InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Charade ❯ Speculation ( Chapter 2 )

A/N: decided to post this chapter sooner rather than later. Here's chapter two… really must get back to homework now…

Disclaimer: still don't own Inuyasha… never will own Inuyasha…

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Charade

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Chapter Two: SPECULATION

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Doctor Kitosumo Hiten shifted uncomfortably in the stiff, scratchy chair, as he waited for General Taisho Sesshomaru to speak. The tall, white-haired man with that odd crescent-moon on his forehead hadn't uttered a word since he'd entered Kitosumo's "office"-all he'd done was silently appraise the room and fix a steady gaze on Hiten, as if measuring the worth of the doctor. Hiten liked it better when the General was studying the room.

After another three minutes had passed, Hiten blurted, "Well?"

Taisho looked amused. "Well what?"

"I know you did not come to call on me just to waste your precious time, Sesshomaru," Hiten stated flatly. "You don't fool me-a man of your status does not grace lowly war medics with his presence unless there is an extremely grave matter to discuss."

"Indeed?"

"Yes."

There was a pregnant pause before Taisho nodded slightly. "Good. I see you are still as sharp as ever. And you still do not take any monkey business from anyone-such as that pretty young nurse."

Hiten reddened a bit. "Oh, her?" he mumbled uncomfortably. "That's just Higurashi; she's a newbie nurse. Doesn't know anything about nursing or war-very impressionable."

"So I gathered. And you have drilled it into her head that she is nothing, compared to you, O Great Healer?"

"Well, I-"

"You're so predictable, Hiten. It's good to know there are a few men in this world that will never change," he added cryptically.

"Pardon?"

Sesshomaru fixed a level gaze on Hiten. "I am assuming that you have heard the rumors?"

"About your brother?" Hiten said eagerly, then quickly amended his words after Sesshomaru's glare shot daggers. "I mean-half brother?"

"Yes. About InuYasha. How much have you heard?"

"A variety of tales," Hiten shrugged. "The most common one is that after learning of Kikyo's betrayal, he sold himself to the enemy. Some even believe he's in league with-" Hiten lowered his voice to a whisper-"Naraku."

"Indeed?"

"Yes, but-is it true? Is he really employed by Naraku now? Is it to avenge himself, or simply destroy Kikyo?"

"Seeing as my half-brother regards himself as invincible, I wouldn't put it past him...but seriously doubt that he would find any woman worth destroying; he may have been hurt by Kikyo, but I am almost certain that he has moved on by now. He wouldn't admit to anyone that a woman affected him in such a way."

Hiten nodded earnestly. "So?" he prompted. "Do you think he is working for Naraku?"

"I don't know. Those who could possibly know have disappeared-either changed identities or gone into hiding. But we do know one thing-InuYasha wouldn't join up with Naraku unless there is some benefit for himself. Which means that Naraku is either gaining power, or is close to achieving his goals. That is-if InuYasha is involved with the Black Mask."

"I thought we had established that as nearly valid."

"We cannot afford to assume anything. Yet, in light of recent circumstances, I am leaning towards taking, shall we say, a more liberal point of view?"

"What recent circumstances?" Hiten stared at the General blankly. "You mean the bombing of the feudal ruins of the country?"

Sesshomaru closed his eyes in wariness for a moment. "My dear Hiten, you are out of the loop."

"I have been working like a dog these past few weeks," Kitosumo protested, "ever since the intensity of the battles have increased. Not to mention that the normal contact hasn't bothered to show in nearly four weeks-"

"Use a few of your scarce brain cells, Kitosumo," snapped Sesshomaru. "Did it ever occur to you that perhaps the reason your contact hasn't shown in so long would be because he couldn't contact you?"

"What's stopping him? Is the city no longer safe? Did someone tip him off about a collaborator in the hospital?" Kitosumo frowned. "That one doctor, Hyonoki, seems rather suspicious… he disappears for a time, then reappears like that. Do you think-?"

"Fool!" Sesshomaru rose from his chair. "I don't know why I bother with you, other than the fact that your position is so convenient. Your contact hasn't been in touch with your in over four weeks because he's missing."

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"Missing?"

"Yes, missing; most likely dead. Three others of our own have disappeared in the past month-two have turned up dead, both in feudal ruins."

"What can this mean?"

"Naraku is becoming more bold, obviously. He's gaining power."

"But what does this have to do with your brother? I mean, half-brother?"

"My half-brother," Sesshomaru said slowly, "was in the vicinity of all the places were our men were allegedly killed. Too close for it to be considered a coincidence."

"But-it's not InuYasha's style to be used as a hit-man. Too degrading, he would think."

"Naturally that's exactly what he would want us to think." Sesshomaru shook his silk white bangs out of his eyes. "Of course, this is all speculation. We have no proof that he is one of Naraku's goons."

"Do we ever have proof of anything?"

"Point taken." Sesshomaru stepped towards the door. "Do what you deem necessary. I have other matters to deal with now-I will see that you are contacted in the next seven days."

"Arigato, General."

"You should return to your patients-I wouldn't want you to be the object of suspicion." His eyes traveled toward the small table where several rows of playing cards lay. "Then again…"

Hiten at least had the good grace to look embarrassed.

The General tapped lightly on the door, which opened momentarily. Must be the toad, Hiten thought as the pale General disappeared through the doorjamb. InuYasha…I wonder where the dog is now?

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Kagome jerked her head up and stared into his golden eyes, her gaze accusing. "Why, sir," she asked in a level tone, "are you harboring an enemy soldier?"

