Mission Completed - Chapter 3
By: Sakura Katsana
Disclaimer: Guess who signed the papers? No, guess! No, not Inuyasha. No one signed the papers. I still don't own him, happy? Good. 'Cuz I'm not.
Sakura's Note: Ello! How are you? I hope you're all great. I have a few things to say and then it's off to the story I began writing before this A/N was even thought of. ;;
Shout outs:
1. Beta-reader: I found a beta-reader a day after I requested one in Chapter 2 of MC. Her name's Ariri-sama, she's not from ff.net I don't think. She's on mediaminor. But, please, if anyone sees any grammar mistakes or spelling, hell- even some slip ups with last names and tiny repeated details (I tend to do these a lot) put it in your review. I like constructive criticism because it shows you're trying to help. (I don't mind regular reviews, though. They're all great to read!)
2. ". . .But, what's up with Sango having a different name? ...I forgot...was that in the first fic? MIM?. . ." DIT
I'm kind of confused as to what you mean in different name. Do you mean last name or Aneue? If you do mean Aneue, I got it from the second Inuyasha Movie. It means older sister, something Kohaku calls his sister when he is not under Naraku's control. If I gave her a different last name, please tell me what you think the old one was so I can correct it. (I'm really bad with keeping last names the same ;;)
3. I will soon have some pictures on deviant art . com pertaining to some of my fics. I drew a picture of Inuyasha and Kagome dancing a long time ago- this having to do with chapter 14 (I think) of MIM. Once I scan it, color it in Adobe Photoshop 5.5, and post it there I'll be sure to let you know.
I think that's all that needs to be addressed.
Thanks to: Dragon Man 180, trixie-trix, Dork in Training, firehottie, babiixwolf, Skiddy16, teentoxipixi, TaintedInuShemeeko, swimchick1614, jschu25, Jessica, Queeney, and kureeji joshin.
Here's chapter three, enjoy and R&R! .
Chapter 3:
"What?" Yura leapt up, causing pillows to fall to the ground. "What? How can that-?" The woman looked from Kagura to Sesshoumaru, then to her daughter's face.
"How's that possible?" Sango did as Yura had, "Kagome's been-"
"Purifying it, I know. We all thought that. Miroku told me it's heat sensitive and heat conductive. It absorbs the heat from the body and then tosses it back at you like the boomerang effect. She thought she was purifying it when all she was doing was holding a cheap piece of glass."
The room became quiet, not even Rin's laughter continued.
"So why are they coming here?" Sango looked over at her partner, Rin still examining his ears happily- although quietly.
"They said that the letters NYC were on a piece of the fake jewel. Same with S.J.H." Inuyasha shrugged, getting up. "They'll be here by tonight since their using the agency's fastest jet."
"Get us updated on this." Kagura interrupted. "I'll be damned if Naraku comes back, in America this time."
Sesshoumaru nodded vaguely, a serious look in his eyes for the first time that day. "If you leave us out of the loop we'll be forced to get involved personally. Probably more than you wish us to, little brother."
"Keh. Don't worry, keep your pants on. And I really do mean that." Inuyasha growled, setting the little girl down on the sofa and ignoring her protests.
"Uncle Inu!" Rin whined, "Don't go! Don't go!"
"Sorry kid, duty calls." Inuyasha wiggled his ears for her before leaving the room. "We'll be in touch." Rin got a mischievous look on her cute little face before running out of the room.
"Thank you, for everything." Sango gave a gracious smile. "Come on Kohaku. . ."
"He can stay with us if you want, until this is all settled." Yura offered, "If you think the agency might not be the safest place for him right now."
"Thank you, but I want him to be with me right now. I've lived without him in my life since I was a little girl, I'm not losing any more."
"We understand. The offer stands, though." Kanna nodded at her brother's words.
"It's good to know." Sango bowed, "Come on Kohaku." The boy got up, thanking everyone before heading after his sister.
"Well, now that we got the thank you's out of the way. . ." Inuyasha slipped into Fang, started the engine.
Kohaku gawked at the silver automobile, "This is. . .the coolest car ever!" Sango and Inuyasha traded glances with raised eyebrows.
"Nice to see you talking again. But, I guess seeing how your sister was hogging most our your conversation I'm not surprised." Inuyasha smirked, "And yes, it is the coolest car ever."
They didn't notice Inuyasha's jacket move.
"Gods! Where is it?"
"Where's what Dog-boy?" Sango and her brother's eyes trailed after the frantic dog demon.
"Yeah, it'd help to know." Kohaku added.
"My jacket. . ." Inuyasha murmured, basically turning his bed upside down.
"Which one? Your black leather one, your dress one, your brown one, your denim one-"
"The leather one!" both siblings started at his snappish tone.
"Aneue, what's up with him?"
"I think he wants to look nice for Kagome when she gets here." both brunettes cocked their heads. It was wonderful- and weird- how siblings could act so much alike after not seeing each other for so long.
"That girl you told me about in Fang?"
"Uh huh."
"I'm NOT trying to look nice for Kagome!" Inuyasha roared, giving a final survey of his room. "I want to know where my racing jacket is!"
"Maybe you left it in Fang."
