Second Chance
by: Enchanted Kagome
Author's Note: IMPORTANT! Regarding continuation of fic:
I've rewritten this story and thought the plot over again. I'm titling it Fatum instead and have rewritten the first chapter. Please, read Fatum from the start. This story may be deleted after a while, k?
Chapter One—MergingCompanies
"InuYasha...I'm sorry..." Kagome whispered.
"It's ok, Kagome...I never believed those words..." InuYasha replied softly. "I knew Naraku had to be behind those...we can start over...here's the Shikon no Tama..."
"Start over?" she asked softly.
"Yes...start over with the Shikon no Tama," InuYasha held the jewel to her...waiting for her to wish for a second chance with him. Kagome smiled through her tears and reached for the jewel...
Just a little more...
Kagome jerked awake in her bed. She turned her head...taking in her surrounding.
She sighed. "Seven years...and I still can't forget..." she scolded herself. Yet, despite that, she knew she could never forget. Move on, fate willing, but forget...never. She blinked away the eminent tears.
"Kagome?" a knock came on the door.
"Oh...Seiko-chan!" she said, moving to open the door.
"You OK?" Seiko stood at the doorway.
"Just...a dream...that's all."
"Oh...well...might as well get up now," her friend said, looking at her watch.
"But it's still early," Kagome looked. they had another 3 hours before work.
"Kagome...did you forget about our little merging with a Taisho company?" Seiko faked rebuking her friend. "I'll have to go early today."
"Oh...yeah...you mentioned it...I think?" Kagome tried. At age 23, she and her best friend from the university, Seiko Lei, had formed their own technology business, which, by now, is the most prominent company in all of Japan...Kakera, Inc. Seiko was for all the international relationships and other businesses, while she took care of what went on inside the company.
Seiko laughed. "I didn't expect you to remember anyway." She headed towards the kitchen of their shared apartment. They may be the co-owners of a billion-dollar company, but -- for personal reasons -- the two decided to stick to a moderate apartment instead of two mansions.
"So...tell me a bit about this company," Kagome said.
"Well...we currently dominate about roughly 70 of the market, increasing from our 57 after KotsuTech's bankruptcy and our merging with them. Currently, the TaishoTech -- newest branch of the Taisho Corps. which consists of the top business in just about every section, clothing, furniture, toys, etc. -- has, in a short amount of 2 years, taken up about 18 of the Japanese market. After this merging, where we, being the dominant company, will get to keep our name, we will take up almost 90 of the market, making the rest of the companies small talk. It may only be a few years before we gain total monopoly," Seiko told her.
"Uh...come again?" This was the reason why Kagome dealt with the inside of the company. All that technicality, and the fact you had to be fluent in about three billion languages, just makes her head swirl.
"Hehe...anyway, you will have to deal with the placement of people...we may have to layoff a few in the researching department, because that's TaishoTech's strong point...basically, their section will deal with research and technology advancement while our original sector will deal with producing and marketing," Seiko said.
"They won't be happy to hear about the layoffing...though I have to say that our researching department consists of the best of Tokyo," Kagome put in.
"I know, but I've got to make compromises. Besides, TT's researching department is world-famous...so it can't be behind ours," Seiko replied grimly, thinking back to all the times the conditions of merging had been sent back and forth between her and TT's owners, the InuTaisho brothers. "Be comforted. That was as much as I could probably get from Mr. Stoic Face."
"Really that bad?" Kagome asked.
"Well, you'll see them tonight...in fact, you should probably see all of the Taisho Corps. branches owners tonight..." Seiko mentioned, before heading out with her car keys.
Her eyes fell on the clock. 5:02 AM. She could go back and get some sleep...or go to work.
"Oh well...I'm awake now," she said, making up an excuse, knowing that the real reason she doesn't want to go to bed is because she's afraid of dreaming of the past again. if there's one thing she learned, it's that dreams are -- and always will remain -- dreams.
As she got up from the kitchen table, her hands felt a manila folder.
"Seiko left her files here by accident," she said to herself. "Better bring it to her...but I bet she'll go crazy without this...Merging's always been a big thing and she's been wanting this Taisho Corps. support for years..."
Kagome yawned as she dialed Seiko on her cellphone.
"Hello?"
"Seiko-chan, you left your documents folder on the kitchen table."
"Did I? Never was a morning person. Good thing I don't need it immediately. Can you bring it when you come to work?"
"Sure thing. Ja ne."
"Ja!"
Click
Kagome took a quick shower, which was cut even shorter by the fact Seiko took a shower before and used up a lot of hot water. She made a mental note to herself to discuss the water problem with Seiko again and see what they could do about it with the landlady.
While waiting for the elevator, Kagome decided to skim the files. Her eyes fell on the title of the branch of Taisho Corps. in charge of Entertainment.
"Kazaana Entertainment..."