Sorry for all of the back story in the past few chapters (and this chapter) but the origins need to be set in place before I progress too much further.
Wow, the back story in this chapter took on a life of its own, which is why it took me a while to update. The muse strikes again.
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to review! I'll really love it that other people are enjoying the story!
This is rather ridiculous. If you still don't know that they are not mine, well, let's just hope McDonald's will hire you.
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She was close, she could feel it with every fiber of her being--even if she couldn't see her hand in front of her face. She had been moving slowly and stealthily for the last half mile, it was not a good idea to underestimate an unknown opponent after all. Her energy, back to normal levels, was entirely focused on her surroundings and the shard that was now less than twenty feet away.
Suddenly, the shard moved. She crouched, automatically assuming the defensive position she had learned through much arduous practice. However, now her body responded almost on its own, tensing and preparing for attack or defense. Gone was the weak girl that had fallen into the well almost four years ago and in her place stood a warrior miko able to defend herself and her friends.
Although she still highly preferred her bow and arrows, she now also carried either a short sword or a long dagger, depending on who was describing it. Hand to hand combat was only used as a last resort, since even now she did not like to be that close to the action. Kagome would be the first to admit that she was the weakest at close quarters fighting. If it wasn't for her ability to purify her weapons and cast barriers, she would not survive a fight with even a moderately strong youkai.
--
It was just over two and a half years ago that Kagome decided she needed to quit running from every youkai out to get her. Not only was she tired of Inuyasha's constant complaints about her being weak, she knew that she had the ability to be one of strongest members of the team. Sango could knock youkai down or cut them in half, Inuyasha could cut demons to bits, and Miroku could suck them up, but she could purify them into dust. If they ever wanted to defeat Naraku, she would need to know how to protect herself and her friends.
She had went to Kaede first, in secret, asking the old miko to train her mind and her growing miko power. It had been the most frustrating eight months of her entire life. She knew she had the power to create barriers and purify at will, but she did not have the control needed to bend the power to her will.
Of course her friends had found out about her "secret" plan shortly after she began and while they meant well, the pitying looks in their eyes every time she failed did not help her. Around the sixth month they even began dropping not-so-subtle hints that maybe she just wasn't cut out to be a true miko. The fact that her friends no longer believed in her was a huge blow to Kagome. She almost gave up entirely, but some little stubborn piece of her soul refused to quit.
It was that tiny piece of soul that had forced Kagome to do the smartest, or perhaps stupidest, thing she had ever done. She ran away. She waited until it was a pouring down rain, to better mask her scent, and she told everyone she was going to visit her mom for a while, since they wouldn't be shard hunting anyway. Once she reached the well, she tacked a note there, letting everyone know that she needed some time and space to figure out her life. She also told Inuyasha that if he even thought about telling her mother anything she would know about it and sit him from halfway across Japan.
She picked a direction and started running. Since she was in such good shape from all of her other experience in running, she managed to run for almost five hours before she had to quit for the day. Fate must have been smiling on her personal quest, because she had remembered her bow and arrows and she even had a compass so she would hopefully move in a single direction. That way she wouldn't be lost in feudal Japan forever, since she couldn't exactly pull out a handy road atlas to find her location and the nearest bust stop.
She traveled for three more days before finding a suitable place to stop. Her glamorous accommodations included a tiny cave overlooking a waterfall fed pool and a small meadow surrounded by towering oak trees. A single pear tree grew in the middle of the grassy meadow. It looked like Heaven to Kagome.
While she was exploring the area, Kagome came across what appeared to be a very old grave marker. It was at the edge of the meadow and almost covered in weeds. Kagome decided that since she was there anyway, she should show proper respect to the dead and clean up the site. She removed all of the weeds and even found a few flowers to place on the grave. She said a little prayer and decided that as long as she was here, she would take care of this site, since she would not want her own grave to be overgrown by weeds and forgotten.
She had been there for two weeks when she finally managed to cast her first barrier. Granted, it had been extremely weak and only lasted for a few seconds, but it had been a barrier none the less. Within another week she was able to cast a barrier at will, but it still required an enormous amount of energy and concentration. During her entire three week stay Kagome had not seen a single youkai which should have set off warning bells and sirens. Kagome just attributed it to her good fortune. She really should have known that she was not that lucky.
