A/N: Here's the next chapter. It's jam-packed with action! Also, I would like to inform the readers that I am more than happy with the reviews, alerts, and favourites that you have been giving me! It is really encouraging, and I shall deliver! More importantly, this story will be updated every odd Monday, and sometimes a bit sooner for the shorter chapters.

Now, onward to chapter three!

xXx

Human Like Me

Animal I Have Become

Sesshoumaru was aware of when Kagome had risen in the morning thanks to her guttural groans, which should have wakened the rest of the household. As her sounds became louder and more urgent, he fought with himself to decide if he should remain downstairs and out of her way, or to check on her. When it appeared—fifteen long agonizing minutes later—that everyone in the house slept like a rock and wouldn't be tending to the miko, he stood from his perch and stretched out his cramped limbs.

He knocked lightly on her door, and she grunted for him to come in. He found her curled up in a tight ball hugging her abdomen, her face pale and her cheeks streaked with dried tears. She took no notice of him as he approached her like a feral animal. "What is wrong?" he asked bluntly.

She groaned, clutching herself tightly for an instant before relaxing. "I don't know," she whispered, fresh tears budding in her eyes. She could smell the salt from them and it was making her sicker. "I have a huge headache, and now I have cramps."

Sesshoumaru was no doctor, but he recognized the signs surely enough. Though she had inherited centuries old power, she was no more than a pup in reality, which couldn't control her powers before they ripped her apart. He should have anticipated this happening, for when pups went through their first transition into growing their powers they were subject to 'growing pains.' She just happened to be harbouring triple the amount a normal pup should have, because his power was thrice the amount of a younger inuyoukai, so it was taking its toll upon her body with her lack of training.

"This stage shall pass soon," he said to her. "These are what you humans would call growing pains."

Kagome sniffed and peered up at him. "R-really? Can you help me get through it?"

"It is not something to 'get through,' miko. You must learn to control it, or let it control you."

As he sat up to leave she gripped his arm, tighter than she had wanted, but it stayed him briefly. "Please, help me?" she pleaded, another convulsion shuddering through her body. "It hurts."

He recalled when he had been going through a similar transition, centuries ago, but it was faded with time and he held no sympathy for her. He wrenched his grasp from her frail fingers to leave her in solace, telling himself that she needed to pull herself together before it destroyed her slowly.

"Sess...shomaru, please." Her fingers stretched out toward him, pleading, helpless, begging. "I just want you to help me."

For one second he considered staying and aiding her, but that was after he remembered that he cared for no one but himself, and that her troubles weren't his.

"You don't have to be so cruel... you weren't through this, right? Please, can't you just understand that I... that I need help... " Another agonizing tremour rocked Kagome's body, and she felt bile rise to the back of her throat threatening.

The demon lord regarded the miko reproachfully, taking in her vulnerable state, and relishing the fact that she was being punished for ever getting his power. With one last, futile plea from Kagome, he promptly turned about on his heel and left.

He wandered about the top floor of the Higurashi home and wound up finding the bathroom. A mirror portrayed his countenance from the far wall; his human brown eyes, his ebony hair, and his lack of markings were all freshly opened wounds to his pride.

He had never seen such a thing before that could reflect one's own appearance, but he thought it cursed, rigged with magic. He smashed the mirror into tiny pieces, bloodying his one good hand in the process. Glass should not have been able to maim his thick skin so easily, and yet this sort of substance had. It must have been infused with witchcraft. Sesshoumaru trotted away from the mess he had made, licking delicately on his bleeding wound. Even his blood tasted differently to his tongue, and it sickened him.

Mrs. Higurashi greeted Sesshoumaru in the kitchen, holding a tray with a full glass of orange juice and scrambled eggs. "I wasn't sure what you liked to eat, but who could go wrong with this, right?" she offered him a cheerful smile that reached her warm eyes. Sesshoumaru did not feel like the recipient to her kindness, however.

"I do not require food," he stated simply, marching past her and out the screen door.

