****Returning?****
Kagome couldn't get back to sleep. No matter how much she willed her
body to sleep and her mind to dream, she just ended up pacing the room.
Which of course only led to Kagome to trip over her pants... several times.
But even after hitting her head, repeatedly, on Genkai's smelly old floor,
Kagome hadn't ridden herself of the energy she felt pulsing through her
veins. And with nothing to use it up Kagome soon found herself ripping
millions of microscopic pieces of paper and throwing them onto the floor.
At least she was until she saw the mess she had made...
Genkai's gonna kill me! Kagome was startled out of her thoughts as
the sound of a harsh growl sounded in her ears. Kagome jumped, only to
realize she herself had made the vicious sound in the first place. Since
when have I been able to growl like THAT?! Of course, Kagome again found
herself confused as she realized just where she had jumped too...
A little terrified squeak came out of her throat before Kagome fell
(well, more like jumped) from her spot on the ceiling. Breathing deeply,
she glanced back at the area where she had just been... hanging... Only to
notice two large holes behind ten small ones. Apparently, she had lodged
her feet into the ceiling, her fingers following into the wood for a better
grip.
Kagome glanced down at her had and studied it. Bits of wall were
scattered across her digits, but no blood or even redness crossed her
hands. She was vaguely aware of it when she put her hand on the floor and
gazed into nothing with wide, shocked eyes. If she could do this after a
just a few weeks of being demon, how strong would she be when... No when's,
if... she became full demon? Or the question that lingered longer in her
mind... How strong is Hiei??
Sure, if he was anywhere near as strong as she supposed he could be,
he could have killed her easily on both confrontations in which they had...
met... Why didn't he? He could have just snapped my neck or vertebrae and
been done with it... How strong could he really be?? Kagome was, once
again, startled out of her thoughts by the sound of a strange scrunching
noise right outside her window. Jumping over to the glass pane, Kagome
fearfully looked outside. Noticing nothing until her eyes fell on the
scrawny mouse that seemed to be walking across the fallen leaves. Kagome
sighed.
This was going to be a long night...
~*~*~*~* Dawn*~*~*~*~
Genkai walked down the hallway towards Kagome's room. Fully
expecting the 'TOO EEEEEARRRRRRRRRLLLLLLLYYYYY' and 'No school today...
momma... not fair!' mumblings that she experienced daily. So, when she did
enter the room to see littered pieces of ceiling, stuffing, and...
paper?... Genkai got worried right away. Sprinting outside, Genkai
immediately found Kagome already up and doing her morning exercises.
Genkai immediately saw the loss in a few inches when Kagome stopped before
her teacher, smiling brightly.
"Morning Genkai, I'm sorry I'm already working and all, couldn't
really sleep," the last part was mumbled angrily to no one in particular.
Genkai allowed a raw smiled to fall on her lips. But it disappeared as the
memory of last... yesterdays conversation.
"What are you going to do about the foxprint?" Genkai asked suddenly.
Kagome's face went into the emotionless mask she had practiced so much.
"I plan to follow the only course of action left for me at this
point. Return to the past and return to the past to finish the Shikon
Jewel. Otherwise I die," a wry smile came to her lips, "and I don't want
to die before I get to show off anything good that you taught me Genkai-
sama." Genkai allowed another smile to come to her lips, but it also
vanished quickly.
"Then I must teach you the one thing that will help you most in your
journey," Genkai said solemnly, "You must leave by tomorrow if you want any
chance of getting home, getting to the past, and finishing what you need to
in time." Kagome smiled reassuringly at Genkai before she frowned, brow
furrowing.
"What do you need to teach me Genkai-sama?" Kagome was under the
impression that she had learned everything that was necessary, though
apparently she had not.
