DISCLAIMER: All Inuyasha goodness belongs to the amazing Takahashi-san!

The Agency

By MissKatt

Chapter Nine: Thunder and Lightening

"Thanks for inviting me out again, Sango-chan," Kagome said happily as she split her chopsticks. She had been dead to the world at her apartment, catching up on some much needed rest after the back-to-back missions, when Sango had called her, asking her to go to lunch. She couldn't say no, despite her sore body; she was too eager to get in some quality girl time with a potential new friend.

"Of course, Kagome-chan! This is our work's favorite lunch spot, so I had to introduce you to it first!" Sango replied with a smile and glanced over the ramen shop's menu with her chocolate orbs. "We love this place because it's cheap and they have a large selection other than just ramen."

The miko nodded and began to read the contents on the page. "Hmm, gyoza sounds pretty good. Ooh! They have udon too!" She grinned, suddenly feeling very hungry. She thanked the waitress as she brought over their drinks and was going to order until a clanging in the kitchen silenced the room.

"Get back here, you runt! I'll skin you when I get my hands on you!"

A split second after the shout, a small ball of fur came hurdling out from the kitchen doors, a rather large demon chasing after him. The fur bounced around the room before shooting under Sango and Kagome's table. When the two girls bent down to look under their table, they saw a very small kitsune kit, his emerald eyes wide with fear.

"Get out here, you thief!" The youkai roared and pushed the table back, causing the drinks to fall on the girls' laps. Ignoring their yelps and shouts of dismay as they stood from their chairs, he reached his chubby arm under the table and grasped the kit's tail.

As the kit let out a wail, now hanging from his tail, Kagome and Sango decided to step in. "Hey! You let him down this instant!" Sango demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

He turned his slanted eyes at her and huffed. "Mind your own business, wench!" He snapped and began to shake the fox vigorously. "This runt has stolen from me and I will have it back!"

Kagome quickly grabbed a hold of his arm, making him stop the action as the kit paled greatly from dizziness. "If that is true, then you can handle it a different way. Now, I suggest you release him," She flared her reki a bit, the spark traveling through her fingertips to pinch his skin.

The chef quickly released the kit, now afraid of the dangerous woman in front of him. "I only want what he stole from me. He stole my precious medicine!"

Kagome bent down to look at the fox child, sapphire meeting tear-brimmed green. "Now, is that true?" She asked softly, putting her hand on his tasseled red hair.

He nodded numbly. "H-hai. But, it's only because they fired my Pa when they found out he was really sick!" He pointed a shaking finger at the chef. "They were too greedy to pay for the medical expenses! You promised he would be taken care should anything health related happened to him when he was hired! You lied!" He soon began to choke up, his little shoulders bouncing as he sobbed. "He died because of you!"

The miko instantly felt pity for the small child. "What is your name?" She asked softly, ignoring the wailing chef.

He hiccupped, tears now running down his cheeks. "S-Shippou,"

"Aww, Shippou-chan, I understand the amount of pain you must be feeling, but stealing medicine from someone to get back at them is not the right way to go about it," She offered, putting her hand on his dirtied hair once more. Dirty? Looking him over, his clothes were raggedy and torn, his skin covered in dirt. "Now, kindly give the man back his medicine and we will call it even, okay?"

Frowning, he nodded and dug into his pocket before withdrawing a bottle from it. He held it up to the chef and flinched when he grabbed it from him.

The chef happily clutched the bottle to his chest. "Oh! Now I can have long, beautiful hair like my brother, Hiten!" He wailed in glee. He looked at the kit and glared before swiftly kicking him in the side. "Take that, you runt!"

The fox cried out in pain before withering to the floor, wrapping his little arms around his small frame.

Kagome gasped and quickly picked up the little boy, holding him to her as he sobbed in pain. She looked up at the chef and glared at him. "How dare you! He gave it back, that's all that matters! He didn't deserve this!" She shouted.

"He took my medicine! He deserved what he got!" He yelled back.

"What is all this yelling about?" A man asked, coming out from the backroom. He walked towards them, stopping to stand next to them.

"H-Hiten! T-This runt stole my medicine so I punished him and this girl is yelling at me for it!" He wailed, frowning as his brother glared at him.

"You hit a child in the middle of my restaurant and then yelled at a woman?" Hiten back handed his brother. "Have you lost your mind, Maten? Have I taught you nothing?"

