Inutori: Okay. Here's Chapter 3, though I warn you now that Chapter 4 won't be up for AT LEAST a month.
Kagome: That absolutely stinks.
Inutori: Sure, sure. But now I must apologize. For some reason, I guess someone got the impression that I was going to have Inuyasha and Ayame hook up. And I agree with their comment that the idea is kind of disturbing. That was not my intention in the least. Ayame and Inuyasha are Federal agents assigned to watch each other's backs. They are in NO WAY romantically involved with each other. If the story gave any of you readers the impression that they were, I apologize profusely. :shudders: I am an avid fan of canon pairings, thank you very much. And on that same line of thought…I don't own Inuyasha, but this story plot belongs to me, so please don't steal it.

Chapter 3
Rust Bucket

Four Months Ago…

The relief was unmistakable as he walked across the stage and shook hands with the principle. He had finally graduated from high school. With only a glance at the observing audience of the friends and families of his classmates, Kohaku Takajima continued his march to Pomp & Circumstance.

He knew that somewhere in the crowd, "Kikyou" was watching him keenly. And even if she denied it, Kohaku also knew that his fake cousin had a hint of pride in her disposition at having gotten him through high school without getting his, or her own, head blown off.

Back at his seat among the sea of blue robes, Kohaku took the time to look for Kagura's tell-tale red eyes. Though he could not see her, he could still feel her demonic aura filling the place; she was the only demon within the facility.

The graduation ceremony went on for what seemed like hours, until finally the former students were released in a drawn-out procession to the outdoors. Once outside, Kohaku managed to maneuver his way through the hoard of people, following Kagura's aura.

She was as elusive to find as ever, but Kohaku finally did succeed.

"Hey, kid. You ready to go?" Kagura's red eyes shone in the sunlight and the breeze played with her bangs and the few strands of hair that had managed to shake themselves loose from her bun. Being sure to keep her gaze, Kohaku nodded.

He knew what was coming, after all. Kagura had only agreed to help him out until he was able to look after himself. Soon it would be time to part ways.

Kohaku straightened his back and followed after Kagura calmly. Although he had been smaller than Kagura when she had first escaped with him from Naraku's syndicate two years ago, he now towered half a head above her, having sprouted to a good 6' 2". He wasn't just a beanpole as he had been before, either. Over the last two years, training as he had with Kagura, he had filled out, becoming a well-toned, strong young man. Handsome too, he'd like to think.

When they reached Kagura's car, Kohaku noticed that the top was down, so rather than opening the door, he hopped over it and into the passenger seat.

Kagura just rolled her eyes at him and shook her head as she climbed into the driver's seat.

"Any idea where you're headed after this?" Kohaku looked at Kagura, trying to read her expression to know if she was going to lie when she responded or not.

She sighed before she answered: she was lying. "Not a clue."

Kohaku looked ahead again, wanting to know where the wind demon was headed, but yet not having the guts to force it out of her. "At least know where you're taking me?" She hadn't told him her game plan yet, so it was a valid question.

"I figure I'll get you set up in Reno, Nevada. Shouldn't take more than a couple months, agreed?" Kagura started her car and pulled out of the parking lot, not even bothering to look back at the city before jumping onto the highway.

With a deep breath, Kohaku leaned back in his seat and unzipped his graduation robe, revealing his blue button-down shirt and black slacks.

Present Time…

Kohaku kicked the garbage can out of his way, not caring how loud it was. The alleyway ended in a brick wall with no means of escape, so it didn't really matter if his presence was known.

The man he was hunting down whimpered slightly and Kohaku's eyes narrowed in on the origin of the sound, coming from behind a large garbage canister. Raising his sickle blade, Kohaku took a light step towards his target, opening his senses even further to his surroundings. He could feel the man's demonic aura slowly filling the alley, burning to a crisp the one rat that had dared venture down this street with a neko youkai present.

It only took another minute for Kohaku to reach his destination and slit the man's throat.

He wiped his blade off carefully on the man's pants, sprayed his blade, and then wiped it on a cloth from his pack. Satisfied, Kohaku jumped up to perch on the roof of one of the two buildings that formed the alley, making sure to scan the area for any potential witnesses.

