Inuyasha is a bit confused on how to act around Kagome, and Sesshoumaru isn't a bad guy in this. Those are my excuses for any OCC'ness. I'm trying. Enjoy and review, please!

Once again, remember that there are no demons in this story. Therefore, Inuyasha appears in his human form (dark eyes and black hair). Originally I have Human!Sesshoumaru that same coloring, but it seemed ridiculous for him, so instead he kept his white hair and gold eyes. Even though hair as long as theirs seems a little silly in the modern era, they both have their normal length of hair since I didn't want to be that author who gave them short hair.

Edited: 7/8/2011

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderful anime and manga known as Inuyasha, but I really do support the creator.


Dashed Hopes

Chapter Five: The Youkai Brothers


I will not kill Inuyasha, I will not kill Inuyasha, I will not kill Inuyasha, Kagome chanted to herself like some kind of mantra as she rode the elevator to the top floor to meet with her new boss. Hopefully they had just had a bad first—and second— impression of each other, and Inuyasha was actually a really good, sympathetic, charming person. Everyone has a bad day, right?

"At least you're not late!" he ground out from his spot behind his desk, his heavy black eyebrows lowered over his angry, flashing eyes. The entire back wall of his office was a window, and Inuyasha sat with his back to the orange sky. The rising sun only served to highlight his extreme glower.

"I better not be late! They sky's still not even blue yet," Kagome grumbled to herself.

Inuyasha raised one eyebrow at her downcast face. "Is the carpet really that much more interesting than your new boss, Miss Shashu?" he asked smugly.

Kagome bit back a smirk. He had no idea...

"You will be a personal assistant and secretary of sorts to both myself and Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha explained after going back to reading a paper that had been left on his cluttered desk.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagome questioned, finally raising her eyes in surprise.

Inuyasha glanced up with an even more sour expression on his face. "My brother. Half-brother, actually. We are equal partners in the Inutaisho Company. His office is on the next floor down; why don't you go introduce yourself?"

Kagome simply nodded. The second Youkai brother had to be more pleasant, right? There was no way bad attitudes ran in the family.

"Goodbye, Mr. Youkai," She called softly over her shoulder as she left Inuyasha's office, aiming for a polite and professional tone that hid her frustrated feelings with her new boss.

"Call me Inuyasha when it's just us," Inuyasha muttered. Being called Mr. Youkai seemed to rub him the wrong way for some reason, possibly because it made him feel old. At only twenty-four years old, he felt like he had been forced to grow up far too fast after his old man died and left the company to him and Sesshoumaru.

"Okay," Kagome yelled back as she pressed the button for the next floor down at the elevator. The floor had a very simple layout with Inuyasha's office at one end, the receptionist and welcoming area in the middle, and finally the bank of elevators at the other end. With all the doors open, Kagome could still hear and see Inuyasha from where she was standing. The elevator arrived with an overly cheerful ding! sound, and Kagome climbed aboard. Arriving at her destination, Kagome stepped out into the welcoming room of this level, the one directly below Inuyasha's. There were a few leather couches and glass tables like the floor above. Also, just like the other space, no one occupied the large desk in the center. I guess I get two desks, she thought cheerfully.

Striding to the closed doors of the large office, she tapped lightly.

"Come in," called a cool voice, easily heard through the thick wood.

Sliding the door open, Kagome squeezed through. Staying just in front of the door, she waited to be recognized by the powerful man in front of her. He was a lot taller than Inuyasha, she noticed. He had hair so blond that it was practically white, and it looked to reach past his waist if he stood; for now it was tied back and out of the way. When he looked up, Kagome noted the startling golden eyes. He was not a man to double cross.

"And you are?" It sounded more like an order than a question in his cold voice.

"Kagome Shashu, your new secretary and personal assistant," she said, voice unwavering. She didn't even stumbled over her fake last name. She dared to meet his eyes, and he mentally noted she wasn't one to become instantly afraid of a person. Spunky, he decided. Spunk was not always a good thing. Standing up swiftly, he strode to stand before the petite woman with a grace that ballerinas would envy.

"Ms. Shashu, our company does many things, and one is advertising." He got right to the point, something Sesshoumaru could always be counted on doing. He handed her a slim file containing several ideas for how to advertise a client. He wanted to see if she really was qualified for the job. Kagome took it, realizing what he wanted without being asked.

