A few things before we begin:

1. Standard Disclaimers apply: I do not own Inuyasha and associated properties. Any other popular references are also the property of their associated authors, artists, publishers, etc.

2. Ratings are there for a reason, take them seriously. Subject matter will refer to abuse, politics, bad relationships, stalking, kidnapping, neglect, abandonment, etc. in no particular order. There will be no other warnings.

3. All Japanese terms are in Italics, Bold text is used for emphasis. Any confusion over terms, please ask. I do have a working glossary, but posting it as a separate chapter is against the rules and presents organizational issues in any case. I would prefer to place it at the end of the story, and as the story isn't finished yet, I'd have to re order chapters with every new post. Confusion would ensue. and the chance of posting something out of order increases.

4. Suffixes are in use when addressing individuals and help define relationships both imposed and assumed by the speaker.

5. Posting schedule may be irregular. This past bit of time has been incredibly stressful and hasn't yet evened out. I will try to keep to a regular schedule but cannot guarantee it.

Faith

I

The harsh bristles of the natural broom scraped rhythmically over the rough paved area surrounding the shrine. Each sweep of the broom was accompanied by the aromatic rustle of recently fallen leaves. The crisp scent floated on the sharp chill in the air. Winter hadn't set in yet, but it was coming. These were likely the last set of leaves she'd be sweeping up without the addition of snow.

Summers were short this far north and there were few events celebrated on the shrine grounds once the snows set in. There was only New Year prayers to be offered during winter. All other needs for the community were met using other means down in town. The trek to the shrine was harsh in winter months. Only Kagome had traversed between the two year round since the former caretaker had passed.

Lungs heaved to draw in a deep breath and held it a moment before letting it out slowly. The vibrations of friction ran up the long shaft to shake her half numb fingers in a familiar, nostalgic hurt. Shifting to the side, Kagome pulled one hand from the handle to shake the ache from it in one sharp movement before resuming her task. That one always hurt more as a lingering reminder of old injury. Her arms tingled warmly from the effort of clearing the grounds of debris. It was a familiar sensation, one experienced almost daily since her arrival to this rural shrine years ago. She'd been assigned the same task at the shrine she grew up on, but it meant something different here.

Sweeping the grounds wasn't difficult or terribly time consuming. This shrine wasn't as large as the one she grew up on in Tokyo. The buildings were less numerous and the attendance less populous. Tokyo was a metropolitan area and while Shinto had suffered a sharp decline in the city, the size of the resident population kept her family busy.

This little fishing town in Hokkaido kept her busy for other reasons than found in the city. At home she'd only been called on to assist with Matsuri preparations and selling New Year's fortunes. She was required to dance at traditional events, but such duties were a mere fraction of what she was asked to offer now.

The old ways were in less demand in the shining city of new science and logical reason. Children raised there with easy, logical explanations for things formerly attributed to spirits and kami held very little respect for the old ways, the serious parts of it anyway. There was always call for ritual dancing and festivals because those were celebrations and signs of culture. Only the older generations seemed to take the rest of Shinto seriously in the city.

Belief was different this far into the northern wilderness. Here the country was wild and held hostage by the whims of nature's own cycles. Kagome was often called in to perform exorcisms. She was asked to negotiate the tricky paths of communication with the local kami. She was tasked with offering blessings for health and good fortune as well as maintaining the shrine itself. There were the same festivals up here as there were at larger more prosperous shrines: the planting, Tanabata, O-bon and harvest celebrations. This far north the summer festivals were closer together in time to match the workings of the seasons. Spring, with its warming winds and sun, came later. Fall, with its marked cooling frosts started earlier and was shorter than in more southern lands.

The demographic in Nishi no Mura condensed during the off season. Fishing boats were brought in and taken from the waters for repairs. Nets and traps were dried and stored. Many migrated to warmer more hospital climes for the winter leaving those whose work wasn't tied up in the sea and associated industries. Teachers, municipal employees, a few local farmers came in from their remote farms once their last crops were brought in. Cattle were driven to safer and warmer areas, leaving Kagome a contracted community to administer to.

Strangely, the requests for exorcisms and blessings rarely fell in frequency despite the seasonal fluctuation in the town's population. She just didn't receive many visitors once the snows came. She would have to go into town to answer requests and as she often went to pick up supplies, there was little cause for any of the townsfolk to come out here again until New Year once the snows came. Well, for most of the townsfolk.

The shrine was supposed to have a single teen-aged assistant from town. Every year she was sent files of the available youth in Nishi no Mura to look over. Many kids were interested in taking on the job, usually as a result of family pressure or a desire to look good on their school applications. Serving at a Shinto shrine always looked good on paper and generally gave parents and grandparents bragging rights. The shrine family or caretaker benefited from the assistance too. But there was a longer term goal given that Kagome was alone and only recently presented as shrine family.

Her grandfather's brother, Mattaki had been the caretaker here when she first came. Once, a long time ago, he'd had a family. A wife and three children and a secure line of direct descendants to inherit the shrine after him. His wife had passed just before his daughter expected to give birth to their first grandchild. The child was stillborn and no successful births had followed before the daughter herself succumbed from the failed effort. One son, the eldest, had died in a police action. Taken down by a would-be bank robber. The other son, the youngest, had died from a heart condition in his thirties.

Kagome wasn't certain how great uncle Mattaki had borne it all and still managed to warmly take her in when she needed shelter, sanctuary, and escape. She just knew the townsfolk had expected the caretaker position to be handed off to one of the locals upon his death. Until she showed up seven years ago.

Mattaki had adopted her, making her heir to his position by right of blood and family. Partly because it was tradition and she already had solid training, but mostly because none of the available candidates had so far proven capable of adhering to the tenets of the shrine. There hadn't been a teen-aged assistant to last out a full year in the position since long before Kagome came. The trend had not broken after his death two years ago.

Kagome turned towards the torii gates as she finally pushed the last of the fallen leaves into the area under the trees that bordered the grounds. The shrine rested on a natural rise just outside of town. The coastal areas were surrounded by increasingly high hills and mountains. Here she stood above Nishi no Mura, penned on every other side by rising earth and dense forests. It was moderately isolated, especially when the snows came, but it was also quiet, serene, fragrant, and afforded a magnificent view of the center of town and the harbor beyond it through the torii gate.

She was expecting to see the view, to stand and ponder it a moment before moving on with her daily chores. Kagome was not expecting to be accosted by tense hands on her shoulders. The rough press of chilled, chapped, nervous lips caused her to freeze.

The kiss was prolonged, stiff and clearly not something inspired by the right feelings in the giver let alone the unwilling recipient. Kagome had a fairly good feeling her latest teen-aged assistant was about to lose her position. Time slowed and the shrine keeper froze solid, carefully calming her initial impulsive reaction to better handle the situation. Her failure to shove her assaulter away allowed Kagome to catch the nervous giggle and stifled gasp of gathered observers.

As she hadn't heard their approach on the noisy gravel walk, Kagome assumed they had traveled purposely on the grass beside the path to avoid early detection. Subterfuge and surprise were clearly intended and helped the young woman figure out what just might have inspired this foolishness.

Eventually, Yukimura Hikaru must have decided the sham of a kiss had lasted long enough as the teenager slowly withdrew from Kagome's person.

"Why did you do that, Yukimura-san?" Kagome asked the fifteen year old blandly. Already the teenager should have picked up that trouble had been bought. Kagome typically referred to her assistants with the "-kun" suffix regardless of gender. Visitors were addressed with the "-san".

"Higurashi-sama," Hikaru tensed up. Apparently the teen hadn't thought of a graceful or even tactically solid method of withdrawal. She had just assaulted her employer, one who was noted for taking a hardline on behavior that didn't live up to the shrine tenets. "I just – I-I" The girl stuttered for an explanation certain that the truth would only get her in more trouble.

But it was the truth Kagome wanted. She already knew the reason or at least a general idea for it. Hikaru's friends had likely teased her about working for the shrine. Kagome was often the subject of tall tales down in town. No one had really warmed up to the shrine transplant, many feeling offended that an outsider had been brought in – regardless of blood relations. There were many who had expected Higurashi Mattaki to select his replacement and heir from the local families.

The people saw only what they wanted to see and Kagome generally suffered the consequences as the reason and cause of whatever scandal was most recent. The most tenuous of connections utterly damning on the tongues of her neighbors. It had gotten so bad most of the children had dubbed her one type of bogeyman or another, often confusing her with one of the youkai, mononoke, or kami Kagome was supposed to be helping them to relate to. This far north many overt youkai stuck mostly to the forested areas infrequently trespassed upon by humans unless they were in long established unknown roles inside the town. Down in the south, around most major cities, youkai openly populated the streets under powerful glamours and charms.

That such charms existed gave the rural folk freedom to pin newcomers and the outcasts as such creatures. There were all sorts of tales on how to break illusions and disguises of spirits, demons, and elementals. There were also tales on how to prove nonhuman heritage through actions.

Kagome was fairly certain the latest set of tales making the rounds of the younger generations had her set up as a yukionna, one capable of freezing others with a touch.

"I'm still waiting for an explanation, Yukimura-san," Kagome interrupted the teenager's continued effort to stall. If she told the truth, she might be willing to let Hikaru retain the assistant position a little longer.

"Um," Hikaru flushed deeply, clearly missing the covert laughter of her friends as she struggled to manufacture a plausible story. "I just – I like you, Higurashi-sama. I admire you greatly and want to be even closer to you."

"This was meant to be a confession?" Kagome raised an incredulous eyebrow. Perhaps if this were a real high school drama, that explanation would be almost plausible. Except for the fact Yukimura had attacked Kagome with lips before making her confession of affection. The caretaker wanted to pinch the bridge of her nose, there was a headache building just behind her eyes as a direct response to the stress of the situation. She hated having to dismiss employees. But the job was important and she couldn't be more lenient and maintain the standing of her shrine. So Kagome took a discreet breath and let it out slowly before continuing. "Yukimura-san, what are the tenets of this shrine?"