She was idly leaning up against the pear tree and watching the long meadow grass sway in the breeze when suddenly all of her developing miko senses went on high alert. They were screaming "DANGER, DANGER!" with such force that she just froze. She managed to look up to see a swiftly approaching figure clothed in white with glowing crimson eyes.
'Oh shit, I'm going to die,' Kagome thought rather calmly, considering the situation. She watched in fascination as the figure appeared to be rushing towards her in slow motion. She made no move to defend herself, as it would be rather pointless to start now. In a few seconds she wouldn't have to worry about it anyway. Imagine, then, her surprise when just as the youkai's claws were going to slice through her throat, her barrier sprang into place in the strongest form she had ever seen it.
Kagome totally forgot about the seething youkai standing in front of her while she examined the barrier surrounding her in awe. "I can't believe it. I can't even feel the drain on my power that it must be causing. Did I really create this?" she reached her hand up to the barrier, half expecting to be harshly zapped. When the barrier just expanded to continue to cover her hand she almost fell over in shock. She knew it was her barrier; she was intensely familiar with the feel of her own power since she had been working with it for the past six months.
Kagome was snapped out of her trance by the harsh sound of growling coming from directly in front of her. She looked up confused, only to meet a pair of flashing golden eyes. Suddenly she remembered why the barrier had appeared in the first place. 'I guess I should be happy his eyes aren't crimson any more. At least it's a step in the right direction.'
"Miko," the words were ground out between his clenched teeth, "how dare you defile this place with your... filthy... presence... WHAT IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING!?!?" he exploded. After she had foiled his murder attempt he had managed to calm down and was only going to thoroughly instill an enormous amount of fear into her and then send her on her way. She, however, apparently had other plans.
After Kagome had finished staring at the youkai's golden eyes, she expanded her observation to include his gorgeous face and his furry, beautiful, irresistible ears. She was captivated and nothing was going to keep her from touching those enticing appendages. After all, she had rubbed Inuyasha's ears when he was pinned to a tree with an arrow, so a little youkai hostility was not going to slow her down much.
'Ah, they are just as soft as they look. They're even better than Inuyasha's ears, bigger too,' she thought with a giggle. She was roughly brought back to the present when the youkai began shouting her face and then picked her up by her throat. Evidently she had forgotten about her barrier and so it had therefore forgotten about her.
So here she was, dangling from the claws of an angry looking youkai while she unconsciously continued to rub his ears. As soon as she saw what she was doing, she jerked her hands back like they were on fire. "Uh... heh... sorry about that, Youkai-san, I... uh... didn't mean to?" she looked at him hopefully. It didn't look like he was buying it.
"So, miko, where is your precious barrier? Don't think I'm enough threat anymore?" he said with glinting fangs. He watched as the miko seemed to deflate in front of his eyes, a sad look coming to her face.
"It's not that I don't think that you are threatening enough, Youkai-san, it's just that the stupid barrier doesn't work to begin with. I have no idea what happened a second ago, I've never created a barrier that strong before. I think my energy hates me. Stupid energy for a stupid miko, I've heard it enough times."
The youkai continued to watch the fascinating girl grumble on, seemingly unaware that she was still dangling by her neck. 'I like this girl--she has a fiery spirit, even if she doesn't know it yet. Plus I've never seen this place look better; it must be all of the miko energy.' He glanced towards the grave and was startled to see it had been cleaned up.
"Miko," he broke into her grumblings about stupid hanyous, "did you tend to the grave?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone knew it was here so I decided to take care of it while I was staying here. Sorry." she mumbled.
"It's alright. That is my mother's grave but I only manage to check on it every few years, so I'm glad someone else has been looking after it. How long have you been here?"
"I've been here three weeks. I sort of ran away from my friends. I was planning to stay until I mastered my miko energy or I ran out of food, whichever was first," she explained. "At this rate it looks like I will die of starvation. Anyway, if it's ok with you I'll just grab my bag and be off." She tried to move toward the cave only to realize that she was still hanging in the air.
"No, it is not alright with me, miko." He watched her eyes widen and the slightest trace of fear creep into her scent. Surprisingly it was the first fear he had felt from the girl since he had been rushing at her in a rage.
"I will leave immediately then, if you will release me," she said timidly, her eyes downcast.
"No." He didn't really mean the girl any harm and he had even been planning to tell her that he meant that she could stay, since she had been taking care of the place. However, now his sadistic side had taken over and he wanted to see how the girl would respond. He watched as her eyes widened and then immediately narrowed in anger. 'Good. The girl has backbone.'
