Disclaimer: My claim to Inuyasha is as strong as my claim to being Prince William's fiancé…oh wait…they're nonexistent.
Summary: When her boyfriend and best friend, Inuyasha, dumps her for her cousin, college student Kagome ends up kicking a can in her fury. The little can accidentally damages the car of the rich businessman Sesshomaru. In order to pay him back she must spend 25 days basically as his slave! Sesshomaru could get his car fixed without even scratching his wallet, so is there something up his sleeve?
A.N. Also, I made it T just in case….seeing all these great authors get the work erased and etc…scared me!
Thanks for reviewing: Darkness carrier, Miko Sorrow, chibiNeko192, shinchansgirl, j.b Raven, Kagamoesiun, LadyAkina, Ayjah, Karina, Kohaku Rose, Gopher2806, Pink Sakura, Red Satin and Black Silk, Minchi, iLuvJaeWon, Leunra, Celestial Fox, SaturnNeko, CrystallineLily, The Evil Liar, animeangeld, Jenny, ioke, confused mentor, Netealia Lane Foxwood, Roses Petal, moon-bunny735, Inukamisashi, Beth, Lily Drake Delano pottermalfoy, SakuraoftheDream, Yoru Kitaru, Lady-Crymsyn, Aqua Miko, storywriter10791, silverkitsunekagome, ChaosKree8er, animefreak321654, Nytingale, ShindyNova, Rhea9, Unicorn'sWhisper, rebxl, ShadowDragonbaby, swimchic, hannah, Tinkerbell-69-4ever, golden-eyed-miko, Golden-Eyed Girl, Vegakitty, Dana Daidouji, spdsgirl, Kaiyou, andy, Purotekuta-Shikon no Tama, ashely41791, ra, cocovanilla, nuria, naraku luvuh, loverofSesshomaru, Fantasies, Aklutz, blue-angel11, kitsunelover25, Ice-Spirit Phoenix, fluffy-sama's worshiper, Kikyouhater101, silverhaireddragonlover, Ashley, SilverHairedAngel, Hunterofthenight, Deadly Tears, Tenrai Shinju, Avaeya Obvilias, DeadBHunter, Seishi Sairensuno, RuBiAx, Kaichai, hyper person, silent shadow, shippokiraraluver4ever, Shira LiFallen Tears, spiritchild029, Mirei Nochi, personwithnoname, Psychogirly, Lover of Angelus, Inuyasha5225, arlbeth, LonelyHanyouGirl, SheenaImara, honey-gurl808, PegasusRider, azn-modern-miko, Sessy-sama Lover, Sangfroid, Radio Active Redhead, Mori'quessir, renyun, …, Angel Flame-Mary, dally-dilly-do, carzy-basketball-chick, AKA Hummer, sakura-no-hana-hoshi, Blinky Blix, Mistress Chocolate, inus-gurl93 and parsnip.
Darkness carrier- I want to say 'you're welcome,' but I feel obliged to thank you for thanking me for thanking you for your review and wishing you a happy belated birthday…and now its my turn to thank you some more for your review and for liking my fic and for thanking me for being such a great writer…ugh…now my head hurts…
chibiNeko192- Yeah, I want Sesshomaru's cars too. Thank you for wishing me luck on my finals, and I hope you do well on your midterms…and Chinese School? Must be even harder with regular school and all! Someone read my A/N at the bottom!
shinchansgirl- My heart goes out to you…
j.b Raven- Actually, I was going to explain in later chapters that Jakken was the one who put up those pictures…ah, thank you, I do know my cars. Big fan of the Popular Mechanics and Popular Science magazines! By the way, you seem to understand this story pretty well. "a certain demon being pursued by a bi-polar teen high on chocolate chip cookie-dough ice cream..." That's genius. LadyAkina- My reviewers are so smart! I was thinking almost exactly the same thing…you know, letting Kagome find out on her own…either that or…can't tell you!Ayjah- I actually really hate those fics where Kagome is the most beautiful and popular girl that all the guys want and etc. It bothers me. I'm glad you liked the chapter, and my story in general.
iLuveJaeWon- I don't know who Jae Won is…and it's a 100 days eh? I wouldn't know, since I've never seen the movie, but you're definitely not the first person to say that it was a good movie…all my friends who have seen it have said the same thing.
Leunra- I actually think that I will make Inuyasha and Sesshomaru brothers…half, that is. I like the little verbal fights too.
Celestial Fox- eyes wide open That is a very…strong…oath…! By the way, your little ice cream and sherbet combo sounds really good drools Damn…now we're all acting like Kagome!
CrystallineLily- You're definitely the one who leaves the longest reviews! Trying to muffle your laughter at the latest installment? I was trying not to laugh from your review. Eh…you're Asian too? I share your pain…my parents are brutal when it comes to 'education' and 'perfection' too. Personally, if I had just one of those cars, I'll be ok! And even if I didn't want to call you the #1 advocate of this fic…I think that it'd still be obvious who really is…obsessed…should I be scared now? By the way, thanks for wishing me luck on my finals…wish you luck…and a lot of it too!
confused mentor- Oh believe me…I'm sorry too.
Netealia Lane Foxwood- So flattered, that the first chapter was so good that you had to review! And that you still reviewed for the second chapter too!
Roses Petal- I owe Sesshy a big apology! I didn't mean to say that he actually kissed his cars at night…that was Kagome exaggerating things again. Kagome! Why do you exaggerate so much? Sheesh.
