Spiritual Bonds

I suppose it all started about six months ago. We’d been hunting the Shikon shards for two years when I finally got tired of being the weak link in our group and asked Sango to train me to fight effectively. I knew starting so late I would never be as good or as fast as the others but I should be able to defend myself and maybe take out a few bad guys here and there. I also talked to Keade and Miroku about helping me learn to use and control my miko powers.

Keade decided to also start training me in the duties of a village miko. Taking me to pick herbs and flowers for helping with the ill or injured. Sometimes, when our group was in the village at the time, she would have me assist with the women giving birth.

Shippo would sit in on some of my lessons and picked up on things here and there that he used to practice some of his fox magic and Sango just took him on as a second student although she did say she felt weird teaching a youkia the techniques of the taijiya, she didn’t mind. She loved the fox kit almost as much as I did and wouldn’t see him unable to defend himself.

When we were on the trail Miroku would sit with me a little ways from camp after dinner and before breakfast to meditate or to practice calling my powers. With his spiritual powers being male based and my miko powers being female based our powers had a tendency to clash but we did find enough common ground to work on my control.

Now during all this Inuyasha the so called leader of our pack couldn’t say one good word in ten and just watched and laughed at our efforts calling me weak and stupid as he always did and picking on Shippo so bad I wanted to sit him to the netherworld but Sango and Miroku pointed out to both of us that ignoring him would be great practice in controlling our tempers because a loss of temper in battle would only end in injury or death for us or someone else that would be depending on us to watch their back. So Shippo and I would ignore him until he pushed it so far that Sango or Miroku would be the ones to ask me to say ‘it’.

I have to say that over those months Inuyasha’s fighting technique got much better as did his temper control in battle. My bet is he was only picking on me to hide the fact that he was watching my lessons to learn to better himself. It’s just something he would do. He’d never allow anyone to know he thought he could learn something from us weak humans.

Not two months ago while meditating Miroku and I noticed that our powers and auras were combining and we would sometimes share visions which we soon noticed would come to be. One such vision showed me pushing my powers into Miroku and watching his kazanna shrink a little.

We talked about this for a couple of days keeping it just between the two of us and when we decided to try it we decided we should be near the village so that Inuyasha and the others would feel safe enough that we could get far enough away to have true privacy.

We ended up not far from Onigumo’s cave where we sat knee to knee and held hands as we began our meditations eyes closed we felt our differing powers push against each other. When we had a balance between us I began to pull more of my purification into my aura and pushed it toward Miroku who had a hard time pulling back his reiki so my miko could enter his body and begin the purifying procedure we hoped would help contain his kazanna. What we didn’t expect were the sensual side effects.

Our aura and the male / female relations of our powers sliding and flowing against and through each other felt like we were caressing not just each other’s body but mind and soul as well. We were both panting for breath and extremely aroused when we came out of the meditation. We stared at each other as we tried to get control of ourselves.

“Miroku your kazanna…did it work?” I asked still breathing hard.

“I don’t know Lady Kagome. I’m sorry to admit I am afraid to check.” He admitted bashfully just before he turned away and moved a bit of the glove under his beads. His head dropped and his shoulders began to shake. I placed my hand consolingly on his shoulder and just as I was about to apologize because it didn’t work he grabbed me around my waist and swung me around in circles laughing.

“So…it worked?” I asked laughing.

He finally stopped spinning me and let me slide down his body to the ground where he kissed me, a kiss of joy and happiness which quickly morphed into a kiss of passion. I lost all thought…no, I lost myself in that kiss. My body still singing with the eroticism of our power merge earlier I wrapped my arms around his neck and shoulders as I returned his kiss with fervor.

Miroku finally pulled away face flushed and eyes glazed. Clearing his throat he nodded his head as he backed away from me. We stared at one another in bewilderment for a few minutes before I suggested we clean up and head back to the village. Miroku agreed and we started back in silence.

