Okaa-san

A/N: I'm kind of bummed out right now because I got some pretty low reviews on a-single-spark. I can handle critiques, but ratings without explanations hurt. But I'm a strong girl and I knew what I was getting into when I decided to post this fic.

Anyways, Sesshomaru pops up in this chapter. I tried to keep him as in character as possible but the beauty of artistic design is that I can pretty much do whatever I want with him.

Thanks to all those who left me such nice reviews and I hope you stick with me on this until the end, because no matter how low my reviews may get, I'm gonna finish this fic.

Note: 'means thoughts'

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Chapter 3
Asses Are Made To Bear And So Is Sesshomaru


Kagome had been to Sesshomaru’s penthouse once before to drop off an outline for a meeting he had with several visiting executives from Russia, but she hadn’t been able to get a good view of it until now.

Standing in the front foyer of the two-story penthouse, Kagome could easily say that she was impressed.

Straight ahead of her was a massive venetian window that looked out onto the Tokyo skyline. A large double-door in the glass led out to a stone balcony containing a set of patio furniture and a fire pit. The area surrounding the window seemed to be a living room of sorts; two black leather couches faced the center of the room while a large modern fireplace surrounded in black marble took up the entire right wall. On the left wall was a glass staircase that she assumed led to the second story master bedroom, which she knew to be the only room on the second floor.

To her immediate right was a single door that was left open. Inside she could see a chef-inspired kitchen dominated by steel, complete with an island counter and hanging pots. It called to her inner cuisine aficionado.

On her left side was a doorway that led to the dining room. Like the rest of the apartment, it too was very modern. The walls were a deep burgundy which complemented the dark mahogany dining table. Surrounding the table were twelve chairs made of mahogany as well and tailored with what appeared to be crimson silk.

“Hurry up, dirty ningen. Lord Sesshomaru does not like to wait.”

Kagome looked down in front of her to see Sesshomaru’s ugly toad of a servant squawking at her. That was nothing new. He was always yelling at her for reasons that were lost on her. The toad youkai had decided to hate her ever since she began working for Sesshomaru. She had originally thought that it was because she was a woman but then realized that it was due to her humanity. Jaken never fully accepted that ningen and youkai now lived together peacefully. If Jaken had his way, he would try to go back to the days of segregation.

“Oh, shut up, Jaken. I can’t exactly go to Sesshomaru considering I don’t know where he’s at, can I now?”

Flustered by her logic, Jaken merely harrumphed and mumbled something about “stupid ningen onna” before leading her away. They walked into the living room then made a left into a long hallway littered with doors. About halfway down the hall, Jaken stopped and knocked on a door on his left. Without waiting for a reply he walked in with Kagome right behind him.

“Higurashi-san, Sesshomaru-sama,” Jaken introduced. They appeared to have entered Sesshomaru’s personal study. It was decently sized with walls covered in bookcases and paintings. Directly in front of the door was a darkly colored desk with flat-screen monitor placed on it. Sitting behind the desk writing on a series of papers was a very detached Sesshomaru.

Without looking up from his papers he dismissed Jaken with a wave of his hand. At the click of the door shutting behind her, Kagome became painfully aware of the state of her dress and the undeniable fact that she was alone in the home of her very attractive employer. She wasn’t blind to the fact that Sesshomaru was probably the most handsome man on the face of the planet, but she did try to ignore it. He would never let her live it down if he caught onto the fact that she found him to be astoundingly beautiful.

His long platinum locks made her envious of their luster as well as weak in the knees. It was wrong for any man to have such naturally long and thick hair without trying to achieve such. Sesshomaru’s tawny eyes reminded her of looking through an amber lens; they were piercing in their intensity and if one looked into them they would think that he was looking directly into their soul. The markings of his heritage could easily pass as tattoos; the indigo crescent on his forehead marked him as a member of the House of Moon, while the maroon stripes on his cheeks and wrists signified his ability to contain the poison of his mother in his veins (that she had learned on her own). She had always secretly desired to touch those stripes, wondering if they were soft like the rest of his skin.

As well as being graced by several unique attributes, Sesshomaru was also blessed with features that were the epitome of masculinity. His soft facial features had many mocking him of his effeminate looks, but once one saw more than just his face, they would instantly swallow their mocking commentary. A regular practitioner of the art of kendo, Sesshomaru’s body was covered in sinewy well-developed muscle as result of his rigorous training. His muscles weren’t bulky like many body-builders but more developed like that of a swimmer’s. It was easy to see why so many women desired him.

