A/N: Many apologies for the long delay in updates. I was very, very sick in the hospital. But I have returned now, and, thanks to all your faithful reviews, have updated once again! Also, many thanks to all those who voted for my story on A Single Spark! I won an award! YES! Thank you all!
As always, Japanese translation notes are at the end.
Elements
Chapter 8
As agreed, Sesshomaru met Kagome at a clearing the next morning at dawn, who was meditating peacefully as he approached.
Sitting down beside her silently, he removed his armor and swords, laying them aside in a gesture of well-meaning. After all, she was here to teach him, and he had no intentions of starting things off in a bad way.
As if sensing his presence (which he didn't doubt she could do), Kagome opened her eyes.
"Ohayo gozaimasu, Sesshomaru."
"Ohayo."
The two sat beside each other in companionable silence for a moment, neither one exactly sure how to proceed.
Sesshomaru supposed were he anyone else, he would feel frightfully silly right now, sitting in the middle of an open field, clad only in a kimono with a miko at his side. It hardly mattered, though. Kagome had said she would teach him, and teach him she would.
But in the meantime, he waited patiently. After all, today, Kagome was to be the teacher, and it would be best if he were to follow her lead.
"Sesshomaru," Kagome said finally, turning to face him as she broke the silence. "I've never taught anyone anything like this before."
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. "I don't doubt it."
Kagome flushed. "Well, I'm just saying- you know- that this may not be the smoothest course- but I'm trying- and-"
Smirking, Sesshomaru took her hand in his, stopping her abruptly.
"Kagome," he said, looking at her. "Today this Sesshomaru is the student, and you are the teacher. You have no reason to justify anything to me. I will be grateful to learn anything you have to teach me."
Kagome colored slightly, looking away, speaking volumes of her innocence and naïvete. "Are you sure?"
"How else is one to learn?" Sesshomaru asked, truly puzzled. "Nothing is ever going to get done if the positions of authority are not properly established."
Kagome laughed. "I suppose you're right. Let's get started, then."
The two folded their legs into a traditional sitting position. Kagome took a deep breath, as if readying herself, Sesshomaru noticed, before speaking.
"In order to control the elements, you must first understand them," Kagome began. "After you begin to understand the elements, then you must respect them and their power. Only after you fully understand an element and respect its power will it allow you to use it at your leisure."
"How do you control the elements?" Sesshomaru asked, interrupting. "With a spell?"
"I thought I was the teacher," Kagome teased, and Sesshomaru looked away, rolling his eyes at her chastisment. Kagome smiled at him thoughtfully before answering.
"To be honest, I'm not really sure," she said mildly. "Once you understand an element, it's mostly an unconscious thing, kind of like walking."
Sesshomaru whirled around, astonished, trying not to gape.
"Controlling the very forces of the universe that bind nature together comes to you unconsciously?" he asked incredulously.
"Well, yeah," Kagome said, smiling slightly. "How do you think you do that flying air cloud trick, anyway?"
"I-"
Sesshomaru paused.
How did he do the air cloud trick?
Granted, he had never really thought about it before, but now that he did, it didn't make sense. It wasn't formed with his demon energy, he didn't say a spell or anything, and he certainly hadn't learned to do it.
It just sort of... happened, whenever he wanted it to.
"I suppose you thought it was an inuyoukai trick passed down?" Kagome asked, her eyes sparkling. "I can tell you right now that it's not. That's your dominant element, manifesting through you."
Sesshomaru struggled to keep up. "Dominant element?"
Kagome nodded. "Mostly everyone has one. It's usually indicated through your personality traits or quirks, such as with you, your aloofness and intelligence. But if its not, you can always check here." She took his arm, turning over his hand.
"The palm?" he asked, curious.
"Mmhmm," Kagome nodded. "See your short palm with the long, lean fingers?" she asked, tracing them. "They mark you as an intellectual, an aristocrat, one not to be trifled with to anyone who can read palms. It also reveals that your dominant element is air, as you have what is called an air hand."
