eMate dot com

Dedicated to Henpuku-Hime, Karada Fujimiya and ardentes. You guys recently sent reviews for this fic and kicked my ass into gear with them. Thanks so much for reminding me to work on it xD Sorry I’m, like, MIA all the time!

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Chapter 6: Thanks for signing up with eMate dot com, and have a nice day in hell



It'd been two months since he'd started working at MDC, Inc. and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t feel like some low class prostitute, what with the amount of money he made for making people happy. Add to that fact that while he resented working for who he did (and as a “gopher” no less), he did enjoy seeing firsthand the miracle this crazy idea of online dating created for people.



Yeah, yeah, it was still sappy as hell, and he’d never admit to a living soul that he enjoyed what he did but he could never help the smile that’d sneak onto his face when he saw linked people send requests to the company to cancel their accounts because they’d “found their soul mate”.



Heh. “Linked people”. Such a stupid term that the company used for the customers that were dating each other. Each profile kept track of the dates they went on by “linking” dates and such from one person’s profile to the other’s. Most users could accept or decline showing this on their profile page, but it was always available to see by the company.



While Inuyasha still thought online dating was over exaggerated, he didn’t exactly see this company as “one of those online dating traps”. Mostly because eMate went the extra mile for their truly invested costumers, holding weekly and monthly events for couples to get together with each other, whether it was due to shyness because it was a new experience for them, or because they were on different sides of the freaking planet and needed a midway point to meet. It was also a good way for customers that had used the system and found happiness with their mate to come back to socialize with old friends they’d met at previous events, or even to speak to those that were skeptical about the whole thing by sharing their experiences.



That part was amazing and the reason why he still put up with all the shit he did while working for MDC, Inc. As they say, there’re always two sides to a coin. While the awe inspiring experience of witnessing people find life partners was on one side, the other side was heavily full of...



“Are your legs broken, or do I need to carry you through an office you’ve been in numerous times before?”



Inuyasha grit his teeth, ears flattening against his skull as he picked up his pace.



The other side of that goddamn coin was heavily full of himself is what it was!



Catching up to his boss, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru walked side by side through the spacious main office, with a nearly tangible abrasiveness evident between the two as they passed cramped cubicles here and there. While one walked proud and tall (and pretty much indifferent to everything around him), the other had his hands shoved in his jean pockets, a pout on his face and a slouch in his step.



Regardless of the odd contrast they presented they still seemed to draw hushed whispers and gaping stares during their daily march through the office.



The routine had somehow formed throughout the time they’d worked together. It had began when, one day, they'd shown up to work at precisely the same time continuously after the first week, an occurrence which had Inuyasha balancing precariously on the borderline of paranoia for a while, thinking that he was being stalked. However, he'd simmered down and had more or less gotten used to their odd little habit.



As they walked around the next corner, Inuyasha couldn’t help but say, annoyed, "You're one sadistic bastard, aren't you?" His question had been rhetorical, while his tone let the other know exactly how much he didn't like him.



The other scoffed softly, his facial features changing only very slightly but enough that Inuyasha was able to detect the snooty bastard's subtly smug mug at the assessment despite his reply.



"You've made your opinion of me quite clear, hanyou," Sesshomaru said as they came to a halt momentarily at another set of elevators. Upon the ding, they boarded, the youkai pressing the "7" button with his knuckle.



"Tch, s'not like you listen to what I say anyway. And besides, you're the type of person that needs constant reminders of just how much an asshole you can be. Shit, if I were in your position I'd have already thrown myself out your office window considering how you treat your employees! What the fuck is wrong with you? That girl we just passed like she was invisible back there was holding a present for you!”



"Hn. You run your mouth constantly, most of it being inane conversation; I've learned to filter out the majority of what you say," the demon said, a small smirk lifting the corner of his mouth slightly. He checked (more like admired, the vain bastard) his Rolex before they arrived at their floor.



"Wanna say that to my face, asshole!" Inuyasha said affronted as they walked out of the elevator.



"I thought I just had, or weren't you able to comprehend words a four year old could?" Sesshomaru walked ahead of the sputtering hanyou, not bothering to pause as his secretary, Ms. Sango, began blabbering away about appointments, missed calls, phone messages and what he'd like for lunch this afternoon.



