InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ No Such Thing As Fate ❯ Nothing come's easy ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Hey everyone.

I got such a strong reaction from the last chapter I thought I should put up a new chapter before some one flames me about how horrible I was to Kagome and all that stuff. I realize that I put something in the last chapter that had people lunging at my throat in anger. Thats fine. Kagome isn't going to be beat like everyone seems to be thinking. Nobody is going to tie her up and beat her senseless. When my newest character Kuro said beating he meant that as in tough training that is going to hurt alot.

On the other hand thank you all for the reviews. If you haven't forgotten I thrive off them and I like some of the ideas people PM to me. Feel free to tell me what you think, criticism is good for every writer including me. Even just a nice review makes me jump around like an idiot crying. KURO IS NOT EVIL, he's just a little boy with issues. I'm only going to be given glimpse's of sesshomaru for a while but when he's here to stay everyone will know it. ummm yeah lets start the chapter.

This chapter has not been beta-ed but i'm working to fix that fact.

Chapter 7: The Temple of Light: Nothing come's easy.

Disclaimer:.....-sob- don't make me do it!!

It hurt; oh bloody hell it hurt like she couldn't believe. Her body ached in places that should never hurt the way they did at this moment. Three weeks of being chased around having warrior monks beat the shit out of her when she didn't hide properly or move quick enough to dodge. Three weeks of intense lessons on the writings and prayers, she needed to know. Three weeks of learning what she deemed a completely different language and learning the symbols everyone in the temple seemed to know but her. She hated it, she wanted to scream cry and beg to be let free but she had already tried that. She moaned and bit her lip to keep from screaming as she rolled over on her futon. She lifted her arm that trembled as her muscles burned from over exertion. The skin of her arm was black and purple.

“Jiji…” she sniffled, “Shippou…I miss you,” she rasped into the darkness of her room. Her arm gave out and fell back to the floor and she gave a muffled cry as her abused arm met the Tatami mat with a thud.

“Ugh!”

This was one of those times when she thanked god they had cut her hair off. She didn't have to struggle to brush it in the morning when she woke up.

As soon as she got the strength she was going to run away, she had made that decision long ago. The first two weeks she was always out long before they brought her to her room now she would make it to her bed, everyday at exactly nine…or was it eight…she had no sense of time in the temple. Anyway, she made it to her bed still awake and cursing the two guards who had to drag her through the halls by her bruised arms because she couldn't stand on her own. No matter how she tried to stay awake, a minute in her room and she was out like a light. She tilted her head up and stared at the ever-present incense filling the room with a light smelling scent.

She had a sneaking suspicion the incense is what kept her unconscious when she was in the room. Blinking warily to fight off the black creeping into the edges of her vision she glared at the harmless looking stick spiked with sleeping herbs. When she regained use of her arms, the first thing she was going to do was destroy the holder and incense, then maybe blow the temple to hell…yeah that sounded fun.

`Damn vision fading…I hate this, damn monks…damn Kuro, and I know he has something to do with this! Damn it…'

XXXXX

Jiji gasped and shot upright on his futon. Tangled black hair fell into his face and sweat ran down his face in thick droplets. He blinked slowly brushing the black locks from his face. He rubbed his face with a groan.

“What the hell was that?”

-FLASHBACK-

“I found you” chirped a child's voice.

Jiji spun around when he suddenly found himself in a small wooden shack like room staring at a wooden door. Of course, he opened it and stepped out. His breath caught in his throat and finding the source of the child's voice was suddenly the farthest thing from his mind.

“I- I can see it, it's beautiful” he sputtered in shock as he took in the extravagant garden he had stepped out to. The colors of the flowers, the small Koi pond with giant golden Koi, the meticulous way every rock was placed, and the way and the sun shone on them warming the area making it glow with life.

He stood a moment just gapping at his surroundings.

“I thought you might like this, I had to find something pleasing to shock you. I don't need to wake up with a hole through my chest.”

Jiji's wide eyes darted to the suddenly much closer voice.

There was a young boy standing on the porch right beside him with closed eyes and a small smile on his face.

Jiji immediately tensed and stepped away from the child that had appeared at his side.

He recognized that energy and he did not like the person it belonged to one bit,

“You!”

The boy opened his eyes and glanced at Jiji giving the old youkai a glimpse of grey eyes. “Hakui-sama please calm down, if you attack me I can't tell you about Kagome-sa-"

The boy gagged as a hand clamped around his throat and lifted him to the eye level of one very pissed of wolf.

“Where is Kagome?” Jiji asked in a quiet voice.

The boy whimpered and dug his blunt human nails into Jiji's wrist; “If you snap my neck I can't tell you anything” he chocked struggling for breath.

Frustrated, he tossed the child to land on the porch.

“Talk,” he barked.

