InuYasha Fan Fiction / Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction ❯ Reality and Truth ❯ Coming to Light ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Everything is starting to come together. Bit by teeny bit, the truth is coming to reveal itself.

People are becoming closer, more familiar. Bonds are forming and becoming stronger.

But the question is, once everything is revealed, will it be for the good...? Will it make it all easier...?

Or will it just make their lives just that much more complicated...?

Everything is starting to come to light, but it's like when the sun is just peeking over the horizon...

...there is still so much shrouded in the dark...

Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction / Crossover With Non-anime Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery / Drama / Comedy / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 01.08.2011 | Pages: 7 | Words: 7.3K | Visits: 409 | Status: Work In Progress

Sorry in advance for the crappy formatting. Apparently this site is having its share of issues, and it won't take to the regular '.doc' format when submitted. Ergo, I gotta do it through '.rtf' which just screws it all up.

It aint gonna be pretty to read, but hey, at least it's something right? Lol

Read, Review, and as always, ENJOY!! XDD

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This chapter has been beta'd by the wonderful and awesomelicious ArmyWife22079 and neverforget-3-1-07. You two ROCK!! Thanks so much!! You both helped wonders with this chapter!!

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Disclaimer- As much as I wish I did, I DO NOT own Inuyasha or NCIS, just the plot of this story and any OC’s that happen to pop up! XD

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--Reality and Truth-

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Previously;

Gibbs grunted. "Just spit it out." he said exasperatedly.

Kagome nodded, fidgeting nervously. "Yeah, so the little puzzle we got from the killer? On those notes, it mentioned 'wench'...."

From his seat on the couch, Inuyasha's head shot up, eyes going wide. Next to him, Shippo followed suit with a fit of spitting out the coffee he was in the midst of drinking.

Kagome gulped, ignoring the even more intense gazes boring holes in her skull. "So yeah, I'm thinking that I have a pretty good idea the demon means me, and knows I'm here."

They all stopped, staring at her with wide eyes.

"What?!?"

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--Coming to Light--

They all practically glared at her as Kagome winced.

When Gibbs spoke, his tone was cold, calculating, and calm; like the calm before the storm variety and it gave her the chills. "What do you mean, these demons know you?" Gibbs asked her quietly, his eyes shutting tightly as if he wished this will all go away somehow.

If only he was that lucky...

Kagome and Inuyasha shared a look, and Kagome quickly shook her head. "Not necessarily. I'm...very well known in the demon underground. And the name goes back...way back..."

Inuyasha had the decency to look guilty at that.

"Anyhow, I'm usually referred to as the 'demon loving wench', considering I work for a demon when in all counts I am the utter and complete arch nemesis of demons. You can see I'm very well loved. That's only one of many names I'm so charmingly known as."

Her head cocked in thought, her lips twisted in a strained, wry smile as she continued; she wasn't really bothered by it anymore, you learn to ignore it after a while... "'Youkai slut' seems to be a favorite...as well as-" she mused, before getting cut off.

"'Priestess bitch from hell'?" Shippo piped up, not bothering to flinch at the narrowed eyed stares turned his way.

Inuyasha groaned softly, face-palming.

Kagome shrugged though, peering over at the agents. "A little lengthy for my tastes, but many demons are hardly practical anyways." She waved her hand airlessly.

Tony shook his head, disbelief being the dominant expression. "Seriously, renegade demons running amok, plotting and killing marines. An underground network agency of super trained priestesses and demons of all and every variety of animals known to man and then some as agents. What next? Oh, don't tell, me you have a few ninjas stashed away under your thumb too?" he asked sarcastically.

Silence.

Inuyasha and Shippo started to snicker as Kagome grinned in reply. "How'd you guess?" She said cheekily.

Tony rolled his eyes, laughing lightly, thinking she was only playing around. "Ha ha. Very....funny..." He began to trail off, his eyes widening at the sly eyebrow cocked in his direction, her expression clearly stating 'Am I really?'. "Holy shit - you're serious! You have ninjas! Really?! I was just kidding!!" The excitement clearly bubbled in his tone despite the incredulity.

