I'll Marry You For the Greencard!

by XxDezzidancexX

After an unprecedented email, Sesshomaru finds himself struck by the uncanny resemblance of the sender to his long-lost love. Through a series of blunders, the two folks strike an uncanny friendship and become life-long pen pals. After discovering the girl's awful living conditions, Sesshomaru proposes a quick solution to get her out and avoid unnecessary paperwork and processing.

9. Gettin' Down to Business!

Y-Icey: I'm so sorry sweetie! I didn't mean to wait another month, so much happened and I moved as well. So unfortunately I had it halfway done, and kept itching and daydreaming to finish it!

Rans0medHeart: Thank you so much sweetie, you are too kind! I hope that I can make sense of the powers and what happened to the first Rin in the next upcoming chapters! Here's a hint though, it'll happen a bit further down the line! On the other hand; I managed to answer kinda-somewhat about Rin's childhood and Jin-Hae! There will be more clarification in the future!

TheReciev3er: "what about the speakers. Are they humans? Pretty funny that humans are giving demons a lecture on emotions and how to behave!

I also want to know more about Jin-Hae. Sesshomaru, Kouga and the others has obviously moved away from Japan…" The speakers are human hun! I know right, the humans actually don't even know it's a class full of demons, they think it's just an empathy seminar LOL! I hope to explain why they moved in the nearby future! BUT I HAVE GIVEN BACKGROUND ON JIN-HAE AHAHAA!

Thank you so much guys! Enjoy!

00000

Sesshomaru jolted awake by the vibration of his phone.

When did I fall asleep? When was the last time I've slept?

With a deep inhale, he turned towards the nightstand and pulled the phone off it's charger.

"Sesshomaru, Ayame just arrived into town. When would be a decent time for you?"

Staring at the time, he made up his mind.

"Now. Where shall we meet?"

Within seconds the phone vibrated, alerting him to another reply: "Buvette. See you at 7:30 sharp."

Shigeto rolled out of the bed, already missing Rin's warmth from beside him. With a soft exhale, he forced himself into the restroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. With that being said and done, he pulled fresh clothing for the day, and left the hotel to meet the duo.

After standing at the entryway of the Park Hyatt, he sent Rin a brief text before deciding to walk to the bistro on the chilly Sunday morning. The sun barely began to rise as flurries wafted through the sky. He frowned as he reached the bistro only to see that it's doors weren't quite open.

He stood under the entry's awning, and watched as the city's street remained nearly empty. With a glance at his watch, his bristled. Still 12 minutes more to go.

One of the employees opened the door, and motioned him to come in. The waitress tried to lead him to a window seat, but he insisted on sitting in the back corner of the French shop. The waitress nodded, and asked if he was ready to order. With a raised hand, he requested tea and notified the waitress he wasn't ready to order, as he was waiting for someone.

After a few minutes, Ayame and Kouga came shuffling in from the cold. As they were the only three in the bistro, the waitress returned immediately.

Ayame insisted on Belgian Waffles with Jamon Bru (steamed eggs and prosciutto) with a little more force than necessary.

Kouga ordered two expressos; one for himself and one for Ayame, along with French toast and the CR'Q Madame (Classic ham, Gruyere Cheese, and Sunny side up eggs).

Sesshomaru on the other hand, asked for whatever they recommended; considering he wouldn't eat it anyways.

"Goddamn Ayame; you didn't have to heckle the waitress like that!"

"Dude, I traveled all night to be here. Least I'm gonna do is have a good breakfast! Also, you owe me big time for this! You better let me crash at your place."

"Hell no!"

Sesshomaru cleared his throat with a little more force than necessary, drawing their attention to him.

Ayame smiled cheekily, while Kouga shot her a nasty glare.

"Good morning Sesshomaru! How are you?"

His lips remained pursed in displeasure.

"Fine, whatever, let's get to business momentarily. But first, where's the little love-bird?"

His face tightened further. "Asleep."

"Wow! That's impressive! You actually answered my question! You know, I am going to need to speak to her."

"Why can't it be dealt through me?"

"Well, because of the situation, we are going to have to perform a little white lie. I just want her to be in on the story, and why we have to do this. She has a right to know what's going on."

He gave a light nod as he refilled his own cup.

The waitress returned with the breakfast in hand, and the three ate in relative silence.

Sesshomaru broke the silence, "I will ask for Rin to arrive after we discuss the more pressing matters. Whenever you are ready, you may speak."

Ayame sat frozen with the fork halfway to her mouth, "Lord of the Western Lands, what has happened to you?"

He regarded her from his peripheral vision as he pushed the food around on his plate subtly.

Kouga cut his eyes at Ayame beside him, "Leave it alone, Ayame."

"I'm sorry," she scoffed, "In the past you would have never given us a chance to finish eating, much less exhibit any patience."

Sesshomaru rolled his eyes as he placed the cup down before Kouga interjected, desperately trying to change the conversation.

"Still not one for human food Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru ignored him, opting to pull his hair over one shoulder.

Ayame finished her food and placed her fork and knife next to each other in the middle of the plate, with the bottom of the fork facing upwards.

Kouga followed her positioning of the utensils to notify the waitress they were done.

Sesshomaru "hmphed" in acknowledgement of the small action, pleased that they exhibited class around him by placing their forks in the continental "finished" position.

He himself placed the utensils in their positions, allowing the waitress to come and retrieve the items.

Moments later, she returned with a brunch dining menu; pushing the offer of mimosas. Kouga and Ayame accepted the offer, just to get the waitress to leave them be for a little while.

"Sesshomaru, I don't know how to break this to you, but Rin's situation is really bad. I researched her family in the country's database and found that because her parents died, and her father's next of kin did not accept her; that she was unable to become a citizen. I don't know if you are aware of current Japanese legislature, but in Japan a child cannot be adopted or gain residency unless the parents either had a will, or if next of kin take responsibility after death. That left Rin in state of limbo without permanent residency in the country and just a temporary visa. After her next of kin's denial, she should have been deported from the country. Unfortunately due to irresponsibility on the orphanage's behalf, the girl was literally "lost." With no address on file, or contact information, the deportation never took place."

Sesshomaru nodded, Just how selfish can humans be? To turn away a destitute child?

"Instead of the fault falling upon the orphanage's head, or better yet the Japanese government; in order to save face, Rin would take the blame as an "overstay migrant" meaning that she could face jail time and restitution to the Japanese government for residing illegally."

Kouga grimaced at such harsh words.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes to compose himself before continuing, "How did her parents-die?"

Ayame sighed, "Both of her parents were living in an illegal tenement which had barred windows, since the building wasn't to code; there were also no emergency exits. A fire from the downstairs neighbor's faulty stove jolted the outlet and set the electrical hardwiring aflame, causing the entire building to burn to the ground. Rin-was the sole survivor."

"Oh, fuck." Kouga muttered his breath.

With a harsh glare at Kouga, he continued, "So what do you propose?"

Ayame tapped her nails on the mimosa's glass, "The only thing I can think of would be to say screw the K-1, falsify a Brazilian address, forge proof of a relationship and previous life in Brazil, and get married-Immediately. Getting a K-1 after she's already been in the country would raise red flags and create further questioning. On the other hand, flying to Brazil and getting married wouldn't have as many questions, only if you forge documentation stating previous residency and relationship. Only thing is, you'd have to notify the government of your international marriage and have the paperwork reviewed before you could bring her along,"

After glancing at the new patrons that entered, Kouga leaned back, "Ayame that's absolutely fucking bonkers."

"Not really," she shot back, "This is New York, they wouldn't blink an eye unless it's something crazy wild. Sesshomaru, I also wanted to advise you that you can marry her here in the U.S., but it may create more problems than solutions. Here's the thing, if you marry her here, you wouldn't need a 'witness to certificate of marriage' or any other proof of marriage validity. If you choose to fly to Brazil, the marriage may not be honored in the rare event the marriage raises red flags; which is possible, considering you are a citizen and she is not. It's up to you, and whatever you choose, we support."

Sesshomaru met eyes with Ayame, and then Kouga before looking back down at her mimosa, "Oh! How tempting a drink sounded!"

"What other options are there?"

"Well, I mean, unless you wanna be her father-"

Both Kouga and Sesshomaru shot her dirty glares, "Okay! I'm just saying!"

"Ayame, that is foul." Sesshomaru retorted with narrowed eyes.

"Look, there aren't many other options Sesshomaru. Marriage in some way can create stability for her, but other than that you're dodging ICE. Look, marriage doesn't guarantee 100% protection, and it doesn't stop deportation; but it lessens the likelihood, and bides time until she can apply for citizenship. Better to married than get deported and face jail time and mistreatment in Japan, or worse land in Brazil with no family to speak of and get sex trafficked. It's rare, but unfortunately being that she has no family; it increases the likelihood. Despite what seems like being intelligent and the whole nine yards, she's still a single woman. Furthermore, I doubt she has anyone in close contact with in Brazil, since she was homeless for what seems like 15 onwards. But, you could also ask her if she wants to return to Brazil, or has any family that is awaiting her return. So, I'd suggest you contact her now."

Sesshomaru tossed the idea around in his head, and called Rin.

The line rang for a little while, and another waitress cut him a dirty look for using his phone, which he returned with such vengeance that the woman jumped and clattered some dishes on a tray.

Kouga laughed, "I'd hate to be on the receiving end of that one!"

Sesshomaru answered Kouga with a nasty stare, which made him seal it shut.

"...Ohayo Gozaimasu!" Rin answered.

"Rin, would you be willing to meet me for Breakfast?"

"Sure I was actually just cleaning up! I was worried when I awoke and didn't see you! But, I read your text not too long after."

"The reason I ask," His eyes followed Ayame as she stared incredulously, with her jaw unhinged, "is because Kouga, from yesterday, has some additional information to follow up with you."
Rin began to sound uneasy, "Hai, Shigeto-san, I will be there. Send me the address."

He hung up, and sent the address to her. Mildly concerned that she may get lost, he began to question if they should all just head elsewhere.

Kouga seemed to catch his drift and offered himself up, "I could step out under the guise of a call, and walk Rin here if you'd like."

Sesshomaru's face showed displeasure at the idea, but Ayame perked up, "You know that this cafe is a little hard when it comes to admitting others without a reservation. I made one for four yesterday, and if they try to deny her entrance, they can't really argue you. It's better Kouga goes."

Sesshomaru leaned his jaw onto his fist, giving Kouga the silent "Okay."

Kouga stepped out of the Bistro, phone in hand, ready to locate Rin.

After he left, Ayame started, "Sesshomaru, she sounds so sweet. It's a shame the poor girl has been through so much."

He didn't answer her, but Ayame saw it as an okay to continue.

"I knew you were in NY, but I didn't really know, if that makes sense. How-are you holding up?"

He shook his head, "I don't appreciate your concern."

"I know, but you'll get it anyways. So, I heard Jin-Hae's on your tail again."

"I didn't inform Ookami to relay that to you."

"He didn't, trust me, Naera told me all." she informed while shifting in her seat.

His eyes widened, "Who?"

"Naera! The girl is actually my second cousin once removed. Her mother is my second cousin. Sesshomaru, nearly half of my family is human now. She was so excited when she heard I was coming New York and spilled all. She doesn't know I know you of course."

"But she is a kitsune?"

"Mmhmm, but her mother is a quarter wolf-demon, and her father is a fox demon."

"Explains the instability."

"Whatever, leave the kid alone. She just has too much energy for her own good. But, back to Jin-Hae; I thought she finally stopped pursuing you."

"She dances on the fine line of manic obsession, Ayame. I don't think she'll ever stop."

