AN: Sorry that the last chapter was so short. There were some mistakes, too. I'll repost it later though, all nice and polished.

"You know I'd like to keep my face dry today. So stay with me and I'll have it made…"

It'S nOt

sANe chapter 4

She had looked perturbed, then understanding and perturbed, when I explained (quite poorly) my reasoning behind having her go to the gala with me. Most parts of it had been true. I'd get to the rest of the parts at some later time, when I trusted my sanity a bit more.

The next few days were…odd. Maybe it was just the fact that things had been running too smoothly for too long. Murphy's law. Maybe I was just at that point where I knew something bad ought to be happening and it just wasn't. Had I brought this all upon myself? What, was I kidding? I'm not an idiot. Things all started going downhill that one week, and had only gained momentum. It wasn't me. It was Onigumo, Higurashi, and my past secretaries. Or was it?

Oh, what the hell was I going on about? What was this, some sort of midlife crisis for the non-midlife man? Was I supposed to be having an epiphany? All that was sure was that if I didn't have one soon, someone was going to get one shoved up their-what was wrong with me?!

I don't lose control. I am Taisho Sesshoumaru, and I am above losing my control and breaking apart like other lesser people.

"Taisho-"

"I've found the source of the problem. It all began with the stapler. The stapler brought it on. It's the only reasonable explanation," I muttered to myself, unaware that Higurashi had walked into my office.

"Uh, Taisho?"

"Yes, it is only reasonable. After that damn stapler, it was the secretaries, then the losing of those deals and contracts…"

"Sesshoumaru!!!"

I looked up slowly, finally aware of Higurashi's presence.

"What is it, Higurashi? I'm busy now."

She looked at me with the positively oddest expression I had ever seen. Like one of those anime things with their weird sweat drops and veins that they're always sprouting.

"Um, as deeply rooted as your hatred may be for office supplies," she looked pointedly at the dismembered stapler on my desk, "I think it might be a good idea for you to take a short coffee break or something." she looked at me, scrutinizing.

"Are you implying that my mental capabilities are failing?" I raised an eyebrow and she shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess so."

I snorted. "I have run this company more successfully than it ever has been for years, Higurashi. It will not deter me now."

"I'm just saying, maybe you should take a break every millennia or so."

Millennium…? Was she being smart with me? I was not in the mood.

"I am perfectly fine."

"You're a workaholic."

"I most definitely am not."

"First sign-denial."

"Higurashi, I really have no time for-"

"It's Sunday."

Ah. I lost. Of course, she was right. But I wasn't about to admit to her that I was a workaholic, even if I was the best workaholic modern Tokyo had seen.

"Then what are you doing here, Higurashi?"

Yes, a good solid sentence. One that could be as harmless as a question of concern, or satisfyingly mocking and domineering. Whichever way she took it (most likely the second way), would benefit me.

"Making sure you don't lose it." She beamed at me, her smile obviously over-exaggerated. There was an uneasiness in her actions, and a hint of pleading. Had I become such a person? Yes, but I had never really minded it before. But more, why would she care even in the slightest if I were a workaholic? Could she possibly have been worrying about me? I cringed. Great, just what I needed. A nosy secretary.

"Higurashi, you over-dramatize everything," I replied stilly, hoping she would understand my meaning, because I didn't.

"Good! Let's go to the coffee house down the street!" She grinned, snatching my briefcase while marching out of the office.

I realized when she said that, that she had produced the answer I needed. The truth was, I wanted to get the hell out of that damn office and I wanted to go get a coffee, and I wanted to not want that. But she had seen through the last little difficulty. This woman was either clairvoyant or I was truly becoming very, very sick. Since when had I wanted to not work? At a normal work time of day?

I growled under my breath, but in truth, was slightly amazed at her very forward actions. I followed dumbly and grumpily as she walked right out of the building and onto the busy streets of Tokyo.

She really did have an idiotic smile. Too bad it was actually pretty once in a while.

I had to get out of that damn office! I had to get him out of that damn office! Inuyasha had somehow gotten hold of my number and left a message the night before, saying that he would come in to work the next day (Sunday, I guess he knows Taisho's insane work schedule) to talk to Sesshoumaru and myself. Obviously, I was a bit....panicky and most definitely overreacting, but I wanted nothing more than to get Taisho out of there before Inuyasha showed up. I just couldn't deal with it right at that time. And, truthfully, I really didn't want Taisho to know about Inuyasha and myself.

