Whatever It Takes

A/N: Sorry about the long time between posts. Still no net at home so can’t post often. Hope you enjoy this short but filling chapter.

Chapter Two

Where the hell was he? She couldn’t find him anywhere. She had to find him before she left or there would be hell to pay. Why the hell was he hiding? Didn’t he understood what would happen if she left without finding him. “Rin, have you seen Twerp?”


“Um, I think he ran into my room. Try checking under my bed.” Her roommate called from the kitchen.


“Figures,” her toy poodle had gotten chastised early this morning for being a bad boy. The idiot had felt the need to chew on her new pumps. Usually when she yelled at him he would cower behind Rin’s legs. She had received him as a going away present from their neighbor. The old woman had two of the pests and they had conceived a litter. Not having a husband, often she or Rin would take the woman wherever she needed to go. Proceeding a massive stroke the woman’s son had come to take her to a nursing home. The son being in his late forties and divorced told his mother that he’d only take two of the mutts to live with him. Not wanting the small pup she had wanted to keep to hit the pound, it had gone to them. It’s original name had been Pippy.


As soon as she opened the door the bane of her existence scampered from the middle of the room to dodge under the bed. It wasn’t like she had smacked him with a newspaper. She didn’t have the heart to beat him, “Come here you little peckersnot. I need to take you out before I go to work.”


“I can do it, I got the day off.” Rin came up behind her all smiles. She adored the little dog and it was really the only company she had. Whenever Kagome wasn’t working she was out with Inuyasha. The two were trying to rekindle their relationship. “I don’t mind.”


“You’re a lifesaver, I could kiss you.” She glanced at her watch. “But I gotta run right now. Remind me to do it when I get home tonight. We are going out to dinner after work to discuss the big opening this weekend. He’s been on edge lately and I’m hoping this will help him mellow out.”


“Good luck with that.” Everyone knew that Inuyasha was a big jerk. Rin didn’t care for him, no one did. Kagome was holding onto a lost cause, the guy didn’t love her. “I won’t wait up for you.”


“See you later,” Kagome ran back into her room to find her purse. It had been knocked off the dresser in her
haste to shut off the alarm clock. The heater kicked on in the small apartment letting her know that the temperature was dropping outside. After slipping on an older pair of heels she went to her closet in search of something to put over her outfit. She was wearing black dress slacks with a teal sweater. It was Thursday and no one would be coming to the office today. Her leather jacket was pushed aside, it wouldn’t work. She was debating between her wool jacket or her long black trench when her eyes fell on the grey coat in the back.


She had never thrown it away. It was the only thing she had been left with that afternoon. By the time she had packed her things and the others had been ready to leave more than half of the passengers had already departed, he had been among them. A few months later she had still been curious about him, so much she had asked one of her friends to help her. Miroku was a womanizer but he was also a computer genius. He had hacked into the cruise line’s database and pulled up the registry for that particular voyage. Sadly, none of the purchasers had been named Sesshoumaru. Either he hadn’t bought the tickets or he had lied about his name. Graduation had come and gone, leaving her lost. Rin had suggested she join her at a local college to get a degree in business. Which had been a splendid idea at the time. She had gone during the day while working at night. Her family was very supportive at the time. By the time she was twenty she had a degree and an opportunity to do something with her life.


By chance she and Rin had applied at a local finance company. Rin had landed a position as a consultant and Kagome had gotten a thank you for coming. For several weeks she had gone job hunting to find a way to support herself. One day during lunch she had gone in to see Rin, bringing a couple burgers for lunch. While there one of the owners had come in to hold a meeting. The flowing silver hair had caught her attention, until her brain had screamed that it wasn’t him. The hair was the same color but there weren’t that many similarities. This guy was too short, too stout and the voice was all wrong. He came in shouting at some poor woman about how she was parked. She couldn’t imagine Sesshoumaru speaking in that tone. While she sat at Rin’s office amazed at the few things that reminded her of him, this new guy had turned to catch her staring. A few days later Rin had come home gushing how the vice-president wanted to meet with her after learning she was looking for employment.


Kagome had been thrilled at the opportunity to get work. She had gone to the appointed interview and been hired on the spot. It wasn’t until the next day when she had shown up she discovered she was to be Inuyasha’s personal assistant. Many of the people automatically started talking about her. The first rumor to reach her ears was that she had been hired due to looking like his ex. That had rankled big time, she did have some skills. So from that point she had worked her ass off to prove that she was worthy of the position she’d been given. Inuyasha had treated her like a normal boss, grumpy days and all. Six months ago he had asked her to stay late one evening to get some dinner. They had gone out and hadn’t looked back. Often she found herself looking sideways whenever he got a wistful look in his eyes because she knew he wasn’t thinking about her. They had become intimate three months ago and things had gone downhill. During sex one evening he had moaned out the wrong name. She had been packing up her things at the office when he came in apologizing, suggesting they take a break. Two weeks ago he had asked her back out claiming that he missed her and wanted another chance. She loved him but wasn’t sure if she wanted to continue. What she did know was that she didn’t want to lose her job. Her mother was out of work and Gramps was too old to work. Souta was still in highschool with plans to attend college. Right now she was the one paying their bills.


