January 05 2007: Author's Nonsense: This fiction gets harder to write as it moves along but I am enjoying the challenge of it and hope that with this chapter that I'll pick up some more readers. (I'll be knocking it into the next search rank at over 40,000 words! Yay!) I'm starting to expand a little further and use other characters now that my leading guy and gal have been pretty well set into place. Without further babble I'll let you get to the story.

End of Chapter 12:

She had to blink in shock when Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi brought Hojo in with them, she hadn't expected to see the very old flame coming to visit her.

Chapter 13: It Isn't Easy Being Shot

Kagome smiled at the group when they came in and started to walk over.

"Hey Kagome, we're all glad you are okay." Eri said seriously. "We were all really worried about you. First you are sick for almost a full year of school and now you go and get yourself shot. We won't have to worry that you are gonna spend this semester randomly getting attacked or injured are we?"

The girl had to smile at the light-hearted joke, accepting a few gifts the friends had brought in with them, a vase of just a gorgeous array of colorful flowers that helped to brighten the otherwise dark room, she wouldn't be able to keep it in her room for too long as it would need sunlight but at least she got to see the pretty arrangement for a while. They also brought her a box of chocolates and a small novel from a mystery series she'd mentioned she was interested in starting to read, then Hojo offered a nice smelling set of oils she could use to rub on the muscles of the area and help the pain once it healed enough that she could touch the area without agony shooting through her arm and brain. Leave it to him to find her some sort of remedy item for even a bullet wound.

"So really, how are you?" he asked a little more somber than the rest. "I know we haven't seen much of each other sense you started to finally feel better in the middle of summer and I think all of us are sorry that we haven't managed to get to visit more often."

"It's okay. Really." Kagome answered, blushing a little as she remembered just how much Hojo had wanted to spend time with her before her whole life had been turned around by the feudal era. "We've all been busy, I wouldn't have had much time to hang out really anyway if you'd of been able to visit. Without Grandpa the shrine has needed a lot more care."

"Still…when you get better we'll all have to get dates and go see a movie together in a big group." Ayumi suggested with a smile, putting an arm around Yuka. "Though Yuka here already found herself a guy, the little minx won't tell us who he is. She's taken a page from your book there Kagome."

Kagome blushed some and glanced between her friends and the slightly awkward situation they were causing for her old crush. Hojo just looked away toward one of the pieces of art on the walls, the landscape of a wheat field suddenly fascinating.

"Well, I'm sorry. I can't really stay…just wanted to give you that Kagome." Hojo said shortly and headed out of the room in all but a rush to get away from the girl he would have once done anything for. That until he'd walked in and seen her in the hospital bed he had convinced himself he was over. Not that he could offer her much if she was dating the infamous Seto Kaiba now. He looked at all of the expensive home and shook his head, he was with someone else now and he really cared about her…it was wrong of him to be thinking about Kagome like that.

In the room the three girls waited until Hojo's footsteps were out of earshot before they turned on Kagome as a pack and started launching questions at her.

"Are you really dating Seto Kaiba?" Eri started.

"Is he the reason you got shot?" Ayumi added, eyes wide with sudden terror at the thought of the experience.

"Is it some sort of jealous love triangle?" Yuka continued.

"Um…well…" Kagome tear dropped a little bit at the sudden barrage. "I…I mean we went on one date, but that was sort of complicated. I think a girl that is jealous of me hired the person that shot at me, but it's not really a love triangle. He doesn't like her and she is just sort of an obsessed fan."

"Wow…you really do aim high Kagome. This guy is one of the richest men in the country at seventeen…" Eri had stars in her eyes.

"And he's letting you stay here." Ayumi agreed to no set statement. "It sucks that you are bedridden or we could get a tour of out you. This place is bigger than a couple city blocks…"

"I'm just glad you moved up after that last abusive boyfriend." Yuka commented seriously. "Yeah you might have been shot but I guess your mom said he was just beside himself with guilt over it. I can't believe he actually donated blood to you…how's it feel to have blue blood running in your veins?"

Kagome laughed. "You are all silly. Kaiba's just being nice and helping me out. You always had the best imaginations though. I guess that some of the kids from my new high school are bringing by a get well card too later. Mokuba told me they were earlier…seems like getting shot is hard work."

"Yeah, sitting here getting pampered seems -so- horrible." Eri giggled after stressing the second to last word of her statement, nudging her friend. "Want us to open those chocolate's for you so that you don't stress yourself overly much your highness?"

The whole scene was something that did wonders for the injured high school student, the four of them splitting a few of the candies they'd brought her while they discussed the different classes and things that they had despite the different schools and grades they weren't as far apart as Kagome initially thought they would be. They stayed for about another hour before they too had to leave for some business or other and they promised to visit Kagome again while she was still in recovery.