"So the village fortune tellers and soothsayers have some credibility?" he scoffed.
Kagome looked up through her bangs, smiling. "Perhaps."
"I shall have to make more of an effort not to kill them, then," he deadpanned. Kagome laughed.
"So- what does that mean?" Sesshomaru asked, keeping his curiousity from his tone. "What does it mean that my dominant element is air? What does it do?"
"It just means you're more aligned spiritually with the air," Kagome said simply. "Because you're more alike, it'll be easier for you to use it, as opposed to the other elements."
Sesshomaru raised and eyebrow. "More alike?"
Kagome grinned. "I told you you had to understand the elements first, before you could use them," she smiled. "The elements have personalities and desires, just like you and me, though not as apparent. Your personality aligns closest with that of air, making it easier for you to understand it without consciously trying."
Sesshomaru was getting lost very quickly. Elements having personalities? This was ridiculous. The miko did seem to know what she was talking about, though, so Sesshomaru hurried on.
"Does everyone have one?" he asked. "Are they all the same?"
"Yeah. Well, mostly, and no," Kagome said. "Most people have one, but it differs from person to person. Like InuYasha's is fire, Miroku's is earth, and Sango's is water."
"And their dominant elements reflect their personalities?" Sesshomaru asked, slowly starting to grasp it.
"Yes," she answered, smiling. Sesshomaru returned her smile, before pausing.
"What is your element?" he asked.
"I'm the exception," Kagome said, grinning.
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "The exception?"
"Yep," Kagome confirmed, smiling. "Tell me, Sesshomaru: can you name all the elements that everything in the world is comprised of?"
"Earth, air, fire, water," Sesshomaru rattled off easily. Even youkai pups knew this.
"Good," said Kagome. "Now, what element is a house made from?"
"Earth," Sesshomaru responded.
"A person?"
"All four."
"Very good." She paused, her eyes sparkling, alight with mischief, before asking, "Now, Sesshomaru, what element is miasma made from?"
Sesshomaru paused.
Miasma?
Miasma could be any of them, really. It came from those earthen golem dolls that Naraku was so fond of all the time, so that was a possibility, but it was also a cloud of poisonous air, so wouldn't it be that instead? And miasma burned the lungs and scorched the land, giving it properties of fire, too, but it could rain miasma as well, so was it water as well?
Thoroughly stumped, Sesshomaru took a guess.
"Air?"
"A good try, but no," Kagome smiled. "It's actually made out of the same element that your youkai energy is."
Sesshomaru's eyes widened. Energy was made out of elements, too? His schoolmasters from his youth had been searching for explanations for that for years, and this mere slip of a girl had found one?
It was incredible.
"What is it?" Sesshomaru asked, trying to keep his voice even. Kagome smiled.
"Darkness," she replied.
Sesshomaru paused, considering.
Darkness?
As the incredible, ridiculous, off-the-wall theory though it was, if he suspended his disbelief long enough to consider Kagome's words, it sort of made sense, in a way. All the effects of miasma were dark and evil, and though they weren't exclusive to any one of the fours elements he had been brought up knowing, they all seemed to fit under this new category of darkness.
Perhaps Kagome was smarter than he thought...
"So miasma is made with the element of darkness?" Sesshomaru asked, turning back to look at the girl. "And youki energy is as well?"
"Hai," Kagome nodded. "That's why Naraku doesn't have a normal dominant element. His dominant element is darkness, as his personality is closest to that. But beings like that are rare."
Recalling Naraku's cruel, sadistic apathy for anything that didn't benefit him or hurt others in some twisted, evil way, Sesshomaru nodded. Darkness certainly dominated Naraku's soul.
Just then, another thought occurred to him, as he remembered what else she had said.
"How is it then that all youkai are not dominated by darkness, if their energy is controlled by it?" Sesshomaru asked, hiding his concern. "You said the dominant element of this Sesshomaru was air, not darkness."
