Disclaimer: No, I don't own Inuyasha.
A/N: All right...this chapter has some grim elements as well as a bit of humor. The first part is Kagome waking up...I've introduced her rather (at times) volatile power here, she's a bit ashamed of it. After that we have insight into Miroku's character as well as the murder.The Red family (Joshua Red, Theodore Red, and Kurome (Kiten) Red, all Shippo's close relatives, all slain by a thing that was Inuyasha, or at least looked like him.) It's pretty gruesome...the rest is just Inuyasha's "current" position and Kagome and Sango's acceptance of the case...I think that's it...Oh, becuase there are a lot of names in this story, extra characters and all, I'll try to help you keep them straight. These are a few of the main ones:
Rini Gouzuku is Kagome's aunt, her mother's sister. She's essentially a miko (big surprise, eh?)
Kari Klaebu is Rini Gouzuku's partner, the warrior between the two of them.
Also the false names the agents use don't change continuously, they become like a role in an ongoing play, like a nickname that only agents are "in" on. The ones I've already established I'll list for you here/Miroku: Mark Hancock / Sango: Samantha(Sam) / Kagome: Kelly
Anyway, I hope those can be of some help...also, I havea question I have to put to you guys: What is Hojo's full name? And is Hojo his first or last name? Does anyone know? If you do, PLEASE! I BEG you! write in and tell me...thank you...otherwise I'm going to have to make one up...also guys, I didn't want to spoil it here but this chapter introduces another common character that I actually haven't had in any of my stories yet...(I'll only say this much: it's a she and she's human...) Enjoy!
Reds Homicide Discussion(April 29th: one day after the Red family murders)
The high-pitched beeping of the alarm went off long before Kagome was ready. Groaning, she reached over and slammed her fist against it, ignoring, in her sleep induced haze, the way the sound sputtered strangely and died. Growling to herself she shoved her head underneath the depths of her pillow, squeezing her eyes tightly shut. If I pretend hard enough, she reasoned, maybe I can turn back time and get another hour…or three…or more…
But there was no such luck, and try as she might, Kagome couldn't make herself irresponsibly fall back asleep. That little nagging conscience that her hardworking parents had instilled in her since childhood made her slowly drag her head out from underneath the pillow. But I was having the greatest dream! She let herself relax lazily for a moment, remembering that little slice of heaven…so vivid!
In the dream she'd been sitting in the tiny little car that the Agency provided her and Sango to use while they were on patrol, feeling utterly wretched. She didn't know about what or why, but she knew that the feelings were intense and confused, she'd been near to tears…and then there'd been a tap on the care window and she'd looked up, startled. Presumably the hunk that was peering in at her, with his golden eyes, silver hair, rippling muscles and…white puppy ears…knew her, though in reality she'd never seen such an inuyoukai fitting that description at all.
In her dream—which seemed to jump through a timeline that made no sense to her whatsoever—the gorgeous man had convinced her to let him into the car with her. Though she couldn't remember what had been said, she knew they'd talked, tears shed and shared. Somehow after that she'd found herself wrapped in his arms, her lips against his, exploring, tasting, learning, worshipping…even while she was clearly laying, tangled amidst her bed sheets in a cold, very fatigued reality, Kagome could still taste his kisses.
Hesitantly, she lifted two fingers to her mouth; her eyes still closed in a fake attempt to linger in sleep, and ran the tips over her upper and lower lip slowly…but it was no use. Though she remembered the vivid feel of his warmth against her in the dream reality was currently a lot more demanding and she couldn't reproduce the emotions that the dream had possessed.
Sighing wearily, Kagome pushed herself out of bed, blearily opening her eyes. The shades on her window kept in perhaps half the light that normally would've streamed in, but it was already too much for her tired eyes to take. She groaned and looked hurriedly away, pointing her eyes on the floor…and there she saw her alarm clock, bent, broken and…burned?
Abruptly awake, Kagome knelt down beside the thing and touched it cautiously. No fireworks resounded; her fingers only faintly tingled as she contacted the object. It's full of unshaped miko energy…she scowled, understanding all too well what had happened. In her sleepy haze she'd attacked the alarm clock as if it were a demon—she'd tried to purify it.