"Then would you like a pair of fresh clothing? You're still, um…" Mrs. Higurashi blushed, not wanting to be rude by bringing up his recent incarceration.

Sesshoumaru glanced down at his white jumpsuit indifferently, about to ignore her offer. "If you go out and the police see you, they'll think you've escaped."

He contemplated this. "Fetch me more suitable attire," he told her then, moving to the living room and planting himself regally on the couch. Even in a prison uniform he managed to make it work. Kagome's mom scuttled about to her bedroom, retrieving a few garments from her father's closet.

She offered him a simple kimono to wear; though it would look tacky, it would be less ostentatious than his prison outfit. "I hope it fits; you've got such long legs!"

Sesshoumaru took the clothes from her hands. "Hn."

"You men are always so tightlipped," Mrs. Higurashi shook her head wantonly. "But I accept your gratitude, nonetheless." She gave him a surreptious wink.

As he headed out the door, Kagome's mother called to him again. "Have you checked on Kagome lately? She was in a lot of pain this morning."

"She will be fine," he answered, sparing her not another glance as he slid the door open and stepped into the misty morning. Though his nose was dulled considerably, he could still make out the scent of tar and retching stink that polluted the air. He refrained from clamping his hand over his nose as he made way toward the large staircase, glancing at the shrine where the Well sat, dormant and useless. He thought it would be pointless to check it himself; he would not even know the difference of an active well or an inactive one and the fact that it had transported them to some other dimension was proof that he was clueless to these events.

Besides, the miko would've told him if something had changed.

With an air of indifference he immersed himself once more among the population of Tokyo, mindful that he no longer could smell the cloying scent of human. It was semi pleasant to be rid of this sense just for this instant, but he longed to have his heightened abilities that have guided him trustingly over the centuries. Even though he lacked his superior hearing, the noise that filtered through was enough to make him wince. Large tin objects were littering the ground and going opposite ends, sometimes turning at the same points or stopping randomly.

He gazed high up and noted that these villagers had huts taller than the clouds, which struck him as odd, since how would they be able to care for their livestock so far up?

He decided that he no longer cared, because human trivialities weren't applied to him. Though he was in flesh a mortal, he was a great dog demon, who commanded his own attention by those around him. Oddly enough, fellow domesticated dogs that resembled his brethren if they had been small pups were scurrying away with their tails between their legs at the sight of him. They know who their master is, he thought confidently, taking great pride in the way his subjects still commanded him, even in this foreign land.

The miko had been struggling to retain her normalcy during her battle with his youki, which subsumed her entire being without much hassle. If she did not learn quickly to quell these urges that would forever be present, than, she was placing herself, as well as her family in mortal danger. Not that he dared to admit that he cared for them—which he didn't, but he would be displeased to see that fruitless destruction was brought upon them by a simple accident.

His thoughts strayed to the youkai who had been pursuing him for a month within the feudal era, the demoness who called herself Azara. Ever since the Shikon no Tama had been completed, she had been more than usually persistent when it came to facing him in a battle. She had always been rude and insolent to her superiors, and Sesshoumaru had been no exception. Since resenting her suit some two hundred years ago in return for a peace treaty of her tribe Azara had made it her goal to ascertain his power and rule under his name. Then he had simply thought she desired to usurp his position as Lord of the Western Lands, but now he could see her clear intent. The demoness had always meant to snatch his powers away, but this time she had failed due to some fluke accident.

Whatever had happened to reverse his role with the human miko was not sitting well with him, mainly because none of this had been his doing. When he finally found Azara he would cleave her head clean off her shoulders and show it to her clan. The feud would then be snuffed out because then they would fear his awesome prowess and would not challenge him further. That demoness held within her a spiteful grudge, one that would not be stopped by attaining his powers alone, he knew. What the miko would think of this, if he ever desired to share upon his knowledge of the youkai who gave her his powers, would undoubtedly be interesting, for she tended to create reactions to situations he never thought would be possible. The only reaction he was waiting for from the miko now was how she handled the unbridled rage building within her core as he spoke. Would she pull through each time her powers harnessed her will and threatened to consume her? Only time would tell, he supposed bitterly.

