IF YOU ARE NOT THE ONE

Chapter Eleven: You Always Find the Right Words to Say

I know I've been mistaken
But just give me a break
And see the changes that I've made
I've got some imperfections
But how can you collect them all
And throw them in my face

-Staind's Right Here-

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It had been approximately three whole weeks since she last saw her spontaneous yet affectionate mother, her hipper teenage brother or her silly shrine obsessed grandfather. Thirty two days to be exact, and her life as remote as it seemed was not progressing in any emotional matter thus far.

It was Monday morning. Kagome was due at work in two hours and Sango had gone ahead earlier like she always did. She had sworn she would not do this. She tried to resist it at first, tried to blink her way out of it. Desperate for distraction, she searched her bedroom for something to focus on, but nothing seemed to withdraw her out of her temptations. And so knowing it was the right thing to do as any responsible daughter would, she gave in; taking her cell phone out to give home a quick call saying she was doing okay.

So they talked for an hour or so, at first things were difficult, due to the fact that Kagome had not called home in over a month. Nevertheless, her mother was delighted when it came to giving her only daughter the words she needed to hear in order to get through the day. But as their conversation got more straightforward, eventually the subject came up; would she ever just forgive him and live life normal without having him chase after her across the country? She'd always wanted time on her own, from family and friends, but had never realized how much she would need them the most to make her suffering less painful to endure.

And there she went and screwed things up with the only person that ever listened to her, and gave her resulting advice from her own mistakes, faults which Kagome had always learned from. She wasn't thinking straight anymore. Her current life had taken drastic measures and she wasn't sure how to get her old life back. However, all she wanted was to see them again because they were all she had left, apart from her distanced uncle, they were her only family and her whole world. It wasn't fair how she'd gone and made them suffer; it wasn't fair how they always suffered with her or because of her. Kagome was no longer aware of how things had gone haywire becoming what they were now nor at what exact point had she first screwed up the rest of her life.

So they fought, because Kagome wouldn't come through, wouldn't realize running away from her problems in life was not always the wise grown-up thing to do. Kagome would never mature in that aspect, knowing well it was useless to talk about the subject if she would pay no mind to her mother's advice to sum up her courage. It was a thing she had gotten costumed of doing when it came to facing up her problems; it was useless to reason with a person such as Kagome. It was just that, she wasn't ready; emotionally, mentally and physically. And her mother did not understand things were not as easy as they seemed.

After all, he was a persistent man and she was a stubbornly unable to persuade kind of woman, perfect for each other you would say and so did everyone else who knew them flawlessly well. And after discussing things like the unreasonably and obstructively determined to prevail adults that they were, she had childishly hanged up on her own mother not able to continue being told what to do any further. It was official; Higurashi Ai Kagome would never grow up into a full-fledged adult. And as of today, god, like her middle-age mother was unquestionably done trying to persuade her otherwise.

Afterwards, she'd naively polluted her lungs in Sango's kitchen with smoke, opening an old pack of cigarettes that she had already been in the process of finishing. Hoping she would come to her senses sooner or later. But after a couple of minutes, she just sat there on the table. And the remaining cigarette just seemed to leer at her, its presence condescending, almost macho.

After what seemed like a life time of useless thinking, she pulled the ashtray towards her, took up the matchbox again, and lit the last cigarette from the finished pack. There was no way she was going to let her loose emotions beat her. Not after all that she'd been through. The kitchen smelled strongly and was slightly starting to fog up when she convinced herself not to cough, to go on breathing as if the smoke did not exist. She felt a thin trickle of water in her eyes and she blinked it back. For a second she thought she would not be able to hold out, that she would simply have to cough.

By the time she stubbed her cigarette out, having smoked it all the way through, she had abandoned any thoughts of breakfast, but couldn't keep herself from feeling a little disoriented. It was only when she got up to fix herself a cup of coffee that she realized that the tears filling her eyes was no longer just a reaction to the smell or smoke. She was obviously crying.

