~A/N: ARG *pulls out hair* my monitor is going, and I have no cash to buy a new one. So editing this chapter takes forever!! Can't edit what you can't see X_X Not only that, but every time I got to edit it, it becomes LONGER…it started at only 2000 words, and now it's almost four thousand!!! *sniffle* thank you to my few reviewers. KenshinOtaku ( there a lot of X-Os out there and there are some that are better than mine…..then there are some that are worse too), Suki1 (thank you for being loyal so far ;) love to see you comment) , wandering dragon (I'm humbled that you think I'm a good writer, I almost got misty eyed…..) I love reviews, but no one loves me. Not even my beta reader *sobs* ^_~ don't worry I'll get her back!! (Oh, look who snuck in here while I was editing. E you're forgiven, plus taking care of my minion is all I need…and I won't tell you about the conversation we had about you yesterday *whistles away* Please press that button at the bottom, I'd love to hear from you!

*~*~*~*~* this means there is a slight shift of POV (you'll see)

"It is better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand days as a lamb."

--Roman proverb

Chapter 5

***LAST TIME****

Kagome thought for a second if Sesshomaru and Hiei were related somehow, but then she dismissed the idea completely.

Seemed that was a good way to end a loop, and so she decided that she was going to turn in for the night. She bid everyone a good night and cuddled up next to Yukiro, who was snoring away at her head. She smiled as she let sleep take her.

***NOW***

The next morning the group decided to see if Kagome's powers really had improved in such a short time, or what they thought was a short time. This involved a test. Genkai's tests were similar to hand-to-hand combat.

She happy to say that she was no longer tired after she used her powers in battle and while healing others. That in itself was an accomplishment.

Kuwabara was her first opponent. His spirit sword was a formidable foe, but he lacked the discipline that she had taught herself during the time loops.

The guy had power and lots of it, and could control it but when his body was exhausted, his power gave way, and Kagome defeated him. He grumbled about not being able to 'really' hit a girl as he took his position on the sidelines by Yukiro and Genkai as Yusuke took his post on the battlefield.

*~*~*~*~*

Hiei smirked as he watched the fights. She was simply toying with all of them. He remembered how yesterday while she was training in the forest her power soared and flared. Today it was a dull hum. He expected that the large oaf would have sensed that she was holding back, but then he was a moron and rarely thought at all.

Yusuke impressed him. The boy was the only one so far that made her take a step up in her game. Still he was no match for her. He sent a blast towards her, and she created a shield to deflect it.

Hiei had to give the girl some credit. In the span of a night, she had given him what he had wanted most, and she asked for nothing in return. This caused him to be cautious of her. Then the old proverb went: never bite the hand that feeds you, this was something for Hiei to keep in mind.

The fight between the two was over. She came out victorious again. He noticed the girl had not even broken out into a sweat, and Hiei figured that pissed Yusuke off much more than getting defeated. Her last opponent was her training partner. The small demon took shape and began to spar.

He felt that the demon was lacking something, and even Hiei couldn't figure it out. However, it was a remarkable fight. Both were stepping up their game to new levels that not even the spirit detective team could attain. Hiei would never admit that piece of information to anyone.

Their battle ended in a stalemate. Kagome had her purifying powers aimed at the demon's chest and the Yukiro had a death grip on her neck. Both would kill each other. Instead, at the same time, they both lowered their potential weapons and shook hands ending the fight on a light and airy note; to the fire apparition it was sickening and frightful at the same time, but it left him in awe. Again, that was something he would never admit to anyone.

*~*~*~*~*

Kagome hugged Yukiro and told him that he did an excellent job. The small demon flashed a bright smile and Kagome laughed at him telling him that he was no modest demon. She knew he wanted to brag about that good hit he got in on her.

There was no longer proof of it though, because her body healed the injury right away and even the mark was gone. If no one had known, she had trained long and hard, one would have assumed that she was some sort of demon, or at the very least had some demon blood flowing in her veins.

They walked back to the group when Kagome heard a beeping sound. She saw Yusuke take out a small compact. Kagome thought it weird for a guy to carry around a mirror, but looking at how the guy dressed she accepted it at face value.

