A/N:Thank you for your patience! *bows*
The first chunk of the chapter seems like filler, but I want to blend aspects of both Inuyasha and Furuba together to show all aspects of Kagome's life. It bothers me a little whenever she is thrown into the world of another manga/anime and can still access her original. (Not to say that it can't make an excellent story.)
"Miko-sama, look what I made!"
Kagome bent down to humor the youkai girl and was rewarded with a daisy chain bracelet. She smiled and gave thanks, keeping an eye on Sesshoumaru's conversation with the village headsman¹. Meandering towards him, she made time for every person she encountered, listening to their experiences living on the current expanse of land. Some were tongue-tied in awe of the woman, a few others doubtful that the legend walked among them. Still many were eager to share their lives and simply be with the miko who was, strangely enough, for them.
The headsman bowed and left just as she walked to Sesshoumaru's side. "I hear the local water source is poisoned," she murmured.
"We will be examining the lake upstream for any contamination," he replied, eyes settling on her. "You and this Sesshoumaru are running there."
Kagome looked at him, amused. "I can keep up. I have something to tell you along the way."
Once they reached the outskirts of the village they set a steady pace. She noticed the foul water running down the river and made a mental note to purify it once the source was dealt with. Glancing back to her running partner, she informed him of her unusual encounter.
"What thoughts do you have on the people requesting your services, Miko-san?"
"Aww, you're asking my opinion!"
"…This Sesshoumaru is not the one who will be working with them."
Kagome couldn't help the grin but remained serious enough to answer. "Honestly the one I'll be healing didn't ask for my help. It was her two clansmen who were much more sociable. They all seem troubled in differing ways though…things may go beyond just healing the clan head."
"And yet you convey an intent to accept. Why do you decide to bear more than the burden given?"
"I'm a miko. Helping others is kind of my thing. You know I can't turn away a person in need, by occupation and by choice."
Seeing the lake up ahead, he voiced his concluding thoughts. "This one will observe the clan then form his opinion."
The last remark was unusually nice of him, but Kagome kept that thought to herself as they approached the shore. The foulness of the lake simultaneously existed under and above the waters, giving a faint stench. Wrinkling her nose, the woman commented, "That contaminant isn't purely physical."
"Indeed it is not." Came the reply with narrowed eyes. They both went on the defensive when the waters became agitated. The aura above the lake amassed into a deformed spirit, which gave a roar that echoed in the distance.
"WAS IT YOU WHO DISTURBED MY REST?" it demanded. It lashed out without waiting for an answer, which youkai and human nimbly dodged.
"Impatient, isn't it? Wait, 'disturbed'?" Kagome took a long, hard look at it, trying to understand the use of past tense.
"MY BODY WAS AT PEACE, THEN SOMEONE WENT AND UNCOVERED IT²."
"At peace you will be then." Said Sesshoumaru, giving a nod to her. A pink sphere surrounded the spirit, shrinking in on itself as the disturbed being dissipated in purification. Sensing a concentration of the spirit in the lake, the daiyoukai used his whip and brought out a petrified body, old enough to be preserved but still have unfortunate pieces rotting away. He quickly rid himself of it using his acid claws.
The miko observed his actions. "That was merciless," she casually remarked.
He watched the remains disappear with a neutral face. "The dead don't need mercy. Neither is this Sesshoumaru the same as you."
She gave a small smile. "I am glad for that. None of us would be where we are if not for you. I will purify what I can for the waters and work my way downstream."
"We will meet in the village then." He made eye contact before gathering youki at his feet and flying off.
Purifying what she could and letting the rest of the contamination wash away, Kagome took a rough half hour to clean the water to satisfactory condition. She once again stopped to greet residents and share the good news as she returned to the village. Politely declining numerous offers of tea, she walked to the headman's house where his mate motioned her inside. Sesshoumaru was found there, with his own steaming cup of the liquid and another placed on his right side of the square table.
The headman opposite spoke once Kagome was seated. "You have my most sincere thanks for helping this small village Sesshoumaru-sama, Miko-sama. Is there any way we may show our gratitude?"
The lord inclined his head in acceptance of their thanks. "This Sesshoumaru needs no incentive to care for his land."
"What he means," Kagome quickly added, "is that we are glad to have had the opportunity to help out. The fact that this village is vibrant and flourishing is thanks enough." Glancing outside, she had to smile at the sight of children running by, a mix of different species and ages.
With his own smile, their host gave invitation to visit any other time, and escorted them to the edge of the residential zone. On their own, the two walked at leisurely pace to the border of the land. After a comfortable silence, Sesshoumaru spoke.
"The clan and its leader have been spoken to. They know who they will answer to should anything happen to you."
Upon hearing those words, she jerked her head to gaze wide-eyed at him. "I take it you accept me working there? I didn't know you cared."
He remained forward facing while she spoke, then quietly replied, "I am not your keeper." Slightly raising his voice, he continued. "Regardless of this Sesshoumaru's thoughts, you would have decided to help them. Though they are more troublesome than you first implied."
"You know me well." She gave her head a shake with some amusement before observing their path. "You may not be my keeper, but as a guardian and friend I appreciate what you've done."
When they reached their destination, he finally turned and gave her his full attention. "You are invaluable to this one's people," he said, voice soft but clear. "We cannot lose you or bear to see you harmed after all this time."
Kagome took those words in, processing and treasuring them as a car arrived and drove the pair to her home. Murmuring goodbyes, she walked up the steps of her shrine and sat under the Goshinboku to meditate on the day.
o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o
"Speaking?"
"Hello, Sohma Hatori-san?" Kagome got a quick confirmation over the phone and continued. "It's Higurashi Kagome. I am able to attend to Akito-san's health. When would be a good day for me to come over?"
