Prologue
The Starting Point
Red flames engulfed the sky. Screams of horror and fright came from the civilians as they ran down the street. The black-cloudy night was now filled with death. Smoke covered it with a rage.
"Inuyasha, lets go." A woman yelled as she grasped his arm. Her long raven-black hair whipped about her with the wind. "Come on."
Growling, he yanked his arms away from her. "Shut up." The bark took her back a step. Calmly, he jammed his hand into his pocket to pull out a cell phone.
"What are you doing?" The girl cried with worry. "Lets go before they come back."
"Then leave." He said simply, not looking at her while he punched in a number.
The single ring was enough when a female voice picked up. "Hello. This is the main office for the—"
"Skip it, Hun." He muttered, cutting her off. "Where's the boss?"
"Let me patch you through, Inuyasha." The woman spoke, clearly still smiling with her tone.
"Inuyasha?" A masculine voice grumbled moments later.
"Sir." He sighed briefly. "The department was—"
"Blown up." Inuyasha stuttered momentarily. "I just got the news a second before you called."
"Oh." Gathering his calm, Inuyasha straightened his back. "What should I do?"
"Kikyo is there with you?" The man questioned, his voice slightly tight.
Glancing to the shaking woman next to him, his fist formed by his side. "Yeah, she's here."
A soft chuckled fluttered through the receiver. "Check for survivors. When you're done, come back to the office to fill out a report."
"Yes, sir." Inuyasha nodded, clicking the flip-phone closed. Glaring at the still shocked partner of his, he turned to leave with out another word.
"Inuyasha?" Kikyo yelled, running to catch up with him. Her pink knee-cut sun-dress flowed from behind her as she ran.
Forcing his growl low, he shoved his hands into his leather jacket pockets. His long silver hair was whipping about him as the civilians ran past in the opposite direction. "We're checking for survivors."
"Boss's call?" She questioned suspiciously, coming to walk beside him.
"Feh." He huffed, wanting to growl. She always questioned him, and it was irritating. "Yeah."
Her lips cocked not truly believing him, but she went along with it anyway. Hell, he was a demon. Who knows if he was telling the truth or not. "Fine."
His claws cut through the liner of his pocket accidentally at her unwanted approval. "You can go to the office if you want. I don't need help with this."
"I'll stay." She muttered. "Besides." He growled. Here it comes. "We wouldn't want you to kill somebody now, would we?"
Ignoring her comment, well, trying to ignore her comment, he kicked in the front door to the large building. The flames inside erupted out to him. He simply turned his face away while she ducked. Her hands clasped over her head with fear of being burnt.
"Forget it, Inuyasha." She yelled, jumping up. "I'll be across the street."
He smirked. Humans. They were so weak and pathetic. Briefly watching as she ran to the sidewalk opposite of him, his eyes turned back to the fire inside. "God, I need a new partner." He muttered.
He walked in. The surrounding flames didn't do a thing to him. Walking through the lobby first, he didn't sense any life signs. With his demonic sense of smell and hearing, it would have been easy for him to pick up even the smallest sound of a breath or heartbeat no matter where they were in the room.
Pushing past the glass door into the hallway, there was nothing here either. The flames were scorching everything. The bodies of the dead now laid where they had once been standing. The explosion was too great for any human to survive for more then a second. A demon might have, but it would be rare to find a demon here. This was a human insurance office.
Walking into the conference room, he scanned the area before leaving it. The strange thing is, this is the second explosion in the city in the last two weeks. It wouldn't surprise him much if there was another next week. Somebody was out to kill, and sooner or later they will be caught, trailed, and executed, that is if one of the A.K. members doesn't get to them first.
"Damn." He muttered. The mere thought of the squad gave him the chills. Walking into another series of rooms, there was nothing.
The A.K. is a secret team of people, both human and demon, who take the law into their own hands. Some would call them vigilantes, but this was way more complex. The government funded these people. It was called the nations 'back-up plan,' so to speak. No one knew the identity of any of the members, except for them themselves.
A.K. stood for Assassination and Killings. The news paper have been blowing out article on them ever since they were announced to the public two years ago, by accident of course. It was necessary after one of their members was found killing a demon they had been perusing. Surprisingly, the member was found dead the next morning. Suspicions point to the A.K. themselves, but it was never written.
Inuyasha's ears perked up at the sound of a heart beat. It was strong, close. Scanning the area, he was standing in what looked like the main office on the third floor. Sniffing the air to find a scent, all he got was smoke.
"Shit." A weak breath spoke. It was a close. Where was it, though?
"Hey, where are you?" He called out, scanning his eyes everywhere.
