A Blind Heart

AN: Gomen ne sai for the long delay...I got a MAJOR case of writer's block, not to mention some personal issues...so thanks to all those who left wonderful reviews and encouragement.
I made an extra long chapter!!!! Read, enjoy & Review

~oOo~

Quick Guide:
Inari Goddess of fertility and nature Hostess
Konohanasakuya-hime Goddess of Earth Sensei to Kagome
Fujin Kaninokaze God of Wind Sensei to Inu Yasha
Shina-To-Be Goddess of Air Sensei to Miroku
Raijin God of Thunder and Lightning Sensei to Ayame
Suijin God of Water Sensei to Koga
Marishi-Ten God of the Sun Sensei to Sango
Susanoo God of the Sea and Storms Sensei to Sesshomaru
Kagu-tsuchi God of Fire Sensei to Sango

~oOo~

To thy own self be true

Kags POV:

So we all met our new trainers. I could see there was a sort of restlessness and anxiety within the group. This level would be unlike anything we ever faced. Really the only ones who knew what vigorous training meant were Sesshomaru, Koga and Sango. I mean true, Kikyo and Miroku were trained spiritually, but this promised to be very physical, spiritual and mental!

We were then informed by Raijin that since we were youkai and did not need to rest every night, we would be training until our Sensei’s deemed us exhausted and in need of replenishing our strength. While food would be brought to us, we were not to expect the posh opulence of Kimi’s domain. Yikes! Youkai boot camp! The training would be done in two stages; one, we would be trained by our primary Sensei; two, we would then be trained by all other Sensei’s. Part of that training was live, no holds barred training. And while we couldn’t die, we sure as hell could hurt! Great, huh well to add more spice to the mix, we would also be sparring against the other teams. Oh, and did I mention that the last level would like child’s play compared to this?

Well, I suppose we should thank the stars that they were “allowing” us to get a nights respite before starting the new torture. I looked around and spotted Inu-Taisho, Midoriko and Sen, so it seemed that they would be undergoing the journey of levels with us. I wondered though, what did they gain from this? Yes, we would defeat the ultimate evil, but how did that impact on their existence? I guess I wasn’t the only one with that thought, as Inu Yasha spoke up and asked his otousan the question that was on everyone’s mind.

“So tell me otousan, just what happens to you when we go down to earth and defeat the ultimate evil? Do you remain in Kouten or do you get reincarnated?” As one we all turned to look at Taisho-san to see what his response would be. I glanced at Kikyo and knew the next round of questions went to Midoriko and Sen.

“I will do neither batsunan; I will return to earth, granted an immediate life instead of waiting the standard time for reincarnation. The Kami’s have graciously granted this for me and my mate.” He paused as if unsure how to finish. I tensed. Without any gift of premonition I knew that the next few words out his mouth would spark a controversy. For instance, which mate was he talking about? Maru stiffened at the announcement.

“So otousan, do you wish to reclaim your Lordship from this Sesshomaru? When exactly did you plan on advising me of this decision?” Oh shit! The Lord of the Deep Freeze has returned! And judging by the way Taisho-san’s eye narrowed he was not pleased. But before he could bark out any discipline, Yasha decided to chime in “So, WHICH mate will be returning to life with you father?” Poor Yasha and Maru, no matter how Taisho answered the riddle set upon him, one of them would end up resentful.

For several minutes absolute silence reigned as a father struggled to form the words that might damage the tender relationships all three had forged with each other. With his very silence I could tell that Taisho was not planning on asking Izayoi. “Listen well my sons, I have been blessed with the love of not one but two wonderful mates. But the truth is my first love was Sesshomaru’s mother, Michiru. I don’t regret meeting and falling in love with Izayoi, but honestly, she was not prepared to deal with youkai society or the possibility of living forever by bonding.”

Three, two, one …..and the long awaited explosion came. “Keh, oibore you finally went over the bend. Why did you mate my mother if she was so unsuited? Or was it the thought of actually having to deal with a hanyou that you hated? I ‘m glad haha is dead; at least she doesn’t have to know the heartbreak of learning that she was a substitute, and a poor one at that!”

Oh that was the entirely wrong thing to say! A blur tackled Yasha and tried to pin him to the ground. But Yasha would not stay down. He fought with the might of the wronged and wounded. He fought for the honor of a mother long dead, and for all the hurts he had endured just for being a hanyou. Kikyo must have made a small move, because Maru went to her and blocked her. “You will not interfere in a fight for dominance. This is something they must work out for themselves; otherwise they will never know peace.”

