Author's Note: You guys continue to blow me away. Here's more.

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. I do not profit from this story.

Chapter Warnings: AU, violence, mentions of torture, and dubious-consent.

What You're Falling On

Chapter Four

July 22nd, 2009

Day 3

Kagome tried her hardest not to scream. It was there, sitting in the back of her throat and just waiting to be let out. Three of her fingers were broken, probably at least one cracked rib. The worst part was that she had it the best.

Miroku wasn't the one they were trying to get information from; it was her. She couldn't tell why but she figured it had something to do with the way Miroku held himself, protected himself even while having the shit beaten out of him. He had intense training for this. Kagome remembered a story from him, where he had been held as a hostage for two days of intense, drug-related torture before his team had found him.

He knew how to protect himself, even when he was dying bit by bit.

The demon that was leading the torture was named Gatenmaru. He had told her right before smashing her head into the wall and making her black out for the better part of the morning. She had woken up to Miroku's screams as they stabbed him over and over, in non-lethal areas that would look worse than they actually were. It didn't matter much anyways – he was losing too much blood and soon they'd be dead.

Kagome was surprised when they had been given water. She bitterly realized it was just to torture them some more, but even the scraps of bread crusts and meat bones helped. She wasn't dying, not yet. She wanted to, but she couldn't.

Miroku was still alive and she had to try and save him, no matter what. He had someone to return to.

Gatenmaru had left them for a few hours, water being put into a large dish so they could drink out of it like dogs. Kagome let Miroku have the most of it because he was the one getting the worst of the attacks.

"I'm sorry," Miroku mumbled, his voice too rough even after the water. "I'm so sorry."

Kagome stared at him incredulously, feeling the tears that wanted to fall burn behind her lids. "What the hell are you talking about?" she whispered fiercely. "None of this is your fault if anything it's mine. I'm the one that's supposed to keep you out of these positions!"

The blue-eyed man shook his head. Kagome would give anything to see that cocky smile he had been wearing before, the one he showed her just minutes before they were captured. "If I hadn't been so focused on getting to her…"

"You were–"

"No," Miroku interrupted, shaking his head once harshly. "This is exactly why the fraternization rule exists. I wasn't doing my job and was blind to the danger around us. I made you focus on her too when you had everything else to think about."

"Stop," Kagome whispered. She inched her way closer to him, letting her head rest on his shoulder. Her nose was buried in his neck and she felt the field agent sag against her. "You love her, and I could never stand in the way of something like that. I looked the other way because you deserved to be happy."

Miroku nodded numbly. "It doesn't really matter now, does it?"

"It does," Kagome replied back. She had lost hope but she wouldn't let him. He had a future, she knew it. "It will always matter to the both of you and I've always been lucky enough to have you as my friends." She let the words hang in the air, the moment solely between them. "That's against the regulations too, you know. I'm only supposed to lead this team, not befriend them."

"You're not a machine," Miroku muttered. "You're allowed to have friends."

"And you," she stated back, "are allowed to fall in love."

Kagome didn't mention that she would probably die never knowing what that felt like, that her last kiss would be from the demon whose hands would be covered in their blood.

That didn't matter though because right now, they had this.

Present Day

September 25th, 2012

She expected that it would only be a matter of hours, but Kagome had always been relatively surprised by Inuyasha. The half-demon was sitting in her office – how he had gotten in while the door had been locked, she had no clue – lazing about on the leather couch like he belonged there. Masking the shock, Kagome set her face into a scowl before she moved towards her desk. "What are you doing out of Medical so soon?" she asked, trying to sound impatient.

"You should know that I'm not a good patient," Inuyasha replied tediously, fake yawning into his hand. "How'd your meeting go?"

Kagome froze, hand poised over the power button of her desktop computer. "What meeting?" There was no way that he knew, not in the short amount of time. He'd been at Medical too – an entirely different building full of doctors and nurses, rather than other field operatives. There was no way he should have figured it out.

"Don't play stupid." His voice hardened and Inuyasha's golden eyes – such a contrast to his half-brother, it actually relieved her – fixated on her. "You went to speak to the director."

Kagome nodded once, precise. "I did."

"You're a moron."

She felt the anger simmer again, but this time it was threatening to boil over. She had just dealt with Kaede Kyouda for the past hour and a half, trying to figure out why the hell Sesshomaru would not pay for his actions simply because he was "the best that they had."

"I thought you said, and I quote, 'Inuyasha Taisho has the potential to be greater than his half-brother.' That's how we treat him? He gets killed and we let his murderer walk away?"

"He's alive and perfectly well," Kaede replied sternly, voice sharp. "There is nothing I can do."

"That's fucking bullshit."

Kaede stared at her, the one grey eye glaring. "One more word and I will permanently suspend you. You will be shipped overseas, dumped into some foreign location and I will use a favourite quote 'out of sight, out of mind.' Are we clear, Agent Higurashi?"

Kagome wanted to scream. "Why am I a moron?"

