The Test

Mafuyu sat, gracefully propping up the wall of the dojo as he observed the exquisite dance unravelling in the centre of the room. Kagome had learnt quickly – almost too quickly, he mused, a pang of guilt shafting through him as he thought of the inevitable reason – she had been forced to learn fast. Growing up as a Hanyou did not give the luxury of time – learn or die, the eternal refrain of abandonment. Once she had had the idea of sparring, as opposed to fighting, explained, she had begun to strike back – he should have known she did not wish to strike out of compassion. Now that she was – even with reluctance and very little power behind each blow – it was clear she could be deadly.

"A warrior's soul." Mafuyu started at the soft voice. Ice blue eyes flicked up with complete nonchalence to meet the amused golden gaze of the Taishou Alpha. "Did I startle you, old friend? You only ever use those eyes if I have been particularly surprising." Tougaou slid gracefully down the wall to slouch next to his friend, deadly claws lying carelessly over one bent knee. His eyes flickered back to the tiny onna fending off a whirlwind of steel with such grace. "Yes, she has a warrior's soul. Such elegance in battle. Who would have expected it of our sweet little Kagome, ne?" Mafuyu chuckled, a dry sound that whispered through the warm air.

"I, Tougaou. I had a hunch she may turn out to be as deadly as she is innocent. Come now, you cannot say you do not recognise that soul. You have seen it before in battle, as I have. Each time she spars, it becomes more clear. There – the twist of wrist that would have disarmed your son. There is only one warrior who used such." Tougaou stared at his friend in obvious disbelief, but compliantly turned his curious gaze on the fight. Quickly, his study became more and more intent, eyes widening fractionally in incredulity as his memories were drawn... that roll, that shift of weight in response to that sword-lock, that leg sweep... ancient battles flowed through his mind, as Kagome's image was overlayed by another. Older, yes, and a harsher expression, but undeniably similar. He turned to his friend with astonishment and not a little worry written on his face.

"And when, pray, were you planning to tell me of this, Mafuyu?" He frowned, hard, as the implications settled in. "This... could cause problems. I do not wish to see either her or InuYasha hurt, but if she cannot control it..." Mafuyu chuckled softly.

"No need to fear, your library has quite a collection on this particular problem... if you look hard enough for it. Besides, her powers have not yet shown themselves, so we cannot be sure. I mean to remedy that, however." So saying, he rose swiftly, crossing the dojo to stand between the combatants. "Enough. My turn, Kagome. Call this... a test."

At first, Mafuyu kept his blows simple, the level approximately the same as Sesshoumaru had maintained: a delicate dance, a hairs'-breadth away from a duel to the death, then, gradually, he began to strike the girl with his Youki. Her eyes widened, looking up at him disbelievingly, yet so trustingly he could barely bring himself to increase the strength of his attacks. He gradually wore her down, forcing her Youki to push back against his, then powering up some more until he could tell she had reached her limit. With a flicker of apology in his gaze, he matched her for a moment, then increased the force once more, overwhelming her Youki...

A blinding flash lit the dojo, shaking the walls as the three InuYoukai were blasted away from Kagome. The lightning-bright tang of Reiki scorched the air, flickering with rose fire as it settled back into the tiny onna, hand still raised to ward off a fatal blow.

The four stood, frozen in tableaux for a long moment, before a heart-wrenching cry rang out, and the girl fairly flew across the room towards the prone figure of her Alpha.

"Mafuyu-sama! Oh dear Kami... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean...Kami..." Mafuyu raised his head, blearily shaking off the effects of running full-out into a protective shield.

"Calm down, Kagome. I was well aware of what may occur if I pushed you so far. In fact, you merely confirmed a suspicion I have had for some time. Come. Enough training for the day. I believe tea is in order, and I shall explain why you reacted as you did. How is that?" Kagome raised a tear-streaked face from where it had landed against his shoulder and nodded once, guilt written across her face as she took in the slight charring of his Haori and the single drop of blood marring the floor.