The boy wheezed from his position on the floor and glanced at Jiji with a strange expression, “I was under the impression you weren't as wild and violent as your mother”

Jiji shrugged and the boy paled when the male wolf lifted a foot as if to squash the boys head.

“You would attack me,” the boy rasped uncertainly as he coughed to clear his throat.

“Maybe you should take me to Kagome, she'd answer that question quickly enough to warn you before I splattered your brains across the porch `little human'.” The boy scowled in Jiji's direction, but not directly at him.

Jiji paused, “Your blind aren't you, just like me when I'm not in this place…” he trailed off a bit.

“Of course I'm blind just like you” the boy smirked as he paused for dramatic effect. Jiji seemed uncertain but wisely chose to step back to observe the child. It wasn't as if the boy could escape from him, especially since he could see in this strange place. He grinned cheekily as he eyed the lovely bruise growing around the boys pale throat.

The child didn't see the expression but instead was climbing to his feet. He turned to Jiji with a knowing smile, “Because we are similar in nature.”

Jiji frowned but let the boy continue, “I am an unnatural occurrence on the mortal plain for I am a very powerful and old god and will always have a disability of some kind from forcing my power and knowledge into a human's body. I will never have site while in a human's body.” Jiji shifted uncomfortably as he came to terms with the fact he had attacked an unknown god but he quickly brushed the concern off. He did it for Kagome and any cub that belonged to him was well worth the trouble.

“You on the other hand are the result of a fire spirit and a wolf that could wield water,” the boy chuckled quietly making Jiji glare. “Not only did your parent's powers clash horribly, so did the genetics. You're an unnatural occurrence like me though there are more of those like you out there” the young Kami trailed off tapping his chin teasingly.

Jiji turned away looking rather sour.

“I know you didn't believe you were actually a normal wolf,” the boy scolded smiling in amusement. Jiji looked to the Koi pond silently to gather his thoughts.

“I always wished and hoped…but I knew I would never be normal like the other clansman that's why I separated myself from them,” he murmured quietly.

The boy giggled sinisterly, “You are as much a fire spirit as your mother, half a fire spirit is still a fire spirit. You are a force of nature, what other person do you know could learn to use both fire and water. If the circumstances were, different you would only be able to use one ability, yet you have use of both. Of course you knew this, that's why you haven't bragged your abilities to your clan.”

Jiji felt like a child being scolded, and he stifled the urge to ring the boys' neck “I didn't tell them because even something so trivial would scare my brother off. He is all I really have left in terms of blood family. He's a little slow but not stupid, for clashing elements to work together in my body is just…”

“Unnatural? Even for a demon…yes I know”

Jiji crossed his arms over his chest and huffed a bit. He was standing in a beautiful garden, able to see properly for the first time in his life, and this little bastard was ruining the moment.

“I want Kagome where is she,” he demanded trying to get attention away from himself and find the missing girl.

“Kagome is in a…training program of sorts,” the Kami murmured to the `older' male.

“Training?”

“Hai, I realize that I need to keep you updated on the girl if I want you to listen to me,” Jiji snorted but otherwise remained silent.

“She's in pain right now getting used to her training regimen. We have to be brutal with her to get her to a proper level before time is up for us,” His eyes darkened at the thought and swirling black entered his grey eyes. Jiji flinched away unused to such displays, he suddenly understood why Kagome had been afraid of his glowing eyes in the dark so many months ago.

“What do you plan to accomplish by being brutal to her. She's a good girl and I don't think that's the way to get her to become an effective fighter. It's going to make her mad and a mad Kagome will make you want to put your head through a wall,” the boys' eyes flashed back to pure grey and he looked up at Jiji, his eyes shining in amusement.

“Of course she is the Shikon Miko she needs the training, and…” Jiji saw the boy shift nervously and lick his lips. He found it funny a god would be nervous about anything.

“She will die without some kind of training, I could show you my visions if-“

Jiji stepped back a scowl on his face, “If you show me visions of Kagome dying I will find you wherever you are and tie you to a tree to be eaten by ravens”

“Poetic,” the boy laughed silently.

“Thanks,” Jiji snorted looking very proud of himself.

“I have a short amount of time to get her to a proper level to be a challenge for anyone. I have to use my powers to make her progress move along but I believe it's worth it,” he mumbled more to himself than to the youkai beside him.

“You have a part to play as well. It's good that you have been her guardian, she has needed you for so long…” Jiji blinked squinting at his companion.

There was a long awkward silence as both males became lost in his thoughts.

“Wait are you telling me that you gods planned for me to meet her and become attached to her,” Jiji asked in a very quiet voice, unsure of how he should feel at this new discovery.

“Well you are one of the spirits under us so-“

“I am not a spirit nor am I yours to control!” the old wolf snapped irritably.