It was brutal, as you would expect. Neither male gave the other an advantage. Inu Yasha had youth, and his will to honor his late mother, but Taisho had lived for centuries and knew how to use his brute strength. Claws rend into flesh, blood flowed freely and still they fought. I watched Yasha’s eyes as red bled into his amber gaze. If he transformed, would he be able to retain his intelligence, or would he get lost to the beast within?

Taisho used his own blood to wield the blades of blood. His attack was like comparing aikuchi to a zanbatou, and it struck with the intensity of a larger blade. I looked at Kikyo and we knew that this could not continue to go on much longer. The stripes on Yasha’s face and his fangs grew. He was losing himself to his beast. His face began to morph into that of a dog, mist covered his body as he underwent his first transformation. I watched Maru change also, and place his body in front of the rest of us. Inu Taisho changed last. What took Yasha and Maru minutes to achieve, he took seconds. It was like watching molten liquid; if you blinked you missed it.

Great Kami! He was huge. Not to say Maru or Yasha were small, but he was gigantic! Yasha had one tail and a small pelt that adorned him. Maru had two tails and a larger pelt, but three tails and two large pelts adorned Taisho. I expected this portion of the fight to be just as bloody and vicious as the first part. But Taisho jumped Yasha, and gripped him by the scruff of his neck and made him submit. Anti-climatic I know, but pack order was very important to the Inu’s and Yasha learning his place was no exception.

I hated fighting, I truly did. However, I understood that the air had to be cleared before the three of them could move on. I knew that old scars hurt the worst, and that in cases like this, the hurt would never go away while the truth remained hidden in the shadows. After watching Inu Yasha to see if he was going to get up, Taisho decided to take back his humanoid shape. Yasha and Maru followed suit, but Yasha just lay there like a broken puppy.

His voice came out just as shattered. “All my life, I was never first; I was always compared to the Great Daiyoukai Inu-no-Taisho, or to Sesshomaru, the Taiyoukai of the West. I was the bastard son of the Great Daiyoukai Inu-no-Taisho. I was the product of his dallying with a ningen Princess, and a mistake that should have been eradicated at birth. Humans and demons alike shunned me. I didn’t fully belong in either world. My mother passed away while I was young, and the village we lived in ran me off. I survived, but I didn’t live. Not until I met Kikyo. She was the first thing that was really mine, and even that Naraku spoiled. So I waited for 50 years for someone to save me. It was you Kagome who loved me when I was a hanyou. You were my first real friend, who didn’t care that I was brash and crude, and who forgave my every mistake. You and Kikyo were the ones who taught me I was worthy of love. And yet, I find that the one truth I always hung onto was just a lie…”

Kikyo and I both went to hug and comfort Yasha. I looked into Taisho’s eyes and knew he didn’t know what his son was talking about. I spoke softy, “He believed in a fairy tale. He believed you loved his mother so much that you died for her. He believed that you loved him enough to die for him,” my voice started to rise at this point “But now he finds out that you choose your first mate to live with, and it’s killed something inside of him. Fix this, fix this now old man, or you will never know peace.”

He glared at me. “You daughter, you would dare to shout and lecture me? You would dare to tell me how to comport myself and how to treat my own sons? You presume too much youngling.”

Narrowing my eyes and still holding Yasha within the cradle of my arms, I answered. “Yes, yes I would dare take you to task. You are family, and family doesn’t hurt each other if they can help it. I dare because I love you both, as father and brother of my heart. I know you watched him all his life, but even you have no idea how hard it was for him to live in this world, and yet never to be fully accepted by mortal and demons alike. You have no idea the amount of trust it took to fall in love with Kikyo, or the deep sense of betrayal that preceded his enchanted sleep. Maybe you would like to feel the pain of having a lost lover return to life, full of pain and hate? Or would you prefer the feeling of being pulled between the love of the dead and the living? I say again Taisho-san, fix this and fix it now!”

I watched as red mist engulfed his eyes, shoulders bowed and hunched down before straightening up. Here was a male with his own demons to fight. But I would give no surcease to him. His pride was not worth Yasha’s heart; his desires did not grant him the right to hurt indiscriminately. I could feel the tension easing from the Great Daiyoukai. When he looked up, I gasped. He saw, I mean really saw, what his words had wrought. Yasha a mess in mine and Kikyo’s arms, my mate standing there stoically and bearing his pack’s pain on top of his own.

