Concentrate.
"Again."
Focus.
"Once more."
Pay attention.
"Again, you're getting closer."
Exhausted didn't even begin to describe how Kagome was feeling. If Kikyo said 'again' one more time, she may actually try to murder the woman. Around her, the pink glow of her power - the little bit that Kikyo released so far - wavered and shrunk, drawing in towards her body. Then Sango shouted something obscene at Miroku and the small bubble she'd created popped, releasing her power to flow around her again.
"Dammit!" Kagome unfolded her legs and struggled to her feet. "I need a break." She glared at her small audience, silently daring any of them to argue.
Kikyo, sitting on the ground a few feet in front of her, nodded. "It's about time for lunch anyway. I think we could all use a break."
That was bullshit. Kagome was the one doing all the damn concentrating while Sango and Miroku shouted things to distract her and Kikyo just kept repeating 'again' until Kagome wanted to rip her tongue out. Kikyo insisted that Kagome needed to learn to control her power so she could mask it in public and until then she couldn't leave the shrine's barrier.
So they'd spent the last two hours training. It was going...not well. The only reason she was making any progress at all was thanks to her grandfather's training when she was a child, before they gave up on her ever manifesting any power.
The continued absence of a certain hanyo was not helping. How the hell he'd managed to avoid her for two days was a mystery. He wasn't just hiding in the bunker (she'd checked...several times). Mama confirmed that he'd been doing his usual chores and Sota claimed he saw him in passing a few times. He had to be using his senses to avoid her but he was doing it with such a ruthless efficiency and it hurt. He was avoiding her and she missed him and it fucking hurt.
Which was making this training a thousand times harder than it needed to be. Because when she tried to clear her mind and focus, there he was. When all other distractions were pushed aside, the feel of his lips pressed against hers jumped to center stage.
"Kagome, is there something you wanna talk about?" Sango asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes...no. I'll be fine. This is just...it's a lot. I'll get it, eventually."
Sango gave her a skeptical look. "What did he do? I can still turn him in if he's being a jackass and hurt you. It doesn't have to be physical..."
"He didn't do anything," she lied. "I'm just stressed over, well, everything. It's been a crazy few weeks."
Sango left it at that but she didn't stop shooting worried glances at Kagome for the rest of the afternoon. Miroku and Sango left after lunch and Kikyo stuck around to continue training Kagome. She was dedicated to making sure Kagome could control her powers but she still wouldn't answer any of her questions.
"You're distracted," Kikyo said when Kagome lost control of her bubble of power for the umpteenth time.
"Obviously." She didn't bother keeping the agitation from her voice. An odd feeling, like something brushing up against her reiki, came from behind her. She whipped her head around and caught the source of her ire ducking behind a shed. That son of a bitch. "I'll be right back."
She knew now that it was Inuyasha's yoki that she was feeling. She followed it, trying to pull her reiki back so he couldn't feel her coming, like that would fucking help with his damn nose and ears. He was heading for the well so she started jogging, hoping to catch him before he could get on the platform.
There, he was going into the well house. She was going to make it. A few steps from the door, something on the ground caught her eye. A small section of the concrete was cracked and indented like someone took a sledgehammer to it. Distracted, she bent down to inspect the damage. The hole was fist-sized and she suddenly had a clear picture of a clawed hand punching that spot over and over again. How had she not noticed it sooner?
With new purpose, she sprang up and yanked the door to the well open. He was already gone but she was determined. Riding the platform down, she couldn't get her discovery out of her head. Was he angry about their kiss? Did she push him into something he didn't want? Why wouldn't he just tell her no, push her away? And why the hell was he avoiding her instead of just telling her how he felt?
She could still feel his yoki; he wasn't getting away this time. Allowing her reiki to guide her, she made her way down the hallway, into his bunker, and straight back to the metal door behind his workout equipment. He had yet to show her the back way into his hideout but she was assuming that was where the door led.
She pushed open the door and found a concrete tunnel lit by construction lights lined up and down the sides of the tunnel. Only half the lights worked so it wasn't overly bright. The tunnel canted upward slightly at first then got a little steeper about 50 feet in. She followed the tunnel, looking up at a set of double doors in the distance. After about a minute of walking, she reached the end of the path.
