Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/12388800.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      InuYasha_-_A_Feudal_Fairy_Tale
  Relationship:
      Higurashi_Kagome/InuYasha, Miroku/Sango_(InuYasha), Shippo/Rin_(More_Cute
      Than_Anything)
  Character:
      Higurashi_Kagome, Kaede_(InuYasha), InuYasha_(InuYasha), Kilala, Miroku_
      (InuYasha), Naraku_(InuYasha), Shippou_(InuYasha), Kagura_(InuYasha),
      Kikyou_(InuYasha), Sango_(InuYasha), Ah-Un_(InuYasha), Jaken_(InuYasha),
      Rin_(InuYasha), Totosai, Kanna_(InuYasha), Kouga_(InuYasha), Ginta_
      (InuYasha), Hakkaku_(InuYasha), Sesshoumaru_(InuYasha), Ayame_(InuYasha),
      Various_Youkai, Jade_(OC)
  Additional Tags:
      Angst, Sexual_Content, Underage_Sex, Sixteen_year_old_Kagome, More_about
      relationship_building, Stuff_for_OC_won't_be_until_sequel, Slow_Burn,
      Lots_of_fighting_later, Gore, Reboot_of_Old_Story
  Series:
      Part 1 of Melting_the_Iceberg
  Stats:
      Published: 2017-10-17 Updated: 2018-03-13 Chapters: 7/? Words: 24884
****** Pasts Uncovered ******
by FlameWolf
Summary
     A young author gets flung into the past only to find herself in the
     company of a certain group. Will she become a valuable asset or a
     hinderance?
Notes
     Disclaimer: I don’t own anyone or anything from Inuyasha. This is
     just for fun and no profit will be made from this.
     Author’s Note: Decided to rewrite this from scratch and not rush
     things this time around. I want to build the world as well as the
     relationships of the people involved. Please enjoy and try to be
     patient while it updates.
***** Into the Past *****
    It was a pleasant, warm, summer day.  The birds were singing, a gentle
breeze blew through the groomed grass, children’s laughter filled the air.
 There was nothing about this day that would denote anything unusual would
happen to anyone.  Sun shining on my black tresses, I luxuriated in the warmth
of the day.  It had been far too long since I had dared go outside, most of the
weather being a touch too cold for me.  So, needless to say, I wasn’t bothered
by the fact that my midnight colored clothing was absorbing the pleasant rays
from above.  Sighing in contentment, I tilted my head toward the blue skies and
closed my jade green eyes.
    Today would be a perfect day to read a good book under a tree.  To just
soak in the warm air and relax.  An activity I intended on accomplishing on
this fine day.  Smiling in anticipation, I strode toward the tree; reflecting
on just how long it had been since I had taken a real vacation.  I had been so
wrapped up in writing, I just hadn’t wanted to take the time off.  A fact I
sorely regretted now.  Wondering how many days of pleasant weather I had
missed, I carefully sat under a cherry tree; looking up into its branches while
my back came to a rest against its trunk.
    A light shower of pink petals rained down around me, bringing with them the
sweet scent I so often enjoyed during certain times of year.  In fact, as long
as I could remember, I had found the smell of them relaxing.  Taking this as a
good sign, I cracked open my favorite book and began to read.  I didn’t notice
when the breeze began to pick up, carrying with it a much sharper, more wild
scent.  I only noticed when the pages of my novel began to flutter and a
droplet of moisture landed on my open page.
    Glaring up at the sky, I was annoyed to see storm clouds gathering over my
head.  ‘Now just where did those come from?’ I pondered to myself, reluctantly
closing my novel again.  I had barely gotten a paragraph in and it looked like
I was going to have to leave or risk both me and the novel getting soaked.
 Getting to my feet, I stuffed it under the Marilyn Manson t-shirt I was
wearing and began to trudge home.  Of course, this was when the sky really
decided to open up.
    It was like the Gods themselves had turned on the fire hoses, the wind
lashing the rain into my face like razor blades. I shielded my face with my arm
as much as possible, yet it didn't help very much at all. Squinting my eyes
against the pelting water, I tried to make out where I was going. Unfortunately
I couldn't make out much, just blurred shapes. The wind seemed to be trying to
blow me in a specific course, the more I fought it the harder it blew at me.
Finally it got so bad that I couldn't help but be helplessly blown in a certain
direction. It almost felt like I was being blown along an unavoidable course of
fate. It was a ridiculous thought but one I couldn't help but have.
    Feeling the earth start to crumble under my sneakers, I stopped and looked
at the ground; feeling my heart drop into my stomach when I saw a ledge. It
seemed that I had been blown toward a rather unstable cliff. Trying to back
away from the quickly crumbling edge, I felt terror well inside me when the
gusting wind prevented me from moving. In fact, it started blowing even harder;
as if it was trying to push me over the edge. Finding myself moving closer and
closer to the edge with no hope of stopping myself, I began to cry.  Tears of
fear mixing with the rain flowing down my cheeks. I didn't want to die but I
didn't have the strength to fight against the now hurricane strength winds. It
almost felt like a strong pair of hands was pushing me instead.
    I was nearly vomiting from my fear, legs collapsing from under me. Still, I
was being pushed ever closer to my death. Closing my eyes, I prayed to whatever
God I thought would listen as I felt my legs start to go over into the abyss
below. Crashing into the cliff below me was a wrathful sea. It almost seemed as
if the ocean was hungry for me and the wind was going to be the one to deliver
its meal. Uttering the word no over and over into the wind, the words were
quickly eaten by the noise of the storm. Letting out a single scream, I was
finally sent tumbling into the waiting emptiness. Closing my eyes, I awaited my
demise. Feeling my bladder let loose in a hot rush, I plummeted down.
    Next thing I knew, thick clouds were clearing under me instead of angry
waves.  Feeling a bit confused as well as faint, I took in the sight of trees
closing in on me from below.  I had finally snapped.  I was having a
hallucination just before I met my grisly demise.  Feeling myself slipping into
unconsciousness, I allowed it; vaguely aware of a blur of red hopping up
through the trees and heading toward me.  As my world went black, I felt my
midsection hit what felt like a shoulder and I simply knew no more.
    An indeterminate amount of time passed before I started to regain
consciousness, the smell of something cooking gradually drawing me back to
reality.  Sitting up slowly from the sleeping bag that had been set under me, I
rubbed the back of my head as I took in my surroundings.  Once the shock of
being alive had worn off, I realized I was in a feudal era dwelling.  Where
there should be brick or wood, there was simply clay.  Instead of a stove,
there was a cooking fire and there didn’t appear to be any electricity of any
kind.  How had I ended up here when I thought I was going to die?
    While I was pondering this, I became aware of footsteps approaching the
hut; drawing my gaze to the bamboo door.  While I watched, a gnarled, aged hand
gripped the door to swing it aside; allowing a squat, hunched, old woman to
enter.  She was dressed in an ancient priestess outfit and had an eyepatch over
her right eye.  And the moment I saw her a sense of familiarity shot through
me.  Shaking my head to banish the odd thoughts, I closed my eyes and tried to
will all of this away.  None of this could really be happening, could it?
 There was no way I could be where I thought I was.
    Smiling kindly at me, she sat on her knees beside me to take my hand in
hers. “Ah, I see you have awakened. That was quite a fall you had. Are you
injured?” asked her kind, elderly voice. Blinking, I could only shake my head.
She nodded, patting my knee before she got slowly to her feet.
“My name is Kaede, what is your name?” she asked. A hot flash shot through my
body as I heard the all too familiar name. There was no way this could be real.
This was all a dream, there was no way I had fallen into a television show.
    “J-jade,” stammered out of me despite my building shock and disbelief.  Any
moment, I would snap out of it to find myself in the afterlife.  This was just
some crazy dying delusion from too much anime!  It had to be!
    Nodding to show she understood, a vaguely worried expression came over her
lined face.  “With the way you just fell out of the sky and your odd attire,
I’d guess that you’re a lot like Kagome.  Tell me, are you from the future?”
came a question that snapped me firmly out of my denial.  Feeling a bit sick to
my stomach, I felt my head nod without my consent.  Already, questions were
beginning to swarm around in my head.  Questions I could never ask any of the
people I encountered here.
    “I hope you do not mind but, when Inuyasha and the others brought you to
me, your clothes were soaked through.  I had to change you into one of my
sister’s old kimonos,” continued the voice of the matriarch, her words piercing
through the chaos once again.
    Looking down, I saw I had indeed been adorned in a rather baggy miko robe
and the front had been yawning open this entire time.  Squeaking, I pulled the
cover up to my neck while a flush colored my pale cheeks.  Yet, on the inside,
my skin was crawling.  Just the fact I was wearing something that had once
belonged to the undead golem wandering around filled me with the urge to gag.
 “Er, thanks,” I managed, not wanting to seem ungrateful despite my extreme
discomfort.  Simply waving off the gratitude, Kaede smiled at me; something
about seeing her in the flesh greatly unsettling me.
    My eyes wandering to take in the thatched roof above me, I fought against
my extreme urge to shake my head in denial.  Maybe this entire thing was some
sort of dream brought on by an all nighter.  Pinching my arm, I felt my heart
stutter to a stop when nothing changed whatsoever.  Pinching again and again, I
could feel a frantic panic starting to well up inside me once more.  It was
only when I felt an arthritis twisted hand settle over mine that I stopped, my
eyes meeting Kaede’s while she carefully removed my appendage from my slightly
reddened skin.  “Your old clothes will have dried by now, I will go fetch them
along with Kagome. I'm sure having someone from your own time with you will be
more of a comfort than I,” she whispered, giving me another kind smile before
she was leaving.
    Unfortunately, this left me alone with my thoughts, vibrant eyes moving to
the hand she had touched.  The wrinkles of her skin, the gnarles in her
knuckles.  All of it had felt too real to be a dream.  That left only one,
fantastical probability.  I had somehow fallen through the sky and into an
anime.  Just the thought alone would normally think I had gone crazy but it was
all I was left with at this moment.  It was only a knock on the doorframe that
drew me out of my overwhelmed thoughts.  “Come in,” sighed out of me.
    The bamboo clinked as it slowly slid aside to admit Kagome, Kaede close
behind her.  In her arms were the clothes I had been wearing when I had been
blown over the cliff.  Just seeing them gave me an unpleasant jolt, goosebumps
covering my skin while I shuddered subconsciously.  Giving the young woman
beside her a knowing nod, the head of the village set my clothes beside me
before leaving me alone with her protege.  “It must be a bit of a shock,” the
teen blurted after a moment of silence, startling me slightly out of the
numbness that had settled over me.
    Pulling my attire toward me, I nodded mechanically.  Of all the people
here, the young girl would come the closest to knowing what I was going
through.  Watching as I pulled out my shirt, she turned her back so I could
change; a fact I was grateful for.  Being in my own clothes would do worlds to
help me feel a bit better, even if I had been wearing them during the event
that had led me here.  “Though, it was a shock to us as well when you came
plummeting out of the sky. Inuyasha had to jump up and catch you. The impact
from your landing would have killed you otherwise. What happened?” came a
question I wasn’t quite prepared for but had known was coming.
    “I guess it all started when I went to my favorite spot to read...,” I
began, pulling my well worn shirt of my head.
    By the time I was finished telling the story, I was fully dressed and on my
feet.  Bending slightly, I gave the young miko’s shoulder a gentle tap to alert
her.  Smiling up at me, she got to her feet before placing her small hands on
my shoulders.  “You must be here for a reason too.  When we brought you in,
Kaede could sense a sleeping power deep inside you.  You just need to be ready
to awaken it,” declared her sure voice before she was reaching down to grab my
right hand.
    “Until then, I want you to meet my friends,” continued her excited voice
before she was leading me outside.
    The sun felt like knives hitting my eyes, making me hiss in pain while I
raised a hand to shield them.  Squinting slightly, I made out blurred figures
of a small group standing not too far away.  “Mama!” called out the smallest
shape before it was barreling toward us.  Blinking rapidly, I had just enough
time to make out the red hair of Shippo before he was colliding with his
adopted mother.  A scene that would have been a lot cuter if I didn’t know the
kit was likely just after sweets.
    That thought sobered me, knocking the smile off my face as I began to feel
very alone.  I would never be able to tell any of them the truth of where I had
come from.  I would never be able to share the knowledge I had of what was
going to happen, not even if it would help them.  Sighing, I used the idea of a
hidden power sleeping inside me to distract myself.  Staring down at my hands,
I found that hard to believe.  As fas as I knew, there wasn’t a shred of magic
inside me.  Still, Kaede was a priestess.  Perhaps she knew something I didn’t.
    Smiling at the pair in front of me, I began to move toward the familiar
group with a shy wave.  It was no surprise when Miroku was the first one to
step forward, his violet robes swishing around his ankles.  As soon as he got
close enough, he was kneeling to take my hand in both his.  It was all I could
do to keep the grimace off my face as I predicted what was coming next.  “My
dear woman, I would be most honored if you would bear my child,” he purred
while I braced myself.
    Sure enough, a solid clonk soon followed; a giant boomerang bouncing off
the monk’s thick skull.  Watching while the Slayer dragged him away with a sour
expression, a giggle made me aware of Kagome’s presence.  “That’s Sango and
Miroku.  They’re always like that,” she explained while I did my best to appear
like I was meeting these people for the first time.
    “By the way, this is Shippo.  He’s, well, he’s my adopted son,” she
continued, gesturing to the grinning kit currently perched on her shoulder.
    “Pleasure t’meet ya… er….,” he began, faltering when he got to my name.
    “Jade, Jade Stone,” I offered, taking the smaller appendage in my own to
give it a small shake.  To my shock, he was hopping onto my shoulder; sniffing
my hair while his tail twitched.  It was almost like he was trying to decide if
I met his criteria and I found myself standing completely still.
    After a bit, he seemed to deem me worthy of carrying him; nestling into my
shoulder while a familiar nekomata came bounding up to us.  Kneeling down so I
could get a better look, I saw the adorable face of Kilala looking up at me.
 Offering my hand for the youkai to sniff, I was utterly charmed when she
simply mewled and licked me instead.  Inwardly melting at how cute she was, I
began to scratch her soft ears.  A fact that both Sango and Kagome were
surprised by.  “I’ve never seen Kilala warm up to anyone like that,” the
taijiya whispered, looking vaguely perplexed.
    Once the fervor was dying down, I was being led to a familiar, crimson clad
figure leaning against the trunk of a tree.  Looking in the opposite direction,
the pissed looking male seemed like he wasn’t paying us any mind at all.  It
was only his tiny, white ears that gave him away, pointing in our direction and
twitching with every noise we made.  “This is Inuyasha.  He’s half dog youkai,”
Kagome explained, glaring at her companion for being so rude.  Making a
dismissive noise in his throat, he allowed his amber eyes to roam over me.  He
didn’t look all that impressed.
