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The Hunt For The Shikon No Tama	By : Ericedwyn Category: InuYasha > General Views: 2114 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, nor make money from this story.

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TITLE:  The Hunt for the Shikon no Tama
Author:  Ericedwyn
Disclaimer:  Inuyasha and all his friends were created and lovingly brought to life by Rumiko Takahashi.  I am merely celebrating them.
A/N:  All text in ‘___’ are thought expressions, **__** are from comm links, and ~__~ are telepathic messages. (Revised on 12/2017)

PROLOGUE I: Melting The Ice

~* The Hunting Pack’s HQ Control Room, nearly seventeen years ago *~
‘Damn these demon ears.’  Sesshoumaru cringed as he heard another wail piercing through the steel floor of the Control Room.  “What are their present locations, Kenjiro?”  He asked the young man seated in front of the five monitors, as he made his way towards him.  Again, he heard another cry from one of the rooms downstairs.
“Inuyasha and Kaede are inside the warehouse, engaging the enemy, Sir.  Meiyo and Kirara are in position by the rear door and Kouga’s staking out the front.  They’re waiting for Inuyasha’s signal.”  Kenjiro bent his head in concentration as he listened in on the team’s conversation.  “Inuyasha has just given the orders for the others to rush into the building.”
Sesshoumaru picked up one of the headsets from the desk and placed them over his ears, listening in as Inuyasha gave more orders to his team.  The wailing continued, loud against his ears despite the earphones.  He bristled and yanked the headset off his head.  “FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, SHIPPOU, DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT… THAT THING!”  He barked exasperatingly.
Kenjiro jumped from his seat, quite stunned by Sesshoumaru’s sudden outburst, so uncharacteristic of the usually collected youkai he has come to know since arriving from the monastery seven years ago.  The young Ops. Tech had to grab the edge of his desk from falling completely off.  He looked up at Sesshoumaru with startled eyes.
Sesshoumaru turned to Kenjiro, his golden eyes flashing.  “Status Report.”
“Y-Y-Yes, S-Sir.”  Kenjiro managed to say before regaining his seat.  He focused his attention to Inuyasha’s words.  “The enemy is 75% contained.”
Sesshoumaru heard another wail.  “DAMMIT, SHIPPOU.  SHUT THAT THING UP!”
A little red-headed kitsune youkai, who appeared to be no older than eight, ran inside the control room vainly clutching a squirming baby.  “First off, she is not a thing.”  Shippou huffed.  “Kagome is only crying like this because she feels something is wrong with Kaede-kaasan.”
Sesshoumaru turned his attention towards the Ops. Tech.  “What is Kaede’s status?”  Sesshoumaru grimaced as the cries of the infant began to make his ears ring.
“Not good, Sir.  Her blood pressure has reached an unhealthy level and her energy level has dropped considerably.”
Sesshoumaru picked up the discarded headset and turned the mike on.  “Inuyasha, send Kaede to the rear.”
**She looks fine to me.** Inuyasha’s reply came loud and clear through the comm link.
“She’s not, and she won’t ever tell you.  That’s why we monitor her.”  He heard a momentary pause, then heard his half-brother shout out several commands to re-allocate resources.
**Sending Kirara to take her to safety now.  We’re almost done here anyway.**
Sesshoumaru placed the mike on mute and turned to Shippou.  “She is not stopping.  Why?”
“I don’t know.  I’m just a kid.  Here, you take her.”  Shippou said tiredly as he held up the agitated infant.
“I think not.”  Sesshoumaru scowled at the kit, crossing his arms against his chest.
“You have to.  I can hear Kikyou downstairs.  If she wakes up and senses Kagome is not with her, she’ll start crying too.”  Shippou pleaded.
“Very well.”  Sesshoumaru spat in disgust as he picked up Kagome and held her at arm’s length.  “Well, what are you waiting for?”
“You can’t hold her like that!”  Shippou panicked. “You have to support her head.  You have to hold her…”  Shippou took the squirming baby and held her in his arms, against his chest to demonstrate.  “like this.  Put your arms the same way.”
‘This day is getting worse and worse.’  He did as the child youkai said.  When he felt Kenjiro’s eyes on him, he inclined his head towards the younger man and flashed his fangs.
The human gulped and immediately planted his eyes back to the monitors with no intention of looking anywhere else.
Sesshoumaru grimaced as the kit placed Kagome into his arms.  Almost instantly, the infant stopped crying and squirming.  He looked down in unveiled surprise.
Shippou gawked as baby Kagome snuggled against the youkai like he was a nest.  Tiny fingers of one small hand curled around a tendril of silky silver-white hair.  He scratched his head in confusion, but didn’t have time to think on it further as he heard Kikyou’s slight movements from the lower level.  He rushed out of the room to the Nursery to check on her.
“The enemy is 100% contained.  Our team is making their way towards the jet.  ETA to HQ is one hour, 15 minutes.”
Sesshoumaru turned his head towards Kenjiro, but the movement was impeded.  He glanced down to see his hair trapped in a tiny grasp.  He sighed to himself.  “Run a report on any injuries and send them to the Med. Room.  Prepare the Briefing Room as well.”
“Yes, Sir.”  Kenjiro said, not looking up.  He busied himself with the tasks, eager to get them finished.
Sesshoumaru glanced down at the baby’s hand in annoyance.  He crossed the room to the armchair closest to the back wall of the room, and slid onto it with his usual grace before balancing the infant in one arm.
Softly, he touched one of the fingers clutching his hair.  ‘So tiny.’  He glanced briefly at his sharp claws before he tried prying the girl’s fingers from his hair, as gently as he could muster, but they would not uncurl.  He concluded that the most logical thing to do was to slice his own hair, but it was not an option he particularly wanted to carry out.  So he decided he would have to wait until she loosened her hold.
His gaze crept up to Kagome’s face.  ‘So peaceful.’  With the tip of the claw of his forefinger, he followed the line of her jaw to her tiny earlobe.  The padding of his finger met the short, silky tendrils of raven-black hair.  ‘So soft.’  When he curled his finger around a few, his claw inadvertently sliced through them.  ‘And so fragile.’  The Daiyoukai brushed the loose hair away from Kagome’s face as gingerly as he could.
He bent his head closer to the tiny face and softly blew the remaining shorn hair away. He blinked at the baby’s pleasant scent.  ‘At least she does not smell...’  He frowned.  ‘Most humans reek.’  He sniffed again to make sure—contemplating what made up her scent.
“I… um… I’m done with the reports, Sir.  I can take Kagome back to the Nursery before I head to the Med. Room..."  Kenjiro said nervously, as he approached his senior officer.
'He probably thinks I'm going to eat the child.'  Sesshoumaru smirked.  "My hair..."
Kenjiro acted immediately, gently but firmly prying Kagome's fingers open.  He hesitated for a moment before grabbing the baby from the demon's grasp.  He jumped slightly when the baby woke up and began to cry.  "Shh... it's okay.  Please don't cry."  He tried to appease her by rocking her in his arms.
Sesshoumaru began to scowl at the on-set of the cries.  His head began to thump in pain and his neck and shoulders grew rigid and tense.  "She is crying. Again."
"So sorry, Sir.  They didn’t teach us child rearing in the monastery."  Kenjiro gave a nervous laugh.
"That doesn't seem to deter you from asking every woman you meet if she could bear your child."  The dog demon retorted dryly.
"Well, you know...  The curse."  Kenjiro held up his tightly gloved hand, leaving the baby to dangle perilously from his other arm.  “Little Miroku might need some help.”
"I can only imagine the curse Kaede will inflict upon you if you drop her daughter, Houshi."  Sesshoumaru reached out and grabbed Kagome before anything could happen to her.  He tucked her within the crook of his arm, and as before, the infant stopped her small tantrum.  He watched as she snuggled deeper against the fabric of his sleeve.
"Oh, I think Kagome likes you, Sir.  Isn't that something..."  Kenjiro smiled as he brushed the baby's hair from her face.  He felt a little relieved.  'Maybe she'll be safe after all.'  "I guess I'll go to the Med. Room now."
"Yes, do.  Don’t worry, Houshi...  This tiny morsel is not enough to satisfy this demon's appetite..."  Sesshoumaru began.  When he received the reaction he was waiting for, he bared his fangs with a devilish grin and added, "Maybe when she is older..."
Sesshoumaru laughed to himself when the monk fainted away.  'Humans are so predictable.'

