Kagome grumbled under her breath, that week off had been absolute paradise. Nothing but sleeping when night came, eating whole actual meals, having the ability to sit in the tub and relax, and not have the insistent buzzing chatter of doctors, assistants and technical chattering in her ear.

But that blissful week was over, she'd be going back to work, and on top of that, she was going to be putting her incomplete work and applying it to a real life situation. Well, her work was complete, but due to the skimming of confidential files from an outside source caused all the work to pretty much go down the drain when she killed the servers.

She listened with half an ear as her personal assistant chattered on about the various state of completion on the various projects she over looked. Nodding her head ever now and then, she would hum lightly to show she either agreed or disagreed with what the woman was saying.

"Ms. Higurashi, are you even listening to me?"

"Yes Megumi-san, I am listening to you. But you'll only have to repeat yourself to Sesshoumaru-sama and whomever he chooses to replace me with."

"You're being fired?!" the woman let out a scandalized gasp and froze in her quick steps behind the miko.

"No, I'm taking on a project that will have me gone for an unknown amount of time. I'll try and keep in contact as much as I can to keep up with the progress." she started pulling the various files she felt she would need for said, project.

"Oh thank the Kami." a short relieved breath could be heard behind Kagome. "Now... what is this side project your taking on that requires you to leave?"

"Sorry, that's confidential." Kagome offered the slightly frazzled woman an apologetic smile as she continued gather the materials that would prove most useful in the job she was taking on for her sudden... clients.

Her assistant huffed, muttering under her breath about how others were always getting involved and blocking her from doing her job properly. And Kagome could honestly admit, Megumi-san was correct. First the hack, then everyone constantly complaining or wanting something from her and now this.

"Miko."

Both women turned towards the open office door to where Sesshoumaru stood, one hand on her luggage, the other tucked in his business suit jacket pocket.

"I take they're here. Let me just go down to the lab and gather the samples that I asked the others to prepare just for this."

All three were then walking down towards the lab, only to have Kagome turn a corner and bump into someone. Stumbling back half a step, she looked up with a raised brow to see Duke standing there, looking the same she had the first time they had met.

"I'm to escort you to the roof where our trasnport is."

"Ah. I need a few minutes to grab a few things from the lab. And then I'm all ready to go." Kagome gave him a second before she continued on towards the lab to grab said samples. All the way she was listing the things that she wanted in the progress reports on all projects to Megumi-san as well as anything else she thought would be important. She requested that Sesshoumaru not start any new projects in her lab while she was away, or to allow whoever was going to take her place while she was away.

Sesshoumaru huffed, she was acting like a worried mother hen over her work place. Not that she could blame the miko after all the blood, sweat and tears she shed on all her projects in that lab. And they may actually come to fruition with this job she had been asked to take on.

She punched in the code that allowed them all access into the lab and she made her way to the desk she had set up there when she had practically lived there for the past six months. Placing the files she had gathered, she pulled out her research papers and began placing them in a safety briefcase as well as gather her laptop and place that and all it's cords into a small travel bag.

Pulling a necklace from beneath her shirt she walked over to a safety deposit box and pulled out the most vital informative papers and her external hard drive out to also go in the briefcase. Just as she was closing and locking it's door, Megumi-san approached her with a small case that held the prepared samples for this job alone.

Kagome took the small case, raising her head when she heard the other woman sniffle a little. "Megumi-san, it's not like I won't be coming back."

"I know... But out of all the jobs I've ever had, you were the greatest boss. Now I'm going to work under Sesshoumaru-sama!"

Kagome smiled as Megumi-san sniffled a little more, she couldn't blame the other woman. Sesshoumaru could be a slave driver and had high expectations for all of those who worked under him.

"Don't worry, Megumi-san, when I come back, the both of us are going to get paid vacation." her eyes slid to Sesshoumaru, as if daring the demon lord to say otherwise. "Isn't that right, Sesshoumaru-sama."

Said male simply gave his classical 'Hn' as they all filed out of the lab and headed towards the roof. It made Kagome wonder what it was they would be traveling in. A helicopter could only travel so far, unless it was a military, they were made from longer distance travel.

Her eyes blinked at the form of transport that waited for them atop of Sesshoumaru's building. It's body resembled a helicopter, but she saw no blades, and on the sides looked like guns. Blinking a few more times, mentally crying how her life was never going to be normal again.

"You don't have one of those." she turned towards Duke when a strangled sound came from the back of his throat.

Turning to the man, she raised a brow at the small amount of amusement that she picked up from him.

"What?! It's true! I can tell you, it's most likely on his Christmas wish list now" she grumbled the last bit under her breath as she started walking forward, trying to ignore the slight displeased look coming from Sesshoumaru and the amused ones from Duke and Megumi-san.

