I'm back! Sorry it took so long. Life can be pretty hectic. Anyway, here is the next installment! You're going to meet some important people here! This is probably the last chapter before things really take off and we get the see the Sess/Rin dynamic. Enjoy =]

As always, I own nothing but my smutty imagination.

The second hand seemed to be moving far too slow as Rin watched it make its rounds around the clock. The clock hung just above the white board at the front of the lecture hall so it was easy to glance between the professor's scribbles and the time.

Today she had chosen to sit as far back as possible, right next to the door. She wanted to make sure that she didn't get stuck behind everyone else when they all rushed out as class ended. There were almost 300 students in the hall and only a single set of double doors. Aside from being a serious fire hazard, it meant there was a bottleneck effect every day at 1:25pm.

Normally Rin could care less about it because it wasn't like she had anywhere else to go. But today was different. Today was her first day of work though the past week of training with Rebecca had been pretty close to work.

She wasn't sure if the idea of finally having a legitimate job was what was exciting her so much or the fact that she was going to see Mr. Tashio again; he'd been away on a business trip while she'd been training.

It was all so surreal. Her mystery man was one of the richest men in the world. Her mystery man was also one of the sexiest, not that she would ever check her boss out. She had integrity after all. Workplace romance was for movies and books. She was going to be professional and… Rin couldn't help but wonder if he ever took off his tie or unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt when he was working late.

"That's all for today. Review for the test next Tuesday. If you have any questions email me."

Professor Tillman's voice snapped Rin out of her fantasy and she quickly shoved her notebook into her bag and rushed out the door.

The Mid-October air outside was crisp and smelled like dead leaves and mulch. Rin button her jacket and tucked her chin into her scarf as she turned onto the street and headed for the subway.

As she neared the entrance, she looked down at her watch. There was over an hour until she had to be at work and it was only about two miles from campus. The sun was still out and it wasn't so breezy that a few minutes outside would leave her face frozen and feeling like it was going to fall off.

Tucking her hands back into her pockets, Rin went past the station and began to walk downtown towards the financial district.

She was pleasantly surprised when she arrived outside of Tashio Industries. Her mind had flown so far away with thoughts of how her first official day would go that the time had raced by.

Rin pulled out her cell phone and was even more surprised by the time; she must have been jogging to get there so fast. She looked around, hoping to see somewhere she could hang out for at least half an hour and spotted a coffee shop across the street. At the very least it would be warm inside.

Rin hurried across the street, not bothering to wait for the light, and into the shop. As she pushed the door open, warm air blasted her in the face; on it rode the scent of fresh baked bread and just made coffee.

Her stomach growled and Rin decided it'd be smart to get a bite to eat. Luckily for her there was no one on line so Rin moved right up to the counter.

There was a young woman waiting expectantly. Her eyes immediately caught Rin's attention- they were a deep, rich brown that seemed to be endless.

"Hi there. What can I get you?" The young woman beamed at Rin.

"I, uhh, Earl Gray Tea please."

"Milk and sugar?"

"Yes. Sure."

"Anything else?"

"Uhh," Rin looked over at the display café filled with pastries. Her eyes quickly found the raspberry scones. "And a raspberry scone please."

"Sure coming right up."

The young woman disappeared behind the counter; it gave Rin a moment to look around. The café had that chic comfy vibe. It was the kind you saw in movies where starving artists hung out and listened to equally starving musicians play their autistic guitars and angst about love, life and drugs.

"That'll be 6.83."

Rin looked back at the chipper woman and then down at her nametag, which read, Kagome. Rin smiled warmly and fished out her credit card, handing it to Kagome while taking her tea in her other hand. It was deliciously warm and she couldn't wait to take a sip.

Kagome rang her up and handed her back her card and receipt. As Rin put both into her purse and reached for her raspberry scone, Kagome's voice made her look up again.

"I know this will seem crazy weird but did you take Professor Armon's Developmental Psychology class last semester?"

"Yea, I was trying out the whole Psychology major thing for a while. Didn't fit me as well as I had hoped."

"Oh I see. I ended up sticking with it, for all the good it's done me." Kagome gestured to her uniform and then laughed. Her laughter was infectious and Rin soon found herself chuckling as well.

