From The Ashes

A/N: Ok, some of you are wondering when Kagome and Hiei will meet and when will she reveal herself. The first meeting between Kagome and the others has been set up in this chapter. No, I'm not going to tell you where, you will have to wait and see. Kagome and Hiei will meet within the next couple of chapters, I promise. Yes, there will be sweet lemonade later on, but for right now, let's watch and see the characters develop. As for Midoriko, I'll be nice and say, she won't be around too much longer. Ok, that's all you guys are getting. I gave you something, now you can be nice and give to me. Please read and review. Enjoy!!!

By the way, The disney characters mentioned in this chapter does not belong to me, but to the wonderful world of Wald Disney. My original disclaimer applies for the other characters.

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“Ok, explain to me again why you need Banryu.” Koenma mumbled, his fingers massaging his aching temples. It has been less than a day since he released the three assassins, and already, they were making his life a living hell.

“Banryu is my sword. You want us to help you figure out some way to defeat this Chyjoko, and we want our weapons, mainly Banryu. Without them, we are not going to be very effective as far as fighting goes.” Bankotsu said, his tone impatient.

At first, he didn't say a word, but after speaking to Onigumo and Genkai, he couldn't really give any kind of excuse as to why the man should not be granted his request. After all, the others were going to have their weapons.

“Alright. I will allow the three of you to have your weapons back, on one condition.” Koenma said, his eyes narrowing in a silent challenge. “You do not harm any innocents, or attack your own teammates. To do so will earn you a permanent place in Purgatory, and I will make sure that your suffering will be legendary, even for that god-forsaken place.”

The three men glanced at each other, but then Bankotsu nodded. Koenma sighed and glanced at ogre, who was slightly trembling. “Take them to the armory. They may retrieve their weapons. Then, have Botan take them back to the shrine to await for the others return.” He ordered.

With a nod, ogre led the men from the room, and when the door closed, Koenma closed his eyes. He had a really bad feeling about all of this.

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Hiei glared at all of the books before him and grunted. After hearing all of the talk about that miko, Kagome, he was slightly interested in how she came to join that weird little group of hers. He decided to tag along with Botan and those three fools, and once at the palace, he made his way to the wing of the palace that he knew would give him the answers he sought.

Finding the books had been the easy part, but figuring out which one to start with had been the challenge. None of them had numbers, or dates, so he would just have to start with the first book that he grabbed and try to figure out things for himself.

It took he a while, but after reading several of the events that Kagome had been involved in, he came to the conclusion that the girl was either a saint, or a glutton for punishment. The books made several references to her love for that blasted hanyou, Inu Yasha, but also made it quite clear that he didn't return her feelings. In fact, he seemed to take the time on several different occasions to inform her that she would never amount to even half of what Kikyo did.

The books mentioned that he could be subdued by a special necklace that was placed around his neck by the miko, Kaede. However, it was Kagome who chose the word that would put him in his place, and the young girl never failed to prove over and over again that she could do it.

But it was the final passage that caught his eye. The passage said that despite all that she felt for the hanyou, deep down, she knew that nothing could ever come of her love. She knew that he would never see her as a woman who loved him, but would continue to see her as the shadow of the woman he truly wanted. She accepted that fact, and despite her heart's yearning, she stepped back and watched as the hanyou and dead miko fall even deeper in love than before.

Hiei closed the book with a loud thud and shook his head. In his opinion, the hanyou was a complete fool. The objective of being with someone was to produce offspring, and enjoy watching the offspring grow. The hanyou would never get to do any of that. It was clear that he regretted the treatment of the younger girl, but regrets were too late, especially now. After all, he was an expert in regrets.

