I do not own Inuyasha and Company, no matter how happy it would make me. Rumiko Takahashi is the lucky one there. I do not profit from these stories, unless sweet reviews, supportive emails, and shiny banners count. I think they’re worth more far than money though, so let just go with I do not profit financially from these stories.
This chapter was written for Skye's Bi-Weekly Challenges on Dokuga. The prompt: Power
Chapter 7 – Power
Kagome was fighting to regain consciousness. It felt like she was trying to swim to the surface from the deepest, darkest depths of the ocean, and she had to struggle for every inch. Finally the darkness lifted, and thick, raven eyelashes fluttered on pale cheeks. She opened her eyes, only to quickly close them again at the pain. She tried again, slower this time, as she allowed herself to adjust to the brightness streaming through the curtains.
When she could see clearly, she was confused. The last place she remembered being was in her room, and she still was, only in the wrong house. What had happened to her? Where was Sesshoumaru? A raspy groan escaped her, and she frowned as she tried to move. Her limbs were heavy, her muscles ached, and it took her several minutes just to sit up in bed.
Further examining her surroundings, her frown deepened. It looked like someone had decided to open a florist's shop in her bedroom! 'Who died?' she thought to herself. Her struggle continued as she slid her legs off the side of the bed, and tried to stand, only to immediately collapse to the floor in a pile of useless limbs.
Downstairs, the thud of her landing sent her mother flying up the stairs.
"Kagome?" Her mother cried in relieved surprise. "You're awake! You're finally awake!"
"Yeah, great," her daughter's gravelly voice replied. "What the hell happened to me?"
Ayako was quickly at her side, helping Kagome off the floor and back into her bed. "You've been asleep so long! I was beginning to fear he had caused you serious damage, and you might not wake at all."
Kagome frowned again before nodding as she gratefully accepted the glass of water her mother offered. Her hands shook as she drank greedily, the cool liquid soothing her dry throat, and her voice was a little better when she spoke again.
"Damage? Who? What happened? How did I even get here? Where is Sesshoumaru, Mama?"
"That vile demon can't come within a hundred feet of you, dear. You're safe, I promise."
"Safe? From Sesshoumaru? What the hell are you talking about?! Sesshoumaru would never hurt me!" Kagome's voice grew louder as her frustration increased. Her mother wasn't making any sense!
"But he did, Kagome. Maybe you can't remember it, and it's probably best it stay that way, but he did. He hurt you, and forced your powers to rise to protect you. You've been unconscious since, but don't worry. Everything will be alright."
"Powers? Mama, I have no idea what you're talking about! Could you please try, and make sense?"
"Oh, darling, you just woke up. Give yourself a little time, and then I'll explain everything."
"No," Kagome nearly snarled, "you'll explain now."
"Are you sure?" Ayako looked hesitant, but Kagome's determined expression convinced her. Her daughter had a right to know the truth. "Alright then. Inuyasha called me, and said that somehow you were unconscious and surrounded by a barrier. Gramps and I had to go get you. To see you like that... I never imagined you could ever be in danger in that house. I had no idea a monster lived in the next room."
Kagome's forehead crinkled as she tried to understand. "A monster?"
"Inuyasha tried to warn me but he was also trying to protect his brother. Why I'll never know as he certainly didn't deserve it. When I went into your room you were on your bed naked. Your clothes were shredded on the floor. There was blood on the bedding. You were covered in scratches, and bruises, and even a bite mark. It's really no wonder your powers broke free to protect you. If only they had done so earlier, before he... before he raped you."
Kagome shook her head in disbelief. "You think Sesshoumaru raped me? Oh, Mama, no! He would never do that. He... He's a demon. Of course I had scratches." She could see the look of skepticism on her mother's face and continued. "He didn't do anything I didn't want him to, or that I hadn't been waiting for him to do for forever. Mama, I teased him, tortured him until he finally quit hiding how he felt, and came to me. I wanted him. He didn't hurt me a bit."
Her cheeks were flushed a brilliant red in embarrassment, but she couldn't allow her mother to think such horrible things of Sesshoumaru, not when she hoped to have a serious relationship with him.
"Wait, what did you mean he can't get near me? And what powers? I'm not a miko!"
"Kagome, dear, there's so much I need to tell you, but please. You need to eat, and there are lots of people who have been waiting a long time for you to wake up. I need to let them know you're okay."
Kagome nodded blankly. She was already exhausted, and she was definitely hungry, but she was also beyond confused. Her mother looked so sad and guilty, and she knew what was to come would not be good news.
~!~ A Miko's Pet ~!~
He had been waiting forever for the call to come and when it finally did he almost didn't believe it. She was awake! Inuyasha didn't care if he couldn't get close to her quite yet. He still needed to be there. He never drove so fast, and when he reached the shrine the hanyou noticed that the oppressive and dangerous feeling of her powers was different, weaker now.
All he wanted was to be able to hold her in his arms but he couldn't, not until she completed the spell. Until then, Inuyasha got as close as he could to the house without excruciating pain, and plopped himself on the ground. This time he was happy to wait. It wouldn't be long now.
