AN: So…yeah. I really have no idea how to continue this story from here on. I admit I've been putting it off (wrote the first sentence on Valentine's Day ). To be quite frank, hardly any of this story has been planned. But that's how I write. So, uh, thank you for all the comments, everyone. It's been a big help. So, with thanks to my "Sad Bastard" playlist on my ipod, and without further ado, I give you…

IT's not SAnE

cHAPter 10

I was drunk. Hammered, knackered, lush, wasted, trashed, smashed, twisted, wrecked, whatever colorful word you'd like, I was drunk. Trying to get a car from a valet who doesn't seem to understand a word of what you're telling him when it's obviously his native language is difficult enough. Throw in a half-brother demon spawn from the rankest part of hell, and it generally only makes matters worse. Generally. This was one of those generally's.

"Hey, Sesshoumaru!" I must have, I decided, committed serious homicide in my past life, and my karma was catching up to me. No doubt one of the people I killed had been Inuyasha (I had probably assumed I was doing life, the universe, and everything a favor by the act. Or I had just been really, really pissed off). And, to make me suffer further, the gods had reincarnated him as a half-brother.

"What ring of hell did you materialize from."

"Heh heh. C'mon Sesshoumaru, why the pissy face? I saw you for a minute after you came into the party. You looked like you were enjoying yourself. I guess Kagome has that effect even on an asshole like you, huh?"

Inuyasha was talking. My mind was trying to do several things at once. It was thinking that it just needed to get past Inuyasha, get Kagome, and go home. It was pondering why Inuyasha would phrase his sentence like that, like he knew Kagome just as well as I did. It was wondering if they were dating behind his back and why Kagome would date Inuyasha if she was so obviously obsessed with me. My mind was also meditating on the concept that it would be unexplainably enjoyable to disembowel Inuyasha on the spot. My mind was also mulling over the idea that all this ruminating was hurting it and it was becoming increasingly difficult to think, ponder, meditate, mull, and ruminate in these circumstances, and that it should just give up trying altogether. Ah, clarity.

"Excuse me, Inuyasha. I've got a splitting headache, a drunk secretary to take home, and you smell like horrible cologne." I pushed Inuyasha aside rather forcefully and made a straight path back for Kagome.

What I found when I got there was possibly worse than Inuyasha, albeit excluding the overly-strong cologne.

Naraku was with Kagome. No, check that, he was literally on Kagome. At that moment, my brain started the whole thinking thing again, thought about at least seven different things at the same time, made a sound not much different than that of a loud 'splunk', and gave up again. I settled on being extremely pissed off. I gave a few curt, nasty remarks and was only a little pleased to see Naraku go slithering away. Then I elegantly changed from pissed to angry. It was Kagome's turn.

I knew even as I was saying it that I shouldn't. It was low and dirty of me and I was embarrassing my entire family name. Still, I couldn't stop myself once it was being said. And I wanted to believe it, for that one second, wanted to believe that my quirky, intelligent, pretty secretary was only that way because she was using me and everyone else. And at the same time, I really didn't want that. It really would be a waste. She was, I acknowledged begrudgingly, the best secretary I'd ever employed and I really didn't want to have to shame her family, dismember her, then fire her. It would be inconvenient to go back to work without her. Inconvenient, annoying, and maybe a little boring. But I was the last person on the face of the planet that would knowingly be taken advantage of (even if I really wasn't, it was her fault for making all the executives like her. Whore.) and I wasn't going to stand for it. Fired. Yes, that was the only thing to do. Fire her and never see her again. Maybe taint her name a little- no, that was unnecessary. Just fire her.

"I quit," she said

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

………………

I moped. There was no other word for it. I should have been angry, pissed, ticked off, but I was moping. Moping because I no longer had a comfortable-as-hell job that paid well, provided a little bit of amusement among the long hours, dental, and health insurance. And paid vacations. Which I hadn't even gotten to take advantage of yet. I moped a little more. And had another glass of wine. I couldn't touch vodka after that fiasco. I don't like moping, so I took my glass over to the couch, buried myself in the comfy pillows, and looked at my situation.

Jobless with no other leads. Mopey. And probably drunk. Again. Since when was Higurashi Kagome a lush? This was getting to be a very bad habit.

"Hello?"

"Miroku. It's me."

So I did what I could and decided to take care of the first problem.

"Calling me on my cell. Kagome, are you drunk?"

I probably should have taken care of the last problem first.

"Probably."

"Can I come over-"

"No."

