Chapter 20: I quit.
Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha
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A few weeks later
She quickly saved and exited the file. She opened up the internet and logged on to her email. Her eyes kept drifting back to the time on the corner of her laptop screen. She wanted to quickly get her notes to him before he found something better to do. She hadn't talked to Inuyasha in person for weeks now. He rode with his father and brother to every meeting and town. She had to ride with Rin and Ayame which was a bit unusual because Rin hadn't fully forgiven her yet, so they didn't really talk. She'd usually enjoy that, but given the circumstances she'd actually do anything to have Rin talk to her again.
Inuyasha hadn't gone to the meeting this morning. Which was the only reason she was getting the opportunity to see him. She only communicated with him through email and he didn't really reply back, he just listed things, and left one word demands. And when she tried to speak to him during the meetings; he made it more than clear he didn't want to have anything to do with her. She had been trying to win him back, but he didn't seem interested. Rin said if she followed her directions she could gain back his trust, but it didn't seem to be working. She wore everything Rin told her, she let Rin do her hair and makeup, but he always looked away when she walked through the door. He didn't seem fazed by any of it.
She quickly sent him some of the notes and files he missed today. She didn't know why he wasn't at the meeting, but she hoped he'd be in his room. The anticipation of seeing him made her heart skip a beat. Her blood began scorching and she couldn't stop the rumbling of butterflies that went crazy in the pit of her stomach. She took a deep breath trying to settle her emotions, if he was in his room, it would be the first time she had a face to face interaction with him in a while. She knew he'd be mad at her, but at least she'd get to talk to him. It hurt her deeply to know that he went through such great lengths to avoid her. He left each town early with his parents and brothers. He went to meetings extremely early to catch a ride with Sesshomaru and his father. It was all a bit extreme; it told her that she was severely underestimating how upset Inuyasha was with her.
She rose from her seat and gathered up both the hard copy of the notes she had taken and the files his dad passed over to her. She still had on a black pair of high-waisted slacks and a red button down blouse tucked into them. Rin had picked out her clothes; she had also bought new ones. She did everything Rin instructed her to. She incorporated an insane amount of red into her wardrobe because it was Inuyasha's favorite color. She wore her hair down because according to Rin Inuyasha liked it when she did. She did everything that should of gotten his attention but it didn't. He was still so angry; when she tried sitting by him, he never spoke. He just stared down at papers. When he wanted her to do something he'd just send an email. It was as if he was afraid to even make contact with her, it confused her, saddened her, and upset her all at the same time.
Today was going to be different, she kept telling herself that. She wasn't going to back down when he answered the door to his room, she was going to finally speak to him. She grabbed the papers and headed to the bathroom. She set them down on the sink and stared at herself. Her hair was down her back like usual. Her blouse was a very dark red with black round buttons. The slacks cinched at her waist and widened out at the bottom. She had on black ankle heels and dark red lipstick to match the shirt. She reached into one of the cabinets under the sink to grab the lip stick. The whole outfit was very eye catching and purposely accentuated her shape. Something Rin knew Inuyasha would like. She reapplied the lipstick and pushed some of her thick black hair out of her face. She took a deep breath grabbing her papers and heading to the door. She hoped he'd react positively to her. Sometimes Rin would ask her what Inuyasha's reaction of her was. And she had to always say he didn't really look at her, but now she'd be able to really see it. She wasn't too great at analyzing what people thought about her, but she'd try.
She opened the door to her hotel room and started down the hall towards Inuyasha's. She wondered a lot during the meeting what he could be doing. She hoped he wasn't sick. As she got closer she could feel her stomach twisting and added adrenaline rushing through her veins. She didn't understand why she got herself so nervous. She knew it wasn't healthy. If he didn't take to her she could feel her hopes dash down dramatically, yet she kept steadily building them up. For the last few weeks she always came into every meeting with hope. Hope that he'd smile her way or tell her she looked gorgeous like he used to, but each day he looked away right as she entered. She hoped that he'd be in the limo when they went from town to town or to every morning meeting, but he never was, but still she had high hopes. She felt like just washing off all her makeup, it wasn't healthy for her to build her hopes this high just so they could get dashed. But she knew she couldn't help it, she'd always do it, no matter what she wore or how much she wished she wouldn't. She loved him too much to just let it be over. She couldn't even fathom it.
She stopped at his door and walked slowly up to it. She gripped tightly at the pile of papers as she mustered the confidence to just knock on his door. Like always she could tell the door was already open. She could just push it and go inside, but she knew better than to do that. Instead she'd have to force herself to calm down. She gave herself a little prep talk. Telling herself even if he was annoyed or angry she'd just say it was business. She had a valid reason to be at his room now disturbing him. She knew she was probably the last person he wanted to see, but he needed the papers and it was her job to give them. She pushed the bundle of papers against her chest before lifting her arm to knock on the door. When she did the door opened a tad bit, but she reached forward and closed it. She didn't want him thinking she was intruding; she was his secretary and nothing else. Secretaries did not just let themselves in their boss's hotel rooms. She knocked on the door again but nothing happened. She thought maybe he wasn't there. She bit down on her lip as disappointment sat in. She should have just turned and left, obviously he wasn't there, but for some reason she stayed rooted in her spot. She didn't want to just give up on it. It would be the first time she interacted with him in a few weeks; she so desperately wanted to see him. She fixed her hair once more and stepped forward. She was about to knock again when she felt someone grip her shoulder. The feeling scared her to no ends and she screamed and jumped before turning around.
He had been standing behind her for awhile now. He ran to the store and was coming back when he saw her. He was planning to back track and leave again but something had him standing there. It was of course the same thing that had him avoiding her. For the last few days all his thoughts evolved around her. He had decided he was making the biggest mistake of his life. He wanted to desperately forgive her. But he couldn't see himself doing it, and he couldn't go back to the relationship they had before. In just a couple days she'd be on his brother's arm at the dinner, and then in a few short weeks she'd be gone, in another city working for his brother. So he couldn't see any way of going back to how they were before anyway. Not when the thought of her with Sesshomaru sat so prominently in his mind.
She had a hand on her chest trying to steady her beating heart. When he saw her fully his feelings raged and that anger he thought was gone came back. He had his hand on her shoulder and even though he felt a mixture of anger and jealousy he also felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt come over him. She had on red again; everything she wore lately had his favorite color immersed in it. She had bright red lipstick making her full lips pop. Her dark blue eyes shined under black eyeliner and her skin seemed unimaginably flawless. She was wearing more make up then usual which was the norm for her lately. It made her extremely perfect. It also had his brother taking even more of an interest and the client's as well. It seemed like whenever she came to a meeting she dressed to impress, he never looked at her initially. He waited till she was looking away to do it.
