Kagome grabbed her uniform coat and slipped on her shoes before following the man who introduced himself as Hatori Sohma to the waiting car. He was tall and handsome with part of his hair covering his left eye. He had bowed to Kagome politely when they had first met and held open the car door for her. Kagome blushed slightly. After all, a tall, beautiful man treating her like a real woman was very flattering!

"Excuse me, Sohma-san," Kagome started quietly. "If I may ask, what animal are you? You feel like a… well I can't really put my finger on it. The others were pretty easy." Kagome didn't mention that Kyo's aura confused her quite a lot.

"I'd rather not say," Hatori replied coldly. "But, I would like to warn you, Akito-sama is not usually very tolerant of outsiders. I'm not sure why he lets Honda-san know the secret of our curse, but I can almost guarantee that he will not let you continue to know about it. Your memories might have to be erased."

Kagome was slightly taken aback at the tone of Hatori's voice. It sounded harsh, but there was an undertone to it that made her wonder. What was it about this Akito that made everyone so wary? Kagome didn't reply but nodded. There was no way her memories were going to be erased. Wait. How could her memories be erased? No human could have the power to do that! Could they? She voiced her opinion out loud.

"It is a gift that my father passed on to me." Hatori said simply. "I will be the one to erase your memories if Akito-sama wishes it."

"Very well Sohma-san. But I hope that it won't come to that." The rest of the short drive was absolutely silent as was the walk through the large main house to Akito's room. Kagome didn't bother to tell Hatori that there was no way she was letting him take her memories. She would fight tooth and nail to prevent that, and she would win, but she desperately hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Hatori knocked on the door politely before calling, "Akito-sama, you have a visitor." There was an assenting grunt from inside the door followed by a hacking cough. Hatori slid the shoji door open and waved Kagome in.

"I will wait out here for you Higurashi-san," Hatori stated emotionlessly.

Kagome nodded and entered. The door slid shut behind her with a definitive snap. "Akito-sama," Kagome bowed and kneeled in the middle of the floor. This was an old family and Kagome decided it would be prudent to use the manners she had been taught back in the feudal era.

"Girl," Akito wheezed. "What could you possibly want with my family?"

"Your family is kind to me. They are my friends and I don't want to hurt them. If possible, I would like to help them remove their curse. I can see it affects you as well milady."

Akito stood up at a speed Kagome had thought impossible for someone who had been coughing so hard before. "How do you know!" she raged. "I have told no one except Hatori! Did that good for nothing son of a…"

"Hatori-san told me nothing milady!" Kagome interrupted quickly. She didn't want Hatori to suffer from a misunderstanding. "I am a priestess and I can read auras. You are very feminine milady."

"Stop it! Stop lying!" Akito cried out as she leaped for Kagome. Kagome quickly dodged the crazy head of the family but Akito kept going for her. Finally, after leaping all over the room, Kagome decided she had had enough. She grabbed Akito's wrist at her next attack and twisted it so Akito was kneeling in front of her. Tears of madness were streaming down the woman's face as she continued whisper-screaming obscenities at the priestess.

"Milady, please calm down," Kagome demanded, not losing her politeness for a moment. "I am not lying about anything and if you calm down I would be happy to explain myself to you."

Akito suddenly stopped her wailing and went limp in Kagome's hold. "Thank you milady.

"I can tell that the curse is affecting you as well. You are sick and dying at too young of an age. If I can release this curse from your family you will be free too. I would be delighted to try my best and help you."

"No," Akito whispered. "If I lose the curse, I lose my family. Nobody will want to be around me. They put up with me because they know I am sick and dying. They pity me and I would rather have them around me for that reason than not at all."

Kagome felt sorry for the head, but she was also exasperated with her. "They don't pity you, they fear you." She stated bluntly. "And I don't know how long it will take to break the curse. If you start to be nice to your family starting now, maybe they will find it in their hearts to forgive you. Then they won't want to leave you. Plus, would you rather die with everyone fearing you, or live to try and get back in their good graces?"

