Chapter One

"As he prepared to ride on, he chuckled at the thought of the wolf entering the sheepfold. He would not ride with fire and destruction. The shepherd did not frighten his own pretty lambs."

― Conn Iggulden, Khan: Empire of Silver

Looking at the little slip of paper in her hands, Kagome double-checked the address. It matched, but she was pretty sure Gramps wrote it down wrong; 684 Concord Rd. The place… it was beautiful, but it also looked like it was barely standing. From where she stood, all she saw was endless chipped white paint and a few rooms that appeared to be leaning. Leaning is not a good sign when it comes to a house. She was sure she never wanted to go higher than the first floor.

Cell phone in hand, Kagome planned to call home and have Gramps tell her the address again. But as she woke up her screen, it told her point-blank, a phone call wasn't going to happen. She couldn't even text; there wasn't a single bar out here. It wasn't like this was the middle of nowhere. A little off the beaten path -sure- but she could still see the back of a Seven-Eleven from where she stood by the mailbox. And the neighbor was pretty close; their front windows looked right into the front yard of this monster house.

Careful as she stepped, Kagome traversed the wrap-around porch, testing her luck with the doorbell. There wasn't a sound around the place, a few birds calling but no traffic or air noise. So she leaned into the door as she pressed the ancient button and heard nothing.

"Of course, it doesn't work. Does this place even have electricity?" She muttered to herself.

The last thing she wanted was to step on a rotted plank and break her ankle or just get stuck outside the house that no one was home in. But she still wandered around, peeking in foggy windows for signs of life. It took Kagome around to a room made of glass which blocked her from going any further on this route. Squinting, she could see through the sunroom to the other side where the veranda continued. Her plan was, jump over the mud puddles and continue her search via the porch, but the door she leaned on popped open.

The air wasn't stale like she expected. Probably due to leaky windows in the house of glass. The brown tile was dark and dingy looking, but the antique blue walls brightened the place significantly -as well as the bright white edgings. Well...they used to be bright white, now they were closer to off-white. But they still stood out in the dark house.

Kagome made it to what looked like a game room, a pool table covered with a dusty cloth. There were still no signs of life in the place, and she was starting to get worried she was committing a crime. "Hello?"

Her voice bounced off the walls. There was scarcely any furniture. All that was there could easily have been left behind by whoever lived there last. It certainly couldn't be taken as proof of life.

"Hi there."

The squeak she released bounced even harder off the walls, vibrating in her ears as she burned with embarrassment. The man that had called out to her stood still at the bottom of a set of stairs. A good foot away from her, he had his hands folded before him and a slight grin on his face. He was tall, black hair that matched hers in color and broad shoulders. Good looking for sure; she only felt less at ease with that knowledge, though. Good-looking people intimidated her; she hadn't had very many good experiences with them.

"Um… Hi…"

"You must be the girl that was hired to… help?"

She looked around with him, the strange man referencing the mess that was the entire structure. "UH… yes? I mean, I think so?"

"Kagome then?" He asked, holding out a hand to lead him towards her.

Stepping up as well, she put out her hand and received his. "Yes, that's me."

"Welcome, Kagome. Miroku. Nice to meet you."

"Ye.. yeah… so… what is it I'm… expected to do here?" Her voice shook as she asked because it started to feel as if she would be expected to do dubious things. And she wasn't sure if her college funds were worth it.

Miroku chuckled, releasing her hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Uh… well. Nothing you're not comfortable with…." Oh god, it was just as she feared! "Just… do whatever you can to clean the place up…."

"I'M NOT COMFORTABLE!" She screamed on top of his last words. "Oh, wait, did you say clean?"

Now he outright laughed at her. "I get it; asking a young and beautiful girl to come all the way out here to this dump. I can assure you; you are safe here. However, the place is in serious need of… love. Can you manage that?"

Taking her eyes off the decent and friendly Miroku, Kagome looked around at the place once again. It was beautiful if you looked past the dirt and age. "Yes… I can do that."

And she really meant it too.

oOo

The sun was her only light, but it was a bright and sunny day -thankfully. She didn't want to know what this place was like when it rained.

Braided and coiled around her head, she covered her hair with a bright red bandana to keep it safe from any dirt or bugs. Unfortunately, she had seen a lot of bugs. They were coming out of the woodwork -literally- as she moved and cleaned the area.

