A/N: I do not own Inuyasha or any of its characters.
Chapter Fourteen
Like the Fire of the Sun
Inuyasha sniffed around the bone-eaters well. A few days ago the group decided to take their search to Edo. Maybe the girl had miraculously found her way back to the safety of the village. Sango and Miroku were seeking out Kaede amongst the villagers while the half-demon canvassed the surrounding woods. Inuyasha poked his head below the lip of the well's stone edge. He inhaled deeply and found what he was looking for.
Kagome had been here.
Maybe a week ago at most. Her scent was very faint but definitely fresher than it should have been if, the last time she'd been through the well was the last time he'd brought her there himself. That had been maybe three weeks ago. The hanyou also smelled his older half-brother. A knot formed in Inuyasha's gut. What the fuck did his brother want? Sesshomaru's scent lingered on the edges of the well. Like the youkai had been standing over it with his hands resting on the stone so he could look down into it.
Without hesitation the half demon leapt into the well, traveling into the future. Once through the portal the usual assault of bad smells hit Inuyasha. Ningen were definitely lucky that that particular sense was dulled in their genes. The hanyou ascended the stairs, taking him out of the well house and into the Higurashi's yard. He couldn't pick up the girl's scent here as the other smells were overpowering. But her presence at the well was a clear indication she had come and visited her family. The sun was in the apex of the sky so hopefully Kagome's mom would be home. Letting himself into the kitchen without knocking, Inuyasha called out to Mrs. Higurashi. The woman almost immediately appeared in the kitchen entryway.
"Inuyasha! I was wondering how long before I saw you."
"Kagome and I were separated, I can smell that she has been here recently. I'm trying to find her." The hanyou rushed his sentence, the words falling out of his mouth. He hadn't realized how nervous he was to tell this woman that he had lost her daughter. However, the middle aged woman smiled instead of growing angry.
"Yes she came here. She told me about what happened. Kagome is safe Inuyasha. She's with your brother. Assisting him actually. Something happened to a little girl, Rin, I think she said her name was. They're making a cure."
"But she's not safe with that bastard!"
The half demon turned around and began sprinting back towards the well house. Kagome's mother called and chased after the fleeing hanyou but he ignored her. There was only one thought on Inuyasha's mind. His best friend was in danger. Sesshomaru was unpredictable. It was possible that he would not kill Kagome, it was more likely that he would. His attitude towards Rin hadn't proved anything quite yet in the eyes of the half demon. Even adding on the time that his brother had saved the miko from the poison master. No. Inuyasha didn't think that was enough to give him any sort of trust in his brother's character when weighed against the terrible things he had also done.
He needed to get his best friend back. Now.
The well transported him back to his own time period. He wasted no time in heading straight for Kaede's hut. They would need to resupply and leave immediately for the western palace. There was no time to waste. Sango and Miroku would agree with him, he was confident of it. Inuyasha contemplated whether or not they should bring Shippo. An encounter with Sesshomaru had the potential to be excruciatingly deadly for most demons. And Inuyasha had really no idea what he was heading into. The idea that the older youkai would allow the ningen miko to tag alongside him was unsettling. It wasn't natural for the Sesshomaru he had grown up knowing his whole life. Shippo wouldn't like that though. The little brat would probably disguise himself as something to sneak along.
Shortly, Inuyasha entered the boundaries of the only village he could even consider a home after his mother's death. His feet hastened along the familiar path to the house he visited most. The hanyou rushed through the doorway thankful to find the two people he would need. Sango and Miroku.
"Oi. I found out where she is, err, who she's with, actually. I could smell her at the well. So I went through and saw her mom. Kagome's been home but she left through the portal back to our time. Her mom said she's with my brother. We need to leave immediately." Inuyasha conveyed his news quickly. Sango's mouth gaped open but Miroku's eyes widened with a large smile on his face.
