Set Me Free

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Set Me Free
Chapter 3: Don’t Forget to Concentrate!


“Who are you?” Kagome asked, setting up in her bed.

“Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan, Kurama, Hiei. And don’t ask so many questions, just pack your shit and let’s get out of here. We’re taking you to Genkai’s.” Yusuke spoke up, gesturing to each team member as he introduced them.

Frowning, she looked to Hiei and Kurama, confused but moving. She picked up her yellow backpack and checked through it, noting her first aide kit was still inside, as well as some clothes and food. She picked out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt to change into, before looking to them again. “Who sent you?”

“Koenma, the leader of the spirit realm.” Kurama offered, seeing as how she was being cooperative, he would offer her the same courtesy.

“And…how long am I going to be gone?” she asked, pulling out her socks and grabbing up her shoes to go change.

“…until you control your powers and/or get a mate.” Yusuke said, glad she was moving, impatient to get out of there. If what Koenma said was true, then she wasn’t safe here, and any moment they could be surrounded by demons. It was something he wasn’t looking forward to.

The young miko froze. “Mate?” she squeaked out, her eyes widening.

“You heard him right, he did not stutter.” Hiei ground out, pissed at the mission, pissed at her, and just all around pissed off.

She glowered at the hiyoukai, before moving into the bathroom, quickly changing out of her pajamas and into her jeans and shirt. Slipping into her socks and shoes she grabbed up a brush and ran it through her long, dark hair, before walking out and slipping the brush into her bag and pulling out a scrunchii to put her hair back, ready to go minus one letter to her family. They were used to her being gone for long periods; this should be no different or less painstaking. If anything, they should be more relieved that she was still in this era, or at least, that’s how she saw it.

Quickly explaining that she would be gone for an extended period of time training, she signed it with a “Love, Kagome” and looked to them all. “Well, let’s get going, before they stop me and make me explain further.” She said, putting her bag over her shoulder.

Nodding quickly, Botan opened a portal to Genkai’s shrine, gesturing Kagome through it. It was a strange feeling, but one different from slipping between times, it was more like slipping through a dimension, only, she knew it had nothing to do with time, as she checked her watch on the other side, seeing that it was the same time, and she could tell it was the same planet, however, it could be deceiving. Stepping out, she found herself at a large shrine, surrounded by lush forests. She was reminded of the past and smiled softly, but sadly, before shaking the thoughts away.

“I see you’ve made it one piece. Good job, Dimwit.” An old woman with dulled pink hair spoke up, startling Kagome as she jumped slightly.

“Yeah yeah, grandma, she had to dress and everything, sheesh!” Yusuke shouted back, smirking to the old woman. Over the years they had formed a unique and sometimes confusing bond, but either way, yelling at one another was the way they showed they cared, even in the final moments of Genkai’s first death.

Kagome raised a curious eyebrow to the woman, feeling the energy radiate off of her, but what kind it was, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t holy, by any stretch of the imagination, but it was intriguing…

“I am Genkai. This is my temple. You must be Kagome.” She said, interrupting her thoughts. Nodding mutely, she extended a hand to the old woman, shaking it firmly.

“You have power girl, and lots of it.” She said, feeling it through her handshake. “…I…can’t control it though.” Kagome replied softly, a little embarrassed. “That’s why you’re here!” she barked back, making the young miko jump again.

“Now…” she watched as Genkai pulled out a bow and arrow. “…shoot at that tree.” She ordered, pointing to a large tree on the property.

Kurama and Hiei watched with barely veiled interest as the girl cocked the bow. She had pretty good form, but what surprised them most was the power slipping out of her body and surrounding the arrow in her hand.

Kuwabara voiced what they were all thinking by saying, “Urameshi…would you look at that?!”

The soft twang of the string could be heard as she released the arrow, hitting her target, thankfully, as the pink dispelled in a soft shimmer on the tree.