“Sons, please sit and give me a chance to explain my actions. I do not normally explain myself to anyone, but you, my sons bear the right to hear this ….. A heart has the ability to grow and love exponentially. There is no limitation to the amount of individuals you can love, or the amount of love given to each one. You may not know, but my match to Michiru was not a normal political match. Indeed, in a time when tradition demanded a mating for money or power, we defied custom and married for love. Kami had blessed me with a mate to love, and later on a fine pup. But then I lost my mate when a rival for her hand hired an assassin youkai. If he could not have her love then no one would.

In my grief and despair I ignored my only son. True, he was grown at the time, but I should have held him closer. I did not notice how my son closed himself off from the world. Or that his pursuit of power was the only thing he came to rely on in a time of turbulence, I only know Michiru scolded me something fierce when I was finally reunited with her. You, Sesshomaru the light of her heart, had changed to an indifferent and closed off male, with no hope of finding a mate….

It was over a century later, and a time when I believed I had no love left to give, that I met Izayoi. Her father was Lord of an area of land under the Western rule. He was being plagued by dragon youkai, and had lost many warriors and villagers to the dragon clan. When I arrived to hear his plea for help, he offered me his youngest daughter as a concubine. It did not matter that she loved another; she was simply a part of a peace treaty. I married her in the ningen tradition, so that she did not have to bear the burden of being little more that a concubine. I left her under her father’s household until I could finish taking care of the dragon youkai. But through frequent trips I got to know Izayoi, and I came to care for her. She was a gentle soul who saw the good in everyone. While we both came to love each other, it was not that soul-mate deep bonding type of love. For each of us there was another who held that small precious piece of our heart, we never denied it to each other. And yet our love was no less revered for not being a soul bond.

I was so happy when I learned that I was going to have another pup. It was a chance to change and raise another pup the right way. Fate however had other plans. Know this Inu Yasha, I died with no regrets to protect the two of you. If I had any regrets, it would have been that I could not be there to see you grow up. I knew Sesshomaru would make sure you grew up to be a fine male, worthy of the Taisho clan. Now don’t shake your head son. By declaring that you were his to kill, your brother ensured no other Youkai would attempt to kill you. His vicious sparring taught you how to wield the Tetsaiga. He was not able to be a part of your life because my death threw the Western Land into turmoil and many youkai thought due to Sesshomaru’s young age, that they would be able to wrest control from your brother, thereby giving them instant Lordship. Your brother not only met all rivals, but he also defeated them and thus the legend of Sesshomaru was born. It wasn’t until after you were sealed, that the High Council finally declared your brother Taiyoukai.

But son, it was your love for your pack that allowed you to grow stronger due to your need to protect them. The strength of your heart took the Tetsaiga farther than even I had envisioned. Who knows where your heart will lead you next? Understand that although you were betrayed, you did not close off yourself to love. Don’t ever think that you were not wanted. You were a blessing, a gift that I was not fortunate enough to see grow in the flesh. All should be right in your world my boy. You are a full youkai, you have a mate, a standing in the pack. You have also met your long dead father, and before you leave this plane of existence you will get to speak to your mother. So tell me son, did your love for Kagome mean that you loved Kikyo any less? Or did your love for Kikyo mean that you could not open your heart to Kagome in friendship? The love for one does not negate the other. Surely you of all people should know this lesson?”

We continued to rock Inu Yasha, and even Sesshomaru knelt so that he could touch him to comfort. Nobody liked seeing him like this. He pulled away from us and stood up, walking away, we could hear him say that he needed time alone and would be back. So, we had one melodrama over, and another to be served up when Midoriko answered her questions.

Kikyo looked at Midoriko and asked the question our enquiring minds wanted to know. “So what happens with you and Sen after the fight? Do you plan on staying here, or going back down to earth?” They glanced at each other. What the hell was it with parents and secrets? Boy I was getting pissed already and I hadn’t even heard the answer yet. When the softly spoken “It’s complicated,” came from Midoriko, I was ready to scream from impatience, after all I wanted answers and I wanted them now!

“As you know Sen is a Tenshi, and you can’t un-become an angel. Nor, can a person become a Tenshi overnight. Therefore, Fate has declared that we will be allowed to return to earth until such time as I earn the right to become a Tenshi. How long this will take was not prophesized. We do not know if we will be gifted with additional children. This decision was based on all the sacrifices that Sen and I were required to go through for the sake of Shikon-no-Tama.”

