Chapter 2

Rin liked coffee. She liked all kinds of it, in fact. Dark, blonde, cold, sweet, sugary, with milk added, or a dash of caramel. She liked the different textures, and different temperatures, and how it went with everything.

She liked how you could take coffee on a cold and rainy day, or late at night snuggled up on the sofa next to a window…

It didn't matter to her. It was coffee, and coffee was life. Though, there was just one type of coffee that her light-hearted self despised.

… And that was a heavy word for her to use, because she wasn't the variety to dislike anything that much. Despite her hardships, she was one of the few people out in the world to still believe that there were always better things to come, no matter what.

The type of coffee Rin really, really didn't like was straight black coffee. Only the plainest coffee out there! While it smelled something marvelous depending on the brand, it was just too vanilla for her. Speaking of which, vanilla mixed in with coffee made for a delicious treat.

Rin was the type of person to accept a lot of things, which was rare given her tumultuous childhood, but straight black coffee was just a big fat no no. Regardless, she'd still see people order the damned coffee, and every time, she'd shiver with horror as she watched these people throw away their lives by ordering it.

The coffee shop that she visited was one called, "Coffee!" Just like that. No interesting name, nothing special. Actually, it was just about the most unoriginal name that could be found anywhere on this planet. It was situated between some of the bigger buildings in the city and looked wildly out of place next to all the new and modern buildings that lined the street. It was a very quaint and quiet shop, small in stature and always smelling of roasted coffee and sweets.

Rin sighed dreamily as she watched the clouds mosey along in the blue kingdom above from her window seat in the coffee shop. 'They look so free, and fluffy. I wonder if they ever like to race up there… ' She paused in her daydreaming. 'NO! Stupid, stupid! They're clouds, they don't like to do anything!'

She shook her head and looked down at her latest obsession from the coffee shop she frequented: a French Vanilla Frappuccino with extra whip and caramel drizzle on top.

'Yummy! Yukiko sure did her best on this one!' Yukiko was one of the baristas that worked at the quaint little coffee shop. She was an orange haired half-demon kitsune that was currently in school to become a teacher, which Rin thought was admirable. She looked over to where Yukiko was, only to notice that the little kitsune was waving quite frantically at her.

Rin blinked, suddenly very confused at the sudden urgency that Yukiko was displaying. She quickly decided to sign over a response to the kitsune, but her hand instead had a different idea about its trajectory and sent her delicious French Vanilla frappuccino flying. The delicious sweet nectar of coffee accepted its fate… right on to the floor where it promptly exploded onto the passing person's shoes (which were very shiny!) and pant leg.

It all seemed to happen in slow motion for Rin, who frantically started to try and attempt to stop it all from happening, but failing miserably. Instead, she watched as her barely finished coffee detonated onto very, very shiny shoes and half the pant leg that looked even more expensive.

'My coffee!' She wailed internally. 'It's all gone! I barely even started it!' But, there was something more important than the coffee: and that was concerning the owner that just got bombarded by the kamikaze coffee.

Rin gulped as her eyes ever so slowly started to move upwards, away from the disaster on the floor. 'Expensive shoes… check. Even more expensive - is that silk? - suit… check. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no, no, no! Not good!' The further she looked up the quicker her breath became. Her timid eyes finally met the face of the beholder and almost immediately, her heavenly soul departed its earthly body as she looked in the tempestuous and aureate eyes of a very livid and immaculately beautiful looking demon. Scratch the beautiful part. He was godlike. The perfect symmetry in his high-born structured face was sure to make anyone swoon and/or faint at how unearthly his flawlessness was.

A very soft growl came from his lips, as he glared her down. Frantically, Rin started waving her hands around trying to indicate she was sorry, but with no words to use, it was to no avail. She almost peed herself when his glare intensified and a thin eyebrow rose up at her antics and suddenly a brilliant idea popped into her mind. Her phone! She hurriedly pulled it out and quickly typed in a 'I'm so sorry!' and put it close to his face for him to read.

His eyebrow rose even higher, and then, the scariest thing she had ever witnessed in her life transpired; He smiled.

'What in the seven hells is this guy, even?!' A shiver went down Rin's spine, and an even larger one shook her to her core as the delicious but deadly demon slowly moved his face towards her own. She could feel the warmth of his skin, and the hair from his bangs brushed against her eyelashes.