"Veracity, Respect, and Integrity," Hikaru recited promptly. The first month of her employment had been spent stressing the importance of not only knowing the shrine's tenets, but emulating them. All of the teenagers to take on the job were given the benefit of the four week trial period to adjust and incorporate the teachings into their behavior. After that, it was expected by the caretaker - formerly Mattaki and now Kagome – that tenets be upheld. A slip that broke one tenet was allowed with a firm reminder and discussion as to which precept had been broken and how to prevent repetition, but the teenagers were not given a free slide every time. Especially not if they consciously broke more than one axiom at a time.

"Veracity: The edict of truthfulness and authenticity." Hikaru continued by rote. "Respect: the acceptance of equal consideration for all individuals and their preferences, customs, feelings, and rights. Integrity: the knowledge that one cannot bend or break oneself to find lasting peace and should not expect or require others to do so."

"And how many of them have you broken with your actions just now?" Kagome demanded firmly. It was hard not to sigh, not to color her tones with inappropriate emotion. She was so tired of having to repeat this type of scene every time some teenager came to hold the assistant spot. Most would start off strong, at age fifteen they were all hopeful that they could pull off what none of their peers had done yet. They would memorize the tenets, pay lip service to what they meant and then forget them.

"Higurashi-sama," Hikaru gasped and began to cry.

"How many?"

"All of them?" Hikaru sobbed, fully aware of her pending punishment.

"Yes," Kagome agreed quietly. "You broke all of them. You accosted my person without first ascertaining if I was amenable to such an approach. If you were truly intending to convey admiration, you would have considered that I may not accept or return your expressions. But that was not what your intention was. No, when you could have plainly stated that you were trying to prove my humanity to your snickering friends, you chose to lie."

"I-" Hikaru's mouth hung open in surprise. The noise of her two hiding companions stilled in shock.

"They are not very stealthy; noisy and unable to sit still," Kagome plowed onward without regard to the teenager's attempt to interrupt. "Further more, it is clear that those same observing voyeurs put you up to this. You knew it was wrong. You crumpled under their pressure, damaging your own integrity. You knew taking this action went contrary to the tenets you agreed to uphold when you took this post."

"Please, Higurashi-sama," Hikaru tried to protest. "My parents were so proud of me for lasting this long-"

"Then their disappointment will be quite keen, but you were informed and trained into the demands of this position," Kagome hated having to do this. When she'd first come to live with Great Uncle Mattaki, she'd tried to talk him into greater leniency. These were just teenagers after all. That was before she realized, he was actually teaching them something. It wasn't as if they were uninformed. Kids needed to learn early that choices had consequences. It was better to start assimilating that lesson when the punishment wasn't likely to be as harsh. If Hikaru broke with the policy of some future job, she would lose her job like now...but losing a part time shrine position wouldn't result in the complete loss of income that could lead to homelessness, starvation, or just defaulting on payments. In the future a lost job could do all that. "You heard the stories from the ones who held your job before you and how long they lasted. You were warned that failure to uphold the policies of this shrine would result in termination, you agreed it was fair." Kagome's tone was even and smooth.

"But-" Hikaru tried to protest.

"You seem to think you should not be held accountable for your actions," Kagome smoothly blew past the attempt. "But you are not above everybody else. Indeed this shrine dictates that you are equal and as such you will receive the same treatment as all the others that were in your spot before you, the ones who acted against the interests of this shrine and lost employment." The caretaker sighed, "Don't worry, your friends, whatever their motivations, are equally as ineligible to fill the shrine post as you now are."

"What!" came a sharp exclamation from the obvious ringleader, the giggler, no longer hiding behind the second torii gate post.

Kagome's gaze took in the other girl that stepped out beside the first, head ducked in shame. "Whatever your reason for pressing your peer into this, you have proved to have no respect for her, this shrine, or me," she informed them flatly. "Besides, what reason would you have to work beside a woman you clearly believe inhuman." One of them had truly believed, sharp knowing eyes stared down the defiantly proud girl that had blown their cover. The other...

She wondered what Hikaru and her belligerent friend would think to know that their co-conspirator was a kitsune in disguise. Kagome wouldn't have rebuffed application from anyone of any background for the regular assistant position, provided they were the proper age and were capable of adhering to the shrine principles. It might raise issues if they managed to qualify for inheriting the shrine. Not because they couldn't fill the job of intermediary between human and youkai existences, but because the rural folk would grow suspicious over extended youth. In the cities a shape shifter could hold a shrine post. In the country, customs were less tolerant of youkai, spirits and non-humans mixing into the human populace.

It was why respect was so important among most shrines. Youkai and other spirits responded best to respectful negotiation. Tact was required too, though genuine respect would prevent too serious an offense being taken if a verbal misstep was made.

"But," the loud mouth girl refused to believe she could be rendered ineligible by the actions of her friend.

"Besides," Kagome went on addressing Hikaru. "If either of them applied now, after costing you the position it would make it clear they goaded you to action out of jealousy and a desire to take your spot. Which unfortunately does not say anything good about their integrity nor their quality as friends." Her voice was stern.

Hikaru glumly nodded.

"You two may assist Yukimura-san in finishing her chores for the day," Kagome leveled a glance at the one about to protest again. "If you do not do so, I will be required to notify your parents and the proper authorities about your behavior. You may not have broken laws, but I'm certain your parents will take exception to your blatant disrespect of these holy grounds." She shrugged, "Either way, I will be informing the school that Yukimura, Hamasaki, and Fujimoto are to be removed from the pool for the shrine post."

"There aren't any students left anymore," Hamasaki Sumiko declared stoutly. "We're all that's left for the job."

"Then I will wait for the next year of students to find a replacement," Kagome replied plainly. "Better to be without an assistant than to suffer an inappropriate one. It will not be the first time this shrine has been without a teen-aged part timer and it likely will not be the last."

"Who do you think you are! You're just a nobody!" Hamasaki yelled angrily. Kagome wanted to roll her eyes as Fujimoto Moriko did beside her.

"Sumiko-chan," Hikaru hissed, trying to pull her companion toward the shrine so they could do the cleaning Higurashi had assigned them. The shrine interior needed to be wiped down and freed of dust. The screens needed to be opened so the space could be aired out before closing up for the colder months to come. Anything that needed to be put into storage had to be cleaned and carefully wrapped in cloth or paper.

"You shouldn't even be here!" Hamasaki Sumiko declared with greater volume as she evaded the grasping hands of her classmate. "Takeuchi was supposed to take over the shrine when the old priest died."

"And here I'd heard it was supposed to be Hayashi Koto," Kagome returned with a pensive tone and flat expression. "Or was it Ito Washi? Oh, I remember there was also Kita Tsuyoshi." Kagome raised a brow at the girl, "All of whom hail from local families, all thought they should have inherited the shrine as well. None with any real ties to Higurashi Mattaki, this shrine or any other. None attended a shrine school or even managed to successfully complete a single year as an assistant."

"Well you -"

"I am related to the former caretaker by bonds of family and blood. I was raised on a shrine and took a number of classes in a shrine school." It hadn't been her first choice, but necessity had required it. "I served as a shrine attendant both at another shrine and here. My Uncle chose for me to succeed him and I have honored his wishes."

"You should just go back to where ever you came from!" The brat hollered back, further incensed by Kagome's cool response. "We didn't need you to come here!"

"Uncle would not have chosen from Nishi no Mura to take his place," Kagome replied bluntly. "In fact, he'd written to the shrine school in Tokyo to send him someone to train for the position not two months before I came here."

"You lie!" Hamasaki denied it.

"Is it true, Higurashi-sama?" Yukimura Hikaru asked softly.

"I can show you the replying correspondence," Kagome nodded. "They had three candidates already lined up to come. All from respected shrine families and all graduates of the school."

"Then why didn't he pick one of them, instead of a bitch like you? Why didn't he pick you first?" Hamasaki sneered.

"He didn't know I was available," she responded mildly. "Circumstances changed in which coming here was both possible and desirable. Now go complete your punishment. You will not be welcome here again unless you intend to pay respects to the kami and mark the traditional visits in the company of your family."

Fujimoto Moriko ducked meekly as she walked by Kagome, clearly aware of having been identified for what she was. Kagome was a reiki user and needed no special tricks to see beyond the masking charms. The kitsune knew it, had known it the moment they'd walked through the torii gates. Kagome kept the grounds shielded and concealed her reiki when down in town.

"Why are we bothering to do this?" the loud mouth continued to spout off as Hikaru dragged her away. "She's just an outsider who doesn't understand anything! She probably really is a monster! There's other ways to break a disguise." Fujimoto Moriko groaned quietly.

The kitsune could tell them Kagome was completely human. That is, if she was willing to out herself as not human. Instead the female tried to police her friend another way. "Shut up, Sumiko-chan," her voice was slightly wheezy, likely an effort to increase her human cred. Youkai did not often have legitimate breathing troubles. "She said she had proof that the old priest wasn't going to pick anybody here to take over the shrine."

"She's obviously lying," Sumiko huffed loudly. "If she'd stayed where she was, everything would be better. Even if that old fart had picked someone from Tokyo, it would be better than that frozen hag!"

Kagome scoffed as she trailed the girls to stow her broom in its proper spot. She refused to comment on their conversation.

"Sumiko! You're so rude!" Hikaru cringed. "Higurashi-sama can hear you."

"I don't care! Serves her right, being the stuck up bitch that she is!" Hamasaki Sumiko asserted petulantly. "Thinks she's so much better than we are!"

"And you think your dad won't give you hell for disrespecting the shrine?" Fujimoto shook her head. "He's up for reelection. How do you expect him to react to this?"

"You're going to be in so much trouble if he finds out, Sumiko-chan," Hikaru cried for her friend.

"He doesn't like the snow witch either," Sumiko shrugged their concerns off.

"But Higurashi-sama isn't punishing us for disrespecting her," Fujimoto pointed out. "She's punishing us for disrespecting the shrine itself. And it won't matter if your father doesn't like her personally."

"She has no right to punish us for anything!" Sumiko insisted.

"Then go home," Fujimoto Moriko huffed. "She did say you could just leave...if you don't mind suffering the consequences of doing so, but your dad will be much worse if you do. Right now she's only going to tell our parents and the counselor who recommends students for the part timer spot that we're no longer eligible. If you go home, it will go beyond that."

