InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Decisions of the Heart ❯ Kagome’s Training, Part One ( Chapter 9 )

Decisions of the Heart

Chapter Nine:

Kagome's Training, Part One

WARNING: KAEDE AND KIKYO ARE OOC IN THIS CHAPTER!

Kagome's eyes showed nothing but a mixture of terror and anger. Inuyasha jumped in front of her, shielding her from view.

"You won't harm Kagome!"

"I have killed you once, I will not hesitate to do it again."

"SIT!" * SLAM * Kagome obviously had a plan, so Inuyasha shut up. "You are more cowardly than I thought, Kikyo."

"How so?"

"You want to kill me, but I don't have anything to defend myself with!" She paused, looking thoughtful for a moment.

"So you are suggesting a battle?"

"Of course."

"You will show up this time in exactly one week, at the god tree." With that, she started to walk away.

Inuyasha attempted to speak several times, but couldn't gather the words.

"What's wrong?"

"Y-you're risking your life for me. Kikyo could easily--"

"There it goes again! I think I know by now that Kikyo is better than I am in everything, OK?"

"I didn't say that wench!"

"SIT BOY!" She started to stop away. Inuyasha pried himself from the ground, and glowered at her retreating back.

"Where are you going?"

"That's none of your business!"

* * *

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" the old priestess asked, as she expertly plucked herbs from her small garden outside her hut.

"Yes, I alright agreed to it. Inuyasha will die if I don't at least try!" Kagome was upset. Why had she agreed to that battle with her carnation? Of course she knew that Kikyo was better with the bow and much stronger, but she couldn't bear to think of what would of happened to Inuyasha if she hadn't stepped up to Kikyo!

"Aye. So, your training starts tomorrow. Dawn. Don't be late."

* * *

Kagome had returned to her house for the night. Hoping Inuyasha would not see her sneak away, she had crept stealthily to the well, but she walked right into something hard, solid, and very tall.

"Ow," she rubbed her head. "Oh, Inuyasha. . .I--"

"Who told you you could go home?" he snapped.

"I'm not your slave ya know! I can do what ever I want!"

"Why do you need to go back ~there~ anyways?" he grumbled.

"I have to start my training very early, and I want to sleep in my own bed!"

"But--"

"I promise, it'll just be for the night, OK?"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No!"

"SIT!" * WHAM * ~I'll have to thank Kaede for those beads!~ "See ya Inuyasha!" With that she hopped through the well

* * *

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

Kagome pried her face from her pillow and sleepily looked at the alarm clock.

"Mmm. . .only 4:30, plenty of time to. . ." Her head thudded back against the pillow, but a second later, she shot up. "4:30! OH NO! I'M LATE!" Kagome ran around the room, hurriedly stuffing on a pair of jean shorts and a light t-shirt and crammed a few things in her backpack.

"I hope Kaede isn't mad!"

~*~

"She should have been here by now. . ." Inuyasha turned from the old woman she see Kagome running up to him, panting, wiping her mangled hair from her tired eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry Kaede! My clock was all wrong and--"

"No excuses, child." She saw Inuyasha smirk arrogantly at her. "Kikyo was never late when the High Priestess Kahori trained her." Kagome sighed. ~Will I ever be better than Kikyo in anything?~

"Kaede, I'm sorry, it won't happen again." A small frown crossed the hag's wrinkled face as she brushed away the girl's apology.

"Aye, let's hope not. Now, we must begin. Inuyasha," her gaze shifted to the hanyou. "I would advise you not to follow."

"Why not. It's my fault--"

"No." Her dark eyes were stern.

"Yeah, whatever!"

* * *

"First, you must go along with the special water rite."

"Water wha?" She shook her head.

"You must cleanse your body from all impurities."

"Is this part of the training?" Kaede nodded.

"Over there." She pointed to a hot spring covered with little shrubs.

"Now I understand why you didn't want Inuyasha to come." Kagome started to gather her shampoos and soaps.

"None of that rubbish."

"R-rubbish! This is what I use to clean!" Kaede shook her head again.

"No, no. That over there is a sacred spring. Only one pure and courageous of heart with magic powers flowing through their veins may enter it. You will foul up the water with those items." Kagome frowned. She was starting to dislike this training stuff already.

"Alright." She reluctantly stuck her beauty products back in the bag and took out a towel."

Kagome inched slightly hesitantly towards the spring. She quickly shed her clothing and timidly slipped in. It felt good, letting the hot water slip around her body and melt off some of the sweat she had accumulated during their hike(Imagine Kaede hiking! Lol!) She was so absorbed in her thoughts, she didn't realize something was watching her. Suppressing a hiss, it flew away.

She quickly toweled off and tugged on her school uniform, she had grown rather fond of it, how loyally it served her through her adventures. Smiling, she met Kaede in the field.