"You owe me a new suit, girl." She sucked in a deep breath as the musky cologne wafted all around her. 'Good god, he even smells like he came out of Eros' ass!' Rin's shaky hands went to her phone and quickly typed out an 'Absolutely!' and showed it to him, all while leaning back in her seat to get away from him. This also was to no avail as the demon leaned forward, his arms reaching out and grasping the edge of the chair and the table, essentially trapping her. Her back hit the window, her breaths became short, and her forehead was gathering small beads of sweat. In the background, Yukiko was desperately trying to keep it together, all while managing the other orders coming in. Rin looked up to his arrogant golden eyes once more, and for a moment was entranced by this magical being. 'Oh my. Why am I finding this so hot?!'

The air sizzled around these two in that quaint coffee shop, and time chose to slow itself down once more for the terrorized coffee-loving Rin. His skin was so warm, his markings on his face were so deeply hued, and his eyes. Oh, his eyes. Their honey hue was something to get lost in. They all but trapped her, ensnared her soul in them.

All she wanted to do was to watch the giant, fluffy clouds and sip on that wonderful Frappuccino that suicided itself. Speaking of clouds, they now turned a dark grey signaling a waterfall from the heavens soon to come. 'I could've had a hot coffee, darn it.'

For a moment she lost herself in her sporadic thoughts, and that split second she forgot about the incredibly sexy and delicious demon that was staring her down evilly.

It all came back, and the air went back to crackling for them. She gulped for what was the millionth time. "I want you to say it, girl."

Say it?! How could she say it, when her voice was long gone from her? Surely he must've realized that she couldn't talk at all. He looked like a very smart and capable being. 'No, he absolutely knows, he's just being evil!" Yet another gasp travelled out, only this time coming out as an offended huff. Rin's face scrunched up in an angry pout and hastily typed something out on her phone, all while smushing herself against the window, trying to avoid the hot skin of the demon.

'I can't! But I said I would get you a new suit and I meant it!' His golden eyes skimmed over the text. They languidly met hers and the next thing he said made Rin forget about all the sexiness and the sizzling air, as well as her poor coffee.

"You really think you could afford something like this? This suit is worth more than your insignificant human li-" A flick of fingers whipped across his forehead where a blue crescent moon marking resided. The eyes of this demon widened considerably (which by the way, was completely out of character for him) and a very small growl pressed itself out.

Rin stilled. What had she done?! It was bad enough that the coffee ruined his suit, which yes, was worth more than herself and her life combined, but she flicked his forehead?! 'Oh, I'm so dead. So, so dead. He's going to butcher me now. Cut me up into pieces and eat me probably.'

Time wasn't slow, it was now stopped. Halted and terminated. 'Screw me sideways!'

WAIT. She took all that back. He completely deserved it! The nerve of that rude, pretentious and sexy demon. He has no right to speak to anyone that way, especially not her! It wasn't her fault that the coffee was spilled. Ok, maybe it was but she didn't do it on purpose!

Before anything else could transpire between the two, the half-demon kitsune named Yukiko rushed up with a fistful of napkins to clean up the mess. Time resumed itself and it was as if it had never slowed down in the first place.

"What an accident! So sorry about that, let me clean it up for you guys!" Yukiko was already wiping everything up, and promptly stuffed some napkins into the demon's side which made him take his arms away from the chair to hold them.

"Hn."

He looked down at his coffee, which had now gone cold. The demon took the lid off, and in one of the most petty and childish moments Rin had witnessed in her short life, he dumped the coffee into her lap. He placed the cup down, and walked his way out of the small quaint shop that was aptly named "Coffee!"

The coffee he had dumped was black.

The air outside was bright and sunny. Clouds were bright and fluffy. Though, it smelled of impending rain. That rain cloud was coming in fast and heavy. The streets were bustling with life of all types of people and demons, all going in their own directions.

The world had become a different place since demons emerged from the depths of hidden solitude. No one knew about their existence, and it was kept that way for several decades. They had all become something of myths and legends over the many years. Their arrival, or rather reveal had been one of the most shocking moments in all of human history. Not just because they were these other worldly, powerful beings, but because most of the crime lords, big businesses and royalty everywhere across the world were ruled by most of these beings. Turns out, there was quite a bit of absolute control that they had held over the residents of the blue planet.

