A very fine line separates veterinarians from doctors. One of the biggest differences simply being that vets treated animals while doctors excelled in human health care. Now, it's true that both are called doctors, but there is always that bright neon line separating the two.

Apparently Sango and Miroku had both been absent from school the day that particular lesson had been taught.

Kagome was a veterinarian. Not a doctor. The man sprawled out unceremoniously on her kitchen table defiantly didn't qualify as a animal. Even if he did have really long white hair, their was nothing animalistic about him.

As much as Kagome desperately wanted to know why a stranger was unconscious and bleeding on the place she usually ate her breakfast she checked herself... for the time being.

"I'm throughly convinced I'm having this off the wall dream because of the hot dog I bought for lunch from that suspicious salesman, but even though, I feel the need to point out that I am a vet. This is a man. Wait- this is a guy, right? Because he has some serious hair going on.."

"Yes he's a man. Focus Kagome. I know your probably shocked right now but he needs your help." Miroku's smooth, calm voice tainted with urgency cut off her small tirade.

Kagome eyed her close friends, noticing for the first time that they looked liked sleep was a forbidden practice.

Sango, whom always looked very stylish and clean, was sopping wet with her dark hair, still pulled up from earlier, frazzled and uncared for. Her jeans now sported a good sized hole above the knee and were spattered with mud. Her dark green jacket was in the same condition, minus the holes.

Miroku looked no better. His jet locks were pulled back into a hurried pony tail at the nape of his neck, and a unusual amount of damp bang was sticking to his face. His mud covered outfit was in worse condition then Sango's.

"What happened to you guys? Answers would be highly appreciated!"

"No time, Kagome-chan. We'll explain all you want later, but more pressing matters are at hand." Sango said firmly, yet softly. "Now go do your thing."

It registered in Kagome's sleep deprived mind that the man was bleeding heavily. Even if this was a dream, and a really weird one at that, she couldn't just go back to bed and leave the guy to bleed to death.

"Right." She said going into full vet mode. She grabbed her bag of supplies and put it on a corner of the table that wasn't preoccupied with limbs.

"You guys go grab some towels, you know where they are, Sango. Just not the white ones, alright?" Kagome ordered as she examined the person before her. His long hair was soaked and caked with mud and blood, as were is clothes. She grabbed a pair of scissors and began cutting his shirt, and what appeared to be the tattered remains of a parka, off of him.

With animal you would usually just shave the fur off near the injured area, so Kagome did the next best thing. Most of the blood was coming from his chest. The clothes had to go. She didn't fancy pulling his clothes off his body, for fear she might worsen his already horrid wounds.

Now that his upper torso was bare Kagome was very sure her new patient was male indeed. Even the dark red substance that covered him could not hide his physique. But now was not the time to ogle.

Sango and Miroku returned with the towels Kagome had requested and she went on to stem the flow of blood so she could properly fix him up.

With nothing else to do, and feeling very out of place, Sango and Miroku went to go sit on Kagome's couch. They could still see her pajama clad form bending over her patient with a professional and serious expression locked onto her features... well, at least as serious as someone could be whilst wearing duck slippers.

"Wow, he's tore up bad." Sango noted. She could now see the full extent of his injuries now that his clothing wasn't hiding them.

"Yes. I don't even know how he managed to make it back to my place." Miroku said rubbing his hands over his eyes.

"He scared me pretty bad when he charged in bleeding all over the place and cursing like a nut. He's pretty lucky I happened to be visiting or else you wouldn't have ever got him here."

Miroku smiled softly at her flustered appearance. "Very lucky indeed."

"This is pretty bad, though, isn't it?" Sango asked leaning back into the soft material of the couch, her words laced with worry and fatigue.

"It is. Now they know Inuyasha is alive. Or in their minds thought he was alive. Hopefully they think he's dead now, or dying. I'm sure they've tracked him to us...but if Kagome..." Miroku trailed off as a new idea dawned on him.

Sango caught on immediately, even in her fatigue her mind was sharp. "Yes, if Kagome-chan were to house him..."

Kagome stifled a yawn as she bandaged a wound in his shoulder, oblivious to the scheming going on behind her. She was nearly done now. She had stopped all the blood and was now disinfecting and bandaging his numerous cuts and injuries.

All sorts of eccentric scenarios were building themselves in her mind, trying to find a reason why he was so badly hurt. It looked like he had been caught in the crossfire of a gang shooting.

Hmm...Maybe he was in a gang...that would explain the wounds that looked suspiciously like they were made from bullets.