But now he was looking at her fully, her dark blue eyes widened when she saw him. Her perfect face scrunched into a terrified look, but as she let reality sink in she realized who it was, and her heart continued beating rapidly for a different reason. Her blood ran hot and she held her breath for a moment. He didn't say anything he just took in her face then looked past her towards his door. He wanted to go ahead and leave her standing there, but he of course wasn't going to do that. He did however walk around her to his door. She didn't say anything, she was too shocked. Too many emotions came bursting out at once.
He reached in his pocket grabbing his key card out and sliding it into the door. He could still sense her behind him but he didn't say anything. He was waiting for her to make the first move. He didn't see why he should be the one to speak first. She was the one standing at his door waiting for him, but she wasn't saying a word. It was all so odd, but it was Kagome, she was always a bit peculiar, but wasn't that one of the reasons he liked her. He opened the door leaving it open slightly he could feel her moving and he turned hesitantly to face her. "What do you want?" He asked bluntly. He could see the slight surprise in her expression but it disappeared quickly.
"I'm sorry…" She apologized, though he had no idea why. "I uh…you weren't here this morning." He raised an eyebrow that had her gulping. "I mean you weren't at the meeting. I brought some papers in. I also emailed…"
"Okay…I get it…" He said while pushing his door open. He widened it wanting her to go in. She didn't though she just stood there with the papers against her chest. He could see how tense she was. Her knuckles were a bit white and she waited in her spot like a scared child. "Go ahead and set it on the desk." He said and just like that she walked forward. He watched her as she entered his room, he almost didn't want to go after her. He didn't want to be left alone in a room with her. He had his eyes trained on her as she looked around. He hesitated taking her in from afar. His thoughts began to roam and those feelings came back in a rush, but this time they were purely physical. He walked into his room and set his grocery bag down on his dresser.
She hadn't placed the papers on the desk like he asked. She was instead standing in the middle of the room, the papers pressed up against her chest. He couldn't read her facial expression, her long black hair covered her face, but she was standing in the middle of the room just looking around. He closed the door behind him and just stared, waiting for her to say something or move, but she didn't. She just kept staring forward. He could see her tearing the corner of the papers little by little. She seemed so overly nervous, he had no idea why, and he couldn't bring himself to settle her. "Uh…the desk…" He said after awhile, and she turned to face him. Her eyes were widened and she looked over at the opposite side of the room taking in the desk he was referring to. She didn't move though. It didn't take him long to realize what she was staring at.
His suitcases littered the floor near the door. He was leaving today with his family again. There was no way he could spend hours in a limo with her, riding from town to town. He hated leaving with his family. They always left early and because his mom was still on the trip he'd always have to stop and go sightseeing. He hated it, he really only saw his family once for a few days a year, as soon as they stayed longer he could feel himself go crazy. He walked forward a bit and at the movement she turned to face him. "You…I can see you haven't unpacked yet?" She asked bluntly. It wasn't a conversation a boss and a secretary should be having, but he wasn't going to argue that aspect with her anymore.
"No…actually I'm getting ready to leave…" He said "The desk is right there…near the bed." He wanted her to hurry up and set the papers down and just leave. He wasn't going to start a personal conversation with Kagome, not anymore any way. She turned again to look at the spot he indicated.
"Sorry…" she mumbled while turning away from him and going towards the desk. "I just…" she hesitated suddenly. "So you're going to the next town right now…with your parents."
"Kagome…that's none of your business," he said and she nodded slightly. "If I need anything done I'll email you…"
"Everything's already done." She said. She could sense he didn't want her in his room, but she couldn't just sit down and allow that. It had been weeks, and she missed him like crazy. She could understand his anger, but it stung her ego and hurt her feelings to know he was trying so hard to avoid her. She couldn't bring herself to just set the papers down on his desk and just leave. She understood now why she was in a hurry to bring them to him. It wasn't just because she desperately wanted to see him. It was because she hoped maybe he'd begin forgiving her. Rin had forgiven her, not fully, but she was at least beginning to. "I just…I don't really understand…" she hesitated knowing if she said anything that had to do with their relationship then he'd dismiss it. "You'd rather travel with four other people then just…"
"Kagome…what I prefer to do or how I prefer to travel is none of your business."
"I know…" She said. At this point she was facing him again. He could hear the sadness in her voice. She also seemed extremely upset, likes something was bothering her. She obviously had something to say, the way she clutched at the stack of papers told him that. She was in no hurry to just leave. This was what he was afraid of. Though he had to admit he thought he'd be the one sadden to see her leave. He could see himself apologizing and forgiving her. "I just…it becomes my business." She announced while looking up at him. "I feel like it concerns me when you go out of your way to avoid me….honestly it hurts." She said and just like that his heart sunk. He didn't say anything he just stared at her. She was some ways away from him, but he felt the need to comfort her though he wasn't going to.
It was strange; he wanted to keep things professional though he couldn't. It was impossible, he didn't know how. If he couldn't bring himself to be alone with her because of emotional ties, than what the hell was he doing? He was lying to himself. "I know…" He said bluntly and she looked up at him again. I can't do anything about that…" He placed two hands into his pockets trying to think about what to say next. He had on slacks and a light blue buttoned down shirt. He hadn't gone to the meeting this morning so it had her thinking. Why was he dressed than? Apparently he had wanted to go, but changed his mind. He had the feeling that whatever it was it had to do with her. His hotel was surprisingly in order. She knew from sharing a hotel with him, he could be a bit of a slob. He never unpacked his clothes, but the ones he did wear were usually all over the place. He probably spent the morning packing up so he could leave with his parents.
"The best that I can do is…I can let you go." He said after awhile and he could see the confusion in her expression. "Kagome things aren't going to go back to the way they were…" He said. It was a thought he formed in his head a lot lately. "There not…so…I don't know…I know I'm not being professional, but I'm…I don't care."
Her heart sunk to the pit of her stomach and she felt all her nerves die down. She was beyond anxious now. She was just depressed. "Okay I understand that. You're never going to forgive me…" She mumbled causing him to shake his head. This was a conversation he promised himself he'd never have with her again.
"I'm not doing this…I'm not." He said while stepping forward. He wanted to get the stack of papers from her, but he stopped short. "I have to get ready to go…if you have anything to tell me…you know if its work related you can email me."
"Okay so I can never talk to you face to face?" She asked and he looked away. "I can understand you not forgiving me…but…do you have to hate me."