"So What!" Sumiko scoffed but didn't leave.

"So how long do you think it will take before it gets all over town that the mayor's daughter disrespected the shrine?" Fujimoto asked. "How many people do you think will vote for him after that gets around?"

"Shut up, Moriko," Hamasaki grumbled. Not quite conceding the point but certainly giving in to the task of cleaning for silence.

"Come on," Hikaru urged. "It is not a hard task she's set us."

"Then she should just do it herself! Since she's so sure she doesn't need any help," Sumiko sulked.

"Higurashi-sama is already very busy," Hikaru sighed, guilt already beginning to set in fiercely. "She didn't say she didn't need the help, she said it was better to do without than to have the wrong kind of people working here."

"What's so wrong about us then?" Sumiko demanded sullenly. "Nothing. She's just a stuck up judgmental bitch!"

Moriko seemingly couldn't let that go. "Shrines serve a very important purpose. Their job is to mediate between human needs and non-human. It requires a special skill set."

"Oh puh-lease," Sumiko scoffed. "All they do is throw festivals, do some old-fashioned dancing and sell greasy street food."

"With that view of things, I'm surprised you bothered to apply, Sumiko-san," Fujimoto Moriko commented. "Or that you could possibly believe that Higurashi-sama was anything other than human."

"Pssht! Monsters exist," Sumiko huffed. "That interfering witch is living proof. And I applied for the same reason everybody else does. It looks good on school applications. Besides, my dad insisted. He says someday someone will make it the whole year and that the only way that will happen in our family is if I applied."

"That is likely why you weren't chosen," Fujimoto decided firmly. "It's probably why nobody manages to last out the whole year. You underestimate the purpose of the shrine and disrespect those who work for it and why."

"What would you know about it?" the mouthy brat dismissed the observation. "You didn't even apply."

"Perhaps, Mori-chan was wiser not to," Hikaru murmured thoughtfully. "Higurashi-sama does do a great deal more than just organize the festivals and food stalls. She's always being called down into town for one thing or another."

"History is full of instances where a shrine prevented or ended a war," Moriko pointed out.

"That was ancient history and little miss ice bitch had nothing to do with it," Sumiko blew off the points the others were attempting to make. Kagome wasn't terribly surprised. With every application came an abbreviated transcript, Hamasaki Sumiko's showed a decided lack of interest in history. Actually, she showed a semi-pointed lack of interest in anything that wasn't fashion related. Judging from her current behavior, Kagome suspected she was disparaging of anyone who failed to show any knowledge in the very narrow line of topics Sumiko was interested in.

"It actually isn't," Hikaru insisted. "The shrines in the cities are often tapped by the government to assist negotiations with the youkai factions to help maintain the peace. International efforts are never considered cemented without calling on the shrines to look it over and discuss it with the non-human leaders."

"It's all just a waste of time. Humans and youkai live separate," Sumiko insisted. "Besides which, this is not one of the big shrines in the city."

"No, it's a little shrine in a small town living on the edge of the native youkai habitats," Fujimoto huffed as the three girls finally entered the space they would be spending their time cleaning. "Negotiations out here may be more informal and less openly recognized, but they are also more vital."

"The woods and the marsh are full of youkai and spirits Higurashi-sama must maintain a delicate, respectful relationship with. The town is required to uphold the agreed upon rituals and behaviors to keep the peace," Hikaru added. "Higurashi-sama keeps all of us safe."

"All that needs to be done is to keep the non-humans out of town," Hamasaki Sumiko shook her head. "This is our place and they have no need to be here."

"So all humans should be required to stay in town?" Fujimoto Moriko rolled her eyes loudly. "What about the roads, the train, the local farmers?"

"What about the fishermen who go out on the water? They're not in town, but they can't stay here. How would we collect enough food to eat? What about people who need wood to cook or keep their houses warm? You can't find that just growing in town," Hikaru agreed. "The youkai and most other types of non-humans are actually physically stronger than us. They don't have to let us live. Without the shrine and the caretaker negotiating peace for us, we would all starve and freeze to death in a single winter. It takes a lot of work, time and effort that Higurashi-sama will have to handle on her own now."

Kagome concurred. Even when her uncle was still alive there was enough needing to be done to keep both Higurashi busy with work left over to employ a teenager. Running the shrine, maintaining it and fulfilling her other duties would likely cut into her regular sleep schedule. Kagome couldn't be both in town handling exorcisms and blessings and at the shrine maintaining the floors, wall hangings and other Shinto paraphernalia. Trying to cover both sets of jobs limited how much could be done of either. But need commanded, the shrine reputation was precious and fragile. Shrines had come to ruin for small offenses in the past. All it took was the loss of interest and faith from the locals. Behavior like Hikaru's could offend older faithfuls and visiting non-humans. Too many instances of that and the shrine would die and the local people come under the hazardous cloud of angry more powerful neighbors.

Kagome sighed as she went about her own set of chores, keeping an ear on the girls. Shortly after they entered the main enclosed shrine space, the rhythmic pounding of feet across the boards drummed out their conversation and even Sumiko gave up her muttering as her breath grew uneven with effort. This was likely the last rub down the boards would get this year.

During the summer the large enclosed shrine space was often filled by various groups from Nishi no Mura. The shrine was popular for its removal from town and the absence of the constant smell of rotting fish under strong sun. The trees offered soothing shade both along the path and throughout the grounds. The rustle of leaves helped to cover the bustle of business down in town. The crunch of gravel under foot drowned out the call of raucous sea birds fighting over refuse on the shore or trash in parking lots. And the smell of green growing things of the neighboring forest was a definite perk. The shrine offered peace within walking distance of Nishi no Mura during the summer. It acted as a community hub and gathering place for all members of town, high and low. There was no discrimination, all were welcome to use the space provided respect was shown for everyone else. Many of the recently naturalized religions would hold services at the shrine during the summer.

You'd never know that if you visited in winter though. And most of autumn.

The cooler months cut back on the din that flooded the town in summer as many people headed south for seasonal work. Fishing efforts were greatly reduced and the temperatures diminished the possibility of rotten smells permeating the air. Birds were still around, but there were fewer of them to make such noise. The pedestrian noises, the sound of people moving about was reduced by the penchant for staying indoors. Tourism was almost non-existent this close to the coast once winter set in. Most of the prime skiing venues were more inland and this was not a common entry point to Hokkaido.

Kagome was glad Hikaru hadn't proven incapable of adhering to the shrine policies before now. The grounds could maybe get by with less cleaning efforts during the winter as there were less people around to see the state it would be in. It didn't make her happy to have to let standards slip, but there were only so many hours in a day and only so much one person could do on her own.

She'd really thought maybe Yukimura Hikaru would last. After the winter set in hard, Kagome had planned to take the girl out on some of her jobs in Nishi no Mura. Yukimura was the first to last this long since Kagome had come to this shrine, but it couldn't be helped.

The abrupt cessation of sound in the shrine alerted Kagome the girls were done with the floors. Hikaru was directing them in the task of taking down the tenet paintings and dusting them. The sliding doors were dusted before being closed back up and all the wall hangings were settled carefully inside the main entry for Kagome to look over before wrapping and packing them up.

The sound made it clear they were about done. With three of them working, they would naturally finish much earlier than usual. Even with the added task of preparing to close the place up, the jobs were simple and easily completed. The only reason Kagome couldn't do it all was the sheer volume of work to be done, not difficulty.

Knowing she would soon be taking the girls back into town and informing their parents of their disqualification for the job, Kagome ducked behind the wall that separated her small outdoor space from the shrine proper. There was only one large building built on the premises. The larger portion at the front served as the shrine's enclosed community space and Honden. The smaller back area was the caretaker's personal quarters which included a small outdoor space for food and herb gardens and a disused driveway and car park.

A wall had been built extending from the side of the building to allow some privacy from the public. It had found other uses in the hands of the shrine patrons as a communication tool and message board, but it's initial purpose had been to separate the private space of the caretaker and associated family from the world view.

Kagome kept the area neat even so. A wall wouldn't keep prying eyes out and those types of curiosity seekers were usually fairly judgmental. Teenagers were often the worst about imposing on her privacy. When they found nothing out of place the kids generally made things up to explain it. Hence the rumors concerning her humanity or lack thereof.

She swiftly changed from the standard shrine work apparel to a set of street clothing that was better able to combat the chill seeping into the area as the day waned to dark. Kagome ducked back around the wall in time to catch all three girls trying to sneak back into town without her.

"Wait, I will walk you home," Kagome asserted firmly.

"It's not necessary, Higurashi-sama," Hikaru tried to stall.

"I insist," Kagome rebuffed the attempt. "I need to speak with your parents."

"You said you wouldn't tell," Fujimoto shifted nervously. Her gaze stuck longingly on the gravel walk that would take her away from the shrine and the reiki user that could expose her.

"She's a liar, through and through! I told you we shouldn't have done it," Sumiko huffed.

"I said I would not tell them what you did, but I also said you would be removed from eligibility and I will inform your parents and the counselor of that fact," Kagome corrected. "They may ask what you did, it will be up to you whether to tell them or not."

"As if we would tell them, we ain't stupid," Sumiko scoffed darkly.

"I think we'll drop you off first," Kagome pointedly informed the mouthy brat. "Your house is closest I think." It also meant that Sumiko's father would know who else to ask to get the truth if Sumiko managed to withstand his questioning, though the shrine keeper doubted the teenager had made that connection. Maybe Sumiko could withstand her parent's questioning. Maybe she was just dishonest enough to believe she had done no wrong, but Yukimura and Fujimoto the kitsune knew quite well and were unlikely to remain resilient under the demands of their own parents and the mayor.

Perhaps all three would maintain their loyalty and keep mum about the specifics, but Kagome doubted it. They were teenagers and Sumiko obviously couldn't keep her mouth shut about anything.

Kagome carefully suppressed the urge to visually cringe at the constant noise. The girl also had a volume control issue. The group traveled in moderately close quarters, there was no need to shout as loud as Sumiko did. If she wasn't careful, there would be no need for anyone to question the girls. Hamasaki's daughter would expose it all by protesting against it.

