Author's Note: Hello there! I can't believe the first chapter of Misfits' Manifesto is out! I'm really excited about this story and I can't wait for you to read it! Misfits' Manifesto is going to be emotional and will have its fair share of angst, but I'm a sucker for happy endings, so keep that in mind!

I would like to thank YoghurtForDinner and WitchyGirl99 for your amazing help and support you've given me. This chapter wouldn't be as good as it is without your incredible help. I love you and I'm very thankful to be able to call you my friends. Without further adieu, I hope you like the beginning of Misfits' Manifesto!

"You sure about this? Is this the right place?" Inuyasha asked his recently found friend while kneeling in front of the basement window.

"I'm sure. This asshole is such a slacker I'm sure he didn't fix anything after moving into my house!" the man answered angrily. "I'd always thought this window was an easy way in, but never had time to fix it. Now it's finally coming in handy," his friend answered while pursing his lips. "If you apply pressure on that spot, the window will budge," he added, pointing at the low right corner of the window.

Inuyasha did as instructed and sighed. He just couldn't believe how his life had turned out. Looking right at the person beside him Inuyasha blurted, "Just to be clear, did this guy really shoot you straight in the face?!"

"What do you think?" the man answered angrily, pointing to his face. Even though the wound was two years old, blood was still oozing from it, frozen in time.

"Sorry, my bad, my bad. I just wanted to make sure I was breaking into the house of someone that deserves it," Inuyasha replied, shrugging it off. Sometimes he had to remind himself to be more tactful when dealing with ghosts. "So he shot you dead and told your daughter that a burglar did it?" Inuyasha asked as he slightly pushed the corner of said window and waited for it to budge. He winced at the noise it made and tried to create an opening big enough for him to fit through. Carefully, Inuyasha slid inside of the house and landed on the basement floor. He stood up and started walking as quietly as he possibly could.

"You don't have to be so careful, they're rarely here at this time of the day. Coast is clear for at least two hours," the ghost informed matter-of-factly. "Remember your deal: you can have everything that belongs to him. Just leave my daughter out of this."

"Whatever you say, man. I'm just thankful to get some extra cash and decent stuff to sell," Inuyasha answered. He headed towards the main safe per the ghost's instructions, all the while being careful not to touch anything. He didn't want to leave a trail behind.
Like the ghost said, no one was home and the house was completely silent. The only thing that could be heard was the monotone sound of the cars randomly passing by. The kids were still at school, most homeowners were working in the afternoon, and the silence was starting to become unbearable for Inuyasha. He always felt awkward when dealing with ghosts. Even though he didn't know them much, when Inuyasha approached them in order to learn their stories and decide if they would be a good fit for what he needed, he always felt that created a bond. Inuyasha was surprised at first at how willingly a ghost would help him rob or hurt their murderer if he offered. It wasn't because ghosts loved him, they always were quite vocal regarding his short temper and how they didn't like him; at all. Really, ghosts decided to cooperate because he was the only unlucky bastard with the power to see and hear them. He knew they just were partners, but he still felt the urge to make casual conversation with them, "So… you hang out here a lot?"

"Well, I don't go to the park much, if that's what you are implying. I've been trying to leave clues for my daughter to pick up, but I haven't been able to yet," the ghost said, extending his arm to touch a framed photograph sitting on a hallway table, his hand going straight through it. He let out an exasperated sigh and crossed his arms.

"Today is your lucky day, then. As a personal thank you, I will help you leave a few clues behind," Inuyasha replied with an honest chuckle. They stopped in front of an awful painting. "Is this the one?"

"Yes. Put your hand behind the bottom left-hand corner, you will feel a button. Press it and the safe will be there. It will ask you for a code," the ghost instructed.

Inuyasha tried to find the button with his gloved hands, feeling the back of the painting while biting his lip. Finally, his fingers came across a slight bump that could only mean the presence of a button. He lightly pushed it until he heard the softest of "clicks". The painting moved forward, opening like a door to show a safe with a numerical pad. Inuyasha looked at the ghost, urging him to give him the code.

