Hi everyone! Long time, no write. I know. :'( A lot of things happened in the time I was gone that made me forget my passion for writing, but within this past year, my love and drive for it has come back. Although I won't post my original (non-anime related) stories because of how personal they are, I have plenty of new fresh ideas flowing that I can't wait to get on paper (Word Document? Lol).
With that being said, I decided to come back to Demon & Human and rework the story/plot. I know a lot of you loved it just how it was, but I hope you embark with me on this journey again and still like it just as much. If not, I understand, thank you for liking the original version of it.
Well, enough of me talking. I welcome you to Demon & Human 2.0. Read & review. 3
Rin opened her eyes reluctantly with the sound of the alarm blaring on her phone. She rolled over to shut it off, rubbing sleep out of one eye and yawning as she did so. She opened her phone to scroll through her Twitter as she normally did every morning. She didn't have any followers and she never tweeted anything, she just liked finding new memes, funny videos, and seeing what was trending.
After a while, her second alarm went off. It was now 7:30am, and she needed to get up and start her routine so she could get to work on time. She took a shower, made herself breakfast, put on her uniform then left her apartment to catch the bus, her headphones in playing her usual morning playlist. A woman and her young child stood beside her to wait for the bus as well, nodding and giving a small smile at Rin. Rin returned it and turned her attention back to her phone to continue to scroll through Twitter.
A few minutes later the bus pulled up. Rin was expecting to see the same cranky old man but was surprised to see a different, younger man in the driver's seat. To be more specific, a demon man. His skin was covered in blue scales and he had striking neon yellow eyes. His mouth spread wide to show a sharp toothed smile.
"Well good morning!" The demon said cheerfully. Rin gave a small smile and sat at her usual spot in the front of the bus noticing that it seemed a little emptier than it usually was. She didn't pay it any mind and went back to Twitter, waiting on the bus to pull off. When she noticed that they were still stationary she looked up towards the driver and saw that he was talking to the woman who was standing beside her. Rin turned down her music to listen.
"Ma'am, I'm just trying to make a living to support myself like anyone else." Said the demon with apparent frustration in his voice.
"How do I know you're not going to drive this bus to some nest with more of your kind? You demons see us as food. You take these humans jobs so we can be complacent enough of to be lured right into your traps." The woman said defiantly.
The demon scoffed. "Last time I checked, Jeffrey Dahmer was a human…"
The woman turned her nose up at him. "We'll catch the next bus with a human bus driver, thank you."
"Mommy, I'm gonna be late for school again…" said her son in a whiny tone.
"Good luck with that ma'am." The demon replied as he shut the door and pulled off. He made eye contact with Rin in the rearview mirror. "Joke's on her, my buddy on the next bus is a halfie. Maybe she'll like that better though." He chuckled. Rin only gave a small smile in response.
"You're a quiet one, huh?" the demon asked. Rin shrugged in response, keeping the smile on her face. "Well that's alright," said the blue scaled demon with a chuckle. "It would do everyone some good if we all shut up a little more, right? My name is Orochi-Ao. But that's a mouthful, so feel free to just call me Ao. That man you're probably used to seeing retired, so this route is mine now. He was the only one that was willing to train me when I got hired." Rin eyes widened a little in disbelief. That cranky old man that had always complained that Rin was the only one at her stop was a nice guy?
The demon laughed seeing her reaction. "I know, you're thinking 'that rude old fart was a nice guy'? He was a hard ass but he's the grandfather that everyone needs. Even someone like me who has lived for over 300 hundred years. I'm definitely gonna miss the guy." Rin nodded and turned her music back up as she leaned back into her seat.
Demons had lived on this Earth for millennia, much longer than humans anyway. There was a time where they were the ones who thrived, and humans were the minority, but as time went on the humans took over and the demons went into hiding. They had almost become that of folk lore until it was revealed about 15 or so years ago that the president was a chameleon demon who had in fact been president 5 times and was simply just changing his appearance. Soon after that, demons were revealing themselves all over the country and there was nothing the government could do about it except make it "legal" for them to integrate into society and live as their true selves. However, that came with the establishment of the Yokai Control Department as a "safety" precaution. Overall it was a problematic institution in and of itself with its foundation being rooted in fear and excessive policing.
Rin didn't understand the fear. Sure, a demon could kill you indiscriminately in a moment's notice, but so could humans. Afterall, it was humans who made her an orphan 15 years ago when they killed her parents and brothers in a home break-in. Humans were the reason she was virtually mute, being in foster homes where there were way too many kids and she was underfed and always in dirty clothes until she was able to age out.
