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

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oOOOo

Inuyasha drummed his fingers against the leather armrest. Dr. Roman was in his usual place, scratching away in his notebook. It had been several minutes since either had said a word and Inuyasha was getting impatient.

"How are you even writing something? We haven't talked about anything."

"Sometimes silence reveals just as much as words."

He frowned. "I really hate that 'sage-like' wisdom BS you pretend to have."

The doctor chuckled. "Actually, my wife wants me to pick up some things on the way home, and I'm adding some things to the list."

"Oh, well by all means. I'm paying for it. How about I just hand you my card?" He crossed his arms. "Should save some time."

"I've told you this is a cooperative effort. I can't help you if you keep answering in one word."

"Fine."

"Your next race is next week."

"That's right."

"I hear your machine got a new drive engine as well."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Myoga tell you that?"

He shrugged casually. "We have a history to establish a level of trust. I ask him to provide information that can potentially help you and he does so happily."

"Well, we did. It's a dual-drive system, though Miroku modified it some."

"You test it yet?"

"We've run some start-up tests and some extremely basic forward/back tests. We'll do some track runs this weekend."

"Anything different about this engine?"

Inuyasha knew he was talking about his Drive Disorientation. "It isn't that bad."

"No more screeching then?"

"Nothing that bad." It was true. The only thing he heard was a throbbing hum in both start-up tests. He tried his best to explain how it sounded, but it was difficult to say the least.

Dr. Roman only nodded. "Interesting," as he jotted something down in his notebook. "And how are things with Kagome?"

Inuyasha froze, his fingers digging into the leather of the chair. "H-how do you know about that?"

"She's picked you up from my office twice now. Judging by your reaction, I'm guessing this is supposed to be secret." He settled back in his chair. "I'll have you know I'm a G-1 fan too. Surprising as it is, I'm also not an idiot. I know who Kagome is, even if she wears a ridiculous wig or two."

"It's not what you think."

"Oh?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Please tell me what I'm thinking. It shall prove most enlightening."

"We're just friends."

"Ah, yes. Of course."

"I'm serious." He wondered if he put too much of an edge in his voice.

"I believe you." Something about his tone made Inuyasha not believe him. "But this is good."

"Good?"

He nodded. "You are opening up to new people. Taking some initiative of your own."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to talk about it."

"Fair enough." He flipped a few pages back in his notes. "You spoke a lot last session about your brother Hideki."

"Oh, that bastard? I don't know. He seems to be acting a little better recently, but…"

oOOOo

"Hey," Kagome said, stepping away from her car. Inuyasha swore this was a different car than she had earlier this week.

"Hey," he responded, still looking at her car. It was blue now. He thought it was the same type of car, or maybe it was similar. He didn't follow models or makes.

"How'd it go?"

He shrugged. "Same as always."

"So no mental breakdown yet?" He rolled his eyes. She laughed, heading around her car for the driver side. "Come on."

Inuyasha got into the passenger seat. Settling in, he clicked his seatbelt on. This car was definitely new. It still had the factory smell to it. He glanced at her expectantly. Seeing his look, she sighed and put on her own seatbelt. "Such a worry-wart," she muttered and pulled out. He was happy to see she was only going 15 over the limit.

"So where we going?" he asked, looking over at her. She was wearing a wig and a Steel Angel ball cap. He honestly didn't know what Dr. Roman was talking about. Sure, he knew it was a wig, but just seeing it without knowing it was one, there was no way to tell. He had to admit, she looked a little weird as a redhead.

"I have a meeting at four, so I was thinking about just stopping at a café and having some coffee and something light."

"Fine with me." He wasn't that hungry anyways. He cringed as she ran a red light and decided that talking was preferable than paying attention to her driving. "So, it's a duel race this week," he started.

She looked over at him. "And?"

He adjusted himself in his seat, eyes forward. If she isn't going to look forward… "I was… just wondering if you were okay."

She laughed, looking forward again. "And why wouldn't I?"

The leather seat was too firm for him, causing him to shift again. "I don't know. Nerves?"

"You can only be nervous if you are in doubt of the outcome."

"I take it you know then?"

"Of course!" she said, flashing him a grin. "I'll place first. Sango second. After that, Natalie then Jarred. Jarred always let's her win."

"You're that sure."

She nodded. "I'm that sure."

"And Sango's okay with this arrangement?"

Kagome gave a tiny shrug. "From how I see it, she won't have much of a choice."

Inuyasha just shook his head. "I'm a little worried about mine."

"You still have a few weeks. How are you stressing out about it now? Do you even know who you're up against?"

"No. I'm more concerned with Hideki than the other people." She made an 'ah' sound, nodding once.

"Afraid he'll go Kouga on you?" Inuyasha just nodded. "Don't worry. Your brother may be an egotistical ass, but he's not stupid."

Inuyasha wished he could believe that. It was the perfect opportunity for Hideki to get some payback. Even if he was behaving himself at the moment, there was no way of knowing for sure what was going on behind those eyes. If anything, Hideki should be seeing the shrink, not me. He felt her hand rest against his leg. He tensed, head twisting to look at her. She was still looking at the road. "Don't worry about it. Just deal with what's in front of you, not what's coming up." He was jerked in his seat as Kagome spun the wheel with one hand. He nearly had a heart attack as the car slid into a spot. She grinned over at him. "Like now. Coffee and snacks!" she said already in the process of getting out of the car.

Shakily, he managed to pull himself out. "This is a new car, right?"

"Oh, yeah. Like it?" she asked happily.

"Uh, sure." He shut the door. "What happened to the other one?"

She frowned. "Don't you follow the news? I totaled it." Shrugging, she started walking towards the café. "Come on," she said gesturing him to follow. "I know the owner."

oOOOo

Lexie was pacing before the projector, warping the image around her. "This isn't going to be like the other races," she said, voice firm. "You know better than anyone Kagome. Natalie isn't going to let last year go unpunished."

Kagome stopped chewing her gum to lean forward in her chair. "I know, and because I know, I'll be expecting her."

