InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Beautiful Miscommunications ❯ The Scoop ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6: The Scoop

 

Sesshomaru could not believe what had occurred as he struggled to regain his breath. This had never happened to him before. Even as an inexperience teenager, he had shown better control. She rested slumped against him as he pulled down her skirt. The smell of their mixed arousals stirred an ancient desire in his loins. He would not mark her. It was bad enough what had happened without adding that to the list.

She stood on shaky legs, not realizing that the stain on his pants was caused by more than her orgasm. She felt the elevator move and realize the lights had come back on. How long had she been out of it? He straightened her sweater before fixing his jacket, pretending that the proof of his enjoyment was not drenched on the front of his pants. She blushed looking away as she regained her composure. They were almost at the top level. Neither spoke as the tension became as confining as the walls. Kagura trembled slightly, still trying to stabilize her body. He watched her from the corner of his eye with male pride. This moment would have definitely been more enjoyable if only he hadn't had lost control.

He licked his lips, still tasting her. Though he did not show it, he cursed himself for his reaction. Why did inu youkai have so much stamina? Why did he have to be ready for another round with the wind youkai? Why did the idea of her having to bend over backwards to get him to sign some contracts suddenly became appealing to his male organs?

A loud bell announced they had reached the top floor. They exited the elevator as if nothing had happened, and for all intents and purposes, nothing had. Neither would admit to their moment of weakness. Sesshomaru turned on the lights in the waiting area. Since Naraku was always the last to come and the first to leave, Sesshomaru had given him the office next to the elevator, while he took the one in the back. This way, he would never have to see him unless it was absolutely necessary.

Sesshomaru walked over to Naraku's secretary's desk and called security. He paused slightly at a strange sound. Was someone moving around in Naraku's office with the lights off?

“Sorry sir,” a voice sounded through the intercom, “but until we ascertain the problem, I must ask you to lock yourself in the closest secure office. Miss Kizu has been notified and she's on her way.”

“Come on.” Sesshomaru ordered the wind youkai without looking back. He now had an excuse to annoy the hanyou.

“No.” He turned surprise. She had heard the guard, why was she being difficult. She looked lost. Her dark bangs made her face look younger, more like a child. He raised an elegant eyebrow in question. Her heartbeat increased as she breathed more rapidly. She needed to come up with a more plausible explanation than,

“There's a youkai prince chained to the wall you're not supposed to know about.” It was hard to breathe…everything that happened in the elevator, his intense golden eyes upon her, and the possibility of detection. Then, she remembered something. If you hyperventilate, you will pass out as the body tries to regain stabilization. She allowed her breaths to come short and choppy as she shook her head and moved away from the room.

He was so predictable. He may be a full blooded youkai lord, but he was also a gentleman. He moved towards her, quickly walking her over to the leather couch in the waiting area. Though his instincts were telling him to use the couch for more creative activities, he refused to lose control a second time that night. He placed a hand on her ribcage: her breaths were getting shallow.

“Kagura, you need to calm down.”

“I-I can't.” She lied. Regretfully, he left her side to call security again, ordering a tank of oxygen to be delivered to the top floor immediately. “It's a shame.” Kagura thought quietly. “He's the one, and there's nothing I can do about it. I hate you, Naraku.” The sudden burst of anger made her lose her concentration. He looked at her, trying to hide the hopefulness in his eyes. Was she recuperating?

She made quick work of getting her breaths short and shallow again. How long did it take to pass out? The back stairs swung open as Sango raced in, wearing a pair of black satin pajama pants, a black wife beater, a leather jacket and combat boots. Being on call twenty-four hours a day sucked. She put the oxygen mask on Kagura and set the pressure to her liking.

“Do you need an ambulance?”

Kagura shook her head. Youkai rarely thought they needed to go to the hospital. “We have an unauthorized helicopter approaching the roof.” Sango explained as she pulled out a loaded gun from her pocket. “I'm going to investigate with three others. Protect her. We still don't know who or what the target is.”

Sesshomaru nodded. The youkai exterminator knew her boss well. Normally, he would personally see to any intrusion, but if you ask a dog to protect, he can't help his instincts. He looked down at the exhausted VP. She seemed to be breathing normally again. Just in time to see her father step off the second elevator. A good thing too, since the hanyou would probably kill Kagura if he smelled what happened in the first one.

Naraku looked down at the two in disgust. His daughter was such a weakling. He should have killed her long ago, but that would have been too merciful. “What's going on?” He demanded.

“I should be asking the same question.” Sesshomaru protested. Before his partner could reply, the loud bangs of gun shots were heard. Sesshomaru looked angrily at the roof thinking, “Sango, what are you doing?”

