InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Scorched ❯ Amber ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter one

Amber

"That's ludicrous! Those are just legends, Sango, demons never existed, because if they did, we'd have physical proof."

"Maybe to you they're just legends, but my ancestors were demon slayers. It's written in the history books of our family, so they had to have been exterminating something."

"Something, yes, but maybe they weren't actually demons?"

"Oh, come on, Kagome! When my father showed me the family book, he said that it was illegal to have such documents from the past lying around. The government knows they existed once, and they're trying to hide it."

The slightly younger of the two scoffed and took a small sip of her mocha latte, watching as the steam rose up off the liquid in fascination. Mentally, she was glad for the drink, and especially glad for her brown leather coat that served as a second, warmer skin to her during the winter months. "I just find it hard to believe, that's all. I mean think about it, it's like me trying to convince you that there is evidence somewhere of unicorns. If I don't see it and believe that's what I'm actually seeing, then I won't believe it."

Sango shook her head at Kagome from across the table, stirring her tea out of boredom. Compared to Kagome, they were two completely different people. When Kagome chose to put on layers of clothing to avoid the cooling air of the night, Sango usually vouched for feeling the cool against her skin to ease the ache of a long day of Karate teaching. Her black slacks spoke less dynamically then Kagome's blue jeans, and her white tank top compared to a leather coat somehow placed her as the more laid-back.

"Just because your grandfather likes to exaggerate to the point of insanity does not mean that there's no truth to his stories. I think some of the things he tells you could be somewhat historically accurate. After all, he is a priest…or, was, anyway…"

Kagome sighed to herself. Sometimes she thought her college roommate and friend was losing her freaking mind.

Her family was the sorriest bunch of people when it came to religion, demons…and history, which after damn near twenty years of it from her grandfather she luckily hadn't majored in college.

Why, it was just yesterday that her grandfather had tried to convince her over the phone that she could very well be a reincarnation of someone from the past, even someone as great as a miko, or even a demon's soul. Considering all the things she had heard about demons and Mikos were just legends anyway and held no historical accuracy in her history books from school, she just couldn't bring herself to believe them.

Sorry gramps, but I'm not fifteen anymore. I'm an adult now; I'll believe whatever I want.

Even if everything he had told her was true, it's not like she could use any of her abilities (or lack thereof) to do anything in today's societies. If people had found out she held mystical powers she could be arrested for numbers of crimes she didn't commit, just because people feared what she might do to them. Quite a wonderful thing, if she had been sadistic.

It was funny, really…

People were foolish and stupid, and she sadly was part of it, whether or not she could control it. Why else did old colonies send any suspicious woman to death if she had the slightest chance of being a witch? Because they were afraid there actually was something like that existing among them. If a real witch had come along, no one would really know what to do about it because they believed the crackpot theories of some idiot with hunches years before them.

If she had the chance to be anything in the world other than a human, she would probably live just fine being a cat; sitting around all day, cleaning herself conceitedly, quietly mocking her human owner because they pretended to be more intelligent than cats and yet they were the ones cleaning the shit out of her kitty litter.

Kagome giggled and took another sip of her drink, earning a concerned look from Sango. "What's so funny?"

Sobering completely, she just smiled apologetically. "Nothing…never mind."

"You worry me sometimes...Anyway, let's pay and go home. I've got a class to study for in the morning."

"K." Reaching into her coat pocket, she pulled out enough money for the bill and left it on the table in routine. Both women stood and walked out of the restaurant in peace with only a parting wave to the worker behind the counter.

The walk home was silent for the most part, and both women were inwardly going insane. Kagome especially hated the silence because it always reminded her of the childish fights where the children were forced to be together by some greater power, and loathed every minute of it. She didn't even know what they were being quiet about, but it was really, really upsetting her.

The only thing to do, then, was break the ice.

"Alright, demon slayer, I have a rhetorical question for you."

"…Alright?"

"In your mind, demons had once existed just as prosperously just as humans did. Let's say that's a historical fact; wouldn't you think that there would be some trying to take over the world, because surely not all of them have died?"

Sango hummed to herself, glancing into random store windows to happen upon something she hadn't seen before in case the stores were restocking since her last daily shopping spree. "The only demons that would have survived are incredibly intelligent ones, and the smartest and most dangerous of demons always look somewhat human. If that was the case they would probably still be in hiding because the humans have increased in population by billions since then."

"So do you think there are any still alive?"

She smirked knowingly, glancing at her friend from the corner of her eye. "Oh, come on, Kagome, what's the matter? I thought you didn't believe in demons."

"I don't. However, I'm curious to the limits of your beliefs."

"Well I think it's possible, and I also think that someday the demons are going to try and retake the throne, and they're going to make people their slaves. People like you who don't believe in them will probably end up their personal servants."