She noted a old wound in his chest, so close to his heart she had to suppress a shudder. Who was this guy? What if she were helping a criminal? No. That couldn't be it. Miroku and Sango wouldn't have brought her someone like a crazed, bank-robbing, rapist. She was sure their was a very innocent reason behind this.

Like, perhaps, he was a clown... and one of the people from the audience at his last show hated clowns with a deep passion and decided to do away with all clowns, one odd looking person at a time.

His breathing was abnormally shallow, but Kagome was sure that now all the bleeding had stopped he would be fine. When he woke up he could grab a good meal and be back to his job at the circus in no time at all. Maybe she would get free tickets for saving his life and take her little brother to a show...

She noticed a trickle of blood running down his forehead and down the side of his nose. She would have to but a bandage there too. The black beanie he wore was blocking the place she needed to clean. Happy with the good job she was doing (this was excellent practice! She was sure a injured animal would never overwhelm her again) she reached for his hat and tugged it off his head, revealing long, unruly bangs. She quickly cleaned and bandaged his forehead.

There! Wait... something was amiss. She just couldn't..put..her..finger on it...

"Homigod!" Kagome exclaimed loudly and jumped back. This man had...cat ears! The lock of silver hair that had been blocking the place where normal human ears formed, revealed when moved that where he should have had ears... their was only clear, smooth skin.

Sango and Miroku were at Kagome's side at an instant.

"What's wrong?" They asked in unison.

"He...ears...kitty?" Kagome failed at making a coherent sentence.

Miroku saw that Inuyasha's hat had been removed. His silver furred ears were very much visible. The silver white hair could be ignored... but not those.

"Do you see why you were the perfect person to help him?" Miroku asked merrily.

A woman dressed purely in black leather, resembling someone who could have been auditioning for the role of Cat Woman, sat in a uncomfortable wooden chair with her legs elegantly crossed.

"You are sure that he is dead, Kagura?" Came a rugged voice from across the dimly lit room.

Kagura looked to the man from whom the question was voiced. He had his back to her, showing off a long black mane of curled black hair, and he was watching out a very large window, seemingly staring into a black nothingness.

"If he is alive then I would be very surprised. Kouga, and the lot you deployed me, took most excellent care of our Inu. I even got a nice shot in myself." Kagura purred, a indifferent expression resting on her features.

Though Kagura could not see, a frown touched the mans lips. "But you do not have a body?"

"No. We don't have a body..." Kagura admitted slowly. "But there is no way he could have survived our attack. If he's not dead, he's dying curled up in a ditch somewhere, Naraku, we won't have to worry about him anymore.."

Naraku's frown deepened. "I thought you more intelligent then that. If he has survived this long, he must have friends. He is made of... more durable things then you."

Kagura copied his frown. "He can't be any stronger then Kouga or.."

"Yes he can." Naraku cut her off. "Out of all of them my hopes were highest for Inu. If he cannot be recaptured, I want him dead. Isn't that what I told you?"

"Yes... he defiantly did not want to be recaptured, so we gave it our all. He's dead." Kagura folded her arms, wondering why Naraku was so reluctant to believe.

"I want a body."

"What? Oh, he could have curled up anywhere!"

"I do not want to have to repeat myself." Naraku said darkly. "You are dismissed."

Kagura stood up angrily and left. She did not want to be the one to tell her comrades that their job had yet to end...Inu had given them a bit of a bad time in their short time together.

"Hey, Kanna." Kagura called.

The woman, although older then Kagura, was half her size and albino looking and seemed to have no feeling what so ever other then indifference.

"Yes." She answered from behind her stack of papers she had been putting away alphabetically.

"I need you too - "

The phone rang cutting Kagura off.

Kanna picked the violently ringing phone up. "Yes...hold please." She said in her whisper of a voice.

"What did you need, Kagura-san?"

"I need you to inform Kouga and the new lot that we aren't done yet. They'll know what you mean." With that she slunk off regally.

"Of course." Kanna said switching phone lines. "Ah, a secretaries work in never done..."

Sango gave a mug full of fresh, hot coffee to Kagome whom had dropped on the couch and didn't look like she would ever make it up again.

Kagome shot Sango a look that basically meant "Bless you." and accepted the coffee gladly.

"Do you understand now, Kagome?" Sango asked as she took a seat beside her friend.

"Not really...try saying it slower." Kagome suggested from behind her mug.

"I'll say it once more." Miroku announced.

"No, no. I heard you the firs two times... I just don't believe... that this is possible."

"But it is true, Inuyasha himself is proof." Miroku jabbed a finger in Inuyasha's direction. "A man by the name of Naraku owns a corporation that finds all sorts of cures for animals and people alike. It just so happens that he stumbled upon the knowledge that led him to discover a way to blend animals with people. It's all quite simple really..."