Nothing. The person didn't speak. There was a sudden commotion of burning desks being knocked off to the side of the room. Darting his eyes over to it, he spotted the person staggering out in a quick motion.
"Wait a minute!" He yelled, darting after whoever it was.
The figure shoved past a corner. An arm was held against their stomach. The swift scent of blood came to him as he turned down a hallway. Looking everywhere, he spotted the metal stairway door slamming closed.
His shoulder slammed into it. The cracking of the wood framing explodes out on the other side. Looking down the stairs first, he didn't see anything. Foot steps were above him. His eyes shot up, only to see the figure weakly making their way to the roof.
"Damn it." He growled, running up the stairs after it.
The person moaned out in pain when they reached for the handle door. It sounded like a woman. His hand clasped to the rail when he lost his balance. Gathering himself up quickly, he momentarily stared at his hands. Crimson blood laid upon his palm and the railings to the top. Whoever it was, they were badly injured.
The metal door a few steps from him slammed closed. Briefly, the loud sound shook him. "Damn." He growled, tossing the door open.
The cool night air hit him with a force. His body slightly sweaty from the heat of the flames. Tacking in the air, he finally got the scent of the one he was perusing. It smelled like lavender and another scent, a natural smell. Looking around, he spotted blood upon the stone ground of the roof.
Following the trail, he instantly spotted the figure on the roof ledge. It was a woman. Her back was towards him, crouched upon the mantle. Her one hand was pressed against a short column next to her. She was wearing some sort of black outfit. Raven-black hair whipping about her in the wind.
"Hey." He yelled. He was surprised slightly that he startled her.
Her body shifted. In a mere instant before he knew it, she was facing him, standing. Her legs stood shoulder length apart to keep a balance. Her chest was heaving in heavy breaths. Blood dripped from her clasped hand around her stomach.
"Who are you?" She questioned weakly, gasping for a quick breath when she lost it in speaking.
Extending a hand towards her, he tried to make it clear he wanted her to come of the ledge. "Names Inuyasha. Give me your hand."
She smiled with a soft chuckle. She instantly regretted the action when it shot pain through her chest. Her arm around her stomach fell when her knee hit the mantle she was standing on. "Shit." She softly cursed.
He went to go to her, but stopped when her brown eyes shot to him. She was still smiling, grinning with amusement. "Let me help you." He tried to negotiate, but it was clear upon her face she wasn't going to let him.
Forcing herself to stand, her eyes darted to the alley five stories below her. "You know, Inuyasha. This hurts like hell, and I'm slightly tempted to let you help me." Her eyes slowly came back to look at him. He could tell she was going to do something. "Thanks anyway." She cocked her head slightly, leaping off the ledge behind her.
"Stop." He yelled, darting over to where she once was.
Looking down, he stared at her. She landed. Her knees bending slightly with the impact. Brown eyes locked with his amber ones when she looked back up to him. The sound of a motorcycle erupted down the alley. It was black, stopping next to her. She climbed on behind the obvious male driver. Wrapping her arms around him, she waved to Inuyasha shortly before they left back out to the civilian covered streets.
He couldn't do anything but stare. The flames from the burning building were finally starting to go out. The sound of the fire engines came to him. Forcing his eyes away from the alley, he strode back into the building.
The flames were still there. The heat still made him sweat slightly. Shortly checking the other rooms, he made it back to the first floor. No way could anyone survivor. Well, that girl did somehow.
"Hey, you." A fireman called, running up to him. "Where you here when this place went up?"
"Sorry, no." Inuyasha said simply, not bothering to stop. "I'm with D.P.S."
The man continued to follow him as the others broke deeper into the building. "The D.P.S.? What are you guys doing here?"
"I was on the streets when it went up." He informed, emerging once again out to the street. "My boss ordered me to search for survivors."
"Did you find any?" The man questioned, removing his hat.
Pondering over it for a moment, Inuyasha shook him head. "Does it look like I found anyone?"
The man just smiled, chuckling softly. "Sorry. Guess not."
Inuyasha watched as he walked away. Where the hell was he going? The burning building was behind them, not down the alley—the alley? The guy was leaving the same direction the girl had. What the hell is going on?
Ready to follow after him, he suddenly felt a pull on his arm. "Inuyasha, lets go." Kikyo muttered, dragging him with her down the street.
They were headed in the opposite direction of that fucking alley. Glaring at the girl tugging him with her, as much as he wanted to venture after the man, he had to go back to the office before his boss raged out on him again.
"So, did you find anyone?" She questioned. Finally, she let him go when it became clear he wasn't going to run off.
"Feh."
Narrowing her eyes, she stared at him. "Is that a yes or a no?"