"Ugh—I'm such an idiot!" she groaned, nudging the offending object away from her with one foot shakily as she rose to her feet. "How am I supposed to fit in when I lose it like this? How can I get anything I want when I can't even control myself?" she asked the thing she'd attacked, muttering down at it.
The alarm clock refused to talk back.
Stumbling sleepily still, Kagome trudged toward her bathroom and groaned, bumping her head against the doorframe when she realized that she'd been so eager to get to bed the night before that she hadn't done her laundry. There weren't any towels! Even though she knew it was childish she clenched up one fist and slugged the wall, hard enough that it hurt her, but weak enough that it didn't dent the wall at all.
Cursing all over again, this time in pain, Kagome looked at the shower, bit her lip, and stepped into it anyway. Towel or no towel, I've gotta have a shower…I'll just have to let my hair air dry…Sango won't mind if I'm a little late, right?
Yea, right!
Miroku cleared his throat delicately, trying to remain unaffected as he stared at the images lying in front of him. If his emotions showed in his voice when he was talking to an inuyoukai…well, he'd be one crispy critter. Beside him, his current partner-in-training in the Youkai Relations department, Rin Hissori, was white as snow, reading through the medical reports that had just come in. every so often she looked away from them, Miroku observed, her pretty face tinted a slightly greenish-yellow color. He didn't exactly relish the thought that he was next in line for that file.
Across from him at the desk was the Youkai Medical agent, Jessica Schumacher, looking cold and spotless as usual. She'd been up late into the night before, Miroku suspected, conducting the autopsies on the youkai-on-youkai homicide that had happened early the previous morning on a fox demon family. But though he thought she couldn't have gotten anymore sleep than he and Rin had, Jessica managed to look inexplicably alert, though apparently bored, by the current situation. Her dark blue eyes were focused on the atmospheric molecules that lingered between them, as if she were conducting an autopsy on the space itself right inside her mind.
Beside her sat the two homicide crime scene investigators, Kari Klaebu and Rini Gouzuku. They had been the ones to photograph the crime scene, the ones to issue the initial cautionary note on the case's suspected perpetrator. It was Rini Gouzuku who had a special ability that the Agency craved—she was very keen on detecting liars among demons and humans alike, and in sensing the aura of most youkai. In every test of her abilities the woman had been found nearly flawless. She could identify what type of demon had passed through any room many hours—sometimes even days—after they had gone. Rini had visited this particular crime scene and been a little perplexed, which worried Miroku a little, especially with the way she looked so nervous now, sitting around the conference table.
Kari Klaebu, meanwhile, was an expert on youkai forensics. She knew how and why a demon generally killed just by knowing what type of demon had presumably attacked. Strangely in this case too she'd gone to the site of the crime and been confused. But now she sat, solid as a rock, waiting. Her dark brown eyes were aimed at the manila file that Jessica Schumacher had brought in with her—the medical report…
Miroku Kazana and Rin Hissori were present as the Relations officers. Rin reported directly to the infamous Aikenka Sesshomaru, and whatever she reported to him went straight, they assumed, to Sesshomaru's even more infamous father—Aikenka Inutaisho. Meanwhile Miroku had the gruesome job of actually giving out the charges against a said demon or human of wrongdoing. The first step was an interview of course, or interrogation more accurately, so that was how they each found themselves there, ready to back up their respective fields of study…but their main piece of evidence, short of the initial medical stuff, was testimony from their survivor, a young fox demon kit named Shippo Red. The victims were his mother and father, Theodore and Kurome Red, and his uncle, Joshua Red.
In Miroku's mind, and he suspected that the other agents who had been exposed to the case in any way shape or form reflected similar sentiments, the little fox demon's testimony was enough to sentence the inuhanyou suspect to death. But, especially considering who their suspect was, it remained up in the air. Dog demons, whether pure bred or mongrels, were a powerful lot and the Agency had to be thorough. If the dog demon clan chose to rebel it would simply be disastrous.