“Kagome, sit down,” Sesshomaru’s command brought Kagome out of her ogling. Blushing at her own thoughts, Kagome was glad that Sesshomaru had yet to look up from his papers.

As she sat down in the chair in front of Sesshomaru’s desk, she couldn’t help but notice the milky white skin left exposed by the unbuttoning of the top two buttons of his collared white work shirt. Once again she caught herself before she began to outright stare at him.

Waiting patiently for him to address the purpose for his call, Kagome adjusted herself in her chair, finding it to be quite uncomfortable. ‘With all the money he has, one would think that he could afford to buy a decent chair.’ Once again trying to find a comfortable position without success, she resigned herself to sitting back in her seat with her left leg crossed over her right.

Finally, Sesshomaru set the papers he had been perusing aside and glanced up at her. “Black, Kagome? The color does not become you.”

Thrown off by his statement, Kagome could only respond with, “And how would you know what colors suit me and what don’t?”

Golden eyes twinkled in amusement. “I’m merely pointing out that a blue would accentuate your eyes more so than the black. Blue is your color, Kagome.”

Kagome’s cheeks heated at the comment; she was unaware that he even knew what color her hair was, let alone the color of her eyes. “Thanks . . . I guess.”

Sesshomaru shook her gratitude off with a shrug of his shoulders. “As a gentleman it is only necessary for me to tell the truth.” He paused to take in the blush that rose on Kagome’s cheeks and slid down to the neckline of her dress. Sesshomaru absently wondered where else that blush would appear. Shaking away his thoughts, he addressed the problem at hand. “The reason that I have called you here is because I need your assistance.”

This was a first: Taisho Sesshomaru had never admitted that he needed anyone’s help - ever.

“What is it that you need me for?” Kagome inquired.

Sesshomaru rose from his seat and signaled for Kagome to do the same. Pointing to a table behind her with a stack of files on it he said, “Let’s sit there. This will take awhile and it wouldn’t do for you to sit in an austere chair.”

Nodding in agreement, Kagome sat down in a soft lounge chair placed in front of the table. Waiting until Sesshomaru had sat down in the matching chair across from her, Kagome asked again, “So what do you want me to do?”

Sesshomaru pulled a file off the top of the pile and slid it across the table towards her. “As you know, the quarterly reports were due yesterday. Right now I am reviewing the entire staff’s evaluations to see if they meet my standards. However, I do not have the time to read all of the reports and decide if they should be fired or to continue working but in a higher position.”

“So, you need me to read through some of these reports and give you my opinion?” Kagome asked incredulously. He called her away from dinner for this? “This could have easily waited until tomorrow; heck, no one expects you to have this finished over the weekend. You are going over the staff evaluations of forty television stations, seven publishing corporations – two of which are for books while the other five are for magazines - fifteen newspapers, four movie studios, nine radio stations, and a recording company. To do something like that would be insane.”

Sesshomaru shook his head and explained himself. “I leave tomorrow night for Hong Kong. This must be done tonight. Besides, I’m just reviewing those directly working for Shiroi Inu Media – not my subsidiaries.” He grabbed another folder for himself and began to read its contents. “Now let’s begin.”

Irritated at how he had drawn her into his workaholic tendencies, Kagome made an exasperated sigh and made mention of “stubborn inu-youkai” before she joined him in his reading.

After several hours and only about half of the files later, Kagome finally found someone she felt needed to be dealt with. He was a low-level employee: only working the delivery truck between the company and local media distributors (bookstores, newsstands, and video stores). However, it was clear from his evaluation that he needed to be looked into. His manager stated a suspicion of stealing on the employee’s part. There was mention of several deliveries on the employee’s truck route that had never arrived. The manager didn’t have enough proof to fire him because it was only a notion of mistrust; nevertheless, his testimonial was enough for Kagome to look into it.

“Sesshomaru, look at this.” Kagome handed him the report she was reading. He looked up at her with an eyebrow raised in question (it should be a sin for any man to have such well-plucked eyebrows) and took the folder from her grasp. “I think that an investigation should be called for,” she craned her neck to see the employee’s name on the folder, “Tanaka Hiroi. It seems that there are some deliveries that are unaccounted for.”

Sesshomaru nodded his head and read over the evaluation. When he was finished he closed the folder, pulled out a pen and wrote “Fire” on top of it. Throwing the folder into a pile separate from those that they had already finished, Sesshomaru then returned his attention to Kagome. “An investigation is necessary.”

Kagome concurred. “The question is will you press charges if you find out that he’s been stealing from the company?”

