Scroll 4

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Writing

Stressed Words

It had taken her quite some time to return from her journey. When Kagome returned to Kaede's village she was greeted with hugs and bows. The hugs were from Shippo and I while the villagers bowed to their great Miko. Kagome blushed and finally convinced that the villagers should stand up. They did refuse to stop bowing to her and cleared a hut for her, Kaede's hut. They, the Inu group looked the same as they did when she first left them.

Shippo had grown to twenty-five and his aging slowed down to a stop. The only three humans of the group still looked the same as when she left. Miroku didn't seem to be such a letch, but he did have the same mind. Sango corrected him of this when she announced that they were both married. Kagome of course was overjoyed to hear this news. These days we thought were going to be peaceful since the jewel was dormant and Kikyo was no longer a wandering soul bent on vengeance.

A month had passed since she first came back to the village. She fell into a peaceful routine of blessing huts and helping the villagers with their problems. Kagome was always willing to lend a hand when needed. She did refuse to change from her battle outfit that she proudly wore. She guarded the village from minor demons and taught the men and women in the village how to properly wield weapons. All of the villagers looked to Kagome as their law and Miroku as their exorcist. Inuyasha was also a guardian the villagers looked to.

Shippo had fallen into a babysitter type role. He loved watching the children that mostly roamed around. Sango began to teach the children that were old enough to wield weapons the way of the Taijiya. They were taught how to make certain powders for demon slaying. I traveled to the Kunoichi village to report that Kurama was dead and that Kagome still remember her rank and the laws. I soon began to teach the way of the ninja to villagers that displayed certain abilities or interests.

Kagome always had a secluded look when no one was paying attention to her. I think that Inuyasha and I were the only ones that noticed that look. When she wasn't busy she would travel to the edge of the village where she would just sit alone. She spent hours doing this and one day I approached her. There were sakura blossoms dancing in the wind when she turned to me.

"Is there something you need Sora?" She softly asked me. I stood in front of her before I sighed and sat down.

"Why do you look so distant?" I asked her before she turned away.

"I'm thinking," Kagome simply answered me as if it explained everything.

"I could tell, but what are you burdened with?" I specified.

"Him." She calmly stated before she went back to silence.

"Do you miss him that bad?" I asked her.

"Sometimes I feel like apart of me is missing and other times I feel like cursing his very soul," Kagome calmly said, letting a frown adorn her face.

"I once fell in love with man, then he died a year later," Sora tried to compare.

"How did you get over him?" Kagome asked me. She had a look of hope in her eyes.

"I didn't. I still dwell on his memory, though not everyday he enters my thought," I tried to explain.

"I don't want to move on, yet I feel so…dead," Kagome explained to me.

"It's a battle you can't win. You either chose to live with his memory in mind or you live in a constant state of sorrow," I explained to her as best as I could.

"Sweet sorrow," Kagome whispered.

"Yes, sweet sorrow," I whispered with a sadden smile.

Kagome stood up and we walked towards the middle of a field. I frowned when I felt change on the wind and wondered what Kagome was looking at. I started to walk towards her, and when she held her hand up I stopped my approach. That's when I saw something coming from the forest. At first I thought I saw Inuyasha approaching, but then I noticed an obvious elegance to the youkai. When the youkai stood ten feet away from Kagome she bowed to him. He nodded his head acknowledgment, before a short green toad came from out of the forest.

"I see that the rumors are true," he calmly spoke to her.

"Why have you come to Edo Sesshoumaru-sama?" Kagome calmly asked.

"I came to see the High Miko of the Tama," Sesshoumaru jadedly stated.

"I am she," Kagome stated with pure confidence.

"Where is Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Your brother is coming here now," Kagome stated as she stared him in the eyes.

"Cast your eyes down!" Jaken ordered as he approached Kagome with his staff waiving.

Kagome rolled her eyes before she pointed her index finger at Jaken. Jaken and Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow before a lightening zap of Miko energy hit him into the forest. Sesshoumaru had his eye contact until Inuyasha came through the woods with a growl in his throat. Kagome looked over at him and smiled before he walked to stand at her sides. Sesshoumaru slightly frowned before he kept his mouth straight.

"What do I owe to this visit brother?" Inuyasha demanded.

"I came to see the Miko and find out if what Myouga told me was true," Sesshoumaru coolly said.

"What might that be?" Inuyasha growled.

"That you wish the Miko to be brought into our family," Sesshoumaru stated as he stared at the two.

"It's true, but I wish to make her a sister," Inuyasha explained as he calmed.

"It's bad enough that there is a hanyou, now a human is to be brought," Sesshoumaru said as he glared at Inuyasha.

"My power has grown since you have last seen me, and having a Miko of pure power would not taint your honor further," Kagome voiced with truth.

"No, a Miko is an enemy of Youkai, meant to be the humans hope, and yet you bind the humans with youkai?" Sesshoumaru questioned.

I bind no one! I only offer peace and a hope of uniting a torn bond!" Kagome yelled.

"You wish to join our family? Then you will have to fight the Lord of the Western lands," Sesshoumaru growled.

"Fine, I accept your challenge to earn my place!" Kagome firmly stated.