The realization appalled her for not being a better daughter to her own mother, who had gone through twenty-four hours of a tremendously agonizing labor to bring her into this world. Twenty-four hours of countless suffering and this was how she ungratefully repaid her unconditionally loving mother? By acting like an irresponsible adult that repeatedly chooses to behave however she darn feels like. Meanwhile, not considering how it would affect those around her.

When the worst of it was over, she consoled herself with slow sips of dark sugarless coffee, easing her back into the clarity of her kitchen, to the rows of spoons, so neatly arranged and yet gleaming in the early summer sun.

She went to the bathroom and washed her face, then stared at her eyes in the mirror. They were waterless and bloodshot, but steady indicating she was ready for work. And so, she got back to emptying the contents of the ashtray into the garbage, rinsed it clean in the kitchen sink and left it on the slab to dry. She put the matchbox back in its place, tore the cigarette carton into two and threw that into the trash as well. Then, satisfied that everything was back in its proper place, she ran to the bathroom yet again to get ready, reminding herself to use extra mouthwash. On her way out to work she left the kitchen window open. That way, by the time she got back in the evening—she hoped—the smell of smoke would most definitely be gone without brothering to leave any visible trace.

And so, here she was now; taking a long drag of her fifth cigarette in one day, standing outside the entrance of the Takahashi building during her lunch hour, something she rarely did because it meant getting behind on work. But ever since her boss knew where she would hide off to, she'd not wanted to go back to the filing office unless she really needed to. It just wasn't like her to repeat things again, not taking the chance of falling into another embarrassing situation with the same guy twice in a row. Still not over the fact that Inuyasha, her almighty boss, had been the one to walk in on her and heard her singing two days ago. She wasn't used to sharing her singing voice with the rest of the world, but since she had gotten carried away, it was naturally her own fault why she suffered for her every misfortune.

She stared at the lighted cigarette in her hand, amazed at how easily it seemed to fit between her fingers, how naturally she held it, with a poise that felt remembered, almost perfect. But how could it not be like so if she'd started smoking way back in high school? She had always thought, though about quitting, the good intension upsetting her for never following through as planned. But quitting meant not being able to sooth her throbbing mind or to calm her aching nerves. She noticed that her hand was trembling slightly.

Why had she done this?

Why had she lighted the hideous thing?

Why was she still holding it?

Surely she had intended to smoke it when she most needed it, but today at this very instant, there was no real urgent need. It was ridiculous—no, she was the preposterous one. She'd always smoked—all her life—and she didn't even like the smell of cigarette smoke, not really, having always put up with it. It was one of the things they'd always argued about; he never liked it when she smoked however. But she had started way before he came around, all thanks to pear pressure and she'd never been able to over come it. He had said that eventually it would be addictive and Kagome was starting to see that he was right all along. And now here she was lighting a cigarette herself when he wasn't even around to tell her otherwise. She was losing it. She had to stop.

Very cautiously, she brought the cigarette up to her lips and breathed in. By the time she stopped and her mind finally cleared, the cigarette in her hand was already half burned through, and a slight trail of ash lay on the sidewalk like the spoor of some malignant animal. By the time she had done all this, she was starting to feel better. Well enough, in fact, to turn her attention to the remaining cigarettes that looked so forlorn in her pocketbook.

Her jaw tightened as she looked at them, a strange emptiness settled into her lungs, a sense of comfort sinking into her, the relief like an aftertaste. Closing her small handbag and tucking it back under her arm to hold it firmly, she let out another ring-looking puff, a longer one this time, testing herself to see if she could keep this up. And like an almost professional, she managed to get about five rings of smoke out of this one before it was more than half way to its peak. The gaps between the puffs growing smaller as her reaction to the smoke grew milder by the passing second, making her want to lighten up all the babies in her dark red matching purse in just one lunch break. Taking her last drag, she closed her eyes to savor the moment. Her mind clouded with thoughts of the previous hours. Her break was done in less than ten minutes and she was well aware of it.

