A/N: Gosh, this must be the fastest updating that I've ever done!! Well, not really, but...

Let me let you in on a little secret. I actually finished this chapter a couple of days after I posted the last one, but I didn't post it right away. Truth be told, I wanted an extra chapter as a fallback, so that I'd have something to update later. Now, even though it's not the later I had in mind, I'm posting it. It's a little rough, and Sesshomaru is rather uncharacteristically noisy, but that's because he's starting to let his guard down around Kagome. More on that later, though...

Anyways, I hope you enjoy!!


Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha, or any of the only things inadvertantly mentioned in this story. Just Aare and Solaris, and a few choice other characters who were needed to feed the plot. Which is beginning to come along, I might add...


Learning to Love

Chapter Five: Fight or Flight… or Fall

By ancient-relic

"What?"

"You heard me." Sesshomaru stared at her, perfectly serious. "I will not repeat myself."

"But-"

"Silence."

"You're so much faster than I am!" Kagome shrieked in distress. "How am I supposed to outrun you?"

"Who said anything about outrunning?" Sesshomaru queried, stepping forward. "Have you not heard the expression…" he paused to find the right human words. "Fight or flight?"

Kagome nodded rather vigorously, eyes trained on his hand. Sesshomaru might have been speaking to her mostly civilized-ly, but that didn't mean he wasn't able to gut her with the flick of a wrist.

"There are times that all warriors face in which a decision needs to be made. What sacrifices will be made if the battle continues? What will be saved if the battle does not happen?" Sesshomaru almost sounded like a philosopher.

"Are you trying to tell me to run away from battle?" Kagome was hard-pressed to keep the slightly hysterical edge from her voice.

"Something like that." Sesshomaru dismissed her comment. "All lesser warriors need to know when their opponent is stronger, and there is a battle that can be prevented."

Kagome crossed her arms. "Lesser… lesser than you, you mean." She didn't wait for Sesshomaru to dip his head in the affirmative. "I can believe what's coming out of your mouth!! I can't even believe we're having a conversation, let alone this conversation. Every other time we've met, you've tried to kill me!!"

"Untrue," Sesshomaru pointed out. "I have come to your aide more than once."

"Like?" Kagome huffed, turning away. Unfortunately for her, several times when he had indeed not killed her floated to the forefront of her mind.

"Unimportant." Sesshomaru dismissed her again. "You are impugning on both my honour and yours with this attitude you have taken up, and though I would like very much to kill you, fate would have it that I cannot. So, you will cooperate, because though I cannot kill you, I can still maim you. Your new demonic abilities would certainly heal you, and in the case they did not," he stopped his tirade, and sent a pointed look at the heirloom at his waist.

"Oh my god," Kagome's breath left her like a sigh. Sesshomaru merely raised an eyebrow in response.

"That's the most I've ever heard you say at once! And you threatened to kill me- again!"

"You infuriating woman-" Sesshomaru growled, glaring at the human-part-demon-woman-miko.

"Okay, okay," Kagome put her hands up sheepishly. "I'm running already!"


"Did you see that, monk?"

"Indeed." Miroku replied, voice speculative.

"Since when did Kagome-chan become so familiar with InuYasha's older brother?"

"I think perhaps, it has something to do with this strange new power Kagome has gained." Miroku replied, smiling at Sango. "I'm curious to see how this turns out!"

"Me too," Sango smiled in response, but it quickly melted off her face. "Pervert!"

Needless to say, Sango left the bushes without Miroku.


Kagome dashed as quickly as she could, scaling tree roots and rounding rocks. She was still only running as fast as a human, Sesshomaru noted. Speeding up, he moved beside her on a straightaway.

"You are not going nearly as fast as you were earlier today. Why?"

"You think I know?" Kagome was gasping to speak as she sprinted. Her face was pink. "I think I need to focus the power I was playing with earlier… but I don't know how."

"Try." Sesshomaru growled, before blinking out of sight.