"Because trying to defend me is like trying to save the human race," Inuyasha countered. "It's an uphill war and you lose more than half the battles along the way. Sesshomaru's a bastard and he's always been like that. I'm surprised he actually killed me but at least the Tenseiga heals everything, including old wounds. I'm pretty much back to perfect."

"That's it?" Kagome couldn't hold it back anymore. She couldn't deal with the politics and the crap that she'd been given. "What is your problem, Inuyasha? What is it going to take for you to figure things out?"

"Figure what out?" Inuyasha challenged, sitting up from the leather with a flourish. "I don't give a shit about what the director says, or what anyone says. I do what I fucking want and if I save a couple people along the line, all the better."

"There we go again!" Kagome shouted, stepping forward with her fists clenched at her sides. "Your little problem with authority has come out. Halle-fucking-luiah! What makes you hate everyone with any sort of authority over you, huh? What makes it impossible for you to follow orders, or to trust someone enough that they know what they're doing? I did the right thing by demanding Sesshomaru get punished for his actions. I was protecting you!"

"I don't need your fucking protection! I don't need it from anyone!" Inuyasha pushed himself off the couch fully, pushing back from her aggressive stance by looming over her. "You're no different than the rest."

"And what is the rest defined like, huh? Considering this partnership has lasted a near month, I'm already the most successful out of all of them. Care to explain that? Care to explain anything about your little power issues?" Kagome demanded.

Inuyasha grabbed her shoulders, twisting them around so that she slammed against the wall. "Because none of you give a shit about the guy that puts his life on the line!" the half-demon shouted, golden eyes tinged with red. "It doesn't matter how many times I nearly die, or how many times I sell my soul for a cause. In the end I'm disposable and I always will be." He growled, breaths coming in as angry pants. "But it only fucking figures, considering I'm only half of each and not good enough for either."

The last sentence was heavy, the weight of his words settling on them. Kagome touched his forearms and Inuyasha angrily let go, stepping to the other side of the room like he needed the distance.

"I care," she said; simple, plain, so that there was no mistaking it. "I'm the one screaming at you to not kill yourself, aren't I?"

Inuyasha's face remained completely impassive but his body seemed to sag. "Maybe that's why you've stuck around for so long. I'm waiting until the day when you stop."

There were things she could've said, ways she could've expressed how terribly, horribly wrong he was. The problem was that he ran out before she could say them and Kagome was frozen to the spot.

September 26th, 2012

Rumours were flying.

Everyone heard of the great challenge of Agent Higurashi. It spread through the buildings, the centres, the residence blocks. Within the day, whispers and strange stares were thrown her way. Kagome ignored them all because they could say what they wanted to, she hadn't been wrong. If given the choice, she would do it again. Kaede's threat to send her away was terrifying but it would hardly stop her from doing what was right. Inuyasha had been killed and even if Sesshomaru brought him back to life with the Tenseiga, it was still sick and horrible and wrong on so many levels.

She needed coffee. It was what drove the black-haired woman from her office and to the break room. As a general rule she tried to avoid it – the coffee was crap so she tended to go off campus and come back – but today she had a lot of filing to do and a meeting with the psychologists. Apparently, Kaede wanted her to have a discussion with them.

The halls were relatively quiet. Many of the office doors were shut and those that were walking through the halls were junior agents who wouldn't dare to meet her eyes anyways. She could hear the conversation from the break room as she approached, hesitating at the door because her stomach started to knot itself, a feeling of nausea taking over. Kagome always knew when she was being talked about.

"It's not like Inuyasha is a hero. He endangers people."

Kagome rolled her eyes. Had they even seen his file? Then again, that was probably the problem. All of his efforts did great things, but he tended to blow up buildings more often than most demonic heroes at FANG. It was how the 'reckless' thing came out. And the half-demon was reckless, he was. Kagome wasn't sure particularly why she was trying to defend him.

"Apparently he's got Agent Higurashi now too," another voice said, far quieter than the rest. At least whatever agent was speaking was trying to have some tact. Failing, but trying. "I heard that Inuyasha and Sesshomaru got into a fight and Inuyasha was hurt. Higurashi went ballistic."

"If Sesshomaru did anything it was probably for the best."

Again, she rolled her eyes. They wouldn't be saying those words if they knew what Sesshomaru actually thought of humans. Her eyes had been opened and not in a good way. Realizing that enough was enough, the black-haired field agent walked into the break room, pointedly ignoring the horrified glances of her co-workers. Honestly, they were agents of a top secret organization; they should be better at hiding their surprise. They wouldn't last longer than three minutes under torture.

The coffee pot had some left in it, but certainly not enough for what Kagome wanted. She sighed and got to work making another pot, cleaning her mug and ignoring the whispers. They could talk all they wanted. The coffee machine was perking when suddenly one of the agents from the table stood up, eyeing Kagome studiously. Not one to ignore blatant observation, she raised her brows in question. "Can I help you?"

