In Time, Death

By Alesyira

Summary: A breakthrough is made: Kagome learns how to walk.

Breakthrough

- 1988 -

It seemed like scant minutes had passed before a shuddering sensation rippled across her awareness. She blinked open a bleary gaze to see sunlight streaming through the curtains. There wasn't much decoration in the room, but what little there was had been knocked from the walls and shelves, scattered haphazardly along flat surfaces and strewn across the floor.

She sat up with a grimace, feeling a little sore from the sparring sessions the day before. A quick glance around the room showed the rest of the furniture was still all in one piece and mostly in the same position. She'd probably want to put away the newly disheveled decorations, though, in case a repeat the next night turned out to be more violent than the last.

Another shake caught her attention, and she turned with a startled gasp to realize that Gatai was banging on the doorframe, mouthing something. When her barrier fell, he was mid-sentence, shouting, "… SLEEP ALL DAY? WHY CAN'T YOU HEAR ME?"

"Sorry, sorry!" she waved at him to stop, rubbing her eyes. "I can hear you now. My barrier—" she broke off with a sigh of resignation. "I have nightmares," she explained. He folded his arms, watching as she scratched the back of her neck and added on, "Didn't want to cause any alarm if things went crazy."

He nodded in understanding. "We have a few kids that have the same troubles when their magic manifests badly. There's a counselor that visits every so often when the kids need someone to help them work through issues other than their powers. I can give him a ring to come by for you to have a chat."

She nodded, quiet and reflective. She couldn't remember much of what she'd dreamt this time, just rotting leather in a small clearing dotted with a few scraggly trees. Gatai turned and walked away, giving her privacy to get ready for another training session.

She rushed to dress in her training outfit and snagged a quick bite to eat, resolving to put away the scattered decorations before she slept again. She wasn't sure how late in the day it was and didn't want to keep anyone waiting.

A quick glance at her vesper showed the same error message as before, and she sighed while tucking it away in the pouch.

The morning sun glittered along dew-damp tree leaves, and Kagome took a deep breath of the crisp, fresh air. "I hope the students are feeling better today," she murmured apologetically as she spotted him standing a short distance away. She couldn't help but feel like it must have been partially her fault that they'd all gotten sick. She knew, of course, that she hadn't been directly responsible for the food poisoning, but the stars had aligned somehow, giving her a window of opportunity to arrive without catching the attention of dozens. No one had known that she would be here (that she had been there?) to train and learn more about her magic.

Was it fate? Destiny? Or were little things changing to make sure the big things stayed the same, despite where she went and what she did?

He nodded once. "They are recovering quickly. They're also aware we have a new student up here, so the rumors have started flying." He chuckled and waved around his freshly-aged wallet. "I warned them that this might happen to their skin if they got too close, so I don't think you'll see any of them dare to sneak up here for a peek."

Kagome nodded, both thankful and a little disappointed. It felt right to keep her presence in these varying times somewhat of a secret, but she was feeling a little lonely. A hidden school for a group of kids that needed help controlling their magic sounded fascinating, and she wanted to meet more people. She gave herself a little mental shake as they approached the platform.

Angara had already seated herself near its center, and they took similar positions in front of her as she began to speak. "These little things I've shown you are all within your future. The way you use your magic is up to you, but today we will attempt to tackle the most pressing of your problems. Using your magic is not as important as whether you can contain it on your own. Without your seal, it is like a star athlete running a three-legged race with a couch potato. You are the couch potato, and your magic, the star athlete, will attempt to drag you along despite the damage it might cause you both. Unless you can learn to walk together, you won't make it very far."

Kagome's eyebrows arched. That bad? She folded her hands in her lap and frowned. "What happens if I don't ever gain control over the magic without a seal?"

Angara waved her hands gently in her direction. "Let us use your ability to heal for our example. Yesterday, when you were wounded, your magic rushed to your aid. It did not reverse the damage, nor did it directly stitch the wound shut. Without your direct control, your magic sped time forward for your injury, accomplishing in a moment what might have taken weeks." She tilted her head and looked her over from neck to wrist. "You accidentally aged a portion of your body." With a subtle flick of her fingers, a lingering ache that Kagome had been trying to ignore vanished.

