Chapter Fourteen
With a sharp cry, Kimiko sat up in her bed and stared at the wall in front of her. Her breathing was jagged as she was still caught in the fragmented dreams she had been having. Bringing her knees up and hanging her head down over them, she closed her eyes as she tried to recall the images that had sent ice through her veins and chills up her spine.
After a few moments where she couldn't make herself remember what had her so shaken, she let out a huff and got out of her bed. Sweat made her nightclothes cling to her body in an unpleasant way and her hair was in complete disarray. She walked slowly through the dark room to the small bathroom on the far right.
The fact that she couldn't immediately remember why she had been so afraid told her that she was having one of those dreams. While most precogs lost their ability to dream outside of the reflection pods after the age of fifteen, Kimiko had never grown out of it. If she were to be truthful, her best readings came from her lucid dreams at home anyway. The problem she had was it took longer to recall the images to make sense of them than if she had been resting in the pod.
As she started up her shower, a flash of hazel eyes surrounded by thick lashes came to mind, then quickly faded. Her brows furrowed as she took what she could from what she had been shown. Those eyes had held a sinister mischief, so whatever they were a precursor too, it wouldn't be good. The thickness in the lashes denoted the owner was more than likely male.
As the steam from the shower billowed up she narrowed her eyes, trying to bring the picture in her mind some clarity. Was the owner of the eyes young or old? A sharp pain pierced her temple and she let the image drop. One thing you learned through the years; it was better to let the images come when they wanted to. Forcing your gift only caused headaches and misconstrued readings.
Stepping into the hot water, Kimiko wondered why this warning was giving her such a hard time. And what exactly would this mean for her fleet?
A resounding whack sounded throughout the small room, echoing off of the beige walls.
"Concentrate, girl! What in hell are you doing?!"
Kagome rubbed the back of her head and glared at the old woman scowling down at her. Or more to the point, she glared at the knobby walking stick the old woman was currently using to smack her with.
"I am concentrating! It takes a bit to get to where you're telling me to go! You, impatient old harpy!"
Beyond feeling any kind of guilt over calling an elderly person names, nor thinking it was childish, Kagome had begun to give back as good as she got. Natalia growled down at the younger woman and shook the stick at her face for good measure.
"Then you need to be faster, impertinent little chit!"
Kagome rolled her eyes and attempted to sink into her meditation for the eighth time that morning. Two hours after she had called the old gargoyle, there had been someone pounding on her door. Having just fallen asleep, Kagome had stared in dumbfounded confusion at Natalia Azarov and the imposing man she referred to as her "man-of-service". Whatever that had meant.
Asking what the hell the woman thought she was doing there at two in the morning got her the first whack on the head. As Kagome stood there in shock over being physically abused, Natalia had lifted her nose in the air and proceeded to "inform" her that because of her "tantrum" they were hours behind schedule.
"Get your ass in gear, girl! We got things to do if you're going to be of any use."
So here they were at four in the morning, and the only thing Kagome had really learned in the past couple of hours was: that stick had to be made of some sturdy material. That, and Natalia preferred to quarrel like a child when things weren't going the way she thought they should be. Name calling and intentionally saying things to push her buttons seemed to be her hobby, seeing as that's all the woman really wanted to do.
A change in pressure behind her, and a whistling sound she was growing used to hearing, had Kagome dodging to the left and grabbing the stick before it could make contact with her head.
"Really?! You could cause brain damage with the amount of times you insist on hitting me!"
"Hmph. Not like there is a lot there to damage."
Kagome narrowed her eyes and gave the stick a sharp tug. Natalia, gripping the stick with both hands, glared back down at her. "At least you are starting to learn how to dodge it." She grumbled and Kagome rolled her eyes, letting the stick go.
"Whatever. Look, I don't have the speed to sink into myself the way you want me to yet. I'll probably get faster as I go. So, until then, can you not hit me?"
"No."
Kagome threw her hands in the air in exasperation. It looked like this training was going to be more frustrating than it needed to be.
Natalia stood back as the girl again attempted to call her energy forth. Her lips lifted in a small smile as she noticed the girl was, indeed, calling it forth faster than she had previously. Though she would never tell the girl, she had noticed that Higurashi performed better when under pressure. Holding the threat of pain over her head, literally, seemed to provide the results she was looking for.
The reason she had the girl continuously call up her energy, only to force her to lose it was rather simple. She was making the girl flex the "muscle" that controlled her energy flow. Thinning the wall surrounding her inner light and allowing her to call upon it more easily. When you fought alongside your partner against a stronger enemy, it was necessary to be able to call upon all you had with little resistance.
