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: Ugh, it’s been sooo long since I last updated. I feel horrible for that! I’m sorry guys! Well, here’s a *long-awaited* update! I hope you all enjoy. And I’ll try and get updates on my other stories as well. Well, here goes!

Searching For Shelter
Chapter 7
Shelter from Her


He lunged with sword drawn, intent to kill as he always was, and was surprised when she stopped his advancement, but only just, as he put more strength behind his blade, quickly pushing her blade towards her chest. He barely registered that her thoughts were even now overwhelming his mind as he heard a female scream.

Kagome’s scream filled the air as her powers reacted on instinct and swelled, pushing Hiei back and flooring her from the sheer amount of power that filled her. She had never felt this amount of power before at her disposal and it had her downright terrified, as she struggled to reign it in. Unfortunately, considering her paltry training with her power it was almost a futile effort until Genkai stepped in with her own energies coming forth to help try and contain them.

It was only a moment and she realized that she wouldn’t be able to even attempt to contain the girl’s power, so she did the next best thing, and that was knock Kagome out with one swift blow to the head.

Kagome didn’t have any forewarning of what Genkai was going to do until she felt a sharp pain at the back of her head that sent her sprawling into the world of darkness.

~

The moment the miko passed out, Hiei quickly did a check of his person to make sure that all of his limbs were in tact. After being reassured that she hadn’t purified any of his appendages, he checked on everyone else to see them standing in astonishment near the girl.

For a moment he was speechless, and stunned. That moment passed before he settled for being stunned, mixed with a little of pissed off. However, curiosity rose to the surface as he looked over her seemingly ningen body. He had never felt such a power before, but the girl could have easily destroyed every demon in the room without any hesitation. On the other hand, she seemed entirely unaware of the power she possessed, and had no control over it. He didn’t want to think about what would have happened if Genkai wouldn’t have been able to get close enough to knock the girl out.

He quickly wondered if another of her powers was to overwhelm her opponents with her thoughts, and at that he growled. She had succeeded where most had failed. She had managed to get him in an uncontrolled rage just by inflicting her emotions on him. How she did it, he didn’t know, but he was determined to find out. He would not be put in a situation like he had been just seconds ago, and even if he had to tail her for years, he would find out what she had done to him, and how she had done it, so she could never do it again.

Killing her was out of the question, because of the protection she had by Reikai, and if he killed her, he would never learn how it was she overwhelmed his mental barriers. Should he come across another opponent such as her, he could be overcome again, and that just would not do.

As he glanced over her body, he noticed that her power was quickly receding into her pale skin as quickly as it had come forth. Feeling that it was safe to approach her, he kneeled quietly next to her as the Jagan flared to life, quickly wanting to inspect the creature that had his senses reeling.

Genkai stepped forward and glared at the hiyoukai. “You will not let that thing loose in here or in her mind. I will not stop her should her body react to protect her again.” She said harshly.

Hiei managed not to scoff, but he forced the Jagan back, with quite a bit of difficulty, he noted, before standing. The old woman was right. He wasn’t sure how her body would react to being introduced to the Jagan, and he really didn’t feel like being purified.

Yukina stepped forward to try and heal her but Hiei put a hand out to stop her. “She can heal herself, Yukina. She is a miko.” His look and demeanor conveyed protection and worry, so the ice maiden paused, her soft blue eyes looking to Genkai for reassurance.

The old woman nodded before saying, “She will heal on her own. I don’t want you to be hurt on accident by her power.” Genkai knew next to nothing about how Kagome’s power would react to unknown demons, and Yukina didn’t need to be the test subject for her theories.

“Dimwit, pick her up and bring her inside. She won’t be waking up for awhile.” She barked out, as she headed for the door.

“But…!” he called out, his own uneasiness and worry easily heard.

“You are only hanyou. She won’t hurt you. I guarantee it.” She said, before heading out of the building.

Kuwabara, who had been dumbly silent for the past couple of minutes, finally spoke up. “That was amazing!”

“More like it was deadly, baka.” Hiei growled out, before gesturing for Yukina to walk out first as he followed after her. He wouldn’t let her get hurt by the strange ningen girl while he was there.

