Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. The characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi!

Author Note: Several changes have been made…I changed the company name from Anichans to Takahashi Studios. It sounds a tad bit more professional!

Chapter 5
Takahashi Studios

His eyes held an unusual sheen. They were so compelling, like a pool of gold; finely liquidized. Kagome's breath hitched as the minutes seemed to drag by ever so slowly...until he spoke.

"...If you would-," he paused, his voice getting lower and quieter.

Kagome was on the verge of exploding with happiness. He was going to ask her to the Fall Festival! That is, once he gets over the fear of being rejected. Kagome reasoned that if he was too timid to ask, she'd put matters into her own hands and settle with a direct answer.

"YES!" Kagome announced ecstatically. She stood on tiptoes and embraced a very surprised hanyo. It all happened so fast. Her arms were tightly wound around his neck causing him to nearly topple to the floor. Poor Inuyasha didn't know what to do once he'd balanced himself and figured the least he could do was hug her back. And so, with a mental shrug, the hanyo carefully draped his arms around her to complete the hug. Well, as long as she was willing...

"T-thanks Kagome," Inuyasha stuttered once she'd finally decided to let go. He was feeling more than a little embarrassed at her sudden show of affection. "How does one o'clock sound?" Kagome pursed her lips in consideration; the festival started at four so one o'clock would be much too early.

"That's too early," Kagome pointed out. "The festival starts at four." Inuyasha looked startled but quickly recollected himself.

"Who said...anything about a festival?" he asked, looking at her musingly. Kagome gaped at him and felt her cheeks heating up gradually. If he wasn't asking her to the festival, what exactly was Inuyasha asking? She remembered the hug she had given him a moment ago and felt her innards churn uncomfortably.

"I...uh...okay then," Kagome said, trying as best as she could to avoid eye contact. "W-what did you want me to do?" Inuyasha studied her features before his once startled expression turned into smugness. Kagome had her face turned away from him, downwards and off to the side, looking at anything...anything but him.

Her face had reddened dramatically and being taller than she, Inuyasha caught the glimpses of pink that tinged her cheeks, regardless of the fact that she did such a wonderful job of covering herself behind long wisps of raven hair.

"What? You didn't actually think that I'd ask you to the Festival-" he asked incredulously. "Did you?" Inuyasha let out a loud, taunting laugh. Kagome turned even redder, if possible, and bit back the urge to burst into tears. What a jerk!

"O-Of course not!" Kagome yelled defiantly. It was a lie but by her tone of voice and the way she boldly shouted, Kagome gave the impression that she was dead serious. Inuyasha's laughing ceased momentarily. He lowered his head to her level and inched closer, trying to read her expression.

"Yeah you did, don't lie Kagome," he told her, grinning mischievously. Kagome shook her head furiously while edging her face away from his scrutiny. He was getting so close that she could almost feel the moisture in his breath. If under different circumstances...like maybe a kiss, she would be grateful. But this was Inuyasha so no way was he going to kiss her anytime soon!

"I-I'm not lying" Kagome fibbed. She had lost the antagonistic flare, granted she really had one, due to Inuyasha's proximity. He abruptly pulled back and snorted.

"Keh! Whatever," the hanyo said with a shrug. Inuyasha grabbed his huge bag of napkins, seized hers in the process, and headed towards the trash bins in the back of the lunchroom. Kagome gave a sigh of relief. If he had kept up his previous charade, Kagome was sure she'd die of humiliation. She followed him at a distance, knowing it wouldn't give him any chance of asking hostile questions.

:-:-:

Sango stared in awe at the swarm of empty lunch tables. A moment later, she began looking around franticly. Miroku was no where in sight.

"Miroku?" Sango called softly. To the right, she saw Inuyasha lugging two gigantic trash bags, with Kagome pursuing at a distance. Now what was that all about? Sango looked up, scanning row upon row of light fixtures which brightened the otherwise drab room. No way could Miroku be up there...so the only other place to look was...

