Hi everybody…

I know that I should not be posting this, especially with three unfinished stories under my belt, but I couldn't help it. I really couldn't. Because this story is an extra one and came after Alpha and Omega, I will not be posting every week. Well, let's be honest. I've had a lot of fun writing this story so I might post every week, but don't plan it, just so you're not disappointed if I don't.

Of course reviews always help…

Echo

CHAPTER 1: A Blast From the Past

The ringing. It was unnatural. It was ungodly. And the only reason such a noise had been created was so someone could call her and tell her it was the end of the world and she should hide in the underground shelter she did not have in her apartment. That was the only reason people called before the sun was up.

A blind hand fumbled out of its warm sheet, up and over the side of the nightstand, and onto a small vibrating cell phone. It was brought back to a groggy head, lost under a bush of black hair.

"Hello?"

"Kagome-san?"

"Hn?"

"Did I wake you up?"

"…"

"This is Aya from the museum. There is a large group of donors coming to take a tour of the new exhibit today and the guide that was assigned to them got in a car accident late last night."

"Hn."

"I know you worked your other job last night and probably zonked out once you got home so I took the chance of waking you up."

"Donors. Uh huh."

"We need you to come and fill in for Seiko if you will please."

Too much talking. Kagome wasn't catching all the words. The name and voice sounded familiar. What was she saying? Kagome's first attempt at speaking real words ended up as morning growls. "Summarize," came out after she cleared her throat.

Aya repeated herself. "We need you here at 9 am to present your showcase of the Sengoku Jidai."

"Time."

"The time now is 7am. You have two hours to be here."

Kagome was near the point of clear consciousness when she heard the current time. "It's not 7. It's still dark outside."

Aya laughed to herself. "If you go to your bedroom window and move the black rug you call a curtain, you'll see the sun."

"Yeah yeah. Two hours. Got it."

"Okay, see you then."

"Bye."

That was probably the longest conversation Kagome ever had in the morning. If she were in a clearer state of mind, she would have remembered the specific instructions left with Aya regarding calling her before noon. If she would have remembered that minor but significant piece of information, she would have remembered that Aya had also been instructed to call her every five minutes until she heard the shower running in the background.

"Fine, fine! Can you hear it now?" Kagome growled into the earpiece.

Aya smiled at her desk. "I hear it. Congratulations. I only had to call four times."

And with that last click, Kagome threw her phone on her bed and stepped into her shower.

SKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSK

A knock was the only warning he got before his office door opened.

"Sekiguchi-sama, you are scheduled to be at the museum at nine a.m., your limo is waiting downstairs. There is a luncheon with the museum curator and his staff at eleven a.m., where your presence was requested. I moved your one o'clock to two so there will be no rush should you need more time. I will alert you of further appointments once you return and send you any important information by text."

"Very well," Sekiguchi said. "I will be out in a few mintes." With that, papers were grabbed and put into a briefcase and Sekiguchi was in the elevator and on his way to the parking garage with briefcase in hand.

The limo pulled up to the curb at the museum a half hour later. Morning traffic was already on the decline; his coffee was at the perfect temperature. Now all he had to do was make it into the museum without incident and peruse the showcases until it was time to meet with the others.

Sekiguchi stepped out of the limo as the driver held the door open for him. A taxi pulled up behind his limo and a rather disheveled but good-smelling woman stepped out. After straightening out her pants-suit, he watched her throw a wad of cash through the passenger window.

"Thanks, Akihiro. You saved my life and got me here a half hour early."

"No prob," he heard the driver yell. "You shouldn't be working so hard."

The woman laughed. "Tell my slave driver that. I wasn't even on the schedule today. The other girl got in an accident last night."

"Well, don't pass out on your way in."

"Right. I'll call you when I get off work." The taxi pulled away from the curb but his eyes never left the woman. Her hair was pulled back into a pony tail, sunglasses adorned her face, long and lightly athletic legs, that he could only imagine…She held a file of papers in one hand with a cup of steaming something in the other. She looked at him and all he saw was an eyebrow raise in question.

"What? Never seen a yellow limo before?" The woman said before continuing on her way.

Ugh. Humans.

So his male ego may have been a bit chaffed at the fact that the woman spared him no second look or really even a first look. Perhaps that was what upset him the most he decided as he followed her into the massive building.

"Good morning, Kagome," the receptionist said.

So that was the woman's name.

"You shouldn't use oxymorons before lunch," was Kagome's reply.

And it appeared she wasn't a morning person.

"Right. Miss Aya is waiting for you-"

"I'm right here," said the smaller woman approaching Kagome.

Sekiguchi was content to watch what should be a slightly interesting conversation from what he had pieced together following the woman into the museum..

SKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSKSK

"Why am I here again?" Kagome asked the overly effervescent Aya.

"Because Seiko got in a car accident-"

"blah blah blah. No, the other part."

Aya frowned. "Now you're just being insensitive."

Kagome took a sip of her drink. "Don't start with me. I was there when they wheeled her in and she was way past the legal limit for booze and driving. I have no sympathy for the stupid."

Aya just shook her head.

Kagome removed her sunglasses and tucked them into her breast pocket. "Where am I picking them up?"

"Conference room one. Be there ten 'til so we can introduce you and they can ask their questions-"

"Hold on, Aya, sorry-" then turning around to see the guy who's limo she pulled up behind, "if you wanna listen, you might as well come over here already." Kagome was irritated. She could feel that guy's eyes burning into her back. His demonic aura had followed her from the curb and chose a spot on the side, still focused on her.

"Kagome, that's-"

"What were you saying?" But Aya ignored Kagome and turned to the stranger approaching them.

"Sekiguchi-sama. I apologize for Miss Higurashi. She is not…feeling well this morning."

Kagome vaguely recalled that name as being an important one. Fine, she would be nice but only because Aya looked so determined to save face. She turned around.

"I apologize that you were unfortunate enough to encounter me before my morning fix. I just got off my shift at the ER a few hours ago. It seems that one of our irresponsible employees got herself drunk and crashed into a pole, leaving me to save her life and now her job."

Kagome knew Aya was upset at her sorry excuse for an apology but she was honestly too tired to care. With only three hours of sleep, it would take a while for her cocoa to kick in and warm her spirit and mind.

"Sekiguchi-sama, may I introduce Higurashi Kagome, Director of Ancient History of our museum. Kagome, this is Sekiguchi-sama, President of Sekiguchi Industries, leading company in medical and warfare technology."

Kagome lifted her hand for a handshake and Sekiguchi played along with it to her surprise. But when their hands touched, Kagome dropped her cup of steamy cocoa. It splattered all over the floor and on his pants and shoes, not that either of them noticed.

The shock she felt at the contact was one that Kagome had become a stranger to over the years. That powerful youki was concentrated in his hand on purpose. That jerk! She knew he meant to make her feel intimidated and she would have been if she was a normal human without miko powers. His hand was probably singed because Kagome's reaction was one of an instinctual protection. When she looked up to see Sekiguchi's reaction she saw him looking from his smoking hand to her with narrowed golden glowing eyes.

"Miko."

It was a statement saying he knew what she was, not who she was but Kagome couldn't distinguish between the two at the moment. Too many memories caused her to super-impose a crescent moon on his forehead and two magenta stripes on either cheek, sending her mind into shock.

Her body seized up and she managed a strangled, "Sesshoumaru?" and saw his eyes widen before fainting dead away, only to be caught by two strong arms she wouldn't remember.