A.N. I do not own Inuyasha or X-Men sadly enough.

Kagome felt the bite of the tree bark against her skin as she fell from a branch, her hands scrabbling for purchase before she landed hard on the roots, her back feeling practically broken. She stayed that way for a long moment before she rolled onto her side, off the root which bruised the small of her back. Her skin felt raw and her bones were practically vibrating with pain.

Shippou came barreling through to the clearing, worry in his features. "Mama, I can smell your bloo-" He broke off and rushed to her side, his lips thin as he glanced up at the tree and down at her. "You fell."

"Yes, Shippou, sorry. I was trying to see ahead." She slowly, painstakingly rolled to her hands and knees and pushed herself up. "I bet I look a mess."

"Come on-There's a spring nearby and we need to wash you up and cover your wounds. We don't want any other demons smelling your blood." Shippou transformed into Kagome, a tail still visible as he helped her to her feet.

x~x~x

As students milled into the classroom on Friday, Kagome felt dread pool in her belly for an instant as she looked into their faces. Not a one of them knew how hard this was going to be for her from this lesson on, but they all would expect the same level of enthusiasm and she planned to give it. Once everyone was seated, she handed the attendance pad over to Kurt. "Go ahead and sign in. Last class, we left off on Shako disposing of Mistress Centipede in the Bone-Eaters Well and choosing to leave the Shikon no Tama in the care of Kikyou, the miko in the village nearby."

Rogue watched her teacher, noticing the very controlled way Kagome was breathing, the techniques echoing what she was teaching her. Kagome was clearly upset, though hiding it from most. She glanced at the clock, noting her slower pace. They were already five minutes in and her teacher was taking her time, not filling every moment with detail as she usually did.

Turning on the projector, Kagome swallowed as the image came on. "This is a painting of Kikyou, thought to be the most powerful miko since Midoriko at the time." She could feel the eyes darting between her and the picture. "Kikyou took on the responsibility of the Shikon no Tama with a heavy heart, her days of caring for her village and her younger sister Kaede becoming infinitely more complicated.

"The Shikon no Tama brought demons and humans alike forward, the dark priestess Tsubaki who we already discussed and a slew of demons of varying strength, though most her of the lower tier variety. For the safety of her village, Kikyou was forced to isolate herself. She taught Kaede to take over the duties within the village itself and spent her days on the periphery, fending off attacks away from the rest." Kagome looked at the picture again, thinking the artist had captured her sadness well, the somberness in those brown irises tugging at her own heart strings.

"Though she knew it was best to stay away from others, Kikyou was lonely. She found a bandit, burned and unlikely to ever recover, and began caring for him. Kaede helped at times, but she often went to him alone, tending his wounds and talking to the dying man." Kagome felt a bitterness inside her a moment, a deep regret. But it was far too late for regrets to do anything to help.

"Ms. Higurashi?" Kurt piped up after a pause that was a little too long, the silence in the air unnaturally heavy.

Smiling, Kagome nodded to him in thanks and glanced at the clock with a little trepidation, unsure if she could make the lesson long enough. "Kikyou fought off all who tried to take the jewel from her, fighting even her own inner darkness everyday. Onigumo, the bandit she tended saw this and grew to desire her more and more, wanting to see the darkness overtake her, to see that formerly pure heart turn black.

"However, Kikyou's heart was beginning to lighten. She had hope, a light at the end of the tunnel in her duty. Nearly everyday, she was approached by a half demon, one who was seeking the jewel to become a full demon. In him, she saw that same aching loneliness that affected her." Kagome felt overcome for a moment, be it hormones or simply the subject matter, and cleared her throat. "On Monday, we will learn more about Inuyasha, the half demon that fell in love with Kikyou."

Kitty looked disappointed. "It was just getting good!" she complained quietly to Kurt.

The blue boy was not focused on Kitty however, his eyes following his teacher as she beat a hasty retreat, class a great deal shorter than it usually was.

x~x~x

Wiping her eyes furiously, Kagome blew her nose and laughed shakily in awkward embarrassment as she sensed Logan behind her. She had bolted outside for air and had not checked to see if she was followed, a mistake that she would not make again. "I must look a sight."

Wordlessly offering her a somewhat stained but otherwise clean rag, Logan just let her clean up for a minute. "Something happen?" he finally asked, tone gruff.

Shaking her head, Kagome dabbed at her eyes and smiled slightly. "No. I just have a little one inside me wreaking havoc on my emotions." She rested her hand on her stomach and felt another wave of sadness as she unwillingly connected her child to Inuyasha, the fact that like Izayoi, she would not have a father to offer, only stories.

