In The Blood

By: Ryu Katanna

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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter Ten

It had been several days since Yusuke had left Makai. He had made his decision after seeing his sister break down in front of Raizen's grave. She needed a vacation after the last year, and there was no way she would get it in Makai. If she were to stay there she would just continue the work she was so focused on. If that was the case then she would just have to come with him to get the time off.

He had sent a quick missive to Enki before they left. He should be able to handle things without her for at least a couple of weeks, right? Leaving things at the stronghold for Hakushin and the others to take care of had been easy. Getting Kagome to agree to go for a visit in Ningenkai...not so much.

In fact she still hadn't agreed at all. He really did have to kidnap her as he had told Enki. Even now she was glaring at him as he ran with her in his arms. It had taken Seitei, To-Oh, Hakushin, and Jun's help to do it, but they had been able to subdue her long enough to tie her up with an energy suppression cord. For someone who was only about Hiei's height she sure wasn't easy to pin down.

"You can quit glaring at me any time now." Yusuke told his captive only to cringe as he cold almost feel the daggers of hate from her eyes.

He really had no doubt that she would be screaming at him right now if she could. After the first three days of his ears ringing he had finally gagged her. Really, did she have to be so disagreeable?

"We're almost to Genkai's now. I promise I'll let you go when we get there. Well, as long as you promise not to kill me first." He told her as he stopped to listen.

He could hear them, but just barely. From the sound of the waves as they spoke he could tell they must be at the shore line. Heading in that direction he was just coming out of the tree line of the forest when he heard Keiko start yelling. He turned around and placed Kagome as gently as he could against a tree not too far away from where he could see Kurama and Shizune.

"I'll be right back. Seems I'm in trouble right now." He murmured to her before he walked out on the beach with his bag.

'Oh you have no idea how much trouble your in right now.' Kagome thought as she watched Yusuke's reunion with Keiko and his friends.

While they were playing in the water she focused her attention on where she could see Kurama nearby. He stood with a smile watching the others happily play in the water. Shifting her weight she moved to give three solid hits to the tree trunk knowing that the sensitive ears of the kitsune would pick up on it. Once she got his attention she could see the clear look of surprise, confusion and a bit of curiosity on his face. Sighing in relief as he pulled the gag from her mouth she looked up into his green eyes as he spoke.

"Lady Kagome? What are you doing here?"

"I'll tell you. Just untie me, will you? This cord is chaffing." Kagome plead with him as she moved to show him where the cord had rubbed her wrists and ankles completely raw from the tension of the cord.

She gave a sigh of relief as the knots loosened under his gentle touch as he tried not to cause her any more pain.

"There. They're off. Are you alright?" Kurama asked with some concern as he could see that the skin was rubbed so much that it had been bleeding.

"Thank you. I'll be better real soon. You asked me once before how I healed you, right? Well you're about to find out." Kagome replied through clenched teeth and a glint in her eye as she stood.

Kurama could feel her energy build as she walked unsteadily out into the sand. Her eyes focused in on Yusuke as her hands started glowing pink with the energy she was gathering. The fox spirit inside him flinched violently at the feel of this power. Dressed in an elegant summer kimono and her long hair whipping about around her she looked like a vengeful goddess to him.

"You idiot!" Kagome screamed as she let loose a ball of her purifying energy.

"Ah!" Yusuke cried out in pain as it felt like the skin on his back burning like nothing he'd ever felt before.

All laughter and the playful banter stopped as they all turned to look at the pissed off woman standing in the sand. Looking back at Yusuke his friends could tell that he was the one who had caused it. Soon ball after ball of the pink energy came flying at him, and he was moving quickly in an effort to dodge. There were just too many to miss them all, and after two more hits his side and his arm, he took off into the water and dove under in an effort to escape.

With Yusuke under the water Kagome stopped as she heaved for breath in her rage. Yukina, Keiko, and Kuwabara edged around her as they made their way over to Kurama and Shizune.

"Who is that girl? She doesn't seem too happy with Yusuke." Yukina asked Kurama in her soft voice as she watched as the girl waited for Yusuke to resurface.

"That would be Kagome, she is a Lady of Makai, and Yusuke's sister." Kurama replied while he watched what appeared to be a game of whack-a-mole as Kagome threw the pink energy balls at Yusuke whenever he came up for air.

