I know, I know.

Been forever, yet again.

To tell you the truth, I've been trying to get on this site for months. But those evil college applications and scholarships keep tearing me away from my precious fanfiction. For those of you who are writers, you can appreciate how disheartening this is.

Some things that have changed since I wrote this:

I turned 18

I got a new car (well, as new as a 1994 Honda Accord can get. But hey, I'm happy)

I realized that I'm graduating this year

I cried about it

Besides that, I've been leading a pretty boring life. Oh, except for playing Kingdom Hearts II, which is awesome! I'm at level 21 in Pirates of the Caribbean. It's pretty much the best game ever since Kingdom Hearts.

I know. I need a life.

To my lovely reviewers:

Shadow of a Dagger: Ah, you have a cool name too. Why couldn't I think of a cool name? I am so pathetic. Anyways, thank you very much. I definitely plan on continuing with this fic. I'm glad you like it so far.

Closet Oddity: Yours is cool too. I WANT A COOL NAME! Yes, I will continue it. Don't beg though. It'll just fill my head with hot air and then it will become impossible for anyone to live with me. Then it'll be hard to find my computer what with my enormous head impeding me from basically everything.

Susan: Thank you very much. I'm working on it. In fact, to prove it to you, I'll update chapter 2 right after this review and another schpeel from me. See what a nice person I am?

A/N: None.

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…

…

Except that I don't own it.

Kagome whirled on her heel, to see her best friend leaning against the elevator she had just emerged from. She wore a black pants suit, with a magenta blouse underneath. Sango stood at about 5'8. She was slender, but one could tell she worked out. Her dark brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, so you could see her penetrating chocolate eyes.

"Sango!" Kagome cried. She took three quick strides and embraced the business-attired woman. "I thought your conference was until next week."

Sango shrugged, as she straightened herself, and starting walking towards the exit, with Kagome in tote. "There's really no point in being in a conference, if you ended up teaching the speaker a thing or two. Total waste of my time." Sango was a real prodigy. At the tender age of 7, she had successfully built her own computer. At 15, she was hired (through a little persuasion from the "family") as a junior software designer consultant to the Tokyo Microsoft division. Now, at age 24, she was the leading advisor on all things computer in Tokyo. And that was just a part time job.

"Daddy didn't call you out, did he?"

"Of course not. He's the one who got me there. Once he heard I had left-"

"Which was about 2 minutes after you had left the room, I'm guessing?"

"More like 3 minutes. Anyways, once he found out, he called me, and explained your little dilemma. Did you really screw up so bad that Hojo had to jump out of a window?"

Kagome groaned as they made their way to the car lot. Her father made it sound so bad. Never mind the fact that it was true.

"Yes."

"From the 3rd story?"

Kagome could only nod.

"No shit? You really do need some help." Sango laughed as she took out her keys and unlocked her black 2009 Lexus DragonStar XG40. Forget the fact that the people at Lexus don't even know that they have a black 2009 Lexus DragonStar XG40; or any color 2009 Lexus DragonStar XG40, for that matter. That's just the kind of thing that happens in the "family."

"Get in." Sango said as she slid into the driver's seat and twisted the silver key forward in the ignition, making the beautiful car roar back into life. Kagome stood hesitantly outside of the passenger side.

"What's the matter?" Sango rolled down the window, looking at the girl questioningly.

"Last time I got into a car with you, we almost hit a tree."

"I know. But that was a long time ago."

"Sango, that was 2 months ago, and we were in the indoor parking lot."

Sango put her hand to her chin, and thoughtfully looked into the distance. "That was kind of weird…"

"Sango, Cousin Shifty Eyes wasn't called Shifty Eyes till he got in the car with you. He used to be called Joe."

Sango stared sheepishly at her steeling wheel, taking in her friend's words. It was true. She was not, to say the least, the best of drivers. The one and only reason she hadn't been put behind bars for being "a danger to society" was because of her "family"

"Alright. Fine. You drive". With that, she clumsily made her way over the divider in the front seat, and positioned her seatbelt over her shoulder, slightly pouting.