She was surprised to hear a woman's voice tell him that a demon has escaped and was making its way toward them. She informed them that Kurama was called to take care of it, but he said that it regenerated itself every time he sliced it. So that compact was a communication device, very interesting.

The demon sounded like either a very formidable foe, or the work of a jewel shard. She figured it was probably the latter.

At the same time, everyone turned their head towards the trees. She heard the demons of the forest cry out for her help. Not listening to the cries of the spirit detectives, she raced to help her friends.

The group followed her. The sight was horrifying. Three demons were dead lying in pieces across the forest floor. Another one was badly injured. She immediately went to the demon and healed its broken and bruised body. The other demons hid in the shadows, but stayed close to Kagome and Yukiro. The demons were whispering to Kagome pleading with her to save them.

She knew on thing for sure: whatever this demon was, it was powerful. The ground beneath her started to shake. She felt jewel shards.

The feeling was so intense she could pinpoint where they were without even seeing the demon. She didn't know how, but she knew the creature possessed five shards.

A demon with one shard was hard to beat, but a demon with five was close to impossible. Kagome stood firm, ready for the demon to emerge. Yusuke told her to stay back, that while she was looking for shards, they were trained to take out the demons.

Kagome rolled her eyes and was about to protest when Yusuke pushed her hard into a tree. She was infuriated, not to mention now in pain. So she decided to watch as the trio fight off the worm demon that kept regenerating, and slamming into them with its massive power. It was hard for her not to laugh at them sadistically; after all, they were getting hurt for nothing. This was her job, not theirs.

She heard the forest demons whisper to her to stand back and watch them fight. She nodded in agreement. She noticed that the shards where all nicely aligned in the worm's body. This meant that someone placed them there, and that was interesting. She was so caught up in the fight that she failed to notice that another demon showed up. He was all beaten up and bruised.

She heard Yusuke call him Kurama. So this was the last member of the group. She continued to watch, and she was becoming disgusted at how the worm demon was simply toying with them. She needed to end it, she was growing bored, and not to mention she'd be healing all of them shortly.

She called out to Yusuke. He told her to back off. She warned him that he would not be able to defeat it. He called her crazy, and she felt his power flair. She called out to him and asked if he would make a bet. That got his attention. She bet him fifty bucks that she could take down the demon with one blast.

To everyone there, the task seemed impossible, and Kagome was going to be out fifty bucks. So what did any respected gambler do? Yusuke took the bet of course.

Everyone stood back as Kagome made her way towards the demon. The worm roared as it sensed more jewel shards. Despite its large body mass, it was fast. It slithered its way towards her. Kagome closed her eyes and chanted a spell the demons of the forest told her. Five slivers of miko power protruded from her fingers. She opened her eyes and the worm was almost upon her. The slivers flew from her fingers and found the jewel shards on its body. She saw the worm's body contort in pain as the slivers pierced his body.

As the worm howled its pain, Kagome started to walk away. She told everyone to hide behind a tree. While everyone was finding cover, Yusuke was yelling at her, telling her that she never defeated the demon. Kagome smirked at him and said the key word to ending the battle. "Ignite."

The worm's body glowed bright pink before its body pieces were blown up into little tiny worm chunks, and thrown all over the battlefield. More importantly, some of the worm's pieces flew onto Yusuke. She had warned him, and it wasn't her fault if the guy didn't listen. Satisfied with her work, she walked over and started to move some pieces around to find the jewel shards. The detectives looked at her with awe.

"Yusuke remember when I told you I collected shards?" She asked him a-matter-of-fact tone. "Did I also fail to mention that they were usually inside a demon?" Seeing his reaction, she started to laugh, "Oh by the way, I believe you owe me some money." Kagome picked up a shard and purified it before looking for the rest. Yusuke grumbled about how no one ever tells the full story, and Kagome laughed at him even more. It was priceless to see him wipe off orange substance from his face and clothes.