The boy only gave a comforting smile and Jiji almost spat in his anger, “So it was planned by you gods for me to become so attached to her and her kit, my fate-“

The boy cut him off with the raise of a hand and Jiji glared at him. The boy gave a knowing smile.

“There is no such thing as fate”

Jiji was silent a long moment trying to digest the information as the boy continued, “Us gods have no control over this thing called fate. When we need something to happen we can nudge things in the right direction but there is no guarantee we will get what we want unless we interfere directly. Like the saying `you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink'”

The Kami grinned toying with the beautiful gold bracelets on his wrist. “If the gods wanted to choose a guardian for her, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have been you.”

Jiji rolled his eyes skyward.

“I'm not trying to offend, but you were the furthest thing from anyone's mind, you're isolated but you had shown signs of violent habits and you just never seemed the type. I was shocked when I saw a vision and you were mentioned watching over Kagome. I brushed it off; the girl has a strange ability to attach herself to strong and powerful people. It took me a while but I saw you caring for her and the kit as if they were your blood and even starting fights with people over her when you had worked so hard in your youth to control your violent tendencies. Before, you would have sooner committed seppuku than take care a silly little girl like Kagome-sama. I was speechless and happy at once”

Jiji frowned letting his eyes shifting in thought, “What do you need me to do?”

“Kagome-sama needs a weapon”

Jiji nodded that much was obvious, many people didn't bother to contact him for anything other than weapons.

“Is there any particular weapon, I mean I might as well ask, seeing as how you gods like to manipulate things anyway. I wouldn't want to take away your guilty pleasure” he said sarcastically waving a hand around absently.

“Your being so mean to a child, maybe I should ask someone else,” Kami said with a hard stare and a pout.

“Kagome is mine, I will make her weapon,” Jiji said calmly as if the child hadn't just threatened to take his right of making Kagome's weapon for her.

“I see…well I don't know what kind of weapon to make her. When I know so will you,” the young male promised with a sinister glint in his eye. Jiji's eyes narrowed at the expression but what could he say to a god; `You're giving me the I-will-make-your-life-living-hell eye, stop it before I kill you?' No, that would just turn out badly for everyone.

“It'll be a demonic weapon,” the young boy pointed out absently.

Jiji's eyes narrowed, “You're trying to kill her, demonic weapons are called demonic for a reason. She can't use those weapons,” Jiji snapped irritably.

“What are you talking about, you gave her the means to use a demonic weapon and have been for a long time now” Jiji stiffened and eyed the boy a moment.

“You speak of her strange diet?”

The Kami shrugged, “You didn't honestly believe the fact you've been feeding her demon flesh would slip by my notice. It's done strange things to her body but she is very healthy for someone living in these difficult times, so you completed your intended purpose”

Jiji sighed and stared into space a long moment. “What does what I fed the girl have to do with her using a demonic weapon” the old demon snorted.

“How are demonic weapons powered” the boy asked cryptically.

Jiji shot the boy a glance, not at all appreciating the quiz but he answered anyway, “Youki” he said shortly. The boy turned his head to look at Jiji. His head turned so far Jiji was sure that his neck was supposed to have snapped by now. He gave a small smile and they stood staring at each other in complete and utter silence.

Jiji quickly realized he was supposed to come to some realization at that point but no such thing happened. Thoughts and clues raced through his head and his eyes widened as the clues began to snap together. “Are you trying to tell me Kagome has developed her own version of Youki?”

The grin on the boys face widened considerably, Jiji smacked his head in disbelief, “What have I gotten myself into, how the hell did that happen?” he rasped thoroughly confused. The child giggled and Jiji sent him a glare, “She has not developed her own Youki, rather her body has changed to store Youki that she gets from her meals. I'm sure if she lives long enough she will develop her own youki that can work with her purification abilities but that's beside the point.”

Jiji stared at a random rock his expression rather baffled.

“Of course she can't store a lot of youki at one time or her miko powers would react violently and hurt her.” Jiji opened his mouth, closed it with a snap, and sat a moment his eyes shifting in thought. He then opened his mouth to speak again.

“Where does she store the youki?”

Kami-sama cleaned his nails absently and glanced at Jiji, “The same place where other youkai store a good portion of their youki for immediate use, in her blood.”

Jiji nodded thoughtfully, “Then you are correct she can use a demonic weapon with a small blood and youki sacrifice. She would have to keep eating the way I and Shippou do though…” he rubbed his chin absently as he thought of a few ways to make a weapon for Kagome's use.

“This has never happened to a human before, if I had known she would go through unnatural changes like developing youki…” Jiji trailed off.

The boy waved a dismissive hand “Your intentions were pure and her well being was in mind. You did well as her guardian and I wouldn't change that for the world. It's not going to hurt her I promise you, her body was made to handle all kinds of weird things, she is the Shikon Miko after all.”

