Well, thanks to all you wonderful people for your awesome reviews: Turtlegirl, Hanamaru285 (I'll clear some things up for you below), Moonlight Shadow4, lil-demon-nightmare a.k.a. Cyclops (^_^), ladyofthedragons1, Guardian Angel of ALL Anime (you're review was so funny! And I'll introduce the Angel of Death in this chapter, okay?), and loozer-09, and Shadow Wraith (yeah, I know Kag doesn't swear, but since she's been in Yogo she's been in a pissy mood… I guess…^_^), and Gueshoo.
Okay Hanamaru285! The idea with the fruit is from Kingdom Hearts (if you haven't played the game you should; it's a lot of fun). If you're familiar with the game in the beginning Sora and Riku have a race to see who will share this fruit with Kairi or something on that order. I think it might just have been that Riku wanted to and Sora was trying to stop him… I really haven't played the beginning in a while, so if my memory is rusty I apologize. The fruit in the game looks like a star, but I don't remember its name. The fruit I used –pamplemousse- is French for grapefruit, but I thought pamplemousse was a spiffy name so I used it.
Disclaimer: Geez! I keep forgetting to put these in. Somebody really needs to harp on me about it! Anyway, I don't own anything from the anime/manga "Inuyasha". There are a few characters, though, which I do own from the fic, but I'm not going to list them right now. ^_^
For once in her life she was actually apprehensive about a job! Normally she would just shrug of any odd sensations that arouse or she did not get them at all. Maybe it was her background as a killer for hire, maybe it was her harsh childhood, but either way jobs did not bother her. The exception, of course, was this time. This one time. Today was the day she would meet with her current employer to learn of the job she was to carry out. The man –she assumed man- did not give a name or any information about himself besides when and where they were to meet.
"Watch it, jack ass!" she growled as she trudged down the muddy alleyway and walked into a man.
Noticing that her cloak had been jostled by the contact, she pulled the thick, black material closer to her body. Then she checked her cap to see that all her dark silver hair remained tucked inside its wooly innards. Satisfied with everything, she commenced worrying about her job. Truthfully, it enraged her that a job would worry her, but, she shrugged, there's a first time for everything.
As the rain that fell from the ugly gray clouds bathed in twilight from above the rough wooden roofs of houses, she grumbled at being caught outside. If it was not part of her instructions to arrive alone and inconspicuously to the location she would have hired a carriage to take her or at least hired a man to carry an umbrella. As she looked up towards the noise that sprang out of an open pub door a few feet in front of her, she noticed a signing hanging limply from one rusted hinge. The sign was of a mongoose proudly holding a dead cobra it its jaws.
"The Mongoose and Cobra," she whispered hardly audibly.
This was the location the mysterious employer had said to meet him. After pushing through a small gathering of drunken mountain men in their animal skin coats with long, unkempt beards down for the weekend to partake in the festivities of the "coming out" of King Inuyasha's betrothal to some unknown rich girl. She vaguely remembered this Inuyasha to be the younger brother of her dear friend Sesshoumaru. Upon entering the pub her nostrils were filled with the potent smell of pipe tobacco and drinking spirits. The pub was small, but well kept. The hardwood floors were hardly muddy, the employees of the pub were clean and reputable looking, the tables showed hardly a speck of food or drink was on them. But she was not here to survey the cleanliness of the Mongoose and Cobra.
She stalked to the bar at the far end of the room and banged her right hand firmly a few time to attract the attention of an employee. Know one noticed her expect some teenage fox demon girl who shot her a wary glance before continuing cleaning the glass she had been working on. She cleared her throat, but no one responded, and she banged her poison clawed hand on the table again; once more receiving no response or acknowledgement.
"Excuse me!" she yelled to a dog youkai man working a tab who stood just before her behind the bar. She stood up and grabbed the man by his collar and lifting him off the ground.
Behind her she could hear many gasps and scraping of chairs as people stood alarmed. The man in her grasp had his eyes clenched tightly closed and his dog ears twitched madly.
"There should be a man waiting for the Silent One," she said in her low voice.