On the outside, Kagome's cool mask never cracked and her mouth stayed in its determined straight line. On the inside, however, she was doing a small victory dance and cheering in a wild, out of control way that seemed unnatural after her recent ordeal with Naraku. This was something she could do! She had worked at an advertising agency before this whole mess with her ex started and had been told she was really good at her job. Opening the file, she glanced quickly over the suggestions. One struck immediately out at her. "The second one," she told her second boss, handing the file back to him.

Sesshoumaru took it from her and read the one she chose. He turned on his heel and again sat behind his desk. Bending his head back over his work, he said in his emotionless drawl, "That will do, Ms. Shashu."

Kagome took that as an 'I agree, and you passed my test.' Bowing her head in respect, she left the office to find her next assignment.


The day went by quickly without too many mishaps. Inuyasha wanted to try and push her over the edge by having her go out and do silly tasks like getting him coffee and eight different newspapers. Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, gave her meaningful small jobs that actually had to do with the company. An understanding was reached between them, and she often looked over advertising projects throughout the day and gave him her opinion.

Running around the large, fifty-story office building, Kagome met many people.

On the third floor was a nice young man in his late teens, an intern named Nobunaga. Kagome and he became quick friends, and she noted with interest his habit of being really clumsy. Several times during her first day, she had seen him drop things, trip, and fall down the stairs. On the thirty-forth floor was an extremely cute guy in his mid-twenties. He was tall with light brown hair and his name was Hojo. Unfortunately, Kagome got the vibe he was too sweet for his own good and probably had his dense moments. She also met a nice girl around her age on the twenty-third floor named Ayame. She had fiery red hair, and the two young women hit it off right away.

Of course, there were also those irritating coworkers. One she happened to meet in Sesshoumaru's office around noon, earlier that day.

"Mr. Youkai, I got that file on the American project you wanted," Kagome called as she stepped into the office.

Inside, however, she saw an extremely ugly man. He was very short and had a green tint to his skin. Eyes popped out of his face. A toad, Kagome realized what he reminded her of with a smothered laugh.

He stood in front of Sesshoumaru's desk talking to the powerful man. "And Lord Sesshoumaru, you are all too smart and witty and handsome," the ugly man fawned.

Mr. Youkai was currently glaring at him, not caring for the compliments. "Jaken..." he warned, his voice low and collected.

The toad man carried on, unhearing.

Kagome stifled a giggle. Sesshoumaru Youkai may have an emotionless mask and unfeeling outside, but if you looked really hard you could see emotion. Buried behind his deep golden eyes, it was hidden. It would probably take someone many years of acquaintance with the guy to read it, but Kagome could already; she'd always been good at reading people. She just had to concentrate hard to do it.

And right now, she saw anger and discomfort in the presence of this 'Jaken' person.

"Excuse me," Kagome called out as she walked up to Jaken.

"What do you want, lowly secretary," Jaken spat as he turned his attention to her. Sesshoumaru also looked up to try and figure out what she was up to. Interest now sparked in his eyes, but again you couldn't tell if you just looked at him quickly.

Kagome let the tone pass and put on a brilliant smile, "I was talking to some of the other workers, and they were trying to find a really reliable person to transport some information. Quite a few of them suggested your name, so I popped up here to see if you were interested," she explained, the lie slipping off her tongue easily.

Jaken's yellow eyes shone with pride. "Of course they would recommend me! I better go and find them to take over the duty before any incompetent fools ruin it. Excuse me Lord Sesshoumaru, but pressing matters call." And with that the toad, well, man marched out of the office.

As soon as Kagome was sure Jaken was out of earshot, she burst into laughter. "That was almost too easy!" she giggled, clutching at her sides.

Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow at his secretary before turning back to his work. He didn't say anything, but Kagome could feel that the silence was a good one. She thought of it as his way of a thank you. Placing the folder on top of all the other piles of paperwork, Kagome walked out of the office without another word.

As evening fell, Kagome knocked again on Sesshoumaru's office door before poking her head in. "I'll be leaving soon, Mr. Youkai, is there anything I can do for you before I leave?" she asked.

"No, Ms. Shashu. Good evening," he said without looking up. He heard the door snap shut and went back to reading the assignment in front of him.

Back on Inuyasha's floor, she walked into his office.

"Can I go now?" Kagome asked. She almost didn't bother to listen to the answer, expecting him to say yes.