"The kid's lucky," Logan rumbled suddenly, the timbre of his voice somewhat comforting to one who was accustomed to the guttural growls of comfort from canine youkai. When she started again and met his his eyes, he stepped in closer. "You're takin' care of all sorts of kids here that aren't yours and worrying this much about the one that is. You're gonna be a good at this."

Giving a shuddering laugh, Kagome's smile became more genuine. "Thank you. I needed that." She handed back the rag and felt a tiny tingle when his skin brushed hers.

Catching her hand, Logan took another step in and looked down at her with a certain intensity.

The touch of his skin on hers was oddly soothing, not like the burning want she experienced in the woods with him. Still, she pulled her hand free and stepped back. "I should be going."

Expression souring a little, Logan nodded. "I'll be in the garage, if you want something."

Watching him go, Kagome felt stirrings of feelings that could only complicate her life. Biting her lip, she turned and found herself wandering into the woods.

x~x~x

It was midnight before Kagome came back inside and she was unsurprised by the presence of the Professor near her door. "Sorry about the late night."

"You're an adult and can come and go as you please. Though the subject matter you're teaching seems to be upsetting you." Xavier appraised her with gentleness in his eyes. "If you need to change up the curriculum-"

"No, really, it's fine." Kagome smiled reassuringly and rested her hand on the doorknob. "Goodnight."

Watching her disappear into her bedroom, Xavier frowned in concern.

x~x~x

Kagome looked up at the stars, holding Shippou close as he slept against her chest. The fire was low, the only sounds the occasional pop of the remnants of the wood and the rustle of leaves as the cool wind passed through. Her eyes flickered to the fire cat in the trees, keeping watch and her heart hurt.

Kirara mewled softly then and leapt through the trees all of the sudden, obviously going after some threat in the night.

Silent as ever, Sesshomaru slipped into the camp, his eyes falling to her bundled form. He sat across from her on the opposite side of the fire, the low glow of the embers tinting his eyes red.

Shifting her treasured burden to allow herself to sit up against the tree more fully, Kagome stared at him. "I take it you want to speak privately." She'd sensed him a good hour ago, waiting downwind to insure Kirara wouldn't catch him.

"You did not come," Sesshomaru deadpanned, his eyes locked on hers.

"No, I didn't." Looking away, Kagome sighed. "I can't… I mean we keep meeting and…" Her cheeks flushed. "I'm not used to this kind of arrangement. I'd never even… And now-"

Sesshomaru was suddenly before her, claw tipped fingers cradling her face lightly. "Now you do what you wish. This one certainly does not force you."

"Of course not," Kagome agreed, glancing down at Shippou to insure he still slept. "But… I suppose I'm only human in the way I think about things like this."

"If you feel no desire to continue, do not come to me again." With that, Sesshomaru turned and slipped through the trees, leaving only his scent to alert the cat of his presence when she returned.

x~x~x

Kagome woke at ten on Saturday morning, completely off her normal schedule and feeling sluggishly cranky. She stretched out until she felt her back pop and slid out of bed and onto her feet before heading to the bathroom. After about an hour she emerged freshly showered and fully dressed. She walked to her bedside table and disconnected her phone from the charger before sending a short text and leaving her room.

Kurt was balancing a tray on his arm as he approached her door. "Oh! You're alright. Good." His blue cheeks turned purple with his embarrassment. "No one saw you after class and I was worried you were sick so I made you soup and toast."

Finding the gesture adorable, Kagome's heart warmed. "Thank you Kurt. That was very thoughtful of you." She took the tray in hand. "I was going to be leaving soon, but would you like to come sit outside with me? You can help me finish this brunch you so generously gave me."

Nodding, the teenager walked along with her, feeling sort of light and happy. Something about her just made him feel content. When they found a spot outside near the front, he looked at his teacher thoughtfully and snagged a piece of toast. "So where are you headed?"

Watching the way Kurt's tail swayed a little from his nervous energy, Kagome picked up her cup of soup and sipped at it thoughtfully. "Just into town for a few things. What are your plans for the day?"

Shrugging, the otherworldly teen munched on the crust. "Not much. Just going to read a bit and maybe hang out with Bobby and Rogue."

"Not Kitty?" Kagome teased lightly, amused with the way his cheeks tinged and he looked away. "Do not worry. Your secret is safe with me." When a car pulled up, she set her cup of soup down and smiled. "Thank you, Kurt. I will see you later."

x~x~x

Madame Moirai had her table set with herbal tea and biscuits for her guest when she walked in. "Hello Kagome," she greeted warmly, getting down off her little step stool with a book in hand, "I have a little snack out for us and a lovely little book of mythos you can have to thread through your history lessons throughout the year."