"Shut up, Sango."

"If it happens you'll be sorry."

Kagome just chuckled as they rounded the block towards their apartment. "Yeah, if it happens. According to my grandpa I could have been an incredible demon myself in a past life; maybe they'll spare me because they recognize my aura."

Both women broke out into laughter as they walked up the steps to their shared apartment. Sango's keys jingled loudly as she bent down and tried to open the door, unsuccessfully jabbing the lock several times before getting it right. "Seriously, Kagome, sometimes I think you take things too seriously in life. There are so many things that can't be explained by our history books."

"Yeah, well, you know me; I'm the type that needs proof of something before I can believe it. And you sometimes are too easy going."

"Ok, Kagome, ok." Finally getting into the apartment, Sango's first order of business was to check the phone for callers while Kagome prepared a snack for them both to study with. Being as late as it was, it was best to get both done as quickly as possible to get at least five good hours of sleep.

Checking the Caller ID, she found five unknown calls within the past hour, the last one at about twenty minutes ago.

Sango furrowed her brows. Everyone they knew and every local number was registered on Caller ID, there shouldn't be unknown numbers unless it was a private or long-distance phone. That meant someone she didn't know had tried really hard to get a hold of one of them.

Odd…

"Who wants ramen?" Kagome sang, holding several containers in her arms as she chided her hungry roommate through the kitchen doorway.

"Yeah, how about a couple of containers? I'm starving."

"No problem."

Setting the phone down, she turned to the kitchen doorway, biting her lip thoughtfully. "Kagome…were you expecting any calls from someone out of town?" She winced when the sound of pans clashing together broke through the calm atmosphere, followed immediately by the sound of Kagome rushing around to pick them up.

"What's that, Sango?"
Sighing hopelessly, Sango muttered a meaningful, "Never mind."

The clock on the wall read eleven, and as much as she knew she needed to study and take the test tomorrow, she thought seriously about calling in sick. All of a sudden she just didn't feel like thinking about school, or teaching, or about anything remotely serious at all.

A familiar feeling that, this time, she decided to give in to. What was the harm in one sick day?

"Kagome, how about tomorrow we go to town?"

Having put the ramen on the stove, Kagome came to rest against the doorway, her arms crossed tightly and her eyes searching her friend's for traces of remaining sanity. "You have a test tomorrow, don't you?"

"I suddenly just don't want to bother studying. We haven't taken a break in a couple of months, so why not?"

"It's just not like you to skip out of your Karate teachings, I guess. I'm usually the one getting you out."

She smiled. "I suppose so. How about it?"

"Well, I have to go to the bank in the morning, anyway. You can sleep in and when I get back we'll go."

"Ah, arigato, Kagome."

The phone rang and Sango oddly screamed in surprise, holding a hand over her chest to calm the beating of her heart. Kagome gave her strange look and went to answer the shrilling machine. "Sango, it's ok, it's just the phone."

"Phone…r-right…"

Kagome snickered as she reached it. "Who's scared now? Hey, maybe it's a demon, calling to tell you that the demon overlords are about to take over the earth."

"That's not funny," She snapped, still holding tightly to her chest. Making the decision that she should distract her mind from the stupid phone and her mocking friend, she moved to the boiling pots of ramen and began to stir. She felt rather stupid for getting scared over something that little when she had just spent an entire night trying to convince her skeptical roommate that her family slaughtered demons for a living. Boy, would her father be proud of her.

Funny how she was beginning to feel like a victim in a Scream movie…

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kagome, what's up?"

Kagome smirked at Sango, who childishly stuck out her tongue, and grabbed a coke out of the fridge. "Oh, hey Hojo. Not much, how about you?"

"Well, I'm pretty bored. I just thought I'd give my favorite girl a ring and see what she was up to."

"Awe, Hojo…"

Sango drowned out the sound of Kagome babbling away with her crush and poured the ramen into the ready bowls. She had given up hope on men altogether, vowing to never get involved in a serious relationship that would probably crush her in the end. She'd just sooner end up alone than know what true love and heartbreak is.

Maybe it was cowardly, but so what? She'd seen her father go through heartbreaks and love so many times she couldn't count it anymore. She knew what the consequences were like, how good that alcohol would always look when depressed, and she never wanted to go down that road again.

Besides, this city was full of bums and asses. She was never in a hurry to get attached to any of them.

"Ok Hojo, well I'll talk to you later, ok…ok, bye!"

"I don't like him, Kagome," Sango growled as her friend placed the phone back on the receiver, taking a large swig of her pop to show how unconcerned she was with the opinion of her crush.

"Hojo is a great guy."

"He's a fraud, a man whore, and I bet you any amount of money he's got at least three other women hanging off his arms." She grabbed her bowl and passed Kagome hers, motioning with her hand to the table in hopes of a semi-pleasant conversation. Of course, with the current topic, semi-pleasant was probably not in the cards right now.

