Breathe.
In. Out.
I inhaled deeply, nerves causing my entire body to shake.
I was standing just outside of the largest building in central Tokyo. Today I had a job interview and everything was riding on a positive outcome. The pay was more than decent even if the hours would be long and tiring.
I shuddered just THINKING about how difficult the job would be. Lord Sesshomaru was in need of a personal assistant, and it was a well-known fact that he hated humans. Absolutely despised them. I was human.
I sighed wistfully. Reaching the front door, a bellhop opened one for me. I smiled in thanks before hurrying inside.
The security just on the first floor was impressive. There were two armed guards along each exit, and I knew from reading in the papers, one guard each rode inside the elevators every single day. According to a rag magazine, a man had left his elevator once only to use the bathroom. While he was using the facilities, Lord Sesshomaru had climbed into that same elevator shortly after, and had been displeased with the lack of security. I had my own opinion on that. He was probably just pissed that he had to press a button himself. Anyway, the guard had been fired, and the magazines had sensationalized on how ruthless, the most upcoming demon in the region was.
That story had been enough to almost deter me from coming there today. I wasn't even joking. If he had absolutely no qualms about firing a demon on the sole charge of him relieving his bowels, then how did I even think I was going to make it through an interview?
I approached the front desk. I was dressed in my smartest dress suit. I had on a charcoal pinstripe blazer and matching knee-length skirt with a small slit along the left side. Luckily for me that slit was there otherwise walking in such a tight skirt would have been nearly impossible. As it was, the black high heels were a devil breaking in. I didn't even like wearing heels, but if I was going to pay to help my sister Kagome with her ever-increasing hospital bill, then I needed to look and be my best today.
My anxiety increased when I thought about my beloved sister. She was the only family I had left in the world, and nearly 8 months ago she had been involved in a horrible car wreck. She had gone through extensive surgeries to get her body back into the condition it had been prior to the accident, and now the bills were piling up.
She was still using crutches on her healing leg, which made it difficult for her to find and keep a job. I had made it my responsibility to help her through until things got better. Besides, what was family for?
"Hello," I smiled politely at the demoness behind the main counter. She ignored me, busily typing on her iMac. "Hello," I repeated with more force. The demoness continued typing away, not even turning a head in my direction.
I stood there in the lobby waiting another two full minutes before trying a new tactic. If civility didn't seem to work, then I would act just like that bitch. "Hi, I need to sign in. I'm here to interview for Lord Sesshomaru's assistant position. I would hate to make them wait because you were too busy to help the human."
I probably hadn't needed to speak after 'Lord Sesshomaru'. The demoness's head had whipped up so fast I thought it might have cracked from the sudden momentum.
"Oh, I'm sorry ma'am. Normally the only humans we have coming to the desk are janitors to take the trash."
"So the only humans in the building are janitors?" I was doomed. Think of Kagome, Rin. THINK OF YOUR SISTER.
I squared my shoulders and smiled at the demoness.
"Yes, well. Lord Sesshomaru owns the building. He isn't very fond of humans. In fact, it's probably an error that you're even scheduled for an interview. I'll double check."
She began typing away yet again.
"That's great ma'am, but I don't have a lot of ti-".
"Ah!" She cut me off. "You are definitely on this list. You're Rin Higurashi, correct? You're definitely marked as human."
She handed me a visitor's badge, made me sign what felt like a hundred sheets of paper, before finally directing me towards the elevators.
"Just tell one of the guards what you're here for. They'll get you where you need to go." Nodding my thanks, I rushed over to the first elevator.
"Hi, I need to get to the interview for Lord Sesshomaru's personal assistant?"
The man in the black suit raised his upper lip, snarling at me.
"The human elevator is at the end." The human elevator? Oh, it didn't matter. I moved as swiftly as my tight skirt allowed, coming to the last elevator.
I almost gasped. The biggest most intimidating demon stood just inside. His muscled chest looked like it could have ripped right through his black suit with the slightest movement. He had dark wavy hair that covered his forehead and part of his eyes. From the markings on his body, I guessed he was a dog demon, like Sesshomaru.
