Author's Note: Ugh, so sorry for the delay. I have been so incredibly sick this past month and nothing I wrote made any sense. Editing has been a nightmare. But they're finally here! Not only do I have a new chapter for you, but I have a special bonus fic available! Waiting for You is the companion story to Dreaming of You and is set in Kagome's time with older Sesshoumaru. It won't be updated very often, but when it is, I'll be sure to put a note here for anyone who's interested. Someone was curious about how the magic of the Dream Realm worked, and I touch on that a bit in there. In this chapter, though, I do touch on Kagome being the reincarnation of Kikyou, which answers another question someone else had. As a reminder, I want to keep this story as close to cannon as possible, which means the next few chapters will be angsty and painful. Some of the dialogue will be changed or omitted, but I want to limit that as much as possible. It will all work out in the end, I promise. Thank you all for the favorites, kudos, follows, and reviews!

~*Flame

Disclaimer: InuYasha & Final Act are all owned by Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan, Viz Media & Madmen Entertainment.

Chapter Eleven

I couldn't stop my eyebrow from raising, even if I wanted to. A well? She was distraught over falling down a well? Glancing over her body, I saw no broken bones, so clearly she wasn't severely injured. Was she still stuck down there and upset over her family's lack of assistance? "How terrible for you."

"You know what," Kagome jerked back, no longer distraught over her plight with the well and now fully irritated with me and my lackluster reaction to her dilemma. "I've had an awful day and your attitude isn't helping!" I raised an eyebrow as she smacked my arm. "You've no idea how scared I've been!"

"I can imagine all the little bugs in the well are quite terrifying." Much to her displeasure, I didn't flinch from her glare.

"Mistress Centipede was terrifying, but she wasn't even remotely little." My brows furrowed at her words. How could she know of Mistress Centipede? Inuyasha killed her decades ago when she yet again attempted to take the Shikon no Tama from the Miko. "I thought all youkai were like you; clearly, I was mistaken."

"Explain." It was an order more than a request. Her time was supposed to be safe and youkai free. Nothing she was saying made any sense. If she were in danger, I needed to know. There had to be something I could do.

"Oh, so now you want to hear about my adventure." She huffed and glared, taking the time to move back to lean against her boulder. "Why should I tell you? It's not like you care what happens to me." It had clearly been too long since we had seen each other. Normally her obstinance didn't irritate me so.

"Kagome." The warning in my voice held every ounce of annoyance I felt. It wasn't often I took this tone with her, but she should remember what it meant. I was done playing her games. If she didn't tell me what I wanted… what I needed to know, I would leave. It wasn't fair to her. By her own admission, her day had been awful. But it was no excuse. She knew very well how valuable my time was. She sighed, giving up the fight and nearly collapsing upon herself. Had the boulder not been there to hold her upright, I had no doubt she would have fallen to the ground in exhaustion.

"I was looking for Buyo in the well house when Mistress Centipede broke the seal on the old dry well and dragged me inside." There were so many things wrong with that sentence, but Kagome didn't give me a chance to dissect it. "It was strange. I didn't just fall to the ground. She dragged me into this weird, floaty space. I was terrified, so much so that my hand started glowing. It hurt her… I don't know how, but it did. Whatever it was, it helped me get away." It sounds like she unlocked her reiki. Not all that surprising, considering her family and where she was living. But she shouldn't have needed it. Her powers should have stayed dormant throughout her lifetime.

"When I finally landed at the bottom of the well and dragged myself out of it, everything was different." Her arms wrapped around herself as she remembered those first few moments. "If it weren't for the Goshinboku I would have thought I was in another world entirely." I narrowed my eyes at her, trying to figure out where this story was going.

"It might as well be," she groused. "The villagers that found me there captured and tied me up! I wasn't even doing anything wrong! At least not to them… I mean, I did play with that jerk's ears, but that's beside the point. They had no right to kidnap me!"

"Kagome." I had to stop her ramblings and get her focused back on her story. I didn't really have the time to let her digress as much as she was keen to.