So I told a little white lie of sorts. I convinced Taisho that his workaholic self would crack under the stress, with a bit of difficulty (for a person could not possibly miss the fact that he would be a hard person to crack). So sue me.

Taisho had wanted to drive-he just loved showing off in his corvette, I was sure-but I insisted that we walk. After all, Inuyasha would be driving and more likely to see us pass him if we were also driving. When you walk, you can blend with other people. Blending is good.

"It will be good for us to walk. I could use the exercise and you could-" I stopped short as I glanced at his hard body. He obviously had a nice body under that business suit of his. I wondered how he found time to work out with all of the workaholic factor and all. But he was a rich bastard; he probably had his own gym or something. Complete with Swedish Masseuse name Helga, and all.

I realized when we got to the coffee shop that we had come talk-free, and thankfully, Inuyasha-free. But I felt a bit ashamed for interrupting Taisho's work to help with my personal crisis. So I said the first thing that came to mind.

"Do you ever sleep?"

He looked a bit surprised. He'd probably forgotten I was there, and was was probably fantasizing about corporate spending or something like that.

"Yes, I do," he stated calmly, his attention slowly shifting from the coffee resting on the table in front of him, to me. For some reason, a certain intensity always seemed to come from his eyes that made me feel jittery and nervous, like I was being scrutinized. Again.

"Every night?"

"Generally," he said it with such a bored tone that I almost wanted to hit him with and alarm clock. I maintained composure, however. I pride myself on maintaining a professional air when it is needed.

"Do you have insomnia?"

"No."

"Do you worry about Rin?"

"She is capable of sleeping without dying, I assure you; she doesn't require my constant vigil."

"Where's her mother?" There, I said it. A question that had been eating away at me for a while. So he had a cute little daughter that was far too old for her age, but where was the cute and far too young of age mother?

"That is most definitely not of importance or business to you. It is a matter of myself and Rin."

His voiced changed suddenly, ricocheting between anger and something a bit different and deeper, almost like sadness. I wondered why the two emotions seemed so often to corresponded. At any other time, I would have poked and prodded and annoyed, but this day was just too….this day. For some reason, the drizzly gray sky that hid the fact that it was early afternoon made me feel a bit less like fighting and more like plopping in front of a fire to sit and read in peace.

"I see. I respect that." Perhaps he did not take for granted the fact that I did not protest, after he sat looking ready for me to say more.

"Where is she going to school," I sad softly, sipping my coffee once then stirring it absentmindedly. Perhaps if anger did not work on him, the opposite would. He seemed a bit shocked, or either his mind was focused elsewhere. But, amazingly, he responded with a sigh that I could not hear, but could feel.

"She attends a private school on Okinawa. I thought it would be good for her to see different parts of Japan and build some independence. If I have the correct means, I will send her traveling after she completes all of her studies. I believe striking out on one's own is essential to becoming a capable and established person."

I found myself nodding, shocked. He had just said as much as he ever had to me in one single amount of time and it was all about…his daughter. Maybe, just maybe, I had underestimated him…

"I definitely understand your reasoning behind that, but don't you think that at such a young age, it's just as necessary for her to learn a little bit of dependence? I mean, after all, a person without other people is nothing. We build the basis for our lives on what we learn from those we depend on in the earlier stages of our life. I agree to no end that later on, I think all of us should strike out on our own for a bit, but just as independence is a necessity for life, so is dependence. Sometimes we have to rely on others, to get a foot on the ground. A person who can only take advice from their self is no genius, but merely a wise fool.

Plus, you're her dad. No matter what you say, you will never convince me that a daughter does not need her father. Trust me, I know."

"Higurashi-"

Suddenly I panicked, realizing I had just said way too much.

"Er," I looked at him, waiting for the annoying tradition of berating to rain down.

" that may be the most, and only, intellectual thing you have ever said."

"Ah-well." I didn't know how to take that. I plain just didn't know. From anybody else that would annoy the hell out of me and have bad repercussions for whoever said it, but coming from him it was almost the equivalent of a badly-placed compliment. This man was just crazy. Couldn't he just be like everyone else? " but we were talking about your daughter, uh-"

"Rin."

"Yes, Rin! What a cute name…but anyways, what is she like? I think one time you said she was older than her age, but I don't remember much."

