CHAPTER 10: Pure Heart

Kagome found herself sitting in an office at the top level of Tokyo Memorial Hospital, waiting for her old mentor to join her. A small woman with long pepper colored hair tied high in a ponytail walked in with her nose buried in a file.

"Kagome, what a pleasant surprise! I guess you found out about my referral?"

The young miko nodded, not surprised that the woman had yet to look at her. "I did." There was a question burning in Kagome's mind and she would speak it. "Why did you turn it down?"

Muri sighed and closed the file before tossing it on her desk. The gray-haired woman sat in her recliner and leaned back against the soft leather. "I've never performed aura therapy on demons before." It was Muri's turn to wiggle in her seat. "And for the kind of aura therapy that is required for this job, Sesshoumaru needs someone who can perform to the best of their abilities. I am not that person."

"But you are so qualified-"

"I may have the qualifications," Muri Mai paused to emphasize, "but not the ability." It was obvious that Kagome did not understand what Muri was trying to tell her. "Kagome, when I was young, my parents were killed by a half-demon that had gone mad. I watched them die. I understand in my mind," Muri touched her temple, "that not all demons are bad, just as not all humans are good. But here," she touched her heart, "I am still afraid and still hateful. That is not the heart that is needed to heal these children. They need a pure heart."

Kagome frowned. "My heart is not pure, sensei. It has not been for a long time."

Muri shook her head. "No, Kagome. Your heart has lost a part of its innocence and happiness but it is pure of hatred and prejudice. For this particular genre of aura therapy, one I have never successfully performed in my life, one needs to be free of hatred because it is the total acceptance of the life energy that heals. I do not have that ability."

"Oh."

Muri smiled as the memories of this particular student resurfaced. "You were always an anomaly to me, Kagome. You were my Rubik's cube. I have always been curious about you and your story."

"Me? What is there to be curious about?"

"You come from a family rooted in Shinto belief and practice but your powers are almost too powerful for them to have come about naturally-without formal training. Every now and again there are people similar to you but my friend, you have surpassed even my knowledge and experience.

"The very fact that you have had no training and yet you can perform as well as you did when you first came to us was both frightening and exciting. The only people we've seen with a natural gift as strong as yours were those who were raised in the countryside where more demons run free, yet you were born and raised here in the city. I am almost afraid to know what you could have possibly faced to have caused your powers to be so strong."

Kagome smiled a sad smile. "If you wish to know, I can tell you."

There was that look in Kagome's eyes that told her she had seen too much for one so young. "Please forgive me for not asking. I am not sure I can bear that burden of knowledge."

Black hair waved with the shake of a head. "I understand. It is a far-fetched story."

Muri nodded. "So are you going to accept the job?"

"I don't know," Kagome answered honestly. "I already have a great job that I love-"

"But? I feel a 'but' coming."

A grin spread across Kagome's face. "But-" she paused.

"You have that near hunger that demands you help someone, that itch in you that says to take the challenge and help those less fortunate than yourself?"

"Yes."

"That is your heart, Kagome, telling you that your desires are pure still. I believed it when Sesshoumaru called and I believe it even more now that you are sitting in my office that you are the right person for this job."

Kagome had nothing to say to that so she just sat and took in the silence of the room.

"Because I have not successfully healed a half-demon child before, I can only instruct you to a certain point before you will have to experiment and learn on your own. That will be the most difficult part."

"Most difficult, okay. I think I can handle that." The challenge of the unknown brought an excitement to Kagome that she hadn't felt in a while and she smiled at Muri.

The older woman had a twinkle in her eye when she smiled at Kagome. "You've already decided, haven't you? You just came to hear me vocalize what you already knew before you left home this morning."

Kagome laughed in a way that let Muri know she was right. "I guess I did."

"Guess my foot," Muri said with a laugh. "Sesshoumaru didn't actually call me. Some woman on his research team called me, a rather cold person and it made me wonder what kind of an establishment Sesshoumaru ran. Children don't need to be around that kind of temperament, human, hanyou, or full demon."

"Yeah, she was pretty snobby when she showed up," Kagome recalled. "It was kind of fun to hear her tell Sesshoumaru all the details she'd dug up on me though. She even found out about this-" Kagome lifted both hands and wiggled her middle fingers, the silver and rose-gold rings sparkled in the sunlight that streamed through the window.

"Many of our brothers and sisters knew of the cap we had to put on your powers. You weren't aware of it but not many of our priests and priestesses could be around you for long periods of time without feeling adverse affects."

A wave of guilt swept over Kagome. "You never told me about that."

