Scientifically Proven

Disclaimer: [Applies throughout entire story]
I do not own Inuyasha in any way, shape or form. All rights go to Rumiko Takahashi.

Author’s Notes: I had a delicious idea fluttering in my mind as a lay down to sleep, so delicious in fact that I ended up crawling out of bed to go brainstorm. Which brings me to the following chapter. Don’t worry, I know it’s a bit short, but it is just the prologue, future chapters will be much longer.

Also, I am looking for a beta reader. Does anyone out there know how I could go about acquiring one of these special people?


Update: I have become aware that a certain few readers are accusing me of plagiarizing Rozefire’s fiction Zero-G. This is not the case. While the summary may sound familiar, it is a completely different story, already almost completely mapped out to the end. I am have contacted Rozefire herself, whom I have sent a copy of the outline, to double check that where my story is going is nowhere near her’s, and she has verified that while there may be one or two similarities, our stories are entirely different.

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Scientifically Proven

Prologue

The Task

She wearily brought the palm of her hand to her forehead and leaned her weight into it, her elbow supporting her upper body from the table. She had been staring at the same slide under a microscope for hours, and was nowhere near discovering what was so different from the blood on this slide to any other sample.

With her free hand, she began tapping her pencil on the table, tattooing out a sporadic rhythm. Lowly humming under her breath, she pressed her face back against the viewfinder on the microscope, intent on figuring out the puzzle that she had been presented with.

She let out a startled shriek when a hand came down hard on her shoulder, sending the pencil in her hand flying across the room, narrowly missing skewering an oblivious research assistant.

She sent an apologetic glance towards the young woman, and let her eyes slide closed. Today was just not her day.

“How’s the research coming Kagome?”

Kagome rose stiffly from the tall stool and stretched out her lower back muscles, refusing to look at the handsome man standing next to her. She was still slightly irritated at the fact that he had been able to sneak up on her. Ever since she had started lab work, she was able to get lost in the world of cells and DNA, oftentimes not hearing anything happening around her.

After a few moments of stretching muscles and popping her joints, she finally turned to look at the young man in his pristine white lab coat. Her eyes took in his clear blue eyes, and dark hair swept back into a ponytail.

“Hey Kouga, nothing new. Have you been able to stumble across any discrepancies in the blood work yet?” Kagome sent an annoyed glance Kouga’s way before walking across the lab to retrieve her stray pencil.

“Sorry about that Sango, you know how jittery I can get.” Kagome shot another apologetic smile, and cringed when she received an annoyed look in return.

“Kagome, that is the third time this week you have sent some form of projectile at me! The last time you left a welt across my back that has yet to disappear. I should be receiving hazard pay at this rate!” Sango pushed her hand through her long hair, brushing stray locks from her face. Towards the end of her tirade, she plucked the pencil out of a haphazard stack of notes and held it towards Kagome.

“Thanks. Sorry again.” Kagome accepted the pencil, and started to walk back towards her own seat.

“Maybe I should stock up on some rubber coated writing utensils for any future launchings.” She tossed the words over her shoulder before continuing. As she sat down, another dark head peaked up over a partition across the laboratory.

“Hey Kagome, I have some rubber coverings right here in my wallet that should fit over your pencil just fine if you’d like to borrow them. I would, of course, expect a full repayment at the end of their use.” The young man waggled his eyebrows at Kagome in a mixture of both lewdness and humor.

Kagome was quick to recover from her open mouthed shock, shouting at the fourth member of her research team.

“Miroku, you are the biggest pervert I have ever met!” Annoyed, but unable to keep her lips from twitching upwards, she quickly bent back over her notes. However, she was unable to contain her laughter when Sango spoke up a few seconds later.

“Hey Miroku?”

“Yeah?” The man perked up at the sound of Sango’s voice.

“I wouldn’t go around bragging about rubbers that fit snuggly around a mechanical pencil, if you catch my meaning.” Sango didn’t look up from the paper she was scribbling notes on, letting her comment drift across the room.

Miroku’s face flushed a deep red, his mouth opening and closing multiple times before he shrugged and dropped back down, hiding behind the wall. Sango snickered, before slipping back into the world of her research.

As the laboratory settled back into productive silence, with Sango having the last laugh, Kagome let her thoughts wander over what exactly the group was researching.

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Kagome stared at the distinguished woman sitting across the desk from her. The lady’s age was hard to guess, somewhere between early forties and late fifties, and her presence only magnified by the massive oak chair that surrounded her upper body.

“Ms. Higurashi.” Completely oblivious that her name was being called, Kagome continued to muse over her thoughts.

“Kagome! Have you heard a word I have said?” The older woman folded her hands together and rested them on the desk in front of her.

Kagome shook her head, trying to intake what the woman had just said.

“You want me, Kagome Higurashi, to research the molecular makeup of a… a demon?” Her voice held a tone of astonishment and incredulity. Everybody knew that demons were make-believe, nothing but tall tales to frighten children into minding their parents.

“Correct.”

“But, there is no such thing as demons.” The older woman shot Kagome an exasperated look.

“Kagome, you have been researching biology for how many years now? Five, six? You have earned top grades all through college and have been involved in highly classified research already at your age. You cannot tell me that in all of those years that you have never happened across any strange findings, especially in your classified work.”

Kaede raised her hand at Kagome’s expression. “No, I am not asking you to disclose any classified information. I merely want to express that the world is not black and white, and yes, my dear, demons do exist. Which is exactly why we want you, one of the nations top scientists, to crack the code to their existence.”

Kagome could feel the color drain from her face.

“Ms. Kaede, what you ask is near impossible. In order to do something such as your suggesting, I would need to put together a group of highly trained researchers, we would need private facilities, a large grant of money, and most importantly, an object to research, which in itself is near impossible.” As she spoke, Kagome nervously ran her hands up and down her thighs attempting to dry her sweaty palms on the smooth material of her slacks.

“First, my dear, you must remember that I head a large and prestigious branch of the government, which allows me to grant your research group the money it needs to perform its assignment. Second, I would not be asking you to perform such a task if we were not able to supply you with a research subject.”

Kagome’s eyes widened at Kaede’s words. “You mean, you actually have a demon in custody?”

Kaede sighed. “Kagome, you do not listen to what I say. If you are going to accept this job, you must first accept that demons do truly exist.”

Kagome sat for a few minutes, running through the possibilities in her mind. Before she could answer, Kaede spoke again.

“Not only would we pay you handsomely, this research will be the token to your fame Ms. Higurashi.

Kagome’s spine stiffened and she sat up straight in her chair. “I assure you Ms. Kaede, that not only do I not need fame and fortune, I do not necessarily desire it either. If you are trying to win me over, that is entirely the wrong direction to travel.” Her icy blue eyes sent a chilly glance towards the older woman.

A heavy air settled over the small office, blanketing the two women in an uncomfortable silence.

Kagome allowed a few minutes to tick by slowly before opening her mouth again. “However, you have most definitely piqued my interest with the idea that there is something entirely new to research.” Her eyes brightened again, and her normal cheery smile settled back into place. “Therefore, I accept.”

If only she had known what she was getting herself into before she had said those two fated words.