A wince spread across my face as my eyes slowly fluttered open. They suddenly shot wide and the first thought that entered my head was, "I have no shirt on!" The blankets quickly reassured me and I attempted a laugh at myself but it only brought pain. I also remembered the bandages that completely covered every wound and more. Then I was notified of another thing. Something hard and cold was jabbing painfully into my side along with something fairly heavy that caused the burnt skin to sting. Without lifting my head, I glanced down at my stomach and nearly jumped out of my skin. Kyoshi must've been sitting on his knees beside the bed and fallen asleep. Now he lay with his head resting on my burnt stomach and one of the horns poking my side. My sudden movement caused him to stir and I saw his eyes slowly open. He sat upright with a sudden jolt as he recalled where he was and glanced at me before staring at the ground. "S-sorry love…" He muttered.
I stared at the ceiling and managed a small smile. "It's ok." I managed to reply. I felt something else pushing softly against my bare back and spoke up again. "What am… I laying on?"
He looked quizzically at me. "Your wings…"
I started. "What? They're still here?"
He nodded and smiled softly. "Why, you thought they'd just disappear?"
"Well, when I turned human I thought my demonic features would leave."
"It's not a demonic feature. It's a natural part of you now." He said calmly. "Your real demonic features did leave."
"But how can a human naturally have wings?" I exclaimed. In the confusion I had momentarily forgotten my pain and was talking without much trouble.
"It just is." He shrugged. "It's because of that smoke I gave you. You don't like them?" He added as an afterthought in an almost hurt voice.
"No, I think they're cool it's just that I'm not used to them. I don't want them to be permanent!"
Kyoshi paused as if lost in thought for a moment before smiling at me. "Well, I've learned how to kind of pull mine in and get them back out only when I need them." He pointed at his wingless back to prove it. "Maybe I can teach you sometime when you're feeling better."
I brightened at the suggestion. "Ok!" I agreed enthusiastically. "But something's been bothering me…"
He tilted his head lightly to the side. "Oh? And what's that?"
I remained staring at the ceiling as I responded. "Why did you want to fight me and not any of the guys? I mean, I know they're stronger than me!"
He smiled softly at me and shook his head. "Oh no love, you're much stronger, you just have to learn how to control it. But as to that question, I already know all of their tricks from the last tournament. You on the other hand are completely new. I could feel the power you hold inside and it peaked my curiosity. You were the only one I wished to fight."
"Oh I see…" I sighed softly, loosing myself in thought.
He grew silent for a moment and then smiled at me. "You looked pretty even as a human." He said with a red face as he looked away in embarrassment.
I smiled very softly and whispered "thank you" as my cheeks turned pink as well. Another moment passed and I closed my eyes before lying still again.
Kyoshi returned to sitting on his knees by my bed and after a few hours he had slumped forward with his head resting painfully on my burnt side again. I gritted my teeth to keep from crying out and soon I didn't mind too much. The sharp stinging of my skin had faded to just a dull ache though the horn prodding my side still bothered me without letting up. I was too weak to raise a hand to move him and I didn't feel like talking anymore so I just stayed still and took it.
"It would be so easy for me to kill him right now." A sharp voice rang out suddenly and my eyes shot open. I saw Hiei standing just on the other side of the sleeping Kyoshi fingering something gently. My eyes widened further as I saw he was holding the dagger Shiru had given me. I saw the hateful look on his face and stared as he continued. "I don't see how you can be so at ease with him. He would have killed you and had no way to bring you back to life. Instead you kill and revive him, leaving him in perfect health while you suffer from his doings and then trust him to take care of you!" Hiei's voice grew steadily more menacing as he spoke and I shivered softly. I opened my mouth to speak but he continued. "This boy would have killed all of us just for entertainment. That's all the battle with you was to him, he admitted it himself!" His fist clenched and he slammed the dagger down, resting the tip on Kyoshi's open back. Before I could cry out he had placed it gently back in my hand and left the room. My eyes followed him as I stayed silent, breathing hard from the shock of what had just happened. Finally I managed to calm myself down and drifted once more into sleep.
A sharp pain exploded in my side and I forced my eyes open as I looked over. Yusuke stood there grinning as I stared blankly back. "Happy birthday! You're now sixteen." He announced.
My mouth fell open. "Really?" I cried.
"Yep, so happy birthday from us all and get well soon. You're so boring like this!" Yusuke laughed.