It was a demon who gave her a job as a line cook when she was 18 even though she had never worked a job in her life and couldn't even speak. It was her half-demon coworker who found out Rin was staying in homeless shelters every night and let her stay in their apartment until she saved enough money to get an apartment on her own. Rin really liked her job because it was a mix of demons and humans who all got along and respected one another despite obvious differences. She had been hired as a line cook when she was 18 and did what she had to do for 6 years to finally become a sous chef on her 24th birthday, both a recognition of her hard work and a birthday present from the people who had come to love her.
Rin pulled the yellow cord above her to let the driver know to pull over at her approaching stop. When he did, she put away her headphones and went to the door.
"Thanks for riding with me, young lady!" the driver said cheerfully. Rin smiled and nodded at him.
"See you again tomorrow?" Rin nodded once again in affirmation and exited the bus. Her place of work was two doors down from the bus stop, a slightly upscale locally owned place called Chardonnay's. When Rin was 18 she knew she had to get a job, and she thought a food job would be the best way to sneak food and get money if she could get hired. When Rin interviewed for the job she had nothing but jeans and t-shirt she had stolen from a thrift shop. When she came to interview 6 years ago, she was greeted by a woman with beautiful brown skin and a huge afro who looked at her with dark brown eyes that seemed to pierce right through Rin. Rin remembered looking at the ground the whole interview, the woman only asking yes or no questions to which Rin would only shake or nod her head. Rin must have been making an interesting impression because out of nowhere, the woman grabbed her chin and lifted it up to meet her now bright, glowing, green eyes. After what seemed like forever, the woman let her go and her eyes shifted back to their dark brown color and she smiled tenderly at Rin.
"Getting a cooking job to steal food is the oldest trick in the book, hun." She said knowingly. Rin gasped and her whole face flushed with embarrassment.
The woman grasped Rin's hands. "Baby, it's ok. You have lived over half of your life doing what you had to do to survive. I could never look down on anyone for that." Rin looked at the demon woman in front of her, tears now streaming out of her eyes.
The woman grabbed a tissue and wiped the tears away. "My name is Uzuri. Would you like to work here?" Rin nodded as she continued to sob, the woman pulling her into her arms as she did so.
Rin pulled herself out of her flashback and walked into the back door that lead right into the kitchen. Uzuri was already there, her afro pulled up in an explosive puff on top of her head, her glasses low on her face as she read something on her clipboard. She looked up over her glasses and smiled at her.
"Good morning, Rin!" she said cheerfully as walked over.
Rin smilled brightly at the woman. "G-g-good morning M-Miss Uzuri…" Rin said quietly. Being mute for so long had caused her to now have a stutter when she chose to speak.
Uzuri put her clip board down and took off her glasses. "I actually have some exciting news Rin, and I hope you'll be just as excited!" Rin tilted her head, waiting to hear the news.
"We just accepted a reservation fro-"
"FROM THE TAISHOS!" Came the sudden shout from Sloan, a waiter in the restaurant and Rin's half-demon friend who took her in when he found out she was hopping from shelter to shelter every night. "THE FREAKING INU NO TAISHOS ARE GONNA BE IN THIS PLACE TONIGHT! SUAGR BABY STATUS HERE I COME! DIOS MIO!" his orange tail waved excitedly behind him.
Uzuri rolled her eyes at the half-demon. "Thank you so much for that Sloan," she said sarcastically. "But the reservation is for Toga Inu No Taisho's sons. One of which is engaged to a human, which he is bringing with him, and the other of which is not too fond of humans or of his half-demon brother. So why, pray tell, would a full-blooded dog demon make a half-demon cat his sugar baby? You don't even know if he likes men or not."
Sloan smirked at his boss. "He hasn't had the chance to meet me yet." He replied smugly. "He can be gay, bi, or trade, the point is that I won't know if I try." He flipped his long orange hair over his shoulder. "You are going to let me serve them, right? C'mon you know I'll hook us up once I've secured the bag! Hoy por mí, mañana por ti." He winked at her.
"I may not know much Spanish, but I know that's not how that saying goes," replied Uzuri. "Any way, if all you're going to be doing is hitting on Sesshoumaru all night, I will take you off the schedule and make sure you are nowhere near to make a fool of yourself, me or the restaurant. We're trying to make a great impression and secure their business for long to come, not have them sue us for sexual harassment."
Sloan gasped dramatically and clutched his imaginary pearls. He went over to Rin and leaned down to bury his face in her chest. "Did you hear that Rinny? She called me a fool! I thought elephants were supposed to be wise gentle giants, not know-it-all big bullies!" he faked sobbed. Rin giggled lightly and hugged her friend, mockingly giving him comfort.