Akito glared weakly at the girl sitting quietly in front of her. "You think you're so high and mighty, don't you? You know they won't forgive me and you just want to take them away from me!"

"That's not true milady." Kagome sighed. "I just want to help my friends."

"Fine! Try to rid my family of the curse! Why would I care what happens to you or them if you fail! There's no way to get rid of it! And if you succeed and I don't die from it, I'll just kill myself anyway!"

"Akito-sama, please, if you start to be kind to your family, they will want to be close to you. Right now you're just driving them away. Just think about it, and thank you for accepting my offer of help. I hope everything goes well with you."

"Hn," Akito grunted and waved Kagome away. Once her back was turned, Kagome grinned broadly. She had done it! She would be able to help her friends and their family like she had been thinking ever since she had heard that they were cursed. And she wasn't going to have her memory erased! That would have been a messy situation had it actually occured.

She pulled open the door and grinned brightly at Hatori. "It's okay!" Hatori glanced at the girl in surprise as she wrapped her arms around him laughing softly.

"K-Kagome-san," Hatori stuttered. "What happened?" He was referring to the fact that he hadn't transformed and what had transpired in Akito's bedroom. There had been shouts and crashes and Kagome had come out unscathed and laughing? What the heck?

"I can help!" Kagome giggled. She was so happy that all thoughts of her past flew out the window at her desire to help her new friends.

"How can you hug me?"

"I'm a priestess. Your curse doesn't affect me! Can you take me back to Shigure-san's now please? I would like to tell them the good news."

Hatori was about to answer when two people appeared in the hallway they had been walking down while Kagome had been talking to Hatori.

"Kagome-chan?"

"'Gome-chan!" It was Haru and Momiji.

"Haru-kun! Momiji-kun!" Kagome exclaimed as she ran toward them. She was happy. Now she knew why they hadn't hugged her before and that they could now. If they wanted to.

"Why are you here Kagome-chan?" Hatsuharu asked with a concerned gleam in his eye.

"I just saw Akito-sama." She replied, still smiling although not as crazed as before.

"What!" Haru cried, grabbing her shoulders as he remembered Rin. "What happened! Are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he?" His aura darkened as Black Haru took over.

"No Haru-kun, I'm just fine." Kagome hugged him too, and like the others, Haru stiffened as he expected to transform. In his surprise, White Haru was able to regain control. Momiji watched with wide eyes as nothing happened.

"How?" Haru asked simply.

"She's a priestess," Hatori replied as he walked slowly up to them.

"I want a hug too then!" Momiji exclaimed as he leaped into Kagome's arm. Kagome laughed and spun around, holding Momiji close. It reminded her of holding Shippou and she held him even tighter.

Momiji clung to her and his shoulders began to shake. "Momiji, what's wrong?" Kagome asked as she kneeled on the ground and pulled away, afraid she had hurt him in some way. Momiji just latched himself back on Kagome, his arms wrapped around her neck as he continued to sob.

"Nothing, 'Gome-chan. I just didn't know what a hug felt like. It's nice." Kagome felt her heart clench at the young looking boy's sobs.

"Momiji, if you ever want a hug, I will be happy to hug you."

Hatori and Hatsuharu watched the touching scene with soft eyes until Hatori cleared his throat. "We need to get going. You might not have to go to school today, but that doesn't mean that I don't have work to do."

Kagome looked up into Hatori's soft black eye and smiled. He seemed much more relaxed now that he knew Kagome had been accepted into the family by Akito. "Okay, time to go share the good news!"

"We're coming too!" Momiji and Haru spoke at the same time but with different inflections in their voices. Kagome grinned at them and looped one arm around the taller Haru's waist and her other arm around the shorter Momiji's shoulders as they followed a softly smiling Hatori to the car.

'This girl will be good for the family,' Hatori thought. He didn't know just how good she would actually be!