One of those powerful beings that had a significant and terrifying amount of power was a Dog Daiyokai named Sesshomaru. Being a prominent CEO of an expansive business dealing with pharmaceutical drugs, he was also the world's most severe crime lords. He was well over a couple centuries old, even though he looked a young 28. Over these centuries, the great demon had accumulated a vast empire of wealth and power, and very quickly had his mighty claw ensnared over the population, demon and human alike.

It was no surprise that he was the Lord presiding over the Western lands. The land was lush, teeming with business and very low in crime ironically. It was a rich area, and the education system was very superb as well.

Compared to the other lands, it was one with the most vibrancy and culture, all thanks to the great Dog Daiyokais that kept their solid watch over it. Nothing could get past their gaze, as their eyes always knew what was happening.

Especially Sesshomaru Nakimura

Even the demon council were wary of him. He was known to have had something of a terrible temper in his youth, and has always been an unforgiving, cruel and merciless luminary.

Standing at an imposing and stately 6"3, he towered over most beings in an almost menacing manner. His hair was the purest of silk, a dazzling and brilliant color of soft silver-white. It was lengthy, reaching down to his lower back.

That was the first thing most people noticed about him. The second thing that most people noticed were his eyes. A honey gold: cold, severe and meticulous. They saw through anything and everything. People, demons, situations; It didn't matter. His uncanny scrutiny was an omniscient thing.

And finally, the third thing that was noticed was just how ridiculously terrifying he was. Though he looked something like a Greek God, his aura vibrated with dominance and authority. The breath of someone would stifle with how overwhelming it was. Luck was required to anyone that would dare have the gall to get in his way. Once upon a time, a person that was stupid enough to step in his path would get their head sliced clean off.

The structure of his face was striking even in the most dim of lights and anyone that had the luck to gaze upon his being were entrapped in wonder and absorbed into the magnificence. Even though some would say he was almost feminine in nature, there was no doubt that his lean stature possessed a muscular physique. His suits were perfectly tailored to his body and it was quite the sight to behold.

The charisma of Sesshomaru Nakimura naturally came with a catch. As mentioned earlier, Sesshomaru was and still is a ruthless warlord. In his youth he surpassed his peers and even his father, the Great Dog Demon General of that period in the Warring States era quickly.

His hand was heavy and he demanded respect. Conquering the land was a pastime to him, as the only thing he cared about was becoming the most vigorously powerful demon. He continually looked for challenges that would further his fame, until there were virtually none left. He naturally was put in line to be the next Lord of the Western Lands.

One of his greatest faults, as his father would lament, was his hatred of humans. Sesshomaru despised humans. There was nothing that would top that. Humans were vile creatures. They were selfish beings: crude, and only cared for themselves. Their lust for power was pathetic given their short lifespans. Sesshomaru never understood what was so interesting about them.

They were a plague that scorched the earth; that would be something that Seshomaru would never change his mind on.

His father, Toga, was the complete opposite. The prior ruler to the Western Lands had long retired, and gave the Reign to Sesshomaru. He adored humans. He had always been deeply curious about them, and even married one to Sesshomaru's chagrin. Toga was very aware of how much potential humans possessed. Their own curiosity was a sight to behold as it was boundless. There was so much to learn about them! Their interesting mannerisms, their boundless and fleeting emotions… There was much to learn about them.

Humans are what drove the world to a new age, and would further civilizations for many years to come.

The air outside was quickly turning quite humid and muggy as the rain approached hastily. As he walked down the sidewalk the gaggle of people moved out of his way, while admiring the rare sight of such an imposing being. The bustle of the city was fraught with hurry as everyone seemed to be in a rush to be somewhere.

Shiny formal shoes walked along the flat surface, and golden eyes surveyed the surrounding buildings. His assistant was unfortunately incapable of carrying out the simple task of getting his coffee. She was fired immediately and he was now (once again) in the market for a new one.

His keen nose had caught a whiff of coffee some blocks down and he was determined to procure his morning drink. Sesshomaru didn't like a lot of things. In fact, he didn't like much of anything. Solid black coffee though, was something he could get with. It was consistent, plain and strong, just as he liked it.

Finally, Sesshomaru came across an odd and out of place building to his right. It looked very old, and didn't match any of the surrounding buildings. In fact, it was almost an eye sore. The name was ridiculous, too. 'Coffee!'

Who thought it was a good idea to name a coffee shop coffee? Sesshomaru would never want to understand the cogs that worked in the minds of humans.

