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One of my most favoritest stories (not written by me)
Sessh/Rin romance fanfiction by- Cyancat

The Captive Bride

Chapter One - Shocked Words

“Is something wrong, Rin?” Mr. Tosai Hashi looked at her anxiously through the tinted lenses of his glasses.

“No.” Rin Nagawa shook her head in quick denial even though her world was spinning dizzily. If she hadn’t been sitting down when he’d made his announcement, her legs wouldn’t have supported her. As it was, her pale complexion had grown paler by the second. “It’s just... such a surprise. You never mentioned that you were considering selling the company. You didn’t even as hint that...” Her voice trailed off, she was worried that her horrified astonishment might make him suspicious.

“I used the wrong word. It’s actually being classified as a merger. It isn’t even official yet and won’t be until the final papers are signed.” Mr. Hashi explained, “Naturally Sadamoto wants it all silent until that time. You know how the stock speculators would leap on any news related to Taisho Twin Swords Corporate.”

“When...when will that be?” Rin tried to get a grip on herself and respond with her usual calm efficiency.

“When will what be?” The short, thin man frowned absently at the question, his keenly intelligent mind having already dismissed any subject that was clear to him. A lanky hand ran over his balding head, pondering Rin’s question.

“When will the final papers be signed? How soon before Taisho takes over?” In her mind she was wondering how long she had.

“The contract agreement is being finalized now by the attorneys. All the terms have been agreed on, so it’s only a matter of taking care of a few minor details. I imagine it will be within the next month.” Mr. Hashi shrugged, as if the exact date was unimportant.

Within the month. The phrase crashed through her mind with the force of a deathblow. Rin felt sick to her stomach, a nauseous pain hammering through her head. She glanced at the account sheets and ledger books on her desk, avoiding eye contact with her boss so he wouldn’t see the stricken look of frantic desperation in her hazel eyes.

“I wish you had mentioned it to me before.” Her weak response barely above a whisper.

“Sadamoto asked me to wait until we had ironed out the terms. He didn’t want a lot of premature rumors flying around, and I agreed. Now that the merger is certain, I explained to him that I had to inform my key employees, like yourself. After all, we are going to have a final audit of the books to close out Sagawa Affiliates as a separate entity and begin the change-over in reporting.” He made it all sound so unimportant of course, which to him it was.

“Will this... Mr. Sadamoto be doing the final audit?” Rin asked, swallowing the sickening rush of fear.

“Good god, girl, NO!” Mr. Hashi laughed in his amusement. “Sesshomaru Sadamoto is the president of Taisho Twin Swords Corporate. He’s the son of the founder, Taisho Sadamoto! I’ve heard of another son, but I don’t think he’s part of the business anyway. No, the final audit will be done by you, the same way it always has. Naturally someone from his accounting staff will assist you in transferring everything to their system and aid you in the audit.”

“I see.” Rin murmured, killing the foolish hope that her secret might remain hidden.

Her less than enthusiastic response to this announcement nagged at Tosai Hashi. She was never this depressed about good news such as this. “Something is bothering you, Miss Nagawa. What is it?”

“I am ... concerned about this merger.” Rin admitted, removing the pencil from the sleek raven strands of hair near her ear. Her fingers fidgeted with it as she tried to find the precise words to explain her situation. “You know how ill my mother is... and...”

“Ah, I see. You are worried that this will affect your position, aren’t you? You needn’t be, Miss Nagawa. Sadamoto has assured me there will be no drastic changes. Part of the agreement was that you kept your position in the company. You have no fear that you will be fired, my dear. I have fully stressed how conscientious you have been in your work, and made them aware of your flawless work record. Sadamoto indicated to me that there would be no change in your salary or your position. If anything, your benefits will be increased, since you will be working for a large corporation.”

His praise wasn’t very reassuring because he didn’t have all the facts. “That’s very kind of you, Mr. Hashi.” Rin began, but got no farther.

“Kind?” He scoffed at her words. “It’s the least I could do after all the invaluable support you have given me. You don’t realize what a very vital part you play in this company. I don’t know how I would have coped after my brother died if you hadn’t shouldered the responsibility of this department.”

“Thank you, but I-”

He interrupted her with a heavy sigh. “We both know, Miss Nagawa, that my brother was the businessman, not me. I haven’t a skilled bone in my body when it comes to managing a company. I can barely organize myself, let alone a half dozen departments and their staff. I knew it when Myoga died, but after a year and a half of supposedly being in charge, I’m convinced that the company is only suffering under my leadership.”

