Here is the next chapter – wow two in a day!

Chapter 8 – Train the miko

Inutaisho did not like the Lords visiting, ever; it was just even worse now that Kagome was here. He was going to have to be very careful. First things first, he had to lay down some rules with her for now. She had to learn that at least while the Lords were here she had to play the part of a servant, behave, show him respect and obey him. Everyone would know she was not a servant as soon as they saw her and he would not treat her as one either, but he could not have the Lords know he had acquired a weakness.

He was striding through his palace with surprising speed, eager to see her and make sure she was alright. He had scared her pretty badly yesterday with the swift exit from the dojo and then the prolonged staring at her. He had offered her no explanations of course, but she was probably used to that from him by now.

With her rooms being right next to his, he was the first one who saw her in the mornings, him before anyone else, and it was the same case for her. She had started getting up earlier recently, without telling him, and he had had to do the same to meet her. He didn't sleep as much as humans anyway, but there were certain rituals he liked to get done in the early hours of the morning before anyone else was awake.

He found that the door to her room was unlocked and there was no barrier around it. After her first morning here he had learnt not to do that anymore, but had given her a means to lock the room herself from the inside. What's more, she's a miko; she is able to put a barrier around her room and had expected her to. He was glad she had not too in a way; perhaps it meant she trusted him to keep her safe, to not hurt her.

He knocked on the door out of courtesy but he got no answer. He entered the room with a call of "Kagome," to make sure she was awake and to dart under the covers or something if she was indecent. He immediately noticed that she was not here in the room at all, he scent was everywhere so he had assumed she was here, but the place only smelt like her because she had been sleeping in here and touched the furniture ext.

He anger peaked and he let out a frustrated growl, he really needed to lay down some rules. The Lords would be coming soon and he couldn't have a miko running around his castle like she owned the place. Well she didn't do that, and he did plan on her living here, but a facade had to be put on for the Lords. They were not dumb and would probably see the facade straight away, but as long as it looked like there was nothing to question, no questions would be asked, it was a corrupt system, and for the very first time, it worked for him.

He left the room in a swirl of white robes and fury he sniffed the air to catch her scent and it stood out amongst all the other scents of the world that invaded his senses. That was just him though, he smelt everything, the mark made her stand out, and easy to find, it was coming in useful an awful lot, more than he thought it would.

He strode outside and found that while following her smell, he was heading towards the dojo. Was she there watching Sesshoumaru and that cat again? She had better not be, otherwise he may not be able to hold back, and cat blood would be spilt, once she could not see of course. He would hold back on his son, he could never cause his own pup harm. Why the hell was she in the dojo... again, she saw it yesterday

He strode through the dojo side doors and into the viewing area. He was prepared for seeing her there, watching in fascination at the fights before her. The scene that actually confronted her was so much worse. She was not the one watching in fascination, Hiro was, and in less than a second, so was he. The ones sparring in the training area were Sesshoumaru and the very pet he had been tracking down.

Sesshoumaru was dressed in his armour like he would be for a battle and lunged at her with his claws extended. Kagome was standing there in the middle of the dojo ready to endure his attack; a sword that was a bit too big for her was clasped in her hands. She was so small really it was no surprise that the katana was too big for her, and Sesshoumaru could immediately tell she was new to the weapon.

Even the way she held it was wrong, with both hands, too far up on the hilt, trying to gage its weight. Her stance too was wrong, she was off balance and closed in on herself in defence, she was so unconfident she would be a snack for Sesshoumaru.

She saw his son's eyes glow red as he closed in on her and she squealed in terror as he descended on her. Then suddenly power crackled and he was lying on the floor at her feet, burn marks on the palms of his hands and he looked at her in confusion. "I'm sorry Sesshoumaru sensei," she gushed as she dropped to her knees beside him, "I just got frightened when your eyes went red and I acted out of instinct, I didn't mean to."

'Sensei" Inutaisho fumed silently. She was getting Sesshoumaru who could barely keep himself in check during a battle to teach her how to fight? Granted, even he was better than her, she looked like she had never seen a sword before, let alone hold one, and she definitely could not wield one, it was amusing in a way.

Sesshoumaru glowered up at her, "that is the third time you have done that today!"

"It's how I've always protected myself, it is automatic!"

"You need to stop if you want to learn how to wield a sword."

"I don't know how and all you are doing is lunging at me, I can't defend myself if I don't know how to use what I've been given!"

Sesshoumaru really looked at hr then and seemed to realize something. He came up behind her; even at twelve he was just as tall as her and much more muscled. He noted Kagome did not even stiffen when he did that.

"Your stance is wrong," he told her, noticing for the first time. "Widen your stance a bit; your feet are too close together. That's right, now crouch down a bit, no, not that far, yes that's right. Now, you're holding the weapon wrong."

His arms came around her and held the sword as well. he was being so familiar with her, a snarl came to his lips without him even thinking. This caught the attention of Hiro, though Inutaisho guessed he had noticed him as soon as he entered.