"I thought she would've, you know, respect her sister's burial and leave it be."

"Woman, they are half sisters from different fathers."
"I know, kind of like you and Inuyasha. But, I thought she would've felt some compassion for her sister in death and leave it. I really expected too much of her-I guess."

"You did, and continue to do so. According to Inuyoukai law, when one sister dies and the other remains unmarried, the widowed husband must take the following as his wife. I broke decorum by wedding the younger over the eldest."

"But those laws are archaic! Furthermore, the council deemed the union proper. Jin-Hae was founded to be unsuitable due to her lengthy track record of offenses! I mean, for Christ's sake, she killed humans for sport. I'm pretty sure she still does, too! "
"Was she any better than we?"

"Sesshomaru, answer me honestly. Did you ever just wake up and decide, 'I'm going to kill writhing, helpless humans?' No, albeit however small the offense may be, you only killed when provoked. Mostly, you just kinda went overboard, but never outrightly sadistic. Someone like that could not maintain peace in the West."

Sesshomaru pressed his fingers between on nose bridge, "The Japanese council is the one who deemed the union fit, the Korean clan did not take well to it. Therefore, Jin-Hae harbored that resentment, and was determined at any cost to replace Min-Seo."

"Do you think that Jin-Hae had what to do with Min-Seo's death?"

"I know so. Jin-Hae is responsible for Min-Seo's fragility and eventual death. I do believe that she consulted with a powerful sorceress, but since claims were unfounded, she walks free and therefore is able to appeal the union."

"Kami, there's other surviving Inuyoukai, she could just-"

"Foolish, there's no surviving Daiyoukai." He admonished without any real ire.

"I know, it's just been over 400 years! I'm disgusted she would even continue trying! I mean, Kami-sama, you almost went off the deep end!"

Sesshomaru's jyaki flared, and caused Ayame to tense. The restaurant, which was picking up pace, instantly froze at the unknown force while the lights flickered.

"I'm sorry Sesshomaru, but if you don't talk about it, you'll never get closure. Speaking of which, I think you should reach out to Inuyasha. He's here in New York, you know. He's grieving, too."

"No, the fool didn't know a good thing when it came to him."

"Sesshomaru, but all couples fight. It isn't a reason to distance yourself."

"With full offense, Ayame; it would've been better if Inuyasha's wench wedded Kouga."

Ayame froze in her seat, disturbed by his outpour, "Sesshomaru, you really cannot say that."

His eyes burned with more hatred than she'd seen in the last few centuries, his eyes glinted sharply; like gold coins clinking in the sunlight. For a moment, his eyes fell from their human disguise.

"I don't feel sorry for the fool, if the wench was torn by time to return to the future, then all I could hope is that she lived well and remarried."

"Sesshomaru that's really harsh! Think about Inuyasha's children! How much they miss their mother!"

"I feel pity for them, but not for him. He was undeserving of her. I will not prolong this discussion."

Ayame's head whipped around to see Kouga re-entering the bistro with a dark-skinned girl trailing behind him.

"Sir, I'm sorry but no one is allowed here without a reservation." The male host perked at the door.

Kouga interjected, "We have a four seat reservation. Unfortunately our guest was lost."

The host eyed both of them critically, before opening the records and asking, "Well, what is her name?"

As if she doesn't exist!

Kouga smoothly disregarded the host and asked Rin, "Well, what is your name?"

The host began to sweat nervously, "Sorry little miss, what is your name?"

"Uh, Rin Tetsuhara."

He laughed awkwardly, "Yes, Mrs. Tetsuhara, right this way!"

Sesshomaru stood while eying the host nastily, giving way to Rin to slide into the inside.

Rin scooched into the booth and Sesshomaru re-seated himself.

"Ohayo Gozaimasu," Rin greeted the four at the table.

"Morning!" Ayame perked with more glee than warranted.

Rin, unaware of the previously tense atmosphere returned her glee.

"So kid, what are you gonna have for breakfast?" Kouga asked.

"Hmm, I don't know."

"Maybe try the Avocado toast?"

Rin tightened her face, "Dude, I could make that in my house! I grew up with that!"

Ayame inadvertently laughed, breaking the ice. "I like you already!"

When the waitress returned, Rin ordered a brioche bread and an omelette.

Ayame ordered another mimosa and an almond croissant, while Kouga muttered something under his breath about "Getting lit before full day-lit."

Ayame rolled her eyes, and Kouga decided he'd have some scones. Sesshomaru ordered a breakfast mimosa, because he was going to need something.

00000

After some light conversation, and everyone finishing their respective dishes, Sesshomaru ordered their attention. Ayame didn't listen to what he had to say, because it was probably some hot-aired introduction and decided to instead focus on Rin's beauty.

Rin was really a specimen to behold.

Dark skin that rivaled Kouga's, wild dark hair, full pouty lips, seductive upturned eyes framed by dark arched brows, a tall nose with a slight bump, and a mole on her left cheek!

She was a modern Marilyn! A Chelo Alonso, hell, Sophia Loren!

Sesshomaru rudely snapped his fingers, bringing Ayame back to the realm of the living.

"I am so sorry, I'm a sucker for old films, and you look like an old hollywood star, but with a rounder face"

Rin shrank back with an awkward toothy smile, "Thank you! But that's too much, I don't look like that."

Kouga yawned, loudly, to stop Ayame from fawning over poor Rin.

Ayame snapped back into action, "Rin, Sweetie. We have a problem. It's regarding your citizenship of Japan. We-we can't let you return, or if not you could face prison time."

"P-prison? Why! I didn't kill anyone! It was an accident, I'm not a fugitive!" Her eyes were wild.

Ayame's eyes widened as well, Just what the hell is she talking about?

Sesshomaru interjected, "No, Rin. It has nothing to do with that. Once more, remember no one was hurt. We wanted, to discuss your options. What you would like to do."

Rin calmed considerably, "I just want to do whatever is easiest for everyone," her voice dropped, "I don't want to be a burden to anyone."

Ayame's green eyes lit aflame, "You aren't a burden to anyone here," then her eyes softened, "Whatever you choose, we'll support you. It's just that we'd still worry. Rin, did it occur to you that you weren't a permanent citizen?"

Rin stopped between an abrupt sip of tea, "What? I am a permanent resident, just not a citizen! So I don't have any 'guaranteed' rights, but I do know if I could prove my income and documentation, that they'd accept me!"

Ayame's eyes softened, "No Rin, even with income and proof of documentation; you wouldn't be allowed to return. Rin, you were never issued a permanent residency visa. You were supposed to have been deported at 15. The number you provided Kouga, was an expired temporary residency visa."

Sesshomaru scented no lies on her, but definite uncertainty.

Oh, Kami! How curious am I to inquire about those dark years! But, he decided, he would never place her under such public scrutiny, and discomfort! It was obviously a sore spot, and he'd respect her wishes of whether she wished to disclose them or not. But until then, I will wait until we have privacy before I'd ask.

What exactly had this girl been through? He paused,

Whatever she has done, or did is all behind now. God forbid, if she had ever used her body, that it would never happen again. Never would she have to resort to such lows to provide for herself!

"I had always feared this, because I knew something was wrong, I believed I had the equivalent of a green card, but knew I wasn't a citizen. I was promised by my social worker that I'd receive my green card in the mail, and she gave me a number to memorize until it arrived. But by the time the six weeks mailing period had passed, I was already long gone from the orphanage, I went in person to the social security office, and they couldn't issue me a card because I had no address. I couldn't open a bank account, so I just used an online banking alternative. I couldn't get an apartment, or respectable job, because I thought it was my lack of family. But turns out, it wasn't just that, but also the fact that I wasn't a permanent resident. I should've known."

Rin began to pick at some invisible thread in her tights.

Kouga frowned at the smell of salt and excused himself.

Ayame sighed as he stood, unable to handle tears. She knew his soft spot for Kagome made him hate tears.

Shigeto lowered his voice, "Rin, do you have any family elsewhere? Do you want to return to Brazil?"

A sob escaped her, as tears fell freely. In a poor attempt to hide her shame, she covered her face as barely repressed wails escaped her throat. She began to rock back and forth in an attempt to assuage her tears, but absolutely lost composure when she felt Shigeto's hand settle on her back.

Thank God it wasn't too busy, and people couldn't see or hear her!

She couldn't stop crying and it hurt so badly, All I want is for this feeling to end!

Ayame crouched over the table to place a hand on Rin's shoulder, "Hey kid, everything is going to be alright. We'll help you."

With a sob she hiccuped, "I have no one, I'm alone! I'm going to get deported and go to jail, and get deported again and be alone all over again."

"Then I have to ask again," Shigeto reiterated, "do you want to stay here?"

Rin hiccuped, "No, because then I'll be a burden."

"Then what do you wish to do?"

Rin sobbed, "I don't know. But I can't return to either country."

Ayame looked at Sesshomaru, and both came to a mutual conclusion.

"Well it is done." Shigeto concluded.

"How fast can we stage this?" Kouga asked as he returned to the table.

"After Christmas, sufficient time to establish, plan, stage, and invite." Sesshomaru answered.

"Then let's do this. Wipe your tears hun, we've got this covered."

Rin haphazardly wiped her face, "I'm lost? What's going on?"

Ayame laughed airly, "Oh sweetie, we've got a green card wedding on our hands!"

The world spun too fast under her feet, "No! I'm not doing it! I wouldn't take advantage of Shigeto-san like that!"

Sesshomaru turned fully towards her, "Rin."

"No! I can't, I wouldn't! I'm sorry if I sound like some petulant child, but you shouldn't have to waste your time saving me, when you should be settling down!"

Kouga facepalmed.

Ayame couldn't help but laugh.

And by God, Rin was hurt that they were laughing!

"This isn't funny!" The tears returned full force.

"Kid, we aren't laughing at you," Ayame giggled, "You're such a sweet soul! Facing the worst and still thinking of others. You're exactly what 'Shigeto' needs, and maybe this wouldn't be a green card marriage after all! I'll strike you a deal: Just don't get divorced!"

Through her tears she blushed hotly, and Sesshomaru cut her a nasty glare.

"I mean it! Just, stay friends and stay exclusive! You guys will work out the kinks later! Plus, do me a favor and make Jin-Hae eat her words!"

The two wolf demons smirked deviously before looking at each other, "Hm, ruin Jin-Hae and make her pull her hair out! Post it online, go nuts, act absolutely disgustingly foolish in public. Just be gross, it'll pay itself off." Kouga laughed.

"That's disgusten', I'm not doing that!" Rin hiccuped between tears.

Sesshomaru examined the ends of his hair, "We have refinery" he looked up at them critically before going back to his ends, "unlike some classless rejects."

"Just humour us, damn!" Ayame seethed.

"Seriously though, get the message across to Jin-Hae. In order to make this seem more realistic, you've got to build rapport. Anything to make the union seem legitimate and grossly affectionate." Kouga added.

"Not even children are legitimate claim enough for that hellhound."

Kouga sucked in a breath at the harsh jab, before Ayame woefully apologized, "Sesshomaru, we are sorry. We didn't mean…"

He raised a hand, effectively dismissing their pity party. "Regardless, how do we begin?"

00000

The couple left the bistro; with Sesshomaru feeling oddly lighthearted, and Rin downcast about the entire situation. Ayame gave Rin several pointers, stressing the whole "Getting in trouble with the law!" notion, as well as reminding Rin that she needed to prove she was accomplishing something for herself.

