A/N: I feel bad cuz I told a couple people I'd update on Tuesday…but I got sidetracked. On the bright side I have new nephew. squeals He's a cutie pie he is. I'm also re-editing my other chapters. Got two done so far. It's so pretty without all those format anomalies. Also I have a bit of a rant at the end. Feel free to skip it. And on with the chapter (which still isn't all I had planned for my original chapter 11, that chapter was gonna be frickin huge, but hopefully next chapter will finish it up.) If you haven't read chapter eleven I suggest you do so. Otherwise this won't make much sense.

Chapter 12

The guys collapsed on the floor exhausted. Three straight hours of cleaning; they hadn't even stopped for lunch. The girls were out inspecting their work, but if they were under the impression that anything less than an act of god would get the guys up now, they were sadly mistaken.

Kaede's voice crackled loudly over the intercom. 'All first year students and their guides are to report to the dojo."

Kurama, by far the most obedient of any of the guys, managed to find the willpower to raise his head an inch before he gave in and dropped back to the floor. Several minutes passed in exhausted silence before…

"Immediately!" Genkai roared out of nowhere.

The guys sighed wearily; then forced themselves to get up. Kaede was certainly no pushover, but compared to Genkai, she was a mouse. Genkai was a freakin' tyrant. They trudged down the stairs and into the dojo. Everybody else was already there. Unfortunately, they'd forgotten one thing…

Kouga, never one to demonstrate tact, blurted out, "What the hell are you guys wearing?"

All the guys looked down and blanched. Then they all started mumbling an explanation at once. What the average listener heard was an odd jumble of words.

"…punishment…girls…hell…slavery…damn skirt!"

"That clarified so much. We seem to have missed a significant event or two Kouga." Ayame said wryly.

"Apparently. Dog breath's in a skirt!"

"If you think that's shocking just wait until you hear what happened earlier. You see Miroku.."

Kagome was abruptly cut off when Inuyasha clamped his hand over her mouth.

"No one will ever speak of that event again. I have enough mental scarring without being forced to relive everything over and over."

"Ahem, now that everyone is present, perhaps we may begin…" Kaede started off with a gentle jab.

"Certainly, now that the dumb asses have seen fit to show up," Genkai of course was not so gentle.

"We've gathered everyone here today, because we haven't been entirely truthful with you."

"Excuse me?"

"You see, this school, while entirely legitimate, does not exist solely for the purpose of education. This school, along with another, also functions as a guardian institution for ancient relics. One in particular is prized and fought over. Like a trophy of sorts. The Shikon no Tama. Has anyone heard of it?"

"I live on a shrine. My grandfather was obsessed with ancient relics. How could I not know about it? Supposedly it all started way back in the Sengoku Jidai era, when 'demons' ran rampant and a great priestess named Midoriko protected the humans from them. They were locked in an epic battle when Midoriko made a last ditch effort to win, and trapped her soul along with the demons' in a jewel. The Shikon no Tama. It was said that the jewel would grant them a wish. Unfortunately the legends say that anyone that possessed the jewel came to a tragic end because Midoriko and the demons were still locked in battle inside the jewel, and any wish that was less than pure tipped the balance toward the demons, which is why a priestess was always chosen to guard the jewel and keep it safe and pure. Strangely enough the legends of the jewel stopped around 300 years ago, around the time that 'demons' stopped being mentioned as frequently, and there's been no mention of the jewel since so it was determined that it was just a myth. Are you telling us that you have it?"

"Actually right now the jewel is in possession of the Toguro School, our main competitors. They won the tournament last year. Before I explain the tournament further, there's something else you need to know. As Kagome said earlier, and that was impressive by the way, not many people pick up on that bit of information, demons vanished around the same time as the jewel. The reason for this is that the demons had raged out of control and were exterminating the human race. So a secret society comprised of people with holy powers created a sort of alternate dimension or world for the demons to inhabit. They anchored it to the jewel, which powers the barrier keeping the demons from entering our world."

There were several blank stares and a rather skeptical "Riiight." from Kagome, followed by a long awkward silence.

"All right guys, I think it's time to drop the glamour."

All of a sudden appearances all around the room changed drastically. We're talking people sprouting whole new body parts here. There were several people who now had tails and furry little animal ears. Kagome of course reacted exactly the opposite of how everyone else did, squealing 'Kawaii' and running around petting any furry surface she could get her hands on. She had even scooped up Shippo and was in the process of squeezing him to death, while performing the glomp of doom on Kurama. Of course after a few minutes she was given pause by the fact that she could scoop Shippo up.

