Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or anything related to him.
Hidden FiresChapter Ten: A Hit Gone Wrong
Both groups unconsciously decided to skip school the next day. Instead, they devoted the day to preparing for that night, both mentally and physically, to fight their other half.
Having finished last minute preps, the girls whiled away the afternoon in Burn, dancing and drinking away their stress.
The guys, being guys, hit the gym, working their muscles to the limit.
Finally, midnight rolled around. The Phantoms found themselves crouching on the roof of the National Museum of Art.
"Kagome, Sango, Ayame, how's the feed?" The whisper echoed in the girl's ears as they dashed quickly and silently across the rooftop.
"Working just fine, Shippo," Kagome whispered back for all of them.
"Just checking. You've already memorized the layout of the building, so you know where the scroll and necklace are. I'll guide you through the security system, as usual, and you'll be fine. Actually, I'd be surprised if you couldn't do the alarm system yourself, it's so simple," Shippo muttered. "What were they thinking, installing this system? A child cold hack into this with their eyes closed!"
Ignoring Shippo's continued rant, Kagome focused on the landscape of the rooftop around her.
Spotting the vent they were to enter through, she motioned to Sango and Ayame. The vent was quickly dispatched and the girls dropped silently into the enclosed space below.
"Follow the vent to the main showcase area, then-" "Shippo," Kagome growled, "I know." Silence reigned on the opposite end for a few minutes.
The girls worked their way through the vent until they came to the exit vent.
"Ok, before you go in, there's an alarm you'll have to deactivate," Shippo interjected. "Along the bottom right hand corner, there's a small black box. Open it and clip the red wire," he instructed.
Kagome did as told. A small beep echoed in the vent. "There, it's safe to proceed," Shippo announced.
Sango shifted the vent cover to the side silently. Positioning herself to drop below, Kagome looked at Sango and Ayame. Taking a deep breath, they nodded simultaneously and Kagome disappeared below.
Sango, followed by Ayame, quickly descended after her. Plastering themselves to the floor, they strained to hear any sounds in the pitch black, hardly breathing.
Not hearing anything suspicious, Kagome signaled to the other two and they flitted through the room to the next.
Ayame shifted slightly, glancing behind her. A tiny puff of air tickled her ear before a hand covered her mouth, silencing her scream of warning, and pulled her back into the shadows.
Kagome and Sango continued to the next room, unaware that Ayame was missing.
A shiver crawled up Sango's spine, warning her just in time as a hand reached out to grab her. Dodging it, she turned to peer behind her just as someone clamped a damp cloth around her nose and mouth.
Sango struggled not to breath in as she was dragged into the shadows as well.
Meanwhile, Kagome had discovered the case that displayed their target.
An ancient scroll, yellow with age, lay rolled up and sealed with crumbling wax near a glittering necklace. The necklace appeared to be like any other jewel studded knick-knack a thief would want, but it was the flowing pink gem in the center that Naraku wanted.
Taking out her glasscutter, she motioned behind her for Sango and Ayame to be prepared to disengage the alarm. No one appeared.
Turning around, Kagome realized with astonishment that her teammates had disappeared. Movement caught her eye.
Instinctively, she ducked and rolled, flipping to her feet as her opponent charged past. Dropping into her automatic fighting stance, she glanced around warily, as her foe had disappeared.
Straightening, she back flipped onto the nearest display case, balancing her weight on the balls of her feet as she peered around from her new vantage point.
Spying movement in the far corner of the room, she leapt from case to case, gracefully and silently. Dropping lightly to the floor, she snuck up on the huddled mass.
As her eyes adjusted to the dimmer shadows surrounding the corner, Kagome realized the squirming mass was Sango and Ayame, tied and gagged. Sango's eyes flickered behind Kagome briefly. It was all the warning she needed.
Dodging to the right, she ducked behind yet another display case. Kagome pressed her back to a wall.
Breathing lightly, she slowly stood up, eyes darting this way and that. Reaching into a pocket of her black pants, she pulled out a small object that resembled a rod. Pressing a button, a slinky, coiled whip made of thin strips of braided cloth fell to the floor.
It didn't cause as much damage as a leather one, but when it hit you, it stung.
Sensing movement heading her way, she snapped the whip up in a reflex motion, knocking the knife heading her way out of the air.
The movement had caused her to step forward a few, and it only took her a second to realize that the knife had been a distraction.
Hands gripped her wrists, forcing her to her knees as her arms were twisted behind her back.
"You lose," a voice whispered in her ear, sending chill down her spine at the familiar sound. "Not quite, Inuyasha," she murmured.
Gripping his wrists in her own hands, she squeezed hard on the muscle, causing his arms to go numb. When he released her, cursing, she sprinted across the room to the far corner, brandishing her whip.
A few seconds later, Sango and Ayame stood up, free, and the three positioned themselves in the center of the room, back to back.
"Ready?" Kagome asked quietly. Sango swallowed and nodded. Ayame just sighed. "Go!"
The three split up, each heading in a different direction.
Kagome headed for the display case; screw the alarms.
Sango headed for the next room to secure their escape route.