The first thing she recalled when she fully came to her senses was the constant beeping and the honking of cars that were jammed in city traffic and the delicious smell of the hot dog cart down the block. Everything seemed its everyday schedule, nothing out of place, which is until Kagome's senses did not fail in catching track of something or someone else she thought to be part of her daily routine as well.

And as her eyes still remind shut, she took a long durable breath before recognizing his highly expensive cologne which she knew almost too well, lingering in the air, the smell of it as much attractive as he was. Then she recalled how her own soft light feathered breathing fastened and her heart began thumbing harder on her chest as his footsteps approached her way. Making her mental painting of him more visual and real, she opened her eyes while batting her eye lashes in slow motion.

She saw him just standing there holding a leather briefcase like she had imagined, right in front of her, his face and lips a few inches away from her own. He, however, smirked as he saw her brilliant eyes opening sensually, as if expecting him to be there. "Let me guess, its okay for you to smoke but not okay for me to have a dry martini or two? Now that's precisely what I call a real first-class example to emulate, don't you agree Miss Yoshida?"

"Did you say a glass of wine or two?" She smiled at his dry sense of humor.

Nevertheless, she shook her head at his words exaggerating a little over board. "Isn't obvious Inuyasha?" Her thoughts of their obscure night a couple days ago were, out of nowhere, popping into mind. His expression was back to its daily basis solemn expressive mask, carefully concealing his gorgeous smile that every so often magically appeared from the corner of his lips, hiding it from the rest of the world. Kagome knew she was fortunate enough to have witnessed it thus far.

"Besides, I know my limit. But you unfortunately, do not." She assured him without braking eye contact, this time she let the cigarette fall from her hand, into the solid ground before squishing it like a pitiless bug. Inuyasha ignored her and kept on walking past her towards the entrance of his building. Kagome rolled her eyes at the way he just left her there, unexpectedly not willing to start one of their everyday arguments, so she went after him soughing it out herself.

"Don't leave me hanging you jerk." She playfully stated from behind him, walking through the large lobby as various people stared at the two.

"How absolutely convenient to say, my little mistress you." He joked around as she followed after him, since their little sleepover two nights ago, he had now started to mock her by calling her his mistress. After all, wasn't that what someone would say about her after reading that ridiculous life-ruining magazine? But Kami still proved to feel compassion towards her, after not allowing her face to be visual enough for the whole Japan to see. And at this, Inuyasha tried to make the most of it knowing she hated talking about that cozy little incident, one of two very awkward situations she couldn't help but end up with him of all people.

"I'll be yours as long as you'd be mine, sweetheart." She winked at him mischievously playing along and he grinned.

Inuyasha entered his elevator shaking his head, motioning her to come aboard his private enclosed compartment as she ran after him, and it raised upward mechanically as soon as it closed, taking them fifty floors higher in the building. "Thanks for the offer babe, but you couldn't handle me." He said while his legs directed towards her, and this movement of his made Kagome back away immediately against the mirror-glass wall behind her as if she would get burned if he drew closer a step or two.

Kagome walked around him and over to the other side of the elevator, getting as faraway from him as she could for disturbing her personal space. "I agree, once is quite enough I assure you," she didn't take the bait. They'd been down that road before and she wasn't willing of going back.

He turned around towards her, to look deep at Kagome's eyes as he spoke. "So I've been told." He grinned in spite of himself, secretly telling her about his many other sexual encounters, which were also as of today well hidden from the naked eye of the modern media that stalked him routinely.

"Don't flutter yourself, douchebag sir; anyone can get a good fuck nowadays." She quarreled in all its aspects.

"Bitch, it's not like you didn't enjoy every minute of it." He was teasing her over a night that happened more than five weeks ago. "If I desperately wanted you, I probably could in a blink of an eye."

"You're underestimating me, Inuyasha."

"Is that right? Well how about you and I schedule an appointment for two later on. Just you and me in my office, no one has to know." His sexiest smile well put in place. He noticed how her cheeks began to redden, Inuyasha was bemused and yet he loved to see the color he brought to her face.

