Disclaimer: I don't own jack!

Pairing: Jirou/Kagome

Albatross

Chapter Five:

Jirou waited patiently outside the doors of the inner sanctum. It'd been a full twenty-four hours since the girl arrived. Much of that time had been spent in delirium. The times she wasn't unconscious, she was having screaming fits. The tengu fought the urge to sigh. It had taken a great deal of effort on his part to hold her down without snapping her bones in two. She'd flailed about so violently the night before that there was a great risk of her injuring herself more than she already had. He leaned the back of his head against the wood of the doors. He'd expected an injury. He even expected to see her soul to be torn to pieces. What he had not expected to witness was the sheer insanity that her trauma caused her to act out. After twelve hours her fits seemed to have subsided somewhat. Now there were only a few occasional whimpers. How pathetic.

Only the strong survived. That was how this world worked. How could one creature so weak be the guardian of an object so powerful? It was maddening. A soft murmur floated from the room behind him. It sounded as if the Land God were attempting to placate his daughter's quiet cries. That was yet another annoyance. The infuriating man absolutely refused to leave the mountain until the girl had regained consciousness and he explained the situation to her himself. Something about it being a delicate situation and his rightful duty as her father. How tiresome. If he had to deal with this day in and day out until the very second she left, then Jirou knew that he was a goner. There would be nothing to contain his frustration with the whole ordeal. Gentle footsteps padded softly to the threshold of the barrier that separated him from the girl.

"She's awake. Master Higurashi is speaking with her now. Please inform Master Soujoubou immediately. I'm sure he'd want to be the first to welcome her into our fold." Suirou's delicate voice drifted from the crevices between the wall and door. For such a feminine man, he always knew exactly what to do. Jirou mildly envied him for that type of composure. Without complaint he did as instructed. Many of the other tengu had already picked up on a new presence within the compound but only himself, Tamaru, Suirou and the Master Soujoubou had seen the girl firsthand. It was better this way. The less who were aware of her the easier it would be to protect her from harm. Even now he could sense the tell tale prickling of minor youkai attempting to breach his barrier. Alas his will was too strong and none succeeded. They were all too weak.

The tengu paused as he passed by an empty corridor. The halls were exposed to the mountain's temperate air. From a distance away the pink flushed blossoms of their sacred tree loomed highly above the forest. He took a deep, calming breath. This was but the first of many trying days to come. He merely hoped that he'd have the strength to face the obstacles sure to come his way soon. Hazel eyes blinked then hardened in determined fury. Large fists clenched tightly. He would not fail. Regardless of whatever creature fate might feel fit to throw at him, be it a woman or a youkai, he'd defeat them all. As was the way of the tengu. No opponent was too strong or too powerful for them. At the end of this day, they would still remain a mighty race. A confident smirk splayed out across his lips. No female would ever be able to corrupt that.

Kagome awoke slowly. The pain she felt before had diminished greatly. A dull ache throbbed somewhere from deep within her. Images and memories of faceless men holding her down flashed in her mind. She bolted awake. The futon around her shoulders quickly fell to her waist. The bandages wrapped around her torso tightened and bound her chest uncomfortably. Her ribs rose and fell under the mild panic she was experiencing.

Azure eyes blinked as a pale hand went to grasp the bandages covering her chest. Nails dug into the rough cloth, attempting to pull at it to relieve the pressure. Her father's larger hand encompassed her own, stopping the teen from damaging herself even further.

"It's alright." Ikui soothed as he brushed his child's hair from her eyes. "There's nothing to fear here." Several moments passed before her breathing returned to normal.

Kagome blinked then turned to take in the unfamiliar surroundings. She recounted that this was Mount Kurama. That a man named Tamaru had healed her. But the other two who had entered the room remained faceless in the vague flashes of her hazed memories.

It was then that she felt it. The sharp emptiness of her missing soul. The soul that now resided within Kikyou. The ache that she felt before had been the pain of the piece being so far away. Separated by time and space itself. There was little she could do to regain it.

"Father," Kagome used the formal title, "What's going on?"

The dark haired man gave her a small, sad smile.

"I have much to tell you, child." His voice was soft and full of wisdom she was unaccustomed to. The teen listened with attentive ears and an open heart at the story of the being that was her father.

He had been just a lowly seedling when it first started. A small girl by the name of Chiharu had planted his seed in the soft earth of what would become Inuyasha's forest. She'd been a child of misfortune from the moment she'd been born. Her mother died during childbirth and her father in the bloody warfare that followed. There were many siblings that had come before her but none felt the need to see to her welfare. Instead she'd been taken under the guiding light of the village miko, Hotaru. Their world had been a very primitive one. Chiharu spent many long days under Hotaru's tutelage, learning to fight against the ancient evils that plagued their feral era.