I smiled and looked around to see Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, Botan and Kyoshi all crowded around me. Each in turn they wished me a happy birthday and cracked jokes about spending my sweet sixteen in bed with injuries. Next came in my mom, dad, three brothers and one sister. My siblings stayed back as if afraid to come close lest I get hurt further but my parents approached, each saying their piece before they all departed once more. I waited to see if Hiei would visit as well but hours passed spent staring at the ceiling and he never did. With a soft sigh my blue eyes fell closed again and I drifted off.
A few days later I awoke to find the burning of my skin had sunk to a dull ache and I forced myself to sit up. Very slowly I lifted the covers and inched my way across the mattress until my feet rested on the ground. I paused and bowed my head low, grasping it with both hands to cease the dizziness that was overtaking me once again. I grabbed onto the desk that sat against the wall and hoisted myself to my feet, shrieking softly as I began to fall to my side.
"Whoops, injured people shouldn't be out of bed until they're well. Let me help you back in." I opened my eyes to see Kyoshi grinning down at me while supporting me with both arms.
"I hate just lying there…" I muttered, trying to push away but the movement only stung my burning flesh.
"It's alright love, I understand. You haven't eaten in quite a while, would you like to go down and see what's available?" I nodded slowly and he held my arm around his neck and his own around my waist to support me as we made our way down the stairs.
As I limped into the kitchen accompanied by him, I was suddenly aware of many eyes upon me. "Umm… Hello?" I muttered, forcing a smile.
"She's returned!" Yusuke cried out, crossing the room towards us. "Does this mean you're totally better now?" He laughed.
I frowned at him, "What does it look like?"
Kurama slowly circled us and finally stopped behind me. "So I see you still have these…" He mused, as he reached out to tug gently on one of the feathery wings.
"Ow!" I cried out. "Please don't touch them!"
"Sorry!" Kurama murmured pulling back sharply with both hands lifted harmlessly in the air. "Though why don't you just heal yourself quickly so you won't have to deal with this?"
I shot an accusing glare at Kyoshi. "Because someone sealed my powers."
"Hey, if you're pushed hard enough you'll be able to break lose of my spell. Oh, and don't bother asking me to remove it, I can't."
"What? You can't even remove your own spells?" Yusuke cried out in shock. "What kind of demon are you?"
Kyoshi closed his eyes with restrained anger. "Because usually I would never have the need to withdraw a spell once it has been placed."
"Shouldn't your natural healing abilities have you almost entirely well by now?" Kurama asked.
I nodded. "It should but I'm not sure what's happening. Maybe the switch to being human messed something up though I don't know why that would affect anything…" I sighed in frustration. "Man, this sucks."
"I work off injuries by training." Kyoshi suggested. "I could teach her to withdraw and bring out her wings without killing herself in the process."
"That would be a good thing to teach her in the future though if you went now it may stress the wounds and cause the bleeding to start again." Kurama replied.
"Meh, who cares? I just want to do something!" I whimpered. "Sitting around doesn't suit me anymore!"
"Then start out slow, maybe with a simple walk around the area?" Kurama suggested.
I started to nod but then paused, looking down at my wrapped up chest. "I don't have a shirt on…"
Everyone stifled laughs as my face grew red and my mom went to bring me a baggy t-shirt to slip over the bandages without disturbing them. Once it was on I grinned. "Alright, I'm ready to go out for a bit." I laughed.
Kyoshi volunteered since he was the one already supporting me and no one protested as they had all grown used to him. We made our way down the narrow hall and out the front door, my wings brushing the door frame as I passed. Staggering down the brick steps we continued down the paved sidewalk slowing only when we reached the road. Kyoshi looked down to see me breathing heavily. "Tired love?"
"No, I'm fine." I muttered. "Besides, they'll just stick me in bed for a few more weeks."
He laughed and shifted his grip on my waist as we continued down the road. We made it all the way through the neighborhood and were on our way back when I suddenly collapsed, my legs buckling beneath me. With a startled cry Kyoshi caught me. "Aw love, you've tired yourself out. Don't push yourself so hard while in the recovery stage." He ordered as he lifted me into his arms.
"But I'm fine…" I started, my voice trailing off as I fell asleep.
My eyes fluttered slowly open and I weakly let them drift along my surroundings. I was in a forest of clustered trees with big full leaves and birds song filled the air. I became aware of the arms around me and weakly twisted my head to see Kyoshi dozing behind me. I poked him gently in the side, laughing as he jumped awake. "Where are we?" I whispered in a hoarse voice.
