AN: I think this is where the action starts to pick up. But don't worry - it's still going to be fluffy romantics ^_^ But all stories need some butt kicking.











Rules of Acquisition

Doppelganger













~Inuyasha~





"Are you sure you're up to this?"

"I'm fine. I'm just worried about you."

"No... I meant you're arm." I glanced nervously at Miroku's still mummified limb. "Are you sure you can hold my weight? Don't want you to drop me or anything..."

"Inuyasha I could probably dangling a car from this roof with just the one arm." I couldn't see his face properly behind the mask, but I could tell he was smirking. "You're pretty much of a lightweight anyway."

"I don't know..." I still hesitated. "Maybe I should hold you while you go down?"

"You really are scared I'll drop you, huh?"

"Well... I just had a bad past experience with the Higurashi's roof... and I don't want to have to peel myself up from concrete a second time this week." I peered over the edge of the roof and narrowed my eyes. At least I didn't have vertigo... but the height was still a little unnerving. I didn't fancy throwing myself over the edge with nothing other than Miroku to steady my rope.

I don't like Bungee-jumping.

"Ok... I'll go down there first." Miroku nodded and started attaching the end of the rope through his belt. "When I get inside that window, you tie yourself to that ventilation shaft and you INCH your way down carefully, yeah?"

No way was I doing it the wuss way. "Sure, ok."

"Ok," he handed me the looped coils of rope that was attached to his belt and moved over to the edge. "Don't let go now."

"Sure, ok."

And with that he jumped backwards off the roof, holding the rope tightly in one hand. I gripped the rope tight as Miroku's weight nearly yanked me forward over the edge as well. It wasn't long before he planted his feet against the side of the building and began walking down, heading towards the one open window in the entire building.

That was our way inside. And once inside we'd split up and search for the Shikon. Jacken had had new information that the business manager of this building had acquired the Shikon and was keeping it in his safe in his office. First we'd have to find his office and then we'd have to break into the safe. Hopefully it wouldn't be another fake...

But it did make me wonder who on earth was making all these fake Shikon jewels? Whoever it was, was probably getting a lot of money for them. I was willing to bet it was a certain Grandpa Higurashi...

Miroku was taking too long and I was getting bored of feeding him rope bit by bit. Ooh - he wasn't looking! Now was the perfect chance to give him the shock of his life.

I let go of the rope completely.

I grinned as I heard Miroku curse so loudly it echoed through the air as he fell. I grabbed the rope again and he slapped against the wall.

"Not FUNNY Inuyasha!" He yelled up, clearly pissed off.

I waved cheerfully at him, but I couldn't help but crack up. Although that had been a very loud yell from him... maybe it would have alerted the security guards inside? Who cared...

Miroku started taking the small steps down again until he finally reached the window. I held him tight while peering over the edge to see his progress. He pushed the window open further and carefully positioned himself so he could slip inside the dark office within. A few moments passed and he'd disappeared from sight, but I could still feel his movements pulling on the rope.

Then at last, the rope went slack and Miroku tossed his end out of the window, allowing me to pull it back up so I could use it. We had to go through this ordeal because we had forgotten to bring two ropes... we really needed to start attending those boy scout evenings again. The motto being: always be prepared.

I whistled to myself as I finally gathered the rope up together and moved away from the edge to tie one end around an air conditioning vent. When I was sure it was secure I looped the rest of the rope through my belt and started walking backwards towards the edge, ready to abseil just as Miroku had just done.

When I reached the edge I glanced over my shoulder to position myself direction above the window and jumped off. I didn't do the wimpy Miroku way either - I did jumps and all but let go of the rope as it raced through my belt on the way down...

But then I started to get rope burns on my hands and my stomach was getting hot through the fabric of my shirt where the rope slid through my belt... so I had to slow it down a little. But I was still making the 'professional' look bad, so I was ok with that.

I even started humming the Mission Impossible theme tune on the way down. I reached the window in half Miroku's time and was about to make a graceful entrance when a hand shot out, grabbed my ankle and yanked me inside. I cried out in surprise and barely avoided getting clobbered by the edge of the window.

When I finally righted myself and was standing on carpeted office floor again I turned on my partner. "What the heck was that for?"

"Just getting you back for dropping me." Miroku smirked and tugged the rope from my belt. "Come on, we don't have time to mess about."

"Says you - I just sped you up, that's all!" I growled angrily.

"Whatever. Leave the rope there - that's our escape route."