Sango grinned beside her. "Maybe she'll come after the real threat," she said, looking smug as she spun side to side in her chair.

"And you," Lexie said, pointing a finger towards Sango, "are not taking this seriously!"

"Lexie, I assure you, we're taking this seriously," Kagome said, stepping in before Sango spat out something stupid.

"This isn't the first time we've done this," Sango said, her voice lower than usual. At least it was a censored form of what she originally planned. "Trying to psych us up isn't going to help."

Sighing, Lexie finally took a seat. "I know, but you two are in such a great position for the start of the season…"

"Right, which is why you need to trust us to keep this up. Right?" Sango said, giving Kagome a big grin.

Lexie rubbed her forehead, closing her eyes briefly. "Ah, I wish I just had to worry about racing." She looked at Kagome. "Natalie's been after several of our contracts for years."

"I'm aware of that," Kagome said slowly, not quite knowing where she was going with it.

"Marzekki and Noman group contracts are up for renewal that the end of this season." Sango stopped spinning, giving her full attention to Lexie. Kagome crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. Both the Marzekki and Noman groups represented a sizable figure in their budget. Marzekki being an umbrella for several fashion lines they modeled for and Noman had a broader, but no less important, range of products they endorsed.

"They threatening to jump ship?" Sango asked, trying to seem less concerned than she was.

Lexie shook her head, letting Kagome relax some. "Marzekki will be stupid to not renew – not with Kagome's fashion line debuting the start of next season."

She tilted her head to the side, perplexed. "I have a fashion line?"

Lexie smiled. "I was going to tell you when we had more concrete designs, but yeah. Designed by George Vilks and Hans Cork." Sango whistled, giving Kagome an approving look. Kagome was just as surprised, recognizing the names. Vilks had designed several of her dresses to be used and was huge in the fashion world. Cork was right there behind him, and the two were notorious for trying to rip each other's throats out. How they managed to get the two to collaborate was a miracle only Lexie could do. Regardless, it was destined to be an instant top seller if they brought both their buying groups with them. "Target audience is late-teens to late twenties. Marzekki group has exclusive rights to them – so long as they are in contract with us."

"And Noman group?" Kagome asked, knowing she hadn't mentioned anything positive on that front.

"They are being oddly quiet. My guess: they are waiting to see how this season continues. They know how badly we need them. They are letting us sweat. The Drunken Dusters have a larger male fan base than we do and the Noman group could definitely take advantage of that." She shrugged. "While they will most likely renew with us regardless, they are probably hoping they can renegotiate the contract in their favor if we falter somewhere."

Kagome stroked her chin. "Quite the gamble. Could bite them in the ass if we go undefeated."

Lexie grinned. "Oh I fully intend to go for the jugular in that case."

"Well we should probably look over the video of their one move. My bet is the power couple has been working hard on getting that to work."

"That can come later. Right now, let's at least clear up what we can." She took a moment to look between them. "I know I ask you every year, but in light of Kouga's epic fuck-up…"

"We already worked that out," Kagome said, smiling at Sango. Sango matched it. "Same as it always is, right?"

"That's right."

Lexie sighed. "Fine, but I don't want to deal with the cops this time. After Kagome killing that poor traffic light, we need nothing but good publicity." Kagome couldn't help but notice Lexie was directing that more towards Sango than her.

"For one, that pole had it coming. If it had stayed green for longer, that douchebag wouldn't have slammed on his breaks and I wouldn't have needed to avoid him. And two, we'll be nice, right?"

"Right!" Sango said, giving an innocent smile. Somehow, she could never quite pull it off. Lexie only groaned.

oOOOo

Good luck tomorrow. I'll be rooting for you from home.

Kagome smiled as she flipped her phone sideways to make the keyboard wider. Home? Not important enough to see in person?

As she waited for his response, she tilted her head to look into the adjoining room. This was actually the rooms the mechanics had been assigned to, but once Sango found out they were connected, she offered both their rooms up for trade – without consulting her. She hadn't the slighted idea why she would give up their massive suites for a room half their size, until they got settled in.

Sango was being loud on purpose. She was in a reverse cowgirl position, her breasts flopping as she noisily rode the man she picked up from the bar downstairs. Seeing Kagome looking, she gave her a thumbs up and proceeded to cry out louder. Rolling her eyes, Kagome settled back in her seat as her phone vibrated. The instant they settled in their rooms, Sango opened them. She had to leave them open for this sole purpose. Sometimes she just had that exhibitionist itch that needed scratched. Kagome was more than willing to play the part rather than Sango ending up on the news… again.

Can't sorry. Miroku wants to put the new rig under stress tests.

New rig? He never mentioned anything about a new machine. It caught her off guard. He was usually much more open about these things. To find that he was suddenly withholding something was offsetting.

This response was even longer. Sango let out a shrill scream before silence. A few girlish giggles drifted from the other room. She resisted the urge to peek. It is just what Sango wants. Maybe I should just say rebuilt. :P

Sounds secretive

It is. :D She was in the middle of typing a response when another message ticked up. Have to break that two minute barrier somehow. She froze, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Don't let the conversation end like that! She tried to force herself to type something, anything than to leave it end on that awkward note. Nothing came to her.

She looked up to find Sango standing at the door wearing only a satisfied smile. Her hands were planted on her hips as she proudly puffed out her chest. "Stare at it long enough and it'll come to you."

Kagome sighed, putting the phone down. She looked over Sango, wrinkling her nose. "You're dripping…"

"Housekeeping's problem, not mine."

She stood up, shooing her back into her side of the room. "At least do it over there." Glancing past her, she found Sango's room was empty. "Kick him out already?"

She shrugged. "Tapped out and I got am fully charged!" she said with a flex. She nodded past her, looking at the phone she had left behind. "Inuyasha?"

"Yeah…"

Sango raised an eyebrow. "I thought you weren't dating him."

Her answer was immediate. "I'm not."

"And I'm sure your forays out of base have had nothing to do with him."

