Chapter Three
o0o
"Those reporters don't even get close to what he's really like…what he's really doing in this business." Sango took another bite of her salad and a drink of water before continuing. "They made it out like he was planning some hostile take-over of the community. He's not. He's buying it out so he can improve conditions. He just doesn't want anyone to know he has a soft side."
The diner was a very comfortable one, and had a perfect quiet atmosphere, despite the many patrons there. They seemed to be all business people out on lunches with co-workers. The four sat at a booth, Sango and Kouga seated across from Kagome and Shippou. The little boy ate his hamburger quietly, and stayed close to Kagome, the tall wolf demon with the long black hair tied into a high tail making him nervous. Kagome ate her salad just as quietly as the boy, listening to all these two had to say about the strange hanyou she just met that morning.
Kouga looked across at the girl. "Just feel lucky that he seems to like you ok."
She looked up incredulously from her salad. "What? How could you tell that? He barely said two words to me, and was out the door!"
"Well, if he really didn't like you, he would have tossed you out on your cute little ass and we wouldn't be talking to you now."
Kagome blushed, whether from the comment on her "cute ass" or that this Mr. Silver seemed to like her, she wasn't sure. "Why would he have any reason to like me, though? He knows nothing about me!"
Kouga opened his mouth to answer, "Probably because you're hot," but Sango spoke before he could let the words leave his lips. "Ok, you walked into the office. You knew he was upset, you heard the crashing, the yelling, the random profanities, and you saw him with that look on his face. That was his intimidating look. I see him use it all the time. It usually scares people witless. You, however, you heard all of it, saw the look, and yet you still sucked it up, and marched right up to him, introduced yourself, offered to shake his hand, and did it firmly and politely. I saw you, Kagome. Your hand and your voice-both firm, not all shaky like most people are when they try and approach him. And you did it on a bad day! Kagome, you impressed him. You passed the test. Well, the first part anyway…"
"First part?"
Kouga spoke up. "It never ends with Inuyasha. You don't just prove yourself and that's it. He's been crossed way too many times for that. You need to continue to prove yourself, and never cave in. And never double-cross him either. He has to trust you, and for him to trust you, you must continually prove yourself trustworthy."
Kagome sighed. 'This is going to be a lot of work. I can tell already.'
Kouga saw her looking nervous and reached a hand across the table to cover her own. "Listen, Kagome, don't worry too much about it. You seem like a good and honest person. Just don't let him intimidate you, and you'll be fine." Both he and Sango smiled at her, and she gave a shaky smile back.
Shippou nudged her leg. "It's ok, Kagome. He didn't scare me one bit. If he ever makes you nervous, you just call me. I'm not afraid of him."
Kagome raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so you were hiding behind my legs the whole time because….?"
He blushed. "Eh he he…backing you up?"
She laughed. "Thank you, Shippou. It's always nice to know I have someone so strong right behind me."
o0o
"You need to learn to focus! You can't just fly off in a rage every time! Focus on what you're doing, or you're going to end up hurting yourself, and not your opponent!" Miroku continued to yell instructions while simultaneously dodging one attack after another.
"You do realize you're going to make yourself even more frustrated if I beat you, don't you?"
Dodge.
"If you focus, and you bring down your opponent, you'll gain more physical satisfaction, and therefore relieve more tension."
Dodge.
"Hmmm, I see. All this pent up tension can only mean one thing…"
He jumped back to avoid another swipe to his legs before grinning mischievously at the hanyou before him.
"You need to get laid, don't you?"
Inuyasha growled and lunged for the still-smiling sparring partner.
Miroku blocked yet another kick to the face, and swept one leg out to knock down his opponent. Not fast enough…Inuyasha flipped back, avoiding his attack.
Another dodge, two blocks, and Miroku attacked again, dodging his head to one side and grabbing the arm that swung past him. He flipped his opponent over his back, only to see Inuyasha land on his feet and strike again.
'Well…I give him credit. The guy's got persistence. And stamina. And strength. If he'd just control it a bit more, he'd be a master.'
"You seem more frustrated than usual today. This wouldn't have anything to do with what those reporters were saying on TV, would it? Something about you being a 'cold and heartless money-grabber, slowly taking over other small business owners to gain power and control over the city?'" He swung out and kicked again, landing a blow.
Inuyasha growled. "Shut up, will ya? You said concentrate! How in hell am I supposed to do that with your big mouth running all the time?"
Miroku chuckled and dodged another attack, before making one of his own. Inuyasha dodged.
'Damn, this guy's fast. Hmmm….'
"So, how do you like that lovely young college student who's supposed to shadow you for the next few weeks? Gorgeous, isn't she?"
Inuyasha's jaw dropped, caught off guard.
'Ah, I knew that'd get him. Now's my chance…' Miroku nailed a kick directly to the side of Inuyasha's head, sending him across the room and into a wall.
"Holy…" He ran to the man's side. "Shit, Inuyasha, I'm sorry. Are you ok? I haven't seen you fall like that…well…ever."
Inuyasha rubbed at the back of his head, where it had hit the wall. "How the hell did you know about her?"
