The First Time isn't Always Everything

Chapter 6

The violet eyed man flashed a wide smile. His perfect white teeth showed, giving him a strange look. He stood up from the desk he was seated at and walked around it, coming to greet the people that had just entered the room. However, his eyes roved downwards, glancing over the appearance of the woman that stood before him. "Well, hello," he said smoothly.

Kagome glanced at Miroku strangely, shaking her head. 'He is such a pervert,' she thought. "Hello, Miroku," she responded, walking further into the room. The tall man behind her followed silently.

"Please, have a seat, Miss Higurashi, Mr. Tashio," he said, ushering them forward. But, as Kagome walked past him, his hand lowered, noticeably traveling towards Kagome's butt.

"Hey!" she screeched as his hand came in contact with her body. She whirled, staring at him with wide eyes. "What did I tell you about doing that?" she said, frowning at him and crossing her arms in front of her chest.

A growl from Sesshomaru caused her to turn away from Miroku. Sesshomaru's eyes were narrowed at the dark haired man. He took a step closer to Kagome, as if asserting his claim over her. "Monk, it would be wise if you refrained from doing that in the future," he said coldly. Miroku's deep gulp could be heard from all.

Kagome snorted and turned away from him, rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't worry so much about him if I were you," she said cryptically.

"Huh?" Miroku asked. "What could be worse than that?" he said, not caring that Sesshomaru was in the room and still glaring at him.

"Oh, because I think that Sango's reaction would be much worse," Kagome said with a wicked smile. Her eyes danced. She sauntered forward to a chair, leaving a fear stricken Miroku behind her.

"You really wouldn't do that, would you, Kagome?" he asked fearfully.

"Who is this Sango?" Sesshomaru asked, moving gracefully to stand behind Kagome.

"My girlfriend," Miroku answered with a sheepish grin. "My hand merely slipped. I swear! There really is no need to tell Sango of this matter. It was merely a misunderstanding!"

Narrowing his eyes, Sesshomaru growled slightly in warning. "Ensure your self that this will be a mistake that does not happen again," Sesshomaru said coldly. When Miroku's eyes turned to him with a raised eyebrow, curiosity apparent in his eyes, Sesshomaru continued. "There is no clause in your contract that states that you may harass a client."

Miroku gulped.

"So," Kagome interjected, feeling the notable discomfort in the room. "What was it that you needed to talk to us about?"

He let out a small sigh of relief at Kagome's words. It was obvious that Sesshomaru was in a fowl mood, one that Miroku did not want to push anymore than he already did. Although he had seen his boss in many fowl moods, there was something different about this time. Miroku did not know what would have happened if Kagome was not there… or just how much more severe his warning would have been. It seemed that he would have to be more careful around Sesshomaru, especially in matters that dealt with his woman. He flashed Kagome an appreciative glance and mouthed a thank you before heading around his desk and taking a seat in his chair.

"I received a call from a Miss Yohiko this morning," Miroku began. "She is Kouga's lawyer for this case."

Kagome groaned. She had forgotten that Kouga was going to be just as stubborn as Sesshomaru in this matter. There would have to be some way that he could be persuaded into settling outside of court. The problem was how. If he still did not get that she would not be his woman, then she did not know what method would be good enough to penetrate his thick skull. However, she had a hunch that she was the key to it all. "Oh, Kami," she muttered.

"What did this Miss Yohiko mention in matters of defense for the fool," Sesshomaru bit out.

"Well," Miroku began slowly, carefully watching Sesshomaru, mentally noting his reactions and choosing his words accordingly, "She feels that Kouga should agree to settle outside of the court. She has no real desire to take this matter before a judge."

"It seems that she is much more intelligent than her client," Sesshomaru said. "I approve of this. We will settle outside of court."

Miroku laughed nervously. "Well, you see, that is part of the problem."

"Oh geez," she muttered. "How did I know that this was going to happen?"