Once certain that it was a clean kill, Kohaku ran along the roof and quickly jumped across a gap and onto the next roof over. He continued his calm escape, letting himself enjoy the cool breeze that came with an October night.

About two miles away from the corpse, Kohaku paused for a moment to pull out a small cell phone and dial a number. Kagura's deep, soothing voice answered, a slight extra purr added, in Kohaku's opinion.

"Yes?"

"The cat's been skinned. Time to make a coat." Kohaku hung up again quickly and pocketed the phone, continuing his travel without wasting any more time.

Another few minutes allowed for the feeling of victory to wash through him. With a grin, Kohaku jumped down onto a balcony across the street and slipped into a sixth story apartment.

With practiced ease, he pulled a t-shirt and jeans out of his pack and pulled them on over his slick, demon-skin outfit and changed from his boots into tennis shoes. He also took the binder out of his hair to let it fall around his face and shoulders.

Shaking out his hair and running a hand through it, Kohaku slipped out of the apartment and used one of his many trinkets to relock the door. Leaving no evidence of his presence behind, Kohaku took the stairwell down to the ground floor and left the building in silence.

Once away from there, he pulled his gloves off and stuffed them into his pack, where the rest of his excess gear was kept. He then pulled out a pair of glasses and gently placed them on his face, continuing his quick jog down the street, trying his best not to be seen.

After several detours, including the library and a local pub, Kohaku finally made it back to his own apartment that he shared with Kagura. Slipping inside, Kohaku dumped his pack on the floor next to the coat closet and took off his shoes.

He looked at his watch and nodded in acknowledgement of its indication that it was 4:17 a.m.

Cracking his neck, Kohaku went to the bathroom and turned on the shower, pulling off his casual clothes, and then his black, skin-tight exterminator outfit. Feeling the water, Kohaku stepped in and pulled the curtain closed, letting the hot water relax his muscles and wash the dirt and grime from his body.

A few minutes later he heard the door to the bathroom open and he quickly rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and peaked out from behind the curtain.

Kagura was leaning against the bathroom door, her hair down for once and pooling around her shoulders. She wasn't wearing any makeup either, something that surprised Kohaku.

Even though Kohaku had made it known that he was aware of her presence, Kagura said nothing. Her eyes were half lidded, giving her the appearance of a seductress on the prowl.

"Need something, Kikyou?" Kohaku really wanted to get back to his shower, having been kind of disgusted with himself when the shampoo had turned a sickly brown in scrubbing his hair.

Kagura straightened and entered the bathroom entirely, shutting the door behind her. "I'll wait until you're done." She scooted up onto the counter, making herself comfortable.

Kohaku disappeared behind the shower curtain again. He hated it when she pulled this; though she hadn't done it since they arrived in Reno.

Feeling his face grow red, Kohaku dumped more shampoo onto his palm and vigorously applied it to his hair. He could just imagine Kagura's cutting gaze eyeing the shower curtain impatiently. While she may see him as just a kid, Kohaku was grown now, and Kagura was barely 23 years old herself; a real youngling as far as demons went.

His embarrassment was not helped by the fact that Kagura was wearing only her deep red silk robe, tied such that there was an excessive amount of skin showing on her chest. He was very aware of Kagura as a woman, and having to stand naked with only a curtain between them was making his hands shake.

What seemed like an eternity later the water finally ran clean, indicating that he was dirt free. Kohaku turned off the water and carefully reached for his towel without having to open up the curtain to get it.

He nearly jumped out of his skin when Kagura pushed a towel into his hand.

As soon as the towel disappeared behind the curtain, she began speaking to him.

"I've gotten you settled in now, Kohaku, with a decent clientele to boot. I think that's sufficient, don't you?" Kagura seemed to drawl, as if looking at her nails critically; she probably was doing just that, knowing her.

Kohaku quickly dried off and wrapped the towel around his waist. He pulled the curtain open, suppressing his astonishment at her standing right in front of him and looking directly into his eyes.

"Of course it's enough." Kagura's eyes left his and slowly trailed down his body. "It's time now for me to take my leave, Kohaku."

Face heating up, Kohaku nodded, feeling a slight pain somewhere inside of himself. "Do you know where you're going to go?"