"Damn. Stiff as usual. Hey….Kagome, it's 2:47pm on a Tuesday. Did you skip work today?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"Kagome, did you….quit your job?"

"Maybe."

"Shit."

"Yeah…."

"Alright. I'll see if I can scrounge up anything- oh, hold on one second.."

In the background, I could distinctly hear Miroku flirting unabashedly to someone on another phone. She seemed to appreciate it about as much as me, only, she didn't hang up after two seconds.

"Ok. Hello? Sorry about that…"

"New girl?"

"Prospective. Wanna know how I met her? You're kind of responsible in a way. You see, one night I sitting at work, thinking about y-"

"That's fine, thanks. No more information is necessary."

"Be that way. What about you? Any new guys?"

"Prospective."

"You're lying."

"How'd you know."

"You wouldn't be drunk off your ass and out of work on a Tuesday afternoon if you had someone not drunk off their ass to come home from work to."

"Nobody said the prospective isn't drunk off his ass, too."

"True. Okay, I'll look at openings. You go wash your face, take some aspirin, and sleep some more. I'll be in touch."

"Yes, sir."

"And, Kagome…"

"Huh?"

"Was it really that bad, the job?"

"Probably not."

"I'll see if there are any secretarial openings. At least working as a secretary for that company should give you a whole new pile of credentials. And, I'm sorry. It's partially my fault for setting you up with that job."

"All your fault. But I wanted it. You can make it up to me by finding a job without a hard-ass-prick as a boss, though."

"Work for a large company for a little while and you're all spoiled."

Thanks Miroku. I really owe you. Some day I'll have to find a way to make it up to you…"

"Well, since you mention it, I've got the perfect solution-"

"Bye, Miroku."

…………………….

Two days later, I was out of my sorry-ass drunken stupor, showered, and ready to fully end the Taisho chapter of my life. First though, I needed to go get my stuff from my previous office of employment. I didn't feel like walking, but I realized I had left my bus pass in my desk drawer. I wondered idly if Taisho had already emptied out my stuff. I wondered where he would bruise the most if he had.

But that didn't matter. There would be no bruising because I was done with that jerk. I'd sneak into the office real quick-like, grab my stuff, and high tail it out of there. I'd be a ninja, if need be. As if to reassure myself of that fact, I somehow ended up wearing all black.

I arrived by foot at Taisho Inc. wearing black sweatpants, a baggy black t-shirt, and no make up. Screw Taisho.

The front receptionist gave me an odd look, smiled a smile that I knew was covering a laugh, gave me an indiscreet thumbs up, and let me in. Things were going smoothly.

"Ah, Higurashi….san." Jaken. Shit.

"Not now, Jaken. I'm busy with business affairs."

"But-"

"Move, Jaken."

Jaken gave out a sound akin to a kitten with constipation, and moved away in a scuttle.

"Taisho-" Jaken called after me.

"Fuck him." I finished. I moved on uninhibited, took the elevator up to the top, and found my desk, no Taishou in sight. Yeah, I owned this place.

I had just about gathered all of my stuff into a box from the break room, when Jaken showed up again, squeaking behind me.

"I'll have you be aware that Tai-"

"I'll remind you that I said fuck him," I snapped without turning around to give him even a glance.

"Then I suppose I'll remind you that inner-office relationships between employees are against company rules," a much lower, smoothly voice drawled out.

I guess there really is no God.

"Then I assume it would only be polite of me to remind you that I am no longer an employee."

"Do you want me that bad, Higurashi?"

"Do you want me back this bad, Taisho? It's prime meeting time for a Thursday, right now. Lost without anyone to wipe your ass and tell you where to go?"

"Lost without anyone's ass to wipe? After all, it is the prime meeting time for a Thursday. A secretary should be busy and productive right now."

"Maybe I'm not a secretary."

"Maybe I'm not a hypocritical, stick-up-the-ass owner and CEO."

"You said it, I didn't."

"What else could the abilities of filing and stapling get you?"

"You know what, Taisho?"

"I'm sure you'll enlighten me."

"You're a coward."

"Oh, do tell?"

"You're scared because you found a good, hard-working secretary who actually put up with your crap and dished it back equally well. You're a coward because now that you've gone too far because of your own self-centeredness, you can't go back because of your stupid pride. You can't apologize, and unlike ever other simpering employee you've had, I won't put up with it. And you don't know what to do, so you're scared. You're a big, pretty, rich kid with a broken toy that, for once, can't be replaced by a newer, shinier version."

