By Psychocynic
...and her younger sister SexyBod
Disclaimer: Inuyasha and it's characters do not belong to me, nor does Mr. Potato Head, though everything else (including Potato Palace and Tomato Tower and the original story) belongs to me.
AN: Heya! I had hoped to update far sooner than this, but finally it is here! CHAPTER 10 APOPP! More has been added to the end of Ch. 9, so please read that first before reading Ch.10! SexyBod did most of this chapter, as she neglected APOPP for the most of the last two, but that doesn't mean I didn't contribute! Enjoy summer vacation!
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Chapter Ten
What You Gonna Do?
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Kagome sighed dejectedly. It was going to be another long, lonely, and dreadfully boring day of work at Potato Palace; peeling potatoes.
Some way to spend her well-deserved summer vacation.
Kagome dropped another newly-skinned potato unceremoniously into the bowl. Her thoughts began to stray back to the details of last night's dream. The memory of the dream seemed to be slipping out of her mind as quickly as money slipping out a of a bad gambler's hands.
Wait...
Kagome racked her brains.
Yes, yes. She could remember slightly now.
There were two handsome men.They appeared to be brothers-they had the same pure white hair, the same elegant shape of the face, the same exotic hued eyes...
Kagome thought hard.
An image of the older of the two surfaced in her mind's eye. He appeared to be in...a telephone booth, yes, that was it. In a telephone booth talking to a person on the other line. Yelling, more like it. And he was livid.
Why was he so angry? His eyes seemed almost red with rage...and hey--weren't those FANGS she saw in his mouth...?
And she was sure she'd seen the other brother in a tasteless red suit and red polka-dotted tie and a single gold hoop earring...
Kagome mulled the pieces of information over in her head. Were dreams supposed to be that vivid?
She paused, ignoring the limp potato in her clutches.
But...
...Ahhh...
Kagome sighed a breath of utmost bliss and contentment. The dream had been so magnificent! She was sorry that she couldn't recall more of it. Maybe she would write it all down in her diary if she remembered it.
'If only...'Kagome thought to herself wistfully as she unconsciously squeezed the poor abused potato senseless. 'If only it had been real...'
Immediately, a devilish smirk appeared on her face. Those two sexy dudes--they could have been all hers! Oh, the possibilities! Then again, there were always her nosy friends who could never mind their own business, who would corner and torture her about two-timing two hot dudes when she could be sharing the hot guys with them. She snorted derisively. They wish.
She began to hum to herself as she resumed the task of methodically shaving the lifeless potato.
If only she knew.
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Meanwhile...
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru sped down Potato Palace Street, with Inuyasha grabbing onto Sesshoumaru for dear life, zooming as fast as humanly possible in order to put as much distance as personally comfortable between them and the fanatic fans chasing wildly after them.
"WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Inuyasha bellowed into Sesshoumaru's ear, though his voice was somewhat muffled as his brother's thick white hair billowed wildy into said Inuyasha's face. They were driving so fast that the wind was howling riotously in their ears and they could barely hear anything save for the crowd distantly roaring and screaming behind them.
Up ahead, they spotted the entrance gate for Potato Palace workers slowly closing to any more incoming employees.
Uh oh.
They were almost late! Pop would NOT be pleased by this if he got wind of it that the two Potato-Heads were tardy to work--which would just add to their growing list of sins in Pop's eyes.
Worse yet, if they didn't make it into the parking lot before the gates closed, they would have no escape from the hysterical mob of people closely pursuing them. Many were already punching the air in triumph, believing themselves to have finally cornered the hot bros.
Sesshoumaru gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing to slits.
They were still a good 200 yards away from the closing gates. He slammed his foot on the accelerator, determinedly urging the speedy motorcycle to attain the ungodly speed he so desperately needed if they were to stay alive. They had to make it!
ZOOM!
The motorcycle carrying the two frantic men sped through the gates, a hair's breadth from crashing into it instead, which was what the crowd ended up doing. And it was not a moment too soon, for the Yaseishins were finally safely sealed inside the confines of Potato Palace.
"Whew!" Inuyasha said, taking off his helmet and shaking out his long silvery locks out behind him after Sesshoumaru had parked the bike. "Perfect timing, Sess!" he grinned weakly.
Sesshoumaru silently agreed. He looked over towards the extremely tall and now-firmly-shut-and-locked gates and saw a enormous group of hopeful people still clustered there, chanting and chorusing for the brothers to come back to them.
Ugh...it was always like this. However, usually it wasn't this bad, considering they drove various cars to work on many different routes to avoid the unwanted attention (they also could have servants escort them in a limo, but y'all know how much the bros love to drive themselves). But since today they were running late and in a hurry to get to work on time, they chose the shortest--and most populated--route to Potato Palace.
Not to mention the fact that since they were on a motorcycle, it was much easier to spot, recognize, and chase the Yaseishin siblings.
The fact that they wore helmets didn't change a thing. The wildy flapping white manes of hair were obvious flags to their existence and location.
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Inuyasha swaggered importantly towards their shared office, with Sesshoumaru strolling imperiously beside him.
Everyone in the hallways scurried aside to let them pass, some bowing humbly to them, some kissing the ground they walked on, and yet others kowtowing to them profusely, their heads bobbing up and down repeatedly in the process.
They were very used to this, and simply ignored the groveling workers. They were the highest-ranking employees in the company--The Potato Head Bosses. The only person superior to them in this entire company was their Pop, The Ultimate Potato Head Boss. Thus, they were given the utmost respect and admiration by all of their inferiors.