He walked from the library and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his overcoat. He could feel Botan's aura and moved towards it, intent on getting back to the shrine. Mostly he wanted to keep Kuwabara from making a move on his sister, but he also wanted to begin planning the attack on their enemy. Still, as he walked, his mind continued to flash to the first night that they met Kagome's army, and he could still remember her dark, soulful eyes looking at him. He had averted his eyes, mostly because something as pure, and untainted as she should never have to look into the eyes of a killer, and that was exactly what he was in the truest sense. No, he would not taint her with what he was, and now, she was gone, far from reach, and he, too, felt the loss despite not really knowing her.

He found Botan and the three men, glared at the girlish looking male when he licked his lips while staring at him, and then nodded at Botan. It was time to go and he was more than ready.

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Kagome's head hung off the side of her bed, as she looked through a magazine. After she returned from the park and helped the woman across the street, she realized that she was starving and walked into the house, looking for something to eat.

As if her mother could read her mind, Mrs. Higurashi grinned and pointed at the table, before walking to the over and pulling out a place that had been kept warm for her. As Kagome ate, she and her mother spoke of things that she wanted to do before the weekend, and asked her what her plans were. Kagome nearly snorted when Midoriko quickly replied that they would be training, but simply told her mother that she would probably still be settling back in, getting used to not having to travel between times anymore.

Mrs. Higurashi grinned and got up. She murmured that she needed to sweep the outside walkway and for Kagome to go and relax. It was nice to be able to live a life that didn't constantly have her jumping in and out of a dusty, old well.

However, Kagome's eyes snapped up when she felt a tingling sensation and knew that youkai were approaching the shrine. Getting up, she moved to the window, and watched as several figures emerged from the shadows. Since her window was slightly open, Kagome listened intently for any signs of trouble.

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Mrs. Higurashi was humming a sweet tune as she swept, and was so wrapped up in what she was doing that she didn't hear the footsteps that were coming up behind her. So, when a gruff voice said, “Hey, Mrs. H.”, she jumped, then swung around to look into a pair of soft golden eyes.

Taking in a deep breath, her eyes darted up to Kagome's room, but noticed that the light was not on. She figured that Kagome must have sensed them and shut it off to keep them from figuring out that she was alive and at home.

“What are you doing here, Inu Yasha? And, why are you dressed in modern clothing?” She asked, her voice slightly shaking.

The hanyou reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, but then sighed. “Mrs. H, for me, it's been five hundred years since I last saw you. I know that you were told about Kagome, and I want you to know that we miss her terribly.” He said, his tone soft.

He waited for the woman to burst into tears, but was shocked when she didn't. Instead, she cocked her head to the side, and said, “What do you want here, then? Your duty died, along with my daughter.” Damn it, she tried, but she just could not keep the bitterness out of her voice. This hanyou before her vowed to protect her daughter, and because he simply couldn't keep his cock in his pants long enough to keep his word, her daughter suffered for it.

She narrowed her eyes when a tall woman who looked very similar to Kagome stepped forward. From all that she heard from Kagome, she could guess that this woman, no...thing, was Kikyo.

Kikyo could feel the anger rolling off of the woman, and could not say that she blamed her. She stepped forward and bowed in respect to the woman, but knew that she would not receive a bow in return, and that was alright. After all, she had just lost her daughter and there was no doubt in her mind that Kagome mentioned her to the woman, and most likely, it was not in a flattering way, either.

“My name is Kikyo, and before you say anything, please allow me to speak without being interrupted.” She said, her voice firm. She glanced up at the woman, and found that her arms were crossed, as if she were waiting for her to get on with what she was going to say. “I was asked to come here and create a barrier for you and your family. At this time, a threat has emerged, and we believe that you will be in danger. Until we can figure out just how strong this being is, we want to make sure that you and your remaining family are protected.” She explained.

Mrs. Higurashi cocked up an eyebrow and calmly asked, “Are you finished?” When Kikyo nodded, Mrs. Higurashi stepped forward and allowed her hand to fly across Kikyo's face with a surprising amount of strength. The dead miko's head slowly turned forward and looked into the angered eyes of a mother, whose daughter she ruthlessly damaged.

