gray clouds lingered over the skies, dispelling light speckles of rain strong enough to elicit a lethargic mood in Kagome. She was nestled on the couch, with a blanket over her head, eating away at a cooking bowl full of cereal with a ladle. She had long ago given up finding something decent to watch on TV, so she settled for the news. She always found it funny when the reporters stared blankly at the camera as they waited for their que to speak.

"Thank you, Shiori. …Local man, Akitoki Hojo, still in search of his attacker…."

"Holy shit." Kagome scooped up some more cereal into her mouth, her eyes now glued to the screen. It wasn't often she saw someone she knew on the news. Talk about a gift sent from heaven.

"…We have just received permission to release the Forensic artist's work on the perpetrator..."

Once the drawing was revealed, Kagome nearly inhaled her cereal, causing it to sneak past her epiglottis. She began to cough profusely.

InuYasha skidded into the living room, alarmed by the sound of Kagome's choking. What he had been up to prior was beyond her.

"Kagome, are you alright?" He knelt beside her, deciding whether or not to just jut his fist above her navel.

Kagome finally overcame the tickle in her throat and just stared at him in horror. He tried patiently waiting for her to say anything but the tension was almost too much for even him.

"You went after Hojo!?" She said finally, no longer having an appetite for a huge-ass serving of cereal.

"Who?" He said lamely, making Kagome narrow her eyes. Kagome reached for the remote and pressed the rewind button. She always thought that was a stupid feature that she was paying extra for, but now this was the perfect opportunity to use it. She paused at the forensic portrait revealed on the screen.

"You're gonna sit here and tell me that that isn't you?" Kagome snapped her fingers at the TV screen. She felt like she was scolding a dog that just shit on her carpet.

InuYasha pierced his lips and examined the TV screen closely. The resemblance was uncanny. The forensic artist was quite talented.

"How the…When the… I never told you- "Kagome's thoughts were seemingly all over the place. She didn't know where to begin.

"That's just a drawing, Kagome." He tried to reassure, relaxing his shoulders now that Kagome was no longer in danger of choking.

"-Of your bitch-ass face!" Kagome barked back hysterically. "You act like there's people in this city who resemble you. Oh my fucking god. He's gonna think I sent you after him!" Kagome was pacing the room now. "It's only a matter of time before he puts two and two together."

"He seems dense. I don't think he will." InuYasha smirked, quitting the act of innocence.

Kagome was ready to pull her hair out. Firstly, she couldn't believe she choked on cereal, who did that?-but whatever. Kagome picked up her bowl from beside the couch to place inside the sink.

"What the hell is with you and fighting people? This is twice now!" She vigorously scrubbed at her bowl with a soapy sponge. She was at her wits end. She didn't know she was beta-testing a bounty hunter. "Not to mention you leaving whenever you so please."

"So you're not happy I did it?" He challenged with a raised brow.

Kagome peered over at InuYasha in bewilderment from the kitchen. She wasn't quite sure how to answer that considering the circumstances. In a sadistic way she kind of felt triumph seeing Hojo damaged on par with her emotional damage he bestowed onto her but right now her thoughts were anything but organized and rational.

"Your sadness over this one person radiated far beyond my comprehension. I only did what I deemed suitable for a companion to do." He continued.

Some of the things InuYasha said never failed to baffle Kagome. Was he really trying to emulate a father figure or an older brother? It was sweet nonetheless but totally out of the question given the event with the high schoolers. It was too early for Kagome to decide what her best course of action was.

"I fixed your door, by the way. I used the tool box in your laundry room." He stated, hoping that would ease the internal screaming written on her face.

"I own a tool box?" Kagome whispered to herself, her face a look of disgust. Her mind was processing a thousand thoughts a second, but her phone disrupted them. She glanced at it; it was a reminder that she had a lunch date with Urasue. "Ah, fuck. I gotta get ready. This isn't over." Kagome stormed passed InuYasha, jutting her fingers towards his eyes as she went to get ready.

()()()()

Despite the objection in his eyes, Kagome powered down InuYasha before she left. She felt badly about it, but she didn't want him going after any other old long forgotten exs from her past someway, somehow. She had her notes lying on the passenger seat and she utilized the car ride to the local café to gather her thoughts. Her reading comprehension was probably less than satisfactory, but she was almost positive that his strange behavior was not specified anywhere in the instructor's manual.

