Thank you so much for the positive feedback! I didn't expect any sort of interest in this story; it's a little weird, ahaha! But I hope I can really explore the relationships in this story; I'd love it if y'all stayed along for the ride!

Thank you to everyone who read and enjoyed it. I hope the second chapter is to your liking as well!

Rin balanced carefully on the stool, her legs shaking slightly in apprehension. Yet, she dutifully clutched her paintbrush and made wide strokes with a pearly cerulean on the white wall. Below her, her mother watched nervously. Rin's mother's hands hovered over her calves, ready to steady her daughter if she lost her balance. Straining on her tiptoes, Rin spread color on the ceiling.

"Mom, can you hand me that pink?" Rin grunted as she righted herself.

Rin's mother looked nervously at the paint, then at her daughter, "Baby, do you need to be doing this right now?"

Rin looked down at her mother and sighed, "Yes, Mom, I do. Daddy and I always work on it together on Saturdays. I need to do it even when he isn't here."

Her mother flinched, "I know but it makes me nervous when you paint the ceiling directly like that. You're not as tall as your dad."

"Should I wear heels to make myself taller and then try to paint the ceiling?"

"RIN, NO."

Rin laughed uproariously.

The dream left an ache in her heart and tears unshed in her eyes. When Rin was thirteen, her father had departed on a business trip, or rather what he said was a business trip, and never returned. Instead, he sent a letter to Rin's mother a week later apologizing. Sometimes, she dreamt of the day the letter had come. However it was never a dream of the moment the letter arrived- instead it was painting the mural on their ceiling with her mother, or eating macaroni and cheese with hot dogs while they talked about how to surprise dad when he came back, or singing along to Sting on the radio. It was as if her brain was trying to make the day seem better, but instead it made the pain worse. Rin closed her eyes, images of the dream fresh in her mind. Tears rolled down the sides of her face and pooled near her ears. She took a deep, shuddering breath.

It always took her time to recover after such a dream and it was no different this time. Sighing in a resigned manner, Rin forced herself to sit up. A glance at the clock had her cursing and stumbling out of bed, tripping on the blanket and causing it to constrict her legs.

"Fuck! Damn it, Rin!" She exclaimed, almost falling flat on her face.

"Rin?" a groggy voice almost gave Rin a heart attack before she recognized it. Kohaku sat up in bed, hair disheveled and eyes squinty with exhaustion. "You okay?"

Rin stared at her boyfriend exasperatedly, "When did you get home?!" The two had started living together almost a year ago, but their schedules were still not in alignment with each other. Kohaku worked crazy hours as a cop, and Rin's days began around 4am and finished at 2pm. Needless to say, there were times the couples' clashing schedule caused trouble in paradise.

"Uhhh," Kohaku looked at the clock and yawned. "About two hours ago? By the way, Babe, aren't you late? It's already 4:30."

"SHIT, YES." Rin struggled out of the blanket and sprinted to the restroom. She returned not ten minutes later, a toothbrush jammed into her mouth, her hair wet, and clad in nothing but her underwear. Panic made her clumsy as she stumbled to their wardrobe. She pulled out a pair of black jeans and a white button-up tank. Kohaku watched her in amused silence as she yanked on her jeans and tried to wiggle into the tank top. Mumbled curses slipped from around her toothbrush when she stuck her head through an arm hole.

Kohaku laughed loudly at her antics and Rin pulled the toothbrush from her mouth before pointing it menacingly towards her boyfriend, "Stob labbing, ashho'" Her words sounded muddled due to the toothpaste and spit almost dripped down her chin. Rather than "stobbing", Kohaku laughed louder. Huffing indignantly, Rin ran a towel violently through her hair and finished brushing her teeth. Not bothering to brush her hair, Rin slipped her feet into ballet flats and grabbed her purse.

The clock read 4:45am as Rin ran out of the bedroom, calling out to Kohaku as she made for the front door, "Go back to sleep, bye babe! Love you!" The door slammed behind her before she could hear Kohaku's answer.

