InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ A Never-Ending Love ❯ Chapter 19 ( Chapter 19 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: DragonGrl 
Past consequences and a turn of events... What new events are going to happen?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.01.2008 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 315 | Status: Work In Progress
Past consequences and a turn of events... What new events are going to happen?
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 09.01.2008 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.2K | Visits: 315 | Status: Work In Progress
Well I’m back again. Sorry for not posting anything in a long time, I went into a huge block and haven’t been able to write anything in MONTHS! ~_~ Here’s the next chapter for this saga and I hope that everyone likes it.
Thanks for reading! ^_^
Oh, don’t forget to read & review! ~_^
Enjoy…
Disclaimer : I don’t own any of the InuYasha characters they belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
‘___’ Thought expressions
“Italic” Whisper expressions
In the year that I’d left California, I didn’t or couldn’t cry. My body would not allow me to. Yet at that moment as I sat there wrapped up in Shippo’s arms, I couldn’t stop thinking about Sesshomaru, which fiercely fueled my already emerging sobs. My desire became a desperate necessity of needing him with me, to feel his arms around me, to hear his voice coo in my ear and know that he would be there the moment I would open my eyes. I eventually cried myself to sleep in Shippo’s arms. I did not wake for the rest of that day; it’s not that I couldn’t, I just didn’t want to. I didn’t have the energy or desire to wake; I wanted to remain asleep forever because it seemed that asleep was the only way I would have Sesshomaru near me. Even if it wasn’t physically, he was always there mentally and that was more than enough for me. But it wasn’t like that; I had to wake up, wake up to the cruel reality that he wasn’t there and that I was alone, like I had always been.
The next morning, once I had finally made the effort to get up, I headed out towards my living room, I didn’t think that there was going to be anyone there. Although the moment I stepped into it, my eyes widened. Shippo was on the sofa and Jak and Ban were sprawled out on the floor sleeping. I didn’t know what to say I thought that they would’ve left the moment I fell asleep but no, they stayed behind to make sure I was all right. That was what finally made me realize that I truly had been selfish. I always thought about myself, I always thought of what I wanted and never thought of what the others around me wanted for me. That was when I made my decision, I didn’t want to be selfish any longer and whatever I couldn’t have, well, there was a reason as to why I couldn’t and I was going to leave it at that. I wasn’t going to live in a dream anymore because it was only hurting me and it caused me to hurt those around me. So I decided to stop because at that point, I just wanted to live.
The next Monday, they all returned to work and kept me updated as to what happened around the office. They said that nothing had changed, it was the same as before I’d left. Apparently, Naraku REALLY was good at keeping those things a secret, the bastard. It remained the same for several weeks; no one spoke of anything until Naraku decided to definitely cross the line…
I was sitting back on the sofa, watching TV when suddenly; my cell phone started to ring. I looked over to it and glanced at the caller ID, it was Shippo. I assumed that he was either on break or his lunch so I answered the phone and was shocked when I heard a furious Shippo yell into the phone, “RIN, COULD YOU FUCKING BELIEVE THIS BASTARD? HE FUCKING FIRED ME, FOR NO REASON. HE LET ME GO JUST LIKE THAT!”
My eyes widened, shocked, “WHAT? But why… what an asshole.”
“I KNOW, HE IS A GOOD FOR NOTHING SON OF A BITCH.”
I shook my head; “I can’t believe it. He didn’t tell you anything?”
“NOTHING, HE JUST CALLED ME THIS MORNING AND SAID THAT HE DIDN’T WANT ME THERE ANYMORE AND TO CLEAR OUT MY DESK. THE FUCKER EVEN GAVE ME A TIME LIMIT AS TO HOW LONG I HAD TO LEAVE THE BUILDING BEFORE HE WOULD CALL SECURITY ON ME!”
I gasped, “Wow, that’s just cruel. Damn that Naraku he really doesn’t have a heart. No wonder he has a shitty attitude.”
“YEAH WHAT A FUCKER!”
Although, I kept staring at the floor, processing the situation carefully and that’s when I realized that Naraku must’ve found out that Shippo was a close friend of mine. He must’ve fired him in an attempt to get back at me. I wouldn’t doubt it knowing how dirty Naraku played his games. So I lowered my head, lightly, “Shippo, I’m really sorry.”
Shippo lowered his voice, confused, “Huh? About what? You have nothing to apologize about.”
I nodded, “Yes I do. I’m sure that’s why he fired you. He must’ve found out that you hang out with me and that’s why he got rid of you. That could be also why he didn’t tell you anything because he didn’t want to admit that it’s why he was really firing you.”
He growled, “Shit and I don’t doubt it either. He is an asshole but… you don’t have to be sorry Rin. I mean, it wasn’t your fault. I prefer losing my job rather than having you be that fuckers whore. No offense…”
I shook my head, “No it’s ok. Although, I feel bad about it, I mean, it was your job.”
“Rin, jobs come and go. I’ll be ok, I’ll find another one.” Then he sighed, “Shit, now I’ll have to push back my plans even more.”
That’s when another idea came into mind, “Wait a minute Shippo, are you still interested in opening the business you wanted?”
“Yeah, of course but you know why I haven’t yet. I don’t have the money to back it up, hell after this it will take me longer unless I find someone that will back me up financially. I mean, the sponsor will be entitled to part of the company as well. They would have to be cause if it wasn’t for them, it would never be opened.”
That’s when a smile appeared on my lips, he was willing. That was all I wanted to hear, “All right, then look no more. I’ve got someone who’ll back you up.”
Excited, “REALLY? Who?”
“… Me.”
Shocked, “WHAT? Are you serious…? No I can’t but then what about you? I can’t take your money and leave you with nothing.”
I giggled, “No it’s ok Shippo. I can take it out of my savings. Believe me, there is MORE than enough. I’ll be ok and besides, it’s the least I can do to make it up to you.”
He still sounded a bit indecisive, “I don’t know…”
I smiled, “I insist.”
He was still in doubt and asked, “Are you sure this is not going to burden you, I mean I could find someone else.”
I shook my head, “Nonsense. It’ll be ok Ship, it’s no burden at all.”
