/Chapter 8\\

Sango moved quickly through the halls as she headed towards the training room. Lord Sesshoumaru and Kagome had been in there for hours, no doubt tearing the place apart. However, that would all stop as soon as she arrived to give the good news she had. Kagome would be ecstatic about it. She approached the large cherry wood double doors and sighed as she heard a loud clang, boom and then smelled the terrible smell of burnt flesh.

Kagome was getting better with her miko powers. She just hoped that she didn't accidentally purify Lord Sesshoumaru. Knocking on the door, Sango opened it and stepped in, shutting the door behind her. Sesshoumaru had Kagome pinned to the floor with a glowing red-hot sword in his hand.

"My lord, Lady Kagome has visitors." Sango announced.

Sesshoumaru glanced at the other human from the corner of his eye. He was glad for the little distraction. The damn miko had nearly purified him with her little barrier. His skin still stung from when he broke through it and managed to tackle her to the ground. This was the miko's second lesson and already she had nearly managed to purify him. First, with her pathetic arrows, and now with that damned barrier. He was just grateful that he had no injuries this time, except the slightly burned skin. She was going to have to learn to control her powers before she did something reckless.

Kagome lay there waiting for Sesshoumaru to let her up as she looked over to Sango. Visitors? Who could that be? Now her excitement was going through the roof. The creepy lord got off of her and placed the now cooling sword on the long table next to the wall as she got up from the floor.

"Who is it Sango?" Kagome found herself asking.

"A Woman, two young men and an old man, my lady." She said bowing her head.

"My family is here! May I please go see them my lord?" Kagome asked, turning to Sesshoumaru.

The lord eyed her before responding.

"You may. But I require you back in this room in one hour."

"Yes my lord!" Kagome said happily.

Kagome ran over to Sango who was currently shuffling out the door waiting on her mistress.

"Oh, Sango. I haven't seen them in two weeks! I hope they're not mad at me."

"I doubt very much that they are my lady." Sango said, practically running behind the blur known as Kagome.

Kagome however had no idea where she was going and had to stop, which resulted in Sango slamming into the back of her.

"Ooch. My lady? What is the matter?" Sango said, peeling herself from the back of the Lady Kagome.

"Eh. I have no clue where I'm going. Heh, heh." Kagome said as Sango sweat dropped.

"But, what about when you went riding that day! Surely you can't have lived here for two weeks and not know the place by now?" Sango said in disbelief.

"I always have someone near me who pulling or pointing me in one direction or another, so I never really look around and notice where I am going. I think the only places I know how to get to are the training room and my room." She said sighing.

"Alright. Pay attention. First we go . ."

Sango's voice trailed as she walked past Kagome and turned down a long stony corridor. Kagome was sure to watch where she was going, but the excitement eventually won over and she stopped paying attention, silently willing the ex-exterminator to move faster. Before long, they approached a hall with just one door, the voices coming out of it made her heart lurch.

"They are through there my lady." Sango said.

"Will you come with me? I would like for you to meet my family."

Sango stood there stupefied before slowly nodding her head. Kagome took this as a great sign and beamed at smile at her new friend before grabbing her hand and dragging her into the large room with her.

"Mama!" Kagome's voice rang out as she entered the doorway.

All conversation stopped and all eyes where on her. Except two, anyway. These eyes where focused on the beauty behind Kagome.

"Kagome!"

Souta launched himself at his sister. She had never been away for so long before and not having his sister around wasn't what he was used too.

"It's okay Souta. Don't worry. I'll be home soon." Kagome said softly, knowing what her brother was thinking.

"Ah, Lady Kagome. How I missed your presence on our lowly farm!" A young male said, while stroking a very sensitive spot on her body.

"Miroku!"

Kagome all but sent him flying as she smacked him on the side of his head.

"I see you haven't changed at all mistress." Miroku said, smiling while rubbing his now sore head.

"You haven't either apparently. Grandfather. How are you? What stories have you been telling lately?"

Her grandfather stood and hugged his granddaughter. It was almost boring at home without her.

"I am fine, but I am more concerned with how that demon is treating you. I know he's a demon, don't try to deny it. Once, a long time ago, there was a demon with a. . ."

Kagome and the other stood, staring in disbelief. The old man actually knew of demons.

"But then again," Kagome thought, "it could be just another one of his stories."

Sighing in remembrance of old times, Kagome finally turned to the one she missed most. Her mother. She had stood there patiently, waiting for everyone else to greet her daughter before she got the chance.

"Kagome. You look a little different, my dear." Her mother said with soft eyes.

Kagome stepped into her mother's now open arms, letting a tear fall.

"I missed you mama. I'm sorry I couldn't come home."

"I know, Lord Sesshoumaru sent Ms. Sango to tell us all about it." She said, holding her daughter close.

Just then, a loud slap echoed through to room.

Kagome turned to find a fuming Sango standing over a now very unconscious Miroku.

"Again Miroku? You must be a glutton for punishment." Souta said.

"I'm sorry Sango. Feel free to beat him up as much as you want." Kagome said laughing.

Sango just turned a bright shade of red and decided to ignore the comment. The stable boy had once again touched her backside and she was furious.

"Come on mama. Let's talk." Kagome said, pulling her mother to a table in the room.

The six of them sat around and talked for nearly three hours before being interrupted by a very steamy Creepy Lord.

"Wench! You where supposed to come back to training where you not?"

"I apologize my lord. It is my fault." Sango quickly said.

Everyone had been enjoying their time catching up and it was just Kagome's luck that she would forget all about going back to the training room.

"No, my Lord. It is my fault. I forgot about coming back." Kagome said, bowing her head to hide her disappointment.

"You will come with me now. Exterminator, you will show the peasants out." He said stoically, while turning away.

