The Gift by Reluctant Prodigy

Weak

AN: I changed the rating to M due to violence, although every chapter after this should have a T rating, unless specified otherwise.

_

Kagome sighed, counting to ten. For nearly an hour, she had been attempting to pack up her yellow bag, only to constantly have her efforts thwarted. She understood that they needed to find the shards, that Naraku was getting stronger, that it was all her fault. Really, she did. Even if she hadn’t originally known that, Inuyasha explained it to her enough.

No, Kagome knew all of it. However, she also knew she needed to get an education and leaving for one day wouldn’t kill anyone. Inuyasha, of course, begged to differ.

Eventually, Kagome had enough.

“Inuyasha…” Kagome muttered in a sickly sweet voice, taking delight in the way he flinched.

Inuyasha crossed his arms and huffed, his macho act in full swing. “Fine, you can go, just come back soon. Alright?”

Kagome smiled, trying to ignore the feelings of guilt that sprang up whenever she threatened to “sit” Inuyasha when he didn’t deserve it. In her defense, convincing him to allow her to leave her quest for things like school was an almost impossible feat otherwise.

“Kagome!” Shippou cried. He ran to hug her, his energy making Kagome stumble back. While Kagome steadied herself, he continued to cry, “Please don’t leave me alone with jerk Inuyasha!”

“Shippou, don’t worry. Sango and Miroku are still here, and I’ll be sure to bring you some more ninja food.”

That seemed to placate the demon. He jumped off Kagome’s shoulders after one final squeeze and bounded towards Miroku, dodging the campfire in between them. Once safely on Miroku, he stuck his tongue out at Inuyasha. Of course, Inuyasha had to shake his fist at him. Kagome sighed while tuning out the argument that she knew followed.

Once certain Inuyasha wouldn’t use violence on Shippou, Kagome decided to leave. “Well… I’ve really got to get going.”

“Take care Kagome,” Sango said from her place next to the fire, stirring a nearly completed pot of ramen noodles.

Miroku, who was too close to Sango for either girl’s liking, nodded in agreement. “Do you want someone to go with you?”

Gestures like those made Kagome feel touched. In the year she had been traveling with her friends, they already meant the world to her. It pleased her to know they returned the sentiment. Still, Kagome couldn’t help but feel the familiar twang of disappointment.  She would have thought that after a year she would be able to defend herself properly. Nevertheless, she was mediocre with a bow at best. Sometimes she wished she could be like her friends and do the protecting for once.

“Don’t worry guys. The well’s really close by. I’ll be fine.” Kagome accompanied the words with the brightest smile she could muster. It worked wonders, hiding her thoughts from view.

Inuyasha was too busy scarfing down his food that Sango had just gifted him with to give an understandable reply. Though Kagome did hear something along the lines of a “be careful.” Everyone else echoed his sentiments, albeit in a more intelligible manner.

After escaping from more sendoffs, Kagome found herself in the middle of Inuyasha’s forest. Her group’s travels took them onto the opposite side than what she was familiar. It disoriented her a bit, but Kagome had learned how to get around without a map or compass early on in her travels. If she just kept heading west, towards the sun…

Crack.

Kagome snapped her head up, thoughts abandoned. Perfectly still, she felt around with her miko powers. She could just make out Inuyasha, but nothing else came close. Feeling even further, she noticed Sesshoumaru’s demonic aura, not nearby enough to be responsible. Kagome felt herself relax, although she still took out her bow, an arrow at the ready.

In a way, she felt silly. She felt nothing demonic, and it was probably some small woodland creature. Nothing to fear.

Relaxing, Kagome allowed her thoughts to wander to her friends. They were all strong, so strong Kagome often felt like she didn’t belong. Who could blame her? Her ragtag group consisted of a monk, a demon slayer and a hanyou. Sure, Kagome had miko powers, but they were largely untrained, despite her best efforts.

Kagome made a silent vow to become stronger, no matter what the cost. She wouldn’t let her friends protect her like they always had in the past.

Crack.

Eyes sprang to life with fear. Kagome willed her heart to stop pounding so fast, but it ignored her pleas. She gripped her bow until her knuckles whitened, and prepared to release an arrow.

Nothing. Kagome felt nothing. No auras at all, save for the tickling of her friends, and Sesshoumaru, who grew closer.

“Relax…” Kagome whispered the word out inaudibly. She breathed erratically and her hands shook. Even if a demon chose to attack, she would never be able to land a hit in her current state.

