Disclaimer: I do not on Inuyasha.
A/N: Alright guys, enough with the general silliness and on to some meatier aspects to the story. This chapter is still a bit light, but no worries, soon there's going to be more action and intrigue.
Chapter 5: A Call to the American
Sesshoumaru had spent hours pouring over the information in Hando's file. He'd gotten some basic information beforehand, but it was mostly things such as the fact that Hando possessed holy powers, had been training with Peters for nearly four years, had gotten a bachelor's degree, and was currently mopping the floor with everyone else in Peters' program. Until tonight he hadn't even realized how advanced she was under Peters. She wasn't a trainee with him, she was an actual operative and had both been on and led multiple missions. Since she was accepted into his agency as a trainee he had just assumed that was her rank in America. After all, what field agent would tolerate a demotion back down to trainee? He had also been unaware that she was a woman. The fact that she was didn't surprise him though, after all the time he'd spent working with Kikyou he knew that a smaller frame meant nothing when it came to power.
As he looked through the dossier he saw no clue as to the fact that the woman's family and two best friends were connected with his agency, Taisho Command. He wasn't sure whether he was relieved at his employees' discretion, or angered at Peters' apparent lack of proper research.
Looking through her psychological profiles he saw that according to the Keirsey Temperament Sorter taken at the beginning of her training under Peters she shared a personality type with only 0.5 of the population. He again felt unsure as to whether he was relieved or annoyed. More recent tests puzzled him though. Her scores across the tests were consistent, too consistent. No one should have been able to transpose exact results from one test to the other. The reasons you always put someone through multiple tests was that they were meant to compliment each other and throw different facets into view. This being the case there were always slight variations in the results. Always that is, except for this girl.
Sesshoumaru further learned that she was a widow. This too surprised him, but then again he thought that it would explain why her last name was Hando and not Higurashi. But then he noticed that the man's name had been Stanton, and that shortly after his death she had legally changed her name to Hando. His caused of death was listed as cardiac arrest, but the man was only 32, and she had been 17. The date was two weeks before her training with Peters began. What puzzled him even further was that he remembered Kagome's scent as being untainted by any male. He was sure that she was still untouched. The file mentioned the man's profession, but no family history whatsoever.
Here, and all throughout the file Sesshoumaru found himself angry at the lack of information. It was in truth one of the longest files he'd seen, as all of Hando's trainers and coworkers had had much to say on her behalf, and it detailed the missions she'd successfuly completed. But he couldn't shake the feeling that while accurate, a large portion of her file was hiding something, something even more important than the specifics it did contain.
Early the next morning Sesshoumaru again commanded his cell to call the Americans. Upon hearing the other end pick up Sesshoumaru began what he intended to be a deeply revealing discussion. "Just what in the seven levels of hell have you dumped into my lap Peters?" the irate taiyoukai demanded.
"Taisho are you aware that it is Friday night where I am?" came the cocky voice of the young commander. "How many times must I explain to you the sanctity of a Friday night in American culture? You're playing with fire you know."
"I am not in the mood," he snapped back.
"Whoa, reign it in there Sesshoumaru! Did you stop to consider that maybe I wasn't in the mood?" the man retorted, reminding the other demon exactly where he'd heard that phrase before.
"I will repeat myself once Peters, but I warn you, anymore than that and you'll regret it. What in the seven levels of hell have you dumped into my lap? You assured me you were sending a professional," Sesshoumaru growled. "The only reason I have tolerated your misguided attempts at being mysterious these past few months is because you swore to me I was getting someone phenomenal. That is the word you used, phenomenal. Now explain to me how I have come to be burdened with this, with this…" he was so frustrated he couldn't even think of a proper insult for Hando.
"Excuse me?" the other man queried. "You haven't even met her yet, how do you know she isn't professional?"
"I have met her. In fact, I spent several grueling hours in her company last night."
"She wasn't supposed to report till Monday. Are you trying to tell me she didn't follow orders?" Peters asked in astonishment. "That's going a bit too far, even for her!"
"I met her on a family outing, as she just so happens to be the younger sister of my brother's fiancé."
"You mean Kikyou Higurashi, your third in command?" the man gasped. "Hando is her little sister?"
"Hai," was the terse reply.
"Holy shit!"
"Indeed," Sesshoumaru muttered. "Now could you possibly explain to me how such a detail escaped your notice? Having trained you myself I know you are not unaware of the proper way to conduct a dossier. Even if she doesn't know the connection to Taisho command you should have known that the people she spent the first 17 years of her life with are powerful mikos and fighters." His voice had gone stern, but unfortunately the time when his tone of voice over the phone intimidated this particular American had long past.
"Oh man," Michael mumbled. "Oh man, is she good! That little…why I oughtta…oh I'll…but then again I should have known…"
"What are you going on about! Stop speaking as if half your brain suddenly ceased to function and explain. Is she rogue? Do we have a security situation on our hands now?" Sesshoumaru asked, not relishing in the thought of having to eliminate a member of his future sister-in-law's family. This is what happened when you mixed the office with home life. He had been highly displeased at Inuyasha and Kikyou's relationship, and he now felt justified in being so. In fact, he never would have allowed it to occur if it were anyone other than his brother and Higurashi. He'd relented in their case for reasons which no one but him knew, and he planned to keep it that way.