"Of course not," Inuyasha growled.

"What?" Kagome almost shouted, looking at him incredulously.

Inuyasha looked up and glared at the young woman. "I'm not done here, and it is your duty to be at my beck and call whenever I need you," he explained in an exasperated voice.

"I am not some dog, Inuyasha, and I need to get back home to my family. It's already dark and the building is deserted except for us and your brother," she pointed out, striving to be reasonable. She tamped down on the anger rising in her throat.

Inuyasha growled and stood up. He had noticed that Sesshoumaru had accepted Kagome so easily. It hurt him to think his half-brother would do that to a complete stranger but not to his own flesh and blood. Shoving away from his desk, Inuyasha stalked over to where Kagome stood her ground in the doorway. "You're staying here, and that's final!" he started to take a step closer, and Kagome was forced to back up, eventually reaching the side wall of the office.

With her back pressed against the wall, she gulped forcefully before saying weakly, "Too bad! I'm leaving."

Inuyasha pressed in closer and leaned forward so their noses were just inches apart. He glared at her before grounding out, "You leave, and you're fired. You need me and this job, Ms. Shashu."

Anger overtook Kagome's features. She told him coldly, "Correction, Mr. Youkai, I need this job. Not you."

Inuyasha took a step back to think about this comment. He noticed a lock of hair falling into Kagome's eyes, and he sub-consciously raised his hand to remove it, honestly moving on instinct with no real thought behind his actions. Kagome watched with wide eyes as he lifted his hand up. Confused, he watched as the woman in front of him winced and screwed her eyes shut, waiting for a blow, at his small movement. His anger instantly died out, dropping so fast that it left him feeling unsteady on his feet.

What did you do to her, Naraku?

Slowly, carefully, he reached forward and tucked the loose piece of hair behind her ear. Inuyasha stroked the side of her face gently, reassuringly, as though soothing a jumpy animal or a small child. "I'd never hit you, Kagome. I'd never hit any woman," he mumbled before letting his hand drop. Taking several steps backward, he allowed her freedom, giving her a wide berth.

Kagome glanced at him quickly before practically running from his office. Outside, she collapsed in her chair at the receptionist's desk and crossed her arms over the surface. She laid her cheek against the top of her hands and closed her eyes to collect herself, fighting her stampeding heartbeat.

She had almost lost it back there. The situation was so familiar. A man having her pinned to a wall and raising a threatening hand to her. Kagome had expected to be hit back there. She had expected a beating since she had dared to defy Inuyasha, just as she had dared to defy Naraku.

That argument had taken a lot out of her.

Sesshoumaru strode into the office and found her like that. "Not sleeping on the job are we, Ms. Shashu?" he asked her.

Kagome could almost hear humor and sarcasm in his voice. Almost. The idea of Sesshoumaru showing any kind of tone in his voice made her smile wryly, once again worried at how unstable her sanity must be. "No," she promised in a small voice.

Sesshoumaru continued on past her to talk with his younger brother. Inside his office, Inuyasha was pacing with a thoughtful expression on. He looked like a kicked puppy, Sesshoumaru mentally noted. "Fire her?" Sesshoumaru asked. He certainly had the habit of being able to say what he meant in as few words as possible.

Inuyasha glared at him. "No," he huffed, angrily. "Do me a favor, fuck off and die!" the younger Youkai brother snapped.

Sesshoumaru shrugged indifferently, dismissing the odd behavior with little effort. He ignored his brother and moved on to a different topic, talking about another project that their company had taken on.


Kagome walked out into the night and found Sango's car in the large empty parking lot. Sliding in, she drove to the only other place she knew around there, the ice cream parlor. Picking up some ice cream for the three boys and Sango, she left to get back into the car. Kagome never noticed the interested look she got from another customer. She also didn't notice the other woman getting into a car behind her and following close behind out of the parking lot.

Near the edge of the city, Kagome finally checked her review mirror and saw the blood red car keeping a close tab on her. Worry clenched her heart before she realized that the car hadn't been there when she had left the Inutaisho Company, only after the ice cream parlor. That gladdened her, to know that the person didn't know where she had been, where she was currently working.

Using a trick she had learned from a movie once, Kagome drove around until she found what she was looking for. She pulled into the parking lot of a police station, right in front of a group of cops chatting out front.

