Headstrong by CosmicAnomaly

Prologue

A/N: I know, I know, I really /should/ be working on Complacency considering how long I’ve been putting it off. But honestly speaking, life got in the way and now I feel extremely detached from any plans I had for the story. I promise I will continue it. Just not any time soon.

For now, I want to see where I can take this little spark that has been drifting around my mind for the past week or so. It was inspired by an emotional movie I remember watching a couple of years back. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Inuyasha does not belong to me. I wish it did. But it doesn't, and that's why I'm here, writing fanfiction.

Summary: Sesshoumaru Masaharu is a budding author who wants an unwilling Kagome Higurashi to help with his success. Who knew that missing one appointment could yield such twisted results?

Headstrong

Prologue

Sesshoumaru grabbed his briefcase and barged out of his apartment, hurriedly locking his door to go and stand by the elevator. After punching the button numerous times, he determined that the elevator was too slow today. Glancing at his watch, he chose to take the faster route and practically sprinted down eleven flights of stairs as he made his way to the parking lot.

As he made his way down to his reserved parking spot, he sighed, irritated, and turned around. His car was missing.

Just another unfortunate event to add to the pile of others that had already occurred today.

Today was supposed to be the perfect day. He had been so well prepared for this interview that he had surprised even himself. Nothing could have gone wrong, rationally speaking. However, as Murphy's Law prescribed, what could go wrong, did go wrong. He had awakened an hour late because his alarm clock had been turned off, his previously neatly pressed suits were lying crumpled on the floor, the bathroom was flooded, and his parking spot was undeniably empty.

He proceeded to a nearby subway station, threatening to fire his useless secretary Jaken over the phone for being so useless – although they both knew that Jaken was not responsible for this.

Today, everyone Sesshoumaru passed seemed to understand his mood, since they all wordlessly moved out of his way upon seeing the frustration apparent in his posture. Normally, he could not care less, but today, he seemed to growl at every single entity that seemed to irritate him in the least.

Today was no ordinary day. Today, Sesshoumaru was running late for the first time in his life. He was running late for the first and possibly the biggest media exposure of his career, and his worthless half-brother Inuyasha was to blame. He would kill Inuyasha the minute he finished this magazine interview.

No, he would castrate him, skin him alive, and then slowly torment him before finally killing him. And then he would move to Spain to avoid his father's wrath.

Only his buffoon of a half-brother would pull a stunt like this on such an important date.

This was why he had moved out in the first place. Did the imbecile not realize that this was possibly the most important opportunity of Sesshoumaru's career? This interview could make or break Sesshoumaru's future.

He had hated his father for making the decision to get remarried. Why had the old man felt the need to get married when he was already leading such a successful and content life? His father's marriage had brought unwanted people into Sesshoumaru's life. Izayoi, Sesshoumaru's new stepmother, seemed to soil the Taishou name with her behaviour. She acted nothing like a Taishou – rather, she was the description of the word 'common'. Sesshoumaru had hated her and her pathetic attempts to replace his mother.

Soon enough, she had done the unforgivable and produced a child. This half-brother of Sesshoumaru's, called Inuyasha, was the bane of his existence from the moment of his birth. Not only had the younger child sought to replace him as the Taishou son, but he had been a huge pain in the neck as well. He cried at nights as a baby, and as soon as he was old enough, he chose to cling to Sesshoumaru like superglue.

Although Sesshoumaru hated Inuyasha's very existence and avoided him like the plague, there were still times when he felt a fleeting moment of affection for the young boy – and regretted it afterwards. Like last night, when he had permitted his half-brother to spend the night at his house for the sake of avoiding some girl.

Incidents like that always reminded him of his history of evading his brother's attempts at making trouble. In high-school, Sesshoumaru would spend a majority of his free time in the library rather than at home. He chose to go to a university in Canada, and managed to avoid his half-brother for another four years. When he graduated and returned, Sesshoumaru managed to convince his father to give him a shot at becoming successful independently.