At first Kagome thought she misheard. When she realized he really had denied her request to be released she went livid. It had already been an emotionally taxing day for the poor girl but this really topped it off. She searched her soul for the warm pink light of her energy. 'No more playing nice,' she thought angrily. When she found her power she forcibly grabbed a hold of it and forced almost all of it out of her body. She didn't really care how it got out, as long as it fried the arrogant youkai smirking in front of her.
He began to rethink his strategy when the miko's power increased dramatically. He really began to regret his strategy when she started glowing faintly pink with energy. Luckily for him, he dropped her a fraction of a second before her power exploded outward. He knew the only reason he would live was her lack of training. If that much power had been sent directly into his body, he would already be pounding on Hell's door. Still, that didn't mean it hurt any less. It felt like his entire body was being bathed in liquid fire. From the girl's screams it apparently wasn't fun for her either
Kagome was experiencing a pain more intense than anything she could imagine. 'At least it will piss Kikyo off to know that her reincarnation was the first miko to ever kill herself with her own power,' she thought humorlessly. She looked at the pain-stricken face of the youkai in front of her and regretted giving in to her emotions. He hadn't really acted threatening, after his first attack, and no one should have to suffer this pain unless they really, really deserved it. "I'm so sorry," she whispered before she blacked out.
He watched her whisper her apology and then pass out. Thankfully once she lost consciousness, her power ceased pouring out of her body. He hadn't felt pain like this for a long, long time but he knew that he must get them both safely into the cave. While it appeared to be a tiny little cave, barely four feet by five feet, it really was the entrance to a much larger cave complex. He knew the plant barrier currently protecting the entrance would protect them as well, if he could just get inside.
It had taken him almost a half an hour of grueling pain, but they were both safely inside his cave, along with her bag that had been in the entryway. He had barely enough energy left to walk over to his sleeping pallet for some much needed rest.
Kagome was more comfortable than she had been for the last month. She was lying on something soft and she was wrapped up in a wonderful silky blanket. It was bliss. If only her body would stop throbbing in pain, everything would be perfect. She snuggled her pillow, trying to find a more comfortable spot, when it grunted. 'Since when do pillows grunt?' She was just about to write it off to her imagination and go back to sleep when something started to tickle her leg. "Can't a girl even get some sleep around here?" she mumbled sleepily.
"You have been sleeping, for two days straight, I might add."
Okay, she could write off her pillow grunting, but it certainly did not speak in a sexy masculine voice. Her eyes popped open, only to be met by an equally open pair of golden eyes. Those eyes were the only thing required to bring back the flood of memories. She groaned.
"I think we may have gotten off to a bad start, so I think we should try again. What do you say?" the masculine voice asked her.
Just the sound of his voice almost lulled Kagome back into dreamland, but the clawed finger that poked her ribs brought her right back. She glared at him. "I think a fresh start is a good idea, assuming you aren't planning to poke me again." He merely put on his best innocent look and raised his eyebrows. She blushed. "My name is Kagome Higurashi and I'm a miko, albeit a poor one. I am spending some time away from my friends in order to master my power. Hopefully. I just happened upon this clearing and decided it was a good place to stay; I didn't know it belonged to you. Oh yeah, I'm really sorry I zapped you earlier."
"It's nice to meet you Kagome-san. I am the legendary thief, Youko Kurama," he glared when she giggled.
"Sorry, sorry. I've just never met anyone quite so conceit... umm...." she saw his glare, "famous. Yes, famous. That's all."
He knew she was lying but he decided to let it go. "As I was saying, I am Youko Kurama and this was my mother's favorite place to stay, which is why she is buried outside. The entire area is guarded by my plants, so I am unsure how you made it here unscathed. As I said before, it has been two days since you tried to kill us both. How are you feeling?"
Kagome looked away, embarrassed by the fact that she had nearly killed him but he still brought her in to his home. However, once she had broken away from his mesmerizing eyes, she noticed her current position. 'Well, that explains why I was so comfortable,' she thought.
She was curled up against Youko's side, with his tail wrapped around her bare legs and his arm wrapped around her shoulder. Her rational mind was screaming for her to move, but she was so warm and snuggly that she ignored it. "My body hurts, and I'm still sleepy," she said through a yawn. She laid her her head on Youko's chest and fell back asleep to the rhythmic sound of his beating heart.
