*********************************
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Rumiko Takahashi characters named
here, nor do I own the rights to Charlie's Angels. I might ask Santa to
put Koga under my tree, however :D
**********************************
Kagome stirred restlessly in her seat as the plane soared over the Pacific Ocean. She normally liked flying, but this flight was taking forever and her legs were starting to cramp. She looked over at her companions. Sango was asleep, her long legs sprawled into the aisle. Next to her Kagura was sitting with her hands clenched together, looking like she wanted to throw up.
"Kagura?" she whispered. "Are you going to be all right?"
"I hate flying, I hate kids, I hate Naraku, and I hate my life."
"Oh Kagura," Kagome tried to think of something to say. "Try to think of something else. Myoga," she turned to the small man beside her. "What did Naraku mean when he said this wasn't a traditional pageant?"
Myoga shifted uncomfortably. "It's a sort of beauty pageant for men," he said at last, clearing his throat.
Kagura showed some signs of life. "Men? Good looking men? This can't be too bad, then. Not that I'll have any time to look at them," she added glumly.
"Well, yes, they are considered to be very good looking men. But this pageant isn't just for any man."
"It's for - " prompted Kagome.
"It's for men who like to wear women's clothing," said Myoga.
********
I could stay here forever, thought Sesshomaru as he relaxed and allowed the gentle wind to ruffle his hair. He stretched and rolled onto his stomach, trying not to smear his carefully applied makeup in the process. The sun was feeling warm on his skin, pale from working too many night shifts as a special agent for the FBI. He was going to fry like a tourist if he wasn't careful. His attention turned to the young girl digging a hole nearby.
"Rin. Come over here, I need to put more sunscreen on you," he called gently. He'd learned to soften his voice when speaking to Rin. A harsh word from him absolutely crushed her. Rin jumped up from her digging and beamed as she ran towards him. Sesshomaru was amazed at how her smile still enchanted him. He'd never wanted to be a father until he'd found Rin, and now he couldn't imagine life without her in it.
"You decide, Littlebit," he said, digging around in his pack. "Is it going to be the pink sunscreen or the blue?" He held them out for her to inspect.
"Pink," she said. "I like pink."
It was her longest sentence in two days, Sesshomaru thought as he slathered the pink goo onto her shoulders and back. He'd have to buy something pink for her to wear. He sighed. He never knew what to expect from her. Some days she would act like a normal child, but then the next day she would retreat into her private world again. She was starting to warm up to other adults, though. Yesterday she had surprised him by saying hello to the clerk at the hotel.
Rin grabbed the bottle from him and squirted a big glob onto her sandy palm. "Now you," she informed him, reaching up to his face.
Sesshomaru dodged the gritty paste before she could rub it into his eyes. "Just put some on my nose, okay?" Rin complied by smooshing it into his face.
"Somebody looks FABULOUS!" a voice sang out.
Sesshomaru finished spitting sand and sunscreen out of his mouth and turned at the sound of Koga's laughter. He grimaced at the sight of his rookie partner standing there in board shorts and t-shirt with an obscene message printed on it. He fervently hoped Rin wasn't reading it.
"Turn that shirt inside out when you're around Rin," he growled at his partner, "and if you mention what I'm wearing one more time - " he threatened.
Koga plopped down beside him and dug his feet into the sand. "All right, keep your bra on." He dodged the fist Sesshomaru swung towards him. "The background checks on all the other contestants have come in. Some of these guys are living really, uh, interesting lives."
"I still don't see why I'm the one that has to be the contestant," Sesshomaru complained. "I've been wearing a skirt and heels for two days now and I think Rin's getting confused. She's probably going to need years of therapy."
"Aw, just tell her Daddy likes to play dress up," Koga mumbled through his shirt as he pulled it over his head. "Anyway, I came to tell you one of the sponsors located an au pair for Rin. Her name's Kagura and she has pristine references and years of experience, according to Mr. Ailuropoda."