"Hmm, Could you come to the Sohma estate in two days' time? Around nine in the morning." The man requested. "I would like you to come to my house first to go over Akito-san's medical records and explain a bit of our clan's dynamics."
"Certainly. Oh, I know earlier today my employer gave the main house a visit. Were you there? I apologize if anything…unfortunate occurred."
"Ah, you mean Taisho-sama³? He managed a private audience with Akito-san…I do not know what they discussed, but when he left Akito-san ordered us to bar him from further visits."
As if that would stop him, she thought, breathing out to prevent any giggling. It was a good thing one couldn't see expressions over landline. "Was Akito-san okay?"
"He was strangely quiet for the following hours, but there appears to be no harm done."
"That's good. Okay, I will see you in two days."
"Make sure you ask for my house at the front gate. The servant there will be expecting you. Have a good day Higurashi-san." Conversation ended with an audible click.
Stretching her limbs, Kagome pondered just what the main estate would be like. With a clan head like Akito, it was bound to be different from an establishment like Sesshoumaru's, but just how different?
o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o
She inclined her head politely to the servant, then turned and knocked on Hatori's door. Upon opening it, he gave her a quiet "Good morning," before inviting Kagome inside and offering tea. When they were comfortably seated across from each other, Hatori handed a sheaf of papers to her. "This is Akito-san's medical history. Basically he has a weak body, which has confined him to the indoors most of the time. He's weak in terms of health and physical fitness, so it would be helpful if you could work on any illnesses he develops and his overall well-being. Higurashi-san, may I ask what training you have had? All our family knows is that you can handle viruses."
While Hatori had been talking Kagome scanned her papers before looking back at him. "As a miko, I can handle physical injuries and most sicknesses, granted I know how they function in the body. I'm a qualified nurse with formal education as well. And please call me Kagome," she said, humor filling her eyes. "Higurashi-san is my grandfather."
"Kagome-san then." A small smile appeared on his lips, the first time she had seen them upturned. "I need to inform you about how our clan operates. What do you know about our curse from your observations?"
"I know there's an animal spirit hovering about you and Sohma Shigure-san. What puzzles me is why his is the aura of a dog while yours is a dragon."
"Ah, you're able to discern who we are in the curse." Hatori was hesitant to inform her about impact of it, but considering how he couldn't erase her memory and was bound to meet more members, she would probably piece it together for herself. "By the way, you can call us by our first names. To hear 'Sohma-san' all the time would get confusing."
She gave a nod before he continued. "The reason we have these particular spirits is because our family is cursed according to the zodiac. Thus there is one corresponding person to each animal that participated in the race. There are a few side effects to being possessed by a particular spirit, the most notable is when we hug a member of the opposite sex, we temporarily turn into our designated animal."
The doctor paused, watching Kagome for her reaction. She appeared thoughtful, seemingly focused on a spot right past his head. He inhaled when she suddenly asked, "How are cursed members chosen? I assume there are more people in the clan that are not cursed, since there is a limited number of positions."
He exhaled, surprised. "When a possessed member dies, one of the next born children in our clan take on the burden."
"I see. And who is Akito-san relative to you? Sh- he's obviously not possessed by an animal."
"Akito-san is – He is our god." This was spoken even quieter than Hatori's usual voice, a bare whisper of his and his clansmen's vulnerability. Kagome could understand that kind of burden, an unwanted bond of the most intimate part of a person. Connections of the soul or spirit were much more sensitive than any position as a clan member. Or reincarnation.
She gave a small smile of encouragement, eyes filled with understanding and the sorrow that came with it. "Thank you for sharing this with me Hatori-san," she said, her tone gentle.
Hatori took a moment to take in her empathy before replying. "It wouldn't have taken long for you to find out, given how our clan revolves around the curse and your abilities to sense it. Be careful with this knowledge though. Only the immediate family members, our closest servants, and one other person have the same level of information as you. Most of them do not know Akito-san is female either."
"I promise to hold this information with high regard." Kagome held her right fist over her heart.
"Good. I'll take you to see Akito-san." The dragon of the zodiac collected their cups, placing them in the sink before leading her to the front door. Curious about one thing, he decided to ask her a final question. "Do you really see a dragon around me?"
"Oh yes." The miko answered quite honestly. "It looks a little faint compared to Shigure-san's dog, but nevertheless present. It appears rather patient and wise, the way it's calmly regarding me."
"Mmm." Hatori turned, at a loss for words. He felt his spirit lift a little at her answer.
A/N: Hatori is much more than just a seahorse! Next up, Kagome and Akito. I was going to put that scene at the end here, but I didn't want to make you peeps wait any longer. Next chapter may take some time though as my paper due dates are approaching and finals are in April. Your thoughts on this story are appreciated! Thanks for reading.
¹I imagine the conservation to be as natural as possible, a throwback to feudal era times. These residents live old fashioned and traditional, although in better quality homes. If anyone wanted to live modern, Sesshoumaru is landlord to apartments and whatnot. Or youkai could strike it out on their own in the modern world.
²There was a mini dialogue planned to explain this but I wasn't able to fit it in. Imagine some silly youkai teens were playing in the lake and stirred up the bottom. Really well.
³Honourifics can convey a lot of the finer points of opinion and respect one has for another person. This is why I try to play with first names, last names, and the honourific following it. Akito will be Akito-san to his zodiac due to simultaneously being clan head and yet possessing an intimate bond through the curse. She will be so to Kagome because Kagome only has that level of respect for Sesshoumaru, (he is her superior) and as a miko her position is elevated anyways. Hatori called Sesshoumaru Taisho-sama 'cause I was unimaginative and made that his family name and let's admit, the daiyoukai wears regal dignity and respect at all times so it wouldn't feel right to call him anything less than –sama .