I guess since he didn’t have any other objections, I heard him chuckle. “All right then. You’re awesome Rin, I mean… partner.”
I giggled, “Thanks, partner. Jeez I sound like a cowboy, well cowgirl.”
He laughed and sounded very excited, “No thank you Rin. Seriously, I can’t thank you enough.”
“It’s ok Shippo.”
“All right, so I’m going to stop by to my lawyer so he could help me set up the paperwork to start off. Once I’m done I’ll head over to your house with him so we could start setting it up ok?”
“Ok Shippo. I’ll be here. I’ll see you later then.”
“Yeah definitely, see you then. Bye Rin.”
“Bye Shippo.” Then I clicked the phone off.
Later that evening, Shippo came over with his lawyer and we set everything up for the business. Jeez, it was so much paperwork that it was driving me crazy and that was just the beginning. But I went through with it, I had given Shippo my word and I was going to keep it. Although there was a bit of a problem, since the business was barely being built and knowing the fact that Naraku was going after me in every way possible, we decided to keep my ownership anonymous. Even though Naraku knew Shippo was my friend, we didn’t think he’d try to do much against him as long as he thought I wasn’t involved. If it he knew that I was part of it, I’m sure Naraku would not stop until our business crumbled. So we decided to keep it quiet, it was going to be hard though since my name WAS registered as co-owner of the company in the paperwork but it was anonymous by word of mouth. We just crossed our fingers and hoped that nothing would stand in the way of our new company, Abstract Industries.
For the next several months, Shippo and I were extremely busy with setting everything up. Although, Shippo would be the only one who would show up on site for meetings or such things. I would always be on the telephone with a voice changer to help keep my privacy. As for Jak and Ban, they were still working at Kagewaki Industries. I don’t think Naraku cared if they were involved with me. So they were the one’s that kept us up to date as to what was happening at the office. That and it was a big help to us so we could start working on getting ahead of Naraku, just in case if he tried something. Although getting ahead of Naraku was TOUGH but we made it, after 6 months of working hard, Abstract was up and running smoothly. Now I knew what Sesshomaru went through when he was trying to open Tenseiga. It was nerve wrecking and I was about to pull my hair out several times even though Abstract still wasn’t as big as Tenseiga was but it was all worth it. Of course during the process, I did keep in contact with Kagome and Ayame, not as much as before since I was always busy but I did. They both still tried to convince me to go to California because they wanted to see me, yet I still refused. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to go, I just really couldn’t. The building of Abstract took most of my time and at that point, I couldn’t take a break. But I did warn them though, they COULDN’T say that I was the owner of Abstract, they knew why. I mean, they knew because I trusted them enough with that information. But if ANYONE, anyone were to find out and it reached Naraku’s ears, it would be the end of Abstract. So they pretended that they didn’t know and it was left at that.
Things have a strange tendency to happen unexpectedly, especially when one doesn’t suspect of anything. It’s funny how things can change from one moment to another and Kagome was a perfect example of that. A few weeks later, she called me out of the blue and gave me news that I was SHOCKED to hear from her…
I was at home working in what I’d set up as my home office and talking to Shippo through the webcam.
He asked, “So what do you think about the contract with Aegis?”
I shook my head, “I don’t think it’ll work.”
Surprised, “Why not? They’re a great company.”
“Shippo, they’ll end up canceling it in a couple of months. Have you seen their records? They don’t look too well, someone looks to be a big spender and I have a feeling that in the end, it’s going to cost us more. That and besides, the owner is not cute enough.” Then I started to giggle.
He looked down at the paperwork and shook his head; “Hmmm… you’re right. Ok well so no with Aegis then…” That’s when he realized what I’d said and his eyes widened, “What the… you’re basing you’re decision on whether the owner is ‘cute’ enough?”
I giggled, “Well hey, a girl’s gotta have her fun you know.” Then started to laugh.
He chuckled, “Whatever Rin. That would be almost like me hiring my secretary just because of her looks.”
I quirked an eyebrow, teasing, “Isn’t that why you wanted to hire Yuka as your secretary?”
His eyes widened and I was able to see the blush on his cheeks, “I… NO… That wasn’t it, I just… I just wanted to offer her something, I mean, so we could all be together and besides, she didn’t take it anyway.”
I started to laugh, “Awww Shippo, I’m just kidding with you.”
He frowned, “Damn it Rin, stop that!” as I continued to laugh. When suddenly, my cell phone started to ring. I turned and looked at my caller ID, it was Kagome, VERY early to what she usually called. Then Shippo asked, “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I shook my head, “No nothing it’s just that, it’s Kagome and she usually doesn’t call me back so soon.”
He smiled, “Well pick it up dork, maybe it’s something important.” Then someone came into the office, he talked to the person and then turned towards me, “Ok pick it up and we’ll take a break with the meeting, I’ll be back in a bit ok.”
I smiled, “All right.”
But by then, the phone had stopped ringing so I opened my phone and called her back.
Then Kagome answered, “Hello.”
“Kagome, hey it’s me. Sorry I didn’t answer, I was in the middle of a short meeting with Shippo.”
“Oh hey, no it’s ok. You’re just the person I wanted to talk to.”
I giggled, “Wow, that makes me feel important. What is it about?”
She laughed, “Shut up Rin.” She calmed, “It’s about Inuyasha and I.”
Worried, “Oh… is everything all right with you two?”
She giggled, “Why so worried, Rin? Everything is ok but guess what?”
I breathed out, relieved but there was something that she wasn’t telling me, confused, “What? Then what happened?”
That’s when she giggled, sounding extremely excited, “We’re getting married!”
My jaw dropped and I turned my chair around to face the window, excited, “ARE YOU SERIOUS?”
Excited, “Yeah, he asked me yesterday. Could you believe it, I’m finally getting married. I’m so excited.”
I giggled, “Oh my God, wow. That’s great Kagome, congratulations. I’m happy for you two. Although, a little worried about what Inuyasha is going to get himself involved in.” Then I started to laugh.
She laughed, “Shut up Rin, I’m not that bad.”
I snickered, “Ha, not when you want to be. So when are you guys going to get married?”