Kagome and Youko became close friends. Youko taught her how to control her power and channel it into her hands, "in case a youkai is holding you by the throat." Kagome thought that it was rather ironic that a fox youkai could teach her how to master her miko energy in less than a month, while she had struggled for six months with Kaede teaching her. She watched amazed at how Youko could use his youki to grow the most beautiful, exotic plants she had ever seen, and then turn around a grow a man eating death tree with the same energy.
They would work and play all day and then every night Youko would make a pass at her and every night she would politely refuse. It became something of a game to them after Youko realized that she was not ready for a one night stand and he did not want a long term commitment. Still, every night Kagome would go to sleep wrapped in her sleeping bag, only to wake up in the morning wrapped up with Youko. It was totally platonic, but it still made her feel happy and cared for, something she had been lacking for a while.
The days passed quickly and in a flash a month had passed. Kagome had been gone from her friends for two months and she knew they would be worried. On their last night together Kagome had told Youko of her quest. She had made him grudgingly promise to never become involved with the Shikon no Tama. He told her to stay out of trouble and that he would check in with her from time to time and expected her to be whole and healthy.
He led her into a room she had not seen before. She knew he was supposedly a famous thief, but this room proved that his story was true. It was filled with gold, jewels, paintings, and many other extremely valuable items. "Pick anything and it's yours," he told her. He began holding up gold and jewels, weapons and armor, and various scrolls and paintings.
As she looked around in awe, a small object caught her eye. She moved closer, totally forgetting about Youko, and picked it up. It was a delicate silver bracelet crafted like a vine full of blooming roses. It was the most beautiful piece of jewelry Kagome had ever seen and she decided it would be rude of her to even ask for it. She looked at it wistfully and carefully put it back.
"That was my mother's. It was a gift from my father when they were courting. She never took it off, it was her favorite piece of jewelry, even above all of the riches my father would bring home. "
Kagome looked around the room, but the bracelet was the only thing that had caught her eye. "Thank you for your kindness, Youko, I think I will take a few of these coins back to my brother--he is becoming quite a collector," Kagome said while picking out some of the lesser valued coins.
"Are you sure that is all you want? Don't you want anything for yourself? As you can see I have plenty to share." Youko watched as her unconsciously eyes drifted back to his mother's bracelet before she shook her head. "No thank you Youko, my brother will be delighted with these and I'm sure he will really appreciate your generosity as well."
Finally, the morning dawned and Kagome knew she had to leave for Inuyasha's village. She understood that Youko was ready to travel again as well and had only been staying for her benefit. In a rare show of bravery Kagome reached up and rubbed Youko's ears, while pulling his head down. She barely brushed her lips against his and whispered her farewell. She had turned around and taken a single step, tears shining in her eyes, when he grabbed her wrist and spun her around.
His mouth was hot and demanding on hers and her lips parted willingly under the onslaught. He pulled her body flush to his and placed one hand possessively on her lower back while the other remained buried in the hair at the nape of her neck. He groaned in satisfaction when her tongue hesitantly slid against his.
Between the feel of her body pressed against his and the way her scent was spiking, he knew he would have to leave, and quickly, or he would not leave at all. As he pulled away to stare into her dazed eyes, he knew that for the first time in his life he would have to give up, for now, something that he truly wanted. "Goodbye, my Kagome. May we meet again soon," and with that he was gone, a white blur disappearing into the surrounding trees.
Kagome had stood for a good five minutes, her hand on her mouth, before she had gathered her scattered wits. It was then that she noticed the slight weight on her arm. Looking down, she saw the bracelet she had been admiring the night before. 'No, I can't take his mother's bracelet,' she reasoned. "Youko! Come back here! I won't take your mother's bracelet! Come back!" she yelled into the surrounding forest. Only silence answered her. "Fine! I'll just give it back the next time I see you!" She took one last look at the peaceful clearing and headed back to the village. Little did she know that Youko had followed her the entire way, ensuring her a safe journey.
Her friends had been both relieved and angry when she returned. However, when she showed them what she had learned, they had grudgingly admitted that it had been a worthwhile journey. She never told her friends about Youko, preferring to keep him her own little secret. Over the following years she had seen him a few times, always in the same manner: he would steal her from her sleeping bag to lay and talk with him all night, and then she would always wake up back in camp. She often wondered if she had only dreamed the encounters, but the single rose in her pack always alleviated her fears.
