Chapter 7: Decisions
Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Bleach. This story is for fun, not profit.
Finally ready to speak, Kagome cleared her throat, shifting everyone's attention back on herself. After a few seconds of mental preparation, she decided to explain her side of the story, only this time she was willing to add the details that up until now only her family knew.
"Although I'm not entirely sure about the whole situation, I was actually born with these powers. My family owns a Shinto Shrine on the outskirts of Tokyo, and my grandfather was always an eccentric type who collected artifacts from the Sengoku period of Japan. Although I was never really interested in his tales of the past, all of that was about the change… This really started on my fifteenth birthday, when I journeyed into an ancient well on my family's property known as the Bone-eater's well… Although I was just searching for my cat, I was caught by surprise when a demon emerged from the darkness and pulled me through some kind of dimension hole which transported me 500 years into the past."
"Yeah right!" Ichigo replied, giving her a disbelieving look. "Time travel isn't even possible." Although his words seemed harsh, his friends seemed to agree with him. Orihime sat with a blank expression on her face, Chad simply grunted, and Uryu adjusted the position of his glasses on his face, looking skeptical towards the idea of taking her words at face value.
Urahara raised a hand to silence Ichigo, shifting his gaze back to Kagome as he began to show signs of interest. "Hmmm… the Bone-eater's well you say… I've heard rumors about that thing, but I never would have imagined that it possessed that kind of power. It sounds very interesting in my opinion… … …"
Ichigo cocked an eyebrow. "Hey hat-and-clogs… You're saying that you've heard of this bone-well thing that she just mentioned?"
The shopkeeper shrugged slightly, casting a rather indifferent expression. "Are you kidding me, it was actually quite a well-known legend back in the day." Urahara stated with a quick nod. "The Bone-eater's well was said to be used as a means of disposing of a the remains of dead demons. They say that people who lived in close proximity to the well would place the remains into it, and the magical properties of the well would eventually cause the bodies to disappear completely…"
"That sounds most curious…" Uryu commented in a hushed tone. "While I do not know much about the subject, I am not sure whether to believe her story or not. To me, it just doesn't seem possible."
"Quite possible, but the concept baffles me to a certain extent as well. Even I don't know all the details, and I'm quite the expert on legends in addition to my exceptional scientific prowess if I do say so myself." Urahara replied, a hint of pride barely recognizable behind his serious tone. After a few seconds, the group turned back towards Kagome in an expectant manner.
Kagome was surprised that he knew about it, but continued nevertheless. "Anyway, the demon pulled me into the feudal era through some sort of strange portal that must have formed in the bottom of the well. Although I wasn't quite sure what was going on at the time, I struggled with the demon, and for some reason the creature couldn't bear my touch and repented."
"Instant purification…" Uryu muttered to himself, his eyes widening behind his glasses. After a moment, his eyes returned to normal. "I've heard of that technique… and if what you say is true, than it is possible that you subconsciously used your spiritual abilities for the first time." He stated, looking at Kagome with a suspicious glint.
"Anything is possible…" Urahara added, striking a thinking pose as he listened to them speak.
Ignoring the small interruption, she continued telling the story. "Either way, I emerged from the well, completely unaware of the current circumstances. I could see the well where I had fallen in, but the rest of my surroundings were completely different… It didn't take me long to realize that I was in a forest, and right next to the well was a strange boy pinned to a tree by an arrow…"
As soon as she said this, the young priestess felt a small pain in the depths of her heart. She had no intention of mentioning the full nature of the relationship that she had with Inuyasha, but the actual fact that they had met was part of her experience. Realizing that everyone was staring at her intently, she did her best to cast the notion aside, and continued her speaking as if nothing had even happened. "Either way, I was suspicious about him because of his strange ears… This boy had long silver hair, and ears like a dog, but otherwise he appeared to be human. He also had an arrow sticking threw his chest, but his expression was quite peaceful, and he seemed to be sleeping… I would later find out that he was actually a half-demon."
"Half demon…" Ichigo echoed, a confused expression appearing on his face. "Is that even possible?" he asked. Kagome opened her mouth to answer, but found it unnecessary.
"It's completely possible, but it is said that many half-demons were despised." Urahara replied, shifting around in his seat. "I've head of cases in history when humans have had children with demons… The practice was looked down upon both sides, and children created from such unions were usually mistreated by both humans and demons alike. In short, they had no place where they could feel like they belonged… it was rather tragic, but that is the fate that they were resigned to from birth."