“Every employee has enormous respect for you.” Rin insisted, because it was the truth. “You are a genius!”

“In my field,” he corrected. “In my field I am a genius and my field is not management. I belong in the backroom, tinkering with my designs and making new ideas. As soon as Sadamoto signs the papers, that’s where I’ll be. He admitted that the only reason they’re buying the company is for the designs. Naturally, it will be another expansion for them, but my designs were the key.” Tosai Hashi declared without false intentions.

Rin moistened her lips nervously. With each second that passed, it was becoming more and more difficult to tell him her situation. “I believe you sir.” Rin let out, needing to say something in the silence. The buzz of the intercom interrupted her. She answered it and glanced at her employer. “It’s your secretary, you have a long distance call.”

He grimaced and sighed, “I’ll be glad when somebody takes over for me. Tell her I’ll be right there.” With long harried strides, he left her office while Rin placed the phone down.

Her hand quickly spread protectively over a ledger book. She had known for a year that Tosai Hashi disliked running the company, but as head of the accounting department, Rin had always expected that she would be consulted if he ever contemplated selling the firm. She never once suspected the company such as Taisho Twin Swords Corporate would approach him with a merger offer. Sagawa Affiliates was a lightweight firm in the field of innovative weapon designs. But she had overlooked one thing. How other companies would crave those designs, those innovative ideas and... their creator.



If Taisho Twin Swords Corporate was taking over in a month, Rin was positive some of their executive and staff would be taking an active part in the company before that. She had been so wrapped up in her own problems that she hadn’t seen the warning signs. With more time, she could have taken steps to alter the situation. What chance did she have of doing it now? None. Maybe the discrepancy in the ledgers wouldn’t be noticed. Or maybe if she explained what had happened to the new owner, he would understand. After all, there hadn’t been any criminal intent involved.

Rin stared down at the book for a moment before wilting under her own pressure, laying her head upon her desk. No. There was no way in hell that they’d miss this huge of a loss. How could they not miss $55, 000 just missing from the accounts? It was her fault that she had even taken the money and soon she was going to have to pay for it, one way or another.

Rin quickly lifted her head and gathered up the black ledger book, carrying it to the fireproof cabinet to lock it securely inside. She had just closed the door and was turning the key when a pair of arms curved around her waist from behind and a mouth began nuzzling the slender length of her neck.

“Its almost quitting time, lover.” a voice murmured. “Why don’t you let me take you away from all this?”

Rin stiffened in the embrace, recognizing the voice, the insolent exploration of that mouth, and the masculine feel of the body pressed against hers. She pried apart the arms crossed in front of her and made her away from this unwanted body.

“It happens to be a full twenty minutes before quitting time, Kohaku.” Rin walked to her desk in the small windowless office. “You may not have any work to do, but I do.”

“So? Leave it.” Kohaku Yoshida followed her to the desk, brazen by her rejection of his advance. “Hashi’s busy. He won’t be back. What’s the difference if you leave early anyway? He’s sold us out to be absorbed by a giant.”

“Where did you hear that from?” Rin threw a glaring look at him, knowing he wanted information and she wasn’t going to supply it.

“Hashi paid a visit to my department before he came here.” Kohaku informed Rin with a mocking look. “So you aren’t letting anything out of the bag, my secretive beauty.”

Rin let the compliment go. Kohaku Yoshida was too free with them. His compelling complementing tongue was a vital part of his forceful charm. Because of that, his good looks, and his salesman’s refusal to take no for an answer, he was very successful at his job... and with women.

“You don’t look exactly overjoyed by the news.” he observed.

“It doesn’t change my position.” Her long fingers began tapping out the number of a column of figures on the keys of the adding machine. She noticed Kohaku moving away from her desk and hoped he was leaving. She wasn’t in any mood to deal with him anymore.

But leaving wasn’t his intention. Instead he walked over to pull the plug to the adding machine from the wall socket. It instantly went dead. Rin pressed her lips into a thin line.

“Will you plug that back in? I have work to do!” Rin said, not even trying to hide her irritation.

“All work and no play makes Rin very dull.” Kohaku taunted flinging the power cord to the ground.

“I am very dull. Why don’t you accept that?” She retorted.

“Because no one as beautiful as you are could possibly be dull.” He walked around her chair and sat on the corner near her.

Rin glared once more at Kohaku before turning to roll her chair away from her desk to plug the cord in herself. Kohaku quickly captured both armrests to trap her in the chair. His brown eyes ran slowly over the molding lines of her blue tweed jacket, on the angrily beating pulse in her throat, and admired the flawless features of her oval face, wiped clean of any expression. Raven black hair formed around her pale frame, pulled away from her face in a orderly coil. Long and uncommonly dark eyelashes outlined the hazel of her eyes, shooting out electric flashes of irritation.

