…From the Ashes the Phoenix Rises

By Danyealle

(FanFiction/Angst)

Chapter 12

The following afternoon Kagome and Sesshomaru were at the end of the pack as they walked, quietly talking with each other.  It was rather a quiet, relaxed day without a lot of pressure.  They really didn’t have any real information on jewel shards and there were only rumors that were third-hand at information at best about things that might be about Naraku.  Kouga had sent out some of his wolves to scout around a bit but they were waiting for them to return so the pack was relaxed, without much nervous tension.

Suddenly, Kagome stopped dead in her tracks, a familiar tickle making its self known.  “Jewel shard!” she shouted.

Instantly, everyone was on full alert, weapons drawn and ready.  “Where is it Kagome?”  Sesshomaru asked, all senses on alert for whatever was coming their way.

After scanning around a bit, to get a lock on where it was coming from, she pointed towards the south.  “There!  I’m pretty sure it’s flying,” she said, grabbing her bow and an arrow from her quiver.

Almost immediately, Sango and a transformed Kirara were by Kagome’s side.  Flying meant Kagome and Sango were center stage.  They would either take the creature out or knock it to the ground where it could be dealt with by the rest.  Sesshomaru and Kouga flanked the women, ready for anything.

Suddenly a creature that looked like a cross between a bat and a buzzard, one of the ugliest things they had ever seen, appeared far above the tree tops.  Of course it came across with the familiar refrain of “Give me the shards!”

It was far too high in the air for either Kouga or Sesshomaru to take a good leap and get to it so it was up to the two women.  With a practiced ease Sango hurled her giant boomerang at it.  Unfortunately, it was able to duck it easily.  Though she didn’t think she would fair much better, Kagome notched an arrow in her bow and was ready to fire.  Then, as she usually did, she began to pour her spiritual energy into the arrow.

As she was doing that, keeping an eye on the creature, Kouga let out a yelp and quickly moved away.  Then Kirara did the same thing.  Inuyasha, who was behind them, said “Shit!” then backed away from the miko, eyes wide.  Standing next to the little priestess, Sesshomaru stared at her, eyes wide, not believing what he was seeing.

Normally, her arrows were surrounded by a soft pink glow, something that looked like the consistency of a fluffy, white cloud.  This time, however, it was different.  The pink that surrounded the arrow was so bright that you had to squint to look at it; even then it hurt your eyes.  There was also that fact that the energy surrounding it resembled flames dancing up and down the shaft of the arrow.  Normally, her energy was contained in the arrow but this time the bow and her whole body was surrounded by bright pink, licking flames.

Standing next to her, Sesshomaru could feel the power emanating from her dancing across his skin.  It was a tingling-burning feeling that bordered on uncomfortable..  But, from the looks on the faces of the other non-humans in the pack it was painful and more than a bit uncomfortable to them.  They had moved far away from where she was standing, staring at the little miko with mouths hanging open.

As would be expected, Kagome was oblivious to everything going on around her, concentrating only on her target.  When she had the target directly in her sites she uttered her usual mantra, “hit the mark,” and let the arrow fly.  Usually, the arrows as they flew towards the target were a pink streak.  This time it resembled a flaming bright pink lightning bolt as it flew towards the creature. 

Though it tried to doge the projectile, the creature couldn’t get out of the way quick enough and it hit its mark.  The thing didn’t even get a chance to open its mouth and scream in pain before it was dissolved into ash, the wind scattering the debris.  As it was blown away the jewel shard that had been embedded in its neck felt to the ground. Quickly, Miroku went to retrieve the purified fragment.

 “Got ‘em!”  Kagome said, lowering her bow.  Looking around at the expressions on the faces of the rest of the pack members, she was bewildered.  “What’s wrong?” She asked, looking from face to face then back over her shoulder at Sesshomaru.  “What happened?”

“Nothing’s wrong Kagome.  I think we are all just curious as to how you were able to put so much power into that arrow is all, Sesshomaru told her gently.

“Huh?  What are you talking about?” she queried, facing him.

“Didn’t you notice anything at all different?” the taiyoukai asked gently, feeling anxiety beginning to twist in her aura.

“No, nothing.  It felt the same as it always has!”  she explained, brow furrowed.

“Yeah, well, it was different this time!”  Kouga said from across the clearing where he was standing, rubbing his arms as though he was cold.  “My fur is still standing on end from it!  I thought you were going to purify me as well!”

“I don’t understand!” she said, eyes wide.  “I didn’t do anything different!”

Sensing her anxiety level climbing, Sesshomaru decided to wait until they camped for the night to delve any further into it.  “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about Kagome.”  he soothed.  “If you are becoming more powerful that won’t be a bad thing.  Let’s get moving.  We can discuss this more tonight when we make camp, alright?”

Sighing, she nodded then slung her bow back over her shoulder like she always did.  After retrieving the shard from Miroku and adding to the others she had they began to move once again.

