InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Long Cool Woman ❯ One ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

A/N: This is my first try at a songfic. Never really got into those, but the idea for this came to me and I just couldn't leave it alone until I finished it. The song is "Long Cool Woman" by the Hollies.


Saturday night I was downtown
Working for the FBI
Sitting in a nest of bad men
Whisky bottles piling high


I.


Miroku stood outside the sleazy little bar, an unlit cigarette dangling from his lips. His contact was late, damned late. Pacing, the young man ran his hands over his longish dark hair, fingers automatically checking to see if the small ponytail at the back stayed in. He hated this place, the drinks were cheap and watered, the whole place stank of whiskey and despair. It wasn't his choice, but this was where the action was. And everything was going down tonight.

If that stupid hanyou punk of a fed ever showed his face.

"If he thinks I'm standing around with my balls hanging out all night," the undercover narc muttered to himself.

"Talking to yourself, Miroku?" a low, gravelly voice asked.

He spun around, glaring angrily. "Don't sneak up on me," the young officer snapped. Violet eyes met amused golden ones and Miroku studied him carefully. "You're Yash, right?"

The hanyou smirked at him. "Who the fuck else would I be, your fairy godmother?"

Miroku's eyes narrowed. "You're late," he said, his voice a soft hiss. "Just so you know, I've spent the last ten months of my life working to nail this scumbag. So help me God, if you screw my chances of putting Naraku away, I'll see you burned for it. I don't care how tight you are with the D.A."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you take your work personally, any reason I should know why?"

The undercover turned away, whipping out a shiny lighter to ignite his smoke before answering. He exhaled slowly, a pale shadow of smoke obsuring his features in the dim lights. "And I heard that you don't give a damn if you blow someone else's operation, as long as you get what you're after. Naraku is mine, understand? I'm not going to let you fuck me over on this."

"Not my intention," the hanyou said softly, his eyes glittering in the flickering light. "What do you say we go inside before someone comes by and thinks we're a couple of boyfriends having a lovers' spat?"

Miroku grunted, almost grinned and waved the federal agent to the alley. "We go in here," he explained, taking Inuyasha to a shabby metal door. The alley was grungy, decades of filth had accumulated along the gloomy brick walls. Old rank garbage lined the street in piles, knee deep in some places. Someone had spray painted the words NOT AN ENTRANCE across the battered surface of the door. Inuyasha's sensitive nose twitched and he wished for a moment that he was as nose blind as a human. It made his gorge rise, but he was careful not to show it on his face.

"Why'd we go in here?" he wanted to know. "Front entrance ain't good enough for you?"

Miroku gave him a sour smile. "Naraku is...paranoid, to say the least. The guys at the front door will find your piece. I assume you're armed, right?"

Inuyasha gave a harsh laugh. "Do I look stupid? You telling me I can bring my weapon in here with Naraku's express permission?"

The young man looked at him with annoyance. He pushed the battered door and it swung open soundlessly on well oiled hinges. "Like I said," he muttered. "I've worked ten months figuring this place out. If I brought you in the front door, that would be my way of telling Naraku's boys that you were heat. Coming in through the back means you're like family."

"Hell of a family you got, Miroku," Inuyasha said, his eyes going slightly wider when he followed the other man inside. A dimly lit and questionable looking staircase took them down, his footsteps echoed ominously against the concrete. "You sure about this?" he demanded, all his youkai instincts coming alive. It was hard not to listen to the way his heart sped up, his pulse pounding in his ears. Everything about the place smelled of danger, but he couldn't scent any deceit or nervousness from the human in front of him.

Miroku grinned. "You'll see."

At the bottom of the narrow staircase was a closed door, probably locked. And bolted, he decided, examining the sturdy steel hinges. With the door shut behind him, he suddenly realized that he was at a serious disadvantage. The door at the top opened inward, not outward, violating several building codes he was sure. If he broke and made a run for it, whoever came out of the bottom door could gun him down at leisure, even his reflexes wouldn't be able to compensate. And Inuyasha hated getting shot, he really did. Just because he'd heal faster and probably not die of what would kill a human didn't mean that he liked pain. Not at bit.

"Nervous?" Miroku taunted, smirking unpleasantly.

Inuyasha glared back at him. "No. You wanna explain the set up?"

The young man shrugged. He raised his hand and knocked a sharp staccato pattern on the heavy steel. Inuyasha watched him warily and let his spine relax. "What's with the glove?"

His unwilling partner waggled his fingers. "It's not a glove, dumbshit."

"You like wearing costume jewelry then?" the hanyou drawled, sounding sarcastic and amused.

Miroku's eyes flashed angrily. "They're prayer beads," he muttered. "My father was a Buddhist priest. So am I."

Inuyasha flushed. He suddenly remembered the bits of information the D.A. had let him have regarding this particular cop. He knew the young man's father had been murdered several years before, gunned down in some lousy gang shoot-out. The priest had been in the most dangerous area of the already dangerous inner city. Inuyasha had asked why, the D.A. had simply said that the holy man was trying to talk to street kids and prostitutes about enlightenment.

"They ever catch the bastards that took your old man?" he asked quietly.

The young monk shot him a glare. "Not yet." Miroku's jaw twitched and then he cracked a smile. "But I won't be praying for their souls when they do."

The door opened suddenly and light flooded the narrow stair, effectively blinding both men. Inuyasha's pupils narrowed into slits, all he could make out was a shadowy outline. "Miroku," a sensuous voice purred. "A pleasure to see you again."

"Hello, gorgeous," Miroku answered, stepping into the light. Inuyasha followed, his eyes adjusting to take in the ravishing sight of an extremely well built wind demon giving him a smile. Miroku wrapped his arm around her back and planted a wet kiss on the woman's mouth. "Have I ever asked you to bear my children?" he inquired.

She grinned widely as he ran his hand over her ass. "Only every time you see me, you hentai monk."

Miroku laughed. "This is Kagura," he informed his companion. "The most beautiful bodyguard you're ever gonna meet."

"My pleasure," he growled happily. The wind demon wore an astonishingly short wrap dress, brightly patterned in shades of red and white. Her bare legs were deliciously curvy, her dark hair piled high and decorated with snow white feathers. "You can guard my body any way you like, honey."

