Searching for Shelter

Disclaimer: I don’t own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho. They belong to their respective owners. I make no profit from my writing.

A/N: Sorry for the delayed update. I should get around to updating my other stories soon. Thanks for your patience.


Searching for Shelter
Chapter 6
Shelter from the Past


The next morning, Koenma came into the hospital wing bright and early with a firm look on his face. “Today, we’re going to put your soul back with your body. The final components are here for your revival.” Those words made the spirit Kagome leap up with surprise. It was so soon?

“What components?” she asked, her confusion evident.

“Your ties to the past. The one who made you this way is going to put you back where you belong.” he had done some investigation and found out that Sesshoumaru, taiyoukai of the western lands, and still the current ruler of part of the Makai was the one who had tried to revive her in the past, thus, enabling her to be transported back to her original era because of ancient magic’s that were infused in his father’s sword when it was forged.

“S-Sesshoumaru? He’s still alive?” hope rose in the miko as she spoke, “Then, what about Shippou? Inuyasha?” she may have given up on him as a love interest, but that did not mean that she didn’t care about him anymore.

Koenma nodded, before other ogres came into the room, leading Sesshoumaru and Shippou into the room, as well as the rest of the tantei, even Hiei. They had been called here in case something went wrong, but that didn’t mean that all of them were happy to be there. Hiei was scowling even more than usual the more he had to be in contact with the girl. She was entirely too much trouble to deal with in his opinion.

Kagome’s spiritual form went rigid a moment before she raced for Shippou first, pausing as she came to him. “Shippou! You’ve gotten so big! Your outfit is different too...what’s with your hair? It’s so short now!” she went on in a rush, her smile wide as she saw her son again. She was glad that he had made it, and gave a grateful look to Sesshoumaru that he noticed before she looked back to the kitsune, as he began to answer her long line of questions.

“I grew up, Momma...and of course my outfit is different...I help Sesshoumaru run the western lands of the Makai...my hair is short because it was bothering me...” he almost laughed at her expression. He could almost bet that he looked like that on many occasions when he was younger and she had given him candy.

She reached up to brush a couple of happy tears away. Just seeing him alive and well made everything worth it–fighting through the years to collect shards and finally to defeat Naraku, even if she had died in the end. She turned to Koenma with expectant eyes. “How do we do this? I’m tired of being a spirit.” she smirked, a bit of that depression she had been feeling lately lifting off of her. She was ready to be a solid form again and she wanted to talk with Shippou more and even Sesshoumaru. Inuyasha wasn’t with them so she briefly wondered if he had died yet, or was still alive with them in the Makai. She had a lot of questions for them and was ready to be alive again.

“Too right, Kagome. Lord Sesshoumaru, would you please draw your sword? I need you to stand over here by Kagome’s body, then slice down at the precise moment that I administer the soul binding energies. The combined effort should draw her soul back to her body and root it there.” Koenma explained, moving over next to Kagome’s bedside, while Sesshoumaru took the other side. He didn’t say much of anything, but Kagome knew that she would have to repay the favor somehow. This was not the first time he saved her, and he had even taken care of Shippou and from what she had seen, he had done a very good job of raising her kit.

The others were relatively silent as they waited for her to be revived. Each one thought of her safety first, except for Hiei. He would feel relieved if this didn’t work and she was sent to the afterlife, like she was supposed to in the first place. He didn’t like the feeling she gave him, and didn’t like the lingering scent of death and despair around her body. He also hated the fact that his dragon was attracted to her. She was nothing but trouble in his opinion and he wanted nothing to do with her. As soon as she was revived, he was out of here.

Koenma put his hands above Kagome’s head and slowly the tendrils of power came forth to alight her body with soul drawing energies. It would be enough power to root her soul to her body and from there, it would be up to Sesshoumaru’s sword to keep her there long enough to get situated, thus, bringing her back to life.

Sesshoumaru waited a moment until Koenma gave him the signal and then he sliced down his sword, shocking all in the room who had not seen it before. All they saw was a flash of purple light before Kagome’s spirit disappeared and multiple outraged gasps filled the air.