Yusuke gingerly picked the girl’s body up before glancing to Kurama, who had been silent the entire time. One curious glance in his direction and he shook his head at the toushin, before gesturing out of the building. He would speculate later on his theories. For now, the girl needed to be put in bed. One thing was for certain, however. He had never seen such a power before.

Quietly, Yusuke walked into the main house and followed his mentor into a spare bedroom, where he deposited his cargo onto the bed before backing away from her. She seemed so innocent and peaceful lying there; it seemed impossible to him that she could be potentially dangerous to his health.

A whispered name, one filled with bitter regrets, secret longing, and overall, tortured memories slipped from the miko’s lips. “Inuyasha…”

Glancing from her face to Genkai’s, he raised a single eyebrow before frowning in silent thought. He didn’t know who this Inuyasha person was, or who he was to her, besides what he had heard from the taiyoukai lord earlier this afternoon. Supposedly, the two were friends, though it was a little hard to believe that this miko girl could befriend a hanyou demon. Reserving judgment for later, he tried to fit some pieces of the puzzle together, but was coming up empty handed. Turning from her, he exited the room, determined to find out more about this strange miko, and her even more mysterious past.

When he headed down the stairs and away from the premises, he noticed right away that he wasn’t alone. Youko wasn’t going to leave this mystery unsolved, and if she wasn’t going to give him answers (not like she could right now anyway), then he was going to do his own form of investigating—even if he had to throw a fit in the back of Kurama’s mind (not that he had to in the first place) to do so. Both of them were curious about her, and her strange behavior, since the day they met her. To know that she was quite familiar with a taiyoukai lord and even a mother figure for a kitsune kit were pieces of information that intrigued the pair, and had them even more interested in what was hidden behind the mystery that was Kagome.

Hiei wasn’t sure what compelled him to follow his comrades, but anything was better than assuming he was being somehow tied to the miko girl. He would not voluntarily stay around the shrine unless Yukina was in danger, and at the present time, the only threat lay with an unconscious miko. Pushing away the worried thoughts that wanted to surface, he stayed a little ways back from his closest companion and waited to see what kind of information would surface in the wake of his team-mates investigations.

Smirking lightly at the rest of his teammates, Yusuke was the first to navigate in a direction that was meaningful. He was going to the Makai, and hopefully he could entertain an audience with the Taiyoukai Sesshoumaru. Kurama followed him as well, having a similar thought in mind. Kuwabara, who wasn’t as desperate for answers as the others, decided that maybe a trip to see her mother would be more beneficial and he headed towards the shrine, and surprisingly, Hiei followed.

The little hiyoukai could get some answers just as easily from combing her mother’s mind, so now with a plan in motion, he made the trek towards the shrine where she was raised.

~*~

A little while later, Hiei and Kuwabara arrived on the shrine grounds, while Yusuke and Kurama crossed the barrier into the Makai. Watching as Kuwabara ascended the shrine steps, Hiei hopped from tree to tree, eventually coming to settle on a large solitary tree in the yard near a two story house that resided on the grounds. Scanning the area with his Jagan, he noted three persons on the property, two males and one female. Upon closer inspection, he saw one of the three persons sweeping steps, an elderly ningen with a scowling face.

Kuwabara came upon the man and upon asking for Kagome’s mother by name, he was led into the house, disappearing from Hiei’s sight, but not from his Jagan, which flared to life to help him listen in on their conversation.

Kagome’s mother smiled upon seeing him, but her smile faltered at the look on his face. “Has something happened to Kagome?” she asked immediately, her own face taking on a look of fear and uncertainty.

“No, no, nothing like that, Higurashi-san.” He assured her quickly. Taking an offered seat on the couch in the living room, he gathered his thoughts a moment before speaking again. “I wanted to know more about Kagome…and her friend, Inuyasha. Is there anything you can tell me? She won’t speak about it at all, just saying that they were good friends. And she won’t say what happened in the past either.”