"I will not show mercy," Sesshoumaru growled.

"I don't need your mercy," Kagome coolly stated.

Kagome threw her arrows down and tossed her bow to me before she reached into her side pockets and came out with her neko-te. I smiled and Inuyasha nervously stood ready to attack anything that moved. Sesshoumaru charged Kagome and she moved to the side and went to slash at Sesshoumaru to find nothing but air. Kagome then rolled out of the way and watched as a sword impaled the ground. He sliced at her and she jumped onto the blade and ran to slash at his face. He smacked her away and she landed on her feet.

She reached into her pocket and brought out one shuriken that looked hand made. She poured her Miko energy into it and threw it at Sesshoumaru. It took his sword and pinned it to a tree. Kagome smirked and frowned when Sesshoumaru vanished from her sight. She quickly threw up a Miko ki barrier and the lord pulled his hand back from the strike he was about to do. His hand was slightly burned from the purifying energy. Kagome dropped her barrier and made it so her neko-te were shining in ki. She charged him and made a few slashes on his kimono and managed to slash his arm.

He looked at his bleeding arm before he glared at her. His hand began to glow a lime green before he tossed the poisoned ooze towards her. She dodged it for it to catch on her leg. She ripped the pant leg off and ignored the poison as it ate through the material. She looked up she was hit with a flash of light and knocked into the nearby forest. She groaned before she rolled out of the way of a barrage of whip attacks. She finally got hit on her back. She yelled out and I had to hold Inuyasha back from running to her side.

"Weak, like all humans," Sesshoumaru commented.

That's when we froze. Sesshoumaru stopped his advancing and watched as pure energy radiated from her every pore. She stood up and stared Sesshoumaru in the eyes. She jumped on top of him and let her power burn into his skin. He punched her away and noticed that his being was smoking. He looked up and got hit in the face by a ball of Miko ki. Kagome stood straight with a grin and an outline of pure blue. She approached Sesshoumaru and frowned when she found his eyes were blood red. She cursed and reached out her hand and tossed her blood on his face.

"Your other form is weak without your arm, be calm and healed," Kagome chanted.

His eyes went to calmed amber before he passed out. Kagome held her hands above him and healed him of all wounds. Inuyasha picked Sesshoumaru and carried him to Kagome's hut. Kagome then picked up Jaken and I carried him to her hut so she wouldn't wear out. She had healed Sesshoumaru's missing arm and managed to awaken Jaken from his slumber. Inuyasha tended to her back before she rested. The two fighters didn't wake until dusk the following night. Sesshoumaru sat beside the fire and Inuyasha sat next to him with distaste.

Kagome walked towards them and sat down in front of the two brothers. She wondered many things before she calmed and sat still. Jaken returned with Ah-Un and was carrying a cast iron pot. Placed the pot on the fire. He then removed the pot and frowned as he sat it in front of Sesshoumaru.

"In this pot is your future High Miko," Sesshoumaru evenly said.

"You mean you've decided to bring me into the family?" Kagome questioned.

"Yes, and you earned it by blood," Sesshoumaru explained. He removed the lid and cut the tip of his finger and let it drip into the pot. Inuyasha did the same before Sesshoumaru took a wooden spoon and began to stir.

"Inside this pot is the blood of the Inu clan and the blood of the other Lord's and Lady's of the lands," Sesshoumaru calmly explained.

"Okay," Kagome uncomfortably said.

"With the blood of these lines you must drink and be accepted."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha before she stared at the cup Sesshoumaru poured the blood into. She could feel Sesshoumaru's gaze on her waiting for her to renounce this gift, this honor. She took the cup into her own hands and stared into the ruby red liquid. She raised the cup to her lips and before she drank Sesshoumaru began to speak once more. His voice sent shivers down her spine.

"Blood of my blood, flesh make into one. Burn through the body and make this soul heir. Marks of my clan pass unto this being and bring her to my family reign."

Kagome's eyes widened in pain as she felt the blood burn down her throat. Her vision faded to white as she dropped the cup. The cup shattered leaving nothing but shattered glass on the floor. She coughed once before she fell to her side and screamed. Sesshoumaru stood and slit the same place on his finger before he touched it to her forehead and made to blood strips across each cheek. Kagome's eyes sparked within their brown depths with Miko ki and youkai blood. She then sat up and I hand her a mirror so she could see the change. She now bore the same marks of Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha.

"Thank you Sesshoumaru," Kagome said as she looked up at the lord.

"Don't bring more shame to my line," Sesshoumaru warned before he left.

"Sister," Inuyasha whispered to Kagome before he tightly embraced her.

"That seemed to be to easy," Kagome commented.

"Rin seems to be softening him," Inuyasha mumbled.

"Rin is still alive?" Kagome all but shouted.

"Yes, Rin is mated to Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha told her.

"When did this happen?" Kagome asked.

"This happened when Rin reached an age where young men took interest in her," Inuyasha explained.

"So, has he threatened to kill you if you tell anyone?" Kagome asked.

"Yep," Inuyasha sighed as they walked towards the hut to celebrate.

The Tama's Master's Guardian

Sora the Kunoichi