Sacrifices? Did she really think that she was the only one who sacrificed? My mother, my real mother, the onna who raised me, was a sacrifice? I had to wait 500 fucking years before I could feel her arms around me again, assuming that she still knew who I was, after all Fate could have wiped memories of my existence from her. I had to live a dual life starting at the age of 15, and hell at 15, one life is hard enough! I had become fate’s favorite plaything and all she could say was sacrifice? Her decisions led to her sacrifice. What choice did Kikyo and I have? The more I thought about this the angrier I became. The anger became a field of red and a ball of rage. I struggled as never before not to give in to whatever was demanding the blood of she who wronged us.

I could see Sesshomaru’s lips moving. Intellectually I knew that he was trying to calm me down, too bad I had moved beyond mere words. Not a problem for my mate, he just came up behind me, bit down on my shoulder and yipped at me to submit. Suddenly, all the tension and anger I felt drained down to a manageable level. Kikyo seemed to be having the same issue. Maybe it was the mating bond, or maybe Yasha finally had enough time to himself, but he came running from the woods and grabbed Kikyo in his arms.

Great night we were having so far. Two pissed off sons, two pissed off mates, and all the parents upset. Who said you can’t get entertainment without a television? I looked at Kouga, Ayame, Miroku and Sango, and almost snickered at their wide-eyed looks. Guess it wasn’t everyday you go to see a scrap between two Inu, or to see my mummy dearest almost trigger her biological daughters transformation.

I needed away from her, like now! I turned to look at Maru. I don’t know what my love saw in my face but he swept me in his arms and ran away. When we stopped we were by a waterfall that emptied into a small basin. It could have been the middle of hell for all I cared at the moment. I was so angry and so hurt that I just wanted it all to go away. So I jumped my mate.

Clothes were swiftly removed until there was nothing between us but air. We came together swiftly, needing the comfort of each other’s body. There was no sweet foreplay, no gentle endearments spoken, just pure raw need. Maru spun me around and slammed me into a tree. Before I could find my breath, he had spread my legs and thrust deep into my core. As wet as I was he still had to fight to fit his length inside. Using his tail, he flicked my nipples and then squeezed down hard on one breast. The pain triggered an orgasm so intense that when we both came, it was hard and fast. We both howled loudly, and clamped our fangs into the other’s neck, increasing our pleasure.

Maru sank to his knees, and then gently sat us both down, still intimately joined. I had buried my face in his neck and was content to just breathe in his scent. I shivered when he started to lick at the shell of my ear, so I paid him back in kind, and sucked the tip of his ear into my moist mouth. He growled his approval, and thrust gently against me. Our second coupling was gentler than the first. We kissed, and caressed, licked and sucked as we slowly rode to passions heights once more.

And yet it still it wasn’t enough! I needed to feel more; I was suddenly voracious in my appetite for sex. I waded into the small pond that the waterfall feed. I could feel my lover’s eyes on me. I leapt up to the shelf that the falls hit right before emptying into a basin and then the pond. The water felt great, warm sensual and hard it was a contradiction of sensations. Using my tail and hair I covered my intimate parts and looked at Maru coyly from over my shoulder. Through our bond I knew he thought it was visually stunning, likening it to a Water Sprite rising from the pond.

All well and good, but I didn’t want him to watch and admire. I needed for him to need me. To need me so badly that he hurt with it, so that even the air that he breathed in would pain him. At the moment of my life where I was Kami’s plaything and my very foundation kept shifting, I needed to know that he really wanted and needed me more than anything in his world. Needy? Absolutely, but that’s how I felt at that moment. So sue me, I started out only human!

He waded into the water and leapt at me, slamming me into the rock behind the fall. “So my bitch wants to tease? Very well, I hope you are prepared for the consequences of your actions anata.” Oh no, did he think that I was going to simply lay there and take it? I threw my weight backwards and caused him to stumble. I jumped up into his arms and wrapped my legs around his waist. The smile on my face wasn’t a sweet one, no this one was a nefarious thinking, wicked things kind of smile. “You’re here for my pleasure. I will take you the way I want, and you will submit to me.” He snarled, oh so not liking my statement. I bit down on his ear and felt his body go pliant under mine. Kagome may not have known how to make her mate submit, but her beast did.

