A/N: A short chapter to tide people over while I struggle with the next. Enjoy.

Inuyasha retrieved the bottle of tequila and settled himself comfortably backstage, listening as Sango tried out for Heilyn. From what he could tell, Sesshoumaru was directing more than usual. Whenever that happened, whoever he was directing had a better chance of getting the part. At the sound of Kouga's voice responding to her, the hanyou grimaced. If that girl could put up with that wolf-youkai moron, she deserved to play Heilyn.

"Inuyasha!"

The voice came from the other side of the curtain rather than his radio. When he looked through it, Sesshoumaru was penciling something on his copy of the script. "Take Ayame-san to the office. She will be serving as our secretary from now on. When you have done that, make sure the dressing rooms are clean."

"So, Sango is going to be Heilyn?" demanded Ayame, heading for the stairs.

Sesshoumaru nodded. "One part remains to be cast – the best friend of the general. Once it is cast, we will begin rehearsals. Leave your contact information with Ayame-san and she will notify you as to the times."

"So that Rin girl got the part after all," mused Inuyasha. He shrugged and sauntered off, Ayame following.

The main office was in much the same state as the wardrobe room but Ayame soon sorting through the mounds and stacks of paper.

"Were you a secretary before you came here?"

Ayame fingered through a sheaf of documents. "Nope. I was a gofer."

Sniggering, Inuyasha left her to it. "Great, just great. A wardrobe girl who can't take a hint, a secretary who was an errand girl, and a male lead who can't read door signs."

"Hey, dog crap!"

"Speaking of the baka…" The hanyou turned and scowled as Kouga strode up.

The wolf-youkai smirked. "Sesshoumaru says you're supposed to show me where my dressing room is."

"No problem," growled Inuyasha, kicking open a nearby restroom door. "Pick any stall ya like and try not to drink from the toilets – our water bill is high enough as it is."

"Not bad, dog breath," laughed Kouga, his bright blue eyes glittering wickedly. "Bet it took you years to come up with that one."

"Well, when a flea-bitten monkey youkai comes waltzing in and calls himself 'Kouga,' descriptions like those come easily to mind." Inuyasha led him backstage, purposefully allowing the door to swing shut on the wolf youkai.

Booting it open, Kouga took in the scene of the post-apocalypse backstage. "Good grief! Now I know why Sesshoumaru hired you – he wants to make his theater look less messed up than you."

Before Inuyasha could retort, Kagome came out of the wardrobe room and calle his name. He approached, Kouga still following. "What's up, Kagome?"

"Is there an iron around here? Some of those costumes are pretty wrinkled."

"Uh…" Inuyasha scratched his head, mentally going over the janitor inventory. "Maybe…there's so much stuff around that we haven't had time to go through it all since Sesshy got the place."

"Between boozing and giving the appearance of activity, you certainly haven't." Kouga elbowed him aside and bowed grandly to Kagome. "Greetings. My name is Kouga."

Caught off guard, Kagome stared at him. "Uh…hi, I'm Higurashi Kagome."

He took her hand and kissed it, gazing deeply into her eyes. "I am truly blessed to meet one of great beauty," he said in a voice rumbling with "the darkness of chocolate" as Inuyasha thought of it.

With a nervous giggle, Kagome felt a blush steal across her face. "Ar-are you auditioning?"

"I just received the part of the General, Wolfheart."

"Congratulations." She gestured to the outfit in her arms. "I'm the new wardrobe mistress, so I guess I'll be seeing you around for awhile."

"I sincerely hope so, Kagome-sama." Kouga kissed her hand once more.

A burst of jealousy at this, coupled with an urge to rip Kouga's hands off and shove them up his nostrils, crossed Inuyasha's mind. He ignored the rational thoughts arguing that he had no right to be jealous and stepped between the two, baring his fangs in Kouga's face. "Your kennel is over there, wimpy wolf," he pointed over toward a door. "Room three with the biggest mirror though not big enough for you to see your whole head. Kagome," he turned, his face turning less unpleasant. "The janitor supplies are at the end of the corridor. You might find an iron there."

She nodded her thanks and he watched her go. Looking back at Kouga, he found the wolf youkai scowling at him.

"Is she your girl?!" he demanded.

Inuyasha smirked, turning and heading toward the dressing rooms. "No, but as I am second-in-command of permanent theater employees, it is my responsibility to make sure they ain't bothered by people." He punctuated the declaration by booting open dressing room three.

Unsurprisingly, the interior turned out to be dingy and cluttered. A few cobwebs in the corners and the paint was peeling. "What a dump."

"It's perfect," snapped Inuyasha. "Fits your personality to a tee." He stomped off while Kouga made a rude gesture behind his back.

A/N: As I said. Short. However, if you want to complain, feel free to review.