Author's Note

Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed the first chapter! Your excitement and encouragement for this story is so appreciated!

Here is the new chapter, as promised! Please enjoy!

Lead Me Down the Garden Path

Sengoku Manor

Kagome was feeling surprisingly optimistic about her first day at work. But, she didn't realize that she had such a long day in store for her.

Sango had brought her resume with her to provide to Kouga, considering he really had no idea whether Sango was qualified to do the job, not to mention didn't even know her name; but, he never ended up asking for the document. He greeted both girls, asked them if they were ready to work hard, and then led them inside. Sango ended up folding the paper into eighths and sliding it into the zippered pocket on the back of her pants. She would end up recycling the document when she got home later that night.

Kagome experienced quite a bit of anxiety that morning over what to wear. Her entire wardrobe, filled with business casual and formal teacher-appropriate clothing, taunted her when she reached for a pair of jeans first thing that Monday morning. This new "casual" process of getting ready for her day felt so foreign to her. None-the-less, Kagome got ready with her usual cup of coffee and precision in ensuring she was a presentable professional, regardless the occupation. Kagome ended up choosing a pair of jeans that, if ruined by the physical labour, wouldn't be the end of the world. She straightened her hair, adorned a modest amount of make up, finished her coffee, and went to pick up Sango.

With an incredulous smirk, Kagome had just shook her head at her friend as Sango had climbed into the front seat. Sango, despite Kouga's instructions, ended up wearing yoga pants.

From years of teaching cardio kickboxing classes, Sango always had a body that revealed hard work and warranted attention. Sango was proud of her body and she wore the tightest shirts, skirts, and tights, without an ounce of body fat to be seen anywhere. Sango never wore jeans. Actually, Kagome didn't even think Sango owned jeans. Kagome recalled countless times of Sango explaining that she felt the inflexible material made her feel too restrained to be comfortable. Sango always preferred clothing that allowed her body to move and breathe as she needed.

When the girls got out of Kagome's Corolla and approached the small, white, rectangular building, Kouga had greeted them with a toothy, bright smile. Kagome smirked at seeing how Kouga had eyed Sango up and down, his eyes taking in the sight of her in her black racer-back tank top and shin-length yoga pants; yet, he didn't say anything. Sango's long black-brown hair was tied back into a loose ponytail and her pink eyeshadow, mascara, and nude lipstick was just enough makeup to balance her muscular, strong physique with a classic and subtle feminine beauty.

Despite the tendency for men to pay more attention to Sango, Kagome wasn't oblivious to the stares she also received from Kouga. In her light blue Levi's and red and black checkered button-up, Kagome looked like she was ready for a night out at a country-western bar. Her hair loose around her shoulders, and her bright brown eyes appearing alert and eager, she had still put quite a bit of effort into her morning routine. She felt a blush begin to grow across her cheeks under the scrutiny of Kouga's blue-grey eyes.

But Kagome wasn't the only one receiving a once-over, she was giving it too. Kagome couldn't help the way her eyes branched across Kouga's body, observing and appreciating the appeal of his broad shoulders and thin waist. She could tell he had been in this industry a while. Kouga's skin was the shade of tan everybody wished they obtained while on vacation, and his upper body was built strong; each muscle was specifically defined and barely contained within his pale blue t-shirt bearing the RT Landscaping (which Kagome noticed Kouga called RTL, regularly) name and logo: the 2D outline of a treed landscape. Kagome also couldn't help but notice how well-defined his thighs were, the muscles just peeking through below the line of his cargo shorts.

Once the girls completed their paperwork and training, Kouga provided them with their work shirts. In the bathroom, they put on the shirts. Sango stripped to her sports bra right in front of the mirror. As she was pitching the black tank top off, Kagome, more modestly, locked herself in a bathroom stall and unbuttoned her shirt. Once the girls looked the part of real landscapers, Kouga led them to the boardroom to introduce them to a few others who were just arriving and taking a seat while they waited for their next assignment.

Kagome and Sango first met Shippou, a young, spritely boy who was just out of high school, returning for his second summer at RTL. Next to arrive was Ayame, a girl with beautiful auburn hair who appeared to be Sango and Kagome's age, but didn't seem too keen to interact with anyone this early in the day. She acknowledged the girls with a nod of her head and then walked by them to take a seat across the room. Kagome was quick to notice the look Ayame shot Kouga as she walked by him; it was a glance that radiated pure sexual hunger. Kagome quickly turned her eyes away, feeling uncomfortable for noticing something so intimate about a stranger.

