Rin spent the rest of the day receiving odd looks and whispers from various people throughout the office. Her skirt was too long for them to know she was missing her underwear, so she didn't quite know what was going on. It's not like it mattered though. Her job was to be Sesshomaru's assistant, not to make friends. That meant her time was put toward reorganizing files that had been misplaced by the secretary before her along with arranging his meetings. On break, she checked up on Yuki. It was surprising to see how well he was playing with the other children. There was a healthy mix of demons, humans, and half-demons in the preschool that was taught by a youthful woman. A hand on her shoulder made her jump as her attention was torn from her son.

"We encourage every employee to bring their younger children here. We provide only the best," Sesshomaru mumbled.

Yuki's ears twitched and he turned to look at them, waving excitedly. Rin giggled and waved back while his father simply smiled,

"After work, I would like to take you two shopping for formal attire."

"Why?"

"Taisho Corp. is holding a charity gala next Wednesday and I would like you both to attend."

"That's really sweet, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea…"

"Why not? He is my son and you are his mother, it is only proper."

"I know, but I'm afraid Yuki will be overwhelmed. You see, he tends to have panic attacks when he's around large groups of people."

"I see," he grimaced sympathetically, "I had the same issue as a child. It's sensory overload."

She looked up at him in disbelief. How could the cool, composed Sesshomaru Taisho ever have such an issue? According to the doctor, it was actually quite common among dog demons. Eyes softening, he touched her cheek.

"Don't worry, I promise nothing bad will happen to him during the party. I will make sure of it."

"Thank you," she replied, smiling.

He kissed her forehead, then walked away toward the elevators. She followed quickly. After another two hours, it was finally time to leave. Rin was the one who got Yuki from the preschool. The teacher opened the door and he launched himself eagerly into her waiting arms.

"Hi momma," he said cheerfully.

"Hello my pup. How was your day?"

"Fun! I drew a picture for you and a picture for daddy!"

"May I see?"

He nodded, holding out the pictures. Hers was a messy pink flower and Sesshomaru's seemed to be dinosaur. Assuring him that they were beautiful, she led him outside where his father was waiting. Yuki hugged him and thrust the picture into his hands. Smiling softly, he tucked it into his jacket.

"I'll put it up in my office."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

The young hanyou grinned proudly, obeying when told to hop in the car. To her pleasant surprise, she found a booster seat in the back. Rin helped him buckle in before getting into the passenger's seat. Once everyone was in place, they set off toward the ice cream shop.

"So, which charity is the party for?"

"Power On. It helps bring electricity and gas to impoverished families."

"Sounds like a very honorable cause."

"Thank you. Our father started it a decade ago and we like to support it in any way possible."

He parked the car and got out to open Rin's door before helping Yuki out. The energetic boy ran inside ahead of them, making his parents chuckle. Sesshomaru caught him before he reached the counter. Holding him on his hip, he walked the rest of the way to the cashier. She blushed, checking him out shamelessly.

"Is that your son? He is such a cutie!"

"Yes, he is. I'd a like a double scoop vanilla cone. Yuki, what would you like?"

"A swirl sundae with sprinkles and fudge!"

"Anything else?" she simpered, attempting to look seductive.

Rin finally made it to his side and smiled at the girl, whose expression turned to one of disappointment.

"I'd like a double scoop chocolate cone, thank you."

"Okay, that'll be 6.75…"

Sesshomaru scanned his card and they moved aside so other customers could order. Once they received their treats, the trio found a table to eat at. He texted silently as he ate, much to Rin's displeasure. Why invite them out if he was going to ignore them the whole time? Yuki was oblivious to the tension between his parents and proceeded to make a mess of himself. Sighing, she wiped his face with a dampened napkin. The child whined and attempted to push her hand away.

"Momma..."

"You're all sticky and have a sprinkle in your hair."

"Can't I just take a bath when we go home?"

"Yuki, let you mother clean you," Sesshomaru interjected.

"Look who finally stopped texting long enough to help."

He was taken aback by her glare, but could understand her anger. It could be annoying when a business associate was texting during a meeting. Looking her in the eye, he turned his phone off and placed it in her purse. Her lip twitched before breaking into the smile he loved. Their son watched with wide eyes.

"Daddy?"

"Yes pup?"

"Does this mean you and Momma are gonna live together?"

"Possibly-"

"No sweetie."

"Why not?"

"B-Because…"

"Because I don't have enough room in my place."

Rin smiled at him gratefully and he nodded. In reality, his apartment in Hokkaido had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. His Tokyo home was even bigger, housing seven rooms and three bathrooms. Both places had a pool. But he was fully aware of her hesitance to move in together and respected her wishes. Yuki's disappointed frown made him feel guilty, though, so he came up with an idea.

"But, if you want, you can spend the night at my house. If it's okay with your mother."

"Yay! Please Momma?"

"Well…it is a weekend."