Before she knew what was happening, she was pushed up against the wall, her hands behind her back, with a knife at the base of her neck. She gasped as she felt the cold blade touch her skin. "I don't have to explain anything to you," the man whispered menacingly. "I have my reasons for my actions. Now, this soldier needs care-can I trust you not to talk?"

"Are you one of them?"

The knife pressed harder against her neck. A little more pressure and it would break open the skin- I won't talk, her mind promised, but her mouth blurted, "Who are you?"

The man laughed, a sensation that sent shivers up her spine. Good or bad shivers-she didn't take the time to decipher. "I'm not someone to mess with. Let's leave it at that."

She could almost feel him smirking. "Just whose side are you on, anyway?"

"That's pretty bold, considering I could kill you in a split second. That spunk is going to get you in trouble someday."

"It already has-or what is your definition of a knife at my throat?"

"A warning." The coldness of the blade suddenly receded and Kagome felt herself being turned around to face the man with golden eyes. He stared into her own brown ones, his gaze probing. "Can I trust you not to talk?" he repeated.

"You make it sound like I have a choice," she said nervously, glancing at the knife that had disappeared back into his boot.

He laughed shortly. "You're right. You don't. Now-about that storeroom…"

She swallowed. "Follow me please."

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Jaken slammed into the back of his master as the latter stopped in mid-stride. "Sesshomaru-sama?" he inquired. "What is the matter?"

The General's brow was furrowed in concentration. His head was inclined slightly, his nostrils flaring every so often, as if he was sniffing the air. His eyes narrowed; then his face broke out into a twisted smile. "It seems," he said, "that my younger brother is at the moment in this very hospital."

"InuYasha?" Jaken squeaked, frantically looking around. "That half-breed? How dare he show his face in your presence!"

"Indeed," Sesshomaru said ironically.

"Go get him, Sesshomaru-sama! He will be easy to catch, unsuspecting as he is! Surely if he is stupid enough to appear in a field hospital-"

"Silence, toad." He tilted his head to the side, contemplating. "What do you say we leave Kitosumo a little test, Jaken? Let us see if Hiten is as observant as he boasts." He shrugged. "And, if Kitosumo fails to notice that one of Naraku's spies is under his nose, there are other ways of trapping my half-brother."

"An excellent idea, master!" exclaimed Jaken. "It is no wonder that you were promoted to General!"

Sesshomaru gave Jaken a slanted look that made the toad wither. "You can hold the flattery, Jaken. If I wanted flowery praise, I would parade myself in front of the streets of Tokyo."

"Yes, of course, Sesshomaru-sama!"

Sesshomaru moved towards the back door. "Mind you watch your steps, little brother," he murmured. "Because I, Sesshomaru, am onto your scheme."

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"In here," Kagome whispered, cracking open the door. "How's this?"

"Fine." The white-haired man pushed open the door and shoved Kagome in before him. He quickly scanned the room, his gold eyes missing nothing. Apparently satisfied that nothing was going to jump out at him, he shut the door resolutely and unceremoniously dumped his companion on the floor.

"Fix him," he commanded.

Kagome stared at the man as if he was a raving lunatic. "Excuse me?"

"Fix him," he repeated, giving her one of those smirks again.

Kagome felt her face burn. Why was she blushing? Because this man is as hot as- Gah! You don't want to finish that thought. He's helping the enemy, remember? Who cares if he's handsome… he held a knife to your throat!

"Fix him," Kagome recited softly to herself. "And I thought there wasn't a soul on this earth who could give worse orders than Kitosumo. Just WHAT do you expect me to 'fix' him with?"

He rolled his eyes. "You're the nurse. You tell me."

Gahh… "Fine," Kagome huffed. "I'll take a look at him and see what I can do. But I can't promise surgery or anything-as far as I know, no one's been in this storeroom since these boxes were dumped in here, but still; we have to assume that anyone could burst into here at any given time." Which would be unfortunate, seeing as there was no place to hide. The room was little bigger than a broom closet-the white-haired man's soldier friend was laying on the ground, squeezed in-between two rows of boxes filled with medical charts. The white-haired man was sitting cross-legged on top of a stack of boxes, his khaki army fatigues blending in quite well with the contents of the room. (A/N: sorry, I don't know what Japanese military uniforms look like… in this story they'll be a khaki color, ok?)

"Whatever, wench," the man said, looking bored. "Just fix my friend up, will you?"

"Friend?" she repeated stonily, though she kneeled next to the soldier on the floor just the same.

The man gave her a slanted look. "Yes, friend-in a sense. Why do you ask?"

"Obviously you have no scruples about consorting with the enemy," said Kagome as she checked the man for his injuries. Automatically she ran through the list in her head. Few broken ribs; several shots to the abdomen; legs temporarily paralyzed… oh yeah, he fell down a trench…ouch; broken arm; nasty gash on the head, but pupils aren't dilated, good that means no internal swelling of the brain-at least he'll live. At that last thought, she hesitated. Did she care if he lived? He was the enemy after all… the scar on his face was proof of that fact. She traced the lines of the Cyrillic symbol cut into the man's cheek. The symbol was rumored to mean "soldier" or "mercenary"-she couldn't remember which. It was a ritual in the Russian army to carve the symbol into their soldiers cheeks in boot camp; the symbol made it easier for the Russians during battle. There was rarely any friendly fire in the Russian army. Of course, the chances of being captured were much greater (General Taisho Sesshomaru had once said that capturing Russians was much like rounding up branded cattle), but the entire war strategy of the Russian army was to keep as many men from being captured, then merely overrun the enemy with a tidal wave of soldiers. They'd used the same tactics for centuries-and unfortunately, they still worked.