Kagome felt a tear forming in her eye as she thought about Inuyasha's childhood, but closed her eyes for a second to suppress it and quickly concealed her sorrow. Attempting to shift the thought aside for the moment, she continued speaking again. "Anyway… I left the area for some time, but I also learned a terrible secret about my life that day. The reason the demon attacked me was to claim the power of a magical item known as the Sacred Shikon Jewel, which had remained dormant in my body for years." She replied. Urahara adjusted his hat in an uneasy way, while Uryu and Rukia exchanged glances.
Having noticed this strange reaction from the other people in the group, Ichigo decided to try and find out what they were talking about. "So, what's the Shikon Jewel?" he asked, not bothering to conceal the note of curiosity in his voice. .
The young priestess opened her mouth to answer, but Urahara seemed to know what she was talking about, and beat her to it. "The Shikon Jewel is an ancient treasure of immeasurable power… a power surpassing that of any thing that exists in the world of the living, and perhaps even Soul Society itself." He explained, looking surprisingly grim in comparison to his normally easy-going nature. "Even so much as one small shard of the jewel can exponentially increase the power of the bearer, and when the jewel is whole, it can grant the wish of the one who holds it."
Ichigo shrugged with indifference. "Yeah, I guess that I get it now… Still… I know that something like that could be deadly in the wrong hands, but what if it were in the right hands?"
Urahara simply shook his head in a solemn manner in response to the question. "While that makes sense on a logical level, it is clear that you never heard the whole story… They say that no one has ever gained happiness through the power of the Sacred Jewel. That fact is most likely attributed to the way that the object was created…"
"And how was that?" Orihime chimed in, leaning forward slightly.
He cleared his throat before answering. "People say that the jewel came into existence when an ancient priestess battled several demons to a stalemate. Neither side gave up, and eventually the souls of the combatants became the Sacred Jewel. After that day, it is said that a constant battle took place within the Shikon Jewel for dominance… a struggle between the light of purity and the true darkness…"
Kagome was still surprised that this man knew so much, but either way, she had next to no clue who he really was. Deciding to ask later on, the young priestess took charge of the story once again. "Anyway… The jewel existed for years, passing in and out of sight and knowledge for centuries until it was found by humans and brought to a priestess named Kikyo. Since she had strong spiritual powers, people hoped that she would protect and purify the jewel…" Kagome added, looking into her lap as she remembered the full story of Kikyo's demise. "Eventually she was attacked by a demon named Naraku, who deeply desired the jewel. She survived, but realized that she would die from her wounds and requested the jewel be burned along with her body so that no one would ever again have to suffer." Urahara raised his head as if he had just come to an important conclusion, but said nothing.
A puzzled expression appeared on Uryu Ishida's face as he went over the two stories in his mind in an attempt to piece together the puzzle. "Wait… … So the Shikon Jewel was burned with the body of the priestess who protected it and recreated within you, a person who was born with powerful spiritual abilities. If that is the case, then is it possible that you are the priestess reborn?" he asked, a sudden realization dawning on his face.
Kagome inclined her head slightly as she thought about it. "Yes…" she replied, causing a look of sorrow to appear on her face. Seeing the looks on the faces of the others, she decided to explain a little bit more. "If I finish with my story, it will be easier to understand." She added, clearing her throat and wiping the beginnings of tears from her eyes. "Anyway, I believe I was talking about leaving the woods to find civilization… Shortly after exiting the forest, I headed for the nearest village where I met an elderly priestess named Kaede, who claimed to have been the younger sister of Kikyo fifty years ago. I eventually returned to the forest, and went back to the tree, where I was attacked by the same demon that had originally pulled me into the feudal era and attempted to take the jewel from me. Kaede and the villagers also appeared, warning me to prevent the demon from claiming the jewel. I failed and the creature claimed the jewel and prepared to kill us all with its newfound power. My presence awoke the half-demon boy who had been pinned to the tree by Kikyo shortly before her death. I released him from his seal, and he defeated the demon without much effort at all. Thinking back even I am not entirely sure why everything happened the way it did…"
"It most likely it had something to do with your powers. Having Kikyo's Soul must've awakened him from his seal…" Urahara stated, stroking his chin in a thoughtful way. "I don't know all the details concerning the spiritual arts that priestesses used, but I think I have heard of the spell that she must have used to used on the half-demon. In short, you were able to remove the spell because you had the soul of the priestess."