As he strayed aimlessly through the streets, he was greeted by a young boy at his side. At first he did not recognize the youth, but then he realized it to be the miko's younger brother.

"Sesshoumaru-san?" the boy said, reducing his honorific to one of similar status. Sesshoumaru fought to bristle at this.

"I am a lord, and shall be addressed as such," he intoned. "Now what is it?"

"Kagome… she's…" he trailed off, a flash of terror apparent behind his brown eyes. "She's acting like last night. It's different than before, though; she's physically changing. It's… scary."

Sesshoumaru stilled, ignoring the people around him that pushed past them. "Is she showing signs of morphing again?" he arched a brow.

"Yes! She looks like some sort of dog hybrid off of a horror movie!"

Sesshoumaru reminded himself to ask the miko what a 'movie' was.

He followed the boy back to their shrine without haste. If she hadn't transformed fully now than it meant she was at least fighting, but obviously not hard enough. He found it troublesome that the one time he wished to summon his spherical ball of energy that was his favourite method of conveyance was with the miko girl, and stifled an agitated growl as he walked behind the youth.

When they finally returned home, there was a distinct difference both of them noticed; the front door of the house had been shredded to pieces, and the door was casted aside near the God Tree. "That… wasn't like that when I left," Souta breathed, stilled by shock.

Sesshoumaru keenly pieced together the trail that the miko girl had left behind; broken pots, upturned rock tiles of the shrines floor, to where their backyard was. He noticed that she owned a smaller hut that had been thoroughly ransacked, their possessions strewn about the floor like autumn leaves. He found her not so long after that, midway through the transformation process. She was only the size of a bear in her dog form, but as the youki swirled and pooled beneath and around her in sharp, winding eddies, she began to grow to exponential heights.

"Miko," he called sternly, instructing the boy to stay a safe distance away. Staring into a much smaller version of what his mother would have looked like if she had been in her full form, he approached her much like a human would a rabid, frightened animal. Kagome's jaws clicked together in warning as he got within six feet of her, just enough which if he were to take a few extra steps he could reach out and touch her matted muzzle.

"You must stop this at once," he commanded, letting his eyes bore into her red ones. She would learn that he was the alpha, and that she would kneel to him. "Bare your throat, you insolent mutt!"

When she merely snarled and made a quick snap for his remaining arm, Sesshoumaru bounced backwards, not as quickly as he would have thought—he barely missed her razor sharp jaws brushing past his shirt sleeve. Kagome was now so in tune with her demonic form that she had forgotten she was truly human. This would prove a problem for him.

Conjuring memories from back when he was a pup for guidance, he fought with dodging her tentative snips and concentrating on finding a method to breaking her spell. He noticed that she had already grown in size since he had ventured upon her, and now she was shoulder with the small hut over in the distance. Her tongue rolled out of her mouth as thick, cloying poison seeped from her pores.

"Miko, reign in your poison. You are in the presence of this Lord Sesshoumaru, so act accordingly." He thought that maybe now she would see reason and respect his title, but she answered him with a swat of her massive paw. He narrowly maneuvered around her, only because she was not accustomed to dwelling in a form so massive compared to her own. He stared into her eyes as her maw opened widely to release more gaseous poison that spread through the air. He thanked the wind that blew it away from his prone form.

Kagome began to pursue him, angling around him to try and get him cornered. Thus was the instinct of her being, of an inuyoukai, to corner and maim her prey. Her predatory eyes pinned him down as her target, and unless he found a way to quickly reel in her temper, he would be at the mercy of her burgeoning fury. He would not be the subject of her fury, would not be treated as an inferior being when she was beneath him.

She took another probing swat at his form, her nostrils twitching as she scented the air delicately, probably smelling his distress, which would only increase her entertainment.

Talking didn't seem like it would get him anywhere, so he placated her, hoping she wouldn't grow any larger in such a short amount of time.