"Paid vacation... This is all for paid vacation. Maybe somewhere nice and warm, but away tourists. Tourists are loud and annoying."

"You okay Ma'am?"

"Please drop the Ma'am, General. But other than the fact that my boss is most likely plotting out my death because I revealed he makes Christmas wish lists, then peachy." she watched as said General took her luggage with a grin and then handed it to those in the... airship to stow away before she was helped into herself and buckled into her seat.

"How long until we get... wherever it is we're going?"

"Not going to ask where we're going first?"

"Nope." she popped the 'p' as she tried to get comfortable in her seat. "Besides, I figured if I even ask, I'm more than likely not to get an answer."

"... You're acting like you've been in a situation like this before."

"Believe me, you don't even know the half of it." she closed her eyes and allowed herself to slouch slightly so she could get some real last minute shut eye before she dove herself into her work. Cause she had a habit of forgetting even the basics of the world around her.

It was easy to ignore they questioning looks they were throwing her way, after everything she went through in the Feudal Era, in her school uniform of all things, she learned to ignore such looks. On top of that, Sesshoumaru was a good teacher.

They had woken her up as soon as they landed at their base, where Kagome immediately began listing all that she would need in order for her to be able to do what she was brought here to do.

"I'll need all her medical, before and after the nano's entered her system. Blood samples, hopefully with nano's if at all possible."

"That'll take a few days to acquire and be brought here. Anything you need that we can provide you with immediately?"

"I'll need a fully equipped lab and medical supplies. And if at all possible, I'm going to need to be connected with my servers back in Tokyo. As you are aware, my work isn't exactly complete, so I'll be working on completing that and trying to cure... Jane Doe, at the same time."

"Jane Doe?"

"I wasn't exactly given her name. I prefer to use names, not titles."

"Ana."

Kagome and the General turned towards Duke after he spoke up. He was facing forward the entire time, refusing to face them.

"...Ana?"

"That's her name."

Kagome smiled softly as she watched Duke continue to face forward. "It's a beautiful name. I'm sure she's a great woman."

Duke nodded his head before walking away, leaving Kagome to stand there with the General. Said General waved his hand for someone to come forward. Watching the only other female on this strange team, not that she had any right to call their team strange after the group she had been a part of, walk forward, rolling her eyes fondly as the male she left behind called after her.

"Ms. Higurashi, Scarlett here will show you where your quarters are and give you a quick rundown of the areas you have access to. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask Scarlett here or myself."

Kagome nodded her head one in his direction, blinking when he gave her a small smile.

"Thank you for doing this on such short notice. I'm sure you know Duke appreciates this, as do we all."

"Think nothing of it, it's what I do."

Nodding his head, he walked off calling out to someone or other to have said person run up to him. Blinking a few times, Kagome turned to her... guide and blinked a few more times when she recalled the first impression she must have left on the other woman.

Sticking out her hand towards the redhead, Kagome thought it would be best to do a proper greeting. Her first impressions still seemed to suck.

"Kagome Higurashi."

The other woman glanced down at the hand with open surprise before pale blue clashed with darker blue. A small smile twitched at the corner of her lips as she took hold of her offered hand.

"Shana O'Hara, but call me Scarlett. Everyone does."

"Then please, call me Kagome. I... would like to apologize for how I acted last week. From what I remember... I was rather... out of line." when Kagome got her hand back, she rubbed at the back of her neck.

"It's alright, Ripcord doesn't really understand that such open displays of physical contact with strangers, is not comfortable for most in Japan."

"Oh it wasn't that, per say, as more along the lines of me being beyond exhausted. I didn't hurt him to badly, did I?"

Scarlett let out a laugh, causing those nearby to turn towards them and wonder what it was they were talking about.

"More like his pride. The men and women here are a tough sort. They should be able to take anything, it just proved that he had let himself get lazy in his training."

"Ah. Glad I was able to point that out?" she offered a sheepish smile.

It became more at ease when Scarlett returned it.

"Well, time to show you your quarters and to get you familiar with the places you're allowed to go. You need a hand with any of that?"

Looking back at the luggage she brought with her, Kagome mentally grimaced at the amount she brought with her. She wasn't sure on how long she would be staying to help this mysterious Ana, so she had packed a bit of everything to cover the basics.

"If you don't mind... Sorry I brought so much, wasn't exactly sure how long I'd end up staying here so I pretty much covered the basics."

"Not a problem. I'll admit, it'll be nice to have another woman around that's close to the team." Scarlett grabbed the large suitcase and duffel bag as Kagome carried the rest, which pretty much consisted of all her work.