"You need to learn what hides in the recesses of ones mind, it will
help you not only with your transformation into a Jaganshi," she paused
here to let Kagome take in her future species name, then continued, "and
also with a gift of the miko that takes no magic, only wisdom." Kagome
smiled and nodded. Genkai turned on her heel and walked into a small shack
that Kagome had never been allowed to enter before. She didn't really ever
want to by the grubby look of the outside. So she was fairly surprised at
the beautiful surroundings when she entered.
The walls and ceiling were intricate carvings of fights between
different people, creatures, and spirits, even though on the outside, one
couldn't tell if the walls were intact, let alone elaborate. There was a
beautiful silken covered mat on the floor in the center of the room,
pictures of sukara tress and a single pond (think the ending song on Inu
Yasha on the first half where Kikyo turns around and then you see Inu
Yasha's foot... yeah...) sukara petals falling through the air and floating
away down the maze of currents.
Kagome was torn from her thoughts when Genkai pointed to the floor
beside her, silently bidding Kagome to sit. Kagome obeyed and Genkai
followed the example.
"Kagome, do you remember the meditations I taught you in the
beginning of your training? Start off with that, but now, instead of
envisioning yourself in the different planes of life you must think of the
one place you felt most peaceful at. No ones there with you, your
alone..." Kagome's mind was filled with the one place she actually did
feel peaceful. A crystal cave behind a waterfall in the Sengoku Jodai.
She loved it because not even Inu Yasha had found her there, her scent have
been mostly washed away by the river she walked through to get there.
Rainbow colors ran through the crystals and scattered them around the
cave, creating an oddly unrealistic beauty that Kagome had only found here.
The sound of the waterfall beyond lulled Kagome into a bliss-like state.
Despite the fact that the water blocked the sunlight and so hardly any
light entered even the slivers of light that got in was multiplied by ten,
making the room bright yet shadowed at the same time.
"Listen," Genkai's voice entered from some other consciousness,
"Listen, Kagome. Listen to every sound that enters your ears and study it.
What do you hear?" Kagome closed her eyes, focusing on any sound in the
cave. At first, nothing could be heard, and Kagome thought something was
wrong. But then something more startling came to her ear...
"Genkai-sama," Kagome started, sure that the fear showed through," I
hear voices. They're saying... terrible things!" Kagome backed away from
where she thought the sounds came from, only to yelp as she closed in on
other ones, "Genkai!!!"
"Do not be afraid, Kagome! It is important to stay calm! Listen to
what they say, try to answer them, to comfort them!" At first, Kagome made
not move to follow her orders, but slowly stepped forward. She was
automatically bombarded with voices. Withholding the urge to wince, Kagome
picked a voice, and listened.
"Genkai..." Kagome's brow furrowed as she listened to the stranger
speak, "She speaks of a child... a son named Kengi... he was crying... he,
the men were... hurting him... burning him... she says that it smelled like
when they cooked the deer... and the men laughed about it... she says....
oh my god!!! Genkai it's so horrible!!" Kagome was vaguely aware of the
hot tear that slid down her cheek.
"It's okay Kagome, you most try to comfort her, tell her something
that will help her soul rest in piece," Kagome's brow furrowed again, and
then she stepped forward once more.
"Um... Ma'am? Mikiru? I understand your worried about your son. He
was being hurt after all. But I promise you, the pain has left him now,
and he's probably skipping happily now, in a new, unscarred body! He will
no longer cry from such pain, and you will no longer have to watch those...
monsters laugh! You can see him again if you just follow. Will you follow
him?" Kagome was silent as she listened to the woman answer, "Then follow
him! All you have to do is know you have finished here, know that you can
sleep, and you will follow him into your dreams." Kagome listened for the
voice to continue, but when the crying stopped, Kagome smiled, happy for
some reason that she could help.
"Kagome, I want you to study this world every time you get a chance.
It's important that you find all the secrets of your sanctuary, it's
basically your subconscious, and within it is the answers to your questions
is all inside this domain, as well as the answers to any other who asks a
question worth answering. That's all I can teach you for now. Return,
please..." Kagome's eyes opened and she found herself once again sitting
across from the old woman on a mat. Genkai stuck her hand out to Kagome,
and Kagome grabbed the contents within it before she even realized what it
was.