She set the dog demon down and he rubbed his neck before responding, "There is a man here waiting for the Silent Lady, but no Silent One."
Leave it to a man to mess up my name, she inwardly groaned. "Yes, that would be who I'm here for."
"In that case go upstairs and he's in the first door to the left. There are refreshments up there already unless the man you're meeting ate them all. Please enjoy you're time here at the Mongoose and Cobra."
She nodded and cracked a tiny smile at the last sentence he spoke. Unlike the rest of what he said –which was spoken in fear- the last part was completely rehearsed and lacked any emotion. She turned away from the bar and walked back toward the entrance where she remembered a staircase had steeply protruded from the floor.
She mounted stairs and soon came to a dimly lit hallway on the second floor. Just as the bartender had told her, she entered the first door on the left. Inside was a man with a younger girl who had silvery-blue hair, white gown, and was holding a hand mirror of sorts rumored to have great powers. The man looked pleased at her and motioned for her to join them at the table. She cringed with the lustful way his dark blue eyes looked at her.
But pushing that aside she delicately sat down and began removing her cloak and cap. Her waist length dark silver hair cascaded down from under her cap like a frozen flood. She combed her fingers through it a few times before make small adjustments to the black kimono she wore.
"I hope you found this place fine," the man began.
She looked up at him warily for many seconds before responding shortly, "Fine enough. But I'm not here for pleasantries Mr…."
"Naraku," he answered.
"Naraku," she repeated. "Yes. I want to get this job done and over with so if you do not mind cutting down the small talk we will actually get somewhere."
"Alright," Naraku said before taking a sip of something. With her strong sense of smell she could tell it was some kind of red wine…or blood.
"But one request. What is your name?" Naraku asked; licking his lips to rid them of any liquid.
"I go by the Angel of Death, and the Silent One, but my real name is Keysha," she said.
"Good," he smiled. "Kanna, go outside and watch the door; make sure no one hears what is going on in this room."
"Of course, master," she said, stood and bowed, and left the room.
"So you want to get down to business? Can I offer you anything to eat or drink-"
"I told you to cut the pleasantries," Keysha growled.
"So you did," Naraku chuckled. "The last time we met, I told you we were to rendezvous here at the Mongoose and Cobra. You are here and so I will tell you of your mission. It's an assassination. I want you to kill King Inuyasha of Yogo, who will be celebrating his betrothal to Finn Orpheus tomorrow. I want you to use this," he said and bent over to retrieve something from the floor.
The item he pulled up looked like a new human invention called a rifle, but much more sleek and advanced. The rifle was made entirely of a shiny silver metal that smelled like steel.
"Are you acquainted with this type of weapon?" Naraku inquired.
"Yes and no," she said in a low tone. She reached across the table for the rifle –which Naraku easily gave up. When it was in her possession, Keysha stood up with it and lightly tossed it a few times to determine its weight, and she came to the conclusion it was about thirteen pounds. She ran her hands down its sleek metal to the exit hole at one end and back up to the top.
"I have only," Keysha finally spoke, "seen these weapons but never used one. This is a slow ningen weapon that only a ningen could be injured by. How do you expect something like this to even harm a hanyou?"
"You have a quick mind, Keysha," Naraku grinned. "I have made improvements. I bought one as soon as the humans released them on the market and found their bullets to be quite slow; not good for taking down fellow demons. So I worked tirelessly on it for a couple months and that is the result. Kill Inuyasha with it.
"One bullet has already been loaded into its barrel. That should be all you need to take down Inuyasha at the engagement ball tomorrow night," from the table behind him he grabbed a scroll and held it out to Keysha. She took it and he commenced speaking. "Inside that is the blueprint of the palace grounds. Use it to find an inconspicuous spot to hide from which you will be able to shoot Inuyasha from. When you shoot him escape as quickly as you can and I'll be waiting in Mythora with your payment. Inside the scroll is also a boat ticket which will get you across the ocean to Hathar. Come to the Mythora palace; that's where I'll be. You can go now and tell Kanna she is free to come back into the room."