Kagome smiled when she saw the car grudgingly move on. Waiting a good ten minutes, she finally continued on her way home, very carefully checking her review mirror every other block.

Fortunately, no one followed her this time.


"What?" was Sango's outcry when Kagome told her of the little adventure she had had after work.

"No one saw me leave work or come here," Kagome reassured her friend. "I'm safe... for now, anyway."

Sango looked skeptical but finally caved in. "Fine! But we need to tell Miroku that someone probably working for Naraku has located you."

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, that sounds okay," she agreed.

Sango nodded and led the way up the stairs. They said a quick goodnight on the landing before finding their own rooms.

Sango was still worried.

Kagome didn't sleep too well that night, either.


"Look, Kagome, I'm sorry about yesterday, okay? Jeez, you didn't have to lose sleep over it," Inuyasha stated, surprised, when the usually perky Kagome dragged her feet into his office the next morning. The young woman had dark circles under her eyes and kept jumping at every little sound. Kagome had worn all black that day, from her pants to her blouse, and even her bright stormy eyes seemed darker than usual.

"Not everything is about you, Mr. Youkai," Kagome snapped.

Inuyasha looked a little taken aback. "Okay, okay," he muttered, quickly averting his eyes as though his very gaze would incite her to violence.

Kagome sighed, feeling a little guilty as how easily she took her anger out on Inuyasha. It wasn't entirely his fault that she was in a bad mood and that his bad attitude brought out the worse in her. "I had a rough evening, okay?" she murmured meekly, by way of an apology.

Inuyasha brought his gaze up quickly, wondering at what she could possibly mean. Before he could say anything directly to her face, Kagome turned around to head back out to her desk. His voice stopped her before she made it through the doorway. "You know you can tell me anything, right, Kagome?" he asked, his voice soft, aiming for sincere.

Inuyasha was definitely confusing the poor girl. First he was a jerk, then he was cocky, then he was mean, then he was gentle, then he was cocky again, and now he was being nice. What's with this guy? she asked herself. Unable to figure out how she was supposed to react, Kagome simply decided to turn around and give him a small smile. She was a forgiving person by nature, and that default seemed a lot easier than continuing to argue and fight with him. "Maybe later, Inuyasha," she said. It sounded like a compromise.

At least she's back to calling me by my first name, he thought as the office door closed behind her.

To be honest, he was confusing himself, too. Kagome seemed to bring out the worst, and best, in him. Mostly, he blamed her. The woman was more confusing than any other person he'd ever met before; at least, at the moment, that's what it felt like.

Running his hand through his hair he went back to his paperwork. Inuyasha was a naturally a cocky guy, and a bit of a jerk, but when it came to friends, real friends, he was protective and as nice as his personality allowed him to be. If he had to try to be more gentle and nice to earn Kagome's trust, then he'd do it.

She had obviously been hurt, and she didn't need that again.

It bothered him he'd have to alter his attitude to keep Kagome as a friend. This idea was startling, since he couldn't pinpoint when exactly he had decided to consider her as a friend. He barely knew the girl, and he wasn't as trusting as Sango or even Miroku was.

Since you couldn't help it. A little voice answered in the back of his mind; it sounded a lot like Inuyasha.

'Who the hell are you?'

The voice inside your head, it replied ominously.

'Well, get the fuck out!'

Temper, temper. Don't beat yourself up about being nice to Kagome; most people would be, too.

'What do you mean?'

Kagome is one of those people that can't help but draw people into friendships, it explained.

'Right...' Inuyasha thought.

Don't strain yourself there, big guy! Just accept it and think about it later, the voice warned.

Inuyasha grunted out loud before starting on the mountain of paperwork in front of him, only a little concerned that he'd just argued with himself.


"She's in Tokyo," a feminine voice stated simply as soon as someone picked up the phone on the other side of the line.

"What ever happened to a simple hello, Kagura?" a cold voice questioned coolly.

"Shut up, Naraku," Kagura snapped.

"Now, now, Kagura. Where are your manners?" Naraku chuckled darkly.

"I must have left them in Kyoto," Kagura answered dryly, unamused.

"Well find them before you talk to me again."

Kagura hung up and concentrated on the bright road ahead of her. She'd have to get some back up, if she wanted to find and keep tabs on Kagome Higurashi in a city as large as Tokyo.

Next Chapter: Threats