"528491, that'll get you in," the man next to him said.

Inuyasha pressed the numbers, holding his breath. The safe took one second until it made a beeping sound as it opened. He wasted no time looking through the contents of the safe and picking up a couple grand and a few nice watches. "Jackpot," Inuyasha said as he put everything into his backpack.

"OK, I came through with my part, now it's time you do yours," the ghost said while running his hands through his hair.

"You got it," Inuyasha said as he went into the master bedroom. "Sorry, but I have to ask: what did the police say? How did this asshole get away with it?". Honest curiosity showing on his face.

"He hid the gun, I never figured out where. I tried to look for it, but I can't since I haven't fully figured out this ghost thing yet," the dead man answered in frustration.

"Let's leave a note then, tell me what you want to say and give me some specifics so we make it harder for her to ignore…" Inuyasha sat down by the bed with a pen and a sheet of paper. "What's your daughter's name?"

"Kyoko," he answered fondly. And with that, Inuyasha started to write what the ghost told him to.

Three hours later, Inuyasha was long gone and there was not a single clue that there had been a break-in. All that was left was a very interesting note for Kyoko in the top drawer of her nightstand that would make her question everything she thought she knew.

"C'mon, c'mon, don't be mean to me, my lovelies," Miroku cajoled as he was waiting for his next poker hand.

He took a moment to observe the other players. There was a stocky man with dark hair on his right, a tiny red-haired man that reminded him of a gnome in front of him, and a slender blonde man on his left. He licked his lips as the dealer started to distribute the cards. Once he got his cards, he let go of the breath he didn't realize he was holding, utterly relieved. He looked at the other players sitting on the table, faking nervousness. Closing his eyes, he saw it.

The man on his right didn't have much, so he wasn't a threat. The guy in front of him had two queens, which would be enough for him to trick the poor guy into believing that he was going to win when that was actually no match for his cards. And the one on his left… didn't stand a chance. He explored both options: if he laid low and waited for the next round to strike he would lose, but if he won that round and left, he would take it all.

Miroku opened his eyes filled with a newfound determination after seeing his future. "I don't know why I'm doing this," Miroku feigned anxiety as he grabbed all his poker chips and tossed them into the center of the table, "but I'm all in," and then he started to fidget as he looked at the other players. Oh, if they bought his fake anxiety, then he was going to go home big.

He saw how every player, one by one, started to toss their poker chips in the center of the table. After that, they all took a one-second break and started to show their cards, starting with the tall guy on his right.

Everything was so predictable when you were able to see the future. Miroku smirked because it was time to collect his prize. One instant before he showed his cards, he decided to double-check his fate, just to be sure about his next move.

"Wow," he exclaimed, acting surprised. "I can't believe my luck," he said as he put his right hand on his chest. He paused for a second before smiling and saying, "full house!" and proceeded to show the cards he was holding in his left hand. He put the cards on the table, so the other players could see he wasn't lying about his hand.

Miroku grabbed the poker chips with a smile, using both hands. "Sorry boys, but I have to go. I wish you better luck next time."

"You son of a bitch, you tricked us!" the tiny man screamed at him, filled with rage. He went for him and punched him right in the face, throwing him to the ground. The two other players grabbed him by the arms while he was recovering and held him in place while that tiny man kept pounding him.

"So… I see you are going to be sore losers," Miroku whispered to himself, none of the other players were able to hear him. "Wow," he exclaimed, acting surprised. "I can't believe my luck," he said as he put his right hand on his chest. He paused for a second before smiling and saying, "full house!" and proceeded to show the cards he was holding in his left hand. He put the cards on the table so the other players could see he wasn't lying.

Miroku went for it, grabbing the poker chips with a smile, his body tense, ready to avoid the punch that was about to come his way. "Sorry boys, but I have to go. I wish you better luck next time."