"This is actually good news!" Miroku jumped to his feet. "She's not dead, she's not with Naraku, she hasn't been kidnapped by other demons… wait." The monk furrowed his brows a bit, looking at the half-demon and asked, "Sesshomaru didn't kidnap her right?"
"No, I think Kagome's mom said that she was, helping, Sesshomaru, something about Rin. She might be sick. I don't know, I kind of got distracted by her being with HIM." The two humans were already adding supplies to their bags while Inuyasha talked. And as much as the half demon hated it, the other two agreed that this was great news. They finally had some sort of lead on the whereabouts of their lost friend. And they had confirmed she was still alive, at least she was a week ago by their best guess. The hanyou hadn't asked how long ago Mrs. Higurashi had seen her daughter before his hasty exit. But if his suspicions about how old her scent was were correct then maybe a week had gone by. The three also decided that it might be best to leave Shippo behind with Kaede. They needed to move fast and they could move faster without the kit. He was going to be angry, but they knew it was in Kagome's best interest. Kaede had Shippo helping her with chores and Sango ran to go find the pair.
While they waited for Sango, Inuyasha and Miroku theorized on what could have happened to cause Kagome to venture off with Sesshomaru. The two remembered the snake youkai, who had captured them, mentioning the possibility that their tribe had tried kidnapping Rin. The snakes could be the connection that tied Kagome to Rin and by extension Sesshomaru. Perhaps their miko had followed the older youkai out of self-preservation. If she'd felt safe enough with the demon then it would have been the smartest plan for her to attach herself to him. At least until she could find her true companions.
"But if Kagome is just trying to be safe why didn't the bastard bring her here!? Be rid of himself of her, maybe he's holding her against her will to blackmail me into something. The fucker would do something like that!" Inuyasha was fuming. The idea of his brother with the miko made his skin crawl.
"If something happened to Rin you know without a doubt Kagome would help him save her. Our Kagome can't help herself." Miroku knew there was a reasonable explanation as to the situation even if he hadn't surmised what it was exactly just yet.
"But the bastard hates humans! He would never accept her help in the first place."
"He doesn't hate Rin. And I think your brother is capable of squashing his pride if it was life or death for the little girl. Kagome has reiki. Sesshomaru does not. He may be prideful but he's not an outright fool Inuyasha!"
The conversation between the two males was beginning to get heated. Luckily Sango appeared back in the doorway, out of breath but successful in her mission. When she'd found Kaede, Shippo had been gathering water with some of the other village children. She relayed their new lead on Kagome's whereabouts to the old woman who easily agreed to care for the fox kit in their absence. Sango was able to slip away without Shippo's notice.
"We need to hurry up and go. Kaede will handle Shippo. He won't even notice we're gone for a little bit longer." The demon slayer gathered her bags, finding a sleeping Kirara underneath the gear. In the midst of all the turmoil they'd experienced lately Sango couldn't help but chuckle at her oldest companion innocently slumbering. Yet it only hardened the woman's resolve. They would get Kagome back.
The trio of shard hunters filed out of the elderly miko's hut and maneuvered around to the back. They snuck quietly into the shadowy forest behind the village, where they made a wide arc around the town and swung their path towards the west.
"So logically our first stop should be the western palace correct? How do we get in, I assume you are not welcome?"
"Well actually by youkai law technically they can't keep me out. I am the son of a lord, even if he's dead. But that don't mean they'll be all warm and inviting, or not try to kill me before I enter." Inuyasha was still a hanyou and many youkai would risk terrible punishments to have the pleasure of killing an abominable half demon. Even a hanyou son of powerful taiyoukai wasn't immune.
"Well on that note. How does everyone feel about trying to sneak in after dark?" The monk asked.
"I don't know about that either. Do you really think his home isn't heavily guarded? And by youkai who can smell us. These aren't going to be the stupid animals that we kill all the time. These are trained guards, warriors and servants." Sango's voice was earnest in her warning. Thinking on it the two males had to agree that she wasn't wrong.
