A/N: Oh man… sorry for writing Hermione a few times! My other fic, which I have been writing since last march, is about Hermione and I'm so used to writing about her that I guess I slipped it in accidentally! Well glad you all liked it anyway :)
Also! This chapter ventures back a bit into some things that happened last chapter from Inuyasha's point of view, so I italicized the parts that word for word are the same as last time so you can skip over them if you like.
Chapter 2 – Dignity
He wasn't really a small pub kind of guy, but this place was cozy and served a hell of a good beer. And he sort of appreciated the quiet. Yes it was a bit awkward, and a big change from the usual party atmosphere he enjoyed, but it was calming and sort of… cleansing. Yes cleansing. That was the kind of word big time business men used, right? And that's what he was… or rather what would be in 4 days time. The thing was Inuyasha wasn't quite sure if he was ready to be a big time business man. To manage a whole, not to mention very important branch, of Taka, his family's company.
Inuyasha had never really had to work all that hard for anything his entire life. He was born rich, grew up rich, and now at the age of 27 lived rich. He was never the stiff, hard working, go getter type, like his older brother Sesshoumaru, but the funny, charismatic one that everyone liked. Of course that also meant that when his father died when he was 18, Sesshoumaru, 23, became the owner of Taka. Yes, Inuyasha was jealous, he and his brother never really got along all that well, but what could he do? He wasn't going to reprimand his dead fathers will. And on top of that, although Inuyasha had just turned 18 and was technically an adult, he was childish at heart and could never have run a company as big and successful as Taka.
So Inuyasha went off to college, a good excuse for him to work hard and party harder, and by the time he graduated, felt that working was just not his cup of tea. So he took a few years off, enjoyed the sweet, free life that only someone with Inuyasha's money could. The thing was, this could only last so long.
26 year old people did not go to bars every night and sleep every day. 26 year old people went to work, earned a decent living, and when he realized that he couldn't live on his father's money forever, he took Sesshoumaru's offer of managing a branch of Taka. The thing was, although not very driven and a little lazy, when Inuyasha put his mind to it he was a damn good worker, and by the time he had finished a year of extra training, Sesshoumaru granted him the Tokyo branch. And that brought him to where he was now. At a little pub in Tokyo with a beer in hand and work on the brain. Was he really ready?
The little silver bells hanging on the door handle jingled as the door to the pub was pushed open sending a blast of icy air in its path. Inuyasha looked up, startled at the sudden climate change, just in time to see a woman with long black hair walk in, her cheeks flushed from the cold, and a distant expression on her face. She looked around the pub and then to the bar where Inuyasha was sitting and then, apparently spotting the vacant seat beside him, walked over and sat in it letting out a sigh.
Out of the corner of his eye he could see her, rummaging through her purse, her bangs askew and face still a bit rosy.
"Well hello Kagome!" Said the man behind the bar, seeming to startle her away from whatever she was looking for in her bag.
Kagome. That was a nice name. He sipped from his icy mug while glancing up at the football game nonchalantly, but really, he was much more interested in the conversation between the bar owner and the pretty raven haired girl.
"Will it be your usual, chirley temple extra cherries with a kick of brandy?"
She shook her head. "Vodka, straight."
"Hard day at work?"
"I guess you could say that."
"Well let me know if I can get you anything else." He handed her a shot and continued rubbing at the bottom of a foggy cup with a dirty looking dishrag.
"Let me get three more." He heard her say a minute or two later. He heard the clink of several glasses hit the table beside him but kept his eyes plastered on the game.
Inuyasha wondered why the girl was downing shots. His first impression as she walked in the door had not been that of a drunken party girl, for he had seen far too many of those in his past and felt confident he could recognize one. Maybe he hadn't seen her closely enough. He swiveled his head to his left and glanced at her face. Pink cheeks, dark brown eyes, slick black hair… no she defiantly wasn't a party girl. She seemed more classy and naïve than that.
She snapped her head in his direction suddenly. "Can I help you?"
Inuyasha surveyed her face. "I don't think so, but maybe I can help you."
She hiccupped. "And how is that?"
"Anything you feel like getting off your chest? Seems like you had a bad day."
"What makes you think that? Maybe I just like going out and drinking. And even if I did have something bothering me I wouldn't tell it to some creepy drunk guy."
He was only trying to help, but she was clearly too drunk to judge that. "Okay then." He said with a bit of a smirk, and went back to watching his football game.
"My life pretty much sucks." She said to him, as if admitting her defeat. "I almost got myself fired today, I have the worst girl I have to work with, and now I'm on two weeks unpaid leave."
