An EXPERIMENTAL story. I'll see how this goes.

This story is a little on the dark side. Blood and Gore.

I do not own Inuyasha or GetBackers.


"The cicadas is caught

the children are cruel

rip apart its wings

rip apart its legs

the poor cicadas

nothing but a children's toy."

Dark, dark, the room was almost pitch black. A single candle in the middle of the room provided barely enough light to see the contents of the desk it rested upon. Diagrams, calculations, equations and plans. The papers strewn across the metal desk were filled with anatomical and biological studies. Titanium alloy blocks, metal-based implant. They too lay on the table, being used as cheap paperweights to keep the flyaway papers from blowing away, the strong air currents from the air ducts proved a formidable foe to the paper's owner.

A tune floated through the air, soft and haunting. "…ip apart it's legs, the poor cicadas, nothi…" The voice, gentler then wind chimes blowing in the breeze, contrasted the cold and hard feel of the metal-based room. The voice continued, the song kept going, ending and then starting again. A door opened, ceasing the voice of it's melodious round.

"Stop humming that fucking creepy tune." A gruff voice, cold and smooth, commanded. The girl did as she was told, though a small and almost inaudible intake of breath sounded from her lips. There was a small click and the room was suddenly flooded with light.

The girl made a sound of discomfort at the sudden invasion of light on her retinas. She slowly opened her eyes in a squint, the true horror of the room being revealed to her. Several other groans of discomfort and pain sounded through the room. She looked at the blood and she looked at the bodies. She looked at her comrades of pain. The bloodstained concrete floors, the bloodstained faces. She kept the bile at bay. Her eyes, no longer the brilliant blue they once were, watered.

Through the sounds of moaning and groaning, she heard footsteps approach her place. She began to weep. "Little Kagome. Sweet Kagome. Innocent Kagome" The voice chuckled. He was closing in on her. She moved her hands and was met with the all too familiar restraints. The cool metal bit into her tender and raw skin, causing more blood to flow from her wrist. "Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the cage…" She closed her eyes.

A hand gently rested on her cheek. She began to shake. The hand went to here eye and forcibly opened it, a light shining into the dull and flat blue, her pupils dilated. Her lips went into a thin line together, stopping herself from crying out in fear. She looked at his face. This man. This despicable, disgusting, horrible man. His red eyes shone despite his position blocking out the light, it chilled her to her spine. It was like a hungry animal on the verge of death discovering a carcass. A vulture.

He released her eyelids and stood straight up. He looked at the girl, no older than 18, stare at him with dull blue eyes. Her long raven, ebony hair was matted and dull, a tangled mess. Her face, though a very pretty picture, was smeared with dried red and fear. The blood had certainly drained from her face, as she was as pale as a white sheet of paper. Her thin and gangly limbs jittered in their metal restraints, the wrist and ankle bleeding from the constant abuse of the cold metal. She was a beautiful portrait of pain, fear, and tragedy.

A stethoscope was put to his ears, his hand holding the small bell towards her chest. He pushed apart the ragged and dirty long, white dress shirt, the bell traveling between buttons, her modesty kept. She gasped slightly at the biting cold bell. The moans and groans of pain echoed through the room along with her whimpers of fear and anxiety. She shook under the cool metal bell's touch, her breathing erratic and uneven. He smiled, a trace of mirth or happiness nowhere to be found. He smiled a malicious smile. He pulled the now lukewarm apparatus away from her fearful body.

She looked up at his red eyes, her broken ones already knowing what the smile on his face meant. "Little Kagome, you seem to be in good shape today. Looks like you just saved your 'comrades' from more pain." He chuckled at the word comrade. He turned away from her, just as he was about the exit the door he told her, "I'll be back after I finish my preparations, Little Kagome." Leaving the room, leaving the girl, leaving the moans.

She despaired and cried her pain and fear to herself. Silently.


"Kagome, Kagome, Kago no naka no tori wa " A woman in her late 30's sat in the small café, her face sullen and pale. Lithe fingers traced the rim of her teacup gently as she mumbled the small haunting tune. "Itsu, itsu, deyaru?" She paused her soft humming and took the cup and gently brought it to her lips, the cold tea ran through her tongue bitterly.

