A Week In New York

Kagome stirred slightly as she felt a rumble underneath her. They were landing in New York. She reached up and rubbed her eyes softly, sitting up slowly. “Well, well, you’re finally awake. About time, you slept through the whole trip here.” She looked up and saw a slight smirk on her boss’ face.

Yawning and stretching out, she leaned back against him, still groggy. “Mmm… you’re a soft pillow Taisho-san.” His eyes widened at her blunt statement but he smiled letting her rest a bit longer. He had only slept for a little while. The rest of the time he spent watching her chest slowly rise and fall or watching the scenery outside fly past. The ocean alone was beautiful to gaze out on. He wished he could have been flying on his own, his long silver hair blowing behind him, free to do as he pleased. But to have traveled like that, he would’ve had to leave the lovely woman resting against his shoulder to travel alone.

As the plane came to a gentle stop, the pilot came over the intercom with a yawn. “Good morning again everyone, I trust that you both slept well and I of course, know that I was an excellent pilot.” He laughed slightly at his own joke and continued. “Taisho-san, your father asked me to inform you that he will be waiting for you when you reach your hotel. He has something he wishes to speak to you about. And with that I take my leave and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day in New York.”

Sesshomaru shook her shoulder lightly, trying one last time to wake her. “It’s time to get up, Kagome.” He rolled his eyes slightly when she tried swatting his hand away. “You’re going to be very lonely when I leave you here.” It was hard to believe he was joking and being so patient with her. With any other woman, none of this would be acceptable. Was she really so different?

“Do I have to?” She whined slightly and sat up. “I’m sorry Taisho-san; I’m not a morning person.” Rubbing her eyes one last time and smoothing out her hair, she finally stood up. She swayed a bit, unsteady on her feet after being asleep for so long. He shook his head and stood up beside her. Walking over to the door where the young maid held his briefcase, he waited for his tired companion to follow.

After a moment of reawakening, Kagome straightened her outfit and headed towards the door. Sesshomaru allowed her to go down the steps before him and he followed shortly after, walking with her over to an awaiting limo. “How many of these do you have, Taisho-san?” She wasn’t really surprised and he could tell, but he just gave a little smile and indulged her. They got in the limo together and sped off towards their hotel.

The ride there was again mostly silence, but this time it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. They weren’t on edge as much as they were before and occasionally they would say a word or two.

“What kind of room will I have Taisho-san?” She assumed that they would be in separate rooms, her having never done something like this before and knowing that she was of lower social status than he.

“You will be in a suite adjoining mine, or so I’ve been told. My father supposedly made the arrangements.” Although he thought what he had been told by his assistants should be correct, he still held some doubt about the room reservations. His father had been known to set him up a time or two so he continued to be wary.

“A suite?! Really?! Wow…” He looked up at the young woman to see her in an astonished daze. She acted like she deserved nothing in life and it was really starting to bother him. What had this young woman done to deserve such a life?

“Do not think yourself so undeserving.”

“W-What do you mean, Taisho-san?” From the absolute wonder in her voice he was taken aback. He watched her with a serious yet gentle gaze. Did she not realize how much she demeaned herself?

“You want nothing more for yourself?” He asked not expecting an answer. “I sense that you don’t think you deserve any of this. You shouldn’t think of yourself so badly. You are innocent and simple. You have impressed me with only that, more than any have ever done. I do not wish to intrude on your personal life, but why did you live in such a place as you did? How did things turn out so badly?”

She looked down with a sad expression and for a moment he wished he hadn’t asked. But right when he opened his mouth to take it back, she started to answer. “My father died when I was very young. He was in a car crash. A drunk driver ran a red light. He left my mother taking care of me, with no job, and my younger brother on the way. My grandpa gave us a place to stay and I grew up taking care of my brother while my mother worked at the shrine. When I got old enough I got a job and I continued to keep up with my schooling.”

“Eventually I got a full ride scholarship to Tokyo University but I had to turn them down. I had to keep a full time job to support my family. Eventually I moved out. I told them not to worry about me and to focus on themselves. I kept sending them all the extra money I had.” She looked up at him with a fierce look in her sapphire gaze. “My family comes first!”