"Sorry," She blushed but got back on track. "Anyway, Mistress Centipede came back, spouting more nonsense about the Shikon no Tama and destroyed a lot of their village. She was after me, so I ran." The Shikon no Tama? But how? When the Miko passed, she took that cursed gem with her. There's been no news of the Shikon since that day. How was Kagome connected?

"I had made it back to the Goshinboku by the time she caught up to me. If it wen't for freeing that jerk who refuses to call me by my name, I would have been a goner. Especially after Mistress Centipede ripped out whatever this Shikon no Tama is from my side." What was the Shikon in her body? That only made sense if… I stared at my longtime friend in a different light. I had seen Kikyou a few times from afar, and I suppose there were some similarities between them, especially in the bone structure of their face. Could it be that Kagome was the reincarnation of Kikyou? It would explain the tie with the Shikon and why the villagers captured her instead of killing her outright. Not that it really mattered.

Kagome and Kikyou might share a soul, but that didn't make them the same person. Their own experiences shaped who they were, not who their soul used to be. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't picture Kagome killing youkai as ruthlessly as Kikyou had. She was too kind-hearted.

"It didn't take him long to defeat Mistress Centipede, which was great. Except then he turned on me! Honestly, if I hadn't tripped when I did, I would be dead right now. You could have warned me that other youkai aren't nice like you."

"This Sesshoumaru isn't nice." She had the audacity to roll her eyes.

"You are to me." I couldn't really refute that. Not that I actually wanted to.

"Where are you now?" She shrugged, making me want to growl. It was clear that somehow she had traveled through time. I had no idea if she was in the same time period I was currently in, if I had missed her in the past, or if she was still in my future. I doubted even she knew. But regardless of when she was, I needed to know she was safe. She had already had too many brushes with death than I was comfortable with, and with the Shikon in her possession, that would only get worse. I was just selfish enough to hope that she was somewhere within the West so I could protect her. If she wasn't… no matter how badly I wanted it to be otherwise, my hands were tied. Even if she was in the West, there was a limit to what I could do. The life of one person could not outweigh the lives of the rest.

For the first time in my life, I truly understood how Father felt. For centuries I condemned his choice, yet here I stood, my first instinct to follow in his footsteps and protect Kagome at all costs. It was a choice I couldn't afford to make. I failed the West once already with the numbers lost against the Panthers. I could not turn my back on my people again. But I could return to my hunt for Tessaiga. With Father's fang, I might just have enough power to protect both the West and Kagome. Until then, I would have to have faith that Kagome could take care of herself. She was a Miko, after all.


I stood at the edge of a cliff, staring at the moon and struggling against my instincts. I yearned to be by Kagome's side and craved the blood of all those that dared to harm her. Even Jaken was overly cautious when approaching me. My temper was short and even I knew I was being more vicious than was normal.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, forgive me for asking, but where are we going?" It was rare for him to speak up, more often than not receiving a rock to the head for his question. But not today. I was in no mood to pull my punches, as Kagome would say. As much as I tried to get him to leave my side for his own good, I didn't want to kill him by mistake. Enough Western blood stained my claws; I needn't add to it. Instead of answering, I turned from the cliff, continuing to the one place in the West I've been avoiding; Father's human grave.

I doubted it would be the resting place of Tessaiga, but I was hoping for at least a clue. Out of everything, I never expected for the Nintoujou to rip itself from Jaken's grasp and lead the way to the gravesite. I should have known better. The whole reason for obtaining the Nintoujou was because it was the key to retrieving Tessaiga from its hiding place. What surprised me was that it seemed to be leading us there. This wasn't Father's true resting place but more of a marker where the humans he had grown so close to could pay their respects. But watching the Nintoujou float up the hill, passing the various jagged rocks protecting the site, caused strange emotions to swirl within me.