Kagura met his gaze again; her red eyes a shade darker than they were before. "Yes."

Since she didn't elaborate, Kohaku knew that she had no intention of ever doing so. His hand reached for her of its own accord as he stepped out of the bathtub. She didn't flinch away when his hand found her cheek, either.

They stood there for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. Kohaku felt something race down his spine when Kagura's claws traced the muscles of his jaw for a brief moment before she stepped away from him. "This is goodbye, Kohaku."

"For good?"

Kagura nodded. "For good."

That said, Kagura seemed to just disappear right before his eyes like the wind that she was.

WEARING HIGH HEELS ON YOUR HEAD

Kohaku looked at the scrap of paper in his hand again, feeling the jittering inside his stomach increase as it drew closer to 11 p.m.

It was the one last thing Kagura had left for him before disappearing entirely. Though he missed her presence greatly, it was probably for the best that he didn't know where she was planning to go.

This new job was some sort of long-term ordeal, based on the scrawl in his palm. It told him to wait at this particular club on this exact stool, and the client would come to him.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Kohaku beckoned for the bartender to refill his drink before turning on the stool to survey the crowd. Demons and humans alike were gyrating on the dance floor, as if trying to procreate through their clothes; at least, what little clothes they were actually wearing, when it came to the women.

Kagura, in public at least, was fairly conservative in her apparel compared to these scantily clad females. She left some of her features to the imagination by wearing long coats or ponchos. Some of the women here weren't even covered enough to hide their undergarments.

In using the dancers as a distraction, and comparing them to Kagura, Kohaku lost track of time and eleven o'clock rolled around before he had time to register.

An extremely dwarfed, sickly looking demon, resembling a deranged toad, took the empty stool next to him and ordered a beer, letting his gaze scan over the dance floor quickly. Even though the guy looked like a total creep, Kohaku knew immediately that this was who he was waiting for when the man discreetly made eye contact with him.

The bartender delivered the beer and the man paid cash for it, standing up moving away with his drink, apparently satisfied. On the stool that had just been vacated sat a small envelope, which Kohaku picked up after sliding a few bills onto the counter and standing up to leave.

Package in hand, Kohaku slipped into the men's room and slit open the parcel with a pocket knife. Inside were plane tickets and an address in Kyoto. Taking a closer look at the tickets, Kohaku noted that they would get him on several connecting flights that would eventually take him to Tokyo International Airport.

Feeling his heart clench at the idea of returning to Japan, Kohaku stuffed the papers back in the envelope and put it in an inside pocket of his coat. Though his personal feelings on the matter didn't count, Kohaku knew it was going to be a real task to step onto a plane with Tokyo as the destination.

Not in the mood to stay at the dance club any longer, Kohaku strolled out of the bathroom and right out the front entrance, not even bothering to look back as he found his way to where he had parked his bike.

He mounted his bike as soon as he came to it and kicked up the kickstand with his steel-toed boot, starting the engine and letting the black and green motorcycle roar to life. Trying not to think about his new job, Kohaku weaved out of the parking lot and onto the street, figuring a visit to his cousin in Las Vegas was in order before his departure.

SWITCHING GEARS FROM OVERDRIVE TO HYPERDRIVE

She jumped down onto the metal overhang, cringing when she heard the click of her heel on the steel. Not wanting to be noticed, she was forced to stay perfectly still as the roaming eyes jerked to where she lay hidden in the shadows. In the tense moments that followed, Kagome didn't even breathe, lest the men below her heard her labored movements.

For what seemed like hours, but was in fact only minutes, the bushy-browed men had their hands on their holsters and were carefully watching the shadows.

They spoke in low tones to each other, and Kagome wasn't sure whether they were speaking English or some other language. Their words were harsh and guttural, like they were from somewhere in North Eastern Europe or Asia.

It took a few minutes after the men lowered their guards somewhat for Kagome to risk moving. When she did move, she slunk across the metal overhang as quietly as she could manage. There was something jerky and uncontrolled about her movements, annoying Kagome at the lack of control she possessed over her limbs.

She couldn't remember ever having had this problem before when sneaking around, though it had been almost 2 ½ years since she had done anything in relation to the shadier part of the world, so her memory may not have served correctly in that respect.