Sesshoumaru had never wanted to inherit the Taishou company, and he insisted on becoming a writer without his father's help. For the sake of making his own living as an independent entity, Sesshoumaru adopted the last name Masaharu, and moved to the city, separating all of his father's resources from his own.

Although he had to work many part-time jobs to afford it, moving to an apartment in the city was worth it for Sesshoumaru. It was much more convenient because its central location allowed him to travel quickly in search of people who would be potentially interested in his writing after seeing his portfolio. He had been able to meet dozens of editors and publishers, and at the age of twenty-four, had managed to sign a year-long contract with a small publishing firm in the city.

He was thoroughly satisfied with his decision to move out, because it allowed him the ability to concentrate and finally focus on his career rather than playing a silly game of cat and mouse with his 'family'.

It had taken him a total of ten months to write the perfect story. This one was about his biological mother, his father, and their unsuccessful arranged marriage, which eventually led to his mother's suicide and his own emotional detachment from his new family. The firm had published it, and it was doing fairly well in the market.

The only problem was, this book was too good to simply do 'well'. It had to be the best.

But it was hard to make the best known to the world when the company was so small.

That was why Sesshoumaru wanted his name to be relayed to his audience. He wanted more people to buy his book and read the story, until it finally became a legend and word got around to his father about how his son managed to succeed on his own, without any help from his 'family'.

Why did he give that rascal Inuyasha access to his apartment anyway? And when did all of this even take place? Had the nitwit slipped some sleeping medicine into his meals last night?

And where was his car?

Why would Inuyasha pull such immature tricks to ensure his half-brother's failure? This was ridiculous. Even though Inuyasha was seventeen years old, he still behaved like a deranged lunatic. Sesshoumaru would have no qualms ripping his guts out.

He obviously needed to have a serious chat with the boy. He would demand compensation for any loss that caused to his career, and maybe more, because he sure as hell did not feel like letting this go. Now if only his father would let him take a stab at the boy.

He was 10 minutes late for a 20 minute interview. And he had not even reached the subway station.

Jaken needed to do something, fast. Or perhaps he would castrate that geezer as well.

xxx

Although she would generally describe herself as an easy-going, understanding, and generally nice person, Kagome Higurashi had one big weakness. And that was tardiness. She hated when people were late. She was the kind of person who was always prepared, she came to work early, she finished her work on time, and was overall the most punctual person she knew. She had never made people wait for her, and so it often infuriated her if people were late without a good excuse, and that often led to irrational decisions made on her part.

Kagome was stressed today. No, she was beyond stressed. She had two confirmed guests to interview by eleven in the morning, before it was time for her to depart for the regional editorial conference she was going to host. However, it seemed that both of the guests she was meant to interview were missing. One of her guests discovered she was pregnant yesterday and departed on her fifth honeymoon without warning. Okay, so maybe, as a human being, Kagome could understand that excuse, as inconsiderate as it was.

But the other interviewee, it seemed, had awoken late and had forgotten to even inform her or apologize.

How typically grotesque. Men were such nitwits. This was the very reason she had refused to get married and left home.

Time was running out, and if someone significant did not show up at her door within half an hour, she would write the worst review possible for the inconsiderate jackass who had the indecency to stand her up.

Was it not common knowledge that magazine editors are busy people?

She was frustrated enough already. She had just been promoted, and the stability of her job depended on the readers' response to this very article. Without an interview, she had nothing to write. If she wrote nothing, she would be jobless, and all her past struggles would have been for nothing. She would have left her family for nothing. She really needed this job. She really needed to write this editorial, and she needed to write it well if she wanted her career to start on the right foot.

As the large hand of the clock moved to show that it was ten thirty, she angrily gave up on waiting for the pig she was supposed to interview, and decided to leave work so that she could go home and get ready for her conference, a steady stream of colorful words of frustration leaking from her mouth as she did.

xxx

By the time Sesshoumaru arrived outside the company building, he was sweating, panting, and looked quite uncharacteristically unprofessional with his loose tie, unbuttoned collar, and messy hair. The receptionist gave him a judging look, followed by a long pause before she told him that Miss Higurashi had left for the day. He could get in touch with her next week.