I watched as he took a drink of his coffee, waiting to see if he would say anything else. He put the cup down and looked at me as if trying to decipher my intent. And suddenly I realized how weird all of what I'd been doing may have seemed. Before, I had always acted like I despised the very ground he walked on, which I sort of had, but now I was inquiring about his daughter over a cup of coffee which I invited him to. Heh, maybe I really was fickle like Mama used to say.

"The most independent dependent child you will every meet. I guess that's part of the problem with teaching her independence. She clings to and bosses my assistant, Jaken, with whatever mood inspires her. She's short for her age and did not speak for a long while. I thought her maybe deaf or dumb, but felt there was a keen intelligence about her, which I was, invariable right about in the end. And," I could almost see his disapproval, "she likes…flowers. "

I tried to stifle a laugh, barely successful.

"Somehow she sounds very like you and yet utterly different. Genetics are amazing." I said, trying to sound educated, while still in awe.

"Hm, perhaps. She is much more….frolicky and effervescent. I have not the slightest notion of where that came from."

"She sounds so cute!"

"She talks incessantly," he said placidly.

"Ah. Well. She sounds much more human than you!" I tried a uneasy, humorous smile, and took it as successful when he did not reply.

So old 'stick up the ass' was real. He had a living, breathing daughter that, if I didn't know better, he was obsessively proud of, even if he didn't show it by driving around a car that said 'my daughter is a top student' on the bumper sticker.

I sighed with a giggle, imagining Sesshoumaru, the soccer dad driving a minivan. Ha! If that weren't so scary, it would be laugh-to-death hilarious.

No was a good time to ask.

"So, Taisho, if I were to tell you that I-"

"Hey! There you guys are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Enter: the last person I wanted to be there right at that very, particular, certain instant. Inuyasha.

My brother came barging into the café like a stupid golden retriever that'd found its play toy. Ah, the joys of siblinghood. I felt like committing some parricide.

Inuyasha dragged a chair over to us.

"Hey Sesshoumaru. Hello, unnamed secretary. This stiff hasn't been…hitting on you, has he?" Inuyasha sounded genuinely concerned, but there was a glimmer in his eye directed towards Higurashi. Suddenly, she seemed squirmish, adjusting her shirt and dress pants.

She had been so calm and relaxed, almost like a normal human woman, if a bit off, as we sat talking over the coffee which I sipped on at intervals and she played with. We had actually conversed on normal, even maybe intelligent topics and she had seemed interested in Rin, but now that Inuyasha had arrived, she seemed uncharacteristically uncomfortable.

"Inuyasha, could you not, for one day, be the bane of someone else's existence? Or are you talents limited to myself?" I rubbed my nose, feeling yet another headache coming. Mental note, have Higurashi schedule an appointment with a physician for me. Or perhaps it was just the two plagues sitting before me…

"I would, but it's just so much more fun to bug the hell out of you than anyone else. I've spent my life perfecting the best ways to annoy you. I'd waste my effort and time on some besides you. But I guess you're really not all worth that time, are you, so maybe-" he grinned and I noticed that jeering look coming to his overly large eyebrows.

"Ah-Taisho-san! So this is your real brother? You look so much alike-"

I glared murderously at Higurashi.

"That is, your eyes are the same color and you both have the same beautiful hair color." she smiled meekly, knowing that both Inuyasha and I would pounce on her if she continued wrongly. This coffee shop was most definitely not a good idea. Mental note: never do coffee with a temperamental secretary and your spawn-of-hell brother.

"You think my hair color is beautiful," Inuyasha smiled slyly. "Why I never knew that you-"

"Uh, yes, well that's because I hadn't met you before," I looked at Inuyasha pointedly and he looked at me stilly and questionably. "so I didn't know that you had the same hair as Taisho-san…." I glared at him, but he snapped out of it and gave me a suave smile.

"Inuyasha. Just Inuyasha and what name may I call you by Miss…"

"Higurashi Kagome. You may call me Higurashi-san."

"Miss Higurashi, it's a pleasure to…finally….meet you."

I started to feel the heat rise in my cheeks. I didn't like the way he put emphasis on the finally. What was he getting at? He obviously knew that I didn't want Taisho to know about or previous relationship and he seemed to think it was some game he could play with, the dog."

"Taisho-san, when did you say that ball was? I haven't gotten my dress yet. Perhaps you could inform me about it a bit more. Should I try to coordinate my dress with your tuxedo?" It was cheap, but it was revenge.

