InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Partners-In-Crime ❯ Bittersweet ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: Yeah, Inuyasha is mine…(Eye twitches)…the day the world is ruled by flesh-eating aliens…(Breaks down and cries)

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Partners-In-Crime

By: Guardian of Secrets

Chapter 3- Bittersweet

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Three months later found officer Kagome Higurashi seated behind her desk on the office floor of Tokyo's police department, idly starting on what seemed to be her eighth cup of coffee that morning.

Stifling a huge yawn, she absently rubbed her tired eyes.

Three months had passed since the day Inutaisho had first given her the assignment, and needless to say, both Sango and Inuyasha were shocked when a dazed Kagome walked out of Commander Taisho's office, mumbling something about important missions and catching crooks.

It had taken an hour and three cups of coffee later before Kagome could calm down enough to tell her friends of what had happened in detail.

Then, as if a light bulb had suddenly gone on inside her head, she remembered that she had been assigned a partner for the case.

"Inuyasha," she had started, "your father said something about his son being assigned as my partner…"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at this. "Well it's not me," he finally replied `Then he must have meant…'

Suddenly, he glared up at her, and the intense fire smoldering in his golden eyes both shocked and scared Kagome.

"You'll hate him…" he ground out. "You'll hate Sesshoumaru. He's a fucked-up arrogant prick."

"Just like you?" Kagome joked uneasily, uncomfortable with his rather sudden change of mood.

But Inuyasha didn't seem to hear her.

Yes, she had often heard of Inuyasha's older half-brother.

But all of the things that she had heard about him did not ease the tension building up inside her one bit.

Certain people in the police department were occasionally subject to small talk during coffee breaks, and the brave acts and deeds executed by other officers was always a welcome subject.

Perhaps that is why the name `Sesshoumaru Taisho' kept popping up in the officer's lounge and near the coffee machine where long lines of caffeine-deprived officers tended to gather.

Though as often as his name appeared around her work place, Kagome was not usually one to indulge in or even listen to gossip, and thus ignored most of the information that she now found invaluable to her.

However, this did not mean that she never listened, and on the rare occasions where she was actually around when her future partner's name was mentioned, the story was usually the same:

That he was one of the special undercover agents working for the Japanese government…one of the best actually, risking his life to get information right from the source, often leading to the capture of many criminals and even to the arrests of several dangerous yakuza members.

But it was the ways that he had gotten to his present status that intrigued Kagome.

The rumors she had heard were true, it was that he was cut-throat and ruthless, perfectly able to blend into the cold, blood and crime-filled world of Japan's notorious underworld.

Yes, they all said that he was brilliant, a calm and quick thinker even under the most nerve-racking of situations.

Apparently still quite young, he had quickly rose through the ranks of those in his line of work until now, where he was said to be far more knowledgeable and experienced than many others who were both older, and had been in the profession much longer than him.

Personally, Kagome was both relieved and nervous about having Inuyasha's half-brother as her partner.

On one hand, he was far more experienced in these types of cases than her, and should prove to be an excellent partner, and if not, - maybe even a mentor.

But on the other hand, she had fervently hoped to change partners in the beginning, since he (supposedly much more knowledgeable than she'll ever be,) would probably wrinkle his nose in distaste at having such a novice as a partner.

After all, it had only been less than a year ago when she had first signed up for training.

Also, now that she'd come to think of it, some of the things that the other officers claimed that he had done seemed rather far-fetched and even impossible.

Perhaps the real reason for his fame throughout the police department was because of the fact that he was indeed the commander's son.

Could a person really be that skillful, and yet be only a few years older than herself?

She almost snorted aloud at the thought.

Why the hell not? After all, there were loads of other things that were much more unbelievable than that.

Inutaisho had asked her to become a main part of an assignment that most rookie police officers would die for, did he not?

And she had practically no skills or achievements whatsoever, except for that one time where she saved that kid, Shippo, and was stupid enough to charge through a stakeout scene, while bullets were being exchanged.

