Journey to the Future - Chapter 20

Over the next week, Kagome not only spent her time progressing from accessing the source of her power to creating basic barriers and controlling the amount of power she channeled in her arrows, she also painstakingly tried to get herself back in shape.

She felt sick looking at how thin she had gotten over the last few months. Her ribs were clearly visible and she had lost much of the muscle mass she had developed from years of running and staying fit. Kagome hadn’t realized just how tired she had been until she was eating and sleeping regularly again. Honestly, she was surprised that she hadn’t just collapsed on the way across Japan.

Kagome had just finished eating her second small meal of the day and she had a few hours before she needed to eat again. It was going to take some work to get her body used to eating more than just lean game and wild plants and Kagome knew that eating small meals frequently was healthier than gorging herself.

She let out a sigh and dropped her arm by her side, bow dangling in her fingers.

“Kagome-san, you must push through the ache if you are to strengthen your arms,” Hitomiko scolded lightly.

“Yeah, I know,” Kagome replied slightly irritably. She really should have practiced during the trek to Hokkaido. Her arms burned from the strain of firing so many arrows. A good dozen littered the straw target at the end of the hastily constructed range.

She set her jaw and shakily notched another arrow. This exercise was doubly difficult for her as she was having to work both her spiritual and physical muscles. She was getting better with controlling the flow of her energy; the first arrow she had fired, nearly all of her power was expelled at once. Thankfully, Hitomiko had gotten into the habit of erecting a barrier each time Kagome worked with her spiritual power. It not only prevented her from hurting Inuyasha, but also stopped her aura from being sensed by hostile youkai.

Kagome deliberately drew back the bow, trying to ignore the sweat threatening to drip into her eyes. She tapped into the massive well of power simmering under her skin and the tip of the arrow flared brilliantly.

“Back down a little more,” Hitomiko said, her eyes riveted to Kagome’s shaking arms.

Letting out a trembling breath, Kagome struggled to reduce the monstrous flow of energy from a river to a trickle. The pressure built until her fingertips tingled and Kagome couldn’t hold the arrow any longer. She loosed it, nearly collapsing in relief as the pressure eased.

The arrow flew straight and true, bursting into pink sparks as it struck the target. Pink flames flared around the straw briefly before dying away, dribbling sparks onto the earth. The target looked faintly charred.

Kagome laughed shakily, raising an aching arm to wipe at the sweat on her forehead before it got into her eyes. “Well… that was difficult.”

“You did very well that time,” Hitomiko praised, crossing the small field to stand next to Kagome. “”We need to work on the precision and speed of your control. And your endurance, perhaps,” she added with a smile.

“No kidding,” agreed Kagome. She felt exhausted from both the effort of controlling the flow of her power and stabilizing it and from the physical strain of drawing back the bow so many times. Her arms felt like noodles. “I promise, I wasn’t quite so… pitiful when I left Kaede’s village,” she said wryly.

“You still have a lot of recovery ahead of you,” the older woman said gently, placing her hand on Kagome’s shoulder. “You are advancing very quickly. Although I do believe that you would benefit from having a little extra incentive.” She handed her a small leather canteen of water.

“I don’t think I like the sound of that,” Kagome replied warily, accepting the pouch and taking a greedy swig of refreshing water.

“Perhaps Inuyasha-san would…”

“No, no! Absolutely not!” she protested vehemently, waving the canteen around in agitation. “I could kill him!”

“That is precisely why it would be an incentive to learning control,” Hitomiko pointed out wryly. “You should at least ask and give him the opportunity to refuse for himself.”

Kagome’s heart twisted and she grimaced, but conceded the argument to the other woman. Inuyasha would definitely be offended if he knew that she was trying to shelter him and would probably want to make the decision for himself. However, she worried that he would agree just to help her and the last thing she wanted to do was hurt him. Kagome couldn’t help but hope that his sense of self-preservation would kick in and he would refuse.

~*~

“Keh, why don’t you just ask my bastard brother?” Inuyasha asked, his sword slung over his shoulder. While Kagome had been working with Hitomiko, he had be practicing as well. “He’s got so much youki that spiritual power pretty much doesn’t even affect him, lucky fucker,” he muttered.

“What do you mean, it doesn’t affect him?” Kagome asked in surprise. “I thought that youki and reiki were pretty much poison to each other.”

“Well, yeah,” Inuyasha agreed with a one-shouldered shrug. “But Sesshomaru is like… really fucking strong.” He swing his sword in a downward motion with a grunt. “I think even you would just give him a nasty shock. At worst.”

“That’s… pretty amazing,” Kagome replied faintly. She had known that Sesshomaru was stronger than Inuyasha, but she hadn’t really appreciated just what that meant. “He should be coming back around soon, right?”

“Um, should be,” the hanyou replied distractedly.

“Okay, thanks Inuyasha,” she said, turning back toward the village. She wasn’t really offended by his lack of response as he was clearly engrossed in his training. As she trudged up the slope back to the village, she remembered the way the thread of connection had felt between her heart and Sesshomaru and wondered if she could maybe use it again to catch his attention.

