I was driving earlier today from the city across the river where I live, and for some reason, I had the 'brilliant' idea of making an AU of my own fanfiction. Little did I know, that despite how lame one part of my brain thinks this idea is, the other half of my brain is a creative force on crack and will not be ignored. This is based loosely off 'Dragon Lord's Daughter,' featuring many of the same OC's, with Tatsuhana being the main character and main OC. I'll probably include side characters and villains from the original anime/manga depending on my mood and where this project goes.

This is an AU taking place in the present (2019). If you're hoping for super-originality, well, I'm sorry. I don't know what to tell you. I'm a sucker for Sesshomaru in a fashionable business suit. (Don't lie. I know you enjoy it too). Yea. It's going to be one of those AU's where Sesshomaru, his dad, and Inuyasha run a super big corporation… blah blah blah. Tatsuhana's character isn't going to change all that much; she's still a struggling art student. There are some things that are going to be different about her past than in the original fanfiction mentioned above, but nothing too crazy or differs too much. All, if not most, of the main cast is going to be there with roles I usually envisioned them in if put in the present. This may or may not lead to branching out those storylines as their own individual stories. I would have to rewatch the show or pick up the manga before venturing into that territory.

That being all said and done, please enjoy whatever this is going to be. XOXO

BRIIIING!

BRIIIIING!

BRIIIIINNNG!

Tatsuhana slammed her hand onto the alarm clock. With bleary eyes, she squinted at the clock. Six A.M and she had twenty minutes to get dressed, pack her things, and head out the door. Five minutes to get onto her bike and exactly twenty minutes to cycle her way to the art institute for her first class. If she didn't get up now, she was going to be late. The art teacher was strict for someone who was teaching the liberal arts. Having no choice in the matter, Tatsuhana threw off her blankets and hobbled to her dresser just as the orange sunrise started to creep into her bedroom. Her stomach whined, but there was no time to eat. She picked something simple that she didn't mind getting sweaty in, some jeans and old black t-shirt. Her bedclothes were stripped and dumped onto the floor as she hurriedly shoved her legs into the pair of skinny jeans. She sneered at the bare ankle glaring back at her. Unfortunately, most pants ended up being capris for her due to her unusual height. Most Japanese women came in at five-foot-five or shorter; Tatsuhana was super unusual in that she grew to be five-foot-ten. She was even taller than some of the men she knew.

Her shirt was extra baggy to hide the fact that her jeans fit a little too snugly on her hips. Despite eating well and daily exercise, she still managed to develop a little bit of a muffing top. She believed that she fit more naturally in Western-sized clothing as everything in Japan refused to fit her properly. She ran a brush through her long hair and tied it into a ponytail at her neck.

Quickly, she packed all that she would or might need into a single black backpack. Wallet, pencil bag, jumbo-sized erasers, earbuds, her cell phone, sketchbook, and other miscellany. On the other side of her small apartment, stood a shrine. Nothing particularly special or ornate, but it housed the last two pictures of her parents. Tatsuhana bowed from the waist in the direction of her home shrine before sprinting to the front door. Shoving her feet into a pair of worn tennis shoes, Tatsuhana grabbed her keys and her bike helmet from the wall by the door. She headed out with her backpack firmly on her shoulders and snapped the helmet's buckle under her chin as she skipped down the steps to the ground floor of the complex.

She sighed with relief to find her new bike right where she left it. She'd already lost two bikes to thieves. Of course, if they had tried anything, they would have to get through all four of the bike chains she outfitted her new ride with and avoid setting of the airhorn she rigged just in case. Disarming the bike and unlocking every chain, Tatsuhana got on and peddled like the wind. At six-thirty in the morning, traffic was only starting to pick up. She sped past high school students milling down the sidewalks, taking their sweet time to get to school. The grocer at the mom and pop food market stand waved as she peddled past. Tatsuhana, without thinking, turned briefly to wave back.

Tatsuhana was a good cyclist. She wore reflective clothing when riding at night. She used turn signals when necessary. She rode on bicycle lanes when possible. She stopped for kids walking the street and always rode in the direction of traffic. On every other day, Tatsuhana was a considerate cyclist.

But…sometimes even the best and most responsible bike riders make mistakes.