Miroku laughed, seeing he was alright, and held out a hand to help him to his feet. "Kagome and I have been friends for ages. She's like a sister to me."
"Great. So, what kind of shit have you been filling her head with about me."
"Relax, Inuyasha. She doesn't even know I know you yet. Besides, I know what you're really like. Sure, you're rough around the edges, but I know that deep down you have a heart like…" He thought for a moment. "Marshmallow. All soft…and squishy…and sweet…"
Inuyasha tripped him. "Just keep talking, Buddha-boy, and I'll break that pretty-boy face of yours."
Miroku smiled innocently back at him from the floor, rubbing the shoulder he landed on. "Relax, Inuyasha. I'm sure all she'll ever see of you is the tough-guy act you insist on giving. You should really tone down once in a while. You'd get more girls that way."
"Oh, you mean like what you do? Flirt and feel 'em up? Yeah, and then compare them to whatever porn star she happens to resemble? Sorry, Miroku, but I wouldn't exactly call that 'getting girls.' More like 'getting slapped.' No way am I taking advice on the opposite sex from you."
"Touché, Silver. Come on. Let's cool down and meditate for a bit. See if we can't get you a little more relaxed."
Inuyasha grumbled, but followed the trainer out of the arena and into the next room. He checked the clock on the way out. He had been gone an hour already, but knew he should probably take the man's advice. He needed to focus and calm himself before heading back, or he'd scare that scrap of a girl right out of the office. He needed to impress her and have a good report with the media for once. 'Feh…I can stay a little longer before going back. I just don't feel like messing with her today. I'll let Sango and Kouga handle her for the afternoon…'
"Lucinda."
Inuyasha looked up to the back of Miroku's head as he followed him down the hall. "What?"
Miroku sighed. "I've got to let you borrow that tape. Then you'll see…Kagome looks just like the delectable Lucinda on…"
"Shit, Miroku! I don't want to hear it! You're one sick man, do you know that? I thought you said Kagome was like your sister!"
Miroku sighed in obvious disappointment. "Sadly, she is. That's why I haven't been able to watch any of dear Lucinda's videos anymore. It just felt too weird to see someone who looks so much like Kagome in a porn video." He smiled happily at Inuyasha. "And that's why I feel no regrets in giving them all over to you!"
Inuyasha narrowed his golden eyes in disgusted disbelief before shaking his head. "You're more twisted than I thought."
o0o
"You need an interview with him."
"You know how impossible that is. That bulldog of a personal assistant won't let me near him for private interviews."
"Get one. I don't care how you do it. Follow him home if you have to. Go in after that woman leaves. You know he always works much later than she does. Just get one." Click.
Kagura hung up her cell phone, and slipped her coat on. 'Real journalists don't work tabloids. How in hell did I end up with this job?'
Gazing out the window of the restaurant she was leaving, she saw a figure exiting the gym on the other side of the street. A figure with long silver hair.
"Perfect," she smirked, and quickly paid the bill, counted out a small tip, and left the café. She quickly crossed the road and entered the gym.
"Ouch, Kagura." Miroku didn't even look up from the screen of his laptop. "You were particularly nasty in that article, this morning. Is this because I wouldn't let you get shots of Mr. Silver's workout session?"
"We need to show our readers just how violent he truly is."
"You're supposed to be violent while working out. Men don't go shopping, or eat ice cream to relax. Well, not all the time. They like to work hard to work out their aggression. Better to fight a trained professional in a safe facility than releasing your rage in public."
"Ah, so you'd say Mr. Silver has quite a bit of pent-up rage, then?"
Miroku bit his tongue. 'Damn.' "Only when reporters lie and say nasty little things about him…" he quipped in a sing-song voice. He turned back to her, the tiny fake smile gone. "Kagura, you of all people should know why he bought that neighborhood. You've known Inuyasha for years, so quit playing like you're worst enemies."
Kagura leaned over his shoulder to discover what was holding his attention so well.
"Wait, are you in a chat room?"
He grinned happily and rubbed his hands together. "A global lesbian chat room." He sighed dramatically. "I love technology. You're looking at Katriana, a gorgeous 18 year old brunette from the Netherlands."
She rolled her eyes in disgust before turning to leave the building but stopped at his voice, now serious.
"You know you'd rather have that property in Inuyasha's hands than in Naraku's. Silver beat him to it, and you should be happy, not ripping him a new one in every article you write."
She looked over her shoulder at the handsome man. "I knew about his plans long before they were carried out."
His brows shot up, lost beneath his bangs. "You mean you knew, and Naraku still didn't stop him? Why not?"
"Because Naraku didn't know. I never told him." And with that, she sauntered out the exit, leaving Miroku to gape after her, still trying to understand what she just told him.
o0o
"No, damn it, I don't want them angry. Those people haven't done anything. They keep their jobs, they don't leave their homes, and get the renovation done quickly so they can get back to work."