I licked the wound on his ear and smiled at his groan of pleasure, I continued to lick and nibble my way down to his collar where my mating mark stood out. Without any foreplay, I reared and bit down hard. As his blood filled my mouth, I could feel him bucking hard under me, as if his cock was trying to find my sheath. I pulled away from his neck and watched the wound close up. Fisting his hair in my hand, I drew his mouth down to me, and pressed my lips to his. Kissing him was an adventure; after all we both had fangs. But what was kissing without a little blood to spice up the moment?

As I shimmied up his body I began to rub my clit with his cock. Kami, this was torture. But I wanted to draw it out. Play the game if you will. As he bucked up trying to get himself sheathed, I nipped his nose as another way of telling him that he was acting out of line again. A soft whimper and the cessation of movement followed. I used my tongue to trace the delicate outline of his pointed ear. Shivers proved just how sensitive he was. I thought it might be fun to nibble on his ear and see just how much more torture he could take. Aw poor puppy, he really was desperate for relief judging from his snarls and growls.

I finally took mercy on him and slipped just the head of his cock inside me. I shuddered; this was as hard on me as it was on him. Lust really is a two-sided sword as it cuts both ways. I let myself fall completely down engulfing his length. Moving up and down I slowly undulated until my own wants and desires pushed me to move faster. The world exploded into a kaleidoscope of color as my orgasm hit me. Yet I needed more … so disengaging myself I turned to lean against the wall and looked at Maru over my shoulder. “Fill me Maru, make it so that I don’t know where you end and I begin.” I purred.

Before I could even blink, he was inside me pounding away ruthlessly. I could feel the next orgasm building to a blinding crescendo. As the orgasm approached, my stubborn Taiyoukai decided to exact his revenge and slow down. Snarling at him in frustration did not work; instead he decided to stop altogether. Since murdering your mate was out of the question, I decided that two could play this game. Moaning to get his attention I brought up one hand to start playing with my nipples. Now what Maru wouldn’t let his mouth say his body said it instead! Content with my reaction I decided to keep pushing the envelope. My right hand traveled from my breast down to the thatch of hair covering my pussy.

Slowly stroking just the outer rim of my lips, I could feel his cock jumping inside me. It helped that he was tall enough to hunch over my body and get an unobstructed view. I began to play with my clit in earnest. I could feel my walls pulsing around him. So into my body’s sensation that I was completely surprised when he grabbed my hand and told me “Bitch, your pleasure will not be gained from your actions. This Sesshomaru will give you all the pleasure that you need.”

So I did what any frustrated female Inu-youkai would do, I turned and bit the arm attached to the hand that was rendering my right hand immobile. “Then stop teasing and fuck me now! Or are you too tired to meet your mate’s needs?” Yikes wrong thing to say, guess no matter what species or flavor, a male doesn’t like when you question his … um ability to ‘perform’.
He began to pound me in earnest. I lost count after the 10th orgasm, and honestly I wasn’t coherent enough to articulate the need for water. It was perfect and what I had been looking for when we made our great escape. I was too tired to think of any of this mess.

We were soaking in the basin at the bottom of the waterfall, and I was relaxed enough with Maru running his claws through my hair to wash it, when my questioning mouth got away from me. “Koi, how were you able to calm me when you bit me? I understand that it is a way to make a female submit. But how did my body know to stop?”

“There are other methods, to making a female submit, but this Sesshomaru did not believe that you would have liked for the rest of our pack to be a witness to those.” He replied as he gently rinsed out my hair, careful to keep the sand from dripping over my face.

“What do you mean, like how?” My stupid mouth continued to prattle. I was way too relaxed for my own good.

“Well,” he started by picking me up and walking to the shore, content that we were clean enough, for now. “There is a method of dominating you sexually, by entering you roughly, and fucking you until you submit.” He stated calmly, as he set me on my feet. “And there is another method.”

“I thank you for not fucking me senseless in front of my friends. What is the other method?” I asked unwittingly, figuring he would just tell me. It wasn’t until I had started to turn around, and noticed the lecherous smirk on his face, that I started to worry.

He grasped my arm, and pulled me over to a rock where he sat down, and pulled me so I rested over his knees, ass in the air. I had a bad feeling about this!

“There is this method as well.” He said as his hand came down with a resounding crack on my unprotected bottom. I yelped and tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he just held me down with a strong claw against my shoulders, and slapped my ass again.