“Most likely.” Sesshomaru reclined in his seat and rested his long nimble fingers across his stomach, while Kagome stretched her arms above her head and let out a very unladylike yawn. “The idea of a lawsuit has its appeal; however, the process will undoubtedly be most trying. I do not have the time to hire a lawyer nor do I have the time to make the mandatory appearances in court.”

Kagome sympathized with him. She understood that he lived a hectic life: constantly traveling overseas, working ridiculous hours to make sure that the company ran smoothly, as well as trying to maintain his image for the public eye. It truly was exhausting.

“I don’t blame you for not wanting to press charges and fortunately you have some time to think about it before you come to your decision.” Kagome absentmindedly rubbed her arms; her dress offered no source of warmth and it was quite chilly in the study. “In the mean time, based on his evaluation, you have enough to fire him or in the least put him on probation. I think your best bet would be to let him go and search for someone to replace him. Lucky for you, his manager can be the one to do the interview process instead of you.”

“This Sesshomaru would never deign himself to do such a lowly act as to interview the dregs of this company.”

Kagome turned her head away, trying to hide the smile that threatened her lips. “Of course not.” She then glanced down at her watch, unsurprised to find that it was almost one in the morning. Glancing over at Sesshomaru, she began to envy his constant impeccable appearance; if one were to look at him, they would find it difficult to believe that he had been working diligently beside her all night reading file after file. Unlike him, Kagome not only felt weary, but her features showed it as well. Tired to the point that she felt as if she was about to keel over in her seat, Kagome felt the need to ask, “Do you think that we can get some coffee or something? I’m running on empty right now, and if I don’t get some caffeine in me soon I might just go into withdrawal.”

“I highly doubt that you would suffer the symptoms of withdrawal. Caffeine is hardly a drug,” Sesshomaru disdained with a concentrated frown sent towards Kagome.

“You wouldn’t say that unless you’ve actually had it,” Kagome pointed out. “I got hooked on the stuff while cramming for freshmen finals in college. I needed a boost and I drank some of the energy drinks my brother gave me. I didn’t particularly like the taste, but the effect was what I needed.” She shook her head recalling the fairly absurd memory. “The entire week of finals I was twitching like a dog with fleas.”

“I do not find the metaphor amusing,” Sesshomaru growled out.

Kagome wanted to laugh at his obvious aggravation but smothered the urge before she could let a snicker out. It wouldn’t bode well for her if she blatantly laughed in the face of her boss.

She fixed her face so that she appeared guilty and apologized. “I’m sorry, Sesshomaru-sama,” Kagome appealed to him by using the honorific. “I did not mean to insinuate anything. I’m sure your hygiene is exquisite.”

“Hn.” Disregarding what he knew to be a false apology, he asked her to continue her anecdote - one which he sincerely wished had a point.

“Anyways,” Kagome drawled out, “the week after finals I started to get really bad migraines and was practically useless; I didn’t have the energy to do anything, nor was I in the mood to. Not only was I a witch to everyone around me but I was also pretty much the living dead going from class to class. My roommate told me that I was probably in withdrawal and that I needed a caffeine fix. I went to Starbuck’s the next day and ever since I have had at least one cup of coffee a day.”

She suddenly lowered her eyes then and pointed her finger at him - the combination gave a menacing allusion. “Now listen here, mister: I would like to avoid the possibility of me going into a caffeine-free induced coma, so can we please get some coffee?” Kami, her moods were as unpredictable as the weather.

“Do not exaggerate,” Sesshomaru admonished. “There is no possibility of you falling into a coma. “ He smirked at what he was about to say next. “Besides, if you call putting yourself in an unconscious state as a true threat, than you are sorely mistaken. If anything, it is an improvement to your regular blathering wakefulness.”

Sesshomaru inwardly chuckled at her affronted appearance. He enjoyed getting her riled up; it was one of the few pleasures he received while working. She would stutter, unable to formulate a proper comeback, while her cheeks would redden considerably and her azure eyes would become heated. If she wasn’t ningen he would have said that she was attractive in this state. But the fact was, she was ningen and he would never admit something like that, even to himself.

Kagome finally overcame her sudden loss of speech to send a glare towards Sesshomaru. “If you wished something as dreadful as that, then I wouldn’t be sitting here at your request, would I? You obviously needed me.”

Sesshomaru leaned forward in his seat, his eyes not leaving that of Kagome’s. “And what, pray tell,” he smoothly inflected, “makes you think that you were the first person I called, Kagome?”

