A.N. Okay so I got back into reading fanfiction for a little bit. Nothing recently published per say, but old stuff I had bookmarked about a year ago. And for the life of me I was quite compelled to wonder what had ever possessed me to EVER do that. They weren't even IY fics but dear God… I hope SB isn't like that. I really do…. I haven't really taken the time to take in this fic as a whole since it technically isn't whole. I only have random splurges of documents labeled Kodak moments that I have yet to put together into full on chapters and these nineteen posted chapters. But I did read a few good fics and skimmed a few of my favorites so I wasn't as traumatized but damn it I will never blindly add C2 stories again. Best fics my ass! But enough rambling and on with the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha but I do have spiffy IY merchandise!
-
-
Simply Business
(Tsuki)
Chapter Nineteen
-
-
Due to their sudden surplus in budget, Sango and Kagome had flown to Kyoto for Saturday and Sunday. They had bought their tickets at the beginning of the week, and due to the short notice, they ended up with an early flight. Though the time they were heading in at, was admittedly not as bad as Kagome's departure time on Monday.
They would not be heading back together. Sango was heading out Tuesday while Kagome would fly back early Monday morning due to the fact that although neither had class until Tuesday, Sango didn't have prior commitments before Tuesday. Kagome had class starting from noon to two while Sango had a night elective that day.
But Kagome also had to look after Rin. Seeing as how she didn't want to force Sango leave early because of her, she didn't mind completely squashing any thread of guilt in her friend's mind about not going back together.
Actually that task had consumed the entirety of their flight…
So the travel time seemed to fly by and before either knew it, they had land in Kyoto's airport.
Not only was it still early as it was just a little past seven, but it was a bit chilly. It had rained quite a bit the night before, so both girls had dressed snugly. That morning, Sango had slipped into a pair of cotton lined brown boots that came up mid calf and chocolate capris that had thin manila pinstripes. She sported a thick, off white, fitted long sleeved shirt over which she had a hooded crocheted half sweater that had the same rich complexion as the capris. Kagome on the other hand wore a flared denim skirt that fell a few inches above her knees and black socks that came up to her calf. Along with black ankle high boots, she had on a black off the shoulder long sleeved sweater over which she had thrown, a blue MNU zip up vest.
This time, since the flight was quick and it was still daylight they had not made any plans to sleep at one particular house. Reason simply being…it was completely unnecessary. Sango's parents however would be catering dinner.
Sango grinned impishly, "I don't see why though. I mean you majorly owe me a favor for fielding the excuse us delaying our visit for you to go running around all night with Kouga!"
Kagome blushed, "All night? Hardly!" A grimace worked its way onto her face, "But yeah, yeah. I know…thanks." She scrunched up her nose, "I feel like we're suddenly back in high school though. I mean how juvenile can we get," she questioned rhetorically with a laugh.
Sango giggled, "But I don't blame you for not wanting to publicize Kouga just yet. He would definitely get the wrong idea if you dragged him all the way out to Kyoto to meet your family. I'm almost certain he'd even start making wedding plans!"
Rule number one in the Higurashi household – You want to date; you better make sure we meet him/her first.
The same rule would apply to Souta eventually, hence the 'her' part of it.
Kagome groaned. And darn it all, she just couldn't give false implications such as that to Kouga. That would be too cruel. It had just been one date and she wasn't even sure how she really felt about him anyway. She knew she liked him, however, she wasn't certain as to the extent of those feelings.
Nevertheless, she also hated having to lie.
As the girls collected their carryon bags too large for the overhead compartments, Kagome flipped open her cell phone and called to say that she had arrived in Kyoto.
Sango did the same, but since her father was picking them up, she also told him where they would meet him.
When she finished, she was surprised when Kagome engulfed her in a hug, "Before I forget… I just want to say: Please see this as a mini vacation and just relax, okay? I'm really hoping that this will be just the kind of break you need from everything…So even if it's just for a minute or even a second while we're here—Make sure to genuinely smile and laugh and just enjoy yourself."
Sango stood there for a moment, nodded saying anything. She stared at the slightly shorter raven haired girl and laughed.
