Kagome stared up at the towering building before her and wished she had a better plan. However, as her socks became increasingly soggy as the rain soaked through her worn Converse, she closed her eyes and willed her strength not to fail her.
“Get it together girl. The worst he can do is say no.”
“Say no to what?”
Her blood ran cold as she fought to remain calm. She knew that voice. Shit! Why is he here???? He’s not supposed to be here! He’s supposed to be on the top floor of this building, completely ignorant to my existence!
Forcing her breaths to remain calm, she slowly turned to face him. His brow was arched in that infuriatingly seductive way as he stared down at her and she fought not to cower before him. He didn’t seem all that surprised to see her, which confused her. Clearing her throat, she stood a little straighter and prepared to do what she had to do. She was Kagome! She’d faced down Naraku and his hoard of demon spawn. She could do this!
“Good morning Sesshoumaru. I uh, I was just on my way up to your office.”
His brow lifted even further if that was possible and she shifted on her feet nervously. She’d forgotten how unsettling he was. She’d never encountered anyone else who could deliver such emotion and displeasure without uttering a single word. He was just staring at her, seeming not to notice the sea of people parting around them, completely oblivious to the bizarreness that was her situation. Damn them.
Finally, he turned towards the door, completely ignoring her as he entered the building. Rolling her eyes, she followed him, nodding politely to the receptionist as she passed. The woman raised her hand, clearly intending to stop her, but before she could, Sesshoumaru’s cold voice rang out once more. “She’s with me Yuna.”
“Of course sir.”
The woman bowed, sitting back down and quickly returning her attention to her computer as they continued on towards the elevator. They remained silent as he politely held the elevator doors open for her.
Well that was certainly unexpected. She thought, unsure what to make of his silence as the elevator began its ascent. They reached the top floor quickly and he once again held the doors open for her, causing her eyes to widen in further shock. They were greeted by yet another secretary, and once again Kagome watched as the woman rose to stop her, only to be stopped by Sesshoumaru lifting his hand dismissively.
They entered his inner sanctum and he immediately sat at his desk. Unsure what to do, she stood there awkwardly, waiting for him to say something as she discreetly took in his office. It was surprisingly normal, which surprised her. But then again, it’s not as if she’d have ancient scrolls and mystical objects hanging around for all to see. Most of her world thought of youkai as mere myth. Given his lack of patience, it made sense that he would want to lessen the amount of attention to his heritage. It still bothered her though, seeing him sitting at a desk, typing away at his computer as if he always had been this way.
“What can I do for you, Miss Higurashi?”
She jumped, cursing herself for getting lost in her thoughts as she turned once more to face him. His eyes lanced into hers and she had to fight the urge to reach for her nonexistent bow. She debated turning around and running for the exit, but her stomach gave an almighty lurch and she remembered why she was here.
“I...I need a job.”
If she hadn’t been watching him so closely, she would have missed the slight jerking back of his head. Then, his brow quirked again and he turned back to his computer. She wanted to scream at him. She’d known he would be difficult, his arrogance was not something easily forgotten, but she’d forgotten how her temper reacted when around him. She dropped her gaze to the floor, unwilling to look at him as she essentially plead for her life with an alpha predator.
“Please Sesshoumaru, I just need a job.”
He snorted, and she wondered if it was his name that caused it or if he was truly that uncaring of her situation. She’d seen in the lobby below that he no longer went by his true name, she supposed in an additional attempt to lessen the attention he got, but she hadn’t been able to think of him that way. The killing perfection could be nothing but himself. To pretend otherwise would be an insult to his power. Her stomach rumbled loudly again and she clutched at it as the pain threatened to overwhelm her. She was so hungry.
Suddenly, there was a sound of a drawer being opened and then a thud as something hit the floor near her feet. She looked up and frowned at the candy bar lying on the ground before returning her gaze to him.
“Eat,” he said, his eyes softer than she remembered. “Then we’ll talk.”
She wanted to refuse, her instincts screaming not to show weakness in front of an enemy, even a former one, but her hands were already reaching for it. She dropped to her knees, ripping off the wrapper and moaning as the sweet chocolate coating touched her taste buds. She heard another tapping sound and looked up to find him lifting a phone to his ear.
“Aya, order two of my usual.”
“Tha...that’s not necessary,” she said, shaking her head as she forced herself to stand again.
“Your growling stomach says otherwise,” he replied, motioning to the chair across from him. She gingerly sat down, feeling herself flush under his intense gaze.
“So, why does the mighty Shikon Miko need a youkai’s help getting a job?”
She laughed. She couldn’t help it. It was a thought she’d had herself many times over the past few months. She’d been a warrior in the feudal era. Someone everyone looked up to. And then, the battle had ended and she’d come home, expecting to slip happily back into the modern world, only to find she no longer had a place in it.
No one cared about her strength or endurance. Her skills as a miko were seemingly useless. All anyone saw when they looked at her was a slacker with abysmal attendance and lackluster grades. No schools wanted her and the meager cleaning job she’d been able to find at a local hotel barely covered her rent. Everywhere else wanted experience first or only accepted college graduates. She’d held out as long as she could. Gotten credit cards to help pay the bills, sold whatever she had of value that she could bear to part with, and tried everything she could think of to make extra money from bake sales to offering archery lessons.