Her crimson eyes sparkled with amusement. "Who's your pretty friend, Miroku? Is this the handsome dog that's going to make my boss a lot of money tonight?"

"Uh huh," Miroku answered, burying his nose in her hair. "Check him."

"Check me?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kagura laughed lightly. "Naraku's rules. Let's see your piece."

He gave her a rakish grin. "Maybe later."

Her smile faded away, business only in her eyes. She raised an elaborately painted fan to her lips for a moment, then snapped the edge against her wrist. A ten inch concealed blade suddenly appeared with a soft click and Kagura pointed it at his throat. "I do hope you aren't going to be one of the difficult ones," she cooed in a delicious sugared voice. "I'd hate to see any of that lovely skin peeled back from your bones."

"Now I believe you work for Naraku," he grumbled, ignoring Miroku's smirk. He slowly reached behind him and produced his 9mm. Kagura took the gun with expert hands, popped the clip and inspected the chamber of the pistol. She chuckled when she noticed the Japanese kanji that had been etched into the gun's grip. "Tetsusaiga?" she asked with a lilt in her voice. "My, aren't we confident."

"Sentimental," he answered, holding out his hand for it. She smiled and handed the weapon to Miroku. "Not so fast," she grinned. "I've still got to perform the fun part of my job. Assume the position."

He sighed and raised his arms and laced his fingers behind his head as she moved forward. "Please be gentle," he said, unable to keep the smile out of his voice. She raised an eyebrow and began to briskly pat him down. She ran her hands down each leg, fingers dipping in the top of his boots before moving back up. He couldn't suppress a pleased grin when her hands lingered over his tight, leather clad ass and ran her thumbs around the waistband of his pants. Kagura made a slightly pleased sound as her hands ran over his muscled chest under his black mesh shirt. Finally, she was all business as she checked the inside and pockets of his leather jacket, making sure he wasn't carrying anything that might get him into trouble later.

Inuyasha met Miroku's eyes with an amused expression. "I don't think I've ever enjoyed being frisked this much in my life." He smiled at the woman as she moved around to his front again. "You should give lessons, I'd be happy to go to jail for that."

"We'll save the body cavity search for another time," she remarked with a sly wink.

"Am I free to go?" he teased. He was really having too much fun with his job.

Kagura laughed. "One more thing, I'm afraid." One of her hands went for the sensitive white triangles perched on his head. Inuyasha's hand shot out and captured her wrist before she reached them. "Nobody touches the ears," he growled in a menacing tone.

The wind demon gave a small frown of displeasure. "Too bad, they beg to be tweaked." She handed him his gun, smiling. "Go on in," she said, waving her fan at the door on the far side of the room. "Naraku hasn't arrived yet, but just tell Kanna what you want and she'll bring it."


Bootlegging boozer on the west side
Full of people who are doing wrong
Just about to call up the D.A. man
When I heard this woman singing a song


II.


Inuyasha belched and stretched his legs. "This," he said, gesturing with a bottle, "has to be the shittiest beer I've ever had."

The monk leaned on his elbows and grimaced. "I come here for the atmosphere myself," he said in a deceptively mild tone.

Inuyasha stared. He thought that might have been a joke out of Miroku. But he couldn't be sure and slid his eyes away, watching the other patrons of the shabby bar. Men who looked like they'd robbed their grandmothers' purses for their drinking money lined the bar, slamming down watered whiskey and fetid tasting beer. Dismal looking prostitutes occasionally tried to wheedle a free drink out of the men without much success. Judging by their faded clothes and unkempt hair, that wasn't the only thing they weren't successful at.

"God, what a shithole," he muttered under his breath. "Why the hell does Naraku do his business here?"

"It's perfect," Miroku murmured. "Nobody here gives shit about their own lives, much less what's going on in the background. The monk knocked back the last sip of his drink and rattled the melting ice in the glass. He raised his rosary bound hand and caught the attention of their waitress, who silently placed a refill in front of him.

Inuyasha looked up at the young woman and sighed. She was pretty in a bland, lifeless kind of way, he decided. Her hair was nearly the same shade as her pale skin, only her eyes were sharp in contrast, black as sin. "So what's nice girl like you doing working in a dungheap like this?" he asked pleasantly. He wouldn't normally harass waitresses, but he was bored and getting irritable. Naraku was already an hour late.

The girl just looked at him, expressionless. Lights from the unused dance floor glinted off her serving tray, which was highly polished like a mirror and sent colors dancing across her cheeks. "Hello?" he said, arching his eyebrows and giving her a smile. "That's no way to get tips, baby."

"Kanna doesn't talk much," Miroku supplied as the girl slowly moved away without an answer. "Nobody here does."

The hanyou snorted and slapped his palm on the tabletop, the resultant sound echoed in the room, got him a few furtive glares. "This is wasting my time, Miroku," he said loudly. "If the man don't wanna deal..."

"Keep your voice down," Miroku hissed, getting into character. "Naraku will show, my friend. You won't be disappointed."

"I'd better not be," he groused threateningly. "I'm patient, my money's not."

A handsome young man drifted out of the shadows, moving with the coiled grace of a predator. "Is there a problem?" he asked coldly.

"Not at all, Bankotsu," Miroku answered easily. The young man stared at Inuyasha, a frown appearing on his forehead where a star shaped gang tattoo rested. "You're inuhanyou, correct?"

Inuyasha yawned. "And you stink like a human. Where's your boss, dumbshit? I'm not used to being kept waiting like this."

A dangerous look drifted across Bankotsu's face. "Naraku just called a few minutes ago. He apologizes for the delay. It seems his...supplier... has some reservations about the arrangements. However, he assured me that everything is in order and he will be arriving shortly."

"Thanks," Miroku said sincerely. Bankotsu gave him a suspicious look before moving away. "Nice work, Yash," he grumbled. "Now he's going to be watching us even more closely."

Inuyasha raised his eyebrows. "So fucking what? You think I'm going to wait around all night with my dick in my hand?"

"Other arrangements can be made," a soft voice simpered over his shoulder. Inuyasha looked up to see a young man smiling at him with painted lips. "I am Jakotsu," he said, his voice lilting flirtatiously. "Naraku's personal assistant."

Something about the guy made Inuyasha's skin crawl. Surreptitiously, he placed his hand over his crotch. "No thanks," he said gruffly. "I got it covered."

