InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mukunda ❯ More Trouble ( Chapter 4 )

For the second time in several minutes, Kagome was stunned but not silent this time. "You hired them?" At the senator's nod, she continued with her questions, "So they're not just an altruistic group of people?" That would explain why they seemed more intent on Melanie than anyone else.

The senator nodded again and handed Kagome a small, black business card. "They are and they aren't. They'll take the case of anyone who pays them but they are very particular about their clientele. Their leader wouldn't even consider my task without a thorough check."

Kagome concentrated for a moment, pulling the name of the silver haired man from her memory, "Is their leader's name Inuyasha?"

She was rather surprised when the senator shook his head. "No. He is the leader of their strike team but a Mr. Sesshomaru heads up their group from what I could gather. All transactions and information were handled by him." The senator stood and reached into the inside pocket of his blazer, pulling out a black business card which he held out for Kagome. When she reached to take it, he held fast and stared into her eyes, "This is how you contact them. Do not be a good cop on this one. Leave them alone."

The woman stared back with determination and nodded slowly, "I owe them too." That statement seemed to satisfy Senator Johnson and his smile returned as he let her take the card. Kagome turned it over and saw that the card was a glossy black with small silver writing. Embossed in is surface was simply a phone number and the name, Sesshomaru. The innocuous little card seemed innocent enough but it obviously led to much more and Kagome wanted to take no chances of losing it. Quickly tucking it into her pocket, she returned the senator's smile. "Thank you, sir."

He shook his head again, "Don't thank me. Thank Inuyasha. He told me to tell you all this and before you ask, I have no clue as to why." He sat back down in the chair and smiled at his daughter, giving Kagome the hint to leave which she took.

"I'm glad you're doing well, Melanie and I'm glad I was able to help you." She turned to the senator and shook his hand, "It was nice meeting you, sir. Thank you for your help on my behalf." With amenities out of the way, Kagome left the room almost as confused as when she'd arrived. Now, it appeared someone else was watching out for her and this time it was a man she may indeed have to arrest. She would honor her word and take it easy on him and his friends, but she was still a cop.

After a brief goodbye to the guards, Kagome headed back to her apartment with a resigned sigh. This suspension couldn't be over soon enough.

<<*>>

Two days had passed since her visit to the hospital and Kagome was back to being bored out of her mind. There was still almost a full week left on her suspension and almost nothing left in her bank account. Her apartment was spotless and the gym was closed so that took care of several activities that could have provided a distraction from her boredom. She was so bored, daytime television even sounded promising. Thankfully, the ringing of her phone stopped that thought dead in its tracks and brought Kagome out of her reverie.

"Kagome here." She answered in her standard, brusque greeting.

"Heya Kag," came the voice on the other end sounding too chipper, "What's up?"

Rolling her eyes, Kagome sat back on the couch. Eri would have to call today. Probably another guy she wanted her to meet or new shop she wanted to check out and the worst part was that she had no excuse this time. "Nothing much, just enjoying my suspension."

"Perfect!" exclaimed Eri, "My cousin is in town and I think you two would get along great! Maybe he'll even make a woman out of you" The last bit was added in a conspiratorial tone much to Kagome's irritation. She hated being right sometimes.

"Sorry, Eri. I don't have the funds right now." Well, it wasn't exactly a lie.

Kagome thought that excuse fool-proof but quickly learned that Eri could find a way around any excuse when she said, "Don't worry. We've got you covered!" Now out of excuses, Kagome could do nothing else but agree. It was something to do besides sit around her apartment all night anyway and she could get some free drinks out of it. "Fine, Eri, but this guy had better behave. The last guy you set me up with had more hands than Vishnu. Kagome smirked to herself at her own wit.

"Vish-who?" asked a dumb-founded Eri causing Kagome to bury her face in her free hand.

"Never mind Eri. Pick me up at 8. I can't afford gas and I don't feel like riding the train tonight."