"You son of a bitch, you tricked us!" the tiny man screamed at him, filled with rage as he tried to punch him in the face.

Miroku, having already seen what was going to happen, ducked and went for the poker chips. He put them all in his pockets and waved goodbye to the other players that were trying to calm the tiny raged man down.

"I see you are not as brave when I'm not on the ground, morons," Miroku muttered with a half-smile as he went to cash out his poker chips. He saluted the lady the minute he got to the official cage. "Good night beautiful lady, I would like to cash out my prize," he said with a charming smile and a velvety voice.

The woman smiled at him and grabbed his chips and started counting them. "Big night, huh?" she said.

"Well, it's hard not to be so lucky when you have such a beautiful woman in the cage. You wanna make sure you can say goodbye by the end of the night," Miroku answered as he casually leaned on the counter. The woman giggled and openly smiled at him while handling him his money. She was about to say something when she suddenly became very quiet and looked at something, no, someone behind him. As Miroku was putting all the money into his wallet and pockets, he turned around and saw two tall men dressed as security standing behind him. He sighed; he was so close to getting lucky tonight. Now every possibility was gone.

"Good evening, good sirs. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Miroku asked with a grin, trying to be extremely polite but already knowing what was going to happen.

"We are here to escort you outside and to inform you that you are no longer welcomed in this casino," the one on the left answered plainly.

"May I ask why?" Miroku inquired as he was escorted, not refusing at all.

Now it was the tall guy on his right's turn to answer, all the while grabbing his arm and pushing him outside of the establishment. "Your behavior led us to believe you were cheating, sir. We weren't able to figure out how you did it, but we protect our customers from scum like you."

"Whoa, OK," Miroku said as he tore his arm away from the iron grasp the security guard had on him. "I'm going, I'm going. Words were enough, no need to use force." And with that, he walked away.

"Come on Kagome, more!" the tall man standing behind her ordered her to keep going. And so she did, feeling a drop of sweat slide down her temple. She held her right hand up and started turning it around, as she heard the man in front of her scream again.

"Oh God, please stop!" He wasn't able to speak anymore. His words were completely buried by his screams.

"More! You are not using your full strength, my child," the man behind her kept going as he walked closer to her, "more". Kagome didn't move, she stood there with her hand help up and looked between the two men. "Remember Kagome, the minute you stop he's going to be fine. You are not actually hurting him, so stop restraining yourself. You are never going to be ready and finish your training if you don't push yourself. More." With that, the tall man put a hand on her shoulder to give her some sort of reassurance. Kagome shot a last glance to her trainer behind her and then drove her gaze to the man that was kneeling in front of her, his face contorted with pain. She could feel he was about to collapse so she closed her hand as the man shouted another agonizing scream and crumpled in front of her, completely silent. Kagome looked away.

"It's OK, Kagome, that will teach him a lesson. He's going to be fine. Kagura will take care of him until he recovers," her father said as he led her away while directing his gaze to the tall woman that was looking at the scene from the far corner of the room. Kagura nodded. "Now go rest, remember that things are about to change and I need you strong. You are my rising star," he said as he put both hands on her shoulders. "You did well. Dismissed."

"Thank you father," Kagome said, and with a nod she left, completely exhausted from her training session.

Kagome went to the kitchen where she found her sister sitting on the table. "Another training session?" The slim woman with white hair was drinking a cup of tea, black eyes never parting from her beverage.

"Yes, I'm wrecked," Kagome said as she poured herself a glass of water and wiped the sweat away from her forehead. She leaned on the counter and directed her big brown eyes towards her sister, casually asking, "Father mentioned something about things 'being about to change'. Do you know anything about it, Kanna?" directing her big brown eyes towards her sister.

"No."

"Are you sure there?" Kagome pressed, knowing it was pointless. Talking to her sister was like talking to a wall. She never showed any emotion, never budging under the pressure.

"Yes."

