InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Self Deception ❯ Daydreams ( Chapter 1 )

*All the characters of Inuyasha do not belong to me. They belong to the ever wise and spirited Rumiko Takahashi.

*This story is for all the Sesshomaru/Rin fans out there that believe that even love can conquer all.

Self Deception

By Paradisum

Prologue

The street horns blared as he made his way across the street. The day was black and ugly, the streets were filled with garbage, and the stench was enough to be considered toxic waste. The cabbies were yelling profanities and he replied with the finger. He kept on walking until he spotted the corner of where he would meet his partner. He was sure that he was late, but that didn't matter. Simon would wait for him. Simon would succumb to his plans. The disk was held firmly in his pocket, his hand, enclosing it, never letting it go. With this, he could bring down the whole empire.

He stopped in the corner, his bladder called for its release. He zipped up his pants and sprinted across the second block, where he spotted Simon. He greeted the man, dressed in black from head to toe. "Man, you're late. You got it." The guy shifted his feet; he was getting antsy. " Yeah, man, I got it…" he touched a hand to his pocket, "I got it right here." The talk came down to whether they should go to the police with the disk or getting rich off of the disk and making that idiot squirm in his seat, knowing that his empire could collapse solely on the information that he contained in his jacket pocket. He turned around at the thought that someone might see them, and he never saw the knife that glinted in the streetlight. He turned back to his associate and felt the knife rip through his belly and into his chest. He grunted, fell to the ground, clutching at his open wound. His eyes were enraged. He could see the knife coming down on him again.

He lay on the ground, drowning in his own blood and bowels. He could feel a hand reach into his pocket. He tried to stop him but he was weak and he knew that he was dying, and then there was darkness.

Chapter One:

Daydreams

"Okay, it's finished!" Rin exclaimed as she set up the last remaining curtain in her boutique. It was made up of white lace, and draped across the front window with decorative patterns of turtledoves and lilies. Kagome sighed as she watched her friend beam with happiness. But she just had to smile. "I never knew anyone to be so anal with their work, especially over curtains." She said as she fingered the lace. "But it is nice material." Rin turned her attention on Kagome. "I know. You picked it out." This time Kagome did laugh. "Yeah, well, anything to help a friend in need." Rin rolled her eyes and made her way to the front door to turn over the sign that would officially declare her boutique open.

Her dream had finally come true. Ever since she could remember, she had always wanted her own business, something to call hers, to be in charge of herself, and most of all, to be the boss, and frankly, to be bossy. Her small clothing designs had earned her a few commissions from patrons who saw her designs at the Fashion Institute, and from there, she decided that it was time for her to pave her way into the world of design. She had to smile at that thought. She had to admit, it was hell trying to get the business loan from the bank due to the fact that she hardly had any collateral, but fortunately for her, the banker decided to give her a chance since this was to be her first business.

"Rin." She heard her name when she awakened from the memory. Kagome walked behind her, and laid her arms around her. "Where did you go?" Rin smiled. "Nowhere. I was just thinking about my dream."

"Well, Miss Mitsu. I am very proud of you."

"Why, thank you Miss Higurashi. I'm proud of myself too."

She looked at Kagome, her smile radiating warmth. She and Kagome had been best friends since their freshman year in college. Kagome had attended Columbia University, while she had attended the Fashion Institute of Technology. Surprisingly, they had met in a coffee shop when theirs orders were mixed up and from then, a friendship evolved. Kagome was one of the few people that she told about her past, her childhood, and her parents. But those were memories long since buried. Kagome was now attending Medical School, studying to become a doctor, while Rin was just a woman with a clothing boutique, filled with all her own designs, designs that she had sweated over for the past year. The loan for her new business had come to her a year and a half ago and for the first six months, she was setting up designs, mannequins, models, and fabric. And now, after a year and a half of hard work, her shop was ready to open and Kagome was here to share this experience with her.

They shared in laughter and a hug when she heard the bell, and a perky woman with short red hair walked into her shop. "Wow, this is new!" she exclaimed, while clasping her hands to her chest. Rin went to her immediately. "Yes, I just opened today. Can I help you?"

