Chapter 8: The Training Begins…

Sesshoumaru strode down the hall with a purpose. He was wearing his training gi, and he was bound and determined to train her to do something today. She'd had plenty of time to grieve and training would give her something else to do. In his hand he carried another set of training gi like his own. It was pretty much the same as her miko outfit, except his hakima were blue. He stopped at her door and slid it open. She was sitting at her little table, waiting for breakfast. He set the training gi on the table, "Put those on, woman. We are training today." Kagome gave him a confused look, "But I haven't eaten breakfast yet."

"I've told them not to serve you breakfast today." Sesshoumaru said, blandly.

"But I need to eat!" Kagome said, getting angry.

"You'd be sorry if you did, woman." Sesshoumaru turned his back, "If you eat before training, it will make you ill." At this Kagome shut her mouth, and glared at him.

"Jaken will be here in a little bit to show you to the dojo." He turned and left the room, sliding the door back in it's place.

As he walked down the corridors heading to his dojo, he reflected on their brief exchange. She looked as though she had gotten some sleep the night before. She seemed a little bit brighter this morning. He usually had to listen to her weep and cry out through the night, but he heard nothing. He knew it was time to start her training right then and there. He opened the door to the dojo and looked around. The servants had done a good job cleaning the place up. All of his weapons were neatly placed in their racks. The bokens, shinai, and bo staves were in a barrel next to the real forms they simulated. There were straw mats on the floor to act as cushions for grappling sessions. All in all, it looked like a regular dojo. He nodded in approval and sat in the middle of the dojo. As he waited for her to arrive he began to braid his hair. He hoped with all of his being that she hadn't been taught anything of the arts before this, because if so, he would have to retrain her. As he continued to braid his own hair, he glanced over at the corner and saw Tetsuisga. He now had the sword he'd wanted so bad in the past in his possession, and he still couldn't touch it. It baffled him that with the woman being a demon she could even hold the sword. He was pulled from his thoughts as he finished braiding his hair and looked around for something to tie it with. Realizing that all he had to do so was his own haori, he growled and ripped a small length of the sleeve. As he tied the fabric in place, he heard foot steps approaching the dojo. He settled back into his spot and waited. Jaken slid open the door and Kagome walked inside. He stood up and looked over her, nodding in approval.

"I hope you are ready, woman." Sesshoumaru said, "Because we will be training everyday until I feel that you are prepared for real battle." Kagome only looked away from him, obviously irritated. "First we will start with the basics." He began, crossing his arms, "But we need to be outside, away from any important structures."

"Why?" Kagome asked, confused.

"You'll see…" Sesshoumaru said, then nodded to Tetsuisga, "And bring that with. You need to get used to the feel of a blade at your hip."

"Why?" Kagome asked again. Sesshoumaru growled as he tried to reign in his temper. "Stay calm, it's just a general question." He told himself, "Because you need to feel comfortable with it. You need to feel as though it's an extension of your arm rather than a tool." Kagome thought for a few seconds, then nodded her head, satisfied with his answer. He sighed and started out of the dojo, Kagome following close behind.

xXx

"First, I must ask you, have you had any previous training?" Sesshoumaru said as he walked through the forest.

Kagome thought for a few seconds. Well, grandpa had tried to teach her a few things but she was too bored with them to learn much. After only one week of trying unsuccessfully, he gave up, muttering to himself how she'd be sorry if a demon popped up in this day and age.

"Well, grandpa tried to teach me, but it didn't turn out well." Kagome said as she blushed. At this, he cocked an eyebrow, "How so?"

"Well, he tried to teach me Kendo, but I was to busy worrying about homework and stuff." At that point, she wondered if Sesshoumaru could smell a lie. She wasn't worried about homework, but how stupid she would look in front of the shrine, wearing a training gi, and waving a stick around.

"Homework?" Sesshoumaru said, brushing imaginary debris off the sleeve of his haori. At that point, Kagome remembered what time period she was in. She sat there and thought for a moment, trying to think of the best way to explain it.