~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~

After making camp for the night and as supper was being cooked Sesshomaru pulled Kagome away and led her to a small clearing not far from the camp.  His intent was to see if she could re-create what she had done earlier or if it was a one-time thing.  If she could he wanted to observe it more closely.

From the time she notched the arrow and drew back the bow string the same that happened, it actually seemed to be more powerful than it had been earlier, probably because she was relaxed and not in any danger.  For as long as he had known her, her powers had been no threat to him.  His immense and powerful aura could easily make her powers submit.  But, for the first time, as he stood there next to her he was sure that she could actually do some real damage to him.  No, he doubted she could kill him but he was sure she could now hurt him if she wanted to.  Indeed, for some reason, she had grown more powerful, quite a bit more powerful.

After pointing out what he was seeing was changed and telling her how it felt, they discussed what might have caused a sudden upswing in her power.  When she told him she had no idea what was causing it nor that she was doing anything different he believed her.  She seemed as puzzled by it as the rest of them.  No, neither of them were worried about it, any increase in power like this was helpful, it was just a curiosity.

After supper, while Sango and Kagome were bathing in a nearby hot springs, he and Kouga were discussing it.

After tossing back and forth everything they could think of and rejecting them, it was Kouga that brought up Kikyo and her waning powers.  “Could Kagome somehow be pulling what that dead bitch is holding of her back?”

After thinking for a minute, Sesshomaru shrugged.  “That’s a possibility I suppose.  But even if she was doing it unconsciously there would have to be some sign somewhere that it was happening.  Kagome has never, at least that I’ve known or heard of, expressed any desire to retrieve the segment of her soul the dead bitch holds.  If that was the case, one would think she would have do so when she first came back after being away so long.”

“True.”  Kouga said.  “I guess, even if it was an unconscious thing, she would have a clue where it came from and would be able to feel it.  She seems as clueless as we are.” 

Stopping, he stared into the fire intently, face schooled in a mask of concentration.  After several minutes of silence he spoke again.  “OK, if what I’ve always heard is correct, that Kagome is Kikyo’s reincarnation, something doesn’t make sense to me.  From what I’ve heard from Kaede and others that remember the dead one when she lived, no one talked about her being anywhere near as powerful as what we saw from Kagome today.  From all I heard the dead one and Kagome were about equal when it came to power, Kagome is just mostly untrained.  If that’s the truth, even if Kagome was pulling back what belongs to her, it wouldn’t explain the huge boost in power we saw today.”

Poking the fire with a stick, Miroku piled some more wood on it then sat down next to the wolf demon.  “I’ve heard the same thing,” he added.  “No one has ever described Kikyo as having the power Kagome exhibited today.  Nor did anyone describe Kagome as showing that kind of power before she lost part of her soul.”

“Even when she was alive Kikyo never had the kind of power Kagome showed today,” a soft voice said from behind them.

Looking over his shoulder at his half-brother, Sesshomaru asked, “Are you sure Inuyasha?”

Walking over, Inuyasha sat to the side of the fire, away from the others.  “I’m sure.  I never saw or felt anything from Kikyo close to what Kagome did today.”

“Was Kagome that powerful before the dead one came back?”  Sesshomaru asked.  Though Inuyasha was about as welcome as the plague, he had known Kikyo when she was alive and all the rest of them knew was stories told about her.

“They were about equal, power-wise, though Kagome’s was more chaotic because she never had training.  Even the time Kagome about totally destroyed Naraku, the power coming off of her wasn’t even close to what she showed today,” nodding to Miroku, “Ask the monk.  He was there when she almost took the bastard out.  Yes she was furious but she didn’t show the power she did today, just better aim and fighting skills.”

Nodding vigorously, Miroku spoke up.  “He’s right.  Even though she did what no one before or since has been able to the power she gave off wasn’t even close to what she showed today.”

“I guess that leaves the question of where is it coming from then,” Kouga sighed.

“I don’t think her increase in power is anything to worry about,” Sesshomaru said gruffly.  “Any increase would be most welcome.  Yes, the source is a curiosity and I would also like to know where it comes from but I don’t see finding out why should be the priority.  Making sure she has it under control should be.”

“I agree!”  Kouga said, shivering and rubbing his arms in the memory of what it had felt like earlier.  “I have no desire to get accidentally purified because she can’t control it!”

~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~

Shaking, Kikyo sunk to the floor of the cave and leaned back against the wall.  At least for the night she was safe.  The last two of her remaining soul collectors were out doing their jobs.  All her others were gone and she no longer had enough power to call anymore.  In fact almost all her miko powers were gone, period.  She only had enough to control what remained of her soul collectors.  Yes, she could defend herself, her archery skills were still intact, but she had no power to put in the arrows.  Essentially, she was a walking target for any demon out there. 