"So I see," Jakotsu leered. "Well, if I can't arrange other entertainment for you, our star performer will be starting soon."

"Performer?" he asked, incredulous. He shot a look at Miroku. "You didn't say anything about an act."

Jakotsu tittlered behind his hand. "You really must stay for the floor show," he giggled. "She usually has most males on their knees within minutes."

Miroku's face seemed to have a certain tightness to it as Jakotsu moved away. "I didn't mention it because I didn't know for sure," he explained. "Don't worry about it, it's just karaoke."

Inuyasha groaned and covered his face. "I fucking hate karaoke," he said. This night was definitely getting longer. All he wanted was for Naraku to show up so they could cut a deal. A deal that would lead him to the supplier, the one who he was most interested in. He wasn't about to sit there while some skank wailed bad pop music at the top of her lungs. The things I do for my job, he thought in annoyance. If this wasn't so damn important, if there weren't so many lives riding on this bust, he'd haul ass out of there and tell his boss to call the damn D.A. and tell them to get their shit together. Personally, he didn't care for undercover work, fitting in the the slime made him feel greasy and used. The only thing keeping him in his seat was the idea of losing his shot at taking down the biggest drug supplier in the west side of the territory.

He was after the one that was known as the Shrine Maiden. She supplied a most dangerous new narcotic, a pumped up version of heroin that was known on the street as shikon no tama or just jewel to its addicts. It was ten times more addictive than regular street grade smack and lethal to its users more often than not. Naraku had a reputation for moving a lot of the stuff, which was why Miroku had been sent in to carefully cultivate him, find out his sources. When it turned out that his source might be the Shrine Maiden herself, the D.A. had called in the feds for back up. How she moved such quantities of pure death so easily in and out of the country was something that Inuyasha would pay dearly to know.

Movement at the corner of his vision caught his attention and the hanyou turned his head. A few men were setting up a stage by the dance floor, arranging lights and sound equipment. Inuyasha frowned, wondering why they were going to so much trouble. It didn't make sense to tear down and set up the equipment each time it was used. Why not just leave it there?

He folded his arms and watched them, chewing absently on his lower lip. Then it hit him, the equipment was expensive, top of the line. No way was someone as paranoid as Naraku going to leave several thousand dollars worth of karaoke equipment sitting around in a dingy little bar like this. He grinned and looked over at Miroku. "I take it he's a big karaoke fan too," the hanyou sneered. "Please don't tell me he's gonna sing or anything."

"You'll see," Miroku said.

Inuyasha yawned, tipping back in his chair and closing his eyes. "Whatever," he said, affecting an air of magnificent boredom. "Wake me when the man gets here."

The monk chuckled appreciatively at the hanyou's humor. "Naraku is always late, this is nothing. I'm dead sure he's coming, you should have seen his eyes light up at the idea of the kind of deal you're offering. I'm sure that's the only reason he was able to talk his supplier into meeting with us."

Inuyasha looked up at his companion, peering at him through a veil of silvery hair. "You sure it's her?" he whispered, barely moving his lips.

Miroku suddenly became very interested in the condensation slipping from his glass to the cracked tabletop. "No way to be sure," he answered. "That's your problem, not mine."


A pair of 45’s made me open my eyes
My temperature started to rise
She was a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5’9, beautiful tall
With just one look I was a bad mess
’cos that long cool woman had it all


III.


Soft music suddenly filled the bar, the low murmur of conversation drying up like raindrops on parched earth. Inuyasha didn't open his eyes, but his ears twitched slightly at the low, gentle pulse of the music. He didn't know this song and he'd expected some tired old standard. This was different, the melody sweet and seductive, washing over the tired faces and corrupt patrons as easily as a fresh breeze. When the vocalist started took the stage, he heard a sigh rise up from the males in the bar. A tantalizing scent hit his nose and he sat straight up and stared.

A young woman had taken the microphone, her hair hanging in shining ebony waves down her bare back. She was tall, willowly almost, with firmly rounded curves that her jet black dress emphasized. Inuyasha actually felt his jaw drop and his cock go rigid just from looking at her. Her face was lovely and innocent, a shining purity projected from her like a blessing. He wanted to skinny dip in the limpid pools of her eyes, her long, smooth body begged to have his hands caressing it. If he believed in such things, he'd swear he'd just fallen in love.

"Christ on a stick, Miroku," he breathed. "Who the fuck is that?"

"Her name is Kagome," Miroku said quietly, noticing the way the hanyou had practically fallen from his chair. "She's Naraku's own personal bit of heaven."

"Naraku's?" he snarled, suddenly enraged. Of all the fucking luck.

Inuyasha cursed inventively under his breath until the girl started singing. Her voice was low, unbelievably sweet and he felt every kink in his spine unclench and his ears drooped on his head. She had range, he decided, feeling more than a little infatuated. The young woman sang softly of a broken heart, a lost love. Each word enunciated clearly, emotion and inflection flowing effortless from her full soft lips. He sighed heavily, flushed when the sound came out more as a whine and glanced at Miroku's knowing smirk.

"She does have that effect on people," the undercover observed wryly. He cocked his head, watching as the hanyou's claws dug deep grooves in the worn table. "I swear you're about to start drooling."

Inuyasha shook himself, blinking. Was it suddenly warmer in here, he wondered as he rubbed the back of his neck. He'd never had such a powerful reaction to a song, to a woman. He cleared his throat and quickly downed a swallow of warm beer. "Just a physical reaction, my friend," he said, brushing the hardwired response of his body to the side. He had work to do, damn it. "You say she belongs to Naraku?"

"I say she belongs to me," an icy voice said from over his shoulder. Inuyasha spun around in his chair, found himself facing a sallow faced, dark haired man. His eyes were the color of dried blood and when he smiled, the hanyou agent found himself wanting to break something.

"I am Naraku," the man said, looking down at the two men seated at the table. "You must be Inuyasha."

With an effort, he focused his mind. Time to go on the job. "Yash," he said shortly, meeting the man's eyes with a fiery amber gaze. "You're fucking late. That how you do business?"

