-10-
The following Monday morning, D'Leh (surprisingly) lay wide awake in bed, eyebrows knitted together in slight concentration as she stared off into space. Her grandmother had already left for work at the usual time: 5:30 AM. Now it was almost 6:00, and she would've conked out after mumbling her goodbyes, but today something was different. Unlike previous mornings, her grandmother hadn't taken Ai along with her. She asked her if she was alright and was just about to stay home again (of course, it wasn't the only reason she wanted to...), but her grandmother simply smiled and told her everything was just fine. She huffed quietly at her messy hair, puzzled and slightly suspicious, then she glanced back at the clock yet again: 6:04 AM…She looked away and up at her dark, slightly twinkling ceiling.
*I could get ready now…*
Her door suddenly creaked quietly open. She couldn't help smiling when she felt a small something (or someone) scramble up into the bed and crawl up beside her.
*Or not.*
She wrapped her arm around her niece and tucked in the sheet as she snuggled closer. Then, sighing, she pressed her cheek against her warm head.
"Ready for school?" she whispered.
She felt Ai shake her head no.
"Uh-uh." she mumbled sleepily, grabbing her shirt.
"And why not?"
Ai shrugged lazily, then she suddenly squealed and tried to wriggle away from her as she mercilessly tickled her sides. D'Leh smiled, and, when she had calmed down, laid there in quiet contentment as she listened to her niece's gentle breathing and enjoyed the comforting warmth coming from her little body. She thought back to last Friday…about her father and his demands for her niece…even Sesshomaru. She sighed and looked down at the innocent face resting comfortably on her chest.
*He can't have her. He can't…*sigh*…Abuelita is right; I should just swallow my pride and accept his help…*
With that hardly thought out resolve in mind, she glanced for the umpteenth time at the clock and, placing a small kiss on Ai's forehead, slipped carefully out of her bed. She grabbed some clothes from her closet and went into the bathroom to take a shower. A couple minutes later she returned to find Ai curled up into a tight ball with her comforter bungled up all around her. Not wanting to wake her just yet, she went down the hall into her grandmother's room and pulled out some clothes for her as well, then she went back to her own and set them down on the occupied mattress before she shook her niece gently awake.
"Hey sleepyhead…time to get up."
After a bit of incoherent whining, Ai sat up slowly and, eyes droopy, reached out for her blindly. D'Leh picked up her sleepy little angel and carried her into the bathroom for a nice hot bath. Halfway into it, Ai started to become fully awake and transformed back into her curious, energetic self.
"D'Leh?"
"Hm?"
"Why did Babba leave without me?"
She shrugged, splashing some of the warm water around.
"No sé. I guess I'll have to walk you there on my way to school."
"Really?" she asked, sounding excited.
She gave her a small smile and wiped some of the soapy suds onto her nose.
"Well, I guess if I have to..."
Ai giggled and decided to give her a small beard in exchange. When she had finished dressing her they both went into the kitchen to fix a hot breakfast, dropping what they would have had to carry on the living room sofa. She blushed a bright red, suddenly remembering what had happened there not too long ago with her and Sesshomaru...and his—
"D'Leh?" Ai asked sweetly, tugging on her pants. "Why are you red?"
"Nothing you need to know about." she quickly told her, ushering her into the kitchen.
"So, uh, what do you want to eat this morning?" she asked, opening the fridge door and sticking her head in.
"OATSMEALS PLEASE!" Ai screamed excitedly.
D'Leh lugged out a gallon of milk and gave her bubbly niece a very long look. Then she turned to grab a pot from the oven and shook her head in amusement, muttering to herself something along the lines of "sugar". She grabbed the box of oats from the cupboard right above the stove and poured that, the milk, some sugar and a little bit of salt and cinnamon into the already heating pot to cook. Ai, meanwhile, had skipped off somewhere. So, leaving the pot and its contents to simmer for a little while, she left the kitchen and found her on the living room floor. She was trying to tie her shoelaces together, and she was failing miserably (but in a terribly cute sort of way). D'Leh smiled to herself and took a seat on the floor beside her.
"…Need some help?" she asked.
Ai shook her head in the negative, intent on taming the wild laces all by her little self. She watched her for a few minutes as she tangled and untangled them with her tongue sticking out in childish determination, then she smacked her hands gently away and completely freed the long white strands.
"Take one in each hand, ok?"
Ai did as she was told.
