InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ No Such Thing As Fate ❯ All Out of Time ( Chapter 8 )

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

Kuro rocked slightly on his bed as he glared ahead at the wall. He grabbed his wrist and tightened the hold around his legs, pressing the thin limbs to his chest.

“I only have a little time. What should I do?” He almost whimpered as depressing thoughts raced through his mind. “Only a few more months. The time line hasn't changed, and I even left enough time for Kagome-sama to get far away from here before then…”

He groaned and dragged a hand down his face before flopping onto his side and burying his face in his bed sheets.

“I'm scared,” he admitted quietly.

XXXXXXXX

Kagome walked into her room and sat down. She glared at the two monk guards standing at her door. They bowed a bit and closed the door. Kagome immediately dived for the ever-present newly replaced incense. She stood up shakily and jabbed the incense stick into the wall, then threw it out the barred window. She sat back down on her futon and grabbed the incense holder. Examining the beautiful flower designs carved into the incenses holder, she smiled then snapped it in half and tossed it over her shoulder.

Without a care, she wiped the ashes off her clothes with a blissful smile. She glanced to the door; the guards would leave in about two hours when they thought she was asleep. That was fine. She was in no hurry and it took about an hour to heal all her wounds. The torn muscles and sometimes fractures took about an hour extra. She willed her healing energy to encase her hands and began to work at her bruised body.

Just as she thought, two hours later she heard footsteps as the monks left. She wasn't ready just yet, her leg was still being healed and it was one of those stubborn hairline fractures. How it got there, she didn't know, because she had walked around on it all day. Another half hour passed before she was finished and ready to go. She didn't have her training staff or even a dagger to protect herself and it irked her to no end. It was a paranoia she had developed after being beat up day after day. Usually, her staff, or whatever weapon she was training with that day, was the only way to prevent the pain.

She scratched her head, ruffling the wild, short hair that hung in her face and made her neck itch. Months of having short hair meant she would need to get used to having long hair again. With a sigh she stood and walked to the door, stretching as she went; her body felt great after a healing. Pausing behind the door, she searched for any auras in the immediate area. Finding none, she slid the door open as quietly as she could and stepped cautiously into the hall. The halls were as dark as the tunnels of Jiji's caves. `But I can see fine,' she thought with a smirk.

Closing the door behind her, she strode down the hall with an eerie quietness she had picked up from `playing' hide and seek with her monk sensei's. She walked through the halls, making sure to avoid the traps the guard monks had introduced her to that were used to keep intruders out. She paused and eyed the strings that weaved across the hall in front of he; another trap she could get through with a bit of patience. Kagome sighed and began to weave her body through the strings. She reached the final set of strings. With a shrug, she dived between the two strings closest to the floor. She stood with a sigh and looked back at the trap.

There was a noise and her gaze snapped around. She was standing at the end of a hall and at the first door on the left stood a little boy, no older than seven, staring at her with wide, bulging eyes. His hands had paused in what she saw was his attempt to fix his pants after a night bathroom break. He made a strange sound in the back of his throat.

“D-demon?” he chocked.

Kagome had the sudden urge to smack her forehead. So much for having cool glowing eyes. If you're seen in the dark your screwed.

“I'm not a demon, so please don't scream,” she pleaded quietly. He blinked owlishly and pointed a finger at her as if suddenly recognizing her.

“Kagome-sama…SENSEI!!” He cried at the top of his lungs.

Kagome cursed and raced past the boy. `No! I have to get away, damn it!' she thought frantically.

XXXXX

“Kami-sama.”

Kuro didn't acknowledge the three elders that were kneeled in front of him. Instead, he was focused on the younger monk that was feeding him his breakfast.

“Kagome-sama finally tried to escape.”

Kuro smiled even as he chewed his rice slowly.

`She mastered healing then,' he thought to himself with a giggle.

“What should we do with her? Normal seals used to keep our regular monks restrained as punishment don't work. She simply burns them off,” Sansa explained with a heavy sigh. The three elder monks looked up startled when they heard Kuro's laughter in their heads. He smirked at them and held a hand up. A small, hoped earring appeared floating over his hand. It floated over to Sansa and he held a hand up to catch it. It fell into his hand and he held it close to examine it. It was a very small gold earring with little symbols carved into the soft metal of the outside.

“A level three seal. Beautifully made, too,” the monk to Sansa's right murmured.

`The seals around the temple to keep youkai out will serve to keep her in, if she doesn't have permission to wander. A level three seal of my creation should be a little harder for her to get past. If she does get past it, I'll simply make more,' Kuro explained,

`I'm starting to like her. She's so stubborn,' he murmured more to himself than to the three monks.

`Put it in the upper part of her ear. Maybe the pain will make her stop these attempts…'

XXXXX

`Or maybe not!'

Kuro thought to himself as he frowned at Kagome. To his right the elders sat eyeing Kagome warily. Across from them, Satoshi sat looking ashamed and aggravated with his student. Kagome sat by her sensei looking ashamed and annoyed as she stared at her lap. Now a month since her first escape attempt, she wore three level three seal earrings on her upper left ear and a level one seal on her ankle.

Kuro had listened to her scream bloody murder through the temple while each one was applied. After the third time of hearing her scream like a banshee while a third hole was put in her upper ear lobe, he had finally decided to make a higher-level seal.

`You're not stubborn, your just crazy,' Kuro huffed

`Who are you calling crazy, you baka!' She snarled.

Kuro's cheeks puffed out. The elders and Satoshi looked between Kagome and Kuro, completely oblivious to their conversation.

`I am a kami. I am no baka,' he huffed indignantly.

`Do I really look I care what you are Kuro-`chan'?'

Kagome knew that if Kuro could see he would be glaring daggers at her right then. He huffed again. `Would you explain why you keep trying to escape when you have three third level seals, and a level one seal on your ankle, equipped with a bell just to let people know you're in the vicinity?'

Kagome scratched her ankle, trying to reach the skin under the gold bracelet on her ankle. She glanced at the symbols carved into the bracelet and sighed. `You do know if I give you another level three seal, you'll be wearing the equivalent of two level one seals,' Kuro explained. Kagome shrugged, not caring.

“Kagome-sama, how did you silence the bell when you walk? Its working fine now, from what I hear.” Kagome glanced at Sansa .

