Chapter 3: Training Begins with Reading

Rule #1: When training always have extensive knowledge on what you are actually training to be

"Inuyasha, I'm not asking for permission. I'm telling you this is what I'm going to do." Kagome said for the third time as she packed her backpack with extra miko outfits and food. "I have to do this."

Kagome had come back from the lake and immediately began packing. A few hours before sunrise, Inuyasha woke up from the slumber on the tree limbs above and walked in on her folding a miko outfit. She had then informed him she was leaving to go training in the mountains with a Senpai who knew extensive miko training techniques.

She just didn't tell him that the Senpai was Sesshoumaru.

"How long will you be gone?" Inuyasha was angrily standing over her. The whole hut had awoken by now and was silently watching the fight.

"I don't know." Kagome said firmly. She zipped up her backpack and threw it across her shoulders. She was wearing a traditional miko uniform and she had her hair tied back in a french braid. Kagome was ready to go all out.

"Ahh!" Inuyasha yelled furiously. "You can't just leave to go training in the mountains for Kami knows how long when we are in the middle of hunting shards and finding Naraku!"

"Well have you ever thought that the job of finding shards and Naraku would be better done with a miko who knew her own powers?!" Kagome countered. Inuyasha opened his mouth to say something but Kagome interrupted, "And a miko not dead."

Inuyasha closed his mouth.

Kagome walked past him out of the hut. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. "Kagome-chan!" Sango came out of the hut and stopped in front of Kagome. "I think what you are doing is great."

"Yeah?" Kagome smiled with relief.

"Hai." She hugged the girl.

Kagome looked back at the hut and saw Miroku giving her a smile with Shippou on his shoulders. Inuyasha folded his arms and stared past her. Giving a smile Kagome said, "See you when I can fight." And simply turned and walked away.

She knew she had to do this. Time was running out. She was on the second day of her three hundred and sixty five days that she had until she defeated Naraku. She couldn't afford to wait around. She had to get strong...fast.

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The sun warmed Kagome's skin. It was past noon and Kagome had finally made her way to the base of the mountain. The marked trail long disappeared; Kagome just continued her way north, climbing up the mountain.

She let her mind wander to the events that had taken place. Just yesterday she had been thrown back into her life in the feudal era with the warning not to mess up again. Now she was climbing a mountain to train with a youkai who didn't give a damn. Or did he? After all he was the one to find her, and to tell her to go back and set things right.

"You knew nothing of your powers."

His cold voice echoed in her head. And he obviously gave a damn enough to be the only one to know Kagome and her potential. So how much of Sesshoumaru's coldness was just an outer facade? Kagome wondered.

Stopping, Kagome looked behind her. She was high enough to be able to see a vast distance across the land. Trees and fields of flowers, grass, and sheep stretched out below her. The wind blew wisps of her raven black hair that was coming undone from her braid. The scene was breathtaking.

But instead of giving Kagome the serenity it should have, it only made images of the final battle pop into her head. The blood, pools of blood, with her friends lying drenched, dead. Sickness washed over Kagome as she thought again what was at stake. She ran to a tree and leaned against it as she vomited.

Images of her nightmare replayed in her mind. Like a silent movie in black and white, but the only color was the red, red blood. Kagome vomited again and her body shook with fear.

She was holding the lives of so many on her shoulders.

Recollecting herself, Kagome set down her backpack and found her water. She poured some in her mouth, swished and then spit it out. Her body was shaking and her ivory skin was sickly pale. No matter how hard she tried, Kagome could not forget the images of her friends and family dying.

Closing her water bottle, Kagome placed it in her backpack and then swung it on her shoulders. She needed to hurry and get to the top of this mountain before Sesshoumaru changed his mind. Because then she knew she wouldn't have a chance.

The sun sank lower and lower beyond the horizon as Kagome climbed higher and higher. She came across a medium waterfall and pool. She knew that would be where she bathed and washed her clothes.

That's when she saw the stone steps. There were a hundred at least. Kagome made her way up. It was dusk before she reached the top and when she did, she was out of breath.

Placing her backpack down Kagome looked around. She stood in a large circler sand arena marked off by rocks. On the outside was a semi-large wooden house. Its porch overlooked the arena and it looked to be about two bedrooms big.

"Took you long enough to get here." Sesshoumaru stepped from the porch into sight.

"I'm a human. We walk." Kagome grabbed her backpack and walked to him.

