A/N: This is just a test run to see if you all like the concept of this story. If you want me to continue leave a review and I will continue this story. If I don't get many reviews I will just delete it. I hope you all do like it though.
"Amazing Sakura!"
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"Yes right there. "
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"Hold that pose and don't move."
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"Tilt your head a little to the left so the light can hit your face a little more. Perfect!"
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"You look beautiful Sakura. Now move….."
"No! We are done here. We have been at this since 4 this morning, it is now 9. Five hours is more than enough time to have gotten the perfect shoots of her in those 3 outfits over four times already. If you haven't gotten the pictures you need for the cover and the ad, then you won't have it. Sakura let's go." Sakura's manager yelled stopping the whole photo shoot. She was tired, aggravated, and they had to make another appointment in an hour.
"I'm coming Sango!" Kagome said as she when back into the dressing room to take off all the makeup she had on from her shoot and changed into her school uniform. It wasn't anything over the top amazing, but what school uniform was. She wore a grey skirt that came just below her thighs, a white dress shirt that had the school crest on the left breast pocket and a navy blue blazer which also had the crest on it. Her hair, which was in two pigtails for her shoot, was now hanging down her back straight with her bangs almost covering her brown eyes. Her skin was flawless and she had the most amazing natural glowing tan to it. Her legs were naturally long perfect for her role as a model. Whether she had on makeup or not she still was beautiful and everyone knew it. "I had fun everyone. See you all next time." Kagome said with a smile and waved as she walked out of the building and into a waiting limo behind a fuming Sango. Once they were seated and the door was shut and looked Kagome's face dropped to her normal business manner look.
"I swear it is the same shit every week. We go through the same routine shoot after shoot after shoot. I am really going to need them to get you a new photographer." Sango said as handed a tissue to Kagome and held her mirror up to show Kagome her face which still had some of the makeup on it.
Taking the tissue she rubbed off the last bit of lipstick that was left from the shoot. "Please remind me, what is the name of Kami made me choose to pick up modeling again? The whole industry is beyond unorganized and never sticks to their schedule. If I have to get out my bed early in the morning to do a shoot there is no reason I should have to be in front of the camera for over 4 hours."
"I totally agree with you Kags and I apologize for that outburst in there. I know it was very unprofessional of me." Sango said with a slight bow.
"Sango you are perfectly fine. If it wasn't for you I would have probably still be in front of that camera or would have snapped myself." Kagome said smiling at her best friend, manager, and personal assistant. "By the way is there any way we can get a new photographer? That man creeps me out. He looks at me like I'm a piece of meat. It is very unbecoming."
"I will make sure I call the Bankotsu while you are in school letting them know that if Mukotsu is to never be your photographer again if they still expect you to model for them. I tell you those seven brothers are a piece of work, I really wonder how they manage to become so big in the magazine and business world." Sango said while making a note in her planner to call Bankotsu and handing Kagome her caramel cappuccino that she had sent the driver to get while they were in the shoot.
"Speaking of business world, how are we looking today?" Kagome asked before sipping on her drink and making a face in disgust. Not looking up from her screen, Sango handed her three more packets of caramel creamers and two packets of sugar.
"Well we are still tied neck and neck with Takahashi our manufacturing and disputing sales. However our sales are looking to be at about a 10% increase from where they were last week. Takahashi sales have increased by 9.9%, Wolfe sales have increased by 7%, and Onigumo sales have increased by 6%, and the Seven brothers have had a steady base." Sango stated before sipping on her own coffee, black with three creams and two sugars.
"Eww, how can you drink that stuff?" Kagome said while watching Sango look at the next screen of information processing it.
"Honestly, I don't know. I just like it. Now back to business. Higurashi stocks have increased by 1.5% as of last night beating Takahashi by .2%. I know they are going to be pissed and the news is about to go haywire. The first time we have actually beat Takahashi. Wow, Kags you did it!"