A man walked in front of her, coming almost out of nowhere. Even if she had been paying attention, she wouldn't have been able to stop her bike in time. Tatsuhana rang her bell to warn the pedestrian and braked hard, nearly twisting her ankles in the process. Her bike skidded on the pavement, almost busting open the rubber wheels. Tatsuhana on her bike and the man collided.

She blacked out for a moment. Just a minute from the shock of it all. When she came to, she was looking up at the sky and the towering buildings around her. The friendly grocer, Mr. Akabi, appeared into view, red-faced and huffing.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Tatsuhana felt around her skull. Nothing was bleeding. Her back, shoulders, and probably her legs were going to be swore for at least a day, but nothing seemed broken or sprained.

"Yea. I think I'm good."

"Master Sesshomaru!" Came a nasally voice.

Tatsuhana shot up. She remembered. She hit somebody with her bike. Getting up, her eyes landed on her victim. The man had gotten up before she did with on a slight scrape in his pant leg. He dusted himself off in no worse shape but had the appearance of one who had paint dumped on him. The mostly human crowd formed a small circle to gawk at the show. The man was nothing ordinary. He stood taller than all the men around him. A solid six feet tall if Tatsuhana had to guess. Even in a ponytail, his whitish-silver hair still reached to the small of his back. Magenta stripes on his cheek and the violet moon stamped on his forehead made him something Tatsuhana should be very afraid of.

A demon.

Demons weren't uncommon. They'd been around since the feudal era, making themselves known to Emperor Go-Daigo during his overthrow of the Kamakura shogunate. In exchange for their services as executioners and bodyguards, the demons were free to intermingle with human society. Foreign missionaries in the 16th to 17th centuries were scared off by the creatures they had seen for some time. But a history lesson is not required any further here.

What shocked Tatsuhana more than she not only ran over a demon, she ran over somebody with money. Her parents brought her up in a fancy tradition inn that they owned together. Tatsuhana spent most of her childhood and youth serving tea and food to men dressed in business suits. She could tell an Armani from a brandless knockoff from a mile. And this man, this demon, was definitely wearing an Armani. She could tell by the strong shape of the shoulder seam that drew attention to the man's physique.

What was a man like that doing in a place like this?

Tatushana just stared, embarrassed and too frightened to speak. She swallowed a lump in her throat and her mouth became dry as a desert. He was too busy dusting himself off and checking for further tears when an imp sprinted out of an alleyway. His was the shrill voice of panic she heard a few minutes ago. Rather than wearing a modern business suit, the imp which ran towards him wore a traditional kimono and hakama bunched around his tiny ankles.

"Master Sesshomaru! Are you alright?"

"Of course, I'm alright, Jaken. Did you think that a little fall like that is going to cause this one damage?"

Tatsuhana watched the imp fall on his face, literally, and profusely grovel at his feet. He adjusted his cuffs and snapped his head towards her. She gulped when their eyes met. She felt them seer into her soul.

He walked with slow deliberation towards her. Tatsuhana stood stock still and could only think of the things she should say. Too bad she couldn't get any of them out of her mouth. He was within arm's length of her when he dug into his suit. He pulled out a small black case. Popping it open, Sesshomaru produced a business card and held it out for her to take. Hesitantly, Tatsuhana reached for it.

She had nothing against demons…per se, but she had nothing to gain from taking his card either. What if it was cursed or charmed? He could find her wherever she went and do unspeakable things to her. There was a cold glint in his eyes, though she couldn't sense any serious maleficence coming from him. She took the card between her fingers. Tatsuhana looked at it but didn't get a chance to read the full name, just barely glanced at the number, before he spoke again.

"Call that number by the end of the day. You'll have to pay for the suit."

Tatsuhana nodded but couldn't help but look down at the hole in the trouser leg. The hole could have easily been fixed and it was so small that no one would notice unless they got a very close look. Was he really going to make her pay for the whole suit or just the tailoring cost? Either way, it would mean another bill to pay. Tatsuhana groaned interiorly.

Just what I needed. More trouble on my plate, she thought.