Kagome shrugged. "Yeah, is it really so surprising? I mean, demons, priestesses - what are some ninjas?"

A thoughtful look crossed Shippo's face. "Hmm, I guess you could say, we-" he gestured to Inuyasha, Kagome, and himself, "-are the equivalent to you guys in the agency, special agents in a way. Ninja's are like the regular policemen in society - except, you know, way more badass." Both Kagome and Shippo nodded eagerly in this aspect.

Abby giggled, while the rest of them just stared blankly at the two. Gibbs shook his head in exasperation.

The three then shared evil grins. "Ninjas are based all around the world as police officers, and serve as our contacts. They're the ones who are supposed to monitor and report any disturbances," Inuyasha finished explaining.

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "So you have some contacts in DC." It wasn't a question. "Maybe they can shed some light into this."

Kagome turned to Shippo, cocking her head thoughtfully. "You know, he has a point - we should probably check into the DC ninjas, see if anything is wrong while we check in with the demonic contacts."

Inuyasha scoffed. "What I want to know is why the hell they ain't doing their goddamn jobs! If they knew anything, they would have said something sooner - before all these murders went on the fucking news! That's what they're fucking here for - to make our jobs fucking easier, not harder damn it!"

The team froze. "Wait, what?" McGee blurted out. "The news? What are you talking about?"

Inuyasha growled under his breath, rolling his eyes. Kagome just patted his shoulder, motioning him to calm down before sending McGee an apologetic look. "Haven't you heard? News about a string of marine killings has been airing for the last couple of days."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes. "That's impossible." he retorted.

Shippo shot him a confused look. "Why is that? Don't reporters usually report on deaths like these?"

Tony snorted, shaking his head. "NCIS doesn't release information like that. The public should only believe that these murders are the usual, run of the mill mugging variety. No one outside the agency believes they are connected."

Kagome frowned, staring at him seriously. "Apparently, that's not the case," she murmured quietly.

Reaching for a remote, she flicked on the TV nearby. "No new reports on the Marine murder string. Authorities have made no comment on the progress of catching the serial killer as of yet, this is Hilary Carson, bringing you the morning news - we'll be back in a moment...."

An angry look passed through Gibbs face and his hand flashed as it dug his phone from inside his jacket. "Someone is gonna get their ass kicked..." he muttered darkly as he stalked out of the room. Just before he left, they heard the words "Director? We got a problem..."

Kagome shook her head at it all - this was becoming a bigger and bigger mess every day.

Catching Tony watching her from the corner of her eyes, she cocked an eyebrow his way.

Her eyes flashed with curiosity as his head tilted to her bedroom. Seeing everyone else preoccupied with their own conversation - Abby, McGee, and Ziva asking question after question about demons as Inuyasha and Shippo answered to the best of their abilities - the former obviously reluctant and hesitant to say anything, and the latter eager to succumb to the attention - Kagome nodded almost imperceptibly and made way to her room, Tony following.

The two demons left behind shared a curious look while the others weren't looking, but did nothing.

--o--o--o--o--

Shutting the door behind him, Tony walked further into the room. "I feel like I should make a movie reference right now, but...I'm a bit at a loss..." he said trailing off, trying to fill the silence.

"Then again, there was this one Japanese flick an ex made me watch, she called it a 'hentai'?" A strangled noise escaped Kagome's throat, so soft Tony didn't notice. "And well...it's..." his rambling faded suddenly, a film of red coating his cheeks, so faint that if you weren't careful, you'd miss it. He cleared his throat, internally thankful he caught himself in time. "Uh, you know what?mind. I just lost it..." he ended lamely.

sat down at the edge of her bed and looked up at him, her lips quirked in a small, amused smile, mentally snickering. "That's a shocker..." she murmured wryly, before looking away. "I'm still reeling at the fact none of you are furious at me, or scared at all..." her fists clenched as she said about the last part.

"Kagome..." Tony mumbled, coming closer. "About earlier, in the ally. I meant what I said - I'm not afraid of you, or disgusted for that matter. It doesn't change anything-" Kagome's snort of disbelief cut him off and she shot him a flat look.

"Doesn't change anything?" she repeated incredulously. "One would think it changed pretty much every damn thing..."

