By the end of the gala Yuki had fallen asleep and Rin's feet were tired from dancing. Inuyasha and Kikyo sat across from her, bickering as she waited for Sesshomaru to finish talking to a few business partners.
"You were all over that one human. The guy with the black hair," the hanyou growled.
"Maybe I wouldn't have had to dance with him if you weren't off grinding on your secretary."
"I wasn't grinding on her!"
The aforementioned "secretary" rolled her eyes, turning to her best friend.
"I should get going. By the way, Rin, my family is having a birthday party for Shouta at my grandfather's shrine. You and Yuki should come."
"Sorry, I can't. I'm going to be swamped with calls from the press tomorrow. But I'm sure Yuki would love to go."
"Alright then. Just drop him off on your way to work in the morning."
"Will do. Goodnight Kagome."
She gave her a chaste hug and left. A few minutes later, Sesshomaru came to the table.
"Ready to leave, mate?"
"If you are finished talking to your associates."
He nodded, picking their son up carefully. Neither said a word of salutation to the bickering couple as they left the hall. Jaken was waiting in front as soon as they set foot outside. Rin climbed in the car first so Yuki would be in the middle. As they headed to her apartment, she felt a clawed hand envelope her own. The thumb made small circles on the back of her hand.
"You did great tonight."
"Good enough to pass as your mate."
He turned her head so he could stare into her eyes.
"You are more beautiful and confident than any woman I saw there tonight. Or will ever see in my entire existence."
"You're just trying to flatter me."
"I don't do flattery, Rin. I must make a confession though. As you know, I visit Yuki at night without consent."
"Yes, as weird and illegal as it may be. So?"
"Sometimes, I check on you too," he deadpanned, no guilt evident anywhere on his face.
Rin was at a loss. Tucking their son in was one thing. But watching her was just being a stalker. A hot, godly stalker. Her eyes narrowed as she debated whether or not to threaten to call the cops. His complete lack of remorse leaned her more toward option A.
"I don't watch you shower or dress, if that's what you're thinking. I just do a quick sweep of the house after you two go to bed. You have a horrible habit of not locking the door,"
"Because only you are obsessed enough to break in."
"I don't break in. I simply climb through the window our son opens for me. I did not even ask for him to let me in you know."
"Oh really?"
"Yes. The night he spent the night at my apartment, I called to say goodnight and said he missed me. I told him I missed him too, to which he replied that he was going to come see me."
"Oh god..."
"It gets worse. When I told him no, he started to cry and ask if I didn't want to see him. Then he said he was going to leave the window open all night until I came to see him."
"That brat guilt tripped you!" Rin started to laugh, "The great Sesshomaru Taisho."
He rolled his eyes, sighing when they parked. Then he picked Yuki up and headed up to her place. She followed, still giggling.
"It's not so funny, mate."
"Yeah yeah, big bad daddy."
He smirked, liking hearing her say that, but didn't comment. Their son stirred, waking up a bit when he set him down on the bed. His hand held onto his dad's arm gently.
"Noooo, stay..."
"I have to go pup. See you tomorrow."
"Okay..."
Yuki rolled over, cuddling with his rabbit skin, and Sesshomaru left the room. Rin met him in the living room with a troubled expression. He instantly took her in his arms.
"What's wrong?"
"I may have been unfair to you," she mumbled.
He looked down at her with a brow raised and she continued.
"You have been trying really hard for Yuki and for me. I've just been too stubborn to accept that you were being genuine. I'm so sorry."
"I forgive you."
She looked up incredulously and his lips twitched for a moment. His hands almost crushed her to his chest, her head once again over his heart.
"I cannot blame you for being reticent. After all, my reputation precedes me. But I am trying to better myself."
"I know. I was just too blind to notice. Would you like to go out somewhere tomorrow? To straighten things out a bit?"
"I would love to. I'll pick you two up after work.
"Oh, Yuki won't be here. Kagome is taking him to a birthday party."