He squealed with glee and latched on to her in a tight hug. She held him close, smiling at his father softly.

"Can we go now?"

"After we go shopping pup."

"Shopping?"

"Mhm. You and Momma are getting new clothes to wear to a party daddy is throwing."

"P-Party?"

The child froze, shaking slightly. A tiny whimper escaped his chest and he buried his face in his mother's chest. She held him close, rubbing his ears comfortingly. Sesshomaru grimaced at his distress. It was hard to be around all the sounds and smells that came with a party. Hell, it had taken him until the age of ten to make it through without a panic attack. At least he had his father to tell him what was happening. Poor Rin would be clueless. He smiled softly when he saw the small movement of a tail wagging beneath Yuki's shirt. Reaching forward, he released it from confinement. It wagged contently while his mother continued rubbing his ears.

"We keep it under his shirt to avoid it being pulled by other children or sat on by accident."

"It's very rare for a dog hanyou to have a tail."

"The doctor told me it's a sign of strong genetics on your part," she giggled.

"Yeah. We should get going. The faster we finish shopping the faster we can go to my house."

That distracted Yuki from the party, his tail thumping enthusiastically against the booth. Rin nodded and got up to throw away their trash. Sesh took their son to the bathroom to clean up before they left. After they were all in the car, he headed toward the shopping district. It was a bit of a drive, but they ended up in the underground mall. There, he led them to a store called La Maison de l'amour. It was a high class clothing store that stocked clothes for all ages. The boys went off to find a suit while Rin was left to her own devices. She scanned the dresses, finding them all very beautiful and very expensive. There was no way she could afford this! Sighing heavily, she moved to the sale racks to try to find something a bit easier on her budget. A pretty Chinese girl with her hair in pigtails came to her side.

"Mister Taisho asked me to assist you in finding anything you may need help with."

"Thank you, but I really don't see anything I can afford."

"Oh, he said price is not an object."

"O-Oh, okay. Well, I like the color orange. But I don't want something too revealing."

"Size?"

"6 in dress, 5 in shoe."

"I think I have what you're looking for."

The girl ran off for a moment before returning with a strapless orange evening gown with a sheer peach shawl. It was absolutely perfect. She also grabbed a pair of black strappy heels before showing her to a fitting room. They fit like a glove. She stepped out of the room to show the clerk and found the boys waiting. Sesshomaru's face, though stoic, lit up. An aura of pride almost radiated from him. Yuki, now donning a dove grey suit with white undershirt and black clip-on tie, hopped into her arms with a grin.

"Momma looks so pretty!"

"Thank you. You look very handsome."

"Yay! Can we go to Daddy's now?"

"After we put our regular clothes on and pay."

"Okay!"

He hopped down, proceeding to drag his father into a dressing room. She giggled and went back into the fitting room to change back into her clothes. The clerk took her items to the front register, where Sesshomaru paid a total of 1350$ much to her horror. The demon just shrugged it off nonchalantly. As soon as they were done checking out, Yuki took off like a bullet toward the parking lot. By the time his parents caught up, he was already waiting inside. The next destination was Akuma Tower, a multi-level building that housed high-class apartments. There, a valet parked for them and the doorman greeted him by name. His apartment was the penthouse, which was only accessible by entering a PIN into a key pad in the elevator. Unsurprisingly, their son took off inside the minute the doors opened. The foyer was pristine with a painting of a great dog demon fighting a dragon hanging from the main wall. An angry cry rang through the hall and a green, froglike demon came hobbling toward the adults.

"Milord! A dirty Halfling has found its way into your home!"

Without hesitation, Sesshomaru kicked the demon into the wall. Rin's fearful cry went unheeded as he picked the smaller demon up by the shirt.

"That child is my son. You shall refer to him solely as Master Yuki and treat him with the same respect. Understood?"

"Y-Yes milord!"

"Good. Now make yourself useful and keep an eye on him while I give Lady Rin a tour."

With a look of slight disdain, the demon hobbled off in the direction he came. Sesshomaru met Rin's curious gaze with his usual cool stare. Her next statement spilled out without a second thought.

"So, do you treat all of your staff like servants?"

"Actually, Jaken is the only member of my 'staff' and technically he is my servant. He has been for 300 years. I saved him and he chose to serve me."

"Do you at least pay him?"

"I've tried on many occasions. Watch," Sesshomaru raised his voice, "Jaken, you're getting a paycheck!"

In seconds the tiny demon had returned, eyes bulging out even more than usual.

"I can't allow that milord! You already pay for my food, housing, and necessities! Anything more would make me a terrible burden no better than a leech."

"Okay, no pay then."

"Oh thank you milord!"

Bowing excessively, he went back to watching Yuki. His reactions made Rin giggle, which warmed the frosty demon lord's heart.

"Now, how about a tour of my home."

"That sounds lovely."

He offered her his arm and she took it gratefully, for once feeling completely at ease in his presence.