Kagome sighed, clearly giving up. "How was your day?"

"Fine." Kagome smiled. Classic Kanna.

"I'm glad, sis. OK, I'm going to take a shower, I need to get some rest," she said as she gulped down the glass of water and put it down in the sink. "It was nice talking to you, goodnight!" Kagome said while leaving the kitchen and heading towards the bathroom.

She turned the shower on and started to undress while thinking back on her earlier training. She could still see the agonized man looking at her with pleading eyes, asking her to stop. But she didn't stop, she couldn't. If she didn't continue with her training, then she'd never be ready and her father would think that she was a waste of space. She ran her hands through her hair as she let an exasperated sigh escape her mouth.

You have to be stronger Kagome, or Naraku will never take you seriously.

She hopped into the hot shower and closed her eyes the minute she felt water touching her head. She let out a sigh of relief and let the water wash down everything: the pressure she felt to improve during her training sessions, the sweat, the look the man gave her and the sight of him completely unconscious on the ground, the voice of his father urging her to keep going... Everything went down the drain. She had to be strong. She owed it to him.

"You fucked up, Sango!" the tall man yelled with a flushed face.

"Oh, c'mon Masaru, you know I didn't fuck up that bad! We were able to complete the mission!" Sango answered angrily while clenching her fists.

"You got two colleagues killed! Of course that's fucking up! You fucked up big time!" Masaru kept shouting at her, baring his teeth.

"It was an honest mistake! Besides, those two were assholes, we are better off without them!" Sango kept shouting, anger and tiredness getting the best of her.

"That's it, Sango! I need people I can trust and who I know will work as a team. You can't, you just can't." Masaru crossed his arms.

"A team? A fucking team? Masaru, you know those two almost had me killed during the last mission and didn't even bat their eyes! They wanted me dead!" As she was talking, Sango could feel how everyone kept staring at their showdown. Every single man in the room was happily looking at how the only girl on the team was being shouted at. Fucking assholes, she thought.

"Sango, enough. You're fired. Grab your things and go. I want you out of the house by tonight." Masaru's tone was deadly cold; it was as if a switch had been flipped.

"What? You are fucking firing me? What are you going to do without me? You know I'm too good at what I do!" Sango couldn't believe what she had just heard. Masaru wouldn't do something so stupid, would he?

"Yes Sango, I'm firing you. Grab your stuff and leave, you're out!" Masaru repeated and then turned around. He didn't give her a second glance, he seemed to be done and so was she.

Sango turned around and went straight to her room while mumbling all sorts of insults towards Masaru. When she reached it she saw her door was open. She got ready to fight whoever was in her room only to find it all trashed, the intruders were long gone. Sango scanned the room to find all the clothes she owned completely torn apart. Her books were scattered on her bed, pages completely ripped and used as confetti. So, while Masaru was shouting at her, her lovely colleagues were destroying everything she owned, making a fucking party out of her misery. She kept scanning her room while clenching her jaw, assessing the damage.

No.

Sango teared up, kneeling on the floor. The picture of her next to her older brother was lying on the floor, ripped in half. It was the only picture she had of him.

Kohaku…

She tried to fight the tears forming in the corner of her eyes, knowing that she shouldn't be showing that what those assholes did affected her, but she couldn't. She was kicked from the place she had been calling home for the last two years and accused of letting two of her colleagues die. It had been a mistake, but it hadn't been her fault. She stopped herself and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind because none of that mattered anymore. She was out.

Carefully retrieving the now destroyed picture, she grabbed one of the less damaged books she owned, shoved the pieces inside of it and put the book in her duffel bag. She then tried to look through what was left of her clothes, realizing almost all of them were in tatters. Grabbing what was left of her belongings, she didn't even bother cleaning up the mess and just left.

"I can't believe someone as pretty as you is all alone on a beautiful night like this," a man said as he took the seat next to her. "What's your name, gorgeous?" he asked, inching a little bit closer with every word.

