Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha is owned by Rumiko Takahashi


Chapter Two

Even though he was set to playing with his secretary earlier, Sesshoumaru found the thought of messing with Ms. Aichi even more fulfilling. Not in a good way either. She needs to know her place. As far as he's concerned, her actions were far from her job description. She wasn't going out of her way for his little brother's well-being, she was just looking out for herself. He knew that all she was interested in was his money.

"Come in," his tone was menacing and coated with so much authority that he was sure she'll be shook up when she meets him. He straightened his spine and crossed both arms in front of him. His eyes held a devilish glint.

In the short moment of his own company, ever since Lana left, he's already devised a plan as to how to reject and humiliate her. Embarrass her to no end? Criticize her till she breaks down? Threaten her job? He smirked, there was so much to choose from. This lowly woman will regret ever crossing paths with him and messing with the almighty alpha king, Sesshoumaru Takahashi.

A smooth smile graced his lips. He liked the sound of that. He wasn't the alpha king yet, but he will be as soon as he finds his damn soul mate.

His demon growled ferociously inside him.

Sesshoumaru shook his head, giving an insincere apology. If she could just show herself already, maybe his thoughts would lessen their hostility.

Inutaisho, the current alpha king and unfortunately his irritatingly old fashioned father believed that without one's mate, a demon is a weak and incompetent creature, let alone, an individual capable enough to lead an entire race of demons and their alphas. So until Sesshoumaru finds his mate, his father will continue his reign.

He sent death glares at the untitled name plate on his desk. He almost threw his hands up in disbelief; he was no better than a useless intern! Although Sesshoumaru technically manned the responsibilities handled by the highest authority in the company, his father also still held the CEO title.

Is it even worth working this diligently when no credit is going to me?

He sighed in defeat, his pride getting in the way of the thought of even trying to sabotage the company. What good was it to tarnish Takahashi corporation when he'll end up being the one cleaning up the mess anyway?

Since he was the eldest son out of the two brothers, the alpha king position was reserved for him while Inuyasha was given the alpha position for the dog pack. It was frustrating seeing Inuyasha find his mate and leading his pack. He can't really complain either but to see his brother succeed before he did was humiliating! It stamped 'inadequate' in his forehead, vulnerable for any ridicule or rebellion with the thought of their next leader. There was even a short amount of time when he didn't- no, when he couldn't accept his little brother's success; instead he gave him the cold shoulder. It created distance and disconnect between them, but now, being able to accept his fate, he can genuinely say that his childish behavior was forgotten and he's learned to sincerely congratulate Inuyasha for everything he's accomplished thus far.

Why is the Moon Goddess being so cruel to him? Why can't she use her voodoo magic and make his soul mate come to him already? He cursed the air and laughed mockingly at himself, catching the absurd thought that passed through his mind. There was absolutely no use in blaming a fictitious creature.

He heard the turning of the knob, snapping him out of his thoughts. As he listened in on the other side, the grin on his face slowly sank, leaving a frown in place. How many minutes has his mind wandered? More importantly, how long was she planning on lolly-gagging? By this time, she should have been standing in his presence. Doesn't she know how busy he was? Out of all the insensitive, unacceptable actions he's witnessed- "I don't have all day," he boomed across the room.

A smile spread across his lips hearing the harsh hitch on her breathing.

From his sudden outburst, Rin felt an unfamiliar power run through her veins. Her legs couldn't seem to keep still as they shook in uncertainty; her only thoughts were to run back to her one bedroom apartment and lock herself until this incident was long forgotten. She stood at the door, attempting to get her composure together before meeting the man. She closed her eyes and stood tall as she took a much needed deep breath. She's already turned the knob, now all she had to do was push the door open. Her body tensed, flinching when she heard Sesshoumaru's impatient and commanding voice yell for her to stop wasting his damn precious time.

A tingling sensation ran up her whole body, the sheer power emitted from his tone alone making her want to cower in fear. Her heart pounded hard, threatening to burst out of her chest. She took a sharp intake of breath, feeling an excruciating pain in her insides as if the man had just dug for her heart, smashed it on the floor and trampled it with swift pivots of his foot.

Get it together Rin, this is something you must do.

Her mind encouraged- or ordered as far as she's concerned. The voice was barely audible as the thoughts dissipated into silence before she had the time to comprehend where they came from. Having no awareness of the demon that's been living inside of her, she's always thought of this voice as her conscience, a guidance for every pertinent decisions made in her life. Before her parents died, her mother had always told her to trust her instincts and since Rin had great admiration and trust towards her mother, she took this advice to heart and never went against this voice.

That is, until now. In this situation, she's having a difficult time swallowing her fears and accomplishing what she's sought out to do. Biting her plump, pink lips, she weighed the choices in front of her and curtly ignored the small voice urging her to push the door open. She shook her head, already set on aborting every plans of confrontation.

