I do not own Inuyasha
Chapter 1
Sesshomaru stood at the foot of Rin's massive bed holding a steaming cup of tea. The dainty girl took up barely a quarter of the space in her round king sized bed. Bubble gum pink sheets covered it with a matching bed skirt and thick fluffy comforter tangled around her, engulfing her entire frame. Then she was surrounded by at least ten different pillows of various shapes and sizes, in addition to the dozens of stuffed animals scattered about the bed and a few on the floor surround the bed that were most likely kicked off sometime during the night. It was ridiculous and way too big for her, but that's what she wanted, and Rin gets what she wants – within reason.
It was like a centerpiece, sitting on an elevated platform in the center of her bedroom. In front of it was her fifty inch flat screen with one of the largest movie collections. On both sides were two desks with chairs. The one to the left had her laptop and books for school, and a few knick knacks. The one to the right was covered in different types of cameras and camcorders. She had different photographs that both she had taken and purchased hung all along her walls. Speakers were mounted into the ceiling and she had a stereo on her TV stand. On the bookshelf next to her school desk were binders filled with short stories and screenplays she had written, and a few homemade movies she had directed.
The back wall had a built in revolving closet and shoe rack with a full body three-way mirror beside it. Opposite of the large double doors that were used to enter her regal bedroom were glass windows and a sliding door that led out to a balcony that gave her a full view of the gardens in the back. Light poured in from the drawn back curtains, illuminating the bright pink and pearl themed room.
When she was a child she said she wanted a 'Princess Room', so Sesshomaru had everything custom made, even the smooth pearlescent walls and cool marble floors were installed for her. So she could feel like a princess. Her room was larger than his, and she had way more things. Most of his money was spent on her, making sure she had the things she needed –the things she wanted. Toran hated it, she believed he spoiled the little girl, and he did, she deserved it. She was his.
Her dark silky hair was really the only thing that stood out, curtaining her smooth pale flesh from his eye sight. She snored softly in deep long breaths.
"Rin wake up," the smooth baritone of Sesshomaru's voice cut through her subconscious like a knife. Groggily she lifted her head from her feather pillow and looked around blindly for a few moments with a quick yawn. Then her head fell back into her pillow and she effortlessly fell back to sleep.
Sesshomaru scowled. This always proved to be a challenge – getting the girl out of bed. He grabbed her soft comforter and yanked it off of her body. Her pale pink nightgown came up around her waist and her white panties were exposed. Sesshomaru's lips twitched. He almost chuckled, instantly thinking back to a similar time this had happened when she was much younger. She had not changed a bit in all these years.
"Rin!" He snapped. She jumped and sat up on all fours before falling onto her butt and turning to face him with sleepy eyes. "You need to get up. It's already past seven o'clock."
Rin huffed and fell back with her arms out on a heavy sigh. "Five more minutes?"
"I gave you five more minutes thirty minutes ago. Now it is time to get up."
Rin sat up slowly, leaning on her elbows and looked at him pouting. "Do I have to go to school?"
"Of course you have to go." He glanced down at his wrist watch. "You have forty three minutes now to get ready. I suggest you hurry." He turned and walked out of her room lightly shutting the door behind him.
Rin immediately fell back and closed her eyes, wanting to go back to sleep, but she knew that she had to get up or else Sesshomaru would be back to get her out of bed again and if he had to wake her up a third time this morning he would not be happy, so on a deep breath she literally rolled out of her massive bed and onto her feet. She went into the sea green, connecting bathroom. It was an under the sea theme with aqua and sea green colored tiles lining the floor, multiple shades of blue, layering over the walls with a huge Jacuzzi tub beside a sit down shower.
Rin made quick work of showering, brushing her teeth and blow drying her hair. When she came back out she went to her revolving closet and picked out her uniform for school. The navy, light blue and white plaid skirt stopped just below the lower thigh. She put on a short sleeved white button down with a bell collar and navy lining along the collar and sleeves. She tucked in her shirt and then tied an ascot around the collar of her shirt. She looked at herself in her three way mirror making sure she looked neat. Her thick wavy hair was all over the place. She went back to the bathroom and brushed it thoroughly before putting a white head band on.
She ran and grabbed her backpack in her bedroom and went to unplug her video camera from the charger when she looked up at the time. She only had five minutes. She threw her camera, cell phone, and wallet all in the front pouch of her backpack before grabbing a pair of white flats and bounding out the door. She slid her feet into her shoes at the top of the stairs before running down them.
