Man this bag is heavy! I thought as I climbed up the side of the well. Why couldn't I have Inuyasha's strength? I finally made it to the top of the well and hefted my bright yellow bag over the edge. I followed it over and stretched. I felt my back pop and I sighed in relief. I bent down, picked up my bag up, and threw it over my shoulder. I took two steps in the direction of the village when I heard a noise. I stopped and turned toward the direction it came from. I strained to hear it but it never sounded again. I shrugged and turned to head back to the village when I heard it again, a low pained moan.

I took off toward the direction of the moan, which was in the opposite direction of the village. After several minutes of running I burst through the edge of the forest and into a clearing. A form was huddled in the middle of it. Tattered clothing hung on it and its long black hair was tangled and matted. I slowly walked toward it and as I got closer I realized it was a man. I could see the muscles and tanned skin under the remains of his clothing. I knelt down next to him and gently touched his shoulder. His skin was cold under my fingertips. Oh, Kami I hope he's not dead!

"Are you alright?" I asked him. I waited for a response but never got one. Just when I was pretty sure he was dead he let out another pained moan. I sighed in relief and gently rolled him over. I gasped in surprise and horror. No this is impossible! He's supposed to be dead! Inuyasha killed him! I thought to myself. But contrary to that belief Hiten of the Thunder Brothers was alive, barely, and lying in my arms.

He let out another moan and his eye lids flickered open. His red eyes glazed over with pain stared up at me. Before I could say or do anything he tried to rise from my arms. He let out a cry and promptly passed out again. It was then that I noticed the huge gash across his chest. It looked deep and by the look of it was probably infected. There were other smaller cuts all over his body and many bruises. Someone beat the shit out of him. Good, I thought. He deserves it after what he did to Shippo's dad.

I should leave him here to die but looking down at him lying there helpless changed my mind. Plus doing that would make me no better than him. I shrugged off my bag so I wouldn't have to carry its weight and drag him into a cave I knew was nearby. It would shelter him until he was healed and I was probably the only one who knew it was there considering that the entrance to it was covered heavily by thick green vines. I wrapped my arms around his broad chest and began to drag him towards the cave. It wasn't too far. About a ten minute walk, probably double that now that I have to drag him.

After what seemed like forever I finally managed to get him into the cave. I laid him down towards the back and left to go get my bag. I ran all the way back to the clearing and grabbed the yellow monstrosity off the ground and hurried back to the cave as quickly as I could. I parted the vines and stepped in. Hiten was still unconscious where I left him and I sighed in relief. I dropped my bag on the floor and started rifling through it, trying to find all my medical supplies. I finally found the disinfectant, some bandages, and I even managed to find a needle and some string to sew up the gash on his chest. I walked back over to him and placed my supplies next to him. I then realized that I should probably wash him since he was covered from head to toe in dirt and Kami knows what else. I stood up and headed to the little stream that ran nearby.

The bucket that Kaede had left the other day was still sitting there and I picked it up and filled it with water. I carried it back to the cave and set it down next to him. I dipped a rag into the water and squeezed some of the excess water out of it. Slowly I began to clean the filth off of Hiten. After I finished that task I poured some disinfectant onto the gash. Hiten grunted in pain and his body tensed up. I gently stroked the side of his face and whispered reassuring things to him even though he probably can't hear me. He slowly relaxed and I removed my hand from his cheek.

I made sure my needle and string had been properly sterilized and then I began to stitch his wound up. He tensed but no noise left him. After finishing up with the stitching I propped him up so I could wrap the bandages tightly around his chest. Now that his major wound was taken care of I treated his other less serious wounds. As I put all my stuff into my bag I noticed that he was shivering. He also looked uncomfortable laying there on the hard rock floor. I suppose I could make a real quick trip home and bring some blankets and pillows back for him.