He gestured at the two youngsters below them, "they are getting along awfully well, and wouldn't you agree, my Lord."

"Hn," he didn't want to, but the cat was right, they were.

"Kagome is a good influence on him; his battle technique has changed overnight. He went from going down after each blow, to almost defeating me earlier this morning. It is all because of what Kagome said to him yesterday, and now he has become a sparring partner instead of fodder, you'll battle him soon."

"What is the meaning of this Hiro?" Inutaisho ordered as he looked at the children training below him in the arena. Sesshoumaru really was making a good teacher now Kagome had practically ordered him to. He seemed so much more mature, more mature than yesterday, all through one conversation with the miko.

Argh. That girl.

"What do you mean my Lord?"

"Why is she training to fight with a sword?"

"Well it turns out she only knows how to fight with a bow and arrows and put up a protective barriers with her miko powers. Sesshoumaru offered to teach her how to use a sword and hand to hand combat."

She wanted to learn how to fight? She went to his son first and Hiro before she came to him? He would have refused though anyway, and he planned on putting a stop to this as well. She was his little pet, and he could protect her, he would do so, for everybody. He wanted to protect her; she had to need to be near him for it. She did not need to know how to fight, she was not meant to even know archery.

"She's a fast learner," Hiro mentioned as if he had read his mind and wanted to get on his nerves. Damn that cat, he was always aggravating him, but he could not do anything. Sesshoumaru had chosen the neko out of over one hundred applicants, some of them inus, some of them wolves and other noble breeds. He had hand-picked the cat to teach him and that effectively places the neko under his and Sesshoumaru's protection.

"I'm putting a stop to this foolishness," he mentioned striding forward, but Hiro's hand closing around his upper arm stopped him.

"Wait my Lord, why do you want to do that?"

"You know why Hiro, so do not pretend to be ignorant. She is mine, my pet, you know this, I know you do – you have seen the mark. She is mine, mine, my pet, I provide for her and I can protect her, she doesn't need to know how to fight."

"But she is enjoying herself."

"I do not care; she can find something else to do to entertain herself. She is a kitten to me, or maybe a kitsune, not a fighting cock."

Hiro looked a little taken aback.

"But she is doing wonders for Sesshoumaru as well. By teaching her he improved drastically as it improves his ow understanding. She progressed him more in one night than all my fifty years of schooling him."

Touga found himself torn.

"Please let her continue to train with him."

He set his jaw – for his son. "I will allow it to continue, but I shall be present during these sessions and shall decide when they take place. They are not to last more than two hours; she is a human and needs more rest and nourishment than a demon."

"Kagome Higurashi!" He called out, striding into view, scaring the two youths half to death with his sudden appearance. They both snapped the heads up to him, moving in synch, which just ticked him off even more.

They both nodded their heads in a bow.

"The training is over for today," he said with finality. His son was innocent in this, he was only a pup, Kagome was the one to blame, and he had to discuss this with her. "Hiro will explain matters further; I need to talk to you."

He didn't offer his hand for her to take, but grabbed her upper arm and walked off, towing her along behind him like yesterday.

Sesshoumaru looked dejected, like he had just had his favourite toy confiscated. Hiro was there immediately to comfort him and explain to him the rules laid down by his father. It was no fun playing when you were watched while it happened, but there was no questioning the demon Lord once he had his mind set on something.

"Why do you want to train?" he asked her, setting her down on the bed. They were in his rooms for privacy. He towered over her, but he was managing to keep the red out of his eyes, the fury and jealousy though was still clear, to him at least. Thankfully she was not looking in his eyes, he had scared her again and she did not want to meet his face.

"Do you feel threatened?" He asked her.

The truth was, she did feel threatened, by him, but she could not tell him that. It was about time she learnt how to fight anyway. She shook her head. "I just wanted to learn, I've always been the one that is protected."

"Is it so bad being protected?"

"Well, yes, sometimes, when my friends are hurt."

"You are placed under my protection while you are here, I shall not be injured, I can look after you perfectly fine."

"Well, when I leave I won't be."

You won't ever leave.

"Why didn't you come to me?"

"Well, you seem like you always have work to do, so I didn't want to bother you by asking you to train me, a weak human. What's more, you are so good, I am like, and well you would laugh at how pathetic I can be in battle. Sesshoumaru on the other hands is free as he spends most of his time fighting Hiro. He could fight me instead."

She enjoys his company more.

"You should have consulted me first, as Lord of the castle I need to give my permission for that to happen; after all it interferes with his lessons." That was the best he could think of, he was falling once again.

"I asked Hiro, his teacher."

"I am his father, and Lord."

"Alright, I'm sorry. But please let s continue, it's fun."

"Hn."

"Thank you!"

Damn it, he had fallen again.

"What I need to talk to you about is to do with something different." Actually, maybe a little training couldn't hurt. "The Northern, Southern and Eastern Lords are visiting the Western castle for a quarterly meet. You need to be on your guard, and not be as outspoken and carefree as you usually are around me." How exactly did he go about explaining this?