She blinked when he came even closer, moving to a crouch so they were eye level and her eyes flashed in concern when she saw his flinch of pain in the process.

The emotion churning in his own blue eyes had Kagome freezing, and as Tony placed a hand on her upper arm, she could feel the heat burning through the fabric of her shirt. "It doesn't change who you are Kagome..." he paused for a moment, before continuing once he found the right words. "It doesn't change what I think about you," he told her firmly, deeply.

"Tony..." Kagome breathed out, eyes wide.

The underlying words of 'It doesn't change how I feel about you...' floated in his mind, teased at the tip of his tongue. the possible repercussions of speaking those words out loud prevented him for saying them. Instead, he said, "Do you understand?" he demanded softly.

Kagome nodded gently, smiling faintly.

And his trademark grin was back on his face before she knew it, as if they weren't just having this serious, in-depth talk. "Good. It would suck if you started tip toeing around us now - we're too used to your charming attitude," he remarked cheekily, chuckling when Kagome twitched and glared at him.

When he straightened he flinched in pain once more and Kagome could keep silent about it. "Tony," she began quietly, the man looking over at her with a questioning expression. "You're injury - how is it?" she queried, standing.

She watched as he blinked at the sudden question, his hand moving unconsciously to hover over his injured side. "Oh this ole' thing? Fixed up with a few stitches courtesy of Ducky and now I'm good as new," he said nonchalantly, playing it off.

Kagome cocked a wry eyebrow his way. "Hurts like a bitch, doesn't it?" she remarked bluntly.

Tony snorted, shaking his head in amusement. "Well I was trying to be manly about it...we all don't have fancy healing powers, you know..." he said playfully.

Kagome laughed and grabbed his arm, tugging him over to her bed. "Come over here..." she said.

A perverted lilt invaded his tone. "Oh ho ho - taking me to your bed now are we? And it isn't even the first date," he retorted lewdly.

Kagome snorted dryly. "You wish DiNozzo," she scoffed out, shaking her head before pushing him into the bed. "Now lie down and let me take a look," she told him, wincing at how bad that sounded. Heat crept up her neck as Tony chuckled.

"Ah, now how can I ignore a direct order like that?" he replied wryly. Reaching up, he unbuttoned his shirt, opening it to reveal his chest.

He couldn't help but smirk as he watched Kagome's eyes dance along his body, taking in the nicely formed muscles of his stomach, not too prominent, but not too faint, and the patch of light brown curls that covered his front with an appreciative gleam.

"Like what you see?" he remarked cockily and he took delight in the way a blush coated her cheeks.

"So what if I do?" she retorted back, not about to let him get one over him. "Nothing I haven't seen before..." she muttered as she saw the bruises that spotted his tan skin, and then the angry mark at his side, taking closer inspection to it.

A smile formed on her face as his chuckle stopped dead in its tracks. "Now that was just mean..." he muttered moodily, and with a flicker of her eyes, she confirmed that yes, there was a pout playing on his lips.

Typical...

She laughed quietly as she traced along the stitched wound, taking care to be gentle.

'Couple of stitches? More like seven...' she thought, frowning.

She was oblivious to how her feather-like touch sent shivers down Tony's spine and how he bit his lip, swallowing somewhat thickly. 'If she keeps on doing this, I don't know if I can be held accountable for my actions...'

"Kagome..." he said thickly, his voice lower than usual. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "What are you doing?" he whispered out in a semi-sharp voice.

"I'm sorry," she said suddenly, so soft he almost missed it. "You shouldn't have gotten hurt - I was supposed to protect you..." she trailed off, voice thick with guilt. "You almost got killed. If Shippo hadn't come when he did then you-" she cut herself off, throat closing at the thought of the light hearted man who almost never failed to crack a sarcastic joke or think of a movie reference from thin air, dead.

Tony gazed at her. "Hey..." he murmured, nudging her gently. "It's not your fault - it's no one's fault but that bastard's, " he told her in a voice that left no room for argument.

Her eyes locked up with his suddenly. "Do you trust me?" she whispered with such emotion that it almost sent him reeling.