"So one of you is going to think of a plan right? Because my plan is usually kill things with tetsusaiga."
"We have four days to figure that out Inuyasha. We'll think of something. Who knows, he might be willing to just hand her over if he's at the palace when we get there. Maybe it'll be that easy." Miroku obviously wasn't being completely serious.
"Doubt it. He's an asshole." Inuyasha responded anyway.
They were going to get Kagome back.
Kagome lay still, waiting to see if the reflection flashed for a third time. Was she seeing things? She didn't want to be wrong and jump into the water for nothing. That wouldn't be worth it obviously. The girl held her breath and waited. Even though dawn was approaching the sky was still quite black making it difficult for Kagome to see anything.
And then the breeze picked up for a second time allowing the moon to filter through the trees and shed a sliver of light onto whatever was hiding in the water below. She saw the glimmer of silver. Without hesitation the miko got to her feet and started wading into the river. The water got deep quickly as she splashed into the middle. Swimming around the girl searched for the spot where she'd seen the flicker at the bottom. It was hard to pinpoint the exact location due to the refraction of the water. She waited for the reflection again before diving down into the water below her. It flashed from the riverbed a little to her left and Kagome angled herself to reach the unknown object. Pushing herself with her legs the girl kicked to the bottom and reached her hand out to grab the item, only her fingers grasped nothing. She had her eyes open in the freshwater and could see that something solid was underneath her but try as she might her hand never closed around it. She swam back to the top, breaking the surface and gasping for breath. The miko couldn't understand it. Whatever that thing was had been right there. Right there.
Kagome dived back down, deciding that she would plant her feet on the bottom to look instead of hovering above the item. She kept swimming down, further than the naturally occurring bed of the river should have been. Deeper the miko swam, knowing fully that this was not normal. She should have already encountered the muddy earth beneath the river. The girl looked up and the surface of the water seemed miles above. This was definitely not natural. Her lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen, still she propelled herself deeper. Kagome wanted whatever the item down here was. With a final kick of her legs the miko crashed into the river bed. A cloud of mud enveloped her forcing her to close her eyes. Her fingers desperately searched through the mud trying to find something hard. Her actions became frantic as the need to breath began to overtake her senses. Something cold, smooth, and solid brushed against her arm and without even looking to see what it was she grabbed it and pushed off of the bottom, rushing to get back to the air.
The miko broke the surface again, choking on the cool night air. She coughed and sputtered as she made her way back to shore so she could look at the object she'd found. Dragging herself out of the shallow water, where her feet safely touched, she collapsed onto the small bank, still gasping for breaths. When her palpitating heart normalized its beating pattern the girl lifted the object she held into the moonlight. Kagome realized that the object no longer felt cold, but that it was actually quite warm in her hands. Where her fingers grasped the edges of the item she could see a faint almost indiscernible golden glow.
She was holding a silver mirror.
Hayato could understand Sesshomaru's frustration. They'd been searching this cave for a good portion of the night and they were running out of time. Sunrise was approaching and in order to escape detection they'd have to go back to their huts soon and pretend that they had been there the whole time.
But they hadn't found anything yet. And it didn't seem like they would be successful at all. The inu youkai was pacing around, while Hayato sat on a large stone jutting out of the wall.
"The festival spans several days Sesshomaru. We will have more opportunities to come back and look. We can even bring the girl with us."
The western lord slammed his fist into the stone wall beside his person for a second time. Growling he responded, "I don't have all the time in the world to do this."
The falcon shook his head, "Patience mutt, whatever quest you are on, you still need the strand of hair in order to complete it. We still have the option of using the miko's reiki to try and find it. If that doesn't work then perhaps you should move onto somewhere else for your search. But you haven't completely exhausted all your options here just yet. We should get back before anyone notices our absence."