Under normal circumstances, Kagome would have held her tongue and not respond to such a blatant attempt at belittling her. However, it was extremely late, she was without her coffee, and Sesshomaru seemed more than willing to actually socialize with her; his very actions tonight were more than surprising to Kagome considering he had spoken more to her within the span of several hours than in the entirety of her career at his company. She was not going to let the opportunity to knock Sesshomaru down a peg without there being severe consequences slip past her fingers.

Kagome, unfazed by Sesshomaru’s hard gaze - a look he often gave her when he wished for his point to get across successfully - leaned forward to meet Sesshomaru in the middle of the table. Their noses were mere inches apart and when she felt his hot breath fan across her face, Kagome nearly lost her resolve. But at the triumphant look in Sesshomaru’s amber eyes, Kagome hardened her determination and leaned in even closer to her counterpart.

“Because,” she whispered, almost seductively, “as arrogant and chauvinistic as you may be, you would never have interrupted my date tonight if you did not feel that my presence was absolutely necessary.” She tilted her head to the side, assessing the contemplative expression on Sesshomaru’s aristocratic face. “You knew that Kouga was going to propose to me. No matter how much of a bastard you can be at times, you would never in all willingness, ruin such a moment in any woman’s life, let alone mine. I hold you to a much higher level of honor than that.”

She reclined in her seat again after being unable to discern what Sesshomaru was thinking. “Besides,” she began as she nonchalantly pulled one of her feet into her lap and began to rub the sore extremity, “no sane person would deny you if you were to call for them, which leads me to believe that I was the only person you called.”

Sesshomaru coolly watched her as she massaged her delicate foot with a considerable amount of effort. “You are bold in your assumption, Kagome,” he finally declared after having been pulled out of the oddly memorizing sight of her manipulation of her admittedly flawless appendage. He had to confess that she had wonderful feet - but he would never let anyone know that he, a taiyoukai, had a fetish (a fetish for petite, ivory, elegant feet, oddly enough belonging to a Higurashi Kagome) because the Sesshomaru did not have any such flaws.

“But you didn’t say that I was wrong,” she pointed out, still rubbing her sore feet. Raising her eyes so that she discreetly looked at him through her bangs, Kagome was quick to cover her statement at his obvious resentment. “It’s okay, Sesshomaru – I won’t tell anyone. Besides,” she said as she lowered her foot, “I’m honored that you think so highly of me.”

He snorted. “Once again, you are very presumptuous in your thinking.” At her look of outrage, Sesshomaru decided that maybe it was time that she had her coffee. Hopefully with the addition of some caffeine her disposition would be much more tolerable. Her confidant air was too much for him to handle.

“I will ask Jaken to make you a cup of coffee while I procure more befitting clothes for you.” Sesshomaru openly reproved her dress with a simple arch of his eyebrow and a thin scowl as he exited the lounge chair.

Disregarding his disapproval, Kagome similarly rose from her seat to follow Sesshomaru as he led her out of his study. Slowly walking behind him, Kagome couldn’t help but ask, “How do you have women’s clothes in my size? Actually, how do have any women’s clothes anyways? It seems kind of odd considering you are a single man, living by yourself. . .” Kagome trailed off as it finally dawned on her how her sexy, single, virile boss could have clothing for her.

Sesshomaru regarded the blush that covered her cheeks from over his shoulder and smirked to himself. He often found that the best moments were when he could discomfit her without saying anything at all. But, of course, being the demon he was, he wouldn’t let her off easy.

“What, miko? Are you implying that this Sesshomaru does something insanely indecent with women’s clothing?” he goaded. “A collector possibly? Or maybe you were thinking more along the lines of questioning my sexuality. What exactly do you think I do with women’s clothing?”

If Sesshomaru were one to openly laugh at the misfortune of others, this would have proven to be the most opportune time to.

Kagome’s head rested in her hands as she loudly groaned in embarrassment. ‘Kami, grant me the serenity not to fall over in shame right here.’ Her slumping shoulders rolled back as she took a deep breath and girded herself for the inevitable. She raised her head to meet the smiling golden eyes of her boss. It was nearly her undoing.

Embarrassed at having been so innocent in her thought process as well as suddenly becoming conscious of the warmth that began to pool in her belly at the sight of her amused boss, Kagome quickly tried to reclaim what little dignity she had left. “I-I-I merely meant that, that . . . uh, that you. . .” She didn’t know what to say. ‘How can I make it seem as if I’m not such a blathering idiot as I am right now?’

Sesshomaru, who was enjoying too much of this, was in no way willing for her humiliation to end. He crossed his arms under his well-defined chest and turned to fully face the young stuttering woman who refused to meet his gaze. Slightly tapping his foot in mock impatience, Sesshomaru urged her to continue. “And what did you mean?”

