Human Compensation

“Allow me to introduce myself,” the man walked to Kagome with his hand outstretched.

Kagome came from behind the desk to shake it. He grabbed her hand in both of his.

“My name is Miroku Houshi. My office is down the hall from yours. I’m a friend of Inuyasha’s and he should be very proud to have such a beautiful woman working for him.” He stared deeply in her eyes.

Kagome blushed. “Thank you,” she said shyly. He looked so sincere when he gave her the compliment.

Inuyasha frowned.

“Do you happen to know where Mr. Inuyasha is at?” Kagome asked.

Miroku blinked, then smiled. “He’s standing right beside you.”

Kagome whipped around and stared at Inuyasha who was staring back at her with his arms folded. ‘Oh my gosh!’ She thought fearfully. ‘I am so fired!’

“Why didn’t anyone tell me I had a new assistant?” Inuyasha asked Miroku in an unusually quiet voice.

“I thought you knew,” Miroku said.

“No, I did not know!” Inuyasha shouted at him.

“Kagome! You’re here!”

Kagome turned to the new voice and saw the boy she’d met at her grandfather’s house.

“Shippou!” She smiled at him as he walked to her. Finally, a familiar face.

“I hired Kagome. She’s a college graduate and she needed a job.”

“Shippou, step into my office with me.” Inuyasha said trying to keep his voice normal. He knew if he yelled at the fox he’d wouldn’t go.

Kagome watched them walk into the room a worried look on her face.

“Don’t look so worried, Kagome. I’m sure everything will be fine,” Miroku comforted her with one hand on her back and the other one resting on her backside as he led her back to her desk.

‘Is he aware that his hand is on my butt?’ Kagome thought. She froze when she felt him give her a slight squeeze.

*Slap*

Miroku rubbed the side of his face looking shocked and hurt. “Why Ms. Higurashi, did I do something to offend you?”

Kagome glared into his deceptively innocent face. “You pervert!” She yelled. Her face red with anger.

“Miroku, get your ass in here right now!” They heard Inuyasha shout from his room.

Miroku walked into the room with his eyes closed. “Women are so sensitive,” he mumbled.

Inuyasha sat behind his desk and stared at the two people he’d come to think of as family. Shippou gave him a smile and Miroku just stared back.

“Tell me, how did that girl end up working for me?” He wanted to know. “Without my permission?”

“Well, she’s a compensation,” Shippou said. “Her grandfather couldn’t pay back the ten percent on the loan we gave him.”

“So you used her for repayment for the ten percent? Why? There were other ways you could have gotten him to pay. I don’t need another personal assistant!”

“Actually, you do. I suggested the idea to Sesshoumaru and he approved.” Shippou said.

“Why would Sesshoumaru approve something as petty as this?” Inuyasha asked.

“Because, you were falling behind on your paperwork. You suck at keeping accounts and you never have any reports to show Sesshoumaru when we have our weekly meetings.” Shippou pointed out. “Kagome has a degree in Office Administration. She’s perfect for the job.”

“Does she know the real reason she’s here?”

“No, we thought it would be better if she didn’t. It would make things a lot easier for her.”

“I still don’t understand why you chose her for this job? There are plenty of youkai females and human females that could have gotten it.”

“It seems that Shippou might have a little crush on Ms. Higurashi. “ Miroku pointed out.

“What?! You got an innocent girl involved in this because of a stupid crush!?”

“Lower your voice, dog breathe! She might hear you!” Shippou said glancing nervously at the door.

“You’re only eighteen, Shippou she’s too old for you.”

“She’s 23, that’s not too old, besides how do you know how old she is?”

“You just told me,” Inuyasha said smugly.

“You’re 26, she’s perfect for you, Inuyasha,” Miroku said. “Or maybe myself, she has a nice backside.” Miroku rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Don’t let Sango hear you talk that way,” Inuyasha warned Miroku. Sango was Miroku’s personal assistant. Even though she acted as if she couldn’t stand him, Inuyasha knew she had feelings for him and Miroku had feelings for her. They were just too stubborn to admit it to each other.

