*Author's notes: Nothing much, Kaoru meets Kenshin, they don't really like
each other, well, they hate each other's guts, and so forth. And I know my
chapters are in a really sucky format, but until I get a better computer or
a beta reader (which I am looking for, in fact, and if you are one, contact
me!) please put up with it. Ok, on with the story....
For Love or Money Chapter 2
_______________________________________________________
The building was as stylish inside as it was out. Smooth marble paved the floor with exotic plants placed in spots here and there to soothe the cold angles of the modern design. Misao led her to a small elevator that was placed far away from the other ones.
A card key slot was in the place of buttons and Misao slipped a small red card into it, the doors opening submissively. The inside was grander than most elevators; a long velvety cushion seat graced the inside with cherry wood walls carved in the delicate details of a fierce war several hundred years ago. Swordsmen dotted the blazing walls as many fell with blood raining down from a smoky sky. The morbid scene was rather disturbing, but captivating at the same time. Kaoru mused quietly at the rather strange layout of the elevator walls as the machine sped to the top floors. Was the owner of the building a fan of history, or a crazed maniac who loved blood and pain?
Misao nudged Kaoru as the elevator finally came to a stop on the seventy- third floor; one floor away from the very top. The doors slid open to a silverish hallway that led to a reception desk. The hallway then separated into other hallways holding mahogany doors that each bore a gold name plate. Misao took her through a set of large glass doors that opened to show another woman already inside. Graceful was the only word you could use to fully describe her as she sat in a chair with her slender legs crossed. From her designer shoes to the wisps of black hair that was artfully curled in waves.
"Just wait here, I'll talk to Sanosuke, ok," Misao said as she opened another set of glass doors. Kaoru took a seat next to the woman and smiled politely. All she got was a haughty nod and the woman turned her face away.
"Well well, we've got a beautiful set of ladies here," a loud voice boomed out as a tall man stepped through the doors, Misao walking right behind him. He had jovial brown eyes with long hair spiking up like a rooster's crown.
"Hurry up, Kaoru and I want to make it home for some dinner," Misao said, whipping her long braid to her back.
"I'll start in alphabetical order, which means .... Kamiya Kaoru." The man looked expectantly at the other woman, but was surprised to see Kaoru stand up. "You're Kaoru?"
"Yes. Do you have a problem with that," Kaoru spoke up.
He gave a grin and motioned her into his office. "Nope. I like you already; you got spunk kid." He closed the door and sat behind his desk.
His room was a perfect reflection of his personality, it was messy, disorderly, and he had more magazines on girls than on business. Kaoru looked at the chair in front of her that was covered with several jackets.
"Just push them to the floor. Now, I just got your files from Misao and I haven't had time to look at it." He flopped his legs on top of his desk and leaned back in his chair, scanning over the contents inside a manila folder. He gave a long whistle and threw the folder down on top of a nearly toppling stack of papers. "Graduated from Tokyo U with top honors, along with several awards for your spectacular grades. Disappeared from the world for two years only to reappear again to apply for a simple secretary job. Girl, with your records, why are you applying here?"
"I just need a job and I don't have time to impress some old guy to gain a top position," Kaoru said gruffly.
"Think you can handle it," He asked her.
"It should be simple enough. It's basically taking calls, typing papers, and so forth, right?"
"Eh, if you say so. I dunno about simplicity when it comes to Kenshin." He smirked. "But I don't feel like interviewing countless people today and I like you, so you get the job. You'll be Himura's private secretary starting tomorrow morning at seven am sharp. Here's the contract, sorry if there are some spelling mistakes; only god knows how many freakin' contracts I've had to type in the past month because of that baka Kenshin." He reached down into one of his drawers and threw a thick piece of paper on her lap. It was made of expensive vellum with a beautiful kanji imprinted in the corner, justice.
She carefully read over the contract, making sure not to miss a word or phrase at all. She was given eight weeks of paid vacation time and there was a guarantee that if she was fired for no good reason, then she would be given a considerable amount of money, but she wasn't allowed to leave unless she got a better offer.