“For the life of me, I don't know why you care. Yes, I know exactly who you are. Kikyo, stealer of souls, and Inu Yasha's whore. I'm sure you danced the night away when my daughter died, because after all, you now had Inu Yasha all to yourself. Tell me, what is it like to know that you single handedly damaged another person, your reincarnation, just for the sake of getting what you want? You coming here and offering to place up some kind of barrier for my family's protection is like a slap in my daughter's face, and bitch, I won't let you do it.” Mrs. Higurashi snapped.

The broom fell to the ground, and Mrs. Higurashi held up her fists, ready to fight the dead whore, but a voice stopped her. “No.”

Her eyes darted to a tall, young man and watched as he came forward. He stopped a few feet away from her and calmly said, “We are all guilty of a trespass against your daughter of one kind or another, but time has a way of making someone regret the things that they do. We cannot bring your daughter back, but we can show her that we do care for her by making sure that her family is safe and protected. It's a tragedy when a parent outlives their child, and for that, you have my heart-felt apologies. I wish I could change the past, but I can't. Instead, we have to live with our guilt, and you must live with your pain.”

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes filled with tears, as she stared at the man, his pain reaching out to her. Finally, she quietly asked, “Who are you?”

The young man's eyes drooped a bit, and his shoulders sagged. “I-I am......no one. You don't want to know me, and I would rather you didn't. Besides, the most important thing here is to get that barrier up and keep you safe.” He quietly said.

Turning on his heel, he moved to the back of the group and watched as Mrs. Higurashi silently debated her dilemma. Finally, she bit her lip and slowly nodded, but then pointed a finger at Inu Yasha and Kikyo.

“I hope that the time you spend together is miserable. You made my daughter's life a living hell, and Inu Yasha, you took everything she had, used it up and threw it away like it was a piece of trash. Boy, if I had the ability, I'd sit your ass.” She snapped, but widened her eyes as the beads around Inu Yasha's neck glowed and sent him face first into the concrete.

At first, no one said anything, but then Mrs. Higurashi shook her head, and said, “You know, that was very satisfying. No wonder Kagome often sat you. It relieves a lot of tension. Now, if only you had one, my dear Kikyo, then I'd be the happiest woman on earth. Put your barrier up and then get off of this shrine. You don't belong here, seeing as this is a holy place.”

Kikyo quietly nodded, and lifted her hand. When her barrier was in place, she turned and quickly walked off, her head hanging at the woman's harsh words. Inu Yasha stood, rubbed his neck, and grabbed Miroku's arm.

“Kagome was the only one who could do that. Do you think that ability passed to her mother when she died?” He asked, his eyes wide and frantic as he glanced over his shoulder at the angry woman. Damn, he'd forgotten how much being sat actually hurt.

Miroku gulped and glanced over his shoulder to see the woman still glaring at them. He bit his lip and whispered, “I don't know, but I hope that Kagome-sama didn't tell her mother about my affliction. I don't heal as well as a hanyou or youkai.”

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Kagome's eyes narrowed as she took in the forms that approached her mother. At first, she didn't recognize the beings, but then froze when she heard Inu Yasha's words to her mother.

At first, she thought that she would pass out, but managed to shake off the feeling and listened as her mother confronted Kikyo. If she were a stranger, she would almost feel sorry for the dead miko, but since she was very familiar with the miko, despite their truce before her death, she could honestly say that Karma was coming back to kick Kikyo's butt.

However, it was her mother's angry words that shocked Kagome the most. Never before had her mother called anyone a bitch, nor did she instigate violence. Kagome's eyes teared up and she smiled, thankful that the fates and Shikon gifted her with the ability to come back to this wonderful woman.

Midoriko's laughter could be heard, and Kagome smirked when she said, 'It is nice to know that your mother has our back. I think that she has managed to get her point across to the smug bitch, don't you?'