"I don't hate you…"
"You can't even look at me…" She said. He looked down at the slight anger in her voice. She was looking away, but her face had turned red. There was a long pause and she sighed, that's when he noticed she was almost to tears. So this was the real reason she came here for. He understood now. "It took less than ten minutes to get to the meeting….at the last town it literally took five. You can't ride with me for five minutes?" She asked. He didn't say anything, but he knew what she meant. When they arrived in town he even rode in the morning from meeting to meeting with his dad and brother. "All I did was agree to go to a dinner with your brother…before you asked me…before you were even thinking of asking me. That's all I did, and because I liked you so much I agreed to go with you…"
"Yeah well you also neglected to tell me, and you snuck behind my back and took a job with my brother…so…."
"Because I wanted to be with you…because you told me you couldn't be my boss and be with me…." She said and he realized what she meant. It all always came back to that stupid promise he wanted her to keep. Because he couldn't decide at that moment if he wanted to be with her. It was so funny how right now at that moment he was one hundred percent sure. She stared at him waiting for his answer but he wasn't going to give it to her. In the same way she was becoming a bit angry so was he. He was trying to avoid this, why was she making it so hard.
"Can you get out?" He said calmly. He knew what expression she'd have at that moment. She'd be extremely upset, and as much as he hated the idea that he could be the one to make her cry. He was done tearing up his insides on the subject. It was simple, the reason why he was angry. He should have been able to forgive her, but he couldn't. It went a lot deeper than just actions and who and what. He knew if Rin could even speak to her then he should have been able to do the same but that wasn't the case.
He walked over to his bags. He was ready to place them in his dad's limo. When he felt her on his back, she was standing behind him. It made him so angry because his emotions spiked and they surprisingly weren't hostile, they were intense and heated. The norm when he thought about her or saw her, he could never get his feelings in order. "I didn't come to upset you." She whispered.
"Then why did you come?" He asked making her pause. When he faced her he was surprised at how close she was. He wanted to so badly put his arms around her. "I obviously don't want to see you. I've been ignoring you right…so why did you come."
"Because I needed to talk to you…" she whispered and he stared down at her. She seemed extremely upset. She had her head down, staring at the papers in her hands. "Because…I wanted you too…I wanted you to maybe someday forgive me."
"Well when then?" He said. "When are you going to give me the time to do that?" He asked. It made her look up and he placed two hands carefully on her shoulders forcing her to back up. "I don't know if I'll ever forgive you, but I know honestly that…we…we're never going to be together." He said bluntly. "I'm your boss for only a few more weeks…that's it. We don't have any type of relationship. We didn't have one before either."
"That's not true…"
"I don't care. I don't care if we had something. I'm not arguing with you, but it's not going anywhere….and if you can't handle that then you can go home. You can leave." He said bluntly. "If you want….you don't have to stay here."
She stared at him for a moment and he finally smelled those pesky tears, and of course he was the reason behind them. She looked away from him. "I can't…I can't just go." She whispered and he just rolled his eyes because deep down he really didn't want her to. "So what you're firing me?"
"You're quitting…." He said bluntly and she just nodded. "You say you wanted to be with me and you quit to work for my brother…" He hesitated not sure if he wanted to reveal how he really felt. "I'm not firing you…I'm just saying if you can't handle it. If you can't deal with this arrangement you can go. You can go at any time."
"Really…" She said as anger lined her voice slightly. She played with the stack of papers before lifting them. He never let his eyes leave hers. "Don't do me any favors…." She said pushing the papers harshly against his chest. He grabbed them taking a step back at the force of her push.
A few of them fell to the floor and she backed away wanting to leave. He had nothing to say to her. He just bent over grabbing some of the fly away documents. "It's not my intention to hurt you." He said, but she was on her way out. He paused for a moment as guilt came over him. He had no idea why, but it did. "Wait…" He thought she'd just ignore him but to his surprise she stopped near the door. She had her arms cross, no tears had fallen but he could smell them. She was surprisingly good at holding back tears. "I know how you feel…"
"Save it." She said. "You don't know how I feel…" she shrugged. "I'd leave…I know you want me to just disappear, and I would…but the dinners this weekend." He nodded for a moment. She went for the door knob. She knew she had gotten a bit angry, but she was already offended. Inuyasha was treating her like scum, and then he had the audacity….the thought made her feel angry and sad yet pitiful at the same time. "And remember I have a date with your brother…" She said smugly knowing it would enrage him. And it did, because whatever words of compassion he was going to say it got stuck in his throat. "And after the dinner I'll leave…."
"Sounds acceptable…." He said calmly. He watched as she opened the hotel door and left. He waited a moment just staring at the door. She was gone only seconds before his anger came through completely. He kicked the suitcases near him and took a deep breath. He was pacing momentarily but he still couldn't simmer down. He grabbed the chair near his desk and threw it. It hit the hotel's wall causing a highly noticeable hole where the leg pushed through. The chair dismembered as well and fell to pieces on the ground. That didn't calm him though. He felt like punching a hole in the wall, he felt like strangling someone, he felt so many things.
So for the first time he could defiantly say he had lost her. She'd go off and be with his brother. He stopped pacing to sit down on the edge of his bed. He had no idea how long it would take for the pain to disappear.
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20
She quickly pulled out some money to hand to the taxi driver before slipping out of the cab. She had a huge smile on her face as she took in Kagome. Usually she didn't speak with her too much. She didn't want her thinking they were friends again, but after a few days of just coming over to coordinate her outfits, do her makeup, and just talk to her about Inuyasha. Things seemed a lot like how they used to be, and though she sometimes got a bit mad at the circumstances, she could literally say she had forgiven Kagome for the most part.
She went around to the back of the cab opening it up to get her stuff. She had a surprise for Kagome. She was one hundred percent sure this would make her extremely happy. She had been really depressed lately and nothing her or Ayame said or did could cheer her up. Usually she'd have something to say about the clothes she picked out for her, but now Kagome basically let them put anything on her. She never argued. She never really spoke at all. It was hard to stay mad at someone who seemed so down in the dumps.
She pulled out her suitcases wanting to put it in the back of the limo. It was around six in the afternoon and she knew Kagome would be getting ready to leave. She was very punctual when it came to time and scheduling. She grabbed a box from the back and with a huge smile she walked towards the open limo. Kagome was standing near the open the door, she looked extremely sullen. Her face an ashen gray, it made Rin's smile disappear completely.
"Kagome…." She said and just like that she looked up. She pushed her hair out of her face and faked a smile. She was wearing her trench coat, but Rin could tell she still had on something different from this morning. She was hugging herself and she put a hand up to say hi. She would normally ask her what was wrong, but something told her she already knew. Everything that sadden her revolved around Inuyasha. She probably saw him at the meeting again and he ignored her, that was usually the norm. Inuyasha was nowhere near coping with Kagome. Rin knew that, she knew Inuyasha. He liked to shove emotional things away instead of dealing with them.