Kagome smirked and got into the driver's seat, loving all the power she felt at the tip of her fingers. With the grace of a gazelle, she reversed out of the parking slot, and made her way out into the open street. Next to her, Sango messed around with the radio, until she came to something she liked. Turning it up, she rolled down her window, letting the thump, thump of the blaring music temporarily distract the drivers around them. Smiling, Kagome loudly sang along as they zoomed down the streets of Tokyo.

Making my way downtown
Walking fast
Faces pass
And I'm home bound

Staring blankly ahead
Just making my way
Making a way
Through the crowd

And I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder...

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just see you
Tonight

It's always times like these
When I think of you
And I wonder
If you ever
Think of me

'Cause everything's so wrong
And I don't belong
Living in your
Precious memories

'Cause I need you
And I miss you
And now I wonder...

If I could fall
Into the sky
Do you think time
Would pass me by
'Cause you know I'd walk
A thousand miles
If I could
Just-

Suddenly the music was turned off. "Hey!" Kagome cried indignantly as she looked at Sango's hand sliding away from the radio. "What was that for?"

"I was saving myself. You are probably the most tone deaf person I've ever had the misfortune of being stuck inside of a car with a working radio playing one of the most god-awful overplayed songs I can think of to date."

"That was harsh." Kagome shook her head.

Ignoring her, Sango pointed ahead and said, "Make a left up here"

Following orders, Kagome made a smooth turn down a dark, deserted street. A stray cat limped slowly on the sidewalk, a man covered in tattered, dirty clothes coughed harshly as he pushed his lonely cart down an alley, graffiti littered the walls with universal messages for all the world to see.

"Sango, why are we here?" Kagome asked. She wasn't disgusted in the least bit. Kagome was not brought up to be a prissy, stuck up princess. If anything she was just the opposite, as was Sango. Being in the family humbled a person. And they were always taught not to look down on others, if they don't have anything to do with you.

Sango just pointed to an alleyway. "Turn in there." Kagome did as instructed, but allowed her eyes to dart back and forth, watching the shadows that played upon the side of the walls. Even if she wasn't the best in the family's "profession" she knew when something wasn't right. She parked, and got out the car with Sango, who walked further into the alley, until she came to a rusted, stained green door, with a slot long enough for a person on the other side to open and see who was outside. Sango rapped on the door 8 times, and then kicked it. Shortly after, a man opened the slot and peered down at them.

"What?"

Even from 10 feet away, Kagome could smell the man, and deduced that he had probably not showered, nor brushed his teeth, nor done anything else even remotely hygienic in quite a while.

"Hey Stools, it's me, Aussie. I need my crayons." Kagome gave Sango a weird look at the mention of their 'names' but kept all comments to herself.

"Stools" gave her a creepy look, before his eyes shifted over to Kagome. Or rather, up and down Kagome. He gave a crooked smile (which confirmed Kagome's earlier assumptions about his dental hygiene, or lack thereof)

"And I thought you were a looker, Aussie. Tell me, who's this delicious piece of sumptuous, curvaceous, succulent, meat?" he asked, as he licked his dirty lips to emphasize.

Kagome shuddered, and resolved to take a very long bath as soon as she got home. Sango patted her arm, and then turned her attention back to Stools.

"Wow. I didn't know you knew that many 3-syllable words. I'm impressed. This is Books." She nodded to Kagome. "Books, this is Stools. Now that the introductions are out of the way, I need my crayons, Stools."

"Alright, alright." He disappeared and shut the slot. Kagome looked at Sango curiously. "Stools? Aussie?"

"Shh. I'll explain later."

Then next moment, the slot reopened and Stools looked about wildly. "Hey, uh, you sure there's no one following you?"

Sango gave him a deadpanned look. Apparently feeling this as convincing, Stools opened the door, heaving a ridiculously large, ridiculously heavy looking black duff bag, grunting the whole time. With a loud thud, he laid it a few feet from Sango's feet.

"You shouldn't have anymore trouble with the…the uh…the blue crayon. And as for the rest of the rainbow, they've all been, uh…fixed."

