Thank you to Reality for the review and the advice.
Kumi - drawing together
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Kagome sipped a cup of green tea by the fire,letting her hair drywith the dark forest surrounding.
"Miroku," she began. "I think maybe you should teach me a little bit more about how I should act as a priestess." He gave her an odd look so she continued. "I mean, I'm believable for villages and things like that, but trained monks and mikos will know I'm a fake."
"Yes, I think that is a good idea," Miroku agreed.
"First, you must take off your clothes." He also began undressing. Kagome looked at him, incredulous for a moment, before regaining her ability to speak.
"Wha...ah? No! Stop!" she squawked, trying to cover her eyes. He had his top undone and open before starting to laugh hysterically.
"I was joking Kagome. I will teach you in the morning before we set out." She still had a wide eyed look about her, and Miroku remembered that he had begun undressing not only to tease her, but for another purpose as well. "I'm going to bathe in that hot spring. I trust you'll be okay for a half an hour or so?"
Kagome nodded. Her tongue had stuck to the roof of her mouth. Since when did Miroku have such a nice body? Wait, he said something else.
"Huh?"
"I said, unless you wish to join me," the monk smirked. He expected a yell or even the cup to go flying at him, but Kagome just blushed furiously and put her face in her hands.
"If you need some thing, just yell," he added as an afterthought.
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Miroku relaxed into the hot water. The stream rose quietly into the night. In his thoughts was Kagome blushing, lashes lowered on her cinnamon-colored eyes, the firelight turning her normally blue-black hair into andreddish-orange halo. He mentally traveled lower, caressing the curve of her breast with his mind's eye, sliding down her hourglass figure until he reached his favorite part of her. Those legs. Those cream-colored legs that went on for days. He wanted to take those legs and wrap them around his hips, or maybe throw them over his shoulders, or...
An earsplitting shriek brought him back to reality. Kagome, he thought and his stomach dropped. Miroku jumped out of the spring and raced toward the sound.
"Kagome!" he yelled as he slid into the clearing. To his surprise, Inuyasha, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara were all in the clearing as well.
"Hey Bouzu! Get some clothes on!" Inuyasha yelled angrily. Sango was looking away, and Kagome's eyes were wide as saucers. Miroku looked down.
"Heh heh...oops," and went to go get said robes.
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Apparently, the fearsome bat demons had been no match for both Tetsusaiga and Hirakotsu. It had taken so little time to finish them off, that the owners of the weapons had jointly decided to accompany Miroku and Kagome and escort them to the other village.
"Good thing we did too," Inuyasha grumbled, referring to Miroku's nakedness. Both Kagome and Sango blushed at that.
"I heard Kagome-sama scream, so I immediately ran to her aid. It is mere coincidence that I was nude at the time."
"Everyone popped out of the bushes suddenly," Kagome admitted, somewhat shamefaced. "It scared me."
Everyone except Inuyasha nodded, and sat in contented silence. Until Shippou voiced his thoughts.
"Why didn't Kagome take a bath with you?" All didn't answer, and Kagome handed him a lollipop to keep his mouth busy.
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Miko etiquette training was forgotten the following morning as the shard hunters set out. Everyone was in a good mood save Inuyasha. By this time, Kagome had reminded everyone that the new moon was coming soon, in explanation of his worse-than-normal attitude.
"I feel a barrier of great strength ahead of us," Miroku noted. Forty paces later, Miroku and Kagome kept walking normally, while the rest of the group slammed into the invisible force that allowed the two to pass through unharmed. Inuyasha unleashed Red Tetsusaiga to break it, but Kagome stopped him.
"Inuyasha! If you try to break the barrier, the monks and mikos of the village might not agree to help us! We'll be back soon enough." Miroku added in a wave of his own and the two continued on their way. Soon the two found themselves at a dark, open wooden gate, the front door of a community surrounded by walls painted red.
Kagome glanced at Miroku, unsure of what to do next, but he simply smiled at her and walked through. She followed a half step behind him. They were immediately met by a young woman who ushered them into a nearby temple of stone set into the mountainside, not even giving Kagome a chance to introduce herself or Miroku to give his obligatory 'Will-you-bear-my-child?' speech/greeting.