Nothing jumped out at her. Kagome felt the urge to laugh at her paranoia. If someone else had been there, freaking out wouldn’t have been an issue. Kagome naturally felt safe around other people. Someone else would take care of the problem. This time, Kagome didn’t want to wait for someone else. Laughter died in her throat.

The well stood ten feet away. She easily made it out amongst the trees, knowing that the village lay just beyond there. Inuyasha’s tree was nearby too.

Feeling nostalgic, Kagome altered her path. She bypassed the well, giving it a longing look, and headed straight towards the Goshinboku.

The journey didn’t take long, despite the thick brush to trip over. After flinging her backpack down, Kagome leaned her head on the large tree, savoring the moment. Kagome often thought of how different her life would be if she had never released the hanyou from the tree.

Her eyes fluttered shut, and she felt the accustomed stab of pain at the thought of Inuyasha. As selfish as it was, Kagome wished that Inuyasha would think of her first and not Kikyo. She shook her head at the treacherous thought. Inuyasha could be a jerk, but he deserved happiness, even if that didn’t include Kagome.

Exhaling, Kagome forced herself to stop dwelling on such thoughts. She had a test to take the next morning. With her current lifestyle, Kagome lacked the time to reflect on things. Thinking of the past while in the present, or the present while in the past only caused regrets.

Kagome knew she needed to get back to the present soon. Darkness approached quickly and Kagome wanted to be gone before then.

With one last glance at the tree, Kagome removed her limbs from around its trunk. A habit Kagome picked up from her childhood, she found herself hugging the tree whenever she needed comfort.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

Kagome felt it. A demonic aura, and the demon that came with it, was close. The pressure started small, increasing microscopically until she could ignore it no longer.

Adrenaline pumping through her veins, Kagome started sprinting towards the well. The demonic aura she felt outranked Inuyasha’s in power. While she couldn’t feel Sesshoumaru’s aura anymore, the new one resembled it, both in power and character. Kagome was anything but a fool. She wouldn’t stand a chance against Sesshoumaru, and she wouldn’t stand a chance against this demon.

A blur sped past her. Gasping, Kagome turned around, only to face the demon. He had humanoid features, a feat attesting to his power. Kagome noted how similar he appeared to Sesshoumaru, with aristocratic features and markings, only in a darker coloring. Unlike Sesshoumaru, there was something wild about him, an uncontrolled look in his expression.

Kagome backed up, hoping he didn’t sense her fear. Judging by his menacing laughter, he did.

“And just where do you think you’re going?” His voice held a roughness beneath the formalities. It betrayed the beast within, and it sent shivers down Kagome’s spine.

Kagome backed up a final step before the demon responded by sending an attack towards her. The beam of light sped towards Kagome faster than her eyes could see. Only the pain in her leg betrayed where it had landed.

Kagome whimpered before drawing her bow. Blood oozed from her leg, but she did her best to ignore it. She put all of her energy into her voice, willing herself to sound strong, Kikyo-like. “Who are you?”

The man chuckled before coming towards her. He wrapped his arms around her with a grip far too strong for Kagome to fight her way out of, despite her efforts. “Who am I? That does not matter. I am merely… a friend of a friend, my dear.”

Narrowing her eyes, Kagome struggled to get free. The mysterious demon didn’t budge. In fact, he laughed, taunting the girl.

“You sure are a weak thing, fragile even. If you’re good. I might just keep you for myself.”

Kagome gasped and felt her body shake with rage. “I’ll never belong to you.”

The blinding light of Kagome’s purifying energy shot out of her hands. It traveled into the demon, giving her temporary freedom. She jumped out of his arms. He growled, nursing his burnt appendages. Kagome gulped but ignored the vicious sounds, drawing her bow.

She took aim, ignoring his cursing, and fired. It narrowly missed him, and he hadn’t even had to dodge. Kagome held back the urge to groan at her aim. She tried again. By that time, the demon had regained his bearings and prepared for her attack.

He caught the arrow in midair. Spinning it around lazily with his fingers, the demon chucked it back at her. Kagome collapsed to the ground to avoid it. Hearing the high pitch squeal of it flying by made her wince. It surely would have gone straight through her if it had made contact.

Kagome regretted falling. She doubted there’d be time to get back to her feet without him attacking her once more. Especially since her leg was killing her. No, her best option would be to attempt to cause a distraction.