Kagome went to the table and waited to sit until Moirai walked over, surprised how light the woman was on her feet. "Thank you, Madame."

Tickled at her polite tone of voice, Moirai sat and took a biscuit in hand, nibbling. "You're more than welcome. So, you have come for answers and solutions."

Sitting across from her and sipping the tea, Kagome nodded. "You said my adventures were not over. I want to know exactly what that means this time." She looked at her with a certain intensity, questions in the miko's gaze.

"It meant exactly what it sounds like," Moirai told her, drinking a little of her own tea. "You are not done." Smile gentling a bit, the old woman reached across the table and rested her hand atop the younger one's. "Something is happening. Mutants are disappearing, and so are those gifted like us. I do not know who is at the center, but the feeling is dark and forbidding."

Panic seized the miko's heart as she thought about the possibility of having to keep fighting yet another long and painful battle, this time further enhanced by the life she was nurturing within her womb. She ran her hand over her lower belly, shaking her head. "It is too much… I just want to raise my child in peace."

"And yet you chose to come to this school to teach, a place likely to be rife with conflict. Despite your clearly expressed desire to maintain your distance, you are building connections. You won't retreat now." Moirai gave her a measuring look, a coolness to it.

Kagome flinched and her hand curled into a fist. "You waited to tell me more until I cared for those here." Her eyes narrowed, her jaw tightened.

"If you were not invested, you would have allowed your old allies to hide you. Now, child or none, you will stand and defend this school." Before Kagome could rise, she reached out and grasped her clenched fist, pushing her sight onto the younger woman.

Dizzy from the feeling of darkness closing in on her, Kagome cried out as visions danced before her eyes; Rogue screaming as her mind was taken over, Kurt impaled on a blade, Storm surrounded by enemies ripping the elements from her control and sucking air from her lungs, the school burning, the world tinging red with blood…

Moirai was suddenly standing beside her, stroking her sweat dampened hair back. "Sshh… I'm sorry. I know, it's so much, it's painful to look at… But you have the ability to change that vision where I do not. You see why you must stay?"

Getting to her feet shakily, Kagome said nothing to the old woman and walked out.

x~x~x

Kagome fired arrow after arrow at her target and when she ran out she threw her bow to the side and moved into her katas, drenched in sweat and too angry and afraid to stop for even a second, the woods echoing with her heavy breathing. When someone came into the edge of her senses, her hands glowed automatically and her eyes narrowed. "Come out!" she ordered hoarsely.

Dirty blond hair gleamed a bit in the light of the setting sun as the massive man emerged from the treeline. His nostrils flared and his grin was feral as he stepped forward. He let out a low rumbling growl, his amber eyes darkening.

Taking her stance, Kagome did not hesitate to let her power show, the light around her hands spreading to the rest of her, the air around her rippling as she burned the youki that came off him in waves. "Leave me and I will not hurt you." She knew this was no full youkai, but a mutant with a lot of the traits, his aura much like Logan's.

"If you submit, I won't hurt you… much." Without waiting for an answer, he ran at her, size not slowing him even a little.

Used to fighting fast opponents, Kagome reacted well and dodged, using the moment to grab her bow. "You do not know what I am capable of," she warned, not really wanting to kill him so close to the school.

The big mutant laughed at her, licking his lips. "What are you?" He stalked forward, wanting to touch her, wanting to know what that power that came off her in waves tasted like.

Catching another presence, Kagome let the glow die and the fear enter her eyes. "Help!" she shouted, zigzagging for the trees.

Confused, the blond became enraged when suddenly he was plowed into from behind, sent into a tumbling roll with Wolverine. He snarled, fighting even more viciously than usual for the prize he had found.

Snarling, Logan's claws buried themselves in Sabertooth's ribs, the smell of blood and Kagome's fear sending him into a frenzy. He felt Sabertooth's claws in his gut and slammed his fist down into his face again and again.

Guilt weighed on Kagome as she fled the fight, hearing the pained growls. When the wind picked up around her, she looked to the air and spotted Storm headed that way. A press on her mind alerted her to Jean before she saw her and the concern on the redhead's face was more intense than she expected.

"Are you alright?" Jean asked, coming to her side and examining her quickly and carefully. "Did he knock you down? You look okay, but if you need it, we will do an ultrasound to make sure of the baby's health."

Shaking her head, Kagome rested a hand on her stomach protectively. "No, no, thank you. He never even touched me. I was running and Logan came. You should check on him, he was fighting a big blond mutant."