Hojo was constantly a sensitive area for both women on different levels; Sango knew he was bad news for her friend, while Kagome practically worshipped the ground that man walked on.

"You have no proof of that," Confidently countering, she sat across from Sango and began digging in to the wonderful noodles, glancing up warily only to prepare herself for another comment. "What do you have against him, anyway?"

Sango sighed. "Ok, Kagome, let's put it this way; Hojo is the closest thing to a real, living demon, ok? He's evil, despicable, dirty, and he's playing you for a sap."

"You think every man you come across is like that. When I see 'proof' of this so-called 'deceit' then I will believe it, but I refuse to give in otherwise." Tapping her fork loudly against the side, she suddenly became interested in the bowl. "Besides, I don't have time to date him. That's what I keep telling him."

"Well, for once, I'm very proud of your busy schedule." Sango finished slurping the soup and stood, taking another quick glance at the clock on the wall. It'd be best to go to bed now, anyway; she was tired, and as a result, a little cranky. "I'm going to bed. I'll wake up at eight, ok?"

"Sure. I'll be back by then."

While the older girl left to tend her beauty sleep, Kagome stared down at the ramen in front of her as her mind caved and her entire demeanor became uneasy.

What if Sango was right? What if Hojo was a hoax and cheating on her every time she turned her back? Technically, they were never really dating, but he continued to ask her out on dates that she instinctively refused. He could very well have three other women; who really knew?

Perhaps she should trust Sango on this one. Even at times a man loather the girl did have good judgment for most people.

She giggled. Most men are worthy of her hatred…such pigs…the only things they're good for are sex and earning money.

Which reminded her…the bank...she'd have to remember to go there in the morning, get some cash and then be right back to go on their day on the town. Yep, the bank, the place where she kept her money stored away and saved. Just a regular, nothing special bank that had never had any problems or robberies in the entire time that she'd been here and more than likely never will with as many extraordinary banks there were to compare to in this city.

So then why was it she was suddenly getting a strange feeling about showing her face there tomorrow?

*~*~*

It was four in the morning, an hour that almost guaranteed the entire state would be at its drowsiest. Even the police patrolling the city were instinctively tired and would be practically dragging their feet to a heist as great as the one about to be preformed.

Not him; he was never tired.

He had never been caught, never even been known to mankind for his small robberies, but the unsolved mysteries kept him wealthy enough to make a suitable living amongst the air-polluting humans.

Even a little human himself, he was disgusted with them. They ripped down trees to build pointless businesses and estates, and condemned both the wildlife and themselves with every man-made product they used, like hairspray and cars. They cowered away from things they feared instead of defeating them. And sometimes, they made him want to wretch because they constantly stank of illness, death, fatigue, sex, and perfumes that were anything but natural.

Humans were so dependent on artificial things; they wouldn't even know how to grow their own food, or defeat a creature that was threatening to his or her family or friends. All they cared about was themselves, not about future generations or the wildlife that would easily be extinct within the next ten years. The only amounts of care he ever saw was mothers with their children, and humans even managed to screw that up too, because not all of them were good to their kids. Every demon cared deeply for their offspring no matter what, and the things they did to their kids could kill a weak-hearted human.

The child abuse causes today were bullshit. If it had been considered abuse to teach your kids a lesson in life, he would have been removed from his home barely six months after he had been born. That didn't mean your parents didn't care about you, on the contrary, it showed that they loved by teaching them what was right from wrong.

Yeah, shit was tough back then; this world now was the wimpiest, most pathetic thing he had ever encountered, and it still sloped into the depths of hell in the future.

He cared about himself alone because that's all he truly had now and that's all he would ever have, but humans had no excuse for their carelessness in his opinion, being the needy creatures they were. He cared about the environment to a degree that many humans would never get to, even though there was little he could do about it other than throwing away his own trash and occasionally recycling.

That was one of the many reasons he hated people, the only reason that he could never felt guilty about stealing from them, and over the years he had isolated himself as much as possible from any form of intellectual life forms that didn't call themselves demon. He didn't need selfish humans to help put him in his place; plenty of other supernatural beings had done that over the years.

Not good enough to be supernatural, but not human enough to be mortal. Man, he was sick of that…

There was one thing he liked the humans for: their inability to look past the surface for hidden meanings and plans. All were so soaked up in their own pointless lives that they wouldn't even care about a robbery unless it was their own estate that had endured the loss, especially if a black out made them late for work in the morning.

He wasn't stealing for profit this time. This time, the priceless artifact that he was snatching for himself was something he actually needed to have, to save himself and the worthless, thankless humans, not for the money he could trade it for.

And he was robbing one of the most prestigious museums in the world to get it.

