Disclaimer: I regretfully do not own any great works of literature, including Inuyasha.
Changing Winds
Chapter 10: A womans hidden fury
Kagome's heart had stopped in her chest. All she could hear was her breathing-so erratic. She knew the High Priestess was powerful, but to have felt that storm from- who knows how far away- well, Kagome was too shocked to be impressed.
It had been months ago when meditating her powers had flared. Without meaning too she had killed all the flowers that surrounded her, and others farther away had been pushed into blooming. It had been late winter, maybe early spring, and her energy had forced the blooms closest to her into bloom and through their growing cycle until they were withered. Like the flowers had gone from spring to fall in a matter of seconds. And the ones that were not too close to her merely made it to their summer bloom. It had scared her this raw and outright power.
Kagome noticed how her healing energies tended to flare out towards others energies weeks later. Then when practicing with Sesshoumaru one morning she nearly took off his head when her warrior power went shooting through her sword. It was then that she erected a small barrier around herself using an old configurations book from the library that Sesshoumaru's mother had put together. With Kagome's advanced powers, it was undetectable from other demons.
Then about a month ago under the crescent moon, as she sat in complete meditation, her small barrier failed. Kagome's powers ripped through her and into the night. She was able to control enough of the raw energy so as not to destroy any of the castle, but trees in the outer courtyard where trashed. As she battled for sanity the pure pale pink light of her energies spilled from her aura and filled the sky with a dark magenta glow. A crack of thunder shook through her very soul while all around her lightening flared and torched a nearby stand of trees.
Finally as the rain began to fall upon her face Kagome's power had all but taken her life. After she collapsed to the ground, sheets of rain pounding on her face, did her energies and aura calm itself. When she awoke minutes later her clothes where soaked and muddy, her face was pale and her breathing barely a whisper above the roaring thunderstorm overhead.
Kagome remembered with utter clarity how she had ran to the library, dripping and dizzy with fear. She recalled the frantic search through the configurations book in an attempt to find the right barrier. Kagome barely had the strength that night to hold her head up and yet she managed to seal her powers to herself and put up a barrier strong enough to hold every Inu in history for three lifetimes.
She had awoken the next day flopped over a table, clothes ragged and hair an utter disgrace. Kagome had been careful ever since that night. With her powers basically quarantined, she couldn't use them unless she took away the barrier. And she was scared to let them out-ever.
"Well young immortal, how long?", queried Miore.
Kagome snapped her head up and finally shook the cobwebs out of her head, "A few months now High Priestess."
"I'm sure....Kagome child....it is time I trained you. We begin before dawn tomorrow."
"Yes High Priestess Miore.", Kagome said as she bowed.
Seeing that business was done Inuyasha saw the chance to get some answers while the High Priestess was in the mood to talk. "So HP Miore, what's up with the leathers?"
Miore gave him a sly grin before replying, "Riding a motorcycle is the closest thing to flying I will ever get in Japan. It is just too crowded to go flying about from place to place. Even in the dark. Besides, I always was the dangerous type of immortal."
Inuyasha's eyes danced a little at this assessment, he had known her his whole life, and could well agree with it. "So can I ride to the Western castle with you? I rode my own bike tonight."
"That would be acceptable young Inu."
Sesshoumaru finally got his head out of his ass long enough to realize his responsibilities. "How long will you be staying with us High Priestess?"
"It could be months to a year."
"I will have rooms prepared for your stay."
"That will be more than acceptable. I do not require servants, I have a young mortal priestess from Scotland with me this trip."
Sesshoumaru quirked an eyebrow.
"It may be out of character young Lord, but with so few left with power, I need to teach even the smallest of talents."
Even the great Lord Sesshoumaru could attest to that. He himself had trained many more hanyou than youkai in the last few centuries. Something that would not have been acceptable in his fathers time.
Sesshoumaru nodded in silent agreement as Miore made her way towards the door. No 'by your leave' or 'I'll see you later'. She never said things like that, she just finished business and walked away. "Inuyasha.", she called simply.
"Comin' HP. Hey Kag I'll see ya at the castle, K?"
"Yeah." , was all Kagome could say. Her mind was moving far too fast, and she was worried that Sesshoumaru would not take kindly to her lying about something so important. As she looked in his eyes what she saw there wasn't pain, it was concern. For her.
When the rest of the staff followed the High Priestess and Inuyasha out, Sesshoumaru locked the doors behind them and turned to look at Kagome. "Why did you not confide this in me?"
Kagome fidgeted with her hands before looking only as far as his shirt collar. "I was afraid it meant that I was falling apart. Perhaps dieing. And I didn't want you to worry over me if this was going to be it. I just wanted to spend what time I had as yours with no other worries for once. I didn't think that it could be tamed or I would have said something sooner..", as she talked her pitch got higher and her talking faster, "..I mean I went through every book in that library and nothing was mentioned that came even close to my symptoms. I figured that if the great library of the West didn't have the solution in its tomes than there must be no cure."