She thought back to the day she'd reattached Hiei's arm. If she'd reversed the damage, she'd have returned his scars to the patch of skin, but that wide band of flesh had been blemish-free. Using time to rush the healing of a wound probably worked just fine on magical creatures that could live for centuries.

But for her?

Gatai shook his head in disbelief. "And you're human? This seems like trouble. If you aren't careful, you might end up as an old lady."

Angara nodded in somber agreement. "If you fail to gain control, your time on this earth might be much shorter than you'd like, and it will be no one's fault but your own." She pressed her lips together. "Many of our students with such a dangerous power spend decades with us refining control until they feel ready to leave." She sighed and closed her eyes. "Despite your interesting circumstances, you do not have such luxury. Even if you could spend so much time with us, you are human, and I fear you will be old and withered before you've learned half as much as you require."

Kagome's heart fell.

Decades?

She didn't know what to think. Was Angara underestimating her ability to learn, or was she really going to have to use a seal for the rest of her life and hope she didn't accidentally kill herself? And if there was a risk to suddenly become old, then did that mean the reverse could be possible, that she might one day discover a way to permanently retain her youth?

She stared at her bare hands with the sudden realization that she hadn't worn her gloves in a while. She'd been given them for a reason, but now she wondered if they hadn't been some kind of mistake, a hindrance instead of help.

Her control wasn't completely lacking. When she reached, she was able to do a lot more, and the magic seemed to work more like it was meant to. She held out her hand for Angara's, hoping she wasn't about to make a colossal mistake.

When their fingers touched, she closed her eyes and reached out with her magic, wondering what a share with this woman might be like.

She was mildly disappointed that there was no poof of hair or a sudden rush of power flowing between them. Her magic was silent and still, and Angara watched her with curiosity.

"What are you doing?"

Kagome took her hand back and looked at it with bewilderment. "I was…" She trailed off. Was it because she was sitting on the platform? "I was going to share my magic at you. It's something that I can do, and it helps me have better control."

Angara rolled a shoulder and waved at Gatai. "Try with him," she suggested.

Kagome was confused. "It's not the platform?"

"No, I do not think so, but we can find out," she gestured to him again.

Kagome briefly wondered how many times Gatai had been volunteered as a test subject for the unknown. She shrugged and took his outstretched hand, closing her eyes to concentrate.

Her hair fluffed around her shoulders as a swell of his fire magic swept through her. He barked a low laugh, his fingers clutching a little harder around her own. She sensed things about the wild burn of his magic and his state of mind that she'd have never guessed by listening to him talk.

His fingers slid further up her hand and he murmured something in a foreign language that sounded pretty but felt terribly inappropriate. After a brief moment of awkward silence, a strange noise hummed up from his chest that sounded almost like the crackle of a campfire, and her face turned pink without her being sure exactly why. She stilled and squeezed her eyes shut, hoping she hadn't inadvertently drawn in another interested male.

He gently pulled his hand away. Kagome's eyes popped open and she blinked at him with mild surprise. He carefully folded his fingers together in his lap, staring at her with golden eyes that seemed to glow a little brighter than they had before.

He shifted his gaze sideways to look at Angara. "Can we keep her?"

Angara rolled her eyes with a smirk, then smiled at Kagome, easily picking up on her embarrassment. "Don't get too excited. He asks that about most of our students."

She swallowed nervously, daring another peek at the easygoing youkai that seemed to be both a guard and instructor. He closed his eyes with a little grin, his hands relaxed against his knees as he slipped into a meditative silence. "Why did it work with him but not with you?" she asked, turning her attention back to Angara.

Angara copied Gatai's pose, her legs crossed and back straight as she closed her eyes. "You cannot fill a cup that is already full," she said.

Kagome watched her carefully, wondering what she might mean.

Angara sensed her stare and peered at her with one eye. "You can only share magic with those that either have room to spare or can give you something in exchange. Our energies are too similar, and therefore neither is possible." Releasing a tiny sigh, she stretched and gave her an appraising look. "But if you are able to share the burden of your power temporarily, it might aid in this lesson. Share once more, and pay attention as I demonstrate."