He didn't say anything. His hands simply shoved themselves into his leather coat pockets. Studying the faces around them, he caught a pair of emerald green eyes watching him. 'Who's that?' Upon noticing he caught site of him, the guy seemed to vanish within the crowed.
"Inuyasha?" Kikyo questioned softly.
"What?" He muttered, looking back at her.
Her gaze flickered slightly from worry to irritation. "What?" She echoed in a tight voice. "Did you find anyone?" Her words were spaced, making it seem like she was talking to a second grader.
He huffed, ignoring her once again while her anger grew. He didn't care. She couldn't hurt him, even if she used her miko powers. She was weak, a mere human with some spiritual abilities. The only reason a good portion of the demons in the city feared her was because she worked for the D.P.S., Demonic Police Squad. Even then, the only reason she was with the squad was because she was the only priestess in the city.
Walking further up the sidewalk, the large six story police department building was beginning to peak over the surrounding small business buildings: restaurants, clothing stores. It's lit-up offices inside shined through the slightly blue-tinted windows. The black vertical sigh running down the center read out 'Tokyo Police Department'.
He didn't bother to hold the glass door open for her. She never walked with her back towards him unless it was by accident. It pissed him off that she didn't trust him. It made no sense either. Everyone in the D.P.S. knew him. He was the best cop in the department. The only reason she didn't trust him or anyone like him was because they were demons. Bitch.
"Inuyasha." The secretary called out, waving her hand with a smile.
"Hey, Aiko." He nodded shortly, walking past her desk. He noticed her eyes narrow when she spotted Kikyo. No one liked the miko bitch.
"Hi, Kikyo." She smile politely any ways, professionalism. "Oh, Inuyasha, the boss wants to see you right away." She called out before the glass doors to the side of her desk closed shut.
He sighed. He wasn't suppose to work today. Why the hell did that building have to go up tonight. It was shit of luck that he ran into Kikyo out on the streets earlier. That woman was hell in waiting.
"Boss?" He questioned, knocking against the wooden door slightly.
"Inuyasha, get your ass in here." The deep voice called through the door. The guy wasn't pissed. It was just a running joke between them that he was nicer to Inuyasha then anyone in the department.
Opening the door, he instantly noticed another person sitting in one of the chairs before his boss's desk. "Sir?" Inuyasha questioned, eyeing the woman in the chair.
Her hair was long and brown, tied up into a ponytail. It was clear she worked-out by her exposed stomach. Her outfit was utterly unprofessional for any sort of office building. A slightly low-cut black long-sleeved belly shirt, tight hipster boot-cut blue jeans, with black cowboy boots.
"This is Ms. Sango." The man introduced as she stood, extending her hand out to shake his. "She is here with a business offer for you."
"Business offer?" Inuyasha questioned, staring at her.
"Yes." She muttered, leaning back against the desk. "My bosses have instructed me to bring you into my line of work."
Confused, she made no sense. "What type of work?"
Her eyes shifted to the man's behind her. Nodding, he extended a remote to the security camera in the front right corner of the room. The red light went off, indicating that the room was now utterly private.
"I am a member of a government team known as the A.K., Assassination and Killings." She informed, crossing her arms at her chest. "I was sent to bring in someone who can protect a member of my team."
"She called me for advice." His boss muttered, leaning back relaxed in his chair. "I offered you, Inuyasha."
"You were at the bombing down the street moments ago." She spoke, gazing at the slight flame marks on his pants. "These bombings were set to kill my people."
"The A.K. are known to be very skilled in survival and killing." Inuyasha grumbled, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Why do you think my help will make much difference?"
"We don't." She said simply.
"They just need someone to act intimidating out in the public." The boss informed.
Sango pushed off the desk, slowly walking around it to stand by the man's chair. "My people are very secretive. No one in the public knows of their identity, and my superiors and myself would like to keep it that way."
"However." His boss added. "Another group of assassins find it—"
"Entertaining—"
"To kill the A.K. members." The man finished.
Shifting to the other side of the chair, she leaned her back against the file cabinet. "I need your help. If you decide to assist me, you can get my location from your boss here. You have until ten tomorrow morning, no second later." Moving past him towards the door, she finished it off before leaving. "I will give you your full assignments when you show up." There was more confidence in her voice than the 'what if' meant.
The door closed behind her. Staring at his boss, he eyed him in questioned. This was a grand opportunity, and they both knew it. "Have fun." The man waved shortly, drifting his eyes back down to the files on his desk simply.
Nodding, Inuyasha darted out of the room after the woman. Catching her form within the elevator, her hand shot out to hold the door open while he entered. "I didn't expect you to decide this quickly." She muttered, focusing her eyes on the metal double doors in front of her.
"What do I do?" He questioned as the front lobby came into view.