"Oh, wow. I just want to take a look around. This place looks great, such nice fashion." Rin could have sworn that she saw the woman jump up and down. But hey, a customer is a customer. Kagome regarded her with a laugh when she saw the woman finger through ever piece of cloth. "Well, Rin, it looks like you have your work cut out for you." Rin saw her snicker as Kagome grabbed her bag, and notebooks. "Well, I better get to class. Today, we're studying the cardiovascular system."

Rin winced at the name. Ever since she was little, science had never been the subject for her. She knew enough to get her by with each grade, but heaven forbid she would study science for the rest of her life. Kagome was the science freak. She would always drag Rin to some new seminar about something scientific that had Rin wondering what they were talking about, while Kagome understood it all. Nope, science was not her cup of tea. Now, math that was her niche! She may have majored in Fashion and Design, but along the way, she took extensive business courses, and she knew that she would be able to combine her love for clothes and her love for numbers in one.

"Okay, then I'll call you later." Rin called out as Kagome walked out of the store. Her attention turned back to her new customer, who was now trying on a red sweater. Rin stared at the woman, noticing that the sweater brought out her hair. The woman appeared to be in her forties, but she attained her beauty. She had a pert nose settled on a pixie face that reminded Rin of an elf. She was wearing a sea green suit, with a set of pearls around her neck. Her red hair was stylishly cut right above her chin.

"That's a very nice color on you." The woman turned, which gave Rin a look at the woman's stunning gray eyes. "You think?" Rin smiled. "Yes, I do."

"You know, I don't usually find sweaters that catch my eye, but I saw the clothes in the window and I just had to stop by. The name of the shop, Daydreams, it is kind of sweet and homely."

"Well, that was what I was looking for."

"You own the shop?" the woman cried out in disbelief.

"Yes, I do." Rin answered.

"Wow, and did you do the designs yourself?"

"Yes, I did."

"Oh my god, you're perfect!" she exclaimed. Rin stood there shocked, unable to comment.

"Oh" was all she could muster. The woman set aside the sweater that she had been wearing, and took out a business card. She all but shoved the card at Rin. Rin took the card and read it while the woman stated her name and all her life facts.

"My name is Meryl Janssom, and I have been looking for a designer. You see, my daughter is getting married and we haven't been able to find a dress for her. She says, `Mother, I wouldn't mind buying a dress and I said, `You most surely will not.' Can you believe that?! A bride wants to buy her own dress. At my wedding, my mother had my dress made and that is what I want for my daughter."

Rin listened full heartedly, noticing where this might be heading, and she hoped that this conversation was going in that direction.

"Well…" Mrs. Jannsom continued. "I've seen your designs…" she gestured to the clothing, " … and absolutely love them, and I'd thought that I could commission you for designing Suzie's wedding dress. I just love what you have in this shop!" Ching! Ching! Rin regarded Mrs. Jannsom with a smile. "Of course, my husband and I will meet any price. This is my baby's girl wedding and we want the best for her."

"Well, Mrs. Jannsom, I'd be delighted to make a design for your daughter. Let's go into my office so we can talk about the specifics." And into her office they went. Her office wasn't much but it did have a quaint desk, with comfortable chairs, a sofa in the far wall, and of course, her computer. Rin had the walls painted a sky blue, so it would match the walls of the other room, and the walls were covered in sketches of some of her designs. She had done that so she may be commissioned for a design, much like she was being now. She invited Mrs. Jannsom to have a seat and from there, Rin questioned and acquired about all the specifics of Suzie Jannsom's wedding. In the Fashion Institute, she was assigned to create a wedding dress design for one of her projects-which she received an A on and a potential buy for it- so creating one now would not be a problem. In fact, ideas were already rolling through her mind.

Mrs. Jannsom gave her the specifics about when Suzie's wedding would be, and Mrs. Jannsom had given her a deadline, which more than satisfied Rin. After the initial business was settled, they stood and shook hands. Of course, the business of buying the design was still at hand since she did not have it, but it would be on its way, and she guaranteed that Suzie Janssom would love it.

After Mrs. Jannsom left, after purchasing the red sweater and insisting that Rin call her Meryl, Rin could have pulled out a marching band and danced until New Year's. But as a professional, Rin had to settle for a figurative pat on the back, but then again, it didn't hurt to do a little twist and slide. Rin would call Kagome after her classes. Hell, she might even buy Kagome and Sango some dinner. "Oh my God, Sango!" she cried out.

