Talk to me

Disclaimer: I don’t own InuYasha… or anyone relating to the anime or manga, but I could always Dream.


Talk to me
By Silent-tale


Chapter Twelve


Rin awoke to a pleasant cool feeling on her cheek; she didn’t open her eyes through. A nice sensation like this might get ruin if she opened them, falling back to sleep with this feeling would be good.


“Wakey, wakey, little sis,” she heard a voice that sounded like Yura in somewhat of a creeping pleasant tone.


She almost didn’t believe it, but that ‘title’ at the end, she knew it was Yura. And now she really wanted to go back to sleep, but knowing her that wouldn’t happen. So Rin opened her eyes to see Yura staring down at her. Something’s different she looks worried, Rin thought. Her eyes moved from Yura to look around the room, her bedroom. Shifting her body to sit up, she gasped as a spasm of pain shot through her side.


“You shouldn’t move,” Yura said gently pushing on her shoulder back to the bed. The tone sounded genuinely concern. “You were lucky. No broken bones.” Yura said reapplying the cold cloth to her face.


Rin suddenly drew in a shaky breath, widening her eyes, as they started to water remembering last night’s events. “Why,” she managed to choke out.


“Oh little sis.”


The room was quiet as she watched her taking away the cloth, setting the blue towel in the bowl that sat on the nightstand. Dark eyes looked directly into brown eyes; Yura placed shaky hands into her lap. “Dad gets stressed from work; there was a deal that didn’t go through. And I know to stay away when he’s like that. It’s from stress, and frustration. He keeps it bottled up and it builds.” She paused and after a moment her hands stilled and she continued, “It’s why I’m so involved with his work so I know and help try to prevent bad times at my dad’s business. I should have warned you about it. I’m sorry,” her voice was creaking and tears shined in her eyes.


Rin was shocked to see her like this; hurt, valuable as her own shallowly past came to surface. It was a side of Yura that she thought never existed.


“I thought he was better, since he gotten help. He’s been fine with handling stress-


“My mother,” she interrupted to know, “Is she-


“Kikyo,” Yura said looking at her again, “You needed worry about her. He won’t hurt her I know it.”


Rin mentally gave a sign of relief as long as my mother is okay.


“He’s gotten help for it.” Yura defended her father; “It comes back every once in a while. I mean it hasn’t happen to me in years, so just a quick visit to the doc and he’ll be as good as new.”


Rin narrowed her eyes between the emotions of anger and comfort. Comfort at knowing her mother will be safe and never to be hurt like this and anger at how causally Yura said ‘quick visit to the doc and he’ll be as good as new.’ So she was supposed to accept being beat up every once in a while. NO WAY IN H-E-L-L!


“The swelling will be gone by tonight so just rest and I’ll talk to dad okay,” Yura said picking up the bowl from the nightstand, preparing to leave.


“Where my mother?”


Yura paused while standing up, “You’re not going to say anything?”


Your! Damn! STRAIGHT!
Her inner voice Screamed!


“Yes,” Rin answered firmly.


“Look,” Yura said sitting back down, “I said I’ll talk to him, he’ll go see the doc and all will be fine.”


“Until he’ll have a relapse, you said he went to see a doctor about this before. It obvious didn’t work.” Rin tried sitting up again, biting her lip in order to keep from crying out. But before she could finish, Yura stood over her and shoved her back down. This time she couldn’t help, but wine in pain as Yura forcibly pushed into her injuries. She struggled to get out of her grip, but every movement only added to her agony. And after a couple of minutes she had to her cease struggles lying still under Yura’s normal cruel stare.


“All right little sis but let me ask you” Yura brought her fingers to Rin’s swollen cheek lightly touching the warm flesh. “How much do you care about your mother’s happiness?” She didn’t wait for her answer. “That smile your mother wears. The sparkle of light in her eyes, how long has it been there? No long has it, only a few months really, hm?” A smirk slowly spread across her lips, she lean slightly closer almost to wear they shared the same breath, “And when did the glow of happiness start?”


When did it start?
When did it start?