Sango covered her eyes with one hand and returned the hug with the other. Her body shook with another small laugh only this time it sounded almost like a sob. "You jerk…you're going to make me cry."
Kagome smiled, "I just had to tell you that though. You seemed like you needed a reminder."
Sango blushed as she admitted, "I'm on my way to getting over this, don't worry."
And that was the truth…
But if the process were anything like taking a plane….She hadn't even taken off yet.
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
This weekend was yet another blur for Sango. She certainly felt better, but time had flown before her eyes, and before she knew it, it was time to drive Kagome to the airport.
As Kagome waiting in front of her boarding gate, she grinned to Sango, "So, what was in that letter Kohaku wanted you to hand over to Rin?"
Sango smacked her friend lightly on the arm, "I didn't look! And you shouldn't either!"
Her friend squealed, "But this is so cute! He had a crush on Rin!"
"We don't know that for sure so don't say anything! He'll be blushing for a month if you do, crushing or not," she giggled.
"How did he manage to hand it over to you then or did he need a letter for that too," she teased lightly causing Sango to giggle.
Kohaku was probably one of the shyest boys either girl knew. With people he was well acquainted with, he managed to open up completely, but there were still some things that the boy would revert to his reversed traits.
She passed the letter over to Kagome to hand over to Rin. "Actually…"
"Sango…Can I come in for a moment please?" Sango blinked and cocked her head to the side. She was sitting on her floor in a sweatshirt and boy shorts, giving herself a manicure as she listened to CDs.
A smile worked its way to her face, "Of course, Kohaku.. You're always welcome to come in here."
And that was the truth…she could always say that to him knowing she'd never regret making that statement.
He gingerly opened the door. His cheeks were slightly flushed and he was holding a white envelope in his hands. As he came closer she saw that it had the name, 'Rin' scrawled on it in his neat print.
"I've been meaning to ask, if you could give this to Rin. I wrote it after the first weekend she was here but I didn't know how else to send it without mailing it since I don't know her address."
Sango ruffled his hair as he handed over the letter, "Of course. I'd be glad to. What's in it?"
Kohaku blushed a bit. "I didn't seal the envelope, if you want to read it."
Sango smiled warmly, "I won't lie and say I'm not curious. But I'll wait until you're ready to tell me. You wrote this letter for Rin so you intended it for her eyes only."
Kohaku grinned sheepishly and nodded a bit. Sango smile suddenly turned into a mischievous grinned, "So you wanna stick around and give big sis a manicure, hmm?"
Her brother grimaced, "As if Sango!"
Sango took his hand and started dabbing the brush into the bottle of white nail polish, "Fine, fine, if you want to go first—"
Kohaku retracted his hand as if he had been burned, "No way!"
Sango giggled, "How about if I beat you in two out of three races in Need for Speed?"
"Unlikely! You're on, Sango!"
"So how long did you make him walk around with his nails painted?"
Sango grinned, "An hour and he still had to give me a manicure. I regret that just a little though." She looked at her hands and winced a bit at what she saw, "He's getting better…A few more bets and maybe his hand will get a little steadier…"
Kagome laughed. "I should try that on Souta next time… We could have a mini spa date going if we play our cards right." Her friend giggled.
But as soon as the laughter ended, the 'Now Boarding' announcement was called out and the two girls hugged.
Kagome slung her bag over her shoulder, "See you Tuesday!"
Sango winked, "Try not to get too bored without me!"
"Please! How bad can one day be with a roommate?"
Sango just grinned and waved, "Yeah, yeah…Have a good flight."
And suddenly Kagome was gone.
Sango groaned with a stretch, "I better take my own advice. It's only a day…" She stood staring at the gate for a moment longer before.
Suddenly someone brushed a single crimson rose into her line of sight, "If I heard correctly, then you're Sango, right?"
Sango stared hard at the man in front of her. He was dressed in a navy Armani suit with a light blue lining. His lengthy wavy hair was tied back in a high ponytail and his bangs were somewhat unruly. He was staring at her through intense toffee colored eyes. Sango blinked and deadpanned, "Who the hell are you?"
