It was dreadfully cold this particular winter, most certainly making commuters, like Higurashi Kikyo, just as miserable as it felt. Buried to the nose, in neutral scarves and a fashionably white toboggan, the woman shoved her tired body out the door.
She loathed waking up at the cusp of dawn for these meetings. Yes, they were frequent, making her drag her lazy body from the warm and loving arms of her bed. Kikyo scowled as she sipped on her hot cider and nibbled on her breakfast pastry.
There was nothing unusual about this morning, she sighed, trying to keep her dark eyes from sealing shut. The meeting was about the new policy reguarding intra-office dating. It was probably because her sister had started working there and screwed the boss quite a few times.
Their mother would have been so proud to know that, Kikyo smirked, rounding a less congested street; one she frequented on the Monday boom. The small street held dormant vendor carts and closed designer shops, not ready to awaken for the day.
It was nice to walk through the side streets to get to the office. It gave her time to fume and wish for a better job. She'd been a secretary at Tama & Co. Jewelers for almost four years, suffering each back order and busted ink pen in stride.
Luckily, today the woman was in a fairly good mood for it being 6 A.M. That all changed as her dark eyes fell on an older man, probably in his 30s, grabbing at a screaming little girl. She was dressed in her navy and gold school uniform and could have been no more than ten.
Furrowing her brows, Kikyo pulled back her long hair and clotted loudly on her heels. Her announcement caught the black headed man's attention and he ran, leaving the girl crying against the doorstep, to what looked like an older sweet shop.
"Are you alright?" Kikyo asked, immediately kneeling down to her level. The girl held her backpack in front of her as if it was a barrier. "I'm not going to hurt you. Where's your mommy or daddy?" She continued, pulling her cellular out of her glossy purse.
The child's eyes were wide and cheeks blotchy from an upset flush. "My-my mommy died when I was born." She sniveled, brushing her thin hands over her eyes to stop the tears from burning her skin. "And daddy is away on work. Muso-sama was drinking and tried to take me away."
Kikyo frowned and plopped down on the step beside her, reaching into her purse for a little brown bag with the donut she had gotten Kagome. "Here," She cooed, patting the empty seat beside her. "You can have this sprinkle donut and we can call the police and you can call your daddy. Did that man take care of you when your daddy was away, honey?"
The girl hesitantly took the jovial looking treat and fingered the sticky frosting for a moment, trying to calm down. "I stay with a lady nanny named, Kagura, but she's been ill and my uncle has been working nonstop." Her large, doe eyes watched Kikyo unlock her phone and text someone before notifying the police.
Looking around her, Kikyo found the address and looked down asked the girl her name. She responded quietly that it was Ito Rin. The older woman stiffened for a moment, She's related to our boss? That's going to be the water cooler story of the year. She thought sadly as she hung up her phone.
"Miss Rin? Do you know where your uncle works?" Kikyo already had a clue and waited for her to confirm it as they waited for the police to show up.
Rin nodded and pointed in the direction Kikyo had been headed. "He works at Tama, my daddy just bought it." She said casually, rubbing her red nose with her knuckles. Kikyo pulled off a scarf and wrapped it around the girl's neck.
"Alright then, I work there, so if you want I can take you there or the police can, whatever makes you more comfortable."
Rin smiled weakly and looked at the phone. Kikyo handed it to her and readied it for her and let her dial an all too familiar number. The phone buzzed for a moment before it was picked up and bellowed with a resounding voice.
"Ito Sesshomaru."
"Papa, it's me." Rin whispered, clutching the device as if she wanted to burst into tears again.
Instantly, the man on the other line excused himself and focused on the girl. "What happened, Rin?" He asked the only person who ever saw his gracefulness.
"Muso-sama tried to kidnap me and told me that you'd pay a lot of money to get me back. He was drinking your wine this morning before he was supposed to take me to school." She whimpered, head falling against her knees.
Kikyo instinctively began rubbing her back, pulling her small frame into hers. It was freezing and she warmed her the best she could.
"Where are you now?" Sesshomaru demanded, rather than questioned. "I'm going to take the first flight home." He said.
Rin nuzzled into Kikyo's shoulder and shot her a pleading look, as if she didn't know what to say. "I'm with the lady that scared Muso-sama. She's waiting for the police. I'm close to Tama."
Sesshomaru sighed softly and pinched the bridge of his nose, working on his spare phone to book his flight. "Let me speak to her."
Rin nodded against the device and offered it to Kikyo, who nervously took the phone and cleared her throat as the girl picked at her food.
"H-hello." She stammered, chewing at her lip; a nervous habit that she and her sister shared. Sesshomaru asked her the same questions he had asked Rin and she had answered all of them adequitely. When the mention of Tama & Co. was brought up, she informed her of her employment and he seemed to be, in the best sense, somewhat eased by that knowledge.
"Take her to your office and my brother can tend to her until I get home. Keep an eye on him though, I don't think he has the appropriate attention span to handle a child." Sesshomaru piffed, hanging up after she agreed.
The police came and went and the file was reported. Rin had probably just wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep, but she was content holding Kikyo's hand as they walked down the breezy street.
Kikyo was severely late, but at this point it didn't matter and she was happy to have helped this girl. As the exited the small street, she bought her a bowl of soup from the vendor just opening up and sat with her outside on the stone railing that wrapped around the reflective high rise.
