Beast

by Ikustioa

A modern take on an old French fairy tale: Kagome's dad repays some supernatural hospitality the wrong way, and...you know the rest. Or do you?

37. Piecing Together, Part One

Disclaimer: Inuyasha's not mine. I'm getting sick of writing these…

A/N: This isn't a fic—it's a monster! But you've probably figured that out already. :'D Fun fun.

Many thanks and apologies to everyone who was patient. (If you weren't, you know who you are.) Much as I'd love to not be in college, maid-of-honoring in my best friend's wedding, and…well, can't lie, but much as I do like having a new job, I'm afraid I am a wee busy with Reality. I'll try to get the rest of this out a little quicker, but no promises.

Cookies to Elven Kagome and Dazed for catching the lyrics (I'm sure more of you recognized Phantom, but ye who speak up get mentioned), and to several people who got…something else soon to be revealed, i.e. Shamanic Destiny, Red RoseDragon – very subtle ;) – LitEBulBsRbRyT, JaneDrew, The Copper Rose, everstar on AIM, and whoever else figured it out but didn't bring it to my attention. Of course, on ff dot net, there will never ever be any lyrics mentioned here ever again, because doing so would be cause for the untimely paralysis of my account's back legs, and then it'd have problems going to the bathroom. We don't want that, now do we?

And the record should reflect that any anime, manga or songs I mention here are screened for anachronism, as this story takes place in mid 2004; Naruto, Fruits Basket and Fullmetal Alchemist – at least the manga – were all definitely out by that point, some for several years, and Wicked was released in December of '03. Trust me, I've made several mistakes that I know of, but those weren't among them. (As always, if someone can offer proof that I've screwed up, I'm a-listenin'.)

Thanks for the con crit, Mistress Storm Crow; I've been meaning to ramble about one point you brought up for a while now, actually. Sorry to everyone who already knows more about Japanese than I do: feel free to skip the next paragraphs. (If you're feeling lazy either way, go ahead. Don't feel bad. I'd probably skip ahead, too. :D)

I'm not an expert by any stretch imaginable, but for those of you who can't pretend you know stuff like liars such as myself, I do know that slang is one of the biggest sticking points about translation in 'most any language, and Japanese in particular has several quirks, like sentence structure (characters can trail off without giving a verb, for example) and levels of politeness, that are insanely difficult to convey in English without sounding stilted, stiff or just plain weird. In other words, you can write Japanese-spoken dialogue as English and put it any number of ways, which gives demented persons like me a bit of leeway in dialogue, idioms, etc.; if I have a choice between giving a Japanese pun and stopping to explain or including a note at the end of the story, forcing you to either move on without getting it or stop and scroll down – both of which annoy me immensely as a reader, dunno about y'all – or fudging by including a morsel or two of English wordplay, I'm going to take the latter and flagellate myself before I go to bed in ritual Japanese-student penance.

As for my usage being different from the official anime and manga translation, well, even those two don't necessarily match up—I thought having the manga villagers and manga Jaken speak in brogue was silly, and they didn't do so in the dub of the anime, either, which in my opinion uses far too many puns and irritating slang words anyway. ("Hipster with the chicklets." …It burns, precious…) I do admit to mixing and matching styles, like 'this Sesshoumaru' and a couple of weird Viz bits, i.e. Kaede's 'ye' and 'Tetsusaiga' versus the correct 'Tessaiga,' but I'm learning, and I know which ones I'm never ever using again once I'm done with this fic. ;) Very good point. Thanks again.

Now, where was I…? Oh. Story. Right. Well, here y'go, then.

---

Beast

Chapter 37

As the night wore on and serious topics threatened to overwhelm the layer of Inuyasha's brain not attuned to their environment – when had he lost the ability to not think at all? – he found himself taking refuge in increasingly stupid contemplation. Rock bottom came soon after dawn, when he found himself reasoning, But if I get that collar off her before she wakes up, she might not notice for a while, and I can just say she threw it away while she was drunk or something—

A faint sound: wood scraped wood harshly as the shoji was slowly, clumsily edged away from its frame, a breathy rattle of something brushing against rice paper.

"Who's there?" Instantly refocused on the warm darkness, Inuyasha strained his ears in vain for breathing or other telltale noises outside. No footsteps had padded up or down the hall for several minutes now, and those had belonged to servants up before dawn, few of whom usually came by this early lest they somehow disturb Kagome-sama's rest. If something had thought to catch Kagome alone and off guard, a warning might get rid of it without risking a close-quarters fight.

His hackles rose, muscles tensed further as the shoji shuddered more insistently, and a curl of something silently wedged itself between the wall and the screen's edge. "Last warning, you fucking bastard."

No response. The thing paused. Inuyasha deftly untangled himself from the sleeping girl, loosened Tetsusaiga with a flick of his thumb and crouched on the edge of the bed. Wasn't kidding when it said it was coming soon…

The pale blob peeping through the crack – his eyes could detect movement in the dark, but not color – moved upward. It stopped again.

Suddenly the shoji was roughly yanked open. Inuyasha whipped the sword out and braced to meet their new attacker as its head popped into the room—with a satisfied "Mraow."

A moment of frozen silence. Buyo yawned with another, more cross meow, and Inuyasha was hard pressed to relax instead of throwing Tetsusaiga at the cat as he wriggled his front legs through the shoji. "You stupid—"

"Mraow." Inuyasha growled, not at the loud interruption so much as the smug expression on Buyo's fat face. The calico squeezed his sizable backside through the crack, followed closely by four squeaking balls of fur, and began strolling across the room as if everything was perfectly fine.

Shit! "Stupid damn…"

Kagome turned over in her sleep to face him, forcing his voice down several decibels. "…cat. Next time, I'm just gonna skewer you first. Or throw you in the river, then kill you." With a backward glance to make sure the girl hadn't woken up, Inuyasha sank back onto the bed, letting one leg hang over the side as he slammed Tetsusaiga partly into its sheath. "And how the hell did you get that thing open, anyway?"

Buyo blinked contentedly, dropping to his chunky haunches with a loud, nasal purr.

Dammit. "Fine. Just don't bug Kagome, you got that?"

Inuyasha had no time to contemplate the folly of lecturing a feline, as one of the tabbies suddenly decided to charge the bed, leaping clumsily at Inuyasha's dangling foot and catching itself on the blanket as it missed. "Quit it, or—"

He bit the words off as Kagome made a sleepy noise, moving over again to face the wall. The hanyou sheathed Tetsusaiga fully, stepped pointedly over the cats and stalked over to the shoji, closing it softly. I swear I'm gonna get rid of that damn cat somehow one of these days. He listened to the hall again for good measure, turning back with a grunted sigh. Almost gave me a heart attack and woke her up. He's just lucky Kagome would rip me a new one for it, or I really would "OI!"

Buyo was already in Inuyasha's spot, sprawled out on his back with his eyes half closed, and the tabby had nearly scaled the blanket hanging over the side, her fellows close behind. "You little—!"

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, turning her head to cough. She blinked, swallowing thickly as the calico kitten climbed over the tabby, toddled onto Kagome's leg and began kneading her bare skin with needlelike claws. Inuyasha shoved Buyo aside to sit beside her, depositing the irate tabby on the floor for good measure as Kagome tried to cough in between words: "What's wrong? What're you…doing…here?"

"Nothin'. You sound like shit." Chagrined, Inuyasha shifted around to size her up covertly. She'd proven herself resilient in the face of potential hangovers before, but Kagome had consumed much more last night than their first drinking session, and more potent stuff, not to mention all the caterwauling she'd done. At least it looked like she felt all right; she was already sitting up, cuddling with the kitten and trying to coo at it with no apparent headache or nausea.

Of course, she sounded as if something had taken a rusty blade to her vocal cords, but if that was last night's only lasting effect, she'd – they'd – gotten off easy. Without her scent, he could only gauge her health by sight and sound. I'm really getting sick of those things.

And if she didn't remember what had happened…well, on second thought, that probably wasn't much of a loss anyway.

"What time is it?" Kagome tried to wet her lips. It was like watering plants using damp sand. Why did her throat feel so raw?

"Doesn't matter. Go back to sleep." His leg "accidentally" swept Buyo onto the floor with a meaty plop, scaring the other three kittens away from the bed. "Want me to get rid of 'em?"

Kagome was too muzzy-headed to scold either Inuyasha or the little calico as it playfully mauled her hands. "No, s'okay. But'm really thirsty. An' itchy." One shoulder of her loose shirt fell aside under her fingers as she absently scratched her neck. "I think I might owww!"

"You're still burned, idiot," he reminded her helpfully, almost simultaneously and two seconds too late.

"Why, thank you, o sensitive one." A dry cough partly muffled her grumbling. "Might never've figured it out."

"Feh." Unseen, Inuyasha winced sympathetically. "Be careful."

"I know." She eased her shirt away from the offended area, hissing between her teeth: a brush of cotton skimming across the stiffly inflamed skin felt more like an attack with steel wool.

Inuyasha had to look away. It might be a little thing, and she'd doubly brought it on herself, but that didn't make him feel much better about seeing her in pain.

Kagome counted to ten backwards in English pig Latin before speaking again, very clearly. "Ow."

Inuyasha snorted quietly, sized up the kitten's proximity to her more vital parts and decided that an attempt to remove it himself would probably not work. "Go back to sleep, Kagome. Best thing to do, 'specially after you get really shitfaced."

"Mmph. Throat hurts." Kagome's careful descent back against the pillow made the calico cling stubbornly, settling down in a furry ball in a spot from which Inuyasha had no chance of moving it without serious repercussions.

The girl moved her shoulders a little; she could tell where his arm had rested during the night, because that was where the sunburn felt the most raw. Beautiful. Why had he slept in here last night? At least it smelled like him now… "Where're the others?"

"Asleep." This was probably a blatant lie, as he could hear more footsteps moving through the halls now, but if it got her to stay down, it was—

"Good morning, Auntie, oji-chan."

Kagome half-sat up and attempted to greet Shimoko, who was standing on the other side of the shoji. It came out as a cross between croaking and retching.

"You sound hale and hearty this morning, Auntie. Has she been sick, oji-chan?"

Great. Inuyasha growled something profane under his breath, ears pinned back as his niece's dense scent began to permeate the room from the hall; it would linger for days, maybe longer, if she didn't go away soon. "She's fine. What the fuck do you want?"

