Chapter 6: EFFECT: What is the truth then?

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Walking as swiftly as possible without alerting anyone of my presence I made my way towards the building of my father's business before hooking a sharp right a block before hand. It has been 3 years since I have last stepped foot in this side of town and I was sure it would be the last. I always hated this part of town but it is where I needed to be right now.

I guess now is the time to get back into it I suppose. I really need the help in finding Kagome.

I made a left at the back door of a restaurant then another right past the old man who had made the corner of a one way alley his permanent home. I wave at him like I hadn't seen him in a while and he just smiles. I continue walking until I reach a wooden door connected to a large building and knock twice and kick the bottom once.

A piece of the door slides open to reveal cat like eyes, "Password."

"Just let me in I have no time for a password." I said with a bit of a growl before releasing my whip to hit the door.

The person slid the piece shut before opening the door, "My apologies Lord."

I nodded as I walked through the door, looking over the people sitting at tables with papers piled everywhere the eye could see and cubicles filling most of the room in front of me. I walked past the receptionist who nodded her head and went back to her paper work. Some people looked up at me as I made my way through, swiveling in and out of walkways around the cubicles. As I walked I looked into each cubical before I came across a desk with a photo of a little blonde hair blue eyes demon boy.

I stepped in and stood there. "Where is she?" I asked aloud before I felt something connect with my leg. Looking down I saw blonde hair cascading my calf, "Well hello there."

"I'm so sorry Sesshomaru, he knew you'd be here and ran off before I was out of the car." I heard the woman say as she walked past me. Her blackish blue hair bounces as her heels clicked against the tile of the building floor. I watched as she turned around and her green eyes widened a bit.

I looked at her with an arched eye brow, "What?"

She walked next to me and shoved her hand sideways into my chest from the top of her head, "Did you get taller?" She asked as she pulled her hand from my chest.

I shook my head before pulling her child from my leg, "And how are you Maru? Hope you're behaving for your mother." I said as I looked from the child to his mother.

The child nodded before walking over and crouching under the desk.

"He's still not talking, is he Ms. Takata?" I asked as I sat in the extra chair.

She looked between me and the child before sitting down in her own chair, "Not since his father died. Hasn't spoken a word since." She said as she turned on her computer, "And please, you know you can call me Keiko. We use to be on the same force before I got pregnant."

I chuckled a bit, "I know. Raiden wouldn't let me live it down if he was still alive. He really wouldn't, he wouldn't let me call him Mr. Takata either. He always hated formalities."

She nodded before she turned to her computer. "So what do you need my help with? It's not normally that you want me to come to work as a meeting spot."

I looked at her before pulling out my wallet, handing her a picture of Kagome and I from our trip to an amusement park. She took the photo from me and looked over it before looking back at me. I could see the questioning in her eye before I nodded at her.

She nodded back before she sat down in her desk chair, "So, what's the story Sesshomaru?" I heard her ask as she started typing out things on her computer.

I looked at her before explaining in greater detail, after a few minutes of explaining the strange occurrences of the last few weeks, I went on to explain the last few days in intricate detail leading up to Kagome's disappearance. I looked at Keiko as soon as I was done explaining everything and I could see the many questions lingering in her mind.

"So, you never told her about your job on the task force? Did you?" She asked.

I looked at her as I shook my head, "Never. I don't talk about my position in a secret organization, especially if it could put someone I care about in potential danger. I would never purposely cause harm to Kagome."

Keiko looked at me again before turning back to her computer, typing out some things. "Well, her father is in the system." She said before turning her computer screen towards me, "He is registered for sex trafficking."

I looked at her computer and read the screen. Right next to the photo of, who I guessed was Kagome's father, was a bunch of writing next to it. I read it over;

Ito Higurashi

Details::

Height: 5'8''

Weight: 217 lbs.

Eye color: Blue

Hair color: Brown

Convictions:

1.89B: Inclusions to sex trafficking

2.76A, C: Transporting girl 14 years or younger across county line for pay; Subsidizing clientele underage females

2.77B: Human trafficking minors for the purpose of Child Pornography.

Distinct features::

Tattoo; Left shoulder.

Status:: Under Investigation – Ended February 17, 1997

I looked away from the screen, "So he's known for this? Did anyone know he had a daughter?"

Keikoshook her head, "No one knew, they stopped investigating him when he got married and went off the grid." She looked at the computer again and scrolled down, "He never registered that he had a child, only the mother did, but there isn't a father's name on Kagome's birth certificate either. So it's like he doesn't exist."

"So, what now?"

"Well, Sesshomaru, how do you want to help her? I can't do anything until you give the OK troop leader." She said with a bit of a giggle.