Kari suddenly cleared her throat and nodded her head toward Rin across the desk from her, "Hissori—Rin, honey…" the teenage agent looked up, blinking and swallowing convulsively at the lingering effect of horror that the medical file was leaving on her soul. "You might not want to read all of that. It's not all that important…" Kari pursed her lips, her jaw tightened, "Especially with what you do almost everyday, I'd leave that medical stuff alone."
Rin silently obeyed Kari's suggestion, pushing the manila folder back onto the desk. Her face was pale and tight with what she'd seen.
As Miroku reached for the file, brusquely, Rini spoke up then, her voice hesitant, "Kazana?" she scowled, perhaps not liking the formality with which agents traditionally addressed one another, "Please, when you mention the evidence against the inuhanyou suspect, don't mention that there was an aura-reading agent on the site."
Miroku threw the middle-aged woman a stern glance. His blue eyes narrowed on her dark brown ones with something close to suspicion. "Gouzuku—Rini," he started, the file still beneath his fingers, unopened, "Are you trying to withdraw your conclusions? Are you trying to tell me you're wrong…?"
Rini opened her mouth uncertainly and then shut it again. Her eyes drifted to the manila file, read over the name of the case, Reds Homicide. She refused to let the images, the heavy memories, swamp her right now. Instead she blurted, "I'm requesting a second opinion. A backup aura-reader."
All eyes were on her now, and Rini took a deep breath, meeting Miroku's gaze firmly. Inside her mind she remembered clearly her young and fragile niece the afternoon they'd gone to the crime scene, the way Kagome's face had creased in horror as she entered the house of the slaughtered fox demon family. It wasn't blood or death that had caught Kagome, and Rini knew it—it was the aura-reader's reaction, the evil spirit that lingered inside the house was potent…and unlike anything that Rini had felt before.
Her request had left Miroku quiet for some time, one eyebrow raised. "All right," he nodded once at her, and Rini felt her shoulders sag with relief, "I shan't mention your input as evidence, Gouzuku. And I'll see about taking another aura-reader through the house, but you know, you should've spoken about this sooner. By now the aura might've worn away…"
Rini shook her head confidently, "There will be enough, I'm sure. It was a powerful aura."
He nodded and pulled the manila file toward him again, opening it with a sigh. After a moment of reading and looking he began to recite the victim's blandest information and a little of the findings aloud. "Joshua Red, born about 1900, United States. Fox demon. Unmated and unmarried, childless. General description: green eyes, red hair, lean. Inhuman features include fangs, pointed ears, clawed hands, and bushy tail. Cause of death is massive blood loss through the carotid. Other injuries include severing of the jugular, abrasions on hands, arms, legs and genitals and face, evisceration…" he stopped, the silence in the room was deafening. Finally Miroku looked up, his face ghostly white, "Evisceration?" he repeated, looking to Jessica for clarification.
She nodded, stoically. "The victim was torn open from the right shoulder to the left lower abdomen. The attacker, it's assumable, did this without the aide of a weapon—just his or her own claws. Also, several of the internal organs of that victim were disturbed. The attacker tore loose a few coils of the large and small intestine for example and—"
"Jessica…" Miroku hissed at her, silencing the onslaught of medical information, "I think we understand."
Jessica scowled, "I don't think you do, Kazana." She snapped, giving each of the assembled agents a careful look before adding, "Perhaps Kari does…"
Kari Klaebu, looking quite grim, pursed her lips briefly before nodding once. "It implies that the killer was either in a bloodlust, or had a personal grudge. Demons generally don't maim unless there is particular emotion—or simple animal ferocity—involved."
Satisfied, Jessica nodded. "That's what I wondered when I did the autopsies. The other two victims were treated just as badly—worse actually, particularly the woman. It seemed to me like it was a crime of vengeance or passion…"
Slowly, gruesomely, Kari nodded in agreement, "And he left the child alive…bloodlust wouldn't have done that."
Miroku closed the file and set it back onto the table, glowering at it disgustedly for a moment before he reached for the phone that was positioned next to him. As he lifted it off the hook he glanced at Rini, "Gouzuku—find a backup aura-reader if you will. Klaebu, I want you to run a background check on the suspect…what the hell is the bastard's name again?"