"It wasn't imperative to your training. You would have only held back if you had known."

Kagome had never spoken to Muri Mai as she was now. Back then, Kagome struggled to contain more than just her powers. Her emotions were unstable, which only fed the instability of her awesome natural strength. Muri had the foresight to keep her at an emotional arm's length during her training period. Kagome honestly felt that she had grown so much at that shrine-it had been a kind of easement back into her present time, a balance in her life that she had desperately needed to heal and move on.

"And how are you these days, Kagome?"

Kagome smiled in a way that Muri had never seen-peaceful. "I found my family." The ease at which she made that statement told Muri that she had found the piece of her life that had been missing.

"I am glad to hear that," Muri said, and honestly she was. "I was afraid for you, Kagome, that you wouldn't find a way to get through your pain, but I'm guessing that working at the Museum has helped?"

The younger woman nodded. "It helped to give me closure." Kagome fidgeted in her seat, she had to ask – "May I tell you a little without giving away too much?"

The corner of Muri's lips lifted. "If you wish."

An air of confidence and older spirit filled the room when Kagome locked eyes with Muri. "I used to travel through time via a portal near my home. My companions in the past became a second family and that was when I first met Sesshoumaru. We weren't on friendly terms then, merely a weak alliance to defeat a common enemy. After a few years of going back and forth between my present and the past, our mission was completed and I was completely locked on this side of time."

Muri had never heard this story before and more of Kagome's outbursts at the shrine and her odd behaviors and knowledge began to make sense.

"That's why my mom had put me on suicide watch, that's why I ran to you. All I had left were these damn powers-" Kagome paused and closed her eyes in an effort to hold back angry tears. The fine hairs on Muri's body stood on end. Even with the silver and golden seals-the rings Kagome wore on her middle fingers-could not completely keep her powers at bay. Blue eyes opened again. "These powers and my memories were the only things I had as a constant reminder of what I'd been through. I may have gone a little nuts when I couldn't travel anymore, I kept jumping down the well shaft that took me to a distant time-" Her eyes glazed over before Kagome shook her head of the painful memories.

"Sorry, I'm getting side tracked. That second of family of mine included a fox kit, he became a son to me-" Kagome's eyes began to water. "I found them," she said in a whisper. "Sesshoumaru had kept him safe after all this time, the very Sesshoumaru that asked for your assistance, the very one whose daughter mated my Shippo."

There was more weight to this story than Muri was comfortable knowing but she just nodded in support. "I'm glad, Kagome. I am very happy that you've found your family again."

"It's not just that, Muri. I've found the other half of my entire being. I was only half a person this whole time because all I had was a future with no past and now I've found it, I've found it in Sesshoumaru."

"Beware Kagome," Muri said in a serious tone. "Do not confuse the memories of the past with the present people."

Kagome half chuckled. "Oh you don't have to tell me twice. I've had more than enough of that kind of shit when I was in the past but I won't bother telling you that drab story. Anyways, I guess I just wanted to let you know that I'm complete. Not totally sane just yet," Kagome winked, "but I've found myself and am finally happy again."

Muri Mai smiled knowingly and folded her hands on the desk before her. "So I guess that means you'll be working with Sesshoumaru on a solution to the epidemic his patients suffer from?"

"I will be. I have an inkling of what needs to happen but I am ready to learn what you can teach me about aura therapy. When's a good day to begin?"

"Well, there aren't too many accident prone people in the mornings if you would like to come to my office three times a week. We can begin our training in the meditation room upstairs."

"Ooh," Kagome made a face. "Mornings aren't such a great time-"

"Still?" Muri's brow lifted. "I see you haven't gotten over your aversion to early mornings."

"Not really."

"Well, that's unfortunate. When the sun first rises is the best time to meditate. The warmth of the sun warms the earth from sleep and the air is at its freshest. You should make sure to retire early."

Kagome just groaned. She wouldn't fight it because she knew that Muri was right. "Sunrise?"

"An hour before sunrise," Muri said with a Cheshire grin. "You need to be there and in deep meditation during the transition of dark to light."

"Why do I have the sneaking suspicion that I'm going to undergo a severe life change?"

The Cheshire grin grew in size. "You have no idea." Muri stood and motioned for Kagome to follow her. "Sesshoumaru is aware of the changes that need to occur before this will become successful."

Kagome stopped when she reached the office door. "Wait a minute, I thought you said you didn't talk to Sesshoumaru."

Muri shook her head. "I said I did not speak to Sesshoumaru on the phone. He visited me the night he found out that I had referred you as my replacement."