The new edition to the group was about to pick up a shard, but she warned him that picking up a tainted shard would corrupt him. She told him that the worm demon was coming after her because she had more shards. Kagome calmly asked them if they could smell the malice and miasma that resonated from it. They all nodded their heads. She picked up the shard and it purified at her touch.

They all gasped as if she was Houdini or something. She just kept fishing for more shards when Kuwabara told the group that he felt that evil was still here. Yusuke dismissed it as the demons that resided in the forest, but Kagome told everyone that Kuwabara was right. That remark earned a scoff from Hiei, and a snort from Yusuke.

The worm demon was slowing pulling itself back together. She didn't stop while she was finding the shards. She picked up the last one and purified it. The guts and pieces of the worm all turned to dust and started to scatter on the four winds.

The evil presence was gone. Kagome told everyone to go back and she would make sure that their injuries were not life threatening after she took care of her friends first.

She watched them all leave the forest reluctantly, until Hiei told them to mind their own business. This caused Kagome to smile. She found Yukiro sitting next to the forest demons. They all thanked her for her help. She felt bad because three of her friends were dead and all because she was not there fast enough. They told her not to worry, and that they had a special gift for her since she was leaving tomorrow.

Kagome wanted to ask what it was, but before she could they all surrounded Yukiro and started to glow. They started to chant in a dialect and language that was lost to the winds long ago. She was afraid to avert her eyes. If she did, she would miss everything. The forest demons merged with Yukiro, she felt his power increase, and then, as it started, the blinding light was gone.

All of the demons that she had come to like respect and call friends were gone. Only Yukiro and herself were left in the forest. The small time demon opened his eyes and told her that they passed their powers on to him, so that they could forever be by her side.

Kagome was so touched by this she cried. The small demon took a humanoid form and comforted her. She knew that no matter where or when they were, they would be close by. That large token of loyalty and friendship was not lost to her.

They emerged from the forest and Yukiro took his natural form and perched himself on her shoulder. She went inside and examined the group. Kuwabara's energy was depleted. He had no broken bones, which was a good thing, but meant that he really was a blockhead. He fell asleep as soon as she told him that he needed some rest.

Yusuke, on the other hand, had a few broken ribs. Kagome repaired them and told him that he could pay her after he woke up. Averting the money issue, he protested that he was fine. Despite his protests, she chanted a sleeping spell that Kaede taught her, and with a push back down onto his bed; he was fast asleep, snoring almost as loudly as Kuwabara. Two down two to go.

Hiei was unharmed, and he took to the trees as soon as Kagome gave him a clean bill of health. She smiled at him, and warned him that the trees would not be far enough away to escape the snoring of the pair, and suggested that he go and spend it somewhere else. Hiei gave a nod of understand and left.

And then there was one. The newest member was in the worst shape out of all of them. She warned him that she would have to reset his broken arm. He nodded, and not having the most modern of medicine at her disposal, she grabbed a thick branch and told him to use it was a bite.

Once he bit down on the stick, she reset his arm. He let out what sounded like a snarl and a howl. Kagome kept apologizing that she knew it hurt, but she was making it better. She carefully used her power to heal the arm and not purify him. She was done for a few seconds and sat back. He was still snarling, and she told him to stop and act his demon age since the pain was gone.

*~*~*~*~*

Kurama blinked and realized that he felt no pain. He moved his arm and found it to be indeed healed. There was no mark that proved that it was broken in the first place. He tried to move, but unlike his arm, the rest of his body was in great pain. He thought that his injuries would put him out of commission for a long time. He could use a vacation, but not like this. He usually liked not to be in pain when he was lounging around. However, this girl had healed him in a matter of seconds. It was fascinating. She looked exhausted, and yet she still tended to his wounds instead of looking after herself. She was an enigma.

He wanted to ask her something, anything, but he hardly had the strength to keep even his eyes open. There was no way in hell he was going to miss watching her. His body might have through the wringer, but his mind was alert. His head was swimming with questions; questions that he wanted answers to. He cursed himself for not having the strength he wanted.