Sango sighed, tired, and wanting to be left alone. "Please, I'm in no mood for whatever you are trying to do, just leave me alone." She gestured with her hand for him to leave.

"I will if you tell me your name," he said as he put his hand on her arm, squeezing it a little bit.

Sango winced at the unwelcome touch and moved to free herself from his grasp. "My name is none of your damn business," Sango said while finally looking at him. Crinkling her nose, she averted her gaze and focused all her attention on the drink in her hand. "I need to be alone, just leave me, please".

"You should smile a little bit more; you are way too pretty to be so sad," he answered, completely ignoring what she had just said.

Why couldn't she be left alone for one minute? She just wanted to enjoy her drink while trying to figure out what to do next. Her life was over and this moron wasn't leaving her alone. She even tried politely turning him down, but he didn't seem to get the hint.

Sango took a deep breath, let her head fall, and whispered, "Well, you asked for it."

One minute, the man was looking at a lovely brunette lady sitting on a bar. The next, he was looking at a copy of himself. It was like looking in a mirror.

"Maybe you should try to smile more!" Sango said, grinning. All the man could see was himself smiling like a crazy person. "Does this look good? Oh, I'm an asshole called Yashiro and I stalk pretty girls and tell them to smile more often." The longer she stood next to him the more she started to learn about him. Oh, that's interesting. She smirked. "Does Kyoko know you are here? I wonder what she would think if she found out you are here hitting on ladies while she's taking care of… Misa. Poor little girl, she has no clue her dad is an asshole. Maybe I should go and tell them the truth tonight…" Sango could see the fear starting to settle on Yashiro's eyes, the color of his face completely drained.

"Wh-what are you?" Yashiro asked, terrified. He could see how his double looked at the drink he was holding and continued to drink, deciding he was no longer worthy of his double's attention. He waited for a bit before letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Let's just say you messed with the wrong person and that you have awful timing. If you don't want me showing up at your house tonight looking like this, leave now," Sango answered, not even bothering to look at him. She was starting to feel gross learning so much about this man. Seeing as Yashiro was still there, shocked to his core, Sango snapped at him, "Go, now!" The man snapped out of it and left, not looking back.

Sango sighed. She needed to get it together.

"I have to admit, that was amazing," a tall man said, clapping. It seemed he had been eavesdropping on her previous conversation. He took Yashiro's place and sat right next to her.

"You didn't get the full picture, but don't worry, I can give you a little demonstration," Sango said with a half-smile, extremely tired of men. She didn't want to get involved or have anything to do with men for ten years at least.

"Don't bother, Sango, I'm well aware of your powers." It was as if she had been struck by lightning and her whole body tensed, fight or flight response kicking in. How does he even know my name?

"I know, I know. Do you want to know how I know your name? Well, Sango…" he said again, enjoying how the sound of her name put her on edge, "my name is Naraku and I have a proposition for you." He paused, pleased he had her full attention. "I know how to put those powers to good use. I could help you."

Sango didn't think twice about it and used her powers, shapeshifting into Naraku. Even though it was a useful power to scare people or disguise as others, it was also useful because the more time spent with the person she was copying, the more she learned about them. But with Naraku… she wasn't getting anything. It was like shapeshifting into a wall with no friends, with no past, nothing.

Naraku could see the shock written all over Sango's face and smirked. "I get it Sango; I believe you are wondering why you are not able to read me like you always do with other people?" he asked, taking a deliberate pause. "Nice mirroring, by the way, impressive skills. Far better than what I pictured," he added; keeping her in the dark.

"If you don't tell me what the fuck you want I'll show you other impressive skills that I have," Sango retorted while increasing the hold on her drink, her knuckles turning white. Who was this Naraku guy? Why couldn't she read him? What did he want with her?

"As I said, I have a business proposition for you. I would like to hire you so you can be part of a very special team of people. People like you, with powers…" Naraku continued, ignoring Sango's threats. He could see how his own image looked straight into him at the mention of people with powers.

