November 25
Inuyasha and I spent another day relaxing yesterday but today was the day my training with Anana officially began. When I woke up this morning, I was so nervous.
I wanted to make a good impression on her and not make her regret offering to train me. She's an extremely powerful and well-known priestess, her powers far surpass mine. I don't even know if I'll be able to keep up with her. Suppose she thinks I'm terrible? What if she decides to stop training me after the first day because she thinks I'm not cut out for this?
All of these thoughts were running through my mind as I combed my hair this morning. It must have been obvious on my face because Inuyasha came over to me.
"Someone's nervous," he said.
"How can you tell?"
"I know you very well," he said simply. He took the comb out of my hand and put his arms around my waist. "You think Anana is going to hate you or something?"
"Well...maybe."
"Idiot." He lifted my chin and kissed my lips. "She already thinks you're a strong priestess, otherwise she wouldn't have asked you to stay here. Just do your best, okay?"
I couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Inuyasha to make me feel better. "Thank you, honey."
We went to have breakfast and then I met Anana in the courtyard for our training session. Inuyasha sat up in a tree nearby. I knew he would be watching and it made me feel better to know that he was close.
"Good morning, Kagome," Anana said. "I trust that you and your husband have had a nice stay and you've been able to recoup your strength."
"Yes, we have," I replied. "Thank you so much for everything."
"It's my pleasure. I'm happy to have you here." She handed me a bow and arrow. "Show me what you already know. Hit that target over there."
I aimed and let the arrow fly. It glowed as it picked up speed and then it hit the bullseye.
Anana looked impressed. "Beautiful. Looks like you've had plenty of target practice."
I smiled. All of that time I spent hitting demons and trying to purify the shikon jewel way back in the day really paid off.
"Your spiritual powers leave a lot to be desired. We'll have to work on that."
Just as quickly, my face fell. Was I that bad?
Anana picked up her own bow and arrow and aimed for another target. Her arrow glowed immensely and when it hit the bullseye, the target was obliterated. I stared in shock.
"I'm going to teach you how to fully channel and utilize your powers," Anana said. "It's there, but it lurks beneath you and we must figure out how to unleash it. Only then can you truly become a great priestess."
From there she showed me various techniques and spells that she could do. I thought they were incredible. I started to think that there was no way I could do those things but as if reading my mind, Anana smiled and said, "You'll be able to do these things in no time. One thing we have to work on first is your form."
We spent the morning going over basics. I was starting to gain a foundation that I'd never had before. Every now and then I looked up at Inuyasha who was still sitting in the tree. Whenever we made eye contact, he smiled at me and I felt even more encouraged.
Soon after, Anana and I took a break and sat down with some tea.
"How long have you been practicing, Kagome?" she asked.
"I started a while ago but I took a long break. So I guess… a year and a half in total. I have spiritual powers because I'm the reincarnation of the priestess Kikyo."
"Oh really?" Anana said with interest.
"It's a really long story, but essentially I'm not from this time period. I went back in time about three years ago and that's how I met Inuyasha. I'm a reincarnation of Kikyo and I guess I kind of inherited her powers."
"I knew Kikyo very well a long time ago," Anana said. "Back when we were both young priestesses. I was very sad when I found out what happened to her."
"She was a really great priestess back home in our village. People really loved and respected her, they still do. Sometimes I still feel like I have to live up to what Kikyo used to be."
This was a worry that I had been harboring for such a long time. It was a lot harder when Kikyo was still around; I always felt like I wasn't good enough back then. Like I was second to her in so many ways. Every now and then those old fears crept back in, especially when it came to being a priestess.
"Kikyo was a great priestess, but just because you're her reincarnation doesn't mean you have to be just like her. You'll find your own path and you'll become a great priestess in your own way."
Anana has such a calm and comforting way of speaking. It made me feel better.
"It's unusual for a priestess to be married to a half-demon," Anana said as she sipped her tea.
"Believe me, I know. Sometimes it seems like people don't want me to forget that."
"I'm sure people have had a lot to say."
"Definitely. Our village seems to have gotten used to it. Sometimes others aren't as kind, though."
"I understand. My husband was a full demon."
I looked at her in surprise. "Really?"
Anana smiled sadly and put her hand to the beautiful rose quartz necklace she wore. "He was a very good man, much like your husband. Of course, people don't understand and they doubted my ability to be a good priestess because I chose to marry a demon. But being with a demon doesn't cloud a priestesses abilities, not if that demon has a pure heart."
I glanced at Inuyasha who was still sitting in the tree. His eyes were closed so I couldn't tell if he was listening to us or if he was asleep. But just the sight of him there made me smile. "He has the purest heart of anyone I've ever known."
"I can tell," Anana said with a smile. "And the connection you two have will only make you stronger." She put down her tea. "Shall we continue our training?"
We did some more training for a couple of hours and then Anana said we'd continue tomorrow.
"After all, there's no use tiring you out. We need you in top condition to get as much out of the training as possible," she said.
At that moment, Inuyasha jumped out of the tree and landed next to me. The two of us exchanged a smile and he held my hand. "All done?" he said.
"I'll leave you two to enjoy the rest of your day," Anana said before going inside.
"Looks like everything went well," Inuyasha said.
"It went a lot better than I expected."
Inuyasha kissed me. "I told you it would. You worry too much, Kagome."
