b The Fox's Miko - Return of the Miko /b

Summery: Sequel to The Fox's Miko. Kagome is back in the future for good and now she must move on with her life without her friends and the man she loved.

-Beginning Chapters Redone!- Unbeta Version -

"Speaking"
'Thoughts'

Chapter One
I'm Back!

The sun began it trek home and the sky colored with blues, and pinks as the clouds went lazily by the sky darkened to give way to night as the suns refection illuminates the moon. It was a beautiful sight and most likely enjoyed by all, except one that is.

Not thing was out of place when the Higurashi family went inside for the evening. None would realize that in only a few moments Kagome would return to stay.

A Pink stream of light lit the well house as it transported it cargo to its destination; the bottom of the well. When the light cleared the form of a crying onna could be seen laying across the wells bottom. 4 deep lacerations became noticeable as blood seeping from her wounds to be soaked up in her uniform. Her hair was a ratty mess as blood and dirt smeared her face.

Naraku had done a number on her with his bone thing he used as a sword. The last thing she remembered was grasping the jewel then pouring her energy into it to purify it and with it Naraku. Just as Kikyo had once planned too. She knew something important had to be happening within that light she was submerged in, she could feel it, but knew not what it was. The magic burst she was stuck in for what seemed like hours was not only to send her home because in her hand the Shikon did not lay.

Checking her hand was the only movement should could make right now and was too weak to even attempt to climb out of the well just yet. Not only is her body weak from her injuries, but also do to her drain in powers. That last attempt to purify the jewel and Naraku had drained her immensely.

Realizing her situation she watched as her blood leaked out of her wounds and onto the dirt leaving not a single spot on the ground unpainted. 'Am I doing to die here? Did I go through all of that just to return to the future and die of blood loss?' she thought even as she was too weak to move her hand to attempt to stop the bleeding. Try as she might her arms were too heavy they felt like they each weighted over a ton "How many pints of blood are in the human body?" she asked herself weakly as she tried to sum up the amount that had leaked out of her like a steady stream

2 hours later Kagome had regenerated her powers enough to semi heal her deep wounds and make the climb up the latter. Once she reached the top of the well she rolled herself to the ground while her back rested against the well. She needed to rest a bit more, it took more energy then she thought to climb that latter.

Once she was satisfied she had enough rest she got up and left the well house,

stumbling across the shrine grounds and into her home. "Momma, Souta, Jii-chan I'm Home" Kagome said weakly as she opened the door then closing it behind her quietly.

Kagome looked up at the sounds of her mothers footsteps coming from the kitchen just in time to see her enter the living room. "Oh dear what happen to you" her mother fussed after seeing the state she was in. "Ji-chan call the medic hurry!" Mrs. Higurashi yelled as she saw the deep wounds on her daughter.

"NO!" Kagome yelled very voice coarse "don't I will be fine after some rest then I can heal myself. I cant explain how I got this way, so, I cant go." Kagome explained in a hurry when she saw her Jii-chan walking out of the living room as fast as he was able to do as he was bid.

Not really liking the decision, but understanding it and trusting her daughter she relented. And helped Kagome walk to her bedroom pretty much carrying her all the way. She was worried 'what happened over there for her to be like this?' she thought she knew Inuyasha would have never let anything happen to her, so, did that mean that he was gone? Did he die in a battle which left Kagome without a protector?

She sat up in her bed with her mothers help as she sat beside her waiting for an answer to the state she was in. "It's over. Naraku is dead and the Shikon completed" she said tiredly her breath still heavy.

Mrs. Higurashi exhaled relieved that such a danger her daughter faced was now over and she could return to her life as a normal human girl, but one thing was still on her mind. After all that trouble she went through with the Jewel what happen to it? "I am happy to hear that dear, but what happened to the Shikon? Did you and Inuyasha destroy it?" she asked looking into her daughters tired eyes.

"No, once we beat Naraku and the Jewel was once more in my hand it was purified and I think I has returned to me as it transported me back here." Kagome answered the best she could. It would not due well to lie to her mother about this should the Shikon ever become a problem in this era her mother needs to know of the possible dangers.

"So you still have to protect it?" Mrs. Higurashi asked for clarification to what she believed was going on.

"Yes in a way I am still the protector of the Shikon. Except I do not think it is a jewel any longer because when I turn inward to try and sense it I can feel its power all over me and not centered in one place. I am not too sure what it means, but I think the jewel has changed its form when it returned to my body." Kagome answered evenly her tone tired and warn.

"I see. Well at least you don't have to worry about demons here in this era coming after you for the Shikon." Her mother trying to lighten the load her daughter no doubt felt

"Yea, I guess your right. From now on I can be a normal human girl." That thought should have comforted her since that was what she had wanted once she found out who and what she was. The responsibility she had found her self thrust upon was too much for her 15 year old self.