He stood outside the building, leaning inconspicuously against a tree, opening his cell phone and dialing the memorized number. Barely a ring, and the other end picked up instantly.

"Yeah?"
"I'm ready; cut the power."

"Sure Inuyasha; hey, how about I cut it for the whole town to have everyone on their toes? They'd be too busy with their own little lives to realize that you're fucking up their trophy museum."

Inuyasha sighed, shifting his weight. "Whatever; just leave no evidence." Flipping the phone shut again and placing it in his pocket, he watched a nearby streetlamp intently, and within seconds witnessed not only it, but every streetlamp in view die in one weak spit.

His lips upturned into a malicious smirk as he waited for his assistance to help him breach the doors. Getting into the correct room without getting caught would take at least an hour (with all the worst possible scenarios occurring [he always gave himself enough time]), considering all the things he'd have to cut and avoid and destroy to get there (if the museum was as smart as he thought), and then they'd have another hour before museum workers arrived to begin preparing the grand opening.

He didn't have to worry about the security guards; their shifts ended in three hours, and he had darted them at least half an hour before he had cut power.

A woman dressed in leather clothing (for lack of fibers against her in evidence) came running to his side, panting while pulling gloves over her hands. She shook her blonde-black-streaked ponytail back and blinked her incredibly blue eyes. "Ok, Shippo's screwed over the system pretty badly. Even electricians will take a good day to find the bug in the system."

"Got your stud finder?"

"Right here…" Heading up to the sections of wall surrounding the outer border of the entrance door, they located the closest 'studs' to the edge. The walls of the entrance were made of pure plaster, and the only studs in the building were the parts of the metal frame that formed its body. By locating the metal they could send bolts of electricity through the building and all wires near it, rendering some of the self-powered defenses useless.

Both drilled small holes into the frame with their own natural claws and inserted the electrical shock chords inside, pressing the buttons to activate the electrical current and disable everything attached to the metal.

The woman suddenly giggled at a strange but truthful thought; this job was so perfect for Inuyasha because he was really good at messing things up.

But she never told him that.

She and Shippo were much weaker than he was and willingly helped him because of that, but he always made certain that they never betrayed him. Of course, with as long as they've been working together as partners, a small bond of friendship did eventually form. It was now officially to the point that Inuyasha didn't really want to kill them, but would if complete mutiny occurred.

She was proud of those years of hard work it took to get him there. It was hard for anyone to get close to Inuyasha, and they were about as close as it got, save his mother.

"Kira, pick the lock…and stop looking at me."

"Aye-aye, captain," She saluted sarcastically and went to work picking the lock on the door with one of her many thin tools from her pouch. She always tried to beat her record; being a fire-cat, she was naturally sly and secretive, and picking high-tech locks were just about as grade school for her as it got. Inuyasha would expect her done in five seconds or less.

"I got it. Let the bolts pull out of place, and then the door will open."

"Well then, that only gives Shippo four minutes to get here."

She chuckled wholeheartedly as he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the building, observing his watch expectantly. Kira's appreciative smile went unnoticed.

If he lost the bandana over the top of his head and the gloves on his hands…and his coat, and all the rest of his clothes…he was a pretty magnificent specimen. A specimen that, a couple of times a month she got to explore up close and personal, especially when things got stressful for him.

Hey, everybody had to relieve themselves somewhere. Theirs was a relationship strictly business, but she didn't mind saying that Inuyasha was a hell of a beast in bed. Or that his body, even though with 'tainted' blood like some people constantly insisted, was just as beautiful and primal as any full-blooded beast. The animalistic aspects of his body proved for an experience that no regular human male could ever hope to give, and even gave a few demons a run for their money.

Kira had to give him credit; he was an expert in many things, but in bed was one of his best assets. The absolute best, if she did say so herself, and she had only been with a few demons before him.

She wished that someone out there had exactly what he needed to open him up again. Someone needed to restore his faith in the human race, and in love altogether. Although she doubted that was going to happen at this point in time…what a horrible time to be human.

He was a great friend, even if he was a little antisocial, and she wanted someone to make him happy for the rest of his unnaturally long life. She just wouldn't tell Shippo or anyone else that she had been the poor substitute for a companion for about a century.

"Alright, I'm here…" Panted another leather-bearing thug as he came running in, just in time, his short red hair spiked up to declare independence along with his unnaturally green eyes, fixated on the large building above them. "It's hell at the power plant. I short circuited everything; sparks were flying, wires were flinging…man, it was fun."

Inuyasha gave him a very odd look. "Don't you think you went a little overboard? I asked you to cut the power, not see how many people you can kill when they try to fix it."

"No…I cut wires, Inuyasha! Humans will be going nuts forever trying to fix the mess I made!"