She still couldn't figure out why people seemed to hail her as a hero after that little incident. And by all means, she should've been kicked off the force for her blunder, and yet Inutaisho had given her a second chance.

But she had paid dearly for it. In fact, she had almost gotten herself killed.

She really needed to thank her boss. He was always so nice to her, almost like the father she never had. Scratch that. She had a father, but one with only enough place in his heart for his eldest daughter.

Her mood quickly turned sour, as always when something associated with her family was brought up.

Shaking her head, she picked up her pen and started on the report that Inutaisho had wanted in by tomorrow.

During the past three months, she had been put through a rigorous training process in preparation for the assignment.

So far, she was progressing surprisingly well, having already covered the basics of undercover work, and even a little of what Inutaisho liked to call `gangster fighting.'

It was exhausting and slowly taking its toll on her body, though.

Granted, she was in much better physical shape, but was it really worth her now haggard appearance and all those long nights of insomnia?

And then there was Inuyasha, who was now hanging around her like a worried nanny, constantly making remarks like; `You look like hell. Get some sleep.'

Despite his vulgar vocabulary, she was rather touched by his concern but also resisted the urge to punch him every time he said that.

Sometimes when you're damn tired, having a nagging Inuyasha behind your back just made things a whole lot worse.

A small smile tilted her lips, but was quickly dashed as her gaze landed on the clean sheet of paper in front of her.

Resisting the urge to bang her head against the desk, she calmly picked up her pen and started writing instead, stopping occasionally to chew the top of her pen, thinking about what to put down next.

Despite her calm appearance though, something was still nagging at her.

Something like why Inuyasha seemed to detest his brother so much. Because after all, anyone who was related to Inuyasha or his father couldn't be all that bad, right?

…Right?

*-*-*-*-*-*

Kagome slammed her pen back onto the desktop in triumph three hours later. Clutching her aching hand, she was glad that she had finally finished the damn report. Her hand hurt like hell!

Leaning back against her chair, she raked slender fingers through tousled raven locks before reaching for her coffee mug.

Frowning when she found it empty, she abruptly stood up, grimacing at the sharp sound of her chair scraping against the tiled office floor.

Kami, this lack of sleep was wearing down her nerves!

Picking up her favorite mug, she was about to walk out of her office cubicle a small framed photograph propped up on an uncluttered corner of her desk caught her eye.

Pausing to set her mug back down, she curiously picked up the picture, which was set in an elaborate silver frame with a detailed pattern of flowers decorating the edges.

Judging from the thick layer of dust coating the picture frame, she concluded that she had probably forgotten all about it from the minute she set it down, which was roughly about nine months ago.

She now knew why she had ignored it for so long.

Honestly, she didn't know why she even bothered to keep it, as it brought back such painful memories.

It showed her parents smiling at Kikyo, who was shrouded in black graduation robes, proudly holding out what seemed to be her university diploma.

Blue-gray eyes hardened as they landed on Kikyo's face. A smug grin adorned her sister's features, seemingly mocking her, reminding her of who held the most favor in their parents' eyes.

A frown now marring her once-smooth brow, she looked for herself in the picture, only to find a younger-looking version of herself hanging back from the rest of the family, wearing a look that spoke volumes of hate and envy directed at Kikyo.

Having seen enough, she roughly shoved the picture into one of the desk drawers and slammed it shut, so hard that the once neat pile of paper resting atop of her desk immediately tumbled into a disarrayed pile.

Without sparing a backward glance, she hastily picked up her coffee mug, and all but flew out the doorway.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Kagome strode briskly through the seemingly endless rows of monotonous gray cubicles, her high heels clicking as they connected with the ground, creating a continuous dull rhythm.

As she passed rows of cubicles in a blur, she vaguely heard typing, telephones ringing, and an occasional cough or sneeze from inside each office.

Her long raven tresses hid the fact that she was trying to hold back tears, and the people she accidentally bumped into along the way didn't notice either, as she was already walking away before the person could register what happened.

Her mind was in a haze, too immersed in past memories to realize where her feet were taking her.