    “Yeah, yeah that’s great.  Can we get going?  We wasted most of the day
waiting for her to wake up,” the ill-tempered hanyou, pointing at me with a
claw tipped finger.  The teen next to me shot him daggers while I took a couple
steps backward, knowing full well what was going to happen next.
    Sure enough, the inevitable ‘sit’ came from my young companion, the beads
flashing around his neck just before the leader of the small group was cratered
into the ground. Clapping her hands together in a dismissive motion, she turned
to me with a wide grin on her face.  “When you’re feeling better, you can
travel with us if you like,” came an offer that filled me with a warm, fuzzy
feeling.
    “L-like Hell,” spat a strained voice from the hole, effectively popping my
bubble and hurting my heart.
    During the show’s initial run, I’d had quite a crush on Inuyasha.  Over
time, however, I grew to like his brother more.  Though, I would have loved to
have had the brash male as a friend.  Something that was looking very unlikely.
 Especially with Kagome sitting him again on my behalf.  Still, I had nothing
better to do so I simply nodded; smiling weakly while the sixteen year old
jumped in excitement.  “Great!  We can have Kaede awaken your powers before we
go!” she announced, shifting the focus of my apprehension elsewhere.
    These so called powers were still a source of confusion and I found myself
wondering if I could really control them.  Still, I had nothing to lose.  So, I
allowed her to lead me around the village; the small group following close
behind.  After the tour was over; there was a small meeting and it was decided,
after a small argument, that we would stay while I got used to the Feudal Era.
 A suggestion I was more than okay with.
    Following them to a quiet area of the forest just outside the village, I
helped gather firewood for the camp while Inuyasha went off to hunt something.
 While the thought of something being gutted out there turned my stomach, I
wouldn’t say no to the food.  Heaven knew when I would have the opportunity to
eat again.  After all, it wasn’t like I had any problem with eating meat.  It
was just the slaughter method I was having a hang up with.  After all, I doubts
 hanyou claw was a very painless way to die.
    Helping Kagome with the fire, I kept one ear out for Inuyasha’s return.  As
soon as I heard a branch crack, I was turning to help; taking a few bits of
still bleeding meat to skewer.  Placing the bits over the rising flames, I
didn’t rest until enough was set up for everyone; wanting to show I could be
useful.  I didn’t want to be a burden on these people when they were struggling
as it was.  Still, tonight would be chilly.  I didn’t have so much as a blanket
and couldn’t very well share the young miko’s sleeping bag.
    After eating, I got up to search for some pine boughs to cover myself with.
 While pointy, they would keep me warm.  I only stopped when I felt a clawed
hand on my shoulder.  Looking up, I saw the inscrutable, amber gaze of
Inuyasha.  Ears tipping backward, he released me long enough to take off his
fire rat coat and hand it to me.  Looking up at him, I smiled as I took it.
 “Thanks,” I whispered, charmed when he blushed from embarrassment.
    “Dun mention it.  Come back t’camp,” grumbled his midtone before he was
practically herding me back to the small group.  Giggling at the feeling of
being a sheep with a border collie, I couldn’t help but wonder how the rest of
this would go.  Let alone if I would ever make it home.
***** The Awakening *****
Chapter Notes
     Author’s Note: This story will be a bit of an experiment for me. I
     hope you enjoy what you read. Please don’t be shy to let me know?
     Your comments sustain me~
     The next day, I woke up sore from sleeping on the ground.  Getting to my
feet, I placed both hands in my lower back and arched my spine forward;
cracking it.  Sleeping on the ground would take some getting used to and I
dearly wished I had a tent or at least a sleeping bag.  Living with camp
cooking was also going to take some getting used to.  I would have to eat what
we could catch unless we came across a travelling merchant or a village that
needed our help.  In all honesty, I was lucky Kagome was forcing us to stay
near the village until I was acclimated.
     Having had a bit of a shock when she came here herself, she could
sympathize with my predicament more than anyone else.  Still, it felt a bit
strange to be around someone her age when I was twenty-eight.  It felt even
weirder to be reliant on her going back to the past for me.  As much as I hated
to do it, I would have to ask her to pick up some supplies.  Just as soon as
she let slip about the well.  Unfortunately, it didn’t look like that would
happen this morning.
     Yawning, the young girl waved to me enthusiastically; a groggy Shippo
rubbing his eyes while he sat in her lap.  Carefully gathering the fire rat
robe that had been given to me, I was dismayed to find it had been covered in
all manner of gunk from contact with the ground.  Giving an apologetic glance
to the watchful hanyou, I showed the damage to both Kagome and Sango.
 Grimacing, the two women got to their feet to gather their own laundry.  “Its
okay Jade.  We had to do some clothes anyway.  I brought some detergent from my
time and we can wash it in a near-by river.  Just try to stay close,” advised
the teen before we were moving off into the dimmer forest.
     While thick, the trees still let a fair bit of light through; giving the
entire place a slightly magical feeling.  Closing my eyes as I breathed in the
fresh air, I was honestly surprised by how pure and sweet it was.  Gone were
any traces of pollution or smog, a pleasant change after years of city life.  I
could smell the grass, the bark of the trees, even the faint scent of flowers.
 Another thing I noticed as we walked was an utter lack of noise.  No cars, no
people talking on their cell phones, no ambient honking.  Just birds, the buzz
of insects as the shush of the breeze rustled the branches.
     It all made me realize just how much I had taken nature for granted in my
life.  In the presence I had come from, forests like these were a rapidly
shrinking resource.  Honestly, this experience made me a bit grateful this all
had happened to me; as confusing as it was.  After the shock was wearing off, I
was finding I liked it here a lot.  Not to mention meeting people that had been
heroes of mine since I was sixteen.  Though, that part still felt very surreal.
 I probably wouldn’t ever get over that particular feeling.
     Smelling fresh water brought me back to myself in a snap, excitement
filling me in an instant.  Even with how I had come here, I loved the water and
I couldn’t wait to see how clean it was here.  I wasn’t disappointed.  It was
sparkling clear, so clear that I could see the fish struggling to swim in the
current and the rocks resting in the sand on the bottom.  I almost hated to
befoul it with soap and dirt.  At least, with how fast the water was moving, it
wouldn’t be mired for very long.  Rolling up the pants of my jeans, I took the
laundry soap from my fellow traveller from the future before entering the
water.
     It was so cold, it was like knives on my skin; drawing a surprised squeal
from my lips.  “Good Christ that’s  freezing !!” declared my voice without my
say so, making me flush slightly when it echoed off the trees.
     “And now I’ve probably attracted every demon within a hundred miles.
 You’re really stellar at this whole thing,” I grumbled to myself, grimacing in
apology at the others when they entered the narrow brook with me.
     Thankfully, neither of them really seemed put out by the noise.  In fact,
they appeared to be more amused than anything else.  “You remind me so much of
me when I first came here.  Everything was new to me too.  Oh... but I have a
way to return home whenever I feel like it,” she explained, trailing off when
she realized just how trapped I really was.  Silence fell, the three of us
bending to do our wash; soap foam swirling around our calves in a rainbow
tinted slick.
     “How... how  do  you get back?” I ventured, despite knowing full well what
the answer was.  It was best I still appear ignorant, for all of our sakes.
     “Oh, that’s easy.  There’s a well near the village that connects to...
 Hey, I wonder if you could go through too...  You’re from the same time I am,
at least judging by your clothes,” the young girl responded, smiling brightly
at me.
     It wasn’t too much longer before we were getting out of the melted ice
that was calling itself a stream.  Rolling down my jeans to protect my legs
from the now biting air, I found myself hesitant to try what she had suggested.
 While at the worst I would fall, I could break my ankle.  A possibly crippling
injury in this era.  There were no modern doctors.  Just healers that were
doing the best they could with the limited knowledge they had.  It wasn’t
advisable to risk serious injury.  Maybe, for now, it would be best to allow
her to go alone.
     Besides, her time wasn’t really mine.  Her stores would be different as
would the layout of the city.  She could always just get what I needed and I
could pay her back with whatever money I scrounged up during our travel.
 Though, I doubted money from this era would have much practical use for her.
 At worse, it would be a beacon to any of her friends that happened to see it.
 “Don’t worry, I can get the stuff if you want.  You don’t have to pay me back
either,” whispered a voice to my right while a small hand landed on my
shoulder.  It was like she had read my thoughts.
     Looking down at her, I smiled while I shook my head.  “I appreciate the
offer but I wouldn’t feel right asking you to spend all that money on me and
not give you back anything for it,” I reasoned.  I was surprised when she
merely giggled.
     “Who said anything about spending money.  I have some extra camping stuff
from my father and my mom has extra clothing that should fit you.  Don’t worry
about it,” came her reassurance while she and Sango led the way back to the
small camp.
     As soon as we were back, we were breaking down the camp.  Handing Inuyasha
his still damp robe, I got to work as well.  I had to pull my weight once we
got out in the wilderness and there was no better time to start than now.
 Besides, I hadn’t grown up in the heart of Tokyo.  At one point, I had lived
in a small village much like Kaede’s.  The only difference was that we’d had
the modern conveniences.  As a girl; my father took me camping, fishing,
everything.  I still knew how to gut and bone a fish, knowledge I was certain
would come in handy now.
     Making sure the fire was buried and out, I helped pack up the small amount
of items we had.  Inuyasha simply watched for a few moments, frown softening
ever so slightly.  Shaking his silver haired head, he bent to help.  Then we
were all entering the village, Shippo scampering off to talk to some of the
human children that were his friends.  Chuckling, Kagome jostled her pack
before casting a slightly analyzing glance at me.  Nodding, she placed her
large, yellow backpack inside Kaede’s hut before grabbing my hand and heading
for the exit to the village once more.  “Gonna head home for a few minutes.
 Jade needs some things from my time and I think I’ll be the only one who can
get them for her,” she explained before heading down a very faded, overgrown
footpath.
     Paying no mind to the complaints of Inuyasha that quickly faded into the
background, I followed; taking in the majesty of the trees around me.  In all
honesty, it hurt my heart that they would be gone in my time.  They had lived
for so long, only to be plowed over by the out of control expansion of mankind.
 Returning my gaze to the path ahead, I saw a rickety, vine covered well.  The
only artifact of this time that would be in Kagome’s version of the future.
 Besides Goshinboku of course.
     As we got closer, I became aware of an energy pouring off the man-made
object.  While it didn’t feel malicious, it certainly felt powerful; tingling
my skin.  Walking up to the aged wood, I placed a hand on the splintered
surface.  I had seen this object many times in the anime and just feeling the
roughness of the unfinished wood under my palm really brought it all home.
 This was all real.  I had somehow fallen into this separate dimension and I
was stuck here.  Shaking my head, I stared into the seemingly endless depths of
the well.
     Yet, it wasn’t just black.  There was a faint, purple glow hovering where
the bottom would be.  The longer I stared, the stronger the glow got.
 Blinking, I backed away while Kagome hopped onto the edge of the portal to her
time.  “You sure you don’t want to try it?” came a slightly cajoling tone from
her, as if she knew what I had just seen.  Licking my lips, I shook my head.
     “Maybe next time,” I responded watching as she slid into the pit with no
fear at all.
     Biting my lips against my urge to call her name, I watched her as she
fell.  To my amazement, she seemed to slow; almost floating for a few seconds
before disappearing.  Shuddering, I backed away until I bumped into something
rather solid.  “Came t’make sure ya don’t get eaten on yer way back,” grumbled
a mid-tone from above, the tone telling me who it was before I had even turned
around.
     “I appreciate that.  I’ll be less helpless once Kaede awakens my sleeping
power.  Still...  I’ll need to learn how to use whatever it is,” I replied,
turning around to follow the vermillion clad half-breed back to the small
hamlet.
     “Yer not useless.  You know a fair bit about camping, at least from what
I’ve seen already.  Ya just don’t have a weapon to defend yerself with,” came a
quick assurance, his words giving me some pause.
     While I couldn’t argue them, I hadn’t expected him to say them.  The
hanyou I knew was normally a bit more proud than that.  Then again, maybe
Kagome was changing him for the better.  He had seemed a bit more willing to
give me a chance than he would have normally been.  Still, I knew better than
to think that gave me the allowance not to pull my own weight.  It was more
important now than ever that I didn’t just sit on my laurels.  Supplies were
few and far between, the whole party would suffer if just one member didn’t do
their share.  “I just hope what’s awakened is useful,” I sighed, feeling
apprehensive as we entered the small village.
     “Don’t worry about it.  Even if its not, we’re gonna get ya all set up
with a blade from Totosai,” came an assurance from my left, making me smile
just slightly.
     “That is if he’ll make a blade for me,” I mumbled under my breath.  The
weaponsmith was notoriously picky about who he worked for.  There was no
guarantee he wouldn’t simply just run away because he wanted to avoid making me
a weapon.
     “Why wouldn’t he?  Besides, shouldn’t you be more concerned with  who  he
is?” Inuyasha intoned, making me freeze in place.  I had completely forgotten
about just how sensitive his hearing was.
     “Erm, well, I... I figured he was a weapon maker and a high end one at
that from the way you were speaking,” I reasoned, hoping against hope he bought
it.  Thankfully, he was nodding his head in agreement.
     “Makes sense.  He’s an old youkai.  He made both my sword and my
brother’s.  If I ask, he’ll probably make yers too,” he pointed out as we got
closer to Kaede’s hut.
     Looking up at the bamboo door, I felt my apprehension spike.  There would
be no going back once I went in there, not that there was going back to a
normal life in the first place.  I had no clue how to get back to my own
reality and I felt no real need to try too awfully hard.  The family I had was
fairly uninterested in my existence.  My absence would go unnoticed by them.  I
also lacked any real obligations to go back to.  At least not any that overcame
the fact I was about to live out a show I had grown up with.
     I wanted to be here, as strange as it was.  I wanted to see how close the
show was to the real thing, let alone have the chance to actually be in the
group.  Just knowing I might be able to help them gave me the courage to swing
aside the strung together slats, listening as they rattled in my wake.  The
first thing that greeted me was thick smoke from the campfire, stinging my eyes
and filling me with the urge to cough.  Squinting, I saw Kaede beckon to me
through the smog.  “Sorry bout that, this old house just doesn’t ventilate as
well as it used to,” came an apology while I moved to her side.
     Shaking my head as I didn’t dare to speak, I startled when her arthritis
twisted hand closed over mine.  “Close your eyes child and try to relax.  Relax
and allow me to awaken that which has slept inside you all these years,” she
murmured while my eyes fluttered shut on her command.  Taking several, smoke
filled breaths, I felt my consciousness begin to drift.  Rather than fight it,
I allowed it to happen; a strange chanting becoming apparent in the background.
 Keeping my breathing even, I allowed that too to fade away while warmth filled
my limbs.
     Slowly, that warmth evolved into a burning sensation on my skin.  Yet, it
never got painful.  Instead, it felt pleasant; curling around my limbs like an
eager pet before disappearing into me entirely.  Opening my eyes with a gasp, I
looked down at my hands to see a faint flame surrounding them.  Rather than
panic, I simply closed my fists and took a breath; watching as they slowly
faded.  “You have a unique power.  Nay, in fact you have two.  One is over
flame and the other is over healing,” came an announcement that brought my
attention back to the elderly miko.
