Previously…
Upstairs, on the main floor, a middle-aged man was harshly commanded to halt. He looked up, confused. "Is something the matter, security?"
The guard narrowed his eyes, holding the brown-haired man at gun-point. "Don't play games, bucko, and give me that fake ID of yours."
The man frowned. "Excuse me? In case you didn't hear me the first time, I'm the president of the Medical Research of the United States of America. I was informed that the cure for Malady has been found and came here as invited!"
The guard sneered. "Don't lie. The president of the MR-USA is already here. You're an impostor. Now back up against the wall with your hands in the air."
"But I'm truly Doctor Gary!"
The guard sniggered and took out handcuffs from his belt. "Yeah, and I'm the Queen of Victoria, back from the dead."
ooo0ooo
X.
By: Kei Taiho
Kikyou pouted, her lower lip sticking out in what she thought was an adorable look as she sat up from the bed and watched him pull on his pants.
"Do you really have to go, Inu-pie?" she whined in her high squeaky voice that sounded like nails scratching a blackboard.
The black-haired man looked up from zipping up his pants and lust was visible in his eyes as he replied huskily, "Chief wants me at her office. It seems that the cure for Malady has been found and she needs to tighten the security around the facility. If I'm not there on time, she's gonna fry me and toss me to the sharks."
"She can't do that! She's just a little girl!"
Inuyasha snorted. "Kiki, she's the Chief—as in—at the top? Besides, she's only three years younger than us. She's turning twenty-four in one more week and there's gonna be a party thrown in her honour."
"Her birthday's on the eighth of July?"
"'Fraid so, Kiki."
"You mean to tell me that the ugly brat has the same birthday as me?!" Kikyou scowled and sulked.
Her lover smirked and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "Come now, Kiki. Don't tell me that you're jealous of the skinny brat, now are you?"
"Of course not!" she pouted, insulted.
Inuyasha smiled. "That's my girl. Why be jealous of her when you are more beautiful?"
Kikyou nodded knowingly in reply. "Yes, I am a gorgeous woman."
The black-haired man grinned. "That you are."
A few minutes later, the young woman watched from the window up on the 7th floor of the five-star hotel as her lover climbed into his red sports car. She followed with her eyes as he pulled out of the parking lot and raced down Douglas Street. Turning around, she closed the thick blue curtains and made her way across the room to the phone.
"What."
Kikyou smiled into the receiver. "Polite as usual."
"Shut up, bitch. What do you have for me?"
"K08H has been completed and Kagome's tightening the security around the facility—"
"This is old news, Kikyou."
The said female scowled. "Shut up. I wasn't done."
"Do not test my patience."
"Screw you. Do you know when her birthday is?"
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
Kikyou smirked. "I thought so. And yet, here you are, a stalker who does not even know when his prey's birth date is. How lame."
"You are treading on dangerous grounds."
The young woman grimaced and shook her head. "Alright. There's gonna be a party on the eighth of July thrown in her honour…"
"Your point is?"
"Why don't you use this opportunity when she has her guard down, to not only trash her party, but to also abduct her at the same time? You might as well kill some people while you're at it for fun."
Nothing was heard for a moment and then a dark chuckle sounded and sent shivers of morbid delight down Kikyou's spine.
"You're a nasty little bitch, aren't you, you little slut?"
Kikyou batted her eyes and grinned into the phone. "Only for you, baby."
"Alright then, you'll get your reward tomorrow. Right now, I have some business to attend to."
"The stealing of K08H, I presume?"
"It's called 'bait', my dear whore."
She smiled slyly. "Ah, of course. Well then, I'll see you tomorrow, baby."
"Don't try anything, Kikyou. Or it will be your life."
"Of course not, I wouldn't do such a thing. Until then, bye."
The other person on the other end of the phone did not even bother saying good-bye and hung up. Kikyou pouted. "Mou, he's rude."