As she approached within hearing range of the group of five men sitting huddled around a table with a laptop and a few papers scattered on it. Like she had previously surmised, they were speaking in low whispers a language she was unfamiliar with, most likely Russian or Ukrainian in origin.

That in mind, Kagome tried to inch closer to hovering just above them to get a clearer look at what had all of their attentions.

From the tones of their voices, Kagome gathered that these were not a happy bunch of campers. It didn't explain, however, what they had been doing hanging around Ryoki-ji-chan's casino every night. Nor did it explain the shady men that had come by the casino yesterday asking about Kaoru.

Taking out a small camera, Kagome snapped a few pictures of the group, the papers, and the computer, hoping to be able to take them home and analyze them for any clues.

Her footing was nearly lost when one of the men shot out of the group and started yelling and flailing his arms like a lunatic. At first she had thought that it was because of her presence, but the other men began yelling back, which satiated the first guy and got him to stop screaming.

Figuring now was as good a time as any to make her exit, Kagome started to slink away from the group, but not without her heel once again making loud contact with the raised metal platform she was using as her roost.

Heart jumping to her throat, as it had been louder and closer to the men then the first incident, Kagome slowly turned to eye the gruff looking men. Sweat slipped down her neck as she saw all five pairs of eyes fixated on her.

Time seemed to drag on as Kagome and the men pulled out their guns simultaneously to fire at one another. Their screams died on her ears as she dove as far away, as fast as possible while trying to cover her butt with a handgun.

It was only a matter of seconds that there was crossfire, as Kagome managed to escape the building by a hair, but the skirmish left its mark on the former Japanese thief.

Adrenaline was coursing through her veins as she scurried away from the warehouses, so it wasn't until she had gone a couple of blocks that the pain hit her. She doubled over as soon as it did though, clutching her stomach and gasping for air.

When she pulled her hand away from her torso, she could see through the dark of the night that it was caked in a dark, wet substance; her blood.

Coughing, Kagome staggered to her feet and stumbled between two buildings, using one of them to support herself as she moved. Within a matter of minutes the edges of her vision were blurring and she felt her head becoming lighter than a feather on the breeze.

She heard men's voices behind her and tried to make out who they were or what they were saying and failed miserably. Stumbling over her own feet, Kagome barely felt the impact as her shoulder hit the asphalt and the world blacked out entirely.

Her last coherent thought was that if she made it out of this alive, she'd have a lot of training to do back in Japan.

PORK CHOPS IN RED GRAPE JUICE

The moment he had seen his sister in Las Vegas, Kohaku was suddenly "inspired" to go to Japan, not even stopping to let her see his face. She had seemed momentarily distressed but overall radiant from the glimpse he had allowed himself.

But that was a week ago and Kohaku now found himself on the outskirts of Kyoto in front of a spectacular estate. The place had a twenty foot tall brick fence and elaborately designed iron gate that enclosed a four-story building completed surrounded by gardens of every kind of flower and shrub imaginable, as well as a good number of deciduous trees. The leaves were beginning to show tinges of reds and gold; the telltale sign that autumn had just about arrived.

After speaking with the security guard, Kohaku was allowed onto the premises, where he was directed into the mansion. Once inside the building a young maid led him into the "front parlor" where she offered him tea. Not feeling like being rude, Kohaku accepted the tea and watched as she departed silently.

He took that moment alone to assess the room he was seated in and what kind of beings inhabited the place. Feeling the presence of hundreds of demons, Kohaku had to resist the almost reflexive shudder that overcame his body. Amongst so many demons, Kohaku only noted one human aura located within the estate.

No one came through the parlor for another half an hour, and Kohaku's tea was long gone before that time had past. Though tired from his travels, Kohaku sat patiently and waited for whoever was the proprietor of this land to come and tell him what exactly he was going to be hired muscle for.

It wasn't until another hour had passed that a tall, regally dressed man entered the room and looked down at him through disinterested eyes.

Kohaku felt his back straighten under the man's gaze, and allowed himself to take in this new arrival's appearance. A full-blooded demon, the man had long, silver hair that fell hast his knees, pointed ears, purple stripes lining his cheeks, and golden eyes as his characteristics that stood out as abnormal in comparison to mortals.

