Training

Kagome remained silently as Sesshomaru led her around the side of the castle. Her eyes widened when they finally came to the back and she just how massive the grounds were. Perfectly maintained lawns, a deep vibrant green, stretched on as far as the eye could see.

Without warning, Sesshomaru came to a stop and turned towards her. He stared at her silently for a moment, before suddenly drawing his sword and leaping at her.

Shocked, Kagome jumped sideways and managed to avoid his blade. She tried to back away from the demon Lord as he came at her with Tokijin raised high above his head, but he was very quick and she wasn't able to put any real distance between them.

While mentally preparing herself to be slashed by the deadly blade, Kagome attempted to avoid his precise strikes. Amazingly, she managed to dodge every one of his blows. Realizing that she was as fast as he was, Kagome started ginning. That grin faded however, with what happened next.

Getting tired of missing her every time, Sesshomaru decided to change strategies. Pulling back his arm, he swung Tokijin at Kagome in a massive arc. Once again, he missed her completely. This time however, instead of following through with the swing, he halted a foot from her face, and pulled back, smashing her in the side of the head with the hilt of his sword. She immediately fell to the ground, unmoving.

Sesshomaru went to stand over her. Reaching down, he grabbed a handful of her long hair and roughly jerked her to her feet, prompting a small cry of pain to pass through her lips. "Wake up," he commanded. "If that is all you can take, you won't even survive my training, much less real combat."

The emotionless voice was like cold water pouring on Kagome. Her eyes opened wide, flaring angrily. "Oh, I can take a lot more, you jerk." Twisting out of his grip, she faced him, standing in a defensive position.

Sesshomaru nodded. "Now when I attack, try to hit back."

Kagome nodded fiercely. This time, when he leaped at her, she was ready. Dropping to one knee, she watched as he sailed over her head and then raised her hand, claws first, and drove up with as much force as she could manage. She felt her claws pierced his stomach and grinned in triumph.

Gasping in pain, Sesshomaru landed heavily and fell to one knee. To Kagome's surprise however, he immediately got back to his feet and turned back towards her.

Looking at small holes in his gut, Sesshomaru nearly smiled. "It has been quite a while since a have been wounded," he admitted. He looked up at Kagome after a minute and nodded. "It seems that you have mastered your strength and speed. Now, we will work on your less noticeable powers."

Kagome nodded agreeably, still shocked that he could stand up, much less talk. She knew if it was her who had suffered those injuries, she wouldn't be standing around as though nothing had happened.

Sesshomaru stared at her for a minute. "I assume that you have poisonous claws. I do, and your power seems to be very similar to my own." Kagome shrugged. Sesshomaru pointed at her clawed hand. "Hold it out, straight in front of you." Kagome did as she was told. "Okay, now imagine the poison dripping from your claws, about to destroy your enemy. Picture this and it will happen."

Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated really hard. She couldn't tell if anything was happening, so she was surprised when Sesshomaru spoke. "Enough." She opened her eyes and looked down. The lawn in front of her was burnt and dead. She looked at her hand. It was still dripping slightly. Sesshomaru indicated the hand. "Now, try it with your eyes open, and this time, use the other hand."

Kagome tried again, and to her immense surprise, it worked. Poison began to drip freely from her other hand. She stopped, waited for a second, and then did it again, just to prove that she could.

Sesshomaru, though his face remained emotionless, nodded his approval. He was surprised that she was mastering the techniques so quickly. "Okay, now attempt to attack me. This time, I will defend myself. Use whatever abilities you can."

Kagome hesitated. Even though she didn't really like Sesshomaru, she didn't want to injure him too badly. But, he had invited her to attack, so she did. Leaping at him, she was surprised when he didn't move. He let her hit him, but he didn't fall. He didn't even flinch. She moved fast and kept aiming punches at him. That's when he moved. He dodged every single punch she threw. Kagome began getting pretty pissed off at him. He never stood still long enough for her to hit him. So when he finally paused for a second, she saw her opening and took it.

Thrusting forward with her claws, she injected her poison directly into his chest. Immensely pleased with herself, Kagome was about to back away from the injured Sesshomaru, when suddenly a vicious backhand sent her flying backwards, to fall on the ground in a crumpled heap. She got up slowly at the sound of his voice.

"Foolish girl. You seek to finish me with my own weapons. If I was vulnerable to poison, my own powers would have destroyed me a long time ago." His biting words embarrassed Kagome. She felt stupid for thinking that the demon Lord would be so easy to defeat. She looked at him when he spoke again. "I've already seen you use your whip. Try to summon it again."

Kagome nodded and focused her mind, attempting to summon the weapon. To her immense surprise and delight, it appeared almost instantly.

Sesshomaru once again nodded his approval. "I believe that I do not need to train you in the use of a whip. It is very simple." Kagome nodded, and sent the whip away. "Now, I believe that it is time to train you in the use of a proper weapon."

Kagome was about to tell him that she was already trained in the use of a bow, but he cut her off with a raised hand. "I do not count the bow. When I say a proper weapon, I mean for hand to hand combat. A bow and arrows are useless in that situation." Kagome indicated her agreement.

Turning suddenly, Sesshomaru gestured for her to follow him. She silently walked behind him as he led her through a back door, into the castle. Walking down a short hallway, he led her into a large room. Kagome gasped at the sight of it.

