A Mapped Life...: Ch 15: Vol. 2 Nekos in Trees

I DO NOT OWN Inuyasha or the Crew, Rumiko Takahashi does. But I do own my original characters.

“Alright people! I must apologize for the long delay, I have been on the thin side of the health-o-meter lately, severe headaches, and migraine, not to mention stress, but well all is well, I feel a lot better, after spending a few hours in the Emergency room today.”

“This chapter is dedicated to my outstanding reviewer ` [Precious] ´ Thanks for the feedback and thorough examination of my plot girl!”

“We writers feel good when someone takes their valuable time, and writes us a little something to keep the ideas boiling.”

*Grins*

“Hey Pedro, wakey wakey! Time to go to work you bum!”

*Groan, mumble, groan*

*Pinkit cranks the music, waking Pedro.*

“Here goes chapter 15 of a Mapped Life, an extra long chapter, just because I took to long to update, I apologize guys. I am posting it know before I tamper with it more, and then it will lose all semblance of whatever I had planned in the beginning for this chapter.”ï

A Mapped Life:

Evening of January 12th 1970, Taisho Estate, Okinawa - Japan:

The same maid that had taken the obento lunch out to the Ruling Lords continued to dust of the china in the living room area.

Her name? Emi, with a curvy and voluptuous figure, standing five foot six, a rounded plump ass, small hands and feet, gold hair and caramel eyes, the female Inu was all her name stood for, `Beauty'

Humming a lazy tune to herself her as delicate fingers twirled the feather duster to and fro in rhythm to the song only she heard. She glanced at the wall clock, 6:15 p.m.

`Only forty five more minutes and she would be in her lovers' arms, Kentaro, what a hunk!'

Partner of Kenichii who was also something worth looking at, tonight was her night off, and she was going to enjoy it thoroughly;

“Maybe we'll go down to the new western restaurant, and get a `burger',”

she grinned exposing a full deck of razor sharp teeth, the female canines, not so long as a males', but still impressively sharp and deadly, she drifted off into a daydream, imagining her lover in his new blue car, his copper mane loose, fluttering in the wind, his icy blue eyes deep and provocative, and she had him all to herself, she squealed in delight, shuddering at the thought.

Suddenly a shadow emerged from behind the west wall of the Estate, pounced on the edge of the wall and jumped off and beyond her view, Emi frowned, having watched too much American subbed detective series, she straightened her French maid uniform, ruffled her hair, and tiptoed over to the shoji door, walking out of the surrounding terrace, she skipped down the steps, wearing only tabi socks, she inhaled a few times, trying to pick up the scent of the intruder, she ran over to the wall where she saw the figure emerge; sniffing the wall, she made out a peculiar scent, neko, and not any neko, if her trusted youkai senses didn't fail her, it was the Yakuza's trusted messenger that was here, `how did he cheat security?´

Emi jumped up to the shingles trying to catch a glimpse of the fleeing figure of the Yakuza spy.

Being able to see a red ninja uniform flutter over the edge of a rooftop, she then jumped into action, running over the roof, the shingles pattering with the slight weight of her petite form; she jumped down onto the gravel in the Zen garden in front of the Taisho himself.

Ken startled and stood up as he saw his housekeeper fall in an unladylike crouch from the shingles, “Emi, what on Kami's sweet earth were you doing jumping on the roof?!”

Emi bowed her respect and reverences to both lords, “Taisho-sama! Gomen! But I seem to have seen somebody spying on you, I saw a figure jump over the wall, and when I jumped up onto the shingles, I saw a neko in the red ninja robe! It smells like Yakuza!” She exclaimed waving her delicate clawed hands in the air, then pointed to the wall, “It was over there Taisho-sama!”

Ken looked at Takumi, who was half drunk on sake, and he himself had his share of the rice liquor too, he stalked over to the wall, Takumi hot on his heels, he took one sniff and coughed in disgust, “Emi get Kentaro and Kenichii on the phone, quickly! Tell them to stop that damn cat at any cost, tell them to bring the scum back here, now!”