As he turned away, feeling slightly calloused, he called Jaken again, demanding that he set up another appointment with that Higurashi woman as soon as possible. For some reason, Sesshoumaru felt like the unluckiest man in the world standing there, being looked down upon by a mere secretary.

He contemplated calling the police and getting his half-brother arrested, but his father would obviously never let that happen.

He hated family. It was hard to describe his hatred for his family in words.

His exterior seemed to become slightly more confident as he considered the numerous sacrifices he had had to make for his half-brother in the past. No longer would this be the case. As he made his way out the building, he made the resolution to gain enough power to become invincible in the face of any threat in his personal or professional life, be it his half-brother or his own father.

And for that to happen, he needed this media exposure.

And he would definitely get it this time.

But first, he had to meet with the building security and review the videos from last night.

xxx

Kagome was exhausted. Walking up the stairs carrying her shoes in her hands, with several other bags containing appreciation gifts along with her personal notes and materials had honestly been a pain. The bigger pain was opening the door while juggling all of this luggage.

The moment she accomplished the feat of opening her door, her sights were set on the nearby sofa. Her comfortable, convenient green sofa. It had been a member of her life since she had moved into the apartment, and whenever she was feeling nostalgic, she could still envision her naive, younger self relaxing on the piece of furniture while thoughtfully filling out dozens of job applications at a sitting. She had spent many good and bad times with that sofa. Today, it seemed, she would become even further acquainted with that sofa and its soft covers as she collapsed on top of it.

She had had an amazing time at the conference. The fact that it had such a great turnout was unexpected, and that it went perfectly made her chest swell with pride. The networking opportunity was amazing, and she loved meeting people. She had even met the CEO of the leading magazine company in the country, Myoga Sawatari. The loving old man had immediately taken a liking to her and had promised to introduce her to several other 'opportunities', as he called it.

However, she had decided to retain her position at her company and work hard in order to ensure her success. She wanted to give this a try, and leading the conference perfectly had been a huge part of that.

But as she lowered the bags and her briefcase onto the kitchen counter and stared upon her apartment, her home, she realized, she was quite happy where she was. She was satisfied with her life, and she truly could not ask for more.

She undid her hair from the professional looking bun it was originally tied back in and comfortably lay down on her sofa, without rearranging her belongings, without changing into her pyjamas, and without even eating dinner. In fact, everything but sleep was the last thing on her mind as she drifted away.

xxx

"Why has she not responded yet?" Sesshoumaru growled at his petrified secretary. He had hired the stupid old man because of his experience, but it seemed that all the experience the toady geezer really had was whining and sucking up.

"Um, y-you see, s-sir, the thing is, it s-seems the w-wench Kagome has been on a break from work since her return from the conference," Jaken squeaked.

Someday, he would be fired.

"So she has returned?"

"Yes, Sesshoumaru sir. But the communications director reported that she will not be attending work until next week."

Sesshoumaru was beyond frustrated. Was it not common courtesy for a person to confirm appointments and respond to requests as soon as possible?

He had been overly active in terms of his search for media exposure. He had contacted dozens of news publishing companies along with the media, but none recognized the firm he worked with as a large enough entity to deem him worth interviewing.

Because he was unwilling to play dirty, he refused to follow his minion's advice about creating a story for the media. Sesshoumaru would not stoop to his father's level to play dirty games. He would not feign an act in order to be caught on camera. He would get his exposure based on his merits. And he would get it now.

And if he did insist on having this exposure now, Sesshoumaru's only chance was the interview with Kagome Higurashi. He had read her articles before, and she seemed to be a detailed, work-oriented professional, just like him. The only difference was, she came off as a caring, kind, and irrational woman at the same time. Perhaps it was because she was a woman. As uninteresting as this fact was to him, it had a huge impact on her audience, which luckily worked out to be roughly the same as his target market. She was convenient.

