Megumi was growing more anxious by the moment. Something was telling her this was a very bad idea, but she was determined to get the money for her problem. She couldn't ask anyone for help. She watched as Kyoko pulled out her cell phone and called her boss. After several minutes, Kyoko directed Megumi to her car parked on the side of the road.

"So tell me," said Kyoko. "Are they dating?"

"Yes, but I don't understand why it would be so bad if everyone found out about their relationship," Megumi replied.

"That's just it," said Kyoko. "Everyone suspects the relationship, but it's not the relationship itself that has everyone curious. The reason why they hide it so well must mean something big. Perhaps it has something to do with Kagura's job at Shikon Jewelers."

"Shikon Jewelers?"

"They are well known for their art at making jewelry and their fine products are sold world wide at prices you couldn't even dream of," said Kyoko. "Kagura is in charge of the department that collects the materials needed to make such jewelry. Taisho Corp. has been interested in the areas that have these products and are probably trying to buy them from Shikon Jewelers. What easier way to get through than by using Kagura?"

"I don't know," said Megumi. "I don't think that's it."

"Oh please, you've met Kagura, right?" asked Kyoko. Megumi nodded. "Do you really believe that the cold-hearted Sesshoumaru-sama is honestly in love with her?"

"Well, no, but that doesn't mean it's not impossible," replied Megumi. "I mean, I've never seen them together, but..."

"Well anyway," said Kyoko. "Do you know if they are going out tonight? If they are, where?"

Megumi remembered overhearing Sesshoumaru's conversation with Kagura. She did in fact hear where they were going for the night. Kagura and Sesshoumaru had been discussing several things, but she had been to busy yelling at herself inwardly to notice. The only thing she did hear after her inner ramblings were where they were going.

"They said they were going to the Plaza," said Megumi. The Plaza was famous for its food and romantic atmosphere, but it was also notorious for its steep prices and how difficult it was to get a reserved seating.

"That's good enough," cried Kyoko. "This'll be the scoop of the year. Sesshoumaru was ranked as the number one's hottest business man. Him dating anyone would cause probably the biggest uproar among his female fans since Rin became his secretary." Megumi nodded, remembering how all her girlfriends were up in arms about Sesshoumaru having a female secretary.

'That man does anything wrong, and the whole female population is up in arms about it,' she thought. 'I hate to see him get married. His wife will have to have a secret bunker.'

"So, where do I go to get my money?" asked Megumi.

"I'll take you there now," said Kyoko. "My boss wants to have a word with you anyway."

Within moments, Megumi found herself at the bottom of a fairly large building. This was where not only Scandalous was printed, but the Daily Tokyo was printed. Hesitantly, Megumi stepped in to find an older man with long white hair waiting for her. He had a huge grin plastered on his face, and he looked like he was ready to pounce on the next woman he saw.

"Excuse me?" said Megumi. "Are you Jiraiya-san?"

"Why yes I am!" he laughed. "And you are?"

"Takahashi Megumi, sir," she replied holding out her hand. It was swallowed by his enormous one as he shook it.

"A real pleasure to meet you, Megumi-san," he laughed again. "It's quite a shame you are already taken!" Megumi automatically blushed at the comment.

"Now tell me," he began. "What exactly have you seen of Sesshoumaru's relationship with Kagura?"

"Not much really, I just found out today," she replied. He put his hand on his chin as if he were in deep thought.

"Well, that's a shame," he muttered. "I was hoping to get some real dirt on him."

"You are very brave to do such a thing," Megumi commented.

"I thought so too," he laughed. "A lot of people said it was foolish to try, but I'm as big a fool as they come!"

"I see," said Megumi. "How much will I be paid?"

"Ah, yes, I have the check here." He carefully handed her the sheet of paper. Her eyes went wide when she saw the numbers printed on the front.

"You like what you see?" he asked.

"Yes," said Megumi, breathlessly.

"Well, thank you for your assistance," said Jiraiya. "Don't worry, your identity is safe."

"Thank you."