"That's because it is," Kagome said, smiling slightly. "Just because your energy is that of the element darkness doesn't mean that you are. Youkai are individual beings with their own thoughts, feelings, and desires, just like people. It's only when a youkai's personality gives completely into the darkness in his youki that his element changes to darkness."
Sesshomaru nodded slowly in understanding. That made more sense. Though, it didn't really explain why she had told him about all this. She was not a demon, so surely this wasn't her dominant element?
"I think Naraku's used to be fire, before he changed, you know," she went on aloud. "As Onigumo, I mean. It makes the most sense."
"I can understand this," Sesshomaru said, looking at Kagome oddly. "But Kagome, you are a miko. Darkness is not your dominant element."
Kagome laughed.
"Still on about that, are you?" she teased, smiling. Sesshomaru smirked back, refusing to be goaded. "You have enough information now to figure out what my element is now, Sesshomaru. Try to figure it out on your own."
Sesshomaru paused, thinking hard. Kagome grinned.
"I'll give you a hint," she said, her eyes sparkling merrily. "It's the exact opposite of Naraku's."
Sesshomaru considered, deliberating slowly. Something wasn't fitting quite right with this new information Kagome had given him, or else, it was incomplete, which must be the answer. Dwelling on her words of the opposite, Sesshomaru was struck with sudden inspiration.
Tossing a new element into the mix completely ruined the balance of the universe, Sesshomaru realized. Everything had an equal counterpart, created that way to balance the world. Earth had air, fire had water, and darkness had...?
Comprehension slowly dawned over Sesshomaru's face.
"Light," he breathed. "Your element is that of light."
And from the way Kagome was beaming at him with pride, Sesshomaru knew he had gotten it right.
"So there are six elements," Sesshomaru said, his mind racing. "Earth, air, fire, water, darkness, and now light." He turned to look at her. "Is that what your purification power is made of?"
"As well as any other holy energy," Kagome nodded. "It's the counterpart to your youki."
"And... not all priestess' dominant element is light?" Sesshomaru asked, tentative.
"Correct," she confirmed. "Because mine is is why I can purify the jewel shards. I haven't met anyone else who could."
Sesshomaru thought for a moment.
"Before your soul was dominated by light and was so pure, what was your dominant element?" he asked. "There had to be a time before. Perhaps when you were a child?"
"Earth," Kagome answered immediately. "I don't remember very well, but I know for sure that my personality lay closest to that of earth."
Sesshomaru found himself oddly pleased at that, though he had no real reason to. Though earth was the natural balance of air, it wasn't as if it mattered or anything.
"So, now that you have a basic rundown on all the elements, do you want to start preparing to use one of them?" Kagome asked, her eyes sparkling. Sesshomaru whirled around, disbelieving.
"Oh, come on, now," she teased, grinning. "You didn't think I'd teach you all about the elements without at least starting you on your training, did you?"
Sesshomaru felt a rush of excitement flood through him at her words.
"I would appreciate that," he acknowledged, trying to keep the anticipation from his voice.
Kagome smirked.
"We don't have to if you don't want to," she said, musing aloud. "After all, you hardly seem eager, and I don't want to toil my student needlessly..."
Grabbing her arm and yanking her towards him, Sesshomaru growled, making Kagome's eyes widen in shock.
"No," he said firmly. "We will begin training now, like you said."
Kagome looked at him a moment longer, her blue eyes holding his amber gaze for a long moment, before she pulled back, laughing.
"Apparently someone is excited, if you respond to my teasing so forcefully," she laughed. "But alright. We'll start your training today." She turned to face him again, cocking her head. "Is there any particular element you wish to master first?"
"Earth," Sesshomaru responded, his mind flying back two days prior when he has seen the girl in front of him channel raw energy from the earth, to be used and bent to her will. He cleared his throat. "I mean, I would like to do earth first," he said, watching her for a response.
His teacher considered, looking thoughtful.