"Aikenka Inuyasha." Rin put in, her eyes focused inward, apparently too disturbed to watch their reactions as she spoke, "The favored son of Aikenka Inutaisho, the great lord of the dog demon clan."
"Yea, sounds absolutely great for us, doesn't it ladies?" Miroku scowled at Rin's words, "All of you know what to do?"
They nodded wordlessly.
"Good…" the phone in his hands started beeping, held off the hook for too long. Miroku slammed it down with an angry sigh and then turned his deep bluish eyes pointedly to Kari and Rini. "After I call this in to the Aikenkas, I'm going to need some investigatory agents to track this Inuyasha down and grill him, and maybe his family too. I need alibis, times, dates, everything…you two choose the agents, you'll probably need a couple of them…" he lifted the phone again as he waved them away, preparing to dial the number.
Jessica Schumacher was the first out, ushering herself out without a word or even a fleeting glance goodbye. Rin followed in much the same way, but unlike Jessica she traveled like a ghost or a lost child. Kari and Rini also began to walk out, with their heads lowered wearily, but Miroku snapped his fingers at them as he waited for the phone to be picked up, catching their attention.
"Make sure the agents you choose are from Japan too, one of the fox demons was—" he cut himself off as someone must've finally picked up the phone, "Yes, this is Mark Hancock here and I'm calling for Aikenka Sesshomaru, if he isn't busy…" there was a pause before he nodded, as if to himself while Kari and Rini watched blankly, wondering if they should've already gone, "Yes, I'll wait a moment, thank you."
A second later he pulled the phone away from his ear, cupped one palm over the receiver, and spoke to them again, "The agents you choose should be familiar with Japan—one of the fox demons was a native of the Kiten kitsune clan, Kurome Kiten Red." He waved his hand through the air and moved the phone close to his ear again, "Hurry—go." He ordered, scowling at the manila file still lying on his desk as Kari and Rini filed out.
There was a click on the phone and Miroku's spine stiffened. A strong, solid, but somehow quiet male voice spoke into his ear, "Aikenka Sesshomaru speaking."
"Mr. Aikenka." Miroku nodded to the phone and offered the inuyoukai leader his alias name, "Mark Hancock here. I've just called to ask if our Relations official has informed you of a recent crime involving a local kitsune family?"
"Agent Hossori?" the voice was cold, without any tips to what was really going on beneath, "Yes, she has told me. She also indicated that the suspect is my little brother."
Though he couldn't be sure, Miroku got the feeling that Sesshomaru was smirking at least inwardly on his end of the phone line. The thick sound to the inuyoukai's voice was subtle but over the years Miroku had become astute at discerning stoic youkai's real moods. Also he thought it unusual that Sesshomaru, usually so formal, would use the term "little brother." Apparently Sesshomaru thought that their suspicions were funny in some way… "May I, on behalf of the Agency, request that Aikenka Inuyasha be brought for a brief interrogation. We have a few questions we'd like to ask."
The other end was quiet for a moment, making Miroku break out in a cold sweat. Finally Sesshomaru spoke, "I think you will find, Mr. Hancock, that Inuyasha could not have possibly committed the crime that you claim he did."
"We claim nothing yet, Mr. Aikenka, we only wish to follow up all our leads, and one of them firmly points to an inuhanyou fitting your little brother's description."
"Very well." Came the cold answer, "I will do as you ask. Good day, Mr. Hancock."
The line went dead, leaving Miroku frowning deeply. "Damn…" he muttered, setting the phone back on its hook. Why do I feel like that was useless?
He rubbed one hand over his face, trying to clear his senses of the grimness and lingering horror of the last hour or so. There were other things to see to, other agents to brief, other demons to contact…his eyes lifted to the clock on the wall. Well, well, well…it's time that Hiraikotsu and Higurashi returned, isn't it? Thinking of the slim and trim and utterly beautiful slayer made his mouth water, his hands itch. With such a gruesome profession—Miroku dealt with the legal charges and such that had to be run by the various youkai clans before the Agency could seek justice—he tended to let loose in wild ways, as if he couldn't control himself. He'd lost track of the number of times that he'd been faced with charges of his own misconduct, but there was just no way he could quit and remain sane—he knew, he'd tried it before.