No matter, he was determined to get his black coffee. Finally, he came to the front entrance and stepped in. As he thought, there weren't many people in the eclectic room. There was a half-demon that was at the counter just finishing up an order for an older gentleman, a couple that was heavily engrossed in their phones, and a girl that looked unusually joyful as she stared at her cup. As his turn came, a light scent broached his nose and he almost took a double take. The aroma seemed to come from the stupid looking girl. He glanced over with narrowed eyes, turning slightly annoyed.

The barista grasped at his attention. "What would you like to order, sir?" Golden eyes stared her down as she gulped. Just who was this guy?

"A plain black coffee, medium." The way he said it was cold and stiff. Sesshomaru once again looked over his shoulder at the woman by the window, trying to gauge why she smelled so good. He was disgusted to find himself wanting to investigate. But what was wrong with taking a closer whiff?

Yukiko once again tried to divert the demon's attention elsewhere. The way this guy was looking at Rin was unnerving. Why was he even looking in the first place? The real question: What in the world was he doing in this shop? He reeked of royalty and power. He was no ordinary demon. She watched as he paid for his drink. Curious but cautious as ever, Yukiko tried to make small talk. "So what brings you in here today?"

Two very bold eyes slid to her tawny ones. They narrowed for a fraction of a second and the only thing that escaped out of his lips was a stern "Hn."

'Well then, there goes that.' Yukiko thought as she readied the coffee to be handed over.

A large and delicate hand graciously moved to take it, and with that, he started heading in the direction Rin was in.

'EEK! No, no, no! Rin you stupid girl, look over!' She was comically trying to catch her friends' attention to no avail. Rin was lost in the delights of her coffee.

The demon walked closer and closer, his gait ever so steady and even. He was silent, and the air around him seemed to still. The silver hair rustled against his more than nice suit and muscular back.

Yukiko, still frantic as ever, finally caught the attention of Rin and then proceeded to watch the most horrifying event she'd ever witness in her half-demon life.

The coffee Rin was drinking went flying.

The select few people that were in the café gulped in a breath of air and held it as they watched to see what would happen next. Sesshomaru, on the other hand stilled, almost as if he were a living statue.

He looked down at the nice smelling human, who now was starting to look up at him and when she did, he saw her die a little inside.

Good.

The suit he was wearing was just one of his many, and not something he would care about replacing. Still, what an absolute inconvenience. First, it was the wretched assistant who lost his paperwork for a very important meeting. Second, he had to fire some idiot that got into the server room and almost burned them down, and then there was the issue about a very certain someone that he needed to address.

Now, there was this delicious smelling human girl that spilled her ridiculous smelling coffee on his very expensive suit.

A guttural sound came from his mouth and in turn, it seemed to petrify the mortal even further. She was acting quite strange, and suddenly, she swooped to grab her phone to type something out and showed it - more like shoved it - into his face.

'So, she's mute?' The predator side of him slowly emerged from its depths and showed itself as he gleaned down at her. His eyes caught her gulping and for a second, he found himself glowering at her throat and briefly wondered what it would taste like.

The small cellphone that she had held up to his face was shaking quite a bit but he could very clearly see the apology that she had typed out for him. In the meanwhile, she kept pushing herself against the window trying to get away from him. Sesshomaru was quite taken with this interaction. In fact, this type of thing never happened to him and he was absolutely curious with why he wanted it to continue. He decided to continue teasing her, as the human was quite comical with how easily flustered she became.

"I want you to say it, girl."

After a moment, shock traveled across her face, and then another more indignant look flashed across it directly after. She furiously typed out something about paying for the suit. While Sesshomaru could care less and would never want someone to buy him something, he was enjoying himself immensely.

"You really think you could afford something like this? This suit is worth more than your insignificant human li-"

And then she flicked him, the Lord of the Western Lands. The demon who went around murdering everyone and everything in his youth. The demon who surpassed even his father in strength, and took over the land and made it even more youthful and prosperous. He was dumbfounded. Flabbergasted. Besides himself. Hell, bamboozled. He was never bamboozled.

The indignant look transpired to sheer terror and back to stubbornness as she challenged him, as if she were saying "the nerve of you!". They stared at each other for who knows how long. Sesshomaru sensed the little employee heading over and within a split second, he knew exactly what to do.

Opening his lid to his black coffee, he dumped it all over her in triumph. He hadn't felt this frisky in a very long, long time.

"Hn."

Whah Laaah. Think I'm done with you guys? I'm a slow burn, and this story will be the same.