Sensing the girl's energy peaking, Natalia raised her walking stick and grinned as it came down on the back of her head.
"Again!"
The fact that she enjoyed smacking the girl around, as an added bonus, went unsaid.
Miroku yawned behind his hand as he made his way to the meditation room. It was just barely 0600, and he figured he could do with a good half hour inner search before breakfast. His link with Sango yesterday had been a little awkward, at first, but the both of them had slipped into their usual roles rather quickly. If he had been a little more lewd than usual, and she had been a little more flustered than usual, then neither of them had brought it up.
It was far simpler to let it go, after all.
He was stopped in his tracks on the way to the small changing room by an overly excited Wallace standing outside the meditation room. Lifting a brow, he sauntered closer to peer over her shoulder through the window looking into the room. He was rather shocked to see Kagome standing in the center of the room holding a crooked stick and shaking it at an old woman who looked ready to launch herself at the younger woman.
"What in the hell?"
Maryann Wallace jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to face the gaping psychic.
"I know right! Who would have thought Kagome could be violent?! Not that I blame her…"
Miroku turned his stunned gaze to Wallace in question.
"The other woman in the room with her has a nasty reputation." Wallace began to explain, turning back to watch as the two psychic's in the room began to circle each other. "They say that if it weren't for the fact that she is the best in her field, she would most likely be locked up for her unorthodox methods."
Miroku finally snapped his mouth closed and frowned. "Unorthodox methods? Best in her field? Exactly what kind of training is Kagome going through?"
Wallace stiffened slightly and kept her eyes trained on the, now motionless, instructor and student. "You know that's classified, Soryu."
Miroku's frown deepened as he watched Kagome toss the stick across the room and settle onto the floor in a practiced motion. The old woman glanced after the stick, frowning, then settled on the floor across from Kagome. Her mouth was moving, probably giving instruction, and her hand was waving between the both of them.
"They've been training in there since two this morning."
Miroku's eyes darted to the back of Wallace's head. "Since two?!"
Wallace nodded and hummed in reply before turning and heading toward the office located in the center of the battle-link training rooms. "Yep. Checked the logs when I got to the office myself." She glanced back when she heard his footsteps following. "Mark my words, Soryu. Higurashi is going to be one hell of a psychic after this training."
Miroku sighed as resignation filled him. "Yeah. I know."
Kikyo frowned at the amount of damage her partner had sustained outside of their lessons. Numerous bruises, four cracked ribs, busted nose, and the ligaments in his right arm were severely strained. With a sigh she sent what energy she could to help speed up his healing in his muscles, but there was nothing she could do for the bones. As she took care of his physical well-being, she inspected the emotional turmoil he still seemed to be embroiled in.
'What exactly happened?' She asked softly, not understanding the emotions she was getting from the brash young man.
'Keh. Hell if I know! That bastard's crazy.'
'I assume we are talking about Captain Taisho?'
'Who else?! Knocked my freaking ramen on the floor and then beat the hell out of me in the training room!'
'Through no provocation of your own, of course.'
Inuyasha winced at the dry sarcasm coming from his psychic and Kikyo caught the brief flash of guilt.
'Well, I may have laughed at his injury…'
Kikyo blinked at that. 'He was injured? From what?'
Inuyasha shrugged and continued to stretch out his aching limbs, as he had been since their link had initiated a while ago. 'From his training. What the hell is he training for anyway?' He paused as a thought came to him. 'Your cousin is his psychic partner, right? Can't you find out what it is they're doing?'
Kikyo froze at the mention of Kagome. Thinking carefully, she decided on how to answer that. 'Kagome and I are not as close as we once had been. Besides, Captain Taisho is your brother and on the same ship as yourself. Shouldn't you be able to get that information more readily than I?'
Inuyasha snorted and crossed his arms, a slight pout forming on his face. 'Already tried to ask. That's when that icy bastard punch me in the face and broke my nose.'
Kikyo rolled her eyes and let the subject drop. This training session was just for Inuyasha and herself, but later on they were to have another simulation battle with the rest of the team, sans Captain Taisho. 'Are you going to be well enough for the simulation later today?' She asked quietly and allowed a small smile at the scoff that he replied with.
'Of course! Bastard didn't beat me down that badly!'
'Good, maybe we should start-'
Kikyo cut off as the doors to the training room suddenly opened and Kouga strode in with a cocky smirk on his face.
"Yo, mutt! You look like hell! Taisho really kicked your ass last night, huh?"
Inuyasha scowled at the captain and stuck his nose in the air. "At least I have an excuse for how I look, what's yours?"
Kouga's smirk dropped from his face. "Thought we could train together. Training by yourself is boring as hell."
