Chapter I

There are many types of jobs that suit one person more than another, but there are some people who simply chose a job for the money rather than how suited they were to the role and Rin Nakajima definitely fell into the latter category. At the age of 24 she had graduated from university and found herself struggling to find a way of paying her rent and a mountain of student debts to repay. Desperate for a job, she had accepted the first position that had been made available to her and even after working at the establishment for nearly a year, she still wondered why she had chosen this place to work. Surely there had been other jobs available to her? She couldn't for the life of her remember what had possessed her to take up a job in a bar and couldn't fathom why she had chosen to apply to possibly one of the worst bars in the city.

The place was not in the best neighbourhood and tended to attract the people banned from other more classy bars. When she had first started working there, the manager had told her that she would act as a waitress during the day as the bar would serve as a restaurant during the day, but she had yet to see anyone come into the building asking for a meal at any time of the day or night. The establishment didn't look particularly inviting either, which was probably why it attracted such strange people. It consisted of one large room that always seemed to be darker than any normal room regardless of how much lighting there was and smoke perpetually hung in the air as no one seemed to pay any mind to the signs that prohibited smoking inside the building. The wooden floor creaked with every step and numerous stains coloured the boards while the furniture was seemed to be a mixture of new items and older ones that seemed on the verge of collapse.

Rin shook her head as she stepped into the dark building and coughed slightly as the ever present smoke filled her lungs. It was not the most pleasant sensation but she was used to it now. The smell of mould and smoke filled her nose and she grimaced as she made her way to the backroom to get ready for her shift behind the bar. There was no dress code for the staff as nothing other than alcohol mattered to the men who visited the bar and it was rare for them to take notice of what the staff wore, unless it was a low cut shirt. Rin had learnt on her very first day that low cut shirts were a definite negative in this place as she would immediately become centre of attention. She was the youngest woman working in the bar which she also learnt made her very appealing to the drunks who dropped by.

As she slipped into her usual place behind the bar and after making sure everything was in its place, Rin looked around the room and smiled to herself as she noticed a few regulars had already arrived despite it only being just after 6pm. The usual group of men stood by the pool table at the back of the room, arguing and spilling their drinks as always while a few men who sat at the bar nodded and tipped their hats at her when she turned her gaze to them. Despite their love of alcohol and sometimes questionable personal hygiene, Rin found that most of the regulars were actually quite pleasant people and had sometimes had conversations with them when she had a free moment.

Most of the regulars were nice, but as always, there were always one or two who simply couldn't control their tongues and tempers and there were also those who were the complete opposite and were silent no matter how hard she tried to draw them into conversation. There were very few silent men, but there was one regular who fitted that description perfectly. He had truly terrified Rin when she had first started working at the bar, but she had now learnt to read his actions as easily as she could read those of any of the other regulars. He was the tallest man she had ever seen and towered over her; she was willing to be she would have to crane her neck to look up at him if they were to stand side by side. In comparison to everyone else who came to the bar, this man was always impeccably dressed, but were he to go anywhere else, Rin was sure he would not be viewed as such. He always wore dark jeans, black boots and a dark shirt with its buttons half undone. The few women who ventured into the bar always made a beeline for him only to leave with an aura of misery after him rejecting them.

The table at the back of the room but in clear view of the bar was reserved for him or rather, he had claimed it as his own and no one seemed to question it. From that table he would watch the events of the evening unfold with a cigarette in one hand, a drink in the other and his long legs propped up on a nearby chair. Rin would sometimes cast him a glance and wonder how he managed to be so at ease in this place. It truly baffled her, but she supposed that he didn't have to worry about being overpowered by a drunken man like she did. No one knew anything about him except his usual drink and preferred brand of cigarettes, but fortunately, he never caused problems and almost seemed to take on the role of dealing with the scuffles that broke out late in the evening much to Rin's relief.

Tonight however, he was not there and Rin could only guess that he would be arriving later as there had not been one night she had worked when he had not been there. Smiling to herself, she slid a small glass across the counter to a young looking man who smiled gratefully as he sat on the nearest bar stool. Rin sighed softly as she looked around again. It seemed like it might be a quiet night, not that there was anything wrong with that, but sometimes it could get quite boring.

"Cheer up, love," the man she had just served said with a wink. "It ain't all that bad."

Rin smiled. "True."

"It's real quiet here. Is it always like this?"

"No. People start arriving at about 7 so there's a little peace and quiet for a while."

"You got rowdy regulars?"

"No, it's everyone else that's rowdy," Rin said with a smile and then gestured at the men standing by the pool table. "They're probably the rowdiest of our regulars."

"They ain't that bad."

