Chapter 1

Time for a Change

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The view from the windows of the office on the forty-third floor was breathtaking.

The sun had dipped below the horizon hours ago, leaving the city of Tokyo a palette of bright yellows, blues and reds. The woman inhaled deeply and pressed her hand to the glass as her eyes scanned the sprawling city of lights beneath her.

Normally she found the flashing lights and constant din of the bustling city to be overbearing but from this height, in this room so far away from the crowded streets and oppressive sounds, it was beautiful. The people, the lights and the cars all meshed together seamlessly, moving around each other like clockwork. She even had a clear view of Tokyo Tower sparkling brightly above it all against the dark black sky.

She was sure she could spend her night staring out this window and be content...unfortunately, there was still work to be done.

As if on cue, a whimper sounded behind her.

She sighed- duty called.

With one last withering glance to the illuminated cityscape, she turned to the source of the sound- a portly man huddled in the far corner of the ransacked office.

He was an unimpressive sight, even before the tears and bruising. His middle was a near perfect circle and the heaving sobs that shook him caused the buttons on his shirt to stretch dangerously, revealing a bit of the pink flesh beneath. His large head held a smattering of salt and pepper hair, enough to cover the entire surface, but only just and with the aid of a lotof gel and some very deliberate styling.

His face was as round as his body, and -at the moment- was a blotchy canvas of pink and white, adding to his already piggish appearance. His beefy hands -which were bound together by a line of telephone wire- sat in his lap, shaking uncontrollably.

His dark eyes met hers and he sniffled loudly. "P-please, please!" He begged. "You-You don't want to do this!"

The woman tisked loudly and moved towards him, one of the tantō she held swayed back and forth in tune with the sound. "Really?" her tone was light with amusement. "I've been your secretary for months…dealing with you staring me up and down day after day after day; your hand always "accidentally" brushing my ass." She snorted and bent down until their faces were inches apart. "I promise you," she whispered, her eyes holding his as she pressed the second blade under his chin. "I really do want to do this."

His eyes widened, a sob bubbled past his lips.

"But all in good time, Mr. Tsumi," she pushed herself back and stood, her hands tugged down the hem of her pencil skirt, "We have some business to finish up first."

"I-I told you, I don-d-don't have anything."

The woman sighed, the breath ruffling the fringe of her black bangs. "Mr. Tsumi," her tone was light with playful exasperation, "I know you're lying."

The glass from a fallen picture crunched beneath her black heels as she strode around the room. "I've been working here for months, remember? You've been very good about hiding your... less than desirable transactions. I am impressed," her eyes locked onto his, the blue of her irises were cold, "but I'm not after information on your petty illegalities, Mr. Tsumi."

She finished circling the room and stood before him again, he recoiled sharply as she dropped back to her knees before him. His eyes flickered from the shining blades in her hands to the smile on her face. Tears rolled down his round cheeks.

"You have something I wa-ant." She sing-songed. "Now tell me where it is."

He shook his head "I-I don't-"

The blade pressed against his cheek, stopping the words in his throat.

"The truth, Mr. Tsumi." The second tantō traced his throat.

Tsumi looked to something over her shoulder and gurgled a response.

A smirk pulled at the edges of her painted lips. "Good boy." The blade tapped his cheek lightly before she stood, turning to face a small framed painting on the wall.

It was one of those artsy stock paintings that usually came with the frame, a few broad strokes of green, some contrasting thin strokes of blue. A jumble of color with no substance.

She lifted it off the wall and turned it in her hands. Behind her Tsumi shuffled around, she ignored him- sure that his dislocated shoulder had taught him the repercussions of an escape attempt.

Her fingers traced the paper covering the back of the painting and she breathed out a contented "ahhh" when she felt a small lump beneath the thin brown paper.

Her hands made quick work of ripping through the sheet. "Very good boy, Mr. Tsumi." She threw him a smile over her shoulder and pulled a flash drive from the frame. The painting fell to the floor with a thump.

"I guess this concludes our business then, ne?" She was in front of him again, kneeling so they were eye level. "Gotta say, you are a pretty lousy boss."

