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“Ahhhgh!” Towa groaned as she looked in the mirror.
“Come on, Sis,” her twin sister Setsuna said as they stood side by side in the changing room. “It looks really nice on you.”
“Give me a break,” Towa grumbled. She tugged at the navy blue skirt that would soon be a part of her daily ensemble. “You know I don’t like showing my legs. And it’s too itchy!”
She and Setsuna would be starting middle school in only four more weeks. Their mother Rin and their aunt Kagome had taken them shopping for uniforms and school supplies, along with their cousin Moroha.
“That’s because it’s brand new,” Setsuna said. “It won’t itch as much once it goes through the wash.”
Towa grumbled. “I guess. I just wish I could wear something more – you know, me.”
Setsuna squeezed her twin’s shoulder. “You’ll still be you. Just you in a skirt.”
Towa rolled her eyes but reached up and gave Setsuna’s hand a squeeze back. “Thanks.”
“How’s it coming in there, you two?” Rin asked, knocking on the door of the changing room. “May I see how they look?”
Setsuna opened the door for their mother. Rin gasped as she took in the sight of her daughters in their matching navy blue skirts and white blouses, with white socks and shiny black loafers to match.
“You both look beautiful!” she squealed. “I can’t believe my babies are growing up so fast.”
“It feels like it’s dragging on forever,” Towa complained.
Rin cupped her eldest’s cheeks. “I know, but you’ll be grown before any of us know it.” She placed a kiss on Towa’s forehead. “But in the meantime, I’m going to enjoy my girls as much as I possibly can!”
Towa managed a smile. “Mama – what would you say if I ditched the skirt and wore pants to school?”
Rin ran a hand through her daughter’s white hair and pushed the single magenta lock away from her forehead.
“I know it’s not your preferred look, sweetheart. But I’m afraid you’ll just have to grin and bear it for now. I don’t know how the school officials would react if you came to school in a boy’s uniform.”
Towa frowned. “But Mama, I don’t feel like myself.”
Rin stroked her cheek. “I know. My girls have such strong spirits, just like your father and I. I wouldn’t change that for anything.” She pulled back to admire Setsuna, who seemed right at home in the uniform. Towa tugged at the hem of the skirt, wishing that it at least extended below her knees.
“Towa, Setsu, look!”
Moroha bounded into the changing room, pointing to her ponytail.
“You know it’s rude to barge in without knocking,” Setsuna droned.
Moroha stuck out her tongue. “I knew Auntie Rin was here already. Look at the bow Mom bought for me!” It was the same navy blue as the school skirt, with a scarlet trim. “I told her it was the only way I would wear the skirt.”
“It looks lovely, Moroha!” Rin said, giving her niece’s ponytail a playful tug. “Maybe I can cheer Towa up with a fun accessory, too.”
“Aww, Towa, are you bummed about looking like a girl for once?” Moroha teased.
Towa narrowed her eyes at her cousin. “There’s no one right way to look like a girl, Moroha. I just so happen to prefer pants!”
Moroha laughed. “Well, good luck with convincing the school to let you get away with it!”
“Come on now, you two,” Rin coaxed. “Where’s your mother, Moroha? I think it’s about time for us to have lunch.”
“Browsing in the shoe department.” She made a disgusted face. “I’ll get her.”
Moroha scampered off to retrieve her mother, leaving Rin to turn to her daughters.
“Go ahead and change back. You can each pick out a new accessory before we go to lunch.”
Setsuna smiled. “You’re the best, Mama.”
Rin cupped both of her girls’ cheeks. “No, I just have the best girls.” She glanced at Towa and gently ran a thumb underneath her eye. “Both of you.”
Sesshomaru was sitting on the couch reading a book when Rin and the girls arrived home.
“Welcome home, my girls,” he said in his rich baritone, standing up to greet them. He gave Rin a quick kiss on the lips and greeted the girls with kisses on the foreheads. “Were you able to find uniforms that fit?” he asked Rin.
