In The Blood
By: Ryu Katanna
Beta:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter Four
"Yusuke, you idiot! Would you just listen for once!" Kagome yelled as she glared at the other teen.
It had been almost two months since she had come to Makai and been reunited with her twin. The training they had both undergone since then had been intense and she knew she was seeing the results in both of them. She understood her capabilities as a demon more now and was learning quickly how to manipulate her youki in battle. Raizen's followers had been pushing them both to their limits daily, and Yusuke had been benefitting greatly from the training as well.
Now they were training to control their form as both of their youki flared around them and they allowed their demonic heritage to show. Yusuke's hair would grow to be almost as long as hers when they had first started, but now he could stop it from growing out when he used his power. Before, when his hair had grown out, they would look almost like mirror images of each other if not for their markings. Kagome's own Mark of the Mazoku was more of a green than the dark blue of her brother's, and that wasn't the only difference they had found. Hers wrapped upward around her arms in a jagged pattern on her forearm as Yusuke's did, but the difference was in their shoulders and face. Yusuke's formed a circle with another mark under it while Kagome's only showed two more jagged marks that made their way over her collar and connected both sides just above her breasts. A star centered between the lines. Yusuke's marks on his face came in two markings just under his eyes while Kagome's were more similar to Raizen's. A teardrop pattern within that lined just under her left eye.
"Oh, shut up already!" Yusuke yelled back at her where she was watching.
Kagome shook her head as she watched Hokushin knock Yusuke flat on his ass. Again. As many times as she tried to correct him on his stance her brother just wouldn't listen. What was the point in teaching him a bit of the taijiya fighting style if he refused to follow what she told him?
Instead, he lashed out blindly as she had seen Inuyasha do in the past. That was something that had been beaten out of her while sparring with Sango and Sesshomaru. If you couldn't be centered and calm enough to read your opponent's moves then you expended more energy in less damaging attacks. It was a discipline that had been beaten into her, but no matter how much she tried to teach her brother, he still attacked wildly as he let his emotions take over.
Shaking her head she turned away from watching them spar to look back at Seitei as she adjusted her sword on her hip. Since coming here to train she had started wearing a training gi that was similar to her brothers. Hers showed vastly more skin as her top was strapless and only big enough to cover what needed to be covered for modesty's sake. She had found this preferable when training under the hot Makai sun than the black material of her armor that covered her so completely.
"I'm going to visit father for a bit. Can you correct that idiot when he finally mellows out? You know enough of the stances from training with me. He just doesn't think he should listen because I'm the one saying it." Kagome grumbled as she spoke to Seitei before turning and walking toward Raizen's tower.
"Of course, mistress." Seitei said with some amusement as he continued watching Hokushin knock Yusuke around.
Giving only a nod in response Kagome started walking toward the tower where she knew she would find Raizen. Visiting him at least for a little bit every day had become part of her routine whenever she took a break from her training. They got along well together, and she found herself comfortable with him as he reminded her of the past she had been forced to leave behind. He had lived through that time and so could relate to her on things that had happened then. Kagome had come to respect him greatly through their talks. Over the last months that she had been here she had settled into her new life comfortably and found she enjoyed his presence. It was starting to feel more and more like home to her here.
Knocking softly on the door she waited for him to grant her entrance into the throne room. When no call came Kagome grew concerned. Knocking a little louder she felt as his massive energy shuddered through the air around her. Following this, she opened the door only to give a small gasp of concern at what she found.
"Father!" Kagome called out before shutting the door behind her and moving quickly to his side.
Raizen's body was trembling in pain as he clenched his teeth but remained sitting upright in the same strong posture as he usually did. The pain only showed in the trembling through his muscles and the clench of his jaw. Kagome did not touch him but waited for it to pass. If she touched him now then his demonic nature could cause him to snap defensively, and she knew he would not have wanted to hurt her.
'Midoriko! Is there anything? Anything at all I can do to help him?' She called out to the Miko in her mind.
It took a minute before she received a response.
'For a demon who has found sustenance only through human flesh that has refused sustenance for so long then there is not much that can be done. You can only ease his pain and possibly extend the time until his death, but it will not be enough to sustain him forever. He would need to consume human flesh for that.' Midoriko's voice chimed softly in warning as she told her this.
'What can I do?'
'Pig flesh is close to human but holds many impurities that would make it hard on his system with how starving he is. If you purify these impurities with your reiki and then infuse it with your youki then it may be enough to help ease the pain. So close to starvation it will not help him recover. You will also tire more quickly as well as you will be transferring a bit of your strength away to him this way.'
'Transferring my strength?'
'Yes. You will need to remain in contact with him for a few hours after each meal to stabilize your youki as his body absorbs it. This will drain you in that time because you will need to keep the flow of youki consistent to stabilize him.' Midoriko confirmed before her presence faded once more.