At the end of his life, many saw Father as a traitor to the West. All the centuries of good he did mattered not. When news of his death reached those still stinging from his betrayal, they stripped everything they could of his memory. The Western Fortress and all other barracks I had visited over the years were barren of all reminders of the Inu no Taishou. This gravesite might be all that's left of his once great legacy. Even then, it had only taken two short centuries for one of the greatest youkai to become nothing more than a memory. Was this how youkai were nothing more than fanciful legends in Kagome's time?

Jaken finally caught up to the Nintoujou, claiming the staff in his hands at the crest of the hill. "Wh—why!" He turned back, calling after me, excitement trembling in his voice. Though continuing at my leisurely pace, it didn't take me long to reach him.

"Is it here?"

"Yes." He turned back, eyeing the grave, looking for anything out of the ordinary. "The staff pointed in this direction, then lodged itself by this tomb. We'll check it immediately." I suppose I couldn't blame him for being so excited. This quest for Tessaiga has been the only thing I've allowed him to aid me in since the Panter war. Staying back, I watched Jaken scurry to the base of the tomb, still not fully expecting for the quest to end this day. Before he could reach the structure, the growls of wolves filled the air. Pulling up short, I could smell the fear wafting off my retainer as he stared at the predators before him.

"Why would beasts protect a tomb?" Why indeed? If Tessaiga wasn't here, perhaps there was a clue where to look next after all. I'd be my left arm Myouga was hiding among those wolves. "Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken turned his attention from the wolves as he heard my footsteps joining him. "This is it! There's no mistake!" Jaken was more than capable of taking care of the wolves himself, but he would likely send Myouga to the underworld in the process. He would be the one holding the clue to Tessaiga so I couldn't allow that to happen. As if sensing my intention, Jaken ran behind me to give me the room needed to take care of the furry threat. His shooing of the beasts did little but entice them further as we strode deeper into their midst. Finally standing in the center of the wolves, I looked around wondering which of them carried the old flea.

"The fang…" I spoke for Myouga's benefit. "I search for the fang. Once I possess it, I will be able to transform myself into an even greater power!" I paused long enough to give Myouga a chance to respond. But there was nothing. Not even Father's most cowardly of retainers believed I was worthy enough for Tessaiga and the strength it would grant the West. Lowering my head, I fought against the sense of shame that filled me. What would it take to prove them wrong?

"It seems my power is still insufficient, I'm still too naive." Isn't that want everyone believed when they looked upon me? Everyone but Kagome. Lifting my head, I couldn't stop the small smile from turning my lips at the thought of how incensed she would be, hearing how unsure of my own abilities I was being. "Am I unsure of myself? No… I just don't know my limits." Saying it out loud made it seem more real… more truthful. It also gave Myouga one final chance to respond. With his silence, I raised my hand, an eerie green glow appearing as my Dokkasou gathered in preparation for my light whip.

All the wolves leapt toward me, but it was too late. Their lives were already forfeit. My whip shot out and with the wolves coming from all sides, I spun. Light whirred around, cutting into the beasts as they drew nearer. I knew Myouga was long gone and had been the moment my hand began to glow. I felt no remorse as I added a bit more Dokkasou to the whip and watched as some wolves disintegrated into small bits of flesh to fall among the other corpses strewn across the ground.

Without the wolves snarls, the night fell into silence once more. "Jaken…" I called, breaking the silence, and for the first time, it felt almost like we were intruding upon a sacred place. It wasn't the blood that soaked the earth, but the sound of the living that brought out the sense of phantoms watching our every move. I wondered how many humans avoided this area now with Father nothing more than a legend believing it to be haunted? Regardless, we needed to learn the secrets this place was hiding about the resting place of Tessaiga. "The Nintoujou." Without further hesitation, Jaken ran past me, his voice accepting the command, keeping the silence at bay. As quickly as he could, the imp scurried up the stone pillar and destroyed the small wooden shrine with the staff. Using his foot to clear a space from the debris, Jaken finally placed the end of the staff upon the stone tomb itself. We both stared in rapt attention as the female head lifted before opening its eyes and shrieking.

I wasn't surprised. The main reason I never checked here before was simply that, other than being created by that woman, this place held no ties for Father. This wasn't even where he fell.