Emi ran into the house dialing the number to the warehouse district, where Taisho undercover operations were handled.

Other than owning their own Textile Empire, the cousins Kentaro and Kenichii worked as security, or better yet specialized body guards for the Inu no Taisho himself, since they turned of age and proved their worth, they handled all the dirty work, for the Taisho, in a discrete and invisible fashion, so if it were discovered, that rare was the case, it could not be traced back to the Taisho.

The phone rang once, twice, three times, and then a lazy hello sounded on the other line,

*MoshMoshi? Taro speaking...*

“Oh, Taro, come quick, a spy was eavesdropping on the conversation Lord Taisho and Lord Takisho were having!”

*Emi? Emi baby, there is no need to make up stories to see me sooner love, I'll be there in half an hour, or so…*

“No you ass! It has nothing to do with tonight's plans, there was a Yakuza spy here! I think he overheard something important your boss was talking about, but he didn't go after him, they both had a little too much sake today…so put your ass into gear, he is heading west toward your location say fifteen minutes ago. The boss wants him stopped at any cost, bring him back dead or alive, so move it!”

*Good girl Emi, just stop watching Starsky and Hutch babe, you're sounding too much like them, where on it sexy!*

-&-&-&-&-&-&-&-

Taro approached his cousin who had dozed off, on the office chair, with his leather clad feet atop the desk; he pushed Kenichii's feet off the desk causing him to loose balance and flail his arms desperately trying to regain his balance.

Kentaro didn't bother look back as he heard his cousin curse him as he landed in a heap on the floor, he picked up his keys, jumping down the wooden stairs, and he pulled the cover off his 1970 special edition blue Ford Torino, gift of the Taisho himself. He signaled for two other men to keep watch and open the warehouse door.

The warehouse was large, sweaty, and humid, typical hanger-type structure, with a loft office and a repair shop off to a side, which served as Taro's personal body shop, while they sat and waited for orders to be given by the Taisho, Taro worked on the bikes and cars, while Ichi managed the textile company. They were the complete opposite, Taro being hotheaded, ill tempered, gruff and short-fused, served as the brawn and Ichi being stoic, cold, manipulative, smart business and street-wise; served as the brain of the operation.

Ichi managed to jump into the passengers side of the car just as Taro started to maneuver out of the warehouse, combing his sweaty auburn forelocks back with his hands, he yanked on Taro's copper forelocks, causing him to brake instantly;

“Now that you're paying attention, tell me what the fuck crawled up your ass and died?! Something has to be extremely wrong for you to pull the `rino out for a stroll Taro, what the fuck is wrong!”

Taro pushed Ichi's clawed hand away, rubbing the sore on his scalp, “Ichi there was a Yakuza spy at the Taisho Estate, twenty minutes ago, Emi called, said that Old dog Taisho and Old man Takumi had some hard Sake, and the cat heard what they discussed, it has to be something big for Taisho to want him stopped at any measure. Now can we go? That neko is jumping roofs!”

"Fine! Floor it then! You maneuver and I will snatch him out of the air, let's get moving Taro!"

Taros' eyes gleamed, and he laughed maniacally in anticipation, flooring the gas pedal the car swerved out of the warehouse district, heading straight in the opposite direction of the Yakuza district, they both knew that the spy was slow to return with information, trying not to lead anyone to the exact pinpoint location of his master.

Taro revved the engine, when they met up with the traffic jam on 46th and Honda Avenue. Mid afternoon traffic and people coming home from work providing a swell diversion for the neko, Kenichii reached for his sunglasses, rolled down the window to lean out of it, covering his grey eyes with his hand scoping the rooftops, he spotted a red hood, he signaled to Kentaro flashing his pearly with canines, in complete exuberance, the hunt was on!