Sesshoumaru didn't reply, but walked to the center of the porch. He stared down at Kagome, his gaze made Kagome feel as if she were wearing nothing. He seemed to be scrutinizing her very stance. As his golden eyed gaze travel down her body back up, Sesshoumaru made no effort to be polite and try to hide the fact he was judging her.

"Did I past?" Kagome spat out, her sapphire eyes glaring.

"I see you're wearing a traditional miko garb instead of the disgusting rags you call clothes." He remarked indifferently.

"Yes, Senpai, does this suit you?" Kagome couldn't help the edge in her voice. It was amazing to her how Sesshoumaru brought back her old self.

She saw his mouth twitch but he didn't reply to her remark, only turned and said, "Follow me." Kagome did as told and walked up the steps into the house. It was a traditional center room, common in houses back then, with a fire place in the middle and a hole in the roof. Pillows are either side of the fire place for sitting and cooking food.

He led her to another part of the house, and slid open the door. There was a futon on the floor and a candle beside it. But what attracted Kagome's eyes was the mountain of dusty books stacked in the middle of her room.

"This is where you will sleep." Sesshoumaru said simply.

"And the large reading material is for?" Kagome pointed to the stack of books.

"You begin you're training today. By reading those." Sesshoumaru turned to her, an eyebrow arch. "You cannot expect to train to become something and you don't even know what you are becoming to be."

"So, are you going to give me a pop quiz?" Kagome asked and Sesshoumaru snorted.

"Do not take this seriously, wench, that is fine with me, but do not expect me to pity you when you flounder on the battle field." Sesshoumaru said with authority.

"Gomen..." Kagome dropped her head. She hated to study but Sesshoumaru was right. He pivoted and briskly walked out of the hallway back to the main room, she supposed. The air of arrogance leaving with him. Kagome walked into her room and slid the door shut. Dropping her book back she headed over to the books and ran her fingers across them.

"Purpose for a Miko." She read the title. She grabbed the book and then sat down. "Ok let's get started on training 101. Learning what you are training to be." Kagome chided to herself. She cracked opened the book and blew the dust off the first page.

The book was huge, about a foot long and a foot wide, Kagome had to sit it in her lap. It was three inches thick and Kagome hoped there were illustrations somewhere.

'Mikos,' She read, 'Mikos are maidens of the budda shrine, serving under monks, and doing religious works for the benefit of mankind. But there are those mikos, of descendent from the miko of the shikon no tama, Midroko, who have the power to control the jewel and its evilness and forever protect it and keep it from returning to an evil state.'

"Interesting." Mused Kagome.

'When Midroko created the shikon no tama she could not foresee the corruption of youkai and man alike that its creation led too. But she did lend her powers to the chosen maidens of the shrine to protect the jewel and see that evil is stopped. These maidens are indeed mikos, but they have a special power that no others possess. It is their power of purity.' Kagome set the book down in front of her and then laid on her stomach. Bringing the candle closer she peered across the pages.

'All mikos have the ability, like monks, to use charms and trickery to ward of evil spirits. They have practiced the technique and possess the ability purge any place of evil spirits and protect the shrine and the village surrounding it from harm. That is their purpose, their reason for the extensive training they undergo.'

Kagome swallowed hard at the word "extensive."

She began to pour into the text, and slowly her understanding of a miko and its duty was growing. Turning page after page her knowledge of mikos and monks grew. Finally the book began to elaborate on the chosen mikos.

'But there are few who possess the power of the jewel. They are the only ones not seduced by its power and the only ones who can keep it pure. They possess almost youkai like powers that enable them to reach super human speeds, farther vision, and power techniques using their energy. With proper training these mikos and can use the power of the jewel and defeat powerful evil unlike no other.'

Kagome turned the page, and in the back of her mind she got a sense she had seen it before.

'Midroko was a powerful warrior miko. She fought many foes in Japan. Conquering them all. But in her final battle, Midroko was losing ground and could not finish the fight. So she sealed her soul with the souls of her enemy to save the land from them. But she did not realize the consequence.'

She read more about the journey of the jewel as it moved from village to village. She sat up and drew the book closer as she saw Kikyou's name. It told the tale of her helping the bandit Onigumo.

'And in the act of her good deed, the miko caused the most heinous of evil to be born. An evil with the name meaning hell, Naraku. He looms over the land of Japan, causing grief among its people. But there is one who can destroy this evil. She carries the soul of the miko that caused it and the soul of the miko of the shikon no tama, Midroko. Fusing together they created the most powerful miko.'