He was sure that she would give him a second chance if Jaken explained to her the reason for his delay regarding the interview. However, it seemed that ever since she had returned from that conference, it had been impossible to contact her.

He was starting to feel desperate. And desperation was not an emotion Sesshoumaru liked to be associated with.

"You say she has not been been to work." It was not a question or a statement. Jaken, vigorously nodded in response.

It was time he took matters into his own hands. "What is her home phone number?"

xxx

The incessant ringing of the phone beside the sofa was what woke her up from her much needed sleep. It felt like she had fallen asleep a mere five minutes ago, although the sunlight peeking through her curtains betrayed otherwise.

It was her day off, who could possibly be calling her now? She rubbed her eyes before sitting up to look at the time. It was three in the afternoon. Well, she had wasted over half of her day sleeping away. She needed to get up and start cleaning up before getting down to work. She still had to submit an article for the magazine within the next two days, after all.

The phone rang again. Kagome was beginning to get irritated. If she had wanted to be awakened, she would have set her alarm, work waiting or not. And to add, the ringtone was more than boring, and its incessant presence in her life was more than enough. It needed to be changed soon.

Clearing her throat, and Kagome picked up the receiver.

"Hello, Kagome Higurashi speaking." she said in her clearest voice.

"I want you to interview me," responded the deep masculine voice on the other end.

Kagome was taken aback by the clarity, confidence, handsomely rugged undertones and the utter rudeness of the voice. Still somewhat annoyed from the ringtone, she questioned in a not-so-respectful tone, "Excuse me? Who is this?"

"This is Sesshoumaru Masaharu. I am sure you remember me. I will forgive your indiscretion regarding ignoring my phone calls if you agree to publish my name in your next article."

"Sesshoumaru?" That woke her up fully. Oh, she definitely remembered this name. "The guy who didn't show up for the interview last week?."

"That is correct and-"

"And now, you expect me to give you another chance?" she asked, as she stood up and began clearing up her living room. What was her dirty laundry doing in the kitchen?

"In essence, yes."

"Even though you failed to call and apologize or even let me know that you were going to be late?" Of course, Kagome would give him another chance. But only if he sincerely apologized for his errors. For now, she would have her fun and irritate him.

"As my secretary has explained to yours numerous times-"

Was his voice not heavenly? It sounded like chocolate. Dark, melted chocolate. Unlike the week old stew on her kitchen counter. Now, that smelled like rotten eggs. "Ew," she commented, knowingly interrupting him.

"-I was held up last week due to private matters-"

"Ah, I see. But really, do you have any idea how much of my time you wasted?" This part was true, he did waste her time. If he had not made that appointment with her, she could have had some more of her beloved beauty sleep. Because of him, she had to leave home, take the subway to her office, all to return home again in order to prep for her conference.

"Listen here, wench-"

"And now you have the gall to call me demanding another interview- did you just call me a wench?"

Now, this guy was just playing dirty. She was offended. She was getting angry. And it showed as she began to stomp about her house while angrily organizing her belongings as he spoke.

This was not going well for him. If he kept going, there was a huge chance that he would never get the kind of media exposure he wanted. At least not from her.

"It will be in your best interest to take me up on this offer. Not many magazine companies have such an honour bestowed upon them."

Did this guy have a prince complex or what? Honestly, he needed a severe reality check.

"Are you kidding me? If you're so important, you may as well contact another company because I sure as hell am not interested."

And with that, she hung up the phone with a loud clanking sound.

Within moments, the phone rang again. That irritating ring tone again. She was going to have to do something to get rid of it. Sesshoumaru, was it? How did he even get his hands on her home phone number?

She jotted down his phone number through her caller ID, and began searching through her house trying to find the manual for her phone.

"How do you block specific phone numbers from calling you?" she asked herself as she browsed through the piles of books and paper lying in the back of her closet.

xxx

A/N: Please give me feedback in the form of a review so I know where this story stands!

Thanks for getting this far, I really appreciate it.