Ayame provided a distraction for the boys: leaping high in the air, the wolf demon pulled the ring from a canister and threw it to the floor, tugging a handkerchief up around the bottom part of her face. Then she headed after Sango.
Kagome, her own handkerchief in place, smashed a hand through the glass case, snatching the scroll and necklace quickly.
Running into the next room, ignoring the blaring alarms ringing in her arms, Kagome hurried to the vent, only to stop dead.
Sango and Ayame stood directly under their escape route, held tightly in Miroku and Kouga's grip.
Sango scrunched up her face and chuckled sadly. "Sorry, Kag. They anticipated our movements," she apologized.
"Of course," Kagome murmured calmly, safely tucking the scroll, necklace, and her whip in another pocket of her pants. "I wouldn't expect anything less from the Enforcers."
Inuyasha stepped from the shadows next to her. Kagome dropped into a stance just as Sango and Ayame wrenched free.
"Well, shall we?" Kagome asked. Inuyasha nodded sharply, following her example and dropping into his own stance.
Sango faced Miroku. Ayame faced Miroku. Kagome faced Inuyasha.
Girlfriend vs. Boyfriend. Phantoms vs. Enforcers.
Loved one vs. Loved one.
Somewhere, Naraku was laughing.
Damn you, you bastard! Kagome thought bitterly, attacking Inuyasha in a swift movement. Sango and Ayame followed suit, each attacking their respective boyfriends.
All were evenly matched. Each was in anguish. Both groups cursed the one who put them up to this.
Until an intervention occurred.
Sudden pounding footsteps, the flickering of lights, and the sounds of guns being loaded.
"Freeze!" a voice yelled. Both parties froze in the glare of the museum lights, still as statues for a few seconds, and then glanced around.
"You are under arrest! Put your hands in the air and get down on your knees!" the voice commanded. They were surround by JIA thugs. (Japanese Intelligence Agency…not very original, I know, but I was pressed for time. Sorry—SSS)
Inuyasha growled deep in his throat. "Sesshoumaru…" he spat.
Glancing at Kagome, they communicated with their eyes, asking and answering unspoken questions.
Jerking her head slightly, she attained Sango and Ayame's attention while Inuyasha did the same.
A few seconds later, they whirled into motion. Ayame repeated her smoke bombe attack and the three couples escaped upwards through the vent.
Seconds later, they were on the roof and sprinting to a wall to rappel down. Pairing up, the girls helped the guys manage the ropes until they were on the ground and off again.
Kagome led the way to the van parked four blocks away in the still-full Wal-Mart parking lot. Noticing this, Inuyasha commented on it.
"Smart," he whispered approvingly. Kagome smiled at him briefly, then peered around the corner of a building, scooping our the area for any JIA thugs.
"If you think that's cool, watch this," she muttered. Turning around, the girls simultaneously whipped off the black, long-sleeved shirts and pants they wore on the raid. Regular street clothes were underneath.
As they finished stripping off their over clothes, the rolled up scroll and necklace fell out of Kagome's pocket. Six pairs of eyes focused on the items instantly.
Kagome automatically reached for them, Inuyasha doing the same. A sound behind them made the group freeze then tense.
Instinctively looking around, they missed the small rush of air next to them. Hearing nothing, they turned back around, only to discover the artifacts gone.
Kagome's eyes narrowed in disgust; Naraku!
"Dammit!" she hissed. "Stupid asshole. What's the matter, don't trust me?" she muttered.
Ayame slapped her on the back and nudged her out of the way, heading nonchalantly to the van.
Shippo slammed the door open. "You guys! What the hell happened! The second you cut the vent wire, your earpieces went dead! Are you ok?" he asked anxiously.
His eyes widened when he caught sight of the guys stepping out the shadows behind them.
"Are they…?" He trailed off, shocked speechless. "Yeah, the Enforcers," Kagome answered, climbing in the van.
"Well, are you coming?" Kagome asked impatiently to the guys. The boys, who'd been busy staring at the intricate setup of computers in the van, nodded and scrambled in behind Sango and Ayame.
"Sorry it's cramped," Ayame apologized from up front. "We're not used to visitors."
The boys nodded again. "Yo, Mr. Computer Nerd!"
Shippo arched an eyebrow at Kouga in the rearview mirror. "Yes?" he asked grouchily.
"Where the hell you taking us?" he asked. "I don't know," he replied testily. "Why don't you ask the Fearless Leader?" He pointed to Kagome.
Shooting him a dirty look, Kagome pulled out a cell phone from her jeans. Pressing a couple buttons, she held it up to her ear. The van was eerily quiet as they listened in on her conversation.
"Kagura, it's Kag. Don't 'Hey, boss' me. I need you to look up the latest safe house Naraku has on file." Silence reigned for a few minutes.
Then: "Ok, now. Here's an address. Change them out. Just do it!" Kagome rattled off a number and street name.
"Thanks, Kagura. Yes, now you can call me boss again. I'll see you at Burn in a few days. Bye." She hung up and looked at Shippo. "Did you get that address?"
He managed to look offended. "Of course I did! What kind of computer and mathematical genius do you take me for?" he asked indignantly.