Her heart began pounding in her ears, thinking. Rin’s mind raced through all the smiles her mother ever wore. From the day her memory begun, her mother was happy. Her smiles were so wide and bright she remembered thinking her face will get permanently struck like that. But she was wrong, because tragedies struck the little family and then again too close to the first. After that things kept getting worse and worse until she and her mother ended up in that tiny apartment. By then the bright light as huge as the sun was reduce to a dimming candle seconds from going out. The smiles that seem as enormous as a watermelon slice had turn thin, cracking almost no life left.


There was little to nothing to be happy about, working double to triple shifts a day, deciding to pay for rent or food this month and when they scrapped a little extra money together someone breaks in and steals it. By then there was barely anything left to give her mother joy. And the only thing she could do was go to school and get straight A’s, however even that was losing it power to being a genuine smile to her mother’s face.


“A worn down woman.” She heard her mother call herself, sitting in an old crumpling chair at the table. Her head bent to her chest with messy hair spilling over her face. Tried arms just hung limply at her side, dressed in her pale blue diner uniform she sat so still like a corpse. It frightened the fourteen-year-old girl watching from the doorway. At that moment she decided to get a job to help. Although even with being able to pay the bills it never really brought the smile back to her mother’s face, not any real ones.


“Little, little sis, when did that smile return to your mother?” Yura asked again. This time wanting an answer, she pressed her finger into Rin’s cheek.


She hissed trying to turn her head away, but Yura would have none of that pushing harder.


When did it start, when Naraku walked into the diner that was her mother’s first encounter with him.


And Rin didn’t want to admit it out loud, because when her mother came home that day she was on cloud nine smiling and laughing. Something she hadn’t seen in years, it was real. So she didn’t question her happy mood just went along with it.


Yura seem to notice after a few minutes that she refused to respond, but the answer was written as clear as day on her face. Taking her hand away Yura turned Rin head towards her so they looked at each other in the eye. “Do you want to take that smile away?”


-


1:32am
The person in the mirror didn’t look like her. Both her cheeks carried dark marks; the swelling did go down. Raising her shirt shots of pain went through her stomach as her muscles clenched themselves. There on the right side of her ribs was a fist size bruise. She didn’t remember being kick there, but it could have happen after he knocked her out. At her waist there were dots of bruises pulling down her waistband to reveal more of them, ten in all. They strung when she walked. Putting her cloths back into the rights she looked into the mirror biting her bottom lip. Now you’d got an excuse to use all that make-up.


Leaving her bathroom and her room she crept into the dark hallway moving slowly across the wooden floor. He wasn’t here, but his daughter who she hoped was sleeping heavily in bed. Making her way to the master bedroom, she paused staring at the door before turning the doorknob. She bit down on her inner lip pushing the door open. Inside the only source of light came from the glow of the moon shining through an open curtain. The glow spilled across the room to the bed where she could see her mother’s sleeping form. She took a short breath before going inside. Steady steps approached the king size bed, kneeling down she whispered, “Mom.”


The woman on the bed didn’t move. Rin bit down on her inner lip harder she close her eyes feeling the resolve that was built up inside her spilling away. Wrapping her arms around her mother’s waist she laid her head on her mother’s tummy. “Mom.”


Kikyo jumped sitting up at the foreign feeling on her, but relax after hearing her daughter’s voice, “What the matter Rin?” Kikyo said in a tried voice.


She shook her head against her mother’s silk pajamas.


“Alright then you don’t have to tell me.” Her mother yawned laying back down patting her daughter’s head, “I’ll talk.”


Rin smiled she remember this tactic, whenever there was something wrong and didn’t want to say anything about it. Her mother would start talking about the silliest things until she gave in.


“So much had happen in the last few months,” her mother began in a soft sleepy voice, “It’s almost a dream, it could be a dream and if it’s is I don’t want to wake up. Never-Ever.” Her head rested on Rin’s head. “To think where we were to now I haven’t felt this way in a long time. It feels new, magical. I don’t even know if that the appropriate words I can describe it as.” Her mother voice drifted to a whisper then stopped speaking Rin wondered if she fallen back to sleep.


“Mom.”


“Happy,” Her mother began again. “A word so small and simple can mean so much.”