Her blue eyes bored into him, as if searching him, searching inside him, and he couldn't help but say, "Of course."

It surprised him how easily that answer came - and how right it was to say it. And the way Kagome's eyes brightened made it all the better.

Her eyes flickered back to his wound. "I can heal it - if you want?" she asked him curiously, carefully and waited patiently for his answer.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Heal i- how?"

She gave him a secretive smile. " Fancy healing powers..." she drawled out mysteriously, wiggling her fingers in the air and Tony chuckled. "I have to remove the stitches though..." she trailed off, looking up at him.

Giving a firm nod, he shrugged. "Go for it."

He watched as she nodded and stood up, making her way to the nightstand. He watched as she opened the drawer, taking out a small bowl filled with various contents: rubbing alcohol, tweezers, and small scissors. Placing on top of the nightstand, she pulled out some cloth.

Tony blinked. "You keep a first aid kit next to your bed...?" he asked slowly. "There are so many implications I could make, I don't even know where to start..." he trailed off, now grinning slightly.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous..." she muttered fondly as she poured the rubbing alcohol into the bowl, dipping the tweezers and scissors to sterilize them.

She brought everything to Tony's side, placing everything on the floor. Reaching over, she grabbed the clothes and laid it out around him. Looking over at him, she spoke. "This will....probably hurt," she warned him, almost apologetically.

Tony grimaced slightly, but managed a tight smirk. "I gathered that, but a little pain won't kill me."

Kagome snorted softly and went to work. She grabbed the scissors and tweezers from the bowl of alcohol and brought them over to his wound. Take a great deal of care, she snipped through one stitch, tugging remains gently through and out from his skin.

Since the wound was nowhere near healed, blood began to seep through readily.

From her peripheral vision she saw Tony wince, though he tried to hide it.

Taking another cloth, she dipped it into the bowl of alcohol. "Now, this will definitely sting," she told him, grimacing slightly.

Tony mimicked her expression. "Well...too late to stop now..." he muttered. "Do your worst."

Her eyes flashed with amusement - yep, that was Tony for you, a witty retort ready for everything. She cleaned the wound as swiftly as she could. Taking another cloth, she pressed against it firmly. "I need you to press against this so you don't bleed all over my bed," she muttered.

He had to hold down a snort at that, but the dry grin that pulled at his lips had a mind of its own. "Yeah, blood is a bitch to wash out..." he murmured sarcastically.

Kagome grinned in spite of herself.

She repeated her steps for the next six stitches until they were all gone. Taking another cloth, seeing as the other one was practically drenched in blood, she cleaned up the blood at last. Cocking a sly eyebrow at Tony, she smirked. "Now sit back and watch the show..." she joked.

Tony blinked. "Wha-?" he stopped as her hands glowed a faint white-blue, the same color as the barrier night before. "Whoa..." he breathed at in awe, feeling a wave of calming just wash through him as he watched as his skin began to stitch together, the pain fading away with every second. "Hinky..." and an amazed grin spread out across his face.

Kagome grinned faintly to herself as she moved her hands up his torso, over the bruises. She didn't see how Tony seemed to shiver pleasantly at the feeling that crept up his body as she worked her way up.

But when she was done and she went to pull back her hands, she was stopped as a much larger hand grabbed at her wrists. Blinking, Kagome looked up and froze in her place.

Tony was staring at her with such dark eyes, filled with heat and want?

"Tony...?" came Kagome's whisper, and she was shocked how her voice sounded. So soft, vulnerable, questioning yet curious - but there was also a hint of pleading that couldn't be missed.

The sound of her voice drew Tony's attention to her lips - pink, small, and yet a bit plump. Oh so inviting and enticing.

His flickered back to her face, taking in her innocent expression as she stared back at him questioningly, and it just made her all the more tempting.

It was when she glanced at her detained wrist and back to him, about to pull back her wrist once more, that he made his move. He tugged at her gently, to bring her closer, but then waited; giving her an out if she wanted to back away.

She didn't.

It was as if an invisible force was pulling them together, their eyes never wavering from their locked gaze.

They were coming closer, and closer; so close that their lips were less than an inch from touching as Kagome hovered over him from the side of the bed.

'Slam!'