"Come." The man's deep, commanding voice rang in his ears, and for some reason Kohaku's mind jumped to the thought of Kagura and her stern, controlling words.

Standing quickly, Kohaku followed the demon, which couldn't have been anything short of a lord, out of the parlor and deeper into the mansion. They ascended two flights of stairs before stopping just outside ornately carved double doors.

The demon opened the doors in one fluid movement, allowing Kohaku to lay eyes on one of the most beautiful human women he had ever chanced to lay eyes on. She was sitting on a stool, an easel before her and a paintbrush in her hand. Her appearance was like any other Japanese maiden, black hair and brown eyes, but the ethereal glow that seemed to surround her drew you in like a moth to the flame.

She looked towards them, a smile lighting her face when her eyes settled on the man next to Kohaku, and he knew immediately that this woman was untouchable. Yet he still watched as she rolled to her feet and trotted towards them.

It was then that Kohaku noticed the watermelon she had for a stomach; she was very pregnant. Despite that, she looked like she could be no more that fifteen or sixteen years old.

Feeling a little foolish with himself, Kohaku realized that he had just had a moment where he was attracted to his client's WIFE. He felt his face go red, and scolded himself for letting his mind wander away from its task and his heart away from where it truly lied.

The raven-haired woman reached them, and stuck her hand out for Kohaku to shake. Hesitantly, and looking at the demon lord out of the corner of his eye, Kohaku grasped the woman's hand and gave it a light, friendly shake.

"Rin has been looking forward to your coming, Kohaku Takajima," Kohaku's eyes widened, fearful surprise closing in on him at the fact that this 'Rin' knew his name, "Sesshoumaru-sama has told Rin many things about the Takajima family."

Her bright smile alleviated some of his fears, and Kohaku supposed it was to be expected that his family was well-known in the underground world of Japan, as they were the most sought-after hired muscle in their prime. "I am pleased to meet you as well, Rin-sama."

Rin laughed, her voice filling the room and seeming to brighten it even further, if that were possible. "Just call me Rin, Kohaku-kun!"

Kohaku looked to the demon, and was surprised to see that the man had somehow slipped away without him even realizing it.

"Sesshoumaru-sama is a busy man. That's why he wanted you to come and protect me for him." Rin absentmindedly rubbed her swollen gut, looking off into some distant realm of her mind. "With my present condition, Sesshoumaru-sama has become such a worry-wart. And with all that's been going on, he's been under a lot of stress lately."

"All that's been going on?" Kohaku furrowed his eyebrows, looking curiously at the young mistress of the estate. Her words had piqued his curiosity, and though he felt he was prying, he wanted to know more.

"Oh yes!" Rin turned from him and hobbled over to a sitting area he had failed to notice earlier situated in the corner of the room. Kohaku scolded himself for not paying as close attention to his surroundings as he should.

That thought in mind, Kohaku opened up his awareness while following Rin to the chairs where she had already flopped herself down and folded both arms across her stomach.

Rin smiled at Kohaku lightly as he sat down, and without being prompted, the girl resumed her speech. "A group of bad men have stolen a bunch of Youkai Enterprise secrets, ones that could be used to cripple the business, and have been selling them to the highest bidder." She paused letting one of her hands caress her midsection while she thought. "You can imagine how angry Sesshoumaru-sama is about the leak, but he hasn't been able to do anything because of the attempts on my life that had become more frequent the closer I get." When she looked down at her front, Kohaku knew what she meant by that: there was someone who was attempting to stop Rin from bearing Sesshoumaru an heir.

Kohaku nodded, slowly beginning to understand why exactly his services had been needed. In all likelihood, the people coming after Rin were demons, and who better to entrust with Rin's safety than a demon slayer?

Yes, things were truly beginning to make sense.

MARKED FOR DEATH BY TICKLING

Inuyasha slammed the apartment door open, feeling some sort of satisfaction as it ricocheted off the wall and bounced back toward him. Stepping aside, he allowed it to close itself almost entirely due to its momentum.

Hunt jumped out of the kitchen, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and a bundle of papers in the other. She scowled at his noisy entrance, indicating to him to close the door the rest of the way and lock it.