Inuyasha lifted a brow. "Yeah, I feel sorry for Hakaku."
Kikyo sighed as it seemed this would turn into a sparring session as opposed to the training she had wanted to go through with the boy. The plan she had come up with to work out some of his weak areas went right out the window as Wolfe growled out another insult and Inuyasha prepared himself to attack.
'I am not helping you to heal any other injuries you acquire.' She hissed lowly, miffed that her plan was now useless.
Inuyasha grunted in response as he launched himself at his opponent.
Sango picked at the rice on her plate, not really invested in finishing what she had ordered. Beside her Ayame was steadily making her way through a platter of various barbequed items. Kagura, sitting across from the both of them was sedately sipping her protein shake as she looked through the newest edition of her e-zine.
"Anything exciting happening?" Ayame asked, trying to break the exhausted silence between the three of them.
Kagura glanced up briefly and shook her head. "Nah, same bullshit." She glanced around the empty cafeteria. "It really is eerily quiet since that other team had their ship fixed up."
"Yeah, heard they shipped out sometime last night. Last minute mission or something." Sango murmured and Ayame turned to give her a sly smile.
"Oh yeah…you were pretty cozy with that one guy yesterday." She began and Sango raised an eyebrow at her.
"What are you talking about?"
Kagura looked up from her screen to study the rising blush on Sango's face. "Oh? The tomboy found a boy-toy?"
Sango scowled at the short haired soldier. "Of course not! He said he had seen me training and thought my movements were fluid. He was asking if I had any pointers I could give him."
Ayame tossed her pigtailed hair over her shoulder and let out a loud laugh. "His exact words being, 'If you're not doing anything later, maybe we could get together and…'" She trailed off slightly and leaned in close to Sango, slipping an arm around her shoulders and putting her lips right next to her ear. "'…train.'"
Sango was flaming in .03 seconds, pushing the redhead away from her and clutching her ear. "Ayame! It wasn't like that!"
Kagura, smirk on her face, raised a brow at Ayame and Ayame grinned back.
"Oh yes it was. Poor boy had moon-eyes."
"What the hell is 'moon-eyes'?"
Kagura's laugh cut off Ayame's reply as she watched both girls go back and forth. She would never admit it, but they had really needed this small break. Their new training was starting to wear them all down. Not to mention the secret training Captain Taisho was receiving. Kagura wasn't blind. She was aware of the building jealousy in Wolfe. It was only a matter of time before it reached a head.
This, added to the mounting short tempers and sudden pressure their simulations were giving them, it was nothing short of draining. She had already known that their team didn't work well together. They were better off doing their own thing. Now with this promotion, the lot of them had been forced to stick together, causing anger and tension.
A sudden presence at the side of their table had the two stopping their squabble as all three caught sight of their ship's navigator.
"Hey, Brandon. What's the word?" Kagura asked as she took another sip of her shake. Brandon Alcott gave a small nod and sat down beside her.
"I've been told to tell the lot of you that the modification of the ship will be done early tomorrow morning. Do you know where Wolfe and the Taisho brothers are? I wasn't given a copy of your schedules so I've kinda just been wandering around looking for you."
"Well, that's inefficient."
"They're in the training rooms."
Kagura and Sango answered at the same time and Ayame snorted. "Not Captain Taisho. He wasn't in any of the training rooms or in the barracks. I don't know where else he could be though. It's not like the guy has anything else to do…"
Brandon smiled crookedly and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I'll tell the two in the training rooms. Would one of you mind telling Captain Taisho sometime later? I still have a lot of paper work to fill out."
Kagura propped her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand. "Yeah, sure. No problem. I'll let him know." She said slowly, eyeing the way the man fidgeted before standing from the table.
"Thanks. See you girl's tomorrow morning."
The three of them watched him rush off and Kagura turned her gaze lazily to the other two. "You think he knows what kinda training Taisho's doing?"
Ayame snorted and picked up a piece of meat covered in honey barbeque sauce. "Not a chance. They didn't tell us, and we're his combat team! Why would they tell our navigator?"
Sango set her fork down and stood from her chair. "Who knows? Best not to think on it, though. We'll start wandering about, looking like Wolfe."
"Picked up on that one too, huh?"
Sango rolled her eyes. "How could anyone miss it. You think he's gonna pop off and start a fight?"
Ayame crossed her arms on the table, staring out the doors to the cafeteria. "Might be better if he did. Especially before we head out into open space again."
Kagura hummed in agreement. "Yeah, that's all we'd need. A testosterone-and-jealousy filled fight between our captains."
At the same time all three let out a sigh.
"Men."