“Get out of my way, Kohaku. I don’t have time for your games.” Rin tried to get up, but Kohaku intervened by placing himself closer to her trapped body.

He shook his head mockingly at her. “Not like that, I won’t. Have dinner with me first.” He smiled broadly, showing his bright white teeth. “Then we can celebrate our union into the big time.”

“That’s highly impossible. I go home straight after work. I don’t have time for dinner...or you.” Rin wished that he could remember this, as she had told him the same thing everyday.

“How about I come home with you then? We could have a fine dinner, then sit on the couch and talk a little...” Kohaku’s mouth spread into a malicious grin.

“A little? You talk? Really, tell me Kohaku, what would you want to talk about? Politics? Accounting? Or what the color of my bedspread is? No way! Last time I let you in, it turned into a wrestling match in the living room. I am not dealing with you again! Get the hint! I’m not interested in you AT ALL!”

Kohaku rolled his eyes. “It might seem that you try too hard to get rid of me. May there be some underlying love hidden deep with you?”

“If there it is, I’ll send it back.” Rin stated coldly before trying to turn her chair away from Kohaku. He kept his grip tight.

“Rin, you need someone to take care of you. A lovely lady such as yourself should not go through life alone. Enjoy life and have a little fun.” He stated as he trailed a finger down her cheek to her lips. “With me, you could have a lot of fun.”

Rin brushed away his hand. “I don’t need you or anyone to take care of me. I’m fine by myself. Don’t try anything more, because none of it is going to work. I can’t think of anything more boring than spending time with you.”

Kohaku quickly stood and straightened out the sleeves of his blue dress shirt. “You’re just saying that.”

“Am I?” Rin said with a raised eyebrow. “I’ve heard talk, you know.”

He walked away from Rin’s desk and headed towards her door. Turning to her, she noticed that he didn’t look angry, but not pleased either. “You really need to get out because your life revolves around this room. Once in a while you should fit in time for friends, not paper and books.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Good-bye Kohaku.” She replied dryly, turning back to plug back in the power cord to her adding machine.

She busily began tapping away at the machine, not bothering to see if Kohaku left. When her door closed, Rin paused from her work and sighed. Was she really that much of a workaholic? Maybe she should have taken that date with Kohaku. Her mind drifted, thinking more about the money and the merger. Her blood ran cold at the thought of it.

A glance at her watch made Rin realize it was half past five and her eyes widened in surprise. “s**t! I’ve missed the bus.” Rin groaned as she began assembling her things. Now she was going to have to wait for the next one.

The setting sun was a beautiful backdrop for the bus ride home on through Tokyo , but Rin didn’t notice the view at all. Her mind was more impatient to be home right now. When the bus finally came to her stop, it had seemed like eternity. She jogged the two block distance to her home, not caring that she was in heels and a short skirt. She just wanted to be home.

Finally it came into sight, a one-story house of red brick with green shutters. The house was were she had grown up with her parents whom at the time, wanted the American look. Opening the door, she had time to put down her purse and jacket.

“Sorry, I’m late Sango.” she apologized to the young woman whom had just walked out of the living room. Her long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her red blouse accented her almond face perfectly. “I missed my bus. I hope I didn’t keep you from anything.”

“No way Rin!” Sango laughed. “The only thing waiting for me at home is my cat.”

Rin shot her a quizzical look. “I thought that you were going out with that new guy of yours... What was his name? Shiro?”

“Oh, you mean Miroku.” Sango blushed. “Well, its kinda off and on with him. Sometimes I don’t know if he’s interested in just me or all women. Seriously, I feel like he wants to grope every woman’s butt! His eyes wander every were, but when he talks to me, I feel like the only woman in the world.”

“Good to hear, Sango. So...” Rin lowered her voice. “How’s Mom?”

Sango smiled and addressed the room she had just left. “Why don’t you look for yourself?”

Rin looked anxiously from Sango to the living room and nearly bolted inside. Her smile widened as she saw the thin woman sitting in a cushioned armchair.

“I guess you’re feeling better today.” She bent to kiss the pale face. “Hi, Mom.”

“How was your day dear?” Her mother’s words were slow and carefully placed to conceal her speech slur.

“Fine.” Rin lied. “How about your day?”