"Fine," she said and picked up her cloak and cap.
***********************************************************************
"Yiloku," Kagome whined, "do I have to go?"
The older dog youkai smiled and finished the last button on Kagome's dress. "Yes you do have to go. It was Inuyasha's request that you attend his engagement party."
"Finn won't be too happy about it."
"In your words, Kagome: screw her! Since when does it bother you what Finn's opinion is?" Yiloku asked.
"It doesn't," Kagome sniffed and looked around as if to see if anyone besides Yiloku was listening. "I just don't want Finn to tackle me in the middle of the party because I'm sure Inuyasha would find some way to take the blame off Finn and pin it on me. He's been so horrible ever since the incident between himself and Kouga. He follows me around everywhere like a shadow, and when I go to see Kouga he manages to get ahead of me steer me back to the palace. Why do you think he does all this?"
Yiloku's deep golden eyes carefully surveyed Kagome before she answered. "I do not know why he would behave like that toward you. He was very concerned for you when he was here and you were in Mythora, but now that you are here perhaps he is taking it for granted. Or perhaps is being weird; I really have no clue as to just what goes on in that young head of his. His behavior lately confuses me. Is that the answer you were looking for?"
"No," Kagome childishly grumbled.
"I'm sorry than. Now come here properly so I can see you," Yiloku lightly commanded.
Kagome complied and turned around so that Yiloku could see her. It was a suggestion –rather demand- from Yiloku that she wore this gown. She thought it to be very pretty, but far too extravagant for someone of her station. But to appease Yiloku, she decided to wear it. The gown was dark blue and had two thin straps that originated from the middle of the top hem and tied at the back of her neck. The bodice had real jewels of a deep blue sown in and sparkled when just the right amount of light struck them. Above the waist, the gown slightly flared out and just barely brushed the floor. And luckily enough for her the shoes that went with the gown fit perfectly and looked perfect.
"Kagome you look quite stunning," Yiloku clapped her hands together once. "Nelik looked beautiful in it when she still walked among us, but I think you do the gown better justice than she did; and that is really saying something."
"Who is Nelik?" Kagome asked, and for some reason held her breath, for the answer made her feel apprehensive.
"Inuyasha's mother. I apologize for never using her name before," Yiloku paused and her face gained a sneaky look that Kagome notice she got every time she did something…well…sneaky. "I took all of Nelik's dresses for you, and they are resting well in your armoire. Inuki intended them for Inuyasha's bride, but I would be hanged before I let Finn wear them, and if Nelik was alive I am positive she would side with me. I liked her very much and it was hard when she died. Hard for all that knew her, especially Inuki and Inuyasha, but the whole ordeal brought the two of them together. And when Inuki passed away it was hard for Inuyasha to deal with, but he managed. We all did."
"Thank you for taking the gowns for me," Kagome smiled, knowing she prevented Finn from getting something sentimental.
"You are welcome," Yiloku laughed and pushed some of Kagome's hair behind her ears like a mother. "I think if Nelik was alive she would like you very much. Well, much more so than Finn, anyway. And I believe she would be pestering Inuyasha about taking you as a mate over Finn; if I was his mother I would. It would be very nice having you as a niece, but I do not think that will happen. But you and I will be long time friends just the same, right?"
"Right," Kagome said and hugged Yiloku tightly. The older woman was the closest thing she ever had to a mother; why not take advantage of it?
Yiloku was the first to break the embrace. Kagome saw the older woman's eyes were clouded with threatening tears, but she kept them at bay.
Finally Yiloku spoke. "Now we have to decide what to do with your hair for tomorrow night."
Kagome laughed heartily. The first time in a while and it would be the last time for a while, too.
Things were about to change…
Wow chapter fifteen. I never thought the story would become this long, but I'm not complaining. Things are starting to heat up somewhat and the winds of change are beginning to blow *tee hee*
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter will be better; promise! Well, hopefully promise ^_^ Someone's gonna die, and Keysha the Angel of Death will be the one to do it! Don't hate me people for killing people off…
See you all next chapter! Thanks for reading!
^_^