Sango Fujita was her other best friend. In fact, it was Kagome who had introduced her to Sango after their initial meeting. Sango had also been attending Columbia University, and now, she was currently in Columbia Law School, taking as many law classes as Kagome was taking science classes. When Sango was little, she had been nicknamed "Little Justice" because she had always set out to discover the truth and fought for justice. By ten, Sango could state the Bill of Rights. Yep, she's out for Justice! Rin thought. Surely, Sango would want to hear the news! She was in the middle of dialing Sango's work number when it came to her that she wanted to surprise her.

She put the receiver down and decided to call them after Kagome's classes were over.

Rin couldn't help but feel quite happy when a stream load of customers walked in, each one of having left with something purchased. All in all, the day went smoothly. Rin had never been so happy in her life!

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"So you're going to design a wedding dress?!" Sango exclaimed, her fettuccini slipping from her fork. Rin called Sango and Kagome once she knew that their classes were over; right now, she was explaining her new commission. "Well, I think it's great." Kagome said, taking a sip of her wine. "Rin sure is moving up in the world. Today, a wedding dress, tomorrow, clothing for a cat walk."

"Okay, now you're really dreaming!"

"Oh come on Rin, you've made it. You deserve this. You worked your ass off for your shop, your designs, and your life. Enjoy it all." Rin turned to Sango. That was Sango for you. She was always the one who thought life should be lived and loved, as long as you followed the law.

"I know. I just don't want all this to end."

"It's not. You're the businesswoman, I'm the doctor, Sango's the lawyer. We're quite a trio. Hard working women who can make it. Now, a toast." She said, picking up her wine glass. Sango joined with her coke, and Rin finished the toast off with her glass of water. She was never really much of a drinker!

"Okay, a toast to life, liberty, law…" Sango tinkered off when Kagome and Rin gave her a look. "All right…to life, the law, and to us, and to a whole lot of money that we will be making someday." They all shared in a laugh. They spoke of past boyfriends, of future careers, of future lives, basically everything under the sun. It was almost a quarter to eleven when they left each other. Sango had given Kagome a ride back to her apartment since they came together, and Rin had drove to the restaurant by herself.

She got into her car and headed to her apartment in the Village. She pulled up onto the curve, grabbed her bag, when a hand grabbed her arm, spun her around, and she was face to face with a man whose face had been bloodied through. His glasses were broken as were his nose. He had bruises all over his face, and his right eye was black. All the blood had matted his hair to his face. She took in the fact that he had black clothes on.

Rin tried to scream, but his sweaty hand covered her mouth as he backed her into her car. "Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!" She did as she was told. She stopped struggling long enough for him to see the black car drive around the corner. "Oh Christ! Fuck! What the fuck am I going to do?!" he muttered to himself. Rin did not know what he was muttering about and didn't care. All she cared about was keeping herself alive and well.

The car was getting closer, and they most surely would have seen him. He didn't want to do it, but he had no other choice. They already found out that he had the disk, and the cost of a few cracked ribs was the lesson if he didn't return it immediately. He saw the woman's car, and threw her aside. Rin yelped as she was thrown across the curb, her knees colliding with cement. The man grabbed her keys from her hand and proceeded to jump into her car. He's stealing my car!

She was about to yell for him to stop when he gunned down on the gas pedal and sped away in her car. "Heyyyyyy!" she shouted after her car, but of course, that didn't do anything. She also saw two cars speed by, hoping that it would have been some undercover cop. Or it was most likely no one who could help her now. "Damn it!" She looked back to the sidewalk to find her bag's contents sprawled everywhere. She went to collect her things when she noticed a black disk near where her car had been. She picked it up, turned it over in her hands, and just stuffed it into her bag. The car thief had stolen her car keys, and her apartment keys so she had to ring the bell of one of her neighbors, who luckily, just so happened to be her landlord.

She was greeted by an unwelcome curse. "Mrs. Dillard! I'm sorry to disturb you but it's Rin Mitsu, and I lost the keys to my apartment."