Then again, there was always the chance that this man was simply masquerading as a Russian; but chances of that were slim. Even spies rarely undertook in the Russian ritual-being branded a Russian soldier for life was a rather precarious position.

She was jolted out of her thoughts when the white-haired man spoke again.

"So your definition of an enemy is whoever the government declares is an evil, immoral country for whatever reason they can conjure?"

"I take it you're not a big fan of the present government."

"Whatever gave you that idea? I said that most people base who their friends and enemies are on what the government says. Don't go putting words into my mouth."

She shot him a look. "Who are you?"

He didn't answer; he stoically watched her bandage his friend's head.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are you going to answer my question?"

"No."

Won't give me his name-there's a bad sign. "Why not?"

"You don't have any reason to know it."

"I'm probably saving your friend's life right now-does that not count as a reason to know your name?"

"Feh. That's a reason for him to know your name," he grunted, his gold eyes laughing at her. "So. Tell my friend your name, Miss Higurashi, so he can hold the name of his savior close to his heart for all of posterity."

She started, and shot the white-haired man a wide-eyed look. "H-how did you know my name?"

"You told me. Or is your memory as bad as Kikyo's?" He smirked in what seemed to be his normal fashion.

"Who is this Kikyo person?"

His eyes narrowed. "Better not pry to deep, wench, you'll end up with more than you bargained for."

Kagome ignored his veiled threat. "She looks like me?"

"Uncannily."

"Think she's my long-lost twin or something?"

He barked out a laugh. "You? Her long-lost twin? Don't make me laugh."

"Is it so impossible? I am adopted, you know."

"I don't care if you're the Emperor's illegitimate heir; you're not related to Kikyo." His face grew thoughtful and he muttered something under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing. You almost done there?"

"Almost. You wouldn't happen to have a splint on you, by chance?"

"What do I look like, a walking pharmacy?"

"It never hurts to ask." She sat back on her heels and regarded the soldier lying before her. He wasn't unconscious, but he looked like he was in a deep sleep. "That bone needs to be set; otherwise I it won't ever heal properly."

"So what do you need to set it?"

Kagome jumped. The man had just appeared at her side in a split second. How had he jumped off his perch so quickly? "A split would be preferred, but two flat planks of wood would do, if nothing else."

"And where am I supposed to find two flat planks of wood?"

She shrugged. "Scrounge around this room and see if you can find something-if worse comes to worse I can always use cardboard."

"Feh." Despite his indifferent response, the man began to search around the room. Kagome watched him out of the corner of her eyes as she used her apron (*sigh*) to bind the man's abdomen. She would have preferred to clean the wounds out with antiseptic first, but that would entail sneaking some from the main supply room. "Dang," she muttered.

"How's this?" The white-haired man triumphantly held up two broken pieces of wood-they were uneven lengths, but no matter.

"Perfect!" Kagome said, rather surprised. "Where'd you find them?"

"Over here by the windowsill… probably was part of the windowsill at one point…" He dropped the wood into her lap and dropped down on the ground next to her, sitting in Indian-style again. "Are you almost done?"

"Do you want your friend to live?"

He grunted, and stretched out on his back, closing his eyes.

Kagome stared at him. "What are you doing?"

"Resting." He didn't open his eyes.

"At a time like this?"

"If anyone comes, I'll tell ya."

"So now you're the omniscient being?"

He smirked, finally opening his eyes, the gold meeting mahogany. "If that's how you want to think of me…"

Kagome blushed. "I didn't mean it like that-"

"Just fix him up, wench-I don't have much time."

That's gratitude for you! "Considering that your friend's life now rests in my hands, I wouldn't speak so easily."

"I'm not worried. You won't hurt him."

"So now you're the expert on my persona?" Kagome said, becoming rather irritated.

"Just an excellent judge of character."

"No false humility there."

"I pride myself in being brutally honest."

"What are you, some kind of perverted lawyer?"

He sent her a measured look. "You know, being so open with your opinions can get you into serious trouble…"

"Thanks for the warning." She wrapped the last bit of cloth around the two pieces of wood that flanked the Russian's arm and leaned back to studied her work. "Well it isn't the neatest splint-but it'll do."

The white-haired man sprang up from his position and landed next to the Russian. "How long before he comes to?"

Kagome shrugged. "An hour or two? It's hard to tell."

"Good enough." The white-haired man pulled the Russian over his shoulders again and leapt over to window. He paused and turned back to face Kagome. "Oh-you're free to leave now."

"Whatever happened to the 'thank you'?" Kagome grumbled.

The man just laughed and bounded out the window in one flying leap. "See ya round, wench!"

Kagome gaped at the window, open-mouthed. Who-or should I say WHAT-was that guy?! A few more minutes of muddled thinking only resulted in a headache. "Guess I should get back to my patients now…" Her eyes flew open. "Oh crap-"

A resounding "HIGURASHI!!" echoed down the corridors of the warehouse.

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As InuYasha sprinted away from the hospital, his companion on his back, his thoughts wandered back to the nurse. Higurashi Kagome she'd said her name was-the Kikyo look-alike. Their similarity in appearances was nothing short of divine providence, the way he saw it. She could be useful…very useful.