"Nah, no worries. I'm a secretary in the building across the street which as you might guess is not what I want to do with my life."

"At Tashio Industries?" Kagome asked wide-eyed.

"Yea." Rin responded, suddenly uncomfortable.

Kagome smiled easily and ducked her head to look out the window at Tashio Industries' front door. "I've heard the elevators are the size of one bedroom apartments."

"Exactly what I thought!" Rin relaxed again and laughed. She glanced down at her watch and sighed, "Sorry to cut this short but I need to get over there now. I'm Rin by the way." It was a bit of a lie but it was probably better to be early anyway.

Kagome extended her hand across the counter and Rin shook it gladly.

"I'm Kagome. In case the nametag didn't give it away. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."

"Definitely." Rin walked backwards a few steps before turning on her heel and heading back outside, a smile on her face.

She didn't have the chance to take her coat off when the phone by the corner of her desk began to ring. Much to her surprise, Rebecca wasn't there. Rin answered the phone and tucked it against her shoulder while she shrugged off her jacket.

"Mr. Tashio's office. This is his assistant Rin speaking, how may I help you?"

"It is important you learn that when line 1 rings, it is and can only be from me, Ms. Sato."

The gears ground in Rin's head for a moment before she realized that it was Mr. Tashio on the other end. Rebecca had told her that line 1 was Mr. Tashio. She was an idiot for forgetting.

"Mr. Tashio! I am so sorry! Is there… Can I… What can I do for you?"

"Rebecca will not be able to continue mentoring you as was originally planned. She gave birth late last night. As such you will immediately fill in for her. That being said, please come in promptly with my coffee and a pad to take down notes. I have a feeling you aren't capable of remembering everything I will say correctly." He hung up before Rin could answer.

She gently placed the phone back down on the receiver and opened and closed her mouth a few times in disbelief. She wasn't ready to do this alone. She couldn't even work full time and now she was being thrown head first into the belly of the beast!

In a daze, Rin made coffee and with a pad and pen in one hand and her boss's mug in the other, she pushed his office door opened with her hip and walked inside.

To her surprise, Mr. Tashio reclined in his office chair. His tie was on the floor in front of the desk and the top few buttons of his shirt were undone revealing the smooth plane of his upper chest.

Rin cocked her head to the side. Her musings about what he would look like in such a state were now revealed. It was delicious.

"Can I help you, Ms. Sato? Is there a reason you are staring so intently?"

Rin shook her head and hoped she hadn't been drooling as she set down his mug and took a seat across the desk from him.

"As I believe I just explained I need you to take notes. Also, it helps if you actually hand me the coffee."

Slightly ruffled, Rin leaned forward and placed the steaming mug in front of her boss. She couldn't tell if he was messing around with her or just an ass-hat. She could tell already that he schooled his expression well; he'd be a tough nut to crack.

"Try to keep up. I dislike repeating myself."

Rin fought the urge to snap at him and maintained her composure with a quick nod and half-hearted smile.

"All the files for the Colen's case need to be properly organized and sent to the third floor; they are debriefing on Tuesday. I also need my dry cleaning picked up for the formal on Thursday. Please send Rebecca flowers with an appropriate card from me with salutations. I need my calls held from 4 to 5:30 today as I will be busy. At 5:30 I have a business meeting. If the client arrives early I expect you to satisfy any of their needs until I am ready to see them. In other words, don't let them walk into my office. At 6:30 I will be receiving further word on the merger. There will be, without doubt, a myriad of paperwork that goes with that so I would highly advise against planning to celebrate your first day on the job until this weekend."

He paused to take a sip of his coffee before continuing. " In regards to your work schedule, Rebecca will be telecommuting starting next week and will cover the morning while you are in classes. I expect you to do the lion's share, however. Prepare yourself."

A moment of silence followed as Rin scribbled on her pad.

"Oh and another thing Ms. Sato. Please dress more appropriately for the work place."

Shocked by his statement, Rin stopped and looked down at what she knew was appropriate attire. To her dismay, the first two buttons of her shirt were undone leaving a large enough gap for the top of her bra to be seen.

The pad in her hand quickly went up to cover her chest.

"Ahem." Rin cleared her throat and, with a waxy smile, rose from her chair. "Thank you, Mr. Tashio. I will get right on those files. Excuse me."

She couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Heaven help her. It was just her luck for her shirt to not be buttoned properly. He probably thought she was hitting on him – not that he wasn't worth hitting on – but damn it, that wasn't the point. He was her boss and she wasn't single in the first place.

Flopping down into her chair, Rin looked up at the ceiling and got the feeling that life was only just starting on it's decent into hell.

4 o'clock rolled around faster than Rin would have liked. She had only just finished getting everything down to the legal team on the third floor when Mr. Tashio's appointment rolled around, or more correctly sauntered in. Rin had not been expecting something akin to a goddess to waltz through the elevator doors.

With jet black hair and the most dazzling, intense, red eyes that Rin had ever seen, she must have been a half-a-head taller than Rin and had legs that went on for miles. Nothing about her seemed possible in real life, her eyes most of all; they definitely had to be contacts.

"Excuse me." The woman spoke to Rin with a hint of distain. Her syllables were sharp and clipped as if she wasn't from the States. "Sesshomaru, is expecting me."

Already aware of Mr. Tashio's dislike of people using his first name, Rin internally cringed and hoped he wouldn't blame her for this woman's transgression. Then again, maybe she was in his close circle. A girlfriend perhaps?

With a finger on the line 1 button Rin quietly spoke into the phone, "Mr. Tashio your 4 o'clock is here. Not that I knew you had one." The last part wasn't meant to come out and Rin hoped he hadn't been listening carefully.

"Send her in." He immediately responded. Mr. Tashio seemed to ignore her sass.

"He's ready for you now," Rin said as she put the phone back down, her eyes meeting the taller woman's, who sneered and strutted past Rin and into Mr. Tashio's private office.

So that was why Mr. Tashio needed his calls held…

Rin deflated in her chair and stared blankly at the computer screen. It wasn't like it mattered that he had a significant other. She never seriously considered being with him – though having the possibility, slim though it may be, was kind of nice.

"Oh well," Rin muttered, as she began to gather up and file some more of the mess Rebecca had left behind.

Time dragged by and the women didn't leave Mr. Tashio's office. After 45 minutes Rin couldn't help but wonder if all they were dong was talking.

At 5:15 a man with a startling resemblance with Mr. Tashio walked in, though he had none of Mr. Tashio's pose or style.

This newcomer was a bit shorter than her boss, not that that was saying much, and wearing jeans and a plain red t-shirt. He had a baseball cap on with no logo, also red, and a leather bomber jacket slung over his shoulder.

"Hey there, are you the new lamb to slaughter?" He said with a toothy grin as he leaned against Rin's desk.

"I prefer to think I am a little heartier than that, sir. How may I help you?"

"Sass. That's good. You might just last here. I'm here to see ole' fluff butt."

"Excuse me?" Rin questioned, mouth agape.

"Ole' fluff butt. Grumpy face. Doggy Poo. Sesshy-kins." He paused for a moment, puffing out his chest, and then in his best Sesshomaru impression said, "I am king of the known world and shall only be addressed by my proper title, Lord Sesshomaru of the West."

Rin couldn't help but laugh at this strange man's antics. Though something about what he said stuck a nerve deep inside. It was like she had heard that before – Lord Sesshomaru.

The door behind Rin opened and both parties looked over to see the beautiful stranger walk out from the office. She was smiling until she saw the man still leaning on Rin's desk.

"Inuyasha." She hissed as she walked by, quickly stepping around him and disappearing into the elevator bank.

"Nice seeing ya', Kagura!" The now-christened Inuyasha yelled after her.

"Well um," Rin smoothed out her skirt as she stood and went over to Mr. Tashio's slightly ajar door. "There's an Inuyasha here to see you, sir." She said, just barely sticking her head inside.

She saw Mr. Tashio, shirt buttoned up and tie in place, rubbing his temples with his elbows resting on his desk.

"Unfortunately." He replied, blandly. "Please send him in Ms. Sato."

A loud growl from her torso reminded Rin that she was starving. She summoned up her courage and quickly asked, "Mr. Tashio? I was wondering if it'd be alright if I stepped out for a moment and got a bite to eat?"

"That's fine, Ms. Sato." He responded sounding slightly bemused that she was still there.