"I have to get back now, oji-chan. Before I go, I've some things here for…oh, yes, before I forget—I've sobered the monk up a bit, talked with him and gave Sango a drink to help her sleep, but I'll have to leave the rest to you two." Pause. "Scratch that. I'll have to leave the rest to you, Auntie, and don't let him make too much an ass of himself till it sinks in properly. I'll just leave these for you…" A soft thump of something meeting the floor brought Inuyasha's ears up. "Drink one and apply the other, or apply both if you like. Thank you for hosting me, and I bid you both good day."

"What about all the shit you left in…oi!" Inuyasha had the shoji open and was snarling at nothing in the time it took Kagome to blink. "Dammit!"One of these days, he might get used to his niece disappearing; today was definitely not it, especially not with about eight gaping servants too many in attendance. "Stupid nosy smelly sneaky bitch…"

His not-so-soft curses dried up at the sight of two containers right outside the shoji, one of which he thought he recognized from a similar specimen in the kitchen. Huh. He picked both up and closed the shoji, too busy studying the odd shapes to notice the maids whispering to each other as fast as their lips could move; moments later, the women hurried off in every direction, each laden with confirmation of Inuyasha-sama waking up in Kagome-sama's room when everyone knew perfectly well that the others had all slept in his quarters last night.

Kagome had just managed to get comfortable lying on her good side when the torches decided to spring to life and scare her even more spitless. "Stop that!" she rasped, pushing herself up on one elbow and shielding her eyes with an unsteady hand. "Thought you wanted me sleep!"

"If you couldn't see, you'd spill it all over the place." Inuyasha neatly sliced the top off the larger, clear bottle and sloshed cold water at her with a tilt of his wrist. "Here."

She should've been peeved, particularly when a drop landed on the kitten and sent her scrambling for higher ground on the blankets against the wall, but the splash on her arm was actually quite pleasant; Kagome had to fight the urge to grab his arm and tip the rest over her head. Apply both, huh? Tempting… Instead, she accepted the decapitated bottle and carefully drank most of the contents, handing the rest back when her stomach began to protest. "Thanks."

"Keh." The other bottle, much smaller, smoother and plain grey, contained something pungent and definitely not drinkable. "You're supposed to put this on?"

"Guess so." Before she could stop him, Inuyasha had given up trying to remove the cap and lopped it off for her. "Try it."

Sighing patiently, Kagome took the bottle's corpse and eased a little greenish-blue gel from the open neck onto her palm. It smelled okay – for some reason, she could still smell herself with her new accessories on – and looked medicine-y enough; thus convinced, she sat up and dabbed it on her shoulders with a little yelp. "Oooh! Cold. Cold. Ow. Cold. Cold. Ow…. Oooooh." Indignation melted into appreciation as the pain slowly disappeared. "Wow!"

"The hell is that stuff?" the hanyou grunted, leaning in to examine the bottle again, this time upside down as she upended it to dump half its contents onto her neck. "Quit wasting it, stupid. Burns take days to heal for humans."

"I can't help it," she said truthfully, pulling her collar as far as it would go in all directions to spread the gel evenly; coolness worked its way through the offended areas till she could move freely without so much as a twinge. "I don't know what it is, but it's working."

"Stop that." A great deal of skin was making itself noticed, and her blissful little noises weren't terribly helpful, either. "Okay, I got it, you're better now. Now go to sleep."

Kagome dropped back to the mattress with an exaggerated sigh. "Aren't we grouchy today. Go eat something or something." She didn't bother to cover a yawn, interrupting herself with a giggle as his stomach rumbled and Buyo meowed an answer from the floor. "You eat an' I'll sleep, 'kay?"

"Later." The torches sputtered out. "Shut up and good night."

"Pushy." Right on cue, lethargy seemed to settle over her like a thick blanket, drawing out another, weaker yawn. "'Kay, you talked me…into it." She rolled over till her legs hit his backside, then scrunched in closer and let her eyes droop shut. "Go eat."

"I'm not leaving. I don't trust you by yourself," Inuyasha said harshly. Those kanji last night had been fairly clear, he thought, and there was no way he wasn't taking them seriously.

"You're mean," she mumbled, petulance breaking him out of his reverie.

He snorted, but let the girl to rest her head against his leg and petted her hair absently. "I'll explain more when you're awake. It's for your own good, wench, got that?"

Kagome did not answer: she had just fallen asleep.

The reprieve was fleeting. Almost the moment she got herself situated on her impromptu, not-soft but reasonably comfortable pillow, Kagome heard another voice. "A remarkable performance, girl, though I see it has cost you already."

It was hard to say which was worse, waking up to find Inuyasha gone, or waking to the realization that she was still asleep. "I don't want to hear it, Kikyou." Kagome sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Sure enough, the priestess knelt in the center of the room, which was otherwise empty. "Any reason you decided to drop by? Or are you just here to spite Inuyasha for bugging me about going to sleep?"

A flicker of tensely repressed anger vibrated in the air for a half second, before Kikyou regained her composure and Kagome could remind herself that she'd better be careful—after all, she'd fallen asleep on Inuyasha, not to mention he'd stayed in her room, presumably alone. Wouldn't blame her for feeling a little touchy. …Why did he spend the night anyway? And what perf—

"You're thinking aloud, girl." Kikyou smiled thinly at her discernable embarrassment. "I'm sure Inuyasha will be more than happy to inform you of what I meant by that…" The smile disappeared. "Though you would likely rather not know that you were both nearly killed last night, not to mention the younger slayer. The Jewel may help you remember, though I can't speak for it."

Kagome would have blinked if her eyelids had been working. She paused to regroup, deliberately thinking aloud now and phrasing one question at a time. "Is Kohaku okay?"

"He should be fine with a little rest."

"Good. …Why would the Jewel—"

"Because it likes you, you and your younger brother." The priestess somehow made that sound perfectly normal. "It's siphoned considerable amounts of your power in order to keep you safe from attracted demons, for one. Did you honestly think you recovered from our first discussion with no lasting ill effects by pure luck? Or that either of your drunken stupors simply decided to wear off the next morning? You may be fairly powerful, but I've yet to see any priestess capable of purifying hangovers."

Smartass. No reaction this time. Confident that she had her emotions back under wraps, Kagome asked the next thing that came to mind:"So, it likes us? Like a puppy or something? How does that work?"

Kikyou smiled again; Kagome got an impression of more amusement than malice for once. "Hardly. But I wouldn't be surprised to wake up with a few rather interesting recollections if I were you. In this case, it may deem it kinder to leave you in the dark."

That made no sense until something in the back of her mind clicked. …Uh oh. "Please tell me the karaoke machine plus me being plastered had nothing to do with me waking up with a sore throat."

Now Kikyou's eyes showed the closest thing to genuine humor that Kagome had seen or felt thus far. "I could, but I would prefer not to lie."

"Aw, crap." Kagome didn't even try to hide her reaction this time. "I swear I'm never touching sake as long as I live."

Kikyou's amusement was still evident, but to her credit, the moment was allowed to pass as Kagome got a hold of herself again. "Did everyone see it, or what?"

"You've worse problems than having made a talented fool of yourself." The glimmer of good-natured tolerance was gone in an instant. Kagome couldn't help a little pang of regret: she'd almost liked Kikyou for a second there. "A second kugutsu attacked you and gave the boy a head wound last night. Inuyasha killed it, but he's not told anyone of a threatening message the thing's successor left outside your room. Nor has he mentioned the theft of those interesting devices around your wrists and a rather cryptic note, I might add."

"My bracelets were stolen?" Kagome reflexively glanced down at her dream-bare arms. "When was this?"

The priestess tilted her head forward. Only later would Kagome realize why it had looked so unsettling: her hair didn't move with her. "Not only stolen, but left for the demon woman to find, two evenings ago."

A shudder of something strange rippled across the little room, bringing both their heads around. "Nothing to worry about," Kikyou said quietly after a few seconds. "The Jewel alerted Inuyasha to several lower demons passing through the barrier on the east. The monk and my sister's wards will hold them till he arrives to dispose of them."

There was something familiar about the creepy feeling she was getting, but, as usual, her attention was diverted. "Dispose of them?" Maybe it was just the way it was said, but the phrase somehow didn't sit well with Kagome. "What if they're friendly, like Shimoko?"

"That woman is not friendly. She is curious, bored, and finds this place amusing, but she is a demon and not friendly. You'd do well to understand the difference between being befriended and being made a plaything." There was no bite to the words, only inflexibility. "And few lesser demons can afford to befriend humans and hanyou for their own entertainment. These will not be bringing gifts or dispensing medical advice in my sister's place." That had an edge to it. "Do you understand?"

Kagome tamped down her resentment at the implication that they were being used, even if it might partly be true: she wasn't going to convince the priestess of anything, and pointing out that her obstinacy had been a major cause of her death would be hitting below the belt. Not to mention she'd find some way to kick my ass for it, and I need to be able to talk to her. "You said Inuyasha got messages. What did they say?"

A third smile, completely devoid of humor. "Would you rather know about a few scratches on wood and dirt, or the things that wrote them?"

"Things?" Even in dream-voice, that came out thin with incredulity. "You mean there's more than two…no, three of them? Sango killed one, you said Inuyasha killed another last night…"

"Even in your state – or perhaps because your sensitivity in other areas was heightened – you felt the Jewel resist Naraku's effort to use its power, and fail. That was likely applied to the creation of another kugutsu."

The matter-of-factness with which this was cushioned kept it from sinking in properly right away. All Kagome could muster in immediate reaction was a feeble "……Oh."

Kikyou straightened again, and her air of serene patience made it clear she was waiting for something. Kagome had no clue what for—after all, they were in a rather private sphere, and it wasn't likely that even Nara

Waitonefuckingminute! "…Naraku?"

Kikyou nodded slightly.

"…Is alive, you say."

"In a sense."

"…Is alive? And you're sure about it?"

"For simplicity's sake, yes."

Kagome scratched her head out of habit, barely noticing the lack of sensation in either fingers or scalp. "…You know, I've been saying so for two months now. You'd think this would be less of a shock." She rubbed her face, grimacing as the weirdness of touch without feeling sank in. Not even gonna ask how long she's known. "But…you kept saying you definitely killed him. What really happened, then?"

"He must have had some contingency plan in case his assault on the castle failed—or perhaps it was deliberate, an elaborate ruse all along." Her voice dropped, nearly grating in suppressed anger. "The monster somehow planted a portion of himself in a place he knew he would be safe, some hideaway none of us would suspect."