She was not fully transformed enough to be truly a threat to him, but she was big enough to continue causing extensive damage to her home. Foolish woman, if she only could have held it in for a few more moments.

Souta approached Sesshoumaru, his eyes never leaving his sister's alienated form. "Is she gonna be all right?" he asked.

"She is beyond reason for now," he said.

Souta's lip quivered when Kagome singled him out. Her rear legs bunched for flight. Sesshoumaru swept the boy up and neatly dodged her attack, though it placed a great strain on his back from lifting the hundred and thirty pound youth. He set him down and without missing a beat, flung himself out of the way of Kagome's massive talons. Her maw clacked together in frustration.

"We're your family, Kagome!" Souta called, waving his arms about him. Idiot, Sesshoumaru thought. He'll get himself killed. "Don't hurt us! Snap out of it!"

The great dog reared her head back and emitted a large howl that shook the ground beneath their feet. Souta wobbled unsteadily on his spaghetti legs, though Sesshoumaru anchored himself in a low crouch to shake off the wrath. He had to act, and quickly—she was growing bigger and bigger by the minute.

He turned to the youth and studied him closely, wondering if he could utilize him in some way to break through the miko's trance. "You are most familiar with her," he gestured to Kagome. "Do you know of a way to stop her?"

Souta trembled slightly at being addressed, but otherwise shook his head. "Not that I can think of. Does this happen to all of your…kind?"

Sesshoumaru grunted. "Some have less control than others, although it is rare that one might lose total control."

"So Kagome's…?"

The taiyoukai exhaled a breath of air. "We shall soon see."

With his notion that she had not yet strayed from her backyard, nor had she gone and demolished the entire infrastructure of her household, that there must be some conscious thought pervading her irrational youkai mind. Sesshoumaru clung to the meager hope that she would respond to reason in time. Too quickly he had to barrel-roll out of the way when she lunged through the air straight towards him. He landed a safe distance away from her massive paws, but she jarred the earth when she landed. His teeth chattered painfully in his mouth.

He didn't have a chance to roll to his feet when she launched again, throwing all of her weight up into the air to come crashing down on his body. He found himself pinned between two behemoth sized paws that restrained his shoulders from moving. He tried to kick at her underbelly but his legs fell short, for she was too large. He could just smell the taint of the acid leaking from her mouth when she howled in glory at her find. Sesshoumaru struggled to attain leverage, but he could not get a good enough foothold on the earth to push himself out of her grasp. His lungs felt like something was pressing down on them, for breathing was labourous and excruciating. Does she realize that she is harming me at all? He thought crudely.

Kagome lifted up one paw from his good shoulder and sniffed him, her breath whooshing out across his face when she exhaled with a chortle. She repeated the action, scenting him once more, and he hoped that what he saw across her profile was some sort of cognizance.

"Miko," he said, though it came out but a weakened whisper, "Return to yourself and get off of me this instant. This Sesshoumaru will not take failure for an answer,"

She showed no signs of abating to his demand. His mind racing, he called to Souta over his shoulder. "Get the blade within her closet!" He hoped he didn't have to specify which one to the boy, he thought as he endured Kagome's teasing nature that would surely turn into mauling. Souta was gone in a flash, not gone more than thirty seconds before he stumbled out of the broken entryway with Tenseiga clamped tightly within his hands.

"Give it to me!"

Souta bravely ran towards Sesshoumaru despite the questioning look in his sister's demonic eyes. The youth slid the blade far enough for Sesshoumaru to snatch it. The former inuyoukai held the blade in front of Kagome's face and watched with muted shock as it pulsated and responded to her energy. A flash of recognition passed through her large eyes as he ordered her to get off of him.

Slowly, she lifted up her other paw that had been pinning him down and stepped away, sitting down on her haunches. Sesshoumaru rose very slowly; partly due to the pain in his limbs and the need to not excite her further with appearing to run off. He noted that she scrutinized him closely, and that she gave off no intent of pursuing him again. She must have finally been brought to her senses.