Tsumi whimpered, "You-you've got what you wanted. Please, let me-"

The tantō pressed against his lips, cutting off his sentence.

She shook her head. "You know I can't do that. Oh, don't cry…" she cooed, "I promise this will only hurt for a moment."

She held his gaze as the second tantō pierced his chest. The garbled wail he released quickly devolved into a moist gasp, then silence.

The woman waited patiently for the life to flicker from Mr. Tsumi's eyes before she removed the blade. She dragged the broad side against the lapels of his jacket and stood.

A crackle of static disrupted the silence of the room.

"Are you done yet?" A female voice came through the piece in her ear.

"Yeah," she retrieved her purse from the leather lounge in the corner of the room, pulled out her blazer and dropped the tantōs in the bag. "I think I've got everything." She pulled her black blazer over her white button down shirt, readjusted her skirt and gave the room a final once over before heading for the exit.

She hovered at the door for a moment, her hand poised at the knob and her teeth worrying her lip indecisively. With a sigh and roll of her eyes she turned and strode back to the man in the corner of the room. She quickly rearranged the body into a more dignified pose on the floor, slid his eye lids shut then left the room.

"How are things on your end?" She mashed the yellow down button on the elevator and tapped her foot impatiently as she waited. The elevator dinged and the doors opened, the woman stepped in and pressed the red L.

She heard a sigh over the earpiece. "I'm mostly done here, nothing too interesting. I'll be done in ten."

"'Kay." The elevator dinged again and the doors opened into the deserted lobby of the upscale office building. She hastily pulled open the large glass doors and inhaled deeply as she stepped into the cool summer night.

She gracefully weaved through the crowded Tokyo streets, humming a tune as she readjusted the strap of her purse. Her heels clack clacked against the pavement as she turned down a deserted side street.

Halfway down the block, leaning against one of the few parked cars was a disgruntled young woman in a black corset and matching short skirt, staring towards the other end of the street. The woman grinned to herself and sidled up to the girl.

Upon noticing her company the girl's features folded into a scowl. The woman ignored the obvious contempt and placed her hand on the girl's exposed arm, her eyes scanned the young woman's body with exaggerated hunger. "So, how much for an hour with you, baby?"

"Oh, ha, ha Kagome." The younger girl glared and flicked off Kagome's hand with her forefinger and thumb. "You're hilarious."

Kagome smirked "Sorry Rin, couldn't resist," She shoved her hand into her purse and pulled out the car keys. "How long were you waiting?"

"Long enough to wonder why I didn't put up a fight about getting the keys. I got harassed by every perv in the area."

Kagome flashed a playful grin and pulled open the door. "Who knew a little makeup would make my little Rinny such a convincing lady of the night." Rin scowled and dropped into the back seat.

In contrast to Kagome -whose almond eyes, high cheekbones and slender face made her a picture of feminine maturity- Rin's features were far more youthful. She stood a few inches shorter than the other woman, her round face still retained a bit of childhood chub and with her wide brown doe eyes and bow lips, she normally looked more school girl than harlot.

Tonight however, her face had been shaded, contoured and blushed to mimic features she didn't have and her usually pigtailed brown hair lay in loose curls down her back. But even without those additions, the barely-there outfit made it no mystery why she had attracted so many potential John's.

"And of course, I couldn't even do anything about it." Rin continued to huff. "Don't wanna hear baba going on about hurting civilians again."

"First," Kagome began as she adjusted her mirror to look at Rin. "Her name is Kaede-sama, have some respect." Rin rolled her eyes and lay down across the backseat. Kagome turned on the radio, "Second, someone had to play the part. Trust me, we've all been there. And third," she cast a harsh glare over her shoulder at the younger girl lounging on the leather seats. "Get those dirty heels off of my seat."

Rin grunted and dropped her feet to the floor. "You're as bad as Sango."

"Yeah, right. You would have lost the shoes and your legs if this was Sango's car." Rin laughed. "So, how was your assignment?"