Jiji shifted nervously, “She's not going to turn into some strange youkai/miko hybrid is she, you know, since you said her body can handle these changes better than a normal human”

Kami-sama glanced at Jiji in disbelief even as his body shook with suppressed laughter. “I won't answer that”

Jiji took a deep cleansing breath. “Will Kagome be okay” he asked after a moment of internal debate. He knew the boy wasn't going to tell him where she was, that was just suicide no matter whom he was speaking to.

The boy tilted his head a bit, “She will be eventually.”

Jiji scowled suddenly feeling a bit helpless.

“Stop worrying about her, I'll make sure she's okay,” the boy said cheerfully.

“That's what I'm worried about.” Jiji grumbled under his breath.

“What's your name so I can kill you should something happen to my little one," Jiji asked glared at the boy who only giggled again but didn't answer.

He looked a head and suddenly noticed something that made him pale. The trees and plants were all turning brown in death. The Koi were drowning in dark murky pond water and the sky suddenly bled red.

He opened his mouth to ask what was going on but when he looked to the boy he noticed the child was emitting wisps of thick black smoke that curled in the air. He stepped back even as the boy smiled pleasantly at him.

“Now why would I tell you my name so you can find me Hakui-sama?”The boy burst into smoke after this final comment and the smoke lunged at Hakui who gave a startled shout.

XXXXXX

Kuro giggled and thrashed so wildly on his raised futon he rolled off his bed and fell onto the floor with a loud crash as his body met with toys of all kinds.

“Master are you okay?” asked a worried voice from the door.

Kuro grunted when a wooden horse almost as tall as his knee fell over on his head with a loud thud. With a groan, he knocked the horse away. He lifted his head and looked to the closed door of his room.

`I'm fine' he called momentarily forgetting the guards couldn't hear his voice. The door slid open to see his two monk guards looking at him curiously from their posts outside his door. He smiled charmingly at them trying to get their attention from the strange situation they had caught him in.

“Would you like some help?” the guard asked awkwardly motioning to the sheet wrapped firmly around the Kami's legs adding to his already limited mobility. Kuro pet his legs finally noticing the blanket then sighed in defeat. He nodded to the two men.

XXXXXXXX

Kagome-sama!” blinking owlishly for some reason her room was suddenly bustling with life. Somebody helped her sit up and she turned on Satoshi dazed.

“S-Satoshi-sensei?”

“Kagome-sama, Kami-sama wants to meet with you immediately,” Satoshi murmured.

Kagome pulled her covers off and moved to stand. “I-I have to go purify myself” she slurred a bit.

“You can purify your body later, I must leave today. You will spend today meditating under the waterfall, Kami-sama wants to see you now, he is impatient,” Satoshi explained. He helped her into a standing position and she stumbled to the guards at the door who caught her. When they deemed her steady on her feet, they let her stand on her own. Satoshi put a hand on her head that had grown a bit of fuzz. “Train well today Kagome-sama, I will return to you tomorrow,” he explained before walking off down the hall. She watched him go a moment before letting the guards lead her to Kuro.

Her knee hurt like there was no tomorrow, courtesy of a blow to her kneecap during yesterdays training. She limped into Kami's chamber where her knee finally gave out. Kagome groaned when her injured knee hit the ground. Biting back a scream, she punched the ground a few times until the pain faded. She collapsed onto her side and sighed tiredly. Kuro was sitting properly in front of her and she vaguely wondered just how out of it she was to let him get so close so fast.

He was smiling that forever-present creepy smile `Kagome-sama it's been two months how are you?'

She snarled at him and his smile seemed to widen a bit.

“Let me go home please,” she whispered hoarsely. He never stopped smiling nor did he answer but he did lean forward and began to slink toward her. She gasped at the frightening scene he made as he moved with lightening quickness across the floor reminding her of a scary movie she had seen back home.

He was upon her in moments and she could only stare at him wide-eyed, “What are you?” she whispered.

`Inside voices Kagome-sama' he tapped a finger to his head playfully and she nodded.

`I am a Kami' he finally answered.

`Kami of what?' He beamed and Kagome wrinkled her nose at him

`That you must figure out yourself' he responded sagely.

She tried to sit up but found her body didn't want to obey, `Let me heal you Kagome-sama.' He held up a hand and she watched as it was surrounded in the pink purplish color that he had used to heal her before. He pressed his hand to her bruised arm right in her range of site as if to put her at ease by showing her what he was doing.

She watched in fascination as the bruises on her arm slowly faded. She relaxed a bit and that was when he moved on to her injured knee. Kagome was content to lay there as her pain began to fade.

`Sensei wants me to hate and kill youkai but I don't want too,' she told him after a long silence.

`They have had very different experiences with youkai than you have, even if you had been attacked by youkai since you were small, it is not in you to hate without reason' Kuro said gently.