A cold, wet hand grabbed her ankle, sending a shocked Sango tumbling to the floor. She let out a yelp before losing her balance and prepared for a hard landing, which came shortly after.

"Oops" Miroku had meant to catch her, only, Sango had fallen much too fast and by the time his arms were out, she was sprawled out by his crisscrossed feet. The playboy was sitting 'Indian style' underneath a table, waiting patiently for her to walk by. And now, here she was and he had obviously screwed up somehow.

"Ouch," Sango moaned, rubbing a sore backside. Miroku's hand immediately reached out, offering to massage her back, and was received with a hard slap. Miroku drew back his hand and sat hunched over underneath a table, nursing an oddly large bruise. Sango sat nearby and was busily stretching her back.

"You didn't have to pull me under," Sango pointed out, feeling slightly guilty at having hit him so hard. "Here, let me."

She reached out and snatched the injured arm, making him wince slightly. Mustering all the courage she had at the moment, Sango sandwiched his hand between hers and rubbed gently. It was just amazing how smooth his skin was. Touching him this way sent butterflies whizzing through her body.

"Sango?" Miroku asked, dumfounded. She didn't look up, rather concentrated on the texture of his skin, letting her bangs act as a shield from his curious stare. She answered with a drawn out "Hmm?"

Seconds later, and she'd felt it. His free hand had somehow found its way into restricted territory.

:-:-:

Inuyasha tossed the two bags into the trash bin with ease. Nothing to brag about, they were only full of lightweight napkins after all. He carelessly turned his head to the side and check how far Kagome had gotten. She was traveling the speed equivalent to that of a slug.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, somewhat concerned. With a cleaning partner who moved slower than his grandma, Inuyasha was sure they'd never get anything done. "What's wrong?"

Kagome pretended not to hear anything and continued to take baby steps. Her plan backfired, however, when he decided to walk towards her. Kagome 'eeped' and stood rigid with shock. It wasn't long before he stood an arm's distance away. Inuyasha reached out and placed a hand on her forehead, careful that his claws wouldn't hurt her.

"Are you feeling ok?" he inquired, feeling heat on his fingertips. "I think you've got a fever."

Kagome pulled back and shook her head anxiously. Inuyasha was quite for a while as his hand dropped to their normal position, but then shrugged and turned around.

"So are you still up for Friday?"

He said it like the last 15 minutes had never happened and Kagome wasn't sure if she wanted to punch him in the back of the head or hug him again. Inuyasha didn't show any signs of disgust, which was always a good thing, but he also didn't show any signs of appreciation.

"What's on Friday?" Kagome asked mildly. All she could think of was the Fall Festival, and that thought had hardly ever crossed his mind.

"Work." Inuyasha sighed jadedly. "But I can't make it so I was wondering if-"

"If I could fill in for you?" Kagome asked, feeling her heart sink. So this was why he seemed so embarrassed. They hardly ever talked to one another, let alone knew each other, and here he was asking such a big favor.

"Yeah" he said, sighing. "I know it's kind of sudden-"

"No," Kagome answered, feeling more and more glum. "No."

But why hadn't he asked Miroku? That part would be explained shortly.

"Miroku and I work at the same place," Inuyasha explained. "So we've got the same problem."

Kagome looked skeptical and asked, "And that would be?"

"Extracurricular activities" Inuyasha answered, despondent. "But we've missed enough days of work to get us fired if we don't show up...or get replacements." He gulped and looked pleadingly at the girl standing before him.

"I really wouldn't trust this with anyone else," Inuyasha added earnestly. And it was true. He knew Kagome and Sango were probably the two most reliable people at Shikon High and that Kagome had a hard time saying no.

"Please?"

"Well...I guess." Kagome agreed hesitantly. He had, after all, used a word which hardly ever adorned his vocabulary. Please. Kagome was not a stupid girl. She knew that people would often times try and take advantage of her altruism. Yet something deep within told her that Inuyasha was different.

It was settled then that she would work on Friday. That part didn't seem so difficult. Convincing Sango to come along would be the real challenge.