He did not lose poise at her question. "My name, fair Sango, is Takeda Kuranosuke; age thirty. Although I am a wealthy corporate executive, I do enjoy long midnight strolls along the beach. My favorite flower is the beautiful, passionate rose, I'm a Virgo, my favorite color is the color of a rose in full bloom—"
Sango help up her hands, "Hey, hey, hey! I didn't ask for all that information. What it that you want?"
"A date," he tapped the rose against her nose, "…with you. I cancelled my flight to Tokyo in exchange for being driven so that I may pursue this thing called love at first sight!"
Sango started to walk away, "Mmmhmm.. Yeah good luck with that! Personally, I'm heading back to sleep. The sun isn't even up yet."
He grabbed her hand, "Please at least accept this rose as an exchange for denying my company."
Sango forced a smile and took the flower, "Thank you."
But he did not let go of her hand.
Sango sighed, "Look…I really not looking for a relationship right now…"
"I'm not asking you to marry me… I am simply asking that you grab a cup of coffee with me."
"Don't you think you should go for girls who are a bit older. You're nearly a decade my senior—I'm still in college!"
He grasped her hands, "Right now, I just want you, Sango. Besides I have enough money that that won't even matter. You could drop out and we could live anywhere you wanted!"
Sango felt her face heat up and she ripped her hand out of his and spat, "Love isn't about just money and fancy claims! You can't buy your way into it! It's something you can't control or force—You certainly can't just waltz up to someone and throw meaningless confessions and stress how much status you have!" She took his hand and placed the rose back into it as she continued, her voice holding a bit less anger.
"Love isn't about showing confidence! You're never confident when you're in love because love isn't confident at all…" She hugged her arms around herself, and murmured, "It's full of pain and joy and sorrows and gains and laughter all rolled into one, but not confidence, because love is uncertain and it absolutely isn't a 'right now' type of thing!"
Her voice rose once again and Takeda could only look on dumbfounded as she poked him in the chest, "Once you love someone, you love them until eternity—that's true love. You don't fall out of it, it's impossible."
And then her eyes unexpectedly filled with tears, "Because at the end of the day, every person you meet will remind you of them. You'll see their expressions in the people you'll meet. Everything you've eaten with that person will be your favorite food. You'll never buy any flavor but Champagne Blueberry Grape bubble tea…You'll remember the days you spent together and the way his arms felt when he held you but you won't just remember the good, you'll always be scarred by the bad. Your fights…the times you accused him of something but he wouldn't deny it…The fact that he didn't chase you when you walked out…"
She was thankful that the airport was virtually empty as she started sobbing.
Takeda sighed, a small smile on his face as he pressed the girl to his chest and let her cry it out. "Come on…Let me get you to something warm." Sango seemed as if she was about to protest. "Not as some hotshot rich kid, but as a friend. I can see you need it right now. No more confessions, no more roses. Just hot chocolate and maybe a muffin if you're up to it."
Sango hiccupped and nodded, "Thank you…"
-
-
(A Monday Morning In The Life Of Sesshoumaru Taisho)
-
-
Monday: 8:50 a.m.
A sheepish looking olive toned female poked her head into Sesshoumaru Taisho's office after rapping on the door several urgent times. She was Kiana Akian, a middle aged member of the executive board of the company. Second only to Sesshoumaru, she was the youngest of the group.
Her job on the board was that of an accountant. She also dealt with reporting the finalized news to the CEO—Sesshoumaru after each business quarter.
She knocked gingerly a second time since she had received no response and adjusted the papers she held. "Excuse me, Sesshoumaru? This quarter's official results are in…"
Finally Sesshoumaru looked up from the laptop he had been typing on. His fast paced fingers did not cease in their task, however. He gestured with a slight nod for her to enter, "And?"
Kiana flushed a bit, "Well…I won't lie…This is one of the shittiest reports I've seen in awhile. That goddamn marketing officer messed up his numbers again."
Sesshoumaru raised a brow, "…Excuse me?"
His questioning tone did not address her manner of speaking—that he was very much used to. But another numerical mistake by Hiochi Muyenara?