"Could you be anymore annoying?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, yes. You, however, need to get laid. When was the last time someone did you a favor?" Inuyasha mocked her bitchy attitude.

"The last time unfortunately was you, now drop it." She whispered heatedly as if anyone else could overhear.

He laughed at her sour expression. "Have some charisma woman!"

He raised an eyebrow as she coughed from the embarrassment nonetheless. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever been more offended." She muttered, gritting her teeth, while managing to look highly irritated.

"Well, excuse me, Mother Teresa." He jeered and his grin broadened.

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "Let's just make it through work today."

"Feh, I can if you can." He looked highly amused.

"Great, it'll never happen then." She said rolling her eyes and wrinkling her nose, annoyed he was so immature sometimes.

"What are you trying to say Miss Yoshida?" He debated defensively, aiming to avoid perceived criticism as he was still glancing over her not wanting to break eye contact, since she always childishly choose to ignored him by not looking at his face while they talked.

"That you always know how to push my buttons, that's what I'm saying." She added ingenuously, not standing to look at his charismatic masculine-featured face no longer, anxious of getting out of the four-wall cage in which she felt trapped with an oversized ego she called her boss. She waited impatiently while eying the ceiling glass of the elevator in which she saw her own reflection staring down at her.

"Keh, you always provoke me first, Sakura dear." He told her and watched as she folded her arms over her chest.

"I do not; what are you talking about? You are the one to aggravate me first." She pointed her purse at him as she said this and placed it over her shoulders as soon as finished interrogating him.

"You do too." He argued back childishly, entertained with her lack of patience today.

"Do not." Her tapering eyes were ready to fire at him any minute now.

"Do too, so stop insisting otherwise already." He laughed at her but his expression quickly changed when he heard her next words.

"I said that I do not...now just do me the favor of leaving me alone!" She looked fiercely at him not asking him to but demanding him to do so.

"Jesus, what crawled up your ass this morning?"

"Drop it, Inuyasha..."

"Alright, just as long as you don't also treat my customers like crap beneath your shoes, I'm okay." He jammed his hand in his pocket.

After realizing she owed an apology to a very enraged hottie in a business suit, she smiled nervously while temporarily remembering her rank in society and hurried in changing the subject before she risked her job any longer. "Jeez, okay I'm sorry. I have to admit I'm just not myself this morning." She sighed and he nodded accepting her apology.

"Isn't Katana coming back to work today?" All she wanted was to change the subject and ask whether she would have to do his entire secretary's work today again like the last couple of days she was absent.

His eyeballs revolved in his eyelids at the thought of his temporary secretary. "I believe she won't be showing up for work anymore due to her two weeks of absence, she is as of today fired. And as my new secretary; it's your job of letting her know—whenever she stubbornly decides to finally showing up for work like every other employee—she is no longer part of this company. So what exactly are your questions, wench?"

Kagome was fuming, staring at him with sausage eyes. "Oh yeah? Well forget it buddy. It's completely out of the question! There's no way in hell you're making me do something so degrading to such a sweet person. You can't really just use me like that!"

"And who says I can't?" He said taking pleasure in the exasperating looks she kept throwing at his way.

"I do. After all, you hate her like every other employee here that chooses to come to work or not. So why don't you stop being such a jerk for once in your life and tell her yourself! She's a sweetheart and I refuse to do your dirty work in firing her for you. Inuyasha, how can you order me in doing something like that—" Her anger disappeared out of nowhere, realizing he had just addressed her as his secretary. "Wait a freakin' minute! Did you say I'm your new contemporary secretary?"

"No, I can't say that I have." He denied with little patience.

"But you just said—"

He interrupted her. "—I specifically remember saying secretary, as far as I'm concerned, I do not recall saying the word contemporary." Inuyasha told her, hating to always have to reiterate his words.

"So-so you're promoting me as your secretary as of today?—But you can't!"

"If the shoes fit wench, then why on earth not?" He sighed, starting to rethink the idea himself; not sure why he always tried to help her out when she continuously treated him poorly.