Sesshomaru levered himself out of the tank and removed the mask from his face. The chittering coming from the tech, Lydia, registered to him from the background, but he ignored it. Glancing to the time projected across the room, he felt satisfaction curl through him. He had gone through the training faster this time around. By nearly two hours.
"Impressive, Taisho. You blew previous records out of the water today." As if in answer to his thoughts, Kitakawa came to stand at the side of the tank, still removing the electrodes. Placing the last one on the tray in Lydia's hands she moved her gaze to the side profile she had of the captain on the platform.
"However, no matter the kind of progress you are making, if your psychic is not up for the strain…" She let her words trail off purposefully, poking at him to understand exactly what he was thinking.
Not taking the bait, Sesshomaru made a noncommittal noise and turned his gaze to the ceiling. Higurashi would overcome her own problems, this he knew. The girl wasn't stupid. When she had confessed her failure, she had already acknowledged her shortcomings. He admitted to himself that he had been disappointed in her; which, for some reason, had surprised him.
Admitting he had been disappointed meant he had higher expectations of Higurashi than he had wanted to. Having high expectations of his partner meant, in a way, that he had come to depend and rely on her. He never relied on anyone. Ever.
Yet there it was, as clear to him as anything. In a little under a week, he had grown to depend on Higurashi. More than Higurashi's failure, this is what bothered him.
Midoriko watched the stoic expression on Taisho's face, slightly irritated that no emotion was shown. Letting out a small breath she turned to see Lydia watching her with a raised eyebrow. She frowned and shrugged her shoulders. Lydia sighed and shook her head. Apparently, they'd talk about it later.
Deciding he had enough of lying there contemplating his own thoughts and emotions when it came to his partner, Sesshomaru rose from the platform and made his way down the ladder.
"We have another simulation training course this evening."
Midoriko snorted, already used to his not-quite-asking tone. "Yes. You already know your schedule." She refused to acknowledge that she sounded a bit petulant.
"Then you'll see for yourself that Higurashi is fully capable of overcoming the 'strain'." He left the room without looking back to see the impact his statement had.
Which was probably for the best, because as the astonishment faded, both women found themselves suppressing blushing grins.
"Aw! It's love!" Lydia squealed and Midoriko shushed her, trying to get the grin off of her face.
"Hush, Lydia! It's still a bit too soon. It might just be respect..."
Lydia waved a hand at the psychic and shook her head at the same time. "Pft! I'm telling you, it's not respect shining in his eyes when he mentions dear Kagome."
Midoriko shot the tech a sardonic look. "For when would you have seen his eyes shining?" She paused as another thought struck her. "And when would he have been discussing Kagome with you?"
Lydia snorted. "Semantics! The point is, I have an eye for this kind of thing and the boy is already in it deep! Don't look at me like that!" Lydia scowled at the pitying look Midoriko was now giving her. "Besides, you already told me the kind of impression you got when you were linked to the both of them!"
"I could have been seeing things that weren't there, Lydia!"
"Please! You aren't one for flights of fancy. Why would you suddenly make up a romance in this critical time?"
Midoriko shrugged. "Relieve the tension?"
Lydia grinned. "My dear, there are much more…pleasing ways to relieve one's tension…" Her grin was borderline creepy and Midoriko flushed a bright red.
"Enough! Creepy old lady!"
Lydia laughed as she turned to clean up her work station and Midoriko stalked off to the showers.
Kagome ignored the sound her stomach was making as she concentrated on the boundaries of her own energy.
"Your problem, girl, is that you yourself don't believe you can improve from where you are. You have grown complacent and comfortable at the limit you have set for yourself."
Pushing at the wall she had built, in the express purpose of warning her when she was using too much energy, she let out a shaky breath as she felt it move.
"You have crippled yourself in the thought that you have reached your limit, when in fact you have neglected parts of your energy."
"But, I felt myself about to burnout!"
"Hmph! What you felt is called an imitation burnout. You have mentally convinced yourself that your current limit is all you have. To a psychic, the mind is near absolute. If you believe you can go no further, your body will act in accordance."
Sending out small exploratory feelers, Kagome sucked in a breath at the energy at her fingertips. This was all hers? Stomach and hunger pangs forgotten, she took stock of the expansion of her energy field.
"Imitation burnout?"
"Yes. When a psychic who has not reached their full potential thinks they have, they convince themselves that they will experience the same conditions as those that go through a real burnout. However false the burnout really is, the end result is the same. In essence, child, a psychic can still enter a coma in an imitation burnout because they believe they have burned out."
Kagome stared at the cross legged old crone in front of her, comprehension growing on her face. Natalia nodded sharply and laced her hands together on top of her woolen leggings.
