Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any characters associated with it. This story is rated for a mature audience.

Sesshomaru was looking over the mass of papers that had accumulated on his desk. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if it was wise going into management rather than continuing to race. He quickly squelched the thought. Everything he did was carefully calculated. No matter what his feelings were now, if he knew he could handle it then, it was within his abilities now. Granted, he was doing the work of four or five people right now, but that was only due to their current budget. They had been given more than enough to start this team and hire the necessary administrators, but he funneled nearly all of it into the machines, leaving the team grossly understaffed. It was more work for him, but with every paper he filled and filed, he felt a sense of accomplishment that wouldn't be there with people to divvy the work up to. Besides, this way, he knew there would be no errors with anything. Perfection was its own reward.

A knock at the door interrupted his work. "Enter," he said in his usual deadpan tone. He wasn't surprised when Myoga opened the door. "I believe you have news to report?"

"Yes indeed. I don't know what you did last night, but it seems to be working."

Of course, Inuyasha may be as stubborn as our brother in some aspects, but a gentle push in the right direction usually ends up in one mountain of a snowball... for better or worse. His thoughts never showed on his face however, he was too well trained for that.

"That's most excellent. Will they be ready for the first race?"

There was a painful pause before Myoga answered. "Well… That depends on them. There is still a long way to go. They are working more as a team and both managed to finish, though it was the last two spots." Before Sesshomaru could comment, Myoga continued. "But small improvement is still improvement. Besides, this is a simulator. Things have come a long way since my day, but a simulation is still a simulation. I really need them to get a feel for their actual machines."

"Then you shall have it." Myoga looked surprised. "I managed to secure a training track. It's nothing fancy, but it will provide them with an area to break in the machines."

"Fantastic!"

"Don't be too excited. I told Miroku to put Limiters on the machines. The training track is open to the public and it's not wise to show our entire hand to the enemy."

Myoga nodded. "Of course, their speed and natural talent is going to be their only weapons out there. Especially since we have no idea what kind of modifications the other teams are making to their machines. So when do we get the track?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"That doesn't leave a lot of time for modifications."

"The other G blocks are starting soon as well. Training areas are scarce. Be happy I was able to secure this one."

"Oh no, it's nothing like that, I was just talking to myself aloud again. Well, I'll leave you back to your work." Turning, Myoga quickly left the room. Sesshomaru turned his attention back towards the piles of work that lay out before him. They need to do well in the first race. The work he had to do now was more than enough for him. Doing poorly in the first race would make it considerably more difficult for him to do his job efficiently. He hated when he had to depend on others. It left him with a vulnerability he didn't want. Putting the future of his newly created team in the hands of his brothers was a step up from hiring total strangers from the other G blocks, but only a small one. Don't let me down…

"What the fuck was that?" Hideki asked, stepping out of the simulator to stare over at his brother who followed his example. Looking over at his brother with a confused look, Inuyasha tilted his head to the side.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about that shitty ass driving! You're all over the track and you damn near took me out more than once."

"It's not my fault! I don't have as heavy a machine as you! If I get hit, I go all over the place!"

"Then don't get hit!"

"That's enough!" Myoga growled, stepping between the two. "Remember, you are both on the same team!"

"Maybe you should do a better job at blocking!" Inuyasha shouted, ignoring Myoga. "Or do you want me to do your job as well as mine?"

"You're getting pushed around by a god damn computer! You are going to get eaten alive in the real thing!" Hideki shouted back, stepping down from the machine and walking towards Inuyasha.

"Likewise jackass, you run your dumbass mouth about how great you are and the only one you can pass is me and that's because I let you."

Charging towards his brother, fist raised, Hideki howled in rage as he plowed passed Myoga at his brother only to stop short, frozen by a single voice. Turning slowly, the two brothers faced a very angry Kikyo.

"What the hell is this?" she asked in a grave tone, walking towards them. Her eyes fell on Hideki's raised fist, which he lowered immediately and tucked behind his back. Stopping before them, she placed her hands on her waist, glaring at them both. "Here I come to give a little support to my two favorite racers and all I find are two babies throwing a tantrum."

