To Bear Witness by Striking Falcon
The Call That Starts It All
{Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. I just borrow Sesshou on the weekends.}
To Bear Witness
Chapter One: The Call That Starts It All
*Atlanta, GA, 3:30 AM*
>RING!<
A woman, possibly no older that fifty, asleep at her desk jerked to life when the phone rang again. She blinked owlishly, then yawned, turned and picked up the noisy pest.
"Hello?" she asked, her voice thick and heavy with slumber. She suddenly snapped to attention, her back straight as she turned toward her computer.
"Yes, this is Kaede. How can I help you?"
a moment pause
"Yes, I know who he is."
Nod
"Yes, I see how that's a problem. Don't worry about a thing, I'll send my best people to him as soon as possible. Thank you sir." Kaede hangs up the phone and turns on her computer. Scanning through employee files, she mentally goes through what, or who, she needs.
'This is a rather important assignment. I need only my best people in the field, plus a tech here for support. Let's see, here's a good one.' She clicked on a file and read when it popped up on screen.
*File 145*
Name: Taijia, Sango
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black
Height: 5'5"
Weight: 129 lb.
Marital Status: Single
'I'm sure her boyfriend would disagree with that,' Kaede thought with a smile as she continued to read.
D. O. B.: 07/25/77
Sex: F
Specialty: Field Ops.; Bomb Squad
Hometown: Oklahoma City, OK
'Yes, she'll do for this,' Kaede decided as she minimized the file. 'Now who else?' She continued to search until she stopped with a groan. 'Not him. Those two together won't get a thing done.'
*File 078*
Name: Houshi, Miroku
Eyes: Grey-Brown
Hair: Black
'And entirely too long for my tastes.' Kaede shrugged. 'But I guess these young girls today like them that way.'
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 183 lb.
Marital Status: Single
D. O. B.: 02/14/76
'And he tells every girl that the first time they meet him,' Kaede thought with a sigh.
Sex: M
Specialty: Pilot, Negotiations Tactics
Hometown: Sydney, Australia
'I remember him now. The first Aussie on the team. Well, I guess he could be of some use, but I hope he and Sango can keep their hands off each other long enough to do their jobs. OK, that makes two fields, now for tech support.'
She surfed through the tech people, searching through each one until she came to a stop at one particular file. She smiled as she enlarged it.
*File 458*
Name: Moraiga, Shippou
Eyes: Green
Hair: Red
Height: 5'9"
Weight: 170 lbs
Marital Status: Single
D. O. B.: 09/21/82
Specialty: Weapons Technology, Covert Ops.
Hometown: Dallas, TX
'My little kit,' Kaede thought with a sigh. 'I was so pleased when he decided to enroll with this group. He's begged for long enough to be put on a team, so why not.' She minimized his folder with the first two files and started searching again. 'Now for someone who can hold this team together. Someone with some experience with leadership.' A single name popped in her head and she searched until the young lady's file came onscreen. 'Ahhh…she will do nicely.'
*File 248*
Name: Higurashi, Kagome
Eyes: Blue-Gray
Hair: Black
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 110 lbs.
D. O. B.: 01/18/79
Specialty: Marksmanship, Hand-to-Hand Combat, Leadership Tactics, Negotiations Tactics
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
'This is perfect,' Kaede grinned as she searched their files for their home numbers. 'Each of them now live in Atlanta! This should be a snap to get together, then I can go home!'
*Atlanta, GA 2:00 am*
"No…" she said as she tossed and turned. "No, don't go. Don't leave me."
She tossed again, throwing a few pillows off their perch as she slept. She wrapped around a large one, then tossed again; her dark hair plastered to her face and drenched in sweat.
"Don't…I don't know who you are…" she whispered, then
"NO!!!"
>THUMP!<
"Ow…" Kagome grumbled irritably, glancing around her bedroom. She sighed despondently and stood up, heading for the bathroom and her shower. She came out a few minutes later dressed in a baby pink terry jogging suit with matching shoes. She reached inside her vanity drawer for a matching scrunchie and walked out of her room to her living room. She moved the white leather couch and loveseat to the side, then moved the glass coffee table before going to her hall closet and pulling out her treadmill. Positioning it in front of the large bay window in the room overlooking the city, Kagome placed the phone in arm's reach and started to run.
"Why do I keep having that stupid dream?" she asked herself as she turned the machine up a notch. She moved from a slow walk to a slow jog, allowing the beat of her feet against the rubber to work out the kinks in her mind.
"It's always the same man, the same dream, the same way, every night for a week now. I think I'll call Grandpa tomorrow. He'll know what to do."
>RING!<
Kagome blinked out of her musings and picked up the phone.
"Higurashi."
She smiled suddenly, stopping the machine and sitting down on the edge of it to talk comfortably. "No, you didn't. I've been up for a while."
Pause.
"Yes, same dream. Don't worry about it. What can I do for you, Kaede?"
Pause, then a nod.
"Sure, no problem. Need me to do anything else?"
Laugh.
"You can't, huh? Sango either? Don't worry, I know where they are. 6:30, right? OK, see you then."
Kagome hung up the phone, only to push the speed dial on the receiver. She waited patiently, her foot tapping on the hardwood floor when
"This had better be good," a man groaned. Kagome giggled. "Is that any way to treat a friend, Miroku?"
"Kagome! I was just thinking about you!" >Whap!< "OW! Not like that, I mean!"
Kagome stifled a giggle, then cleared her throat before she got down to business. "Kaede wants you, me and Sango at h. q in three hours."
"Three hours?! I don't think Sango and I are going to make it," Miroku said. Some giggling from the other side of the phone, then a female took over.
"Hello Kagome. You really know how to take the fun out of a girl's day."
"Morning Sango," Kagome chirped. Sango groaned. "Why are you so chipper?" a gasp, then "The dream again, huh?"
Kagome nodded. "Yup, again. Don't start worrying. You and Miroku only have three hours to get to headquarters."
"Three hours?! No one can make it to downtown Atlanta in three hours!"
Kagome huffed and stood up. "Of course not when you live at least a mile out the city!"
Another huff from the other end. "Not all of us have rich uncle's that can buy us apartments, Kagome!"
Miroku's voice suddenly replaced Sango's. "Now now you two. No catfights unless it's in a pool of vanilla pudding and I get to sell tickets."
"WHAT?!" screamed Kagome.
"WHAT?!" came Sango's voice from the other end. A slap was heard, then Sango came back to the phone.
"We'll be there," she growled before the line went dead. Kagome smiled and hung the phone up. She started the treadmill again, figuring that one more run wouldn't kill her.
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SF: AHHHH!!!! Believe it or no, this one isn't a dream! This one is an idea I got from watching educational television! And who said TV rots your brain?
Sesshou: I did.
SF: Oh yeah. You don't count. Anyway, let me know what you guys think. Should I continue or what? Is it any good at all? Tell me, b/c I'm dying to know! Anywho, I've got to go.