"…You didn't leave prints?"

"Nope. Wore my gloves like you told me to."

"Okay…I think maybe we should go in now." Inuyasha jerked the door open with a louder click than he had intended, but the three continued in anyway in triangle formation, following their leader like always.

Inuyasha snarled inaudibly when they came to a large doorway. Damn…do the beams still work with the electricity out? He took out the spray and sprayed in front of him, revealing nothing at all out of the ordinary. Good…that meant this museum wasn't as intelligent as he had originally thought, pretty much all talk. Nothing was working correctly without electricity. "Shippo, stats."

By pressing a special button on his watch, he revealed a 3D holographic map telling of their exact location and of their destination. "We're about two stories below the jewel. We need to find the stairs and climb up to the Japanese shrine."

"So where's the fucking stairs?"

"Right…over…there!" He pointed to their right and smirked like a child that had just won a game. Shippo was the only one of the three that got to play with such exciting toys, and he loved every moment of it. "I know where we are, cause I found the stairs."

"While you're at it, find your brain..." Inuyasha growled impatiently and stomped in the direction of the flight of steps, leaving Kira and Shippo following now wearily behind.

"That's not nice, man…I have a brain, I just like to have fun every once in a while."

"Well your fucking 'fun' could get us into trouble. The cops don't even know I exist and I want to keep it that way, and as long as you're fooling around my risk of us getting caught grows higher and higher. Grow up; I'm sick of babysittin you."

The two demons remained silent after that. That meant either he was focusing too hard, or he was already ticked off about something, and this Jewel might be the reason. It was said to give demons power beyond anything they could ever believe, power enough to enslave the entire human and demon race. It could turn a demon like Shippo into a demon lord in no time, if he so desired it.

So why hadn't it been stolen before? Why did it still remain here?

I don't care, as long as I get it now, before anyone else knows it's here.

"Hey Yash…can we snatch up some of this other high quality stuff, too? Make a few extra bucks…"

"Ok, one, that sounds like a pet name I've specifically asked you never to call me again, and two, we can't take much. We don't want to draw more attention to ourselves than necessary."

"Do you think the Mona Lisa would be drawing attention to ourselves?" Shippo asked daringly, leering at the painting and moving a little too close to it for Inuyasha's comfort.

He jerked the fox Kitsune back harshly by the back of his coat. "YES. Stay away from it."

"Hey, watch the threads, pal! I've got stuff under there…" He said, brushing himself off, glaring at his boss while tugging his coat back into place. "Besides, I like this coat…"

Inuyasha snorted as he stalked off again hurriedly. "Grow up, kid. I ain't your dad and I'm not gonna take care of you. Just don't touch anything."

"Well I'm glad you're not my dad, you're a mean bastard!"

Kira cleared her throat. "Shippo, stop…"

"Well he is! If he ever has kids they should be shot in the head before they have the chance to know him! Save them years of torture before they do it themselves."

Inuyasha suddenly found interest in the claws under his glove, playing with them almost languidly without looking at the kitsune the show was for. "If I have kids, Shippo, you better pray that you don't mess up around them, or you'll be the first person they ever see me kill."

Shippo snuffled and glared at the back of Inuyasha's head before sighing hopelessly. "Very well. When Hell freezes over I'll know to start behaving myself."

"Stairs, boys. Start climbing."

The men silently did as Kira ordered, which was surprising since Inuyasha almost always had something to say about her ordering him around.

He must be pissed off today…

Of course, he was first to the top of the stairs once reached, showing off the powers he held in his legs by jumping the steps. The Kitsunes cursed behind him and slowly followed suit.

The rooms were large displays of Japanese culture, bordered with statues and Japanese wall scrolls and a Buddha statue in the center of the largest room. The hallway held a red carpet that went through all the displays and around the statue, and visible at the end was the encased jewel they were after.

Inuyasha smirked and trekked forward into the dark room that would be almost impossible for a human to see in, even with the window. Kira and Shippo spent a small moment gazing around at the artifacts from their homeland, somewhat impressed by the care and quality some of the items appeared to be in, and disgusted with others.

Kira held her gaze on a beautiful silk Kimono, probably worn by a beautiful geisha girl in the past, seemingly almost in perfect condition as it hung on those metal hooks from the ceiling. Cautiously, she opened the door on the glass covering and reached out to touch it, but was stopped by Shippo's hand.

"Don't touch it; it'll fall apart."

"What are you talking about? It looks new."

"Looks can be deceiving," The Kitsune sniffed meaningfully, jabbing a finger at the glossy cloth. "Smell that? Cloth this old is held together with spray and clear paint. People don't touch it because it'll just break off like plaster."

Kira reluctantly retracted her hand. Even childish at times, Shippo did have his intelligent moments. It was just so beautiful and familiar, like something her mother would have worn hundreds of years ago. Damn aging…just look at what it's done to you!