Sesshomaru tossed his eyes down to glance at Kagome. "What is the problem?"

With a sigh and a weak smile, Miroku said, "Kouga hasn't agreed to settle outside of court yet. Actually, he doesn't even know about it. Miss Yohiko suggested it on her own, knowing that they would surely lose the case against a powerful person such as your self, Mr. Tashio. But it seems that Kouga is quite stubborn, and she requested help to find an… incentive to persuade him."

At Miroku's words, Kagome slowly lifted her blue eyes to glance at Sesshomaru. The tall, regal man was staring straight ahead, his golden eyes focused upon Miroku still. He said nothing, but Kagome could see the tenseness of his muscles as well as the taught drawn lines of his face. There was no doubt about it; Sesshomaru Tashio was not happy with the situation.

In an attempt to help spare Miroku from Sesshomaru's awful mood, Kagome stood, effectively breaking their eye contact. She did not see Sesshomaru frown behind her. "She's going to talk to him about it, right?" Kagome asked hopefully, sending Miroku a pleading look. However, she stopped when she felt two strong hands come upon her shoulders. They pressed slightly, gently but firmly pushing her back down into the chair. Closing her eyes briefly, she allowed herself to lower, knowing that resisting would be worthless.

"It seems implied," Sesshomaru said coldly, "that you and Miss Yohiko have already discussed a solution to make that imbecile come to our terms. Am I correct?"

Miroku's eyes widened slightly at Sesshomaru's words. He was walking into a death trap, wasn't he? Regaining his composure, he replied, "Why of course not, Mr. Tashio. That is why I asked you to come here today; so I could gain your input on how to handle the situation." 'Smooth one,' he thought proudly.

However, Sesshomaru still frowned as his grip upon Kagome tightened slightly. She gulped silently as she waited. "And is that your reasoning for requesting Kagome's presence as well?"

"Of course it is, Sir. She seems to know Kouga the best, so it would only be logical that she would know how to entice him," he stated with a grin. "And besides, she is quite beautiful to look at."

"Stupid idiot," Kagome muttered as she winced.

"Miroku," Sesshomaru hissed dangerously.

"Just kidding!" he quickly answered sheepishly. "I was merely trying to lighten the mood!"

"Well," Kagome interjected, trying to shift the focus of the conversation back to the subject at hand, "I don't know how to get him to come. We all understand that he is dense and that there is nothing really in that head of his. I don't think that words will work."

"Hmm," Miroku said. "I think that you might be right. Perhaps we need something stronger."

"And I assume that you are going to use this opportunity to suggest that we use Kagome to lure him to the settlement," Sesshomaru said, his golden eyes hard.

The lavender eyes darted to Kagome's face, looking for any signs of warning from the girl. Her eyes were shut, though, leaving him on his own to gage the situation. "It would be the best solution. Kouga has a soft spot for Kagome, so naturally, at her request, he would…"

"No."

"But, Sir…"

"I said no, monk. Is there something wrong with your hearing?"

"Sesshomaru," Kagome whispered.

"You will find another way, Miroku, if you wish to keep your current position. I have no need for employees that cannot develop adequate solutions to problematic situations."

Miroku's normally relaxed demeanor immediately changed at those words. It was easy to see that he was displeased, and even somewhat threatened, but what was most shocking was the irritation that flashed through his eyes. "Sir," he stated firmly. 'Oh, Kami, I am going to pay for this later.' "I don't think you fully understand. Kouga is dead set on taking this to court. She is the only one that would be able to talk some sense into him, she's the only one that he would listen to. Better yet, I would think that he would show merely because she is there." He paused for a moment, taking in the furious face of Sesshomaru as he growled in warning. 'I better make this closing good,' he thought. "Besides, I think that this would be a perfect opportunity to note to Kouga that Kagome is indeed not his fiancé, nor is she seeing him in any way. Don't you agree?"

"I do not agree, monk," He hissed back. "My claim is already stated and the fool will deal with the consequences if he is foolish enough to push the boundaries."