A second, stronger ripple of the Jewel's power intruded just as Kagome was ready with another question, startling her into letting Kikyou finish. "I should have known. I can't confirm it, but I have confirmed enough of my suspicions to be sure he is among us. Though it was only a guess, you were right once more."

Kagome knew she should ask what had just happened, but the current topic was too important: she wouldn't get diverted this time. "So, do you know where he's hiding, or not?"

"Most likely," Kikyou said in the tone of voice one usually hears in reply to questions about the weather or topics of similarly little import. "I've no idea how he could have managed it without being detected, but that possibility is the only way he could've survived this long."

It soon became apparent that that was all she had to say on the matter, and it was all Kagome could do not to explode with everything she'd just buried. Compromising, she asked her next question so politely that it dripped with sarcasm. "Do you mean that you know where we can find him, hopefully kill the evil bastard for good and break the curse, and you're just having too much fun keeping secrets to—"

"A solid point. I apologize." The sincerity of Kikyou's words alone was enough to make Kagome jerk upright in sudden, wild elation. Kikyou shrugged slightly, but no retraction followed; Kagome nearly sagged with incredulous relief. My God, she means it! She really does! All I had to do was call her out face to face and

"After all, the monk has more pressing concerns now than a cursed hand. To leave him with it would be worst than inconsiderate."

she just…what? The flow of happy thought slammed to a numb halt. "Wait—monk?"

The priestess nodded shortly. "That's right, you've never seen the Kazaana. An impressive weapon, but more dangerous than useful now. It'd hardly be possible for him to use it against Naraku as things stand, either. Too inconvenient." Kikyou narrowed her eyes at her reincarnation. "Or do you think the slayer would prefer he remain the way he is? Is your memory quite that faulty?"

The slayer……oh, God, Sango, I forgot— Kagome's hands curled into fists. Sickening frustration at her crushed hopes shifted targets, from Kikyou to Naraku, rising steadily till she fancied she could see the "air" humming with it. Kikyou might have messed with her mind, yes, but it was Naraku who had made her this way, put them in this situation in the first place, and put Inuyasha through immeasurable heartache all along. If Kagome was going to blame somebody, it wouldn't be the dead priestess.

Besides that, he was responsible for Sango and Miroku's lost time, too, the source of the ultimate tragedy that was all they had to look forward to in their relationship….And when Kagome suddenly remembered one last thing, how Naraku had already ruined what should be a happy occasion—

That did it. If Kikyou knew how to kill the source of nearly all their problems, Kagome was going to find out now. "Where's he hiding, Kikyou? If you know, tell me, and if you don't, then tell me what you do know instead of jerking us around!"

Kikyou raised her eyebrows at the younger woman's hissing tone. The emotional force behind it was considerable, to say the least, and she was fleetingly sorry that Kagome had had to be born in this ignorant era, an utter waste of astounding potential.

…Well, considering the circumstances, she believed herself excused in being sorry the girl had been born at all.

The priestess sized Kagome up carefully. "If I tell you, what will you do? Ask him politely to leave you be?"

Kagome almost took the bait, but thought better of it at the last second, earning a flicker of Kikyou's approval. "Even if he threw the last fight to you and Inuyasha, if he's just a piece of his old self or whatever now, he can't be that hard for Inuyasha to kill, can he? And you can use the Jewel to—"

"I cannot." Again, Kagome couldn't suspect Kikyou of lying, because her bitterness was almost palpable, seeping across her awareness like spilled oil. "It will listen to me regarding…certain things, but manipulating or controlling it directly has fallen out of my power."

Silence hung over them. Kikyou's eyes narrowed slightly. "If you were to try, you might be able to root him out. The problem is destroying him without harming bystanders or allowing him to slip into some new hole from which he couldn't be lured out."

Whatever she had been expecting, that wasn't quite it. "Me? But…I thought I wasn't supposed to use the Jewel. Kaede said so, anyway—and besides, I have no clue what to do. Can't I learn how to do it with my normal powers?" Kagome tried to ignore another mental image of herself in a superhero costume lest Kikyou see it and think she was completely insane.

Kikyou folded her hands; if she'd noticed, she gave no indication. "I've spoken ahead of myself. First, you must be sure of Naraku's location without alerting him, or else he may take action before we are ready. Choosing the time and place of battle is the key to victory, Kagome. You must remember that."

"Okay." Kagome steeled herself. "So, where is he?"

"Perhaps hiding in plain sight. …Calm down. If I told you, you would give yourself away." She made a gesture that could have been placation, impatience, or both. "If you wish, you may go to the Tree and speak with it directly. As I said, it has helped you discreetly more than once already."

"But the last time I touched it, nothing happened," Kagome protested.

"Because you did not ask." The priestess shook her head. "It may be just as well. The Jewel can be very dangerous, even to the experienced. Kaede was right in cautioning you not to use its power directly. A better course would be to remain alert and gather information on Naraku within the curse's limits, as you seem to have been able to do somehow."

"I plead the Fifth," Kagome muttered. Laptop. Maybe I should use that thing again sometime…if I can think of anything they haven't already told me or just won't.

"Now that I think of it," Kikyou continued, as if Kagome had kept her thoughts to herself, "the demon woman may be very helpful. When she returns with the 'test' she was so interested in, see if you can pick her brains about Naraku, or persuade her mother to come and tell us herself."

"Ah ha!" The test! I remembered something! Score! …That makes, what, 3-245, her favor…? Anyway— "You said to look into family ties nearby or something, right? Then Shimoko said we might be descended from Sesshoumaru's human…friend, or whatever she was. How'd you know?"

"Know?" the priestess repeated blandly.

"Yeah, you said that before we started talking about my family with her and it came up," Kagome pointed out. "But Fluffy picked Rin up after the curse started. How'd you know?"

It could have been her imagination, but for a minute, Kagome could have sworn she sensed confusion. Then Kikyou got to her feet, half-turning with an air of finality. "Inuyasha will return soon. You had best be awake to smooth matters with the monk before he does." She held out one slender hand, fingers poised to snap in a gesture that made Kagome feel distinctly uncomfortable: she did the exact same thing sometimes, down to the curve of the wrist. "Do be careful. Keep Inuyasha close…"

Her tone became glacial. "…though one would prefer you not keep him too close…say, in your bed."

Hey! "For your information, I never—"

Snap

The sound echoed dimly in Kagome's ears as her eyes popped open, mind fully awake.

"Kagome!" Shippou leapt onto the bed, throwing his tiny arms around her neck before she had time to work up proper indignation. "You're awake!"

"Morning, Shippou-chan," she said around his hair, sitting up and scooping him into her arms for a hug. Thankfully, the stuff on her shoulders was still working, even though the room was bright enough to indicate she'd slept several hours. "What's up?"

"You missed it! A bunch of bat demons came in 'cause they were curious about the castle, and Inuyasha was about to fight with 'em before he made Kirara take me back here." The kit paced down the bed, folded his hands into his sleeves, and then removed them in order to pet the still-sleeping calico on Kagome's other side. "And Miroku's mad at Inuyasha 'cause Inuyasha wanted to wake Sango up and take her with him before he left. Thenhe wanted Miroku to come down and watch you, but Miroku said he'd rather stay with Sango."

"I see…" Kagome couldn't blame either of them. Unless… "Did Miroku tell Inuyasha why Sango needed to sleep?"

The little demon shook his head as he plopped down in her lap and began playing with one of her bracelets, sliding it up and down her arm as far as it would go. "He just said Inuyasha should bring you up there, 'cause Kohaku's not supposed to get up, either, and Souta's keeping him company."

"Well, that makes sense." This didn't bode well, as she was obviously still in her own room, and a glance around told her something was very wrong. "What did Inuyasha say?"

Shippou heaved a long-suffering sigh. "He told Miroku he wasn't reliable enough to take care of everyone at once, Miroku told him to get his head out of his ass, and Inuyasha told him he hoped Miroku would be reborn as a fishing worm."

"Splendid." Stupid male egos. Why can't they just communicate whenever it's actually important? She indicated the blank wall across the room with one thumb. "Is that why the door's gone?"

"Yep!" He nodded emphatically. "Inuyasha changed the rooms around so it looks like yours is still there, but anyone who opens the shoji sees a blank wall. But he let me stay in here to keep you company, plus he did something to make sure we'd have enough air."

"How thoughtful of him." If Kikyou hadn't told her about the kugutsu and the messages, Kagome would have done something drastic; as it was, Shippou shrank back a little at her expression. At least that explained the second Jewel usage she'd felt. "Did it ever occur to him that sealing me up might not be the most effective way to make sure I don't get damaged? Or that I might not like it, or that I can get out anyway?"

Shippou's eyes lit up. "Oh, yeah! He told me to tell you not to, or he'd get Sango to tie you to a pillar." He deflated just as fast, tugging at her bracelet mournfully. "If you know how to get out, you're probably gonna do it anyway, aren't you?"

Her first reaction was an unequivocal Hell yes, but the sudden smell of food – breakfast had been set up on the floor, only partly consumed – and the kit's huge, dewy green eyes weakened her resolve to a halfhearted, "Well, yeah, but not right this second. He's just trying to make sure I'm safe, I guess, even if he thought this was the best way to do it. First, let's make sure the food doesn't go to waste."

She was glad for her decision, particularly after a long, relaxed meal in which she had only Shippou and the snoozing kitten for company. The relative quiet was the perfect opportunity to think over what Kikyou had told her and weigh her options; it also gave her time to spend with Shippou, who rarely had Kagome all to himself.

"Inuyasha really doesn't like your cat," he commented at one point. "He said you should just keep the little one instead and let him eat Buyo."

"He did, did he?" Kagome snorted around a mouthful of rice as something hit her. "Just for that, I think I will go ahead and adopt the kitten. Her new name's Inu-chan."

"And you're gonna use it around him every chance you get, right?" The kit sighed at her cheery nod. "If you say so."

"I do." She swallowed the last of her breakfast and set the chopsticks down. "I need to get changed. …Is Kirara still here, or did she go back to Inuyasha?"

"No, she's up with Miroku, I think. Why?"

Eeexcellent. "No reason. C'mon, let's get going."

---

"Who is it?" Miroku asked suspiciously, staff jangling on the other side of the shoji.

"It's me and Shippou…and a kitty. Let us in." Geez, someone's in a bad mood. …Not that I can really blame him.