"Now, tie them together and make two big loops."
"Like bunny ears?"
D'Leh smiled.
"Yes, like bunny ears…ok, now tie those two together and pull. See?"
Ai smiled up at her sweetly in thanks and started on her other shoe. D'Leh felt her chest tighten at the thought of never seeing that smile ever again. If her father managed to get his hands on her…she shuddered, not wanting to think about it.
"D'Leh, look! I did it, see?"
She glanced down at the identical, lopsided bow and she ruffled her hair in reward. A sudden loud pop sounded from the kitchen, and D'Leh (realizing what it had come from) raced into the kitchen to check on the "oatsmeals". Not too long after, the doorbell chimed and Ai jumped up from the floor to answer the front door.
"I got it, I got it!"
"No wait—Oh shi—!"
As promised, Sesshomaru had arrived at the appointed time to fetch both Ai and D'Leh. He was currently parked in their driveway, and had been sitting there for the last five minutes, staring at their front door. Rin sat in her usual spot right behind him, and she was starting to get a little impatient.
"Daddy?" she asked, getting on the edge of her seat. "What are we waiting for?"
Her question seemed to bring him out of his trance, and he glanced into the rearview mirror.
"…Nothing, let's go." he told her, removing his seatbelt.
They both got out of the car, one much more excitedly than the other, and Rin raced up the doorstep to ring the doorbell. By the time he reached her the door was already opened, but Ai's sweet greeting was drowned out by the clanging of metal hitting the floor and a rather loud curse coming from the kitchen. Sesshomaru slightly raised both of his eyebrows in surprise.
"Uh-oh…" Ai muttered, turning in surprise.
"…You think she'll get madder if you let us in?" Rin whispered.
Ai grinned mischievously and shook her head no, then she opened the door a little wider to let them inside. He closed it back while the two of them plopped down on the living room floor, one showing the other her newly acquired skill of Tying Of The Laces. His eyes shot toward the kitchen when he heard another soft curse, and he slowly approached it to find D'Leh, back facing him, rubbing at the front of her shirt as she muttered darkly to herself in a foreign language…Spanish he soon realized.
He thought it wise to allow her to splurge before announcing his presence; thankfully it wasn't aimed at him, and he didn't want it to be. Besides, it was a little amusing to watch. D'Leh, still oblivious of Sesshomaru's current location, finally finished her diction-enhanced tirade and threw a wet, slightly gooey paper towel into the trash can.
"Ai!" she called, turning as she rubbed at the wet stain on her shirt. "Who was at the—"
She stopped talking when she saw Sesshomaru (of all people) leaning against the kitchen doorway, golden eyes twinkling with amusement. He was dressed casually in a pair of gray pants and black dress shoes, and he wore a simple, dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing many magenta colored scars or perhaps other tribal markings. She tried to say something, speechless either by shock, embarrassment, or possibly both.
"U-uh…how, how long have you been standing there?" she asked, finally getting her voice back.
Sesshomaru shrugged and took a step toward her.
"…Long enough." he told her.
D'Leh gave him a quick nervous look before picking the pot cover off of the floor, and then, grabbing a large spoon, attended to what she had spitting on the stove.
"Where's Rin?" she asked quietly, slowly mixing the clumpy oatmeal.
"In the living room." he replied simply, pulling out a chair and taking a seat at the table.
"Ah."
They were silent for a couple minutes, and they listened to the small girlish chatter coming from the living room. He could sense her uneasiness by his presence; the same could be said for him by her own. But, unlike her, he had managed to hide his anxiety. Well, he hoped anyway. What had happened between them was a clear and vivid memory, and a very pissed Belial found it amusing to replay it over and over (and over) again in his mind, in highly defined detail. A strange heaviness hung between them. Awkwardness? Uneasy attraction? He supposed it was both. Finally, D'Leh turned around to face him.
"What are you doing here?" she asked, sounding a little annoyed.
"…I'm here to pick you up." he told her, deciding not to explain further.
"Pick me up?" she repeated.
Sesshomaru nodded. D'Leh blinked at him in confusion.
"…Why do you have to—"
"Aunty?" Ai meekly interrupted her.
Both of them glanced over to see Rin and Ai standing by the kitchen door.
"Yeah?"
"…Can we go now?"
"What about breakfast—"
"I can eat at daycare." Ai interrupted her quickly a second time after Rin nudged her shoulder with her elbow.