She stopped walking and, feeling as though she was doing something bad, closed her eyes and reached for the little nugget nestled in her heart. Kagome envisioned strumming the gossamer thin strand like the string of an instrument. The thread hummed melodically in her mind.

Kagome opened her eyes and shrieked in shock to find Sesshomaru standing before her. She lost her balance and fell backwards.

The youkai caught her with one arm around her back. He steadied her back on her feet before withdrawing his grip. “Is there something amiss?” he asked, golden eyes darting around the area.

Kagome shivered as she felt his youkai blanket the area as he searched for potential threats. “Um… no…” she said, blushing as the intense gaze settled on her face. “I was just… trying something. How did you…” she trailed off, unsure of how to phrase her question.

Sesshomaru lifted a slender silver brow and one corner of his mouth raised slightly. “You are a slow human.”

Kagome opened her mouth angrily, but the offended protest died in her throat as she felt a familiar tug at her heart. She stared at him accusingly at the strange feeling. “Are you doing that?”

“Is it not obvious?” Sesshomaru responded, looking extremely amused.

“Well, forgive me for being slow,” she huffed, brushing past the smirking youkai, her nose high in the air. She only made it a few steps before remembering the reason she had wanted to speak with Sesshomaru.

With a sigh, Kagome stopped and turned around. She felt irrationally irritated to see the youkai standing in the exact same position with the exact same amused expression. She resisted the urge to smack the smirk off his face and swallowed her wounded pride. “Actually, I did have a request.”

“You wish to make use of me in your practice,” Sesshomaru said, taking the wind out of Kagome’s sails slightly.

“How did you know that?” she asked grumpily, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I have been keeping an eye upon your progress,” the youkai replied loftily. Then his golden eyes sparkled with mischief and he added, “I may have also overheard your conversation with my little brother.”

“You… you eavesdropper!” Kagome couldn’t believe that he had been spying on her.

Sesshomaru looked completely unrepentant. “I shall grant you the use of my services,” he said imperiously.

Kagome was tempted to refuse just out of spite, but she really needed the practice. “Thanks, Sesshomaru,” she said with a sigh. “I appreciate the risk you are taking.”

“Hn, this Sesshomaru is not so easily wounded,” he said. Kagome could have sword that his chest puffed out slightly in pride. “Bring the other miko and come back to where my half-brother practices.”

“Oh… um, okay,” Kagome agreed, taken aback slightly by the suddenness of his not-quite request.

The youkai closed the gap between them, causing Kagome to tense slightly at his abrupt proximity. Sesshomaru looked at her for a moment before placing one claw-tipped hand on the top of her head. The touch was brief and his lips quirked in an almost-smile. And then he was gone.

Kagome was frozen in surprise by his behavior. The top of her scalp felt suddenly cool without the warmth of his hand. “That… was a little strange,” she whispered to herself.

As she continued up the small incline and through the village to give Hitomiko the news, she felt strangely excited for the next day. Sesshomaru was turning out to be very interesting.

~*~

Kagome stood nervously in the small clearing that Inuyasha had been using the day before. Sesshomaru was about four meters away from her, smug amusement glimmering in his golden eyes. Inuyasha and Hitomiko stood watchfully at the edge of the clearing. The older miko had just finished casting a barrier over the area, both to prevent any energy backlash from reaching the village and to stop any rogue youkai from feeling Kagome’s aura.

“Shall I test your defense?” Sesshomaru asked, raising one hand and cracking his knuckles ominously. “Let us see how quickly you are able to call up a shield.”

Without any other warning, the youkai unleashed a glowing green blade from his finger tips.

“Oh crap,” Kagome gasped, throwing her hands in front of her face instinctively. A shimmering pink shield formed in front of her. Its edges were jagged and leaking pink sparks but it held as Sesshomaru’s youki connected and burst into nothing. The barrier fell and Kagome dropped to her knees, panting and holding herself up on shaky arms.

“Oi, bastard! Are you trying to kill her? She’s like a twig!” Inuyasha shouted, waving his sheathed sword threateningly.

Sesshomaru raised one eyebrow and turned scrutinizing eyes upon Kagome. After a moment of silent judgment, he looked back at his brother. “I believe the purpose of this exercise was for the miko to gain experience through practice. I will not coddle her. But,” he added, his eyes softening slightly. “I shall not break her either.”

“You don’t have to be such a dick,” retorted then hanyou.

Kagome peered over her shoulder at her concerned friend and gave him an encouraging smile. “It’s okay, Inuyasha. He caught me by surprise, but he’s right. I don’t have time to do this the easy way. The faster I can increase my skills and strengthen my body, the better.”

Inuyasha growled lowly, clearing kicking himself for ever suggesting that his brother help, but kept his mouth shut. Hitomiko laid her hand on his arm and leaned in to whisper something in his ear. Whatever it was she said seemed to do the trick and Inuyasha relaxed slightly.

Kagome pushed back to her feet and nodded at Sesshomaru, indicating that she was ready to continue. Before she could even blink, another green blast was heading toward her. Kagome threw up another barrier and this one was slightly better formed. Again, once the glowing youki made contact with the opaque pink barrier, the energy dissipated and the barrier collapsed.