But Sango was a little different from his usual lady victims—she was not a miko, but a slayer. Usually he hit on the mikos because they were generally quiet little things that gasped at his touches and passed them off as genuine accident. Only later, when he persisted, did they accuse him of the crime that defined his life: sexual harassment. Yet Sango had caught his eye early on, and when he'd risked a feel…she'd slapped him. For some reason the pain involved with the groping excited him more—and the fact that she didn't accuse him outright made him all the more interested in her, yet at once cautious…
The manila file suddenly ceased to exist, ceased to bother him, and Miroku stood up from the desk and left the room. Desperate to hide the mischievous smirk on his face, Miroku ended up looked as if he was constipated instead as he crossed through the boring halls of the Agency's headquarters. He was heading toward the lobby and the parking lot where he suspected Sango and Kagome would be checking in and leaving their Agency-assigned car behind for the day…
When he was alone in the elevator, the down button highlighted, Miroku allowed himself a thoroughly pleasing grin. Wonder if she'll be happy to see me…wonder what she'd think if I groped Kagome this time instead of her…?
He shivered deliciously.
Kagome Higurashi yawned beside Sango, waiting in line behind a different pair of older agents to turn in their car keys. Her hand tingled as she clenched it tighter around the silver rings that held the spells for their false images. She and Sango had both taken them off and dropped their on-patrol alias names. Just as they had the day before, both agents were wearing jogging sweat suits and sneakers. On Kagome's knees there were grass and mud stains from when Kouga Takekenso had accidentally tripped her…and that was why she was holding the rings rather than leaving them behind in the car's ashtray. She'd had enough of Kouga's obsession with her.
Ahead of them Hank Fredericks and John McKenzie finally finished with their business and left the "check-out" desk, laughing and smiling easily, but Kagome couldn't bring herself to do anything except leave her expression blank as she and Sango approached the desk.
Kikyo Sairento looked up from a careful stack of paper-clipped documents and immediately her eyes met with Kagome's. Her features, one moment light and casual, became swiftly cold like stone. "Checking out?" she asked, lightly. The dark, almost black eyes avoided them as she placed the paper-clipped stack in a file cabinet behind her and dug through the rest of its contents, murmuring to herself as she did. Finally she pulled out a large folder and pushed it toward them. "Make your report." She instructed, turning back to face a computer. Her face—so like Kagome's—was a wall.
Kagome and Kikyo were distant cousins, and had grown up together in training. Both girls had at first been close friends, but as their schooling increased and became more important, a competition started, and ended in hatred when Kikyo had been found the more talented girl—though both of them knew that that wasn't exactly true. Kikyo's abilities weren't as powerful or as varied as Kagome's were, but Kikyo had won out over her when they'd been in training simply because she could control her weaker abilities better than Kagome could. Kagome had never been able to overcome the anger she felt at Kikyo for it. It wasn't so much that Kikyo had won and Kagome hadn't—it was that Kikyo never reconciled with her, in fact she'd done the opposite. For a year she'd rubbed it in Kagome's face in some sick and twisted triumph, getting gangs of her other friends to tease the other miko for her lack of control.
The pain from those days—even though it was from a few years ago—still stung Kagome as she stood beside Sango, pretending to look at the document before them and not her old best friend.
"All right Kagome, what time was it when Takekenso—or in other words, your dear sweet Kouga-lover—tackled you in the park?" Sango snickered at her, brown eyes full of simple and unabashed glee at Kagome's obvious discomfort.
"Can we leave that out of the report?" she begged, chewing on her lip as her eyes darter to Kikyo's form. The other miko hadn't moved. Kagome hadn't seen Kikyo in a long time, the last place she'd seen her was Tokyo. When had Kikyo been transferred? And why?
"Nope, sorry Higurashi, you gotta record everything that happens on patrol. Every demon you saw especially…"
Kagome sighed, reluctantly giving in, "I think it was…" she noticed that Sango's gaze on her drifted away and over her shoulder and stayed there. The chocolate brown eyes narrowed and remained that way. Alarm bells went off in Kagome's head but she kept talking, "…was about 10 o'clock in the morn—" she cut herself off with a squeal as something large and warm hand secured itself like a leech onto her right butt cheek and squeezed once.