Inukamisashi- Oh don't worry, Inuyasha will be back…
silverkitsunekagome- I'm short too.
Nytingale- I think that Sesshomaru and Inuyasha will be half brothers…but notice that they have different last names!
Rhea9- Thank you wishing me luck on my finals!
rebxl- Sesshomaru is a baaad influence.
hannah- Kagome was uncouth in bad language because she never cursed…or as in rude? Because I guess she was a bit fiery, but hmm…yeah…sorry if you thought that…thanks for reviewing.
Tinkerbell-69-4ever- Thanks for the reassurance!
golden-eyed-miko- You're not going to sue me or anything now are you!
Vegakitty- Hope that uh…Wufei got Vega home alright…you know, I kinda need Sesshomaru for this fic…
Dana Daidouji- Thank you! Oops…I think I'm going to have to settle for 'Cadillac Escalate' now, and Sesshomaru says 'Thank you' about the cars…and I will see if Sesshomaru approves of the SLR McLaren…
spdsgirl- I love your fic, To Make a Wish, too!
Kaiyou- A masterpiece! –faints- Ah I see…so I'm not the only person who think that laughing more will help you live longer!
Purotekuta-Shikon no Tama- Thank you for saying how you like the pace I'm keeping it at. Glad you enjoyed and found it funny.
cocovanilla- Well you thought correctly!
Fantasies- I guess I can forgive you for forgetting to review for the first chapter…
Aklutz- Ah yes…I am pleased that you laughed so hard…I must be doing my job!
blue-angel11- I am! –dies-
kitsunelover25- I'm glad you didn't die from choking…
Ice-Spirit Phoenix- Don't usually like AU! Wow…I feel honored that you like this one!
Hunter of the Night- Hi Catherine.
Deadly Tears- For a second I was worried that you might have died from laughter, but then realized that you did review meaning that you couldn't be dead…unless…But anyways, thanks for putting it on your Favorites!
DeadBHunter- Eh…chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream is definitely white…brown! Are you feeling ok!
Seishi Sairensuno- Sorry that you find Kagome annoying…just to let you know, she'll be the same throughout the whole fic.
hyper person- Yeah, finals…bleh, and then after that there was the SATs and my school musical…I'm dying!
Mirei Nochi- At first I was going to reply that there were plenty of things wrong with me, but then I read the rest of the review, and felt inclined to keep the obnoxiousness to myself…I was glowing from your review.
arlbeth- I would appreciate it if you would tell me how Kagome's OOC.
honey-gurl808- Wow, you even took the time to find your favorite parts and then copy and paste them…!
azn-modern-miko- Ah, you are the second person to get that! Congratulations.
Sangfroid- Erin Ross! How kind of you to read my fic and leave me a review!
Radio Active Redhead- Really! Yes! Thank you!
…- Whenever you stop screaming?
Angel Flame-Mary- Ack! You've actually been counting! I'm trying to update, I really am…! But my problem is that I always type out several different versions of one scene…to see different possibilities and ways a certain event can unfold…that and all the other stuff I have is killing me! But never fear, I am always trying to update…
AKA Hummer- Thank you, thank you! What! People talk about my fic on A Single Spark? Seriously! Now that my curiosity has been aroused, you have to tell me what they say about it! I'm glad you found a link, and even gladder than you like how Kagome is not perfect and how Sesshomaru is well…Sesshomaru.
inus-gurl93- Her family will make an appearance later. Don't worry!
Day 2: The Secretary
Kagome's eyes shot open. Her heart was racing and there were beads of sweat on her face. For once in her life she was glad to be awake; she had been about to be run over by an Aston Martin. Just then Sango came into the room. "Kagome! It's time to wa- KAGOME!"
"Good morning!" Kagome chirped cheerfully, trying to erase memories of the Range Rover chasing her across the river.
"You're…you're…you're…awake," Sango stuttered.
"I know! I kind of like waking up early now!" As soon as Kagome said that, Sango knew that something was wrong.
"Kagome? What's wrong?" Sango asked as her look of surprise was replaced with a rather reprimanding one.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong Sango. I didn't know it was a crime to be happy…geez," Kagome was about to get out of bed, but realized that she couldn't move…well, she could, but it would be at the expense of her comfort, and a lot of pain. "But you see, I've sort of entered this trance-like meditative state…"
Sango looked at Kagome, not believing a single word her friend had said. She crossed her arms over her chest, and leaned against the wall. "Kagome…how many times do we have to go over this?" Sango inquired. "Your eyes dart around when you lie, either that or you twiddle your fingers."
"Sango, I don't know what you're talking about." Kagome said with a straight face, her focus on Sango…but then she realized that she was playing thumb wars by herself. So she then tried not moving her hands. She kept them tightly clasped, but then she found herself looking everywhere but Sango's face. It became a vicious cycle. She would put all of her effort into not doing one of the 'two,' but then she would have no effort to keep the other in check…and trying to 'split' her efforts sent Kagome into overdrive. "Ok! Fine! You've made your point!" Kagome agreed as she shrank under the covers.
Sango allowed herself a small smile of victory. Sango had already jogged this morning, and was still in her gray blue lycra tank top and black shorts. Her black shorts reminded Kagome of the black Lincoln Navigator that chased her off of a cliff… "Good, now hurry up Kags. I'll go make pancakes to celebrate."
