Crossing her arms with a growl, Kagome glared at her father. For a week now it has been nearly non-stop training, she barely has time to get her homework done before she passes out at night. And she hasn't learned anything! Other than what it feels like to have your own father push you to the ground over and over again telling you to just do it. When he started to say something she sighed. "You know what Dad. You stand there all day long from the time I get home until I have to get Rin ready for bed and tell me I am doing 'it' wrong, whatever it is and to try again. It would really help me out if you would just tell me what I need to do in the first place."

Dropping his head as he stood there, Katsuie sighed. "But that is not the point. You have to do it on your own or it won't work. It will make you stronger if you figure it all out on your own."

Standing now, Kagome stomped her foot as she narrowed her eyes. "Dad you know unless you tell me what I need to do that I can't do it. Why can't you just show me how to do it or at least tell me? Unless there is something you aren't telling me again?"

His blue eyes glaring, Katsuie sighed. "Just do it Kagome."

Tears building up in her eyes, Kagome kept her glare for her father as she stood there. "I would really love to know how you expect me to do that! I don't know what I am doing I can't just do it!"

Having finally had enough of this, Inuyasha moved and stood right in front of Kagome, blocking her view of him. "Easy Kagome settle down. I know where your dad is coming from in a way." But then he turned his glare over his shoulder at Katsuie. "But I also know where she is coming from too. Sesshomaru tried to train me the same way you are here and it didn't work. He showed me the moved he wanted me to use, and told me about the energy I needed to use it, then I got it. It's worth a shot here isn't it?"

His glare even harder, Katsuie sighed. "Lord Inuyasha. All due respect, but this is something she has to do on her own through instinct. I can't show her what to do."

With an annoyed growl, Inuyasha didn't move as he turned and looked down at Kagome. He could feel the knives of her father's eyes stabbing him in the back. Pulling her head up to look into his soft amber eyes he used his fingers to wipe away her tears. "Look Kagome why don't you try looking at it a little differently. Instead of thinking you have to keep your dad away from you. Remember what happened that first day of school with the bear demon. Imagine throwing up something to keep him away from you."

With a shiver as she remembered what nearly happened that day, Kagome nodded. But so did her anger at her father. Had she known what she could have done before, and went to that school trained in this, she wouldn't have been so scared. "I think I can do that. It's worth a shot anyway, that is for sure something I wouldn't want to relive."

"Good." Inuyasha then stepped back to stand next to Kenta behind Rin. Crossing his arms he met the glare of her father. He wouldn't deny the growing attraction that he had with her and her father would just have to get over it. He seemed hell bent on making her do it on her own, which was clearly now how she learned. 'That's alright. I will help her train at night and on the weekends when you are working for Sesshomaru Katsuie.'

With a sigh as he turned his hard eyes back to Kagome as she glared at him he nodded. "Here I come." He then charged her.

Seeing him move, Kagome closed her eyes as tightly as she could. Going back to that first day of school. The fear that ran up her spine when he grabbed her arm. The pure terror when he said what he wanted to do and started to drag her toward the closet. She pictured the strongest barrier in the world that would keep that demon away from her. Something she felt safe in.

Just as suddenly as she closed her eyes, Kagome jumped when she heard a loud crack then a distant thud. Opening her eyes she gasped as the pink barrier around her shattered and faded like pink star dust. "Wait did I really do it?" Looking around she gasped as she rushed to her dad as he was sitting up. "Dad! I didn't hurt you did I?"

With a small smile as he looked at her, Katsuie sighed and shook his head no. "No honey you didn't hurt me. I have had worse happen trust me." But then he glanced at Inuyasha and then looked down at his daughter as they stood up. "What did he tell you before he walked away from you Kagome?"

Visibly shivering, Kagome hugged herself as she dropped her head. "My first day of school. I thought that Yoite was with me after lunch, but he went off somewhere else. He never would tell anyone where he went. But Sango and I were almost to the classroom when a bear demon and his friends grabbed us. They said they wanted to have fun in a closet." Taking a deep breath she kept her eyes down. "I was saved from that fate fortunately by Inuyasha and his friend Miroku. But he told me to think of that day and keeping him away from me. Not my dad."

Crossing his arms, Katsuie gave his daughter a stern look as he let out an annoyed sigh. Turning his glare to the even more smug looking Inuyasha, he dropped his head. "I understand that it worked. I get it that teling you to imagine different things will work. But you really do need to learn all this stuff on your own and figure it out through trial and error."

Turning her back to her father, Kagome crossed her arms. She couldn't believe that she was actually worried that she hurt him. She expected a good job, but no he had to lecture her about how that isn't how she is supposed to do it. "And what happens dad if something like that happens again? I wouldn't know how to do it your way and I would probably be at their mercy if Inuyasha wasn't there. You are so keen on telling me everything about everything up until now. And yet this you won't even try to explain it. I understand you want me to do it on my own, but it would help if someone at least explained to me what I needed to do."

Shaking his head at her, Katsuie sighed as he looked down at the back of her head. "You just have to trust me Kagome. I can't do that."

As she fought back tears, Kagome dropped her head more and her shoulders. "Well then dad, I think this training session is over." Then without another word she walked away from him as she whipped the tears from her eyes and smiled as she walked up to Rin. "Hey Rin, what do you say to getting your bath done early, and then you and I can hang out in my room and play some Monopoly until it is time for bed?"

Smiling as she jumped up, Rin grabbed her hand. "That sounds great! And Kagome, you did much better after you talked to Uncle Inuyasha."

Smiling down at her, Kagome sighed. It would be the little girl that told her she did a good job, couldn't be her father. "Thanks a lot Rin."

