Okay! I am updating! Yeah *waves banner, throws confetti* Anyways, thanks for the reviews that I got saying they were glad I wasn't dead and all. *sniff* I'm so glad you all care! It gave me some encouragement to actual beat the crap out of my writers block! Thank you all!

And, amazingly enough, in the time it's taken to update this story, I still don't own Inu Yasha! Damn! One of these days!

Shadows

Chapter 24: Kagome's New Training

"Damn you Kagura!" Naraku swore as he watched his newly-free detachment face the wolf prince. He still didn't know exactly how she had managed to escape. He had gone through all the possible ways she could have done it by herself, and knew that she could not have. She must have had outside help, but from whom?

Eyes never leaving the images on the mirror before him, he flicked his hand out signaling to Kanna that he wanted to change the scene. Watching the new scene before him, he smirked evilly at it.

"It is no matter. I still have a few tricks left."

*~*~*

"Okay Kagome, like before when you were fighting Tai, I want you to create a weapon again."

Kagome blinked for a moment, and then thought back to the fight. 'How did I do that anyways?'

Chii, noticing her blank look, sighed, "What's wrong?"

Looking a little sheepish, Kagome ducked her head, "Ano… I don't really know how I did that…"

Chii sighed again while Tai groaned, "Come on, do you need me to attack you again or what?"

Shooting a glare at her younger sister, Chii then smiled warmly at Kagome. "Don't worry, it will get easier." Taking a few steps forward, she put one hand on her shoulder, "Just close your eyes and concentrate. Find that which pulls at your inner core."

Nodding slightly, Kagome close her eyes and reached inside herself. Slowly, a blue and purple sphere, engulfed in its own flames danced before her eyes. Gasping at the sight, she mentally reached towards it and felt the heat pour over her hand.

"What is it?" Chii asked softly, after hearing the younger girls gasp.

"Well, it's just...the color has changed."

Color? "What do you mean; the 'color' has changed?" Chii questioned further while Tai leaned in to hear them better, her cat ears twitching slightly.

"Well, before when I would tap into my powers, I always saw them as pinkish-purple color…but now they are blue, along with the purple."

"I've never heard of anyone seeing their power in colors." Tai snorted and crossed her arms, "Normally they feel a shape or a just a feeling. Never a color. Are you sure you're not just imagining things?"

"Well, I saw a color!" Kagome narrowed her eyes at the younger of the two siblings. She was just a little too much like Inu Yasha when they first met.

Chii interrupted the glaring pair, raising her hands in a sign of peace, "Everyone is different Tai. And she is only a quarter youkai. Perhaps she will sense, or rather see, things differently than the way that we have been trained." 'But…for her to be able to visualize her power in such a way…there may be something to this…'

"Well, let's see what the quarter demon can do then!" Tai sneered and light flared up in her hand, forming into the sword that she had used earlier.

"Tai, would you settle down!" Chii snapped at her and Kagome took a step back. "All you ever want to do is fight! Now we are training Kagome, and if you don't want to help, then I suggest you go cool off somewhere else!"

Chii's outburst had made Tai's ears fold back to her head, which she then ducked down. "Sorry, elder sister."

Chii nodded in acceptance of the apology and turned back to Kagome, who just stared at the two with wide eyes. "What?"

Shaking her head quickly to cover up the surprise at the outburst, Kagome took a step forward again to resume her training.

"Alright then, as I was saying before, visualize the power within you. Once you do that, pull it into your hand. Then think of the shape that you wish it to take."

Kagome nodded and closed her eyes again. This time the light was easier to find, and she reached out towards it again. Ignoring the slight heat it radiated on to her hand, she grasped it. Opening her eyes again, she found the light forming into her weapon- a bow again.

Chii looked at it with mild surprise. "A bow."

Kagome sighed, "Well, that's my regular weapon I use to defend myself."

Chii nodded and smiled, "There's nothing wrong with using a bow as a weapon. Most go directly for a sword or something else. But a bow is just as good as any other."