“I helped Sango plant some flowers in the back and we made a pie today, though she did most of the work. It’s your favorite, plum.” A smile curved a corner of her mouth, but her muscles weren’t able to hold it. But her eyes held the most life that Rin had seen in a long time, hazel just like hers.

Each day it was the same question that she asked her mother. It had to be boring for her mother to be kept within these walls all day sitting in a chair, but it was typical for her not to complain. She had only complained once in her life and it was only a simple, “Why?”

It was when the doctor had informed Rin and her mother that she had a debilitating disease that was slowly but surely killing her muscles. That had been three years and innumerable medical bills ago. These last few months though, had been the hardest. Rin could only watch as her mother’s condition deteriorated rapidly, which the doctor had warned would happen. She couldn’t even do the simplest things for herself anymore, which was why Rin had hired Sango Yoshida. She was a nurse right out of school that had the right heart to help people in need and just a few years older than Rin herself. But now, Rin was at ease that there would always be someone with her mother. Though it had been tough to take in that she was the older sister of the same Kohaku that she worked with. It just didn’t seem like they were really related.

Through all the treatments, the drugs, Sango’s salary, the doctor’s bill had long ago exhausted their meager savings. The house was mortgaged twice and even the inheritance that her mother received eight months ago from some distant relative was gone. Three months ago, Rin had been at her wit’s end, going crazy trying to figure out what to do until an answer formed in her mind. She’d have to come up with another answer now, but this time it was going to be even harder.

Rin saw Sango off into the night and then started dinner for them. It was a light meal consisting of udon noodles, mashed plums, and a soup broth made from scallions and fish. Rin fed her mother the meal, her arm coordination gone long ago from the disease. In between bites, her mother requested to know how work was. Rin paused for a bit before revealing the recent happenings that she had just learned that day. Her mother was very surprised.

“Will it mean a promotion for you?”

“It could.” A smile crossed Rin’s lips. “Or it could mean that I won’t have a job. The new company may get rid of me when they take over.”

“Do you really think so?” Her mother said with a frown.

“I’m really not worried about it mother. Even if I do, it will be easy to find another job. The paper is full of listings for bookkeepers. It won’t be any trouble.”

“True.” Her mother chirped. “But it’s still a hassle. When will you know?”

“Not until next month probably. That’s when they move in.” Rin said with a sigh.

“You were always beautiful, you know.” Her mother said after a long pause. Rin shook her head, not understanding her words.

“What are you talking about, Mom?”

“Even as a little girl, I knew you were going to be a beautiful woman and now here you are, a woman. I look around here and I see how your life is and I feel guilty sometimes.”

“Mom, you shouldn’t feel that way! I want to take care of you!” Rin interrupted. She didn’t need her mother to go into a state of depression, just as she was looking better today.

“But its true. It’s my fault that you aren’t enjoying life like you should. Your young life is passing you by because of me and this disease.” her mother declared with an sadness in her voice. “I never wanted to put such hardship on you at such a young age. You were only 19 when you had to care for me and now, at 23 years old, you still have done so little in your life.”

“Mom, please. I’m not complaining about this. I have the rest of my life to date, go to parties and dance the night away. Right now I’m were I’m needed the most.” Rin hated to say more that she only had a few months left with her.

“I was blessed to have such a great daughter.”

Tears sprang to Rin’s eyes and she quickly turned so that her mother didn’t see them as she wiped her face. “I certainly hope so.” She declared, attempting to make a joke out of her tears.

“You’re full of yourself.” Her mother laughed as Rin plastered a smile upon her face once more.


Chapter Two -A Meeting that Wasn’t Fate


“It’s going to be a great day today.” Koga Kato sighed as he stared out the window of the sleek black sporty car he was riding in. “I wish I was spending it out running though.”

“Rather than spend a day with me and the spinster that Tosai keeps raving about?” Sesshomaru Sadamoto said as he glanced away from traffic to peer at the man beside him.

Koga shook his head, his long hair waving like a black sea. “Sess, I’m surprised about you. Of all the people I know, you can figure out a person instantly, yet you immediately think this woman is the worst kind of person. I have no doubt about her. All the balance sheets and statements I saw looked like they were done by a professional, not some two-bit floozy.”

Sess turned his head back to traffic and stared at the car ahead of them.

“No, its not that, is it Sess?” Koga realized with a look to Sesshomaru’s serious face. “You’re still harboring over your father’s will aren’t you? That’s it isn’t it?!”

