Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and Co.
Independent
Chapter One
Watch Me
A young raven-haired woman sat behind a desk, typing diligently on her laptop. Sapphire orbs skillfully floated side to side across the screen, viewing the product of what her swift hands had just introduced into the computer.
A golden plate bearing the name 'Kagome Higurashi' sat near the edge of her desk in her not so tiny office. Behind her, past the glass panes , was a magnificent view of the sky….yes…she was on the highest floor the gargantuan building could offer…
To her left yelling could be heard seeping dangerously from under her employer's office door.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to her though…just the same old morning routine, at the same time, everyday, for the past half a year.
Still typing, and without looking up from her screen, she silently murmured.
"Three….two…one."
A flurry of silver burst out of the office to her left.
"Fucking idiots!! Do they really expect me to support their company?!! They're just trying to mooch off of my shares…bloody hell! Where's my damn coffee?!" her manager snarled, his lip indiscreetly curled up in anger and disgust.
Not once did she wince at the harshness in his tone. Heck…she's had to deal with it for quite some time now….
Without a word she handed him the cup of already brewed coffee…oh yes, she was always prepared for problems like these. She always had a cup of her infamous coffee ready to soothe his daily outburst.
He eagerly took the cup and savored every mouthful of the wonderful liquid. He set the cup back down without so much as a thank you or a compliment.
That's ok…she was used to it…at least his anger visibly dissipated every time he drank her beverage…that was thanks enough in itself…
He went about giving Kagome her tasks for the day, not looking at her once, while he sat there and picked at something underneath his nail.
He wasn't trying to be mean or anything, or resentful for that matter…he just didn't really find the need to associate himself with his secretary of all people. There were many scandals that could come of it if they were to talk with one another.
His last secretary and him had supposedly been in a very deep relationship that had in turn made the company suffer. What was her name? Oh yes…Kikyo…
It had ended rather dreadfully, so it wasn't a surprise that he didn't want to make the same mistake again… and Kagome understood this.
Although, she bet he probably didn't even know what she looked like…
Sadly, she knew just about everything there was to know about his persona, but he knew nothing of hers.
1. She knew for a fact that he could never keep a girlfriend for more than a week…
2. He liked his coffee with one scoop of sugar, two scoops of crème, and a pinch of cinnamon.
3. He bit his pinky nail when he was nervous.
4. When he's in deep thought, he scratches those little puppy ears that sit atop his head.
5. And he was madly in love with instant ramen…
After his to-do list was covered, he waved her off, without looking at her, and went back into his office.
She should be angered at the fact that he didn't really have to do anything except take phone calls…
She should be upset at the fact that she practically ran the company…
She should be mad that her best friend Sango was the one who set her up with this job in the first place…
But…she wasn't…heck, as long as it pays good…she's okay with it.
Lunch had come rolling by sooner than expected, and she had a tingly feeling in her gut.
If it was one thing she knew, it was to trust her instinct.
Every time she got this feeling, that meant something big was going to happen…
She would just wait till whatever it was came and surprised her by biting her in the ass she supposed…
Until then, she met up with Sango in the parking lot.
Sango was roughly the same age as her, older by a few months, but still twenty-four nonetheless. She works at the same company as Kagome, just at a lower rank, but yet at the same time held power over Kagome's position.
She's the employment manager, and she decides who gets hired, fired, and what their position will be. That's how Kagome had gotten her job. She had been having some hard times since her last boyfriend, Kouga had left her to pay for their apartment herself.
And it was no small apartment…oh no…it was a pretty roomy, luxurious apartment…
So…Sango gave Kagome the highest position at the company, knowing that she had the skills to run it on her own if ever given the chance.
"Hey Kags, you'll never guess what happened! Do you remember that old man that you used to talk to at the city park?" she asked, her excitement gaining all of Kagome's attention.
She just blinked a few times, before the memory of the old man sitting on an old bench registered in the confines of her brain.
"Ohh yeah! The old man that always feeds the birds? I used to talk to him everyday in the morning during my jog through the park. Why, what about him?" Kagome asked, baffled as to why Sango would be talking about the old man.
Her smile just kept getting brighter and brighter, "Well, he died last night!"
Kagome's eyes widened considerably, and her countenance showed every inch of her disbelief, "I don't think that's something to be smiling about Sango!!"
Her heart lurched for the old man's sake… That's why she hadn't seen him at the park for about a week! He was sick!…
She didn't even know his name, albeit he knew hers, but she still felt as if she had lost a loved one…
Sango sighed as her smile slipped off of her face faster than a speeding bullet, "It's not like that at all…I'm actually very sorry about it really…but the thing I had to tell you is that he left a will saying that all of his belongings would be given to 'Kagome Higurashi'!" she finished.
"Wha-what? What about his family? Why would he leave ME all of his things? But, I would be honored to accept his offerings…" she asked, her voice getting lower, almost whispering…
"Well," she continued, " It states in his will that everyone, including his family, treated him as if he were a 'disgusting dog', and that you were the only one who ever treated him like he was a normal person and gave him a reason to carry on living…"
There was silence as each of them thought about how horrible his life must have been.
In an attempt to break the gloominess, Sango continued talking in a more happy tone.