"As much as it sucks, Rin, unfortunately the U.S. still views inherit migrant worth based on economic value. After this is said and done, start a small business, go to school, pick up a part time job! Anything to prove that you are returning something back to the economy! But, we'll tackle that when we get there. I have to double-check, but I think you can't work for 12 weeks."

As the two walked down the block away from the bistro, the flurries turned into snow.

Sticking a gloved hand out, Rin watched as the plump flakes began to melt into the pink leather.

"Rin, are you alright?"
"Not really," she sighed, "I feel terrible about this entire situation. Plus, I feel even worse about lying. Your family would never approve of this! How would your mother feel if she knew some girl was just taking advantage of you! What about," she struggled to remember the name, "Jin-Hai? Jin-Hae? She obviously likes you, and is wealthy! She would actually give back, instead of just using you!" Rin's eyes welled with unshed tears.

Shigeto stopped walking abruptly before looking down into Rin's eyes, "Rin, my mother could literally care less, and I don't that wretched barbarian anywhere near me. You don't ask for me for anything, yet I give freely. Shouldn't my actions speak louder than my words? You act is if you're draining my life savings."

"But why!" she whimpered, "At this point I feel as though I am!"

His gaze hardened, "I will explain once we reach inside."

00000

Kouga sighed as Ayame barrelled in through his apartment door.

"Really, Ayame! I'm not down for this shit!"

"Dude I'm exhausted, I traveled all night, and sure as hell am NOT spending hotel money!"

"For fucks's sake, I will pay it for you!"

"Hotels are so impersonal! Plus, if I forget any of my crap there's no getting it back."

Kouga groaned before plopping down on the couch, and heard the shower go off in his master bedroom.

A little while later, Ayame returned in a ridiculous flower getup that was supposed to be 'loungewear.'

"What the hell is that?"

"My jogging set! Cute, isn't it!"

"Don't put words in my mouth! That shit made me claustrophobic!"

Ayame rolled her eyes before plopping down across from him in the loveseat.

Some time ticked by as Ayame responded to some messages.

"Ayame, do you ever think we should try to work this out? I mean, it is sad that we are the last few of our kind."

"Kouga, No," she stated mildly annoyed, "I've seen too many of other people's mistakes to see where that leads. I mean, look at Sesshomaru. He's barely just picking the pieces of his life."

Kouga looked around as if someone could hear them.

"But we're 500 years in the future and things are somewhat better." he supplied.

"No! Do you really want to bring kids into this world that are unhappy? That feel neglected by their parents? Confused by their identities? Resenting humans because they feel as though humans stole their parents love from them by remarrying? Plus, they are a much longer commitment. Kouga, we have a friendship, but we can't make this work."

"I just, I don't know. I feel as though the entire race is dependent on me and now old ideals are badgering me."

"You're an idiot!" Ayame groaned, "Those ideals are gone. I mean look at Sesshomaru and Min-Seo, they tried to make it work, but it wasn't destined. Eventually it just brought disaster on everyone's head."

Kouga agreed, "They had a friendship that wasn't meant to be...romantic. Nevermind, just forget I brought that up."

Ayame nodded, "It's whatever, it's sad, yeah; but it's not as bad as it could be. Plus, I know you still love Kagome."

"Do you ever feel envious about that? I mean I'm sorry for all the grief I caused…"

Ayame hummed, "I used to, but not anymore. I fell in love with a human years ago myself, so I saw the world through your lenses. I can't hold it against you, so please," she smiled sweetly, "wrap up the abused puppy act over there!"

She hauled a pillow against Kouga, and Kouga threw one back.

"Come at me, asshole!" Ayame screamed, "I'll beat your ass!"

"Oh yeah, then take this!" Kouga hollered, before throwing a couch cushion.

The couple began laughing hysterically before engaging in an all out pillow fight

00000

"Rin, I am a widow."

Rin looked up at Shigeto with intense disbelief.

"What?" Her eyes followed him as he sat down on the couch and folded his calves. She sat down next to him, and reached out her hand to his shoulder.

He stared out the window at nothing in particular, and Rin put her hand back into her lap. Not quite feeling it appropriate to comfort him.

"I was in dark place in my life at one time. I lost both my wife and my child, and a prior love to me before then. Being I was already vulnerable, and then dealing with more grief on top of that, drove me off the deep end."

He remained silent for a while longer, "Jin-Hae is my former sister-in-law," He debated revealing his origin, and decided against it, "My family has...very old values. According to the law, I should have taken my unwedded sister-in-law. But I refused, -I wanted nothing to do with her."

Rin was at a loss, unable to muster words, she simply wrapped her fingers onto his shoulder.

"So please, if indulging a young girl in her every whim is the only light in my world, then allow me to enjoy doing so." His eyes didn't meet hers as he turned his head farther away from her.

Rin leaned into his shoulder, "That's wrong, you shouldn't have to feel happy that way! I would be evil to stay here, and allow you to just lavish me with gifts when you're dealing with all of that unresolved grief. Is it wrong for me to ask why you didn't marry her?"

He sighed, "No, but you have to answer my question in return."

Rin nodded against his shoulder that she was leaning on.

"Very well, Jin-Hae and my...wife," how odd it felt to say that, "Min-Seo, were sisters from different fathers. Jin-Hae was originally arranged to wed me, but she had various scandals that allowed her younger sister to fulfill the will, and negate any rivalries from occurring between our families. Jin-Hae always disliked Min-Seo, but even more after ceremony. Min-Seo had no say in the wedding, but to turn her down would have created animosity, and shamed her from any potential suitor. I felt in my position, it was only honorable to follow through with it. Needless to say, Jin-Hae did not take well to the wedding, and tried to disguise herself as her younger sister on the wedding night. It wasn't until after I entered the futon, that I'd realized it was wrong person. Although nothing happened, Min-Seo did not trust me, believing I'd fornicated with her elder. The union was strained, and Min-Seo did not trust me fully. Eventually, she'd come to realize the truth, but she was so weakened from stress she did not last the pregnancy, and the child didn't make it either."

Rin was absolutely shocked, and even more disgusted, "I am so, so sorry." she whispered.

"It is of no fault of your own."

"But, why was Jin-Hae so evil? Why couldn't she just accept her sister's matrimony and leave it be?"

Sesshomaru sighed, "Wealth, status, boasting and gloating rights. She wanted the spoils of marriage because it was the only thing she'd been raised to do. Not having what she felt was her 'life's aim,' caused her to sink to the lowest of lows."

"Oh, my God. I am so sorry. I can't do this, I can't marry you. I wouldn't allow you to deal with such heartbreak in a manner that hurts you and benefits me."

"Having companionship doesn't harm me."

"Paying for it does!"

"If we go by that line of reason, then therapy is a very bad thing."

Rin leaned away from his shoulder to look at his profile, "That's not where I was getting at!"

Shigeto chuckled lightly, "I am not paying for companionship, just securing it."

"Same thing! I want to be your friend, but not like this. Not if it requires a false marriage, when that's the last thing you need! Especially since you're still mourning her death."

Shigeto shifted momentarily before fully regarding Rin, "Rin, I did not love Min-Seo. Unfortunately it was a union based on duty and mutual respect. It doesn't lessen the blow of my suffering, although." He admitted dejectedly. I wasn't supposed to go there with that!

Rin nodded, "I am sorry Shigeto-san. I can't do this. In the morning I will go to the embassy and request deportation."

His hand sought her shoulder so quickly it scared her.

"Rin, do not. Do it for me. This is the most," he was afraid to admit it, "-attachment I've felt in years. I would be concerned if anything happened to you. At least give me this until you are on your own feet, and eligible for citizenship."

"But Shigeto-san I can't it isn't right. I-"

"I don't want anything from you but your joy and safety, and in turn it will help me gain closure."

Rin shook her head violently while trying to push him off of her.

His grip tightened on her shoulders, and Rin finally met his eyes through her tears.

So much pain swirled deep in his dark eyes before returning to its neutral mask.

Regaining his composure, he gently released her shoulders with a slight rub in apology.

"Rin, I respect your wishes. Just know that if you ever need anyone or anything, I wi-"
"I'll do it."

"Rin do not allow my earlier actions to coerce you."

"I want to do it. This is too much of a coincidence for it not to be fate. "

Something happened then, although his lips didn't smile, his eyes lit with some form of...appreciation.

Something in his demeanor changed.

He did smile slightly then, "Perhaps we can move to Canada and both become migrants."

Rin laughed, "Don't do that! Trust me, being a migrant is not fun!"

"As long as I'm beside you, I'll survive."

Rin blushed hotly and covered her face with one hand, as Shigeto reached for the other one.

"Now that I've answered your question. Are you willing to discuss mine? If you aren't ready, you don't have to."

"Yes, I am. You could go ahead."

"Rin, where did you live prior to living with Mei?"

Rin's expression faltered, "I was homeless."

He only listened while giving her hand an encouraging squeeze.

"I primarily stayed in homeless shelters. I received lots of charity from missionary services from Canada and America. In Japan homelessness is something that should be addressed by family and not society at large. But, those shelters needed documentation and were so packed that they required waiting lists. Since I didn't have any, I stopped reapplying at 17, and spent my last year of high school-living at school. The security knew I lived there, but they stopped bothering me and began looking the other way. I couldn't be more grateful."

He nodded, still having more questions, but exercising reserve.

Rin noted his apt attention and decided to continue of her own volition, "I still had to pay for uniform, books, school dues, and other necessities. And, I hate myself so much for this," tears began rolling, "I shoplifted, a lot, and resold things. I only did it when I absolutely had to! I was receiving help from the churches, but when that came to a halt, I started resorting to reselling things to pay for my dues-I never did it for fun though, or extra income. Just for what I needed. You probably don't trust me now, do you?"

Rin paused, "I'm such a terrible person. I used to steal and nearly got caught multiple times. I helped reinforce an awful stereotype about black minorities in Japan."

She didn't look back up again, and instead started peeling a hangnail on her left pinky.

"Rin, what's some clothes, or electronics, or cosmetics to a multimillion dollar company?"

She didn't respond, but the scent of salt invaded his sense once more.

He sighed before shifting slightly, and wrapping his hand over both of hers, then clenching.

After a moment, he unfurled his hand to see that she'd done quite the damage to them, and that her pinky was bleeding.

Rin was trembling violently, and after a moment, he began to think the worst.

"During the school holidays were the roughest though. I spent them just wandering the city, sleeping in parks, camping in net cafes if I had the change, or just riding the trains and napping between."

He nodded, but the girl still seemed to be holding something back.

"There's a reason-why I don't like compliments very much. Like today, when Ayame-san complimented me. Lots of compliments always had ulterior motives...and it didn't help that the age of consent in Japan is thirteen."

"What?" Surely he had misheard! Not in today's age?

"The age of consent in Japan is 13…so, lewd comments or actions towards minors aren't seen as harassment. Law enforcement tends to believe that the victim either instigated it, or should deal with it."

"But-how is such a young age able to consent, yet,-children aren't able to advocate for themselves in the absence of a guardian?"

Rin shook her head, "It beats me, and it's very backwards. Younger generations are not protesting against those laws though. So many children in Japan are just...lost. Unaccounted for, with no records of their existence. It's really...awful. Especially since that climate favors abuse and fetishization of children between 13 and 16. If they aren't accounted for, then a report against the abuser can't be filed."

He paused, "Were you abused?"

Rin shook her head, but went back to peeling her hangnail, "No, not really."

His eyes didn't leave her profile.

"I was just made uncomfortable."
Oh, that's where the dislike of 'compliments' stem from.

"Who?"
"Huh?"
"Who was it, Rin?"

"It was just one of my old teachers, he never got physical, but his remarks were really offensive. When he found out I was practically living at school, he held it over my head."