"Sorry," both said in unison, looking down at the concrete floor.

"Oh no, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." Tapping her foot, she crossed her arms, watching them. Slowly both turned to face each other. Annoyed looks on their face, they grasped each other's hand.

"Sorry," Inuyasha said, gritting his teeth as he squeezed his brothers hand with all his might.

"Likewise," Hideki said, putting equal effort into his squeeze. Separating, they both moved away from each other, trying their best to hide their sore hand from one another. Moving over to Kikyo, Hideki wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a quick kiss. Inuyasha looked away quickly, clenching his fists. His brother was twisting the knife he had planted in Inuyasha's gut. What pissed Inuyasha off was that he could only endure. "So why are you here?"

"I was in the area so I decided to stop by, see how things were going."

"You were in the area?" Hideki smiled, shaking his head. "Are you spending more of my money woman?"

She stuck out her tongue at him. "For the record, it's your fault I had to by a new dress."

"Huh? What happened to the last one— oh yeah, I got a little rough didn't I?" Kikyo elbowed him, reddening slightly as she looked around in embarrassment. Inuyasha did his best to make it look like he wasn't listening, which was fairly hard considering there wasn't a whole lot he could pretend to be doing, not to mention his face was heating up as well.

"Anyways, now I have a nice dress to wear to tomorrow's party."

"Party?" Inuyasha asked, surprised. He didn't remember there being a party, then again it wasn't that surprising that he didn't get an invitation. It was after he said it did he realize that they now knew he was listening in on their conversation, though by the way Kikyo looked at him, she didn't mind.

"You forgot didn't you?" Hideki said, rolling his eyes.

"The annual G-1 Banquet," Kikyo said, smiling. "You know the one that takes place two days before the first race of the season? It's super high-class and there will be tons of celebrities and politicians there! I'm excited that I actually get to go!"

Hideki smiled. "I told you I would take you to all the places you wanted to go, remember?"

Inuyasha felt a pang of jealousy at couple. That could be me… I could be the one that makes her squeal in excitement. Or could he? There was a big difference between them. Hideki always wanted attention and constantly needed his ego fluffed while Inuyasha was happy going with the flow of things, staying out of the spotlight as much as he could. It was obvious that Kikyo enjoyed the glamorous life more so than anything Inuyasha would want. But you never know until you try it. The worst part was that train had left long ago leaving any farther thoughts about it in the realm of `what ifs.'

"Say, you still have that tux Inuyasha?" Hideki asked, focusing on his brother.

"Yeah, of course," Inuyasha replied. While he made it seem like it wasn't a big deal, he hadn't worn it since… When was the last time I wore it?

"Great, you might want to dust it off. The day after tomorrow is going to be a big night."

"More importantly, you have your practice run tomorrow," Myoga said, stepping in. "That is your highest priority. The next time you are going to be behind the controls of the machines is going to be race day, so I won't forgive any slacking."

Hideki smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "Relax, we got this." He went back to focusing his attention on Kikyo. Inuyasha felt like something was pressing against him, weighing him down. Turning slowly, he looked out across the hanger to where Miroku and his team were working on the machines. Tomorrow I'm going to be driving that. For that moment, he thought that was the last thing he wanted to do.

Taking a deep breath Inuyasha pressed the button, the cockpit door sealing him in the darkness. The red light blinked steadily before him, begging to be pressed.

"Okay, I've finished uploading the latest OS patch. You should be all set to go." Miroku's voice came from all directions around him. "I've put the Limiter up as well, so feel free to open it up to get a feel for the acceleration. Let me tell you… it's going to be a kick in the ass. I haven't had much time to tweak the kinetic dampeners yet."

"Well, shall we get started then?" Hideki asked.

"Go ahead and start it up."

