Chapter 9: Education

Sota was outside, practicing his baseball swings as she walked up the steps. She hoped for a moment that he wouldn't see her and tried to sneak past him.

"Hey Kagome!" He yelled, running over to her side as she kept walking.

"Hey Sota!" She said, putting on her best bright and happy face. "How's your swing?"

"Uh-good! Are you just getting home?"

"Yep! I stayed over at a friends, I hope Mama wasn't too worried." Sota put on his 'I'm gonna mess with you' face.

"A friiiieeend, huh?" She glared at him.

"Yes, a friend!" She stopped, putting her hands on her hips. "Just what are you insinuating, Sota?" He only smiled at her with that same mischievous grin.

"Could it be a boooy friend?" Her heart nearly seized. WHAT?

"Sota! That's so rude!" He nudged her arm playfully.

"Aw come on sis, I'm only joking!" She smirked at him.

"You're such a brat." He snorted, knowing full well he was.

"A brat with a great baseball swing!" He swooshed the bat once to show her. She smiled and gave a few mock claps before heading in.

She wanted to wait a few days to call him. Just until Monday, she said. Just until Sunday... at midnight. Or noon. She pulled the mostly blank card from her uniform and turned it over in her hands. Memories from her last visit played through her mind. As embarrassing as it was, she had to admit... it was the most comfort she'd felt in... well, since she lost him. She decided to clear her mind. Walking out the door she grabbed her bow and arrows, heading for the small practice target she'd built over the summer.

She focused hard, finding her center, and aiming for the mark. Her arrow released with a sharp snap, hitting the bullseye. It may have been wrong, but some days her frustration grew so great she wished for a living target. She never thought she would miss fighting for her life, and yet here she was. She sighed, watching Sota swing his baseball bat wildly. He seemed to be playing swords, now more than practicing. It was funny to watch, but it gave her an idea. She ran inside to find her phone and text him for a meeting.

"Will you teach me?" she asked. She had waited until Monday after school, at his request.

At first he refused, stating that he was too busy. She pestered him until he was ready to kick her out. "Four hours a week? Two?" She asked sweetly.

"You are a Miko, are you not? You use a bow, not a sword." He stated plainly. Arrows were much better weapons for purification anyway. It didn't make sense.

"Midoriko used a sword. Please?" He hummed an annoyed note.

"You are a stubborn child." He quipped. She only tilted her head as if to ask, 'so?' He took a deep breath, reigning in his temper. She was a powerful priestess. While she was nowhere near Midoriko's supposed level, she had risen nicely to eclipse Kikyo. She had the potential to go far, with the right master. But there's no way in hell it would be him. "No."

She seemed to deflate at his rejection. "But-"

"Kagome. No." His eyes were hard. His decision final. She huffed, falling onto the little window seat, her face set with anger and frustration. Her eyes burned at him, but she didn't bother to beg any further. That didn't mean she'd give up of course, only that she needed a new strategy. Maybe if asking nicely wasn't going to work...

Kagome stood suddenly, marching confidently to his desk to slam both hands on the table. Sesshomaru dragged his eyes away from the paper in his hand to glare daggers at her. She set her jaw, doing her best to not show any fear. "You WILL teach me, Sesshomaru!" She said with force, trying to show him she meant business. He stayed completely still except to drop his paper on the desk, never breaking the soul ripping glare. She felt her resolve wavering and decided to press on before she lost any more nerve. "I will return here and bother you EVERY DAY until you do!" She finished her little demand, feeling a tremor in her voice as she immediately began to regret yelling. She jumped a but as he suddenly stood. He towered over her, seeming to lock her in place. She felt like a cornered animal, staring up at his tinted eyes, suddenly looking more copper than gold. She couldn't stop staring as she slowly began to back away from him, feeling as though her life was hanging by a frayed thread because of her big mouth. How had she been so brazen? He began to slowly walk around the desk as she continued backing away. Her hands were shaking, her heart pounding, her mind begging her to run away as fast as she could. What in the world was this feeling?