Rin squeezed her eyes shut, “I just want you to be happy.”


“I am.” Her mother answered.


-


Over the next few days Rin stayed confided in her room, calling into work sick, only leaving her room very late at night for food. She spent the days practicing with her make-up learning how to use cover up. Finishing any homework that needed to be done, her mother sometimes knocked on her door to see how she was doing. And she always answered, “I’m fine.” Through mostly she has been IMing.


Shychild: Mr. Jaken do u like flowers

Toad-servant: How do you know my name

Shychild: ur frozen bossman says it whenever ur being annoyin

Toad-servant: I’m not annoying

Shychild: well u do like to ramble on & on a lot. Anyway do u like flowers

Toad-servant: I do not! And what does weeds have to do with this

Shychild: we’re done with ur accounting stuff lets chat bout something else

Toad-servant: all right then this is the point where I sign out

Shychild: u do it and I’ll tell ur bossman about these “secret” meetings

Shychild: About how every little problem u have u coming running to me

Shychild: And I don’t even get paid for this

Toad-servant: You blackmailer


Rin smiled this icing on the cake.


Shychild: & u have my screen name saved on ur buddy list. How bad of an employee is that

Toad-servant: You won’t do it

Shychild: I’m bored & I’ll do it just for fun

Toad-servant: All right

Shychild: hehehehehe….


Is he still on Rin thought, after a moment?


Shychild: HELLO!

Toad-servant: I’m thinking

Shychild: Thinking?


How hard is it to pick a topic?


Shychild: say anything, talk bout that high & mighty boss u love to gloat about

That turned out to be a bad idea, reading how Jaken put the man on the rank emperor made her sign out in the middle of his ramblings.


Well that was a waste of time she thought standing up stretching. She no longer received any shots of pain when her limbs stretched there was only marred skin left. However all she had really was time until night. The final weekend before school resumed and she was spending it in her room doing nothing. Rin sat down on her bed looking up at the blue ceiling. She slowly started to sway right to left before lying down. She didn’t sleep through just laid there staring into nothing, listening to joyful voices below. Her mother was laughing at a story Yura was telling, Naraku gave a chuckle as well, but she didn’t care only her mother’s laugher was important.


-


About an hour later.


Slayer: r u feeling okay

Shychild: yeah I’m fine why

Slayer: wolfprincess said u called in sick all this week

Shychild: wolfprincess? Ayame?

Slayer: yeah

Shychild: I’ve been a little under the weather but I’m fine now

Slayer: great doing anything tomorrow

Shychild: nope


Thank you Sango I can’t take looking at these walls for much longer!


Slayer: it’s a big favor

Shychild: yes w/o even knowing

Slayer: great we’re short handed at work

Shychild: work?

Slayer: u said yes I’ll give u details when I come pick you up


-


Saturday 5:22pm

Rin put the finishing touches on her make-up.


“There,” she said doting one last time on cheek with cover-up.


Yesterday, when Rin emerged from her room wearing the make-up to ask her mother about going out, she notice and commented about how good she looked. She simply replied, “I got it I might as well use it.”


Her skin was one shade again, she wanted to smile, but couldn’t. Not at the person in the mirror, it was a necessarily mask in order to keep the person precious to her happy. Her joy wasn’t important.


After finishing getting dress, she went downstairs to the kitchen to snack on a pear while waiting for Sango to come. Everyone was gone. Her mother, Naraku and Yura went to some dinner thing; it had something to do with his work. Rin didn’t know care, although she should since not knowing had her dressed in powdered camouflage. She signed her shoulders dropped a bit as another train of thought ran through her mind. It seemed to happen a lot she being out of the loop of what’s going on. She isolated herself in her room for the past week, but it was happening before than. They just left say, “I’m going out!” And that’ll be it. Well maybe that how things worked in a family of this size. There are more than just the two of them now; she didn’t need to know everything they did. Rin turned the over pear over starting to munch on the other side.


Another thing she seen change in the months since moving here. Maybe it seemed too soon, is that why she having a problem with her new family’s life style? Could it be she’s just not use to it yet? It makes sound since really if looked at from a therapist point of view, she having trouble adjusting to this way of life. What’s the treatment for this, Rin thought. Let time go by and eventually this will be normal or go back to that small apartment.