Sango nodded. "Thanks Stools. I'll see you later." Sango gently nudged Kagome, and turned around, walking back down the alley, with the huge bag slung over her shoulder as if it were a backpack.

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, bring Books back next time too. It's nice to see young women as good looking as yourselves. Maybe you two would like to view my living quarters?" He grinned at the retreating girls.

"Not a chance." Sango said over her shoulder. She and Kagome made their way back to the car, where Kagome automatically slid into the driver's seat. Sango threw her bag in the back seat, and took her place next to Kagome. Neither one said anything as they sped out of the neighborhood. It was well past 8 o'clock, Kagome noted, remembering her mother was making American food.

"Wanna come over for dinner?" Kagome broke the silence. Sango nodded.

"So, what was that all about? Stools? Aussie? Books?" Kagome questioned.

"Stools had some tools fixed for me. My last job didn't go as smoothly as planned, and I resorted to unconventional means to get it done. That is not something I wanna talk about." The tone in her voice made it very clear Sango wasn't kidding.

"Well, what about the names?" Kagome pressed.

"I would've thought you'd have figured that out by now. As I'm sure you deduced, Stools is my informant. Informants are also known as "pigeon stools" But Stools has his name for two reasons. The second being he smells like…well… his name. And I told you about when I didn't know you, back in high school; I was the champion boomerang thrower in my division. So, Aussie fits. And Books? Well, Ms. Lawyer, I should think you'd be able to work that one out."

Kagome gasped, her eyes widening as she kept driving. Trying to play it cool though, she put on a mask of indifference. "What are you talking about?"

Sango laughed. "Like hell you don't know. I check up on you more than you think. Have you forgotten? I am the leading female authority in the country when it comes to computer technology. Did you really think you could hide the fact that you were taking online law classes in your spare time from me? Maybe Uncle Mack, and the others, because they can barely use Microsoft Word, much less the Internet, but come on. Give me some credit."

Kagome sighed heavily. "You're right. I am."

"Damn right I am." Sango looked over at her friend. "Look, you know I'd never rat you out. Your secret is safe with me, OK Kagome?"

Said girl smiled and nodded. As they pulled up into the Higurashi house, Kagome asked, "I've been wondering... when are we going to start our training?"

"Shh…we'll talk about that after dinner. You know how much I love American food. And your mother makes a mean hotdog."

Kagome laughed as they stepped out of the car. The Higurashi house wasn't a sight to behold. By no stretch of the imagination was it ugly, or gross. It was a regular 2-story house, with a large sakura tree in the back yard. On the property was a shrine at which Kagome's grandfather "worked" (which meant Grandpa Higurashi ran around slamming anti-demon ofudas on anything, stationary or alive) All in all, it was nothing to take a second look at. Which suits the family just fine. Besides, all the important stuff went on underneath the house…

The girls strolled to the back door, not pausing to knock. Mrs. Higurashi was used to be walking in and out of her house. As long as they didn't track in mud, everything was dandy. But as soon as one iota of dirt hit her white carpet, the look in her eyes could rival the one Uncle Lucy got when asked about his name. And her actions would make Uncle Pepsi flinch a bit.

"Hey Mom!" Kagome called.

Mrs. Higurashi came hustling in, smiling with flour powdering her hair.

"Kagome! I knew you'd stop by for dinner!" she was about to give her daughter a hug when she noticed Sango behind her. "Sango!" Mrs. Higurashi shrieked, pushing her child to the side.

"Oof!" Kagome said as she narrowly missed the stairwell, and braced herself against the wall. "Nice to see you too," she muttered darkly, while her mother fawned over Sango.

Said girl smiled widely at the excited woman, as she talked a mile a minute, not catching a single word coming from her mouth.

Suddenly, Mrs. H. turned sharply to her daughter demanding, "Just what in the heavens did you think you were doing?"

"Uh…" Kagome answered truthfully.

"How could you not tell me Sango was coming? I'm not sure if I made enough food!"

"Mom! You always make enough food!"