“Good…looks like you’re not a complete loss. Let’s continue inside, shall we?” she said, before turning and heading inside. She was doing this as a favor to Koenma. She was supposed to be retired, but she still trained Yusuke, but only because he was a special case. From what she could see this girl was just as plain and ordinary, except…that power she felt upon shaking her hand. It was unusually pure, laced with innocence. From what she had heard the girl had blood on her hands, so how was it she could keep her power so innocent and pure with such death on her conscience? Another curious observation was that of the team. She was a miko. No question about that, however, she was just surrounded by demons, and did not once lash out at them, or attempt to purify them. It was if she regarded them as equally as herself. She was becoming a most curious child to the old woman, and she would be damned if she didn’t try to figure out the little miko.

Genkai looked back to note that they were being followed by the team. “My training sessions are private. Go elsewhere for a couple of hours.” She ordered, eyeing each of them. Hiei was gone in an instant, flitting off to the nearby forest to kill some of the demons, and get out some aggression towards the miko. Kurama moved towards the house to make breakfast for them all, while Kuwabara disappeared, most likely to find Yukina. Yusuke, however, was at a loss, before he caught Genkai’s eyes again. She nodded once; he would be allowed to watch her train. But he was an exception.

Keeping a schooled mask of indifference, he walked into the building behind them, taking a seat in the corner of the room, staying out of the way while the old woman did what she did best. Manipulate energy.

“Let’s see what you can do, girl.” She said, before drawing out a thread of the girl’s energy and frowning. It was a tiny thread, barely the size of a normal sewing thread, and she tried again, not being able to draw forth more. How was it possible? The girl’s power was much more immense, but only she could tap into it? Interesting…

“Okay…I suppose we’ll have it your way.” She replied, earning a curious glance from Kagome and Yusuke. “…my way, Genkai?” she voiced, looking to the thin thread of her energy.

“It is not wanting to be manipulated. It is protected within you.” The old woman explained, looking the young girl over. She was plain, but there was a certain beauty about her that demons would flock over, especially the purity and innocence she possessed. That was a rarity in itself.

Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Yusuke leaned forward and examined the small bit of energy that Genkai had grabbed a hold of, before sitting down a little closer to them. An action not missed by his teacher. “Now, look at me…do you know how to meditate?” she asked, looking the girl in the eye.

Kagome nodded in reply. Miroku had taught her many things about meditation and even Kaede had given her lessons on proper meditation. “Yes, I’ve been doing it for about five years…why?” she asked, confusion in her eyes.

“Good, that means we can skip right on to the good stuff.” The older woman replied, getting into a meditative position. Kagome followed suit before she had to say anything, earning a nod of approval from her. “Alright, now, go into a light trance…and see if you can find the reservoir of holy energy within you. It should be pale purple in color, and pulsing. Find your center and you’ll find your energy.” She instructed, going into a light trance herself.

Breathing deeply, Kagome closed her eyes and relaxed her body, slowly searching within her for what Genkai had described. She heard her heartbeat echoing in her ears, and looked past it, searching for her power and blinking when she felt it coming from near her stomach. She also felt the tiny pulsing of the Shikon no Tama in her side, and watched as a thread of her purplish miko energy swirled around it gently, keeping it pure and untainted.

Genkai’s slightly scratchy voice continued, “Once you have found it, try to take it within your hands, metaphorically speaking, of course. In essence, you’ll be pushing the energy out from that point to other points on your body, such as your hands, or even your feet. Try to push it to your hands first.” She instructed, her voice echoing slightly into Kagome’s ears while she was in her trance state.

Yusuke looked to both of them, but mostly at Kagome, as she sat there, her chest barely moving and a thin sheet of sweat covering her, as well as a brief glimpse of her pink miko energies ghosting along her body. The mazoku demon was fascinated. If she was beautiful before, she was stunning now, and he felt his youkai stir within him. Quickly, he broke away his gaze. He wasn’t supposed to think such things about her. He had Keiko, and he wouldn’t ever leave her.