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Sango signaled her men to move forward. The helicopter was approaching as two figures dressed in black waited patiently on the top of the roof. If they moved in quietly, they would be able to apprehend the two before they could escape. When they were a reasonable distance away, she yelled, “Drop your weapons and put your hands on your head!” They didn't move. “Do as I say, or we will open fire!” As the helicopter changed directions, the wind picked up. One of the figures moved its weapon, and her men open fire.

“Stop!” She screamed as they shot the two inturders in the back. The men looked at the two figures on the floor. They hadn't escape, shouldn't boss lady be happy? Sango moved up and pulled on the back of the jacket. Sand began to fall from the bullet holes. “They were just dummies! Search the roof!” Her men spread out and searched the large roof. It encompassed the size of a city block, and they were only three men. Sango stood thoughtfully. She knew they weren't on the roof. That was obvious, but protocol required her to search it. Why the diversion? They must still be in the building… Sango looked down in time to see a black SUV peel out of the garage and merge into traffic. This was all a decoy to buy enough time to get out. “Fuck them!” Sango cursed as she ordered her men to return to their posts. She would call a CSI team to search the roof. There was nothing they could do now, but face the boss's wrath.

This wasn't her night.

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“Old Miko, the puppy is in the bag.” The SUV drove carefully as it made its way across the city towards the docks. Its driver was talking on the cell phone, when the Old Miko replied,

“How is he?” Checking out the rearview mirror, he saw Kouga unconscious while the other figure kept an oxygen mask over his face.

“Alive. We shall arrive at the safe house in approximately fifteen minutes and twenty-eight seconds. He shall be ready for the Higurashi interview in five hours.”

“Make it three. I want him out of the country by dawn.”

“Understood. We have our orders.” The first figure announced. The second nodded in response.

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“Well?” Naraku demanded the minute Sango walked back into the waiting area. He had not dared go into his office, something Sesshomaru noticed.

“The helicopter was a decoy. I believe they just left the parking garage in a dark SUV.”

“How could you let this happen?” He demanded.

“In the morning, you'll get my report.” She answered courtly before turning towards Kagura. “Are you feeling better miss?” Sango refused to call her Ms. Naraku. For some strange reason she didn't fully dislike the girl, even though she couldn't stand any other of the man's children. Calling her Naraku was too much of an insult.

“Yes.” Kagura nodded.

“In that case, I need to know why you were all here at this hour.”

“This is my company!” Naraku protested.

“If this was an attempt at one of your lives, then I need to know if this visit was planed or not, and who knew you were coming here.”

“I left my cell phone in my office. Since I was going to be out of the city this weekend, I couldn't afford to be without it for too long.” Sesshomaru answered first.

“Why didn't you send Jaken to fetch it?” Sango continued.

“He's sick with the flu, and I don't trust anyone else in my office.” Plausible but Sango didn't believe it.

“Sir?” She turned to Naraku. “I was alerted at home that there was a black out. I came to see the damage.” Plausible, but by the look Sesshomaru gave him, it must be a lie. Besides, Naraku was dressed in a three-piece Armani suit.

“Ma'am?” She turned to Kagura.

“I just got back from surveying lands in the north. I needed a few things in my office for my report.” Didn't anyone know how to tell the truth anymore? She nodded respectfully before going to ascertain the damage.

“Kagura.” Naraku summoned. She stood up on shaky legs before walking over to her father. Naraku observed as the other man watched his daughter carefully. He decided he didn't like the look in Sesshomaru's eyes, or the smell of the inu youkai on his daughter. What had that slut done now? First the Ookami prince and now him! Leave it to Kagura to be attracted to fleabags.

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Kagome paced around the dark hallway nervously. Ayame had been sedated twice, and she was still hard to control. She demanded to see Kouga, but he had yet to regain consciousness. He had been starved and tortured for a week. He wasn't going to be much help for a long time. Unfortunately, he was also their only lead.

“You may go in.” Kagome turned in surprise at the low voice of the silver haired girl. The bat hanyou child moved out of the way, so that Kagome could pass. She didn't smile at the reporter, letting her know that it wasn't going to be an easy interview.

The back room was dark, only lit by a lamp hanging over Kouga's still body. He was laying on a medical bed, hooked up to machinery and IV's. The floor boards creaked as she walked forward. The man groaned as he turned his head towards her. She tried to smile, but her eyes were too honest.

“Come on girl, I don't look that bad.” He tried to joke, but it didn't work. He was perspiring as he gasped for breath. He was pale, and as she looked into his dull blue eyes, she could only see the shadow of the man she once knew.

“Always the vain one.” She took a damp cloth by his bedside and carefully cleaned his face. Akago had had his way with him. He had violated the wolf prince in the worst way. He had painfully entered the wolf's heart and mind, looking at the most intimate parts of Kouga's soul. The little demon bastard would pay!

