Most Important Mission - Chapter 19
By: Sakura Katsana
Sakura's Note: This will possibly be the longest chapter so far in this story! I'll be typing like mad on this all break (Today's Christmas Eve).
*All of the below was written on January 2nd, 2004.*
Disclaimer: Which of the following is true?
A. I am Rumiko Takahashi.
B. I have Rumiko tied up in my attic and have assumed her identity. Shhh.
C. I own nothing except for what's in my room, half of which someone else bought for me, the Fruit Breezer in my mouth, and my tissues.
D. I am Kagome and Inuyasha and I are getting married tomorrow. ^_^ (Tonight I'm killing Kikyo)
Page goal as of 12/24/03: 30-31 pages (minimum)
Well, first of all, Happy New Years! *Throws leftover confetti in the air* I hope you all had one much better than mine. -.- At home, with yet another cold. But, the one upside is . . . An excuse to eat Halls Fruit Breezers! I swear, I'm addicted to those things. My immune system is being so . . . Grrr . . . right now.
Second, I'm sorry about all the slow updates. I will finish all my stories, it's just this one is the one I'm focusing on. I wanted to hurry and post WAALHW before anyone else could write about it, because half my ideas are written before I can finish up stuff. ^_^;; Yeah, I can be possessive, but we all have our faults right?
Don't answer that.
Third, I'm once again torn between having a sequel or not. I thought I'd come to an answer but then I got doubts. T_T I hate doubts. I have a title for the sequel now, if I write one it'd be called Mission Completed.
Anyway, enough of my doubts and sickness updates . . .
'Cuz that's just depressing.
Quick Question:
I know once I find out I'll feel stupid because it's probably the simplest thing in the world, but what does OVA mean? ^_^; I know it has *something* to do with DVDs but I still have no clue. *Feels stupid* Thanks in advance!
Shout outs!
1) De ja vu?
Here's the deal: When ff.net posted an update about not having author notes as a chapter I removed all of them from all of my chapters. So since I had one chapter in MIM that was an A/N I took it out so there were only 18 chapters, causing the first chapter 19 to become chapter 18. Then I posted the next chapter and so now there are 19 chapters again. Well, actually with this chapter 20, but . . .
Confused? ^_^;;
Don't worry.
Frankly, so am I.
So don't worry everyone! ~_^
2) For sacredmist: Yes, I have read your story. LOL. My computer isn't letting me post a review, but I'll keep checking to see if it'll let me. Plum (my computer) can be annoying sometimes.
Plum: -_-
Sakura: ^_^;; Heh heh . . . Please don't shut down! You're great! You really are!
Plum: ^_^ *Goes back to playing Tenchi Muyo CD perfectly for Sakura*
Anyway, incase I can't here's my review:
I think it's cute. A little hard to follow, but if you work on it some it has the potential to be really funny. ^_^
3) Quotes
Thanks, trixie-trix, for liking my quotes ^o^ *Hands trixie-trix pocky* Enjoy this chapter too and thanks for reviewing.
Thanks to:
Kitkat101, smoothie, InuShemeeko, Josie, Anonymous, trixie-trix, bbeeffffccaakkee, sacredmist, Angel81, KaGoMe39, animechicky444, and Sir Klux A Lot (Via email).
I hope you all enjoy this chappie and R&R!
Without further ado, Chapter 19.
***
Chapter 19: Sisters?!
"I haven't been able to get in touch with them," Kagura tapped the feather on her head, "They won't respond."
Yura's eyes widened, "When did you lose their signal?"
"Around 2 this morning, why-"
"Oh gods." Yura whimpered, "Your father has them."
Kagura stayed silent.
For the first time ever-
Since Sesshoumaru left at least-
Kagura was in a state of panic.
The older of the two assassins was the first to regain her calm composure.
She allowed Kagura a minute to process what she'd just heard by doing something she always did when she was nervous - - -
- - - Finger the closest sharp object she could find.
But hey, everyone had their weird little thing they did that-unlike everybody else-they thought was completely normal.
Yura flinched when the 'closest sharp object she could find' cut her finger.
She sighed, hoping she'd given Kagura enough time to think.
The assassin brought her injured finger to her lips and sucked her finger gingerly before waving her hand for a few seconds.
Yura put her hands on Kagura's shoulders, shaking her gently, "You know they can handle themselves, well, Juuroumaru can handle them anyway. You know how they feel about your dad. Kageroumaru won't stop Juuroumaru from killing your *old man* even for a million American dollars." Yura looked into eyes just as red as hers, "They'll be ok."
Kagura nodded soberly, "Why would he have them?"
Yura paused, knowing her answer would only worsen the yasha's worries.
Sensing the older woman's hesitation, Kagura took a deep, despairing, breath. "Tell me. It can't get much worse."
She swallowed hard, "Kagura, Naraku gave me another assignment. He wanted me to get rid of Kageroumaru for him."
Yura saw Kagura's eyes widen in shock and anger.
For a split second Kagura felt like slicing her friends throat from holding that back from her.
Then common sense returned to her.
Killing her friend was wrong.
Very wrong.
Yura looked over at the yasha again, chastising herself for making this more complicated than it was.
"But-there is a but-I refused. I shrugged it off and thought that if I wouldn't do it and he bought my excuse for not being able to find him then he would let it go."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kagura growled.
"You had too much on your plate, I'm sorry Kagura, I hate myself because it's all my fault but-"
"But what?"
"But I think he was planning on killing me after I killed his son."
Kagura finally understood what everything her father had been doing meant, "He would say you killed Kageroumaru and then he'd have an excuse to kill you. I wouldn't be able to go after him because I was brainwashed . . ."
Thanks to Inuyasha's poison, and Kagome shooting her with it, the brainwashing had somehow been undone.
Kagura hadn't believed in miracles since she was a little kid, then she realized her *father* was an idiotic, insane demon . . .
What's better than *that* to take away your belief in miracles?
Yura nodded, "I've been thinking about it for some time," Yura turned on her laptop, "Look. You know when his last accountant died he was having me do the accounting?" Kagura nodded.
"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"
"Sometimes you can be slower than syrup," Yura grumbled.
?
"Slower . . . Than *syrup*?" Kagura drawled, "Yura, what the hell is going on in that mind of yours?"
"Never mind," Yura sighed in despondency. "Look, he was imprudent enough to give me access to not some but all his personal money-management files."
Kagura nodded, still totally clueless to what Yura was talking about.
Her mind was too busy with other things right now.
Where in the seven hells were her brothers?
Why would her fa-
Naraku-
Want to kill his sons?
The ones he was always sending on the most dangerous missions?
Next to hers of course.
She had to admit she was cocky and arrogant most of the time. But even if she wasn't, you can't deny the truth.
She *was* the best here.
All that training her father put her through . . .
She had started training and killing before Kanna had even learned how to load a gun.
And that was saying something.
But . . .
Putting family matters aside,
Why should she care if her *father* decided to give away his personal information to an assassin outside of the family?
It wasn't like he hadn't been that thick before.
"After he found another accountant he supposedly deleted all the files off my notebook and changed all his passwords-"
"-But he didn't," Kagura finished, her eyes full of sudden comprehension.
Wait.
What did *that* mean?
"Your silence says volumes."
Kagura scowled, "I'm no idiot. I get it."
" . . ."
"I do!"
" . . . Uh huh."
"Just shut up and tell me the rest."
"How is that even possible?" Kagura glared, reaching for her poison-tipped fan. "Alright, alright, I know, it's no time to be difficult," Yura sighed. "Look, I tried getting in there the other day. He's losing money, Kagura. He barely has enough to keep us all paid."
Somehow, no matter how peeved or distressed Kagura was, Yura always brought comedy into her otherwise hardcore life.
She'd have to give her something for that one day . . .
A hug?
. . .?
Where did that come from?
Kagura didn't give out hugs.
"So he's trying to kill the one's who actually are able to get the money he needs? What kind of crap is he trying to pull doing that?"
"The one's getting him all the money are the one's that are demanding the most out of him," Yura continued, "So I guess he's trying to kill us off by using us against each other."
"What the f-"
"Language," Yura warned, "You better not use any of that around my daughter. You should start practicing now."
Kagura glared at her dead-serious friend but acted in accordance with her request, "What the *heck* is he thinking?"
"That's better," Yura spoke in a voice a mother would use on her daughter.
Kagura shot her friend a bitter glare.
But her temper was short-lived when she saw her friend jump slightly.
"If he kills us off, yeah, he'll have more money, but those bumbling idiots that follow Nazuna around aren't going to get him anything. It'll be as if we never left."
After clearing her throat and regaining her confidence, the crimson-eyed assassin continued her explanation, deciding to ignore the smug look on Kagura's face.
"That's the flaw in my theory, his purposes aren't sound-at all." Yura sighed, "Look, enough thinking. We need to find your brothers. Soon. Before Naraku has a chance to kill Kageroumaru."
"Isn't he trying to kill them both?"
"Not as far as I know." Yura pulled out a collection of daggers from under her mattress along with a gun, "It doesn't matter though, that insane youkai changes his mind at the drop of a hat."
Kagura nodded, "I'll try and find Kanna, she's already off doing her daily rounds, hoping to find them and not look suspicious. Then after that," Kagura pulled one of a couple of metal feathers from her bun, "I'll use this to contact you."
Yura nodded, taking the two-way radio from her, "We don't have much time, Kami-sama be with us."
***
"Lord Sesshoumaru?"
"Yes Rin?" Sesshoumaru continued to watch his DVD as the girl happily skipped towards him.
"Why did we come here?"
The girl had a valid question.
It wasn't *that* hard to answer.
'Rin, your mother that you somehow forgot-except for a few fragments-is here and we're taking her back with us . . .'
Not hard to say at all.
So why was he, Sesshoumaru, still silent?
"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin gasped, "Lord Sesshoumaru! Have you gone deaf?"
Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smile.
"No, I haven't."
"Then why don't you answer Rin?"
"Answer *me*," Sesshoumaru immediately corrected, reclining his chair, "It's complicated Rin."
"Well, Rin's-"
"Well *I'm*," Sesshoumaru corrected again.
"Well, *I'm*," Rin repeated, exasperation evident in her voice, "a smart girl. I can understand complicated things."
"Don't you know when to shut *up* girl?!" Sesshoumaru and Rin both turned and glared at the lesser youkai in the corner. "Um . . . Uh . . . never mind."
"Yes, Jaken, go back to your *knitting*," Sesshoumaru waved a flippant hand.
Jaken scowled, despite his fear of being tossed from the suite's balcony, "I'm not *knitting*, I'm *crocheting*." He sniffed, "There's a difference."
Sesshoumaru continued to ignore-to the best of his ability- his the toad- like being as he continued to watch the movie.
"Shut up Jaken!" Rin whined, "Knitting, crocheting, sewing-it doesn't matter- we don't care."
"Why you little-"
The phone rang.
The young girl bounded across the opulently furnished suite.
"Mushi mushi!" Rin beamed, holding the phone close to her ear as if it would run away if she didn't keep her grip.
There was a pause.
"Uh huh." She narrowed her eyes in concentration.
Another pause.
"Yes." she nodded her head vigorously.
Pause.
"My mommy isn't here right now."
Pause.
"I think you've got the wrong number." Rin scrunched up her nose and plopping down on the bed.
Pause.
"What does that mean?"
Sesshoumaru sighed and got up from his chair, reluctantly leaving his movie paused behind him, before picking up the phone. Clearing his throat, he began to speak in a voice very contrasting to his own. "Who's this?"
Pause.
Rin bounced over to her 'Lord Sesshoumaru's' chair as jumped in, staring at the paused frame with mild interest.
"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong number, like my daughter said."
Pause.
"I don't have a wife by the name of Yura."
Pause.
"Well, I hope you find whoever it is you're looking for," Sesshoumaru hung up the phone, "bastard."
"Lord Sesshoumaru cursed!" Rin's eyes opened wide. "Lord Sesshoumaru said Rin-*I* shouldn't curse 'cuz it's bad!"
"Who was it my lord?" Jaken dropped his crocheting and hopped towards Sesshoumaru, completely ignoring the babbling girl behind him.
"Naraku."
***
"You know, this is getting old," Ayame informed, crossing her arms tighter in front of her.
Kouga had been laughing to himself off and on since the 'shut don't go up' incident.
Kouga didn't respond, instead, he looked over at her, looked back out through the windsheild, and chuckled once again.
