The warm rays of the sun stream through the gaps of the window curtain, gently waking Rin from her peaceful slumber. She blinks slowly, finding comfort in the soft pillow that was resting her head. She rises and stretches her arms over her head with a yawn. Her left shoulder flinches, pressing her alternate hand on the sore spot and massaging it gently. Rin drags her legs over to the side of the bed, her toes touching the carpeted floor. She stands to her feet with another yawn and begins to prepare herself for the new day ahead of her.
She steps into the bathroom and stands in front of the marble sink to turn on the faucet. When she looks into the reflection in the mirror, she notices a dark spot along her forearm. She bends her arm at the elbow and lifts it towards her chest. She examines the purple and blue bruising that was sore to the touch.
"How did this get here?" She thought out loud.
She then recalled the fall that occurred yesterday evening when her arm caught herself on the sidewalk and her shoulder slamming against the metal post box, inflicted by that malicious woman Rin encountered not only once, but twice in the same day. Rin didn't want to be seen walking around showing the mark around.
After stepping out of the bathroom, she pulls out her suitcase from under the bed and sweeps inside to find a pastel pink shirt with lantern-sleeves that had small detailing of sakura flowers embroidered on the fabric. She pulls out the garnet-colored skirt and starts dressing in the pieces. She grabs her white scrunchie and ties her hair back, leaving loose strains dangling around her ears. Slipping into her shoes, she grabs her satchel and walks out the door to make her way through the hotel and down into the street.
For the past two days, she would take a taxi on the five-minute drive to the InuKa Co building two streets over, but she decided today she wanted to spend an extra ten minutes on a leisurely walk to work. She smiles looking up at the sunny, cloudless sky. She was determined to make today a better day, or so she had hoped.
Rin arrives walking through the entrance of Inuka Co, making her way through the lobby and greeting the same people the same way as the days prior. They've begun to slowly accept her smiles and some have started returning theirs with a wave.
"Good morning, Miss Hashimoto." someone says to her with a friendly smile.
"Good morning!" Rin smiles warmly.
She goes to the cafe to surprise Sesshomaru with a cup of his coffee in hand. She waits in line for a little while until she was able to order and receives the drink quickly. She makes her way towards the elevator and waits for the box to descend. She hears the ding as the doors slide open for her and she steps inside. With a smile on her face, she waits and watches the floor numbers increase little by little until the elevator dings upon her destination. The doors slide open again and she walks to the glass walls where her office resided. She lets her satchel slide off her shoulder and drops it onto the desk, then she turns her heels to deliver the coffee she retrieved for Sesshomaru.
She was inches away from knocking on the door when she hears an unfamiliar voice inside. She stood there quietly pressing her ear against the door. She noticed that the voice was moving closer and she was able to catch some of what they were saying, "...make sure to watch your back while you're there, Perfect Assassin. See you in two weeks."
The doorknob suddenly turns on its own which causes Rin to freeze in place and quickly becomes startled when the door swings open, revealing someone on the other side. There before her, stood a man wearing an all-white suit with a grey-blue long tie. He had tan skin, dark cobalt eyes, and long ebony hair that was braided down his back.
"Excuse me, miss." The man spoke politely, he seemed too friendly she felt.
Rin nods her head anxiously and moves to the side to let the man walk by. The man kept his eyes on her as he walked, only breaking his gaze for a moment when he approaches the elevator to step inside. He returns his stare with a more devious smirk in the corner of his mouth until the doors finally close him in.
Rin felt uneasy about the man's stare and had hoped to not encounter him again. She shakes her head and steps inside Sesshomaru's office, seeming to be arranging a stack of something and placing a large yellow envelope on top of them. He glares up at Rin, which she didn't notice at first until she got closer to his desk.
"Good Morning, sir. I brought you a-"
She stops when she sees a fresh cup already sitting on his coaster. He picks up the coffee on his desk and takes a sip. Rin holds the cup in her hands towards her, feeling embarrassed. Sesshomaru twists his chair around towards the windows with his drink in hand.