"Oh Rin, of course. Let me buzz you in!" Rin waited outside until she heard the buzz, and opened the door, only to be greeted by Mrs. Dillard in her bathrobe, and her Pomeranian, Bitsy, in her hands. "Oh Rin, what happened?" she exclaimed. Rin looked down at herself to discover that her hose were ripped at the knee, the top of her red blouse was torn, and her skirt was stained with dirt.

"My car was just stolen!"

"Oh dear gracious! Oh dear, come in! I'll call the police!" she shouted as she grabbed Rin by the arm and led her into her apartment. "Sit down. I just made some tea. Please help yourself! I'll call the police." Rin sat down. She heard Mrs. Dillard call the police. Mrs. Dillard was a 72-year-old widow whose husband had passed away three years ago. Her apartment was decorated in memorabilia from World War Two. Rin would always listen to her stories of how she and her husband had met. "The police will be hear in ten minutes." She said, pouring Rin some tea. Rin accepted the tea and sipped it slowly.

"Oh Rin, what happened?"

"Well, my car was just stolen outside. The guy just drove off in my car."

"Oh, Rin, I'm so sorry. And this is supposed to be a safe neighborhood. Are you alright? Did he hurt you?" She asked, taking a seat next t Rin, and wrapped her arm around Rin.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just a little bruised and sore. I'll be okay, Mrs. Dillard." Mrs. Dillard began to say something when they heard the doorbell ring. The police came in and drove her and Mrs. Dillard, who insisted on coming with her, to the precinct where she could give in her official statement, the make and model of her car, and a possible description of the thief. She asked and answered questions. Honestly, she didn't want any bull from the police. She had asked if it would ever be possible to get her car back, and they answered truthfully. "Usually, thieves steal cars for auto parts, and there's little chance that you would see your car again."

Rin let the answer go with a sigh. The officers had asked if she wanted to go to the hospital but she declined their offer. She just wanted to go home. The officers escorted and drove her back to her apartment. Mrs. Dillard had insisted that Rin spend the night in her house, but Rin respectfully declined. Mrs. Dillard gave her the spare key to her apartment and she said her good night, and walked into her apartment.

She collapsed on the couch once she touched it. The clock on the wall read 2:00. "Oh my god! I can't believe this! And everything was going so well today, and this happens." She muttered as she made her way into her bedroom, slipping out her clothes, and throwing them into the hamper while throwing her ruined panty hose into the garbage. She took a shower, cleaned her cuts, and passed out on her bed.

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Rin woke up in the morning, her legs still sore from last night's events. She wanted to call Kagome and Sango to tell them about her car but she didn't want them to have to worry about her. She got up, got dressed, wearing a red camisole and matching sweater with a black skirt, and her favorite black pumps, which at the moment appeared to be the only thing on her person that was not in ruin. She made herself some tea, and decided that it would be best to take the train to work. She grabbed the keys Mrs. Dillard had given her. "Note to self: make copies" she muttered as she grabbed her bag and headed out the door.

She walked to the R train and took it midtown to where her shop was. Daydreams. She had named her shop that because that was what it had been when she was just a little girl, a daydream that she would soon make into a reality. She sweated, struggled, paved the way for her own business and she was not about to let some low life car thief ruin her plans. She had saved up every penny from her job as a singer in Club Towers to buy that car, and that was four years ago. Now, she would have to do the same exact thing to buy another car if the police didn't find hers. But she highly doubted that they would because Officer Stewart suggested otherwise. Well, you'll just work harder and buy a new one!

She got off the train and walked to her shop. She had wanted to open her shop nine o'clock and close at eight in the evening, but today, she arrived at a quarter to ten. She took out her shop keys, that she always kept separate from her house keys. She may lose her house keys, but she would be damned if she lost her store's keys. She opened the shop and settled her bag beside the counter when a man walked into her shop. The man was young, perhaps in his late twenties, his black hair tied back in a short ponytail. He was wearing a black business suit that suggested that he was some kind of corporate shark or lawyer. She recognized the suit being an original Armani. Rin couldn't afford the expensive designs, but she could sure as hell recognize them. He was wearing sunglasses so she couldn't see his eyes but they seemed to be looking at her when he walked into the shop.

