A/N: Ohayo everyone! ::bows profusely:: I'm so sorry that I haven't updated for awhile! Been busy… ::mutters angrily towards the stack of homework on her desk:: Well, I made this an 11-paged chapter to make up for it! And yes, I'm still working on chapter 27 of my other fic… It's being difficult… But seriously, to all my reviewers who are about to strangle me for procrastinating, I swear that I will post chapter 27 some time before May, if that's any consolation… -_-;; So anyway, enjoy the chapter! Please review!

My Lady Miko

~ by Four-Eyed Bookworm

Chapter 7

After about an hour, Inuyasha was getting worried. The girl still hadn't woken up. He didn't know whether she was merely sleeping, or whether or not there was something seriously wrong with her. The way she was lying there, barely moving except for the slight rise and fall of her chest, her serene figure looked kinda…dead. No! I can't think that! I know she's not dead! Not that I care anyway! He added to himself, with a soft, scornful "Feh!" added for good measure.

He was actually deeply puzzled with himself. Not only had this girl willingly saved his life once, but she'd done it again, twice (well, the second time wasn't mortally threatening, but still!), at the risk of her own health, or so it seemed. He sighed. It was confusing. She was confusing. The whole fucking situation was making him confused.

He'd rarely ever associated with women before, most of the female youkai who worked for or with Sesshoumaru – which was the only reason they'd be found in that house – held themselves to be above lowly hanyou like him. They'd either ignored him or teased him, but either way he could feel the thick waves of condescension rolling off of their bodies, and his pride wouldn't allow him to endure their incessant taunting.

So, why was this girl so different? She seemed so friendly, so accepting in the short time that he'd known her…Of course, it was probably only because she didn't know what he really was… If…well, once she found out that he was a hanyou, a lowly, miserable, disgusting half-breed, she'd probably cringe away from even touching him… (Not that he cared or anything.)

But still, whatever had induced the girl to heal him, a perfect stranger who could be a danger to her life? And twice, no less! Was she just plain stupid and naïve? …Or was it because she was…different, somehow? Inuyasha was brought out of his reverie by a soft moan from the bed. He immediately leaped to his feet and rushed to her bedside, staring anxiously at the girl for any signs of awakening. She seemed to be experiencing mild discomfort or unease, for her face was scrunched up, her brows furrowed, and she was tossing about restlessly.

A bad dream? Inuyasha thought to himself. He hesitated, then placed a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. His touch immediately took effect in calming her down, and the black-haired girl smiled faintly, before becoming still. Her eyelids fluttered once or twice, then flew open to reveal a stunning pair of depthless blue eyes that were the color of the sky on a clear, spring morning.

Kagome bolted upright when she saw him, then seemed to gain a bearing on her surroundings, for she took a deep breath and said, "Whew…That was scary. I dreamed that this old man with white hair and claws was trying to kill me…" She shuddered.

Inuyasha flinched. Had she been dreaming of him, as a hanyou? How was that even possible? Was it just a coincidence?

He shook the thoughts from his mind and said gruffly, not meeting her eye, "Feh, it was probably just a dream…You okay?"

The girl broke out into a weary smile at his concern. "Yes, I'm fine. Just tired myself out from the healing, that's all. Sorry to worry you…"

Inuyasha was about to break in and claim that he hadn't been worried, but that would have ruined the "good-boy" image he was trying to create for himself, so he merely shrugged, and forced himself to give her a casual smile.

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you, uh…" He trailed off, not knowing how to address her.

"Oh, how silly of me! We forgot to introduce ourselves! My name is Kagome. I'm pleased to meet you," she began formally, starting to move form her bed so that she could bow properly to him, as was the custom that her tutors had instructed her to follow when greeting someone politely. But as she stepped out of bed, her shaky legs would not support her, and she nearly crumpled to the floor.

Luckily, Inuyasha's quickly reflexes instinctively urged him to catch her before she fell, and his strong arms steadied her before guiding her back to sit on the edge of the bed.