The temple was dark, and smelled of sour incense. The air was wet, and cold, and Kagome unconsiously slid her hand into Miroku's, seeking comfort and warmth. The woman lit a small lamp and motioned for them to follow her. Their steps echoed in the long hall, lined with carved statues. They began to ascend a set of stair that wound like a snake, going not only deeper into the mountain, but higher as well. The end of the walk found them in a well-lit room, boxy and lined with bamboo mats. An ancient looking woman sitting in the center, in front of a carved stone bowl filled with mercury. Deep wrinkles were carved in her face, like rivers whittle canyons in the rock.
"Miko," she stated in a gravelly voice. "What is this strange attire you wear? It is indecent for one of your station."
The old woman looked up an Kagome could see that her eyes were clouded white.
"You are debating what lie to tell me," she continued. A flash of apprehension showed on both Miroku's and Kagome's faces. Suddenly, she smiled, showing a mouthful of white, but worn teeth.
"These eyes see more that the outside world. I know you are not from this time, girl. In addition to the purification powers you posess, you also have a limited ability to travel through the ages."
"Yes, that's right..." Kagome admitted with a dry mouth, searching for a name for the crone.
"Kumi. You may call me Kumi."
"This is what people from my time wear when they are my age, Kumi"
"I know what you have come for, and I think I may be able to help you."
"Really? How?" Miroku spoke for the first time.
"Be patient monk and I will explain," Kumi admonished. "There is an old spell of calling. A powerful spell. I need only one shard to work it." Kagome grasped the bottle at her neck which held the few shards in her posession.
"But...But...We just...wanted to know if you had heard of any..."
"No," the wrinkled mouth interrupted. "You want a way to get the shards. I am giving you this way. The shard will be returned unhamed, you have my word as a miko."
Kagome looked at Miroku, who nodded for her to do what the woman said. She slowly opened the bottle and drew out a single shining shard.
"Wait," the harsh voice commanded. She touched the bottle hung around Kagome's neck with a single crooked finger.I glowed softly white for a moment, then faded "I placed a seal on it to keep in from being taken from yourself."
Kagome nodded at the explanation.
"Place the shard in the center of the bowl," Kumi said. "And be silent."
Kagome complied and drew back. The shard floated on the silvery surface, staying directy in the center of the bowl. Kumi began to chant and the shard pulsed, sending thick ripples trough the medium of mercury. Kagome felt the shard's power grow slowly. As it did so, it began to call it's brothers from their current owners.
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Naraku's eyes opened as he sat cross-legged. He felt his piece of the Shikon no Tama begin to leave his body from it's place where his heart should have been. He tried to will it to stay in his body, but when it slipped further toward the twilight air, he resorted to a more practical method. His hands covered the spot on his chest and tried to hold it in.
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Kouga stopped, his cyclone winding down. He looked around uneasily as he felt a strong tug at his legs, right where the shards were. He clapped his hands over his shins to stop, or at least slow the process of what was happening...whatever it was.
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Kagome's shards began to strain, despite the seal. She wrapped her hand around the glass jar and backed up further...straight into Miroku's waiting hand. She jumped in surprise and bit her tongue, afraid the loud yell would interrupt Kumi's concentration on the spell. She glared at Miroku.
"How can you be so perverted at a time like this?" she hissed. "I wish you knew how it felt to be me when you're like this, or I knew what the heck is going through your head!"
As soon as those words were uttered, the low hum in the room stopped for all of three seconds when it restarted with earthquake-like intensity. A wave of power rippled through the room, knocking over all three occupants.
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Kagome was the first to come to. Her vision was blurry and she looked to her left where Miroku had been. Now there was only empty floor space. She looked behind her. No Miroku. To the left. Her....
Her?
She put her hands behind her to lift her body up. One hand touched wood. The other felt leather and the bite of hard beads. It startled her and she looked down to see that the arm supporting her was wrapped ina rosary. She got up and grabbed the heavy bowl of mercury to see her reflection. Her face was not her face. She stared back into the dark eyes of Miroku.
What should have been a high pitched female scream, was a manly yell of terror.
Kagome's body jumped up. And a look of confusion crossed the face as it looked at Miroku's body. She looked down and the same terror-stricken look appeared.
And then there was the high pitched female scream.
"What have you done?" Miroku's body yelled at no one in particular.
"The shard's power was amplified to strengthen the calling power it had so it would attract the other shards. I based it on the fact that you, as the carrier and protector of the Shikon Jewel, can feel it's calling. The shard's power was amplified so greatly, it caught your foolish words as a wish and granted it."
Kumi paused. "You are in each other's bodies."
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