The doors were heavy, likely built to withstand bombing raids. She managed to get one cracked open enough to squeeze through only to find another, much smaller door with a simple push-bar that hopefully led outside. She swung the second door open and squinted at the bright sunlight that streamed in. Once her eyes adjusted, she looked around the small clearing. The tunnel led into the woods behind the shrine, the area surrounded by tall trees. There was a small access road, no more than a wide dirt path, off to her right.
There was no sign of Inuyasha.
She walked to the middle of the open area and spun in a circle, concentrating on her power. Something pushed all around the edges of her reiki and she focused on the familiar feeling. It was a barrier that felt similar to the shrine's but much smaller and not nearly as ancient and powerful. Somewhere off to her left she could feel Inuyasha's yoki. It was faint like he was pulling it in and trying to hide it. Good, she caught him without his concealment charm.
"I know you're there," she called. "I can feel you." She turned and faced the exact spot where his yoki was concentrated. For a few tense seconds, she was sure he was going to continue his attempted ruse. Then his yoki flared and in a flurry of movement, he was standings a few feet in front of her. And he looked pissed.
They stood there for a minute, yoki and reiki meeting gently, completely belying the tension of the moment. His ears were pressed almost flat into his hair and his lip was curled into a small snarl, one fang poking out. His eyes blazed in the sunlight, slightly narrowed and focused intently on her face.
"Don't you have anything to say?" she asked, trying to keep the waver from her voice.
"The fuck do you want me to say?" he shot back, his voice low and gravely. "You're the one who followed me." He crossed his arms and finally looked away from her, looking towards the tunnel, towards escape...escape from her.
Was this all because of their kiss?
"You've been avoiding me. What was I supposed to do?"
He still wouldn't look at her. A growl rumbled from his chest and his yoki started trying to pull away from her reiki.
"I'm sorry," she said, starting to panic. "I wouldn't...I shouldn't have kissed you. I-"
His eyes went back to her face and his growl grew louder. "Can we just forget that happened?"
Ouch and fuck no. The question punched the air straight out of her lungs. "I...guess. If that's what you want."
He grunted and some of the tension went out of him, his body relaxing slightly and the rumble finally stopping. "Guess I don't have to show you the back entrance now."
Oh. That was how it was going to be then. "Yeah, guess not," she said, unable to hide the tremor to her voice anymore. She was not going to cry. Not in front of him, at least. "I should get back. Kikyo is probably looking for me."
"Right, your training. Are you...uh, getting any better?"
"No. Maybe. I don't know. I've been distracted."
"By wha...oh." At least he had the decency to look ashamed.
"Right, oh. I gotta get back to it or I'm never going to be able to leave the shrine. I'll see you...whenever." She turned and stalked back to the tunnel entrance. He didn't follow.
She focused on holding back her tears, determined to not let him know how upset she really was. Would he think she was stupid for developing such strong feelings for him so quickly? She certainly felt foolish crying over a man she'd known for only weeks.
She made it to the hallway before she couldn't hold it in anymore. Leaning against the wall under a tacky sconce casting a dim ring of light, she slid to the floor and let the tears fall. What had she expected? He wouldn't have been avoiding her in the first place if he wanted anything, felt anything for her. She must have misjudged him because the Inuyasha she thought she knew wouldn't have left her hurting like this. Maybe Sango was right: she didn't know him as well as she thought she did.
Anger and indifference gradually replaced her sorrow and she pushed herself back to her feet. She had shit to do.
Kikyo was waiting for her when she came out of the well house. "Will it be easier for you to concentrate now?" she asked. The woman was much too observant.
"Let's just get this over with."
They went back to their original spot and Kagome made herself comfortable. She took a few minutes to meditate and clear her mind, Kikyo doing the same. Then the training started again.
It was actually much easier to concentrate now. Instead of focusing on the kiss and all the confusing emotions surrounding it, she was able to zero in on a single emotion: anger. It pushed everything else out leaving no room for distraction. Her reiki responded easily, going where she directed it, shrinking and expanding at her command.
Then she felt Inuyasha's yoki reemerge from the well. Her reiki reacted automatically, pulling away from the source of her pain and coiling tightly in her chest. She heard Kikyo gasp.
"That's it. I can't feel your reiki at all. Great job, Kagome!" She sounded genuinely excited.
