Chapter Text
“Are you sure you’ll all be alright while I’m gone?” Rin asked as she finished packing her duffle. She and Kagome had planned a girls’ getaway to Kyoto with their friends Sango, Ayame, and Shiori, and while she was excited about the trip, she loved her family and didn’t like being away from her husband and daughters for extended periods of time.
“Of course, we will, Mama!” Towa assured her. Setsuna nodded in agreement.
“Rin,” Sesshomaru said, “when was the last time you had a vacation?”
“Hm…,” she thought. “That’s a good question.”
“Precisely. You deserve some time for yourself. We’ll be fine.”
Rin smiled as she finished packing. After her husband and daughters had seen her off, the twins begged their father to order in for dinner.
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. “Is my cooking not to your liking, girls?” He asked with a hint of amusement as the two thirteen year olds looked up at him with pouty faces.
“Papaaaa,” Setsuna whined. “Mama’s having fun this weekend, can’t we have a treat, too?”
“Yeah!” Towa agreed.
“Hn,” Sesshomaru said, considering. “Very well, I’ll oblige.”
“Yay!” the twins squealed in unison.
Half an hour later the three of them were sitting around the kotatsu in the living room watching a show on the streaming service while eating takeout sushi. But not long after, Towa set her chopsticks down and reached for one of the couch pillows. She held it to her chest, resting her forehead on it.
“Towa?” Setsuna said, looking over at her twin in concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Mhmm…suddenly I don’t feel so good.”
Sesshomaru paused the movie. “Are you feeling ill, Towa?”
“No…I don’t feel sick,” Towa explained. “Just off. I’m not sure how to explain it.”
Setsuna leaned closer to her twin and sniffed. “Your scent is different.”
“How?”
“Honestly, it kind of reminds me of Mama. Moreso than usual.”
“Huh…Papa?” Towa asked, glancing over at her father. Sesshomaru seemed to have a knowing look in his eyes but said nothing.
“Do you wish to go to bed, Towa?” He asked.
Towa rubbed her forehead. “Yeah. I have a bit of headache.”
“I’ll get you an ibuprofen,” Setsuna said, jumping up and going into the kitchen.
The next day was Saturday. Setsuna left after breakfast to go to her mid-morning violin lesson. Towa had not felt like eating, but Sesshomaru insisted that she at least have an apple to get something in her stomach. She had nibbled it absentmindedly before heading back to her room to change out of her pajamas for the day.
Sesshomaru was reading on the couch when she poked her head around the corner of the hallway.
“Um…Papa?”
Sesshomaru looked up from his book. “What is it, Towa?”
Towa stepped timidly into the living room, fidgeting her fingers.
“Can I walk down the pharmacy?”
“Are you feeling worse?” He asked.
“No. I…uh –” she nervously glanced down at the floor.
“Towa,” Sesshomaru said calmly, “look at me.”
She swallowed and looked up.
“Say what you need,” he said.
Towa felt her cheeks growing warm.
“I…I need to get a menstrual cup.” She said quickly. “Like Mama told us about.”
Sesshomaru nodded and stood up. “Let us go.”
Towa looked surprised. “You’re coming with me?”
“Would you prefer to go alone?”
Towa thought. “No, I guess not.”
She was silent as they rode the elevator down to the ground floor of their building and made the short walk to the pharmacy a few blocks away. Her father did not push her to talk, but stood close to her as a supportive presence.
“Lead the way,” he said quietly when they reached their destination.
Towa nodded and headed towards the aisle with the menstrual products. Sesshomaru waited while she browsed the shelf until she found a cup.
“Hold on,” he said as she turned to hurry out of the aisle.
“What is it?” she asked curiously.
Sesshomaru picked another menstrual cup off the shelf.
“While we’re here, we might as well get one for Setsuna. If you’ve started your period, hers will probably be coming along soon as well.”
Towa couldn’t help but let her jaw drop a tiny bit. She didn’t think she had ever heard a man say the word period before.
“Is there anything else you need?” He asked.
Towa shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
Nonetheless, Sesshomaru stopped by the aisle that contained pain relievers. He picked up a small bottle of ibuprofen.
“You can keep it in your school bag in case you need it during the day,” he explained. “For the cramps and the headaches.”
Towa smiled. “Thanks, Papa.”
Sesshomaru nodded and they made their way to the check-out counter.
The clerk – a woman who appeared to be in her forties – looked perplexed when he put the products on the counter. She glanced back and forth between him and Towa.
“You’re buying these for her?” She asked. Towa couldn’t help but notice a small scowl on the woman’s face.
Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes.
“Would you ask the same question if I was buying her shampoo or toothpaste?” He said curtly.
The woman made a disgruntled face, but she said nothing more as she checked them out.
When they returned home, Towa took the box with her cup and headed towards the bathroom when Sesshomaru called her back.
“Did your mother explain to you how it works?” He asked.
Towa felt her cheeks grow warm again. “Um…yes, but it was a while ago.”
Sesshomaru took the box, removed the cup, and gave it a small squeeze between his thumb and forefinger.
“You fold it like this and insert it. That’s all.”
Towa blinked as she took the cup back. “Papa, how do you know that?”
“Towa,” he said flatly, “your mother and I have been together since we were fifteen years old and we’ve been married for over a decade. I know how periods work.”
Towa stared at him for a very long moment. Before she quite knew what she was doing, she burst into tears and tightly hugged him around the waist.
“I don’t understand,” he said, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Why are you crying?”
Towa sniffled. “I don’t know. I guess…it’s just…I didn’t think you’d be so chill about it.”
Sesshomaru gently pushed her back to look at her.
“Have I ever said or done anything to give the impression that I wouldn’t be?” His brows were knitted and she could hear genuine concern in his voice.
She shook her head. “No, but…don’t most men think periods are gross? I know the boys at school do.”
“Towa,” he said sternly, “I’m your father. I held you moments after you were born. I changed your diapers. I’ve cared for you and your sister when you’ve been ill. I fed, bathed, and clothed two of you until you learned to do it on your own. How is this any different?”
Towa wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I-I guess it isn’t. That stupid clerk thought so, though.”
“Do you think her opinion is worth anything?”
She shook her head.
“You are my child, and it’s my responsibility to make sure that you have the things you need. That’s all there is to it.”
“So…you weren’t embarrassed?”
“Were you?”
Towa sighed. “Mama's always been really open with us about this stuff. She told us that some people will try to make us feel ashamed of it, but that we shouldn't let anyone make us feel embarrassed over something natural that we can't even control. But it’s not always easy to remember when people can be jerks.”
“You’re going to meet a lot of jerks throughout your life,” he said. “What do you think is going to happen if you let the trivial opinions of people who do not matter influence how you see yourself?”
Towa nodded. “You’re right. I understand.”
He smoothed her hair back with his large hand and placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Never let anyone make you feel small, Towa."
She smiled. “Thanks, Papa.”
“For what? I’m only speaking the truth.”
Towa hugged him again.
“For being awesome.”