I stared at her, when was the last time I was called that? Oh, right. Before I left the task force. Her specialty was always hacking and dealing with hostage negotiations. She always did have a way of getting the job done. I watched her for a few minutes typing on her computer before clearing my throat.

"Well, we get the team back together. That's an order." I looked at her as her eyes started gleaming, "You will resume what you're doing and once the team is all together report to the meeting area for further instruction."

She smiled with a nod, "Of course Sesshomaru. All of them? Even you know who?"

"Especially him." I said as I walked away back towards the door. I looked back at her as she was bouncing a bit before she slightly tripped.

'Women.' I scoffed as I exited the building. It was gonna be a long day.

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I started the task force when I was 15 in human years, since I was over 200 years old it didn't seem all that complicated. I pretty much ran around and did a lot of paper work. How I got started, however, was a mystery to all my team mates. I've been in high school longer than I needed to be but I did what I loved.

A classmate, who was my friend, went missing one day and no one knew why. The police said he ran away so I didn't think anything of it until I got home and saw my father talking to Inuyasha about his job. We both knew what he did, he was part of a force of people who helped find other people that my mother was also apart of this force, and currently still is. That night is when my father recruited Inuyasha and I for this force, myself for the fact that I was known as the 'Aristocratic assassin' in the old times. Inuyasha for the reason that two heads are better than one, but I have yet to prove that because he annoys me.

My mother wasn't entirely thrilled that I accepted my father's position so he could retire. I can hear her voice in my head now;

"Sesshomaru, I am disappointed in your choice to be apart of this."

But I didn't care, I was doing something that interested me.

We both ended up stopping school for a while and going off the grid to perform our duties as apart of this task force. We went above and beyond in saving people, plus the added bonus of seeing the men and women who were part of the sex trafficking scene cower in fear as we threw them in prison. No, most of the time we didn't save everyone, but we did make some new team members along the way that helped us out so we didn't have as many casualties.

The task force always kept me busy, from special request missions for sex trafficking to the basic 'search and rescue' missions for people who were kidnapped. I put my task force life on hold. As much as I loved my job I really needed a break from being an agent in this situation.

Being a demon has is perks I suppose. Being an agent in a force also has it's perks. Being able to hear, see and smell some things most people can't, though there are a few things beyond my abilities. I have yet to be able to sense a presence behind a fuyoheki which is to be expected, it's like Midoriko's barrier.

Completely and utterly impenetrable.

But my last mission is what made me step back from it for a while. I couldn't save a little girl who had been sold off to a rich man in another country. It was what ultimately made me step back for a while. It took it's toll on us all but on myself more than anyone. You can't just revive someone from death and watch them die again without feeling some form of sadness inside yourself from it.

I walked into the coffee shop down the street from the school and sat at the corner table, awaiting Keiko's appearance along with the other members. I looked at my phone as it started ringing and sighed a bit.

"I can't handle this.." I said as I hit the button and put it to my ear, "What."

I heard a growl, "Now Sesshomaru, that is no way for a boy to answer his mother's phone call. Where are you?"

"Somewhere. Why?"

"Because I have called to see how your Onna was. Where is that tiny human?"

I let out a aggravated sigh, "She is fine." I lied.

I heard her let out a chuckle, "She isn't is she? Was I right about my assumption?" I heard her let out a victory chuckle knowing she knew she was right.

I let my eyes roam around the area of where I was sitting, making sure no one was looking at me as I started thinking of how to tell my mother, "She is with her father at her grandparents house. Now whether that be true or not is no one's concern but my own."

"Typical." I heard her let out a growl before the call was ended.

I stared at my phone for a few minutes thinking it over. Was it wise to lie to my mother? She was right in her assumption about Kagome hiding something. However she was able to determine that is none of my concern at the moment, but lying to her? I never lie to my mother. Ever. Never in the years I've been alive has my mother worried about an onna either.

I heard a tap on the coffee shop window and turned to see Keiko standing there with sun glasses and a business suit on. She held two fingers up in a peace sign and I nodded. She pivoted on her heel and starting walking around the corner, I looked at my watch before I got up to follow. I kept a safe distance from her for a mile before she turned down a street heading towards the subway station.

I gave her a few minutes before I made my way down the street behind her following the floral scent of her perfume. When I was making my way down the stairs I watched her turn another corner down a hallway. I continued following diligently as I watched her look both ways before crossing the subway tracks to the other side near a door. I walked across and stood next to her as she enter a pass code to open the door.

"After you troop leader." She said with a smile as she pulled the door open.

I gave a curt nod before entering, holding the door open for her to come in.

"Took you guys long enough." I heard the familiar voice of my bother being as irritating as ever, "I do have other things to do you know."