Both embarrassed, they looked away from each other, awkwardly, before Inuyasha began uncertainly, "Ah…Nice to meet you, too. I'm Inuyasha. I was just wondering, what exactly did you do to my arm, to heal it, I mean?" He gestured to his arm, deciding to go along with being courteous in order to ease her suspicions.

Kagome started to explain, starting with when she first found about her miko powers, to a detailed summary of the healing process that she used to mend his broken arm, and what other effects her powers had. She didn't even think that it might not be a good idea to tell her life story to this total stranger (though she did know his name, now.)

The thought never crossed her mind to doubt that he was trustworthy, for she had always been brought up in a peaceful environment where one's words were taken for granted to be honest and true. She felt at ease around him, and though a small voice in the back of her head insisted that she didn't know a single thing about this Inuyasha who had suddenly appeared in her room, she automatically felt drawn to him, like a magnet.

Inuyasha's mind was working at a furious pace. Shit! That's why I haven't turned back into a demon! Her miko powers, or whatever they're called, have placed a seal on the demon half of my blood! She didn't know she was doing it, but I figure that's probably what those powers were intended to do…I'm lucky I'm only half-demon…If she'd tried to heal a full demon, she'd probably have burned them from the inside, out! Now what am I going to do? Sit here and hope that the magic will wear off sooner or later? What if I wait for awhile and end up never turning back?!? Or even worse, what if I turn back during the daytime, while she's watching? Would she be able to call her guards or whatever before I…killed her? If I do stay here, what do I tell her about myself? How would I explain how and why I'm up here? Damn it! This is the biggest mess I've ever gotten myself into, ever!

He wanted to tear his hair out for letting himself get into such a predicament, though it was entirely not his fault, but noticed that Kagome was waiting for him to answer a question. Having completely missed whatever her inquiry was, he stuttered foolishly, "Uh…sorry, what'd you say, again?"

The girl smiled easily, seeming not at all annoyed. "I was just asking where you came from. You know, since you know my entire life story now, I probably bored you to death, but, well, I want to know about you."

Seeing as there was no way to untangle himself from the situation, Inuyasha hesitantly began to tell his story. He edited parts of it and made up other sections along the way, trying to form a fabricated tale that would convince Kagome that he was trustworthy, as well as come up with a reasonable explanation for how and why he'd gotten into the tower.

"Um…well, you see, my father was a…pure-blooded… aristocrat… from an old, well-respected family. But when he married my mother, who was his second wife, all the other…old families rebelled against his love for a…common woman, so they killed him, and later my mother too, after I was born."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Inuyasha!" Kagome cried out, genuinely saddened by the loss of his parents. She took his hesitance as unwillingness to relive the tragedies of his past, so didn't think it suspicious that Inuyasha found it so hard to tell the story of his life. She placed a comforting hand on his arm, as if to offer her silent condolences for the orphan. Just when Inuyasha thought he'd be let off the hook for now, she asked softly, "Um…so if you don't mind telling…who do live with now?"

"My older half-brother." He answered abruptly, relieved that he didn't have to come up with another lie, but unwilling to have his mind dwell on the past unhappiness of living in his brother's house.

"Oh, well…that's nice of him, isn't it?"

"No, the only reason he does it is because that was my father's last request before he died. My brother hates me for being wha- who I am…and he constantly treats me like shit. The only reason I put up with his damned oh-I'm-so-much-better-than-you attitude is because it's the only place I can stay. All the other families think I'm below their notice, so I can barely even wander beyond the family grounds without being ridiculed…for being the son of a common woman."

"Oh…" Kagome whispered softly, a bit shocked at his sudden anger, but also pitying him for his plight. She then perked up and changed the subject, asking brightly, "So what brought you here? Come to think of it, how did you get here?"

Oh shit! What do I say now? "Ahh…well, it's rather complicated…There's been an on-going feud between all the ful- I mean, families of …noble blood, and some other group of people that I know nothing about… So they've been pretty violent the past few days…and I was on a…journey through a nearby city with the people in our household, when the other side recognized us, and started attacking us. I managed to escape by…um, climbing, you know, onto the roofs, but some of the others tried to chase me, and one knocked me off onto the ground. That's how I broke my arm, and got all my other wounds…" He finished, with an inward sigh of relief. At least he'd come up with a dependable alibi for how he'd broken his arm…though how he'd managed to get up there was certainly still going to prove to be difficult to explain.