Looking at her ancestral father in front of her, Kagome knew she had already made up her mind. Through the time she had spent with him, she had found him to be honorable and worthy of the respect she felt for him. That he had starved himself for hundreds of years because of a vow he made showed that he did indeed hold a great deal of honor. Sesshomaru had taught her the true meaning of such and Raizen reminded her of that as she watched and spoke to him. No one deserved to suffer the way she was seeing he did.
"I will return shortly." She murmured before turning on her heel and heading back to the training grounds.
When she reached Yusuke, Hokushin, Seitei, and the others she was not surprised to see her brother taking a break. They had been training since before dawn, and it was now well into the afternoon.
"Hokushin! Seitei! I need to speak with you both. Yusuke, you come with us as well." Kagome said as she called them away from the others in the group.
Leading them to a private room in the tower she turned and secured the door before placing a barrier. She was determined that no one outside this room know what she was to tell them. Turning away from the sealed door she took a seat before motioning to the others around the table. She knew Hokushin and Seitei would not go against her on what she had decided because it benefitted their King, but Yusuke wouldn't like it. Her plan would leave her weakened for an unknown length of time.
"What is it Kagome? I thought you went to visit the old man?" Yusuke asked impatiently as he kicked back in his chair.
"He is indisposed at the moment. I have come to a decision, and this does not leave this room. Father will be the only other one to know as it concerns him." Kagome told them before continuing as she looked at Seitei and Hokushin.
Both had been assigned to them to help with their training and prepare them for the inevitable upheaval that Raizen's death would cause. Seitei and Hokushin had been entrusted with their growth by Raizen, and so she knew they would not betray her now. Not when it came to the King they followed with such devotion.
"He is in pain from starvation, and I know a way I can help to ease it. It may even give him and us more time, but it is not enough to stop what has already started." She said to looks of surprise from the other three.
"What do you mean?" Yusuke asked with some suspicion.
"I mean that I can help him, but it will leave me weak for a time. I will likely be too tired to train as I do now as I would not be at full power." Kagome replied to see them look at her in concern.
"How would it leave you so tired?" Seitei questioned.
"Pig meat is as close to human as one can get only it contains impurities to yokai that could be hard on his system because it's weakened by starvation. If I purify the impurities and then infuse the meat with my youki then I can effectively strengthen him. I would have to act as a stabilizer while his system works to accept my youki. During that time I would be vulnerable as the process would take a consistent flow of energy. I would need to maintain skin contact to do so." She told them and waited as they thought about what she was saying.
"It would not save him, but spare him the pain from the starvation. Is that what you're saying?" Hokushin asked her with an intense look of contemplation.
"Yes." Kagome confirmed before Yusuke spoke up sharply.
"No."
Looking at her brother Kagome felt herself purse her lips. She should have known he would be against this. As Raizen's heirs, they both were expected to take on certain responsibilities. Raizen was still a King of Makai. They were both expected to pick up everything after his death for the benefit of those who resided in the territory of Tourin. As the two expected to take over they had clashed over a few issues already. Even still, Yusuke was the one they expected to take on more of the responsibilities as the male, and therefore the next King while she acted as an advisor.
Kagome knew very well of Yusuke's plans. He had no intention of staying in the demon world. He had told her of his promise to Keiko and while he was learning what he was expected to he did not truly care for what they were being taught. This had caused the two to be on opposing sides a fair few times now. Kagome had no intention of leaving like he did. If he did leave then it would all fall to her to look after Raizen's territory and the demons living there after his passing and to balance out the power struggle with the other two Kings.
"If you don't like it then that is your opinion, but I have already decided. It may not be much, but it will ease his final weeks or months. It may also give us more time so that we're better prepared for the aftermath. His life is the only thing that stays the hands of the other two Kings from acting at the moment. Neither of us is ready to defend Tourin against them yet. Seitei, I trust that I can count on your assistance in this matter?" Kagome asked him as she looked at the demon sitting in almost awe to her right.
Sesshomaru had taught her well how to speak as to demand respect, and it had not failed her. What she had not known then was that she would one day emulate him. She addressed Seitei as he had been the one assigned to her by Raizen as Hokushin had been assigned to Yusuke. She had started to consider this place her home, and she would defend this territory even if it meant going against her own brother to do so. She did not want that. She wanted them to work together, but they could not seem to agree on anything lately.
Kagome knew what Yusuke's problem with her plan was. By easing Raizen's pain she would not be at full strength. It could be a danger to her if the wrong people were to find out and manage to slip into the territory. She also knew that her brother had not yet found his answer, and it made him uneasy at times. He had no reason to fight, but his demonic blood called to him to do so.