Rin was about to reply when the door opened and a blast of cool winter wind blew into the room. The very man Rin had been expecting to arrive at some point stood in the doorway, the dim yellow light of a nearby street light shining over his shoulder. She smiled to herself as she made her way to the refrigerator to fetch his usual beer and pausing to pick up a new packet of cigarettes. Turning around to make her way over to his usual table, Rin was surprised to find him standing at the empty end of the bar and her eyes widened as she saw him take a seat. Perplexed, she shrugged off the strange behaviour and placed both the beer and cigarettes down in front of him, offered him a small smile before returning to her conversation with the newcomer.

"It's cold enough to freeze the balls off a pool table out there!" the man exclaimed as she returned, casting a glance out the small window nearby.

Rin laughed merrily. "I've never heard that one before."

"Oh yeah?" the man grinned at her and lit a cigarette. "What's a girl like you doin' in a place like this?"

"Just a bit of extra money until I can find something else."

"Yer boss is two bricks shy of a full load, y'know?"

"Why?" Rin tilted her heard to one side as she wondered what the man meant.

"A pretty girl like you shouldn't be workin' in a place like this," he replied as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "Ain't right I tell ya. You should be workin' someplace better."

Rin giggled to herself, now used to the flattery most men showered on her. Before she could reply, there was a loud snort of amusement from a man a little further down the bar who Rin knew was called Osamu. The unknown man she had been talking to glanced sideways at the older man and raised an eyebrow. Rin glanced around quickly and noticed that Osamu had caught the attention of nearly everyone at the bar, including the silent man who had still not moved from his new seating position.

"You got somethin' to say, old man?" the younger man asked, flicking ash from his cigarette into the empty ash tray.

"Yeah she shouldn't be workin' in here, but if she didn't, who'd we talk to, eh?" Osamu said casually and smirked when he heard a few other regulars grunt their agreement.

"So you think it's okay for a girl like her to work here as long as she gives you alcohol and talks to ya?"

"If that's what she wants, then I don't see a problem," a man sitting beside Osamu said with a shrug. "Besides, she's nice to us so we look after her in return."

"I bet you drunks do a fine job of that," the younger man muttered, exhaling a large cloud of smoke into the air in front of him.

"Now, now," Rin murmured, wrinkling her nose slightly and waving her hand in front of her face to clear the air. "They do look after me and this place isn't that bad."

The man raised an eyebrow at her and gave her a look that clearly said he didn't believe her, but Rin simply shrugged and turned to serve the newest arrivals. She was aware that most of the men at the bar were now watching her and sighed to herself. The downside of working behind the bar alone was that she tended to be the centre of attention and while that didn't normally bother her, she could sense tension in the air and prayed that there would be no fight. She didn't really want to return to being the centre of attention so she looked around for something to occupy herself with and her gaze was caught by the silent man at the end of bar beckoning her over.

Rin was still slightly intimidated by him, but she had learnt that she didn't need to fear him. She approached and gave him her usual cheerful smile as she placed another bottle on the table in front of him and reached for the empty one. Her smile fell when a large hand closed around her wrist as she started to turn away. Brown eyes widened in surprise as she looked into the man's amber eyes and realised that his hair was not white as she had always thought, but was in fact silver. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth to question his actions but never got to voice her question.

"Are they bothering you?" he asked, his voice deep and gravelly.

"N-No, it's fine," Rin replied with a smile after a moment. It came as a surprise to hear him speak; he had never spoken to her before.

"Your name is Rin?" he asked, looking at the name badge pinned to her shirt.

She nodded. "You've been coming here as long as I've worked here but I don't know yours."

"Sesshoumaru," the man said quietly after looking at her through narrowed eyes for a moment.

Smiling happily, Rin nodded and turned away to dispose of the empty bottle unaware of the amber eyes that followed her slim figure. Sesshoumaru watched as she seemed to hesitate before returning to the group she had been speaking to before and thought over what he had heard. It was true that the bar wasn't the ideal place for Rin to be working, but he had to agree with Osamu. She was the only member of staff who bothered to talk to the regulars, although he had always distanced himself and chose to watch instead of listen. It was also true that most of regulars had developed a fondness for the young woman and would gladly walk across hot coals if it meant being graced with her smile and her attention. Sesshoumaru, however, had never really paid much attention to her before, but now realised why the other men always spoke so highly of her. He had been expecting her to recoil in fear when he spoke to her, but she had smiled instead and what a smile it was.