The only place she had done any work in was the massive game room because it had the most natural light. She still wasn't sure if the place had any electricity.

With a bucket of soapy water and a large scrub brush, she was on her hands and knees working on a stain in the middle of the tile floor. She had her earbuds in and her music on high; Kagome couldn't even hear herself as she sang her heart out. It helped with the lonely and eerie feelings she got being alone in the grand and empty house all day long.

For two weeks now, it had been the same. Class and work on this house. She spent weekends here working as well; hence, on Saturday morning, she was getting her knees wet scrubbing instead of watching cartoons with a bowl of cereal.

The advisor at the financial office had been straightforward; if Kagome wanted to continue, she would have to come up with the money fast or get kicked out of school. All of her years of hard work would have been wasted. What choice did she have? Her family didn't have the money; that was the whole point of the scholarship she was granted. It wasn't her fault the company sponsoring it went bankrupt, which was the only reason she was given a month to come up with the money by other means: that, and her ugly sobbing face.

She could feel her stomach growling but not hear it, slowly getting to her feet since her knees and legs had frozen to their crouched position. Usually, she ate before she came and packed food, but today Kagome had been late and lazy.

Was it okay for her to leave? There was never anyone around for her to ask. She wasn't even sure who she was fixing this house up for? Was it going to be sold once she finished? With it just her working when she could, it was going to take years.

Her stomach growled again, but she still didn't feel right just leaving without a word or permission. Leaving her spot and her headphones in, she wandered around. Since her first day there, she still hadn't seen all of the house. It was just too big and intimidating. Now with her shield on (her music), it wasn't as scary.

A long hallway with a set of tall stairs in the middle was dark but manageable. She wasn't stumbling as she had in a few rooms in the house. So dark and cluttered, she nearly broke something, and she didn't just mean a lamp.

The stairs gave her a bad vibe, though; dark and ominous. So she skipped by them, picking up her pace and sneaking by them like a child. Of course, no one was around to see her act this way, so what did it matter?

A light at the end of the… hallway, she found herself in a small kitchen. Odd; such a large home you would think it would have a larger kitchen? It wasn't the space that was small; it was the setup, really. There was little to work with. But there was a fridge and an oven, both the newest-looking items in the whole house.

Tiptoeing to the fridge, she readied herself for what might lay inside. There was no telling what condition the insides were or what was left inside to rot. Taking a deep breath to hold, she wrenched the door open only to find a clean and working fridge. With the light on and the cool air hitting her feet, she looked at a fully stocked fridge. Had someone done this for her?

Taking a chance, she looked at the 'closet' in the room. It was -in fact- a fully stocked pantry. So all this time, she'd been brown-bagging it here when Kagome could have been eating like a Queen?

A little more digging and she had a pot, knife, and cutting board. The pantry had many canned soups, but she was never a fan; Kagome opted to make her mother's chicken and dumplings soup instead. Frozen chicken breast in the freezer, she thawed it in boiling water, making her stock simultaneously. There wasn't any stock in the fridge. It looked more like they expected her to make sandwiches and eat boxed/canned goods. She didn't know what to think of the tiny bag of flour she found at the bottom of the pantry, but she was thankful, using some of it to make her dumplings.

There wasn't much by means of cookware either, but she found a deep enough saucepan and looked brand new. Chopped, boiled, and now simmering, Kagome danced and sang while she watched her soup cook. It wasn't perfect when all was finished, but it was pretty good for what she had to work with.

She took her bowl back to the game room, sitting as close to the wall of windows as she could, and took in the backyard. There was a set of stairs on one side of the hill that led down the small incline to a river. And on the other side… she was pretty sure it was supposed to be a pool at some point, a concrete hole half-filled with dirt and surrounded by trash.

That was going to be interesting for her to clean.

Maybe she could rent a machine to do that? Whatever, that would be for much, much later. As it was, it was too cold to even think about a pool.

Her bowl empty and her belly full, she returned to the kitchen and cleaned up her mess, looking at the steaming pot still very full. "Shoot," she said to herself. So used to cooking for four, she made too much. Oh well, she would be there tomorrow and the next day and so on.

Putting the leftovers in the fridge, she now had one less thing to worry about tomorrow at least. The sun was getting low when she finished scrubbing; the floor now gleaming. Instead of a dingy brown, the tiles were now a light tan. Still not what she'd pick, but they looked better.