"You won't regret this Kagome! We'll have a great time tonight, you'll see! Oh, and dress nice." Eri hung up immediately as if afraid Kagome might change her mind.

Kagome sighed resignedly and headed for the shower to get ready.

<<*>>

Kagome stared at herself in the mirror and shook her head, "Nope. He doesn't deserve this good." She said to herself before tossing the little red dress atop the pile of others. Pulling yet another dress from her closet, she smiled, "This'll do." It was her favorite dress for annoying occasions. She wore it to the office Christmas part and to other departmental functions. It wasn't ugly by any means but it was meant to say, `not interested' to any males in the department who got too drunk. It was a simple aqua, ankle-length dress that didn't hide her shape but didn't do anything to accentuate it.

A slight touch of makeup later, Kagome was ready to go. For once, she was ready early and had a chance to double-check and make sure she had everything. She checked her purse at least four separate times to make sure she had her gun. She would never go anywhere without a gun. She felt completely exposed and vulnerable when she wasn't armed, so she made it a point to be armed at all times.

In the middle of her fifth check of her purse, the doorbell rang and Kagome groaned. She really had to learn how to say no to her friends. "Just a sec!" she yelled, securing her gun in her purse and heading for the door. Plastering on a smile, she swung the door open and grumbled inwardly. There before her was her friend Eri and what she could only assume was her date for the evening. The guy was ok looking, but he looked devoid of any excitement from just the look of the clothing he wore. He wore a pressed grey shirt and pressed black pants with overly shined shoes. `I bet he still calls his mother every day.' "Hi. My name's Kagome. You must be my date for the evening."

Her date just stood there flabbergasted. He eyed her up and down and then blushed before shyly extending his hand, "N-nice to meet you. I'm Hojo. Eri's told me a lot about you."

Kagome grinned and shook her head, "And you're still here?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, with a bewildered expression on his face.

"Never mind, Kagome sighed, casting a glare Eri's way. Eri simply smiled and turned away, "Let's get going. We've got to get there early if we want a table."

Kagome groaned and followed, despite her instincts telling her to run as far as she could. Hojo dutifully brought up the rear, still confused by Kagome's earlier comment.

<<*>>

"Eri, I'm going to hurt you for this." Kagome yelled over the thundering bass of the massive club. The only saving grace about this place was that they actually did manage to find a table when they entered. Too bad it was next to a table of drunken frat boys who seemed to think Kagome was quite a "sexy mama" as they put it.

A waitress in a skimpy outfit finally made it to their table and inquired about their drink orders. Eri ordered a cosmopolitan and licked her lips. That had been her favorite drink since she was 15 and snuck into the clubs with her older boyfriends. Hojo, on the other hand, ordered plain, ordinary, water without even a lemon to garnish the glass. This guy was about as exciting as academy lectures on the importance of pressing uniforms. When it came to be Kagome's turn she pinched the bridge of her nose tiredly and sighed, "Scotch, and nothing less than 8 years old." The waitress smiled and nodded, disappearing into the crowd.

Two scotches and five cosmopolitans later, Kagome and Eri were out on the dance floor, enjoying the beat surrounded by the entire frat table. Kagome just concentrated on enjoying the music, while Eri seemed focused on enjoying the male attention. Eri's already short skirt rose a few inches with her moves, which didn't escape the notice of half the males in the room. The other half had their backs turned at that moment. It was a good thing too; otherwise, Kagome would have bet money that every pair of eyes would be ogling her enthusiastic friend. When she'd had her fill of dancing, she sought her escape, pressing through the onlookers and returning to her table where Hojo still sat, looking dull as ever. She had taken pity on him earlier and asked him to dance, only to have her offer shot down when he said he didn't like to dance. At least she'd tried.