"What's this about the whole guarantee thing? I don't think I've ever read anything like that in a contract before," Kaoru said as she pointed to the paragraph.
"It's just a precaution, and trust me, you'll need it sometime in the future so don't be afraid to bring up to the boss. Even he can't break a contract." Sano gave sly smile, obviously hiding something from her.
She ignored it and with a pen from her purse signed her first job in ages. He snatched the contract from her hands and stuck it back into his drawer.
"Ok, it's finalized, see you tomorrow." He shooed her out with a hand, picking up his phone to call someone. "And you work on the top floor. Ask the receptionist at the front desk for a special card," he called out as Kaoru was leaving.
"Did you get it," Misao asked, latching on to Kaoru's arm as the two walked to the elevators.
"Yes, though it wasn't really for my skills. He just didn't want to interview more people," Kaoru explained as she waited for the receptionist to hand her the card.
"That's Sano." Misao slipped in her red card into the small slot. "He's so lazy, it's amazing how he managed to become a CEO. Aoshi, however, is the perfect CEO." Misao's eyes took on a glazed look, causing Kaoru to have to push her friend into the elevator. She didn't see that someone else was already in the elevator and ended up shoving Misao into a red haired man. He roughly pushed Misao away, balancing himself, and glared at Kaoru with annoyed amber eyes.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? This isn't some playhouse for children," he snapped at them, hitting Kaoru with a hard shoulder as he walked past.
"At least we so called children have some manners," Kaoru shouted out just as the elevator doors began to close. He turned to say something else, but the doors clicked shut. "Stupid businessmen," Kaoru muttered to herself. "Who does he think he is, calling us children."
"He's the president, for one thing," Misao said as she sat down on the cushioned bench.
"Eh?" Kaoru turned to look at Misao.
"He's your boss and mine, Himura Kenshin, president of Himura Corporations. Owner of billions with a rather hot body. Not as nice as my Aoshi-sama, but he is pretty close."
"That midget with the bright red hair," Kaoru exclaimed as the elevator doors opened.
"Yup. Be careful Kaoru. There's a lot of rumors buzzing around about him and from what I hear, a lot of them are true," Misao warned her friend.
"Don't worry about it. I don't intend to get fired on my first day of work. I'll be the perfect secretary," Kaoru reassured Misao and herself. "So how about some dinner?"
~*~
She looked at the mirror, hoping that her outfit would be alright. She had slipped on a knee-length lavender skirt that flowed out at the edges with a flowery light blue top. She had pulled her hair up into a high ponytail that was held in place by a large blue ribbon.
She didn't look like a thirteen year old as she usual did; maybe upper high school. She gave a sigh and grabbed the purse on her desk. She would never look old and mature in the eyes of people. Maybe if she was a bit taller, or if she had a more voluptuous body. She frowned at her thoughts as she walked into the kitchen. Misao had her head on the counter, a cup of coffee steaming in her hand.
"Misao?! It's almost time for work! What are you doing?" Kaoru pried the coffee from Misao's iron grip and pushed her into the bathroom. "Hurry up!"
Misao gave a groan and started to lumber to the bathroom, swaying to and fro. Shaking her head, Kaoru went to Misao's room and quickly picked out an outfit. Misao arrived a few minutes later looking more awake and frantic.
"I can't believe we're going to be late," she shrieked as she tore off her pajamas. "Aoshi- sama will think I don't care about him!"
Kaoru stifled a laugh bubbling from her throat and bumped into Megumi in the hallway as she walked out.
"She got up late again," Megumi asked with a smile on her lovely face. She was dressed in a becoming dark green suit that went well with her own green/black hair. "She'll never catch a man that way."
"Oy! I heard that," Misao said, all dressed and ready to go. Her long hair had been braided into a neat tail that reached all the way down to her back. "Come on, let's go before we all get fired," she grumbled as she grabbed her car keys.