Taro cranked the car into reverse, maneuvering his way out of the traffic, drifting down the exit ramp on 52nd Boulevard, where the buildings were all made out of red brick, the sidewalks grey and the people cluttering the streets of downtown Okinawa.

He swerved into a parking lot, giving Ichi enough time to climb out of the passenger side, and jump up onto the fire exit ladder, climbing the rickety steel stair with all the dexterity of a cat, Ichi jumped up onto the roof top and sniffed for the neko's; trace,

Finding a piece of torn red silk, he sniffed it, 'bingo!' Ichi raised his chin, sniffing the area thoroughly, he crouched slipping the piece of silk into his trouser pocket, he slinked over to another rooftop, and then another, swiftly following the trail the cat left behind.

He kept that pace for another ten minutes, reaching the spot where an old building overlooked a park, and sub sequentially a lake, he examined the area, feeling a presence behind him, he spoke,

"Well, cat you practically painted the trail for me to follow you, now tell me what you heard?"

The neko stood in a indifferent slouch, the torn hood covering his face, his body covered in the red silk material, his eerie yellow eyes dancing with mirth as he smirked,

"Oh now now, don't get your undies in a twist, I heard nothing of great importance puppy, just the fact that now the Master will know that the almighty and invincible the one and only Inu No Taisho, is dying..."

Kenichii did a double take, loosing his balance momentarily, flailing his arms out to regain posture and not fall of the shingled roof, he turned around and pointed a deadly sharp clawed finger at the neko, "You Lie! Speak no more of your nonsense you fool!"

Ichi slashed out, aiming for the throat, the neko cart-wheeled back, following up with back flips over various rooftops landing atop a tree in the park, Ichi hot on his trail landed on the paved path under the tree, "come down here this instant you idiot! Fight like a man!"

The neko taunted and purred down to Kenichii, "ah but that is where you stupid dogs fail, we are not anything like men, we youkai are superior! Once the Master dethrones and kills the filthy dog, then the superior youkai race will have control! And then we wont't have to live hidden anymore!"

Kenichii had enough, he reached back and pulled out a dagger carved from the Taisho's fang from his vest pocket and aimed, “Rah!” he hit the neko square in the larynx, coughing sounds followed by a loud sickening thump and crack as the neko feel out of the tree, his body landed in an unnatural form arms bent behind the back, knees bent forward, Taro chose that moment to join in "Well at least that's one way to knock a damn stupid cat out of a tree!"

Ichi snorted and stoically walked over to the fallen neko, he pushed the dagger farther through the windpipe, killing the spy, Taro looked disgusted, "Kami Ichi-ne! He said dead or alive, not slaughtered!"

Kenichii pulled the dagger out of the now deceased body, a squishy sick pop was heard as the last bit of air left the throat that was now flooded in blood, the face of the fallen neko frozen in frigid fear and pain, Kenichii flicked his wrist splattering the body with the remains of blood that trickled down the steel blade of the dagger, he calmly walked over to the fountain next to some benches in the park.

Rinsing the blade off he wiped it on the hood of the costume the spy wore, re sheathing it, he pulled a pack of Marlboro reds out of his vest pocked, smacking the pack twice on his open palm, he pulled a cigarette out and stuck it the corner of his mouth putting the pack away he spoke around the unlighted cigarette, "Move your ass Taro! We need to get that piece of filth out of this clearing, not a single human soul can see this, I suggest you find something to wrap it in, someone once told me neko blood is tricky to wash out, and it smells like three bloody hells when dried in the sun..."