"Why is Shippo so…tiny?"

"It's a fox demon thing."

"Fox…DEMON!"

"Yes, that is part of what they neglected to tell you. Not all demons had been rampaging around killing off humans. Those who weren't petitioned to stay and the society determined that as long as they masked their appearances and didn't harm any humans without just provocation they would be allowed to stay in the human realm. You've been living next to, going to school with, and running across demons your entire life. You just didn't know it. Now you've been chosen to be a part of this school, and help maintain the balance between the worlds. It's really an honor."

"And why exactly were we chosen for this honor?"

"It wasn't so much that you were chosen as you met the qualifications. You were the ones who passed the entrance exams."

"Because drawing a lot and playing video games tells you so much about our abilities."

"Actually they do. The lots were all blank in the beginning. However they are made of a specially treated paper that will turn red when in the presence of a certain amount of energy. If you had this amount of energy your paper turned red, and you were powerful enough to go on to the next tests. And I told you the video games were measuring your abilities further. You had to score highly in one and moderately in the other two in order to get in."

Kaede broke in, "Each of you is different from the average human. Your abilities are inherited and the society has been keeping an eye on your families for generations. Sango for instance comes from a long line of taijayas. Miroku is descended from monks, however inapt that profession may be for him personally. Kuwabara's family has had its spirit sense for generations. Sango, Kuwabara, Yusuke, and even Boton have something called spirit energy. People with high spirit energy tend to have slightly shaper senses and intuition, and if they are powerful enough they use it to strengthen their attacks or as a weapon in itself. Kuwabara forms his into a sword, Yusuke shoots his like a gun, we haven't determined Sango's yet.

Kagome, Miroku, and Kikyo have holy powers. Power that were made for use against the supernatural and are particularly effective against things like spirits and demons.

This brings us to the third form of energy. Youki. The demon energy, which manifests in several ways among demons depending on type, but generally results in increased speed and life span and strength. You'll learn more about Youkai in class when you see the other students in the school. There is one thing though. While they are at the school, most demons choose not to wear their concealing spells."

"Hmm, so the others that you haven't mentioned are all demons in some way?"

"Yes."

"Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I have some questions. Question number one, why are you still in high school, if you guys have increased life spans you've got to be way older than us."

"Ah, you see that is a little leftover survival trait from the rougher eras. You wouldn't expect a child that was two for a decade to have a good chance of survival would you? So we age like a human until we're 18."

"So would someone explain again why Shippo's so small?"

"Like I said earlier it's a fox demon thing. We don't come into our full powers until we're 16 or so, until then we only have illusion and some mischief tricks to defend ourselves. So we remain small to make it easier for us to hide, and so we seem less of a threat to other demons."

"Now, finally, why didn't Hiei change at all?"

"That would be because Hiei didn't change forms."

"Forms? I though it was a masking spell"

"It is, but some demons have a human appearance and then they have what is known as their demon form. Sesshoumaru over there turns into a giant dog.

"Well, what's Hiei's other form?"

"None of your business, onna."

"But I want to see."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because my form is not as pleasant as the others." He replied stonily.

"Are you scaly and orange with purple warts?"

"No!"

"Then why don't you just show me?"

He scowled and glanced over at Kaede, who was nodding at him. "Hn."

After a second my eyes widened. He was fuzzy and green and covered in eyes. It was cool! I stepped closer to him and moved my hands up and down in front of his stomach. My mouth formed a silent ooo as the eyes followed my hand up and down. I stepped even closer and looked at the big eye in the middle of his head. It focused on me for a second; then Hiei winced and rubbed his temple.

I vaguely heard Kaede scolding Hiei about trying to 'read' a miko. I wasn't really paying attention. I was fascinated by all the eyes. I gently ran my finger down the fur between several of the eyes, which would drift closed as my finger passed them. I giggled, and Hiei said gruffly, "Don't touch me, miko."

I pulled my hand back, a little hurt, but by god I was going to stick with my plan.

Kaede called for attention. "All right, now in preparation for the tournament, all new students must be in training at least once a week with one of the more experienced students. We leave it to you to decide who partners whom. In a few months your partners will report to Genkai and me whether or not you are up to snuff for the tournament. We'll just leave you to it. There will be a quick informational meeting between you and partner tonight, so that they might assess your skill levels and you can pick a time to train.

Kurama and Shippo were working together. And Boton and Kanna paired off: something about souls. Inuyasha and Kuwabara decided to practice their swordplay together. Kikyo approached Miroku about training his holy powers. Ayame and Kouga paired off, big surprise there. Seven of us were left; I approached Yukina, but she put me off, something about never fighting and her only being at the school for her healing abilities.