Wan Paul stared at the woman from behind his tinted shades. She sat in that spot for at least three hours now. When she entered the store she had politely, asked whether or not a duo of young retrieval agents frequented the place to which he answered with a yes. She gave him a small smile and sat at her spot, ordering a cup of tea that was now ice cold in front of her, still a third full. He sighed, this woman was patient, he'd give her that.

Mrs. Higurashi was a woman of many things. She was a daughter, she was a wife, but she came to this small café, near the heart of the grittiest area of Shinjuku, to fulfill her duties as a mother. She clenched the ear of the small teacup, her face staying neutral but her heart burned. She was in pain. She had to be strong though. She didn't let herself crack. She couldn't let herself crack. Her mind didn't get an ounce of sleep for the past five months, her thoughts running in circles, thinking of theories, finding traces, and wondering why. Why,why why? Why was it that something like this could have gotten out? 'Ushiro no shoumen daare?' Indeed, who twisted that sharp knife into their backs?

She snapped out of her thought when a sudden clink sounded in front of her. Wan Paul smiled at her, a small plate with a sandwich was placed in front of her. She looked at the rusty-haired man and returned the smile with a small one of her own. "Thank you very much." She said softly, her hand going to her ear, tucking the short hair behind it. Wan Paul just smiled and sat across from her. "It's nothing ma'am. I should apologize to you, those fools are probably out on the streets looking for clients right now, not realizing they already have one waiting for them. Even taking my waitress…" Mrs. Higurashi chuckled at the man in front of her and his grumbling complaint.

There was an awkward silence. Wan Paul straightened his glasses and observed the woman. She seemed out of place in this area of the city. This is where thugs and gangsters liked to hang, usually under the cover of darkness. The woman in front of him was dressed neatly, her pale face, albeit a bit tired with dark circles, was calm and kind. He watched as she took a bite of the sandwich. "So, have you lost something important to you?" She chewed and placed the sandwich back down and swallowed. She looked back up at the man and gave him a small smile. He saw the emptiness of it and it shook him. This woman was very close to being broken, it showed in her demeanor and most obviously in her eyes. A humorless chuckle escaped her lips and she spoke. "The sandwich is very delicious…" "Wan Paul" "…ah, Wan Paul-san. Thank you very much for it. As for what I have lost, I'd rather talk about it when the retrieval agents arrive. My apologies."

She was like stone. She was cool. She was calm. She was unmoving. Wan Paul found himself impressed by her. "That's fine Mrs…?", "Higurashi", "…Higurashi. I was just being too nosy. It's not often those idiots get a client that would so patiently wait for them." Once again, Mrs. Higurashi chuckled softly. The laughter was well rehearsed to the point that it seemed convincing. Seemed.

A sudden bang, clang, and rush interrupted their polite conversation. Like a comic book, two young men more or less shoved their way into the small diner, a young girl in tow. They argued and fought. They were quite young.

"Oi, Paul! Anything to eat today?" Wan Paul answered the rude brunette with a sharp glare. "Yeah, when you pay your tab. Besides, aren't you missing something important from this picture right now?" Wan Paul shook his head, his eyes glances towards the way of Mrs. Higurashi. She just gave the two young men a polite, well-practiced smile. Natsume made her way behind the counter, preparing tea for the guest and what would soon become a consultation.

"Wahhh! A client!" Ginji's ever-present energy was soon diminished when Ban placed his hand around the blonde's mouth. "Shut up you idiot, we need to get our act together." The duo scrambled for a second before confronting the woman.

Mrs. Higurashi was already out of her seat with a hand outstretched towards the young, brown-haired man. "So you two are the GetBackers?" Ban took the hand and shook it, his hand engulfing the smaller woman's. He nodded to the question and sat at the spot that was previously taken by Wan Paul, the man having returned to his duties behind the counter. Mrs. Higurashi returned to her own seat looked at the two young men in front of her. They were very young, exuberant, and had the aura of a tornado. She sighed before she began, a whirlwind of emotions threatening to overthrow her authority of cool-headed calm.

"Midou, Ban. Amano, Ginji. You two certainly make quite the duo." Natsume came from behind the counter, rejuvenating the once cold cup of tea. She gave thanks and sipped. Bitter and scalding. The duo listened to the madam. "Last man with the evil eye. Former ruler of VOLTS and ex-resident of Mugen-jou. Interesting indeed."