He smiled. "In the woods just behind your house. I don't know it just seemed like a good idea. Was I right, love?"
I nodded. "Yeah, this is where I was trained before the tournament…" I grabbed a low hanging branch and used it to pull myself to my feet and support myself as I stood. Kyoshi hovered around me in case I fell. Hesitantly I released the limb and stood on my own for the first time since the tournament had ended. I paused to sniff the air and sighed. "It's growing dark isn't it?" I couldn't tell for sure as the leaves were blocking out the sky. Immediately Kyoshi nodded and I continued. "Let's head back to my house but we can't be seen!" I warned as I fell towards him and he caught me swiftly before I hit the ground. He once again wrapped my arm around his neck and his arm around my waist and we set off.
As we wobbled up to the house I motioned for him to be quiet as I noticed all the lights off. It must really be late…I thought as I pried open the door and entered to the kitchen. I walked lightly so the floor wouldn't creak under me. Making my way to the desk, I found a piece of paper and a pen and scribbled out a quick note. I've gone to visit my brothers. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Leaving it on the table I grabbed a camera and my sword and got Kyoshi to escort me back outside and down my backyard to the woods before I finally spoke. "We're going to visit my brothers."
"Your… brothers?" He asked. "I thought that was them back there."
I nodded. "Well kind of. Those are my human brothers but my real brothers are demons like me. No one told you my past story?" I teased and he shook his head. With a playful sigh I began to tell him of being reborn into all the different families before I was finally found, transformed, and then trained to fight.
"Wow." Was all Kyoshi could say as I finished.
I laughed as we made our way deeper into the woods. Occasionally we'd stop so I could sniff the air and then we'd start off again. Finally we arrived at the old beat up well and I stopped to point at it. "Here we are!"
"What?" He asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.
I simply took a step forward, urging him with me. Stepping up on the side of the wooden well I pulled him up beside me and jumped forward and in. With a startled cry he held me close to protect me when we hit the ground but the impact never came. Instead we were greeted by a series of bright purple and white lights that swirled around us as we floated through time. Then as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped and we found ourselves sitting on the dirty bottom of a dry well. "What the?" Kyoshi murmured. He was sitting with me in his lap, held tightly to him as he blinked in confusion.
I felt my face glowing bright red as I stammered. "W-we're here."
He noticed my embarrassment and his own face turned crimson as he released me and stood. As I struggled to stand on my own he scooped me back up and leapt up and out of the well, blinking in the bright light. "Where is here?" He asked with wide eyes peering around in bewilderment.
"My home ancient Japan." I said proudly. "Now let's go find my brothers." He set me down again with his hand around my waist to keep me from falling as I sniffed the air deeply. Turning my face to the right I nodded in that direction. "There's one of them now." I acknowledged. "It's my younger brother Inuyasha. Let's go visit him!" I exclaimed happily.
After a short pause Kyoshi and I set off in the indicated direction moving slowly as I limped along. After a couple hours we came to a dark forest and I stopped on the outskirts. "Yeah, he's in there." I assured myself as we entered.
"Kira! It's been a while!" A voice echoed from the trees beside us.
I froze and looked around. "Kouga?"
"The one and only." The wolf demon replied as he appeared in a whirlwind beside Kyoshi and me. "Who's that?" He asked as he jerked a finger towards the horned demon that half held me.
"This is Kyoshi. He's helping me find Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru." I replied.
Kouga nodded but suddenly stopped, coming close and sniffing me. "What? Why are you bleeding?" He exclaimed in alarm.
"Um… A fight in a tournament…" I answered, looking at the ground as Kyoshi shifted nervously.
Kouga quickly caught on. "It was him wasn't it?" He snarled. "I can tell from his face. Why is he still with you? Come with me and I'll help you instead."
I disregarded the hand he offered me as I stepped between him and Kyoshi. "No, it's alright. Everything's fine and our fights over. Now he's helping me until I get better."
"Well, why don't you just heal yourself like you did me?" Kouga asked.
I hung my head, fighting the urge to shoot a glare at Kyoshi. "My powers were sealed inside and I can't bring them back out…"
"So this was his fault too…" Kouga muttered. "Come with me. I'll even take you to that mutt." Before anyone could react Kouga had grabbed my hand and gently pulled me into his arms. As Kyoshi cried out and stepped forward to intervene, Kouga ran off in a small whirlwind, leaving Kyoshi to follow uselessly behind. "You're safe now Kira." He murmured as he set me down, catching me as I fell to the side. "You really are badly hurt…" He noticed as he saw the bandages that covered nearly the entire top half of my body from the waist to neck.