Hand shaking, Inuyasha hesitated over the button before gently pressing it down. Immediately, the machine sprang to life around him. Unlike his old machine, the console screen lowered itself from above while his other screens rotated into their positions around him from behind. Dog Demon OS v0.89a appeared on the screen before him before fading away, replaced by a familiar UI. The cockpit became translucent around him, allowing him to see the outside. The practice track was smaller than a regular track and the stands were nearly deserted. Inuyasha was surprised there were so many people considering it was only a test run for the machines.

Another thing that surprised him was the drive engine. He couldn't hear anything. It was definitely working, he could feel the vibrations. He felt himself relaxing, his heart beat returning to normal as a smile formed on his face. This might not be so bad…

Terrible. A smile spread across her face as she watched the pathetic display below. Here I thought they were supposed to be skilled. This is worse than beginners in a G-4 block! Guess we don't have anything to worry about.

"Kagome!" A familiar voice caused her to turn around.

"I didn't think you were coming Sango."

She shrugged before taking a seat next to her. "So these are the newcomers?"

"Looks like it."

"God… it's terrible."

"I know, isn't it? Their focus, timing, coordination, everything is off."

"You think they will disband?" Sango asked, turning to look at her.

Frowning, Kagome leaned forward, studying the two vehicles as they sped around the small track. She ran her index finger lightly over her lip.

"Disband? I wish we were that lucky." She nodded over to a group of people hovering near the front of the stands. They held various recording devices, studying the new races movements. Kagome recognized most of them as scouts for the other G-1 teams. Unlike the others, Kagome didn't waste the money hiring someone to scout for her. She liked seeing things for herself. "They don't think they will last the first lap, but if these two have any of their father's skill…" She gave Sango a sideways glance. "Well, all we can do is watch. We won't be facing them anytime soon." She stood up, stretching.

"Where you going?" Sango called after her as she started climbing the stairs up to the exit. Kagome smiled, turning around.

"Date," she said with a wink.

Sango rolled her eyes. "Another one?"

Kagome pushed her lower lip out in a pout. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sango smiled, shaking her head. "Nothing. I'll see you tonight. Have fun."

"Uh-huh. You too," she said, eyes flicking over to the machines as they made a sloppy turn. The smaller one nearly smashed itself into the outside wall. The real fun is going to be watching them on their first race.

Inuyasha was exhausted. The last thing he wanted to do was go to some stupid banquet. Not going wasn't an option however; Sesshomaru had made that quite clear. So here he was, sitting at the bar staring blankly at his glass of water. Every once in awhile, he would tip it slightly, watching as the slowly disappearing ice cubes bounced against the glass. Mind wandering, Inuyasha went over the practice run earlier. Never before had he felt so chained to the earth. When they told him they were putting Limiters on the machines, he didn't know they would be that limited. They were almost uncontrollable. Miroku had told him afterwards that it was necessary for him to collect that data he needed, but Inuyasha was convinced that his brother had something to do with it as well. It seemed like his older brother was always manipulating things from the shadows.

Risking a look, Inuyasha separated his gaze from his glass and looked around behind him. Politicians, celebrities, people of wealth, famous racers, everyone you wanted to be friends with were gathered here, all of them having fun flaunting themselves and trying their best to one-up everyone else. It was almost laughable. They were either trying to boost themselves higher or gain valuable networks for future favors. Luckily, Inuyasha seemed to be nothing but a fly on the wall, which suited him just fine. He wanted nothing to do with any of them. Every so often, Inuyasha would look around and catch sight of Kikyo and Hideki as they moved from group to group. Kikyo was especially stunning tonight with her black and blue evening dress. Every time he caught sight of her, she was always laughing or otherwise looking like she was having a magnificent time. It didn't sit well with him that it was his brother making her feel that way.

Movement caught the corner of his eye. Looking over, he found that someone had taken the seat next to him. Giving the woman a quick scan, his eyes widened slightly as he did a double-take. Kikyo? No… she looks younger. Not that Kikyo isn't young. He mentally kicked himself for the thought.