Using the back of her hand, she wiped the sweat off her forehead, her music still blaring until it turned into her ringtone. Now she was stressed again, spying the number on the display before answering. "Hello?"

"Ms. Kagome Higurashi?"

"That's me."

"This is NorthEast County General. We've admitted your mother for…."

"I'm coming!"

Kagome didn't even wait for the rest; she already knew what they were going to say. Leaving the bucket of murky water and sponge on the floor, she slipped out of the room in her haste, slamming the front door behind her.

oOo

It was a scene Kagome had seen so many times now, but she was sure she would never get used to it. Her mother, pale and thin, lying on a small hospital bed with tubes coming in and out of her. Grampa, pensive at her side and Souta weary next to him. When she entered, the latter jumped to his feet, the pre-teen needing the hug he gave her more than she did.

"What is it this time?" She asked, full of concern.

"Another respiratory infection," Grampa answered point-blank.

Great. Another one. Just what mom's immune system needed. It also meant several weeks in the hospital, and they were still working to pay off the last time mom was sick and hospitalized. Souta took the large and heavy bag Kagome had with her, digging through it on instinct while she took a seat.

Souta pulled out the blanket Kagome brought when she stopped at home for things her mother would need, knowing it would be another long stint in a bed that wasn't hers.

"These hospital blankets aren't shit here." Both Kagome and Grampa glared at the boy for his language. "Sorry."

They sat in silence after that, time ticking by with the heart monitor in the room. Souta started to drift off in his chair. "You guys should go. I will stay with her."

It was a fight they'd had so many times now; the two didn't even fuss for once. Rising, they passed her with hugs and kisses before leaving her to watch. She could watch at night; during the day with her classes and work, it was the only time she had. Grampa would watch during the day, and Souta would come after school to relieve him. All so she could come right after work and stay the night. It worked so well; they had no means to argue about it. Even if it left her exhausted, it was the price she would gladly pay, so her mom was never alone.

oOo

It was gone. All damn day, she'd been looking forward to the soup she made yesterday, and it was gone?! Did someone come behind her and toss it? How wasteful! It wasn't perfect, but it was delicious!

"Ug, whatever." She growled at the air. Even she couldn't hear herself say it, headphones blocking out all other sounds. She would just have to make something else, no big deal. How many times had Souta eaten her leftovers when she turned her back? Too many times to count! This wasn't the end of the world. Even though she was so tired, she worried she'd cut her finger off. Maybe something that didn't require cutting?

The pantry had a box of noodles and cans of tomato sauce. The sauce was just plain tomato puree, lacking even salt. But Kagome preferred it that way, spicing it how she pleased.

To her surprise, the spice rack next to the range top was well stocked. It even had white pepper, her favorite. Oddly, there was even some brown sugar next to the flour. It was as if someone randomly bought things, not sure what she (or whomever this food was meant for) would like. But, it worked well for Kagome; growing up as the cook in the house she had to learn many little 'tricks of the trade', which included adding a little brown sugar to your marinara to cut down on the acidity of the tomatoes.

It had a nice kick to it with the white pepper, heating your bones as it went down. It was just what she needed; Kagome felt cold since she slept in the chair next to her mother last night. She slurped up her noodles, coating her lips in dark red sauce only to laugh at herself when it got on her nose.

Washed and straightened (the inevitable leftovers stored), Kagome went back to work on her task for the day: windows. Kagome had decided that the problem with this place was the lack of light in it. And the dirt coating windows were the cause.

Bucket of suds in one hand and a dripping rag in the other, she moved on to her third room for the day. Her theory was working; the rooms were surprisingly less gloomy once all the windows were clean. Of course, it would be better once she cleaned them from the outside, but she did NOT want to be outside with water all over her this time of year.

The room she tackled now was the first one with… stuff in it. All the others were empty. This one had an old sofa that had visible dust coating it. It sat across from an old box stove. Most of the light came from the two glass doors on either side of the chimney (light from the hall). But there was a small pop out of windows behind the couch. It blocked her from them and the window seat between the four panes surrounding the enclave—that and the off-white curtains that were stained from age.

It was a struggle, moving the oversized couch out of her way, and she was sure she scratched the floor while she was at it. Someone was going to be pissed, but she had to keep going. The pillow on the window seat was just as bad as the couch, so she pulled it off and tossed it on the floor. Now it wouldn't get wet along with her.