She combed a strand of hair back from her face. "Can I help you?" The man took off his glasses. Rin raised an eyebrow. The man was hot! His eyes were deep brown, and his face was chiseled to show off a strong jaw, a short, pert nose, and he was smiling, showing off a great set of perfect, white teeth.

"Well, I'm looking for a gift for my fiancé and I saw this shop." Rin smiled. "Oh, is there anything in particular that you were looking for?"

"Well, it's her birthday and I wanted to get her something special."

"Oh, does she have a favorite color or does she like any thing in particular?"

"Her favorite color is Red."

"Oh, well, I have this wonderful red sleeveless dress that she might like. It's right here…" she turned to find the dress, when the door of her shop flew open and Sango rushed in, her back pack hanging by her hand.

Rin turned as Sango made her way towards her. She threw her bag on the floor. "Are you all right?" she asked, while checking Rin's face for any kind of bruises or cuts. Rin pushed her hands away. "Yes, I'm fine. Sango, what's wrong with you?" Sango let out a sigh. Oh boy, here it comes! "What's wrong?! What's wrong, you ask? You're car gets stolen by some maniac. You don't call us to tell us about it. I had to hear it from Marcus. You remember Marcus?! He's a rookie with the same precinct that you went to, to file your report." Damn! "He told me that some maniac made off with your car in front of your building, and that you came away with scratches and bruises. You know, I should call Kagome right now!"

Rin stood there quiet. She could see from the corner of her eyes that the man was watching Sango as she went on her rant. "Sango! Relax, will you? I'm fine."

"You're fine?!" Sango threw up her hands. "I'm fine, she says!" She started in again when she noticed a man in the shop staring at her. She turned, her eyes still raging with anger, but they softened when she realized that Rin was with a customer. "Oh, I'm sorry." She turned back to Rin. "I didn't know that you were with someone. I'll just wait in the back until you're done." Then made her way to Rin's office. Rin sighed and blew out a breath. "I'm very sorry about that."

"No, it's all right. I didn't know that you were having a few problems. Maybe I should come back later." Rin's head snapped forward.

"No, it's okay. I'll go find that dress. What size is your fiancé?

"Ah…size 6."

"Okay." She shifted through the racks and came away with the red sleeveless V-neck dress that she designed a year ago. She displayed the dress to the young man. "Well, here it is. What do you think?" The man looked at the dress, and made his decision. "I like it. I'll take it. I'm sure that she'll love it." Rin smiled, and rang up the purchase. The man left the door, turning back to smile at her. "I believe that your friend will be wanting to see you now." And with that, he left.

Rin sat there, chewing on her fingernails. Now it was time to face the tornado. She found Sango in her office reading some of her notes, but she stopped and looked up. Before she could say anything, Rin interrupted her. "I was going call you this morning. I didn't want you to worry so I kept it to myself, plus it was my car that was stolen and I'm fine, as you can see. I'm standing here as healthy as a track runner." She paused. Sango said nothing but she had that look on her face. The look that said "Don't bullshit me!" Rin gave up. "Okay, okay, I wasn't going to tell you until I heard some news from police about my car." Sango opened her mouth to say something but again Rin cut her off. "I'm sorry, okay. I should have known better that you'd find out sooner or later. You're connected with the police so well that you could run it yourself." This had Sango smirking. "So am I forgiven?" Rin pleaded, putting on her most child-like face.

"You're forgiven, but Rin, you know that you can call me or Kagome at any time, right?! You don't have to hide things from us." Rin joined Sango on the sofa. "Right."

"Well, I've forgiven you, but you're forgetting about Kagome. You still have to tell her." Rin sighed. Oh god, telling Kagome about an accident was surely a way to get her into her doctor mode. She would insist that she get checked out by a doctor, but of course, Rin would put her foot down on that one. She hated hospitals, and most of all she hated doctors. Kagome was the only exception!

"Couldn't you tell her? That would soften the blow."

"Uh-uh…I'm not telling her. She'd skin me alive for not calling her when I found out."

"Okay, okay, I'll tell her tonight. You know, there's this new restaurant that I would love to check out. I'll tell her then."