Once they were gone it was a little eerily quiet in the makeshift 'hospital' room that Kaiba had set up for her…though it was certainly on a grand a scale as most things the young CEO managed. She was in a double bed with a big screen television mounted on the opposite wall where it would be difficult not to find a way to see it from anywhere else in the room; especially the bed. There was a dresser, personal bathroom, vanity, end tables, and a bookshelf. Even the bathroom had it's own whirlpool bath inset into the floor and it alone was as large as her room at her mom's house; it wasn't home but she had to admit she had little to complain about when it came to accommodations.

She turned on the TV to break the silence that was starting to bother her and sighed at the lack of anything good on during the day before finally settling on a game show that was a mix of fear factor and trivia…if you got a question wrong you had to do a stunt similar to how the fear factor show worked. It was enough to keep her entertained until she heard her door open again.

This time her visitors were Yugi Moto, Joey and a girl that was following near him, a black haired guy with a dice earring that vaguely reminded her of Kouga, Tristan (insert last name of mostly unimportant character here), a blond haired girl she'd seen or heard called Mai at school, Tea Gardner, and a young man she didn't recognize at first with silver hair that made her catch herself from jumping out and yelling for the dog demon she missed so much. The lack of ears and the paler complexion gave away that it wasn't Inuyasha, but the hair certainly reminded her enough that she almost didn't even want to meet whoever it was.

"Hey Kagome." Yugi greeted. "We heard about what happened and we wanted to come and bring you some flowers and things to do while you are sick. You already know most of these guys but this is Joey's sister; Serenity Wheeler, this is Duke Devlin, she is Mai Valentine and this is Bakura Ryou. We all wanted to come and say how happy we are you are okay after that attack and that you get better soon so you can return to school."

"Nice to meet you." Kagome nodded to each, eyes lingering a little longer on the somewhat feminine boy with a British accent, noting that the ring around his neck much like the puzzle box around Yugi's had some sort of power to them. Is this really the first time I noticed? Have my powers grown that dull in my little time away from the feudal era?

"Oh wow, look at this set up." Tristan commented. "Hell, Kaiba must actually like you…if one of us got hurt he'd just tell us to stop whining and leave him alone…you get five star accommodations."

"If the bastard hadn't let her get shot in the first place he wouldn't need to." Joey commented with a frown. "Some man he is…cleaning up the mess he couldn't avoid….Ow! Serenity, Mai what did you do that for?"

"Because you're being an idiot." Mai answered. "the last thing this girl needs is some punk like you shooting off your mouth or getting her upset. Don't worry about him honey, just needs me or his sis around to keep him in line."

Kagome quirked a smile at the blond 'keeping Joey in line' and let the insults he'd swung slide as they were all meaning well. The group was certainly a surprising size though she realized as she noted Tristan and Duke exchanging glares over Serenity that they weren't without their own problems as well.

Tea started chatting with her about some of the projects she had from school with Yugi while some of the others watched the TV or Serenity shook her head at Joey and took Kagome's chocolates away from him so he couldn't eat them. Kagome had to smile at the whole situation as she kept up with the conversation, she felt warmer at the whole thing. The boy…Bakura…that looked like her ex-crush didn't speak much and seemed rather timid…his personality at least opposite that of Inuyasha's.

"There is something about that girl." Ryou commented to himself, allowing his host to retain control as he watched the going on's of the little Scooby gang around him. "She has power…it's still weak but somehow there…I don't remember her from the past but somehow she is involved with magic's I might yet understand. I'll have to keep an eye on her after this, at least her injury offers me the chance to know where she is."

Finally Kagome offered everyone one of her chocolate's, it would take away most of the rest of the box but she was happier sharing them than she was hording them to herself. She didn't need to gain loads of weight while she was recovering anyway. Instead she saved a couple of her favorites and offered the rest to everyone.

Joey frowned at getting a coconut one but traded with his sister for a strawberry filled one. The whole group didn't seem to have much of a problem with exchanging germs and Kagome had to giggle at all the various antics, finally offering one to Bakura and forcing herself to think that he wasn't her ex…that he was gone and she would have to deal with it. It wouldn't be fair to treat the poor boy differently just because she had issues after all.

"Why…thank you Kagome." he smiled brightly to her and picked himself out a chocolate.

