Chapter Two: Many Sorts of Magic

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.

-Buddha

Sestran to his credit only fell back a single step, eyebrows high from surprise of the sudden ambush from the girl. His nose stung from the unexpected blow but it didn't begin to bleed. He raised a hand to ward off the guards that had flash stepped into place after she'd struck him, waving them away despite the hesitation they gave for a moment.

"Is this some strange custom of greeting I'm unaware of in mortal society?" He was still way too calm for her tastes and she had to wrestle down the urge to pop him again. As it was it was much more difficult to fight away the bizarre feeling that the boy in front of her was perfect in soul society than it had been in her own world.

Saying yes was definitely tempting, she'd have a better excuse to smack him around more often. She finally crossed her arms with a scowl at him. "No, you deserve so much more after what you did. What do you want?"

He shook his head a little as if that helped him shake the pain just like that...a frustrating reminder of just what it was she had to deal with when it came to the prince. "Do you feel relieved now?"

"No. I already said that you deserve to be beaten some more." She turned away from him, usually she could ignore the effects of his majestic aura easier if she didn't look at him. "What do you want Sestran. I thought the games were suppose to be over now."

"Word reached me that you required a teacher in the kidou arts." He said with a small shrug, watching the girl just a bit warily.

She groaned out loud when she realized. "Not you."

"Come, there is much we'll need to go over." He was right onto the next subject, apparently un bothered by her protest. "Do you really make a light spell explode?"

"I got it right last week." She muttered. "Man, of all the people that could have been here...hell I think I would have preferred that Aizen jerk."

Though her own thoughts betrayed her as the Prince settled a hand on her arm to guide her where he wanted in the mostly empty back yard. Her heart jumped and she stepped away from the touch, frowning at him again but following him where he wanted.

"It is more difficult for those with greater energy to learn to control it. It takes a certain mastery of ones emotions in most cases to use magic with efficiently." He said in explanation, his sirens voice calming her even if she still wanted to be angry. "Though in the case of those with priest blood things are approached slightly differently. You don't call on magic exactly like a soul reaper would."

"Then why did you tell Byakuya to teach me?" She was irritated that apparently it was just another huge waste of time that the Prince could have avoided. It was a conscience effort not to grind her teeth and focus on being angry instead of letting his ambience control her.

"It has been many years sense we had a priestess in soul society. I thought if anyone could teach you with traditional methods that Captain Kuchiki would be able to manage it." He answered easily, still watching her curiously as he explained. "The fact that he was able to get you to control even a light spell for a short time is a testament to his skill. Do you need a few moments to calm down?"

"I don't think a few moments would cut it." Kagome answered hotly, arms still crossed and keeping her tone more annoyed than she really felt in a way she felt was counteracting his snake-like charm. "What do you want me to do?"

He took a slight step away, gesturing at her. "Cast your light spell."

The edge of her eye twitched a little but she tried to settle herself so she wouldn't have it go awry again. She wanted to be angry at him but she wanted to cast successfully as well.

She pushed the frustration to the side, at least for the moment, and began to intone the spell. "Let part the cloud's and open the horizon…Heaven's light come at my will and gather your gentle illumination in my hand. Lighting."

Spiritual energy gathered around her and spiraled into her hand, creating the small ball of gentle light that had so often gone awry on her in the past. She pushed it toward the air but noted it was starting to mal-form with a frown a moment before she was lifted from the ground and settled elsewhere even as the explosion rang from where the casting had been.

Sestran had lifted and moved her with a ease of speed so similar to the rest of the gifted people that lived here. Eyeing the area where the spell had exploded as if he were scanning it for information. Though the close contact had Kagome's brain more or less muted.

The world was perfectly fine, it didn't matter that her spell had gone wrong again, it almost always did that anyway. Had she been annoyed for some reason a second before? No point in that either. Why was she so angry at the Prince anyway, he was so amazing and he'd saved her from her own destructive spell, he couldn't be that bad.

The aura was so much worse after he'd carried her that she completely forgot how much she was suppose to hate him for several moments before he released her and she began to remember why she was angry at him.

"That is rather interesting." He commented still eyeing the area where her spell had gone off and not even seeming to notice the torn state that he'd left Kagome in. "I think this will be more difficult than I originally believed."

"Don't do that!" Kagome finally recovered enough to snap at him. Frowning and holding her temples...constantly having her emotions effected just by his presence was starting to give her a headache.

"Do what?" He blinked curiously at her sudden protest. "Are you not feeling well?"

"Of course I'm not...what is the matter with you anyway?" She was having a hard time not taking out her frustration on him now that she wasn't all swoony.

"The matter?" He pushed a little, still apparently confused as to what she meant.

"You make people all like you and stuff...it's not fair. I wanna be angry at you!" She explained, grinding her teeth a bit at the fact she had to point it out so directly.

"I can't control that." He shrugged a little at her which just made her imagine popping him in the nose again. "Why is it so important? Did you not tell me once you didn't want to be angry?"

"That was then." She sighed, closing her eyes and resisting the urge to pop him again, a bit afraid the guards might attack her if she did. That being the only thing stopping her wasn't looking good for the Prince's nose. "Don't you ever want to be angry?"

"No." He shook his head negatively, glancing back over the practice field. Again, exceptionally patient, calm. "Can you proceed or do you need time?"

