A/N: Alright, so I have writer's block again. I think that I deserve some credit for getting out two chapters last week (or was it the week before?) and I've actually been a little busy. Yes, I have been reading Harry Potter and trying to research Suuichi's personality. Meaning a long weekend of watching Yuyu Hakusho. Frankly, I think that it's a lost cause.

Vanya the Elven Maiden of the Valar: I think I said that it was in her possession, at least. That's all I'm going to say about it.

Katesy: Please don't do that again. And in order to work with me, you have to keep up with me.

ranchan23: Why Youko changed back will be explained. Eventually. As to Kagome, this chapter will say. And Youko will only change into humanoid demon form on the new moon. Sorry if I don't comment on your other reviews. I appreciate them, really. The only thing is, for all that I've written this story, I actually can't remember half of it. (n . n);

Inu-babe666: I'm not going to say what happens to Shippo and the others. You'll just have to find out later.

atamagaokashii Ookami: I'm working on building up feelings right now. I'll work on making her believe, which is what this chapter is about. Also, Suuichi is still in. I just have to figure out how to work him in. However, the next few chapters will have little to no Youko/Suuichi in them. They are mostly going to be centered around Kag-chan.

kitsune of the blade: That's fine. Questions are a good thing. I like them, so ask away!

Hot Anime Guy Here's Girl: I look forward to going to your site!

Kitsune Kagome: I don't know if Naraku is outside her door still. Who knows? He's a stalker, after all. He actually has more stuff coming, so I still need him. I don't know how Koenma is going to react, and I'm thinking I should write another scene with him now.

silver pup: Well, if you see any, I'm all for it. If I see some good crossovers, I'll let you know. Deal?

April-nee-chan: Well, I'm glad I can cheer you up. Stay happy, stay healthy, and I love ya too, nee-chan!

regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan: It's supposed to be sinister. Also, I have no idea when, or if, Shippo and the others will be rescued.

Thanks to LuzdeVida, WhyWhatShutup, Sakura Blossom-Cilla-85, Kaggy-chan2202, Black Hands, vixenia, Water Block, siren66, BlueMonkey89, Hoshiko Megami, AnimeMoonlightGoddess, and Ryukotsusei.

Note about Suuichi's OOC from Katesy-nee-chan:
Heyla, all. Author's sister speaking here. The reason that Suuichi's out of character is because this is a side of Suuichi you have never seen. This is his inner self, the side he doesn't let anyone see. However, he can't exactly keep it from Youko, can he? No. It's comparible to 'Inner Sakura' from Naruto, if you have read that series. This is also Suuichi when he gets REALLY mad, annoyed, etc. The extremes of his feelings. The reason you never see this, we think, is because he hides it. The only time you see him REALLY mad is during battle, but during that time, Youko is keeping him calmer because he knows extreme emotions are a weakness more often than not. Any more questions, review, and we shall try to explain better. Keyword, try. Have a pleasent cyber-day, peoples!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but a few plot devices and a scattered character or two. And maybe a few ideas. And Plushies! PLUSHIES!

QUESTING FOR BETA'S! E-MAIL IF INTERESTED!

Without Further ado...

the chapter...

Okay, now!

Kagome pulled into her driveway, the shining forest green Honda Accord rental gleaming in the dying sunlight. By far, this was one of the better cars Kagome had driven. The lush, tan leather seats kept cool in the summer, which was a profound relief for Kagome's over-heated rear. She was finally able to drag a couple CD's to listen to in the six disk changer. She currently played one of her favorites, her CD with In the Land of Twilight playing quite loudly. Singing along, she shut off the quiet engine and pushed the door (finally, one that didn't stick!) open. Unlocking her supple new seat-belt, she stepped out of the car. Her black stilettoes clicked cheerfully against the pavement as Kagome slammed the door shut.

Kagome smiled as the song continued in her head. Such a good song... "We dance for the idiots," Kagome muttered.

The raven haired therapist strolled up to her door and shoved the key into the lock. Various scratches and dents in the wood reminded Kagome that she needed to replace it eventually.

She opened the door with more force than necessary. The door wrenched the keys angrily from Kagome's fingers and slammed into the wall, denting said object further. Kagome winced as she thought of the fine she had paid the last time that had happened. She was not looking forward to the new one that had just been imposed the other week.

"Hey, not so loud!" Kagome looked up to see her friend, Koga, standing in the hallway. He had casually leaned against the entryway, his rough blue jeans pulling in all the right places. He casually flicked a strand of his black hair, which made women drool and men envious, behind his shoulder.

"What are you doing here, hm?" Kagome asked, pulling the door from the wall and shutting it behind her. "I don't remember giving you a key to my house."

Koga straightened his plaid shirt and began to button it, covering the dirt-covered white tee underneath. "I have your brother to thank for that."

"Figures." Kagome shook her head, dumped her keys into a dish on a table by the door and strode into the living room. "My house has been invaded. I do think I need to call a pest control," she announced.