He turned to face her, a bit confused at her outburst of confessions, but said nothing.
"I am a hopeless loser and I haven't had sex in a week. Haven't had good sex in a month. I don't even think I have a G-spot. Don't get me wrong, my boyfriend is great, but just for once I wish he wouldn't try to be so romantic and would just give it to me rough!"
Why was she telling him all that? Inuyasha was pretty sure that he should stop her, but instead found himself gripping her every secret filled word.
"...I mean scented candles are nice and everything, but do we really have to have 500 around when we are trying to have sex? Or as Hojo would say, 'Make love'…."
"…Never even been in love and I'm 26 years old…"
"…Of course I love Hojo I just forgot for a brief second, he really is amazing and…"
"…Gave me this lavender bath oil which is even too girlish for me…"
"… Really horrible bitch named Kagura who calls me her assistant…"
"…When she asks me to fetch her coffee I sometimes spit in it…"
"…Walked around the entire day with a period stain on my new white pants and she didn't even tell me…"
"…Always wear push up bras because I really have nothing. Sometimes I even put two padded bras on top of each other because then…"
"…Is already married and didn't even ask me to be a bridesmaid. I mean it might be the only wedding I am ever in…"
"…Really big bug that flew up my nose just when I was trying to do the toast…"
"…The biggest zit right in the middle of my forehead for graduation…"
"…Didn't even loose my virginity until I was 21…"
People were starting to leave. It was very dark outside.
"…Spilled Orange juice in the lap of the woman at my very first job interview…"
"…Tell Hojo that I only weigh 110 pounds when I really weigh 125 and that I am a C cup…"
"…Bought me this really amazing matching bra and underwear set of a size small thong and a 36 C bra which of course I couldn't fit into…"
"…For my birthday he set up this really elaborate scented candle display all around the room and rose petals and it was absolutely too cliché and corny but I could say was "Wow, Hojo, this is absolutely amazing."…"
"…Took me to the opera which was really long and they closed the doors and I had to go to the bathroom so badly I peed my pants…"
"…Pretended I had spilled my lemonade…"
"Kagome? It's time to close up." Said the bar owner, snapping Inuyasha and surely the girl out of their thoughts.
The girl looked kind of awestruck for a minute, then her eyes widened in a seeming dawn of realization, and she hopped up from her chair.
Inuyasha felt he should say something but wasn't sure what it should be. He was intrigued by this secret spilling beauty. "Uhh… Do you need some help home?" He asked confusedly, still a bit unsure of what had just happened but very sure that the woman needed some help home.
"No!" She said squeakily, taking a deep breath. "I think I can manage, thanks!"
And in seconds, she was gone. Out the door and out of his life forever.
Or so he thought.
XXX
"Kagome, would you mind taking these up to Mr. Takahashi? They are the new slogans for the Tetsuiga he wanted to see." Shijin said handing a manila envelope to her.
"Sure!" She said cheerfully, grateful for the chance to redeem herself with Sesshoumaru. After all, their first chat hadn't exactly been the most pleasant.
"Thanks, you're a big help." He said sighing in relief and walking away.
After riding the elevator up to floor nine she got out, whistling as she walked towards the door with Mr. Takahashi printed neatly upon it. She knocked on it, then opened the door and-
Quickly rushed right back out. She leaned against the door clutching the envelope to her chest.
'Oh my god.' She thought over and over again in her whirring brain.
It was him. Same silver hair, same golden eyes, same strong jaw line.
It was the man from the bar.
Her head was spinning. Why was he here? More importantly, why was he here in Sesshoumaru's office? If Sesshoumaru had been fired in her two weeks of leave wouldn't they have taken the Mr.Takahashi off the door? And Sesshoumaru couldn't have been fired… he owned the company! This wasn't supposed to happen… strangers were supposed to stay strangers, not show up at work the next day!
Just then a man in a grey suit holding some papers walked by.
"Excuse me?" Kagome asked shyly.
The man stopped and looked at her expectantly. "Yes?"
"Do you know where Mr.Takahashi is?"
The man looked at her strangely. "In the room right behind you…"
"I don't think he's in there… maybe his office moved? There is a man in there, but he isn't Mr. Takahashi… Silver hair… Amber eyes…"
"Yes… that's Mr. Takahashi…" He said, seemingly impatient.
Kagome gave a frustrated sigh. "I may not be the smartest girl in the world, but I have been working here almost a year now and I think I would be able to recognize Sesshoumaru Takahashi."
The man gave a chuckle. "Sesshoumaru Takahashi isn't in charge of the Tokyo branch anymore. His brother is. Mr. Inuyasha Takahashi."
