Two Sides of the Same Coin by Amatsu Rein

An Ordinary Day at the Office...

Disclaimer: Not mine!!

Part One

Just as after every meeting I find myself tense and agitated. Those incompetent idiots I call partners can't do a damn thing right. Settling for lower standards, and accepting the worst of half-assed work. I don't even want to think about how they've lost 8 contracts in the past week.

I stalk into the reception room of my floor, which holds only this lounge, my office, a coffee machine, and a bathroom. Miss Higurashi, my secretary is working away diligently, unlike the better part of this building. She looks up at my entrance and smiles, which causes lesser men to become either stuttering wreaks or overly predatory maniacs. I sigh, taking half a second to inhale her scent, which is inescapable here.

"How was your meeting, Mr. Tashio?" she asks quietly. She has memorized the fact that meetings, and contact with nimrods in general, grate on my ears and my patience. Although I cannot truthfully say her voice is unwelcome right now.

"Hell, as per usual." I state tiredly, rolling my shoulders to loosen my muscles. She continues to smile as she stands and takes my coat right off my shoulders, an innocent action she always performs when I come back from any sort of meeting.

"I've already called your mususe. He'll be here in 20 minutes." she tells me, still holding onto her softer tones. I never asked her to call Kurogen. I turn to her, but she keeps me from starting on her case by saying, "He called , wondering why you were avoiding him, and you have nothing that needs seeing to until 4."

I nod. This I can accept. "Was that the only call for me?" I ask, turning to continue into my office.

"No, your brother called to brag about finding one of those contracts." she answers, following quietly behind me. I set my briefcase down and turn to her again, noting a rather gray tinge to her skin.

"I'll remember to smack him later." I drawl without much care, placing a finger against the pulse-point under her jaw. She sighs and frowns.

"Yes, I am sleeping well and I have seen my doctor recently." she states, answering my questions before I even ask them. I nod and touch her forehead with the back of my hand.

"I can't have you crashing on me again." I growl. "Why are you so pale?"

The corner of her lips lift a bit and she says, "Doc says it's just a cold coupled with being a human female."

I 'hn' and drop my hands. I know for a fact that she can handle that on her own, and I'm surprised I didn't pick up that particular iron-hint to her scent sooner. "I don't want you coming to work at 5am tomorrow." She groaned, rolling her eyes and turning away. "Come in at 8, and I want you out at 4, understand?"

"I need the hours, Sesshomaru! You know I'm supporting more than just me." she snaps, whirling back on me. Her blue eyes are misty, which she tries to hide through rapid blinking. It only takes a second for her to realize what she has just said. "I'm sorry, Mr. Tashio, I didn't mean-"

"I believe I said at some point that I wouldn't let you get behind on your payments." I remind her quietly. "You'll make up the hours later." She sighs in defeat and nods. "Now return to your desk and inform me when Kurogen arrives."

She nods, but the smile that follows is half-hearted. She does as she's told and I sit in my comfortable leather chain as the double doors close behind her, effectively cutting off her worried scent and calming aura. I sigh, suddenly wishing to have the offending barriers removed.

And that's when my mind freezes. When did the Higurashi woman become so important to me? None of my other secretaries ever did as good a job as her, and they were twice as pretty as her, but I find her presence...relaxing. She's a rare thing; a mortal that acts almost as well as Kurogen's prescribed scented candles and weekly masages.

I lean back in my chair, just as Miss Higurashi pages me, "Kurogen's here with sushi."

I'm too perplexed to be upset at his earliness, and give a loud, "Come in and leave the door open."

Kurogen, a leen young river youkai, is quick to enter and set the take-out bags on my desk. I glance around him and see a similar bag on Higurashi's desk. She sees me and waves, just as Kurogen sits and gets right to the point.

"A relaxing presence, isn't she?" he asks, smiling happily at what he already knows. I nod, wanting to keep this conversation out of the girls hearing. "She tries very hard to keep it that way, you know. She sees how stressed you get."

My eyes snap from the girl he's talking about to his murky blue-brown eyes. His look is sympathetic. "She is a Miko by birth. It is her duty to keep those around her happy."

"She doesn't try as hard for anyone else." Kurogen states. "And it's more of her nature than her duty."

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I look up from the food Kurogen so kindly brought me to the two men in Sesshomaru's office. They appear to be have a rather serious conversation, which is quite the switch for Kurogen. He never does serious.

I wince as my stomach gives an unexpectedly painful wrench. It seems as though my Tylenol has worn off. I open the top drawer of my desk and root around for my box of over-the-counter painkillers, only to find it surprisingly empty. I fight off a groan and pick up the phone, dialing the number of my best friend, Sango, a lawyer on the 21st floor.

"Hello, Tenri, Sango speaking." is the immediate answer.

"Hey, Sango? Wanna go grab me some Tylenol?" I ask quietly, trying to keep Sesshomaru from hearing me.

"Sure thing, Kags. Say hello to the boss for me!" She hangs up before I can answer. I sigh and try to think of something other than my knotted stomach. I don't think I'll last another four days of this.

A/N---yes, ending is horrible at the moment, but I'm too tired to keep going. Nighty Nite!!