"Kagome stop."
She finally looked into his eyes, and saw...well pain., "Sess.."
"My little warrior.", he said as he pulled her close to rest her head on his chest, "I could have told you that you weren't sick or dieing. You weren't born an immortal and a change is expected at some point. But I must stress that Miore is the only one alive that would know anything about the kind of changes you are going through. We could have easily summoned her."
"She wouldn't have come.."
"For this. YES. If you summoned a thunderstorm, than yes, Miore would have already had your training half-way complete."
"I'm so sorry Sesshoumaru."
"Not another word. Let's go home and get some rest.", with that he ended the conversation and escorted Kagome out the door to his waiting car.
OOO&&&OOO
----outside the club----
"High Priestess, what's wrong with Kagome?"
"She needs training."
"You wouldn't come for some crummy training unless it was of vital importance."
She looked at Inuyasha and Shippo, the only two left in front of the club after Sesshoumaru locked the doors. "Do you remember that fantastic storm a month ago?"
"Yeah, it burned a huge stand of trees outside of the wall and the courtyard looked like a wreck.", supplied Shippo.
"Kagome caused that destruction."
Inuyasha was slightly confused, "You mean she torched the trees with her power?"
"No, she created the thunderstorm. Her powers ripped the sky to shreds and caused that massive storm. I felt the energy half way across the world. If she had not reigned in the raw power she would have destroyed everything, leaving herself nearly empty of life, and half of Japan leveled."
Inuyasha was surprised at her willingness to talk. "Why are you telling us all of this?"
"Inuyasha you have been her protector since the moment she found you. You know as well as I that immortal humans mating for life with a demon is dangerous. She has to make a very hard decision."
As Miore made her way to her bike Shippo quickly questioned Inuyasha. "What does Kagome's mating have to do with any of this?"
"It's complicated, and not my place to say."
So few, and yet honest, words from Inuyasha had Shippo scared shitless. What in the world was happening to his beloved mother. And more importantly, how could he help. A trait he most certainly picked up from her.
OOO&&&OOO
Dawn can be cruel. Cruel to hangovers and headaches, cruel to those in need of sleep, and apparently cruel to Kagome who had wanted to just curl up in the large comforter until dark came out again.
Yet here she was, dressed and waiting in the dojo, dawn a small thought on the horizon. She wore her favorite practice gear, fashioned just like the robes she wore when she first practiced with Sesshoumaru all those years ago. Kagome stood with udder stillness in the middle of the dojo, doors flung open to the late spring breezes cooling her skin. She remembered how Sesshoumaru had stood like this on their first day of practice, and smiled.
Miore walked into the dojo with power and authority, leaving an almost invisible wake of energy. She stopped abruptly in front of Kagome. The wake from her energy passed over both of them, gently ruffling their clothes and hair. She wore a long cotton green dress with slits on both sides up to her hip, and long leather boots with straps that held her hand knives. The dress was sleeveless, though both her forearms were clad in thick leather to protect them from a glancing sword. Across her back were strapped both her swords, one within reach of each arm. Her hair was clad in a long braid down her back and hanging about her slender waist was her symbol on a leather cord. Even dressed down she looked more formidable than anyone Kagome had ever known.
"Draw your sword.", Miore stated.
"We're too close. A sword is no good.", Kagome stated just as blandly.
Miore gave an evil smirk, "So, the young Lord has been teaching you. Then how do you fight this close?"
"With my powers."
"But your powers are useless right now."
"They aren't useless, just dangerous."
"Are you saying that if pressed you would release your havoc to destroy your enemy, even if it cost you everything around you?"
"Well, sort of."
"There is no sort of if you are going to kill everyone except yourself."
"I would not kill every...."
"...YES you would. Maybe not intentionally, but yes. You can not control that which you let out. You would destroy this entire island and more."
"MY powers are not as strong as yours. I would never be able to destroy an entire island!", yelled Kagome. She covered her mouth with her hands at her sudden outburst towards the High Priestess.
Miore only tipped her head a little higher, "Your powers, as an immortal, are equal to mine. It is the way your powers manifest itself that make each individual special, and there for, make you more or less powerful in the execution of said powers."
"I don't quite follow."
"You are unique. You were not only a mortal first, but a miko. The rest of us were all born immortals, and therefore being a High Druid or High Priestess was our birthright. You however, draw your ability to create power from your miko side. Something none of us do."
"So that is why the storm was so strong. Why I have to hide my abilities behind the strongest barrier known to demon kind?"
"Yes, you are the missing element."
"The missing element?"
"We will discuss this later. Right now you need to fight me hand to hand. I know you can do this without your powers."
"My Lady.", Kagome bowed as they began their stance for close combat.
