InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ New Dawn ❯ The Bounty Hunter ( Chapter 16 )

Disclaimer: I do not own Sesshomaru or anyone from the hit anime/manga series. Rumiko Takahashi does. I do own all OC's and plot in this story.

Chapter 16: The Bounty Hunter

 

Augustus stared across the table at a woman. He had to leave his residence and secure grounds to meet with her, not something he would have done for anyone else. However, she was no ordinary woman. Aetna sat with her feet propped up on the table and a bored expression on her face. The lord couldn't stand her but she was the best at what she did. And what she did was seek bounties.

 

No bounty was unattainable for her. If the head had a high enough price she claimed it. Usually, all one need do was place a bounty and she would get to work; meetings like this one weren't necessary. However, Augustus didn't want his problem with the ancient demon to go public. Bad enough there were rumors flying a bounty would only serve to confirm them.

 

“Let's not waste time. There is a job that I believe only you can perform,” said Augustus, glad this was a person who cared nothing for formal greetings and flowery introductions. The less time he spent in these common areas the better off he would be.

 

Aetna lowered her legs and leaned forward onto the table. “I prefer frankness. For an esteemed noble, such as yourself, to come to such a seedy place to see me. I assume it has something to do with that breakout that occurred some time ago? Or does it concern the rebellion that soundly defeated your surprise attack?”

 

Augustus flinched; it seemed everyone had their ears inside his information network. “The breakout, though, I can't be certain the events aren't unrelated,” replied the young lord. Aetna raised a deceptively delicate eyebrow. Augustus slid a chip over to the bounty hunter and waited while she brought out her reader to view it. The image of the escaped demon appeared as a miniature hologram.

 

“You want me to go after this? I don't work for chump change,” she said leaning back.

 

He turned and raised the briefcase he brought with him and set it down on the table. “Five-hundred-thousand jewels, half paid in advance, to bring him back alive,” said Augustus in an even tone as he opened it. Thousands of jewels of various types glittered in the yellow lamp light.

 

Jewels were the highest form of monetary items that existed in the world. One-hundred coppers made a silver, one-hundred silvers made a gold, and one-thousand golds made a jewel. Most of the world paid for things in credits but that was all digital information that was constantly being recalculated as the economy shifted and changed. Jewels, golds, silvers, and coppers were constant. Currently the credit exchange was one-thousand-fifty credits for a copper. Aetna refused jobs that were paid in anything less than gold.

 

Aetna inhaled slightly, the only chip to appear in her composure, at the announced bounty and the sight of the jewels in the briefcase. She leaned forward again but her eyes glinted with suspicion as they turned to regard the lord. Demons were credit bounties, never before had they been raised to copper level. To offer any jewels never mind that amount was mind boggling.

 

“You'd spend this much on some measly demon that broke out of your facilities? What exactly did he do?” asked Aetna, her skepticism obvious.

 

“That is none of your concern. I'm paying 500,000 jewels for that demon to be caught and brought back alive. Not to be questioned,” snapped Augustus. Aetna stared at him for a moment then suddenly she was next to him with her steel claws tickling the underside of his chin.

 

“Part of how I catch my bounty is doing research on them. You are posting a tremendously high bounty, I've only had three other bounties comparable to that, and yet you wish to withhold information. I am not so stupid. If I know nothing on this bounty then I'm not taking it. And since you are coming here to tell me of this bounty in person, I can assume you don't want the word to get out about how badly you want this demon. If you want me to go after him, you have to give me information. Understand?”

 

Augustus swallowed and looked into her eyes. Her expression was unreadable. “We don't have a lot of information on him,” he finally answered. “He's some kind of ancient demon. He was found by divers in the Japanese reef and was accidently freed from his seal. There is no telling what he is capable of. Some of my men believe he is with the rebellion now. That is all we know.”

 

“Feh! Looks like I'll have to go elsewhere for my research on this fellow, then,” said Aetna. She closed the briefcase, picked it up then turned and walked out of the room they were in. Augustus let out his breath then glared in the direction she had departed.

 

*****

 

Aetna strolled up to her vehicle, an old model assault hover craft from the last century. She had found it near the start of her bounty hunting career in a garbage heap. It had taken nearly a year of reconstruction before it was even usable. Heavy modification had followed and now it was her signature ride. Dark violet with crimson tones in the crevices, a heavy assault cannon was mounted on its back and a two stun guns adorned each side. The nose contained a cannon that fired nets. The back seat had been changed into a holding pen, completely cut off from the front seat. There were chains for tying up and restraining the person with in and a powerful electric jolt could be administered to the cell if the occupant created problems.

 

She wondered if it would be enough to trap and contain an ancient demon.

 

“Heh! Aetna! What you got there?” called her personal mechanic and partner from atop the vehicle. Edward was a blonde skinny kid who was an absolute genius when it came to everything techno. He had always been the type to be picked-on in school. Joining her had been an escape from the many bullies that lurked there. He had been the one largely responsible for bringing the old veteran craft back to life.

 

She held up the briefcase and replied, “Our latest assignment. I want you to check and see if they're real. That lord smelled fishy to me.” She tossed the case up to him and Edward grinned.

 

“A personal bounty?” he asked.

 

“He paid half up front for the capture and return of this escapee,” she said and adjusted her reader so that it showed the demon full-sized.

 

“A demon?” Edward's voice held the same skepticism as hers.

 

“Check the case,” was all she said.

 

Edward opened the case and yelped. “This is half?! What-what the heck is this demon for him to be paying so much and in advance?”

 

“The client didn't have much info to give. The only thing he knew for sure was that this is a demon from the ancient world,” said Aetna re-examining the image now that it was enlarged.

 

“Meaning?”

 

“Meaning we will have to take our time and not spend a single jewel until he has been delivered. If this proves impossible, we'll have to refund our advance,” said Aetna. “I don't care how much he offers. Money's no good if you're not alive to spend it.”

 

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What I find so disgusting about this story and its apparent popularity is that I never really took this one seriously. I started writing this as a promise to my cousin to write something starring Sesshomaru. This was born from watching way too much Gundam whichever (Seed I think is the one I was watching at the time) and listening to .hack/sign music.

 

All I can say to readers is you are damn lucky I'm feeling burnt out on Forgotten at the moment. This one doesn't have a mapped ending. I have only the vaguest idea of where this is going; making going from point A to point B very problematic at the moment. And while I have been thinking about Forgotten for the last two years so was able to get back into the rhythm of it without mishap; New Dawn was ignored for that entire period of time. I literally had to reread my own story just to remember what was going on and get back into the feel of it.

 

This story was started before I learned Tokijin's fate never mind the rest of it. So This is going to be as if everything that occurred after Kagura's death never happened and yet Naraku was still defeated and Shikon Jewel reclaimed. In fact when I started writing this Movie 3 was still only available to watch with English subtitles.

 

Now, the bounty hunter was character my cousin designed and thought super cool. She had drawn the character just to see how detailed she could make it. I asked for her permission to use her character and got it. Her account is on deviantart.com and she is socialdissension.

 

I'll bet at least three reviews get added to this soon after I post this chapter.