He met her eyes with a solemn look in his amber gaze. “I am sorry for what you’ve suffered through. No one should have to go through that much hardship. But for how far you’ve come, and what you’ve done for them, I’m sure your family is very proud of you.” He thought for a moment about what he was going to offer her. Yes, he was sure. He would not let her suffer any longer.

“Thank you, Taisho-san; I really do try my hardest for them. I’ve learned a lot of responsibility and learned to work hard for what I earn.” She was proud of herself, and was very strong willed. He liked that in a woman.

“I expect you do, and that is why I am going to offer you something no other secretary of mine has ever been offered. If you wish to do so, you may work for me as you do now, but your home will be at my mansion and you would be a live in employee.” She gasped and stared at him wide-eyed, completely speechless. As this was a truly serious matter, he continued. “You will still receive pay as normal, but as such you can then put it away for yourself and a continuous sum of money will be sent to supply your family.” He truly had no idea what he was saying, and knew that the money for her family would probably be coming out of his own pocket but to see her happy, truly happy, would be worth it.

“By living at my home you would be supplied with everyday needs at no personal cost as well. I hope that you will consider my offer and-“

He was cut off by her stuttering. “I-I couldn’t possibly. That’s too generous of you Taisho-san! I couldn’t take an offer like that for nothing and I have nothing to give you in return!” She was in shock and flinging her arms all over, repeating herself. “I can’t. It is a wonderful offer but I just can’t.”

“Kagome.” She stopped and looked up at her boss nervously. “I understand what I am offering and it still stands.” He glanced up at her with a smirk. “And if you insist on repaying me, I guess you’ll just have to work harder, won’t you?” He wouldn’t make her work harder for his offer, but if she insisted, he wouldn’t stop her.

“T-Taisho-san…” She looked down and he closed his eyes, hoping he hadn’t upset her. Suddenly, he caught the salty scent of tears and opened his eyes just in time to see her crash into him and throw her arms around him. “Thank you! Thank you so much!” Her voice was shaky as tears of joy racked her body. “I promise I will be the hardest working secretary you’ve ever had!”

He smiled and patted her shoulder softly. He had expected an extreme reaction, but not this extreme; although, it wasn’t so bad. She plopped down next to him with a sniffle and started drying her tears. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her. She giggled a little, dried the rest of her tears and handed it back to him. After a moment the limo came to a stop and they heard the engine shut off.

Suddenly a booming voice out of nowhere seemed to shake the very ground beneath them. “Yo Sesshomaru! Get your tight ass out here and greet your old man!” Sesshomaru sighed and shook his head as he opened the door to the limo. There stood another demon almost exactly the same as he. The only differences were that his father’s eyes were bright and cheerful, his voice was deeper, and his frame was a bit larger. As he stepped out his father slapped him on the back. “About time Son, what took you so long?”

He glared at his father. “We’re early, Old Man!” He huffed a little but was amused by his father.

“We? Ah yes, your lady friend. Her scent is very pleasant, Sesshomaru. Your brother picked a good one.”

“Inuyasha was the one who made her my new secretary?”

Kagome poked her head out the door just in time to hear his question. She found herself being pulled out of the car by a pair of strong arms. “Well hello little lady, and who may you be?” She looked up to a pair of golden eyes and thought for a moment that it was Sesshomaru, but realized that it was actually his father.

“M-My name is Kagome, Sir.” She politely introduced herself and was set down. The elder Taisho held her right hand up and kissed it softly.

“Enchanté Mademoiselle Kagome.” She turned a light shade of pink and bowed her head slightly in respect for him. He shook his head and lifted her chin. “With me, please don’t be so formal. Just call me Inu or Inu-Taisho, whichever you prefer.” He released her and turned back to his son, who was trying very hard to hold back a small snarl from escaping his lips. He didn’t appreciate his father being so friendly with his secretary.

“Aww, cool it, ya bloodhound.” He obviously enjoyed openly mocking his son. “Actually, that’s exactly what I came to talk to you about. You need to relax and have some fun, so I’ve arranged a get together at a club down the road for some business associates and I. I know you and this time you cannot refuse. As your father I am making you go, now go upstairs to your room and get settled. I will come to pick you and your date here-“ He winked at Kagome. “-up for the party at 10 p.m.”