"Don't tell me you're the only woman..."

"No! Just on the first team. Don't get me wrong, I love the guys and all... but really..."

"Trust me when I say, I more than understand." Kagome chuckled under her breath as Scarlett began showing her the way to where everything was.

She couldn't help the fond memories of the past as they flooded to the forefront of her mind. Maybe being here to help this Ana was just what she needed as well. Who knew.

It had been almost a month and Kagome had hit a wall. So she planned on doing what she always did when she hit a wall, go for a run. But unlike back in Tokyo, she couldn't exactly go for a run around the neighborhood at the shrine, so she decided to use the small gym that Scarlett had shown her the first day she arrived. She had already used it, at odd hours, without anyone saying that she couldn't.

So, dressed in a long loose tank and some sport jogging pants, a bottle of water, the files where she was hitting a dead end with a pen and her MP3 player, she made her way to put the treadmill to good use. She'd be killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Earplugs already on and music playing, she went directly to the free treadmill, passing Scarlett with a friendly greeting, and got herself set up. She started of easy, wanting to get a jog in to clear her mind before she even attempted to take another look at those files.

It had been about 20 minutes later, that the rest of the team started filing into the small gym, pausing at seeing Kagome there as well. Who seemed to be either unaware of their presence or didn't care.

"Wow... Didn't know the Doc had that kind of body." Ripcord gave a low whistle of appreciation, though he grunted when he received an elbow to the gut from Duke.

When he went to question his best friend for his actions, he followed Duke's eyes till they landed on a rather upset looking Scarlett. After a few blinks, realizing he was caught not only checking another woman out, but one that Scarlett took on as a friend, he sheepishly smiled and began his 'kiss ass' mode.

"Ah, didn't mean anything by it, was just observing."

She narrowed her eyes on him before shaking her head with a roll of her eyes and faced forward again. It was obvious that she was going to continue with her own jog.

"Though Ripcord dose have a valid point, Ms. Higurashi does possess a very alluring body." Breaker piped up, causing all heads to turn towards him.

When he realized that he was the center of everyone's attention, he quickly took in all their faces and expressions and could only shrug his shoulders.

"I think you only noticed because of that brain of hers." Heavy Duty spoke up with amusement as he made his way to the weights.

"Could you please stop talking about me as if I wasn't here."

When they all turned towards her, she was counting her pulse with her feet planted on the rims of the treadmill. She turned to look at them with a raised brow and dropped both hands to her hips. When no one said anything, other than Heavy Duty and Scarlett chuckling under their breaths, Kagome rolled her eyes and turned the treadmill off.

"Men. I honestly don't envy you, Scarlett." Kagome shook her head as she gathered her things and prepared to leave the gym to their use.

As she headed towards the exit, she had to sidestep Snake Eyes, only for her to pause as she looked up at him with slightly narrowed eyes.

"You may not be saying it, but you thinking it still counts"

They all watched her leave the small gym, her muttering under her breath in a mixture of English and Japanese.

Scarlett observed it all with a crooked smile, but she quickly saw how Snake Eyes lingered in watching Kagome, only facing forward when the petite woman turned a corner. Her eyes widened when she knew she had been caught in watching him, and he paused for a moment knowing he had been caught as well.

But her expression soon changed to something akin to a fox or the cat that ate the canary. So Snake Eyes had a thing for Doc, huh?

Scarlett's pale blue eyes followed Snake Eyes as he went to his usual corner to do his own work out. Oh this was too good to be true. In all honesty, she had thought a few times that no one would ever catch his interest or that he would never show such interest. But in walks Kagome, and the woman was literally turning heads.

But she quickly recalled how this all started. Kagome spoke up with a request that they not talk about her as if she wasn't there. The thing was, Kagome had been listening to her music the entire time she had entered the gym, so how did she know?

Just another mystery that surrounded Doc, the nickname they had taken up to calling Kagome. Whom didn't seem to mind really. The woman was beginning to really settle in with the team. Perhaps, Scarlett could petition forward about getting Kagome to join the Joe's? The woman obviously had the skills and talent, easily worked with others as well as on her own, was loyal and... Scarlett could continue with the list, because Kagome was damn near perfect to join them.

But first... Snake Eyes.

Oh, was she going to have fun with this.

AN: A continuation of my 1st GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra Possibility! It just suddenly came to me the other day and I just managed to complete it. Hinting towards either Snake Eyes or Breaker... Personally, I'm leaning towards Snake Eyes... Don't know why. ~Shrugs~ To those who enjoyed the first, I really hope you enjoy this one as well. If not, can't really do much about it. Anyways, gonna head off now... exhausted. Read, enjoy, and review!