Sesshomaru didn't bother to give her a second glance. He turned his back to her and started to walk away. His imp, Jaken, glared at her then turned his nose up at her and followed his master. Tatsuhana watched them cross the street and disappear. She put the business card in a safe place. Her bike had been scratched, however, nothing was broken or bent out of shape. She tried not to let the morning's unfortunate turn shape the rest of the day. Managing to get to class on time, Tatsuhana let the professor's droning about the Heian art period make her forget, at least for a few hours, what transpired. If she thought about it for too long, it would only serve to make her a living wreck.

The coin at her throat, which she wore day and night, warm to the touch. She thumbed and fiddled with it throughout the day as she tried not to think about the incident. It gave her some level of comfort, but it didn't make it disappear.

"I'm so dead, Maiko. You don't even understand." Tatsuhana stood behind the bar, fixing her friend a drink.

Maiko and Tatsuhana differed in so many ways, it was hard to believe how they managed to stay close knit. Tatsuhana was the artistic type with a businesswoman's work ethic and nearly pushed herself too far on several occasions. Maiko had been born into a long line of lawyers and civil servants. She was destined for the bar too, though she never took it as seriously as her parents wanted her to. Tatsuhana worked two jobs, trying to keep her and her parents' business afloat while Maiko had some financial privilege. That was why Tatsuhana stood behind the bar and not in the seat next to Maiko.

"So, you scuffed up some douchebag's pant leg? It's not like you broke something of his, right? If worse comes to worse, you could always beg for forgiveness."

"I will not be reduced to groveling."

"Stubborn to the last," Maiko giggled as Tatsuhana handed her the margarita. "Some things never change."

"It wasn't some random douchebag. His name is Sesshomaru Taisho. Taisho Incorporated. The big tech and industrial complex. That belongs, in part, to Sesshomaru Taisho. The guy I ran over with my bike!"

The straw Maiko had been sucking on fell out of her mouth as she opened it wide. Her eyes became like saucers.

"That Sesshomaru Taisho?"

Tatsuhana nodded.

"And you ran him over with your bike?"

Tatsuhana nodded again.

"Ooooh, I would not want to be in your shoes right now."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Tatsuhana found a clean rag and started wiping down the bar as she talked. "As if I don't have enough on my plate as it is. I've school, two jobs, and I can't keep a pair of managers at the inn around long enough to keep it running."

"Why don't you just sell the old place? It's causing you nothing but grief."

Here we go again.

Tatsuhana sighed. She threw down the rag and pressed her hands hard against the bar. "You know I can't do that, Maiko."

"Hana, please listen to reason. I know it's been really hard on you for the last few months. I know that the place means a lot to you, but keeping it running isn't going to bring them back."

Tatsuhana's teeth worried her lower lip. Her fingers curled up. It seemed just like yesterday that they were still around. She glanced at her home shrine, she knew that they were gone. She didn't need anything or anyone to keep reminding her of that. She put the rag away and grabbed a brown tub.

"I've got some tables to bus. Mimi called in again. Holler when you need a refill." With that blunt dismissal, Tatsuhana pretended that Maiko's words, even if she never intended them to, hurt her.

Sesshomaru crossed the street with Jaken following behind at a running pace. Sesshomaru's long legs made it difficult for the kappa to keep up. However, there were things he needed to do today and picking up his brother happened to be one of them. How he loathed doing it. He left his yellow Lexus down a few blocks at the most respectable-looking garage he could find. It was several blocks away from Inuyasha's last known location, but he wasn't about to park a very expensive car out in the middle of the street. Its custom paint job would leave it spotted for miles around. Tabloids would encircle it like vultures if he parked in the street.

As if to make matters worse, there was the issue of the clumsy bicyclist who foolishly ran into him. Modern demons such as himself would never be reduced to bloodlust at the smallest inconvenience. He was above such displays.

Also, he didn't want the blood on his shoes.

For the last few decades, it had been quite for Sesshomaru's half-brother. Up until recently, Inuyasha had been performing well beyond anyone's expectations in the marketing department. To everyone's surprise, including Sesshomaru, for the last ten years, Inuyasha hadn't burned down the corporate building. His staff looked up to him despite his half-breed status and sales had shot up in the last few sectors. For once in his life, Inuyasha had started to live up to sufficient enough standards where Sesshomaru could stand in the room with him without wanting to lob off his head.