"Just teach." She huffed, trying not to look at him too much while he spoke. Though it was about impossible not to hang off of every word from his lips. It wasn't long before the damnable 'like me' aura began to curl around her consciousness again. These were going to be the worst lessons ever.

Though, that wasn't true in a literal sense, he offered her a augmented way of approaching a spell that she wouldn't have considered on her own and helped her practice for a time. It was within an hour that she had a light spell not only stable but moving the way she wanted it around the field. Usually it would vanish if she got distracted but she could summon it back without the fear it would then set her on fire.

"Couldn't he have started this way and saved Byakuya the trouble of feeling like he failed when he didn't know the right way of teaching me?" Her insulting mental tirade had slowed considerably compared the random name calling she had been leveling at Sestran earlier. She was aware that was likely also influenced by her proximity to the incubus like prince. It was impossible as much as she tried to stay completely pissed off at him while he was right there.

Particularly after she'd gotten the spell correct and he smiled at her. Her resolve was about as strong as paper when he graced her with that misleading angelic smirk. She was definitely likening him to more of a devil given what he'd done just to catch Aizen.

"I think you'll do well with more work." He complimented, she argued with her face to keep from beaming at the praise. "Do not practice anyplace where your spells could do damage if they go awry but I believe that Byakuya had a area built for you after the incident with his library."

"Won't people ever get over that?" Kagome sighed at herself but nodded at the instructions, she didn't want to burn down anymore buildings either.

She realized his eyes were a gentler gray today, almost a bluish shade as if the storm within them was mostly clear at the moment. It made him a little more handsome not that he needed the extra help. It was still a bit awesome to her that he was so old and seemed the same general age as she did.

"It's getting later. Would you prefer to continue or should I leave you to return to your Captain?" He smiled a little at the small stare she was offering which made her blush and glance away cursing at herself silently for the lack of willpower.

"Byakuya is busy tonight." She answered honestly, though she did sort of want to leave she hated lying when she could help it. "It probably would be good for me if I kept up with things."

He nodded and went back to explaining techniques that should be able to help her remember the correct way of casting. They practiced for several more hours, until it was growing dark before he called an end to the lesson.

"You did well but if I keep you too much later Captain Kuchiki might come looking for us. He probably will dislike the fact that I'm teaching you." The Prince commented, but didn't actually seem worried, more as if he was informing her.

"Lord knows I don't." She kept the thought to herself though. "At least it should make him feel better that I should be able to control things easier this way."

"Kagome." Her name made her look right to the Prince, his eyes had darkened again and she canted her head curiously as the change as she followed him inside. He waited until they were there to speak again. "There is still the matter of what I'm owed by you you know."

It took her a moment but she was pretty fast to start re-erecting the wall against his charismatic ambience. She had a good idea of what he meant but she'd forgotten about what she'd agreed to to have the wedding in her own world. "I don't really think that is fair considering that you used my friends and I to catch your problem."

She noted the moment of sadness that flickered over his face and even if it pulled at her heart strings she wasn't going to back down on this. "It was not my intention to cause you harm. It was the most logical way to bring Aizen to justice with the least amount of casualties. I apologize if it continues to haunt you but I had to consider what was best for all of my subjects."

"That doesn't make it right." She frowned at the reasoning he was giving her, it was sounder than she expected him to have an excuse. "You could have told us."

"I wasn't aware as to who I could trust." He commented offhandedly. "Though that didn't go against our original arrangement. I did allow you to have the wedding in your world."

"That's not the point! Besides, I thought people died at the reception! It's not like it was happy good times! I'm not paying for services that were poor." She crossed her arms again, it seemed to help a little against the strange spell he had around him all the time. She was pressing her luck, she knew he could have killed her where she stood without much of a issue if he'd wanted. Or probably could have forced her to kiss him anyway or get others to hold he down for it...

He was watching her with that curious cant of his head that she thought was adorable but sort of didn't like to see. "You are refusing?"

"Hell yes I'm refusing." She put her hands on her hips the thought of crossing her arms forgotten. "You might be the Prince but you really gotta work on your business skills. You can't make bad deals with people where you fail to hold up your end and expect to be taken seriously as a ruler."

He wasn't reacting, much as she never seemed to be able to rile him, tonight was proving no different. The house they had walked through had left them in a breathtaking entry-room with a grand staircase leading to a second floor. It would have been lovely if she wasn't so distracted with the fact he was trying to force her into slavery after he had used her wedding as a complete ruse to catch someone out to get soul society.

"I will have to consider things." He finally offered in the same patient manner she was starting to really want to dislike more than she could actually manage to do so. "I will see you in two days then."

"You were right that I definitely was going to hate you more before we stopped knowing each other." She stormed out after snapping at him. Not noticing the slightly surprised and semi-hurt expression he looked after her with.

End Chapter

I'm glad so many people seem to like Kagome punching the Prince. I was glad to toss it in! :) The reviews make me feel all warm and fuzzy! Thank you for the feedback. Hope you continue to enjoy things as they unravel. I luvs all the reviews!

-Aura

To my reviewers:

Shrine Keeper Rei - Your desc of the 'battle' made me giggle.

Sugar0o - maybe brother/sister in a love/hate way eventually. He pisses Kagome off so entirely.