"Smother the youki that you have collected into yourself, and transform this minute," Sesshoumaru barked, clutching at his ribs as agony seared through them. Souta caught up with him and watched as Kagome began the long, arduous process of transferring back into her human shell. Sesshoumaru knew first hand that transforming back was a lot harder than getting to become the great white dog youkai, but he spared no sympathy as her whines filled the air around them. "Do not let the pain stop you; keep going."

It took all of ten minutes for Kagome to be brought back to herself. She was nude, and quickly collapsed on the ground face-first. Souta rushed to retrieve his mother while Sesshoumaru approached Kagome's comatose body, sneering at her. You almost got all of us killed, you foolish woman. I must not let you out of my sight again if I am not to repeat this action. Wordlessly, he slung her over his good shoulder and started in for the house. He secured Tenseiga to his side near the girl, mindful of its effect on her.

Perhaps Father did not make just one Fang that could subdue a demon's will.

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes were glassy with unshed tears when she spotted her daughter incapacitated and slung over Sesshoumaru's shoulder.

The concerned mother rushed to Sesshoumaru's side and studied her daughter. She said nothing to the fact that she was covered with magenta strips on her wrists, ankles, and few on her ribcage, hipbones, shoulders, or the fact that her hair was fine and silver. She treated her daughter like she had never changed at all. "Let's get her to her room. Please, follow me."

The dog demon followed the mother up to Kagome's bedroom, where he deposited her on the bed and didn't so much as glance at her exposed state. As an afterthought he placed Tenseiga at the foot of her bed. He left her to her mother's care, pausing by the door when Mrs. Higurashi spoke.

"Thank you for saving my daughter," her words were soft and gentle. Sesshoumaru nodded and left the room.

Save her? He thought snidely. I did not save her; I was not strong enough.

xXx

Kagome felt the pull of unconsciousness threaten to take her under into longer, blissful sleep. She fought against it, wanting to be sure that she was still alive and that she hadn't destroyed all of Tokyo, or was in a jail cell being charged for disturbing the peace by turning into a rampant dog. There was presence near her that was occupying it with her. She reached out and found a hand, gripping it tightly. "Mama," Kagome sighed, leaning into her mother's touch.

She almost allowed herself to sink back into sleep; she curled up closer to her comforting mother and played idly with her fingers, just like she would have done if she were a child again. Her mother always managed to chase away the demons even without words, as she was doing now; she was a quiet sentinel that protected her children rigorously.

Kagome heaved in a long, breathy sigh, and quickly withdrew her hand and scooted away. Sesshoumaru. She cracked a golden eye open and sure enough the demon was perched upon the side of her bed with an irate expression on his otherwise stony face. Blushing, she scooted back even further, realizing that she had just been cuddling with him. But he hadn't shied away. Not thinking too much into it, Kagome spoke with a raspy edge to her voice.

"I changed, didn't I?"

Sesshoumaru nodded once. Kagome smothered her face into the pillow in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry," she whined, "I didn't mean to! I just… it was so much darkness that I couldn't see…"

"It's fine."

Her head snapped up quickly. He wasn't looking at her, but she knew she hadn't imagined what he had said. "It… is?"

Sesshoumaru sighed, unwilling to explain himself. He withdrew his hand from the bed to his lap, either because he thought she was going to reach for it again or because of something else. "I should have not been harsh on your training. If I had taught you properly, you wouldn't have lost control."

Was she hearing things properly? Was Sesshoumaru apologizing to her, in his own unique way? She didn't acknowledge it, but she didn't chastise him about his mistake, either.

"Well, I would like you to teach me now."

Brown eyes slanted her way. "Perhaps, but not now,"

"But now is as good as any, isn't it?"

He somberly shook his head. "It is not time."

"But I could go crazy any moment! How do you know when I will be a danger, and when I won't? Wouldn't it be practical to just teach me now?" Fury ignited the red in her eyes, but she quickly diminished it when she sensed the darkness' presence. Kagome bowed her head in shame.

"As you see, you have no prior training on how to deal with dark energies. You are skilled with reiki, not youki, which is why you fall so easily into its dealings."