     “Now, you cannot heal everything just yet mind you.  But you can handle
small cuts.  You’ll be able to handle worse as you practice but don’t try to do
too much or you might hurt yourself.  As for that flame power of yours, it may
be best to ask Inuyasha to teach you how to use it,” came an advisement that
had me nodding before she was finished.
     “I was going to do that anyway.  Thanks for the warning,” I responded
before I was carefully getting to my feet.
     I was now aware of a subtle thrumming in my veins, giving me a slightly
energized feeling.  Clenching my fists, I fought to keep my emotions even while
I exited the hut.  Until I got my new powers under control, it was best I try
to remain on an even keel as much as possible.  Thankfully, Inuyasha was just
outside and he seemed to know what was going on without me telling him.  With a
nod of his head for me to follow, he led the way into the forest.  Without
question, I did as he had asked; following until we entered a fairly barren
looking clearing.
     The trees and ground had been scoured with what looked like the claws of a
giant monster but I knew better.  This was the work of his Wind Scar, a
powerful attack that he was still working to master entirely.  Shuddering
slightly, I forced myself to ask what this place was.  After all, I wasn’t
supposed to know anything about his attacks.  “I practice with my sword here.
 Far from where I can hurt anyone.  This is where you’ll train too.  I’m sure
you can already feel the power flowing through you, right?” came his response
while he slowly withdrew Tetsusaiga.
     Nodding, I held my hands in front of me; not surprised when they
immediately began to heat up.  “Simply focus and send it forward at a target,”
came his command.  With a slow inhale, I closed my hands into fists; willing
the heat to rise until the fire within me was surrounding my hands.  Glaring at
a tree, I punched forward; sending a pitifully tiny fireball pittering to the
ground.  It fizzled out as soon as it appeared, making my cheeks heat from
embarrassment.
     “That’s okay, no one gets it their first time.  I’d be surprised if you
were the singular exception.  Just try again.  Don’t allow yourself to give
up,” he advised before swinging down with his sword to demonstrate his Wind
Scar.
     Five energy streaks spread out of the huge blade, cutting into the ground
like butter and travelling quite a ways before dissipating.  Taking a deep
breath, I simply forced my newfound energy into my hands once more;
concentrating it into flames much more quickly this time.  With the same
punching motion, I managed to shoot out a slightly larger fireball that
travelled just a bit further; giving me a small amount of encouragement.
 “Good!  Keep at it,” rumbled the hanyou, letting me know I was in for a very
long day.  Likely, he wouldn’t let me rest until I had at least managed to hit
a tree; a daunting prospect.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Hours Pass~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     “Again,” shouted the dreaded command, sweat shining on my brow while my
aching arms lifted.  I could see the sky turning orange above but I didn’t
stop.  I couldn’t allow myself to stop.  Not as long as I could move.
     Forcing my power into my hands for what felt like the millionth time, I
took some comfort in the fact that the fire around my hands was instantaneous
now.  Forcing the cobwebs around my weary mind away, I put everything I could
into this shot.  Releasing a cry I watched as a flaming sphere sped toward a
trees, hitting the bark with a hiss and dissipating.  I had enough time to see
I had left scorch marks before I was collapsing into a brief faint.
     Only a few moments later, I was awoken by a splash of cold water in my
face; splutters leaving me while I sat up.  “Maybe we went a bit overboard...,”
murmured a raspy mid-tone from above me before callused hands were helping me
to my feet.
     “Still, you did really good for today.  Few more days of this and you
should at least be able to shoot a fireball.  Next, we can work on other
attacks,” he continued as he helped me stagger to the village.
     To say everything hurt would be a gross understatement.  I felt like I had
been run over by a team of trucks.  I couldn’t help but be grateful we were
being allowed to use Kaede’s hut tonight.  I looked forward to the thin futon I
would be given.  While it didn’t have much cushion, it was better than the bare
floor itself.  I only had a week left in this veritable paradise.  Then we were
hitting the road to continue the shard hunt as well as find Totosai.  Just
thinking about it filled me with both dread as well as anticipation.  I was so
lost in thought, I was completely surprised to see Kagome had returned.
     With a wide grin, she was handing me a lime green backpack with a black
sleeping roll strapped to the top.  Flipping the lid open, I took in all the
clothes as well as other supplies she had thoughtfully packed.  There was even
a first aid supplies as well as some items for when my monthly inevitably hit.
 I had to bless her foresight.  Still, I wondered just how well Inuyasha would
handle such an event.  He was half canine and, while he was used to Kagome, I
was an entirely different ballgame.  Still, at least I would be prepared.
***** A Week in Hell (Part 1) *****
Chapter Notes
     Author’s Note: Inuyasha bumps up poor Jade’s training so she’s ready
     to do battle when they leave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     Sleep, one of those times of day that I cherished the most; especially
after a hard day of work.  It was where I could dream, live out my harmless
fantasies in safe comfort.  It felt good to sleep too, like floating on the
softest cloud.  So, to have such a sacred activity interrupted would be the
height of sacrilege.  Unfortunately, it seemed no one had bothered to inform
Inuyasha of this fact.  Without so much as a warning, I was startled awake by a
loud bellow in my ear.  Shooting into a sitting position, I reacted rather
instinctually.
     Without even opening my eyes to see who it was, I was shooting a couple
fireballs; the smell of burning fabric combined with a male shout telling me I
had been successful.  Finally opening my jade colored eyes, I was just in time
to see Kaede pouring water that had no doubt been meant for tea over Inuyasha.
 This put out the flames that had been slowly overtaking his fire rat robe.
 “Geez, you gotta watch it with that power of yours,” growled out of the soaked
half-demon, irritated, amber colored eyes glowering at me.
     “Hey, it’s not  my  fault you decided to scare the shit out of me in order
to wake me up.  Shooting fire at you like that was a purely instinctual
reaction,” I reasoned, giving him the most unimpressed look I could muster.
     “She does have a point ‘Yasha.  You’ve done this to me  how  many times
now?  You’d think you’d have learned its not a good idea by now,” Kagome
reasoned, placing a staying hand on his upper arm when he looked ready to
protest.
     “Yeah, well...  She really needs to learn to control that.  What if I had
been Shippo or Kaede?’ he pointed out, making a fairly good argument.
     Sighing, I nodded while I got to my feet and stretched.  Bowing my back
forward to crack it, I was treated to a series of pops that made me wince.
 “Can’t really argue that point.  Shall we make our way to the usual spot so
you can teach me said control?” I responded, quirking my eyebrow in a sassy
manner at the fuming male.  Growling while his ears flattened, the irritated
half youkai stormed out of the hut; the bamboo door rattling loudly in his
wake.  Sticking my tongue out, I sighed before following him.
     Given what he had put me through yesterday, I could only imagine what he
had in store for me today.  Still, I couldn’t really blame him for not really
knowing how easy it was to tire a human out.  He was likely more used to
training by himself.  I was probably the first person that had come to him for
training.  If I knew Inuyasha as well as I thought I did, he was flattered but
he didn’t want to show it.  Pushing open the sheet of dried bamboo, I gave my
waiting teacher a slight smile.
     Huffing, he rolled his honey colored eyes before walking off toward the
forest.  Unimpressed by his grouchiness but not all that shocked, I rolled my
own eyes before falling in step.  Determined not to allow the journey to pass
in silence this time, I decided to try to make conversation with my surly
companion.  “Thanks for all of this.  Might as well put our down time to good
use,” I murmured.
     “Feh,” came out of him, effectively cutting off our talk before it had a
chance to even begin.  Still, I wasn’t going to give up  that  easily.
     “How long did it take you to learn how to use your sword?” I tried.
     Turning his head slightly to give me a suspicious glance out of the corner
of his eye before seeming to come to the conclusion I wasn’t a threat.  “I’d
say a few weeks to master the Wind Scar alone.  The other techniques came over
time as I grew more powerful,” murmured his confession while we kept moving
toward the clearing we had used the other day.
     “Think I’ll be the same?” I continued, finding the conversation
fascinating.  Mostly due to the fact I was talking to one of my teenage heroes.
 On the inside, I was squealing with utter joy.
     “I don’t see why not.  You show a lot of promise already.  Not a lot of
people can hit something on their first day.  Even Kagome is still learning to
control her reiki,” came a unexpectedly comforting response.
     Blinking, I could only stare at his broad back before smiling just
slightly.  “Thanks Inuyasha,” I replied, really meaning it as we reached the
clearing.  Blushing more, my gruff companion withdrew his beaten up katana.
     “Whatever.  Just pay attention,” growled out of him while a wild aura
began to swirl around his transforming weapon.
     “Firstly, we need to teach you some control.  You can’t allow your powers
and emotions to become intertwined like this morning.  I’ve had to learn first
hand how painful lacking that control can be,” murmured his raspy mid-tone,
referencing all the times he’d turned into a raging monster after losing his
grip on Tetsusaiga.  Still, I wasn’t exactly supposed to know that.
     Giving him the best confused look I could muster, I nodded to show I at
least understood what his was telling me.  “The best tool I have is daily
meditation.  Take some time to commune with your powers and really learn them.
 Feel their energy and concentrate from unwinding them from your feelings,” the
seasoned fighter advised, placing his large blade on the grass in front of him.
 Sitting down with his legs crossed under him, he motioned for me to do the
same.  While not expecting this turn of events, I wasn’t going to complain
about the lack of physical exertion.  Not after how hard he had ridden me
yesterday.
     Taking the same position, I closed my eyes before allowing my tense
muscles to relax.  Despite what my half youkai friend seemed to think, I knew
what meditation was.  I had practiced it since I was a young child.  It was
something that had helped me get through a lot of hardship in my life.  So, I
had no doubt communing with my powers wouldn’t be all that hard for me.  Taking
in a slow, deep breath, I allowed the world around me to slip into the
background.  Gradually, my consciousness sank into my body; a state that would
allow for the deepest of self discoveries.
     For endless moments, it felt like I was just floating; cradled by my own
subconscious.  Suddenly, I could feel something warm in the very back of the
void; slowly heading toward me.  As it got closer, the energy became familiar
almost friendly.  Smiling, I turned toward it and opened my arms, welcoming the
energy.  In an instant, it wrapped around me; a sensation of flames licking my
skin.  Instead of any pain, however, it felt more like a soft, warm blanket
surrounding me.  “Hello.  I know we haven’t known eachother for very long but
I’m glad to have met you.  Think we can work together?” I whispered while
orange and red began to bleed into the energy.
     Soon, it was enveloping me; tainting my vision the strange mix of colors.
 “If this is going to work, I can’t hurt the people I care about.  That means
no using you on instinct.  Are you okay with that?” I asked.  I was answered by
the fire-like energy entering my body and simply disappearing.  Taking that as
a positive, I allowed myself to begin to rise back to consciousness.
 Stretching while my eyes fluttered open, I felt more rested and at peace with
myself than I had in months.  Truly, it had been far too long.
     “You seem like you’ve done that before,” grumbled a half irritated mid-
tone to my right.
     “Once or twice,” I admitted with a shameful smile.  Huffing slightly, my
red clad companion offered me a clawed hand; waiting until I had placed my own
in his palm before pulling me to my feet.
     “You coulda told me that before.  Woulda saved me a lot of worry.  How’d
it go anyway?” grumbled out of the hanyou, the slight smile on his face telling
me he didn’t mean any harm.
     “You never asked.  Seems me and my new powers came to an agreement.  We’ll
have to wait until tomorrow morning to see if it had any effect,” I responded,
preparing myself for what was likely to come next.
     “Next, we’re going to work on your aim as well as the quantity of your
attacks.  Today, I want you to hit five trees before we call it a day.  We will
spend the night here if we have to,” came a declaration that made my bones
begin to ache pre-emptively.  It would be a very long day.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     It had been three in the morning when I had finally accomplished my
appointed task.  We had been gone so long that Kagome had come looking for us,
twice.  Even Sango had come to see if we were alright, scolding Inuyasha
because she thought he was working me too hard.  While I agreed with her, I
defended his teaching methods.  It was nothing I couldn’t handle, as exhausting
as it was.  Besides, I knew how important it was that I master my fire powers
as quickly as possible.  Last thing I wanted was to start some inferno in this
pristine world.
     Still, I passed out as soon as the fifth shot hit the bark of the final
tree.  I didn’t wake up until some time the next day.  Even Inuyasha’s vigorous
efforts did nothing, just showing how worn out I was.  When I  did  finally
open my eyes, it was around noon and my half-breed companion was on the verge
of going back to the village to fetch Kaede.  “Geez, you okay?  I did
everything to get ya up short of dousing you with water from the stream,”
growled out of him, his ears pressing against his head while his brow furrowed.
     “Yeah...  Yesterday just took it out of me.  Everything is fucking sore,”
came a complaint before I could stop it, faint dread welling up inside me.  The
last thing I wanted was to make myself seem like I was some entitled brat.
     “Jade, you should have told me.  We could have stopped before you had
driven yourself to utter exhaustion.  You’ll only set yourself back if you keep
doing that,” came an admonishment I honestly wasn’t expecting.
     “Sounds like you had to find that out the hard way.  I’ll take your advice
to heart.  I just... I didn’t want you to get frustrated with me if I asked to
stop for the night,” sighed a confession before I could stop myself.  A sigh
came from my companion while he rubbed the back of his head almost shamefully.
     “Didn’t mean t’make ya feel that way...  You don’t need to be afraid of
me...,” he murmured, his triangular ears twitching slightly.
     Just hearing that both made me feel a bit guilty as well as slightly
surprised.  I had expected him to be a bit harder on me.  Then again, I had no
idea how long he had been travelling with the others.  It could be that he had
learned to be considerate over time.  That humans, unlike youkai or hanyou,
actually needed some time to rest.  “Still, that doesn’t mean you get to slack
today.  We’re going to work on the size of your attacks as well as making them
do a bit more damage.  You’re barely singeing the bark of the bark of the
trees.  An enemy won’t be deterred by that,” he pointed out, going back to
business as usual.
     Chuckling, I shook my head before getting into the best stance to fire my
attacks.  Focusing on the warmth flowing through my veins, I forced it into my
hands; finding it much easier than I had before the meditation.  Concentrating
on swelling the forming fireball on my clenched fist, I shot it at a tree as
soon as I felt it was ready.  Unfortunately, it still dissipated as soon as it
hit.  The best it would do was startle an assailant.  “Don’t even say it,”
growled out of me before Inuyasha could even start.
     Raising a brow, he gestured for me to continue; lips twitching in an
effort to contain his humor.  Sticking my tongue out at him and crinkling my
nose, I balled up my fists to try again.  Picturing a thermometer on a heater,
I forced the needle to go all the way to the end of the red.  Steam was even
beginning to come from the metal seam around the device.  Taking a deep breath,
I shot out a rather sizable ball.  While it broke up once it hit the tree, it
did leave a few scorch marks.  I would have to do better than that, however.