Inuyasha wrenched open their office door, Sesshoumaru closely behind him, only to be kicked out rudely by a brown booted foot.
Inuyasha crashed into Sesshoumaru, and the force of the impact sent them tumbling out of the doorway like woebegone puppies.
Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru hastily disentangled themselves from each other.
"WHAT THE FUCK!" Inuyasha roared in shocked outrage. Sesshoumaru wore an expression of similar astonished fury.
Who would DARE do this to them? They might as well start digging their own graves right now!
An insane wolfish laughing was heard from within the office, the sound unpleasant in the brothers' ears. Against the doorway leaned a tastelessly brown-clad man, none other than...
"KOUGA!" Inuyasha spat, his voice dripping with deep loathing, "What's this supposed to mean, eh!"
"Heh heh heh!" Kouga chortled gleefully, "Is that the tone of voice you use with the POTATO-HEAD BOSS?"
"WHAT!" Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru looked flabbergasted.
"Well..." Kouga said dreamily, stroking his chin as he recounted what had happened that morning before the despicable Yaseishin brothers had arrived late...
---Flashback------>
Kouga was patrolling the potato pounders' working area, making sure that all the workers in his departments were right on task. As he strolled through the aisles with workers pounding potatoes energetically on either side of him, he began to ponder over what Jaken the Janitor had told him last night.
Kouga chuckled to himself.
If the Yaseishin brothers had truly gone missing, then this was his golden opportunity to steal their positions in the company before (or if) they returned. And he would prove himself worthier of the job than those two to the Ultimate Potato Head, so that even if they did come crawling back, he could secure the position for himself and himself only, and serve only the adored Potato Pop, and never again to his ridiculous sons.
On the other hand, if the brothers had simply skipped the business meeting, then they would definitely be in deep shit. It was a well-known fact to the entire company that last night's business meeting, which had been prepared and planned and agonized over for months and months beforehand, had been crucial for them against their worst rival company: Tomato Tower.
Now that the representatives (Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru) had missed one of the most important business meetings for the company, the future for Potato Palace was looking bleak.
Kouga grinned widely. The Ultimate Potato Head would most definitely not tolerate THAT now, would he?
'So now's my chance to-'
His thoughts were interrupted as someone jabbed him roughly on the back.
Kouga made a double-take and quickly whirled around, glaring at whoever had dared to interrupt his daydreams.
It was Jaken and his mop.
"What do you want?" Kouga sniffed, annoyed.
"Mr. Kouga-!" the short janitor said, unneccessarily loudly, supporting himself on the mop taller than him like a staff, "Yaseishin-sama would like to see you in his office!"
"Eh?" Kouga mused, thinking that just maybe his daydreams had become a reality, "And what does he want with me?"
"I don't know!" Jaken squawked, waving his mop in a frenzy, "But he says it's very important!"
"Important, huh?" Kouga grinned, flashing deadly fangs in the process of doing so, rubbed his hands together expectantly with a hungry glint in his ice blue eyes, and sprinted off to the direction of the most superior person in Potato Palace.
-A short while later-
A sharp knock rang upon the door of Mr. Yaseishin's office. Said man who had been previously pacing the room impatiently jumped comically at the sudden noise and hastily called out, "Enter!"
Kouga stepped into the elaborately furnished office and bowed to the Ultimate Potato Head deeply, hoping to impress, and knocked his head on the floor for added effect. He looked up and said politely, "You asked for me?"
"Yes, Kouga. I have something very important to inform you," Mr. Yaseishin began.
Kouga felt his heart leap. Possibly...?
"You have always been such a hardworking employee. You supervised all the low-level departments and did an excellent job managing so many workers all by yourself. You are the ideal worker.You also have great leadership skills. I can see the makings of a true boss in you."
Kouga felt rather flattered by all this, and wondered where this could be leading to.
"On the other hand, my two sons have committed crimes too heavy to simply overlook. They..they..." Mr Yaseishin broke off with a sob.
Kouga had absolutely no idea of what to do!
He'd never had to deal with a crying adult man all by himself, ever! Should he offer his hanky, and pat the Potato Pop on his back?
Kouga was in the process of extracting a scraggly brown and furry and extremely grubby hanky (he often sobbed into it himself when being trashed around by those unforgivable Yaseishin bros) when suddenly, he heard the unmistakable sound of a vein popping. He looked at Mr. Yaseishin, startled, and saw that the Ultimate Potato Head Boss was uncharacteristically (at least in Kouga's opinion) sporting huge, angry, white-knuckled fists and his entire body was trembling with undescribable rage.
"THOSE UNGRATEFUL SONS!" The Pop of said sons tiraded, "THEY HAVE DISAPPOINTED ME AND BROKEN MY HEART! BRINGING SHAME TO THE ENTIRE COMPANY, NOT TO MENTION MY FAMILY AS WELL! AND DON'T FORGET HOW THEY MISSED THE OH-SO-IMPORTANT BUSINESS MEETING THAT COULD'VE HELPED US ONE-UP THE TERRIBLE TOMATO TOWER! I HAD SUCH HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF THAT SESSHOUMARU! AND INUYASHA WAS SUPPOSED TO MEET HIS LOVELY NEW SECRETARY WHOM I HAD BEEN KIND ENOUGH TO ASSIGN! HOW COULD THEY! HOW COULD THEY HAVE DONE THIS TO ME!"
Kouga was nearly lifted off of his feet and out of the office door at the huge and extreme force of Mr. Yaseishin's hollerings, his black ponytail and brown suit flying and flapping everywhere.
Even he could tell that this speech had been made several dozen times.
------End of Flashback--->