"Then how do I get out of that?" she pressed.

He studied her intently, until it made her uncomfortable enough to look away. "You must throw yourself to its feet and challenge it." He said finally.

Kagome bristled at this, aware of the youki stirring around her body, but ignored it. "If I do that I'll change!"

"Not if you conquer it and make it listen to you," he snipped.

"How do you know I'll succeed?"

The room stilled as Sesshoumaru thought of how to answer her without seeming like he didn't know what he was doing. As a demon since birth, dealing with his youki came second-naturedly, nothing more than swatting away a pestering fly from his consciousness. But with Kagome, a miko through part of her life and with strong connections to her pure energy, the darkness easily subsumed her and took control of her better judgment.

Sesshoumaru turned towards her slightly so that his body was exposed to her. She didn't realize this, but it was his way to say that he was putting some faith into her control over herself by exposing his weakest point. "You must," was what he responded.

Kagome straightened up so now she was propped against her headboard, noticing that her mother had changed her into her pajamas. They were blue cotton material with little white and black cows dancing across the clouds. She blushed slightly but refused to cover herself. "What do I do?" she asked him, addressing the sifting material of youki that was beginning to gradually increase. "It comes without me calling it, and it takes over when I say no. How do I get rid of it?"

"You do not." He stated. "You have to conquer it. It will bow to your whim once you have proven you are stronger than its control."

"How do I do that?"

The once-was taiyoukai stifled a sigh of impatience. He was not the epitome of all knowledge, the girl must realize this. He knew so much, and cared to give little away, to maintain his aloof and indifferent appearance. Telling this girl all of his secrets didn't sit well with him; neither did having her come to terms with her new awesome power under his tutelage. Should he direct her in the wrong path they could wind up in the same predicament as today, and he had to make her understand somehow.

"I cannot deal with all of your problems, but I can show you a method to wield the youki. The rest is entirely up to you."

He didn't miss the way her eyes glittered, or the tiny sniff she made in order to control her gratified tears. "Stand," he ordered.

She wrestled out of her blankets and teetered on wobbly legs. He steadied her by the elbow and drew her to the center of her room, where he towered over her petite form just a foot away. Kagome tried to ignore the proximity, or the quixotic way her heart thudded within her chest when he stared directly at her. She hoped she wasn't suffering from the condition known as Bed Head.

He gestured for her to raise one of her hands. To her surprise, he took it within his strong, warm one. Her cheeks threatened to colour when he closed his eyes and began to stroke her hand within his own. What's he doing…?

As if he could read her thoughts, he replied magnanimously. "This is something that my clan uses to treat a fellow comrade who is experiencing difficulties with their transformation process. I will share an amount of your youki so that it will become more manageable to control. Until you have learned to discipline yourself, I shall return portions of your youki, where you will begin the process once more. This is better than nothing."

She tried to focus on anything else but the way his solid hand massaged hers, but it proved useless when he encouraged her to reciprocate his actions. "Imagine a bridge. Transfer your youki into my being, and I shall tell you when it is a sufficient amount."

"But you're human now, won't it harm you?"

He opened one eye to glare at her, immediately snapping her jaws shut. "I am more than capable of maintaining and controlling my own youki." He hissed.

Kagome imagined that their connected hands became the proverbial bridge, and that her energy was crossing it onto his. At first it resisted, fluctuating and undulating without much sense. With a push she sent it hurtling to his side of the bridge, where she felt more than heard him wince as it connected with his spirit. She felt the need to pull away, but he held tightly onto her hand, demanding that she transfer more until he deemed it enough.

It lasted another agonizing half of a minute before he jerkily wrenched his hand away. His flesh sizzled and was singed from his wrist to his elbow, but he gave no more indication of pain than the taut look on his face. Kagome worried over him, taking the part of his hand that wasn't injured into both of hers, wishing she had a way to heal them.

"Release me, woman," he snarled, yanking his hand away once more.

Kagome reached out, but he drew back just as quickly. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you. And I have a name," she added hotly.

