InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Patchwork Family ❯ A Time for Work, A Time for Play, and a Strange Disappearance ( Chapter 38 )

A/N: All Inuyasha characters and references belong to the creator of Inuyasha, Rumiko Takahashi and published by Shogakukan. Any other characters are more than likely my own creation. If I borrow directly from another story I will do my best to make sure I give credit where credit is due. I will be pulling some material (ideas and inspirations) from Burn Notice, Leverage, Scorpion, Supernatural, and Lockwood & Co.


Oy vey, I’ve recently realized (because I have several other stories in the works- one is even a Sess+Kag pairing) that with every plot I begin with pretty much beating the hell out of poor Kagome’s life. Can we tell my writing is a form of self-therapy or what? Lol Anyone else ever have that experience?

*** A Time for Work, A Time for Play, and a Strange Disappearance ***
03212015 (numbers are for my own purposes, don’t mind them)

Sesshomaru sensed the tension when he’d arrived late to join the group for lunch, leaning a hip against the counter to eat his first sandwich. He’d been working underwater on the hull of the boat on the opposite side from Inuyasha, and had missed the excitement that had followed Koga’s decision to force Kagome into dealing with her fears. He’d heard splashing and a little bit of Inuyasha talking to Kagome under the boat, but was unclear about exactly what had taken place.

Rosalind managed to settle the kids down for a nap on the queen sized mattress in one of the larger of the four cabins below deck, and was putting the remains of lunch into the small refrigerator. Kagome and Inuyasha had retreated to the upper level deck and Koga and Ayame were in the water off the bow. Sesshomaru asked Rosalind, “is Kagome unwell? The pups seemed upset and she was…” he frowned, searching for the right word. Finally he finished, “she seemed weakened. Perhaps this was too much activity.”

The young woman looked up and her mouth twisted a little as she considered an explanation. She reiterated Kagome’s story about her experience in Naraku’s basement, and when she told him about her falling in the water and the panic it induced, Sesshomaru nodded once in understanding. She slid the pitcher of iced tea she’d made into the refrigerator and leaned back against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest as she shook her head. “I can’t imagine being afraid of the water like that. I’m surprised she was able to come on the boat at all. She seemed nervous but I never imagined it was something like that.”

Sesshomaru said thoughtfully, “you’ve never been remotely intimidated by the water. I expect you could spend weeks in a dingy on open ocean-- and still not be traumatized enough to stay out of it.”

Rosalind smiled a little and shrugged, laughing softly. “What can I say? I’m part mermaid I guess.”

His lips twitched in amusement and he shrugged his open shirt off, leaving it again in the cabin. He returned to the aft deck and collected the large stiff bristled brush once more. Rosalind came out behind him and asked, “are you going back to work on the hull already? Everyone else is taking some time off today. Why don’t you have some fun?”

He eyed her for a moment and said, “fun is for when work is finished.” He didn’t sound as if he was disapproving of the others having fun while he worked on the boat, but rather, as if it were a personal rule he was holding himself to in this instance. She rolled her eyes a little behind his back and watched as he strapped the oxygen canisters to his hip and slid into the water, disappearing beneath the light swells. She checked on the kids and found them completely passed out.

When she went up to the top deck she found Inuyasha sitting on a wide padded bench long-ways with Kagome leaning back against him in the sun. She smiled a little at how relaxed they both looked. Inuyasha was generally wound tight and full of energy, always moving. He rarely sat so calm and quiet like he did now with Kagome, and she thought it was probably good for him to be still once and a while.

Kagome opened her eyes and sat up away from Inuyasha’s tanned chest, looking a little guilty when Rosalind came over. The young woman waved her hand dismissively. “You don’t have to move, stay where you are. The kids are down in the port bow cabin asleep. Inuyasha could you keep an ear out, maybe check on them in a bit? I’m going to swim.”

He nodded once, adjusting a little as Kagome leaned back into him again. “Sure. I think we’re just gonna hang out up here for a bit.”

Rosalind went back to the aft deck and slid down into the water, one of the stiff scrub brushes in hand, a rag half-tucked in the waist band of her board shorts. She soaked a pair of clear plastic goggles and fixed them over her eyes before she dived below a good ten feet or so. Turning in the water, she looked up at the hull of the catamaran and wrinkled her nose.