"The female's face is screaming." Jaken oh so helpfully pointed out the obvious. He started looking around, as if searching for something he missed. "Does that mean this is not the tomb you seek?" One couldn't fault him for his wish for it to be otherwise. Turning from his antics, I left the tomb. Clearly wandering about like this wasn't productive. I needed a clue. Perhaps now Bokusenou would be more amenable to sharing his knowledge? Jaken shouted after me only a moment before his distinct footsteps followed in my wake.

But before I could reach Bokusenou's grove, the state of the world as I knew it changed.

Out of nowhere, the sky lit up with streaks of vibrant pink, as if the heavens themselves were cracking through the sky. The light glittered over the trees, reaching far across the whole of Nihon. As if that strange phenomenon wasn't enough, only moments after the glittering pink light faded from view an Oni stumbled into my path.

The creature was clearly mad; eyes glazed over, drool sliding down its chin to splatter upon the earth below. Its movements were bizarre, almost as if it had no control over what its limbs were doing. I barely moved to the side in order to dodge the sloppy attack from the beast.

"Allow me, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken focused on the Nintoujou, forcing the head of the old man to spit fire at the Oni. The shriek could be heard for miles as the creature burned to ash. The whole encounter made no logical sense. Most creatures as weak at the Oni did everything in their power to avoid me. Even as insane as this one clearly was, it should have valued its life more. Determined to put the strange encounter out of my mind, I moved to continue towards Bokusenou but stopped as something glittering snared my attention in the pile of ashes.

Curious, I sifted through the ashes until I found the shining object. Staring at the small shard in my claws, I idly wondered if this was what caused the Oni to lose its mind. It was likely connected to the strange light and could be very dangerous in the wrong hands. But keeping such a strange and potentially dangerous item on my person was not the wisest of decisions. Instead, it would need to be hidden away; kept safe until I could figure out what exactly it was. Walking up to one of the trees, not overly far from the ashes of the Oni, I forced the shard deep into the bark.

It was unlikely for others to find the shard hidden so openly. But to be safe, I used a small bit of my youki to place a barrier in the opening where the shard entered the tree. It wouldn't last forever, but hopefully long enough for me to speak to Bokusenou and find the Tessaiga before tackling this new threat to the West.

Thankfully, the rest of the journey to the old magnolia's grove was uneventful. The old youkai revealed himself as I stepped into his grove. Did that mean he was expecting my visit? It was more likely that he could sense my presence as I traveled through his roots that spread far and wide.

"I require information on the location of Father's tomb." Unlike last time, I refused to leave without what I needed. If that meant hacking down a few limbs, so be it.

Bokusenou started at me, feeling my intent and determining what exactly would placate me. Only the truth, and he should know that. "I have already told you that Tessaiga is not yours to wield." I glared at him. "Tell me, Sesshoumaru. Why do you search for Tessaiga?" I nearly snorted. What kind of question was that? Why else would I search for Tessaiga? Power, of course, but that wasn't what he was asking. Why was it I needed the power?

"To protect."

"You have been doing a fine job protecting the West; you do not need Tessaiga to continue." Not everyone would agree with him. I swallowed hard, hating what was about to come from my mouth, but if I wanted the knowledge he held so closely, I needed to reveal a secret of my own.

"It's not entirely for the West." Bokusenou's eyes widened in surprise. No doubt he believed that I only lived for the West. The wolds themselves would be seen as treason in Mother's eyes; and certainly not something he ever expected to hear from me. But then, the only one who knew about Kagome was Father, and he was long gone from this world. Whatever he saw as he stared at me must have told him not to push for more.

"Visible, but invisible. The true protector of the grave cannot see it." Must everything be a riddle? I growled. I should be grateful for the hint of the tomb's location; but I was frustrated. Tessaiga was the only way I could protect both the West and Kagome. If I couldn't find it, I would have to leave Kagome to fend for herself. She may be a Miko, but she didn't understand the dangers she could be facing. Her tale of the start of her adventure was enough to prove as much. Though, if she wasn't in this time, then it wouldn't really matter. But that was a risk I didn't want to take. Much like with our first meeting, Bokusenou returned to his rest before I had finished speaking with him. Sneering, I stormed out of the clearing.