Kagome was about to reply, but another voice made her freeze. She knew that voice. Knew it as if it were her very own. It was the voice from her nightmares, and now, that creature was alive and well, and talking to her mother.

Moving from her place against the wall, Kagome approached the window and felt her temper flare. Midoriko began to warn her against getting so emotional, but she just could not help it. Her hands began to glow and she could feel her power beginning to radiate off her body. However, she heard his words, and watched as he moved back to the end of the small group, his shoulders sagging. Extending her senses, she could not detect any kind of evil intent, but rather a sadness that clung to him like a second skin. Her power lessened, but there was still enough to do damage should they try anything against her mother.

Kagome's attention quickly snapped back to her mother, and when she heard her mother say the word, 'sit', she whispered it, too, and watched as the necklace glowed and caused the hanyou to plummet to the ground. Hard.

Kagome could remember when her mother once asked her why she was always sitting Inu Yasha, and now, she knew why. It was pretty funny and she could not keep the giggle that was threatening to leak out, at bay any longer.

Kikyo finally put up the barrier, and walked away, her head hanging. Kagome heard Inu Yasha's question about her mother gaining the ability to sit him, and also heard Miroku's whispered hope. Sadly for him, yes....she did tell her mother about him.

Nighttime came pretty quickly, and though her mother did not say it, Kagome knew that she was still pretty worked up from earlier confrontation. However, when the house quieted down, and Kagome knew that everone was asleep, she crept out her window and carefully climbed up to the roof, intent on watching the stars for a while.

Midoriko sighed happily and recounted stories from her days as a warrior miko, before finally announcing that she, too, was tired and would be settling down for the night. Kagome grinned as she felt the former miko settle and quiet, and when all was quiet within her mind, she sighed.

For once, she felt at peace. She could feel the emotions radiating off of the city before her, and smiled when she glanced at the house before her and felt that the woman inside finally felt happy. It was nice to know, and hopefully, she would one day meet a man who would love and protect her the way a husband should. Especially for that baby's sake.

However, her peace was interrupted when her eyes caught sight of an object that was slowly approaching the shrine from the air. Narrowing her eyes, she could tell that whatever it was, it was big. It stopped shortly before reaching the barrier, and Kagome heard it hiss. At first, she was worried that it would attempt to break into the barrier, but so far, it seemed that all the creature was doing was looking at it.

The creature moved closer, and Kagome decided that enough was enough. Focusing all of her energy, she narrowed her eyes and concentrated on the creature.

'Keep your distance, if you know what is good for you.' She thought, as the air around her began to crackle with her energy.

The creature hissed loudly, but turned back into the night. Clearly, it got her message and felt her power. Biting her lip, Kagome wondered if this creature was what Shikon was talking about. However, since it would be a wasted effort to ponder over it, she decided to wait until morning to speak to Midoriko about what she had seen.

Climbing back into her window, Kagome paused before turning to face the barrier and allowed some of her power to join with Kikyo's to reinforce the barrier. Satisfied that nothing would come through, Kagome changed into her nightshirt, and got into bed. It was tough to be a phoenix.

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“The barrier is in place, and now, we can proceed.” Onigumo said, his red eyes moving around the room.

Bankotsu stood up and stretched. “We need to start sending out groups to look around. The more information we get about what we are dealing with, the better our chances are to find a weakness.” He said, his tone hard.

Murmurs were heard around the room, and only stopped when Botan appeared with Koenma behind her. At first, everyone was stunned, but then Yusuke snapped, “Have you come to mingle with the grunts, toddler?”

Keiko bopped the loud-mouthed man on the head, and gave the prince a tired smile. “Sorry, we have not gotten a lot of sleep lately.” She explained.

The prince nodded and sat down beside Genkai. He took in a deep breath and said, “My father has become aware of the situation and I have gained a bit of insight into why Chyjoko wishes to overthrow him. It seems that Chyjoko and my father are related, and when my father was chosen to rule of the spirit realm, Chyjoko became enraged and tried to overthrow him, but was defeated by an unknown ally and he was banished to purgatory. From what father says, we are going to need a lot of power to defeat Chyjoko, and to be honest, I don't know if we have enough power nor do I know where to go to find someone with that power.”