“Satoshi-sensei is training me, you should have guessed I would learn how to move quietly, despite what noisy contraptions are on me,” she huffed. Satoshi straitened just a bit in pride. She didn't need to tell anyone that she just stuffed a piece of cloth in the bell when she was feeling too lazy to implement her stealth training.

“Kagome-sama, we have never put so many seals on one person and we don't want to use more. Do you understand you have very high level seals on your body? We don't even use these seals to fight the common youkai. They're too complicated and powerful.”

Kagome nodded absently. “Yeah, Kuro-chan just told me if he gives me another level three seal I'll have two level one seals worth of power.”

Sansa put a hand to his forehead and Satoshi gave a suffering groan “K-ku…what?” Sansa chuckled in disbelief.

“Kuro-chan. I gave Kami-sama a name,” Kagome grinned brightly and when all eyes turned to Kuro in question. He blushed and looked away with a sour look on his face.

“O-okay,” Sansa said quietly.

He cleared his throat a bit. “As I was saying, having so many seals can do unknown damage to your body. Level one seals are the most powerful we can make.”

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest. “Then stop putting them on me!” She demanded.

“They would if you would stop trying to run away!” Satoshi snapped irritably.

Kagome only pouted. “Don't you feel tired and drained from wearing the seals? They take your power and use it to power the seals around the temple when you are disobedient. If you walk past a seal without permission, you are drained and shocked with your own power. The level one seal is supposed to burn and drain ridiculous amounts of power to work,” one of the elder monks explained.

Kagome snorted. “That's what they do? Of course I'm gonna ignore the shocks and burns. I've built up a tolerance to pain,” she said as if they were stupid. Kuro blinked stunned then cracked a wide smile.

“But the power drain-“

Kagome shrugged. “It was annoying at first, especially after the first level one seal was put on. I was staggering around like I was drunk or something, but I eventually got used to it. Now, I barely notice it,” she said in a bored manner.

All the monks in the room could only stare at her in disbelief. “Your power reserves are astounding,” Satoshi whispered. Kagome raised an eyebrow at her sensei but shrugged. Kuro was grinning in amusement.

They all sat in silence a moment. “These level seals are still dangerous to a normal person. At least we know that now,” one of the elders grumbled.

Kagome snorted. `I'll still put more seals on you Kagome-sama,' Kuro threatened

`Bring it on Kuro-chibi. I'll find a way around those, too,' she crowed eagerly, Kuro snorted at her retort.

`You have two, maybe three months left here. Can't you just finish your time here without any trouble?' Kuro asked, his voice sounding dry.

“No way, Kuro-chan,” she chirped aloud. Kuro rolled his eyes as the monks looked at her strangely.

“How is her training coming along?” Sansa asked Satoshi.

Satoshi closed his eyes in thought. “At first, she was very slow and very average in her learning. Soon, she was speeding through lessons and when her wounds began to heal quicker, her training picked up an astounding pace.” The elders glanced thoughtfully at Kagome. “I noticed she will stop and apply energy to her neck, and then her learning speed would increase tenfold,” Satoshi added as an afterthought. The monks nodded in acknowledgement.

`Here!'

Kuro held out a hand and flames burst up from his palm. With a small flash, an orb appeared in his hands. It was round and reminded Kagome of the seeing orb a seer might use. He rolled it across the floor to her and she caught it with a confused glance at him.

`Memorize the energy used to make it, and the feel of it.' Kagome closed her eyes a moment and obeyed, rubbing her hand across the glass-like surface. It burst into dust and vanished after a moment.

Kagome frowned at Kuro, but he was grinning. It was an amused and happy grin, not the mask she had seen when she first met him.

`That was your way of communicating with your family. I'd advise you to start practicing how to make it.'

Kagome squealed and launched herself at the eight year old. The monks were so startled they didn't even stop her. She hugged Kuro, who went rigged in shock.

“Kagome-sama,” Satoshi cried in horror. Kuro waved a hand to ward off punishment for the excited girl.

`Thank you Kuro-chan!' She giggled happily squeezing him tightly.

Dazed Kuro nodded. `Get off me crazy girl!' he huffed. Kagome wrinkled her nose playfully at him and kissed his cheek. Kuro blushed a bit and Kagome laughed at him.

“You two are excused,” Sansa said shaking his head.

“Wait. I want a day to play with Kuro-chan,” she demanded.

Everyone looked at her strangely. “Kagome-sama, if you come with me now we'll work on a new way to use your powers,” Kagome turned to her sensei with eager eyes.

She glanced to Kuro then to the elders. “We'll talk about your request, Kagome-sama,” Sansa assured. Kagome stood slowly and walked to her sensei. He smiled at her as they walked to the door. “Kagome-sama, would you like to learn to enhance your strength with your powers? You'll be able to jump through the trees and such.”

Kagome's eyes widened. “Really, Satoshi-sensei? Why didn't you teach me earlier?” She cried indignantly as they vanished into the hall.

The elders immediately turned to Kuro. “That is suspicious she is suddenly healing faster,” Sansa pointed out.

“What do you mean miko's and monk's can't heal?” He asked, turning on them with a blank face.

“She's learned to burn the monks who train with her, also,” another monk continued undeterred by Kuro's response.

“What is this child? She shouldn't be able to hurt another pure being with her powers.”

Kuro shrugged. `I have no idea what you mean. She's a human girl, and in a bit she will be warrior monk,' he said with a knowing smile.

He held out a hand and another level three seal earring appeared in his hand. `You're going to need this' he said in a sarcastic voice.

The elders looked at him, horrified.

Sure enough, by the end of the week Kagome had two level 1 seals, and after swearing she wouldn't try to run away again, she had her play date with Kuro.

XXXXXX

Kagome bit her lip nervously as she eyed the orb in her hand. It looked the same as the one Kuro had shown her and it took a little over a week to learn how to make it. “I've made the orb but what do I do now,” she thought aloud. She eyed the orb carefully then closed her eyes thoughtfully. “Well, when in doubt, pump power into it.” The orb burst into flames and she stared at it curiously.

“Wow what is that, Jiji?” came a familiar cry. Kagome gnawed on her lip as she prayed this wasn't a dream or an illusion.

“I don't know, kit. I can't see it,” came a dull reply. Kagome couldn't help it she sobbed, her tears coming even as she willed them away.