It was several days before we talked about what happened with the merging. Days of us trying to understand what had happened and how we felt about it. Our spiritual connection which had been growing minutely over the months had increased exponentially.

Our friendship had deepened and we worried that those we loved would notice and become angry with us. I loved Inuyasha and Miroku loved Sango we couldn’t reconcile the love we felt for them with the lust and care growing between us.

Keeping up with my lessons during this time became difficult. Each time our powers would touch it was as if we were caressing each other even though we were sitting several feet apart. It was after we caught ourselves sneaking looks and touches that Miroku approached me after dinner one night as I was watching the stars by the well.
“May I sit Lady Kagome?” he asked me politely.

“Of course Hoshi sama, please.” I sighed as he sat beside me, “I guess we need to talk about this don’t we Miroku kun.”

“Yes Kagome. We do. I would like to be the wise monk and say that I understand what is going on between us but I could not honestly do that. I may be many things Kagome but I am not given to lying. Well not much, and not at all to those I care for. I even do my best to be honest with myself.” He sighs here and stops.

Miroku is a quiet man. He’s rarely ever this verbose. While he’s no mute and has been known to joke and tease with us he usually prefers to listen and watch.

We sit in silence for a minute trying to figure out how to broach this oh so touchy subject. Then I think its sink or swim time and jump right in. “I’ve been thinking about it too. I wonder if because our powers are differing aspects of human spiritual power…well…” here I stop and blush a bit not continuing with my explanation. Miroku looks at me for a moment and I can see the wheels turning in his head.

“Our powers being the embodiment of our natures the male / female aspects are… bonding?” Miroku muses out loud continuing my line of thought.

“It’s possible.” I say sitting up and turning to him. I can feel myself blushing hard as I decide to just be as direct as possible with him. “Look Miroku, I…I have always found you attractive and I will admit to having thought about…well… about what it would have been like if … yeah… So maybe my power is acting on …Ah heck Miroku even before these meditation sessions I’d had fantasies about us making love and I think my powers are reacting to those fantasies…maybe.”

Knowing that my blush was now neon red and must be shining in the night I give him my back and I look into the forest surrounding us. I just admitted to my best guy friend that although I love another I’ve thought of being with him. How wrong is that?

My shoulders slump and I felt like I just cheated on Inuyasha. I just don’t understand why I would be having sexual thoughts about someone other than the one my heart wants. I had spent years ignoring the dreams of Miroku and me. Now I just confessed all and I’m terrified that Miroku will think less of me for this because I know that Inuyasha would.

I felt it as Miroku moved up behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “Kagome, it’s alright. It’s actually quite normal to have fantasies like that. I promise you that I don’t think less of you for this. That is if you don’t think less of me for my dreams of you?”

At that I turned to him. Looking into his violet eyes I could see that he wasn’t just trying to make me feel better. It was truth. He had fantasized about us together as well. Feeling closer to him than ever I cupped his face in my hand and smiled, “My friend I don’t think I could ever think less of you.”
Miroku smiled back at me and we both blushed. “Perhaps Lady Kagome, we should consult Lady Kaede about this?” He stood and offered me his hand and as he pulled me to my feet I agreed. Bending down I picked up the bow and quiver that I keep with me before heading with Miroku to the path toward the village.

We were just approaching the edge of the village when we heard Shippo calling someone a big meanie. Knowing our group like we did we looked at each other and both said at the same time, “Inuyasha.” Smiling we noticed that we were holding hands and blushing yet again we let go and went to see what our great leader had done to Shippo this time.

We were almost half way to Kaede’s hut when we heard Shippo shout, “Momma” and Inuyasha cuss loudly. I managed to brace myself just as a red, orange and green blur plowed into my legs and there was my kit squeezing the air out of my lungs as he hugged me tightly and told me all about everything he’d seen and done that day with lots of ‘and then’s and several ‘but so and so said’s then we came to the ‘Then Inuyasha did’s

Lord it only seems like yesterday that we found Shippo, or rather Shippo found us. He was so tiny only looking like he was five or six years old. Who knew that he’d grow so fast over two years? He’d gone from barely reaching my knee to being as tall as my waist. Which really isn’t all that tall truthfully three and a half maybe four feet tall but now he looks like he’s ten or eleven years old now. Weird to think he’s actually older than me but then youkai age much slower than ningen and he’s still a kit it’s just now he’s my kit.

