XII.

"So...when are you going to quit that nasty fuckin' job of yours?" Koga said with his mouth full of sushi.

"I don't know...as soon as I find something else..." Kagome didn't eat anything. She played with the rice on her plate.

"You know I don't want to date a stripper." He took another huge bite and some of it slid down his chin. She looked back down at her food, disgusted.

"Well, the fact is, you are dating a stripper."

"Yeah, and I don't like the idea of a bunch assholes gawking at your sexy body!"

She lowered her head. "Do you have to talk so loud!"

He blinked. "Loud? Loud is who I am!" He yelled.

A waiter walked by their table. "You two. Out."

XIII.

"So...are you going to do it?"

"It's the only job I have at the moment."

"You don't even know if they're paying, or who it is! For all we know, it's some asshole with corpses in his basement."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Okay, I haven't seen any increase in Vampire murders on the VIH website. If there were anymore than usual, they would've sent me out instead of firing me and letting someone else hire me. I'm good at what I do, and I don't come cheap."

Miroku grinned. "Just like a hooker." She punched his arm. "Ow..."

"Don't you think it's a little odd that it was not only typed, but typed in all caps?"

"Oh, wow. We have a detective in our hands, boys!" He said to no one.

"Ugh, can't you be serious for one second?" She yelled.

He sighed. "Okay, tell me what's going on."

She moved closer to him and crossed her legs. The bed squeaked as she moved. No wonder Kagome says we're loud... She looked at the letter for the hundredth time since she received it via mail. "I don't know. It's a job, I should be interested."

Miroku wrapped his arms around her waist. "You know, maybe all of this happened for a reason."

"Oh, yeah." She shoved the paper to the side. "The same people who fired me yesterday want to re-hire me today. And...with a new address." She grinned and moved her eyes from left to right. They both laughed.

XIV.

Inuyasha sat on a bench, looking at a picture the woman gave him. It was a girl, wearing nothing but a thong. A stripper... He thought. He looked closely at the face. She looks just like that one lady... He was right. They both had the same long, black hair, the same green eyes. The mouths were a bit different, but that was it.

"So your name is Kagome..." He said in a whisper to the picture.

XV.

Koga and Kagome stood outside the Chinese restaurant they were just kicked out of, watching the rain fall. There weren't many people out; it was early afternoon, most people were at work or school.

Koga went behind her and pulled her closer to him. "You act like you're worried about other things lately."

She sighed. "Maybe."

"Tell me."

She chuckled. "Yeah, like you'll listen."

He turned her around. His eyes were angry. "Why are you so fucking pessimistic? Every time I try to do something for you, you just turn you back to me and say a bunch of shit like that!"

She lowered her head. "Look, I'm sorry..."

"Tell me."

"You won't under-"

"Tell me." He growled.

She turned around and walked closer to the rain. "Sometimes I feel like there is something missing, like a part of me is gone, but I don't know what it is or how to fill it. It's just there, burning a hole into my soul, a wound that will always be there. I feel like I'm missing out on something, or there's something I should know. But, I don't know. Maybe I'm just getting...crazy."

They were both silent for a moment. "Crazy..." He repeated.

"Life's way of saying 'fuck you'." They laughed. "Eh, maybe I am just pessimistic. Oh well."

He pulled her closer to him again, this time facing her. "I can think of something that will make you feel better, and it's not a bubble bath."

Her eyes opened wide. "Wow. There are things that can make you feel better, and it doesn't come in the form of a bubble bath? WOW!"

"Maybe we should go to your house..." He said, laughing.

XVI.

Sango walked up the parking lot of the address on the letter. It was a large building; old, red brick, a few broken windows, big steel doors with years of rust caked on them. She sighed, secretly afraid of being in a scary place like this. She went to the door, found it unlocked, and stepped inside. She took a breath. It was like the place hadn't had any fresh air since 1876. She giggled to herself from the idea, put her green umbrella to the side, and walked up the concrete steps to the room indicated on the letter.

The walls on the inside were brick, the same kind as on the outside. There were a few people walking around, and every once in a while, they'd stop to look at her. One man whistled, and she glared at him, causing him to go back to work. Sango found the door she was looking for, 7B. She opened it, and inside was a sitting-room area. Odd... She closed the door behind her and looked to her right. There was a desk and a familiar...

"Rin?" She said, confused.

Rin jumped in her seat, and turned around. She looked scared at first, then her expression turned into amusement. "So...Sango...What can I do for you?"

She raised an eyebrow and walked closer to the desk. "Um, I'm here to see someone about a job or something..."

Rin stood up. "Ah. Sesshomaru. Please, follow me." She led Sango down the short hallway to a closed wood door at the end. "Here." She went back to her desk.

Sango knocked on the door, then opened it. She saw-yet another!-desk, this time with a man with long, silver hair sitting at it. "Please, come in." He motioned to a black leather chair in front of him.

She went in and closed the door behind her, tucking the paper in her purse...just next to the gun. She sat in the surprisingly comfortable chair and faced him. "So, Mr. ..."

"You must be Miss Sango Insunai, am I correct?" He shuffled through some papers in his desk.

"Um, yes, what I was going to ask-"

He interrupted. "Let's just get straight to the point, Miss Insunai, I am a very busy man. I can't do some of these things myself. Now that you have no job, I want you to go to the south-Paterin County-and kill them."

She blinked. "Kill them?"

He sighed. "Them. The Vampires, Miss Insunai, the demons who walk among us. I want you to kill them all."

She subtly slid her hand in her purse. "But I-"

"$25,000, Miss Insunai, and you'll take your hand off that gun if you know what's good for you."

She pulled her hand back out and gaped. "How did you-"

"How I knew is not important. But I have a very important piece of information for you, Miss Insunai." He leaned over the table, closer to her.

Wow, he smells good...WAIT? What am I thinking? HE'S THE ENEMY, HERE! Her mind silently screamed at her.

"If you find a Vampire with black hair and green eyes, bring her to me, unharmed. Her name is Kikyo, and she's more dangerous than you could ever imagine."

"If you want her so badly, why don't you go kill them yourself?" She spat, instantly regretting it.

For a moment, anger flashed through his eyes. Then, just as quickly as it came, it was gone. "I told you before, Miss Insunai, I am a very busy man." He started to shuffle though the papers on his desk some more, signing some this time. "Remember, $25,000. That's worth more than the lives of all those dirty Vampires combined. You are dismissed."

She was shocked. She grabbed her things and left the room. Sango saw Rin sitting at the desk, grinning. She smiled at her and walked closer to the desk. "I know you're a lying little bitch. You're probably the one who got me fired. And if I find out you're the one who dragged me into the little fucking mess, then I'll rip you apart, limb from limb." She backed away, smiled cheerfully, and left.

Rin blinked and wrote Beware of Sango the Demon on her to-do list. She started to whistle and went back to work.