Kagome turned and headed back into her room. "We're friends." She whipped around to shoo Sango back onto her side, a mischievous grin on her friends face.

"Friends, right. You know, I know what you do with friends. Regardless, I'm tempted to let you win tomorrow, just to put it to the test!"

Kagome laughed. "You say that as if you have a choice in the matter. Now go take a shower. You're being disgusting!" With a little spin, Sango headed into her room, swaying her hips from side to side, laughing as she went.

oOOOo

Kagome adjusted her gloves, rolling her head slowly before grasping the controls once more. She triple-checked her screens and readings to make sure they were all optimal for battery power. Finally, she made sure the VI was integrated properly. Rose said she tweaked it some… To be honest, Kagome had been zoning out when she was explaining the changes. I'll have to look them over later. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes, letting the sound of the roaring crowd outside wash over her. Even surrounded by soundproofing materials, she could still hear the vibrations of the cheering crowd.

"Racers, you may begin power-up."

Kagome reached over and started the machine. A shiver ran down her back, skin bristling in bumps as she listened to the woman in the machine cry out in orgasm. It grew louder and more focused as the engine steadily crept to full power before tapering off in a satisfied 'ah' as a slightly more mechanized purr took its place.

"The real thing is better," Sango's voice said before laughing.

Kagome killed the video feed to her teammate's machine, shifting uncomfortably in her restraints. "Focus now," Lexie commanded. She could just imagine the firm look she was giving them, arms crossed as she looked down from the teams booth. "Remember, secure your lead before you two start fighting each other. They have the advantage since Jarred always finishes after her."

Sango sighed wistfully. "If only more guys did that." Several of the mechanics on the line snickered.

"Sango!"

"Yeah, yeah. Focusing now."

Kagome watched as the lights began flashing.

"Good luck Kagome," Sango said, the carefree tone she normally had gone.

She was tempted to snipe back with a witty comment of her own, but decided against it. "You too."

And then they were off.

oOOOo

Inuyasha gripped his controls tighter, gritting his teeth as he took the machine into a tight turn. Sluggish. It was true that it was faster, clocking nearly 40 mph faster under the old engine. However…

"Sloppy," he heard Sesshomaru over the radio.

"Yeah?" Inuyasha bit back, pushing the machine in the straight. "I don't see you down here doing any better." He wondered how Kagome was doing. Her race should be starting soon. He pushed the thought aside. There was more important things to focus on right now.

"You can't drive like your old machine," Miroku cut in before either could say anymore. "It's almost nine hundred pounds heavier."

He took another turn. God damn this turns like a brick. Being almost as heavy as Hideki's machine, he was suddenly looking at his brother in a newfound respect. The things his brother did with his machine and for it to still weigh more than this was amazing and really a testament to his driving ability.

"You are entering the turns too late," Myoga said. Unlike the others, his voice was still calm. "Your machine is now faster and you're hitting your turns faster than you're used to."

"I know that!" he grunted, the dampeners not really helping with the G-forces the turns were putting on him. Knowing what was happening was far easier than correcting. He knew what Sesshomaru was thinking: that they should have waited until next season to do revamps this extreme. At this rate… The next race was going to be brutal.

Help came from an unexpected source. "Stop breaking," Hideki said from the opposite side of the track. Like Inuyasha, he was making sure his repairs were all in order. "Release the throttle until midway through the turn and slowly open it up as you straighten out. It slows you some, but it helps with the strain since the machine is top-heavy. It takes a bit to get used to the timing, but knowing you it shouldn't take more than a few laps."

Inuyasha was silent for a few moments, stunned. "Uh… thanks."

"I can't have you embarrass me like this on a race."

Inuyasha smiled. Following his brothers advice, his next turn was terrible – but it was better than the others. After three more laps, his turns were much more respectable.

"See?" Hideki said as his machine moved up beside him. "Told you it wouldn't take you more than a couple laps."

"Still, I can't believe how you drive something this clunky."

"It's a necessary handicap for all my fellow drivers. If I was able to drive with my fully ability, the races would never last more than two minutes." Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Okay, for the next lap, just keep switching between speed and battle mode," Miroku said.

"Sure."

"Hideki, go ahead and go speed mode for the lap," Sesshomaru said.

"Oka~y," he said in a sing-song voice as his machine converted to its more streamlined form and shot off. Inuyasha simply continued on, making the switch from battle mode to speed, then back again. It was smoother and faster than the old version. Now that he was getting a handle on how it maneuvered, he was beginning to appreciate how much work Miroku and his crew put into it. While it was still technically the same machine, it handled like a completely different one – a better one. Halfway through his conversion lap, Inuyasha found himself smiling.

God, I'm really enjoying this, aren't I? Granted, there was no one racing against him - no one slamming into him, punching his machine or otherwise trying to eliminate him from the race. This is just a relaxing spin around the track. Even the engine wasn't bothering him. The bigger engine was just humming along, as a machine was supposed to sound like.

"Great. Looks like everything is working fine," Miroku said as he finished his lap. "Notice or hear anything odd?"

"Pulls to the right a little when I'm switching to speed."

"Probably one of the stabilizers needs tuned a little more. I'll make a note. Anything else?"

"Nope. Great work on this man. It's like I'm riding a cloud on those straights."

"You haven't seen anything yet! Go ahead and drop into speed mode. Let's try activating the other engine."

Inuyasha complied, his machine dropping down closer with the track. "All set."

"Be careful," Sesshomaru warned. "We don't actually know how fast this is going to go. Keep it simple at first and use caution at the turns."

"I know," Inuyasha said, his grip tightening on the controls. Excitement raced through him.

"Ready whenever."

Reaching over, Inuyasha quickly activated the second engine. There was a high-pitched whirling noise before a loud clank sounded behind him. His main screen flashed.

Secondary: Active.