His attention was brought back to the present when he heard the sound of voices getting louder and looked across to the source of noise. The unknown young man was now leaning across the seat beside him to shout at Osamu who shouted in retaliation. Much to his surprise, they were still arguing over Rin working at the facility and he looked at the woman in question to find an expression of exasperation on her face. Her eyes closed for a moment before opening and narrowing at the arguing pair. Other people in the bar were beginning to pay attention to the little scene and Sesshoumaru wondered if perhaps he should step in as he always did and break up the argument before it became a fight. However just as he was about to get to his feet to walk over to the arguing pair, a loud bang made them quiet and caused everyone, including him, to stare in surprise.

Rin was generally a placid person by nature, but even she had grown irritated with the two men arguing over her career choice as though they had a rightful say in where she worked. What had started as a pleasant evening was swiftly turning sour and she eventually lost her patience and temper with both men. Slamming her hands down on the bar in front of her had caused everyone to stare at her unusual display of irritation.

"That's enough!" Rin said in a stern voice similar to one that a parent might use when admonishing a child. "I work here because I need the money and neither of you have any right to question my career choice when you're sitting in this place drinking most of the day. Be good boys and finish your drinks quietly or I'll throw you out."

Osamu smirked and returned to his drink, while the younger man glared at the petite woman. He clearly didn't like being told what to do and by a woman no less. The glare became more heated as she stared back at him, her arms crossed over her ample chest and he opened his mouth to speak but was cut off.

"I'm giving you a chance," Rin said in a warning tone.

"You wouldn't throw me out," the man scoffed as he leaned back in his chair and looked at her with a confident expression.

Rin sighed to herself and uncrossed her arms as she made her way down to the entrance to the bar area. The manager had taught her what to do in these situations although she had never had to do anything about it before as someone else had usually gotten rid of the person in question. However, this time, she was left to do it alone and she couldn't let the man intimidate her. She was well aware that nearly everyone's eyes were following her as she slipped out of the bar area and started walking around to where the man sat, still looking confident. As she passed Sesshoumaru's seat she noticed that there was something that looked like amazement shining in his eyes, but she couldn't be sure and didn't care much about anything other than getting the troublesome man out of the bar.

"What you goin' to do, missy?" the man questioned her as she approached and stopped in front of him. "You're so small you couldn't hurt a fly."

Brown eyes glittered with anger as Rin struggled to control her temper. She was not the tallest of people; in fact, she wasn't even what was considered to be 'average height.' Normally, her height didn't bother her, but at that moment, she was in no mood to take insults from an over confident man who couldn't control his tongue.

After failing to contain her anger, Rin had simply reached up and slapped the man as hard as she could. While he was still reeling from the shock of what had just happened, she seized the opportunity to grab the front of his shirt and pull him out of his seat and over to the door. Shouldering it open, she pushed him roughly out into the cold and glared at him.

"It's cold enough to freeze the balls off a pool table out here," Rin said in an expressionless voice as she quoted the man's earlier statement. "Hope you don't get to too cold."

Without another word, she stepped back inside and closed the door firmly, making her way back over to the bar. After a moment, the chatter returned as shock over what the petite woman had just done faded and Rin sighed to herself as she returned to the bar area. She was very lucky that that man had not been strong or willing to put up a fight because she knew that she could not have managed what she had just done otherwise. Her gaze landed on the man's abandoned drink and she picked it up, hastily moving over to the little kitchen area through a nearby door and placed it on the counter for washing. Feeling eyes on her, Rin turned around to find Sesshoumaru watching her. A blush crept over her cheeks, but she put on a brave face and smiled at him before busying herself with refilling drinks.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Sesshoumaru had watched the petite woman's little display with something akin to amazement. He hadn't thought that she would have been capable of carrying out her threat, but she had surprised everyone and by the looks of it, even herself. The rest of the evening had been quieter and there had been no more fights. Rin was kept busy and Sesshoumaru had the ideal vantage point to observe the fierce woman. He noticed that she was easy to amuse and always had a smile for everyone, even him it seemed as every time she refilled his drink, she smiled cheerfully. The woman was intriguing and for the first time in a long time, Sesshoumaru felt his curiosity piqued.

He had waited patiently until he knew that her shift would end and left a few minutes before her, choosing to stand outside for a little while to clear his head and have another cigarette. It had only been a short wait for him before the door opened and Rin stepped out, mumbling something to herself. A silver eyebrow rose in silent amusement as he watched her fumble with the buttons on her long coat and then wrap her scarf around her neck. She didn't notice his presence until she turned around and nearly walked into him. Gasping in surprise, she stepped back and looked up at him, craning her neck just as she had predicted.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I didn't see you."

Sesshoumaru shrugged and leaned back against the wall of the building, pushing his free hand into his pockets as he let his gaze settle on the woman standing nearby. He blew a cloud of smoke out into the air and leaned his head back against the wall when she made no move.