"What's got my pannies in bunch is the fact that he owned a dormant company, it was actually very successful until he just stopped working with it for some reason…but he still kept all of his shares…I must say, he's a very smart man indeed, he invested in so many different things such as cars, food, fashion…all the works! And now it's all yours!" she exclaimed.
"Wow…my own company…" the blue eyed woman mumbled, clearly astonished.
Who would have thought…
She never even dreamed of having this much success placed in front of her on a silver platter…
And she owed it all to a little old man who fed birds every morning at the local city park…
"Now all you have to do is tell them your Kagome Higurashi, show them proof, and boom! You got your very own company! I wouldn't put it off though, there are companies that are already trying to get their hands on it if you don't stake your claim by midnight!"
"I'll…I'll go right after work…"
"Great! I'll come with you, and if you want, I'll give up my position here at Takahashi Corporations…after all, I can't work for my best bud's potential rival…" she said, her eyebrows raising in question.
"You'd quit your job to come work for me?! What if it isn't successful?" Kagome spluttered.
"Heck yeah I'd quit! Anyways, Inuyasha would chop my head off if he found out I was in cahoots with the 'enemy', or so to speak. And there is no way it wouldn't be successful, with all of those shares, even a blundering idiot like…Miroku…couldn't screw it up…"
Sango kept blabbering with Kagome as they planned out the future of their rising business.
By the time lunch was over they had everything all thought-out. Sango even came up with a few ideas for the clothing lines…she always did have a knack for fashion.
This is where her life would change…
And she would make a difference…
A successful company run by a woman…
All thanks to that old man…may kami guide his benevolent soul in the after life…
At the end of her slave-shift, Kagome began to gather all of her belongings together, like her laptop, utensils…notes, etc…
She was absolutely nervous about what she was about to do…She had to tell her manager that she was going to quit…She cringed at the thought of Inuyasha biting her head off…
After all of her things were put together, she just stood there quietly…
She exhaled, trying to stop the nervous tremors coursing through her body, "Okay…I can do this…"
Picking up her belongings, she strode over to the office door, unconsciously wringing her hands.
Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door, waiting for permission to go in. It was silent for a few seconds before he finally said "Come in!"
Preparing for the upcoming battle, she squared her shoulders before she finally stepped into his quiet abode and sat down in front of his enormous desk…
He knew who it was, he could tell by her scent…
"Well, what do you need? The company is going to close in a few minutes. Shouldn't you be clocking out?" he asked, not looking up to acknowledge her presence.
She couldn't seem to find her voice…it was stuck in her throat, and if only she could fish it out right about now….
When she finally did find it she was as nervous as ever as she stuttered in broken sentences.
"What the hell do you want woman?!" he yelled, obviously irritated at his secretary's lack of speech.
The anger that flared inside of her was all she needed to calm her nerves, "I just wanted to tell you that I will no longer be working for you."
He didn't seem to hear her at first, but when what she had just said registered into that tiny brain of his, he was completely shocked…
He looked at her for the very first time since she had worked for him, too taken aback to keep on ignoring her.
As soon as he saw her penetrating azure orbs, and silky raven hair, he was at a loss for words. Her hair floated in waves down the length of her back, and her lips as well as her cheeks were naturally tinged a rosy pink…a creamy ivory cloaked her body…and made her look all the more untouchable.
He was completely stunned…
So this was the woman that had been working for him this past half year? Goodness, just the sight of her made his heart catch in his throat.
He could no longer stay angry at her, so he lowered his voice quite a few notches.
"A-are you trying to tell me you quit?" he demanded calmly.
Kagome had taken his silence as pure shock at what she had said, she didn't even think that he might be checking her out. She was amazed that he had finally looked at her though…
She firmly pressed her lips into a thin line before answering, "Yes, that's exactly what I'm trying to say."
One look at her was enough to break his spell of indifference that he had held against her for so long.
Simply put…he couldn't get enough of her…
And now she was leaving?
"I can't allow that." he said just as sternly as she did.
"I don't think so Mr. Takahashi, I can quit on my own accord, so when I say I quit, I quit! Its as simple as that."
His speaker beeped and he leaned over to speak into it.
"Yeah? What do you want?" he demanded, not wanting to get sidetracked from his heated discussion with this woman sitting in front of him.
"It's me, Sango Taijiya, just wanted you to know that I quit as of today! Goodbye!" and with that the speaker turned itself off, it seems Sango had clicked it off before Inuyasha did…
He didn't even seem to notice that another employee was leaving his business, the only thing that mattered was the problem that lay right in front of him in the form of a blue-eyed lady…
"I'll double your salary!" he growled as he continued.
"Hmmm…" She pretended to think about it for a bit before spitting her answer at his face, "No. I think I will make more than your doubled salary with the new occupation I am acquiring…thanks for the offer though!"
She picked up her things and headed to the door before she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
Is he actually touching her?!
"You're bluffing, there is no way you could make more than what I just offered you!" he stated rather bluntly.
He could feel the heated silk of her skin from underneath that shirt of hers…
She brushed his hand off of her shoulder, much to his displeasure, and began walking out the door again.
"I can, and I will…JUST WATCH ME!" Kagome hmphed, as she left the office and a hazy-eyed hanyou in her wake.
AN: Yay, first chapter of Independent complete…sorry if it seems a bit hasty…but after all, it is 4:30 in the morning… Please Review and let me know if there is anything I should work on…