All around the room, on the walls and in cabinets, were countless weapons of different make and variety; swords, maces, axes, etc. Many of them glowed with ill-concealed power. And there, in the midst of them all, three swords stood out. Kagome recognized them immediately; the Tetsusaiga, the Tenseiga, and Tokijin. Looking at Sesshomaru's waist, she saw that the Tenseiga and Tokijin remained sheathed at his side. She quickly deduced that the swords in the room were the ones that belonged to the present day Sesshomaru.

Reaching out, she attempted to touch Tokijin, but was repelled by the powerful aura that surrounded it. She looked at Sesshomaru questioningly, but all he did was stare silently back at her.

When she refused to look away, he finally decided to answer her unspoken question. "You can't touch the sword because your demonic aura is not powerful enough. Even though you have become a full-blooded demon, you still retain the powers of a priestess. You are good, and it takes a strong, evil aura to be able to wield the sword. You shouldn't touch the other two either. The Tetsusaiga can't be touched by a demon, and the Tenseiga will repel all but its true owner."

Kagome listened to this silently, before asking her own question."Well what am I supposed to use then? I want a weapon with power."

Sesshomaru indicated that he understood what she wanted. Gesturing to one sword in particular, he motioned for her to pick it up.

Kagome looked at the sword. It was about as long as Tokijin, but it was vastly different in every other way. The blade was double-edged and one edge was tinged a red colour, while the other was tinged icy blue. At the base of the blade, where it met the hilt, were a few small markings. The hilt was simple in design, made of some metal that felt cold and hot at the same time. Kagome picked it up, surprised at the lightness of it and then promptly dropped it as it started to glow with a reddish-blue aura.

As soon as the sword left her hand, the glow dissipated. Sesshomaru noticed a sheath lying on the cabinet from which the sword had been taken. Stooping, he attempted to retrieve the sword, but as soon as his hand closed over it, he was filled with pain, like his hand was both freezing and burning at the same time. He quickly released the weapon and stepped back.

"Pick it up, girl. It appears to have chosen its new owner. Now, none but you may touch it." Kagome nervously reached down and closed her hand over the hilt. As soon as she did, the sword once again began to glow. This time, however, she didn't drop it. Instead, she picked up the sheath and quickly slid the sword inside it. The aura immediately disappeared.

As she belted the sword to her waist, Kagome looked up at Sesshomaru. "Do you know what this sword can do? I can sense that it is extremely powerful, but I can't tell for certain what exactly it can do."

Sesshomaru looked like he was deep in thought for a moment before responding to her question. "There is an old legend of two swords, called Draynal and Draynas, forged by the god who rules the elements of the earth. Judging by the markings on the hilt, I believe that this is Draynas. Apparently, the very essence of fire and ice were contained within both swords. The true owner could call upon the elements of fire and ice at will. But I was led to believe that both swords were either lost or destroyed thousands of years ago. I had heard that my father had searched for them centuries before my birth, but I never heard if he had acquired them or not. Perhaps Ilyomaru could better answer the question. I am certain of one thing, however; that sword is very powerful. The only weapon that could possibly defeat it would be its counterpart, Draynal."

Kagome stood in shock as she listened to Sesshomaru's tale. She glanced down at the sword which now hung at her side. It chose me. If only I knew how to call on its powers properly, she thought longingly.

Her musings were interrupted a moment later when Sesshomaru began speaking again. "Well, which do you wish to do? Continue training with me, or go to Ilyomaru and inquire as to the history of this sword."

Kagome was saved from having to answer, because at that moment, she sensed Ilyo's presence. Looking to the door, she smiled when he entered the room, ducking his head to fit in the doorway. At first, all he noticed was the fact that Kagome was in a weapons room.

"What are you two doing in here?" he inquired.

Kagome was about to answer, but Sesshomaru beat her to the punch. "I was training her to properly use her powers. We will need all the help we can get in the coming battle if this god is as powerful as you say he is. I brought her in here to choose a weapon, but instead, a weapon chose her."

Ilyomaru looked back at Kagome and, for the first time, noticed the sword belted to her waist. In her eagerness to show him, she quickly unsheathed the sword, once again initiating its aura. She looked up at Ilyo, expecting to see a surprised look on his face, but was shocked by what she saw.

Ilyo's face had gone white. "What's wrong, Ilyo?" Kagome asked in concern. He didn't answer; he just kept staring at the sword. At that moment, present day Sesshomaru arrived. He immediately noticed the look on Ilyo's face. Following his gaze, he noticed the sword in Kagome's hand. His jaw dropped in surprise.

"That sword responded to you?" he asked her quickly. But Kagome was saved from having to answer. Whirling around, Ilyo had wrapped his fist around present day Sesshomaru's throat and lifted him right off of the ground.

"Where did you get that sword?" he growled fiercely. Sesshomaru looked shocked.

"I took it off of the body of some demon that I found dead several days ago." At that, Ilyo dropped Sesshomaru and stepped back, his face even whiter than before.

"What's wrong?" Kagome asked him again, her concern even greater.

Ilyo looked at her silently for a minute before answering. "That sword used to belong to me. I still have its counterpart. A long time ago, the god who forged it approached me and asked if he could have back his swords. I agreed to return one of them. The only way that Sesshomaru could have touched the sword was if the true owner of the sword had died, and when I forfeited the sword to its creator, he became the true owner."

Ilyo paused, and in the silence, Kagome posed another question. "What does that mean?"

Ilyo looked at her silently before answering. "It means that someone with extreme power has arisen in this era; someone with strong enough to destroy a god."