Update done and done ^^ Thanks for your patience guys; I know I shouldn't test it like I do but it really helps to have understanding and amazing people like you behind me ^^
"Rin-"
"Don't… say it..."
The demon sighed as he placed what must've been the umpteenth dish Rin had cooked for his mother beside the sink, his eyes looking over the young woman who stood with her arms on the counter and her head hung.
"I'm sorry," Sesshomaru murmured, his fingertip coming to run up the sides of her bare arms, his chest to her back, his lips finding their place in her hair. "Rin…"
"You might as well just hire a chef," Rin muttered, "at this rate she'll starve to death before her leg heals."
"I think that's her diet normally," the demon informed her bitterly, "but I thought you weren't-"
"That was before she's returned pretty much anything I tried to give her," she pointed out, "I'm not trying to humiliate her I'm only trying to help!"
"And she'll never think that," Sesshomaru commented, "so don't worry yourself-"
"Too late," Rin grumbled, his hand reaching her temples as she tried to rid herself of the memory of his mother catching them in an awkward position and intimate action, and action they haven't even attempted since their chastisement.
"Thought your argument was was this is my mother, so I shouldn't be so harsh," the demon teased lightly, receiving a smack for his comment.
"Don't you start," his lover muttered back, her arms crossing over her chest, "this is just… a long day for me…"
"And she's not making it any better," Sesshomaru filled in for her, the slim body turning in his arms, "Rin…"
"I'm not trying to be difficult-"
"I know," the demon cut her off, his forehead to hers, "I know… Rin…"
Sighing, the demon lifted his head off of hers, his amber eyes traveling around the kitchen, the dishes, both clean and dirty, were stacked neatly around the counters.
"How about this," Sesshomaru started, "why don't you get out of this house for a bit while I let Jaken do the dishes?"
"Shouldn't you be offering to do them?" Rin teased, the demon's brow lifting at the question.
"Well that is what I hired him to do," he murmured, "and you need a break."
Rin slipped her lower lip into her teeth; a day off sounded tempting, but it wasn't like she did much in the first place.
At least, according to his mother.
"We have the dinner in about a week," Sesshomaru encouraged, his finger slipping under her chin, "you were thinking about getting a new dress; why don't you go do that today."
"But… I've already got a few-"
"And if it makes you happy I'll buy you a hundred more," the demon told her softly, his amber eyes looking down at her warmly, "besides, you rarely go shopping; just take the day off."
Still she looked uncertain, wondering just what his mother would say if she caught her.
"Stop worrying about that," Sesshomaru whispered, Rin hating his ability to read her thoughts, "that's my problem, not yours."
Brown meeting amber, the young woman gently pressed her lips to his, he holding her closer at the contact, reminding him of the touch he so dearly missed after a week of almost nothing.
"Find something you like," the demon told her as he let her slip out of his arms and towards the garage, keys pressed to the palm of her hand, "and take your time too."
"Trying to rush me out?" Rin teased lightly, her purse slung over her shoulder and jacket.
"Only so you can come back sooner," Sesshomaru responded, giving her one more kiss on the cheek, "be safe."
"You too," the young woman smiled as she slipped towards the car, the demon shutting the garage door with a deep sigh, his head hitting the back of the wood before he moved towards his mother's room to deal with her recent string of complaints.
"What can I help you with today?"
Brown eyes looked up from the magazine the young woman was perusing, her lips pulling into a smile at the sight of the young woman.
"Hi Anna," Rin smiled, pulling herself up off the couch to shake hands with the woman, "how are you?"
"Well thank you," her lips smiled back, her French accent still lingering though her Japanese was as good as any native, "what can I do for you?"
"I need another dress for a dinner in about two weeks," the young woman told her.
"Private or…."
"We're meeting with some business partners of his," the young woman explained as she followed the high heels down the carpeted floor to the evening gowns, the woman already searching through the racks.
Anna wasn't anything of a personal consultant to Rin, more like someone she trusted. The women made their money from commission and since the dresses the young woman bought were anything but cheap, the elder was only too happy to help her whenever she went into the store. Despite that, Anna kept Rin's best interests at heart, never pushing something the young woman didn't want on her.
"What colour were you thinking?" the blonde asked, Rin's eyes turning up to the colours around her.
"Um… I was thinking something in a subtler colour, like maybe a brown?"
"Oh no no no!" Anna chastised, "not for you! How about a cream instead? Or a navy blue! We just got this one in!"
"It's beautiful," Rin admired as the fabric slipped from between its brothers to trail to the floor, "how-"
"As always I keep it within your budget," the woman smiled knowingly, Rin grinning at the other.
Rin almost always felt guilty when she spent Sesshomaru's money even though the demon insisted she was doing nothing wrong, that he wanted to spend his money on her. Her fingers ran over the fabric, the material soft and smooth under her fingertips, a smile on her lips as her eyes inadvertently caught a flash of white fabric.
"Or you could always wear white," Anna started to tease, noticing Rin's gaze drifting to the wedding dresses, a red flush rushing across Rin's cheeks.
"D-Don't be ridiculous!" Rin stammered, her head turning towards the dressing rooms, "they just caught my eye, that's all!"
Smirking slightly, Anna followed the young woman to the room, standing outside the door in case Rin needed help.
Slipping into the cloth, Rin tried to focus on something other than Anna's teasing. It wasn't uncommon for someone to fantasize getting married to the man she loved, but with Sesshomaru, it was different. Rin wanted what was best for him, and recently, his mother's opinion has made her think she wasn't that.