Flinching away in shock, Kagome whirled round as she moved to stand behind Sango, using the slayer as a protective shield. Sure enough she saw a certain Kazana Miroku smirking at her, his wide, handsome violet-blue eyes and shaggy black hair painting him like some sort of teenage heartthrob…but he wasn't looking at her, he was smiling innocently at Sango.
The Youkai Relations agent strode forward confidently, eyes still locked on Sango, though they roved over her entire body once, lingering on her hips and breasts noticeably for a second. His black pants seemed to look a little too good on him for Sango's tastes because Kagome felt her partner fidgeting nervously and saw the way her head dipped once, twice, three times, taking in his form as subtly—which wasn't really subtle at all—as possible. The plain white shirt he wore as well looked too thin, too…perfect…if either woman squinted hard enough they would've surely been able to make out the tiny dark circles of his nipples beneath it.
When he smiled his clothes ceased to matter—his bright white teeth and his eyes were completely captivating. Kagome hated herself for not being able to look away…and to think he just grabbed me and I can't stop staring! That and Sango has the hugest crush on him…I wish that he weren't such a pervert, then I'd hook them up for sure and everything would be good between them! And then there's the added bonus that he wouldn't ever grab me again…I hope.
"Hello ladies." He spoke smoothly, confidently, "Just coming in? How were your rounds?" his eyes traveled between them, his handsome eyebrows arched.
"Fine…" Kagome ventured, weakly, timidly.
Sango threw her partner a brief scowl, "Unlike you, Kazana," she hissed, making sure she addressed him formally to knock back his ego, "Some of us actually work all day…"
At that, strangely, his face fell, but almost as soon as it registered some negative emotions, it fell back into a small, neutral smile. He looked toward Kikyo and the smile grew wider, "Hello Kikyo dear, how are you liking America so far, hmm?"
At her desk Kikyo had been staring at the exchange with a blank expression, which now had changed to one of amusement, and perhaps, something a little more sinister, Kagome thought, when she looked back in Sango's direction again. "I love it, Miroku-sama." She cooed; her voice smothered in sweetness.
Sango's breath hissed just once sharply and Kagome was unable to keep the smirk from her face. The sound had reminded her so much of a cat—and the thought of Sango taking on Kikyo was one that Kagome relished. Sango was as skilled physically as Kagome was spiritually. They were well matched in their respective skills. Kikyo, meanwhile, had never excelled physically, and although her spiritual power might keep Sango moving and on the run, struggling to avoid incantations and spells, Kagome thought that the slayer could take her…
Miroku's eyes slid once, slyly, to meet Sango's, and then quickly away as he threw Kikyo a charming grin, "Glad to hear it Kikyo—did I ever tell you how lovely you are?"
"No, Miroku-sama! But if you wished to say it I should be very happy to hear it!"
So quiet that only Kagome directly behind her could hear it, Sango muttered, "Oh…I'm going to kill her—him, I mean."
Kagome sniggled uncontrollably until Sango elbowed her ferociously in the ribs. "Shut up Kagome!" she hissed.
"Well—you are very lovely!" Miroku moved closer to the desk and reached for her hand, pulling it away from the various files and to his tight, sculpted chest. "And I just want you to know, Kikyo, that should you ever find yourself lonely on some night—any night…don't hesitate to call me!"
Kikyo giggled while Sango tensed, her hands balling up into fists. She muttered under her breath and grabbed Kagome's hand roughly. "C'mon Kagome, we're through, our shift's over…"
The tingling of the spell-laden silver rings in her one clenched palm made Kagome drag her feet. God, if I don't get the alias images changed Kouga will find me again tomorrow! How many times will I have to wrap a spell on him to make him stay away? "Sango!" she struggled, "Please, I need to get the rings—"
"Forget it, Kagome, you can get it done tomorrow…" Sango growled, heading gung-ho for the doors that lead to the parking lot and consequently to freedom, until a voice caught both agents' attention and their charge to safety came to a halt.