Female Mazoku did not seek fights as much as the males did, but even their blood craved for battle. The difference was that the battles of a female were often a lot more subtle than the males. She had plenty to fight for. Kagome could be just as hot-headed as her brother. She just knew that there were other ways to win a fight and still get the end result she desired.
Kagome had been fighting all this time to reclaim the jewel. Now that was over she had found several more reasons to continue fighting. This was the demon world, and she would have to fight to survive. Her friends and son were here somewhere, and she was determined that she would find them. She had come to respect Raizen, and in turn care for him and the people under his rule. She was also the Guardian of the Shikon and would have to protect the secret of its continued existence.
Yusuke had yet to find that. For now, he was only going through the motions in his desire to best Raizen. While Kagome had appreciated their demonic father's assistance on her waking Yusuke had not. After hearing the story from Yusuke she had understood both his as well as Raizen's reasons. Yusuke was just so blinded in his aggravation that he failed to understand Raizen.
"Of course, Miss Kagome. If this is what you feel is best, and the King agrees with your plan then I will support you." Seitei confirmed with a pleased upturn of his lips and nod of his head.
"No, Kagome! There are too many risks. With your energy depleted then how will you defend yourself if you need to? You still have training of your own. I know you. You try to help others, but ignore the risks to yourself!" Yusuke argued as she knew he would only to receive a shake of her head.
"I will be tired, Yusuke, but I can still train. Just not as much as I do now. I already know I still have improvements to make, but this will buy us time. Precious time for both of us. I will only be left vulnerable for the few hours while stabilizing our father, and even hen, he is powerful enough to protect me while I am at his side. If you are so worried then assign a guard regiment to the tower of only those you believe we can trust for that time." Kagome replied as she provided what she thought was a reasonable solution that could satisfy her brother.
Yusuke rocked back roughly in his chair as she shot him down. He knew that this was one argument she would not concede. She had thought it out. Kagome had come to look at Raizen as their true father, and he knew it. His sister was just as stubborn as he was. She had made up her mind and wouldn't budge now no matter what he said to her.
"Hokushin?" Yusuke looked to his own right for an opinion.
"Kagome's argument is sound, Yusuke. I would like us to also support her in this."
Yusuke growled low to himself as he knew it was true. He had lost this one, but she had told him he could deal with her protection at such times. He would take full advantage of it. She would not be left unprotected from even Raizen while she was vulnerable.
"Fine, but Hokushin and Seitei will stay outside the throne room as a precaution. I will be inside with you in case something goes wrong with the old man. I won't agree to your plan any other way, and I mean it." Yusuke told her as he watched her relax minutely at his terms.
"That's fine, Yusuke. If you think that's what is best then I won't fight you on it. You know I hate fighting with you, but I will not ignore how I feel." Kagome relented and they could both see Hokushin and Seitei relax a bit in relief.
They had half expected the room to be in shambles before the two teens were done. The last argument had been over how revealing Kagome's training gi was, and they had destroyed two buildings before they had settled with Kagome as he victor in the arguement. It was their hope that eventually, the two would learn to work together, but they often clashed, and a lot of the time it was over small things. However, they always worked things out, and the two could still make up just as quickly as things seemed to go south.
"I guess we'll need to get the pigs first." Yusuke said as he moved on.
"Alive so they're fresh." Kagome added to which Yusuke nodded in agreement.
"Right. Hokushin…"
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A/N: Hey everyone. Hope you liked this chapter. We have one more in the weekly updates before it'll be one or two a month. I will address one of the reviews for the last chapter now though.
I've had someone who only signed as Guest comment about how my writing needed work, the chapter being rushed, and how I glossed over the 'bare minimum'. Well, let me say this now. My writing is fine. If you have a problem then don't read my works. Notice how the space for Beta is blank? My twin, Mouko, hasn't gotten to it yet.
As for the chapter being rushed. Think about it. Different chapters are of different lengths. It was in no way rushed. I read through every chapter a minimum of five times after the original type up just to be sure everything I wanted in that chapter is there.
As for glossing over the minimum, if you're talking about Kagome and Yusuke's backstories from the shows, then yes, I glossed over it. I hate when I read a story and the author/ess types up the entire thing when anyone who's watched the show already knows it. If you haven't watched the show then that is not my problem.
That's all I have to say about that. I also have a lot of people asking about the pairing. I'm currently working on chapter fourteen, and the way things are going it'll be a Kurama/Kagome. The idea I have will span over years and years so that may be Youko/Kagome later on after his human vessel passes. I'm not writing this as Youko and Shuichi being two separate entities. I have never read the manga so I don't know if that is how he is portrayed there, but in the anime, he never speaks as if the two are separate, but one and the same. The pair even took me by surprise as it's just kinda happening that way.
Thanks for all the reviews, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will have more family time with Raizen and Yusuke. Til next week…
~Ryu
Edited: 06/22/2023