"Yes, my lord." Kagome said quietly.

She turned and said quick good-byes to her family and followed Lord Sesshoumaru out of the room.

Once they had arrived back into the training room, Kagome felt the need to tell him her feelings. This probably hadn't been the best idea at the moment.

"Lord Sesshoumaru? Why couldn't I just talk to my family for a little longer? You had no right to do that!" Kagome said, now getting angry herself.

"You had a previous engagement and you did not fulfill it. That alone deserves punishment." He replied in a tone that left no room for argument.

He had now moved to the table where the weapons where, and was currently gazing at the swords.

"But I said I was sorry and that it was my fault. I haven't seen them in so long that I had almost forgotten what they looked like."

"There will be no more discussion of this. Take this." Sesshoumaru said, thrusting an old looking sword at her.

Her mind was instantly off the subject of her family. Though, she wouldn't forget to bring it up again later. Walking up to him, she took the old thing and began to study it.

"You are now going to learn to control your powers. You can not use your miko abilities efficiently if you can not control how much power you are using." He said, moving to stand beside her.

His hands grabbed hers, and her breath caught. He was standing behind her, his hair falling around them as he leaned over her to help her hold the sword correctly. She could distinctly smell his scent, and it was unlike anything she had ever smelled before. He smelled like the land that he ruled over, forest and fresh rain. It was the cleanest scent she had ever had the pleasure of smelling.

Kagome was jolted when his hands slid up her arms. Little bolts of electricity flowed into from his fingertips.

"Since when am I attracted to Lord Creeps me out!" she wondered.

His hands had stopped at her elbows and where positioning her arms in the proper way. Once done, he released her and moved away. Kagome hadn't moved an inch, but breathed a huge sigh of relief.

"I want you to focus on the sword, wench. Try to put just enough power in the sword to make it glow, nothing else."

"How do I do that?"

"Use your emotions to control the powers inside you. Command them to aid you. You must not let them lead you, or you will never be a suitable miko."

"Who said I wanted to be a miko anyway?" Kagome said while staring down at the sword.

"That is not important. Now, command your energies to bend to your will and flow into that sword, or I will attack."

She looked up at Sesshoumaru and found him wielding a very large sword. One she had never seen before. However, she did notice that his sword was very oddly, glowing.

"Your sword." Was all she could get to pass her lips.

"So you can see the Toukijin's aura then. Good. Make your sword glow like mine. Do it now."

Kagome concentrated on the very tip of the sword, willing it to glow. She began to visualize the tip of the sword glowing. Maybe that would stimulate some kind of action, since she didn't really know how to call on her powers anyway. After a few moments, she felt her hands start to heat, almost exactly as when she had helped to head Sesshoumaru.

Then, they began to glow pink. She could feel all of her energies swirling around inside of her. It was like there was another being living there that she never knew about. Slowly, the pink from her hand flowed down to the sword and it began to glow, a little at first, and then more. The light and aura around the sword grew until it was almost too bright to look at.

"That is efficient miko. Call back your powers."

Kagome heard his voice, but, it was as if something where taking over her. She tried to visualize the swords glow growing dimmer in her mind, but, it failed. Her body felt as if it where burning a slow and painful death.

"Lord Sess-, Lord Sesshoumaru! I can't control it." She cried out.

Sesshoumaru watched as her entire body began to glow with the same color pink that had surrounded the sword. She had released too much of her energy, that was for certain.

"Concentrate. Demand that your energy come back to you. You are the master. Make it obey your will." He said calmly.

His skin started to tingle as the glow became brighter. Little pink sparks where now flying around her body, at the very edge of the glow. It was obvious that she wasn't going to be able to call back her powers on her own. This is where Toukijin came in. He moved closer to her and nearly grunted as a tendril of her energy lashed out to hit him. It wasn't enough, however, to hurt him.

He moved closer still and observed that her eyes, once a deep dark brown, had now turned completely pink. She was too powerful for own good. It could take years for her to completely control all her power. With a steely determination, Sesshoumaru brought the Toukijin down onto her sword.

All of a sudden, Kagome's head was filled with visions of the past. Of the monster Goshinki that had bitten the Tetsusaiga in half. She relived the whole experience over again in her mind. However this time, there was a change. Someone else was there, and this someone was certainly not there before.

"Sesshoumaru! Are you in my head too?" she said in her mind.

He said nothing as he walked up to the now slain monster, Goshinki. She watched him as he picked up the head and began to walk away with it.

"That's right. You used his teeth to forge Toukijin."

Sesshoumaru stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. It was as if he could really see her. She looked over him and her breath caught as she remembered why he had wanted the powerful sword in the first place. Not only had Inuyasha taken the sword that he wanted, but he had used it too cut off his left arm. No wonder Sesshoumaru was so angry with his brother.

"Miko, focus! Bring your power back into yourself." She heard him say.

"I'm sorry for what Inuyasha did to you Sesshoumaru. I wish there where a way to fix it." She whispered to herself.

Suddenly all the images in her head disappeared and her vision slowly returned to her. Her body still felt as if it where burning, but, she felt as if she where finally gaining some control again. It seemed to take forever for her vision to finally clear and all her powers to return to her. When she opened her eyes however, she was met with somewhat of a shock.

Lord Sesshoumaru, Mighty Lord of the Western Lands, now stood before with two arms!

(A/N )

Please forgive me if you find any mistakes in these last two chapters. By that I mean, I haven't worked on this story in over a year. So there will probably be a few mix-ups with dates and times and what not. But don't worry. I remember the important stuff. Kouga will eventually come into play, and I still have a few plot twists left. If only I could remember the original ones I had. ()

So, until next time . . .

Ja ne,

Angel

(End A/N)