Rukia eyed him with a most curious expression. "What kind of technique could seal a demon for fifty years?" she asked.
"The arrow of sealing…" Uryu muttered, causing everyone to look at him. Realizing that all eyes were on him, he decided to elaborate. "It's an ancient technique that was employed by monks and priestesses for sealing demons rather than killing them. The arrow can seal a demon to a tree, and only the person who cast the seal can release it."
Urahara nodded. "Which is probably why you were able to free the victim of the seal…" he reiterated, turning back to Kagome.
She nodded again, surprised once again at how much these people seemed to know about the ancient world. Ignoring the concept for now, she proceeded to continue from where she had left her story. "Well… anyway… The half-demon was named Inuyasha, whom I later found out was the son of the Great Dog Demon who once ruled over the Western Lands. Even though he had dealt with the demon, he attacked me in an attempt to steal the jewel. The priestess, Kaede, cast a sealing spell on him, which forced a necklace of prayer beads around his neck. The beads allowed the creator of them to force the victim into submission with a single word. Since Kikyo had been the original maker of the necklace, the seal's power rested in my hands. Kaede told me to chant a word to seal his power, and I was nervous at the time. Seeing as he looked like a dog, I used the word "sit" as the sealing word."
"How appropriate…" Orihime commented, earning a grunt from Chad.
Kagome ignored her comment and continued. "Anyway, with him under my spell he was no longer able to harm me, so he chose to hang around the village in hopes that he could catch me off guard, and he could take the jewel, but one day we were attacked by a demon crow who succeeded in stealing it… I aimed an arrow at the bird, but my shot shattered the jewel into pieces, and scattered them throughout the surrounding area. Outraged by my actions, Inuyasha agreed to accompany me so that we could reclaim the jewel shards."
Ichigo let out a low groan, apparently finding her story harder and harder to believe. "And you just agreed to travel with someone who would have happily killed you just to take the jewel." He said, cutting her off before she could speak again. "It sounds like a load if you ask me."
"Well it isn't!" she retaliated, her voice filled with signs of anger. After glaring at the stubborn Shinigami for a few moments, her expression softened again. "Although I had never thought it could happen… the two of us traveled together for a while, and developed a sense of trust and friendship that I had never experienced before. Although I will not go into the details, we made new friends on our journey, all of which were bound the destiny of the Shikon Jewel. We learned to trust each other, and became true friends… In the end, it was our teamwork that helped us survive. Together, we managed to defeat the demon who had originally desired the Sacred Jewel fifty years before. As it turned out, Naraku had collected most of the shattered jewel shards, but he was eventually destroyed, and the jewel disappeared from existence." She paused for a moment, realizing that there was little more she was willing to say. Her journey had been a very long and arduous task that had permanently changed her life forever, and there were parts of it that she preferred not to think about, let alone discuss. She had even refused to give the full details of her journey to her own family, people who she had loved and cared for her entire life… In the end, there were some things that people would have bad to have seen to fully understand.
When they realized that she was finished, Kisuke Urahara spoke up. "My, my… what a interesting tale." He replied in am overly cheerful tone, but the happiness quickly drained from his face as his serious expression returned. "So… apparently you've had some interesting times. Even I find it surprising to learn that you were the one to bring the Shikon Jewel's Legacy to an end… most fascinating…" he commented, shifting around slightly.
Her expression hardened once again as she remembered why she had even bothered to share that much of her life. "Either way… you said I could ask some questions about yesterday if I told you about my experiences with my spiritual powers."
"No need to sound upset… I just figured that it would be easier to understand your situation if we knew more about your experiences. Still, I hadn't guessed that you would have seen such strange experiences in your life."
"Still, I have questions for you guys now." Kagome said, cutting through his unnecessary explanation.
The former Shinigami captain simply nodded in agreement. "As far as I'm concerned, you upheld your end of the deal that you made with these guys…" he replied, gesturing towards Ichigo and Rukia. "By all means, ask away. I don't mind helping you understand what's going on around you, since you can see spirits."
"That's the first thing I want to know… What do you mean by that?" she asked.
"Very well…" Urahara sat back in a relaxed manner as he spoke. "Tell me, have you ever seen people or things that ordinary people seemed unaware of?"