Bokusenou truly wasn't much help. The riddle might have been more than I had before but it wasn't very useful. It still left me to wander. The only other area I could think to check would require a boat. Certainly I could fly or rather travel via my youki cloud. But Jaken could not. No matter how much better it would be for his health to leave my side, I would not abandon him. So a boat it was. I had Jaken search in another direction so we could find something sooner rather than later.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you looked at it, I discovered an army of humans camped along the shore of the very river I needed to travel. Not even bothering to keep my presence hidden, I walked right into the camp, introducing any of the samurai to my claws that dared confront me. The screams of the men who fell around me summoned their commander. The human looked like any other to me but was clearly the one in charge, as the men called out to him once he pushed through the circle of men surrounding me.

"Why you… Who are you?!" I didn't expect him to know who I was. I wasn't my Father, spending all his time amongst humans. It didn't bother me, nor did I feel the need to inform the human of who he was addressing. He really wasn't worth my time, but he had something I needed.

"A boat…" I looked at the human lord, attempting to be reasonable and give him a chance to keep his life. Unfortunately, the human only repeated my words, confusion clouding his vision. Clearly, I was too generous in estimating his intelligence. Or so I initially thought. After a brief hesitation, the human laughed.

"Who has the luxury to lend you a boat in the middle of a war!?"

"I want a boat." It was really their last warning and something I only gave them on the off chance that Kagome was in this time. It wouldn't do for her to lecture me upon the first meeting in the waking world.

"What?!" He shouted, running toward me in what was supposed to be an intimidating gesture. Humans were so shortsighted. Was the loss of one boart truly worth the lives of him and his men? Lunging at him, I grabbed him by the throat. The other soldiers must not have seen me move, as they were frozen in shock. Their leader dangled from my grasp only a moment before I felt the delicate bones of his neck snap against the unrelenting force of my grip. I watched as his eyes rolled back before I flung him into the very boats he was protecting.

Finally released from their frozen stupor, the warriors trained their weapons upon me, some shouting obscenities and threats after watching the one they pledged their lives and loyalty to so easily killed. It wouldn't be a challenge to slaughter them all, but I honestly didn't feel like doing so. All I wanted was a boat to continue my search for Tessaiga. Thankfully, Jaken appeared at that very moment, pushing through the tall grasses, my name upon his lips.

"I can't find any boats in this area!" The poor imp looked perturbed at the thought of failing me. Just as the words slipped out, he looked past the grasses to the very boats I was working on procuring. "So many boats! Leave it to Sesshoumaru-sama!" The confusion amongst the humans at Jaken's appearance was asinine. One even had the audacity to state what should have been obvious from the beginning and ask if I was mortal. Had none of these humans ever encountered a youkai before?

"Beast! We'll kill you!"

"Surround him!" A few warriors moved closer, but we were in no way surrounded. Jaken moved closer to me than they did. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with this at the moment.

"Jaken… I'll let you deal with them." I walked off at his excited assent and shouts of the humans prepared for battle. Their war cries quickly turned into screams of pain in the wind as I reached the bank of the river and the vast array of boats just waiting for my selection.

"It's over and done with, Sesshoumaru-sama!" I was already climbing a boat as he finished off the humans. "Please wait, Sesshoumaru-sama!" There was no need to shout. I was already planning on waiting for him. By the time I had settled at the front of the boat, Jaken had arrived and was scrambling over the side. Without a command, he placed the Nintoujou on the floor of the boat, exchanging it for the oar before pushing off the bank to start our journey up the river.

The further we traveled from the bank, the thicker the mist and fog over the river became. It wouldn't become an issue for navigating, but it would become an issue should any humans that survived Jaken's assault decide to follow.

"Sesshoumaru-sama…" The hesitation in his voice sparked my interest.