"He did?" That had Kagome's interested piqued. After the hospital, she and Sesshoumaru returned to his home and she spent the rest of the day with Shippo and his daughters, never once wondering where the head of the house had gone.

"He did." Muri turned the handle of a door they stood before and it opened into a conference room with a large round table where one of the seats was occupied by none other than Sesshoumaru himself.

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Kagome." The way her name rolled off his tongue had Kagome shiver with something unknown, something that did not pass by unnoticed by Muri.

"What are you doing here?" the breathless miko asked.

Muri walked past the frozen Kagome and dropped a stack of papers on the table in front of Sesshoumaru. "Still the instigator, I see?"

Kagome's eyes shifted from Sesshoumaru to Muri and back to Sesshoumaru again. "What's she talking about? Instigator?"

Golden eyes uncharacteristically rolled at the head of LAP. "I own this hospital."

Kagome's brows furrowed. "I think I'll do myself a favor and just live under the assumption that you own Japan." When Sesshoumaru said nothing, Kagome sunk into a chair. "I'm not far off the mark, am I?"

Sesshoumaru did not say a word but a slight upturn of his lips told Kagome all she needed to know.

Muri huffed at Sesshoumaru's false modesty.

"Jeez, you're one for secrets."

"Thanks to you, Inuyasha and Seiichi's drawings, I was able to make some very wise investments over the centuries."

Kagome was amazed. She knew the Sesshoumaru of the past was a very logical and strategic being so it surprised her but not too much that he was just as strategic with business and finance as he was in battle. "I guess that means you're filthy rich."

A smirk appeared on the otherwise stoic demon's face. "Same goes for you, Kagome."

"Me?" Kagome had the gall to laugh. "I can assure you, Sesshoumaru Sekiguchi, that I am not in fact filthy rich."

"And I can assure you, Kagome Higurashi," there was that burning feeling in her gut again, "that though you may not be as," Sesshoumaru rolled the phrase around in his mouth, "filthy rich as I, you are still wealthy and set for life. If you choose, you do not need to work ever again."

The cogs in Kagome's mind cranked and squealed as they tried to piece together the impossible puzzle that was this demon. "What did you do, Sesshoumaru?" she scolded him as though he were a small child breaking into the cookie jar.

"When I purchased stocks in the up and coming technology, the technology that Seiichi had drawn according to Inuyasha's stories of your time, I purchased stocks not only for myself but for my entire family, including you."

Kagome was speechless. Sesshoumaru wasn't one for mincing words so when he said she was wealthy, Kagome could only imagine how many millions that translated into. It was then that Muri made herself known again by clearing her throat.

"I'm glad you two are so familiar with each other. This will definitely make things run smoother."

"Smoother? Muri, what does Sesshoumaru have to do with this?"

Muri threw a look at Sesshoumaru before turning back to Kagome. "Child, the only reason I was able to heal the auras of human children is because I myself am human."

"I thought you couldn't heal hanyous because you weren't of-" Kagome did not want to offend by finishing that statement.

Muri caught on to what her old student was about to say, that she wasn't of pure heart. "That is the reason I do not think I have the ability to try. It is a simple matter of not being able to heal what we are not. Our spirits may empathize with other spirits but it is the fact of what we are that blazes the path for those of our like to follow in."

Kagome fell into deep thought. "So what you're saying is that to heal a hanyou or demon-"

"Someone with a hanyou or full-demon aura, there is a difference."

"I'm going to need to have that aura as well to empathize and show the way."

"Yes, that is what I am saying."

Kagome was silent while the connections were made in her mind. When they were made, she looked to Sesshoumaru but did not talk to him. "Why Sesshoumaru?" She peeled her eyes away from his amber ones and back to Muri's black pupils.

"Sesshoumaru is the only demon powerful enough to withstand the fury of your full strength. His soul and fortitude can and will support yours when the time comes."

She glanced at him again. "There are others though, older demons that are still alive-"

"The older they are, the more powerful, you are correct. But Sesshoumaru already holds such strong ties with your spirit because of your shared past. His natural abilities against poison and purification make him the perfect candidate to be your partner in this quest."

"Partner?" Kagome looked between her old teacher and the silent demon in the room. "I think I'm missing something."

"Kagome," Kagome turned to face Sesshoumaru, while trying to put everything together. "What Muri is trying to say is we need to combine our auras. Not just combine but fuse together so to speak."

"An aura meld," Kagome whispered. "That means-"

"And that," Muri slumped into a chair, "that is why I am not a good candidate. "

"Wait a minute-" There were too many thoughts zipping through her head, like chickens that had just seen a hungry fox. "Sesshoumaru, doesn't an aura meld equate a familial bond in pack terms?"