Thankfully, the mayor's large house was fairly close to the shrine pathway. Kagome was very glad to unload the brat on her parents. They deserved to put up with the spoiled child they raised, the rest of the world did not.

"Higurashi-san," Sumiko's father answered the door causing the immediate silence of the three teenagers with his appearance.

"Hamasaki-shichou-san," Kagome bowed politely in greeting. "I am returning your daughter to you. I regret to inform you she has been removed from eligibility for the shrine position."

"What?" The stunned father demanded in surprise. In that one brief moment, Kagome could see the resemblance between father and daughter.

"I will be informing the counselor as such," Kagome replied without addressing the question. "It would be preferable if she was kept from returning to the shrine without the supervision of either yourself or your spouse."

"Sumiko," the man called sternly. "What is this about?"

"Nothing!" the teenager asserted strongly. "The Jinja no sewanin is over-reacting and unfairly punishing all of us for something Hikaru did!"

The Mayor's eyebrow twitched. It was hard for any adult to accept that explanation from a cringing teenager when the accused over-reacting adult stood calmly just behind her. "I must insist on knowing what is going on right now, Higurashi-san."

"Perhaps your daughter will feel generous enough to divulge the reality to you upon later inquiry. For now, it is only important that you be aware she is ineligible for the part time position after today," Kagome replied mildly. "I apologize for interrupting your evening. You must excuse us, I have two more girls to return to their homes."

"They also?" the shrewd man's eyes narrowed on Hikaru and Moriko. He clearly didn't like Kagome's refusal to give him the answers he demanded, but the Hamasaki patriarch could not detain her. Kagome had broken no laws. Being responsible for the only Shinto shrine in the area gave the caretaker a status outside the politics and hierarchy of the town.

"Indeed, Yukimura and Fujimoto-san will both be receiving a visit this evening with the same news," Kagome bowed politely as she gestured to the two teenagers still in her company to move on. She wasn't certain if she ever wanted a better acquaintance with Sumiko's father. The man had relaxed when he learned his daughter wasn't the only one being rejected tonight. He probably considered it a lesser shame since his daughter hadn't already held the job like Yukimura Hikaru. As if there was much shame in being removed from the job any more. Most of the younger generation had applied and been rejected or served and been removed from the post. It wasn't much of a stigma if everyone received and carried the same.

Hikaru's delivery to her family had been a great deal more emotional. The teenager burst into tears before any words had been said. Her mother had brought the girl inside while her father stood to accept the news alone. He made no demands as to why or how. He simply accepted it before politely closing the door softly after Kagome excused herself.

"You don't have to tell my parents I'm ineligible," Fujimoto assured Kagome. "I always was."

"Were you?" Kagome asked carefully, semi-exhausted from the emotional roller coaster her evening had become. Teenage girls were far too emotive for her regular constitution.

"Don't act dumb," the kitsune huffed. "You know what I am."

"Of course I do," Kagome shrugged. "Being other does not preclude you from holding the part time position. Your behavior today, does."

"But I'm-"

"Have you heard of the shrine dedicated to Inari in Kyoto?" Kagome asked abruptly. "It is a very large, widely respected shrine with scores of regular patrons."

"What does that have to do with anything?" the female asked sharply.

"The shrine family there is entirely made up of kitsune," Kagome answered. "Their youngest daughter attended Shrine school at the same time I did. Her elder sister had already married into another shrine family in Tokyo. A human shrine family that considered it a great honor to be so lucky for their shrine is also dedicated to Inari."

"That's-That's down there," Fujimoto Moriko protested. "It could never work up here. The neighbors won't allow it."

"True, you are unlikely to be considered to inherit the shrine. You have not attended shrine school and the locals are far too concerned with having a human caretaker, but you could have served as a part timer," Kagome sighed. She'd wondered why she hadn't received any applications from non-humans. If Moriko was an example as to why, she now knew. "Of course now you are unable to do so."

"I-" Fujimoto paused to ponder the information just poured into her ears. "I'll be sure to tell the others, but wouldn't the act of using our charms to hide our features be considered as going against the first tenet of the shrine."

"No more than the use of make up to cover acne or clothing to cover scars, birthmarks or tattoos," Kagome replied. "The Shrine doesn't take issue with you keeping your heritage a secret as no one else gives theirs out explicitly either. I don't run up to people and declare I am human, why would I expect anyone who is other to do so?" Kagome shrugged her shoulders to loosen the muscles starting to tense up from the events of the day. "Failing to answer the question left unasked is not a lie. Your neighbors make assumptions based on what they see. You are not required to correct them, in the same way a girl accused of being a prude is not required to prove virginity or lack of it. Stereotypes and personal bias allow people to make judgments they don't need evidence to support. That doesn't make their version true anymore than it is required to be proven false. Let people think what they want, Fujimoto-san. Challenging those personal conclusions can prove hazardous. You may try to correct them if you wish, but you are not required to."

"But isn't that lying by omission or something?" the kitsune were very stringent on the shades of truth and falsehood. When your natural abilities lent so strongly to shape shifting, illusion and tricking the unsuspecting, being able to separate truth from lies, illusion from reality was very important and ethically vital. Pulling the wrong trick on the wrong person could bring the entire non-human community under fire from every angle.

"Do your friends tell you their deepest, darkest, most dangerous secrets? Do they invite you to do the same?" Kagome asked. "Trust on the level where lying by omission about something like that is unlikely to come up on a job application."

They finally approached the kitsune's house, a small structure close to the opposite side of Nishi no Mura. They were fairly close to a municipal park, but even closer to the undeveloped wilderness that surrounded the area. With the regional topography being what it was, most of the area was covered in marsh with forest beyond. Other parts of Hokkaido had tapped into the forestry industry for financial growth, but this area was better supported by fishing.

There were some cleared areas on the other side of the mountains used for farming, but the area immediately around town was mostly raw nature. From the shoreline with its rugged uneven ground, to the marsh that curled around two thirds of the town, the small fishing town was pretty well hedged in by wilderness. Sometimes it still surprised Kagome how rural people this far north could have such little tolerance for the mixing of humans and non-humans when they lived so close to each other. Areas like this were rife with youkai, spirits, and kami. Humans needed greater respect for the rituals and customs that had helped maintain safe coexistence. Or at least a semblance of safe coexistence.

Some creatures were better suited hiding inside of human settlements than out in the wild. The kitsune were one such but it was always better for everyone if their non-human status were kept secret in small towns. Otherwise the towns people were likely to hunt down innocent humans in the attempt to eject the interlopers posing as humans in their neighborhoods. Tokyo had gone through several waves of lynch mobs and caught regular humans in place of the trickster youkai they'd hunted.

Such things didn't happen there anymore, but these rural towns were slightly behind in their tolerances and understanding of such things. Kagome never could understand why since there were so many more of them in small towns. The air was better for them away from the metropolitan pollution. Tokyo and other cities had limited access to the open spaces even the domesticated species needed for continued mental health.

Fujimoto Moriko stood stalling beside Kagome, more than willing to let the Jinja no sewanin wander through her thoughts a bit longer. The teenager really wasn't keen to face her guardians. Unlike Hamasaki who had political aspirations that could be hurt by his daughter's ill behavior or Yukimura's family that had suffered bitter disappointment without needing more information, the kitsune's actions could have worse repercussions that would effect more than just her household.

Kagome shook herself abruptly and walked the last few steps to the door. One thing she liked about the homes of this particular small town was the unique character every home had. These were not the box shaped homes so common in other places. There were very few places with whole families living in tiny apartments here. Every house had it's character and showed its personality in the wear of the elements on the structure and colors.

Instead of bothering with the bell or a firm knock as had characterized her visit to the previous houses, Kagome flicked out with her reiki and waited for the expected answering youki acknowledgment. Instead of just one parent or even both, every known public face in the building appeared behind the opened door.

"Fujimoto-san," Kagome addressed whomever among them accepted it from her. "I am come to inform you that Fujimoto Moriko is now entirely ineligible for the post at the shrine."

"Higurashi-sama," Moriko's leash head Natsuo was the only one composed enough to respond. "We will address her behavior and ensure whatever was done is not repeated."

"I receive your words with gratitude," Kagome bowed to the old female. Higurashi Mattaki had told Kagome that Fujimoto Natsuo was the one to go to if ever there were issues with the hidden youkai in Nishi no Mura. "It was a minor thing, the greater misbehavior was perpetuated by those in her company at the time. Still, as all three were present, all three have received the same punishment."

"As is wise," the elder kitsune agreed.

"She has learned a great deal this evening and has much to share," Kagome continued. "My punishment has been fulfilled. The infraction was minor in the scheme of things, given the time of year. It could have been so much worse." The charmed fox nodded as Moriko was absorbed back into the family bosom. "It might be beneficial to stress the risks to the younger members of your community. There has been greater suspicion among your neighbors in response to my transplanting into the area."

"Fools are always dangerous and unfortunately prolific," Natsuo replied.

"I am a target, which is a boon for you and yours," Kagome added. "I cannot be exposed as anything other than human. That does not mean stones cast in my direction will not strike on others made too obvious."

"Your words are wise," was the response as Moriko tugged her housemates away from the door. "It is sad that anyone should be held up as such a target."

"Yes, but at least I am a target in which the bulls-eye will never be found," Kagome returned. She couldn't be proven to be something she wasn't after all.

"Perhaps, but that does not leave you completely uninjured by holding such a title," the kitsune pointed out. "It will be hard for you to fulfill the totality of your duties as shrine family if you cannot grow close to someone enough to have one."

"My options are not all removed from me," Kagome sighed. It might have done much to soothe relations with the town if she could have wed someone from Nishi no Mura, but the resentment harbored in her direction and the rumors and scandals laid at her feet made that possibility highly unlikely. "I could adopt or send to Tokyo for an assistant or even a husband from the shrine school."

"It is unlikely you will find true joy that way, for you are also a reiki user," Natsuo pointed out. Reiki users rarely married in arrangements of that type for a good reason. It lead to a death of hope. Hope in a reiki user was the source of power, strength and good health. Without it, Kagome would likely die before producing a viable heir.

