"Rin's sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Sesshoumaru frowned at the proper and respective suffix she put on his name. Really…it wasn't her fault. He shouldn't have left her and damn it if he didn't feel guilty. It wasn't just the fact that she could have gotten hurt, she wasn't any more than a few scratches and minor bruises, but Rin could have been killed. Those thugs weren't ordinary criminals. Their track records with the police may say so, but Sesshoumaru recognized them. This was one of the reasons he didn't hesitate to attack them and defend his ward. They dangerous and held no respect for any laws except for the ones of their gang. But Sesshoumaru knew them as a few of the body guards working for the Obaruka Corporation president. This president was newly appointed because he was able to buy out the previous and original company owner. His name was Sagakara Naraku. His past dealings were unknown, but the rumors were plentiful about him being involved with the underground clans of Japan, or gangs, and also in the corruption of the government.

"Is Sesshoumaru-san really mad?"
"No Rin, I'm not angry with you. I shouldn't have left you."
"Rin just wanted to talk with Kohaku-kun."
"Is that all? I would have taken you."
"But you wouldn't have gotten back until it was too late."

Rin looked away from his after this. The embarrassment clear in the meek nature, one side of her personality he rarely saw which means it was hard for her to say. What could be so hard to tell him?

"Rin…tell me what's on your mind please."

She still didn't look at him, but the word 'please' definitely spoke to her seeing as how he'd only said it twice before and that was in the same sentence. Her Sess-san had asked, almost pleadingly with understanding in his golden eyes, her to trust him and to speak during that dark time when she was mute. But even with that unheard of phrase Rin still kept her face down turned from him and her eyes shut. Her ears heard him sigh and she turned to cling to him. Clutching the shirt at his collar bone, Sesshoumaru could feel the tears leaking from her brown eyes.

"It was our day Sess-san."

-Oh.-

Sesshoumaru nearly wanted to hit himself if it wouldn't have been so degrading to do so. No wonder she'd been acting weird when he was getting ready to depart. She hadn't wanted him to go and truthfully he shouldn't have. Sesshoumaru had promised that this day would be all theirs. Then…at the first call from work he left.

"You're always gone."

Rin wasn't exactly encouraged by his silence, but after her first statement she had felt the muscles tense beneath her as he carried her into the elevator of the apartment building. After that it all seemed to spill from her. Once the dam is broken, it's hard to cease the water flow. Rin didn't want him to be mad or even guilty, not at all, but the point of the matter was…she missed him when he left. And now, she would make sure he knew it. Her guardian wasn't oblivious, but he was one who always got straight to the point. If Rin had never said anything to him, how was he supposed to know? Sure a woman would have figured it out, like a mother who always known when her child does something wrong by simply looking at them, but with fathers it is different. They want you to talk to them, almost expect it. Otherwise they won't ask, thinking it really isn't that important or it is your wish not to mention it. They won't pry unless it's serious or the problem has a chance of being dangerous to you. That is the beauty, but also the curse of fathers. It is so hard sometimes to bring it up, so you don't.

"Rin…"

This time his voice wasn't that of the norm. The tingeing tone that usually had a reprimanding turn that was to tell her to mind herself or remind her of something she'd forgotten. But this time it was soft and almost unbelieving.

"Gomen ne... don't be guilty."
"Iie."

Rin looked into his face as he lifted her chin with a long hooked finger. He had put her down and was kneeling in front of her at the door to their home. Sesshoumaru saw the uneasiness in her features and soothed it by cupping her cheek with his palm. Rin leaned into the small comfort and placed her tiny hand, nearly a third the size of his, over his knuckles.

"Gomen nasai."

Sesshoumaru didn't need to say more and he didn't. The widening of her eyes told him enough, but the acceptance circling their chocolate depths as well as the lessening anxiousness told him more. Rin nodded and stepped back from him turning her back. Rin pulled the chain from inside her coat and twisted the key hearing the corresponding click of the lock.

"Come on Sess-san! It's time for bed!"