"Illusion please," the woman told the bar tender as she leaned forward against the counter. Inuyasha tried his best not to look, but the temptation proved too great. His throat tightened as his eyes wandered down her body. A smile crossed her lips.

"You know, most men have the decency to introduce themselves before they undress me."

Cheeks heated, he looked down at his glass. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

The woman's eyes widened. "Hey! You're that pilot from Dog Demons aren't you? I finally managed to catch you alone!"

"Huh?" I've been alone since I got here. "Oh," he looked around at his surroundings, emphasizing the fact that she was the only one near him. "So I am." Why am I stumbling around so much? Well, it didn't help that he was never polished around women. He cursed his lack of a suave tongue like his twin brother.

"What a coincidence!" she said, resting her two elbows on top of the counter and watching as the bartender mixed her drink. "I was at your practice run today."

"Y-you were?" His face reddened even more. Wonderful. Seeing him like that was comparable to being walked in on while masturbating.

"Don't let it bother you," she said, smiling over at him. "Everyone's like that when they first get new machines. Besides, isn't it amazing that you and your brother got into the G-1 already? Even if you are at the bottom, you are still on top." She stuck her tongue out, "if that makes sense."

He shook his head, smiling a little. "No, I get it. Thanks." So there are nice people here. I wonder who she is? From the look of her, she was probably a daughter of one of the wealthy people here.

"Kagome Higurashi," she said as she smiled. Where have I heard that name before…? Before he could respond with his name, she continued. "But really, from all the stories I heard, I expected you to be a little more…" she glanced down at his drink, "manly."

"Huh?" he blinked, confused.

An amused look crossed her face. "From all the stories and rumors I've heard about the `Great Hideki,' finding him drinking water at an open bar is a surprise."

Ah, now it makes sense. He was beginning to think it was a little odd that a woman, a gorgeous one at that, would randomly come up to him and strike a conversation. She thinks I'm Hideki.

"That would probably be because I'm not Hideki. I'm Inuyasha."

The disappointment was clear as day on her face as she looked down at the counter. "The invisible brother huh?" she murmured to herself. Ouch. She smiled brightly at him, throwing him a little off guard. She chuckled softly. "Now that I think about it, I guess it makes sense that you're alone." It felt like he had just been stabbed in the kidney from behind. Damn! She doesn't pull her punches, does she? She sagged against the counter. "That's a disappointment. I've wanted to talk to him all day."

"Sorry I can't help," Inuyasha said indignantly, pressing his glass to his lips.

Her eyes narrowed. "Hey now, it's no reason to get upset."

"No more than it is to be rude," he shot back. She tilted her head slightly, staring at him as the bartender placed her drink in front of her. She laughed loudly, throwing him off guard yet again. He had no idea what he should feel at the moment. Angry? Sad? Happy? Maybe she's already had too much to drink. No, she doesn't smell like alcohol. She smells… nice. He pushed the thoughts away quickly. What the hell am I thinking?

"You see, I've heard things about you as well." She paused for just a second. "Want to hear them?" She watched him over the rim of her glass as she took a drink.

He looked at his glass. "Not really." He had a decent idea already.

"`Waste of time,' `too passive for the Race,' `lacks motivation,' `doomed to live under the shadow of his brother and father forever.'" His fists tightened as they rested against the wood. "So, my question is if there is any truth in them." Inuyasha glared over at her. She had such a sweet, deceptive smile on her face; her head tilted just enough to give an illusion of curious innocence. How can someone who looks like her be so damn offensive?

"Perhaps," he said, closing his eyes as he looked away from her.

"That so?" she whispered, sitting back slightly. Without turning his head, he glanced over at her to find her studying him.

"What?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. Just thinking what a pity it is…" Winking at him, she grabbed her drink and disappeared into the crowd, leaving him as confused as ever.

The party was starting to disperse. Hideki figured that was a good thing considering how he was beginning to feel the effects of all the drinks he had gone through. He was currently swaying to the slow beat of the band, Kikyo resting her head against his chest. She was exhausted. No doubt the excitement of talking to so many important people was getting to her.