"No! It is not simple! That's..that's just ludicrous. The government wouldn't let him do something like that!"

"Exactly." Sango said, sipping on her own beverage.

"That's why he does it in secret." Miroku said matter-of-factly

"No way. You just can't do something straight out of a horror movie in secret! Why would he even want to fuse humans with animals?"

"Because he's a nutter." Sango muttered under her breath.

"He's found a way around the government or anything to that caliber. He may be a nutter," He said glancing at Sango. "But he's a genius."

"I've never liked that combination." Kagome said off handedly. "But...How could you know all of this?"

"Inuyasha told us. Sango and I found him when we went on that boat outing, remember? You couldn't come because of your job. Well, we saved him and we've been sheltering him ever since."

Kagome was quiet for a while, as though she were digesting everything. Then she looked angry. "And you haven't shared this with me till now! Were supposed to be friends!" Kagome shot a betrayed look at both of them.

"Oh, Kagome. I wanted too, I really did. Inuyasha made us swear not to tell anyone." Sango defended.

"Even me!"

"Even you."

"Can you blame him? Would want to go back to a place where you weren't treated as a human, and had all sorts of tests run on you all the time. Think no privacy, Kagome." Miroku reasoned.

"Well...yes. I can see why he wouldn't want to be found out. But what if he's lying?" Kagome fought for a reason not to believe this.

"He could lie to us, yes, but could he hide his appearance? Let's go take a look at him more closely, shall we?" Said miroku walking over to the unconscious male.

Kagome followed reluctantly.

"You've seen his hair and ears, which are both very abnormal. But how about his nails?"

Kagome leaned forward to inspect his hands. "Oh, my.." Kagome whispered as she saw his dagger-like claws.

"Let's not forget his teeth." Miroku blandly pulled a side of Inuyasha's mouth open to reveal the sharp, pointed teeth.

"Oh, my.."

"And if his eyes were open you would find them to be a most unnatural shade of yellow."

"Oh, my.."

"Have we made a believer out of you?" Miroku asked politely.

"You'll have to ask me when my brain has resumed it's usual function." She was feeling the need to sit down again. "So your saying this guy is, like, part cat or something."

Sango laughed abruptly from the couch.

"What?" Kagome asked, failing to see the humor.

"I wouldn't call him a cat when he's awake. Do you really think someone named Inuyasha would be part cat?"

"Okay, dog then. It's a easy mistake, alright?" Kagome huffed.

"But really, you don't need to worry about it at all. All you need to do is allow Inuyasha residence with you..."

"What?"

"Calm yourself, now, it's only for a little while. Just to make sure Inuyasha won't be killed or recaptured. That's not so bad. You wouldn't refuse him will you? It may mean his life."

"Alright already! Stop with the guilt thing. He can stay with me for a very short time period. Got that? Just until he can move back with you, Miroku. And I'm only agreeing under the influence of this has to be a dream.

Sango and Miroku exchanged small smiles. They had known Kagome wouldn't refuse. She was too soft hearted for her own good... or at least her apartments own good.

"What ever you say Kagome."

A/N:

Yes, I know what you are thinking. "Man! This was a short chapter. What's wrong with you? And why leave it off there"

Well, if it soothes you any I will do my very best with chapter three. I'll make it long and as detailed as you could ever want And who knows? Maybe Inuyasha will actually be awake. Thank you so much to those who reviewed. And shame to the ones who didn't Until next time. Reviews are loved, cherished, and doted upon.

Silver Slytherin Serpent:

You and that spork again, lol. Thanks for reviewing this story also. Thanks for the encouragement! I'm delighted you like it. I wasn't sure how many would feel about this. Sorry it ended on such a pore note.

Monkeychan17:

I'm very happy you like it I appreciate your review. Oh, and don't worry about lovely little Kirara. She's fine. I hope to hear from you again. Thanks!

Lady Illu:

I'm glad you find Bittersweet interesting I try. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you. In fact I hope it answers your question. Thanks for reviewing.

Jazzymonkey:

Allow me to say that I am over the moon we met because your review was exactly what I needed. Please, don't worry. I will not quit on either of my fics. If I start something I'll finish it. I severely hope that this chapter didn't lower your opinion of me. Your thoughts really mean a lot to me, it was extremely nice of you to say. Even if I don't have many reviews comments like yours make writing so enjoyable. I'm not sure how long this fic will be but I'll do my best, partially because of you And I agree being a vet totally suits Kagome. Thanks for noticing. Dear god your review made me ecstatic! Thanks so much! So, ramble on as much as you want!

SilverSqueakyInuEars