"Gods! What is wrong with you?" Ayame seethed, looking down at her watch.
It read 5:45.
Kouga stayed silent.
Ayame sighed, settling back in her seat.
This was *really* getting old.
Finally, "I'm just remembering some stuff." Ayame turned to look at the youkai, her eyes slits as she did so.
"Really? And what *stuff* are you remembering?" Kouga took a deep breath and put on his turn signal.
"The pillow fight, for example."
. . .?
Pillow fight?
They never had a pillow fight . . .
Ayame cleared her throat, "Exactly what pillow fight was this?" She asked nonchalantly.
Kouga coughed.
"Need a cough drop?"
Kouga shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "No."
"Exactly what pillow fight are you talking about?" Ayame reiterated.
Kouga scratched his head, "Oh, it was after you left, it was with . . . Hmm . . . What was her name?"
Ayame's eye twitched, "A girlfriend of yours?"
"Yeah, Mina, I think it was," Kouga smirked looking over at the yasha, "Why?"
"I just thought that someone as old as you are, not to mention a guy, wouldn't be into pillow fights," Ayame shrugged.
"Oh, but what it lead to . . . That was for someone my age," Kouga grinned.
"You're sick, you know that?"
"What'd I say?"
"Who said I was going to repeat it?" Ayame crossed her arms-if humanly possible-tighter across her chest.
"If I didn't know any better I would think you were jealous." Kouga nudged her, "I should thank you for leaving."
It was like a knife through her heart. They had been partners since they were thirteen, a couple since fifteen.
But here he was, thanking her for leaving so he could have pillow fights . . . Among other things . . . With someone else.
Ayame looked away, out at the sunrise, trying to hide the tears she tried so hard to hold in.
One escaped.
Kouga sniffed the air inattentively but caught something he didn't expect.
Salt water.
He gave the yasha beside him a side-glance. She was breathing normally, or at least as normal as he could remember, and didn't look like she was bawling. But they were most definitely her tears.
"Ayame I-"
"What?" she snapped. "You're welcome. There. You've thanked me, I've reciprocated."
"Ayame . . ."
"How far are we from Ramen Co?" Ayame said, changing the subject. Doing that was one of her best abilities. The day she couldn't change the subject successfully would be the day she could get Kouga to talk about what had happened with them.
"You can't change the subject."
Maybe that day was today.
***
"Why did these yarous have to come now of all times?!"
"Inuyasha, I think that was the point."
. . .
She had a point there.
"Arrgh! We're not getting anywhere just running from these bakas!" Inuyasha growled, looking out the side-view mirror with a glint of malice in his honey orbs.
Kagome looked over at the reckless hanyou driver next to her.
There was something about his eyes that told her he was about to do something he did a lot.
"Inuyasha, don't do something stupid!" Kagome warned, "I'm not about to die because you did something-"
"-Stupid," Inuyasha finished, annoyed, "You don't need to repeat yourself, it gets annoying."
Kagome crossed her arms over her chest.
So she was the annoying one?
Huh.
Well that was new.
***
"Kanna," Kagura hissed into one of her hair feathers, "Kanna!"
Static was all that could be heard.
Then-
"Kagura?"
"Who else would it be?"
"I think I've found them."
Kagura slid into the darkened room marked 'Lab Tech', "Where-"
"But we have a few more problems than we planned." Kanna lowered her voice on the other line.
"What else could there be?"
"Kikyo's here, I saw her slip into Naraku's office a minute ago," Kanna walked down the hallway leading to the living quarters, "Kohaku is no where to be found, the Shichinin-tai are back on Naraku's payroll, and Naraku suspects something."
Kagura slid down the wall, "I need to contact Sesshoumaru, he needs to know we can't meet him."
"Don't say that yet, we still have an hour."
Kagura scoffed, "An hour? One gods be damned hour before he has to take Rin back. If Naraku suspects something then he probably already knows by now what that *something* is. Sesshoumaru can't afford to keep Rin and himself here for long."
"Our brothers are with Kyoukotsu, Suikotsu, and Renkotsu in Tech Lab, Room 2," Kanna coughed, "Gods . . ."
"What?"
"Naraku knows," Kanna coughed again.
"Kanna, what are you talking about?"
"There's some kind of fume in here, our *father* is trying to poison me," Kanna coughed again before the sound of a door slamming could be heard by Kagura.
. . .
Fumes?
Yeah, that was the last straw.
The second she got out of here she was calling a mental hospital.
Kagura looked at her watch.
Fifty-five more minutes.
"Ok, listen, don't go back to your room for as long as possible. I'm going to try and find Kohaku."
"Why are you even looking for that boy?" Kagura questioned, pulling out her poison-tipped fan.
"Because Yura cares about him, she has since she left Rin in Sesshoumaru's care." Kanna sighed, "She won't leave if she knows he might be in danger. Anyway, where are you?"
Kagura sighed, cautiously looking outside the door she had just entered to the wall on the left, she suppressed a gulp, "Tech Lab, room one."
***
"We're risking our lives, for what? Thirty thousand yen?" Jakotsu whined, almost losing his lunch when he looked down, "My arm!"
"Will you shut up?!" Bankotsu seethed, "Shut up about your stupid arm and shoot them!"
"Why couldn't we be the ones to get rid of that son of Naraku's? Kageroumaru was it? Why'd we have to be out here getting shot at and my arm sliced off!"
Bankotsu turned to glare pointedly at the whining Shichinin-tai member next to him.
"You imbecile! You still have your arm! It's just a little blood that's-"
"A little blood?" Jakotsu whined, "It's halfway off!"
"Here's a cheerful thought," Bankotsu mocked, "At least it didn't screw up your nail job."
. . .
"You're right!" Jakotsu grinned, "It didn't! I should count myself lucky."
Bankotsu's face faulted, "You're kidding right?"
". . .no."
. . .
Argh!
"Shoot them! Shoot them!" Jakotsu, taken aback by his partner's sudden rage, grabbed up his machine gun with his unscathed hand and leaned out the window.
"Um . . . Bankotsu?"
"What?!"
"How do I use this thing with only one hand?"
The car swerved slightly.
"You tell me! You're the one that robbed a bank so you could go to college!" Bankotsu said through gritted teeth.
"You know what?" Jakotsu bellyached, "I do go to college. So I'll use my college brain to tell you my idea."
"No." Bankotsu growled, "College caused all of your ideas to become gay and stupid."
Jakotsu shot a glare at his partner, "Why don't I drive since that only takes one hand and you use the gun since it requires two."
". . ."
Jakotsu grinned smugly.
"That's gay."
His face faulted, "Then what do you suggest we do, since I sure as hell can't shoot off this!"
Bankotsu thought for a moment, "How about we switch roles?"
!
"That's what I just said!" Jakotsu cried indignantly.
Bankotsu smirked, "You said something?"
"What happened to you? You said I was the only one you could trust, the only one you'd save if we got in a jam . . ."
"I still say that!"
"When?"
"This morning," Bankotsu retorted dryly.
Jakotsu scoffed, "Whatever."
If no one knew he was gay before, they would have surely realized by the way he'd just said 'whatever'.
"I'm just pissed off right now."
Jakotsu looked over at the man next to him. "Uh huh."
"Hey! I am!"
"I know! That wasn't sarcasm," Jakotsu sighed, growing bored of driving stupidly towards the people shooting at them every five seconds.
"Look, this is stupid," Jakotsu threw his arm up in fake surrender.
Bankotsu sighed. "I said we could switch places."
"So did I!"
They were back to square one.
Jakotsu scowled, gingerly touching his bleeding arm.
"Don't get blood all over the upholstery, this car is new."
A bullet flew through the windshield into Bankotsu's shoulder.
Jakotsu grinned as Bankotsu's eyes widened in shock and pain, "No what you said was gay," the man's lipstick-adorned lips curled at the edges, "I suggest you shouldn't bleed in the new car."
Bankotsu growled, "Come to think of it, this car is Naraku's . . ."
Jakotsu grinned, their fight forgotten, "Well then."
***
"They're slowing down!" Sango yelled over the screeching of the bare hubcap, "I think Kagome hit the driver!"
Miroku brought his left hand back into the car, "No, that was me."
Sango smirked, "Good aim."
"Why thank you."
***
"What the-" Kouga lowered his head down to the steering wheel and looked ahead, where he could see three cars in a highway chase, bullets being shot off every few seconds.
"Fang!" Ayame shook Kouga's shoulder, caught up in the moment, "It's Fang!"
"Who in all the hells is Fang?" Kouga asked, yanking his shoulder away from Ayame's constant tugging.
"Inuyasha's car!"
"Dog-face names his cars?" Kouga drawled, spinning his own car around.
"Shut up, his car's a helluva lot better than this thing you've been driving me around in all day," Ayame informed, "But that's not the point!"
"Then what is?!" Kouga roared.
"Someone's chasing them!" Ayame pointed out the obvious as the cars came closer.
"No." Kouga said feigning disbelief.
"Follow them!" Ayame yelled, slapping his arm.
"Wait till they get here! Gods woman!" Kouga waited until Fang and another car he recognized as Kagome's flew past him to slam on the ignition.
***
"Was that Ayame?" Inuyasha asked to no one in particular.
"I've never seen her before, don't ask me." Kagome looked behind her, "Well, I guess so since that car's following us."
The sound of a phone ringing filled the car.
Inuyasha cursed under his breath as he dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell, "You're taking a call *now*?!" Kagome yelled, apparently terrified.
"What?!" Inuyasha barked into the phone. There was a short silence, "Shippou! You d*** kitsune! Why, why in the world, are you calling in the middle of a car chase?!"
Another short pause.
Kagome sweat dropped.
"Yes I'm in a car chase! Don't you have ears-" Inuyasha growled menacingly, "That was rhetorical!"
Pause.
"If we're in a car chase, brat, then we escaped, now didn't we?" Inuyasha shot a glance outside of the car to where the new car was speeding towards them. "Shippou, don't you have something better to do than argue with me?!"
Kagome looked at Inuyasha disbelievingly.
This was insane!
Who, anywhere, took a call during a car chase?!
. . .
Apparently Inuyasha.
"Look, I'm hanging up now, and I swear when I get back to America I'm gonna- - - Hey!" Inuyasha yelled as Kagome grabbed the phone away.
"That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen!" Kagome hollered.
Inuyasha ignored the girls complaints as he shot another bullet towards the antagonists.
***
Kagura quickly slipped into the darker shadows of the Tech Lab making sure that she didn't make a sound until the right moment.
She reached the door of the lab and could hear the murmurings of three obnoxious thugs-twice removed-hired by her father.
"Alright, how do we do this?" a gruff voice asked the others.
"Where's Mukotsu? He's never had trouble thinking of ways to kill people."
The sound of someone striking the Shichinin-tai member reached Kagura's ears.
"Baka! None of us do!"
Kagura stepped back from the door missing the next thing said.
"P.S., Naraku shot him, remember?"
She heard them to continue arguing, so she grudgingly returned her attention to the door. She could hear both her brothers' heartbeats.
That was a good sign.
"Sorry, Renkotsu!"
"Just shut up, Ginkotsu, and get me a knife."
Kagura's heart sped up. She reached for the knob to find - - -
- - - it was locked.
"No." She whispered, turning it more forcefully. Those idiots had never been smart enough to lock the door before killing someone, at least not before they left.
Her father must have told them exactly what to do.
"Kagura . . . Well, well, well." The yasha spun around, noticing the doorway was blocked by a figure. "Long time no see."
"Kikyo?"
The woman walked into the room, leaving the exit wide open for Kagura to escape.
"Kagura." Kikyo took another step forward, one arm holding the other's bend casually. "Don't you have somewhere to *be* right now?"
Kagura looked the older woman up and down. Kikyo wore blood red pants and a shirt as pale as her skin. "What do you mean by that?"
Kikyo shrugged, "Maybe a plane to catch?"
"Plane?" Kagura stared blankly at the woman in front of her. "I see you're still as paranoid as ever."
"You talk like you know me," Kikyo said calmly.
"Well, helping you arrange meetings with a certain hanyou agent for two years did give me a long time to get to know all about you," Kagura sighed, looking down at her fan. "Not to mention all the favors I did, no, *do* for you now."
Kikyo scoffed, "You work for your father, he works for me, I could have *made* you do that."
Kagura clenched her fists, "Either way I do know you, more than you probably know yourself."
"You sound like my mother."
"How would you even know what she sounds like? You ran away in search of power before you could drive."