Kagome, avoiding his teasing eyes, suddenly found the floor to be much more interesting than the conversation. ‘Marble. Black marble. Of course he would have marble floors. Anything less would be unworthy of "This Sesshomaru." Kami, could he be even more full of himself? He thinks he’s the most gorgeous man, youkai-thingy to walk the face of the earth. He does have pretty hair though.’

“Miko.”

‘I would kill for hair like that. I wonder what it feels like. Probably like silk. Yeah, his hair would feel like silk, just like his skin - his flawless alabaster skin. Would his markings feel the same?’

“Wench.”

‘I’ve always wanted to touch those magenta stripes on his cheeks. Maybe they would feel like velvet rather than silk like the rest of his skin. I wonder if he likes it when women touch them. Maybe he cries out in bliss when someone licks them. I would love to trace one of those sexy stripes with my –‘

“Kagome!”

The shout brought the young woman out of her wayward thoughts. Somewhat dazed, Kagome merely stared at the indifferent façade of her boss. At the sight of one of his stripes peeking through his loose silvery hair, Kagome couldn’t help but look away, with a slight tinge of pink to her cheeks.

‘I can’t believe I was thinking about Sesshomaru like that! Kami, I’m awful. Honestly, I just broke up with my boyfriend tonight and yet here I am having fantasies about my boss!’ Kagome mentally slapped herself and shook away her perverse thoughts. She just prayed that Sesshomaru didn’t smell anything with his superior canine olfactory gland. If she thought she was embarrassed now, that would only prove to be the very end of her existence. How were the police going to explain her death to her mother?

She could imagine it now: “I’m sorry Higurashi-san,” the police officer would say, “but your daughter’s death seems to have been caused by too much blood rushing to her head. I’m afraid that your daughter blushed herself to death.” And then her mother would drop to her knees crying in a sudden downpour of rain and scream, “Why, Kami? Why? In the name of all that is holy, why did you have to take her away?” An abrupt determination would then overtake her mother’s usually calm appearance. “I swear on Buddha’s belly that I will have my revenge on the man who has caused my daughter such a fate. Taisho Sesshomaru, your death shall be mine!” Thereupon such a declaration, her mother would run off into the darkness of the night to search out the foul villain who had taken her baby away from her.

“Is there a reason that you find my chest to be more interesting than the questions I have just asked you, or are you merely lost in the dark abyss known as your mind?”

“Huh?” Kagome intelligently questioned shaking herself of the image of her mother wielding an axe while chasing her boss around his study. She raised her sight from Sesshomaru’s chest so that she now stared into his exacerbated tawny obs. “Did you just say something? I seem to have been lost in thought.”

Sesshomaru harrumphed and averted himself so that he was once again leading her down the hall. “Or lack thereof.”

“Hey!” Kagome shouted affronted at his insult. “I can’t help it if I find what I’m thinking to be more interesting than anything you have to say.”

He continued to look ahead but threw back a retort of, “I’m sorry that the cymbal clapping monkey in your head amuses you so. I must rectify my previous assumption that you contained some intelligence, even if it was an insignificant amount compared to this Sesshomaru.”

“Do you always think so highly of yourself? Someday, you’re going to find a woman who will finally put you in your place and when that day happens, there will be much rejoicing in this city. In fact, it will be a national holiday.”

He stopped and opened a door on his left and shoved her inside. “That would be very unlikely.” With that said, he slammed the door on her and left Kagome alone in the dark.

“Jerk,” she muttered. Letting her eyes adjust to the consuming darkness but when she failed to make out the dark blurs in the room, Kagome finally began her search for a light switch. Her hands moved across the wall near the door trying to feel for a switch, but her exploration turned up nothing. After several more minutes of fruitless probing, Kagome resigned herself to standing in the dark.

Sighing, Kagome was about to leave the room and ask for Sesshomaru’s help when a derisory thought struck her. ‘He wouldn’t . . . would he?’ Willing to give it a shot, considering that no one was there to witness the idiotic attempt, Kagome decided to go for it.

Feeling like a fool, Kagome took a deep breath and clapped her hands together twice.

All of a sudden, light flooded the room and Kagome had to close her eyes as it abrasively invaded her sight. Slowly taking the time to let her eyes adjust to the unexpected light, Kagome couldn’t help but laugh as the ridiculousness of the situation fully it her.

‘Of course he would have clap-on lights. All Lotharios have clap-on lights; it’s like in the Don Juan handbook or something.’