"You work at Himura Corporations too," Kaoru asked as they got in the vehicle.
"Under the most idiotic and messy man I have ever worked for in my life. If it wasn't for my determination in becoming a doctor, I wouldn't be working for him," Megumi complained, becoming more relaxed with Kaoru. "He is so coarse and vulgar and he has absolutely no manners whatsoever!" She went on and on throughout the whole ride and into the elevator until Kaoru thought she knew Megumi's boss like the back of her hand. A few of the times Kaoru stole a glance to Misao who gave a nonchalent yawn as if Megumi's ranting happened daily. When the elevator opened to the seventty- third floor both women got off.
"We'll meet you at the lobby at lunch break, ok Kaoru? And good luck with Kenshin .... you'll need it," Misao added before Megumi dragged the girl away.
With a gulp, Kaoru pushed the gleaming gold button and the elevator smoothly went to the top floor, Himura Kenshin's private office. The doors silently opened to reveal a rather ... opulent looking apartment. 'I thought this was suppose to be an office.' There was a large sitting room that boasted magnificent velvet chairs and couches in a deep magenta. Dark red damask curtains at the left were pushed aside to show off tall windows that let in an ample amount of sunlight. The walls were painted in a creamy gold and the ceiling held a beautiful glass chandelier, creating an atmosphere fit for a king. Across from the elevator was a pair of dark brown doors with Himura carved in gold in flowing kanji. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Kaoru walked to the doors and gently knocked on the door. Nothing. She knocked a little harder. Still nothing.
"Ano....is anybody there," she asked out loud. She heard the sound of a door closing and knocked again, but there was still nothing. Taking another deep breath she pushed down on the door handle and stepped in to see Himura Kenshin in nothing but a towel with a phone in his hand. He didn't seem embarrassed at all, but gave her the same annoyed expression as yesterday. Kaoru whirled around with a bright red face and gripped the handles of her purse tightly. Wonderful! Her first day on the job and she walks in on her boss nearly naked!
"I'm so sorry! It's just that I knocked on the door several times and nobody answered and then I thought I heard someone so I opened the doors to see and ... and I'm really really sorry for barging in on you like that and it won't happen again in the future," Kaoru explained in a fast blur. A finger tapped her shoulder and she turned her face only to have her chin roughly grabbed by Himura.
He turned it this way and that, then dropped his hold and took a few steps back, looking at her up and down very slowly. "Who the hell are you," he demanded, but Kaoru was finding it hard to answer because he was still in that towel with water glinting off his ... eh, well developed chest.
"Um ... um - eh ... job ... secretary," she stammered as she looked at his black marble floor.
"My secretary," he said in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me. Sano sent me someone like you," he said in disgust. "Wait a second. You're that wench from in the elevator yesterday!"
"Excuse me," Kaoru gritted through her teeth, her eyes sparking with energy. All stammering and embarrassment was gone as her temper poked through. "Wench? I'll have you know that you're the one who had the bad manners to push ME when it was a simple ACCIDENT! And further more, what was that whole up and down look you gave me? I'm your secretary! Not some WHORE you paid to have!" She glowered at him and he glowered straight back, the phone still in his hand.
He clicked it on and rapidly pushed buttons. "Sagara! You get your unbeaten body here right now," he snarled into the phone and clicked off before Sano could have a chance to answer.
Not a second later, the elevator doors opened and Sano stepped out with a sneaky look on his face. He had some papers tucked under his arm and he walked to Himura's office room whistling the latest song from BoA. "Have you heard that song by BoA? Man, not only does she have a sweet voice, but an excellent body to go along with it," he chatted, giving a wink to the still angry Kaoru. "So you called Kenshin?"
Himura grabbed the front of Sano's white collared shirt. "What is the meaning of this?" He looked at Kaoru.
