Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than my own OC's and the plot. A/N: This story will feature a lot of angst, some of it triggering. I'll have warnings on the chapters that discuss it. There'll also be smut, a lot of fluff, and some OOCness. I try to keep the characters mostly IC, but it's fanfiction, and this is set in the modern age- folks change, they grow, evolve, etc. Hope you guys enjoy the story!
Kagome sits in the empty apartment across from the building she's watching, feet propped on the window ledge, laptop on the table next to her and a telescope set up next to her for easy access, as she strips and cleans her weapon for the second time that day. Blowing out a breath, she looks at the camera feeds on her laptop again, and then checks the telescope, confirming that her target still hasn't left.
Suddenly, she hears a strained grunt and then a soft thud behind her. Hand flying to her pistol in his holster on her back, she turns silently in her seat. Pulling the pistol in front of her, she stands and slips along the wall towards the door of the bedroom. Switching the safety off as quietly as possible, she uses her foot to nudge the door open more, using the mirror she'd hung on it to check door the hallway before stepping out. Another soft sound comes from the living room of the apartment. Padding silently down the hallway, Kagome stretches her senses, nearly stumbling as she feels a powerful youki seem to slam against her reiki, barely having time to throw up a barrier when a figure crashes into it. Steadying herself, she looks up and her jaw drops.
"Sesshoumaru?!" the figure freezes, stepping back to appraise the woman before him. "How... Why? What?!" Kagome stutters out, her gun lowering as she stares dumbfounded at the former Western Lord. His moonlight silver hair only comes down to just below his shoulders now and he no longer sports the bangs he used to, instead trying his hair back in a low tail just above the nape of his neck. His markings and claws are hidden, but she'd know that face anywhere. Especially that narrowed gilded gaze.
"Miko." he says finally, his eyes widening fractionally as he steps back again.
"Uh, yeah. Used to travel with InuYasha some 500 ish years ago, we were kinda sorta friends for a while there. What're you doing here? What happened to my partner?" Kagome leans to the side to look behind the large inu but isn't able to see anything past the hallway.
"Why are you here?" Sesshoumaru clips out.
"Uh, I asked first, but okay. Doing my job." she snarks.
"And, that job is?"
"Can't really tell you, at least not without knowing what you're doing here." she replies easily, eyes narrowing slightly and raising her gun slightly again, pushing a bit more power into her barrier. Silence surrounds them then, as they size each other up, eyes roving each other's forms, seeing both are garbed similarly in dark clothes Kevlar and several holsters and sheaths strapped to their persons. Slowly, Sesshoumaru reaches down his collar and pulls out a leather cord holding a small silver disk, about two inches in diameter, with a sun stamped into it, an embossed arrow and knife crossed over top of it. And the feeling of reiki and youkai both anchored to it.
"Fuck." Kagome says as she yanks out her own necklace to show him. "We got sent on the same assignment, why?" she snaps out, flicking the safety on her pistol before holstering it again. "I'm gunna drop the barrier, don't attack me, please. Gunna go check on Kouga then call and find out what the fucks going on. Check that the target hasn't left his apartment, equipments in the bedroom." she barks out as she marches down the hallway, pulling her phone from her belt and dialing her handler. Finding Kouga laid on the couch, she checks for a pulse. Finding one, she inventories his injuries, which seem fairly minor- a black eye and a wicked bruise growing along his left bicep.
"Yo." a voice answers over the phone.
"Why were we not told that a cousin was coming, Hirito?" Kagome snaps bluntly, really trying to keep with the code language.
"What are you talking about?" her handler replies, confusion clear in his voice.
"I just had someone else show up, Kenzou is passed out and I was nearly done in." Kagome looks up when she sees Sesshoumaru enter the room again, arms crossed and eyes narrowed dangerously. "Hold on," she tells her handler before clicking the mute button on her phone. To the inu she asks, "What name are you using now and what's your Agent ID?"
"Agent ID is 0961, I go by Seto Itsuma."