"...Then tried to blackmail you, in exchange for sexual favors?"
"Yeah, I refused him, reported it, was found to be a 'liar' and ended up failing the course. Eventually he got removed, though."

Shigeto remained silent for a long moment, "But no one has ever placed their hands on you?"

"I've been groped many a times, but thank God nothing further than that."

He released a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

Kami-Sama, I was ready to kill whoever crossed her.

"Stop picking your fingers." He pulled her right hand from her left before allowing the said hand to travel up her arm.

"I do not perceive you as less than for stealing; and I hope that you trust me enough to believe that. Furthermore, you will never have to resort to such lows, or ever be homeless again."

She shook her head before pushing her face into his shoulder again, smearing makeup on his shirt.

"I'm sorry!" she pulled back, "I didn't mean to-"

His right hand cradled her jaw and curled itself into her hair, and pushed her face back onto her shoulder.

"It's just a shirt."

She sighed on his shoulder, afraid for what the future would bring, afraid of her lack of dignity, afraid for his well being, afraid of the farce of a marriage they were going to pull, and afraid of her quickly escalating feelings.

"What was your childhood before Japan like?"
Rin didn't answer for a long moment, and he sought to redact his question.

"-It was wonderful, I miss it so much. I went to Catholic school growing up, and lived with my grandmother. First, we all lived together, but my parents moved to the city when my father got re-stationed. But, it was fine," she laughed, "I visited them every weekend, and they visited me every other week. Nevertheless, I didn't have any worries besides my homework and chores, and the occasional financial setback. Actually, would you like to see?"

He didn't acknowledge her, but did remain seated while she leaned over to grab her phone.

She fumbled for a moment, and after a few failed login attempts, finally logged into a Facebook account.

"Sorry! This is my mom's old account, and it took a moment for me to remember the password. She was a picture-maniac, and detailed every little thing! Look, see!"

His face was promptly met with a too-bright screen with Rin wearing a cap backwards, standing beside a lanky businessman. Only the top half of her face was visible, while the man stood in the background pointing towards something ahead of them.

"This is when we first came to Japan! I hadn't been before, so seeing the extreme fast-pace of the city suprised me!"

She handed the phone to him, and motioned for him to swipe.

"What is that?"

Rin blushed hotly, "Oh, it was my first communion anniversary and my mom reposted it, ugh!"

"What is a first communion? W-why are you dressed like a miniature bride?"

"I don't know how to explain? Um, I grew up catholic, so first communion is when a child commemorates the 'Last Supper" before Jesus' death. So we break bread to symbolize the body of Christ, and wine to represent the blood that was sacrificed for our salvation. But, latino folks take it a little further, showing the child's modesty, purity, and devotion of love to Christ, but through literally dressing them up as brides, which is the ultimate 'purity' if you get my drift. But, we aren't getting married or anything, it's just supposed to be the imagery."

"What? That sounds, absurd. Not the practice, but the costuming for the occasion? Then, what do male children wear?"

Rin snorted, "They dress in their finest little suits!"

"But not like groomsmen, so why do the girls-?"

Okay, let me clear this up before he breaks his brain working this equation out, "Eh, unfortunately in catholicism, a girl's worth is heavily weighed upon her purity. So, it's the ultimate aspiration for young ladies is to be a 'pure bride' and it's a heavily reflected motif in all momentous occasions for young girls, such as Festa de Debutantes, more commonly known as Quinceanera."

He didn't understand, and it showed, "Oh! Okay um, Festa de Debutantes is like rite of passage, but at 15. It also means the girl is eligible to be wedded. Literally her debut! Kinda like a mogi, or Genpuku."

"But, to place and reinforce such large expectations into children's head?" He closed his eyes, bristling at the thought, before slowly shaking it away. Humans never ceased to amaze him with their debauchery!

He swiped again, determined to forget that particularly disturbing image. He paused, swearing that the next photo was recent. He looked at her, before returning his gaze to the phone, and then back her, slowly and methodically. The girl was dressed in a soft yellow shirt, tucked into a blue and yellow plaid skirt that fell past her calves, blue stockings, and black loafers with a green backpack slung over her shoulder.

"Oh! That's me at the end of year nine, kinda like 8th grade here in the US. That's the year before I started high school, but, I was a big...kid to say the least."

"Kid?"

"Yeah...okay I admit, at that time I was oversized and an early bloomer. Now, everyone is taller than my mere 5'1!"

He blinked, swearing it was some sort of a prank.

"I bloomed before my stalks reached their full potential?" She offered, with a slight shrug.

"I didn't intend to offend you. But, what was in your food? air?"

"They fed me fertilizer and GMOs so I'd mature faster!" She stated half-jokingly.

"There's...truth to that."

"But, in the long run it failed, I just look like a child compared to others my age!"

He would've joined her humor, if it weren't so terrifyingly true.

He continued to view the photos, as Rin narrated parts of her childhood to him.

Rin swiped for him, and a video; long forgotten, reappeared.

"Oh my God! I can't believe these are online!"

"Hmm?" His curiosity would be the bane of his existence!

"I used to dance Capoeira, because finally people were teaching it within integrated genders! I was so happy because I wanted to be like the boys, but oh God I kicked a kid straight in his face during one recital."
He smirked, before hitting the play button.
Rin turned her face from embarrassment, and watched with rapt attention of how quickly the girl 'fought.' For a simple recital, she was very keen on her movement.

As the drums picked up and the boy in the video jumped back, Rin leapt backwards, not giving her back to her opponent, propelling herself on her arms, and giving the said child a dropkick in his mouth. The then teenage boy began to cry as blood ran out his mouth.

He rewatched it, before coming to conclusion. "That-was premeditated, Rin and highly calculated. You did not confirm whether it was an 'accident.'"

She refused to turn to him, "I..you caught me. I meant to only scare him! He was such a bully, and I only wanted to get close enough to teach him a lesson. Not actually hurt him! I kicked him so hard he bit his tongue!"

She heard a slight huff of air, before silence. She spun her head around before shrieking, "ARE YOU LAUGHING?"

"Me? No, this one does not delight in other's misfortunes."

"You're totally laughing oh my God! You're horrible!"

"This one especially does not enjoy the way he cried, "my tongue!"

"I'll have you know I was in so much trouble for that! His mother was so angry, and I got suspended from the team for that little stunt too!"

"For how long?"

"Three weeks!"

"In my expert opinion, it was well worth it."

He exited the camera roll, to actually scroll down her mother's page. There, several photos of Rin alongside her parents lined the page, one in particular showed a little Rin sitting on her grandmother's lap. Several videos of her mother dancing, and pulling an embarrassed Rin to join, and a particularly jovial video with everyone laughing while Rin scowled, scraping a coconut.

"Why are you scraping a coconut, with your hands?"

"That was the punishment I incurred for beating up Ramon. I had to make coconut milk from scratch! It's awful! Nightmare fuel!"

"Nevertheless, it was a fruitful endeavor."

"You are not supposed to support that! Also-ha-ha, very funny I see what you did there!"

"-You didn't think of that did you? You were not the mastermind behind this plan."

Rin tightened her lips.

"So, who did?"

"My dad, Naohiro." she all but mumbled.

He smirked, seemingly pleased. "Deceiving, a most resourceful man indeed."

"You are not supposed to enjoy that kind of behavior!"

"He deserved it! Did he not?"
"No-Yes, I mean, not that much!"

"How far did his teasing go?"

"It wasn't anything really-just-"

"Rin."
"He used to pull my hair, and a lot of his pranks and teases bordered on sexual harassment."

"I see no qualms with your," he studied some strands of her hair, "specially-branded justice."

Rin blushed hotly before swiping again, "Anyways! I had a very happy childhood, but as I stated once before. It changed when my dad lost his job, and when my grandmother died. My mom, Constanca, did not want to come to Japan. But after my grandmother died, we didn't have any other real family left in Brazil. So feeling like a stranger to her country, my mom finally conceded to my father's idea. I didn't want to go at all, but it all happened to quickly."

"Why did he push returning to Japan so badly?"

"At the time he lied, and said that he wanted us to be closer to his family. But in all reality, he wanted to wash away our roots, just as he was a washed up worker who wanted a chance at rebuilding a life as a Japanese salaryman."

She stretched, "I don't resent him or anything, but; after returning to Japan he made his dislike for our culture known. Somehow, Brazil was a paradise for him to escape, but he still saw it as inferior. Specifically he wanted me to be closer to Japanese culture, and become a sophisticated woman, because he'd believed I was too loose for a girl. And well, my mother was an exotic trophy wife to be displayed."

He didn't respond, honestly at a loss for words. How could someone exotify and fetishize a culture, while simultaneously demeaning it?

Then, to bring children from 'inferior blood' and try to wash the children's heritage as though it never occurred? And worse yet, to make the children bear the brunt of assimilation?

Wait, that hit too close to home on the hanyou front.

Visibly he winced, before finally opening his mouth, and firmy shutting it.

"I am sorry, Rin. You did not deserve such treatment, especially as a child. Calling you such derogatory terms is abhorrent, especially at a time when you barely comprehend such a meaning."

Rin shrugged, "It's fine, really. I just realize that although at face value, some people seem to accept you, in their backs of their minds they believe we run about like savages with loincloths."

"But even if you did, it doesn't make you any less worthy of respect. One's status doesn't determine their inherit worth."

She smiled sadly, "You're right, and I hope you don't take any offense to my statement. I just realize unfortunately many still refuse to believe that basic decency towards all is appalling."

He sighed, "That is precisely why I cannot stand hu-politics, the so called, "conservatives" are hellbent that basic human decency is something that needs to be earned, rather than freely given."

He paused for a long moment, "If it provides any consolation, my own chichi-ue had been very dark in tone, and was not accepted by my maternal family. They spoke highly of him and praised in strength in his face, but belitted him as soon as he turned his back. Unfortunately, they were all visibly relieved to have known that I panned out to reflect their family's lineage. He was simply breeding stock to them."

"Oh, God, that's terrible! I'm so sorry. What horrible parents to give their daughter to a man they actively disliked, only for some status and power!"

He shrugged, "It is not much different than your own lineage."

She winced herself. "You have a point, especially since my father saw my mother as attractive while simultaneously beneath him, just as your mom's family saw your father as powerful and simultaneously beneath them. It just hurts to know that the people you admired as a child aren't quite the big-hero you'd expected."

He nodded before standing up, "I have some preparations to attend to. Would be alright for the rest of the day?"

"I will be, but what about tomorrow? Will we be able to travel back to Schenectady in time?"

"There seems to be incitement weather on the way, so if anything we will return and resume when it clears up."

"What about your clients though?"

"They can wait, all projects are scheduled three to six months out."

What a casual screw them! Rin exclaimed mentally.

"But are there any pending deadlines that are close?"

Shigeto laughed darkly, and it was chillingly eerie.

"Tumblr can crash and burn for all I care. They aren't worth saving."

Rin backpedaled, "Wait, wait! You're working to fix that hellsite!?"

"Oh, no. I told them I'd look it over. But it's a multimillion project that was a disaster from the startup. If our team even took the project, we'd have to shut it down for months to essentially rebuild the entire site, make it functional for such a large user-base, and Kami," he rubbed his nose bridge, "We don't even know where to begin with all of the bots, glitches, viruses, and exposed information. Doable, but impractical. Staff could not maintain such a site after we finished anyways, and I don't want to offer long term services to such incompetent degenerates."