A soft hiss came from one of Naraku's bodyguards and Inuyasha looked up, studying them. The woman was young, her face hard and cold as she fingered a smooth wooden boomerang, unusual weapon for a bodyguard, he thought. From the set of her shoulders and her stance, he had no doubt she could use the archaic instrument as deftly as another might use a switchblade or a pistol. The young man on Naraku's other side was unusual too. He looked too young to be out this late, much less in the company of scum like Naraku. Then Inuyasha noticed the boy had the blank, staring gaze of a shikon addict too far gone to come back. Naraku's hand rested on his shoulder, the boy's fingers playing with a sharp sickle blade that was attached to a long chain.

Naraku noticed his intense scrutiny and smiled faintly. "I apologize for keeping you waiting," he said in a voice that sounded like he'd never been sorry in his life. "I will be with you in a moment, I just have to attend to a few matters before we conduct our negotiations." He waved to his bodyguards and they followed him silently from the room. As he passed Kagome, his arm slid around her waist and she leaned into him submissively. Inuyasha wanted to puke.

"Sango and Kohaku," Miroku said darkly, tracing circles on the table with his fingertip. "Sister and brother, they're Naraku's favorite bodyguards."

"The kid's a jewel addict," Inuyasha murmured softly. "What about the sister?"

"Not a user," Miroku answered, looking away. Inuyasha caught the darkness in his eyes and raised a questioning eyebrow. Miroku sighed and leaned on his fist. "She wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her little brother, Naraku's got him so twisted on shikon I doubt if he remembers who he or even who she is most of the time. But she won't leave him, she stays and works for Naraku because she thinks that's the only way to save him. Somehow."

Inuyasha threw him a shrewd glance. "Sad story," he said, looking away. "Too bad, what a waste of a good looking bitch."

Miroku's hand tightened convulsively and Inuyasha hid a smile behind his beer. So that's why it's personal. If his superiors knew he'd fallen in love with one of Naraku's henchmen, Miroku would be pulled off the case so fast he'd never know what hit him. "Listen, monk," the hanyou said, leaning forward in his chair. "It's none of my business if you've got a hard on for her, these things happen. As long as you keep your perspective."

"You looked fucking full of perspective a couple minutes ago," Miroku shot back harshly, his eyes glittering. "I thought you were going jump up on that stage and throw Naraku's whore on the ground to fuck her. Don't lecture me about perspective."

"Easy," the hanyou said, holding up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "We're both here to do what we gotta do, remember?"

They sat for a few more minutes in sullen silence, neither of them looking each other in the eye. Inuyasha tried not to think about the woman, but his one track mind kept throwing more pictures of her at him. Her singing, her moving slowly across the room. Her lips parted, head thrown back in passion. Her clinging to Naraku's side like a woman with no will of her own. He rubbed his eyes. What a fucked up night this was turning out to be.

His head came up as Bankotsu approached, a disapproving scowl still on the young man's face. "Come with me," he said, glaring at them. "Naraku will see you now."

"About fucking time," Inuyasha growled. He stood up, feeling like he'd been welded into place for the last hour. Shit was going to go down and just because he'd been snared by a beautiful face didn't change anything. It was time to work.


I saw her headin’ to the table
Well a tall walking big black cat
When charlie said I hope that you’re able boy
Well I’m telling you she knows where it’s at


IV.


"I'm intrigued by your offer," Naraku said smoothly, staring at him from across the polished surface of his desk. "Are you sure you can move that much product?"

Inuyasha grinned, a feral baring of teeth. "Supply must follow demand," he said simply. "The nice thing about shikon no tama is that no one who tries it once can resist it ever again."

"Like potato chips," Miroku put in, rather rudely. Inuyasha shot him a glare, but the monk didn't notice. He kept staring at the female bodyguard who stood straight at attention behind her boss. Her almost military bearing wasn't softened by her snug black clothing or her cold eyes. If anything, her gorgeous body made her seem all the more deadly.

Naraku waved his hand, dismissing Miroku's comment. "A captive marketing base," the crimson eyed demon said coldly. "As addictive to youkai as to humans, truly a marvelous substance."

"The question is," Inuyasha added coolly, "can you deliver?" He didn't miss the narrowing of Naraku's eyes or the tension in Sango's shoulders at his tone. He leaned back in his chair, one arm draped insolently over the backrest as he put one booted foot up on his knee. "I don't play small, Naraku, neither do my buyers. I need some assurances that you can give us what we need. If you can't, I'll go elsewhere and we can part as friends."

Naraku stared at him, holding him coldly with his eyes. "I can deliver. My supplier will be coming to meet with you personally."

Inuyasha examined the tips of his claws. "Your supplier," he said, a faint grin on his face. "I don't listen to gossip, Naraku, but that is the one single reason I'm approaching you now. Word is your supplier is the Shrine Maiden herself."

The other demon didn't move, sitting cold and still as death itself. "I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about."

The hanyou laughed. "Come on, Naraku. I thought we were both real players here. With the volume I'm talking about, you think I don't do my homework? If you're tight with the woman, that's fine, that's good. That's what I want. Your supplier. My buyers. You and I can do nothing else but make money in between them."

Naraku smiled at that, his long nails tapping on the polished wood of his desk. "She'll be here by midnight, you can discuss the lady's identity with her when she arrives."

"Midnight?" Inuyasha snapped, filled with annoyance. "I have to wait in this pisshole of a bar until midnight? What kind of game you playing?"

Naraku laughed, his voice unpleasant. "I think I can arrange it so you won't be bored." He snapped his fingers and Sango immediately left the room. Naraku stood up and slowly extended his hand, forcing Inuyasha to also stand and take it. "I believe we have an agreement," Naraku said softly, his hand like ice on the hanyou's. "You will find that I treat my associates very well indeed."

Inuyasha followed Naraku's gaze, turning his head to look over his shoulder. The female bodyguard was back, at her side was the woman. Kagome. He frowned slightly, dropping the demon's hand so he could turn and face her. Inuyasha caught a tense, disgusted expression from Miroku and suddenly felt like all the air in the room had been sucked out, leaving his lungs straining against his chest. Naraku smirked as he crossed the room and took Kagome by the arm, dragging her with him. "My Kagome will take excellent care of you, you will not find your time here ill spent."

