Hello all, thank you for the reviews of my previous chapters and words of encouragement. I'm glad to see some of you have read TSTUWB, TIHYW and my others. (I'm also feeling a bit of guilt because ninety percent of those are not complete. Sorry...) Anywho, I hope you enjoy the chapter. This one took longer because I was in the hospital and I still don't feel too good. I had a 102.7 F fever for three days. It was no fun at all. Work is not pleased with me either ha ha.


Chapter three

Kagome knew she needed to go to class, but with the demon so badly injured and the possibility of him waking in a violent state kept her glued to the shrine and his side. She scarcely left her room, something Moshin was concerned with, but Kagome knew this way was for the best. She would find a way to make up for her studies. She had already e-mailed her professors with a random, yet emergency sounding excuse and most had been understanding, willing to give her the assignments via internet. She read a lot and studied and completed all the work she could when she didn't feel she had to keep her eyes on him, eat or what have you. Her other class would just have to wait until she felt she could go and speak to the professor herself.

He hadn't moved in four days beyond breathing in and out. He had not winced, did not make noise or any sign of pain. The dog demon had a fever that would barely break and then return viciously and his wounds were horribly infected, but at all of her scrubbing, still he did not stir.

Kagome had just gotten finished cleaning his wounds once again when she decided she needed a little air. Standing, she stretched a little and gave him one last concerned stare before quietly stepping out of her bedroom. She was so tired since she barely slept (worried he'd wake while she was unconscious) and she had hardly eaten either, so her body wasn't running on much. What she felt she needed more than either sleep or food was fresh air. The smell of his blood and the infection made her feel sick a lot, so it was better to clear her senses a little.

Snow still covered the ground outside, so they would have little to no visitors today, she was sure. That was good for Kagome considering how tired and overrun she felt. She wasn't sure she could deal with anyone trying to speak to her right now. She'd make an effort for Moshin, but other than that, not a chance. She would prefer to sleep standing up than deal with conversation.

It was so peaceful out here compared to the usual hustle of the world around. There were still people scurrying to jobs or to do some errands, and buses and cars could be heard moving about on the streets, but the cold was still tightening everyone up, making them quieter and less boisterous. It was wonderful, even if it was damn cold!

Kagome took a slow, steady breath in and released it quietly into the morning air, moving across the grounds slowly, her priestess garb a blaring red against the white on the snow. She wore this on the grounds only and only once during a festival (as she had only been to one in the years after Naraku was killed). Here was a holy place and it was only right to pay it justice by representing the grounds she stood upon. When she left for school, however, she did not wear the garb and instead looked like your average college student.

Looking back at the shrine, she caught Moshin watching her and offered him a tired smile. She knew he was concerned and that he didn't particularly like the feeling of youkai around him, but she was grateful to him and would not ignore him. If he was watching her, there was something on his mind. Going back to the entrance, Kagome took the three steps tiredly. "Good morning." She offered.

He nodded, his eyes taking in the darkness beneath her eyes and her pale countenance. He also watched as she struggled to breathe regularly just from so little motion. He finally figured out exactly what kind of miko she was, and it wasn't good. "Come inside. I have breakfast in the kitchen."

"Oh, I'm not really that-"

He took her sleeve and immediately started pulling her inside. "I will not waste so much food. Come inside."

"Now he sounds more like a nicer Sango." Kagome grumbled internally. "I'm really not hungry." She said.

"I'm sure you do not feel that way because exhaustion is taking over more of your thoughts than hunger is." Moshin closed the door behind them. "You do need food, Kagome, or you will become ill."

"Maybe needing sleep is outweighing food." Kagome tiredly observed.

"Both are necessities." He said softly. "Eat now, sleep during the day. I'll go in and check on our guest from time to time."

Kagome stayed quiet, surprised that Moshin had offered at all. In the few days that the demon lord had been in their little abode, Moshin had stayed away from that area of the house and she knew he did not like the way the shrine felt as of now. The pure, demon free air had been molested and it was forever changed.

She didn't dare say it, but Kagome took more comfort from the feeling of Inutashio's youkai energy than any of amount of purity this place could have held. Was that strange? Her body had been changed in a way that she preferred the shocking, abrasive stimulant such as demon aura as opposed to spiritual cleanliness.

It really was good that she could keep her mouth shut some of the time. Six or seven years ago, Kagome really had a problem with that. The Feudal era had taught her much in the ways of 'speak not at the wrong time'. People back then were ready to chop your head off for anything.

The kitchen had a nice aroma to it, but more importantly it was warm and Kagome was tired. Warm+tired(many sleepless nights+college homework)= DYSFUNCTIONAL HUMAN BEING WHO WANTED NAP NOW. Closing her eyes tightly, she took a deep breath and tried to focus past all of the stupidness in her brain. Not that stupidness is a word or ever was, but it accurately described her current thought process, so she liked it.

"No, this is for you." He said, motioning her to the table where food was. "I was out much earlier than you this morning."

He must have been really concerned about her to make a fresh meal solely for her consumption. Of course there was steamed rice, and miso soup (with tofu), but she was surprised to see a bit of broiled fish and tamagoyaki. She was actually impressed by the latter. Her mom couldn't even roll an omelet as compact as he had. When he cooked, she absolutely loved his food. He could have been a chef had he wanted to, but he chose the simple life of a shrine keeper instead.

"That's a lot of protein." She mentioned. Normally they had rice and miso soup. He wasn't the type to cook an overwhelming amount of things or to want more than necessary. Plus, those were the two things she was actually good at cooking and she tried to cook often.

"You have scarcely eaten. I'm sure your body could use it." He explained.

