Chapter 10: Not Quite Human

She found the elder that could explain to her what exactly was going on. She was confused by the burst of energy the night before. It scared her, but also excited her. She wanted to know what they meant.

"You have so many questions," he commented after he signaled her to sit. "I had thought you looked familiar when the lord brought you and the twins here. I was not expecting to find you after so long."

"What do you mean?" She looked at him, wanting to know more.

"You are not human, Kagome, though Kagome is your actual name." He lit a long pipe. "Your parents died some time ago and they charged me with finding a safe place for you to hide. Your previous incarnation came to me in a vision and told me to drop you down a well. I did so and a blue light swallowed you. After it was gone I looked down to see you gone."

"Kikyo told you to drop me down a well?" She was confused.

"Heaven's no child. Kikyo is not your previous incarnation," he stated, a disgusted look on his face. "She may look like you, but that was because of the jewel. It wanted it's guardian to look similar to it, so influenced her development. No. You are Midoriko's reincarnation."

"I thought she was sealed away in the jewel," Kagome stated.

"Midoriko had a vast soul, Kagome, just like you have a vast soul. The jewel could not hold her complete soul, so you were born as her reincarnation. It was a horrible time. Your kind was being hunted down, because, well, your kind can live forever. Or so was thought."

"What do you mean?" She had even more questions now.

"Your parents were a breed of phoenix," he stated. "They died but reemerged from their own ashes. They were not like the red or orange phoenixs. No, their shading was black and blue. People thought they were evil because of their coloring, but they were not. They were just powerful, like the blue parts of a flame are the hottest. A majority of the other phoenixs lore humans and demons to their death. Because of that, they were hunted, killed and their ashes were either thrown to the wind or cast into water. They could not be reborn for this reason." He released a stream of smoke. "I was very good friends with your parents and I was there when their ashes were cast into the sea. I found you and I protected you until I delivered you into the hands of time. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would find you again."

"That would explain why Hibikimaru and Hanako were born full demons," she stated. "How could I have not known?"

"I am guessing that the magic of the well sealed away your power until it was needed, locking away your true form as well." He cleaned out his pipe. "You are, by no means powerless. Your blood is actually quite powerful." He slipped the pipe into a pocket in his sleeve. "I believe that because phoenixs are ones with the kami, it allowed Midoriko's powers to flow through unhindered by your demon blood, and why you haven't purified yourself. It would also explain your incredible healing ability."

"Does anybody else know about this?"

"I do not believe so. Had anyone else known, you would either have been killed on sight, or there would be a line of suitors wanting to mate you for the power you have. Because our lord claimed you, no matter unknowlingly, none can come forward to mate you, but there will still be attempts on your life." He stood and looked out at the garden. "You will need to be trained to fight off any that wish to take your life, should no one be around to protect you and the twins. Their lives are in danger as well."

"I would never allow anyone to hurt my children," she declared without hesitation but full of confidence.

"Sometimes all it takes is the instincts of a mother," he said with a chuckle. "I am sure you will tell our lord. What he will do is unknown to us." She nodded. "I have duties I must see to, and I am sure the twins are craving attention about now."

"Thank you, for everything you have done for me." He nodded and was gone out the door.

Sesshomaru finished the last of the paperwork, the sun signaling that it was midday. There hadn't been a lot of paperwork, considering he had been gone for three months, and was stuck in bed for an extra three days. Someone had seen to his work while he was away, and he knew that the elders had work of their own to do. He had been expecting a large stack of paperwork, and an even larger headache. The fact that it was already taken care of left him plenty of time to do whatever he wanted. He was not in the mood to train with the men, but he also had to punish the two that went behind his back and tried to take what was his. Kagome may not have been his mate, but she was still his. He had his reasons not to take her as a mate, the first being she would become a target of assassination attempts, and he could not allow that. She was needed to raise his children. If she died there would be no other to look after them. Her humanity played a part in it as well. He refused to take a human as a mate, knowing she would die long before him.

He made to stand but sat back down at the knock on his door. He called for them to enter, only to see Kagome walk in. She closed the door behind her and approached his desk after giving him a bow. He nodded his head and took in what she was wearing today. It was a set of haori and hakamai. It was a dark blue and black color, pink blossoms- so light it looked almost white- was embroidered along the edges and partial down her right sleeve and up the left leg. It did nothing to hide the curves he had come to crave.

"Is there something you needed?" His face remained as impassive as ever.

"I had wished to have a few words with you, my lord," she whispered. She never rose her voice in front of him, knowing just how sensitive his ears were.

"What is it that you needed to discuss?" He got ready for a possibly long conversation with the mother of his children.

"I have just found out something I believe you should be made aware of," she sighed as she closed her eyes, trying to figure out the best way to go about this. She wasn't even sure how to tell him. She was still taking in the information. "I just found out that I am not human." She didn't look at his face. "Something in me had snapped last night when a poison dagger was hurled at me, the same dagger the assassin was going to use on you." Her hands played with the long sleeves of her haori. "The dagger had become incinerated before it could even touch me, and I had caught fire. The shadow demon could not escape because there was no shadow he could use." She felt her mouth become dry and tried to relieve the ache she could feel coming to her throat. It burned, and she knew not why. "I had rammed my clawed hand through his chest and dropped him on the floor to die."

"Hn." He looked at her. She was nervous, but he could tell she was not lying. "What breed?"

"Phoenix," she whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"The phoenix is extinct," he said in a tone that said it was fact.

"Hiro told me that he had dropped me down a well upon the suggestion of my previous incarnation. My parents had died when I was still just a babe." She looked at him. "He was friends with my parents and saw it as his duty to see me to safety." She sighed. "He said it was because pheonix are close to the kami that I was able to manifest Midoriko's miko ki."

"Midoriko was sealed with the shikon," he stated.

"I thought that as well. Her soul, much like mine, was vast. The jewel could not completely contain it, thus I was born."

"Prove it." He looked her in the eyes. He wanted to be sure of her being a pheonix. It could alter many things in their lives.

"I will try," she murmured as she focused on what lie within her. She could readily feel her miko ki, but she needed to see past that. And she had. Buried within the pink of her miko ki was a dark blue, almost black, flame. She gripped it and brought it forward, fire engulfing her human form. It did not go out, instead taking the shape of a bird around her. She brought it under control and she could feel her body shift. Talons replaced human nails, her hair gained volume, the soft waves becoming more pronounced. Nine long, feathered tails drifted around her. Her eyebrows were no longer hair, but fine feathers, and a black diamond outlined in a dark blue appeared on her forehead.

"Hn. You spoke the truth." He stood from his desk and approached her. He could now notice a light blue sheen to her skin. She had grown, but was still tiny in comparison to his form. "You will need training to protect yourself and our children."

"This I know," she stated, her blue eyes looking into his sun-kissed eyes. "I would not want anything terrible to befall them."

"Hn." He was rethinking the mate situation.