It was a little filthy. No wonder Sesshomaru couldn’t focus on anything else; she knew him to be kind of a neat freak. Additionally, he wasn’t good at leaving anything for later when it could be done now. She saw him scrubbing at the hull, braced beneath it, his long braid twisting in the water as his shoulders shifted with the movement. With the strap of her scrub brush around one arm, she kicked and swam under the boat and surfaced underneath it, between the pontoons, pulled in a deep breath, and dived again.

Sesshomaru saw her pass him and raised a brow. He could see clearly without goggles below the water for a distance of about 15 feet. He only needed the goggles to peer through the depths farther away. He watched with some interest as she dived down next to him, placed one hand on the bottom of the pontoon to hold herself below the boat, and began to scrub with the other hand. They worked side by side for several minutes and after she rose a third time for air, he unclipped a small oxygen canister from the canvas strap around his hips, where it had floated alongside two others just like it.

He only needed a fresh breath of air every eight minutes or so, but, it saved time and bother if he brought air down with him. This was usually the method he used when free diving, though it had been years now since he’d taken the time for such an activity. As he scrubbed away, he tried to remember the last time, and realized it had been a full year or more before Rin was born.

Rhiannon had liked being out on the water well enough, but she hadn’t been a strong swimmer, and enjoyed other things more. He watched Rosalind scrub furiously at the hull about five feet away, raising a cloud of algae that was slowly pulled away in the current. Most women would have been a little grossed out by the slimy mess, but Rosalind just worked away, as if it was no different than sweeping her kitchen floor clear of flour.

The large gray sleeveless shirt she was wearing over her bikini top had risen a little, floating around her body where she was turned to face him in the water, revealing the front of a tight, toned belly and well curved hips. When his eyes traced her torso up to the generous swells of her breasts in their triangles of brightly colored fabric, he realized his scrubbing hand had slowed and tore his gaze back to the hull. He growled a little at himself, berating his lack of focus and inappropriate attention. It had happened several times now, if only in small ways, and it should not continue. He didn’t know why he was suddenly drawn to the young woman this way; why he found he wanted to reach out and touch the smooth skin that lay only a barely an arm’s length away.

Rosalind had wedged the oxygen tank he’d given her into her elastic waistband of her shorts, leaving a gap between the fabric and her swim bottom where it tied at her hip. It was all he could do to keep his eyes away from that gap. She pulled the tank out and released her depleted air in a flow of bubbles before putting the canister to her lips for a fresh breath and sliding it in her waistband again. She looked up and saw him watching, flashed him a smile, green eyes bright behind the clear plastic, before she turned her attention back to the hull.

After about a half hour the two of them had worked their way down to within the last five feet of the pontoon and Sesshomaru had noticed Rosalind was pausing a bit more often to take extra breaths from the canister. He could sense something wasn’t quite right and reached a hand out in the water to touch her shoulder. When she looked at him, he pointed upwards, telling her to surface. After a second’s pause she nodded, letting the brush strap slide down her arm and kicking her way forward to rise underneath the boat.

Sesshomaru surfaced next to her and wiped the water from his face as she pulled her goggles down around her neck and tread water. Immediately he could tell what it was that was wrong, as he heard her breath rasping. It wasn’t anything like it had been the day before in the cold and rain, but it wasn’t right. He frowned and asked, “are you getting enough oxygen?”

Rosalind pulled the tank up and looked at the gauge on the side. “It still has about a third of the air left. I’m okay. We’re almost done. It looked like you got the other pontoon clean before lunch right?”

Sesshomaru was still frowning as he listened to her breath, eyeing her color to see if perhaps the water was pulling away too much of her body heat. But it was plenty warm enough near the ocean’s surface and her lips were pink and warm, rather than the pale lavender that indicated low temperature or oxygen levels in the blood. He shook his head and told her, “you should go above.”

Rosalind scowled at him and said, “let’s just get the rest clean. The kids will be up again soon and Rin will want to spend some time with you. I want this to be done so you’re free to chill out for a bit with her.”

Without giving him a chance to reply or tell her off, she put her goggles back into place, took a deep breath, and dived back below the pontoon. With a resigned sigh, he dived as well, following her long legs. Without any trouble he reached the hull where they’d been working before she did. Though she was an admirable swimmer, her body, being both human and female, couldn’t move through the water as fast as his. It was simple physics.