“Shippou-kun? Jiji? Can you hear me?

“Kagome-chan, is that you? Where are you? Why didn't you come home? Why is this weird orb floating here?” Kagome gave a watery chuckle.

“Shippou-kun, I miss you so much,” she whimpered bowing her head.

“Its okay ,Kagome-chan. I miss you too. where are you? Are you coming home?” Shippou wailed pitifully.

“I don't know when exactly Shippou,” she said with a heavy sigh.

“Kagome where are you? We've been worried for you,” came Jiji's voice.

Kagome sniffled. “Jiji, I'm so sorry, but I tried to get away. I really did. I'm at the temple of light. I ran into monks from the temple when I went after the youkai with the Shikon jewel. I got hurt in the battle and they brought me to the temple. When I got here, I think that little ass, Kuro, told them not to let me leave,” Kagome gushed.

“Wait, wait, slow down and tell me everything that happened.” Kagome blinked a bit dazed. She could feel the power drain. If she thought the seals were annoying, powering this orb was outrageous. Kagome detailed what had happened and how she ended up being trained by monks.

“You're a miko. How the hell did you end up in that situation?” Jiji cried in disbelief.

Kagome only wailed, “I don't know, I just know I'm stuck here for another few months. I swear I'm coming home after I leave this place.”

“Tell us how to find you, we'll come save you!” Shippou cried. “No, no, Shippou. I swore I wouldn't try to run away anymore. I think if I tried again these seals on me would cause a lot of damage”

“What escape attempt are you on?” He demanded

“If I try again that one will be my sixth attempt,” she admitted.

“Wow…”Came Jiji's amused comment.

“Okay, at least you tried. I forgive you, Kagome-chan. I thought you left me,” Shippou admitted with a sniffle.

“Oh, Shippou. I can't wait to see you.” Her energy flickered and Kagome shuddered as her power levels reached a dangerous low. “Hey, I swear that if I have the energy I will try to talk to you every night but I have to go now. I think I'm going to pass-“ The energy died, the orb vanished, and Kagome collapsed face first onto her futon. After a long moment of regaining conscious, she groaned, “I don't think I can move,” she admitted aloud. She rocked her body and fell onto her side

“I wish Kuro had told me that thing drains energy like I feel like I almost died.” She sighed deeply “I need to finish training so I can see my Shippou-kun and Jiji.”

XXXXXX

Run… run or pain… lots of pain.

Up the tree.

“Shit!”

The boa staff caught her in the side and she rolled with the blow before hopping to her feet.

Try for the tree again…Yes, run!

Be careful, don't miss a tree branch… Nasty fall if you do. Steady energy flow to your feet and through your legs, or even nastier fall

Behind you, dodge!

Dropping down in between the branches, a bladed spear missed taking her head clean off. She swung on the branch and tossed herself into the air.

Land on the big branch!

“Augh!!” She shrieked when she missed the tree branch and went flying at an angle toward the ground. She hit the ground and slid across her back through the soil. She didn't even bat an eyelash at the pain from the awkward landing and sticks and rocks sliding parallel to her back.

Orange! Dodge!

She rolled to her side as one of the monks came down from the trees at lightning speed and almost smacked her down the middle with his staff. The staff hit the ground with an audible snap.

Jump, jump, flip, dodge, dodge again, kick, ha ha asshole sensei number two.

Rip!

Ow! Blood, blood is bad, panic? No don't panic, panic is more blood.

Dodge dodge, dod-

Smack!

Run, Run, Run!

Nose broken?

No just bleeding…a lot.

Stop side bleeding first…hmm healing is warm.

More orange. Fight!

The Boa staff came at her from the side and would have absolutely broken her arm had she not ducked. She could feel the breeze and hear a sharp whistle as the staff passed over her head. Weaving her body under the attack, she forced power to cover her hand. In seconds it was yellow. She smacked her palm into his sternum burning him and knocking the breath out of him.

One down four to go.

She turned and ran in the opposite direction back toward where she had come from.

One sensei…no, two.

Smirk.

Bad idea to fight two sensei's at once… Where is one alone.

Hmmm, that way!

Concentrate on keeping you power steady.

One mistake is a nasty wound.

…Oh, I see you sensei.

Immediately, she ran into battle.

She swung her staff and it met with the metal arm guard under her sensei's sleeve. He kicked at her and she jumped over the kick with practiced ease.

Running for your life makes dodging so much easier.

He spun around for another attack, but she was faster. She kicked him in the back of the knee and his knee buckled at the sudden force and he dropped to his knees.

Lets use the staff.

She swung at his head prepared to break his jaw if need be. Kuro always healed the really bad wounds she gave to the monks, so she had no worries.

Huh, oh shit, he caught it!

Using the staff being gripped by her sensei, she jumped, using the staff as a hand base and kicked him in the chest… no killing haha.

He stumbled, taking the staff with him.

She charged at her disoriented sensei and they exchanged a series of quick blows. He won, of course, and she was sent flying into a tree, her eyes watering from the devastating blow to the stomach.

He charged at her with his own bladed staff. She rolled away from the tree and dived for the nearest empty space so she could stand. He charged again and she leaned back to avoid the blow. Unable to stand strait before her sensei was ready to attack again, she followed through her dodge with a back flip and her feet connected with her sensei's staff and hand. Fighting without shoes is bad!

Her toes throbbed in pain from hitting the metal armguard, but she had bigger problems, like being skewered by her sensei. She landed and looked up in time to see her sensei readjusting his stance after the kick threw his weapon off its intended path.

He paused a moment and they eyed each other a second, both of them breathing raggedly. She wrinkled her nose at him and he finally attacked. This time she found herself hard pressed to dodge, and, despite her efforts, the blade ripped through her skin and clothes one too many times to ignore.

A yelp spilled from her throat when the blade swiped neatly across her throat. Her hand flew to the burning area and she pulled back a hand smudged in blood. No permanent damage done, but he had never aimed for her throat before.

He swung again. She jumped over the blade, pulling out a dagger from her sash as she went. He jumped back when she swung at his throat in return.

Scaring sensei is fun!

With a maniac's grin, she rushed in, staying low to the ground. He swung down…big mistake! Her dagger caught him in the side. He kicked her. sShe went tumbling across the ground and stopped by her staff.