Smiling down at her he leaned in and kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him, smiling. "You have fun?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

She nodded. "This was the most amazing night of my life!"

"There will be plenty more, I promise you that."

Smiling, she rested her head back upon his chest. They danced for several more songs before he excused himself. All the alcohol was beginning to catch up with him. Stepping inside the restroom, he stopped at the sink, running cold water of his hands and splashing some into his face. He heard the door open behind him and when he looked up, he was surprised to see a blond woman standing behind him. She wore a sultry smile as she looked at him through the mirror. Her hands were neatly folded in front of her. Her red dress dipped low, revealing a substantial amount of cleavage from her monstrous breasts. Definitely fake, he mused silently. Fake or not, they were nice to look at.

"Uh, this is the men's restroom," he said, smiling as he looked at her from the mirror. Someone has had too much to drink.

"I know," the woman responded with a smile. Well, she doesn't sound drunk. "I was hoping we would get a chance to talk Hideki."

"Oh? You know me?" he asked, turning around to actually face her.

"No, not yet; my name is Caroline Segerston."

"Segerston sounds familiar…"

She smiled. "My father is Thomas Segerston, the American Senator."

"Ah right… that's where I've heard it." Rumor had it that Segerston had a good chance of winning president in the upcoming election. Hideki didn't much care one way or the other. Politics was boring. He smiled, knowing full well where things were going. "So Miss Segerston, what can I do for you today?"

It was almost like a flashback to his high school years. He hadn't had sex in a bathroom since his senior year with the two cheerleaders. It was a wonder how he managed to get into this situation. She was leaning against the sink as he plowed into her from behind. Her moans filled the room as he relentlessly pounded into her. He made no effort to make her more comfortable. That wasn't the point of this. Sating his lust was all that concerned him. Whether she was enjoying it or not was none of his concern, and he knew the feeling was mutual. He grinned, watching her pleasure-ridden face in the mirror as she cried out. She just wanted to fuck the new star racer. No doubt to brag to all her friends. If that was the case, he was more than happy to oblige. After a few minutes, he felt himself building closer to release.

"Hey, is it okay if I cum inside?"

"Yes! Yes!" she gasped out. He didn't know if she was directing it at his question or just making noise. She had been moaning it for awhile now. Ah well, not my problem. With a final few thrusts, he erupted inside her, causing her to cry out loudly. As the orgasm faded, he pulled out of her. She remained motionless for several seconds as she caught her breath. He immediately began to clean himself up. He was almost finished when she got around to moving.

"That was amazing," she said softly.

"Glad you liked it."

Her smile held a faint look of disappointment. "It's a pity you already have a girlfriend." It was a hook and he knew it. Unfortunately for her, he wasn't a fish that would bite.

"Sorry," he said with a smile. Like I would date you anyway… Girls like her were perfect for a fling or two, but anything more than that was out of the question. She cleaned up quickly and, with a nod, left him alone.

Moving off to finish the task he had originally set out to accomplish, he stood in front of the urinal, wincing slightly as he relieved himself in a more basic manor. He didn't feel guilty about what he had just done. It wasn't the first time he had been with another woman since he started dating Kikyo, far from it. He couldn't figure out if she knew or not, but if she did, she never let on. He also didn't know if she cheated on him. A twinge of anger grew at the thought. She better not be! It was hypocritical of him, he knew that, but Kikyo was his. Women like Sarah were nothing to him. He honestly loved Kikyo, probably the first and only woman he could ever say that about. At the same time, the thought of Kikyo being the only woman he slept with scared him. He never liked the feeling of being confined to anything. Besides, as sad as it was to admit, it was part of being a Racer. Racers were notorious for being very… promiscuous. It was uncommon for a Racer to actually `settle down' in terms of getting married. Those that did usually had their marriage fall apart after only a year or two. Their family was no different. He could remember the heated fights his mother had with his father. Worse still, he could remember his mother weeping her heart out after he stormed out to stay out with one of his mistress's. Of course, all this was unknown to the public. In their eyes, the old Speed Demon legend was the perfect image of what a husband and father should be.