Sango saw me coming back and quickly ran over to claim Yusuke as her trainer. In a choice between Sesshoumaru, Hiei, and Yusuke, she'd pick Yusuke any day. Kagura claimed Sess quickly afterwards. I never stood a chance, and now I was stuck with Hiei as my partner. It could be good for 'the plan' it could be bad. I sighed, banged my head against the wall, and said, "I hate my life."

"This wasn't at the top of my list either miko."

"I'm not ningen anymore?"

"You're still a ningen, just different from most. Now, what can you do?"

"I'm an archer."

That's no good in the tournament. You need a weapon you can use in the arena. How are your kendo skills?"

"Nonexistant,"

"Marital Arts?"

"Nope."

"So what can you do?"

"I'm an archer?"

All he did was sigh. "All right. We'll start at the beginning."

Then he charged at me! Two minutes of instruction and he charged at me! She threw her arms up in front of her face, and a loud THUD echoed throughout the room.

"That BURNED!"

She opened an eye, still braced for impact. There was a blue wall in front of her. Hiei was on the other side, rubbing his head.

"Take it down," he said gruffly.

"Umm. I don't even know how I put it up."

He sighed again. "I'll go get Kikyo."

"Righto." I plopped down and started meditating. A few minutes later I opened my eyes. This particular action was prompted by Kikyo's, "This is interesting."

"What is?"

"Well, you shouldn't be able to put this shield up. You're not trained, and these silvery streaks…well, I've never seen anything like it. I'll have to ask Kaede about it."

"Maybe the whole thing was instinctual? I was in danger at the time, and I have been mediating a lot.

"It's possible, shielding is a pretty basic skill. I'll still need to talk to Kaede…but anyway, back to the matter at hand. Find your center. Got it?" When I nodded she continued, "Good. Now look for the thread of power that leads out to the shield. Then snip it off."

After I had done as she asked and the shield dissipated she said, "All right, this was the simplest way to get rid of the shield now, simply because you aren't trained. However, in combat or emergency situations it's best to draw the energy back inside so it can be used again."

"All righty."

"It was an excellent shield for a beginner, and that is where we will begin tomorrow afternoon when you will have your first private session with me. What time would be convenient?"

"I'm done with classes at 5:00, so I guess anytime after 6:00?"

"Six it is. I'll see you there," Kikyo glanced at Hiei. I'll be handling the training of her miko powers. You aren't exactly suitable for it, what with the possibility of being purified and all. Why don't you start her on a weapon she can use in the arena? Staff, maybe, or stars?"

"Hmph. She already has archery. She'll do staff."

"Right here guys. Feel free to discuss things with me at anytime."

"Anyway, I gotta go," Kikyo said, "It about time to start getting ready for dinner tonight"

"Oh cripes, I need to start soon too," Kagome gave Hiei the big puppy dog eyes of doom.

"Just go already."

"Thanks Hiei!" she exclaimed and impusively gave him a quick hug before taking off.

Hiei stared after her in shock for a few moments before smiling.

Next Chapter: Dinner, and Sango's past revealed

Ending Notes: And that, Fornax, is why the guys did what they were told. Who wants a horde of enraged teenage girls with super powers after them? Hell, a horde of enraged teenage girls sans superpowers is still pretty damn scary.

Sadly I also got my very first flame ever during my hiatus, and normally I wouldn't care because yeah, I have all those other pretty reviews that say positive things. No, it wasn't the fact that someone didn't like my story, it was the fact that the reason they gave was that it was because everyone was OOC. I admit this is very true. However, way back in the summary, and in the first chapter I posted one very telling thing. AU. This story is AU, which by its very nature means that it's highly likely that the characters will be different. They might have different pasts, different circumstances, different ages, and hence, different personalities. As it has been revealed, and it should have been perfectly obvious before, the demons are no longer uber old. They are teenagers just like Kagome and Sango and Yusuke. They have had different pasts then the characters in the anime. The different past thing also applies to Sango and Kagome. And okay, so part of the OOC-ness is just me having fun, but most of it is perfectly acceptable in my eyes. Maybe your eyes too? I don't know. And to tell the truth, all fanfiction is OOC because none of us are the original creators of the characters. We can make an approximation of how we think they might act in a certain situation, but there's no way to know for sure. I would also like to point out that adding 'good try though' to the end of a review that basically says 'you suck and your story was a complete waste of my time' does not rescue the review from flame-dom. Just thought I'd put that out there. And thus ends my rant.