AN: The flower from the last chapter is a real flower! Granted, I took some liberties and I made up the fairy tale, but it's real and it's one of the rarest flowers in the world. It's native to Japan, which works really well. It actually does grow in the crevice of split trees in the wild! Its real name is Queen of the Night.

… … …

Paradigm Shift

Chapter Fifteen

… … …

Kagome was starting to think that she might have some latent masochistic tendencies. Staying up all night, which was quickly becoming some sort of proxy habit, was starting to get painful. In a very real physical way. Nevermind the tripping and stumbling and falling because she couldn't pay attention through the sleepy haze. No, this yawning. It was the worst. Like torture. She couldn't stop yawning. Now her jaw ached and her eyes watered when it happened and she might have swallowed a bug.

"Ahh...Kagome?"

She squinted at Inuyasha when he called her name, blinking rapidly to try and focus her vision.

"Inuyasha? What is it?" The hard tone of voice that she had been trying for had ended up just sounding whiny, tired as she was. She was bemused by the fact that at least it had the same effect that she had been trying for. Inuyasha looked uncomfortable.

He sat down next to her in front of the vines of wineberries that she was stripping and setting into the center of one of her 'sheet' things. She's cut it into four pieces and was methodically piling the berries next to the fiddleheads she had already found. He fidgeted around next to her for a while before starting to pluck the little treasures and drop them on the closest scrap of fabric.

"Inuyasha? What are you doing?"

"Uh. Helping?"

"Okay. Why?"

She yawned widely and sagged her shoulders.

"You look tired." He was tempted to toss a wineberry into her open mouth, but figured that he was already pushing his luck.

"Way to state the obvious, Inuyasha.

His cheeks puffed up with air as she rolled her eyes at him. The mood was strained as the silence stretched out between them. Kagome was almost ready to tell him to go away when he spoke up again, looking anywhere but at her.

"You know my Tetsusaiga keeps my youkai calm."

"Obvious, Inuyasha- and random, by the way."

"No. Just hear me out."

"Haven't I spent enough time listening to whatever you want to say to me?"

He flinched away from her.

"I'm sor-

"Don't! Just don't."

Kagome started tying up her bundles of food, ready to be away from him.

"This is important!"

"It's always important, Inuyasha!"

Kagome hauled herself up with the bundles and started to walk away, but Inuyasha was there, in front of here, with his hands in front of his chest in surrender.

"I need you to take it, Kagome."

"What?"

"Tetsusaiga. I want you to take it."

She just blinked at him, wondering if she had fallen asleep after all, and was having a really odd dream.

"I was thinking-

"Ooo. A new hobby for you."

He glared at her. She tried to walk around him.

"Maybe I'll go back to normal faster, without it."

She hadn't thought of that. It sounded like a pretty bad idea though.

"Inuyasha… it might-

"So you'll do it?"

"You're- It's a bad idea, Inuyasha. What if you do go back to normal, but it doesn't stop? When you're like that… you could kill or hurt people."

Inuyasha hung his head, knowing that she was right, and didn't follow her or try to stop her as she walked away from him.

… … …

Sango was leaning against a tree, bent over, tightening the straps that held her armor in place when Kagome set a sea green package of foraged food by her foot. She lifted her head and smiled at her tired friend.

"Thank you, Kagome."

"Yeah, no problem."

Sango laughed at the dramatic flourish that Kagome used to plop down beside her and lean her tired skull against her thigh.

"You look exhausted, Kagome."

"So I keep getting told."

Sango reached down and patted Kagome's head a few times, smiling.

"Maybe you should try to sleep when we all settle in to go to sleep."

Kagome groaned and pressed her cheek into Sango's thigh.

"Ugh. It's not my fault, you know. People keep dragging me off to talk. I guess nighttime is the best time to hold a conversation, now."

"Want to borrow Hiraikotsu to ward off overly talkative friends? If you're careful, it won't kill them."

Kagome laughed this time.

"No, but it's tempting."

Sango ruffled Kagome's hair and pressed her face into her leg in a mock-hug.

"Can I have my leg back? I need to go over there." She pointed to where her katana and the rest of her clothes were waiting a few feet away. "And get my things."

"Nope!" Kagome replied cheerfully, wrapping her arms around the leg in question and holding onto it tightly. "It's my leg now. My favorite leg. It has to stay with me forever so that we won't be apart and alone with stupid boys."

Sango's whole body shook at Kagome's proclamation as she laughed.

"You'll have Kirara with you at least! She's a girl! I'll have to put up with those two." She pointed at Kouga and Inuyasha who were apparently trying to stare each other to death.

Kagome squeezed her leg even tighter.

"Yeah but I have to deal with Miroku."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm not sure what's worse."

Sango poked Kagome's head.

"I really do need my leg though. I'm starting to not be able to feel it."

Kagome released it reluctantly and Sango crouched down to get closer to her.