It wasn’t long before the job was indeed finished. She slid the brush down her arm on its loop and surprised him by touching his side. He shifted away, startled at the unexpected contact and she blinked at his reaction. She cocked her head curiously and poked at him again, smiling. When he twisted away smoothly she arched a brow and her smile broadened. She laughed a little, releasing a few bubbles of air and kicking her way to the surface.

When he broke through the water next to her she dropped her goggles and asked, “are you ticklish? Because that looked an awful lot like you were ticklish, and that would upset my entire concept of what the natural universe is composed of. Up, down, the sky is blue… the whole thing.”

Sesshomaru moved his arms and legs slightly, keeping himself afloat as he gave her a flat look and muttered, “don’t be ridiculous.”

Rosalind pursed her lips on a smile and studied him before she reached out and gave him a quick poke in the side again. He twisted and scowled but she laughed out loud. “You are ticklish!”

Sesshomaru caught her next attempt and pulled her hand away, grasping her wrist gently, but firmly as he almost rumbled under his breath, “do you have such a short coming?”

Rosalind didn’t think fast enough as he ran his fingers carefully along her side, mindful of his claws. She laughed, trying to twist away. “No! No! I’m not!”

Sesshomaru nearly grinned in satisfaction as she squirmed, completely undermining her denial. She giggled and put her goggles back on, diving down and kicking hard to swim toward the back of the boat. He dived after her, catching up easily and swimming over her kicking feet to move his fingers along her sides again through the floating fabric of her shirt, causing her to lose some of her air in a burst of laughter.

In a small part of his mind, he chided himself for such immature actions, and for the knowledge that he’d possibly found a socially acceptable way to touch the curves he’d been reluctantly admiring. But this play was somehow liberating. He played for Rin from time to time, in a way, but this wasn’t the same. It made him feel lighter, looser, as if a kind of weight lifted from him. He hadn’t enjoyed something in that way in many years. Still… he was well over 600 years old. A 600 year old Dai-Yokai did not play. The very thought was absurd.

There was a kernel of guilt present though as he considered these things at the periphery of his thoughts. There was no doubting his love and commitment to his late wife. But they had never been frivolous. While she’d been kind and full of love, Rhiannon had been almost as serious a person as he was, and he’d admired her for that strength and poise. He couldn’t understand why, now that Rosalind had returned to live with them at Shore House, he was suddenly finding such impractical behavior so appealing. The idea confused him, and he was not a man used to being confused. However, he didn’t wish to ruin whatever this was at the moment, so he shunted the doubts to one side as he rose to the surface again with her.

Rosalind pulled herself up easily to sit on the partially submerged wide bottom panel of the steps and removed her goggles, poking him in the side once more for good measure as he leaned folded arms on the fiberglass next to her, remaining in the water. When he arched a silver brow she stage whispered with a giggle, “don’t worry. I’ll keep your secret.”

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes and tossed his scrub brush up onto the deck. Rosalind grinned and said, “I’ll be right back. I’m going to go check on the kids.” Water dripping down her legs, she stood and climbed the stairs to grab a damp towel. As there was no one else to see him, Sesshomaru allowed himself a brief, inappropriate moment to enjoy the line of her figure and the way the wet fabric clung to the toned muscles of her rear. He’d berate himself for it later, but for now he indulged the interest. That being said, he made sure he was looking in a different direction when she turned around again, wrapping the towel about herself.

When she returned, she left the towel on the bench and came back down to sit on the bottom step, kicking her feet in the water. Sesshomaru was floating on his back, enjoying the freedom from the confines of his office. He admitted, now that he’d been outside all morning that Rosalind had possibly been correct about his working too much. He was not made to spend so much time cooped up and he’d been doing it for so long that he hadn’t realized how cramped he’d gotten in every way. He loosed a nearly undetectable sigh and closed his eyes, trying to identify the faint muted sounds he could hear below the water.

Rosalind was taking the opportunity to watch Sesshomaru float on the surface. His body shifted slightly in the ever-moving water. Though his eyes were closed, she was sure he was aware of her. He was always aware… of everything. She wondered sometimes if that wasn’t exhausting, but was sure he didn’t know any other way to be. Aware and alert, that was Sesshomaru. And strong… she thought, admiring the long muscles again from head to toe, made abundantly clear all over, despite the long pants he wore.

Then she noticed his sharp gold eyes had opened and she flushed. Aware and alert. Oops… It was time to change her train of thought, quickly, before she embarrassed herself. She cleared her throat and said, “the kids are still asleep. I figured I’d give them another twenty minutes before I wake them up.”