No, this is something to get use to. But in truth is this something she wants to get use to, because of this growing gap. The gap it’s been there for a while now. Their relationship hadn’t been the same in months, not since he arrived in their lives.


However. It was bound to change with new people in their lives. It couldn’t be helped. Yes their mother daughter relationship has been cut in a few places, still it has reattached in other places as well. Her mother still loves her, and she wanted her to be happy.


So she will take these marks in order to keep her. Taking a deep breath Rin realized that she already came to this resolution. That she’ll have to get use to these changes, guessed she just needs to be reminded since the development of the situation. She stood and threw the fruit pit away; the sound of honk rang as the pit landed in the bin.


“Finally.” She said anxiously ready to get out the house. Those thoughts were kind a depressing.


Leaving the kitchen she went to the closest pulling out a coat and then slipping it on. After zipping it up, she opened the door to see snow, on the ground, a good inch she guessed. She hadn’t noticed it snowed, refusing to look outside her bedroom window in order not to be tempted into leaving her room. Now that her make-up technique was perfected she might come out and make a snowman, once it snow a bit more.

Sango waited in a black Honda at the curb. Walking down the stairs she noticed the walk away was shoveled and vaguely wondered who did it. Opening the door to the Honda, “Hey,” she said getting in.


Closing her door Sango confirmed, “You are free from now to about one AM right?”


“Yeah,” Rin said in an inquisitively tone, what has she gotten herself into? “What are we doing again?”


“Work,” Sango replied pulling away from the curb. “I work for a catering company, that serves food and drinks at parties and clean up after it’s over. You’re supposed to be 21 to be able to work there, but they haven’t check me out yet.”


“That’s because you look like you’re in twenties. Me I look I’m twelve.”


“My boss won’t notice he’s desperate for staff. I get paid extra for recruiting you.”


“Thanks,” she said exaggerated looking out the window.


“Don’t sound that way I said you’ll be getting paid for your work too.”


“Why are they under staff again?”


“We’re catering a business party with the theme of Cinderella masked ball. The guests can’t wear masks while doing a meet and greet for work, especially when they get drunk, they defiantly won’t remember each other,” Sango laughed. “So only the women will be walking the floor while the men will either be in the back making food or won’t come in until the party about over. There aren’t enough women to walk the floor.”


“Okay,” Rin smiled turn towards Sango, “Did you get Kagome and Ayame to do this too.”


“Every girl I can find.”


-


Rin eyes widen like saucers and she had to suppress the urge to gasp.


She couldn’t be here, could she? Blinking her eyes she took a look at the woman standing at least fifteen feet away from her. It was… Yura dressed in a revealing red dress. Making sure the tray of drinks she was holding blocked her face, even through she was already wearing a black mask. She spotted her mother dressed in a black formal dress and Naraku less then a foot away wore a tux.


This where they went Rin thought.

What do I do? Go over there and say hi. No, Yura would use this event as an excuse to make working here miserable. The party had begun less than an hour ago and the floor quickly filled with guests. Was it just her luck that they had to be standing in the area she was assigned to walk. Maybe she could get someone to trade with her. Or maybe they won’t recognize her. Rin gave a quick glance at her uniform, black one inched heels, knee length black skirt, a long red blouse, with a black vest over it, not to mention the mask. Moving away from them she walked the perimeter of her area. After a moment she grew a little relaxed, when she noticed they were leaving the space. She calmed down a little bit, but not fully, because there was still the rest of the night to deal with. Feeling the last glass leave her tray, she started making her way to the kitchen for another serving dish.


“Rin, Rin!” She heard someone whisper her name as she was going through the doors.


It was Kagome.


“Yeah,” She said sitting down the empty tray on a table.


“Look who’s here!”


“Yeah I know I saw.”


“You saw Inuyasha all ready. I wondered why he didn’t tell me he was going to be here?”


“Inuyasha here?” Going to doors where Kagome was standing, “Where?”


“Look over there by the center piece,” Kagome directed.


