InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ One Last Summer ❯ The Water ( Chapter 5 )

 

 

 

 

One Last Summer

 

Chapter Five

 

4:25 P.M, Monday, May Twenty-Sixth (Meiru Park)

 

"Hello again, Sesshomaru." A voice drawled from beside him, and he felt the weight of someone sitting on the bench next to him. He didn't need to turn, or look out of the corner of his eye to see whom it was. He just hoped that Rin and Kagome didn't look over and see her.

 

"What do you want?" He asked coldly, resisting - with much more effort than usual - the urge to take the head of the one sitting beside him and smash it into the playground slide, then bury it in the sand, or hang it from the monkey bars, or possibly just let the other nine-year-olds at the park beat it up.

 

"Is that any way to greet and old friend?" A sharp, newly manicured hand found its way to Sesshomaru's arm, and it rubbed the bare skin. "You never wore anything like this when we were going out. You never took Rin and I to the park, either." The voice whined, and he almost growled. How could it be that he never before realized how annoying that voice was? Had he been deaf?

 

"You hate anything to do with children. Besides, Kagome and I are not going out." He stated simply, yet icily, and looked over at the woman sitting beside him. He pushed away from her hand, grabbing it in a steel-like grip and forcing it to stay down and away from any more of his skin.

 

"Oh? Is that the bitch's name?" Kagura crossed her legs. "So you're not going out, huh? Well than why is it that you took her to the park? On a workday?" She reached out another nail, intent on raking it across his chest, but found her hand in another steel-like grip. Hissing, her hand was released, and she shook out the numb feeling.

 

"I happen to be sick. No, Kagome and I are NOT going out. She is the baby-sitter." Kagura smirked a wicked half-smile, that looked ugly and twisted on her deep red painted lips.

 

"Baby-sitter, huh?"

 

"That's what I said."

"Are you sure?"

 

"Are you so stupid that you can't comprehend the words 'BABY-SITTER'?"

 

"Compre-whu?"

 

"Understand."

 

"Understand what?"

 

"It would be best if you left right now."

 

"But I just got here!"

 

"I think I would know when someone had been stalking me for the past few months."

 

"Listen, baby -" Kagura put a strangely long-fingered hand on his arm, rubbing it once again.

 

"Keep your sickening, ugly, tainted hands off me." The icy tone of his voice made even the birds in the trees shudder, Kagura more because she was on the receiving line of it. He got up and walked over to where Rin and Kagome were playing on the playground, and dragged them off and away to the car.

 

The first few minutes of the car ride home were spent in silence, Rin drooping of to sleep since she had wasted so much energy playing at the park with Kagome. Her small head slumped to the side of her body, she was completely oblivious to the exceeding speed that kept increasing each minute as Sesshomaru tried to take the 'long way' home. Kagome glanced at him as she tried to keep a grip on the dashboard in front of her.

 

"Sesshomaru?" She whispered tentatively, unsure if he would either burst into tears, or just start yelling at her like a mad man. He kept his foot on the gas, and didn't look at her as she stared at him.

 

"Sesshomaru?" She tried again, but was still ignored. "Sesshomaru, who was that lady at the park? Who was sitting on the bench hitting on you?" Kagome cowered as he sent a glare her way, but straightened when his gaze turned back to the road.

 

"Kagura."

 

"Really? I thought her name was 'slut'. I mean, she had it written all over her." Kagome swore she saw an almost-smile flicker on his lips, but the second she had seen it, it was gone, and the emotionless façade was back up, guarding his feelings.

 

"And why aren't we back yet? With the speed you're driving with, we should have been there five minutes ago." They didn't appear to be anywhere near the house, while they should have been there a long time ago.

 

"I need some drinks." Was his simple answer.

 

Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "C-cho-CHOCOLATE?" If she wasn't so shocked already, she would have been astonished to death when Sesshomaru actually smiled, and chuckled in his deep voice.

 

"Yes, you can get some chocolate ice cream."

 

 

 

7:08 A.M, Tuesday, May Twenty-Seventh. (Taishou SummerHouse, Rin's Birthday)

 

 

 

A hyper Rin ran around the summer cottage as decorations were being put up, presents were being wrapped, and the cake was being delivered. Although, cottage was definitely the wrong word to describe their summerhouse. It could've been called a mansion, except for the fact that the house was taller than it was wide. Having been six stories high, not including the attic and basement, there was a combination of three rooms on each floor.