"Ah, Sesshoumaru, you didn't tell me you were having a company ball," Inuyasha half whined and half smirked. If I hadn't been crazy mad at him, it might have seemed kind of cute. So I told myself to focus on his thick eyebrows. It was one feature of his that had always seemed out of place. Heh.

"I'm not. We are attending a gala that is being put on by Onigumo Naraku." he replied curtly to Inuyasha then turned to me. "Black and white are most practical."

Nodded and smirked in the direction of Inuyasha.

"Why the hell are you going to something put on by that freak?!" Inuyasha nearly yelled at Sesshoumaru. So I was right about Onigumo not being that great of a person.

"That is none of your business. If you have forgotten, you gave up on Taisho Inc. quite a while ago, Inuyasha. It is not your concern with what other companies I affiliate with.

"But that guy?! C'mon, Sess-"

"As much as this Onigumo Naraku seemed unreliable to me, Taisho-san is correct…Inuyasha-san. Perhaps if you are worried, you may take more interest in the company that Taisho-san has worked so hard to preserve. Oh, forgive me. That was very straight forward."

"Perhaps you could learn a thing or two from women every so often instead of throwing them away, Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru remarked offhandedly and I almost hugged him. He didn't know how right he was.

"You have got to be kidding me. Even your new secretary is ganging up on me."

"Who could blame her?"

I merely looked at Inuyasha with my best sympathetic smile.

"You know," Inuyasha looked from me to Sesshoumaru, a devilish grin taking place of the angry shock. He turned to look straight at me. "this reminds me of this one time that I was skiing with y-"

He wasn't! I felt my cheeks redden. No, he couldn't! How could he start telling that story! That was between us! That no-good dirty mutt! I'd skin him alive, strap him down and make him watch B romance movies and Married With Children reruns till he died of starvation (I'd keep him on a water drip so he wouldn't die so quickly!!).

"I-Inuyasha, I would love to hear of your interesting skiing stories, but I'm afraid Taisho-san and myself have a meeting to get to. It was moved to this weekend."

She was glancing quickly from the rim of her coffee cup to my face, her eyes darting like blue lighting, and stuttering like a fool.

"T-that is, we I think that we, uh, Taisho-san, and-"

Her cheeks could have made a tomato cry in defeat. I almost laughed. I was nearly about to crack. I could feel the smile slowly spreading against my will, the cheek muscles yelling at me that resistance was futile. I couldn't help but cover the smile and the amazing amount of shock as my sudden moment of enlightenment came with a content flow of interlacing events. You might say I had one of those 'Siddartha-esque' moments. The smile faded and my thoughts sunk inward to where they could not be read on my face.

I looked at her flushed cheeks and the way she smiled nervously from the table to my profile, thinking that I could not see her. It was the only reasonable explanation. And what an explanation. The reason of why she was always so flustered lately and nervously cautious around me, was that underneath her confident façade, a trick I had long mastered, was something she held secret. I watched her peer anxiously now between myself and Inuyasha. She was uncomfortable around him, with his coming onto her again. She was trying to hide it, her secret. I wondered quietly how long she had been going through those feelings. How long had it taken me to realize that she, Higurashi Kagome, was in love with me?

Some things in life we just can't plan. Foresight is not something bestowed upon most humans, and I, though I have some other unnatural oddities, am no exception. Sometimes this fact made life livable, the unknown offering interest to mundane lifestyles, small surprises sneaking up when you need them most. And sometimes the unexpected surprises are not in the least bit helpful or wanted. The unwanted surprise in the form of an ex-boyfriend was near the bottom, but it came at that moment, packaged, signed, sealed, and delivered as a one Inuyasha for a one Higurashi Kagome, who just happened to be, you guessed it, me. I punched the side of the table and passed it off as a slip after cursing under my breath.

Why did I not want Inuyasha around so much? The man literally walked out on our relationship because he was too stuck on another chick to have a real one with me without seeing her every time he looked at me.

Ok, so maybe I was a bit touchy on the subject and a little unkind about it and not very understanding. See the thing was, I was deadly in love with him.

AN: Sorry about the filler. Poor Sesshoumaru…for as perceptive as he is…yeah. Please tell me what you think!

Before I post another chapter of this again, I will be working on the next chapter of Special Circumstances (another k/s) so check it out or just be patient.

In the series, Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's father is called by Inu-taisho or Inutaisho. Taisho is a suffix added to a name, usually for those of military or ruling stature. It's definition is general; leader. Therefore, I thought, hey, this sounds pretty good. Thus, the last names of IY and Sesshou.