"And why would I work for you? What's in it for me?" Sango had already made up her mind. There was nothing he could offer her that would make her say yes.

"I would pay you. Take this, it's half of what your monthly payment will be," he said while putting an envelope on the bar and slowly sliding it her way. Sango didn't even bother to open the envelope.

"No. Thank you but I don't trust you, Naraku," Sango spat out, grabbing the envelope and handing it to him.

"Well, if you don't want to do it for the money then perhaps you will consider doing it for your brother," Naraku said and Sango saw how the curve of his mouth turned up slightly, knowing that with that last word, she was going to say yes. Of course this strange man would know the only weakness that would make her throw her caution to the wind. "He deserves to be avenged and I can help you with that. I will wait for you tomorrow at 9 AM sharp, the address is inside the envelope. Bye Sango, it's a pleasure to be doing business with you." With that, Naraku was gone.

Sango stood there, looking at the place where Naraku was sitting a few seconds ago, not able to process what just happened.

He deserves to be avenged and I can help you with that.

With Naraku's words on her mind, she took the unopened envelope that was sitting on the bar in front of her. If she was going to venture into the lion's den, she needed to get some rest and not have a crushing hangover. Not even bothering to look for her wallet inside her duffel bag, she decided to open the envelope and use that money to pay for her tab, hoping that it would be enough to at least cover it. What she found inside, though, was far more than she had imagined. Enough to cover her expenses for at least a month, even.

"Fuck," Sango said, as a statement of how fucked her life was, and how with this, she might have just signed her death sentence. She finished what was left of her drink with one gulp and then took a twenty-dollar bill and shoved it under her recently emptied glass. Sango grabbed the envelope and tucked it carefully in a place where she knew it would be safe, grabbed what was left of her belongings and decided to go find a nice hotel where she could spend the night.

She definitely needed to get some rest.

Miroku was sitting outside a bar, enjoying the cold night with a beer in his hand. It was time for him to move, since word would soon spread about him to every casino in the city he had been living in for a couple of months now. He needed to find a new town, lay low for a while, and find new casinos. He looked at his watch- it was getting late for him, he needed to pack his things and go to the train station. He looked up to the sky and let out a defeated sigh.

"Good evening Miroku, enjoying your beer?" a dark-haired man behind him mockingly asked. How could he not have seen him coming? Completely taken aback by this man's sudden introduction, Miroku turned around to face him.

"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Miroku asked, doing his best to not show the fear on his face. He was not used to surprises of any kind.

"Easy Miroku, I'm here to offer you a job. I take it you are no longer welcomed to the casinos in this area," the mysterious man said, crossing his arms, feigning disinterest. "My name is Naraku and I would like you to be part of a team I'm assembling. I would put your powers to good use, I promise," Naraku said with a smirk.

Miroku could feel how his heart was violently pumping adrenaline through his veins, like a drug. It was so hard to surprise Miroku, his power would always prevent it. Trying to keep his breathing even, he used his power to see what his future would look like if he decided to work for this Naraku guy.

If he said "no", Miroku saw his life being like that forever. Hopping from city to city, a never-ending parade of casinos, gambles, and cons. Same old, same old.

On the other hand, if he said "yes" … Nothing. Miroku saw absolutely nothing. Could this mean death? Could this mean that his future was uncertain for once?

Another wave of adrenaline rushed through his veins and it was exhilarating. He wasn't used to it, but he liked not knowing what would happen for once. Maybe it was death, but he didn't seem to care. Should he say yes and work with Naraku, knowing that his fate was uncertain? It was a risk, but he was tired of knowing everything, living the same dull life.

"I take your silence as a 'yes' Miroku," Naraku said while grabbing an envelope from his coat's inner pocket and handing it to him. "Inside this envelope, you will find half of what your monthly payment would be, should you decide to work for me. Also, you'll find the address where you are going to meet the rest of the team. I hope to see you tomorrow at 9 AM, sharp. Goodbye, Miroku," Naraku said and left.