"Hi." I gulped. "I'm. I need to. Um." Why did he have to be so intimidating?!
The demon smiled widely, sharp canines flashing in my direction.
"You're going to be late for your interview, ma'am. Let's hurry along and get you in the elevator."
"Oh. Oh yes, right. Thank you." I rushed inside, my forgotten briefcase brushing along my back legs.
The demon pressed the button all the way at the top, and then pinned in an access code. I glanced away, giving him privacy.
"So." I said, hoping to break the tension. "Did you do something bad to wind up stuck with the pitiful human elevator, or was Lord Sesshomaru hoping you would frighten all of the humans away?"
The demon's smile widened to a full grin. "You already seem to know Lord Sesshomaru pretty well, ma'am. You might stand a chance with him after all."
"Really?" The rush of hope in my voice made me glance at me.
"You need to relax. If Lord Sesshomaru sees you, he's going to know you're nervous by your scent alone."
"Right. Okay. Thank you." I smiled up at him.
The elevator pinged twice before the door shuttered open. Relax, Rin. I scolded myself. Just breathe.
"Good luck ma'am," the guard called out as I moved into another lobby area. I turned and waved at the guard politely before reaching yet another desk. Was this the position I was interviewing for?
"Hi, I'm Rin Hig-".
"Higurashi, I know. You're the only human within a mile radius of this office. So you're either the human trying to be in a place far above her, or you're lost. Which is it?"
"I'm here for the interview." I spoke up meekly. Did everyone in this building despise humans? The odds of getting this job were even smaller than I'd assumed this morning. The bagel I had for breakfast seemed to be lodged in my throat.
"Well don't just stand there, human. Go sit down somewhere and wait to be called." I glanced at her nameplate before turning away. Kagura, eh? She would be such a joy to work with. I groaned.
I waited inside the lobby area for over two hours before someone came to collect me. TWO HOURS. It wouldn't have been so bad had I not been the only person, human or not, sitting inside the waiting area. They had purposely made me sit there. Anger had been boiling deep within me and it took every ounce of strength I had to not tell them off and then leave.
Think of Kagome. I sighed.
"Rin Higurashi. Come this way."
The man held open the only set of doors I could see. Stepping inside, I was floored by how spectacular the room was. The walls were covered in black marble, as were the floors. A white fur rug sat in the middle of the small room, right in front of a black marble desk. On the desk sat an iMac, various office supplies as well as a black cordless telephone. To the side of the desk was the door to another room. On the other side of the desk was a large window encasing the city of Tokyo. The way the sunlight hit the black marble made it sparkle, and the room captivated everything inside of me. I barely even noticed how impersonal the mini office was.
"Sorry for your wait. Important business meeting, you see."
"Right. Well thank you for your time and consideration, sir." The demon waved away my statement.
"Now, we'll need to get started right away. Please sit at the desk. I'll show you how to answer the phones, the proper thing to say, etc. If someone calls about the Nemesis merger, place them on hold. Lord Sesshomaru will get to that whenever he's ready. If it's his father, always transfer the call immediately. You'll do so by pressing this button here." He pointed towards the buttons on the phone.
"All of the information you'll need is inside of this desk. Lord Sesshomaru's itinerary is priority. He's a busy man, and you are responsible for keeping him informed of every meeting and making sure that he is never late. Do you understand?"
"Um. Yes." I glanced around. "This is a rather strange interview."
The man huffed out a breath. "It's not an interview. You've been hired, now get to work." With that, the demon strode from the room, shutting the door swiftly behind him.
"What?" I squeaked. This was supposed to be an interview! Oh my God, what was I supposed to do? The phone began to ring. I held the cordless phone in my hand, thumb hesitating on the call button. It kept ringing until finally I picked it up.
"Lord Sesshomaru's office, this is Rin." Oh, I hoped that was right.
"In my office," The male voice hissed out. Huh?
"Ex-excuse me?" I breathed out roughly.