He took the first turn like he had all the others. Releasing the throttle, he coasted through the beginning before slowly opening the throttle – only the throttle had reset when he released it. Now, it had the power of the second engine helping propel it along. Gritting his teeth, Inuyasha groaned as he strained to keep the machine from scraping the inner wall as the sudden burst acceleration threw off his turn. Instead of straightening out nice and easy, he had nearly slammed the newly rebuilt machine into the wall. He could hear everyone's surprised shouts, but he wasn't paying attention. He was now in the longest straightaway on the test track, and he could swear he was flying.

oOOOo

Things were not going as Kagome had planned. Natalie had once again shown why her team was the Steel Angels greatest rival by refusing to play by Kagome's plans. Even the fans of the two teams were vicious when it came to their faceoff – more than any other two matchups. Duel matchups were supposed to be random, but there was a reason why they consistently paired up against The Drunken Dusters. To say IRL viewership skyrocketed was a gross understatement of the numbers the race pulled.

Kagome watched out her front screen as Sango did her best to fend off Natalie. She was holding first, but it was only a matter of time. They would be in far more trouble if not for the VI. While Sango was a great racer, her true ability shined as a supporter. They both knew it, which is why Sango was more or less fine with second place. It was one of the reason why their team worked so well. Kagome bore the brunt of the aggressive racers, while Sango was always finding herself in the right place at the right time to make a difference. The Drunken Dusters operated like that as well. Natalie was a heavy combat type. She knew how to fight and wasn't afraid to get into it even with her lighter machine. Her husband on the other hand was probably one of the worst combat types in the league, but he was probably the best on defense. It was ridiculous now with his modified machine. The only reason why Natalie was still fighting with Sango instead of racing off and winning was because they couldn't afford to let Jarred hit third.

Bitch is hoping for a repeat of last year. With Sango out, even Kagome and her VI wouldn't be able to stand against a 2v1. "Holding up okay?" Kagome asked. It seemed like she was asking that a lot this lap. Probably because she was.

"You know—" There was a loud clang in the background. "I take back all that shit I've said to you about running lead position. Please. Please, come take it back."

Rose came over the line. "Kagome, you need to try to slip past him this next turn. I'm reading some minor damage to Sango's right wheel stabilizer. It's all fine now, but she's taking a pounding. If a hit knocks it out of alignment, she's going to have a hard time taking turns."

"Because I'm having such an easy time of it now, with her beating my machine to shit and all. I have the VI set to full defensive. I'm just driving."

Kagome gripped her controls in frustration. "I'm trying my best. Jarred was a pain to slip past before the upgrade. Now he has a god damn machine that takes up half the fucking lane." She resisted the urge to bite her lip. Doing that now might cause her to really bite it. Think Kagome! Think! Her mind raced, trying to find some way of getting past. Her eyes settled on Jarred's machine. She let off on the throttle slightly, letting the distance build between the two. Slowly, an idea began to emerge. I wonder…

Seeing that he was content to keeping her at bay rather than pressing her, she turned her attention to the VI. "Kagome, what are you doing?"

"Hold on, I'm working on something." She was still doing calculations as the turn rushed at them. "Sango, can you hold out until the next turn?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"Not really."

"Then I'll hold this bitch back, no problem." Brave words, but the strain in her voice betrayed the pressure Natalie was giving her.

The VI chirped, its calculations finished. She grinned. It wasn't perfect, but it would do. She made a few faints to see how Jarred reacted, making subtle refinements to her VI operation. The turn was less than thirty seconds away. "Hey Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Apologize to Gwen for me." She continued on, the seconds counting down. "I'm probably going to bend the frame."

The timer hit zero at the same moment as confused questions flooded through her speakers, her machine switching to speed mode. Just before he started into the turn, Kagome gunned her throttle forward, pressing her into her acceleration seat as the dampeners gave priority power to the drive train. She winced the second before she slammed into him. While both speed based vehicles, hers was still slightly bigger and his machine was definitely designed for that smaller fit. Still, with enough speed, she managed to wedge herself into the opening of the massive machine where Natalie would normally go.

Now into the turn, Kagome was thrown to her right as the VI turned into the wall. Oh shi— The impact was more on Jarred's end than hers, the back of his machine sending sparks flying as metal scraped concrete. The left side of the massive machine lifted a few inches off the ground. With reflexes only a machine could have, her racer was already tearing backwards as fast as it could go, heaving itself free before the oppressive machine could trap her back under it. A quick spin and she was rocketing off towards Sango and Natalie. She could hear shrill screams and yells of excitement, but mostly, her own thundering heart as she quickly closed the distance with the first and second place machines. Holy fuck, I can't believe that worked. Ignoring everything being said, she took the few seconds to catch her racing breath.

"Sango, clear right," she commanded, running a quick eye over her screens. Sure enough, her front end was trashed and she was pretty sure she lost something expensive and important back in Jarred's machine, but she was still green where it mattered. Transforming to battle mode with this much damage was a death sentence. I just need to get past Natalie…

It would be easier said than done. Sango was on the offensive now as Natalie backed away, her attention almost completely on the rapidly approaching Kagome.

"I'll hold her left," Sango's voice called out, the only clear thing over the rabble of voices coming through her speakers. Kagome positioned right, holding her throttle forward. Natalie was waiting. All she needed was a good him and she was out, and they both knew it. Kagome didn't bother with a feint. Sango said she would hold her left, and she trusted her friend. I hope… Sango was still a few seconds behind Natalie as they grew closer… closer. Kagome's fists tightened around her controls, unconsciously tensing at the seemingly inevitable collision.

Natalie jerked left as Sango caught hold and spun them both towards the opposite side of the track as Kagome flashed past them both. Seeing the wide-open track in front of her, she let out a breath of relief as her speakers roared with girlish squeals. Right place at the right time. Sango had waited until Natalie wound up for the strike before using her off-balanced machine to make the spin easier.

Sango had heard the sigh. "What, you didn't trust me?"

Kagome smiled. "Complete faith." She glanced at the screen showing her rear view to see both Sango and Natalie in speed mode. Unless something drastic like a mechanical failure, the race was pretty much set. She was happy to see Sango slightly ahead of Natalie.

"Yeah, well, you owe me big."

Laughing, Kagome adjusted herself in her seat, only realizing just how sweaty she was. Still three more laps. "I say we're even."