"It's the work a teacher gives you…no…you takes this paper and text book home from school…not that way either..." Kagome stood there chewing on her clawed thumb, then snapped her fingers.

"Homework is something the tutor gives you to do until they return the next day." She said, triumphantly. Sesshoumaru seemed to think about it for a few seconds, then nodded in approval. Kagome smiled as she yelled silently in triumph, then smacked into Sesshoumaru's back. She peered around him and saw a clearing. It wasn't too small, but it wasn't big either. She could see the stumps of trees where they had either been cut down or melted. She looked at Sesshoumaru as he looked over the clearing.

"Yes, this will do for now." He turned around and stared down at Kagome, "Are you ready to learn?" She nodded, keeping her focus on his face entirely.

"First," He began, "How much control do you have over your spiritual power?" She sat there and thought for a few seconds, "All I know how to do is enchant an arrow with it." He appeared deep in thought then nodded, "Well first, I'm going to teach you how to use it in a different way."

"I'm not learning combat first?" She had always thought that it was important to learn combat skills first before anything else. She had a feeling that this was going to be totally different.

"It is important to learn combat skills," he said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, "but you have to learn how to harness your power. This way you can work your combat skills around your power." She nodded, seeing the reason in it, "Okay, does that mean you're going to teach me how to do the poison nail thing?" He shook his head, "Since you have the power to purify, it would seem contradictory to make you learn something that it used to 'taint'."

"Ok, that makes sense, but what are you teaching me today?" She asked.

"I will do it once and then explain." Sesshoumaru said turning around, "Observe." Kagome came to his side and watched intently as he brought his right hand up with two of his fingers extended. The two fingers started to glow and with a swift graceful motion he whipped it out in front of him. She watched as a stream of light cut through a few trees then dissipated. He turned back to her, "Listen to me carefully because I will only explain it once." Kagome nodded listening with extreme interest.

"Close your eyes." Kagome looked at him funny, thinking he was joking. When he didn't laugh, she took that as a signal then closed her eyes.

"Bring your hand a few inches from your heart, first two fingers extended." She put her hand over her heart and brought it out a little bit, straightening her fingers.

"Take a deep breath. Let go of everything. Imagine yourself in darkness. There is no sound, no light, nothing." She took a deep breath as she started to imagine herself in a void. Darkness surrounded her, swallowing her. She couldn't hear the trees, the wind, or the swaying of the grass. She barely heard Sesshoumaru's voice, calm and tranquil.

"Now imagine that your spiritual energy starts at your toes. Imagine it as a white light." She almost chuckled as she imagined her toes becoming light bulbs.

"Concentrate, woman, there is nothing funny about this." She cracked an eye at him and sighed. She closed her eyes again and imagined her toes starting to glow. Her brows furrowed in confusion as she felt her toes starting to tingle.

"Do you feel the power gathering?" His voice was distant, almost non-existent. She nodded, concentrating on keeping the power in her toes.

"Now imagine that light, moving from your toes to your feet. Imagine that it gets a little bit brighter." She envisioned the glow moving from her toes to her feet as a whole. As she imagined the glow getting a little bit brighter, she felt her feet tingle, a tad more than her toes did.

"Imagine the light moving up your body slowly, from your feet, to your calves, to your thighs. Imagine that it's traveling to your fingers, getting brighter as it makes it's journey." She imagined pushing the glow from her feet to her calves but it didn't move. She felt herself starting to loose her grip on the power as she struggled to push it upward.

"Do not force it, the light must travel on it's own." She took a deep breath and concentrated. The light made its way from her feet to her calves. She felt the tingle growing as the power moved through her body. By the time the power reached her fingers, it felt as though she'd wrapped a rubber band tightly around her fingers, the tingling sensation at its peak.

"Now push the power slowly into your claws. Imagine them glowing with a bright light." She imagined her blood slowly pushing the light into her claws. As the light reached her claws, she felt them growing warm and tingling fiercely.