"White elegance, nice." Unmuting her phone, she stands, as she addresses her handler again, "Itsuma just showed up. So, why wasn't I told?" she pauses and looks at the daiyoukai again. "You don't know, do you? Would make this a lot easier." she asks, knowing he doesn't, or he wouldn't have attacked them.
"No. I was given orders to come here and eliminate the target. Upon arriving at the assigned location, I smelled the wolf."
"And proceeded with removing the perceived obstacle until more information could be gathered, got it. Fuck. The target still in his living room?" she inquires, receiving a nod. "Right, gunna go finish with my rifle while Harito figured out what the hells going on and gives us some answers. You're welcome to join me." Kagome sighs as she starts walking back to the bedroom, phone still in hand.
"Kaiya, you there still?" the handlers voice squeaks out of the cellphones speakers.
"Yup." she answers, popping the p. "Whatcha got?" She puts the phone down on the table next to the laptop and settles back into her seat to finish dealing with her rifle, the inu leaning his tall body against the wall facing her, crossing his arms across his chest.
"K, lines secured. I don't know what happened. Apparently, you were both assigned the target at the same time. There's no mention of you guys working together. It seems to be a complete accident, the assignment was just assigned twice. I'm guessing someone forgot a step when pushing it through, making it so it wasn't labelled properly. I… I'll have to let the higher ups know, figure out how it happened and such. I assume you'll both be paid upon completion, regardless, but I'll keep you updated." Hirito explains, voice tinting with anxiety.
"Fucking…." Kagome starts before biting her tongue. "It's not your fault, not your job to do, you just pass me my assignments and make sure I'm healthy and well stocked. Keep us in the loop." she says instead before hanging up. Sliding her phone back into its holder on her belt, she groans aloud, letting her head thump against the back of the chair before sliding her eyes over to the annoyed inu.
"So, working for the Order, huh. When did that happen? Must've been sometime semi recent, given your Agent ID." she queries, finishing up with her rifle and reassembling it.
"End of the 1800s."
"Ah, human's evict you from your lands?" she asks quietly, knowing what happened, as it happened to most youkai. The Order she and her friends had started in the 1500s went from being a small scale 'business' that helped with rogue youkai to a secret organization that helped youkai to hide and adapt to the world as the human population grew too quickly and began hunting youkai in order to steal their lands and possessions. While she was glad that her organization had been able to help so many, it still upset and angered her that youkai had been forced into living in the fringes of society, having to hide what they were in order to survive.
"Something like that." he bites out between clenched teeth. "And, yourself?" He assumes the well must have let her travel back through at some point, as he hadn't seen her since their pack left Edo, and had halted any contact that was non peripheral before that, even.
She looks up at him a little startled and confused that he'd care to ask. Shrugging, she turns back to the laptop. "When it was created." Her eyes slide to him from the side, watching his face as his eyes widen and his arms fall a bit.
"Impossible." he whispers.
"Hm, nope." She waves a hand flippantly in his direction.
"You are unmated, it is not possible for you to have lived for nearly 500 years as a human." he snaps out, stepping closer to her.
"Yep, you're right." she replies unhelpfully.
"Then, again, it is impossible." he repeats.
She turns to him fully now, crossing her own arms. "And, again, nope." His eyes rove over her form, scenting the air deeply and his youki begins to probe her reiki, looking for an explanation. "Come on, you can find it." she teases him, leaning back in her seat and hooking an ankle over her other knee. After several minutes of standing there staring at her as he tries to unravel her mystery, he suddenly flashes to her side and grabs her wrist, bringing it to his nose.
"You lack the smell of human decay." he breathes out, eyes wide.
"Mhm. Consequence of the Shikon. Maybe one day I'll tell you. So yeah, I was part of the group that created the order. Wanna know my Agent ID?" she smirks deviously at him.
"Your pack. You were the creators."