"You seem to already have your hands full," the guy said, lips twisting ugly on his face. "Wouldn't want you to take on more than you could handle."

"I'm actually trained to go out on the field," Kagome replied smoothly, pointedly looking at his lab coat and then back to his green eyes. "It's not possible for such an occurrence, so your concern is unnecessary."

"And unwanted," a familiar voice said, coming from the break room doorway. Miroku Tsujitani stood there, arms crossed and clearly displeased. He'd been an agent in the HQ building for a lot longer than she had and while he didn't handle a demon, he organized and executed the human combatant teams for field duty. He was well known here, even respected. "I think your break is done, Agent."

Kagome didn't wait for the inevitable fallout, or the conversation that she didn't want. Grabbing whatever coffee there was, she poured herself a cup and then headed out. She nodded her thanks to Miroku on the way, feet taking her down the hall as fast as they could without completely fleeing.

If she had waited just a few more seconds, she would've noticed Inuyasha popping out from behind one of the office doors, golden eyes fixated on Miroku and then her slowly disappearing figure.

October 2nd, 2012

Kagome halted, flipping open the pocket-sized mirror to look in her reflection. She leaned back, going out of her way to examine her face while her free hand dropped a small, barely noticeable listening device into the potted plant behind her. She scratched at her hair, trying to make it look fuller before sighing and heading back towards the small corner table.

"I never thought you'd look so insecure," Inuyasha hummed, staring at her like he wasn't buying it for a second. "Is there a reason you decided you felt like toasted westerns instead of, I don't know, real food?"

"This is an assignment," Kagome whispered, making a show of opening up her menu. "I debriefed you last night."

"Right, when I was barely conscious."

"Not my fault you ran into a wall."

"I didn't run into a wall," Inuyasha growled lowly. He put the menu down, leaning forwards to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. To anyone else, it would look sentimental, like they were on a date or something. It wasn't though because he tugged hard at the strand and his claws scratched at her ears. "I was flipping through the air–"

"Shh, it's okay," Kagome interrupted, grabbing his hand before he could completely pull it away and interlocking their fingers. The ear bud dropped between their palms and her brown eyes lifted to gaze at a group of women sitting at a far booth in the breakfast restaurant. "I'll make it all better once six o'clock comes around."

"Subtle," Inuyasha grumbled. He took a moment, stretching and putting the piece in his right dog ear in one smooth motion. "So what's the occasion for tonight?"

"You know, talking to each other, listening and finding out our true feelings." Kagome wasn't even looking at him. Her gaze was locked on the tall woman, clearly a demon with the hint of a red on her neck. The Arachnid symbol was usually of that colour and the woman's profile matched a picture found in their database. As far as they knew her name was Kagura Ohgami. They didn't know how she was affiliated with Arachnid, other than a probable hate for human life. There were two other women with her – one with short black hair and another with long white hair. Their names were known but the plan was to follow them for a bit of surveillance and to grab as many photos as possible. They could try running them through the database later. "Listening is the biggie."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes but slouched to get comfortable. Together they listened in, the conversation barely audible with everything else that was going on.

"You can't know that for sure," one of them said. Kagome tried to get eyes but she could only see the face of the woman with short black hair. "They won't know what it does."

"They're not fucking morons. They're not the race that's close to extinction." There, that was the woman with the short black hair.

"Naraku's pissed things are taking so long. They got it too – the well. They may not be morons, Yura, but if they knew what it was then we'd know about it."

Inuyasha's golden eyes met Kagome's, calculating. The demon women were talking about whatever they found those weeks ago on their first mission. They also had two names: Naraku and Yura, who was the one Kagome had eyes on. "You think?"

"Yeah," the field agent murmured, softly.

The conversation turned after that, the awkward quiet between the women getting worse the longer they were there. Talks became stilted, all because of the name Naraku coming up. Inuyasha and Kagome shared a large plate of pancakes, although they barely ate any of it. Coffee came in steady streams and by the time Kagome was on her third cup, the demon women were calling for the bill.

"I think we're done here," Inuyasha stated, rubbing a hand down his face. "At least we got something."

"But not too much," Kagome complained. "We'll have to destroy the bug I planted. You can get it, right?" Inuyasha scowled at her, a clear indication that he knew he could. She smiled a little at the attitude, realizing by now he did it mainly as a rebuff instead of actually being angry.

"You know, Miroku misses you." The words were completely out of the blue and Kagome stared at the silver-haired half-demon, shocked. She wanted to open her mouth but knew that only stutters would come out, and those would do nothing good to help her case. Inuyasha continued on, uncaring. "It wasn't your fault what happened to the two of you. Arachnid had a backup plan and the whole thing had been a trap from the beginning. There was no way that someone wasn't going to be taken. I read the report."

The hell he had. Kagome knew the file was under lock and key somewhere in Kaede's office, but the thought crossed her mind that maybe Inuyasha was far more resourceful than she gave him credit for. He did say how he'd figure it out.