"Would you two get over here?!" Inuyasha whispered harshly before the jewel's case. He had never been so nervous about stealing anything in his life, and he needed his counterparts to be there too, not gaping about at priceless memories.

Sheesh, didn't they know how important this was to him? Why would they goof off at a time like this? Stupid kitsunes…they're so fucking insane.

They gathered by his side quickly, and all gazed at the glowing orb with amazement. There it was, sitting comfortably on a cushioned stand with a chain still as attached as the day it had been placed. The most powerful, ancient jewel that had ever been formed or dealt with by humans and demons alike.

The Shikon no Tama.

"Wow…see that? It's glowing." Kira said obviously, tapping the glass case with her claw. "You gonna crack the egg, or do I get the privilege?"

Using his fist, Inuyasha smashed through the case like it was paper and shoved the glass aside onto the floor without another word, as if the thought of Kira even insinuating him being weak in any way was the worst blow imaginable to his pride. Clenching and unclenching his hand to regain feeling, his stare focused more heavily on the object of desire, and less on the people beside him.

There had to be a reason it hadn't been removed for as long as it'd been here. The security was easy to bust, the case easy to break…any normal demon would have snatched it long ago, and no human would have been able to get it away from the beast so easily.

Inuyasha grinned, knowing that neither demon could see it, watching the smoke-filled jewel glow and twirl like a soul still lurked inside. He wasn't stupid; he'd find out right now what the fucking hold up was. "Shippo, get the jewel."

"Why don't you get it?"

"Because I'm resting my hand; grab it."

Shippo shrugged and reached forward carelessly, not thinking about consequences or anything his Hanyou boss might have been plotting in his mind. However, within inches of the orb he hit a somewhat invisible barrier that crackled blue and evenly surrounded the ball, shocking his hand and throwing him back a couple of feet with pure force.

"SHIT! Goddammit…" He hissed, flinging his arm around to regain feeling, his poor hand smoking from the now scorched skin. Once the tiniest bit of feeling came back and he knew that he wasn't going to loose the limb, he made certain to send the most hateful of glares at his smirking boss.

Inuyasha bared his toothy fangs in a rare flaunt back at the Shikon Jewel that he now knew the secret of. He just knew something had to have kept the demons away from the jewel; a miko barrier had long ago been placed, making it impossible for normal demons to grab hold of it without literally burning their hand off.

That riddle solved, he also knew that now the barrier could have alerted some supernatural being out there that the jewel was about to be jacked, and he probably didn't have very long to snatch it.

He hastily copied Shippo's movements, but the barrier, even though protesting visibly and leaving a slight tingling sensation on his skin in response to his demon blood, allowed his hand to pass through without casting him back. It did, however, feel like he was pushing through something thick, like mud, the force just barely slowing his pursuit, but he knew that would stop once he broke the spell and grabbed the jewel.

"Uh oh…think you can hurry it up, there? Someone's downstairs." Kira emphasized that now known fact by pulling her handgun out of her pocket, watching the stairs like a hawk.

"Hold on…" Inuyasha finally reached it, and the entire barrier spell broke just as footsteps were heard coming up the stairs. With a tap on their shoulders to show he was finished he began running to a window, and using a priceless vase in his way, he smashed through.

A mere parting glance was their farewell to the pursuing officers and they were all out the window, using their demon blood to their advantage by landing on the ground from the third story height that would have killed a human easily.

Police cars came down the street, but this was child's play to Inuyasha. Anyone who'd heard of him would say that one of the best facts he was known for was getting out of sight and staying that way. Especially under pressure. He never panicked about anything, making his escape less sloppy and more effective.

So they sprinted into the nearest alley and ran to look for a hidden place to change their appearances, his two partners right behind him faithfully, trusting him to lead as fearlessly as he ever had, because once again they had done what they set out to do. Everyone was happy, except for the human bank choreographer…but who cared about that?

Inuyasha had the one thing the demons would be after, and as long as he kept it safe and hidden away from evil hands, his life and most of the undeserving human lives would be spared. As much as he wished them dead, he could not allow death to come to the birth-race of his mother, at least not while he was still alive.

He also couldn't stand the constant jeopardy his life would be in for just being alive again. Demons were never going to fully accept him, but humans had better learn to live with him, because he was risking his ass for them now, and he never made the same mistake twice.

*~*~*

"Dammit to hell!"

The unorthodox screaming of Sango's morning voice across the house woke Kagome from her slumber, causing her to bolt up in her bed and glance groggily over to her non-powered clock. She groaned tiredly.

Not only was the power off but she had no idea what time it was. Neither girl had a watch or cell phone, and no battery-powered clocks. What a day for the power plant to screw something over.

