Chapter 4: Adaptation and Encouragement

Kagome thought over her condition, her hungry stomach. While she wanted to go with Toriko, she wouldn't not be much of help is she is always hungry and weak. She explained it to Toriko the best she could, hoping that he would understand. He did, but he had to go to Heavy Hole alone because Komatsu refused to go for the conditions of the place. Toriko grumbled about it and to exchange Komatsu's bodily presence, he took a knife with him since Komatsu valued it equal to his life, he tucked Komatsu's kitchen knife in his breast pocket.

At the moment, we are standing at the top of the stair case looking at it, even when Toriko is long out of sight. Melk worried about Toriko's safety, but Komatsu and Kagome reassured her. Then a large purple Vampire Kong came flying through the air at us, carrying a large white cloth bag on its back. Komatsu started to freak out and streaming. Kagome just stood there, not sensing any bad intentions from it. The Kong was getting into Kagome's and Komatsu's face until Melk stopped it.

"Down, Pochiko! They are guests."

Melk gestured to us with her hand. Komatsu made a questioning sound after being breathed on by the large beast. Kagome studied the Vampire Kong. She has never even seen one of these in the Gourmet World.

"Surprised you, did he? She is my pet Vampire Kong. Her name is Pochiko."

The Vampire Kong took a few steps back. Kagome stood there watching it, wanting to pet its fur. She heard Komatsu question the name in hear peripheral hearing. Melk was walking over to the Kong.

"She's a pet Master originally kept. She's pretty helpful for delivering kitchen knives."

"S-she delivers kitchen knives?"

"The actual handling over the knives is manly done by her."

"Is that so?"

Kagome walked over to it cautiously.

"May – I – pet – her?"

Melk looked over to Kagome in a bit of surprise but agreed. Kagome walked over to it more confidently and placed a hand on the purple fur, keeping eye contact with Pochiko. It was course, but if you slide your hand down to pet it, it seems softer. Kagome smiled when it leaned into her touch. Pochiko then placed the bag onto Melk's arms.

"Welcome back, Pochiko! Good work"

Kagome looked at Melk when she gave the warm greetings. It was foreign to her to see such things. Usually where she was, the only affection she saw was within packs. Any contact with other animals usually starts warily and either ends in being ignored or a fight. Though, Kagome can feel the aura of a family between the two. Kagome smiled as she watched Pochiko climb up to her nest. She felt it was good to act that way.

Komatsu made the same conclusion, but instead of hanging upside down like normal bat would, Pochiko stands on top to watch the sky. We went back inside to let Melk do her work. She piled the kitchen knives onto the tree stump table. Komatsu was amazed by all the wrapped knives. Kagome was sitting down inspecting one of the knives. All of them are different and unique; they were from all over the world.

Kagome heard what Melk's work load a day was, a hundred knives to sharpen. Komatsu then found the reason why his knife would take three years to make; the work load of Melk's would take too long to do before she could get started on making it. Kagome is impressed that Melk could tell which knife belongs to which owner, she wouldn't be able to do that unless she were to know the owner personally, if it were just an acquaintance, she would forget who they were in a matter of minutes. When Komatsu asked which knives belong to who, Melk started to name a few. Kagome didn't know these people, but they must be important since Komatsu was acting so giddy around their knives. Melk explained that they were Melk senior's regular and original customers. She told us that Melk senior was never interested in the owner of the knives, but Melk junior did and went on complimenting on Komatsu's knife. She then placed a whetstone on her work surface and told us that she herself would never match up to her master's skill by wanting to know who the owners of the knives were.

Komatsu started to deny it and complimenting her on her work. Unnoticed, Kagome stiffened at a memory. Kagome is a Century Flower Being and we know that they are powerful, but what really make them powerful are their memories. In each cycle of their lives they always remember what happened to them in their previous lives. Kagome's pervious life was of a woman her age that was stronger than her. The Human World people that discovered her called her Kikyo.

Kagome wanted to be just like her, but every time that she would go after the food that Kikyo could get, she would get injured severely. That was before she met Jiro. When she met him, she was on the verge of dyeing to try and get to that ingredient. He helped her, even if she did give him a bad time during healing. He even helped her get passed comparing herself to her past life after he found out what she was. From then on, she hasn't looked through her past memories. Then when she was healed and went after that ingredient, she finally got it.

Kagome abruptly stood up and left the stone hut for air, leaving the chief and sharpener to themselves, noticing her departure for how quiet Kagome was. Kagome stared at the starry sky in a daze, not wanting to show the others how misty eyed she'd become. Kagome heeled her eyes and emptied her mind of the memories. She studied the area more closely than before, immediately brightening when she saw the bath. Kagome glanced at the hut when hearing Komatsu's exclamations.