Kikyo untucked her hair and let it fall around her as she thawed out. Rin sniffled and coughed, most likely catching a cold from her time spent exhausting herself and the woman sighed. She looked like she could have been her own child, that dark hair, pale skin, and equally as contrasting eyes.
A smile hit Kikyo's lips as her phone went off. About 40 texts waited for her from her sister and a couple of her work friends, wondering - most frequently - where in the hell she was.
Look finished up her soup and her savior grinned, "Looks like we're going to go see your uncle and my boss." She said with bright eyes and a shiver.
The girl cooperated and followed her into the familiar rotating, gold encrusted doors with not a single finger print on them. Inside, warm engulfed them melting away the chill from outside. It smelled like cinnamon and was adorned with wide, arching halls. Several portraits of flowers and women wearing bridal sets lined them as they passed a granite desk towards the four sets of elevators.
Upstairs, Kikyo removed her heavy coat and draped it over her arm, revealing her slender figure beneath her gray button down and pencil skirt. Her feet already hurt and her head was starting to, as well.
Rin looked around the blinding white room and weaved through the rows of diligent employees, hunkered down in their cubicles. Kikyo leaned over and mumbled as they neared her sister's desk, sitting close to the main office.
"You need to watch out for that one." Kikyo snorted, placing her hand on the girl's back, guiding her to a pair of wildly interesting gray eyes.
"It's about time you got here, Kikyo." Kagome said in one breath. Her hair was loaded with pens and as she shot up, smoothing out her fitted navy dress. "You almost got fired." She continued, sending a glance down at the girl.
Kikyo bowed her head slightly, "Kagome, this is Rin. This is why I'm late today and I have to take her to Ito-sama, because that's her uncle." She said as a matter of factly.
Kagome blinked and furrowed her waxed brows. "Does InuYa-Ito-sama, know that she's supposed to be here today?"
Her sister shrugged, "I talked to her father and he said to bring her with me on my way to work. She's had a rough morning."
Rin gripped to Kikyo's skirt, hesitant to really look at the other woman. Kagome smiled warmly and looked over to her desk, pulling open the drawer that held all of her contraband. Pulling out a luncheon sack filled with assorted candies and cinnamon candy, she handed it to Rin.
"Here you go. Tell your uncle to let you have all of them. He ate half of them this morning so he can't have anymore." She teased, returning to her rolling chair.
Rin acquiested.
Kikyo spoke to her for a moment longer, before stopping in front of InuYasha's door. Rin looked up at the woman with a smirk and back down at the colorful candy. "She's always over at the house with my uncle. I think he loves her."
The woman laughed as she rapped on the door. "I'm pretty sure that the meeting this morning was so they could-"
"Bout damn time, Higurashi." InuYasha scowled, blotting a coffee stain from his suit collar.
"I have a delivery for you." Kikyo retorted, ushering Rin into his office without a second thought.
InuYasha glowered, moving his long dark hair over his shoulder. "You can't barge in here, you know that." He whined, not realizing what she had meant.
"If I was my sister I could." She chimed in response, hearing him scoff nonchalantly. "And, before you try to fire me, your brother told me to bring Miss Rin to you for the day until his flight gets in."
InuYasha widend his eyes and looked down at the woman's leg, where the girl was attached like a koala cub. "You sick baby?" He asked, extending his hand to hers.
Rin shook her head and let out a soft yawn. "No, oji." The girl looked like she was ready to cry; partially from exhaustion, let alone the events of the morning.
Kikyo looked towards his tacky sofa against the backside of his office. "Here honey, why don't you let him lay you down and you can take a nap." She beamed, sending the man a pleading glance.
InuYasha got the hint and gave her the remote to his small television and laid his silk coat over her. Kissing her forehead, he let her be as he and Kikyo moved to her office.
Settling, she sat down at her desk, with him facing her as a client would. "We had to call the police on someone employeed by your brother. I found her being jerked around on the way to work, so I stayed with her. I hope you're not mad."
"No. Glad she's alright. Kagome seemed to have her panties in a wad since you weren't here for the meeting bullshit, but fuck it." InuYasha sighed, playing with a paper crane he had folded. "What happened exactly?"
Kikyo turned on her computer and shook her head. "I think she was trying to get to you when he didn't take her to school. His name was Muso? I believe. And she said he had been drinking and wanted to kidnap her for money." A grimace hit her pallid face as her boss rolled his eyes.
"Figures. Even if he had gotten her, it wouldn't have taken long before Sesshomaru got ahold of the prick." Anger crawled up and down his features as he pinched the bridge of nose. "I'm glad you were there, if you want, you can take her home so she can at least get some rest there. If he shows back up, call the cops again and it'll be taken care of."
"I can have the day off?" Kikyo asked sarcastically as he shot her a menacing glare.
"He was only in Hong Kong, he'll be home in a few hours, so I'll call him and let him know what's going on. Just be prepared. He's not exactly a people person, which is why he put me in charge here and handles the big shit."
Kikyo arched a brow, leaning across her desk. Dumbfounded, to say the very least...
"You're a people person?" She asked, hanging on the latter.
InuYasha glowered. "Not the point, I'm good with people, though."
Kikyo snorted as she grabbed her things. Apparently she was in for more than she bargained for, but maybe she and Rin could have a fun day to make up for the rough morning. As she left the office with the girl in tow, she was content to spend time with her and escape the musty old office for some greener spaces and perhaps get a nap.
No matter how poised and prepared she was, there was nothing more nerve wracking than meeting someone's parent, especially in this case. So, on the way to Rin's home, she braced herself for the worst.