Sesshoumaru blew out a quick breath of air from a slanted, smirking mouth as he lowered his head. His silver bangs hid the amusement in his eyes. Father and daughter entered their home to prepare for sleep. There wasn't a qualm in his head that she would be slumbering in hid bed once again this night.

-.- -.- -.- 0.0

Kagome didn't say a word the entire walk home. She was here, but then again she wasn't. Sango could only want to hurt that bastard of an ex-boyfriend because she knew Kagome would never dream of it. That was the way she was. You could hurt her, over and over again, but she would never hit back. That stupid girl would accept it all with no resistance, even if she didn't deserve it. The wonder is that afterwards, she will still smile and with a laugh walk away. Kagome accepts all darkness that was given to her, or at least that was how it seemed. But then…Sango knew better.

Kagome's eyes were distant, but the colors in her eyes flickered and swirled showing her concentration as well as the confliction in her soul. You could see everything in those eyes. Those portals to her soul were always open even in such a masked state such as this.

Memories floated attached in her thoughts like dust flowing among the passing stream. First was of a little girl at the bedside of a sickened man. His face was pale in comparison to the dark beard and black mustache that held no trace of the white signifying age. He had defined cheek bones and a straight nose, but his mouth drew attention as it released a constant groan filled with a slow, overbearing pain. His abnormal blue eyes shut tight, his eyelids wrinkled in the effort to keep them shut as if closing off from the world could lessen his torture. But cancer never forgives, it only takes.

The next was at a funeral. The participants weighted in various degrees of that heavy black hue, but none stood out like the darkest ebony hair tumbling just over a little girl's shoulders. Her mother's hand gripped hers and her face was streaked with tears. But that little girl…was porcelain faced like a doll without any emotion resting on her usually expressive features.

But may time rewind to a far distant day when that special man was still living in that beautiful girl's life. The two walked hand and hand in the great city where buildings hung high over their heads. Young blue eyes caught sight of a title hanging above the grand entranceway to a certain building where 'Obaruka' was seen in thick black letters. Upon turning a fateful corner, the two ran across a group of men leaning against the side of one building. Two of the five smirked at the girl before lifting their gaze to see an angered face of her father. Words were exchanged and before Kagome knew it, she was captured in the ugly arms of one of the thugs. Her father was being hit on all sides by the other four. Kagome tried to yell before her mouth was covered, but she bit down hard on the hand. A yelp later and she was dropped only to scurry onto the street to get help. Perhaps it was luck? But she saw a policeman just about to get in his car and pull of the side of street.

"Kagome."
"Hai..?"

Kagome looked in Sango's eyes and tilted her head to the side in question.

"Oyasumi nasai."

Kagome smiled and turned waving behind her.

"Yasumi, Sango-chan!"

Sango shook her head in disbelief. As she watched her friend walk up the street back to her own apartment building, she could only hope Kagome would stop hiding herself away. There was so much pain there all she needed was someone to heal her. Sango had long ago wished that it would be her, but she had realized that she wouldn't be enough. So Sango resigned to her fate of just being there to pick of the pieces of her beloved friend when she fell apart until that one could come along. Perhaps…it would be Kagome's second love that would heal her first? But it was more than just Inuyasha…

. . . . .

"Welcome Interns. Please sign it at the front desk to find your department, and then an attendant will escort you. It is there you will receive a tour and your first assignments. Good luck and may you all do well here."

Clapping answered the end of the short speech from the selected CEO as she instructed the nervous student employees what they were supposed to do. In an organized swarm the students approached the tables. Kagome told the young woman, no older than twenty two probably an intern as well, her name and she was handed a folder. Then Kagome was pointed in the direction of her escort which was a young man standing near the wall.

His arms were crossed against his front. He was dressed in a white dress shirt tucked neatly into pressed black slacks. He wore a plain black tie and Kagome could see a black belt with a shiny silver buckle from underneath the dress shirt that hung over the belt slightly. But the weirdest thing was the designer black Italian leather shoes on his feet. The man probably had long hair, but by his hairstyle Kagome couldn't quite tell. It was swept back into a loose bun at the back on his head keeping it from his shoulders. He had heavy bangs that split in the middle and steadily got longer the farther from the middle.