A few more people arrived and entered the boardroom; however, Kagome was so overwhelmed with new information in a foreign industry that she forgot the names immediately. By the time the workday was starting, there were eleven people all-in-all, including Kouga who stood at the front of the boardroom and bid everyone a good morning.

"All right gang, I just want to first start us off by welcoming our two newest, Kagome Higurashi and Sango Hantā."

There were a few "hi's" called out and a pitifully attempted applause. Kagome wanted to presume the lack of energy was from it being 7:30 in the morning; however, Sango picked up the vibe that the low energy was due to people not really wanting to be there. Sango observed that everyone seemed a bit disengaged.

"Alright! So, as I explained on Friday, starting today, we've been generously provided with some projects for commercial grounds throughout a few of the districts. I expect this will take a couple of the teams a good portion of the summer. The goal is to aim for at least two grounds per week. That seems simple enough, but the properties are large. This means it's important to work hard. You guys know I have pretty high standards. The fact that the heat this summer is supposed to be one for the books doesn't mean I'll allow any slacking."

Kouga's eyes glinted warningly, "This week especially will be humid. Make sure you stock up on water. Use the coolers in the trucks. Team Leaders, you're expected to remind your crews to reapply sunscreen every two hours. Forget, and your ass is grass, understood?"

There were several anxious nods and Kouga smirked, "Alright then, let's move on to your assignments! Hakakku, your team is taking the Shinjuku District Park. The project details are in your mailbox. You are assigned truck two. Ginta!"

A nervous looking man stood up clumsily from his chair and said, "Yes, Kouga?"

"Your team is assigned Yoyogi Park. You get truck three. Your details are in your box."

"Yes, Kouga!" he said again, and then scrambled out of his seat to assemble his team.

"Alright, and as for my team…"

A few people sighed in response to Kouga's comment, causing Kagome to turn over her shoulder with a questioning face.

"We'll be in truck one. For you ladies who are new, other than this new commercial gig, our biggest project to date is the assignment of Sengoku Manor. We've been tasked with the aquascape, installation of an irrigation system, and general grounds maintenance including attending to the trees and flowerbeds. We're currently in week two of the project."

Kouga crossed his arms, "You'll all remember that the owner just requested we build a garden structure on the west side of the building. Kagome and Sango, this will be your task. I'll have Shippou show you around the property when we first get there to give you a lay of the land. He'll review the owner's rules with you and get you started. I'll pop by later in the day to help you with technique and ergonomics to ensure you don't strain yourselves on your first day. Good?"

Both girls nodded.

Kagome was already overwhelmed. She wanted to know what Kouga meant by "owner's rules."

Following the end of the briefing, Kagome and Sango followed the others and climbed into 'truck one' along with Kouga, Ayame, and Shippou. Kagome wasn't really all that surprised when she saw Kouga clamber into the front seat; however, she raised an eyebrow when she saw Ayame take the passenger front seat despite Shippou yelling "shotgun" on the way across the parking lot.

Sango shared a knowing glance with Kagome and made an obscene hand gesture to her friend while winking. Kagome rolled her eyes and fastened her seatbelt; she didn't want to envision her new boss having sexual intercourse with one of her colleagues.

The car ride was smooth and sporadically noisy. Shippou ended up being quite talkative, as he was curious about his two new colleagues, and Kouga and Ayame had a quiet conversation in the front that Kagome couldn't overhear because of the road noise.

After a thirty-minute drive, Kagome was climbing out of the truck and trying to calm her rising anxiety at the rod iron gate and Western-styled mansion whose steep roof peaked out down a long, heavily treed driveway. Kagome's eyes quickly observed the aged metal plaque with an inscription that stated "Sengoku Manor" with the address below it in fanciful italic fonts.

Kagome was mesmerized as she watched Kouga get out of the truck and approach the intercom. Her brown eyes widened when the iron gates swung open towards them. Kouga returned to the truck and devoted his attention to the contents in the trunk. Kouga quickly shouted over to Shippou that he should take Kagome and Sango around the property now. Kouga further stated that he and Ayame would get everything set up so that Kagome and Sango would be good to go once the tour was done.