The exchange was short but overall the stay helped Kagome even more, she'd even forgotten about the lack of sunlight in her room by the time they all left about another hour later. She waved goodbye and then glanced around the pretty room with a sigh. Yes she was suppose to be resting but she was still full of energy and likely that was the last visitors she would gain today. Her mother had visited earlier and Mokuba and Souta were off dueling so she doubted she'd see her brother for a while. Finally she pulled on a robe, gritting her teeth at having to move her shoulder but managing it without shedding the tears that reached her eyes. Once she got through the pain of a little extra clothing over the silk pajama's she'd been given she noticed the robe was a bit too long, she shrugged and pulled it up in her uninjured hand so she could walk, not about to go though the agony of taking it back off just yet.

It wasn't very pleasant to walk briskly so she settled to a slow pace that made it much easier to keep sharp pains shooting up her shoulder and down her arm, looking around her temporary home with a smile. The sunlight was waning so she couldn't really miss it once she returned to her windowless room at least, it was about seven and while the days were getting shorter they were still long enough, there would still be light for at least another hour before it retreated completely from the sky.

She headed along the hall and bit her lip as she eyed the steps going down to the first floor, considering if she should try them or wait on that task until after she had a few more days to help lessen the wound. She was still thinking about it when she noticed one of the other rooms down the hall was shedding a small ray of light into the hallway. Light should mean there was someone there and she really felt like being social today as opposed to wasting away in her room by herself. She reached the door and peeked into the small opening that was provided by the door being a little ajar.

The room was a library or office of some kind, books lined the walls on shelves and she could see the corner of a desk with a computer monitor on it. She pushed the door in a little further and got to see that Kaiba was hard at work typing away at whatever program or email he was currently on, blue eyes focused on the screen he didn't even look up before he commented.

"What is it Mokuba?" he asked and Kagome quirked a smile, heading into the room and toward him. He still hadn't looked up at her. "I already told you, you cannot have anymore sweets tonight, you have to get to bed soon."

Kagome giggled then, giving herself away. "What about me Seto? Am I on a no sugar diet for the night too?"

Kaiba's one mindedness with the computer shattered and he glanced to Kagome. "You are suppose to be in bed."

"I'm just restless." Kagome answered. "It's lonely all by myself in the big room. It was okay when there were people here but now I'm just all by myself and I can't be expected to just lay down all day long…my muscles will rot."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow at her tirade, wondering if she'd been practicing the reasons she'd give for him to not put her immediately back to bed. He had to sigh a little, running a hand through the brunette hair as he glanced to the clock in the monitor's corner. It was already getting later than he'd of liked and there was a lot of work for him to do but he couldn't just ignore the girl. It was his fault she'd been hurt, damn…he should have told the visitors they could stay more than just an hour and he'd have more time to do what he needed.

"Fine, fine…" Kaiba conceded, Mokuba really is making me soft. "I can't have you wandering about alone though. I could have a few of the servants sit with you in your room. Yes your muscles would rot over extended periods but a few days rest is what the doctors ordered. I hope I won't have to make someone guard your door."

She pouted a little and raised her hands to her hips as if she were going to protest a little further but the two instead just started staring off, neither blinking or giving the other any leeway until finally Kagome blinked and then frowned at her loss of the quiet contest. Kaiba had to smirk a bit at her determination and turned to type in a short email to one of his secretaries. It would seem he'd be paying them some overtime to finish some of the work he should be doing.

"Okay, I'll compromise for tonight…if I come sit with you will you stay in your room and lay down like a good little invalid?" He asked coolly, rising from his chair.

"A little what?" Kagome blinked, annoyed by the nickname. "I'm not an invalid."

"Well?" Kaiba just moved right back to the question.

"Fine…" Kagome conceded, she really wanted the company. Even if he was being a jerk again she would rather have that than nothing after the saddening reminder of the half demon that broke her heart earlier in the day.

"Good, I'll have them bring an extra dinner up after they bring yours. Be careful now…I don't want you falling over and costing me even more money." He moved over to offer a hand, the kindness weakened by his gruff attitude.

"I'll do my best not to let my agony interfere with your day to day operations." Kagome deadpanned in response as she took his hand with her good one and allowed him to lead the way back toward her room. A small smile on the inside despite herself, he was taking time from his busy schedule just to sit with her after all. Maybe she wasn't really going to do her best…

End Chapter

Okay, slowly more characters are getting introduced and the plot is moving itself along. 40,000+ words! Yay me! Now my next goal is 60,000 for the next little notch on the search scale. I think it's 60. Anyway, I am pulling more characters slowly into the plot and a little more of what is happening will start to be discovered in the next few chapters.

-Aura

To my reviewers:

1s2MomoChan - Thank you, I update when possible and I hope you continue to enjoy the chapters.

Darkened Purity - I like twists and turns and hopefully there will be some more things that aren't expected by the end of the fiction.

NaokiB4U - Thanks! I figured a jealous fan-girl fit Kaiba (Nicole). Much more to come.