"Get anything?" Hunt took a sip of her coffee and turned back to the kitchen as she spoke, her annoyance obviously already dissipated.

Inuyasha felt himself grinning. "A bit." He slipped off his shoes and jacket, moving into the kitchen to rummage up some dinner from the refrigerator. "Russians are a bit riled up. Apparently there was an intruder at their Las Vegas base of operations a couple of days ago, and they're not sure what the thief wanted."

Hunt sighed into her mug and leaned against the counter. "Wonder what that was about?"

"Just wait, there's more." Inuyasha pulled out a coke and opened it with one deft movement of his claw. "They were able to trace the intruder back to a casino on the strip, and think the break-in has something to do with the place."

His red-headed partner put her unfinished coffee by the sink and slunk away into the living room, where they had sprawled out a good deal of intelligence that had been gathered in the last two weeks of being there. Inuyasha followed silently, wondering what her sudden exodus from the kitchen was all about.

Hunt pulled up a single sheet of paper that was half buried beneath other documents. When Inuyasha gave the wolf demon a quizzical look, Hunt finally decided to look at him and clarify. "Hmm. Sorry. Your mention of a casino just made me think of this joint." She showed him the paper, which had a bit of information on a restaurant casino called Kami Clan Casino. "They pay dues to a ton of different crime rings for 'protection.' I didn't think anything of it before."

Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows, trying to figure out where Hunt was going with this.

Suddenly she smiled, pushing papers on the floor aside to reveal the documents covered by them. His ear twitched as he heard the seasoned FBI agent begin muttering to herself and writing notes on a pad of paper kept for doing just that.

"Are you going to share your insight with me anytime soon, Hunt?" Inuyasha felt the insults on the tip of his tongue, but he knew if he so much as started to curse at his partner, she'd never tell him what she had figured out.

"Give me a minute, Jidai."

With a grunt, Inuyasha flopped himself down on the old, beat-up couch that had been provided to furnish their temporary residence. Since he wasn't being included in this little intelligence session, he saw no reason to hover over the woman's shoulder. He looked out the window at the sky. The city was too bright to see the stars, but Inuyasha knew that somewhere out there they were twinkling down on even this godforsaken city.

"Got it!"

Inuyasha looked over at Hunt, waiting for her to continue.

"Except knowing who our puppet master is, I think we've finally cracked this mystery open." The glint in Hunt's eyes was unmistakable in its predatory nature, and Inuyasha knew that Hunt was already contemplating how she was going to rip the bad guy to shreds.

Hunt shoved her notes into his lap before leaving the living room with an "I'm gonna turn in for the night."

IF VEGETARIANS EAT VEGETABLES…

The next morning, Ayame found herself being awoken by the annoying sound of the phone ringing incessantly. Not wanting to answer it, Ayame rolled over and shoved her pillow over her head, growling slightly at having her beauty sleep interrupted.

She listened as the phone—either Jidai's or hers cell phone—continued to ring, and ring, and ring. Letting out a full-blown growl of annoyance, Ayame threw off the covers and climbed out of bed to answer the freaking phone.

As she pulled on her robe, she heard Jidai in the next room getting up, voicing his complaints that were much the same as her own. Ayame found that the ringing was coming from both of their cell phones. And to top it off, it was Los Angeles FBI Headquarters calling.

Ayame flipped open her phone and barked out a, "What is it that just can't wait until a reasonable hour?"

She felt her jaw tighten as it was Kaede's stern voice that responded. "You're both being called back to active duty. I can't say over the phone, but you are to report immediately to Los Angeles. Leave your things; someone will be by to pack up everything later."

"Understood, Sutruss." At the same time as acknowledging Sutruss, Ayame felt her face turning green and looked at the living room floor. No packing up allowed? Oh dear.

Jidai appeared to have the same thought as she; he frantically got down on hands and knees and started shoving the papers together into a crumpled pile to toss in his briefcase. Ayame joined him in his efforts, feeling like a cub trying to get rid of the evidence that she had disobeyed her grandfather.