"No!" Peters replied quickly. "No, no she isn't rogue, and she isn't a threat. She's just…how to explain it. I knew she grew up in a shrine, but she somehow made it seem as if it was just a family business slash tourist attraction type deal. You see, Hando has an ability to let you know only things she wants you to know. If you've met her socially then you wouldn't be able to see it, but she can be cunning and crafty to a degree that would rival evenyou, Sesshoumaru."
"Then how can you be assured of her loyalty?" Sesshoumaru demanded. "If she's capable of hiding even basic elementals such as her family's identities then how do you know she isn't hiding much more dangerous information?"
"I know because she wanted me to know she was trustworthy, and as for hiding her family she probably did that either to protect them or to make sure she was judged for herself and not who she was related to." He paused at Sesshoumaru's silence. "Sesshoumaru-sama," this caught the youkai's attention as rarely did Peters ever use his title, "I know that I'm risking you flying over here to rip my liver out for saying what I'm about to say, but there's no help for it… just wait. You'll see what I mean in time. It is unfortunate that you met her socially first, because had your acquaintance been limited to the professional world you would never have had an issue."
"That is an unacceptable answer, Peters." Sesshoumaru was becoming highly annoyed, even more so than when he first placed the call.
"I can't explain it further," he sighed. When his old master started to growl he began to defend himself further, if only to keep the demon on the other side of the world from him where he couldn't do something along the lines of using his acid to melt his left kneecap off. "Consider this, she came to America when she was seventeen, and until then she was living right under your nose and you didn't even know it. She is powerful enough that you should have found her at least ten years ago, but you didn't, for which I am glad because if you did then I would never have had the pleasure of training and working with her for the past four years. Trust me, you want this woman in your agency Sesshoumaru, she is one truly worthy. So much so that even though I would kill to keep her here I know it wouldn't be right. She is not someone who you are going to end up merely sending as a liaison for the police, or even as an aid to a special opps military group. She is of a caliber which you reserve for issues that are beyond our governments, ones that deal with the very core of humanity and demon kind alike."
"Tell me more about her." Sesshoumaru didn't fully believe what he was hearing. He knew Peters would not lie about such things, but he also highly doubted that that girl could be that amazing. Kikyou was someone he would classify as high caliber, and she was nothing like Kagome. Still, it'd be interesting to see how she turned out.
Peters sighed, knowing that by peaking the taiyoukai's interest he had just been granted pardon from impending death. Anxious to keep the tide in his favor he continued. "One of the first things you will notice about Hando is her loyalty to and protection of her family."
"I believe I have already established that," Sesshoumaru said, going on to explain the incident at the shrine.
"Whoa, you're lucky she didn't do anything worse, she can get nasty pretty fast if she perceives danger or neglect to someone she's attached to, especially Shippou." He paused for a moment, giving Sesshoumaru a chance to realize that Peters had just referred to Hando's kit by his name. Before he could let the meaning behind this sink in though he was distracted by said man asking in a slightly concerned manner, "Um, have you looked in a mirror since the incident? You're not missing anything say, like an eyebrow are you?"
"My appearance is unchanged since our encounter." He heard the other man sign in relief. "Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?"
"No reason!" he replied. Then quickly changing the subject he continued. "Knowing her familial tendencies I would not pair her against Kikyou much if you wish to see her true abilities because I'm guessing she would always hold back when facing her sister. If you want to see her work really well then give her a cocky guy she'll want to put in his place. Secondly, she is highly inquisitive, and most likely within the first week she will be trying to figure out how to perform at least three other jobs from what you assign her. She likes to be able to know how everything works. Finally, watch what you say around her because she has a nasty habit of being able to recall verbatim whatever reaches her ears. She has a highly analytical mind and will start piecing together whatever information she gets a hold of, and she has no problem using it against you if you provoke her."
"So her childishness is an act then?" Sesshoumaru asked, impressed that she could keep even the small deceit from showing in her aura.
"No, it's not an act," the younger man replied chuckling. "I know you will find it impossible to understand, and infuriating to no end, but she really is that perky. Some of my friends thought she had access to some kind of highly refined and potent crack when they first met her, but in the end they loved her, everyone always does," he finished on wistful note.
"For my part I thought it might have been ecstasy." The younger man laughed out loud at Sesshoumaru's remark. "And you are absolutely certain she is not an enemy? Would you trust her with your life? With those of the people you hold dear?" Sesshoumaru asked, trying to solidify the issue in his mind,
"More than that," Peters said assuredly, "I'd trust her with yours."
"Very well then, I will see how she progresses next week," Sesshoumaru huffed. "But I warn you Peters, if she isn't as good as you've promised the past three months I will be making a visit, and not a pleasant one."
"Then I have many Sesshoumaru-free days to look forward to," he replied, his cocky tone back in full force.
"Hn. I may call if I have more questions. Goodbye."
"Oh and Sesshoumaru," he called out before the demon could hang up.
"What?"
"Good luck, you're going to need it!"
A/N: Holy cow! I almost posted this chapter without the requisite flattery to my readers/reviewers! That being said… Thank you soooo much everyone! You guys are awesome and I love the support! It makes goofing off from doing my research paper worthwhile ;-)