Then, she looked up and glanced at the clock just as it struck eight p.m. She grinned. "Too bad I already dispatched them a long while ago. I'm sorry, Naraku baby, but your dear Kagome is going to die tonight."
ooo0ooo
It was serene and beautiful outside. The setting sun painted the sky bright vivid colours of pink, orange, and yellow as the moon peeked out from the other side of the horizon. And the birds were settling down for their rest as predators of the night opened their eyes and awaken to the beginnings of a starry night.
One would say that on such a wonderful and beautiful evening, nothing could possibly be wrong in this world. But if one could feel—more like 'see' actually—the rancour the young woman's aura projected, one would blanch and quail in fear and one's view of life would dim and flicker like a dying candle light. For, at last, the Goddess of War had descended upon the world of Mortals and was about to wreak havoc on those who dare to fire bullets at Sesshoumaru's Mercedes Benz that she had 'borrowed' without permission and whose owner would probably kill her once he saw the condition it was in—which was bullet holes everywhere.
Kagome swore under her breath as she set the vehicle into auto-drive with the course to her destination locked on and with voice command turned on for her use at will.
She scowled as she unbuckled her seatbelt and crawled to the backseats. Muttering incoherently about "stupid people with their stupid guns, stupidly shooting at stupid Fluffy's stupid car…" she took out her trusty Exo 6.0 and opened a special window made especially for these kinds of occasions.
Taking an aim, she opened fire and nodded in satisfaction as the sound of screeching tires and then a loud crash was heard. There. One down. Five more to go.
Suddenly, she ducked and yelled, "Right lane!" At once, the ever faithful car veered to the right and succeeded in avoiding acquiring more holes from the incoming bullets.
Glowering, Kagome dropped her empty gun and reached down to pull her Matrix 4.0 from the side of her right calf. Really. She didn't want to use her new toy yet. She had wanted to test it out on the Rogue but these stupid assassins—at least, that's what she thought they were since they had been trailing after her for quite some time now and were now currently shooting ammos at her and the precious car—had left her with no other choice but to bring it out and use it on their goddamn fucking annoying asses.
Pressing on the trigger two times straight, Kagome gave herself a congratulating pat on the back. Nice going girl. Taking two cars out at the same time…Smooth move.
She turned her attention to the remaining three black cars and glared maliciously at them. Jeez. They never give up do they? Wait. What is that man holding up…? No…It can't—it can't be what she's thinking it is…Don't tell her it's a…Oh shit!
"Sharp swerve to the left 90 degrees to Exit 10!" she screamed. "Accelerate to 150 km/h!"
The Mercedes Benz revved up the engine, made a sharp turn to the left, and shot like a silver bullet off the highway and onto Exit 10 as its passenger watched, dumbfounded, at the grenade that was flung into the air. What the fuck did those sons of bitches think they were doing throwing a fucking grenade on a fucking busy highway?! Were they fucking outta their minds?!
With lightning speed, she made up her mind and shot the last bullet in her possession at the still airborne grenade. Her bullet collided with the green container of destruction and an explosion erupted up in the sky. Kagome sighed in relief. Lord Saviour Jesus Christ! If she had missed with that last bullet, that grenade would have blown up the highway! Not to mention innocent bystanders as well.
She frowned. Now she had a new problem on her hands. She didn't have any more ammo on her. She had left everything in her silver mustang convertible…—speaking of which, where was her car? She would have to ask Fluffy the next time she sees him...
Then, an evil smile spread itself slowly across her face. These bastards were going to pay for putting citizens under her protection in danger. They will regret dearly for playing with fire, for this particular fire was going to burn them bad. It was time to play dirty and that meant bringing her magic into play.
Releasing her magical restraint, her blue aura flared to life. Probing none too gently at the assassins' auras, she growled as she recognized the taint in them. It seems that the Rogue had given up on her to take her as his mate and was simply trying to kill her and to remove her permanently from the face of the world.