The shoji slid open. Kagome stepped through and knelt, letting Shippou hop down and placing the kitten on the tatami. "Morning…or afternoon, everyone."

"Good day, Kagome-sama." The monk smiled and bowed, almost keeping his weariness from his voice. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thanks." It was true, even if her memory of last night was still fuzzy at best. Any time, Jewel. …Or not, if it means knowing how I sounded… "You?"

"How come you're not hung over?" Souta demanded. He was wearing more borrowed clothing, sitting next to Kohaku and bent over a sheet of paper on which they'd been playing some kind of game. "You and Akemi are weird. You drink more than five guys put together and you don't even puke."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Kagome stuck her tongue out at him, then smiled at Kohaku. "How're you feeling?"

"Much better, Kagome-sama. I should be out with Inuyasha-sama, but…" The slayer touched the bandage wound around his temples.

"Inuyasha will be fine," she said hastily, scooping up the kitten as it started to climb Sango's sleeping form and waving one of its paws at Miroku to distract him. "Souta, why don't you show Shippou how to play whatever it is you guys are doing?"

Kirara nosed the shoji leading to Inuyasha's room open and mewed a greeting, ambling across the threshold to plop down and watch as the boys hunched over the paper. To Kagome's relief, the calico watched the cat demon for a few curious moments, then insisted upon being put back down to explore the room with no hissing or other signs of fear.

"A new acquisition, Kagome-sama?" Miroku extended a hand to the kitten, which took the gesture as an invitation and leapt onto his lap. "Friendly, isn't he?"

"She. All calicos are female, except one or two like Buyo." A glance at the boys confirmed that their attention was fully occupied. Kagome dropped her voice. "I heard what happened."

Miroku stiffened, gloved hand going still on the calico's head. "Shippou told you about…this morning?"

"Yeah. You know, you could've just told Inuyasha, and he would've understood, right?" Kagome folded her arms. "I know he was a jerk about it, but—"

"How he would have reacted never worried me," the monk interrupted. The lack of courtesy itself was more telling than his apparent calm, as he stroked the calico briefly and glanced at Sango. "Did she tell you?"

"No, I figured it out sometime last night." Kagome leaned forward. "Who else did Shimoko tell?"

"No one. And I intend to keep it that way…" He pulled his hand away as the kitten tried to paw at his prayer beads. "…until we've discussed it fully. I've no doubt Inuyasha would have understood, but the more something is said around here, the more likely everyone is to know."

"I know what you mean." Inuyasha probably would have overreacted, and the odds of no one overhearing him were nil. "So, the servants actually haven't figured it out yet?" That was hard to believe, given their track record. But if they had, there would have been a steady stream of people in and out of the room already. "I see how you'd want to keep it secret for as long as you can. It would be great if you could till—oh!" Her hand flew to her mouth. "That's right!"

Miroku raised his eyebrows, and the boys looked over at her exclamation.

"I just talked with Kikyou—" She paused belatedly. No reaction, as usual. Convenient. "And she said…the guy who cursed you is probably still alive here somewhere."

The monk's reaction was immediate: he nearly leapt to his feet, staff at the ready and face darkened in anticipation. "You mean to say—oops." The kitten was clinging to the front of his robes like a furry fly. He knelt again, unhooking the tiny claws. "Elaborate, please," he said tightly.

"What's going on?" Souta wanted to know.

Kagome filled them in on as much as she could, flapping her hand at Souta when he started to ask what she talking about. "So, as soon as Shimoko gets back, we'll ask her if Kagura will come and tell us about her dad, so we can figure out whether Kikyou's big secret is right or not," she concluded. Assuming she'll ever share it, of course.

"Are you sure we couldn't just find him now, instead of having to wait?" Kohaku's freckles stood out slightly as his face paled. "Someone else could get hurt or even killed."

"I feel the same way, Kohaku-kun, but if Kikyou's not sure of what to do, then we should probably listen to her," Kagome admitted. She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "She also mentioned I could go to the Tree. Then she said it was dangerous, so that's probably not really an option. …But if I was really careful, maybe…"

"Kagome-sama?" Miroku inquired, breaking off her muttering.

"Oh…nothing. I just thought of something that might help." She got to her feet. "Shippou-chan, you stay here. Kirara, would you come outside with me?"

"Inuyasha would be less than pleased if you left the castle before he returned, Kagome-sama," the monk reminded her. "You were attacked just last night, and Inuyasha said you've been threatened as well. There could also be more bat demons in the forest."

"Yeah, but she said he was almost done with them. Besides, I need to go out to the river…" Kagome indicated her reddened shoulders, tugging at one strap of her tank top. "And Kirara can watch out in case anything tries to surprise me. Right?" The fire-cat mewed an affirmative. "Right. I'll be right back. Later!" She took off at a trot, ignoring Miroku's calls for her to stop.

It was a long shot, she knew, and possibly a very stupid idea, but if she had any chance of getting the Jewel to help her find Naraku and break Miroku's and Inuyasha's curses, Kagome was going to take it before Inuyasha could come back and probably stop her. If it didn't work, he could kill her at his leisure, and if it did…

The possibility alone was enough to banish most of her doubts. Still, she wasn't a total idiot, she reasoned; she wasn't going to try to use the Jewel to fix everything, only to ask for its help. Also, mindful that this could very well turn into a bad horror movie – The stupid sunburned heroine goes out alone to face the monster because she just knows she can do everything by herself! …Except I really am the only one who can do this… – Kagome did take a few precautions. First, Kirara changed forms and swept the area around the castle for any suspicious sights or smells before Kagome climbed onto her narrow back from the third-floor balcony and flew down to the edge of the forest. When a second sweep revealed nothing out of the ordinary, they stopped by the weapons shed so Kagome could retrieve a bow and arrows, the one that must have belonged to Kikyou. When was the last time I used these? Seems like forever ago…

Last, just in case, she ducked into a little-used side courtyard, closed her eyes, and focused on the small clearing in which the Tree stood. There was the Tree itself, the sun-dappled grass surrounding it, birds chirping companionably and fluttering around in search of bugs, a hideously mangled corpse, some pretty scattered le—

Whoooooa. What the…! Her mind's eye veered back to the bloodstained heap near the biggest clump of roots. By the shape of its ears and eyes, it had to be one of the bat demons, definitely looking the worse for wear. Ewww. There's no way I'm going over there till that thing's gone. I don't even want to think what it smells like…!

That was one decision easily made, at least for today. Kagome withdrew her mind as fast as she could and opened her eyes, tugging at the scarf she'd used to tie her hair back. "Scratch that, Kirara. We might just be going to the river after all." A slight letdown, though she had to admit it was probably for the best in the long run; if she could convince Inuyasha to accompany her there, it'd be safer, and he wouldn't have an excuse to box her up like an oversized doll again.

Oh, well. I can still go for a quick swim. Kagome turned to leave, hesitated as something in the shade caught her attention, and startled Kirara with a sudden clap of her hands. "Hey! Bike!"

Yesterday's events had thoroughly distracted her from Kouga's present, which had evidently been wheeled over here and leaned against the wall by one of the braver servants and left where it wouldn't hurt anyone. The cat demon rumbled curiously as Kagome pulled it away from the corner, threw a leg over the side, and pedaled a few feet, giggling in sheer delight. "I can't believe I forgot about this thing!"

Nearly everything about the bicycle was perfect, of course, as it was brand new. The hand brakes worked a little too well in particular, as demonstrated by her near-tumble when she squeezed them a trifle too hard and just managed to pull aside and catch herself on one leg. "Whoops. Better fix the seat, but other than that…see, Kirara? Bike!"

The fire-cat didn't, really, but waited patiently and maintained a lookout while the excited human girl fiddled with the strange device, climbing on and off several times between fiddles till she was satisfied. "We're just gonna go to the river for a minute, then come back here before Inuyasha has an aneurysm," Kagome explained, hopping back on and pedaling very slowly towards the forest. "I'll stay out of the trees so you won't have to dive in or anything, okay?"

That was fine with Kirara, who launched herself into the air as Kagome pushed as hard as she could, rising on her calves and hunching over to get more speed. "Pardon me!" she called out to a few men lingering by a woodpile, and was rewarded with three utterly priceless looks as they turned and dove out of her way.

What do you want to bet they tell their wives Kagome-sama has some kind of metal demon for a pet now? Or maybe they think it's part of my body or something… She'd have to explain it later and stave off some very awkward questions from the kids.

For now, though, a few seconds of riding, and she was in heaven. The rush of wind in her ears, quiet clicking of spokes and slight pain in her feet from the bumpy-soled pedals poking through her sandals brought back a flood of happy memories: bike rides with her mother, or friends, or just by herself, enjoying the respite from a zoo-like household. If only Yoshio hadn't accidentally ruined his wife's old bike…

No point worrying about it, Kagome repeated firmly. Not when she was able to enjoy some time to herself for a little while, with a stretch of clear, sparkling river to her right, the forest to her left, Kirara swooping here and there to assure her safety, and nothing to impede a perfect ride.

…Except her own mind, of course. It occurred to her almost the moment she started humming one of her favorite tunes – I'd sing the words, but I might get someone in trouble – that Kikyou didn't seem to look forward to Naraku's demise as much as she would've thought. Then again, once the curse is broken, Inuyasha could…no, he said he'd…join her anyway, and I doubt a little thing like that would convince the big dope not to. Her jaw tightened. It's not fair. None of this is fair to anyone. I wish, I wish, I wish there was something I could do to—

"Help!"

The tires screeched a faint protest, skidding over slick grass and shuddering as Kagome threw her leg over and nearly capsized, putting a hand on Kirara's ruff when the fire-cat landed next to her. "You heard that, too?"

"Kagome-sama?" A man's voice, deep but weak with pain and exhaustion, drifted from somewhere amongst the trees. "Is that you, Kagome-sama?"

"Who's there?" Kagome nudged the bike's kickstand down and advanced a few steps, nearly stumbling as Kirara moved to block her. "What is it, Kirara? Is it a trap or something?"

Kirara sniffed the air suspiciously, eyes narrowed. Then she relaxed, but only slightly, padding cautiously towards the voice's source and permitting Kagome to follow.

Less than ten feet into the trees, Kirara paused again, head turning this way and that, growling her displeasure with something. Kagome saw why when the cat demon moved aside to let her by. "Oh, no…" She rushed to a clump of low bushes and dropped to her knees, addressing a servant partly hidden underneath. "Are you all right?"