"You mean Jou-chan here," Sano asked innocently. Himura only gave him a death glare. "She's your secretary and I was coming by to drop off the contract, which I think you should read, but you probably won't anyway."
"This incompetent woman ... is my new secretary? Forget it, find a better looking and smarter woman and fire this one."
Kaoru's mouth dropped at his statement and she bristled even more. She pushed up the sleeve of her shirt, getting ready to pummel her boss, but Sano kept her back with a hand.
"Sorry, no can do. Under the contract that both of you signed yesterday, you can't fire her without good reason or you owe her several million dollars, considering the reason you fired her for, of course. The stupider the reason, the more money you owe. And she can't leave unless she gets a better offer from another job." Sano grabbed the papers under his arm and handed it to Himura. The enraged man read it over then turned around and stomped through another pair of doors that were on the right. Sano looked at Kaoru with a sneaky look still on his face.
"Saved by the contract, eh Jou-chan?" He took a toothpick out of the pocket of his jacket and stuck it in his mouth. "He's a hothead, literally and figuratively, but he's not that bad of a guy once you get to know him." He rhythmically chewed the wooden stick and started to walk back to the elevators.
"Sano, wait!" Kaoru ran up to him. "Are you telling me I have to work for this guy unless I get a better offer?"
"Yup, but." He held up a finger. "You are getting paid the highest amount a secretary can get paid and no other company can offer you better." He flashed another grin and stepped into the open elevator doors. "Ja, Jou- chan!"
The elevators closed shut and Kaoru gave a groan. Who would have thought that such a disorganized person could be so cunning?
____________________________________________________ Chiki: Hey! I'm glad you like my story, though I dunno if it holds a candle to your stories (which I've read and loved). And Megumi is a bit OOC in the beginning, but that's cuz she doesn't trust people that much, she opened up a bit in this chapter and u can see her character peek through from Sano. I hope you'll keep an eye out on my stories ^^
Deity of Death1: Really? Hmm, I wonder why, I only had one chapter up then. Must be a mistake on fanfiction.net's part
Kitsune Kenshin: Me too! He'll get a lot better later in the story, but I love how Kaoru and Kenshin are butting heads! They are such opposites too, except they both got hot tempers
For Love or Money Chapter 2
_______________________________________________________
The building was as stylish inside as it was out. Smooth marble paved the floor with exotic plants placed in spots here and there to soothe the cold angles of the modern design. Misao led her to a small elevator that was placed far away from the other ones.
A card key slot was in the place of buttons and Misao slipped a small red card into it, the doors opening submissively. The inside was grander than most elevators; a long velvety cushion seat graced the inside with cherry wood walls carved in the delicate details of a fierce war several hundred years ago. Swordsmen dotted the blazing walls as many fell with blood raining down from a smoky sky. The morbid scene was rather disturbing, but captivating at the same time. Kaoru mused quietly at the rather strange layout of the elevator walls as the machine sped to the top floors. Was the owner of the building a fan of history, or a crazed maniac who loved blood and pain?
Misao nudged Kaoru as the elevator finally came to a stop on the seventy- third floor; one floor away from the very top. The doors slid open to a silverish hallway that led to a reception desk. The hallway then separated into other hallways holding mahogany doors that each bore a gold name plate. Misao took her through a set of large glass doors that opened to show another woman already inside. Graceful was the only word you could use to fully describe her as she sat in a chair with her slender legs crossed. From her designer shoes to the wisps of black hair that was artfully curled in waves.
"Just wait here, I'll talk to Sanosuke, ok," Misao said as she opened another set of glass doors. Kaoru took a seat next to the woman and smiled politely. All she got was a haughty nod and the woman turned her face away.
"Well well, we've got a beautiful set of ladies here," a loud voice boomed out as a tall man stepped through the doors, Misao walking right behind him. He had jovial brown eyes with long hair spiking up like a rooster's crown.
"Hurry up, Kaoru and I want to make it home for some dinner," Misao said, whipping her long braid to her back.