The implications of what Naraku was saying suddenly hit him like a truck and Inuyasha nearly staggered. He was offering her to him for sex? Like she was just something to be used, something to taken casually with no questions and no say of her own. Inuyasha's eyes burned as he looked at her, his fury was so overwhelming he couldn't speak, he couldn't even move. Naraku misintepreted his dark flush, thinking it only lust. He brushed the girl's hair away from her face and kissed her cheek. "Take our guest to one of the back rooms and make sure he's...comfortable."

Obediently, she held out her hand, but he didn't miss the sudden rise of shame in her eyes just before she looked away. Ignoring Naraku's unpleasant smile, Miroku's nauseated grimace and the stony eyes of the female bodyguard, Inuyasha let Kagome lead him away. His head was already fuzzing just from her scent, but he knew it, knew deep in his heart that he couldn't live with himself if he did it. Nevermind what his superiors would say if they found out, or the damn D.A. who was every bit a stiff necked bastard. He, Inuyasha, couldn't live with himself if he took a woman under these circumstances.

But damn, she was tempting.

His mind worked desperately as he tried to think of a way to get out of it without blowing his cover completely. Damn Miroku, he could have warned me about this, the hanyou thought. He couldn't help it, he liked the feel of her hand in his as they walked down the dingy corridor. She was a lily in a sea of garbage, her scent reminded him of sakura blossoms in the sunshine. He inhaled deeply, he could get drunk on that smell.

Focus, damn you, he snarled to himself. Quit thinking like a horny dog and come up with a good excuse not to put this woman against the wall and fuck her half senseless when...oh damn. He shook his head, he was definitely losing it now. She turned her chin and gave him a tiny look from the corner of her eyes. He smiled, he probably looked sick but he tried to give her a friendly, non threatening grin anyway. Kagome just looked away and guided him to a small room.

Inside was a couch that looked like it had seen better days. And probably had more fleas than a wolf demon's ass, he thought grumpily, looking away. The woman moved closer and without realizing it, he'd let her back him into a wall. His resolve was crumbling, her eyes were so soft, her lips so delicate. Inuyasha swallowed hard and gave her a cocky grin. "Listen," he began, not knowing what the hell he was going to say next.

Kagome glanced away, refusing to meet his eyes and suddenly dropped down to one knee, her hands at his waist and working at unzipping his fly. Inuyasha's eyebrows shot into his hair and he grabbed her wrists. "Hey, movin' kinda fast there, aren't ya?"

She stared up at him. "If you don't want head I'll do something else." She hesitated, then looked down with a nervous swallow. "Just please don't hurt me, okay?"

"Hurt you?" he asked, horrified by the simple statement. "What the fuck?"

"I know how youkai are. Don't tear me up with your claws, Naraku won't like it."

Inuyasha shuddered. The beautiful girl was house entertainment, that much was clear. He reached down and pulled her roughly to her feet. "Look, bitch," he said gruffly. "You don't have to, okay? I ain't that hard up that I have to nail some girl who's only doing what her boss told her."

She met his eyes then, staring hard at him. "You a cop?"

He blinked. "Do I look like a fucking cop? What the hell made you say that, bitch?"

Kagome backed away, looking intimidated by his anger. "He'll think you're a cop if you don't try to fuck me. Look, I'm not happy about this either, it's just Naraku's way of feeling you out. I'm...I'm used to it, you don't have to feel bad."

It made him sick, but he couldn't show it. "I'm not a damn cop," he snapped, glaring at her, made fierce by his disgust. "And I don't have to prove it by nailing Naraku's whore either."

She flinched at his harsh words. "Okay."

Inuyasha didn't want her to feel worse than she already did, but he had to protect himself. She relaxed a little bit, the fear seemed to be draining away now that he'd said he wasn't going to force her. Slowly, he reached out a finger and tipped her chin up. "Why?"

Kagome smile bitterly. Slowly, she pulled up one of her tight fitting sleeves until he could see the marks. Inuyasha recoiled, somehow he should have expected her to be a jewel junkie. "I guess that makes sense," he said coldly.

"I didn't have a choice," she said slowly. "Naraku forced it on me to keep me with him."

She sounded like any other addict, it wasn't her fault, he'd heard that before. But in her case he suspected it might be true. From what Miroku had suggested, Naraku didn't mind using shikon to enslave his people. Why should his woman be any different? "You don't have to justify yourself to me," he said at last. "You don't know me or owe me shit."

She smiled shyly. "I know."

God, she was sweet, he ached to taste her and bit down on his tongue. Just as the girl seemed completely relax, his ears detected the sound of someone just outside the door. Leaning close, listening. Putting their hand on the doorknob to turn it. Inuyasha didn't hesitate, he surged forward and seized Kagome, shoving her brutally against the wall as he locked his mouth on hers for a kiss. She screamed against his mouth while her fists beat against his back. Mercilessly, he shoved his tongue deep past her lips, one clawed hand gripping her breast savagely as the girl wailed in fear.

A low chuckle sounded from behind. "Guess you figured out our Kagome likes the rough stuff," Bankotsu said in a snide voice, approving.

He turned his head to the side angrily. "Get the fuck outta here, I ain't done with her yet."

"Take your time," Bankotsu said in an easy tone. "She's a lot of fun even when she fights."

The door shut and Inuyasha instantly backed off. "Sorry," he muttered as she caught her breath.

"You are a cop," she whispered, shaking.

"No," he protested, turning pale. "That's not it, I..." Kagome suddenly moved in, kissing him sweet and long and soft. His body trembled and he yanked her against him, deepening the kiss without the brutality of before. She tasted sweet, delicate and her tongue fluttered against his like a hummingbird.

She pushed back, blushing a little. "It's okay, I won't tell. Just...watch out. He's more dangerous than you think."

Inuyasha slammed his head against the wall when she slipped out, hoping to break some sense in his thick hanyou skull. "Damn," he muttered, wondering if she was playing him, wondering if he'd just royally fucked himself. Either way he was screwed, it just didn't seem to be his night.


Well suddenly we heard the sirens
And everybody started to run
A jumping out of doors and tables
Well I heard somebody shooting a gun


V.


After a few minutes of cursing his stupidity, Inuyasha left the small room and went back down the hall. That woman had his head all messed up and that was a dangerous place for him to be. He wasn't the kind of man who let women get to him in the first place, let alone allow some sweet, sad creature to twist his head while he should be focusing all his attention on Naraku. And the Shrine Maiden. He'd go wait with Miroku, drink another shitty beer and focus on what was important.