Nodding, she tilts her head, eyes drifting to the side as she remembers the past. "Yeah, after Naraku, the well was closed, so we stayed in Edo for a while, as you know, so I could learn from Kaede properly, travelling to help with rogue youkai in the area. After a year or so, we relocated to the old slayer village, where we rebuilt and revived the slayers, sorta. We changed several of the old doctrines, and created our own thing. We weren't looking to kill all youkai, merely protect people, human and youkai. Word started to spread about the group, so we gave it a name. Bit of a two part reasoning, though I still don't think the second reason means much. Japan is the land of the Rising Sun. The more well known we became, the more people were requesting help from us, from all over Japan. We became the protectors of the country. We were a group of humans, both holy and not, and youkai, working together to protect both humans and youkai from others who wished to do them harm."
Sighing wistfully, she turns back to the inu, smirking at the expression on his face, before continuing. "Around the early 1700s, the Order noticed that humans were beginning to request our help for any youkais, and then were getting upset when the Order refused to kill them for merely existing. Then, the uprisings started, and youkai started flocking to us, looking for work and a place to live. Fast forward a couple hundred more years, the Order's now a secret organization that ensure's youkai can live as fully as possible while keeping themselves hidden."
"Including assassinating threats to our society." Sesshoumaru states, nodding stiffly.
"Mhm, including that. I wish that the world was a place where everyone could just live together, but.. sadly, that's not how it works. So, when problems arise, we deal with them."
"I must say, I am surprised to see that you are an Order assassin." he remarks, eyes scanning her form again.
"Yeah, well. People change." she replies, looking at him. A loud groan and a thud draws our attention to the door, where Kouga appears a few moments later, holding his eye and leaning heavily on the door jamb.
"What the hell hap- you! What the fuck are you doing here and why the fuck did you attack me?!" Kouga barks, flashing over to stand in front of the miko, bristling.
"He's not gunna hurt us. He's with the Order. Seems we were double booked. Speaking of, sun's down in 30 minutes." Kagome says as she checks her watch. Kouga still stands in between Kagome and Sesshoumaru, warily eyeing the inuyoukai.
"You sure he's good?" Kouga asks over his shoulder.
"Yep, positive. Now, sit, grab one of the snap packs from the bag for your eye, got a wonderful rainbow going on there." She smirks as she resettles herself in her chair to check the telescope. "Still there, though he's moved to the kitchen now."
"How do you wish to do this, miko." Sesshoumaru demands.
"Same way Kouga and I were planning to do it before. Dart to the ear, then go and clear out his place for any information pertaining to youkai." Kagome shrugs blithely, leaning back in her seat again.
"A dart. Filled with what?"
"Guess." she answers cheekily.
"I could guess several things, from tranquilizers to potent poisons, however all will leave a trace, which till then point to homicide, which draws attention."
"How do you normally kill your targets, Sesshoumaru?" Kouga looks at the inu slightly confused, until Sesshoumaru holds up his hand and his fingers begin to glow green.
"A few small drops, if injected into an artery can cause the human heart to stop, without leaving enough of a trace to point to anything that would lead anyone to believe it to be homicide."
"So, same thing then. It's possible it was even developed from your poison originally. The dart's filled with a synthetic toxin that leaves no discernable trace but causes the heart and lungs to stop working. So, I dart, Kouga goes and clears out the intel. Then leave, drop an anonymous call tomorrow morning when he's long dead and everything's set. That work for you?" Kagome looks to the scowling inu as he leans against the wall again.
"I would prefer to handle it on my own." he growls.
"Yeah, well, we were here first, so, just take the easy job. You're welcome to go help Kouga clean out the place if you want. We've already cleared his work systems." The miko scowls herself at the aggravating youkai before her. While he hadn't tried to kill her since the first couple of times she'd met him in the Fuedal Era, he was apparently just as bristly and difficult as he was then, but she had far less patience than she did when she was a teenager.
Kouga catches her eye then, his brow arching before his eyes flick to the inu and back, head tilting minutely, asking if she was okay with the inu being there. Reaching up, Kagome scratches below her ear and tilts her head to the side a bit, before rolling her shoulders and nodding almost imperceptibly. Kouga relaxes his shoulders as well, slapping the snap pack over his eye and groaning at the cooling sensation.