"But what about Yura or whatever her little name is?" She referred to his secretary that had taken a never ending vacation and Kagome had yet the pleasure of meeting. Not that Kagome was anxious of meeting her since she had gotten stuck with her work after Yuka had sort of bailed out on her.

"Oh she'll be back, but only as my receptionist. You have proven to have the guts that you need to work under me as my secretary. I like that about you, wench." He admitted his slight attraction towards her, in a joking matter so he did not sound as retarded as he did in his head.

Kagome shook her head. "Please, I bet you're just doing this to boss me around some more."

"No, not really. Actually love, it's payback for almost fracturing my back the other day when you jumped on me and nearly sent me to the hospital." He referred to the incident in the filing office a few days back.

She growled at him, "hey wait! That wasn't entirely my fault, besides; it's not fair since you sneaked up on me first Inuyasha!"

"I don't think so, Miss Yoshida; I just innocently came to get you since you were to be in my office half an hour ago that afternoon and failed to show up like always." He said with a straight face and tried hard not to seem guilty, but nonetheless he knew he was partly right to begin with.

"It's still not fair."

"Hasn't anyone ever told you life isn't fair, sunshine? But look at it this way, you have two choices: either you take the job or leave and go find a new one that'll sustain you in such a professional salary. You're lucky enough to be in this building as we speak." He said his alternatives, trying to picture his everyday at work without Kagome there to make him mad, laugh, and simply enjoy her company. Damn this woman was a rollercoaster.

"I hate you." She sourly spat at him playfully, enraged by his ignorance.

"Oh yeah? Then by all means, consider it a way of me showing you how much I care." As Inuyasha watched her, something clicked in his mind. He needed this woman, who would most likely continue to intrigue him more often now that she would officially work by his side; along with her enjoyable presence and an uncontrollable temper that incredibly matched his own. Something he dealt with when it occasionally drove him berserk. He finally guessed, things at work would probably be rather bitter without her having to lighten up everyone's day…or at least his own.

"No, it's a way of showing me how much you care to make my life a living nightmare." She argued, clutching her knuckles.

"As you wish. Now what's it going to be?" He asked, deep inside hoping she would accept. But another part of him told him it was best if she declined, his head was a mess when it came to this woman and the memories she brought back.

Kagome shrugged. "What the hell, I'll do it. But look at it this way; you'll have to put up with me for the rest of your soon-to-be miserable life," the thought somewhat comforting in his mind.

But his manly pride stood in the way of ever admitting it to her or anyone else how much he fancied her charisma. "I highly doubt it babe, no one stays for long unless I say so. And for the record, I'm already as miserable as can be and that's not all thanks to you."

"Glad to know my presence here is wanted," Kagome muttered annoyed and he flashed a sexy crooked grin at her direction, revealing his perfect set of pearl teeth. For a moment, he took her breath away.

Minutes passed in silence and Inuyasha looked at his wristwatch before he ran his hand over his silver hair that hung loose today. "Back to business; don't forget to come by my office in twenty minutes to make it official. Also I want you to get me as many archives about my last cargo ship as you can; I believe it left Tokyo ports about two days ago. There seems to be a problem with the company sending merchandise on that boat to Taiwan." He appeared to change personality when it came to work, his befriending side of him vanishing into thin air as he explained the occurring.

"Why? Is something the matter again?" And before he could answer, he walked out of the elevator first as they entered his vacant waiting room. Kagome followed behind him.

"I'll see you in my office in twenty minutes wench; we have an important matter to discuss so please try to make it into my office precisely when I call you." He added and continued towards his office, but topped right outside of it, looking over his shoulders at her. "Oh and Sakura?"

"Yeah, Inuyasha?" She stood in front of her computer desk, her head turned at his direction a few feet away.

"Don't be late this time." And with that said, he left, finally entering his headquarters as his doors automatically opened and closed almost instinctively.

Pondering over twenty minutes, whether she should wait for his call or barge into his office, she sighed and slouched back on her chair in a droopy manner. She was exhausted and quite fatigued with running errands about the building. He had said that she should report to him in twenty minutes, but he always hated it whenever she arrived unannounced and he would be busy on the phone or on a video conference.

