Chapter Eight – Determined

Kagome sighed heavily, running a hand through her hair before sitting back on her heels and staring balefully at the roll of parchment in front of her. "Zenzo?"

"Yes my lady?"

"Remind me again why I'm doing this."

The kitsune cleared his throat, and she looked up, catching the end of a smile as he cleared it from his face. "It is imperative," he responded, ignoring the glare she was shooting him, "that you have a grasp on the lineage of high youkai society so that you don't inadvertently insult anyone."

Kagome felt ire rise up in her chest. "I don't care if I insult them," she retorted. "They'll insult me once they find out I was human."

Zenzo nodded. "That is true, but if they offend you first, then you have every right to return the slight, my lady."

Kagome sighed again, turning her attention back to the scroll. She'd learned that there was no arguing with Zenzo, just like there was no arguing with Sesshomaru or Miroku; the three of them had a calm way of refuting everything she said and turning it against her. Of course, Miroku she could roll her eyes at and brush off, Sesshomaru she could completely ignore, but Zenzo? No, she had to listen to Zenzo and take his advice. He was, after all, her advisor.

'I guess it's not all that bad,' she mentally concluded. 'It's not like he's arrogant or thinks that he has to hold everything over my head.' She inwardly huffed. 'Not like Sesshomaru.'

Just thought of the intimidating daiyoukai made her insides twist in agitation. Ever since they'd arrived at his shiro a couple days before before, he'd been cold and distant, leaving her confused at the lack of attention—she wouldn't say that she was craving his regard, of course, but after having gotten used to it during the week and a half after her change, it was a little disconcerting to be without it. He'd even cancelled their nightly meditation and ordered that morning for her to go to the archives and study nearly every scroll he could think of instead of teaching her himself.

Luckily, Zenzo, who seemed to always be at her side right when she needed him, had stated in his customary calm manner that he would like to study up himself, simultaneously offering to keep her company and admitting that he needed the refresher.

They had been reading and reciting and reading some more for nearly six hours, and although Kagome was comfortable enough in the kitsune's presence, she was starting to want a breath of fresh air—it would be nice to go take a walk through the gardens and stretch her legs.

Suddenly unable to concentrate any longer, she pushed the unfurled scroll away from her and stood, smoothing her kimono—worn at Sesshomaru's insistence—as she did so. "I want to go to the gardens."

The kitsune took her firmly spoken words in stride, nodding and rising to his feet. He smoothly led her out of the room, walking in silence.

Sesshomaru's shiro truly was a magnificent structure, with smooth, polished floors and shoji screens decorated with large dogs and flowering sakura trees. Though most of its 'halls' were really only outdoor walkways, the many buildings and courtyards gave the shiro an enclosed feel while not being completely restricting.

Kagome folded her hands into the sleeves of her kimono as she and Zenzo navigated the many paths, unable to get lost even though there were numerous fake trails and dead ends—some of which led right into deep pits studded with sharp bamboo at the bottom.

Following the scent of fresh vegetation and running water, Kagome internally congratulated herself when they walked through an archway and emerged in Sesshomaru's extensive gardens. Immediately to her right and left, large trees with leafy tops shielded some of the sunlight, and she could smell the pine trees that sat a little further back from the entrance.

Zenzo grasped her hand as she reached out toward him, and she removed first one shoe and then the other, tabi socks quickly following. The warm stones felt good on the sensitive soles of her feet, and she slowly began to make her way down the path, absently noting that Zenzo had taken her footwear from her.

The stone trail meandered through flowering bushes and loamy, fragrant soil that held equally fragrant flowers, all blooming beautifully in the early spring weather. The garden was well tended, not a bush or fern growing wildly, and Kagome could see that a lot of thought had gone into the design; the greenery flowed easily, only broken by paths that probably led to alcoves or pavilions. Color was used tastefully, and nothing hurt her eyes to look at—the fragrances, as well, were pleasing, neither too strong nor too faint for her to enjoy.

They came to a bridge, and Kagome paused at its center, leaning on the banister and looking down into the water that swirled by beneath her. She could see her reflection, and though it was distorted, she admired her new features, still not used to the pointed ears or the markings she could see shimmering on her cheeks and forehead. She reached up and touched her face, and then inspected her hand and sighed.

"My lady?" She jumped, and turned to Zenzo, who inclined his head apologetically. "Forgive me, I did not mean to startle you." She waved off his apology with a smile. "Is being youkai so different than being human?" he asked, stepping up beside her.

She nodded, nudging a stone off of the bridge with her toe. It splashed quietly into the water below, and she watched as it went rolling along the bottom of the stream, too light to stay grounded. "Everything is much sharper. I can see further and hear better, and I have this…this energy swirling around inside of me that I hadn't had before."

"Your youki, perhaps?" the kit offered.

Kagome nodded. "That's the only thing it could be." They remained silent for a moment, and she watched a bird flit across the sky. "I don't get sleepy like I used to, I don't get hungry as often…I don't even have to use the bathroom as much as I had before!"

"It seems as though you would enjoy being youkai," Zenzo remarked, violet eyes trained on the beauty around them.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it?" she asked rhetorically, tapping her claws against the railing.

"You do not?"

