Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
A/N: Enter Sango, Shippo and Kirara! Three for one! Now I know it might be a little much with having three new characters suddenly included into the mix, but hopefully it all fits. As for Sango, anyone who wishes to accuse me of making her evil can go ahead and do so, but remember that there are going to be more chapters with her in it, and a little something called character development will happen…after all, she will be running into Miroku soon! And I haven't decided whether Shippo will just be a sideline character or a main one…As for Sesshomaru, I know it looks like he's the evil one here, but don't forget about Baboon Boy (ie Naraku)…I do plan on bringing him from out of the shadows…just wait ;)
A BIG THANKS goes out to Azura Dea, Lunatic Pandora1, Jadegoddess, animeangel9, ash-chan, Misao CG, Tannim-chan, Flaming Toad (I think that's the longest review I've ever received…Thank you so much!), Lighting-sychs, Celeste08, Lady Cassandra, fluffyluver07, and Hekiru Kamanchi for the time they took to review! You guys are the best!!!!!! (sorry I couldn't respond but I wanted to get this chapter out…next one though!)
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Chapter 4: I Spy With My Little Eye
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Now this was more like it.
When he imagined an assassin, he had imagined something more along the lines of what was standing before him. Not that pesky one he had hired before.
"My father sent me on your request, Sir."
Sesshomaru's eyes appraised the lean figure, the determined jaw, and the deadly grace of the person in front of him. It wouldn't hurt to test a few things though.
"I asked for the best," He stated, leaning back in his leather chair, enjoying the game that was about to be played.
The assassin's mouth hardened. "Despite my gender and my age, I am considered the best out of all my father's employees."
"And your name?"
"Sango Taijiya, daughter to the head of the Taijiya Corporation. My father's most reputable assassin."
"Ah, you're the daughter that had everyone talking. Tell me, did you manage to hunt that boar demon down yourself, or did daddy have to help you?"
If the dog demon was prone to bursts of emotion, he would have grinned in satisfaction at the narrowed glare he received from his soon-to-be employee. There was nothing like fire in a worker that promised fulfillment. Even if this one was human.
"Permit me to correct you, Sir," Sango said, adding a little leer to the last word, "But I hunted that demon down relying purely on my own instinct. As I have been doing since I was twelve years old. But if you persist in doubting my abilities, I will be obliged to decline your offer."
"I do not doubt your abilities, for you father is known for only hiring the best. Yet I cannot hire just anyone for this job."
Sango sighed inwardly, sick and tired of having this youkai avoid the subject. She liked her clients to be forward and direct, not dabbling in any small talk. She wasn't afraid of the man sitting before her; she had killed demons twice his size. It was his power in the business world that had frightened her father into pulling her off her latest job and reassigning her to this one.
It wasn't such a big loss though, for she heard this Sesshomaru paid well. Very well. And it wouldn't last too long, so she'd be able to get back to her previous job in no time at all.
"What is this job about?" She asked, trying to get to the point of the conversation. Anxiety to get one with her work was gnawing at her. Restless—and a little unnerved by the tycoon's blatant stare—she shifted from one foot to the other. "I need to get the details soon if you want this over and done with in two days."
A folder was tossed at her, and she leafed through the various pages it contained as Sesshomaru talked her through it.
'That picture there is of my half-brother, a part-demon, part-human that my father saw fit to bestow on this useless world. His name is Inuyasha, and he is your target."
Sango studied the picture of the half-breed, noting the rather cute fuzzy ears that poked through his mane of silver hair. The resemblance was there, albeit it was rather minor one. But she got the feeling Sesshomaru wouldn't care for a comment like that.
"He is presumably staying with a friend, the owner of the Silver Fan Hotel. You might have heard of him. His name is Miroku Houshi. His is dispensable, if need be."
She was guided through various floor plans of the hotel, including Mr. Houshi's apartment. Details about security were listed, but Sango had already pinpointed the areas that she could use to her advantage. She had to give the man credit though—he did have some pretty good security systems implemented.
It was the last picture that puzzled her a bit though. It was of a woman with black hair, carrying a large bag under one arm. She was frozen in the picture as she unlocked the door of a blue compact car.
Sango looked at Sesshomaru and held out the photo. "And who is this? A girlfriend?"