She bounced on her heels as she waited for the bus, checking her phone constantly. While it was true that Rin was her own boss, she also set very strict standards for herself. She came into work every day at 5am to do last minute preparations and frosting with Kagome (who came in at 4am to start the baking) before opening the shop at 6am. It seemed the universe was against Rin that day; instead of the bus arriving at 4:50am like it was supposed to, it pulled in five minutes late. Sighing out an exasperated 'finally!', Rin climbed the steps onto the bus...

Moping as she donned her apron she apologized once again, "I'm sorry for being late, Kagome…"

Kagome, who was currently fighting with dough, smacked her hands violently into the squishy material, "Good lord, girl, you were five minutes late! It's not the end of the world! You're your own boss- chill, alright?" Despite Kagome's kindness, Rin continued to feel uneasy; she was the kind of girl who knew exactly how she wanted her life to go. After her father left and the death of her mother, Rin had an almost obsessive need to know exactly how her life would pan out.

"I know but...well, you know how I am! Everything has to go according to plan." Rin said, running her hands over the front of her black apron.

It had been going pretty well in terms of the big picture; she and Kohaku had known each other for four years, they had started dating two years ago just as she had wanted, they had moved in a year ago also as she had willed it, Kohaku was going to propose soon (it was exactly according to her plan), and they would enjoy married life or a year before Rin would get pregnant with their first child (a daughter named Haruka), and they would live happily ever after with a wildly successful La Belle and Kohaku as an incredibly accomplished detective. So yes, Rin had done some major planning and had some expectations for her life but that was normal, right?

"Babe, you're such a control freak," Kagome mused, shooting Rin a glance. "Is that hot in bed?"

Rin faux-gasped and smacked Kagome playfully on her shoulder, "I am not a control freak! I just...know what I want from my life. Ain't nothing wrong with that." Kagome chortled out a 'yeah right' as Rin shook her head and unlocked the door to La Belle.

Meanwhile, Sesshomaru was out for a run. Like, really out for a run. The man was outrunning every jogger, biker- hell- driver, he happened upon. Running off his stress wasn't exactly productive, but it was helpful. He had raced along the shore, out onto the docks, and now he jogged through the streets. Drenched in sweat and panting, he paused near a lamppost to catch his breath.

Now, Sesshomaru's life was currently in shambles- his father had just died, his brother was missing, his wife had suffered a miscarriage, and he was in danger of losing his birth right. Frankly, things were shitty as fuck and Sesshomaru had a lot to deal with. He knew he had to put aside his grief for his lost baby, and focus on the terms of his father's will...but that was so hard.

Losing a child isn't an easy thing, he realized, and dealing with it was even harder than the actual loss of life. For the past six months, his married life had revolved around their baby- this life that he and Ayame were bringing into the world- but now...now it was like their marriage was empty. He had visited Ayame several times in the past week and half she had been at the hospital, but it was like visiting a ghost.

His wife was a mess; she barely ate, barely slept, and when she did speak, she sounded as if she would burst into tears...then she would burst into tears. Sesshomaru felt it was his duty to stand by her through this, but he was entirely useless to her. He did not know how to help her feel better. Rather, he hardly knew his wife- it had been a political marriage.

Ayame's father had been a hotelier as well, the CEO of the Western Lands Group. By marrying Ayame, Sesshomaru had not only joined the Taisho and Sawamura clans, but had also joined the Taisho Group and the Western Lands Group in a horizontal merger under the Taisho Group title. It was the biggest hotel merger in history, a truly phenomenal deal worth billions. Ayame and Sesshomaru both were simply satisfying their duty as eldest offspring by marrying one another, securing the deal further with marital bonds. The two had never really warmed to one another, despite three years of marriage.

They supported each other, sure but when it came down to it, Ayame and Sesshomaru knew nothing about one another. They knew how to conduct business, they knew how to be formal, even how to raise a family- but they did not know how to be a family. And now after the loss of their baby, the only thing that had kept their marriage emotional, it was as if they were two strangers again.

There in the street, his legs burning and heart thudding, Sesshomaru remembered what it had been like when Ayame was still pregnant. For a moment, it was like all the joy in the world was theirs- they talked about what color the baby's room should be, names, cribs, strollers. That was the first time Sesshomaru had seen Ayame's genuine smile and it had caused affection to blossom like a rose in his heart. He still didn't love her, but for a moment he felt like their joint love for their bay was enough to warm their cold marriage.