The group processed the prince's words, and then Kurama asked, “Who helped your father the last time? Perhaps we can go to them and ask for help.”

Koenma shook his head. “I already thought of that, and when I asked my father, he said that he didn't know who helped him. He was quite embarrassed to admit that he had been unconscious when Chyjoko was stopped, and all he could tell me was that whoever helped him had an amount of power that he had never experienced before or since. He felt it even when he was unconscious.” He explained.

Koenma shook his head and turned his eyes towards the dead miko, who had her head upon the hanyou's shoulder. Quirking up his eyebrow, he asked, “Why are you upset, Kikyo? You set up the barrier, thus keeping that family safe. You should be proud.”

Sitting up, Kikyo sighed. “Yes, I did set the barrier up, but only because Naraku convinced Kagome's mother to allow me to do so. She knew me, and didn't hesitate to tell me what she thought of me. I-I didn't realize how much damage I did, but after listening to the woman, maybe it would have been better if I had stayed dead.” She whispered.

Inu Yasha jumped up. “Kikyo, no. Don't talk like that. Mrs. H was upset about losing her daughter, and took it out on you. Remember that she was grieving.” He murmured, trying to sooth his woman.

Onigumo snorted. “Actually, she looked quite pleased with herself after smacking the dead miko, and sending your ass to the ground. If that was grieving, I'd hate to see what she would do if she were angry.” He said.

Inu Yasha really hated that man. Stepping forward, he snapped, “Yeah? I didn't see you telling her what your name was. Too much of a coward even now, Naraku?”

Onigumo smiled, but it was anything but friendly. He stepped forward and calmly gazed into the hanyou's face. “You wish to speak about cowards, Inu Yasha? Then, let us discuss cowards. Each time Kikyo came to you under the cover of night, did you tell the young miko that you were leaving her to run to your former lover? Did you explain to her that though you cared for her, your heart belonged to the dead miko? Did you tell the girl that you and Kikyo mated every night for several months prior to our final battle? Did you tell her that she was wasting her time on you, and to find herself someone else to love?” He asked. When no answer came, he gave a sharp laugh. “Of course not. You were too cowardly to let that girl go, because if she did and found someone else, and Kikyo left, you would be all alone. You could not bear to see that girl happy, and so, you led her on to believe that the two of you would be together, but when Kikyo made it clear that she would not be returning to hell, you threw the girl over and walked off into the sunset with your woman, leaving that girl behind to nurse a broken heart. You see, Inu Yasha. I was honest in my ability to be a heartless bastard. You, my friend, hid it very well. So, don't speak to me about being a coward. You are the biggest coward here. By the way, I prefer to be called Onigumo.”

Inu Yasha felt the color drain from his face and felt Kikyo tug his hand. As he sat down, he allowed Onigumo's words to replay and realized.....the man was right. He was afraid that Kagome would leave him. He did lead her on.

Kikyo placed a comforting hand upon the hanyou's shoulder, but was shocked when it was shrugged off. Biting her lip, she allowed her hand to fall to her lap and stared at it.

Jakotsu quietly moved over to sit next to the hanyou. He leaned over, caught the hanyou's eye and gave him a suggestive wink. “Women are so much trouble, handsome. Why not let me show you how good the forbidden love between men can be?” He asked, his tone heavy with lust.

Paling, Inu Yasha scooted over towards Kikyo and took in a deep breath. He didn't care how upset he was....he wasn't distraught enough to let his gate swing that way.

Bankotsu glared over at his teammate and snapped his fingers to get Jakotsu's attention. When the male looked at him, Bankotsu narrowed his eyes, a silent command for Jakotsu to come to him. Pouting, the feminine male walked over to Bankotsu, but then gave him a bright smile. After all this time, Bankotsu should be used to his ways by now.