Rini Gouzuku trotted the distance to them, her feet pattering over the marbled floors of the Agency's massive lobby area. "Kagome, Sango," she greeted, smiling, "You remember the homicide involving the kitsune youkai family of yesterday, right?" she started in without pause.
Both of them paled at the memory. "I think we were trying not to remember it…" Sango muttered, scowling at the floor.
Rini nodded, "I know, it's really terrible…but, that case bothers me, a lot, and I was wondering if you might be able to help me, Kagome."
Perplexed, Kagome scowled at her aunt, "How? We're just…" she glanced at Sango and shrugged, "We haven't even been working here ten years, that kind of case is big isn't it?"
Rini nodded, pursing her lips grimly, "More than you two know…but what I'm offering, I suppose, is an opportunity for the both of you to…" she looked helpless for a moment, words failing her, "…gain valuable experience. To further your careers."
Both of them scowled and shifted uneasily, but it was Kagome who relented their shared thoughts reluctantly, "It's…such a gruesome case, Aunt Rini…" she sighed and ran a hand through her hair absently, wishing that she was home and away from the Agency and its continuous mess of intricate tragedy.
With genuine sadness in her eyes, Rini nodded, "I know, Kagome, but my partner, Kari and I, would be there to help you every step of the way. You see I need…" she frowned, unhappy apparently with what she was about to say, "I need another aura-reader—you can do that, can't you?"
Slowly, guardedly, Kagome nodded to her aunt. "Yes…"
"Good!" spontaneously Rini reached out and patted Kagome on her shoulder, smiling with obvious relief. She failed to notice the way Kagome frowned at the praise in her aunt's voice. "So will you two help Kari and I with this case?" she searched their faces carefully for a moment, "You'd just have to deal with some dog demons…do either of you know anything about them by any chance?"
They both nodded, slightly, and Rini tilted her head to the ceiling, murmuring a thank you to whatever deity she prayed to, and sighed heavily. "Thank you—both of you…" she stared into their faced with a seriousness that Kagome had only seen her use on occasion when she was scolding her for having done something wrong, something bad enough that it warranted a thorough reprimand. "You know, I have a hunch that this case is going to turn into something huge…" her eyes shifted uneasily, "I just hope no one else dies." She confessed.
Kagome felt her stomach clench up nauseatingly…yea, I hope so too—especially not us…
The cell phone vibrated against Inutaisho Aikenka's hip as he stared out his windshield, glaring at the backsides of a hulking truck, hauling bread for the Tasteefood company he supposed,stoppedat ared light. "Damn." He muttered quietly, throwing Inuyasha, in the passenger's seat next to him a quick glance—asleep…
Fumbling, he reached down and unclipped the shaking phone himself, checking the ID for a moment—Sesshomaru's personal cell line. He scowled…if it was something that couldn't wait for the secretary to get to it…he pressed the "talk" button and held the thing to his ear. "Sesshomaru?" he demanded, all formalities aside, "What's going on?"
"Father." Sesshomaru answered, coolly. As usual his eldest son and heir remained perfectly calm and collected, though Inutaisho knew that there had to be something very important to warrant the call.
"Well?" he asked, impatiently. The light changed and Inutaisho surged forward into the traffic, waiting for it to clear so he could turn left. "I know there must be important news for you to call us while we're traveling Sesshomaru. You know I don't like to be disturbed on such trips…" and I know you don't like to call us on these trips too…a flight out across the country to San Francisco to visit Inuyasha's mother never sat well with Sesshomaru. He was disgusted with the fact that Inutaisho would "waste his time" with a human woman, and—this was probably the real reason it bothered him so much—that he went to such lengths just for his only half-demon son, the one that he clearly favored over the colder, businesslike Sesshomaru…
"The Agency, Father, has repeatedly asked me to inform you that Inuyasha is a murderer. He slaughtered a family of kitsune youkai." Came the almost sarcastic response.
Inutaisho blinked and swerved a little in the road in his surprise. A car horn blared at him, wiling like an obnoxious animal. Over in the passenger seat Inuyasha stirred, shaking his head once, the ears flickered and he growled lightly, "Dad—cut it out!"