Kagome now occupied Katana's much larger desk, and sat quite uneasy as Mr. Takahashi's official secretary for as long as she would last. And of course, she felt terribly uncomfortable. Nevertheless, her mind was brought back in time when her little incident with Inuyasha took place a couple of minutes ago, her heart pacing rapidly at the thought of the strange yet affectionate way he flirted with her. How on earth he managed so frequently to cause such impressions on her being, such dangerous allures that kept her mind tied over a single memoir of nothing significant, was truly beyond her.

She rubbed her forehead, deciding she was delusional and should stop thinking her Adonis-looking boss was trying to seduce her, and that it was only her horny mind getting the best of her. Though she hated to admit it, it was pretty obvious he was not deliberately doing anything of the sort or that it was his intention to thereby bamboozle her. It must be just simply in his nature, she concluded.

She was usually never told to come into his office because he had important matters to discuss with her, usually he called her down there to meet his clients, or because he had more paperwork and tasks to submerge her in merciless. But it was pretty understandable he now needed her attendance more than ever to fully discuss any important matters with her, since it was what her new and more stable job supposedly required.

Kagome shifted on her new computer chair, hoping he would call her by phone at any minute so she could finally be on her way home. It wasn't that she minded all the work; she just always preferred to make it home before dinner to relax and find relief from the effort, to feel less hostile and the stress of everyday life. But most importantly, she always enjoyed to come home and make dinner for Sango and herself.

Although, recently; Sango had started to cook easy to make meals, hoping to increase much better culinary skills. But that would not happen if Kagome was not home to help her from burning down the kitchen. She wasn't horrible, destructive or anything, she just needed someone more experienced to supervise her every mistake.

Kagome gave a start of surprise, when she heard her cell phone beeping twice producing loud protests, signifying she had yet another text message. She took it out of handbag and flipped it open to see it was none other than Sango, who was in a different level of the building and loved to text Kagome twenty times a day the least. Before Kagome could text Sango back, her phone line beeped and a red light above the machine's receiver blinked red twice, indicating that she should pick up the phone.

When she finally did, Inuyasha's voice appeared to hog her ears, telling her to come into his office along with archives that sat on her desk a foot high up in the air. Tugging her cell phone back into her things and getting straight to work, she debated for more than five minutes over how to take such a heavy pile of portfolio folders to his office. She sighed at the fact she had stupidly forgotten to get a cart of some sort to easily assist her in getting all those heavy archives into his office without getting hurt in the process. After all, she had failed to watch where she was going, and carelessly hurt her ankle when carrying all these files back to her desk from the filing office.

Deciding she was stressing herself over nothing that couldn't be solved, she concluded it was best to just take them all into his office in one trip instead of taking two, entirely forgetting how her ankle was sort of suffering still from her lack of common sense. Standing up on her two feet, she walked unsteadily around her desk, as if intoxicated, to pick up all the files in her arms.

She turned on her heals determined, and took several steps towards her boss's office, offhandedly paying no attention how or where she stepped. In the process, Kagome ended up stumbling, balancing the archives on wobbling knees as she ended up falling backwards, the heavy mass on her arms seemed to slip out of her grasp as her body bended back.

And simultaneously, the twin fogged doors to Inuyasha's office opened, just in time to watch his bran new secretary about to fall back hard on the polished surface, possibly making herself a one-way trip to the nearest hospital. Inuyasha remembered this had happened to him recently and how it unambiguously hurt like as if hell had been writhingly conveyed upon him; his golden orbs widen as they watched her eyes mindlessly close shut waiting for the hard impact that would later follow.

But his instincts and good reflections, caused his body to unconsciously operate on its own, moving at high speed before perfectly catching his unmistakably attractive damsel in distress in his strong arms, her head held in the air inches above the floor. Meanwhile, the papers had flown from her arms and were all scattered about the waiting room, just like last time in the filing office.