Kagome thought back over the last year. Although her encounter the previous day was still fresh in her mind, she remembered one other similar experience that she had in the modern era. "Wait! I once saw a demon in this era that seemed invisible to humans. Not only that, but the creature was also accompanied by the ghosts of young children… I believe the demon was called the Soul Piper…"
"So you have seen spirits…" Rukia commented, shifting the attention back onto herself. "Although demons are not a common sight in this era, the Soul Piper is one of the few that remains. The demon entertains the spirits of children with its music until they become more accepting of their deaths, and can finally move onto the Soul Society."
Kagome knew all about the Soul Piper's legend, but one thing about what she said had caught her attention, and she immediately took the chance to find out. "What is the Soul Society?" she asked, turning to shorter woman in an expectant fashion.
"The Soul Society where souls go after they pass on from the world of the living. It is what most humans refer to as the afterlife, or as heaven." Rukia explained calmly. "Some humans believe that souls go to a perfect heaven, and other believe that all who die are sent to hell, but neither case is entirely true. The Soul Society is very much like a second life so to speak. Many people do not even retain their memories from their days in the living world, but there are also many who do… No matter what the case, they are brought to Soul Society after death and are reborn in the world of the living after dying in the afterlife… and so the balance of souls in both worlds is maintained through this eternal cycle."
"What about you guys and that monster spirit that I saw yesterday…" Kagome asked, showing even greater interest now. They were actually beginning to answer her questions, and she was finally going to find out about the scene that had been plaguing her for the last twenty-four hours.
Rukia chose to answer this question as well. "As you can probably guess, I am not human. I am a spirit being known as a Shinigami… one who escorts the souls of the living to the Soul Society. Ichigo is a substitute Shinigami who gained his powers through unorthodox means."
The young priestess nodded her head understandingly, but made a quick observation that contradicted what they had said to her over the course of the conversation. "If you and Kurosaki-san are spirits, and only people with strong spiritual abilities are able to see you, than how can you interact with normal people like the students at school?" she asked, looking confused by the prospect.
"I believe that we can show you how…" The petite woman replied, exchanging a glance with Ichigo, who immediately nodded in understanding. Kagome watched in interest as the substitute Shinigami reached into pocket, pulling out a strange badge with a skull-looking symbol engraved on the surface. Pressing it against his body, the orange-haired boy materialized outside of his body in Shinigami form, wearing a black robe while carrying a rather large sword on his back. His body collapsed helplessly onto the floor, landing facedown on the table.
Seeing the look of awe on Kagome's face, Rukia quickly decided to explain the situation. "As you can see, Ichigo's soul has left his body, and he now stand before us in Shinigami form. He was once human, but he gained Shinigami abilities, and can safely separate his soul from his body while normal human souls do not possess that ability." She said, gesturing towards the substitute Shinigami.
"If Kurosaki-san is part human, then he has a body… But what about you Kuchiki-san?" the young priestess asked, gesturing towards Rukia.
The female Shinigami nodded. "The body that I possess is a special piece of equipment called a Gigai. It is an artificial, yet perfectly functioning human body, which Shinigami use when they plan on staying in the living world for an extended period of time. It not only keeps our spiritual powers at their peak, but it can heal us if our reiatsu becomes weak. In addition to that, it allows us to be seen by people in this world so that we can interact with them if necessary." Rukia explained.
Kagome nodded as she began going over this small bit of information in her mind again. "What about that I saw last night?" she asked, hoping to get a more thorough explanation then she had previously received from her classmates.
Urahara was the one to answer this time. "That creature you saw was a being called a hollow, as you have probably already been informed. Although it acts like a monster, a hollow is actually a human soul who has allowed doubt and hatred to overwhelm their spirit, and refused to pass onto the Soul Society. There are countless hollows living in Hueco Mundo, the world of the hollows, but many of them pass into our world to devour other souls, preferably ones with more large amount of spiritual power."
"Kurosaki-san and the others already told me that they like to devour souls with a lot of spiritual power, and that is why one came after me." Kagome asked, a look of concern gracing her features as she thought about her encounter with the hollow. "Come to think of it… What exactly did you guys do to the hollow that attacked me yesterday?"