"I did it? I did it? Oh my Kami we did it!" Kagome said bouncing in her seat with excitement. One of her biggest goals was to beat Takahashi Co. out in something. They had been the top dogs, no pun intended, since before anyone could remember. Inu No Taisho Takahashi had started building his company in the western lands of the feudal era and has remained at the top while many businesses had just begun to prosper. He retired a few years back leaving the company to his two sons. He did of course come in and help them when they needed it and was still part of the headboard of the company.
"We did it. Higurashi went from being number 10 in the business world to now being neck and neck with the top 5. Your parent would be proud of you Kags." Sango said hugging her best friend before her person phone started to ring.
Kagome and Sango had been best friends since before they could remember. Their parents had been really close before either of them had been born. While Sango was a year older than Kagome and her didn't come from a rich background like Kagome's did, their family was still tight knit. When the Mr. and Mrs. Higurashi were killed in a car crash when Kagome was in middle school, the Takeda family took Kagome and her younger brother Sota in and took over the company to the best of their abilities. While Takedas had no sense of business they managed to keep the business from crashing to nothing until Kagome decided that she would want to take it over.
However, Kagome didn't really feel as though taking over the business was what she wanted to do with the rest of her life so instead she took up modeling. While modeling did have it perks, it didn't hold her attention in the way she thought it would. Most of the models she worked with or who she knew had been in the fashion industry for a while, were all airheads, and only worried about things like how many carbs they ate a day or who shoot they were in the next day. Kagome didn't want to just be a pretty face so she started picking up some of the books that her father had in their library and fell in love with business. By her last term of her sophomore year, she decided that she wanted to run the business and went to Mr. Takeda asking for the rights to run her business. At first he was a little resistant about letting a teenage girl into the hard business world filled with men, but once he saw the proposal that Kagome had come up with in order to bring her family's business up to the big liege, he had no choice but to approve of her wishes.
Her plan was that since she was still in school that he should still remain the face of the company until she graduated from high school, but she would still make the final decision and choices that the company made. That also meant that with the responsibility she would have to learn more about the business world so she decided to get a tutor who had his doctorate in world business. She spent her afternoons and breaks learning the ins and outs of a business and by the time her first term for her senior year had come about she was ready to start running the company. She moved into her office on the 50th floor of her new company building and began to bring Higurashi Co. to the top. With the move, she decided to keep most of her family's former staff as well as hired a few new faces, like Sango, and they all got to work. While most of the staff never really saw her in person, most knew that their boss was someone who wanted to be at the top and was moving them towards that goal. With the help of her trusted employees and her knowledge that she gained over the past few years, it only took her a year to whip her company back into shape.
As the limo pulled into the front of her school, Kagome let out a very long sigh and looked at her best friend. "Remind me why it is that I choose to remain in school instead of testing out."
Sango looked up from her tablet and knew the exact reason why she was being asked this question. To be honest, Kagome didn't fit in with the others in her school mainly because she was in the top of her class. No one knew that she was the model known as Sakura or that she was actually the reason why most of their parents were employed. "Well we decided that since we wanted to keep everything hush hush, that you would attend school and give the impression of being a normal student. I know it is starting to become a hassle, but just think like this, you only have a few more weeks until you graduate. After graduation you are free to do as you please. You can quit modeling and just run the company. No more secrets and no more hiding."
"Thanks Sango. You are the best friend I could ever ask for. I don't know what I would do without you." Kagome smiled knowing that her friend was right. She only had a few more weeks and then she could be who she really wanted to be.
"No problem. What are best friends for. Now go before you be late. I have work to do and you have a gpa to maintain. I will see you later." Sango hugged Kagome before Kagome slid out of the the back of the limo and closed the door. She then rolled down the window and yelled out the door, "Oh by the way, our brothers have decided that they will be heading to the beach house with a few other friends for break this week instead of coming home. I sent them the house keys yesterday, so we can just go into the office today if you want."
"That is fine Sango. I will see you after school." Kagome waved at her best friend then walked into her school building as the limo drove off.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE OUR SALES HAVE ONLY INCREASED BY 9.9%?" An angry hanyou yelled at the other members in the board room with him which included his best friend, his father, his brother, and a few other members who names he didn't care to know.