"The problem you have, whelp, is that you believeyou can go no higher, when in fact your energy has grown without you."
Kagome corralled the energy she had not known she had had before, having trouble calling it all to herself. It was like trying to wrangle a pack of wriggly puppies into a small box. Letting out a huff of breath she released the energy again, consoling herself with the knowledge that she had set a new barrier and the energy was within her grasp.
Having complete control over it would require a few more meditative sessions, but now she knew for certain. The old hag had been right, and Kagome was far stronger than she had previously imagined.
Natalia observed her sweating pupil with a proud expression. For a moment, Azarov had contemplated advising the girl to speak to a counselor, but she was relieved the girl had taken her words to heart and attempted the search on her own. Pushing the warm feeling from her chest, and wiping her face clear of any kind emotions, Natalia raised her stick for the final time.
Whack
"Dammit, Azarov! Really?!"
Miroku stood outside the meditation room, debating whether he really wanted to enter or not. The sounds of feminine screaming had him pausing before placing his hand on the panel. Shifting to the side he peeked into the window to see the old lady waving the stick around and Kagome clutching her head. From the sounds of it, Kagome was doing the screaming.
Clearing his throat nervously, he placed his hand on the panel and the door opened silently.
"-and that's why I'm telling you to get faster, brat!"
Miroku cautiously poked his head in the doorway and silently cursed to himself as he caught the older woman's eye.
"And look here! Your caretaker has come!"
Kagome swung around, blue orbs blazing. Miroku blinked in confusion, but swallowed in fear at the look on the psychic's face.
Kagome's shoulders dropped from their defensive position and her expression softened slightly. "Miroku?"
"Ah, just…came to get you for…dinner…?" He said slowly, his eyes swinging to the older woman.
Natalia Azarov arched her brows and tilted her head so she was looking down her nose at him. "Hmph. It's about time someone came to take this dense creature away! Her stomach has been making enough racket to keep me from thinking!"
"As if you do any thinking, you abusive old biddy!"
Miroku's mouth dropped open at the snarky comment from his usually bubbly friend. Natalia let out another snort and waved her hand imperiously towards the both of them.
"Enough of this. Away with you and your caretaker. May we never meet again, you impetuous rug-rat."
Turing in the doorway, and expecting Kagome to follow, Miroku was surprised when instead Kagome stood still for a moment than turned to face her instructor once more.
Bowing low at the waist, keeping her hands tucked firmly at her sides, Kagome's hair fell forward, obstructing her view momentarily.
"Thank you, Sensei."
Natalia was horrified to feel her eyes burn, so she turned her back on the young woman.
"Yes, yes. Go on now." She paused, swallowing around the sudden thickness in her throat. "Don't forget to train on your own until you have it all under control, you silly thing."
Kagome blinked back her own sudden tears and grinned. "You've beaten it into my head enough today, how could I forget?"
Miroku walked out of the meditation room and waited outside the locker room for Kagome to change. He raised an eyebrow when she came out a few minutes later. "Was I just imagining that, or did you really just thank someone for beating you over the head?"
Kagome blinked and shrugged her shoulders. "Regardless of her violent tendencies, she really was a good teacher."
"Huh. Go figure."
It was now just after the evening meal, and Kagome had a little under an hour before she had to link with Taisho. While bantering with Miroku, she had suddenly remembered that her plant had been slotted for the deoxygenating chamber just that morning. While she had delegated her baby to Micah, she felt horrible that she had forgotten about the poor thing until just then.
Before she could jump up from the table, Miroku had snagged her arm with a look of long-suffering on his face.
"Kagome. Your…baby…can wait until you have finished eating." He raised a brow when she opened her mouth. "I'm sure it won't mind you taking care of your hunger before you go traipsing off to see how it's doing."
So Kagome had sat back down and rushed through her meal, all while under the disapproving gaze of her fellow psychic. Brandishing her empty bowl with a flourish and a stuffed mouth, Kagome had again leapt to her feet and headed out the doors, depositing her dirty dish in the receptacle before she left.
Turning the last corner before the laboratories wing, Kagome let out a small shriek as she collided with someone else. She registered a similar sound coming from the one she had flown into before the both of them fell to the floor. With an apology already forming on her lips she looked over and realized she had bumped into the very person she had been coming to see.
"Micah! How's my baby?!"
Micah shot the psychic a disbelieving look as she picked herself up off the floor. "Why yes, Kagome. I accept your apology for barreling into me and knocking me to the floor. Of course I'm alright, are you?"