Once she had mastered her powers, it was a fairly easy task, comparatively, to direct them into barriers, spells, and purification. Healing was more difficult, especially healing youkai, but she had mastered that as well. She asked Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha to teach her how to fight, a decision she regretted on many occasions when she was too sore to walk. Slowly, though, she had learned how to be a productive member of the team instead of a burden.
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Kagome was still crouched, waiting on the youkai to make a move. It was too dark and there were too many trees to use her bow and arrows, so she had pulled out her dagger. She was almost positive that the youkai a few feet away was Hiei, but she was taking no chances. Miroku's scrolls were clutched tightly in her left hand. All she had to do was touch the demon and he would be rendered motionless until she removed the scroll.
Kagome figured that the youkai already knew she was there, so she went ahead and created her barrier. It wasn't her normal pink shiny barrier, which would give her away with its glowing luminescence, it was a transparent version that she had been working on. It required more concentration than her normal version, but it was indispensable for a battle in the dark. She was alone, after all, and every precaution needed to be taken. It almost seemed like that was what the demon was waiting for, since as soon as her barrier fell into place, the youkai was on the move.
She decided to risk revealing her location. "Hiei-san, I don't want to fight with you but I've come for the jewel shard. Please show yourself." Even though Kagome was ninety percent sure that it was Hiei out there, she put even more energy into her barrier. She didn't want any surprises to break though. The shard was heading straight for her, so either the youkai was tracking to her voice or had known where she was all along.
'I really, really, really hope I'm not wrong about this.' Kagome was beginning to have some doubts. "Too late now," she mumbled.
"Indeed, miko, it is too late now." Hiei stepped out from around the tree directly in front of Kagome. At least she assumed it was Hiei, except he had some sort of glowing eye in the middle of his forehead. She noticed the bandanna he wore previously was gone and she figured that the bandanna had only been to hide the eye in the first place. She saw a glint from the corner of her eye and realized Hiei's katana was held lazily in his right hand. She was not deceived, she had barely seen him move against Shinbuu and yet the demon had fallen into pieces at her feet.
She knew that she was no match for him, not even on her best day, so she sheathed her dagger and stood up straight. She pushed even more energy into her barrier, since it was the only thing that would protect her now. Kagome could consciously feel the drain on her energy at this point, but she also knew that she would be able to maintain a barrier this strong for several hours. All that meditation she had done was finally paying off.
'Hiei-san, please give me the shard. I will not leave without it, whatever the cost," she stated firmly.
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Hiei felt the miko's power rise yet again, but he could not see the barrier he assumed must be encasing her. He had unleashed the Jagan's full power in order to properly track her, because he still could not sense her energy. "Tell me, miko, why should I give the shard to you? I was the one to kill the pathetic youkai that held the shard before, therefore it is rightfully mine."
Kagome sighed. "The shard never belonged to Shinbuu. The jewel belongs to me--I am it's guardian. Since it was my fault the jewel was shattered to begin with, it is my responsibility to find all of the shards. Even a single shard in the wrong hands can cause tremendous damage and I will not allow any more innocent people to be hurt because of my mistake. Please give me the shard peacefully or I will be forced to take it by any means I deem necessary."
A smirk appeared on Hiei's face. "Miko, do you really think that you are any match for me? The only reason that you are still alive is because I have not yet decided to kill you. If you want your precious shard, you will have to take it from me, if you can," he sneered.
Kagome'seyes narrowed and her mouth firmed into a straight line at the obvious challenge in his voice. "Very well, so be it. I will try not to hurt you, but do not forget that you are the one that caused this." She shifted her weight forward to the balls of her feet for better agility. 'I have to immobilize him, which means I will need to get him close enough to touch. I am fairly sure my barrier will withstand his attack and when he does, that will be my opportunity.' Her gaze became calculating, trying to determine Hiei's first move. 'He relies heavily on his speed. I will only have the tiniest amount of time once he is within reach.'
She felt the shard moving before her eyes could detect movement from Hiei. She ducked just as his katana sliced the air where her neck used to reside. 'He's faster than I thought. My barrier will be put to the test tonight,' Kagome thought grimly, 'However, as long as he has the shard I will at least be able to track his movement.' She felt his blade as it glanced off of her barrier, right in front of her heart. 'I guess he's not going to go easy on me tonight, so I will return the favor.' She drew her dagger and purified the blade, making sure the glowing purification was clearly visible. She might not be able to injure him with it, but it would draw his attention away from her true purpose.