"I'm sorry to have imposed. If it's a problem, I can go grab something on my-"

"Nonsense. You can just have Kagome's food. She's the one who didn't tell me you were coming-"

"Because you always have enough food!"

"-and not even thanking me when she got in the door after slaving away in a hot kitchen for hours making her food! Look, I look like a wreck, with flour in my hair and whatnot!"

"MOM! I don't know how you got flour in your hair, seeing as how you're making hotdogs!"

Sango laughed as she followed the mother and daughter through the trodden path that led to the infamous Higurashi Kitchen. Dinner was certainly going to be interesting…

"Ah…that was good…" Sango sighed as she threw herself onto Kagome's old bed. Kagome rolled her eyes as she sat in her bright, fluorescent pink beanbag chair in the corner of the room.

"It was just hotdogs. I don't understand why you get so worked up about them. Now, if they were those New York hotdogs I keep hearing about, maybe I'd get it."

"You don't understand. No one told me your mom was making beans too."

"Making and opening a can, throwing whatever's inside in a pot, and heating are two very different methods of presenting a person with consumable products. Don't get them confused." Kagome remarked. Sango looked up from her position on the bed to stick her tongue out at the girl.

"That was mature." Kagome noted. "Now, tell me. What's this mission about? You and the Boss were hinting at it all night. What exactly am I going to be put through for this remedial training?"

Suddenly, Grandpa Higurashi knocked on the door. "Come in." Kagome called. As the old man tottered in, Kagome could see a long chain with some sort of paw attached to it.

"What are you girls going to do tonight?"

"Breaking and entering. Then maybe catch a movie. Then hit a club. And not necessarily in that order." Sango said smoothly.

Grandpa's eyes went wide with shock. "What do you mean, 'hit a club'? You two are much too young to be out and about in places like that late at night."

Shaking her head at how nonchalant everyone was about burglary, and feeling very guilty herself, Kagome was glad for a change of subject.

"Grandpa, I'm 23 years old. I am perfectly of age to go clubbing."

Grandpa rolled his eyes, sighing. "Where in Buddha's name did I go wrong?" he mumbled under his breath as he left the room.

2 hours later…

Kagome found herself crouched rather uncomfortably in some itchy bushes, trying not to scream in frustration. Sango hunched next to her, her demeanor as silent and concentrated as a tiger. Kagome had tried to imitate Sango, but found she only made her head hurt.

"Where are we? What exactly are we doing?"

Sango gave her a very dry look. "Kagome, what's the first rule in our line of 'business'?"

"If you don't know nothing, you can't answer anything." She replied automatically, the rule drilled into her head.

"Right."

"Are you planning on getting caught then? Do you really not think we can pull this off, and therefore have resolved that when we get caught, if I don't know anything, I can't crack under pressure?"

Sango sighed heavily. "Kagome, what's the second rule in our line of 'business'?"

"You're not invincible, or indispensable."

"Right." Sango turned back to the house she was watching, frowning slightly. "What kind of a maid stays till 10 pm?" she asked herself more than Kagome.

Kagome, more than willingly to engage in conversation, replied "A lady of the night?"

Sango just shook her head. "No wonder the Boss thinks you need so much training."

"Hey!"

"Shh! Someone's leaving!"

The girls turned their attention to the mansion across the street from them. It was about 4 stories, painted white with an abnormal amount of red splashed on a door, or window shutter quite haphazardly. It looked as though some guy did it hurriedly one Saturday afternoon in between commercials. Coming from one of the crimson doors was a young man, as far as the girls could tell. His face couldn't be made out, on account of how dark it was. He turned and locked the door of the house, then made his way out to a dark blue or black car parked on the curb. As soon as the taillights died out in the distance, the two silently slipped their way across the street and into the shadows of the gigantic house. Much like Hojo had done, Sango looked for a slightly opened window, and was surprised when she came to a full-length, to the floor, big enough for her to walk through window, completely, and utterly unlocked. She took out a special magnet and stood on the outside windowsill, waving it in the corners.

"What are you doing?" Kagome hissed.