“Like it was anything else?” Sesshomaru retorted with a snort. “I don’t even understand the old dead b*****d! Why do I have to get married?! Why just me?! I’m not the only one in the family. There’s Inuyasha, too. Yet, no! He doesn’t have to do jack squat! Just sit at home on his hanyo butt! I’ve been running this company since my old man retired years ago, and now that he’s dead, I have to get married just to own it?! Do you know how brainless that sounds? I earned that right years ago, damn it!” Sesshomaru slammed his fist upon the steering wheel causing Koga to get the message that he didn’t want to talk anymore about the subject.

Koga stared silently at traffic for a moment before deciding to change the subject. “So... what do you think about Sagawa Affiliates? Do you think Tosai’s designs are worth overtaking the company for? I mean, they’re just designs at most.”

Sesshomaru glanced at Koga with a questioning look before turning back to the road. “But they’re good designs, Koga. You may not have handled many swords in your life, but I have. I know good craftsmanship. Those swords of his are strong and powerful in the right hands. Plus, the company’s been inactive for two years and there’s been no growth since Tosai’s brother died. With those designs of his, the company should have taken off. Tosai doesn’t know what he has in that company.”

“Had,” Koga corrected. “You own those designs now. And you didn’t even let the old man know how much they were worth.”

“So? We both got what we wanted.” Sesshomaru shrugged. “It doesn’t matter how much they were worth. For the time being, Sagawa will serve to just handle our overflow.”

“Remember, you promised Tosai that you’d keep the employees there as part of the contract.” Koga prompted him.

“I’ll keep who I see fit. The others will probably find the working conditions not to their liking and voluntarily quit.” Sesshomaru’s amused glance was full of scheming.

“That’s cruel.” Koga reacted with a laugh. “As long as I’ve known you, you’ve always had a way about you that said ‘evil with a smile.’ Did you ever think that we’d be doing this sort of stuff when we were older? I never thought it for a second. I believed it would be running around, chasing out demons, and ordering around my subordinates. Now my only subordinates work with calculators and computers.”

“Don’t sound do sad about it.” Sesshomaru stated as he pulled the car into the Sagawa Affiliates parking lot. “Just the other day, you were raving at how marvelous the new computer system was. Sure, times have changed, but that’s all. We just can’t run around like animals anymore. Life has changed for all of us and we have to adapt, even if we don’t like it.”

“This is true, my friend. ” Koga stated. “And I don’t mind working for you, but... I’d sure as hell hate to be these people doing business with you. This kind of work really brings out the demon in you. I mean, I think you actually like taking out these tiny companies and smothering out the competition.”

“You make me sound like a villain.” Sesshomaru’s mouth smirked. “Even if we are both demon, this job is still hard on our nerves. You know as well as I do what this kind of feral work can do to us. It’s just like killing, only we don’t get the blood on our hands anymore.”

“Yeah, well it’s still just as messy to deal with.” Koga remarked and got out of the parked car.

Sesshomaru scoffed at the wolf demon that he’d been friends with for nearly over two centuries and got out of the car as well.

They’d known each other since they were young and had grown up together through the years. Their families had worked together for many centuries to keep the demons of the area in check. Along the way, Taisho started a business to make sure that life would be easy for his family. When the time was right, Sesshomaru started work in his father’s business and so did Koga. The friendship they possessed wasn’t seen by many, but when in private the two could drop all formalities and be themselves. As time went on, Koga became the best financial manager that Taisho’s company had ever seen and Sesshomaru eventually went from vice-president to president when his father suddenly died due to a strange demon disease that no one could figure out.

As Sesshomaru stepped out of his car, a green transit bus pulled away from the street corner. His attention immediately went to the slim black haired woman who had obviously just gotten off the bus. She was hurriedly walking towards the main entrance and by the time he and Koga had gotten half way to the front doors, the girl was ahead of them.

A whipping wind was plastering her yellow silk skirt to the back of her legs, suggestively outlining the slender curve of her hips. Sesshomaru wouldn’t have been honest if he didn’t admit to liking what he saw. He grinned as he let his eyes wander over the graceful curves of her legs and hips as she bent down to pick up a set of keys she had dropped.

As she straightened, the silk shawl that had been wrapped around her shoulders slipped away with the wind and fell to the ground just in front of Sesshomaru’s feet. He nonchalantly reached down to grab it before the wind could take it further. When she turned around, he felt his entire body stir at the sight of her. Hazel eyes were beautifully framed in her oval face and her cascading black hair reminded him of darkest night. Her pale pink lips parted slightly in gratitude towards him but that was all. As she took the shawl from his outstretched hand, Sesshomaru let it pull slowly through his fingers, somehow knowing that it was just as smooth as her skin would be underneath those clothes.