"I see, it'll just be us then. I will pick you up at five after work."
"It's a date."
He hugged her once before letting go. She followed him to the door, where he leaned down to kiss her cheek before opening it.
"Goodnight Rin," he smiled.
"Goodnight, Sesshomaru."
The demon left and Rin sat down heavily on the couch. Her feet ached from dancing and were a bit swollen. Looking at the ceiling, she let it sink in.
You have a date tomorrow. With Sesshomaru. And your son won't be there to buffer.
It was almost too much. She felt like a coward for having hid behind her son for so long. Her job was to protect him, not the other way around. Sighing, she went to Yuki's room to check on him. His chest started to rise and fall quickly as a whimper escaped his lips. He writhed in fear, stuck in a night terror. Careful not to wake him, Rin laid down at his side and ran her fingers through his hair. Almost instantly he relaxed; his breathing slowing significantly. Placing Buppy on his chest, she headed to her room for a restless night's sleep.
The following morning, Rin woke to the feeling of a body against her back. Upon further inspection, she found Yuki curled up against her. He was wrapped in her blanket like a cocoon. Giggling, she got up slowly to avoid waking him too soon. She went into the bathroom and undid her braids from the previous night, her hair falling in waves down her back. Her son called for her before she could begin her makeup. He was sat upright in her bed. His hair stuck out from all angles, ears swiveling.
"Good morning, pup."
"Momma!" he grinned, reaching for her.
She took him into her arms, holding him close. He hummed and nuzzled her bosom lovingly.
"Do you want to help pick out my outfit today?"
"Uh-huh!"
Jumping down, he bee-lined for her closet. She watched, amused as he scrutinized every article of clothing. Eventually he emerged with a white short-sleeved turtleneck, dove gray pencil skirt, and white flats. Then he put on a white polo with jeans.
"Why are you dressing so nice, pup?"
"Daddy says it's his job to dress like this. I wanna be just like daddy!"
Unsure as to if that was good or bad, Rin changed the subject.
"Guess what Yuki."
"What?"
"You aren't going to preschool today. Aunt Kagome is taking you to a birthday party!"
"But, I wanted to see daddy," he whimpered.
"You will! I promise, when you come home today, your dad will be here."
"O-Okay..."
Reluctantly he allowed her to brush his hair before they ate breakfast and headed out. She dropped him off at Kagome's house, then decided to stop at a cafe for a latte since she was running a bit early. As an afterthought, she also got a black coffee for Sesshomaru. On her way out, she received a call from an unknown number.
"Hello, Rin Honju speaking."
"You're going to die. You aren't worthy," a female voice whispered
"Wha- Who is this?"
"You and your runt are gonna disappear. Then he'll be all mine..."
The line went dead and she stared at the cell phone, shaken. Robotically, she got back in her car to drive to Taisho Corp. Rin greeted Sango with a numb wave as she made her way to the elevator. Someone brushed past and she flinched, earning odd glances. Sesshomaru called her in to his office as soon as she set her purse down. People whispered and stared as she walked to his office. Some women glared while others simply smiled. If only they knew… When she entered his office, she found him flipping through a file at high speed. His eyes twitched periodically as he read every word.
"Show off..."
"One moment."
He flipped to the last page, then closed it to look at her. His smile automatically faded to his default stone face.
"You're pale mate. And you smell of fear."
"I-It's nothing. Just some idiot almost hit me on the way to work today."
Rin decided it was best not to tell him about the phone call. Chances are it was some jealous woman who wouldn't call again. No need to have him going ballistic. Smiling softly, he reached out to touch her face.
"Maybe you should ride with me to work. I would hate to have anything happen to either of you."
"Well...it would save gas..."
"Glad you agree. Now, your duties for the day are in the email I sent you. We will eat lunch together at noon. Is that acceptable?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"No."
Sesshomaru kissed her forehead and pushed her back out the door. She sat down at her desk and opened the email labeled "Agenda".