 My end goal was to actually make the tree catch on fire.  Only then would I be
satisfied.
     Unfortunately, hours passed without much progress.  There were several
marked trees now but I just couldn’t get the fire to go past a slight burn.  It
was more than a little bit frustrating.  The worst part was, I was fresh out of
ideas for what to do about it.  I had tried every visualization I could,
implying there was likely something subconscious that was stopping me.  Feeling
a clawed hand on my right shoulder, I looked up at the leader of our small
group with shame burning in my gut.  “You at least left a scorch mark.  Let’s
go back to the village and get something to eat,” he murmured before leading me
through the dense forest.
     I could only follow, wondering what it was that was keeping me from my
full potential.  Was it possible that some part of me was scared of what I
could be capable of?  If that was the case, it would call for some more
meditation as well as soul searching.  It was only a waft of a delicious scent
that knocked me out of my musings.  Lifting my nose slightly, I breathed
deeply; drooling while my stomach began to gurgle.  Chuckling, Inuyasha sniffed
the air himself; letting out a content noise.  “Rabbit stew tonight.  Sango
must have gone hunting either last night or this morning,” came information
that made my appetite almost entirely disappear.
     While I didn’t have a problem eating meat, I  did  have a problem with
devouring something as cute as a bunny.  Still, I hadn’t eaten since yesterday
and the food smelled delicious.  It wasn’t too long before I was tossing such
trivial qualms away.  Besides, I couldn’t really afford to be too picky.  It
wasn’t like there were Wal-marts here or anything.  If I didn’t eat what was
given to me, I would likely go hungry.  I couldn’t realistically do that and
hope to stay healthy.  So, I practically led the way back; following my nose
the entirety of the short journey.  A fact my companion was vaguely impressed
by.  “You have a pretty good sense of smell for a human,” he remarked, making
me blush slightly just as we crossed into the small hamlet.
     As we reached the bamboo door, Kagome was swinging it open before we
could.  Brown eye met amber before moving to jade, confusion written clearly in
their dark depths.  Then relief was rapidly replacing that, the teen rushing
forward to tug us both into a tight hug.  “I’m glad you’re both back.  I was so
worried when you didn’t return last night,” whispered her slightly distraught
voice before she was pulling away to practically yank us into the hut.
     “I hope ‘Yasha wasn’t too hard on you.  He can get a bit overzealous at
times.  Knowing him, he didn’t even think to make sure you were fed,” grumbled
out of her while she ushered me towards a steaming cauldron over the cooking
fire.
     Taking a seat, I took the bowl of stew that was handed to me by Kaede.
 Looking into the wooden container, I felt my stomach cramp with hunger.  The
broth was thick and white, native vegetables floating in it like tiny islands.
 Mixed amongst them were several, dark red hunks of meat that was probably the
rabbit.  Thankfully, my extreme hunger had caused my hesitations to simply melt
away.  Taking the carved spoon I was handed, I dug in with a ferocity that
startled the others.  Normally, it was only Inuyasha that devoured his food in
such a manner.  Still, I was beyond caring at this point.  I would care after
my hunger had been appeased a little.
     It was only after I had three bowls that I was satisfied, a fact that
surprised even me.  While I had a healthy appetite, it normally wasn’t  this
large.  All the training yesterday and today must have worked up quite a
hunger.  It probably didn’t help that I hadn’t really eaten all that much.  I
was so concentrated that I hadn’t felt the normal drive to eat.  Setting aside
my empty bowl, I smiled up at the stunned group that was staring at me.
 “Didn’t you eat at all?” Kagome whispered, shooting her crush a stink eye that
made him hunch like a scolded puppy.
     “No but that was my own fault,” I explained before she could utter the
dreaded three letter word.
     “I was so obsessed with getting better that I stopped paying attention to
my own welfare,” I continued, feeling a bit ridiculous for taking things that
far.
     “Still, Inuyasha should have at least forced you to stop for meals,” Sango
chimed in, causing the hanyou to twitch while guilt colored his tanned
features.
     “I think it was both our faults, not just his.  I think I’m the first
person who has ever come to him for any kind of training.  He’s bound to make
mistakes,” I pointed out, feeling a need to stand up for the half-demon.  After
all, I shared just as much blame as he did.
     Thankfully, that argument seemed to be enough to take the heat off my poor
instructor.  “I guess that’s true...  You both have to be more careful from now
on though.  If you get sick or hurt, help is a very long way away,” Kagome
pointed out, looking more worried than angry.
     “I know...  I learned a lot about the feudal era...  My only hope would be
the well and my ability to go through it, which isn’t a guarantee,” I sighed,
looking to one side while anxiety spiked inside of me.
     That’s when it hit me like a speeding train.  The reason why I couldn’t
get my attacks to be more damaging was I was afraid I would hurt myself.
 Thanking the confused miko profusely, I ran back outside; heading toward the
well.  Of course, Inuyasha was close on my heels; Kagome not too far behind
him.  Ignoring them both, I sat in a comfortable position in the clearing;
closing my eyes carefully.  Relaxing as much as I could, I entered into a
meditative state.  As soon as I felt the familiar, floating feeling, I was
reaching out with the feelers of my mind for my subconscious.
     As soon as I connected, I was flooded with images of villages on fire,
raging wildfires, people screaming in agony while their skin melted off.
 Pushing up a mental roadblock to halt the flow of disturbing imagery, I sent
out a wave of soothing energy to calm the panic.  Communication would be
impossible unless this was resolved.  Thankfully, my subconscious was easy to
calm.  “While that can happen, there is no guarantee that it will.  That’s why
I’m training, so I can control that.  Yet, I need to learn my full potential
before I can control it,” I whispered.  Relief rippled through me, a sense of
peace filling me as I rose back up to consciousness.
***** A Week in Hell (Part 2) *****
Chapter Notes
     Author’s Note: Jade’s training continues, allowing student and
     teacher to learn more about eachother as well as build a bond.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     Having collapse on the ragged futon Kaede was allowing me to use, I wasn’t
too happy about being woken up what felt like no more than ten minutes later.
 Opening one bloodshot eye, I glared at the hanyou hunched over me as he
continued to shake my shoulder.  Unperturbed by my ire, my trainer gave me a
fang filled grin before he was pulling me to my feet.  “What time is it,”
hissed out a low growl that sounded like it had come from a youkai.  Yet, the
vibration of my own vocal cords told me otherwise.  Looking horrified, Inuyasha
released me immediately; running out of the hut like his ass had been lit on
fire.
     Blinking, I looked over to Kagome; not all that surprised to see she had a
shameful expression.  Shuffling her loafer clad feet, the highschooler stared
down at the floorboards like they were the most interesting thing in the world.
 “He’s had to learn the hard way that particular tone of voice means he’s in
for the ‘sitting’ of his life.  You’re, uh, not the only one he’s woken up too
early,” whispered a shy confession, filling me with the very dangerous urge to
giggle.  If I dared laugh now, she would likely never forgive me.
     “Mmm, guessing you were one of them,” I teased gently, grinning when she
went red from her head to her toes.
     Shaking my head, I yawned while ruffling my own ebony locks.  Already, I
could feel knots forming as well as a rather distressing layer of grease.  It
hadn’t been too long since the last one but I already wanted another bath, not
boding well for the journey ahead.  I wouldn’t always have water available and
would likely have to go a whole week without an opportunity to bathe.  Still,
that knowledge made my skin crawl.  I like being clean as well as hygienic and,
unlike Kagome, I would have no real way of doing so reliably.  I couldn’t just
go to the future.  Unless I got desperate enough the try the well, which was
unlikely to happen any time soon.
     While I wanted to see what this realm’s version of my time was like, I
really wasn’t willing to risk injury to do so.  If there was a ladder I could
use, it would be one thing.  But it seemed like I would have to just fling
myself in to even have a hope of the pathway working.  Shuddering, I walked
outside in an effort to distract myself from my arguably petty worries.  Soon,
being clean wouldn’t be my biggest concern.  Soon, having enough food and
making sure I was pulling my weight would be the only thing I could afford to
focus on.  I had to be ready.  I  had  to get better at using my powers.
     Looking over at Inuyasha, I nodded to show I was ready for today’s lesson.
 Coming out of the cowering posture he had assumed, he simply began to lead the
way to the forest; acting as if nothing had happened at all.  Falling into step
behind him, I clenched my hands into tight fists while I mentally prepared
myself to use the full extent of my ability.  Even if that meant possibly
starting a fire.  By the time we reached the clearing, I felt more
determination than I did nervousness.  I could do this, I  had  to do this!
     Getting into the best stance I could, I closed my eyes while flames
surrounded my closed fists.  Bringing them up, I opened my burning eyes to
glare at the innocent trees before me.  Ever so slowly, they morphed into
horrifying demons.  Demons that not only wanted to hurt me but wanted to kill
my newfound friends.  With a loud warcry, I punched the air; sending out a
stream of fireballs.  I followed this up with a few slashing motions, sending
out long bursts to get what the balls could not.
     All at once, the attacks hit; starting a small blaze in no time.
 Thankfully, Inuyasha was ready; slashing the air with his giant sword to blow
out the foliage like birthday candles.  “That was awesome!  Much better than
yesterday!  I think you’re ready to move on to moving targets,” he declared,
honey colored eyes glittering with his excitement.  Unfortunately, I could only
feel dread settle in my stomach.  While his fire rat kimono would protect him,
that didn’t help my reluctance to attack him.  He was a dear friend, not some
beast out for the blood of a human.
     Yet, I had no choice.  Not only would he not have listened to any of my
protests but he had a good point.  The best way to progress would be to use a
living target and the safest way was to use someone that wasn’t an enemy.  Not
only that but he was the least likely to suffer any damage from my attacks.
 So, when he got into an offensive stance, I followed suit.  Of course, this
led to him making several corrections to my form.  “Hold your arms more like
this,” he advised, moving my limbs the way he wanted them.
     “Also spread your legs more, be ready for anything,” he continued, making
more adjustments.  By the time he was satisfied, it was just past noon.
     Nodding, he went back to his earlier position; holding out Tetsusaiga in
front of him.  “I’m gonna take it a bit easy on ya til ya get used to things,”
he assured, watching while my flames ignited around my hands.  Raising my brow,
I began with a string of fire shots; not too surprised when they fell far too
short of him.  Just like before, my powers could sense my reluctance.
     “What was  that ?!  Ya gotta do better than that!” snarled an admonishment
I also expected, making me wince.
     “Sorry...  Its just... you’re my friend,” sighed my weak protest, earning
me a low growl of frustration.
     “That ain’t gonna fly and you know it.  You gotta just attack me.  I’ll be
fine!  See this haori?  Its made from the fur of a demon known as a fire rat.
 Its completely fireproof.  I doubt your puny flames will hurt it,” he
explained, placing his hands on his hips impatiently.
     Biting back the fact that I already knew that, I simply nodded to show I
understood before closing my eyes to prepare for the next attempt.   ‘You’re
not gonna hurt him and you have to learn how to actually fight.  You won’t
progress any further until you can do this’  I hissed at myself in my head,
breathing in before trying another volley of fire shots.  While easily
deflected, they at least felt like there was intention to harm.  “Better but
still not good enough.  Again,” came a demand that told me we would be at this
until well into the night.  The worst part was, I wasn’t wrong.
     Hours passed, my muscles twitching from exhaustion as the hanyou finally
allowed me to take a break for the day.  Slumping to the leaf covered grass, I
took in the flame scarred trunks of the forest surrounding us.  Matter of fact,
there were scorch marks everywhere; telling the tale of how hard we’ve been
training.  Breathing out a sigh of relief, I allowed my body to flop backwards
into the singed grass behind me.  “Fuck,” groaned out of me, earning a tired
chuckled from my half-breed trainer.
     “Tell me about it.  You were starting to give me a run for my money near
the end there.  Let’s get back to the village and have some grub.  Tomorrow, we
can work on your form,” he announced, his words making my bones ache.
     “Goody...,” moaned my sarcasm laden voice as I just laid there and stared
up at the stars above.  No matter how often I saw them, I couldn’t get over
just how much I  could  see.  It was like looking into a telescope, giving me
the feeling of seeing beyond our own world.  A feeling that struck close to
home, given my situation.
     Closing my jade colored eyes, I felt my muscles slowly relax into rubber;
making it nearly impossible for me to get back up again.  So, when Inuyasha
called for me to follow him, all I could do was laugh hoarsely.  “Sorry but my
body’s given up for the day,” I informed, not even able to turn my head to
watch him.  So, when he bent to pick me up, I was more than a little bit
surprised.
     “I’ll help ya.  You’ll need to eat if you want to keep up your strength,”
rumbled his explanation before we were moving back toward the village at
inhuman speeds.
     Honestly grateful for his help, I did my best to stay awake long enough to
get some food into me.  I couldn’t afford to fall asleep without supper, not
after how much energy I expended.  Still, it was a close thing, my eyelids
feeling like they were coated with cement by the time we reached the hut.
 Barely able to remain conscious, I managed to eat two bowls of stew before
simply curling up by the cooking fire and going to sleep.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     Bright sunlight hit my close eyelids like a punch, drawing a hiss of pain
as I burrowing into the soft bedding I was lying on.  Unfortunately, the
realization I wasn’t on the floor was enough to snap me awake, my heart racing.
 Sitting up with gasp, I looked down to see the futon Kaede was lending me
under my body.  Turning my head to the left, I locked eyes with a certain,
crimson clad half-breed.  “If ya had slept on the floor, you woulda woken up
sore and not of any use to anyone,” came a curt but slightly embarrassed
explanation.
     Chuckling, the young miko to his right gave him a gentle punch in his
bicep; brown eyes sparkling with affection.  Just seeing it made my inner
fangirl squeal with glee.  While I had a crush on Inuyasha from my teenage
days, I was also a massive Inu/Kag shipper.  In my day, I had written many
fanfics about the pair before I had changed my focus to pursuing my lifelong
dream being a real author.  Honestly, it felt more than a little surreal to be
actually living with them now.  “He doesn’t mean to sound so callous.  Inuyasha
may try to act tough but, on the inside, he’s a big old softie,” came Kagome’s
explanation, earning her a glower with no real malice behind it.
     Snorting, the irritable half dog tipped his pointed ears backward before
motioning at the steaming cauldron in the middle of the room.  “Just have yer
breakfast so we can get going.  We have a lot to cover and not a lot of time to
cover it.  I won’t be able to give you many lessons on the road so I want you
to be as prepared as possible,” growled out of him, his golden eyes holding
more warmth than his voice and betraying his real feelings.  So, with a smirk,
I gave him a sarcastic salute before moving to get some breakfast.