Kagome walked slowly up to him sinking in his appearance. But then he caught sight of her and sent her a strange look. Apparently in her observation she had stopped walking, but was only a few feet from him. She looked down with embarrassment before swallowing it and introducing herself.

"Ohayou gozaimasu. I am Higurashi Kagome."
"Ah, Kagome-san, onegai, follow me."

The man remained unknown to her as she followed after his quickly receding form. He walked at a pretty fast pace seeing as how his legs were at least six inches longer than hers, but then his torso was shorter so he was in actuality only a inch or two taller. They kept this pace until they walked into the elevator. He pressed the number twelve and Kagome was surprised at exactly how high up she was going. She deflated slightly at the idea of being a secretary, which would be the most plausible seeing as how there were only eighteen floors and most of the other interns were working on the first eight floors. Working here at Hamasaki Corp was her dream, but not if she wasn't going to be taken seriously and used only as someone's answering machine.

As the doors opened she followed her escort towards a small cubicle. He stopped and gestured for her to sit down in the desk chair. Kagome did and looked up at him only to find his gaze somewhere else. Blue eyes lifted to look just over the wall of her 'office' to see another man. He was handsome, she supposed, by today's standards. His long hair was pulled into a long braid and he was also wearing a white dress shirt. But he wore charcoal grey slacks that complimented the light grey and white striped tie around his neck. Kagome smiled at the distracted look of her guide's face. White teeth were shown as her smile widened when his head snapped back to hers as the man's door shut. He looked at her oddly, but then sighed. He reached a hand behind his head to scratch his neck obviously nervous at being caught staring.

"I am Jakotsu. I will be working with you. Your first assignment…"

Kagome prepared herself for making phone calls or maybe if they desired her true skills maybe they'd even consider allowing her to make copies! The sarcasm was thick in her head if not shown by the hardened look in her eyes.

Jakotsu was a little unnerved at her gear change. First she was practically laughing at him with her eyes even with that soft smile, but now she look like she was going to kill someone. But he kept on a brave smile.

"…is to observe and interview patients in the terminally ill wing of the hospital."

Kagome's eyes widened and her mouth gaped. She'd be doing research?

"You'll be doing this for a few weeks and a report is expected every Friday on your progress."

Here he paused to observe her again only to step back. She was sitting stock still with her mouth gaping, but there were stars in her eyes. It was quite comical, if not a little weird.

"And really…you just going to be talking to the kids and cheer them up. Of course you'll really be looking for similarities in their symptoms. There's a new epidemic and we've all worn ourselves trying to classify it. Bankotsu thought someone new and creative should be brought it to take a swing at it."

"So…that's me?"
"Basically."
"Awesome!"
"You'll be working with another intern from Takarashi Technologies."

At the name of the company, a man with silver hair and golden eyes flashed in her mind. Then also accompanied that was a vision of her first love, but Kagome stubbornly pushed that aside. She was too excited to think about him right now. Her smile returned as it shined up at Jakotsu, who she now knew as her advisor. Jakotsu could only laugh. Maybe she could do it, figure it out.

-As long as she has a good partner, it's possible.-

"You'll start tomorrow, you can just relax today. And oh! I'm supposed to give you this."

Kagome took the white letter and watched as Jakotsu left and walk into the office next to the one where she had watched the other man enter. Then in her joy, she spun in her chair, but soon stopped for her now dizzy mind. Kagome opened her letter reading it excitedly…that is before her eyes bugged out at the name of her partner.

And she groaned.

. o . -.-

Sesshoumaru buried his hands in his hair. The headache forming was astounding. He opened his right top desk drawer to search through an assortment of pills and such. He picked up the familiar white bottle and popped the lid. A glass of water later and Sesshoumaru had taken two pills to try and ease the tension in his overworked mind.