His curiosity was apparent, and she shrugged, turning and placing her back to the railing. Elbows propped on the wooden banister, she tilted her head back and watched the clouds travel lazily across the sky. "I don't know yet. I like being able to see and smell and hear so much better, but there are so many things that I just don't know."

"Things, my lady?"

She glanced at him, and finding his eyes trained intently on her face, she hummed her agreement, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Like what to say, what to do. As a human, I understood the way society worked, because I grew up in that society. But as a youkai? As a youkai, I know nothing. I don't know how to speak to youkai, or how to act when I'm around them."

"And yet those are the very things you are to be learning, onna." Sesshomaru.

Kagome straightened and turned toward the imposing youkai, looking at him with what she hoped was a bored expression. "I needed a break."

His eyes roamed over her form, lingering for a moment at her bare feet before traveling back up to her face. He grunted softly. "This Sesshomaru would have a word with you. Come."

Without waiting on a confirmation, the daiyoukai, turned and walked away. Kagome rolled her eyes at his haughty attitude, and then turned to Zenzo and smiled. "Shippo should be done with lunch by now," she said.

The kitsune took the statement just as she had expected. "I shall begin his lessons immediately, my lady." He bowed, straightened, and then disappeared, the shimmering fog of fox magic wrapping around him and whisking him off to wherever it was he wanted to go. She marveled at the space he'd stood in, amazed at his strength—she'd seen the kit disappear before, countless times, but she knew it had to take a tremendous amount of control to contain the surge of youki like he did.

Shaking her head, she pulled herself out of her thoughts and turned back to Sesshomaru, who was waiting at the end of the bridge. She followed after him, being careful not to trip over the hem of her kimono. Once she was at his side, Sesshomaru began to walk, his youki calm.

She glanced up at him when the silence had stretched on for longer than a minute, and then noticed that he wore a kimono, the silk dyed a rich, deep burgundy. The under kimono was black, and the obi was ebony as well, stitched with burgundy designs. The kimono itself was only embroidered at the end of the sleeves, and the pattern, a bold leaf and sakura design, somehow fit Sesshomaru's style, although the colors weren't what he usually wore.

"The Council will arrive in three days," Sesshomaru murmured, pulling her out of her perusal. For a moment, his words didn't register, and then she blinked.

"W—what?" He glanced down at her and she waved a hand, dismissing the look. "No, I know what you said, I'm just—three days?"

He led her to a bench beside a koi pond, seating himself on the stone and waiting until she was settled before continuing. "It is imperative that you hasten your learning."

Kagome shook her head, feeling panic well up inside of her as the implications of his words settled in. "Sesshomaru, I can't—"

"Your negativity is sickening," the daiyoukai interrupted quietly, the baritone of his voice cutting through the air. She opened her mouth to retort, but upon realizing that she had nothing to say, pursed her lips and twined her fingers, staring at her claws. "It is one thing to be unsure of yourself," the inu lord continued, a breeze momentarily catching bits of his words and throwing them out into the atmosphere, "but it is another to completely disregard your abilities."

Kagome sighed and looked at him, finding his eyes trained on the sky. "I know." His gaze traveled down to hers, and she held his gaze, almost captivated by the way his eyes captured and reflected the sunlight. "I'm just not used to all of this."

"You are a warrior, are you not?"

Kagome scoffed, wondering what miko he'd been watching all those years. "If you want to call running away and hiding a warrior's skills, then sure."

Sesshomaru made a sound in his throat, and his displeasure pressed against her, filtered through his aura and shining in his eyes. "You will not degrade your skills while in this Sesshomaru's presence," he said quietly, voice leaving no room for argument. "You have improved since you first came here, have you not?"

She sighed. "Yeah, I guess."

"And at this moment, knowing all that you have done, would you call yourself a warrior?"

Kagome thought about his question. It was true that she had improved—honestly, she figured that she was always much too hard on herself—but would she consider herself a warrior? Sure, she could fight now, after having forced Sango to at least teach her hand-to-hand, but she hadn't ever lifted a weapon other than her bow. 'Well, my aim has gotten a lot better,' she admitted to herself, internally wincing as she remembered how horrible her aim had been just three years ago.

But in the two years it took to collect all the shards and put the Jewel back together, and then in the one that it took to collect most of the shards for a second time, had she grown into a warrior? She sighed, and then focused on Sesshomaru, almost shocked to see that he was staring at her. Shaking off the thought that he had probably been watching her think, she shook her head. "I'm not a warrior, not like Inuyasha or Sango or Miroku. But I am a fighter—Okaa-san always called me a fighter."

For a moment, Sesshomaru's gaze was blank. Then he inclined his head. "Very well. A fighter, then, is what you are. The Council's arrival will be a true test of your ability to fight, Kagome." He paused, and then stood, casting an unreadable look down on her before he turned to walk away. "This Sesshomaru has never known you to back away from a battle," he said over his shoulder. "Will you do so now?"

Kagome watched him walk away. He didn't turn back, but if he had, there was no doubt that he would've been proud of the determination that took over her features. After all, she only had three days; it was obviously time to step completely out of her insecurities and into the confidence inherent of the youkai race.

Author's Note: Well, here it is, just as promised. It's much shorter than I had originally planned, but when I got to this point, I felt the need to stop, so I did.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! I'll be setting this up for scheduled updates as well, so the next chapter will be out next Saturday!

~Aubrey