". . .Keh!" He rushed from the room, running faster when Shiori came around the corner.
The garage was silent, except for a few random drops of water hitting the floor. Then a lock clicked, something rustled, a door opened, and out slid a figure, quickly rushing into the base without a second thought or a single sound of its footsteps.
Inuyasha ran a clawed hand through his mane of silver hair. "Damn jacket better be in here. . ." he grumbled, pressing the 'open' button on his key chain. Fang honked, signaling it was unlocked.
"There you are. . ." he smirked, grabbing up the leather racing jacket and left the garage.
"Could you stop looking out the window for the jet? It isn't that big of a deal." Inuyasha snuck a glance out the large glass panel before continuing to chastise the female agent. "Miroku coming, yay. You get to kiss. You get to hug. What is the big deal?"
Sango gave him the driest look he'd ever seen. Inuyasha wondered why her face wasn't cracking already. "I'm getting to see my boyfriend for the first time in three months! What do you think the big deal is?"
Inuyasha waved a submissive hand, "Just keep it to PG around the kid." Sango shot him a glare, but all was forgotten when a small black jet with 'Tokyo' on it's side pulled in, landing at a gate.
She squealed with delight, jumping over three suitcases before jumping onto Miroku, giving him the fiercest kiss he'd seen. "I missed you too Sango," he managed, waddling the best he could over to Inuyasha with the agent still hanging from him. "Hey."
"Hey." Inuyasha managed, shocked at Sango's lack of self control. Kohaku stood next to him, eyes wide in shock.
"Ew, Sango." he muttered, turning around. "Get a room."
"Sango!" the girl reluctantly left the arms of her boyfriend, giving Kagome a fierce hug.
"Kagome!" Sango squealed in delight. "Gods, it's so nice to see the two of you again!" At the mention of the azure-eyed Japanese agent Inuyasha's widened, his body going rigid.
'She's here. What do I do?' the hanyou caught her breathtaking orbs fixed on him before they swept over to Sango again. "I'm glad to see you both made it here ok." Inuyasha muttered, knowing it sounded much more forced than he meant it to.
Kagome looked at him, a small smile gracing her face. She instantly regretted it when a spark of something resembling hope lit up in his ocher eyes. "Sango-chan, we learned English!"
Her magenta-eyed friend blinked, exchanging disbelieving looks with her partner. ". . .You learned English- in three months?!"
"A little project some of the agents are working on. This machine you hook up to when you sleep, the translations are repeated in your sleep and when you wake up you're supposed to be able to speak it."
"I see it works," Sango breathed. "At least the language won't be a problem."
"Yeah, it says NYC alright." Inuyasha confirmed, holding the small piece of technology up to the light one more time with both eyes squint. "What do you think he's up to now?"
Miroku shrugged, "Does S.J.H. mean anything to you?"
Sango slowly shook her head no, "Nothing comes to mind. . .We'll leave it with Ayame and Shippou. Until we can get more leads you can fill Inuyasha and I in."
Inuyasha pocketed the small piece of the fake jewel. With a sigh the four agents left the lab, all four knowing this was going to be a long visit in more than one way.
"Push! Come on, don't give out now! Farther! Farther! Just a little more, hold on. . ." Kouga grunted, sweat dripping off his brow.
"I can't hold it much longer, Ayame. . ."
"Please! One more!" Kouga rolled his eyes. "Just one more push!" Both gave a final groan, Kouga pushing forward with the remains of his strength before they collapsed back onto the carpeted floor.
"You know," Kouga panted, "Maybe we should have taken the folders out of the filing cabinet first."
Both wolf demons blinked, staring wistfully back at the large, bulky black filing cabinet. "Damn it!"
"Are we interrupting something?" Both wolf-like agents started, looking at the door in surprise.
"Inuyasha! Sango!" Ayame looked over at them, the hanyou carried a small smirk. "Could you knock in the near future?"
"I think I'll have to. . ." He winked at her.
"We weren't doing anything!"
"Who said you were?"
"You were insinuating-"
"Calm down, Ayame, I heard the entire conversation half way down the hall." The hybrid waggled his ears, causing both of the sweaty twenty year olds to blush enough to put roses to shame.
"Shut up dog breath." Kouga snapped vehemently.
"Um, so where are Kagome and Miroku?" Ayame managed to choke out, grabbing hold of her desk to pull herself up.
"Ayame?" Sango moved into the room to allow the two agents entrance. Kagome rushed through, giving the girl a fierce hug. "It's great to see you!"
"Kagome-chan!" Both girls squealed like junior high girls, causing all three men to raise their eyebrows and turn to one another. All of them answering each other's unasked questions with shakes of their heads.
Sango smiled, good-naturedly slapping Miroku's shoulder.
"I'm so glad to see you two," the red-haired boss suddenly became serious. "Inuyasha was a bit vague on why you were coming. I need all the details."
Kagome nodded, somewhat hesitantly at the mention of Inuyasha's name. The pain was still there. 'Why am I killing myself over this? It's not like we had a thing or something. . .'
The agents were now situated in a lead-covered room, except for Kagome who had excused herself to go to the bathroom a little while ago.