We quickly hurried through the small office we'd landed in and stepped out into the corridor outside after Miroku had picked the lock. Then we were faced with a choice. Left or right?

"I'll take the left - you take the right." Miroku pointed. "Come back here in thirty minutes or if you find the Shikon before me. And watch out for the guards."

I nodded and started down the right hand way of the corridor while Miroku took the opposite direction. All I had to do was keep my eyes peeled for a certain 'Mr. Yamaki, Head Director of Door Handles and Knobs Incorporated' office...

Now there was a title to be proud of.

How had this moron managed to get his hands on a Shikon? Fake or otherwise? I had a horrible feeling that this would turn out to be a fake... and it would be yet another waste trip - that I would have paid for with rope burns on my hands and stomach. Wonderful.

I rounded a corner and quickly threw myself back as I spotted a few security guards with flash lights up ahead. They hadn't seen me... but I had to wait until they had gone before I could continue again...

This would be more difficult that infiltrating the Museum. For a start there were more than just two old age pensioners doing the nightly security rounds... there were at least fifty - and some of them were below the age of sixty as well. Shock. But it made me wonder why Bed Knobs and Broomsticks Incorporated or whatever needed so many guards. To protect the Shikon maybe?

Even though I wasn't having to pretend to be Miroku anymore, I still had to wear the violet contacts and keep my hair tied up and hidden from sight. I even had been told to alter the sound of my voice - try and make it more smoother sounding if I ever had to talk. Just in case we were seen I still wasn't allowed to be associated with my family or a whole new scandal would hit the papers... and it wouldn't be about me and Kagome anymore.

I got that prickling feeling of guilt when I remembered her. I was doing this mission to beat her family and leave them all in the dust so we Arashi's could win the election. It wasn't personally directed at Kagome... but it made me wonder. When the Arashi's won (no ifs here) would she hold it against me? Would she hate me?

I didn't like to think about that... for now we were both fine with each other. We felt comfortable spending time together and we'd been on a few dates already... in fact we'd just been on one a couple of hours ago. We'd gone to the cinema to see a thriller movie. I'd deliberately chosen the thriller category so Kagome would scream and clutch my shirt like the dutiful date. Problem was... she'd been too busy making out with me to really notice the scary parts of the film. Well... I wasn't too disappointed I guess...

The cinema had been dark so no one had recognised us... and when it was time to leave we'd done our secret agent stunt and pulled out some cool sunglasses. That didn't make us stand out at all (yeah, who doesn't wear sunglasses at night?).

We'd split when she'd gotten a phone call from her father wanting her back home to do some errands. Not soon after I'd gotten a call from my own father wanting me to go steal the Shikon from this very building - he'd said Miroku would meet me there.

Which brings me up to this moment in time, really wishing that Miroku could have gone alone and I could have spent more time with Kagome. She was just the person who made it all worth while getting up in the morning for. Sometimes I just dropped by her library, pretending to be picking up some biology text books for my job, just to see her.

It was all like a dangerous little game. We had to 'accidentally' meet here and there. When we arranged dates we could never arrive places together or leave places together, otherwise it would look suspicious. If we ever accidentally met when we were with friends we'd have to pretend that we hadn't seen each other in ages... even though we'd probably just have met up for lunch not long ago.

If anyone found out what we were really doing... we'd both be dead. Our families would kill us. Well... I doubted the Higurashi's would kill Kagome, but my father and my uncles weren't like the Higurashi's. If they thought for one minute that I had betrayed them then they would probably skin me alive... or at least get all my cousins to knock me out and leave me hanging nude from the Tokyo tower. That would be WORSE than being skinned alive...

It was hard... with a girl like Kagome I just wanted to boast to everyone that she was mine. I wanted to yell from tall buildings that I was dating the most beautiful and brainy girl in Tokyo... or at least the most beautiful and brainy on her street. But I couldn't... I couldn't even tell Miroku about it. I was so proud, but so ashamed at the same time. I was sure Kagome felt the same way about it...

All thoughts of Kagome flashed out of my mind as my eyes fell on one particular doorway with gold print on the frost tinted glass. 'Mr. Yamaki'. I'd found his office at last.

And once again I was pulling ahead of Miroku in espionage. Maybe I should start considering getting paid for this?

I glanced both ways to check that there were no security guards hanging around, before sneaking across and beginning to pick the lock. Ok... I wasn't so good at picking locks... that was Miroku's field. It was made extra hard by the fact that I was wearing gloves. People often commented that I could probably pick any lock with my claws, but that was a stupid assumption. My claws were no way near long enough to reach into locks, and in no way the right shape. They'd probably get lodged or broken and then I would have hang nails for days...