She made her way to her and as soon as she came close she could tell she had been crying. She seemed to always be crying. She walked forward meeting her a little ways from the limo. Rin stopped thinking she'd do the same, but instead she went for her luggage. "Are you riding with me?" She asked knowingly. Usually Rin and Ayame rode with her, especially now that Inuyasha didn't want to. It was sort of a known thing. She knew this, she was just asking because something was bothering her, she didn't want Rin asking her what it was. "These are your things right?" She asked. It was another obvious question. She had seen Rin take them out of the taxi.
She grabbed a couple of the bags and turned around again going for the limo. Rin just watched her for a moment. She didn't say anything she just watched as she placed the bags into the back of the limo. She knew Kagome didn't want her to say anything, but she couldn't just let her mope around without knowing why. She had good news to tell her and she could tell Kagome wouldn't want to hear it in the current state she was in. "So uh….Inuyasha…" She could see Kagome tense at his name. "He ignored you again?"
"Uh no…he wasn't at the meeting today." She said and Rin threw her a confused look.
"Ok" Rin said with a short nod. She watched as Kagome closed the limo's trunk. "So why are you acting like someone stole your puppy." It didn't take an idiot to tell Kagome didn't want to talk about whatever had her upset. She never did.
"I'm fine…I'm just trying to pack everything up." She turned around to head into the limo. Rin followed and before she could say anything she moved around to face her. "Where's Ayame…?"
"She's riding with Kouga this time. Kagome you seem unusually sad today, if he wasn't at the meeting then what's wrong?" She asked and she just shook her head in response. Rin sighed loudly deciding to let the subject go. She still had great news. She hoped that would cheer her up. "Any way...I have good news." She said while going for the limo's trunk again. Kagome turned to watch her; she opened it up then moved some of her things around to get a rather large box. "Guess what this is?" Kagome narrowed her eyes in confusion, but it just made Rin widened her smile. "First I should probably tell you the good news." She took the box with her as she walked towards the limo. The chauffeur was back in his seat so she had to set the box down and open the door herself. As soon as she did she picked it up and slipped it into the long limo seats and took a seat near it. It didn't take long for Kagome to do the same.
"Okay…" She said opening the box partially. Kagome had her eyes trained on it. She didn't say anything, but she was slightly curious. "So after you went to lunch with the Takashi's…" Rin mumbled Kagome tensed up at the mentioning. They really didn't talk about the time things went completely wrong. "I was super angry at you…and sometimes when I'm angry or sad I draw designs." She pulled out a piece of laminated paper from the box. "Well this time for some reason I drew a gown…and Ayame sent it to my mom behind my back…usually I'd be really angry, but my mom actually loved it." She sat up in her seat trying to pass the laminated paper to Kagome. She was sitting across from her just staring while she talked. She did however grab the paper when it was passed towards her. "She's putting it in her gown collection coming up and I got her to make the prototype in your size. Perfect for the dinner…"
Kagome looked down at the paper and widened her eyes. It was extremely well drawn and detailed. She could make out a sleeveless gown that plunged down at the breast. It was tight around the abdomen but fanned out at the hips to touch the floor. In the background was another drawing of the same dress but from the back. It seemed like it plunged down as well, it was so extremely extravagant, but almost impossible to visualize in reality. "Wow…" she said turning the paper around looking at the back of it. "This is gorgeous…you drew this…"
"I didn't draw it…" Rin said pushing the rectangular box on top of her lap. "I designed it…." Kagome looked up at her and she connected the dots. She was already beginning to scrunch up her face so she could say something. "What…you don't like it."
"No…no…I love it…I do, but it's…it's so revealing." She said. It made Rin roll her eyes and Kagome turned over the drawing to show her. "Look everyone's going to see everything."
"Kagome this dress was made for you." that made Kagome pause. "I didn't tell my mom what color I wanted it, but look…." She paused for a moment and opened the box's top. The dress was sitting in it's entirety in the box. It made her widened her eyes, because though she couldn't visualize it from the picture she also couldn't picture it in reality. But everything came together when she saw it lying in the box in a bed of tissue. She didn't say anything which seemed to be the reaction Rin wanted from her. "Look…look at the color." She said, but Kagome had already noticed it. It was the one thing that had her so stunned by it. The gown was the deepest color of blue, and although the color was just stunning to Kagome, Rin knew how it would look on her. Her eyes would pop, it matched the color perfectly. Her skin would glow, and when she walked out into the room, all eyes would be on her…how could Inuyasha resist?
"I don't know…" She mumbled, but she did move forward. The limo began driving at that moment and she backed up suddenly. She seemed like she wanted to touch the dress, but before she could Rin closed the box. Kagome let her eyes stare towards it, she wasn't planning on telling Rin this, but she decided it was worth admitting. "I don't know...I should have told you this, but I don't think I'm going to the dinner." Rin narrowed her eyes as she set the box down beside her.
"What…"
"Inuyasha basically fired me this morning." She admitted and it made Rin widened her eyes.
"Wait…what…" She turned around wanting to grab her phone when Kagome sat up again.
"Well…he didn't fire me. He just told me that I could just leave…that I could just go home." The thought had her stomach flipping again. Rin stared at her for a moment. She didn't believe the story completely, but she didn't say anything.
"Okay…so when did he say this?"
"This morning…" She nodded at that. She wanted to pry a little more, but what good would it do. From what Kagome was saying Inuyasha wasn't reacting to her like she hoped. He didn't willingly try talking to her, which only told Rin that she was completely right. Inuyasha did absentmindedly love Kagome.
"You said he wasn't at the meeting?" She said, but she just shook her head deciding to cast that aside. "Listen Kagome…I know what I'm doing. Inuyasha doesn't mean anything he says okay." Of course Kagome didn't seem to believe her. "Okay you can go, but I'll tell you this. If you leave, how do you expect to be with Inuyasha? It'll be the last time you'll see him. You're moving right?"
She looked down at her lap and just shrugged. "Maybe that's not too much of a bad thing. He obviously doesn't want to have anything to do with me."
"Okay…maybe that's true, but give it till the dinner. Trust me…if he doesn't forgive you by then, then you can go home. I'll even come with you and help you pack your apartment up." She said, but that didn't seem to calm her. "Listen I've known Inuyasha since I was born…it's hard for him to admit his feelings but I have a plan."
"I just think if I stick around I'm causing more damage than good."