What the hell possessed her to come here anyway? Did she think she can just barge in his office and expect him to agree to her requests? She could have just emailed him - she didn't have to meet him! She cringed, feeling her heart sink. Isn't that what he's been trying to tell her all along?

Rin's grip on the door knob loosened, her determination fading instantly as she resisted the urge to smack her head on his door. This was honestly the most humiliating thing she's ever done in her life.

Sesshoumaru's thoughts of revenge dwindled into worry, hearing nothing but her overworked lungs and heart. He was left confused as his breath followed every single inhale and exhale of hers and amazingly felt his heart beat in sync with her own as it rapidly hammered inside his chest. He found himself unsure as he sat there, anxiously waiting for her to come in. Everything was quiet; the pumping in his veins heightened in his ears and the clock on the far wall sounded in a crescendo of ticks and tocks of the second-hand needle. His demon was surprisingly anxious for her entrance, whereas, in normal situations, he would have taken over and punished whoever was eating up his time.

She cursed herself, shaking her head. She can't go along with this. She couldn't deny it anymore, she was absolutely terrified of this man! Turning on her heels, she swiftly walked towards Lana's desk and sighed, thankful for her absence. The narcissistic woman was probably in front of a mirror, perfecting her already beautiful appearance.

Taking a blue sticky note and black pen out of her bag, she wrote the words:

Due to a sudden emergency, I unfortunately had to leave and am unable to meet you. I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused and the inconvenience I know I have given. Please be assured that from now on, I will be sending a weekly email of any happenings regarding Inuyasha Takahashi. This is also the cheque you've given to me. I do appreciate the generosity but it is not necessary.

Thank you again,
Rin Aichi

But before Rin could have a clean getaway, she bumped into Lana.

"Oh, done already?" She asked happily, smoothing her hair.

"No, I actually have something urgent I have to attend to." She replied, sounding more confident than what she felt inside. "If you could please apologize to him for me and forward this message."

Lana was skeptic since Rin's been here for about quarter of an hour already, she's already instructed Rin to come in to his office but here she was saying that she didn't have enough time to see Mr. Takahashi. It made her wonder what Rin's been doing all this time. But she's not about to question her; instead, she nodded enthusiastically, excited to have the rest of the hour with her sexy boss.

"This is also a cheque," Rin brought the papers forward, "please make sure he receives i-"

"Will do, Ms. Aichi," she interrupted, swiping the note out of her hands and practically pushing her out the door.

"Thank you," she said, bowing a little to her savior.

Hearing her walk away left him feeling empty and when he heard footsteps move back to his door, he didn't wait for a knock to storm up and open it himself. "What is going on here! I said I don't have all d- Lana?"

"Mr. Takahashi," she purred, surprised by his hasty state.

"Where's Ms. Aichi?" He demanded, looking around the room only to spot the devil in the elevator. He didn't get to have a good look at her, for her head was down as she paid her respects before the elevators closed. His eyes narrowed, shooting daggers at the descending number at the top of the elevator door. For a moment, he had the urge to follow her; he was even willing to run down the stairs just to stop her from leaving.

"She had to leave." Lana's high pitch voice snapped him out of his thoughts as she followed his gaze and thought it appropriate to inform him of this obvious fact. She fanned the pieces of papers that Rin left. "She left me this message to relay to you."

Sesshoumaru impatiently took the note, stormed to his office and slammed the door shut before Lana could even try to seduce him. He stood in front of his desk, clutching the note in his hand and crumpling it with unnecessary force.

"What the hell is this shit?" He hissed, angered that she had run away from him.

Oh, Rin Aichi, this is not over just yet.


"Kagome, I have sinned!" Rin murmured the next day, sitting on the chair with her head buried in her arms.

"Why? What happened?" She asked concerned. It's barely been two weeks since the start of the term and it looks as if stress had already took a toll on Rin. Dark circles rimmed her beautiful dark eyes, her naturally creamy complexion was chalky, and in general, the aura around her was solemn. Even though Rin was looking at her worst, Kagome couldn't deny how beautiful she still was; the constant visits from the male population of the school was enough indication of that.

"I can't say," she replied, peaking at the huge glass window where she knew a huge crowd of students were loitering, waiting for their office to open.

"Fine," Kagome whispered, "I'll take you out to lunch and you better tell me then."

Rin nodded, glad to have found a reliable and trustworthy colleague.

"Okay everyone, grab a form and wait in line!" Kagome said over every student's voices and conversations, catching their attention. Almost immediately, they all come running up in front of her and took the form. Oh, boy, she thought, this is going to be a long day.

"Today's going to be a long day." Rin murmured in her ears. She groaned as she got up and dragged her feet to her office.

"You took the words right out of my mouth."

Four hours later, Rin stretched her arms over her head and almost jumped up the office chair when she heard the lunch bell chime.

"Finally," she greeted Kagome, walking up to her desk.