"It's not your fault what they did to Miroku. You stuck to your training like he stuck to his. Arachnid is known for their torture techniques and you'd already been there for days–"

"Enough," Kagome growled, taking one from Inuyasha's book. "We are on an assignment and you think to talk to me about this now?"

Inuyasha didn't look fazed. He merely shrugged. "You haven't let me corner you in your office this week."

She hadn't, he was right. Kagome knew this was coming sooner or later, although she didn't expect him to be stupid enough – reckless enough – to bring it up while they were following persons of interest.

"Talk to him. He had a picture of you, him and Sango in the office. He talks about you like you saved his life." Inuyasha pointed at her, deadly serious. "And Sango is so grateful to you that she doesn't know how to repay you."

Kagome worked her jaw, trying to get a grasp on the situation that was getting more and more out of control. "Their names are Agent Tsujitani and Agent Houko. You should address them as such."

The dark chuckle out of Inuyasha's mouth was certainly a surprise and not any more welcome than the new conversation. "Right, Kagome. You know, friends don't go by labels."

"We're on the clock."

"And everyone says I'm the one with issues." Inuyasha smirked at her, absolutely no amusement in it. He took the earpiece out, standing up and heading towards the bathroom. On the way back, she was sure he would destroy the bug. Kagura, Yura and the other white-haired girl stood up, heading out of the shop and onto the streets. Kagome tossed down enough cash to cover their bill and more before slowly following them.

And if she was shaking, then absolutely no one had to know.

October 6th, 2012

Four days of pretty much ignoring the half-demon and she was about to rip her hair out. He just kept giving her glares, or bitter smirks, or something equally unpleasant that made her stomach curl. The worst part in all of it was that she couldn't react. Reacting meant that she wasn't in control, that the situation had fallen beyond that. Kagome didn't want to lose control over things she desperately didn't want to remember.

Of course, then Director Kaede Kyouda called.

"You and Inuyasha will be in my office in twenty minutes, are we clear?"

Kagome realized her life narrowed down to asking "how high?" when someone said "jump."

The half-demon nodded at her when she arrived in the elevator. He'd come from the training centre a level below, a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead. Golden eyes stared straight as the doors closed and Kagome refused to think how uncomfortable the whole situation was.

"You didn't attack anyone again, did you?" Kagome asked. "None of the junior agents are suffering burns from you scaring them?"

"Nope." It was the first word he'd said to her in four days. She wasn't sure whether to celebrate or scream.

"Do you know what this is about?"

Finally Inuyasha turned to look at her. "Nope."

"Fantastic."

The meeting wasn't anything fancy. Kaede had the two of them sit down before she handed them similar folders with a bunch of photos and information. She explained how a demon by the name of Moryomaru Mizutani was suspected of having ties with Arachnid. He was a politician within the city, his name a big power play. Their mission was to determine if Moryomaru was a part of the Arachnid gang and if he was, to find out how dangerous his threat level was. Kagome didn't need to draw pictures for anyone – if he was associated with Arachnid then he would be taken out promptly. Political power, especially the kind that Moryomaru Mizutani had, was a dangerous weapon.

It was then that the metaphorical bomb was dropped because apparently there was a party being held at the Mizutani household, which would be the perfect opportunity to not only snoop through his stuff and hack into personal information, but it was also a way of recording known associates and if any of the guests had ties to the Arachnid group as well.

A party, Kagome scoffed at the thought. She was going to a party instead of shooting things.

Kaede handed them their licences and background profiles for the characters they were playing. Of course the two of them were married. By this point, nothing surprised her.

Inuyasha's glare was directed at Kagome again, so she shrugged helplessly. It wasn't like she applied for the job, nor did she beg for Kaede to temporarily marry them. They would be the greatest married couple in the world though, that was for sure. All great relationships completely ignored verbal communication for the better, more preferred method: angry stares and eye rolls.

Perfect.

October 7th, 2012

"Perfect," Kagome grumbled, feeling utterly ridiculous. There was a sheathed knife in a holster on the inside of her thigh and an ear bud that was currently in her bra. Her clutch held all of the basics – lipstick, foundation, gum and more. Getting through security was always a fun time. She brushed her hair behind her ear, thanking the guard as he let her through.

Inuyasha was being the ever-dutiful husband, waiting for her on the other side of the security line. She joined him with a flourish, gently placing her hand on his forearm while he led them through large double doors into a grand entranceway. "You're wearing earrings," he commented, brow furrowed slightly. "They're sparkly, isn't that a bit too flashy?"

Kagome gave him a look. These earrings were the only nice pair she owned, considering she couldn't wear them at work and she didn't go out for fun often enough to warrant more than a couple pairs. Besides, the jewels matched her sparkling clutch.

"Whatever," Inuyasha grumbled. "Rendezvous in ten?"