Maten cowered, his bottom lips quivering. "G-Gomen, Brother. B-but he stole my medicine!"

"And yet you have it in your hands. Thus, you should not have done either of the two actions. Go back to the kitchen so I may clean up your mess," When he saw his brother open his mouth to say something, he quickly cut him off. "Now."

Kagome and Sango watched as Maten sulked off towards the kitchen. Sango then looked at Hiten. "Your brother shouldn't have done that." She said sternly.

"I apologize on his behalf. But, he did steal something from my brother, thus he has been punished and now it is closed. So, you can either continue eating here, or leave," Hiten said with a shrug. "You and your company are valued customers of ours and we don't wish to lose you, but I won't try to sway your opinion based on what happened."

Kagome blinked at him before glancing at Sango and then down at the little boy in her arms. "I will not be eating here. I can't support people who will do something to such a small child." She said and stood. "I'm sorry, Sango-chan, but I just can't."

Sango smiled at her friend and then nodded in agreement. "There are plenty of other restaurants in the neighborhood," She grabbed her purse and then looked at Hiten. "It seems you will be losing us and your customers after all."

As they left the ramen shop, Kagome looked down at the depressed kit in her arms. He had such a faraway look in his eyes, his cheeks still stained with dried tears. Her heart pinched with pity. "So, Shippou-chan, where do you live? Sango and I can drop you off there."

He shook his head. "I don't have a home." He murmured.

Sango frowned. "What do you mean? Surely you have parents?"

His face drooped further. "My Pa was all I had left. When he died, the bank took his house back. I ran away before they could put me in the orphanage."

Sango and Kagome exchanged a look. "Oh," Kagome replied and pursed her lips. "You didn't want another family to look after you?"

He gripped her arm with her little hands. "No! My family is my only one for me! I won't have any other parents!"

The miko blinked at the vehemence of his outburst and hugged him tighter. "Shh, it's okay. I'm sorry for bringing it up," She said softly and offered him a small smile. "Well, Shippou-chan, are you hungry?"

He perked up at her words and the blushed when his stomach growled knowingly. "A-ano…"

She laughed. "Well, why don't we go and get you some food?" She glanced at Sango. "Is that okay, Sango-chan?"

The researcher nodded. "I think there is a WacDonalds up here. Does that sound good, Shippou-chan?"

He blinked his emerald eyes before nodding shyly. "Y-yes, please."

*~~~The Agency~~~*

"Oh, is that so?" A deep voice began, his crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness of his office in his traditional Japanese mansion.

"Hai, he is finally back on the field." Kagura replied, putting one hand on her hip while the other one held a piece of paper up to her face. She lowered it and glanced at her brother. "So, what does this mean for you?"

"Hm," He pressed his fingertips together and looked at her. "It means our mission will be much harder. There is no doubt that he is the most powerful in that company. He is the splitting image of his father, if not more powerful."

She nodded. "What do we do?"

"Apparently making it so that he is no longer on the field was not enough," He stated and rose from his chair, walking towards the window of his office.

"Do we kill his miko and remove him from the field once more, Naraku?" She asked, watching him carefully.

"That is always an option," He began and leaned against the window sill. "But, we will destroy them both as well as the whole company."

"They are becoming a…pest, as of late." She agreed. "They have been destroying everyone you hire, Naraku. Do you feel threatened?"

He slanted his eyes towards her direction and narrowed them. "No, I am more powerful than them. The ones they have defeated are merely pawns in my game. And I will be even more powerful when I obtain the Shikon no Tama."

"Ah, yes, the Jewel of Four Souls. Do you even know where to find it? Didn't you hire Yura to find it? She didn't do too well, now did she?" She smirked when he glowered at her.

"You are correct, she did not find it in any stores," He replied. "She served her purpose. Besides, I found out that it is still in hibernation, still in hiding."

"Hiding?" She echoed. "How is it hiding?"

"'Since it was burned from this world, it will be born into this world.'" He quoted.

"Born…?" She pursed her lips as it hit her. "That is why you cursed that human with the newt. He was devouring souls and you hoped he would come across the Jewel."

"Yes, and he failed too," He replied and looked away from her once again. "I have another plan in the works. I will call upon you when you are needed."

She scoffed at his rudeness before turning to leave the room. Still, she was very interested now. Just what kind of jewel was this? What kind of power did it possess?

A/N: Loosely based off of episode 9: Enter Shippo... Plus, The Amazing Thunder Brothers!