"What? How so?!"

Kagome grinned. "I got her off you, didn't I?"

"I totally had her," Sango muttered, barely enough for her mic to register. Focusing on the track ahead, Kagome sped towards her victory.

oOOOo

She was still shaking as her feet touched the concrete. Rose was there as she collapsed, catching her as her legs failed. "Woh there," she said, her sturdy frame easily holding Kagome up. "Take it easy."

"Thanks," she said weakly. The adrenaline surge had taken a lot out of her, especially the entire final lap when a hydraulic line ruptured. She nearly walled herself on the final two turns.

"Damn good race," Lexie said, moving over to her. She glanced up at the busted machine. It was still in speed mode. When Kagome had tried to convert it in the hanger, something busted and the screeching metal nearly gave her a heart attack before she quickly canceled it. "Gwen's going to be pissed."

"Ah, she'll get over it. Hell, I think she was screaming the most when Kagome was kicking Jarred's ass!"

Gently, Rose helped her set down on a closed crate before offering her a towel and water. "Thanks," she said before taking a large gulp.

"Oh I see. Playing favorites," Sango said, swaggering over to where they were congregating. "Do I get a drink too, or do I have to go out and buy one from the vending machine?" Without missing a beat, Rose pulled out a quarter from her breast pocket and flipped it towards her. "Ha-ha. Funny." Plopping down next to Kagome, she reached over and stole the half-full bottle and finished it off before one of the crew brought her own.

"Hey, get your own," Kagome said, giving her a small shove with her body before wiping her face with the towel.

"Excuse me? Who do you think you are talking to?" Sango said in a conceited tone, looking down her nose at her. Kagome tilted her head, perplexed. "I believe I placed second. Making me…"

"Queen," Kagome said with a sigh. Sango grinned deviously as Lexie gave them a confused look.

"For the next twenty-four hours, Kagome is my little yes-bitch," Sango explained, wrapping her arm around her shoulder. "Isn't that right?"

"I guess."

"Excuse me?" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Yes ma'am."

"That's better. Now for your first command… piggyback to the victory circle!"

oOOOo

After getting cleaned up and doing a few post-race interviews, Lexie released them to enjoy their victory party. The club chosen was a techno-club, most exclusive in the city supposedly, though the place was massive. Sango seemed to want them drunk as fast as possible. After the champagne was popped and sprayed over the screaming crowd, Kagome was subjected to a drink lineup consisting of most vile to vomit-inducing as Sango used her knowledge of Kagome's favorite and hated drinks against her. The few times she managed to sneak away from her overlords watchful eye and order an Illusion, the Vile Oppressor would swoop in and snatch it from her hands before she could sip its sweet reward.

Drinking and dancing. Followed by more dancing and some drinking. The world was spinning more than she was as they moshed together to the pulsing beat. Several of the screens over the bar were replaying highlights from the race before cutting back to the anchors who were discussing them. Of course, the sound was muted, not that you could hear it over the thundering bass. "Hey! That's me!" she yelled out at the bar, thrusting her shot glass up towards the TV. People around her cheered as she brought the glass down to find most of it was no longer inside. Frowning, she finished it before wandering off to the toilet.

After finishing her business, she staggered over to the sink, ignoring the other women inside. Washing her hands, she jumped as Sango hugged her from behind. "How the fuck do you always find me?" she slurred, eyeing her friend suspiciously in the mirror.

Sango only waved her hands out in front of them. "Magic," she said. Held between two fingers were Stim containers.

"Nuh-uh," Kagome said, shaking her head. "Not after last time!" She made a face. "I'm already going to be sick enough with this shit you've made me drink."

"Different this time, I swear it. I've used this guys' mix before and he is a genius."

Kagome was still shaking her head. "No way!" she swayed. "How do you even find this shit!"

Sango unwrapped her arms from her, letting Kagome turn around. She was wiggling the two containers, smiling like a cat. Funny thing was they weren't alone in the restroom, but no one else seemed to mind them. "Your Queen commands you to stop ruining her fun!"

Puffing her cheeks out, Kagome snatched the canister from her left hand. "So help me, if I throw up once tonight – it's going to be on you."

Sango grinned and together they put the canisters up against their necks and pressed the trigger.

oOOOo

Electronic dance music was very odd under the effects of Stim. The bass seemed to move slower than the higher sounds, and it pissed her off when she watched it. The bass was being a lazy ass, moseying about like it owned the place while the popular notes did all the real work. Kagome didn't care about watching the bass anymore though. She was obsessed with her arms. Eyes wide, she watched as her arms split into a million as she moved them up and down. It was like the tail of a cursor on an old computer, only this didn't fade in milliseconds. People bumping into her were like a fully loaded train of clouds smashing into her. As she was bounced from side-to-side, her body would fracture into a thousand Kagome's, all giggling stupidly. At the edge of her vision, there was always a haze. Seeking it out would cause it to vanish, only to appear when she wasn't expecting. The longer time progressed, the more it would intrude into her vision.

A two-headed Sango dragged her from the dance floor to stand at the bar. Rather, Sango stood there while Kagome rubbed her cheek against the wood. It was so smooth. The drink she received tasted like an Illusion, only without the delicious and more of the icky voodoo.

Time was inconsistent. There were moments where she swore time slowed to a pause and looking around at all the frozen people. The next moment, minutes passed in a snap, a blur of color, sound and feeling. She was on the dance floor, blink and by the bar. Blink again and she was somewhere else, drinking something else. Her next semi-strong anchor to reality was speaking with Sango and another person whom she was pretty sure mixed whatever awesome concoction this was. At least, that's what she thought Sango said. She wasn't quite sure what anyone was saying. The only real words she really remembered were, 'awesome' 'cool' 'sure' and something like a team building exercise.