He walked around the two of them and slid into the limo that had dropped them off. “Don’t you dare skip out on me, Sesshomaru!” He slammed the door and the limo sped off again, leaving them in front of the revolving door of the hotel. Kagome’s cheeks were again, a bright red at the mention that she was his “date”. Sesshomaru sighed and gave in to the inevitable. Since he couldn’t fight his father on the subject, he had no choice. Maybe it would be a chance to get to know her better. Soon a bellboy came out and picked up their bags and led them inside.

She stopped on the other side of the door and looked around in amazement. The walls were painted more beautifully than the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It looked like the very picture of Heaven itself. There were colorful plants scattered about and columns painted along the walls that seemed like the real thing.

She snapped out of her stupor when she heard her boss exclaim. “What?! That bastard set me up again!” With a snarl, he turned around and ordered the bellboy to take their bags up to their room. He stormed back over to where she was standing and she stepped back in fear, seeing him so furious, his blood red eyes giving him away. He stepped back and calmed himself, allowing his beast to recede and his eyes to fade back into their normal molten gold color.

“I apologize, Kagome. I did not mean to frighten you. But it seems dear old dad has tricked me, AGAIN!”

“What exactly has he done Taisho-san?” She found it hard to believe that the sweet man - demon really - she had met earlier could do anything that bad.

“I asked my father to reserve us two suites, and apparently he only reserved one.” Being in the same room with her wouldn’t have worried him so much if she hadn’t that wonderful, oh so tempting scent. “And that’s not the bad news.” He looked down and grumbled, wishing he could strangle his father at the moment. “He booked us the Honeymoon Suite.”

Then there was silence. He was worried for a moment so he looked up to see her bent over clutching her chest, one hand clasped over her mouth, trying so hard not to burst out laughing. Trying not to smile he turned away from her. “Come on, the hotel is completely booked, so we have no choice.” She laughed quietly to herself and followed him to the elevator. When the door opened and they stepped inside, her laughing slowly stopped.

“Why would your father have done such a silly thing as that?” She was simply amused by the idea of his father making it so they had to stay in the same room.

His mind was elsewhere and so he didn’t think through his blunt response. “Probably because he assumed I hadn’t been with a woman in a very long time and he figured I would be attracted to you, so why not fix me up.” As soon as he registered what he had said he knew he was in trouble. He glanced at her and saw that she had an adorable smile on her face but knew what she was thinking.

She looked down at her feet shyly for a minute but then met his gaze once more. “Are you attracted to me, Taisho-san?”

Yup, he knew it. Damn it! He cursed himself for not thinking before he spoke. Of course he was attracted to her. She was sweet and kind, and so innocent that it was cute. But he couldn’t tell her that, not yet at least. “Well.. You are a very attractive woman, Kagome.” There, it wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either, he could live with that. And hopefully she wouldn’t ask any more questions.

She blushed a deep red because of his praise, and lowered her eyes to her feet again, thinking herself undeserving.

As much as he wanted to hide his attraction to her, he still wanted her to know. “You are very beautiful, Kagome. Don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise.” She didn’t know how to respond but was saved by the elevator doors opening on the top floor. Together they walked to the end of the hallway and a man opened the door for them, handed Sesshomaru the key, and headed back down the hall.

When they stepped inside, all they could see was bright colors of red. The walls were pained red, the lampshades were red which caused the lighting to be a dim red, the furniture was red, there was a Jacuzzi in the corner that was heart shaped and even the water was colored red. He would have bet even money that when they walked in the bedroom it was going to be a heart shaped bed as well. “Once we get back to Tokyo, I don’t ever want to see the color red again.” She made fun of the room as she walked through, not expecting a Honeymoon Suite to really have everything especially made up for honeymooners.

“I guess I’ll take the couch, Taisho-san. I doubt you would want to share the bed with me and I couldn’t very well make you sleep on the couch.” She took hold of her bag and started to bring it over to the couch.

“Absolutely not, you sleep in the bed, I will stay out here. I will most likely not sleep long anyway.”

“Of course you won’t sleep long on that stupid couch now I insist. If I sleep in the bedroom, then we both sleep there. I won’t have my boss waking up with a bad back or something because of some crappy hotel couch.” He was about to argue but when his amber eyes met her azure gaze he saw a stubbornness there that rivaled his own. And not to mention that she was a woman, and women always fight until they win, so he conceded to her demand. He could keep his beast under control enough to deal with a simple test of will power.