"Oh great!" Kagome said in another merry tone…that was strained. Sango had misinterpreted Kagome's 'Oh great,' as in eagerness and excitement, but Kagome had intended it to be as an 'Oh great,' of sarcastic anticipation of having to get out of bed.
Just as Sango was cooking the first pancake, she heard a loud noise. She raised her eyebrows, and went to the bedroom. "Kagome?" Sango poked her head into the room. Kagome's bed was empty.
"Down here," came a muffled squeak.
Startled Sango glanced down. "What are you doing?" she asked Kagome slowly.
"Getting out of bed."
"I don't understand logarithmic differentiation." Kagome whined hopelessly.
"Don't worry Kagome, I'll show you when we get home." Sango comforted Kagome as she finished the first set of tonight's Calculus homework.
"That's the problem," Kagome said with a groan as her head dropped to her desk with a loud 'thud.' Kagome winced, not from her head hitting the desk, but how her body had moved to accommodate her dropping her head on the desk. Her body was sore all over, and the fact that she had to resort to 'rolling' out of bed as opposed to actually 'getting' out of bed hadn't helped. It had been an unusual morning too…she had actually been awake when Sango came in to wake her up. Sango woke her up twice every morning. An hour and a half before school started to give her warning, and then only 30 minutes after that to actually drag her out of bed.
"I told you to take an aspirin this morning." Sango reminded her with a shake of her head. Her dark dark brown high swept ponytail swayed.
"You know how much I hate swallowing pills though!" Kagome retorted. It was sort of embarrassing for her to admit, but it was true. A few years ago, Kagome had just about choked because she had swallowed one of her daily vitamin tablets the 'wrong' way. That was enough to make her wary of pills now. She gave a mental shudder at the thought.
"You have to get over this irrational fear of swallowing pills sooner or later." Sango told her as she punched something into her calculator.
"Yeah right! Do you even know what it feels like to be choking and vomiting at the same time? It was gross! And painful…and scary…and…"
"Miss Higurashi!"
"YES SIR!" Kagome said loudly out of surprise.
Her professor peered at her from over the rims of his spectacles. "I'm honored that you want to call me 'sir,' but Mr. Daisuke will be sufficient. Now Kagome, please explain how you got the answer for #47." Kagome's face blanched as she looked at her crinkled up piece of paper that she should have been working on. She had only gotten so far as to write 'Kagome Higur.' She felt like a loser…she hadn't even been able to focus long enough to finish writing her name…but she was sore, and she hurt all over…she just wanted to lie down on the floor…
"Well…" Kagome began rubbing the back of her head.
Three hard raps on a door brought everyone's attention to the classroom entrance. Kagome almost threw herself to the ground to praise Kami. She was saved! At least for a little while. She heard excited whispers as she frantically copied Sango's paper to see how she had done #47.
"Wasn't he #1 on Cliché's list of hottest men in the world?"
"Doesn't he own a huge company?"
"I don't think he's that hot."
"Dude, isn't he like one of the richest dudes in the world?"
"Is he wearing Prada?"
"I wonder what hair products he uses."
Kagome was starting to worry. Magazines…companies…rich…Prada…and hair… "Hey Kagome, I'd gladly trade spots with you." Sango said.
"What?" Kagome asked confused as she gave Sango her paper back.
"Sesshomaru has got to be the most handsome man in the world."
"Besides Mir-" Kagome began to joke. She stopped mid-sentence. "Who?" she asked her friend.
"Miss Higurashi, please pack your things." came Mr. Daisuke's voice.
"I didn't do anything!" Kagome protested a little too quickly to sound 'innocent' as she dropped her pencil.
"Tell that to the jury," her teacher replied dryly, earning a few snickers. "Now hurry up. You can get tonight's homework assignment from someone else. Hurry up now! You're taking away from everyone's valuable education time."
Kagome groaned. Maybe he had seen her cheat off of Sango's paper or something…but it really wasn't cheating, it was merely checking answers. She picked her up her pencil with a wince and stuffed her things into her bag. "Later!" she told Sango her voice sounding much too perky to be how she really felt. She stiffly walked out of the room. She felt like a Barbie…not the 'Gymnastics-I-can-do-the-splits-and-move-my-joints' sort of Barbie though…more like the Barbie's that could only move their legs forward and backward. She was heading down to the Dean of Students' office, but froze when she heard a voice that she could definitely have done alright without hearing.
"Where are you going?"
She turned around slowly…but then again, it wasn't like she could have turned around quickly. Her eyes widened in horror, and her jaw went slack. "Y-y-you! W-w-what are y-you do-doing here?" she stammered.
"I have come to retrieve you."
"You're stalking me!"
"Not even the mentally ill would wish to stalk you."
"You…you probably even know where I live!"
"You work for me."
"Stay away from me! I'm warning you!" Kagome shrieked.
"You are vexing me."
"SOMEONE HELP ME!" With that she ran down the hallway. She ran like she had never before. Her sore body was forgotten, her back pack had been dropped…She ran past classrooms…what was she doing? She'd be safest in a classroom. She dashed into the nearest classroom, and pressed herself against the wall. Her chest heaved up and down, she then realized everyone's eyes were on her. "Hi…" she said weakly.
"May I help you?" the teacher inquired as she stopped writing on the chalkboard.