Glancing to him, Asako looked perplexed at his question. Normally, Kagome was upfront about her situation with Inuyasha, and at the very least she didn’t waste any opportunity to praise her hanyou friend and tell everyone his strengths of loyalty and friendship. To hear this from one of her daughter’s new friends was confusing. “Inuyasha…is one of a kind.” Where her daughter would not speak fondly of him, she certainly would. He was like a second son to her. “…my daughter met him the first time she went into the past, and unsealed him from the Goshinboku. It was a rocky relationship at first, but he started to trust her and they became friends.” She wouldn’t mention her daughter’s love for him, for it was not her place to say, even as a mother.

“How did that happen?” he asked. He had heard the story from Kagome when she was still in spirit form, he just wanted to confirm details and facts for himself.

“She just fell down the well. I’m not sure exactly why it was possible for her to go to the past, but she did, and then she shattered a jewel…you remember the story I told you? Well, it was true, and all of that came about because of a jewel called the Shikon no Tama. Kagome is the current guardian of it. She broke it in the past, and went searching with her friends, including Inuyasha, to find all the pieces. But there was an evil demon searching for the pieces too. His name was Naraku, but as you’ve already heard, her and her friends must have won against him, because she’s back for good now.” She smiled at that thought, obviously happy to have her daughter back home for good, and safe and sound.

“Naraku…yes, I was told about him from my boss.” Kuwabara spoke aloud, before asking, “What kind of person is Inuyasha?”

“Oh, he’s very loyal, and very strong. Kagome said he’s a half-demon, but he looks human to me, except for his puppy ears.” She chuckled before saying, “…the first time he came here I just had to touch them.”

“I see…so he’s a dog-demon? That makes sense because his half brother looked to be a dog demon too.” He murmured to himself before Asako outburst, “Sesshoumaru-sama? You’ve met him? Kagome’s told me that he tried to kill her before…I’m surprised he hasn’t done that to you yet! He seems like such a bully…” she frowned before catching his surprised look.

Kuwabara was at a loss, but his confusion was nothing compared to that of Hiei’s, who was listening to the entire conversation with growing frustrations and more questions than before he got here. If the revered demon lord tried to kill Kagome, how had she survived? Better yet, he helped bring her back to life! More mysteries seemed to crop up around the miko girl, but very little answers.

“Oh, he helped bring her back to…” he went to reply quickly, before he felt a spike of energy, that of Hiei’s. The hiyoukai couldn’t believe that he was about ready to spill the beans about what had happened, and though it wasn’t any of his business what Kuwabara told the girl’s mother, it might be more beneficial not to mention that little tidbit of information.

Asako was waiting for him to finish his sentence before he blushed sheepishly and added after a moment, “…helped…bring her to Kaede’s! In the past. Or, that’s what she said. I don’t think Lord Sesshoumaru is that bad.” He hastily covered over his blunder.

“I see. Well, I’d have to meet this so called “Lord” in order to change my opinion of him.” She sniffed a bit, a light frown on her features.

“…what about Kagome’s other friends? Can you tell me anything about them?” he asked, wanting to divert to a safer topic of conversation.

She looked thoughtful for a moment before saying, “The only one I knew a lot about was Shippou. Kagome was always showing me pictures he had drawn or asking me to get sweets for him.” She smiled warmly before adding, “Shippou is a little fox kit that Kagome ran into soon after she started going to the past. He lost his parents to some other demons and she kind of took him under her wing. From what I understand, Kagome is like a mother to him, though I like to think of her as an older sister to him. My daughter, a mother! At her age? Certainly not…” she laughed softly, though she wasn’t really joking about that last part.

Hiei was still unsure of how to take the information about Kagome’s obvious affection towards the kitsune kit he had seen when she was reunited with her body. Her mother knew of the relationship and she wasn’t against it at all and even sounded fond of the kit herself. This acceptance and even love of a demon, child or not, by a human, a human miko no less, was extremely confusing to him.

“I guess you’re right.” He laughed with her. Kuwabara had learned about Shippou, Miroku, and Sango from Kagome before when she was still a spirit, as well as he had met the fox child in question, but there wasn’t much more that he knew about Inuyasha, and he seemed to be the one at the center of many of the mysteries about her.