She judge that they wouldn't come out for a while. Kagome went over and stripped down her fur clothing. She also took the crudely sewn bag from between her breasts to lie on her clothes, since she didn't know how to put pockets on her clothes. The contents were spices from where she lived. A breeze came by, making her shiver. Immediately, her skin started to be covered in short downy-gray fur for warmth until she stepped into the bath.

Her skin turned to more aquatic means, her skin became smooth and like a frogs' to get rid of the impurities in her body and to absorb the waters' nutrients, her hands and feet became slightly webbed since the water wasn't deep enough for them too actually be there, her hair became plaster to her back and scull as black colored second skin to get rid of drag, the underside of her forearm and around her waist produced fins for speed. They were really short and barely noticeable due to the depth of the bath.

Kagome sunk under the water to let her gills open. There were three sets of gills on her body. They were one set under her breasts, behind her ears, and just below her neck. These gills close when she is above water so she could use her natural lungs, but each set of lungs work individually. Like right now, she is only using her ear gills. If she were to use all of her gills, it would only to be for waters with low oxygen content where only select few beasts can live in. Kagome relaxed and open her eyes. The water was clear to her because of the film covering her eyeballs against the water. Kagome sighed when her fins grew to full length in relief and content. If Kagome wanted in deeper water, she could fuse her legs together to make one big fish tail. The coloring of her skin and scales would depend on the color of the surroundings.

Kagome sat up out of the water. The film over her eyes was removed and her hair turned normal. Kagome looked around finding some rags, towels, wooden buckets, and bottles full of some kind of goo (shampoo, conditioner, and soap). Kagome got out and washed the way Jiro taught her when she did bathe, he would instruct her from behind a tree or with his back turned. Kagome scrubbed and poured from the bucket on her to wash away the suds. Kagome then fill the bucket again to scrub her fur cloths, careful to know were the spice bag was. Kagome didn't use the goo, but her spit. If she were to swish it around her mouth then spit it on her fur clothes and water, it turns into something that makes fur soft and easy to clean. The softness stays as well. When Kagome was done, she toweled dry and willed her adaptation to change her skin to where if she was in a hot place like in a volcanoes for those stubborn ingredients. This makes her skin release the heat from her body to dry her clothes and if she was swimming in lava, keeps her cool. It had to be in an instant though, if she were to do it any longer and not in the situation this adaptation is for she will get too cold and probably die. It was a good thing that her clothes get dry in that amount of time.

Now she was hungry. Kagome went back inside to find that Komatsu went to bed in the spare futon and Melk doing work, still awake. Melk looked up after sharpening a knife to welcome her back.

"Hello Kagome, how was your bath?"

Kagome was confused that Melk knew that she was bathing, but shrugged it off. Though, Melk kept looking at her weirdly and curiously. Kagome smiled brightly.

"Great! How – you?"

"I'm good."

"Ah"

Kagome went to the basement to grab a snack *cough meal cough*. Kagome came back upstairs to see Melk making soup. Kagome blinked and looked outside, dawn.

'I must have slept in the bath when I closed my eyes, but it was still dark when I got out. Time sure does fly.'

Komatsu came down, when Kagome settled for soup even after eating her snack. It was delicious. Komatsu said it out loud along with compliments. So the stock was made form a creature called a Sake Kasu Snapping Turtle. Kagome thought of trying to catch it if she were to happen upon it sometime if she stays here in the Human World. Melk gave compliments to Komatsu in return for finding out the ingredient from just one mouthful.

Afterwards, Komatsu and Kagome watched Melk work on Smithing. Melk denied Komatsu that the making of kitchen knives starts with Smithing, but with providing the materials to smith the metal. Melk told them of the importance of doing such a thing and that she wasn't strong enough to go for the high ranking materials, still saying that she is still inexperienced enough. Kagome and Komatsu argued her on that while complimenting on the new kitchen knife. As usual, Kagome more choppy and struggling with words than Komatsu's smooth and awe sounding words.

Melk then told us about the three categories of a whet stone. Melk was still degrading herself in her skill. Komatsu comforted Melk with his words; Kagome did it by nodding with Komatsu and placing a hand on Melk's shoulder. At the end of the day, they were standing at the stairs. Melk still worries. Komatsu reassures her while Kagome placed a hand on her stomach and sighed with relief. She was finally adjusting. Soon, she will be able to eat just enough like Toriko or maybe just under that.

Kagome watched in amusement when Komatsu finally noticed the open air bath. Later, while Kagome and Melk where inside, Komatsu was enjoying the bath.

Kagome was watching Melk sharpen, taking in the angle, the speed, and the strength to doing it. Kagome looked to Melk with warmth. Kagome decided to make Melk a friend of hers. One that can talk to each other freely and whenever they want, a best friend, maybe a sister. Kagome smiled.