"Great!" Inuyasha exclaimed, giving her a hearty slap on the back. "I owe you one, Kagome"

Kagome waved the offer aside and asked him where he worked. Inuyasha chuckled lightly before replying, as if he expected her not to believe.

"I'm sure you've heard of it—Takahashi Studios?"

Kagome's jaw dropped. No way could guys like Inuyasha and Miroku work there! It was perhaps the biggest music company in Japan, owned by one of the most successful corporate leaders in the world. Just the mere name Takahashi had audiences world-wide shaking their heads in recognition.

"You're kidding, right?" Kagome tried to coerce Inuyasha into calling it all a joke by letting out a disbelieving laugh. He couldn't expect her to be that gullible. Inuyasha gave her a bored look, showing that he was used to having people react this way. Kagome was speechless. He wasn't making this up.

"You work at Takahashi's!" Kagome cried out, still unsure if she should believe him. Inuyasha nodded, like it was the most normal place to get a job. Kagome wasn't convinced and played along.

"Ok then, what time should I be there?"

"Around two." he answered flippantly. "And it doesn't really matter if you show up late."

He grinned good-naturedly. "Just show up."

Kagome gave him a mordant look for even suggesting such an idea. Show up late for something so…so indescribable? What kind of idiot does that?

"Yea, whatever" he replied coolly. Inuyasha dug a fist into his baggy jean pocket and extracted an assortment of items including: gum wrappers, rubber bands, paper clips, crumpled pieces of paper, and a pair of keys. He handed the keys to Kagome. She studied the silver keys carefully, letting her nail tap lightly against the smooth metallic surface. They definitely belonged to Takahashi employees and judging by the engraved letters I and M, it didn't take a genius to figure out which ones.

"Recording room 118," he stated out of bored repetition. "Fifth Floor, take a right at the elevator, it's the room next to the 'SCANTY' poster."

"Room 118, Fifth Floor, 'SCANTY' poster...gotcha!" Kagome repeated, urging her brain to remember all the directions. While there weren't that many, Kagome simply didn't want to mess up. Opportunities like these came rarely, if at all, for schoolgirls like Kagome and Sango.

"So what exactly do I do when I get there?" she asked. Kagome didn't bother asking for directions since that was pretty obvious. The Takahashi Building was hard to miss. With its abundance of billboard signs and flashy neon lights, you could literally spot it a mile away.

Inuyasha was silent for a moment, scratching his head in thought. "Not much, I guess you just kind of sit there..."

"Nani!" Kagome bellowed. "What kind of work is that?"

Inuyasha grinned. He wanted to say, "Boring work", but knew that it would be just one more reason not accept his proposal. Instead he said, "You get to listen to recording artists all day long."

Kagome considered this and concluded that it couldn't be all that bad. In fact, it sounded kind of fun. Cross that out...it sounded really fun. But, why then, did Inuyasha seem so reluctant to go? He made it sound as if work were the last place he wanted to be...and he worked at Takahashi's! There had to be some sort of flaw.

"Look," Inuyasha pleaded desperately. He felt as if she were going to change her mind at any minute. "I'll pick you up at 3:30 and take you to the Festival...that's what you want, isn't it?"

Kagome brightened at the mention of the Fall Festival but her happiness quickly dissipated. He made her sound like some sort of burden. And plus, was he trying to bribe her?

"Nah, I'll do it" Kagome snapped, feeling agitated. "You don't have to take me to the Fall Festival."

"Sounds good to me," Inuyasha responded cheerfully. Kagome sweatdropped as one eye was twitched with annoyance and disbelief. How dense was this guy?

"Moron" Kagome huffed, turning on her heels.

"Who're you calling a moron?" Inuyasha demanded, eager to start a fight. Kagome rolled her eyes and kept walking. How daunting...this was hopeless. She wasn't getting anywhere with Inuyasha. Maybe she'd have better luck at the festival...