It was one of the dumbest things she could've possibly asked, considering the poor man was wheezing over a fresh-looking gash that ran from left ankle to a few inches below the knee. "A bat demon," he gasped, dragging himself out into the open. Even Kagome could smell a heavy, unpleasant musk around him, besides the sick-sweet blood and a scattered pile of wood he must have been collecting before the attack. "I ran, but…"

Kirara circled around him, keeping an eye on Kagome as she sniffed out a trail of blood leading back into the forest towards the east. Satisfied that the servant was telling the truth and his attacker was nowhere nearby, she came back and sat down next to Kagome with a thump of her heavy tails, watching the area and the servant in turn.

Slightly reassured, Kagome swallowed and bent over to examine the wound carefully. She wasn't sure, but she thought it seemed fairly deep. "You should get to Kaede as soon as possible for this," she said, glancing up. "Where else are you hurt? Can you walk at all?"

"Only my leg, Kagome-sama, but I can't move." The man smiled uneasily, bowing low over his outstretched leg. He was young, and exceptionally handsome—or would've been if not for the pain stretching his features and the blood liberally smeared on his clothes. "It was wounded, and…surprised me, so…"

"It's okay. Just let me tie this up for you, and then Kirara can take you back, all right?" Kagome tried to smile back and undid her scarf, shaking her head at his embarrassed protests. "Don't worry about it. You're lucky we were out here." I thought Inuyasha got them all… Then she remembered the corpse by the Tree. Ick. I guess he didn't. Stupid wards didn't work that great, either.

"Indeed," the man said politely. She heard him grunt in pain as he removed his kimono and handed it to her. "Please don't ruin your things on my account, Kagome-sama."

"It's not that big a deal, just a scarf. We have to stop the bleeding before you can walk around without passing out." His voice was a little familiar; no wonder, considering how many servants she'd only encountered once or twice. Funny, she would've remembered a face as attractive as his… I must be getting old. Or Inuyasha's just ruined other guys for me. Kagome gave him another smile, then patted a spot near her hip. "See right here? Press it, hard, and it should help for a little while."

Dubiously, he followed suit, holding the artery down as she looked at her hands for a moment, clumsily elevated his ankle onto her shoulder – ow ow ow – and got to work. "Thank you again, Kagome-sama. You're just as kind as your predecessor."

Kagome pulled the kimono just a shade tighter, forcing her smile back out. Pleeease don't make me hear about Kikyou. Not right now. "It's nothing, really. I just know a little about first aid, not much about healing or anything." Enough to know she was probably doing something wrong, anyway, and that she felt sick to her stomach. I bet Kikyou would've just dived right in, no wanting to puke or anything.

The man bobbed his head as though she'd said it aloud, watching his free hand move idly in the dirt—Kagome couldn't blame him, as she was feeling a little queasy herself. "She was very skilled with wounds and fevers alike. My brother Taro – the one with the scar above his eye – always said she saved as many human lives as demons she'd killed."

"I see." Kagome mopped a trail of sweat off her brow with one forearm. Her shoulders were starting to tingle unpleasantly again, particularly the right, reminding her that she'd managed to go out without sunscreen yet again. Just in case I didn't feel stupid enough…

"Beautiful, too," he went on happily, apparently unaware that her smile had devolved into pressed lips and gritted teeth. "So womanly and dignified. But she always had a pretty smile for the children or her mistress or little sister."

Kagome's hands almost slipped. Bet I look more like a psychopath at the moment. And how come he can talk now? She gave up the smile in favor of an intent frown. "Is that so?"

She could almost hear his rapid nod in his voice, which grew lighter and more admiring as he spoke. "We men used to find excuses to do chores near the shrine just for a look at her. It always made our day whenever she said hello or came to ask for extra wood. Even Inuyasha-sama felt it. Not that we could blame him, of course—except out of jealousy." He chuckled. "I'll prevail upon your kindness in not telling him so."

Kirara yawned, looking like any bored housecat except for her tusks. Kagome devoutly hoped her patient would either shut up or find a new topic, as the wound was nearly wrapped and she now felt about two inches tall. "Almost done here…"

"Ah, you should have seen her at the great battle, Kagome-sama." She snapped her scarf around the makeshift bandage, twisted the ends into a knot, and yanked as tight as she could. Luckily – or was it? – the man didn't seem to notice. "I'd never seen a woman so skilled with a weapon. Did you know she struck the final blow? Inuyasha-sama is very impressive, but no one could ever possibly surpass her. She was amazing, nearly perfect at everything she turned a hand to. Such a horrible tragedy, whatever it was that killed her. We've mourned her ever since. No one expects anyone to ever replace her, either. …Isn't that her bow you have there, Kagome-sama, if I may ask?"

"How does that feel? Any better?" For once, Kagome agreed wholeheartedly with the weight of the curse in the air, as if it also knew damn well who he meant and didn't like it.

"Marvelous, much better." The servant winced as she eased the leg to the forest floor. "Thank you so much for the trouble."

"Now, you should probably take Kirara and go see Kaede," Kagome started, but choked on a squeak of alarm as he suddenly hauled himself upright on his good knee. "No! I didn't wrap it that well, you shouldn't move around yet—"

"I'll be perfectly fine for the distance back, Kagome-sama," he said firmly, grabbing a longer piece of wood and using it as a short walking stick. "From what I understand, you need your escort much more than I do." He smiled apologetically, wobbling on the stick so that she almost had to grab him to prevent a fall. "The demon that attacked me can't still be alive, and if it is, Inuyasha-sama would have taken care of it by now. He's quite adept at disposing of things, after all."

Kagome blinked, unsure of how to respond to that odd tone."Are you absolutely sure? Let us walk with you, at least."

He spoke almost curtly now. "No, no, Kagome-sama. I would only slow you down, and it's not safe for you to be encumbered when you're already in danger. Nothing will bother to attack me like this, and it's only a few steps to the castle." He bowed deeply from the waist. "If I've intruded upon your kindness enough to worry you, I'll make sure you receive word of my condition soon. Otherwise, please don't trouble yourself."

Wow, someone's serious about not bugging me. "I'd still feel better if—"

"Good day, Kagome-sama." Another bow, a brief scrabble in the dirt with his stick, and the servant was hobbling towards the castle, making fairly good time despite his injury.

"…Huh." Kagome scratched her itchy shoulder, yelping at a stab of pain. Then it occurred to her that her hands were spattered liberally with dried blood, and it suddenly took all her willpower not to be sick. She'd seen bad cuts before, not to mention Inuyasha's little adventure a couple of new moons back, but today had been weird and highly emotional and she had PMS anyway, and now this poor good-looking idiot had had to get talkative and all but tell her she was useless even as she was probably saving his life? Honestly! "Please don't trouble yourself" my ass! I saw that look he gave me…

It was a little too much, too fast. She wanted to sit down, but there also happened to be a great deal of blood on the ground. "Let's go wash my hands off, shall we?" she suggested brightly, lurching towards the river. Kirara perceived the problem instantly and managed to nudge herself under Kagome, who was content to slump over, sidesaddle, for the rest of the short trip. "Thanks…"

Cold water helped somewhat, providing another shock for her senses to focus on over the urge to cry or be sick. It took almost two minutes to get all the blood off her skin and from beneath her nails, time in which she was able to calm herself down. No surprise he thinks I'm a crappy substitute for Kikyou, but he didn't have to go and freaking tell me so. …Well, that's his problem, not mine. I shouldn't give half a crap what anyone else thinks. Inuyasha doesn't go around rubbing my face in it, and that's all that matters.

The thought eased the knot of tension in her chest almost entirely; Kagome had to smile, remembering how he had fussed over her that morning in his own irascible way. She still couldn't remember most of last night, except for someone singing very prettily – probably Shimoko, big surprise – and a few other stray bits. The most vivid impression of those she could dredge up was Inuyasha holding her while something or another happened, down to his muscles moving along her back and a shoulder against her cheek; it was hard to even try to feel bad about the servant when her brain was replaying that moment of clarity on constant loop, after all, and she wasn't particularly inclined to try for very long.

If the warm imprint in her mattress when she woke up that morning had been any indication, Inuyasha must have slept next to her to make sure she stayed safe, too. The bedclothes would smell like him for at least another night or so… Maybe I should get drunk every night, if it'll get him to camp out with me.

That probably wasn't the wisest option, but it was surprisingly hard to let go of. All dirty joking aside, sleeping with him right there against her had been a little hot, but made her feel more than secure enough to make up for a little sweat. …More than secure, actually, but she'd best not dwell on that part. The cold water proved quite helpful there, too.

It was about time to go back inside. Kagome scooped up a few handfuls and threw them over her shoulders, then splashed more onto her face for good measure. She would probably have to stay inside a couple more days at this rate, particularly if she didn't get back before Inuyasha did. But her luck today had been respectably bad already…maybe it would give her a break now?

"There you are!"

Sigh. The angry presence behind her wasn't enough of a surprise to elicit much more than a mental head shake. Instead, Kagome found herself chuckling a little as she got to her feet. "Hold on a second, Inuyasha. If you're gonna kill me, at least let me dry off first."

"What the…?" He turned her around with a lightly unbreakable grip on her upper arm, flinching at a red smear on her shoulder. "What happened? Where else—"

"Inuyasha," Kagome said firmly, smiling apologetically and laying a hand on his in hopes of calming him down, "I'm fine. I know it was stupid to go out, but I took Kirara with me, see?" He glanced at the fire-cat, then glared back at her. "This isn't mine. We found someone who was hurt by a demon, and I fixed his leg for him. There was a lot of blood involved, but none of it came from me. I'm sorry for worrying you. Let's go back now, okay?"

If anything, that seemed to make him angrier, though he was careful to keep it in his voice and out of his hold on her arm. "You're sorry? The bouzu said the runt told you why I wanted you to stay put, and you not only decided to run around on your own, you did it outside, when you knew I wasn't there to make sure nothing came along and ate you? Where the fuck is your brain?"

"I said I was sorry, Inuyasha." Kagome tried to tug away. "Let go so I can get this stuff off."

"Keh." He released her and shoved his hands into his sleeves. "How the hell am I supposed to keep you safe if you won't even listen to me and stay still for half a fucking hour?"