The walls shook at the force and the two flinched apart; Kagome leaping up and away from the bed as they stared at the still closed door in shock, as if they were doing something wrong and were caught red handed.

"Where's DiNozzo and Higurashi?!"

Their eyes widened at Gibbs' not-so-happy voice and the two shared a quick look, taking in the other's flush expression.

Quickly clearing their throats, they both shouted immediately. "Right here!" "In here Boss!"

As the thudding of footsteps approached the room, Kagome went to work and began to clean up, gathering the medical supplies, their eyes locking every once in a while as Tony watched her intently.

As they heard the door swing open, Tony looked over at his boss sheepishly. "Hey..."

Gibbs' eyes narrowed at the scene - Tony in the bed, half dressed as Kagome busied herself cleaning up, not looking a either of them once. Then his eyes zeroed in on the blood and his gaze snapped to Tony's wound - or where it was supposed to be. "What the hell is going on in here?"

"Uh...well..." Tony stammered, not knowing exactly how to explain it.

Standing, Kagome risked a glance at Gibbs. "I was just healing his wounds - it's one of my abilities." And as if to prove it, her hands glowed again.

As if hesitant to believe them, Gibbs' gaze teetered between Kagome, her hands, and Tony. Finally, he shook his head. "Well, that's handy..." he muttered gruffly, eyeing her hands as the glow faded.

Jerking his head to the door, Gibbs spoke. "Now if you're done playing grabass, we still have some things to discuss," he commented as he left and the two blushed.

He wasn't that blind or oblivious to miss their flushed expressions earlier.

Scratching her neck nervously, she tossed Tony his shirt as he got off the bed. "Get dressed," she muttered as she quickly made her way out of the room.

Tony followed, pulling on his shirt, a sheepish look among his face.

Once they were back with the others, they weren't ignorant to the curious looks they were all sending them, especially as they watched Tony finishing buttoning up his shirt.

Shippo sent her a knowing look, a saucy grin playing on his lips. "Sooo Kagome...." he drawled out, winking at her.

Twitching, Kagome glared at him as her cheeks flushed even more. "Shut. Up. You're disgusting."

The grin never wavered. "What were you two doing in there for so long, all...alone...?” Shippo went on slyly.

Inuyasha snorted.

Abby giggled and McGee looked embarrassed at the implications. Ziva raised an eyebrow, sending her partner a curious look.

Getting annoyed that this was turning into such a big deal, Kagome decided to mess with them and feigned nonchalance. "Oh nothing, I just performed this sexual slash blood ritual to heal his wounds. Nothing too big..." she said with the utmost seriousness.

Tony choked, his eyes going wide. Inuyasha mimicked his response.

Shippo snickered like crazy. The rest of them gaped as Ziva held back a wicked smirk.

Gibbs' lips twitched, but narrowed his eyes at Tony. "Is that so?" he said with fake sharpness.

Tony was able to find his voice and scrambled to explain before Gibbs got even more pissed. "She's kidding boss! She didn't-we didn't-!" he stammered nervously.

Ziva snickered at Tony's frantic discomfort.

Kagome rolled her eyes, reaching over to pat Tony's shoulder. "Just- just stop," she told him, smirking. Looking up at the rest of them, "I just healed him, geeze - get your minds out of the gutter... It was purely platonic."

At that, the group calmed down.

and Tony shared a side glance.

Platonic...right....

There was nothing platonic about it...

--o--o--o--o--

By the time Kagome finished explaining the situation the team decided to go their separate ways for some much needed rest, thanking any and every entity that it was Saturday and they actually had the weekend off.

When the door finally closed, Kagome fell back into the couch, sinking into the soft cushions, elated at the chance to finally relax for a moment.

Apparently karma didn't see it fit for her to even get one minute of relaxation, for a sharp, short knock sounded against the door twenty seconds later, coupled with a call. "Hello? This is the manager - I'm sorry for the interruption, but someone reported a noise disturbance from this room? Is everything ok?"

Kagome stifled a low, annoyed groan at the intrusion.

Really? Were a few moments of peace and quiet so much to ask?

Apparently so, as Inuyasha and Shippo only snickered at Kagome perturbed expression.