"How long have you two been together?" comes the sudden inquiry from the daiyoukai, making both miko and wolf jump, and then bust up laughing.
"Oh, Kami. No. We're not together. Gods. Sure, we've fooled around a few times in the past, happens when you're stuck with the same person for long stretches of time. But, no. Not together. He's been my partner for… gods..." Kagome turns to Kouga, eyes flicking up as she tries to remember, "80 years? As official partners, anyways. I'm not counting the joint missions we did before that." Kagome continues to giggle as she shakes her head, while Kouga has not stopped guffawing.
"Dude, we would've killed each other if we were together. She's a hell of an agent and partner, great in the sack, but Kami, she's a nightmare otherwise. I love ya, but it's true, Kags." Kouga manages to get out after a few minutes, making the miko scowl.
"Yeah, well, could say the same for you." she grumbles.
"Hell yeah, and proud of it." Kouga winks at her, chuckling again.
The inu looks between the two agents, unsure what to think of the information just imparted upon him. "Who was your partner before the wolf then?" he asks finally, his gaze returning to the miko's.
"Before Kouga, I didn't have one for a long while. Didn't want or need one, and no one aside from this bucket of laughs and Ship would stick, anyways. Only reason I have one now is because I'm still basically human, and need youkai abilities for some things. Plus, no one else will work with either of us long term." Kagome smirks, turning to look at the grinning wolf.
"I can only imagine why." Sesshoumaru mumbles. "If you needed youkai still, you must have had a partner before." he presses again, for some reason immensely curious, as he always was when it concerned her, it seems.
Sighing, Kagome looks back over at the laptop. "Guess." is all she says.
"My brother."
"Bingo." She rolls her neck to look at him, twirling her finger in the air lightly.
"Why are you no longer partnered with him?" Sesshoumaru can't seem to help himself. Kouga clears his throat lightly draws his attention to see the wolf shaking his head lightly.
"Doesn't matter. We're not anymore, went a century without a partner, then teamed up with dumbass here." she bites out, earning a cry of 'Hey!' from the ookami.
"Hn. Apologies. I was merely curious." the inu replies.
"S'fine. Well, it's not, but can't blame you for being curious. Not your fault for what all happened." Kagome shrugs, then checks her watch again. "Show time, boys." she announces, grabbing her rifle and propping it on it's stand, cracking the window open.
"You can make the shot?" Sesshoumaru questions as he steps up behind the miko. A loud snort seems to echo the room as both Kagome and Kouga do so at the question.
"Man, she's the best shot in the Order. No one's managed to break her record in nearly 40 years." Kouga tells him smugly. "Imma head over, buzz me when he's down." the wolf tells her as he leaves the room.
"You are Agent 1." comes a quiet remark from behind Kagome as she tucks her head to the rifle, eyeing down the sight and waiting for the target to be in a good position.
"Yup." she replies, popping the p. "Can you see across the way clearly without a sight?" she asks him, not removing herself from the rifle.
"I can." he answers, stepping up closer.
"Good, you can see me hit the guy then. Right... about… now…" she murmurs as she pulls the trigger as the target walks in front of his open window. "Nice of him to keep his windows open for us, don'cha think? Saves us having to fabricate how a crack formed." she says blithely as pulls out her phone and types out something before putting it away and then starts breaking down the rifle, followed by the telescope.
"Miko. Were you aiming for the inside of his ear?"
"Uh, yeah. It's a dart. When they collect his body and do the autopsy, they'll be checking for signs of homicide, a puncture wound, even a tiny one, is a dead giveaway. Since he's alone, and there aren't any drugs in his house, presumably, it's unlikely they'd be doing a tox screen anyways, but a puncture wound, even a small one, raises flags, and there are plenty of poisons that can dissipate within a few hours. The whole point is to not have anyone be suspicious."
"So, you aimed for his ear canal."
"Yep, should've hit down by the drum, which is too deep for human eyes to see on their own, so unless they know to look for it, pretty impossible they'll find it. Kouga'll fish it out during his clean up."