Sesshomaru nodded, knowing that his emotions were interfering with his judgement, something that he was normally able to control. Hayato was right in that they could still use the miko's help. She'd probably be angry in a few hours when she awoke and realized they had left her behind. When he'd told her to sleep he assumed that she believed she was just taking a nap and would be awoken by him when the time was ready to go explore Amano-Iwato. The truth was that he'd been hesitant to reveal just how powerful the girl was to the falcon. Sesshomaru knew Hayato had a mild idea that Kagome's power was more potent than any other miko. But the inu was also sure that Hayato had no real comprehension of just how vast the ability gap was between the priestesses of here and Kagome. It looked like he wasn't going to have that choice though. They were going to need her. Part of her secret would be revealed.
The idea that he would have to share the miko's abilities with the falcon made him feel unsettled. Many youkai coveted power and the girl was almost the epitome of priestess reiki. Instinctually Hayato would be drawn to Kagome once her powers were unsheathed and Sesshomaru still didn't like the idea of Hayato touching her. Not that the southern lord wasn't an honorable male. He most likely wouldn't force himself on the girl, but there was a minute possibility that Hayato would be overcome by his instincts and attack or become violent. Not all taiyoukai had impeccable control like himself. The uncertainty of the situation caused apprehension to quell within the youkai.
He would just have to prepare himself for a worst case scenario.
Kagome slid down the embankment she was trying to climb by several inches. The mirror she'd found stowed securely in her shirt. She was wet, muddy and slightly cold. Every time the breeze picked up she would gently shiver despite the fairer weather they were experiencing in this part of the country.
Struggling, she crested the small cliff and huffed out her breathlessness on her hands and knees. Climbing to her feet the miko found her balance and began to retrace her steps to the best of her ability. The sky was just starting to lighten, the black turning to a dark blue, Kagome was running out of time. She ran quickly, careful not to take the wrong forks when different trails in the woods connected. She stood at a four way intersection for several minutes trying to remember which path she had taken there originally. The girl got turned around once but the sky was still a deep azure by the time she recognized an actual structure through the tree line. Moving closer, the miko found herself outside the plaza where the festivities had taken place yesterday. Approaching from the rear of the building she could hear several hushed voices.
"The girl is dark. No miko would so willingly travel with demons." A shrill feminine voice spoke urgently.
"Many of the demon houses employ humans. They have the company of important ningen families often enough, just like the human lords have at least one youkai in their castles. It's perfectly reasonable." A calm male voice answered back.
"None of them are happy! They are miserable and treated poorly. If they aren't then it's because they've already gone dark. I've seen it." The girl was practically hissing.
"That is enough! The Southern youkai lords have always been fair rulers. To assert that they would mistreat their servants is both foolish and reckless."
"You can't possibly believe that! They can tell any stories they want outside their walls." The anonymous female was being relentless in her assertations. If Kagome could've she would've given whoever that girl was a piece of her mind.
"Stop. Ningen and youkai are all children of the Gods, to be judged not by their birth but by their souls. I know that the northern lords are much crueler, and that is where you have come from sister, but don't let prejudice darken your heart as well. Not all youkai are the same just as ningen are capable of committing great atrocities."
Kagome could hear angry stomping footsteps exiting the plaza and the man muttering for the girl to "wait" as he hurried off behind her. Now more than ever the miko wanted to be shut behind her cabin door, safe and free from possible discovery. She was certain the girl had been accusing her of being a dark miko. Great. She couldn't get away from this shrine fast enough.
The miko ducked into a crouch and slinked her way around the courtyard, following the path up to the huts. She stayed about ten feet into the woods just out of sight in the lightening sky. Oh how she couldn't wait to change out of her wet clothes and into something dry, maybe even snuggle into the bed for a few hour nap. Yes, that would be nice.