Not that she minded being off his list as a potential mate—hell no, of course not! To say that she was happy about this new information would be a great understatement. However, she did mind having people trying to murder her. Ah well. Who's to say that life was fair? It was just too bad for Naraku that it wasn't she that was going to be purified to oblivion.
Still smiling that lethal smile, Kagome reached out a hand and blue light erupted from her outstretched palm. Straight and true, the light lashed through the air like an arrow and engulfed a black car. Screams were heard as the occupants of that unfortunate car were purified and were sent to the world of the dead.
Now, for the last two offensive speeding objects…the raven-haired girl shook her head and 'tsk'ed. Really, speeding in the face of the Chief Officer…They have the guts, she admitted it, but that did not mean that they have the brains either.
Seeing a bridge up ahead, Kagome conjured up a brilliant plan. "Decelerate to 90 km/h and change to the right lane." The loyal car obeyed and slowed down. Its passenger watched as one of the two black cars sped up and neared the Mercedes Benz.
"Come on…come on…" she said as she waited with baited breath. Suddenly, she yelled, "Accelerate 150 km/h!"
The Mercedes Benz sprang to life and roared down the street, the closest black car going full throttle to catch up.
Kagome grinned. 'That's it. Come to Mama.'
Just as Fluffy's car was about to hit the side of the bridge, she shouted, "Sharp 90 degrees right!" The Mercedes Benz swerved as commanded and sped down McKenzie Street just as the speeding black car careened over the bridge and into the river below.
Kagome punched the air in victory. "Yes!" Abruptly, a bullet hit the back of the car causing her to squeak in surprise.
"Damn it! I forgot about the last one!" But what could she do? She was completely out of ammo! She snarled in frustration. First the mark from Fluffy and now this? By all that was holy and unholy, why must Fate be so cruel to her? Just what god had she offended?
A screech of tires pulled her rudely from her dark brooding and she watched with her mouth open as a red BMW forced the remaining black car down a deep trench on the side of the road. Rubbing her eyes in disbelief, she stared at the driver.
It was a male. Young or old, she could not tell with that mask covering his features. He had long braided light brown hair, but what drew her the most and stirred something within her mind were those dark eyes flecked with gold. They reminded her of a particular SEED that she had just left behind…She shook her head. Nah. It wasn't possible. Sesshoumaru had amber eyes; he didn't have green eyes flecked with gold. So it can't be him. But to be absolutely certain, she probed at this stranger's aura…and found an ordinary human aura.
Kagome sighed in relief. Good. Fluffy was still home as she had commanded and this stranger was just another human who had decided on lending a helping hand to a fellow human. She smiled and waved in thanks. The masked man nodded in reply and turned his car onto Shelbourne Street.
Kagome crawled back onto the front seat and buckled herself in. Turning off the auto-drive and voice command, she took control of the Mercedes Benz again and peacefully made the rest of her eventful journey to the Genetic Research Facility.
ooo0ooo
"This is the lab where the completion of K08H was completed," Doctor Hojo explained. "We do not know the exact details as of yet why the K-5 section was jammed and unable the uploading of the GPR-Shield, but as you can see," he gesticulated at the working scientists around the lab, "we are doing the best that we can to find the solution to this unexpected variable that was added to the complicated equation."
'You idiot! Can't you see that I do not care about all this crap? Just take me to that damn jewel!' Takka forced a smile. "Excellent. Now, I'm sorry to say but time is short and I would like to see this K08H before I leave to report to the president of USA."
The other man nodded, slightly abashed with a light blush on his cheeks. "Of course. Forgive me. Please, come this way."
Both of the men walked down a brightly lit corridor, nodding in greeting to passing scientists. Hojo halted in front of a metal door and stepped forward to wait patiently as a green ray of light scanned him from head to toe. Then, he held out a finger, wincing slightly as a needle quickly jabbed him and drew a drop of blood.