"That is what we have yet to figure out. She was seen entering the building twice on two separate occasions since Inuyasha has been there. Each time she heads up the back elevator, which leads to the personal apartment. My men are working on identifying her, but so far nothing has come up."
"Is she also dispensable?"
Sesshomaru eyed the photo one more time, then handed it back. "Anyone who gets in your way is at your mercy. Let no witnesses be around to tell their tales. The last thing my company needs it a scandal on its hands."
'As if the mysterious death of your half-brother won't be scandalous,' Sango thought. She hated the slimy deals of the business world, but she had no choice—it was a matter of duty and family. Usually she avoided Tokyo, staying up in the mountains, fighting the wild youkai that carried on the ancient tradition of terrorizing the villages.
But Sesshomaru had called her father demanding only the best he had, and so Sango was put on the assignment.
As she rode the elevator back down to her car—dismissed by her client—she flipped through the pictures of the three people once again. There was something about the woman in the picture that rang a faint bell, but the notion disappeared as Sango thought harder about it.
The assassin just hoped that neither the woman nor the man would get in the way. She didn't want to kill humans—despised the very idea of it—and so far had complete success in having no human blood on her hands.
And this job was not about to change that.
- - -
"So is he gonna be alright?"
The puppy wriggled around in her tight stronghold, and it was all Kagome could do to keep a grip.
"Bo is going to be just fine." The black and white mongrel flopped from her arms to the floor in one big pile of shaggy fur. Tail wagging, he started sniffing frantically around the confines of the examination room as the young girl tried to keep a tight grip on his leash.
Smiling, Kagome turned to the mother and father and handed them a prescription. "His stomach should settle down in a few days, but until then, give him a tablet at breakfast and dinner for the next week. And keep him out of the garbage cans if you want to avoid this problem again."
The parents thanked her and pulled their child and dog out of the room, anxious to get the puppy home and fawn over him, no doubt.
"Another one down, about ten more to go," She muttered to herself, finishing up her notes.
She had expected to be busy after her holidays. She had also expected to have a whole new influx of animals, since Christmas time usually brought with it plenty of new puppies and kittens.
Well, the last few days had exceeded her expectations by leaps and bounds. Not only did have twelve new patients, the waiting room had been full morning to night ever since she had reopened the clinic three days ago. And when the numbers grew, so did the pile of paperwork that was now hanging precariously on the edge of her desk.
Kagome managed a sip of her coffee before the door squeaked open, announcing the arrival of her next customer.
The veterinarian turned, expecting another new puppy or kitten, or maybe an animal that had gotten a hold of the chocolate presents under the tree and was heaving everything out the wrong end.
So it was to her surprise that she was faced with a redheaded kid decked out in the warmest possible winter clothing, clutching something bundled up in a Mickey Mouse blanket. But what got her attention was the reddish tail poking out from underneath his coat.
"Hi there," Kagome greeted, trying to hide her shock. She had been practicing for years without running into youkai, or those with youkai blood. Suddenly, they seemed to be popping up everywhere.
"You're a vet right? Do you think you can fix him?" The kid asked, holding out the pitiful bundle.
Kagome took it, a little apprehensive of what could be inside. Kids had a problem with picking up all sorts of fauna they found, and she prayed it wasn't some strange reptile. She wasn't afraid of those animals, just cautious.
"What's your name?" She asked as she brought the bundle, depositing it onto a gleaming stainless steel table. It looked so out of place in amidst the shiny metal. "And are your parents with you?"
"My mom is waiting outside for me because she says that since I found him, I'm responsible for him. And my name's Shippo." He clambered up onto a chair next to the table, and peered up at her. "Are you gonna open it?"
'He's sort of cute,' Kagome thought, hiding a half smile. 'A little precocious, but cute.'
She peeled back the edge of the blanket, holding her breath as the mystery animal was revealed. It was expelled just as easily when a bird's head appeared cushioned by the smiling face of Mickey Mouse.
Gently, she pried away the rest of the blanket, and was even more relieved to discover the bird wasn't infested with any kind of insect, nor was it bleeding badly. All that was amiss was a crooked wing jutting out at an obscure angle.
"I found him on the ground in my backyard," Shippo supplied. "He was chirping up a storm and hopping around kinda lop-sided. I saved him before the neighbour's cat got to him though."