"You mean, you'll tell her when she's liquored up and won't remember anything you've told her until the next morning, thinking that she already gave you the lecture of the day." Sango gave her a look.

"You're damn right!"

Sango laughed. "Okay, well, I've got to get to class so I'll catch you tonight." Rin walked Sango to the door. "All right. Bye!"

"Later!"

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It was almost noon when Miroku walked into the office building with the shopping bag in hand. He had just bought a sleek and sexy red dress and for who. "Nobody, that's who!" he muttered as he stepped into an elevator, pressing the button for the eighty-sixth floor. Although he wouldn't have mind seeing that little dress on that gorgeous black haired beauty that stormed into the shop demanding answers. She was beautiful! Miroku had never seen a woman quite like her, and he had seen a few. She was tall, leggy, her tight blue jeans showing off excellent curves, and a white tank top that showed off her creamy arms. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail, exposing the contours of her face that he wanted to touch, and almost did, when she made him snap out of it with that apology, which was not needed. Basically, Miroku just wanted to see her again. "Sango, what a lovely name for a goddess." He mumbled, walking to his office. He set the bag down when his secretary walked in.

"Mr. Takaya. Sesshomaru would like to see you in his office right now."

"Yes, Sylvia. Tell Sesshomaru that I will be there in a moment."

"Yes, Sir." And she left, closing the door behind her. The meeting with Sesshomaru was inevitable. Last night, he was supposed to retrieve the disk that had been stolen from their offices, but he failed again, and now, Sesshomaru would surely skin him this time. He looked out of his office, taking in the sight of New York City. He had grown up in Queens, poor, and had only dreamed of a job like this one. He was the Executive of a Technology company. He had money, a fabulous condominium, and women. Last night, he had Simon by the throat, demanding that he tell them where he had hidden the disk, but the poor bastard didn't know, so Miroku took care of him. He heard the phone buzz and took that as a signal that he was stalling.

He walked out of his office and headed up to the one hundred and sixth floor. He saw Sesshomaru's secretary, typing away at her computer. Without looking up, she said, "He's waiting for you, and he isn't happy."

Miroku sighed. "Why thank you, Kagura."

"You're welcome!" This time, she did look up, and smiled. It seemed that she was still mad about him breaking off their relationship a week ago. And she was upset. She had nearly broken everything in his apartment when she finally stormed out, still cursing and breaking his things on her way out. He learned a valuable lesson then. He learned never to date crazy women.

He walked into Sesshomaru's office who, at the moment was standing, looking out of his window, his back turned to Miroku. He spoke without turning around. "Well, I assume that you do not have the disk or this would have been you're first stop into the building."

Miroku cleared his throat. "No, I do not have it. Simon was uncooperative." Sesshomaru turned around then, his amber eyes glowing with annoyance. "Well, is it not your job to make people cooperate?"

"Yes, sir, it is, but we searched him and he didn't have the disk on him."

Sesshomaru paused. "I see."

"And so I took care of him. But I did find someone who might have the disk."

Sesshomaru lifted an eyebrow. "You do. Well, who is that?"

"A woman who owns a boutique uptown. I saw her pick it up when we were chasing Simon after he had stolen the young woman's car for his escape."

"Really?" Miroku could see that Sesshomaru's anger was boiling. "Why didn't you retrieve the disk?"

"She was heading into her apartment building when an old woman came out to greet her and soon after the police came. I did not want to make a scene unless you preferred otherwise."

"No, I want this discreet as possible. Who is this woman?"

"Rin Mitsu. She owns the shop. I followed the police car to the 27th precinct and discovered that she had filed a police report about her stolen car."

"Fine. I want to know everything about this woman. I want her file on my desk by 2:00. Have Shippou help you with that."

"Yes, Sir." And with a wave of his hand, he dismissed Miroku. Sesshomaru stood there, watching Miroku leave, when Kikyo came strolling in. She locked the door behind her and made her way toward Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru noticed that today she chose to wear a black miniskirt with a white tank top that was cut low to show of a pair of what he considered, voluptuous breasts. She was wearing the diamonds that he had given her for her birthday around her neck, and her black stiletto heels, which made her legs look long and sexy as they disappeared into her skirt.