"More or less."

"And you're okay with this?"

Without removing his gaze from Kagome's blue eyes, Sesshoumaru answered, "I have never been more sure of anything in my life."

Her breath was stolen right from her chest. The way his eyes burned into hers, the hidden promise of things to come was so alluring and for a moment Kagome allowed herself to imagine the possibilities.

Muri hated being forgotten, which was exactly what was happening. She cleared her throat and Kagome broke the eye contact first, still feeling the burn of amber eyes in her.

"Sesshoumaru is already aware of the terms of this experiment and has agreed fully. Do you agree to carry out with this experiment, Kagome?"

She was looking at Muri but didn't quite catch everything. "Wait, no one has told me the terms of this experiment. What exactly are we going to have to do?"

"You will be required to spend ungodly amounts of time together in order to fully bond your soul. Of course there is a way you could speed things up but I highly doubt that is an appropriate topic of discussion at this time. How you do it doesn't matter to me, as long as the deed is done."

Kagome couldn't help but read into that comment and all of a sudden a blush spread over her cheeks. She knew what Muri meant and wanted to glance at Sesshoumaru to see what his reaction was. If only Kagome had used her powers to feel him out, she would have noticed the influx of youki at the director's statement and how pleased he was to have heard her say that. But she didn't.

"Earlier when I asked if I had to undergo a complete life change, is this what I felt was coming?"

"Kagome, for you I would suggest moving into Sesshoumaru's house. A room closest to his would suffice but it would be even better if you could share a bed-"

At that, Kagome spoke up. "How are you even saying this with a straight face? I'm only thinking about it and I'm blush-never mind."

"Sleeping in the same room and same bed as someone tends to drop barriers real fast because to sleep is to make yourself vulnerable. Besides with him," Muri thumbed to Sesshoumaru, "you shouldn't have any problems. Dogs in general are a social animal and are very affectionate no matter that you got the most backward of them all on your side. I'm sure he'll make a great pillow if nothing else."

Great. Just great. Kagome knew she was red from head to toe now.

"Are there any other suggestions you have?" Sesshoumaru asked, still looking unaffected by all Muri said.

"Besides moving in? I can only suggest that you do your best to spend every waking moment together." Muri pushed her chair back from the table and instructed Kagome to sit next to Sesshoumaru. Ms. Mai closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before continuing. "From what I can see your souls have already bonded quite well. You must spend a considerable amount of time together, although this bond you have is old and stable."

Muri opened her eyes again. "Those are my two suggestions. Sleep as close as possible to each other and spend every waking moment together. In one week I want you to come back and see me and we'll go from there."

As Kagome and Sesshoumaru walked out of the conference room and back down to the garage parking, Kagome couldn't help but feel as though she were being set up. Sesshoumaru still hadn't said anything but he didn't feel agitated by what they'd heard upstairs.

"It seems like you're okay with all of this. Did you know that she wanted me to move in?"

Sesshoumaru sighed inwardly when the interrogation began. He knew Kagome didn't like being told what to do, what woman did these days? What men for that matter? But after all the years of studying possible solutions, this seemed to be the most effective, the safest for all involved, and on top of that he could use the bond they needed to create to sway her to his side for eternity.

For centuries after she had disappeared, Kagome remained in the forefront of his mind. He hadn't made too strong of a connection with her during the days of the Sengoku Jidai but after that battle with Naraku, after his son was born and Inuyasha was a more stable figure in his life was when the attraction grew.

Most of the information supplied him was through stories that Inuyasha told Seiichi when the boy was but a pup. Stories of a beautiful warrior priestess who had hidden powers and a large heart filled the lonely nights. Seiichi's room was right next to his own, making listening to Inuyasha's stories much easier.

From what Sesshoumaru knew, Inuyasha was the brave warrior that protected the miko-or at least he was in the story but it always ended with the warrior priestess having to leave the world behind and travel through the mysterious gates of time, taking the priestess home again where the past would stay in the past for her.

"Muri Mai and I have had many discussions on the best path to take to heal the children. Originally we planned to work with the parents of the children but we ran into many problems. Half of the children that passed away before help was possible were born out of wedlock and to parents who did not appreciate their special ones. Not all hanyou children come out looking as normal as my brother did. Do you recall Jinenji, the medicine hanyou?"

Kagome nodded. "We met on a few occasions."

"His father was well known for his appealing face, yet Jinenji took after his mother in looks-"

It took Kagome a few seconds before she choked on a laugh. Sesshoumaru was teasing the poor woman! "Hey now, she loved her son. I can't believe you're teasing her about her looks!"