"Okay, child. I will only show you how to disarm your opponents. Even though my sister is only a mere shell of her former self, I do not want her killed by such an innocence. You will learn how to shoot regular arrows, and ones combined with your spiritual power. But, if I show you to much, then it wouldn't be quite as effective." Kagome, slightly puzzled, stared at the old woman.

"Now, to shoot ordinary arrows. See that tree over yonder?" She pointed to a slim sapling quite a distance away.

"How am I supposed to shoot that?"

"You must learn, if you wish to prevail."

"Okay." She gulped, took her bow and quiver of arrows from Kaede, and aimed. Closing one eye, she released the string. There was no THUD and the sound of splintering wood. The arrow had fallen short a couple of yards! ~Kikyo was able to do that on the first try. . .~

Kagome moaned irritably. ~I suck at this. . .~

"Do not grow frustrated. Remember, we have a whole week. Now, to aim, close the other eye, and shoot a little above the target or else it will hit a little below."(that's the truth though! Due to projectile motion, which brings the arrow down, if you aim directly at the target, you won't hit it, but a little below it. I are smart! Lol. I learned that in science, plus I am into archery, so I know it for a fact!)

"Ok." Kagome did as Kaede instructed, but her arrow did fall short, and landed right on top of her last one. "Oh man!"

"Remain calm. If you don't do anything else, relax and remain calm."

"But Kaede! I'm too far away," she whimpered.

"No, you must stay there. Now, do as I tell you, and try ~harder~!" Kagome squinted at the target. ~Maybe if I just add a little power. . .~ Without realizing it, her arrow started to glow. ~Kikyo couldn't do that until much later! Maybe this girl is even more powerful than my late sister!~

"No powers child!" Kaede snapped. "Wait until later!" Kagome jumped and blushed. The arrow dulled as she aimed again. Missed! She was being to get frustrated.

"Remember, become one with your bow and arrow!"

"How?"

"Figure it out." Kagome did as she was told and. . .THUD! She heard the splintering of wood. It had hit the gnarled roots of the tree.

"It hit it!"

"I meant the center of the tree, not the bottom." Kagome sweat dropped.

"Uh. . .yeah, I knew that!"

Kagome practiced until sundown. She was sweaty and tired and she just wanted to bathe and sleep. She started back towards the spring until she felt a crinkled hand on her shoulder.

"No child. You may only bathe once a day. You can't use it until tomorrow."

"Why?"

"The legend of this spring states that for it's good luck and purifying spells to work, the user much only cleanse in it once a day." Kagome slouched. She was icky and sweaty and hot and her muscles were wound in kinks.

"Oh. Can I take a bath anywhere else?"

"No," she said simply.

"Oh." ~Looks like this is gonna be a long week~

*~*

"Today you will be finishing up learning how to shot a non-moving obstacle then for the next few days, moving objects." Kagome nodded. Training was challenging, but fun and exciting.

Kagome stretched the string back as far as her arm's strength would allow, closed one eye, aimed a little above the same sapling, and released. THUD! The arrow hit dead center of the tree.

"Omigod! I did it! I really did it!" Kaede smiled at the bouncing child. ~And I do not believe that was pure luck, young Kagome~

"Now, you must split the arrow."

"What?" Kagome practically stopped in midair. "S-split that ARROW?" Kaede nodded simply.

"If you can accomplish that quite a few times, then that allow you to go on to moving obstacles."

"Ok. . .but Kaede. How did I do it on the first time?"

"You'd be amazed at what power you can obtain if you believe in yourself." (Corny but true)

"Oh." Kagome completed the same ritual and the splintering of wood echoed throughout the valley.

"YEAH!"

"Good. Now split that one."

"Yes Kaede." Kagome sighed, and pulled another arrow out of her quiver.

~*~

"Good! You have finished hitting non-moving objects. Now, we must work on moving ones." Kaede showed Kagome a two fistfuls of gleaming jet black raven feathers.

"W-what am I supposed to do with those?"

"Hit them, of course!"

* * *

Kagome stumbled back to the hut that day, worn to exhaustion, only to be met by an eager hanyou. Everyone else had fallen asleep.

"What's your problem?"

"I'm tired Inuyasha, leave me alone!"

"No."

"Inuyasha. . ." She was close to tears. He sensed this and stopped. It was always fun picking on Kagome, but even he knew when to quit.

"Whatever." But his stubbornness always stopped him.

"Sit." It was a quiet one, so he barely touched the ground, but nonetheless. . .

"Get back her wench!"

"Sit!" she yawned, and went to sleep.

~I just realized that all of my chapters are short, so I extended this one just because I'm a sweet, loving, caring person! SIKE! Anyway, please review cause it would make me happy and help me work and mold my story! See ya! Later days!~