That photograph had brought back painful memories and had viciously tore open a still tender wound. Backed up by exhaustion and lack of sleep, it made the perfect combination for an emotional breakdown.

Slumping against the wall, she let her tears fall freely until she felt both physically and emotionally drained.

But there would be no rest for her.

Finally managing to stand up with a different kind of strength that she didn't know she possessed, she was only then aware that she had somehow gotten herself inside one of the storage rooms on the office floor.

A few minutes later when she was sure that she had composed herself, she carefully opened the door a few centimeters to peek outside.

Satisfied that no one was looking, she quickly stepped outside and pretended to be friendly, cheerful, and fresh-faced Kagome once more.

*-*-*-*-*-*

At the very moment, inside the large office at the very back of the office floor, Commander Inutaisho of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the man who had won countless medals and badges for his courage and bravery, was casually seated behind his gleaming mahogany desk, doing something rather less-than-heroic for a change.

He was trying to solve the crossword puzzle in a newspaper.

Scratching his head while effectively messing up long silver locks, he tapped his fingers irritably against the desktop, racking his brain for that one elusive word.

His usually crisp white shirt was now crumpled and mussed, and when added his flyaway hair and the frown of concentration on his face as he read the word clue over and over again gave him the ultimate image of disarray.

The top of his poor pencil was hanging on by a splinter as he absently chewed it over and over again.

Now, one would expect a man of his stature to only display this kind of seriousness and perseverance while working on an particularly hard-to-crack case or when searching for microscopic clues at a crime scene, but Commander Inutaisho just happened to be one of those people who doesn't give up easily once he focuses on a single task, however difficult or impossible they might seem.

…And solving crossword puzzles were no exception.

Ten minutes passed by without a single eureka moment, but his seemingly endless well of patience finally paid off.

The little light bulb inside his head suddenly lit up, and he quickly scrawled the word down before he lost it again.

`Ah… le mot just' he thought, reveling in his little triumph when the intercom fastened to the side of his desk suddenly came to life in an earsplitting crackle of static.

Startled, Inutaisho almost fell off his chair, the newspaper now a crumpled pile of paper on the tiled floor.

Quickly straightening up from his rather undignified position, he quickly pressed a button on the intercom, and the voice of his secretary filled the room.

"Hello? Sir? Are you there?" Sango asked.

"Uh…wait a minute… yes- Yes!" he called, trying to smooth down his disheveled shirt in vain.

"Good. I hope I'm not disturbing you sir," came the reply from the other end.

Inutaisho sighed as he picked up the crumpled pile of newspaper off the floor. "No…no…not at all."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

There was silence for a minute on the other side. "That's good to hear, Mr. Taisho, but your son has arrived."

He stiffened instantly. Grabbing his necktie from a nearby coat rack, he was out of the door the next minute.

An alarmed Sango stood up from her chair as her boss passed her by in a flash while trying to still trying to put on his tie.

"Hey, where are you going, sir?" she called after his retreating back.

"To find Kagome!" he yelled, before being before disappearing into the dizzying gray maze of the office cubicles.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Not one to be hindered by her little meltdown, Kagome still had her original purpose in mind.

Clutching her coffee mug tightly in one hand, she walked past the same dull gray rows of cubicles towards the lounge room where the coffee machine now stood, on the opposite side of the office floor.

Trying to look and act like her normally composed self as she approached the heavy wooden door to the lounge room, she had a sudden déjà vu of herself three months earlier, about to enter Inutaisho's office.

But without hesitating this time, she grasped the doorknob and opened the door.

The lounge room held nothing particularly special. It was basically just a spare room on the office floor filled with comfy armchairs and a coffee-making area for officers to relax in during breaks or when off-duty.

As usual, it was crowded by a bunch of rowdy young officers fresh off the training course who had nothing particular to do.

This time, she noticed to her surprise, Inuyasha was there, reclining comfortably on a squashy armchair with his feet propped up on top of a coffee table.

But she groaned when she saw who else was with him.

Koga.