Luckily, Inuyasha was prevented from having to explain himself any further, because a low rumble of hunger came from his stomach. He blushed, embarrassed, but Kagome's face lit up as she exclaimed brightly, "Oh! How rude of me! I forgot to ask you, are you hungry?"

"Uh…yeah."

"Would you like something to eat? I still have some leftovers from yesterday's supper. It's not much, but you can have it if you're hungry."

"Yes, I'd love some. Thanks." The boyish grin on his charming, handsome face sent a flutter through Kagome's stomach, but she merely eased herself off the bed and headed towards the kitchen. Inuyasha followed closely behind, pretending to be casual while he watched with a hawk's eyes for any sign of weakness, with arms ready to catch her if she fell again.

The young miko stopped in front of a medium sized wooden cabinet. Upon opening it, Inuyasha could see that it was an ice-box, with neat blocks of ice stacked up along the sides and the bottom. He gaped soundlessly at this new convenience. Wow, how rich could this girl be? Even his family, while not exactly "aristocratic," was wealthy enough to afford most objects of comfort. But an ice-box?!? That was reserved for royalty!

A medium-sized container was brought out from the ice-box. Kagome dumped the contents into a small pot and placed it over the fire to heat. As she stirred the leftover food, Inuyasha began to sniff appreciatively at the warming smell of Oden. It wasn't as good as Ramen, but hey, you take what you get, right?

Kagome had just transferred the steaming food onto a plate when her entire body froze at a sound. Inuyasha's human ears also picked up on it.

"Lady Kagome! Your breakfast is here!!! Shall I come and bring it up to you?" Hojo's youthful, clear voice rang through the morning air, right below the tower window.

So… cliffhanger! What will Inuyasha and Kagome do now? ^)^ You'll have to wait to find out! Okay! That's it for now! Let me get two things straight here: Kagome has miko powers, but in this AU fic, her powers are different from the one's usually described: Shooting bow, sensing Shikon shards, etc. Second thing, for those of you who think Inuyasha is being too nice, remember that he is pretending to be a human, and he needs to watch his mouth so that he can gain her trust… Okay? Bear with me here, please! All right, now, shout-outs! ^_^

js_tikiman ~ Thanks for the encouragement! Yes, I sort of realized that Kagome's life seems rather similar to Kikyou, but there are still some major differences between the two miko's that will be revealed in the future. Anyway, this is an AU fic, so it's not as if they're supposed to have similar lives… I'm glad you liked my story! ^_^ I guess I shouldn't expect that many reviews, and be happy with the ones that I receive! Arigatou!

Crystal phoenix ~ Yep! Finally, an update! Sorry if the chapter was too short… I tried to make this one longer to make up for it. Hope you like it! And by the way, I often do that as well when I'm too lazy to sign in properly… ^_~

Uncia ~ Sorry if this last update took waaayy too long! Hope you haven't given up on me and my poor fic! I'll try to write/type faster next time! Thanks! ::falls over dead from exhaustion:: -_-

ScratchesTheCat ~ Yep! You are absolutely right! I'm exceedingly grateful for your reminder that there are some people out there who do care about me. Thanks so much for reviewing! ::glomp:: I hope my explanation for Inuyasha's delayed transformation is satisfactory. Let me know if there's anything about his character that needs tweaking! Of course, he is trying to play the part of a nice, normal, polite human for once, so you can't expect to see our adorable, usual, jerk with puppy-ears for another few chapters yet. Until then, be patient, and keep reading! :D

Minako-chan ~ What is it with everyone thinking that my chapters are too short? Well, maybe they are, but I hope this one kinda makes up for it! ^-^ Inu-chan's such a softie, ne? But you know that we all love that big tough-guy act of his! lol You'll be getting some more fluff soon! Don't worry! I'll try to update as soon as I can!

Paul Powell ~ Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it! I promise to do my best with this!