“Hey! Why are you doing this?” I yelled as I continued to squirm uselessly. Tears of frustration welled in my eyes, but I refused to allow them to fall as he slapped me again. But this time, instead of another slap, he gently dragged his palm and claws across my bottom, soothing the marks he placed there.

You’d think I should have been sated right? Wrong! Although, I will say that at the end I was literally too befucked to move from his arms, our love play had run the gamut of rough and hard to tender and sentimental. Night fell and we slept entwined together as if even in our sleep we could not bear to be separated.

Daytime and reality would intrude soon enough …..

Sunrise found us bathing and clothing ourselves. We went back to the common area to find sustenance and catch up with the others. It was my hope that Yasha was recovered from last night. He was really like my brother and I hated to see him suffer. Yet imagine my surprise when my mate echoed almost the same sentiments out loud for me to hear. I’m glad, and I knew that although it would be hard, Yasha would have to learn how to be part of a bigger and more structured pack.

This morning everyone was a little more subdued. Nobody wanted to be the one to start the fireworks prematurely. Not much to say, breakfast was a quiet affair. Good thing youkai couldn’t get indigestion from tension. After finishing up and cleaning after ourselves we went out to greet our respective Sensei’s.

Konohanasakuya-hime told us that we had to practice hard, because the techniques and elements that we had to master could accidentally kill us or anyone in our immediate area if we lost, or couldn’t keep control of it. She then calmly informed us that upon our return to earth, we would have power equal to a Gobu-Kami. I nervously wondered why they would give us such power, how did they know that partial power wouldn’t absolutely corrupt us? One raised eyebrow, and an explanation from Inari quelled our fears. The initial training and test we took were an ‘audition’ for us. If any of us had failed the test, time would have reset itself and this offer would have been made to another group. It seems the trick was not in denying our darkness, but rather in embracing it, and always striving to live in the light.

I obediently followed my Sensei and waited for her to begin to speak.

“Tell me Kagome, what do you know about Mother Nature besides the fact that you should never piss her off?’

Gulp. Oh shit …. I really didn’t know what to say. “Um, nature abhors a vacuum?”

I was surprised when she threw back her head and laughed. A laugh that would sound equally comfortable as a keisei or a Tenshi, you’d never know until it was too late. “Ah child! You are truly a breath of fresh air. You may address me as Kona-hime. And yes, both of your delightful statements are true. However, I was speaking more of life energies and auras. You my dear, will learn to wrest control of the earth, the water, the air, and all other forces of nature. To some, you will even be Mother Nature personified. I give you this power and knowledge because your courage and strength have always been tempered by your loving heart.”

I was awed and humbled. Right then and there I vowed that I would give her 125% of my all in order to master my lessons. “Kona-hime, May I inquire what is the nature of my first lessons?”

“Meditation, you must be able to focus on the energies of the earth. From the massive mountain to every individual blade of grass, each of them must be known intimately. The earth has her secrets Kagome, and she does not share them with just anyone. In order for the earth to let you use her energy, she must implicitly trust you! The powers that you will wield are not to be trifled with. Think of all the destructive forces on earth. Winds that can break the mightiest oak, waters that can scour the land, these are but a couple of forces that you will be able to wield.

Now, I want you to sit there and meditate. When I return, I will ask you to tell me something about at least one object of nature when I return. You will not be allowed rest, nor sustenance until you have mastered this technique.”

Great, of all the Kami’s I got the taskmaster!!!!

As she walked away she said, “Yes you did!” Wow, I’d better watch my thoughts from here on out.

I sat down and wondered how everyone else was doing. I tried to find a comfortable spot for meditation, but I couldn’t. Maybe the point of it was to be able concentrate regardless of the situation. After all, it was not like I could call a time out in the middle of battle. Sitting there, trying to find my center, I was distracted. By what, you ask? By the grass that tittered as it grew, each blade vying to outgrow the other; the pebbles who were so very old and wise, and whispered words of encouragement to me; the trees that laughed merrily as the wind tickled their leaves; the flowers who whispered words of love; even the call of the birds as they flirted with each other, all were points of distraction to me. Kami how could anyone think with all this background noise?