Said agent was now walking down the hall, looking around curiously at the different agents until she reached the room marked 'Conference Room - Confidential - Do Not Enter.' She opened the door to see the one thing she would rather shake Naraku's hand than do. . .
There was only one seat left. Of course, he was an oblivious guy. Therefore Inuyasha did not seem to notice that the seat next to him was the only one that wasn't occupied by either a youkai or human.
They all turned, following her gaze to the seat. The same thing seemed to be in everyone's mind.
Don't let either one of the two stubborn agents sit anywhere else.
Kagome shifted uncomfortably, eyeing Sango and Ayame for some support. Obviously they were ignoring her because they were both looking purposefully at their boyfriends for the time being. She glared purposefully in their general direction before reluctantly seating herself next to Inuyasha.
The honey-eyed agent looked at her, finding that she was sitting in a way that made it seem she was sitting closer than she really was.
"So, what did you-" the door opened, a boy that looked to be seven entering with a laptop under his arm.
"Sorry I'm late Ayame."
"Aw!" Kagome gushed, "He's so adorable!"
"I'm right here, you know. . ."
"If I didn't know any better I'd think he was your son, you two!" Both wolf oni blushed a bit, the reference to having a child together still a bit awkward.
"I don't really know how to respond to that." Shippou gave a nervous laugh, "I'm Shippou. Expert at the arts of transformation, illusion, and technology." He jumped up, tweaking Inuyasha's left ear, "And the genius who can make these ears go bye-bye."
"It's great to finally meet the culprit of that in person," Miroku smiled, "How old are you?"
The bottle-green eyed kit looked up from setting up his lap top, "I'm fifty- six in human years, eight by demon standards."
"So, you're a kitsune?"
His face suddenly brightened with a proud glow, "Sure am! My ma and pa worked here, but they were killed on assignment. So, I decided to continue our families saga of agents."
"I'm sorry to hear about your family," Kagome wiped a rogue tear from her eye, "Ok, to the problem on hand. . ." Anything to take Miroku and Sango's minds off the loss of families. Shippou, although fifty-six by his parent's standards still seemed oblivious how much he could have affected them.
"Yes," Ayame cleared her throat, "What exactly is going on here?"
Miroku stepped up to the plate, ready to explain to give Kagome some time off. It would be annoying to have to repeat yourself so many times. "Naraku's body wasn't recovered in Japan when the forensic teams sifted through the debris. It could be that he was incinerated, but in cases like this DNA tests are performed. There was no sign of his burnt corpse anywhere."
"Could it have been that he found a way out, then died somewhere in the near forests?" Kouga tossed the idea into the mix.
"I don't think so," Kagome stared off into space, trying desperately not to look at Inuyasha, who was staring at her intensely with his amazing, stunning, golden-
No! She wouldn't think about it!
"Inuyasha and Yura both gave her a few good hits, I don't think he would have been able to escape, not the lack of blood her had at the time."
"What do you mean 'lack of blood'?" Inuyasha finally asked, having been silent long enough. Even if Kagome could only answer a question, she would still be speaking to him.
Needless to say Miroku decided to answer for her, noticing her pleading glances and unlike the girls came to her aid. "The forensics went over everything there with a fine-toothed comb. They discovered a level that most of his assassins didn't even know of apparently. Two dead bodies were uncovered."
'I'm better than this, acting like a child in such an important situation. . .' Kagome berated herself mentally before nodding in agreement to Miroku's comment. "They found many test tubes, most melted or shattered from the heat, that still has remnants of burnt blood. They did find some of Naraku's blood where you said you left him. They used that and sure enough they found that the DNA matched."
"So he was giving his blood to something in a hidden level of his hideout?" Sango looked over at Ayame who shook her head to say she didn't know the answer either.
"The blood was in test tubes, so I would think he was trying to make more clones, not feed anything. On top of that they found plans for new types of bombs using compounds from all over the world that he got via the black market." Kagome watched as Shippou continued typing intensely on his laptop.
"I was in front of the senior agents and tried making a wish. The jewel did nothing other than glow every time it was touched. Later when we were examining it we saw the inscription. S.J.H."
Ayame's eyes widened, "S.J.H?"
There was one page left.
She flipped her bio over.
When you receive these plans, you must be prepared to complete everything under S.J. Before then here is what has already occurred.
Kohaku was given the jewel and since Kagome's mission is to kill the one who carries it she will have taken care of him. Therefore causing the allies to break apart in distrust and anger. The Ramen Co. section will be destroyed to destroy all information. Kikyo, who was visiting, and I will be on the emergency helicopter. The rebellious assassins will also have been detained and killed. All agents will also be taken to the appropriate places. The entire grounds (20 mile radius) will self destruct at 1 p.m.- - -
SJ?
What was that supposed to mean?
"Yeah, does it ring a bell?"
"I'll be right back!" Ayame jumped out of her chair, startling Kouga, and rushed from the room as if she was on fire.
"Where is it?!" Ayame shrieked, flipping through file after file. Finally she came to the one she was after, grabbing it up then slamming the filing cabinet shut.
"Ok!" Ayame burst into the room, triumphantly throwing a manila folder onto the table separating her and her friends.
Silence passed through the room until Sango was brave enough to break it.
