Love after Loss

Standard disclaimers apply.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the story so far! Of course, it will take awhile for the two of them to, you know, get together again and all, for it will seem so dramatic should they easily proclaim their love for each other in the next three chapters to come.

In this chapter, Sesshoumaru tries contacting his family members for help in getting their HLA tissue types checked to see if it matches Rin’s.

Title: Love after Loss

Chapter 7: Trying Hard


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Scanning his eyes over the drafted email on the computer screen for one last time, he checked the address boxes and pressed the button for “Send”.

“Dear all, this is Sesshoumaru. I hope you are all doing fine, but I sincerely wish you will be able to do me a favor. My daughter Rin has contracted acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), a fast-growing cancer of the bone marrow and blood. Her best chance of survival is in receiving a bone marrow transplant, and for that, the HLA tissue type of the donor must be a full-match to hers. Both my ex-wife Kagome and I have gone for the test, and we are only half-matches. If we do not do anything soon, according to the doctor, Rin might not be able to live past the age of eight. She is only five now.

I know I haven’t been doing much as a son or a brother over all these years, but we would appreciate it greatly if you can do a HLA typing test and send me the results from wherever you are. Shown below is my address and fax number…”

He closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat for a moment, breathing in the cool, fresh air of his office. Since when had he last emailed his family members? In such a formal and polite tone too? He could not really recall.

He thought of the email going out from his computer, flying all the way out to the skies above and beyond, only to fly to the respective inboxes he intended the mail for. There were so much mail being sent daily, and it was oddly fascinating to think of how they would not get lost in the hectic mail traffic.

He swiveled around in his chair to look out of the window, looking out through the gaps of the blinds to see the azure blue sky peeping back at him. For some reasons, everything made him think of her now.

That day at the hospital, when he so instinctively drew her into a tight embrace, only made things more awkward for them now. He did not know what made him say all those words to her. It was as if…as if they were still together as a couple. So what exactly is their status now? The entire ordeal with Rin’s illness only served to make their relationship even weirder. They were divorced, so they should not be on such close terms anymore. At least that was what he thought.

After she calmed down relatively, Kagome had drew away from him awkwardly, before hastily evading eye contact and making only polite, detached conversations for the rest of the day. He could only reply whatever she was saying, or simply keep quiet as both tried their hardest to ignore the mounting tension in the air.

The blue sky offered no explanation for whatever was going through his head.

At that instant, the mail alert rang. Sesshoumaru turned back to his computer screen, seeing the familiar pop-up which said, “You’ve got mail!”

Sitting closer to the screen, he clicked on the link to his inbox, before his eyes widened slightly in surprise.

It was Inuyasha, replying from Shanghai.

The email read, in what Sesshoumaru thought was a classical Inuyasha manner, like that.

“Hey Bro! What’s up? Alright, actually I do know what’s up. It’s just damn bad that something like that had to happen to poor little Rin-chan! Don’t worry about the test; I will definitely go for it ASAP. I’ll ask others to go for it too, you know, you never know if there are compatible matches out there! Has old pops replied you? If not, tell me and I’ll bug him till he does.

Please tell Rin-chan to stay strong and get well soon! Then all of you can come over to Shanghai to visit! It’s great here – the shopping, the metropolitan city, the meat dumplings, Peking duck and the Chinese girls! Woohoo! Totally fantastic! Alright, don’t ever let Kikyou know I said that. Oh, she just told me she wants to fold a thousand paper cranes for Rin-chan and send them over. That’s my traditional wife for you!

I’ll send you the results of the test once I get them done, so till then, take care!”

In the past, he would feel irked whenever Inuyasha spoke, but right then, the loud-mouthed way in which his half-brother spoke was almost…heartwarming.

Unable to help the small smile which crept up his face, Sesshoumaru pressed the button for “reply”. After replying, he would go out for lunch.

A while later, over at Shanghai, Inuyasha smiled in return. For on the computer, two simple words were facing him.

It read, “Thanks, Bro.”