"What is it?"

"The location of the tomb. I believe that Inuyasha knows where it is."

"Inuyasha?" Without thinking or any kind of warning, I slapped Jaken harder than I had in a long while. He plunged into the river, the oar lost to us. As he came sputtering and splashing up for air, I forced him back under with the Nintoujou. He knew better than to mention that name. He was there for the Panther War and my failure. Had Inuyasha not have been so foolish, we would not have lost so many Western lives. Their blood stained his hands just as it did mine. "It's a name I'd rather not remember…"

"Please forgive me!" Jaken begged, as I continued to force him under the water, punishing him for daring to dredge up those memories.

"Besides, he is not alive." I had seen it myself. He was as good as dead pinned to that tree by the Miko. No one could free him from that prison. I sunk the staff deeper, forcing him further into the water. He was the one who brought the news to me. Did he not remember? "Do you not recall the spell cast upon him fifty years ago?"

"Yes… but I have heard that the spell was undone only recently." As more of a reaction, I pushed him deeper again. How could that be? Kikyou was the only one strong enough to release him… or she was. My blood ran cold as Jaken continued to struggle under the Nintoujou. It was Kagome. If the rumor was to be believed, she was in this time and she released Inuyasha from his half century slumber. Was he the jerk that nearly killed her? I'll kill him. Or at the very least, make him wish he were dead.

Jaken had continued to speak, but I paid him no mind. All my thoughts were with Kagome and the danger she was in. It wasn't until bubbles burst through the river and Jaken floated downstream with the current that snapped out of my musings. I really should have let him go sooner, and had meant to had I not been so distracted over my concern for Kagome. This was exactly why I couldn't travel by her side and protect her. Not as I was.

I let the current take the boat, giving Jaken time to recover and allow him back inside. Thankfully, it didn't take him long. With a west slap, Jaken pulled himself back inside the boat. Without a word, I handed him back the Nintoujou to use in place of the lost oar. We traveled in silence for the rest of the trip upriver, quite a feat for Jaken. Perhaps he would finally leave my side? The grind of the boat broke the silence as it came to shore. Neither of us cared about the condition we left the boat in, not in the way we had to procure it. Had the human just given us the boat as we requested, we would have let the river return it to them.

I didn't wait for Jaken as I exited the boat and began heading toward the woods, fully expecting him to part ways. I would need to figure out how to find Tessaiga without the Nintoujou, but I would cross that bridge when I came to it. Yet his telltale footfalls continued to follow. Why? I didn't deserve such loyalty, but it seemed I had it, regardless. If he truly believed Inuyasha held the key to Tessaiga, so be it. Let him prove it to me.

"Jaken." His footsteps instantly stopped.

"Yes, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"We will find out if Inuyasha knows the location of the tomb. I will leave this to you."

"I won't let you down, Sesshoumaru-sama!" I could hear the unshed tears in his voice and left him to devise his plan.


"Sesshoumaru!" I hadn't really intended on meeting up with Kagome this night, but I couldn't stop myself from worrying about her. I needed to see for myself that she was okay. She seemed to be in one piece, but only physically. As I moved closer to her, I could clearly see the distress in her eyes. She was not handling things as well as I had hoped. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Hn," There was no hiding the relief that washed over her while in my presence.

"I need your help." It wasn't too often she would ask for assistance anymore. Normally, she would just want an ear to listen to her complaints. But normally she wasn't stuck in the past fighting for her life. "I need to you train me with a bow." I raised at eyebrow at the request. Of all things, I was not expecting such a request. Though it was logical. She was a Miko and needed to protect herself outside of her reiki. Though Miko could really use any weapon, many preferred the distance the bow gave them.

"Bows are not as easy as they look."

"Oh, I know." She laughed ruefully, and I nearly winced. I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the story of how she learned this. Knowing her though, and her need to speak, I'd hear of it, regardless.

