"No."

"Come on, you said you would!"

"The answer is no."

"Fine. Then my answer is no." I stuck my nose in the air, arms crossed over my chest. The nerve of this baka! He agreed to propose to me properly over a week ago, and now he was telling me no. Whatever.

I almost wouldn't have believed it had it not happened to me. Lord Sesshomaru had gone to lunch, come back over two hours later, and sat a box from Tiffany's on my desk. That was it. Then he'd gone into his office, SHUT THE DOOR, and I assumed, resumed his busy day. This is what had led me to be standing in his office, arguing with him. I'd burst through those black double doors and tossed the box at him, demanding what he'd agreed to. And the ass had told me no.

"What do you mean, Rin?"

"I mean Sesshomaru," I mustered up sweetly, "that unless you bend one knee, clasp my hand lovingly in yours, slip the ring inside that box on my finger, and ask me to marry you, then my answer is no, I won't."

"This is ridiculous." He glared at me from his chair. Yes, glared at me. Good, I hoped he was mad.

"No, you're being ridiculous, Sesshomaru. You agreed to this, didn't you?" His answering silence only confirmed it. "We're alone. It's just you and me, alright? No one else has to see you do this. If I'm going to be your wife, then please, just do this for me. Give me that, Sesshomaru." Oddly, I could almost sense his resolve weakening, even though his expression remained forever the same. "Please. For me."

In an uncharacteristic move, Lord Sesshomaru sighed before standing up from his chair and grabbed for the Tiffany's box. Pulling it open, he tossed the box aside once the ring was in his hand.

"You will not repeat a word of the events happening to anyone, do you understand?" He came to stand in front of me, expectant look in his eyes. I almost didn't hear though, my gaze completely captivated by the ring in his hand.

Holy crap. The ring was huge. Expensive. It had to cost at least as much as one year's salary for me. Maybe even more.

"What? Oh yeah, okay. I promise I won't say anything." My heart almost leapt into my throat. This was it.

Lord Sesshomaru cast a final glance at the door, probably assuring himself it was closed and no one lurked on the other side. He bent his left knee, planted it on the floor, and was in the perfect proposal position. If such a thing existed.

I gasped, breath sticking in my throat. Sesshomaru stared up at me, his long silver hair falling behind his shoulders, his dark silver suit clinging to him perfectly. He had worn a black silk shirt and matching tie underneath to work. It fit him like a glove. But it wasn't the clothes that had me breathless. Nor was it the man proposing to me.

It was him, a tough as nails demon who hated humans, down on one knee to propose. He only did this because he knew it would make me happy. He could have fought harder about not doing it, I'd already signed the contract. But he didn't want to upset me.

That gave me hope, when I had scarce believed such a thing beforehand.

"Which hand is it, little human?" Lord Sesshomaru asked harshly. I smiled down at him, grateful he was making such an effort. He seemed startled by it.

I held out my left hand. "It's the finger next to my pinky, Sesshomaru." I couldn't very well have told him it was the 'ring' finger. Sesshomaru placed the ring on my finger. It glittered majestically, holding my gaze captive.

The diamond in the middle of my ring was gigantic. Huge. Monstrous. But it wasn't the diamonds that held me captive. On either side of the diamonds were smaller clusters of sapphires. The entire ring was decorated in white gold. It was fabulous. Lovely. It was everything I would have wanted if I'd been able to afford it. Sapphires were my favorite stones, I preferred white gold because it looked better against my skin. But I hadn't discussed this with Sesshomaru… Who had? I'd store that question away for later.

My attention came back to Sesshomaru as he back to stand back up. I tossed my hands to his shoulders, trying to hold him in place.

"Wait, Sesshomaru! You didn't ask." A growl sounded.

"You're already wearing the ring. This is now a trivial matter."

I stared into his golden eyes, on the verge of tears. "But you promised me you would." My voice quivered as I said the words.

Back to his knee, Sesshomaru practically spat out, "Little human, marry me." More of a statement than a question, but it didn't matter to me. I grinned happily and threw myself onto him, my arms wrapping around his neck in an embrace. I didn't have to say yes, he'd already known the answer. My heart was so happy I felt it could have burst at the seams. Sesshomaru remained still in my arms, not returning the hug, but not shoving me away either. I decided my actions were all right.

For a demon that despised humans, he was showing quite the concern when one was upset. At least that's how he was towards me. Going out of his comfort zone to make me happy, that was something to cherish. I knew I always would.

Pulling back, I tried to control the feelings I knew would be apparent on my face. I took a step backward, giving My Lord plenty of time to stand and return to his office.

As he stood, he smoothed his suit, adjusting the tie. "There will be interviews soon. Your sister will be arriving shortly to go shopping with you. Take this," Lord Sesshomaru handed me a black American Express credit card. "Find the proper outfits to wear to the interviews scheduled tomorrow." Turning away from me, Lord Sesshomaru was nearly to his office doors before stopping.

"Rin. The ring. Does it please you?" My mouth popped open at the question. Ha, he cared enough to inquire about how much I liked something he'd given me! His eyes narrowed slightly at my expression. "I don't care. I'm merely curious." After a moment, I grinned at My Lord, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

"It's so beautiful, Sesshomaru. Did you know that sapphires were my favorite?" He didn't answer me. I ventured another question. "Did you pick this out for me yourself? I'd never thought I'd own something so exquisite." And I hadn't. Not in this lifetime, at least.

Lord Sesshomaru grunted once, then returned to his private office, the door clicking softly behind him.

Oh! I was engaged!

I needed to calm myself down. This was a business proposition. It didn't matter that I was in love with him. Okay, that mattered. But to be fair, love wasn't written into this contract. Lord Sesshomaru didn't deal with love, I'm sure he thought himself above it. I grinned, sighing happily. The great dog demon might fancy himself better than a pitiful human emotion called love, but I knew what I saw.

I saw a demon who, despite all of his efforts and sour attitudes, wanted to please me. I don't think he understood why it was necessary, and I was sure if he could help it, he would have. Becoming emotional towards one human could mark him as weak, and Lord Sesshomaru would never want to be perceived as weak. But… He wanted me to be happy. He wanted to be the one to ensure my happiness. If that wasn't a type of love, I didn't know what was. That was something I could use, something I could work with. Who knew, maybe this marriage might turn out legitimate after all.

The opening of my own office door showed Kagome, in a pleated green skirt and white button up blouse smiling at me.

"Someone called demanding that I help you shop, so naturally, I came running. Shall we go, Rin?" She held out a hand for me.

"Yup, I'll meet you outside Kagome!" I placed the black credit card into my wallet, setting the wallet back into my knock off purse. Taking only a moment to ponder, I decided having a knock off handbag simply wouldn't do. Couldn't have the future Mrs. Sesshomaru Taisho wearing fake designers around to interviews. My smile only grew as I headed outside to find Kagome.