That is until recently…

Inuyasha got into the habit of disappearing when he was most needed. He tended to delegate his work to his second-in-command, Koga. While his father and Sesshomaru did the same now and then, Inuyasha started the habit out of nowhere just when things were looking up. His adventures away from the office were becoming frequent and disruptive. While Koga and his team were capable, it wasn't a good image for the company if the CEO's second son were caught in a comprising position. To save some face, Toga sent out his first-born to collect Inuyasha from whatever brothel or drug den he wandered into.

The tech team managed to get a hold of Inuyasha's cellphone location and texted Sesshomaru the address. He made his way to an ordinary street. Well-paved, clean, and there weren't any bars on the doors or windows, it wasn't as bad as he expected. Tiger demon walking her cub bowed to him as he walked past, though he had no time to even acknowledge the gesture. His eyes were focused on the apartment complex up ahead. Jaken could take no more. Sesshomaru heard him wheezing from far behind as the kappa begged to stand a moment to catch his breath. Sesshomaru walked on without him.

The building was plain. There were a few cracks on its face, but nothing major. The windowsills were stark white against the rose-colored paint. He tested the door. No security system or log-in pad to bar his way, Sesshomaru entered. Looking around, he guessed how many apartments there were. On the first floor, there were nine. He didn't concern himself with those. His nose picked up Inuyasha's scent coming from the third floor. The faint traces of musk and perfume grew stronger as Sesshomaru climbed up to that floor. At last, he came to the door at the end of the hallway. Inuyasha's scent lingered strong behind this door.

Sesshomaru knocked and waited.

A pair of light feet, too light and too small to be Inuyasha's clomping gait, sprinted towards the door. Sesshomaru wasn't even that surprised to find a woman answering the door. What surprised him was her face. Waves of black hair looked like a rat's nest on her head. It didn't take him very long to know who made those bite marks on her neck. She rocked on her feet as Sesshomaru looked her dead in the eye. The eyes were a different shape, but the face looked very familiar.

"M-may I help you?" She asked, voice shaking. '

"Inuyasha. Where is he?"

He needn't wait long for his answer.

"I'm comin', ya bastard!"

Indeed, he could've heard his half-brother lumbering from a mile away. Inuyasha appeared, his hair messed up and uncombed and completely shirtless. Probably because his white button-up currently adorned the woman standing in the doorway. Inuyasha gently pulled the woman aside and stood in her place.

"I'm not even gonna ask how you found me," he growled.

"You can thank Shippo in the tech department. Now, retrieve your shirt from your lady friend and meet me outside. There's a meeting at ten and you're not going to embarrass our father. You've come a long way, half-brother. Don't become a disappointment."

Sesshomaru turned on his heels and headed back down the flight of stairs. He should have known better. It took Toga years to pull Inuyasha out of his depression after what happened to Kikyo. It didn't surprise Sesshomaru in the least that he found new romance in her lookalike.

At six o'clock in the evening, Sesshomaru got his message.

Hi, um, this is Tatsuhana Hamasaki and I, uh, ran you over with my bike. I'm really sorry. I don't have a lot of money to spare, so could we work something out. Please, you can call me back at…

He wrote down the woman's phone number. Just as soon as he put down his pen, he heard a knock at his door. By her scent, he knew who it was.

"Enter."

Sesshomaru rose from his chair behind his large desk. And no, he wasn't compensating for something. He made his way to the windows and pressed the button on the wall. Curtains descended over the windows that encompassed two walls of his corner office. He could smell her perfume and hear the click of her heels as she walked in.

Call him a hypocrite if you want. It wasn't as if Sesshomaru cared much for the opinion of fleas to begin with. Unlike his brother and even his father, Sesshomaru learned from their mistakes. He was far better at keeping a secret than either of them.

"Why Sesshomaru? Is it a special occasion?" Kagura's red lips quirked into a smug look.

Not even a smile. She probably liked to think she had him wrapped around her little, manicured finger. He would laugh if he could. He used her just as much as she used him. A bit of tit for tat as they say.