Kikyo shot the yasha an icy glare before looking at her watch, "Well, thank you for doing it anyway."
Kagura gave Kikyo a incredulous stare, "I thought I was beneath you."
"You are, if you want me to take back the thank you then I will," Kikyo sighed, "But the thank you, no matter how incredulous is seems, is sincere. You kept your word, Naraku seems to still be oblivious to our relationship."
"What reason would I have in telling him?" Kagura returned the stare, "I hate that yarou."
Kikyo shrugged, seemingly unsurprised by the reference. Then, stiffly, and somewhat forced, "Don't we all?"
Kagura cocked her head to the side,
'I don't have time for this. The Shichinin-tai are stupid, and slow, but they won't take forever to kill Kageroumaru.'
"So where is she?"
Kikyo's question slowly seeped into Kagura's thoughts.
"Where's who?"
"Don't give me that crap," Kikyo said so low Kagura had to strain her ears to hear, "Where is my sister?"
"I don't have time for this!" Kagura yelled in exasperation. "If you want to know ask my so-called father!" 'To him I'm just a detachment. Who knows if it's even true.'
An emotion other than ennui* finally crossed over Kikyo's face. "So- called?"
"Look, I don't have time for this Kikyo."
Kikyo smirked, "Why not?"
Kagura didn't respond, instead she rushed back to the door and jiggled the knob in desperation. Reaching into her sleeve, she pulled out a small pin and stuck it in the hole. Knowing the idiots her father hired they would still be bickering about which one was Kageroumaru and which was Juuroumaru.
Somehow this didn't comfort her.
Finally she heard a click.
Barging into the room, she found her worst nightmare come true.
Juuroumaru stood panting over the three unconscious Shichinin-tai, his eyes closed in silent agony.
Kagura turned back to Kikyo, "You knew. He sent you to delay me!" She rushed towards the woman who still stood rooted in the same spot. "How DARE you?!"
Kikyo smirked, "No one *sends* me anywhere."
"You . . . Bitch!"
"Tsk tsk tsk," Kikyo waved a finger back and forth, "Such language."
"I'll show you more than language!" Kagura rushed forward, her fan inches from Kikyo's throat.
Kikyo feigned left, causing Kagura's attack to miss. As Kagura angrily swiped once more, Kikyo caught the fan mid-swipe, her face hardening with seriousness.
"An assassin has no friends, no family, only enemies and rivals. You can trust no one for too long, if at all. Anyone will turn on you for a certain amount of money in this business, as long as they get a tempting offer. Your father's organization is the perfect example. If there's a reward then even your own sister will turn you in. You can trust someone who, without you knowing it, is setting you up and working against you with someone that you thought was both your enemies."
"Loyalties only lie with yourself, no one else, and don't ever doubt that. The Shichinin-tai are willing to lose one of their own for the smallest fee. Naraku, at this very moment, is hiding the whereabouts of my sister from me. At this very moment, you are hiding some very important things from him and me."
"I couldn't care who they are, you are the only one other than Yura here that aided me in the least. If you all died I wouldn't be losing anything. That's how everyone here's mind works."
With that said, Kikyo let the fan go and walked to the exit, "For now, you can chose to trust me and what I have just said or you can decide not to and see what happens."
Kagura stood there, frozen in her spot.
Kikyo nodded towards the Tech Lab's second room before gliding from the room, down the hall towards Naraku's office.
"Honey, you obviously have been hanging around the wrong assassins," Kagura smirked half-heartedly.
Kagura collapsed on the floor, "Kageroumaru . . ."
She had never really cared about Kageroumaru as much as she had Juuroumaru, but he was still her brother. He was still there for her when she needed it, and other than her and Kanna, the only one that could control his rogue behavior.
Why would her father kill him after Yura had ignored his orders? Their idea on why he was killing him in the first place didn't fit in this scenario. The three Shichinin-tai were either unconscious or dead, she hadn't had the time to check, but Yura hadn't killed him, so there was no excuse for killing her. Why had he done this?!
She only knew one thing.
Before she left here, Naraku would pay.
"Kagura . . ." Juuroumaru's low voice came from the doorway to room two.
"Juuroumaru!" Kagura shed her tough exterior and fled into her younger brother's arms. "Is he . . ."
Juuroumaru nodded, apparently in pain due to the sharp intake of breath, "Yeah. He's gone."
Kagura quickly let go of her brother, fearful of hurting him further. "Come on, this place is disgusting, we're leaving."
Juuroumaru looked at his sister, nonplussed.
"No time to explain, we need to go."
She carefully put her brother's arm around her shoulders and helped him out of the room. "Kagura, I managed to kill three Shichinin-tai, I can walk to your room."
Kagura nodded, letting him walk on his own from the room, trying desperately to ignore the blood all over his clothes.
*
"Yura," Kagura tapped the feather, waiting for reception.
"Yeah?" Yura poked her head around the corner of the hall.
Kagura sighed, pinning the feather back into her brown hair, "Well I guess you can see you don't need to look for him anymore."
Yura looked for the first time at Juuroumaru, shock apparent on her face. "Juuroumaru, gods, are you ok?"
Juuroumaru waved a hand, reaching for the knob of Kagura's door.
"Don't!" Kagura batted her brother's hand away from the knob with a scowl on her face, directed to the door, not the assassins.
Yura looked at her friend, confusion written all over her face. "Ok . . ."
"Naraku's gone insane. He's killing everyone and he tried poisoning Kanna by the air vents in her room. I'm not opening that door until I have to." Kagura scoffed, "Besides, my stuff is in your room anyway, Yura."
"If he knows about you then my room probably has twice the fumes."
. . .
Kagura hated when she looked stupid.
At that moment though, she could care less. There were more important things to attend to. They had to find out what Kikyo and Naraku were planning before they all were killed.
Because, lets face it, their father was not the sanest of youkai or men, let alone trusted to make decisions that made sense to anyone but him. Yes, usually he would send them out to collect money-of all nationalities-that people owed them, or some kind of drug that was being sold cheap in the markets, even rare weapons, but sometimes they would be sent out to get scarily odd things like pink tutus or teddy bears.
Once, Kagura and Sesshoumaru had been sent all the way to Hawaii to get grass skirts.
Both had raised eyebrows at this and refused to go for such a stupid thing - - -
- - - but that was before they found out they'd be able to stay there for a month for free.
To put it simply, Naraku was a youkai with a very unstable mind.
If it hadn't been confirmed when he asked for the grass skirts it was when, while Kagura was entertaining herself by snooping through Naraku's office, she found a particularly disheveled grass skirt hidden in the bottom drawer.
She had decided to take pictures and pass the around.
But then, when some unsuspecting agents had attacked her and the dragged- along Sesshoumaru while they were out developing the film where Naraku couldn't see, her pictures had been *confiscated* as evidence.
Well, at least *someone* had had a laugh.
"Yura, have you seen Kohaku?"
At the mention of the boy's name Yura perked up, "No, not since he went to talk to Naraku."
Kagura nodded, hoping her friend wouldn't realize why she was asking.
. . .
"Gods, what's he done with Kohaku?" Yura looked from youkai to yasha. "What's he done?!"
So much for not realizing.
"Yura, I know you care about him, but we have to go as soon as we find Kanna."
Just then static emitted from a feather on Kagura's head. "Talk."
"Kagura, I know what they're planning," Kanna whispered, "Kikyo and Naraku have been fighting. Both are planning something."
"Is it just me or is she much more talkative than she used to be?" Yura interjected.
. . .
"This isn't the time for lightening the mood, Yura," Kagura hissed, going back to listening to what Kanna had to say. "Go on Kanna."
"Naraku told her that he can feel the heat from the agents. There's been an increase in their activity around here and he's uneasy. He thinks that there are people leaking out information for cash." Kanna silently passed Goshinki's room. "So he's planning on killing off everyone that he thinks is talking. Apparently you two because you're, and quote, the sassiest he's ever seen."
"Sassiest?" Yura's brow furrowed, "Sassiest?! What a load of-"
"Yura," Kagura whispered, "Calm down."
"Look, where are you now?" Kanna turned another corner, passing the garage exit and explosive wing.
"By my door," Kagura walked towards the window on the second floor. The sun was already coming up. "I need to contact Sesshoumaru but I can't get in my room with poisonous gases pumping into it."
"It wouldn't matter anyway, the phones are tapped." Kanna walked towards the elevator and pushed the UP button, silently praying it would hurry before Goshinki could spot her.
She barely came to this floor, unless she had to get some explosive for Naraku's sick games.
She'd looked everywhere, but she couldn't for the life of her find Kohaku. 'Where are you?'
"We only have five minutes."
***
"Lord Sesshoumaru, why did we come here if we aren't bringing back anything but a DVD and that towel Jaken stole?"
"Why you-" Jaken stopped when he noticed Sesshoumaru's golden-eyed stare burring into him.
"You *stole* a towel?" Sesshoumaru drawled.
Rin nodded, "He did, but you didn't hear it from me."
Jaken glowered at the child, imagining how easy it would be to kill her right now if his Lord wasn't right there.
"Give it back you fool," Sesshoumaru kicked the youkai towards the front desk as he strode out into the early sun's rays, Rin close behind.
"Lord Sesshoumaru?"
"Yes Rin?"
"You didn't answer my question."
Sesshoumaru sighed, "You'll see."
Rin's eyes held a sudden comprehension, "Ooh! Is it a surprise Lord Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl, "Yeah, a surprise."
Rin clapped her hands with joy and grabbed the youkai's hand in her own small one. "Thank you Lord Sesshoumaru!"
Sesshoumaru looked at his watch.
They were supposed to meet him *here*.
In the next three minutes.
If they didn't he would have to risk leaving Rin in Jaken's care to go after them.
Something he rarely ever did.
*
Jaken scurried out of the hotel and constantly glanced nervously up at the silver-haired demon.
"What's wrong with you Jaken?" Rin poked the youkai in the side, "Sick?"
The 'sick' demon scowled, "No."
"You look sick."
"No I don't."
"Uh huh."
"Nuh uh."
"Uh huh!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Uh huh!" Rin argued, her hands balled up into two tiny, but threatening fists.
"Nuh uh!"
"JAKEN!" Sesshoumaru roared, causing both shorter beings to jump. "Shut up!"
Jaken blinked.
His Lord Sesshoumaru never got that annoyed . . .
. . .Not since that time when Jaken threw a pie at the unsuspecting Rin and was beaten severly for it.
He shuddered at the thought.
Sesshoumaru took a deep, calming, breath and knelt down to come face-to- face with both Jaken and Rin.
"Jaken, I'm leaving her in your care."
"But-"
"If she even has one scratch on her when I return you won't be able to move for weeks." Sesshoumaru spoke calmly, but his threat was evident.
Jaken nodded numbly, "Yes, my Lord."
. . .
"Where are you going?"
Sesshoumaru didn't respond.
***
"Pull up beside them," Ayame ordered.
Kouga sighed, why was he even involved in all of this?
Wasn't this a top secret mission?
Wasn't it against some rule that he was even here?
Kouga followed Ayame's orders despite his conscience telling him not to, and pulled up beside the hanyou's car.
Inuyasha looked over at the newly-arrived car. "That's Ayame!"
Kagome looked around Inuyasha out the window to see a young woman, probably a year older than her, maybe two, with bottle green eyes, and her hair acting as flame in the wind. "Ayame . . .?"
Inuyasha looked away from where Ayame had pulled out a gun to Kagome, "You said you'd never met her!"
"There's more than one Ayame in the world, I didn't think it could be same one!" Kagome argued, "What is your boss doing here anyway?"
"This isn't the time for a conversation," Inuyasha countered.
"Yes it is! They aren't even shooting at us anymore!" Kagome threw up a hand and waved it in front of Inuyasha's face. "They're pathetic."
. . .
Inuyasha looked out his rear view mirror to see Miroku and Sango already parked to the side of the road, surveying the damage a few yards back.
Kagome was right.
Curses.
"Feh."
"Yeah, yeah, feh, keh, whatever." Kagome waved a dismissive hand, "I'm right, you're wrong. Any questions?"
Inuyasha cleared his throat, "Just one."
Kagome lazily turned her head, "Well . . .?"
"Where'd those two goons go?"
Kagome turned and looked behind them.
There wasn't a car behind them, unless you counted her car, which Miroku had already pulled off to the side.
"Oh, I have another question."
"What now?"
"How do you plan on fixing your car?"