"That was nothing, and I shall call you whatever I so choose," he spat.

"Okay, then I don't have to call you Sesshoumaru-sama. I'll call you... " she pursed her lips in deep thought. "Sesshy-chan."

If there was a description for the world's most scariest look, it wouldn't have even come close to describing the horriying glare that he sent her. Her stomach plummeted, and she suddenly felt demure and flustered.

"Okay... maybe I won't call you that... but at least try to use my name?"

As Sesshoumaru tended to his wounds, keeping her words in mind, Kagome assessed her own status. No longer was there an ever present contest for power over her will with the darkness that was considered a threat. A miniscule tug of the youki brushed across her senses, but she had enough control to banish it with ease. It was a massive relief on her part, one that she would have to thank Sesshoumaru for.

"Thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama," she said, bowing her head low to expose the back of her neck. It seemed to be the right thing to do in these circumstances. "Can you please let me treat your wounds, since I caused them?" she pressed stubbornly, meeting his steady gaze with adamant intent.

Sesshoumaru contemplated letting the miko touch him, slightly concerned that the youki might attempt to jump out and return to her. But his worries were pointless and irrational; he had full control over it and would not allow for the opportunity to appear for it to cease her once more. He accepted her offering with a nod of his head, following after her into the bathroom where she located the medicine cabinet and retrieved a first aid kit. She stilled when she noticed that the cabinet lacked a mirror that she had been positive was there yesterday.

Without letting him know that she was staring at him, she glanced down at his injured hand, noticing that he had perforations across his fingers that she hadn't noticed before. There were clots where the wounds had been bleeding. She took another look at the cabinet. She pursed her lips together thoughtfully, but did not comment on her findings.

He allowed her to inspect the wound more clearly, and he heard her murmuring to herself about what it looked like. "Probably a burn… but it looks like a lesion… I'll just bandage it, and…"

He tuned her out until he felt her snatch his hand. He was adamant that he would ignore her until she was finished fussing over him when he felt something sharp and painful bite his skin. He tore his hand from her and held his hand to his chest, seething as the pain continued to sizzle on his skin. "What did you do, wench?" he gritted, wishing he could use his Whip Lash to fry her.

Kagome blinked once, slowly, and then came to a realization. "Oh, that's just antiseptic. It's to make sure you don't get an infection. It's more potent than what you would find on the herbs in the feudal era, but it's just as effective."

"I will not get an infection. I am incapable of such trivial wounds."

Kagome huffed and reached for his hand, but he relented and drew into himself. "Don't be so difficult! You're more prone to an infection than before, because it's an open wound, and you're now a human. Just let me wrap it up and I promise to leave it alone, okay?"

Sesshoumaru hissed and antagonized her with his eyes alone, trying to sense deceit behind her voice. He wished for his sensitive nose, for her scent would betray her emotions for him. Kagome herself could smell the doubt and hesitance on him, and wished he could just trust her more. She also relented to the fact that he trusted no one, and, especially being vulnerable in his state, would be even more stubborn than normal. Like a beaten, untrustworthy dog, she waited patiently for him to come to her.

When she thought that he wasn't going to cooperate at all, he stuck out his arm, looking away from her as he gave her permission to continue her treatment. A smile pulled at the tips of her lips, but she covered it for now, mechanically going through the process of treating her patient. When the wrappings were secured in a way that she was pleased with, she announced that he was free to go as she packed up her things and returned them to where they were found.

She looked over her shoulder, surprised to see him still sitting on the bathtub edge, prodding at his injury. Does he think I did it improperly? She thought surly, biting back any snide remarks that she thought of.

He stood gracefully, if not just a little unsteadily, passing by her in the cramped bathroom. "This is acceptable," he told her, disappearing around the corner and down the stairs.

Kagome blinked quizzically, before she realized that he had thanked her for doing a good job. But was it for wrapping his injury, or finally listening to his advice and not going nuts? She decided that maybe she'd never find out, and returned to her room. When her head hit the pillow, she managed to peek at the time of night before the drowsiness took her under. The clock read 7:06 pm.