Time paused. Kagome glanced around at the frozen dancers in various poses with her eyes, unable to move her head, her drink nearly gone. She was thinking about finishing it when time unraveled, a blur of nothing as the memories dropped from her mind as if they never existed. The fog was nearly consuming her vision. Blinking only stayed it for a moment, and even that was fading. While not exactly conscious of it, experience told her the Stim was running down and entering phase two where it usually teetered from one extreme to another. Hardcore Stim users usually re-Stimmed around this time.

A blink and she had teleported from the club back to the hotel. The lazy music had disappeared, though her ears had a faint ring in them. The memory dropping was becoming more obvious as reasoning functions popped through the haze for fleeting seconds. She was vaguely aware of voices speaking behind her as she fiddled with something out of her vision.

Her eyes widened, seeing Sango's smiling face in front of her. Pleasure filled her, threatening to overwhelm her. It found escape through her mouth, her breath carrying the excess that threatened to consume her from within. Her mind struggled to find the cause, the haze consuming her. Time slowed as she watched Sango's smiling face rise and fall before her. It took a long time to realize that Sango wasn't the one moving. Her eyes looked away, watching the word 'Ah!' float between them. A long line fluttered past. She giggled at the passing purple text, before she had to release more of the pleasure. 'You're having sex! Good sex!' Looking down, it sure looked like it. At least, she and Sango were both naked, and so was the person under them. She was also getting suspicious that the thing she was sitting on was causing the pesky pleasure to build up in her.

A blink and more memory fell away. It was like staring at a picture, only to have it shatter like glass and rain down as flakes of snow. When it was snow, you couldn't remember what the picture looked like. Once the snow was gone, you forgot that there was a picture in the first place.

Fear gripped Kagome as Sango's smile and face popped out of existence, the fear heightened by the fading Stim. The haze was a multi-colored swirl of smoke that had different layers of translucence based on which color the smoke was. It mixed and weaved together as the colors moved at all different speeds. Her fear was calmed upon finding her hiding between her legs. She let out a giggle at seeing her friend in such a stupid hiding spot. More floating text wandered in front of her. 'What are you doing down there?' The '?' was twice the size of the text. There was a vague feeling in the back of her mind that she should be hearing the words instead of reading them, but it never pushed forward into her consciousness.

She gasped loudly as her brain snapped back into her head and reconnected to the spine. Pleasure rippled through her as something wet and rough ran against her. There was something else to, a steady push to it. Eyes looking up from Sango, she saw a shadowed figure moving oddly behind the fog. She shook her head quickly, causing the haze to subside for a moment. She could see the man clearly now, or at least, she thought she did as the haze collapsed back around her. More floating text now, all bunched together and zipping left and right against each other. 'Who was that?' 'I know him?' Others that she couldn't read. They all collapsed as individual letters as her world quaked. Once more, the brain connected back with the body only to have white light consume her as she had the first orgasm she remembered.

The white faded. She was lying against the bed, watching as the shadow man rammed into Sango. She watched the soundless Sango scream and buck against the fast thrusts. She was smiling as the jiggling breasts of her friend held her attention. She was trying to reach out to play with the hard little nipples that jut out from the top, but found her arms refused to move. Frowning, she turned her attention up towards the shadow, struggling to make out the face.

Oh! It's just Inuyasha! She heard the words instead of seeing them. As her body churned the chemical mix into its harmless base to be expelled, her confused mind superimposed a blurry, yet extremely familiar face behind the haze. She felt her mouth move, but no sound come out. Something must have happened, because Sango stopped crying out in pleasure to give her a confused look. It was almost funny watching her face rock up and down from where she was lying as the man continued without pausing, though clearly his partner was no longer paying attention to him. Sango was saying something to her, concern beginning to show in her features before the picture shattered.

Sango was below her, Kagome's hands on either side of her head holding her up. There was still a slight look of concern as she moved up and down. No, once more, Kagome was doing the moving. She had the vague sense of legs against her side. Logic had secured a foothold once more, though a small one. She figured it was Sango's legs, either wrapped around her or she was pressed between them. Kagome could feel the pleasure inside her, but it wasn't all-consuming like before. Kagome could tell she was angry at it. It either needed to be faster, or deeper though she had no idea which one she wanted it to be. Yet she didn't actually feel the anger. It was like she was a third-person observer.

Her mouth was moving, but it seemed like her ears still weren't working. She could hear a wet slapping noise, but even that faded in an out. Sango must have heard, because she shook her head and her mouth was moving. Kagome only smiled and leaned down to kiss her. Sango didn't seem too receptive at first, but holding it there for a few minutes got her going. Kagome didn't see what happened after the kiss. Like a roll out of film, white overtook her mind and snow gave way to black.

oOOOo

Kagome's eyes snapped open, yet her body remained perfectly still. Her eyes darted from side to side, looking at the white ceiling above. Her heart slowed and her body relaxed as she remembered she was at a hotel. Taking a deep breath, she rolled her head to the right to see the back of a man at the far side of the bed. He had the covers pulled over him and curled in a fetal position. She frowned, not remembering where he fit in last night. Turning her head to the right, she found Sango sleeping peacefully, using her upper arm as a pillow, moist lips slightly apart as her slow breaths caused her breasts to push more against her body. Each exhaled breath brought warm air across her left breast. There was still enough Stim remaining in her system to make it feel like a gentle caress by a loving hand. Already her body was reacting, nipples hardening and a familiar twinge in her lower gut.

Getting up wouldn't be so easy. Besides her arm being a pillow, Sango had her arm draped under over her, just under her ribs and her left leg was wrapped between hers. Moving carefully, she managed to replace her arm with an actual pillow and untangle themselves with minimal stirring from Sango. Crawling out between the two, she winced as she stood on unsteady legs. Last night's activities lasted far longer than the fragmented memories she had suggested. Her head throbbed, the pain in tune with her heartbeat as she rubbed her forehead. Luckily, the blinds were closed and kept the room in mostly darkness.

Covering Sango with a blanket, she nearly yelped aloud as she stepped on a fleshy arm, finding another man passed out on the floor. He groaned, but otherwise continued his state of unconsciousness. Moving to the adjacent room, she shut the door and found solitude in the bathroom. Closing her eyes, she gritted her teeth as she flicked the light on. The stabbing pain sent her world spinning, but it quickly became tolerable. Sighing, she stood before the mirror and examined the damage.