Prying Shippo’s arms loose I listened to my little one and laughed at his stories gleaning that Inuyasha really didn’t do anything to warrant my getting mad at him. Just a bit of ‘that’s not fair’ from my kit. Truth being that there are some things that an adult can do that a kid can’t …“Not even a brave and strong youkai kit like yourself Shippo.” I told my young kit. He may look like he’s ten but in youkai years he’s only seven, and while mathematically that’s no big deal in maturity and judgment it’s a lifetime.

By the time I finished that speech we had arrived at Kaede’s place just in time for an “Aw Momma!” from Shippo and a “Keh” from an abashed Inuyasha. I smiled at Inuyasha before I told both of them to be nice and that I was going to see if Kaede was still awake.

“Hey wench, Kaede baba is already asleep.” Inuyasha mumbled at me. I looked at him with my best arch look then turned to Miroku, “Guess we’ll talk to her in the morning then Miroku.”

“What would you two need to talk to the old hag for anyway?” grumped Inuyasha in his usual irritable way.

“It’s really none of your business Inuyasha, but my training is taking an interesting turn. I’m having visions now and I want to speak to Kaede about them.” I told him, and while I didn’t exactly lie since I did plan to ask her about the visions I felt bad for not telling the whole truth.

Seeing him get ready to argue with me about it being his business I stepped in before he could voice his ire and told Shippo it was past his bedtime and we told Miroku and Inuyasha goodnight.

It must have been well past midnight when I realized that my dreams weren’t dreams anymore but a vision. Looking around the misty landscape of my vision I realized that I was just outside of the village and that Miroku was right beside me. He nodded to me and we began to explore the landscape trying to figure out what we were meant to see. What felt like a few minutes later we saw a man and young girl moving hurriedly towards us and as they got closer we noticed several injuries and that the man was bleeding heavily.

I felt that the man and girl were familiar, unfortunately I couldn’t place them but what I felt coming close upon their heels was plain. A horde of mid level youkai was after them when I suddenly awoke gasping. Miroku awoke at the same time and together we gasped out, “We got trouble.” “Someone’s coming.”

The urgency in our voices must have woken Sango and Inuyasha. “What are you talking about? I don’t smell anything!” Inuyasha fussed at us.

Sango looked puzzled before she spoke “Who’s coming and when?” she asked.

I felt a veil close over me and could only see the vision that woke Miroku and myself. Then I heard Miroku say in a voice void of tone or emotion, “Man and young girl. Injured and bleeding heavily.”

“They are hunted by a throng of midlevel youkai.” I said in the same voice only to hear us both simultaneously say “Now” and just as that last word echoed through the hut Inuyasha picked up the scent as Sango hurried to prepare for battle.

Miroku and I just sat there as everyone got ready to face what was coming. I could sense what was happening I knew we had spoken of the vision to our friends but I just could not move no matter how hard I tried and from the corner of my eye I saw that Miroku was having the same difficulty and was straining to take his body back from the forces holding us.

I felt someone move up behind me just as Inuyasha flared up, “Oi! You give us a creepy warning to get a move on and sit there? MOVE IT!”

“They cannot Inuyasha.” I heard Kaede say from behind me just as I felt her aura touch mine tentatively, “They are trapped in their vision.”
“What vision Kaede?” Shippo asked that. He must be just out of my sight.

“They ain’t dreaming they’re as awake as we are!” hollered Inuyasha.

“We don’t have time for this.” Sango broke in, “I can feel the youkai auras now and that’s way to close to the village for my peace of mind.”

“You’re right. Let’s go we’ll finish this later. Shippo stay with those two and keep and eye on things.” I could hear Inuyasha still grumbling as he leaped away with Sango on Kirara close behind.