"Well Mr. Takahashi, it turns out that a few of our company's investors actually retired the same time as when your father did. Which means that we have to make new connections with the new CEOs." One of the members of the board stated matter of factly.
"So why haven't we started making these connections? I mean seriously people, it isn't that hard. We are the biggest companies and have been for centuries. I mean half of the demons who are in this room were here when it was first built."
"Inuyasha, a 9.9% increases isn't bad at all. There have been a few occasions when our sales only increased by so much and I assure you that it didn't affect our company in the least. It is all part of being in the business world son." Inu No Taisho look at towards his youngest son who was sitting to his right at the head of the business table. He was proud that his youngest son had decided to take the position as President of the company. His original plan was to give the position to his oldest son when he decided to retire, but since his wife had just had his newborn granddaughter, they decided to put Inuyasha as the President and Sesshomaru as the Vice President.
"Father is right Inuyasha. Just because we got a 9.9% increase sales rate at the moment, doesn't mean that it will remain that. We just have to make those new connections and get back on track. Once those are made I'm sure the company sales will increase." Sesshomaru looked over the numbers that were handed out for the meeting and noticing that the differences in the reports were mostly due to the lack of business partnerships that they currently had verses the ones they had when their father was running the company.
"The still doesn't answer my question. Why haven't we started making these connections? Father stepped down six months ago and we are still looking at minimum increases." Inuyasha looked at each person in the meeting waiting for someone to give up the answer he was looking for. When it looked like no one could answer him he let out a deep sigh and leaned back into his chair pinching the bridge of his nose.
"To be honest, it looks like whether or not we make these connections or not Inuyasha, we still might fall behind by a few decimals of a percentage." A man walked through the door and started handing out folders that were stacked in his arms to each of the people in the office. The man was wearing a well pressed business suit with not a wrinkle in sight with his signature purple tie. His black hair was slicked back into his normal low ponytail that was at the base of his neck. After all his folders were handed out he took a seat beside Inu No Taisho.
"What are you talking about Miroku and what is this?" Inuyasha and everyone else looked at Miroku, who was wearing a very smug look, and the folder that was placed in front of them. Miroku and Inuyasha had been best friends since before they could even remember. They grew up together along with their other friend Koga Wolfe and were nearly inseparable. When they all went to school together they were always in competition with each other. While Koga and Inuyasha were sure to inherit their father's company, Miroku didn't have the same opportunity. However, Inu No Taisho saw the skills that he had with numbers and business research and made him a job offer after the three graduated from College and he took it. He was now one of the top dogs, no pun attended, in the Takahasi Co. and was very respected.
"That my dear friend are the sales reports for not only Takahashi Co. for the past five years, but of all our rivals past five years reports as well. With Inu No Taisho's retirement and the retirement of a few of our past business partners, there is still room for other companies to try and persuade the business partners that we have over to them. As you can clearly see from my numbers, the Seven Brothers Co. still maintains their sales has remained constant over the last few years, but that is to be as expected since their focus is more on the magazine business versus the true business world." Miroku pointed out while sliding up to the table to look over the reports he just presented as well.
"Which automatically makes them no threat to us. None of my past business partners have ever been interested in getting into the the magazine business. While that aspect of business is thriving, it isn't something that many people have the grasp on." Inu No Taisho stated.
"Correct, which lead us to Onigumo's sales, while his company has had minor increases here and there, they aren't much to worry about. Many businesses of our size wouldn't partner up with him because of his gangsta take over tactics. His business is only staying a float by the smaller companies that he took over a few years back." Miroku shook his head at how so many small business were actually taken by Naraku.
"That means that the wolves are our only competition than? I know that they have been in competition with us a lot over the last few years and their numbers have been amazingly close, but they never really reached us completely." Inuyasha smirked knowing that he still was beating his other best friend Koga.