It was Kagome's turn to blink as Inuyasha bluntly ignored her and turned, signaling silently for Ayame and her driver, whoever they were, to follow.
"What do - - - - you . . .mean?" Kagome's words dragged off into oblivion when she got her first sight of her car.
To put it kindly it was a wreck.
Inuyasha pulled Fang up behind Kagome's car, or what used to be her car.
Before Inuyasha could speak the passenger door slammed, enveloping the car in silence.
It didn't take his hanyou ears to hear what she was saying.
"MIROKU! I'm going to kill you!" Kagome rushed towards her fellow agent. "What did you do to my car?!"
Inuyasha smirked, sliding nonchalantly out of Fang-which had not even a single scratch-and headed towards Ayame.
"Ayame, what are you doing here?"
"We lost your signal, I guess you haven't noticed the gash in your shoulder have you?"
Inuyasha looked at his shoulder where he could clearly see blood seeping slowly through his shirt.
"By that look I guess not," Ayame gave just enough of a smile to lighten the mood.
"Well, actually I was a little preoccupied with a bullet wound."
". . .oh . . .well then I guess that's a valid excuse for not contacting anyone."
"Shippou said I shouldn't unless I needed backup!"
"That's right. And it looks like you need some backup right now!" Ayame yelled back.
The hanyou scoffed, "I don't need backup."
"Oh really?"
The American agent nodded.
"Both of you shut up!" Sango yelled.
Inuyasha and Ayame both turned to glare at Sango.
The female agent did a double-take in their direction, "What? I'm talking to them!" Sango nodded towards where Kagome was yelling insanely at Miroku.
"I swear Miroku, you're paying for all of this," Kagome said, finally calming down enough to lower her volume.
"What? You said I could drive your car, I didn't steal it and go crash in some ditch! They shot at us!"
". . ."
"They did!"
"I know." Kagome looked her friend over, "But, look at Fang." Miroku did. "Now, do you see anything different about it from when we first started the chase?"
". . .No . . ."
"Exactly!"
"Stop yelling!" Everyone turned in the direction of the new voice. Kouga stood there, glowering at the five agents in pure annoyance.
"What are you doing here Kouga?" Kagome whined.
"Orders."
. . .
. . .
"Yeah, now that we're all acquainted, Sango, Inuyasha, I need to talk to you." Ayame motioned for them both to go over to Fang.
"Yeah?" Sango continued to shine up her razor boomerang, a small grin slowly growing as she did so.
"I'm glad you have Japanese agents to help you out, but you should have asked for some backup once you escaped."
"We were freed," Sango said in monotone.
"Freed?"
"Long story."
"Well, I have time."
*
"This doesn't sound good," Ayame continued to shake her head. "How can you trust an assassin not to notify their boss? It was probably a trap."
"Nah, it wasn't a trap."
"How can you be so sure?"
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably, "I just can! Alright?"
Ayame eyed the hanyou skeptically. "That's an order; tell me."
"I knew the one that allowed us out of the building," Inuyasha muttered.
"You what?!" Ayame placed her hand back on her forehead, "Gods, what have you been hiding for all this time?"
Sango looked from Inuyasha to Ayame, then to the ground. 'What can I tell her? Inuyasha'll get kicked out for sure!'
She hated lying to her boss.
"Is it a crime to know some people on the enemy's side?" Inuyasha growled, "Kaede always said keep your allies close, your enemies closer."
He did have a point there.
Ayame sighed, "Whatever. Just don't get killed."
Miroku walked over, pouting, "Kagome doesn't want me in her car."
"So?" Inuyasha snapped.
Sango whapped her partner over the head, "You can be so insensitive."
"Look who's talking."
Sango glared at him.
"Keh."
"So what are we going to do?" Sango pushed. "We can't let her ride alone."
"Inuyasha, you ride with her."
"W-WHAT?!" Inuyasha sputtered, "You're not driving my car! Sango, you ride with her!"
"I want to sit with Sango!" Miroku yelled over everyone.
". . ."
"Look, this isn't hard." Ayame snapped, "Gods . . . Miroku, ride with Inuyasha, Sango, ride with Kagome. Yeah, you have the hots for each other, well, you couldn't do anything anyway."
Miroku and Sango blushed.
"We're not going back to get supplies, if that's all we have to worry about we're going straight back there and shoot them all down." Inuyasha growled, "Come on Miroku."
"Wait!" Kagome rushed over. "I want to ride with Inuyasha."
"Y-you what?" Inuyasha stammered.
"I'm embarrassed to ride in my car now. You and Sango can have it." Kagome slid into Fang's passenger's seat, a small smile on her face.
"What's wrong with you? You sick or something?"
"What do you mean by that?!" Kagome spat.
"Since when do you want to ride with me?"
. . .
Inuyasha was *not* getting anything today.
Maybe it was from lack of sleep.
Hmm . . .
"Fine, if you don't want me to ride with you I guess I could always ride with Kouga . . ."
Inuyasha stiffened, "I never said you couldn't ride with me."
"Alrighty then." Kagome settled into her seat, "I'm getting used to this."
"Used to what?"
"This. Riding in Fang."
"You've done it three times."
"So?" Kagome looked over at him and smiled, "I still have."
"Ahem." Inuyasha and Kagome turned to see Ayame staring at them knowingly. "If you two are done flirting I'd like to tell you that we'll coming too."
"Thanks for telling us what we already knew," Inuyasha drawled, hiding his pink-tinted cheeks from view.
"You're welcome."
"Oh, and Ayame, have fun with Kouga!" Kagome waved at the yasha, her smile as bright as the sun. She was oblivious to Inuyasha's shocked stare and Ayame red cheeks.
"What?!"
Or maybe Ayame's cheeks were from anger . . .
"Aw, you don't think I've forgotten." Kagome smirked, "He turned into a complete jerk the second you left."
Ayame blinked. "Yeah, well, um, we should kind of get going, ne?"
Kagome smiled, settling back into her seat, and watching Inuyasha dig around under his seat.
***
Kagura growled, "I'm not leaving."
"What do you mean?"
"Kanna, I'm not leaving until Naraku has had hell to pay."
"Kagura . . ." Yura looked up at her, "I'm staying too."
Juuroumaru watched the three girls with interest. None of them would be leaving if his sister kept this up. She was risking her own life for his revenge, and she wouldn't let him do it for himself. Or at least not alone.
"What the hell Yura? Your daughter is in danger waiting here for you. Why are you staying?" Kagura shook the girl, "If it's Kohaku you're worried about I'll make sure I get him before I leave."
The claret-eyed assassin sighed, "That's part of it."
"Then what's the other part?"
"I can't just leave you here, you might not come back . . ."
"What are you talking about?! Of course I'll come back. That's insulting, to think I'd be stupid enough to get myself killed."
Kanna cut in, "We should all leave, if he's only killing those who he thinks are leaking out information then he won't be killing the boy he's possessed will he? We can get back to America, get a plan, and come back."
Just then, like a strike of lightening, an idea formed in Kagura's head.
~Flashback~
"An assassin has no friends, no family, only enemies and rivals. You can trust no one for too long, if at all. Anyone will turn on you for a certain amount of money in this business, as long as they get a tempting offer. Your father's organization is the perfect example. If there's a reward then even your own sister will turn you in. You can trust someone who, without you knowing it, is setting you up and working against you with someone that you thought was both your enemies."
"Loyalties only lie with yourself, no one else, and don't ever doubt that. The Shichinin-tai are willing to lose one of their own for the smallest fee. Naraku, at this very moment, is hiding the whereabouts of my sister from me. At this very moment, you are hiding some very important things from him and me."
"I couldn't care who they are, you are the only one other than Yura here that aided me in the least. If you all died I wouldn't be losing anything. That's how everyone here's mind works."
With that said, Kikyo let the fan go and walked to the exit, "For now, you can chose to trust me and what I have just said or you can decide not to and see what happens."
~End Flashback~
"For once, Kikyo actually helped me."
Everyone gave her disbelieving stares.
" 'You can trust someone who, without you knowing it, is setting you up and working against you with someone that you thought was both your enemies.' That's what I'm going to do." Kagura smirked, "I know just the person."
"Who?"
***
"Inuyasha . . ."
"What?" he sped down the road, checking behind him every couple of minutes to check on the others.
"I need to tell you something."
"What's that?" Inuyasha turned a corner and looked at the girl.
"Don't do anything stupid or reckless," Kagome awkwardly put a hand on his shoulder, "Take care of yourself."
~Flashback~
"Inuyasha, I love you, don't do anything stupid or reckless. I need you to take care of yourself."
He was silhouetted by the moonlight, "I promise Kikyo."
"Good bye, Inuyasha."
Kikyo walked off down the beach.
She had found him after she had chased Naraku's people away. No matter how angry he was at her he couldn't deny her the last wish she'd ever ask him.
~End Flashback~
Obviously this was some sarcastic joke she was pulling.
She couldn't actually be acting as if she cared about him?
She couldn't *actually* say exactly what Kikyo had told him that night at the beach.
Could she?
*
"Alright, I'll head through the way we left," Inuyasha secured two guns to his belt. "Kagome comes with me."
"Miroku and I'll go from the side exit we spotted earlier," Sango confirmed.
"We'll go in from over there," Ayame indicated a loading area to the side.
"I still don't feel safe with Hiraikotsu . . ." Sango murmured, looking at her razor boomerang at her side.
"Would a gun make you feel safer?" Kouga offered, somewhat awkwardly.
"Yeah, I guess so," Sango shrugged.
Kouga popped the trunk of his car to reveal countless guns, knives, and even a few grenades.
*
"Well that was easy," Kagome said, slipping a master key into her pocket. "You'd think that they would have some kind of DNA analyzer to get inside."
Inuyasha scoffed, "You actually think Naraku would throw that much money down for anything?"
They dropped the subject and cautiously looked to their right, then their left. "Clear, which way?"
Inuyasha shifted his ears trying to pick up any sounds he could, "Left."
Kagome nodded an affirmative and followed after him, her gun raised above her head.
Up ahead she began to be able to hear a woman's voice, it seemed very familiar. "Gods, it's Nazuna."
"So, big boy, you want to go somewhere and - - -" Nazuna slowed to a halt when she passed a few crates, "Wait."
Kagome held her breath, ready to shoot if she had to. Before they did anything they needed to take care of Naraku.
"Do you feel like you're being watched?" Nazuna continued, completely oblivious to the fact that all fifteen men behind her *were* watching a certain *something* of hers as she spoke.
All of the male assassins shook their heads, "Oh, well anyway . . ." She smirked at the tallest man there, a smile playing at her lips. "Where was I?"
Both agents snuck out from behind the crates, walking silently behind the farthest two thugs behind the flirtatious woman.
"Hey," Kagome whispered to the one in front of her.
Like an idiot he turned around to look at her.
And like idiots none of the others heard.
They were all too busy watching Nazuna walk to notice if the whole headquarters caught fire.
*
Inuyasha stepped over one of the unconscious men that lie on the floor, "That was a waste of time, you know that right."
"Oh, it doesn't matter." Kagome smirked, "It was fun."
"Yeah . . ."
Kagome walked farther down the hall, "Where's Naraku's office?"
"Down some more."
Kagome paused in her tracks, as did Inuyasha.
Standing, right in front of them . . .
Was Kikyo.
"Well, hello Kagome," Kikyo smiled, taking another step forward.
"Kikyo . . .?" Kagome breathed. It was all she could do not to stay quiet right then. If Inuyasha wasn't there she would have.
Inuyasha watched the exchange completely dumbfounded. 'Shouldn't Kagome be attacking her right now?'
For the first time since she'd spoken Kikyo turned to look at Inuyasha, "Why are you so shocked, Inuyasha? Haven't you seen two sisters talk before?"
***
A/N: Sorry! I know, a cliffy. But I promise that I'll get out the next chapter by next weekend. Well, the final page count is 33. WOOHOO! I feel like I certainly accomplished something this week.
Just to clear something up:
Yes, I know I put Jakotsu in chapter one as the guy who goes out with Akane; Miroku's ex-girlfriend. But, if you read carefully, like I know all my wonderful readers did, you read that he went to college, so yes, that did happen. He is also part of the Shichinin-tai. If you're still confused just say so in your review.
Well, I think that's all for now . . .
I hope you can all find it in your hearts to review! ^_^
Ja ne
~Sakura
Sakura's Note: This will possibly be the longest chapter so far in this story! I'll be typing like mad on this all break (Today's Christmas Eve).