That made a total of three mistakes in the past two quarters. After the first one he would have gotten rid of the incompetence moron had it not been for the fact that there had been no one to fill in as CMO so Sesshoumaru had decided it was something that could be put off. The second mistake had been a pricing error, but that had actually worked in their favor. Basically as long as there had been no out-stocking or major sale and/or profit losses, errors could be overlooked to a point.
But now, he had two better suited candidates, so his mind was already concocting various ways of firing him. Very slow and painful ways….
The woman walked over to Sesshoumaru's desk and placed the forms down softly. She sighed as she kneaded the fabric of her blazer between her fingers, "The CMO fucked us over, Sesshoumaru. That bastard forgot a zero somewhere and turned everything to shit!"
Although Kiana was one of the quieter not to mention more empathetic employees there, she did have one fault. Despite her efficiency and well known compassion, she had the vocabulary of a hardened criminal.
And to top that off, she spoke in such a soft, syrupy manner that contradicted her vernacular.
A lithe hand rose to massage the bridge of his nose. Kiana slid the sheet over for him to view. She looked as if she was about to cry. "We faced major out stocking and our operations officer is at Muyenara's throat! It's a motherfucking mess…!"
An annoyed breath of air left Sesshoumaru's throat as he looked over the report and he drawled, "A total of over twelve thousand missed sales opportunities in total?"
Kiana wisely chose not to say anything as Sesshoumaru looked over the sheet.
Sesshoumaru closed his eyes.
No…He would not just fire Muyenara…The whole marketing departing was gone. Someone had to have checked those numbers while they had been in such an erroneous stage and okay-ed it besides the Chief Marketing Officer. Perhaps he could even get away with dismissing anyone who even came into contact with that man…
A small smile formed on his face…
This would be a very interesting morning.
-
-
(A Monday Morning In The Life Of Kagome Higurashi)
-
-
Monday: 8:20 a.m.
A wild mane of raven hair peeked out of Kagome's bedroom before the girl even took a step out of the doorway.
With a monstrous yawn she stretched her hands high above her head. She had gotten off the plane at five in the morning (last minute flights always had such crappy hours) and taken a quick three hour nap as soon as she got home.
She tried combing through her thick locks with her fingers to no avail and pulled her blue robe tighter to her body. It was then that she noticed the blinking of their answering machine.
Kagome blinked, "I wonder who called…"
She glided over to the machine in her fluffy robe matching slippers and pressed the button to play the messages. There was a loud 'BEEP!' as Kagome started back to her room to get her bathing supplies.
The automated voice called out, "You have forty-one unheard messages..."
"Message One:" The first message started just as Kagome returned from her room. 'Hope I didn't miss anything important…'
'Hey! It's Jakotsu! Just making sure everything went fine during your big first date with Kouga-kun…But I guess you're still on it…which is a good sign I guess since it's only been twenty minutes…'Kagome heard him laugh, 'Call you later! Bye!' BEEP!
Kagome laughed. Jakotsu was crazy…. But how nice of him to check up on her like that. She smiled a bit and let out another yawn as the second message started up.
"Hey, it's me……Guess you're still out…Call me!" BEEP!
She rubbed the back of her head, "I hope he didn't worry too much. I've been out all weekend..." She made her way to the phone, "I'll give him a call after I go through the messages end. This next one is probably the last one…"
"So yeah, um, Kagome-chan, it's Jakotsu and it's Saturday and I'm just checking to see how the date went. Bye." BEEP!
"Kaggggoooommmeee! When people promise to tell about their dates they usually do so immediately after. Now I can forgive you for that 'cause I know you looked so slammin' that you two were probably getting it on allllllll night long if you know what I me—"
BEEP! Kagome's face turned a vicious shade of scarlet. She covered her heated cheeks with her hands and scowled at the answering machine.
"It cut me off! That answering machine cut me off! Piece of —!" BEEP!
"My fault that time…Nearly dropped my phone in tub….Bubble baths always make me so drowsy…" BEEP!
"I know…you're probably thinking: 'Why not call my cell? That I'll pick up,' well funny story about that! So I was at Burger King right, totally bored on the midnight shift and all of a sudden this super hot guy walks in. Of course I had to quickly think of some way to get him to come bac—" BEEP!