“What the hell?!” Yusuke shouted, rushing forward towards the Taiyoukai, along with Kuwabara and Kurama.

“Yusuke, stop, she’s fine...” but Koenma’s words were lost as a soft female moan filled the air.

“...did it work?” she asked in a soft voice, as Kagome looked up to Sesshoumaru and Koenma’s face.

The Taiyoukai smiled lightly before nodding, as did Koenma, and her waking up had quickly dispelled the situation that had been brewing. “Momma!” Shippou called out, moving around Sesshoumaru to help her up into a sitting position to hug her.

Kagome felt like she was going to fall over any moment, but she gathered the strength to wrap her arms around the kit and hug him as tightly as she could. “Hey there...” she whispered softly into his ear as she let him support her as she was still getting used to having her body back, and her soul was busy connecting with her power to purify the Shikon, which was in dire need of purification.

She looked around at everyone, but her eyes fell on the retreating back of Hiei. ‘Yeah, he hates me alright...’ she thought before turning to look at Sesshoumaru. “Thanks for taking good care of him...” she whispered out, her voice very weak still from lack of use.

The stoic lord nodded before saying, “It is I who should be thanking you, but you are welcome, miko.”

Kagome gave him a quizzical look before smiling, and looking over to the three remaining tantei members and Koenma. “...thanks for bringing me back...” she said quietly to the demi-god, before looking to the others. “...and thanks for keeping me company, until he could...you guys are all great.” Her smile grew as she shifted to try and stand up, wanting to give them each a hug.

Yusuke moved forward as she moved and Shippou slowly let her go as she reached for the toushin, wrapping her arms around him lightly. “Thanks for coming here today...” she whispered to him and he hugged her a little tighter. He liked the girl...quite a bit, and he would be damned if he didn’t come to visit her often, wherever she was. He was very glad though that she was back in her own body. She was as kind and gentle as her spirit was, and he was going to keep up relations with her. He knew that his friendship would be welcomed by her, and he knew that he would welcome her own.

Kazuma stepped up, and smiled, wrapping his large arms around her. “Hey you...” she grinned, hugging him a little tighter. “I told you I’d be here for you when you were revived.” he smiled to her, rubbing her back lightly. He was glad to have her to talk to, and he somehow knew that he would get along with his first love, Yukina. ‘I’ll have to introduce them...’ he thought, before Kurama stepped up and smiled to her, holding out his arms to take her from the orange haired boy.

She moved carefully and wrapped her arms around the red head, her hands brushing against his hair. It was soft, like the rest of him. He was a very beautiful person on the outside, but she also knew of his inner beauty. Having the three friends she had made during this trial near her when she was revived was welcome. She couldn’t imagine waking up and having no one there, but these three reminded her of her life here in this time that she had to get back into.

“Thanks for coming here guys...I appreciate it.” she said, before turning to Koenma. “Is there anything else I need to do?” she asked, leaning a little on Kurama for support as he had an arm around her waist.

“Check your side for taint. It should be disappearing as it’s purified from your body. Other than that, I will just require you to check in periodically, and I will require you to begin training immediately with Genkai, our local energy manipulator. She will help you to control your holy powers better, and teach you how to fight. With that jewel embedded in your body, there is not much else we can do.” he said, nodding firmly to her.

She smiled before saying, “Can Genkai really help me learn to control my power? In the past, I couldn’t find a miko who could really help me call on it, because it was too great...I think because of the jewel...” she explained further, a little worry coming to her face.

“Trust me, she can help you. She will be expecting you as soon as you’re done checking in with your family. I’m sure they have been expecting you for a while.” he said, before looking to Sesshoumaru. “I take it you will be watching over her as well, when time permits?” he asked, receiving a nod from the Lord.

“I’ll be visiting too, Momma!” Shippou said, smiling to her as he came back to hug her.

She shifted her arms to wrap around him before Kurama spoke up. “This is the kitsune you were talking about, Kagome?”

