A/N: I'm sorry this took so long, really!! I had started the chapter, and then I lost acess to it... and I was waiting to see if I could get it back. I didn't, so I decided to go along, and rewrite it. Because of this, I'm not completely happy with this chapter. But, I suppose it'll have to do.

I'm interested to see how this will turn out, after being so long. Please enjoy the chapter!


Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Ohhh! Except for my OC. You'll meet her for the first time in this chapter.


Learning To Love

Chapter One: Fading Away

By ancient-relic

Kagome watched as the clouds blew by, from her position in the tall grass. Wearing a goldenrod and green kimono, she was pretty much hidden from the world.

And besides… the grass was tall enough around her so that no one else could see her, unless they came close enough to step on her.

Distantly on the wind that met her in the clearing, she could hear that the festivities were still going on. The sun was setting, giving the clouds some gorgeous colours to look at.

Kagome smiled to herself. It was quite here… it was peaceful here. It was easy to believe that nothing could touch her… that it was just a special place where she could look and hear and breathe… and do nothing more.

For those special occasions such as these, she carried a camera, so that she could take whatever picture of whatever it was that she found so breath-taking. The other thing was her music.

Taking in her surrounding with a sharp inhale, Kagome had the overwhelming sense of tranquility, and quickly flipped through all of her music on her iPod, until she found the perfect song to match her mood… to match the air.

It just so happened that it was a song from one of her favourite anime's… a sci-fi adventure called 'Gundam Seed'. The song was her favourite ending theme, called Find the Way, by Mika Nakashima.

Listening to the peaceful music as she slipped the headphones into her ears, Kagome completely lost all sense of time. All that lingered around her was the beautiful picture of the setting sun, the way that the wind teased the ever colour-changing leaves, and the music.

The three were a deadly combination, and Kagome found herself drifting away… falling asleep… being swept away with the wind, and the fading fall.

Learning to Love

Sesshomaru scoffed silently, watching as Rin pranced in the leaves. Jaken was doing a horrible job of watching the young girl as she danced about with her wide grin, and he was forever getting lost under piles of leaves (courtesy of Rin).

The thought of a human being craftier than his 'faithful retainer' was something that did threaten to bring a smile to his face, though… and though Rin was still but a human child, she was very perceptive for her age. Almost more so than Jaken… though the only thing that he had going for him was age. With age, came wisdom.

Or so he had previously thought.

Solaris' last words still echoed emptily through his head, making him want to kill something in frustration. How did one go about 'learning to love'?

Certainly 'love' was not something that could be taught by a school master, and it was certainly not written down anywhere. With the old birds' words, questions whirled about in a tumult about his head. He would not lower himself to ask anyone any of them, however.

There had to be an easier way to go about this… well, this 'loving' business. His gaze was drawn to Rin, as she dances and sang merrily through the leaves. What the reason that he allowed her to follow him love? Or was it duty?

A crisp breeze blew through the clearing, sending leaves into great eddies as they danced along with Rin. Her shrieks of delight made him want to grin, but he resisted the urge, and turned away, looking to the north east, where the wind had come from.

It was then that he sensed it… the faint waft of power coming from somewhere down the way. Though he couldn't pin the scent as something he could name, it carried with it the unyielding tang of power. It made the insides of his nose burn, and it tickled his youki…

He was about to turn away from it, when it suddenly spiked, before settling. It was a live power… not some object demanding to be claimed. Sesshomaru's mind settled on the strange jewel that both Naraku and his younger brother fought over.

He had seen shards of that troublesome jewel tinted, and pure. ­However, he thought detachedly, none compare to the strange purity of that power…

Turning his head back to the north east, he stared through the bright colours of fall, and wondered what the strange power was coming from.

Learning to Love

Kagome sat straight up when she sensed the demonic presence. It was different from all those that she had felt before, yet it was undeniably something that she couldn't ignore.

It was frigid, like cool air against her skin. It wrapped her almost painfully, but at the same time, it was desperate. Kagome sensed the cry for help.

Rising from the ground, Kagome left her little nest, and looked for the source through the tall grass. She waded through the tall stalks until she came to a break in the tall grass. A young demoness lay on the ground, covered in a flimsy looking yukata.

She had long deep silvery, almost black hair, though it shimmered in the sun with a blue sheen. Curved blue markings covered her arms and wrist down to hands, which tapered into neat claws. From what Kagome could see of the demoness' pale skin, the markings crisscrossed all over her body, ending on her left leg, right above her knee.

Kagome could not see any outwardly injuries, nor could she see or smell any blood of any kind. Whatever it was that had injured the poor demoness, it wasn't something that Kagome could heal. Looking over the tall grass, Kagome looked for the sight of anyone she knew. There was no one in sight, as to be expected. Moving to the still woman, Kagome knelt before her.

"Are you all right?" she asked, her voice belying her calm stature. The woman did not reply, but rolled over, and affixed Kagome with the strongest, most pure stare she had ever come across. Her eyes were a purer blue than anything she could think of, and were ringed in a grey, bordering on silver.