"Don't forget to place your ear bud," Kagome reminded him quietly, letting go and searching for the table of drinks. It was going to be a long night. A quick scan of the room indicated that Moryomaru was not yet there, although she doubted he would be long. Inuyasha was double-checking their exit strategies and the cameras, trying to get a read on security and how smoothly operations were being run. He was supposed to be taking pictures of the room too, as casually as he could on his phone while he pretended to do something else. Kagome analyzed the crowd, not recognizing anyone from the numerous photos she had had to study before coming. "Status," she whispered, just under her breath.

"Fine."

Bringing the wine to her lips, Kagome let the red stain the soft flesh before lowering it, without taking a sip. To her far right she saw a big sway of movement, people gathering and then quickly dispersing backwards. Moryomaru was there, nodding and shaking hands with many of his guests. His smile showed charm and charisma, something that was faked considering the tightness of his smile and the way his eyes didn't crinkle at the corners. He could've just been tired but somehow, Kagome doubted it. She slowly took another sip of wine, eyeing the demon. He was well-built – even his perfectly fitted suit couldn't hide the broad muscles. His hair was long, a silvery touch of white that couldn't quite compete with Inuyasha's.

Well.

Dark eyes met hers and Kagome licked her lips, tasting the wine as their target sent her a questioning gaze. Turning her attention away, Kagome put the still full glass of wine down before moving across the room. It was her turn to take photos, now that their guest of honour was out. For a solid hour that was all she did, ignoring dance offers, keeping an eye out and taking pictures.

"Status update," she murmured softly, excusing herself as a man blocked her way.

"Just… Fuck, we've got a problem," Inuyasha muttered on the other end, his voice loud coming from the earpiece. "Cameras are everywhere and the only way to access Moryomaru's private room is through two security guards. Both are demons, can't tell if they're Arachnid or not. I can take them out but it'll make a fuss."

"Don't you dare try anyways," Kagome said, trying to make a point. "The blueprints said that his whole bedroom, bathroom suite and office connect through several doors, so once you get past the guards the first time, you're set."

Inuyasha grumbled. "I can try the outside. There's a window so I can probably jump through–"

"There are guards outside."

"That wasn't what was gathered from previous recon," Inuyasha argued. "Security was beefed up again?"

"Didn't you spot them as we were walking in?" Kagome asked, too much civility in her tone. She leaned against a wall, shifting her gaze around the room until it landed on Moryomaru. The man was looking at her again, a small twisted smile on his lips. There was almost a challenge in his eyes.

"I won't get caught."

"If you do, we're screwed and FANG will ship us off to the next frozen wasteland," Kagome whispered, pretending to politely yawn behind her hand. She flipped open her clutch, checking the items before smiling to herself. "Besides, I've got a plan."

"What plan?" Inuyasha demanded.

A shadow fell at her feet and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as someone loomed nearby. Kagome looked up at the man a good couple inches taller than Inuyasha with a sly smile, closing her clutch. "Can I interest you in a drink?" Moryomaru asked, dark eyes assessing her from head to toe. His tone was friendly enough, the distance left between them a little possessive but nothing threatening. Kagome was always aware of when she was being intimidated.

"You have plenty of wine available," she replied, keeping her tone light, just a little bit slurred. "It's good wine."

"I can offer a lot more than that," Moryomaru said, smiling. "What's your name? I don't recognize you from the guest list."

"Ayumi Okamoto." Kagome offered her hand, letting him hold on for those unnecessary seconds longer. "You may recognize my husband. I never let myself get involved in his business deals. He speaks highly of you."

Moryomaru's smile widened and Kagome knew then that this was all going to work. Of course, if Inuyasha stopped yelling into her ear it would be easier to collect her own thoughts.

"Higurashi, I swear to god if that's the same Moryomaru that we're targeting I am going to rip his goddamn throat out!" Inuyasha yelled.

"Of course, his business dealings generally leave me with nothing to do, like right now." Kagome shrugged, letting her eyes roam over his broad shoulders. "You said something about drinks?"

"I believe I did." Moryomaru's hand was warm on her back, a little too low for touching a business associate's wife (even if it was all fake), but Kagome had betted on that. Powerful men liked taking things, getting things they shouldn't have.

"Are you flirting with him?" Inuyasha demanded suddenly. "I can hear your voice and I've never heard you talk like that before. What the fuck are you planning on doing?"

Kagome let the drinks for her be made, ignoring the voice in her head that kept getting more and more accusatory. Inuyasha's golden eyes came into her sight more than once as the half-demon joined her back on the floor. He kept his distance though, his accusations growing wilder as Kagome continued to drink. There was no way to fake it now; Moryomaru's attention was almost strictly on her. She hadn't had enough to really affect her but her brain buzzed pleasantly if she gave it more than second thought.

"One more?" she asked, leaning in close as if to whisper a secret while her hand skimmed the buttons of his suit jacket. The demon had outmatched her in drinks and while their metabolisms made alcohol affect them differently, Kagome knew he was hardly at peak brain function.

"We wouldn't have to drink it down here," Moryomaru whispered back, raising a brow as his eyes searched downwards. "I have a bar upstairs."

"In your bedroom?" Kagome asked, near giggles. "What about your guests?"