She froze. The man in the bar… he was Sesshoumaru's brother? She had told her deepest, darkest secrets to Sesshoumaru's brother? And now… her boss? She felt her face pale and gulped. "T-Thanks." She said.
The man gave her a strange look, then nodded and walked away.
What had gone on when Kagome was away? How in two weeks had the world of Taka taken a complete turn without her even knowing? She would have thought that Hojo would have said something, but she really hadn't seen much of Hojo in her two weeks, what with him hard at work and her… lounging around at home.
But by now Kagome was more worried about loosing her job then being informed of a new boss.
Maybe he hadn't recognized her… after all she had run out of the room very quickly after entering it. Even better, maybe he didn't remember her at all. Maybe the events from that night were just as foggy to him as they were to her. Yes, she was sure he didn't recognize her. But even so, she didn't plan on going into his office any time soon. She set the Envelope down outside his door and quietly walked back towards the elevator, riding it back down to her floor and making her way back to her desk.
For the rest of the day Kagome worked with out disruption, although every slight disturbance caused her to jump like a deer in headlights. She didn't know why she was so worried, he probably didn't even recognize her, but still, she had a nagging feeling at the back of her head…
"Kagome Higurashi?"
She jumped a mile in her chair. "Y-yes?" She asked, trying her best to regain composure, and turned to look towards the voice.
It was Sesshoumaru's short balled assistant, Jakan. What was he still doing there…? Kagome would have thought Sesshoumaru would have taken him with him…
"Mr. Takahashi would like a word." He said, and promptly turned on his heal and scurried away.
Fuck. Fuck fuck fuckkkkk… so he did remember her. She had been stupid to think he wouldn't. Of course he did. Who forgets someone who tells them every detail of their life? She got up, putting on her most professional face, and strutted towards the doors.
The march towards Mr. Takahashi's office felt more like a march to the scaffold. She knocked three times on the door and entered.
Inuyasha was sitting in his chair, his legs up on the desk and arms folded behind his head. "Ms… Higurashi is it?" He fingered a file with her name printed in capital letters on the front.
She nodded. This was it. He was going to fire her.
"Your folder is quite impressive. Good resume… impressive college credits… and when I look at your folder, it seems that you are in quite excellent physical health as well? It says you weigh… 110 pounds? That's a very petite size for a woman of your stature… 5"7?"
"What?" She asked confusedly. Why was he bringing up her weight? And then, in both horror and embarrassment, she remembered.
"…Tell Hojo that I only weigh 110 pounds when I really weigh 125 and that I am a C cup…"
"Thirsty?" He asked, switching the subject entirely. "I sure am… you know I'm really craving a coffee… and I hear you often go on coffee runs for the printing department? Do you think maybe you could pick me up one today?"
"Yes… yes of course!" She said jumping at the opportunity to redeem herself. "Anything you want. What do you take?"
"Well… I like sugar… and cream, but no saliva."
"…When she asks me to fetch her coffee I sometimes spit in it…"
Kagome was officially panicking. She had only wanted to go out for a drink, and now she had ended up ruining her entire career. Why did everything in her life have to go so terribly awry?
"What's the matter?" Inuyasha continued staring at her with a flicker of amusement in his eyes. "You seem a bit tense. Could it be the lack of good sex?"
"I am a hopeless loser and I haven't had sex in a week. Haven't had good sex in a month."
Suddenly Kagome was enraged. How dare he call her in her with no purpose other than to humiliate her? How dare he bring up her most personal secrets as if they meant nothing? How dare he? Suddenly something in Kagome exploded, and her anger and embarrassment boiled over.
"Now listen here you big… you big… meanie! You have no right to bring up those things. I never intended to tell you those things, and wouldn't have if you hadn't kept pushing me to do so! You were the one who asked me what was wrong. And now you're throwing it back in my face. I'm not going to tip around you like you are some grand high boss anymore. You may be able to take away my job, but you will never take away my dignity!" And with a satisfied huff, she turned on her heal and-
Ran straight into the door. She clapped her hand over her throbbing head and reached for the doorknob, trying to look as unfazed as possible, and stormed out, but not before she heard the sound of slight laughter.
XXX
A/N: Well that was maybe not the most exciting chapter but it was hopefully informative and kind of showed you a little more of my interpretation of Inuyasha's character. The next couple chapters are definitely going to heat up (aka meeting new main characters I have a feeling you will recognize…) so hopefully if you want to read more, you will send me lots of reviews! You can do it… it only takes a minute of your time… and makes me all warm and fuzzy inside :D