Her hair was a mess and she was paler than normal with slight bags under her eyes, but otherwise okay. Glancing over her body, she found some bruises from the race. Considering most other races, she actually came out looking better than normal. She flexed her right arm at the elbow, squeezing her hand as she did so. Actually, hangover aside, she felt fantastic. Sango had been right. Not spending the night puking her guts out under the influence of a Stim was a win in her book. But besides that… Her eyes slowly ticked down. Even though she remembered some from last night, there was plenty of evidence remaining to show that Sango wasn't the only one partaking in the bedroom festivities. Judging by how stiff the skin was when she walked, she had a hell of a time last night.

Sighing, she unzipped the bag on the sink and fished through the assorted materials inside. "Of course no one uses condoms anymore," she grumbled to herself as she pushed and twisted the cap off the small bottle. Tipping her head back, she dry-swallowed two of the pills before replacing the cap and fishing for another one. Judging from the lack of dried evidence on her back, bum and stomach, she had a good idea where most of it ended up. More muttering followed her opening the second bottle. "Sango even put a pack on the nightstand in both rooms before leaving." This one she took with water, as it was annoyingly large. Leaning her head back, she closed her eyes as she felt the pill slid down her throat. Opening them again, she replaced the bottle and took another drink with the glass to rehydrate before starting the shower.

She, like most people, never had a second thought about how medicine had progressed and was perfectly satisfied with benefiting without appreciating. Three pills and she never had to worry about the consequences of a night filled with unprotected sex with strangers and a home-brewed Stim. While they were too expensive to replace condoms in everyday life, both Sango and Kagome got theirs free thanks to Sango being the poster child for the pharma company that made them.

Thanks to the lingering effects of the Stim, she had a lukewarm shower as anything more than that made her skin feel like it was burning. As she let the water bombard her skin clean, she closed her eyes and twisted slowly in place, trying to rebuild events of last night. The club was mostly there, minus the end. After that the holes really started to get obvious. Hard memories were lost and only vague emotions remained. She knew she enjoyed the sex and while she couldn't quite remember it, she deemed it worthy to officially declare her weird dry spell had ended. Yes, she had the incident with Inuyasha, but that hardly counted as sex in her book. Still, she felt warm and comforted when she tried recalling last night. The man must have made quite the impression.

By the time she was finished, her stomach was finally settling and the lights didn't make her head feel like it was splitting open. After quickly drying herself, she wrapped the towel around her and stepped outside. Still rubbing her hair dry with another towel, she turned on the TV. IRL was still having commentary on yesterday's race, though the commenters were gradually starting to speculate on next week's race. Krome Champions, The Wolf Pack, and Dog Demons were scheduled. It would certainly be interesting, not only because Inuyasha would be racing, but because this was post-meltdown Kouga. Seeing how his team functioned now would let her know if she needed to worry about them, or if they were as fucked this season as poor Siege Hammer.

Finishing her hair, she tossed the damp towel aside and sat on her bed, watching the highlights. She grinned, watching the aerial view of her maneuver. It looked a lot cooler watching, than actually doing. Still, she knew the fans were expecting and exciting race and she delivered. Besides winning, giving the fans their money's worth was what she was there to do.

Half-listening to the TV, she pulled the days outfit from her luggage. Dropping her towel, she was about to start changing when she heard a soft knock. Looking through the small hole, she found Lexie standing on the other side. Opening the door, she used the door to hide her nude body as she let her inside, closing it behind her.

"Conscious." Her eyes flashed over her nude form. "And showered. Impressive." She checked her watch. "And before noon even."

Kagome smiled. "And I don't look like the walking dead."

Lexie gave her a 'hmm' as she studied her face. "Well, not so much that makeup can't fix."

"Thanks."

Lexie smiled and moved farther into her room, checking out the clothes she had on the bed. "Not bad, but you'll have to change later," she said, nodding in approval.

"Glad you like them mom."

She continued on, ignoring Kagome's quip. "I must say, I was worried when Sango dragged you off to the club, but nothing beats waking up at 4am and realizing you don't have to be awake. And you're not posting bail. In a police station where the police hardly know English." She sighed. "Wonderful."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "That was one time."

"Twice."

"Ah, but the second time was all Sango."

"More like the police didn't catch you."

She grinned, putting her panties and bra on. "Escaping absolves the crime."

"More like an extremely talented and expensive lawyer team on speed dial."

"Tomato, tomato," she said as she pulled her jeans up. Lexie was watched the TV as Kagome quickly pulled her t-shirt on, flipping her hair out before straightening it. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Good news and bad news. Good news is you don't have any interviews."

Kagome was surprised. "That's… interesting."

"Bad news…" She pointed to the TV.

"Damn it."

"8 o'clock at a local studio. Live." Kagome groaned. "Hey, I've been nice. You two haven't been on a live show since last year."

"Yeah, because of the show last year!" Kagome balled her fists. "They fucking use live TV to ambush you. You know that."

"Relax Kagome. I'm not that cruel. It's with Minori." Kagome narrowed her eyes. "It's just going to be about the race and prospects for the rest of the series."

"It would be nice if it were true."

"She's been tame with you two recently. It'll be fine." Kagome remained silent, not wanting to remind her that complacency was how a lot of exotic animal trainers ended up mauled by their 'docile' partners. Sure, Minori shared a genuine mutual friendly relationship with them, but that didn't mean she didn't have her claws. Still, she knew better than to fight her on this. Even if they could back out of the live sit-down, there wasn't a chance Lexie would let them. IRL will be happy, Kagome said, rubbing her temples. Ratings were better on live interviews since it let reporters fire off their loaded questions they kept hidden for just that time.

Lexie looked away from the TV, breaking the silence that had fallen. "I was surprised to find you alone."

Kagome nodded towards the door leading to the adjoining room. "Still sleeping probably."

She raised an eyebrow. "I see. Do I even want to know."