The papers were soon all off the floor and sitting haphazardly in their carry-cases. Ayame swept a hand through her bush of red hair, feeling the pounding of her heart subsiding. She looked at the half-demon FBI agent she had been working with for almost two years and he returned her gaze without fear.

"Guess we'd better throw some clothes on and head out of here, huh?" Jidai nodded in consent, and they both returned to their respective rooms to change out of their sleepwear.

Ayame pulled off her robe and replaced it with a pair of dark brown cargo pants and a forest green button down shirt with no sleeves. They had been on "vacation," after all, so she hadn't packed much as far as professional appearing clothing.

She pulled on some clean socks and shoved her feet into her steel-toed boots, not bothering to lace them up before reentering the living area. Jidai came out of his room about the same time she did, and he was similarly (as in casually) dressed.

They nodded in acknowledgement of each other and grabbed their briefcases that were busting at the seams. Ayame felt the corner of her mouth twitch upwards before she was able to suppress the urge to laugh at their child-like behavior.

Within a few moments, the two agents were on the road and speeding back to Los Angeles where the superior had called them to. Jidai was driving their car, and she was riding shotgun, watching the scenery pass by far too quickly based on the speed limits.

"Are you trying to get us pulled over?" Ayame looked at Jidai with narrowed eyes, shifting her weight in her seat to get more comfortable on the worn-down leather.

"FBI emergency. We're above the law." She choose not to even register the curse words he added, omitting them entirely from his sentence in her mind. Shrugging, Ayame looked back out the window, yawning tiredly in the predawn hours.

It was, after all, only 4:17 in the morning.

…THEN WHAT DO HUMANITARIANS EAT?

Hours later, the agents finally found themselves arriving at FBI HQ just as the sun was breaking over the horizon. Ayame stepped enthusiastically out of the car and stretched her arms over her head, feeling the tenseness of her muscles and being all-too aware of the lack of comfort in their beat-up company car. Stupid, economic piece of junk.

Leaving the car and entering the building where the agency was situated, they were both immediately bombarded by a butt-load of agents running around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Ayame felt her eyes widen at the sight, and knew that the situation was even more serious than she had first assumed when Kaede had called them.

Following Jidai's lead, Ayame made her way through the bustle of busybodies and stopped in front of Kaede Sutruss's door. Since Jidai wasn't knocking, Ayame took it upon herself to rap on the door and wait from an answer from within.

A tired and haggard looking old woman answered the door, and it took Ayame a moment to recognize her as the resilient female whom she had entered the FBI with.

"Come in, you two, and I'll debrief you."

Sutruss stepped aside and allowed the two agents to enter. The usually pristine office was a disaster. A tornado had come through the place, sweeping file cabinet drawers open, or even on the floor, their contents tossed every which way; Ayame then wanted to know how long it took to get the office looking like this.

Ayame dumped some files on the ground so that she could sit in one of the chairs, and noted that Jidai had to do the same.

"Time's a wasting, old bag. What's the situation?" Jidai, as rude and callous as ever, broke the silence that had somehow engulfed them all.

"Last night, at around 11:30 pm, there was a major security breach here. Someone, or something, managed to hack into the Bureau's computer network. It wasn't detected for over an hour and we don't know what intelligence was copied by the hacker."

As she listened, Ayame immediately thought of Jidai's primary "source" of intelligence; a fox cub that hacked any information, but only as long as your wallet was thick enough to handle it.

Jidai must have had the same line of thought, as he looked at her and nodded slightly. When they were done here, they were going to pay the little kiddo a visit.

I
Do
Not
Sleep

Inutori: That's about it for now. I know it doesn't focus much on our main girl, Kagome, but I need to establish plot and direction, and all that garbage.
Kagome: You had me SHOT!!! AGAIN!!! You hate me, don't you?
Inuyasha: That, or you just scream "shoot me" to organized crime.
Sango: I doubt that. Kagome, you just need to be more careful.
Miroku: Yes, Sango-sama is right. What would your mother say?
Kagome: Couldn't answer that, since obviously I'm DYING in the story, and my mother's in Japan.
Inutori: I didn't WANT to have you shot, but you see…they offered to do it for free, and give me a discount on my next mark, and…well it was just an offer too good to refuse…
Sango: Wait…who's your next mark?...
Inutori: …