Unfortunately, thirty minutes later she heard the incessant ring of the phone from downstairs. It went off for five rings before her Souta finally answered.

"Hello? Yes, she's home, actually… you want to speak with her? Okay… yeah, just hold on a moment."

Kagome could hear Souta arriving with the phone. Before he knocked she summoned him in.

"It's Yuka, I think," he said with a shrug. Kagome snatched the phone, suddenly flustered.

"Hello?"

"Kagome!" the girl chirped into Kagome's sensitive ear. "You're finally home. I didn't think they had released you from the hospital yet after your episode with gangrene!"

Kagome refused to scream. Gramps! Really? Gangrene? Ugh. "Y-yeah, I'm feeling much better now," she hedged. "What's up?"

"Well, since you're back now I wanted to know if you're going to school tomorrow morning."

"Oh, yeah, about that…" biting her lip, she searched for some excuse, but couldn't find one before her friend interrupted.

"You see, it's the winter dance next Friday, and Hojo was wondering…"

"Oh, no! Please, don't set me up with him."

"But Kagome, he's so hooked up on you! It was a fight between him and your grandfather to see you when you were in the hospital last. He's totally head-over-heels for you!"

That's the problem; he doesn't give me any space… "Just, don't tell him that I'm feeling better, okay? He'll assume it's an invitation to come and see me."

"But why wouldn't you want him to come over? You are feeling better, aren't you?"

Kagome balked. "Uh, y-yeah, but I don't want visitors!"

"Whatever. Come to school tomorrow, and maybe we'll find someone else to go to the dance with you. Unless you're planning on bringing your rude, obnoxious, conceited, over-protective—"

"I get it, Yuka."

"…Boyfriend."

"He's not going," Kagome leaned back in her bed and sighed. "Although I sort of wished he was right now."

"Jeesh, you need to let him go. He's just bringing you down." She heard Yuka sigh on the other end. "I gotta go. See you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you."

Kagome hung up the phone and released a pent-up growl within her throat. It sounded more animalistic than she had intended, which scared her momentarily. She would go to school, if because of having nothing else to do and she would set Hojo straight once and for all. Maybe she would even show him what she looked like now—surely that would scare him off.

Piteously, she rolled over onto her stomach and closed her eyes, not acknowledging Sesshoumaru's presence at the door when she scented him in the air.

xXx

Sesshoumaru moved away from Kagome's bedroom after she was finished talking, knowing she would soon sense his presence once the distraction was gone. His intentions were to quiz her about how she had gotten possession over Tenseiga, then he decided it didn't really matter at all; it was here with him, and it would hold a reasonable amount of control over her augmenting strength.

He returned downstairs and resumed his guard when he encountered Mrs. Higurashi coming into the house, holding within her arms a package that looked particularly heavy. She spotted him and she smiled humbly.

"Oh, I was just about to look for you," she said pleasantly. Piqued, Sesshoumaru approached the woman and stared at the bundle in her hands. "I got this from the police station. I had forgotten to tell Kagome to get it back. But this is all your clothing."

Sesshoumaru accepted the package, murmuring thanks before opening it. He was pleased to see his clothing returned in perfect condition as always. No doubt the guards would have had a say in what he wore, and would feel guilty of imprisoning a noble. He would don these tomorrow, but left them on the kitchen table for the time being, returning to his perch. He was all too aware of the fact that his injuries were causing great pain, whereas they would have been healed already. His ribs ached in places they never had before and his arm was in scorching pain. He was not about to allow his own youki take control over him like it was for Kagome, and thus it was easily repressed by his superior strength of will.

He fought once more against the pull of unconsciousness, which he lacked the strength to fend off. It was stronger tonight, but he was determined to have his will be stronger. As son of the great Dog General of the Western Lands, he would suffer through in silence.

xXx

I would like to express my many thanks to mine beta, madin456, for fixing up my loose ends and reminding me to add certain explanations to things that I had otherwise left out!

Please review on your way out!