Disclaimer: I do not own any of the wonderful InuYasha characters created by Rumiko Takahashi, nor do I own any of the Greek gods listed within this story.
A/N: A special thank you to all who have reviewed, especially my two steadfast supporters MirrorFlower and Darkwind, and Avelyn Lauren, who have been providing feedback on this story since I first posted it.
Lessons
Sango couldn't wait to talk to Kagome alone. In spite of a slight blush, InuYasha had a smug look on his face and Kagome looked flustered and flushed upon their entrance back into the hut. The group said their good nights and retired to their rooms, Shippo choosing to go with the monk and the hanyou after receiving the "don't-you-dare-come-with-us-it's-time-for-girl-talk" glare from Sango.
As soon as the door closed, Sango pounced. "So what happened, Kagome?" Kagome blushed as she thought about her promise to InuYasha and the minutes that followed. "Whatever do you mean, Sango?" Kagome tried feigning innocence. Sango shot her a look. "I covered for you- you owe me" Sango called in her debt for covering for Kagome earlier that day when she snuck off. Sighing, Kagome sat down on the bed and Sango flopped next to her. "Hold on a sec…" Kagome placed a small sound barrier around the bed. Sango raised an eyebrow. "I don't want sensei or Miroku hearing any of this. Promise me this stays between us?" Sango had never seen Kagome so serious before. "I promise on my life, Kagome." Head down to hide her red face, Kagome told Sango what had happened from the moment she walked out onto the porch until they returned inside. Sango's eyes were wide by the end. "He's been hanging around Miroku too much" Sango finally said. Their eyes met, and next thing you know they were both rolling on the bed, laughing hysterically. After several minutes, Kagome sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Thanks, Sango. I needed a good laugh after everything that's happened in the last couple of weeks." The two friends hugged each other tight. Kagome removed the sound barrier and got up. "I think I'll turn in now, Sango. I only have seven days to learn from Apollo sensei, so I'm sure the lessons will be long and exhausting." Kagome and Sango changed into lightweight sleeping yukatas and climbed onto their futons. "This sure beats the ground" Sango sighed blissfully as she sank into the soft pillows. "Now you know why I like to go home to my time when I can. My bed is the same way and is a great break from rocks and dirt." Kagome smiled slightly and sighed again. "Sleep well, Kagome". "You too, Sango". The girls drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
Kagome was right about the lessons. Apollo banged on the door at the crack of dawn. "Kagome! Rise and shine!" he called cheerfully through the door. "You have 5 minutes to come out for breakfast or I come in after you. Make sure you wear one of the training yukatas in the dresser." Kagome rolled over to the edge of the futon and groaned. "It's a good thing he's so handsome or I'd be tempted to beat him up" she thought as she got up. "Sango must have been wiped out. She slept through all that noise" Kagome chuckled softly as she glanced at the demon slayer sprawled on the other futon. She got up and pulled a black training yukata out of the dresser. She dressed quickly, then headed to the bath house to wash up before heading out to breakfast, knowing that the next few days were going to be challenging.
"Damn! I hate it when I'm right!" she thought tiredly as she slipped into the warm water of the bathing pool. She closed her eyes and sighed as she thought back on the last three days. Apollo had started her training early each morning, stopping briefly for mid day meals, then continuing well past dark. He had used his powers as a god to transfer all the healing knowledge he had into her head the first morning. She heard InuYasha growling in the background every time Apollo touched her, which was quite frequently since this was the best way for him to teach her. He then started working with her on controlling her Miko powers. He showed her how to control her powers and bring them forth in a consistent and controlled manner. Soon, she was able to create balls of energy and hold them in her hands. He guided her hands over parts of his body to teach her where to apply the energy balls and how to safely use them to heal various injuries, which of course angered the hanyou even more. He showed her how to throw the same energy balls as weapons, using himself as well as the forest around them as targets.
Kagome could sense that Apollo's attentiveness was getting to InuYasha. The hanyou kept interfering with her training, causing her to lose her concentration on several occasions. This caused Apollo to work her even harder and touch her even more because he knew it bothered InuYasha so much. By the end of the third day, the situation spiraled out of control. Apollo was teaching her how to focus her energies through her fingertips and use pressure points to block or cause pain. He had her hands in his as he pressed her fingers into the various points on his own body, telling her what each pressure point affected as they went. InuYasha stormed over and forcibly separated their hands, claiming there was no way they had to touch like that for Kagome to learn. In a blink of an eye, Apollo and InuYasha had started fighting physically. Kagome was so tired and irritated by this time that she didn't think twice before she broke the fight up by sitting InuYasha and blasting Apollo with an energy ball, leaving both the god and the demon unconscious in the middle of the training field as she headed for the bath house, muttering about baka inus and baka kamis under her breath the whole way.
She sank into the warmth of the water, willing it to wash away the anger she felt simmering inside. Since she had come back from her visit with the Greek gods, she felt as if she was losing control of her emotions. "I just can't seem to let the anger go like I used to" she growled in frustration as she bathed. "It's like someone left the flood gate open and now I can't close it again". She pushed her thoughts aside as she rinsed off and got out of the bath. After toweling herself dry, she slipped into a lightweight lavender silk sleeping yukata and headed to bed without bothering to check and see if Apollo and InuYasha had come back to the hut or not. She slipped into the futon, erected a sound, demon, and god proof barrier around the futon and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.