*All of the below was written on January 2nd, 2004.*
Disclaimer: Which of the following is true?
A. I am Rumiko Takahashi.
B. I have Rumiko tied up in my attic and have assumed her identity. Shhh.
C. I own nothing except for what's in my room, half of which someone else bought for me, the Fruit Breezer in my mouth, and my tissues.
D. I am Kagome and Inuyasha and I are getting married tomorrow. ^_^ (Tonight I'm killing Kikyo)
Page goal as of 12/24/03: 30-31 pages (minimum)
Well, first of all, Happy New Years! *Throws leftover confetti in the air* I hope you all had one much better than mine. -.- At home, with yet another cold. But, the one upside is . . . An excuse to eat Halls Fruit Breezers! I swear, I'm addicted to those things. My immune system is being so . . . Grrr . . . right now.
Second, I'm sorry about all the slow updates. I will finish all my stories, it's just this one is the one I'm focusing on. I wanted to hurry and post WAALHW before anyone else could write about it, because half my ideas are written before I can finish up stuff. ^_^;; Yeah, I can be possessive, but we all have our faults right?
Don't answer that.
Third, I'm once again torn between having a sequel or not. I thought I'd come to an answer but then I got doubts. T_T I hate doubts. I have a title for the sequel now, if I write one it'd be called Mission Completed.
Anyway, enough of my doubts and sickness updates . . .
'Cuz that's just depressing.
Quick Question:
I know once I find out I'll feel stupid because it's probably the simplest thing in the world, but what does OVA mean? ^_^; I know it has *something* to do with DVDs but I still have no clue. *Feels stupid* Thanks in advance!
Shout outs!
1) De ja vu?
Here's the deal: When ff.net posted an update about not having author notes as a chapter I removed all of them from all of my chapters. So since I had one chapter in MIM that was an A/N I took it out so there were only 18 chapters, causing the first chapter 19 to become chapter 18. Then I posted the next chapter and so now there are 19 chapters again. Well, actually with this chapter 20, but . . .
Confused? ^_^;;
Don't worry.
Frankly, so am I.
So don't worry everyone! ~_^
2) For sacredmist: Yes, I have read your story. LOL. My computer isn't letting me post a review, but I'll keep checking to see if it'll let me. Plum (my computer) can be annoying sometimes.
Plum: -_-
Sakura: ^_^;; Heh heh . . . Please don't shut down! You're great! You really are!
Plum: ^_^ *Goes back to playing Tenchi Muyo CD perfectly for Sakura*
Anyway, incase I can't here's my review:
I think it's cute. A little hard to follow, but if you work on it some it has the potential to be really funny. ^_^
3) Quotes
Thanks, trixie-trix, for liking my quotes ^o^ *Hands trixie-trix pocky* Enjoy this chapter too and thanks for reviewing.
Thanks to:
Kitkat101, smoothie, InuShemeeko, Josie, Anonymous, trixie-trix, bbeeffffccaakkee, sacredmist, Angel81, KaGoMe39, animechicky444, and Sir Klux A Lot (Via email).
I hope you all enjoy this chappie and R&R!
Without further ado, Chapter 19.
***
Chapter 19: Sisters?!
"I haven't been able to get in touch with them," Kagura tapped the feather on her head, "They won't respond."
Yura's eyes widened, "When did you lose their signal?"
"Around 2 this morning, why-"
"Oh gods." Yura whimpered, "Your father has them."
Kagura stayed silent.
For the first time ever-
Since Sesshoumaru left at least-
Kagura was in a state of panic.
The older of the two assassins was the first to regain her calm composure.
She allowed Kagura a minute to process what she'd just heard by doing something she always did when she was nervous - - -
- - - Finger the closest sharp object she could find.
But hey, everyone had their weird little thing they did that-unlike everybody else-they thought was completely normal.
Yura flinched when the 'closest sharp object she could find' cut her finger.
She sighed, hoping she'd given Kagura enough time to think.
The assassin brought her injured finger to her lips and sucked her finger gingerly before waving her hand for a few seconds.
Yura put her hands on Kagura's shoulders, shaking her gently, "You know they can handle themselves, well, Juuroumaru can handle them anyway. You know how they feel about your dad. Kageroumaru won't stop Juuroumaru from killing your *old man* even for a million American dollars." Yura looked into eyes just as red as hers, "They'll be ok."
Kagura nodded soberly, "Why would he have them?"
Yura paused, knowing her answer would only worsen the yasha's worries.
Sensing the older woman's hesitation, Kagura took a deep, despairing, breath. "Tell me. It can't get much worse."
She swallowed hard, "Kagura, Naraku gave me another assignment. He wanted me to get rid of Kageroumaru for him."
Yura saw Kagura's eyes widen in shock and anger.
For a split second Kagura felt like slicing her friends throat from holding that back from her.
Then common sense returned to her.
Killing her friend was wrong.
Very wrong.
Yura looked over at the yasha again, chastising herself for making this more complicated than it was.
"But-there is a but-I refused. I shrugged it off and thought that if I wouldn't do it and he bought my excuse for not being able to find him then he would let it go."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kagura growled.
"You had too much on your plate, I'm sorry Kagura, I hate myself because it's all my fault but-"
"But what?"
"But I think he was planning on killing me after I killed his son."
Kagura finally understood what everything her father had been doing meant, "He would say you killed Kageroumaru and then he'd have an excuse to kill you. I wouldn't be able to go after him because I was brainwashed . . ."
Thanks to Inuyasha's poison, and Kagome shooting her with it, the brainwashing had somehow been undone.
Kagura hadn't believed in miracles since she was a little kid, then she realized her *father* was an idiotic, insane demon . . .
What's better than *that* to take away your belief in miracles?
Yura nodded, "I've been thinking about it for some time," Yura turned on her laptop, "Look. You know when his last accountant died he was having me do the accounting?" Kagura nodded.
"Yeah. What does that have to do with anything?"
"Sometimes you can be slower than syrup," Yura grumbled.
?
"Slower . . . Than *syrup*?" Kagura drawled, "Yura, what the hell is going on in that mind of yours?"
"Never mind," Yura sighed in despondency. "Look, he was imprudent enough to give me access to not some but all his personal money-management files."
Kagura nodded, still totally clueless to what Yura was talking about.
Her mind was too busy with other things right now.
Where in the seven hells were her brothers?
Why would her fa-
Naraku-
Want to kill his sons?
The ones he was always sending on the most dangerous missions?
Next to hers of course.
She had to admit she was cocky and arrogant most of the time. But even if she wasn't, you can't deny the truth.
She *was* the best here.
All that training her father put her through . . .
She had started training and killing before Kanna had even learned how to load a gun.
And that was saying something.
But . . .
Putting family matters aside,
Why should she care if her *father* decided to give away his personal information to an assassin outside of the family?
It wasn't like he hadn't been that thick before.
"After he found another accountant he supposedly deleted all the files off my notebook and changed all his passwords-"
"-But he didn't," Kagura finished, her eyes full of sudden comprehension.
Wait.
What did *that* mean?
"Your silence says volumes."
Kagura scowled, "I'm no idiot. I get it."
" . . ."
"I do!"
" . . . Uh huh."
"Just shut up and tell me the rest."
"How is that even possible?" Kagura glared, reaching for her poison-tipped fan. "Alright, alright, I know, it's no time to be difficult," Yura sighed. "Look, I tried getting in there the other day. He's losing money, Kagura. He barely has enough to keep us all paid."
Somehow, no matter how peeved or distressed Kagura was, Yura always brought comedy into her otherwise hardcore life.
She'd have to give her something for that one day . . .
A hug?
. . .?
Where did that come from?
Kagura didn't give out hugs.
"So he's trying to kill the one's who actually are able to get the money he needs? What kind of crap is he trying to pull doing that?"
"The one's getting him all the money are the one's that are demanding the most out of him," Yura continued, "So I guess he's trying to kill us off by using us against each other."
"What the f-"
"Language," Yura warned, "You better not use any of that around my daughter. You should start practicing now."
Kagura glared at her dead-serious friend but acted in accordance with her request, "What the *heck* is he thinking?"
"That's better," Yura spoke in a voice a mother would use on her daughter.
Kagura shot her friend a bitter glare.
But her temper was short-lived when she saw her friend jump slightly.
"If he kills us off, yeah, he'll have more money, but those bumbling idiots that follow Nazuna around aren't going to get him anything. It'll be as if we never left."
After clearing her throat and regaining her confidence, the crimson-eyed assassin continued her explanation, deciding to ignore the smug look on Kagura's face.
"That's the flaw in my theory, his purposes aren't sound-at all." Yura sighed, "Look, enough thinking. We need to find your brothers. Soon. Before Naraku has a chance to kill Kageroumaru."
"Isn't he trying to kill them both?"
"Not as far as I know." Yura pulled out a collection of daggers from under her mattress along with a gun, "It doesn't matter though, that insane youkai changes his mind at the drop of a hat."
Kagura nodded, "I'll try and find Kanna, she's already off doing her daily rounds, hoping to find them and not look suspicious. Then after that," Kagura pulled one of a couple of metal feathers from her bun, "I'll use this to contact you."
Yura nodded, taking the two-way radio from her, "We don't have much time, Kami-sama be with us."
***
"Lord Sesshoumaru?"
"Yes Rin?" Sesshoumaru continued to watch his DVD as the girl happily skipped towards him.
"Why did we come here?"
The girl had a valid question.
It wasn't *that* hard to answer.
'Rin, your mother that you somehow forgot-except for a few fragments-is here and we're taking her back with us . . .'
Not hard to say at all.
So why was he, Sesshoumaru, still silent?
"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin gasped, "Lord Sesshoumaru! Have you gone deaf?"
Sesshoumaru couldn't help but smile.
"No, I haven't."
"Then why don't you answer Rin?"
"Answer *me*," Sesshoumaru immediately corrected, reclining his chair, "It's complicated Rin."
"Well, Rin's-"
"Well *I'm*," Sesshoumaru corrected again.
"Well, *I'm*," Rin repeated, exasperation evident in her voice, "a smart girl. I can understand complicated things."
"Don't you know when to shut *up* girl?!" Sesshoumaru and Rin both turned and glared at the lesser youkai in the corner. "Um . . . Uh . . . never mind."
"Yes, Jaken, go back to your *knitting*," Sesshoumaru waved a flippant hand.
Jaken scowled, despite his fear of being tossed from the suite's balcony, "I'm not *knitting*, I'm *crocheting*." He sniffed, "There's a difference."
Sesshoumaru continued to ignore-to the best of his ability- his the toad- like being as he continued to watch the movie.
"Shut up Jaken!" Rin whined, "Knitting, crocheting, sewing-it doesn't matter- we don't care."
"Why you little-"
The phone rang.
The young girl bounded across the opulently furnished suite.
"Mushi mushi!" Rin beamed, holding the phone close to her ear as if it would run away if she didn't keep her grip.
There was a pause.
"Uh huh." She narrowed her eyes in concentration.
Another pause.
"Yes." she nodded her head vigorously.
Pause.
"My mommy isn't here right now."
Pause.
"I think you've got the wrong number." Rin scrunched up her nose and plopping down on the bed.
Pause.
"What does that mean?"
Sesshoumaru sighed and got up from his chair, reluctantly leaving his movie paused behind him, before picking up the phone. Clearing his throat, he began to speak in a voice very contrasting to his own. "Who's this?"
Pause.
Rin bounced over to her 'Lord Sesshoumaru's' chair as jumped in, staring at the paused frame with mild interest.
"I'm sorry, I think you have the wrong number, like my daughter said."
Pause.
"I don't have a wife by the name of Yura."
Pause.
"Well, I hope you find whoever it is you're looking for," Sesshoumaru hung up the phone, "bastard."
"Lord Sesshoumaru cursed!" Rin's eyes opened wide. "Lord Sesshoumaru said Rin-*I* shouldn't curse 'cuz it's bad!"
"Who was it my lord?" Jaken dropped his crocheting and hopped towards Sesshoumaru, completely ignoring the babbling girl behind him.
"Naraku."
***
"You know, this is getting old," Ayame informed, crossing her arms tighter in front of her.
Kouga had been laughing to himself off and on since the 'shut don't go up' incident.
Kouga didn't respond, instead, he looked over at her, looked back out through the windsheild, and chuckled once again.
"Gods! What is wrong with you?" Ayame seethed, looking down at her watch.