"Earth... would be a good place to start," Kagome mused aloud. "Controlling earth not only allows you to do the things you would expect with it, but also channel it's energy into yourself, to be used for other purposes."
"What other things?" Sesshomaru found himself asking. So far, he'd only seen her raw energy manipulation, which seemed powerful enough to him.
Kagome smiled, and, reaching over, plucked a flower from nearby in the field. Drawing it back to her, she concentrated for a moment, before miraculously, the flower began to grow.
Sesshomaru watched in fascination as the flower's stem lengthened and thickened, resembling a thick vine, and more flowers began to bloom off of it, with other stems twirling around the main one, bending and growing into a wreath of violets, weaving together at the ends.
Finished, Kagome smiled, before tossing him the wreath. He caught it instinctually, before turning it over in his hands, examining it.
"Things like that," Kagome said, smiling, and Sesshomaru looked up, and, unable to help himself, smiled back.
"Thank you," Sesshomaru said quietly.
"No problem," Kagome smiled. "It'll make a nice present for Rin."
The two paused for a moment, before Kagome resumed where she had broken off.
"Now," Kagome said. "Earth, while a good place to start, might be a bit hard for you to learn at first. So, we might be better of starting with something easier for you, like air, and working our way up-"
Sesshomaru growled.
"Why would earth be hard for me to learn?" he demanded, not caring of their roles of teacher and student any longer. Kagome turned to look at him, surprised at his frustration.
"It's just- earth's personality may be a bit difficult for you to grasp at first," Kagome explained, startled by his outburst. "If we start with something easier like air, that way, you can build you confidence up first, before we try something like-"
"This Sesshomaru has no need to work up to anything!" he snapped, truly annoyed this time. "This Sesshomaru is capable of learning anything he puts his mind to, and this Sesshomaru wishes to learn the element of earth first!"
He glared at her, as if daring her to object. Kagome stared at him, stunned, before a slow grin spread across her face.
"Maybe even fire would be a better first choice for you," she murmured aloud. "But alright. We'll do earth. But I warn you, it won't be easy."
"This Sesshomaru has never been one to cower from things just because they are 'not easy'," he informed her. Kagome laughed.
"Okay, Sesshomaru," she smiled. "I believe you. We'll do earth, okay? Now, can you please sit down?"
Startled, Sesshomaru realized that at some point in his fervor to get her to teach him earth he had leapt to his feet without realizing it. Slightly embarrassed by his lapse, he sat down again, folding his legs. Kagome smiled.
"Much better," she remarked. "Now, the first step to learning an element is to understand it."
"Understand it," Sesshomaru repeated dutifully.
"Yes," Kagome nodded. "And in order to understand it, you have to be able to know what the earth wants and empathize with that desire. Following so far?"
Sesshomaru nodded.
"So, as your teacher, then, I'm going to tell you what it is the earth wants and guide you in discovering it for yourself," Kagome continued. "When you truly understand it and respect the earth, the rest should come naturally."
"How are you going to guide me in this discovery?" Sesshomaru asked.
"Oh, I don't know. First, just by telling you, I suppose, and then by showing you," she shrugged. "I've never taught anyone this before, so I guess we'll have to play it by ear."
"So, then, Sesshomaru," she grinned, her eyes sparkling again. "What is it that you think the earth wants most of all?"
Sesshomaru looked at Kagome blankly.
"You are expecting me to theorize about an abstract concept's feelings?" he asked in disbelief.
"Sure," Kagome said, smiling. "Why not? What do you think I did to figure all this out on my own?"
Sesshomaru didn't have an answer to that, so he ignored her question, instead choosing to focus on the first one.
What did the earth want? What did the earth want? Surely not anything normal, like being superior over the other elements, like he would want if he were the earth, but then again, Kagome had said he would have trouble understanding the earth's motives.
"To last forever?" Sesshomaru ventured, guessing. Kagome looked at him curiously.