~!~ A Miko's Pet ~!~
“When you were born we knew immediately. The power rolled off you in waves, stronger than even your grandfather had ever experienced, and it was decided that it would be impossible for you to live a normal life if nothing was done. I had gone through the training when I was young, and I did not want the same for you. It dominates everything. Your entire education is dedicated to nothing but studies of spells and incantations, of demon-kind; their traditions and weaknesses, and the like. It leaves you with no choices for your future. I wanted my little girl to go to school, and learn math and science and everything else so that when you grew up you could be anything you wanted to be, so you could pick your own career, and live a life of your own choosing. I wanted you to have options, so we did it.”
“Did what? What are you saying, Mama? I was born a… and you…”
“You were born a miko, Kagome, the most powerful miko in centuries, and before anyone discovered it we bound your powers. We used several different spells to be certain that no hint of miko energy remained, so that even the most powerful demon senses would detect nothing. Our work was put to the test when you became friends with Inuyasha, but neither his father nor his brother ever suspected a thing. We thought it to be a complete success, but apparently our plan was flawed. It was supposed to last forever, unbreakable. If I had any idea this would happen, that this could be a possibility, you have to believe we would have done things differently. I’m so sorry, honey, so sorry.”
Kagome frowned. “So somehow my powers broke free? It’s all right. It doesn’t matter. My friends won’t care or anything. What are you so sorry about?”
“You don’t understand, honey. Every day your powers were bound they continued to develop. If we had done nothing, if you had received the usual training, then you would have learned how to control them as they grew stronger. Now it is too late. Even with constant training you will never be able to fully subdue your powers. Instead, they are running completely on instinct, automatically protecting you from any perceived threat to your safety. Right now the shrine reigns in your miko energy, but if you were to leave the grounds, any demon that got too close would be purified to nothing in an instant, no matter your feelings about them.”
“You mean… all my demon friends…” Kagome’s eyes began to fill with tears as the faces of so many important people in her life flashed through her mind. She always had just as many demon friends as human, perhaps more. She seemed naturally attracted to those of demonic descent, and held no underlying fear of them as many humans still did. How could it be possible that she was born not to befriend them but to destroy them? It wasn’t right. It didn’t make any sense at all. “There has to be a way for me to learn to control it. I can’t live without… even Inuyasha?”
“Kagome, we’re doing everything we can to find a way to fix this. Your grandfather and Inuyasha’s father are both searching every text they can get their hands on for anything that might help. They both feel responsible, as do I, for this situation, and hopefully we will come across some solution. If it is any consolation, we have found a way to protect Inuyasha from your purification, so at the very least you still have him.”
Fat teardrops were sliding down her cheeks, and Kagome sniffled loudly before nodding. “Where is he then? Inuyasha!” the crying girl yelled towards her open door. She needed him more than anything at the moment to help her understand what was going on; what it all meant, what had happened, and what was still happening.
“He can’t come near you yet. There is a spell you must cast first. We were very lucky that Kaede knew how to construct what was needed. Would you like to…”
“Now, I want to do it now. Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”
~!~ A Miko's Pet ~!~
After a short lesson on the most basic of the basics, Kagome found herself standing at one end of the large courtyard on the shrine grounds, staring at a very uncomfortable-looking Inuyasha who stood at the opposite end, as far away as he could get without losing sight of her.
“Ye are a very lucky girl. He loves you very much to be willing to do this,” Kaede said softly.
Kagome turned a sad smile to the little old miko that was like a grandmother to her. “Why is that? It isn’t going to hurt him, is it?”
“No, child, not exactly. No demon has ever voluntarily been put under this spell. He must truly trust you with his very life to agree to it, and he was even the one who suggested it. He could not bear the thought of being separated from you any more than you could him. Are you ready, Kagome?”
“As ready as I’m gonna be,” she replied nervously, her hands tightly clutching the object Kaede had created for this purpose. “Is he ready? Is he sure?”
Before anyone got the chance to reply, Kagome heard a familiar voice ring through the courtyard. “Just do it already, wench! I’ve been waiting forever for you to wake up! I’m not waitin’ any longer!”
A genuine smile pulled at her lips for a moment before fading away as she recited the words she and Kaede had practiced. Kagome threw the necklace, watching in awe as the beads began to glow as they separated from each other in mid air. They crossed the distance easily and reassembled themselves around Inuyasha’s neck, still glowing brightly.
Seeing the young woman hesitate, Kaede nudged her. “Speak the word you have chosen, Child.”
Kagome closed her eyes tightly, afraid of what came next, terrified she would screw it up somehow, and she would be stuck forever without her best friend. Her lips quivered as she forced the single syllable past them that would hopefully successfully seal the spell. “Sit.” She cringed as a loud crash echoed around her, only opening her eyes when the sound of the rather flattened hanyou using every curse word he could think of reached her ears. “Inuyasha?”
“Damn! I didn’t expect it to hurt that much!” the hanyou grumbled as he pried himself off the cement. His sore muscles protested the abuse, and by the time he made it upright he was almost knocked back to the ground by the force of Kagome colliding with his chest. His arms wrapped tightly around her, and he held her close as she shook violently with the power of her sobs. It took everything he had not to cry along with her as all the stress, and worries of the last few months came rushing back all at once. He almost lost her. For a while he was certain he had, and those had easily been the hardest days of his entire life.