Sesshomaru was walking out the door, briefcase in hand. He stopped and took two steps back as the teenager ran past him out the door.
"I made it!" She yelled back.
A black Rolls Royce waited outside for them, already started. Sesshomaru's personal assistant, Jaken, an impish toad demon saw them and opened the driver's side door, then scurried to open the passenger door.
"Good morning, Jaken!" Rin greeted cheerfully before skipping to the passenger door and sliding into the seat there.
"Good morning, Rin." The imp said before getting in the backseat.
Sesshomaru got in the car and Jaken quickly got in the back seat. The drive to Rin's school was a calm one as it usually is. Rin spent most of her time texting while Jaken was busy going through the days schedule with Sesshomaru. When the car stopped outside of Shikon no Tama Academy Rin pulled her backpack from the backseat and waved at Jaken. "By Jaken, Sesshy-sama!" She kissed Sesshomaru on the cheek before opening the door and getting out of the car.
"Rin, be out front by four tonight."
Rin nodded before slamming the door shut and bounding up the stairs. The school was located right on the border between The Northside and the Westside. Northside is where most upper-class humans lived and a few upper middle class. The Westside was dominated by yokai of all social classes, so the school was mostly populated by yokai. Rin was the only human at her school. Most humans attended the schools on the Northside because they were afraid of mixing the races. Sesshomaru sent Rin there because there was no way he would set foot Northside.
Inside the large L-shaped building looked more like a museum than a school. Polished white stone floors glistened in the light. Pillars lined the square room that supported the second, third and fourth stories. Rich painting s hung on the walls and statues adorned empty spaces at the corners of every corridor. A large square flower bed was filled with bushes and a few short trees. A brick wall surrounded it where some of the more popular monkey demons hung out. They were combinations of athletes and intellects. They were funny and familiar to everyone. They saw Rin and smiled greeting her.
Rin waved. "Hey guys."
"Rin!" Her name was called and she looked around the front lobby where students were cliquing up with their respective groups. When Rin did not find the source of the voice she looked up to the second balcony. Glass walls lined with metal polls framed the tops. Directly above her opposite from where she stood her best friend Shiori leaned over the bannister waving down at her trying to catch her attention.
Shiori Taigo was one of the five hanyo's that attended there school. But she was by far the most beautiful, half-blooded or not. Her caramel skin was smooth and blemish free. Her wide mauve colored eyes were framed by thick silver lashes coated in dark mascara. Perfectly arched silver brows sat elegantly above her eyes. There they met her straight cut bangs. Her silver hair was pulled back into a high ponytail that hung to the nape of her neck. Her nose was small and round and sat like a button above her cherubic lips that were coated in a pale pink lipstick that stood out perfectly against her skin. She smiled broadly when Rin saw her, flashing her short fangs.
Rin smiled and quickly walked up the stairs to the second floor and met Shiori by the glass railing that was across from the locker where the rest of their friends were around.
"Hey, Rin!" Shippo called.
"Hey, Shippo."
Like Rin, Shippo was adopted when he was a kid. Only he was adopted by Sesshomaru's half-brother Inuyasha and his mate Kagome. So in a sense he and Rin were cousins. He was a full blooded kitsune. His skin was like buttercream. He had large angled emerald green eyes. His copper colored hair was wild and unruly, sticking out in every direction hiding his pointed ears. Twitching restlessly behind him was his blond fox tail that had recently split into two. Because his feet were fox feet he never wore shoes, not even when it is cold. His nose was short and angled and his mouth was in that constant smile that never seemed to change.
After closing her locker, Shippo's girlfriend, Soten walked over pulling on her backpack. Soten was a thunder demon. She was very pretty, much taller than both Rin and Shiori and almost Shippo. She was fair skinned with thick jet black hair pulled into low pig tails, her maroon eyes were surrounded by her black lashes, a pixie like nose and small pink lips. She wore red stockings underneath her uniform skirt and black boots. She smiled pleasantly at Rin. "Hey! We thought you weren't coming today it's so late!"
"Yeah. I had a rough time getting out of bed this morning."
"Me too, my brother Hiten dragged me by my ankles and threw me into a cold shower this morning." Soten laughed.