"I didn't stay in my room because I'm not a prisoner, as you've said more than once, and I did bring Kirara with me, plus a bow and some arrows," she answered patiently, rinsing the last of the rust-brown and wincing as she patted more water on it to soothe the irritation. "I know you're trying to protect me, and like I said, I know it was stupid to go out, but I had a good reason."

"And what was that? To mess around with that thing?" he snapped as Kagome got up and headed for her bike. "What the hell is it, anyway? It smells like the wolf."

"He gave it to me a couple days ago, and no, that's not why I came out." She paused, one foot raised to free the kickstand, and lowered it to turn a flat stare on him. "…I didn't come out to see Kouga, either, so don't even try it."

Inuyasha shut his mouth with a muffled click. "Well, where's the guy you were talking about? I don't smell any blood. Just how far from the castle did you run off?" He hadn't come across any wounded servants on his way out here, but that could be attributed to the fact that he'd sent himself directly to the river upon hearing where she was and located her within seconds of walking downstream.

"It was right over there." Kagome jabbed a finger at the forest. Her stores of patience and understanding were starting to run out. "He was hurt by one of the bat demons, and he went back by himself because he didn't want to bother me once he was done telling me how much better someone else was. Go over there and smell for yourself."

That made him pause for a moment, though he wisely said nothing but "Feh." Gesturing for her to follow – which she did, but not before replying with another gesture he didn't catch – Inuyasha came up the slope and into the woods, wrinkling his nose at a sudden whiff of several combined odors. The wind had been blowing the wrong way at the river, but now he could easily discern human blood, demon, and fresh-cut wood mingling at one spot not far into the trees. "Shit…"

"He was in pretty bad shape," Kagome agreed at his elbow. "For a second, I thought it might be a kugutsu, but Kirara went over it and didn't find anything, so…"

"Good. I know who he was, too. I woulda thought he'd be smarter than that, makin' a demon attack him, but that was his fault." Mollified, Inuyasha picked up the forgotten bow and handed it to her, slinging the quiver over his own shoulder. "Nice to know you're not that stupid. You're still lucky it hadn't followed him or anything."

Kagome knew she should point out that the man hadn't provoked the attack, but it seemed like a waste of breath on someone who didn't deserve it. Besides, now she was curious. "What happened with the bats, anyway? You don't look like it was that hard a fight."

He smirked, good humor restored at the reminder. "Fight? It was a joke. I barely had to use Tetsusaiga before their leader called it off." They headed back to where Kirara was sitting near the bike, Inuyasha glancing behind them just in case. "Got one of 'em down, and suddenly they were 'only curious.'"

She laughed at his high-pitched mimicry. "So, the leader was a woman? Or a cross-dresser?"

"Nah, it was some old woman. Not just that, but a hanyou. Creepy as hell." He grimaced as Kagome stopped next to the bike to pet Kirara's massive head. "Said she'd be back soon. I told her no, but the stupid bitch ignored me."

"A hanyou?" Kagome raised her eyebrows as she turned the bike towards the castle, freed it and started walking, allowing Kirara the chance to spring into the air and scout ahead first. "I'd like to meet her."

"You wish." Inuyasha eyed the bike again, visibly tried to restrain his curiosity, and failed. "Okay, you never answered me. What the hell is that thing?" He did a double take as she threw a leg over it, hopped onto the seat, and pushed off, sending girl and metal device flying off as one. "OI!"

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha, did you say something?" Kagome called over her shoulder.

"Dammit, wench!" A few long strides, and he was up alongside her. She smiled sweetly, then began pedaling harder. "Stop that!"

"Why?" Now he was walking faster; spurred by perverse enjoyment of his confusion, Kagome rose and urged the bike into its maximum speed. "I'm only human. We're allowed to cheat once in a while."

"That so?" Inuyasha darted ahead and just to the side. They were heading rapidly towards the side yards at the back of the castle; luckily, few servants were out in these unshaded areas at the hottest part of the day. The hanyou smirked again, dropping back alongside her with studied carelessness. "You're still slow."

She jerked the wheel towards him, forcing him to hop back, then straightened out and gave him a wicked grin. "So what? You're still twitchy."

"Well, you're still…" He gave her a long once-over, cutting it short when he realized how much he was enjoying the view. "…sunburned."

"And you're still unoriginal," Kagome promptly fired back, grinning wider.

"You're still wrong." The steps were just ahead. She sank back down, rear on the seat and legs out to either side to let her momentum peter out, and Inuyasha also slowed to a walk. Damn, that was almost kind of fun.

"You're still not fair." It would have been ideal to pull around him and keep going, but Kagome's lungs were burning, and the prickly feeling of sweat on her face and shoulders was more than persuasive enough. "Man…I used to ride for hours without getting tired."

"Then you're still a weakling. All you have to do on that thing is sit on your ass and move your feet." Inuyasha watched her closely to make sure she had enough strength to get off without hurting herself: her heart was going a little too fast for his liking.

"That's not a 'still.' If I can't do it anymore, then—ow!" Sure enough, one ankle scraped the inside of the back tire as she kicked the metal stand into place, and Inuyasha caught her in time to assist her over to the nearest wall for support. "Look what you made me do!"

"Don't try to blame that on me, wench. Lemme see…" He crouched and picked up her left foot, turning it to examine the thick red line rising across her Achilles' heel; she had to resist the urge to make a whinnying sound. "Keh. Your skin is like paper, you know that?"

"Is not. Paper doesn't get red and crispy in the sun," she muttered, removing the bow and setting it next to the quiver he tossed to the ground. And it doesn't care if you touch it or not. Slight difference…

"You'll live. C'mon, wench. I fixed your room, so you can go in and not move or hurt yourself or do anything stupid for a while." He let go and stood, holding up a finger as she tried to hobble around him to the stairs. "Just as long as you promise not to run around without me again. Kirara's good—" The fire-cat rumbled from her perch above their heads. "—but it bugs the hell out of me not knowing where you are when something's still out to kill you. Got that?"

The instinct to argue rose, then subsided quietly as the sun emerged from the clouds and her ankle began to hurt as well. Besides, she'd be lying if she said his concern wasn't touching, or that he didn't have a point about Naraku.

"Oh! Holy crap, that's right!" Pain forgotten, Kagome tugged at his sleeve urgently. "Is Sango awake yet?"

"Not when I was there last," he grumbled, suspecting a new ploy to avoid his question. "Don't try to change the—"

"Okay, okay, I promise. It doesn't matter, anyway, 'cause we might know where…the guy who started everything is hiding."

"The guy who…?" Inuyasha's eyes bulged. "You're kidding! Who said that?"

"Kikyou." Kagome nodded slowly at his moment of slack-jawed shock. "Come on. Time for a little chat with everyone."

"Yeah." One second, he was nodding at her. The next, she found herself off the ground, being rearranged comfortably in his arms while he backed up, tensing to spring upwards. "You're too weak to walk up there, so hold on."

Her mouth caught up to her brain just a second too late. "…Don't even think about—"

Three strong, well-placed leaps later, Inuyasha winced at a steady stream of hissed curses from his passenger and eased her to the balcony's floor as gently as he could. "I told you to hold on."

"I told you not to do it in the first place. You couldn't have waited thirty seconds for me to catch my breath first?" Kagome tried to stalk inside, but her legs didn't quite want to work anymore. "Merde!"

Servants near the balcony entrance scuttled away just in time as he half-supported and grumbled back at her all the way down to his room, where she brushed his hands off and insisted upon going in without help. Inuyasha wiped his hands on his sleeves as he followed, scowling deeper when the smell of her sweat became apparent. The bracelets definitely didn't work on body fluids once they left her person, as he'd noticed last night. Of course, he'd been able to scrub that off, but now he had Kagome all over him…

"Good day, Kagome-sama," Miroku said with as much courtesy as he could muster, bowing low to hide his reaction to her flushed, angry greeting. "And Inuyasha."

"Shove it, bouzu." The hanyou seated himself next to Kagome, who fanned herself vigorously with the discarded piece of paper. None of the boys were in this room or Inuyasha's. "You awake, Sango?"

"Yes." Miroku moved over to assist her as she sat up, grimacing. "I'm fine, houshi-sama. …Kagome-chan, why were you out in the sun? And why did you let her, Inuyasha?"

"That's not his fault, Sango-chan," Kagome said quickly. "Look, now that we're all here, I've got to tell you something really important. Kikyou and I had a long talk earlier…"

That got their undivided attention, and everyone hung on every word she could relate of the conversation, even Miroku, who raised a point she'd forgotten after she finished: "You said before that Inuyasha received word from kugutsu, twice, Kagome-sama, and has yet to tell us what either said?" They turned to look at him accusingly.

"I was gonna tell you," he protested, hands buried in his sleeves to hide his fingers' restless tapping. "The 'one more soon' one just showed up after I killed the thing last night. The one a couple days ago said 'unnecessary' or some weird shit, plus whatever wrote it stole two of Kagome's brace things and left 'em for someone to find with it."

"Meaning it wanted to imply that they aren't necessary?" Miroku frowned. "What was their purpose again?"

"To strengthen, weaken or eliminate scent given off by whoever wears them," Sango supplied. "I would have given a great deal to have had such a thing on hunts—though I suppose my prey wouldn't have agreed."

"In that case, perhaps whatever delivered its opinion of the devices is something we've been trying to hunt, such as the kugutsu," the monk suggested.

Kagome shook her head, catching her hair back in one hand when the sweat-heavy ends made her shoulders hurt. Stupid clothes not being there. "That doesn't make any sense. Like Inuyasha said, the kugutsu don't care if we're smellable or not. If anything, the guy controlling them would want the bracelets for himself so Inuyasha couldn't track him."

"Does he know how they work, then? But how?" Sango cracked her knuckles and made them all twitch in near unison. "Sorry. But didn't you say the first creature lured you out with a promise of something almost no one here at the castle would know of, Kagome-chan? Its creator has to be somewhere close enough to get this information without being detected."

There was a lengthy pause. Kagome didn't know whether to laugh or shudder when she realized they were starting to eye each other. "Come on, guys, let's think about it some more. Sango's right, it did know I wanted a bike." She couldn't help a little stab of paranoia: how the hell had it found that out? "Then there was the second one. It attacked us last night…and then I guess I felt another one being made right after Inuyasha killed it. So, we know it…he knows us pretty well, he's got a good hiding spot, and he likes to do stuff that makes no sense."