“Well you must admit, she is a beauty. Maybe not as beautiful as Sango, but still very pretty.” Miroku said.

Inuyasha sighed, “Don’t you have an office to run?”

“Of course,” Miroku said with a smile. He bowed and walked out the room.

“And don’t you have some errands to run?” Inuyasha growled annoyingly at Shippou, still a little angry that he’d gotten the girl involved with them because of a silly crush.

“I saw her first, Inuyasha,” Shippou said.

“Get out of here!” Inuyasha yelled.

Shippou ran out the room slamming the door shut.

Inuyasha sighed loudly. His last personal assistant had been an old woman name Kaede. She died of a heart attack a couple of weeks ago. Inuyasha had missed her. She’d been more like a grandmother to him. He could still hear her yelling at him whenever he got lazy or misbehaved around her. Now she was replaced with a girl he knew nothing about. Kagome Higurashi. She really was beautiful. He’d have to agree with his friends on that. He’d noticed her big brown eyes, her long, black hair that she had pulled behind her ears and hung like satin down her back, her cute button nose, her full sexy lips and her smell. She had the sweetest scent to ever grace his nose. He could tell a lot about a person by the way they smelled. Their natural scent described what kind of person they were and Kagome was sweet and innocent in every way. She was good and pure. She was still a virgin! That discovery had shocked him until he felt her touching his ears, which brought him back to reality. His ears were very sensitive. No one dared to touched them, not even Kikyo, his ex-girlfriend. So what had gotten into her?

The was a knock at the door.

“Come in,” he said gruffly.

It was Kagome. She walked in hesistantly and gave him a timid smile.

‘Now what’s wrong with her?’ Inuyasha thought. She’d been shouting at him a few minutes ago and now she was acting all shy.

“Um...Mr. Inuyasha, sir, I notice you weren’t happy with me working here which is understandable since you didn’t know about me. I just want to know, do I still have a job?” Kagome said looking down at her feet.

“Stop calling me that,” Inuyasha said.

“Excuse me?” Kagome looked up in confusion.

“Mr, I don’t like it. Just call me Inuyasha.”

“Oh I’m sorry. I thought it was your last name.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Well then you can call me, Kagome.” She waited for a reply. There was none. He just sat there staring at her. Kagome began to feel very self-conscious and a little stupid as she stood there staring back at him.

“Go fix me some coffee,” he finally ordered.

“You mean I’m not fired?” Kagome asked hopefully.

“Who said anything about that?” Inuyasha said impatiently.

Kagome clasped her hands together and began to jump up and down excitedly. “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, I’ll be the best personal assistant you’ve ever had. I promise!”

“Feh,” Inuyasha muttered. “I told you to bring me some coffee, bitch.”

That brought down Kagome’s excitement very quickly. She stiffened, her smile turning into a thin line across her face as she glared at him.

Inuyasha’s ears picked up the words, spoiled, rich, brat she’d muttered under her breathe as she walked out the room.

People started coming and the phone started ringing thirty minutes later. Kagome suddenly found herself swamped in work. It was like she was trying to do everything at once: file, type, answer the phone, greet Inuyasha’s clients, and Inuyasha wasn’t making it easier for her when he kept yelling her name from his office every time he needed her. She suggested to him that he use his phone to page her when he wanted her. He gave her a blank look and then looked at the phone beside him and said, “I don’t know how to work that thing.” She found herself teaching her own boss how to use his own telephone. It wasn’t easy trying to explain to him what each button on the phone was used for and how to operate it. The whole lesson ended up as a waste of time when Inuyasha slammed his fist through it in frustration. Kagome had to order another phone from her office.

“I’m hungry, let’s go to lunch,” Inuyasha said walking pass her desk.

“But Inuyasha, you still have a lot of people waiting to see you,” Kagome said glancing around the room at the angry faces.

“Feh! They can wait. Are you coming or not?”

Kagome didn’t want to be left alone with the angry crowd in fear they would take their anger out on her. She quickly grabbed her purse, politely apologized to them, and told them they’d be back in an hour.