All I heard was a raspberry before she answered, “Well, we want to get married in 3 months.”
My eyes widened, “3 months? Damn, isn’t that too soon? I mean it usually takes about a year to organize these things.”
She giggled, “It does but apparently, Inuyasha has been setting things up since last year, he just didn’t tell me. So most of it has been taken care of that’s why he finally decided to ask me.”
I just shook my head. The courage of the man, I mean I knew it wouldn’t happen but what if Kagome had said no, all that effort he put in would be for nothing. Honestly with that, my respect for him increased. I remained quiet as Kagome continued saying something and was knocked out of my thoughts when Kagome asked, lightly, “So you are coming to the rehearsal dinner right?”
I shook my head a bit and sighed, “Well, I don’t know. I’m still pretty booked with Abstract and trying to straighten out some knots. So most likely I won’t be able to.”
That’s when I noticed something different about Kagome. Her voice sounded like it was starting to break, “Oh… then what about the wedding? Don’t tell me you can’t come, Rin or I’ll…” Then she started to cry, sobbing, “Rin you have to be there, you’re my sister. I want you to be here with me, I want to share the moment with you but… you HAVE to be there.”
My eyes widened, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Kagome was NEVER an emotional person much less someone to just burst out crying like that, it just wasn’t her. Cooing, “No sweetie, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry Kagome. I can’t make it to the dinner but I’ll be there at the wedding. I promise you, I’ll be there.”
Still sobbing, “You better be there, I’m serious.”
I nodded, “I will, I promise.” But something about her actions made me suspect so I had to find out if it was I was right or not. “Hey, is Inuyasha around?”
Sniffling, “Yeah, he’s right here.”
“Can I talk to him for a sec? I need to ask him something.”
She wasn’t sobbing anymore but her voice was still shaky, “Is it about…?”
I shook my head, “No, I need to ask him something about the wedding.”
“Oh ok, here he is.” Off the phone, “Rin wants to talk to you.”
Then Inuyasha answered, “Hello?”
“Inuyasha, hey how are you?”
“Rin, hey, I’m good and you?”
“I’m good, congrats on the wedding. I’m happy for both of you but I can’t believe you risked all that knowing that she could’ve said no.”
He chuckled, “Yeah, I thought about it a lot too but decided that she was worth every single bit of it and I knew that she wouldn’t say no.”
I giggled, “Damn I really admire your courage.”
“Thanks…” Then his tone became serious, “But I know another person who has more courage than I do, who has done and would do much, much more for his woman.”
My heart sank, I knew who he was talking about, Sesshomaru. But I had made my decision long before that I wasn’t going to sulk about it anymore and besides, I didn’t want to ruin the moment by thinking sad thoughts. So I sighed, “Inu, I don’t want to talk about that…” Changing the subject, “But I wanted to ask you something about Kagome, although is she there with you?”
Lightly, “Oh yeah sorry…” Then his voice changed back to normal, “No she just stepped away to the bathroom, why what’s up?”
“Has she been acting weird lately?”
“You know she has. Lately she’s gotten really sentimental. I mean REALLY sentimental; any little thing will make her cry. I don’t know but now I have to be careful what I say to her. If I don’t, then she’ll start to cry and it goes worse for me. I don’t know what’s going on.”
That’s when I curled my lips up to a smile, I was right. I turned and noticed Shippo coming back into his office and sitting on his chair so we could continue our meeting. I signaled him to give me a bit and turned to respond to Inuyasha. “Hey Inu, this is what I want you to do ok? Take her to the doctor, I think something might be wrong with her because as you said, she never acts that way and you never know, things happen right?”
He sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. Don’t worry, I will. I’ll setup an appointment for her tomorrow so she could get checked. Thanks Rin.”
I smiled, “No prob Inu but I’ve got to go now. I have a meeting I need to finish so I’ll talk to you guys’ later ok? Tell Kagome that I love her and to take it easy. She doesn’t need to worry; I’ll keep my promise.”
“Oh ok. I’ll tell her. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.” Then I clicked the phone off.
I turned to face the computer again and I was sure that a huge smile was plastered on my face. So Shippo asked, “Well, you look happy. What happened?”
I chuckled and slightly shook my head, “I got quite a surprise and more…”
He smiled, “Was it a good surprise?”
I nodded, still smiling, “Oh yeah, I think we’re going to have a new addition to the family pretty soon. But let’s continue with the meeting, shall we?”
He smiled, “Wow, that’s great. All right.”
So we finished off what we needed to take care of and once we were done, I finally told him everything about the phone call. It was great to see that everything was going well for Kagome and honestly, I was rather excited that I was probably going to be an aunt. That kid was going to get spoiled to no end by me. Although, I hate to admit it but internally, I was a bit jealous of her because she was able to move on and finally have a family of her own. As for me, it was quite the opposite. I couldn’t move on, it wasn’t because I didn’t want to but it was fate that didn’t let me. As much as I tried to move on, it always found a way to bring me back to where I was. I didn’t understand why but I had a feeling that I needed to be where I was for me to finally find my true happiness. I just didn’t know for how long I had to stay there and I was afraid that it would take the rest of my life for me to find out. I didn’t want to wait that long; I didn’t want to spend my life waiting for something that wouldn’t come. But I had no other choice than to wait, wait and see what fate really had in store for me.
Although the day before I had to leave, I ran into someone that I truly NEVER, ever expected to run into again.
I was walking around downtown New York, picking up little things that I was going to take to everyone and buying the last things I needed to take with me. I especially went around shopping for the little one, getting things that I liked. About mid-day, I was done with my shopping and I was on my way back to the car. I was really excited about a little outfit I had found and almost couldn’t wait to see it on the baby. It was adorable, so I kept walking and looked down at one of the bags when suddenly, I accidentally bumped into someone’s shoulder. My eyes widened and I turned towards the other person, “Oh my goodness, I’m sorry. Are you ok?”
It was a young man about Kagome’s age, a little older. He shook his head and smiled, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I’m ok, what about you?”
I shook my head, “No it’s my fault, I should’ve been paying attention…” That’s when I noticed that his smiled had faded and he was looking at me, like REALLY looking at me. So I was curious as to why the stare and was about to ask, “What…”
When he interrupted, curious, “Rin… Rin is that you?”