“Thank you.” she said quietly before rushing off inside the building.

Sesshomaru watched the woman walk hurriedly away inside the building, his mind repeating every curve and shape of her firm body. Even that enchanting voice was a melodious tune.

Koga exhaled a long breath beside him. “I thought I’d never see the day. There is actually one in this world.”

Sesshomaru snapped out of the trance he was in and replaced his serious face, turning to Koga. “There is one what in this world?”

“A human that could stop you in your tracks. I don’t know if your eyes have popped back in their sockets yet.”

“You’re seeing things.” Sesshomaru scoffed and started walking toward the building. “I don’t get involved with humans.”

“I think you just met the exception, Sess.” Koga kidded as he caught up with the dog demon. “Even I would be worked up over a girl like that, but then again, I already have a mate at home. I just need to go home to Ayame and be reminded of what I have.”

Sesshomaru opened the front door and let Koga walk in before him. “Yeah and every time you come back from home, you complain about the mood swings she gets from being pregnant. I don’t think that having a mate is such a great thing. There are other things in life than women.”

Koga turned back to Sesshomaru, mouth agape at his words and pointed outside. “Then what do you call that thing two minutes ago? If she had said fetch, you would’ve gotten her a stick!”

Sesshomaru stared at Koga, who leaned against the front desk with a smirk on his lips.

“Just forget it Koga.” He huffed and started walking toward a pair of glass doors of the sales department. “Let’s just get this over with. I don’t want to spend all day talking about her. We do have business to deal with, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Koga sighed, unhappy that his game wasn’t working and quickly loped after the tall form heading through the doors.

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In her office, Rin found herself staring into space and tightly clutching the silk folds of her white and yellow shawl. She dropped it down on her desk and smoothed out the creases she had made on it. Wrapping it back around her neck, the musky smell of men’s cologne floated around her, obviously from the man she had met earlier. It was a spicy scent she didn’t recognize and was intrigued by the tingling that it sent through her body.

Closing her eyes, Rin shook her head to clear it of the memory of those amber eyes, boring their way deep inside. It didn’t do any good. She could still see that tall, broad-shouldered man in the deep black purple suit who had returned her shawl. His features had been hardly rugged but were still alluring to any woman. With his pale but perfect skin, his amber eyes were dazzling alive with spirit and strength. The morning sunlight had shone off his waist length silver white hair to give it an iridescent sheen. His mouth had been thin and firm and the nails on his long thin hand seemed to curve like claws.

Everything about him, from the expensively tailored suit that fit his form to a T, to the casual way he wore his long hair, reminded Rin of the chiseled and honed details of a diamond. Although he showed the unmistakable stamp of refinement, it didn’t change the underlying hardness of the stone.

Her mind turned to a different subject, as in why was he here? What had he wanted? The question had her sitting up straight in her chair. He’d been here for more than business obviously by his looks, but what for? Maybe he’d ordered some equipment or weaponry for a store or was planning to. What did it matter? Rin shook herself out of the trance-like state that the stranger had put her in. There was a great deal of work that needed attention and she didn’t need to spend her day dreaming about some stranger she’d never see again.

An hour later, she was heading down to see the billing clerk because of an error she found on an invoice. There was a static current of excitement in the air as she walked down the hall past the rows of office staff. Something was up and everyone was gossiping about it.

“Kaede.” She began, addressing the plump woman who was the head of billing in the company. The plump woman, whom had been talking avidly with the woman at the desk next to her, turned suddenly, surprised at Rin’s presence.

“Oh my!” She said, placing a hand over her heart. “You startled me Rin. We were just talking about our visitors. Have you heard?”

“Visitors? Who is it this time?”

“Two executives from Taisho are here, getting a tour of the place! Isn’t it exciting? And Yumiko here says that she was talking to Kari down in the service department, where they had just showed up with Mr. Hashi . Apparently they’re real hunks too! Did you know about them?” Kaede responded to the question more than whole-heartedly.

Rin felt an icy trail shoot down her spine at the mention of the Taisho executives. “No, I didn’t know about them.” She paused recollecting her thoughts. “Anyway, you need to fix this bill, you charged the customer too much. You’ll have to send them a corrected invoice and adjust the total.”

Rin placed the invoice on the desk, but the plump woman hardly noticed, just nodded her head and started to avidly talk again to Yumiko beside her. Rin sighed half-heartedly and walked back to her office, sure that Kaede would do her job once everything had settled down.

Hours later, Rin was jolted from her work by a knock at her door. Looking at the clock she realized that the morning had gone by quickly and it was past twelve.