"I'll start in alphabetical order, which means .... Kamiya Kaoru." The man looked expectantly at the other woman, but was surprised to see Kaoru stand up. "You're Kaoru?"
"Yes. Do you have a problem with that," Kaoru spoke up.
He gave a grin and motioned her into his office. "Nope. I like you already; you got spunk kid." He closed the door and sat behind his desk.
His room was a perfect reflection of his personality, it was messy, disorderly, and he had more magazines on girls than on business. Kaoru looked at the chair in front of her that was covered with several jackets.
"Just push them to the floor. Now, I just got your files from Misao and I haven't had time to look at it." He flopped his legs on top of his desk and leaned back in his chair, scanning over the contents inside a manila folder. He gave a long whistle and threw the folder down on top of a nearly toppling stack of papers. "Graduated from Tokyo U with top honors, along with several awards for your spectacular grades. Disappeared from the world for two years only to reappear again to apply for a simple secretary job. Girl, with your records, why are you applying here?"
"I just need a job and I don't have time to impress some old guy to gain a top position," Kaoru said gruffly.
"Think you can handle it," He asked her.
"It should be simple enough. It's basically taking calls, typing papers, and so forth, right?"
"Eh, if you say so. I dunno about simplicity when it comes to Kenshin." He smirked. "But I don't feel like interviewing countless people today and I like you, so you get the job. You'll be Himura's private secretary starting tomorrow morning at seven am sharp. Here's the contract, sorry if there are some spelling mistakes; only god knows how many freakin' contracts I've had to type in the past month because of that baka Kenshin." He reached down into one of his drawers and threw a thick piece of paper on her lap. It was made of expensive vellum with a beautiful kanji imprinted in the corner, justice.
She carefully read over the contract, making sure not to miss a word or phrase at all. She was given eight weeks of paid vacation time and there was a guarantee that if she was fired for no good reason, then she would be given a considerable amount of money, but she wasn't allowed to leave unless she got a better offer.
"What's this about the whole guarantee thing? I don't think I've ever read anything like that in a contract before," Kaoru said as she pointed to the paragraph.
"It's just a precaution, and trust me, you'll need it sometime in the future so don't be afraid to bring up to the boss. Even he can't break a contract." Sano gave sly smile, obviously hiding something from her.
She ignored it and with a pen from her purse signed her first job in ages. He snatched the contract from her hands and stuck it back into his drawer.
"Ok, it's finalized, see you tomorrow." He shooed her out with a hand, picking up his phone to call someone. "And you work on the top floor. Ask the receptionist at the front desk for a special card," he called out as Kaoru was leaving.
"Did you get it," Misao asked, latching on to Kaoru's arm as the two walked to the elevators.
"Yes, though it wasn't really for my skills. He just didn't want to interview more people," Kaoru explained as she waited for the receptionist to hand her the card.
"That's Sano." Misao slipped in her red card into the small slot. "He's so lazy, it's amazing how he managed to become a CEO. Aoshi, however, is the perfect CEO." Misao's eyes took on a glazed look, causing Kaoru to have to push her friend into the elevator. She didn't see that someone else was already in the elevator and ended up shoving Misao into a red haired man. He roughly pushed Misao away, balancing himself, and glared at Kaoru with annoyed amber eyes.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? This isn't some playhouse for children," he snapped at them, hitting Kaoru with a hard shoulder as he walked past.
"At least we so called children have some manners," Kaoru shouted out just as the elevator doors began to close. He turned to say something else, but the doors clicked shut. "Stupid businessmen," Kaoru muttered to herself. "Who does he think he is, calling us children."
"He's the president, for one thing," Misao said as she sat down on the cushioned bench.
"Eh?" Kaoru turned to look at Misao.
"He's your boss and mine, Himura Kenshin, president of Himura Corporations. Owner of billions with a rather hot body. Not as nice as my Aoshi-sama, but he is pretty close."
"That midget with the bright red hair," Kaoru exclaimed as the elevator doors opened.