She nodded, before saying, “Shippou, this is Kurama, Kurama, this is Shippou. Kurama is a kitsune too.” she informed the kit, as he looked over the red head critically.

“You seem familiar, but I’m not sure why...” he said, before Sesshoumaru stepped up. “Youko Kurama...am I right?” he had kept up with the more powerful youkai over the years and he would not miss the scent of Youko anywhere.

Kurama nodded, and for the first time since meeting Kagome, Youko was curious. ‘How does she know a powerful youkai like Sesshoumaru? And she has a kit as well... ‘ Kurama smirked a little at that. Finally, his counterpart was starting to show interest in the girl. It took a powerful taiyoukai to spark that interest, but he was sure that once he could really talk to her, Youko would have questions of his own for the girl.

Kagome moved from Kurama’s embrace and looked to Sesshoumaru expectantly. He knew Youko? She was sure that the kitsune was old, but to have someone like him actually confirm it, it was a little shock. Shaking off the immediate questions she wanted to ask, she moved to sit back down on the bed, not entirely ready to be moving around so much. After a moment, she shifted her dressing gown to look down at her side, which was slowly becoming the pale color her skin was supposed to be, instead of the dark black that it had been.

She didn’t realize that she had commanded everyone’s attention until she noticed the quiet silence around her and she looked up, before blushing. “...everything’s fine. It’s starting to disappear already.” she said, looking back to Sesshoumaru and Koenma.

“That’s good, Kagome. I’ll go see if we have something you can change into, and then you can go home.” the demi-god said, before exiting the room, leaving the three tantei members and Sesshoumaru and Shippou with her.

The kitsune took a seat beside her before hugging her again. “I’ve missed you so much...I was so scared when you ran away from me. I know why you did it...but...” he paused, not finishing his thought. He wished that she would have saved herself instead of Inuyasha. He had harbored resentment against the hanyou ever since that day, and though it wasn’t spoken of between the two, both knew it existed, as well as the taiyoukai. Personally, Sesshoumaru couldn’t see why the girl would run headfirst to take a blow meant for his half-brother, but as he thought about it over the years, it became painfully obvious that she actually cared for him, as crazy as it sounded.

Then again, it seemed that she had cared about himself as well, as an ally, and even as a friend, which was an odd feeling to say the least for the taiyoukai. Shaking off his growing thoughts, he looked to Kagome, who was hugging Shippou back and saying that everything was alright now. However, her next question grabbed his attention quickly.

“...is he...still alive?” she asked timidly, not looking to any of them in particular, but her heart hung on their answer. She hoped he was; because she didn’t want to find out that her sacrifice was in vain...that he had died soon after she had saved him would be something she wouldn’t be sure how to deal with.

The uncomfortable silence grew in the room, as Yusuke, Kuwabara, and Kurama all looked to the taiyoukai and kit. Who was she talking about? She hadn’t told them in depth about how she died. All she had said was that she was fighting an evil demon named Naraku, and that he had been the one to kill her, but not before she killed him first through purification. She had mentioned dying for a hanyou friend…was this the person she was talking about?

Sesshoumaru and Shippou locked eyes before the taiyoukai spoke up saying, “He lives.” He didn’t mention that the inu-hanyou had no idea that Kagome was still alive and that he and the kit knew of her whereabouts. They had kept the information from him on purpose, for both their own benefit, and for hers as well. They knew the secret wouldn’t be kept for long, but they would keep it for as long as they were able. Kagome didn’t deserve to see what the hanyou had become, and what had happened after the final battle…after she had disappeared.

She managed a small smile before saying rather quietly, “That’s good. That’s good to hear.” She wasn’t sure what to do first, laugh or cry, but she managed to do neither as she stood as Koenma came back into the room with a kimono of Botan’s to give to Kagome. “Here you go. This should do until you get home. Remember, I will be checking in on you and you will be training with Genkai. Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, see that she makes it there safely.” He ordered the boys before pointing to a door. “The bathroom is in there.”

She nodded softly before heading into the room and closing the door behind her; as soon as she did, three pairs of eyes locked with the taiyoukai’s, and he almost smirked, almost.