She let her power go and pulled it back several times, each attempt easier than the last. She could still feel the brush of Inuyasha's yoki whenever she released her reiki but she didn't let it shy away again. She could also feel the shrine's barrier and Kikyo's reiki more clearly now, the swirl of her power a gentle hum where it touched Kagome's power.
"I didn't expect you to do so well the first day," Kikyo said. "If you continue to catch on this quickly, we'll have your full power unsealed in no time."
"The sooner the better. I feel like I could sleep for a week after today." She wasn't sure how she was still standing. Her body felt heavy and her thoughts were slow and muddled. Even her reiki felt depleted. She was sure it wasn't all from the training.
Kikyo handed her another bottle of her homemade vitamin water. "Here, I'll show you how to make this next time we train."
"Thanks." She gulped down half the bottle then paused. It felt different this time. "Is there...reiki in the water?" Was that even possible?
"I was wondering if you would notice this time. I add a little of my power to each bottle; that's why it works so quickly."
"Huh. Neat." She finished off the bottle, her strength returning and her reiki humming back to life. "Um, do you have time to stay and answer some questions tonight? I'd really like to know why you sealed me."
"Actually. I was going to ask if you would come see me tomorrow, now that you can hide your reiki. I'd like you to meet my assistant, Shiori."
"I don't see why not. The shrine is closed to the public on Fridays so there's nothing keeping me here. Just give me a time and place."
Kikyo went to her black tote bag and dug around a bit. She pulled out paper and a pen, wrote down a few lines, and gave it to Kagome. "I do most of my work from home now so we can just meet there. Shiori has the day off so it works out perfectly. Both Shiori and I hold frequent meetings with clients out of my home so your presence won't be suspicious."
Kagome recognized the street name and was pleased to realize she could easily walk there. She chose to save her questions about all the secrecy for tomorrow. "Alright, what time should I be there?"
They decided to meet in the morning so Kikyo would have plenty of time to give Kagome the answers she wanted. At least something in her life might start making sense again.
Kikyo's house was amazing. The genkan was large with a shiny black tile that reflected the hanging globe light in the entryway. It opened into a large living area with high ceilings, dark wood floors, hanging globe lights, and a full fireplace set into one wall. She didn't have much furniture, just a couch, a single cushioned chair, and a low glass table all gathered around the fireplace.
The wall opposite the fireplace had a large shoji door that was opened and led out into a large garden with a small pond at its center. There was an arched trellis that looked like it led to a more private area of the garden. Benches were placed along a path that wove through plants and small statues. Kagome could only imagine the array of colors and life that spring would bring to the little area.
Kikyo led her to the back of the house past the kitchen and the bathroom, to a large office. Inside sat a woman with long pale blue hair falling down her back, large violet eyes, and bronzed skin. Her features were delicate making it hard to discern her age. She wore a dark gray pants suit with a light blue blouse under a white lab coat.
"Kagome, I'd like you to meet my assistant, Shiori. Shiori, this is Kagome."
The petite woman bowed, a smile lighting up her face when she straightened back up. "It's so nice to finally meet you. Kikyo has been talking about you nonstop for...well forever."
Kagome returned the bow. "It's nice to meet you too. Um...forever?"
Shiori giggled, the sound making Kagome smile. "Yes, she's known about you since your birth after all."
"Shiori has been working with me for close to ten years now. Everything I know, she knows," Kikyo said.
The three women gathered around the desk, Kikyo on one side, Shiori and Kagome on the other. Shiori excused herself and came back a minute later with a tray of tea. They sipped in silence for a minute, Kagome going over all the questions she wanted answers to in her mind. She also let her reiki out just a little, trying to sense everything in the office.
She shouldn't have been surprised when she brushed against Shiori's yoki.
"Oh! You've got yoki," Kagome said. She should have guessed with the blue hair and purple eyes that Shiori wasn't human.
Shiori smiled brightly and set her tea down. "Yep. Can you sense the difference in yoki between yokai and hanyo yet?"
Kikyo leaned forward and looked at Kagome. "We haven't gone over that yet but I don't see any reason we can't have a quick lesson. Tell me what you sense, Kagome."