Rin shuddered, "Honestly, people are just saying it's the last leg and they are ready to go. Most of us are just sinking with it, or simply going inactive. It's really...bad to say the least"

Shigeto sighed, "If you have anything of worth, I'd back it up."

"I lost everything with that NSFW sweep they did a while back, all of my art was flagged. The good news is, everything is on Deviantart and also backed on my Google Drive. So, that's covered. Anyways, how did you become an IT expert?"

He looked over his shoulder, "It was a game, something that peaked my curiosity. Eventually, I realized I'd learned an exorbitant amount of information regarding technology and started doing odd jobs. Suddenly, referrals were coming left and right, and I was able to service them without issue."

"That's so cool, I'm envious that I can't master anything like that! If you don't mind my asking, who else do you source?"

Despite contracts swearing silence, he shrugged anyways, "Most social media networks, pharmaceuticals, University sites, online course sites, several large reporting networks, credit reporting sites, and proprietary information databases etc. We service many clients, but because they decide to cut corners in the long run, they run the sites to the garbage. Many just approach us to find glitches, and request only patchwork when we've diagnosed other larger issues. Such as the large Equifax leak that occurred earlier this year. We'd told them, but do they listen?"
He was pissed! This is why he hates his job, people don't listen because they want to be cheap.

Rin blinked, "So to save money they only approach you guys to find glitches, and other security issues, but outsource to third tier companies? That's stupid, they should just sign over their contracts to you to not only fix the issue but also just maintain the website."

"Sweet Rin, if only people had half the brain you do."

She blushed again despite his sarcasm, "Sweet Rin" did have a nice ring to it!

"We are a small firm, so many tend to overlook us as well though. I only hire those who are well equipped, rather than scouring through poor criteria for capable employees."

Rin didn't understand, "Hmm?"
"By poor criteria, I mean traditional substandard methods of hiring. Such as looking at race, demographical data, University qualifications, and other poor methods of the sort. The best employees I have are young people of color from varying socially-disparaged backgrounds."

Rin was pleased to know that his startup was backed by people who would've been otherwise overlooked, just like herself. It gave her hope, but she was also desperate to know if they were paid well, and if they had good working hours, healthcare protection. Those things were very telling about a person!

She beamed at him as he placed some money on the coffee table before pulling on his shoes, ready to hit the streets. Now, it was time to get down to business!

00000

Rin's phone kept vibrating off the hook, concerned that something occurred, she decided to skip checking the texts and dialing the unknown number.

"YELLOW-WASSAP?"

"Uh-Hello?"

"You mean to tell me you've already forgotten about me? Your girl? I'm offended, Rin!"

"-Naera? What are you doing?"

"I was just texting you to ask the same thing, I hoped you were still in town! You busy?"

Rin looked around the place, "No, but um, I'm kinda staying posted?"

"Pfftbbtt posted-smosted. Girl roll with me and my cousins, we're gonna wreak havoc on the city!"

"NO! NO HAVOC ON THE CITY!"

"Whatever, see you in 10!"

"You don't even know where I am! You can't find me!" Rin mocked in a teasing tone, only to realize that she'd been talking to herself on a closed line.

Embarrassed, she shoved her phone in her bag determined to live that down.

"FBI Open up!" A male voice bellowed.

Rin's heart dropped into her stomach, and anymore, it would've fallen right out of her. Panicked, she turned off all of the lights and crouched by the living room's coffee table,

"Dude! That's shitty! Hey Rin open up, we're here!"

Another voice perked up, "We know you're in there!"

Rin silently cursed her fate and groaned before crawling to the door, cracking it open slightly, she whispered, "How did you guys get in here!"

"What's with all the whispering?" The male voice in the hallway asked loudly.

Naera turned from the doorway and hushed him, "Shut up, idiot!"

"Eugh man, say it! Don't spray it!"

"We've got our ways!" The other male voice perked.

"Yeah, we do have our ways, but we're not supposed to be in here! So please Rin, escort us out so we don't get in trouble!" Naera whimpered with clasped hands and large puppy eyes.

"Fine! Just this once! And I need to be home by 5!"

"Oh wow, that asshole's got a tight leash on you, huh?"

Rin froze while fumbling with a boot, "Excuse me?"

The dismembered voice finally made itself known by pushing his face through the doorway, "Sup! The name's Dion, how you doin'?"

Rin shook her head, "Does screaming count as an answer?"

"Yeah sure, why not?"

"Then without further ado,"AHHH!'"

"That's a bit of a delayed reaction!" Naera noted.

"I like this kid already!" The other male voice commented. This time, Rin actually stuck her head out of the door to look, "Name's Matthew, how'y'do?"

"This feels like a fever dream, what did you do!"

Naera laughed, "I smelled you! Then we disguised ourselves as security, maid, and waiter! From there, we were able to find ya'!"

"You're joking, right?"

Naera shrugged with a toothy smile.

"Mmm, don't like that!"

"Yeah, Naera here has a great sense of smell. Something we unfortunately don't have!" Dion lamented.

Disturbed, Rin asked, "How'd you smell me?"

"Easy, can't miss the scent your fiance's sporting. We saw him on his way out, and well, I gotta give it to y'all. Y'all nasty!"

"Huh? I am confused? I am confusion?" Rin asked while shaking her head.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding! But we did see him on the way out though, so we just kinda traced it back!"

"You guys scare me."

She was only met with three simultaneous smiles and thumbs up.

00000

"So, what's going on again?" Rin asked between chattering teeth.

"We're gonna meet Matthew's girlfriend today! We think it's a catfish though. So we're waiting here as backup just in case anything goes horribly wrong." Dion shrugged.

Naera ignored them, fumbling with her camera.

"Catfish? Why-how could a person be a fish?" Rin asked.

Matthew scowled, "Catfish, it means that a person is disguising themselves as someone they aren't."

"Oh."

Naera looked up, "You should see her photos! This girl is a drop dead gorgeous model, and well, look at Matthew! Nobody wants that! Much less a model!"

"Stop! That's mean, love doesn't have a specific look!" Rin shot back.

Naera shrugged, "Says the best looking person in the group!"

Rin huddled in her coat, "Whatever happened to Panera boy?"

"Oh he's at work," Naera commented offhandedly while looking down the street.

"SOMEONE'S GOTTA BOYFRIEND!" Dion cackled.

"DO NOT!"

"DO TOO!"

"DO NOT!"

"EVERYONE SHUT YOUR CLOACAS! I THINK I SEE HER!"

Rin shriveled in on herself, "Oh God in heaven! That's disgusting!"

Naera raised her brows while lowering her eyelids, "Oh you mean ya' catfish is on the way? Watch, [s]he's gonna be a nutjob with a wig."

Dion nodded, "Instead of Shakira, you're gonna get a Sha-[he]ra. And those hips? Do lie. Wanna bet 20?"

"I'M NOT GAMBLING! I THINK YOU GUYS ARE AWFULLY MEAN! I MEAN TRUE LOVE CAN TRANSCEND ALL BOUNDARIES! I MEAN, PEOPLE MEET ONLINE ALL OF THE TIME!"

Dion and Naera rolled their eyes, while Matthew kept pacing around the block.

"Guess I'll start recording. This will either be a treasured memory, or a worldstar worthy video."

"What's worldstar?" Rin asked.

Dion and Naera both turned towards her with the same expression, and Matthew stopped pacing forward to stare at her.

"You don't know about Worldstar?" Matthew asked.

"No?" Rin blinked.

"God, we've gotta show her that funeral dove disaster vid sometime." Dion mumbled.

Naera nodded.

Matthew shook his head violently before running down the block, "Amani, is that you?"

A girl with burgundy dyed hair waved before calling back, "Matthew?"

The duo ran towards each other, before the girl, Amani, jumped onto Matthew. The couple began spinning in circles, annoying passerbys.

"This is the cutest thing I've ever seen!" Rin squealed.

Naera and Dion met eyes, conveying their shock.

"YOU LIKE THAT DUDE FORREAL?" Dion blurted.

Rin took the liberty of smacking his shoulder, "You don't tell people stuff like that! They like each other, and you should be happy for them!"

"Yeah, HATER!" Naera agreed, pointedly, to a specific pedestrian who clenched his face in envied disgust.

Dion sighed, "Well this gives me hope, I guess!"

"Dude, you're gonna like die alone in a ditch." Naera commented offhandedly.

Rin smacked Naera's elbow, "Ouch! That was my funny bone!" she yelled, while waving her numb arm around.

"GOOD, MAYBE IT'LL CURVE YOUR HUMOR!" Rin retorted.

The trio looked back towards the couple, and realized they were long forgotten as the couple stared each other in the eyes.

"So wholesome!" Rin sighed wistfully.

"More like getta room!" Dion shrugged.

"Naera's right, you are a hater!" Rin accused.

"I am, I am a hater who needs to quench his thirst with some haterade. Life sucks, counts your blessings."

Rin laughed nervously, "I'm not so sure about that."

Deus no Céu, se as coisas funcionassem de maneira diferente. Eu sempre sonhei em estar apaixonada, não me casar simplesmente para usar alguém por sua riqueza.

[God in Heaven, if only things worked out differently. I always dreamed of being in love, not marrying to simply use someone for their wealth.]

All of a sudden, her countenance fell, and she felt so slimy and guilty. But, not wanting to rain on the happy couple's parade, she decided to push those feelings away for the time being.

Dion noticed her slip up, and wondered if the guy she was with was a control freak or something.

Naera was engrossed listening to the couple's inane babbling, and lightly teased them for their behavior before welcoming the girl, Amani, into a tight hug.

Rin smiled from behind and excited waved with both hands, welcoming the happy couple.

"You had us there for a moment! We thought you were a catfish! So we came just in case!" Dion perked.

"You're fine! My brother is over there by the hotdog stand! He thought it was some kind of a sex trafficking get-up!" Amani pointed, and a tall black guy with braids approached them.

"Pleasure to meet you guys." He greeted coolly.

The gang waved back.

"So you're the guy my sister's been ranting about."

Matthew felt small in comparison to the guy and froze, "Y-yeah! It's nice to meet you, I've heard about you!"

"Great, just keep that mind before you try anything stupid."

Amani swatted at her brother, and Matthew broke out into a cold sweat.

Naera placed her hands on her hips, "Matthew, you forgot to tell us sumn?"

"I'm a professional kickboxing instructor, and I won't hesitate to kick your ass into next century."

Dion scoffed, "I won't hesitate, Bitch!"

"Rebecca, it's not what you think!" Naera mocked.

Rin closed her eyes, "You guys don't know when to stop joking, do you? I'll throttle some sense into both of you! Also, don't worry Sir, your sister is in great hands, and we'll take it upon ourselves personally to hurt Matthew if he tries anything foolish."

Naera affirmed the statement with a resounding yes, and Dion pretended to throw an uppercut.

"I appreciate that. I know she's in good hands. I've gotta get going, but I'll be back." WIth that, he threw up a peace sign and walked towards the subway station.

Amani blushed and hid her face in Matthew's coat, and the poor guy practically melted.

Rin was sniffling, too.

"Hey, they're supposed to be the emotional ones! Not you!" Naera blurted.

"MATTHEW IF YOU HURT HER, I'LL SKIN YOU LIKE A GRAPE!" Dion hissed.

Matthew blushed and coughed, and Amani perked up, "Thank you guys, we truly appreciate it. I feel that I'm in safe hands, and I have my brother's number and a few backups if anything goes wrong. But, we're going to head out and explore the city together."

"Well don't forget you have us too!" Naera beamed, "I wish you guys all the best! Y'all stay safe out there and take care."

Amani nodded and Matthew kept stammering, before the two decided to hail a taxi. When they got in, the group waved them off as the cab pulled off.