Awesome.

Shoving her dagger back into its sheath in her sash, she twirled her staff with a grin. Her sensei eyed her, a bit frightened. She scared her sensei's being so vicious, but it was the only way to stand a chance. She stepped forward and her staff met with her sensei's in a few powerful blows.

Pain!

She stumbled and yanked the arrow from her back. Turning to the culprit, she glared at her last missing sensei who was preparing to fire again. The lapse in attention to her other sensei cost her dearly.

With a loud crack that reminded her of lighting hitting the ground to close to her, a white hot burning pain tore through her side. As if in slow motion, the world contorted and swirled as the colors of the forest around them blended in a strange array. The slow spinning of the world suddenly sped up double time. She did a few loose limbed cartwheels in the air before her back met with a tree.

A shriek startled her and she lay stunned on the ground, wondering where the sound came from. After a moment of blinking black spots from her vision and trying to make sense of her predicament, she realized the shriek had come from her own mouth if the burning in her throat was any clue.

The pain in her back was horrible, but her side hurt worse. She was very sure a few ribs were broken. Rolling onto her side, she took a few breaths. It hurt worse to even breath. A familiar whistle brought her attention back to the fight. She let her head drop to the ground. An arrow embedded itself in the tree, grazing her ear playfully. She shot the arrow a glance before crawling to her knees.

She couldn't let the pain stop her. She was in the middle of a fight. A youkai wouldn't give her that chance to pull herself together and wiggle on the ground in agony, and if they did, it was never a good thing.

She panted, staring at the two monks coldly as they eyed her apprehensively. Her mouth felt a bit numb and something wet and slimy fell onto her hands. Her eyes flickered down to her hand and found her hand was covered in bright red slime. She clenched her hand in the dirt and closed her mouth tightly to gather all the blood in her mouth. Standing slowly, staff in hand, she turned her head and spat it out before looking to her sensei's.

She put a hand on her back to heal the wound as she twirled her staff in front of her to create a barrier against more arrows.

Her other sensei charged at her. She jumped up and horse-kicked him in the face.

“Damn arrows!” She snapped. Jumping had broken her barrier and her sensei had taken full advantage of it. His arrow missed. She pushed energy down her legs and out her feet as she rushed toward a tree.

She jumped up the sides of the tree until she was on a tree branch. Her sensei turned but he wasn't fast enough. She swung her staff and he threw up an arm to soften the blow. He still went flying because he was unsteady on a tree branch. She saw him hit the ground.

Her body was protesting in agony.

Hmm. Another sensei, closing in and very nervous, if his aura was any clue. She turned on the tree she stood on and smiled when she saw her sensei's startled face. He ducked a punch to the face and instead hit her hard in the stomach. She gagged a bit of blood flying from her mouth.

Catching herself, she dropped her staff, brought her hands together over her head and brought them down on her sensei's back. He flew down through the branches as she gasped a hand flying to her stomach in an attempt to heal her broken ribs that had been badly aggravated by the punch.

She crouched low, gripping the branch as her vision darkened a bit around the edges. Glancing back, she could see her sensei's were pulling themselves off the ground, gathering to stare up at her. Blinking back the darkness, she struggled to stay conscious. Passing out meant you were dead in a battle but… the dark was so nice and she was so sleepy…

A sense of vertigo swept over her as her mind registered she was at an odd angle, almost laying down… flat on her face… in the air.

“Kagome-sama!”

XXXXXX

`Kagome-sama?'

Kagome blinked dumbly

`Are you awake, Kagome-sama?' Kagome closed her eyes to ward off a headache

`I hear you had quite the vicious training session,. One of your sensei's even has a nice handprint-shaped burn.' Her eyes flickered open to stare at a pair of yellow clad knees. She took a few minutes to gather her thoughts as she enjoyed the feel of the cold wood floor on her cheek and the familiar healing warmth on her back.

She lifted her head a bit to stare into grey eyes. “Kuro-chan, what do you want?” She slurred sleepily. She could feel the drool seeping from the side of her mouth but she couldn't bring herself to care though her mouth tasted like she'd been chewing on metal.

`We have a play date, right?' Kagome smiled and nodded tiredly on the floor, smearing bloody drool across her face.

“Already? I thought I had to wait till our next meeting. Don't I have like, another two weeks, or something?”

`You have no sense of time in this temple, do you?' Kuro asked in amusement. `We're way overdue for our meeting. Your training went over the intended six months. We're into our last week of the seventh month. You go home tomorrow.' Kagome's head shot up off the ground but she immediately regretted it. With a groan, she laid down again to stop the room from spinning.

`Be still a bit longer, you had a bad fall from a tree. I healed your broken arm already ,' he said.

She snorted and specks of blood sprinkled across the wood floor and even stained Kuro's beautiful robes

“I didn't mean to do that,” she grumbled.

Kuro pushed her onto her back and began working on her stomach and side. He understood what she was saying, but he ignored her strange apology and twisted the meaning of her words to his liking `You never intend to fall from a tree like that, Be glad one of the monks caught your head and you came away with a few broken bones and bumps.' Kagome licked her dry lips and wiped the drool on her cheek away.

“Our training today was really intense. My sensei's were vicious today. At the beginning, it was really bad and I could barely get a breath in unless I knocked one of them on their butts for a bit. By the end, we were moving kind of slow because we had been fighting since the crack of dawn. It was a bit after noon when we stopped… I think… I was running for my life at the time. I can't be too sure.”

`You thought that was training? Maybe we were too hard on you…' Kuro trailed off, looking thoughtful.

“What are you trying to say?”

`Kagome-sama, today was not training. The monks came to me and asked if they could administer a final test. If you didn't fight well today they were going to kill you. They couldn't let you leave only to have the Shikon jewel taken and you killed by youkai because you had inefficient training.'

Kagome lay stunned .“Oh…”

`If they were going to kill you ,it would have happened during the test. You passed. Your sensei's have nothing but praise for you. In such a short amount of time you advanced and was able to fight for eight hours straight against them.'

Kagome barely heard a word he said, because she was still in shock. “Why didn't someone tell me? I could have died during that test! I was running around thinking it was training!” She sputtered.

`You would have started to make mistakes, thinking you would die. Tell me, when you go into battle with youkai, do you assume your going to be killed?'

