She was lying in the middle of the rice patties, her entire form from the torso up, drenched by the muddy water, her hair matted against her back. Humiliation was obviously apparent on her face, and as she struggled to push herself up to her feet, Aiko was at her side in an instant.

Red in the face and doing her best not to cry out angrily, she turned her heated blue gaze towards the source of her fall. A group of three young men, the same who had shouted obscenities at her earlier that morning in front of Kaede's hut, were standing a few feet away, their mocked expressions ever taunting as they laughed at her.

"Kagome, are you okay?" Aiko asked, her hand positioned upon Kagome's lower back.

Before all this, Kagome had fixed up Daisuke's leg, and while there was no more talk regarding Western Medicine, Kagome and Aiko left Lady Kaede to her quiet ponderings. The two had gone to the rice patties to help Naomi, a quiet girl around their age, with brown hair and a collection of small freckles across her face, gather the stalks and replant the seeds. The process was fairly simple, and after two hours of working, everything suddenly went downhill.

"The new girl should watch where she's walking!"

Maybe if she ignored them, they would grow bored of mocking her? As Kagome turned her blue eyes away from the men, she resumed her chore, gather the rice stalks into her basket; her ignorance only seemed to anger the men.

"Why don't you guys just leave us alone?" Aiko replied, not at all hesitant.

"Just ignore them, Aiko…" Kagome muttered, her gaze directed at the stalks before her.

One of them sauntered forward, despite Aiko's warning glare, and stood directly behind Kagome, who was knelt with her back towards him. As he crossed his arms, a sneer overtook his complexion. "Are you looking down on us, girl? If you are, then maybe we need to teach you a lesson."

"I can't be looking down at you if I'm looking at the rice stalks!" Kagome whipped her head over her shoulder, her fiery gaze glowering at the towering man behind her. What the heck was his problem? Why couldn't these people get over themselves already? So, what if she was first thought to be suspicious for supposedly wandering around their neighborhood? Lady Kaede already confirmed to the entire village she was not a threat and could be trusted. What more did they want from her?

Having heard her retort, Naomi tried to fight back a laugh, but her trembling shoulders gave her away.

"What was that?" Another asked, before approaching her as well.

Aiko immediately positioned herself between Kagome and the men, not at all liking where this situation was headed. If Kagome continued to show defiance, then it would make the situation worse. Then again, Kagome wasn't like her or Naomi; it was clear to her that Kagome was very different from them. "Leave her alone, or else I'll tell Lady Kaede!"

The third guy sneered at her. "I don't give a damn what Lady Kaede says!"

"What's the old bat going to do? Hit me with her cane?" He laughed.

Aiko fumed at this. "You call yourselves men of our village, but it's clear you aren't! If you have no respect for our High Priestess, then leave!"

Kagome remained knelt there, her gaze widened as she looked at Aiko standing behind her, her arms held up defiantly to shield her. Unlike the other villagers, she was willing to stand up for her, and even go so far as to say such words which would put her into a bad predicament.

As Kagome turned her gaze back to the men, she suddenly found herself rising to her feet, but it was too late. A harsh slap resonated within the rice patties, and seconds later, Aiko was lying in the water, her entire face submerged.

"Aiko!" Kagome cried out, kneeling down to assist her. When she saw the reddened mark upon her cheek and her friend close to tears, Kagome couldn't stand it any longer. This had to stop. "How dare you…" It was one thing to hit a girl straight on, but to hit her despite being wrong themselves, it really ticked her off. Aiko had done nothing wrong. "You should apologize…"

"Eh? What was that?" The person responsible for hitting Aiko asked.

"I said you should apologize! How dare you hit a girl! What did Aiko ever do to you, you arrogant prick?!" Kagome shouted, her voice loud enough to draw attention to the scene. "Just because you act all macho, waltzing around this village like you own it, doesn't give you the right to hit a girl just because she said something sensible! You call yourselves men? Ha! All I see are three idiots, dumb, dumber and dumbest!"

The three of them growled, their hands clenched tightly at her words. This girl was really starting to piss them off, especially since they first laid eyes on her. She was nothing like the women of their village, she had a temper and a voice that rivaled that of men.

Expecting to be slapped just as her friend, Kagome was instead, grasped by the collar of her brown kimono and pulled closer to the individual's face. His foul breath caused her to turn her face in disgust.