Inutaisho didn't bother answering Inuyasha's grumbling. He pressed the phone closer to his ear, "Is that a joke, Sesshomaru?" he asked blandly.
Inuyasha jerked his gaze at his father and scowled, "C'mon—Sesshomaru crack a joke? I think it'd damn well kill him!" the hanyou snorted.
Inutaisho threw his second born son a dangerous glare that firmly shouted shut up. Inuyasha scowled and looked back out his window, huffing, "Feh!" once.
"I am serious, Father. Your favorite son is a killer, according to their witness." The great leader of the dog demon clan scowled as he picked up the mocking tone in Sesshomaru's tone. He's enjoying this…
"What do they want?" he asked, ignoring Sesshomaru's first goading comment.
"They want to interrogate him, no doubt, the moment that he arrives back here. I suspect if I do not promise them cooperation soon they shall release a warrant to the human authorities for his arrest as well."
Against his better instinct, Inutaisho cast a prolonged glance at Inuyasha, golden eyes narrowed. His still youthful son—at a human equivalent of about 25 years old—was staring out the window with a clear smirk on his face. The answer as to why he looked so pleased was clear—three very good-looking women were waiting to cross the street when the light changed. Two of them had noticed Inuyasha and were blowing him kisses and smiling, their ruby lips glittering. After a moment Inuyasha's face colored a little and he looked away—at the traffic light.
"Dad." He hissed as the family van that was in front of Inutaisho pulled forward, rumbling, as the red light switched to green. Inutaisho pressed hard on the gas and their car lurched forward through the intersection, but not before another car horn blared in warning.
"Is this a bad time, Father?" Sesshomaru asked, his voice deep, calm—clearly mocking his father's difficulties.
"No." Inutaisho growled, "It's not. Tell those idiots to be ready for us when we get home." He grunted, and, without exchanging the family pleasantries of a goodbye, snapped the cell phone shut and tossed it toward Inuyasha.
"What the hell was that about?" Inuyasha asked as he fumbled for the cell phone that had landed in his lap.
Inutaisho's face was cold as they flowed through the traffic. He didn't move his eyes from the road at all. "Absolutely nothing, Inuyasha."
Endnotes: THANK YOU to all reviewers!
Mad-4-Manga Hey! long time no see! Good to hear from you! You'll be really happy to hear this: I think Sesshy shall make an appearance at least in "With Our Arms Wide Open." Perhaps Rin as well. And while I was contemplating that I got to thinking about the "Hanyou" Sess/Rin fic that I had planned...yes...I shall endeavor to start on that one soon...not sure when but soon...I don't know how many "Hanyou" companions I can have going at once! Especially with graduation creeping so close...anyway, Thank you! lynnie1-23 I can understand that, I DO "bah" a lot. I can overwrite stuff and have done so before. I've read published novels with less description than me...and I'm as yet unpupblished...so sometimes my yakking is a bad thing...thank you for trying to stuck with me still...this chapter might still lose you a bit, but worry not...next chapter Inuyasha and Kagome MEET each other...(snickers)...hope that will please you...NefCanuck thank you! And as the lead of this chapter insinuates, Kagome shares a connection to Inuyasha as well, though they've never met, well, at least not until this chapter...next chapter they do... sarah good question...I could've made someone up, but why should I do that when we have a bad guy who's already done it before...? (snickers) that was my own version of a hint... Yami Chikara (snickers) thank you! This gives me a chance to write in their families and such...a great chance...soon i hope to get Souta and Kohaku into this... toxiclollipop yes...I have been reading and watching (and living, would you believe that the Medical Expert's character "Jessica Schumacher" is modeled completely after my sister?) too many crime investigation stuff...you got more info this time around, no? Probably didn't want to hear anymore...
Well time for the preview:
The hairs on the back of his neck and arms suddenly tingled and stood on end. Inuyasha shivered convulsively, and looked up, his falsely brown eyes searched the Agency's lobby again…and this time it was not a fruitless quest. The cell phone in his hands was forgotten completely as he stared at the apparition that had walked through the glass doors and into the lobby.
Beautiful…
Until next time guys! Thank you all!