A young woman, with long raven hair flowing down to her waist shifted in her semi-comfortable airline seat (next time she'll spend the extra money to fly first class rather than coach), looking over the ocean leading from her home. "You know you don't have to come with us Shippou, I think Tokyo needs you more than I do."

A man sitting next to her threw a quick smirk; with his strange emerald eyes, and his red highlighted, blonde low lighted hair contrasting with his natural black, he looked almost demonic.

"Well, Kirara can only help you so much - she only has a beast form." A slight 'mrrow' in indignation told the man what she thought of that. "'Sides Kagome, what if your father doesn't welcome you back with open arms? He did leave you and Souta behind."

"I know he won't accept me, but I just want to know why." Kagome looked over at Shippou, her blue eyes flashing in anger. "I may not even find him. The private eye I hired to find him lost his paper trail, with the last dating two years ago in Gotham. If I have to continue traveling to Metropolis, I will."

"Well, maybe this elusive 'Batman' will help you."

Rolling her eyes, Kagome shook her head. "He's interested in the demons of the human kind, not the literal."

Shippou blinked, then looked down to his laptop. "Well, from what these reports say, this Scarecrow was a human psychologist who invented a neurotoxin that makes the victims see their fears." He sighed, "It sounds almost as bad as Naraku's miasma. And this Joker, he seems like he would give kitsune a bad name if he were one. Using humanity's suspicion and rationalization against survival instinct." He looked up. "If you run into either of these two, your miko abilities won't be enough. I need to train you to use your wit and your body against them."

Kagome looked over at her companion in shock. "Shippou! I thought you didn't think of me like that!"

He stared at her in confusion. "Like what?" His head tilted when he understood and couldn't hold back his laugh as other passengers looked and stared. "No, not like that, sis. Jeeze." Everyone went on their own business. "I meant self-defense, though," He looked her up and down. "Nah; I mean yeah, you have the body for the kitsune folly but not the confidence, not yet."

It was Kagome's turn to be confused. "Huh?"

"A martial arts technique that uses the female body in a sensual way. And if you want to use the technique, then you are gonna need an uniform makeover along with a mask. Though it would be perfect disguise for you."

"Thanks Shippou." Kagome said flatly, with Kirara hissing a laugh from under her seat in the small carrier she was forced to reside for the next 19 hours.

Shippou grinned as Kagome took out her Ipod touch, and he went back to working on his training for his...he didn't know what to call her now. His Mother? Sister? Best friend? 'Guess it will depend on whom her aura chose.' He shuddered at the memory of when he found her at the base of the well in this era after the defeat of Naraku.

Kirara on his shoulder, Shippou walked up the stairs to the shrine to welcome his mother home, though now they were probably more like siblings than mother and son due to age.

It was then they felt the magic of the well. Then something seemed wrong; the goshinboku seemed distressed. Forgetting about the humans around him, Shippou and Kirara raced to the back of the property to find her struggling to stay alive.

They didn't even have to send out their aura to know what was wrong. Kikyou betrayed her, attempting to steal her soul back.

Suddenly Kagome's miko aura lashed out and entwined with either Shippou or Kirara's, he wasn't sure which, and her soul started to regenerate - she started to heal at a rapid pace. As her eyes opened, the aura dissipated.

'Kagome didn't even know what happened, then again she still wont tell us why Kikyou would do such a thing after they came to an agreement or what happened when Kikyou escorted Kagome to the well.' He thought as he paused in his typing.

All Shippou and Kirara knew was that now, Kagome's miko abilities melded with the youkai and are using them, molding them to suit her needs without harming her. Only time would tell if the abilities were Kitsune or Neko, there was even the possibility of both.

Even with 500 plus years under his belt, training a human miko was going to be difficult. The only weapon Kagome was familiar with was a bow and arrow; if she was gonna fight crime she was gonna need some close combat weapons and a subtle outfit.

But first they needed to know what abilities she received.