“Come in.” she called and Kaede opened the door enough to stick her head in.

“Yumiko and Hana are going to watch things here while we go out for lunch. Would you like to come with?”

Rin sighed, thinking about the invitation. Her stomach groaned, declaring the need for food. “No, I can’t go. There’s just too much to do, but could you bring me back something from the vending machine downstairs. I’d really appreciate it.”

“Sure thing Rin.” Kaede said with a smile and took the money that Rin held out to her, closing the door behind her. Within minutes she was back again to offer Rin a cup of strawberry yogurt and a plastic spoon. With another smile, Kaede was gone and Rin was alone once more in her office. As the yogurt slid down her throat, Rin pondered more about what Kaede had informed her earlier. Two executives from Taisho were here and most likely touring the building. They had to of been the same men she had met this morning. Another vision of the tall stranger that had retrieved her shawl flashed in her mind and a tingle flew down her back. God, what a man he had been. She didn’t even spend one whole minute with him and yet, she had felt more alive during those few seconds next to him than she ever had in her entire life.

Her door swung open without the warning of a knock and a puzzled Mr. Hashi stepped in. “Where is everyone, Miss Nagawa?”

“Out to lunch.” She replied nonchalantly and lifted the yogurt loaded spoon to her mouth. She looked up and froze, spoon stopping halfway to her mouth. Her gaze was locked on a pair of amber eyes belonging to the tall, broad-shouldered man framed in her open doorway. A glint of surprise and revel shone in his eyes as he made contact with Rin, a smug smile on his lips as well. Rin exhaled the breath that she found herself holding as she slowly lowered the spoon back down to the cup. She didn’t need to act like she was surprised to see him nor act like she didn’t have any manners.

Mr. Hashi looked at his watch. “I guess I didn’t know what time it was. You probably want to go out for lunch right?” He frowned at the man behind him solemnly. “I guess we could come back later.”

“Actually Mr. Hashi, Miss Nagawa has the right idea.” The tall stranger entered the room, passing by Mr. Hashi and was followed behind by his companion. “We could have lunch in here with her and still be able to talk business. That’s alright with you, right, Miss Nagawa?” He said, though his stoic face showed hardly any change of expression save for his animated eyes.

“Sure, whatever suits you is fine with me.” Rin stated, her throat nearly choking on the words.

“Good. Tosai, why don’t you have some sandwiches and coffee brought in?” He said with a wave of his hand towards the old man who promptly left leaving the two strangers in Rin’s company. Placing a hand upon the only available chair in the room, his gaze drifted back toward Rin. “Mind if I sit, Miss Nagawa?”

“No, not at all! Please make yourself feel comfortable.” She motioned with a hand toward the chair. She knew that if she had tried to stand it wasn’t possible as her body was frozen to the spot. As soon as she had laid eyes on that man for the second time in her life and nonetheless in her own office, her mind had finished the calculations. Those two men were the executives from Taisho Twin Swords. Her palms started sweating and her throat dried faster than she could swallow.

“Sess, I’m going to find another chair. If we’re spending lunch here, I am not standing!” Koga declared before marching out the door, following Mr. Hashi’s path.

Rin glanced at the man sitting alone in her office, slightly smiling to himself as he reclined to the side, holding his head in his hand. Immediately her eyes shot back to her desk and the papers that had suddenly become very interesting. The half-empty yogurt cup was forgotten, pushed to the opposite end of her desk.

“Mr. Hashi has great appreciation for you, Miss Nagawa.” He suddenly stated, pulling Rin out of her shocked state. Her head shot up to stare back into his calm face.

“I, well, I try to do my best. You get used to this kind of thing after a while.” Rin said, a blush rising up her neck. “So I presume you are Mr. Sadamoto.”

“You presume right, though I would prefer for you call me by my first name, Sesshomaru.”

“Do you normally let people call you by your first name just after you meet them, Sesshomaru?” Rin inquired with a raised eyebrow, confused by his request.

Sesshomaru nodded, shifting his position in the chair. “Only my closest friends, plus a few exceptions.”

Rin placed a hand on her chest, feeling her rising blush suddenly hit the roof. “I’m an exception?”

“Of course. Though with everything he told us, Tosai neglected to tell how extraordinarily beautiful you are, Miss Nagawa or should I say Miss...” He left off with a pause, prompting her to supply her first name.

“Rin. Rin Nagawa.” She gave it to him, yet she was sure that the heat of her blush was radiating off her face like a heater.

“Rin Nagawa. Hmm...It’s very nice.”

