InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ THE MIRROR OF SOULS ❯ CHAPTER 6 LETHAL ( Chapter 6 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

NOTE: Inuyasha isn’t mine but I'll settle for Sesshoumaru. hehehehe!  Please review!  

"Miko, are there any forthcoming information about your powers from the mirror?"

Kagome shifted her footing and sighed in frustration, "None."

Sesshoumaru frowned, "You do not sound convinced."

She nodded, "Anything that come from Naraku should not be trusted."

"Hn." The taiyoukai agreed.  

"I just wished that damned thing never crossed my path." She raked her nails through her hair and was a little jolted to feel its pointed ends. She looked at her fingers with a little anger.

Sesshoumaru noted the emotions of the Miko. "You do not welcome this transition?" It's more of a statement than a question.

"You got that right. How am I gonna cope with this when I don't even know the extent of my miko abilities?" She took a deep breath. "As always, I am being thrown into a situation where I was badly prepared for and people expect me to just breeze along!" Kagome felt her cheeks reddening from anger but she didn’t care.  "Just look at me! Is this some kind of a joke?"

Despite the transformation Sesshoumaru can clearly see the traces of the miko he had known as his bother's companion, the only thing different was that she now bears the semblance of a full youkai. Added to the miko aura emanating from her the combination is and should be in conflict with each other. Such combination was unheard of - ever. But it seemed that this woman has managed to combine such lethal permutation without negating each and the other. It seemed that the miko, whether of her own free will or not, has been the unappreciative recipient of gratitude from the entity in the mirror. But why transform her into an inu-youkai?

"Mutant…" Sesshoumaru turned at the word she uttered. "In my time, mutant was a word they used for people who have unusual powers." He could feel her sadness and hurt and it confused him.

"Such word does not do you justice. You are not disfigured." The Western Lord has that intense look in his eyes.

Kagome snorted. "That's easy for you to say; you're not the one being considered 'pariah'." The woman ambled toward the balcony. She felt the taiyoukai stand beside her just outside the door.

"I have surpassed my father in greatness when Bakusaiga was given to me with the healing of my arm. None of this has ever happened to any inu-youkai…even to any youkai for that matter." Kagome glanced at him. "I can feel their fear of what they think is an aberration of our nature."

"So you're saying that you're not the only mutant here?" Her mouth quirked as she tilted her head saucily at him.

"Miko, refrain from using that word." Sesshoumaru has started to hate that word.

"Well, my lord it seemed that I have struck a raw nerve." She felt his low growl. "Forgive me. I did not mean to tease you." She sighed deeply.

"Hn." He felt the woman's eyes on him, he returned her gaze.

"Why?" A rhetorical question, unfortunately he doesn’t hold any answers for her.

When Sesshoumaru bade leave to take care of some matters with Rin Kagome decided to wander around the grounds on her own. She could feel the alarm of many of Sesshoumaru's household servants as she passed corridors. Of course they would bow to her but as her newfound youkai senses has told her they fear her more than their master. Being a miko is one thing and being a youkai is another but…blending the two is an aberration from the norm as Sesshoumaru said. He was right.

She used to be the protector of the Shikon no Tama, the most powerful, albeit untrained miko to have ever protected the jewel since Midoriko. As a miko, youkai fear her, she purifies them upon contact, she can lay waste to a hundred youkai with her arrow. Her power destroyed Naraku. Her name became feared and known. But now she has become what she has hunted. How bitterly ironic. It is tantamount to having two personalities and appearances, worse than Jekyl and Hyde.

As youkai how was she supposed to be handling this? Should she just set this aside? Take it in stride? Many youkais have dreamed of having this kind of power, hence their obsession to the acquisition of the jewel. But she never wanted THIS. It has been foisted upon her from a wicked twist of gratitude from an entity who didn’t even have the courtesy to bother if she wanted this or not! The thought made her growl in anger, youkai-miko power swirling and pulsing, enough to scatter some of the cleaning women and servants around in terror.

The commotion was enough for Kagome to force herself to calm down. She caught the fear in their eyes. The hybrid decided to vent her anger someplace where people wouldn’t try to scatter in fear of her. She vaulted over the veranda.

"What? Wings?!" She was hovering ten feet from the ground the wings flapping powerfully. "Ah damn it!" She clenched her hands in frustration. Not another surprise from Kazumi! When will all these revelations stop?

She folded her white wings a bit to examine them they looked like they belonged to a bird of prey. She sighed.

"Miko." She jumped on air, she didn’t think it was possible. Sesshoumaru was hovering in front of her. "Another gift?" The taiyoukai indicated her wings.

"Presumably." She nodded.

"Take it one day at a time." Sesshoumaru felt weariness coming from her and it too was obvious from the slump of her shoulders.

"Well I guess since we're here let's take these wings for a spin?" The Western Lord titled his head at the strange idiomatic expression. "I mean, let's find out what they can do." Kagome shrugged.

"Come," he said and the sped off into the sky.