Kagome had trained hard with Sesshoumaru, and he would have been very proud. She moved with the quickness of a samurai, the grace of a swan, and strength like the finest soldier in any Lord's army. Miore didn't let up an inch, always staying withing a foot of her. But Kagome soon learned to read her next move and respond with quickness and accuracy.
The High Priestesses was pleased to see that at least even Sesshoumaru had foreseen a time when a persons powers were not always useful.
The training had gone on for a few hours before the High Priestesses stopped. "You have been taught well. Now, meditate. Focus on only your awareness of self for a week. Soon we will venture into yourself, and help you find a way to contain your energy within a 'gate'. One only you can summon open."
"Yes High Priestesses Miore. Thank you."
"Of course, I leave you to it.", Miore turned and walked out of the dojo into the glorious afternoon sun.
Kagome watched her leave before settling down on the floor. She had always enjoyed the chance to relax into herself and enjoy the peace. Not now however, she had begun to loathe being alone with herself. Kagome couldn't focus with her energies locked inside herself. It was damn annoying! All she could feel and sense was the storm inside of her. She thought she was going nuts!
However, Kagome was nothing if not determined. So she set her face and began to clear her mind for the tasks that lay ahead.
It was late in the afternoon when Sesshoumaru came to retrieve Kagome for dinner. "Kagome, darling?"
Kagome could feel another, and then heard her name on the breeze.
"Kagome, are you aware of me?"
The voice was like soothing water over the burning flesh of her energy tortured soul. "Sesshoumaru?", she quired before ending her meditation and opening her eyes to the gorgeous demon in front of her.
"I didn't mean to interrupt, but the Priestesses said you missed lunch, and dinner is ready."
"What would I do if you weren't around to save me?", Kagome said as Sesshoumaru helped her up.
"What are you talking about."
"You, your voice, your touch. Everything that you do saves me."
He looked at her like she had just sprouted a unicorn like horn out of the middle of her forehead.
"Don't look at me like that. I am having a hard time meditating without severe pain. When you came into the dojo and spoke, well, it was like having the greatest pain reliever in the world being tossed on my head."
Sesshoumaru only smiled at her cute analogy, "I have never been referred to in any conversation as a pain reliever.
Kagome giggled as they walked out towards the castle. "I am glad to be the first.", she smiled.
Sesshoumaru leaned down to kiss her before opening the door to her room to let her change. "The kids are all here tonight, I'll tell them that you will be down shortly."
"Thank you Sesshoumaru.", she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his in a swift kiss.
"Kami, I love being your boyfriend.", he winked as he released his grasp on her tiny waist and walked down the hall.
Kagome bit her lower lip as she watched him walk away, then blushing slightly she began to strip down for her bath. Furoku had carefully set out clothes for her already and Kagome gratefully slipped into the waiting bath water.
' A hot bath, clean clothes, a sexy demon boyfriend, all the kids home for dinner... what could be better? '
OOO&&&OOO
Kagome decided that the only thing that could have gone better at dinner that night was the behavior of the children. The adults had all dressed formally for the occasion, and the twins showed up in matching jeans with different colored midriff tops. After Kagome ran a finger at them for proper dinner dress, in walks Shippo's two boys in tank tops. His girls at least wore knee length skirts and button up blouse tops.
The conversation had drifted to the twins' new assignment in a very remote province of China. Inuyasha was proud of them, without question. However, he and Shippo were arguing about who could get one of Kagome's friends to the castle first. Which in the end brought about the children's arguments for when they would find new mates.
Before Kagome knew what had happened, her quiet evening with family had turned into dating 101. Each side convinced that they knew more, or could do it better. She left before dessert to find herself a quite place to meditate.
Shippo's youngest girl, like her mother before her, came and sat next to Kagome in the rose garden. She sat there quietly until Kagome turned her head to look at her.
"Grandma?"
"Yes Sukoshi?"
"Why don't you talk with us anymore? You never seem to be able to stay around all of us for very long."
"I'm sorry, I ...am having difficulty focusing. That is why the High Priestess is here. She is going to help me finish the training that I should have."
"Mmn"
The young hanyou may not have been convinced that all of the truth was being spoken to her, but she knew that her Grandma did not lie. She nodded her small satisfaction before rising and going off to bed.
Kagome was worried that her family would get in the way a little. They loved her so much, and would move hell and earth for her. Kagome was afraid of many things, and losing her family was the first on the list. This fear, of course, would in the end help to make her stronger. But for now, it only proved to cast doubt on her abilities to control herself.
Kagome slept alone that night. And wondered whether this had been a good decision or not.
Ok? I hope so. I ran into a bit of writers block towards the end but hopefully is will all read very nicely. Thanks to all of you who read and added me as a favorite story, or reviewed. I loved the reviews! Sorry I can't name you all right now. Let me know if you think I am missing some critical piece of information. Thanks-J