Tantalise

Chapter One: Questions

By Mizuki Koi

Tantalise:

To torment, tease or disappoint with,

or as if with,

the sight of something desired but out of reach.

"Kagome, you idiot!" screamed an aging woman as she walked towards me, her gray hair pulled into a bun at the top of her oval face. Wrinkles stretched in her furious features as her short flabby arm waved a booklet of papers in my face. I frowned, here we go again.

"I asked for these in 1.5 line spacing, with numbering, not dot points. Are you really that stupid?" She snapped, pushing the document into my chest, almost pushing me over.

"But Ma'am..." I began to say only to be cut off.

"I don't care what you have to say! Fix it now! Have it on my desk my 8 am tomorrow morning, not a minute later or you can kiss your job good bye." She yelled her anger filled voice boomed though the office, causing heads to turn and pop up conspicuously from their work booths. I sighed watching her short, rather rounded form march off toward the elevator.

'Bitch' I thought, turning back to my work cubicle, watching as the gossip sped throughout the workplace. I watched them like a hawk, in the far left to the office room, sat a black haired woman, with pale skin and brown eyes. A pair of slim line reading glasses sat lazily on her nose as she giggled to the white haired woman, with eyes so soulless it sent shivers down my spine. They were the result of this!

'Kikyo and Kanna, I could have of guessed'. I scowled, it was insanely impossible at how unfair life was sometimes, but when you were a simple typist for a large company, you tended to be the target of bullying, something with disgusted me.

Seating myself down in an elegant matter, I pressed the power button on my computer, it flickered to life. I typed I my staff password, to be greeted with the same old background, one which elegantly stated who this operation belonged to.

Matsuyami Constructions

Matsuyami Constructions was owned by the one and only Naraku Matsuyami, I only had the pleasure of meeting him once, when I went for the job interview, he was adamant on interviewing everyone, to make sure they were suited for the position, well that's the story I got when I enquired as to why the head honcho would take his valuable time to fill a really simplistic position. What does Matsuyami do? Well they are kind of like a construction company; they design, propose and build new and innovative construction projects. I guess you could say trying to strive towards a more sustainable future. That was their motto anyways, but I never had seen anything environmentally sustainable about it, as any huge corporation they were in it for the money, and yes that was all Mr. Matsuyami wanted.

However, every tale has its antagonist, Tatsuyoma Incorporated a significantly larger and possible more prosperous company, which specialised is basically the same this as Matsuyami Constructions. Nevertheless, don't hold me to my word, I heard they were into weapons manufacturing, and stuff like that as well, but I wouldn't know, never been really partial on assessing the rivalry. You never know when the old bitch Kaede would be watching over your shoulder.

I flicked though the document I was given to retype. This was not my work, so offcourse I would have to re-type it from scratch, something which I was almost ready to commit suicide over. This is the kind of thing I was targeted with, within this job, Kikyo and Kanna decided it was fun to make my life hell, it was almost impossible to put in a complaint as Kikyo was Kaedes granddaughter and intercepted any complaint and made your life hell for weeks about it, so eventually we all just learnt to put up with their shit. But this, this was a low prank, even to their standards.

Tears started to well, as my throat began to burn, flicking though the hundred page plus document on the new proposal for the construction of a second high-rise which we would be expanding the company into.

'I can't do this,' I thought, opening up a word document and beginning the cover page for the report. The screen began to blur, inside a little voice was screaming at me to show them what I was made of, make the most of this opportunity and type the fastest I had ever typed. The other little voice was telling me to tell them they could stick their job, but deep down I knew I couldn't do that. I needed the money; at least the money here was good. So I set to work, my fingers moving at an inhuman speed over the keyboard, one of my skills I was hired for. A small frown hung on my face as I set to work; I was going to be in for a long night.

***

I peered down at the clock on the computer screen, 3am. I had five more hours before I had to see that overweight, nasty old bitch, who would find the upmost pleasure in ending my career. I was 60 pages into the document, all in eight hours and I was guessing I had another 100 or so too go. The office was dark, the luminescence of light that radiated from my computer held me in safety arms. I peered at the screen once more, various little red squiggly lines ran under numerous words, my eyes burned and I the triple shot cheep employee's coffee was barely enough to keep me awake.

Suddenly I was pulled from my tired thought by footsteps approaching from behind me, as I quickly sped to work once more, ignoring the presence behind me.

"You're pretty dedicated to your work," a woman stated from behind me, causing me to pull my aching eyes from my work, and swivel around on my chair. Standing before me was a woman I had not seen in years. A brown fringe shaped her face and those brown eyes like coffee, her tan skin was amazing and her suit looked primp and clean, very unusual for this hour in the morning. She wore a pair of cherry red heals, and that beautiful brown hair I always had envied was pulled up in a high pony tail.

"Sango?" I asked, standing up, my legs feeling a little wobbly.