~* Fifteen years ago *~

Sesshoumaru stopped and turned around.  He placed his hands on his hips and glared down at the dark-haired toddler who stopped at his heels, her tiny arms outstretched as if reaching for something.  He reached down to bring the child to his eye level.  "No, you cannot play with it.  It is not a toy."
Just as quickly, he set her down.  He winced at the little girl’s joyful laughter at the little flight back to the floor.  Again, the child raised her arms to him.
"Go back to your mother."  Sesshoumaru muttered beneath his breath and turned to walk away.  The soles of his shoes treaded on the hardwood floor noiselessly but the pitter patter of tiny
feet was unmistakably loud behind him. He walked a few more steps before he turned around again.
Two large brown eyes captured his golden ones.  Kagome stopped and reached up on tippy toes.  Unable to control her balance, she began to fall forward and would have taken a dive if not for Sesshoumaru’s quick reaction.  He righted her back to her feet with a gentleness that few beings had ever seen “The Killing Perfection" display.
He straightened to his full height, and then rearranged his mokomoko-sama until the tip slid lower by several more inches, enough for the little girl to reach it.
The gurgle of laughter felt loud against his ears, but it was the tight embrace on the fur that gave him the most annoyance.  "This is the last time, Kagome.  If you want a mokomoko-sama, spawn one yourself."  He murmured with mock indignation.
The little girl didn't appear to have heard.  If she did, she gave little indication that she was offended.  Her attention was heavily focused on the softness between her arms and the fur that tickled her nose.
In the Control Room, money exchanged hands after having watched the scene fed from the security camera.  Although they could not hear a thing, everyone in the room saw the haughty Daiyoukai allow a small human to hug his fur.  The room filled with raucous laughter ever since.
Shippou grinned widely.  He had managed to fleece his three older companions, Inuyasha, Kouga, and Kenjiro, of some of their hard earned cash with a highly calculated bet.  He “guessed” correctly that Sesshoumaru would give in, but then again, unlike the three adults in the room, he had secretly seen this particular interaction a few times before… but they didn’t need to know that.  ‘Suckers…’