Marriage… Just the word sent shivers down his back. I really hope Kikyo isn't expecting us to… He froze. Does she? After all this time of being together, they had never talked about it. He laughed, shaking his head. I can't believe it's never come up in all this time… amazing. Kids were out of the picture as well if marriage wasn't there. His mother would roast him alive if he had kids out of marriage. He filed all his thoughts to the back of his mind to worry about later.

Washing his hands, he made sure to dabble some of the expensive cologne before he returning to where Kikyo waited. She smiled at him as he approached. "Sorry I took so long, what did I miss?"

"You were gone long?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. "I hardly noticed. Mr. Ulstep has been keeping me company. Can you believe it? The legendary director himself!"

"Please madam, you flatter me!" the man said, scratching his cheek anxiously.

"I know how much of a fan you are, so I will let you continue your conversation," Hideki said, kissing her forehead gently.

"Where are you going?" she asked as he started to walk away.

Pointing over to the bar, he smiled. "To talk with the perfect description of a party-pooper."

He left her chuckling as he quickly made his way over to the bar. He collapsed in the seat next to his split image, sighing loudly. "I'm exhausted."

"You look it," Inuyasha said with a smirk. "Just what you have been doing?"

"Walking, talking and dancing," he said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Wow, sounds incredibly dull."

Hideki smiled, thinking back to the bathroom incident. "You have no idea."

"Oh yeah, someone was looking for you earlier."

"Huh?"

"Yeah, it was probably a couple of hours ago…" Inuyasha tapped his chin in thought. "I really wasn't paying attention to the time."

"Ah, don't worry about it," he said, waving it away as he smirked. "She met with me."

"She was… interesting, wasn't she?"

"You could say that."

"I can't believe how close she looked to Kikyo."

"Wait—What?" Up until that point, Hideki thought he was talking about Sarah, but she looked nothing like Kikyo. So who the hell is he talking about?

Inuyasha looked over at him. "Some woman named Kagome Higurashi was looking for you earlier."

His eyes widened at the name. "And?" he asked, sitting up.

"And what? She didn't find you? I thought she did." Hideki cursed, surprising his brother. "Someone you know?"

"Yeah, and I don't know whether to be sorry or furious at you for not knowing her either. Kagome Higurashi is lead G-1 racer for the Steel Angels."

"That so." Inuyasha was thoroughly unimpressed. He turned to gaze at his half-empty glass of water. The bartender had been giving him odd looks the entire night, but never failed to refill his water when it ran low. I guess it takes a special person to order nothing but water when all the booze is free.

"That s— Do you even realize who she is?"

"Another racer. Big deal. There were a lot of Racers here tonight."

Hideki shook his head as he rested his hand on his forehead. "I can't believe you. Kagome is the best female Racer in the world!"

Inuyasha turned his head, a single eyebrow rose. "Huh, I guess it makes sense now." His eyes narrowed. "But just because you're the best doesn't mean you have to have an ego to match."

Hideki rolled his eyes. "Please, you be the best just so you can brag about it. Otherwise, what's the point?"

"Inspire those who follow?"

Hideki laughed, shaking his head as he slapped his hand up and down on his brothers' shoulder. "I somehow doubt that very much. I would say—" His eyes fell on a familiar face, causing his smile to fade immediately. Quickly, he sat up; his body stiffening as he quickly adjusted his tux. Inuyasha, seeing his brother suddenly tense up looked over his shoulder. Eyes widening, he too sat up straight.

Throat tightening, Hideki stood up slowly to face the last person in the world he wanted to see. "Hello Mother…"

I'm getting close to where I stopped writing this before. It looks like two more chapters of revised content before I start writing the new stuff. It's looking like this story is going to fly under the radar for most people, so I really appreciate everyone who took the time to write a review. I really enjoy working on this story. Now if only I could say the same about With Empty Hands…

And this will be an Inu/Kag story.

Again, thanks for the reviews.