My Rin,
These are your responsibilities for today.
-Pull any files pertaining to Kitsune Corp. and put them on my desk.
-Transfer any meetings I may have this month to Inuyasha.
-Proofread the expense account for this quarter.
-Make a reservation for two at La Reve tonight at six.
-Pick up a new dress from The Nines. Put it on my card, it is in your purse.
Any resistance will be met with immediate termination.
She looked up incredulously and saw him watching her through the glass. He stuck his tongue out, then pulled the blinds closed. It was almost impossible not to laugh. Rolling her eyes, Rin started on moving all of his meetings to Inuyasha. Whatever the hanyou had done to bring this wrath was beyond her. By the end of the transfer, there were 120 along with the ones he had previously had scheduled. The younger brother's screams of horror could be heard from the ground floor as he checked his email on his phone. This was a perfect time to go into the file room before he came up looking for a fight.
The Kitsune files were relatively to find. Oddly enough, she knew the man who ran the company. Kagome had helped her watch his son, Shippo, on occasions when he had to be brought to meetings with Naraku. From the looks of it, his business wasn't doing too well. Just as she was about to leave the room, Inuyasha flew through the wall. Sesshomaru flew after him, eyes tinted red as he passed. Sighing heavily, she put the files on his desk and returned to her own to arrange for a repairman to come. Fortunately, the damage was exclusive a bunch of Inuyasha-shaped holes in the walls. Nothing the company contractor hadn't seen before. The mystery was why the demon was using his brother as a half-human battering ram. She heard a girlish scream and ducked as the aforementioned man ran to hide behind her. His brother was right behind him with what seemed to be a whip that was leaving a burned line in the floor. Calmly, Rin held her hand up and rested it on his chest.
"Stop."
"Mate..."
"Why in the world are you destroying the office?"
"This runt needed to be beaten. Now he's going to die."
"Why?"
"Are you questioning me?"
"Yes. Now, unless you want to eat alone today, tell me what happened."
"Fine," he huffed, "This mongrel called our father to tell him that he has an illegitimate grandson. In those words!"
"He was going to find out eventually! It's all over the news!"
"Shut your trap, mutt."
"What's so bad about him finding out."
Sesshomaru ran a hand through his hair, trying to relax a bit before he answered.
"Our father is what you would call 'Old-fashioned'. A child born of wedlock is highly taboo and I know he's going to overreact."
"He can't be that bad."
"He is going to force us to marry. Then, if we don't do as he says, he will deem us unfit and take Yuki."
"He can't do that!"
"Unfortunately, he can. Demon rule states that, as the Alpha, he can take anything he wants from us and we can't do anything."
Rin was appalled. Nothing about that was fair! Anger welled in her chest and, slowly, she stepped aside.
"Continue."
He smirked, grabbing his younger brother by the hair. The hanyou screamed bloody murder as he was dragged all the way to his office. Huffing, she sat back down at her desk. The clock on her computer read 11:40, so she figured it would be good to make the dinner reservations before it was too late. La Reve was a very popular, high-class restaurant that was extremely difficult to get into. Sometimes you had to make reservations as early as a year ahead. Crossing her fingers, Rin dialed the number.
"This is La Reve. What can I help you with?" a male voice answered.
"Hello, I would like to make a reservation for tonight at six."
The man laughed and she blushed, feeling mortified.
"What is so funny?!"
"Miss, you think this is some pub where you can come in at prime time and expect a table. You should have called months ago!"
"I didn't know I was going to be going until tonight."
"Well, that is simply too bad."
"I want to talk to your manager."
There was a shuffling sound and a woman who sounded like she had been laughing as well came on.
"W-What seems to be the problem?"
"All I wanted was to make a reservation for tonight and I was laughed at. I should've just asked Sesshomaru to let me make dinner, I swear."
"S-Sesshomaru?" she whispered, "As in the dog demon?"
Rin smirked, knowing that the ball was now in her court. These people didn't care about screwing with an average person. Now she would make them look like asses.