"This has got to be the busiest morning in the history of Shikon High," she said, looking up from her computer, "and it seems you're packed for the entire afternoon as well."

They both looked at the line of students, who came to see the new school hottie.

Rin popped her head out the room. "It's lunch time, go and eat!" She suggested, giving them a bright smile. She loved how studious the kids are in this school. It's unimaginable how many kids came just to fix their schedules.

As expected, they whined and complained about losing their spots in line.

"Give me your forms and I'll make sure to keep it in the same order when I call you all again." She suggested, looking at their filled up pink sheets. They all gave her their papers, each of the students having an awed expression as they saw her beauty up close.

She sighed again and placed the stacks of pink slips at Kagome's table.

"You know those kids just want to get a glimpse of the new eye-candy, right?" she warned.

"And here I thought they were here to maximize their study time," Rin laughed, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Don't worry, they'll get tired of you in a month, I would know," Kagome said smiling.

"I sure hope so," Rin said quietly. She knew how some of the boys stared up at Kagome. Most of them looked at her with longing eyes, looking at her like she was some kind of forbidden fruit. But it seems as though Kagome is oblivious to this fact as she merrily went on with her job, unconsious of the eyes roaming her body. Naturally, Rin didn't want her to feel paranoid so she chose to let it pass. Just like how the saying goes, what she doesn't know won't hurt her.

"As promised, I'll treat you to some lunch," Kagome took her jacket, purse and keys, and waited for Rin to do the same.

"Great! I'm starving!" She rubbed her tummy in exaggeration as Kagome laughed at her.

They drove to a fairly priced restaurant, just a little far from the school. Everyone gets at least an hour break, so they could take their time chatting and getting to know each other. Surprisingly, the two ladies had the same interest in fashion, music and a love for romantic comedies.

"Okay, spill," Kagome said, after the waiter had given them their orders. This way, they won't get interrupted.

"Well, to start things off, Mr. Takahashi-" she paused and closed her eyes for a second to calm her nerves. This was harder on Rin than what she originally thought. "Mr. Takahashi," she said again after a hopeless sigh. "He now thinks of me as a useless, insignificant, huge waste of time!" She sobbed, stabbing at her steak like it was at fault.

Kagome's brows arched, her mind already whirling in numerous situations. She knew Sesshoumaru, and she wasn't surprised by what Rin had just told her. She'd felt the same when she first met him too. One thing she's learned is not to take it too personally. Besides, he didn't mean it, it was just the way he was; it was the way he was raised. He probably already thought she was unworthy just by hearing her name. He didn't look down on people per say, but he's the type of person that needs evidence of someone's strengths in order to be convinced that they're capable enough- no, even worthy enough to pass his thoughts.

She kept her mouth shut, actively listening to the anxious Rin.

"I think he'll force the school to fire me! Make me unable to work in other institutions-" Rin gasped. "Maybe I should quit now! Employers will think I've humbled myself and turned to their school. That's right! I should send in my resignation letter now before they have the chance to terminate my employment!"

"Now Rin, you're thinking irrationally." Kagome tried to warn her.

Rin's eyes watered, her sclera reddening as the emotions she's been trying to keep in control finally poured like a broken dam.

"I can't afford to lose this job Kagome." She said it in a sob.

Kagome looked at her in sympathy. Whatever Rin was going through, she knew she couldn't let Sesshoumaru have his way.

She rubbed her shaking shoulders and soothed her.

"Why don't you tell me what actually happened and we'll look at the situation together." Kagome said, offering her some tissue.

She looked up, took a tissue and blew her nose. "Okay." She told her story from the very beginning. When Inuyasha insulted her, her plans to change his attitude, her constant calls to Sesshoumaru, his constant rejection, the donation, her determination to complain, and finally, after getting what she's been working so hard for, she cowardly ran away before even meeting him.

Kagome gave a look of dismay.

"See what I mean!" She hiccuped. "What am I going to do?"

She sighed, "Rin, I'm sure he won't get you fired. If you think about it, why would he go through the trouble in firing a sweet counselor like you when he hasn't even met you yet? Don't you think that he'll have more pressing matters to deal with? What would be his reason in requesting for your resignation? Because you cared enough to change Inuyasha's bad habits? Because he wanted you to pay for running away from him? If you ask me, I think Mr. Shichinintai will consider your statement and most likely be on your side." She scoffed, taking a huge piece of the meat and biting it to pieces. Besides, future alpha king or not, Kagome will not allow Sesshoumaru to jeopardize her friend's career. "But all we can do now is wait," she suggested.

Rin slowly nodded despite feeling her heart break in two upon hearing Kagome's words; words that insinuated her lack of worth to him.


End of Chapter Two


A/N: Thoughts? Questions? Like? Dislike? Suggestions?

I know I went a different path from most of your expectations, but they'll meet soon enough, I promise; I just want a couple things to happen before then. Thanks!