Sesshomaru nodded. He had agreed to this case only on the condition that Rin accompany him to Honolulu. He didn't like leaving her with strangers and her nanny was taking a well deserved vacation to visit family. Rin made a good cover, he thought, adding a special touch to their 'family'. No one would suspect a cross-dresser with a small child to be anything other than normal, right? He groaned silently and was once again thankful he hadn't run into anyone he recognized.
"Koga," he warned, "if you ever, ever, EVER tell anybody about this case, I'm going to kill you. Slowly. In fact, death will be too good for you. You will just wish for death. You will pray for death. You will - "
Koga interrupted him. "I get it, Sesshomaru. You don't have to keep threatening me. You think I want to tell anyone I spent a two week vacation at a Honolulu resort with some guy wearing a dress? No one ever tells you about this kind of stuff when they interview you," he added disgustedly. "I thought I'd be having exciting adventures, not pulling a surveillance job on a bunch of drag queens."
"Lazy Panda's counterfeiting operations have got to be stopped," Sesshomaru reminded him. "We keep catching the small fry and the Treasury Department wants the big fish. If we keep our eyes open at this event, we ought to be able to finally pin something on this guy. Do we have any new information?"
"No more than we had to begin with," Koga told him. "Although things should get livelier today; the rest of the contestants will be arriving as well the technical crews. Let's get back to the rooms and set up for tonight." He stood up and began to gather up the beach towels.
Sesshomaru walked down to the water's edge to rinse the sand from Rin's feet. He stood for moment looking at his distorted reflection. Underneath the floppy straw hat, his long silver hair was pulled into a braid with a ribbon running through it. The beach outfit did a good job of softening the male lines of his body and filling out curves, but his fake breasts were too big, he decided. Better to go for the understated look.
"Hey, Koga?" he smiled wickedly. "Do you think this outfit makes me look fat?"
Koga rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna need therapy myself if you keep this up." He snorted and walked away.
Rin looked up at Sesshomaru. "You're pretty," she whispered.
What had he gotten himself into?
**********************************
Kagome stirred restlessly in her seat as the plane soared over the Pacific Ocean. She normally liked flying, but this flight was taking forever and her legs were starting to cramp. She looked over at her companions. Sango was asleep, her long legs sprawled into the aisle. Next to her Kagura was sitting with her hands clenched together, looking like she wanted to throw up.
"Kagura?" she whispered. "Are you going to be all right?"
"I hate flying, I hate kids, I hate Naraku, and I hate my life."
"Oh Kagura," Kagome tried to think of something to say. "Try to think of something else. Myoga," she turned to the small man beside her. "What did Naraku mean when he said this wasn't a traditional pageant?"
Myoga shifted uncomfortably. "It's a sort of beauty pageant for men," he said at last, clearing his throat.
Kagura showed some signs of life. "Men? Good looking men? This can't be too bad, then. Not that I'll have any time to look at them," she added glumly.
"Well, yes, they are considered to be very good looking men. But this pageant isn't just for any man."
"It's for - " prompted Kagome.
"It's for men who like to wear women's clothing," said Myoga.
********
I could stay here forever, thought Sesshomaru as he relaxed and allowed the gentle wind to ruffle his hair. He stretched and rolled onto his stomach, trying not to smear his carefully applied makeup in the process. The sun was feeling warm on his skin, pale from working too many night shifts as a special agent for the FBI. He was going to fry like a tourist if he wasn't careful. His attention turned to the young girl digging a hole nearby.
"Rin. Come over here, I need to put more sunscreen on you," he called gently. He'd learned to soften his voice when speaking to Rin. A harsh word from him absolutely crushed her. Rin jumped up from her digging and beamed as she ran towards him. Sesshomaru was amazed at how her smile still enchanted him. He'd never wanted to be a father until he'd found Rin, and now he couldn't imagine life without her in it.