"Is Sesshomaru having a bad day?" Kikyo said, her voice taking on a sultry and seductive tone. Her brown eyes flashed as she made her way around the large oak desk and sat there, her open legs giving him an enticing view. "Can I make it better?" She said, bringing her heel to caress the Sesshomaru's inner thighs, and made her way toward his pride. Sesshomaru grabbed her leg and settled himself between her thighs. "I've had a horrible day so far. I am sure that you could do a lot of things that will make me feel better." He planted kisses on her neck and shoulders.

"Well lover, all you had to do was ask." And with that, she kissed him harshly with as much passion that he would give.

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"Well lover, that was good." Kikyo said, as she pulled on her skirt and fluffed her black hair. Sesshomaru didn't reply. He fixed his pants and shirt and went back to his work. "Don't you have something to do Kikyo?" Kikyo scowled. She despised how Sesshomaru would easily dismiss her as if she were the help. "Can a girl just visit her lover in his office?" Sesshomaru looked up, his eyes holding a gleam of annoyance. Kikyo recognized the face and just grabbed her purse and made her way out the office. "Fine. I'll see you later." she scowled as made sure to slam his office door as hard as she could.

Sesshomaru sat there, a pen in his hand, thinking about the woman who declared herself his lover. Kikyo was a fiery woman and he admired that about her. She was ambitious, cold hearted, and inventive in bed, but he was tiring of her. As the year progressed, from the moment that he met her, she became more and more attached, relying on him for support and most all, money. He gave her whatever she wanted, just to keep her busy and out of his hair until the moment came that he just needed her for sex. Just then, he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in." Miroku walked in carrying a file in his hand.

"Here is the file that you wanted." He handed the file to Sesshomaru who took it in his hand and began to read all the information that he could gather from Rin Mitsu. The first thing displayed in the file as he opened it was a large photo of Rin. He took out the photo and stared at it. "That is all Miroku. You may go."

"Do you want me to handle her?"

"No." Sesshomaru replied. "I think that I am going to handle this myself."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. This was a surprise to hear that Sesshomaru would take care of anything as base as this, especially taking care of this woman.

"Fine."

"I will inform you if I need you." And Miroku took that as his dismissal. Sesshomaru studied the picture and began to read the file on Ms. Rin Mitsu.

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Throughout the day, Rin had one call from Kagome. Kagome had asked if they were still on for tonight and she said yes. She didn't mention anything about last night's events and it seemed that Sango kept her word in not telling Kagome about what happened. She didn't bother calling the precinct to hear about any news about her car, but went on with her day as she did before all the madness began.

There were several customers throughout the day, buying, ordering, and so forth. On her lunch break, which for her was about 2 o'clock, she went out to make a spare copy of her house keys, and started the design for Suzie Janssom's wedding dress, and so far, it was coming out pretty well. She already laid the foundation of the dress. She was thinking about see through sleeves, laced from wrist to shoulder, settled into the front of the dress that would be cut low. She started in on the bottom of the dress when a she heard the bell of her shop ring. She looked up from her pad to see the most gorgeous man to ever walk into her shop, her life.

Rin dropped her pencil on the floor as he came strolling in. She stood there, her mouth partially open. She might have been drooling for all she knew, and closed her mouth. She straightened up as he made his way to the counter.

"Hello." He said, his voice deep and sexy. Rin couldn't help but stare at his face. He had long white hair that fell past his shoulders, down his back. He had the most amazing hazel eyes that Rin had ever seen. They were almost amber and slender. His face was perfectly chiseled, revealing a sensitive mouth, which at the moment was upturned into a smile, excellent cheekbones, and his skin looked as smooth as silk. His body was hugged by what appeared to be a white short sleeved collared shirt over black slacks. He had a pair of sunglasses pushed into his hair. Rin was speechless the whole time, not noticing that he was speaking to her as she stood there agog from his demeanor.

"I'm sorry." She said. It was a poor excuse for not paying attention. She straightened up and waited for his reply. What the hell is the matter with me? Rin had never been this captivated by a man, any man. She was sometimes oblivious to the fact that men were around her. In her life, she didn't have time for men and dates, which was one of the things that Kagome always complained about.

He smiled again. Oh my god! "I was saying that that is a lovely dress." He said, pointing to her pad. She looked down. "Ohh…thank you."