"Verification recognized. Please proceed," a female monotone computer voice stated. Hojo glanced at the man behind him before stepping through the metal door and into a chamber with its precious treasure encased in a small glass globe in the middle of the room.
Takka struggled to conceal the awe that threatened to peak through his pleasant and friendly mask as he gazed upon the jewel displayed in the centre of the chamber.
Without his permission, his jaw dropped and his eyes widened. Takka, commander of the Rogue, was completely captivated by the beauty set in front of him.
ooo0ooo
Kikyou frowned, her fingers drumming on the table as she glanced at the clock once more. They were way past late.
She cocked her head to the side. Did they fail in their job? She shook her head. It couldn't be that hard to kill that brat could it? Or…Her brown eyes widened. Could Kagome have sensed their malevolent aura from being in contact with her and got away?
Kikyou bit her lower lip and her brows furrowed even more in concentration. If that bitch did sense the taint in those hired assassins' aura, she would think that they were sent by Naraku.
"Damn!" she swore softly to herself. "I knew I shouldn't have slept with Naraku before I hired those men. Now if Naraku finds out that Kagome was almost murdered, he would know instantly it would have been me who tried to kill her." Scowling, she rose and went into her room.
She plopped down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. If Naraku found out that she had tried to kill his wanted mate-to-be, he would kill her in the most gruesome way possible. She shuddered. And make no mistake, the Rogue was very creative when it comes to torture.
Kikyou grimaced. Now, what can she do if the Rogue found out…? She smiled. Ah, she was such a genius. She'll just frame someone else…but how? Hmm…She shrugged. Oh well. She'll figure it out by tomorrow, and if she sees Naraku before then, well…screw it. She'll just wing it and hope she's alive afterwards.
ooo0ooo
Kagome stepped into her office and started when she saw the man seated in the room with Kouga standing guard behind him.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Kouga looked up and broke into a grin. "My woman—!" He was cut off abruptly when his feet were suddenly swept from underneath him and his bottom became painfully acquainted with the marble floor.
He hissed. "What the hell was that for?!" he demanded and rubbed his sore derrière.
His Chief narrowed her eyes and replied, "One, for never showing up when I called for backup two days ago and make no mistake, I will deal with you about that later. And two, for calling me your woman when I have made it perfectly clear to you that I am not interested in you in that way."
"But you are interested me aren't you?" he cockily inquired.
Kagome growled. "You wish. And if you say anything more, your ass will be kissing the ground again."
Kouga winced. "Yes, ma'am."
Satisfied, the raven-haired young woman turned and faced a middle-aged man seated in a chair in front of her. "Good evening, Dr. Gary. It's been a while."
The man stood and shook her hand. "It has. It's a pleasure to see you again."
"Likewise."
Kouga stood there, gaping. "You mean," he pointed rudely at the middle-aged man and exclaimed, "he's Dr. Gary?!"
Kagome turned and faced him. "What do you mean?"
Dr. Gary spoke up, "This young man believes that I'm an impostor. He insisted that the real 'Dr. Gary' is already here."
Kagome frowned. "Now, Kouga, why would you think that? I know that this man here is the real Dr. Gary—I've met him before—but…what gave you the idea that he wasn't?" She turned back to Dr. Gary and asked, "Did you show your ID to Kouga?"
The president of MR-USA nodded in reply.
"But there was a man with dark curly black hair who arrived before him and gave me an ID that stated he was Dr. Gary," Kouga insisted.
Both his Chief and the president paled visibly, their eyes widening as the pieces clicked into place.
ooo0ooo
The jewel—the cure to the plague Malady—sat in the middle of the room, sparkling and shining like a blue pearl. It was an eminent sight to behold.
Hojo glanced at the man beside him and swallowed a laugh at the dumbfounded look on his face. Clearing his throat, he smiled and spoke, "As you can see, this jewel here is the cure for Malady. It has the power to heal victims of the plague thanks to Chief Higurashi."