"No…I'm just visiting…" Kagome then felt something wrap itself around her waist. Next thing she knew, she was picked up, and tossed over someone's shoulder. She heard people laugh. "Put me down!" Kagome yelled as she beat at which was undoubtedly Sesshomaru's back.
"Stop moving or else I will drop you." Sesshomaru commanded.
"No! Put me down you stalker! Now! I'll call the police!" Kagome threatened shrilly.
Sesshomaru turned to the teacher, and nodded his head respectfully. "Excuse my sister. She forgot to take her medicine this morning."
He had been sleeping as usual. He always slept in Modern Japanese History. It was either that, watch Miroku flirt or actually pay attention…sleep was the most appealing of the three. He heard the class's general volume go up and ignored it, but soon it got to the point where it was impossible to ignore whatever was going on. Annoyed, he opened his eyes. He could hear one voice over all of the rest…a girl's voice…it sounded familiar. He rubbed his eyes. Was that…Kagome?
He sat up in his seat and blinked. What was she doing? She was over some guy's shoulder and was flailing wildly. The guy looked familiar too. He felt Miroku poke him. "What?" he growled.
"What's Kagome doing with Sesshomaru Arishima?" Miroku asked between bursts of laughter.
Sesshomaru Arishima…of course, he was one of those guys that every other guy wanted to be. He was famous, rich, hot and all the above. "What!" Inuyasha repeated, but louder.
"I said-" Miroku began.
"What the fuck!" Inuyasha said again. "What's going on!"
"She's your girlfriend Inuyasha, that's why I was asking you." Miroku explained.
"She's not my girlfriend." Inuyasha informed Miroku.
"No wonder you were going heavy on the sake and ramen." Miroku commented. "I bet that the lovely Sango would know." Miroku added dreamily as Kagome and Sesshomaru left, her screams still audible.
"Yeah…I bet…" Inuyasha grumbled as he slouched in his seat. What the hell? Kagome was still supposed to be weeping and heartbroken over their break up…yet it seemed like she had gotten herself a new boyfriend. A rich, famous and good-looking one. A snarl escaped from his lips as he tried to fall asleep, but it was hard to as the jealousy consumed him.
"First you come and kidnap me from my class, then tell everyone I'm crazy, and now you're going to make me do this!"
"I expect a professional job."
"Would you please define professional?" Kagome retorted.
"The opposite of you." With that, Sesshomaru went into the adjoining room, and closed the door that separated the two rooms behind him.
She stuck her tongue out at his retreating back, and plopped down into the chair. Those wheelie chairs weren't made for people to 'plop' down onto, they were made for secretaries who would daintily seat themselves onto them. Kagome wasn't a secretary, and she wasn't 'dainty.' Landing on the edge of the chair only pushed it away…from her. She landed hard on the ground, and almost bit her own tongue off. As she tried to figure out how to get up without causing herself too much pain, Sesshomaru's voice came from the phone.
"I would suggest you not stick your tongue out at other people again unless you wish to become a mute for the rest of your life." he told her.
Kagome scrambled up from the ground, and looked at the phone, obviously perplexed as to how Sesshomaru could talk to her even though neither one had called the other. "I bet you'd like that wouldn't you?" she muttered as she wheeled her chair back to the desk.
"I would." he replied. Kagome picked up the phone, and then put it back down into its cradle, then picked it back up, and put it back down into its cradle several times….just to make sure he was disconnected now. But to be on the safe side, she left the phone off the hook. She then wondered what would happen if she pressed that red shiny button…it looked appealing, but then she saw that it was only the 'Hold' button…it said 'Hold' in contrasting white letters against the black phone. "Do not break the phone, I would greatly dislike having to see you after this month."
"What! I hung up on you!" Kagome exclaimed.
"You are an incompetent secretary. I told you not to worry about the phone. Just get to work."
"How can I when your voice is coming out of it? It's creepy!" Kagome replied as she picked up her first white invitation with silver lacing around the edges.
"You should not notice it. You should be focusing." Sesshomaru growled.
"It's easier said than actually done ya' know." Kagome said as she sealed the first envelope.
"You will get more done if you talk less."
"And why would I want to do that?" Kagome shot back as she put another invitation into its matching envelope.
"It would be a pity if you would have to stay longer than the usual seven hours."
"Just to let you know, I'm not going to stay here for longer than seven hours. I'll go crazy if I spend too much time near you!" Kagome exclaimed.
"According to the contract you signed you have to."
Kagome's eyes bugged out. "That wasn't on the contract!" she protested.
"How would you know? You didn't even read it." Sesshomaru countered smoothly.
"I did too!" Kagome continued as she began to drum her fingers on the desk.
"That was why you managed to read twenty plus pages in less than five minutes. Impressive." Sesshomaru remarked rather snidely.
"You're having a party?" Kagome interrupted gleefully as she read the silver script on one of the invitations. She elapsed into a fit of giggles.
"It is not a party. It is a reception." Sesshomaru scowled.
"Oooh…formal dress…" Kagome added as she continued reading the invitation. As she began paying closer attention to the addressees on the envelopes she began to wonder what formal dress for Sesshomaru was. Maybe instead of the usual 100 silk shirts, it would 100 cashmere and instead of Prada it would be like Armani, Burberry or Oscar Guyonarachi or some weird name like that. She always did wonder how people came up with names for their clothing lines…and how did they become famous? She was working at a fairly decent pace now. Even though the previous stacks of envelopes, invitations and seals had been rather daunting, she had to admit that it wasn't too bad. Waaaaay better than washing seven cars. Kagome shuddered at the mere thought.