"Hn. Stay here." Leaving her in the grotto, I searched the trees for the perfect wood to carve into a bow. It wouldn't take too long, especially with my Dokkasou. How fitting to use the ability she helped me master upon our first meeting to help her, learn to protect herself.

After finding the perfect wood, I returned to the grotto to carve the weapon. Kagome was already sitting on her boulder, and I took up my typical place below it. I could feel her eyes on me as she watched me shape the branch into a long bow I've seen many other Miko use. "I shattered it." I didn't speak, knowing she'd continue. She knew I was listening to her, as I always did. "The Shikon I mean." Her head lowered, resting on top of my own. I paused in the carving, unsure of what she needed from me. It wasn't often I was this lost at what to do with her.

"I assume you plan on collecting the shards?" I felt her nod against my head and started carving again. "Then I shall make sure you are prepared to protect yourself on your quest." It didn't take me long to realize that the pink lights in the sky were the shards of the Shikon and the very shard I had burred in the tree was one of them. When it came time for her to search within the West, I would direct her to that spot. It would be safe until then.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru." Her voice was quiet, and without my youkai hearing, I wouldn't have been able to hear it. Did she think I wouldn't help? If I could, I would travel everywhere with her, but we both knew that was impossible. I could no more leave the West to fend for itself than I could travel by her side. But I could train her.

Reaching up, I pulled a few of my long, silver hairs to use for the bowstring. It was going to be thinner than the strings in the waking world, but it would be just as strong. Besides, it was muscle memory we were training. It would give her the resistance she needed to become a master in no time. I started on making a few crude arrows for her to practice with when she spoke up again.

"I killed someone today." Head jerking, I nearly head butted her in my haste to look at her after such a confession. "Yura of the Hair… She was going to kill Inuyasha and me. And I…" She looked down at her hands as though she could see the blood staining them. Dropping the half-made arrow, I took her hands in mine.

"And you protected yourself and your comrade." She looked up at me, tears swimming in her cerulean pools.

"But—"

"No." I griped her hands tighter, forcing the point home. "Youkai will feel no remorse for killing you." Moving one of my hands up to cup her cheek, I whipped away an escaped tear. "You do not need to strike first. But you should never feel guilt for protecting yourself and those you care for." If she was still by Inuyasha's side, she had likely befriended him. Meaning I couldn't kill him, but I could hurt him should I run into him.

"I know." Both of us could feel the trepidation in her words.

"Not yet, but you will. I do not expect you to become comfortable taking a life, nor would I want that for you. But there will be times you will have no other option." She just nodded, and I took that as a sign to return to the arrows. "Should you wish it, I can also train you on dodging."

"I'd like that." She sighed, resting her head on mine once more. Thankfully, it didn't take me much longer to finish the practice arrows.

"Come." I stood, handing the bow to her. She weighed it in her hands, a look of awe on her face.

"This is awesome, thank you." Turning her by her shoulders, I tried to get her to focus on the task at hand.

"Focus. I want you to aim at the tree in front of us." She stood in front of me in one of the worst stances I had ever seen, her feet too close together, back arched as she pulled back on the string, and her arm far too low. I couldn't stop the groan from escaping. "Feet shoulder width apart." I instructed, while tapping each of her feet with my own. She quickly adjusted as I moved closer to her, placing her back flush against my front. "Don't lean back. You want to keep your torso straight." I felt her breath quicken at my closeness. "And you want your hand holding the arrow along your jaw or right below your chin, depending on your bow." Moving her arm up, I also adjusted the elbow to be in line with the target. "Good. Now, shoot." I moved away, giving her the space she needed.

The arrow shot across the grotto, missing the tree completely.

Kagome slumped in defeat.

"Again." I ordered, passing her another crude arrow. She perked up, a look of surprise on her face. What did she expect? Me to berate her for her failed attempt? What need did she have of weapons before now? Of course I wouldn't berate her, especially as she was doing what she needed to and learn. She smiled, taking the arrow and moving back into her stance. Already she was showing improvement and for the first time since I learned of her arrival in the past, I relaxed. Perhaps she would be safe after all, even without me by her side.