     While it was leftovers, it was still tasty and I ate with gusto; knowing
better than to complain about what I was given.  When I was full, I handed my
dishes to Kaede before getting to my feet to head outside with Inuyasha and
Kagome.  To my surprise; Sango, Miroku, Shippo and Kilala were waiting out
there, friendly smiles on their faces.  “Good!  Glad you guys decided to come!”
came a chirp from my right, drawing my gaze to the grinning, reincarnated miko.
 Feeling uneasy, I shot a confused glance toward Inuyasha; not feeling much
more comfortable when he looked just as perplexed.
     “What are you up to?” rumbled his confused mid-tone, brow furrowing while
his clawed hands buried themselves in his voluminous sleeves.
     “Well, I watched some of the training yesterday and figured Jade could use
our moral support.  I mean, its not always one on one and she has to get used
to fighting around us at some point, right?” the sixteen year old pointed out,
not seeming the least bit deterred by his annoyance.
     Widening my eyes, I began to protest when I heard an aggravated sigh from
Inuyasha.  “While I don’t thinks she’s ready for that, you have a point.
 Besides, Kilala can help her learn how to adapt to battle situations,” he
conceded, making my jaw drop as I looked from one person to the other.  Then,
knowing I had lost, I simply slumped while giving a defeated nod.
     “Fine.  I just won’t be held responsible if I accidentally hurt you.  I’m
not sure if I have the control over my powers that I need to,” I advised, not
surprised when they weren’t at all put off by this information.
     Soon, we were all heading to the clearing; my heart and my mind going a
mile a minute.  All sorts of what ifs whirled around my consciousness, filling
me with even more apprehension than I had felt yesterday.  The only thing that
kept me from speaking up was the fact that Kagome had a point.  I would face
all sorts of scenarios once out of the village.  I had to be prepared for
anything that might happen.  Besides, this would force me to hone my control
over my powers.  After all, last thing I wanted was to accidentally set one of
my newfound friends on fire.
     Reaching the now scorched and scarred meadow we had been using, I closed
my eyes to gather myself.   ‘Alright, I know you can hear me.  We both have to
do much better than we have been.  I have to unlock my full potential and you
know that.  So, how about you let  me  decide what’s too dangerous and what
isn’t.  After all, I need to learn control,’  I reasoned with the aura that
dwelled inside me.  As soon as I was finished speaking, my entire body was
flooded with warmth; my eyes popping open with a gasp.  Milky green met amber
before the silver haired mutt was giving a nod.
     Then, without a word of warning to the others, he was leaping into the
sky; signalling the start of our battle.  Allowing adrenaline to dump into my
system, I got into the best stance I could before sending several volleys of
various fire attacks toward him.  To my surprise, they flew true; scorching the
surface of his sword when they hit.  Even Inuyasha seemed taken off guard,
instinctively sending a Wind Scar toward me.  Thankfully, Kilala had pretty
good reaction time; scooping us all up on her back and leaping into the sky
before the three energy beams hit.
     Dangling from the nekomata’s mouth, I found myself in the center of my
own, personal Hell.  Heights were not my favorite thing, even before getting
flung off a cliff.  Now, I was nearly reduced to catatonia.  Reality had pulled
away from me, the colors graying out while I began to hyperventilate.  Even my
extremities were starting to tingle, my vision blurring while I fought to cling
onto consciousness.  Thankfully, I was set down after a matter of moments.  It
was too late, however.  My legs had decided to turn to jello, making it
impossible for me to stand on my own power.  So, when the giant feline set me
down, I crumpled like a wet noodle.
       Immediately, I found myself surrounded by the group that had adopted me
as their own.  Looking up into their kind faces, I smiled the best I could as
questions about my health bombarded me.  Most concerned were Inuyasha and
Kagome, seeming to blame themselves for pushing me too hard, too fast.  Waving
them off, I smiled as best I could before getting to my wobbly legs.  “None of
you did anything wrong.  It was just being up in the air.  Remember how you
guys saw me falling from the sky?  That’s because I had been blown off the
cliff by a freak storm.  I guess such a traumatic entry caused a pathological
fear of being up high,” I explained, still feeling more than just a little
woozy.
     “That could be a problem.  Most of our travel is done by air.  Not to
mention the fact you will likely get tossed around by more than one demon.  You
can’t afford to freeze up like that, it could get ya killed,” Inuyasha growled,
pointing out something I had already figured out.  It was all I could do not to
be completely sarcastic.
     “I know that!  Can’t see how I can help it though!  I just found out about
this today, cut me some fucking slack here,” I snapped back, regretting my
harshness as soon as the words had left my mouth.
     Sighing, I rubbed the back of my head while avoiding all their eyes;
staring at the lush grass beneath my tennis shoes.  “Sorry.  Its just... I’m
under a lot of stress.  I fall into a world I don’t know, I have no way to
return home and I have to learn powers I didn’t even know I had,” came an
apology, a sense of weariness filling me.
     It would not be an easy journey and, unlike Kagome, I would likely wind up
alone at the end of it.  It was only a clawed hand landing on my right shoulder
that snapped me out of my distressing thoughts.  “Hey, I’m sorry I made you
feel like you were under so much pressure.  I just wanted to make sure you
could take care of yourself while travelling with us,” he murmured, ears tilted
back with shame.  Placing my own hand over the one he had put on my shoulder, I
waited until his eyes met mine before smiling to show there were no hard
feelings.
     “No, its okay.  We have such little time for me to be up to speed.  I just
need a few moments before we continue,” Sighed out of me before I was turning
my back and walking toward a near-by stream.
     The further I got from the small group, the more calm I felt; an inner
tension slowly leaving me.  While I didn’t expect this experience to be all
sunshine and roses, I also hadn’t anticipated it being this stressful.
 Kneeling down by the stream, I stared into the crystal clear water; allowing
my mind to drift along with the current.  As insurmountable as it all seemed, I
was  making progress.  It wasn’t unimaginable that I would be ready before the
time limit.  Scooping some of the crystal clear fluid into my hands, I splashed
my face a few times before taking a seat.  Watching the fish swim by, I took
the opportunity to center myself as well as prepare to get back to work.
     Needless to say, when I felt someone settle beside me; I nearly jumped out
of my skin.  Jolting backward, I spun my head to see Kagome; a deeply concerned
expression on her young face.  “You gonna be okay?” whispered out of her, one
of her hands resting on my right forearm.
     “Yeah, just gotta suck it up.  After all, I have no doubt you’ve been
through much worse than me,” I assured, feeling touched that she had been
worried enough to follow me.
     “You really have no idea.  When I came here, I found out I was a
reincarnation of the woman meant to guard the Shikon Jewel.  I had to learn how
to use my sleeping powers too and I had a much harder time than you are now.  I
still  don’t have perfect control of my reiki,” she confessed, making me feel
just the slightest bit better about my own situation.
     “Let’s go back.  As hardass as he seems, ‘Yasha will be getting worried
and you aren’t doing as badly as you think.  I bet we can even help you work on
your problem with heights,” came a suggestion I couldn’t help but agree with.
     So, with a nod, I got to my feet and followed the teen back to the
clearing.  While I doubted I could overcome such a severe phobia of being up
high, I knew I could do nothing but try.  After all, what could it hurt.  So,
as soon as we were back with the others, I was getting into my normal fighting
stance.  While seeming skeptical, Inuyasha gave nod before leaping into the
air.  Thus, the training for that day continued as if nothing had happened;
lasting long into the night.  By the time we were both satisfied by my
progress, the others had fallen asleep in the back of the clearing.
***** A Week in Hell (Part 3) *****
Chapter Notes
     Author’s Note: I was originally going to make this entire three
     chapters into one summary. I figured, since I was writing, I should
     show and tell... So it got lengthened to what it is now. I hope it
     helped humanize Jade as well as give you a better idea of what kind
     of person she is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 5~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     Hopping across the clearing as quickly as I could, I dodged the shots from
Kilala with some difficulty, coughing harshly from the dirt spraying up in the
air.  Yet, I had no time to catch my breath and I knew it.  With a few, quick
motions, I was sending a variety of fire attacks toward the firecat and
Inuyasha; using them as a distraction to dart to the left.  Using the dirt in
the air as cover, I snuck into the trees to allow for time to rest.  We had
only been at this for a half hour and I already had a massive stitch in my
side.
     Still, I couldn’t just ask for a time out.  This was a test.  To make sure
I would really be able to handle what was coming in only two more days.  The
thud of the big cat landing made me go on the alert and I was taking a deep
breath before peeking around the tree I was hiding behind.  My teacher was
sliding off his borrowed mount, his sword draw while he listened for any sign
of movement.  Licking my dry lips, I motioned to the teen on my right; feeling
gratified when she nodded and prepared a reiki attack.
     Then, she was hurling it at the hanyou; the pink ball crashing into the
ground and sending a fountain of dirt upward.  This caused both him and Kilala
to spin toward her, exactly like I wanted.  Taking my opportunity, I carefully
snuck out into the field while he stalked toward where Kagome was hiding.
 Then, with a flick of my wrist, I sent a wave of fire at his back; unable to
hold back a wince when it hit him right on target.  Cursing, he flung his haori
onto the ground; stomping out the smoldering flames.  Despite knowing it was
flame retardant, he probably couldn’t help wanting to prevent any possible
damage.
     As if sensing the fight was over, Kilala transformed back into her smaller
form; bounding up to Sango with a mewl of excitement.  Chuckling, the Taijiya
came out of hiding; quickly followed by Miroku and Kagome.  “We both did
great!” the teen cheered, seeming excited her reiki had done what she’d told it
to for once.  Most of the time during the private practice we’d had last night,
it had simply refused to go where she directed it.  That was when I had
suggested meditation so she could commune with her powers like I had.  A
practice she had been at for the rest of the night.  From the looks of it, it
had worked wonders.
     Even Inuyasha was impressed, smiling at her as she ran toward him with a
huge grin on her face.  Just seeing it made my inner fangirl squeal with glee.
 Yet, I couldn’t help but feel just the smallest bit jealous.  No matter how
hard I tried, my presence in this group would likely be superficial at best.
 After all, I couldn’t expect to move in with any of them after things with
Naraku were said and done.  Still, I didn’t dwell on it, walking toward the
group to offer my congratulations.  As soon as I got close enough, however, I
was nearly tackled when the young miko gave me a rather enthusiastic hug.  “We
have to celebrate!  I know!  We could go hunting so Kaede can make something
really special!” declared her enthusiastic voice right in my ear.
     Wincing slightly, I could only smile and nod; feeling a little excited
myself.  “Feh, I’d be more happy if you’d just go back to your time to fetch me
some ramen,” grumbled a surly response, making the both of us look at a certain
hanyou in disbelief.  Then, a deceptively sweet expression came over Kagome’s
face; all of us jolting slightly in response.  Hunching, the half-youkai backed
away from his furious companion as she straightened; walking toward him with a
never changing grin.
     “Why, of course I can go all the way home just to get your precious freeze
dried noodles and packet of spices.  It surely tastes better than anything me
and Kaede could make tonight,” hissed out of her while his eyes widened and his
ears laid back.  Before he could even begin to apologize, she was uttering a
dreaded three letter word; sending him slamming into the ground.
     Getting to my feet and brushing off the jeans Kagome had so gracious
brought for me from her time, I simply began to head back to the village.
 Sango and Miroku followed close behind, also aware of the fact this could take
a long while.  It probably wouldn’t be until we were long gone that they even
noticed our absence in the first place.  Our time would be better spent asking
Kaede what she would feel like making for this celebration in mind.  So it was
no surprise when we got halfway to the village before we heard the pair we had
left behind calling for us to wait.  Chuckling, I slowed down to allow them to
catch up; knowing very well I was about to get an earful from Inuyasha.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     Sweat dripped from my face as I dodged an onslaught of attacks.  It was a
wonder I was able to keep up so far but I wouldn’t be able to do so for long.
 So I lunged forward, preceding my attack with fire balls as well as waves,
keeping the flames around my fists for close combat.  Using all I had been
taught through trial and error, I swung out at Inuyasha; taking a hit from
Sango’s Hiraikotsu to my left side.  Grimacing, I continued my attack; not all
that surprised when my fist was caught in a clawed hand.  Still, I could use
the forced closeness to my advantage.
     Using my other hand, I shot a blast of fire at the hanyou; forcing him to
release my wrist.  “Fuck,” hissed out of him while I bounced backward.  While
some part of me wanted to check if he was okay, I was almost certain it was a
trap.  It would take a lot more than that to bring him down.  Sure enough, he
was grinning at me before sending a wind scar my way.  Utterly exhausted and
unable to jump out of its path, I sent a volley of fire attacks at the energy
wave in an effort to blast it apart.  Unfortunately, it had no effect and I was
left staring while the attack got closer at a disconcerting rate.
     Just before it would hit me, I was yanked out of the way.  Looking up, I
saw I was dangling from Kilala’s jaws.  Thankfully, she hadn’t jumped into the
air; leaving me only a couple feet above the ground instead of several.  Once
she was sure I was out of danger, the cat youkai set me down carefully;
nuzzling me before looking up at her mistress.  “Good girl!” praised the demon
slayer, walking toward us to pat the top of the massive creature’s muzzle.
     “Thanks Kilala,” I murmured, reaching up to scratch behind her ear when
she leaned toward me with a ground shaking purr.
     “Inuyasha!” came a yell that drew my attention to the pair that were still
several feet in front of me.
     “What?!  She was never in any real danger Kags.  She has to learn how to
dodge, how to plan ahead,” the hanyou protested, his expression saying he knew
full well just how much trouble he was in at the moment.
     Before she could ‘sit’ him, I decided to say something in his defense.
 “He’s right you know.  We always have a back-up plan while training and it
helps give Kilala a chance to learn to watch out for  me  as well,” I pointed
out, making my way toward the pair.  Pursing her lips, the sixteen year old
looked every bit like she wanted to argue but her logical side was slowly
starting to win out.  She knew just as well as I did what was at stake here.  I
had no real choice but to learn the hard way, to be put in danger.  After all,
none of the enemies we encountered would be all that concerned about my safety.
     “I guess I see your point but we should at least stop for lunch.  You’re
exhausted and won’t be able to defend yourself until you rest,” she responded,
her words also making sense.
     So, with a nod, I flopped backward onto the lush grass; allowing the
warmth of the sun to wash over my pale skin.  Since I had been here, I had only
noticed how peaceful it was a handful of times.  Lately, I had been busy
training; learning my powers and improving my techniques.  After almost a week,
I was finally starting to have confidence in my abilities.  I felt like I could
afford to relax and listen to the birds chirping, a huge difference from when I
had first started this journey.  While I had a lot more to learn, I felt like I
could at least hold my own in a battle.  Watching the clouds, I couldn’t help
but smile when the others laid on the grass nearby.
     Soon, we were calling out the shapes we could see in the white, fluffy
collections of water vapor.  Inuyasha saw elaborate battles and weapons, Kagome
saw all manner of cute things, Sango saw visions of her brother and Kilala and
Miroku... they were all happier not hearing what he saw.  Shippo, who had been
relegated to the sidelines, simply sucked on his lollipop; green eyes watching
his strange companions.  While he wasn’t strong enough to help with training,
he could still provide some moral support.
