"Ma-Matte!  How did I get voted for this job again?"

Kagome sighed.  "Because no one else was stupid enough to yell right then.  It's quite simple, just get its attention, and then Inuyasha will attack it!"

". . .Fine. . ."

Miroku walked outside, into Kaede's backyard, and looked at the sky.  The question now becomes, what do I talk to myself about?  "Oh, it's quite nice out tonight.  I don't think it will rain.  I mean, if those clouds weren't here, then I would say it wasn't going to rain.  But the presence of those clouds is rather ominous, so I guess it might rain.  But I rather hope it won't.  Why, if I had someone to talk to, then I would doubtlessly tell him or her how much I hope it won't rain and how much fun one can have when it's not raining.  But, of course, I am alone. . .quite alone.  In fact, if I were to be attacked right now, I'd be very open, since I'm very busy talking to myself, and I can't be distracted from talking, because I have a duty, and-"

"Miroku!"

"Nani?"

"Shut up!"

"Demo-demo you just told me to distract whatever it was that was out front!"

". . .It was Akira.  Come inside."

"Oh."  Miroku walked back inside, and glowered at the Fire Priestess, who was sitting down calmly, with a large bowl in front of her.  She was holding a set of chopsticks, with a noodle hanging loosely out of it.  She looked at Miroku with surprise.

"What were you doing outside?"

". . .Luring away the demon that was attacking. . ."

"I see."  She slurped the noodle in her mouth.  "Well, anyway, I got it."

Biiru looked surprised.  "Really?"

She nodded, a smile coming over her face.  "Yep.  Took me all day, and Kaji had to give me a ride home.  But. . .Kaji counted it out for me, and I've definitely gotten enough to rebuild the town.  Maybe even hire a few elephants to carry Kaede around when she needs to go somewhere."  The room stared at her like she had done crazy.  "What?"

They shook their head in a gesture of giving up.  "Ok, now, Miroku, you know your way around the area."  He nodded.  "Tomorrow, I want you to go and find a place to hire people with the money and bring them here to repair the place."

". . .Why me?"

"Because.  Get some rest, you're gonna need it."

He stood up, and walked off into his room.  Megan did too, and called over her shoulder, "I'll come too.  You'll need someone to help you."

He looked at her for a moment, and then smiled.  "If you want to wake up at five in the morning to accompany me, you're welcome to do it."

She smirked.  "Demons don't need as much sleep."

Inuyasha snorted to himself.  "Of course, that only really counts if you have more that a little demon in you."

She scowled at him, and then went off into the room she shared with the rest of the girls.  She stared at the still form of Ang, who hadn't moved yet.  The moonlight was bright enough to laminate the girl's pale arm.  She frowned to herself.  Has she always been so pale?  "Ang. . .hurry up and wake up, ne?  Some of us are kinda worried. . ."

But, of course, there was no answer.  Megan sighed to herself, and laid down to sleep.  Soon, the sound of her snoring drifted around the room.  Ang slowly opened her eyes, but did not move.  She looked around.

. . .Who's worried other than Biiru?  She glanced down at her arm.  I can't go out there. . .they'd all see.  The moon makes them really easy to see, and they'd all know I had these scars.  She gulped silently at the thought.  Of course, they might not be able to tell.  She looked with annoyance at a few dark blotches on her skin, which looked like what her skin should have looked like under the moonlight.  The rest of her flesh was covered in scars, making it a few shades too light.

She closed her eyes again.  Tomorrow.  Then, I'll have a little more energy.  I'll be able to deal with all these people.  She frowned as she drifted off to sleep.  Why am I regaining my energy so slowly, anyway?

Meanwhile, an argument had ensued outside, over whether or not Inuyasha was demon enough to enjoy the benefits, and finding himself sorely outnumbered.  Akira and Biiru had teamed against him, but Kagome hadn't taken a side.  So he was left to argue things he wasn't even sure about with people who had grown up with it.

It was a pretty funny sight.

Eventually, the group drifted off to bed.  Inuyasha muttered he was going to stand guard outside, since otherwise he'd lose the whole argument, but ended up sleeping very well in his tree.  Akira was continuously yawning, although declaring she wasn't tired in the least.   Biiru finally said he wanted to be able to stay awake the next day, and they all scattered.