It read 5:45.
Kouga stayed silent.
Ayame sighed, settling back in her seat.
This was *really* getting old.
Finally, "I'm just remembering some stuff." Ayame turned to look at the youkai, her eyes slits as she did so.
"Really? And what *stuff* are you remembering?" Kouga took a deep breath and put on his turn signal.
"The pillow fight, for example."
. . .?
Pillow fight?
They never had a pillow fight . . .
Ayame cleared her throat, "Exactly what pillow fight was this?" She asked nonchalantly.
Kouga coughed.
"Need a cough drop?"
Kouga shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "No."
"Exactly what pillow fight are you talking about?" Ayame reiterated.
Kouga scratched his head, "Oh, it was after you left, it was with . . . Hmm . . . What was her name?"
Ayame's eye twitched, "A girlfriend of yours?"
"Yeah, Mina, I think it was," Kouga smirked looking over at the yasha, "Why?"
"I just thought that someone as old as you are, not to mention a guy, wouldn't be into pillow fights," Ayame shrugged.
"Oh, but what it lead to . . . That was for someone my age," Kouga grinned.
"You're sick, you know that?"
"What'd I say?"
"Who said I was going to repeat it?" Ayame crossed her arms-if humanly possible-tighter across her chest.
"If I didn't know any better I would think you were jealous." Kouga nudged her, "I should thank you for leaving."
It was like a knife through her heart. They had been partners since they were thirteen, a couple since fifteen.
But here he was, thanking her for leaving so he could have pillow fights . . . Among other things . . . With someone else.
Ayame looked away, out at the sunrise, trying to hide the tears she tried so hard to hold in.
One escaped.
Kouga sniffed the air inattentively but caught something he didn't expect.
Salt water.
He gave the yasha beside him a side-glance. She was breathing normally, or at least as normal as he could remember, and didn't look like she was bawling. But they were most definitely her tears.
"Ayame I-"
"What?" she snapped. "You're welcome. There. You've thanked me, I've reciprocated."
"Ayame . . ."
"How far are we from Ramen Co?" Ayame said, changing the subject. Doing that was one of her best abilities. The day she couldn't change the subject successfully would be the day she could get Kouga to talk about what had happened with them.
"You can't change the subject."
Maybe that day was today.
***
"Why did these yarous have to come now of all times?!"
"Inuyasha, I think that was the point."
. . .
She had a point there.
"Arrgh! We're not getting anywhere just running from these bakas!" Inuyasha growled, looking out the side-view mirror with a glint of malice in his honey orbs.
Kagome looked over at the reckless hanyou driver next to her.
There was something about his eyes that told her he was about to do something he did a lot.
"Inuyasha, don't do something stupid!" Kagome warned, "I'm not about to die because you did something-"
"-Stupid," Inuyasha finished, annoyed, "You don't need to repeat yourself, it gets annoying."
Kagome crossed her arms over her chest.
So she was the annoying one?
Huh.
Well that was new.
***
"Kanna," Kagura hissed into one of her hair feathers, "Kanna!"
Static was all that could be heard.
Then-
"Kagura?"
"Who else would it be?"
"I think I've found them."
Kagura slid into the darkened room marked 'Lab Tech', "Where-"
"But we have a few more problems than we planned." Kanna lowered her voice on the other line.
"What else could there be?"
"Kikyo's here, I saw her slip into Naraku's office a minute ago," Kanna walked down the hallway leading to the living quarters, "Kohaku is no where to be found, the Shichinin-tai are back on Naraku's payroll, and Naraku suspects something."
Kagura slid down the wall, "I need to contact Sesshoumaru, he needs to know we can't meet him."
"Don't say that yet, we still have an hour."
Kagura scoffed, "An hour? One gods be damned hour before he has to take Rin back. If Naraku suspects something then he probably already knows by now what that *something* is. Sesshoumaru can't afford to keep Rin and himself here for long."
"Our brothers are with Kyoukotsu, Suikotsu, and Renkotsu in Tech Lab, Room 2," Kanna coughed, "Gods . . ."
"What?"
"Naraku knows," Kanna coughed again.
"Kanna, what are you talking about?"
"There's some kind of fume in here, our *father* is trying to poison me," Kanna coughed again before the sound of a door slamming could be heard by Kagura.
. . .
Fumes?
Yeah, that was the last straw.
The second she got out of here she was calling a mental hospital.
Kagura looked at her watch.
Fifty-five more minutes.
"Ok, listen, don't go back to your room for as long as possible. I'm going to try and find Kohaku."
"Why are you even looking for that boy?" Kagura questioned, pulling out her poison-tipped fan.
"Because Yura cares about him, she has since she left Rin in Sesshoumaru's care." Kanna sighed, "She won't leave if she knows he might be in danger. Anyway, where are you?"
Kagura sighed, cautiously looking outside the door she had just entered to the wall on the left, she suppressed a gulp, "Tech Lab, room one."
***
"We're risking our lives, for what? Thirty thousand yen?" Jakotsu whined, almost losing his lunch when he looked down, "My arm!"
"Will you shut up?!" Bankotsu seethed, "Shut up about your stupid arm and shoot them!"
"Why couldn't we be the ones to get rid of that son of Naraku's? Kageroumaru was it? Why'd we have to be out here getting shot at and my arm sliced off!"
Bankotsu turned to glare pointedly at the whining Shichinin-tai member next to him.
"You imbecile! You still have your arm! It's just a little blood that's-"
"A little blood?" Jakotsu whined, "It's halfway off!"
"Here's a cheerful thought," Bankotsu mocked, "At least it didn't screw up your nail job."
. . .
"You're right!" Jakotsu grinned, "It didn't! I should count myself lucky."
Bankotsu's face faulted, "You're kidding right?"
". . .no."
. . .
Argh!
"Shoot them! Shoot them!" Jakotsu, taken aback by his partner's sudden rage, grabbed up his machine gun with his unscathed hand and leaned out the window.
"Um . . . Bankotsu?"
"What?!"
"How do I use this thing with only one hand?"
The car swerved slightly.
"You tell me! You're the one that robbed a bank so you could go to college!" Bankotsu said through gritted teeth.
"You know what?" Jakotsu bellyached, "I do go to college. So I'll use my college brain to tell you my idea."
"No." Bankotsu growled, "College caused all of your ideas to become gay and stupid."
Jakotsu shot a glare at his partner, "Why don't I drive since that only takes one hand and you use the gun since it requires two."
". . ."
Jakotsu grinned smugly.
"That's gay."
His face faulted, "Then what do you suggest we do, since I sure as hell can't shoot off this!"
Bankotsu thought for a moment, "How about we switch roles?"
!
"That's what I just said!" Jakotsu cried indignantly.
Bankotsu smirked, "You said something?"
"What happened to you? You said I was the only one you could trust, the only one you'd save if we got in a jam . . ."
"I still say that!"
"When?"
"This morning," Bankotsu retorted dryly.
Jakotsu scoffed, "Whatever."
If no one knew he was gay before, they would have surely realized by the way he'd just said 'whatever'.
"I'm just pissed off right now."
Jakotsu looked over at the man next to him. "Uh huh."
"Hey! I am!"
"I know! That wasn't sarcasm," Jakotsu sighed, growing bored of driving stupidly towards the people shooting at them every five seconds.
"Look, this is stupid," Jakotsu threw his arm up in fake surrender.
Bankotsu sighed. "I said we could switch places."
"So did I!"
They were back to square one.
Jakotsu scowled, gingerly touching his bleeding arm.
"Don't get blood all over the upholstery, this car is new."
A bullet flew through the windshield into Bankotsu's shoulder.
Jakotsu grinned as Bankotsu's eyes widened in shock and pain, "No what you said was gay," the man's lipstick-adorned lips curled at the edges, "I suggest you shouldn't bleed in the new car."
Bankotsu growled, "Come to think of it, this car is Naraku's . . ."
Jakotsu grinned, their fight forgotten, "Well then."
***
"They're slowing down!" Sango yelled over the screeching of the bare hubcap, "I think Kagome hit the driver!"
Miroku brought his left hand back into the car, "No, that was me."
Sango smirked, "Good aim."
"Why thank you."
***
"What the-" Kouga lowered his head down to the steering wheel and looked ahead, where he could see three cars in a highway chase, bullets being shot off every few seconds.
"Fang!" Ayame shook Kouga's shoulder, caught up in the moment, "It's Fang!"
"Who in all the hells is Fang?" Kouga asked, yanking his shoulder away from Ayame's constant tugging.
"Inuyasha's car!"
"Dog-face names his cars?" Kouga drawled, spinning his own car around.
"Shut up, his car's a helluva lot better than this thing you've been driving me around in all day," Ayame informed, "But that's not the point!"
"Then what is?!" Kouga roared.
"Someone's chasing them!" Ayame pointed out the obvious as the cars came closer.
"No." Kouga said feigning disbelief.
"Follow them!" Ayame yelled, slapping his arm.
"Wait till they get here! Gods woman!" Kouga waited until Fang and another car he recognized as Kagome's flew past him to slam on the ignition.
***
"Was that Ayame?" Inuyasha asked to no one in particular.
"I've never seen her before, don't ask me." Kagome looked behind her, "Well, I guess so since that car's following us."
The sound of a phone ringing filled the car.
Inuyasha cursed under his breath as he dug into his pocket and pulled out his cell, "You're taking a call *now*?!" Kagome yelled, apparently terrified.
"What?!" Inuyasha barked into the phone. There was a short silence, "Shippou! You d*** kitsune! Why, why in the world, are you calling in the middle of a car chase?!"
Another short pause.
Kagome sweat dropped.
"Yes I'm in a car chase! Don't you have ears-" Inuyasha growled menacingly, "That was rhetorical!"
Pause.
"If we're in a car chase, brat, then we escaped, now didn't we?" Inuyasha shot a glance outside of the car to where the new car was speeding towards them. "Shippou, don't you have something better to do than argue with me?!"
Kagome looked at Inuyasha disbelievingly.
This was insane!
Who, anywhere, took a call during a car chase?!
. . .
Apparently Inuyasha.
"Look, I'm hanging up now, and I swear when I get back to America I'm gonna- - - Hey!" Inuyasha yelled as Kagome grabbed the phone away.
"That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen!" Kagome hollered.
Inuyasha ignored the girls complaints as he shot another bullet towards the antagonists.
***
Kagura quickly slipped into the darker shadows of the Tech Lab making sure that she didn't make a sound until the right moment.
She reached the door of the lab and could hear the murmurings of three obnoxious thugs-twice removed-hired by her father.
"Alright, how do we do this?" a gruff voice asked the others.
"Where's Mukotsu? He's never had trouble thinking of ways to kill people."
The sound of someone striking the Shichinin-tai member reached Kagura's ears.
"Baka! None of us do!"
Kagura stepped back from the door missing the next thing said.
"P.S., Naraku shot him, remember?"
She heard them to continue arguing, so she grudgingly returned her attention to the door. She could hear both her brothers' heartbeats.
That was a good sign.
"Sorry, Renkotsu!"
"Just shut up, Ginkotsu, and get me a knife."
Kagura's heart sped up. She reached for the knob to find - - -
- - - it was locked.
"No." She whispered, turning it more forcefully. Those idiots had never been smart enough to lock the door before killing someone, at least not before they left.
Her father must have told them exactly what to do.
"Kagura . . . Well, well, well." The yasha spun around, noticing the doorway was blocked by a figure. "Long time no see."
"Kikyo?"
The woman walked into the room, leaving the exit wide open for Kagura to escape.
"Kagura." Kikyo took another step forward, one arm holding the other's bend casually. "Don't you have somewhere to *be* right now?"
Kagura looked the older woman up and down. Kikyo wore blood red pants and a shirt as pale as her skin. "What do you mean by that?"
Kikyo shrugged, "Maybe a plane to catch?"
"Plane?" Kagura stared blankly at the woman in front of her. "I see you're still as paranoid as ever."
"You talk like you know me," Kikyo said calmly.
"Well, helping you arrange meetings with a certain hanyou agent for two years did give me a long time to get to know all about you," Kagura sighed, looking down at her fan. "Not to mention all the favors I did, no, *do* for you now."
Kikyo scoffed, "You work for your father, he works for me, I could have *made* you do that."
Kagura clenched her fists, "Either way I do know you, more than you probably know yourself."
"You sound like my mother."
"How would you even know what she sounds like? You ran away in search of power before you could drive."