Said elephant demon sighed and shook her head. "As I was saying, before Sloan politely interjected, Toga Inu No Taisho made a reservation for his two sons. One is InuYasha, the younger one who is a half-demon and also has a human fiancé named Kagome. He took over his father's weapon manufacturing corporation. The older one is Sesshoumaru, a full-blooded demon in every sense of the word. As far as everyone knows, he's an eligible bachelor and is over the chain of hospitals his father started when he met his other son's mother." Uzuri explained.
"And the tea on that is Sesshoumaru actually wanted the weapons business and he blames his brother and his brother's mother for why his Papa Bear made the decisions he did." Finished Sloan. "Muy escandoloso, right Rin?" Rin nodded absentmindedly. She had only gotten a phone and Twitter a couple of years ago, so she was behind on all the celebrity gossip. The people being discussed did sound important though.
Uzuri put a hand on her hip and looked at Rin. "I'm sure Sloan loved having someone who would let him talk their ear off nonstop, but how did you manage that for a whole year and a half, Rin?" she asked. Rin smiled and held up her headphones, making Uzuri laugh and Sloan's jaw drop.
"Really Rin?" he said. "That's how you feel? Well now you two aren't going to be invited to my yacht party!" He said as he crossed his arms across his chest.
"Oh no, how ever will we go on?" replied Uzuri sarcastically. "How's about you put your hair up the way it's supposed to, so it doesn't get in the food? We're opening in 45 minutes." Sloan's blue eyes shot wide open as he looked at his watch.
"Oh shit 45 minutes?!" he exclaimed. "That's not enough time to make sure my face is ready and my hair is done!" He rushed off to the bathroom, being sure to grab his make-up bag off the coat rack before doing so.
Uzuri shook her head for the umpteenth time. "I swear that boy is something else." She turned her attention to Rin. "Anywho, I just wanted to let you know what was going on tonight. I'm expecting everyone to be on their p's and q's and every other letter. I'm sure I have nothing to worry about with you though, Rin. That silly cat of ours however, I might have to see about rearranging his section. Who else did I put on the schedule for tonight?" she mumbled the last part to herself, trailing off as she put her glasses back on and went to the office.
Rin got the scrunchie out of her pocket and wrapped her hair up in a secure but messy bun before putting on a hair net and her beret cap. She washed her hands and began assisting the other cooks with prep. Rin always did her job professionally and appropriately, but she got the feeling her boss wanted to go all out for their special guests. Rin prepared a menu she thought was appropriate for the occasion and got the stamp of approval from Uzuri who then relayed the information to the other cooks. She let Rin know, however, that when the time came to make the food for the guests, that only Rin would be responsible for making their meals. She would have assistance of course, but only to ensure that Rin wasn't slowed down in the process.
The restaurant opened and the breakfast rush came pouring in. Soon enough, Rin's attention was taken by all the duties that came with a Saturday in a restaurant and got into the groove of her normal routine.
~X~
It was hours later when the clock struck 3pm and Rin finally sat down at one of the tables with her lunch for her break. The restaurant opened in the mornings for breakfast, brunch, and lunch at 9am until 2pm, then they closed and reopened for dinner at 5pm. This was usually when the shift change happened, all of the line cooks from the morning being replaced with the night staff who was currently doing all the prepping while others who were staying for a double shift took a break.
Sloan joined Rin at the table she was sitting at with his make-up mirror and his bag, already pulling out items to re-do his face. "I had to rush this morning because I was playing games, but now I have time to actually beat my face and look cute." He said.
Uzuri joined them with her own lunch and sat next to Rin. "Don't take too long, you still have to do mine! And aren't you going to eat?" she asked him.
Sloan scoffed as he applied his foundation. "So I can have a belly pudge in front of my future sugar daddy? I think not! I'm trying to secure the bag for us, not fumble it."
Uzuri shook her head. "I'm telling you he doesn't like humans or half-demons. As much as you're into the celebrity gossip blogs, you should at least know that much."
"I know what the blogs say, and they were probably right at the time," said the cat. "But he's going to dinner with his half-demon brother and his human fiancé. Maybe that 'hatred' he had has subsided into a silent tolerance. I can work with that!"
Uzuri looked at Rin. "Do you hear your friend? The delusion!" Rin giggled in response.
"Yeah, yeah, if you want me to do your make-up you better support me in my shenanigans!" Sloan replied pointing his eyeshadow brush at her.
"Well I have no choice then do I?" Uzuri said with a laugh. She looked at Rin again. "I hope you're excited for tonight Rin. They reserved the tables in this half of the restaurant. I mean, I don't see why they didn't just book the whole place, but whatever. We're making some serious coin either way."