I turned and saw all five people sitting at the table, I rubbed my hands together before I produced my green whip to hit my bother square in the face, "You're the leader of most plan map outs, act like the adult you are on this one please."

There was the sound of laughter coming from beside him as I saw Koga, the leader of intelligence within the group fall out of his chair, "You got told dog breath."

"Shut up Koga, we're here for a meeting remember?" Keiko said as she handed everyone a file.

"I heard it involves a love interest for the Taisho brother." I heard another woman say as I sat down at the table.

Koga leaned over and shoved the woman's folder off the table, "Shut up Abi, you're just mad neither of them would date you.

Abi looked over at Koga, "I shall smite you where you sit wolf boy."

"Koga, you don't do your job in intelligence well and Abi, you suck at ballistics" Ryuga said as he straightened his hair, "Now can we get down to business? The big boss only let me off from training the force for an hour."

I nodded and slid a paper towards the last person, "I assume you can dig around for information during this meeting right Dats?"

Dats nodded and opened his laptop, "There isn't anything I can't find. I'm an expert hacker. No need for Keiko to be here." He said with the most pride a man could have without it involving his genitals.

I watched as Keiko's eyebrow twitched in irritation as she sat down, "At least Raiden liked me you jerk." She said as she turned on the projector, "I assume most of you know who this is." She pointed to the picture of Kagome on the screen.

"Wait, we're investigating Kags? Why?" Inuyasha and Koga said in unison. Both of them looked towards me for the answer but I was more focused on the photo of Kagome. It was the one from her school picture a few days ago.

She wore the most wonderful dress that was a lovely shade of yellow and her make up was down lightly with a light layer of pink lipstick. I couldn't help but stare and feel a deep pain in my chest as I remembered that day.

"Yes we are. More importantly, where she is." Keiko said as she changed the page

"At 3 this morning Inuyasha got a text from her. From there I was told she was with her father in the mountains by our friend Sango who had talked to her mother. From there she hasn't been heard from since but we did find some interesting things about her father." I said as I looked to Keiko.

She smiled and flipped the page to a man, "This is Mr. Ito Higurashi. He's better known for his role as Kagome's father." She used her wand and pointed to the convictions, "He spent about a year being investigated before they dropped the investigation for lack of evidence." She said as she heard Dats clear his throat.

"He was inputted into the system for sex trafficking but never arrested for it. So from there we should know this is no coincidence that Kagome is suddenly missing." He said as he overlapped the image, "But there is a sealed record that I can unseal upon our leaders request on Kagome." He said as his mouse icon hovered over the button.

Everyone looked to mean and I started thinking. A sealed record could help us, but what happens if it's completely something different? What would happen between Kagome and I if I snooped into her life. Especially if it was something she did not want me to know.

I looked at everyone that was staring at me, I cleared my throat and nodded. "Unseal it."

Dats nodded and pressed confirm. We watched as the bar loaded from 1% to 100% before we saw the folder labeled 'Higurashi Domestic Violence' and I felt my muscles tighten as I saw photos of a young Kagome covered in blood and bruises.

"Well, now I understand why it was sealed. This is horrible." Keiko said as she read the report. "Oh my.."

"What?" I heard everyone say in unison.

I looked over, "She was beaten with a blunt object and was in the hospital for 3 weeks because both her legs and her arm were broken plus she was in a coma. She wasn't doing well." I heard Dats say as I looked over the photos.

"She then came back a month after her initial release covered in blood with bruises covering her body from head to toe. Her father said someone had beaten her up on her way home from school. What the doctors found that worried them was these." Keiko said as she pulled up a photo of Kagome's wrists.

Koga and Abi growled a little bit before I joined in.

Inuyasha wined a bit, "Are those cuts?"

I nodded before Keiko cleared her throat and continued, "She was harming herself. As a sign of needing help she engraved the symbol of an eye on her arm."

I looked over at her before examining the engraved symbol, "I know this, it's a cry for help from being abused. She must of searched for it in a book from the old times."

"So her father was the one abusing her? How do we know?" Abi asked.

"And if it was him, why wasn't he arrested?" Keiko asked as she flopped down in her chair.

I thought it over and read the report. "Kagome didn't say who beat her. She stayed quiet." I grabbed the mouse from Dats and moved to the next page, "When she was a young girl she came to school with a broken arm as well. She said she fell down the stairs of the shrine coming to school that morning. The authorities thought differently."

"So what do we do Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha asked as I stood up from my chair and rearranged my tie.

Everyone was silent for a moment as I made my way to the door. What do I do? We don't have much to go on. I opened the door and stood there for a few moments absorbing all that I had learned just now.

"We find her father. Then we find Kagome." I said as I walked out the door. Closing it behind me and making my way towards the exit for the subway station.