He saw her turn a corner and come down the hallway in his direction. Instantly his back stiffened, but he didn't let himself react. The female bodyguard's expression didn't change, but you could have frozen to death in her eyes. He'd never seen a woman look so closed and unreachable. As they passed in the narrow passage, he lifted his chin and nodded at her. "Hey."

"Animal," she hissed, sudden rage defrosting her gaze. He stopped, shocked, and turned to look at her. "What the fuck did you say, bitch?"

Sango turned to face him, her fists clenched. "Animal," she said again, her lips twisted. "Filthy demon scum. If it was up to me, I'd bury you in hole so deep they'd never remember your name."

Inuyasha took a step back more from the viciousness of her tone than her actual words. He hadn't said boo to this bitch and she was looking like it took everything she had not to tear him to pieces. "Did I do something to piss you off, cunt?" he said at last, making his voice every bit as cruel.

"Yeah," she said. "You did."

Now he was confused and he let it show. "Usually you have to get to know me to really hate me," he said pleasantly. "I suppose I should be flattered that you didn't waste any time and moved right into loathing. Wanna tell me why I get the special treatment?"

Sango moved like a predatory cat, her eyes glinting as she pulled close to him to hiss her words. "I've seen a lot of disgusting things here, I've seen a lot of shit that would give me nightmares if I was even able to sleep. All youkai are monsters, but you inuyoukai are the worst. You get off on hurting people like that, defenseless women?"

She was making no sense and he was getting pissed. He caught enough hell for being half demon as it was, he wasn't going to let some bitch of a drug dealer's henchwoman run her mouth. And he couldn't afford to walk away if she thought it out of character and said something to Naraku. "Let's find out," he snapped, making a grab for her throat.

Sango dodged easily and sunk two rapid fire punches into his belly before cracking him hard across the face with her forearm. He recovered quickly, moving faster than her and got behind to grab a fistful of her long ponytail. Her hands flashed out and jabbed him in the throat hard enough to make him cough before dancing out of his reach and taking a defensive stance.

She was damned good, Inuyasha thought, rubbing his jaw. "You've had training," he rasped. "Where?"

The woman held his glare long enough that he thought she wouldn't answer him. He rather thought he could take her if it was a serious fight, but he had no intention of getting in a battle to the death while on duty. "Answer me, bitch," he demanded, flexing his claws meaningfully.

"Semper fi," she whispered, her eyes glittering with hatred.

Marines, he thought, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. Interesting.

"Hey!" Inuyasha and Sango both turned to look when Miroku came running up to them. "What the hell is going on?"

The monk's face was flushed with anger and he elbowed past Inuyasha to face Sango. "Did he hurt you?"

The woman smiled nastily. "He wishes he could have."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to protest, but Miroku turned on him. "You've had your fun with Kagome, nobody said all the women in this place were fair game. Naraku wants you now anyway."

Fun with Kagome? Okay, he thought, shaking his head in confusion and guessed he'd better play along. "Yeah, we had a lot of fun," he said and saw Sango's face flush dark with blood again and anger spiked her scent.

"You son of a..." she started for him, cracking her knuckles. Miroku neatly stepped in front of her before Inuyasha got beat on again. "Ease off," he said coldly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Stand down, Sango."

"Did you see Kagome?" she demanded, trying to shove past Miroku to get at the hanyou again. "It's bad enough that Naraku makes her his free fuck for whoever he says, this asshole didn't have to hurt her too."

"Hurt her?" Inuyasha blurted.

Sango looked disgusted. "I suppose you told yourself she liked it, huh? Just like all the other fuckers around here, you fit right in with the degenerates and the freaks."

It suddenly dawned on him...the girl was covering for him. Kagome had gone right to Naraku, crying about how brutal he was. She couldn't have done anything better for his cover if he'd told her to and he actually felt warm that she went to that much trouble for him.

"Well," he said, smirking nastily. "Maybe she did scream a bit, but at least I got to have a pretty good time."

Sango growled and surged at him again before Miroku shoved her away. "Don't let him get to you," he snapped. "Think, Sango!"

Angrily, she pushed his hands off her. "You're just like him, " she whispered painfully. "I thought you were different."

Inuyasha stared as the woman suddenly turned and ran from them. "Shit," he said.

Miroku turned and glared at him before shoving his face close to Inuyasha's. "When this op is over," he said, his voice low and venomous, "I'm making a full report of your conduct. Don't think what you just did to Kagome is going to go unpunished."

His mouth dropped open. "Are you stupid? I didn't touch her!"

Miroku looked like he wanted to be sick. "Bullshit, you raped that girl to keep your cover or because you wanted to. I saw her face."

"She knows why I'm here," Inuyasha said bluntly. "At least, she thinks she does. I don't know why she's covering for me."

The monk looked stunned. "Covering for you?"

"Think about it," Inuyasha hissed. "What did Naraku do? Did he laugh? Did he suddenly relax?"

Miroku thought about it and then rubbed his eyes. "Jesus fucking Christ. Yash, how did you...never mind. I don't want to know. Naraku wants you to come to the bar. She's here."

The hanyou looked startled. It had been barely a half hour since he'd left Naraku's presence, they still had almost two hours to midnight. "The Shrine Maiden?" he asked, his voice soft. "You sure?"

"I think so. Right after Kagome came back, Naraku made a call. Next thing I know, she's here and he tells me to bring you. Whatever you did or didn't do to Kagome, it worked out for us. He must have been waiting to see how you'd react."

Sick, but true, Inuyasha decided. Finally, something was going right.

When they reached the bar, Inuyasha knew that it was time for serious business. For a start, the bar was completely empty of the patrons from earlier, due to a satisfied smirk on Bankotsu's face he'd guess the young man had enjoyed running out the rabble. Naraku stood, smiling widely as he approached Inuyasha. "We're in luck," the demon said in his oily tone. "My supplier has come early. Now we can deal without interruption."

"Let's do it," Inuyasha said, nodding sharply.

A woman was sitting at a table in the center of the room, her back to them. Naraku's face was a mask of satisfaction as he led the hanyou to meet the woman. "Kikyou, my dear," he said softly. "I'd like to introduce you to someone who has very much been looking forward to meeting you."