I decided to leave my bag in the cave since it would only make me slower in my return. I made my way back to the well and jumped in and was almost immediately swallowed by the light which signaled my return to my time. Once I felt my feet hit the floor of the well I hurried and climbed up the side and out of it. I ran to my house and upstairs to my bedroom and grabbed as many blankets as I could carry from the little closet that housed bed sheets as well as a pillow from my bed. I made my way back out of the house and into the well, and within a few minutes I was back in the Feudal Era.

When I got back to the cave I folded up the thickest blanket and placed the pillow on it to act as a make shift bed. I managed to get Hiten on it and then covered him up with the remaining blankets. His shivers ceased after a little bit and I decided I better make my way to the village so Inuyasha doesn't come looking for me. If he discovered Hiten in this state then he would surely kill him. I grabbed my bag and hurried back to the village.

The villagers that were out and about greeted me and I waved at them in return. I made my way to Kaede's hut and went inside. Kaede was sitting next to the fireplace cooking something and there was no one else inside but her.

"Kaede where did the others go?" I asked.

"The monk heard that there was trouble somewhere and the others wanted to help. You just missed them."

"Oh…ok." I said. "Is there anything you need me to get for you Kaede?"

"I need some more medicinal herbs if you wouldn't mind, Kagome." She replied. "One of the young one's grew ill in the middle of the night and needs them greatly."

I nodded and she returned to making whatever it was she was making. I left her hut and went about collecting the herbs I knew she would need. It was getting dark by the time I came back to the hut and the others were still not there. I handed the basket I used to collect the herbs over to Kaede and she left soon after. She had made a pot of rice and had cooked some fish for dinner. I sat down and ate my meal slowly and as I ate my thoughts drifted to Hiten. I probably should bring him something to eat. He's probably hungry if he's even awake. After my meal and scooped up some more rice into my bowl and grabbed a smaller piece of fish and headed off to the cave.

I knew he was awake even before I even came into the cave. His aura was no longer calm and quiet like it had been while he was asleep. Now it was flaring bright with his anger and irritation, though what he had to be angry and irritated about I had no idea. I slowly parted the vines to the cave and stepped inside. He had propped himself up and was glaring at something I could not see. When he heard my approach his head whipped around to look at me. I hate to admit this but even when he's beaten and his hair is a mess he's still utterly gorgeous. It's actually quite unfair.

We stared at each other for several minutes neither one of us saying anything. Then his eyes widened in recognition and dread and fear pooled in my stomach.

"You!" he said. "You're that half-breeds wench!"

"I'm nobodies wench thank you very much!" I replied hotly. "And that's no way to talk to the person who saved your life."

He grunted and turned his head away from me. "I didn't ask you to save."

"No you didn't but good people help those in need even if those people are class A assholes." I replied. He turned and glared at me. After several minutes of glaring at each other his stomach let out a growl. A blush spread across his face and he averted his eyes. I smiled and walked closer to him. He tensed as I drew closer to him.

"I have some food for you. I figured you'd be hungry when you woke up, though it's human food."

I held out the food to him. He stared at it for a second, then slowly he took it from me. Within seconds he had devoured it all. He set the dishes to the side and then slowly laid back down on the blankets.

"Are you thirsty?" I asked him. His beautiful red eyes darted over to look at me. Wait? Beautiful? No, Kagome don't go thinking like that!

"Yes."

I stood up and walked out of the cave with the bucket I had used earlier. At the stream I filled it with water and took it back to him. I scooped some water out of it with the bowl he had used for his rice. He tried to rise to drink out of it but I gently pushed him back down.

"What are you doing, onna?" he asked.

"You shouldn't be straining yourself. I didn't sew you up just so you could rip them out and open your wounds back up."

I maneuvered myself behind him and lifted Hiten's head into my lap. I brought the bowl up to his lips and he began to drink. After a few minutes he lifted his head away from the bowl and I sat the bowl on the ground and lowered Hiten's head back down to the pillow. I picked up the dishes and turned to leave. Just before I left the cave I heard Hiten softly say "Thank you…"

I smiled as I walked back to the village.