Sesshomaru nodded once and dropped his legs to sink beneath him in the water. He swam over to grab hold of a rail and pull himself half out of the water with one arm. He tugged a lever and the portable docking pin dropped on its hinge from beneath the jet ski where it was tied to the back of the boat. Sesshomaru pulled the bolt from the hinge and hooked the docking pin to a loop of metal on the bottom of the boat before he slowly lowered himself back down into the water.

This activity forced Rosalind to look away again. It caused the muscles in his back to move and flex, hard as steel under tanned skin and she couldn’t consider that either. Salt water could only do so much to mute her scent and she was a relatively healthy human woman after all. Just because she’d failed miserably when things got hot, heavy and close, didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate a nice view. She transferred her attention to the jet ski and asked, “is it anything like riding your motorcycle?”

Sesshomaru looked up and considered the question before shaking his head. “There are similarities… but there’s much more freedom of movement and this is much safer for Rin.”

Rosalind was looking at the machine with some interest and he asked, “do you care to try?”

She raised her brows in surprise, “me? Um… are you sure?”

Sesshomaru smirked and pulled himself up on the back of the running board, swinging a leg to stand over the seat as he taunted her with the Celtic words he’d seen tattooed on her neck. “Gan eagla… Are you afraid?”

She narrowed her eyes a bit at the challenge and smiled. She unfolded herself from the bottom step and crossed her arms over her chest. “Now?”

Sesshomaru smiled slightly, looking smug, and twisted the starter to bring the engine to life as he loosed the cable tying it to the boat. He nudged the jet ski over so she could step onto the running board. When he moved forward a little she climbed on, settling on the long seat behind him, her knees against the back of his thighs. He made sure she was situated before he said over his shoulder, “hold to me.” After a pause he added, “I should be telling you to go put on a life jacket.”

Rosalind rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m not scared. Show me what you got.”

He smirked again and throttled the machine back from the boat. He shot her an amused look over that shoulder and said, “hold tight. Or you’ll fall off.”

He waited until he felt her squeeze her arms around him and opened up the throttle, letting the engine roar and buck, launching them forward in the water. He held the speed back to between fifteen or twenty miles per hour until he thought she’d adjusted herself and was stable in her seat, steering the ski in a few gentle turns to give her a chance to learn how to shift her weight with him. She took to it with no trouble, and he found himself enjoying the ride already.

After cruising like this for a few minutes, he increased the speed steadily, narrowing his eyes a little in the wind and smiling as he felt the engine kick them forward over a swell. He turned into the low waves and expertly cruised across them at an angle, launching them just a little into the air a few times as he turned and sped them in a wide lap around the catamaran. He heard Rosalind let out a thrilled laugh as he skidded them through a tight turn and he carefully pulled them through a few more half-wild maneuvers before he circled them down to a slower speed and back to the aft deck.

Rosalind sat for a moment before she released her hold on him, her internal organs taking a second to catch up with her. She stood up stiffly and left one hand on his shoulder for balance as she pulled her leg back over the seat. Carefully she jumped back onto the bottom step of the boat, grinning. “I see why you bought it. I bet Rin loves flying on that thing. Thanks for the ride.”

Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was already half dry and a little wild from the wind, pulled loose from her tie. Inuyasha leaned over the railing of the upper deck and called, “showoff!”

Kagome was shaking her head at the half demon and Rosalind laughed. The kids came running out of the cabin and Rin cried, “us next!”

Sesshomaru gave her a stern look and she stopped on the top step and turned around, sighing in exasperation as she said, “I know, life jacket. I’m going…”

Rosalind pursed her lips on a smile and climbed the steps to help the kids into their vests. She helped Rin climb onto the running board where Sesshomaru could settle her in front of him on the seat. That done, the young woman dropped to sit next to Shippo in the water on the bottom step while he waited his turn. He was thoroughly over-excited. “Was it fun?! It looked fun!”

Rosalind grinned and nodded. “Lots of fun, you’ll love it. You’ll get the next turn, I’m sure.”

The two of them watched Sesshomaru cruise around for a little while, a bit slower with Rin than he’d been with Rosalind. Shippo sat up and seemed to be listening to something, his pointed ears twitching a few times. Rosalind raised a brow curiously. “What’s up bambino?”