Rin shook her head…"No…trust me you're not…you just have to listen to me…do what I say. For instance if Inuyasha wasn't at the meeting how do you know he wants to fire you?" Kagome paused at that and Rin waited patiently. She already knew the answer, so Kagome went to see Inuyasha on her own. "You see what I mean. Don't go chasing after Inuyasha unless I tell you too. I have this whole plan, and I can't tell you what it is, but you just have to follow my directions." Kagome seemed a bit unsure. She always seemed hesitant whenever Rin schemed up some shenanigan. "Now as you can imagine my plan doesn't include you getting fired, so you can't just go."
"Well I'll be leaving eventually anyway…"
"Yeah I know but after the dinner…" Rin said and Kagome narrowed her eyes. She had a strange feeling that whatever Rin was planning on doing it heavily relied on the dinner. She wanted so badly to know what she had in store, but she decided against it. It would just have her extremely anxious. She also didn't think Rin would tell her anyway, even if she begged.
"Okay…" Kagome mumbled looking down. She took a deep breath and looked around the limo. Her bag was sitting on the floor near one of the doors. She leaned off to the side and grabbed it. Rin watched as she pulled out one of her binders. So she was going to work, hopefully some things would smooth over by the start of the dinner. She let her eyes wonder to her phone sitting in her purse. She grabbed a hold of it and sent a quick message to Inuyasha.
She wasn't expecting him to text back so quickly, but when he did she sat up. She wanted to know what he told Kagome. She also wanted to know why Kagome went to see him this morning. She couldn't just openly ask Kagome, first of all she probably wouldn't answer and it would have her second guessing again. And that was the last thing she wanted Kagome to do. If something ended up wrong, if Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to forgive her then there was nothing stopping her from feeling guilty for the rest of her life.
She had only texted him 'Hi' yet he seemed to already be in a lousy mood. He wrote back 'Can't talk now, headache.' She just sighed and looked up at Kagome. She had her binder open and was writing something in it. She wasn't going to bother her, but she had a few questions roaming through her head. "Uh…I'm going to move down hered." She said making her look up automatically. "I have to call…Ayame so…" She just nodded and went back to working. She didn't seem doubtful. Rin watched her for a bit longer before scooting to the opposite end of the limo. She turned her body around so Kagome wouldn't be able to see her directly. She then called Inuyasha. He didn't answer till the second ring and when he did he didn't say anything. "Hello…?" she asked and she heard a grunt on the other line telling her he was there.
"Why can't you just say hello like everyone else…" She whispered loudly. She looked up at Kagome quickly, but she didn't seem to notice anything.
"Rin…I told you I have a headache." He said looking around at his own family. His little brother was playing some hand held video game while his father was off to the side with his oldest brother talking about clients. His mother was reading a novel across from him, and just a minute ago his father had been pestering him to listen in on the conversation. He'd decline overtly but his dad wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. The whole exchange was making him extremely aggravated.
"I know…but I have something really important to tell you." She said and he sighed telling her she could continue. "So the dress came in…the one I'm wearing to the dinner…I wanted to know what color your tie and button down was?" She asked and Inuyasha narrowed his eyes for a moment. He wasn't in the mood to go over what he'd wear for the dinner.
"I'm not…I'm not getting into that right now." He ran a hand through his hair. Rin nodded then sighed, she of course really didn't want to speak about the dinner. She was looking for an opening to ask him about Kagome. "You know what let me call you back."
"Wait…um…I'm not done." She said he didn't say anything and she knew he was waiting for her to continue. "So uh… I know you have a headache." She said. "But before I go…can I just squeeze another question by you." She whispered and he grunted again. She was still trying to rack up a way to ask the question on the tip of her tongue.
"Rin out with it or I'm hanging up the phone." He warned and she cleared her throat.
"Okay…okay…I got it you're in a bad mood, but um….I just have to ask…" her voice dropped to a whisper and Inuyasha sat up momentarily. He automatically didn't like the tone of the conversation. He turned off to the side to spot his brother, he was looking down at some papers, and though it didn't seem like he was listening in he knew his brother well enough. He had this overwhelming feeling that the conversation would have a lot to do with Kagome. He dreaded the idea of that. He was desperately trying not to think about her, actually anything that had to do with their situation. "So uh I know this is going to upset you, but…"
"Let me stop you right there." He said, his own voice had dropped down to a mumble. "I don't want to talk about it." He said telling Rin he knew exactly what she meant.
"Okay so you know what I mean then? Is it true you fired her?" She asked. She wasn't watching her tone and Kagome looked over at her. She hadn't noticed it though; she waited for Inuyasha to say something. "Hey…" She said when he neglected to answer.
"Rin…I don't know what she told you, but I didn't fire her." He said. He took a deep breath. "I'm not talking about this. It's none of your business; you have got to stay out of my personal life." He said and Rin narrowed her eyes.
"When has it been your personal life, you're the one who's been pretending she's nothing more than a secretary for the last few weeks, now everything's personal?" She paused waiting for him to speak but he didn't. "Any way you don't have any cause to fire her."
"I didn't fire her….I'm the one trying to make things professional, if she doesn't like it she can go. That's what I told her." He said and Rin took a deep breath.
"Seriously…why would you tell her that…?"
"I'm not talking about this anymore. If she wants to actually leave tell her she needs to run it by me first. She's still under contract."
"Okay….no wait…I hope you know you're making the worst mistake of your life. If you let her leave she'll be gone for good. She'll pack her bags and move away. The next time you'll see her she might be married to who knows…and you'll wish you got over this whole little stupid stubborn patch you're going through." He moved the phone away from him wanting to hang it up, but he never quite touched the end button. She had just reiterated everything that was running through his mind for the past few days.
"So I take it" he stated after awhile. "You've forgiven her now?" He asked and Rin was a little shocked by the question.
"Yeah…I guess I have. I'm not stupid enough to hold some grudge over someone I never had…think about it. If I can get over it you can too…"
"Rin stay out of it really…" He said and before she could say anything else he ended the phone call. She heard the dial tone and looked down at the phone. He was the only snag in her plan. She knew he'd hold a grudge for awhile longer, Inuyasha was incredibly stubborn, but she didn't think he'd still be this angered. She slipped her phone into her purse and turned forward. She noticed Kagome looking her way, but she quickly looked back down at her binder. She noticed at that moment that Kagome had overheard everything she had said.
"Uh…my mom…I was talking to my mom. She's firing one of her designers." She lied and Kagome looked over at her again. She smiled before looking back down at her work. She obviously knew Rin was lying but she didn't have the spirit at the moment to talk about it. Rin watched her go back to writing before sitting back in her seat. She was really hoping she wasn't making things worst.