Kagome yelped, jumping as she finally backed into a bookshelf against the wall. Sesshomaru smirked at her startling herself as he continued towards her. He caged her against the shelves with his arms, enjoying the way her blood coursed in panic. "Is that so?" He asked, his voice a low growl. He waited, watching her shake lightly. Her body was powerless against him, overwhelmed by fear, a gift of his that always came in handy when dealing with... difficult people. With little more than a shift in his demeanor he'd found a way to focus his demonic aura, instilling dread in whoever was close enough to be affected. He was surprised at first that Kagome handled it rather well, compared to other humans that is, but she eventually succumbed in spectacular fashion. He thought, looking down at the eyes of his caged prey, that she wore fear with exceptional grace. She wanted to run, that much was clear, but there was something, a fire in her eyes, that kept her feet planted. He decided to extinguish it, slamming his fist into the shelf beside her head loudly, shouting "Answer me!" She jumped again, making a small noise as she turned her face to the side, exposing her neck. He smiled at the submissive display. If she only knew how close he was to throwing her on the desk, she would have run, if she knew what was good for her. He resisted the urge for the time being.

Suddenly she blinked, gritting her teeth a little as she squared her shoulders and straightening her back. He could see the action pained her, so why was she doing it? She stood tall. Proud even. She forced herself to look into his eyes. Sesshomaru was momentarily baffled by her ability to overcome his intimidation tactic before realizing she hadn't overcome it at all. Her body still shook. Her blood still coursed. Her heart still beat like her life was about to end, but her eyes were full of defiant fire. She... is fighting through it? That can't be... he thought, trying a little harder, only to have her remain unfazed.

"It is so... You will... teach me." She reminded herself to breathe, trying to keep herself under control. It's just Sesshomaru, she repeated over and over in her head. Just. Sesshomaru. He looked suddenly furious with her before his eyes gradually shifted back to their usual gold, his expression softening. She couldn't explain why, but she suddenly felt much better, feeling her confidence returning. "You will." She repeated again, just to show she could. Her eyes were alight with determination. Sesshomaru sighed, closing his eyes and relaxing his caging arms. He leaned forward, surprising her when he dropped to one elbow, leaning his forehead on his knuckles above her head.

"Kagome." He groaned softly, seeming to suddenly have a headache. "Answer me something." He pulled back to look at her somewhat wearily. Had she always been like this? He knew this was a younger Kagome than the one he knew, but he was sure she was never this... utterly exhausting in the past. All of his usual posturing he used to keep people in line and make his life simple seemed utterly lost on her. If she had been the pre-return girl, she should only know him as the cruel and ruthless Daiyokai he was, and yet, she seemed completely and utterly unafraid of him. It was infuriating.

"What is it?" She said softly, staring up at him with her deep brown eyes.

"Do I not intimidate you?" His voice suddenly sounded so... normal. None of the rigidity of his usual speech. It excited and worried her. It was good that he was giving up on being so cold, but bad that she had frustrated him enough to just drop it all together. He had worked so hard on maintaining it! She blinked, thinking about his question.

"No." She said sweetly, smiling up at him. "Not really." He groaned audibly at her, something he rarely did. He finally backed off, moving to lean casually against his desk.

"I should, you know. I've tried killing you before. And Inuyasha. All of your friends. Is that not enough to intimidate you?" That wasn't exactly true. He'd done horrible things to them, but he spared their lives willingly on all of those occasions, not that she needed to know that right now. His point stood.

"You didn't though, did you?" She asked, seeming to almost read his mind. "You could have, I'm sure. I guess I just don't think you'll try to hurt me." He glared at her happy demeanor, like driving him crazy was her favorite pastime.

"I can't decide if you're the bravest or dumbest girl I've ever met." He said, crossing his arms. She giggled at that, taking a moment to weigh the options.

"I don't think either is true. I'm not dumb, I know that what you've done should make me afraid, but It's mostly an act from what I've seen. I also don't have to be brave to believe you're a good person." She stepped forward, tentatively moving to place a hand on his wrist over the purple stripes. He quickly snatched her wrist before it could land with the other hand, but much to her surprise, only placed it a bit higher on his arm over his sleeves. The move confused her a bit, but she wasn't about to question it. She was happy he let her touch him at all. He was always so guarded, this was definitely a victory! She was so happy, it was hard to stay calm and level headed. "That is what I believe, Sesshomaru. You are a good person." His lips quirked into the hint of a sneer before his face returned to the oddly relaxed look.

"Fine." He said through his teeth. Her eyes went wide at him, waiting for the magic words. He sighed deeply, knowing he was about to regret this. "I... Will teach you."