'The maiden of purity will come from another era through a passage in the ground. Set apart from the other mikos by her clothing alone she and only she will be able to rid Japan of the evil and demesne that the very making of the shikon no tama set in motion.'

Kagome slammed the book shut.

It was what Sesshoumaru had shown her before. Looking out the small window, Kagome felt fear. She felt so weak and unless. And she knew this wasn't her. She was not like this. She was Kagome. A smart-mouth strong-willed determine miko. Not a weak and pathetic girl who feared the future.

Kagome shut her eyes. She couldn't help it. She had seen it. The images of the final battle were enough to scar one for life. Naraku was so powerful. And in one swipe he killed everyone.

Sickness washed over her.

Kagome was losing herself. And it was becoming difficult to find the girl that once was there. Rising to her feet Kagome bolted for the door. She had to vomit; it was the only way to get rid of the sickness. She was halfway across the main room when a cold voice from the shadows.

"Midnight retch again?" Sesshoumaru was sitting, his back against the wall across from her. A burning fire was in between them and it reflected in his gold eyes. One of his legs was stretched out in from of him; the other was bent and propping up his only arm.

"I just-" Kagome stammered over her words as she clutched her stomach. She looked at the door and then back at Sesshoumaru.

"Tell me, did you read any of those books?" Sesshoumaru asked, keeping a steady gaze on her.

"Yes." Kagome wanted to bolt for the door. Her hands were shaking and she had a growing sense of fear and she didn't know why.

"Did you learn anything at all, wench?" Sesshoumaru's voice was steady and commanding. His face never changed and his very presence was that of power.

Kagome was shaking, her eyes desperately pleading with Sesshoumaru to let her run outside and throw up. She was wringing her hands and her very stance showed her to be weak and pathetic. "Yes-yes I did." She stammered out.

"What?" Sesshoumaru demanded.

Kagome looked at the door, but knew she needed to answer him after all he was her teacher. "I learned that there are chosen mikos to protect the jewel. And that," She looked back at Sesshoumaru now and fixated her eyes on his, "And that they can have almost inhuman powers." She began to summarize everything she read.

Slowly the wave of sickness ebbed to rippling waters until it was completely gone.

When she finished Sesshoumaru let a long silence past between before he finally stood and said, "Be up at dawn tomorrow. And if you want to eat, be up before." And then he left the room. Leaving Kagome bewildered.

Kagome slowly walked back to her room, puzzled by what just happened.

But she had to admit, she did feel better. And Sesshoumaru had unexpectedly calmed her down. Did he know he was doing it? Did he know by making her recite the things she learned by studying about mikos actually had gave Kagome a small sense of accomplishment? She had done the first part of her training. Learning about what she was training to be.

As silly as it sounded, it was a small victory for team Kagome. She actually knew something about herself and her powers. Crawling on the futon Kagome shut her eyes. She far from being herself and she knew that. She was far from believed in herself and she was very far from getting over the past. But she had accomplished a little something.

Sesshoumaru's pop quiz.

End of Chapter

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Moonchild: Damn, it feels good to be back. I haven't updated in awhile!!!

Kagome: I know! Where have you been?

Moonchild: Crazy busy. I just graduated high school and moved out of my parents house. My life has been hectic! My computer crashed and I finally got a laptop that's amazing so… maybe I can update more, eh? Haha.

Kagome: You better!

Inuyasha: Don't bother…This fic sucks more than Chained to You.

Sesshoumaru: Well... if Inuyasha feels that way then you must be on to something MC.

Moonchild: I dare say you must be right, Sesshou. Ok so I just want to give a little AN on the fic here.

Inuyasha: Oh Kami...

Sesshoumaru: MC...

Moonchild: Hey! I can talk to the readers about where I'm going! Ok here's the deal. Some have said Kagome is weak and pathetic, and you're right she is. But think about the traumatic event she has gone through. And trust me its soooo hard portraying her this way but don't worry she comes back. I'm MC. I won't let you down.

Kagome: Trust her. She's good.

Moonchild: Anyways, I have been in such a writing slump and I wrote up this first chapter to the fic with no clue of where I was going and I just... posted it. And man the reviews I have gotten make me cry with joy. You have no idea, my dear wonderful reader, how much I love you and if I was there I would totally--

Sesshoumaru: MC... creepy.

Moonchild: Right right. Anyways, Thanks sooooo much again. I will be back soon with another chapter that is... if you guys like it and want me to continue!! So send a review, I would love to hear from ya! But no flames, seriously I don't respond well to them, I just get angry and stop typing. Ok love ya much :)