Kagome stared at the machine, 'Okay…just how many messages did he leave?'
"That is so getting on my nerves… Well I slipped my phone in with his order, because I was thinking. Hey, he'll see the phone, it has my picture as the background, and my phone number and address appear as the screen saver (I lose my phone a lot)—He'll have to get it back to me—" BEEP!
"UGH!! Cut me off AGAIN!! Honestly—!" BEEP!
"It hates me Kago-chan!!" BEEP!
"Eek! I got suddsss allll in my eeeeyyyeees!!" BEEP!
Kagome stared at the answering machine not knowing what to even say…She nodded her head slowly before carefully walking to the bathroom. Jakotsu's voice still resounded in the background but she tried to tune it out. She stared at answering machine at the door way before she cringed at the newest message, shut the door, and showered.
When she came out, the messages had only reached the late twenties.
"Kagome where ar—Oh my GAWD!! I LOVE this song!
What a day—young boy next door passed away—
Oooh it makes me want to say— hey,
I don't wanna waste another day—
Can you and I start mixing gene pools?
Eastern, Western people get naughty--" BEEP!
Kagome stared at the machine with her eyes wide and her jaw nearly touching the floor. She could never listen to Utada Hikaru again… The only sound was from the droplets of water from her hair hitting the carpet with a soft pitter. Her brow twitched a bit as she made her way to her room.
She emerged a few minutes later with her hair wrapped in the towel that had moments before been around her small frame. The towel had been replaced by a red tank top and black sweats. Red socks adorned her feet.
She shuddered…Jakotsu was crazy.
At the doorway she could hear another beep and the start of a new message. It was on message thirty six now.
"Sunday evening now, Kagome!! Did you two elope?! I didn't know Kouga had it in him to move things along so quickly!! I bet that guy was only pretending to be shy….Maybe I should try calling him….!" BEEP!
"OMG! No answer!" BEEP!
Kagome looked scandalized, "Elope? It's been one date people! He's definitely not proposing anytime soon!!"
"Hmmm" Kagome could hear the pout in his voice, "…false alarm. He just called me back. I didn't pick up of course…What fun is it to hear date details from a guy?" BEEP!
"Ugh…So yeah I have to go to work…But maybe I'll see Mystery BK guy again! I miss my phone!"
BEEP!
"Guess what! He came back and he looked even better a second time around! He handed back my phone and even asked for my number—!" BEEP!
"Whoops…Got so excited I cut myself off.." Jakotsu paused and mused, "I have a sneaking suspicion though that he doesn't know that I'm a man…Oh well… I guess he's going to be in for a little surprise later." Jakotsu let out a borderline maniacal laugh before he said "…Sooo anyway I'll give you until ten o'clock tomorrow to call me and dish before I start my calls again! Ciao!" His threat was probably made even more frightening by the fact that he lined his tone with sing song.
Kagome hurriedly scrambled to pick up the phone and called Jakotsu.
-
-
(A Monday Morning In The Life of Sesshoumaru)
Monday: 10:20 a.m.
He had finished his mass interrogation ten minutes earlier than he had expected and so had that time free before his next corporate meeting. It almost left him with an empty feeling to have no one else to leave short jobs they were vastly under qualified to handle. But did that mean was everyone else that was left properly efficient?
He scoffed.
Hardly…
Nevertheless they were hiding their incompetency rather well…
Had anyone been looking into his office at that moment they would have been shocked to see what looked like it could only be a pout form on his lips as the president of company settled for merely checking his email to kill time.
The words, "Important Reminder," filling in the regarding slot of an unread email caught his attention.
He clicked on it.
A shudder suddenly passed through his body as he murmured, "Company check, Friday October 13th until Wednesday October 18th."
Was it truly that time of year again?
That time of year meaning…
The beginning of company checks…performed by the head of the enterprise and the respective presidents of the other two continental sectors of their conglomerate. They always started with the original company then they went to the U.S. and then to Europe. Each session lasted but five days, yet those fifteen days were the longest days off his life.