If the whole town was out, though, college classes might be cancelled, so it wouldn't count as a sick day. Occasionally the school did things like that.

Kagome was even beginning to wonder if she could go to the bank today without power. She knew they couldn't go to any stores downtown, unless for some reason it was just their house that didn't have any power…but she doubted it.

Oh, a sign! I'm not supposed to go! SWEET!

The day was bright, the sun was ruthless, and the temperature promised to be exceedingly high. She didn't have to go to school today, but best of all, she didn't have to go to the bank!

And by the sounds of it, Sango was pretty upset about that. She didn't know what things had been going through Kagome's mind, though, the night before. That woman had no idea of the strange feelings Kagome had been getting about the whole 'leaving the house' deal.

"Hey, Kagome! Its like ten freaking o-clock…dammit, the timed coffee's not even working! Fucking electric company!!!"

Kagome chuckled to herself as she pulled the covers back and lifted out of bed. Sango was not a morning person. It looked like she also woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but all in all, she didn't mind; that was Sango's personality and just another aspect she found incredibly hilarious.

"Kagome, do you know where the towels are?"

"Uh…under the sink? Like they always are?"

It was silent for a moment, and then a grunt of frustration was heard from the bathroom. "Thanks."

She swung her legs over the side of the bed and rose on wobbly legs, pulling her arms over her head and stretching her back muscles. "I guess the power's out all over."

"That means that school's probably cancelled anyway, right?"

"Yeah, probably, but I think that means no mall, either."

"Oh, goddammit, you're right…fuck."

As she began digging into the closet for clothing, she mused silently to herself about her grumpy friend. "Sango?"

"Yes?"

"You're going to shower in the dark?"

"Hell, it's better than no shower at all!"

Well, she couldn't argue that. Still, she wouldn't let her friend's droopy mood or her lack of vision spoil her disposition. What a wonderful day it was going to be without power…

The lights suddenly flickered on and off before completely coming on again. Kagome merely sighed, and Sango squealed in delight from the bathroom. "Hey, the power's on again!"

Managing a weak huff, Kagome crossed her arms and pouted childishly. "Damn the gods for playing mind games with me…"

"What was that, Kag?"

"I said 'oh goody, let me just grab my purse and I'll be off to the bank'."

The other woman remained silent for a moment before squealing. "Ooohh, Kagome, please cash my check for me? And work on your sarcasm…"

"Right…"

Kagome continued on with her daily dressing ritual, a bit more down in the spirits than usual. She just really didn't want to leave the house, but she wouldn't let Sango know that something as trivial as a feeling was troubling her. If she refused to leave, then she would just look silly, and she'd had enough of that for one life time.

The phone rang just as she finished placing her hair in the sloppy bun. She lifted the phone and glanced at the caller ID, but at seeing it was Hojo, she decided not to answer it.

She was incredibly doubtful about him, now. Thanks to Sango, she would constantly be weary of him.

After ignoring the phone and putting on her makeup, Kagome finally was ready to go to the one place she really didn't want to. Informing Sango of her leave and locking the door, she was off to the bank in a none-to-hasty mood.

Grateful for having worn a white tank top on this sunny day with her jeans, she began the long, hopeless walk to the bank, five blocks away from the apartment on main.

Her thoughts drifted back to Hojo almost simultaneously. What was he? A gangster, a pimp, what?

She watched the ground without really seeing it, suddenly no longer interested in knowing where she was going.

It was really disturbing her now. Why did Sango and a lot of other people she came into contact with become so insistent on calling Hojo a horrible man? Really, she had no idea what he was into, she never saw him with other women, and she certainly had never seen him with other men that she found untrustworthy. She had known him since high-school, after all, and back then he was the nicest male anyone would ever run across.

I just don't get it…Sango insists he's an evil bastard, but she won't tell me what he did. Shit, I don't know who to trust…

It was in her brief moment of not seeing where she was going that the life-changing event she'd often thought about having actually occurred; she ran directly into a red-clothed chest, and would have knocked him over had he not braced himself and steadied her.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry, I…" Her eyes trailed upwards into the eyes of the man she plowed into, and found herself hopelessly lost in a sea of amber.

Kami-sama…

They were such a rare color, Kagome thought them inhuman immediately, but realized that that was impossible and assumed they were contacts. Even contacts, though, his eyes were incredibly expressive, and she plainly saw confusion and slight interest brewing deeply inside. His brows seemed permanently furrowed, always angry, always weary of others, as if everything and everyone in his life was just about as terrible as anyone could have it.

Hesitantly, she drew her attention to his other features. His hair, tied back in a low pony tail, was snow white and much longer than her own. She couldn't see his ears, which must have been hidden behind the smaller locks of hair up front, and a black bandana covered the top of his head in a punkish style. The arms that were currently stationed around her waist to keep her upright were powerful, like there were eons of strength hidden just beneath the surface, and it showed with his muscled biceps.