“Yes,” Rin smiled brightly. “And the girls each got new accessories.”
“Oh?”
Setsuna and Towa reached into their bags and pulled out matching ribbons – a purple one for Setsuna and a red one for Towa.
“They were out of blue,” Towa said sheepishly. “But at least we’ll match, sort of!”
Sesshomaru nodded. “They suit you both very well.” His gaze lingered on Towa for a moment. “What’s wrong, Towa?”
Towa shrugged. She knew that there was no point in lying to her father – not only did his inu youkai senses make it easy for him to recognize the scent of a lie, he also knew his wife and daughters well enough to pick up on what they were feeling without them needing to vocalize it. Her father was not close with many people, but he was incredibly attentive and in-tune with his family.
“She’s upset because she’ll have to wear the skirt to school,” Setsuna explained.
Towa sighed. “I just don’t get it.”
“Don’t get what?” Sesshomaru asked.
“I don’t get why girls have to be feminine, and boys have to be masculine. Why can’t we just wear what we feel most at home in?”
Rin stroked her daughter’s short white hair and glanced at Sesshomaru. They made eye contact and he nodded.
“Towa, put your bag in your room and meet me back here.”
Towa raised an eyebrow at her father. “Why? Are we going someplace?”
Sesshomaru nodded. “I’m taking you shopping.”
Normally, Towa would have balked at the idea of going clothes shopping twice in one day. But when her father pulled up in front of the men’s warehouse, her eyes widened with delight.
“Papa...really?” was all she could manage.
Sesshomaru nodded. Towa grinned as they moved to get out of the car.
The inside of the store was filled with suits, slacks, blazers, ties, and various other masculine accessories. Towa’s magenta eyes widened as she took in the sight. Her father led her to the attendant’s desk.
“Ah, Mr. Taisho, good to see you again,” the attendant exclaimed. “Are you here for a fitting?”
“Yes, but not for myself. I need a fitting for my daughter.”
The attendant’s eyes moved to Towa, who suddenly felt very self-conscious in her jeans and baby blue sweater. She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Your...daughter?” the attendant asked in a confused tone, eyes still lingering on Towa. She could feel her face growing hot with embarrassment. He thinks I shouldn’t be here, she thought.
She heard a low growl from her father. “Yes, my daughter. Can you do that?” he said tersely.
“Uh – of course sir,” the attendant stammered. He glanced back at Towa and motioned with his arm. “Right this way, young lady.”
He led them to an entire wall filled with suits. Towa’s mouth fell open at the sight.
“Please let us know once you’ve made a selection, and we’ll open a fitting room for you,” he said before leaving them alone.
Towa turned to her father.
“Papa, can I pick out any one I want?”
Sesshomaru nodded. “Take as much time as you need to decide.”
Towa giggled and began searching the rows of suits, barely able to contain her excitement. Sesshomaru explained to her about sizing and the differences between fabrics and answered all of her questions as she explored.
Finally, she gasped and pointed to a suit on the far end of the wall.
“That one, Papa.”
Sesshomaru smirked. “The white one?”
“Uh-huh.” Towa nodded excitedly.
Sesshomaru snapped his long clawed fingers. The attendant came running over.
“Did we make a selection?”
“Yes,” Sesshomaru said. “We’ll be fitting the white one.”
“Yes, sir. Although,” he paused, looking Towa over again. “I fear it may clash with her white hair.”
Towa narrowed her eyes. She heard her father growl, but before he could say anything, she stepped forward and handed the suit out to the attendant.
“I‘ll be taking the white.” She said, looking directly into his eyes. “Please.” She added with a wide grin.
The attendant looked taken aback, but nodded and took the suit to a fitting room.
Towa smiled at her father. He nodded in approval, giving her one of the small, rare smiles he reserved only for his family.
“Well done, Towa.”