Not wanting to deal with this, Kagome ran to the bedroom, grabbed the bed sheet, wrapped it around her body, and ran back to open the door, mussing up her hair through the way.

She opened the door just enough for the man to see her wrapped with the sheet, and for all he knew, wearing nothing underneath. "Oh, I'm sorry, you see, my husband and I, w-we just go married and we're on our honeymoon and I guess...we just got a little carried away, heh..." Kagome stuttered out innocently, giving out a flustered smile with a nervous giggle as a companion.

The man flushed in embarrassment before waving his hands, shaking his head. "No! I'm sorry for disturbing you! Just please, there have been complaints, would you mind...keeping it down?" He gulped nervously.

Kagome gave him an uncertain smile, giving him a sweet, doe-eyed look. "Uhm, well, I don't know, but we'll try! You know how it is, right? Newlyweds?" She laughed lightly, winking suggestively.

The manager only blushed harder but nodded eagerly. "I'm sorry for disturbing, I hope you have a, err...wonderful time for the rest of your stay."

Kagome winked luridly. "You know it," She murmured heatedly, before closing the door in the man's face.

Kagome turned to see the amused looks on her companions, who were having a hard time keeping back their snickers the whole time. She rolled her eyes, muttering crossly. "You know, I think I saw him drool...idiot..."

Shippo snickered while Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Crossing his arms, he pinned her with a look. "Those Navy cops may be gone, but we still gotta talk about this Kagome. The bastard will have your fucking skin when he finds out - and he will find out."

Kagome threw her hands up in the air, groaning in frustration. "I know that already!" she bit out tiredly.

Shippo sighed, sobering up. "I hate to say this Kagome - and I mean I really, really hate to - but I gotta agree with Inuyasha on this one - ow!!" He yelped out, cradling his head gingerly as he stared at Inuyasha incredulously. "What the hell?!"

Inuyasha 'feh'ed, shaking his head. "I can't believe this Kagome." And she looked away. "I can't believe that ice-prick named you his second-in-command..." He scoffed.

Kagome groaned. "Look Inuyasha. Lying to people...I don't know, that's easy enough I guess. But to my friends?" she murmured softly. "You don't think I wish I can go back and change this? Tony almost got killed..."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, but his harsh gaze softened anyways.

Shippo sat next to Kagome, wrapping a comforting arm around her. "Heeey, don't get so sad Kagome. You did your best. Don't listen to Inuyasha, Sesshomaru picked you for a reason, and you know he doesn't do anything unless he's one hundred percent positive about it."

Kagome smiled at him, "Thanks Ship..."

Inuyasha sighed at her. "That human cop - Tony?" Kagome peered up at him. "You like him, don't you?" he demanded, his eyes narrowing.

Kagome's eyes widened a fraction, "What?! No!" she denied automatically.

Shippo and Inuyasha shared looks. "Right..." they drawled out simultaneously.

"We're not stupid Kags," Shippo retorted dryly.

"This is dangerous Kagome," Inuyasha told her quietly, getting unusually for once. "He's human."

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "So am I." Her voice was sharp.

Inuyasha scoffed. "You know what I mean. That's dangerous, and stupid, even for you."

Kagome glared at him, but looked away, knowing he was right. "I know..." she muttered.

"Now's not the time to get involved with someone. Especially since he's involved with this mission - it's distractin'." Inuyasha continued, gazing at her sadly. "If you ain't careful, it can get you both killed."

Kagome's eyes snapped up to his. "I know that!" she whispered harshly, fists clenching. "It's not like I asked for this to happen! It's just..." she trailed off, miserably.

Shippo's arm squeezed around her and he sent Inuyasha a sharp look. "You can't help who you fall for," he told the hanyou, jumping to Kagome's defense. "And stop jumping to conclusions. You two didn't get killed in the Feudal Era, in fact, your relationship made you guys stronger - because you had something to fight for! And it was even more dangerous back then! So stop saying the two of them together will be such a bad thing!"

Inuyasha growled. "I'm not, dumbass! I'm just sayin' it could be if they don't watch it!"