Inuyasha watched as Kenta followed them in the palace, then turned and locked glares with Katsuie as he walked toward him. He wasn't going to budge on this with Kagome. He wasn't going to stay out of it. And soon as he left the garden, he was going straight to his brother about what happened.

As he reached inuyahsa, Katsuie turned and watched Kagome vanish inside the palace. "You need to stay out of this Inuyasha. I am sure that Sesshomaru has told you what is going on here right?"

"All he told me is that she is going to be trained in how to use her purification to help protect her and Rin if it calls for it." He then met his glare as he growled. "But you have to think if she doesn't even know the basics of what you want her to do, you can't expect her to just do it. Like I said. Sesshomaru did the same thing with me, and until I saw it I couldn't get it. She just found out that she was a miko and could do anything a few weeks ago."

Narrowing his eyes, Katsuie fisted his hands as he stood there. "Stay out of it Inuyasha. I know what I am doing and I know she can do it." But when he didn't say anything and headed for the palace he took a few deep breaths. If he kept up with his damned meddling, it was going to ruin everything. He would make Kagome strong. But it had to be done a certain way. Once she reached the level he needed, he would free the jewel from her.

Picking up his bag he left the garden and headed for the front gate. He had been working with her for two weeks already. He could tell her how to do it yes, or to imagine different situations. But she would never figure out how she did it for those if she didn't learn it on her own. 'Damn you Inuyasha. Just stay out of it.'

X

"We need to talk Sesshomaru."

Looking up from his papers, Sesshomaru arched an eyebrow when Inuyasha stormed in and flopped down in the chair across from him. "Talk about what Inuyasha."

With a sigh as he met his brother's eyes, Inuyasha growled. "Kagome's training."

Giving his brother an odd look as he sat the papers on his desk, Sesshomaru didn't know what he was talking about. "What about her training? I felt the barrier she did today. The training is starting to work finally."

Shaking his head side to side, Inuyasha growled. "Not because of her father. It only worked today because I stepped in. I reminded her of what happened the first day of school and the bear demon. That instead of thinking of keeping her father away from him, think about keeping someone like that away from her. He won't even tell her a thing about what she needs to do to do it!"

His eyes shifting to the small picture of Rin on his desk, Sesshomaru sighed. "Inuyasha it is imperative that she learn how to do this on her own."

Growling deeper, Inuyasha pulled a glare from Sesshomaru. "Do you remember when I was knee high to my mother and you started to train me? You expected everything to come natural because we had the same father. It wasn't until after you showed me or explained it to me that I got it."

Not even trying to hide the annoyance in his voice, Sesshomaru growled at his brother. "And what does that have to do with Kagome and her training in purification?"

"He won't even tell her what she needs to do to do it!" Standing up and and pacing, Inuyasha shoved his hands in his pockets. "He just says 'here I come' and charges her, and ends up shoving her to the ground. She only made the barrier today because I stepped in. He won't even tell her to draw on her inner power or anything like that."

Understanding now, Sesshomaru relaxed as he closed his eyes with a sigh. "I see. I was under the impression from Katsuie that he was going to explain to her some. Considering until the day I told her she was coming to work for me, she didn't even know what she was."

"That is what I told him." But then Inuyasha stopped pacing as he looked over at him and blinked. "By the way, he said that he assumed you told me about what was going on. What is he talking about Sesshomaru? Told me what?"

Opening his now serious eyes to meet his brother's, Sesshomaru took a deep breath. "He thinks that Kagome holds in her body the Jewel of Four Souls, the Shikon no Tama. He is trying to force her to the edge to make her use the power of the jewel to unlock the seal he put on her as a child to seal away her purification powers."

Narrowing his eyes, Inuyasha growled. "So why doesn't he tell her about it?"

His eyes going wide and then glaring, Sesshomaru fisted his hands on his desk. "What do you mean by that Inuyasha? He told me that he did tell her about it."

Shaking his head no, Inuyasha also hardened his glare. "Nope. Kagome even called him out on that today. Asking him why he was dead set and hell bent on telling her everything until now. He was furious when I stepped in to help her with the barrier." Sitting down now, Inuyasha sighed as he closed his eyes. "I figured once she did it, he would tell her how she did it. He just lectured us both on h ow she has to do it all on her own with no help. She told him training was over, and took Rin to get her bath early and play a game with her."

Going to the window, Sesshomaru growled as he stood and went to look out the window over the city. "I have no doubt then that Katsuie will come and talk to me about what happened while you are in school tomorrow."

Not hiding the growl in his voice, Inuyasha looked away from his brother. "Most likely."

"Go now. I will deal with him when he gets here." Once he heard Inuyasha leave the room, Sesshomaru growled low and deep. Katsuie came to him and told him about the jewel that Kagome housed when she was small. About how she was its one true protector. Though he scoffed at the thought of using the jewel at first, he did not need something like that to make him stronger than his enemy. But then Rin came into his life. That little girl got in his heart and he wanted to keep her with him forever. Not just eighty or so years.

But then he thought if they could get the jewel out of Kagome, she would be able to use the blood mixture of another demon couple and turn her into a true demon. She would really be his daughter, mixing his dna and the dna of another demon. She would truly be his true daughter then.

Katsuie assured him that he would tell Kagome everything and would make sure that she knew what it was that he wanted from her. Though it seems that he has not told her anything, other than she has to protect Rin. Narrowing his eyes as his lip snarled, Sesshomaru turned his eyes in the direction of the Higurashi shrine. "I will see to it that she knows everything tomorrow when she gets home from school. I will not let him and his ego stand in the way of keeping her with me forever."