"You decide, Littlebit," he said, digging around in his pack. "Is it going to be the pink sunscreen or the blue?" He held them out for her to inspect.
"Pink," she said. "I like pink."
It was her longest sentence in two days, Sesshomaru thought as he slathered the pink goo onto her shoulders and back. He'd have to buy something pink for her to wear. He sighed. He never knew what to expect from her. Some days she would act like a normal child, but then the next day she would retreat into her private world again. She was starting to warm up to other adults, though. Yesterday she had surprised him by saying hello to the clerk at the hotel.
Rin grabbed the bottle from him and squirted a big glob onto her sandy palm. "Now you," she informed him, reaching up to his face.
Sesshomaru dodged the gritty paste before she could rub it into his eyes. "Just put some on my nose, okay?" Rin complied by smooshing it into his face.
"Somebody looks FABULOUS!" a voice sang out.
Sesshomaru finished spitting sand and sunscreen out of his mouth and turned at the sound of Koga's laughter. He grimaced at the sight of his rookie partner standing there in board shorts and t-shirt with an obscene message printed on it. He fervently hoped Rin wasn't reading it.
"Turn that shirt inside out when you're around Rin," he growled at his partner, "and if you mention what I'm wearing one more time - " he threatened.
Koga plopped down beside him and dug his feet into the sand. "All right, keep your bra on." He dodged the fist Sesshomaru swung towards him. "The background checks on all the other contestants have come in. Some of these guys are living really, uh, interesting lives."
"I still don't see why I'm the one that has to be the contestant," Sesshomaru complained. "I've been wearing a skirt and heels for two days now and I think Rin's getting confused. She's probably going to need years of therapy."
"Aw, just tell her Daddy likes to play dress up," Koga mumbled through his shirt as he pulled it over his head. "Anyway, I came to tell you one of the sponsors located an au pair for Rin. Her name's Kagura and she has pristine references and years of experience, according to Mr. Ailuropoda."
Sesshomaru nodded. He had agreed to this case only on the condition that Rin accompany him to Honolulu. He didn't like leaving her with strangers and her nanny was taking a well deserved vacation to visit family. Rin made a good cover, he thought, adding a special touch to their 'family'. No one would suspect a cross-dresser with a small child to be anything other than normal, right? He groaned silently and was once again thankful he hadn't run into anyone he recognized.
"Koga," he warned, "if you ever, ever, EVER tell anybody about this case, I'm going to kill you. Slowly. In fact, death will be too good for you. You will just wish for death. You will pray for death. You will - "
Koga interrupted him. "I get it, Sesshomaru. You don't have to keep threatening me. You think I want to tell anyone I spent a two week vacation at a Honolulu resort with some guy wearing a dress? No one ever tells you about this kind of stuff when they interview you," he added disgustedly. "I thought I'd be having exciting adventures, not pulling a surveillance job on a bunch of drag queens."
"Lazy Panda's counterfeiting operations have got to be stopped," Sesshomaru reminded him. "We keep catching the small fry and the Treasury Department wants the big fish. If we keep our eyes open at this event, we ought to be able to finally pin something on this guy. Do we have any new information?"
"No more than we had to begin with," Koga told him. "Although things should get livelier today; the rest of the contestants will be arriving as well the technical crews. Let's get back to the rooms and set up for tonight." He stood up and began to gather up the beach towels.
Sesshomaru walked down to the water's edge to rinse the sand from Rin's feet. He stood for moment looking at his distorted reflection. Underneath the floppy straw hat, his long silver hair was pulled into a braid with a ribbon running through it. The beach outfit did a good job of softening the male lines of his body and filling out curves, but his fake breasts were too big, he decided. Better to go for the understated look.
"Hey, Koga?" he smiled wickedly. "Do you think this outfit makes me look fat?"
Koga rolled his eyes. "I'm gonna need therapy myself if you keep this up." He snorted and walked away.
Rin looked up at Sesshomaru. "You're pretty," she whispered.
What had he gotten himself into?