Moryomaru inclined his head slightly. "It's close enough. I'll need a few minutes. What about your husband?"

"He's downed his eleventh glass of wine, plus whatever else he got his hands on," Kagome murmured, sniffing distastefully. "It's not like we're going to stay up there for very long."

"I like the way you think." Moryomaru gestured towards a stairway where a few guests were standing around. "Up the stairs and to the right are my private quarters. Wait for me there and I'll let us in."

Kagome made sure her grin was wicked, eyes tracing down his body like she wanted to undress him right then and there. She took slow, deliberate steps back. "I'll see you then."

His eyes widened, the shade growing darker with lust as he purposefully turned away. All Kagome needed now was a bit of time and she'd be in his room. The key was to make sure the demon didn't think of her actions as out of place and if she screwed up then Kagome could just as easily blow their cover as Inuyasha's plan to climb through the window.

A strong grasp on her wrist made her spin but the prickle of claws had her blindly following as the half-demon dragged her across the room. They rounded a corner and soon Inuyasha was in her space, lips pressed into a thin line. "What in the loving fuck are you doing?" he hissed. His hand was still on her wrist, the grip tightening fractionally. There would be bruises, she was sure.

"I'm getting the evidence we need. The photos you are taking are not enough. I can get past the guards so I'm going to get the data. Hand me the drive."

Inuyasha shook his head once. "Tell me you're not going to–"

"Hand me the drive, Inuyasha," Kagome snapped, keeping her eyes focused on him. "This is the job and we complete our missions to our furthest, greatest abilities. I'll be fine."

"We–"

"I'll be fine," Kagome repeated, trying to drill it into his head. She couldn't say exactly what would happen, or what tactics she was going to have to use. She had a Plan A, but that was as far as it went. There was no room for error and if she messed up… She could either risk both of their lives or just hers. In the end, it wasn't much of a choice. "Please, give me the drive."

Finally the half-demon handed it over, looking not at all happy. "If you need me just call."

Kagome shook her head, reaching for her ear bud and dropping it back into her bra. It was still accessible if need be. "I can't do this with you in my head. You're distracting enough as it is." She didn't particularly mean to say those words but she didn't quite take them back either as she walked away. They didn't mean anything, at all.

Moryomaru met her at the top of the stairs, like he promised. His hand immediately slid down the curve of her back, lingering at the base of her spin before dropping lower. The guards merely stepped out of the way when the demon nodded his head and Kagome made a show of giggling at his awe-inducing power. What got men off sometimes made her wonder.

The bar was located in his study – of all places. Kagome saw the large desktop computer in the corner, a huge touch screen with state-of-the-art hardware. She paid it no mind, not right now anyways, as she stepped behind the bar and leaned forward, doing her best to flash as much cleavage as possible. "What do you want?"

Moryomaru leaned forwards too, lips almost an inch from hers. "Surprise me."

Giving a small laugh, she ducked out of the way and got to work, making something elaborate. She didn't know much about bartending but she knew how to look competent at something when she wasn't. When Moryomaru turned his back to her, loosening up his tie and unbuttoning his suit jacket, Kagome opened her clutch and grabbed the tube of lipstick. The demon continued to move towards the chair, giving her the opportunity to uncap the stick, pouring the clear liquid that trickled out into his glass.

Kagome was an agent. She hardly needed actual lipstick.

She made a show of straining the alcohol, letting the ice run over it as she poured it into their glasses. Kagome grabbed them, swaying her hips to an imaginary beat as she walked over to him in his chair, letting his gaze watch her every move.

"You seem tense," Kagome noted softly, pouting her lower lip. Reaching out to give him his drink, she took a large gulp of hers. She looked around the room, trying to portray someone a bit drunk, a bit lost. "I've never done this before. My husband and I met when we were…young."

Moryomaru laughed at that, dark eyes dancing. Power was one thing, but having a title was even better. He tilted his head back, drinking the amber liquid from the glass before licking his lips. "What is this?"

"Not really sure," Kagome replied, smiling. "I just mixed whatever alcohol I felt like drinking. I'm a trophy wife, not a bartender." Slowly she dragged her hand down his loosened tie, tugging it gently. She put her glass down and tried to bring him off of the chair. "You have a bedroom somewhere around here?"

"Rushed, are we?" the demon asked, dark eyes flashing.

"I'd rather my husband not stumble in his drunken state up here." Kagome pressed herself against him, tilting her head up to adjust for his height. He was tall, strong – she hoped like hell the drug was as fast acting as it was supposed to be. She let herself be lightly dragged through another set of double doors, the bedroom large and spacious, with furniture probably costing more than her entire FANG-approved apartment alone.

"So–"

Kagome pressed a finger to his lips, grinning wickedly as she nipped his jaw. Her hands touched the collar of his shirt, buttons slowly being undone. Moryomaru was a talker – the words coming out of his mouth were dirty promises and orders. She took it in stride, made every movement slow torture on his skin as his tie came off, shirt falling away. "You know, there's something remarkable about you."