Sango looked up from where she had been petting and cooing over Yuuki. Souta quickly scramb led to his feet and dropped the book he had been examining.

"Hey, sis, I had no choice. I answered the door, and they wouldn't leave until I let them in," Souta pleaded.

Sango snorted and continued to scratch Yuuki behind the ears. "Oh, be quiet. You let us in and we all know it." Sango smiled as Yuuki sent a look at Sango for pausing her administrations. "Sorry, your majesty."

Kagome put fisted hands on her hips and stared from one person to the next. "Alright, so why are you here?"

Sango refused to meet her eyes and Koga looked away. Souta just looked about as confused as Kagome and Youko did.

What do you think is going on?

Suuichi narrowed his eyes and shook his head. I really don't know. Whatever it is, I don't think it's warm tidings.

Koga coughed politely and turned to the younger Higurashii. "Souta, could we talk to your sister alone, please?"

Souta gave both a him and Sango a suspicious look before turning to Kagome. "I'll be back tomorrow. See you later." With that, he turned and left.

Sango waited for the door to shut before moving again. She lifted Yuuki and set him aside. Standing, she brushed stray fur from her black slacks and cleared her throat. "Kagome, we have something to tell you."

Kagome snorted. "That's obvious, or you wouldn't be here."

Koga nodded. "Of course, but this is important." Kagome waited expectantly for him to continue. "We haven't been entirely honest with you about things."

Kagome's smile faded slightly. "What do you mean?"

Sango's face and manner were brisk and business-like as she got ready to shatter Kagome's perfect world idealisms. "First off, with our jobs. Our true ones. Second, life in general. Third, you."

Kagome frowned. "I don't get it. What are you saying? That you aren't a doctor? That life is a bitch? That I'm not really your best friend?"

Koga strode forward to stand by Sango. "You're only right with one of those. Are you ready to have your entire view on all of the people you know shattered into a million tiny peices?" he asked cautiously.

Kagome nodded apprehensively, a frown gracing her face.

"You'd better sit down for this." Sango and Koga took seats on the couch, and Kagome took a chair. "I believe that I should start, since I have the lesser secret."

Sango crossed her legs delicately and began her story. "Alright. Here's the truth. I am a doctor, of sorts, for a hospital that specializes in certain beings." She held up a hand to stall anything Kagome was about to say. "No, I do not take care of humans with severe heart and brain illnesses. Rather, I take care of all cases for a different variety."

Youko narrowed his eyes. I don't like where this is going. Suuichi nodded mutely.

Koga cleared his throat. "Here's where I, and a few others, come in. Sango is the only doctor in a large radius that specialise in demon physiology, and has the only hospital that us demons can go to and still live peacefully with humans."

Kagome's jaw dropped. Okay, so maybe this was a dream. And the other was a dream within a dream. Right? "Wh-what are you saying?" she stuttered. "That demons are real? Not just some fairy tale?"

Koga nodded. Sango wouldn't meet Kagome's eyes.

"That can't be true. Demons are legends, make believe, non-existant!" Kagome's voice rose to a high squeak, half hysterical.

Koga shook his head. "I can prove it. I am a demon."

Without so much as a by-your-leave, Koga stood and began to glow. It was a soft, lavendar-blue light that warmed the room and seemed to make the shadows retreat. It began to brighten, unwavering until Kagome and Sango both had to look away for fear of being blinded.

When the light died, and Kagome was free to look without ruining her eyesight, Koga stood there.

Or rather, someone who looked much like him. Kagome's eyes widened and she placed a hand over her gaping mouth. The man in front of her resembled Koga almost exactly, save for the elf-like ears, pointed canines and a bushy brown tail protruding from his rear. Kagome quickly bit her tongue to reassure her that she was just dreaming, but only succeeded in drawing blood.

"This is some sort of trick. It has to be." Kagome pointed at Koga's tail. "I mean, people don't have tails." She laughed awkwardly, on the brink of hysteria. As she did, something warm began to spread through her body from the side of her torso.

Koga shook his head, ears flapping slightly. "It's no trick, and only demons have tails. Well, some have ears, too."

Sango finally looked up. "Kagome, the only reason we kept this secret was because long ago, humans and demons used to live together as one. However, something happened and a lot of demons began to attack humans for the fun of it. In order to continue surviving, the spirit world created a new plain just for demons. Those who could not live with humans peacefully were taken to the new realm, called Makai, and locked there with a kakai barrier. Those who could live with humans stayed, but not before damage was done."

Koga picked up the thread of the story. "Humans feared that us demons living here would turn on them and attack like the last group did. They began hunting us down, whether or not we had attacked them before. In order to survive, a miko long ago called Midoriko created a strong illusion spell with the help of the spirit foxes. It allowed us to live in disguise, and helped our survival. The humans soon forgot about us, passing the terror as an old act of war and believing us legend."