She concentrated, letting her reiki take in some of Shiori's yoki. It was peaceful and calm, pink meeting lavender in a lazy swirl. "I don't have much to compare it to but...hanyo? I feel like my reiki wouldn't be so calm if you were full yokai."
"Very good," Kikyo said. "The human half of hanyo allows their yoki to interact peacefully with reiki on a level full yokai can't achieve. One more test: can you tell me what kind of hanyo Shiori is?"
"How am I supposed to figure that out?" Kagome asked, concentrating on the swirl of power again.
"Kikyo, you know that's not-"
"Shh, let her try," Kikyo cut off whatever Shiori was about to say. "Just focus and let her yoki speak to you."
Kagome took in a little more of Shiori's yoki, bringing it to her chest. With it so close, she could feel a slight vibration and hear a gentle hum. Reaching out, she trailed her fingers through the small coil of power. She gasped as sounds and images invaded her mind; the beating of wings, tiny squeaks, a blanket of black moving across the night sky. Bats, she was seeing bats.
"Bat hanyo, right?"
Shiori looked at her, eyes wide and mouth agape. Kikyo tried to hide a smirk behind her hand but failed.
"Well, am I right?"
"Yes," Shiori said. "That's amazing."
Kikyo looked at Shiroi. "I told you she was powerful."
"Powerful has nothing to do with it and you know it," Shiori shot back.
"Um, would either of you like to explain what the big deal is? Also, could you maybe stop talking about me like I'm a science experiment?" Kagome looked between the two, almost not wanting an answer.
Kikyo spoke up as Shiori looked like she was still in shock. "You can read yoki and, with practice, probably reiki too. It's a unique ability only seen in a handful of miko and hoshi throughout history. It's so rare, we don't even really know the true extent of your capabilities."
"I mean, you don't even take the number out of the single digits, that's how rare you are," Shiori said. Her eyes were still wide when she looked at Kagome but she seemed to have control over her mouth again.
"So what does that mean for me? It's not like we fight yokai anymore so what's the big deal? I mean, am I going to be able to read minds or something?"
Kikyo sighed, her expression darkening. "Unfortunately, it means if you're not careful and the wrong people find out about you, even your hanyo friend won't be able to protect you. We're going to have to double our training; you must not let the extent of your powers be known." Kikyo reached over and took one of Kagome's hands. "I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe, Kagome. You never should have been sealed in the first place. The gift you possess should have been trained and nurtured from the very beginning, not hidden away. I take full responsibility for my part in things and I promise to do what I can to make it up to you."
"Kikyo, that's...thank you. I'd just like to know: why? Why did you seal my reiki away in the first place?"
Letting go of her hand, Kikyo stood and retrieved a cardboard box from a shelf behind her desk. "It's a long story and you're probably not going to believe most of it," Kikyo said, settling back in her chair. "For now, I can tell you my primary reason at the time: I was trying to protect you. The rest is going to require quite the history lesson but everything you need to know is in this box."
"Not bad, for a human." Inuyasha stared down his opponent, muscles tensed and ready to move.
"Yeah well, you hurt my best friend so I'm pretty motivated right now." Sango rushed at her sparring partner, her (very real and very sharp) sword gleaming in the afternoon sun.
Inuyasha dodged the downward swing gracefully, moving behind his opponent in an attempt to disarm her. She was too quick though, turning and rolling out of the way in a single motion. She shot a leg out, sweeping Inuyasha off his feet. He landed and rolled back, jumping back to his feet in a blur almost too fast for Sango to track. Almost.
"Keh, I'm going easy on you and you know it." Taunting her was dangerous, he knew. She was armed and he was not in an attempt to keep their fight even.
"Well don't. I don't want to have to hold back." She rushed at him again, catching him off guard. He dodged but not quick enough. The blade caught him in the shoulder, drawing blood and causing him to stumble. Sango didn't let up, throwing her shoulder into his gut and laying him out on his back.
"Fuck." He grunted when he hit the ground. "Guess I deserved that." He got back to his feet as Sango lowered her blade.
"You deserve a hell of a lot more than that."
"Fair," he agreed. "In my defense, you did call the mangy wolf so I feel like that evens things out, at least a little bit."
Sango raised her sword again and started circling Inuyasha. "I told you I took care of that. You aren't the only 'case' he has." She edged her way closer, staying just outside of his range.