~* Eleven years ago, Northern Lands Desert *~

Inside a hummer, a shaking Kaede tried vainly to quiet her mind.  Her daughter, Kagome, was kidnapped from a park nearly 6 hours prior. The abductors had masked their scents, and The Hunting Pack had lost the girl’s faint scent a couple of hours before.
On the floor of the wide vehicle, she turned to her other daughter, Kikyou, who showed much more control over her mental abilities, when she spoke.  “She’s near, Mama.”
Unable to focus herself from worrying, she put all her energies into encouraging Kikyou.  “What do you see, Sweetheart?”  She asked, not letting her voice waver with fear.
The six-year old scrunched her face in concentration, her eyes tightly shut.  “Sand everywhere.  Seven youkai in front. Some more behind. She’s moving towards the sun.”   Kikyou said, trying to see through her twin’s eyes through their psychic bond.
“The sun is setting… West.”  Kaede glanced at Touga who immediately deployed his sons, giving them the information Kikyou provided.
‘Oh, Kami-sama.  Please let Kagome be alright.’  She cried inside.  She felt a warm, gentle squeeze on her shoulder.
“We’ll find her, Kaede.”  Touga’s tenor voice was confident and encouraging.
Kaede covered his hand with one of hers.  “Thank you.”
~*~
“Picked up her scent.”  Sesshoumaru shouted to his half-brother.  He quickly sped up, becoming just a white blur, kicking up sand behind him.
Inuyasha scowled, as dust enveloped his red fire-rat kimono.  He leaped high into the sky and dropped down to the right of his elder brother, intending to match his brother’s speed so the dust of sand wouldn’t find him again.
“I see them… 7 miles ahead”  Inuyasha barked into the tiny mike of his headset.  “Wait, what are they… Dammit, they’re going to gut her!”
“I’ll go right.  Take them from the other side.”  Sesshoumaru quickened his speed even more. He curled his razor sharp claws as his eyes changed from deep golden to bleeding crimson.  He dared not change to his true form for fear of scaring Kagome who has not yet seen it. But he was ready to do so, if he had to.
Suddenly a surge of blinding pink ki erupted from several miles ahead, and quickly grew in circumference in sweeping diligence, coating the entire area with intense, purifying energy. The crackling sound of purity clamored in both brothers’ ears and the force of the oncoming onslaught of power compelled them from their feet.
Instinctually, the brothers drew back, leaping several feet backwards to safety.  Even so, they had felt the hair on the back of their necks stand on ends as the wave of energy took its ride… the edge of the expurgating energy stopping just a mere two feet in front of them where they had landed last.
Heavy, ragged breaths expelled from Inuyasha’s mouth and his heart pounded uncontrollably in his chest. He fell backwards to the ground at the very near purifying experience.
**What the hell was that?**  They heard Touga’s booming voice in their headsets.
Sesshoumaru, already back in control of himself, peered through the slowly dispersing circle of energy.  He must have found what he was searching for, as his eyes gleamed in triumph.  “Kagome.”
**WHAT?!?**
Sesshoumaru yanked the headset off his head in annoyance and threw it on the ground.  Even before the cleansing ki dissipated, he began to race through it.  He felt the bite of each painful kiss of purity, but he was more concerned about his little human friend than himself.
He sped through the desert floor, leaving whirlwind of sand at his wake, and at the end of the 5-mile radius, Kagome stood with eyes red and gleaming with unshed tears.
The Daiyoukai scooped her up into his arms in a tight embrace.  “You’re safe…,” he whispered more than twice, not so much to comfort Kagome, but himself.
Moments later, when the others finally caught up to him, it was a struggle for him to let the little girl go.  So affected was he by the entire ordeal, he suddenly felt at a loss at the sudden feeling of protectiveness he felt towards her.  He couldn’t understand why he would feel that way, and it would be many years later when he would come to realize the full reason behind it.

To be continued
Revised 12/2017, version 2
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The Hunt For The Shikon No Tama