He was working quickly getting all his paperwork over with so that he could leave early and make dinner with Rin. She had said this morning that she wanted to go play at the park with Kohaku, and Sesshoumaru had agreed only if Kaede would go along with her. Sesshoumaru was still uneasy sending her alone. He wouldn't make the same mistake as last time. He trusted Rin completely, that wasn't the problem…it was everyone else.

But then his mind switched paths when a vision of a woman with long ebony hair tied back at the nape of her neck holding Rin guarding her from the onslaught of the crowding thugs. Her blue eyes were wide with fear, but also firm with determination as she stole blow after hit from the child, protecting his young ward with her own back. Before the police had come he had studied her. She was beautiful, no doubt, but what struck him was her face clear of make up. The smooth softly tanned skin, naturally of course, and delicate features. She had been wearing a light grey sweatshirt that in her fall lifted to reveal a flat stomach. Her jeans weren't tight made from that stretch cotton material, but still clung in the right places. Her sneakers were white and silver with some red splotched in certain places on her Nikes.

But even more so was her aura, her presence…the way she held herself. She seemed different. So he had lowered his status enough to pick her off the ground that is before she was taken from him. It was strange, the almost angry twinge in his chest when he saw the officer as he carried her roughly in his arms. It was enough that the girl woke up and she was placed in the cop car sitting with a blanket around her, the door still open so her feet rested on the ground. Well she couldn't stand and it was better than the ground. The girl wasn't being manhandled, but the sight of her being carried away from him in any way other than gentle made him…what? Mad? Now his headache had returned…joy.

A knock sounded on his door and he jolted backwards closing his eyes for a moment before allowing the person permission.

"Enter."
"Pardon the interruption, Takarashi-sama, but the intern, Hirakata Miroku is here to report."
"Very well, send him in."

Sesshoumaru looked over the file listing Hirakata's skills. He was highly recommended by the university dean. Apparently he was advanced in his intellect despite the fact that he had taken a year off to travel somewhere around the world. His test scores were practically off the charts. His grades in high school were moderate and that spoke volumes to Sesshoumaru. This one had great potential, he just needed motivation.

Sesshoumaru swore he heard a slap outside the door, but disregarded it when a second knock touched his office door, this one a little more prominent and less timid than his secretary's.

And once again, "Enter," rang his deep voice across the space of his sizeable office.

A man of about twenty three, one year older than the normal senior because of his year off, walked in. He wore a deep purple dress shirt with a black tie and black slacks. His hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck and his face was relaxed, which was odd for people who were meeting Sesshoumaru for the first time.

"You'll be working directly under me along with one of my CEO's. Her name is Kanna, she is waiting for you outside."

Miroku saw this as an obvious dismissal and with a bow accompanied by a charming smile left the office. Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow as he left. He would keep an eye on this one.

Miroku closed the door behind him and sure enough there was a young woman waiting for him. But she looked very young, in fact so did many that he had seen so far. Did they only hire younger people?

-Not that I'm complaining…-

Miroku watched the lovely sway, though small, of the woman's behind as she walked in front of him. Her arms were in front of her chest holding a number of folders close. She was wearing a navy blue skirt that fell straight to her knees were hosed calves were seen. Then a pale grey, almost white blouse was tucked in loosely so that a little hung over the waist band of her skirt. Her blue two inch high heeled shoes clicked as she went against the carpet that covered the buffed wooden flooring beneath.

He was shown to an actual office with a door. Of course it was a third the size of his boss, but he was ecstatic. The woman handed him one of the folders in her arms along with a letter. Then she bowed and turned to walk out of the room leaving his office door open.

Miroku hesitantly opened the letter containing his assignment. He skimmed the document before signaling in on a certain part reading over it twice before a large grin split his face. He chuckled at the irony and sat back in his desk chair with his hands behind his head.

-Higurashi Kagome…-

Three times longer than my normal limit! Still…short, but you've gotten used to that haven't you? Seeing as how I tell you that every update. -.-

Words to know:
Oyasumi nasai- good night
Yasumi: night (informal)
Ohayou gozaimasu : good morning