"They gonna have sex." Dion forecasted before his hand came down from the wave.

"Totally, although I can't see why." Naera agreed.

"Eugh! Leave the couple alone!" Rin demanded.

The two looked at her again before sucking in their teeth, "Uh huh, you're really saying eugh about sex when you're probably the busiest out of all of us here?" Naera demanded.

"YOU'RE OVERSTEPPING YOUR BOUNDARIES CHILD! I AM THE ADULT HERE!"
Naera blinked, "But you look our age, so that's a moot point."

"DO NOT MISTAKE ME FOR YOUR PEER SIMPLY BECAUSE I AM YOUR SIZE. I AM YOUR ELDER!"

Naera and Dion shook their heads at each other, "No, no you aren't." he finished.

After a moment, Dion perked up, "Hey, I know this isn't my business or whatever, but you seemed kinda sad earlier when Amani and Matthew reunited. You alright?" Dion asked.

Naera leaned back, "What? I missed something here, are you okay Rin?"

Rin laughed nervously, "Oh guys yeah! I was fine, just a tad wistful!"

Naera took a step closer to her, "You're not telling the truth! Something's wrong! What happened?"

"Yeah, especially from what I heard, a person due to get married shouldn't have that look on their face." Dion added.

The duo looked at each other, conveying something that went over Rin's head, "IS DOUCHE-CANOE HURTING YOU?" Naera exclaimed.

"WHERE'D YOU GET THAT? HELL NO!" Rin screamed.

"If he is," Dion punched his hand, "we'll have no problem returning the favor!"

"NO, NO YOU HAVE IT ALL WRONG!" Rin yelled over them.

"Then. Spill." Naera demanded.

Rin took a step back, before booking it.

"HEY! HEY! STOP HER!" Dion yelled as Naera struggled to keep up through the crowd.

Rin was breaking record speeds bobbing and weaving between the other pedestrians, and her lungs began to burn before a heavy lead weight knocked her down to the pavement.

"Oof!"

"Ouch!"

Rin rubbed her knees while still kneeling, and Naera grabbed her from behind.

"Spill! Now! Or the torture chamber awaits you!"

"Never!" Rin spat back.

"Dion! Get her!"

Dion ran from across the street and blocked Rin's view, "Let's grab a bite and talk this over, shall we?"

00000

"Guys, I'm good! I'm full and I don't have any money on me anyways." Rin denied for the millionth time.

"You're seriously dating moneybags and have not a single cent on you? Something fishy's going on here. And it's not my curry." Naera pointed.

Dion scooched into the booth with two trays, and slid one with over to Rin.

Rin sighed thanks, before starting, "I was leaving the house in a rush and didn't think to grab anything. I left my money on the table."

Dion opened his styrofoam container, "Yeah, I'm not buying it."

Rin looked around the restaurant before starting up, "Before I begin, you have to promise not to tell anyone!"

"If it involves your health and safety, I'm screaming it from the rooftops and getting authorities involved, Rin!" Naera whispered.

"Shh! It really isn't what you guys think it is, actually, I felt bad earlier because the mess that's going on made me feel so guilty. Like a user."

"Tons of people in abusive relationships say stuff like that. Whatever it is, you aren't at fault." Dion added as Naera nodded between bites.

"I just need to rant, okay! Don't you guys interrupt until I finish." Rin took a deep breath, "I'm involved in a green card scam marriage. I feel so guilty because I don't want to go through with it, but If I don't, I don't even want to consider all of the bad things that could happen." Rin shivered.

"So today when I saw Amani and Matthew so happy together, I felt awful because that's how marriage and love should be, not a scam that could potentially stop my 'fiance' Shigeto from finding the right person for him."

Naera and Dion understood, "We don't think any less of you for it. People do stuff like that all the time, and they aren't bad people. They're just trying to make a better life for themselves." Dion reassured her.

Naera took a long pause before adding, "In regards to the whole 'love' part of it, just understand that it's a means to an end, not that you're actively using him. I mean, he knows it a scam, and he agreed. What would be terrible is feigning love for a person and stringing them along, you know."

Rin sighed, "God, I feel terrible telling you guys my problems. You guys are kids!"

Naera shrugged, "I'm much older than you think, but for all appearances 17."

Dion nodded, "I'm 17 in both appearances and actual age, since I'm just human. But, it doesn't mean you can't vent either."

Rin nodded, "If you don't mind my asking, I know nothing about this, Naera what are you?"

"I'm a hanyou, half human and half demon. So I have a longer life span."

"Yesterday, at the meeting, was everyone hanyou?"

"Mixture of full fledged demons and Hanyous But all of the speakers were humans."

Rin nodded, "And is Shigeto half or full demon?"

"Full, dog-demon actually. Hasn't he dropped his human concealment?" Naera asked surprised.

"No, I figured it had to do with legality or something."

Naera nodded, "it's true, we aren't supposed to be threatening according to assimilation laws. But, around close family and friends, the law there is shady and overlooked. Maybe he doesn't want to scare you."

"That's the thing," Rin huffed, "I've barely known this man more than a week, don't know much of anything about him, but yet somehow I feel like I know him and can't put a finger on it. Plus, I can't look at this whole ordeal as a simple means to an end, because, God, I'm lonely and I don't think he's any better off in that area. So it's like, I'm taking advantage of his vulnerability, but I also don't want to not get married because I'm worried about his well being."

Dion listened intently while chewing, "Seems to me like this isn't a parasitic union in anyway, because if you're providing emotional support then you're exchanging your labor for what seems like basic safety. Honestly, are you sure you want to do that? Because you shouldn't have to do anything in exchange for safety."

Rin shrugged, "Even if I didn't get anything out of it, I'd still do it."

Naera's brows shot up, "Then why are you feeling guilty? It's obvious you like him!"

"Because normal people date, get to know each other, and THEN get married. Not get married, then date? Duh!" Rin cried.

"There's no formula to relationships!" Dion interjected, "Some people get married a week after meeting each other and it works, some people date for years, get married, and divorce after a single year. Just because it's nontraditional doesn't mean it can't work."

Rin rubbed her face, "But, I barely know him and I can't help but feel that he deserves someone better."

"Eugh like platinum blunt bang bimbo from yesterday, Rin? Really?" Naera scoffed.

"Yes really! I mean, she's a demon, right, wouldn't it be better if he's with a demon-ess?" she guessed, "so that they could have more demon children rather than assimilating?"

Dion paused while jerking his head, "That's like saying blackbirds go with blackbirds, and doves with doves."

"I don't understand?" Rin asked.

"Racist; It's like saying black people should be with only black people, and that interracial marriages are bad. Think about it, tons of white supremacists love to say that white people are dwindling, so therefore they should stay within their race. It's the same negative rationale, there's nothing wrong with mixing. Plus, being mixed doesn't mean a culture cannot be preserved if that's what you're worried about." Dion countered.

"But even so, maybe not even a demon-ess; but instead another human girl in a better position than myself. I'm needy, someone in need of support. I can't help but question myself, would I have even liked him if I didn't need help?"

"Girl, you're grasping at straws! That's like saying a person can't fall in love with a firefighter 'cause they saved them." Naera countered while rolling her eyes.

"I know, but I feel that this is so wrong. I don't want to do it, but I also want to be near him. I worry about him and I want to make him happy but not at any additional expense."

Naera shrugged, "Well, money's gotta be spent unless you plan on becoming a plant anytime soon."

Rin pursed her lips before mumbling, "I wish I could survive on air, sunlight, and rain."

Dion rubbed his jaw, "Well, let's approach it this way, if you were to not go through with the whole false marriage, you'd probably worry him even more. And, you don't want to make him worry. So a little spending here and there is nothing compared to sickening the man."

"You have a point but I still feel so guilty. I mean," she began whispering lower, "He spent more than 30,000 on me in a single day! I don't know, I feel like a user. Also, remind me when we return to pay you back, Dion."

"It's whatevers man, I wouldn't take it."

Naera shrugged, "Rin, we'd all be worried about you. Just go through with it and maybe it'll work itself out. There's no need to feel guilty if the need was so great that he resorted to a green card marriage. I don't know what's going on, but it seemed like you were in a great deal of danger. Especially since he isn't the type to do that kind of stuff."

Rin scoffed, "You have no idea. I'll tell you guys that story another day. Although, now the actual danger has passed, me returning could cause friction with the law and I have no family that could vouch for me."

Naera's face dropped, before she leaned over and gave Rin a tight squeeze, "Don't worry, we'll be your family now. Your very own annoying siblings."

Dion nodded, "Yeah, we'll get on your nerves all the time so you wouldn't have time to be sad."

Rin laughed, "Thanks guys. That means a lot."

With that, Rin finally took a bite of her curry and tasted the Dhalpuri roti.

"This is good! And the Roti-slaps!"

Dion and Naera laughed at her creative use of the term.

"God that was hilarious, but please don't ever say that again!" Dion begged.

00000

Sesshomaru rubbed his forehead sitting in an old upstairs shop, the old man kept pacing around him and he briefly wondered how someone, literally as old as dirt, continued to grind their bones into dust while still living.

Some mysteries, well, may never be revealed.

"It's been such a long time since you've visited, Sesshomaru. I'm surprised you're still around!"

He blinked in disbelief, "I should say the same for you, Totosai."

"Well, I just aged!" The old man accused saucily, "You, on the other hand went on a reckless rampage."

Totosai turned, foolishly giving Sesshomaru his back as folders began sliding off his desk. While stuck between a poor attempt of stopping the paper avalanche, Sesshomaru snatched a sword from the rack behind him and pointed it at Totosai's haunched form.

"Get that thing-You have no respect for this old man's age! None! What a bunch of ingrates your father raised! He'd be ashamed by your behavior!" The sword jerked and aimed perfectly between his eyes, "Okay, nevermind! Just drop that thing, will ya'!"

Sesshomaru lowered the sword, albeit still clutching it till his knuckles went white. Well, whiter than what they currently were.

With a sigh, Totosai unfurled himself and allowed the stack to scatter to the floor.

"Documents aren't my forte."

"Old fool, you should hire an assistant."

"Is that smart considering all of the fixed paperwork I have here for demons, Sesshomaru? You should learn to use that noggin of yours. I assume you still have it," Totosai knocked on the side of his head, "after you calmed?"

A delicately arched brow twitched before furrowing.

"Do not test my patience, old dirt."
"Kami-sama, what a bastard." Totosai mumbled under his breath.

"You seem to have contracted alzheimer's in your old age, you've mistaken the half-breed for myself."

"Sesshomaru, what is it that you seek? I just want some peace." Totasai huffed.

"More peace?" his eyebrows shot up as he glanced around, "Old man, anymore and you'd be sound buried in your grave."

Totosai's mouth opened hotly, ready to spew a scathing retort.

"Which," Sesshomaru lifted the 'borrowed' weapon, "I can send you towards in a much more," he smirked, "timely manner. Seems as though nature hasn't taken its course."

With a shaky breath, he reiterated, "What is it that you need Sesshomaru?"

"Falsified records of residency in Brazil."

"Son, the hell do you need that for?" the old man blurted.

"It is of none of your concern."

"If I don't know, you idiot, I can't make the documentation tailored to your needs. It seems as though someone really did drop a few IQ points."

"You've become more bold in your wretched age, Totosai."

"Stop evading my question, young pup. What is the deal behind all of this?"

"You'd ought to clean those ears from the last century's worth of wax, because I will not repeat myself. Neither will you question me further than what information I willingly divulged. Did you hear me, stale geezer?"

"Huh?" Totosai coughed.