Takka mentally inserted himself back into reality. "Chief Higurashi?"
"Yes," Hojo gestured towards the completed K08H and replied, "Kagome Higurashi has aligned her magic with this jewel to ensure its healing powers."
"And how does this actually heal the victims of Malady?"
Dr. Hojo grinned. "If one who has the disease were to only touch it, they will be cured. Such as it is with Chief's amazing powers."
"And why did it take such a long time to find a cure if the Chief has such 'amazing' powers?" Takka inquired with a raised brow.
"The Chief does not have unquenchable healing power and if she was to heal all those who have fallen under the black spell of Malady, she would die from exhaustion," the other man answered. "It took a while for us to find the exact materials that can act as a focus for the Chief. If used by the Chief, this jewel can draw power from Mother Nature and the Heavens, and thus, she would not have to use as much of her own magic if she was without the jewel."
"Do you mean to tell me that this jewel holds a link to Higurashi's power?" Takka asked and mentally crossed his fingers.
Dr. Hojo unintentionally handed him the key to a part of Kagome when he replied, "Yes."
Takka refrained with great difficulty to jump into the air and shout with joy. Forcing a strained smile, he asked in his most polite and friendliest voice, "May I see the jewel up close?"
The other man practically handed him the trophy when he said, "Of course."
Takka moved to the centre of the chamber and stepped onto the platform. Reaching out a hand, he stopped abruptly when Dr. Hojo suddenly spoke in a sharp tone, "Don't touch it!"
Surprised, Takka automatically pulled away as enjoined and turned to look quizzically at him.
Hojo smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you that no one was to touch the jewel without the Chief's permission."
"Oh?"
"It's her orders and under no circumstances am I to break it."
Takka smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. As president of the MR-USA, I will handle it most carefully and professionally."
"But—."
Takka fixed his sharp eyes intently on the other man. Hojo sighed. "Alright, as long as the fact that I let you touch it does not leave this room."
"Of course not."
Reaching forward again, Takka swallowed. He could almost taste the victory…
"Step away from that jewel!"
He whirled around and smirked at the sight before him. Ah, she has finally arrived.
Kagome growled and narrowed her blue-green eyes at the man standing on the platform at the centre of the chamber. "This is your last warning. Step away from there!"
Takka snickered. "Really, is this the way to treat the president?"
The young woman frowned. "Don't play cute with me. Get off that platform!"
He sighed. "I will," —his hand whipped out and swiped the jewel off its resting place— "but only when I have this in my possession."
Kagome doubled over the moment his flesh made contact with the jewel and the taint within his aura seeped slowly into the pure jewel. Gasping, she glowered at the smirking man and managed to grit out, "You…Naraku sent you, didn't he?"
The man shrugged his shoulders. "Ah, I guess the game's up."
"Release that jewel at once!" Kouga growled angrily, his hand on the butt of his gun.
"Or what?"
Kouga whipped out his gun and pointed it steadily at Takka. "Or I'll blow your brain out." Suddenly, he gave a small squawk when the point of his gun was abruptly sliced off.
Takka placed his daggers back into their places and glanced at him. "Too bad my speed is a lot faster than yours."
Unexpectedly, the jewel was slapped away from his hands. He looked up and swore when he caught sight of a towering figure standing behind the crouching Kagome.
The masked newcomer spoke in a voice that was all too familiar to Kagome. "But you are not as fast as I."
Kagome whirled around and pointed an accusing finger. "You! So you were the one driving that red BMW! How'd the hell did you get in here?!"
Sesshoumaru took off his mask and glanced at the angry female in front of him. "Do not waste your breath in questioning me. You have a more important issue on your hands."
She snapped her mouth closed, sent him a lethal glare that promised pain and turned to glower at the man who had tried to take the jewel.