But now that she has it, it is not what she wanted. She wants was to be back in the feudal era, she wanted to be with Youko even after all the things he had said she knew he did not mean them. He was much like Inuyasha when it came to his feelings. He did not know how to deal with them. Sure there was some emotions he could deal with like hate and desire, but the more deeper emotions such as love would scare him. When I told him I was leaving he reacted the only way he could and that was to lash-out at me. I do not blame him for how he handled what he saw as rejection.

b0ooo0/b

This would mark the first year since middle school that he did not have to worry about his community service to the Reikai. He knew he should be glad that he no longer needed to report to someone about his whereabouts or having in life in danger, but when he was a spirit detective it gave his life meaning. But more then that it gave his sinners soul minute relief. To be helping save things instead of being the one to destroy them.

He was the avatar form of Youko Kurama, but at the same time he was no longer the same ruthless demon of the past. In his human form he felt things with the intensity of a human, but at the same time he was so much more then a human. When he felt the love of a mother he choose to leave his demon half behind him at least until she became sick. With nothing but the feelings of love for his mother he stepped out of the shadows and became what he once was, Youko Kurama the kitsune thief. Only this time he emerged with the goal of saving his human mother.

Up until that moment he loved no one but his mother cared for no one but his mother. His decision to step out of the shadows led him to his now good friend Yusuke Urameshi. They battled beside each other for years watching each others back. It would seem that Kurama had all he had ever wanted, but still he could not help but feel that something was missing.

Not long after he had entered the Spirit Detective team his Youko aspect of himself awoken. From that moment he was changed. The Youko had awoken and would not meld back into him as it was previously. Soon he had developed what some would call a multi personality, however, he did not hear voices in his head as others with this problem may. His more kitsune instincts; which was mostly dormant was now awakened and he began to feel things with the intensity of a kitsune. Which at the time suited him just fine because there was nothing a kitsune valued more then family.

With the completion of his community service to the Reikai Kurama decided to leave his life as Youko behind him and live as the human Shuichi Minamino. With this decision he knew that he had to tie up all loose ends he held in the Makai so none would come looking for him with ill intent. When he had returned to the Ningenkai after he settled all his business in the Makai he decided that he wanted to attend University. It was the next logical step for him since he had decided to stay within the Ningenkai.

He settled into his human life fairly easily it was not hard seeing as how he did have a completely human background, human mother and all. But still he could not help but feel something important was missing, but he knew not what it was.

b0ooo0/b

Kagome got settled into her life in the future as quick as one could under her circumstances. It was hard living with the knowing what lurked in the shadows was real and not some made up story. At the same time knowing that they were no longer around or at least not so numerous.

The one thing that scared her the most was if she decides to announce her presence in hopes of finding her friends, was that she would not receive the answering call. Before she left the past she had talked with all her youkai friends and allies explain where she was from if they did not already know, and that the jewel may take her away out of reach for at the very least 500 years. Kagome told them that she was the only one in her era with her powers and when she returned she would release them in one big shot. A display of power they were sure to feel no matter where in Japan they were.

Of course at the time she had believed that the Shikon would have been gone, and now she was not so sure that announcing herself to whoever could hear was such a good idea. What if she announces herself and none of her friends answer the call, but another does. One that would wish her harm, one that would lust for the power of the jewel. The power they would no doubt sense in her display of power.

That was the reason she had decided not to announce her arrival when she returned. Kagome knew that she could not have handled anything that would have come to her feeling her power, the Shikon laced power. She had no choice but to continue her life as a normal human, at least on the outside.

She had to do what was best for protecting the jewel and her wants could not play into the equation. She had no choice but to lay low and hope that no youkai would ever give her a reason to use her powers on a grand scale.

Kagome had figured out that she could do small things without the power of the Shikon leaking out too much. It allowed her to train her powers so she could protect herself should the need arise and she was sure it would. The greed that the jewel attracts would no doubt cause her numerous problems in her life and she has to master the ability to use her powers without too much of the Shikon energy coming out.

What had surprised her most was her baby brother. She knew he was interested in her adventures and loved hearing about them, but his want to actually participate scared her slightly. She was not so sure she wanted to drag Souta into her dangerous lifestyle, but as she soon learned he would not take no for an answer.

He pestered and persisted none stop until she agreed using any means of persuasion he could and the one that worked was the one she could see coming to happen.

"Kagome please could you train me?" Souta asked for the millionth time since her return to the past.