The girls peeked through the doors.


“Wow!” Rin commented, “He looks very different in a suit.” It was a black suit with a fire red dress shirt and even darker red tie. His long silver hair was tied back into a low ponytail.


Sliver hair. She blinked her eyes a few times. No it’s black. Maybe she needed her eyes check, cause this happened a few times before, she remembered seeing golden eyes before, silver hair, red eyes and silver hair again, something must be wrong or her imagination is acting up again.


Standing next to him to an older man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties; he wore an indigo blue suit. His long hair was definitely graying and also pulled back into a low ponytail. The angle of his jaw line looked similar to Inuyasha.


“Is that his dad?” She asked.


“Yeah.” Kagome confirmed.


“They look alike.” She commented, continuing to scan the crowd, when her eyes found him. “It that-


“Ladies what are you doing,” Said Kei, the boss.


“Sorry!” The girls said at once, quickly they hurry and grabbed full trays of drinks, hustling out the doors.


“Kagome, who walks the area where Inuyasha is at?”


“I do.”


“Let’s trade.”


“Why?” Kagome asked out of curiosity.


“Because, Sesshoumaru is here and I haven’t been able to thank him for saving me in the pool that time.”


“Sure I don’t mind.”


“Thanks.”


The two separated walking in different directions, mingling into the crowd. Then Rin paused as she remembered something, better give Kagome the heads up. “Kagome!”


“Yeah,” Kagome stopped just as she began to mix into the party.


“Yura’s here,” she said, and Rin could tell that her day just got ruined as she saw her mouth turned in a grim line.


“Where?”


“It’s looked she moved into Ayame’s area.”


“I hope she stays there.” With that the two went off to their new sections.


Nervously biting her bottom lip, she didn’t know what how she was going to do it. But it would seem like she was ungrateful if she didn’t thank him. Rin guided herself slowly into the area where the three was standing. She did try to thank him during her voluntarily confinement in her room, by calling Inuyasha asking to speak to his brother, however he was away on a business trip. And didn’t know or care when he’ll be back. That so brotherly love for you. This might be the only opportunity she’ll get to thank him, since he sounded like a busy person.


Sesshoumaru dress apart wearing a white eggshell suit, his long black hair wasn’t tied back instead hung neatly down. Rin wasn’t exactly sure how she going to go about thanking him. Well she couldn’t just go up to him and say, “Hey remember me I was the girl who almost drowned in your pool. I just wanted to say thank you very much for saving my life.” And besides the staff isn’t allow to speak with guests unless they were asked first, well she could probably get away with that since she had to get a crash course in the rules just before the event began.


She moved through the crowd, having drinks taken from the tray as she went. Not knowing how she was going to speak with him, but she was going to do something. Approaching the three men she wondered if Inuyasha would recognize her, he probably hadn’t recognized Kagome when she served him a drink. Inuyasha’s father if she remembered right his name was Inutasiho. He was speaking with someone in a black suit. Sesshoumaru looked to be listening, and as for Inuyasha who stood at a slight distance away looked to be very irritated, he obviously didn’t want to be here.


It isn’t nice to interrupt, Rin thought so she idled about for a few minutes second-guessing herself, if she was really going to try. Almost all the while glasses of red wine were being removed from the tray.


‘Now or nothing.’ As the old saying goes.

….
….
….

So close be so far away, she thought.

…

Oh, just go already! Her inner voice yelled.


Turning around Rin moved towards him. Sesshoumaru wasn’t too far away. As she was within a foot away, she felt something hit her ankle, causing her to stumble forward. The tray with the last remaining glass slipped from her hands. Unable to keep her balance, Rin fell onto her hands and knees. She could hear the glass breaking and the tray hitting the floor. Regaining her composure, feeling the pain in her knees from adsorbing the fall she looked up to see a very nice white eggshell suit with a big red strain on it.


--

Sorry for the wait I know you guys have been waiting a long time. Also for the spelling and grammar mistakes, I know I always miss some, since I didn’t have a beta reader.

So how’s that for some Rin and Sesshoumaru enter action. I know I’m so evil ^-^

Til later