Sesshomaru glanced between the two of them; despite the all too innocent looks, their sweet little faces harbored the minds of scheming little demons.
"Daddy?"
He slowly raised an eyebrow when, after awaiting her question, he was given "The Look" instead. Sesshomaru firmly held his daughter's unrelenting gaze of cuteness, then he sighed heavily and stood to his feet.
"Alright. Let's go."
The girls cheered and scurried excitedly off. Sesshomaru stuffed his hands into his pockets and watched as they waited impatiently for the two of them, bags zipped and ready, and he glanced behind him to see a look of deep befuddlement on D'Leh's face. He turned and hid a smile…Priceless…
"…'Go'? What?" she repeated to herself, a little incredulous. Then she looked up at him. "Go where?"
"Come on. I'll explain on the way." he whispered, pulling her gently by the arm into the living room. "Is this your stuff?"
"Yeah, but really, you don't—"
"Race you guys to the car!" Rin suddenly shrieked.
"Rin—"
She was already gone; a second later, Ai had also disappeared. The two adults sighed and shared a glance.
"…After you."
D'Leh grabbed her backpack and her jacket, and, after exiting the house and securely locking the door, she walked toward the driveway with him following close behind her. The girls were already in the back of the car, seatbelts cinched snugly around them. D'Leh was a little worried by Sesshomaru's lack of a booster seat, but it was unlikely that he, having an eleven year old, would still have one strapped in and ready to use.
"Ai?" she said, looking over the seat at her. "You okay back there?"
Ai nodded and happily kicked her legs. D'Leh smiled and settled down just as Sesshomaru climbed inside and shut his door.
"How far is this Daycare?" he asked, turning the car on.
"It's on 42nd Ave...close to the El Cheapo." she told him, placing her bag on the floor between her legs.
"Alright. I'll have to drop Rin off at school first." he murmured, turning around as he backed the car into the street. "She's already late as it is."
"I'm not that late." Rin retorted, gaining a look from her father.
"Yes you are. Now straighten your legs; you're wearing a skirt."
D'Leh glanced back to see her do so grudgingly, but her surliness was replaced by a curiosity just as sudden when she spotted a small thin scratch on her calf. Sesshomaru, meanwhile, turned back around to switch the gear, and he managed to drop Rin off at her school close to five minutes past the tardy bell. She yelled her goodbyes as soon as her feet touched the sidewalk, and he waited until she was safely inside the school building before following her directions to Heaven's Little Angels Childcare Facility.
"We'll be right back." she told him, unclipping her seatbelt.
However, Sesshomaru turned off the ignition, and she glanced over at him in confusion when he too took off his seatbelt.
"…What are you doing?"
"I'm coming in with you." he said, glancing over at her.
She blinked.
"Why?"
He nodded his head to the parking lot, and she looked around to see various red-colored cars scattered among others that were differently-colored.
"…Oh." she whispered.
"Come on." he murmured, gently nudging her arm. "Let's go."
They both exited the car, and he stood patiently on the sidewalk while she helped Ai out of her seat. The three of them then entered the small white building and were met by a neatly laid out, navy-blue carpeted interior. The walls, also painted white, were covered with the children's many pieces of art work. Chairs were placed evenly beneath them, and two tall rubber plants guarded the front doors. Facing these doors there was a sign out desk and standing right behind it was Oslyn, her grandmother's closest and oldest friend.
Oslyn was much younger than her grandmother, about 20 years, and she was a vibrant, very proud woman. She was of West African descent, and she had spent a majority of her life in the West Indies (obvious by her grammar and very thick accent). She moved from behind it and shot them a lovely smile when they entered. Ai suddenly bolted forward, calling her name, and D'Leh smiled back and slowly approached the two of them as she caught her in a loving embrace.
"Hi Oslyn."
"Mauwning Child, Mauwning. How be you?" she asked, straightening while Ai grabbed the two longest fingers on her right hand.
"…I be good." she told her, copying her grammatical pattern.
Oslyn sucked her teeth at her in annoyance, but she smiled all the same.
"You faht Mma." she muttered, shaking her head. D'Leh shot her a grin. "Now, why you here? Shouldn't you be learning you lessons?"
"It's still early." she told her quickly, not wanting a lecture. "I just wanted to drop Ai off before I went."
"Hm…and who's this yah?" she asked, looking behind her.