"Well, the asshole was a little too touchy for my tastes, had to tie him up to get him to cooperate." Rin shrugged at Kagome's raised brow. "As you said, someone had to play the part, and I honor the actors craft." Kagome snorted. "Most of his stuff was on his laptop so I copied some stuff and sent what I could to Intel. Don't worry, I fried the computer afterwards. It really didn't look like anything new though."

There was a sharp knock from the passenger side window, ending the conversation and bringing both girls' attention the grinning face framed by straight brown hair outside.

Rin pushed herself up, stretched to the front seat and rolled down the window. "Sorry ma'am, I think you have the wrong car."

"Rin, if you don't open this door right now…" The woman's deep set eyes narrowed in a glare. Rin let out a petulant huff and flipped the lock.

"You're no fun, Sango."

Once she was in Kagome started the engine and pulled onto the street. "It's so unfair that you got to dress normally." She said, speaking of her friend's plain blue jeans, and jacket covered T-shirt, a backpack was slung over her shoulder.

Sango shrugged, "Snooping through tapes doesn't really call for dress up."

"More reason why I should've done it. All I own are sweat pants! I had to borrow this from the Kits." Rin whined from the backseat, gesturing to her corset.

Sango wrinkled her nose. "You should definitely burn that; I wouldn't trust anything from that oversexed lot." Rin visibly paled. "And remember, you're still a greenhorn, Rin. You may be skilled in a lot of areas, but you know hand to hand is not one of them."

Rin pouted, but held her tongue, she couldn't deny the truth. Out of The Academy she had been touted as one of the best hackers they'd ever seen. She could break into the most secure databases in minutes, a trait which earned her offers in both R&D and the agency's Intelligence department, but she rejected those offers in favor of field work.

But Sango was right, she was good at hand to hand, but good didn't guarantee survival against the few dozen guards that had been in their targets' building the past few days.

Things like this were best left to Sango. Not only was she unmatched at hand to hand, she also excelled with a blade and she alone could wield the giant bone boomerang that hung in the weapons room at their home.

"I just want to know why both men decided to increase their personal security." Kagome muttered, disturbing the comfortable silence that had settled over them. "Was there a leak or something? I'm sure we were discrete."

"The security wasn't for us," Sango replied.

They had been driving for a while, the lights and steady buzz of Tokyo had long since faded to the quiet tree lined streets of the outer province.

Kagome pulled off the main road and pressed down on the gas, heading full speed towards a cluster of trees. There was a crack and a sizzle then a wave of pale blue shimmered around them for an instant as the car passed through the tree trunks effortlessly. When the light cleared, they were driving down an incline bordered by cement walls, with only the yellow glow of the headlights for guidance down the narrow tunnel.

"Who then?" Rin asked, sitting up to lean between the driver and passenger seats, her hand reached to the radio only to be slapped away.

Kagome shot her a scowl in the rearview. "My car, my music."

The car jerked to a stop in front of a stone wall and Kagome reached out of the window and placed her hand on a grey strip of concrete. A moment passed in silence before a beep of recognition sounded from somewhere on the other side of the cement.

With a groan and a rumble the wall in front of them slid away, revealing another darkened passageway.

"I'm not sure." Sango began again, her steady voice dipping with curiosity. "But both men procured additional security measures. Not just with guards, there were new cameras installed all over the building. I found some tapes-"

"Oooh, what kind of tapes?" Rin smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. Sango rolled her eyes.

"You're very childish for your age, Rin, are you aware?"

She shrugged. "I like holding on to my youth."

Sango scoffed, "Maybe you should try loosening your grip." She ignored Rin's pout. "As I was saying both men's security tapes showed numerous visits from the same guy."

"So?" Kagome interjected, "That doesn't mean much. They were in similar fields and neither were exactly model citizens, I'm sure they have the occasional shady client overlap."

Sango shook her head. "No, he wasn't a client and he definitely was not making a social call. You can't hear it all on the tapes, but whatever was said scared them. They started amping up security after his last visit." She paused and furrowed her brow. "I'm positive I've seen him somewhere before."

"Excellent," Rin chimed in. "Finally, something new! You did get everything, right?"

