Kagome looked out over the crowd that surrounded her, all peering at the tiny, but commanding, woman who was now their boss. Her staff, her very first staff. This would never happen again. She would never again address her first staff for the first time. So while the twenty-some-odd employees got settled in the main sitting room of the hotel, Kagome took the opportunity to burn this moment into her mind, every single detail and face, to be remembered when retirement comes calling and she could look back to where it all began.
"Welcome everyone," Kagome called out, the room quieting down, "tomorrow is the big day. The very first day. Mr. Takahashi will make an appearance in the morning and tomorrow night, so everything has to go smoothly. Uniforms must be clean and everyone needs to be on time. There will be an inspection very early in the morning, before the first batch of guests arrive to check in. Be prepared." There was a slight murmur that ran through the gathered workers, and Kagome waited for the chatter to die down again.
"Now, each department has a leader. You should already know your leader, they will be there for you for guidance and also criticism. They will act as a type of captain for the specific field, but each department is a team. You succeed as a team, and fail as a team. And your department is only as strong as your weakest link." Kagome glanced around the room, her eyes gravitating to each leader in question. "For grounds, we have Miroku Hoshi. The desk and main areas will be lead by Sango Sato. Any repair or maintenance will be lead by Kouga Ookami. And finally, the kitchens will be lead by Inuyasha Takahashi. Any questions?"
A meek looking man shyly raised his hand to her left. Kagome turned her eyes to him, tilting her head to signal her attention. "Miss Higurashi, if we have a problem with our leader, who do we go to to get it resolved? And if we have complaints?" The poor guy looked nervous. Kagome could only remember his first name, he was simply a novice groundsman who worked under Miroku. She believed his name was Hojo, and he seemed harmless and nice enough.
"If there is any problem that you have with anyone and you do not feel comfortable discussing it with your department leader, feel free to stop by my office. I will be living on the grounds, so I am available almost every day and all day." She gave an encouraging smile, glad that at least someone asked a question, and Hojo instantly blushed a bright pink.
A very loud snort came from her right. Kagome scanned her eyes until they landed on head of silver hair that was leaning against the wall, obviously not taking this first meeting seriously. Kagome raised an eyebrow, torn between calling Inuyasha out and trying to ignore him. She didn't want her first memory of being in charge to be her and another worker getting into an altercation. Especially not in front of her other employees.
Inuyasha, thankfully, did not make any other comment. Kagome knew that she was going to have to pick her battles, and frankly this wasn't one to waste her time on. She had more important things to worry about other than the opinions of some asshole chef. "Any other questions?" She called out, but she received no response. Kagome then dismissed everyone, reminding them to be ready an hour before the grand opening, as last minute inspections will be made.
Bodies dispersed throughout the main sitting area and out the doors, and Kagome watched as low-level employees left, leaving behind her department leaders. Just as she would be living on the grounds, so would they. It is imperative to have your leaders on hand at all times, so the second floor of rooms were dedicated to these employees. Kagome smiled as she stepped up the group of them, and faltered at the sudden tension, coming mostly from a particular set of canine demons. Inuyasha and the maintenance leader, Kouga, were in a glaring match.
Hoping to ease the tension, Kagome cleared her throat and gave her best placating smile. "Alright leaders, tomorrow is the big day. If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to stop by my room or office. See you all in the morning!" She made sure to make eye contact with every leader. When her eyes fell onto Inuyasha's, her breath caught in her throat at the look of sheer defiance in them. She quickly looked away and walked out of the sitting area, heading straight to her office to start unpacking her computer and other necessities.
Eventually all the employees that were not staying on the grounds left, which only left a handful of people in the hotel. Kagome bothered herself in the kitchen, heating up some instant ramen for a late night dinner. Her room was located on the second floor, right above her office, and all employee rooms were grouped together. On her left was Sango Sato, on her right Miroku Houshi. And just to her right on the other side of the hall was Kouga Ookami. But to her great dismay, the room directly across from her housed none other than Inuyasha Takahashi. The Kamis obviously hated her.
The blaring of the microwave signaling that her noodles were done startled her out of her thoughts. Grasping the hot bowl, she breathed in the sweet aroma. Kagome was never never one for expensive, elaborate dining. She was perfectly content with instant meals and a cup of hot tea. Hands tucked around the warm cup of noodles, Kagome was on her way to walk back to her room and settle in for the night.
The door to the kitchen swung open and there stood Takahashi himself, glaring at her. She had no idea what she did to make him despise her so much, but Kagome wasn't going to walk on egg shells around him to avoid a confrontation. She was his boss, so he would just have to deal with being around her and taking direction from her. Simple as that.
Kagome strolled past him, head held high. "Evening, Inuyasha." In reply, he snorted at her again, making his way to the fridge and pulling out multiple vegetables and other ingredients. He brought the mounds of ingredients to the prep island in the middle o the stainless steel kitchen, grabbed a cutting board and a large chopping knife. Kagome paused in walking out the door, her eyes focused on the man standing and focused entirely on the food in front of him.
Even though she was in charge of the hotel, and had hand-picked the staff, she had very little experience watching Inuyasha in his natural habitat. Moving off to the side and placing her tea down and her bowl of noodles, Kagome turned to watch him. He seemed completely oblivious of the audience he had as his eyes never left the mixing of ingredients. He turned smoothly to the stove, and began to heat a pan with oil.
Inuyasha rolled his shoulders make, his concentration completely on the task at hand. Cooking is something he had always done, from childhood and obviously into adulthood. There was something about taking different parts of ingredients and bringing them together to form a complete whole. Inuyasha smirked to himself, the irony apparent to him. He himself was two parts that differed, but mixed together to make a whole. His father was the owner of this hotel, and a world-renowned full Inu-youkai. His mother, the kind hearted, gentle soul, was a human.
It was a few more minutes until Inuyasha finally looked up, breaking the eery silence of the kitchen, save for the sound of vegetables frying in on the stove in bubbling oil. His eyes caught sight of chocolate orbs watching his every move, observing him. Like he was some animal in a cage, his behaviors being documented in the observers mind. He narrowed his gaze at his "boss", her eyes widening in surprise at being caught. She quickly grabbed her things and slipped out, a faint dusting of pink across her cheeks.
Inuyasha chuckled to himself, turning back to his work. This was going to be very interesting.