Yusuke was the first to speak as he asked, “Who was she talking about?” he asked, his eyes narrowing lightly. He knew of Lord Sesshoumaru, but that didn’t mean he was going to bow down before him, or anyone else for that matter.

“My half-brother. His name is Inuyasha.” The taiyoukai answered, not revealing anything else.

Kurama stepped up beside Yusuke before saying, “She mentioned dying to protect her friend…is that him?” his curiosity was getting the better of him the more elusive Kagome and Sesshoumaru were being whenever they spoke about the past.

He raised an eyebrow before looking to Shippou, who looked ready to spit nails. “That is no friend of hers!” he said bitterly, his ki flaring in distress and anger. “He left her to defend herself against Naraku, to save a walking corpse! A woman who was of the un-dead! No friend I know would do such a thing.” He spat, his eyes bleeding a little crimson before Sesshoumaru placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Calm yourself, kit. They do not know of the past.” But even as he said the words, the discerning thought that Kagome had not told them of what had truly happened while she was in the past was floating around in his mind. Why had she not? It would seem from her previous reactions around these demons and humans that she trusted them and had befriended them, but she had not spoke of the past as of yet? What had happened to change her? Her almost blatant openness was one of her more immediately seen qualities that he could remember about her, but this went against what he knew of her character.

“But, Father…” he went to reply before one look from the stoic lord silenced him. He knew when to keep quiet after being raised by the taiyoukai all of these years.

“If she has not spoke of the past, then it is probably in her best interest that we not say anything either.” He replied, before looking to each of them.

That only made them want to know further about her travels to the past, but before they could get anything else out, Kagome emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a pink sakura kimono with a blue obi. She gave each of them a smile before saying, “I’m ready to go now.”

They could only stare. The brilliant blue-black of her hair stood out even more against the light pink kimono and her blue eyes sparkled a little as she smiled. She really was very beautiful, and she was a kind person—one they had each come a little closer to knowing through her ordeal. Her past though had them curious. What had she gone through? What had she experienced? And who was this Inuyasha person to her?

“Well then, I suppose you must be going now. We will visit you once you have settled in.” Sesshoumaru stepped in and nodded, before he got another hug from her.

“Thank you for everything, Sesshoumaru.” She whispered into his snow white outfit before giving him a smile.

“Again, you are welcome, miko.” He replied, before Shippou hugged her again. “I’m glad you’re alive again, Momma.”

She grinned. “Me too.”

Parting ways was easier this time than before, and Kagome waved back to her kit and the taiyoukai before she walked through the portal that Botan had made for them, taking her directly to her home. Her smile growing wider, she bound up the steps, with the three tantei walking behind slowly as they took in the surrounding area. Kazuma had been here once before, but he was still amazed at the amount of power flowing over the property.

Kurama’s eyes were drawn to the well and then to the large Goshinboku on the property. It was old, and it’s magic's, while rather quiet now, told of centuries of watching time pass. He would find some of his answers from there. Glancing back to Kagome, he saw an older woman, her mother-he guessed, from her scent, come from the house and run towards the girl before they embraced.

“Momma!” she shouted out happily before hugging an older man that came out of the house next—her grandfather, he deduced, as she shouted out, “Oji-chan!” and finally, a younger teenaged boy, her brother. “Souta!”

Kagome had never been happier to see any of them in her entire life, and she hugged them all fiercely. “I’m home…” she managed to suppress her tears to just a few, “…this time for good…”

Hiei had cursed the girl’s name profusely as he found himself seeking out his comrades, only to find himself at her home. There was such power floating over the grounds that it made him pause at first. The holy feeling had his skin tingling, but it wasn’t a destructive force, but rather, a calming force. Why would a shrine be bringing him, a demon, peace? Shaking the thought away, he stayed back away from everyone and just observed, however, Kurama and Yusuke both noticed him. Kazuma, as usual, was oblivious to his presence.