     After a few minutes, I slowly sat up; looking back at said fox demon
before motioning for him to join us.  Bounding over with excitement clear on
his young face, the kit jumped on top of his adopted mother so he too could
watch the clouds.  It was no shock when he claimed to see all manner of sweets
suspended in the sky, soon growing hungry from watching them.  A fact that
didn’t go unnoticed by the reincarnated priestess.  “‘Yasha, do you think you
could get some fish for our lunch?” came a sweet, plaintive question, making
the half demon shift while he let out an embarrassed grumble.
     “Feh, what am I; your errand boy,” he snapped despite the fact they all
knew he’d go do it anyway.
     “Pleeeeaaaaase,” Kagome wheedled, sitting up to give him her version of
puppy eyes.  Jolting backward with a stricken expression, the young male sighed
before getting to his feet.
     “Alright, alright...,” he conceded before he was sprinting off into the
forest.
     The rest of us got to our feet as well, gathering branches and kindling
for a cooking fire.  While the village was only a few feet away, I had to get
used to outdoor cuisine.  We wouldn’t be able to carry a cauldron for stew
after all.  It helped that I didn’t mind roast fish or wild boar.  Still, I had
doubts I’d be able to withstand meat from a youkai.  Even if it was one of the
more feral ones.  I just wouldn’t be able to get the image of all the youkai I
cared for from watching the show out of my mind.  Though, I would probably
change my tune if things got dire enough.  It was the smell of smoke that
brought me back to the here and now.
     Staring down at the spark growing in the dry grass we had gathered, I
wondered if Inuyasha would be okay with me shifting my lessons to survival
training.  While I was confident I could help in battle, I only had the barest
knowledge of surviving in the forest.  I couldn’t start fire on my own, nor
could I find my way with the stars or position of the sun if I got separated.
 About the only thing I could do was clean and catch fish.  Still, at least I
could help prepare lunch.  So, when the hanyou came back with an armful of
fish, I helped Kagome and Sango prepare them for lunch.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 7~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     Since I brought up survival training after lunch, Inuyasha had decided to
have us spend the rest of the day in the clearing.  Kagome only went back to
the village to gather her supplies while the rest of us turned the training
area into more of a camp.  A task we didn’t finish until just before sunset.
 That night, the half dog had begun with the stars; pointing out which
constellations were closer to the village as well as which stars led which
direction.  Afterward, we had all decided to go to sleep, our half-breed leader
being the only one to stay awake to watch the fire.
     What woke me the next day was neither the sun or the sounds of the others.
 It was the birds.  Groups of different species all greeting the day with their
voices before the sun had even considered getting out of bed.  Birds I had
never heard before.  In fact, I doubted a lot of them existed in my time.
 Sitting up and stretching, I looked down at the sleeping bag Kagome had been
so kind to get for me from the well.  She had also gotten me my own, rather
large backpack as well as some supplies to go with it.
     Smiling to myself, I looked up at the sky; not all that surprised to see
it was a deep purple.  A foretelling of dawn.  “Morning,” grumbled a midtone a
few feet across from me, drawing my gaze to my instructor.  Giving him a smile,
I got to my feet to crack my back; breathing deeply through my nose.  Pure,
cold air hit my lungs like a glass of ice water on a hot day, reminding me why
I really didn’t mind the current circumstances I found myself entwined in.
 This place was something other people could only dream about while toiling
under smog choked skies.  In fact I had to wonder if the past from my reality
could hold any comparison to this or if it had been romanticized by the
creator.  Just pondering on that brought many more questions about reality and
how this realm could exist when it was just an anime where I had come from.
 Questions that made my head ache.
     “Did you get any sleep?” I inquired in an effort to take my mind off these
mysteries.  Mysteries I would likely never understand in my lifetime.
     “Feh, course not!  I don’t need sleep,” growled the seemingly arrogant
response.  Yet, I knew better.  It was likely just his insecurity and need to
prove himself causing this behavior.  Therefore, I simply brushed it off with a
teasing eyebrow raise while giving him a smirk.
     “Alright, ‘Superman’.  So, you going to show me how to find my way in the
woods or what?” I baited, not shocked in the least when he puffed up like a
silver haired toad.
     Kagome and Shippo seemed especially amused, giggling into their hands
behind his back while he began to sputter angrily.  A few minutes later and we
were all in the middle of the forest neighboring the village.  An unimaginably
large area of land that was likely a city in Kagome’s version of the present.
 “First of all, you have to be on the look out for local plants.  Also, the
position of the sun and knowing how to find North from it is a good way to find
a village,” began a lecture from the right of me, drawing my attention to a
certain hanyou.
     “We’ll have to work on your knowledge and test you daily as we travel.
 Though, if you  do  get separated, I could find you with my nose,” he pointed
out.
     “I know that but, still, I think its relevant I learn this.  We might not
always be together and there may come a time where I have to travel alone,” I
reasoned, thinking of the far off future where Naraku was defeated and being a
group was no longer needed.
     Inuyasha and the others only stared at me, understanding coming into their
eyes.  It almost hurt to see the sympathy there.  “Jade... we may not know you
very well but we already consider you family.  Besides, you won’t have to worry
about that for a bit yet,” Kagome comforted, taking me into a gentle hug while
the others nodded.  Only the half-breed stayed still, a strangely sad glimmer
in his golden eyes.
     “But we can’t guarantee she will be able to find her own place amongst
us,” he pointed out, ears tilting backward as a flash of hurt crossed his
rugged features.
     For a moment, the young miko looked ready to argue with him.  Then
comprehension came over her face before she was biting her lower lip and
rubbing her arm in an abashed manner.  “I know that but...  She’s already part
of our little family.  I don’t want to think of the day we’ll all separate,”
came a quiet confession, her voice laced with fear.  Frowning slightly, I
wrapped an arm around her shoulders; smiling as she looked up at me with eyes
awash with tears.
     “Then let’s just look at it as learning valuable skills,” I suggested
getting her to smile slightly before she was nodding in agreement.
     In a few moments, she and Sango were helping to point out local plants as
well as unusual trees that could help lead to the village.  The best landmark,
however, was Goshinboku.  The giant tree Inuyasha had been pinned to fifty
years ago.  Just seeing it filled me with a sense of awe, my body moving toward
it without my notice until I was within touching distance.  Eyes scanning the
ancient bark until they landed on the gouge where the arrow had been.  Reaching
forward with shaking fingers, I felt a shock roll through me as the tips dipped
into the tiny hole.  “Jesus,” whispered out of me, a shudder going through my
body.
     For some reason, this made everything more real than it already had been;
really slamming it home I was in this alien place.  That I wasn’t suddenly
going to wake up to a doctor telling me I had been in a coma for the past week.
 This was going to be my reality for the rest of my natural life.  Taking a
deep breath, I gave the trunk a pat before I was walking back to the group.  My
new family that had so willingly taken me in.  Together, we made our way to the
village to gather some supplies as well as say goodbye.
     Unsurprisingly, Kaede was already waiting for them; a resigned smile on
her weathered face.  Yet, in the one eye she had, there was a suffocating
amount of guilt.  Especially when she looked up at Kagome.  It was like she
blamed herself for the teen’s predicament, making my heart ache for the elder.
 None of the Jewel’s keepers had asked for the terrible responsibility or the
misfortune it would ultimately bring along with it.  It was only the fact that
Kikyo had been born first that had spared the elder before me now.  It was no
one’s fault her sister’s reincarnation now bore the responsibility.
     Giving her a hug, I wished deeply I could offer her some words of comfort.
 Unfortunately, the best I could do was give a heartfelt goodbye and accept the
bundle of food she handed off to me.  All too soon, we were heading down a road
that led to the West; waving to the villagers until they were out of sight.
 Looking ahead to the forest looming before us, I felt apprehension fill me.
 The significance of the direction we were heading was not lost on me.  Sooner
or later, we would likely run into a certain Western Lord; an encounter I was
not  looking forward to in the slightest.  “First, we gotta get to Totosai.
 You may have powers but you definitely need a weapon,” Inuyasha declared,
crouching so Kagome could clamber onto his back.
     Taking this as a signal, Kilala transformed; stooping to allow Miroku and
Sango to clamber onto her back.  Shippo also transformed, turning into a pink
balloon with a strange face on it.  Giving the kitsune a skeptical glance, I
got onto his squishy form as gently as I could.  Then, to my horror, we were
rising into the air.  Burrowing my face into the rubbery substance below me, I
closed my eyes and fought to keep my breathing even.  “It’ll be a week’s
travel, even using the transportation available to us.  We’ll only take breaks
to go to the bathroom, eat and sleep,” the hanyou declared before we were
setting off on our journey.  All I could do was hang on and pray I didn’t
faint.
***** Important Journey (Part 1) *****
Chapter Notes
     Author’s Note: I want to make this as... realistic as possible? Means
     we’re in for the long haul on this one. Will it be worth it? Not sure
     yet. xD;
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     To my immense relief, it wasn’t much longer before we landed and began to
head in a more northern direction.  Maybe, with a bit of luck, we could avoid a
confrontation with a certain youkai lord.  While he was handsome, he also hated
the small group I now travelled with.  Inuyasha especially.  He saw the hanyou
as a blight on his house, among other things.  Yet, despite knowing all of
this, a large part of me wanted to lay eyes on him at least once.  Just to see
if he was as handsome in person.  Blushing at the direction my thoughts had
taken, I forced my focus to the path ahead.
     This trip was to get a weapon I could use in battle.  Something I could
hopefully fill with my power and attack with.  How I would get materials to
make said weapon, I had no idea.  I had no fangs of my own and it wasn’t
exactly something I could ask Inuyasha for.  From what I saw in the show, being
given a demon’s fang was a massive sign of trust as well as respect.  While he
was beginning to see me as an asset to the team, I highly doubted his opinion
of me had increased  that  much.  The best I could hope for was to get one from
a youkai we encountered on the way.
     Looking around at the forest the surrounded us on both sides, I was both
relieved and disappointed it was fairly quiet.  Not so much as a rustle, let
alone any sightings of anything suspicious.  It was shaping up to be a rather
uneventful trip, which meant I would have little reason to practice my powers.
 Still, this didn’t mean I was allowed to slack off.  I fully intended to do a
bit of training tonight just to keep myself in a condition where I would be
useful.  Even now, I was taking in the foliage, making notes of easily
recognized trees.  If I got asked to go into the forest for anything, I wanted
to be able to find my way back.
     Not to mention the fact that I wanted to keep practicing what I had been
taught.  If we had to split up for some reason, I had to know where I was going
and how to get there.  Reaching up to scratch an itchy spot on my neck, I froze
when I felt something sitting there.  Something very much alive and growing
bigger with each suck of my blood.  On instinct alone, I smacked it; bringing
my hand to my face so I could see what it was.  I wasn’t all that shocked with
I saw a very flat Myoga on my palm.  “Hey guys, we have a stowaway,” I
announced, causing the others to stop mid-step.
     In the next second, Inuyasha was in front of me; looking down at my hand.
 “Oh, that’s just my retainer Myoga the flea.  I inherited him from my father.
 If he’s here it can only mean trouble,” grumbled an annoyed explanation before
he was holding out his own hand.  Carefully, I tipped the tiny youkai into the
offered appendage.
     “I beg your pardon!  Your father asked me specifically to see to your
welfare and this is how you repay me?” the elderly demon huffed, popping back
to normal while crocodile tears rolled down his cheeks.
     “Gee, you must be desperate if you’re putting on such an act.  Just tell
me who ya pissed off and be done with it,” his hanyou master snarled, not
looking the least bit convinced.
     Jolting slightly and obviously caught, Myoga cleared his throat while his
tiny mustache twitched.  “So cruel...,” he sniffled, lowering his bulbous, bald
head.  Looking to one side he placed his four arms inside his sleeves, seeming
to contemplate his limited options.
     “If you must know...  Your half brother is searching for you.  He wanted
me to give you a message,” came a confession that made my heart stop in my
chest.
     Sesshomaru was searching for Inuyasha, a fact that could only mean one
thing.  He meant to finally claim the sword he thought was his birthright, the
Tessaiga.  While I harbored a crush for the handsome male, I wasn’t about to
allow him to harm my friends.  Then again, what could I really do?  As it was,
my fire attacks wouldn’t be much of a deterrent.  “And you came straight to
us?!” roared a voice in front of me, bringing me back to reality with a sharp
thud.
     “Oh, uh... I guess that is a fair point....  Eh heh,” gulped the flea,
covering his head and cowering as he readied himself to be flattened once
again.
     Smooshing his retainer, Inuyasha flicked him off into the woods before
continuing to lead the way through the forest.  “We’ll have to take off again
soon.  Are ya gonna be ready for that Shippo?” he bit out, ears swiveling to
catch even the slightest of sounds.  If Sesshomaru was, indeed, on the hunt for
his half brother; it would make sense he would follow the flea.  Whether in
person or via Jaken.
     “I might need a bit more time to recover.  I’m only a kid you know,”
protested the young kitsune from Kagome’s shoulder.  While he had gotten better
at holding transformations for longer amounts of time, he still needed quite a
bit to recoup the energy he had expended.
     Letting out a soft growl of annoyance that was mixed with worry, he began
to move faster.  Right now, it was more important that we keep moving until we
could fly again.  The longer we remained in one place, the easier it would be
for our pursuers to find us.  Still, some part of me was a bit surprised the
headstrong half inu wasn’t heading for a confrontation.  From what I knew of
him from the anime, he would usually be all too willing to face off with the
powerful noble.  A fact I wasn’t about to complain about.
     Unfortunately, it was nearly a half hour before Shippo was ready to fly
again.  While neither Kagome or Inuyasha could sense either Sesshomaru or his
little servant, there was still a tense feeling in the air.  None of us would
feel safe until we were in the air and far away from this place.  So, when the
young fox was finally able to assume his balloon form; I climbed on and closed
my eyes.  Ignoring the sickening way my stomach dipped when I felt him rise
into the air.  In my opinion, we couldn’t reach Totosai soon enough.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     After flying for most of the day, I was all too happy to set down for
lunch.  Having put many miles between us and Sesshomaru’s pack since yesterday,
we all felt a lot more relaxed.  Yet, that hadn’t meant we could afford to
relax too much.  We still had a quest to complete and after that, it was back
to shard hunting.  Clambering off Shippo, I rummaged around in my backpack for
the collapsable, bamboo pole Kagome had given me.  Making sure Inuyasha was
ready, I headed off into the forest to catch our food.
     Disgruntled, the hanyou followed behind; complaining the entire way.  “I
won’t have time ta bait yer hook ya know” and “Guess I’ll have ta get the fish
off the line too.  Whatta pain” were among the most insulting.  Biting back my
growing need to give him a good chewing out, I decided to just show him
instead.  After all, actions spoke much louder than words.  Especially with
someone like Inuyasha.  So, sitting beside a calm bank of a nearby river, I
pulled out a small bag I had tied loosely to a belt loop in my jeans.  Opening
the small sack, I picked out a choice nightcrawler; spearing the tiny
invertebrate onto my hook with impunity.  Swinging out the line tied to the end
of the rod, I simply held on and waited.
