If there's any mistakes I'll fix them later in the week when I'm actually home. Until then... *slaps this down*
*books it*
Kagome looked at the steps leading up to the shrine, biting her lip. It was finally the weekend, or well, Friday technically, but that was neither here nor there. The rain had finally let up yesterday, so Kouga was off to work again, and Kagome was here, psyching herself up to go up the stairs and to the shrine. Shippou was by her side, looking from the miko to the stairs and back again. His eyebrows knitted together in concern.
"You okay, Kagome?" he asked.
That snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked down at him and gave him a warm smile. "Yeah. Let's get going, Shippou."
She held her arms out then and the small kit jumped up into them. She held him close, sucked in a breath, and then started her journey up the stairs. Thankfully, she was used to this sort of trek. It had been a while since she had to make it, but with all of her years living at a shrine, she was able to climb the stairs with relative ease. They soon reached the top of the stairs, and Kagome allowed Shippou to hop out of her arms. She took a look around, taking in her surroundings. It was pretty much your typical shrine, with quite a few trees around. Standing in front of the shrine, was a young girl, likely in her teens, in traditional miko garb, sweeping up some fallen leaves. Her black hair was pulled back and tied so it would stay out of her face.
Kagome pushed back her nerves and put on a smile as she walked forward. "Hello, I'm here to see Kikyo?"
She looked up at Kagome. "May I ask who you are?"
"I'm Kagome Higurashi. My friend Kouga stopped by earlier this week."
"Ahh.." she said, a sense of clarity dawning on her face. "I'll go fetch her." She gave one last sweep at the leaves, pushing them into the grass, before she left.
Kagome turned to watch Shippou then. The kit was running around and checking things out. She giggled as she watched him. The kit hadn't been in her life for that long, but she would do anything for him, and protect him at any cost. She continued to watch him play around as she fixed her ponytail. It was pretty warm and humid now that the rain had left. She'd be lying if she said it wasn't muggy and miserable. She was dressed in dark blue high waisted shorts and a white crop top with a V-neck cut and a pink rose print on it. The miko had also done her best to dress Shippou appropriately for the weather, even though he said the heat didn't bother him that much. But she made sure he dressed appropriately in shorts and a tank top. His tail swished behind him as he stalked a beetle, and Kagome was enraptured by the scene until she heard someone behind her clear their throat.
She turned around and was greeted by a familiar face, one that didn't seem too pleased to see her. Kagome smiled nervously at her. "Kikyo. It's a pleasure to see you again."
Kikyo scoffed. "Yes. A pleasure." She smiled, but Kagome knew it was fake.
Kagome licked her lips and began to fiddle with her fingers. No. She shouldn't show any nervousness in front of her. It was time to bury the hatchet. "Look.. I know that things are… tense and awkward between us, but I need your help. Please."
Kikyo considered this for a moment. Could they really put their past behind them and work together? Well… she figured it couldn't hurt. She didn't necessarily hate Kagome, but she didn't care for her. "I suppose we can."
Kagome smiled and clapped her hands together. "I can't thank you enough! This really means a lot."
Kikyo rolled her eyes and motioned for her fellow miko to follow her. Kagome called for Shippou, and the small kit perked up. He looked torn for a moment, but eventually left the beetle behind and chased after her. The trio moved towards the back of the shrine, where there were a couple targets for archery and a dummy that was being set up by Kaede. Kikyo turned towards them then, a stern look on her face. Kagome stopped in her tracks while Shippou took off to stand closer to the shrine, one so he could be in the shade, and two so he could be safe from the bursts of reiki he knew would be coming.
"Show me what you're capable of, miko." Kikyo said, her eyes narrowed.
Kagome stuck her tongue in her cheek, holding back a snide comment. She couldn't afford to mess this up. "Sure thing."
With that, she showcased what she could do. It wasn't really anything special. The miko was, again, self-taught and all she had discovered had been by accident. Really, the only thing Kagome could show was the little bit of control she had over her reiki. She channeled her reiki into the palm of her hand, curling her fingers around the magic and threw it at the dummy that Kaede had set up earlier. The blast was strong, but short lived. Biting her lip, Kagome turned to looked over at Kikyo, shrugging at her and thus signaling she was done. The miko watched her with a critical eye and let out a sigh.
"You have potential. You're a very strong miko with strong reiki, but it's obvious you have no training." Kagome narrowed her eyes at that. "How fast you learn will determine how long we train. That, and how well you perform in our training. We'll start today and practice every weekend."
"Alright, let's get started." Kagome said, determination clear in her voice and expression. Kikyo smirked. She had to admit, she always admired Kagome's spirit.
..::YatM::..