When she sat down, the waitress set another scotch in front of her and pointed towards the frat table that seemed to have had their fill of dancing, "Those gentlemen over there asked me to give this to you." Kagome immediately shook her head and pushed the drink away, "Tell them thanks, but I've had too many already." The waitress nodded and took the drink, heading to the next table and returning it much to the irritation of the frat boys who looked ready to join her at the table. Kagome looked to Hojo who still sat oblivious to it all, staring out at the dance floor with a bored expression on his face. She leaned over and yelled to him, "This isn't your scene, is it?"

Hojo blushed and shook his head, "No. I really prefer a quiet night at home. Eri dragged me out and said it would be good for me. The only good part about tonight was meeting you." He blushed even more deeply at his admission and Kagome couldn't help but grin slightly. He may not be boyfriend material but he might make a good friend. She patted him on the shoulder and shook her head, "This isn't really my scene either. I prefer the corner bar to an obnoxious club any day."

Eri arrived at the table out of breath, entourage of men in tow, "Hey guys! Ready to go?" Her groupies seemed rather disappointed but dispersed after getting the hint and Eri's number. Kagome and Hojo both stood and nodded eager to be out of there and away from the gathering masses of sweaty college students and the repetitive bass.

<<*>>

The thumping beats left behind, Kagome could finally hear herself grumble as she followed Eri who spouted, "Now where did I park?" every few minutes. They'd been wandering the parking garage for nearly 20 minutes now, looking for Eri's elusive car. Hojo followed along side her, looking extremely nervous and glancing at her every so often. Kagome wondered just why he was nervous until he slowly grabbed her hand in his sweaty one and stared ahead. She could see his disappointment when she slipped her hand from his and gave him an apologetic look.

They rounded another corner only to come face to face with the group of frat boys that had occupied the table next to them throughout their disastrous evening at the club. They didn't seem to be looking for their car though. They seemed to be more interested in a car that probably wasn't theirs. Kagome fought back her cop instincts when she saw them hastily hide a slim Jim beneath the car. She fought back her revulsion when she saw several of the brats grin lecherously at her and Eri. This couldn't be good.

"Hey sweet ladies, what's wrong? Can't find your car?" called one of the boys, while another yelled, "Want some help?" They all laughed at the supposed jokes of their cronies, several making lewd gestures. "Who's that fag with you? He's prettier than you ladies are!" This insult caused raucous laughter and Kagome rolled her eyes, fully intent on ignoring them until Eri slurred back to them, "More of a man than any of you!" So much for that plan.

"What did you say, bitch?" one of the barked and stepped forward, clutching a beer bottle in a death grip. "Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" Emboldened by their friend's crass words, the rest of the group of drunken frat boys also advanced, grinning evilly. Some of them even had the brilliance to add to their companions remarks with a "yeah!"

Kagome turned to Eri and shook her head, "Let's get out of here. This isn't going to get us anywhere." Eri nodded and began to back away slowly, only to run into Hojo's back. "Hojo! Didn't you hear Kagome!? We need to go!" Turning around, Eri gasped and stood next to Hojo while Kagome kept her eyes focused on the men before her, "Eri? Eri, what's wrong?" She glanced over her shoulder and then turned fully, staring at the three men that stood behind them wielding pipes or broken bottles and wearing sadistic grins on their faces. "Shit." Kagome turned so she could see both groups of men at once. There must have been 8 of them altogether. "Ok boys, break it up. I'm a cop and if you don't disperse right now, I'm going to have to arrest you all!" She glanced between both groups to make sure she had their attention and almost smiled when she noticed the worried looks of a few of them.

"Oh yeah? Then show us your badge," Called the one who had spoken so boldly earlier.

She groaned inwardly. This would have to happen while she was suspended. "I don't have it on me because I was suspended for…for excessive force! Now, leave us alone." Even Kagome didn't believe that bluff.

Neither did their attackers. They all began to laugh and the three with weapons advanced, looking as menacing as drunken frat boys could. Before Kagome knew what was happening, Eri screamed and Hojo shoved her back, "Listen guys. We don't want any trouble. She's sorry she insulted you, so could you please let us go?" The thugs answered with laughter again and those with weapons attacked Hojo.