“Guys…” Kagome’s voice broke through their thoughts. “…this is my Mom, Grandpa, and my little brother.” She introduced them before saying, “That’s Kurama, Yusuke, and Kazuma.”

Mrs. Higurashi’s eyes lit up a little at Kazuma before saying, “It’s you! Well, it is nice to see you again.” She smiled. The orange-haired boy smiled before nodding. “Nice to see you again too, Higurashi-san.”

Kurama and Yusuke looked to Kazuma with a bit of loathing in their eyes. How was it he knew Kagome’s mom when they didn’t? Before they could say anything, she asked, “Is anyone hungry?”

The boys’ looked up before Kagome said, “Momma…I have to go again.”

The disappointment flooded her face before she just smiled. “Where do you have to go?”

“To an energy manipulator named Genkai. She’s going to help me train my power.” She said, her happiness growing. She couldn’t wait to learn more about her power.

“Oh!” the older woman smiled. “So no more danger? And you’ll be…you know…where I can reach you by phone?” she almost let it slip that her daughter had been from the past. She wasn’t sure how much the new friends of her little girl knew about her travels, though she could tell there was something different about them.

Kagome nervously laughed. “No more danger.” Well, not much… “And yeah…you can call me and reach me. One of them should have the number.”

She gave her mom a kiss on the cheek before running into the house to get changed, coming out a few minutes later dressed in her miko clothes. They weren’t necessarily uncomfortable, but they did make it a lot warmer than it was.

Each of the guys looked up at her before nodding their approval. She looked exactly the part of a priestess, and the clothing suited her. While she had been gone they had spoken small talk with her mother and grandfather. Her brother had eyed them warily before he flat out called them demons. It was a small shock that was smoothed over when Kagome’s mom just smiled. “I knew it.” She said softly. “My daughter never did make many friends her own species.”

And that was that as she was ready to go again.

~*~

They arrived at Genkai’s shortly afterwards, and as Kagome saw the sheer number of steps, she groaned. “And I thought that my place was bad.”

The guys laughed, and surprising to Yusuke and Kurama, Hiei had tagged along. They thought that he would have left considering his obvious dislike for the miko, but here he was.

They talked a little bit about Genkai and her training regiments, but mostly it was Yusuke complaining about the hellish workouts that he had been through in the past for her, making Kagome pale as she questioned her ability to even make it through. Then she remembered dying as she faced off Naraku. She needed to learn how to use her power. There was no other choice. She couldn’t bank on the luck and help of strangers to keep the jewel safe. She looked over the three males that had quickly come into her life, and she sighed. She wouldn’t involve anyone else in her mess, and she wouldn’t see them in danger. It was a promise she was vowing to keep.

They reached the top of the steps and were met by a young girl with cerulean hair and an older woman with a hard set face.

“I’ve been expecting you. I am Genkai. Let’s get to work!” she said harshly, her voice dark and gravelly sounding to Kagome’s ears.

Jumping to attention she followed after the old woman with a backwards glance to the guys. What had she gotten herself into? But as soon as Genkai saw her looking back to the guys, she turned around and smartly rapped her on the head with her hand.

“Pay attention!” she said quickly. “Your power is unlike anything I have trained with in many, many years and you will get nowhere without perfect attention at all time! One false move could be the difference between you purifying your opponent and your opponent killing you, do you understand me girl?”

Kagome swallowed thickly and nodded, resisting the urge to rub the forming bump on her head. “Yes, ma’am.” She replied, before following her into a training room of some sort, though it was very dim, almost to the point of her not being able to see.

“You don’t understand. But you will, given time.” The woman barked at her, before saying, “Do you know the basics of meditation?” she questioned, giving Kagome a long look over.

“Y-yes!” she replied quickly, not wanting to be hit again. “Miroku, a monk, taught me about meditation, and I also learned from a miko named Kaede.” She informed her, before the older woman just nodded.

“Then let’s get down to business. Get into a light trance, and we’ll go from there.”