Kagome let out a sigh as she exited the station and began walking to the apartment. She had been out training until night fell. It was tough and rigorous, but she felt that she was already improving, and Kikyo seemed to agree. It made her chest swell with pride. Imagine that. Kikyo, believing in her. Kagome was shocked, but gods was she giddy with this information! She continued to walk down the street, a huge grin on her face. Shippou was asleep in her arms, having passed out about an hour ago. She'd have to wake him up for dinner.. which they were late for, seeing as it was close to 8 pm.
As she walked down the street, she walked by a grocery store. She almost walked past it, but quickly turned around and went inside. She had a lot of homework to do, and she was going to need to be caffeinated. And well… she wanted to get Shippou some treats. He has been so well behaved, and she wanted to spoil him a little. Plus she still felt bad about what he went through. So, she went in and grabbed three cans of energy drinks, and two bottled coffees. She then went to the candy aisle and picked up a package of gummy candies, Pocky, and lollipops. Satisfied with what she had, she went to the counter and paid for them. She shifted the kit in her arms before she took the bags off the counter and then went outside to continue her journey to the apartment.
Thankfully, it didn't take too long for them to reach the apartment. She struggled a bit with shifting her bags and Shippou around to get to her purse. She was about to give up and just set the bags on the ground when the door opened. She looked up, a bit surprised, and was greeted by a worried-looking Kouga.
"Hey. You're running late." he said, trying to be humorous but he wasn't fooling her.
He took the bags from her as she stepped into the apartment and she flashed him a small smile. "Yeah, sorry. I guess I forgot to text you that I'd be late. Kikyo just kind of sprung training on me and it went on for longer than expected." she said with a shrug. She toed off her shoes and shifted Shippou in her arms, who was still passed out.
"Well, I can reheat dinner for you real quick." he offered.
"I'd appreciate that, thank you." she replied, beaming at him.
He nodded and quickly made a bee-line for the kitchen, moving quickly so she wouldn't notice his blush. Kagome slowly walked into the apartment, waking Shippou up softly. The kit eventually opened his eyes and grumbled. She giggled as she set him down and watched as he rubbed his eyes. It wasn't too long before Kouga was coming over to them with their dinner. They both thanked the wolf and began to eat their meal. He sat down with them, smiling in content.
"So, how'd the training go?" he asked.
"Pretty well. Kikyo says I have a lot of potential, but it may take a while for me to get to a decent level." she replied. She was still reeling a bit from the compliments coming from the other miko. It was… odd.
Kouga nodded at this. "How often is this going to be?"
"Every weekend, so I'll be going back tomorrow. I probably won't be back until the same time."
"How are you going to balance all of this?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing together in concern.
"Well… I'll be pulling more all-nighters than usual, but it'll be fine." she replied, waving off his concern and giving him a reassuring smile.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea, Kagome." Shippou said, a frown on his face. The little kit's input had surprised both Kagome and Kouga, and they looked down at him for a couple moments. "Am I wrong?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
"I have to agree with the kid. You're going to work yourself to death, Kagome. Maybe you should only train twice a week instead."
"No. I can do this. I'll be fine, you'll see." she said, voice getting a bit stern. She didn't want to argue about this. Not right now. She needed to eat and then get to work on her homework. She was going to have less time to spend on it now, so every minute counted.
Kouga let out a sigh. He didn't feel like arguing right now, he'd had a long day at work and he just wanted some peace. "Alright, fine."
Kagome gave a curt nod at that, grateful that the subject was being dropped. She quickly finished eating her food, and once Shippou was done, she gathered up their dishes and took them into the kitchen to wash. As she did that, Kouga picked up the small kit and took him to Kagome's room so he could get ready for bed. Shippou usually slept with Kagome, but sometimes he would sleep with Kouga, depending on how late Kagome stayed up. Even though Shippou wanted to be with Kagome tonight, he had a feeling that the kit would be coming into his room later that night.
"I'm worried about Kagome.."
Kouga looked down at the small kit, tucking him into the bed. He frowned a bit as well. "Me too, kid. But we're here to take care of her. We'll stop her before it gets too bad." he said, giving Shippou a reassuring smile.
"Yeah." he replied, beaming up at the wolf. It warmed his heart.
He ruffled the kit's hair, and the two said their goodnights before Kouga left the room and went to his. Kouga fully realized that Kagome was her own woman and she could live her life however she wanted, but she still needed to take care of herself more. A part of him wanted to regret telling her to start training, but he knew deep down that this would help her in the long run. They still hadn't heard anything about the youkai that had attacked her and Shippou. Kouga knew he'd never be able to live with himself if something happened to either of them. He let out a sigh and shook his head as he closed his bedroom door behind him. It would do him no good to think about this right now. With that, he walked over to his bed and plopped down on it, turning on the lamp on his bedside table and opening up a book. It was best to try and clear his mind for the night.