"Can I get you anything, sir?"

"Call down to Cheryl. She will order us both food."

Ducking out and turning around, Rin smiled at Inuyasha. "He is ready for you Mr…?"

"Tashio. But Inuyasha is fine." He smiled and entered Mr. Tashio's office, closing the door behind him.

Tashio, Rin thought. Shit! Was that Mr. Tashio's brother?!

Rin shook her head and sat down. Her mind was unable to wrap around the idea that there would be another Mr. Tashio in her life; one was more than enough. Granted Inuyasha seemed much more approachable, but she'd be damned if her mind was plagued by yet another Tashio man. Rin sighed and picked up the phone.

A quick call to Cheryl and 20 minutes later, 4 bags of Italian food arrived. Cheryl had on file every kind of cuisine possible and had ear marked all of Mr. Tashio's favorites. Unable to decide, Rin had ordered them all, on the company bill of course.

Rin figured it'd be a bad idea to interrupt Mr. Tashio and his brother, so she started eating alone and damn, it was good Italian food.

After a few minutes of mouth-watering food inhalation, Rin jumped when she heard shouting from inside the office. It was hard to tell the two men's voices apart but Mr. Tashio didn't seem like the yelling type. A minute or so after that she heard a loud rumbling that sounded like a gigantic dog growling.

At that point, Rin thought it was probably best to stop listening and plugged her headphones into her computer so she could work and eat in peace.

"She looks exactly the same, bro." Inuyasha lounged in one of the plush chairs facing Sesshomaru's desk with his feet up on said desk, much to his elder brother's chagrin.

"Do not refer to me as such." Sesshomaru did not bother looking up from his computer screen as he addressed his brother. "I am aware of her appearance."

"So? Come on, Sesshy. This is it. You can finally have YOUR Rin back. Hell, her name is even the same. What are the chances? Mate with her and be done with it!"

That seemed to have gotten the elder's attention as his head snapped up and his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"As you have with your bitch?" After all, bitch was not a pejorative term; they were dog demons.

"That's different," Inuyasha sputtered.

"You know as well as I that it is never so simple. I endeavor to believe that you are smarter than I have often been led to think. You let me down yet again." With that, Sesshomaru returned his gaze to the screen.

"Awww, don't be like that. I haven't even had a chance to speak to Kags. She's got the same name this time too, ya know?"

"Indeed."

"Perhaps it's a sign Sess. Maybe this is it. This reincarnation. Fate or some shit.

"Eloquent to a fault, as always." Sesshomaru sighed and looked up again, raising a perfectly arched brow. "No such divine intervention will determine my choice. I will decide when it is time."

This seemed to offend Inuyasha greatly. He jumped up from his chair and leaned over the desk.

"And how many times will you let her die? How many times should Rin live in fear and confusion before you freaking decide that it's right for you?"

Sesshomaru fixed his tie and slowly stood to look down upon his younger brother. "You forget to whom you speak, subject. This Lord Sesshomaru does not take kindly to such insubordination."

"It's not the 16th century, douche!" Inuyasha could feel his voice rising with every word. Surely Rin was hearing some of this. "And I ain't gonna shut my hole for your comfort!"

"Silence!" Sesshomaru didn't actually need to raise his voice. The daiyoukai long kept dormant showed through; as Sesshomaru and his demon spoke in unison, his voice carried and echoed in Inuyasha ears.

Without his consent, Inuyasha's ears - that were still hidden under his cap - flattened against his head. His demon half could not deny Sesshomaru's dominance.

Sesshomaru sat again, clearly smug knowing that Inuyasha was clear on the distinction between them, for the millionth time.

"This is not what you were called here for, I remind you, Inuyasha."

"Yeah, yeah." Inuyasha ground out as he resumed his seated position. "The charity is donating another million to relief efforts in Laos. As per request, the auction and gala are set for next Friday as well. Your mother has certainly taken to her position as 'Manager of the Tashio charitable fund'." Inuyasha air quoted her title for emphasis.

"I realize this has taken you from your work with Tashio's S&I but she needs to be monitored."

"My guys got it handled." Inuyasha shrugged and stood. He looked over his shoulder at the door and said, "You should bring Rin to the gala."