Kagome looked at her now teenage brother he had grown so much over the years and she could not help but feel guilty for not being their during his childhood much. But what he asked of her was not something she could agree too, it was not a lifestyle she wished to put him in "No Souta. I can not. This lifestyle is not for you. Once you come into this world you can never get out. Death is the only way out of the lifestyle that destiny has chosen for me and I will not but you in such dangers." Kagome answered tone sharp hands clenched eyes narrowed as she awaited his rebuke to her denial. She knew it was coming, it was the same since the first time he asked and every time it was a different rebuke.

"Kagome you said so yourself that your lifestyle is dangerous. What if something comes here looking for you and you are not here? Who will save us if I'm not trained to protect us when you are not here? What if more then one demon comes here at a time? What then? I love you Kagome and I am here for you. Allow me to be your brother and take some of the load off your shoulders. Train me." Souta answered seriously he knew that this argument was one he would finally win because the widening of her eyes told him so.

Kagome's eyes widened when he voiced one of her fears and she could not deny his reasoning. Bringing a hand to her chest as if to shield her heart she answers "Ok I will train you, but Souta do not think it will be easy! If you want to be a part of this side of my life you have to take it all or nothing. You will forever have to look over your shoulders wondering if there was a youkai coming to kill you because of your role in my life. This is no game Souta this is real. There is a very real chance you will die. Not only that, but the training will be hard. Harder then anything you have ever experienced."

And so their bonding began.

Kagome would show him how to meditate explaining that he needed to do this a lot to wake up whatever energy he housed if he did in fact house any holy potential. It was not too much of a surprise to find that he did have some potential to train as a monk. But here in lies the problem, she did not know how to train a monk to use his ki.

Temples and Shrines he could have gained training from were fake in this era none had held holy ki in there bloodline for centuries. The only hum she had ever received while visiting a temple or shrine was old likely from an ancestor. She did not have much choices and the only thing she could do was raid her grandfathers scroll collection.

Jii-chan was always through his fake ofuda around and she had no doubt that some of them were written correctly only missing the holy ki to make it deadly. He had to of learned somewhere to draw those silly ofuda he was always brandishing. That would hint to a how-to achieve somewhere in their collection.

So while Souta meditated Kagome raided the storage hut on the ground that her grandfather stored their family heirlooms. While searching she had found a few scrolls to help her train her miko ki and a few other explaining how the energies are not that different. Only the teachings are different. If what she read was correct then she could teach Souta to draw his energy into a weapon of some sort. It would keep him satisfied while she searched for a more in depth training scroll for monk hood.

While her searching she had come upon a few things she could use for weapons training. There was a pair of old normal katana that was in need of some care, but would do the job until a better blade could be achieved. There was a few Kunai still in pretty good shape, there was also a few throwing spikes that were in almost new condition within the large wooden box she had found the katana in. So most of what she found were range weapons and would serve her purpose perfectly. Charged and thrown would be just as deadly as her arrows. Of course the first thing she would teach him was archery. If a problem does ever arrive she would want him to be as far away from the fray as possible and being an archer would do that. While still giving him the feeling of being useful.

Her life was not all training and magic since her return. She had retained a more normal life as well. She finished high school thanks to her mother enrolling her in home schooling which enabled her to be able to keep her grades and finish her task in the past. She had put off University while she was still trying to accomplish her mission in the past, but now that she was finished with her duty Kagome was able to further her education.

Kagome now attends Tokyo University majoring in archeology, history, mythology, and art. It was interesting to her and she figured that this field of training would be most beneficial to her. Although she is living now in the future the one thing Kagome wants more then anything was to learn the fates of her friends and this was the only way she knew how.

When Kagome wasn't emerged within her studies she was working with her brother to train their powers. Helping her brother master what she was teaching him all the while inventing new ways to use her ki to protect herself should word of her return become known and become a problem.

Kagome knew she alone now, that there was no one to protect her but herself and she would not be caught unprepared should an attack happen. She would be the only hope her family had if such a thing occurred. Demons were not so numerous in her era, but she had sensed youki scattered throughout Japan since her return to the modern era. Kagome figured it was because she was so distracted with her duty to the jewel that she never noticed it before now.

Over the few years that she had returned Kagome noticed the number of youkai she sensed in Tokyo had multiplied. Though it was still nothing compared to the feudal era it still gave her hope that at least some of her friends were still among the living. Her friends were strong and some of the youki she had sensed was no where near the power her friends excluded so if these weakling youkai could survive then her powerful youkai friends could as well. Still this did nothing for her questions because she still could not announce herself as she wanted. The risk was too high.

Though she could not make her 'call' do to the dangers she kept her senses open, waiting for that familiar tingle she hoped to receive. If she could just find one, even if it was someone she was not too friendly with in the past she could have the answers she so craved.