Kaede came around in front of us and I saw Shippo inching towards me from my left he stopped when Kaede asked, “Children what have ye done?”

Shippo crossed to Kaede and tugging on her hakama asked timidly, “Kaede, what’s wrong with Momma and Miroku?”

“Nothing that can not be fixed with a bit of work little one. Would you be willing to assist me kit?” Kaede asked tiredly watching Shippo puff with pride at being asked help in doing something so important.

“Of course I will Kaede sama! Anything you need!” he enthused.

Kaede and Shippo spoke for a few minutes with her telling the kit what was needed and where to find it. Shippo left then with a basket for gathering the supplies and Kaede turned to us.

“Now for you two,” Kaede turned to face us, “I know you can hear me so here is what we are going to do. You will begin meditating and when you reach balance you will pull your spirits back to yourselves and we will talk seriously and deeply about the bond you have created here.”

So I started to meditate in my frozen body and did my best to put away from me the unease from Kaede’s tone, my worry for my friends out there fighting and my curiosity about why the injured man and child seemed familiar. Which believe it or not is actually harder then it sounds.

We had just managed to pull back into ourselves and move a little to stretch our stiffened limbs when Kaede gave us an angry glare and told us to drink some water. We moved slowly to do so and looked each to the other for moral support. We’d never seen Kaede so serious and scary.

Sitting back we looked to Kaede and she looked back at us for a moment before asking simply “Well?”

I looked at Miroku and he looked back at me again neither of us knowing where to start. Then he shrugged and began, “Well you know we’ve been practicing with meditation and the summoning of Kagome’s powers. We reached a point where she could summon with a certain amount of success and we started to practice with her control. This you know.

We had reached a point where through the meditation she could control the level of power she called and increase or decrease it as needed. At least while she was in the meditative state.

We then began to balance our spiritual powers against one another and once we were comfortable with doing that we began to push and pull our powers against each other. Just practicing the increase and decrease of one power in concert with the other, this I thought was a good control exercise.

During this time Kagome began to have visions. At first we thought them just dreams until they began to come true. Three different visions actually coincided with one battle against a shape changing youkai with three shards of the jewel. The visions were of different paths the battle could take and the outcome of taking those paths. In that battle Kagome was the only reason we won with only the few injuries we had, plus the shards.

Not long after that during a practice we both had a vision. One vision shared between the two of us that let us travel several paths of the near future. This vision led us to choose to go after a hawk youkai for his jewel shard instead of fighting Kanna and Kagura to the detriment of Shippo and Sango.”

“Not that Inuyasha didn’t fuss about that choice.” Kagome broke in with a grumble earning a dirty look from Kaede. Kagome gulped and decided she’d continue with the story and clearing her throat she started, “Anyway, as we continued to practice every few days we’d have a vision shared between us and one day the vision was of me pushing my miko into and through Miroku and cleansing his kazanna causing it to diminish slightly. We talked about this off an on for a few days on the trip back to the village before we decided it was worth a shot and a few days ago we tried it. Only it had unexpected side effects.”

“Yes I can guess at the side effects.” Kaede stated quietly.

At this statement Miroku piped up, “With respect Kaede sama I don’t think...”

“Your powers merged and you felt the very sensual feeling of your spirits touching and sliding across one another and since then your need to touch one another has become increasingly powerful until you catch yourselves doing it without notice.” Kaede broke in.

“You dream of each other and you each have begun to desire the other and last but not least you visions have strengthened to the point of what we saw this morning where it becomes difficult for you to untangle your spirits and powers from one another. Is this not correct?” she finished.

At their surprised looks she grumped that she hadn’t always been a village miko. She had traveled and seen the world even experienced desire and love.

“Apologies Kaede,” Miroku said, “we meant nothing by it. It’s just…”

“You’ve only known me as this old village miko not a woman who has born and raised two children and loved a man so well no other will ever do. I know this child.” She stated.