This time, it was Kagome's face that lit with anger. With a shrug, she wormed out of Sesshomaru's grasp and rose to her feet. She twirled to face him, her raven hair crashing against her cheeks as she moved. The blue eyes, usually full of life, sparked with challenge and anger. "Your claim?" she questioned. "I think that you are forgetting that I am a person, not property. I happen to agree with Miroku. This situation is affecting me as well, in case you have forgotten. Don't you trust me to do it? Are you afraid that I am going to leave you for him? Is that the problem? Well, I'll tell you what. I am going to get that numbskull to the settling whether you like it or not."

"Kagome," Sesshomaru growled. "You will do as I say. It is for the best. I do not want you around that worthless male unless I am present."

"And you need to calm down. I can handle it. Stop being so insecure."

"I am far from insecure, woman."

"Then you should act like it."

"You are not going."

"Oh, yes, I am!"

"Kagome…" Miroku cut in hesitantly.

"You will not go alone. I will accompany you."

"Like hell you will! You two will just end up fighting and making the situation worse," she said in defiance.

Sesshomaru scowled at Kagome. She was being difficult and he did not approve. Did she want to be around the male? At that thought, he held back a growl in his throat. What was she up to? "You will not go unaccompanied," he said as a command. "You have two options, Miss Higurashi. Either you will perform this action over the phone or will call your agent to take you. Make your decision." And with that, Sesshomaru turned on his heel, striding from the room and leaving Kagome and a surprised Miroku in his wake.

The silver haired man grumbled as his phone began to ring. His amber eyes turned from the TV to glance at the cell phone, which was moving slightly due to vibrations, on the coffee table. He stared at it as if his gaze would make the object stop. It did stop, for a moment, before the sounds of his ringer began to play once again.

"God damnit," he muttered, picking up the phone. "What?" he growled into it.

"Good afternoon to you too, Yasha," a light-hearted feminine voice responded.

"Feh. I'm trying to watch a movie here, Kags. It had better be important."

"You would rather watch a movie than talk to your friend?" she asked with a small laugh.

"I can talk to you whenever, wench. This movie is only on for another hour," he said, taking a hand up to scratch his head.

"Have you ever heard of movie rentals?"

"Fuck, woman! What is it already?" Inuyasha yelled into the phone, annoyed with her valid point.

She laughed at him once again. "Calm down, Yasha; it's not the end of the world. So, tell me, what are you doing later today?"

Inuyasha was quiet for a moment, furrowing his brows as he took in her question. 'What is this wench up to?' he thought. "Feh, like I plan that far ahead. Why do you want to know?" he said.

"I need you to do me a huge favor."

"I am not going to feed that damn cat of yours again so you can spend the night at Fluff 'n Stuff's again," he retorted with a huff.

"No, no, no. I need you to go with me to Kouga's."

"Fuck no!" he shouted, rising off of the couch. "There is no way in hell I am going there! Do you want me to get in trouble with Fluffers again?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled back, agitation evident in her voice. "This is important. And besides, your brother was the one that wanted you to do with me. If you don't, he will be royally pissed off," she pointed out. After a pause, she continued, "Anyway, you owe me for saving your ass the other day."

"Feh, I don't owe you anything," he responded, pacing slightly. "I don't know, Kags. I really don't like that asshole."

"I'll make you lots and lots of ramen," she tempted.

Inuyasha paused in his movements, weighing the options in his mind with a scowl. He let out a sigh and slapped his hand over his face. "Alright," he muttered with reluctance. "But it had better be a shit load of ramen!"

TBC…

A/N: Sorry about the long wait for this chapter! I am starting to get swamped with assignments. I know that it isn't very eventful, but I was having a lapse of creativity. I promise that it will get more interesting, I swear! But, anyway, I hope that everyone likes it and I want to thank everyone for the wonderful reviews and support of this story. Thanks a million! Let me know what you think and hopefully I can update soon.