"She is a temporary employee and a secretary at that."

"So you'll bring Kagura instead?" Inuyasha scoffed. "Which one is it? Are you trying to make Rin jealous, do you not give a shit about her feelings or have you finally given up?" Inuyasha realized he was practically screaming again but damn, Sesshomaru pissed him off so much. How could he be so incredibly thick and insensitive? Kagome used to tell Inuyasha that he had the emotion understating of a 10-year-old boy; Inuyasha doubted Sesshomaru had any understanding at all.

"I'm not in the mood for you, brother." The word 'brother' was said with contempt. "Leave." Sesshomaru ordered.

Inuyasha snorted. He knew Sesshomaru cared for Rin and would never give up. But his continuing relationship with Kagura made Inuyasha uneasy. Sesshomaru should've dropped her years ago.

He got that Sesshomaru separated sex from love but rutting with Kagura was abhorrent. How could he not see that it was cheating on Rin in one form or another?

Inuyasha shook his head and stood with a mock salute. He then turned and left the office without another word.

Outside Rin was still busy on her computer. She had a pen tucked behind her ear and headphones firmly in place. He watched for a moment as she guided a fork full of pasta to her mouth without looking away from her screen.

She was beautiful; it made Inuyasha's heart ache for his own love.

He moved over to her side so she could see him and waited until her ear buds were removed to speak.

"Hey there. Ole' fluffy's got his panties in a bunch. You should help him out."

Rin looked surprised. "Mr. Tashio wants me?"

Inuyasha shrugged and held back a laugh at the innuendo. "Yea, something like that."

He smiled as Rin tidied herself up and stepped into Sesshomaru's office.

Such mischief-maker was he.

"Is there a reason why you are in here Ms. Sato?"

"I, uhh, the other Mr. Tashio said you wanted me."

Sesshomaru inwardly cursed his brother but kept his expression stoic.

"I see. Sit."

Rin complied. Her heart was racing as she rubbed her sweaty palms along the sides of her skirts.

"You will be accompanying me to the Tashio charity gala for aid relief in Laos. You will be there as my assistant. I cannot be bothered to remember the names or recognize the faces of our donors."

The lie came easily to Sesshomaru and without missing a beat he continued, "You will remember this and supply it as necessary. I will have an appropriate dress provided for you. That is all."

Of course he didn't need any help. He knew everyone's names but she didn't need to know that.

Meanwhile, Rin's brain was in hyper drive. A gala? She'd only just started!

"Ah, when Mr. Tashio?"

He looked at her like her was an absolute imbecile.

"Next Friday Ms. Sato." He replied coolly. "You are excused."

Rin trudged into her apartment. It was late enough that Maya was already in bed. Mr. Tashio had kept her working until an ungodly hour before sending her home in a cab; it was the least he could do in Rin's opinion.

Rin barely managed to shuck off her clothing before she fell into bed and was asleep as soon as she'd wormed under the blankets and her head hit the pillow.

She looked around for a familiar face in the crowds that moved through the streets of the city, if it could even be called one. The destruction and colonization of this territory had destroyed so much of the wonders it once possessed. She was sad to not have been able to witness them in their former glory.

"Amparo!"

She turned around at the sound of her name and saw her son waiting on the steps of her villa.

"Mamá. You cannot be out on your own like this. Don Miguel will surely hang me if he found out."

"Hush child. Nothing will happen. I was just looking for an old friend of mine."

Her son smiled down at her and she could tell that, though his eyes were filled with love, he thought she was speaking nonsense.

"May we go back inside, Mamá?"

She sighed, clearly still sharp as a tac but not wanting to further worry her gentle, well-meaning son. "Alright dear. But just because I am old doesn't mean I am feeble."

"Never Mamá." He chided and extended an arm as was customary.

She took it and walked with her head high. It wasn't everyday that a woman of modest wealth lived to be 70, especially in 1809.

Today, on the day of her birthday, there would be a huge party. She both dreaded and welcomed it. People would fill their villa and congratulate her. There would be music and festivities all through the night. Her friend might even join them. Yes, that was what she hoped for more than anything. She would love to she his beautiful face again. Perhaps now her silver locks, whitened with age from her once youthful raven hair, would rival his own.