Kagome laughed sheepishly as she got up from the floor as well, handing the harried biologist her screen. "Heh. Yeah, I meant to say all that too. Sorry, I was a little-"
"Obsessed over your freaky fruit plant?"
Kagome scowled and Micah waved her off with a laugh. "Yes, yes. I have the parameters right here. I was going to send them to you when I got a chance to get off my feet. Never expected to be knocked off of them."
"Augh! Micah! I'm sorry!"
Micah snorted as she swiped across her screen and typed in the correct address. "Right. Your plant was put in pod four. Just tell Jess you're going in and he'll unlock the clearance for you." She absently told Kagome as she finished sending the report to her.
Kagome immediately opened the report when it dinged on her screen. Letting out a noncommittal hum, she walked past the biologist and towards the back of the labs. Micah watched her go, shaking her head.
"Thanks, Micah, for taking care of my 'baby'! You're awesome!" Micah muttered as she turned and headed out of the labs. Really, the things she did for such unappreciative people.
Reaching the end of the too short report, Kagome looked up to realize she had reached the specialized zone at the back of the hothouse laboratories. Sure enough, it was Jessup Rodgers behind the counter at the front of the clearance zone.
"Hey, Jess. Mind if I check up on my baby?"
Jess looked up from a report with tired eyes. For some reason, the man in his mid-thirties always looked like the walking dead.
"Yeah. That's cool. Go ahead and put your hand on the panel. I'll give you clearance."
"Thanks, Jess."
Getting passed the two doors and into the specialized wing of the labs, Kagome counted pod rooms until she reached pod four. Though she wasn't allowed in the room, the large observation window let her see the fruit plant up close. Leaning close, she scrutinized the many bulbs along the vine closest to the window. A breath of disappointment left her when she realized they didn't look any closer toward blooming then they had yesterday.
'Well, they did just put her into the pod today. Results aren't likely to appear until a couple of days after being put into the optimal setting.' She told herself as she put her own thoughts into the documentation Micah had typed up.
Just as she was finishing, her screen alarm went off, notifying her she had ten minutes to get her ass suited up for her link. Letting out a low curse, Kagome set her screen in her pocket and high-tailed it out of the labs.
Once again, Sesshomaru found himself in the labyrinthine room, awaiting his link to his partner. This time, however, he had arrived a half hour early. In time to watch as the walls were shifted to form a different pattern. While he could easily see the walls closest to himself, the one's farther out, where he could not see, shifted more than the one's up front.
"It's to keep the one in the simulation from mapping the walls before they go in." Midoriko answered his silent musings as she came to stand beside him on the platform. "I won't be piggybacking you and Kagome for this simulation. I'll only be monitoring you from the screens in the observation room."
He shot her a glanced and raised his brow slightly.
Midoriko let out a small laugh. "It's how the training usually goes. I am here to ask, however, if you think there is a reason why I should join you on this simulation."
Sesshomaru let out a snort and crossed his arms. He didn't feel like her needling deserved an answer.
"Alright then. Descend the stairs once you link with Higurashi and the simulation will start once the countdown ends." She pointed in the direction of the holo-clock that was currently flashing a ten-second countdown.
Pausing before she entered the doors leading to the observation room she glanced at Taisho's back. "Good luck, Taisho."
The light touch of his psychic interrupted his mental eye-roll.
'Higurashi.' He said simply by way of greeting, getting a feel of her emotions before they entered the labyrinth. He was pleasantly surprised when he felt nothing negative.
'Captain Taisho.' Kagome kept her greeting professional. She needed to get this apology over with as quickly as possible. 'I'm sorry for the incompetency I showed in our last linking.'
'Have you improved?'
Kagome sent the mental equivalent of a sharp smile to him. 'Of course! And I'll only continue to improve!'
Sesshomaru hid his own sharp smile and descended the stairs, already anticipating their simulation to come. 'Hn.'
Inside the observation room, Lydia let out a squeal, both females having caught the captain's facial expression as he had entered the simulation labyrinth. Turning to the quietly smiling Midoriko, Lydia shook her friend's shoulder in her excitement.
"Did you see that smile!?"
"Yes, Lydia. The both of us are watching the same screen." Midoriko tried to pry Lydia's hands from her arm. "And let go of me! You're going to wrench my arm from its socket!"
"I wonder what he was talking about with Higurashi." Lydia sat back in her seat and started up the countdown sequence for the simulation. "You think he was asking if she was ok? Oh, how romantic that would be!" Stars were shining in her eyes towards the end.
Midoriko snorted and brought the labyrinth door up and locked it into place, her hands flying over the touch screen before her. Looking over to the screen at her right, she selected the correct sequence of numbers for the simulation they were about to run.