My eyes widened, who was he, how did he know my name, I didn’t know. He obviously knew who I was but I for sure didn’t know who he was. So I asked, “You… you know me? I… I don’t remember you…” He didn’t say anything just looked at me, sadly. But I kept looking at him, REALLY examining him and his features. I kept looking at his face, looking at his blond hair and blue eyes trying to picture something when it hit me. My eyes widened at my realization, shocked, “Yu… Yuki?”
He smiled, sadly, “So you -do- remember me… yeah.” Then he curled his lips up to a smile, “How are you?” Then he looked at me again, “Wow… you’ve… you’ve changed a lot.”
I couldn’t believe it, Yuki, Kagome’s first love and the one that caused her to hate me back then. As much as I didn’t want to, I honestly felt a bit of resentment towards him. I mean why shouldn’t have I, he was the reason why Kagome and I started becoming apart. So my tone lowered a bit, “How could I forget… I’m good. Of course I have, I’ve grown up. It’s been a long time.”
His smile faded at my tone of voice and he sighed. He looked the same as back then, just a bit older of course. But his features didn’t go away; he was good looking as back then but I just didn’t care. I was not in the least interested in him not especially after what he did. So since I wasn’t continuing his small talk, he changed the subject. Lightly, “So, how’s your sister?”
I quirked an eyebrow, “Kagome you mean, she’s doing great.”
He sighed again, sadly, “I can tell you’re still mad at me. Shit, I don’t blame you either, I was an idiot.”
I frowned, yeah how dare he ask that question. What, did he expect me to act nice and friendly with him and pretend nothing ever happened, not happening. I shook my head, lightly, “Yes you were… and yes I’m still a bit mad but I’ve learned to let it be and live on. I don’t like to hold onto grudges.”
“You know I’m really sorry, really I am. I don’t know how I could make it up to you, to both of you.”
I shook my head; “There’s nothing you can do anymore, Yuki. The past is past and that’s it. Besides, we’ve both moved on so it doesn’t matter anymore.”
I guess he just had no words and wanted to find something else to change the subject to. So he looked down at my bags and smiled, “So I see you’ve been shopping… baby shopping to be exact.” Curious, “Are you…?”
I shook my head, how I wished they WERE for me. “No actually…” I curled my lips up to a smile, “They’re for Kagome.”
His eyes widened and I was able to tell he was shocked by the news. Shocked, “K… Kagome, she’s… she’s having a baby?”
I nodded, “Yeah and she’s getting married tomorrow to the -father- of the baby.” I just needed to emphasize that, to make him realize that if it wasn’t for his stupid mistake, it could’ve been him. I wanted, needed to rub it in his face.
He lowered his head and shook it slightly, “Man, I… I really screwed up. I can’t believe it, Kagome’s going to have a family.”
That’s when I narrowed my eyes, “Well what Yuki, did you seriously expect her to wait for you, to stop her life after you dumped her until you came back to her. No way, Kagome is smarter than that.”
He nodded, “I know but… but I fell in love with you… with both of you and I didn’t… I didn’t know what to do.” Then he looked back at me.
I shook my head, “You weren’t in love with me, you never were. You just felt attached to me because of her and because of the way I was. I know what love is and what it feels to be in love and it definitely was NOT what you were showing me. It’s those same feelings of attachment that caused for me to LOSE the one I…” He looked at me and I held myself back, I didn’t want to continue anymore. I was telling him too much and I didn’t want to tell him anymore of Kagome’s life or mine; he didn’t need to know because he wasn’t part of them. So I cleared my throat, looked down at my watch and then back at him, “It’s getting late and I have more things I need to take care of. Take care of yourself, Yuki.” Then turned to walk away.
Although as I took the first step, he stopped me, “Rin… wait.” I stopped and looked at him but remained silent. He looked away, “Tell Kagome that I sincerely apologize for everything I did to her and that I wish for the best for her and her family.”
I nodded, “I’ll let her know. Bye Yuki.” Then turned to walk away again.
He was about to yell something, “Wait, I… you…”
But I lifted my hand as I kept walking, shaking my head, “You don’t need to, I already know,” as I continued walking away from him. He stopped what he was going to say and I didn’t want to hear it either, it mattered nothing to me anyway. So I continued to walk towards my car until I arrived to it. Then I put everything in the back seat and left to continue the rest of the errands I had to do. It took me nearly all day to finally finish getting what I needed and the time I had left, I packed and made sure I had everything ready for my flight the next morning.
So I was going back, back to where it all started. I was going to watch my sister get married and share the moment with her just like she wanted. Although there was something else, another thing that I had to be aware of. Sesshomaru was going to be there too. He was family as well, in mine and especially since the groom was his brother. So I just hoped that the time that I spent away, the effort I spent in healing the wounds in my heart would be enough because seeing him again would be the final test. The test of whether I would able to live on pretending nothing ever happened between us and be able to prove to the world that I was able to move on. I knew it was going to be hard, especially since I was going to see him again but I had to do it. I had to stick to my ground and prove not only to the others but also to myself that I was able to. I needed to make sure that I was strong enough to make it through my struggles.
Thanks for reading! ^_^
Oh, don’t forget to read & review! ~_^
Enjoy…
Disclaimer : I don’t own any of the InuYasha characters they belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
‘___’ Thought expressions
“Italic” Whisper expressions
In the year that I’d left California, I didn’t or couldn’t cry. My body would not allow me to. Yet at that moment as I sat there wrapped up in Shippo’s arms, I couldn’t stop thinking about Sesshomaru, which fiercely fueled my already emerging sobs. My desire became a desperate necessity of needing him with me, to feel his arms around me, to hear his voice coo in my ear and know that he would be there the moment I would open my eyes. I eventually cried myself to sleep in Shippo’s arms. I did not wake for the rest of that day; it’s not that I couldn’t, I just didn’t want to. I didn’t have the energy or desire to wake; I wanted to remain asleep forever because it seemed that asleep was the only way I would have Sesshomaru near me. Even if it wasn’t physically, he was always there mentally and that was more than enough for me. But it wasn’t like that; I had to wake up, wake up to the cruel reality that he wasn’t there and that I was alone, like I had always been.