Shrugging, she glanced over at the door. "Just a team building exercise." She looked back at Lexie, who was simply watching her. "It's what Sango call—"

"You two had a threesome. I know what she calls it," she interrupted, dismissing her explanation with a wave.

Kagome scratched her cheek. "Right." Her head tracked Lexie as she moved to the door.

"Go ahead and get their phones."

Kagome was pretty sure her heart stopped for a second. "Uh…" The look Lexie gave her caused her to take a step back. The door flung open as she all but kicked it in.

Lexie calmly took in the sight of the three passed out, mangled together in a pile of flesh and limbs. It was not the way Kagome had left them, meaning Sango had managed to enchant the two for some early morning play. The evidence pointed towards the boys taking both their turns at once.

Lexie pulled her eyes away and set to work. "Get the other guys' phone," she said as she played around with a pair of jeans. Kagome walked over and found what she was looking for. Lexie was already playing with the first one.

"Password," she muttered, moving to the pile.

"Hey!" she yelled, slapping the bare leg of one of the guys. He jerked awake. Eyes widening as he saw her. The other two moaned and began to stir. "This phone yours?" she commanded. When he blinked at it, she shoved it towards his face. "Is this yours?"

"N-no!"

She whipped around, gesturing for Kagome to give her the one she was holding. "This one?" She brought up the password screen. "Password." He groggily looked up at her. "Put in the fucking password!"

Taking the phone, he unlocked it. Lexie instantly snatched it away. "Hey, get his unlocked," she said, tossing the phone over to Kagome, not looking away from the phone. As Kagome did what she asked, she flicked the screen from side to side to keep it unlocked as she moved back to Lexie. She was muttering, shaking her head as her finger moved over the screen.

"Photo… photo…" She frowned, stopping to rotate the screen. "That's…" she shook her head and deleted it. A few minutes and she was satisfied, tossing it towards the pair of pants it came from. She took the one Kagome was holding, who scooted in close to eye the screen.

"Hey! Hey!" a male voice said as the screen shook, one of the men's faces filled the screen. She could hear something more in the background, a constant. "Check it out man! Can you believe this?!" The view wobbled violently as the person flipped the phone around and Kagome was treated to a shot of herself. The video Kagome giggled as the mans' thrusts pushed her face against Sango's pussy, which she was doing a rather piss-poor job of trying to eat out.

The video stabilized. "Can you introduce yourself?" he voice asked, the camera getting closer.

Kagome looked up from between Sango's legs, licking her moist lips. "Kagome! From the Steel Angels!" she giggled before Sango pushed her head back down. The camera ran up Sango's body, who's eyes were half-closed, moaning loudly.

"And you?"

"Sango!" she gasped, giving a tired smile as she gave the camera a V with her fingers.

"Fuck man!" the man who was embedded inside Kagome gasped. "I think we died! You think we died?" The man holding the camera chuckled drunkenly. "Because I swear I am fucking Kagome while she eats out Sango!"

"Nah man! You totally are!" More childish giggling. "Ohhh fuck." The camera moved down to show his cock as Sango reached over to start stroking it.

"Hurry up and get it ready," she cooed. "That's going in me next!"

"That's enough," Kagome said softly, stepping away. She suddenly felt sick. The debauchery on screen did not mesh what her mind had remembered as warm and comforting.

"Fucking Christ. You let them take video?!" Her head snapped towards the owner. "You!" He practically melted as she stormed over to him. Shoving the phone in his face, she bore down on him. "Did you upload this?" When he didn't answer immediately, she repeated herself, only louder. "I ASKED IF YOU UPLOADED THIS!"

"N-no!" he quivered.

Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a wire and connected it to the base of the phone. "I'm bricking it."

The owner of the phone cried out in dismay. Kagome looked over to find him half-dressed. A glare from Lexie silenced any resistance. Running the program, the phone wiped itself. The screen flashed white before going dark. And there goes the phone. It probably cost the guy at least $900. Lexie coldly tossed the phone back to its owner. "Think of it as payment for services rendered. Now get out." When the two weren't moving fast enough for her, she kicked one in the ass, causing him to bump into the other one. "OUT OR I WILL SHOVE MY HAND UP YOUR ASS AND REMOVE YOUR BALLS THROUGH IT!"

She slammed the door behind them, taking a deep breath. She was complete smiles. Only this wasn't a happy smile. "Well, I see you both had your fun last night."

Sango was rubbing her eyes as she sat up in bed. It seemed like she had slept through that entire ordeal, or at least not cared enough to sit up. Kagome frowned at how rested she looked compared to how she felt in the morning. "You could be a little nicer to them. I think they were fans."

"Up," Lexie commanded. "Go take your shower." Kagome could hear the anger creeping into her voice, and Sango must have too because she got up and trudged off towards the bathroom without saying anything back. When the door closed, Lexie shook her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Hey, it wasn't that bad…"

"Yeah, we can hope he hadn't already uploaded it." Kagome was about to say something when she continued. "You of all people should know better." Her mouth clamped shut. Lexie paused beside her as she moved towards the other room. "What have I always told you two?"

Kagome looked down. "Take the phones."

"Take the phones."

"Sorry."

"Not as sorry as you're going to be if you on live TV with that floating around the internet." She shoved something in her hands as she headed off into the other room. Kagome looked down and found herself holding her phone. It must have fallen out last night… Unlocking the phone, she saw a message waiting for her.

Congratulations on the win! Turned out just like you said it would. You've made a believer out of me. Since you are probably out celebrating right now, I'll talk to you when you get back home.

She sighed, swiping Inuyasha's message aside and relocking her phone. Sliding the phone into her pocket, she followed after Lexie.

oOOOo

There is a special kind of pain that you spend an hour or so writing, only to highlight it and press that big ol' delete button and the word count drops by a book report. Running into the problem of generally knowing where I want to take things, but not being able to figure out how to get there. Next chapter should hopefully be a little easier.

As always, thanks for reading. Double thanks for those that leave a review or drop me a message. Until the next chapter.