"You still called him." He tensed, planning his next move. His arm throbbed where she cut him but he pushed the pain to the back of his mind. He just wanted to get one good hit in.
"And I apologized. You can't forgive me then continue to hold it against me; that's not how this works." She was almost too close to him now. As soon as she was close enough to slice at him, he would be close enough to get inside her swing and disarm her. His speed gave him a huge advantage, even unarmed. "Besides, today isn't about me. You fucked up and we need to find a way to fix it."
"Keh. What's this we shit?" Inuyasha asked and then made his move. Sango's eyes darted to the left where she was aiming her blade so he spun to the right, getting behind her swing and hitting her wrist with just enough force to dislodge her sword.
"Shit," she swore under her breath, trying to bring a fist up to connect with his jaw. He was too fast.
He caught the incoming blow and twisted her arm behind her back, careful not to hurt her. "Too slow, human." He heard her growl and almost congratulated her on how threatening it sounded. He should have been paying more attention.
Her foot came down hard on his and it was just enough of a distraction for her to wrench her arm free. She turned and jammed her knee straight into his crotch. He couldn't even draw enough breath to swear. It took everything in him to just stay on his feet and cover the injured area.
"That's for that kiss and run bullshit you pulled on Kagome." She swung her leg up and her foot connected solidly with his chest, laying him out flat on his back, again. "And that's for trying to pretend it didn't happen."
Staring at the sky and wondering whether his dick would ever work again, Inuyasha tried to figure out which kami he pissed off. Sango's face filled his field of vision and he took that as his answer. He made a mental note to not piss off any more of Kagome's friends...or Kagome now that she could purify him at will.
"Get up. I didn't hit you that hard."
"How hard you hit isn't the issue," he wheezed. "Fuck, that was a low blow." Literally. He got to his feet, doing his best to hide the wince when his balls protested the movement.
"So, what the fuck?" She looked at him expectantly.
"Am I supposed to answer that? Cause I'm not sure what you're asking."
"Don't play stupid. You don't get to be all over-protective one minute then let her cry herself to sleep the next. So again: what the fuck?" Sango had her hands on her hips, her face screwed up in a familiar scowl.
"Is there anything she doesn't tell you? Shit." No wonder Sango was so damn suspicious when Kagome kept him a secret from her.
"Best friend," she said, pointing to herself. "We've been through a lot of shit together. She's my sister in everything but blood so yes, she tells me everything. I can practically read her mind at this point so when I saw the way she looked at you while you were telling your story, I already knew what was happening. And I did not like it; at least not at first."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "Nothing is happening."
"Bullshit. A total stranger would have figured it out watching you two that day. So I'm only going to ask this one more time. What. The. Fuck?"
Inuyasha sighed and ran a hand over his face. He'd rather be kicked in the balls again than try to explain his actions. But, he hadn't spoken with Kagome for three days now, aside from their brief interaction in the clearing. No matter how many times he told himself he was just trying to keep her safe, he was still hurting her. He was starting to question his own logic, especially now that she was training her power.
Even without his past, she would still be in danger.
Also, he fucking missed her.
Maybe it was time for a new strategy. "I thought I was keeping her safe by keeping her away from me," he tried to explain. "My past is fucked up, as you damn well know. I didn't want her getting caught up in shit and...and ending up like my mother." There, he'd said it, revealed his biggest fear.
Sango nodded but didn't back down. "She's already involved, has been since the day she found you."
"I realize that."
"So what are you gonna do about it?" Sango asked, relaxing her stance. "As much as I hate to admit it, she's safer with you around to protect her. Her reiki is going to draw unwanted attention, no matter how well she hides it."
"I know. I fucking know." Fuck, he needed to hit something. "What the fuck am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to keep her safe when I've got people after me? When I can't even leave the shrine? When she's already fucking pissed at me and probably wants nothing to do with me?"
"I'm sure you'll figure out a way." Sango tilted her head, her expression softening. "You care about her...a lot." It wasn't a question.
"Keh." That wasn't an answer but he didn't think she needed one.
"Fix it. I'm not going to play cupid for you two morons so figure your shit out and don't hurt her again. And you're wrong, by the way. She wouldn't be so upset if she truly didn't want anything to do with you."