Her long black locks shook; she hated this self-doubt, hated that she seemed so easy to tear down. In her eyes, she didn't see anything wrong with being a stay-at-home. She knew she was smart and had a degree to prove it, the demon never treated her like she was on his payroll anymore, and she liked making his day a little easier and being there for him when he came home. Her mother was the same, and her father was never allowed to treat her as anything less than the person that she was.
"How does it fit?" Anna asked as Rin stepped from the dressing room, her skirts held up and her other hand to her chest.
"The length is good," Rin commented, "but it's a little loose in the chest I'm afraid."
"I can have that adjusted for you within the week," the young woman assured her, turning Rin around so that she could tug at the fabric, "but what about everything else?"
"I love the colour," the young woman murmured, her eyes trailing over the skirt up to the deep V, the straps slipping around her back to leave a space, her shoulder blades and back exposed to the air, "and aside from one or two places, it fits very well."
"Do you like it?" Anna asked, tightening the material around Rin's chest gently.
"Yeah," Rin smiled, "I think I do…"
"Well, how about this," the woman smiled, "I'll put it on hold for you, you can go think about it and if you're interested or not, just give me a call and I'll start altering."
"But isn't it a requirement that I buy the dress first before you tinker with it?"
"You've been here often enough and are a very honest and loyal customer," Anna stated, "we trust you."
Smiling warmly, the young woman returned to the dressing room, slipping out of the assistant's hands to remove the garment from her body, thankful she had someone else in the world of high society to trust.
Her first few months had been rough, she unsure of what to do, how to act, how to dress and even what to wear. When Sesshomaru introduced her to Anna, she was forever grateful; the woman knowing the latest styles and picked the dresses that complimented Rin's personality rather than give her the most ostentatious.
"So, shall I put it on hold for you?" Anna asked with a knowing smile, the dress handed back to her and slipped into a bag.
"Yes please," Rin nodded, "that'd be wonderful."
"Of course."
Following the woman to the counter, Rin confirmed all the details of her contact information for Anna, waving as she moved to slip out the door.
"Oh! Rin!"
Turning in confusion, Rin watched as Anna moved towards her, card in hand.
"I know you've got our number, but whenever you're ready to dress shop for your wedding, don't forget us yeah?"
"A-Anna!" Rin spluttered, "wh-where'd you get that idea!?"
"Oh… just women's intuition," Anna winked, "that and he's never been like this with another woman."
"Been like… what?" the young woman asked.
"Well… he's never given his credit card to another," the elder pointed out, Rin smiling softly as she handed back Anna's card.
"Because they've had their own," Rin reminded her, "I still have your card, I haven't forgotten."
"See to it you don't," Anna called as the young woman slipped out the door.
Head bowed against the slight breeze, the young woman let her breath slip out in a puff, her feet moving down the suspiciously well-kept sidewalk.
She'd heard so many times that she had changed the demon it was almost beginning to be mundane; mainly because the question of marriage would swiftly follow, a question she didn't want to answer.
Turning into a shop, the young woman sighed softly, hoping that this purchase didn't set the woman she was returning too over the edge.
"Sesshomaru?"
Her arrival was met with silence, odd as the demon usually would find some way to slip down and see her, even if it were for a moment or two.
Shopping in tow, Rin moved up to their bedroom, still slightly worried at the lack of noise in the house. Slipping the new items into her drawers, the young woman moved to remove her jacket and throw out the bag, a voice startling her.
"Where were you?"
Startled, Rin jumped in the air, turning to see the demon's mother standing in her doorway with a disappointing frown on her face.
"I went out for a bit," the young woman managed to get out once her heart rate returned to normal, "why? Did you need something?"
Saying nothing, the amber eyes flickered over to the bag that held Rin's sole purchase of the day.
"You went shopping," the tone was accusing, something Rin bristled at.
"Yes…" Rin started slowly, "but-"
"Where'd you get the money?" InuKimi started, Rin's mouth agape.
"From me, not that's it's any of your business," Sesshomaru interjected, coming to stand behind his mother. "I'm starting to think I shouldn't leave you two alone."
"Are you finished?" the demon woman turned to her son, Sesshomaru's eyes narrowing.
"My work is not my high school homework mother you can't breathe down my neck until it's all done," her son murmured, his attention turning to Rin, "sorry I couldn't greet you, I had one or two more things to tidy up."
"It's fine," Rin murmured before Sesshomaru turned to his mother.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" the demon asked, "doctor's orders and all that."
"Shouldn't you be keeping an eye on your money?" his mother muttered out of Rin's earshot, her son bristling at the words.
"Rin, will you excuse us for a moment," Sesshomaru asked as he guided his elder into the hall, the door shut behind him. "Really!? Mother?"
"I'm just saying you may want to be careful before she drains you-"
"First, do you know what Rin would have to spend to bankrupt me?" the demon snapped, "and second, she barely buys anything save for groceries and other necessities; I give her that credit card because I trust her with it. My finances are none of your concern."
Lips pursed, the elder turned down the hall to her room, her face set in a determination the demon was sure she'd never break.
"Mother."
Glancing back with her hand on the doorknob, InuKimi watched her son's jaw twitch.
"Rin's the first woman I've cared this much for; stop berating her like this."
Moving back to his own room, Sesshomaru knew that his piece fell on deaf ears; his mother wouldn't lighten up, and that's what he feared.
Soo? Reviews?