~*~

The tantei watched as Genkai began the miko’s training. It was odd to see her so strict with the human girl, and the protectiveness that they had started to form for her before came back with a vengeance as she hit Kagome over the head. It wasn’t entirely unexpected, seeing as how her training regiments went with Yusuke, but it was still making them all feel uneasy—so much so that they were hovering around the door where she was training now to keep an eye on her-just to make sure Genkai didn’t go overboard of course.

Hiei watched how his comrades were reacting around the human miko and he frowned. All of this over one girl? He could feel the pull that she was radiating from her small frame hidden inside the training room, but it was not a call that he was going to answer. Her scent and purity soothed him, but for the life of him he could not figure out why, and he didn’t want to figure it out. Instead, he made his way into the house to visit with his sister. If one could call him staying silent as she talked really “visiting” with anyone.

~*~

Kagome felt like she was going to pass out. She had never tried in her life to do what she was doing now, and every time she lost focus, she was rapped upside the head by Genkai. She wanted to shout at the woman, but she bit her tongue, so much so that it started to bleed.

And of course, when Genkai saw the small trickle of it come from her lips, she ordered her to heal it. Something else Kagome had never done before. Well, not much anyway.

“Just concentrate. There is a large reservoir of power within you—I can feel it, and you should be able to as well. There will be a bundle of power, oddly colored with pink and a light violet. The difference is very slight, but you will see it if you concentrate and look closely. The light violet color is your healing powers. The bright pink is your purifying powers. Learn to manipulate your power through your body to where you are injured. When you do that, your wounds should start to heal with that power and their own volition. The human body is made to repair itself on a constant basis, however, miko’s are born with additional powers that regular humans are not, as you can already guess. Miko’s have the power to purify darkness and evil, and heal. These powers are very strong in some, but weak in others. In you, they are the strongest I have ever seen.” Kagome would have beamed; if she wasn’t busy trying to heal herself like the old woman had instructed her. How was she supposed to concentrate with the woman talking her ear off?

“There are very few moderately strong miko’s alive anymore, so it is strange to come across you. Then again, if you had not died then I suppose I wouldn’t have met you.” She barked again, her eyes narrowing lightly.

Kagome’s eyes widened as she came upon her power and she watched it in awe. It was just as Genkai had described it—pulsing, and warm. As quickly as she had come upon it, she had touched it, for the first time. It was an exhilarating feeling. She was so close to her power that it almost made her cry. What if she would have had access to this power when she was in the past? Would she have lived through the battle? Would she and Inuyasha have had a chance at their happy ending? Would everything have been different?

Before she knew what she was doing, she had pulled the right power up and had healed her tongue, before she opened her eyes and looked at Genkai, a few tears pooling down her face.

“Very good, girl. Very, very good.” She said quietly, before nodding her approval. The break didn’t last long before she had Kagome filling one hand with purification power and one with healing power. It was hard to do, but for now, it was enough.

“It isn’t so difficult to call upon your power. Even in your untrained state you were able to create purification arrows, I was told, and channel your power into your bow, so I know that you have at least created ties to your power.” The old teacher said, before continuing, “What we are going to focus on is battle. Agility, hand-to-hand combat, sword-fighting, and arrows. You will want to become as much of a master as you can at each area in order to be able to protect yourself properly.” She said, and Kagome agreed. At least she wasn’t getting hit upside the head right now.

“Yes, ma’am.” She said again, before they stood and Genkai handed her a sword.

“We’ll begin immediately.” Were the only words of warning she got before she was rushed at by the old woman, with speeds that shocked her. The woman wasn’t a demon, but she was certainly moving like one!

She only had time to block the parry before shifting to block another one. Within moments the sword was knocked from her hands and she quickly threw up a shield of her power-which would have stopped a demon, but it wasn’t going to stop an energy manipulator such as Genkai. Kagome stood there with a blade at her throat before the woman shouted, “What the hell was that?! I am not a demon, yet you assumed to stop me as one? Where is your technique? Your form?!” she shouted, making Kagome shake, but not with fear-no, Kagome was spitting mad!