"Each Shinigami wields a weapon known as a zanpakuto, which possesses the ability to purify hollows and send them to the Soul Society." Rukia explained, gesturing towards the large blade strapped on Ichigo's back. "The swords that Ichigo and I wield are examples of such weapons. Each Zanpakuto is unique, because they are the manifestations of one's own spiritual powers, and each weapon has a spirit contained within. In short, you could say that each zanpakuto is an extension of its owner. Ichigo used his zanpakuto to slay the hollow, thereby freeing its soul from the monstrous form, and allowing them to pass on."
Kagome thought about the answer for a few minutes, connecting everything that she had heard today. Upon finishing her train of thought, she realized that there was little more that she could ask of them, save one thing that had been bothering her since yesterday afternoon. "I know that I have been scared to ask this up until now, but I feel as if I should… What do I do now? If these hollows are after me, than what can I do about it?" she asked, looking down into her lap.
Silence fell over the group for a few seconds, but was quickly broken by Urahara's voice. "That is precisely why we wanted you to come here, young priestess." The former Shinigami replied. "I believe that Ishida-san can explain this to you…"
Uryu simply nodded in agreement, taking that as his cue to explain their idea. "I believe he is referring to the fact that you have the ability to defend yourself already… you just have to know how to use it."
"What do you mean?" Kagome asked, sparing a curious glance at the glasses-wearing boy sitting next to her. "I was never really that good at using my spiritual powers… but I'm not entirely helpless. I can infuse my arrows with spiritual power, but I need a bow and arrows to properly focus the energy."
"That is because your powers are not yet as refined as they could be." Uryu replied, adjusting his glasses with his index finger. "The point is, you have the ability to use your spiritual powers, but you use them in a manner akin to the way that priests and monks did during the Sengoku period."
The young priestess gave him a puzzled expression. "Is there something wrong with that?" she asked, trying to hide the hesitation in her voice.
The Quincy shook his head. "Of course not… but the fact remains that you could be much more powerful than you are now… the spiritual arts developed during the feudal era were later improved and refined in such a way that it was no longer necessary to use physical bows and arrows to fight."
Kagome racked her brain, attempting to understand what he was explaining to her. "How is that possible?" she asked, leaning forward slightly as her anticipation grew.
"It is possible, because I am descended from a line of people known as the Quincy…" Upon seeing the confused expression on her face, he decided to elaborate. Like you, the Quincy are living humans who possesses spiritual powers, but we have learned how to refine our abilities as I mentioned before… In truth, the first Quincys were priests and monks who trained to use their powers in different ways than before. Centuries ago, demons were beginning to die out, but hollows were a problem that would never disappear from this world… In an attempt to protect the lives of the humans, elite priests and monks redeveloped their powers to specifically combat the threat of the hollows."
"I see…" Kagome muttered, quickly going over these ideas in her head.
Urahara nodded in agreement, raising his right arm and pointing the end of his walking stick in her direction. Once he had caught her, the former Shinigami decided to ask the question that they had brought her here to answer. "Now that you know about us, we have a more important topic to discuss…" he added in, casting her a much more serious expression. "The attacks on your life will only get worse as more and more hollows cross over into our world. Because of this, you have a choice to make…" His words had silenced the group for the moment, Kagome herself gulping slightly but choosing not to voice any concern yet. After a few minutes of this, the shopkeeper nodded again. "For your own sake, you have two options… both of which will keep you relatively safe from hollows."
"What can I do?" she asked, breaking the silence that had formed around the group.
"Your two options are very simple…" he explained. "Agree to learn how to use your powers to their fullest extent, or have them forcibly removed…"
Kagome thought about the situation from all possible angles, but she found it increasingly more difficult to make a decision that she was sure she would not regret in some way. In some ways, her spiritual powers made her feel special, and she had used her abilities to save lives in the past. Admittedly, she lived in the modern era now, and she personally had no desire the fight beasts like the one she had seen earlier. Even when given a purpose worth fighting for, the young priestess had always loathed fighting. It was never something that she particularly enjoyed, but rather something that had been necessary at times. Perhaps allowing them to remove her powers would allow her to move on from the fighting and live a normal life… but there was still a large part of her that wanted to keep her abilities. After all, they were the only connection left that she had left to her life in the feudal era… and Inuyasha.