Other than the state of his marriage, little had changed for Sesshomaru. He had hired a private investigator to find his little brother, but other than that, he hadn't made a clear effort to carry out anything stated in the will. Of course, there was more that the core that Miroku had relayed to him. His father had had years to refine the damn thing, so there were layers in it...like a gross onion.

The tinkling sound of a bell and the creak of a door opening snapped Sesshomaru from his reverie. A woman was peeking out of a little coffee shop, a wide smile on her face.

Rin could hardly believe it...a person was standing in front of their La Belle, waiting for it open. Or, at least, that's what she told herself. But what a person this was, truly the epitome of the male gender- a great physique outlined by his sweat drenched clothes, a face that made her weak at the knees, and eyes that glowed like molten gold. Wow, wow, wow. He looked like some kind of model. How great would that be?! A model, a famous person waiting for lil' ol' La Belle to open up.

Feeling giddy and sounding it too, Rin waved a little to the man, "Hiiiii! Would you like to come in? The muffins just came out of the oven! You wanna get 'em while they're hot, they taste the best that way!" The man arched a perfect eyebrow at Rin, his face otherwise expressionless, and made his way towards the doorway. Squealing excitedly, Rin hopped backwards into the store and turned aggressively, "KAGOME! We have a customer!"

Kagome's head popped out from behind the counter, a stupid grin on her face at the sight of the tall, topaz eyed man, "WELCOME, OH MY GOD. I'll get the muffins, please don't go anywhere!" The brunette ran towards the back room, almost ripping off the french doors in her enthusiasm.

Rin turned to look at the very tall, very handsome man with a sheepish grin, "Sorry, we're a little excited. We're new...ish...and you're the first real customer we've seen in three days," Kohaku and Kagome's parents didn't exactly count. Rin stuck out her hand in a friendly manner. "I'm Rin, that was Kagome, and this-" she gestured around the shop. "-is La Belle! How do ya take your coffee?"

The man cleared his throat and gave La Belle a once over. He seemed rather unimpressed, but he said nothing. It caused Rin to wilt a little and her smile to falter but she was glad when he took her hand and gave it a firm shake, "I take my coffee black. Additionally, I will take two muffins."

"Alrighty, gotcha! Oh, do you have a nut allergy?" Rin bubbled, taking note of his muted "no" before rushing off to the back to prepare his coffee. As she stepped in through the french doors, she saw Kagome fanning the hot muffins to cool them a bit before Rin could glaze them. She looked up as Rin entered and screamed soundlessly, mouthing an 'oh my GOD!" that Rin returned with a mouthed 'I knooooow!'.

'He's so HOT!' Kagome mouthed, fanning herself and pretending to faint. Rin laughed soundlessly and nodded before gesturing to Kagome to calm down and do her job. Quickly, Rin prepared the man's coffee. She took special care in using their best dark roast and carefully distributed the flavour in the way she poured the water over the crushed beans. She added a touch of hazelnut to the dark coffee for dimension and a sprinkle of vanilla, she also drew a small smiley face in chocolate sauce on the edge of the saucer the cup would be placed on. Sure, the guy asked for black joe but he looked like he could use a little bit of flavour in his life. Next, Rin grabbed the tray of Muffins from Kagome and carefully began glazing them with the special praline glaze she made. She hummed along with When I'm Sixty-four as it played on their shitty boombox. Finally content with the coffee and the muffins, she placed them on a tray, shot Kagome a thumbs-up, and stepped out of the doors.

The man had seated himself in one of the beautiful wrought iron chairs, behind a matching table. Rin was quite proud of the furniture in La Belle, as she had made it herself. The wrought iron chairs and tables were carefully crafted and each a little bit different- like snowflakes. The furniture, despite being of metal, managed to be perfectly comfortable as the cushions were plush and the chairs hugged the body just right. She had made the furniture at the art center while she was still in college; metalwork had been her passion for a bit, then oil paints, and now food art. Art in general was Rin's true calling.

"You comfy?" she inquired with a smile as she set his order on the table.