A single scroll fell into her palm, and Kagome looked at her teacher
quizzically, "Don't open that yet, but within it is all the herbs you will
need for a secret potion to slow the changing's progress and hide your
changes as best it can. Like your scent will remain basically the same,
seemingly human, and your size will... well it's hard to explain, you will
look the same height as you are, but no one will notice the change."
Genkai smiled and stood, "Now, you should say goodbye to Yukina and then
head home as quickly as you can. Kagome stood, and with only slight
hesitation she enveloped Genkai into a teary hug.
"I'll miss you Genkai, I promise to return when I'm done!" and with
that, Kagome ran into the house to say a similar (yet much longer and
tearier) goodbye to Yukina, having turned away too soon to see the lone
tear travel down her trainers face.
"You better live at least another year, moron," though Kagome didn't
hear the words, she as good as felt them float through the air, and cast a
sad smile toward the shrine before she turned to go home.
~*~*~*~* 4 hours later *~*~*~*~
Kagome stood before the well, backpack packed, and glanced once again
in a mirror. The potion Genkai had shown her seemed to have worked, but
Kagome checked for any sign of redness in her eyes, or obvious change in
height. Neither was apparent. Kagome wasn't so much worried about the way
she looked as she was about actually going back into the past. She thought
she would be ready to face Inu Yasha by now, but as mad as she was at the
hanyou, she couldn't help but feel the pain at what he had said.
But no pain, no gain right? Kagome asked herself tentatively. She
sighed, hoping to have some sort of interruption to stop her from leaving.
And just as she prepared to jump into the ancient well, Kagome's head
snapped toward the doorway, the silhouettes of four teenagers staring at
her angrily. She couldn't see the faces, but the shape and glowing red
eyes of the shortest told her all she needed to know.
"That her?" Kagome recognized at once the voice of Kuabara from years
before.
"Yep," Yuske answered.
"I don't see what's so special about her," Kuabara grumbled.
"Shut it, baka! I bet you couldn't even beat a fruitcake in a
wrestling match!" Kagome screeched.
"Fruitcake can't wrestle!" Kuabara said, thinking that he had won the
battle. Though Kagome couldn't see, she knew that both her and Yuske had
sweat dropped and Hiei and Kurama just rolled their eyes.
"I'm not going to have a battle of wits when my opponents unarmed,"
she grumbled.
"I am too armed!" Kuabara yelled, producing what appeared to be an
energy sword of some sort, and Kagome caught herself before she jumped.
"I meant with an IQ higher then the number of digits on your hand you
idiot!" Kagome yelled, "Put that thing away you may attract attention."
Yuske stepped forward.
"How come you weren't surprised when Kuabara used his spirit sword,"
he asked suspiciously. I sighed dramatically.
"I don't think your much better off then your friend..." Kagome
grumbled. Sensing that he was about to start yelling again, Kagome added
something, "If I knew your name then isn't it a little old that I know
something I shouldn't have! I have an incredibly good memory, and as of
two years ago I have known each of your names, and I some other," Genkai
had told Kagome tidbits about each of them, "details. Like the fact that
Kurama was only in this human body for about sixteen years, and one of my
best friend is related to Hiei," Kagome could practically hear the shock of
the room, especially Hiei, "and Kuabara has a weird obsession with being
the number one thug at... I believe it was Takahaki High? And then there's
Yuske... Spirit gun, spirit shotgun and spirit waves are your best attacks,
and you are not only known as the youkai boogy man but you also have a
reputation of having a head of steal, as proved in the recent Dark
Tournament." Kagome yawned at tapped her foot impatiently, "Listen, can we
at least talk about this outside the well house, my eyes are starting to
hurt?" They just stared at her for a moment.
Kagome smirked. Guess I made the right impression...