"It makes sense all right," Inuyasha mumbled, staring at the floor. The humans exchanged quick, wary glances at his tone. "The stupid jerkoff is just havin' fun with us. He didn't have to trick Kagome or steal shit or leave us cute little notes, or use some fake messenger girl with something as obvious as a weird leg. He wants us to know he's here. Any time he wants, he could—"

"Wait a moment," Sango interrupted thoughtfully. "If something was written outside the door last night…we never heard anything. Did you notice any unusual scents, Inuyasha? Our enemy was never able to hide himself that well."

"Not a damn one." The slayer sighed in exasperation at Inuyasha's terse reply. "I didn't smell a fucking thing. It's like he wasn't there. But how else would it get there?"

"Uh…" Kagome hated to say it, but it was all she could think of. "Maybe…one of the servants? Could he have a spy or something?"

Inuyasha snorted. "I'd still smell it if any of 'em ever got close to him. Besides, humans can't keep secrets worth shit. Even if you look calm, you give off fear stink whenever you think you might get caught. And besides that, none of 'em can write more than their names, and that's mostly the kids. If he just got someone to memorize how to write what he wanted, they did a damn good job."

"Wow. It sounds like you've put a lot of thought into this…" Kagome tapped her chin. "Was it in kanji?"

"Yeah, mostly, and it wasn't a woman who wrote it, either. Too pointy." He had indeed thought of that last night, and it had only frustrated him. If any of the castle women could read and write at all, they did so in hiragana, a distinctly curving script, while male servants would do so in katakana, a more angular set of characters expressing the same sounds. Kagome was so used to writing each in her own time that she'd forgotten how unusual it was here for anyone to know both, as Sango and Miroku did to some degree, and thus how a writer's gender could often be discerned at a glance. Kanji was an entirely different matter, left to the nobility or scholars with enough time and dedication to learn thousands of intricate symbols, stroke by stroke, and their readings.

"To summarize…" Miroku sighed heavily. "He has a secure location of which we're not certain, human hands and ears to spy with – likely male and very clever – and a fondness for toying with us, all of which sound exactly like him. You say we're waiting for Shimoko to return and supply us with more information before we attempt his removal, Kagome-sama?"

"I don't see why we can't kill him now." This came from Sango, not Inuyasha, who was a little alarmed at the tightly controlled anger she'd been building up. She's almost as pissed as I am! "The monster's lived more than long enough, and as long as he's alive, we're all in danger, especially…" She folded her hands on her lap, close against her body. "Can't you ask her for more information, Kagome-chan? Please? She has to understand how we feel."

"I tried, but she said he'd just jump to a new hiding place if we went for him without knowing exactly what we're doing." Kagome was conscious of her friend's emotional turmoil, and felt overwhelmingly sorry for her…but what could any of them do? "It'll be soon, Sango-chan, I swear."

"Hate to admit it, but she's got a point," Inuyasha volunteered, wincing again at the slayer's scent. This time it was closer to tears. "I want to kill the fucker just as bad as you do. We'll get him sooner or later, so just calm down for a while."

Sango flushed angrily. "Calm down? How dare you—"

"Easy, easy," Kagome said quickly as Miroku discreetly caught Sango's hands, squeezing them to comfort and restrain at once. "He's an idiot, remember, Sango-chan? You have to tell him things right to his face, or he'll never get it."

"Excuse the hell out of me for not reading minds," he snarled. Miroku coughed out a 'Shut up and listen' for his ears only, and despite himself, Inuyasha gave a token scowl, then did so. Kagome gave him a quick, apologetic smile.

"So, you figured it out, Kagome-chan?" The slayer also tried to smile. It looked a lot like the way Kagome had felt not too long ago with the wounded servant: painfully forced. "Just as well. You're right, of course…" She motioned for Kagome to check the hall for servants, then turned to Inuyasha. "It's not your fault. I didn't even realize it till Shimoko told me last night that I'm with child."

The dust settled. Kagome had never heard it before, but she was fairly sure that that was what happened as Inuyasha blinked, several times, and no one else spoke. Fortunately, he broke the spell with a grunt of "Oh" and nothing more.

"I heard myself this morning, when my head was still notably afloat, and I think I reacted the same way." Miroku grinned sheepishly, squeezing her hands again. "We'd rather word not spread too quickly, which is much like preferring the sky green around here, we know."

"But if we could break…it…before everyone starts crowding in, shoving advice in my face and telling me what a pity it is I'll have to raise a cursed son on my own, or offering to…" Sango massaged her temples. "You can understand how we'd prefer not to have to put up with it."

Inuyasha nodded, but his eyes were distant. "So, when did this happen?" His gaze abruptly sharpened, piercing Miroku. "I knew it! I told you not to while you were down there, you lech! She was supposed to be sick!"

Miroku raised both hands in an innocent shrug. "The last night, she was more than healthy en—"

A sound suspiciously like a growl from Sango shut him up instantly. "Moving on to more important matters…" She dug the heels of her hands into her eyes. "We've no intentions not to keep the child. It might be sooner than we intended, but not too late to eliminate him."

Kagome heartily approved of her friend's inclusive speaking; judging by Miroku's short nods, they'd evidently been talking it over. That must be part of what Shimoko meant, but it looks like things are okay for now. Best not to get between them too much, I guess…

When the slayer opened her eyes again, they were dry, but her voice creaked with the effort of keeping it steady. "Inuyasha, just in case…something were to happen, do you think…?"

"Don't want the kid to be a bastard if you can help it, right?" The hanyou made a great show of snorting and rearranging his hands. "Fine, the bouzu's broken enough rules for one more not to matter. You can go on the scroll soon as I get around to it."

Slayer and monk sat up as one. "You wouldn't mind, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked carefully.

"Why the hell would I? It's none of my damn business. Quit lookin' at me like that." He glared at them, then Kagome. "Not you, too."

It took Kagome a minute of mental scrounging to put the pieces together. Buddhist monks were supposed to be celibate; however, as she'd explained to Shimoko, that rule had been generally ignored in light of Miroku's unique situation, and it was worth noting that monks were also supposed to follow precepts against killing any living creature, lying, stealing, or using intoxicants, in all of which he'd failed spectacularly.

Nevertheless, an official marriage – even in the secular Buddhist fashion, as opposed to the ornate production of a Shinto ceremony – was pushing it by anyone's standards. As the lord of the castle, though, Inuyasha was the highest legal authority available, and if he said they were married, that was that. Nearly any other lord would have dismissed such an unusual idea unless he could think of some personal gain in it, but then, Kagome reflected, Inuyasha was definitely not any other lord.

In short, he'd just done them, and most especially Sango an immense favor, cementing her place in the castle and legitimacy for their child, no matter what might happen to Miroku. With this firmly in mind, Kagome scooted sideways on her knees, edged behind the hanyou, and surprised everyone by giving him a quick but very thorough hug.

"Where did that come from?" Inuyasha nearly snapped, leaning away as she scooted back to her place and folded her hands primly, ignoring her shoulders' complaints.

"That's the only way you couldn't 'keh, forget it' out of someone thanking you." Kagome beamed at him, which did nothing for his comfort or his complexion, then indicated their bemused friends. "And I don't think you'd put up with it from Sango, and probably not you either, Miroku-sama."

"I would certainly hope so," the monk said dryly. But his whole demeanor had lightened visibly, and Sango's troubled air was gone.

"Come on, Inuyasha, I'm starving, and you probably didn't eat yet either. Later, guys." Kagome nodded to her friends, got to her feet, and nudged Inuyasha meaningfully. "Unless you wanna stay up here while I walk all the way down by myself, of course."

She slipped out the next moment, forcing him to pause, mumble "Congratulations" awkwardly, and slam the shoji closed behind him before they could respond.

---

"Stupid bouzu," he muttered more than once over their late lunch in her room.

"I would've thought he'd be more responsible than that," Kagome agreed the second or third time. She had her back to the bed, hair tied up in another scarf, the arrangement of which had cost her enough pain to let her know she'd be immobilized when she woke up tomorrow. No sun for a week at this rate. "I mean, he held off for so long partly 'cause he was afraid she'd get pregnant, right?"

"Well, keep in mind she said she didn't care. That was the whole point." Inuyasha glanced at the bed, wondering if she'd put two and two together yet. "Not every woman wants to wait till she's old to get knocked up."

"I hardly think waiting past your twenty-first or second birthday qualifies you as old," Kagome retorted. They'd have this conversation before, though in a much less specific sense. "And this is a little different. Sango's not used to kids in the first place, so she's probably scared to death, even without thinking of their extra problems. No one's born knowing how to raise a family, you know, and she's had no experience at all."

Inuyasha didn't answer. She shrugged, then regretted it and concentrated on not moving for the rest of the meal.

"Too bad," he said out of the blue, as they were holding near-empty dishes in easy silence later. Kagome made a questioning noise. "I won't be here to see it."

The atmosphere was no longer comfortable. Kagome tried to conceal a swallow. What could she say to that? "You could, if you just took the simple precaution of not killing yourself" wouldn't go over too well…we've been through that.

Inuyasha glanced around, then lowered his voice even further. "I don't want you to feel like you're tied to this place whenever…it's over, 'cause the castle itself is staying, thanks to…the way I'm going." Kagome's breathing was becoming erratic, and he forced himself to ignore it: if he didn't say it now, he'd never have the courage again. "But…if you could, whenever you have time, make sure everyone here's okay?"

"What did you think, I've been planning to steal some old armor, sell it, move to the Bahamas and pretend this never happened?" Kagome willed her heart to slow down; she was starting to feel sick. Don't think about it. Just don't. "Of course I'll help out. This place is like home. Why would I just leave everyone?" Deep breaths. "…I can't do everything on my own, but Shimoko and Dad…well, Shimoko should be able to help."

If she had been less hot, tired, and emotionally drained, she wouldn't have said anything else. Inuyasha did not expect what came next: "It'd help more if you were still here, though."

To say he was at a loss for words wouldn't begin to describe the impact. But before he could really get angry, or upset, or attempt to figure out why she would say something like that, Kagome took a huge gulp of water and flapped her hand apologetically. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to say it's your fault or you shouldn't do it. It's your decision, and I have no right to mess with it. I'm just hoping Shimoko will be enough to keep Sesshoumaru and Kouga away while we figure out what to do with everyone here."