Sango grinned and patted the black backpack between her legs. "Of course."

"Well ladies," Kagome began as they reached another stone wall -this time she leaned her head out and muttered something for voice recognition- "We are home." The wall slid away and a blinding flash of pale light flooded the tunnel.

The car moved forward into an expansive underground garage that held 20 or more cars, motorcycles and jeeps of different makes and models.

"Finally!" Rin cried, already pushing the door open before Kagome finished pulling into a spot. "I need a shower; I swear I can still smell that guy's sweat."

At the end of the garage was an elevator door and a key wall where Kagome hung her keys on the empty hook underneath the parking spot number.

Sango pressed her hand to the wall next to the elevator and with a ping the doors slid open.

There were only two buttons on the panel in the elevator, B2 and 24. Sango pressed the red 24 and the door closed with a mighty metallic screech, then they began to ascend, accompanied by the groans of the elevator.

The air within the elevator was oppressive; occasionally there would be a distinct sizzle or popping sound followed by a flash of blue sparks.

When Rin came to work with Sango and Kagome, her first ride in the old elevator had been a panicked one filled with failed attempts to hide her discomfort.

"This is old miko blood magic, cast by a very strong priestess." she remembered Kagome saying after the first hiss caused her to yelp. "It won't hurt you because you were given access when I added your blood to the seal...but it does like to –shall we say- feel around to make sure everything is as it should be. It's meant to hide things, like this elevator and the garage and the entire 24th floor, but it also repels anyone who isn't supposed to be here. Think of it as our first line of defense should anything happen."

All these years later and it was still a bit disconcerting every time there was a hiss of blue.

The doors clanged open and the women stepped out into the darkened living room of a large penthouse apartment. Full length windows lined the farthest wall, casting a dim light that made visible the white furniture and plush dark carpeting. A TV hung on the wall in front of a white sectional, and off to the right was an open kitchen with an island table and 3 seats in the center. There was a hallway to the left of the windows, leading to the bedrooms, bathroom and training room.

Rin kicked off her shoes and bolted towards the hallway, throwing a comment about taking the first shower over her shoulder.

"Hey! Can you wash these then?" Kagome cried, pulling out the two tantōs from her purse, their ends still retaining traces of red.

"Oh sorry, can't hear you!" Rin called behind her with a smile before shutting the bathroom door.

"Brat." Kagome murmured and began heading towards her room only to be pulled back to the small mat in front of the elevator by Sango.

"Nope," the older woman shot her a glare, "you are not walking all over that newly cleaned carpet with those dirty shoes."

Kagome groaned and kicked off her shoes. "Happy, mother?"

"Very. Will you call Kaede? I'm going to make dinner." Sango hit the light switch on her way to the kitchen. "How does saba shioyaki, genmai and sunomono sound?"

"Amazing." Kagome replied before turning down the hall and entering the room opposite the bathroom. She dropped her purse on the floor and shrugged off her blazer, tossing it onto the green comforter on her bed. She plucked the cordless phone from its cradle on her table, her fingers automatically tapping the numbers as she continued to undress.

It rang once. "Bureau of Demon Human Cooperation and Law Enforcement, Kaede's office. How may I help you?"

"Hey Shiori, it's Kagome, can you put me through to Kaede?"

"Sure thing Kagome, hold on a sec." Kagome sat in front of her vanity, pulled her hair into a ponytail and removed the blue contacts from her eyes, revealing her natural brown.

She drummed her fingers lazily as time continued to tick by with no sign of Kaede on the other line. With a devious grin, she pulled her tantōs from her purse and slipped out of her room. She silently cracked open the bathroom door and crept in.

"Kagome!" Rin's wet head poked out from behind the shower curtain. "What are you-" Kagome dropped the blades on the ground in front of the shower "Seriously!?"

"Thanks Rin!" Kagome called back with a laugh as she quickly exited the room.

"Well," A time worn voice cut in from the phone she still held against her ear. "If you and Rin quite done, Kagome…." A beet red blush spread across the girl's face and she bowed her head in embarrassment. She knew the old woman could not see her, but she couldn't help the compulsory bow- being scolded by Kaede was like being scolded by your favorite grandmother, a sentiment she knew was echoed by most Bureau members.