Kagome looked up at him hopefully, `So I'm not wrong, you don't think I'm a bad person because I don't want to destroy all youkai?'

“Of course not, I think you are right and the monks need to purge themselves of the hatred they hold,” He said carefully.

“Wait I don't exactly see them as being wrong, youkai do hurt people and destroy villages. I just think that not all youkai are to blame for the actions of others. It's like blaming a murders distant family for that person's action.”

Kuro only smiled at her approvingly and Kagome eyed him a moment in confusion.

`So you're not going to let me leave?' she asked after a moment of silence, Kuro simply didn't answer. `I want to see if Shippou and Jiji are alright, I've been gone to long'

`Why don't you create a way to talk to them?' she looked at the boy strangely.

`I made orbs that allow me to talk to someone far away' Kuro explained. Kagome licked her lips as ideas began to pop up in her head.

`How?'

Kuro moved from her knees to work on the different battle scars all over her body. `Well you need to learn to cover your hand in energy first,' she frowned in thought.

`The same way you do when you heal?'

He nodded quickly, `Exactly, so you should learn to heal yourself first.'

Now able to sit up a little easier, she pushed herself up and rubbed her healed knee, `You're a god, Kaede-baba said Miko's and Monks can learn to ease pain with medicine and sometimes their power, but we can't heal' she said with a bitter glance. Kagome moved her arm to let Kuro work on her ribs.

`If you want something bad enough then make it so.' Kagome frowned thoughtfully as she gnawed at her lip. `You're the Shikon Miko you have greater power than the average Miko maybe you have special abilities they don't have, weren't you able to see like a youkai in the dark.'

Kagome tensed, `How did you know that?' she hissed.

`I am a Kami, I know many things'

Kagome wrinkled her nose at him but turned away knowing he wouldn't tell her anything, she had a sneaking suspicion he had unnatural site.

`Okay how do I heal? If I can learn this it would help a lot of people.'

Kuro nodded approvingly, `If I teach you to heal and you plan to heal people you will need to be discreet with your abilities, this will be our little secret' he all but purred.

Kagome thought about this a moment. She could still heal people, she just couldn't do it so others realized. Her eyes narrowed, a little practice and she should be able to do it without anyone noticing.

`Sure' she chirped, happy at the idea of being able to heal her own aches after a full day of training and studying.

`Very well, first will your power to become a small ball in your hand'

Kagome held her hand out and her face screwed up in concentration as she tried to make her power become a ball. `Don't think you can do it all today; try cupping both your hands to make the ball. As you get more proficient you can begin to use one hand.'Kagome nodded and did as he asked.

The power shot from one hand to the other like lightening and she was reminded of a spark trying to light. No matter what she did, it wouldn't become a ball. `When you can make the ball, will it to flatten out and make a thin layer over your hands. As you get better you won't need to go through these steps and you can simply go to healing.' He took her hands in his and let her feel the healing energy he used. `This is the amount of power you should use and what it feels like, you'll know if its healing energy because it will change a different color than your usual power' Kagome poked her tongue from her mouth in concentration.

Kuro touched the back of her neck with his healing energy and she totally relaxed as warmth spread through her body and a pressure in her head she didn't even realize was there began to fade. She closed her eyes to enjoy the feeling of warmth and relief it brought.

XXXXX

“How are you two hours late for training?”

Kagome glanced sleepily at her sub-sensei and opened her mouth to speak but the guard with her stepped forward.

“Kami-sama kept her and she fell asleep while he was healing her.” Her sensei looked down at her and she bowed her head shamefully, “He healed you so I expect you at your best when we have training tomorrow.”

She nodded quickly her face flushing in delight. He smirked, “Today you will meditate under the waterfall and recite all the scriptures you have learned thus far.”

Kagome frowned in thought; Kuro had suggested she work on her healing ability while she meditated. `Can I do everything at once?' she thought warily.

Her sensei was staring and she realized he was waiting for a reply, `Well if I learned to do it without too much thought even better right?', she nodded to her Sensei and walked toward the waterfall.

XXXXX

Kagome screamed as she flew through the air and landed in the bushes near the forest like training grounds. She landed awkwardly on the ground behind a bush and immediately burst into tears. Her bleeding and swelling black eye mixed with the salt of her tears made her wounds burn more and in response, she screamed louder.

“Kagome-sama…”

A shadow appeared over her form and she looked up to see Satoshi standing over her boa staff in hand along with another sensei.

She curled into a ball in the hopes of protecting her sore body from her teachers. Her teachers glanced at one another. “I feel like an ass,” the sensei by Satoshi's side grumbled bitterly before turning to go join the others while they waited for Kagome to recover.

Satoshi frowned at the sobbing girl.

Setting his staff to lean against one of the trees, he crouched beside Kagome and proceeded to untangle her legs from the bushes.