Kagura was absolutely furious as she waited for Megumi to show up at the designated store. Despite the fact that she was about to torture Megumi to her hearts content, the night before had been absolutely embarrassing. She had yet to find out who on earth had leaked such information to the press. The fact was that their dating was only the beginning of a line of secrets. Secrets that could not only destroy Taisho Corp. and Shikon Jewelers, but also the other businesses that were also involved: Akatsuki Inc., Hokage Industries, and even Orochimaru and his laboratories would be in danger.

However, that was a story for another day. Whoever had revealed their secret was obviously either very brave, or very foolish. Sesshoumaru had been absolutely enraged, and was currently interrogating everyone who might have given such information away.

"Kagura-san!" a voice cried, causing her to rouse herself from her infuriated reverie. She glared at the young woman as she approached.

"Took you long enough," Kagura snapped. "Let me show you what I've picked out!"

"Yes ma'am," said Megumi as she followed the richer woman into the building. They wandered through the clothes, Kagura leading the way knowing what it was she wanted. Of course, Megumi was too absorbed in the scenery to notice that Kagura had finally stopped, making her run straight into the already irritable woman.

"Watch where you're going!" Kagura shouted.

"S-Sorry," Megumi muttered as she backed away from the woman who was now giving her a death glare, daring her to make a wrong move. Megumi just stood stock still and waited patiently for Kagura to show her the dress.

Finally, Kagura pulled out the dress and handed it to her. It was a dark crimson sleeveless dress with a flowing sarong style skirt opened up to the left thigh. It was the kind of sexy dress Kagura would wear. Megumi's eyes widened when she saw the price tag, making Kagura smirk. She was sure the young poor girl would be unable to afford such a price.

However, Megumi's eyes did not widen out of surprise for the price of the dress, but by how little it was compared to the money that she had been paid for the information she had given out the night before. She could buy this dress three times over if she wanted. Hesitantly, she looked up at Kagura.

"Do you want it now?" she asked.

"Yes, or you give me your address," said Kagura with a wicked smile Megumi nodded and took the dress.

"Okay, they take checks here, right?" she asked. Kagura stared at her, absolutely dumbfounded. Did the girl actually believe she was capable of affording such a dress?

Kagura's eyes widened noticeably as she stared at the young woman she currently followed to the checkout station. Could this young foolish child actually have been so brave, so stupid enough to do such a thing? Could it have been her who had told the press where Kagura and Sesshoumaru were going last night? Surely the Daily Tokyo would have payed handsomely for such information, especially since they were also the publishers of Scandalous. Kagura knew that this girl was stupid, but she didn't think she was that stupid.

Kagura was seething with such anger that her face was starting to turn red. Takahashi Megumi was going to pay. Yes, pay so dearly that it would be painful for her to walk out the door. Kagura of Shikon Jewelers was going to make Takahashi Megumi's life as miserable as she could possibly make it, and as soon as this was done, Kagura was going to go to Taisho Corp. and dig up Megumi's information.

Kagura snatched the dress right after Megumi was finished paying for it. Megumi bowed graciously, unknowing of the current wrath that Kagura was soon to dispose upon her. Kagura let out a snarl.

"Prepare for the worst time of your life," she hissed before walking away. Megumi shuddered, not yet realizing what she had done this time to make the young woman so mad when her Iphone began to ring.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hey!" came the voice on the other end. "How's it going, hm?"

"Oh, hey Deidara-san?" she said. "Did you want something?"

"Um, yes actually," he replied. "The board is going to a party at the Riverbed club tonight. You wanna come with me, hm?" he asked.

"Oh, sure!" Megumi smiled as she began to look around at the other dresses. "Is there anything else you wanted?"

"What color are you going to wear, hm?" he asked.

"Um, I'll think I'll be wearing black." Megumi pulled out one particular dress that caught her eye. It wasn't as pricey as Kagura's dress was, but Megumi was naturally thrifty when it came to money. It was a filmy dress that came with a detachable under dress and an embroidery-trimmed flower petal hem. It wasn't flashy, but it was enough for her tastes.

"All right, black it is, hm," he replied.

"Okay, when will you pick me up?" she asked.