Breathing heavily through her mouth, Kagome staggered back. But she managed to catch herself this time and stayed on her feet. “It was a little easier that time,” she said, shaking out her arms.

She focused back in on Sesshomaru just in time to see another blast of energy flying almost lazily toward her face.

~*~

After just an hour of practice, Kagome could no longer expend the necessary amount of power to create a barrier. It wasn’t that she had run out of energy; she was just too physically exhausted to even stay on her feet. Her last few attempts had been barely enough to stop the slowly strengthening blades of youki that Sesshomaru shot at her. The final burst had knocked her backward of her feet and she fell heavily on the ground.

Kagome lay where she landed and panted harshly, blinking sweat away from her eyes. She had known that she was in bad shape, but she was angry with herself at how short a time she had lasted.

“I believe that is enough for today,” Hitomiko suggested, sounding as though it wasn’t really a suggestion at all. She was alone, Inuyasha having been banished from the area after he had attacked Sesshomaru. Kagome had failed to get a barrier up in time and received a long, shallow cut on her arm for her trouble. The hanyou had instantly smelled the blood and had flung himself at his brother in a rage.

Kagome raised a shaky arm, groaning as her muscles vehemently protested, and let it flop back down over her eyes. Her entire body ached not only from the exertion of using her power and her poor physical condition, but from the collection of small cuts and bruises that had accumulated when she failed to stop the youki.

“Agreed. Meet me again in two days time,” Sesshomaru responded, his voice much closer than Kagome had been expecting.

She felt her arm lifted gently away from her eyes and she blinked at the youkai crouched at her side.

“Do you require assistance?” he asked, gripping her arm lightly with his fingers. His golden eyes were bright with poorly concealed concern and a tiny bit of regret.

“Um…” Kagome struggled to her elbows, the muscles in her stomach screaming. She took a deep breath and pushed with her arms until her torso was upright. “Let’s see if I can even stand up first,” she said laughingly.

Sesshomaru looked at her with a critical eye before shifting his grip around her upper arm and helping her to her feet. Kagome swayed alarmingly, but she was steadied by the firm hand on her arm.

“Be sure to keep the muscles loose and warm, else you will be in greater pain tomorrow,” the youkai cautioned, slowly releasing Kagome’s arm while keeping an eye on her balance. When she took a few staggering steps without falling, he rested his hand on the top of her head again. “I shall see you the morning after next,” he said, meeting Kagome’s surprised blue eyes with his own.

After he left, Kagome shook her head in amazement. “I don’t think that I will ever get used to that,” she confessed to the other miko, who had taken Sesshomaru’s place of support at her side.

“He is an interesting youkai,” Hitomiko commented, adjusting her pace to Kagome’s agonizingly slow walk. “Although youkai strong enough to assume a human form are generally more tolerant of humans, I have never known one to willingly consort with miko… let alone assist in one’s training.”

Kagome grinned tiredly at the stunned woman. “You see something new every day, huh? Well, don’t be too worried about your world view turning upside down,” she said teasingly. “I’m pretty sure he’s only helping because the tree told him that I was the ‘key’ to getting something he wanted.”

“Tree?” Hitomiko parroted, raising one eyebrow curiously.

“Um, that youkai you mentioned… Bokuseno?” Kagome stumbled slightly and would have fallen flat on her face, but she was caught by a pair of strong arms. She looked up into the disgruntled face of Inuyasha. “Oh, thank you,” she said with a weary smile.

“Keh, are you okay?” The hanyou’s golden eyes were worried as he took in her exhausted face and the assortment of cuts and bruises that decorated her exposed skin. “I still think that bastard was being too fucking rough.”

A clump of ice smacked against the side of Inuyasha’s face. Bits of melting snow slid down his cheek to drip into his collar. Kagome giggled at the baffled expression on his face. “I think maybe Sesshomaru heard you,” she guessed.

The daiyoukai had been oddly firm about correcting the hanyou’s bad language. Having heard how scarce he had made himself during Inuyasha’s childhood, she wondered if Sesshomaru was feeling remorse for not having a hand in his brother’s upbringing.

“I’ll kill him,” Inuyasha growled, depositing Kagome into the other woman’s arms and bounding away into the trees.

Kagome leaned on Hitomiko and laughed tiredly. “I don’t think that Inuyasha is going to win this one,” she said in a stage whisper.

“It is extremely unlikely,” the older miko agreed solemnly. “Has Sesshomaru-sama said anything more about Bokuseno?”

“Um, not really,” Kagome replied, hobbling up the steps to the shrine house. “He said that he would take me to him after I was finished her though.”

“It is a shame that he is so far away,” Hitomiko sighed, helping Kagome around the back of the shrine to the bathhouse. “It would be more expedient were we to combine our resources. Perhaps I shall attempt to contact him tonight as I do Kaede,” she said thoughtfully. “I have never used this spell to communicate with youkai.”

“That’s a good idea…. It definitely couldn’t hurt to try. I can take it from here, thank you,” Kagome said, leaning against the door frame. She watched as the other miko returned the way they had come before entering the bathhouse.

A nice hot soak was just what she needed.