AN: Sorry it took so long…

IT's not SaNe

ChaptEr 6

If I had been embarrassed, out of control, and angry on Sunday, it was nothing compared to what would come. Over the next week I would not only be embarrassed, out of control, and extremely angry, but also thoroughly confused. Ah, adding more and more qualities to my resume already! With this much variation and experience in emotional instability, who would ever refuse to hire me? That was left to be seen…

I got up early the next morning. Completely against my will, but I got up nonetheless; may the power of routine compel you! Ha. Compel isn't in the Monday morning second edition dictionary. That would be unethical and immoral to all that rise at six to prepare for work in an office. At a desk. Answering phones, taking messages, scheduling conferences, all for an asshole. All day. Six days a week. Not that I'm complaining or anything.

Actually, my high school and college friends had all known me to be a happy and very optimistic person, hardly letting anything bring me down, stubborn only when it came to getting things done, always trying my best. Somewhere along the line, puberty set in and-bam!- I became what I am now: a happy, sarcastic, stubborn woman who stills tries hard, but not for the same reasons. It's funny how when you're a kid you will do things, often difficult things, for simple reasons, like just wanting to do well and please others, then as you grow older, you start to think about other, more pressing reasons behind doing something. Like payment and survival. Motives always change with time. With experiences.

Innocence lost. I am no scholar or philosopher, but it seems to me that innocence is that special, small period of time in life when you care more about others than yourself. When you may not want to share that new Barbie, but you'll do anything to make your little cousin stop crying when they're hurt. When we don't know what the world has planned for us yet. In other words, to me it seems that innocence is ignorance. And ignorance is bliss. But once you are aware, ignorance is lost, along with innocence and bliss. Innocence lost is innocence lost forever. Never comes back (unlike a bad boyfriend) which means that the unique happiness one can only enjoy when they are unaware of all the evils in the world, that supreme happiness, can never happen again. In other words, if you're looking for true happiness when you're forty-one, you're not going to find it. To put it frankly, you are, as Inuyasha would say, fucked.

Oh hell, I'm getting far too philosophical for my tastes, what's wrong with me… I'm starting to ramble like grandpa, I thought while staring at a blank computer screen on my desk. My head hurt. Philosophy should also be kept out of the range of mornings. I downed a cup of coffee with the speed to put Mario to shame, cringing as I felt my taste buds fry. About fifteen minutes later and the headache was gone. Ah, coffee should be in the very front of the legal morning vocabulary, right after cat naps and concentration (or lack thereof). Heh. I could see it now- the Preliminary Kadokawa Dictionary of Appropriate Morning Lingo. I could be famous.

"Higurashi, do not think that your arriving late to work escaped my attention," Taisho said, after following an elderly business man in a sharp suit out of his office at the end of a meeting.

More words excluded from morning use or exposure to in the morning hours: asshole, boss, and Taisho.

"Forgive me, Taisho-san," I bowed as the businessman came near. "I will remember to tell the children crossing the street next time to hurry or I may be late by four minutes. I am sure they will understand if I just hit a few of them in the name of Taisho Inc. Their families could easily be compensated for their difficulties," I bowed deeply once more. The fact that I don't drive to work, that I don't even have a car, need not be known.

The businessman barely hid a smile as he walked past. I liked him. Guess I wasn't the only one that figured Taisho could use a good muscle relaxant or sedative. An elephant tranquilizer or two should do the trick.

I smiled smugly to myself while Taisho moved on to show the businessman to the elevator. Must be someone important, I thought absently. Good, I'd gotten Taisho in front of a worthy investor most likely. Victory. Taisho walked back in, a look on his face that stated something angry, mean, and psychopath in nature. I felt myself physically shrink behind my desk. Defeat. He strode over, his face slowly clearing. That was something about Taisho. I would take flagrant anger over his masked face anytime. When he doesn't show anything is when it's the worst. It's always worse when it seems better.

He walked over lightly, setting his hands on my desk and leaning on it.

"Are you aware of whom that was that you just embarrassed me in front of?" he said in a smooth, almost friendly tone. 'Oh' and 'Shit' were the first two words to pop up in my mind. However, I straightened up in my chair.

"Hopefully someone very important."

"But of course. It was none other than Mr. Saya."

"Ah. The one that you've had your eye on for buying out."

"Precisely." He leaned over my desk, looking me stonily-straight in the face. I averted my eyes, desperately trying not to see his face.

"The really big, really important one." I tried to gulp and found that my throat didn't seem to feel like moving much.

"None other."

"I-I-" I didn't know what to say. That was it, I was going to be fired, no doubt. With this realization, my determination came back. He couldn't fire me (alright, he really could but I would not leave without a fight). I gathered my determination and looked him straight in the eye, blue meeting amber brown….and was stuck. Bam, just like that, my body wouldn't move. Someone pressing the pause button on my life. You see it happen in movies, the slow motion and in those anime where flowers and bubbles highlight the background, and it seems like a load of crap until it happens to you.