"That's Kagome?!" Keiko exclaimed as she looked back at the girl she had met a few times growing up.

"Is she trying to kill Urameshi? The energy she's using feels different." Kuwabara asked when Yusuke gasped before going under and coming up further out.

"That would be because it's purifying energy. It's an energy that only Miko's can use. It can purify even the strongest demons into ash. As he's only getting burned I would say she's only teaching him a lesson. If she had really wanted to kill him than he would have been purified with that first hit." Kurama said with a slight laugh.

"What did Yusuke do?" Keiko asked as she could only get bits and pieces as Kagome cussed Yusuke out.

"It would seem that he kidnapped he against her will. I just untied her from where he left her by the tree." Kurama told them as the energy died down and it looked like Kagome was just waiting now.

"Stupid kid." Shizune mumbled as she lit another cigarette.

They watched on as Kagome just waited. When Yusuke surfaced again he looked ready to go back under until he noticed Kagome had stopped. Looking back toward shore he could she was glaring and still very much angry. Feeling his skin burning had not been what he had expected. Hakushin had told him what a Miko could do, but damn.

"Have you calmed down yet?" He yelled to her as he moved closer through the water.

"I'm just waiting for you to get out of the water. Don't think I'm done yet. Oh, I'm not even close. Once you get back here I'm going to beat the shit out of you!" Kagome yelled as she crossed her arms when Yusuke froze.

"Look I'm sorry, okay! You were over-worked and needed some time off. You wouldn't have stopped if I'd left you in that place." Yusuke almost whined.

The saltwater was so not helping the burns he had gotten.

"That place is my home! My home that, after months away all over Makai in meetings, I had just finally gotten back to! I am not over-worked. I am stressed out because on top of everything else I just found out my best friend had died!" Kagome screamed as she couldn't hold back and through another ball of her ki into his shoulder.

"Then, on top of all of that, you get Seitei and the others to help tie me up so you can bring me to Ningenkai! I never wanted to come back here! I'm supposed to be able to trust them. How am I supposed to do that? Huh? How am I supposed to be able to trust them when they help you do this to me!" Kagome screamed at him again as she let off a blast of ki before falling to her knees; emotionally spent.

Kurama seeing this moved to her side after hearing what had happened. He couldn't believe what his friend had done. Kagome's body shuddered as he reached out his hand to rest on her shoulder. Trying to calm her if only a little. Giving her a gentle smile he spoke softly.

"Lady Kagome? Hey, why not come with me back to the temple? Let's get your wounds treated." When she looked ready to resist he entreated to her again.

"Please. Allow me this after you helped me that day." Looking up at him Kagome finally nodded.

Helping her to her feet he led her across the sand and back toward Genkai's temple. Looking toward Yukina he could see her nod before he even asked. When they got to the long stairs he could see that every step hurt her from where the cord had rubbed her ankles raw. The skin surrounding it looked burned as well. He moved slowly as he picked her up so he didn't startle her. Seeing the thankful look on her face he gave her a small smile as he carried her up the stairs.

"This is Genkai's temple. It's a refuge for people like us here in human world." Kurama told here when they reached to courtyard and she could see the temple.

"Really? I didn't know there was such a place." Kagome's voice was tired and seemingly almost hollow as she leaned back into his shoulder.

"Yeah. It's peaceful and pretty far from anywhere humans usually are." He told her as Yukina slid open the door and they made their way inside.

"Who is this then?" Genkai's voice spoke as she walked in from the next room.

"Genkai this is Lady Kagome. Lady Kagome, this is the one who trained Yusuke." Kurama said as he placed her down.

"Yusuke brought her here. She's his sister." Yukina told Genkai as she moved to sit in front of Kagome who turned to look at the old woman.

"I apologize for the intrusion. I will be returning home as soon as I can." She said with a small hiss as Yukina's healing energy made contact with her skin.

Yukina jerked back as though slapped while Kagome's already raw skin on her ankles seemed to be more burned now than before. The wound looked angry and had started to swell and bleed as the skin broke into vibrant red welts as it peeled away. The worst part was that it look to now go down to the bones. For a moment Yukina looked like she might cry. The only thing that stopped her was Genkai speaking to Kagome.