"Um, what exactly is ok?"
Ayame abruptly stopped panting, "Read this." Inuyasha and Kagome both reached for the file simultaneously. Her fingers brushed over his, both of them blushing lightly before Inuyasha's hand darted back.
Their hands were basically exercising Hand Etiquette, where the male hand would back away to allow the female's to reach for the object first while both their owner's acted as if nothing was going on.
Sango chuckled, leaning in to see as well.
"The entire grounds. . .self-destruct at 1 p.m.. . .I'll be waiting at the designated spot to get the real thing. . ." Inuyasha looked up, "What's this? Where did you find it?"
"When I was searching Naraku's chopper. . .I found it under the seat and totally forgot about it. I didn't even finish reading it."
"There was a meeting spot. Could that have been where Naraku would have gone could he have moved?"
"With the severe blood loss and injuries I don't think so," Shippou spun his computer around. "Look, based on what you've been saying and how many test tubes you told me were found while Ayame was gone. . .All given recently. . .he would have had to walk at least 25 miles to get out of the area the forensics were in."
"So you're saying someone was in there, got him out, and then got away safely before anyone could get there?"
"That's what I'm saying, Sango." Shippou confirmed with a grim look.
"What about Kikyo?" Inuyasha couldn't breathe for a minute. Kagome, asking a question about Kikyo?
Well, they were sisters, he thought, trying to look nonchalant. "Yeah, you two said that she wasn't there either. And I know that I knocked her out that window."
"But she was a hardy girl, she might not have died. . ." Kagome mused aloud.
"I saw blood everywhere!"
"Even if she got a few cuts on the head she would have been able to bleed enough to cake a few glass shards in blood. She could have gotten away. . ."
"Or she could have been taken by the same person who took Naraku." Inuyasha countered.
Everyone watched in silent happiness at the two debating agents. It seemed nothing had ever happened.
"Or maybe she could have taken Naraku, seeing how I think I did less to her than I did to Naraku. Yura did him in, too."
"Either way both of their bodies where never recovered. So there is something wrong with that picture. We need to talk to some people, get some information."
"Who would know about their meeting place?" Sango piped up.
"Inuyasha knows the place better then we do," Kouga muttered indifferently. "So, Dog-breath, who would know at that place? What are your connections?"
Inuyasha growled at the wolf prince, "They're all dead, smart one. Except for Kagura and Sesshoumaru and their little rogue group."
"I guess we'll have to go talk to them then," Kagome sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Sango-chan, have they changed at all?"
"Changed back is more like it." Inuyasha murmured. "When I knew them the first time they were like that. Except my brother, he's always been an ass but the others were free spirited, full of humor. It wasn't long after that that they were brainwashed, blackmailed, or threatened by Naraku."
"You'll have to call them, Inuyasha." Shippou advised, "tell them that you'll be there tomorrow."
Sango looked at her watch, "Kohaku should be back from the movie with Joe around now."
"I think we got the gist of it," Ayame nodded positively, "You four are back on the case, just make sure not to be obvious about it. If Naraku and Kikyo are still alive then they pose a threat to us, and if the person in that letter is the new guy like his penname suggests it's even more complicated. . ."
"Aneue!" Kohaku jumped out of Joe's car, rushing over to his sister. "We went to see Kill Bill! Do you know how much BLOOD is in that movie?! A lot!"
"Joe! How could you take him to see that movie?" Sango had switched into mother-mode again.
"Calm down, Sango. The boy's gotta get used to those kind of movies."
"He's right, you know." Inuyasha agreed, leaning back casually on cinderblock garage wall. "He's been under a psychopath's control since he was a little boy, he needs to have some experience in the real world."
"Violence like that is not the real world!"
"For us it is."
"Yeah! You guys are agents, come on sis, you see blood all the time!"
"But you saw it all the time too!" the girl sighed, rubbing her temples. "Whatever, just, next time. . .Inuyasha, you take him."
"What? Me?" Inuyasha blinked, "I'm not good with kids!"
"Don't give me that, children cling to you!" Inuyasha blushed, not noticing Kagome watching from the garage entrance.
"That doesn't mean I know how to hang out with them!" the hanyou barked back. "Cats love people who hate cats, kids love me because I'm not good with 'em."
Kagome gave a watery smile, leaning on the side of wall.
She loved him.
The problem? He didn't feel the same way. She forced herself away from the argument, walking down the corridor to Sango's room. The American agent had thought it would be fun to share a room again, like old times.
Like old times. . .
Like when she had found herself resting on his hoodie, like when they had talked, cracked jokes. . .
With a sigh she flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
If he didn't like her, why did he care so much that she wasn't talking to him before he left back to come here?
"I'm just thinking too much," Kagome whispered to the walls, closing her eyes. "I should just get over it, talking to him at all is better than staying silent. . ."
Inuyasha: newscaster voice What caused Inuyasha's jacket to move? Who is SJH? Why don't you know yet? All will be explained next chapter!
Kagome: . . .I dunno. . .
Inuyasha: Me neither.
A quick chapter for the amount of time I took on it. I won't try and type up all the possible excuses. Let me just leave you with this word: School.
Please R&R!