Kagome made her way past the first few shelters, sneaking to the front door of her own cabin. The miko slipped silently inside, grateful to be back. Grateful to have gone undetected. She closed the door behind her, half expecting to see Sesshomaru but not completely surprised to see that he wasn't back yet. She was going to need some water to clean herself up but her muddy state might arise suspicion. She knew she was going to need Sesshomaru's help for that. In the meantime she could get comfortable in something a little cleaner. First though the miko was going to need a fire to attempt to dry her soiled outfit. Squatting before the small wood stove, Kagome got to work.
Hayato and Sesshomaru were nearly back to their sleeping quarters. They had decided that the inu would wake the miko around sunset and fill her in on what had transpired during the night. Then they would travel to the local market for provisions. There were mostly prayer services during the day and they could attend one in the morning as per custom before vacating for part of the day. The behavior would be normal of most civilians anyway and they wanted to blend in. The trio would return for the nightly kagura dance and the feast. Then, once all others were slumbering, sneak back to Amano-Iwato.
The falcon slipped inside his personal hut, whilst Sesshomaru swiftly and silently glided to his own hut. Everything around him was still but for the chirp of a few birds. Fresh dew glistened along the blades of grass that bordered the path. Opening the door, the inu backed in keeping an eye out for any sign of movement. He quickly closed the door without a sound, turning promptly to sit in the chair and wait. But he suddenly froze.
Kagome was visible in the dim light of a newly lit fire in the wood stove. She was bent over with a pair of pants around her ankles, appearing to be in the processes of putting them on. Most of her front was shrouded in shadow due to her stance but the side of her left breast peaked out from underneath her arm. The miko's back was illuminated by the firelight. She wore some sort of strap around her mid back. A lace garment of some kind covered her backside. Her shoulders blended smoothly into her spine, which curved down to a slender waist. Bringing his eyes back to the girl's face he found wide dark eyes stared at him, an entire body still as stone, clearly not prepared for this moment.
A long agonizing few seconds passed before Kagome's senses returned to her and she dived to the floor behind the bed, opposite of where the large demon stood. He heard a thump and some furious rustling before a hand reached up and grabbed something off the bed. A few more thumps ensued before suddenly the miko jumped to her feet, fully clothed, brushing the hair out of her face.
"Okay soooo, I'm just going to lay down in the bed and try to nap while I pretend that didn't happen. Good night, er, morning. Er, whatever."
The miko hurriedly placed herself between the mattress and the blanket, facing away from the doorway and the demon who still stood frozen. Sesshomaru let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He hesitated in the entry of the hut, unsure of what exactly the most appropriate course of action would be. Should he sit over in the corner? Be still in the awkward silence? Would that make the miko more uncomfortable? He could smell something vaguely familiar in the air… vanilla. He recalled their first day of travel and the hill she'd tumbled backwards down. When she'd reached the top again she'd smelled of vanilla but it had been more subtle. In this moment the vanilla was intoxicating. He had no choice but to draw it deeply into his lungs.
Should he vacate and leave her in her solace? Would that be better? Every female he'd seen naked had welcomed his attentions. They were all attractive high level youkai females, raised to worship power and be subservient to the most powerful youkai males that would give them attention. Some practically threw themselves at his feet. Never had a woman been embarrassed by his viewership of her nudity, partial or not. This was a new experience.
"Should I stay or do you need to be alone?" Sesshomaru asked his question quietly. A sudden quick and fleeting pang of anxiety struck him before disappearing. He didn't know what to do and he was essentially admitting that to her by even asking the question in the first place. He didn't fear her using this miniscule moment of weakness against him though. The miko had basically proven that she was a loyal companion. He did fear reminders of his fallibility, even tiny gentle ones like this moment.
Kagome lay silently. She shifted on the mattress and sat up to look at the demon. Sighing, the girl looked down at her hands before replying.
"No. You can stay. It's still embarrassing, but it was an honest accident. I had no idea you were going to be behind me so quickly and you had no idea I was changing my clothes in here. Neither one of us intended for that to happen. So it's okay. Thank you for asking though."
