Chapter 1

"Urgh..." Her head hurt, her back hurt... as a matter of fact, all of her hurt. Moving hurt. Thinking hurt. But Kagome had to wonder, why did she hurt? She groaned again and wracked her memory for a clue. Maybe it was all those drinks she had last night... She remembered going to a club with Sango, her best friend, and she remembered drinking a little more than usual and dancing with ...she gave up on counting, but there had been several attractive guys there too...

Anyway, back to why she hurt. A hangover she expected, but not these aches all over... She had kept her eyes shut while she struggled with her confusion; but when she felt a ray of sunlight and a slight breeze touch her face, she cracked them open. What she saw confused her still further.

A strange white-walled, golden-colored wood-floored room greeted her. Floor length white curtains hung from the two windows she could see while laying on her side; one right across the room from her, and the other was further down the wall. A wooden box, simple but pretty all the same, sat under the further window with magazines fluttering on the top of it. A nightstand stood near her head, with the usual lamp and clock and other usual things one finds on a nightstand. She also realized that she was in a strange bed (and a very comfy one at that) with white sheets that were almost as pristine as the curtains. She brought her attention back to the nearer window, and realized that she could see a multi-storied building face, which was quite high up, and a fire escape.

That view of the outside world was odd in itself, because she could tell she was several stories up, and she didn't know anyone with an apartment or house that was more than two stories. Kagome gave a huge yawn and sat up with her arms stretched over her head. She was wearing a T- shirt, which was obviously a guy's and hung halfway to her knees, and a pair of blue plaid boxers. She blinked rapidly and looked around at what she had dubbed, a bachelor's apartment-but it seemed to belong to a rather neater than most bachelor.

She spotted the bathroom through a door in the wall facing the foot of the bed, and gave another great yawn as she made her way toward it. She found a note on the edge of the sink with a toothbrush and comb resting on it. The note read:

Glad to see you survived the night!
These are for you, and you can use the shower if you want, too.
I'll come back at noon to see how you're doing,
and I'll explain everything then.
Feel free to make yourself at home, and use anything you want.
See you at noon!

The note had no name or signature, but Kagome was grateful to them, whoever it was that had taken care of her... She smiled and silently thanked her benefactor. But then her self-preservation instincts kicked in again. Who was she to judge this unknown guy? What if he had taken advantage of her or was planning to do something horrible to her? Wait, the note had said noon... What time was it? She saw the alarm clock next to the bed; it read 11:50, am. "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap, oh crap..." What if he was a murderer, or a rapist or some sick freak-

'KNOCK KNOCK'

Kagome froze. She said nothing to answer the knock, just simply stood there; staring at the door she could see was obviously the entrance to the apartment, down a hall where the doors to other rooms connected.

'KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK'

She squeaked and looked around frantically for something to defend herself with.

A deep, warm chuckle seeped through the door. "I bet you're in the hall with one of my lamps or something, just waiting for me to walk in. Or maybe you're still looking for something to whack me over the head with..." He chuckled again. "Well, I'll let you hit me if it'll help you relax!" A cheerful laugh was followed by another, sleepy sounding voice; "Dude, why are you knocking on your own door?"

Oh god, thought Kagome. What do I do now?