"Seven, hm."

"Okay, I'll be ready."

She was ready when he knocked on her door. She was wearing her pretty black dress with black high-heels. The top half of her hair had been pulled back into a tight bun and the rest of it fell over her shoulders in sweet little waves of curls. Her make-up was simply done and she looked very pretty in her own simple way. Deidara smiled as he handed her a full bouquet of red roses. Without a second thought, she took them and found a vase for them.

"All right, I think I'm ready," she said before Deidara dragged her out the door to his car. This time he didn't have his usual stretch Hummer. Rather, he had his little black mustang waiting for them. Megumi grinned as he put the top down.

"So where is this club?" she asked. "And who else is going to be there?"

"Down the street, hm. The whole board was invited, so all of them plus their dates along with some friends of the company, hm. Itachi will be there too of course, hm."

"Ah, maybe I'll ask how work was without me," Megumi sighed. It didn't take long for them to get there, throngs of paparazzi waiting for them already. Deidara carefully lead Megumi out of the mustang, handing the keys over to the valet.

When they walked in, a few people acknowledged their presence, but no one turned their heads, except Itachi. It had only been a few days, but he sort of wanted to catch a glimpse of his secretary. Itachi was surprised to see that she actually looked rather stunning in her black dress.

Ino, Itachi's date, tugged on his sleeve, hoping to drag his attention away from her brother and his girlfriend. She was watching, almost waiting, for Megumi to trip and fall, or do something humiliating. It seemed to work as Itachi begrudgingly dragged his eyes away from his secretary. Deidara had asked Itachi to take his younger sister to this little gathering, since Ino really wanted to go. He hadn't really been planning to go, but when he heard that Deidara was bringing Megumi, he decided to go with Ino. Deidara found it rather curious that Itachi would change his tune so quickly after hearing that the secretary he didn't want would be there.

Itachi had successfully used the excuse that he needed to see her concerning some important documents he noticed were missing (it wasn't until after he used the excuse when he found out it was true). Truth be told, Takahashi Megumi had settled herself very securely and very subtly in his mind. They hadn't been together long, but that was enough to get him to worry about her consistently. Something always went wrong every five seconds with her. Luckily, none of her missteps lost them money, so there was no real reason to fire her simply because she was the personification of clumsy.

When she had first left, Itachi was relieved. He sat in his office and finished his work ahead of schedule. Something that had never occurred during the month Megumi had occupied the desk right outside his office. However, his peace of mind did not last long. The next day, he had forgotten that she was not coming in. He figured she was just late and waited for her to come in panting and asking for forgiveness before he assigned her to her work.

It wasn't until an hour later that he remembered that she wasn't coming in that day, or the rest of the week. After silently cursing himself for several minutes out of frustration and embarrassment (and getting his fingers caught in the stapler twice, something only Megumi would do) he found himself only thinking of her... worriedly. Did she make it on time? Did she spill any coffee? Did she trip up the stairs? Did she lose any papers?

His worried thoughts about her kept whirling around in his head so fast he couldn't concentrate for more than a few moments. He tried every trick in the book, started a conversation with Kisame (or at least tried to before Kisame started asking certain questions), tried to think about what Ino was going to wear to the little party, he tried to think of situations that Tobi might get himself into, he tried everything he could think of, but in the end, all of his thoughts turned back to Megumi.

The party went on without a hitch, with the occasional expected misstep from Megumi, but other than that everything was going smoothly. Deidara would laugh off her blunders, and all the guests enjoyed themselves. Ino looked over at Itachi, hoping he would invite her to the dance floor.

Ino had met Itachi a few years ago when he had requested her older brother, Deidara, to join Akatsuki Inc. She had been immediately enchanted by him, as most women were. He was polite, proficient, intelligent, and all around every girl's dream guy. She did not fail to notice, however, the change in his demeanor after seeing her brother and Megumi, and it wasn't exactly a pleasant change.

She had only met Megumi once, but just once was enough to get a good impression from that clumsy girl. It was amazing how she was still alive at this point in her life. She was always in the wrong place, at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing. Ino vaguely wondered why Deidara would be interested in such a girl.