On his back, Speedy groaned. InuYasha's thoughts came crashing back to reality-to where he was, what he had to accomplish… his plans for the wench would have to wait. "You all right back there, Speedy?"

He received a grunt in reply. Well. Looks like Kikyo's twin was a bit off in her prognosis-it had taken much less than an hour for Speedy to come to.

Then again, being one-sixteenth demon could have affected his recovery time…

As he leaped through the grass, careful to make as little noise as possible, InuYasha briefly wondered what Speedy's real name was. In his business, birth names were rarely used, almost to the point of being completely forgotten. Speedy's actual call sign was Speedy Gonzales, but no one bothered to tack on the second name. The Russian had been given the little Mexican cartoon mouse's name after their first skirmish with The Enemy. His buddies had been considering Tortoise at first, because he was always lagging behind the rest of the group on patrols-but at the first crack of a gunshot (which had turned out to be Ghandi stepping on a piece of dry wood) he'd shot ahead of the group at the speed of lightning.

InuYasha liked the kid, though. Speedy was the youngest of the group-small and scraggly, too-but by no means useless. The kid was a freakin' genius; ; if he wasn't in the middle of a war, InuYasha would bet the kid would be the head of some bigwig cooperation, or maybe in the Japanese Intelligence. The kid didn't hate the government as a much as some did; and, after all, money was money.

InuYasha stopped short and cocked his ears, listening intently. The wind gently stirred the few trees on the grassy plain. Nothing. He was almost to the forest, anyhow. He sniffed quickly, making sure he was still on the right track. Yup. He could smell that stupid wolf's scent miles away…

He covered the few remaining miles in less than a minute. Under the safe cover of the woods, he didn't bother to keep quiet. The normal rules of war didn't apply here-the few partisans he did encounter he could dispose of with his "Claws of Blood." The enemy never knew what hit them. Being hanyou had its perks.

He followed the scent until he reached the cave his group had designated as one of the meeting places. Not a very original idea, but it served its purpose well. He pushed through the last bit of scrub and emerged into the small clearing.

"Who goes there?" the guard asked, barely covering a yawn.

"Don't sound so dead, Pocahontas, if the enemy came, they might take it upon themselves to finish you off." InuYasha shifted Speedy on his back and pulled aside the long branches of the weeping willow that blocked the entrance of the cave. (A/N: don't worry, I'll explain the "Pocahontas" nickname later. Yes, he is male; no, the feminine name is not symbolic.)

"Would that I were so lucky," the wolf demon with the white mohawk said, yawning again. "It's been my watch for the past three nights and nothing as happened. It's as dead as a tomb around here."

"Tough luck, man." InuYasha punched Pocahontas's shoulder in sympathy, and then entered the cave. There was a small fire in one corner of the fairly roomy rock cavern. Five youkai were sitting near it, playing a rather peaceful game of cards.

"The brave warrior has returned!" Kouga said, leering from his place on the floor.. "But what happened to your responsibility, Dog Turd? Did you flub this assignment as well?"

"Sorry to disappoint you," growled InuYasha, "but my assignment went as planned-not a single hitch, save Speedy getting himself shot up. Had to make a detour at a field hospital."

Kouga snorted and threw his cards to another player. "Here. I'm done for the night." He stood and turned to InuYasha. "There's leftovers from tonight's meal on the fire. Go choke yourself to death." He strolled out of the cave.

"Thanks, I'll be sure and gag on your hospitality," InuYasha called after him. He kneeled down and let Speedy slide to the ground. "Watch over the kid, will you?" he asked of the four youkai. "I need to get some fresh air. The smell of that antiseptic crud that nurse used on him is making me dizzy."

He exited the cave and breathed in the smell of fresh air. Ah. This is what he missed most on his assignments: air not tainted by blood, gunpowder, sulfur, or all those other nauseating smells that war produced. He found a strong, stable tree and leapt onto one of the branches, making himself comfortable. He closed his eyes, enjoying the silence. Unconsciously, his thoughts wandered back to that nurse. Maybe I can take another detour back there-if I can persuade her to help me, then nothing's stopping me from-

"Yo, Dog Turd."

InuYasha groaned. "What do you want, Wolf?"

"What really happened over your assignment?"

"Nothing. Went exactly as planned."

"Uh-huh. Right. Spill the beans, Dog Turd, or I'll make sure a certain someone knows you flubbed the job."

"Do as you like; you won't find anything on me."

Kouga was silent. InuYasha glanced down to find him leaning against the base of the tree, staring up at InuYasha with those blue eyes that made the dames fall all over him.

Stupid wolf. "Fine." InuYasha knew he may as well tell all. He'd known Kouga since they were schoolboys, and no matter how much the two hated each other, there were no secrets between the two of them. "Speedy and I met up in a small village somewhere near the Pacific coast. He was returning from his bout in the Russian army, I from mine in the Japanese forces. We both got the information we wanted, and both had gotten it safely to the head. So, we decide to travel back together. Two heads are better than one, right?"

Kouga guffawed. "Morons. You actually traveled side by side?"

"Of course not, idiot. We kept at least a two mile distance between us-met up at nights. Then one night, Speedy didn't show up. Turns out, he ran into some Russian scouts, and the scar on his cheek hadn't quite faded…"

Kouga burst out laughing.

"Give him some slack," InuYasha said, barely restraining his own chuckles. "He's only one-sixteenth demon."

"So? What happened to him?"