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Kagome gritted her teeth and opened the cardboard box rather forcefully, to reveal the neatly packed books in the box. Replacing the pocket penknife in her pouch, she took the books out by the dozens and arranged them as neatly as she could on the display shelf.

Twenty in a stack, she mentally noted, checking the list on her clipboard before reaching into the box for more of the books.

“Higurashi-san!” Came the voice of a colleague, Horimaki Yui. “Do you want to join us for lunch?”

Looking up at the face of her colleague, she shook her head. “It’s alright, Yui-chan. I brought my own food. Thanks for asking me along.”

The young girl nodded in acknowledgment before asking again. “Are you sure you don’t need any help here?”

“I can manage,” Kagome smiled. “Now run along before the other girls get to sit beside Tachibana-kun.”

Yui smiled bashfully as Kagome mentioned the boy she had a crush on, before turning in the direction of footsteps approaching them.

“Can I help you?” Yui asked politely, while Kagome continued her task of arranging the books which had just arrived that morning from the publisher.

“I’m looking for Kagome.”

At that familiar voice, Kagome’s head snapped up, only to see Sesshoumaru standing three feet away from her. Struck with the sudden awkwardness of the situation, especially what happened at the hospital that night, Kagome smiled politely and bowed in greeting before standing up.

“What brings you here today?” She asked, suddenly conscious of her job and her duties. It seemed oddly embarrassing for him to see her shelving books.

“To look for you.” He was, as usual, so straightforward in his speech and action, giving her no time to react properly.

“I see…” She smiled, mentally fidgeting from the awkwardness of the situation, before picking up the empty cardboard box from the floor.

“Higurashi-san, I think I better get going...” Yui smiled at Kagome before bowing to Sesshoumaru with a cheeky smile on her face. “Now, I know why you refuse to go for lunch with us. Enjoy yours!” She added with a whisper by Kagome’s ear.

Kagome smiled in exasperation and watched as the young girl left with her other colleagues at Kinokuniya, before turning back to the man in front of her.

“Why do you not go for lunch with the others?”

“I brought my own food, you see.” She explained, before walking to where the staffroom was.

He followed her and watched as she disposed of the cardboard box and checked her hair in front of the mirror where her locker was. Opening the locker, she retrieved a steamed bun from her bag, before taking a seat at a small table. He did not take the seat opposite her.

“So, what is it you wish to see me about?” She asked, taking a bite from the bun.

“Is that all you are eating?” He asked, almost incredulously if it wasn’t for the fact he was well able to mask his emotions.

She nodded, before taking a sip of water from her bottle.

“An 80 yen mushipan from the convenience shop can hardly be called lunch.” He replied in his ever so straightforward manner.

“I’m not dieting, and neither am I anorexic, Sesshoumaru.” She said softly, before taking another bite. She knew where the conversation was leading to, and it would not be before long when he questions her lack of care for her own body.

He did not say a word, and she took another sip of water in silence.

She placed the bottle down to pick the half-eaten bun up, before his hand beat hers to it. He picked the remnants of her lunch up, before tossing it into the wastepaper basket by the table.

Her eyes widened in surprise, before she exclaimed. “Wha-”

“You will not be eating such things if I can help it.” He grabbed her arm firmly but gently and pulled her up into a standing position.

“What’s wrong with eating that?”

“Do you have any idea how thin you’re getting?”

“Pardon me if I don’t have enough money to go for lavish lunches and dinners.” She was getting a little irked at how he was acting like her private nutritionist.

“Come with me,” He said, walking towards the door while holding her by the hand. “I’ll pay for lunch.”

“Sesshoumaru, I hope you can stop treating me like a charity case.” She sounded almost helpless.

“I never said you were one. But I am very sure you are the mother of my daughter, and I won’t let you suffer like that.”

That, gave Kagome no more reasons to refuse his lunch treat.


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To be continued…

A/N: Alright, no major progressions in this chapter, but nonetheless, is it more or less getting clearer to you guys that Sesshoumaru cares for her?

Please review!