"It's because they don't wanna seem too exclusive." Interjected Sloan, who had just finished one eye and was about to start on the other. "We love a king who doesn't think he's too good for the peasants!"
Uzuri hummed. "Yeah, I guess that's a good way to put it…hey do that to me too! Except use the colors I'm wearing today. I brought my highlighter too. Please don't slather it one me like you did last time, I'm not trying to look like I washed my face with glitter."
"Girl, you looked bomb that day, I don't know what you're talking about. But whatever you want Boss Lady."
Rin didn't know what to expect form tonight. Her only responsibility was to make sure she made them delicious food; she wouldn't actually have to interact with the group. She hoped that she would be able to sneak out the kitchen and get a peek at the family her friends were so excited about.
~X~
"Sloan, I swear if you do something out of pocket I will trample you." Uzuri said as she picked out her fro when she took it out of the puff. They were standing at the front of the restaurant by the door. It was now 6:15, and their main guests of the evening were to arrive at 6:30. Every minute that passed made Uzuri more tense.
Sloan rolled his eyes. "Typical elephants, always wanting to trample someone. You don't worry your pretty big head about it, my dear."
"Big head?!"
"Everything will be fine." Sloan reassured her. "You know I was kidding about the whole sugar baby thing, right? If anything, I'm hoping to get hired as someone's MUA…give me that pick, you're missing a spot in the back."
Uzuri sighed and handed the pick to Sloan. "I know you were kidding, I'm just nervous. This evening must go perfect. Do you know what a good review from the Inu No Taishos would do for us?! We would finally get put on the map. We would have to beat off other customers with a stick because of all the bookings we would have."
"This evening will go perfect." Sloan emphasized. "You're gonna greet them with your usual charm, I'm gonna hit them with the great customer service and upsell like fuck, and Rin's gonna put the nail in the coffin with some delicious food." He handed the pick back to Uzuri. "There, now you look perfect. Ooo and that make-up! Girl who did your face?! Oh yeah, it was me." He said confidently.
Uzuri chuckeld at her friend. "You're right, everything will be fine…now if only we could get rid of this paparrazi." Uzuri eyes flashed green to narrow in on someone hiding in the bushes. "I need to start enforcing some social media rules I guess…Wawindaji." She called calmly. In a flash a tall gray-skinned man in black slacks and a black button-up with deep purple eyes appeared before her.
"Yes ma'am?" the man asked expectantly.
"How many paparazzi are in the area?"
"I counted 7 different beings, a mix of humans and demons. Would you like for me to dispose of them?"
"Yes…don't kill anyone. Just make sure they aren't able to harass our guests. They're arriving any minute." Uzuri commanded. Wawindaji nodded.
"Asante sana." Uzuri said. The man left as fast as he came.
"Who was that?" asked Sloan. "And can I get his number?"
Uzuri chuckled. "You'll have to ask him that…that's Wawindaji. He's a hawk demon. His family has been in service to mine for millennia. They're great hunters, he will be sure to keep those pests far away from us."
"Well can he be in service to me when he's done?"
"Sir, I am not his pimp. If you want a date, set it up yourself…now cool yourself down and get ready, our guests are here." Uzuri's eyes faded back to their dark brown color and she put on her best customer service smile as a fancy white car pulled up.
~X~
"They're here!" shouted one of the waitresses as she burst into the kitchen. "They're here! Uzuri just took them to Sloan's section!"
"Ugh, he's so lucky." Commented another waiter. "I bet he's gonna be able to pay off his rent for the rest of the year because of this."
"Yeah, if they're those type of rich people who are generous." Chimed one of the cooks. "They could be the other type of rich people who are super stingy…"
"One of the brothers is a halfie like Sloan, right?" said another. "He'll be fine, they probably asked specifically for a demon or half-demon waiter."
"No, Uzuri made him the waiter because he's team lead and always has the best customer service. The older brother doesn't even like halfies and humans."
"Then shouldn't a full demon be serving them? What type of sense does that make?"
"The younger brother is a halfie too, weren't you listening?"
"And his girlfriend is human!"
"His fiancé! Y'all are so rude!"
"I heard that they fight all the time."
Rin elected to tune out all of the chatter. She wanted to peek through the window of the kitchen doors to lay eyes upon the family of the hour, but she didn't want to be in the middle of all the commotion. She waited patiently – but also nervously – for Sloan to give her their orders.