"Stop talking and get the hell on with it," the demon groaned, his hand wrapping in her hair as he pushed her down.

Kagome stared at the button on his jeans, contemplating. "Don't you want to know why you're remarkable?"

Moryomaru stared at her incredulously, brow furrowing as he blinked. "What?"

"That you didn't realize–" Kagome saw it the moment everything came crashing down. She fell to the ground, hair a tangled mess as the demon lay passed out on top of her. Slowly she crawled out from underneath him, dragging the heavy man back on the bed so that he remained sleeping on his back, shirt forgotten on the ground. "–I'm only here to steal stuff from you." Shrugging, the field agent examined the man on the bed. "You don't even have very nice abdominal muscles, sad to say."

With a sigh, Kagome reached into her bra and pulled out the earpiece, finding it after a few seconds of difficulty and putting it in. Inuyasha was muttering curses for all that he was worth, pissed off and clearly wired. She knew that even if the ear bud didn't let the sound out, Inuyasha could've easily heard everything that happened. Kagome wasn't stupid – if things went south, the half-demon would have to know to get the hell out of dodge. "You can stop listing off ways to kill him," Kagome commented dryly, sighing again as she looked at the sleeping body. "He's about as dangerous as a feather right now."

"What the fuck were you thinking?" Inuyasha screamed. "The shit he said to you and I thought– I thought you were actually–"

"Please," Kagome interrupted, wanting to stop that idea right there. "I had a plan, I told you."

"And what if it didn't work, huh?" Inuyasha demanded. "What the fuck then?"

Instead of choosing to answer, she started to undo Moryomaru's belt. Sliding his pants off was a bit difficult, but eventually they too were off, tossed somewhere to the side. The sedative had many side-effects, one of which included short-term memory loss about an hour before unconsciousness. As long as she staged the bedroom right, the demon would be none the wiser and probably thinking he'd gotten just a tad too drunk.

"Are you listening to me?" Inuyasha yelled.

"Radio silence," Kagome snapped. "And where are you that you can yell so freely? We are undercover, Inuyasha."

"I'm outside," the half-demon huffed. "Hiding in the damn trees and trying not to get caught. There are security guards everywhere – most of them demons. I can see the Arachnid mark on one of them though. I have photos."

"In the trees," Kagome started. "You weren't trying to come get me, were you? Because I told you that you wouldn't make it coming in from the window. I'm a field agent Inuyasha; I know what I'm doing."

"The hell you do."

Keeping her mouth smartly shut , because this was not the time to start arguing with her partner, Kagome finished setting up the room before taking the ghost drive out of her clutch and plugging it into his desktop. A few minutes later it started up, copying over numerous files.

"Where are you?" Inuyasha asked.

"Do I have to define 'radio silence' for you?" the field agent hissed. She paused, listening to his quiet growl. "I'm still in his office getting the files. I'll be out in two minutes. Get the car from the valet and I'll meet you outside."

The progress metre seemed to move slower and slower, but eventually the completion signal came through and Kagome tore out the drive and shut down the desktop. She slid it back into her clutch, pausing only a moment to mess up her dress and puff up her hair. Her face didn't look remotely debauched, but the makeup was so pretty she didn't have the heart to. It was rare that she dressed up at all and even if the evening was spent on a mission, Kagome enjoyed it.

She all but ran to the car, giving the guards sheepish looks and sliding into the passenger seat. Inuyasha's fists were white-knuckled on the steering wheel but the field agent chose to ignore that too. If Inuyasha wanted to have a fit, then that was fine. He was nothing more than a hypocrite with a strange delusion that only he could be right. Running a hand through her hair Kagome felt her ear, realizing with frustration that one of the earrings fell out.

"Damn it," she whispered. Pretty much the only pair she owned that was flashy enough to be nice and one of them was lying on the floor of some potential-Arachnid demon's bedroom.

"What?" Inuyasha asked. "You forget something?"

"Just lost an earring," she replied, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

The half-demon glanced at her, frowning. "I told you they were too flashy. What's it matter anyways, you have this face on."

"A face?" Kagome rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the darkness. "I liked them, is all."

They didn't talk for the rest of the night.

October 9th, 2012

Inuyasha handed his report in on time. Kagome picked up the large envelope from the floor where the documentation had been slid under the crack of her door. She peered inside, seeing the pile of paper and deciding that filing it all now would be the smart thing to do.

When Kagome pulled out the contents, she didn't expect a single flashy earring to come falling out, landing on her desk with a tap. Her brown eyes stared at it, surprised. Touched, even.

He had gone through the window after all.

October 11th, 2012

The call came in at 2:51 a.m.

She had already put in a sixteen hour day at HQ but major revelations tended to not care much about the time. Kagome walked down the hallways of FANG, still as busy as they always were. Crime didn't sleep and with time zones it was always five o'clock somewhere.