Shippo opened his mouth to argue, but Kagome cut him off. "Stop it guys! Let's drop this for now, kay? I'm not with him, and I probably won't be. Ziva's told me all about him - long term relationship, or any for that matter, and Tony don't go together in the same sentence if you catch my drift..."

Inuyasha and Shippo sent her apologetic gazes, and Kagome ignored them and the feeling of her stomach dropping. Instead, she continued, changing the subject. "We need to get in touch with our contacts, see what the hell is up with them. Inuyasha's right - this shouldn't have snuck up on us, not something like this."

--o--o--o--o--

It was early Monday morning, and the team was back at the hotel room, deciding this was the best place for them to meet without raising any questions about Shippo's sudden appearance in the case.

Gibbs, Ziva, Tony, and McGee were looking much better than they did last time they were here, catching up on their sleep. They all sat around the couch, bringing chairs over from the dining table so they could all gather around.

Shippo and Kagome were present, but Inuyasha was nowhere to be seen.

"So this is what we'll do," Shippo began, back in his human illusion. "We piled up a list of contacts and divided them between us, takes less time."

Kagome took over from here. "Shippo and I will split up and track, see if we get any tips."

Ziva narrowed her eyes. "What about that other man - Inuyasha?"

Kagome and Shippo shared sheepish looks. "Uh - yeah, him. Well -"

"Inuyasha's a hot-headed jerk." Shippo cut in bluntly, smirking.

Kagome ran a frustrated hand across her face. "What Shippo is trying to say is...Inuyasha isn't best fit for this kind of situation..." she explained more diplomatically.

That raised some eyebrows.

Shippo rolled his eyes. "Which is a nicer, more round-a-bout way of saying he's the muscles, not the brains of the operation. He pisses just about everyone he meets off. It's part of his charm," he said, snickering. "Luckily, Kagome is practically immune to it,"

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Moving on?" she suggested. "This is your team Gibbs, I'm sure you want someone to go with us right?"

Gibbs nodded. "Sounds good to me. DiNozzo, you go with Higurashi. David, with..." Gibbs trailed off suggestively, not knowing Shippo's last name.

Shippo blinked. "Oh, yeah. My human name is actually Sanji Teno, so just call me that whenever we're in public..."

"Teno..." Gibbs said slowly, "Right, David, you go with...Teno..."

Ziva's nose scrunched at the thought. "Fantastic..." she muttered sarcastically.

Shippo just grinned. "Oooh, I'm gonna love working with you - I just know it!" he snickered, winking at her.

Ziva glared.

Kagome groaned, and reached over to pinch his cheeks. "Behave," she warned him.

Shippo swatted her hand away and glared, muttering. "Meanie..."

"Where exactly are we going anyways?" Tony questioned, curious.

"The woods," the two chorused together.

"Most demons keep to the woods - for a more secluded lifestyle. Some are in the city, but we're going to the ones we trust first,"

Seeing Tony's face screwed up, Kagome looked at him. "Why? Is something wrong?"

McGee smirked. "Tony’s never been a fan of nature…"

"That’s not true!!” Tony argued quickly, his eyes shifting nervously.

Ziva rolled her eyes. “Yes, of course. He is a big fan of nature... only when it is on TV…”

Kagome snorted, though her eyes sparkled in amusement. “Why am I not surprised?” she teased lightly.

Tony made a mocking face in her direction.

Continuing on, Gibbs spoke. "McGee, I want you and Abby to go over the rest of the tapes they got." He sent a sharp look to Kagome and Shippo. "The non-doctored ones," he added for good measure.

To their credit, a sheepish look crossed their faces. "No problem - they just can't leave the room. I'd rather not have someone stumbling onto it, and this isn't going into evidence." Kagome replied seriously.

Gibbs nodded, conceding. "Fair enough."

"The surveillance equipment is stored in Kagome's closet. We'll pull it out and set it up for you guys before we leave. "

McGee nodded, "Got it."

At that moment, they heard the door open and Inuyasha strolled in, his disguise already gone. Giving the human cops a curt nod in greeting, he held up a paper to Kagome. "I got the list of the ninja-cops from base. I set it up so we're meetin' at the warehouse."