..::YatM::..
Kagome panted, sweat dripping down her forehead as she bent over, placing her hands on her knees. Kikyo was working her hard, and the sweltering heat wasn't helping. It wasn't too long before Kagome had plopped down on the ground, fanning herself. It was her second weekend training with Kikyo, and the miko was exhausted. She had been pulling a lot of late nights, usually staying up until four in the morning, and her training sessions with Kikyo began at 10 am sharp and usually lasted until 8. Despite all of this, Kagome had somehow managed to keep her grades intact and only missed 2 homework assignments. She was fairly proud of herself in that aspect.
"Get up, there's no time for breaks." Her training however….
"Just.. give me a moment.. please." Kagome pleaded. The miko was a slave driver, and Kagome really only needed a couple more seconds.
Kikyo narrowed her eyes at Kagome, crossing her arms into her sleeves. "Fine. But as soon as you're able, we're getting back to work."
Kagome nodded and continued to sit there, leaning back on her hands. She should probably move out of the sun, but she couldn't find it in herself to move. She was so tired. Shippou watched the scene from in the shade, shoving his lollipop back into his mouth to prevent a frown. In his weeks staying with Kagome and Kouga, the kit had started to come around to seeing the miko as a mother figure. Watching her struggle made him worry about her, but so far there hadn't been a chance for him to voice his concerns to her. Any time Kouga tried, she immediately shot them down by either snapping at him or just leaving the room. The miko was quite stubborn, but even the kit could see that her stubbornness, at this point, would only lead to her getting harmed.
It wasn't long before Kagome was picking herself up off the ground. She let out a grunt as she did so, then walked over towards where Shippou was sitting to grab her water bottle. She took a long chug from it, drinking close to half the bottle in one go. She then screwed the cap back on and gave a small stretch before walking back over to Kikyo.
"Are you ready now?"
"Yeah, let's go."
With that, they continued her training well into the night. Once the sun had set and the moon began to rise, Kikyo finally allowed Kagome to stop. The miko collapsed to the ground once more. Using her powers continuously like this for so long was taxing on her. She hoped that with the continuation of her training, the easier it would be for her to use her reiki without draining herself. Shippou quickly approached her, carrying her water bottle that he had refilled earlier. She thanked him as she took it from the kit and took a long drink.
"You did well today, Kagome. You still have quite a way to go, but you're getting there. I'll see you next weekend."
"See you next weekend, Kikyo." Kagome replied, dipping her head slightly in a mock-bow. She would've actually bowed if it wouldn't have taken so much out of her.. and if she were standing.
Kikyo let out a small hum and then walked away from the two, head held high. Kagome was tempted to stick her tongue out at the miko, but the woman seemed to have some sort of sixth sense, so she didn't. Instead, she simply rolled her eyes and took another sip of water. She soon stood up from her spot on the ground and smiled down at Shippou.
"You ready to go?" she asked. He nodded, then the two gathered their things and left the shrine. They slowly made their way home, Kagome holding Shippou when they rode the train. On the way back, they stopped back in the small convenience store on the way to the apartment, where Kagome picked up more coffee, energy drinks, and candy for the kit. They soon left the shop and continued on their way home. The poor little kit was tired and ready to get some sleep, but he would need to eat first.
As soon as Kagome stepped in front of the door, it opened, revealing Kouga. They fell into their routine they had unknowingly established over the weekends. Kouga greeted them, taking the bag from Kagome while she took her shoes off. He went and heated up dinner for them while the two settled in. They discussed their days over their meal, and then Kouga was going in and putting Shippou to bed while Kagome did the dishes. Once she finished up the dishes, she grabbed the drinks she bought, and made her way into her room. Once in there, she changed out of her clothes and into her pajamas. Then, she then pulled her hair up into a bun, went over to her desk, and began to work on her homework.
She worked for about 45 minutes before deciding to take a break. She let out a sigh and set down her pencil. She reached over for one of her bottles of coffee, shaking it before unscrewing the cap and taking a swig. She put the cap back on and then swiveled in her chair, taking a look around her room. After her second day of training, Shippou had made the decision to stay in Kouga's room on the weekends. She frowned slightly at this. She knew that the kit needed his rest, but she missed him. However, that could possibly be some kind of maternal instinct that had welled up inside her whenever it came to the wellbeing of the little fox youkai.
Kagome let out a sigh as the silence deafened her. She reached for one of the drawers of her desk and pulled out a pair of earbuds. She plugged them into her phone and popped them into her ears, then scrolled through her music. Settling on a good playlist, she smiled and picked her pencil back up and got down to business.