Kagome aimed the bow, purposely missing him. She ignored his patronizing laughter, and aimed once more. Too busy taunting her, he wouldn’t be prepared. Thankfully, she struck her target.

“You little bitch!” The demon screeched.

He clutched his arm before pulling the arrow out with a quick jerk. Black hair started to blow in an artificial wind and his face took on a feral appearance. Eyes reddened and narrowed, fixating on their target.

Although shaking, Kagome managed to ignore the pain in her leg and stood up. She drew her bow as tight as her strength allowed.  Kagome released the arrow, the sheer force behind it causing her to stumble. The arrow glowed with a blue light, brighter than usual. Surely, if it hit its target, Kagome might just stand a chance…

Luck, however, was not on Kagome’s side. The arrow narrowly missed the demon’s throat and Kagome vaguely wondered why she couldn’t even aim to save her life. She fired another arrow, this time landing a hit. It purified the demon’s hand off.

In a rage, the demon growled before pouncing. He landed on top of Kagome. The force caused her to collapse to the ground, making a soft thudding sound. She opened her eyes, only to find wild red eyes staring at her. Kagome tried to get him off, but the force of the demon held her in place. His hands left dark bruises as she struggled for control.

She could smell his acidic breath as he snarled in his face.  Breathing through her nose, Kagome managed to land a kick. Under normal circumstances, this would have shoved the attacker off, but the demon instead became angrier. His fangs dug into Kagome’s shoulder. While they didn’t hit a major blood vessel, the wound would surely cause Kagome to bleed out.

Clenching her teeth, Kagome prayed for a way out. Hadn’t anyone felt the demon’s aura? This was not how she wanted to die, torn to pieces by a rabid youkai.

The demon bent down to bite her again. This time he targeted the Kagome’s weak windpipe. She had mere seconds. If Kagome wanted to act, she needed to do then.

She concentrated. Staring into bloody eyes, Kagome mustered all of her resolve. She would not die. She would not be weak.

Suddenly, an incandescent pink hue blinded Kagome. She felt her powers shift, as if something deep inside awakened for the first time. The new power felt familiar, but hostile. She could feel her miko powers shifting through it as if testing the waters. Evidently, it passed, and they backed off.

The rest seemed like a dream.

In an out of body experience, Kagome watched as she became just as feral as the demon she fought. Her nails and teeth elongated, as did her hair. She met these changes with apathy. What terrified her were her red, soulless eyes.

She didn’t dwell on her strange appearance. With instincts she did not truly possess, Kagome became a killing machine. The demon made move to attack her, but Kagome sidestepped it with grace.

Her hands moved of their own accord, releasing a powerful attack. They were whips of miko energy, controlled in such a skillful way any miko would be jealous. The demon avoided most of them, although two hit their target, harming his already injured arm.

The demon sent another blast of light at her, knocking her back. Kagome snarled and tackled him. Although lightweight, she managed to knock him off his feet. She slashed his torso with her claws. Blood stained his clothing, but Kagome paid it no mind. She refused to be weak.

Planning to end the demon, Kagome’s eyes widened when he sprang back up. The force made her stumble. He grabbed her wrist with his good hand, digging into it. This caused a sharp intake of breath, but Kagome didn’t stop squirming.

Escape proved to be futile, Kagome thought from beneath the fog of her mind. She growled and released a burst of red energy. It engulfed their surroundings, creating heavy pressure. The force of the pressure caused Kagome’s breath to become ragged.

Through this pressure, she could feel herself strengthening. The blast managed to knock the demon off. Kagome used the opportunity to run at him, her miko energy shooting out of her in blades. The few that hit created terrible burn marks on him, causing him to hiss in pain.

The demon’s eyes held a trace of fear, but he attacked anyway. He gouged Kagome’s arms. Drops of blood dripped down, soaking into the ground.

With speed the miko didn’t truly possess, she grabbed his arms. Her claws dug into them, poison subconsciously seeping out. It burnt his flesh. Struggling to escape, he flung back. Pieces of his skin ripped out as a result, stuck on Kagome’s claws.

It didn’t take long for her tirade to end. She pounced on the demon, crushing his bones from the force. About to deliver the killing blow, she hesitated.

From sheer exertion or blood loss, Kagome started to feel faint. Giving a soft whine, she fell to the ground. The demon lay forgotten, although far too injured to harm her.  

The last thing she heard before fading from consciousness was a soft, “She has the gift.”