Kikyo shot the yasha an icy glare before looking at her watch, "Well, thank you for doing it anyway."
Kagura gave Kikyo a incredulous stare, "I thought I was beneath you."
"You are, if you want me to take back the thank you then I will," Kikyo sighed, "But the thank you, no matter how incredulous is seems, is sincere. You kept your word, Naraku seems to still be oblivious to our relationship."
"What reason would I have in telling him?" Kagura returned the stare, "I hate that yarou."
Kikyo shrugged, seemingly unsurprised by the reference. Then, stiffly, and somewhat forced, "Don't we all?"
Kagura cocked her head to the side,
'I don't have time for this. The Shichinin-tai are stupid, and slow, but they won't take forever to kill Kageroumaru.'
"So where is she?"
Kikyo's question slowly seeped into Kagura's thoughts.
"Where's who?"
"Don't give me that crap," Kikyo said so low Kagura had to strain her ears to hear, "Where is my sister?"
"I don't have time for this!" Kagura yelled in exasperation. "If you want to know ask my so-called father!" 'To him I'm just a detachment. Who knows if it's even true.'
An emotion other than ennui* finally crossed over Kikyo's face. "So- called?"
"Look, I don't have time for this Kikyo."
Kikyo smirked, "Why not?"
Kagura didn't respond, instead she rushed back to the door and jiggled the knob in desperation. Reaching into her sleeve, she pulled out a small pin and stuck it in the hole. Knowing the idiots her father hired they would still be bickering about which one was Kageroumaru and which was Juuroumaru.
Somehow this didn't comfort her.
Finally she heard a click.
Barging into the room, she found her worst nightmare come true.
Juuroumaru stood panting over the three unconscious Shichinin-tai, his eyes closed in silent agony.
Kagura turned back to Kikyo, "You knew. He sent you to delay me!" She rushed towards the woman who still stood rooted in the same spot. "How DARE you?!"
Kikyo smirked, "No one *sends* me anywhere."
"You . . . Bitch!"
"Tsk tsk tsk," Kikyo waved a finger back and forth, "Such language."
"I'll show you more than language!" Kagura rushed forward, her fan inches from Kikyo's throat.
Kikyo feigned left, causing Kagura's attack to miss. As Kagura angrily swiped once more, Kikyo caught the fan mid-swipe, her face hardening with seriousness.
"An assassin has no friends, no family, only enemies and rivals. You can trust no one for too long, if at all. Anyone will turn on you for a certain amount of money in this business, as long as they get a tempting offer. Your father's organization is the perfect example. If there's a reward then even your own sister will turn you in. You can trust someone who, without you knowing it, is setting you up and working against you with someone that you thought was both your enemies."
"Loyalties only lie with yourself, no one else, and don't ever doubt that. The Shichinin-tai are willing to lose one of their own for the smallest fee. Naraku, at this very moment, is hiding the whereabouts of my sister from me. At this very moment, you are hiding some very important things from him and me."
"I couldn't care who they are, you are the only one other than Yura here that aided me in the least. If you all died I wouldn't be losing anything. That's how everyone here's mind works."
With that said, Kikyo let the fan go and walked to the exit, "For now, you can chose to trust me and what I have just said or you can decide not to and see what happens."
Kagura stood there, frozen in her spot.
Kikyo nodded towards the Tech Lab's second room before gliding from the room, down the hall towards Naraku's office.
"Honey, you obviously have been hanging around the wrong assassins," Kagura smirked half-heartedly.
Kagura collapsed on the floor, "Kageroumaru . . ."
She had never really cared about Kageroumaru as much as she had Juuroumaru, but he was still her brother. He was still there for her when she needed it, and other than her and Kanna, the only one that could control his rogue behavior.
Why would her father kill him after Yura had ignored his orders? Their idea on why he was killing him in the first place didn't fit in this scenario. The three Shichinin-tai were either unconscious or dead, she hadn't had the time to check, but Yura hadn't killed him, so there was no excuse for killing her. Why had he done this?!
She only knew one thing.
Before she left here, Naraku would pay.
"Kagura . . ." Juuroumaru's low voice came from the doorway to room two.
"Juuroumaru!" Kagura shed her tough exterior and fled into her younger brother's arms. "Is he . . ."
Juuroumaru nodded, apparently in pain due to the sharp intake of breath, "Yeah. He's gone."
Kagura quickly let go of her brother, fearful of hurting him further. "Come on, this place is disgusting, we're leaving."
Juuroumaru looked at his sister, nonplussed.
"No time to explain, we need to go."
She carefully put her brother's arm around her shoulders and helped him out of the room. "Kagura, I managed to kill three Shichinin-tai, I can walk to your room."
Kagura nodded, letting him walk on his own from the room, trying desperately to ignore the blood all over his clothes.
*
"Yura," Kagura tapped the feather, waiting for reception.
"Yeah?" Yura poked her head around the corner of the hall.
Kagura sighed, pinning the feather back into her brown hair, "Well I guess you can see you don't need to look for him anymore."
Yura looked for the first time at Juuroumaru, shock apparent on her face. "Juuroumaru, gods, are you ok?"
Juuroumaru waved a hand, reaching for the knob of Kagura's door.
"Don't!" Kagura batted her brother's hand away from the knob with a scowl on her face, directed to the door, not the assassins.
Yura looked at her friend, confusion written all over her face. "Ok . . ."
"Naraku's gone insane. He's killing everyone and he tried poisoning Kanna by the air vents in her room. I'm not opening that door until I have to." Kagura scoffed, "Besides, my stuff is in your room anyway, Yura."
"If he knows about you then my room probably has twice the fumes."
. . .
Kagura hated when she looked stupid.
At that moment though, she could care less. There were more important things to attend to. They had to find out what Kikyo and Naraku were planning before they all were killed.
Because, lets face it, their father was not the sanest of youkai or men, let alone trusted to make decisions that made sense to anyone but him. Yes, usually he would send them out to collect money-of all nationalities-that people owed them, or some kind of drug that was being sold cheap in the markets, even rare weapons, but sometimes they would be sent out to get scarily odd things like pink tutus or teddy bears.
Once, Kagura and Sesshoumaru had been sent all the way to Hawaii to get grass skirts.
Both had raised eyebrows at this and refused to go for such a stupid thing - - -
- - - but that was before they found out they'd be able to stay there for a month for free.
To put it simply, Naraku was a youkai with a very unstable mind.
If it hadn't been confirmed when he asked for the grass skirts it was when, while Kagura was entertaining herself by snooping through Naraku's office, she found a particularly disheveled grass skirt hidden in the bottom drawer.
She had decided to take pictures and pass the around.
But then, when some unsuspecting agents had attacked her and the dragged- along Sesshoumaru while they were out developing the film where Naraku couldn't see, her pictures had been *confiscated* as evidence.
Well, at least *someone* had had a laugh.
"Yura, have you seen Kohaku?"
At the mention of the boy's name Yura perked up, "No, not since he went to talk to Naraku."
Kagura nodded, hoping her friend wouldn't realize why she was asking.
. . .
"Gods, what's he done with Kohaku?" Yura looked from youkai to yasha. "What's he done?!"
So much for not realizing.
"Yura, I know you care about him, but we have to go as soon as we find Kanna."
Just then static emitted from a feather on Kagura's head. "Talk."
"Kagura, I know what they're planning," Kanna whispered, "Kikyo and Naraku have been fighting. Both are planning something."
"Is it just me or is she much more talkative than she used to be?" Yura interjected.
. . .
"This isn't the time for lightening the mood, Yura," Kagura hissed, going back to listening to what Kanna had to say. "Go on Kanna."
"Naraku told her that he can feel the heat from the agents. There's been an increase in their activity around here and he's uneasy. He thinks that there are people leaking out information for cash." Kanna silently passed Goshinki's room. "So he's planning on killing off everyone that he thinks is talking. Apparently you two because you're, and quote, the sassiest he's ever seen."
"Sassiest?" Yura's brow furrowed, "Sassiest?! What a load of-"
"Yura," Kagura whispered, "Calm down."
"Look, where are you now?" Kanna turned another corner, passing the garage exit and explosive wing.
"By my door," Kagura walked towards the window on the second floor. The sun was already coming up. "I need to contact Sesshoumaru but I can't get in my room with poisonous gases pumping into it."
"It wouldn't matter anyway, the phones are tapped." Kanna walked towards the elevator and pushed the UP button, silently praying it would hurry before Goshinki could spot her.
She barely came to this floor, unless she had to get some explosive for Naraku's sick games.
She'd looked everywhere, but she couldn't for the life of her find Kohaku. 'Where are you?'
"We only have five minutes."
***
"Lord Sesshoumaru, why did we come here if we aren't bringing back anything but a DVD and that towel Jaken stole?"
"Why you-" Jaken stopped when he noticed Sesshoumaru's golden-eyed stare burring into him.
"You *stole* a towel?" Sesshoumaru drawled.
Rin nodded, "He did, but you didn't hear it from me."
Jaken glowered at the child, imagining how easy it would be to kill her right now if his Lord wasn't right there.
"Give it back you fool," Sesshoumaru kicked the youkai towards the front desk as he strode out into the early sun's rays, Rin close behind.
"Lord Sesshoumaru?"
"Yes Rin?"
"You didn't answer my question."
Sesshoumaru sighed, "You'll see."
Rin's eyes held a sudden comprehension, "Ooh! Is it a surprise Lord Sesshoumaru?"
Sesshoumaru looked down at the girl, "Yeah, a surprise."
Rin clapped her hands with joy and grabbed the youkai's hand in her own small one. "Thank you Lord Sesshoumaru!"
Sesshoumaru looked at his watch.
They were supposed to meet him *here*.
In the next three minutes.
If they didn't he would have to risk leaving Rin in Jaken's care to go after them.
Something he rarely ever did.
*
Jaken scurried out of the hotel and constantly glanced nervously up at the silver-haired demon.
"What's wrong with you Jaken?" Rin poked the youkai in the side, "Sick?"
The 'sick' demon scowled, "No."
"You look sick."
"No I don't."
"Uh huh."
"Nuh uh."
"Uh huh!"
"Nuh uh!"
"Uh huh!" Rin argued, her hands balled up into two tiny, but threatening fists.
"Nuh uh!"
"JAKEN!" Sesshoumaru roared, causing both shorter beings to jump. "Shut up!"
Jaken blinked.
His Lord Sesshoumaru never got that annoyed . . .
. . .Not since that time when Jaken threw a pie at the unsuspecting Rin and was beaten severly for it.
He shuddered at the thought.
Sesshoumaru took a deep, calming, breath and knelt down to come face-to- face with both Jaken and Rin.
"Jaken, I'm leaving her in your care."
"But-"
"If she even has one scratch on her when I return you won't be able to move for weeks." Sesshoumaru spoke calmly, but his threat was evident.
Jaken nodded numbly, "Yes, my Lord."
. . .
"Where are you going?"
Sesshoumaru didn't respond.
***
"Pull up beside them," Ayame ordered.
Kouga sighed, why was he even involved in all of this?
Wasn't this a top secret mission?
Wasn't it against some rule that he was even here?
Kouga followed Ayame's orders despite his conscience telling him not to, and pulled up beside the hanyou's car.
Inuyasha looked over at the newly-arrived car. "That's Ayame!"
Kagome looked around Inuyasha out the window to see a young woman, probably a year older than her, maybe two, with bottle green eyes, and her hair acting as flame in the wind. "Ayame . . .?"
Inuyasha looked away from where Ayame had pulled out a gun to Kagome, "You said you'd never met her!"
"There's more than one Ayame in the world, I didn't think it could be same one!" Kagome argued, "What is your boss doing here anyway?"
"This isn't the time for a conversation," Inuyasha countered.
"Yes it is! They aren't even shooting at us anymore!" Kagome threw up a hand and waved it in front of Inuyasha's face. "They're pathetic."
. . .
Inuyasha looked out his rear view mirror to see Miroku and Sango already parked to the side of the road, surveying the damage a few yards back.
Kagome was right.
Curses.
"Feh."
"Yeah, yeah, feh, keh, whatever." Kagome waved a dismissive hand, "I'm right, you're wrong. Any questions?"
Inuyasha cleared his throat, "Just one."
Kagome lazily turned her head, "Well . . .?"
"Where'd those two goons go?"
Kagome turned and looked behind them.
There wasn't a car behind them, unless you counted her car, which Miroku had already pulled off to the side.