"They thought he was a deserter and forced him back into the service, this time watching him like a hawk. Took me three days of hanging around his camp till I could finally snag him during a skirmish. Only, he'd actually gotten wounded during the battle…"

A fresh round of laughter sounded from Kouga.

"I had to get him some kind of care before we moved on, or else he'd get sick and I'd have to hide out for a couple of days before he recovered. So I made a detour into a hospital, snagged a nurse, got him cleaned up, and cleared out of there." He paused, wondering whether he should mention Sesshomaru's presence in that very hospital… Nah. Best to keep quiet. Less you tell that wolf, the less regrets you'll have.

"And then?"

"I carried him on my back and got here by nightfall, hoping someone would be here. And we all lived happily every after. The End."

Kouga was quiet for a minute. "How's the war progressing? I haven't been out on an assignment since my last visit to Tokyo."

InuYasha growled, "We've got a bunch of freakin' bakas running this war. It's a mess. Two years of fighting and you'd think we'd have gotten somewhere. But both governments are in favor of continuing fighting, even though are armies are almost exhausted, and absolutely nothing has been gained. No one has Manchuria-and the railroads are basically demolished by now, so whoever gets the land will have to spend a millions more dollars just to rebuild it. It's imbecilic."

"Well, that's what we're here for, right?" Kouga said in an uncharacteristically gentle tone. "To change the way the wind is blowing and actually get something done."

"For better or for worse?"

"Doesn't matter-at least we're doing something."

"For ourselves," InuYasha said quietly.

"What's up with this attitude? Have you suddenly discovered a conscience?"

"Never," InuYasha said sharply. "Don't worry about me. It's just-uh…"

"The full moon?"

"Sure."

Kouga laughed. "By the way… did you by chance happen to see a certain female?"

"You mean Ayame?"

"Shut up!" Kouga hissed. "Don't speak her name so carelessly!"

"Why not? It'll be changed by next week."

"Er… well…"

InuYasha cocked a brow at Kouga's stammerings. "Well?"

"It's her real name, okay? Happy now, Dog Turd?"

InuYasha jumped down from the tree and faced Kouga, who was quite intent on studying the ground. "She's a civilian?" InuYasha said, barely suppressing a grin.

"Sort of," Kouga mumbled.

"Ha! Does she know what you are? Who you are?"

"Uh…well…"

InuYasha burst out laughing. "Good going, Wolf! What're you going to tell her when she wants to get married? When she tells you she's pregnant and wants you to hang around and raise the kid?"

"Shut up, Dog Turd! I haven't been sleeping with her!" Kouga's face was beet red; InuYasha snickered at the sight. Kouga blushing. Now there was an extraordinary occurrence-this would make good blackmail.

Still laughing, InuYasha left the wolf to his own thoughts and leapt back up the tree, settling more comfortably in its branches. Speedy would be all right for himself for one night, he thought as his eyes grew heavy. If the one thing he missed during war was clean air, sleep was second on the list…

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"Here, Kagome, I got you another apron," Sango announced, a grin on her face. "See that you don't give this one away for at least six hours."

"Arigato," Kagome mumbled in thanks, tying the new apron around her waist. She grasped the mop that she'd balanced against the wall and resumed her cleaning.

Sango giggled. "In detention, Kagome?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Apparently Dr. Kitosumo was searching for me for over half and hour and called my name no less than seven times before I finally appeared. To say he was ticked is like saying cats enjoy swimming."

"My cat enjoys swimming," Sango protested.

"Really? Maybe she and Buyo should mate-imagine the kittens they'd have: the weirdest felines on the face of this planet."

Sango seemed to find the idea of her cat and Buyo mating quite amusing, for some reason. Kagome wasn't sure she wanted to know why.

"Why did Kitosumo want to see you so badly?" Sango asked. "Normally he would have given up closer to the third try."

"He wanted me to assist him during some sort of complicated operation, just in case I had to do it someday-said it was something all newbie nurses should learn." She shrugged. "I dunno."

"And what were you doing that had you so mesmerized that you didn't answer him until the eighth call?"

"I was not mesmerized-" Kagome said, blushing.

Sango raised an eyebrow, a slow grin creeping over her features. "Uh-oh, I smell trouble," she teased. "Who is he, Kagome?"

"Who is who?" she replied, her gaze focusing on the mop which she was now furiously pushing. Stupid blush!

"Your boyfriend…lover…fiancé…whatever relationship he has to you. Who is he?"

"No one," stammered Kagome. "I mean, he wasn't anyone I knew-"

"A secret admirer? Secret crush? Come on, Kagome, spill all!"

"Well..." He did say not to tell anyone. . . . but then again, what's the harm? I don't even know his name. . . . and it's not like I'll ever see him again. . . . . "All right, I'll tell you," she finally whispered. "But you can't tell anyone."

"Okay."

"And this is not the high school definition of 'don't tell anyone,' which basically translates to: 'don't tell anyone accept your two best friends, a casual dropped hint to another, and every gory detail to your boyfriend, his best friend, and his former girlfriend.'"

"Cross my heart and hope to die-" Sango started, a silly grin on her face.

Kagome sighed. "All right. Where to start? The lights go out; I hear a door slam; I panic, thinking it's a bunch of Russians or Italians or something; turns out to be-" She paused. Should she tell Sango about the General visiting? What if it was a top secret visit or something? Come on, Kagome, this isn't some spy movie. If it was top secret, do you think he would have involved you? "-General Taisho Sesshomaru."

"General Taisho? At our hospital? What on earth could he have wanted?"