As Sesshomaru opened the large door to his personal office, none otherwise present in front of him to revel at the look that was about to cross his face, he finally allowed himself to fully smirk. His grin increased slightly in amusement as he heard the half-demon continuing to growl out profanities at his back.



His smirk, however, melted into a frown when he heard the next bit of conversation from outside his office.



"-at 2PM he has a meeting with the board. His mother called about three times this morning and left a message to call her back. I was also wondering what Sesshomaru-sama would like for lunch-"



"-prime rib, rare."



“Rare? Are you sure?"



“Don’t look so surprised, Sango-san. He is an animal after all,” the half-demon said in a deadpan voice. “Actually. I take that back, tell them to make it well-done, he’s been such a prick this morning he deserves a bad steak. Oo! And make sure it’s one that’s about to expire! That’ll make it really special! You could even put my name on the from tag!”



Sango laughed over that before promptly making a little note to the chefs to make it rare and to never listen to Inuyasha should he ever order anything for Mr Musashi. “Oh! That’s right,” the girl quieted her voice a bit more, as she turned around to snatch something in her purse before turning back to the hanyou. “Here, I wrote my number down on it. I... had meant to give it to you the other day but it seemed you were so busy with running around I didn’t want to bother you.”



“Oh,” the half-demon held out his hand and looked at the little paper heart he held there. He blushed. Wow. A girl’s number. He discreetly slipped the number into his pocket. “Heh, thanks. I’ll definitely-” Inuyasha paused feeling like he was being watched. His ears twitched to the side as his eyes followed and found Sesshomaru giving him the side glare that seemed to rake barbed wire over his flesh before growling at him.



“I don’t have all day, half-breed. I have things to go over with you before I can start in on more important matters,” the other said tersely, walking over to his door in what some would perceive as an intimidating gesture.



Inuyasha grumbled, “Yeah, yeah, I’m comin’,” before he turned back to give an apologetic sigh. “I’ll make sure it’s put to good use, Sango-san. Thanks!”



As the half-demon stomped into the room, growling low curses at the youkai waiting at the door for him he heard Sango ask their boss the simplest of questions before she was all but shut out.



“Can I get you anything, sir?”



“No.” And with that Sesshomaru shut the door in the girl's face with a rather powerful slam before heading to his desk and shuffling through papers here and there.



Inuyasha had witnessed it enough to know that no matter what he said of how rude Sesshomaru treated his secretary the bastard wouldn’t give it two thoughts before moving on to the topic HE wanted to discuss. So he kept his mouth shut and silently thought of a way he could make Sesshomaru’s life difficult. As he tried to burn a hole in the youkai’s forehead, the demon under Inuyasha’s mental assault continued reading the papers before him calmly.



Grrr, but that’s what was getting on Inuyasha’s nerves the most! The asshole’s total aloofness with everything around him. It was like nothing affected him at all! He didn’t even bat an eye when it came to women trying to express their affections for him like the girl downstairs had been trying to do earlier, and all the demon did was walk right past her as if she were nothing but air.



Granted- and Inuyasha winced at his revelation- it’s not like he himself had given her much thought either until AFTER he’d started hounding Sesshomaru for his mannerisms. Or lack thereof. But just because he’d... sorta done the same thing as Sesshomaru didn’t mean he was the SAME as him. At least he had the insight and soul to feel bad about it, even if it was after the fact.



“Quit your twitching, half-breed. I have a new assignment for you and I can’t explain it if you’re fidgeting about like a deprived meth addict,” the demon said sharply.



Inuyasha glowered at him but otherwise stayed quiet in hopes of this meeting ending early so he’d have at least a little time away from the jerk.



“Our Technology Department has begun in-company beta tests with next year’s clientele profiles, and they’d rather have an amateur- someone that’s not used to using the system- test it.”



Inuyasha gave an absent nod.



“The profile won’t be enabled online immediately, at least not until they’ve worked out any errors that occur during the beta. Filling out the survey each customer does when initially signing up and submitting their public profiles is all that needs to be done now.



“There will also be more betas as your work on this lets us know what’s working and what isn’t,” Sesshomaru finished.