The suit fit perfectly. Towa twirled around to look at herself in the store mirror, smiling broadly.
“How do you feel about it, Towa?” Sesshomaru asked.
“I feel like myself, Papa! It’s perfect.”
They had the suit boxed up while Towa picked out a pair of brown clogs to accompany the ensemble. She headed towards the checkout after she made her choice, but Sesshomaru beckoned her over to the cuff link counter.
“Pick out a set,” he told her.
Towa stared at him. “Papa, it’s too much.”
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. “You’re starting middle school in a few weeks. It's a rite of passage. Consider it my way of acknowledging that you're coming of age."
Towa smiled and tried to keep herself from tearing up at his words. She knew that her father was truly one of a kind. Not many men would bring their teenage daughter to have a suit professionally fitted just so she wouldn’t have to wear a skirt she didn’t want to, let alone throw in a pair of cuff links.
“I love you, Papa.” The words tumbled out of her mouth.
Sesshomaru ran a large hand over her hair. “I love you, Towa.”
Towa nodded and turned to examine the cuff links. She chose a silver pair accented with a small red garnet.
“Papa,” she asked as they left the warehouse with their purchases, “would it be alright if we got something nice for Setsuna, too? Just so she doesn’t feel left out.”
Sesshomaru nodded. “Choose what you please.”
They strolled through the shopping center for a little while until Towa found a jewelry store. She browsed for a bit until she found a pair of pearl teardrop earrings.
“Setsuna will like these. White goes great with purple!”
Sesshomaru nodded. “So it does.”
They checked out and stepped outside into the fading afternoon light.
“Do you want some boba before we head home?” Sesshomaru asked.
“Okay!”
They sat on a bench outside of the boba shop. Towa sipped on a green apple bubble tea while her father enjoyed a melon flavored one.
“Papa, can I ask you something?”
“Hn.”
Towa turned to look at her father. “How did you feel when Setsuna and I were born?”
Sesshomaru turned to face her.
“It was the happiest night of my life, Towa.”
“Really? Even more than when you married Mama?”
“They were joyous in different ways.” He paused. “The truth is, I never thought that I would be a father until I married your mother.”
Towa’s eyes widened. “Huh?”
“When I was a pup I knew that I would eventually take over my father’s investment firm along with your uncle Inuyasha. I saw how Father’s dedication to the company tore my parents’ marriage apart, and probably would have done the same to him and Izayoi had he not died. I never wanted to go through that kind of heartache or put someone I supposedly loved through it. I thought I would assume Father’s place running the firm and that would be my life.”
“And that changed when you met Mama?”
Sesshomaru nodded. “At first it was just friendship. In fact, your mother was my first real friend. Everyone else only saw the heir to Taisho Investments. Your mother saw me.” He took a sip of his bubble tea. “I suppose we saw each other. Everyone in our class saw a traumatized girl who couldn’t speak. I saw someone with an unbreakable spirit.”
Towa nodded. “Mama is strong. And stubborn!”
“Another thing I have in common with her,” he chuckled lowly.
“So you fell in love with Mama and changed your mind?”
“We started dating in high school and our love grew from there. But it wasn’t until she was about to finish her university studies that she brought up the subject of having a baby. At first I said no. I did not wish to be like my father. Distant and absent. I already had fears about marrying your mother - the thought of repeating my father’s mistakes and causing her pain was already devastating. The idea of subjecting a child to it was too much.”
Towa took in her father’s words.
“But you’re not distant or absent, Papa. You’re always, always there for us when we need you. You’re always thinking of us and doing everything you can to make sure that we’re happy.”
Sesshomaru nodded. “Your mother is the only person in the world who I would ever allow to give me children.” He placed a large hand on her shoulder. “I had many doubts and fears about whether or not I would be a good father, Towa, but the minute I heard you cry, and Setsuna right behind you, I knew that I was always meant to be your father. You and your sister were always going to be ours.”