~*~

Meanwhile, back in the Makai, Yusuke and Kurama were being seated in one of the meeting rooms in Sesshoumaru’s castle. Kurama seemed at ease in the atmosphere, but Yusuke wasn’t. He had little real manners when it came to royalty, but he got a feeling not just from Sesshoumaru’s aura, but his demeanor and presence that he wasn’t a demon to disrespect or fight with. He wasn’t an opponent to ever take lightly, and right now, he just wanted information. Fighting with the taiyoukai wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest.

Walking into the meeting room, Sesshoumaru noted both stances of Yusuke and Kurama and he almost smirked. He knew that soon he would be pressed for information. It just happened to be sooner than he expected. He remained quiet as he took a seat at the table, glancing over both of them expectantly, and waiting for one of them to break the silence. They were the one requesting an audience with him, not the other way around.

“Lord Sesshoumaru…” Yusuke started before getting straight to the point. It was the way he was. “...who is Inuyasha…besides your half brother…and who was he to Kagome?”

Kurama raised an eyebrow before looking back to the taiyoukai lord. Leave it to Yusuke to be blunt about the matter. At the very least, he knew that the taiyoukai before them would know what they were after: information.

“You want to know more about my half-brother? What does it matter…he’s alive. She protected him. It happened almost 550 years ago. Though, I suppose it’s just been a couple of months for Kagome.” He added with a small frown.

The toushin and kitsune exchanged looks before Kurama spoke up this time. “She protected him? You mean she died for him.” He said aloud, putting two and two together.

“She protected him.” He reiterated, as his tone held a bit of irritation. He hated thinking about that day. It was one thing that he had thought about everyday at least once for the past 550 years.

Both Yusuke and Kurama leaned back a little at that, going quiet a moment before Yusuke pressed on. “He lives here with you?” he questioned, tempted to meet the hanyou that Kagome, a human miko, had died for. He had to be something special for her to do such a thing, or, at least, that is what he thought. Kurama’s thoughts weren’t far away from his.

“Yes. Much to the displeasure of my son. He has his own quarters away from the castle.” After a moments pause he added stiffly. “Do not go in search of him. He has yet to learn that Kagome is alive, and I wish to keep the information from him. I refuse to allow him to get close to her again.” The bitter tone was evident in the stoic lord’s voice, and it was easily picked up by Yusuke and Kurama. Something had definitely happened between Inuyasha and Kagome, something other than her giving her life for him. This just left the two even more curious than before, and before another word was spoken, they heard a door crash open behind them.

“You bastard! Just when were you planning on telling me that she was alive?!” a brash voice called out, earning looks from the three in the room.

“Inuyasha.” Sesshoumaru replied quietly before looking to Kurama and Yusuke, who had instantly stood and got on guard at the loud bang from the door and the demon’s shouting. He looked young, with dog ears upon his head and a bright red outfit for his clothing. He looked pissed, and he had a sword at his side, one he drew which seemed to magically transform before their eyes into a much larger weapon.

Quickly drawing a rose whip forth, Kurama got on the defensive in case the male tried to attack, but he needn’t worry, because just as quickly as the sword transformed, it reverted back to its previous state, which wasn’t something to brag about. It was dull and chipped in places, as well as blood stained. It seemed the hanyou didn’t take care of his sword all that well, but on the contrary, the blood would never be washed off. The Tetsuseiga was forever to be stained with the injustices of his owner, a repercussion of her death, the miko’s death, on his conscience.

Glaring at all of them he looked quickly to Kurama and Yusuke. “Just who the hell are you two? And what the fuck do you have to do with Kagome?!” Inuyasha shouted, glaring fiercely at them. “Don’t tell me you’re her new lovers. Feh. She didn’t waste any time in replacing me. That bitch.”

Eyes widening in surprise and then darkening in fury, Yusuke shouted back, “We’re not her lovers!” but anything else was lost as Kurama stepped forward. Youko was beyond furious at the words that were spoken about Kagome and he was going to make one thing perfectly clear. “I don’t know what you did to her in the past, but from what I understand, you wouldn’t be here right now if it wasn’t for her, so I would watch your tongue if I were you, half-breed. You’re ill-mannered gratitude towards our friend will not be tolerated. And if I see you around her even for a moment, I will not hesitate to kill you.” Youko’s influence was heavy, and it showed as Kurama’s normally vibrant red hair began to streak with silver strands and his eyes flashed to molten gold.