Oh, she knew why now, no doubts. She knew of the many women Deidara had before Megumi, and they had all been real... well, there was no nice way to say it. They all had bodies average women would kill for, conquests they could only brag about, etc. These were the kind of women that would seduce a man for money and/or power. Megumi wasn't smart enough (or attractive enough) to pull that. No, she wasn't ugly per say, but she didn't have the qualities most males were attracted to, and Ino could definitely say that her current partner, who was now staring at the couple she was referring to, was not—definitely not—most males.

She was never asked to the dance floor. Rather, she was dragged (although willingly) to it by her slightly irritated date. Itachi was desperately trying to keep his mind off of Megumi and her date. If he sat still for even a moment, he would immediately regret it as his thoughts would forcefully—against his will—turn toward her, that useless secretary of his. He forced himself to stare at his own date, taking in every detail of her face.

Deidara and Megumi were currently enjoying their time together. Tobi, Deidara's co-manager and partner, was extremely free spirited and humorous to Megumi. She had just been laughing at one of his jokes when Deidara grabbed her by the arm and led her to the dance floor. Her eyes widened when he put his arms around her and pulled her close, gently swaying them both to the music.

However, their romantic moment did not last long. Megumi was not graceful, nor was she coordinated. So, she ceremoniously stepped on Deidara's foot and drew back quickly in surprise and apology. Almost too quickly because she tripped over her feet and fell back, pulling Deidara down on top of her.

Itachi, who had been watching the entire time (he himself couldn't believe it either. What happened to studying Ino?), had to swallow several times to suppress the growl threatening to escape his throat. Just the sight of Deidara on top of her was enough to make his blood boil. She was his secretary, after all.

Ino sighed, very disappointed in the direction her date was going. She stopped, forcing Itachi to look down at her. She gently motioned that they go sit down and have a talk. Itachi blinked; the subtle confusion in his eyes made her want to sigh again. Finding a table, the two of them sat down. Ino was the first to speak.

"Itachi, Megumi is your secretary isn't she?"

"Yes," replied Itachi, already not appreciating where this was going.

"Well, what do you think of her?" asked Ino.

"She's the clumsiest person I have ever come across," said Itachi bluffly.

"Yes, how do you feel when you see her?"

"Irritated," he responded.

"Why do you feel irritated when you see her?" She wasn't training to be a psychologist for nothing.

"Hmph, I don't know," he replied. "What makes it weird is that is the first time I've ever felt irritated toward anybody in a very long time."

"Well, I don't know why you feel so irritated every time you see her either," said Ino. "That's not normally an emotion felt toward someone you love."

Itachi stared at Ino blankly, her words barely registering in his mind. "What?"

"Itachi, you are obviously in love with her. The whole time we were dancing, your eyes were glued to her. When she fell over and Deidara fell on top of her, I could see the flash of anger in your eyes."

"Ridiculous!" said Itachi standing up and walking away. He didn't care if it was rude at this point; there was no way he was even attracted to that skinny, stupid secretary of his. There was just no way.

Kagura felt a wicked grin stretch across her face as she stood before the towering building of Taisho Corp. She quickly and quietly unlocked the front doors. Turning off the alarm and locking the doors once again, she took several steps inside, a sense of pride in herself welling up in chest.

"All right," she whispered to herself. Without delay, she headed up the stairs until she hit the second to last floor. She found Inuyasha's office easily enough. It wasn't as large as Sesshoumaru's, but it was large in its own right. In front of his office sat Kagome's desk, with her computer still on. Kagura sat down at the computer and moved the mouse. A little box appeared asking for the password. Kagura merely smirked.

"Osuwari," she said as she typed it up. Sure enough, it let her in. She quickly found the files where all the employee information was held. With a practiced hand, she quickly found the file she was looking for. She pulled out her Blueberry and dialed a familiar number.

"Hey Naraku, you have a pen and paper handy?" she asked. "Get ready to write this down."