A thought suddenly crossed Rin’s heated mind. What in the world was happening to her? She had hardly spent ten minutes with this man and already she was overheating from the blush he had helped to build. She wasn’t this desperate for companionship, was she? But she had hardly any time to think on the subject as a movement in the doorway signaled the return of Sesshomaru’s companion.

He wheeled in a big swivel chair into the office, a smile on his face as he looked quickly at Sesshomaru before grinning back at Rin. “Hello again, I return from my travels with a chair!” He emphasized the happening as if he had just come back from an around the world trip.

Sesshomaru stood up and walked the few steps toward his companion. “Koga, I don’t think you’ve been introduced to Miss Rin Nagawa yet, have you?” He stared down at his friend, a glint in his eyes telling Koga not to take this any further than what it was supposed to be, a company merger and no more.

“No, not yet.” Koga choked out, as he stifled another laugh. That look meant only one thing from Sesshomaru, keep your mouth shut or else he’d close it himself. That meant he WAS interested, totally opposite from what he had said that morning. Koga grinned inwardly, oh he could have fun with this situation. He stepped away from Sesshomaru’s glare and reached out a hand to clasp Rin’s firmly.

“Hi, I’m Koga Kato, financial manager to Taisho Twin Swords, compatriot to Sesshomaru Sadamoto, and all around good guy.” He said all while brightly smiling and shaking Rin’s hand.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Kato.” She greeted him, having seen the silent words pass between the two men. She was surprised that such an opposite from Sesshomaru could be friends with him.

Though he nearly matched him in height, he was more slimly built, less muscled. His black hair, cut just past the shoulder, reminded her of the hackles around a wolf’s neck. His eyes were a warm blue, not the frozen amber of Sesshomaru’s. The tan suit he wore was accented against a gray dress shirt, which seemed to be the best colors that would ever suit him.

It was also his personality that confounded her. He was energetic, happy, and ready to laugh. Sesshomaru hardly looked energetic, more like bored with the world and if he had a smile on his face, Rin somehow felt it wasn’t because he was happy. There was nothing about Koga that made Rin feel threatened, yet there were some things about Sesshomaru that could make her say otherwise.

But before more could be passed between the two, Mr. Hashi walked back into Rin’s office with a delivery boy right behind him, toting cups of coffee and a sack filled with food.

“Looks like someone was thinking of us even before we were. Met the boy on his way to my office and directed him here. I wonder who would have ordered lunch for us?” He said, scratching his head as the delivery boy received a tip from Sesshomaru and left the office.

“Your secretary, of course.” Rin stated as she sat back in her chair. “She orders your lunch everyday, remember? She probably just took a look at the time and seeing you were still with these men, decided to order lunch for everyone.”

“Oh, I guess I am getting a little senile. I always forget about ordering lunch. ” He blinked a few times, as if to clear his mind. “Well, we might as well sit down and make ourselves comfortable, don’t you think?”

With a quick glance at the room, everyone suddenly realized that they were one chair short. Noticing the problem that had arisen, Koga quickly ran out of the office and was back in the blink of an eye with another chair. Finally everyone had a seat and as the three men ate, at which Rin noticed that Sesshomaru hardly ate much and just sipped on his coffee, they began talking about the company.

In his usual talkative fashion, Mr. Hashi took control of the conversation. He changed from one subject to another about his company, yet all he could do was refer more and more to his weapons and the beautiful designs he had made. Rin pretended to have an interest in the conversation, but she had heard it all before. Tosai usually liked to tell anyone he could about a new idea and every time he had come to Rin first. Though it was becoming harder and harder to ignore the fact that she was being studied by a certain Sesshomaru Sadamoto. He seemed to take an excessive amount of interest in watching her as she spoke to Koga and Mr. Hashi. It was like he was watching her mouth move, the way her lips parted to the way her tongue clicked against her teeth as she became more bored about the conversation.

She was more than happy when there was a sharp knock at her door before it burst open. “Rin, someone took my...chair.” Kaede finished the sentence quietly as she saw Mr. Hashi sitting in it and the other two men occupying her office. “I didn’t know you had it, Mr. Hashi. I’ll find another one.” And just as quickly as she had come in, she was gone, but not before shooting Rin a crafty glance which somehow said, ‘You lucky girl.’

Rin rolled her eyes at Kaede’s intrusion and that look. Great, now they’d be gossiping about her. So with their first conversation dead, Koga began asking Rin questions, more about accounting matters- nothing out of the ordinary- and Rin concentrated all her attention with him and answering as best she could.