"Surprisingly, yes." The man stated. Uh, okay, that was a tiny bit rude...but at least he was comfortable! He didn't talk much, did he? And why was he so expressionless? A robot maybe? Rin laughed internally. She smiled as she fancied herself Sarah Connor and straightened a little at the thought.

"Great! Hope you enjoy!" Rin beamed. "By the way, I didn't catch your name! We print first names on the receipt, so if you wouldn't mind…?" She stood poised with a small pad and a pen.

The man took a sip of coffee, his eyebrows raising slightly at the uniquely rich flavour, "It's Sesshomaru." Rin was immediately confounded. Sesshomaru? Really?! More like the toughest friggin' name to spell in the world.

"Oh man, I might end up butchering it." Rin stated sincerely, scrawling it on her notepad before showing it to the man. She winced and waited for him to yell at her for ruining his name forever.

Instead, she was graced with an almost imperceptible raising of the corner of his lips, "Yes, that's correct."

She punched the air and threw her head back, "Heck yeah! I'm a master speller." She held up her hand for a high five before catching herself and clearing her throat awkwardly. "Sorry...I'm just super glad you're here."

Normally, Sesshomaru would've found all this pretty irritating but instead he felt charmed by the shop and it's inhabitants. They were eccentric, but in the best way. The cafe was warm, well-loved, the muffins were excellent, and the coffee...the coffee was the best part. It was three-dimensional in a way that Sesshomaru hadn't known possible and the hint of hazelnut and vanilla aftertaste was truly excellent. In fact, Sesshomaru had been thoroughly impressed by the ambiance of the cafe the moment he had walked in.

"No, that's quite alright." He said, taking another sip of his coffee. He looked up at Rin from where he sat and nodded at his breakfast. "The coffee here is excellent, as are the muffins."

Rin uttered a high pitched 'really?' before clearing her throat, "Thank you sooo much!"

"I'll be sure to refer my colleagues to your cafe." Sesshomaru placed the coffee cup back on the saucer before he noticed the little chocolate smiley face, "...In fact, how would you feel about catering a business meeting at the Taisho Towers?" He looked up at Rin, awaiting her answer. He knew he would have to host the board and the shareholders for the official reading of his father's will and why not help out this poor struggling cafe?

Rin was thoroughly freaking out. She leaned forward a little before whispering, "Are you serious?" Sesshomaru nodded slowly, a little bit taken aback by her...passion. Rin stopped herself from absolutely losing her mind. Chewing her lip, she gasped a little before answering. "It would be our pleasure!"

"Great," Sesshomaru stated, standing and walking over to the counter to be ringed up and grabbing one of La Belle's previously untouched business cards. "I'll contact you with the details."

Rin was screaming internally as she rung him up, making sure to spell his name correctly on the receipt before handing it to him. In return, he handed him the money, plus a generous tip, and his card.

The minute Sesshomaru was out the door, Kagome came crashing out of the back with a loud scream of excitement.

"I TOLD YOU!" She shrieked, shaking Rin by the shoulders. "This is the start of a steady clientele, honey! This is how we'll make ourselves known!" She snatched the card from Rin's hand and gawked at it before showing it to the shorter woman.

Rin squinted at the card, "Taisho...Sesshomaru? Why does that name sound so familiar…?"

"TAISHO TOWERS." Kagome screeched.

"Taisho...TOWERS!" Rin echoed, understanding dawning on her while Kagome nodded aggressively.

"The heir to the Taisho Group and the owner of Taisho Towers just fucking hired us!" Kagome sang, snatching the card from Rin's hand once again before placing a sloppy kiss on it.

The fateful encounter! Even I'm excited to see how this will progress and I already know, ahaha!

Also, please forgive spelling and grammar errors, lol. I usually write these chapters at crazy hours of the night, so I'm sleepy af and screw up!

I switched between Rin and Sesshomaru's POV pretty frequently in this chapter and I hope it wasn't confusing...if it was, please feel free to point it out so that I can make it clear. c:

I really hope I was able to keep your interest, dear readers! Thank you so much for your support and for reading.

Guest: I love you! Lol, thank you so much!

Happytello98: Ah yeah, it's a bit upsetting, huh? Poor Ayame! Hopefully things will get better for her...thank you for your interest!