One day Chiharu had been given the seed by a passing trader. It was a miniscule gift for a child so cursed by war and famine. Her limbs had been frail and her face dirtied but the girl of five years quickly showed the prize off to her pseudo caretaker. The miko had smiled down upon the girl and encouraged her to plant that seed and see to it that it'd grow into a strong tree. So that was what Chiharu did. By daybreak she'd taken off into the forest. Deep beneath the boughs of the trees she brushed aside the dirt. Tiny hands collected filth beneath nails. The process took nearly an hour. However the moment his seed hit the ground a faint power passed from girl to plant.

"Please, grow into a big and strong tree. Big enough to watch over the town!" Chiharu had cried gleefully, unknowingly passing on the first wish. Many weeks passed. His seed had cracked open and roots had sprouted to firmly set his place upon the earth. A couple of months and the beginnings of a stalk grew from the dirt. By then the child had grown a few inches though her azure eyes spoke of a deep despair that hadn't been there before.

"Keep growing. Please, just keep growing." She'd whispered. A sad smile touched the child's mouth. Though the edges of the smile were tinged with a scar that cut from her cheek down to her upper lip. Violence had touched her. Primitive though it was, this world was the only one he'd known. It was the one that both he and she had been born into. The other trees towered over him, blocking out the sunlight in a desperate attempt to kill the power that was already taking root. A fruitless attempt no less.

Months passed into years. A sapling grew into a small tree. His trunk was thin and easily swayed by the winds. Weeds had sprouted at his base, attempting to suck away the power flowing through him. Chiharu returned week after week and month after month. Like him, she too grew as well. Other, smaller scars had gathered themselves upon her pale skin. Her eyes grew dim over time but a small spark of hope was always alit when she approached.

"You're going to become a find tree one day." She gave a small laugh, "You might even outgrow all the others. Maybe then you'll be able to see everything that goes on in the village." She'd placed a tiny, calloused hand upon the bark of his trunk. There was a spark that lit between the two. Another wish was being made.

"Please, watch over them."

And so he did. Years turned into decades. The last time he saw Chiharu she was an aging woman. The youthful face had molded into hardened lines. Battle scars littered her form and a deep, dark loathing betrayed her gaze. However the moment her azure eyes locked onto his towering height a small, true smile spread across her lips.

"You've gotten so big." She sat upon one of his upturned roots. Chiharu's wrinkled hand gently brushed over the wood. "You know, even though you're stuck here you just keep growing. You keep surpassing everyone's expectations." She sighed, "Unlike me. You keep pushing. I wonder, when did I give up?"

"Did you know that Hotaru died?" The information dropped. He had not known. He couldn't see, feel or touch the way most would. But he could hear. Had the miko's death taken place away from his range of hearing?

"She was called into battle. The youkai have been running rampant as of late." Azure eyes grew dull as withered hands brushed the root. "She'd managed to wipe out a few of their strongest but there were so many." Her hands stopped moving.

"Out of the massacre only a small handful of demons survived and a single miko. They called her Midoriko." Chiharu leaned her head against the bark of the tree. "That was twenty years ago. Midoriko had just been a child then but they said her powers were something to behold. A prodigy of humankind if you will."

Chiharu slowly stood from her perch. She turned around as her black and grey-wisped hair flowed freely with the forest's afternoon breeze. "The youkai are attacking once more. I've been called in this time. Midoriko's supposed to be there as well. They say she's gotten a lot stronger. The villagers are confident that she'll be able to defeat all the youkai without help." The woman's face became pained. "I'm afraid to say that I don't share their opinion." With palms forward, she placed her hands upon the trunk of the tree. Moving forward she leaned her head against the cool bark as well. "Please hear my last wish before I go. Protect the villagers from harm. They deserve no less for their troubles. Grow big and strong and save all those you can. There is power in you that is beyond comprehension."

He never saw her again but the strength she passed onto him from that last wish caused a large growth spurt. Within two decades time he easily grew to tower over the other trees in the forest. Villagers often ventured deep into the darkness to cast their own prayers upon the base of his trunk. It fed him and made him stronger. In place of a vague emptiness, a warmth began to grow. Decades became centuries and finally, from the wish of a single woman, he was granted the power to take on a physical form—becoming a land god in the process. Thus from the Goshinboku, the Land God of Divine Protection, Higurashi Ikui, had been born.

Kagome gaped at her sire. Was this all true?

Ikui smiled down at his offspring's confused expression. It was the same one his son and wife had worn as well. Although they easily accepted that information. It helped them understand Kagome's situation that much more. Had she not been his child then the likelihood of her adventures in the past ever occurring would be minimal to none. After all, the well had been carved from the branches of his own tree. Only one linked personally to him would be allowed to pass through.

"So you already know how everything ends, don't you?" She inquired numbly. A small frown tinged his soft expression. His firstborn had always been a perceptive one. He nodded at her affirmatively.

"Though I cannot give you the answers you seek." Two azure pair of eyes locked onto one another. "I can only grant you this small bit of protection."