“I’m out of here,” she left but not without glaring at the white cotton ball nestled in Rin’s arms. The ride to work took longer than usual due to the rain. By the time she was stepping inside the office her feet were frozen and soaked. Frozen feet were the least of her problems it seemed, someone was in a bad mood. A door separated her space from his office. His voice carried through the glass angrily. It had to do with this weekend, she could hear the words Bastard, Fucker, Dick, don’t care, and go to hell. She had the guest list sitting on her desk, it was her job to make sure they all got invited. Hime Financing was one of the largest around, the main branch in Tokyo. It was where she worked, she had a great job. There were over twenty branches in total, spreading across Japan. Rumor was that there was also a few branches in the states due to the other owner.


She had never met the man, who had? There was an office right next to Inuyasha’s that was pretty much vacant. A Mr. Hirasaki had left to go overseas several weeks before she was hired. He was scheduled to be back this weekend for the social event. It was the reason there was no one sitting at the desk opposite hers. No need for an assistant if he wasn’t here. He probably had one with him. Soon enough another person, probably female, would be looking at her daily.


The event was nothing more than a gathering for the many investors that were clients. Boring, in her opinion but she had to attend. Who else was going to get his drinks? Okay, she was being a bit spiteful, she couldn’t help it. It wouldn’t be so bad if Inuyasha would just get rid of that damn picture on his desk. He had taken it down when they had gotten together but it was back in plain view for the last week. If she wasn’t worried how her job would suffer she would seriously think about telling him to bite her ass. It was all her fault for getting involved with the boss.


“Where the hell have you been? Do you have the presentation ready?” Inuyasha charged out of the door after hearing Kagome come inside. It was about time, he was already tired. He grew angry when she held up the file that couldn’t be finished. “Dammit, I need it done by this evening. That bastard just called and is on his way home. He’s got the deals closed in the states and is going to be here for the presentation on Saturday. He’s not even here yet and wants me to fax him a copy within the next hour. Fucker isn’t even off the plane yet and is already getting on my nerves. Well, don’t just stand there move your ass.”


“I will as soon as you stop yelling at me.” Fine, she could have it ready within the hour. She could have gotten it done yesterday if he hadn’t wasted three hours on the phone with his ex. Kagome didn’t give a damn if he claimed it was all business. Kikyou was one of their clients true, but it didn’t take that long to ask them their numbers. Feeling sapped already she sat down in the chair. She’d have to bust balls to get it done but it was possible. The phone rang stalling anything else he might have been wanting to say. “Mr. Ka...”


“I know whose office it is, now put him on the phone.” The voice was one she hated.


“Please hold,” she hit the hold button and slammed the receiver down. “Your girlfriend is on line two.” That earned her a glare and his back. He didn’t bother denying the accusation, instead he went right back into his office. Let him talk to the bitch while she did his work. Was she being an idiot by not just walking out? She did need her job and she was lucky to have it. She hadn’t begun at the bottom like most people but had given a position at the top without working her way up the ladder. Let him have his precious Kikyou as long as he didn’t expect her to hang around. She could be an understanding assistant but not a simpering girlfriend.


Forty minutes later she hit the print button, line two was still glowing like a beacon. As the printer kicked on the phone rang again. This time it was line number seven, his personal line. The one she wasn’t supposed to answer. It rang ten times before dying down. The noise from the printer was dying down when it began again. This time it rang even longer before silencing. A minute later it was blaring once more, someone wasn’t going to accept defeat. Sighing from frustration she reached over and hit the line. “M....”


“Where the hell have you been?” This time the voice was male, low and menacing. It sent a shiver down her spine, she should have let the machine get it.


“I’m sorry he’s currently busy with a client. Can I take a message?” Or run for cover? This would be the last time she picked up his personal line. What kind of calls did he take while he was supposed to be working?


“NO, I don’t care who he is talking to. Go in there and tell him that I want the layout for the presentation right now. He told me he’d have it within an hour.”


She squirmed realizing that it was the absent partner on the phone. It was no wonder people spoke about him with fear. Just listening to him made her want to piss her pants. There was a tone in his voice that had to come from years of firing people. “I have them right here Mr. Hirasaki. I was just about to fax them to you. Could you repeat the number to make sure I have it correct?”


Kagome scribbled the number down as he repeated it. It was probably sitting on Inuyasha’s desk but she wasn’t about to go in there and disturb his call. Honestly she didn’t want to risk hearing what he was saying, lest it piss her off. “Thank you, I’ll fax them right now. Sorry about the delay.”


“What did you say?”


Oh shit, had she said something wrong? Should she not have apologized? Panic welled in her throat as the seconds ticked by. What to say? Should she apologize again? Or explain why it had taken so long? “The connection must be bad. I said sorry about the delay. I’m sending them as we speak. Is there anything else I can do for you?”


The fax beeped then sucked down the first sheet. “I assume you are his new assistant and that you are the one responsible for the work I’m about to receive. What is your name?”