Breathing deeply, the young miko pulled lightly at her energy, her brow creasing in concentration as she did so, pulling it forward and towards her hands. It was hard, as she hadn’t done it before, and taxing, before she could move it to her hands, she dropped it, and as slowly as she had brought it forth, it slipped back into her center, frustrating her.

Genkai, however, was patiently observing her energy and growled out, “Don’t forget to concentrate! Don’t let yourself think of anything else except of bringing forth your energy.” Kagome refrained from glaring at the old woman; she was concentrating, damnit! Before she knew it, she had smelt blood, and her eyes shot open, seeing that Yusuke had taken a sword and sliced open his arm. Eyes widening, she jumped up, and ran to his side. “What the hell are you doing?!” she cried out, reaching out to put pressure on the wound.

“Giving you something to heal. I know you can do it, if you only try.” He smirked, not worried about the wound so much, but wanting to see for himself if she really was so special.

The old woman raised an intrigued eyebrow are her pupil. “Heal him.” She instructed, her eyes locking with Yusuke’s.

Nodding mutely, she placed her hands over the bloody wound, closing her eyes and tensing up. A few seconds passed before a shimmering pink came to her hands, making the spirit detective nervous. He had never been that close to miko energy, but he kept himself calm, and waited for…whatever…to happen. It was different than Yukina’s healing energy, he could tell that right away. As her hands connected with the wound, it felt as if silk was racing across his skin, and as it did, he felt his skin pull back together, closing and healing the wound as if he had never cut himself to begin with. Looking to his arm, he realized that not even a scar remained.

Sweat trailed down Kagome’s face as she looked up, opening her eyes as her power went back into her body. “Don’t do that again. You don’t have to inflict wounds on yourself; I’ll figure it out without you doing something like that.” She said, her eyes holding sorrow. Too many times in the past she had to summon her healing powers for wounds that would kill normal people, but somehow Inuyasha had survived them…only to die in the end.

Frowning gently he nodded, his heart stirring at her sadness. She sat back wordlessly, going into a trance again, not seeing the look that passed between the student and teacher. A couple of hours later, Genkai said a break was in order. Manipulating energy required a lot of energy; unlike regular training, it took a serious toll on the body.

Moving quietly into the kitchen, Kagome took a heavy seat on one of the chairs, and smiled gratefully to Kurama when he set a plate of pancakes and eggs in front of her. “Thank you…”

“No problem…eat up.” He returned her soft smile, moving back to help serve the others up. She liked Kurama, it was just his alternate personality that annoyed her. Sighing softly, she begins to eat, watching as the others came in to eat. Hiei leaned up against one of the walls, watching everyone eat, but she could see his eyes rest on someone she hadn’t met yet. Kuwabara however, gave out her name as he said, “What would you like to eat, Yukina, my sweet? I’ll get it for you…”

Kagome raised an eyebrow, and smiled softly at her. “Hello…my name is Kagome.” The cerulean haired ice maiden returned the smile and bowed her head lightly. “My name is Yukina. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” She replied, her eyes drifting to Hiei momentarily before looking back to Kuwabara.

Looking back to her food, she ate slowly, observing everyone around her. It was strange, but, she felt right at home in the midst of these people and demons. After breakfast was finished, she moved out into one of the training rooms, her eyes instantly going to the hoards of weaponry on the wall. A samurai sword caught her eye, and she smiled softly, though a tinge of sadness was also in it. Sango was just getting into the depth of her training with the sword, and she didn’t get to finish before the final battle. Taking a soft breath, she stepped forward, picking up the blade and inspecting it; it was old, and well crafted. The taijya would have approved.

Unknown to her, a set of crimson eyes watched her carefully as she picked up the weapon, curious as to what she was doing. The feeling of blood lust had passed, and he had come to terms that he couldn’t kill her. Not to say he still didn’t hate her, but he pushed away thoughts of taking her life.