Gatai reached out with both hands this time, his face wiped clear of all expression. Kagome tentatively took hold of his fingers once more and was surprised at the calm she sensed. He must have not meant to be so unexpectedly open the first time and held himself firmly in check. She relaxed marginally and nodded she was ready.

As Angara manipulated her magic, it became easier to understand.

Time normally flowed in one direction, but with a little nudge here and well-formed intention there, it could be pushed off its path to circle around or flow in reverse. Soon, the simmering tingle of Gatai's energy became a background noise to Angara's demonstration and murmurings.

"Create a barrier, but this time, hold things inside instead of keeping them out."

Kagome's eyebrows furrowed at the simple request. It wouldn't be the first time she'd done such a thing. Her nightly protections kept her magic and sounds contained within her room. She encased the platform in shimmering pink and waited for the next instructions.

"This magic allows you to experience time differently than those around you, and the effect can be contained within a small area, such as this barrier." Angara pulled forth the time magic and allowed it to spread. "Can you feel it drifting from you, filling the empty space until it can go no further?"

Kagome nodded with a small hum. It almost felt like she'd let go of herself, and she slumped a little, relaxed and near boneless.

"Everything within this barrier is now affected by your time, and we are moving much quicker than anything outside. To make this magic work in your favor, you need to learn how to adjust the flow of time while also separating it from yourself."

"But if everything is moving faster," Kagome asked, "then where is the advantage?"

Angara shook her head. "This is only the first level of separation. You will need to do it once more by pushing the magic away from you."

Kagome felt a weird, wrenching sensation as Angara nudged the magic away from them, leaving an empty void in their immediate space.

"The key to retaining an upper hand while remaining part of the normal flow of time is slowing your immediate surroundings," she murmured, trailing off as she twisted threads of magic. The ambient warmth of the excessive speed surrounding them shifted suddenly into a chill sludge oozing through the air.

Kagome opened her eyes and looked at the magic contained just outside of their little circle. Nothing seemed different until Angara pulled a knife into view and casually flicked it toward the cabin door. The knife left her fingers and then got stuck at the edge of their magic-emptied space, sliding into the slowed air like it was an invisible molasses.

She spread her hands wide with a growing smile. "Changing how the time magic works—fast, slow, and eventually in reverse—will be one of your key skills, that is, if you can live long enough to master your powers. What I have demonstrated here is an intermediary skill that you can unleash without any great focus. Eventually you might learn to localize your magic on single enemies to use as a weapon. Containment within a barrier while pushing the effect away from you should be what you work on first while you have access to someone who can share your burden like this," she said, gesturing to Gatai.

"I could do this all day," he muttered with a tiny grin.

"Don't get used to it," Angara cautioned him. His casual shrug of agreement wasn't very reassuring.

She turned a guarded expression to Kagome and lowered her voice to issue a dire warning. "If your barrier falls, the magic might spread uncontrollably. If you have no one with which to share the burden, that could mean a great area and countless lives in potential danger. And if you lose control of the flow of time, you might get stuck in your own trap and become vulnerable to attack."

She cast her gaze skywards with a blink of surprise. "Time has passed quickly. Go eat and think on what you have experienced this morning. We will return within the hour to resume practicing this skill."

Kagome nodded thoughtfully with a small hum, walking back toward the cabin. With the teaching methods they employed, she felt like a breakthrough in control might be possible. She frowned a little with realization that the kind of control she wanted would require her having immediate access to someone she trusted, and she'd had enough unexpected trips lately to know that she wouldn't always have friends at her side.

Gatai waited until she closed the cabin door behind her. He glanced at Angara with a guarded expression. "I couldn't tell until she did the thing with her magic, but she has fire."

Angara gave him a blank look of confusion.

"It's barely enough to light a match, but it's there," he insisted. "You didn't see it?" He ruffled his hand over her hair with a grin of affection. "Maybe you need a vacation. This job isn't getting any easier."

She pushed his hand off her head and waved at him to elaborate on what he'd noticed.

They walked quickly down the path leading back toward the main part of the compound. "She has a trace. A smidgen. Like she's been sidling up with someone that's got their eye on keeping her around."

She frowned. "But it's not Shippo's energy. I'd have noticed."