"Shh…if there are any alarms on this window, this magnet is messing with their frequencies. Our dear, rich friend will have to purchase a new system."

Kagome raised her eyebrows, obviously impressed. She silently followed Sango inside through the window; careful not to step on anything that wasn't meant to be stepped on. Kagome looked up at the house around her, expecting elaborate paintings and expensive items to cover the house. She was surprised when she saw posters of American basketball players, and books that didn't look like they'd survived the Middle Ages (and either her mind was playing tricks on her, or one of those books was definitely Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) littered the floor. And much to her horror, a bright orange crumpled bag, with the words "Mack and his Pot" had been thrown across a table, the contents clearly gone.

"What kind of person is this?" Kagome whispered to Sango, who was creeping ahead of her. Sango waved in an annoyed manner behind her, not turning to look at Kagome, as she said quietly, "Just follow me." Kagome sighed, and continued following her, weaving in and out of the mess this "rich" person had left behind. They walked out of the room, and into a dimly lit hallway. Sango looked to her right, looked back at Kagome, and then slid her lean body against the wall, something Kagome had seen James Bond do more than a couple of times. Putting her two pointer fingers together, making a gun-like appearance, Kagome rolled on the floor, jumping up to Sango, who returned the action with a look that visibly said, "What the f?" Giggling silently, Kagome shook her head, and regained her composure. They came to a grand staircase, ('The only grand thing in the whole damn house', Kagome thought) on their left. Sango passed it, without a second glance. Kagome would've done the same, if a flash of silver hadn't caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head to the left, as she stood in the middle of the base of the stairs. In the distance, she could hear Sango's steps getting fainter and fainter, but she paid no heed. In a trance like stupor, Kagome felt herself making her way up the stairs, until she faced the wall, where the stairs to the right and left combined into one landing and continued downward as the one set of stairs she'd just walked up (like in Titanic.) On that wall was a portrait.

But not just any portrait.

It was a portrait of a boy…no, a man. His silver hair fell down his shoulders like a cascade of water down a mountain. His shirt, (or rather, haori, as she recognized from her History class in school) was a bright red. He was apparently not human, or at least not fully, judging from the triangular ears that perched magnificently on his head, or the fangs that slipped from his mouth that curved upward in a slight smirk.

'It suits him,' Kagome thought as she studied the smirk. But what had caught her attention the most were his eyes. She'd never seen eyes like that in her life. She wondered how it was possible for an artist to capture so much inner emotion with paint and a canvas alone. His golden eyes pierced through her very soul, burning with passion, slightly dulled from past pains, fiery with determination, tired as if the whole world sat upon his shoulders, and twinkled with an enigmatic presence Kagome knew she'd never understand on her own. No longer acting of her own accord, she gingerly lifted her hand, and stepped forward, placing it gently on the corner of the portrait, her gaze locked onto his.

'What is it about you?' she thought. 'Why am I so-'

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" a gruff voice barked from behind. Flinching, Kagome closed her eyes, thinking about how pissed off her father would be when he found out not only did she not stick to Sango like white on rice, but she'd been caught as well.

"Hey, I'm asking you a question. What the hell do you think you're doing in my house?" the voice was getting closer as Kagome heard the man (because she could tell by the voice it was certainly not a little girl) making his way quickly up the steps. He stopped a few feet behind her, and she could feel the irritation radiating off of him, and into her back. With a sigh, she turned around, ready to smooth talk her way out of a potentially sticky situation.

But when she looked at the man, her breath caught in her throat, and she knew no words would find their way out any time soon. Even though he was about 3 steps below her, he was still eye level. Which was probably why Kagome almost had a heart attack. It must be very disquieting; looking directly into the eyes that you had just been gazing at so enraptured and to find them staring back at you in real life.

Provided they were glaring rather menacingly, but they were there.

Finally, Kagome's words escaped from her mouth.

"Oh my god…"

There you have it. End of chapter 2. I hope you all enjoyed it. Know what I'll enjoy? Reading your reviews. So, leave them. And we can all be over-enjoyed people.