“Kagome-sama where does it hurt” he paused before continuing uncertainly, “Where does it hurt the worst?”

Kagome sniffled, “Everywhere,” she whimpered.

Satoshi rubbed a hand across his baldhead a few times in thought. “Why don't we take a break from training” Kagome looked up hopefully.

With Satoshi's help, she was standing moments later. She limped over to her other sensei's' and he helped her sit. One of her sensei's dropped her training staff beside her and she smiled gratefully.

She blinked owlishly up at her teachers who were watching her carefully. Satoshi sat beside Kagome and the others joined them after a moment. They all sat in silence a long moment. Seeing nothing was going to happen, the men began to meditate and Kagome sat simply catching her breath and calming her nerves.

“You're my sensei's right, why can't you teach me to heal myself or something,” she rasped.

The monks around her glanced up warily before going back to their meditation. Satoshi spoke up before she could leap the short distance and snap someone's neck in her rage and frustration.

“Monk's and Miko's can't heal despite what everyone believes”

Kagome paused and sat a moment digesting this information as her sensei continued, “You would have learned this had you been trained. We, as humans, do not have this ability. Our powers are only to fight youkai. Our knowledge of herbs and medicines came from our need to treat our own wounds and the wounds of those attacked by youkai.”

Satoshi stared at Kagome gauging her reaction to the info. Despite everything, she took it without too much of a problem.

“Our earlier ancestors began to treat people with the medicines they knew and soon it became common practice and belief that Monk's and Miko's `heal' the weak. Those common people who we helped were under the impression that they were being healed when a Miko or Monk would use their powers to purify youkai poisons and other injected things in their bodies and wounds.”

Kagome's mouth hung open in surprise as things fell into place in her head.

She slouched and gripped the grass between her legs, “That stinks” she almost spat.

Satoshi nodded in agreement, “On the other hand our bodies do heal faster than a common villagers. Our powers do heal, just not in the way you were hoping. The wounds you have would take a week maybe two to heal on anyone else, on you they heal in three days.”

Kagome scratched the back of her head and nodded suddenly feeling confused. Kuro obviously knew something everyone else didn't because he told her to learn to heal, but Satoshi seemed very sure that humans could not heal.

`Well I want to talk to Jiji and Shippou so I'm going to learn to heal no matter what anyone says' she thought with a stubborn decisive nod.

“How am I supposed to heal when you guys hit me as if I am the demons you fight everyday” she sneered.

“Kagome-sama, do you expect a youkai to go easy on you during a fight?” Satoshi asked narrowing his eyes at the young woman.

“Well, no but-"

“We are hard on you because we will not always be there to protect you,” one of the other monks said gently.

“Protect me!” she spat.

“Yes we protect you, how you survived to this point is nothing short of amazing, especially since you're the Shikon Miko”

Kagome's eyes narrowed and she poked her bottom lip out, “I don't want to be protected. It seems like everyone who `protects' me either hurts me mentally or physically…” she shot a pointed glare to her teachers who ignored her.

“You don't have a choice in this matter, I've told you many times before,” Satoshi explained calmly. Kagome shot him another glare that she threw all of her hatred and anger into.

Seeing her anger had no effect on the group she slouched and stared off into space sourly, silently willing the throbbing of her wounds to go away.

“Sensei, why me” she asked tiredly.

Satoshi glanced at her a long moment eyeing her thin abused body and the dark circles under her eyes.

“I don't know,” he said honestly.

Kagome made a strange sound in the back of her throat and closed her eyes to ward off a coming migraine.

“It's not fair, I'd rather do regular training for many years than do this,” she rasped.

“This is so you can destroy the filthy youkai who run amuck everywhere”

Kagome squinted at her sensei through her bad eye and opened her mouth to give him an earful. He sat slouched tiredly as he stared at her, daring her to start a fight with him about it. The stare he gave promised immense pain should she choose to voice her opinion on `that' particular topic.

Satoshi believed all youkai were the most disgusting creatures to walk this earth and they needed to be annihilated. On the other hand, Kagome had been raised to give all living creatures that were willing to work with her, a chance. The bad side in proving her point to Satoshi was that all youkai always wanted to attack her and she had met very few who had not wanted to kill her and take the jewel.

In her opinion, if youkai weren't hurting anybody, leave them the hell alone and they most of the time gave you the same courtesy, at least the more intelligent youkai did. She knew it was going to get her in trouble but she wasn't going to change her ideals for a bitter monk. She firmly believed that not all youkai were evil and the monks could do whatever they so pleased but they weren't going to change her mind, of course they didn't need to know there was no changing her mind. Still the threat of more pain being inflicted on her already hurt body was a nice way to convince her to tone her response down.

“No fair…”

Satoshi snorted, “Who lied and told you life is fair.”