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20
(Rin heads into her hotel, around two in the morning)
She opened the door to the hotel room and peered in. The lights were on and sheets of papers littered the floors. She narrowed her eyes looking around at the mess and wondering where it came from. "Ayame" she called out, but no one seemed to be in the room. The woman at the front desk said she had already checked in. She pulled off her coat and set it down. She left the door opened wanting to bring the rest of her bags in. She turned around going for one of her suitcases when she spotted a few bags from a party store. She nosily peered inside and instantly the cluttered papers made sense. She grabbed hold what looked like a case of streamers.
She placed them back in the bag and headed towards a stack of invitations sitting on her bed. She didn't have to read through them to know who they were for. She just had to look at the huge '25' that littered the front. She picked one up and headed out of her room and towards the neighboring door to her left. She knocked a few times and waited for the door to open.
Before the person could say hello she squeezed herself into the room and just lifted up the invitation. "Who began planning for Inuyasha's birthday without me?" She asked incredulously. Kouga was standing near the door a bit puzzled at her intrusion. Ayame turned when the door opened; she was standing with Miroku at the computer. "Are you mailing these invitations out, they're atrocious."
"Thanks Rin…I stayed up for two nights designing them." Miroku said from his desk. Rin didn't seem fazed by that.
"Yeah…well they suck…and when are you planning on sending them out." She opened the invitation "…wait….when is this party? Inuyasha's birthday is in a few days?"
"Don't worry everything's under control." He said with a roll of his eyes. He was usually the one who set up the parties. He knew if Rin was involved she'd just make everything extremely refined and boring. Usually all he did was book a place and call up a lot of people. Rin had to have a band, catering, it all seemed like a waste of time and money. "I sent the invitations out a while ago…."
"How come no one told me…did anyone RSVP?" She asked incredulously.
"It's not that type of party Rin." Ayame said while taking a seat on one of the two beds. "Those are the extra invitations; we sent them out so people would know where the place is. All we need to do is decorate…it's going to be fun. Not too much work or…"
"I can defiantly see that…not too much thought or planning either." She mumbled which had Miroku rolling his eyes again. "So that's why you drove with Kouga over here… so you could plan this stupid birthday party…how long have you been working on this. A day…."
"Try over a month…the only reason why I came on the trip was to set up for this party." Miroku said and Rin narrowed her eyes. He could already tell she was going to say something smart regarding that. "If you don't like it then don't come…"
She ignored that statement. "Did you do any catering…?"
"No…we are just going to stop at a liquor store…" Kouga said and Rin rolled her eyes. She couldn't possibly deal with this and the whole Kagome and Inuyasha thing. First things first she needed to know when the party was. She looked back down at the invitation. It was planned for this upcoming Sunday at twelve A.M. That was Inuyasha's actual birthday; it fell on the weekend of the Dinner.
"Hold on wait…the dinners on Saturday…how am I going to be able to decorate if I'm at the dinner?" She asked and Miroku smiled knowingly which made her roll her eyes. "You think Inuyasha's going to want to spend all night at his father's dinner than party at all hours of the morning. When will he sleep…? All of this is really not thought up at all."
"Rin leave it alone okay…the invitations have been sent, the rooms been booked, everything's set. It'll be somewhat of a surprise party. Besides Inuyasha hates going to those stuffy dinner's he'll love to loosen up."
"In a tuxedo….?" Rin asked and Miroku just turned away from her. "I'm going to at least order some sort of catering…I'll call them tomorrow…shit so now I'm going to need something to change out of, oh and how about Kagome... the plan…Ayame, we have to get Kagome to lure Inuyasha to the party." She said quickly and Miroku turned at that.
"Wait…lure…I thought you were his date….I was just going to give you the address…"
"It's none of your business Miroku, but some of us have other plans that night…plans that don't concern you." She said and Miroku just gave her an annoyed look then went back to the task at hand. Ayame stared at Rin waiting for her to continue. "Why didn't you tell me…I told you what I was planning up…and you knew about this party thing…?"
"I found out late too…but I'm sure you'll think of something." She said which made Rin groan before turning out of the room. It was just something else to add on to her plate. She'd make it work though. She'd call the catering company see if they could whip something up in under a week. Then she had to run to the store and buy a tie and undershirt for Inuyasha that would match Kagome's dress, and then she needed to get herself a gold dress, which would be a challenge on its own. There weren't too many gold dresses that weren't heinous.
On top of that there was the possibility that none of this would work, and wouldn't that be a great birthday gift to Inuyasha. She stood at her door grabbing hold of one of her suitcases. She decided that if everything didn't work out at the dinner she'd just try to come up with some way to patch things up at his party. She'd also pick out a dress or an outfit for Kagome to change into as well. She took a deep breath, hopefully that didn't happen. She pushed in the remainder of her bags and headed to the bed closest to the door. She dropped down on it. It was already around three in the morning. Kagome would probably be getting ready for yet another meeting. How she managed to function with such little sleep was beyond her.
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20
She hurried out of the elevator and to the fifth floor. She wasn't exactly late, but she wouldn't have too much time to actually set things up before the clients came in. She was so exhausted, she tried to give herself at least thirty minutes for a nap, but she couldn't sleep. She just kept thinking of the conversation she overheard Rin have in the limo.
It had been the only thing on her head for awhile, that and the argument she had with Inuyasha. She wanted to so badly know what he said. What was his reaction, was he still angry? Did he respond positively or negatively? Did he maybe change his mind, the idea in itself made her stomach begin turning in complete anticipation. She walked down the hallway to the waiting double doors.
She had her bag in her hand and she set it down quickly in order to fix herself. She had on a black tube skirt that fit snuggly on her waist. She held them up with a skinny burgundy belt that matched the black and maroon blouse she was wearing. Her hair was completely down and out of her face with a black hair band. She took a deep breath and picked up her bag before opening the door.
Like usual all eyes went to her as she entered. To her surprise so did Inuyasha's. He wasn't sitting at the table like usual. He was standing over his father and showing him something. He looked up as soon as the door opened but when he realized it was her he quickly looked away. He stumbled on his words slightly trying to regain his thoughts. His father wasn't too interested in what he was presenting any way, his eyes were on Kagome.
"I'll uh…we'll go over it later." He stuttered and Inutashio looked up at him.
"No…it sounds like a good idea. You lead today." He said which had Sesshomaru looking towards them both. Kagome on the other hand had taken her seat near him. It wasn't something she usually did, but lately she sat closer to Sesshomaru. Inuyasha wasn't exactly speaking to her, especially after what she said yesterday morning. And she didn't like the isolated feeling of sitting in the middle of a conference table with more than two empty seats on both sides. She unpacked her bag like usual and ran through a folder of papers. "Good morning Kagome…" Inutashio announced which startled her. She looked up; Inuyasha had taken a folder of work from his father's view and made his way to her side of the table.