D'Leh turned to see that, while they had been talking, Sesshomaru had taken a seat and was now flipping through a magazine, looking a little bored. She turned back around to see her glancing between the two of them.
"Uh…just an acquaintance."
"…You and he be friend, ah?" she said, smiling slyly.
"Me—Frien—…He can hear you." she hissed quietly.
Sesshomaru's eyes flicked up at them when they suddenly lowered their voices, then he looked back at the magazine and turned the page, smirking to himself.
"Mmmhmmm." she murmured looking her up and down. D'Leh rolled her eyes.
"Well, you have a good day at school. And mind you, behave youself you know? Ok."
"Yes Ma'am."
She grunted, somehow knowing that would probably not be the case, but she gave her a quick, squeezing hug. Then she smiled down at the beaming three year old standing beside her.
"Come. Mama is in the reading room."
"Byebye!" Ai said, waving her lunch box.
"Bye…" she told her quietly, waving much less enthusiastically back.
She watched them walk down a hallway that led them toward the back of the building, and they eventually made a sudden turn, disappearing from view. She sighed, straightening her slipping backpack, and she turned around to see Sesshomaru getting up from his seat.
"Ready?" he asked.
She nodded and moved for the door, but she jumped back a little when Sesshomaru, with one fluid motion, stepped forward and held the door open for her. She mumbled a small thank you as she walked past, and Sesshomaru simply followed.
"What time do you have to be at school?" he asked, taking out his keys. "It's almost 8:00."
"Late bell's at 8:25." she told him, opening the door when she heard it unlock. "It's alright if you drop me off a little early—"
"Do you…drink coffee?" he asked suddenly, hesitantly interrupting.
She stared across the roof of the car at him for a few moments, a little surprised by the random question.
"U-uh…Well I, I don't hate it…"
"…I need some coffee." he murmured decisively, climbing inside.
D'Leh did the same, and they drove in a slightly uncomfortable silence. The next ten or so minutes were spent either staring straight ahead or out of the moving window; occasionally the two of them would glance at and away from one another. Finally, Sesshomaru turned and drove into a packed parking lot (front facing the street), and while he stopped the engine and took off his seatbelt D'Leh turned around to see a small cozy coffee shop sitting behind them.
"You can leave your stuff inside." he told her, getting out of the car.
"…'Kay." she murmured, answering the sound of a door slamming shut.
She reached for the handle of her own with one hand and tried to unclip her seatbelt with the other. But, unlike last time, it refused to come undone. She jiggled it around a couple more times, each one a little more violent than the one before.
"…What the—ugh!"
Sesshomaru leaned over and glanced down into his window when he heard her muffled cry of frustration, and he smirked slightly to find her struggling with her accursed Safety Belt of Doom. He walked around to her side of the car and leaned against it after he opened her door, something she hadn't notice. He crossed his arms as he stared down at her.
"…Need some help?" he asked, startling her.
She looked up at him, then quickly back down to her seatbelt and made another useless attempt to pull the clip out.
"Uhh…Yeah." she said finally, looking a little embarrassed.
"Don't feel so bad." he reassured her, leaning down. "She can be a little stubborn."
With one sharp tug it loosened. D'Leh felt a little nervous by his closeness and tried to push the feeling aside. Of course, she couldn't help feeling a little relieved when he pulled back to give her a little more room. She gave him a small smile in thanks when she got out of the car, and she followed him into the coffee shop. They were immediately met with the rich smell of freshly brewed coffee, and she thought (though it might've been her imagination) that she heard Sesshomaru exhale deeply with a small sigh.
"Grab a table anywhere you like." he said moving off. "I'll be back with the coffee."
She looked around and finally chose a table by the large wall-to-wall windows at the front of the shop, deciding that sitting in some corner alone with Sesshomaru would probably be a pretty bad idea. Leaning her chin on her hand, she stared out into the busy street. Sitting there by herself, she started to feel a little depressed. Sure, she had all the necessities, but with an upcoming court battle looming over her shoulder, and the possibility of losing her little girl, things pretty much sucked.
To make matters worse, her personal life—well, the remnant of what a personal should be—stank (yes…"STANK"). She couldn't decide whether or not she was attracted to a certain someone (who, by the way, had very high credentials in both the appearance and financial department), or…if it was even for the right reasons. The most she could understand from this point was this: NOTHING. She sighed and glanced over to find said person over by the coffee machines, topping two medium-sized cups.
