Chapter 2

It had been years since Kagome had eaten the apple, and as Bokuseno promised there were consequences that came with it.

The first few days had been agonizing for Kagome. Her skin had felt as if it was on fire almost constantly and her aura fluctuated wildly causing the local youkai to flee the area. She'd had to stay away from Bokuseno's glade for fear of harming him. Water did nothing to ease her thirst and food never seemed to taste right. Kagome was convinced that she was going to die, the only thing that kept her from giving in was the promise of peace.

Slowly, at an almost unnoticeable pace, the burning sensation began to fade. A gust of wind brushed past her and it felt like the softest caress. Water not only quenched her thirst, it also filled her with a rush of energy and clear-headedness akin to swallowing a powerful mountain stream. Food tasted so strongly that she only needed a few bites before she was satisfied.

It seemed as if her price had been paid and Kagome could no longer contain herself, bursting into a run through a forest she had only seen briefly before the pain. She whooped and hollered her joy for the world to hear, breathing in scents she'd never smelled and seeing the world with fresh eyes. Little did she know that her dull human senses had been sharpened to that of a youkai and she was experiencing a world she never would have as a normal human.

She made a beeline for the Old Tree, intent on climbing his branches and thanking him endlessly for her transformation. As she approached a low hanging branch, Bokuseno studied the changes that had been wrought upon her by his apple.

She was slimmer, with sleek musculature and a grace she had not possessed before. Her once pale skin had darkened only slightly, giving her an ethereal glow. Her hair was longer, thicker and had acquired a shine that he'd only seen on youkai. Her eyes were perhaps her biggest change.

With the consumption of his apple, it seemed as if the hazy veil of mortality had lifted from her. She focused on things too far away to have been possible with human eyesight. Now there was a deeper understanding in her gaze, lit from behind by the blue lightning he had spotted before.

While her eyes were captivating, the change to her aura was perhaps even more intriguing. Before her change Kagome's aura was gentle and soothing, but as reiki it still retained a sparking, electric quality to it. Now, however, the edge it possessed was gone. Her aura was soothing and warm, like the first ray of sunshine in spring, bringing light and hope to all it touched.

Bokuseno chuckled inwardly as she bounced among his branches and then bolted off to enjoy her new body, reminding him very much of a slightly bigger human child that was known to travel with a demon lord. One that was entering his forest at that very moment.

He caught her dancing among the trees, flitting from branch to branch. Her body swayed with unnatural grace, moving to a rhythm that was as chaotic as it was hypnotic. Sesshomaru followed the swing of her hips, and for an instant was snared in the web she was weaving with the delicate swirls of her fingers.

Kagome danced on, oblivious to the demon lords presence. She was feeling brash, reckless even, to be dancing in the open but her heart was finally light again, filled with the hope that had been taken from her so long ago…

A/N: I promise I'll finish this within the month, and I'm so sorry this took more than a year to update. I'm a horrible person T^T