Kagome felt the shard move again, this time off to her right. She blindly swung her dagger in that direction and was immediately surprised to hear fabric ripping. Judging by the look on Hiei's face, he was also stunned. She saw that she had only caught the edge of his cloak, certainly nothing serious, but she had inflicted damage nonetheless.
A surge of anger shot through Hiei. 'This human miko has managed to predict my location and has even successfully attacked me. She will die,' he snarled in his thoughts. With all of his strength his thrust his katana at her, hoping to shatter her barrier. He felt the resistance begin about eight inches from her skin; it just made him put more effort into the attack. His eyes began to bleed red as his attack continued to fail. At the exact moment he felt the resistance finally give way and his katana began its deadly descent into her flesh, he saw her left hand flash up and slap a glowing scroll on the side of his neck, instantly freezing him.
Kagome looked at her stomach and thought she would throw up. Hiei's katana was currently embedded about two inches deep in the right side of her stomach. She leaned back, watching in morbid fascination as the blade emerged from her flesh. Her rational mind realized she must be in shock, because she had yet to feel the pain. She dropped to the ground, panting.
She let her barrier fall and used all of that energy to begin healing her stomach before she bled to death. 'Calm down, Kagome. Everything is fine. It's just a scratch, really. Nothing to be worried about. Remember to breathe. It'll be ok; I am not going to let some pointy-haired demon kill me.' She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, hissing each time her stomach expanded.
Based on previous experience, and due to the fact that it was a fairly clean wound, it would probably only take her miko energy about ten minutes to fully heal her. Ten really painful minutes as her flesh was knitted together, but she had endured worse.
Hiei was livid. He couldn't move any part of his body except enough to breathe. He couldn't even move his mouth to yell at the miko currently bleeding on the ground in front of him. He had already tried burning the scroll off with his youki, but the scroll must have suppressed his energy as well as his movement. His Jagan, however, seemed to be unaffected.
'I will show this bitch who she is dealing with. I will break her mind so thoroughly that she will wish to be dead.' Hiei bent his considerable skill and all of the energy of his Jagan into breaking through her mental barriers.
Kagome shakily stood up. Her wound had mostly healed and she still needed to get the shard from Hiei before he was able to break free from the seal. She stepped carefully around his blade and felt for a pocket where she knew the shard was residing. She found the shard and stepped back. Just as she was about to make a deal to let Hiei loose, she felt something prodding her mental barriers. She put more energy into them as a precaution.
He watched the miko find the shard and take a step back. He prodded her mental barriers and noticed she looked surprised. He did not find any holes in her barrier, so he would have to make a full force attack, something he was more than happy to do. He concentrated his power and decided where he would like to attack. Once he found a suitable spot, he unleashed the power of his Jagan.
Kagome was well aware that there was nothing worse than someone trying to invade her mind. Even if they were being stealthy, the process was intensely painful. However, she had never experienced the level of pain she felt at this moment. The pain in her stomach dissolved into nothing, there was only the pain in her mind.
Someone or something was orchestrating a direct attack on her mental barriers. The pain was excruciating but she knew she had to stay conscious to fight off the attack. She dropped to her knees and her mouth opened as an involuntary scream escaped. Her body started to glow light pink as her mind was focused on protecting itself. She never even noticed that she continued to scream in agony.
As soon as Hiei heard her scream, he almost gave up his attack. It was the most pitiful and horrifying sound he had ever heard. He remembered that he was frozen in place, though, and kept up the attack, although with much less enthusiasm. Her continued screams kept tearing at his will and he knew, deep in his heart, that if she continued to scream he would eventually give up his attack.
Far away, a lone fox demon heard the heart wrenching wails of a person in great pain and agony. "Kagome!" The whisper seemed to come from thin air, as the fox was already racing away into the night.
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I really hate those annoying author's notes in the middle of the story, so this annoying author's note was moved to the end. You have no idea how tempted I was to quit here and post this chapter. It could have been Sesshoumaru, Youko, or Naraku, just to name the most obvious. Then I realized that would be doubly mean since I was also in the middle of Kagome's background, so I didn't do it. :)
Wow. This chapter is twelve pages typed up in OpenOffice. It turned into a monster that just wouldn't quit.
I have also come up with a pretty good idea for Kagome in the future, but you'll just have to wait and see what it is. evil grin Oh yeah, I like it. It'll probably be coming up the chapter after next, if my muse doesn't decide to stray again, so stay tuned.
Review if you feel like it, since I certainly love to get feedback.