"Good for you. I'm sure he'd thank you if he could." Kagome put on gloves, picked up the bird in one hand as she tested the extent of the break in his wing.
"So is he gonna be alright, Doctor?"
She looked down into Shippo's anxious face, and nodded. "See how his wing is at a funny angle? It means he has a broken wing. He's a pretty young one too, so he'll heal much better."
"Can you fix him?"
"Yep, just give me a minute to get a few things." Luckily, Kagome was used to mending broken wings. One of her clients was a bird fanatic, and was constantly in the waiting room for some reason or another.
Yet for some reason, it was more satisfying handing the bird over—bandaged wing and all—to the little fox demon, unable to contain the joy she felt as seeing his face glow.
"Wow, doctor, you really know your stuff!" He declared, clutching the bird once more to his chest.
"Now be careful with him. He needs his rest. And bring him back in two weeks so we can get the cast off, okay?"
Shippo gave a happy nod and skipped out of the room. Kagome managed to catch a glimpse of a slender woman greet the fox cub, noting the pointed ears and red hair that she had tied back, before the door swung shut.
Finishing up the patient file, Kagome managed another sip of her rapidly cooling coffee. She hadn't expected a demon to care so much about animals, but yet another belief of hers was being ripped apart. Like her ideas about half-breeds had been just nights before.
The image of Inuyasha popped up so suddenly in her mind, Kagome barely had time to banish it back to the dark recesses of her mind. 'Damn him,' She thought furiously, unable to concentrate on her writing any longer. There had been something in those eyes of his that had kept her imagination working overtime these past few days.
And she wasn't sure if she liked it at all.
The door squeaked again, and in bounded a golden retriever, all smiles and wags, nearly knocking the clipboard out of Kagome's hands.
'I have no time to think about that jerk. I have more important things to do anyway.'
But as she bent over the dog, following the usual routine for the dog's check-up she couldn't help but notice the retriever's coat was a similar shade to a certain pair of eyes that she had locked in to.
And that made her want to curse all the more.
- - -
Despite the twinkling city lights beneath her feet, Sango felt more in the dark than she usually did. There was something about being perched on the top of one of the tallest buildings on the block in the middle of the night that denoted a sense of loneliness.
Of course, the assassin was hardly alone. Curled up in a small ball next to her was her faithful companion, a demon fire cat that she had saved a few years ago from the jaws of another youkai. It was a small comfort to have Kirara beside her—always there to lend a helping "paw" to some of the tighter situations she had fallen into. She was especially useful when it came to scaling buildings, such as the one they were stuck on at the moment.
And this job—so far—ranked as one of the least exciting assignments Sango had had in years. There was nothing to stalk, nothing to follow and watch and wait for. Her favourite weapon wasn't even any use on this job. If her client wanted as little mess as possible, whacking her target to death with a giant boomerang didn't really fulfill that detail.
The chilled winter air blew by her; managing to reach around the corner she had tucked herself into. Sango huddled further into her warmest set of assassin clothes she had, trying to heat up her icy hands as she hacked into the surveillance system of the hotel.
"I better get this damn job over with soon," She grumbled to no one in particular, noting that the security in the hotel was running smoothly. It wasn't too much of a worry though, because she already had her route mapped out—and not once did she have to cross in the path of a camera.
Luckily, her target was hidden just below her, in a room easily accessible from the roof. And there wasn't a camera in sight in the entire apartment. Maybe today was going to be her day after all.
With her computer shut off, she eased over to the edge of the roof, trying to avoid from looking too far down. Instead, she averted her eyes to the room below, and breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that the lights had finally turned off. The balcony that jutted off of the room was now dark, shadowed by the night. It was too high up to be brightened by lights of any kind, and for that Sango was even more thankful. She had learned that casting a shadow when trying to hide was not the smartest thing to do.
Tying her mask around her face, she looked to her friend. "It's time, Kirara."
The demon cat staggered to her feet, eyes droopy but awake and ready to do business. If there was one tradition Sango would stick to on this job, it would be taking her cat with her. After all, if this sword she had been given didn't turn out, demon claws were always a good back up.
Kirara joined her mistress and friend at the edge, and in quiet, lethal unison, they swiftly dropped to the balcony below.
This was when the work really started.
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Chapter 5 coming soon!EDITED JANUARY 2, 2005 FOR CONTENT ERROR