“Feh, like you can do anything to me, kitsune. And just for the record, I wouldn’t go around throwing that “half-breed” term around.” He smirked as he looked between Yusuke and Kurama. “Seems to me I’m not the only one in the room who falls under that category.”

Sesshoumaru stepped forward at that point to stand between the detectives and his half-brother. “You will refrain from going to see her. She doesn’t need you coming back in her life and if you wish to remain alive and living in this household, you will obey me.”

With a glare he stepped up in Sesshoumaru’s face before replying with a dark tone to his voice, “I will do whatever I please, brother.” He spat. “And if she wants to see me, you can’t stop me from seeing her. You forget that I am her first love. She will not just cast me aside.” His arrogance wasn’t lost on the detectives or the Lord as each one had to reign in their youkai spirits. This boy was long overdue for a reality check. First love or not, he didn’t return those feelings it seemed. The way he acted was far too spiteful and proud for their liking, and they had to wonder what kind of hell he put Kagome through while she was alive her first time.

“You will learn your place, boy. She doesn’t want to see you. She has accepted the fact that you don’t want her, and don’t love her. She accepted that as she died, or couldn’t you tell that from her voice?” Sesshoumaru growled back at him, swiftly moving from his place behind his desk and in front of the inu-hanyou.

Startled, he took a step back, before brandishing his dull sword again. “I was her first love.” He repeated again. “She still loves me.” His face held uncertainty though, but he tried to keep up his fierce façade.

“You will never get a chance to find out. Stay away from her, Inuyasha, or I will not be responsible for the actions of these detectives or Shippou.” He replied with a tone of finality as he forcibly pushed Inuyasha out of the way and gestured for Kurama and Yusuke, who had been quite silent up until now, to follow.

As they walked down the stairs that led to the front of the castle, Sesshoumaru elaborated for the confused detectives. “Inuyasha and Kagome had a very unusual relationship to one another. She was his first friend, and the first one to treat him as an equal. Kitsune…you remember what it would have been like in those days. Hanyous were given no respect and were treated as the scum of the earth. She never treated him as such. She was always by his side. She gave him one thing that no one else had ever done before: her loyalty.”

Kurama nodded mutely. He remembered the days of the Feudal Era. Hanyous were the lowest of the low in both human and demon societies. To hear that Kagome had befriended him, and from the words heard in the meeting room, loved him, was something he was apt to not believe. His thoughts were interrupted as Sesshoumaru continued.

“Being from this era, and traveling to the past, she had no prejudice against anyone, be they human, demon, or hanyou. It got her more than her fair share of backlash, and even more so, earned her more respect from those who came to recognize it. She became friends with many demons, some of which were quite powerful and high up in their own societies, such as the Prince of the East, Lord Kouga.”

“You mean the Kouga?! The king of the wolf tribes in the East?” Yusuke replied on impulse. He had met Kouga, and had fought him in one of the more recent Dark Tournaments. He was quite the opponent and was very strong.

“The one and only. She not only befriended him, but those in his pack as well. There were countless others she met along her journey’s, and many of them are still alive to this day.” He replied, giving one glance back to the toushin before looking back forward as they came to the bottom of the stairs.

“Forgive me, Lord Sesshoumaru, but it’s a little hard to believe that she knew Lord Kouga, and that she knows you as well. It’s baffling. She looks like nothing more than an ordinary mortal human girl.” Kurama said, with the influence of Youko still present. The kitsune was still trying to figure out just what it was about this girl that seemed to draw in those around her.

“That is where you would be misled, Youko.” He knew who was speaking right now, and it had been quite a few number of years since he spoke with the silver kitsune. “She is anything but ordinary. You have not known her long enough to discover just what it is that makes her different, but trust me when I tell you, given time, you will see what we do.”

Kurama was quiet before Youko started to speak mentally, though it was to himself and not anyone in particular. ‘What is so special about one human girl? He hates humans…yet…he hasn’t said one ill word against her…’ Kurama could feel Youko’s confusion but he didn’t add his own mounting questions about the situation.

Stopped near the front door, Yusuke looked to the taiyoukai, before saying, “We’ll keep her safe from him. It’s our job, after all.”

