21

Kagome leaned forward between the front seats of Amon's car. Looking up through the windshield, she could see Agatha flying a few hundred yards ahead. Inuyasha was bouncing over the rooftops in hot pursuit. It had been a good idea to get on the highway and they had made good time catching up but Kagome was still nervous. Agatha had some pretty strong powers with her two jewel shards and Inuyasha would have to use his sword attacks to bring her down. To make matters worse, it was mid-day and there were innocent people everywhere.

"Why did she come in the middle of the day?" Kagome thought out loud.

"She probably planned it that way," Karasuma said. "She thought we wouldn't want to fight in front of crowds."

"She's right," Amon said as he guided the car around a curve. "A daylight confrontation is too risky. She probably has a stronghold in an isolated area. If we confront her there, she'll lose her advantage."

Kagome watched Inuyasha carefully. He wasn't the type to hang back and wait for an opportunity. He would pounce on Agatha whenever he got the chance. And it wasn't long before he made his move. They were passing by one of the first tall buildings on the edge of the city center. Agatha floated by its middle and Inuyasha leapt to its roof. It all happened so fast that Kagome almost missed it. Seeing his chance, Inuyasha threw himself off the roof and dove straight down onto Agatha's water platform. The four people in the car leaned forward, gasping. There was a flash of shimmering light and Inuyasha was falling. Amon didn't even have time to step on the brake before the impact. The roof of the car plunged six inches. Kagome and Robin threw themselves against the doors to avoid getting crushed.

"Quick, stop the car!" Kagome yelled.

Amon didn't need to be told. He swerved onto the road shoulder and stopped short. Kagome was out of the car in a split second, calling her partner's name. Inuyasha was lying in the middle of the huge dent, the untransformed Tetsusaiga in his hand. When he heard Kagome's voice he opened his eyes and sat up.

"What happened?" Kagome asked.

"I'm not sure," he said, rubbing his head.

"Was that the windscar you used?"

"I tried to. But it wouldn't fire."

"What?! It's never done that before."

"It did once. The demon's power was too weak and the windscar wouldn't form."

"Of course, witches are mostly human. They don't have enough demon energy to draw the windscar."

By this time, the hunters were standing around surveying the damage. Amon gave Inuyasha a narrow glare.

"So you're saying your sword is useless," he said.

Inuyasha jumped down onto the concrete road and shook his sword at Amon.

"It is NOT useless," he snarled. "These 'witches' are too damn weak. They're not even worth using the Tetsusaiga on."

"Is that why she got away?" Amon pushed harder.

"Why you…" Inuyasha growled.

"She hasn't gotten away yet," Kagome cut in. "I can still sense her shards."

"You can sense the shards?" Karasuma asked, impressed.

"Of course I can," Kagome replied proudly. "Why did you think we were out there watching your hunt the other night?"

"We're not far from the office," Amon said, taking in the surroundings. "We should check back in with the others before we try to track down Takamaime's hideout."

"You heard him, Inuyasha," Kagome said half scolding. "Get in the car."

"I can move faster on my own," Inuyasha growled. He eyed Amon warily and sheathed his sword.

"Just get in," Kagome said. "And please try to fix this dent."

"Can you do that?" Robin asked Inuyasha as they all climbed into the car.

"Sure I can," he said. He crouched down under the dent and after a quick glance to make sure Amon was watching him, he used his shoulders to push the layers of plastic and steel back into shape.

"Not bad," Karasuma said, getting comfortable in the passenger seat.

Amon said nothing as he started the engine again.

22

"Don't even think about it," Inuyasha growled, putting his hands over his ears.

"Aww…" Dojima whined as she slunk back to her seat in the conference room. They had all gathered there after Amon and the others got back. Inuyasha had placed himself beside the doorway. Robin presumed it was in case he needed to make a quick get-away. Kagome was more trusting. She had pulled a chair in from the main office and sat looking over Michael's shoulder.

"Ok, what do we know?" Karasuma asked.

"Agatha Takamaime is the strongest witch on our list," Amon began. "She has the power to manipulate water." He ran his hand through his hair as he spoke. It had dried a little spiky after Agatha's attack and he was trying to make it lie straight again.

"She has two jewel shards and she can travel really fast," Kagome continued.

"So how do we get her?" Sakaki asked.

"I blast her out of the sky with Tetsusaiga," Inuyasha said confidently.

"Yeah, if it actually worked," Dojima jeered.

"Keh. Just wait and see," Inuyasha said.

"First we have to find her," Michael pointed out, eyeing Inuyasha nervously.

"But how do we do that?" Sakaki asked. "She could be anywhere."

"I've got that covered," Kagome said. "I just have to sense her jewel shards and I'll lead you right to her."

"How do you know she won't stash them?" Karasuma asked.

"Jewel shards only give you power if you're touching them," Inuyasha explained. "They're no good if you don't carry them on you. Agatha must know that by now."

"How close do you have to be to sense the shards?" Amon asked Kagome without looking at her.

"A mile or so," she replied.

Michael took half a minute to put a city map up on the screens in the center of the room. It reminded Robin of a hedge maze.

"You'll need someone with you who knows the city," Michael said.

"I volunteer," Sakaki said a little too quickly. Inuyasha glared at him, narrowing his eyes. But Kagome shot her partner a sharp look and made him turn away.

Amon leaned forward slightly, making Sakaki look at him. "Take your bike and search systematically. Start with the area where we last saw Takamaime. Report back if you find anything."

"Right," Sakaki responded seriously. He turned and smiled at Kagome as he got up from his seat. "Cummon, let's go."

Kagome got up to follow him but stopped at the door and spoke to Inuyasha.

"Stay here and don't cause trouble, ok?"

"Keh," he retorted.

"So what do the rest of us do?" Dojima asked in a dull voice when Kagome and Sakaki had gone.

"We gather as much information as we can find on Takamaime," Amon said. "Most importantly where she might be hiding."