She waited for her head to lock with the floor and feel some sort of soreness that would black her out of proper consciousness, but it never really arrived. Her blue eyes blinked open quite stunned, after just tracing every second of what had just occurred and recording the images into her mind, she realized that nothing had happened to her and that she was being held in the air by someone. But the obvious silver stresses that today extended freely over his back and shoulders, fell around his face giving her savior's obvious identity away as he had bent over in time to catch her fall.

Talk about a clumsy freak show who could not manage to properly stand on her own two feet.

Inuyasha had somehow gotten to her before she could hit the actual floor, he had come to her rescue when she least expected it. And she stared at those brilliant molten pools, which held the same expression they once did two nights ago, that longing look as if he was seeing through her naked soul and reading every part of her being. "Inu-Inuyasha, you-you saved me." Kagome let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, her widen eyes never leaving his.

He sounded so cool and collected, as if saving people was an everyday thing. "No problem, I guess I've never had to deal with anyone this poorly coordinated before." He whispered and a smile caressed his features, his head currently twirled in circles in a daze.

Kagome thought that smile stole her breath away, he was truly a god on earth, capable of making anyone swoon over him.

He felt it again, just like he had felt it at the elevator, he felt it now. He felt cleared of all sin and remorse. In a strange and freakishly hard way to explain, he felt at easy with her in his arms or when her presence was there along his, something in his interior jumped making him scream with extreme perplexity. He did not know what the hell to make of all the confusion.

"You really are a klutz aren't you, Sakura?" He asked Kagome who was still trying to recover and avoided his harmless remarks.

While realizing he had things to take care of, he finally stood up tall, bringing her up with him. "You are an unexpected life saver, you know." Kagome licked her full lips and they curved into a smile that made his stomach do summersaults.

"It was nothing wench, so don't mention it anymore," He blushed as he said this, avoiding to look at her face.

"I was just on my way to your office." Kagome informed him.

Suddenly, his masculine demeanor looked edgy and tense. "I-I had just gotten a call that some client needed me and I was just on my way out." He pointed towards the elevator a couple of feet away.

"Oh okay, well thanks again for whatever that was." She mindlessly said, showing gratitude towards him. For some dumb reason, she thought this little incident seemed perhaps less significant compared to what she made it out to be in her head. She felt at dept with him, he always showed up when she least expected him to, and it really got to her.

Glancing at his wristwatch like he had done earlier, his expression took a whole different look. "Listen, I'm wasting my time, so next time watch where you're going, clumsy wench!" His exasperated voice snapped, slightly hurting her feelings. She sighed knowing there was no use being nice to him at times, but thought maybe he was moody since he was just extremely late. Kagome just never actually understood the guy no matter how hard she tried to, normally he was always pissed off and rude, and now this when he acted nice for a second only to end with a sudden insult. He always changed his ambiance in a blink of an eye and Kagome never really understood why he deliberately confused her, it was hard to really comprehend their awkward situations.

Catching a glimpse of her one last time before departing, he took off, and walked pass a man standing just outside the employee elevator that was next to his own. Inuyasha pressed a button when he got in, and continued to stare at Kagome as if this guy did not exist.

When he saw the elevator finally close, the strange man brought his attention at the woman in a red business suit, her shirt high enough to show cleavage, the woman Inuyasha had just been holding a minute ago as if hesitating to let go. Her raven hair wavy fell around her shoulders, and he noticed she had bent down on one knee to pick up the papers that had scattered all over the floor; desperately attempting to pile them up.

So he approached her, the curiosity of who she really was nudging at his sides as he monitored her movements. "Forgive me; I saw the whole thing, please allow me to assist such an attractive lady as yourself." He bent down next to her, picking up papers like she was.

Kagome flutter her long eyelashes at his direction and gazed at this new handsome comer. He had longer hair than she did, kind of like Inuyasha's, except his was as dark as hers and was neatly braided back all the way down to its peak. A large forehead was covered with a curtain of his long bangs, he obtained a very nice tan complexion and his eyes were dark but friendly.

