Sweet Like Candy

Girls In Bikinis & Tentacles

Everyone made their farewells the next morning in front of the Inn. Rin and Yukio stood awkwardly off to the side and Izumo was doing something on her phone as the Kyoto boys said their goodbyes to their families. Rin had her new wardrobe mailed to the school, figuring someone would take it to her dorm.

"Rin." She turned to see that it was Tatsuma who called her. He stood there with his wife, their son saying goodbye to the Shima brothers and Yaozo a way away from them.

"About that Koma sword of yours," Tatsuma said. "If you ever have any trouble with it, please contact me. I'm not too familiar with your demonic powers and my contract with Karura has been severed, but I might still be able to help."

Rin smiled. "Thanks! I'll make sure to ask if anything happens. And uh...sorry our dad had to steal it from your temple." Rin mumbled, feeling somewhat responsible. Tatsuma waved it off.

"Ah, you put that thing to better use than it's had in years. I'm glad it serves you well." He grinned.

"Thank you for your letter about your meeting out father. It was.... memorable. Father never really mentioned anything from the time before he took my sister and I in." Yukio thanked the man.

"And if you ever wanna visit Shiro, you can just tell Suguro to pass on the message so we can show you his hospital room. I've been told he's getting better. He should be waking up soon and I think he'd appreciate having a friend there." Rin added. Something in her gaze told Tatsuma he might need to be there when the Paladin woke up, lest he endure his adoptive daughter's wrath for whatever he did to upset her.

"That's a good idea. I think it would be nice to get out of Kyoto once in a while, eh Torako? You could just let Mika handle managing the Inn for a bit." Tatsuma agreed, looking to his wife.

She nodded. "I think a vacation is long overdue."

"And if you ever want to visit Kyoto, you can come with the boys. Or maybe you'll be the one dragging them back here, seeing as they weren't going to visit until they graduated." Torako told her. "You're always welcome here free if charge, dear. It's the least I can do after you saved literally the entire mountain." She aimed a warm smile at Rin and the half-demon was speechless.

"Thank you. She's earned it." Yukio nudged her playfully.

"Alright kids, let's get this show on the road!" Shura called. Rin sighed, sad to leave when she'd enjoyed the freetime and working in the kitchens with the servants at the Inn and hanging out with her friends completely carefree. Before she could follow behind her brother, she was pulled into a hug by both of the Suguros.

"Please visit, Dear." Torako requested.

"And bring our Ryuji with you." Tatsuma added. "You're lovely to be around." Rin hugged them back and tried not to cry. Was this what it felt like to have parents that loved you? The couple eventually let her go and Rin joined her friends, catching up to Suguro and landing a light punch on his arm.

"What were you fussing so much about when you had to come home, huh? You've got parents and a whole Inn full of people that love you, asshole!" She chided him.

"Yeah, it seems stupid now, doesn't it?" Suguro agreed, automatically putting his arm around her like it was natural. Rin wouldn't mind if it was, that would be nice.

"It always seemed stupid, you just understand why the rest of us thought it was now." She corrected him, sitting next to him on the bus. On the train, she sat across the aisle from him with Shiemi in the window seat and their belongings in the seat between them. They went through the pictures they'd taken the day before while touring Kyoto and Rin groaned at the last one.