“You listen up! I learned how to use a bow in the past, not a sword, not a bone boomerang, and certainly not a staff or any other weapons! I had a bow, and that’s all I fought with! There wasn’t much time otherwise between running off and finding jewel shards and killing demons that we had to learn that sort of thing, so I’m so freaking terribly sorry that I’m inexperienced with a sword!” she shouted, her power swirling around her even more prominently because of her recent contact with it.

Genkai stepped back as he watched it swirl around her with curious eyes. She was an energy manipulator, but it really had been ages since she saw purification power, and in such great supply.

Kagome blinked as the woman stepped back and as she calmed, she saw the old woman lock eyes with her. “Your emotions are your strength…” she frowned softly, before sighing. This girl was reminding her a lot of Yusuke, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be involved with her. When she had died the first time, she had to sit back and watch as he suffered. He had become attached, as did she, and it wasn’t the best of situations to be in. Hell, one of the main reasons she lived away from everyone was because she didn’t want to become attached to anyone. It seems the fates didn’t see things the way she did.

Kagome looked curiously to her, her ire fading away to be replaced with confusion. “Genkai?”

The woman looked back to her before barking out, “Then we’ll start from the beginning!”

And that was how she got to be spectacle of the current match between Kazuma and Genkai. She was by far the better fighter, but that was mainly because she took time to study her opponent. Kazuma just seemed to run in head first and wasn’t watching the woman carefully.

Yusuke and Kurama had joined her on the sidelines as she watched, and every time Kazuma fell on his butt, Yusuke would laugh and cat-call to his best friend that he wasn’t winning any fights on his ass.

That’s how the two ended up in a fight fifteen minutes later, locked in a one-on-one brawl and rolling over on the ground like children.

And all of this led up to her ultimate demise—the one named Hiei was back and now he wanted to fight with her. One thought circled in her mind as she picked up her sword. I’m going to die again, aren’t I?

~*~

Hiei had been watching with half amusement, half curiosity as the girl’s power fluctuated rapidly and he moved from his spot in a nearby tree to one of the open doors on the other side of the building. He wouldn’t deny his curiosity about her power. He knew that her miko powers could fry him if he let them, but he hadn’t come in contact with miko power before. He had learned about it, sure, and had, from a distance, observed miko’s and how their power worked, but he hadn’t been on the receiving end of purifying power before, and for the sake of his own preservation, he wanted to learn more.

He watched as she struggled to heal herself (he could smell the slight trace of blood on the air) and then as she shouted back at Genkai for her horribly abysmal sword skills. He was ashamed to call them even that. She wasn’t only bad, she was…well, there wasn’t really a word for it that he could think of at the moment, proving just how bad she really was. So bad, in fact, that Genkai brought the oaf into the building to spar with her. His skills were improving, but were nothing compared to his own, and with the detective shouting his own choice comments at every blow, it wasn’t long before the two were in a fight…again.

That was how he ended up being called in by the manipulator to work with the girl. A task he was currently denying with his entire being. She had to be crazy!

That old bat pulled a dirty trick on him though, calling Yukina into the room. Without her convincement, he wouldn’t have to face down his worst opponent ever. He might as well have been facing down a child. The girl’s sapphire eyes locked on his and he could see and almost taste her fear. Good. He didn’t want her trusting him like she trusted the others of the team.

However, her thoughts were scrambling up and hitting him full force, making him reel back from it. The one that stuck out for him most however, was, I’m going to die again, aren’t I?

The torrent of feeling that washed over him was one of despair and longing. Torn, between want, and dejection.

The feeling set his youkai on fire, and he growled out, as he drew his sword. Why did she invoke such feeling in him?

Were these feelings even his own?

He didn’t know, and didn’t want to know. He couldn’t stop her thoughts from overloading on him, or her emotions from filling him. The hidden pain that tried to swallow him up via his Jagan was almost too much. What had this girl been through?

Before he could get too lost in the sea of emotions, he growled again, and attacked.

~*~


A/N: Sorry for the long awaited update. Hope you enjoy! Please R/R.

Kudo’s Loves!
Sayuri-chan~~