     Watching the entire show with a slightly shocked expression, a certain
half youkai settled beside me with his own pole.  Silence passed between us, my
eyes stubbornly fixed on the ripples in the still water while my companion
began to twitch.  Then I felt it, a telltale tug on the line that signified I
had a fish.  With a swift yank, I set the hook and began to pull in my catch.
 With a flip of the fin, a sizeable bass jumped out of a water; drawing a small
gasp from me despite myself.
     Gritting my teeth, I fought against the fish while Inuyasha watched.  In
moments, I landed water dweller; picking it up via the gills so I could work
the hook free.  I couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit satisfied when the
arrogant male seemed even more surprised.  “I’ve done my fair share of fishing
in my time,” I informed, winking at him before refreshing my bait.  Scowling
slightly, he took my catch from my hand; tying it to a piece of rope he had
brought along.
     Smirking, I watched as my pile of fish steadily grew larger while he
caught nothing at all.  Giving me a rather assessing glance, he shook his head
before getting to his feet.  Taking this as a signal our day had ended, I
followed suit; gathering the rather impressive catch.  “I guess ya did pretty
good, for a girl,” came a rather schoolyardish, backhanded compliment.  Letting
out a laugh, I found myself a bit disappointed.  Some part of me had expected
him to mature just a bit more than he obviously had.
     “Yeah, I’m only bringing home all of the fish.  Ya better watch out or
I’ll have Kagome sit you when we get back,” I playfully threatened, chuckling
harder when he visibly paled and his eyes widened.
     “Y-you wouldn’t  really  do that, would you?” he whimpered, hunching like
a frightened puppy.
     Sighing, I shook my head and grinned before heading back to camp.  While I
wanted to reassure him, I also wanted to see him grovel just a little after his
remarks and insulting apology.  Besides, what he didn’t know could help give me
a bit of leverage when he wanted to be a jerk later.  With how hard it seemed
to be for him to just apologize, I knew it would probably happen a lot.  Unlike
Kagome, I had no real way to defend myself against his verbal jabs.  Putting a
smile on my face as I entered the clearing where the group was, I handed over
the fish to the young miko before taking a seat on my sleeping bag.
     Soon, the smell of fish was filling the air; causing my stomach to give a
rather loud reminder I hadn’t eaten much in the rush yesterday.  Clearing my
throat, I wandered over to Sango to help her clean whatever was left; just
wanting to do something with my hands.  “Are you alright Jade?” she whispered
after a few moments, taking me a bit off guard.  Looking up, I met the eyes of
the slayer; warm and full of a deep sadness.
     “Just Inuyasha.  Despite all the training we’ve done together, he still
sees me as nothing more than a weak girl,” I lamented quietly, keeping an eye
on Kagome to make sure she wasn’t heading this way.  Last thing I wanted was
the teen to use the word of subjugation on my behalf, despite threatening the
hanyou that I would do just that.
     “Do not take it too much to heart.  He is not the easiest person to get
along with at first.  It takes him some time to warm up to you, to trust you.
 I imagine its because of all those years he had to live in the wilderness
alone,” came an explanation I didn’t need.  Not that Sango knew that.
     “I kind of figured that from how he was acting.  Still, doesn’t mean the
words don’t hurt,” I replied, looking up to see said half-breed shooting me
occasional, guilty glances.
     “I imagine he feels terrible about it but just doesn’t know how to
apologize.  I’ve lived him with a while now and have gotten familiar with his
various personality quirks,” the Taijiya continued, smiling slightly as we
finished scaling and gutting the last of the fish.
     Setting the speared catch near the rim of the fire, I took a seat near
Kagome and Shippo; blatantly ignoring a twitching Inuyasha.  Sensing something
was up, the sixteen year old to my right stared at me while I picked out one of
the fish that had already been cooked.  “What did ‘Yasha do to you,” whispered
in my ear as she leaned closer to prevent herself from being heard.
 Unfortunately, her words didn’t escape a certain half dog; his figure hunching
slightly.
     “It wasn’t all that terrible.  Besides, I think we can sort it out
ourselves,” I deflected before taking a bite of the baked fish.  To my
surprise, I liked it much better than I thought I would.
     Nibbling around the tiny bones and spitting out the ones that got in my
mouth, I began to notice a certain crimson clad male inching his way ever
closer to where I was sitting.  Kagome seemed to have seen him too, taking
another fish and heading off to talk to Sango for a bit.  Ignoring his presence
for the time being, I took another of the speared fish and began to eat.  “I...
didn’t mean what I said earlier.  You’ve made a good addition to the group so
far and you didn’t deserve to be spoken to like that,” grumbled a mid-tone to
my left, the suddenness coming close to making me jump out of my skin.
     Fighting the urge to stare at the proud half youkai, I swallowed my
mouthful before responding.  “Thanks for that.  I’m not some useless bimbo you
know and what you said...  Still, I forgive you.  Just don’t do it again,”
sighed out of me, silence stretching between us for an uncomfortable amount of
time.  After a few moments, I slowly got to my feet to begin setting out my
sleeping bag.  Curling up in the warm depths, I smiled at how like a young boy
the hanyou was.  Unsure of how to apologize or even what to do once everything
was said and done.  All in all, I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold anything
against him for too long.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     As we travelled on foot for the time being, Sango and Kagome began
pointing out the local plants to help me with my survival training.  They knew
which ones were poisonous and which ones could help heal illness.  With my
healing powers still developing, such knowledge would be very helpful.  The
best I could do was heal superficial cuts and even that exhausted me, draining
me of energy for hours after.  To be honest, it was more than a little
discouraging.  The fire magic had come easier.
     Staring up at the trees I now knew were various pines, Ginkgo trees and
cherry trees, I began to feel my mood lift.  I was retaining the information, a
huge plus in my book.  Still, herbs were a bit different than trees.  There
were so many and they all had such wildly varying effects.  It was making my
head swim trying to keep up with it all.  More than likely, I would have to go
to either Sango or Kagome to identify anything I found until I got the hang of
it.
     Letting out a sigh, I forced away my feelings of inadequacy.  I wasn’t
superhuman after all.  It would take anyone a fair amount of time to get a
handle on this.  Feeling a tug on my pants, I looked down to see Shippo staring
up at me with wide, green eyes.  Leaning down to see what he wanted, I was more
than a bit shocked when he hopped on my shoulder.  Making sure he was settled,
I carefully straightened and continued to move forward; lagging just a bit
behind the others.
     From my vantage point I could see the various pairs of the group, making
me feel happy and lonely at the same time.  Sango and Miroku seemed to have
long moved past whatever misunderstandings they had in the anime, sharing a
comfort with eachother most people could only envy.  Even when he flirted with
other women, it never had any real intent to it.  It seemed to be more part of
a bizarre ritual that was oddly sacred to the pair.  Then there was Kagome and
Inuyasha.  They were still learning to trust one another while being bound
together by both past and desire.
     Every day, the hanyou seemed to let the teen just a bit further past his
thorny defenses; his eyes shining a deep honey amber whenever he looked at her.
 The only problem was Kikyou.  Although I hadn’t been here for very long, I
could tell the undead priestess hung over the pair like a funeral cowl.  “Ya
know, you smell a lot different than Kagome,” murmured a scratchy voice in my
ear, bringing me back to the here and now with a slam.
     “I don’t know how either...  Its weird,” the kitsune continued, a slightly
suspicious note to his young voice.
     Turning my head so I could look at him, I was startled to see his green
eyes boring right into me.  Almost like he was trying to see into my very soul.
 After a few, disconcerting moments, he simply shook his head with a grin.  “Oh
well, I guess that doesn’t really matter.  You seem like a good person,” he
declared before moving to a perch on my head.
     “Glad you think so.  Last thing I want to do is hurt any of you,” I
replied, my heart dipping when I saw Inuyasha crouch so Kagome could hop onto
his back.
     “Aw gee, and I was just getting comfy,” came a good natured complaint
before the fox youkai was hopping off me to transform.
     Staring at the goofy, pink balloon that floated a few inches above the
ground, I swallowed the reluctance I felt and clambered onto his squishy
surface.  Hunching down, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes; doing my best
to ignore the feeling of rising into the air.  As long as I didn’t see just how
high up we were, I could convince myself we were just traveling along the road.
 “Won’t be much longer Jade!  Just a few more days,” encouraged the voice of
Miroku, not filling me with any amount of confidence.
     “All I ask is you throw up over the side.  The smell is really difficult
to get out of the fur,” Shippo added in, drawing a groan from me as a shaky
feeling began to fill my limbs.
     Sooner or later, I would have to get used to this.  For now, I was just
grateful I hadn’t passed out or vomited.  Breathing slowly to steady my racing
heart, I prayed it wouldn’t be too long before we set down again; despite the
fact I knew we would be in the air for hours.  Having the hope it would be
sooner helped keep me calm.  Still, I forced myself to open my eyes the tiniest
sliver.  I knew I would regret it but I had to force myself to get past my fear
somehow.  What better way than to admire the scenery from the back of a very
safe mode of transportation.
     Craning my head slightly, I took in the blur of trees below.  While it
was  gorgeous, it instantly filled me with nausea and made me feel incredibly
dizzy.  Images of my fall from the cliff filled my head as I clamped my eyes
shut once more, biting the inside of my cheek so I wouldn’t pass out.  I was
more than safe and, even if I fell, Inuyasha would make sure nothing happened
to me.  Letting out a quiet moan, I simply held on and forced everything else
to the back of my mind.  All I wanted to do was make it to our next destination
without fainting.  A feat that was seeming harder and harder to accomplish.
     After what seemed like an eternity, I felt the blessed sensation of being
lowered.  As soon as Shippo stopped, I was opening my eyes and sliding off; all
too happy to feel solid ground under my feet.  “What would ya say about boar
for dinner?” Inuyasha declared, making my stomach lurch.  Despite being hungry,
I would need some time to recover from the flight before I could eat.  There
was also the fact I would be expected to participate in the cleaning of said
animal, a rather bloody task.  Still, I wasn’t in a position to argue; so I
nodded when all the others voiced their eagerness.
     A few moments after we had finished up setting up a cooking fire, the
hanyou was plopping a huge, dead, fur covered pig at the edge of the camp.
 Grimacing at the amount of work, I moved toward the kill with Sango and
Kagome.  Slicing open the belly, the teen removed the steaming guts while I
slit the throat; the smell of blood coating the back of my throat.  Spitting
out the metallic taste, I moved to help the slayer with the ropes on the hind
feet.  With some teamwork, we managed to suspend the massive animal from a
thick branch; the blood pattering onto the grass below.
     While gruesome, it was not something I was unused to.  My own family went
hunting a lot and I had been taught how to dress a deer a long time ago.
 Taking the entrails, Inuyasha went off into the forest to hopefully bury them.
 The other alternative honestly made me shudder and was better off not thought
on.  Grabbing a skinning knife from Sango, I instead got to work on removing
the tough, furry hide while the blood drained.  Between the three of us, we had
the meat ready for cooking in a matter of hours.
     Watching steam roll off the browning meat on the rotisserie, I couldn’t
help but feel a sense of accomplishment.  Some of the skills I had learned
before I had been blown here were coming in handy.  Utterly pleased I sat back
and waited for Inuyasha, Shippo and Kagome to take their shares.  Taking my
own, I chewed the surprisingly juicy meet as I looked up at the stars.  When I
was able to recognize more than a few of the constellations I felt a real sense
of homecoming.  Its like a puzzle piece fitting into the perfect spot, leaving
a sense of satisfaction.  Smiling, I couldn’t help but believe I would really
be alright; no matter what happened.
***** Important Journey (Part 2) *****
Chapter Notes
     Author’s Note: Second bit of the journey. The last day will have an
     entire chapter devoted to it. Please feel free to leave any comments
     or crits you may have~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     The day started out normally enough.  We all got up with the sun,
stretching while Kilala and Shippo prepared for flight.  Meanwhile, Inuyasha
had gone off into the forest to hunt up some breakfast for the group.  While I
would have liked to have joined him, I decided to stay behind to help Kagome
and Sango with the fire.  That was when it happened. One moment, we were
chatting and joking without a care in the world. The next, we were all freezing
as Kagome sensed something very large and very angry heading our way at a fast
clip.
     Barely having time to prepare to go on the offensive, we braced as a
massive, deformed bear came charging through the trees.  Its fierce, beady eyes
glared at all of them as it pulled itself up on its hind feet, easily towering
over the trees. Its crooked, overgrown fangs stuck out at awkward angles, some
even poking through the top and bottom of its muzzle.  Bony spikes also
protruded from parts of its fur covered body and it let out a roar loud enough
to shake the ground beneath our feet. Then it was swiping, its massive, curved
claws missing us by inches.
     In an instant, all of us scattered; taking positions all around the mighty
beast.  Without a word, Sango and Miroku were hopping onto Kilala to gain more
height while Kagome notched an arrow in her bow.  Closing my fists and forcing
my inner fire to surround my hands, I prepared to do my part in bringing this
monster down. With a toss of hiraikotsu, the slayer got things started by
directing the youkai’s attention toward her and Miroku.  Once that was
accomplished, Kagome was letting loose a reiki covered arrow.
     With a pink explosion, it hit its mark; purifying a large chunk of the
creature’s left arm and leaving it dangling by a singular strip of fur and
flesh.  Letting out a squeal mixed with a roar of agony it spun unsteadily,
glaring at the teen with uncomprehending eyes. Taking my cue, I shot a few fire
balls at its ass to give it something to think about.  While I wasn’t surprised
when its fur immediately ignited, I couldn’t help but feel guilty when it began
to flail around in panic. Mindless demon or not, it didn’t deserve to die by
being burned alive. Thankfully, this presented Kagome with the perfect window
to shoot for its heart.
     Taking a deep breath, she pulled back the bowstring; letting loose another
arrow surrounded by holy energy.  Just like the projectile before, it hit its
mark; spearing right into the middle of the ursine’s heart. Blood poured from
its muzzle as the flash of reiki purified its heart, exploding it in a second.
 Letting out a breathless grunt, it collapsed forward with another ground
shaking thud; Miroku using his wind tunnel to put out the flames on its back.
As Kilala landed to allow the pair to get off her back, Inuyasha was entering
the clearing; appearing all too calm given what had just happened.
     Walking toward the titanic carcass, the hanyou gave a nod before turning
his head to grin at all of us.  “Seems like you all work together well,” he
announced, seeming proud. Taking in his words, Kagome went from tired and a bit
happy with herself to complete fury.
     “You mean to tell me that you were just sitting back, watching us fight
that thing?!” she hissed, stomping toward him with her tiny hands clenched.
 Wincing at what this could mean, I pondered whether or not it would be a good
idea to intervene.