Nodding, Jean gently pushed her in the direction of the mannor. "Go on then. I'll double check with you once the adrenaline wears off." With that, she rose into the air and left the human behind.

x~x~x

Between Logan and Storm, by the time Jean arrived, Sabertooth was effectively restrained, though snarling the whole time. "Bring the little glowing woman back," he snarled and jerked against Logan's arms.

"Why did you come here?" Ororo demanded, her tone full of promises for what would come if she was not answered as she wanted.

Narrowing her eyes, Jean tried to push through to his mind, surprise coloring her own thoughts when she saw what she wanted.

"Fuck off," Sabertooth snarled in return, slamming Logan back into a tree.

Unwillingly releasing him, Logan made to go after him but whirled around when Jean touched his shoulder. "What?!"

Flinching back, Jean frowned and held up her hands. "I managed to figure out what he came for. Mystique. Mystique has been missing since the night she came here. Kagome distracted him though…" She frowned, having caught the image in his mind of the human teacher glowing with light that seemed to burn the air.

Storm shared her colleague's frown. "We need to report this to the Professor. If you want to track him, do so," she added to Logan before beginning to rise to fly back.

Jean looked about and spotted the arrows buried in a tree not far away and remembered the bow clutched tightly in Kagome's hand before deciding to bring them back to her. "Logan?"

Wolverine, already to the treeline to track Sabertooth down, paused. "Yeah?"

"Sabertooth isn't all there, but… He saw Kagome glowing, burning the air with power. Do you smell anything off about her?" Jean asked, leveling him with a heavy stare.

"She smells human," Logan answered simply, disappearing through the trees.

x~x~x

Xavier was chilled to the bone by the vision Kagome had allowed him to see from Moirai, his eyes locked on hers. "How are you holding up?" he finally asked, tone gentle. He folded his hands on the table, trying to discern her feelings.

"Well, I learned that I am going to be amidst yet another war and got attacked a few hours later. I am not really doing so well," Kagome admitted, shaking her head. "I am terrified and angry and that is really only the tip of the iceberg." She looked away from the Professor, angry that Moirai was right anyway. She was going to dig her heels in and face it, the same way she always did.

"I believe we need to tell the others soon, Kagome. I understand you value your privacy and it was best to allow Logan to handle Sabertooth, but you are not helpless. From what you have told me, you will very likely be the one we need to look to, but no one will so long as you hide from them."

Letting out a sigh, Kagome nodded. "I know… But not yet. We are still trying to figure out what is coming. I can help with that without revealing myself right away."

Charles reached across the table to take her hand. "I will give you more time, but we need to start being honest with the rest soon. Until you are ready to tell them, I cannot say anything against them guarding you. You will not be able to go into the woods alone."

Feeling stifled, Kagome nodded and stood. "Alright. Have the students been told anything?"

"Only that Sabertooth was spotted in the woods and they are not to venture out without a teacher. However, the students often know more than they are told," Charles admonished. "Get some rest. You've had a stressful day."

x~x~x

Heat seared Kagome's flesh as she felt hands ghost along her skin, the skin a touch rougher than what she was used to, but just as pleasing. "Oh…" Leaning back on a chest thick with muscle, she startled and turned to touch her lover, still expecting to meet golden eyes. Instead, they were blue, lips descending on hers as he crushed her to that broad chest covered in dark hair, his arms lifting her up and pressing her back to the bark of the tree, his eyes alight with lust.

x~x~x

When Kagome sat up in her bed, her body absolutely burned. When her senses prickled, she groaned and practically cried in frustration. The unsurprising knock on the door that followed dragged Kagome from her bed, covered only in a thin nightgown.

Logan's eyes dropped from her face when she answered the door, landing on the flimsy fabric that clung to a body that looked both strong and curvy. His nostrils flared and when she stepped back, he stepped through the doorway, closing it off again behind him as he stalked forward.

Wanting him too much to let the idea of more entanglement stop her, Kagome walked to her bed and stopped before it. She felt his eyes on her, drinking her in, raking over the scars on her calves that the sleeping garment exposed, his gaze heavy, though his steps coming closer told her they did not repel in the least. When he was behind her, she leaned back against his chest, taking his hands and resting them on her hips and pressing back against him.

Floored by her sudden advances, Logan dipped down to inhale her scent at the crook of her neck, biting gently to test how she reacted. When her scent spiked, he gripped her hips and tugged the nightgown up and over her head. His eyes roved over her skin, his hands following closely behind. Every scar told him what she had endured, what she was capable of… And it made him want her all the more. He turned her in his arms and cradled her jaw in his hand as he pressed his lips to hers.

Moaning into his mouth, Kagome wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to the bed on top of her.