Miroku grabbed the envelope without even bothering to open it, already knowing how much money was inside of it. He finished his beer and started to walk. Tomorrow was going to be a new day and for the first time in forever, Miroku didn't know what the future had in store for him.

"You should stop robbing houses, Inuyasha," the old lady said, glancing at him with a disapproving look on her face.

"Don't look at me like that, Kaede. I also helped someone today; the good outweighs the bad, remember?" he said as he sat down. The place was filled with people talking, crying. It was hard for him to focus on the old lady standing in front of him.

"Oh really? How is robbing a man and destroying his relationship with his wife doing some good, huh?" Kaede inquired with a curled lip.

"Well, we mortals have to spend money to buy food, because we need to eat, remember? I needed the money and besides, the man I robbed was her wife's father's murderer. He deserved it," Inuyasha said while getting his dinner from the paper bag inside his backpack and sitting on top of the stone grave. While unwrapping his burger, a few pickles fell onto the tomb. "Shit," Inuyasha said while trying to clean it with his bare hands.

"Oh, come on Inuyasha. You better clean this up before you leave or I'm going to haunt your ass. You know I hate it when you eat on top of my grave," Kaede said, crossing her arms and sparing another disapproving glance his way.

"Well, you know how much I hate it when you say that I should stop robbing houses, so we are even now. I'm going to clean it, I promise," the young man said while chewing his burger, putting his free hand over his heart, as if that gesture would make his promise harder to break. Inuyasha decided he had had enough of that subject, so he decided to change topics. "Has she stopped by today?" Inuyasha asked, looking across the graveyard where all the ghosts were walking around and talking amongst themselves.

"You know she has never been here, Inuyasha. After all this time you are still waiting to meet her here? Do you still have hope?" Sorrow was written all over her face.

"I know she will come to see her aunt any time now. It's been years, she wouldn't disappear like this Kaede, you know your niece. Kikyo would never stop visiting you. She will show up eventually. She has to." A hint of desperation was evident in Inuyasha's voice.

"Hello Inuyasha," someone said from behind the tomb, a certain someone that sounded very much alive. Inuyasha spun around so fast that he spilled his drink and emitted something that sounded like a growl.

"Who are you?" asked Inuyasha. This was his safe place; no one knew about his nights spent at the graveyard. No one was supposed to know. "How did you find me?" he asked, lifting his chin.

"Calm down Inuyasha. My name is Naraku and I have a job for you," Naraku said, slowly walking up to him. He had one envelope in one hand and Naraku gestured for him to take it. Since Inuyasha didn't make any attempt to grab it, he decided to leave it on top of Kaede's grave. "In that envelope, you will find half of what your monthly payment will be."

"Get away from here. I work for no one," Inuyasha simply answered, not picking up the envelope.

"I can also help you find Kikyo, as part of your payment. I can find her, Inuyasha," Naraku said and smirked. Checkmate written all over his face; the only thing left was for Inuyasha to acknowledge his defeat.

Inuyasha didn't bother to hide how shocked he was by the mention of Kikyo's name. Impossible, he thought. There was no way someone else knew about her.

Everything at the graveyard stood still for a few seconds as Inuyasha considered his options. He knew this was dangerous and reckless, but he had no other clues as to what had happened to Kikyo and he needed to find her. This was the first lead after several months.

"Fine, I'll do it," Inuyasha spat out, words feeling heavy in his mouth.

Naraku smiled triumphantly, as if Inuyasha's answer had just granted him a victory. He turned around to leave and said, "I'll see you tomorrow at 9 AM sharp. The address is inside the envelope. It was nice meeting you, Inuyasha." And then started to walk away.