Besides, all she had to do was stuff the envelope, and then seal it with a special silver sticker that had fancy 'S.A' on it. She could only guess who it stood for. They were really pretty stickers to be honest…so pretty that she couldn't help but stick one onto her pastel yellow long sleeved shirt. It had a single pocket in the front with a single small pink flower embroidered onto it. But now it wasn't so lonely anymore with a shiny sticker next to it. Then the phone rang.
Sesshomaru was reviewing several contracts that had been submitted to him by smaller companies hoping for a merge or some funding. He had forgotten all about Kagome, and was concentrated 110 on digging up some background information on several of the people on the board for one of the companies…when he heard a yelp and a thud. He watched as the water in his glass vibrated. "That insolent girl…" he growled under his breath as he stood up from his black leather chair. With a look of obvious disgruntlement on his face, he walked down the terrace-like steps that led up to his desk, and to the door. He opened it. Where had that girl gone to? Especially when the phone was ringing like that.
He walked across the room, heading for the other door that led out into the hallway, intent on finding Kagome, and then bringing her back, and then keeping her in one spot by tying her down when he heard what sounded like a dying cow. Raising one of his eyebrows just slightly, he turned around, and strode over to the desk. He looked down, and saw nothing but a mass pile of stuffed envelopes, invitations, empty envelopes and sheets of his special stickers on the ground. He was about to leave the room, even more determined to find the little wench when he heard the same moan again. He retraced his steps back to the heap, and saw a single tress of black hair sticking out from all the silver and white.
He looked on with distaste, and walked over behind the desk. He then gracefully bent down, and yanked on the single tress of hair. Almost automatically Kagome burst from the heap. "Ow! That hurts!" she cried out as she rubbed furiously at her scalp.
"It was a cow after all," Sesshomaru remarked airily as he straightened up.
"Yeah, that's right. You get me inste- You just called me a cow!"
"Not only do you sound like one, your intelligence level is about the same." He added.
"At least I don't look like one," Kagome shot back as she carefully untangled an invitation from her hair.
Sesshomaru slowly turned around. Kagome gulped…she had to stop saying those sort of things…either that or she could keep saying them, but then she'd have to face the consequences…the first sounded better. She braced herself for whatever was to come. "Answer the phone," he snapped.
"Yeah, yeah," Kagome grumbled as she reached up. Her fingers felt around the desk until they grabbed the phone. Her fingers hurriedly picked it up. "Hello?"
"About time. This is the third time I've called. Who's this?" demanded the other person.
Kagome glared at the phone. "This is his unwilling secretary for the day. Who are you?"
"This is his fiancé."
Kagome almost fell again…but she couldn't…because she was already on the ground. So instead she nearly choked. "Excuse me?"
"I'm warning you, you stay away from him or else there'll be hell to pay."
Kagome snorted. "You can have him! And I don't mean any offense…I'm just curious, but how to manage to even tolerate Mr. Arrogant?" Kagome paused as she realized what she had just said, "I mean…Mr.Arishima." she hurriedly corrected.
The woman at the other end laughed. "Don't even bother. I agree with you. If you ask me, I think Sesshomaru was born with an icicle up his ass."
Kagome laughed as well. "Then why are you going to marry him?" she asked.
"Are you shitting me? I've got more brains than that. I actually feel sorry for his future wife. Besides, I'm just his cousin, Kagura, what's your name?"
"My name's Kagome. I can't believe you're related to him!"
"Yeah, me either. What the hell are you doing working for a stiff like him?"
"I have to. I made two dents in his car." Kagome made a weird face at the phone as she heard choking from the other end.
"Which one?" Kagura asked as soon as she cleared her throat.
"His Cadillac…" Kagome replied slowly.
"You're not dead yet?"
"Um…no…" Kagome said as she poked herself in the arm…just to make sure.
"Holy crap. So are you his slave for life now?"
"No way! I don't think that I would live for long then. I only have to work for him for 25 days…well, 24 including today, for 7 hours a day. And he's such a creep sometimes. Like today, he kidnapped me from my class, and then told everyone I was on medication."
"That sounds like Sesshomaru."
"If my grades fall, I'm doomed!"
"You know, Sesshomaru's a genius."
"An evil one…" Kagome muttered.
"No, I'm serious." Kagura insisted. "He was always the smartest and at the top of the class. That's why he graduated from high school at the age of 16."
"16!" Kagome exclaimed.
"Yeah. And he became a CEO at the age of 25."
"That's great and all, but I don't think I could survive being tutored by Mr. Arrogant."
"Say I think I'm going to drop by sometime ne-"
….
Kagome looked at the phone. Did Kagura hang up on her? She knew for a fact that she hadn't hung up on Kagura…and why would Kagura hang up in a middle of her own sentence anyways? That would mean… A dark shadow fell over her… "Hi…Mr. Arishima…" Kagome said nervously.
"Not only will you be finished with this by 2:30 pm, but if I hear you call me anything else but Mr. Arishima or Sesshomaru-sama, there will be much to regret. And do not make 'small talk' with anyone who calls for me. Especially not my cousin. Understood Cow-go-me?"
Kagome sat there confused. Was it possible? Was she asleep? …Had Sesshomaru just made a joke? She toppled over, and disappeared under the mass of what were once parts of trees.