"That sounds unpleasant." Shiori said.
"Yeah. I was pretty angry. Any way we only have three minutes to get to class, we better go!" She grabbed Shippo's hand and gently pulled him down the hall with her.
Shiori and Rin waved bye to them before walking together down the hall toward their class.
"Toran is coming back today," Rin said.
Shiori's face turned up in distaste. "Oh yay," she said sarcastically.
"Right. At least I had a week of peace in that house. Now that she's back life is going to suck"
"Can't you just avoid her?"
"Not really. Since the wedding is only three months away, Sesshy-sama wants me to spend as much time with her as possible. So basically when I am not here or at your house I'm usually with her…
"No wonder why you're always trying to stay busy with school."
"It's not so much her either, it's her asshole sisters! I hate those bitches!"
"What happened?"
They entered their classroom and took their usual seats. "Before Toran went out of town she invited her sisters over for lunch and I was at the house so of course I had to attend. The entire time all they did was talk about how important it was to keep the bloodlines pure and how yokai and ningen did not mix. They also told her how happy Sesshomaru-sama would be to have a pureblooded yokai child of his own. And they made sure to put an emphasis on the words pureblood and yokai every time they used them, which was in every other sentence."
Shiori rolled her eyes. "They are so stupid. The only people who believe that are narrow minded idiots. Have you told Sesshomaru-sama about it?"
Rin shook her head negative. "What would be the point? He's going to marry her no matter what and there's nothing I can do to change it. Besides, I'll be leaving for college soon anyway, it's easier to just keep my mouth shut until then."
Shiori shrugged. "Fine. So what are you going to do about the Mother Daughter Dance next weekend?"
Rin sighed. "Sesshomaru wants Toran and me to go together of course but… I don't know I might just skip it and stay home. There's no reason to force a situation that may never happen."
Shiori nodded. "I would invite you to hang out but my mom and I are going."
"It's okay. I may just go to Shippo's house and hang with my aunt and uncle."
Shiori nodded, but her words were cut off when the bell rang and the teacher entered the class ready to start the day's lesson.
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Sesshomaru hung up his office phone and leaned back in his seat looking at the clock on his desk. It was one twenty-three. That was his last appointment of the day. Toran's flight from Japan was coming in at three. He needed to be sure to pick her up at the airport by then. There was a gentle knock on his door.
"Come in Kagura," he said gently.
The door to his office opened and in stepped his secretary. Kagura Hiroshi was a beautiful hanyo woman. Stunning ruby eyes framed by dark lashes. Her ebony hair was kept in a neat bun at the back of her head with messy bangs covering her forehead. Her pixie like nose was angled above her long soft lips coated in crimson lipstick. She dressed business casual in a knee length ,high waist, black pencil skirt and short sleeved white blouse tucked in, with ruffled fabric lining the path of the shiny black buttons of her shirt. She wore a skinny red belt and matching pointy toed stilettos. Her short claws were coated in shiny red nail polish.
She smiled sweetly at him, exposing her small fangs. "Mr. Taisho," She said in her clear calm voice. "I know all of your appointments for the day are done, but there's a woman here to see you."
Sesshomaru stood from his chair and crossed over to the coat rack in the corner where his suit jacket hung and grabbed it. "You know how I feel about that, Kagura. I will only see people who make appointments. Have her talk to Jaken."
"Of course sir, but I think you may want to speak to this woman." Sesshomaru walked back over to his desk and began gathering certain files to but in this briefcase to take home. When he did not speak Kagura went on, though she hesitated. "She says she's Rin's mother."
Sesshomaru's hands froze on his briefcase, but only for a second before opening it and setting the files inside. "Rin has no mother. Unless you mean Toran."
Kagura swallowed anxiously before speaking. "No. She says she's Rin's biological mother. She says she's been looking for her and wants to speak with you."
Sesshomaru looked up at Kagura. He could easily see the worry in her face and take in how tense she was by her stiff shoulders. She swallowed again. He stared at her, both of them unmoving, unspeaking.
Kagura was afraid. She knew how serious her boss was about is adopted daughter. She may be the only thing in the world that he actually loved. Many would say that Sesshomaru Taisho was incapable of such a thing, but Kagura knew better.
"Show her in," he finally said.
