Hearty

"Take all injured to the entry hall! If you find any snake survivors, take them to the prison keep!" Kagome yelled across a mass of youkai.

"Hai Miko-sama!" They chorused together before scurrying off to their duties.

Kagome stood confidently on the steps of the large mansion dressed in a kimono and hakama. Her sword was at her side, a bow and a full quiver of arrows wrapped around her back. If invaders decided to return, she would be ready for them. Kawabata stood to her right, glaring at anymore who dared to not follow orders.

The merchant youkai worked quickly, and soon the great hall was filled with the moans and cries of the injured.

Kagome took a cord and tied her sleeves back. "Kawabata-san, would you have them prepare hot water and some rags for me to use?"

The gruff leader eyed her for a moment. It was clear he wasn't used to taking orders from anyone.

"Alright." He mumbled as he strode away from her.

Kagome walked into the crowded hall, and searched out the most gravely wounded soldiers. They needed healing the quickest and besides, they would be too far gone to argue with her, and she really didn't have time to convince everyone.

She found a rather young looking youkai. He looked like a large, fat wolf covered with shaggy fur and triangle ears on top of his head. Bandages had been hastily wrapped around his face and his chest looked like a bloody mess. His chest rose and fell with his staggered breathing. A low whine escaped him as she knelt beside him.

Sadly she couldn't heal everyone completely; it would drain her too much. But rather, her plan was to heal them enough for them to survive, and move on.

Kagome gathered her reiki, letting it flow down her arms and across the wolf's torso. Her fingers skimmed through his thick fur, finding more lacerations than what she previously thought. His wounds were covered with an odd...slippery substance.

"Miko-sama!" Kawabata cried out with alarm.

Kagome whipped around, snapping at the leader. "You! Go over there!" She pointed across the room. She didn't have any patience for interruptions.

Kawabata ducked his head and quickly disappeared.

She turned back to the wolf, dipping a rag into a bucket of warm water, and gently began cleaning his wounds. Her reiki sank into his skin, healing him. After a few minutes his breathing evened out, and he began to stir.

"Grrraghh..." He mumbled moving about.

"Be still. You need time to rest." Kagome said softly.

The big oaf lifted a paw to his face, and pulled the bandages away, so that he could see her.

His blue bulbous eyes looked at her confused.

"Kagome-san?"

She sat back and blinked at him. She couldn't quite place him...but he seemed so familiar.

"Oh...Rōyakan?" She hadn't seen the big oaf since Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru defeated the panther tribe. That had been so long ago…

"Oh! Kagome-san, you saved me!" He cried out in a gruff voice; his eyes filled with tears. Next thing she knew, he had swept her up against his chest, hugging her tightly.

"Rōyakan! Let me go! Your wounds haven't healed all the way!"

Reluctantly, he set her down. "I'm a hearty youkai! I'll survive."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Yeah, now you will." She looked to the murky water bucket next to her. "Say, do you know what that slime is? It was all over you."

He leaned over to look at the bucket, taking a sniff. "Ugh, it's snake poison. They tend to spit at you while engaging in battle. Terrible stuff. Burns like hell."

She patted his arm. "Good to know. Now, I need you to rest and take it easy."

"Only because you say so." He grumbled as he laid back down on his makeshift pallet. As much as he wanted to put on a brave front, he felt terrible.

Kagome stood and caught a passing servant. "Excuse me, please tell everyone who seeing to the injured, to begin washing the poison from their bodies. It should help speed up healing."

The servant bowed and left to get more buckets of water.

Kagome sighed looking at all the injured. She was going to be here a while.

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Author's Note: So Rōyakan...anyone remember him? He only appears in 4 episodes (I'm pretty sure). I couldn't help but add him here cause he's so big and goofy that I find him adorable.
The next chapter should be out soon, and it will be a bit longer. Thank you for all the reviews!