~X~
After a while, Rin had forgotten about the whole ordeal with the family. It was now around 8pm and she had her headphones in and was cleaning up her station. They closed at 10, but Rin would always leave about an hour or more prior since she was always there all day, and the rest of the staff would perform the closing duties.
As she was cleaning her stove top, a brown hand landed on top of hers that made her stop. She looked into Uzuri's eyes who were currently their bright green color. Rin took out her headphones.
"They want to meet you." Uzuri said bluntly. Rin's eyes widened.
"Yeah, I was surprised too…I tried to convince them otherwise, but the younger brother's fiancé insisted." She said as he she removed her hand from Rin's and she bit her thumb nail. Rin analyzed her boss and friend for a second. Her eyes only flashed green for specific purposes, so it was odd seeing them now.
"Um…i-is everything alright?" Rin asked softly. Her boss was starting to make her nervous. Did the family not like their food? That couldn't be, it's been over an hour since it left the kitchen and not one plate was sent back. Rin bit her lip.
Uzuri looked at her. "Honestly Rin…I don't know. Miss Kagome is as nice as she can be, but that Sesshoumaru guy is acting kinda weird…he's been acting tense and been on high alert all evening, like he's ready to pounce something. At first, I thought maybe he was just a nervous guy, but Sloan said he heard his brother ask him what was bothering him. It's starting to get to me." Uzuri looked at Rin who had visibly become nervous.
"Oh Rin, I'm sorry! My eyes are green right now aren't they? I didn't mean to scare you; it is honestly probably nothing and I'm overthinking like usual." Uzuri blinked and her eyes went back to their dark brown color. "Besides, if he does have some hot shit to say, I will always protect and defend you. And I'll do most of the talking anyway, you just have to stand there and look pretty. You can do that right?" she looked at Rin hopefully.
Rin was still nervous, but she nodded in affirmation. "Great!" Uzuri said with a bright smile. "Now let's take off this beret, let your hair down, and wipe this sweat off your face. Your jacket's still pretty clean, that's good." She fixed and adjusted Rin like a doll. When she was done, she stepped back and observed her work.
"Wonderful! We don't want them to think we're running a sweat shop. Now just come with me, everything will be ok. Sloan will be right next to us too. They're sitting at the table we sat at for lunch, isn't that funny?" She walked towards the kitchen doors with Rin following close behind.
~X~
Kagome was at a loss. This dinner was set up by her father-in-law so the brothers could hash out their differences (non-violently) and come together to run their businesses. The hospitals the dog demon owned were directly funded by the weapons corporation, making the hospitals free and accessible for all poor individuals be they demon or human. He had worked tirelessly for this system, as it was hard to convince government officials that having a healthy population was more important than trying to avoid "socialized medicine." Therefore, they got very little to no government funding for their healthcare venture. It was dire that the brothers find some peace between them for the sake of continuing the system.
Yet, Kagome had been trying to break the very thick ice for the entire time they were there. When they sat at the table, they were greeted by their vibrant half-demon cat waiter. Kagome complimented him on his make-up skills, which made him purr with pleasure. He immediately noticed Sesshoumaru's tense posture.
"Mr. Sesshoumaru, how about a drink before your meal?" The half-demon offered with a smile. "I think a man of your stature would enjoy our style of an old fashioned with our top shelf bourbon whiskey."
"Fine." Was Sesshoumaru's short and curt response. Maybe alcohol was what he needed to make this evening go faster. It was torture enough being forced to spend time with his half-brother and his annoying mate, but he had been smelling some foreign persistent fragrance ever since he entered the building, and it seemed to be more concentrated at the table he was sitting at. It bothered his senses, and he felt himself straining to resist the strong urge to look for the source.
After the waiter brought their drinks and left once more after taking their orders, Kagome once again tried to get the brothers to speak to each other.
"Isn't it kinda funny?" Kagome said with a forced chuckle. "A company that manufactures weapons funding a healthcare system. Remember when people tried to accuse us of just being money-hungry before your father revealed the hospitals would be virtually free and accessible to the working class, and that only the rich patients would be charged the normal prices? That shut them up!"
Kagome was met with silence. She sipped her wine, trying to hide her growing agitation. She squeezed InuYasha's thigh under the table. He grumbled as he rolled his eyes.
"Yeah. It did." Was his short response, his arms crossing over his chest as he was trying to look anywhere but at his brother who was sitting directly across from him. All his life he endured derogatory language from his half-brother regarding him and his mother, and when their father made the decision he did, they fought. Badly. So badly that Sesshoumaru had almost lost an arm and InuYasha had almost lost his life. Nothing could make them come back from that as far as InuYasha was concerned.