Kagome flinched at the bitterness in his voice.

He was a monk but he was also still a mortal man.

Kagome suddenly felt like crying again.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Kagome lifted her heavy head and knocked the incense aside violently, the pain was horrible, but she could bare it. She rolled onto her stomach and rested her chin on the wooden block she used as a headrest. She took a few moments to catch her breath. Her lungs hurt from the endurance training, which entitled her to being chased around the temple a few times by very strong very fast monks wielding weapons or flinging said weapons at her.

She dragged her hands up to sit in front of her and cupped them as she began her nightly practice. Two weeks of fighting with her powers to get it to behave how she wanted and she still hadn't gotten around to healing. `Remember this is so I can talk to Jiji and Shippou, just to tell them everything is okay'

She stared at her hands and forced a bit of energy into her palms. If she used too much energy she got a very bright flame, it was nice when she wanted to light up the room a bit but she had no use for such things when she could see perfectly fine in the dark with her eyes.

`Wait a minute!' she thought excitedly, biting her lip to distract her from the pain from the rest of her body she concentrated on forcing a lot of power into her attempt.

The usual spark appeared and it burst into a wild flame. Fascinated so much power was in her body, she stared a moment as it danced around her licking against her face. It didn't hurt in fact it was very warm and comforting. After a few more moments, she went on to attempt calming the flame down. After an hour of struggling, she had the flame down to the size of a leaf.

“Make a circle, make a circle, make a circle…,” she chanted as the flame began to force itself into a circular shape. Kagome gave a maniacal grin as she eyed the oval floating in the cup of her hands.

It wasn't a circle but it was a lot more than she would have hoped for any other day.

`Okay now eggy you're going to cover my hands.'

Instantly, as if someone had chopped the egg down the middle with a sword, it split in half and covered her hands with a blue liquid that quickly began to look like flames again. She frowned looking over her two hands, `Kuro's hands didn't look like he was on fire…' she stared at her hands silently willing the power to calm down a bit.

An hour later, she found herself grinning idiotically as the energy smoothed out to a thin layer on her hands. She was thanking her sensei's for all the practice with meditation because she knew she couldn't have forced her power to do anything without the practice.

Shifting on her futon she took one hand away slowly then snorted, `That's not too hard, Kuro made it sound as if I would need years of practice to hold the power in one hand or something.' She shook one hand out to dispel the energy wrapped around said hand.

She eyed her free hand a moment Satisfied, she looked to the hand still covered in power.

`He said my healing energy should be a different color than the usual…lets add more power' she watched as her bright blue power became a bright yellow.

She turned her hand in fascination as she eyed the yellow flames, it would take more concentration and discipline than she had at the moment to calm these flames. With a shrug, she carefully touched her free hand and hissed when it burned her.

Damn, very painful but…interesting.

`Note to self, look into that later might be a good weapon' she hummed thoughtfully.

Kagome nodded to herself as she blew on the burn on her hand.

Concentrate…let's try less power…yeah that should do it.

Kagome looked at the thin layer and smiled, she liked the color, it was frosty white …frosty with a random streak of pink every once and a while.

`Now to test it', she touched the power covered hand to her burn. The pain faded but her skin was still a violent red.

`Not so easy to fix burns' she observed before touching a bruise on the upper part of her arm. The pain faded within moments and she gave a violent grin.

`I might just be able to escape once I have this mastered' she cackled at the thought.

“Now I just have to heal my body for training tomorrow,” She whispered into the darkness of the room. She pressed her hand to her stomach to ease some of the pain from a violent kick. Kagome looked at her un-preoccupied hand and silently cursed herself for cutting the power off before she could use it.

`It sure would be awesome to heal myself quicker with both hands' she sighed. `Get over it. If I try to cut off the energy and start again I might not be able to heal myself tonight'

She worked in silence a moment gnawing at her bottom lip in concentration. The burning in her arm finally made her drop the abused limb into her lap to rest. Kagome took deep calming breaths as she stared at her glowing hands.

“Monk's and Miko's can't heal despite what everyone believes…We, as humans, do not have this ability. Our powers are only to fight youkai.”

Kagome lifted her hands a bit closer to her face and observed the energy as Satoshi's words ran through her head like a mantra.

“We, as humans, do not have this ability…”

Kagome's expression grew worried and she licked her lips nervously.

“Does this mean I'm not human?” she whispered into the darkness of her room.

After a moment she shook her head and gave a weak chuckle, “Stop thinking like that Kagome, of course I'm a normal human being, it's probably this stupid jewel doing weird things to my powers.”

This conclusion seemed very probable and it quickly solved the issue as she shoved the thought from her head never to really ponder again. She turned her thought back to her newly discovered healing abilities. With a smile, she turned attention back on her bruised stomach.

She sat that way until she no longer felt the discomfort of the bruise.