The first thing she had done when she realized she was in trouble was go to Kaede.  Though her sister had been cool to her since her return they were still sisters and she assumed Kaede would offer a bit of protection for her.  Wrong!  The elderly miko had told her she would do nothing to help a being who had done such evil things.  That her sister would never have done some of the things she had.  In the end it was clear that she wasn’t welcome in Edo anymore.  After that she had moved from village to village, staying until nearby youkai learned the powerful Kikyo was nearby and she had lost her spiritual powers.  Then they would attack, not caring that innocent villagers would be hurt in the process so she began to avoid villages.  If she didn’t get help soon she would be sent back to where she had been resurrected from.

Now, all she could think about was staying safe and getting help protecting her.  When it came to being protected one name came to mind: Inuyasha.  Yes, the tiny part of her that was the Kikyo that had loved him when she was alive felt bad about what she was doing to the hanyou but it was usually trounced by the other part.  Now she felt he owed her.  Now she would go to him and demand he protect her.  He owed her that much at least.

The problem was finding the half-breed.  She had no idea where he and the pack might be so she had to come up with a way to run into him by being somewhere his pack was known to frequent.  Edo was out obviously.  The Western Fortress and any lands controlled by Sesshomaru was out as well.  She was sure that those under his command were ordered to kill her on sight.  The only place she could think of, and even it was a long shot, was the old exterminator’s village where Sango was from.  She knew they went there from time to time if they were in the area.  Plus, it was fairly protected and there were weapons there she could use to protect herself.  Once there she would try to find a way to contact Inuyasha.  Then she would try to figure out what her next move would be.

~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~

As had been the pattern for the last few nights, once Sesshomaru was sure everyone was asleep he woke Kagome and she crawled into his lap.  When she curled up to him and he was once again holding her, he was soothed.  Because of the events of the day, she was exhausted so she had quickly fallen back to sleep, holding onto him.

Sitting there, softly stroking her back, he felt himself relax once more.  Just holding the slumbering miko was comforting to him and his beast.  Honestly, he wasn’t sure how long he could keep hiding this.  Nor was he sure that he wanted to.  It was a given, she was going to be his mate.  Realistically, they shouldn’t have to sneak around like they were.  Honestly, he didn’t give a damn what anyone had to say about their relationship but he understood that life would be made miserable for all, especially Kagome, if Inuyasha were to find out they were together.  He was positive that the whelp would rise to new levels of viciousness that no one had seen before.  So, at least until they were mated and maybe a bit after, he resigned himself to keeping the relationship a secret.

Maybe there was an upside to skulking around.  By the time the relationship was revealed most problems with it should be worked out, well the major ones that always cropped up at first anyway.  Once it would be revealed they would be mated and there wouldn’t be anything anyone could do anyway.  Short of killing one of them anyway.  Inuyasha wouldn’t do that to Kagome and there was no way he was powerful enough to succeed with him.  Especially now without tetsusaiga’s help. 

Shutting his eyes, he sighed deeply.  As he inhaled her smell came with, making him feel better.  A contented rumble from his beast began in his chest and it made Kagome give a sigh in her sleep and gave the taiyoukai a light squeeze.  Smirking, he looked down at the little priestess.  Oh yes, she was going to make his life very complicated but in the end it would be well worth it.

As had become the pattern, just before it was time to wake Kouga he was getting ready to rouse her when a voice stopped him.

“Just let her sleep.  I’ll wake you so you can move her before the next watch takes over.”  Kouga said quietly, sitting up.

Startled, Sesshomaru’s head jerked up and he stared at the ookami.

“Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to anyone,” Kouga told him with a grin.

“Hn…” was Sesshomaru’s only reply, eyes narrowing, not really sure what to say or do.  Sure, he trusted the wolf demon would keep his word and say nothing but he wasn’t all that sure what his reaction was going to be.  He was well aware of Kouga’s assertion that Kagome was ‘his woman’.

Doing a quick scan of the camp to make sure everyone, especially Inuyasha, was asleep then he slipped over close to the miko and taiyoukai.  Looking first at the peacefully sleeping miko he then looked up at the Western Lord.  “How serious is it?” he asked quietly.

“She will be my mate!”  Sesshomaru replied his voice firm and possessive.

Nodding, Kouga gazed back at her peaceful face.  “Good.  We need to talk later then.  As what is considered her big brother there is protocol to be followed.”

Arching an eyebrow almost into his hairline, Sesshomaru just looked at the ookami prince but said nothing.

“I’ll explain later,” Kouga said quietly, standing.  “Sleep.  I’ll wake you before the next watch.”

Nodding, Sesshomaru pulled her a bit closer and shut his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~@~~~~~~~~~~

True to his word, Kouga woke him just before he was to wake Ginta and Hakkaku for their turn at watch.  Gently, the taiyoukai woke the little priestess.  After a soft kiss and hug he slid her into her sleeping bag then donned his armor before once again settling back down to sleep.