"That is... most impressive, miko." Sesshoumaru stares at the tiny woman before him, appraising her in a new light. Everything he had learned in the hour and a half he had interacted with her had his perception of her, which, admittedly was leftover from what he could remember from nearly five centuries ago. He knew then that she was immensely intelligent and had the mind of a tactician, even if it was untrained as such. However, this side of her was new. He found himself once more intrigued, and most curiously, he could feel his inner beast stirring. "Miko, I have a proposition for you." he blurts before he can fully think it through.
"Hm, what's that?" she replies, only half paying attention to him now as she packs up their equipment.
"I will have to clear it, but I would like to be partnered with you." His shoulders tense slightly in apprehension, not entirely sure why he wants this as much as he does, just knowing that he wants her to say yes.
Kagome freezes, half bent over the bags at his request before straightening slowly and turning to look at the former Western Lord. Her gaze drags over his form, noting the tension across his shoulders, the slight frown on his lips and minute tilt of his head.
"I'm not breaking my partnership with Kouga." she states slowly, unsure if that's what he meant.
"That is fine. I would still like to be partnered with you, if you are wiling." he answers evenly.
"I… why?" is all she can say, her brows pinching in confusion. No one wants to partner with her; she was surly after all these centuries, and had little patience for people. The only reason she and Kouga got along was because nothing ever seems to affect the wolf and he knows why she is the way she is now. He never stays angry for very long, and pretty much everything just rolls off his back. So, she could be her snappy self without worrying that she'd be abandoned mid mission, like a certain someone.
"May I be candid?" he queries lightly, and upon seeing her nod, he shifts his feet and crosses his arms. "You intrigue me. You are vastly different from how I remember you, and I am curious. As well, I do not have a partner, and while I do not need one, with your skills as demonstrated here and what I have heard of Agent 1, I would like to attempt it. If we are incompatible, then so be it." Sesshoumaru shrugs one shoulder, golden gaze locking with her own cerulean one.
"Uh… wow. Okay. I mean, I guess we can try it. If it doesn't work, like you said, it doesn't work. I'm warning you now though, I'm not the peppy school girl I was. If you're easily offended, this will not work, and I'm not going to waste my time approving it if you're going to get offended when I get bitchy. Cuz I will." Kagome narrows her eyes and arches a brow.
"Understood." the inu nods, smirking slightly before looking up at the door, just as Kagome can hear Kouga open the door to the apartment.
"Yo! We're all set, so lets vamoose." Kouga calls out before popping through the bedroom door and looking back and forth between the miko and inu. "Uh, did I miss something?"
"Kouga, meet our new partner." Kagome answers as she hands him a bag, before tossing another to the inu. "Starting now."
"I have not put the formal request through yet, but indeed, I wish to work with you both." Sesshoumaru tells the wolf.
"Oh, you already put in the formal request, buddy." Kouga snorts, grabbing another bag and leaving the room, chuckling at the confusion that crosses the inu's face.
"What does he mean?" Sesshoumaru inquires, turning to the miko again, grabbing another bag himself.
"I'm Agent 1, Sesshoumaru. Congrats, you're our new partner." she comments simply.
"Yes, I am aware you are. What I fail to understand is how-" the inu stops suddenly, staring at Kagome. "You can approve the request."
"Congrats, you're not an idiot. Yeah, all I have to do is sign off on it when we get back to headquarters and it's official. The only way they can overrule me is by getting a unanimous vote, which they won't because they, frankly, don't care what I do so long as I'm not endangering anyone, which I never do. In fact, I foresee only one of them actually voicing an issue on the matter."
Sesshoumaru can feel the hairs on the back of his neck prickle at the steely tone the miko has taken, especially when coupled with the almost malicious smile on her face. Giving himself a mental shake, he grabs the final bag from the floor and leaves the room, wondering precisely what the hell he just got himself into.
4/15/21 A/N: NEW STORY! Still working on SHM, but had this idea and wanted to explore it. It's not finished, but I do have a dozen chapters done. I hope you guys enjoy it. I'm pretty happy with it thus far. :D