She soon lost all sense of time, and next thing she knew she had finished stuffing the last envelope…and with two minutes to spare! She was good. She could probably even be a real secretary now. She dramatically wiped her brow, and straightened one of the stacks of now stuffed envelopes…all ready to be mailed now. She had just taken a breath when Sesshomaru entered the room a briefcase in hand, and a laptop tucked underneath one arm. "Get the box by the desk."
Kagome looked at him in disbelief.
"Now."
She groaned, and shuffled into his office. She found herself frozen the moment she walked through the door. She was struck speechless. His office was huge…with beautiful dark blue marbled flooring, dark blue walls and solid white bordering. The far side of the room In the center of the room there was a small lily pond…underneath the glass floor. Her eyes looked up the terrace-like steps that led to what was obviously his desk with bookcases lined against the wall. "Desk?" she grumbled her breath as she walked up the steps, "More like a throne…a throne for Emperor Sesshomaru."
She nearly choked as she tried to lift the box next to his 'throne.' "Sheesh! No wonder he wanted me to carry it. What's in here anyways?" Kagome peeked into the box. It was full of…paper? Kagome should have known better than to do anything but watch where she was going…especially when going down steps. There was no step where Kagome had thought there was…there was nothing there…and the next step was two inches down… She let out an 'ack' and fell forward. But she never actually fell to the ground…it was more like she fell 'into' Sesshomaru. "Ow…" she muttered as she hit her head against his chest. She looked up at Sesshomaru, "What was that for?"
Sesshomaru merely looked at her.
And Kagome looked back up at him defiantly.
His amber eyes took on a rather piercing edge.
Kagome's dark brown eyes took on a rather fiery one.
And the staring contest began.
…
Kagome lost after a few seconds.
Yet Sesshomaru continued to stare down at her.
"Will you stop it?" Kagome grumbled. "It makes me feel uncomfortable when you look at me like that."
"I stopped you from falling."
"No you didn't. You just gave me a headache." Kagome protested, the box of papers still leaning against Sesshomaru's stomach.
Without warning, Sesshomaru stepped to the side, and Kagome lurched forward again. Sesshomaru took the box from her hands as she fell…and she hit the ground this time. And she blacked out.
Kagome strolled out of the house and climbed into her Aston Martin. She buckled her seatbelt, and drove out of the driveway and headed for the market. When she got there, she parked, turned off the ignition, and tried to unbuckle her seatbelt. But it wouldn't unbuckle. She banged at the red 'push' button, but it wouldn't 'push.' All of the sudden, the car roared to life. Kagome looked on in disbelief…she had the key in her hand, what was going on? The car sped out of the parking lot, the steering wheel turning on its own accord, and the seatbelt kept getting tighter and tighter. It headed straight for an oncoming semi….
Kagome woke up a start. She was still having bad dreams about Sesshomaru's cars. Maybe she could sue him for damaging her mental state or something…no, that would mean she was a psycho… Her head hurt like hell. Instinctively, she raised a hand to her throbbing forehead, but found something cold and lumpy on there…a pack of ice… And she was moving…she opened her eyes…she was in…a car…
"How is your head?"
Kagome turned her head, and saw Sesshomaru in the seat next to her, driving. "Um, it hurts a little bit, but I don't think it's anything life threatening," she said honestly. "It feels like I have a bruise or something…hopefully there wasn't any internal damage," she added.
"You have no need to worry. There was nothing to damage in the first place." Sesshomaru assured her.
"I can't believe you're making fun of a handicapped person," Kagome commented as she pressed the cool pack of ice to her forehead.
"I do not ridicule you. I merely tell you the truth."
"I'm not in the mood to argue with you Sesshomaru. Where are we going anyways?" Kagome asked.
"To my office."
"What!" Kagome glanced at her watch. It was only 3:45 pm…that would mean she had only been out for about an hour. She sighed, she should've known better…she should've just stayed 'asleep,' and while 'asleep,' she should've taken in her surroundings and situation…
"Your day is not over, and I have much to do. You will also be attending a short training seminar." Sesshomaru informed her.
"A training seminar? For what?" Kagome asked.
"You lack secretarial skills."
"I know that. It's not like I have ambitions to be one anyways. So why do I need to take a 'training' seminar?"
"I will not have an incompetent secretary at my conference today."
"Why me? Don't you have other secretaries? Back ups?"
"They are all busy preparing an annual data report."
"What's an annual data report?"
"You do not need to know."
"If I'm going to be a good secretary, it's probably a good thing for me to know." Kagome insisted.
"Can you write?" Sesshomaru asked as he slowed down as they entered an urban part of Tokyo.
"Do I look that stupid to you?" Kagome snapped.
"Can you read?"
"Duh."
"At least you are able to do something." Sesshomaru commented as he came to a stop at a red light.
"I can do a lot of things for your information." Kagome claimed.
"But none of them are useful." Sesshomaru told her.
Kagome scowled. He was so mean. "It's not like you can do anything 'useful'."
"I became a CEO-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. You became a CEO at the age of 25. Big deal!"
"If you display any sort of improper behavior at the conference, do not expect me to treat you pleasantly for the next 23 days." Sesshomaru offered as a piece of advice…threat…warning…it all depended on whether you were an optimist, paranoid or a pessimist.