Turning to face both detectives he nodded before saying, “It’s appreciated. Shippou will most likely be visiting soon. It has been tough on him to lose her at such a young age, and to grow up these many years without her.”

“We’ll look forward to seeing him.” And with that, Yusuke waved good-bye before opening up the door to walk out, waiting just outside for Kurama.

“Kitsune…I know you doubt her worth, but I advise you as someone who has been in your position…do not doubt her sincerity. As a human, you will not come across someone more loyal than her. For a human, she has more strength of heart than I have ever seen in any creature. Trust me when I say to give her a chance. You will not be disappointed.”

And with that, Sesshoumaru left Kurama’s side, leaving him with a shocked expression on his face as he walked outside. Who was that demon and what had he done with the cold, heartless bastard he had known back in Feudal Japan? He had never heard him speak so fondly of anyone in his entire life, and that included the small child ward that he had adopted back in the day.

Yusuke saw the look of confusion and pondering on his friend’s face, and he placed a hand on his shoulder. “Problems, Kurama?”

“It’s nothing, Yusuke. We should probably get back. She most likely will be awake. I want to talk to her about her relationship with Lord Sesshoumaru. I still have a tough time with the fact that she knew him, and that he would speak so highly of her.”

With a quizzical look the toushin asked, “What do you mean?”

Kurama started walking back toward the Ningenkai alongside Yusuke, replying, “The Lord Sesshoumaru I know would never praise a human, no matter what they had done for him, or what they had accomplished in their lifetime. He was not only praising her, but he was earnestly wanting to protect her from Inuyasha. I still don’t know what all he has done to her, but it must have been pretty bad to get that kind of reaction out of him.”

“Inuyasha…I really don’t like that hanyou. We hadn’t even said a word and he was accusing us of being with her. What kind of guy does that? He seemed like a jealous lover if you ask me, but from what Sesshoumaru said, I got the feeling that things didn’t go so far between the two.” The toushin said, thinking about all that had happened and all that was said in the meeting room.

Kurama had to smile a little bit. Yusuke was actually thinking about things and becoming smarter. He knew that the inu-hanyou had pushed a button with the toushin, but he had refrained from getting into a fight. ‘Maybe this is a sign of him growing up.’ Kurama voiced mentally. Youko just laughed. ‘That boy will never “grow up”.’

Speaking aloud now, the kitsune replied, “I don’t like him either. He seemed like a spoiled child who’s favorite toy was taken away. I wonder how Lord Sesshoumaru has dealt with him for all these years.”

“I’d have had a beat down right there if Sesshoumaru hadn’t stepped in. That guy just pissed me off. Speaking about her like that. I don’t think Kagome’s the type to just sleep around, but that’s what he was getting at.” Yusuke said, placing his hands behind his head as they walked.

“I know. I guess we’ll just have to talk to her and get to know her better ourselves. But first things first, she’s going to have to get her powers under control. She could easily take us out if what happened today happens again.” Kurama added, looking to his friend.

“No kidding! That was amazing, but it made my skin crawl. That energy was so pure, but it wasn’t something I’d like to feel again.” Yusuke exclaimed, shivering lightly for emphasis.

“I have to wholeheartedly agree.”

~*~

Back at Genkai’s shrine, Kagome was just waking up, and she felt the pulsing of pain at the back of her head. Wincing, she moved to sit up only to lay back down. “Ugh…” she voiced quietly, as her world spun quite fiercely.

“So you’re awake. I’m glad. I didn’t know how long you would be asleep for. Genkai hit you pretty hard on the back of the head. You gave us all a scare, Kagome-chan.” A soft voice came to her ears as she looked over to see Yukina sitting on a chair near her bed.

“She’s the one who hit me?” Kagome replied with confusion before she blinked and it all came back to her. “Oh damn…is everyone else alright? Did I hurt anyone?” she asked quickly, leaning up as her face filled with worry.

“No, no. Everyone is fine. You didn’t hurt anyone.”

“What about Hiei? He was closest to me when I lost control of my power…” the miko asked, obviously very worried about the hiyoukai, even though it was him who was at ends with her via his sword.