Kagome sat down slowly, noting there was also tea. "If I can't finish it all?"

"I'm sure it won't be a problem." He said, taking up some tea himself. "Once you start eating, I think you'll realize how hungry you are."

Kagome sipped the tea first, picking up the flavor of chamomile and ginseng. Her stomach was a little raw just at the invasion of the hot liquid. "Have you been able to sleep much?" Kagome wondered, giving her stomach a moment to settle.

Moshin sighed, sitting down at the table across from her. "I've managed a little bit more than you have, I'm sure."

Kagome gave him a soft, apologetic smile. "Can't get used to having a demon as a house guest?"

"A demon who appeared out of thin air, from another time entirely." Moshin added, then grew thoughtful. "Did Inuyasha ever tell you when his father died or when it was that he was born."

Kagome frowned around her rice as she chewed, thinking back. "Not really, but if I had to say... I think it was about two hundred years before I released him from the sacred tree. So if we met in 1518... I'd say 1310-1330 or so."

"So this demon must be from the Muromachi period or the very late Kamakura period." Moshin said, his brows furrowed. "How old do you think he might be?"

Kagome opened and closed her mouth, not really sure. "I-I don't know. I never learned that much about full-blooded demons. It wasn't much topic of conversation then."

"I see." Moshin said, watching her as she at some of the tamagoyaki. "You did not know much of demons, yet you trusted many?"

"I wouldn't say I had trusted many." She told him after she swallowed a decent chunk of her omelet. "I do have to say I trusted more demons than I probably did humans. I at least expected what they said to be truer than what I heard from a human and their intent was usually pretty clear, unlike most people I've known." Moshin's blue eyes were trained on her face as she looked down into her tea, her face drawn in a thoughtful frown. "Inuyasha's brother was after the sword and would kill either of us to get it, Koga wanted to make me his shard detector and then his bride, and various other demons were all 'hey, I'm going to turn you into this or that, or kill you because of whatever'. Humans were always so 'oh, please, let me help you' only to turn around and try to steal something or kill someone. It was just... I guess I lost a lot of faith in people."

"I don't think you've lost faith in humans entirely, Kagome." Moshin said, thinking back on all of the ways she had helped many people as soon as she learned any method of healing. "Maybe you've just gotten better at seeing what is unholy in them before they even show their true nature."

Kagome ate a bit more of her food and drank the rest of her tea, her mind thinking over his words, her situation and the demon in her bed. Slowly her mind focused more and more on Inutashio's injuries and his deep unconsciousness. His condition had neither worsened, nor had it improved. She was keeping him just on the cusp of survival. How could she help him along in the process without some of the remedies Inuyasha had taught her? This was not the Fedual era by any means and some of the herbs were extinct now.

As she had eaten as much of the food as possible, Kagome asked. "Moshin, is it possible for a priestess to heal a demon?"

The question did not really surprise him as Kagome had revealed much about her character in the past few days. He was accustomed to feeling like he was looking at a whole other creature now. "I have not heard of it, in all honesty. Perhaps if your energy was the same as his energy, but being two confrontational energies, I would not think so. However, recently I seem to be wrong about many things."

"I wouldn't say you've been wrong." Kagome disagreed. "I would say that you did not know before, but you are learning now. Learning is always a good thing, Moshin."

He chuckled. "Even in my old age?"

"You're only forty two, stop being a booger." She said and he laughed then, making her smile. "Thank you for breakfast, by the way."

He nodded. "Anytime, Kagome."

She yawned, feeling pretty exhausted now that she had eaten and had talked so much, not to mention thought so much. "Will you rest for a while?" He asked her, hopeful.

Kagome looked up into his eyes, thinking momentarily. "If I can." She said honestly. "But I need to redress his wounds before I try." Sighing, she stood up from the table. "I'll do the dishes first-"

"No, Kagome. I can handle a few dishes." Moshin said softly. "You go and do what you feel you need to." He silently hoped it would be sleep and nothing more. She was watching the demon, doing her school work, scarcely eating or sleeping. If she didn't rest soon, he wasn't sure she would be able to handle herself if the dog demon woke.

"Are you sure?" Kagome asked softly.

"Hai, go, go." He waved her away, picking up some of the dishes and moving to the sink. Kagome stood there quietly for a moment, not really sure she should just let him be. She was incredibly tired though and it felt like she was almost faint after eating. Not liking the feeling of her tired brain, Kagome reluctantly left him to himself and moved back to her bedroom where Tetsuiga and the unconscious demon lord still lay.

His features were still placid, concerning her. Was he comatose? It was the only thing she could think at this point. She took up her medical supplies and went to his side, pulling back the cover from over him, revealing his nearly naked body. Seeing him so unclothed did not make her flush or uncomfortable as he was gravely injured and near death. That would be a childish way to handle this situation and she was a grown woman now.

He was still bleeding enough to concern her and she wondered at the impairment of his healing abilities. What was going on inside of his demon body that was keeping him from being much better than when they found him? Something was clearly preventing his regenerative abilities, but what was it?

All of the necessary points to make connections were in front of her, she was sure, but her mind was too tired to think much right now. School work, dressing his wounds, worrying over him and the lack of sleep left her in utter exhaustion, and the comfort of a full belly was lulling her into a certain, deep slumber.

Inching away from the demon, Kagome laid down with Tetsuiga curled against her chest, the darkness taking her quickly. Her thoughts strayed and words were replaced by images, sounds and scents of a place that felt not so long ago, but was some five hundred years in the past. Her heart broke with longing, reaching out to a place she couldn't touch anymore.

Finally, thankfully, the imagery was gone and her mind let her fully rest.