Kagome sat silently, fidgeting under her Alpha's gaze as she stared into her tea, her aura still writhing with guilt, but overlayed now with utter confusion. It had taken time, but now the knowledge of her dual power hung, solemnly, in the air. Eventually, she frowned, glancing up as her fang once again began to worry her lip. The two alphas shared an amused glance as a still shocked-rigid InuYasha absently reached over to pull her lip away from the maltreatment, lingering for a moment longer than strictly necessary. Kagome broke the silence, then, her soft voice seeming loud in the still air.

"I...Don't understand. Surely if I have Reiki... I cannot have Youki? I would purify myself..." Mafuyu shook his head, interrupting her.

"Not quite. From what I can gather, all beings have an intrinsic blend of Youki and Reiki, unique to themselves. I suppose the easiest way to think of it is as coloured dyes in water... for most humans, it is as if there is one drop each of red and blue dye, in an ocean of clear water. They have equal parts Youki and Reiki, yet the amounts are so small as to have no effect on their aura. For humans with spiritual powers, they possess the single drop of Youki, yet it is overwhelmed by the opposing Reiki, which colours their auras. In demons, naturally, the reverse is true. You... and a few other demons throughout history... are special. You have the normal complement of Youki, yet it is offset with a large amount of Reiki, blending seamlessly as red and blue dye do, to form purple. If one mixes large amounts of two coloured dyes, one does not expect to retrieve a clear solution at the end, and thus you must think of your power. What is puzzling, however, is how you inherited such Reiki..." Kagome frowned deeper, gradually absorbing this new idea, as she unconsciously shifted closer to InuYasha, relying on him for protection whilst she was preoccupied. Quietly, she looked inside, trying to remember the sensation of her Reiki bursting forth, but suddenly her mind blanked with fear as she remembered...

Pink Light... swirling, blinding... she was drowning in the warm glow as it burst forth from her Okaa, her mind just barely registering what she had heard.

"Worthless ningen bitch, you dare to defy me? Oh you shall regret this..."

"Kagome, run! Run now, I cannot hold him off much longer..."

"Oh yes, run, half-breed. Run and cower whilst I revel in your mother's agony... I shall come for you soon"

Kagome hesitated, torn... she could not hope to win, but to abandon her Okaa... shaking, she turned back, baring her fangs as she began to advance on the one who had threatened her pack.

"No child! I will be fine, just RUN!" Her legs obeyed, even as her mind rebelled, fleeing as fast as she could as her mother's screams echoed through the walls of the dungeon, mingling with the sadistic laughter as her mother gave her last strength for her chance to escape...blinded by tears, heart pounding as a hollow despair settled in her heart, and she knew. Now, she was alone. No safe haven, noone to protect her as she slept... the fear was crippling, yet she sobbed bitterly and ran on... until claws dripping with fresh blood grasped her, tearing into her flesh as she was yanked off her feet...

"KAA-SAAAAAN"

Kagome slowly surfaced from the memory, deep tear-tracks marking her alabaster face as she whimpered softly. She was vaguely aware that she had been pulled into InuYasha's lap, and that he was rubbing her back, rumbling for her as his Youki coiled around her almost desperately.

"'kaa-san" The soft whimper caught the four males unawares, their auras flaring as they became aware of the implications of that one, frail, despairing word. In four hearts a vow took form. None would ever harm this onna again, and Gekidoku would pay... not only with his life, but with pain. Endless pain and suffering, and an eternity in hell would be his lot... as soon as any of them stood within striking distance.

A/N: apologies if this chapter seemed slightly odd. Unfortunately, my story tends to follow one of a myriad of divergent plots, all of which run in my head consecutively. Choosing which path to follow is often not an easy task. My main problem at the moment is that this story seems as if it will reach its end at around chapter 30 or so... yet all my mind wants to work on is a new idea I dreamed up last night, which, plotting the story arc, seems to be approximately 40 chapters and no end in sight. I think it will be a good one though... I will try to finish this story first, but Im itching to get my teeth into "Redemption".