Kagome frowned. “No, but I know there's a good chance,” she admitted.

`And that is why no one told you. It was guessed you would do better with that little bit of information not stated.'

Kagome scowled a bit. `Now be still.'

He leaned in and Kagome opened her mouth to say something rude in response to his invasion of her personal space but he shocked her by what he did. He pressed his lips to her forehead and she went limp in surprise. A bit of electricity raced though every inch of her body. As she wiggled her toes willing the feeling return to the little digits, a rush of intense warmth washed over her body, followed by intense cold. Kagome shivered and hugged herself to stop the shivers.

The chill over her body dulled the pain of the burning on her forehead until her body began to heat up on its own. She howled in pain when the burning made itself known. Kuro jumped back and she hopped up, a hand flying to her forehead.

“Ow! Why did you burn me!” She cried angrily.

Kuro didn't answer but simply stared at her with unseeing eyes. She fanned her forehead as she glared at the boy.

`You act as if I set your hair on fire or something,' he sneered. Kagome glared at him through the black locks of hair that hung in her face. Since her second, and forced, hair cut she had let it simply grow as it liked. Now it hung limply everywhere with no particular style and she honestly had no reason to style it. If she wanted out of her face she tucked it behind a ear, or tied it back in a ponytail. It was still short, but not even reaching her shoulders yet, so she didn't worry too much.

“That was weird. What did you do to me?” She demanded.

He shrugged. `Don't worry about it.'

They glared at each other a moment until Kagome finally gave in. “Well, this is a play date and I don't want to sit in your gloomy chamber all day. We're going outside.”

Kuro blinked, confused, as Kagome stood and stretched, now fully healed.

`Why,' he demanded, scowling up at her. `If you want to feel a breeze, a window can be opened.' He pointed to a window on the other side of the room

Kagome raised an eyebrow. “It's weird in here. Come on, we'll go sit in the field,” she said with a grin.

`I can't walk,' he hissed. Kagome shrugged

“I figured as much, seeing a bunch of old monks who can barely keep themselves up right, carry you around was a dead giveaway.” She bent down with her back to Kuro. His cheeks puffed out and she giggled, tugging him onto her back. Startled, his arms quickly clamped around her neck.

She tucked her hands under him to keep him upright and started from the room. The guards shifted and watched them nervously before following her from the room. `Why do you want to go outside. You hurt yourself outside, and grass makes you itch, and… And it's cold and annoying,' he whined sounding every bit the sheltered eight year old right then.

Kagome laughed .` I love it,' she thought to him. While it was nice to tease him aloud, it did kind of look like she was talking to herself. Kuro snorted, tightening his arms around her neck so he wouldn't fall. `It's nice outside,' she coaxed.

`I can't see. What do I care if it's `nice' outside?'

`Yeah… what can you do? You can't see, or walk?'

Kuro was silent a moment, silently seething over the insult. Kagome smirked, they made good time to the field and Kagome went and sat right in the middle of it. She let Kuro off her back and looked around. The field was pretty big, but not overly so. There were random flowers swaying in the grass that came to Kagome's waist where she sat. Kuro was blinking rapidly, obviously uncertain what to do. She smiled and ruffled his hair, he looked in her direction a bit confused.

`You've been reincarnated lots of times, right?' He nodded discreetly as the wind played lovingly in his hair. `Are you always blind?' She asked absently as she snatched a few long strands of grass and lingering flowers and began to weave them.

`The state of my body depends on the genes I am given. But almost always, there is something wrong with my bodies. One constant is the fact that I can't see, no matter how many bodies I am born into. I can see when I'm not on earth though…' Kagome nodded looking a bit thoughtful.

`Well, you let the monks spoil you. Don't you want to walk on your own or talk? It's kind of weird hearing a voice in your head.'

He shrugged. `I do admit I let them tell me I don't need to know certain things, like how to walk. But this time around, I honestly can't walk. My legs are weak. Why do I need to talk when I can call to whomever I like with my mind.'

Kagome shook her head at him. `Despite the fact you're a god reincarnated, you're still an eight year old boy. Don't you want to play with other children your age? You may be powerful and intelligent, but you still a kid,' she scolded.

Kuro pouted and glared down at his lap. `That isn't necessary,' he huffed.

`Well, if you want to live like a human, why do you want to live surrounded by old men hidden away in a temple, instead?'

He turned away, refusing to answer and they sat in silence a long moment `Why do you want to leave? You can stay here with me forever. I can make you a god. You can be reincarnated with me.'

A bit startled by his desperate voice, she stared at him a moment. She could only see a lonely little boy. He looked the farthest thing from a god at the moment. She scooted a little closer to him until their arms were touching. He leaned in a bit closer to her.

`Kuro-chan, is there something you want to tell me?' He fisted his hands in her top and she wrapped her arm around him protectively before going back to work on her weaving.

`I can see peoples futures, their deaths a lot of the time.' Kagome paused working a moment to stare at the boy curled into her side.

With a sigh, she looked back to the weaving. `You can see your own death?' He nodded.

They sat a moment enjoying the breeze. `I know I will be reincarnated, but I can see my own death about a year before it happens. It's not always pleasant. There have been times when I have been killed by frightened villagers, bandits, youkai, I've been killed for ceremony… I still get scared, even though I know what will happen and that I will be revived in a new form to start over again.'

Kagome frowned deeply. `Why haven't you told the elders this?'

Kuro snorted and glared up at her. `I've tried many times before in other lives, they don't understand. They think I am just being childish. They work their whole lives to purify their bodies in the hopes they will be reincarnated or allowed to move on to the after life. They can't understand, even if they are reborn, they don't remember the sufferings of their previous lives,' he explained in a bitter voice.

`Well, I don't know if I'm any better than them, Kuro. For all intents and purposes, you are a human… more specifically, a little human boy right now. That's human nature to fear death. You just have a different point of view because you know what will happen when you die.'

She smiled gently at him. `It's okay to be scared, Kuro-chan. Just because you're a kami doesn't mean you have to be above such things… at least, that's what I think.'

He closed his eyes and let Kagome work on her weaving. `I fear what I am. That's confusing,' He chuckled to himself.

`Ah, so you're death reincarnated. That's why I kept getting this freaky feeling from you.' He looked up startled and nodded quickly.

