I'm baaaack!

...............................

Kagome Higurashi straightened her crisp black uniform, and took a deep breath. This was the moment of truth. She placed a hand on the door and prepared for the worst, then the door opened outward and hit her square in the forehead, knocking her backwards and onto the floor.

Kagome squinted through the throbbing pain in her head, and thought what she saw was an angel. The man stooped beside her and offered a hand.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you." The handsome face loomed over hers, and she blinked stupidly.

"Huh?"

"I believe you are Kagome Higurashi?" He said calmly, glancing down at her open legs, which revealed her black panties beneath black tights. "I am Inuma Taishou, are you here for an interview?" The woman sprawled on the floor was perfect. Her legs were long, curvy, and muscular, and she supported quite an impressive chest for a Japanese.

Kagome nodded stupidly, and took his warm hand. He hoisted her to her feet, and fought the groan that rumbled in his throat. Her body was soft against his.

Kagome took the chance to examine him closer, trying to ignore her throbbing head. He had dark violet eyes and unkempt black hair. She had heard of the mysterious Taishou. He was the leader of the secret service. This would hopefully be her new supervisor.

He opened the door for her, and they both entered the dark office. Kagome tried to keep her balance as her eyes swam in and out of focus.

"Do you need any ice? I heard the crack." He asked the young woman before her. She must have suffered worse wounds than this, working for the LAPD.

She shook her head no, but nearly toppled over in the process.

"I'll be right back." He said with a knowing smile. The girl had nearly as much pride as him.

He hoped she passed the tests after the interview. That woman was a keeper. Unfortunately, She would probably be paired with Miroku-sama, considering he lost a partner recently. Inuma sighed in annoyance.

He made is way lazily to the steps that lead to the basement, waving smugly to some of his fellow agents. This was his family, and this was his home.

He wrenched the door to the freezer in the basement open and pulled out a scoop of ice, throwing it in a bag. Tying it expertly, he slung in over his shoulder and walked back upstairs. He didn't know that Miroku had already started an 'interview' of his own.

"So, you said you've never su-"

"I think that's enough of taking advantage of the poor girl's condition." Inuma said from the doorway, a huge smirk on his face. Miroku looked up from the papers on the desk in front of him.

"I don't even think she can hear me." The dark-haired man shrugged. Inuma jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, and jostled the man on his way out.

"I told you, no groping on duty."

Miroku sighed loudly as the door slammed behind him.

"What was that about?" A tall woman in her twenties asked. She held a large brown folder full of documents.

"Ah... Inu-yasha got mad at me again." Miroku groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. The woman hissed angrily and hit the man on the head with the heavy portfolio.

"Shut up! You know you're not supposed to say his name out here!"

"But Sango dear...!" He whined loudly, rubbing the back of his head. "Almost everyone here knows about doggy boy."

"That doesn't give you good reason." She humphed, cradling the folder against her bosom. "Anyone could have overheard."

"Give me a break, Sango! Everyone here knows!"

"Don't turn this into another argument, Houshi." Sango sighed miserably. "I've got to go through these documents on the Da Vinci case one last time. Please don't follow me."

"Can you go to lunch with me later?" He asked her desperately, reaching for her arm.

"No."

Miroku grumbled loudly, and headed for his cubicle.

........................................................................

"You feeling good enough to answer a few questions?" Inuma asked, looking at the pale woman before him. She was clutching the ice to her head like it would save her life.

"I... I think so..." She muttered. The pain was fading slowly, but he had hit her pretty hard.

"Good. Tell me, how many years have you been working for the police?"

"Three, sir."

He started. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-two." She mumbled.

Inuma made a note on his clipboard.

"What made you decide on the secret service as a job?"

"I used to play FBI with my brother when I was little. The fact that the secret service is confidential, it makes even more sense to me. I can solve almost any sequential code and can follow clues from a murder to the person's front step." She said mechanically, as if she had memorized it a week before.

Inuma made another quick note on his clipboard.

"What do you think about 'shoot first and ask questions later'?" This was the question that weeded the potentials from the weaklings.

Kagome's eyes widened. "Depends on the evidence. If it's a proven guilty man who was fleeing the fact that he killed a man, one should open fire. But if it's a suspect who's on the run, shoot them in the leg, then drag them in for questioning. Technically, once they run it's downhill from there. For them, at least."

Inuma smiled, and tucked the clipboard under his arm. "Your testing starts now. Please follow me."

Kagome took the time to notice that his hair was drawn into a long braid.

As they made their way down the halls of the office building, Kagome smiled weakly at her possible co-workers. They grinned back, and waved furiously. One man had a patch over his left eye, while a woman in the cubicle next to him had her arm in a white sling.

"Do many people get hurt on this job?" Kagome asked Taishou-sama quietly, listening to the steady clack of her stiletto shoes.

"Of course. It's natural," He said quickly, waving a carefree hand. "Some people get shot, some people die. Miroku-sama's most recent partner was killed in a deliberate car crash."

"I'm sorry to hear that..." She said quietly. "... Have you ever gotten hurt?"

"Sure, but I'm too fast to be killed." He said nonchalantly, winking in her direction. She blushed a cute shade of pink, and hurried to keep up.

Inuma pushed open a pair of green double doors, and Kagome found herself in what looked like a lab. The hallways surrounding her were tiled and white, while doors on either side of her said things like 'Danger: Radiation' and 'Caution: Lasers'.

He made a sharp turn left, and the sound of muffled gunshots came to her ears.

"You will be tested in target practice, self defense and offense. I hope you pass." He flashed her a smile, and she pushed the first of two doors open.

Inside, there were women and men alike lined up along the left wall, all holding small handguns. Kagome stood outside the second door and waited for the shooting session to end. When all of the firing paused Kagome pushed the door open, and a tall man in a black suit strode up to her with confidence.

"Are you here for the test?"

"Yes, sir!" Kagome replied, straightening her back, and lifting her eyes to meet his.

"Good." The man led her over to a locked cabinet. The other potential agents watched cautiously. He unlocked it with a key he held around his neck, and handed her a small silver gun and a pair of earmuffs.

Kagome took her place beside a young woman with a dark blue suit. They nodded in acknowledgement, and raised their guns to eye level. All ten of her tries, Kagome hit either the heart or head of her cardboard dummy. She felt proud of herself when she was finally allowed to remove her earmuffs. She had done well.

Next was her defense and offense test. The tall, gruff man led them into the next room, and they showed their skills against a large punching bag. Kagome was first, and she felt she had proved herself worthy of self-protection. The thing had weighed more than Kagome could have lifted even if she had been stronger, but she felt she had kicked the beans out of that shit.

Next was the defense. Kagome had to block a series of attacks from a large pink puff suspended on a pole that the tall man was waving ferociously. Oh, this day was getting more and more interesting. When the man was satisfied that the large pink puff would do her no harm, he gave her a smile, and informed her that she had passed.

"You will receive a call tomorrow informing you whether or not you are a new member of our society." He said quickly, ushering her to the exit.

These people were so strange.

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End of Chapter 1! Next chapter 5 reviews! Not too much to ask for?

Thanks to my beta:

FFN penname: Pheep

IM: Herbal Ferret