Kentaro snorted at the retreating figure of his cousin, he extended a black cloth used to wrap the bodies in to take and dispose, not being able to leave a youkai body in early stage of decomposition in the middle of a human park, he lifted the neko's lifeless body, and threw it onto the cloth, rapidly rolling the body up, he hefted it over his shoulder, he walked quickly over to the parked car popping the truck he folded the body and threw it haphazardly inside, slamming the truck closed he marched over to the drivers' side, jumping in and revving the engine, Kenichii pushed the cars' lighter in to heat the coal, the black holder popped out a minute later, he brought the lighter to the tip of the cigarette puffing out smoke rings to thoroughly light the stick, then pushed the lighter back in its holder, and rolled down his window, Taro geared into drive, pulling the car out of the parking lot, and heading towards Taisho Estate to delivery their package.

&-&-&-&-&-&-

The large solid rosewood and steel gates opened giving the Blue Torino entrance to the white graveled parking lot, two figures stepped out of the car, one threw a blunt on the gravel stepping on it, he straightened his grey vest and tucked his hands in his pockets, the other walked over to the trunk and extracted the kill, hefting the deceased spy over his shoulder, they both made their way over to the back steel door of the “guest house” where the Taisho managed all of the dark and dirty business that had to be conducted, at one time or another.

The figure dressed in expensive slacks, matching vest, and white button-down designer long-sleeved shirt tapped twice on the door, a peep hole slid open, the figure on the other side of the door sighted the specialist and closed the peep whole again, sliding the locks out of place he opened the door letting both of them in, they made their way towards the middle of the room, the figure dressed in leather and black wife beater threw a body bag on the floor, the tall presence in the room covered his delicate nose with a handkerchief, flicking his wrist indicating for the servant to pick it up and burn it, he spoke, “Jin get ride of it quickly before it stinks up the place, good job boys orderly and quiet just as always, did you confess him before he died?” Taro looked at Ichi and shrugged, Kenichii crossed his arms and responded, “nothing of least importance now boss, the Yakuza will never find out any how…not now, not ever, I made sure he would never be able to talk again…”

The Taisho moved over to both greeting them both with a pat on the back, he asked them to join him for a drink, all three sat at the bar, serving their on drinks, the heard as the Taisho spoke, “well boys, we need your permanent services, Taro will marry Lora out of obligation and they will have my first grandchild, birthing the first heir to Taisho Enterprises, that will belong to my son Toga Inu no Taisho in a few weeks or so, you will protect them at any cause, the Right Hand will come after me soon, you are not to interfere, you will keep them safe, and take them out of Japan if it is necessary do not come back until the child is old enough to hold a sword. Do you understand?”

Both of the youkai nodded and shared a long glance at each other, and then each bowed their reverence to the Taisho, rapidly exiting the building, walking back to the car, and back to the warehouse, to wait out another order.

Kenichii was thinking about what the Taisho had said, “Toga will marry Lora out of obligation,”

Kentaro braked and looked over towards Kenichii, “Cousin, let it be, Lora is to cold, to cold and manipulative to belong to the Inu Youkai species, she would never have done you any good. She is a fortune hunter, just let her go, there are others out there worth what you are, don't think about it so much, ok?”

Kenichii sneered and glared at him, “Taro, she has always been the one I want, always since we were children and our nannies brought us to Taisho Estate to play together, since we started schooling and her mother sent her off to study abroad I thought I would die of melancholy that day, I thought I would never see her again, and now that she is back, they want to marry her off to Toga, I mean what the Fuck Kentaro!”

Taro snorted, and geared into drive again, pulling out of the graveled entrance, driving through the gates and down the busy streets toward the warehouse, “Well Ichi maybe they'll divorce after the heir is born, ne?”

Kenichii looked at Kentaro in disbelief, “you don't get it do you? I was not supposed to happen this way, I was supposed to be her first and only alpha, and she is my mate dammnit!”

Taro's eyebrows shot up under his bangs, but he decided to not comment anymore on the subject, `Would Ichi be capable of treason against Toga? ´

He shook his head to clear the ugly thoughts of it all out of his head;

`They are childhood friends! Of course he wouldn't plot treason against Toga! ´

Besides he had to concentrate on the late model Ducati he was reconstructing,

`Yeah! The Ducati…´

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