"Dunno," Kagome shrugged. "He talked to Kitosumo for a while-"

"Whaaaat? The Devil Doctor? What did he-" Sango gasped. "Oh my god… was Kitosumo fired?"

"I hadn't even thought of that… unfortunately, no, he wasn't." Kagome giggled at the dismayed expression on Sango's face. "Sorry to disappoint you." Kagome quickly gave her the run down of the following events, purposely emitting the details that the man she'd treated was Russian, or that the white-haired man had held her at a knife-point…

"Odd man," Sango said. "Why couldn't he have just dropped his companion off in the common ward?"

"Maybe he wanted to avoid the wait-he did seem in an awful big hurry." This, at least, was the truth.

"Possibly. You never know what kind of weirdos you're going to run into in a place like this." Sango sighed. "Well... back to the old grind. I'm assisting at least ten amputations today… and I'm practically doing the amputation myself with some of these morons that call themselves doctors. I swear they must have gotten through medical school on bribes alone. I don't see why I shouldn't be a qualified surgeon when this war is over."

"Because then you'd have to endure who knows what kind of crap from grumpy nurses?"

Sango shot Kagome a look. "Very funny…"

.

.

.

"He's here!"

The muffled shout jolted InuYasha out of his stupor state of sleep. "Hn?"

"The contact! Straight from the top-he's come with news!" Kouga's voiced betrayed his excitement.

"About time," InuYasha muttered under his breath, stretching slightly. He glanced around the cave and noticed that Pocohantas and Red had left, and another man he didn't know was now joking with Speedy and the others. "Pochoantas and Red on assignment?"

Kouga nodded. "Last night. I'm leaving after I hear the news as well."

"Lucky you," InuYasha muttered.

Kouga gave him a kick in the leg. "I won't be missing you, Dog Turd."

"Please don't ever start. I'm praying that next time we won't cross paths." InuYasha's stomach growled. "How long has it been since I've eaten?"

"You've been asleep for two days-so you haven't eaten in two days. Cutting sleep again on the last assignment, huh?"

"You could say that." InuYasha jumped to his feet. "Got any food around here?"

"Scrounge around for some. I'm going outside to meet the contact." He turned and ran outside, literally disappearing.

Wish he wouldn't do that all the time. InuYasha strolled over to the spit on the fire and snagged a bit of meat off it. "What is this?" he asked nobody in particular.

"You don't want to know," one of the men called.

"Thanks for the warning." He bit off a chunk, chewed, and swallowed. "Eatable at least. Anyone got any ramen?"

Speedy started to drool from his place on the floor. "Ramen…"

InuYasha finished the leg of meat and plopped down on the floor next to Speedy. "How ya feelin'?"

"Not terrible. These nannies keep insisting that I lie down and nap, but if I'm not up and walking by tomorrow, someone's going to be hurtin'."

"That's the spirit," InuYasha grinned.

"Hello, all you thugs," a voice boomed from the mouth of the cave. "Ready for your business briefing? Although, I'm sorry to say, I forgot the complimentary coffee and doughnuts."

Moans and groans filled the cave as the men played along with the contact's game. "We'll let you slide this time, Rocky," one of the men called. "But next time…"

Rocky, a six-foot-eight leopard demon, grinned wickedly and sauntered over to Kouga, slapping him on the back. "It's been awhile, Wolf Breath."

"Not long enough," Kouga murmured under his breath.

Rocky leaned against the wall of the cave, so that he was facing the group of youkai, and continued to greet each one. When finished, the mood turned sober again.

"From our contact that is currently working within the Enemy's forces, we now have a more specific idea of what their main plan of attack is," he started. "Their recent movements all but spell out a coup. The intimidation by assassinations and murders, the slow but steady gain of power... it can be assumed that when the Enemy becomes strong enough, they will perform a coup of some sort, and then take advantage of the following anarchy to install their own members as high government officials. The idea is that they will gain favor from Japanese citizens by creating a new government after civilians get sick and tired of anarchy-it'll make them look like heroes… supposedly."

Scumbags, InuYasha thought darkly.

"Is this certain?" Speedy asked from his place on the floor. "Because from what Hanyou and I have seen, their movements don't support this theory."

"Excuse me?" Rocky arched an eyebrow and glanced at InuYasha out of the corner of his eye. "Care to explain, Speedy?"

Yes, Speedy, care to explain? The kid was too smart for his own good-where was he going with this? And more importantly, why was he dragging InuYasha into his theory?

"With all due respect, sir," said Speedy, "think about it. The murders, the threats… it doesn't add up to an ordinary coup. I think they're aiming for something with a bigger show of force."

There was silence in the cave. InuYasha smirked at the blank looks on some of his companion's faces. He doubted most of the youkai in the cave had more than an eighth-grade education-sometimes he wondered if they knew anything about the politics that were involved in their missions. Most were just in the gang for the "glorification of the taiyoukai race."

"I mean," Speedy hurriedly went on, "we know they're gaining support. Wouldn't it be safe to assume that their army is increasing as well? In the time of war, a show of force would be more effective than a simple coup, and then take power after anarchy sets in? That's too chancy. The previous government could gain back power by some magical force, or another party could gain favor quicker… it's too risky."

"Just what are you suggesting?" Rocky said, frowning. "They're going to assassinate the Prime Minister?"

Speedy hesitated, his eyes darting back and forth. "Actually… yes."

Mayhem erupted within the cave.

"What the devil are you talking about, Gonzales?"