"How charming," She offhandedly said and looked back the mess she had caused.

"So you're Inuyasha's new secretary, Miss Yoshida, I presume?" Man did word get around fast.

"The one and only," Kagome confirmed. "Oh, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name?" She picked up a random folder as so did he, placing his hand over hers; but Kagome hastily snapped her hand out of the way as if she had experienced an electric shock from his. Nevertheless, the unusual young man kindly handed her the folder, and she gladly accepted it and many others he continued to give her as they both eventually managed to gather almost all the files up into two separate piles.

"My name is Yamamoto Bankotsu, but you can call me Bank, most people around here do." Kagome looked at Bankotsu, and smiled briefly as she extended her hand, taking his on her own, and that is when she felt an unusual tingling sensation. He returned the smile, when he had grabbed her hand and quickly let it go, as he looked into her familiar eyes.

"That's a nice name; but just call me Sakura." She told him, prefering not to be addressed by her last name either.

"Of course; forgive me but it seems to me I've meet you before." They finished and he offered a hand she willingly accepted as he helped her up.

"Indeed."

Bankotsu nodded. "Trust me Sakura, I think my memory must be failing me, otherwise I would have most definitely remembered such a pretty face with extraordinary eyes such as yours."

"Hold on, you don't happen to work at a bar stationed somewhere inside Club Toxic, do you?" Kagome remembered this was the same guy that had offered her a drink after hitting the dance floor. He seemed nice enough.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I do."

"Then what are you doing here?" She questioned without really thinking. It was obvious this guy had something to do with Inuyasha if he was standing outside his office, in his waiting room nonetheless.

Kagome listened as she stumbled herself over to her desk, setting a large pile of portfolios on top of its counter, and Bankotsu followed after her with an equally heavy pile he also held. "Oh this is my fulltime job; the bartending thing is only for weekends." Kagome stood with her back to her desk fully facing him.

"Impressive; another one of the Takahashi building's many very handsome fellow employees with your business suit, tie and all. But on weekends, a friendly bartender hosting drinks to any random chick you set your eyes on. To me that sounds exhilarating." she'd grinned and he nodded. "I mean, that's just me of course."

"Ah, well it certainly is a very nice way to put it," Bankotsu smirked at her usage of words to describe him.

She smiled while walking around her desk, crashing down on her comfortable computer chair to turn on her desktop to finish up her job. "Well it's certainly a pleasure meeting you around here, Bankotsu." Kagome really was looking forward of seeing more of him, his presence intriguing.

"Likewise...well I better be going now, but it's a shame the boss seems to have rushed out in such a hurry, it seems I've failed yet again at having a word with him privately. However, I'll definitely catch you around, Miss Sakura." He waved as he said this and quickly disappeared into the elevator heading for his own floor, without a chance to let Kagome write him down in Inuyasha's tight schedule. But perhaps she would, just to help out a fellow employee.

Mr. Takahashi's new secretary sat back down on her chair, after having made two definitely laborious trips to the failing office and back. Working till her time there was legitimately up, she shut off her desktop an hour and a half later, realizing her day had undeniably been a long stressful one. Yawning, she grabbed her purse before heading out the building and to the parking lot where her sporty vehicle and her new best friend waited for her like always.

And as Kagome waited outside the employee elevator, she scanned over the place where she had stupidly fallen and then had been saved, by her one and only prince charming. She fully smiled, her red heart-shaped lips arched apart favorably disposed of being around Inuyasha, the memory of his eyes profoundly glued to her own, somewhat relieved bottled up excitement.

Inuyasha had implacable timing she knew for a fact…and various ways of making her feel like a teenage girl again. The way he had wrapped her securely in his masculine arms concealing her in a protective manner from the rest of the world, caused her to blush uncontrollably, but most importantly, it caused her to feel remarkably safe.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA AND CO. I REPEAT...THEY DO NOT BELONG TO ME WHATSOEVER, ONLY TO THE VERY TALENTED MISS RUMIKO TAKAHASHI.