"Yup. Be careful Kaoru. There's a lot of rumors buzzing around about him and from what I hear, a lot of them are true," Misao warned her friend.
"Don't worry about it. I don't intend to get fired on my first day of work. I'll be the perfect secretary," Kaoru reassured Misao and herself. "So how about some dinner?"
~*~
She looked at the mirror, hoping that her outfit would be alright. She had slipped on a knee-length lavender skirt that flowed out at the edges with a flowery light blue top. She had pulled her hair up into a high ponytail that was held in place by a large blue ribbon.
She didn't look like a thirteen year old as she usual did; maybe upper high school. She gave a sigh and grabbed the purse on her desk. She would never look old and mature in the eyes of people. Maybe if she was a bit taller, or if she had a more voluptuous body. She frowned at her thoughts as she walked into the kitchen. Misao had her head on the counter, a cup of coffee steaming in her hand.
"Misao?! It's almost time for work! What are you doing?" Kaoru pried the coffee from Misao's iron grip and pushed her into the bathroom. "Hurry up!"
Misao gave a groan and started to lumber to the bathroom, swaying to and fro. Shaking her head, Kaoru went to Misao's room and quickly picked out an outfit. Misao arrived a few minutes later looking more awake and frantic.
"I can't believe we're going to be late," she shrieked as she tore off her pajamas. "Aoshi- sama will think I don't care about him!"
Kaoru stifled a laugh bubbling from her throat and bumped into Megumi in the hallway as she walked out.
"She got up late again," Megumi asked with a smile on her lovely face. She was dressed in a becoming dark green suit that went well with her own green/black hair. "She'll never catch a man that way."
"Oy! I heard that," Misao said, all dressed and ready to go. Her long hair had been braided into a neat tail that reached all the way down to her back. "Come on, let's go before we all get fired," she grumbled as she grabbed her car keys.
"You work at Himura Corporations too," Kaoru asked as they got in the vehicle.
"Under the most idiotic and messy man I have ever worked for in my life. If it wasn't for my determination in becoming a doctor, I wouldn't be working for him," Megumi complained, becoming more relaxed with Kaoru. "He is so coarse and vulgar and he has absolutely no manners whatsoever!" She went on and on throughout the whole ride and into the elevator until Kaoru thought she knew Megumi's boss like the back of her hand. A few of the times Kaoru stole a glance to Misao who gave a nonchalent yawn as if Megumi's ranting happened daily. When the elevator opened to the seventty- third floor both women got off.
"We'll meet you at the lobby at lunch break, ok Kaoru? And good luck with Kenshin .... you'll need it," Misao added before Megumi dragged the girl away.
With a gulp, Kaoru pushed the gleaming gold button and the elevator smoothly went to the top floor, Himura Kenshin's private office. The doors silently opened to reveal a rather ... opulent looking apartment. 'I thought this was suppose to be an office.' There was a large sitting room that boasted magnificent velvet chairs and couches in a deep magenta. Dark red damask curtains at the left were pushed aside to show off tall windows that let in an ample amount of sunlight. The walls were painted in a creamy gold and the ceiling held a beautiful glass chandelier, creating an atmosphere fit for a king. Across from the elevator was a pair of dark brown doors with Himura carved in gold in flowing kanji. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Kaoru walked to the doors and gently knocked on the door. Nothing. She knocked a little harder. Still nothing.
"Ano....is anybody there," she asked out loud. She heard the sound of a door closing and knocked again, but there was still nothing. Taking another deep breath she pushed down on the door handle and stepped in to see Himura Kenshin in nothing but a towel with a phone in his hand. He didn't seem embarrassed at all, but gave her the same annoyed expression as yesterday. Kaoru whirled around with a bright red face and gripped the handles of her purse tightly. Wonderful! Her first day on the job and she walks in on her boss nearly naked!