Sesshoumaru wanted nothing to do with his half-brother, being around him was like rubbing salt in the wound. All that time he spent trying to prove to his father that he should be the one to take on the weapon manufacturing corporation wasted in favor of his younger half-brother taking it, and Sesshoumaru being given the hospital chain. He had absolutely no interest in the healing of beings who were weak enough to be harmed in the first place. He would have spit at the offer if it came from anyone else but his father.
A waitress came out of the kitchen, the movement of the door sending a draft of air to them. Sesshoumaru almost flinched when more of the scent that was bothering him flooded his nostrils, making him grind his teeth. So, the smell's source was the kitchen….
InuYasha looked as his brother with knitted eyebrows. Did he just growl? "What the fuck is wrong with you?" he asked rudely, not wanting to sound concerned.
"InuYasha! If you're going to curse at least use an inside voice." Kagome reprimanded.
"Didn't you just hear him growl, Kagome? He's the one that's been acting like he has something stuck up his ass all night!"
"Trash." Sesshouamaru stated, his voice dripping with venom.
"Right back atcha, bastard!" yelled InuYasha.
"Stop it already InuYasha!" hissed Kagome, pinching one of his ears.
"Ow! Why me?! He started it!"
"Well you're my fiancé, not him. You're the one causing a scene, not him. This place is nice, can we please just get through dinner without destroying it?"
InuYasha slouched in his seat and went back to glaring at the wall. Kagome sighed and finished her glass of wine. Before she could even say anything, the empty glass was taken out of her hand and replaced with another. She smiled up at Sloan.
"Thank you! You must have been doing this for a while." She commented.
Sloaned chuckled. "It's what I'm best at besides make-up Miss Kagome. Oh, your food is coming!"
A waiter came carrying a plate in each hand followed by a waitress carrying one plate. Once again, the scent wafted towards them, and seemed to be attached to the plate placed in front of Sesshoumaru. Before he could stop himself, Sesshoumaru started devouring what was in front of him almost like he hadn't eaten in centuries.
InuYasha always ate like that so he didn't notice that Sesshoumaru was doing it, but Kagome was a little surprised at the almost crass manner in which the full demon was eating. She knew Sesshoumaru didn't like eating in front of people, and when he did it was always slow and neat, and he never finished his plate when it was "human" food. Yet, here he was, almost half-way done with his plate even though it was just put in front of him. She would have to meet the chef responsible for making Sesshoumaru react this way.
~X~
As she approached the table, Rin saw Sloan standing there smiling at her and waving slightly. She finally got her first look of the family.
She was able to identify InuYasha, the half-demon brother because of his silver dog ears on top of his head. Sloan also had cat ears on top of his head, and he had told her that usually halfies tend to have visible animal features they can't change while full demons could manipulate themselves to blend in more if they chose, like Uzuri. InuYasha was handsome and had thick voluminous silver hair and fiery amber eyes that currently glaring at the wall, disinterested in what was about to come.
His fiancé, Kagome, was also beautiful with long black hair that went down her back in waves and a bright smile that she directed towards Rin as she approached. Her eyes were a milk chocolate color that seemed bright and inviting.
The last man who Rin assumed had to be Sesshoumaru had his back to her. He had extremely long silver hair that didn't have the volume his brother's hair had, and elfin-shaped ears protruded from it. She noticed his hand move under the table and saw a magenta marking on his wrist when his sleeve went up, along with elongated claws at the tips of his fingers. Rin shivered a little in anticipation to see his face.
However, when they finally approached the table, Rin found herself resigning to her nervous habit of looking down at the ground when meeting new people. She slightly hid herself behind Sloan as Uzuri spoke.
"This is Rin. She's been with us for 6 years. I entrusted her with preparing your food tonight. We're all very proud of her." Said Uzuri with a smile.
"Well I can certainly see why!" said Kagome, her eyes on the younger woman who hiding behind the waiter and using her hair as a curtain. "Hey honey, no need to be so scared. We're nice people, we just wanted to thank you for the delicious meals. It's hard to find nice places to eat out where we're welcomed. I love that you all were able to build an environment where both demons and humans can work together."
Rin blushed and lifted her head a bit to look at the woman speaking to her. She gave a small smile and nodded. "T-thank you v-very much…I'm g-glad you liked it ma'am…" she said shakily.
"Oh no, don't call me ma'am," Kagome said with a laugh. "Kagome is fine, honestly."
Sloan stepped to the side and placed his hands on Rin's shoulders and pushed her a little closer to the table. "She's a shy one, but we all love her." He said as if he was talking about his child. "I try to get her to stop hiding her cute face with her hair while it's down." He pulled Rin's hair back behind her shoulders. Rin shivered a bit when cool air hit the sweat of her neck.