Sesshomaru moved silently back over to his desk. He sat on its edge and curled his finger in a come-hither gesture. Kagura left the pile of manila folders on his coffee table before strutting towards him. Sesshomaru was already loosening his tie while Kagura removed her blazer. When she reached him, she supported her arms on his shoulders and laced her fingers behind his neck. He closed the gap between their mouths. Even just a for a while, he wanted to be lost in something other than work.

"Daddy!"

Sesshomaru grunted as if in pain and surprise as his eight-year-old ran up and strapped herself to his leg.

It amused Rin to no end to surprise him, even if they both knew he put on a show for her. He tossed his jacket unto the coatrack and left his brief case on the floor. Rin barely gave him enough time to remove his shoes before stepping into his penthouse overlooking Tokyo. He gathered her up in his arms. Checking his watch, he realized how long past her bedtime it was. The nanny was nowhere in sight.

"Have you been alone by yourself this whole time?"

It took everything within him not to growl. He blew through them so quickly that he barely had time to replace one after the other. He usually left those details with his secretary, but he should have guessed it was Kagura's doing. She always picked the worst-looking or the least qualified candidates just so she could monopolize his time. There were going to be words with her tomorrow morning at the office.

"She went to get something from the store but never came back." Clenching tight as if to never let go, Rin wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Do you know when that was?" Sesshomaru carried her to her room.

Purple was her current favorite color, though she was slowly leaning towards orange nowadays. Hues of purple bedecked the room from floor rugs to the wallpaper. He found every purple knick-nack and stuffed animal he could find and placed it in her room. Sesshomaru had to gently pull her arms away to get her to let go. He placed her down on the bed that had been tossed about, most likely due to Rin's tossing and turning.

"When the big hand was on the eight and the little hand was on the seven," Rin answered as he tucked her back under the covers.

"Rin, do you that what she did was a very bad thing? She shouldn't have left you alone like that."

"I know." She pulled the covers up to her nose.

Sesshomaru petted her hair and kissed her forehead.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Rin. You should know that. You did nothing wrong."

"Then why do you look angry? Your eyes are starting to turn red!"

"I'm not angry with you, Rin. Never with you. Just go to sleep. I'll be here in the morning."

Rin pulled the covers down. She nodded her head. No matter how many times he told her that or anything of the like, she didn't seem to believe him. He didn't turn his back as he slowly walked out of the room. His hand deftly turned out the headlight, leaving on the nightlight in the corner to cast a yellow glow inside the room. He left her bedroom door open a crack. As he slowly padded his way back to the living room to make some very angry phone calls, his demon ears picked up the sound of someone entering the penthouse.

Sesshomaru crept along to see the nanny quietly lock the door. She carried two plastic bags. One held the unmistakable neck of a wine bottle.

While she fidgeted with the lock, he stopped within three feet of her and smelled the alcohol on her. She successfully turned the lock but never noticed his briefcase or jacket on the coatrack. That really was her mistake. He folded his arms across his chest because that was all he could do to avoid snapping her neck with his bare hands.

When she turned at last, the little thing yelped. Her face turned ash gray at the sight of him. Foolishly, she tried hiding the wine bottle behind her back, but it was too late. Far too late for her.

"M-Mister Inutaisho…"

"Did you think I wouldn't return before midnight?"

"Well…I…i-it's not what it looks like!"

"It is eleven thirty. Rin just told me you've been out since forty past seven. Do you realize that I could have you arrested for this? Child endangerment. Public intoxication. I'm sure I could convince the arresting officer to add child abuse to the list of charges."

His former nanny froze to the spot.

"Lucky for you, I'd rather have you out of my home without incident. You will receive no pay for tonight. I do not want you to darken my doorway ever again. Do you understand that much?"

Slowly, as she comprehended the immense mercy, he granted her, she nodded her head. Reaching behind her, the woman fumbled with the lock to his door. He pried it open for her rather than wait for the drunkard to do it herself. She slipped out before he could slam the door on her finger and break it.

He blamed himself, really. Eventually, Sesshomaru got himself into the shower to wash the stench of the day off. He was able to cool off before going to bed. Laying in bed, the only thing that put him to sleep was the endless to-do list he had to accomplish the next day. One of those things involved finding a new nanny by Friday night.

And probably fire Kagura.

Luckily, he knew how to solve one of those problems.