Ja ne
Sakura
Disclaimer: Guess who signed the papers? No, guess! No, not Inuyasha. No one signed the papers. I still don't own him, happy? Good. 'Cuz I'm not.
Sakura's Note: Ello! How are you? I hope you're all great. I have a few things to say and then it's off to the story I began writing before this A/N was even thought of. ;;
Shout outs:
1. Beta-reader: I found a beta-reader a day after I requested one in Chapter 2 of MC. Her name's Ariri-sama, she's not from ff.net I don't think. She's on mediaminor. But, please, if anyone sees any grammar mistakes or spelling, hell- even some slip ups with last names and tiny repeated details (I tend to do these a lot) put it in your review. I like constructive criticism because it shows you're trying to help. (I don't mind regular reviews, though. They're all great to read!)
2. ". . .But, what's up with Sango having a different name? ...I forgot...was that in the first fic? MIM?. . ." DIT
I'm kind of confused as to what you mean in different name. Do you mean last name or Aneue? If you do mean Aneue, I got it from the second Inuyasha Movie. It means older sister, something Kohaku calls his sister when he is not under Naraku's control. If I gave her a different last name, please tell me what you think the old one was so I can correct it. (I'm really bad with keeping last names the same ;;)
3. I will soon have some pictures on deviant art . com pertaining to some of my fics. I drew a picture of Inuyasha and Kagome dancing a long time ago- this having to do with chapter 14 (I think) of MIM. Once I scan it, color it in Adobe Photoshop 5.5, and post it there I'll be sure to let you know.
I think that's all that needs to be addressed.
Thanks to: Dragon Man 180, trixie-trix, Dork in Training, firehottie, babiixwolf, Skiddy16, teentoxipixi, TaintedInuShemeeko, swimchick1614, jschu25, Jessica, Queeney, and kureeji joshin.
Here's chapter three, enjoy and R&R! .
Chapter 3:
"What?" Yura leapt up, causing pillows to fall to the ground. "What? How can that-?" The woman looked from Kagura to Sesshoumaru, then to her daughter's face.
"How's that possible?" Sango did as Yura had, "Kagome's been-"
"Purifying it, I know. We all thought that. Miroku told me it's heat sensitive and heat conductive. It absorbs the heat from the body and then tosses it back at you like the boomerang effect. She thought she was purifying it when all she was doing was holding a cheap piece of glass."
The room became quiet, not even Rin's laughter continued.
"So why are they coming here?" Sango looked over at her partner, Rin still examining his ears happily- although quietly.
"They said that the letters NYC were on a piece of the fake jewel. Same with S.J.H." Inuyasha shrugged, getting up. "They'll be here by tonight since their using the agency's fastest jet."
"Get us updated on this." Kagura interrupted. "I'll be damned if Naraku comes back, in America this time."
Sesshoumaru nodded vaguely, a serious look in his eyes for the first time that day. "If you leave us out of the loop we'll be forced to get involved personally. Probably more than you wish us to, little brother."
"Keh. Don't worry, keep your pants on. And I really do mean that." Inuyasha growled, setting the little girl down on the sofa and ignoring her protests.
"Uncle Inu!" Rin whined, "Don't go! Don't go!"
"Sorry kid, duty calls." Inuyasha wiggled his ears for her before leaving the room. "We'll be in touch." Rin got a mischievous look on her cute little face before running out of the room.
"Thank you, for everything." Sango gave a gracious smile. "Come on Kohaku. . ."
"He can stay with us if you want, until this is all settled." Yura offered, "If you think the agency might not be the safest place for him right now."
"Thank you, but I want him to be with me right now. I've lived without him in my life since I was a little girl, I'm not losing any more."
"We understand. The offer stands, though." Kanna nodded at her brother's words.
"It's good to know." Sango bowed, "Come on Kohaku." The boy got up, thanking everyone before heading after his sister.
"Well, now that we got the thank you's out of the way. . ." Inuyasha slipped into Fang, started the engine.
Kohaku gawked at the silver automobile, "This is. . .the coolest car ever!" Sango and Inuyasha traded glances with raised eyebrows.
"Nice to see you talking again. But, I guess seeing how your sister was hogging most our your conversation I'm not surprised." Inuyasha smirked, "And yes, it is the coolest car ever."
They didn't notice Inuyasha's jacket move.
"Gods! Where is it?"
"Where's what Dog-boy?" Sango and her brother's eyes trailed after the frantic dog demon.
"Yeah, it'd help to know." Kohaku added.
"My jacket. . ." Inuyasha murmured, basically turning his bed upside down.
"Which one? Your black leather one, your dress one, your brown one, your denim one-"
"The leather one!" both siblings started at his snappish tone.
"Aneue, what's up with him?"
"I think he wants to look nice for Kagome when she gets here." both brunettes cocked their heads. It was wonderful- and weird- how siblings could act so much alike after not seeing each other for so long.
"That girl you told me about in Fang?"
"Uh huh."
"I'm NOT trying to look nice for Kagome!" Inuyasha roared, giving a final survey of his room. "I want to know where my racing jacket is!"
"Maybe you left it in Fang."
". . .Keh!" He rushed from the room, running faster when Shiori came around the corner.