"Come on, Kagome. You're practically my little sister. I know something's bothering you."

"Well, we're all going to be apart for so long."

"True, but there's something else, isn't there?"

"Inuyasha's a jerk."

Sango pressed her forehead to Kagome's.

"I heard. Miroku was telling me about what happened."

Kagome rotated her head, not breaking their foreheads apart, and looked over to Miroku. He was sitting by a large, flat stone near the trees, angled to face the blank slips of paper that he had laid out on the stone, and she could only see the side of his body and face as he wrote.

"I'm sorry that we all left you alone with him while he was like that."

"I wasn't alone. Sesshomaru stayed there. He does that a lot, now; makes sure I'm not alone. It's okay though. I'm glad Rin and Shippou weren't there for it. Shippou has seen enough of Inuyasha's temper over the years, anyway."

"That's true."

"Yeah… What did Miroku tell you?"

"That you almost lost control of your energy again."

"Yeah."

"And that he and Sesshomaru had a hard time calming you down."

Kagome scoffed and pulled away from Sango. They sat close, shoulders pressed together and Kagome rubbed between her eyes with two fingers.

"That's one way to put it. Apparently, I almost," She curved her hands around in a circular motion and then down in a straight line to the dirt. "Pchhhhew! Blew them up."

Sango wasn't sure what exactly Kagome was trying to pantomime for her, but she got a general idea that it had been pretty bad.

"I burned Sesshomaru."

Sango stretched her back and peered over Kagome's head.

"He looks fine to me."

"Well, yeah, now. That's not what I was talking about though. Inuyasha wanted to give me Tetsusaiga."

"Why!?" The startled whisper made Kagome shake her head as she answered.

"He thinks that it might make his youkai half come back faster. We don't even know if it ever will come back though."

"His hair is starting to change back."

"Yeah, well, hair doesn't do much good in a fight. I think he feels kinda useless right now."

Sango tried to stifle a snicker in one hand, but it didn't work very well.

"What's so funny?"

Kagome reached across Sango's lap, plucking up the makeshift bag of wild food and dropping it in the slayer's lap.

"Nothing, really. Nothing and all of it. You're sitting here with me, still worried about Inuyasha. Even after everything he's done and the way he's treated you all of the time."

"He's not all that bad…"

"He is." Sango waved her hand. "But after all of that, you're worried and now he's finally getting an idea of how he always made you feel. It's a little funny. Even though it's not."

One corner of Kagome's mouth lifted and she snorted at the thought.

"I'm a sucker for hopeless cases, I guess."

"Well that's good, or I'd never be here."

Sango squeaked when Kagome pinched her leg at that statement.

"The thing is… his idea isn't completely horrible… I guess. I'm mad at him, still, and I didn't tell him so, but separating him from Tetsusaiga might work."

"What if he-

"Yeah, that's what I told him."

"Then how is it a good idea?"

Kagome looked at Sango from under her lashes.

"Ohh noo!" She drew out the words, lengthening them as she leaned back and lengthened the space between herself and Kagome. "I know that look. You're about to ask me to do som…" Her eyes unfocused, staring off at nothing while the pieces clicked. "You want me to take it from him."

Kagome propped her chin on Sango's shoulder and stared at her ear.

"Just every now and then, to try… you know? It could work. I can't do it, because what if something bad does happen and I'm half the country away?"

Sango sighed and shrugged Kagome off of her shoulder.

"Pointy chin." She mumbled. "Fine. Will you be talking to him about it then?"

Kagome's face scrunched up in dislike at the question.

"Fine. I'll talk to him about it after we leave." Sango pinched Kagome's leg in retaliation and was satisfied with the squeak that she got in return.

"Ha!"

Kagome pouted.

… … …

Many hugs and wishes for safety were exchanged when they were ready to leave the little camp and go separate ways. Kagome hugged everyone twice. Even Jaken and Inuyasha.

Kagome has given the biggest bundle of berries and leaves to Rin, telling her to make sure that they ate well. She and Shippou, as children are apt, were ecstatic at the prospect of something new. Shippou was practically bouncing in his excitement to see Rin's quarters in the Western Hall and all of the playthings that she had told him were waiting for them.

Kouga had pulled her into a tight embrace, lifting her off of her feet in the hug until she plead for want of oxygen. When he let her go, she had hugged him again, softer this time, and brushed her thumb over one of his eyebrows. They'd shared a secret smile and she told him to keep Sango safe.

Inuyasha had grumbled and wormed away from her first, hesitant, awkward hug; so of course when he turned to walk away from all of the mushy stuff she had launched herself at his back and flattened him to the ground in a crushing hug. She's whispered in his ear that everything would be okay between them with time and that it was good to be apart for a while. It had made her sore heart ache, but she had needed to say it for herself as much as she had for him. He'd nodded and sat there with his back to them all as she climbed up from the dirt and grass.