Kagome considered stopping running, but before she could even slow down, Sesshomaru appeared again.

"And don't even think about stopping. I'm still watching."

As soon as he was gone, Kagome growled, spitting out a choice few curses in InuYasha's father's general direction. Stupid, pompous, arrogant dogs.

Racing ahead, Sesshomaru found the little troupe of ogres he had sensed, who were planning the best way to attack the village for a bite to eat. Stopping with a sway of silver hair in the middle of the camp, he gave them a moment to comprehend what was happening.

"Lord Se-" one grunted, but it trailed off to a gurgle of blood.

Sesshomaru wanted to scoff. Dissipating his acid whip, he flickered out of the clearing, scenting the air only to find that Kagome had turned, and was heading east. Stupid woman must have sensed the demons and unconsciously turned away. He grumbled, before taking off after her. Suddenly, an errant thought occurred to him. Wasn't there a massive cliff to the east?

Pushing himself faster, he cursed his brother's wench for all he was worth. She seemed to have discovered her speed. Leaping through the trees, he watched as she went out into the air, torpedoing over the edge. She rolled in the air, and he followed her, tucking into himself so he was hurtling faster than she was.

"Sesssshoooomarruuuuu!" her voice was stolen by the hurtling winds. He was close enough to her that he could read the panic in her eyes, and he reached out to her hand, but suddenly, she pulled away. Her hair lightened, becoming a silvery-blue, and a swirling blue pattern curled up her arm.

He watched as she twisted in mid air, a graceful spin of her body, and suddenly, ice materialized beneath her feet. It appeared beneath her, and she slid, a small patch of ice slowing her descent and allowing her to spiral downwards. Before he had a chance to react, he smashed into the beginning of the patch of ice, which slashed at his face and neck, before he smashed into the ground- feet first.

Tensaiga's barrier stopped any bones from breaking, but the earth was not so lucky; a crater almost as deep as he was tall surrounded the small barrier around him. Jumping out, ready to kill that pesky human, he found himself slowing against his will. Kagome slid to the earth, the spiralling descent she had taken clear, from the icy path, and it melted the further away she got from the end.

She landed neatly on the ground, the ice dissolving behind her, before she turned to him sending him a very familiar cocky grin. The last time he had seen it was-

"Aare?"

"In the flesh, cuz." A lilting voice, too flowery to be Kagome's, flowed from her mouth.

"What-"

"My time is limited- so let me do the talking. I've stored a portion of my memories: specifically those about controlling my powers within Kagome. Strangely enough, some of my personality and consciousness carried over; I guess that's why I'm able to talk to you now. I used the last of my consciousness to tap into the power to stop her fall, and I've been able to use her body as a host. It's wearing off.

The power is slowly merging with her… soon she'll be able to tap into it like second nature. That's why she could do the manipulating thing earlier. Did you see the little dragon she made her kit? Oh- did you know that she took in a little fox? Isn't it dear? A human miko with a fox son.

Anyways, the more time progresses, the more the powers will merge. She's just gotta learn to separate her priestess abilities, or else they'll clash with my- soon to be hers- youki, and she'll kill herself. Gosh, she was really powerful already, lucky her powers have been mostly sealed, or else the merge wouldn't have worked. Just be careful, it's gonna get kinda painful from here on out."

"Aare," Sesshomaru growled. She was rambling.

"She'll go through some weird changes… she might even be privy to some of my memories." Aare- Kagome- smiled at him. "There's something I have to warn you about, too, cuz. The ice- we didn't die out, we were killed. Someone's out to kill off the inu, and you're topping the list."

"Who is it?"

"Dunno his name," she shrugged, and Sesshomaru watched her hair colour and her markings begin to receed. Aare's presence was leaving Kagome. "But he's got a pretty dark presence. And he's powerful. You should be wary- sounds like the a-typical evil bastard-type."