Kaede, fully knowing that Naraku wasn't able to see her, turned around to look at Inuyasha. "I don't like this, Inuyasha, you shouldn't go. It seems like a trap." Inuyasha waited until he was sure Naraku wouldn't be able to hear him.

"Well, we thought we were the only ones who knew about your niece, but he knows. I have to find her, Kaede. I'll be fine," Inuyasha said while grabbing his jacket and his backpack. He took a look at the mess he'd made with his drink on Kaede's grave and looked at her apologetically. "I'm sorry Kaede, I didn't mean to-"

"It's OK, Inuyasha, go rest. You'll need it." Kaede cut him off, looking fondly at him. Inuyasha was about to leave when she spoke. "Please, keep me updated."

"Sure Kaede, but there is nothing to worry about. I'll find Kikyo, don't worry."

Kagome shut down the alarm on her phone, groaning. The alarm clock read 7 AM, her usual wake up time. Even though she was sure she had gotten 8 hours of sleep, she still didn't feel rested enough. With a heavy sigh she sat on her bed and looked at her bedroom, the same old bedroom she had lived in for the last 20 years. Funnily enough, it hadn't changed much, since it never was a very personalized room to begin with. Same old white walls, same old bed, same old desk. Nothing had changed since she arrived at this house when she was five years old. She looked at her clock again: 7:05 am. She still had 40 more minutes until she needed to meet her father for him to tell her what type of training she would have that day.

Standing up, she tried to move her sore legs, still stiff from the training she underwent the day before. "So, stretching it is," she quietly said to herself after she had decided to spend a little of her free time stretching her muscles.

After a couple of minutes of stretching, a knock on her door snapped her out of her "me time" and brought her back to reality.

"Come in, it's open!" Kagome answered, straightening up and fixing her pajamas. Kanna opened her door, black eyes boring a hole through her.

"Kagome, Father wants to meet you in 10 minutes for breakfast. Wear training clothes." Kagome tried to say something like "good morning", "okay", "be there in 10", or even "thanks" but Kanna didn't let her. She was in and out in less than a minute. Shaking her head and laughing at her sister's peculiar way of communicating with her, she opened her closet and found some leggings and a shirt she thought appropriate to wear and headed downstairs to where her father was waiting.

"Good morning, Father," Kagome said cheerfully yet respectfully.

"Good morning, Kagome," her father answered, not bothering to take his eyes from his phone. "Starting today, things are going to change around here," he said while sipping on his cup of coffee. Kagome rolled her eyes; he had already said that and he wasn't even bothering to spare a glance her way. Classic Father, she thought as she grabbed a toast and started to smash some fresh avocado on it, waiting for her father to continue.

"I'm going to form a team, a very special team and I want you to be part of it. I need someone I know I can trust." Kagome looked at him, flabbergasted with what her father had just said. A team?

"But Father, why do you need a team? I've been doing my best and I'm always able to complete any mission you sent me to-"

"This is something different Kagome, a team is needed to embark on this mission. I know you are ready now, I saw your training yesterday." He cut her off, not letting her finish. "The team will live and train under this roof and you will accomplish several missions together. They are arriving today so I will expect you to be in the living room at 9 AM sharp. Don't embarrass me." And with that, he gave her a look that made it very clear that she needed to be on her best behavior. There was absolutely no room for an argument.

"Here? Today? But-" There were a lot of things that Kagome needed to say. A thousand questions were forming in her mind, trying to process all the information her father had just provided.

"Enough, Kagome. Eat your breakfast and let's enjoy the silence, shall we?" Naraku ordered. Typical of him, whenever he decided the conversation was over, the conversation was over.

By the time Kagome had finished her breakfast, her father had already left and reminded her to be in the living room at 9 AM sharp. Kagome had nodded and rolled her eyes at him, and once again, her father did not even bother to look at her while she did that.

Since it was 8 o'clock, Kagome decided that she would train for a bit and then take a shower, so she could be ready when the time came to meet her new teammates.

Thank you so much for reading! I would love to know what you think so far 3