The meeting room was Director Kyouda's own, held off to the side on the second floor. Kagome punched in her code, listening to the click and slide of the lock before the door opened. Seven others were in there, most of them higher ups so Kagome only had a vague knowledge of what they did. She did recognize Senior Task Agent Bankotsu Takeshi, however. They weren't exactly friends but she had nothing against him. He nodded his head in greeting and Kagome sat down. A scientist fiddled nervously in the corner, rolling up her sleeves before frowning and redoing it. Kaede was in the centre, looking anything but pleased.

A few more trickled in soon after, a couple handlers that Kagome knew by extension. When the director sat down, one grey eye turning to stare at the scientist, Kagome felt pity bubble up. Most ran away from a stare like that and it was obvious the woman wanted to too.

"Thank you all for coming," the scientist started, hastily looking around the room. "I won't beat around the bush: we've discovered the purpose and power of the well that Agent Higurashi and Inuyasha found on September 9th."

So that was why she was there. Kagome ignored the stares that turned her way, rather nodding at the woman to go on.

"It's a time machine, kind of."

Kaede blinked, holding up her hand. "Kind of?"

The female scientist cleared her throat, her nerves out in full force. "We don't have much conclusive evidence. The variables…"

Kagome tried to take the information in, listening to the conversation fluctuate between theories and continuums and a bunch of other words she didn't know existed and that made no real sense to her. She didn't know if it did to anyone else; all of the faces were similar to hers – carefully blank with casual politeness at the forefront. What did it even mean to Arachnid to have a sort of time machine?

The problem was that the concept wasn't difficult to conceive. There was technology like it out there, well-hidden and under the radar. Governments kept a lot of things like that, especially technology that could revolutionize and destroy the world. Having a time machine was about as easy to accept as the sky going dark at night. It took some time, but it eventually happened and would happen again.

"It's not–" The scientist cut herself off from her long tangent, wincing.

Kaede sighed. "Dumb it down, child, if you could please?"

Looking almost horrified at the thought, the scientist worked on rolling her sleeves up again. "It doesn't travel through time in the way that Hollywood has made us believe. The well has absolutely no control or technological advancements. It's purely run on demonic magic and we can't get a good reading on it. We can only base our conclusions from the Arachnid scientists' notes and whatever non-protruding scans we could fit. And without a responsive test subject…" The woman shrugged. "It's like a portal from what we can gather, covering a gap between a place at one time and here at the present. Almost like a tunnel, hidden in a sort of well that was apparently created in an abandoned warehouse. From what the notes say, it acts as a mode of transportation, taking a subject from here to somewhere in the past."

"Only the past?" one of the men in suits asked, raising both brows.

"That's what the notes claim," the scientist answered. "Without a test subject we may never know."

"That's not necessarily true," Kaede murmured, standing up. "We have two Arachnid agents still in our custody from where Inuyasha tossed them out of the windows." The director turned to Kagome, a tight line on her lips. One of the other demons they brought in hadn't made it very far in his unplanned vacation. "So far they have been uncooperative but I have no issues with upping the ante, considering what happened to their associate, I feel something can be worked out quickly."

"They were working on this when we infiltrated the building," Kagome explained, something bothering her about the whole situation. "What of the human victim? Exsanguination isn't a typical way to die."

All eyes turned to the director, who then looking at the stumbling scientist. The woman unrolled her sleeve. "That's what we're still working on," she replied. "Medical has finished its examinations but we wanted to…test a few things. The well runs on a kind of demonic power so it may have something to do with that. It's not in the notes."

"So what do we do now?" Bankotsu asked. "What's Arachnid trying to plan? If we've got a time-travelling well on our hands and it belongs to them, surely they'll try to find it and take it back."

Kaede nodded thoughtfully. "Koharu," she started, looking at the scientist, "keep looking into the well's destination point for the past. Arachnid wouldn't be working on something this big without a good reason. It means something to them and their plans. For now we'll raise security at the warehouse where our operations are ongoing."

An hour after Kagome walked away from the meeting and headed back to her office, she couldn't get the idea of the well out of her mind. If the portal was vital to an Arachnid operation – even a future one – why hadn't it been more heavily guarded? Why were their only four workers, none of which were strong fighters? What was the goal for all of it?

If this was truly something Arachnid wanted – as the female Arachnid demons suggested when Inuyasha and she had trailed them from the diner not too long ago – then why put so much risk on it? Why not protect it, keep it on base or create a self-destruct sequence?

Kagome made a mental note to talk to the director later about her concerns, checking the time and sighing when she realized going back to her apartment would be fruitless. She'd be up in less than an hour anyways and Inuyasha would surely be bothering her the moment he stepped in to FANG HQ and felt so entitled. He was still pretty mad about the whole Moryomaru Mizutani thing.

Comments to Acknowledge

Vexienne: Glad you're enjoying it sweetie!

BartonA: Thank you very much :D !

Tammara T: Well we'll definitely be getting there. This is all about Inuyasha and Kagome, so...it'll happen ;)

(): HA.

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