"Lydia, would you focus on your end of the technicalities. Please."
It was Lydia's turn to snort as she turned to her own screens and set in the particular parameters they were to run.
"Did we want to increase the difficulty level for this one?"
"Yes. Set difficulty to fifty percent above normal."
Lydia paused and shot a glance to the ex-battle link. "The maximum limit? Are you sure? They had trouble at the lowered difficulty setting yesterday. Shouldn't we set it at zero?"
Midoriko turned a serious look on her long-time friend and technician partner. "Trust me, Lydia. These two can handle it. Especially after the report I got from Azarov."
"Ok. You're the boss." Lydia sighed as she input the settings. A message in red flashed across the screen and Lydia smirked. "See, even the machine thinks it's a bad idea."
Midoriko smirked back and swiped the ok. "You'll see. This time around will be different."
A muted alarm sounded through the room as the countdown began, and both women turned their full attention to the large screen focused on the motionless captain. As the scenery changed, both were slightly startled when Taisho shot off screen for a moment, moving too fast for the camera to keep up with him. Re-focusing quickly, they followed after the linked pair as they expertly dodged and outran each of the enemies projected before them.
"Well, I have to say, he sure is a hell of a lot faster than he was yesterday." Lydia murmured as she flicked through the simulation's settings in the screen to her left.
Midoriko hummed in answer and glanced over to the screen monitoring the link between the captain and his psychic. "Yes, and the link is exceptionally strong." She paused leaning forward to make sure she was seeing things right. "And just look at their rate of synchronicity."
Lydia looked over and let out a low whistle. "Haven't seen a bond that strong in years. They're coming up to the fringes of the wave attack."
Midoriko glanced up at the monitor following after the captain and a smile worked its way across her lips. "Damn boy will surely have a big head after this simulation is over." She murmured and Lydia let out a sharp laugh.
"Yep. But our girl will reel him in."
Midoriko raised a brow at the woman. "Our girl?"
"Of course! Us girls have to stick together, ya know. Besides, with all the bragging you've been doing about your favorite pupil, I feel like I kinda own her too."
Midoriko rolled her eyes and set her mind back to the simulation in front of her. "Kagome isn't a thing to be owned." She paused, a thought occurring to her. "Besides, I think Taisho might object to anyone else claiming her."
Lydia nodded her head and crossed her arms. "Yeah. That man looks like he'd be the possessive type."
A blip from the screen monitoring their link caught Midoriko's attention and she glanced at the main screen. "Looks like while we were talking, he managed to make it into the inner circle of the attack. He's now coming up on the primary target."
"Already!?" Lydia sat forward in her chair, her fingers flying over her touch screen as she noted his progress. "Jeez. He flew through the base in under thirty minutes and double the difficulty. Just what the hell did Azarov do to Higurashi?"
"Unlocked her potential." Midoriko murmured, watching the monitors closely. Lydia shot a quick glance at the ex-battle link and then down at the numbers she was getting from the simulation.
"Crazy."
Sesshomaru knew it was probably reckless on his part, but the confidence emulating from his partner had him going full speed from the beginning. Indeed, the way Higurashi was directing their energies was different from the way she had before.
Ignoring the feeling of her hands gliding along his shoulders, touching briefly at his neck and then sliding down his arms, he had decided to put his full focus on their objective. Not that he could block it out completely.
'We're approaching the heart of the attack. I can sense the…enemy ahead.'
'You can read that far in front of us.' He not-quite-asked.
Higurashi's soft hum of agreement filled his ears, distracting him a bit.
'Yes, now I can. Though it's harder to grasp onto the energy to do it. I haven't fully mastered that part of myself yet.' She seemed nervous to admit it. 'But that only means that I'll get stronger.'
It was Sesshomaru's turn to hum in agreement as he slid around the last corner and the both of them faced their enemy at last. Not pausing in his forward motion, he raised his saber to bring it down on the back of the enemy's neck.
Before he could make contact, the Baasratu slid gracefully to the side, leaping to its feet as it faced him. Anticipating the movement, Sesshomaru sent his energy again to his legs, using his saber's momentum to spin around and slice through the upper torso of the strange Baasratu.
The simulated enemy once again fell to the ground in two pieces, successfully ending their mission.
'Pft! That was anti-climactic.' Higurashi laughed to him and Sesshomaru smoothly sheathed his weapon, watching as the simulation faded and the labyrinth walls once more appeared.
'Hn.'
Though he'd never show it, and damn sure would never tell her, he was proud of their progress. He turned to the hall leading to the raised platform, looking forward to a shower and then bed. He had been training all day, after all.