I clenched my fist, causing the burnt skin to sting. "Kouga, you can't just steal me away every time you see fit!" I snarled. "He's never been here before because he's from Kagome's time period. He could get lost!"
"So what, he's the one who did this to you! Why are you protecting him?" Kouga yelled back.
I shook my head and stared at the ground. "You said you'd take me to Inuyasha." I muttered.
Slowly Kouga nodded, seeing there was no point in further argument as he picked me up again. Shooting across the ground we ventered deeper into the forest, skidding to a halt as we came upon a group of people. "Kouga, what are you…?" Inuyasha's voice trailed off in shock as his eyes fell on me. "Kira? What are you doing here? And why does Kouga have you?" He growled, drawing his sword.
"Put that away." I sighed as I slipped from Kouga's arms and stumbled over to Inuyasha. He caught me in surprise as I fell.
"What's wrong?" He asked. "Why are you hurt so badly?"
"That tournament ended recently." I whispered. "The final battle was really hard on me. I can't heal myself because my energy was sealed inside and I don't seem to be healing as fast as my demon powers should be allowing…"
"Who did this to you, I'll kill him!" Inuyasha snarled.
"No you won't. I already did." I whimpered. "But I brought him back to life and now he's lost in this forest because Kouga took me away from him."
"Why did you bring back the one who injured you so?" Miroku asked, stepping forward.
"Because…" I started but couldn't think of anything good to say so I left it at that.
Suddenly a shadow fell over us and I glanced up to see a dark figure descending upon us. The cause of it landed softly behind me and I twisted my head around to see Kyoshi standing with his arms crossed over his chest as the huge leathery wings flapped gently behind him.
Inuyasha's eyes suddenly grew wide and he stared at me, ignoring Kyoshi. "Hey wait a minute… Do you have wings?" He stammered and everyone crowded around me.
I laughed weakly. "It took you long enough to notice." I teased. "I got them during our fight." I finished, nodding towards Kyoshi.
Inuyasha's fist clenched and he moved me aside, preparing to charge the winged demon before him. I started to fall and clung to his arm so he couldn't move away without hurting me. "Why are you protecting him?" He pouted.
"Because the fight is over and done with and now he's on our side and helping me to get better." I replied simply.
"But how can you so easily forgive someone who hurt you so badly?" Inuyasha asked indignantly.
I smiled softly at him. "Well didn't you forgive Miroku after he tried to suck you into the wind tunnel upon your first meeting? And Shippou after he stole your jewel shards? And even Sango after she tried to kill you because of a false story? But now you're all close friends. That's how it is with Kyoshi."
Inuyasha paused for a moment. "Yeah, I guess so…" He led me over and made me sit down at the base of a tree. "Your bandages have shifted and you're bleeding again."
My eyes widened. "Oh no, what do I do?" I cried in alarm.
Kagome crouched quickly beside me. "Don't worry, I'll help." She offered, holding up a first aid kit. I laughed lightly as she went to work redressing my wounds. The others wondered around giving us more room than needed. Sango watched Miroku closely so he wouldn't sneak a peek at an exposed chest and Inuyasha never let his gaze leave Kouga or Kyoshi.
Finally Kagome rejoined the others. "She fell asleep halfway through." She announced with a worried expression. "She is pretty badly hurt though. Her skin is all burnt and she's been stabbed through her shoulder and hand. There's a deep scratch on her cheek as well and I think she had a fever…"
Inuyasha rounded on Kyoshi once more. "Why did you let her come here while she's so ill?"
Kyoshi held up his hands in defense. "Hey, she's the one who brought me to some random well in the woods. I had no idea what it was until she had pushed me in with her."
Muttering under his breath Inuyasha crossed over to where I sat and crouched beside me, moving aside my hair to rest his hand on my forehead. "She does fell really hot…" He whispered as he sat down beside me while I slept. Slowly everyone else settled down at random intervals around the area and Kouga took his leave. Kyoshi sat uncomfortably in the midst of people who seemed to hate him and became uneasily aware that one was an experienced demon hunter.
I awoke early the next morning before anyone else. Climbing slowly to unsteady feet I leaned against a tree and looked at everyone as they slept. I bit my tongue to keep from crying out as someone tapped my shoulder from behind. "Kyoshi!" I whispered angrily.