Why?…Simply because that meant his father (initial founder and therefore header of the multinational business on a whole) was doing an inspection visit in a little over two weeks. Meaning… his father would be staying in his home the entirety of those five days… And not only that. It only got worse. His younger brother would be in town as well… He ran the sector in North America. So he had to see those two for not only his inspection, but the ten days there after. That was fifteen days straight.
Sesshoumaru calmly closed out of that window and shut off his system. He rose and strolled out of his office.
Hmm… Yes… It was a very good thing that he had a meeting now.
-
-
(A Monday Morning In the Life of Kagome Higurashi)
-
-
Monday: 10:30 a.m.
Found Kagome on the couch. She had sat down just seconds before after finishing her phone call with Jakotsu. Unexpectedly, he had been the one to end the conversation as he had been caught slacking off.
She pouted. That lucky bastard had work to preoccupy himself and right now, she on the other hand had nothing…
"I miss Momma…"
10:32 a.m.
"I miss Souta…."
Fidget, fidget
10:33 a.m.
"I miss Jii-chan. Buyo too…I hope Souta's feeding her…" Her face took on a look of concern. "It felt like he lost a few pounds in the last few visits. I barely felt him this time when he took a nap on my stomach after I dozed off that one time…" Suddenly her eyes widened with realization, "Wait! Maybe he's exercising more." She made a fist and his it into the palm of her hands as she murmured excitedly, "Yeah, yeah—he's been doing laps around the shrine. I think he has a crush on Kirara so he's trying to get fit to imp—Oh my God am I really talking to myself?"
10:35 a.m.
"Can I really not going a day without Sango?!"
10:36 a.m.
A pink hair clip on the carpet near Sango's door caught her attention. Kagome quickly bee-lined to the clip and placed it in its proper location. Kagome slipped into the brunette's room and slid opened a red jewelry box, where Sango kept not only her earrings and bracelets, but also hair accessories as well...
And …that started her cleaning frenzy which would last until her part time job—which she of course left early for.
-
-
(Tsuki)
-
-
Tuesday morning at nine o'clock, Kagome excitedly was driving to their apartment, Sango in the passenger seat.
Although the two rode back from the airport mostly in silence, there was something comforting about the lack of communication.
Neither girl wanted or really needed to say anything to break the unperturbed mood. It was only until they got out of the car that Sango said something.
As she hugged her duffle bag to her chest, she admitted, "I'm glad I stayed an extra day. I made a friend and it gave me the chance to really straighten out and accept my feelings."
Kagome locked the car door and looked at her friend with uncertainty, "Good or bad thing?"
Sango sighed and scrunched up her nose. After a moment paused she shrugged, "A little of both, but more towards the good side."
Kagome smiled, going over and put her arm around the girl as they made their way bad. "Then I'm glad."
Sango grinned, "So how did you end up spending your day without me?"
A light blush tinged her cheeks, "Well…It was pretty….interesting, so to speak. Listened to some messages, cleaned around—I found twenty dollars in my room, which was exciting, ate food, did most of my homework for the week…made a phone call…you know stuff like that. Oh and I gave Rin Kohaku's letter, too!"
Peals of laughter left her friend's throat. "Sounds interesting. Definitely."
Her sarcasm was not lost on her friend so the raven haired girl insisted, "Hey! Listen to our answering machine and I'm sure you'll agree with me."
Sango gave Kagome a weird look as they reached the front door.
Abruptly someone called out Sango's name.
Someone who had the ability to make the brunettes features become overwhelmed by a pained looked…Someone able to make her drop her bag and freeze upon hearing their voice…
A person that just with the sight of their raven hair, midnight eyes, and flustered cheeks would have completely taken away her strength…
And there was only one 'someone' like that. Only one person who could do that to her.
And that was Mirouku.
-
-
(Tsuki)
A.N. Cliffie!
Now who missed these?? Yes I am aware that this chapter was basically a filler, but it was a necessary one to set the stage for -drumroll- Chapter 20!
Mirouku's back and what does he want? Find out next chapter in the big two oh. Chapter twenty is coming up and we may be looking at a dramatic rekindling of newfound emotions or a complete obliteration of any and all romantic feelings.
So tell me what you thought of Jak's voicemail messages and the ever loveable cliffie!
R&R