`I never tell anybody because that tends to get me killed quicker and with a lot more pain. Not even the temples occupants know… you are the first to get it after… hundreds of years. You're the only one on earth right now that knows besides other Kami that are reincarnated.'

Kagome cringed and pet his side in sympathy, `Death still occurs, so how does that work?'

Kuro looked thoughtful. `I was one of the sun goddesses first created children.. I created creatures to tend to the dead that inhabit the land, and that's how it's been for a while. I handle the really strange cases that can't be taken care of by my own creations, like foolish humans calling the undead back to destroy living people…its happened before.' He rubbed his arm thoughtfully. `I can't kill, but I do judge those souls and decide who is to be sent where or if they will be reincarnated.' He paused a moment before continuing, `There is no real form of death. I am the embodiment, but like I said, I handle the unnatural occurrences. The world would continue on if I never existed ,but mother made me… I don't know why.'

Tilting her head in confusion, she asked, `You deal with strange occurrences, like Kikyou?' Kuro frowned. `Instances like her are not so uncommon, but I can't bother her because she has a piece of live soul. When people like her are made, if they are given the soul of a living person, I can't interfere until the body is destroyed. If they are given a soul dragged back from its resting place, then I have the right to interfere.'

Holding up the crown of woven grass and flowers she admired it. `I choose to be reincarnated because I get bored and observing is easier when I am human,' he finally admitted.

`Isn't it kind of hard to observe, locked away in a temple?' she asked warily.

`Yes...' He sighed.

`There are those that can sense the soul of a Kami inside people, the monks always come find me when I am an infant unaware of the world and without memories of my last life. I can't hide from them very long and when I really don't want to live in the temple, I reincarnate as a demon.' Kuro smirked and Kagome grinned amused.

`The monks are a bit hypocritical. If I am a demon, I could stand right in their face and tell them who I am but they will refuse to believe it. Very amusing to do that actually.' Kagome chuckled a bit and pet Kuro's head. He smiled, satisfied she wouldn't turn on him because of his confessions.

He pressed his head into her side with a wide, relieved grin. `I am very pleased with my decisions concerning you. I do feel better, even if it's just a little.' Kagome pulled away and put the crown of flowers on his head. He blinked confused.

`I'm glad, Kuro-chan. I promise to come visit you again and I'll bring Shippou to play with you. I think you would like him,' she chirped.

Kuro nodded uncertainly. `Will you remember my name for me? I'll forget it,' he said with a pout.

Kagome thought nothing of the request and nodded eagerly. `I promise to remind you, Kuro-chan.' He nodded approvingly.

They sat in silence a moment and Kagome glanced at Kuro when he spoke, `The grass doesn't itch so much today.'

Kagome chuckled a bit as Kuro smiled brightly at her, a light blush on his cheeks.

XXXXXX

Jiji tapped his talons on his thigh, absently watching as Shippou played with his fox fire. It was more training than a game but the kit always made his practice amusing. Shippou was bobbing his head to some unheard music as his fox fire danced around him in the form of little stick figures. This type of training just gave him better control over his fire and it taught him a different form of using the fire. Jiji was content to sit and watch because he could actually see the little fire figures and they lit up Shippou's small form.

“See if you can make them dance further away from you,” Jiji called. Shippou glanced at him lifting his chin from his hands.

“Hai, Jiji.” The circle of dancing figures moved a little further away from Shippou and two of them flickered out of existence.

Shippou's expression twisted into one of anger. “Keep control of your emotions, kit. Anger will make controlling any kind of fire much more difficult.” Shippou grumbled but dropped his chin back into his palms. The fire began to dance more smoothly as Shippou began to calm again.

“Good boy,” Jiji praised with a deep chuckle. Shippou blushed and one of his dancing figures suddenly began to dance like it was on some kind of drug. Shippou groaned in embarrassment and Jiji laughed, watching the little fire person flail around like it was drowning. After a moment, Shippou had control again and was soon bobbing his head to the rhythm in his head again.

“Jiji, when is Kagome coming home?” He called.

Jiji took a deep breath. “Soon,” he answered uncertainly.

Shippou scowled and the flames around his little people got a little bigger but they all continued to dance.

“That's what you always say,” he whined.

Jiji only grunted and stood to begin straightening the area behind the counter. If Shippou lost control of his little fire people, the random cloth lying around would quickly start a nasty fire.

`That's what I always hope kit,' he sighed.

`Speaking of Kagome, I need to make her weapon, but that Kami hasn't told me what weapon to make for her yet.' He huffed at the thought.

The demons leg hit the ground, and Kagome could only stare in shock. She looked down at her own bloody body. Much to her horror, her skin was soaking the blood up.

Her face twisted in fear, she finally looked up at the staff that had dealt the damage. The metal bird had vanished and replaced with a scythe. The `wood' of the staff was warped around the metal of the blade and throbbing with veins. She let her eyes trail down the staff she held. A winding rope of metal had wrapped itself around the staff until it reached her hand…

“Jiji!!!”

Jiji blinked dazed and turned in the direction of the distressed kits cry. “Jiji, are you okay?” Shippou whimpered.

The old wolf ran a hand through his hair. `A vision? That little bastard sent me that vision. Damn Kami,' Jiji thought, annoyed.

He suddenly realized he was sitting on the ground and something was digging painfully into his back. He groaned and moved to get up after planting a kiss on Shippou's bright red hair to calm the child.

“Jiji…” Shippou whimpered.

“Maybe you should rest. You just passed out,” he called.

“No I'm fine just-“ Jiji placed a hand behind him on the wall to push himself up when he realized his hand was resting on a large chunk of wood. It toppled over from his light touch and smacked him across the head. Jiji growled and cursed angrily as he pressed the wood back up against the wall. He squeezed the wood, checking it over with his hand. Jiji stood and put his hands to the large piece of wood again.

He licked his lips then smiled down at Shippou who was staring at him strangely. “Kagome is heading home, it's time to make her a weapon to use.”

Shippou glanced at Jiji strangely. “And you suddenly realized this after the wood smacked some sense into you?” Jiji rolled his eyes at the sarcasm in the boys' voice.

“You've been around me too long.” Jiji sighed as Shippou grinned.

“We'll what kind of weapon are you going to make Kagome-chan?” Shippou asked eagerly, happy he finally had a clue of when he was going to see her again.