For the second time in one night, Uchiha Itachi was extremely irritated. Tobi had unwittingly approached Deidara and Megumi during a dance saying that there had been a fire at one of the plants that manufactured Akatsuki Inc.'s military weapons. It was too urgent for Deidara to take Megumi home first. He said his apologies, grabbed Ino and asked Itachi to take care of Megumi and make sure she got home safely.

Itachi had agreed, but as soon as the young man had bolted, the look on Megumi's face was so broken and disappointed that irritated Itachi to no end. She had forgiven him for having to leave her there, but that didn't mean she hadn't been disappointed that their date had been cut short.

Without really thinking about it, Itachi took Megumi's hands and started dancing with her. Her eyes widened at her boss. Why would he do such a thing? Itachi himself wasn't quite sure either. Although he repeatedly told himself he was just being polite. It wasn't proper to leave a young woman hanging like that after her date deserted her. Even if it was unintentional.

Megumi had been surprised to say the least. She and Itachi had not gotten along, so she figured he would have tried to avoid her. She shrugged it off and decided to make conversation.

"How has work been without me?" she asked.

"Fine," he lied. He still remembered his first day without her and how he ended up leaving late because he was so distracted by her absence. He was distracted when she wasn't there and when she was there.

"That's good," she sighed.

"The documents for project A38 are missing," he said. "I need to fill those out tomorrow." Megumi blushed, knowing full well what he was talking about.

"Yes sir," she replied.

The rest of the evening was actually fairly enjoyable. Megumi miraculously didn't have anymore mess ups, and the music was very nice. It wasn't until about 11 at night that people began to take their leave, including Megumi.

"Thank you for looking out for me, Itachi-san," she said with a small bow as she prepared to leave. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Would you like a ride?" he asked.

"Oh, no thank you," she replied. "I'll be okay. Again, thanks." Itachi nodded.

"You're welcome," he said as he watched her leave.

Megumi let out a sigh as she left the club. The paparazzi had left so she was safe in leaving the club. She headed down the street and waited for the bus, hoping they ran this late. Luckily, a bus pulled up. She smiled gratefully at the bus driver as she stepped on the bus.

"Hey, aren't you Deidara's girlfriend?" asked the bus driver.

"Uh, yes, I am," she replied hesitantly. Her heart ached a little. He had abandoned her a little early, but she couldn't blame him for it. It wasn't his fault that the plantation had caught on fire and he needed to be on the scene.

"So, what are you doing going home by yourself?" he asked. "You're dressed up quite nicely, so I assumed you were just on a date with him."

"Yes, I was," Megumi replied. "But something urgent came up and he had to leave."

"Ah, I see." It went silent again.

Megumi still didn't understand why Itachi had stepped in. They hadn't gotten along since day one, despite her efforts. She could still clearly remember his reaction the first time she spilled coffee all over his suit. He had been upset, to say the least, and sent her to his home to pick up a suit for him. The Uchiha complex had been huge. It had been hard to find Itachi's house.

She shook her head as the bus driver pulled up to her stop. She quietly thanked the bus driver before hoping off. She didn't see the dark purple Hybrid Prius sitting in front of her apartment building. She walked in without thinking. However, when she saw a man with long dark hair and a very, very familiar figure talking with one of the employees, she stopped dead in her tracks.

She didn't even bother to see if it really was him. She made a dash for the door, shot down the street, turned a corner and continued running for several blocks, tears stinging her eyes. When she finally found a place to stop and catch her breath, she let out a sob.

How did he find her? Who told him? Why was he there? Why when everything was going so smoothly did something have to go terribly wrong? She pulled out her phone, her loud sobs racking her body. She dialed a number she was familiar with and waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?"

"Itachi," she whimpered. "Help me..."

Well, this was shorter than usual, but I didn't want to go any further because that would mean I couldn't make you all wait for the whole Itachi/Megumi stuff. (Muahahahahahahahahah!) Anyway, no one's voting! Why is no one voting? It's dead even right now, and it's making me mad!

Oh, and for those of you who care, yes, bluffly is a word... I know! I was stunned too. XD

Review and VOTE PLEASE!!! I'm begging you!!!!! VOTE!!!