"Are you off your rocker?"

"Stupid kid-faced youth doesn't know what he's talking about-he's blabbering baby gibberish."

"Shut the hell up, you morons!" InuYasha bellowed. "Let the kid speak his mind." He settled back against the wall of the cave, scowling. Boy, he was really sticking his neck out for that kid… he better see some reparations soon.

"It's just a theory," Speedy stammered. "I mean… if you look at the patterns… the targets are always in proximity to the Prime Minister… the threats have always had an underlying reference to him… and-they're next planned strike is to be on the night of his Formal Speech to the Nation."

If mayhem erupted last time, this was absolute pandemonium.

InuYasha stared at Speedy in stupefaction, the words registering in his mind. All the missing pieces of the puzzle had just been snapped in place. He slowly rose and repeated his earlier shouted phrase…several times… before the noise died down again. "Speedy?" he asked slowly. "Would you care to explain yourself?"

Speedy cast a nervous glance towards Rocky. "Uh-sure, Hanyou. Wh-where do you want me to start?"

"How about the part," he said, casually strolling over to Speedy's side, "where you tell us how we were stupid enough not to notice earlier that you aren't on our side?"

"I- what?!" Speedy jumped to his feet, but InuYasha had been expecting a reaction like this. His foot shot out from beneath him, and he knocked Speedy to the ground in three seconds flat. With his wounds so fresh, Speedy lay on the ground in a crumpled heap, breathing heavily, his eyes wide with fear. "Hanyou-?" he stammered shakily.

"Don't talk unless I address you first," InuYasha said coldly, his eyes smoldering. "You have a lot to explain, kid." I thought I could trust you-you were the only uncorrupted one… why did it have to be you?

"Dog Turd!" Kouga shouted, his menacing figure materializing in-between Speedy and InuYasha. "What the crap do you think you're doing?"

"Maybe you should ask Rocky," said InuYasha coolly, glaring at menacing figure. "You knew there was a traitor in our midst-why didn't you do anything about it?"

"I hardly think I have to explain my actions to you, Hanyou." Rocky turned and nodded towards Kouga.. "Tie him up."

"But-"

"You heard me!"

"Yes, sir," Kouga mumbled in submission, shooting InuYasha a dark look before bending over Speedy's crumpled form.

InuYasha forced himself not to look at Speedy. Instead, he looked around the cave. The rest of the youkai were staring at the tableau in front of them, mouths hanging open.

"So. Congratulations, Hanyou," Rocky said, clapping a hand on InuYasha's back. "I thought you'd be the first to figure it out. Didn't think you'd crack it so soon, though."

"Why?" InuYasha managed. Why Speedy?

"Why didn't I tell you right away?" Rocky laughed boisterously, his fangs glowing in the pale moonlight shining through the opening of the cave. "To keep you on your feet, of course. You bumbling bakas get quite full of yourselves sometimes, and become rather sloppy… I've got to throw y'all for a few loops once in a while to make sure you're still on your toes, now, don't I?"

"Speedy wasn't your fabrication," InuYasha gritted, still not looking at the kid on the floor. "He was unexpected."

Rocky shrugged unrepentantly. "Granted. He's smart, this one. Took me a couple'a weeks to figure him out myself. Let him go loose a few more days before I said anything though, hoping one of you would find him out-and ya did. Kudos to you, Hanyou."

"Thanks," InuYasha said sarcastically, meeting Rocky's gaze defiantly. "So is everything hunky-dory now?"

"Of course not," Rocky said cheerfully. "We lost a lot of information to the enemy through this guy. Gotta cover our tracks now-a lot of hard work coming up, boys."

InuYasha sucked in a breath. We lost information? That means… "Speedy… he's a double agent?"

Rocky gave InuYasha a surprised look. "Don't tell me you missed that?" he said incredulously. "Hanyou, you really are getting sloppy! That was what tipped me off-how the Enemy was suddenly anticipating all of our moves, how our information was becoming so intricate and detailed-"

"Was our information that tipped me off," mumbled InuYasha brokenly, cursing himself for not seeing through Speedy's disguise. You didn't want to see though his disguise. You genuinely liked him-and look where it got you. Almost betrayed yourself-all 'cause you liked the kid. Good going, InuYasha. That's the way to lose your life.

"Hey Rocky, what about assignments?" one of the men shouted. "Come on, don't leave us in suspense!"

"Hang on for a bleeding minute, you jokers-I'm getting there." Rocky turned to Kouga, who was dusting off his palms, having finished tying up Speedy. "You first, Wolfie. Step into my office." He winked. Kouga managed to choke out a small laugh before following the man outside the cave.

The rest of the men returned to their conversations, laughing and joking like before. The incident involving Speedy was already forgotten-they had more important things to focus on now.

InuYasha heaved a sigh and allowed himself to look down. He winced as his gaze met Speedy's. Bad idea… the kid was using the puppy-dog eyes.

"Hanyou," Speedy pleaded, "Hanyou, please, believe me-I didn't do it! It wasn't me!"

InuYasha barked out an incredulous laugh. "Nice one, kid. I really thought you had more dignity."

"No-no! It wasn't me! I swear! Hanyou, would I do that to you? After our times together-?"

"Sorry, Speedy. Look, it was my fault for befriending you. I shouldn't have. This is making things even harder-and now you're going for the friendship appeal. It happens every time-you're not our first double agent, you know. All the others used the friendship appeal too. One actually had the nerve to use the 'youkai brothers' line. What a laugh." He drew in a breath. "You aren't perfect you know. I was bound to find out eventually."

