-Chapter 3-

"Acceptance"

-Me Against the World-

Yusuke somewhat hesitantly opens her door and walks in. His gaze quickly takes in Kagome's room before landing on the raven haired girl in the middle of the floor. "Hey."

"Yusuke?" Kagome asks curiously, turning around. "Well, you're the last person I expected to come in here, that's for sure. Something up?"

"Besides the sky?" Yusuke asks lamely.

Kagome giggles and pats the floor beside her in an invitation to join her. Yusuke takes a breath before sitting down beside her.

"That's a pretty cool staff." He comments. "Where'd you get it?"

"Miroku gave it to me for meditation. It's suppose to help me with my control." Kagome explains. "As to where- or more along the lines of how- he got it, I have no idea. And if he pulled his usual 'innocent holy monk' routine, then I really don't want to know." She sets the staff on the floor beside her, the rings chinking merrily, and then turns back to Yusuke. "Now, I know you're in here for a reason. Care to elaborate?" She frowns for a moment. "Grandma didn't threaten you to come talk to me, did she?"

"Well, kind of. I wouldn't have come if I didn't want to though… I guess…" Yusuke mumbles.

Kagome sighs. "I should have known…"

"I'm here now."

Kagome blinks and looks up at Yusuke. "True." A smile tugs on her lips. "Alright, so I guess you have a few questions about my proposal, ne? Ask away."

"Some of the questions might be stupid." Yusuke warns.

"'There are no stupid questions, just stupid answers'." Kagome quotes. "As I said, ask away."

Two Days Later- Somewhere in the Mountains

"Not like that!" Kagome yells, ducking as the wooden bo staff Yusuke was using spirals over her head. She sighs and gives Yusuke a patronizing look before moving to pick up his staff for the 5th time, the rings on her own staff continuously clinking together.
Yusuke glares at her, mumbling obstinacies under his breath. 'She's worse than the old hag!'

"Catch!" Kagome cries, tossing the staff to Yusuke, who catches it instinctively. "Now, lets try this again. Slower this time, and listen to what I say for once."

'I can't wait until it's my turn to teach you how to control your spirit energy. You're not the only one who picked up techniques from Genkai…' Yusuke thinks, as he moves into a offensive position.

"I told you to start off in a defensive position, Yusuke!" Kagome yells in frustration. "What part of 'listen to what I say for once' do you not understand!"

Yusuke grits his teeth and glares at her. "All of it."

"You punk!"

"And damn proud of it!"

"Idiotic jerk!"

"Uncaring bitch!"

"Hearing-troubled bastard!"

And so it continues. Yusuke had to make himself a new staff at least once every day either from (A) him doing something stupid or (B) Shikuro being overprotective of Kagome and deciding to attack Yusuke and roast the wooden staff..

Being who he is, Yusuke mastered the basics in a week and started on Kagome's spirit energy training.

"Alright, close your eyes and focus your energy on your fingertip." Yusuke instructs.
Kagome blinks. "But-"

"Just do it."

Kagome sighs and lifts one hand out in front of her. Then she closes her eyes and concentrates. Almost immediately a bright pink light wraps around her mixed with swirls of silver-blue.

Yusuke looks at the two different colors and tries to figure out why there's two. Then it hits him. "Kagome, did Miroku ever teach you how to block your priestess powers?"

"No, why?" Kagome asks, without opening her eyes.

Yusuke grumbles something under his breath.

"What was that?" Kagome asks. "I don't have demon hearing you know."

Yusuke looks up and stares her right in the eyes. "We're in big trouble."

In the Feudal Era

Inuyasha growls and drums his fingers against the wooden floor of Kaede's hut. Every once in a while one of his ears twitches.

Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and Kirara are all sitting around the small room watching Inuyasha. Well, more correctly, Miroku's admiring Sango, Shippo's going through his toy attack devices, Kirara's sleeping, and Sango's watching Miroku wearily, wondering how long it will be before he tries to grope her again.

"That's it!" Inuyasha yells standing up. "I'm going after her! She should have been back by now, the stupid wench!"

"Inuyasha, that's no way to talk about our dear sister Kagome." Miroku comments. "Sit down and be patient. She does deserve some peace in her time."

"And besides," Shippo pipes up. "Kagome told us she was going to spend some time at her grandmother's temple, remember? You wouldn't be able to find her, especially since she's been gone for so long and is suppose to be far away. You said it yourself that you wouldn't be able to track her."

Inuyasha growls at the young Kitsune and bops him over the head.

"Ow! Inuyasha, what was that for! I'm telling Kagome when she gets back!"

Miroku sighs. "Now Inuyasha, that's no way to treat a growing demon. Shippo could get serious brain damage from you hitting him all the time."

"Keh. The runt can handle himself." Inuyasha replies, folding his arms over his chest.

"I'm still telling Kagome when she comes back!" Shippo yells.

"Shut up, runt"
-Bop!- And another bop on the head for Shippo. This just isn't the young Kitsune's day, is it?
"Inuyasha, cut it out!" Sango scolds. "We know you miss Kagome, but that's no reason to take your frustration out on Shippo!"

"I don't miss her!" Inuyasha roars.

"Yes you do!" The other three yell at him, effectively shutting up the hanyou momentarily.

-End of 3-