To Kagome's surprise, Hojo fought back fairly well, dodging attacks and striking hard enough to knock two of his assailants to the ground. Unfortunately, they were badly outnumbered and Hojo was overwhelmed. He lay on the ground unconscious with two of the remaining frat thugs kicking him repeatedly. Kagome had had enough. Reaching into her purse, she pulled her gun and pointed it at the men attacking Hojo. "Get away from him!" she yelled. "Do it now or I'll shoot!"

All action ceased and the two in her sights stared wide-eyed before running away as fast as they could. As she was about to turn, she heard the sound of glass breaking, accompanied by Eri's scream. When she finally did turn, she saw the group's spokesman holding a broken bottle to Eri's throat. "Put the gun down or I'll kill her!"

"Yo. That's going a bit too far, man," said one of his cronies while the others nodded. "Yeah. Let's just go and forget about these bitches." This only seemed to enrage the man, "Fuck you, pussies! If you want to run, go ahead. These bitches have to pay!"

"Drop the bottle and let her go right now!" yelled Kagome, pulling back the hammer of her gun, "I mean it. Either you let her go right now or I'm going to put another hole in your head!" All the man did was hold the whimpering Eri more tightly, pressing the broken glass to her throat. Kagome didn't want to kill him. The guy was drunk and less in control of his actions, but she still needed to save her friend. She noticed the man's friends turn and run away, "Fuck this, Jack. We're out of here!" She had to fight hard not to sigh in relief. Now she only had one asshole to deal with and unfortunately, this one seemed to have left his common sense in the bar. "I'll give you one last chance! Drop the bottle and let her go right now! This is your last warning!"

"Shut the fuck up! I'm in control here!" He leaned forward and licked Eri's cheek, causing the poor girl in his arms to faint. "Aww shit. What the fuck-" He didn't get to finish his sentence as a bullet suddenly ripped through his shoulder causing his words to become a loud scream of pain and anger. He glared at Kagome and charged, stepping over Eri's prone form. Kagome fired again, this time hitting her would be assailant in the knee, dropping him instantly. Stepping forward with her gun trained, she kicked away the bottle and stared at him, "Be glad I really am a cop dipshit. If I wasn't, you'd be dead right now." She walked over to her friend and shook her awake, "Come on, Eri. Wake up. It's alright now." When Eri finally groaned awake, Kagome smiled, "Are you alright?"

Eri sat up slowly, rubbing her neck where the bottle had grazed her, "I think so-oh my god!" she screamed as she caught sight of the man squirming on the ground in his own blood. "What happened, Kagome!? Why is he bleeding!?"

Kagome sighed and shook her head, "I had to shoot him. He was going to kill you and he tried to kill me." Walking over to Hojo, she roused him as well. His reaction was no better than Eri's, just quieter. He sat up slowly and vomited all over her shoes. Apparently, Hojo couldn't stand the sight of blood. Sighing again, Kagome shook her foot free of bile and looked up just as two black and whites pulled up.

Four officers immediately exited the cars with guns drawn, "Drop the weapon! Drop the weapon!"

Kagome's gun clattered to the pavement and she raised her hands, "I'm detective Higurashi, 33rd precinct, badge number 4428!" she yelled, hoping they wouldn't ask her to lie on the pavement where Hojo's stomach contents remained. Hojo and Eri both held their hands behind their heads and waited for the officers to give them any other orders.

Two of the officers approached them carefully, one kicking the gun away and the other heading toward the injured man on the ground that had long ago passed out from the pain. Pressing the button on the two-way clipped to his shirt, the officer called for an EMT while the other looked at Kagome, "Detective, we're going to have to take you to the precinct while we get things sorted. Your friends too."

Groaning, Kagome nodded and followed the officer as he escorted her and Eri to one care while one of the officers helped Hojo to his feet, determining that Hojo needed medical assistance before he could be questioned. This long night was about to get longer.