The garage was silent, except for a few random drops of water hitting the floor. Then a lock clicked, something rustled, a door opened, and out slid a figure, quickly rushing into the base without a second thought or a single sound of its footsteps.
Inuyasha ran a clawed hand through his mane of silver hair. "Damn jacket better be in here. . ." he grumbled, pressing the 'open' button on his key chain. Fang honked, signaling it was unlocked.
"There you are. . ." he smirked, grabbing up the leather racing jacket and left the garage.
"Could you stop looking out the window for the jet? It isn't that big of a deal." Inuyasha snuck a glance out the large glass panel before continuing to chastise the female agent. "Miroku coming, yay. You get to kiss. You get to hug. What is the big deal?"
Sango gave him the driest look he'd ever seen. Inuyasha wondered why her face wasn't cracking already. "I'm getting to see my boyfriend for the first time in three months! What do you think the big deal is?"
Inuyasha waved a submissive hand, "Just keep it to PG around the kid." Sango shot him a glare, but all was forgotten when a small black jet with 'Tokyo' on it's side pulled in, landing at a gate.
She squealed with delight, jumping over three suitcases before jumping onto Miroku, giving him the fiercest kiss he'd seen. "I missed you too Sango," he managed, waddling the best he could over to Inuyasha with the agent still hanging from him. "Hey."
"Hey." Inuyasha managed, shocked at Sango's lack of self control. Kohaku stood next to him, eyes wide in shock.
"Ew, Sango." he muttered, turning around. "Get a room."
"Sango!" the girl reluctantly left the arms of her boyfriend, giving Kagome a fierce hug.
"Kagome!" Sango squealed in delight. "Gods, it's so nice to see the two of you again!" At the mention of the azure-eyed Japanese agent Inuyasha's widened, his body going rigid.
'She's here. What do I do?' the hanyou caught her breathtaking orbs fixed on him before they swept over to Sango again. "I'm glad to see you both made it here ok." Inuyasha muttered, knowing it sounded much more forced than he meant it to.
Kagome looked at him, a small smile gracing her face. She instantly regretted it when a spark of something resembling hope lit up in his ocher eyes. "Sango-chan, we learned English!"
Her magenta-eyed friend blinked, exchanging disbelieving looks with her partner. ". . .You learned English- in three months?!"
"A little project some of the agents are working on. This machine you hook up to when you sleep, the translations are repeated in your sleep and when you wake up you're supposed to be able to speak it."
"I see it works," Sango breathed. "At least the language won't be a problem."
"Yeah, it says NYC alright." Inuyasha confirmed, holding the small piece of technology up to the light one more time with both eyes squint. "What do you think he's up to now?"
Miroku shrugged, "Does S.J.H. mean anything to you?"
Sango slowly shook her head no, "Nothing comes to mind. . .We'll leave it with Ayame and Shippou. Until we can get more leads you can fill Inuyasha and I in."
Inuyasha pocketed the small piece of the fake jewel. With a sigh the four agents left the lab, all four knowing this was going to be a long visit in more than one way.
"Push! Come on, don't give out now! Farther! Farther! Just a little more, hold on. . ." Kouga grunted, sweat dripping off his brow.
"I can't hold it much longer, Ayame. . ."
"Please! One more!" Kouga rolled his eyes. "Just one more push!" Both gave a final groan, Kouga pushing forward with the remains of his strength before they collapsed back onto the carpeted floor.
"You know," Kouga panted, "Maybe we should have taken the folders out of the filing cabinet first."
Both wolf demons blinked, staring wistfully back at the large, bulky black filing cabinet. "Damn it!"
"Are we interrupting something?" Both wolf-like agents started, looking at the door in surprise.
"Inuyasha! Sango!" Ayame looked over at them, the hanyou carried a small smirk. "Could you knock in the near future?"
"I think I'll have to. . ." He winked at her.
"We weren't doing anything!"
"Who said you were?"
"You were insinuating-"
"Calm down, Ayame, I heard the entire conversation half way down the hall." The hybrid waggled his ears, causing both of the sweaty twenty year olds to blush enough to put roses to shame.
"Shut up dog breath." Kouga snapped vehemently.
"Um, so where are Kagome and Miroku?" Ayame managed to choke out, grabbing hold of her desk to pull herself up.
"Ayame?" Sango moved into the room to allow the two agents entrance. Kagome rushed through, giving the girl a fierce hug. "It's great to see you!"
"Kagome-chan!" Both girls squealed like junior high girls, causing all three men to raise their eyebrows and turn to one another. All of them answering each other's unasked questions with shakes of their heads.
Sango smiled, good-naturedly slapping Miroku's shoulder.
"I'm so glad to see you two," the red-haired boss suddenly became serious. "Inuyasha was a bit vague on why you were coming. I need all the details."
Kagome nodded, somewhat hesitantly at the mention of Inuyasha's name. The pain was still there. 'Why am I killing myself over this? It's not like we had a thing or something. . .'
The agents were now situated in a lead-covered room, except for Kagome who had excused herself to go to the bathroom a little while ago.