The woman stood, her long dark hair pouring like ebony silk over her shoulders. She wore an expensive looking white silk jacket over a dark red silk pantsuit. She lifted her eyes to them and held out one delicate hand. "My pleasure."

Inuyasha stood stock still, not reaching back. Funny, sometimes his life just got ironic as all hell. It made perfect sense, in the twisted world that was his reality, that this beautiful woman was the Shrine Maiden. He'd never known Kikyou was really her name, but he'd never, ever, forget her face.

He'd been a rookie, a wet behind the ears puppy of a beat cop. It was years ago, but he still remembered every single second of that dismal, rain soaked night. He and his partner Totosai, a crusty old bastard who'd spent too many years on the street, had been called to investigate a domestic over in a rundown part of the city. The call turned out to be nothing, just a drunk couple who were swearing and shouting enough that their neighbors were fed up. It was in the middle of the summer, sweltering, and his ears itched from crusted sweat beneath the confines of his cap. The rain had started just after midnight, hissing like spit on a griddle as it poured down on the baked streets.

After admonishing the couple to take their bickering down a few notches, he and Totosai decided to do a walk around the buildings, just to make sure that everything was in order. This part of the city was plagued with violence, drugs and vice pretty much open in the street. The presence of a couple uniforms could only help to keep things easy for the rest of the night, maybe scare a few crack dealers back into their holes.

Inuyasha took the south side of the block, Totosai the north. As he strolled past a dark alley, he beamed his flashlight into the shadows out of curiosity and heard a muffled scream. Not hesitating, he'd dashed down the alley in search of whoever was in trouble, calling out that the police were there and to show themselves.

At the end of the alley, he found a man in the last stages of beating a woman half to death. Her face was bloody as he pounded her viciously, swearing like a maniac. "Freeze," Inuyasha ordered, pulling his gun. "Put your hands where I can see them."

The man spun around, holding the half conscious woman by her throat. His eyes were slits of insanity as he held the woman in front of him like a shield. "Fuck you, pig," he snarled. "You won't take me alive."

The woman struggled against him. "Onigumo," she cried softly. "It's over, let me go!"

"Never, bitch," he shouted. Inuyasha saw his hand come up, saw the dark metal of the pistol as he put it to the woman's temple. "If I die, you die with me, you miserable whore!"

Inuyasha dropped into a crouch, firing two rounds and putting both in the man Onigumo's skull. He dropped like a bag of wet rocks, the woman sprawling helplessly at his side. Inuyasha was pleased with his shot and ran to her side even as he called in his situtation. "Shots fired," he said brusquely. "Send backup asap."

The woman was scrabbling around on the ground, her long hair matted over her face from the rain. "Miss," he said quietly, kneeling beside her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes, yes," she chattered. "I'm fine, I just dropped my purse, he was robbing me."

Inuyasha looked down and saw several wads of bills strewn around on the rain soaked pavement. Without thinking, he grabbed a handful and saw they weren't just twenties and tens. "This is yours?" he asked, his brow furrowing. She snatched the money out of his hand, shoving it in a yellow backpack and still muttering. Something was wrong. Gently, he reached for her arm. "Ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you a few questions."

The woman yanked her arm out of his hold and dropped her bag. That's when he saw a bunch of white, plastic wrapped packages come falling out and he knew this wasn't a simple assault, but more likely a drug deal gone bad. She reached for the packages and he grabbed her wrist. "Leave it," he ordered, his voice hard.

She looked up at him, meeting his eyes and he noticed for the first time that she was beautiful. "You gonna arrest me?" she asked, a faint smile twisting her lips. Inuyasha just frowned sternly. "I need to ask you a few questions before I make any decisions. What's your name?"

Her smile grew wide. "Kikyou. What's yours?"

He was too green to not respond out of surprise. "Inuyasha."

"That's a nice name," the woman said as he helped her to her feet. "I bet you're a nice guy."

"Just stay still," he ordered as she started to pull away from him. She grinned, backing away from him. "Can't let you take me in," she said quietly. He stared as she pulled Onigumo's gun from behind her back. "Thank you for helping me, officer Inuyasha. Onigumo needed killing and I appreciate your assistance."

"Don't," he said, putting his hands up to show he wasn't threatening her. "Just wait a-"

She fired and the slug went right into his heart, sending him flying back into the wall. His eyes drifted shut as he sank to his knees. "K..Kikyou," he gasped. "How could...I thought..."

He'd woken up five weeks later to find out that he'd been in a coma and the woman had escaped. Totosai had pursued her before their backup arrived and he'd also been shot. Unlike Inuyasha, who was a young, strong hanyou, the older youkai had not survived. Inuyasha had burned with a consuming anger towards her and left the force in disgust when they'd been unable to track down the woman and make her pay for her crimes. Instead, he'd joined the FBI thinking that bigger and better resources would make it possible for him to take down the more dangerous criminals.

He'd never expected to see her again.

Everything was frozen as Kikyou's eyes went wide, recognizing him. "You," she breathed. Her gun came out of nowhere, aiming for his face.

His Tetsusaiga was already in his hand, he could hear Naraku yelling at him but all he could see was the woman's face. "Don't make me kill you," he snarled.

Her laugh was cold and cruel. "Inuyasha. Don't make me kill you...again."

They both fired at once.


Well the D.A. was pumping my left hand
And then she was a-holding my right
Well I told her don’t get scared
’cos you’re gonna be spared
Well I’ve gotta be forgiven
If I wanna spend my living
With a long cool woman in a black dress
Just a 5’9 beautiful tall
Well, with just one look I was a bad mess
’cos that long cool woman had it all


VI.


"I can't believe what a lucky bastard you are," Miroku said, watching as a paramedic dabbed at the wound on Inuyasha's face.

"I don't feel lucky," the hanyou muttered. The paramedic, an older woman wearing an eyepatch, sighed and shook her head.

"Ye be extremely lucky, Inuyasha. An inch or two more to the left and her bullet would have penetrated your skull instead of just grazing your temple. You should be thanking whatever gods were watching over you this night."