Gibbs cocked an eyebrow at them. "You guys have a warehouse?" He asked dryly.

Kagome smiled secretively. "One of many."

Gibbs looked over at the half-demon. "These are humans, right? What are you going to do with them?"

Inuyasha smirked. "I trained a lotta these guys - these are my men, and I got a bone to pick with 'em. Someone failed to report to us - I'm gonna find out who."

Gibbs nodded, "I'll go with you then," he said, leaving no room for discussion.

Inuyasha glanced at Kagome who shrugged. "Interrogation is Gibbs' forte. Besides, it'll probably be good to give him the rundown on how the system works."

Inuyasha sighed in irritation. "So we're lettin' them into everything then?" he muttered moodily. "Whatever - we'll go whenever you're ready."

Tony snorted. "You're so kind..." he muttered under his breath.

Inuyasha twitched and threw a heated glare the man's way. "Listen here you punk! I outta-"

Kagome leapt up, cutting him off by grabbing him by the shoulder. "Inuyasha..." she said quietly, meaningfully. "Let's go get our things, alright?" she asked, eager to stop any unnecessary arguing.

Tony frowned, unsure at what to think about their close interaction.

Inuyasha stared down at her hard, before relenting. Shoulders drooping, he huffed. "Feh..." he muttered, stalking of into her room.

Looking over to the rest of them, "We'll get our gear and we'll head out, alright?" and she moved to follow Inuyasha as soon as they nodded.

Tony moved to the side, closer to Shippo. "What's the deal between Kagome and that guy? When they're not fighting, they seem really close..." he muttered lowly.

Shippo blinked, before mentally smirking. 'Ahh, good ole' jealousy' "Well..." Shippo murmured thoughtfully, "Despite what you normally see, they're actually the best of friends - really close too, even since high school. They've been through a lot together..." Shippo went on, head cocked.

"Really now..." Tony mumbled, not liking where this was going.

Shippo nodded. "Yep, and they did have a thing before. That might be a big reason for it..."

"Huh..." Tony muttered unhappily.

But Shippo smiled at him. "But that was a while back ago - high school sweethearts you know? They're just friends now, the breakup didn't change anything really - they're still as close as ever..."

"Right..." Tony just muttered while looking over in the bed, coincidentally catching a glance at Kagome and Inuyasha sharing a grin as the woman nudged the hanyou playfully.

"That's just...awesome..." Tony mumbled darkly, before turning over back to his team.

Shippo mentally snickered. 'Hmm...oops, guess I forgot to mention Inuyasha is married now...oh well...'

If Tony really was the womanizer Kagome said he was, well, that man had his work cut out for him.

He wasn't gonna make it easy for him to break Kagome's heart, intentional or not...

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You know, I really loved writing this, despite it's filler like-ness. The words just flowed from my mind typing it, and it was awesomee!! XDD

My favorite part? The deep moment turned semi-steamy with Kagome and Tony! Made me squee like the true fangirl I am ;DD

Then the funniness afterwards had me giggling. Shippo is just so adorable and fun to write! Right now, he's at the crossroad of a hormonal teenage and a cocky bachelor - heheh, kinda like Tony but younger! ^^

Ahh, and the end. Shippo shows his protective streak. Poor, poor Tony hahah.

Oh, and my other favorite part, the one where Tony makes a sarcastic crack about ninjas being 'stashed under their thumbs'?

Lmaoo, I loved that! This was actually suggested by someone!! XD

The really horrible part is that I can't remember who!! :/// So if you suggested it, and you're reading this now, I'm sooo sorry I didn't remember! I tried looking through my reviews (and yes, all 300 something of them, that was time consuming!) but I couldn't find ANYTHING!

So if you're reading this and it was you who suggested it, thank you soo very much!! XD And don't forget to tell me so you get the credit you deserve!

Till laters everyone!! Hope you enjoyed this installment! Reviewww!!! ;)
RainLily^^

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--Reviews—

I love reviews, simple as that. But the fact that you guys even read this is what means the most ;)

Elfgurl- Lol, thanks!! XD And I don't think anyone would wanna be there to when Sessho pops up hahah! Thanks again! Hope you enjoy this!! ^^

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