I hope the last chapter wasn't boring but I still wanted to input what everyone did so I guess you could be thankful it was short.

Chapter 17

The night was pitch black, you couldn't tell what time it was until the sky grew a tad lighter with the rising of the sun. The color seemed off, it was redder than the yellow of the sun's rays. The night was silent outside and the wind absent. She could slightly remember there was an eclipse but tonight must be the new moon.

It seemed to her she had been unconscious for close to a week if it indeed had been the night of the new moon. She waited at her window for time to pass by and when the sun finally rose up her eyes widened at the sight of it rising above the sea as she watched it through the gap of the small mountain chain outside her window.

The sun was like a ring of fire with a deep red center. The fiery sight of it was both awe inspiring, and chilling as it slowly rose higher than the horizon. The goose bumps she gained had her rubbing her arms to get rid of the feeling they caused. She concentrated at the foreign sight before her and tried to settle her mind from the rush it was stirred into. Her concentration broke when her door slid open and she turned away from the window to see who was visiting her.

The surprise on their face must have shown they had not thought she would be awake but as quickly as it had come, it had gone. It was the demon Touga that she had assumed to be her savior according to her visions. The surprise must have kept him silent since he had yet to say anything. She watched as he instead moved to join her at the window and see the rising sun. His features hardened at the sight of the sun having grown darker yet.

Kagome resumed her silent thoughts but they turned to questions for this stranger that resembled her two friends so much. His presence with her was comfortable and the slight frown on her lips grew deeper as her confusion of the situation she woke to take over her mind once more. The shifting of his form and rustling of fabric came to her ears as her guest took a seat on a cushion in the corner, next to the head of her futon. She suddenly wondered if he had sat there before. Often in her sleep she would feel a comforting presence much like the one she felt now.

Leaving her spot at the window, she took a seat as well, hoping to get some answers to the thus far silent demon. He had promised her answers when she awoke again and judging on her healed wounds, she could finally get the answers she sought.

Touga's mind was racing even before he set foot in this room but now that he found the woman awake and well, it caused him to pause as he had not really expected this but probably should have. His mind flashed back to the events of days ago, his only interactions with her besides having a silent vigil over her. He approached her spot next to the window and took note of the sun's darkened appearance.

A lot but yet little has happened in the days of her slumber. Knowing she would have questions and being he had promised to give answers he decided to take a seat and wait for her. Ordering his thoughts he began once she was settled and had her attention on him. Speaking with her about the situation made him feel lighter, not realizing the tenseness he had carried since the instant he had literally rose from the grave.

Kagome had to force herself to not be entranced by his looks as he explained everything. She wondered if the scrolls lying on the desk of her room were the same ones he had been speaking of. That would mean he has been in here more than he was implying. She did not want to think he had been here more than her friends were together. Then again she was certain they were busy themselves doing either research or with the kids.

"I have found little information regarding this demon. I have only really found information on his breed rather than he himself. I would have been very young when he was sealed. Miroku is now busy with his kids; Sango was beginning to become ill last night so she has been ordered to rest until well again so their baby doesn't catch ill. Inuyasha has been at the dojo a lot since we came here. I can only assume he is training with the rest. Sesshomaru's remarks can only make me guess on his fighting ability." Touga sighed as he thought of his two sons. They argued a lot and it made him remember the one he was dragged into.

"Oi old man!" Inuyasha called after his father, taking to calling him that as a show of disrespect.

"Yes Inuyasha?" Touga looked up at him from his conversation with Sesshomaru over a scroll from the library.

"Why are you stinking up Kagome's sleeping chambers?" His direct question shouldn't be at all surprising but Touga had barely spent any time with his youngest. "You don't even know the woman but you stunk up her area back at Kaede's village while I was gone but now she is fine and safe, yet your still by her even when you have rooms of your own to stink up!"

Sesshomaru had actually been the one to give the answer, one neither had expected since Touga had not looked into his actions as of yet. "The same reason half-breed that you are no longer by her side as often. Instincts are what it is. Your instincts had steadily pulled you away from her side since she is a strong female capable of defending herself and others needed your protection more. You had dismissed her from needing to be protected by you anymore. Your instincts had flared back to her side when she was critically injured until they realized a more capable protector has come and already took the task willingly. Father most likely has not even realized it but he has already replaced you as her protector. He would make a better protector for her than you ever did as it was you that had usually dragged her into the situations that put her life at stake in the first place."

"Why you bastard!" Inuyasha shouted with fury.

Touga quickly jumped back as his youngest charged his eldest. The brawl between them had quickly escalated and Sesshomaru threw his younger half-brother around until he threw him out of the palace so they could resume outside, sparing the building of any damage. His thoughts whirled around the slumbering woman upstairs.

He had not wanted to think of this at the present time but his sons' brawl had drawn his mind from the scroll to the bold statements from Sesshomaru. It definitely would explain things if he were right but he barely interacted with the woman so he refused to draw any conclusions, he was still unsure what was really going on but felt fine with the pace of things.

Coming back to the present he realized both of them had spaced out for several moments. Each in their own world, working things out separately as the morning drifted on. He shifted his position to recline against the wall and study her side profile as emotions flashed through her eyes.

He never would have known how expressive her eyes were had she not woken. It was a refreshing change compared to the people he was surrounded by in his previous life. He had not really learned much about her other than any memories the others spoke of. He liked it this way but his canine curiosity had made it difficult to be patient.