She nodded stiffly before exiting the office shutting the door behind her. Sesshomaru sat back down in her desk chair, setting his suitcase down on the floor beside his desk. He scanned his now clean desk. The only things that remained were his desktop monitor and four framed photos. One of them was of Rin when she was four, when he had first adopted her, covered in mud wearing her favorite overalls. The second was of Rin on her eleventh birthday wearing her pink dress with a hoop skirt and a golden tiara, beaming holding the new puppy she had been begging for that year. The third was one of himself and Rin together at the zoo a year ago. He looked bored while Rin beamed wearing a panda baseball cap and sunglasses. The last was one taken a few months ago, again it was of Rin, with her best friend, a bat hanyo named Shiori wearing their uniforms sitting on a bench eating frozen yogurt from cups smiling happily together. His little Rin who he had adopted twelve years ago, who grew up too fast, who in just two months would be sixteen years old.
He heard the door click and his eyes narrowed as he waited for the woman who claimed to be Rin's biological mother to enter. It took a lot in him not to growl. This person who he did not know but already hated more than any person in the world. This creature that deserted her child at the side of a highway in the middle of the night. How dare she ever show her face.
The door opened and it was Kagura again. She was followed by a petite woman. She was very pretty, she looked a lot like Rin, only much older. Her dark brown hair was cut short in a bob around her face and she had small age lines at the corners of her mouth. She smiled sweetly, much likes Rin's smile. They had the same big brown eyes, the same button nose, and the same cherubic lips. It was uncanny. This was definitely Rin's mother, and fueled his anger in a way he could not even describe. He did not move as she coyly walked in and stood between the two chairs on the other side of his desk. She was dressed humbly in plain denim jeans, a white long sleeved shirt and a black leather bag on her arm.
She bowed politely. "Mr. Taisho, thank you for seeing me on such short notice. Your secretary told me you had a very tight schedule to keep." She stood up straight.
Sesshomaru spared Kagura a glance. She stood patiently by the door with a passive face, waiting on him to delegate any task to her. He returned his gaze to the human woman in front of him. And then looked back at his secretary. It was for the best she stayed, that way he could make sure he kept his temper in check.
"And what is your name?" He asked the woman in an apathetic voice.
She smiled nervously. "Harumi Okinawa."
"Have a seat."
She quickly sat down. Kagura shifted but did not move. Harumi Okinawa began digging in her purse. "I cannot tell you how happy I am to have finally caught up with you. I went along all this time thinking my daughter was dead, but then I saw this online." She pulled out a folded piece of paper, unfolded it and set it down on his desk.
Sesshomaru recognized the picture, it was taken at his company's charity gala four months ago. He and Toran stood regally. His face was stony and Toran's had a small smile. Rin stood in front of them in the center smiling broadly looking as cute as ever. Sesshomaru did not pick up the paper and only gave it a sparing glance before he looked back up at Harumi Okinawa.
She went on talking. "I knew immediately she was my Rin. I was so relieved to know that she had ended up somewhere safe and was being taken care of, though I will admit it was strange to find that she had been adopted by a demon. I would have never thought… anyway it's not important. What's important now is that I found her."
"What do you want, Miss Okinawa?"
Her smile faltered at his cold disposition and harsh tone. She hesitated, then stammered. "W-well… I … I want to see my daughter."
There was a silence that dragged out so long the human woman swallowed twice and shifted uncomfortably three times. The tension in the room thickened by the second, though both Kagura and Sesshomaru knew it was his yoki swelling.
"Do you know where I found her, Miss Okinawa?" The woman did not speak, only shook her head. "I found her abandoned standing in the middle of the street, in the middle of the night, wearing nothing but a nightgown…while it was raining… Tell me how that happened."
Harumi opened her mouth to respond but Sesshomaru interrupted her. "I'll also have you know, Miss Okinawa, I am an inuyokai, a very powerful one. I can sense it if you are lying. Now go on."
Harumi Okinawa swallowed anxiously. "I had Rin when I was fifteen years old, so it was very hard. I felt bad that I did not have a dad for Rin so I began dating. Um, I met this guy who I thought would be perfect. He was nice and he worked hard but… he had a drug problem. At the time I did not think it was a big deal, in fact um… I um… I also participated in drug use. The night I lost Rin, my boyfriend and I were really high and we were driving back from our dealer's house and we were getting high on our way back…" Tears formed and easily spilled from her eyes.