As Sesshoumaru and the miko climbed to the sky he tried to fathom the logic of the entity called Kazumi and failed. As a taiyoukai he doesn’t believe in accepting anything for its face value because there are always strings attached. Always. He looked at the woman flying beside him, her silver hair waving like a banner in the wind, the strange clothes she insisted on wearing making her look an apparition as they both flew. She is trying her best to assimilate whatever change this "gift" has been given her. He decided to train the miko for her powers would surely attract opponents and enemies who would like to see the downfall of the miko.

It pays to be suspicious among his kind since that would assure of keeping his head on his shoulders. Alliances between powerful youkais are tenuous at best and everything is about protecting your back and carefully choosing the one to protect your back. Gestures are to be explained to assure the recipient that they would not be burdened by something they could not reciprocate in the future. Everything has to be in black and white.

The miko might be powerful but extremely naïve in shrewd political machinations; she trusts too easily, forgives too quickly and is oftentimes reckless in her safety. He has seen countless times when she put herself in jeopardy for that fool half-brother of his. He often wondered who was protecting whom.

The Inu-youkai held up a hand and they slowed their ascent. He pointed to a spot in front of him and the miko stopped in front of the Western Lord, her stance relaxed, a small smile on her lips.

"I didn’t know flying could be great." Kagome pirouetted in the air.

"I will teach you train your youkai power."  The woman before him looked glorious with her snow-white wings. She looked like a tenshi, an angel.

"Miko, prepare yourself." Was all the taiyoukai said before he attacked with lightning speed.  

"Hey, wait!" Kagome doggedly avoided her attacker but he was just too fast and too experienced a fighter. She feels alien in this strange new body she was given but she had to agree with the youkai lord: there's no time like this time to train her. But the jerk! He didn’t even give her time…!

Kagome felt her heart beating like a scared rabbit. Heck, she's terrified; this is Sesshoumaru and those claws can decapitate in the blink of an eye, maybe less. She decided to flee.

"Miko, do not turn your back away from your enemy." She stopped at his words. "Fight me."

She's not enjoying this. "Why can't we stick to flying?" She asked the inu-youkai but he still continued to slash at her with those razor sharp claws of his and she's getting better at retreating.

"Concentrate, miko or you'll lose your life." He made a sudden burst of speed and she "eeped" when her arm was almost snagged by those poisoned claws.

"Hey, stop! Time out!" She made a 'T' with her hands. "That almost got me!" Kagome was relieved when her favorite shirt wasn't torn. It was expensive! The jerk!

"What is this 'time out'?" The youkai lord was still poised to attack.

"Don’t you know how much I bought this shirt?" Kagome ranted.

"That is not silk therefore inferior material." He ignored Kagome's affronted intake of breath.

"That's not the point!" Kagome would have stomped her foot but that's impossible to do when you're two hundred feet in the air.

"Miko, we will resume our training." The miko missed the sigh of exasperation from the Inu-youkai.

"This cost me one hundred dollars!" She plucked the garment for emphasis.

"I see," was all he said before flicked his whips and cleanly tore away the right sleeve leaving it hanging in shreds.

Kagome was speechless, her jaw agape at her torn sleeves. She looked at Sesshoumaru, he was smirking. Smirking!  "What…you…you…!"

Another flash and the whip slashed by her stomach area further damaging the cloth. "Hey!" But the Tai-youkai just raised a brow. "What's your problem?!" She started to hyperventilate.

The tai-youkai lifted his hands to decimate another part of her shirt. Hn, the left sleeve would do nicely….

"Oh no you don't!" She launched herself at him, her claws in battle mode. "You'll pay for that, jerk!" A flash of blue and to Sesshoumaru's surprise she successfully ripped off his left sleeve. "Gotcha!" She dangled the fabric in her right forefinger.

"Hn. It was but a sleeve, miko," He smirked, impressed despite himself. He was right--anger was the right fuel.

"You think?" The miko lowered her eyes to his midsection.

Sesshoumaru felt his armor falling away from its bindings and fell to earth. He growled at the impudent wench.

"Tit for tat, Sesshoumaru." Her eyes were glinting like cobalt.

"'Tit for tat?'"  He snarled. The miko managed to puzzle him once more with her strange words.

"Uh-huh. Retaliation." All he saw was the flash of her blue eyes as she dove for him.



"I apologize for the delay, Rin-sama. We came as soon as the crisis was over." Violet eyes gazed at the general. The blue robed monk set down the delicate teacup on the lacquered table.

"I also apologize for the urgency. I know that you have been busy of late." Rin bowed respectfully before the friends of her uncle.

A shout was heard from the palace guards. Rin looked expectantly at the return of her father and hopefully with the miko. A few hours ago she and her father were both surprised when the miko sprouted wings, she hung near the balcony in apparent confusion, her wings flapping. She had looked at her father to wordlessly ask him to assist the bewildered young woman. She was gratified when he leapt out of his office window to beckon the miko away from the castle.

The captain turned with a smile when she felt her father's youki approaching but it was replaced with a mixture of trepidation and shock.