"NOW." The line went dead.
I stared at the phone for what seemed like hours. That… Was that who I thought it was?
The phone rang again.
"Lord Sesshomaru's-"
"Human, do I have to say it again? MY OFFICE. NOW." Click.
Oh gods, I'd been employed for five minutes and I was already going to be fired!
I jerked upright, chair rolling away behind me. Smoothing out my suit, I reached the door on my right side and opened it slowly. I peeked my head around the corner.
"KNOCK."
Quickly I shut the door. Then I knocked before opening it.
"WAIT FOR ME TO TELL YOU TO ENTER. HAVE YOU NEVER OPENED A DOOR BEFORE?"
I slammed the door shut and knocked again. I was on the verge of hysterical laughter. Was this man seriously angry about how I opened a door?!
"Enter."
Stifling my laughter, I opened the door and stepped inside. The polite smile I had died on my lips as soon as I saw him for the first time.
He was breathtaking. Mesmerizing. Markings adorned his face; long silver hair was clasped loosely behind him. I noticed his suit was the same shade of black mine was, and it was enough to make my smile reappear.
I wished I could say he was smiling back, but no type of emotion showed on his face.
"Come here."
Slowly, I walked toward him, stopping when I reached the nearest chair, thinking he meant for me to sit.
"I said, come here." Well. Where did he expect me to go? The only thing past the chair was his desk and then he, himself.
I stepped around his desk and came to stand at his side. He stood and faced me, still as emotionless as ever.
We must have stood like that for at least a full five minutes.
I finally broke our silence.
"Did you need something from me, My Lord?"
"No, human. Go back to your desk."
"My name is Rin."
He glanced at me. "What?"
I sighed. "My name is Rin, not 'human'. I thought you should know."
"I don't care what your name is, human."
I huffed out a breath before glaring up at his handsome face.
"Well that's rude, Lord Sesshomaru."
"Excuse me?"
"I said that's rude. I wouldn't call you dog demon, because you have a name. If I'm going to work for you, I would like for you to call me by my name."
What on earth was I doing? I wanted this job; no, I needed this job, and here I was, blowing my chance because he wanted to call me 'human'? He was my boss, and I had a distinct feeling being talked down to by anyone was a no-go, especially by a human. How much more of an idiot could I be?
Well, it was too late now. I squared my shoulders and made eye contact with him. A mistake, really. He had the most beautiful amber eyes I had ever seen. I just wanted to gaze into them the rest of my life.
Eh? I doubted I lasted here the rest of the day, let alone a lifetime.
His eyes narrowed. He stepped impossibly closer, his tall frame dwarfing my own. I kept my feet planted firmly on the ground, but I had to bend my back slightly to keep eye contact with him.
I'd read somewhere about maintaining eye contact with dogs for dominance. Well, he wasn't exactly a dog, but how different could it be? If I was going to stay here and work for him, I didn't want to be made fun or insulted.
Lord Sesshomaru's eyes turned an intimidating shade of red, his teeth seemed to elongate and I felt the brush of soft fur along my back, ushering me closer until his face was touching the slender column of my neck. He inhaled deeply, taking my scent into his lungs for whatever reason. He was probably trying to terrify me.
I should have been frightened. He looked scary, as if he wanted to rip my throat out. I would have gone running for the hills if his mokomoko wasn't rubbing gently along my back. It reassured me even when the man didn't.
I inhaled softly, relaxing my body. To be honest, I actually enjoyed the feel of it rubbing against me. It was soothing and comforting. It also made me feel extremely protected.
The phone at my desk began to ring.
At once, Lord Sesshomaru stepped away from me, sitting at his desk yet again. All traces of his demon were gone, as was his mokomoko. I was saddened at its disappearance.
"Rin, telephone." The way he said my name sent a shiver of delight down my spine. Shaking it off, I smiled at Lord Sesshomaru before exiting his office, shutting the door softly behind me.
I picked up the phone.
"Lord Sesshomaru's office. This is Rin."
I had a feeling working here would be an interesting experience.