"It figures that you'd say something like that," she remarked. "Why 'to last forever'?"
"The earth is constantly healing itself," Sesshomaru said, explaining his reasoning. "If there is an explosion, in time, the earth will heal, instead of just letting the damage be. This constant reparation makes it appear that it wants to last forever. And the earth has certainly been around for a long time, has it not?"
Kagome smiled. "Not a bad guess," she acknowledged. "But not correct either. Sure, the earth wants to last as long as it can, but then again, what or who doesn't? No, what matters is why the earth wants to last so long."
Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow. To him, it seemed the question would be why wouldn't the earth want to last forever. Kagome sighed.
"This is going to be harder than I thought," she murmured. Raising her head, she looked directly at him. "The earth's main desire is to protect others, Sesshomaru."
Sesshomaru blinked. Protect others?
"Think about it," Kagome said tiredly, reading his expression. "What does the earth do, Sesshomaru?"
He considered.
"Nothing, really," he remarked. "All the earth really does is provide nourishment and a home for plants and others-"
"Exactly!" Kagome exclaimed. "The earth exists not to serve itself, but to serve others!"
"But why?" Sesshomaru asked, not comprehending. "Surely a powerful element like the earth could use its strength and energy in a different way if it so desired. Why waste it on others?"
"Because that's what it wants, Sesshomaru," Kagome said, frustrated. "That's the earth's personality. It wants to protect and provide for others. It likes helping them out. The earth is naturally caring and compassionate, offering the necessities of life to all it can."
"But why?" Sesshomaru said, still confused. "Does the earth not understand the likelihood that those that take advantage of its care giving will never be able to repay it back?"
"It understands that perfectly!" Kagome exclaimed. "It just doesn't matter, Sesshomaru! The earth is selfless like that! It gives and gives, and it will continue to give until it has nothing more to give!"
"But- why?"
"AUGH!"
Kagome got up from her seat and stomped around the grass, frustrated. Sesshomaru watched in slight astonishment as pink sparks of power leapt up from beneath her feet before dissipating into the air. After stomping around for a bit, Kagome sat down, rubbing her temples, and took several slow, deep breaths.
"Okay," she said tiredly. "Sesshomaru. I think that's going to be it for today's lesson."
Recalling when her emotions had gotten control of her and her purification powers had really spiraled out of control, Sesshomaru wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Okay- um, for next time..." she looked around, thinking. "Just try to get a better understanding of what the earth wants. Meditate, and then try to understand it, okay?"
"Okay," Sesshomaru agreed. "When shall we meet again?"
"Um... ano..." Kagome paused. "Is tomorrow at dawn alright for you?"
Sesshomaru nodded.
"Okay then," Kagome sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she got up. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Sesshomaru. Oh, and bring Rin with you tomorrow, okay? I think she might enjoy the lesson."
"Hai," Sesshomaru said, watching her gather her bow and arrows and turn to go. On a wild impulse, he called out after her, "Kagome!"
She paused, turning, looking at him thoughtfully. "What is it, Sesshomaru?"
Sesshomaru bit his lip, slightly embarrassed at his outburst, wondering how best to phrase his words.
"I am- truly sorry I was not able to understand what you were teaching me fully," he said finally. "I really do appreciate you teaching me. I will strive to do better, Kagome. I will do my best."
Kagome's face softened, and her lips curled into a smile.
"I know that, Sesshomaru," she said gently. "Don't worry. I'm not giving up on you yet."
With that, she turned to stride off into the forest, back to her camp, leaving Sesshomaru sitting there, smiling in the field, hardly able to wait until the next dawn arrived.
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Translation notes: 'Ohayo gozaimasu' is a formal way to say good morning. 'Ohayo' also means good morning, but is less formal.
So, another chapter done. I can't wait to write the next one! I have it all planned out in my mind.
Read it? PLEASE review! Reviews encourage an author like nothing else. Please review! It only takes a moment, and it is cherished for much longer than that. Please, review!