The girl laid down, back still turned to Sesshomaru. Striding across to the corner the demon took up his vigil in the seat near the wood stove. He crossed his arms and leaned back. The scent of wet clothes reached his nostrils. The inu turned his head to look. The girl's clothing was hanging safely above the fire. He could tell in the light that it was wet for some reason, not soaked but still quite damp. He could also smell dirt and grass mixed in. Why were the miko's clothes wet?
"Where did you go?" The inu's voice startled the silence, the girl instantly reacted by twitching under her covers. Sitting up again, Kagome stared across the small room. She brushed her now noticeably damp hair out of her face for a second time.
"I woke up and you were gone. So I went to find you. Fell in the water. Did you really think you were going to find something as small as a strand of hair without me sensing it for you?" The girl leaned forward, squinting her eyes as she continued to look at him.
"Don't be insolent miko." Sesshomaru replied harshly. Even though he had to admit the girl was right. "You are correct though. We didn't find anything. We're going to stay one more day, attend the kagura dance this evening. During the night, you will come with this Sesshomaru to the Amano-Iwato."
"One of these days I'm going to get you to compliment me." Kagome threw the blankets off of her and pivoted onto her hands and knees. She reached for her bag that sat on the floor by the foot of the bed. Rocking back to her knees, she sat and rummaged through the sack for a few seconds before pulling out something bright and shiny. The miko handed it to the demon.
Sesshomaru took the object into his hands. His face reflected at himself. It was a mirror. Despite the poor lighting, the object seemed brightly defined in the darkness. He could see the ornate swirls and dips that adorned the outer frame. The piece was definitely beautifully crafted.
"This is a nice mirror but why would I compliment you for finding this?"
The miko snatched the object back and grunted a response. The girl firmly grasped the sides of the item and held it up in between the two. It didn't take very long until Sesshomaru noticed it. The faint golden glow from where the miko's fingers were wrapped around the mirror.
"It seems you did find something interesting." The demon almost smiled.
The closest village was packed with visitors. It reminded Kagome of Tokyo during tourist season, except with bodies instead of cars. The market was busy with shopping and conversation, an excited buzz in the air.
The miko had been able to fit in a short nap after her talk with the demon lord. The two had then proceeded to join Hayato for the morning prayer services before dining with the other priests and priestesses of the shrine. Kagome had looked around for any toxic glares, hoping to identify the mystery woman from the night before. She hadn't noticed anything duly unusual.
Walking beside her two companions they perused the carts and stalls. Sesshomaru had bought some fruit and dried meat, otherwise they were still in pretty good supply on most of their provisions. The miko hadn't brought up their embarrassing encounter and neither had the demon. In fact Kagome hadn't thought of it at all since awaking.
Sesshomaru however, had thought about it numerous times. It kept popping into his head at the most inopportune times. During the prayer, while she sat beside him during their breakfast meal, when she bent over on the side of the road to pick a flower while they walked to the village. He kept trying to push it from his thoughts, but the image persisted. Now she was walking beside him again, her eyes filled with wonder and happiness at the scene she was taking in. It was actually refreshing for him to see such amazement in ones eyes instead of the small amount of fatigue and despair most ningen held in their orbs.
Suddenly the miko was thrown from his side. He heard her hit the ground solidly before turning to see what had happened. The miko was in the dirt with another young girl sitting on top of her. The attacker turned and pointed her hands towards the two lords. A purple cloud began to emanate from her fingertips, growing in size quickly.
Kagome realized what was happening almost instantly. This was a miko that had tackled her, and she was preparing to use her reiki against the demons. Reacting on instinct the future miko knocked the past miko backwards onto her back. It allowed Kagome to jump up to her feet and rush over to her companions. Without even thinking about it she created a barrier around the three, encasing herself, Hayato and Sesshomaru into a golden pink bubble. The energy swirled and sizzled around the demons, but never was it painful.