He held up his hands apologetically. "Sorry… It's just… Do you want me to teach you how to withdraw your wings upon command?" He asked.
I watched him carefully. "What's wrong?"
He bowed his head slightly. "These people, I sense that they all hate me and don't want me to be around. It's making me nervous…" He admitted.
"Alright then, let's go." I said with a small laugh. I began to wobble forward but almost immediately began to fall. Kyoshi snatched me up into his arms and starting running from the clearing where the rest slept. "Hey!" I screamed. "Put me down!"
"What? You can't walk on your own."
I sighed in frustration. "Well I just feel so helpless like this." I frowned and lightly sniffed the air. "Oh, let's take a detour to visit my oldest brother."
"Alright, point out the way." I did and wherever I indicated, Kyoshi would go and pretty soon we had reached Sesshoumaru.
He ran straight at us, stopping warily a few feet in front. "Who are you?" He paused to sniff the air and caught the scent of my fresh blood. "And why is she injured?" He added, laying a hand on his sword as he glared at Kyoshi.
I slipped from his arms, hit the ground and fell forward so Sesshoumaru had to jump to catch me. "It's ok." I smiled gently. "He's helping me."
"Why are you hurt?"
I winced as he took my hand and removed the bandages to examine where it had been stabbed through. "A tournament of demons…" I began. "The finals were really hard but I'm ok, really."
"It doesn't look like it. And they seem to be old. Why aren't they healed yet?" Sesshoumaru asked with concern showing through on his face.
I shrugged softly trying not to hurt my shoulder. "I don't know it just isn't getting better. I can't use my powers either because they're trapped inside me until I can force them back out again. But I'll be fine." I added quickly.
Suddenly Sesshoumaru reached out and spun me in a full circle so my back was now to him. "And what are these?" He wondered aloud as he pulled lightly at one of my wings.
"What do they look like?" I teased lightly. "I got them during the final fight."
"Hmm…" Sesshoumaru studied them a moment longer before finally turning me back around to face him. He lowered me gently to the ground and kneeled before me, placing a hand to my forehead. "Take it easy while you heal. You look slightly paler than normal and you feel warm so don't overexert yourself anymore." I nodded and he smiled. "Good, now I have to go. I trust you'll be taken care of?" He asked, shooting another glare at Kyoshi who took an uneasy step back.
I smiled. "Yes, I'll be fine." I assured him. "I'll see you later…" Sesshoumaru nodded and got to his feet, glancing at us both once more and then turning to walk slowly towards the horizon.
"He's so weird…" I acknowledged fondly as I forced myself to my feet once again. I staggered over to Kyoshi again and he helped support me. "Well, where do we go to work on my wings?" I asked him.
He looked around at the grassy field we were in. "Here would work fine if you don't mind being in the open."
I regarded our surroundings as well. "This is fine. So what do we do?"
"First we sit." Kyoshi laughed as he lowered us both gently to the ground. He sat cross legged while I placed my knees folded beneath myself. "Next you have to focus hard on the wings. Block everything else out, just you and the wings. Imagine them pulling back inside your body. Let that be the only image in your mind. Hold it there and don't let it fade."
I closed my eyes and took his advice. In my mind I pictured the feathery black wings withdrawing into my back from where they came. The image slowly appeared in my mind and I kept it there without much effort. Suddenly I felt something slide into my back and screamed in alarm.
Kyoshi simply laughed. "Yeah, I know it feels weird at first but it doesn't hurt, does it love?" I shook my head and he nodded. "See? Now this time don't jump or anything, just keep focusing until they're totally gone. He closed his eyes and I followed suit.
Reluctantly I recalled the image to my mind and once again I felt the sliding of the feathers against my skin. I bit my lip to keep from crying out and clenched my fists to keep from squirming as an almost constant wave of shivers overtook me. I somehow managed to keep the image in my head and the feeling continued, worsened by my shuddering body. I felt a reassuring hand placed on my uninjured shoulder and tried to relax but couldn't. I was shaking worse now as the wings of my mental image were almost entirely gone from her back. A few more minutes and a violent fit of shivers later I felt a hand lift my face gently and found myself staring at Kyoshi.
"Are you ok?" He asked urgently.
I unclenched my fists to find my palms were leaking blood from were my claws had pierced the skin. I was still trembling noticeably as I forced a weak smile towards him. "Ow…" I whispered and then collapsed forward onto him.