     While I could understand that Inuyasha had wanted to see if I really could
fight with the others, it could have gone a lot worse than it had.  What if he
hadn’t been able to intervene in time? Then again, he  had  been right there
and I had more confidence in his abilities than I did the bear’s.  “Wait!” I
called out as I made my way toward the pair, hoping to stop the fight in
progress.  Stopping mid tirade, Kagome turned to look at me with a curious
expression. Speed walking closer, I stopped once I was a few feet away; taking
a moment or two to get my breath back.
     “I don’t think he was ever going to let things go  too  far,” I pointed
out, having to fight to keep back the fact he wouldn’t always be around to
protect us.  Only his closest friends knew that secret. It would be exceedingly
suspicious if I just blurted something like that out.
     “Exactly!  I just wanted to make sure all of you could defend yourselves
for those times I might not be able to,” the hanyou attempted to diffuse,
holding his hands up in a warding off gesture.
     Seeming to finally get what was being said in between the lines, the
sixteen year old went pale before all her anger seemed to drain out of her.
 “Yeah... I guess that’s a fair point,” she whispered quietly, her nervous gaze
flitting to me. Knowing she was likely worried she had given something away, I
did my best to appear clueless; tilting my head to one side while affecting a
slightly confused expression.  This seemed to set them both at ease, Sango and
Miroku coming up to join us once they knew it was safe.
     Shippo, who had scampered into the forest as soon as he had sensed the
massiver youkai, came out with a cocky grin on his face.  Almost like he had
done all the fighting. “Heh, that’ll teach him to mess with the likes of me,”
he declared as he scampered up to the top of the carcass to strike a pose.
 Chuckling, his adoptive mother simply shook her head before going to pack up
her stuff. With the stench of the demon bear, it would be near impossible to
eat breakfast in the clearing that had been our campsite.  After a few moments,
we were in the air; searching for another place to set up a temporary camp so
we could eat.
     Once everyone had settled, Inuyasha was bringing out a few rabbits he had
caught.  Thankfully, the fur and guts had already been removed but some part of
me was reluctant to eat such a cute animal.  Still, I wasn’t about to turn my
nose up at what was offered to me. So, once one was cooked and Inuyasha had
already taken his portion, I took one of the legs.  Telling myself it was only
chicken, I took a bite. To my surprise, it wasn’t as gamey as other wild
animals I had eaten. In fact, it had very pleasant, sweet taste.  Eating with
gusto, I was aware of the amused glances I was getting.
     Knowing they hadn’t expected me to like rabbit or even be willing to eat
it, I brushed it off and finished my meal.  As soon as everyone was finished
eating, we were in the air and continuing our journey onward. Closing my eyes,
I was a bit relieved to find my fear wasn’t as bad as it had been the first few
times.  Maybe, eventually, I might even be able to ride on Shippo with no fear
whatsoever. Smiling at the thought, I forced myself to open my eyes to look
over the side. I was pleasantly surprised when I didn’t break out into an
immediate cold sweat and could even enjoy the view a little before forced to
close them once more.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 5~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     “Okay, hold the sword like this and put your legs like this,” came gentle
but firm instructions while clawed hands positioned my body the way they wanted
me.
     Tightening my grip on an untransformed Tetsusaiga, I focused on the hanyou
as he came to stand in front of me.  Eyeing my stance, he nodded before
stepping out of the way. “Take a few practice swings. Won’t know what to fix if
I can’t see what’s wrong in the first place,” he instructed, the watchful eyes
on the sidelines making me feel more than a little self conscious.  Licking my
lips, I took a swing and still came close to falling over despite his earlier
advice. Catching me before he could hit the ground, he nodded before helping me
straighten.
     As soon as I was back into a proper fighting stance, he was giving me more
advice.  “Don’t put your entire weight into a swing. Let the blade do all the
work. Plant your feet more firmly too.  That way you won’t stumble,” he
instructed before moving to the side so I could try it again. Taking a
steadying breath, I took another swing.  By some miracle, I didn’t end up on my
ass but I knew it would take a long time just to master the rusted looking
blade. I had little hope for how I would handle my own, much newer weapon.
     While inanimate, the sword felt almost wise; experienced in a way.  When I
actually let the weight of the weapon carry my swing, it really felt like it
was leading my hand.  With Tessaiga being used to practice with, I would at
least be a bit more familiar with swordplay by the time we reached Totosai.
 Still, I couldn’t help but feel a bit apprehensive. As strange as it sounded,
my own sword would be a lot less experienced. In a sense, we would be learning
together and the chance of an accident happening would be higher by a
significant amount.  This, of course, meant I had to learn whatever I could now
to help mitigate injuries later.
     Watching as I worked on swinging my borrowed sword properly, Inuyasha
frowned slightly as he seemed to consider something.  A bit curious but knowing
now was lesson time, I began to work on doing damage effectively. Making an
attempt to attack a log that was being used as a target, I wasn’t all that
surprised when the blade bounced off the hard surface; sending an uncomfortable
vibration up my right arm.  Wincing, I instinctually rubbed my upper arm to
soothe the tense muscles. “Not bad but you’ll break your arm doing that. Try
channeling your fire power into Tetsusaiga,” suggested my instructor.
     Taking in a deep breath, I focused the fire that dwelled within me into my
hands.  With a bit of effort, I was able to channel the energy up the ancient
hilt but not much further.  Feeling a bit exhausted and lightheaded from the
effort, I swayed while the katana dropped from my hand.  In an instant, I found
myself in crimson clad arms while the others circled around me. “Are you okay?”
Kagome asked while Inuyasha helped me to sit on the ground.
     “Yeah... I guess I used a bit too much,” I whispered, the world spinning
around me while I tried to regain my breath.
     Apparently, shooting fireballs and imbuing a weapon with my fire were two
entirely different things.  Like with my healing ability, I would have to
practice in order to use the technique without utterly exhausting myself.
 Looking up an Inuyasha apologetically, I was a bit surprised to see he was
grinning. “You did pretty good for your first attempt.  Almost made it to the
blade. Most people can’t even infuse the hilt without passing out,” he praised
before picking up his sword to return it to its sheath.  Staring at him for a
few moments, I unsteadily got to my feet to pull the hanyou in a hug.
     “Thanks Inuyasha.  That means a lot to me,” husked out of me while
happiness wound around my heart and squeezed.
     Unused to such displays of affection from anyone but Kagome, the awkward
male seemed unsure of how to react; clawed hands hovering over my back
hesitantly.  After a few seconds, he settled on returning the embrace for a
second. Then he was pulling away with his usual, dismissive sound. “Just...
keep up with your training,” he growled lamely before hopping up in a near-by
tree to make sure nothing was sneaking up on the group.  More amused than
offended, I smirked up at the branches he had disappeared into. Knowing as much
as I did about Inuyasha, that had been downright affectionate for him.
     “Don’t mind him.  You’ll get used to how he works after a while,” assured
the voice of the sixteen year old behind me.
     Chuckling, I nodded before preparing to go back into the air.  We were
just a couple days away from Totosai and the others were anxious to get this
part of the journey done and over with.  I, on the other hand, felt nervous. We
still hadn’t come across a youkai that would offer a suitable fang for the
weapon. Not to mention how much more practice I needed just swinging a sword.
 Clambering onto a transformed Shippo, I closed my eyes while we rose into the
air. Soon, I could feel the wind through my shoulder length hair as we moved
forward.
     Taking a breath, I forced myself to open my eyes like always.  While still
a bit discomforted by the sight of the trees below me, I no longer felt
overwhelming panic.  Sitting back and relaxing a bit, I even dared to glance up
at the blur of clouds above. They almost looked close enough to touch, almost
resembling wisps of cotton that had been stretch over blue construction paper.
 “Wow... its so pretty up here,” whispered a voice that made me startle until I
realized it was just me.
     “Heh, glad to hear you’re finally enjoying it a little.  You’re perfectly
safe with me,” boasted the scratchy voice of the kit I was using as
transportation.
     Patting the squishy surface of his pink body, I rolled my eyes while
letting out a quiet laugh.  “Of course. I never thought any different,” I
assured, more than amused when he puffed up under me in response.  Motion to my
right drew my attention to Kilala and her passengers. Raising a hand to wave at
the pair, I returned my focus forward as we made our way toward some rather
volcanic looking land.  The forest ended suddenly miles ahead of them, giving
way to blackened, cracked earth. Rivers of lava poured lazily down jagged
crags, filling me with a deep feeling of apprehension.
     You didn’t have to be a genius to know just getting near that stuff would
burn you alive in seconds.  Then again, not everyone was being led by a hanyou
capable of making barriers. Still, a large part of me was nervous despite this.
 Would Inuyasha’s barrier really be able to hold over a long amount of time?
What happened if they were attacked by some magma creature?  Just thinking
about all the possibilities made me feel well and truly sick to my stomach. All
I could do was put my life in his hands and hope for the best.  A fact that
didn’t help to comfort me in the least.
     That was when I felt it, an unpleasant, almost sharp aura wrapping around
my skin.  Turning my head to look behind me, I was disconcerted when I saw
nothing but blue skies.  Shuddering below me, Shippo began to go just a bit
faster. “Sesshomaru’s still hunting for us and he doesn’t seem all that happy,”
came a warning that affirmed my silent suspicions.  Closing my eyes and
pressing myself down to aid aerodynamics, I prayed he wouldn’t be able to find
us before I knew how to use my weapon.
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Day 6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
     Now that we knew Sesshomaru hadn’t given up on finding us, we were
spending less time on the ground.  Unfortunately, this meant I had little time
to hone my powers or practice with Tessaiga. Not to mention learning about the
native plants as well as how to find my way back to camp with the stars alone.
 The only times we landed now were to eat or to allow Shippo and Kilala to
rest. A concession Inuyasha had agreed after making it clear he would make a
barrier every time. While his half brother could easily destroy it, it could
afford them precious seconds.
     Thankfully, for the time being, the daiyoukai had been unable to find
them.  Most likely due to the fact Inuyasha had taken the time to hide their
scents as well as auras.  Still, it was only a matter of time. Especially with
the powerful demon taking matters into his own hands.  Whatever the reason he
was looking for them, it certainly couldn’t be good. Especially not with his
track record of trying to dispose of the entire group.  Shuddering, I grimaced
while my stomach turned and twisted inside of me.
     As I had come to find out, one of the biggest drawbacks of travelling like
this was airsickness.  If it got much worse, I would have to ask to land for a
break. Groaning, I took a deep breath through my nose in an effort to soothe my
horrible nausea.  While the freshness of the air helped, the constant motion
did not. “Hey, uh... if you’re gonna lose your cookies, could ya do it over the
side?” Shippo requested, not for the first time.  Making a thick, urping noise,
I did my best to make a sound to the affirmative.
     Watching me from the sidelines, Sango and Miroku made a motion to Inuyasha
the next time he leapt into the air.  Soon, they were descending; to my extreme
relief. The sooner I had solid ground under my feet, the better. In fact, as
soon as we were close enough, I was hopping off the kitsune’s back.  However,
the sudden movement made my stomach lurch; making me lose my battle. I was
barely able to make it to the bushes in time, my breakfast making a rather
unpleasant return appearance.
     Once I was done, Kagome was offering me a sip from her canteen.  With a
grateful smile, I turned her down before pulling out my own water container.
 Taking a mouthful, I swirled it around for a few seconds before spitting it
out; clearing the bitter taste of bile from my mouth.  Giving an apologetic
glance toward the hanyou, I felt even worse when I saw the disgusted expression
on his tanned features. Being half dog demon, he could smell my vomit like he
was right next to it.  Despite this, he said nothing about it. Instead, he
began setting up camp in a place that was far away from my little accident.
     Just happy the embarrassing incident was being ignored, I sat out of the
way while I regathered my strength and allowed my stomach to settle.  As much
as I wanted to help, it could be dangerous to make myself sick again. Throwing
up once had already lost me valuable nutrition as well as fluids.  Laying back
on the grass, I watched the clouds pass by overhead while my roiling stomach
gradually began to settle. Something that would be all too temporary given our
current situation.  In no time at all, we would be back in the air. I had to
take the opportunity to prepare myself as much as I could.
     Thankfully, it only took a few moments to be able to move without a
slight, spinning sensation.  Wandering over to the fire, I felt eyes watching
me and turned my head to see Inuyasha. A thoughtful expression was on his face,
amber eyes sparkling while he seemed to think something over.  “We’ll stay here
for a few hours. Gather our strength for a bit,” he declared after a few
moments. Blinking in shock, I wasn’t the only one taken off guard by his
uncharacteristic consideration.  Kagome and the others were also staring at him
with unbelieving eyes, likely wondering if he had been replaced with a very
clever look-a-like. Lifting a brow, he shrugged off their regard; moving off
into the forest to go hunting.
     Wanting to take the opportunity to practice, I followed after him; calling
to make sure he knew I was there.  Twitching his ears in my direction, he
stopped to allow me to catch up; wordlessly handing me his sword. “You’ll make
the kill this time.  After, I’ll teach you how to gut and clean it,” he
murmured, watching as I took the sheath and tied it to a belt loop of my jeans.
Nodding, I followed him into the brush; taking care to be as quiet as possible.
 Lifting his nose to sniff the air, he began to track something through the
tight trees.
     Soon, I could see flashes of white and brown fur through the foliage;
making adrenaline dump into my veins.  Ears flattening, Inuyasha hunkered down;
going into full stalking mode. Following his example, I tested the wind to make
sure I was down wind while we worked our way closer.  When there was finally a
break in the trees, I could see a youkai deer cropping grass in a clearing. If
I wanted to dispose of it, I would have to be fast. Holding my breath, I
withdrew my weapon as I made my way past the treeline and toward my would be
prey.
     Taking a deep breath, I closed the distance while my heart thundered in my
ears.  I was just close enough to strike when the strange animal lifted its
head to glare at me with deep red eyes.  A silent moment passed between us
before I was pouncing. Gritting my teeth I unsheathed the sword and swung it
down.  With sickening ease, the rusty blade sliced through skin, muscle and
bone; causing blood to spray into the air like a gruesome fountain.  Some even
landed on my face, making me shudder while the eviscerated animal fell to the
ground. Wiping the fluid off, I grimaced as the sight of its guts spilling out
onto the grass.  “Well, seems like we won’t need to gut or bleed this one,” I
murmured as Inuyasha came out of the forest to join me.
     With the help of his claws, we skinned the deer before he used his ‘Iron
Reaver Soul Stealer’ attack to cut up the carcass.  Using clean leaves, we
wrapped up the dripping meat to make its transportation easier before heading
back to camp. By the time we returned, there was already a fire ready for the
kill we had made.  Taking a place beside the stone ringe, I helped place pieces
of venison on stakes around the flames. It wouldn’t be too long before we were
eating. What happened afterward would be anyone’s guess. Still, when Inuyasha
covered them with a barrier, I hoped they would remain here for the rest of the
day.
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