Taking their bags into the bedroom he found that his guess was right and the bed was indeed in the shape of a giant heart. Kagome followed him inside and giggled a bit seeing the bed. Sesshomaru set down the bags next to the upside-down heart shaped dresser and sighed. He was starting to agree with Kagome about never wanting to see red again.

Kagome jumped on the bed and rolled around to test it out. “Ooooh! The sheets are so soft and smooth!” She grabbed a heart shaped pillow from the head of the bed and cuddled it. “Even the pillows are soft!”

He was used to this treatment so he knew what to expect, but she fascinated him. Her reactions to what they were given were so different than what he would expect from anyone else. She made him smile. She made him laugh. Things he never did. As he watched her curl up in a little ball on the bed, a small smile graced his lips again. It soon turned into a smirk as she once again didn’t account for the fact that she was wearing a skirt. Deciding to be polite, he cleared his throat to get her attention. “I suggest you either change, or stay aware of what you are wearing Miss Kagome.”

“What do you mean?” She sat up and suddenly realized what he meant when she saw the look on his face. She squeaked and clamped her legs together, holding her skirt down over them. “What were you looking for anyway?” Her cheeks matched the room around her and she needed to pin it on him somehow.

But he wasn’t going to fall for that now. “The black stands out in a sea of red.” He answered with his smug little smirk growing into a fanged smile. He caught her and she knew she was caught. “By the way, what will you be wearing to the party tonight?” This fully caught her attention. She had thought that this would be a purely business trip and so she hadn’t worried too much about what little she had to bring.

“Taisho-san... I’m afraid that I will not be able to join you tonight. You should just go without me and I’ll stay and find some way to make this room a little less red.” She laughed half-heartedly and walked back into the main room. He watched her tugging at the red covers of the couch and a look of concern grew over his features.

“Why in the world would you ever want to stay here instead of joining this Sesshomaru tonight?”

“I’m sure it will be a very formal event and I’m just not that kind of girl, Taisho-san.”

He could tell she was avoiding telling him something. Walking over to her, he took her hand away from the silk cover and lifted her chin to look into her eyes. There he saw a deep sadness not unlike he had seen when she told him about her family. He searched her very soul through her deep cerulean eyes and found what he had been looking for. “You do not have anything to wear, do you?” He had asked so softly, with unexpected kindness in his tone, not accusatorily like she feared.

She looked into his eyes and only found concern and caring, and that alone brought tears to her eyes. She looked down, avoiding his burning gaze and gently shook her head, confirming his suspicion. “As I thought.” He stepped away from her, but did not release her hand. “Come. Follow me.” Before she could protest, he pulled her along with him out the door. Checking that he had a key to their room, he closed the door and continued down the hallway to the elevator. As the elevator descended, they were in silence.

She watched him in wonder of why he was still holding her hand in his firm yet gentle grip. But when he tugged slightly for her to step out of the elevator, she continued on with him. Walking out of the hotel doors, they found a limo once again waiting for them. She looked up and realized that time had gone by very quickly because it was already past noon. Then for the first time since the hotel room he spoke only to dismiss the driver. “We will not need your services right now; it is not far to where we are going. We will walk.” She felt a gentle tug again and followed him down the sidewalk.

Her curiosity started to get the best of her after some time of walking down the street in silence. “Where are we going Taisho-san?” He didn’t seem to hear her as he glanced from store to store, intent on finding the right one. Then suddenly he spotted it and stopped dead in front of the store. She almost bumped into him, not expecting the sudden stop and was pulled into the store with him. Once inside, her jaw dropped in awe. She was surrounded by beautiful gowns and dresses of all different styles and colors. “T-Taisho-san…?”

“Go ahead, choose one.”

“I can’t accept this.. These dresses are too wonderful and so expensive. I couldn’t take another such extravagant gift. You’ve already done so much.” She spun around looking at all the gorgeous gowns. She had to turn him down.. Even though she really wanted one.