Smiling to herself, Kagome took in the elegant room. It was clearly some guestroom of sorts, but it still was just as impressive as all of Sesshomaru’s other rooms. There was a large western style bed in the center of the room decorated in a soft cream color, accentuated by a light blue quilt and throw-pillows. Behind her was a chestnut vanity and to her right near the door was a matching armoire. To the left and right of the nightstands on each side of the bed, were a set of doors. The one on the left was already open revealing a large bathroom, while the one on the right was closed. Deducing that it led to the closet, Kagome made her way to the door.

When she opened the door and hit the lights, her breath was stolen from her at what was revealed to her.

Kagome had just stepped into what had to be the largest walk-in closet she had ever seen. Racks and racks of women’s clothing covered the walls: everything ranging from ball gowns to lingerie hung from the frameworks. Shelves underneath the clothing contained several dozens of shoes to complete each outfit. At the back wall stood a bureau that she assumed contained various forms of underwear.

Deciding to start with the essentials first, Kagome headed over to the bureau and opened up the top drawer. Nearly falling over at the sight of so many bras and panties, Kagome began to wonder if they actually belonged to all of Sesshomaru’s conquests. Blanching at the thought of wearing someone else’s underwear, Kagome thanked the Kamis that all she had to grab was a bra. Searching through the pile, she finally found a purple bra in her size and gratefully shut the drawer, hoping that she never had to do that again.

Kagome then browsed through the clothing and found a comfortable pair of white slacks and a matching canary colored turtleneck sweater. After having dressed in her find, she decided to go the whole nine yards and grab a pair of comfy white slip-ons. Surprised to find that the clothing, as well as the shoes, fit her like a glove, Kagome walked out of the closet while grabbing her own clothes.

Without a second glance, Kagome clapped her hands twice and left the now dark guestroom.

As she entered the hallway, she nearly collided with the brick wall that was Sesshomaru.

Catching herself before she could “assault” his person, Kagome stepped back and regarded the large cup of coffee in his hand.

“I was wondering what was taking you.” Handing her the mug, he said, “Jaken made it for you. I did not think that I had coffee but apparently the maid enjoys her instant and left some in the cabinet. It’s vanilla-hazelnut I believe.”

Taking in the heavenly aroma, Kagome sighed in bliss. This was exactly what she needed. She took a quick sip and nearly spit it out as the hot liquid burned her tongue.

“Ith’s hot! Ith’s bery hot!” She squeezed her eyes shut until the pain dissipated. When she opened her eyes, she wished she had continued to keep them shut.

It wasn’t so much the look of unveiled amusement on Sesshomaru’s face that had her wishing that her eyes were still closed, but the effect that look was having on her. It was the first time she had ever seen her boss show any form of emotion other than derision towards her, and by Kami it was possibly the sexiest thing she had ever seen.

Praying to every god she could think of, Kagome hoped that her rampant hormones would control themselves and return her to the solid-thinking woman she truly was rather than the unstable pile of hormonal goo that now stood before Sesshomaru as quickly as possible. It was odd that she was now abruptly hyper-aware of the masculinity her boss oozed. Unfortunately for her, Sesshomaru was more alert to the effect he was having on her than he was letting on.

Thrusting out the arm that contained her dress and shoes, Kagome shoved them into Sesshomaru’s grasp. “I don’t know what to do with these.” Thankful for her quick thinking, Kagome let out an alleviated sigh.

Forced to accept the situation, Sesshomaru took the objects from her hand and told her, “I will have Jaken take care of them. He will have the dress dry-cleaned for you and will return your items to you at a later date.” Snapping his fingers, his retainer practically popped out of thin air. Handing her things to the ugly toad, Sesshomaru addressed him. “Have the dress dropped off at the cleaners and return Higurashi-san’s belongings to her as soon as possible.”

“Hai, Sesshomaru-sama.” Jaken bowed then disappeared just as mysteriously as he had appeared.

Sesshomaru returned his attention to Kagome. “Now that you have your desperately needed caffeine, shall we continue in our work?”

Kagome nodded and walked slowly behind him back to his study. Once again taking a seat in the large comfortable chair, she took a quick sip of the rapidly cooling coffee and placed it on the table. Ready to take on the enormous task that awaited her, Kagome grabbed a file and began the tedious process of analyzing the profiles of Sesshomaru’s employees.


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Something hard was poking Kagome in the side. Normally she would ignore any forms of distractions and continue sleeping, but whoever was poking her was rather adamant in trying to get her to wake.

Trying to swat the hand away from her sore ribs, Kagome grumbled, “Another five minutes, Okaa-san. Onegai, school doesn’t start until eight.”