"I know," Higurashi Kagome agreed wearily. She didn't bother to protest or elaborate more. So many dreams and wishes had died when she'd been sent up here.

Fujimoto Natsuo was almost the only person in Nishi no Mura to know the real reason Kagome came here. It had been necessary as the elder kitsune was the most senior nurse at the clinic in town and Kagome still needed occasional physical therapy sessions when she strained her wrist too much. The doctor knew too, since he did the check ups to test the deterioration of her hearing. Or rather, the doctor knew the medical aftermath of what happened. He invited no confidences where Natsuo in her matronly way, almost compelled them.

"I needs must head on, Fujimoto-san," Kagome bowed respectfully. "I still must inform the school before heading home."

"I do not know why they find it so difficult to see how warm and kind you are," the old youkai declared. "Must you sacrifice all that you are before they will catch even a glimmer of your worth?"

Kagome shook her head with a wry grin, "I fear it would be a wasted effort even then. As I told your granddaughter, people see what they want to see, they draw conclusions that need no proof. Fighting that would be both futile and dangerous."

"And yet you stay," Natsuo sighed.

"I am needed," Kagome smiled more fully. "Where else would I go?"

"Indeed, where else would you go," Natsuo mumbled as Kagome backed up and excused herself again. This time there was no call back and the young woman moved on through the quiet streets.

Despite the quick darkening of the sky, the stop at the school achieved everything Kagome needed to in a short time. Whatever the sky said, the hour wasn't terribly late and the small staff at the school were dedicated. There was little else to demand their attention this time of year. The school counselor that also stood as the English instructor was disappointed to hear that another three students were to be removed from the candidate list. He didn't ask why though, he rarely did. The list wasn't completely devoid of possibles, but all the ones left had been passed over for various reasons before.

Kagome was picky.

Sometimes Murakawa-sensei tried to persuade Kagome to be less choosy in her selection criteria. He didn't know what she used to make her selections. He, like so many others, didn't fully appreciate what a shrine did for the community and how important behavior was in maintaining their world. Until he proved better understanding, she would always dismiss his efforts to relax her criteria. Kagome wasn't required to hire anyone. The only person who would suffer from the lack of assistance was Kagome herself.

Hers was the only shrine in the area. There were no others nearby. Denying some teenager the right to claim shrine experience wasn't going to hurt them any, given that no one had been able to claim it in over a decade.

Kagome discreetly flexed her shoulders, attempting to ease the ache settling between her shoulder blades. She hated this part of the job, it went against her inherent nature to disappoint so many people, but the shrine was a trust and she was the caretaker. Unpleasantness was sometimes required to do the job right.

It wasn't in her original plans for her life to take on this task, but once taken Kagome was determined to do it right. That was another problem she often saw in the teenagers that came to the shrine trying to persuade her to hire them. To them, the shrine was a stepping stone to better things, which was fine. It wasn't fine that they refused to consider that the job required them to take it seriously and do it right while it was their job. Kids have no respect for the journey, they see only the goal.

Weary eyes gauged the sky and the descent of the sun. Returning the girls had taken time and there wasn't much light left now. Normally she'd have started the rice for her dinner by this hour. Instead, Kagome still had to walk home. Dinner would either be really late, or incredibly lack-luster. She could buy something at the general store to take home, something either already prepared or processed beyond recognition into the instant variety. One was utterly unsatisfying and the other tasted of the materials that contained it.

With a sigh Kagome stepped off towards the store. She ultimately decided on a compromise, purchasing something she could snack on while waiting for her real dinner at home. She'd rather a late dinner than anything at the store, even if it would be easier. Besides, it seemed a waste to spend so much on one meal when she could make something cheaper at home. Her budget didn't exactly allow for a lot of excesses.

She wasn't hurting for money, but neither was she rolling in it. Experience had taught Kagome the good of planning for the unexpected. Money may not solve everything, but having it insured that you could pay for a wide range of solutions when problems arose.

She decided to take the old marsh road that wound around the outside of Nishi no Mura. There was little chance of encountering anyone taking that route. Kagome was quite against having to mix with anymore town's people today. She could live with the gossip and the leery glances. She could deal with the blatant suspicion and rudeness from the teenagers. Even the accusations were moderately tolerable. It was the pretend amiability that wore Kagome out. Dealing with the local people's accusations and distrust was easier than dealing with a facade of friendship.

Kagome had always felt that way. Honest anger was less stressful than trying to see through the veil people tried to raise. Even as a teenager she had little patience for the two-faced type of personality.

Politeness was one thing. Grudging respect of someone who didn't necessarily like you was a badge of true worth. Fake expressions of enjoyment with your company always raised her hackles. Kagome had been dealt too many blows by dishonest people to take such treatment lightly.

Unfortunately, her means of escaping such individuals was limited. As the town's Shrine keeper, she was widely known and most felt it was expected of them to greet her on the street if they happened to wander into close proximity. A greeting inevitably lead to a longer conversation, typically about something related to the shrine or an elder family member's request for attendance. The conversation would be littered with insensitive or intrusive statements referring to Kagome's mystery shrouded background, her "recent" arrival in the town, or the passing of the previous caretaker. Some went so far as to insult her with a smile under the guise of needing clarification of something or recalling the behaviors of her great uncle.

Kagome just didn't want to risk being trapped in such a situation after being so disappointed by her part timer and having to deal with the mess those three teenage girls had created for themselves. Besides, the marsh road was always pretty, incredibly soothing and serenaded by the movement of the tide washing between the reeds.

Kids and teenagers would hang out along the marsh road during the summer. Traffic was limited as the road wasn't the shortest route to anywhere. Mothers would bring their toddlers out here to throw food at the waters to entice the birds that came in spring. The fisher folk would use the road to haul their boats from the coast, if they didn't have a permanent berth in the harbor. It was considered polite not to tie up the main thoroughfares in Nishi no Mura with an unwieldy boat or towing vehicle.

Rarely did such traffic cross that road this late in the day, and it was a school night so the kids were less likely with the approach of darkness and the heightening chill.

It was quiet, something Kagome definitely needed after Natsuo had brought up the future of the local shrine family and Kagome's soon to follow expiration date. Nobody liked to be reminded of their mortality, and Higurashi Kagome liked it even less when it brought up the memories she'd struggled so hard to get past.

She felt raw and her wrist ached with the long remembered phantom pains. The joint injury had long healed and there was no real reason to feel pain except when she was using it over much. She hadn't overworked it today. She hadn't developed any reliable weather related forecasting system. There was only the memory of a broken dream.

Kagome shook herself hard and determinedly turned her focus outward to the sound of moving water, shifting wind and the scent of salt and grass. She took a deep biting breath into her tight lungs hoping the movement would help purge the stress of teenagers, memories, and worry for the shrine future. It took her a long time to learn to let the past go and allow the future to place a path in front of her. It wasn't her first instinct to let life move as it will.

She used to chase after the goals she wanted. Kagome was motivated and ambitious. Once upon a time. Once upon a time everything was in reach. But that was years ago, experiences ago. This was now. Focusing on now kept her hopeful and sane. Focusing on now...

Made it obvious that something insidious was afoot in the reeds. The air held a harsher chill than it should. The water didn't brush through the reeds collected near the road. Instead it stood still in a crystalline hardness that shouldn't be present yet. Ice shouldn't build up in the marsh even in the sheltered areas until much later in the year.

Kagome's breath was fogging the air and there was no need for it. Such a precipitous temperature drop should never be so exceedingly localized. Just mere feet away, she hadn't even needed to shiver. Her blood was moving warmly from the exercise and moderate pace she'd been keeping. Her clothing was more than sufficient for the temperatures she'd been expecting. Kagome had almost been too warm.

Now she felt the need to run and put on more layers and thermal underwear.

This was something she would have to fix. Clearly something beyond the weather was at work here.

Most youkai native to Hokkaido used their youki to dramatically effect the temperature of things around them to defend themselves or warn off intruders. This close to the water gave her a fairly good idea of which breed the culprit was.

This was Shrine work. There were long standing treaties surrounding the use of the marsh area. The long tailed ducks, similar to the non-youkai counterparts, were allowed to use the other side of the marsh lands, away from the Nishi no Mura road. The shore area was prime nesting ground and while mating was still several months off, now was the time for staking out territory if a good spot was desired. Limiting the bird youkai to the far side of the marsh from town was the only way. Better to have to fight for prime territory than to be completely wiped out because one duck settled too close to town and defended their nest from some curious carefree children by freezing and drowning them come spring.

In fact, that was how the treaty came into being in the first place. A long tailed duck youkai felt a precious nest was threatened by human intruders along the marsh road. Several young children were drowned. The town mobbed together and...well chaos, a very determined effort to exterminate the bird youkai followed by retaliation cycled back and forth for almost two decades before Uncle Mattaki's predecessor negotiated grounds for a truce.

Every so often one of the younger generation of koorigamo would attempt to break it, frustrated with the excessive competition for space on the far side of the marsh and a member of the shrine family would have to oust them out of their selfishness.

Humans caught on that side of the marsh were on their own. There was no need to trespass on the youkai side of the marsh in the winter or even until much later in the year than would typically have the ducks ready to murder anyone encroaching on the shore. Anyone who went that far out of Nishi no Mura were too old to be considered children and hopefully well versed in proper safety behaviors.

With a sigh, Kagome shrugged out of her jacket and dropped it and her bag of snacks on the side of the road. While the area effected by the intruding bird was freezing cold, it wouldn't be for long, limiting the likelihood of frostbite and hypothermia. She would, however, likely get wet or a little frosty which would amount to being wet when it melted. She would want that jacket when she was done. Kagome would want it nice and dry for the walk home.

She was tempted to leave her shoes too, but the last trash pick up was long enough past that she risked stepping on something sharp. Most people in Nishi no Mura had enough respect for the marsh to avoid littering, but there was always a good portion of trash taken away by the students at the beginning of spring and end of summer. Kagome suspected most of the debris removed washed up here from somewhere farther than town. There was no viable way to prove it and seeking to do so would be fairly pointless. There were far too many shores in the world, too many disrespectful sailors, or drunk fisherman to completely cure the world of floating non-biodegradable waste.