"Keh," he snorted. "Whatever you say, Kaede." Gods watching over him, yeah right. More like cursing him, he still couldn't believe the sheer perversity that the Shrine Maiden turned out to be the same woman who'd put a bullet in his heart several years ago. Or that she'd recognized his face as instantly as he'd recognized hers. The only thing he had left to thank for his life was Tetsusaiga. The pistol had been a shade more accurate than the .38 Kikyou had been wielding. Her bullet had missed its target. His had not.

Kikyou was dead, he'd put a bullet right between her lovely eyes. It was nothing less than self defense and Inuyasha had no worries regarding an inquiry. Still, he couldn't shake the depression that wanted to overwhelm him. The Shrine Maiden was stopped, Naraku was in custody, he should be happy about this but right now he felt like the biggest loser that had ever lived. His ears drooped dramatically on his head and he closed his eyes. He was tired, he needed to go home and sleep for about three days.

Kaede shook his arm. "Don't go to sleep there," she admonished sternly. "Take yourself home and get ye some rest."

He nodded at her and watched as the cops continued to load up Naraku's people. Kagura the wind demon was screaming at the top of her lungs, shrieking about police brutality. He hoped someone had the sense to confiscate her fan. Still, she wasn't stupid enough to resist. They couldn't say the same about Bankotsu, who'd already punched his way through three irritated officers, or Jakotsu, who seemed perversely delighted in making the cops get rough with him. He shook his head when the man's high pitched giggle echoed across the street. Some criminals were stranger than others.

And some aren't criminals at all, he thought with a scowl. He watched as a tall sergeant took the hands of a delicate young woman while preparing to put handcuffs around her dainty wrists. Inuyasha had to suppress a snarl of anger as the handsome cop's hands lingered a little too long on Kagome's. Oh, he didn't think so, not tonight.

"Kouga," he snapped, storming over. "Let that woman go, she's not under arrest."

The annoyed wolf demon gave him a glare. "I don't take orders from you, mutt-face."

Baring his fangs to intimidate, he managed to snatch Kagome's hands away from the wolf. "I said, she ain't under arrest so keep your paws to yourself."

Kouga's eyes flashed. "If she's not under arrest someone should take her home. This is a nasty area for a lone woman to be walking at night." Inserting himself neatly between the outraged hanyou and the trembling girl, he reached for her hands again. "I would be happy to escort you myself, miss," he said in a voice every bit as smooth as his well known charm.

"She don't want your fleas, Kouga," Inuyasha sniped. He tucked his hand around Kagome's arm and firmly steered her away from Koga's advances. "I'm sorry about that," he muttered. "Kouga's a jerk, but he wouldn't hurt a woman."

"What's going to happen to me?" she asked fearfully. Her eyes were wide and frightened, they tore at his heart. He rubbed her arm soothingly.

"I'd like you to testify against Naraku," he said quietly.

Kagome gave him a curious look. "I will, but I am sorry, he didn't tell me anything about his dealings. I won't be much help in convicting him."

Inuyasha snorted and flashed her a reassuring smile. "That's not a problem, between what just happened and all the evidence they've collected, he doesn't stand much of chance in court. I was thinking you could testify during sentencing, give the jury an idea about what he put you through."

Her eyes darkened with pain and she rubbed her arm where he knew the needle scars were. "I'll do it," she said. "It's enough for me to be free of him. Testifying is the least I can do to thank you."

"I should thank you," he said softly. "I know what you did. You could have handed me over to them, at the very least it would have killed the deal that was going down and the Shrine Maiden wouldn't have shown her face."

Her tiny hand wandered up to brush the bandage at his temple. "She shot you," Kagome whispered.

"I'm fine," he said, smiling at her. She needed treatment, he realized. Not only for her forced shikon addiction but for the abuse she'd suffered under Naraku's twisted idea of entertainment. He didn't want to see her fall through the cracks and disappear. It startled him, but Inuyasha realized he wanted to see her not only survive, but overcome what had been done to her. He wanted to be there to see it and help her every step of the way.

"I know an excellent treatment center," he said, watching her face. "I'll see that you are referred to them, they've had a lot of success in breaking jewel addiction. Dr. Midoriko is renowned in her field of rehabilitation therapy."

Kagome blushed. "You'd do this for me?" she asked in a small voice. "You...you have to know what they did to me, what I was forced to do. I don't deserve your compassion, Inuyasha. I'm just a dirty jewel junkie who..."

He took her shoulders. "Stop it. You don't deserve what was done to you and I never want to hear you say that again. I'm suggesting the same thing for Kohaku and Sango. The kid's a minor anyway and in desperate need of help. Sango has already volunteered to testify against Naraku even if the D.A. doesn't offer her a reduced sentence for it, but I guarantee he will."

A cool voice interrupted them. "Making promises in my name again, Inuyasha? A loathsome habit of yours."

Kagome trembled and clutched his hand as an imposing youkai male approached them. He wore a charcoal gray coat over his light colored suit and his long pale hair was held back in a sweeping ponytail at the back of his neck. He studied the young woman for a moment before raising his golden eyes to Inuyasha's. "Why don't you introduce me to the young lady before you make any deals on her behalf?"

"Kagome," the hanyou said gruffly, "I'd like you to meet District Attorney Sesshoumaru. Sessh, this is Kagome, a very brave woman in my opinion."

She didn't look brave, cringing against his side. He gently put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't be scared," Inuyasha whispered. "I said you aren't under arrest, you'll be spared from prosecution." He grinned suddenly. "And he's my brother so I suppose I'm not entirely out of line in speaking for him about this."

Sesshoumaru snorted and held out a pale hand, grasping his brother's briefly. "Good work, little brother, for tonight at least. Every now and then I start to believe that you might actually turn out to be something more than just a half breed with a big mouth."

"I'm touched," Inuyasha drawled. Turning away from his older brother, he waved an officer over. The redheaded young man smiled at them and reached for Kagome's arm. The girl suddenly looked uncertain again and he patted her shoulder. "Officer Shippou will take you to Dr. Midoriko tonight with Kohaku. I'm not saying you've got an easy time ahead of you, Kagome. But I can promise you one thing, if you need anyone, I will be there to protect you."

She gave him a faint smile and let Shippou lead her away. Inuyasha found himself grinning foolishly as he watched her go, admiring the long, cool sillouette of her against the streetlights. Maybe he wasn't so unlucky after all, Inuyasha thought to himself, and started to whistle as he walked down the street.