Thinking back, her travels had changed her, and she was no longer as hesitant with the idea of using her abilities as she once was. She was a much stronger person than she had ever been before, and although the change was barely noticeable from the outside, she knew it was there inside of her heart and mind. She had grown as a person, and through her many adventures, she had even displayed a strength that even she had never known she had. Thinking about Inuyasha, and her adventures in the feudal era, Kagome no longer had any doubt in her mind of what she wanted to do.
Clearing her throat, she looked up at the people around her, all of which were staring at her in an expectant manner. Ignoring their stares, she prepared to voice her answer. "I wish to learn how to improve my abilities…" she replied, in a clear and concise tone so that she would not be misunderstood. Her words earned a mixed reaction from the group. Ichigo let out a small sight, Rukia nodded her head slightly, and Uryu shook his head in a reluctant manner.
"I guess that settles it… If that is your decision, then there's really not much else to say." Urahara said. Reaching next to him, the shopkeeper picked up his walking stick and hoisted himself into a standing position, giving her an appraising look as he crossed the room. Pushing the end of his stick into the floor, he forced open a strange panel, revealing a large ladder, which apparently led to the basement. "If you all don't mind…" he added, gesturing towards the strange passageway.
Kagome watched as her classmates went through the passageway, and decided to follow them to see what would happen next. To her surprise, the young priestess soon realized that the ladder was much longer than it appeared to be from the surface. Forcing herself not to look down, she continued her journey until she had reached the ground. Looking around, she realized how large the new room was, and was thoroughly amazed that such a place could exist underneath a shop.
The room was extremely large, the span of the area seemed almost limitless, and the ceiling above her head was several stories higher than the average house. Having gotten used to odd circumstance, Kagome followed after Urahara, joining the rest of the group in an awkward manner. After a few moments, the sandal-wearing shopkeeper spoke again. "Welcome to the training area beneath my shop…" he shouted, causing his voice to echo throughout the large space. "Here you will train to control your powers and refine your abilities so that you can protect yourself in the future."
Kagome nodded, looking slightly nervous as she thought about the situation. "Are you going to be the one to teach me?" she asked, turning to the blonde-haired man.
"I really couldn't even if I wanted to…you will be learning from someone who has similar abilities to your own, and has trained in such abilities." He added, gesturing toward Uryu who had remained silent so far.
Uryu simply nodded his head in agreement, stepping closer to Kagome. "I believe that we already told you about the Quincy, the predecessors of the priests and monks who lived during the Sengoku period… Although we too have dwindled with time, I am the last Quincy."
"You can teach me to improve my techniques?" Kagome asked with a hint of hesitation in her voice.
"I can teach you the Quincy battle arts." Uryu corrected her, casting her a stern expression. "The abilities that I can teach you are similar to what you have known, but are refined to be more effective against hollows. It will not be an easy process… so I must first ask if you truly wish to learn the way of the Quincy."
Kagome nodded without hesitation, bowing her head in a respectful fashion. "I will…" she replied, staring directly into his eyes with strong determination.
After a few moments, he turned away from her gaze, reaching into his pocket and slipping on a metal cuff, which was actually his Quincy battle accessory. "You have the resolve… that is good." He stated, sending her a powerful glare. "But we will soon see if you can go through the training…"
A veil of silence fell over the group, as they exchanged glances with one another. Having seen enough, Urahara spoke up. "All right, we'll leave you two alone to start your training…" he replied, leaping into the air and through the trap door, which led back into his shop. Kagome stared on in disbelief, but simply decided to ignore the amazing feat, having seen Inuyasha do something similar many times.
"Don't push her too hard Uryu…" Ichigo called back as he and Rukia ascended the ladder. The Quincy glanced back at them as they left, but said nothing in response to the comment. Chad and Orihime left shortly after the two Shinigami, the latter of which wished Kagome luck before departing.
Once Chad had closed the passageway, Kagome found herself feeling awkward now that she was alone with a practical stranger. Uryu quickly caught sight of her uneasy expression, feeling a little bit of sympathy for the girl. Although she had claimed to have been through a lot of dangerous experiences, he could still understand the feeling of helplessness that she had felt after seeing the hollow. He too felt the same way after he lost his Quincy powers, and he knew all too well that the battle accessory that he wore had limitations.
"I have to get back to my aunt's house by seven tonight." Kagome stated, turning towards the Quincy, who had remained silent so far.