"But…" Kagome held the bow up and frowned, "How can I use a bow without arrows?"

"Oh, that's a simple one. You just make those as well."

Kagome raised an eyebrow at the Hanyou before her, "Simple?"

"Yes, it is simple," Tai sighed and stepped towards the two, "All you do is focus on the energy, but this time reach with your other hand. It should take the form of what you are thinking of."

Glancing at both of the sister, Kagome closed her eyes and focuses yet again on what she had felt within. This time an arrow appeared in her left hand.

"Good!" Chii smiled brightly, "You're a fast learner. Now we just have to work on making them faster, and you'll have that part mastered."

*~*~*

Kagura used the air current to shift the feather to the ground. Turning to look at the wolf youkai, she absentmindedly placed the now shrunken feather into her hair. "What is it wolf?"

Kouga stare angrily at her, growling, "How dare you come by my den bitch! What the hell do you want, a fight?"

Kagura rolled her eyes and pulled her fan out for defense, "Listen, Kouga, I don't want to fight you."

"Too bad for you then!" he yelled, charging at her. Using the jewel shards in his legs pushed him faster, forming a tornado with him at the eye.

Using her fan to push him back, she shouted, "Listen to me, you stupid wolf! I said that I don't want to fight you. And I don't have to fight you either."

Kouga stopped his second attack and looked at her suspiciously. "What are you babbling about woman?"

Lowering her fan slightly, she continued, "I will not fight you. I am free of Naraku now and although I may have fought his battles before, I will not do so now." She sighed and looked at the wolf demon. "I apologize for what I did to your clan. I know that no amount of apologizes can bring them back, but it is all that I can offer."

"Wrong, you can offer your life!" Kouga snapped, still ready to fight against the wind demon.

Kagura looked at him for a moment, eyes narrowing, before continuing. "I cannot die yet, wolf." Pulling her feather back out, she jumped on to it once it had changed into its larger form. "I have a duty to complete. Then we can have your little fight. But I do not intend to die so easily!" She called out to him as she flew away quickly.

Kouga watched as she made her way through the sky. "Dammit!" He yelled angrily. What was going on now?

*~*~*

"Who are you?" Sesshomaru asked coldly, looking at the cloaked person before him. He sensed that it was a woman, but there was something off kilter about this woman. She had no life about her, but not that of one resurrected from the grave. There was no smell of soil.

The cloaked figure to a step forward before speaking, "Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands…"

"What is it that you want, spirit?" He asked, his face still holding its neutral appearance.

The cloaked figure chuckled lightly, "I should have known that the great Lord Sesshomaru would know that which is a spirit. You help is needed to the north."

Raising an eyebrow slightly, he questioned, "The north?"

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru. The battle against Naraku will begin soon. Your presence is needed in the battle."

Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes at the woman, "What makes you think that this Sesshomaru would wish to help you?"

He could almost feel the smile from the woman, "It is more for the sake of the world that you would be helping, rather than I. But, I suppose that I do have an ulterior motive. That, however, is not one that is important right now." The woman started to disappear somewhat and her voice continued from her now fading form, "If you begin to head towards the north, you will meet up with your brother. They are already heading towards the place Naraku is." With saying that, she disappeared completely.

Sesshomaru looked at the place the woman had just been, thinking over what she had said. His brother was already on his way to defeating Naraku? He could not let his lowly hanyou half-brother defeat the evil demon. That was something that he, the great Youkai Lord should do himself.

"Jaken." He called quickly, listening as the small toad demon stumbled up behind him from his hiding spot. "Rin"

"Hai!" Jaken steadied himself on his staff only to be knocked down by the hyper human girl who had also been called.

"Hai, Sesshomaru-sama!" Both Rin and Jaken awaited his words.

"We are heading to the North now. Let's go."

Well, that's it for now! ^_^ Yeah, I finally updated! And an actual, good-sized chapter too no less! Well, review, please!!