Jiji smirked, “Well I have a strange little idea that was given to me…”

XXXXXXXX

`The waterfall is so loud,' Kagome thought, irritated as she ran a hand through her hair to press out the excess water. With a yawn, she glanced at Satoshi-sensei, who was walking toward her then turned back to finish her bath. While the waterfall was loud, it was beautiful and it covered her in a cool, light mist.

`Finally, I go home today,' she thought as she bit back her squeal of happiness. Clean and energized to face the morning, she grinned and ran a hand through her hair again.

Her grin immediately vanished when her reflection showed what lay on her forehead.

“AHHH!” she screamed.

“What the hell is this!?” she cried mortified. She poked the smooth black dot smack dab in the center of her forehead. “Oh my god. Is this a pimple? Please say it's a pimple because if it's a mole I think I'm gonna die,” she sobbed. The guards glanced back confused but immediately turned back around when they saw she was still in the water and very naked.

She splashed her face with water and scrubbed her forehead furiously until the skin around the black dot was red. She held her hair back as she stared at the dot on her forehead in horror.

“Kagome-sama?”

Kagome spun around in the water and pointed to her forehead, her eyes wild. “Where the hell did this come from? I have a mole right in the middle of my head. This is a nightmare!” She wailed. Not at all surprised by her eccentric behavior or her lack of clothing, Satoshi smiled, amused.

“It was Kuro,” she hissed in realization remembering the burning sensation on her forehead the previous day. “He put this on my forehead. I'm gonna kick his little behind from his chambers to the training grounds and back a few times. How dare he put this thing on my forehead!” She pulled herself from the water.

“Kagome-sama!” She looked at Satoshi and he stepped forward and wrapped a towel around her. He brushed her damp black hair from her face and it parted neatly as he tucked it behind her ear. “The mark of purity is befitting of you Kagome-sama.”

She looked at him with narrow eyes. “Mark of purity?” He nodded.

“When you arrived, you had more power than any of the common monks, except the elders. One such as you must be powerful and pure of heart to purify such a tainted object as the Shikon Jewel. That is why everyone was so respectful to you. Now you have this `mole' as you call it and it is proof of your purity and the gods approval of you. We will call it Kiippon.”

“Kiippon?”

“We thought that was more fitting to call your mark of purity Kiippon: straightforwardness, honesty, purity.”

He smiled as Kagome blinked owlishly, poking the dot on her forehead even as he spoke. “As a matter of fact, I should be addressing you as your holiness. Forgive my rudeness.”

Kagome scowled. “You're my sensei. Don't call me that.” He smiled a little brighter.

“As you wish, Kagome-sama. Now please get dressed, you're in a temple full of men.” He held out yellow and white robes exactly like what the elders and Kuro wore, with a pair of simple sandals. She wrinkled her nose at him but he only smiled kindly. She sighed and walked over to the set of trees she usually used to dress in the morning. It only took a bit of time, but she was finally dressed. Stepping out of the bushes, she moved toward Satoshi even as the bell on her ankle jingled a pleasant tune while she walked.

He shook his head eyeing the seals on her ear. “Would you like those taken off?” He asked, motioning to the earrings in her ear.

She touched them, absently rubbing her fingers over the engravings, “No, they have grown on me,” she said with a wolfish grin. He nodded and she turned her attention on the monks staff in his hands with interest. It looked a lot like Miroku's staff but with seals and wards caved into the metal where he held it. She had seen a lot of boa staffs with similar wards and seals carved into them, obviously to do more damage when they hit youkai. The gold head of the staff had hoops that jingled every time it was moved, but unlike Miroku's, this had extra little accessories. The six hoops that hung from the head had little bells attached. They chimed sweetly when the staff was moved too suddenly.

“Is that yours? I've never seen you with monks a staff,” she admitted.

He chuckled. “No, this is yours.” She stared wide eyed as the staff was passed to her. It was light with the top being a little heavier so the swings made with it would hurt. She grinned childishly, twirling the staff expertly. She turned the staff to the side so she could admire the top. Flicking one of the bells, she raised an eyebrow at her sensei who chuckled.

“That was everyone's idea. It's a running joke that we had to tie a bell to your ankle in the hopes of being able to hear you when you tried to escape. It obviously didn't stop you,” he mused.

Kagome shrugged and stepped forward to give Satoshi a hug. “Thank you, sensei,” she whispered.

He pet her back, “Thank you. You were a very interesting student and now I have the honor of having trained one of our pure and holy ones, loved by the gods.” She pet him on the shoulder and released him with a curious look.

“Come, your holiness. Kami-sama is at the entrance waiting to wish you farewell.” Kagome glared at her sensei.

“Satoshi-sensei, don't call me that,” she huffed as they walked. “By the way, what do you mean approved and loved by the gods? I've never met any gods except for Kuro-chan.”

Satoshi frowned at her. “Why do you keep calling Kami-sama that?”

“Answer my question and I'll answer yours,” she goaded.

Satoshi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “From what I understand, the gods pay special attention to certain people. For instance, the gods watch those around Kami-sama closely, so when he chooses to bless someone like he did you, the holy mark either doesn't appear, which means the gods don't approve, or it does. They have been paying close attention to you. I believe because you are the Miko of the Shikon.” Kagome nodded in understanding.

“I call Kami-sama Kuro, because I thought he should have a name instead of just a title. He makes a fuss about it, but I think he likes having a name,” she admitted with a grin. Satoshi glanced at her.

“You know, Sensei, Kuro-chan may be a god, but he is a little boy, too. He should be allowed to go play once in a while,” she pointed out. Satoshi looked thoughtful then nodded in agreement.

“I will bring that up to the elders,” he assured. Kagome nodded in approval.

At the entrance she was met by Kuro, her other sensei's, and the elders. She grinned at them not at all as reserved as they were. She bowed to the elders and her sensei's, then walked over to Kuro who was being held by one of the elders.

She took the boy into her arms. “Hey, what's with this mark on my forehead?” She huffed.

Kuro rubbed the mark on her forehead with a smile. `I like it, it just shows that you're special,' he said cheerfully.

“I'm still a 17 year old girl. Black dots on any girl's face cause that girl to get upset,” she scolded.