Sesshomaru looked up from the map that he, Kouga, and Hiei were currently looking at. Standing up, he said, “Let's divide the groups up. From what we have been told from the wind youkai, Jin, there is heavy youkai energy in a park several miles from here, but close to the Higurashi shrine. Jin has been keeping an eye on the area, and will meet up with the group assigned to that area. His friend, an ice youkai, will meet another group, while another youkai meets with the final group. Apparently, this third youkai is something of a drunk, so watch yourselves.”

The group agreed, and Hiei smirked. Finally, he was going to get to see some action.

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'Hmmm, I'm shocked that a youkai would dare come to the shrine, especially since it was smart enough to recognize a barrier. I think that we need to step up our training, especially if this threat isn't wasting any time in trying to find a way to attack.' Midoriko said, her tone thoughtful.

Kagome frowned. She did a lot of thinking before she finally fell asleep. Why was it that Midoriko was so anxious to push her, and why is it that the former miko was so insistent on her keeping control of her emotions?

Finally, Kagome's curiosity got the best of her and she asked, “Why are you so bossy?”

Ok, that was not the way she planned on approaching the subject, but as long as she got the answers she wanted, then who gave a damn.

Midoriko was silent for several minutes, before quietly asking, 'You wish to know why I am so hard on you? You also want to know why I am so hard on your training, correct?'

When Kagome replied, Midoriko sighed. 'Kagome, the phoenix is a creature made up of raw, natural power. Before you became its vessel, it lived freely and didn't have rules to follow. It killed when it wanted, and could destroy things within seconds. Because you have joined with the phoenix, and taken its place, the phoenix's power is intensified. And, because your original power was tied into your emotions, anytime you get upset, there is a good chance that you can cause some massive damage, even if you don't mean to. I push you to learn to control yourself because if you slip, if you lose your temper at a critical time, you could destroy those that you love, and those whom depend upon you for protection.' She explained.

Kagome's eyes widened as Midoriko assaulted her mind with images of what could happen should she snap. It wasn't a pretty sight. In fact, the scenes that she saw made all of the destruction that Naraku caused seem like child's play.

'I know this information frightens you. However, the reason why Shikon placed us together was so that I could help you, and keep your power in check. The remaining holy power that I have will act as a failsafe for your new power, at least until you are able to gain total control over your powers as a phoenix.' Midoriko said.

Kagome smiled and said, “So, basically you are going to be my conscience. Kind of like that cricket in Pinocchio.”

Midoriko chuckled. She could remember that movie, seeing as how she watched life pass by through Kagome's eyes, even before the discovery of the shikon jewel. 'Something like that. Now do you understand my reasons for being so hard?'

“Yeah, I guess. But, could you try not to be so mean about it? I am new to this, and you getting mad at me for not being able to do something isn't going to make things better.” Kagome muttered.

Midoriko thought for a moment, but then agreed. 'Alright, we will try it your way. I'll lay off the attitude, but you have to try harder. No one ever said that this was going to be easy, and one day, you won't have me to help you control your powers. So, that being said, let us move on to the next lesson. Today, you will learn how to shimmer.'

“What's that?” Kagome asked, her interest evident. When the miko chuckled, Kagome huffed and waited anxiously for her to explain. 'The ability to shimmer is a form of transportation.' Midoriko explained.

“Why can't I just fly if I want to get somewhere?” Kagome asked, her brows knitting together. 'Because you don't have that ability, and trust me when I say that flying is not all that it's cracked up to be, anyways. Shimmering will allow you to get somewhere quicker, and it is less stressful.' Midoriko replied. Thankfully, shimmering did not need that much coordination, and because she was naturally clumsy, if she could fly, it would have been a disaster, especially during landings. But, that in itself could be amusing. Oh well.

Kagome sighed and readied herself for the lesson. She could not wait to get started.