Out of nowhere Sesshoumaru shot up from the table, knocking the chair that he was sitting on to the ground. Everyone looked at Sesshumaru with wide eyes. Rin gasped at what she saw. His eyes were a bright glowing red, his fangs protruding from his mouth in a fierce snarl, the magenta markings on his face ragged. Rin stepped back, frightened by the demon's appearance.
"What the fuck Sesshoumaru?!" exclaimed InuYasha, now also standing and getting ready for what his half-brother was about to do.
"W-woah, wait a minute! Don't do anything rash InuYasha! Sesshoumaru, please calm down!" Kagome begged, stepping in front of her fiancé.
"Move out of the way, Kagome!" InuYasha yelled.
Sesshoumaru turned and faced Rin who was being shielded by Sloan and Uzuri. Uzuri stepped directly in front of Sesshoumaru, her eyes glowing a bright green and her fists at her side ready to be used.
"Sloan, take Rin to the back now." She commanded. Sloan quickly started guiding Rin to the kitchen. "Mr. Sesshoumaru, I am not sure what has you upset but you will get that red out of your eyes now before I take it out myself."
"What's wrong with him?" someone across the restaurant said.
"Look at his eyes! He's about to go crazy!" said someone else.
"Someone call YCD!" exclaimed another.
That last statement distracted Uzuri as she looked towards the person who was pulling out their phone and dialing. "Don't you dare call the-"before she could finish her sentence she was sent flying into the wall by Sesshoumaru with one swing of his arm, making people in the restaurant start screaming.
"Uzuri!" Sloan shouted. He glared at Sesshoumaru and bared his fangs, getting in the position to attack him and standing protectively in front of Rin.
"You think you can come in here and just start fucking shit up?! Pinche cabrón!" he said with a hiss. InuYasha rushed over to stand in between the other half-demon and his brother.
"You need to get all the way back; you don't know what you're dealing with. Go check on your boss." He warned Sloan.
He wanted to disobey the command at first, but he decided that InuYasha was probably the best chance at stopping the full demon, so he conceded and rushed over to help Uzuri.
InuYasha glared at Sesshoumaru. "Sesshoumaru, you are acting like you're possessed. If you don't want YCD to come in here and handle your ass then you need to-" InuYasha was stopped by Sesshoumaru's hand wrapping around his throat, his elongated claws glowing green with the poison he secreted there. InuYasha choked and scratched at his brother's hand.
"InuYasha!" shouted Kagome as she watched helplessly. "Sesshoumaru, please stop!" Sesshoumaru threw InuYasha to the side with tables and chairs breaking his fall. Kagome rushed to his aid as he coughed up blood.
Sesshoumaru zeroed in on Rin, who was frozen in place with fear. He advanced toward her. Every step he took made Rin take a step back until he trapped her against the wall. Tears were at the corner of Rin's eyes, threatening to spill if she so much as blinked. Sesshoumaru grabbed her chin and forced Rin to expose her neck. He buried his face there and inhaled deeply feeling a sense of satisfaction wash over him at finally finding the source of his turmoil. He ran his tongue along the length of her neck. Rin shivered, and stopped breathing as he turned her face back towards his to meet his hot red gaze.
"You will be mine." Sesshoumaru growled lowly. Rin's mouth hung open in shock.
The ground shaking was the only thing that made Rin tear her eyes away from the demon to see Uzuri running towards them, her greens eyes flashing and her body nearly three times as big as it was normally. Every time her foot hit the ground, the floor underneath it broke, and the ground shook as if an actual elephant was approaching.
"Get the fuck away from her!" Uzuri shouted as she tackled the dog demon to the ground and pinned him using her bigger, heavier form.
The force of her tackle must have knocked something in Sesshoumaru loose, because he awakened from his daze and glared at the woman with icy amber eyes.
"Remove yourself from me at once, elephant." Commanded Sesshoumaru.
Uzuri's eyes narrowed at him and she put more of her weight on him. "Not after that display you just put on, dog." She said with just as much venom in her voice. "You need to learn to control your fucking impulses." Sesshoumaru snarled at her in response.
Kagome rushed over to the demons who were in a glaring contest with each other. "Ma'am…um, Uzuri was it? Please let Sesshoumaru go. I'm not at all sure what happened but I think he's back to his senses now." Kagome said trying to diffuse the situation. "You don't have to worry about the YCD, I called a very good friend of mine and explained the situation to her. She called them off. This doesn't need to escalate any further."