"Oh good morning…" She said with a small smile. He nodded and sat up as if he was going to say something else but Sesshomaru interrupted quickly.
"So Inuyasha's presenting to the clients today?" He asked calmly but he seemed excessively annoyed. "I
wish I had known ahead of time, because I do have something prepared." He said. His father sighed and turned away from her in order to speak to his oldest. She would have focused her attention on them but all thought disappeared when she heard the seat on her left move out. She turned quickly seeing him lay his papers down. Her heart began beating quickly but she didn't say anything. He sat down next to her and opened his folder.
It made her extremely tensed. Why would he sit right next to her, after everything? After their initial argument, after the conversation he had with Rin? She had to admit she thought he'd be a lot more upset. The guilt that she'd been feeling for mentioning Sesshomaru in their latest argument disappeared, and now all she wanted to do was speak to him. She didn't know if he was opened to that? Maybe whatever Rin told him yesterday had him more opened to forgiving her. He turned a few pages and then looked over some papers. She turned to her right looking over at Sesshomaru who was still arguing with his father. She couldn't follow anything he was saying though, all her attention was on Inuyasha, she should have been getting herself ready for the meeting, but she couldn't focus. She had her peripherals on him. She kept turning pages in her binder carelessly while keeping her eyes on him.
The argument ended after awhile with Sesshomaru just carelessly agreeing with his father. He sighed and grabbed a hold of the packet of papers he had. He put them easily away before turning to face her. She had all of her attention on his brother. Her head was down but turned secretly to face him, he was sitting unusually close today. He usually sat a bit away at the end of the table alone. He had overheard some of his conversation yesterday in the limo; he got the overall jest of it. Inuyasha was still extremely upset with Kagome, and because of that she sat away from him. For some reason he had chosen to sit next to her today. It had Kagome staring hopefully, but he was guessing the only reason why his brother had chosen to sit near the end of the table was to have better access to the clients, but if that was so then he could have sat two seats away from her.
"Good morning…" He said wanting to get her attention. He didn't but he got his brother's attention. Inuyasha turned slightly to look towards him, wanting to hear the conversation. But his slight turn only had him looking directly at her. She looked down quickly, looking at the table and straightening papers. He obviously noticed the exchange but he continued the conversation. "You look gorgeous this morning, the usual…" He said and she smiled up at him half heartedly. She wasn't wearing much make up, but the little she had on made her dark midnight eyes pop.
"Thank you…" She said quickly. He nodded but he had already moved his eyes away from her and was looking up at his tense brother.
"So are you set for the dinner this weekend?" He asked and she nodded a bit, he could obviously tell she didn't want to speak. She wanted to instead focus all her attention on his undeserving brother. "I actually wanted to speak to you concerning that." He turned slightly to face her and she sat up noticing. It pleased him somewhat to be able to push Inuyasha to the edge, especially when he was the one pushing her away. "If I could have your attention?" He asked and she turned to face him completely.
"Yeah…sorry…" She mumbled. He smiled reassuringly at her and at that moment one of the double doors opened allowing a few men to walk in. Inuyasha quickly got up. It was extremely premature making his father throw him a look, but a few seconds later everyone rose from their seats. They shook hands with the various people then took their seats.
She quickly went back to staring at Inuyasha who seemed to be gathering notes to present. Their father had the floor now and was introducing them and taking the lead. "So I thought I'd come pick you up at 9." Sesshomaru said and that stole her attention again. She turned slightly to face him. Inuyasha was of course listening intently; he was so involved with what Sesshomaru was saying he didn't notice his father calling for him to begin.
"Uh yeah nine sounds good." She said quickly. She went back to gawking at his brother when Inutashio excessive calling interrupted her yet again. She looked up at him; he was trying to get Inuyasha's attention. He was at the moment leaning closer to her then usual trying to over hear what her and his brother were saying. She narrowed her eyes in confusion before absentmindedly tugging at the sleeve of his light blue button down. He looked down at her with a mix of emotion that she couldn't quite diagnose, but it had her gulping and all her thoughts disappeared. It wasn't until he lifted an annoyed eyebrow did she knock back into reality.
"What…" he demanded rudely.
"I uh…I think your father…he's calling you." She mumbled he turned away from her quickly and Inutashio gave him a stern look. He understood immediately what his father wanted and he stood up in his seat waiting to begin. The whole exchange between them had Sesshomaru completely annoyed. He wasn't too defeated though; he had enough information to ward it off.
He let some time pass as Inuyasha took the floor. Kagome like usual seemed completely infatuated. He wasn't saying anything that was too profound, just stating facts. Inuyasha could be great at his job if he applied himself but he was nothing spectacular, nothing to gawk at. "Uh Kagome…" He said she gave him a quick look before setting her undivided attention back on Inuyasha who was passing out something to the clients. "It's about the dinner he said." And she nodded.
"Yeah…that's good…" she mumbled.
He rolled his eyes slightly at the reaction. "I uh…I couldn't help over hearing a conversation my brother had on the phone yesterday. I was wondering if everything was fine. I heard he might have asked you to leave the trip." That simple statement had her frozen in her spot. He let a small fragment of a smile show at her reaction. She turned to face him slightly and he dropped the grin for a concerned one.
"You heard him say that?" She asked and he nodded.
"Among other things, I'd love to fill you in on it all, but it's not exactly the time or setting for it." She seemed to agree slightly, but still concerned, "I was just thinking…if he's letting you leave you should go. You'll have more time to move out, settle in to the new city and…uh take the few weeks off for that family crisis you were telling me about."
"It's not a crisis." She reassured. "My older sister is getting married." He nodded though he didn't retain any of it.
"If you want I can have a contract faxed to you, I'll give you the extra time off with pay. So you won't have to worry about any of that." She turned again to face him. "If he's letting you go early as an employee the sooner the better, I can pick you up now." She seemed a little on the fence about that. He knew his brother had given her an ultimatum. It was of course a decision she didn't want to have to make. She loved him and if she left she didn't know when she'd see him again. He knew already that she was still deciding on if she would leave or not, but it would benefit him greatly if she did. She'd be away from Inuyasha and able to maybe get over him. He seemed like he might be on the eve of forgiving her, and he needed to try anything in his power to not allow that to happen. "Is there something wrong…I'm a bit hazy on why he's allowing you to go."
"It's nothing…" She lied. She was looking down at the table now and purposely letting her mass of hair cover her face. He didn't say anything he let his eyes follow his brother's moving figure. He was talking about statistics, he didn't seem very interested in what he was saying, but he had one simple idea, and with that their father was willing to change up everything and let him take the lead. The whole thing seemed idiotic, but he was tired of arguing about the obvious.