“Hiei is fine…he got away without a scratch. Yusuke was the one who carried you in here, but, they all went away somewhere. None of them are back yet.” The cerulean haired girl informed her, before offering her a cup of water. “Are you thirsty?”

Taking the cup, Kagome just nodded before she took a drink. ‘I…scared them all. They’ll probably want nothing more to do with me. I can’t believe I lost control like that! I’ve never had so much power at my command before…’

“You’re awake, finally. I must say, that display of power was quite impressive, Kagome.” A voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Genkai…”

“The only problem was that neither one of us were expecting that kind of energy to come from you. I put you in that position and your fear must have triggered something. I am curious to see what all you can do with your powers.” The older woman said, giving a smirk to the miko.

“You mean…you’ll still train me? Even after what happened?” Kagome asked, worried about this whole situation.

“Of course. Accidents happen, and like I said…I did not anticipate such a reaction from you. For awhile, I think it’s best if I train you alone. We can work on other weaponry other than the sword. I’m sure the guys aren’t in any hurry to want to practice with you.” Genkai said, her smirk flattening into a small frown.

“Not after today they aren’t….” Kagome said softly, looking away to the window in the room. Shaking off her upset, she looked to her new teacher. “When can we get started again?”

“Impatient are we? Well I can’t say that I don’t enjoy an enthusiastic pupil. Kami knows that Yusuke is less than enthusiastic about training.” She smirked, a small twinkle to her eye. “We can start as soon as you can stand without your world spinning. I gave you quite a blow to the head.”

Moving to stand, Kagome gripped the corner of the bed and held herself up on her two feet. Like before, her world was spinning wildly but she shook it off as best she could. “Right now, if we could. I don’t want something like that to happen again. I have to learn to control my power, if I don’t…someone might get hurt….someone I don’t want to get hurt.” She said fiercely, her face set in determination.

With slightly widened eyes, Genkai looked Kagome over once more. She hadn’t known Kagome for more than a few hours and yet she had a growing respect for the girl. “I see. Well I can’t deny a blatant truth such as that. Yukina?”

“Yes, Genkai?” the ice maiden replied.

“Help Kagome into the spiritual room. I’m sure walking and fighting are out of the question, but that doesn’t mean meditation is. For now, that, I believe, is the best course of action to control her power.” The older woman replied, before nodding to the young miko, and then leaving the room.

Smiling to Kagome, the cerulean haired girl offered her a hand. “I’ll show you the way, Kagome chan. I’m sure Genkai will be able to help you very much. She knows everything there is to know about energy manipulation, and don’t worry…no one will get hurt.” She tried to reassure her.

“Uh…right…” Kagome replied, rather uncertainly, but she tried to smile and show a positive face to the young ice maiden.

Led into the room, Genkai was already in a light trance as Kagome made her way over next to her.

“You may leave us now, Yukina, thank you.” Came the soft voice of the energy manipulator as Kagome crossed her legs and got comfortable.

“You’re welcome, Genkai. I shall be making supper, if you need me.” She replied, before disappearing out of the training room.

“A light trance, Kagome. From there, we’ll see what we can do about controlling this power of yours.” The older woman said quietly, still in her own trance.

Nodding without a response, Kagome took a deep breath before closing her eyes, allowing herself to slip into a light trance, just as she had been taught by both Kaede and Miroku. Once more she felt the pulsing of her own energy at her center, and she also felt things around her. It was strange, but she had never really felt other presences as she was feeling now. She had always been aware of other demons while in her trance-state, but right now, it was deeper, and stronger. She could feel Genkai beside her, and the tell-tale sign of Yukina in the distance, not too far away. The aura was soft and gentle, almost blue in appearance. Even further away were smaller demon signatures, and people along the sidewalk away from the shrine. Somewhat sidetracked, she looked out further with her newfound power, and was even able to locate her own house, and her family.

‘Kagome…focus. Now is not the time to be playing.’ She heard a soft, gruff voice, and she jerked back to the room where she was sitting.

‘Sorry, Genkai.’ She replied back quietly before the lesson finally began.

~*~


/chapter

A/N: Yay! This one is finally done. Good kami that took longer than expected. But I have been hit with the writing bug so hopefully a couple more chapters will come out within the next couple of weeks. Sorry again for the delay!