"I'm so sorry! It's just that I knocked on the door several times and nobody answered and then I thought I heard someone so I opened the doors to see and ... and I'm really really sorry for barging in on you like that and it won't happen again in the future," Kaoru explained in a fast blur. A finger tapped her shoulder and she turned her face only to have her chin roughly grabbed by Himura.
He turned it this way and that, then dropped his hold and took a few steps back, looking at her up and down very slowly. "Who the hell are you," he demanded, but Kaoru was finding it hard to answer because he was still in that towel with water glinting off his ... eh, well developed chest.
"Um ... um - eh ... job ... secretary," she stammered as she looked at his black marble floor.
"My secretary," he said in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding me. Sano sent me someone like you," he said in disgust. "Wait a second. You're that wench from in the elevator yesterday!"
"Excuse me," Kaoru gritted through her teeth, her eyes sparking with energy. All stammering and embarrassment was gone as her temper poked through. "Wench? I'll have you know that you're the one who had the bad manners to push ME when it was a simple ACCIDENT! And further more, what was that whole up and down look you gave me? I'm your secretary! Not some WHORE you paid to have!" She glowered at him and he glowered straight back, the phone still in his hand.
He clicked it on and rapidly pushed buttons. "Sagara! You get your unbeaten body here right now," he snarled into the phone and clicked off before Sano could have a chance to answer.
Not a second later, the elevator doors opened and Sano stepped out with a sneaky look on his face. He had some papers tucked under his arm and he walked to Himura's office room whistling the latest song from BoA. "Have you heard that song by BoA? Man, not only does she have a sweet voice, but an excellent body to go along with it," he chatted, giving a wink to the still angry Kaoru. "So you called Kenshin?"
Himura grabbed the front of Sano's white collared shirt. "What is the meaning of this?" He looked at Kaoru.
"You mean Jou-chan here," Sano asked innocently. Himura only gave him a death glare. "She's your secretary and I was coming by to drop off the contract, which I think you should read, but you probably won't anyway."
"This incompetent woman ... is my new secretary? Forget it, find a better looking and smarter woman and fire this one."
Kaoru's mouth dropped at his statement and she bristled even more. She pushed up the sleeve of her shirt, getting ready to pummel her boss, but Sano kept her back with a hand.
"Sorry, no can do. Under the contract that both of you signed yesterday, you can't fire her without good reason or you owe her several million dollars, considering the reason you fired her for, of course. The stupider the reason, the more money you owe. And she can't leave unless she gets a better offer from another job." Sano grabbed the papers under his arm and handed it to Himura. The enraged man read it over then turned around and stomped through another pair of doors that were on the right. Sano looked at Kaoru with a sneaky look still on his face.
"Saved by the contract, eh Jou-chan?" He took a toothpick out of the pocket of his jacket and stuck it in his mouth. "He's a hothead, literally and figuratively, but he's not that bad of a guy once you get to know him." He rhythmically chewed the wooden stick and started to walk back to the elevators.
"Sano, wait!" Kaoru ran up to him. "Are you telling me I have to work for this guy unless I get a better offer?"
"Yup, but." He held up a finger. "You are getting paid the highest amount a secretary can get paid and no other company can offer you better." He flashed another grin and stepped into the open elevator doors. "Ja, Jou- chan!"
The elevators closed shut and Kaoru gave a groan. Who would have thought that such a disorganized person could be so cunning?
____________________________________________________ Chiki: Hey! I'm glad you like my story, though I dunno if it holds a candle to your stories (which I've read and loved). And Megumi is a bit OOC in the beginning, but that's cuz she doesn't trust people that much, she opened up a bit in this chapter and u can see her character peek through from Sano. I hope you'll keep an eye out on my stories ^^
Deity of Death1: Really? Hmm, I wonder why, I only had one chapter up then. Must be a mistake on fanfiction.net's part
Kitsune Kenshin: Me too! He'll get a lot better later in the story, but I love how Kaoru and Kenshin are butting heads! They are such opposites too, except they both got hot tempers