"Is it for you?" Rin jerked her head.

"No, it's for a client. Her daughter's getting married so she hired me to design her dress."

"Oh, well, I think that it is coming along rather nicely." Rin smiled.

"Uhmm…can I help you with anything?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Rin Mitsu. I was told that she worked here." Rin was surprised to hear her name, but she loved how her name sounded out of his lips.

"Oh, well, you're looking at her." He smiled again. This time, Rin was sure that her knees would go out from her under her at any moment, so instead, she walked around the counter to stand in front of him.

He was tall, topping her over a foot tall. Her 5'3" was meager and she felt so short. He looked about 6 feet. Six feet of hard muscle and strength, Rin noted. She had to look up to talk to him.

"So how can I help you?" she asked, all the while, a smile was plastered to her face. She could feel the heat rush into her face as she stood so near him.

"Well, I heard about you from Sara Vernon." Rin widened her eyes. Sara Vernon had been her professor at the Fashion Institute. In fact, she was the one who helped Rin accomplish her dream opening the shop. Sara, as she liked to be called, was the one of the few people who believed that she could make it in the fashion industry. Sara introduced her to a variety of important people who had seen her designs on display, and had bought some of them.

The money that she gained from them helped her when she needed to buy the fabric, the shop, and everything else. The bank's loan and Sara's help made her dream come true. She had just spoken to Sara last week, to update her on the progress of the shop. Rin was going to call her this weekend about the opening. It was strange to hear Sara's name from this man's lips.

"I'm sorry but how do you know Sara Vernon?" she asked, intrigued by this man.

"Oh well, let me introduce myself. My name is Sesshomaru Hayama." He held out his hand. Rin was overwhelmed but she returned his handshake. She had heard of Sesshomaru Hayama, but she had never seen him in person. He was the CEO of Hayama Technology, which specialized in computer software, and it was rumored that they dealt with defense weapons in the Defense Department for the government but it was never confirmed or denied. That was about all she knew about him except for the fact that he was drop dead gorgeous. She stood there avid, grinning like a baby with a lollypop.

She finally snapped out if it when he began to compliment her on her shop. "Thank you, but how can I help you?"

"Well, Sara tells me that you're a designer, and I am looking for someone to design me a dress." Rin raised an eyebrow. Sesshomaru laughed. Rin noticed that she liked his laugh as well.

"Not for me. It's for my sister. It is for a party that I am having and it just so happens that it is her birthday as well. She has seen some of your designs and she likes them. I was hoping that you would help me with that."

Rin was ecstatic. Here she was being commissioned to design a dress for Sesshomaru Hayama's sister, and she could hardly contain her excitement. She jumped at the chance. "Yes, I will help you. When is the party?"

"In 3 weeks. I was hoping that we could make an appointment so we could discuss the plans."

"Well, yes we can." She continued to smile, her smile not wavering one bit.

"Good. I have a meeting this afternoon. But when are you able to make it?"

"Well, I can make it tomorrow on my lunch break, which is around 2."

"Wonderful. So tomorrow it is, at 2 o'clock. I'll have a car pick you up."

What?! "Oh, that's okay, I can take the train."

"No, please Ms. Mitsu, I insist." He was giving her what appeared to be the sweetest smile and Rin couldn't resist.

"Here's my card…" he took a small white card from his wallet, and handed it to her. "If you ever need to call me, I can be reached at either number."

"Thank you. But you can call me Rin, Mr. Hayama." She said. She looked at the card, noticing that the address was downtown in the Financial District.

"No need to thank me, Rin. And please, call me Sesshomaru." Rin had to smile again at that. He turned to leave, but not before taking Rin's hand, and placing a light kiss on it. The touch of his lips on her skin sent shivers through her body. Her body reacted as her head set in the fact that she just had the most beautiful man kiss her hand. She stood there, speechless, when he turned her hand over and placed another chaste kiss on her palm, which seemed so erotic as his eyes stared at her as he kissed her.

"I will see you tomorrow, Rin." And with that, left Rin standing there, her hand still out. Rin let out a breath that she was holding. "I think that this is going to be a long 3 weeks!" But she said with a grin.