He saw her face start to frown as she examined a large gash on his legs. She placed her finger on her chin and contemplated something until her eyes lit up and she dashed off. He was wondering where she went, but before he could conclude that she had abandoned him she returned with a medical kit.

She pulled out a few leaves and placed them on top of his cuts. He hissed in pain, but she explained that this would draw out the poison from his body. He was impressed; he was only now feeling the effects of a poison flowing in his veins.

Here he was, a fox demon that could conjure and manipulate plants, and she already had the ones she needed at her disposal. Not only that but she knew he was poisoned before his demon side could try to fight back.

It was puzzling how a human could detect the flow of poison even before his fox spirit. More of an enigma and he didn't really like it. More questions and still no answers.

She got up and left again. This time she retuned sooner, and with a basin full of water and a handful of cloths. She dipped the first one in the water and placed it over his forehead. The cool water chilled his body. Now that the poison was taking affect, he was beginning to run high with fever. He cursed himself as he fell asleep soon after that.

*~*~*~*~*

Kagome sighed. He had finally succumbed to sleep. She was hoping that his demon half would really help her out here. She got the wet towel ready for when the poison would start to seep from his wounds. She learnt how to tend to poison wounds from Miroku. She worried about him, about them all. For her, it has been a long time, but for them, it was merely a few weeks.

Kagome wiped up the yellow secretion as it was drawn to the plant. She knew that the poison would burn the skin if it was not mopped up quickly. How did she know? The poison reminded her of the wasps that kept poisoning Miroku. She figured that if the evil around the shard reminded her of Naraku, then the venom was close, if not the same as the wasps. It was only a theory, but it was proven correct.

It seemed there was no rest for the weary. She kept telling herself that she would be able to sleep after she had tended to him.

An hour later, he was out of the woods. The poison had officially left his body. She could now repair the rest of the damage that the worm demon caused. She had just finished healing the last of his major bruises when he started to thrash around.

Quickly she was at his side. She removed the cloth from his forehead and smoothed away the stray hairs that were matted onto his head. That's when she noticed that his hair was starting to change colour. She didn't know what that meant, but her gut instinct told her to be on guard.

Kagome made a comforting cooing noise, and his thrashing seemed to stop. He opened his eyes, and Kagome was shocked. They were golden. So this must be the demon that resides inside of him. She looked into his eyes and smiled.

She told him that the poison was gone, and that there were no broken bones; while the only thing that he had to heal was a few minor bruises. She saw him nod in response. She saw that the roots of his hair were turning white. She reached out and touched it. She knew that despite how badly injured the body was, the demon was still trying to get out. Kagome shook her head and told the demon to let the body rest. While the spirit is virtually indestructible, the body however, is not.

Still the demon was trying to get out. She didn't know what to do short of purifying him. He grabbed a hold of her hand and squeezed it. It wasn't hard; it was more of a thank you gesture. She smiled and squeezed back. He let go and she bent forward and smoothed away his hair. She went to go and place a kiss on his forehead, but he turned his face towards her and somehow got her smack on the lips. The kiss itself was a compulsive act, something she would do to Shippo or Yukiro to sooth away their pain and unease.

At first, she was shocked, but she quickly broke it off. "Now go to sleep demon, and let both your spirit and body recover." Her voice held a bit of authority. "Besides, a naughty demon no longer gets a personal nurse. I'm going to sleep. You are safe, so just sleep it off." She made to get up, but he was faster and grabbed onto her wrist.

"Name … Youko." His voice strained.

Kagome smiled, "Then good night Youko. Pleasant dreams."

He let go of her wrists and fell asleep smiling. "I intend to do just that," except it came out more like a muffled slur.

Kagome stood back and watched as his white roots once again became red. Now she too could pass out and submit to the dream space. She inwardly groaned when she heard the same beeping sound that she had heard earlier today. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was Saturday by a whole four hours. She groaned, picked up the communicator, and opened it.

A/N: And there you have another chapter. Please Review and I'll see you all next time. Haha! No, no sleep for the weary. Poor Kagome, she'd probably drop dead soon of exhaustion. So keep watching for the next update ^_^