He shook his head and then waggled his finger in her direction. "Don't you start getting all over-protective of his feelings. We don't know what's going on. Like you said earlier, external forces frequently play crazy parts in our lives." He folded his arms behind his head with a growing smirk. "But I might have an idea about that curse of hers, when you're ready to take a look at it."

Angara arched an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

Despite Kagome being terribly distracted by magic and possibilities, she managed to eat a halfway decent lunch. She quickly put away the decorations that had been scattered overnight, refilled her water bottle, and then returned outside to sit and meditate with her magic while she waited for their return.

She opened her eyes at the crunch of footsteps on the path and held back a chuckle at the sight of a ragged stuffed animal dangling from a rope clutched in Angara's fingers. It was clear that she kept it as far from her as she could manage.

"The Cursed Bear," Angara announced, dropping it in front of Kagome. "It's enchanted to steal energy from anyone that touches it. The theft lasts for about four hours, so we use it as a training aid for special cases. You need to tone it down, and I think this will help."

Kagome grimaced at the stuffed animal's vaguely creepy vibe. So cute, yet so wrong… "Why a bear?" she asked, peering down at its matted fur and worn stitching.

Gatai laughed and leaned back against the cabin, an old book propped open in one hand. "Long ago, it was created to be used as a weapon against a family of some importance, but their plan backfired spectacularly. In the aftermath, we realized it could be used for better purposes and has been with us for as long as I can remember."

Kagome imagined the dingy bear being tossed across a battlefield to thunk against Sesshoumaru's head, rendering his magic useless. That is, if he didn't manage to melt it at first sight, which seemed more likely. "Does it work on more than one person at a time?"

Angara shook her head. "Only one person and one type of magic. The first magic it takes is its limit, and it cannot switch until the four hours are over." She took a seat on a nearby bench. "I doubt you'll even need to touch it to be effective. When you're ready, take off your seal and we'll have the enchantment do its thing."

"It looks well used…" Kagome murmured, her fingers fishing in through the edge of her bodysuit for the edge of her seal.

Gatai chuckled. "Some of the children have slept with this little monstrosity to have a good night's rest, and the staff does their best to avoid touching it when it's put back into storage." He wrinkled his nose. "I doubt it's been washed in the last fifty years."

Kagome frowned. A good soak in a little tub should knock loose most of the dirt and dust. Poor thing needed a good cleaning.

Angara spoke again just as Kagome found the edge of paper, catching her attention with a final instruction. "As your magic is released, focus on containing it within you. Hold back what you can, and then try to normalize your flow of time. I will be here to help, but we will be moving more slowly, so do what you can until I catch up."

As the seal dissolved, the power flowed forth and whooshed toward the little bear. Her hair whipped around her face and she dropped to a knee in surprise even as she worked to reign in the excess. She pulled back what little she could hold on to and eventually found a precarious balance.

With so much less for her to push around (and to push her around), she could almost repeat what she'd seen in Angara's demonstrations. The speed was a whipping whirlwind of warmth around her, and she tugged and nudged to get it to slow down. Angara stepped in a few minutes later to pull it the rest of the way, and Kagome gasped in relief.

"Very good. You nearly had it. I think we'll leave the bear over here so it can siphon off whatever excess spills from you, and you can practice outside of the platform while I monitor."

Kagome blinked in surprise. That's it?

"Start with replicating the barrier exercise from this morning," she said, making herself more comfortable on the bench to watch.

Within the next few hours, Kagome learned how to manipulate the trickling remnants of her magic in ways she hadn't before thought to be possible. Once she was mentally exhausted from those efforts, Gatai stepped in for another sparring session to further cement her control.

When they finally broke that evening, Kagome felt about ready to drop dead, but she was enthusiastic about the new things she'd learned. Angara left the bear next to the cabin with a reminder that it was another crutch that she must eventually let go. She would not be able to keep the little bear with her once it was time to leave.

Despite knowing she still had a lot of learning ahead of her, Kagome waved with a grin as the two walked back down the path, her excitement for progress not hindered in the least. She picked up the little bear by its rope and dragged it inside for a careful washing, determined to pay back the little stuffed animal with some TLC.

AN: next part is nearly done, but I'm thinking I have a short side-piece I want to write and add before that. (thinking more...) Anyways, should have another post sometime this weekend. :)