Kagome glanced up at the sign on the building; she had left the house soon after her conversation with her mother, leaving a note for George pinned on her bag. That was the only spot she could think to leave it, he was determined to figure out the potion and had even brought his cauldron along for testing the ingredients.

"Misa?" she called, stepping through the door.

A crash in the back of the store made her jump sighing when Misa came into view. "I knew you would come! The tarot cards told me!"

Kagome smiled and embraced the woman, her light brown hair tickling her nose. "I guess you know why then, too?"

Misa pulled Kagome to the back of the store and up a flight of stairs after locking the front door and flipping the sign to 'closed'. "Of course, take your shirt off, let me see."

Kagome complied, lying down on the bed that was being offered. Misa mumbled something, poking and prodding the scar before her hands left Kagome's skin, returning to further investigate.

"I knew I would get you into my bed one day, and how fortunate am I that my mate's with you." A teasing voice sounded.

Kagome's lips quirked up through the pain her scar was bringing her. "Hello to you too, Kouga."

A chuckle vibrated through the studio apartment, Kouga's legs coming into her view. "That's not looking good."

Kagome frowned, she knew it was directed at his mate but she couldn't help feeling the dread pitting in her stomach. "Well?"

"I want to do a small test, I'll need to take a skin sample." Misa explained.

Kouga offered Kagome his hand as Misa readied a knife above the angry scar, Kagome taking it reluctantly and with a groan.

Squeezing tightly to the wolf demon's appendage, Kagome screwed her eyes shut as the blade dug into her skin. "Five hundred years later and Naraku's still giving me grief."

Misa barked out a laugh and set her blade aside, setting the skin sample next to it after she bagged it properly. "Speaking of such… How are you? We wanted to write you after we heard of the battle. Friends of friends of friends said you holed up."

"You heard right, I didn't see too many people the first month or so after… I hope I don't have to explain why." Kagome said as Misa slathered salve on the small wound before sticking a bandage on it.

"No explanation needed… we just wanted to know if there was anything we could do for you?" Kouga asked.

Kagome sat up, both wolf demon's watching her in anticipation. "I'm fine… I'm healing and I've started seeing someone."

Misa nodded sharply in approval, "good, you're too young to be going through all of that though. If you want… after we get the answers to what's going with your scar we can contact Fred… Maybe you could also bring George."

Kagome glanced over at the woman, her eyebrow raised in question, "how did you know?"

"Friends of friends of friends." Kouga answered with a wink.

Bowing her head with a sigh and a small smile Kagome nodded, "thanks you guys."