"Imagine that the light in your claws turns into a long ribbon between your fingers. This ribbon is an extension of your body. It is part of you." She imagined that the light in her claws flowed up and became a white ribbon. She felt slightly confused as she felt it sway in the wind, as though it were actually there.

"Imagine that it is dancing in the wind. It is flowing freely. It is not trapped by your fingers. You and the ribbon are dancing as one." As she picture herself dancing with the ribbon, she could hear music in her head, as though the wind were playing a song for her. They gracefully moved as one to the music of the wind, swaying and leaping through the air.

xXx

Little did Kagome realize, she was actually dancing. Sesshoumaru watched her as she moved elegantly around the clearing, a pinkish white ribbon of light flowing with her. He found him self taken aback by this seemingly simple act, even when he knew he was paying too much attention for the liking of his pride. He couldn't take his eyes off the wonderfully grace-filled steps. Having seen this clumsy girl before, he couldn't wrap the thought of her like that anymore. She moved as if she had done this for ages before their encounter.

She dipped and swayed, the ribbon moving around her entire being, like leaves caught in the change of the seasons, still alive enough to bend to the wind's command but stiff enough to fly like eagles on high. Soaring and gliding, swaying around and around in their timeless dance, until they fell gracefully to the ground, just to be picked up and lead into yet another dance.

He tried to force his eyes away, saying to him self very quietly that he could not allow him self to show too much interest in this simple dance. But things were not as simple as they seemed. She was a youkai now, not the simple human girl she was when he had first met her when she was with his half breed brother.

He closed his eyes, thinking if he couldn't turn them away, he could simply close them, and try look uninterested. This was always his way out. But even with the portals to the heavenly dance before him closed, his nose still betrayed him. The full reality of her demon nature struck him with a breath taking scent.

Taking in a deep breath to calm his mind only served to make it so much worse. Her youkai scent reminded him of times long past. He breathed even deeper, her youkai scent flooding his lungs and soul. Her scent reminded him of the deep aroma of water flowing from white capped falls in the spring when even the water's glorious smell could not drown the smell of wild flowers, dappling the banks with every color of the rainbow. This mingled with the ever fragrant scent of sakura trees. He was reminded of the times he would walk through his mother's sakura fields, finding comfort even when he was troubled. For a brief moment, he could even feel the petals landing gently on him.

He strangely felt comforted and aroused by her. He opened his eyes and watched her dance a little longer. None of the demonesses he ever came across moved with such grace or beauty that she did. Before now, he had never completely convinced himself she was a demon. But with the fullness of her scent mixed with a grace that no human could posses, he was convinced. He could feel himself becoming attached to her.

He shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts. He had to stop her before we was completely swept away. He felt his body stiffen as she neared him. He could watch her for hours upon hours. He wanted to, but his pride as the Lord of the Western Lands, he couldn't afford for his emotions to be let free. When she was within arms reach, he simply grabbed her wrist. When she opened her eyes, the ribbon of light dissipated, only leaving little shimmering stars in their wake. She looked to him and captured him in a gaze that would have melted his heart if he allowed it. He could only find one thing to say.

"That'll do."

Authors note: I hope this chapter makes up for the last chapter. The last one was shorter than I wanted it to be, but I think this one is really good.

Again, I was having trouble portraying the dance and asked my fiancé for help. He was a great amount of help and helped me portray the dance perfectly. So again, I send a shout out and an 'I love you' to my fiancé for his help and his wonderful describing skills.

While writing in the dance, I had to have a certain song playing, and it almost describes it perfectly in my eyes (or ears, you know what I mean.). The song is called Eternity Memories of Lightwaves. Most of you might know the song as the FFX-2 opening credits. For those of you who have never played the game before, I'll put in a link for you so you can listen to it. It's not the best quality, as it cuts out a few seconds of the opening but it's the only link I could find on so I hope you like it as much as I do. Until next chapter!