:-:-:

After an additional hour of torture, four wearily eyed students made their way out of the lunchroom and towards the parking lots. Kagome snuck a couple of quick glances at Inuyasha. She didn't know why she was doing it, as it was becoming an infuriating habit.

"What're you looking at?" he growled. Kagome jerked her head to the side. She wanted to say something like, 'Don't be such a grouch', but vowed against it. She couldn't blame him for feeling a little pissed off. They had, after all, wasted a perfectly good afternoon.

"You guys wanna go grab a bite to eat?" Miroku glanced down at his watch and let out a low whistle. "We worked for over three hours."

"Oh, that sounds great!" Kagome replied. She looked over at Sango for consensus.

"No way!" The taller brunette shook her head forcefully. "I've got homework to finish!"

"Oh screw homework," Inuyasha barked, throwing the whole idea out the window. "You can always do it during class."

Kagome smiled wryly, "Maybe that's how you get it done."

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment, but came up with a witty comeback, one which he had the feeling would work in his favor…

"Don't you want to spend time with me?" Inuyasha bantered. That line alone did the trick as it had Kagome blushing a storm and mumbling under her breath about this and that. Sango rolled her eyes and half dragged Kagome towards her silver Pontiac.

"Sorry, but we're busy."

Sango was thinking smart; they had just spent, like Miroku said, over three hours working in a cafeteria. They reeked of sweat and cheap soap and the last place Sango wanted to be was near Miroku, who smelled just as bad.

"But..." Kagome whined. She remembered what Inuyasha had said a moment ago and growled in frustration. "Yeah, let's go home"

Inuyasha's smirk faded as Kagome turned away from him and furrowed her eyebrows. He let out a quite sigh before shaking his head. Miroku looked from Kagome to Inuyasha circumspectly.

"See you guys tomorrow," Sango said, letting go of Kagome's arm. The two girls turned and walked away. Inuyasha motioned for Miroku to follow him but the monk seemed too busy staring at something...

"Oi, let's go hentai."

Inuyasha made his way to his slick red corvette and fished for the keys in his black hoodie pocket. After pulling out two sets of keys, he smiled proudly at his car, showing the tip of a fang. Ah, sweet freedom...

Likewise, Miroku's attention was now centered at a shiny cerulean blue Cadillac XLR. He pressed a button on his pocket size control pad and the car made a clicking noise before a wave of white light emitted from the headlights. He looked over at Inuyasha and sort of nodded coolly.

A few yards away, Kagome looked at Sango and rolled her eyes. Boys.

Sango stifled a giggle before pulling out an assortment of keys. She flipped through them and selected a silver one. Kagome waited on the other side until Sango had unlocked the doors.

"What a day, huh?" she asked, grinning slightly. Kagome realized she hadn't told Sango about working at Takahashi's yet and she wanted to find a way to mention it. Sango looked at her curiously before answering.

"Yeah, I guess so."

Kagome smiled nervously before getting in. She plopped herself down on the passengers seat and examined herself in the mirror. Three hours of detention could do a lot to a person's appearance, especially one's hair.

"Do you think we should have gone with them?" Sango asked worriedly. She watched as the two cars began making odd noises. Inuyasha and Miroku were trying to outdo one another. "To dinner, I mean" she quickly added.

"Yeah, but it's too late for that now." Kagome answered, brushing the though aside. "Speaking of which, are you busy this Friday?" There, the question was out in the open! Kagome mentally applauded herself for having the courage to just say it.

"Isn't this Friday the Fall Festival?" Sango pointed out the obvious.

Kagome sighed roughly, feeling slightly agitated at having remembered her exact conversation with Inuyasha. She ran a hand through her raven hair and shook her head, flustered.

"Well yeah, but...before that, are you busy?"

Sango thought about it for a moment. School would let out early allowing the student council time to set up. Since she was a member of the chief society, she had to stay after and help out.

"Yeah, I've got student council" she concluded after a brief pause. Kagome's eyes widened at the reminder and she let out a loud, frustrated groan while burying her face in the palms of her hands. Sango started the engine and frowned at her friend's displeasure as she began to peel out of the parking lot.