"Her body is rejecting Yukina's healing. What are you, girl?" Genkai asked as she looked over the wound.

"I am Mazoku now, but before my change I was a Miko." Kagome answered as her skin started to continue to blister up her leg to just under her shin and she watched in an almost morbid fascination.

"I see. Your power is rejecting Yukina's healing. Kurama, make an herbal balm. We'll have to wrap these and wait for them to heal naturally." Genkai told them before moving to look at her wrists as well.

"Can't you just use your healing like you did with me?" Kurama asked Kagome as he started following Genkai's instruction.

"A Miko can only heal others. It doesn't work on myself." She answer quietly.

It was a little bit later that Yusuke and the others walked in while Kurama gently wrapped her wrists, and Yukina her ankles. Seeing what they were doing Yusuke looked on in a small amount of horror. The cord had done this, and he hadn't even noticed. Guilt welled up as he looked down before he sat on Kagome's other side.

"I really am sorry, Kagome. I didn't mean to hurt you." He mumbled when Yukina and Kurama had finished and pulled back.

"No you're not." Kagome snorted when she looked at him.

"Be happy, Yusuke. You got what you wanted. I'm stuck here in human world until these heal." She growled knowing that it would take at least two days after the reaction to Yukina's healing.

"Kurama, there is a room ready for her here. If you would take her as she can not walk well. We don't need the bandages coming undone." Genkai said with a look back to her old student.

Kagome told them what had happened while they were getting the balm ready. Genkai could tell the girl wasn't happy to be in Ningenkai now.

Kurama nodded before picking Kagome back up and carrying her down the hall and through the temple.

"Thank you, Kurama. I may have killed him this time. He's pulled a lot of idiotic stunts since we were kids, and I was always able to brush it off. I don't know what might have happened if you hadn't intervened when you did." She said as he entered one of the bedrooms and placed her on the bed after pulling back the cover.

"I should be the one thanking you, my lady. You gave me a lot to think about after our talk last time. You got me to realize that I don't have to give up any part of myself, not really. So thank you, Lady Kagome." Kurama spoke with sincerity, and Kagome smiled up at him from where she rested against the pillows.

"Please, just Kagome. I'm happy if it really helped you." She said as she could see a new light in his green eyes since that day lit up.

"Kagome then. If I may ask, the one you spoke of, was he the one?" He asked, referring to what she had said on the beach.

He could tell he had his answer as soon as her eyes misted.

"He was. He has been for a while now. I've been looking these last two years, and I finally found his brother. He's the one who told me about it. I had hoped that he was still out there, but now…" Kagome trailed off as a few tears slipped from her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like that. It can be hard losing someone important to you and only finding out when there's nothing you can do." Kurama said softly as he thought of Kuronue.

"I just...I'm scared. He's not the only one I've been looking for. I finally found Sesshomaru, but he doesn't know where he is either. I'm so worried that he'll be gone too." She told him as she bit her lip as she thought about Shippo.

"Sesshomaru...Lord Sesshomaru?" He asked in surprise as he remembered the western Lord of Gandara.

Kagome gave a small watery chuckle as he sat on the edge of the bed while they talked.

"I'm not surprised you know him. You were Yomi's second, after all.

"How do you know him? How did you even meet him?" Kurama asked as he settled into his seat.

"I'm looking over Gandara as well while he travels with his son. I had to meet personally with the four Lords to introduce myself. That's how I met him again. As for how I know him, that's a long story." Kagome told him quietly as she remembered.

"I have all night if you want to talk about it." He said as he made it a point to show her himself getting comfortable.

So it was that Kagome found that Kurama was really easy to talk to, and an avid listener. She told him about the Bone Eaters Well. About Inuyasha and the kind of person he was. How she met Sesshomaru and the brothers hatred for each other at the time. She told him about her friends Sango and Miroku. He came to know about how she met Shippo, the little kitsune kit she had adopted, and how she had yet to find him. About Naraku and all the death he had caused, and how she had died.

She told him all of this but left out the catalyst that had caused it all, the Shikon No Tama.

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A/N:

Hope you like it. Updates are coming as the chapters are finished and then edited. Updates my be fast or slow depending on my inspiration, and which one of the ones I'm working on at any given time. Let me know what you thought!

~Ryu