Slowly she stepped forward in the training room, holding the blade down at her side. Truthfully, she didn’t know how well she could do, considering she hadn’t touched a blade in over two years. Thankfully no one was watching, or so she thought, as to not thoroughly embarrass herself. Pointing the blade out in front of her, her energy trailed around it slowly as she concentrated pouring her power around it, before spinning, slicing through the air noiselessly before slashing down. Her movements were graceful, though her stance was slightly off. That didn’t matter to Hiei though. He hadn’t seen anyone, human or demon, who took interest in the sword like she was exhibiting now. Curiously, he watched her a few moments more, before watching as she sliced down, and darted, drawing his blade and entering the fray.

Kagome blinked, jumping back quickly as her sword clashed with someone else’s, startling her. “Hiei!” she cried out, seeing the black haired fire apparition. He replied with his customary, “Hn.” But gave her a look that encouraged her to try again. He wanted to spar with her.

Forcing down the nervous butterflies that had quickly formed in her stomach, she moved back a step before darting forward quickly, bringing the sword up from the ground. *Clang!* their swords clashed again, sparks flying as the young miko continued her assault. The hiyoukai had to watch for her miko powers lashing out at him every so often, but all in all she was an intriguing sparring partner. She was determined, but unpredictable, her sapphire eyes all the while glowing with unwavering resolve to connect with his flesh. He was interested in seeing how well she could become. While she was halfway decent now, with training, he was sure she could become great. Not as great as him mind you, but still a force to be reckoned with.

‘Wait a minute…where did that thought come from?!’ he thought, a low growl slipping past his lips. It didn’t surprise her, or throw her off, hearing his growl only made her focus harder. Suddenly, he started to fight back at her, and she dodged, ducked, and narrowly missed being speared on his blade. However, he wasn’t expecting her to move in with her hand glowing in pink, and froze, waiting for her to purify him.

Both parties stopped, motionless; Hiei with his blade at her throat, and Kagome with her hand wrapped in pink energy swirling dangerously at his jugular. Suddenly, a clapping could be heard echoing through the room. Taking a step back, both turned to look at the same time, seeing Genkai.

“Now that was entertaining.” She replied, walking up to both of them. “I see you know how to work a blade, Kagome. That’s good, that’s very good. However, I don’t know the first thing about wielding a blade.” She added, her eyes drifting to Hiei momentarily before looking back to Kagome.

“That’s alright. You’re helping me with my power, that’s the most important thing.” She replied softly, slightly out of breath, a soft glisten to her skin. Hiei hadn’t noticed much about his opponent, more concerned about her fighting than her appearance. Now however, he couldn’t help but take in her scent once more, the sweet smell calming his blood. Forcing down a growl, he had to try and remind himself that she had seen his memories…all of them. She had seen his past and had even tried to comfort him….why?

He watched as Genkai walked out of the room, and blinked as he noticed a pair of sapphire eyes on him.

“What?” he snapped out a bit, as he turned to look at her. Her staring made him uneasy for some reason.

“I was just wondering…would you spar with me again sometime?” she questioned, her voice soft but her eyes betrayed nothing. Actually, she was elated that they had something in common.

Her request surprised him, but he took great care not to show it. “Perhaps.” He was an indefinite creature, and she recognized this, and that was as close to a ‘yes’ as she was going to get.

Giving him a soft smile, she bowed lightly, before moving to put the blade up and go take a shower. Now she was definitely sweaty, and a shower sounded heavenly. She didn’t notice the crimson eyes following her every movement as she walked out of the room, or watch as his eyes softened to take in her walking. ‘Why are you still watching her?’ he questioned himself, although he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

‘Because she hasn’t said a word about “that”…she still smiles at you…’ he couldn’t help but remind himself. She knew everything about his past, and yet, she still smiled to him. He was a hybrid, and as such, regarded lower than a hanyou. All that aside however…he couldn’t get her smile out of his head.

~*~


A/N: Yay, another one updated. Hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! *hugs to all* Please Read and Review. It makes my muses happy. ^_^