"What's this all about?"

"I-I promised Inuyasha that we'd sub for him and Miroku" Kagome explained peaking out through closed lids.

"You what!" Sango roared, letting the car come to a complete halt. There was a loud squeak as rubber wheels were abruptly scathed against pavement. Kagome winced and gripped the edge of her seat.

"Don't kill me" Kagome pleaded, giving Sango the sweet and innocent look. "Let me explain first!"

"What's there to explain?" Sango seethed, her eyes narrowing darkly. "You are getting carried away with this whole, 'Let's transform Inuyasha thing!"

"Well didn't you want to change Miroku?" Kagome shot back hotly. She knew it wasn't much of a comeback but it was certainly enough to make Sango blush and settle down a bit. Sango held back the urge to shout, "Well, yeah!", and instead huffed angrily. Kagome took this as a good sign and continued.

"Like I said, continue driving" Kagome encouraged. Sango pulled out of the parking space and drove out of the nearly empty parking lot. Miroku and Inuyasha had long gone leaving Sango a little more at ease.

"Inuyasha and Miroku can't make it to work Friday." Kagome explained.

"You mean they're actually employed?" Sango joked, chuckling lightly.

"And he was wondering if we could cover for them" she continued briskly. "And I said 'yes' because-"

"Why can't they make it to work?" Sango interrupted sternly. For all they knew, this whole thing could be some sort of hoax or they could be making up the whole story just to get out of work of going to work. That seemed like something Inuyasha would do.

"Oh, because of extracurricular activities," Kagome explained. "You know how they're both part of the soccer team and Miroku swims..."

Sango nodded. She had heard rumors of how strict the coaches were and how Shikon High had a prestigious soccer team. They had lost only one game in the last two years. The athletes were only allowed to miss a certain number of meetings and the workouts were agonizingly long and excruciating.

"I see," Sango tapping her nails against the steering wheel. She eyed an oncoming red light. "So where do they work?"

"Get this" Kagome sat up straighter in her seat, trying to sound as honest as possible, "They work at Takahashi Studios!"

Sango stomped her foot on the brake pedal and turned towards Kagome in one swift motion, sending her long ponytail swooshing in the air like a whip. Kagome had expected nothing less and prepared for the oncoming assault of questions.

"What did you say?" Sango asked, managing to speak quickly but clearly. She had that sudden urge to stick a finger in her ear to clean out the cobwebs...but opted against it.

"They work at Takahashi Studios." Kagome repeated, holding in the urge to laugh at the incredulous expression on Sango's face. So this was how Inuyasha felt. She had to admit, it was sort of funny. Sango began to laugh shakily.

"That's funny Kagome," she said, giving her friend a playful punch on the arm. "So where do they really work?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and pointed to the traffic light. Sango gasped and hit the acceleration. There were several angry drivers so she sped up a bit. While driving, Sango briefly glared at Kagome through the inside rear-view-mirror. Kagome shrugged innocently, knowing it wasn't a lie.

"I'm serious" was her simple excuse.

Sango had known Kagome for many years and knew that every time she lied, she would constantly be in denial, changing her stories over and over again. When she was telling the truth, however, it would be terse and to the point. This was no lie, at least not a Kagome style lie.

"But...but how?" Sango demanded. "How could guys like Miroku and Inuyasha...get employed at a place like that?"

Kagome shrugged and shook her head. She certainly had no idea. Sango began driving on autopilot and it was a matter of minutes before they reached Kagome's shrine. Kagome got out, surprised at Sango's ongoing silence. She didn't ask as many questions as she'd hoped. Kagome wasn't even sure if Sango would come along.

"So can you do it?" Kagome asked, slinging her backpack over a shoulder. Sango smiled dryly before replying.

"We'll see...it all depends on whether or not I can find a replacement for Friday's Fall Festival setup."

Kagome grinned broadly and waved before climbing the steps to her house. Today had been such a long day and she was exhausted.

A/N: So, once again, the company name has been changed!