The following morning found Inuyasha in his office, his back to the young woman sitting before his desk, talking into his headset while gazing down at the city below his window. It was a unique piece of equipment, and Kagome found she couldn't keep her eyes off of it. While it looked like a normal headset, with a microphone extended before his mouth, the earpieces were nowhere to be found, it was simply a band that sat over his long, silver hair. But, upon closer inspection, one could make out a very tiny earpiece placed at the top of the headset, right next to one of his pointed ears.
"What?" he yelled. Kagome jumped in her seat. "How in hell did that happen? Get it fixed. Get new supplies, new tools, whatever needs replacing. And keep your eyes open. If things keep going the way they are, someone's going to get hurt. Something's going on down there and I don't like it. Watch the workers closely. Someone is there doing things they shouldn't be, and I want to know who." He pushed the button on his headset and hung up, before removing it.
He sat down wearily in his chair, talking out loud to himself. "The tools are all damaged. No big deal, we replace them. The building supplies come up missing at the warehouse before they can be delivered to the site. Ok, so there might have been a shipping mistake with the factory. Freak accidents keep happening with the builders. Something isn't right. That many things just can't all go wrong in one week. And now we start working on the factory I just bought out, only the blue-prints for the renovations are all missing…" Kagome shifted in her seat and his eyes shot in her direction in surprise. 'Forgot she was even here…'
"Is everything o.k., Mr. Silver? Has anyone been hurt at your building sites?"
"No one's been hurt. Yet. Thanks to the media and that damn tabloid, The Miasma, everyone thinks I'm going to tear down half the city to enlarge my company and monopolize business. I have a feeling some of them are trying to stop me or stall my work."
"Well, if you didn't buy out half the west side of the city to tear it down and build your own buildings, then what are you doing with it?"
"Have you seen that portion of the city?" Kagome shook her head. "Well, if you had, you would see some of the worst buildings in town. People live in those buildings, work in those buildings. It's a hazard to them, and those people will never be able to climb their way out of the gutter and get a better life if they stay living and working under those conditions. They don't get paid half of what they should, and they work in dark factories day in and day out making cheap products to sell overseas. They don't have benefits, they don't get sick days or vacation… they suffer in those god-forsaken hell-holes."
"So you're tearing them down?"
"No. I'm making them better. Yes, I will own all of them, but only until I can renovate them. I will make sure that the people living there are secure in their nice jobs in those nicer buildings, and living comfortably in the apartment complexes that I now also own. And once everything is settled, that side of the city will be one of the best sites, and very valuable. Then, I will sell them off for a higher profit to people I know will take care of them. I'll be better off, the city will be better off, and the people will be better off. It's an investment of sorts."
Kagome was frantically writing down what he was saying, and when she finished she looked back up at him, amazed. "Why don't you just tell the media that? The public would love you! You'd be a hero!"
"Feh. I don't care what they think of me. I'm not doing it for them. I'm doing it because it's the smart thing to do. Cheap land that is worth nothing to most people, turned into a prominent business and living district that everyone will want to buy or invest in. I just wish people would quit trying to sabotage my plans. It's costing me a fortune."
Kagome's face fell. 'Well, even if he isn't doing it for the right reasons, he's doing the right thing at least. But still…why is he so intent on keeping the people who live there?'
"So you do think it's sabotage, then?"
"Of course it is. I have the best construction crew in Tokyo. They would never let this many mistakes happen. They're not careless…"
The phone rang, cutting him off. He leaned over and hit the speaker phone button. Sango's voice cut through, "Inuyasha, there is an urgent call from your foreman down at the new factory site."
"Put him through, Sango." The line clicked and the office filled suddenly with loud background noise and the sound of yelling.
"Mr. Silver!"
"What is it, Kan? What's going on over there?"
"There was an explosion. We're not really sure what happened. The east half of the building is totally unstable, and there are still five workers in there, trapped. We can't get to them, there are fallen beams in the way."
"Damn! I'll be down there as fast as possible. See what you can do to stabilize the rest of the building. Don't let it cave in on them. And get everyone else out, I don't want anyone hurt."
"Yes, sir." Click.
Inuyasha swore, and called through the door to Sango. She appeared in the doorway immediately. "I'm going to the site. There was an explosion. I've got to take care of it. Don't let any reporters in here, and call for guards to surround the factory to keep them away from the site as well." Sango nodded and immediately went into action.
Inuyasha swept from the office, grabbing a handful of licorice from Sango's candy dish, with Kagome on his heels. He whirled abruptly to glare at her.
"Just where do you think you're going," he snarled. "You sit your ass down."
"Not a chance. I'm supposed to be shadowing you. That means I follow you on ALL your business, including this." He started to argue, but growled, ferociously tearing off a chunk of the chewy candy with his teeth. He grimaced and shook his head.
"I don't have time for this. You insist on coming? Fine. But you stay out of the building, and back behind the guards with the rest of the reporters."
'Like hell I will.' She thought, and followed him out to his car.
o0o
…I heart Miroku. Very much. sigh
So, there's chapter three. Next one gets more action. Plot demands it of me. In fact, it is holding a jagged piece of lollipop at my jugular at this moment, demanding more action. .
Down, Plot! Down!