I finally managed to get the pin in the right position, just as I heard talking and footsteps approaching my position. Security guards undoubtedly. I hastened my efforts to pick the lock open, jiggling the pin around and trying to remember what Miroku had said about aligning the something with the other thing in the lock...

Finally the lock clicked and I opened it quickly to dash through. I closed it behind me as fast and as quietly as I could manage and held my breath while I waited for the security men to pass... I just hoped they wouldn't try the handle.

They didn't. They walked straight on by without a break in their conversation about toilet seats. But I didn't start moving again until their footsteps had died away, along with the looming glow of their flash lights. Now I just had to locate the safe...

The first place I checked of course, was behind all the painting and picture and even some of the posters. Unfortunately this guy hadn't done the typical movie thing and had kept the safe elsewhere. I checked the desk, snapping the locks on the drawers to see if he kept mini safes inside, but he didn't. I checked along the wall panels, pressing here and there to try and find a place where the wall moved or slid away or something strange like that...

But this guy knew his safety precautions and after fifteen minutes I was stumped. I had fifteen minutes to get back and meet Miroku otherwise he would leave without me and take the escape rope with him thinking I had been captured by the guards or something. I'd found the office... but I just couldn't find the safe.

Then I remembered something I'd seen in a really old film... and so turned my attention to the floor and began pulling up the carpet. It was a shame really... the carpet looked newly laid and expensive... and here I was ripping it up with my bare claws.

I finally found the safe laid into the cement floor just in the corner of the room. If was green with one of those dial things on the door. I put my gloves back on and knelt down to lay one ear against the door and started turning the dial slowly with my hand. I waited for the heavy clunk sound, before beginning to turn it the other way...











~Kagome~





"What's the code again?" Sango asked as she examined the security pad at the entrance of the office building.

"Why you asking me?" I shrugged. "I thought it was your job to remember those things?"

"It is - but I wrote it down and gave the note to you." Sango turned to look back at me. "Come on Kagome, get with it."

"Oh... sorry..." I fished out the note from where I'd stuffed it under my belt. I handed it to her and she punched out the code to unlock the doors. They clicked open and we were inside in a matter of seconds.

"Faster than scaling the building to break in one of the windows, huh?" Sango laughed softly. "We gotta be careful though, this place has more guards than the museum. You keep your eyes peeled."

"Why me?"

"Because we're going to split up." Sango turned to take the stairs. "You take the lower floors and I'll do the higher - meet back here in an hour ok?"

"Sango!"

"Don't worry, I won't leave without you."

"No - don't leave me alone!" I tried to follow her. "What if that Arashi guy is here - what if I bump into him?"

"He won't be here." Sango shook her head. "Jacken assured me that this was hot off the press news. He wouldn't have managed to sell it to the Arashi's so soon. They probably won't be here till tomorrow night."

I fidgeted slightly. "Fine..."

"And remember... still to the shadows, stay out of the way of the guards - and use your powers if you're in a tight spot."

"It's like I can turn them on and off you know..." I grumbled.

Sango smiled beneath her face mask, I could only see it in her eyes though. "You'll be ok... now let's go get this job done, yeah?"

"Ok..." I watched her climb the stairs until she was gone from sight, before turning and taking off down the corridor. I'd been told before hand by Sango that the corridors just led in a circle around each floor, so all I had to do was run down each corridor on each floor and look out for the right door.

I didn't find any office belonging to Mr Yamaki on the ground floor, so I moved up to the second. I was delayed by a few security guards who had stopped in the middle of the corridor to chat over a few flasks of tea. I waited, wondering what to do for a while before deciding now would have been a great time to be invisible.

Once more I'd concentrated hard and stepped out into the open. They didn't see me... and all I had to do was edge around them and I was free to roam again. The office wasn't on the second floor either... so I moved up to the third and ran around again... I was getting a little out of breath at this point.

Then I spotted the door and I breathed a sigh of relief. I'd found it at last. Now all I had to do was unlock the door, go in and unlock the safe with the code that Sango had given me earlier-

I tried the handle and the door swung open unexpectedly. That was strange... I thought it was supposed to have been locked? But then I realised just WHY it had been unlocked.

"Oh no..." I whispered and took a small step back.

It was the Arashi spy guy...

He looked up the moment the door entered and his eyes fixed on me. I could almost feel, let alone see, his murderous intent rise. Where was Inuyasha when I needed him most?