Sango spoke again. "The demons never forgot what had happened, and decided as a whole to live among their old allies secretly, revealing themselves to those few who could be trusted. People like doctors, spirit detectives, and miko. They've been living amongst us for quite near a millenia without any more scuffles like the past. The spirit detectives keep the troublemakers at bay, and demons and humans continue to live in harmony."

By now, Kagome's mind was reeling. That demon from the other night was real. Demons were real. Miko were real. And all this time, her friends had been keeping all of this from her. What other secrets were they hiding? Weren't they supposed to be best friends? Weren't they supposed to trust each other?

Sango shifted nervously. "That's not all." Kagome looked up, anger starting to build in her. The warmth from before responded vigorously, spreading faster than before.

Koga interrupted Sango. "First, before that, you may want to know about the others."

"Others?" Kagome tried to control the amount of anger in her voice in an attempt to stay as neutral-seeming as possible.

Sango shot Koga a glare but didn't argue. "Alright. Koga here is a wolf demon from the Higashi clan. He's basically royalty here, having been the great-great-however many greats-grandson of the prince of the east. Sesshomaru is a dog demon from the Shiro clan. He is the ruler of the western lands. Yukina is an ice koorime from Makai. Miroku is a spiritually aware priest -of sorts- and Kikyo is a miko."

Kagome glared and said "Let me guess. Inuyasha is a dog demon from the Shiro clan and Rin is a papillon demon from the Chairo clan?"

Sango and Koga winced at the venom in Kagome's voice. Koga hurried to correct her. "Actually, Inuyasha is a half-demon. His mother was human, but don't bring that up around him. Rin is just an ordinary human."

Kagome's fists shook in rage. So she was the last to know about all of this, huh? How courteous of her so-called 'friends'. "So I'm the second human to find out about all this, huh? I feel so special," she said sarcastically.

Sango and Koga shared a look of fear and hesitation before Sango turned to her friend. "Actually, miko."

Kagome's anger deflaited momentarily. A miko? Her? That couldn't be. She had never had anything special go on with her. Ever. Her anger flared again. And they hadn't bothered to tell her before now? They were supposed to be friends!

Sango nervously bit her lip. "Kagome," she started, "we didn't tell you before because there was no need to."

"So there is now?" Kagome asked darkly.

"Yes. One of the other things Koga does..."

Kagome interrupted. "Oh, goody. More secrets."

Sango waited momentarily before continuing. "One of the other things Koga does is monitor demon activity in the area. Last night, there was a high release of demon energy close to your home. We got worried that someone might find out you were an untrained miko and try to manipulate you."

Kagome couldn't take it anymore. The warmth egged her on, and her rage responded gladly. "Is that all I am? Some person that has a lot of energy, a precious treasure you have to keep for yourself?" Kagome stood angrily. "First you keep secrets from me. Then you tell me that all I am is some object!"

Sango held up her hands protectively. "No, that isn't it Kagome. You've got it all wrong..."

Kagome's eyes flashed dangerously. "No? What was it then, hm?" Neither answered. "I was the last one to know. Ever consider telling me about all this if I weren't a miko? What if I were just a regular human being? Would you have kept this from me then? And don't say that it was for my own good!" Sango snapped her mouth shut and gulped. "I'm supposed to be your friend! Friends tell each other their secrets. Friends trust each other. I guess that I'm not friendly enough to earn that!" As she roared her rage, a blue mist began to rise from the ground. It swirled around Kagome dangerously, lightning streaking through it in waves. Kagome's eyes began to glow white, and a non-existant wind began to swirl her hair.

"Please calm down Kagome!" Sango pleaded. Kagome ignored Sango and kept screeching, the mist raising higher and becoming packed with forks of electricity. Sango turned to Koga. "Koga, she's going to hurt herself!"

Koga stared at Sango. "What do you expect me to do?" he asked, his voice squeaking with fear. "She's already lost it, and she can purify my ass without a second thought right now!"

Sango's eyes began to shine with tears. "At this rate, everything within at least a ten mile radius will be purified! At best! I can't do anything, I'm nowhere near strong enough to knock her out."

Koga gulped. "At worse?"

Sango looked at him soberly. "I do believe that she could purify the entire country."

That made up Koga's mind for him. For the greater good, Koga braced himself for a painful experience. "I just hope that you can keep my hide in one peice after this," he muttered to Sango. Without hesitation, he roared and launched himself at Kagome, now covered to the waist in mist. Her eyes had gone completely white and her hair lashed out in all directions like a whip. Ignoring the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, Koga pulled back a fisted hand and launched it at the miko.

Kagome didn't know what happened. One minute she was raging about her feelings and the next, she was on the floor. All of her energy seemed drained from her and she could feel herself lapsing into unconciousness. The very last thing she heard made her feel immediately guilty. Sango's worried and panicked voiced rolled into Kagome's ears.

"I need an ambulance down here! Koga's on his deathbed!"

End Chapter
Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review!