“You need to be careful…I tried to protect you, but…that thing.” Kouga trailed of in a coughing fit. His long hair was greasily matted to his head, and his face had a sullen appearance. He had suffered.

“Kouga, what is Naraku up to?” She insisted softly.

“The-the Shikon no Tama…”

“Has he found it? Does he know where it is?” Kagome asked urgently.

“I tried…I don't know…I don't think so.”

“It's ok.” She soothed turning towards the door and nodding at the little girl.

“Kouga?” Ayame walked in, her hair was messy and dark circles adorned her emerald eyes. She was noticeably thinner than last Monday. Her jeans hung low on her hips and her shirt was wrinkled and soiled. She couldn't stop the tears from falling as she rushed to his side and buried her face in his chest. “Oh, Kami…I thought I would never see you again.”

The Ookami prince winced at first, but then smiled softly. “You should know better than that, princess. Didn't I promise you a wedding?” The girl looked up and nodded, silent tears of gratitude falling down her cheeks. “Then, you should know that I would deliver.”

“The boat is here.” Kagome announced as she prepared to make her exit. “You will be in Hong Kong by this time tomorrow.”

“I'm not running away!” Kouga protested. “I'll kill that bastard.”

“You're not running away. The best youkai hospital in the world is in Hong Kong. You're going to go, get strong, come back and then we'll talk about killing that bastard.” Kagome replied calmly. This seemed to appease him. “Ginta is already there making the arrangements.” The mention of his best friend finished convincing him.

“Think of it like a honeymoon before the wedding.” Ayame added with a sad smile. Kouga hugged her before kissing her lips lightly. What had he done to deserve such a wonderful woman?

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Naraku was furious, though he didn't show it. His entire office was invaded by CSI teams dusting every square inch. Finger prints, DNA, fibers, microscopic clues, or anything else that would tell them who had invaded the building the night before. He had suspected the worst and had sent Kanna and Akago to check on the wolf prince. Like he had suspected, Kouga was missing. The two youngsters had cleaned up any trace of his visit in time for the morning rush.

Now, Naraku had to wait for Sango's experts to finish their affirmations of his children's efforts before he could enter his office again. Luckily, the morning security debriefing would be held in a few minutes. He heard a crash and an apology. He would kill the clumsy agent that had dropped his katanas later. First, he would kill the Kizu girl.

The main board room was surrounded by stainless steel walls. No art was hung, nothing but a bare blue corporate-style rug was placed on the floor. The long table, capable of sitting twenty-four, was also stainless steel. The table had keyboards and mouse balls imbedded in front of each seat. On the center of the table was a cube screen, each side showing the same computer screen. The modern-style black leather seats were surprisingly comfortable as each took their seat.

On the right sat Sesshomaru and his people; Naraku took the left. Both partners sat on the head of their respective side. Sesshomaru had noticed that for the past few years Akago had replaced Kana on Naraku's right, and Kana had replaced Kagura on the left. He also noticed that Kagura was wearing more make up than usual on her left cheek. His keen eyes detected the redness of the bruise under it, and it took all his composure not to growl. Though, it only bothered him because she was a good VP, and he didn't want her work compromised.

Though this should have been a full team meeting, Naraku failed to invite the rest of his appointed personal. It was all the same to Sesshomaru: fewer stenches to deal with.

Jaken entered the room followed by Sango. The green toad in a business suit took his seat by his master's right. Sango was invited to sit on Sesshomaru's left, even though she would normally sit somewhere in the middle. “Ayame will be unable to attend.” She announced. Both partners looked at her in interest. “Her grandfather is ill again. It was necessary to move him to Hong Kong.” The mention of that place appeased all demons in the room. You only went to Hong Kong if you were dying. “She is taking all of her vacation time, and might take bereavement as well, if the situation continues this way.”

“What will we do without our director of Marketing? Perhaps we should allow Kana to take over until Ayame has returned.” Naraku commented.

“That won't be necessary.” Sango spoke up, knowing the hanyou would be displeased. “She has left everything in order. Her assistant will be able to handle most of the projects, and she plans to stay in touch through mobile technology. Like always, she will not forget one duty to fulfill another.” Sesshomaru nodded. The last thing he wanted was another department under Naraku's direct control.

“In that case, could you proceed in informing us how your ineptitude has led to the security of this building being compromised?” Naraku asked nonchalantly. Sango fought back the desire to strangle the man with her own two hands. She had spent the entire night going over security tapes and trying to map the intruders' course while in the building. She hadn't even gone home to shower. Grateful she kept a spare set of clothes in her office, she washed her face and teeth before changing. She was working solely on caffeine, and that was wearing off fast.