My frustration at not being able to complete this task was evident. Why else would a noble crane come to rest by my feet, looking at me inquisitively? “I know Tanchou, I am trying much too hard. But how does one get in tune with nature?” The beautiful snow-white crane tipped his red crested head to the side as if pondering my question. He was truly a sight to be admired, with his dark black throat and tail feather, which were a natural foil for his white body. Although his answer was in chirps and whistles, I understood. “Young one, do not attempt to filter out nature, instead you must let it flow through you, only pausing to get the information that you need. Let its music feed your soul, its tranquility soothe your heart, and its knowledge assist your quest.” With that the magnificent bird bowed low and took flight.

That was a very Alice in Wonderland moment for me. Wisdom, that came from a most unexpected source. Nevertheless, I would endeavor to take today’s lesson to heart. Closing my eyes, I once again began to meditate, this time letting the chatter and noises flow right through me. And that’s when I saw it. There it was; the common thread that all life shared, regardless of species or type, and how it tied into nature and the balance of life. Deep within the heart of the earth was a will to nurture and care for those who lived on her. The rivers and water with their volatile tempers, they could give life, or destroy at a moment’s whim. The very air that we breathe could turn deadly as winds increased in ferocity. Fire the medium for rebirth. Was it not true that after volcanoes and fires that the earth grew back, most times more lush and beautiful than the first time?

Tears of happiness fell from my eyes as I sat there in wonder. I, Kagome Taisho, was humbled and happy that the elements chose to share this with me. I wondered what powers I would be able to wield with this new power. Before I could really get into deeper thoughts, Kona-hime came back. I thought my training would be a simple show and tell kind of training. You know what I mean, the type when a teacher shows you how to do something, and then asks you to do it. Instead, my Sensei sat down on the ground and talked to me of what I learned in the last six hours. Pleased with my answers, she simply leaned forward and put her finger to my forehead.

Before I was able to blink a steady stream of information began feeding into my mind. It was like downloading information from a computer. Even as a youkai, the pain was excruciating, as a human it would have killed me. In reality, it felt like I had been given all the information in the world. The reality was I was gifted with less that 25% of Kona-hime’s knowledge and even that amount is staggering! I had a moment of queasiness, but when my Sensei removed her hand my body was once more my own. Even sitting down I swayed. With an unsteady hand I tried to support myself and was startled to find that the land was feeding me some of her energy.

This was so beyond anything that I’d ever done before. Wouldn’t you know that prior to me getting my equilibrium she attacked? I slammed a hand down and made a barrier from water to stop her projectiles from the trees. It didn’t stop them; rather it slowed then down buying me the time to use the wind to blow her back. I used the time to flip out of the way and then began the task of fighting. For my next trick I tried fire, no go. Then air, earth and finally water. Yes I got my ass kicked…um hello first day of training and against a goddess!

I lay there trying to figure out where I went wrong…and made a mental note to ask Maru something about battle strategies…. I really needed all the help I could get.

~oOo~

Maru’s POV:

For anyone who ever said I had an icicle stuck up my ass, well I invite you to meet my Sensei. He did not speak much. His demeanor was haughty. His dress was casual with a deep smoky blue hakama, and haori of silver. Long blue-green hair almost gave the impression of a living sea as he walked.

When we were a good distance away from the others, he motioned me to sit. I narrowed my eyes at the high handedness, but I was taught to always respect my Sensei. To do anything less was disrespectful. I will admit that my mind was not completely on my training. So it was with great surprise that I found myself fighting tooth and nail to remain unharmed. Kami, for the first time in his existence this Sesshomaru is not sure of the outcome of all this training……

Only time would tell ……

~oOo~

In an unknown Realm:

Smoke rolls around the air, coiling and obscuring vision.

A voice pierces the dark “Can they succeed? Much depends on their victory”

“Indeed the very fabric of reality and the realms rest in their capable hands” a second voice chimes in.

“The future is being woven as we speak, we must keep faith. They are the chosen. It has been set in motion. Ours is to wait the outcome….”

~oOo~

Japanese Glossary

Aizen Myô-ô - is the god of love and lust
Shizenkai – realm of nature
Onshitsu – greenhouse, conservatory; glasshouse
Gobu – half, 50% percent
Tanchou – Japanese Crane – Red Crown Crane
Keisei – Courtesan
Meidou Zangetsuha – Sword Attack, Tensaiga
Oibore - (1) dotage; (2) feeble-minded old man; senile old fool; dodderer
Kouten - heaven
Batsunan – youngest son
Haha – mother
Aikuchi - dagger
Zanbatou – long sword
Keisei - courtesan