The trash pickup by the townspeople was the human side of the treaty, to help reduce the overall impact on the ecosystem. Besides, it made for a more pleasant picnic and play area for the families in town.

Darkness was falling fast and Kagome couldn't really see the ground very well. Even with the desperate effort to feel out each step before placing weight on her forward foot, she found the water's edge by stepping into it allowing the frigid water to soak her shoes. Hissing through her teeth to protest the sensation and cage the quiet curse she'd nearly expelled, Kagome stepped back onto solid dry land and turned to skirt the waters edge in search of a youkai setting up house in the wrong place.

A few steps more and the water was no longer sounding off against the dirt, it didn't swish between the waving reeds. The temperature dipped even further and Kagome had no reason to fear stepping into the water because the surface had hardened enough to hold her weight. This was a bad sign.

"I represent the shrine," Kagome called out firmly. She shouldn't have to. The minute she splashed into the water, the bird should have confronted her for being too close. Hell, the minute she'd left the road, the youkai should have been on alert and waiting for Kagome to stumble too close. "Show yourself. You are in violation of the peace treaty concerning use of the marsh."

She expected to see a youkai ready to storm at her in protest of the treaty, the constraints of high competition of nesting space or simple disdain for the rules enforced by humans. Kagome would be notifying the local youkai official to enforce the treaty if she couldn't talk the culprit into moving on. Instead, the sound of a large splash reverberated over the ice and the vibration of something bumping against the layer of hardened water from the bottom gently jarred through the soles of her shoes. Something had been dealt with by the errant koorigamo, someone was even now struggling to survive the freezing waters and confining ice searching desperately for air.

At this point it didn't matter if the duck had attacked another youkai or a human. The koorigamo was in the wrong. There was no territory over here allowed to be claimed therefore there was no right to defend it. After dark, the forest youkai hard up for food would sneak this far out to harvest roots and small fish lost in the weeds. It was unlikely to be teenagers tempting curfew at this time of the year. They generally preferred the old light house on the point towards the other side of town. The new light house had been placed on an artificially enlarged island off the coast.

It increased the effectiveness of the beacon while eliminating the possibility of teen-aged trespassers. How it would effect the local ecology had yet to be fully explored.

Kagome dropped the restraint she used to contain her reiki while out in public. She would need it to rescue whoever was trapped under the youki manufactured ice. Without the koorigamo's energy holding it together, the surface would melt away quickly. Kagome just had to punch a hole through it to save the victim. Her power searched out the auras in the immediate vicinity.

In the time it took to pull in one breath she had located the victim and the aggressor. Tracking the victim would be important because she needed to get ahead of the current to catch the struggling youkai in order to rescue it in time.

Scrambling in her hardening wet shoes, Kagome raced over the slick surface to plot her rescue attempt. Once satisfied with her position, she gathered her reiki to accomplish two tasks instantaneously. This would be tricky. She needed to use her energy to punch through the ice but dissipate it fast enough to grab the drowning creature without hurting it. She also needed to somehow protect herself and her catch simultaneously because the moment she reached into the cold water, the koorigamo was certain to attack her for interfering.

Kagome could only assume the bird was wallowing in its triumph over the small youkai trapped under the ice. There was no other viable reason for a human walking across such unnatural ice to go unmolested. It wasn't even a particularly believable reason in her mind unless...well an adolescent untried in the battles over territory and potential mating would be so elated by a single victory as to forget to guard against further attack.

In the space of another breath, Kagome stabbed through the ice ahead of the thrashing youkai under the surface. Her reiki caused the hardened surface to dissolve before her hand dove into the freezing water below. The claws made contact with her sweater sleeve up her forearm before her numbing fingers managed to find and scoop up a small flailing collection of limbs from dark watery confines. Tiny claws managed to tear through the yarn of her sleeve, raking up her forearm and elbow as the cold water ran from the furry body she dragged up close to her body.

As expected, the koorigamo pounded at the dome of energy she had thrown up to protect herself and her temporary charge. "Come out of there and take your punishment for trespassing!" the youkai bird bellowed at her. Kagome briefly turned her eyes to take in the obnoxious rule breaker.

He truly was young. His humanoid form bore the remnants of his natural youkai form, more than any aged, fully-matured adult would ever risk this close to a human settlement. His skin was stained far too dark for a human in some places while it was too pale in others. Two long plumes dragged the ground behind him. The moon wasn't full enough for her to be able to tell what kind of texture his face had, but Kagome suspected that the skin was a little too soft with a feathery cover.

"On the contrary," Kagome replied flatly once the body cradled to her chest stopped fighting her hold and fell into violent shivering. "It is my territory you have trespassed on. Your kind are limited to the other side of the marsh. This area is under the jurisdiction of the town and the shrine. As such, you may not punish anyone else for coming close to you here."

"I am not so weak as to adhere to restrictions laid out by lesser creatures," the male scoffed.

"No, you are a fool," She declared shortly. "And very, very ignorant. Go back to your elders and ask them what you have risked by breaking the treaty between the koorigamo and the town. You have until morning to withdraw, otherwise you will be obligated to contend with the youkai minister. Ryoichi-chiji-san takes this sort of thing very seriously. It is likely that once he is involved you will suffer a great, long-lasting punishment that will interfere with your whole purpose of trying to set up house here in the first place."

"I shouldn't have to move! There's no space over there anyway," the arrogant male protested.

"Better fierce competition in a safe space than complete extinction for stirring up the kind of attention that gets your kind exterminated," Kagome huffed as she rocked to her feet with the added weight of her recovering burden.

"Such puny creatures could never-"

"They came close several times in the last hundred years," she cut him off. "Ask your elders. Let them school you out of your ignorance, I haven't the time to do so while cleaning up the mess you have already made."

"He got what he deserved," the bird brain insisted.

"No he didn't," she gruffly retorted. "He came looking for food in a place that should have been safe to do so, if not for the encroaching foolishness of a young male too lazy to compete by the rules. The koorigamo territory is on the other side of the marsh. Harvesting gama root is a good source of food for many creatures along the shore. This is the safest area to collect them from. Unless someone decides to move unlawfully into the area."

"Shut up," he huffed. Kagome glared at him before turning back to the shore. The hole she'd punched in the ice was slowly growing and would continue to do so if the bird didn't reintroduce his youki to the water.

"I'm serious, move it by morning, or I will set Ryoichi-chiji-san on you," she warned him sternly. "If you're still here, you'll be missing pieces before you make it to the other side of the marsh."

"Like I fear that old fossil," the fool dismissed her threat.

"That 'old fossil' is certainly more of a threat to you than one juvenile shimarisu," Kagome rolled her eyes. "Ryoichi-chiji-san certainly isn't half starved, malnourished or inexperienced."

"The brat shouldn't have intruded on my territory," the koorigamo insisted haughtily.

"It isn't your territory," Kagome repeated.

"Is now," the male defiantly spat back, clearly refusing to acknowledge any authority beyond his own.

"'fraid not," Kagome announced as her feet finally reach solid ground. She released the bubble that had protected her and the shaking chipmunk youkai to send her energy out to dissolve all of the ice behind her. The koorigamo's only response was a watery exclamation as he fell into the cold ebb of the tide released from his youki. She sighed as she squished her way back up to the road where she searched out her jacket and bag.

The jacket was wrapped around the wet body in her arm.

Shimarisu were small and shy by nature. They lived deep in the woods, carving out dens between the roots of trees during the winter. The one she'd rescued was too young to be out on his own yet. He was a child, and clearly not well cared for by the state of his fur.

"Well, let's get a look at you," Kagome sighed softly as she tried to get him to look up and let go of her arm. She wanted to see his face. The state of his markings would give her an idea of his age and general health, but getting him to look at her should help calm him down some. Maybe.

She also needed a firm grasp of his youki if her reiki was going to be able to back track him to the den he came from. Kagome couldn't just assume guardianship of him because she rescued him. She needed to see him home or invite attack by whomever had been taking care of him. The youkai chiji. Ryoichi would act as her go between and help police the youkai in his assigned area, but if she stole a youkai child, she would likely receive retaliation from higher up the youkai governing system.

"Hey, look at me," Kagome cooed to him softly. "I need to feel your youki so I can take you home."

Large dark eyes peeked up at her, surrounded by the dark and light stripes that typified his kind. He seemed extremely wary of her. Hardly surprising given his most recent experiences and exposure to her reiki. Kagome had found that most youkai were a little leery of her when they first discovered her inherent power. It didn't matter if it was used against them or used to protect them. Instinct told them it could hurt and only a profound trust built after years of work and interaction would teach them otherwise. Even then, most youkai remained tense.

Kagome understood it. Well she understood as much as someone without clamoring instincts could. If she lost control of it for any reason, she could hurt any youkai around her. It was how she was first coerced into attending the shrine school. Without training, her energy flared and danced around her, sometimes harmless and sometimes blistering.

Even if she hadn't ended up in charge of a shrine, Kagome would have needed to learn how to contain her reiki.

"I'm not going to hurt you, but I do need to see you home and explain things," Kagome continued, trying really hard not to be discouraged. A lot of the local youkai held up reiki users as the boogie men who punished bad children. "You haven't broken any rules yet, I have no reason to hurt you." She'd meant it as a joke, but it was also serious in the intent to soothe the male. Shrine keepers maintained the rules of peace. Even bogey monsters wouldn't go after children for something small and parent imposed only.

Instead the shivering increased as the small body ducked in on itself in effort to move out of her view.

"It's all right," she sighed again. "I think I've got enough to find the way home."

Most trackers would follow physical signs of something or someone passing. A foot print here, and tuft of hair or fur there. The occasional bruised plant sending up a strong odor of protest to tickle the nose. Youkai hunters would mostly follow scent, similar to the animal they most closely resembled. Kagome was limited by a lack of hunting ability and her human senses. What she did have was the ability to detect youki which, like everything else about a person would leave some trace of its passing through an area.

It wasn't easy, or quick, but she never had to worry about the rain washing away scent. She didn't have to worry about snow or wind covering up or obscuring tracks. Spirit energy had no real physical presence to be effected by weather. Only the passage of another energy source could obscure the trails left behind.