"Gomen nasai, Kaede-sama." She bounced on the balls of her feet. "I didn't know you were on the line." The old woman chuckled lightly.

"It's quite alright child," She began; her tone light with a smile. "I may be old, but I haven't forgotten youth completely." Kagome let out a small laugh.

"Now then," Kaede's voice turned serious, "I supposed this call means that you three have accomplished your objective."

"Hai, we just returned, both Rin and I will be sending the data to Intel shortly. I have a flash drive Old Tsumi was keen on hiding and Sango has copies of the security feed. We'll have everything ready for tomorrow."

"Very good child."

"Arigato, Kaede-sama."

"I do have one more thing to discuss with ye, Kagome," Kaede paused for a moment, Kagome could hear the shuffle of some papers before the woman let out a heavy sigh. "You and Sango have been partners for over thirty years now, and Rin has been with you two for nearly a decade," Kagome caught herself mid-nod and "hm"ed her agreement.

"As you know we do not recruit into the Bureau, aside from very rare circumstances, we mainly rely on children following in their parents' footsteps and becoming agents. Because of the extended life spans of our human and demon members as well as the secretive nature of the work, relationships with civilians are not only prohibited, but impossible. "

"Hai Kaede-sama, is there a problem?" Kagome furrowed her brow, a feeling of unease settled in her stomach. Kaede was always straight to the point with her words, she had never been one to beat around the bush like this. How one became an agent was common knowledge, you were either born into it, or, like with herself and Rin, there were tragic circumstances.

Kaede let out another weary sigh. "Kagome, what I'm saying is this," She paused for a moment, her voice cracking as she searched for the right words, "We will be separating Sango, Rin and yourself, to give you each a male partner."

The words hit her as hard as any physical blow she'd ever experienced. She was sure the floor had been ripped from beneath her and for a moment all she could hear was whooshing in her ears. But that feeling quickly gave way to a wave of red hot, blinding fury.

"But-but Kaede! We're the best team you have working!" All sense of propriety flew out the window as she began on her tirade. "You can't split us up just because you want us to-to reproduce! We're practically family!" Her hand dropped to the nearby vanity loudly. "Those two are like my sisters!"

"Kagome, child, ye must calm down." Kaede began in a pacifying tone. "I know how close ye three are. I beg ye not to worry, this does not mean that ye will no longer see each other. There will still be cases that will require ye three alone.

"But, ye all need to start finding demon mates or human partners. While we have extended your human lives, it does not mean ye are immortal, and this is dangerous work. We are not forcing ye to -as ye say- procreate with these men Kagome, but ye must understand, the Bureau depends on its agents for more than just law enforcement. As I said, it is not an option to find suitable mates in the outside world."

Kagome gritted her teeth, she knew Kaede was right. She was a phantom in the real world. Her name would not be found in any government record, neither would those of Sango or Rin, or anyone who worked in the Bureau. They were ghosts, having a relationship with a civilian was just not done.

More to the point, this sort of partnering was not unusual, they had been told of it at The Academy. She had always known that it was only a matter of time before each member was paired with someone of the opposite sex in hopes a match would be made. She had just hoped she had at least another century before her time rolled around.

"We are also aware that we are breaking up one of our strongest teams," Kaede's voice cut into her thoughts. "However, we believe the men we have picked for ye three are your equals," Kaede chuckled lowlt. "In fact, they may even be more skilled."

The girl's eyebrow twitched, she wondered if Kaede was aware of how smoothly she had just added insult to injury.

"They just arrived back from an extended covert mission in London; they've been there for nearly 8 years now." If possible Kagome felt her stomach drop further.

It couldn't be.

She swallowed thickly and managed to choke out, "Who?"

"Ye and Sango should be very familiar with them. Miroku Kazanna and the Taisho brothers –Sesshomaru and Inuyasha."

In the kitchen, Sango nearly dropped the plate she held in her hand when a loud shout rang out from Kagome's room.

"FUCK!"