“Onna, if your mother were to look anything like me, than she would have not produced such an unsightly child. Her progeny would have most definitely been more appealing than what you are at this moment.”

Slowly coming to at the sound of Sesshomaru’s voice, Kagome realized that she had fallen asleep in the lounge chair. She wiped at the drool that had congealed at the side of her mouth and looked up to see a blur of silver and blue standing over her. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her fists, Kagome recognized as the silver and blue blur to be Sesshomaru. An agitated Sesshomaru. Like that wasn’t new.

“What’s the matter?” she managed to ask as she simultaneously yawned and stretched in her seat.

“Now, why would you assume that something is wrong? Can I not poke you repeatedly as you lay sleeping while we are supposed to be going through countless files before I must leave for Hong Kong in three hours? I see no problem in that.”

Still not quite fully awake, Kagome did not know if he was being sarcastic or if he actually expected her to answer his questions. “If poking gets you off then go find someone else. I’m not into that kind of thing.” She would later blame her statement on being rudely awakened from a wonderful dream of homemade oden and strawberry pocky - it truly was amazing that she was as thin as she was when food was always on her mind.

Sesshomaru thought of all the possible ways he could punish the girl as a low growl tore from his throat. At the moment, dismemberment seemed to be his favorite option. However, it would not do to have police needlessly snooping around his apartment searching for the infernal onna. As much as he wished torture was legal, he could never do such to his personal assistant, even though she obviously deserved it.

Now completely aware of just how upset Sesshomaru was, Kagome sat up in her chair and reached out to rest a hand on his arm. Startling him out of his thoughts, she addressed him as he met her gaze. “Gomen. I did not mean to fall asleep. I know that this must be finished as soon as possible and I apologize for holding you back. If you want, I can finish the rest of the files while you get a bit of sleep. You won’t get a chance to sleep while you’re on the plane.”

Sesshomaru shook his head as he sat back down in his seat. “Youkai can go for days without sleep. It is unnecessary for me to do so now.” He pointed towards the surprisingly small pile of files left. “As you can see, I was able to get a majority of the evaluations done while you were asleep; however, I have come across a particular case that I cannot solve by myself.”

Intrigued by this, Kagome leaned forward and swept away the last vestiges of sleep that cloaked her mind. “Who is it?”

Sesshomaru did not hand her a file like she expected, but instead crossed his legs and leaned back in his seat. “Kazuhiro is resigning at the end of the month and I must appoint someone from within the company to take his place. I do not know who to replace him with.”

Kagome started at this revelation. Watanabe Kazuhiro was Vice President of Human Resources, the position that Sesshomaru had promised Kagome when she first signed the contract to work for him. It was because of her double major in industrial/organizational psychology and business that he promised her that position within five years of working for him. She sincerely hoped that this was the opportunity she had been waiting for. Admittedly she was expecting to take the job for at least another three years, but she was not willing to let this chance slip through her fingers so readily.

“Why is Kazuhiro leaving?” Kagome had to ask, just to make sure that she still wasn’t dreaming. “If he were to leave now, he wouldn’t get benefits from the company. He hasn’t worked long enough to get them and yet he’s leaving?”

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his index finger and thumb. “Apparently, Kumo Networks has offered him a much larger salary and better benefits than what I can offer him.”

Kagome snorted. “That sounds unlikely. Kumo is infamous for their poor treatment of employees. I bet Naraku bought him off just to piss you off.” Dokugumo Naraku was owner of the well-known rival consolidation. Everyone knew that Sesshomaru despised him and both were constantly at each other’s throats when it came to business. For all too long, Naraku’s company had been second best to that of Sesshomaru’s and it was clear that he was tired of it. Buying off Kazuhiro was not the first underhanded act Naraku had done.

“Nevertheless, he is gone and I must find someone to take over his position. Do you know of someone who is well suited for the job?”

For a moment, Kagome thought that he was kidding: that he was merely playing with her, but his serious appearance told her otherwise.

“Why would you ask something like that?” Kagome questioned incredulously. “You promised me the position when I signed. Admittedly, it is earlier than I expected, but if you were to assign someone else to the position, then there would be no way for me to get that job for another ten years at least.”

Sesshomaru cocked his head and assessed her words. “I promised you the VP position after five years as my personal assistant. It has only been two years now. I cannot give you the position on account of our contract.”

She sent a fiery glare in his direction. “Then what are you going to do when my five years is up? Human Resources is what we agreed on. I’m not willing for you to demote someone just because it’s my time to take the position. I won’t agree to such a thing.”