Said agent was now walking down the hall, looking around curiously at the different agents until she reached the room marked 'Conference Room - Confidential - Do Not Enter.' She opened the door to see the one thing she would rather shake Naraku's hand than do. . .
There was only one seat left. Of course, he was an oblivious guy. Therefore Inuyasha did not seem to notice that the seat next to him was the only one that wasn't occupied by either a youkai or human.
They all turned, following her gaze to the seat. The same thing seemed to be in everyone's mind.
Don't let either one of the two stubborn agents sit anywhere else.
Kagome shifted uncomfortably, eyeing Sango and Ayame for some support. Obviously they were ignoring her because they were both looking purposefully at their boyfriends for the time being. She glared purposefully in their general direction before reluctantly seating herself next to Inuyasha.
The honey-eyed agent looked at her, finding that she was sitting in a way that made it seem she was sitting closer than she really was.
"So, what did you-" the door opened, a boy that looked to be seven entering with a laptop under his arm.
"Sorry I'm late Ayame."
"Aw!" Kagome gushed, "He's so adorable!"
"I'm right here, you know. . ."
"If I didn't know any better I'd think he was your son, you two!" Both wolf oni blushed a bit, the reference to having a child together still a bit awkward.
"I don't really know how to respond to that." Shippou gave a nervous laugh, "I'm Shippou. Expert at the arts of transformation, illusion, and technology." He jumped up, tweaking Inuyasha's left ear, "And the genius who can make these ears go bye-bye."
"It's great to finally meet the culprit of that in person," Miroku smiled, "How old are you?"
The bottle-green eyed kit looked up from setting up his lap top, "I'm fifty- six in human years, eight by demon standards."
"So, you're a kitsune?"
His face suddenly brightened with a proud glow, "Sure am! My ma and pa worked here, but they were killed on assignment. So, I decided to continue our families saga of agents."
"I'm sorry to hear about your family," Kagome wiped a rogue tear from her eye, "Ok, to the problem on hand. . ." Anything to take Miroku and Sango's minds off the loss of families. Shippou, although fifty-six by his parent's standards still seemed oblivious how much he could have affected them.
"Yes," Ayame cleared her throat, "What exactly is going on here?"
Miroku stepped up to the plate, ready to explain to give Kagome some time off. It would be annoying to have to repeat yourself so many times. "Naraku's body wasn't recovered in Japan when the forensic teams sifted through the debris. It could be that he was incinerated, but in cases like this DNA tests are performed. There was no sign of his burnt corpse anywhere."
"Could it have been that he found a way out, then died somewhere in the near forests?" Kouga tossed the idea into the mix.
"I don't think so," Kagome stared off into space, trying desperately not to look at Inuyasha, who was staring at her intensely with his amazing, stunning, golden-
No! She wouldn't think about it!
"Inuyasha and Yura both gave her a few good hits, I don't think he would have been able to escape, not the lack of blood her had at the time."
"What do you mean 'lack of blood'?" Inuyasha finally asked, having been silent long enough. Even if Kagome could only answer a question, she would still be speaking to him.
Needless to say Miroku decided to answer for her, noticing her pleading glances and unlike the girls came to her aid. "The forensics went over everything there with a fine-toothed comb. They discovered a level that most of his assassins didn't even know of apparently. Two dead bodies were uncovered."
'I'm better than this, acting like a child in such an important situation. . .' Kagome berated herself mentally before nodding in agreement to Miroku's comment. "They found many test tubes, most melted or shattered from the heat, that still has remnants of burnt blood. They did find some of Naraku's blood where you said you left him. They used that and sure enough they found that the DNA matched."
"So he was giving his blood to something in a hidden level of his hideout?" Sango looked over at Ayame who shook her head to say she didn't know the answer either.
"The blood was in test tubes, so I would think he was trying to make more clones, not feed anything. On top of that they found plans for new types of bombs using compounds from all over the world that he got via the black market." Kagome watched as Shippou continued typing intensely on his laptop.
"I was in front of the senior agents and tried making a wish. The jewel did nothing other than glow every time it was touched. Later when we were examining it we saw the inscription. S.J.H."
Ayame's eyes widened, "S.J.H?"
There was one page left.
She flipped her bio over.
When you receive these plans, you must be prepared to complete everything under S.J. Before then here is what has already occurred.
Kohaku was given the jewel and since Kagome's mission is to kill the one who carries it she will have taken care of him. Therefore causing the allies to break apart in distrust and anger. The Ramen Co. section will be destroyed to destroy all information. Kikyo, who was visiting, and I will be on the emergency helicopter. The rebellious assassins will also have been detained and killed. All agents will also be taken to the appropriate places. The entire grounds (20 mile radius) will self destruct at 1 p.m.- - -
SJ?
What was that supposed to mean?
"Yeah, does it ring a bell?"
"I'll be right back!" Ayame jumped out of her chair, startling Kouga, and rushed from the room as if she was on fire.
"Where is it?!" Ayame shrieked, flipping through file after file. Finally she came to the one she was after, grabbing it up then slamming the filing cabinet shut.
"Ok!" Ayame burst into the room, triumphantly throwing a manila folder onto the table separating her and her friends.
Silence passed through the room until Sango was brave enough to break it.
"Um, what exactly is ok?"