The next morning, once I had finally made the effort to get up, I headed out towards my living room, I didn’t think that there was going to be anyone there. Although the moment I stepped into it, my eyes widened. Shippo was on the sofa and Jak and Ban were sprawled out on the floor sleeping. I didn’t know what to say I thought that they would’ve left the moment I fell asleep but no, they stayed behind to make sure I was all right. That was what finally made me realize that I truly had been selfish. I always thought about myself, I always thought of what I wanted and never thought of what the others around me wanted for me. That was when I made my decision, I didn’t want to be selfish any longer and whatever I couldn’t have, well, there was a reason as to why I couldn’t and I was going to leave it at that. I wasn’t going to live in a dream anymore because it was only hurting me and it caused me to hurt those around me. So I decided to stop because at that point, I just wanted to live.
~*~*~*~
The guys stayed with me the entire weekend because they wanted to keep me company and honestly, I really needed it. So it was ok and we had fun in the process. Even though we didn’t go out since I just wasn’t in the mood for it, we had a good time just kicking back and watching movies as we binged to our hearts desire. I did call Kagome that day and I had to tell her what happened, she was furious but not at me of course, ok well a little. But it only made her start insisting on me returning back to California, emphasizing that it would be better for me because they could all keep an eye on me. I refused, I didn’t want to go back yet, not because I wasn’t ready, I didn’t think I ever would be but because I had made my decision to just let it pass and continue my life. Besides I wasn’t alone, I had my own gang to protect me.The next Monday, they all returned to work and kept me updated as to what happened around the office. They said that nothing had changed, it was the same as before I’d left. Apparently, Naraku REALLY was good at keeping those things a secret, the bastard. It remained the same for several weeks; no one spoke of anything until Naraku decided to definitely cross the line…
I was sitting back on the sofa, watching TV when suddenly; my cell phone started to ring. I looked over to it and glanced at the caller ID, it was Shippo. I assumed that he was either on break or his lunch so I answered the phone and was shocked when I heard a furious Shippo yell into the phone, “RIN, COULD YOU FUCKING BELIEVE THIS BASTARD? HE FUCKING FIRED ME, FOR NO REASON. HE LET ME GO JUST LIKE THAT!”
My eyes widened, shocked, “WHAT? But why… what an asshole.”
“I KNOW, HE IS A GOOD FOR NOTHING SON OF A BITCH.”
I shook my head; “I can’t believe it. He didn’t tell you anything?”
“NOTHING, HE JUST CALLED ME THIS MORNING AND SAID THAT HE DIDN’T WANT ME THERE ANYMORE AND TO CLEAR OUT MY DESK. THE FUCKER EVEN GAVE ME A TIME LIMIT AS TO HOW LONG I HAD TO LEAVE THE BUILDING BEFORE HE WOULD CALL SECURITY ON ME!”
I gasped, “Wow, that’s just cruel. Damn that Naraku he really doesn’t have a heart. No wonder he has a shitty attitude.”
“YEAH WHAT A FUCKER!”
Although, I kept staring at the floor, processing the situation carefully and that’s when I realized that Naraku must’ve found out that Shippo was a close friend of mine. He must’ve fired him in an attempt to get back at me. I wouldn’t doubt it knowing how dirty Naraku played his games. So I lowered my head, lightly, “Shippo, I’m really sorry.”
Shippo lowered his voice, confused, “Huh? About what? You have nothing to apologize about.”
I nodded, “Yes I do. I’m sure that’s why he fired you. He must’ve found out that you hang out with me and that’s why he got rid of you. That could be also why he didn’t tell you anything because he didn’t want to admit that it’s why he was really firing you.”
He growled, “Shit and I don’t doubt it either. He is an asshole but… you don’t have to be sorry Rin. I mean, it wasn’t your fault. I prefer losing my job rather than having you be that fuckers whore. No offense…”
I shook my head, “No it’s ok. Although, I feel bad about it, I mean, it was your job.”
“Rin, jobs come and go. I’ll be ok, I’ll find another one.” Then he sighed, “Shit, now I’ll have to push back my plans even more.”
That’s when another idea came into mind, “Wait a minute Shippo, are you still interested in opening the business you wanted?”
“Yeah, of course but you know why I haven’t yet. I don’t have the money to back it up, hell after this it will take me longer unless I find someone that will back me up financially. I mean, the sponsor will be entitled to part of the company as well. They would have to be cause if it wasn’t for them, it would never be opened.”
That’s when a smile appeared on my lips, he was willing. That was all I wanted to hear, “All right, then look no more. I’ve got someone who’ll back you up.”
Excited, “REALLY? Who?”
“… Me.”
Shocked, “WHAT? Are you serious…? No I can’t but then what about you? I can’t take your money and leave you with nothing.”
I giggled, “No it’s ok Shippo. I can take it out of my savings. Believe me, there is MORE than enough. I’ll be ok and besides, it’s the least I can do to make it up to you.”
He still sounded a bit indecisive, “I don’t know…”
I smiled, “I insist.”
He was still in doubt and asked, “Are you sure this is not going to burden you, I mean I could find someone else.”
I shook my head, “Nonsense. It’ll be ok Ship, it’s no burden at all.”
I guess since he didn’t have any other objections, I heard him chuckle. “All right then. You’re awesome Rin, I mean… partner.”
I giggled, “Thanks, partner. Jeez I sound like a cowboy, well cowgirl.”
He laughed and sounded very excited, “No thank you Rin. Seriously, I can’t thank you enough.”
“It’s ok Shippo.”
“All right, so I’m going to stop by to my lawyer so he could help me set up the paperwork to start off. Once I’m done I’ll head over to your house with him so we could start setting it up ok?”
“Ok Shippo. I’ll be here. I’ll see you later then.”
“Yeah definitely, see you then. Bye Rin.”
“Bye Shippo.” Then I clicked the phone off.
