lost in his thoughts, Rin curled up against his side, her head against his chest as she listened to his steady heartbeat. Eventually, he looked down at her and smiled to himself.
"I stand by my decision," Sesshoumaru whispered huskily in her ear as he rolled onto his side. "I'd choose you every time."
Rin was given no chance to reply as he pulled her close and leaned down to take her lips. She sighed to herself as she felt a familiar wave of sensation wash over her as she pressed herself against him. The kiss was gentle and seemed to last forever, but she was drawn from her daze when she felt his large hands roaming her body. A gasp left her lips as one of those hands cupped her breast gently and before she knew it, the other hand was slowly creeping up her leg beneath her dress. Smirking, Rin attacked the buttons on his shirt as he continued to ravish her lips while his hands explored her petite body. When his shirt hung open, Rin eagerly ran her hands over his smooth, muscled chest before deftly unfastening his belt. A growl of approval encouraged her as his lips moved down to her neck. Eventually, she ceased her counterattack methods and surrendered herself to him when she found herself unable to concentrate on what she was doing. The last thought to flit across her mind before she was lost in a sea of desire and sensation was if she would be able to walk the next day. Turning the idea over in her mind, she had to agree with Sesshoumaru. It probably wouldn't be a bad thing if she couldn't.
Sesshoumaru groaned quietly and reached out across the bed for Rin as he tried desperately to convince himself that the light flooding the bedroom had nothing to do with daylight and everything to do with the fact that they had fallen asleep the night before without turning off the lights. His searching hand paused and a smirk curved his lips as he thought over the events of the night before. He couldn't remember Rin being so responsive before and wondered if it was merely his imagination. Her flushed face as she had surrendered herself to his ministrations was imprinted in his mind and he was sure that he would never forget the sound of her calling out his name in ecstasy or the way her toes had curled into his calves and her hands had frantically pulled him closer as she reached the peak of her desire. Last night had been memorable and he was sure that he wasn't going to forget it any time soon.
As his mind called up an image of Rin's face from the night before, his hand resumed searching the bed for her petite body. Memories of the night before had made him eager to hold her in his arms again and even more eager to hear her voice calling his name again. He wanted to feel her arms around him, holding on tightly as her breath came in erratic pants and her eyes shut as wave after wave of pleasure rolled over her. Now that he thought about it, he wanted nothing more than to have her near, to have her within touching distance so that he could reach out for her at any moment and know that she would come to him without any hesitation.
After a short while of searching for Rin, Sesshoumaru's eyes snapped open when he realised that she was not in the bed. Sitting up slowly, he looked around the room and could see nothing amiss as he rose to his feet and pulled on the first item of clothing he found. The apartment was oddly silent. Rin was always quiet when he was sleeping, but even she made some noise. He sauntered through to the kitchen, fully expecting her to be making coffee as she often was, but was disappointed to find the kitchen empty. Shrugging away the growing feeling of unease that descended upon him, Sesshoumaru made his way back to the bedroom and was just about to close the door behind him when he stopped as he looked towards the hallway. Rin's coat was missing as were her shoes. It seemed strange for her to leave without telling him and he frowned as he walked over to the wardrobe that they shared. His eyes widened as he pulled open the doors and stared inside. They each had half of the wardrobe and while his side was stack neatly with piles of clothing, Rin's side was empty. Dread washed over him as he stared at the empty coat hangers and bare shelves.
He could do nothing but stare until he shook himself out of his stupor and finally noticed the small piece of paper sitting on one of the shelves. Hesitantly and with a growing sense of dread, he reached for it and held it up for a moment, afraid to look at what was written inside. Eventually, he gathered his courage and unfolded the paper. Sesshoumaru felt as though the world had stopped turning as he read the note once and then again, to make sure he hadn't been seeing things. Words professing regret over leaving and dismay that he should have to choose between her and his family stared back at him but his mind refused to accept them. He could see where her tears had landed and smudged the ink on the paper and the thought of her in tears and him being unable to offer comfort made his heart ache terribly. It was truly his worst nightmare come true. Rin had left him and had no intention of returning.