Entering the forest at night wasn't exactly a safe thing to do. Youkai lived there, but the trees weren't so packed that a human walking under the canopy was guaranteed to encounter some hunting creature out to snack on human flesh. The bigger dangers were far more mundane. There were the natural predators, animals that rode the top of the food chain. Homo-sapiens may be the penultimate reach of the natural world, resting below youkai and other supernatural species, but when it comes to hunting the forest in the dark, humans fell far from the peak of evolution, especially with her hands full and tired, slightly numb feet. Tripping over her own damn feet or a tree root or some forest debris from the fall were enough to cause injury. If she was lucky she wouldn't break a limb or the skin of either herself or her charge. Blood would call animals or lesser spirits to check out what was bleeding in the dark forest, like sharks to distressed prey.

Eventually, in less time than she was expecting, she found the little chipmunk's den. It was too close to town. No other youkai came so near humans for their homes unless they were just bird-brained enough to believe their own invincibility included the ability to go without sleep. The shrine was placed where it was because youkai habitually preferred territories deeper in the woods than this.

All of the little clues were painting a picture that had Kagome wondering if the male in her arms truly was on his own despite his age and inexperience. A good look at the inside of what stood as his den, she knew it was fact.

The small dug out space was too shallow to suffice. When winter truly set in, the young male would freeze to death. The entry held no cover and no depth. Any snow that came would blow right into the area he strove to shelter in. Every gust of wind from the usual direction would diffuse any heat that generated inside the tiny hollow.

Kagome clucked as she revised her assessment. He wasn't just taking care of himself. There was another smaller body curled inside, shivering and frightened. Wide dark eyes glittered out at her, the muted moonlight filtering through the canopy enough to trace the youki line right down to the terrified gaze.

The body in her arms gave off a strange sort of yip that was answered by a softer echo, low and slightly higher pitched. The sound proved that this was likely the right place to return her burden, but also that there was no adult associated with him. The youkai sheltering here was likely even younger than the one she'd saved and both were not going to survive the winter without greater assistance.

Kagome sighed before awkwardly reaching across her own body and under her shaking injured arm to pull out her cell phone. This far away from town it was more a waste of battery power to carry it and attempt to use it. Growing up in Tokyo had instilled a solid habit of carrying one around at all times. That she hadn't grown out of it after so many years in Hokkaido was probably a sign she was as yet unwilling to completely accept her total severance from her life there and the past she could no longer return to.

For now, it supplied her with a small glowing light to see by, one powerful enough to show her where her second charge was situated. For all she knew there was a low ceiling in their den a foot in or something. Seeing where the youki lines were wouldn't tell her the dimensions of the enclosed space. If a youkai mold grew over the surface, it would be different, but most greater fungi, mosses, and algae preferred warmer climes.

Kagome reached for the huddling creature, carefully ducking low and balancing on her over burdened feet without the assistance of one arm. She would have set down the male so she could use both hands to pull the frightened creature out, but he chose to dig his claws in deeper when she crouched down. Gritting her teeth together to bar any muttered or murmured complaints or frustrations from escaping to their ears, she wrestled the second shimarisu from the small hollow and tucked it into her already occupied arm.

The pair together weighed about as much as a human toddler, a burden she could carry, but would grow increasingly heavy the longer it took Kagome to get home.

"I'm sorry," Kagome apologized to the terrified and shaking pair. "I know you are scared, but you can't stay here. You need food and warmth and you obviously are not going to receive either here." She put her phone away and dug out a meishi to leave behind. She imbued the card stock with a mild dose of her reiki before sticking it in the soil of the den opening. If the pair were somehow being watched after by a particularly negligent guardian that happened to make an appearance, this would direct them to the shrine.

"Come on," Kagome hefted them both in the same arm and rocked back on her heels and upright. The move was a difficult one and strained muscles she knew would complain later. "I'll call Ryoichi-chiji-san as soon as we reach the shrine and help you get warm. The sooner we get there the sooner we can all eat." She continued a litany of calm words occasionally punctuated with puffs of panting breath.

The trek to the shrine seemed to take eternity as Kagome stumbled through the dark under the canopy of the trees. She had to find the road. She wanted out of the forest as fast as possible. Once she made it that far, it was easier to keep her feet and judge her progress. Keeping the pair of tiny bodies tucked into her chest, she carefully paced herself. Her feet were starting to hurt in their soggy confinement, the shoes that were otherwise comfortable were rough and stiff in their moist state. The water she'd stepped in was cold and hadn't warmed up much since being marched away from the marsh. Her shoulder ached from the weight of her youkai charges, the burning scratches left by scrabbling claws, and the cold water saturating the fabric of her sleeve. If she was lucky, her skin would only be marked with the irritation of rubbing against wet material and not taking on the pallor associated with frostbite.

Kagome had not suffered the loss of digits to the cold yet, though there had been several amputations among other locals in the years since her relocation to the shrine. The elements were harsh and survival was sometimes bought with fingers and toes. It wasn't even limited to the colder months, this far north the sea never truly warmed. Fishermen came in often with cold injuries during the hottest time of the year, though "hot" was relative up here.

She needed to get the three of them warm and dry as quickly as possible. The damp male might be able to survive in tact, but Kagome bore no illusions about her own susceptibility to the cold. They all needed to eat something, both to warm up and to insure full recovery of good health. Or to prevent the onset of illness.

The journey up to the shrine and the white gravel path seemed to take longer than she remembered. The crunching under foot was loud and ominous, as if her future was about to take a great turn in a new direction. Change was always scary when it loomed on the horizon. Kagome shivered with a thrilling fear she hadn't felt in years. Saving a pair of adolescent youkai was part of her job as peacekeeper, negotiator and reiki user. It was also likely to widen the boundaries her life had taken on in recent history.

Uncertainty hung in the air and made her anxious until the gravel gave way to the shrine proper. Then Kagome shook the feelings off and sent her thoughts barreling down more immediate productive paths.

Planning her next few hours meticulously as she hurried across the grounds and around the shadowed wall. Papers crackled with the breeze in the dark night, speaking of missives left to make announcements or communicate meeting times. She would clear the general debris from the surface soon in order to prevent the fliers and signs from crumbling to litter the grounds and interfere with the natural composting bred into the brush of a healthy forest. None of the postings would last beyond the first snow as modern paper was very susceptible to repeated dampening and drying.

She slid the main outer door open with relief, dropping her bag of almost forgotten snacks beside the wall and kicked off her soggy, half frozen shoes. Kagome hurried to the closet where she stored her extra linens and pulled out a fluffy towel, a blanket and the futon set for the kotatsu. Dragging out the linens took more effort than expected as neither youkai was willing to let go of her arm or each other.

"Okay you two, I need my arm back," Kagome muttered at the pair. "None of us are likely to get warm and fed if I can't put you down." Two pairs of dark eyes turned to stare up at her in seeming incomprehension before slowly the joint grip loosened enough for her to set them down. She swiftly attacked each of them with the towel. One was still moderately soaked from the marsh and the other had collected enough moisture from contact with Kagome and the first to need drying off as well.

Kagome quickly shrugged out of her dampened, ruined sweater, revealing a short-sleeved undershirt that was vastly dryer. Her arm was red from a collection of thin scratches and prolonged exposure to the cold water carried by her sleeve and the shimarisu fur that had been pressed against it. Deft movements settled the futon under the table legs and the handmade quilted kotatsu blanket into place to hold the heat under the table. Then she plugged in the heater with the temperature set to the lowest setting. She wanted to warm them up slowly. Too fast could cause blisters or damage beneath the skin. Even using the heater was a risk, but her bath was traditional, requiring she heat the water in the tub and that would take too long to do them any good.

Allowing the pair that turned out to be one male and one smaller female to keep the towel, she advised them to cuddle under the kotatsu for warmth while she went about making phone calls and setting some food to cook. The bag of seaweed snacks was opened and left for them to munch on while they waited for something more substantial.

Kagome called Ryoichi. He never picked up, hating the device with a fiery, tumultuous passion. Most youkai loathed electronic communication, whether it be a land line phone, a beeper, or the most advanced cell phone available. Ryoichi's level of middle government in the youkai system was required to be accessible at all times. In a territory like Hokkaido where the population was so far flung, the only way Ryoichi could pull that off was to carry a cell phone or a beeper. His service was as spotty as everybody else's, but he checked his messages several times a day.

They had a system so he could spend as little time with his phone as possible. Kagome pressed '2' twice to notify him of a non-emergency needing youkai attention. Pressing '1' indicated a situation that required he drop everything the minute he received the message to handle something likely to have major negative impact on human/youkai relations. Pressing '3' three times indicated a youkai death, a single death which meant that Ryoichi didn't have to rush, but needed to come deal with the aftermath. If she ever pressed '4', all youkai needed to pull out and he needed to head to Tokyo and youkai leaders to warn of the apocalypse or pending world war.

That last code was universal for all shrines. If a four went out from any shrine, it went to Tokyo by as many avenues as could be used. The message would run from shrine to shrine, shrine to youkai official or even prominent community leaders. Up here, if Ryoichi somehow failed to receive the message and carry it south, Natsuo would also be headed that way with most of her family and any forest youkai met along the way. If Kagome had any family, she would send them, but she herself would be required to stay and monitor the situation, try to correct it if possible. Kagome, as a reiki user, was required to stay. She could, if absolutely necessary, eliminate up to twenty youkai bent on actions catastrophically hazardous to the dual existence of the natural and supernatural denizens of her area of responsibility.

Such a message had not been sent in almost fifty years and Kagome took a moment to send out a silent wish that it wouldn't happen in the future either. There had been far fewer emergencies of that type once the whole country had solidified youkai rule under one leader. The rule wasn't perfect, but it was effective. Kagome was grateful to have never lived in an earlier period of history.

She hung up on Ryoichi and placed a second call, waiting for it to connect.

"Fujimoto residence. Tasuke speaking," A male voice spoke into the phone sounding slightly echoed over the old style connection.

"This is Higurashi Kagome, I need to speak with Fujimoto Natsuo please," Kagome announced as she cradled the phone between her ear and shoulder, measuring out rice into her rice cooker before adding the necessary water.