 

Sighing, Kagome sat down on the large, plush couch and yawned, stretching her arms above her head. She had gotten up at five, reached the Taishou manor at five thirty, and then they had left for the summer 'cottage,' and arrived at seven, just a mere ten minutes before. Apparently Rin had gotten so much sleep the day before, now she was just too hyper to even consider the wondrous thought of sleep.

 

"Rin -" She started as the girl went screaming past the doorway to the living room, where Kagome was resting on the couch.

 

"IT'S RIN'S BIRTHDAY! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! CAKE! CANDY! FUN!!!" The girl shouted, dragging a ragged looking Sesshomaru into the room and latching onto the older girl's waste, where she grinned up and refused to let go.

 

Sesshomaru sighed. "I'll give you fifty bucks if you get her to be quiet." He muttered, and Kagome laughed at the pained expression that was portrayed in his eyes.

 

"Rin, why don't we go outside? Or maybe you'd like to help me unpack upstairs?" Rin nodded her head excitedly, and ran up the multiple staircases, until she reached the fifth floor, where Kagome's temporary bedroom was situated. She opened the door with a shock of energy, and jumped on the suitcase that waited patiently on the bed.

 

The two girls spent a good amount of time unpacking Kagome's suitcase, folding clothes and putting it in the set of drawers that was in the room, or putting them on a hanger and hanging it in the closet across from her bed. Rin's chatter was non-stop, only slightly muffled when she bent over the drawer that she had just put a folded pair of pants in.

 

"Will you help Ri - me pick out some clothes to wear, Kagome-chan?" Rin asked when they were done folding and unpacking.

 

"Of course, Rin-chan! What would you like to wear today?" Together they walked out of the room and up the last staircase that led to the sixth, and final floor, where Rin's bedroom was.

 

"Can I look like you, Kagome-chan?" The young girl asked hesitantly, unsure as to if the older girl would be happy, or slightly freaked out. Rin relaxed, and sighed in relief when Kagome smiled, and looked in Rin's closet.

 

"Hm… what should we wear today? A khaki skirt? How about that and a navy blue T-shirt! Oh! And some nice black sandals as well!" Rin changed into the clothes that Kagome had picked out for her, and they traveled back to the fifth floor where Kagome changed her clothes so that the two matched. If a person were to look at the two, they would've swore that they were mother and daughter, sisters at least.

 

"Sesshomaru-sama! Sesshomaru-sama! Look at what Kagome-chan and me are wearing! Don't you like it?" Sesshomaru almost choked on the tea he was being ordered to sip by Kagome to make sure his fever stayed away.

 

If it wasn't for the fact that he knew that Kagome was not Rin's mother, and that the older girl was actually the baby-sitter, he wouldn't have been able to tell if they were related, or not. If he had been anyone beside himself, he would've believed that they truly were a family, and not just baby-sitter and charge.

 

"V-very good, Rin." He said quietly, and went back to sipping his tea. The two girls turned around and left, walking outside to where the other party decorations were being set up.

 

"RIN!" A few moments later, a giant splash was heard, and Sesshomaru raced outside to where a raging commotion was in being arranged. Right as he reached the front of the group that was crowded around the lake on which shore's the house was situated, another, larger splash was heard, and the crowd gasped. He reached the front just in time to see Kagome, still adorning her skirt and T-shirt, jump into the water and swim after something.

 

When he realized that the 'something' she had jumped in after was Rin, Sesshomaru jumped in as well. The crowd gasped once again as Kagome grabbed onto Rin, the young girl coughing and struggling for breath. Once again, another gasp was heard as Sesshomaru reached the two girls, grabbing onto their hugging forms and pulling them into his arms. He swam back to the shore, far away from the dock where they had fallen off of, pulling the two with him.

 

"Ses-Sesshomaru…" Kagome tripped over her words with the coldness of the water seeping through her clothes. She grasped onto him in a hug, holding a coughing and sputtering Rin in between them.