"How… how did you figure me out?"

InuYasha refrained from correcting the kid's grammar. Lord, he even started to think like his brother whenever he got in propinquity with the effeminate man. "You didn't add up. Like Rocky said, your information was too detailed, to intricate. And then-that line about murdering the Prime Minister-that's what busted you."

"But it's true! Hanyou, you have to save him! They're planning to shoot him when he's giving his speech right after-"

"Oh, I've no doubt you're telling the truth, Speedy."

"You-you-what?"

"The Prime Minister most certainly is a target-Rocky's suspecting that he was the enemy's target for ages now-but the fact that you knew that he was a target… and that you knew exactly when and how the assassination was going to occur… You gave yourself away."

"But I… stumbled upon the information." The statement was more of a beseeching question.

InuYasha smirked. "Kid, you don't stumble upon information like that. Nice try."

"But-Hanyou-!"

"Sorry, kid. It was nice knowing you-we had some fun times. Too bad you had to turn traitor, huh?" He quickly turned away and stalked outside. Rocky and Kouga were speaking in hushed tones. Kouga didn't look too happy. InuYasha deliberately stepped on a twig, alerting the pair of his presence. Both youkai stopped talking.

"That's all, Wolfie. Don't let me down."

"Right," Kouga mumbled, brushing past InuYasha to re-enter the cave.

Rocky motioned for InuYasha to join him with a jerk of the head. InuYasha stayed rooted in place. "You can tell me from here."

"What's eating you?"

"You know quite well what's eating me."

"It's your little friend isn't it?"

"Yes," InuYasha said shortly. "You didn't have to do that. You could have let him go quietly… sold him to the enemy for a price. Ransomed him. Why didn't you?"

Rocky sighed. "He knows too much. We couldn't just let him go… you know that."

"He's only a kid!"

"He made his choices," said Rocky sharply. "I can't change what I have no control over." He sighed again. "Do you want to be there for his execution?"

"Are you going to torture him for information first?" asked InuYasha harshly.

"You know the answer to that" came the quiet reply.

"I'll pass, thanks." InuYasha flopped to the ground, sitting Indian-style with his arms crossed.

"Look," Rocky said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "This is war. No one ever said it was easy… and your job, InuYasha, is even more difficult. It comes with a price. But you, too, made your choices."

"Yeah."

"So… about your next assignment…"

"Go ahead and let it out. Don't get all sappy over me-I'll be all right. I won't get sentimental over some kid spy."

"As you wish." Rocky's voice turned dictatorial again. "A new recruit will be joining the band soon."

"Youkai?"

"No."

"Hanyou?" InuYasha said in surprise. As of now, he was the only hanyou in the band of men-it was very rare that a half-demon made it into the gang's ranks.

"No…"

"Huh? But what else…" InuYasha stopped short. "Wha…? You can't mean he's human!"

"She. She is human."

"What?!" InuYasha shot to his feet. "She? A female? In our group? You're joking!"

"Do I ever joke? Yes, a female will be joining the group. I think she will be a valuable asset to us."

"So what do I gotta do, go train her or something?"

"No; that's Kouga's job."

No wonder the poor guy had looked so bummed.

"Your assignment is to hook up with our new contact."

"The replacement of the one we lost?"

"Yes."

"Is this one another nurse?"

"No-"

"A doctor?" Doctors were stupid, stuck-up mortals, and usually no help to their band at all.

"No. From what I've heard he's a monk."

. . . . .

"A monk."

"Yes."

"I didn't know that monks still existed…"

Rocky shrugged. "Well, apparently they do… anyhow, he's said to be a lecher-"

"A lecherous holy man? This should be interesting…"

"But he's supposed to be sharp. He has some morals, and is completely loyal to the Japanese cause."

"Great. A hypocritical nationalist."

"Don't be so cynical. You don't have to be best friends with him, just pass the dumb information."

"Yeah, whatever."

"Oh… I might as well warn you…your brother is currently taking an indefinite leave from his normal office and is currently hiding out in the hospital that you visited last night… the same one with our new monk contact."

InuYasha moaned in agony. Why me…? "What else can go wrong?"

"Oh… and by the way, InuYasha…"

Oh, please… what now?

"That Kikyo look-alike… I'd steer clear of her, if I were you. Personal vendettas don't mix with our work."

"You stay out of that," InuYasha snarled, coming to his defense.

"All right, all right… sheath your claws, boy," Rocky said mildly. "I'm just warning you…"

"I can handle this, thanks."

Rocky chuckled. That's what they all say. "Well, I'm done with you, boy. You're on your own. Go do what has to be done."

"Yeah…" InuYasha stared vacantly into space. "Yeah…" He shook his head. "Right… later, Rocky." With that, he bounded off into the darkness.

Rocky shook his head slightly and made his way towards the cave, taking his time. When it was the matter of a traitor to take care of… he had all night. He could take all the time he wanted.

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.

InuYasha sped through the woods, his mind on the hospital. If he could find that monk quickly, get whatever information he could and pass it on to Rocky in the matter of days… then he could take his time with his "personal vendetta" as Rocky had called it.

Steer clear of the Kikyo look-like, my ass. That wench is my ticket to retribution… and possibly more. He smirked and increased his speed as he came closer and closer to the field hospital.

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So what do you think? Review please! Tell me all the good stuff, the bad stuff, the in-between stuff. Just want some feedback. ^_^ Until next time!