Sesshomaru looked near to the verge of snapping, and raised the sword again, "Let me give you an incentive, old man,-"

Totosai pushed the sword from his face, " Ah, I'm just messing with you! I heard, so give it up already."

Sesshomaru's face relaxed upon deciding the old man truly went off the deep end.

"Picking up from where we left off, I need to forge documents of residency from Brazil for a young woman." He faltered then, "As well as additional elongated trips and expenses of visiting the country for myself." As an afterthought he added, "Make sure the documents, receipts, and supporting information is dated from 2012 onward."

"Foolish boy! I'll need a name for the young woman!"

"..."
"Stop mumbling child! My century's worth of earwax is getting to me."

"This Sesshomaru does not mumble!"

"Stop acting like a petulant child!"

He prayed the geezer's brain truly wasn't as sharp as it once were.

"The woman's name is Rinako Inés Tetsuhara-Carreira, she previously resided in Japan, but I need documentation stating that she was in Brazil."

"But why is that?" Totosai scratched his head with cracking arthritic fingers.

"What did I warn you about old man?" Least he could do was give the old dirtbag a break, thankfully the name didn't ring a bell in his rusty grate of a brain.

Totosai shrugged, "I forgot. How old is the young woman?"

"21, 22 for the upcoming March, 25th."

Totosai nodded while scribbling some poor notes onto a scrap of paper.

Sesshomaru grimaced upon seeing the true extent of Totosai's mess behind the desk.

With the current state of the old man's organizational skills, Sesshomaru questioned if such a feat could be conquered in the allotted time.

Totosai 'hmmed' before pausing, "Besides tickets, expenses, and other things, do you need a falsified citizenship for yourself or just legal migrant documentation."

Sesshomaru paused, "I believe neither. But, I will give you a final say by tomorrow. Having two citizenships, or one with two legal migrant visas would appear suspicious."

Totosai nodded, "Well I'll still need some photos of you, and the young lady in question."

With an internal groan, Sesshomaru sat himself on the workbench across from Totosai's desk.

00000

Rin shoved 30 dollars into Dion's hand while panting.

"Told you I'd make it back to the hotel in no time!"

"You ran for nothing cause' I ain't taking it!"

Naera smiled and plucked the money from Dion's hand. "Well, more for me!"

"God you're insufferable!" Dion scoffed, while she rolled her eyes.

Rin sighed, "I still owe you one, Dion."

"If he doesn't wanna claim it, I'll claim it on his behalf anytime!"

The trio walked into the subway, and helped Rin purchase a Metrocard while an annoyed line began forming behind her.

"Hurry it up already, Goddamn!"

Rin kept getting nervous until Naera finished pressing the screen and purchasing it for her.

"Here's your card sweetie!" she stated kindly while handing the yellow and blue card to Rin.

"Goddamn finally!" The particularly loud patron in the line scoffed exasperatedly.

"That's what your mom said after your dad finally finished his weak ass strokes!" Naera commented offhandedly.

An old lady in the line snorted and the guy's face scrunched up.

"Oh go fuck yourself!"

"Gladly, cause I wouldn't want some of those weak ass backshots you inherited."

Dion pointed at the guy, "Take the 'L' headass!"

Rin didn't know where to even place herself, and looked frantically between the three.

The guy pulled up his pants, ready to take on poor Dion for laughing.

He lifted his hands, and Rin panicked throwing herself between the two guys.

A fist flew upward and landed right in Dion's jaw, and he reached over Rin's head to punch him in the nose.

"Oh my God, Oh my God, stop! Stop!" Rin yelled.

"NOBODY FUCKS WITH MY COUSIN!" Naera screamed while Rin pushed Dion off.

Before Rin could turn around from Dion's irate frame, Naera pushed the said guy into the turnstyle, and his head bounced off the metal bar and went smack dab into the pavement.

Rin looked up to see police running from the bottom stairwell coming up from the trains onto their level. Naera blinked herself out of her rage, and Dion yelled, "Shit 12!"

"WHAT'S TWELVE?" Rin cried frantically while Dion grabbed her left arm, and Naera her right.

Suddenly her feet was lifted off the ground and blue flames enveloped them.

The three touched the ground somewhere in a dank, musty, room. When the flames subsided, Rin realized they were in the station's surveillance room.

"GUYS WE AREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE IN HERE! JESUS ALMIGHTY!"

Naera sprinkled some blue tinted powder and the security guards were out, while Dion set about deleting the recordings. After the recordings were gone, Naera quickly cut a loop from another timestamp to fill in the missing footage, and fixed up the dates.

Watching in abject horror, Naera neatly snapped her fingers and the gang returned above the station, the same exact spot they stood when Naera took the thirty dollars.

A terrible feeling of Deja-vu washed over Rin. "DID-DID YOU JUST"

"SHHH" both Dion and Naera whispered in unison.

With that Rin fainted cold and knocked herself into Dion's shoulder.

"Shit, 12 ain't get us, but moneybags gonna serve us cold on a silver platter." Dion stammered.

"Well, shit." Naera shrugged.

00000

Rin came to eventually, and they all walked over to a fancy shop. Exhausted, Rin planted her face in her hands, "Guys you've gotta start ignoring people! You can't snap at every bait someone flings at you. I don't want you guys going to jail or worse just for following up someone else's stupidity."

"Yeah. but that guy had no business rushing you!" Naera argued.

"I appreciate your protection Naera, but it wasn't necessary. The guy could've been just ignored. God forbid if the police caught you before you pulled that stunt of yours or better yet, if he had a weapon and decided to hurt you guys!"

"More like grand heist!" Dion laughed before hi-fiving his partner in crime.

"Guys that isn't something to be celebrated." Rin stated pointedly, and quite gravenly at that.

"We promise we'll behave!" Naera whined, "Let's just drop this."

Rin shook her head, "I'm responsible for you guys, I can't just drop this."

Dion pouted, "But we only get one day with you and only two more in NYC! Can we enjoy the rest of the day already?"

"Fine, but anything else and I will find a way to punish you both!" Rin stated seriously, but the two rolled their eyes behind her back, blowing off the threat.

As the gang continued walking they passed a record shop, and decided to head in. Rin watched as one of the guys in the back of the shop was flipping decks, and wondered what exactly he was going for.

As Dion looked for some records and Naera scoured the band shirts, Rin kept listening trying to identify the type of music being composed. After a while of building a beat using several samples, the guy spun a record, cut the vocals, and increased the snares and bass of the beat. He paused, added a quote from a film she couldn't place a finger on, and then he continued playing out the new composed beat. Rin moved to the side to let another customer pass by the records in front of her.

The owner of the shop stared at her as she raked her brain trying to place a finger on it.

"You good over there, kid?" the girl up front asked.

Rin nodded absentmindedly, and kept watching the guy. Weirded out, he pressed the spacebar on his laptop, and stared pointedly back at her in a, "What's your problem?" fashion.

"You're Roland Jones! I follow your soundcloud account. I didn't recognize it at first until you added that last sample!"

Naera looked up from the register filled with Rico Nasty T-shirts while she was checking out, and gave Dion behind her a questioning brow.

"I would've never imagined her to be into that kind of music!" Dion huffed.

"Dude, it's always the quiet ones."

The guy at the decks smiled and went back to mixing, not really acknowledging Rin's statement. She laughed it off, because she knew she was correct in her assumption, and cut in front of the two teens, paying for their items.

As soon as they stepped out of the shop, Dion taunted, "Rin's trapping on her free time!"

"Smoking that fat junt I guess."

"Guys whatever! I just appreciate the aesthetic of different artists, regardless of whatever genre it is. Whether it's future funk, vaporwave, house music, or even memphis phonk, I appreciate the creativity people have blending different songs, vocals, and even incorporating audio tracks to create new genres. We are in the middle of a musical revolution, and I appreciate that I am able to witness the rise of such a thing."

They nodded, because she did have a point.

After a while of just wandering aimlessly, Dion pointed towards a shop, "Guys look! A sword shop!"

"Oh! Ooh! Let's go! Let's go!" Naera jumped, "Maybe I can get a cool weapon."
"OH NO I DON'T TRUST YOU GUYS WITH ANY KIND OF WEAPONS AFTER THE PLAIN STUPID STUNTS YOU'VE BEEN PULLING!"

"Oh please! We'll behave and we'll only look around! Just window shopping!" Naera whined.

"Only looking, and perhaps breathing on the item if you really like it! But if you guys touch anything, I will take it upon myself to relieve you of your grubby little fingers!" Rin stated quite sternly, actually causing Dion to listen. Naera, on the other hand, didn't seem to identify any threat from the statement.

The gang walked into a antique store on the first floor, and waved at the old Polish man sitting on a stool by the register. The man waved back, and the group passed a glass enclosure before running up a narrow stairwell.

Dion pushed the door in, and a chime went off notifying the owner that someone entered.

"Oooh this is sooo coool!" Naera drawled.

"Hello! Is anyone here?" Dion called.

"Weird! Such precious items and no one is guarding em'!" Rin exclaimed.

Both Rin and Dion turned towards Naera when she began to breathe heavily over a little dagger.

"Nice!" Dion breathed over the glass case.

"Look at this one!" Naera exclaimed, "It looks like Ichigo's Zanpakuto!"

Rin spun around quickly to look at the frame, "Holy! You're right! This is awesome!"

Rin broke her own rule by fondling the glass display and Naera slapped her fingers. "No touching!"

"Yeah, you'll like get possessed or some shit for touching up these weapons." Dion noted.

Rin's eyes brightened up like a little child's, "I want a cool sword with special powers! God, imagine being able to splice your way into an alternate dimension! Oh Naera, what's with the whole time travel thing?"

Naera shrugged, "Idk, had it as a kid. I can only go back in time, but for a short amount of time, and I think the latest I could go is like 6 weeks or so."

Dion laughed, "You're like a TIVO DVR!"

Rin chuckled while Naera mouthed 'Whatever' to them both.

00000

Sesshomaru refused to allow Totosai to leave the upstairs office until he at least drafted the documents. The chime from downstairs didn't bother him, and it wasn't like anyone could steal anything as the items were protected with sutras.

He tossed the idea of dropping his concealment, but remembered the electricity and wifi would go haywire for the surrounding businesses if he did. With a sigh, he forced himself to maintain his human concealment to not draw attention to his presence. The good news was, at least his human concealment had a significant muffling effect to his very sensitive hearing.

Totosai sighed while looking out the little glass window, "Kids again. I should go shoo them away."

"Not until I'm confident you retained your duty, Totosai." Shigeto sighed tiredly.

The old man sighed as he printed some blank drafts of Brazilian documentation, and a few photos of Sesshomaru.

"I'll need photos of the girl at some point, Sesshomaru."

"I will deliver them to you when I glean some."

Sesshomaru perked when he caught a familiar scent, but dismissed it, figuring the faint scent emanated from his clothes.

00000

"This sword is a beauty!" Rin exclaimed while pointing to one on the wall.

The other two looked up, and noticed a slight light flare emanating from the said weapon.

"Is it just me or did it glint in the dim light?" Dion questioned.

"But, the light is too dim to have such a bright glare" Rin commented while reaching up for the said weapon.

A dark aura flared as Rin reached upwards, and Naera's voice hitched in her throat.

"Don't touch that!" Dion screamed, but without touching the sword it rattled and fell off the wall's rack, smacking Rin in the head.

Rin shrieked loudly as the sword electrified her, before she slid to the ground in a heap and began seizing.

"JESUS CHRIST MAN!" Naera hollered while Dion turned Rin's head just in case she began vomiting.