Standing up on the bench of the window seat, Kagome scrubbed the dirt off all the windows. Light leaked through more with each layer of grime she removed. Her voice bounced off the glass before her as she belted out and, as her reflection became more clear, she could see her hips shake. And then she could see something else.

It looked white, and when she scrubbed more, there was black underneath. And it moved.

Her gasp hit empty air as she spun because, whatever it was, it was gone by the time she faced it. Now it felt extra chilly inside the house as if someone opened a door and ran out into the frosty afternoon air.

oOo

She was dragging, and she knew it. But why not have her friends point it out to her in case she missed it?

"Kagome, are you alright?" Eri asked, her tone laced with concern. "Are you not sleeping again?"

The three surrounded her as they walked. Never had she ever told them of the struggles she faced outside the University walls. The last thing she needed was pity or to be looked down on. Being the scholarship kid was more than enough.

Yuka huffed, "I could hear you snoring in Dr. Yukza's lecture."

Had she fallen asleep? That would explain her lack of notes. But sleeping hunched over in a chair wasn't the best of positions. "I've just been...working late. My new job requires a lot of time and effort."

Not really a lie.

"Dedication is a great trait to have, Kagome!" Ayumi beamed.

The other two just hung their heads, but Kagome was glad to have the continued support even if misgiven. "Thank you. I won't give up!"

She couldn't give up because now she had the added strain of medical bills coming her way. Before, she was only working to pay those off, but now she was paying for her college education in full. And a medical degree was costly. Frankly, if she weren't in her second year of Med school, she would just give in. But so much time and money had already been spent; Kagome couldn't cave now.

Picking up where she left off, Kagome grabbed the cushions off the couch from the one room with furniture and made for the door. Hitting them as hard as she could, a cloud of dust billowed out of them. Luckily, she had the forethought to wrap her bandana around her face instead of her head before attempting this. Otherwise, she'd be just as choked up as the person behind her was.

Dropping the pillows, she turned on her heel, grabbing her heart to help it calm as Miroku swatted the air in front of his face before her. "Working..(cough, cough)... hard?"

"Um.. yeah… sorry about the dust…."

Her voice was muffled, forgetting her mask and tugging it swiftly off. "No worries… what are you doing here? I thought you didn't work Tuesdays?"

Uh oh, she probably should have cleared this first. "I don't… but I need the money. I'm sorry I should have called or… something."

"Not sure how. You don't have my number do you?" He laughed at the flush on her face. "It's my fault; I should have had the forethought. I suppose it's fine as long as you don't mind that I'm here as well?"

"Oh no, of course, it's your house! And the company would be… nice. Is… no one living here?"

He smirked, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I don't know," she shrugged, looking at her feet, "I just… thought I saw someone? And there's food in the kitchen too…."

"Ah yes, you've been using that food, right?" She nodded, flushing more at her brazen use of the facility. "Anything missing? Something you'd like to make, maybe?"

So the food was for her. How strange he didn't mention that before as well. There were a lot of things odd about this place. Like how no one was there to watch her and make sure she did as expected or kept her promised work schedule. Guess her results spoke for her?

"Um… is there anything you'd like?" She asked, assuming it was him that ate her leftovers.

He looked pensive for a moment, then grinned. "I'll have to get back to you. I must be off; I have work to do upstairs."

Alone again, she sighed heavily in relief. Kagome wasn't sure she had the strength or the nerve to climb those stairs. They still looked precarious to her, as did the entire structure. The last thing she wanted was to be on the top floor, and a stiff breeze knocks the whole place over.

Time went by unnoticed until the sun began to set, which was why Kagome was surprised when Miroku met her at the bottom of the stairs. He was waiting for her to leave. "You're off then?"

"Um… yeah. Be back tomorrow. I left some baked chicken and mashed potatoes if you're hungry?"

Miroku smirked again, a reoccurring tendency of his that made him look devious. "That is kind of you. And if I could be so bold?"

"You thought of what you'd like me to make?"

"Cookies. Chocolate chip."

She giggled, "Funny; I thought you'd say ramen. There's a lot of instant ramen in that pantry. You should try homemade, though."

"Oh? Well, maybe tomorrow then?"

She was pretty sure she just agreed to make ramen and chocolate chip cookies. How old was Miroku anyway? He ate like a kid or starving college student!