"Hold on a sec," the boy replied before setting down the receiver and hollering for his "Obaa-sama" to answer the phone. Kagome was certain she heard an added comment that Moriko had done something else to the shrine, clearly aiming to get the other kitsune in further trouble. Either that, or he was just teasing.

"Higurashi-sama," came the familiar voice. "I was not expecting to hear from you quite so soon after dropping off Moriko."

Kagome hummed as she shut the lid on the rice cooker before setting it to cook. "I didn't either, but the journey home turned into more of an adventure than expected. I am in need of a nurse with your special expertise to come out to the shrine. Preferably tonight."

"Have you injured yourself? Strained your old injury?" the elder female inquired as that most commonly was Kagome's need for a nurse though rarely was there such an urgency for assistance. "I can schedule an appointment when I get in tomorrow." Her tone was slightly incredulous over the likelihood that Kagome's reason for calling truly was something like that. Typically, when Kagome's wrist acted up, she would suffer through the night to call the office in the morning rather than interrupt personal time with family in the evening.

"I'm afraid this is not something that can be handled by the office, Fujimoto-san," the Jinja no sewanin sighed quietly, "though I have been superficially injured in the course of my adventure this evening that is not what I need your help for." Kagome held her breath hoping Natsuo would stop being obtuse and pick up on what she couldn't say.

There was more than one reason for the numeral code used between shrines and youkai officials. Non-secured lines were a risk for unintentional communication with the uninitiated. In a rural area like this, being overheard was a bit more dangerous than in the city. It was more likely as the youth this far north had less to distract them from more intricate methods of mischief. And there was no greater, more satisfactory mischief to pull off than eavesdropping on the unknowing.

"So what you're saying is that you need me to come assist you with something," Natsuo spoke slowly. "Something I am specifically qualified to aid you with."

"Yes," Kagome agreed with incredible relief. "You might want to bring someone to assist. Someone younger."

"I am capable of-"

"Significantly younger," Kagome stressed, hating to cut the elder off, but eager to get her here sooner. "If it were just a physical problem that needed solving, you would be more than capable, but there is more to this situation than what can be held and measured."

"Hmm," Natsuo hummed pensively. "I shall collect some necessary supplies and the requested assistant and be there within the half hour."

"See you then, Fujimoto-san," Kagome replied before hanging up the phone. She shrugged her shoulders wearily, trying to loosen the muscles tightening along her neck and strained arm. "That was a youkai from town," she explained aloud for the benefit of her guests. Kagome often spoke her thoughts in the evening time. She didn't have a television for the reception out here was spotty, and the radio was limited in its broadcasts and generally irritated her more than entertained. During the summer it wasn't so bad, but the winter months when the nights lasted so long, if she didn't talk to herself she would never hear another voice in her home. "Fujimoto Natsuo-san is one of the oldest kitsune in Nishi no Mura. She'll help me figure out what to do for you."

Kagome was careful to keep her back turned to the pair huddling over the bag of crunchy snacks. She wasn't worried they would bolt as long as the sound of their teeth working the crisp seaweed bites filled the space. For extra insurance, the Jinja no sewanin adjusted the reiki barrier posted along the property lines. Before it merely alerted the youkai of her presence and power, now it would keep her guests from leaving without her consent.

Now that she had taken on the responsibility for the pair, Kagome wasn't about to relinquish it until she knew they would be well. She needed to know that when they left her care they would be fed regularly, sheltered properly and taught what they needed to know to remain healthy and happy as they grew. In short, she wasn't letting them go unless it was directly into the care of guardians that would raise and nurture them until adulthood.

Kagome saw every task she took on to the end. She did when she could anyway.

She started knocking through the cupboards, searching out something mild and filling to go with the rice. She wasn't feeling up to anything elaborate and she doubted her new house guests were either. Kagome had some pickled vegetables and a small amount of miso paste. She was in need of a grocery trip the next day if her guests stayed on, but food would have to be addressed in any solution offered for her temporary charges. She could afford to keep them on the shrine, but the townspeople would notice if she started buying enough food to feed three people instead of one. It would be even more obvious if the little youkai ate in a similar way to growing human children.

A crinkle of paper filled the room as the wrapper for the snacks was snagged by two pairs of paws and dragged under the blankets in a rush. All four sides of the blanket billowed slightly outward from the movement before settling to hide all evidence that two shimarisu were even present. The crinkle was muffled by the fabric, but even then, it was obvious when the packaging began to rip under the exploring claws and noses. Clearly the snacks were gone and the pair were still very hungry.

Kagome smiled lightly at their antics before turning back to her cupboards. She wasn't certain what she could feed them. Rice was standard in a human diet, and she knew that some youkai were fond of it, but she didn't know if it was good for them. And not all youkai species were the same. Many shared dietary characteristics with their animal cousins, predators leaned to animal protein heavy diets where herbivores were more likely to graze constantly on various vegetables. It wasn't a strict carry over though.

Some species that were strictly herbivores as animals were carnivores as youkai and some carnivores were strictly herbivores after the crossover. Most changes weren't that extreme. Chipmunks in the wild would eat anything available when preferred options were scarce. Kagome didn't think the youkai version were much different, but some animals had difficulty eating certain things that seemed mostly mundane to humans. She knew for a fact that inu had trouble with onions and garlic.

A sharp rap on the door followed by the swift swish of wood frame sliding against the rail signaled the arrival of Fujimoto Natsuo. "I'm here Higurashi-sama," the fox called across the room. "Now what am I here for."

"Fujimoto-san," Kagome hurried across the small space between her kitchen cupboards and the door. "Thank you for coming so quickly." She wasn't surprised in the least to see the kitsune stripped of her camouflaging charm. The kind of speed Kagome had asked for would have impacted the elder female's ability to keep it up. There were a pair of smaller kitsune holding onto Natsuo's bushy gray tail. "They've retreated under the table. A pair of Shimarisu without appropriate monitoring. I retrieved one, the male from a freezing ducking and the other when I tried to return him home. Their shelter was inadequate and they're clearly in need of some specialized care and direction from higher up for their immediate future."

"Have you gotten anything intelligible out of them?" the fox asked briskly as she tossed up the blanket hanging from one side of the kotatsu, two furry bodies darted underneath and four exploded out the other side. "Hm, they are small. Even for Shimarisu."

"Nothing that I understood," Kagome answered as she returned to trying to figure out what to serve with the rice that was cooking.

"You haven't eaten?" Natsuo paused in her efforts to calm the energetic chasing of young foxes and squirrels.

"I got home just as I called you," Kagome replied wryly as she tried to search out anything more hidden deeper on the shelves behind dishes. "Some surprise shrine work turned up on the way home. Their presence here is a result of it. I've already called Ryoichi."

"You're all wet," the kitsune observed.

"Only a little. My sweater got the worst of it and I took that off as soon as I got home," Kagome replied, ducking lower to investigate the contents of her generally empty fridge. She didn't normally cook enough to have leftovers. Her meals avoided using things that wouldn't keep for days as she sometimes forgot to eat all together. Shortly after she first came north, it was hard to find an appetite. She'd gotten better over time, but she still occasionally forgot to eat. It hadn't happened today and she was trying to keep Natsuo from thinking it had.

"Tasuke go heat up the furo," Natsuo called to the final guest Kagome hadn't noticed before. "Let me see your arm, I can smell the blood from here."

"He was frightened and clawing at the ice to get to air," Kagome defended the male that clawed at her arm. "Besides, my jumper got the worst of it."

"The reason matters not," Natsuo brushed off the explanation. "He broke skin and while the injury may not be serious now, his claws were not likely very clean. Infection is a huge risk and we need you in top form until we find a solution for their housing future. Besides, as I doubt they came here under their own power, you probably strained your muscles carrying them. A good scrub will help prevent complications in those scratches and a hot soak will soothe any damaged or sore soft tissue."

"But I-"

"I will send Tasuke back to the house to provide us with enough food, ready made. We can supply what is needed without issue. What you have here wouldn't be enough for just you let alone two half starved youkai kits," Natsuo insisted.

"I don't eat that much, Fujimoto-san," Kagome huffed.

"Today you do," the fox insisted. "Now go scrub down and soak in the tub. By the time you are done I will have a better assessment of your new charges after Yui and Moto have worn them down a bit."

"Shouldn't they scrub down too?" Kagome asked. "Both have had a bit too much contact with icy water tonight."

"Unlike either of them, you're the one who is still wearing wet clothes, made no effort to prevent illness or infection," the nurse pointedly scolded Kagome.

"I had to get them taken care of first," Kagome defended herself.

"That was then," Natsuo shrugged. "We are here now."

"Flame is lit," Tasuke announced upon reentering the main room. The furo was a luxury and a necessity. It had been in the original plans for the shrine keeper's quarters. There were not many winter storms capable of cutting the shrine off from town, but the hand full that could tended to effect the wood youkai more. There wasn't a winter where some family from deeper in the forest didn't need to come to the shrine desperate to save some family member from frost bite or exposure.

"Go on," Natsuo urged Kagome. "The tub will be warmed up properly by the time you're done scrubbing up. Do not think of coming back again until I call you." The matron sternly directed the caretaker. "You need a long soak to gain any benefit. The kits will likely calm better with you out of the room. I'll place a change of clothes in the outer room for you, so get going. "

"My mother is alive and well in Tokyo, Fujimoto-san," Kagome replied flatly as she headed out of the room. "I do not yet have need of another."

"Nice try Higurashi-sama, but the mother's union requires looking after the children of all mothers in their absence," the fox replied without missing a beat.

Kagome huffed in amusement before fully dropping the conversation with a snap of the slider against the frame leading into the changing room. She could hear the small bodies still scurrying about like furry cannon balls through the thin partition a few moments before Natsuo obviously managed to settle the four little ones down. It happened faster than she would have thought possible. There must be some powerful kitsune magic going on. Kagome smiled to herself and shook her head, content to leave it at that. She didn't need the details.

As a reiki user and growing up on a shrine, Kagome had very few mysteries left to marvel at. She was content for this one to remain.