Towa scooted closer to her father. She wrapped her arms around his waist and snuggled into his side. She knew that her father was more about actions than words; even with his family, he wasn’t usually talkative. Her mother was the extrovert, with the two balancing each other perfectly. If her father chose to share all of this with her, she knew that it was deeply important to him. Something that he wanted, needed her to know.
“I wouldn’t want anyone else as my father, Papa.” She said softly. “There aren’t many fathers who would take their daughter to buy a suit so that she doesn’t have to wear a skirt to school. On top of everything else you do for us.” She looked up at him. “Want to know what my favorite memory of you is from when I was younger?”
“Hn?”
She smiled. “That one visit we took to Mama Kimi’s little lake home out in the country when Setsuna and I were about four years old. It was summer and we were all out on the porch because it was hot. You and I were napping together on the porch and Mama was fanning us off with Setsuna on her lap. You were letting me nap on top of your chest, and I remember being half asleep and my arm jerked up reflexively and I bonked you right in the face!”
Sesshomaru chuckled softly. “I remember that.”
“But you didn’t get upset or push me off,” Towa said. “You took my hand and kissed it before you gently pushed it back down. Then you ran your fingers through my hair until I fell asleep again.”
Sesshomaru smiled. “You were sleeping very comfortably. I did not wish to disturb you.”
Towa smiled. “But that’s my point. You’re always putting us first, even if you literally get bonked in the face for it!” She snuggled into him more. “Papa, am I – do you want me and Setsuna to take over the firm after you someday?” she asked quietly. “The way you and Uncle took over for Grandfather?”
Sesshomaru tilted her chin up so that their eyes met.
“I want you and Setsuna to choose your own paths, Towa. The only thing that matters to me is that you and your mother and sister are happy. If you are interested in being involved with the firm someday, then I will do my best to prepare you for it. If another path calls to you, be assured that I will support your choice.”
Towa smiled. “I really do have the best Papa in the world.”
She felt claws gently rake through her hair as her father leaned down to kiss the top of her head.
“I have two beautiful and strong daughters who I would give my life for if I had to. Remember that, Towa.”
She nodded. “I won’t forget, Papa.”
“Big smiles on three, please!” Rin chirped. She and Kagome stood side by side with their phones out and pointed at the girls.
“You too, Moroha!” Kagome said, winking at her daughter.
“Aww, man,” Moroha whined, but she leaned in close to Setsuna anyway. Towa stood on her twin’s other side with her arms wrapped around Setsuna’s neck. All three smiled in their own unique ways; Moroha’s signature cheeky grin, Setsuna’s small quiet smile that so resembled Sesshomaru’s, and Towa’s wide, bright smile that reflected Rin’s.
Their mothers counted down and took multiple shots of the three together outside of their new middle school.
“You are all so beautiful!” Kagome squealed. “And that suit looks fabulous on you, Towa!”
Towa grinned. “Thanks, Aunty!”
“Every one of you is full of beauty, brains and spirit,” Rin said proudly. “Are you all ready for this new adventure?”
“Hell yeah!” Moroha shouted. “We’re not little kids anymore!”
Kagome placed a hand over her heart. “Don’t remind me!”
Setsuna turned to Towa. Her new pearl earrings shimmered as they caught the sunlight.
“If anyone gives you trouble for your suit, I’ll beat them up.”
“Thanks, Sis, but I can take them on. Besides,” Towa twirled the end of her red ribbon around her fingers. “Everyone will know that there will be hell to pay for giving either of us trouble!”
Setsuna held up the tip of her purple ribbon. “Right!”
The girls turned to say goodbye to their respective parents.
“Show ‘em who’s boss!” Inuyasha said to Moroha, tweaking the tip of her bow.
The twins took turns hugging each parent goodbye. Towa smiled at her father.
“Papa, I’ll make you proud. I promise!”
Sesshomaru cupped her cheek.
“You already have, Towa.”