Sesshoumaru couldn't hide his smile fast enough from her and she swatted his arm. "What I mean to say is that some of the hanyou we've come across are deplorable by the world's standards yet they are some of the most pure-hearted and talented creatures to grace the planet, yet that never occurs to the parents when they drop them off.

"We wished to create a stronger bond between parents so their child could see how well their energy works together and to learn how to have their conflicting auras at peace with each other."

Sesshoumaru opened the car door and waited for Kagome to slide into the passenger seat before closing the door and entering from the other side.

"I guess something wasn't working as it was supposed to?" Kagome didn't miss the sigh Sesshoumaru released upon hearing her question.

"Not quite. Some of the children on the lower levels of the special wing are the successful ones. They had parents who cared enough to go through our therapy training and succeeded in creating a sufficient bond. Yet, after successful aura melds, the children still cannot be far from Tessaiga. Though we have made significant progress in healing them thus far, I do not understand why they cannot be completely whole."

Kagome felt his defeat, she saw how his body sagged in reflection of all the time spent towards this one great goal. Her hand slid atop his that rest on the gear-shift. She gave it a gentle squeeze but didn't move her hand from its spot. "Don't worry, Sesshoumaru. We'll figure something out."

Sesshoumaru stiffened at the initial contact. Kagome noticed and pulled her hand away but her fingers were caught by his and her hand was pulled back to the gear shift. Sesshoumaru lay his hand atop hers and rubbed his thumb across the soft flesh of her hand. Another sigh escaped him but this time it was one of comfort.

The silence in the car was almost too much for Kagome to bear. She knew the basics of what was to happen but what she needed right now was to know where their boundaries were.

"Sesshoumaru, just exactly how much time will we be spending together?"

A smirk came over that beautiful face of the demon next to her. "Every sleeping and waking moment."

"As in I have to go to work with you?"

"Every moment."

"I'm gonna be able to pee alone, right?" Her nervousness grew when he said nothing. "Right?"

"I will turn my back when the time comes but we must remain together-"

"Oh hell no!" Kagome pulled her hand out to stab him in the arm with her bony fingers. "I don't care what Muri said, I refuse to do anything in the bathroom with you in there!"

The small sports car filled with that sound that warmed her from head to toe. He was laughing at her. "I am merely poking fun at you. I will allow," he threw in there just to irk her, "you to use the restroom and its facilities on your own. But outside of the washroom, you are mine, Kagome." That last part was said in a low seductive voice, which Kagome chose not to read too far into. Too many times she'd read into messages with Inuyasha and she would not make that mistake again.

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms. "Allow me, huh? It's gonna be like that between us, is it?"

Sesshoumaru shot a worried glance her way only to see a hint of a smile playing at her lips. She wanted to play did she? "I foresee no problems so long as you know where your place is." Oh yeah, that prodded her temper, the one he'd seen on occasion when Inuyasha was being too stubborn for his own good.

"And where is that, pray tell?" The smile was gone and her eyes were narrowed at him.

"Where you are at this very moment, at my side," he said for good measure, "although I did prefer it when you were holding my hand." A shy smile crawled across the miko's face as she slid her hand under his again. "Muri Mai was correct in stating that dog demons are very affectionate." Sesshoumaru could not thank the old woman enough for stating that, now he had an excuse to touch her and keep in contact with her as much as possible.

"We are the most affectionate in demon society, an instinct which I will share with you. Just as a warning, I am not openly affectionate in public and I do not care for too much from myself or anyone else when around others. But at home and when we are together, you may expect," they were at a stoplight and Sesshoumaru turned towards her. Two warm fingers brushed her cheek and a shiver raced through Kagome's body, "to have my full affection."

Kagome looked at Sesshoumaru with a hot fire in her eyes. "Should I be afraid?" she managed to squeak out.

"You have never been afraid of me before."

With his thumb sliding across her cheek, Kagome lost all capability of thought. "I…uh-"

"I will give you no reason to start now."

Kagome's skin sizzled in wake of his hands. Sesshoumaru's eyes were back on the road as he drove them to her apartment so she could pick up what she would need for the next week. If he could make her feel like this with just a simple touch on her cheek, she didn't know how she would be able to handle his "full affection." What did that even mean? Kagome's stomach resembled caffeinated butterflies as she anticipated what was to come.

Hi everyone! I hope you have a great 2011. This chapter isn't too much as far as excitement goes, though I found it exciting enough hahaha. It will start picking up in the next chapter. Thanks for following this whole time and I can't wait to see you guys next year!

Echo