At the second she mentioned their personal information, the two stiffened. She was a peculiar woman and a well-informed woman at that. Ban leaned back, his intuition was telling him that this would not be some kind of simple job. The woman in front of the duo was more or less oddly placed. He lit a cigarette. "I see you like to do a little background check before hiring people." The woman just gave them a small laugh. Emotionless. "Yes, just to check who would get the job done right. A precautionary if you must." Ban took a long drag. "And why would you pick us out of all the retrievers in the business?"

Mrs. Higurashi looked at the young brunette and the silent blond. They were both calculating. Yes, she did indeed pick the right ones. She turned to her purse that was lying next to her. She reached in and took out a photo. The two watched her every action with curiosity. "Please retrieve this for me." The photo, almost every inch of it was bright. The middle was a girl. No, she was a young woman. Happy. The word that they could use to describe her was happy. Her face was pulled into a laughing smile, her eyes closed to the world at that instance. Her raven hair that landed upon her shoulders reached just a little above her mid-back. Her school uniform was clean and neat. The white picket fence, girl next door type if you will. So happy.

"Her name is Higurashi, Kagome, my daughter. She has been missing for the past five months. The police have been informed of her disappearance but are powerless." She glanced at them. They were looking at the photo intensely, burning the image into their mind. She smiled, professionals. "I promise, I will pay any sum of money if you can just return this girl back to us."

Ban flipped the photo around, checking around it, every angle. He stubbed out his cigarette and threw the photo at Ginji. "That's it? Any other information you want to tell us?" Ginji curiously checked the photo just as Ban had, he had to admit, the girl was quite pretty. A natural beauty, no makeup or photo touch-up. Natural beauty in Shinjuku? Quite a rarity.

The corner of her lips lifted. Mysterious smile. "All traces of her existence have disappeared. She was last seen entering Mugen-jou." Ban raised his brow while Ginji's breath caught. Mugen-jou. Hell. What would make an ordinary girl like her go into a place like that? Ban looked at Mrs. Higurashi inquisitively. "Who was the last person to see her go in?"

"My son, Souta Higurashi. They were on their way home when she just left him."

"Do you know why she would go into a place like that?"

"No. But maybe the answers will be clear when you find her for me."

Mrs. Higurashi stood from her seat. An envelope out of her purse and onto the table. "Here is the payment upfront. You'll get the rest afterwards. Triple." And she gave a polite bow and left them. Left them with questions in their head and a brown envelope on the table.

"Ban-chan. We're taking this job right?" Ban silently took the envelope and opened it. "What… Is that woman?" A total sum of 2.5 million yen and a phone number. Close to thirty thousand US dollars. Why this much money from a middle classed family?

Ginji clutched the photo. The girls face was truly entrancing to him. Ban glanced at the photo and looked at the girl. Truly a happy person. Taking out another cigarette, he lit it and dragged. Lifting his arm, he draping it on Ginji's shoulder lazily. "Yeah, let's take it. You seem interested and this woman has done her research to make sure that she got the former leader of VOLTS. Besides, three times the pay if we get this done sounds pretty good to me." Ban took the picture from Ginji and placed it in the front pocket of his shirt.

He took another drag and blew.


'Kami-sama. Kami-sama. Have you forsaken me?'

The man with red eyes gasped. A crazed grin. His chest heaved, having overexerted his body from the intense activities he had just partaken in. His face was dripping with sweat. His hands trembled, red saturating him, wrapping around his fingers. The warm blood created a mask on his hand. Red.

"Very good Little Kagome."

The girl lay bloodstained in front of him. Unmoving.

"The cicadas is caught

the children are cruel

rip apart its wings

rip apart its legs

the poor cicadas

nothing but a children's toy."

Soft tune. The man threw his head back and gave out a crazed, loud laughter. Insanity. "You certainly love that song Little Kagome! That song!" He laughed and laughed. She lay on the metallic table. Unmoving.

"…Kami-sama…"


Just for your information, there's a children's game in Japan called "Kagome Kagome" You can learn more about it on Wikipedia. The deeper meaning to it is what Mrs. Higurashi is refering to.

This is an EXPERIMENTAL story. Please give any feedback you have. I'll follow information from the manga storyline.