Kagome swatted at him from the back seat, making him duck and the van swerve.
"Children, play nice," Sango admonished from next to Ayame. Then she turned to Kagome, a serious look on her face.
"So, it's a safe house, then?" she asked quietly. Kagome nodded in return and sighed, slumping back in her seat.
Sending the guys a glare from the corner of her eyes, she muttered something unintelligible. Nothing was sacred from Inuyasha's sharp hearing, however.
"What do you mean, we're nothing but pains in the ass?" he growled.
"Exactly what is sounded like, dumbass!" she shot back.
The two glared at one another, then sat back, refusing to look at each other.
Shippo snickered from the driver's seat; a second later, a pen flew by his head, narrowly missing his ear.
Gulping, he decided to stay quiet and mind his own business for a while.
An hour later found them outside a nondescript building in another town.
"Where are we?" Miroku asked Sango as they climbed out of the van. "Somewhere Naraku wouldn't think to look," she replied shortly.
Opening the back doors of the vehicle, the girls grabbed three duffel bags that had previously gone unnoticed by the boys. Following them into the building, it became apparent that it was deserted.
They made their way up a back ser of stairs to the second floor. The boys looked around in surprise.
The first floor was covered in dust and animal tracks, where as the second floor was clean and neatly furnished. Dumping their bags on the couch, the girls made quick work of checking the entire floor, which had been converted into one large apartment.
It consisted of a well-stocked kitchen, three bedrooms, a dining room and living room. Separate bathrooms connected to each bedroom, allowing for a modicum of privacy.
Ayame came back into the living room and flopped down on the couch. "Welcome to safe house number six," she finally said.
"Our personal hell," Sango said in turn as she walked in, Kagome following her. "So…" Kagome trailed off. "Where do we go from here?" Shippo asked.
"Well, for one, we need to check in with Naraku. He'll expect it, even if he did have the artifacts brought to him directly," Kagome replied darkly.
"So Shippo, if you could make the necessary arrangements-" "What about us?" Inuyasha cut in.
"We need to check in with the Commander as well," Kouga interjected. "And ask him what the fuck was up with that raid by the JIA. We don't work with government thugs; we're a whole separate entity," Miroku ended.
The girls managed to look somewhat surprised at that news, but they shook it off.
"From out perspective, there's not much difference between you two," Sango said grumpily.
"Exactly. I mean, you do work for your 'Commander', who, in turn, works for the government," Kagome added.
"You wouldn't have to worry who we work for if you didn't do the kind of job you did," Inuyasha shot back. Kagome glared at him; he glared back just as fiercely.
"ok, ok, we get it. You each have your own reasons for doing what you do. Let's not argue about it just now. We've got things to do," Shippo soothed.
Abruptly, Kagome and Sango walked out of the room, leaving Ayame behind to settle the boys in.
Shippo went back to the van to hack into the Commander's government account and arrange some sort of meeting for the Enforcers. For the girl's he arranged the usual midnight meeting at the warehouse.
When he finally went upstairs it was to find all out war waging.
"I'm not sleeping on the floor!" Inuyasha's voice blasted him the moment he stepped through the door at the top of the stairs.
"Well, where else are you supposed to sleep!" Kagome shouted back. "With your, of course!" he answered.
Silence reigned for a split second, enough time for Shippo to walk into the kitchen, where the battle of wills was taking place.
A second later, both he and Inuyasha ducked the razor sharp knife that came flying their way.
"As IF!" Kagome yelled, stomping to her room and slamming the door. "She's not getting away that easily," Inuyasha growled, stomping after her.
Shippo looked around for the next squabbling couple.
"If you so much as look at me in a perverted way, I swear…!" Sango's voice drifted in from the dining room, where she was setting the table for dinner.
"But Sango, my love…" Miroku whined. "No!" she yelled.
Shippo cautiously stuck his head around the door, having learned his lesson with Kagome. He pulled it back just as fast, wincing as the plate Sango had thrown hit the door and shattered.
"Don't touch me! Leave me alone! Don't make me castrate you!" she threatened. Miroku's gulp was audible.
Shippo just sighed and shook his head, warily searching for Ayame and Kouga.
Jeez, what is it with these women and throwing dangerous objects? he wondered vaguely as he walked into the living room.
Abruptly realizing what he was seeing, he quietly turned around and exited the room. He leaned against the wall in the hallway and chuckled to himself.
Kagome and Sango could take a leaf out of Ayame's book, Shippo mused to himself.
The third couple had already worked their differences out and were presently making out in the next room.
"I think I'll leave for a few hours. Maybe their tempers will cool down a bit," he said to himself as he let himself out of the apartment, still chuckling.
AN: There, done! Ok, my hands hurt now…and JAL was bugging me to get it done so he could use the computer… But! I have fulfilled my promise of completing this chapter!
WARNING! Next chapter: LEMON. Woo! I finally made it to the actual chapter! Ok, this one will most likely take me a bit to accomplish, as I've never written one in my life before. But Jenn will nag it out of me ASAP, no doubt.
.:Ja Ne:.
S.S.S.