"It's not like you treat me 'pleasantly' anyways." Kagome duly noted, as she adjusted the pack of ice. "And how am I supposed to…why do I have to be at the conference too?"
"You will be typing up notes for me." Sesshomaru explained as they pulled into a parking lot. Kagome made a mental note of how he parked right in the front…of course, there was a special sign there that said, 'Reserved for Sesshomaru Arishima.'
Kagome didn't say anything. Typing up a few notes…that didn't seem too bad. The passenger side door opened, and she squinted as the sunlight blinded her. Someone, obviously not Sesshomaru, helped her out. She wobbled slightly, but stayed upright. She reluctantly followed Sesshomaru into the tall…seemingly all glass building. As they went into the elevator, Kagome felt rather calm and relaxed. What could go wrong anyways?
"As you can see here, when using this approach to appeal to our target audience, we had a 20 higher success rate than using this approach. Yet the third approach had an average success rate of the other two approaches, and it was the most money-efficient of the three methods. Based on this research, we are proposing a combined approach using the-"
Kagome lightly nudged Sesshomaru. She glanced at him as she crouched behind the laptop. He hadn't noticed. "Umm…Sesshomaru…" she whispered. Still nothing. "Mr. Arishima?" she hissed. Sesshomaru glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. She pointed to the laptop, then in capital letters she typed: I NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow at her, a look of horror, indifference and disgust on his face.
Kagome huffed lightly, and continued typing: BECAUSE THESE NYLONS ARE REALLY ITCHY. I CAN'T STAY STILL FOR MUCH LONGER!
Sesshomaru looked at the computer screen for a second before he resumed listening to the man at the front of the dark room. He really didn't understand…did he? She glared at him as she shifted around in her seat, trying to find a more comfortable position, or at least a position that would ease the pain of these nylons giving her a wedgie… She couldn't believe him! He had actually forced her into wearing some weird business suit thing that given a choice, she never would have worn. Wasn't it illegal to make someone do something against their own will? The least he could have done was make it the kind with the dressy pants, but no, he said that she had to wear the one with the skirt. The skirt was too big around the waist, and the blouse felt tight. And those secretaries of his…dead, lifeless creatures. Doing whatever Master Sesshomaru told them to do…two of them had pinned her down, and another had begun to undress her until Kagome finally agreed to dress herself. The training was boring, and she had drunk way too much Coke.
Five minutes later Kagome nudged Sesshomaru again
He glared at her.
I HAVE TO GO THE BATHROOM.
Finally he scribbled something down onto one of the sheets of paper he had in front of him. If you end up taking insufficient notes, there will be consequences.
Kagome typed furiously and rather loudly, earning a few 'throat clearings' and coughs from other council members in the room. YEAH, IF YOU DON'T LET ME GO TO THE BATHROOM, THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES…BAD ONES. I NEED TO GO!
You are worse than Rin. Hold it.
I CAN'T…I DRANK A LOT OF COKE.
That is your problem, and not mine.
IT'S GOING TO BE YOUR PROBLEM! PLEASE SESSHOMARU-SAMA!
It is too late for you to be trying to earn favors. Are you taking notes?
YES.
I despise liars.
I DESPISE JERKS TOO.
Be quiet.
I AM BEING QUIET!
You keep moving. Stop it.
I'M DOING 'THE DANCE.'
Even Rin does not do 'the dance.'
I'M NOT RIN AM I?
It does not hurt my eyes to look at Rin.
THAT WAS LOW.
It is called: the truth.
I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE PICKING ON HANDICAPPED PEOPLE.
Yes. I should not ridicule the mentally disabled.
Kagome glared at Sesshomaru before looking up at the front of the room. There he went again with the 'mentally ill' thing. He needed some new material, seriously. You could only use the same insult twice at most…and the next time he used it, she would have to inform him of that because he was obviously unaware. The slide changed again, showing some survey results on the white projector screen…she was lost, but nevertheless began to type down 'key points,' or at least what she deemed as 'key points.' She typed noisily as to get back at Sesshomaru, and appeared to be extremely focused and concentrated on her task. When Sesshomaru and others looked at her she looked at them innocently, and smiled. She wasn't doing anything wrong…she was just doing what her Sesshomaru-sama wanted her to do.
But there always came a time when enough was enough. Twenty minutes later, it was quite enough for Kagome. She was going to use the bathroom…she had to use the bathroom… Usually she wouldn't do anything drastic, but right now…she had to. The urgency of the situation called for drastic measures to be taken. She timidly looked around the room. All of the men and their secretaries around the vast mahogany banquet like table were all absorbed in the slides being shown, and the long winding explanations the man at the front of the dark room was giving. She slowly began to slump in her seat, and she quietly and gradually began to slide down. She soon slipped underneath the table, and began crawling away to freedom on her hands and knees, but something stood between the open doorway that shed light and her. Legs.
She muttered her breath, and reluctantly crawled back to her chair. She slowly and silently pulled herself back up onto her seat, and nervously looked around. No one had seemed to notice her absence, she glanced at Sesshomaru who had a look of indifference etched on his face. She wondered what he was thinking about when she saw his pen. He apparently had quite a few of those silver pens with his initials on them. It was then she came up with the idea… She grabbed the pen, and dropped it to the ground. Sesshomaru turned around, and glared at her. "Get my pen." He commanded.