Inuyasha gulped back nervously, not entirely comfortable with the situation the youkai was unknowingly putting him in. At first he was outright denying the demon mentally as he went over the duties. The main reason being that he was way too embarrassed of already having a profile on the site (against his will might he add!), and that if the demon didn’t already know, he would more than likely torture him for the remainder of his life if he ever did find out.



That’s when a horrible and morbid curiosity hit him. What if Sesshomaru DID know and was doing this on purpose?



“Why the hell can’t you do something like that!” Inuyasha blurted unintentionally, ears flattening against his skull as he clamped his mouth shut after the outburst.



Sesshomaru leveled him with a stare.



“I have other obligations, hanyou, as I run the majority of the company. I don’t have time to make a profile for a dating site my mother created. I just ensure that people pay us their dues and are satisfied so that more eventually get word of and give us business.”



Ah. Well, that answered that question, Inuyasha thought. Thank god. Guess there isn’t much harm in going along with it then...



“Fine. I’ll do it.”



“I know,” Sesshomaru said, an oddly misplaced smirk aligned his face before he continued with, “Also, you’ll be working overtime for the foreseeable future.”



The last sentence taking Inuyasha by as much surprise and horror as if the demon had come up behind him and yelled out ‘Surprise butt sex!’



Inuyasha sat up straight in his chair, nearly flinging himself at the desk in front of him. “WHAT!?”



“We have a new year coming up, Inuyasha; we have to get events for the next few months planned out and decided upon. The ideas you come up with will be sent to my mother and she’ll decide whether to use them, or give suggestions of improvement.”



“I’m sorry, let me rephrase that: WHAT!? You already have Shunsui for that clerical crap!!”



“She’s not here.”



“...Where is she? Did she quit? Tch, couldn’t blame her. This place is one giant hole of hell. The catch line for when people that think they want to work here should be: Thanks for joining eMate dot com, have a nice life in hell.”



Sesshomaru continued giving him a deadpanned stare. “She didn’t leave willingly.”



“...Did you fire her? Oh, you rat bastard, you fired her didn’t you! She was a sweet woman! A little on the heavy side, but-”



Sesshomaru pinched the bridge of his nose. “I really don’t care if your father tells me otherwise, I’m thoroughly convinced you were dropped on your head as a child, multiple times,” he said to himself, before sitting up and grabbing the hanyou’s attention with his tone. “You cannot be so moronic as to not know that Shunsui was pregnant, not overweight. How you’ve survived this long without your father or numerous other people you’ve encountered throughout your life beating you is beyond me.”



Inuyasha stared.



And stared.



And stared.



Did he just...?



“Wow, you just made a joke, didn’t you? Morbid and slightly hopeful on your part I’m sure, but a joke nonetheless.”



Sesshomaru looked like he was getting thoroughly annoyed. And it delighted Inuyasha so much that he let out a sound he hadn’t ever before expressed in Sesshomaru’s presence.



He laughed.



A reaction the youkai hadn’t been expecting if the curious look he was giving him now was anything to go by.



“Wow, well, in reply to that, I’m not sure how you’ve managed not to just totally crawl out of your own skin with how tight you’re wrung. Jesus, man, you need to get laid.”



And there went the youkai’s Mr Curious expression, morphing instead into Mr Sourpuss.



“My sex life is none of your concern, hanyou,” the demon said irritably, opening a drawer and fetching a pack of cigarettes from it as he turned on his computer.



Lighting the slim cigarette, the demon took a drag, exhaling in relief until his attention was drawn to the half-demon before him.



He raised a brow at Inuyasha’s exaggerated movements and coughing.



“Ugh, I didn’t know you smoked! Tch. I feel bad for your dates, it must be like kissing an ashtray or breathing in volcano ash that clings to your lungs and then suffocates you within hours.” Inuyasha waved his hand out in front of him to ward off the smoke that the demon had just purposefully blown in his direction. “Why don’t you just go around smothering people with pillows, air polluter!”



“I can assure you this one bad habit of mine is the least my dates care about.”



“If I wasn’t gagging from your airborne cancer smoke, I would at that insinuation. Gross.” Inuyasha stood up and moved to walk out. “I’ll start working on the assignment now, but I’ll do it in another part of the building that doesn’t stink like a metal factory, ‘kay thanks.”



And with that, the half-demon left the room.

 

 

 

Chapter end.