Kagome took a deep breath before exiting her vehicle. Her notes were clutched tightly against her chest, hoping that they were sufficient enough. Urasue waved Kagome down; she was already seated at a table with a coffee cup up to her nose.

"It's nice to see you Kagome, how are you?" Urasue asked, as Kagome made herself comfortable on the opposite side of the booth.

Kagome opted for her professional, automated response. "I'm doing well, how are you?"

"I'm wonderful. The weather's been lovely these past couple of days. I ordered you a coffee already, hope that's alright."

Kagome smiled and nodded, pushing one of the extra coffee mugs towards herself.

Before Kagome could ask who the extra cup belonged to, Urasue scooted over as a lady with elegant stature approached and joined at the table.

"Oh, Kagome! This is Kikyo! She flew in town to sign some paperwork for me. I thought it'd be nice if you two met."

The woman, Kikyo, extended out her hand to shake Kagome's. Her raven bangs lightly caressed her skin above the lashes and her hair was of a remarkable length. If Kagome had to guess, she had to be a decade older than herself. From her posture to her expression, she was wise beyond anyone who could be in their twenties.

"Nice to meet you, Kikyo." Kagome smiled, meeting her offered hand.

"Kagome is one of our beta-testers." Urasue explained; Kikyo nodded in understanding. Urasue shifted her gaze towards Kagome. "How have things been with the Shikon?"

'Where do I begin.' Kagome inwardly winced and bit down on her teeth to force a smile.

"Fine." Kagome settled on, considering the potential buyer and not wanting to chase them away. It was more so due that the attention was on her and she panicked. "Slight delay in the vocals but those seem to be running smoothly now."

"Really? I'll make note of that." Urasue furrowed her brows and flicked open her own set of notes.

"May I see the model?" Kikyo requested politely. Her voice was delicate and rich. Urasue nodded dramatically and flipped through one of the binders she brought along. She stopped once she reached InuYasha's portfolio.

"Okay, so Approx. 179 cm. male musculature and anatomy. Silver hair, golden eyes. Compatibility was a 95% for your needs."

Kikyo studied the images carefully. Kagome sipped at her coffee during the awkward silence.

"Can I make any custom changes after my down payment?" Kiyko asked, her voice laced with concern.

Ursasue seemed a bit taken aback considering the 95% compatibility. "What were you thinking?"

"He's perfect besides the ears. I don't like them." She stated unashamedly, certainly never having a history of purchasing anything that wasn't to her standards.

Kagome wanted to spit out her coffee into Kikyo's face out of utter shock, but she was surrounded by classy people, so she didn't. If her opinion mattered at all in the slightest, she would say that was one of his best assets!

"W-we can look into that the closer the launch date comes." Urasue promised.

"Excellent." Kikyo smiled genuinely for the first time.

()()()()

A couple of refilled coffees later, Kikyo excused herself from the meeting once all her documents were filled out. She didn't feel it was necessary to stick around and chat. Kagome and Urasue watched her through the window of the café as she stepped into her spotless luxury rental car. Kagome took note of the handicapped placard and lifted a brow at Urasue. She had seemed like a flawless lady.

"Ah, Lady Kikyo, my dear, is seeking a Shikon per psychiatrist's referral." Urasue didn't see the harm in sharing that, considering that Kagome would probably never see her again. Plus, she was always first in line when it came to gossip. "She has been clinically diagnosed with SPD, among other things."

"Which is….?"

"Sadistic personality disorder. Lady Kikyo is willing to pay a hella amount of cash by any means necessary to satisfy her disorder without harming the public or facing legality issues. Kagome, our clients will come from all walks of life." She emphasized in excitement.

Kagome tried her absolute hardest to swallow the look of shock on her face.

'Holy. Fucking. Shit.'

Kagome wished she didn't question the handicap placard, the things she was picturing now was mildly disturbing.

"So," Ursasue clapped her hands together. "-any more notes to share with me til our next visit?" Urasue seemed oblivious to Kagome's loss of color in her face. Kagome wanted nothing more than to go home and coddle her poor Shikon for what was to come for him.

'My poor baby.' She would be lying if she said she hadn't grown a little attached to him.

Next update: 11/23/18