Uzuri continued to glare at Sesshoumaru for a few more seconds before getting off of him, shrinking back down to her original size, but her green eyes still blazing. She looked over to Rin who was being comforted by Sloan, and felt anger bubble up in her chest at the mix of fear and shock on the young woman's face. She put her eyes back on Sesshoumaru who was now standing up.
"That will be that last time the likes of you will ever get that close to me." The dog demon said coldly, but fiercely. The elephant demon crossed her arms over her chest and continued to glare up at the man who now towered over her.
Kagome squeezed herself in between the two demons, almost feeling the electricity of the energy being exchanged between them. "Miss Uzuri, really I do apologize for this…spectacle." She said slowly.
"You mean absolute hot fucking MESS!" yelled Sloan who was clutching Rin like a teddy bear.
"Sloan, not now." Came Uzuri's cold command. "Miss Kagome, I know this is not your fault…as a matter of fact, I know it's not entirely his fault either." She shot a quick glance at Sesshoumaru who was still glaring at her.
Kagome laughed nervously. "Is that so…well in that case I appreciate that you are such an understanding woman. I promise you; Toga Inu No Taisho will see that all the damage done will be fixed and the costs of having your establishment closed will be repaid tenfold."
Keeping her glare on Sesshoumaru, Uzuri nodded. "Understood, and apology accepted Miss Kagome." She said plainly. Sesshoumaru scoffed and immediately stomped his way out of the restaurant.
"Sesshoumaru, wait!" Kagome called after him. She looked at Uzuri with a guilty apologetic look. "Really we are so sorry for all of this. You will hear from us soon regarding repairs. We shall take our leave now." Kagome gave a slight bow and then helped her fiancé exit the restaurant after his half-brother.
~X~
"What in the hell was that Uzuri?!" Sloan asked when the last employee finally left after cleaning what they could.
Uzuri was examining the places Rin indicated Sesshoumaru touched, her green eyes deep with thought. She blinked her green eyes away and let go of Rin's face as she sighed. "As much as I want to explain, Sloan…it is honestly not my place."
"What?!" Sloan said in disbelief. "He attacked you, his brother, and Rin unprovoked! If there's a fucking explanation for that I'm all ears baby!"
Uzuri closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Sloan, please. I've had enough for tonight and Rin has too. All this adrenaline running through my system has me exhausted. We all need to go home and sleep this off."
Sloan threw his hands up. "Ugh, fine then! I'll let this drop for now." He said. "But I'm not letting Rin spend the night alone knowing that some crazy guy is out there. She needs to come home with me."
"How about you ask her if that's what she wants to do instead of making decisions for her like she's a child?" Uzuri snapped at the half-demon. They both looked at Rin who was staring at her hands in her lap, lost in her own thoughts. The whole ordeal kept replaying in her mind on a loop. His words echoed in her mind as if he was inside her head. She shivered.
"Rin?" Said woman's eyes snapped up to meet her boss' now dark brown ones. "Honey, are you ok to go home tonight? Do you want to stay with Sloan or me? Or have one of us stay with you? "
Rin blinked and thought for a second. She had been living alone for a little over 5 years and never once felt unsafe. She also doubted that she would encounter the dog demon again. Yet, Rin still felt unsettled.
"U-u-um…I-I thik I-I'll stay with S-sloan tonight…" she finally got out. Uzuri nodded in understanding.
"Ofcourse, hun, no problem…Wawinndaji." The hawk demon from earlier appeared in front of them. "Escort Rin and Sloan back to Sloan's apartment, please. You are also to keep watch and protect them should anything arise. Understood?"
"Ofcourse ma'am." Wawindaji replied without hesitation. He kneeled down by Rin who was sitting in a chair. "Miss Rin are you able to walk to the car or shall I assist you?" he asked while holding out his hands.
"…. you can assist me." Sloan said not too quietly.
Uzuri rolled her eyes. "You never miss an opportunity, do you?" she asked rhetorically.
"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take!" said Sloan with a wink. Rin giggled, feeling relief that things were still pretty much normal even after the fiasco of tonight. She stood from her chair, noticing that Wawindaji had already gathered her things from the back for her.
"Alright, well you all get home safe. Rin, you text me in the morning ok? I'll take you out to breakfast." Uzuri said as they all walked to the front of the restaurant. Rin nodded and her and Sloan piled into the black car with Wawindaji getting into the driver's seat.
As she watched them pull off, Uzuri sighed again. "Things are really about to start getting crazy." She said to herself as she went back inside.
So what do y'all think?! Are we liking the new and improved D&H so far? Comments? Concerns? Complaints? Compliments? I'm excited for the next few chapters if I do say so myself. :3
Please leave a review! See ya soon. ;)