"Oh, I have another question."
"What now?"
"How do you plan on fixing your car?"
It was Kagome's turn to blink as Inuyasha bluntly ignored her and turned, signaling silently for Ayame and her driver, whoever they were, to follow.
"What do - - - - you . . .mean?" Kagome's words dragged off into oblivion when she got her first sight of her car.
To put it kindly it was a wreck.
Inuyasha pulled Fang up behind Kagome's car, or what used to be her car.
Before Inuyasha could speak the passenger door slammed, enveloping the car in silence.
It didn't take his hanyou ears to hear what she was saying.
"MIROKU! I'm going to kill you!" Kagome rushed towards her fellow agent. "What did you do to my car?!"
Inuyasha smirked, sliding nonchalantly out of Fang-which had not even a single scratch-and headed towards Ayame.
"Ayame, what are you doing here?"
"We lost your signal, I guess you haven't noticed the gash in your shoulder have you?"
Inuyasha looked at his shoulder where he could clearly see blood seeping slowly through his shirt.
"By that look I guess not," Ayame gave just enough of a smile to lighten the mood.
"Well, actually I was a little preoccupied with a bullet wound."
". . .oh . . .well then I guess that's a valid excuse for not contacting anyone."
"Shippou said I shouldn't unless I needed backup!"
"That's right. And it looks like you need some backup right now!" Ayame yelled back.
The hanyou scoffed, "I don't need backup."
"Oh really?"
The American agent nodded.
"Both of you shut up!" Sango yelled.
Inuyasha and Ayame both turned to glare at Sango.
The female agent did a double-take in their direction, "What? I'm talking to them!" Sango nodded towards where Kagome was yelling insanely at Miroku.
"I swear Miroku, you're paying for all of this," Kagome said, finally calming down enough to lower her volume.
"What? You said I could drive your car, I didn't steal it and go crash in some ditch! They shot at us!"
". . ."
"They did!"
"I know." Kagome looked her friend over, "But, look at Fang." Miroku did. "Now, do you see anything different about it from when we first started the chase?"
". . .No . . ."
"Exactly!"
"Stop yelling!" Everyone turned in the direction of the new voice. Kouga stood there, glowering at the five agents in pure annoyance.
"What are you doing here Kouga?" Kagome whined.
"Orders."
. . .
. . .
"Yeah, now that we're all acquainted, Sango, Inuyasha, I need to talk to you." Ayame motioned for them both to go over to Fang.
"Yeah?" Sango continued to shine up her razor boomerang, a small grin slowly growing as she did so.
"I'm glad you have Japanese agents to help you out, but you should have asked for some backup once you escaped."
"We were freed," Sango said in monotone.
"Freed?"
"Long story."
"Well, I have time."
*
"This doesn't sound good," Ayame continued to shake her head. "How can you trust an assassin not to notify their boss? It was probably a trap."
"Nah, it wasn't a trap."
"How can you be so sure?"
Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably, "I just can! Alright?"
Ayame eyed the hanyou skeptically. "That's an order; tell me."
"I knew the one that allowed us out of the building," Inuyasha muttered.
"You what?!" Ayame placed her hand back on her forehead, "Gods, what have you been hiding for all this time?"
Sango looked from Inuyasha to Ayame, then to the ground. 'What can I tell her? Inuyasha'll get kicked out for sure!'
She hated lying to her boss.
"Is it a crime to know some people on the enemy's side?" Inuyasha growled, "Kaede always said keep your allies close, your enemies closer."
He did have a point there.
Ayame sighed, "Whatever. Just don't get killed."
Miroku walked over, pouting, "Kagome doesn't want me in her car."
"So?" Inuyasha snapped.
Sango whapped her partner over the head, "You can be so insensitive."
"Look who's talking."
Sango glared at him.
"Keh."
"So what are we going to do?" Sango pushed. "We can't let her ride alone."
"Inuyasha, you ride with her."
"W-WHAT?!" Inuyasha sputtered, "You're not driving my car! Sango, you ride with her!"
"I want to sit with Sango!" Miroku yelled over everyone.
". . ."
"Look, this isn't hard." Ayame snapped, "Gods . . . Miroku, ride with Inuyasha, Sango, ride with Kagome. Yeah, you have the hots for each other, well, you couldn't do anything anyway."
Miroku and Sango blushed.
"We're not going back to get supplies, if that's all we have to worry about we're going straight back there and shoot them all down." Inuyasha growled, "Come on Miroku."
"Wait!" Kagome rushed over. "I want to ride with Inuyasha."
"Y-you what?" Inuyasha stammered.
"I'm embarrassed to ride in my car now. You and Sango can have it." Kagome slid into Fang's passenger's seat, a small smile on her face.
"What's wrong with you? You sick or something?"
"What do you mean by that?!" Kagome spat.
"Since when do you want to ride with me?"
. . .
Inuyasha was *not* getting anything today.
Maybe it was from lack of sleep.
Hmm . . .
"Fine, if you don't want me to ride with you I guess I could always ride with Kouga . . ."
Inuyasha stiffened, "I never said you couldn't ride with me."
"Alrighty then." Kagome settled into her seat, "I'm getting used to this."
"Used to what?"
"This. Riding in Fang."
"You've done it three times."
"So?" Kagome looked over at him and smiled, "I still have."
"Ahem." Inuyasha and Kagome turned to see Ayame staring at them knowingly. "If you two are done flirting I'd like to tell you that we'll coming too."
"Thanks for telling us what we already knew," Inuyasha drawled, hiding his pink-tinted cheeks from view.
"You're welcome."
"Oh, and Ayame, have fun with Kouga!" Kagome waved at the yasha, her smile as bright as the sun. She was oblivious to Inuyasha's shocked stare and Ayame red cheeks.
"What?!"
Or maybe Ayame's cheeks were from anger . . .
"Aw, you don't think I've forgotten." Kagome smirked, "He turned into a complete jerk the second you left."
Ayame blinked. "Yeah, well, um, we should kind of get going, ne?"
Kagome smiled, settling back into her seat, and watching Inuyasha dig around under his seat.
***
Kagura growled, "I'm not leaving."
"What do you mean?"
"Kanna, I'm not leaving until Naraku has had hell to pay."
"Kagura . . ." Yura looked up at her, "I'm staying too."
Juuroumaru watched the three girls with interest. None of them would be leaving if his sister kept this up. She was risking her own life for his revenge, and she wouldn't let him do it for himself. Or at least not alone.
"What the hell Yura? Your daughter is in danger waiting here for you. Why are you staying?" Kagura shook the girl, "If it's Kohaku you're worried about I'll make sure I get him before I leave."
The claret-eyed assassin sighed, "That's part of it."
"Then what's the other part?"
"I can't just leave you here, you might not come back . . ."
"What are you talking about?! Of course I'll come back. That's insulting, to think I'd be stupid enough to get myself killed."
Kanna cut in, "We should all leave, if he's only killing those who he thinks are leaking out information then he won't be killing the boy he's possessed will he? We can get back to America, get a plan, and come back."
Just then, like a strike of lightening, an idea formed in Kagura's head.
~Flashback~
"An assassin has no friends, no family, only enemies and rivals. You can trust no one for too long, if at all. Anyone will turn on you for a certain amount of money in this business, as long as they get a tempting offer. Your father's organization is the perfect example. If there's a reward then even your own sister will turn you in. You can trust someone who, without you knowing it, is setting you up and working against you with someone that you thought was both your enemies."
"Loyalties only lie with yourself, no one else, and don't ever doubt that. The Shichinin-tai are willing to lose one of their own for the smallest fee. Naraku, at this very moment, is hiding the whereabouts of my sister from me. At this very moment, you are hiding some very important things from him and me."
"I couldn't care who they are, you are the only one other than Yura here that aided me in the least. If you all died I wouldn't be losing anything. That's how everyone here's mind works."
With that said, Kikyo let the fan go and walked to the exit, "For now, you can chose to trust me and what I have just said or you can decide not to and see what happens."
~End Flashback~
"For once, Kikyo actually helped me."
Everyone gave her disbelieving stares.
" 'You can trust someone who, without you knowing it, is setting you up and working against you with someone that you thought was both your enemies.' That's what I'm going to do." Kagura smirked, "I know just the person."
"Who?"
***
"Inuyasha . . ."
"What?" he sped down the road, checking behind him every couple of minutes to check on the others.
"I need to tell you something."
"What's that?" Inuyasha turned a corner and looked at the girl.
"Don't do anything stupid or reckless," Kagome awkwardly put a hand on his shoulder, "Take care of yourself."
~Flashback~
"Inuyasha, I love you, don't do anything stupid or reckless. I need you to take care of yourself."
He was silhouetted by the moonlight, "I promise Kikyo."
"Good bye, Inuyasha."
Kikyo walked off down the beach.
She had found him after she had chased Naraku's people away. No matter how angry he was at her he couldn't deny her the last wish she'd ever ask him.
~End Flashback~
Obviously this was some sarcastic joke she was pulling.
She couldn't actually be acting as if she cared about him?
She couldn't *actually* say exactly what Kikyo had told him that night at the beach.
Could she?
*
"Alright, I'll head through the way we left," Inuyasha secured two guns to his belt. "Kagome comes with me."
"Miroku and I'll go from the side exit we spotted earlier," Sango confirmed.
"We'll go in from over there," Ayame indicated a loading area to the side.
"I still don't feel safe with Hiraikotsu . . ." Sango murmured, looking at her razor boomerang at her side.
"Would a gun make you feel safer?" Kouga offered, somewhat awkwardly.
"Yeah, I guess so," Sango shrugged.
Kouga popped the trunk of his car to reveal countless guns, knives, and even a few grenades.
*
"Well that was easy," Kagome said, slipping a master key into her pocket. "You'd think that they would have some kind of DNA analyzer to get inside."
Inuyasha scoffed, "You actually think Naraku would throw that much money down for anything?"
They dropped the subject and cautiously looked to their right, then their left. "Clear, which way?"
Inuyasha shifted his ears trying to pick up any sounds he could, "Left."
Kagome nodded an affirmative and followed after him, her gun raised above her head.
Up ahead she began to be able to hear a woman's voice, it seemed very familiar. "Gods, it's Nazuna."
"So, big boy, you want to go somewhere and - - -" Nazuna slowed to a halt when she passed a few crates, "Wait."
Kagome held her breath, ready to shoot if she had to. Before they did anything they needed to take care of Naraku.
"Do you feel like you're being watched?" Nazuna continued, completely oblivious to the fact that all fifteen men behind her *were* watching a certain *something* of hers as she spoke.
All of the male assassins shook their heads, "Oh, well anyway . . ." She smirked at the tallest man there, a smile playing at her lips. "Where was I?"
Both agents snuck out from behind the crates, walking silently behind the farthest two thugs behind the flirtatious woman.
"Hey," Kagome whispered to the one in front of her.
Like an idiot he turned around to look at her.
And like idiots none of the others heard.
They were all too busy watching Nazuna walk to notice if the whole headquarters caught fire.
*
Inuyasha stepped over one of the unconscious men that lie on the floor, "That was a waste of time, you know that right."
"Oh, it doesn't matter." Kagome smirked, "It was fun."
"Yeah . . ."
Kagome walked farther down the hall, "Where's Naraku's office?"
"Down some more."
Kagome paused in her tracks, as did Inuyasha.
Standing, right in front of them . . .
Was Kikyo.
"Well, hello Kagome," Kikyo smiled, taking another step forward.
"Kikyo . . .?" Kagome breathed. It was all she could do not to stay quiet right then. If Inuyasha wasn't there she would have.
Inuyasha watched the exchange completely dumbfounded. 'Shouldn't Kagome be attacking her right now?'
For the first time since she'd spoken Kikyo turned to look at Inuyasha, "Why are you so shocked, Inuyasha? Haven't you seen two sisters talk before?"
***
A/N: Sorry! I know, a cliffy. But I promise that I'll get out the next chapter by next weekend. Well, the final page count is 33. WOOHOO! I feel like I certainly accomplished something this week.
Just to clear something up:
Yes, I know I put Jakotsu in chapter one as the guy who goes out with Akane; Miroku's ex-girlfriend. But, if you read carefully, like I know all my wonderful readers did, you read that he went to college, so yes, that did happen. He is also part of the Shichinin-tai. If you're still confused just say so in your review.
Well, I think that's all for now . . .
I hope you can all find it in your hearts to review! ^_^
Ja ne
~Sakura