Beautiful, no, gorgeous eyes. I knew I had odd eyes-blue isn't really a common color for the Japanese, if you know what I mean, but his were even more, well, unique. How could such a big jerk have such amazing eyes? Just like Inuyasha's, only richer, deeper, refined. Where Inuyasha's shined, Sesshoumaru's seemed to almost glow or radiate, the light brown tinted with flecks and streaks of gold. Like looking at an liquid amber sun captured in two orbs.

"You…? What? Do you always shut down randomly, or am I just the privileged being whom you release all of your faults around?"

"I--you have gorgeous eyes."

Quite suddenly his face filled with surprise and a hint of confusion and I realized, way too late, what I had said, part of me going into systematic shock, another part intrigued and amazed at his response. Shit. Damn. Hell. Ack! How could I have said that! I didn't even realize what I was saying! There was definitely something wrong. What the hell was my damage? I mean, I hadn't really paid any attention-I knew he was good-looking but I hadn't really examined him before and now, ack!

Taisho looked at me for a minute, no doubt watching the red paint my face right up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, then stood back.

"Higurashi, as much as you may dream, relationships amongst colleagues are not looked well upon at Taisho Inc. They tend to cause difficulties and lack of completion in duties. Wipe the drool off your desk and schedule my next appointment."

"Um-about Mr. Saya…"

He turned, a mere tilt of the head, and walked into his office. "Congratulations. It seems that you have at least one use. You're ability to be the quintessential secretary smart-off seems to have paid off. Saya found your antics highly amusing and has agreed to think more deeply about turning over the company. Seems he found your "humor" made Taisho Inc. a little more human. Idiotic old man. "

That's what they called it at Taisho Inc.-'turning over the company'. It was a nicer way of saying 'admitted defeat and turned belly-up to the mega-corporations, to never be heard of again'. Nice, huh? Apparently the publicity apartment had said that it helped with the company's image.

"Oh, and Higurashi…did we not have an agreement about office propriety. I am to be your boss and you my secretary," he said, an almost, dare I say, tired or confused hint in his words.

I swallowed my smart remark and nodded, remembering our conversation from the weekend. I looked at him and nodded. You're right. Excuse me, it slipped my mind."

He deserved some credit for not jarring back at me with a thousand retorts that were, no doubt, aching to get out, but were stopped. He gave a tiny nod and turned back to his office door.

Why did I always feel like I wasn't getting the deeper meaning after conversations with Taisho? I felt almost…left out. Like knowing there was something very important or special that I just couldn't see. And it made me feel empty, like my body was waiting for that second meaning to come slithering back in to it, where it belonged. It also mad me frustrated. I took a deep breath and tried to recite Miroku's words of advice from the phone call I had made earlier that weekend. But something was still bothering me.

He had looked so different, so human with that small bit of confusion on his face.

"No."

"Come on, Sesshoumaru! Is this about that employee dating policy thing? Please, Kouga ended up marrying another employee! And on top of that, I'm not technically even working here, right?"

I glared at him, the bane of my existence.

"I know what it is. You're possessive about your employees, you prick. You have to keep them all under your eye. Why can't you just…lend…her for the night! It's just a ball! One night! I promise nothing will happen to Kagome!"

Well, one bane of my existence.

"No."

Plain and simple, this was my response to the most absurd question my brother's putrid little brain could rot and bubble up with.

"It's not like you two get along; you're fighting every time I walk through these doors!" A broad sweeping hand displayed my office doors in an almost ludicrous way. He looked like one of the modeling women on a game show.

I stared him straight in the eye then went back to my paperwork.

"Is that a yes?"

"No."

"Damn you, Sesshoumaru! It's just one stupid-oh! Oh! Heh heh, oh I get it now…you want her for yourself, don't you, you stubborn bastard?"

Scratch that remark about his previous question being the most criminally retarded to ever escape his mouth. This one topped them all. I stared at him.

"You do, don't you! Your silence says it all, Onii-chan. Wow, to think that after all this time, my big brother's libido is finally starting to work again. And here I thought you might be swinging from the other side of the plate. Well fine. If she's taken, I can't have her, but give me the reason."

I had no idea what he was referring to. Frankly, I was so stunned by his stupidity that I couldn't quite think straightly (something which never happened often, but seemed to be becoming more common every day).

"I need not explain myself to you."

"I won't leave you alone until you tell me-why her?"

"You are an idiot. I have told you already that she is going with me, and that is final."