Shippou nodded and waved his arm to have the girls follow him.

As they made their way up the paved driveway, Kagome's eyes swung back and forth between the wide-trunk trees on either side of the road and the canopy of leaves above them.

"How come we don't take truck?" Kagome inquired, her eyes narrowing at the long walk they had ahead of them to reach the mansion looming over them in the distance. Kagome suspected the driveway to be at least a kilometre long.

"The owner doesn't like our trucks on his property," Shippou remarked. "It's one of his rules."

Kagome picked up a hint of attitude in Shippou's comment. She wondered why the owner would impose such a silly rule.

"Who lives here?" Sango gasped, looking around her as she walked beside her friend.

"Inuyasha Taisho," Shippou spat, walking beside Kagome, his hand gripping the strap of the cooler swung over his arm. "I don't understand all the hype about him personally. He's just some jerk who was famous and is now living off his riches.

"Pardon my language, but he's a huge asshole," Shippou said, making eye contact with Kagome, "so I suggest staying away from him as much as possible. He doesn't tend to socialize with us much because he thinks we're beneath him. But he's gotten into fights with some of our people before for really petty shit."

"Inuyasha…Taisho?" Sango repeated, her eyes wide. Despite all the things Shippou just said, Kagome couldn't fathom why Sango took special note of the name.

Shippou nodded with a closed eye, holding back a yawn, "Yep."

"The Inuyasha whose brother is Sesshoumaru Taisho? The famous model?"

"Yep."

"You mean to say that this…monstrosity of a house...belongs to the former agent for The Band of Seven!?"

"That's the one."

Sango laughed and clapped her hands together, "Well, I'll-be-damned! This is amazing!"

Kagome cocked her head to the side. "You know this guy, Sango?"

Sango turned to her friend bewildered, "Everyone knows him Kagome! He's Inuyasha Taisho. He was the manager of the band!"

"What band?"

"The Band of Seven!"

Kagome's face was expressionless in response.

"You totally know their music, Kagome. I've listened to them before when you were around. Inuyasha was their manager!"

Kagome blinked her eyes in confusion, a blank expression on her face. "I have no idea who that is."

"No, come on, Kagome. You must have heard about Inuyasha before! The band was like…the band ten years ago."

Kagome made a face and shrugged her shoulders.

"'The Tale of Banryū?' 'Mercenary?' 'Resurrection?' I'm positive you must have heard one of those singles."

Kagome shook her head.

"It was all over the radio, Kagome. Plus, I was obsessed with their album, 'Mount Hakurei.' You must have heard it."

Kagome laughed uneasily, "I've honestly never heard of any of this before in my life."

"Well, you're not missing much," Shippou chimed in. "Long story short, the band broke up when the drummer got arrested for drug possession, and then Inuyasha took his riches and ended up here."

"The band didn't just break up, Shippou!" Sango claimed animatedly, "There was that huge investigation that revealed the band was involved in drug trafficking," Sango turned to Kagome, "Like…gang-related drug trafficking. That must sound familiar, Kagome. It was all over the news. It was like…the biggest investigation since…ever! It's pretty much the Japanese version of the OJ Simpson trials!"

Kagome rested an awkward hand behind her head. "Sorry, Sango. It's still not ringing a bell."

"Jesus Christ, Kagome," Sango laughed, "I'm honestly shocked this is the first you're hearing of it."

"But why is this Inuyasha guy such a big deal?" Kagome asked, her eyes trying to size up the house she was approaching.

Shippou turned to face her, "Because it's still unknown how he got out of it."

"Got out of what?" Kagome questioned.

Sango's face went suddenly serious, "The entire band is in jail, Kagome. They were all in on it. The only person to get out of the situation with no repercussions at all was Inuyasha. He was found innocent of the whole thing."

Kagome furrowed her brows. "But, if the whole band was involved in drug trafficking, as the agent or manager of the band, wouldn't he likely have been in on it?"

Sango nudged her friend in the arm, "Now you know why he's so famous. He's a mystery, Kagome. The trial was the biggest thing to happen in Japan in the new millennium. There's so many conspiracy theories about the whole thing. No one knows how Inuyasha was able to get out of the situation untouched."

Author's Note

Only a few more paragraphs to go on the next chapter!

Your comments are always appreciated! Please review :)

*princess p.