"Base on these reports little brother, no the Wolfe Co. isn't our only competition. By the look of these reports, it looks like our biggest competition actually beat us by .2% this season. Higurashi Co. has made a huge increase over the last few years. As far as I can see it looked like the year the original heads passed away they were near the top of the packs in the business world. Then after their death the company was just barely making it and by these numbers from two years ago I'm surprised they made it at all. Must be some type of luck from somewhere. However, in the last year their sales has increased by about 75%. They aren't as quite as high in sales as the originals, but I can assure you by these numbers, if Miroku got them right and I am positive that he did, they will be back to their original rates sooner than we think and making them the biggest competition that we have."
"You mean to tell me that we have been in competition with Higurashi Co. and they have slid by us undetected. How did this happen?" Inuyasha pinched the bridge of his nose before looking at his board members.
"Most likely the reason for the sneak by Mr. Takahashi sir is the fact that no one has met or seen the CEO since Mr. Takeda. Mr. Takeda ran the company during those periods of downfall and was said to be the reason for that period when things weren't looking too well in the company." A man by the name of Akitoki stated.
"He is right Inuyasha. It seem as though not only does Higurashi Co. sales seemed to have been increasing, but as though someone else is the brains behind the company now. Has anyone heard of anything involving them getting a new CEO or anything in the past year or so?" Miroku looked around the table to see his coworker all scratching their head in thinking. "Well I guess that is a no."
"Did the original owners have any children? Other family members? Anything?" Inuyasha asked getting more and more aggravated that his staff didn't seem to know much of anything that was happening right under their noses.
"If I am not mistaken. I want to say that they actually had two children. A daughter and a son. This should be the daughter's last year and the son just started high school. However, I doubt that either of them would be old enough to run a fully functioning company at their ages." Inu No Taisho rubbed his chin with his clawed hand.
"Just because neither may be old enough doesn't mean it isn't a possibility. I mean look at Sesshomaru and myself, not even to mention Miroku and Koga. All finished school before we turned 22. So what is to say that their children haven't or aren't capable of doing the same things." Inuyasha looked at his father and sighed. He knew that he had big shoes to fill and so far he wasn't doing the best of jobs in his opinion. Yes he was running the company the correct way, but he wasn't making nearly as much progress as he wanted and hoped to be making. His life revolved around learning the ins and outs of his family's company and he was determined to make sure that it remain on top even if it killed him.
"Look this is all given me a headache. Everything that was brought to the table to day was half done. Sales are down, competition is coming out of the woodwork, and no one has come up with a solid solution to how we solve any of these problems. With that being said, I am scheduling a meeting with each of your departments over the next week. I want a report typed up on my desk in regards to your department's ethics over the last five years and have it ready the day before the meeting is scheduled. Also, Miroku I need you to get onto finding out who exactly is running Higurashi Co. and if they are trying to make any business connections with any of our former business partners. I want to host a business banquet and invite all of the business owners, CEOs, and all the who's who to. This is not only give us a chance to make those connections with our former partners and gain new partners, but all scout out the competition. So make sure the Marketing Department is on that. I want this banquet to be happening in the next few weeks." Inuyasha stacked all of his paperwork in front of him before looking up and stating, "That will be all" and watching his employees, brother, and best friend exit out of the conference room.
"I must say that you did an excellent job for your friend office business meeting son. You got a lot of things accomplished." Inu No Tashio stood as he buttoned his business coat.
"I don't know if I would agree with you old man. I don't feel as though we got anything fully settled here. I feel like I should have asked for more or did more. I don't know."
"Inuyasha, something that you have to understand when running this company or any business for that matter, is that not everything is give and take. You will fall a few times, but I guarantee you will pick yourself back up and fix your mistakes. The business will always be here, but if you keep stressing like you are at this moment, you won't be here" Inu No Tashio patted his son on his back as he walked towards the door. "Now let me get going. I have a lunch date with your mother and you know how she can be about time.
"Later old man and tell Mom that I love her." Inuyasha escorted his father to the elevator doors before walking back to his office.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. As I stated before it is just a test run on an idea that I had. If you like it then review. Also check out my other stories Song of and Angel and Caress. Thanks!