"Well whatever it is I think you should think about it, honestly…it will do more good than harm, you'll have some time to adjust, I mean you will be taking on a new position, you could get prepared for that."
"Yeah of course…I just don't know…I'll think about it."
"Of course, take all the time you need, just make sure if you do decide to go it's after the dinner. I do need a date." He joked and she just smiled half-heartedly. She turned to face the front again; he knew what she was planning. She was hoping that she could patch things up with Inuyasha. That was something that he could not exactly allow, so he moved his seat closer to hers and cleared his throat loudly. It got her attention but for a split moment it happened to also get Inuyasha's.
He finished whatever he was saying and his father moved in to take the floor. He went back to the other side of the table and sat down. He looked forward in what seemed like complete concentration but of course wasn't. All of his attention was on Kagome. He had to admit after what she said yesterday morning he was extremely upset, but after talking to Rin he had time to let some things soak in. She had been talking to Sesshomaru since he began his presentation. He told himself he shouldn't care. But of course he did, it enraged him to no ends, he tried to keep himself busy with actual work, but his thoughts kept creeping back to her. He was completely invested in her entirely and even though he had made a presentation he couldn't even focus enough to see if it had actually worked.
The conversation she had been having with Sesshomaru ended as soon as he took his seat which caused a bit of his jealousy to rage. She was now facing forward awkwardly; her stomach in knots just because he chose to sit down near her again. She stared forward at Inutashio but all her attention was on him and when he moved just slightly she sat up. It wasn't until the clients began to speak did she feel the need to say something. Maybe he was in a better mood? Maybe he forgave her a little, he did sit near her. She cleared her throat and leaned slightly to the side. "Good morning…" She whispered and he turned to face her a bit. She wanted to apologize for yesterday morning, but she knew he probably wouldn't respond to that. She wanted to ease things between them. "I thought your presentation was really convincing."
He didn't reply but he wanted to. He really did, he wanted to show that he wasn't fazed by what she said. He also wanted to take Rin's advice. He didn't usually hold grudges but for some reason he couldn't shake this one. And seeing her talking with Sesshomaru wasn't helping in the least. He did somewhat muster up a few words. "There were major holes in it."
To say she was shocked to have an answer was an understatement, but she managed to muster up a smile. She was of course gorgeous, when was she not? Her whole disposition made him feel guilty for some reason. He sort of wanted to apologize to her for what he had said during their argument. He knew this wasn't an acceptable feeling, but he couldn't help it.
"Well it seemed to do the trick. I think they'll sign." She whispered. He thought that over. He wondered sometimes why she went through such great lengths to win his affection. He understood that she cared for him, but after what he did to her yesterday he would have thought she'd keep her distance, but she didn't. He was beginning to understand the extent of how much she cared. He couldn't deny he felt something, after the damage he left in his previous hotel room.
He didn't say anything right away, but he planned to. It was as if his brother sensed they were on talking terms and he didn't hesitate to get her attention again. He called her name and she turned. He had no idea why that made him so angry. Maybe it was because he could still hear what she said before leaving his room yesterday. He had tried to let that go, especially after what Rin had said, but seeing her speak to Sesshomaru just made him even angrier. He kept telling himself it didn't matter like he had said before he would never have anything with her. At the moment Sesshomaru was informing her on something business related, it had nothing to do with what was currently going on. Of course that just heated him up more. It also reminded him that Kagome had agreed to work for him. It was one of the things that always held him back when it came time to put things behind him ultimately.
Their father had rested his case and called on Sesshomaru to take the floor. He was of course pleased and gathered his things before standing up. As soon as he left his spot she wanted to continue her conversation with Inuyasha. "So uh…about yesterday…." She mumbled. She wanted to ignore it, but she felt as if she should give him a brief apology.
"I'm trying to pay attention to this?" He lied. He had no interest in speaking about what happened yesterday, and at the moment he didn't really want to talk to her at all. Just seeing her speak with Sesshomaru reminded him why he had been angry in the first place.
"Oh…okay I completely get it. You don't want to talk about that …uh…" She searched her mind for something else to say. "So why present today…you usually don't create a presentation for the clients."
"I didn't mean that." He said which confused her slightly. "I mean I don't want to talk at all…so please." That halted her completely in her spot for a moment. She was struck confused again…it seemed…she could have sworn things were going good. She watched as Sesshomaru began on his usual topic about profit and increase sells. He didn't take any other approach when it came to convincing a company to sell out. She waited till the clients responded to take notes, but every so often she'd look up at Inuyasha who was just staring forward. Her feelings weren't really hurt from the outburst. She had enough cold shoulders from him to be able to keep her emotions at bay. She did wonder however, what she did wrong this time.
"Is something wrong?" She asked after awhile. There were times when it came to Inuyasha where she could never leave well enough alone, especially if it had to do with his attitude towards her or his feelings. That's what being in love with him did to her. It kept her over thinking and analyzing everything he did. It had her hoping he'd forgive her even when he made it clear he wouldn't. She just couldn't help being persistent, she didn't want to hear no. Not when at first, before any of this happened he seemed to genuinely care for her.
"Kagome…" He said sternly. It was a firm warning disguised as a whisper, he obviously wanted her to stop.
"I'm sorry I just felt like…well you didn't seem to be in a bad mood before…"
"Well now I am…I've told you already. You remember… I don't want this sort of relationship with you. If you can't accept that then…"
"I understand…I get what you said but I didn't know I couldn't even talk to you…" She mumbled interrupting him. She looked down at the papers in front of her as her heart sunk. She let her eyes skim Sesshomaru, his proposal still fresh in her mind. Obviously she couldn't do anything right, he was never going to get over what happened. He moved away from her slightly which stung her ego a bit more. She clenched her jaw and that feeling she had of complete anger came back. The same anger that had her spatting those uncharacteristically rude remarks yesterday morning before she left. "You don't leave me much choice you know…" She whispered. "How can you possibly be my boss if you can't even…?"
"I can speak to you but it can't be personal, and it can't be now…."
"Then when." She asked, he sighed loudly for a moment before putting his hands on a few of his things. She already knew he was planning to get up and leave. That's how he handled most of his emotional problems. She stood up before he could, causing Sesshomaru to halt whatever he was saying to turn and face her. A few of the clients did as well and she threw a fake smile their way. "Don't mind me…continue." She said while gathering her things. She leaned down to grab her binder. "Don't bother leaving I'll do it this time." He looked away from her as she organized her things. "And by the way…I quit…" She announced. He turned to face her, his eyes wide in alarm. He looked like he might have wanted to say something, but she had already turned her back on him…
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20: next chapter is the dinner!