Ayame abruptly stopped panting, "Read this." Inuyasha and Kagome both reached for the file simultaneously. Her fingers brushed over his, both of them blushing lightly before Inuyasha's hand darted back.
Their hands were basically exercising Hand Etiquette, where the male hand would back away to allow the female's to reach for the object first while both their owner's acted as if nothing was going on.
Sango chuckled, leaning in to see as well.
"The entire grounds. . .self-destruct at 1 p.m.. . .I'll be waiting at the designated spot to get the real thing. . ." Inuyasha looked up, "What's this? Where did you find it?"
"When I was searching Naraku's chopper. . .I found it under the seat and totally forgot about it. I didn't even finish reading it."
"There was a meeting spot. Could that have been where Naraku would have gone could he have moved?"
"With the severe blood loss and injuries I don't think so," Shippou spun his computer around. "Look, based on what you've been saying and how many test tubes you told me were found while Ayame was gone. . .All given recently. . .he would have had to walk at least 25 miles to get out of the area the forensics were in."
"So you're saying someone was in there, got him out, and then got away safely before anyone could get there?"
"That's what I'm saying, Sango." Shippou confirmed with a grim look.
"What about Kikyo?" Inuyasha couldn't breathe for a minute. Kagome, asking a question about Kikyo?
Well, they were sisters, he thought, trying to look nonchalant. "Yeah, you two said that she wasn't there either. And I know that I knocked her out that window."
"But she was a hardy girl, she might not have died. . ." Kagome mused aloud.
"I saw blood everywhere!"
"Even if she got a few cuts on the head she would have been able to bleed enough to cake a few glass shards in blood. She could have gotten away. . ."
"Or she could have been taken by the same person who took Naraku." Inuyasha countered.
Everyone watched in silent happiness at the two debating agents. It seemed nothing had ever happened.
"Or maybe she could have taken Naraku, seeing how I think I did less to her than I did to Naraku. Yura did him in, too."
"Either way both of their bodies where never recovered. So there is something wrong with that picture. We need to talk to some people, get some information."
"Who would know about their meeting place?" Sango piped up.
"Inuyasha knows the place better then we do," Kouga muttered indifferently. "So, Dog-breath, who would know at that place? What are your connections?"
Inuyasha growled at the wolf prince, "They're all dead, smart one. Except for Kagura and Sesshoumaru and their little rogue group."
"I guess we'll have to go talk to them then," Kagome sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Sango-chan, have they changed at all?"
"Changed back is more like it." Inuyasha murmured. "When I knew them the first time they were like that. Except my brother, he's always been an ass but the others were free spirited, full of humor. It wasn't long after that that they were brainwashed, blackmailed, or threatened by Naraku."
"You'll have to call them, Inuyasha." Shippou advised, "tell them that you'll be there tomorrow."
Sango looked at her watch, "Kohaku should be back from the movie with Joe around now."
"I think we got the gist of it," Ayame nodded positively, "You four are back on the case, just make sure not to be obvious about it. If Naraku and Kikyo are still alive then they pose a threat to us, and if the person in that letter is the new guy like his penname suggests it's even more complicated. . ."
"Aneue!" Kohaku jumped out of Joe's car, rushing over to his sister. "We went to see Kill Bill! Do you know how much BLOOD is in that movie?! A lot!"
"Joe! How could you take him to see that movie?" Sango had switched into mother-mode again.
"Calm down, Sango. The boy's gotta get used to those kind of movies."
"He's right, you know." Inuyasha agreed, leaning back casually on cinderblock garage wall. "He's been under a psychopath's control since he was a little boy, he needs to have some experience in the real world."
"Violence like that is not the real world!"
"For us it is."
"Yeah! You guys are agents, come on sis, you see blood all the time!"
"But you saw it all the time too!" the girl sighed, rubbing her temples. "Whatever, just, next time. . .Inuyasha, you take him."
"What? Me?" Inuyasha blinked, "I'm not good with kids!"
"Don't give me that, children cling to you!" Inuyasha blushed, not noticing Kagome watching from the garage entrance.
"That doesn't mean I know how to hang out with them!" the hanyou barked back. "Cats love people who hate cats, kids love me because I'm not good with 'em."
Kagome gave a watery smile, leaning on the side of wall.
She loved him.
The problem? He didn't feel the same way. She forced herself away from the argument, walking down the corridor to Sango's room. The American agent had thought it would be fun to share a room again, like old times.
Like old times. . .
Like when she had found herself resting on his hoodie, like when they had talked, cracked jokes. . .
With a sigh she flopped down on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.
If he didn't like her, why did he care so much that she wasn't talking to him before he left back to come here?
"I'm just thinking too much," Kagome whispered to the walls, closing her eyes. "I should just get over it, talking to him at all is better than staying silent. . ."
Inuyasha: newscaster voice What caused Inuyasha's jacket to move? Who is SJH? Why don't you know yet? All will be explained next chapter!
Kagome: . . .I dunno. . .
Inuyasha: Me neither.
A quick chapter for the amount of time I took on it. I won't try and type up all the possible excuses. Let me just leave you with this word: School.
Please R&R!
Ja ne
Sakura