 

"I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have let Rin walk so close to the water, and we shouldn't have gone onto the dock! I mean what if she could have fallen in and you wouldn't have been there, and then we would've drowned and then we would be dead! Really, really, really dead! I am so sorry, please forgive me! Please! I am so, so sorry. If you'd like, I will just leave right now and you can hire a better, more experienced baby-sitter…

 

Her ramblings continued as her she let go of Sesshomaru, and tried to hug the water out of Rin. She didn't stop when he tried to hold up a hand to stop her, and she didn't stop when Rin tried to assure her, over and over again, that she was alright. But when Rin caught snatches of Kagome's ramblings about leaving, the young girl burst into tears, making the older one do the same.

 

His eyes widened when he heard her say something. "You… you don't have experience in this field?"

 

"No. Not at all." Kagome replied, wiping her eyes on her sleeve, only succeeding in spreading around the redness. Sesshomaru was speechless. All this time, this girl had been working for him, as his adopted daughters baby-sitter, and she had no experience whatsoever at being a baby-sitter.

 

She had just… been so good at it.

 

Immediately he had thought that she had been a perfect candidate when she had first came to the house for an interview. Few times had he seen her around the house, always just hanging around with InuYasha, his perverted friend, and their girlfriends. Once he had seen her before when InuYasha had graduated college, and he had to attend the ceremony with his father, when he had seen a girl in the crowd.

 

Of course, there had been hundreds of other girls in the crowd as well, because, after all, it was college graduation. But when InuYasha, Miroku, Sango, and Kikyo's names were called, she had been the one to cheer the loudest for her friends, despite the odd glances she was getting. Her sparkling brown eyes, and her fun and hyper attitude, she match Rin to a T.

 

Later, he had been introduced, however rudely, to her via InuYasha. She had smiled, and politely greeted his father and him. They had shaken hands, exchanged small pleasantries, and then they never saw each other again. Until she had taken the job, that is. And even though it was two years later, she was no different than before.

 

"Then what is it that you aspire to be?" He asked, truly interested in her answer for once.

 

"I… I… I want to be… I want to be an artist." She said proudly, spitting out a rock found in her mouth. "I want to sit in the park in an early morning, and watch as the people walk through it, getting a start on their day. I want to paint the world as it is, not how we want it to be. The lights of the city! The swift colors that flash as the traffic passes by! I want to show the world what it has come to, not what we want to see today!"

 

All he could do was nod, softly hitting Rin on the back to make sure all the water was out of her lungs. The young girl was still crying and hugging Kagome's waste, hanging on for dear life. She really did not want for Kagome to go, since the older girl was so nice, cheerful, and always fun. Kagome was prefect for the job.

 

How they had gotten so lucky to catch the girl in her unemployed state, needing a well-paying job and everything, willing to take care of a hyper, nine - ten year old girl all day was unknown to them. And although at times she was too happy, and hyper and was somewhat rebellious, the good things outnumbered the bad by the hundreds. Plus, she made good cookies.

 

"I-is Kagome-chan g-going to leave Rin - me and Sesshomaru-sama?" Rin asked quietly, sitting in Sesshomaru's lap and staring up at the older girl with wide, fearful brown eyes that almost made Kagome melt with sadness. She shook her head.

 

"No, Rin-chan, I will not leave you. I won't leave you. Not ever." Kagome supplied, stumbling to her feet. The young girl smiled and tried to lunge for her again for another hug, but was held back by Sesshomaru as he shook his head no and whispered in her ear about Kagome needing some space to stand up by herself.

 

"Alright then! Come on, Rin-chan, we'll go get fixed up again and dried off as Sesshomaru handles this whole business!" The girls raced to the tall house, acting like nothing had even occurred, leaving behind a startled - although he didn't show it - Sesshomaru to clear away the mess of servants setting up the party that had joined around the group.

 

'Yes, leave me with the hard job. If you haven't yet realized, I'm WET TOO!' He shouted in his mind, none of the emotion breaking through his barrier. A few minutes of clearing away the commotion, and being asked more than a few times if he was alright, everyone was back to work and waiting for the party to begin at five.