Uryu shook his head, looking completely indifferent. "That will not be a problem… Just make sure to warn her that you will be out late the next time you agree to train. Since you appear to have a time limit, I will teach you the basics today." Kagome nodded in agreement, sitting down on a large rock in the middle of the underground training facility.
Once he was sure that she was listening, he begun speaking. "As I said before, there are a few basic things that you need to know about the Quincy… first and foremost is the difference between the Quincy and the Shinigami." Seeing that she was still looking at him, he continued. "A Shinigami's zanpakuto cleanses a hollow's soul, and sends it to the Soul Society, but the spiritual power used by priests, monks, and the Quincys permanently destroy souls…"
Kagome let out a gasp of terror, looking horrified by the idea. "I may want to protect myself, but not at the cost of others…" she replied, standing up and heading towards the ladder.
Uryu quickly intercepted her, holding out his hand in protest. "If you no longer wish to fight, than I shall respect your decision, but I must first ask you one thing… When you were in the feudal era, did you ever slay a demon?" he questioned, giving her a grim expression.
Thinking back, the young priestess realized that she had seen and defeated countless enemies in the Sengoku period alongside Inuyasha and her friends. "Yes… but what does that have anything to do with it. I didn't destroy their souls, I just destroyed their physical forms."
The Quincy nodded, his expression softening a little. "Yes…but their souls now burn in hell, a fate much worse than what I described to you. Tell me, is condemning them to eternal suffering any better than destruction."
"Not all demons are bad!" Kagome retaliated, casting an angry expression at Uryu.
"That may be true… but demonic souls cannot exist in the Soul Society, and so they all go to hell to preserve the peace. That is something that my grandfather told me years ago about the demons of ancient times. Although it may not seem right that is how things have been since the dawn of time…" he stated, his expression becoming even more grim as he spoke.
Kagome struggled to regain her composure choking back tears as she thought of Shippo, Kilala, and Inuyasha. All of which were her friends. She felt pity for almost every demon that she ever met, including Sesshomaru and Jaken who were never actually bad people, just very determined. "Either way… I still can't bring myself to use my powers against human souls if it means permanently ending their existence."
Uryu stepped in front of her, a serious expression on his face. "I know it is not the easiest thing to think of, but I've always known about that. The idea is actually very dangerous, because the Quincy arts which destroy human souls, also disrupt the balance of souls between the Soul Society and the living world, which is why the Shinigami slaughtered my people centuries ago…" he replied, looking down as he spoke.
She couldn't help but realize at that moment, that everyone had their own cross to carry, especially those who were involved in matter that broke the boundaries between life and death.
"I remember that my grandfather once told me that the Quincy should protect the living, and the Shinigami are responsible for keeping the dead safe… He knew the errors of our people, and tried to remedy them." Uryu said.
Kagome listened intently to the Quincy's words, even pitying the fate of his entire race. "I guess you're right… but I still am not sure about this."
"If you desire to keep your spiritual abilities, than you must be." He replied, giving her a rather stern expression as he straightened his glasses. "This training does not mean that you should purposely look for battles… You should use it for defending yourself, because in this situation, it is either you, or the hollows."
Realizing that he had made a valid point, she decided to sit down and think about the situation even more closely. The idea of destroying human souls was not what she desired, but she had no other choice if she wanted to keep her powers. She had realized before that her abilities were the only thing left that connected her to her friends… and she never wanted to let that go. She had also learned many things from her travels, one of which being that making decisions was not always an easy thing to do. Looking at the current situation she realized how hard life really was at times… sometimes you had to do things that you didn't want to do, to keep a part of yourself.
"Do you wish to learn from me?" the Quincy asked her, his voice effectively breaking her chain of thought.
The young priestess thought about for a few more seconds, eventually answering him in the form of a solemn nod… "Although I agree to train, I intend only to use my powers for defense…" she added, closing her eyes as she went over the notion in her mind.
"Very well…" Uryu replied, removing his battle accessory as he spoke. "All things considered, I suppose we can postpone this lesson for tomorrow."
"All right then. Should I come by after school to this shop?" she asked. Her question earned another nod from the Quincy, who headed toward the ladder and began climbing. Kagome followed after him wondering if she had made the right decision to train with him.
Note to Reader: Well there you have it, another chapter done. I wanted to include more action but I think that's enough for now. I think the interesting part will begin next chapter. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed my story in the past. I hope you will continue to support my story in the future. Keep reviewing, it motivates me to write new chapters and update faster.