*What am I working myself up about? I don't even know if he wants anything to do with me other than…that. But he doesn't seem like the kind of guy who would only want a piece of tail, right? Maybe—UGH!*
Sighing, she thought back to "The Incident" as she preferred to call it. For now, there could only be one rational reason: testosterone. Yes, she may have enjoyed it, and yeah, she said she had trusted him, but who knows? It could've just been that antsy feeling people of the opposite (or even same) sex always got around each other. Freud seemed to think so…
She somehow managed to slip away from this strange line of thought back into the present, and when he had turned around she glanced quickly away, waiting until he had approached the table before glancing up at him.
"Here."
He placed one of the cups in front of her before taking a seat.
"I didn't know what you wanted so I got you DeCafe. Here's the cream and sugar."
"Thanks." she muttered, pulling it closer.
She immediately felt a small stream of warmth when she popped back the small square opening, then (yet again), they both went silent. The tension between them was stiff and more than a little obvious to them both. Save for the occasional sip or two, neither did much of anything except listen to the various conversations going on in the background. Finally, D'Leh couldn't stand it any longer; the stifling disquietness between the two of them just had to go.
"...Se—"
"D'Le—"
They both stopped, staring at one another. Then they both made uneasy laughs.
"Uh, you first." she told him, looking down.
"...Ok, listen; I'm going to be frank." he told her, pausing at first. "In the last couple of weeks, things have become...weird between us."
"Weird is a bit of an understatement, don't you think?" she asked.
He smirked to himself and grunted in agreement.
"Well, this weirdness hasn't been doing either of us any good..." he trailed off, looking serious.
"...So?" she prodded him.
He took a long thoughtful sip of his coffee before answering.
"Do over." he said simply, watching her straight in the eye.
She stared oddly back at him.
"Huh?"
"Let's...just try to forget what transpired between the two of us." he muttered, swirling his coffee around. "We'll think of each other as...just friends. Agreed?"
Are you insane? NO! Not agreed!
*Was I talking to you? No, I believe I was not.*
Listen you—
"...Sure. Okay." D'Leh told him, suddenly quiet.
He could tell she was bothered by something. Had she wanted...something more? Had she wanted him?
Now look what you did. Jackass...
Sesshomaru ignored him.
"...Good. Now, about this 'not being your lawyer' business."
She blinked.
"You still want to be my lawyer?" she asked, sounding incredulous. "Even after I—"
He held up his hand, silencing her.
"Clean slate, remember?"
"I...Right." she said, a little flustered. "So...do I need to sign something?"
He gave her a slight smile.
"We can deal with all of the paperwork later on. For now we can just focus on—"
"D'Leh!"
At the sound of her name, D'Leh turned her head and, after searching the slightly crowded area behind them, finally found its source. A middle-aged woman, with one large coffee in one hand and the other pulling a crate-basket full of books, papers, and files, was walking hurriedly toward them. She blinked.
*...Ms. Nitta?*
"Hello." she told them breathlessly, finally within normal talking distance.
"Uh, hi?"
"Don't act so ecstatic D'Leh. Please, you're embarrassing me." she said in a bland tone. Then, noticing Sesshomaru, she glanced between the two of them.
"Are you on a date?"
"NO!" she yelled, gaining some unwanted attention. She cleared her throat. "No. We are not on a date; he's helping me with a...legal matter."
"Could've fooled me." Nitta muttered, making her turn a light pinkish-red.
"So, you gonna introduce me or not?"
"Nitta Sesshomaru, Sesshomaru Ms. Nitta." she said quickly, staring down at her hardly touched coffee.
Nitta shook his hand warmly. He returned the favor with a firm shake of his own.
"Hello Sesshomaru, very nice to meet you." she told him, then she turned her attention back to her usual. "Now, D'Leh, there was something I was going to ask you during lunch, but I may as well ask you now..."
She paused and set her coffee down on the table. Then, squatting, she rummaged through her cart of folders. Finally, she straightened and pulled out a single piece of paper along with a blue fountain pen.
"Ok. Jiménez, Jiménez, Jiménez..." she murmured thoughtfully. "Ah! Here we are. So, D'Leh, is your grandmother still going to chaperone the dance with me? We talked about it before, but I want to put it on record."
D'Leh shook her head.