The Western Lord and the miko descended on the veranda, their clothes torn. Her father has lost his armor but his obi and swords remain on his side. A full sleeve and a half were missing from his haori and some parts of his pants were torn. Sliced, to be exact. The miko's clothes were torn as well but it seemed that only the upper half received damage.

"My Lord, what happened?" The general stood up. "Was there trouble?" Did they meet some youkai's while they were out there?

"Nah, don’t worry Rin. We were just 'training,'" Kagome was looking at Sesshoumaru with a smug expression.

The guests in the receiving room fell silent at the sight of the two pale youkai's but two pairs of eyes focused on the female's voice.

"Your voice…!" The taiji-ya's eyes were as big as saucers.

The female youkai's head whipped at Sango's direction, eyes equally as big. "Sango?" Kagome looked stunned. "Sango! It's me, Kagome!" The female youkai launched herself at the taiji-ya.

"Oh, Sango I've missed you!" The taiji-ya was stiffly standing in the embrace of the female youkai.

The taiji-ya pulled back and looked at the female youkai up and down. "It can't be…Kagome, is that you?"

"Kagome-sama is the reason why you were summoned, Miroku-sama," Rin interjected amid the babble of the two women.

"The explanations about this mystery would prove to be captivating, Rin-sama," The monk said with a twinkle in his eyes.


Everyone was rendered speechless when Kagome finished her story. Rin was blinking and trying to take in the confusing information. The monk's forehead was creased and deep in thought. The taiji-ya kept her hand wrapped around her friend, offering strength and her understanding.

Sesshoumaru was stoic as always.

Sesshoumaru has a fairly complete knowledge of her power. He has found some scrolls from the library where a certain "Mirror of the Souls" has been described in detail. His father has collected a lot of information about magical artifacts one of which is the "Staff of Two Heads" that Jaken wields. He is sure that it was talking about the same mirror that Naraku's incarnation Kanna held.

"Kanna used the mirror to drain people's souls…." The monk spoke up first but he was more like ruminating out loud. "…and it trapped their powers as well. When Kanna died the Mirror Spirit must not have been destroyed. In probability it still retained some of the souls and their powers."

"When we fought Kanna it mirrored all of Tetsaiga's power so Inuyasha was fighting his own sword." Sango supplied.

"Tetsaiga became an empty sword?" Sesshoumaru suddenly lifted his head, eyes disbelieving.

Kagome was surprised at Sesshoumaru's hypothesis but she nodded. "Almost. You see, Inuyasha acquired the Dragon-scaled Tetsaiga and it drains demonic energy from any youkai. It also became part of Kanna's arsenal."

"The Mirror Spirit also took Kongoushouha, Kaze no Kizu, and Red Tetsaiga. Every time Inuyasha would try to use it the Mirror spirit would just absorb it." Miroku added.

Sesshoumaru snorted. "And that stupid hanyou just let Naraku's incarnation use it against him. He was such a pathetic fighter."

"Don’t say that!" Everyone jumped at Kagome's outburst. "No one knows the extent of Kanna's powers. Inuyasha almost died!"

"Hmp!" But the taiyoukai just turned his head away. "My stupid half-brother almost lost my father's fang to that despicable hanyou."

Kagome stood up shaking in anger, her eyes blazing blue fire. "All you think about is that blasted sword!"

"Do not speak to me in that manner, wench." Sesshoumaru stood up as well, eyes tinted with red. He was still incensed that the woman had managed to get to him during their fight.

"And who would?" Kagome continued recklessly, her youki-miko aura shimmering. "Your father didn’t give it to you because you didn't have the heart to care for people!"

The others stood up hurriedly, fearing a deadly confrontation between the two powerful beings. By now the youkai and miko-youkai aura could even be felt beyond the large reception room. The youkais outside gave the room a wide berth fearing purification. The humans were more concerned about being in the middle of a rock and a hard place.

"Do not presume to know about my father's intention, wench!" The red in his eyes are now the color of blood.

"I do know! But did you want to listen to your father's reasons? NO! You were burning in jealousy because Tensaiga was worthless!"

"My lord! Father!" Rin shouted to distract Sesshoumaru.

"Kagome, stop!" Sango approached Kagome but was stopped by an electric current.

"Don’t you remember Sesshoumaru? The only time Tetsaiga allowed you to touch it was because you were more concerned about others than your arrogant self!" Kagome was far from hearing.

"Impudent wench! Cease your words!" Sesshoumaru's claws further lengthened, dripping poison.

"Oh, yeah? Make me!" Kagome snarled in challenge.

Two things happened in the blink of an eye. Both youkai drew back their hands; one to spew poison and another to flare it's purification aura…but instead of purification aura…shards of pink diamonds flew out. It purified the poison and impaled Sesshoumaru's right sleeve on the wall.

For the third time in that afternoon everyone were rendered speechless.

"That's…" Miroku turned to look at Sango and Kagome. "…the Kongousouha…?!"

"Kagome…!" Sango looked at her friend; Kagome was looking at her hands in terror.

With a cry Kagome ran and with a leap flew away from the room in a flash leaving a stunned group behind.









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