Finally, one day, unable to take it anymore and wishing for a simpler life, she’d decided to run away and without thinking, had rushed to her childhood home and leapt into the well. The resounding crash and scream that followed had sent her grandfather, mother, and brother running and ended with her in the hospital with a broken leg. Unable to return to work, she’d been forced to put even more bills on her credit cards and all too soon, they’d been maxed out completely.
And then the phone calls had started.
Collectors called at all hours, demanding payments and offering outrageous settlement offers which did nothing but push her closer and closer to tears. Her mother had gone above and beyond by paying all her medical bills, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell her she was also out of a job and was weeks away from being forced out of her apartment. She couldn’t put that burden on her. It was too much, which was how she ended up here, begging her best friend’s hated brother for help.
“There’s not much demand for battle weary mikos nowadays,” she said finally, looking him directly in the eyes, daring him to disagree.
He snorted. “No, I don’t suppose there would be.”
“Please Sesshoumaru,” she urged, rubbing her arms nervously as he turned his attention back to his computer. “I’ll do anything.”
His quiet chuckle rang out, dark and ominous, sending chills down her spine. “Anything Kagome? Are you sure that’s wise?”
“I...I don’t have a choice,” she whimpered, wrapping her arms around herself as she tried to hold back the tears threatening to consume her.
He huffed. “You always have a choice.”
She wanted to scream at him. To berate him for having it so easy while she seemingly withered away, but before she could, there was a knock on the door and Sesshoumaru was commanding whoever it was to enter.
The woman she’d seen outside the elevator appeared, carrying a bag of food and two drinks, which she set down on the desk before bowing slightly. “Anything else I can do for you, Mr. Taisho?”
“No Aya, that will be all. Hold all my calls. We’re not to be disturbed.”
The woman nodded, slipping quietly back out of the office. Kagome waited until she heard the clink of the office door closing to voice her question. “Is she…”
“She’s human,” Sesshoumaru said, rummaging in the bag and pulling out a burger and fries before pushing it towards her. “We can talk freely. Eat.”
He didn’t have to tell her twice, the words barely having left his mouth before she’d snatched her own burger from the depths of the bag. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a burger and she struggled to restrain her moan as she took her first bite. Grease dripped down her face and she quickly wiped it onto her finger and licked it clean, unwilling to waste a single drop.
“Careful miko, or I might think you’re trying to seduce me.”
Her eyes flashed to his and she blushed at the fire she saw there before ducking her head back down and returning to her burger. The air was filled with a tense silence for a few minutes until he said. “How did you find me?”
She swallowed hard. “I uh, sensed you. A couple weeks ago I was on my way home from a job interview and I felt your youki flare as I passed in front of the building.”
“Why didn’t you approach me then?”
She scoffed. “Honestly, I thought I’d imagined it. I’ve been feeling like I was going crazy for a while now. Why should that day be any different? But then I decided to look up the company, just out of curiosity and there you were. I wasn’t going to come at first. I didn’t want to bother you, but I was just so hungry.”
There was a glimmer of something in his gaze that she couldn’t identify, but if anyone else had held that look she’d assume it was pity, which only made her feel more pathetic. Some miko she was.
“The well has finally closed I take it?” She jerked her head up at that and he chuckled. “Inuyasha told me. As we approached this time frame, he told me I’d have to be careful not to be seen by you until we were sure the well was closed permanently.”
“Inuyasha’s here?!” She couldn’t contain the lilt of hope in her voice. She was saved! Even if Sesshoumaru wouldn’t give her a job, Inuyasha would take care of her. He wouldn’t let her starve.
“He and his mate are in London managing my office there. He felt it would be best he not remain in Japan.”
“Oh,”
And just like that, her hopes crashed around her like so many shards of glass, threatening to shred her to ribbons at the slightest touch. Inuyasha had a mate. Kids too probably. He’d moved on and hadn’t even wanted to stay in the same country as her.
“Back to my question,” Sesshoumaru said gently. “The well, it’s closed.”
She nodded. “About two years ago.”
“You’re sure?”
Her anger flowed like lightning and she jerked her gaze back to his. “Do you want to see my xrays from when I broke my leg jumping in?”
“Apologies,” he said, holding up his hands briefly. “This one did not mean to upset you. But we cannot risk disturbing the timeline.”
“It’s closed.” She snapped, hating him for questioning her. “Trust me.” She couldn’t keep the sorrow from her voice and unconsciously rubbed her leg.
He nodded. “Very well, now about your job.” Her eyes widened as she stared at him, hope clearly shown on her face as she awaited his verdict. “You may assist Aya until I can determine the best place to put you.”
“Thank you Sesshoumaru,” she said, trying to keep her voice steady and her eyes clear. He was going to help her. She would be ok.
“Do you have a place to live? A car?”
“I have an apartment, yes. But I sold my car months ago to pay bills.”
“We will remedy that today. And,” he paused, looking over her thin frame once more before continuing. “We shall get you some clothes too.”
“That’s not…” she said, but he cut her off.
“Kagome, you will most likely attend many business events with me and will need to run errands from time to time. This is not negotiable.”
The look he gave her sent chills of remembered terror down her spine. It was not wise to argue with a being such as him. Reluctantly she nodded and he promptly locked his computer and rose from his seat, motioning for her to exit the office.
“We’re going now?”
“Yes,”
He held the door open for her, barely slowing down on his way to the elevator to advise his receptionist that they would be out for the rest of the day and for her to reschedule all his appointments for the day. Kagome waved politely to her as they entered the elevator, sure that her face held the same look of blank shock Aya’s did as she bowed slightly to them before returning to her duties.