“The only ineptitude that comprised this building was Akago's!” Sango replied. “While I'm in charge of building security, the parking structure is under his care. I have, on several occasions, voiced my concern on the lack of security in that area. Each time Mr. Akago has said it wasn't in the budget.” She could see Naraku's eyes turn red when the accusation of blame was placed on his prodigy. The lavender hair boy looked at her in distaste as Kagura hid a small smile. She could always count on Sango for amusement.

Clicking a few buttons on her keyboard, she brought up the security camera image from the generator room on the cube. “The cameras are outdated and failing constantly. The guard was unable to detect that a picture was placed in front of the camera of the door.”

“Why not just loop the video feed?” Sesshomaru asked.

“Our equipment is set up to detect that kind of transmission. Whoever pulled this job knew our security system well.” She showed pictures CSI had taken from the generator room. “There are no cameras in this room, against my recommendations. We have no idea how many they were, or exactly what they did. From our initial investigation it seems that they just took the backup generator off line without actually damaging it. We are still running tests to make sure we have no surprises when it's brought back online.”

“How did the power go out to begin with?” Jaken asked, not sounding the slightest bit sick. “Our building was the only one suffering from a power outage. If it was a problem with the power company, wouldn't the entire grid fall?”

“Our building falls as one grid, since it requires so much power to keep it going. But, the power was efficiently knocked out by an excessive jolt to the main power circuit. It fried it.”

“Don't we have power guards for that?” Jaken complained.

“It was too large to control. Power wasn't restored until I changed the power feed to the standby circuit manually. By switching the circuits, power was again delivered uninterruptedly.”

“How did they get away?” Naraku demanded.

“They calculated the amount of time it would take for me to arrive after my beeper went off and restore power. They took the freight elevator in the back to the parking garage. Since nothing connected to the parking garage is in our system, we failed to notice it moving. While they distracted us with the helicopter, they made their way in an unmark SUV.” Sango showed the image caught by one of the cameras. “There are no plates, and the picture is too blurry to detect make or model.”

“What were they after?” Sesshomaru inquired.

“When the system was taken off line, it took approximately a full minute for basic security system to come back on-line. Though Mr. Naraku has opted for all security cameras to be turned off in his office, I have not shut off the thermo-detectors. Three distinct heat signals were detected there for less than five minutes. They moved into the vent system before moving into the elevator. Mr. Naraku, have you noticed anything missing from your office? Anything out of place?”

“How could I, if your people have been in there all morning?”

“I thought Miss Kana or Mr. Akago might have already informed you since they were in your office for about four hours this morning.”

“We noticed nothing missing.” Akago spoke up, using a voice too mature for his young body.

“Any idea on who they could be?” Jaken asked.

“Whoever they were, they were professionals. They left nothing behind that was unique enough for us to trace. They moved in a timely and organize manner. They had a helicopter diversion. They have money and connections, and are not afraid to use it.”

“Sounds like all our competitors.” Naraku complained.

“Sounds more like the IRS.” Sesshomaru joked as he sat back reviewing the information presented. What could Naraku have in his office that was so interesting?

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Inu Yasha watched cautiously as Kagome came out of the studio. He knew better than to be in her direct line of sight. He scratched his leather jeans as he waited patiently for her to phone her brother. Sango still didn't have any leads on who was trying to kill Kagome, so he had taken it upon himself to follow her. So far it had been slightly productive. Her car had broken down, and he just happened to be at the garage for an oil change, even though he never let anyone touch his baby, when she needed a ride.

He smirked. It was fun to have her on his `bitch seat,' pressed tightly against him. That was usually how he impressed his girls, though she seemed unfazed by the ride. Maybe she had a motorcycle in the States. And, why was he trying to impress her, anyhow? The only reason he cared if she died or not was that the other bitch from the morning show didn't present traffic in a timely manner. Oh, and there was that other fact about Kagome risking her life to save his worthless hide.

He revved his bike as he merged into on coming traffic. Kagome was on the move again. This time, she had gotten in a strange cab. This could be dangerous. He hadn't been able to follow her at night, but he trusted her brother and Sango were keeping close tabs on her then. He had a bar to run, after all. He wasn't surprised to see the cab stop in front of the newspaper building. She obviously worked there, but wasn't today Saturday? And why did she go to the studio if she doesn't do the show during the weekends? Maybe she had a meeting with her producers. Last he heard, they were trying to get her to dye her hair red. “Stupid bastards! Her hair is perfect the way it is.”

Inu Yasha stilled as he felt the cold sting of a gun barrel pressed against his neck. “What are you doing here?” A voice asked from behind as the safety clipped off.