"Was you needing something from me, Miss Hashimoto?" He utters from behind the chair.
"N-no, sir." Rin replied with downcast eyes.
"Then get to work." Sesshomaru spoke coldly.
She complies and quickly turns leaving his office, quietly closing the door behind her. Sesshomaru slowly turns his chair to see if she was gone. Once he sees that he is alone, he lets out a soft sigh. He returns the coffee on his desk and reaches over the large yellow envelope and reveals a surveillance photograph underneath of Touran in a beige trenchcoat walking in the streets.
Rin was sitting on her desk typing on her keyboard, returning business emails. She was making occasional glances over at the coffee cup she placed on the side table next to her. Sadly she doesn't like coffee all that much, so the coffee sat and got cold. She hears a door open and she perks her head up to see that Sesshomaru had stepped out and was heading straight towards the elevator. He presses the button for the doors to open and he steps inside.
Once the doors close, Rin had a few thoughts that struck her mind. Sesshomaru has had some strange characters come in and out of his office within the past few days.
First, the man and woman from yesterday, and now a strange man in all white. Also, the thing the man said today before he walked out of Sesshomaru's office was bothering her.
What did that man mean by "Perfect Assassin"? What's happening in two weeks? And what kind of papers was Sesshomaru looking at?
Rin stands up from her chair and turns on her heels to walk toward Sesshomaru's office with haste. She turns the unlocked doorknob, and slowly pushes the door open, inspecting the room to make sure no one was inside. She knew she was breaking protocol, but she convinced herself that she had enough concern to look around, and to make sure everything was okay with her boss. She closes the door behind her quietly and scans her eyes around the room.
Not much has changed since the first time she's been in his office. She didn't expect it to change drastically or much at all with the kind of man she figured Sesshomaru to be. He often kept things to himself. She steps closer to his desk and notices an unlabeled yellow envelope laying on the side of the desk. She picks it up and examines the outside of the envelope first.
No name, no address. Just blank.
"Was this what he was looking at this morning?" she pondered to herself.
She couldn't resist the curiosity that was festering in her, she just had to know what was inside. She lifts open the top of the envelope, swallowing the knot stuck in her throat, mentally preparing herself for what she was about to see. All she managed to see was the corner of the photograph when she hears a growl behind her. She freezes, holding her breath, and looks over her shoulder to see a very... Very angered Sesshomaru behind her.
His eyes were fixated on her, narrowed and his pupils thinly slit, and brows tightly knitted together. His arms were crossed over his chest as his fingertips tap the side of his arm in a repetitive motion.
Rin slowly re-seals the envelope and gently lays it back down on the desk where she found it and she whirls around to face him, her pupils dilated with panic, expecting a harsh scolding from the man that towered over her.
"Get out. Now." Sesshomaru pierced through his teeth with an eerie calmness, but in a low, commanding tone that strikes fear into those who were weak.
Rin shuts her eyes and dashes around him, heading towards the door, and quickly closing it behind her. She leans her back against the door as she pants heavily, releasing the breath she held in for so long. She felt the blood rushing to her chest as her heart began pounding rapidly.
What she did was unacceptable. Guilt was beginning to dwell in her, but she would have to wait before she could give a proper apology to Sesshomaru. For she didn't want to make things worse by forcing her hand again. She slowly makes her way back to her desk when Jaken approaches her with a bounce to his step.
"Hello, Miss Hashimoto." He smiled with a wave.
Rin gives him a half-smile and a small wave, but a frown grew on her face as she turned away to return to her office, plopping down on her chair. Jaken was confused by her unusual behavior and brushed it off for the time being.
Jaken knocks on Sesshomaru's door and peeks his head inside, announcing himself cheerfully before he entered. Sesshomaru was standing in front of the windows looking out. He glances over his shoulder with anger continuing to burn in his eyes. Jaken becomes anxious and chuckles nervously.
"Is right now a bad time for you, sir?" The little man asks, rubbing the top of his bald head.
"Very." Was all Sesshomaru uttered, and Jaken took the hint and stepped back slowly and closes the door quietly. Jaken turns around and sighs loudly as he looks over towards Rin's office, seeing the poor girl with her head buried in her arms on her desk.