"Aare!" Sesshomaru reached out to ground her spirit in Kagome, but it was already gone. Kagome crumpled to the ground, but Sesshomaru let her fall, his hand still outstretched. His mind was whirling with everything that Aare had just told him. It must have been what she was trying to tell him before, when she had sent out a clan call on her deathbed… she must have been trying to give him her powers.

"Owww," Kagome moaned, rising. Sesshomaru stared rather dispassionately at her, not bothering to help her up.

"Did I just fall off a cliff?" she asked, looking at the crater a little ways away. "Is that where I fell?"

"You ran off a cliff." Sesshomaru replied. "And that's where I landed."

"Wha-"

"Come. We've much to talk about."


"Sesshomaru, wait!!" Kagome called after his retreating form. He was upset about something; that was clear enough. He kept a quick pace, and even with her longer legs, she was hard-pressed to keep up.

"There is someone I need you to meet," he tossed over his shoulder. "And we need to find him immediately."

"And whom is finding whom?" a voice called from above. Looking up, Kagome crashed into Sesshomaru rather abruptly because he too had looked up, but he had stopped walking.

"Solaris." Sesshomaru said sharply. Solaris, sensing the tense mood Sesshomaru was in, landed abruptly.

"Greetings, milady Kagome," Solaris greeted, bowing at the waist with a sweep of his arm. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Uh, same?" Kagome was unsure how to respond. Taking in his robes, she noted that they looked like some kind of roman toga. "Are you from Rome, or something? Greece?"

Solaris looked surprised. "Your knowledge impresses me." He spoke in a kind of English- though Kagome picked out some latin, and Italian. "That you would know of a new, fledgling country across the oceans."

"Well, I'd like to think I'm well versed in history," Kagome giggled, also in English. If only he knew she was from the future.

Sesshomaru, watching them trade words in a language he couldn't understand, was surprising. Kagome spoke the same language? He had yet to find someone who spoke the same language as Solaris. Shifting rather agitatedly, Solaris turned back to him.

"What seems to be the problem, milord?" Solaris queried.

"There is a threat to the western lands. Someone has been killing off the ice inu… and it would seem the snow as well. It also appears that the same person- or people- were responsible for the raid on the wind castles. I need you to find out whatever you can on the battle. We will be heading into the Central Lands to find any of the other inu who will support the cause. It is likely that any survivors will have fled to the neutral lands."

"Wait, we?" Kagome spoke up, after having listened carefully to the train of the conversation. "What on earth are you planning?"

"Listen to me," he turned to her, golden eyes deadly serious. "I am going to the Central Lands. There is a threat against myself, my lands, my people, and my father's legacy. You are coming with me, and there will be not a complaint from you. Do you understand?"

Kagome gave him a confused look. No, she really didn't understand why it was necessary that she go with him. And she told him so.

"You now have ice inu in you. You have a duty to the clan of the white inu, no matter whether you are whole, or partially inu. Consider it an equal responsibility like that of your quest." Kagome could practically hear the italicization.

"Okay, I get it. But what are you going to do about InuYasha?" she asked, hands on her hips. "He's not just going to be okay with this."

"I would expect nothing less from InuYasha," Solaris chuckled. "He has been a quite the strong-willed character all his life. He very much takes after his father in that sense."

Kagome smiled at the mighty bird, before turning her glance to Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru, however, seemed to have already prepared an answer for this question, and gave her a devious look (or perhaps it was indigestion, Kagome mused,) of his own.

"He cannot possibly complain, because he is coming with us whether he is okay with it or not."

To Be Continued…


A/N: Well, how's that for a twist? I've been re-reading, and I've noticed that I've kinda repeated myself, and over done some aspects. For that reason, I'll be going through and editing these chapters- though they're small altercations, and it won't take long at all. Regardless, I hope you're all enjoying this chapter- it might have to tide you over for a little longer than any of us would like, but hey. Let your imagination take you to all the places (that won't, no doubt, be the next chapter!) that this story might go!

Feel free to tell me about them in a review!

Happy New (January 1st) Year

ancient-relic