"That's bad for you, you know," Rin said softly, wrinkling her nose slightly as she inhaled some of the smoke. "The drinking is as well."

"My language is pretty bad too," Sesshoumaru replied with a smirk as he turned his head to look at her.

"So are your jokes."

Rin watched as the man smirked at her comment and looked up at the sky for a moment before closing his eyes and exhaling another cloud of smoke. Her fingers itched to reach up and pull the cigarette from his lips, but she knew better than to try it. Instead, she watched him carefully, knowing that she should be on her way home, but found herself unable to leave. She had to admit that the man was handsome, far too handsome to spend his time in a bar in her opinion, but she supposed he had his reasons. Sesshoumaru opened his eyes and looked down at her, holding her gaze as he waited to hear what she would say next.

Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to hear what she was going to say as there was a loud shout from down the street. Both of them turned towards the sound and Rin's eyes widened as she saw the man she had thrown out of the bar earlier walking rapidly towards them with an expression that showed his displeasure. He didn't spare Sesshoumaru a second glance and made a beeline for Rin, glaring ferociously as she wondered what he planned. Rin never found out what the man had planned on doing because he was soon flying towards the ground after tripping over the leg which Sesshoumaru had extended. There was a muffled yelp as he collided with the ground and then a soft groan before he was trying to get up on his feet. Rin watched in awe as Sesshoumaru casually landed a blow on the back of the man's neck as he struggled to his feet only to be sent flying forwards again. Pushing himself off the wall he had been leaning against, Sesshoumaru took a step towards the man lying on the ground and rolled him onto his back with his foot, lip curling slightly in disgust as he looked at man.

"No harm done," Sesshoumaru said with a shrug as though this sort of thing happened on a regular basis. Nudging the man with his foot, he frowned. "I suggest you leave."

Rin watched in amazement as the man scrambled to his feet and fled down the street. She had always known that there was a chance of people bearing a grudge against you if you threw them out, which was why she always left that job to others, but she was very lucky that Sesshoumaru had been there.

"Thank you," Rin said softly, still slightly amazed by what she had just seen.

"No problem."

"I should be going."

After giving him a smile, Rin turned on her heel and started to walk away down the street. The street lights only provided small amounts of light and she was glad that she wasn't fearful of the dark or the trip home would be impossible since most of the streetlights in this area were not working. Just as she was about to turn the corner, Rin was pulled to a stop by a firm grip on her elbow. Looking around she saw Sesshoumaru standing behind her, looking down at her from his great height with a serious expression.

"You're going to walk home in the dark?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I always do."

"A man just tried to attack you, does that not bother you?"

"There's not much else I can do," Rin replied, not knowing where the conversation was going.

"Come," Sesshoumaru stated, turning and walking back towards the building.

"Where?"

"I'll give you a ride home."

"I…uh… it's fine, don't worry," Rin stammered, suddenly nervous. "It's not far and I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"If it's not far then it's not an inconvenience."

Rin could find no fault with that statement and obediently followed him as he led her around the back of the building to where several cars had been parked. She looked at them and wondered which one belonged to him but was surprised when he walked past all of them and towards a motorcycle that she hadn't noticed. Staring at the helmet that he handed her, she almost laughed. A motorcycle instead of a car was somehow fitting for him. Sesshoumaru looked at her for a moment and when she showed no signs of putting the helmet on, he took it from her hands and placed it on her head, fastening it gently beneath her chin. It was only a few minutes later when they were about to leave that Rin realised that he wore no helmet.

"What about you?" she asked, peering over his shoulder and gesturing to her head.

"It's fine."

Sesshoumaru didn't give her a chance to reply as he set off, smirking to himself as he felt her arms around his waist tighten. He could tell she was tense by the stiffness of her body and wanted to tell her to relax, but decided against it and instead asked for directions. Just as she had said, her home was not far from the bar, but it was almost completely dark as all the streetlights were out. When they came to a stop in front of a tall apartment building, Sesshoumaru looked up at it and frowned. It didn't look like the most inviting place he had ever seen and he wondered if the apartments were as uninviting as the whole building. He looked at Rin who now stood beside him and handed him the helmet before looking at the building as well.

"Thank you," she said quietly, blushing slightly when she turned to find him looking at her intently.

"No problem."

"I'd invite you up for a drink or something, but it's late and I don't think my room mate will be pleased."

"Next time. You owe me," Sesshoumaru smirked at her bemused expression and gave her a gentle push towards the door.

"Next time," Rin agreed and smiled brightly before turning and heading towards the door.