"I'll ask her and see who she picks. What do you think? Handsome, friendly, outgoing, and overall more fun guy or a handsome, stiff of a jerk with no personality?" He grinned wildly, enough to put a Cheshire cat to shame, and ignite a tiny spark of uneasiness within me. The truth was, I was always one step ahead of my delinquent and damaged brother with mental capabilities, strategy and physical skill, but I realized slowly that I had no chance if it came to a social situation. I may not insult the host, but Inuyasha could insure action. Who would she rather attend a social function of eating, conversing, and dancing with? A proper man or a "fun" one? Knowing Higurashi, I was most uneasy with the answer to that question. Was my brother finally better at something than I? Did it matter? The answer was no. It didn't matter, so I would not let it.

"Because Onigumo offered to escort her. I had no other choice." I told him the truth because I just wanted him to shut his mouth and leave me to my work in peace.

"Ah, that creep. Why the hell do we even bother talking to him?"

"Because his is the only company of this kind which is powerful enough to rival mine."

"He's a pervert, womanizer, and altogether creepy sunnuva-."

"Of this I am aware."

"So you're being a body guard."

"I know not of what you refer to."

"That's why you chose her. To protect her from him. To protect your property. Underneath it all, you're really just a lonely watch dog, keeping guard over your precious employees." There was a look on Inuyasha's face that one who has suddenly reached enlightenment or the greatest epiphany of their lives would have. And satisfaction. The satisfaction of a victory lingered in his smirk. It disturbed me. My brother was getting smarter. God forbid.

"Inuyasha, I am a busy man." I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the door of my office. "I have no time to put up with your idiotic bantering when I have meetings, paperwork, and a plethora of other more worthy things to waste my time on."

"You're just mad because-"

"Like you said before, Inuyasha. You are not an employee of this company, nor do you have an appointment. Until you do, I do not wish to see your face within an inch of this floor of this building."

I shoved him out the door, closing it with a nice, solid snap behind him. I returned to my desk and skimmed over the various reports from representatives of each aspect of Taisho Inc. Why would he take such an interest in her? He'd only met her a few times, all for brief moments. Ah, the stock went down, seemed to be plummeting lately. And why did he, the impulsive, impudent little wretch that he is ask me first? Employee benefits needed to be revised. Health care providers were switched. He knew…why would he provoke me? Had she said something?

I stopped in the middle of a sentence on a report, realizing that I hadn't absorbed a single word. I was preoccupied. I was not used to being preoccupied by things other than work. This woman was trouble. 'I should just fire her', ran through my head, looking for a founded reason to happen. Unfortunately, she hadn't broken any company policies, attended work everyday if not extra, and if I fired her, she would most likely sue, not that money was an issue. Lawsuits mean lawyers and hassle. One thing I do not like is unnecessary hype. Yep, that's it. My reason for keeping her. To bad it was a shit reason…

Inuyasha had come into the office. I heard him coming, it seemed, from a mile away. My Inuyasha infiltration warning was going off crazily as I heard the whistling in the elevator at the other end of the floor. The silent pad of sneakers. I couldn't hide. No doubt, he'd want to see Taisho, and my job was to show him in. Man, my life sucked. I barricaded myself behind my computer screen and coffee mugs.

I was prepared for any snide remark, crookedly smug smile, or infuriating hinting.

"Good morning, Miss Higurashi. Is Sesshoumaru in," Inuyasha beamed a truly genuine-looking smile at me.

I was not prepared for this. I was reminded of why I fell for him so bad. He was truly handsome when he smiled with earnest. Unfortunately for him, I knew him well enough to know that his smile today was not earnest. It was sneaky. See, the thing about Inuyasha's earnest smiles are that Inuyasha is rarely earnest. Today was not occasion enough for one of those rare and valuable smiles, unless something completely unknown to me had happened, therefore, I was all over his façade and knew something was up.

"Why yes he is, Mr. Taisho. Shall I inform him that you are here," I beamed the part of the good secretary.

When in Rome, right?

"Well that would be just peachy of you, Miss Higurashi. You are very good at your job, if I might say so."

"You might. Now, let's see…." I pretended to peruse the appointment book on my desk. "And what time was your appointment with Mr. Taisho scheduled for?"

"Uh, well…"

Gotcha.

"I'm a very important person in regards to this company, Miss Higurashi, so I'm sure Sesshoumaru will understand."

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Taisho has specifically ordered that no one without a scheduled appointment may be allowed to see him. I am sorry, but he is very busy right now. If you'd like, I could schedule an appointment right now. Let's see, he should be available….can you do Thursday, the fifteenth at 9:45?"

Inuyasha looked at me incredulously.

"Thurs-"

"The fifteenth. That's not next week, but the week after."

"Uh-huh. You expect me-"

"9:45 am."

"You know, Kagome-"

Ah. I broke the little play it seemed. Inuyasha was getting mad now. When he gets mad, he loses all tact.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Taisho, but your brother is my superior and he gave me direct orders.

