A/N: Hello friends! I'm sorry that it took so long for me to update this. I know I (maybe?) mentioned trying to upload a chapter a day for this project, but as you can see that hasn't really been happening (my apologies!). I originally only intended for this to be in two parts, but as I continued to write I realized that it would flow better as 3 parts. Please be patient, I promise Chapter 3 is in the works!

As always, please leave a comment/review; I'd love to know what you think! Thank you 3

Kagome didn't know how much longer she could take being stared at. Setting her gaze straight ahead on the dirt road below her feet, she did her best to avoid the curious looks of the villagers as she and her friends walked through the unfamiliar village. The gang had decided, after hearing rumors of a demon possessing a jewel shard, that their best bet would be to guess which village the demon would go after next and wait for it; hence their current location. However, Kagome's patience in the village and with the villagers in particular was growing thin. It took all of the girl's willpower to not snap at each set of peering eyes pinned on her.

This wasn't the first time she'd received looks on their travels. On the contrary, she was quite used to it, or at least should be. But something about how the looks from these villagers in particular were paired with frowns of disapproval put Kagome on edge. It didn't help matters any that the group she travelled with was anything but conventional or "normal"-looking. Inuyasha and Shippo aside, how often did a woman taijiya and lecherous monk walk around in the open? Slowing her pace, Kagome closed her eyes and took a deep breath in an effort to calm down and forget the pointed leers she continued to receive from the villagers. She could do this, she was better than this...

That proved to be her undoing. Lost in her own thoughts, her friends' concerned cries didn't reach her until she'd walked into a man who stood in front of her. Blinking profusely as she was brought back to her senses, Kagome slowly turned her head to face the man she'd accidentally bumped into. He was about a head taller than her with jet black hair put up into a top knot, the standard physique you'd expect of a villager, and piercing gray eyes. Trying to find the words to properly apologize to the man before her, Kagome felt her voice catch in her throat when she was met with the man's angry glare.

"Oi, wench. You better watch where you're going," the man said before giving her a once over. With a pointed finger facing the opposite direction, he added "Oh, and the whore house is over that way, or did you get lost?"

Kagome's sympathy soon transformed into anger. Swallowing her fear and turning it into courage, Kagome returned the stranger's angry glare and cocked an eyebrow. Standing tall, she placed her hands on her hips before letting her tongue fly. Had she not been so focused on telling off the man in front of her, she would have heard Inuyasha growling as well as Miroku and Sango pointedly whispering at him to calm down and keep it together.

"I am not a whore, I'm a priestess, and I'd appreciate it if you treated me with a little more respect while my friends and I are in town." A slight flush appeared on Kagome's face as the villager seemingly ignored her and continued to stare. Patience thinning, Kagome all but cried "Would you stop staring at me?!" before the villager finally thought to give a response.

"If you are a priestess as you say, then dress like one. Otherwise, don't be upset if people assume otherwise." Before the villager could turn around and leave, though, Inuyasha stomped forward and grabbed the man by the outer folds of his rough kimono. Growling despite himself, Inuyasha's amber eyes glared into the villager's gray ones.

"I'm gonna give you 10 seconds to take back what you just said, or so help me-"

"That's enough, Inuyasha," Miroku interjected as he stepped in between the two man. Letting one last snarl escape his lips, Inuyasha released his hold on the man before stuffing his arms back into the sleeves of his haori. The villager wasted no time in scrambling away, his previous air of confidence having evaporated. Once the villager was out of sight, Miroku released a sigh before staring pointedly at Inuyasha. Just as he was about to chastise the half demon, though, an elderly couple appeared and stood before Kagome. Grasping the priestess' hands with his own callused ones, the elderly man gave Kagome a desperate look before speaking up about his troubles.

"Oh priestess, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you mind coming to our inn to bless our grandchild? H-He's been so sick, and we worry that… that-"

Kagome moved her hands so that she was grasping the old man's hands instead, effectively cutting the him off. Flashing him a warm smile, Kagome nodded in response.

"Of course. In exchange, would it be too much trouble to put my friends and I up for the night?" Kagome asked, removing a hand to gesture to said friends. Both the old man and woman nodded avidly before taking charge at the front of the group and leading the way.

To be continued in Inuvember Day 3: Main Gang