Ichi-go Ichi-e by NovemberDoll

Pitter-Patter

A/N: Arrrgh! Another angst. :( They have a past encounter and he does not remember. it will be no secret because it will be mentioned even in the first chapter. And unlike the first angsty work, which I realized has probably less than 10 chapters left, I have not yet decided the end. I am honestly so torn on how to end this! I hope you will help me out.

This will only be a very short intro chapter, just to give you a peek. And then (promise) I’ll concentrate on finishing There's Something. Longer chapters ahead.

Ichigo Ichie- The term is often translated as "for this time only," "never again," or "one chance in a lifetime.” It is a Japanese four-character idiom that describes a cultural concept of treasuring meetings with people. “Treasure each encounter, for it will never recur.”

*****

Pitter-Patter

*****

She stared at the large clock in the middle of the quaint little town square.

Her grip on the handle tightened, as the downpour pounded on her umbrella. She held her small gym bag closer to her person, keeping it safe and dry from the intruding rain.

Five o’clock.

He was supposed to meet her at two.

The people passing by held ridiculing glances, silent smirks, it seemed, to her stupidity.

Still she stood there, waiting for him, always for him…

A memory of her as a little girl flashed in her mind, 

Alone in the middle of a hospital room, with a large canvas and palette. 

These unknown people in white gowns, 

With pity hidden in their smiles, they wanted to know, underneath that broken marionette,

If there was a soul that still lived inside.

But she did not live, she merely existed.

Everything felt so cold… and the very air around her was suffocating…

What had happened?

Ever since the night of August 1st, her mind could not process,

She refused to feel…

Everything in her decided to just… stop.

She held her hand out to the little drops of rain. Pitter-patter, on her hand, slowly running down her arm…

Everything… felt so cold…

Until he reached out, and he held her hand.

She felt someone stop in front of her, and she tilted her umbrella for her to see.

“Have you been waiting long?” He said. He was drenched in the rain, out of breath from his apparent haste to get to her. She smiled as she stepped forward and sheltered him from the downpour, protectively from the world, just as she always did.

“No, not long at all.” She reached out to the tall figure before her, to tuck a wet strand of white hair that was sticking to his face. “I told you to bring an umbrella… Now you look like a wet dog.” She laughed softly, and then, almost quietly, “You never listen to me, Sesshomaru.”

“I forgot,” he answered, “Kagome, I am… going to ask her to be my girlfriend today.

So I had to hurry.”

Her hand quickly withdrew. “Oh,” her smile faltered. She struggled to keep it in her face, not wanting him to see. “So she is with you?”

“Yes,” he said as he turned and pointed to a cafe in the far corner of the square. “We were having some pastries when the downpour started. And now we’re stuck,” he brought his golden gaze back to her. “I remembered, I was supposed to meet you at two. And so I rushed here, knowing that you would still be waiting for me, thinking that you, for sure, have brought an umbrella,”

“I see,” she nodded. Her vision blurred, and the world around her teetered.

“You don’t want her to get wet, when you walk her back to your car.”

There was a long silence between them, until the woman with blue eyes shifted. She handed to him her precious bag, 

“What’s this?” Sesshomaru asked, and she looked up at him and smiled.

“Dry clothes for you, I knew this would happen.” And as he took the bag, she handed him the umbrella. “You never listen to me, Sesshomaru.” She repeated, a pained smile on her face.

And she stepped back, into the downpour, drenching herself under the rain.

“Kagome,” he stepped forward, but she shook her head.

“Take it and go… you wouldn’t want her waiting too long, will you?”  She tried to calm her heart, for it was beating as fast as the fleeting moment between them. And she had to step into the downpour, because she did not want him to see the tears that were spilling from her eyes.

Now under the torrent, she allowed it to freely fall like the rain… pitter-patter on her face…

“Don’t mind me. I’m going home anyway…

You, on the other hand, have a long day with your beautiful Rin,” she reached forward, and pushed him playfully, “Go.”

He smiled, 

and her heart shattered into a million pieces.

“I’ll call you later,” he said as he turned around, and he paused. “You were going to tell me something, that was why you wanted to meet. What is it, Kagome?” He did not even bother to turn around. He knew she was still there, she was always there, and will always be there, whenever he needed her. 

“Sesshomaru…” she said, ever so softly… “I give up.” 

His golden eyes flew open. He spun around to see, her drenched form was pathetic under the torrential downpour, and her blue eyes shone a sadness that she had never shown before. With a heartbroken smile, she bowed down before him.

“Thank you… for giving me the chance to know you again.”

“I’m going home anyway,” her unfamiliar words replayed in his head. His eyes darted to the keychain hanging on the bag. It held two different keys: her copy to his apartment suite, and to her own apartment on the floor below.

His limbs reflexively snapped towards the drenched woman, the umbrella and the bag crashing on the wet brick as it fell on his feet. But a throng of tourists passed between them.

And when they dispersed, he realized something he had never imagined would happen:

she was gone.

She had left him, and he found himself alone in the middle of the square, 

With the soft fall of the rain…

pitter-patter down his head. 

*****

Kagome shivered as a cold wind blew, and she held her drenched sweater tight.  The sun was setting and the rain was slowly receding, and she cast her gaze to the vast, golden sky before her. 

“Are you ready, little mistress?” A familiar voice said. The wrinkled hands of her old guardian wrapped her wet form with a warm blanket.

Kagome wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes.

No more hiding myself just to be accepted by another,

She pulled her phone out, displaying a torrent of unread messages and unanswered calls… all from one person. And her phone lit up, Sesshomaru’s name appearing again on her screen. 

He was trying to reach her.

No more blaming myself for things I can’t control.

She turned her phone off and dumped it in the nearby garbage. Kagome took a deep breath, and smiled.

“Yes. Thank you…

 for being so patient with stupid little me.”

She stood, and they headed to the private plane waiting for her in the runway. And she boarded, never really looking back.

*****