"Why you….ah, hell, Kagome." He took and big deep breath and his form relaxed. What the hell was this? Was he taking anger management or something? Was he learning to control himself? Maybe he really had changed.

"I'M GONNA GO IN THERE WHETHER OR NOT I HAVE A 7&#! (use your imagination) APPOINTMENT. THAT PRICK, HE THINKS HE CAN TELL EVERYONE AND ANYONE WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO!" Inuyasha stormed past my desk breathing heavily and through open Taisho's office doors.

I smiled to myself and cleared away my safeguard of papers and coffee cups to ply myself to some actual work.

It's a bit of a comfort to know some things never change.

I poured over sales reports but the numbers would not sink in. I was preoccupied. I had been for the last fifteen minutes. Why was my brother so bent on Higurashi. Was it just for the sole purpose of vexing myself, or was he actually attracted to her? It was true. As much as she bitched and argued, she was mildly attractive. Especially in that little black skirt with the small blue flowers on pink trim and the diminutive but promising slit at the back with that white blouse with matching blue flowers that revealed just enough to….fuck. Was I really just thinking that? Was there any logical reason for that train of thought to take off so quickly? Yes. The reason was: too long. The question: how long had it been since I had a good lay? Ah, that would explain why even someone of Higurashi's not especially par excellence standing may seem so tempting. Perfectly reasonable.

The telephone rang and I almost shouted at it. Perhaps I just had good intuition because when I picked up…

"Ah, hello Mr. Taisho. How are you on this fine day." Oily. Sickening. Onigumo.

"Perfectly fine until now. What do you want, Onigumo. I'm going to the ball. I will make my presence known. Your reputation will remain a mediocre quality that it is."

"Oh, now don't be so cruel, Taisho. You know my company maintains a good public opinion."

Yes, among the pimps and crack whores.

"What is it, Onigumo?

"Ah, along the lines of the aforementioned Gala, I was wondering once more about that nice little treat of a secretary you have…"

"I will be escorting her. If she comes, it will be with myself only. That is not negotiable."

"Ah, I see. Very well then. If you are so strong in your ways. By the way, how is she as a secretary? A hard worker, I presume. Does she have many great assets to attribute to your company?"

"She is a mediocre worker with the horrible ability to not take orders. Something that would not go well with your lack of tolerance for anything other than exactly what you want and say."

"Oh, to the contrary, Sesshoumaru. I prefer women who don't know how to behave." His voice was ten times worse than any politician I had heard. It promised illegal and slippery things, and I would have none of it. "But, be that as it may, she is your employee. I look forward to seeing you at the ball. Please dress to your best, Sesshoumaru."

"I told you before that I will never be on a level low enough for you to call me by my first name. I do not give warnings out freely." I hung up the receiver with a satisfying click.

Then I picked it up again. A sucrose-sweet voice answered. "Yes?"

"Higurashi, I need to see you in my office." I hung up, slightly disturbed by her good-natured greeting on the phone. Someway, somehow, my office building had become the main setting for a sickening soap opera. And I did not like that.

"Hahah. Who would have thought? Wow, my brother! That's an interesting twist," I wasn't surprised when Inuyasha was pushed forcefully from Taisho's office, but I wasn't expecting him to be beaming so much as he was. I thought Taisho was going to put him in his place, but instead Inuyasha marched over to my desk, grinning from ear to ear.

"You don't know what you're getting into Kagome. Oh man, you just don't know." He started laughing and walked off down the hall.

The way he said it for some reason made me blush instantly. Was he raving mad? What was with the way he had said that? Had he finally, really, gone off his nut? Or was there something that I didn't know. Somehow, I felt uneasy. Like something bad was going to happen, or something that I really wasn't going to like.

Inuyasha, through all his stupidity, was winning that match.

"Hirano Miroku speaking. What can I do for you?

"Hello Mr. Hirano. This is Onigumo Naraku."

"Oh-uh-Mr. Onigumo. What brings you to calling me?"

"I have recently discovered that Taisho has hired a new secretary. But there is something about her. Something about their relationship. I would very much like to know about the sudden hiring of Higurashi Kagome. Just the little details, you know. Nothing large, just her relatives and place of dwelling. Would you be willing to help me?"

"Well, you see, Taisho is my current employer and, well, he doesn't seem to be in very much agreement with you lately, Mr. Onigumo. I'm sorry, but I will not be able to help you in this case."

"Are you positive, Mr. Hirano? I would be willing to endorse your research amply if you would assist me in this little task. Favors are always immensely appreciated by myself and returned fully in kind."

AN: Well, that's pretty short for the ages that it's been since I've posted anything. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me! But I hope this was Ok. I know it's not adequate, but I will try my hardest to post more. I've been super busy with finals and graduation stuff, but I will try. Please review, if any of you even read this story anymore…--;;;