Later that evening, Shippo came over with his lawyer and we set everything up for the business. Jeez, it was so much paperwork that it was driving me crazy and that was just the beginning. But I went through with it, I had given Shippo my word and I was going to keep it. Although there was a bit of a problem, since the business was barely being built and knowing the fact that Naraku was going after me in every way possible, we decided to keep my ownership anonymous. Even though Naraku knew Shippo was my friend, we didn’t think he’d try to do much against him as long as he thought I wasn’t involved. If it he knew that I was part of it, I’m sure Naraku would not stop until our business crumbled. So we decided to keep it quiet, it was going to be hard though since my name WAS registered as co-owner of the company in the paperwork but it was anonymous by word of mouth. We just crossed our fingers and hoped that nothing would stand in the way of our new company, Abstract Industries.
For the next several months, Shippo and I were extremely busy with setting everything up. Although, Shippo would be the only one who would show up on site for meetings or such things. I would always be on the telephone with a voice changer to help keep my privacy. As for Jak and Ban, they were still working at Kagewaki Industries. I don’t think Naraku cared if they were involved with me. So they were the one’s that kept us up to date as to what was happening at the office. That and it was a big help to us so we could start working on getting ahead of Naraku, just in case if he tried something. Although getting ahead of Naraku was TOUGH but we made it, after 6 months of working hard, Abstract was up and running smoothly. Now I knew what Sesshomaru went through when he was trying to open Tenseiga. It was nerve wrecking and I was about to pull my hair out several times even though Abstract still wasn’t as big as Tenseiga was but it was all worth it. Of course during the process, I did keep in contact with Kagome and Ayame, not as much as before since I was always busy but I did. They both still tried to convince me to go to California because they wanted to see me, yet I still refused. It wasn’t because I didn’t want to go, I just really couldn’t. The building of Abstract took most of my time and at that point, I couldn’t take a break. But I did warn them though, they COULDN’T say that I was the owner of Abstract, they knew why. I mean, they knew because I trusted them enough with that information. But if ANYONE, anyone were to find out and it reached Naraku’s ears, it would be the end of Abstract. So they pretended that they didn’t know and it was left at that.
Things have a strange tendency to happen unexpectedly, especially when one doesn’t suspect of anything. It’s funny how things can change from one moment to another and Kagome was a perfect example of that. A few weeks later, she called me out of the blue and gave me news that I was SHOCKED to hear from her…
I was at home working in what I’d set up as my home office and talking to Shippo through the webcam.
He asked, “So what do you think about the contract with Aegis?”
I shook my head, “I don’t think it’ll work.”
Surprised, “Why not? They’re a great company.”
“Shippo, they’ll end up canceling it in a couple of months. Have you seen their records? They don’t look too well, someone looks to be a big spender and I have a feeling that in the end, it’s going to cost us more. That and besides, the owner is not cute enough.” Then I started to giggle.
He looked down at the paperwork and shook his head; “Hmmm… you’re right. Ok well so no with Aegis then…” That’s when he realized what I’d said and his eyes widened, “What the… you’re basing you’re decision on whether the owner is ‘cute’ enough?”
I giggled, “Well hey, a girl’s gotta have her fun you know.” Then started to laugh.
He chuckled, “Whatever Rin. That would be almost like me hiring my secretary just because of her looks.”
I quirked an eyebrow, teasing, “Isn’t that why you wanted to hire Yuka as your secretary?”
His eyes widened and I was able to see the blush on his cheeks, “I… NO… That wasn’t it, I just… I just wanted to offer her something, I mean, so we could all be together and besides, she didn’t take it anyway.”
I started to laugh, “Awww Shippo, I’m just kidding with you.”
He frowned, “Damn it Rin, stop that!” as I continued to laugh. When suddenly, my cell phone started to ring. I turned and looked at my caller ID, it was Kagome, VERY early to what she usually called. Then Shippo asked, “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I shook my head, “No nothing it’s just that, it’s Kagome and she usually doesn’t call me back so soon.”
He smiled, “Well pick it up dork, maybe it’s something important.” Then someone came into the office, he talked to the person and then turned towards me, “Ok pick it up and we’ll take a break with the meeting, I’ll be back in a bit ok.”
I smiled, “All right.”
But by then, the phone had stopped ringing so I opened my phone and called her back.
Then Kagome answered, “Hello.”
“Kagome, hey it’s me. Sorry I didn’t answer, I was in the middle of a short meeting with Shippo.”
“Oh hey, no it’s ok. You’re just the person I wanted to talk to.”
I giggled, “Wow, that makes me feel important. What is it about?”
She laughed, “Shut up Rin.” She calmed, “It’s about Inuyasha and I.”
Worried, “Oh… is everything all right with you two?”
She giggled, “Why so worried, Rin? Everything is ok but guess what?”
I breathed out, relieved but there was something that she wasn’t telling me, confused, “What? Then what happened?”
That’s when she giggled, sounding extremely excited, “We’re getting married!”
My jaw dropped and I turned my chair around to face the window, excited, “ARE YOU SERIOUS?”
Excited, “Yeah, he asked me yesterday. Could you believe it, I’m finally getting married. I’m so excited.”
I giggled, “Oh my God, wow. That’s great Kagome, congratulations. I’m happy for you two. Although, a little worried about what Inuyasha is going to get himself involved in.” Then I started to laugh.
She laughed, “Shut up Rin, I’m not that bad.”
I snickered, “Ha, not when you want to be. So when are you guys going to get married?”
All I heard was a raspberry before she answered, “Well, we want to get married in 3 months.”
My eyes widened, “3 months? Damn, isn’t that too soon? I mean it usually takes about a year to organize these things.”
She giggled, “It does but apparently, Inuyasha has been setting things up since last year, he just didn’t tell me. So most of it has been taken care of that’s why he finally decided to ask me.”
I just shook my head. The courage of the man, I mean I knew it wouldn’t happen but what if Kagome had said no, all that effort he put in would be for nothing. Honestly with that, my respect for him increased. I remained quiet as Kagome continued saying something and was knocked out of my thoughts when Kagome asked, lightly, “So you are coming to the rehearsal dinner right?”
I shook my head a bit and sighed, “Well, I don’t know. I’m still pretty booked with Abstract and trying to straighten out some knots. So most likely I won’t be able to.”