Shippo frowned for a second, listening over the noise of the jet ski in the distance and said, “I think it’s your phone. It’s ringing.”

Rosalind climbed up the steps and ran into the cabin to find her cell phone. It was in its plastic bag on the kitchen counter and she frowned down at the display. It was Alaric’s number again. She took a moment to be impressed that she was getting reception out here before she became irritated. Pulling the phone out, she hit the ignore option, ending the insistent chiming. Setting the phone back on the counter, she poured herself a glass of iced tea and stood drinking it, rubbing the calf of one leg with her other bare foot. She narrowed her eyes at the little piece of technology on the counter, daring it to ring again.

The cell phone obliged her almost immediately. Rosalind growled a little under her breath and picked it up. She opened the call and spoke, mindful that if Shippo had heard the phone ringing, he could certainly hear her talking on it. “Yes, Alaric?”

“Rosalind darling…” came the smarmy voice on the other end.

She smiled tightly, her eyes on the Jet ski in the distance as she leaned against the cabin doorway. “I’m not your darling anything. Remember what I told you earlier?”

“Well… yeah, but I wanted to see how you felt after you’d had some time to think it over.” Rosalind snorted derisively into the phone and shook her head.

“I haven’t given it another thought, I’m still busy-- and the answer is still no,” she said, keeping her tone civil for the sake of small ears, despite her irritation.

“Rosie dear, you’re breaking my heart.” She rolled her eyes as there was a pause before the guy asked, “what if I raise the offer? 870 per print. It’s a good pay day, you have to admit.”

Rosalind shook her head and sighed, pacing back and forth across the deck in her bare feet. “I don’t have to admit anything. I’m not interested. Did you talk to Eidolon? Even if I was into it, which I’m not, this isn’t something I specialize in. You might have better luck with her. And don’t bull…” she paused, altering her language at the last moment as Shippo turned to look at her over his shoulder curiously.

“Don’t give me that baloney about quality and timely completion. Eidolon has a good rep and you know it. She’s the best.”

There was a pause as the man on the other end of the line considered her words. Then he said, “I called the old man at the photo place. He says he hasn’t heard from Eidolon in months. I called around an’ no one seems to know what she’s been about. She’s off the grid… apparently-- a complete ghost.”

Rosalind frowned and asked, “really? I hadn’t heard that. I know it takes a while to get in touch with her sometimes though.”

Alaric snorted coarsely and asked, “what rock you been hidin’ under? She’s been gone for a long time now. She’s good at what she does-- an that’s the truth. An operator like Eidolon goes dark and people notice. You really are out of the dodge, aren’t you love?”

Rosalind scowled as Sesshomaru and Rin motored their way back to the boat and she said, “well… that’s just too bad. She’s your best option for a job like this. Don’t call me again, I have too many other things on my plate right now, and I’m done working with you.” She couldn’t quite contain her irritation enough to censor her language this time as she said in an false English accent that mocked his own, “bugger off and leave me alone.”

She ended the call and slid the phone back into the bag, meeting Sesshomaru’s inquiring glance with a shrug and a tight smile. She tossed the phone onto the padded bench and came back out to help Rin and Shippo switch places. Rin was grinning from ear to ear and said, “we went soooo fast! Did you see?”

Rosalind laughed and nodded. “I saw, you guys looked great!”

Sesshomaru met her eyes while Shippo settled himself into Rin’s vacated spot in front of the Dai-Yokai. His voice was a low undertone as he asked, “is there trouble?”

He pulled in a deep breath, but the scents of salt water and fuel frustratingly masked much of what he was looking for. Rosalind relaxed her smile and said, “everything’s fine. Go on, before Shippo explodes with excitement.”

He studied her one more moment before giving a single nod and focusing on the boy in front of him. “Ready, kit?”

Shippo crowed happily in the affirmative and as Sesshomaru throttled them carefully away from the boat he asked the boy, “you heard the call Rosalind just had?”

The fox demon nodded, his face going a little more serious, reminding Sesshomaru that this boy, despite his youth and care-free demeanor, had a wealth of experience with the adult world. “Yeah… Is it important?” he asked, looking up at Sesshomaru grimly.

Sesshomaru kept his face blank as he answered. “Tell me what you heard.”

As they tooled around at lower speeds, Shippo recounted the little bit he’d heard of both sides of the conversation. In return, Sesshomaru rewarded his efforts with faster speeds and stored the information carefully for later consideration.