Sango and Kagome had twirled around in a small circle and promised each other that they would be safe. Ignoring Kagome's protests and exclamations, Sango had pulled a small dagger from her own traveling pack and made Kagome take it.

Now, with the three groups having set off in their different directions, Kagome was fighting both her lack of sleep and her tears in order to cling to wakefulness.

It had been decided that Kirara would accompany Sesshomaru, Kagome and Miroku to cut down on their travel time and the chances of Kagome losing control of her powers again. And so she found herself perched behind Miroku while Sesshomaru floated along beside them. She eventually gave up and slept, leaning against Miroku's back under Sesshomaru's watchful eyes.

She didn't stir when they landed to sleep in a quiet meadow for the night, only waking when the sun finally rose the next day.

… … …

Sesshomaru couldn't decide whether Rain and Jaken's bickering gave him a worse headache, or this.

"I am leaving. Be finished or quiet when I return with meat and wood for cooking."

Miroku and Kagome didn't say anything or look at him as he strode across the meadow and down the nearby hill toward a river. They were more concerned with glaring at each other.

They had agreed to start with Kagome's instruction in meditation and had spent most of the morning in frustration. They sat cross-legged on the field, with a hand's width of space between their knees, trying to get Kagome to understand the process.

Miroku had removed and folded his purple kesu and black monsuke, setting them off to the side for the sake of comfort in the summer heat while they practice. Only his white juban and grey pants, buttoned tight around his calves and ankles, remained for the session.

"It wasn't this complicated the first time!"

"I can't do it for you every time, Kagome. That time called for some extreme measures."

"Well, why can't you just tell me what to do again?"

Miroku pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"It doesn't work like that, Kagome."

"It did!"

"I know it did, but it doesn't!"

"That makes no sense!"

He shook his head, still pinching his nose, and sighed.

"Well it doesn't." Kagome repeated.

She threw her arms in the air and fell onto her back, accidentally kicking Miroku as she found a comfortable place for her legs at his side.

"What I mean is that meditation won't work the same way when you do it on your own. I wasn't just guiding you with my words that day. I was using my own aura to calm yours and your spiritual energy."

"There's a difference?"

He poked at her hiking boot with the finial of his shakujo as he answered, jangling the rings.

"Of course there is. An aura is the appearance of someone's soul that those with sacred energies- called reiki- can see."

"Okay. So why can youkai see auras?"

"The most powerful of youkai can, but not all youkai. They have their own spiritual powers; yoki-jaki. It's not that different from humans. All humans possess some reiki but not all of them have enough to wield consciously. All youkai have some jaki but not all of them have enough to wield."

"Okay so… it's not my aura that flares out when I get all…" She flapped her fands around in the air avobe her face where she was still laying.

"Oh. No, it is."

"But."

"Your reiki and your aura both get a little out of control. From the two times that I've seen."

"A little?"

Miroku smiled smacked her stomach with the staff.

"Up! We're not done trying!"

"I'm still confused!"

"You won't stop being confused until you get up."

Kagome grudgingly sat up and arranged herself back into a cross-legged position again. She did glare at Miroku from the corner of her eye and huff at him though.

"Okay, fine. So I've got the breathing part."

"Mhm."

"And the closing my eyes part."

"Mhm."

"Now I'm supposed to… relax…?"

"Yes. Relax your body."

"Okay."

She rolled her neck and shoulders, laying her hands on her knees.

"I feel like I'm going to fall asleep." She said after a few minutes.

"Don't fall asleep."

"Then what do I do?"

"Feel for your power- your reiki."

Kagome opened her eyes and bent over with her head in her arms.

"Ugggh!" She tugged at her hair. "You keep saying that!"

"Because it's the next step!"

"I don't know how to do it."

Miroku sighed and set his shakujo aside, reaching up to push at her shoulders.

"This isn't going anywhere." He pushed her back up and she dropped her hands into her lap. "Let's start somewhere else."

"Kami, anywhere else."

His deep chuckle made her pout sullenly at the grass beside her, one fist pushing at the skin on her cheek.

"Just tell me what you feel when you use your reiki."

"When I purify a shard?"

He nodded at her and smiled.

"Well… I'm not really sure. Pressure, I guess?"

"Good. That's good. We can work with that. The pressure comes from here, right?"

He laid two fingers in the valley between her breasts.

"Uh-huh."

"Then that's what you need to think about." He tapped the fingers against her chest twice and then removed them, leaning back and resuming the proper meditative posture. "Just one more time and we'll stop until tomorrow."

Kagome wiggled around until she mirrored Miroku.

"Okay, so breathe and relax." She said, closing her eyes.

"Now remember that feeling and try to call it forward, try to make yourself feel it instead of just remembering it."

Miroku's face split in a wide grin when he saw the curling pink flows of reiki rise from all over Kagome's skin. It was calm and slow, skimming over her like steam instead of the wild flames that he had seen before.