Kuro huffed. `Girls are confusing,' he grunted making kagome giggle. `Kagome-sama, where are you going now?' Kuro asked.

“To see Shippou and Jiji,” she answered immediately.

He pointed to the northeast. `They are that way,' he grumbled. Kagome smiled at him. `I want you to go southwest though,' he said with a pout.

“Why?” She asked warily, he only shrugged. “I'll think about it,” she promised. He pouted sourly.

Kagome chuckled and hugged him tightly “I am going to miss you,” she said. Even as she hugged him, she suddenly realized how thin and fragile he felt being squeezed in her arms. He was very light and the realization made her sigh.

Kuro squeezed her as tightly as his thin arms would allow. `You have to come back and see me,' he said, sounding as if he would cry. She kissed his forehead even as he grumbled bitterly in her head. He closed his eyes, enjoying the warm feeling being hugged by her brought on. The monks around them watched the exchange silently.

“I swear I'll come back and visit you again.” He looked up blinking lazily and nodded. She passed Kuro back to the elder even as he struggled to hold on a little longer. He pouted and glared at Sansa who now held him. The elder monk shifted nervously obviously confused by Kuro's strange behavior.

She looked to the large and very intimidating wooden gates.

`Bye, Kagome.'

Kagome smiled back at him when she noticed the boy had dropped the honorific. Her smile dimmed a bit when she realized she had just missed something that Kuro wanted… needed her to notice

A guard opened a smaller door in the large wooden gates. She smiled and bowed again to the elders and her teachers. She walked to the door and stepped out. Kagome paused and glanced back as the door began to close. She caught a glimpse of Kuro smiling brightly at her as he waved enthusiastically. The door closed behind her with a thud. The sound had a finality to it that made Kagome uneasy. She smiled weakly. Kuro had a beautiful smile when he wasn't being an evil little bastard or forcing his smiles.

Now outside the door for the first time in seven, almost eight, months, she paused to observe where she was. She blinked owlishly, seeing the ridiculous set of stairs that led down to a path on a main road below. The whole time in the temple she had never realized they were on a huge hill. Rolling her eyes, she started down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs sat another smaller temple where people traveling the road or who lived in the nearby towns came to pray to the gods, rest, eat, and give offerings. Funny thing she had never been to this temples entrance.

People wandered the temple halls as they ate or got ready to travel for the day. There were small rooms where weary travelers spent the night. She walked through the halls toward the entrance/exit. People paused and stared at her and bowed but she kept going after a nervous nod to them. The bells on her staff and ankle chimed lightly as she moved.

After a moment of wandering the halls she realized a few things.

First, she was lost already.

Second, everyone thought she was a guy.

She paused and looked down at her robes a moment. While they were very comfortable and unrestricting, they were baggy and hid her toned but feminine body from view. Her breasts were bound tightly so it seemed as if she had a man's flat chest. With a sigh, she made a quick prayer to the kami and kept walking. She didn't want to deceive anyone but if they assumed she was a guy, which they rightfully should, she couldn't really change their mind unless she told them otherwise then explained how she had ended up a female monk.

Thankfully, she ran into a young monk cleaning the halls. He smiled and bowed to her with a respectful, `Your holiness.' She rubbed her temple and forced a smile. That title would take some getting used to.

“ I'm leaving, but I can't find my way through these halls.” He nodded quickly and pointed her in the right direction. She followed his instructions, eyeing the very simple and plain walls that seemed predominant, even in the main temple.

The entrance hall of the temple was big and currently packed with people. It stank of sweat, horses, sake, and a mix of foods used to both feed the travelers and give offerings. The people close enough bowed to her and let her pass without too much problem, but those who paid her no heed quickly made a problem. She was caught in the crowd now. They moved in one direction toward the monks holding out baskets for offerings and praying over everyone. Someone grabbed her arm and she looked down to see a little boy pulling her trying to get her out of the tide the crowd was moving with. She let the child pull her and sighed in relief when they finally exited the crowd.

The boy smiled up at her, she recognized him as the same boy who had foiled her first escape attempt. She pet his head in thanks and he nodded before scampering off. There were monks against the walls some praying with people who begged them too others simply standing guard to make sure no problems broke out in the packed room. They nodded to her and she smiled warily moving toward the open wall where people were flooding in from.

“Your holiness.” Kagome glanced back to see monk, a boy about her age, rushing toward her. He held a set of prayer beads in his hands. “You're going to need this,” he promised with a grin. Kagome took the beads and raised an eyebrow. “We monks still in training have a lot more time to make these kinds of things. I thought you might need it.”

Kagome nodded. “Thanks a lot,” she said with a wide grin.

He bowed. “I wish you luck on your journey.”

Kagome watched the boy turn and leave before trying to get through the crowd again. Finally, after a few minutes of weaving in and out of the tide, she was outside standing on a path. There were people sitting on the side of the road, some walking up or down the path. There were families, women and men with bags on their back. Old men were scolding little boys who would dart in their path almost making them fall.

“Wow, this is a really busy path, compared to what I'm used to seeing.” She looked skyward lazily as the wind played in her hair.

“Houshi-sama!” Kagome was startled when a man raced over to her. She shuddered when she realized what she had been called. He bowed a few times looking happy yet tired and over worked at once. “Me an ma wife came here to have a monk do a prayer over the little one there.” He motioned to the woman sitting by a tree cradling a bundle in her arms. “We was gon' ask someone else but the crowd…” Kagome nodded in perfect understanding and let the man lead her to his wife.

He smelled of grass, sweat and other strange body odors she couldn't… wouldn't name, but she ignored the assault on her senses in favor of doing as he asked. She knelt in the grass before the wife and lay her staff by her side as she'd seen Miroku do plenty of times. Rubbing the smooth prayer beads between her fingers thoughtfully, she sent the new mother a lazy smile. Not even ten minutes had passed since getting them and she already had to use them. The mother handed the baby over and Kagome stared at the girl as she giggled happily, oblivious to what was going on around her.

Her big brown eyes analyzed Kagome's features, even as she wiggled around laughing for no particular reason. She reached for the black lock of hair that had come loose from the tucked position behind Kagome ear.

“She's a happy baby,” Kagome murmured hoarsely, for some reason her throat felt a bit dry. The husband and wife smiled and moved a little closer to each other as Kagome began a small prayer.