"Yup, the boss said you would probably be here." She smiled as I ran and hugged her, it had been so long.

"Not now Kags, it's no time for a reunion at the moment," she said pulling me off her. I noticed in her hand dangled a small black piece of technology. I watched it intently as she slipped it into my hand, I was a little confused.

"Thought you might need some help, just fix up the formatting and go home, kay?" She asked, brushing a messy strand of hair behind my ear.

"Huh? You work for Mr. Matsuyami too?" Kagome asked, wondering why she had never seen her around the office building.

"Oh god no!" Sango scoffed, "I work over at Tatsuyoma, and I wouldn't be caught dead working for Na.... I mean Mr. Matsuyami"

My mouth dropped opened, I didn't believe it, and how was this possible? And was she just bagging me out about my job choice?

"When you're done with the USB, maybe you should come over for a visit and return it?" Sango winked at me, before turning on the ball of her heal and heading back into the darkness from which she came, like a guardian angel she came and left, saving me from this horrid nights work.

Racing back to my computer, I quickly shoved the USB in the port and waited for it to respond, opening it, I glanced the two documents, one was a 'Tatsuyoma application for employment form' and the other was the file on the 'Development plan for the proposed Matsuyami corporate high-rise. 'Opening both files with haste, I fixed up the formatting on the report and hit print. However I peered at the employment application, my name and important details already filled out. The secretary position already ticked, surely this was a sign from the amazing Sango, and maybe she was trying to tell me something. Hitting print on the application form, as I dashed to the printer as fast as my tired legs could take me.

Watching as the printer spat out the seemingly noxious pieces of paper; obviously disgusted at the thought of being used at such an un-heavenly hour of the morning. I pulled the construction application report and tidied up the pages, slipping a black paperclip on the left hand corner, specific details that Kaede would scold you for if you didn't do right. I folded up the employment application and slipped in into my bra, a place I thought was concealing enough, even if I did happen to run into any of the conniving staff at Matsuyami.

Stepping into the dark hall which led to Kaedes office, I walked in a hurried pace, so anxious to have this over and done with. I pushed open the glass door into her hellish domain. What I saw was shocking.

The walls lined with herbs, sutras, crystals and other ghastly gadgets, no computer, this office looked like the dwellings of a witch. On the wall in the back of the office hung a traditional Miko garb, except from the usual red and white ones we use to wear at the shrine on festivals, this one held and ominous presence. The hoari was blood red and the hakamas were a void of black. Which indicating from my very scares knowledge of Mikos and what my wonderful grandfather taught me, they belonged to a dark Miko, one which brought forth pain and sorrow.

'So fitting for Kaede' I thought.

Gently placing the freshly printed document on her desk, which was cluttered in vile of ghastly looking substances, I quickly made my escape, making my way back though the shadows following the glint of light from my computer. I retrieved the USB the dearest Sango had rescued me with. Shoving the small back device into my skirt pocket, I coaxed my computer to shut down, and turned to leave the office, at last. Thoughts of Sango's appearance, the documents on the USB and everything that had happened this morning filled my mind; so many nagging questions ached to be answered.

Making my way to the elevator, the darkness surrounded me. I gently pressed the down button and within seconds the shiny sliver door opened my world to an escape from this horrid building, on the back of the box like chariot to a life outside this office, hung a mirror. My green eyes filled to the brim with exhaustion, my black locks messed, my skin pale and my lips dry. My skirt and white blouse wrinkled and felt stale, and my black heels were making me feet ache. The elevator moved on its own, dragging me to my destination, the basement. With a 'ping' my overtired brain snapped to attention at the thought of being whisked away to home.

Stepping into the black blanket of a car park, I could barely see anything; no one had obviously been considerate to leave the lights on for me. Immediately footsteps caught my attention, causing my heart to beat a hundred mile an hour. Footsteps were so ominous, and I highly doubted these where Sango's. Such heavy, clumsy footsteps, oblivious to keeping their presence unnoticed, so that thought immediately calmed me down. If they wanted to hurt me, they would be stealthy about it.

Stumbling clumsily thought the darkness, I could hear the footsteps getting closer, and my footsteps sped up. Then I hit something, really hard, a groan came from the unsuspecting person who now resided below me, I spat out a profanity in a very un-lady like manor.

"I so sorry" I exclaimed feeing around trying to get a grasp on the being below me. No boobs, which was start, a lanky build from what I could tell. Their facial features fine and well chiselled and the softest hair I had ever felt which made me envious.

"What do you think you are doing?"Snapped a very cold very masculine voice from below me; I was lost for words, and then something hit me, so hard I felt as though I was going to throw up. Inside I could feel a power burning within, snapping out of my trance, I peered down at the darkness below me, only to be gifted with the sight of two blood red, lust filled eyes.

A/N: Ohhh a cliffie! XD

Hope you liked the first chapter of 'Tantalise' don't forget to review on your way out : D

3 Mizuki Koi : D