Though he wasn't saying anything, Kagome still felt it. That amount of pride wasn't easy to hide, and at this point she figured she knew her partner's emotions well enough to identify what he wouldn't voice. Getting ready to leave their link, she allowed her own warm feelings to reach him before closing off completely.
Pausing as he reached the steps to the platform, Sesshomaru's breath caught on the emotions sent to him from his partner. A small smile formed on his lips before he wiped it off and continued on.
Kouga looked up from the tiles at his feet. The hot water he had allowed to pour over his back splashed into his eyes as his head interrupted the shower spray. Someone had just entered the shower room, and as far as he was aware, no one else was training this late at night. Except Sesshomaru Taisho.
Following the tail end of his deductions, Taisho came around the low wall surrounding the shower room and started his own shower head.
'Keh. Bastard doesn't even acknowledge the fact that there is someone else in the room. Thinks he's too good now?'
Kouga turned his eyes away from the other captain and glared at the tile wall his hands were braced against. Jealousy and anger causing his thoughts to twist, he made a decision and pushed away from the shower wall.
"Well, I see you aren't hurt this time around. Finally getting better? Or did they decide to lower the difficulty for you?"
Sesshomaru paused in lathering up his soap to turn his head slightly and glare over his shoulder. What the hell was Wolfe's problem? If it weren't for that fact that Sesshomaru knew the two of them were the only ones in there, he would have looked around for his idiot brother.
"Perhaps you should mind your own training, Wolfe." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. "I hear your teamwork and leadership skills are rather poor."
Kouga's teeth groaned in protest over the amount of pressure he was now applying to them. His nails cut into his palms as he stared down the liquid amber gaze glaring back. His blood was rushing in his ears and he was having a hard time thinking over the sound.
"What? Jealous that I am now leader of the team?" His tone was snide as he flexed his fingers trying to calm himself down.
Sesshomaru allowed a slight frown as he cocked his head up and to the side. "I was never interested in leading the team." He answered quietly, watching the rage contort the boy's face.
"So what are you saying? That I just got the leftover position that the great Sesshomaru Taisho didn't want?! You think you're better than me just because you were given a secret mission?!"
Clearly, Wolfe was more troubled than Sesshomaru previously thought. Keeping his motions slow and his muscles relaxed, he turned to face the lunatic squarely. Before he could respond to the ridiculous accusations, Kouga went on.
"I bet the only reason why you even got this stupid secret bullshit is because of your partner!"
Sesshomaru's brow furrowed slightly at the mention of Higurashi. Catching the movement, Kouga allowed a vicious smirk to cover his face.
"Yeah, that's right. The lovely Miss Kagome Higurashi."
Sesshomaru clenched his teeth, not liking Kouga saying her name at all. Kouga deliberately relaxed his shoulders and crossed his arms over his chest, bringing one hand up to his chin, as if in deep contemplation.
"You know, I wonder what would happen if I asked for a change in partners and got her instead?" Kouga's smirk grew as he took in Taisho's tensing frame. "I hear she has the loveliest eyes and a beautiful voice. I wonder what her energy feels like?"
Sesshomaru saw red, and suddenly he realized he had slammed Kouga into the shower wall, one hand clenching the other captain's throat, cutting off his air supply. His other hand was drawn back into a fist, waiting for the signal to drive itself into the idiot's face.
Kouga let out a harsh breath as he was slammed into the wall. A squeaky laugh left his abused throat along with his last breath. The icy marble statue was pissed.
Bringing his foot up, he planted it in Taisho's lower stomach and pushed hard. The hand at his throat loosened and he dropped down a bit, escaping the hold he had been in. Pushing up with his feet he swung his own fist and clocked Taisho in the cheek, knocking the other man back.
Thrown off slightly by his own momentum and the slick, wet floor, Kouga made a sloppy lunge and the both of them slammed into the tile. Drawing back his fist again, he was interrupted by Taisho's knee knocking into his side and sending them both to the left, reversing their positions.
Sesshomaru let his fist fly into Kouga's face below him. Hitting him once, twice, three times, before outside interference pulled him off of the bloody captain. He fought against the arms holding him back until he realized they were night guards that had been stationed at random intervals. He relaxed slightly as he watched Wolfe get hauled to his feet.
"What in the hell is going on here?!"
Both ignored the authoritative voice asking questions and continued to glare at the other. 'There goes my plan for sleep.' Sesshomaru thought briefly as the both of them were hauled out of the showers and towards the locker room.
xXx
So the chapter is longer than usual. More of an apology from me than anything. Work has been crazy. Thank you to all that have reviewed, I greatly appreciate everything! Thank you for reading and please review!