"I don't even remember us getting out of the car or even the car stopping. I just remember waking up the next day and Rin was not in the house." She bit her bottom lip anxiously before looking up at Sesshomaru. His face was still passive. "I'm different now though! I don't even talk to that guy anymore! I went to rehab and got clean. I went to college and I even have a good now, well, a decent job, I work at a chiropractor's office on the Northside. I make decent money. I have a nice two bedroom house where I live with my roommate, she's an elementary teacher."
"So what do you want, Miss Okinawa?" He wanted to hear her say it. He dared her.
"I… I want to see her. I want her to know she does still have a family that wants her. I don't want her to think I just threw her away because I didn't."
"Rin has a family, and I can guarantee you that she has not even thought of you or anything from her past since I have taken her in. She is happy and healthy."
Harumi nodded slowly then a tight smile formed on her lips, "but surely she thinks of me. I mean, even if she does not tell you. You –you're a demon and you are a man. A demon man cannot care for a human girl. Not properly."
Though he was calm on the outside Sesshomaru was boiling on the inside. Who did this woman think she was? Walking into his office, with some sob story, trying to justify her actions for throwing away her four year old child? Then follow that by insulting him as a parent. Him, who did nothing but care for the child— that she threw out— like she was his own pup? She clearly had a death wish.
"I have done just that so far."
"That's because you have no other choice. I'm here now and I want to be a mother to my daughter."
This smug, self-entitled wench! "Kagura, see our guest out."
Kagura opened the door. "Please come this way, Miss Okinawa."
Harumi looked back at Kagura then at Sesshomaru. "What about me seeing Rin?"
"I'll have to think about it." He answered calmly."
"Think about it!" She shrieked jumping to her feet. "But I came all the way over here to talk to you, waited for hours! You have to at least let me see her!"
"No I do not," he said, still calm as he slowly rose to his feet. "Let's get one thing clear hear Miss Okinawa, Rin is my child. I raised her, I have given her many opportunities that you could not even fathom in that simple brain of yours. Right now Rin is happy, because I make her happy. I keep her safe from whatever may trouble her in life, and that is what I will do until she dies. Seeing you will only upset her, and I cannot allow my Rin to be unhappy. Now if you would please leave, I need to pick my daughter up from school. Kagura."
Kagura came forward and gently grabbed Harumi Okinawa's arm and guided her out. At the threshold the woman stopped and stormed back over to Sesshomaru with tears of rage streaming down her face.
"I'll fight you! I'll get a lawyer and I'll fight you! You won't keep her!"
Sesshomaru tilted his head to the side and narrowed his gaze dangerously. "You do what you think you need to do," he said on a growl.
Kagura understood the threat and practically dragged the woman out of his office and slamming the door behind them. After a moment Sesshomaru let out a sigh and again looked at all of the photos of his adopted daughter.
No one will take her from me, he thought. No one!
He gathered his suitcase and exited the office. Kagura was standing beside her desk outside of his door bowing her head low. "I am sorry Mr. Taisho. I had no idea. I thought that… I don't know what I was thinking."
"Next time you let someone in without an approved appointment I will fire you."
"Yes, sir."
In the elevator Sesshomaru thought back on everything that just happened. The only thing he felt guilty about was coming down so harshly on Kagura. She was a good person and a great worker, but she had to understand how serious he was. She had to know her place.
He pulled out his phone and dialed his speed dial number two.
"Yes Sesshomaru-sama," Jaken answered cheerfully.
"Change of plans. I want you to pick Toran up from the airport. I'll go and get Rin."
"Yes, sir."
Sesshomaru hung up. Tonight he and Toran would have to discuss this. If that woman really meant to get a lawyer they both needed to be ready for any public backlash from the media or anything negative that can come from this situation.
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Harumi Okinawa was furious. She sat in her car on her phone waiting for him to answer the phone. "He said no!" She screamed when he answered. "He told me no!"
"Shh… Harumi, it's okay. We knew this may happen. We will call the lawyer and file a suit okay. Don't worry. You'll get your little girl back. I promise."
Harumi calmed down her breathing and nodded. "Okay… Okay… I'm coming over now." She hung up the phone and threw it in the passenger seat.
She started the car and pulled out of the buildings parking garage, cursing, digging in her purse for her cigarettes. She'd get her little girl back, one way or another.