"Yes. He is my mate. We were planning on visiting your restaurant for a date, but we are going to go elsewhere. So sorry for all the trouble."
"Wait! Let's not be so rash-"
"Miss," she said sweetly, "I was insulted and laughed at."
The phone was out of her hand just as she finished her sentence. She glanced up to see Sesshomaru's perfect face with a stony expression as he spoke.
"Who is this?" the person spoke and he grunted, "I see. We will not be going to your business ever again and I will make sure my associates will do the same."
He set the phone down coolly and turned to look at her.
"Lunch is here. Come, eat."
She placed her hand in his daintily and allowed him to help her up like a gentleman. His expression was still stoic, but his eyes twinkled as he led her to his office. On the desk were two bags that emitted the fragrance of burgers and fries. They sat down and he pushed a bag toward her.
"I was not sure what to get you, so I got plain with fix-ins on the side."
"Just how I like it."
Sesshomaru smiled, taking out his own double cheeseburger and fries.
"I never took you for one who'd like fast food."
"When you're rushing from a convention center to a hotel and several meetings in between, you need your food to be fast."
Rin nodded and put lettuce on hers before taking a bite. The charbroiled, savory flavor made her mouth water. She began eating more voraciously, earning a smile from her counterpart. He pushed the fries forward and she started devouring those as well. When she realized that she was making a pig of herself, she blushed and slowed a bit.
"I'm glad the food is satisfactory. Now, where would you like to go for dinner tonight?"
"To be honest, I would like to cook dinner tonight for the two of us."
"Nonsense, my mate will not do servant tasks such as that."
"Oh? What do you expect of me then? Should I just sit there and look pretty while I pop out pups?"
"That isn't what I meant. I simply meant that it can be seen as degrading for a woman of high- class to cook."
"Well, it's a good thing I'm not high-class. Do you want chicken, pork chops, or steak," her tone was clipped.
Sighing heavily, he fished a card from his wallet and set it in front of her. She raised an eyebrow.
"Use this to get steak and whatever else you may need. Do you want to cook at my place or yours?"
"Do you have the proper equipment?"
"Oh, my sweet Rin," he said with a smirk, "You know I always come fully equipped."
The demon's hand reached out to caress her face gently, thumbnail tracing her lips. She leaned into his touch involuntarily and relaxed. As much as she hated to admit it, he really did make her feel safe. Even his scent, one of fresh rain and bergamot, made her almost forget all worries. His father, the eerie caller, and even their relationship status simply fell into the background like white noise. His fingers brushed through her dark mane and down her neck. He pulled her forward, brushing his lips against hers. Her lips parted in a silent sigh as she reciprocated his kiss. It spread through her like liquor, intoxicating her and fogging her mind. A soft groan emanated from his chest as he pulled away, eyes dark with want.
"As much as I want to take you right here, I'm not going to. Tonight will be a different story."
"W-What makes you think you'll be getting any tonight?"
"Well, if the smell of your arousal tells me anything, I believe I will be 'getting' quite a bit tonight."
"We'll see, cocky dog."
"Good. Now, take my card and shop for whatever you may need to make dinner for us tonight."
Reluctant, she took the card from his hand and pecked his profferred cheek. Rin almost felt like a slut being paid by her sugar daddy. As she made her way out of the office, she accidentally bumped into a slender woman in black and fell down. The woman glared at her with cloudy red eyes.
"Watch where you're going, bitch," she snarled before walking into Sesshomaru's office and slamming the door.
Yelling from within ensued, but Rin shakily stood and left the building. He could handle himself no problem. But she simply couldn't forget the woman's voice. It was so eerily familiar that she got goosebumps just thinking about it. There's no way that could've been the caller. If it was, why didn't she say anything else? Taking a deep breath, she pushed all worries to the back of her mind and drove. Tonight she would be having dinner with Sesshomaru. They would talk, nothing more. But is that really what she wanted?