AN: This story takes place in an AU. All locations are in the United States since I'm most familiar with them! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. That honor goes to Rumiko Takahashi. I am only borrowing the characters for my story!

A Life Less Ordinary

Chapter Two: A Relaxing Getaway?

Kagome pulled her Mustang into the driveway of the Higurashi beach house and shut off the engine. When most people think 'beach house' they see this image of a large home with lots of windows and a wrap around deck. In the Higurashi's case their beach house was more like a cute little bungalow. It was plenty large enough for them and they liked the quaint feel of the property. The outside was painted a warm green and the small deck overlooking the ocean was stained a rich brown. She opened the car door and stepped out of the car. Almost immediately her nose was met with the salty smell of the ocean spray. The breeze was warm against her face as it lightly tugged at her black hair. "Perfect. Just how I remember it. I'll need to run into town to grab some groceries, but I'll do that once I'm settled."

Stepping up onto the porch she heard the creaking of the worn steps. She reached down and plucked the spare key from beneath the welcome mat and slid it into the lock. The door swung open with a gentle squeak and she stepped inside. Everything was as she left it. The small living room was furnished with serviceable, yet homely pieces. An oversized chair sat beneath the large bay window, a colorful blanket draped over its arm. Setting her small suitcase down and slinging her laptop bag into the chair she made her way into the kitchen. There were a few of the essentials still remaining from her last visit, but as she guessed most things she would need would have to be purchased at the market in town. She walked over to the door that opened to the back deck and slid it open. She stepped out onto the deck and inhaled deeply. She let the breath out slowly and smiled to herself. She'd been here for five minutes and she was already beginning to relax. Sango had been right, much to Kagome's chagrin. She really had needed this. More than she was aware of.

Kagome was about to turn around and head back inside when movement from the next house down caught the corner of her eye. There out on the deck of the home was a woman with dark hair. She turned and Kagome let out a soft gasp. The woman could have almost been her twin, if she had a sister! The same dark hair falling to her mid-back, the same jawline, same shape of the nose. She couldn't see the woman's eye color, but as eerie as things were she was going to guess the woman's eyes were a dark blue or perhaps brown. What are the chances of someone who looked so similar to her being her neighbor? She pushed it out of her head and shook it in amusement as she slipped back into the house.

On the deck next door the other dark haired woman let out her own sigh. This one wasn't of pleasure, however. No, Kikyo Ito was anything but pleased. She was supposed to be hiding from her supposed "boss", but she didn't count on being followed by his rather dogged private investigator hired to track her down. No. This was not what she was expecting. Just down the beach, parked in one of the public lots, was a dark late model sedan. Inside it sat Inuyasha Takahashi, one of the best private investigators in all of California. If there was someone that needed to be found Inuyasha was the man for the job. Glancing down at the folder open on the passenger seat he scanned its details. "Ito, Kikyo. Age: 26. Height: 5'6". Weight: 120lbs. Black hair, brown eyes. Works for Shikon Holding as the personal secretary of Onigumo, Naraku." Inuyasha reached up and swiped off his fedora, allowing the two furry appendages atop his head to flex a bit, before jamming it back down onto his head. Word on the street was Miss Ito was in it up to her rather pretty neck, having stumbled upon some information the rather unscrupulous Mr. Onigumo didn't want anyone finding out. Hey it wasn't his concern if the guy was dirty. He paid well and that's all that mattered to Inuyasha. A guy's gotta pay the bills, right? So here he sat in his car, waiting for just the right time to slip over to her home and do a little recon. Snap a few photos, plant a listening device, the usual in his line of work. Onigumo was paying him to find out just where Kikyo was and just how much she knew.

Back in the bungalow Kagome had taken the time to unpack and set her laptop up on the small kitchen table which would serve as her makeshift desk. Humming softly to herself she slid her shoes off and walked into the bedroom to change. Emerging a few moments later in denim cutoffs, a pink tank, and white cardigan she walked over to the table and sat down. "Okay Kagome. You can do this. Sango is counting on you to have the first chapter of this new book done! So what's it going to be? Serial Killer? Stalker? Oh! Maybe I could write about a girl who's being tracked by her employer because she found out something she shouldn't!" She rolled her eyes and giggled softly to herself at that last plot idea. "Yeah right, like that kind of thing actually happens. Guess serial killer it is!"

Several hours passed and she found herself still staring at a blank screen. What was the matter with her! Why couldn't she come up with anything productive? Letting out a growl of frustration she pushed away from the table and headed for the door. She paused to grab her purse and slip into a pair of worn sandals. Maybe it was time for that trip to the market for groceries. She pulled the door shut behind her and locked it. Walking down the steps to her car she slid in and cranked it. The Mustang's engine roared to life and she backed out of the drive and headed down the street into town. With the top down on her convertible she let the wind whip her dark hair about as she sang slightly off key along with the radio. What was it about the Beach Boys that made you want to sing along? She passed right by the public lot, not paying any mind to the dark sedan parked there. She was much too focused on singing along with Kokomo.

Maybe she didn't pay any mind, but the silver haired man in the sedan certainly paid her little red Mustang attention. "Prncss K huh? Cute Kikyo. What a way to draw attention to yourself. Guess you didn't exactly understand the whole 'hiding out' bit. Not driving around in a convertible with the top down!" He laughed at just how easy this job was going to be as he backed out of the lot and fell a safe distance in behind the little red Mustang. "Yeah Takahashi. Easy as taking candy from a baby."