The man at the front of the room stopped talking, and everyone else turned their attention to Sesshomaru…almost mechanically. "Of course…Mr. Arishima…" Kagome said, overly pleasantly. She slowly sank down to the ground on her hands and knees, and was about to get the pen when it was accidentally knocked forward by her hand. "Sorry…" Kagome called as she crawled farther away, towards the pen. She then grabbed the pen, and threw it. It flew past in between another man's legs, and out into the doorway. She began moving aside people's legs as she crawled out from under the table. "Excuse me, just trying to get my boss's pen…I'm sorry! Don't mind me!" She told everyone enthusiastically. When she came to the doorway, her foot accidentally kicked it down the hallway. "Be right back." She said loudly as she raced down the hallway, forgetting about the pen, and focused completely on the bathrooms at the end of the hall.
She came out of the bathroom stall, feeling much better and relieved. She had taken her nylons off, and chucked them into the trashcan. She washed her hands, dried them with a paper towel, and glanced at her watch. It was only 5:55 pm. She groaned, and exited the bathroom only to walk right into…Sesshomaru. "Talk about deja vu." Kagome said. "I've definitely been in this position before."
"I suppose the pen rolled into the bathroom?"
"Oh yeah. It kept moving…it wouldn't stop…it was kinda weird…" Kagome said nervously as she looked around the hallway…there was no one else around. The bright lights that illuminated the hallway seemed too bright… She was alone…with…Sesshomaru. "You know what? It's in the bathroom still…I'll go and get it…" Kagome added slowly. But she never did get to go 'retrieve' the pen in the bathroom. Sesshomaru grabbed her by the wrist, and led her down the hallway. Kagome began freaking out. Although she did prefer walking on her own two feet to being thrown over someone's shoulder like she was a sack of potatoes, this wasn't really walking per say, more like dragging. "I'm sorry!" Kagome yelled as she tried to pry his hand from her wrist.
Half an hour later, Kagome was seen being dragged across the street to a restaurant called Medici's Terrace. "You could have told me that we were just going out to eat ya know," Kagome said as she straightened the sleeves of her business suit.
"I am not feeding you because I wish to." Sesshomaru told her coldly as they were seated.
"Come on! Admit it. You've taken a liking to me, haven't you?" Kagome said cheerfully as she gave Sesshomaru a beauteous grin.
"Where do you get such foolish notions?" he asked her as he placed his white cloth napkin on his lap.
"You mean my brilliant theories?" Kagome corrected, "From here," she said as she tapped her head. "Contrary to popular belief Sesshomaru, I'm actually really smart."
"You fooled me."
Kagome rolled her eyes. "Seriously though, I don't understand why I let you get to me. You're such a jerk sometimes, and usually I can ignore jerks, but you just get under my skin…" She paused to take a sip from her glass of water. "But you know, there are times when you seem human. Like right now. Taking me out to dinner. I didn't know that you had such compassion."
"After all I have made you endure, you somehow have come to the conclusion that I am merely hiding my true feelings for you?"
"Yeah." Kagome chirped as if the answer were obvious.
"Thanks a lot Sesshomaru! See you tomorrow!" Kagome called over her shoulder as she began to climb out of his Aston Martin. She closed the door behind her, only to then knock on the window. Sesshomaru reluctantly rolled it down, knowing what happened the last time he rolled down a car window for her. Perhaps this time she would spill whatever was in her takeout box into his car. "By the way Sesshomaru, thanks for taking care of me after I…uh…passed out." Kagome said sheepishly.
"It only made sense," he told her in his usual icy tone, "For I was the one who made you fall." With that the window rolled up in Kagome's face who stood there looking stunned.
"You what!" Kagome yelled as he drove away. "You pig!" She then launched her box of left over steak at the car, but she missed. "I hate you!" she shouted. "And you better not step a foot on Tokyo University Campus!" she screamed before someone from the apartment complex stuck their head out the window to yell at her.
Sesshomaru watched Kagome from his rearview mirror. She had missed…lucky for her. He had no qualms about making her wash his cars again. She had done a surprisingly good job. As he merged onto the freeway towards his own home, he recalled the day's events. That girl needed to be disciplined…he still couldn't believe that she had been desperate enough to crawl underneath the table and pretend to go after his pen because she needed to go the bathroom. The edges of his eyes crinkled just slightly as if he were smiling. She needed a few more training seminars taught by the professor himself…
Next time: Sesshomaru's Sidekick.
((A/N: You guys are the BEST. Still not confident in this installment, but you guys made me feel good about the last one! Seriously, you guys are…I am speechless…you guys gave me more reviews than the first time! Like twice as many! You guys are just...I'm crying right now you guys…crying tears of joy! I LOVE YOU ALL! By the way, if it's even possible, I failed my SATs.
Explanation: Here is why it takes me so long to update in addition to the usual tests, finals, school, extra curricular activities, SATs and etc, I always write up several different versions of a certain scene or something to pick out the best one out of all of them. So that way, I can deliver to guys the funniest and best…so please understand! I really hjope I didn't let you guys down with this chapter…!
ALSO, I HAVE RECENTLY DISCOVERED THAT I WAS NOMINATED FOR BEST AU FANFIC AND BEST ROMANCE/FLUFF/WAFF FANFIC ON A SINGLE SPARK…WHOEVER DID THAT…PLEASE TELL ME SO I MAY THANK YOU AND HONOR YOU PROPERLY!
REVIEW! (Please and thank you! )