Her eyes remained clear for a moment, before they darkened to a deep navy in pain. "Y-you," she whispered, her voice raspy.

Kagome's eyes widened. That would have been the most beautiful voice, she thought to herself, had it not been gasping for breath. "What can I-"

"You m-must stop…" she wheezed, and her eyes lightened, growing paler and paler. Kagome watched frantically, ignoring as the demoness' claws tightened around her wrists, leaving neat cuts from her claws. "S-stop the blackest man,"

She slumped against Kagome, her grip growing slack. Her eyes were silver. Kagome felt the coldness rising around her, and it moved against the demoness in her arms comfortingly, before it rushed at her, disappearing as it hit her. Kagome looked down at the demoness, feeling the chill seep into her bones. The body in her arms was growing warmer. Her eyes were shut now, but a light shone from behind her bangs. Lifting them up with a shaky hand, Kagome saw the silver crescent moon on her brow pulsing, rather feebly, before it faded.

"Se…sho…" Her whispered word didn't meet Kagome's ear as the last breath ran from the demon's pale lips, and the body grew stiff. Sesshomaru… A single tear leaked from the corner of a shut eye, before it crystallized, and fell to the ground.

"No- NO!" Kagome cried, looking down at the limp body in her hands. However, she didn't have long to mourn the innocent demon before the body started melting. Confused and disgusted, Kagome watched as it turned to water in her hands, before falling and absorbing into the ground around her.

Before Kagome could move, the cold feeling washed over her again, and she felt a rush of something move through her body, from the ground. As it reached her head, she felt a fierce throbbing behind her eyes, and she shut them, and slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Learning to Love

Sesshomaru stopped at Kagome's little bag, and narrowed his eyes. He had felt a clan-call, or else he wouldn't have left Rin alone with Jaken. However, there was nothing here but the lingering scent of the human miko, who traveled with his brother.

Following the scent with rather creative thoughts to torture his brother with his human pet, he was more than surprised to find the human unconscious on the ground, with the lingering scent of a demon's power.

The cool metallic tang was familiar, but Sesshomaru couldn't place it. Staring down at the girl in disdain, he bent down closer, for closer inspection. There was no mistaking the inu-youkai power that was lingering about the miko-child, though Sesshomaru couldn't place it. He had been under the impression that there were no more of his clan in the area.

Glancing at the miko one last time, his eye caught sight of something tiny and shiny, almost obscured by his shadow. Picking it up deftly from the ground, he recognized it immediately. Aare, his cousin from the north! He held her frozen tear gently.

Looking to Kagome with an angry stare, he was quickly surprised. Shadowing her body was that of Aare, and immediately, Sesshomaru realized what had happened. She had given the human her power. Sesshomaru frowned down at the girl, but was more than surprised when he saw Aare's body slowly eclipsing Kagome's.

Aare's features were absorbed into Kagome's body, and Sesshomaru watched, amazed, as she transformed into a demon before his very eyes. Her hair lightened into a deep silvery-blue, and faint lines marked themselves across her skin, trailing in the curling way that belonged to the clan of the north. Her jaw shifted, though her mouth was closed, and Sesshomaru knew that it was shifting to accommodate her new teeth. The cold minty scent that belonged to his cousin intermingled with Kagome's soft human one, and the change was almost complete.

However, it was stopped by a wave of power that washed out of Kagome's body. A fierce pink energy crackled, pushing against his demonic aura, and Aare's lingering one as well. Blue and pink fought fiercely, and Sesshomaru had to hide his eyes from the glare.

Finally, it subsided, and Sesshomaru looked at Kagome's still form. The coloured hair had receded, and only her bangs remained coloured. There were still faint claws, more of neatly tended nails than anything. The blue marks were still there, but they had receded, starting at her shoulder, and trailing down to her legs. Her teeth had reverted to that of a human's.

Kagome shifted then, groaning. Sesshomaru stood there, watching. As she opened her eyes, he noted that one was blue, and one was silver. He gave the slightest grin. The girl's miko powers had only blocked the youkai powers from surfacing- she still had them.

A miko with the powers of a demon... And yet, she remains a human… Sesshomaru mused. Kagome was still very groggy, and had rested her head down again. Letting his own youki flare, he felt his brother's move in response. With InuYasha on the way, he turned abruptly, leaving the girl to rise herself.

As he disappeared into the trees, he decided that he would monitor the young miko for a while longer, in order to insure that Aare's power didn't grow out of control. If worst came to worst, he would have to teach the girl to control it himself.

To Be Continued…


A/N: Well, that's that. I'd love to hear what you all thought of this chapter, so please, send me a review! I wonder how this story will do, after being left alone so long. I can only hope that the next chapter won't quite take so long!

The next chapter will be Kagome finding out what has happened to her... but who will break the news? Myoga? InuYasha? Sesshomaru You'll have to wait and see, because I haven't decided yet, either!! XD

Please review!!

ancient-relic