I gathered all of my belongings in my arms, thankful for the automatically opening elevator doors.

"You called me 'pretty'," he said snarkily, maybe quite a bit angry. He watched as I walked into the elevator, box precariously balanced in my arms.

"It's not enough, Taisho. You're an ass. Pretty doesn't make up for it." I pressed the lobby button with my elbow. "And you know what? That platinum stapler you were always cursing? It worked splendidly for me. Like liquid metal."

The doors closed and I was headed downstairs, back to a life with a lot less Taisho and a little more relaxation.

………………….

I was not moping. Or brooding. The Taisho family does not know how to mope or brood. It goes against our very nature. Well, perhaps Inuyasha is an exception, but he's also a retard.

It took me two days to call.

"Hirano."

"Ah…Sesshoumaru! It's been a while. I miss our one-one-one chats!"

"Where is she?"

"I don't know who you're talking about."

"Do you like your job, Hirano? Don't think that I'm not aware of what you look at on our company computers during lunch."

"She's…job hunting."

"Hmph." The witch hadn't gotten a new job. I knew it. "Where does she live."

"Now…I can't tell you that. And even if I could, what would you do with the information? Go personally try to convince her to come back?"

"What I do is no concern to you."

"She's one of my best friends. Know her veeerrry well."

"Are extended vacations in your job contract. I could put one in. Unpaid."

"Okay, okay."

"Where does she live."

"Do you even know what you're going to say to her."

"That will…come when it is needed."

Miroku sighed into the phone, and I wondered how many different theatrics he possessed.

"Okay, just because I think you're a fairly decent guy-"

"Boss."

"-Boss, there's some things you need to know about Kagome first….."

………….

I was just out the front doors of Taisho Inc. when every single content of the box I was carrying spilled onto the ground as the box I was carrying became no longer carried.

Damn. And it was nearly a perfect exit. Oh well, I was still coming out on top.

I scooped down to pick stuff up and jumped slightly when a hand that wasn't my own popped into my line of vision, helping me gather my odds and ends.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for the bother."

"No problem, Kagome."

Oh. Inuyasha. Oh. I vaguely remembered that a while back I had been extremely pissed at Inuyasha. There were many things to be angry about because of him, but I was done being upset over him years ago. And now I had his brother to hate.

"Ah…" I scooped the rest of the stuff up quickly and picked up the box. "fancy seeing you here, Inuyasha. I'd stay and chat, but I was just about to leave."

"What are you doing with all that stuff?"

"Garage sale."

"At work?"

"Yep."

"Kagome….are you leaving?"

"That's a stupid question. I was walking out the door and I just told you I was leaving."

"I mean, are you leaving?"

"Oh. That. Yep! I'm gonna go relax for a week or two and start job hunting! You know how I get when I have to stay in one place for too long."

"Kagome, you're like the creature of habit, if you have a choice. It was my brother, right?"

I sighed inside. There was no point in lying.

"It was your brother."

"Being an even bigger ass than before."

"You have no idea."

"He doesn't mean half of what he says."

"Then what half does he mean?"

"Well-yeah, usually the mean, ass-like half."

"This box is heavy. I have to go before my arms fall off."

Inuyasha looked at me, then at the box which was hiding half of me and cracked a smile.

"You're place isn't far, right? I'll carry it for you."

"What- no, that's fine, thanks."

"I won't take that answer."

"No, that's fine, thanks….jerk?"

"It's this way, right?" He flashed a bright smile that made me want to smile too.

And Inuyasha, box in hands, walked off towards my apartment, me following at his heels, remembering one of the reasons that I had fallen so completely in love with him, and wondering why it wasn't the same way anymore (even though I knew why) and why it couldn't be that way again.

Briefly I wondered if Sesshoumaru had ever been as charming and endearing as Inuyasha, but I answered that quickly and turned my gaze back to Inuyasha who was walking with a happy stride and starting a conversation with me about some soccer game he had seen on television or something. It didn't really matter. I smiled anyway.

……………….

AN: Okay….ummmm that turned out completely different than the tiny idea I had of what it might be like. Sorry this took so long. I've been busy busy. I'm in Rome now and I just had my birthday Saturday. I'm officially old. I think I started writing IY fanfics about…five years ago. Pretty scary, huh? Well, I'm sorry that this was so lame. I'll try to make it up in the next chapter, but we'll see how that goes…I have to figure out how Sesshoumaru redeems himself first. IF he does.