00000

A loud shriek broke Totosai from his work, and he jumped to look through the window. Not seeing anything down into the store's lobby, he brushed quickly past Sesshomaru and began bustling down the stairs.

Sesshomaru followed hot on Totosai's heels.

"Shit man, oh my God! DO THAT TIME THING!" Dion panicked.

Naera nodded and focused, snapping her fingers, and reversing the time to mere moments before.

Rin was reaching for the sword all over again, and Naera shoved her out of the way, allowing the rattling weapon's hilt to fall on herself.

"Ouch!" Naera shrieked, and her head began to bleed.

Rin stared at the weapon before grabbing a cloth, "The things cursed! Naera why'd you place yourself in harm's way!" She pressed at the wound to staunch the blood flow.

"I'll heal in a few minutes! Girl you were just seizing like an epileptic!"

"AND GAGGING!" Dion added.

"Naera you're bleeding so much! Dion, do you see any first aid kits? I think we should get you to a hospital!" Rin eyed the sword evilly, determined to kick it across the room.

"DON'T EVEN THINK OF TOUCHING IT!" an old man yelled from the stairwell.

"IM SORRY OJIISAN BUT THIS THING JUST FELL ON US, AND I'M READY TO GIVE IT A PIECE OF MY MIND!" Rin yelled towards the stairwell.

"GIRL IF YOU TOUCH THAT THING I'LL GIVE YOU A PIECE OF MY MIND! Shit that whole time thing drains me, but I don't need to go a hospital." Naera groaned.

Dion used a cane to push the weapon away from them, while leaving their bags strewn about the shop's floor.

"Gramps, I don't know what kinda evil cursed ass shit you have here, but that thing rattled when Rin stood under it!" Dion rasped, "Even worse, the thing made Naera bleed but sent our friend into a seizure!" He then turned white as a ghost when another figure seeming materialized behind the old man.

"Dion! What's wrong?" Rin called.

With her heightened senses, Naera identified the issue, "Oh great! Dion, you ready be skinned alive and served on a silver platter?"
"NOT ON MY WATCH!" Rin yelled while dragging Naera up from her lying position.

"This is bad karma for fucking with that guy at the station," Dion cried.

Rin didn't understand Dion's fear, that is until a head of lucious brown hair stepped out from behind the old man in the dim narrow stairwell.

"Girl! You! Explain yourself!"

Naera almost shit her heart out.

"First off," she started cheekily, while staring at the blood pouring over her fingers "How much did you see?"

"Everything," he cracked his knuckles, "And I might spare you if you speak. Now."

"Oh Shigeto-san it really isn't that bad! Everything is okay now!" Rin stepped while still clutching tightly onto Naera. "The sword just hit her really hard!" purposefully, she omitted the entire time-swap act, as well as the fact that she remembered the sword hitting her and everything going black.

Naera groaned, and her human concealment fell. Revealing little fox ears at the top of her head, along with long claws, fangs, and a bushy orange fox tail.

Se ela inverteu o tempo, como lembro o que aconteceu? Por que ela teve que trocar os carimbos de hora na filmagem na estação? Outras pessoas são capazes de testemunhar a mudança no tempo, ou aqueles que estão diretamente envolvidos são capazes de recordar a situação, enquanto os arredores deles esquecem. Eu apenas rezo para que Shigeto não testemunhe a mudança.

[If she reversed time, then how do I remember what happened? Why did she have to swap the time stamps on the footage at the station? Are other people able to witness the shift in time, or are those who are directly involved able to recall the situation while arounds around them forget. I just pray that Shigeto didn't witness the change.]

Dion panicked when her concealment dropped, worried about the consequences of his cousin's true nature. Exasperated, he tangled his fingers in his afro before yanking it slightly, and clenching his own green eyes.

"Speak, NOW!" Shigeto demanded, and his hair began to raise slightly as his youki crackled and flared outward, flickering the lights in the old building and causing the electronic clock on the wall to fade in and out, before resetting to 00:00.

Rin pretended to ignore the little show, busing herself with folding the cloth to reapply pressure to the wound. The old man returned, and handed her some clean linens.

"Thank you Ojii-san."

Naera covered Rin's hand with her own, pressing the wound while her eyes watered. "We just left a record shop, and decided to explore a little. When we came in, we looked around the displays. The one that was mounted on the wall here caught all of our interest, and when Rin stood under it, it began to rattle. So I pushed her, and it fell on me. But it seemed like the sword somehow...reacted to her?"

"Iie, backtrack yourself." He started menacingly, "you are withholding important information."
Dion sucked in a tight breath, and Rin decided to take it upon herself, "The sword fell on me first, Shigeto-san, but Naera and Dion here said that I began to seize, and Naera decided to prevent the incident from occurring in the first place."

His aura seemed placated, and his hair fell back into its usual regal bearing.

"Girl, where did you learn such a thing?"
Naera pulled away from Rin's chest, before sitting up more fully to answer, "I didn't learn it, it was something I just did as a child. I figured that my kitsune heritage just allowed me to do it as a form of trickery. An illusion of sorts, but not true time travel if that makes sense."

Dion looked pointedly while mouthing at Naera to be silent. The wounded girl nodded, before reaching her left hand out to splay her fingers, and reaching upward and snapping with her right hand.

Time truly did freeze then.

Leaving Rin statuesque, Dion stuck with his finger at his lip, and Totosai frozen - the basin of water slipping out of his hand, but the water inside splashed and remained fixed.

Naera looked upwards at Sesshomaru, "I don't know exactly how this works," she paused before looking around the frozen scene before them, "but today was the first I used it outside of some prank. Rin started seizing, and I think the sword was calling her to possession. Shigeto, I don't know you like that, but you're going to have to let Rin onto what exactly she's stumbling into here. She told us about the whole getup-Seemed like she had plans to stew in guilt today. But, that's not the issue here-pretending to be human isn't going to somehow add incentive to the whole charade, if anything it'll make you seem more distant. The sword, blonde bitch, and many more supernatural entities to come will be after her for even being near you!"

"SILENCE!"

"Listen to me! You're going to have to let her in before the week is out! You're straining your human concealment, and you could drain your youki like that! How long you've been sporting that form? I can sense it!"

"Say nothing of this interaction. Actually, erase it."

"No! You bastard! For what, for Rin to forget an entire day? You're depriving her!"

His face tightened before commanding, "Resume time."

Naera spread her hands out, before making a single clap above her head.

Suddenly, the electronic clock sped back up to the time it was supposed to have been.

Everyone remained frozen until the clock reached it's destined time, and the water basin fell, splashing water everywhere.

Rin gasped, "Ojii-san you've got quite a mess going on here."
Dion touched his mouth, unsure of why he was touching his lips in the first place. "Dude, I need some lip balm."

Rin looked down at her hands, "Where'd this come from? Naera! Your head!"

Naera shrugged Rin off, "My head healed right up, told you it took nothing."

"Well i'm glad! Ojii-san, let me help you with that mess."

When everyone's attention was elsewhere, Naera shrugged at Shigeto.

In a flash, he picked up the fallen sword, before throwing it at the girl. Naera shrieked, and threw her hands up to protect her from the blade. It spliced her palms, allowing blood to run along the blade.

"Pick it up." Shigeto commanded once more.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Naera yelled.

He walked up to her, before picking up the blade at her feet and shoving it into her hands.

Totosai gasped, "That sword is not meant to held by anyone! It was forged years ago with the intention of realigning the cosmos! Only a Kami can wield such a thing!"

Naera held the sword with both hands and terrible posture. The girl never had any proper training with weaponry.

"Swipe it." Shigeto commanded over Totosai's rants.

Utterly unpracticed, Naera swung the weapon, and opened a portal into space.

She dropped the weapon and stared into the galactic abyss lain before her. Eventually, the portal faded into vapor.

Shigeto laughed bitterly, "Chichi-ue has no bounds, does he? This sword, obviously is a companion to Tenseiga."

Totosai sighed, "Sesshomaru, this weapon is not a fang of your father's, but rather, your mother's."

Dion scratched his head, "Why would a weapon made by his mom be passed down to my cousin? They aren't even related!"

"Something about instructions from your father." Totosai shrugged.

Rin so desperately wanted to ask about Shigeto's true name, but kept silent in hopes of allowing the issue to slide. She needed time to figure out how that name rung a bell.

An Inuyoukai, named Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru-sama. Then it clicked.

Sesshomaru-sama!

She kept the revelation to herself.

Shigeto walked clearly across the room before throttling the old man, "And you didn't have the decency to tell me!"

"How could I have told you, you fool! You never listen! I hadn't seen you in so many years, then you appeared 6 years ago with no intention of listening to me!"

Angrily, Shigeto gave Totosai his back, "We will continue this conversation another day."

He then motioned towards Naera, "Learn how to wield your weapon, there will come a day that you will need it."

"How dafuck am I supposed to just up and teach myself to wield a weapon?"

"Because I will personally see to it that you do. Your incentive to learn? Your life."

"Yeah right, you pile of dog-shit! You can't just kill me!"

"Foolish girl, that is not what I conveyed! Someone else may yearn for your lifeblood. But I do not."

Dion cocked his head, "Just say you'd teach her, Goddamn."

Totosai sighed and slumped on an old chair, I've really lived too long for all of this mess.

"It's a good thing I no longer forge swords, and only papers." he grumbled.

Sesshomaru gave him a pointed look before taking his leave.

"Guys I'm so sorry about today! I truly hope to make this all up, but I've gotta go." She hugged Naera while she held the silver and orange sword with one hand. Stunned, the girl returned the hug halfheartedly and wordlessly.

"Ojii-san, I apologize for Shigeto's rudeness! I hope you can find it within yourself to forgive him." She hugged Totosai, and it clicked. "Rin-chan? The girl who traveled with Sesshomaru all those years ago?"

"Yes Totosai, it's me. And funny enough, I remember you too! Don't pull anyone's fangs too hard now!" She smiled halfheartedly with a deep melancholy behind them.

Naera turned, "What's going on?"

Rin whispered, "It's a long story, but everything just clicked today. I used to have dreams of this..previous life. I thought it was all just me being a daydreamer, but it's real. I lived it, and I remember it. I'll have to tell you later, I don't have much time."

Dion nodded, "Thanks for the stuff today Rin, and for hanging out with us. We hope to see you again."

She laughed, "Don't worry, I'll pester Sesshomaru-sama to get you guys in for a wedding invite."

Naera giggled back, "Well damn, we hope to see you before then!"

Rin pulled both of them in for a side hug, before waving her goodbyes and running down the narrow stairwell.

Totosai's jaw hung slack. "What a small world."

Naera nodded, "You could say that again."

"Speaking of which, for ruining my hardwood floors today you're both going to help me, help Rin-chan."

Dion groaned, "But we're just visiting NYC! I wanna go explore!"
"Well, you could go ahead and feel bad that you didn't help your friend."

"Ugh!" Naera groaned, "Let's just get started so we can finish it!"

"It'll be fun, we're forging documents. Little Kitsune, you can go as wild as you'd like."

Naera smiled, "Sounds good, Gramps! Can I make moneybags look like a douchebag in his photo documents? He didn't pay me back for covering his ass!"

Totosai smiled, "I'd love to get back at that miserable child."

Naera and Dion hi-fived each other, before locking up and following Totosai up the stairwell to the workstation.

Rin followed behind Sesshomaru, and felt content to skip along like days long gone.

Although it was several lifetimes away, it felt like picking up from just yesterday.

Hopefully,

An opportunity to present her memories of those days long gone

Would make itself known.

Fin: Gettin' down to Business