"I guess today just isn't a good day for either one of you, huh?" Jaken expressed to himself. He makes his way back towards the elevator and steps inside when the metal doors slide open.
A few hours go by, Rin has barely made any new progress in completing her work tasks ever since she was caught red-handed lurking in Sesshomaru's office. She was fearing the worst waiting to be allowed back in so she could formally apologize to him. She didn't know if that would make her situation better, but she felt she would eventually feel better about herself than how she did currently. She sighs harshly as she buries her head in her arms again. She shifts her head towards the window and watched a sparrow fly by.
She sits up in her chair and stands to her feet to walk over to the window to see that the sky was still clear of clouds and the sun continued to be bright. A smile returns to her as she was starting to feel somewhat better, all until she hears the intercom in her desk phone go off- it was Sesshomaru's voice that speaks out of it.
"Step into my office immediately, Miss Hashimoto."
The time had come.
She walks over to the door and places a hand to her chest, feeling her heart go a hundred miles an hour it seemed. She inhales softly and holds it in for three seconds. Then she releases with a harsh sigh. She places her hand on the doorknob and turns it. She looks in the office to see Sesshomaru leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest.
He had the chair shifted slightly to the side, facing away from the door. Rin steps in a closes the door behind her. He doesn't open his eyes as she walks towards his desk, stopping at a small distance. They stood in silence for a moment until Rin finally speaks up with a soft voice at first, but goes quiet soon after with her failed attempt. She forms a small fist in her hand and stands up straight and bends forward at her hips.
"Mr. Taisho, sir. Regarding what happened earlier I would like to-"
Sesshomaru lifts his hand to interrupt her.
"I didn't call you in here solely for that."
Rin lifts her head with a slight tilt, now obviously perplexed as she stands up straight.
He turns the chair to face her, he opens his eyes with a coldness that could almost chill the room.
"You're not up to my expectations as a personal assistant for me, or Inuka Co, Miss Hashimoto." He spoke harshly, not making eye contact with her.
Rin stands frozen in place and finds herself unable to speak as her heart drops into her stomach.
Sesshomaru took a moment before he continued, "I should fire you here on the spot with how poorly I've found your performance to be thus far."
She drops her head low as her shoulders and arms go limp to her sides.
Sesshomaru plants his elbows firmly on his deal as he sternly looks at her, observing her. He props his hands under his chin.
"But I wouldn't want to taint your reputation before you even have one."
Rin lifts her head as her eyelashes flutter.
Sesshomaru stares at her intently, "I'm giving you a choice; you can pack up your things and leave, never to return here. Or, you can stay to prove me wrong but endure any hardships that come your way."
Rin stood silently with doe eyes.
Sesshomaru stands to his feet, resting his hands on his desk, "I'll allow you to leave early today so you can think over on your decision, Miss Hashimoto."
Rin forms a fist to her side and turns around and walks out of his office, not saying a single word more to him.
Sesshomaru breaths out harshly and turns to the windows, staring at the slowly setting sun.
Rin steps into her office, grabbing her satchel, and storms towards the elevator. When the doors slide open, Jaken was inside and was startled by the look on the young woman's dismayed face.
"Where are you headed to so soon?" He asks her curiously, but deep down, he had an idea of what happened.
"I've been sent home for the remainder of the day. It would seem I'm not a good fit here after all." Rin utters softly.
Jaken steps out quickly as the woman dashes in and presses the button to close the doors, shutting herself in. She paused for a moment and drops her head down breathing out as she covers her face with her hands. She stood inside the box silently as it slowly descends to the lobby. She shakes her head and holds her head up high as she stepped out briskly heading out the entrance doors of Inuka Co. If she were to leave, she wanted to keep what dignity she had left.
I FINALLY updated the newest chapter! So sorry it took soo long! Hopefully now I'll be more consistent with updating at LEAST once a week, maybe twice depending how much more I get done. Hope you enjoyed the update and stick around for more twists and turns.