“It’s Higurashi, Kagome Higurashi sir.” Was he going to fire her if the presentation had a typo? She’d heard that he was a tough boss and that many had been fired in his presence. But she wasn’t his employee, she worked for Inuyasha. He might still have a thing for Kikyou but he wouldn’t let her be fired right? Dammit, she should have just let the damn phone ring! Not only would Inuyasha bitch at her but she was going to be canned by the big man himself.


“I see, tell Inuyasha that I look forward to seeing him tomorrow.” The line clicked dead in her ear.


Great, she wanted to yank the pages out as the sixth page was being scanned. What if there was something wrong with her printout? After the call she wasn’t so sure of her work. She wanted to stop it from going through and recheck it. It was too late, only one more page and he’d have it. Within minutes he would be looking at it. Maybe she should have let Inuyasha look it over before sending it. Why did she pick up the phone? Groaning she cupped her forehead and wanted to rewind time. Would the man fire her on Saturday or just call back and tell her to pack her shit?


Line two was still lit but Inuyasha’s head poked out the door. “Do you have the presentation done?”


“Yes and it’s already been faxed. He called and asked for it so I took the liberty of doing so.” She refrained from telling him that she had picked up his line. The less he knew the better. As long as both of them were happy with her work what did it matter? “Did you need something?”


“No, I just wanted to make sure he got it. I don’t need him breathing down my neck all day tomorrow.”


“Tomorrow?” The end of the conversation replayed in her mind. She had known he’d probably be present for the event but what had he meant? “Yes, he left a message. He said he was looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. What did he mean?”


“Fucking bastard, I just bet he is. What the hell do you think he meant? He’s on his way home, I already told you this. As of Monday he’s going to be officially on my case. His flight is due in this afternoon so I’m sure he plans to stop in sometime to go over what you just sent him. Don’t worry, he doesn’t keep an assistant. Fucker likes to do all the firing himself. While we are talking, go ahead and cancel our plans for dinner. I have something I need to do. Also, do you think you can have the report done by this evening? I’m sure he’ll be wanting to look it over although it isn’t the end of the month yet.”


“Anything else?” Coffee, a condom?! Kagome wasn’t stupid, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure why their plans had been canceled. It was waiting on line two! When he didn’t answer she clicked out of the file. What she needed was some coffee and whiskey.



Sesshoumaru reread the paragraph for the third time in under five minutes. His mind wouldn’t let him think of anything else. He would have known about Inuyasha’s new assistant as soon as the first page went through if he hadn’t recognized the voice difference. The last one had been an elderly woman, due to Kikyou not wanting him to be in the daily presence of a young female. It was the reason he didn’t keep one. Most that would apply for the position were under forty and males didn’t care to do the job. He preferred to do his own work.


His mind had been set on bitching at his brother until the voice had spoken. It had struck a cord of recognition the moment she had apologized. It couldn’t be the same girl. The voice sounded young but there was no way the bitch would let the idiot hire an attractive female. Any older female could have a soft voice, it wasn’t that farfetched. Her name was Kagome Higurashi, Kagome. It couldn’t be the same girl he had left sleeping years ago. The odds were too slim, he was being foolish. In a lot of ways Kikyou had resembled his regret, right until she opened her mouth. After listening to the woman speak for two minutes any resemblance had died a quick death.


What did it matter? Why think about her after all this time? His life was planned out and there was no going back. The decision not to wake her and slip away had been final. It wasn’t meant to be, he had known that. It didn’t stop him from recalling her voice or smile whenever he felt consumed. That had been a time in his life that was best forgotten. He had bigger worries right now, like keeping his brother from fucking up this deal. He wanted this deal to go through and would need some backing. There was no way this Kagome was the one he often thought about.


The stewardess came back inside to ask if he needed anything. Yes, but he didn’t want it from her. It had been over a year since he’d gotten laid. Perhaps when he returned Kagura would be happy to see him. If she even bothered coming home. The last time they had spoken she’d been busy amusing herself with her personal trainer. As long as she kept it private he didn’t give a damn what she did. After returning from the cruise he had learned that his girlfriend was pregnant. Wanting to do the right thing they had gotten married. Unfortunately Kagura had miscarried at three months along. Not wanting to risk pregnancy again she had ordered her tubes tied. The doctor hadn’t wanted to do it since she hadn’t had children yet. A little extra money involved and his wife couldn’t have children. Which meant he wasn’t going to have any either. No matter who he was with he used protection, as did she. Their agreement was they could find entertainment elsewhere as long as it was safe. A prenuptial agreement had been drawn before the I Do’s had taken place. If a divorce ever took place she’d only receive a certain amount from it. It was enough where he wouldn’t get rid of her unless it was necessary. Right now he needed every cent he had and his brother’s cooperation.


When he got home he’d take a long soak and a good meal. Or perhaps he’d stop in at the office and see how his brother was fairing. How late would Inuyasha be staying? From the look of it the presentation was almost done but would it be ready by tomorrow evening? If the bastard knew what was good for him he’d be staying late to work on it.




A/N: Thanks for reading, please read and review. Next chapter will be a bit longer and we shall see a little bit of Rin and perhaps someone new will step onto the scene. Have a good one!!! Oh of course, a fated meeting will take place.