“You deserve at least a beautiful gown for tonight. Now I wont take ‘no’ for an answer. If I have to go to this party, you’re going with me. Now shall I choose for you?” He glanced around and spotted one that he thought would suit her well. Walking over to the dress rack, he picked up one that he guessed to be her size. Taking it back over to her he placed it in her hands. “Now go.” He commanded more than suggested as he pointed towards the dressing rooms.

She walked with the dress in her arms, seeming to be in a daze, just staring at the dress. Before she reached the dressing room she almost knocked over four people and two racks of dresses. Once she disappeared around a corner, he walked over to the sales desk where in a glass case they had many beautiful pieces of jewelry. Somehow he knew that the dress would be perfect and so he picked out a matching set of earrings and a necklace.

After a few minutes of wandering the store, he heard someone behind him. He turned around about to tell them off but halted mid-turn when he saw the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. She was wearing a floor length dark blue dress with a slit up to her waist covered underneath, with a lighter blue material. There were crystals shimmering across the top of the strapless gown and a floral trim along the bottom. She was more beautiful than ever, even as her cheeks became enflamed a color of red deeper than that of a cherry, under his burning gaze.

“H-How did you know my size, Taisho-san?” Too flustered to face him, she simply kept her eyes on her feet.

He smirked, relishing in her embarrassment on his account. “Lucky guess.” Looking her over from head to toe he realized she must also have no shoes to wear with it. “Kagome, what size dress shoe do you wear?”

She smiled coyly and finally looked up at him. “Oh, Mr. Lucky Guess needs me to tell him that?”

“Hmm… Touché Kagome. My guess would be an eight.” Affirming his guess she huffed a little and turned around. “I must have guessed correctly then. Now go and change and I will pay for the dress and find you a pair of heels you can dance in.” She turned back to him and nodded slightly, then started off towards the changing room. She smiled and was filled with wonder. Why was he being so kind to her?

In the other room he was truly wondering the same thing as he chose a pair of heels from the shelf. She was beautiful but even the most beautiful women had never affected his actions before. His beast was calling out to him much more than it ever had. His mind was being overpowered by something. By… his heart? He shook the thought from his mind and pulled out his wallet to pay for the dress, shoes, and jewelry he had picked out for her. The salesman winked at him and spoke with a girlish voice. “You can come back anytime, gorgeous.”

Sesshomaru scrunched up his nose in disgust. “You’re not my type.” He thrust his credit card at the cashier in warning against opening his mouth again. The young man quickly ran his card in silence and handed it back to him with his perfectly manicured hands.

He took it and the bag with the shoes, and put the jewelry boxes in his jacket pocket. He didn’t want her to see them quite yet. Moments later, she came out dressed in her normal clothes again with the dress on a hangar and wrapped in plastic. Walking back over to him, he saw that she was still too embarrassed to look him in the eyes. Maybe he had been spoiling her a bit too much. There were still boundaries between employee and employer that shouldn’t be crossed.

Who was he trying to fool? He was only trying to convince himself of some reason to stop this foolishness. He glanced at her with softness and gentleness in his eyes. He knew could never deny her. And he wanted to spoil her. But maybe he would dial it down a bit after tonight. Gently he reached over and grasped her hand, leading her out of the store. Her hands were soft, as if she had ever done a day of hard labor in her life. She would never have to if she continued working for him.

He took her back to the hotel in silence, but this time she felt more comfortable assuming where they were going. His gaze was fixed ahead, concentrating on their destination as her eyes rested on him. There was absolute wonder in her eyes and even though she didn’t know it, a glimmer of affection for the young demon lord. She took a chance and intertwined her fingers with his. He didn’t pull away, he didn’t want to, and she took it like he didn’t notice. She smiled and moved a little closer to him as they walked, her warmth surrounding him.

He watched her figure and wondered what she felt as she drew closer to him. He didn’t understand her, or why he reacted to her the way he did. And neither of them noticed the quickly blossoming relationship, evolving into much more than what they would have originally thought.

~A.N.~ I’m really sorry if this chapter sucks ya’ll. I have been horribly neglecting this story with all my schoolwork and life in general piling up on me. I tried my hardest to make it a bit longer and I would like to read some reviews of input on if you want this to be a shorter realization of feelings story or a longer one. (If that makes any sense to you.) ^^;; I thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. I’ll keep working as best as I can!