That’s when I noticed something different about Kagome. Her voice sounded like it was starting to break, “Oh… then what about the wedding? Don’t tell me you can’t come, Rin or I’ll…” Then she started to cry, sobbing, “Rin you have to be there, you’re my sister. I want you to be here with me, I want to share the moment with you but… you HAVE to be there.”
My eyes widened, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Kagome was NEVER an emotional person much less someone to just burst out crying like that, it just wasn’t her. Cooing, “No sweetie, I’m sorry. Please don’t cry Kagome. I can’t make it to the dinner but I’ll be there at the wedding. I promise you, I’ll be there.”
Still sobbing, “You better be there, I’m serious.”
I nodded, “I will, I promise.” But something about her actions made me suspect so I had to find out if it was I was right or not. “Hey, is Inuyasha around?”
Sniffling, “Yeah, he’s right here.”
“Can I talk to him for a sec? I need to ask him something.”
She wasn’t sobbing anymore but her voice was still shaky, “Is it about…?”
I shook my head, “No, I need to ask him something about the wedding.”
“Oh ok, here he is.” Off the phone, “Rin wants to talk to you.”
Then Inuyasha answered, “Hello?”
“Inuyasha, hey how are you?”
“Rin, hey, I’m good and you?”
“I’m good, congrats on the wedding. I’m happy for both of you but I can’t believe you risked all that knowing that she could’ve said no.”
He chuckled, “Yeah, I thought about it a lot too but decided that she was worth every single bit of it and I knew that she wouldn’t say no.”
I giggled, “Damn I really admire your courage.”
“Thanks…” Then his tone became serious, “But I know another person who has more courage than I do, who has done and would do much, much more for his woman.”
My heart sank, I knew who he was talking about, Sesshomaru. But I had made my decision long before that I wasn’t going to sulk about it anymore and besides, I didn’t want to ruin the moment by thinking sad thoughts. So I sighed, “Inu, I don’t want to talk about that…” Changing the subject, “But I wanted to ask you something about Kagome, although is she there with you?”
Lightly, “Oh yeah sorry…” Then his voice changed back to normal, “No she just stepped away to the bathroom, why what’s up?”
“Has she been acting weird lately?”
“You know she has. Lately she’s gotten really sentimental. I mean REALLY sentimental; any little thing will make her cry. I don’t know but now I have to be careful what I say to her. If I don’t, then she’ll start to cry and it goes worse for me. I don’t know what’s going on.”
That’s when I curled my lips up to a smile, I was right. I turned and noticed Shippo coming back into his office and sitting on his chair so we could continue our meeting. I signaled him to give me a bit and turned to respond to Inuyasha. “Hey Inu, this is what I want you to do ok? Take her to the doctor, I think something might be wrong with her because as you said, she never acts that way and you never know, things happen right?”
He sighed, “Yeah, you’re right. Don’t worry, I will. I’ll setup an appointment for her tomorrow so she could get checked. Thanks Rin.”
I smiled, “No prob Inu but I’ve got to go now. I have a meeting I need to finish so I’ll talk to you guys’ later ok? Tell Kagome that I love her and to take it easy. She doesn’t need to worry; I’ll keep my promise.”
“Oh ok. I’ll tell her. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.” Then I clicked the phone off.
I turned to face the computer again and I was sure that a huge smile was plastered on my face. So Shippo asked, “Well, you look happy. What happened?”
I chuckled and slightly shook my head, “I got quite a surprise and more…”
He smiled, “Was it a good surprise?”
I nodded, still smiling, “Oh yeah, I think we’re going to have a new addition to the family pretty soon. But let’s continue with the meeting, shall we?”
He smiled, “Wow, that’s great. All right.”
So we finished off what we needed to take care of and once we were done, I finally told him everything about the phone call. It was great to see that everything was going well for Kagome and honestly, I was rather excited that I was probably going to be an aunt. That kid was going to get spoiled to no end by me. Although, I hate to admit it but internally, I was a bit jealous of her because she was able to move on and finally have a family of her own. As for me, it was quite the opposite. I couldn’t move on, it wasn’t because I didn’t want to but it was fate that didn’t let me. As much as I tried to move on, it always found a way to bring me back to where I was. I didn’t understand why but I had a feeling that I needed to be where I was for me to finally find my true happiness. I just didn’t know for how long I had to stay there and I was afraid that it would take the rest of my life for me to find out. I didn’t want to wait that long; I didn’t want to spend my life waiting for something that wouldn’t come. But I had no other choice than to wait, wait and see what fate really had in store for me.
~*~*~*~
The next few months flew by, I guess it was because I always had something to do. Abstract was doing very well and once Shippo and I had everything set up, we brought Jak and Ban over to work with us, which they did not complain about. They were actually glad to leave Kagewaki Industries. I didn’t blame them either. As for Kagome’s wedding, everything was going by quickly as well. Her calls lessened for a while since she was now busy with trying to do the final preparations for her wedding. About the little addition, I was right, she was pregnant. I found about it several days after I’d told Inuyasha to take her to the doctor. I knew it, I knew Kagome very well and it was easy for me to tell there was something different about her. I was happy for her and very, VERY excited about it too. Although it was becoming a bit hard for me to catch up to her though since she wanted me to be her maid of honor, I had to be fitted for the dress. Obviously I couldn’t go all the way to California just to get fitted for the dress so I had her send it over and I was able to get it fixed at a boutique over in New York. The dress was beautiful though, it was a midnight blue color and it seemed to dip low in the front and the back but it wasn’t too revealing, a bit form fitting too. Well, it was an evening dress but I just adored it, I was glad Kagome had good taste in dresses because I didn’t want to be caught wearing a grandmother looking dress. NO WAY, which was what I had warned her about before she chose the dress. I was glad I did or who knows what I would’ve gotten. So I spent the next few months fixing my things and finishing up anything I needed to get done so I wouldn’t have anything left behind when I left for Kagome’s wedding. Although with the news about Kagome being pregnant, I knew that things were going to get a bit hard for her so it made me start to consider returning back to California. That and honestly, I was homesick as well. I missed everyone and I would get to be close to them again. But I had not made the decision yet, not until I was sure of what I really wanted to do.Although the day before I had to leave, I ran into someone that I truly NEVER, ever expected to run into again.