`It made me feels a lot better when Kuro touched my neck' she pulled her hand from her stomach and pressed it lightly to the back of her neck. She sighed blissfully at the warmth that spread through her body as all her stress and cloudy thoughts seemed to fade. Pulling her hand away from her neck, she shook her body out to get rid of the drowsiness, her mind felt a lot clearer. Satisfied she continued to heal her aching body.

She had healing mastered three days later.

XXXXX

“Naraku-sama what an honor to meet you”

Naraku turned his red gaze away from the table covered in cakes and tea and glared at the human lord. He was a great and powerful youkai yet here he was playing tea party with a human lord. He closed his eyes and forced himself to remember that he was just going to use this lord then probably take over his soldiers once the imbecile was no longer useful. After a moment, he opened his eyes to stare at the lord. He was smiling coolly with perfect white teeth and his lightly tanned skin. His eyes were the typical chocolate brown that was common among humans and his hair was pitch black, pulled into a high pony tail held in place by a gold hoop. He wore the typical lord robes.

Naraku smiled charmingly “Sagisoto-sama it seems you've heard of me?”

Sagisoto smirked, “Of course you're well known across all the lands though your appearance surprises me. You look human except for your eyes of course.”

Naraku chuckled to himself, “Don't let my appearance fool you lord Sagisoto, now to business” Naraku purred.

The room seemed to drop a couple of degrees in temperature and Lord Sagisoto only smiled brightly. The two samurai guarding the door shifted nervously at the heavy atmosphere that fell over the room. Sagisoto leaned forward a bit “Yes, that wind demoness came her a while ago talking about some plans you had.”

The door opened and Naraku looked to the right in time to see a bound and gagged Kagura tossed into the room. She landed on the floor with a muffled grunt. The two guards that had dragged her in put swords to her neck, and she stilled looking at Naraku and Sagisoto wide eyed.

Naraku's face split in an amused grin “I think you and I will work well together”

He looked back to Kagura with a cold smile. “I wondered where she had gotten too. I see she simply never came back,” he mused even as the wind demoness glared at him hatefully and squirmed in his bindings.

Sagisoto's lips curled in a sinister grin, “Now what's this plan of finding a girl who can grant wishes?”

Naraku took his cup and eyed the contents thoughtfully discreetly checking for any poisons. Satisfied with his findings he took a drink and glanced at Sagisoto a long moment. “You have heard of the Shikon Jewel and its guardian”

Sagisoto nodded taking up his own tea. The silence in the room was filled with Kagura's angry grunts and screams through her gag, “The girl I seek has a piece of the jewel, but she has become very skilled at hiding herself from those who would catch her. You have resources and I have demons at my control and power, I want that girl,” he purred.

“And what do I get out of this?” the human lord asked carefully.

“Well…” Naraku took another sip of tea before continuing, “I hear you are about to go to war. I'm sure a horde of demons under your control would make it that much easier to defeat your enemies and take over their lands”

Sagisoto stared at him a long moment “That should be Interesting”

The two men fell into silence and Sagisoto rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “I think I know someone who can find the girl.”

Naraku raised an eyebrow, “Oh?”

“There is a boy who is supposedly the incarnation of a Kami, he sees visions and has other abilities also. If anyone can find her the child can”

Naraku nodded approvingly, “It will take me a while to get to him but it's not difficult” the lord chuckled coldly.

“Do what you must now let us talk about other matters…” Naraku's eyes flashed gleefully and Sagisoto sent a toothy grin the evil demons way.

XXXXXXXX

Sesshomaru's eyes widened when a chill shot down his spine followed by the urge to kill something. His eyes narrowed as he tried to think of a reason he would have such a strong feeling of dread for no apparent reason.

“Sesshomaru-sama is something wrong?” Rin asked quietly confused as to why her lord had suddenly stopped walking. Sesshomaru glanced at Rin before continuing down the path.

“No Rin”

The girl simply shrugged it off and continued making a wreath for her Jaken-sama. He was surely going to love her for it, because she was doing the impossible and making him pretty.

XXXXXXXX

Kuro shivered violently and the three elders looked at him curiously.

“Kami-sama is everything okay, are you cold?” they asked in concern.

Kuro blinked a few times and the next words he spoke to them almost gave the three monks heart attacks and started a whole new set of problems for the Temple of Light.

“Oh shit.”

XXXXXX

Yeah, that whole chapter did not come out like it was supposed to but I guess its okay. Naraku has made a friend, the world is going to hell.

I apologize to people who thought my twist in the story was to much. I never saw it as to much and neither did my friend. I'll try to make easier transition, Keyword: try.

RXR Wish me luck as I begin my third year of college. I might put up a chapter on my birthday if my work load isnt to much. (weird ass birthday dates...) 09/05 be on the lookout.