Tainted Love
Chapter Three
A/N: First of all I'd like to thank Wind's Whispers, my second reviewer! For all of you who didn't read my profile, I was going to delete this story unless someone reviewed. And Wind's Whispers did! Thank you so much!
In case I haven't already made this clear, PLEASE REVIEW! I LOVE THEM!
Kagome shivered as a sudden cold chill hit her. If she had any say in this, which of course she didn't, this would not have been the place she would've chosen to meet her new partners.
Supposedly, it was a coffee shop, but it looked nothing like the cozy, warm environment Kagome had in Tokyo. The freezing early spring wind drifted in through the multiple gaping holes in the walls. The only other people there were a waiter and a man in the corner who was smoking something that was most likely much more life-threatening than tobacco. And even though the room was already cramped, the bodyguards from LCO surrounded Kagome making her feel even more claustrophobic.
The creaky old door at the entrance of the shop opened slowly. Kagome craned her neck so as to look around the LCO guards to see who had entered. In the doorway there was a man who looked to be in his late thirties and girl who look about the same age as Kagome. They both spotted the LCO agents and silently sauntered over. The LCO agents nodded in their direction. Kagome rose from her chair and went to greet her new co-workers. The man looked tired, like he hadn't slept in weeks. His clothes were ragged and a rather unpleasant stench hung in the air around him. He gave Kagome an artificial smile as she shook his hand. "My name is Remus Lupin," he informed her, "and this is my partner, Luna Lovegood." The girl gave Kagome a huge warm grin that caught her off-guard. She had smooth, shiny blond hair and inquisitive eyes that seemed to take in the world around her one atom at a time.
"Hello!" she said cheerfully.
Suddenly, Kagome was very grateful for the English lessons she'd taken in school. Luna seemed like a good person to be friends with.
"My name is Kagome Higurashi," she stated while hoping her smile looked genuine enough.
"It's very nice to meet you, Kagome," Lupin responded. He turned to the LCO agents. "I assume you have information for us."
One of the agents nodded while another snapped his fingers. The waiter, who looked like he'd been anticipating that signal, quickly stormed over to the man in the corner. "You!" the waiter shouted. "Get the hell out of here!"
The man looked surprised. "Who, me? Why should I…"
The waiter revealed the gun he'd been hiding within his apron. "I said," he whispered with his voice dangerously low, "get out."
Before the poor man could respond, the sound of a gun shooting rang in Kagome's ears and the man's crimson blood emitted from his chest.
Such is the ruthlessness of LCO.
Kagome glanced over to where Lupin and Luna were. Both of them stared straight ahead, as though they hadn't witnessed the pointless murder of an innocent man. Clearly, they were used to these things.
"The waiter's with us," one of the agents explained in an eerily monotonous voice. Kagome shivered, but this time, it wasn't from the draft.
"What were you going to say?" Lupin urged. He was clearly eager to get out of this place.
The agent tuned to Lupin. "As you all know, your mission is to hunt down two monsters called half-demons. Their names are Inuyasha and Naraku. They were both allies to the notorious Lord Voldemort." Kagome could've sworn she saw Lupin and Luna shudder when the agent said Voldemort's name. "They sent a letter to us threatening to revive said Dark Lord. We paid no attention to it at first, but when famous Harry Potter went missing, we began to worry. Sure enough, the two psychopaths had kidnapped the boy. Apparently, they think they can revive Voldemort as Peter Pettigrew did, but this time it will require taking Potter's life." Again Lupin and his companion cringed.
"Do you think they can really do that, or are they bluffing?" Kagome asked.
The agent scoffed. "Of course they can. Why else would we have called you here?"
I should've guessed that, Kagome thought. Did I honestly think they were concerned about Harry?
"Very well, then," Lupin said softly. "What is our schedule from here?"
"The half-demons are rumored to be in New York. As this is Higurashi's first mission, your job is simply to look for clues that might help us defeat the half-demons. We have another agent already there undercover who will end the monsters."
"Your plane leaves tonight at 22 o' clock at the station you were told to be at before your departure at HQ. It will only be you three from there on out. When you arrive, contact us with this." The agent handed Lupin an old-fashioned-looking radio. "When you turn it on to contact us, before you say anything, give us the password 'Shikon no Tama' so we know it's you. Don't contact us any other way. Don't contact anyone else without permission."
Kagome tried hard not to let her tears burst the dam she'd built. She couldn't talk to anyone else? What if her grandfather had a heart attack? Though she had quarreled with her mother frequently, Kagome knew she would miss her only living parent dearly.
"Now," the agent began, "you three stand in a triangle." The trio did as they were told.
"Can you see each other?" the agent asked. All three of them nodded.
"Is there anyone else in your line of sight?" They all shook their heads.
"The people you are looking at are the only ones who can trust," the agent muttered, "They're the only ones who you can be sure aren't your enemies."
"Trust me."
A/N: Whatcha think? Please review! It really inspires me.