I was walking around downtown New York, picking up little things that I was going to take to everyone and buying the last things I needed to take with me. I especially went around shopping for the little one, getting things that I liked. About mid-day, I was done with my shopping and I was on my way back to the car. I was really excited about a little outfit I had found and almost couldn’t wait to see it on the baby. It was adorable, so I kept walking and looked down at one of the bags when suddenly, I accidentally bumped into someone’s shoulder. My eyes widened and I turned towards the other person, “Oh my goodness, I’m sorry. Are you ok?”
It was a young man about Kagome’s age, a little older. He shook his head and smiled, “I’m sorry, it’s my fault. I’m ok, what about you?”
I shook my head, “No it’s my fault, I should’ve been paying attention…” That’s when I noticed that his smiled had faded and he was looking at me, like REALLY looking at me. So I was curious as to why the stare and was about to ask, “What…”
When he interrupted, curious, “Rin… Rin is that you?”
My eyes widened, who was he, how did he know my name, I didn’t know. He obviously knew who I was but I for sure didn’t know who he was. So I asked, “You… you know me? I… I don’t remember you…” He didn’t say anything just looked at me, sadly. But I kept looking at him, REALLY examining him and his features. I kept looking at his face, looking at his blond hair and blue eyes trying to picture something when it hit me. My eyes widened at my realization, shocked, “Yu… Yuki?”
He smiled, sadly, “So you -do- remember me… yeah.” Then he curled his lips up to a smile, “How are you?” Then he looked at me again, “Wow… you’ve… you’ve changed a lot.”
I couldn’t believe it, Yuki, Kagome’s first love and the one that caused her to hate me back then. As much as I didn’t want to, I honestly felt a bit of resentment towards him. I mean why shouldn’t have I, he was the reason why Kagome and I started becoming apart. So my tone lowered a bit, “How could I forget… I’m good. Of course I have, I’ve grown up. It’s been a long time.”
His smile faded at my tone of voice and he sighed. He looked the same as back then, just a bit older of course. But his features didn’t go away; he was good looking as back then but I just didn’t care. I was not in the least interested in him not especially after what he did. So since I wasn’t continuing his small talk, he changed the subject. Lightly, “So, how’s your sister?”
I quirked an eyebrow, “Kagome you mean, she’s doing great.”
He sighed again, sadly, “I can tell you’re still mad at me. Shit, I don’t blame you either, I was an idiot.”
I frowned, yeah how dare he ask that question. What, did he expect me to act nice and friendly with him and pretend nothing ever happened, not happening. I shook my head, lightly, “Yes you were… and yes I’m still a bit mad but I’ve learned to let it be and live on. I don’t like to hold onto grudges.”
“You know I’m really sorry, really I am. I don’t know how I could make it up to you, to both of you.”
I shook my head; “There’s nothing you can do anymore, Yuki. The past is past and that’s it. Besides, we’ve both moved on so it doesn’t matter anymore.”
I guess he just had no words and wanted to find something else to change the subject to. So he looked down at my bags and smiled, “So I see you’ve been shopping… baby shopping to be exact.” Curious, “Are you…?”
I shook my head, how I wished they WERE for me. “No actually…” I curled my lips up to a smile, “They’re for Kagome.”
His eyes widened and I was able to tell he was shocked by the news. Shocked, “K… Kagome, she’s… she’s having a baby?”
I nodded, “Yeah and she’s getting married tomorrow to the -father- of the baby.” I just needed to emphasize that, to make him realize that if it wasn’t for his stupid mistake, it could’ve been him. I wanted, needed to rub it in his face.
He lowered his head and shook it slightly, “Man, I… I really screwed up. I can’t believe it, Kagome’s going to have a family.”
That’s when I narrowed my eyes, “Well what Yuki, did you seriously expect her to wait for you, to stop her life after you dumped her until you came back to her. No way, Kagome is smarter than that.”
He nodded, “I know but… but I fell in love with you… with both of you and I didn’t… I didn’t know what to do.” Then he looked back at me.
I shook my head, “You weren’t in love with me, you never were. You just felt attached to me because of her and because of the way I was. I know what love is and what it feels to be in love and it definitely was NOT what you were showing me. It’s those same feelings of attachment that caused for me to LOSE the one I…” He looked at me and I held myself back, I didn’t want to continue anymore. I was telling him too much and I didn’t want to tell him anymore of Kagome’s life or mine; he didn’t need to know because he wasn’t part of them. So I cleared my throat, looked down at my watch and then back at him, “It’s getting late and I have more things I need to take care of. Take care of yourself, Yuki.” Then turned to walk away.
Although as I took the first step, he stopped me, “Rin… wait.” I stopped and looked at him but remained silent. He looked away, “Tell Kagome that I sincerely apologize for everything I did to her and that I wish for the best for her and her family.”
I nodded, “I’ll let her know. Bye Yuki.” Then turned to walk away again.
He was about to yell something, “Wait, I… you…”
But I lifted my hand as I kept walking, shaking my head, “You don’t need to, I already know,” as I continued walking away from him. He stopped what he was going to say and I didn’t want to hear it either, it mattered nothing to me anyway. So I continued to walk towards my car until I arrived to it. Then I put everything in the back seat and left to continue the rest of the errands I had to do. It took me nearly all day to finally finish getting what I needed and the time I had left, I packed and made sure I had everything ready for my flight the next morning.
So I was going back, back to where it all started. I was going to watch my sister get married and share the moment with her just like she wanted. Although there was something else, another thing that I had to be aware of. Sesshomaru was going to be there too. He was family as well, in mine and especially since the groom was his brother. So I just hoped that the time that I spent away, the effort I spent in healing the wounds in my heart would be enough because seeing him again would be the final test. The test of whether I would able to live on pretending nothing ever happened between us and be able to prove to the world that I was able to move on. I knew it was going to be hard, especially since I was going to see him again but I had to do it. I had to stick to my ground and prove not only to the others but also to myself that I was able to. I needed to make sure that I was strong enough to make it through my struggles.
~*~*~*~