The Color of Hope: Chapter 54: The Impossible


They would indeed, Ryutakami quietly agreed. Kibou needed training. He needed to learn his abilities, how to use and control them so he could defend himself should he ever be separated from those who would protect him.

A human priestess, regardless of her odd connection to his brother Ryutakashi, would never truly understand the intricacies in dragon behavior and training. Having it explained, while useful, was one thing. Understanding it was something else entirely. It took time to fully learn; dragon children were trained verbally and physically for years by multiple family members to fully understand and properly utilize their powers.

With Ryutakashi's power merged with Kagome's, there was no way to know precisely what she would become. The effect it would have on her was, as yet, unknown. Unheard of even. Ryutakami had lived centuries, and the merging of youki and reiki, to his knowledge, was impossible.

Until now.

Until her.

Born human, and harnessing the full range of a priestess' power was rare. But for a human body, frail as they inherently were, to house both reiki and the full, un-muted youki of a purebred demon? It should have been impossible.

But the fact remained that Inuyasha's female carried the full influence of both within her, one naturally obtained, the other unnatural and foreign.

Had she been born with the mix, if that were even possible, the opposing forces may have been able to coexist. Theoretically, however, one ability or the other would've likely been muted, or cancelled out entirely. Assuming, of course, that such an infant survived within the womb or beyond its birth.

To Ryutakami's knowledge, nothing like this had ever been seen before. Had he not witnessed the situation first hand, seen it with his own two eyes, he would have never believed such a mixture possible. A priestess' reiki, and the demonic essence of youki, were nature's yin and yang. They were equal, opposing forces meant to keep a natural balance in check.

So far the coexistence of youki and reiki within Kagome seemed relatively harmless, stable even. It had visibly manifested in her physical appearance, but only when the miko had been emotionally provoked. She hadn't released it, or lost control of it.

How else would it change her should she be forced to use it? And what training would Kagome need if she proved capable of wielding the combination successfully? It remained to be seen whether her small figure could even withstand the release of her new ability if unleashed in tandem. Would her purity and his brother's demonic energy collide upon their release, reacting as they normally would to the other?

Would it tear her apart? Would it corrupt or mutate her beyond all recognition? Or would she somehow manage to control the union, and master its release? Both forces were powerful on their own. But mixed together, working in unison, one merged within the other? The combination would be savage, catastrophic, and oh so very dangerous.

Regardless, it remained to be seen just how Kagome's newly acquired abilities might affect her should she be forced to draw on them. The combination would either destroy her, or make her the most powerful being known to humans and demons alike.

And that alone brought her protection to the forefront. Her power alone, once others were made aware of it, made her a highly valuable target.

Warranted or not, it was Ryutakami's opinion that both Kibou and Kagome would need his help with training. It would take time. And while he knew next to nothing about how a priestess controlled her reiki, Ryutakami was familiar enough with Ryutakashi's power to help guide her in its release.

Safely merging the two was something they would all have to work through together. Unfortunately, there would be little to no safety during the learning curve.


A/N: Merry Christmas Guys! You have been so awesome to me over the years, and I dearly appreciate each and every one of you.

Thank you all for the kind reviews, sweet comments, continued encouragement, and your ongoing prayers. I can't thank you enough.

As a gift for you all, I am posting more chapters over the course of the night, a minor flood of your inbox, as was earlier promised. RL, last minute trips, and a few unexpected health procedures derailed my earlier plan, but not tonight lol.

-HUGS-

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Neisha