Only the raw tint of her skin reminded him that grabbing her would not be a good idea. He settled for wanting to do so very badly for a moment, then getting himself under control and casting around for something, anything that would help change the subject. The bed sprang to mind and out of his mouth before he could re-censor it: "So, you know why the bouzu made the servants clean all your sleeping stuff after the last time he slept down here with Sango, right?"

Kagome was taken aback, first by confusion at the new topic—and then a mix of horror, embarrassment and exasperated amusement as it hit her. "They didn't!"

"Yep. The bouzu admitted it, remember? He didn't want me smelling it and killing him. I might just do that anyway." The hanyou cracked his knuckles meaningfully, unaware that he did so in the same swift, one-handed fashion Shimoko preferred.

"No, Sango needs him in one piece," she reminded him, getting to her feet. "Speaking of which, they've had enough time to talk things over again. She should get something to eat, and I really need a bath."

"A cold one, maybe. I dunno how you got twice as roasted in just a couple of minutes, but you did." Inuyasha also got up. "So, how long d'you think it'll be before everyone figures it out?"

---

To their surprise, word seemed not to have gotten out yet by the time Kagome emerged from the baths for dinner. The servants seemed to have latched onto something else, but as Kagome couldn't catch what they were saying and Inuyasha was ignoring them, that probably wasn't such a bad thing, considering the alternative.

The boys had to be located, called inside thrice and persuaded to put away the newly unearthed water pistols – a cook had hidden them in the kitchen, but not well enough – in order to supervise the meal's preparation. "How come we always have to do this?" Souta complained as he carried dishes into Kagome's room. Kohaku had walked around and served as referee for most of the afternoon, which earned him a scolding from Sango and an injunction to move as little as possible for the rest of the day.

"Kohaku's been doing it without whining for a while now, I'll have you know. He can't tell you, so I'll write it out for you later," Kagome replied. She was more than a little peeved, first by the long delay, and also from noting her brother and Kohaku's light tans. They were out there for hours without a break! That's just not fair! "You guys can use the water guns in the baths if you want, as long as you don't get too rowdy."

That worked so well that Shippou even gave up his share of Kagome's dinner to stick with them, leaving them alone again for the meal. Kagome had half a mind to start off by telling Inuyasha about the long conversation she'd had with Sango in the baths, but dismissed the notion. For one thing, it didn't feel right to share a girl talk; more importantly, as happy as Kagome was for Sango, now that she knew her friend was less terrified of the prospect than willing to look at it as a new challenge – for now, at least – Kagome was already aware of the beginnings of envy. She withered it with a mental image of herself with Miroku—nuh-uh, don't want it. Problem solved for the moment.

Naturally, that wouldn't work for long. She put down her chopsticks and scratched under her choker, noticing the band for the first time in a while as the velvet rubbed something the wrong way. Funny how she could get used to a hot, tight grip around her throat but not get used to the idea that Inuyasha was going to…yep, there it went again, veering away. Stupid brain. Stupid hormones. Stupid feelings. They're all against me, they really—

"When are you going to take that damn thing off?" Inuyasha was only occasionally bothering to pick at his food, thoughts busy working around several things at once. This one wasn't his highest priority, but it pushed to the front of the line at the sight of her digging at her neck.

"I'm not, Inuyasha, so quit bugging me about it." Not this again. "The last time I checked, people didn't give gifts and then gripe nonstop about 'em being used."

"I didn't realize it was gonna look like that, all right?" He knew very well that this wasn't going to work, but he also knew that he could be honest with her, dammit, and if he could, then he would. "I don't care how fancy it is, it's a collar."

"If you have to think of it that way, fine. But it's my collar, and I like it, so I'm going to wear it." She glanced around for something to fan herself with.

Inuyasha nearly squirmed with frustration. "And you say I never get anything? Fine, then, I'll make this easy: that thing is demeaning, and I hate seeing you wearing it like it belongs there. It's not even useful, like that weird cart the wolf gave you or Shimoko's metal things, so there's no reason for you to wear it, either, and you still treat it like it's attached to you. Does that make any more fucking sense?"

Kagome was sure her face was going to start giving off steam any second now. Wow, he's articulate tonight. So that's why he's been so stubborn about it. "Yes, it does." She fanned till her wrist began to tire, then switched hands. "First, I don't care if it's useful or not, Inuyasha, because you gave it to me for a reason. Why did you, might I ask?"

He shrugged. "I didn't. It was Shimoko, remember?"

"She's not psychic, Inuyasha. You asked her to get it after I said I wanted one like we saw in the magazine, right?" He nodded impatiently. "Why?"

"Because you wanted the damn thing. What the hell is your point?"

"That was it, dummy." Kagome threaded her fingers through his forelock, tugging it for emphasis. "Kouga gives me stuff to impress me. You swallowed your pride so you could get me something you didn't like because you knew I wanted it. And now you keep telling me to get rid of it, it feels like you regret getting it in the first place, which kind of kills the point."

"I wish I'd gotten her to pick something different, yeah," Inuyasha said cautiously. That seemed to be the right answer for now, as she frowned but kept quiet long enough to let him choose his words with some semblance of care. "Think about it. The only thing you've gotten from me that didn't make you cry or get sick or something is this?" He extended his hand, barely grazing the grey pearl with one claw. "If it hadn't been for you, Kagome, I'd be dead now without ever having figured out what happened to me and Kikyou, not to mention Sango, Miroku, everyone else in the castle. Have you ever even thought of that?"

There went her heart again. "Have you ever thought that maybe I'm not keeping score? I did this or that, or Kouga got me something and you didn't, and you have to give me five hundred thousand yen or one good present for every point you lose? That's not how it works, Inuyasha. Besides, I told you already, I like it here, and I like being with you. All things considered, I'm really glad I came." Kagome took his hand as he started to withdraw it. "For the last time, I like the choker 'cause you gave it to me. If you picked up a stick at random outside and said, 'Here, this is for you,' I'd think you were nuts, and then I'd thank you and keep it. How's that?"

"A stick?" His right ear half-swiveled back as he digested the analogy and stared at his captive hand across the table. "Why would I give you a stick?"

"Maybe you were overcome with guilt over things that weren't your fault and thought you had to give me something material but didn't have anything else. I dunno." Kagome tapped one of his claws with her nail.

Both his ears flicked in perfect unison. "You're weird." Kagome started to roll her eyes. They stopped when his thumb slid lightly over her fingers. "How would you react if someone walked in one day, starting trying to fix all your problems single-handed, treated you like you were actually worth shit, and then said you shouldn't bother when you tried to thank 'em?"

"Uh…" Her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. "I…well, if it ever happens, I'll let you know." Their hands were still in loose contact. "It's not like I made everything better or anything." Pause. "…I hope I just made the wrong assumption and you didn't just actually say that about yourself again. Maybe you were talking about Shippou or someth—"

"Kagome." His tone was lightly warning now. She obediently ceased babbling, and he studied her carefully. His mind was getting crowded again, with whether Kikyou meant it when she told him to consider marriage and why Kagome was fidgeting instead of being pleased with him all but confessing how much he appreciated what she'd done for him, and what would she do if she wasn't sunburned and he picked her up right now? Snuggle up like a cat, if experience was any guide. Like this morning, or last night, when she'd…well, excluding the neck thing, of course. She probably wouldn't do that sober, any more than she would babble about nothing, like Sango…

Sango. What had Kagome said before she decided to treat his throat like a chew toy? It was difficult getting his mind past that part, but—

His ears went rigid as it all fell into place. Oh, shit. Holy fucking shit, she said something about making her like Sango. She was talking to ME. And Sango's………

Kagome blinked, tugging at his hand to wake him from a rather blank stare. "Inuyasha?"

He jumped, almost yanking his hand free. "Kagome? Uh…" How did one phrase a question like this? "Uh…"

"Yes?" she prompted, tilting her head to one side curiously. He's got that twitchy look again. Wonder what I did now.

"…How much do you remember about last night?" Inuyasha had never even dreamed of the possibility of ever having this problem before. "Like, what you said?"

Uh oh. "Not much, except some bad singing, probably." Kagome ducked her head. Please don't tell me I asked him for sexual favors, pleeease, God… "Why?"

"Uh…" Inuyasha glanced around. He recognized Sango's footsteps passing through the hall. "No reason. Will you marry me?"

"No?" It came out more question than answer, but it apparently satisfied the curse, because Inuyasha nodded, got to his feet and was out of the room without so much as another word.

Kagome stared at the shoji, jaw hanging slightly open. "Well, excuse me, whatever I did," she muttered upon recovery, jabbing at her fish angrily. It can't have been that bad. Maybe I just tried to kiss him and ended up making out with his ear or something. …Yeah, that's probably it.

She finished eating, set her dishes out neatly, and climbed onto her bed, stretching out on her stomach. Yep, nothing to worry about. I'm not ready to jump him or anything. Didn't probably do something stupid last night. Nope nope. Her eyes closed, burnt skin stretching unpleasantly to accentuate a deep grimace. Someone kill me now.

"Kagome-chan?" Sango entered the room. "What happened? Inuyasha looked strange. Are you all right?"

"Sure! Fine. Never been better." Kagome waved cheerily, turned her head the other way and closed her eyes again. "Just kill me before you put out the lights. Nighty night."

Sango glanced at the dishes, then Kagome, then back out at the hallway. I suppose I should wait till morning to ask her why Inuyasha stopped me to ask if she knew about my condition last night. He's so strange sometimes. All I said was yes, and his eyes nearly came out of his head. Never heard anything like that squeak he made, either.

The slayer shrugged to herself, motioning for Shippou to be quiet as the kit came in. It's probably nothing. At least I know she'll stay put as long as her skin's like that, poor thing. Let's hope she's better by the time Shimoko comes back… Her hands clenched on the bowls as she handed them to the kit. The sooner we kill Naraku and his puppets, the better for everyone. …Or nearly everyone. Poor Kagome still has no idea. Well, time enough till the curse has to be up. Anything can happen…I hope.

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A/N: Standard disclaimer on cultural stuff; I looked up as much as I could apply, but, like our crispy heroine, probably still got something wrong.

Another split chapter, after a mere 37 pages. (Yes. Some of us start to write chapters longer than that and have to split them. What's your point?) I'll try to be back within the week, despite finals and starting work and permanent return of bf soon. Tra la la la la. Another…10 chapters at most. We all know how reliable my estimates are, yes. Sue me. Have fun! (But not at suing me, 'cause I be broke! Ha ha. I'm original. No sleep for me.)