~*~

Miroku woke up early the next morning, and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes.  It always helped him to wake up when he stared at something, and staring at Biiru was a little too odd for him to do.  Finally, he woke himself up enough to go out and leave.

When he managed to crawl into the main room, however, Megan was already waiting for him.  He stared at her in shock.  She shrugged.  "Here's your pack.  We can eat later.  Let's go."

He nodded, and took it from here wordlessly, and then yawned.  "Fine. . .what made you want to get up this early, anyway, crazy person?"  He looked outside.  "The sun came up. . .two minutes ago.  Just a little crazy, ne?"

She shrugged.  "I said I'd come."

"Crazy."

"Lazy."

The two walked out of the hut, silently arguing if it was worse to be crazy or lazy.  Eventually, they were long gone.  That was when Inuyasha's sensitive ears-which were more awake-heard something.  He slowly opened his eyes, and turned to look inside through the window.  There was. . .well, it looked like a lump sitting on the ground.  He quietly jumped out of his tree and padded into the hut, and stared at the lump.  Finally, he walked over and poked the lump.

". . .Ow. . ."

He sat down, and rolled his eyes.  "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you that."

"Yeah, but I'm a healthy hanyou, you're a dying Priestess.  Slight difference there."  He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.  "So I guess you're feeling better, if you're up.  You were awake last night.  Why didn't you come out?"  She looked at him in surprise.  "Yeah, I knew you were awake.  Kagome pretends to sleep too often for me to not notice now.  So are you better or are you going to pretend to be asleep again later?"

"No.  I need to figure out why it is that I'm regaining energy so slowly.  Because by now I should be okay-better than okay, truthfully.  I need to ask Biiru what's wrong. . .he can get a better answer than I can.  And he knows more."

Inuyasha shrugged, and leaned back.  "Not my business."

Ang looked at him with a rather blank expression on her face, and then resumed starting at the ashes in the room.  ". . .Since when have you minded your own business?"

"Need I remind you that I am a healthy hanyou, you're a dying Priestess."

"And you realize Akira and Biiru would French-Fry you if you tried to attack me?"

"What's a French-Fry?"

"A small bloody thing that half-demons who attack Priestesses are turned into."  He stared at her incredulously.  "What?  Ok. . .it's really a small yellowish that the once was a potato before it was dropped in a vat of oil and grease and then it turned yellow.  And you eat them.  'French-Fry' is a term for 'kick your ass.'  Questions and comments go to www.idon'tcare.com."

"Dot com?"

She sighed, and looked at the ceiling.  "Some day, I'm gonna take you all to our time.  You'll have fun there, I think.  It's very different.  But it's also fun.  I think it's safer there.  Then again, you'd probably try to take out a car, so maybe it's not as safe for you as I think it would be.  But-"

"Ang?"

Inuyasha turned and looked at Biiru, but Ang didn't move.  "Hai, Biiru?"

"You're up now."

"Yeah."  A very tired tone Inuyasha hadn't heard before crept into her voice.  She seemed tired of. . .Biiru.  And he had been in the room for ten seconds.

"So you're feeling better now.  That's great!  All right, do you need anything?  Do you want something I can get you?  Like a drink, some food or something?"

"Biiru. . .just get me some water from the spring, please?"

"Sure thing.  Be back in a few minutes."

The Priest practically ran out of the room, leaving Inuyasha to stare at his retreating back in shock.  "He's like. . .your little servant.  Why don't you take advantage of it?"

"Because I don't want him to be my little servant!  I want him to be a normal person, and stop chasing me around, and doing things for me.  I just wish. . .he'd go away. . ."

Inuyasha sniffed the air, and growled at her.  "Blood."

She looked up in surprise.  "What?"

He grabbed her arm, and let his claws dig in enough to hurt a little.  "Why do I smell blood here?"

She looked down at her arm.  "Oh. . .I was considering a spell, it's habit for me to break the skin when I'm about to cast a spell.  After all. . .I'm a blood mage."