Great. Just great. And she already had a headache.

Reluctantly stepping into the room, she saw Inuyasha smile instantly and wave at her. She desperately tried to stop him, but the baka mistook her gesture as a wave back, and called out for her to join them.

Damn. Sometimes she wanted to just shoot him.

Koga quickly turned around when he saw whom his new partner was talking to, and a smirk formed on his ruggedly handsome features as he saw her standing in the doorway.

Kagome rolled her eyes as Koga got up and started walking towards her. She could've sworn that the gods were laughing down at her right now.

Sighing, she crossed her arms as Koga approached.

"Hey Kagome. What do you say about going out with me sometimes this week, huh?" Koga asked, that goddamn smirk still on his face.

Ignoring the catcalls and whoops in the background, she rubbed her temples where another migraine was starting to take place. Could this day get any worse?

"For the last time Koga, I'm damn tired right now, and I WILL NOT GO OUT WITH YOU!" she snapped irritably.

"Gotcha. You'll need your strength for the date." was his confident reply as he winked suggestively.

Giving him a flat look as another loud round of catcalling and whistling took place, she didn't even bother to dignify him with a reply as she headed straight towards the coffee machine.

She had to resist the strong urge to chuck her mug at the tempting target he made when she heard him say, "Aw…she's just shy" to the other officers.

Besides, it wasn't worth breaking her favorite mug just to crack his skull.

Honesty, she didn't how Inuyasha could put up with him. He was his partner, for god sakes!

Ever since Koga had arrived on the force about a month ago, he had started hitting on her. Not that he was unattractive or anything, he was just damn annoying.

Well as it turns out, Inuyasha doesn't put up with him. Who would, for crying out loud?

"Hey guys, leave her alone." He growled, standing up. Koga stopped laughing with the others, and turned around to face his partner with an eyebrow raised.

"Butt out, Taisho. You might have been on the force longer than I have, but that doesn't mean that you can push me around. What's it to ya anyways, huh?" Koga sneered, arms crossed over his chest in a classic intimidation tactic.

"Keh. I would have thought by now that you'd stop hitting on a girl who clearly doesn't even want to be on the same continent as you." he retorted, mimicking his motions.

"Whoa, pal… just because you're daddy's little boy and my stinkin' partner doesn't mean that I'll go easy on ya." Koga ground out.

"Yeah? Well if I had my way around here, picking you as my partner wouldn't be real high on my list, ya asshole!" Inuyasha blurted out. He had apparently wanted to say that for a long time now.

Koga just glared at him and cracked his knuckles.

Kagome fought the urge to roll her eyes. Honestly, the stink of testosterone in the air was really getting to her.

Having heard enough, Kagome quickly refilled her mug and slipped outside, leaving World War Three to erupt behind her, amidst the jeers and clamor of the other officers.

They'd take care of things if they get out of hand, she decided.

She was in no condition to stop them anyways, and she doubted that they would listen to her even if she did decide to give it a try.

Sipping her steaming cup of coffee, she let the rich aroma quickly soothe her frayed nerves. Gods, this stuff was addicting!

She had almost reached the corner down a hallway that led back to the office area when someone called out her name.

Surprised, she turned around. As her rotten luck would have it, a person rounded the corner at that precise moment and collided into her.

The cup of coffee flew out of her hands, and she mourned the loss of her favorite coffee mug even before it touched the floor and shattered into hundreds of pieces.

But no… it didn't end just there.

She then slipped on a puddle of the spilled beverage and fell, somehow managing to drag the person down with her.

Landing hard on her back, the person she had so conveniently dragged along came crashing down a second later, effectively knocking the wind out of her.

Panting for breath, she was eternally grateful to the person as he or she rolled off of her, letting sweet oxygen to fill her lungs once more.

Rubbing her aching backside as she got up, she was about to curse her damned luck and apologize to the person when she looked up, and met the molten gold eyes of a gorgeous silver-haired hunk…

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Bye for now, and please- REVIEW!!!

~ Guardian of Secrets