He was a well built man, very strong, and very…dangerous was the word that came to mind. Kagome didn't know how she knew that, but it was just, well, obvious. The hands that held her were covered with short gloves. She was almost afraid to pull back on his hands because it almost seemed to her that he wasn't very willing to let her go.

And in all seriousness, he almost wasn't.

He could feel the Kitsunes staring at his back like he was insane, but something about this woman just made him not care about that. So he got held up? They could wait on him…

This woman…human, nonetheless, wasn't a thing like every other human he'd come across. She didn't reek of chemicals from shampoos or perfumes, she didn't even smell like she'd been in contact with other humans all that much. Her aura, unlike anyone else's was huge and kind, almost pure, and struck her as anything but human if he didn't know better.

He inhaled carefully and stifled the strange urge to sigh blissfully. Her scent was even more appealing than some demons he had been around; a scent of striking jasmine and sakura blossoms, as if she bathed in the petals every night. It didn't seem to be a perfume or chemical, it was natural and quite puzzling, which would explain his almost possessive hold on her body.

She was a beautiful human specimen, too, with the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen…unfortunately, she was interfering with his escape, and he did make it a personal habit to never mingle with the humans, no matter how tempting the thought is.

Almost sensing his newfound excuse to release her, Kagome swallowed and pushed back on her haunches, and he slowly let her go. "I-I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

She noticed the people behind him then, a normal looking pair except for one thing…their ears. They were unnaturally pointed, like the elves in the Lord of the Rings movies, and since the woman was the only one of the three not wearing gloves, Kagome noted that her nails were seriously manicured to sharp points.

Those look like claws…and those ears can't be real, I mean it's not possible.

"Just watch where you're going next time." He finally stated, although not as harshly as she had expected him to, and was on his way, the others following suit. Kagome watched him leave, eyes transfixed on the man that reeked of something feral and untamed, something that would gladly kill her in a second, and she felt her heart skip a beat in realization.

H-he had fangs. I know I didn't imagine that…

They were all so strange, and if she didn't know any better, she'd say they were…they were…

"Impossible…there's no such thing." She whispered, and before she could step away to continue on her way, as well, she noticed something on the ground beside her feet and bent over to pick it up.

"Hmm…he must have dropped it."

It was a beautiful ball necklace, but why would such a handsome man have it? Maybe he had a woman and it was a gift?

She sighed. Somehow, she highly doubted that that man had a girlfriend. He just didn't seem like the type. No, he was ranked more in the man-whore class, and maybe not even that.

Ah, yes, he looked like maybe he had a collection of girls that he chooses from, and he doesn't get laid more than once a week. Thank you Sango for your pointless skills at rating someone's sexual preferences just by the way they looked.

He would have just been classed a man-whore if it weren't for that serious, no-bullshit stare. His eyes told many hurtful stories that obviously left it's scar; it almost hurt her to look into them for too long, and yet at the same time, she didn't want to look away. All she could really, truly tell was, he had had it hard all his life, and that may have become worse because now he's lost something that may or may not be valuable to him.

Kagome turned to see if she could see him again and return the item, but he was long gone. So instead, she brought the jewel to her chest, clutching it carefully close to her heart just because she wanted to. I'll keep it until I see him again...not like a man like that's gonna be hard to spot…shit…

What a day already, even though she couldn't quite classify it as a bad one. But she had met the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life, whether or not everything he had was natural…in fact the strangest group of people known since the seventies.

Then she realized that her 'feeling' had been right, but the feeling didn't want her out of the house at all, like it was supposed to be a horrible thing. Unless meeting that man held future consequences that would have her regretting this day altogether, nothing bad had happened as of yet.

She couldn't wait to tell Sango when she got home. This moment was a moment now forever etched into her mind. But deep down within, she wondered briefly if the explanation for the way they looked and acted was because they were slightly disturbed people…

…Or slightly demon…

*~*~*

A/N-thanks for reading!

I also want to add something-Kira is basically "Kilala or Kirara", I just decided that they'd nickname her Kira. I also just added another form; human in appearance. She changes just like she can in the series, only human, too.

I haven't decided yet whether or not I'm going to use Kikyo in my story…honestly, I don't mind the live Kikyo, but the dead Kikyo is a bit much…there won't be any feelings from Inuyasha towards her if she does come in, I promise. Nothing shall interfere…

I also know that most of my story is not accurate; for instance, I do not have any clue what museum the Mona Lisa is in, and I don't care. In my story, it's in this New York museum that also contained the Shikon no Tama.

Questions? Email me, and I'll answer them on the chapters I update. This was an experimental story for me, and I'm still trying to see what other people think. Thanks again.