"You!" he rose to his feet in one fluid movement.

"Me?" I changed my voice slightly, making it a little more coarse than it usually is.

"Here to steal the jewel?" he asked in a smooth tone.

"Uh..." I looked past him, down at where the carpet had been tugged up to expose a green safe. He hadn't opened it yet. "You too, huh?"

He was going to fight me for it... I knew it... and I wasn't too sure about that idea.

"Let me just warn you before we start... I know tai-kwon-do, karate, kung fu, sei-do-kan, judo..." I trailed off as I saw his incredulous look. "And... thirty two other intimidating words..."

He didn't laugh... then again, I didn't really feel like laughing either. I was about to get beaten to a bloody pulp. I wanted to run away screaming for Sango - but that would either get me caught by the guards, or totally embarrassed.

Well. It was better than being dead.

I turned heel and began to run. But the guy was very fast for a mere human, and he grabbed the back of my shirt, hauling me backwards into the room to slam the door and trap me alone with him. My heart suddenly leapt into my throat and I was finding it difficult to swallow.

"Now how about you just shut your mouth and take a little nap?" he asked close to me ear, one hand over my mouth and the other to jab my neck. I reacted without thinking, and bit him so hard he felt it through the cloth of my mask and through the material of his gloves. He gasped in pain and pushed me away at once.

I staggered slightly before spinning around and taking a defensive stance used by martial artists. The truth was... the defensive stance was about all I knew, but I thought if I looked like I knew what I as doing he would leave me alone. But unfortunately, he took the same stance, with a lot more grace, and he wasn't shaking like I was.

I was screwed...

"Maybe we can talk this through...?" I tried to reason.

But obviously there was no reasoning with this guy. He charged straight at me and I was faced with a split second choice. Dive left or right now?

So I chose both.

As strange enough as that sounded... it wasn't half as strange as what actually happened. I couldn't make the choice, so instead of sitting there and taking the attack like a duck, I split into two and threw myself both ways. I landed hard against the wall on the left... while at the same time I felt myself have a softer landing on the cushions to the right. When I looked up I saw the Miroku guy from two new angles... I saw ME sitting on the other side of the room... I saw myself staring at myself...

In short... I'd just multiplied myself. And I could see things from both bodies. And I was completely freaked out.

"What the hell did you do?!" I screamed at the guy - made even louder by the fact that two Kagome's were yelling it.

The guy looked helplessly between the two of us... obviously lost for reasons as to what had just happened. He'd dropped his stance and stared at the me who had landed on the cushions. "What are you?!"

I couldn't explain it... I felt a little like god because I was in two places at once.

My powers... that was the only explanation I could come up with. I'd duplicated myself... but maybe that would work to my advantage. I would work out how to get myself back together later.

"Alright you!" I jumped up from the cushions, followed shortly by the other Kagome who'd fallen on the floor. "You're in for it now!"

"You're gonna regret what you've made me do!" I yelled from the left.

"You were outmatched to begin with." I told him from the right.

"But now you're outnumbered too!"

They poor guy looked between us, clearly confused. "...the hell?"

And we attacked him at the same time. He was so surprised he didn't react quick enough. I managed to land punches on his face, his arms, his stomach and even his legs before he had enough initiative to react. Who needed Inuyasha now?

Well... I did start to need the super strong boyfriend when the guy started fighting back. All of a sudden he was blocking all of my kicks and punches. He was the martial artist... we were just ganging up on him without much skill to begin with.

Suddenly the me from the left got punched hard in the stomach and I reeled back and slammed against the wall. The me from the right suddenly didn't feel like fighting anymore on my own. I backed up slowly as he turned and advanced on me, massaging his bruised cheek through the mask.

"I don't know what the hell kind of demon you are to do all those weird things... but you're too weird to allow to live." He drew his fist back and aimed for my head.

On the other side of the room I managed to stagger to my feet from where I'd been knocked down... he didn't see that me coming and I threw myself at his back and took a strangle hold around his neck.

He choked out a gasp and began to grip my arm hard while the second me remained pressed up against the wall watching what was going on. "Help me!" I yelled to her.

"You got it covered!" I yelled back.

Yes, I did realise I was arguing with myself. A very bad sign indeed.

"Get off me you bitch!" The Arashi spy squeezed my arm tightly and began reaching around to grab me in order to tear me off him. That's when the second me against the wall decided to act. I ran up towards the struggling pair and with a full on grimace, I kicked him hard... down there.