"No, she's not feeling too well. Besides, I'm, I'm not going so there's really no reason for her to be there."
Sesshomaru irked an eyebrow. The motion went unnoticed.
"Alright. I hope she gets better soon, ok?" she capped the pen and folded the paper in half. "Bye you two."
D'Leh narrowed her eyes. The way she said that just now...They both said their farewells as she packed up her stuff, and finally she walked away, leaving the two of them alone.
"Is she a relative of yours?" he asked.
"Ha! No." she said laughingly. "No, she's, uh, -ahem- the, uh, school dean?"
"…I see." he murmured, understanding. "The two of you must know each other very well then."
She gave him a cross look, gaining a small smug smile in return.
"Shut up." she muttered.
He suppressed a chuckle and glanced down at his watch.
"It's 8:15. Ready to go?" he asked, standing.
She sighed heavily and stood to her feet also.
"Yeah, I guess." she told him, taking one final sip from her coffee.
Within minutes they exited the small establishment and climbed back into his car. Again he followed her instructions, this time to her high school, and even though the silence between them was comfortable enough Sesshomaru still felt unusually restless; he had a question right on the tip of his tongue, and he was itching all over to let it out.
You see, this is what you get for living ten plus years alone with the brat.
*And to which are you referring to Belial?*
…Huh?
"D'Leh."
"Hm?"
"What is it with you and this school dance I've been hearing so much about?"
"…What?" she asked stupidly.
He shot her a look. She rolled her eyes in teenaged fashion and looked out the window. When he neared the road that led into parent-pick up, she perked up and reached for her bag. He slowed and eventually stopped the car, putting it into park, but he stealthily turned on the auto lock seconds before she pulled (and repeatedly pulled) on the door handle.
"…Sesshomaru?"
"Yes?"
"Open the door."
"First answer my question."
"…Sesshomaru I'm gonna be late—"
"Answer." he said sternly.
D'Leh sighed tiredly.
"I don't…like dances okay? That's why I'm not going." she answered evenly. "Now open the f***ing door."
"No need for the hostility…" he murmured defensively, switching the lock.
"Thank you." she told him, getting out of the car.
She slipped her backpack over her shoulder while shutting the car door, then she leaned down to his eye level.
It's times like this that I really hate her choice of clothing.
*Please Belial; talk of her lack of revealing cleavage as if it were nothing.*
Well, don't you?
He chose not to reply.
"School lets out around 2:40, ok?"
He nodded his understanding.
"Alright. See you then."
He started to roll up his the passenger window when she turned and walked away, but she had only taken a couple steps forward before an idea suddenly sprang to mind. He rolled it all the way back down.
"Wait."
She stopped and turned back to the car.
"Yeah?"
"What's Nitta's cell number?"
She irked an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
"Why do you want her number?"
"…That is no concern of yours."
"Whatever." she said shortly, rolling her eyes. "It's 377-5562. Now can I go?"
"Thanks—"
She turned abruptly around, not bothering to wait for his response.
"See ya." she called behind her.
He blinked.
*…What—?*
Seems our feisty Latina is a little bit jealous, Ne?
He smirked, amused as she stomped angrily away.
*For once I think you're actually right.*
She began to run when the 8:25 bell suddenly rang, and she soon disappeared from sight. He rolled the window all the way back up and switched the gear back into drive. Holding the steering wheel steady with one hand, he blindly felt the back pouch of the passenger chair with the other as he searched for his cell phone. He began to get impatient after a couple minutes of groping.
*Where is that damn thing?*
…You're swerving
He immediately righted the car with both hands, his quest for his cell momentarily paused. He stopped putting pressure on the gas pedal when he spotted a red light up ahead, and he reached back into the pouch. Feeling something surprisingly warm and fuzzy, he pulled his arm back around to find he had one of Rin's innumerable animal backpacks. There was something distinctly oblong lodged inside its back.
*Ah, here it is.* he caught a hold of it and shook the plushy loose.
He glanced back up at the light, which was still red, and he dialed Nitta's phone number.
What are you doing?
*…Scheduling an appointment.*
But isn't she a—
"Hello?"
"Is this Nitta Koi?"
"Yes?"
"This is Sesshomaru; from earlier today?"
"Oh! Hi, what can I do for you? Do you need a witness or something?"
"No, no. nothing like that." he told her, pressing on the gas when the light changed to green. "No, I wanted to know if you were still in need of a chaperone…"