Kagome sighed, "Of course." It was not meant to be harsh but she still felt exasperated. "So what are we to do now? I can't go back there like this." Her face darkened. Even if her memories weren't complete she knew that going back to the Feudal Era would be dangerous. Whatever ailment had plagued Inuyasha was likely to still be running rampant. She hadn't the strength or power to hold him off if he was still not in his right state of mind. Not only that but her soul was in pieces. The dull throbs of pain served as a constant reminder of that.

Ikui nodded at Tamaru. The male excused himself as he slid the shoji screen close behind him.

"That's precisely why I brought you here to Mount Kurama. The tengu that reside here and their Master Soujoubou has granted you permission to stay until your soul heals." He clasped his hands around his familiar and gently handed the nekomata over to Kagome. "Once your body heals you will be trained by their strongest. This way, you'll be more prepared to handle the threats that you will face in the Feudal Era." The teen plucked the purring cat from his arms. Why had she never seen this animal before? It seemed so comfortable around herself and her father. "Also, Kirara will be aiding you in this area. While you are here she is to stay by your side."

Kagome glanced up at her father, "Kirara?"

He nodded at her. "Yes, the nekomata you hold is my familiar. However while you are here in Mount Kurama she will serve your needs instead. Use her wisely but do not abuse her power." A small smirk tugged at his lips. "She is very picky about who she chooses to serve." The dark haired teen nodded numbly once more. The tiny cat butted her head against the miko's cheek. How strange.

A gentle knock came from the other side of the door.

"Master Soujoubou would like an audience with Master Higurashi and his daughter." Ikui sighed, noting the lack of official title for his daughter. Such were the ways of the tengu he supposed. Though he doubted that it'd be long before Kagome earned their respect. If there was one thing about his child that he was confident in, then it was her ability to earn the trust and respect of even the most frightening of enemies.

"We'll be there shortly." He commanded. Rising to his feet he offered Kagome his hand. "Now come, we must give our thanks to the Soujoubou for his kindness." She took his hand and slowly stood on unsteady feet. Ikui handed her a change of fresh clothes. She swiftly dressed in the white haori and forest green hakama. The first thing she noticed was how strangely it seemed to fit her. The fabric was loose in some parts but oddly tight in others. The Land God was quick to point out that it was due to the fact that the tengu were used to men being the only occupants of the mountain; as such their clothes would reflect that as well. A bead of sweat formed upon the miko's brow. Somehow that notion left her feeling nervous. Once she was fully dressed, the pair announced their intention to meet with the Soujoubou.

A feminine male with long silver hair and the brightest of cerulean eyes greeted them.

"My name is Suirou. Now if you'd please follow me Master Higurashi, I shall take you to our leader." His voice was soft but his eyes were trained solely on her father. Kagome forced herself not to huff at the rude display of manners. Somehow, she got the feeling that this would only get worse.

The teen was not surprised at the glaring eyes that followed her. Instead what shocked her was the male that stood guard by what she could only guess was the Soujoubou. He was tall, bulky and the scars upon his face expressed a life full of violence—much like the harsh hazel eyes that now focused upon her. The shock quickly melted into pride. She would not bow down. Chin held high, she approached her father's side and sat before the ethereal being in front of them.

The being was old even in youkai terms. A long, white beard cascaded down the front of his shirt while a long nose protruded from the curtain of hair. What separated him from the other tengu though were the golden wings upon his back. They were bright and glowed with power that she couldn't even imagine. The pair took a seat before the Soujoubou. Before the man had a chance to speak they bowed in unison and offered their sincerest of thanks. A pleased light entered the old man's eyes. Within the girl's face he saw a fire that was kindled in so few. Perhaps this had not been a mistake at all.

"Please raise your heads." Father and child did as commanded. "Now then, shall we discuss the intricacies of your stay here Miss Higurashi?"

Her eyes briefly met the tengu's from before. The towering man glowered at her as he crossed his arms over his chest. It was as if he were waiting for her to say the wrong thing! She snapped her attention back to the Soujoubou. Azure eyes lit with stubborn fire.

"Yes sir."

A/n: Whoo, this took me a little while to sort out. Anyways, did you know that plants actually do compete with one another for sunlight? It's rather interesting. Large trees grow at a very slow rate but once they reach full maturity they have the ability to block out the sun from smaller plants that grow below. To prevent this from happening other, smaller plants will grow faster and attempt to steal the sunlight from the saplings as they grow. Weeds are also notorious for this type of thing as well. There are even vines that grow around a tree and will use thorn-like appendages to suck out the nutrients from a host plant, just like a parasite. It's something I picked up on in my botany class. I just thought it'd be interesting to include in here. As for Jirou, well, let's face it. He's an ass. It'd take a lot to get him to change his ways. Kagome for the most part is as stubborn as a mule. So she's going to be giving him quite a run for his money. Anyways, let me know what you think! Thanks so much for your support!