He struggling stopped at once as he dropped to his knees with a agonised gasp. From where I was situated on his back, I slid off and stepped back. "Sorry..." I told him.

I ran to the desk in the office and grabbed a flower vase that sat there. I ran back and handed it to the second me, who then brought it down on his head. The first me quickly proceeded to punch him in the stomach shortly after.

We put him out of his misery by knocking him unconscious. That was our theory anyway. He dropped to the ground with a soft groan and his eyes slid close.

I turned around suddenly, and accidentally bumped into my other self. And suddenly everything snapped back into place and I could see things from only one perspective. Looking around there were only two people in the office now... me and him.

Personally I was glad it was over...

Personally I was pretty proud of myself for taking down the hulk man. I'd landed good punches that I just knew would be bruises tomorrow. But my arm was stinging... and as I looking down at my forearm, I realised he'd managed to cut a shallow gash that spread almost all the way from the wrist to the elbow. When had that happened? Where was his weapons?

I stumbled over to the safe, regardless of my injury. The moment I reached it the Arashi guy groaned and I had to hurry my pace up a little as he began to come around. I took out the code I'd written down and quickly spun the dial to open it. It gave a soft click as it unlocked and I yanked the door open and stuck my hand inside.

There were many wads of bank notes and other more valuable certificates and documents piles in there. I ignored it all and grabbed the lone black box in there. I pulled it out and ripped it open.

A wedding ring?

With careless disregard I pulled the ring out and tossed it behind me and lifted the velvet presentation cushion to look underneath - and found it.

But it was a fake.

"Dammit!" I hissed angrily and glanced over to Miroku who was beginning to stir.

There was nothing more I could do. I'd just put my life on the line for no reason. With an angry growl I tossed the jewel down into the safe and ran from the room before he managed to come around completely. I was late to meet Sango anyway... she wouldn't be happy that it was another fake.

My FATHER wouldn't be happy it was another fake...













~Inuyasha~





In was all a wonderful magical blur... First of all it had looked like a simple manoeuvre. Knock the girl out or scare her away... but then she'd done that splitting thing and suddenly there were two of them.

I knew it was the same girl as before. She was human... but she somehow concealed her scent and she probably could have turned invisible on me. That wasn't a simple human...

And somehow she'd managed to knock me senseless for a few seconds. It was unbelievable. The little girl had somehow managed to take me down in a matter of minutes... it was embarrassing really...

When I could finally manage to pull myself to my feet, she was gone, I could just see her disappearing down the corridor through the open door. I checked the safe and found the Shikon... but by the looks of things I reckoned it was a fake or she would have taken it. I picked it up just to be sure... and felt no power from it whatsoever.

With a sigh and tossed it back in disgust and headed out the door, not bothering to close it behind me.

I met up with Miroku in the office on the fourth floor, the one with the open window we'd come through. "Find it?" he asked.

"Yeah... but it was a fake." I rubbed my sore head. "I had a run-in with that weird human chick... she knocked me out..."

"Maybe she is a witch." Miroku said as handed the rope to me so I could begin to climb to the roof first. I tugged the lower half of my mask off so I could breath more easily... and Miroku did the same - giving me the shock of my life.

"Bloody hell! What happened to you?!" I gaped at him. He had a nice little black ring around his right eye... he cheek was bruised purple and his lip with split.

"I... fell down the stairs?" he offered lamely, dabbing at his bleeding lip and wincing as he did so.

"Oh..." I suddenly got a sly expression. "That little crazy chick I met wasn't alone was she... I bet Sango was here..."

"We met upstairs... had a bit of a fight..." He grimaced.

"She beat the shit out of you, didn't she?" I laughed out loud at him. "Damn, even I gave you credit to be stronger than that girl."

"Actually - I was winning up until the point I got a strangle hold on her and she all but presented her lovely shaped behind to me." Miroku sighed dreamily. "That was worth getting thrashed..."

"You touched her?" I stared at him. "Idiot..."

"Who are you to talk? You didn't make any moves on that other girl and she still knocked you out." Miroku smirked cockily before wincing, "Ow..."

"Ok... that's a point to you... that means we're even now." I said as I began to pull myself out of the window and walk up the side of the building to the roof. I suppose I could always have gotten even by cutting the rope behind me...

Nah... I'll save that one for next time.











AN: What a loving couple they make... when they're not kicking the crap out of each other they're making out in the cinema... There's the type of relationship you always wanted. ^_^ Aw...