"What does Naraku want?" she asked bluntly, inching slowly towards the fallen jewel.
Takka smiled. "Why, you of course, my lady. The Rogue still desires you for a mate."
Kagome scowled and sidled closer to the sparkling K08H. "Yeah, and that's why there were assassins chasing after me earlier."
He cocked his head to the side. "Why do you think they were sent by Naraku?"
"By the taint in their aura, you moron."
Takka narrowed his eyes. "Watch your mouth, young lady."
"Shut up." With the pleasantries said, she lunged for the jewel. Suddenly, bright silver flashed and with a loud explosion of pure blue light, the jewel was sliced into two.
The occupants of the chamber were thrown clear and slammed solidly against the metal walls. Kagome groaned and sat up, her hand rubbing her aching back.
Abruptly, she swore and tore out of the room.
ooo0ooo
Sesshoumaru flew down the corridor in a blur. He whipped out a hand and pushed the man with half of the jewel within his palm against the wall by his throat.
"Give back what is not yours," he growled in an icy voice, "and I will kill you quickly."
Takka grinned, his amused expression incongruous with the Master's frosty blank face. "No," he sneered and in a black flash of light, disappeared with a small 'pop'.
The Master's golden eyes tinted with red narrowed into dangerous slits. "That bastard," he cursed under his breath.
"He got away didn't he?" Kagome panted and screeched to a halt beside Sesshoumaru. "I should have sensed that spell of transportation hidden up that man's sleeve," she added with an angry mutter.
Sesshoumaru looked down at the young woman and silently held out a clawed hand. Curious, Kagome looked up and peered into his offered open palm and gave an elementary school-girl scream of delight.
Without a second thought, she flung her arms around his neck and buried her face into the crook of his neck with a repetitious phrase pouring out of her lips. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
The Master took this rare opportunity to wrap his arms around her slim waist. "You are welcome." Inwardly, he smirked. If by saving half of the jewel can get Kagome to throw herself at him, imagine what the girl in his arms would do if he retrieved the other half. He closed his eyes and shoved that particular door shut and locked it with a definite click. Nah-ah, do not venture any further down that dirty minded path.
He sighed lightly. Yes, for one must remain of pure mind if one was to keep oneself from being purified and called a hentai by a particular raven-haired sorceress.
ooo0ooo
"Excellent work, Takka," Naraku purred as he gazed at the glittering jewel sitting on the palm of his hand.
His commander bowed. "Thank you, sir."
"But…," the Rogue continued and his voice deepened into a low dangerous growl, "why did you bring only half of the jewel? You stupid son of a bitch! I specifically verified that I wanted the whole K08H, not a broken piece of a sparkling pebble!"
Takka gulped nervously. "Ah well, that is—"
"You have failed me." Claws flashed and ripped causing a bright red liquid to stain the floor. Naraku glanced dispassionately down at the beheaded corpse of his late commander and licked the blood running down his clawed hand.
"Stupid humans. They can never do anything right."
ooo0ooo
Drum roll please! Ahem…
Ho! Lo and behold! The tenth chapter is finished! I apologize for the delay but homework is piling up on me…Ah, well, 'tis the life of a student, eh?
Please review!
O! And before I forget, I would like to announce that another Sess/Kag fanfic will be coming up soon. This time, it will be set in the feudal era. It is called:
Obsidian Butterfly
By: Kei Taiho
Someone has been stealing gold for the poor and the people of the feudal era are naming this unknown hero the Obsidian Butterfly. One who flutters through the fingers of one's pursuers like a butterfly and protects those in danger with a sword that flashes obsidian in the moonlight. The Taiyoukai of the West is not pleased that his father's sword, Tenseiga, has been stolen by this so-called Obsidian Butterfly and will stop at nothing to retrieve his rightful possession and yet, why do all the clues to finding this thief lead to his half-brother's wench? Just who is really underneath that meek and gentle face of hers?