 

 

 

5:11 P.M, Tuesday, May Twenty-Seventh. (Taishou Summer 'Cottage')

 

 

 

Relatives and friends were arriving at the door, walking through the house and out to the back where the party was being held, making sure to pinch Rin's cheeks on the way. Although it was painful and boring, the young girl had been taught to hold herself with confidence, not wince under the exceedingly annoying attention she was receiving, and keep her manners polite, greeting each one as they knocked on the front door.

She had dressed in a plain dark blue party dress that fell just above her knees, decorated with bows and ribbons galore. Although she couldn't match the nice long-sleeved red shirt and gauzy, knee-length black skirt Kagome-chan wore, she was sure to remain happy throughout the whole experience. After all, it was her birthday, and what better way to celebrate your own birthday than to have a party sponsored by Sesshomaru Taishou, your adoptive father, himself?

 

"Hello!"

 

"Nice of you to come!"

 

"Thank you so much!"

 

"I'm glad you found the travel here comfortable!"

 

The relatives and friends cooed over Rin and her good manners, bending over and pinching her cheeks until they were red with not a natural blush. She held her smile, thanking them as they handed her a present, which she then handed to Kagome, who was standing beside her, who then in turn placed them on a large table in the living room.

 

"Rin!" Three voices cried simultaneously. Already everyone who had ever heard of them knew who it was. No one could ever forget a meeting with the terrible trio, especially since they used their grand entrances all the time. Kagome sighed, rubbed her head, and waited for a flurry of movement to show that the boys had arrived.

 

"Hey sis!" Kohaku and Souta greeted, while Shippou stood a ways behind and blushed when she looked at him.

 

"Hello Miss Kagome." He said politely, and she smiled. Souta and Kohaku made strange gagging noises, bending over and fake retching. Rin laughed, and gave them each a hug in turn.

 

"I'm surprised you didn't make a striking entrance, boys." Kagome smirked as they grinned sheepishly. Rin fake-pouted, seemingly upset that they didn't liven up her birthday party. She had expected more of them, after all.

 

"Ah well, we'll just have to hope there's something later." Kagome waved a hand to them and winked. "Come join us out back, you're just in time, boys. We were all just about to start on the early dinner."

 

She led the group of four children through the house and out the back door, letting Rin introduce the boys to the relatives and the relatives to the boys along the way. Some of them glared or gave them ugly looks, knowing that it was the three boys who had set off fireworks on top of the house at Rin's last birthday party, only to receive a deadly glare from Kagome, the older sister.

 

They ate a fanciful dinner full of rich flavored food, deliciously made in the summerhouse's kitchen by a famous, hired chef. There was enough of it for every single one of the fifty-eight people to have seconds, maybe thirds as well. Rin sat by Sesshomaru, Kagome next to Rin, InuYasha and their friends on the other side of Sesshomaru, and the three boys placed as far as possible from the older members of the family. They didn't want a repeat of two years ago…

 

After they ate the meal, the children raced off to play in the moon bounce Sesshomaru had bought for the party, and Kagome joined her friends while Sesshomaru spoke with his kin. She was surprised to see Kouga there as well, him and InuYasha not fighting.

 

"Hey guys! Hi Kouga!" She greeted them, sitting down on the bench in between Sango and Kikyo, who were both sitting next to their boyfriends. Kouga was leaning against the side of the table.

 

"Kagome-girl! Is your special present ready? Rin will be so happy!" Sango clasped her hands together, stars shining in her eyes as Kikyo nodded. InuYasha, Kouga, and Miroku looked at the oddly, as if they had each in turn grown a second head.

 

"I sure hope so. I'm still facing the consequences of staying up each night to finish it." Kagome replied. They spoke for a while, before Kagome became bored with the constant bickering between Sango and Miroku, and left to join Sesshomaru, who was all alone at the moment.

 

"So." She found that there was nothing really to say.

 

"Yes…"

 

"SESSHOMARU, M'BOY!" A voice cried out.

 

"Father…"

 

"Is this fabulous lady beside you your new wife?" The whole party froze.

 

 

 

 

I'm sorry it took so long to update, but school started again, and winter break ended.

 

I'm sorry to say that updates won't be as frequent because of school. Maybe once a week or less.

 

I missed four weeks of school because of my depression, and now I need to catch up.

 

Rin's birthday is that same as mine (May Twenty-Seventh). Please enjoy, and review as well, love, Cat.