The offending miko rushed the barrier with a furious cry. She slammed against the outer shell of gold and was immediately thrown backwards with a flash of electricity. The unknown assailant howled in pain, and got back to her feet. She ran at the shield one more time, to be met with the same results before she didn't try to invade the bubble again.
Inside the barrier Kagome had started crying. She didn't know why. She held her hands out in front of her in order to maintain the shield she'd erected. Her breaths were quick and shallow while the tears rolled down her cheeks. Her fingers and arms shook from her effort. A crowd had gathered around them and people shouted in confusion and anger. Some pointed at the bubble she was in whilst others pointed at the other miko. The teenager vaguely heard someone yell at others 'to run and get the head priest at Amaterasu's shrine.' Kagome was panicking. She could hear the falcon breathing heavy behind her, strained, but not struggling against the reiki that he was surrounded by. A hand landed on her shoulder. She felt hot whispers from a velvet and calm voice drift into her ear.
"You're okay miko. Try to breath. You're safe. This is going to be fine."
"No, no it's not." She whispered back. "All of these people have seen me use my power. They're going to wonder. They're going to ask questions. What have I done? Oh my God what have I done?" The girl's words were stark and throatily spoken.
"We will explain this. You're just a powerful miko. No one will find out your secret."
"Do you promise?"
Sesshomaru hadn't expected that particular request. Rin would ask him that all the time. Her voice would be high pitched with a hint of a giggle. It seemed so childish when spoken by Rin, but the older woman who stood in front of him sounded desperately adult uttering the same phrase.
"I keep my word. Always."
Kagome's shaking calmed itself considerably after a few minutes. Sesshomaru kept his fingers firmly attached to her shoulder, gently squeezing. She kept the barrier up while they watched the scene outside unfold. A group of the villagers tied the assailant up and held her while others pointed weapons at the bubble she'd made. Sesshomaru whispered to her that they probably weren't sure who had attacked who and were just taking precautions. He had also heard someone yell for the high priest and surmised that once the priest arrived all would be settled.
The barrier stayed for another hour before the priest finally came upon the scene. The head monk was old but had a spring in his step as he rushed to the situation that needed his assistance. He motioned towards Hayato who gently told Kagome that it would be okay to take down the shield. Freeing them from their shelter, the teenager staggered forward before gaining her footing. She had expunged a great amount of energy maintaining the bubble.
The priest rushed towards them and began questioning the participants of the altercation. The attacking female struggled against her bindings and screamed about Kagome being a dark miko, tainted by demons and unfit to have reiki.
"Enough!" Yelled the old man. He pointed a finger at the belligerent girl. The offender grimaced from being shouted out, but she held her tongue afterward.
"Did you not see her aura! Her power is greater than my own and holier even! It was the color of the sun. Are you a fool? Are you really so foolish to not recognize a gift straight from Amaterasu!" The elderly monk turned to Kagome and grasped her hands.
"You my child. What a gift you have. And to hide it from me Lord Hayato? How could you? You should have shown me her right away. What an honor for me to hold the hands of such a gifted priestess."
Kagome was astonished by what was happening. The elderly monk had his head bowed in reverence and many of the onlookers in the crowd mimicked his actions. The ones who weren't appeared to be as confused as Kagome felt.
"Sir, please stand back up. I am just a miko, like all the others." She was starting to feel anxious again.
"Oh no. No. No. You are more than any other miko. I could feel your aura from the shrine. It is so big child. So beautiful. So pure."
Kagome began to shake her head, but the old man quickly silenced her.
"Do not be ashamed. Humility is good, but don't deny your strength. Your reiki is like the fire of the sun." There was a pause before the monk continued. "The fire priestess."
The old man smiled at her. "Yes. The fire priestess. As pure as the sun."
Sorry for the late update! I really appreciate how patient you guys are :) I had some trouble working out the kinks of this chapter, which took a wee bit longer than expected to edit. I hope I made the wait worth it!
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorite, followed and read! Much love!