“Well, good then, because no such thing will happen.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Kagome was upset now. He was making it sound as if he had no intention of giving her the job at all.

Sesshomaru regarded her coolly. “What I mean, is that when the position is once again open, I will give it to you. But until then, you will remain my personal assistant.”

Kagome never knew that she had a twitch until that moment. “Are you serious? There is no way that I’m going to remain your lapdog for another fifteen years while someone else enjoys the position I was promised.” She rose from her seat then, putting her palms flat on the table and leaned towards him. “You promised me, Sesshomaru. Do not negate on your promise.”

Sesshomaru got to his feet to meet her challenge. Growling menacingly, he gritted out, “I’m not going back on my promise. You will be VP of Human Resources eventually. But until that time comes, you will remain This Sesshomaru’s assistant. And if you value what you have now, you will shut your mouth and do as you’re told. I can and will make your life much worse than it already is if you continue to accuse this Sesshomaru of having no honor.”

Kagome let out a surprisingly animalistic sounding growl in response to his own. She had taken enough of his bullshit to last a lifetime and this was the last straw.

Wasn’t it bad enough that she worked from seven am to nine pm every night? Wasn’t it bad enough that he treated her like a slave at work? Wasn’t it bad enough that he called her away on the night that she was to be engaged? Enough was enough.

“My life already revolves around you and this precious job. I’m sick of it. I’ve done my time, Sesshomaru, and I refuse to do any more.” She raised her finger, charging it with some of her reiki, and began to jab him in the chest. “Now listen here, mister: either you give me that job, like I was promised or I quit. And I guarantee that you will never find another woman like me.”

“Somehow, I doubt that,” Sesshomaru retorted. “You will not get that job by threatening me. In fact, I don’t think that I’m going to give you that job at all now. And if you quit, which you won’t, I can promise that you will never be able to get another job in this town again.”

Kagome smirked threateningly. “How cliché. You can’t even come up with your own threats, can you, Sesshomaru? Good thing your new personal assistant can help you with that.” Her last words were said with so much vehemence, that if Sesshomaru had been any other man, he would have cringed.

Grabbing her purse from beside the chair, Kagome was about to storm out of the study when she felt a strong grip on her wrist halt her advance. She turned to see Sesshomaru towering over her, fangs bared and red tingeing the rims of his normally golden irises. Under normal circumstances, Kagome would have been terrified at the sight of the demonic Sesshomaru, however, the adrenaline rushing through her veins from the impromptu confrontation was still giving her a false sense of assurance.

“Let go of me, Sesshomaru,” she demanded. Instead his grip tightened and his lengthening claws began to pierce her skin.

“No one leaves This Sesshomaru,” he hissed. Leaning into her, he lowered his head so that their noses were almost touching. “You are to go nowhere. You are my property and you are to stay here until the remainder of these files are finished.”

Painfully twisting her arm out of his grasp, Kagome used the now free arm to slap him across the face. “I am no one’s property. You got that? I am a human being with free will, and right now I choose to quit.”

Opening his eyes halfway to give a scathing look to the young woman before him, Sesshomaru let some of his youki slip past his carefully erected barrier and push at her own innocent aura. “You are making a big mistake, miko. This Sesshomaru is a powerful enemy.” Ignoring the burn of his cheek where her priestess powers singed his skin, he continued. “I will give you one more chance to make the right decision. Do not walk away or you will regret the consequences.”

Kagome shook her head ruefully. “I have made the right decision, Sesshomaru. I quit and nothing you can say will change my mind.” With that said Kagome turned her back on the fuming taiyoukai and stomped out of the study.

She hadn’t even made it halfway down the hall when she heard the most unnerving howl come from the study she had just exited. Suddenly wishing more than anything that she was as far away as possible from the apartment, Kagome ran the rest of the way out of the building.

But no matter how far away she got, the haunting sound of Sesshomaru’s cry refused to leave her mind.


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A/N: So, there it is; another chapter done. I'm actually almost done with the fourth chapter, but because these chapters are so long, I'm thinking that I might just have to wait a little bit before I put out the next one.

I know that the thoughts vs. dialogue is pretty confusing, but until I figure out how to put italics in, it's going to stay like this. Sorry.

Also, if anyone can tell me where I got this chapter title from (it's famous - I'll give you that much) you win a fabulous prize yet to be determined.

By the way, Faerie_Demoness, I don't have your email. If you want me to tell you when I update, then you can email me your email and I'll let you know when I post a new chapter.

Tell me what you think - good or bad.

And please don't forget to review.

Thanks!