"You should show a little more respect, stupid wench! There's a difference between men and women in this world. The first difference, a woman should always shut her mouth when the man is present!"

A woman should shut her mouth and remain silent? Kagome was really beginning to be set off the edge. She wasn't sure how long she could bite her tongue, but she was having difficulty the more these idiots pressed on. "A woman has the right to speak her mind! Just who do you think was responsible for bringing men into this world? Women! Without us, you wouldn't even be here!"

"Bitch!" Another bellowed. "Mitsuki, she really doesn't understand our ways!"

"I think we should teach her properly the ways of our village."

This wasn't good. The three men were huddled around her, glowering as they hoped to do wrong to her, but Kagome remained standing, her gaze narrowed and her mouth pressed into a firm scowl. She wasn't afraid.

"Feisty, isn't she?"

A different voice called out suddenly, but the familiarity of the voice immediately brought a sickening feeling to the pit of Kagome's stomach. She recognized that voice, and as she turned her gaze to her right, she saw the figure of a man approach them.

Dressed in a burgundy kimono top with loose fitted black pants tied at the front, this young man who was a little older than Kagome smirked at the scene. His hair was pulled back loosely in a low short ponytail, a few stray bangs fanning his forehead.

"Satouru! Just in time!" Mitsuki replied before pushing the young woman away. "Maybe you can lend a hand and teach this girl a lesson. She's been leering at us from the start!"

He stopped a few feet away, looking Kagome up and down in a manner which left her completely uncomfortable. "Now that's troublesome…"

Oh no. Not him again. He was the same individual who had humiliated her when she was first brought to the village tied up days ago, and from the looks of it, he wasn't ashamed of his behavior. Just the way he looked at her sent chills up her spine and caused her legs to tremble. She didn't like him.

As she picked herself up out of the water, Aiko grasped onto Kagome's arm, her stare frightened as she looked upon Satouru. Her face was as pale as Kagome's. "Kagome … let's leave…"

Even as Aiko attempted to pull Kagome away, Kagome remained standing, her glare hardening as she met Satouru's gaze. He stepped so close to her, he was but mere inches away, and much to Kagome's displeasure, he placed a finger under her chin, lifting it.

"It's been a while," He replied, smirking at her defiant glare.

She slapped his hand away from her. "Don't touch me."

Although she was a difficult woman, the likes he had never before seen, there was something about her that brought a chuckle out of him. When he saw her brought into the village days ago, she had irked him with an unbelievable voice, yet the sight of her in that short kimono had warmed his loins. This woman was indeed an interesting sight. Yet here she was standing before him, glaring at him as if he had done her wrong before. Perhaps he did, but that didn't mean this woman hadn't enjoyed his touch, he was almost sure of it.

"Still as tempered as ever, aren't we?" He teased, eyeing her rigid form before him. "I think we should fix that, shouldn't we boys?"

Mitsuki snickered, grasping Aiko by her arm before pushing her away from Kagome. Immediately after, he came up behind Kagome and grasped her breasts, fondling them roughly. "If you ask me, I think she likes being touched!"

Startled by his roaming hands, Kagome squeaked in surprise, her face reddened in humiliation. As Satouru and his friends laughed at her expense, Kagome felt her anger boil over. Turning so quickly, she raised her left hand, clenching it as tightly as she could before knocking Mitsuki right in the jaw.

Mitsuki landed in the water, the stalks flattened by his landing as he laid in pain, groaning as he rubbed his unexpected injury. Having witnessed this, Satouru and the other two guys' eyes widened in surprise, and Aiko and Naomi covered their mouths at the sight.

"It's not so pleasant getting smacked into the water, now is it?!" Kagome shouted, revenging Aiko who had suffered a similar scenario a short while ago.

Spitting the blood from his mouth, Mitsuki tried ascertaining the extent of his injury. Fortunately, his teeth remained intact, that much he knew after feeling them with his fingers. "You will live to regret that, you bitch!" He growled.

Just before she could mutter the words 'Just go ahead and try,' a fistful of Kagome's ebony locks was grabbed from behind, and she cried out in pain as she was yanked back, stumbling to pull away from the one responsible.

"I see the fire hasn't died," Satouru remarked, smirking as the woman trembled painfully in his grasp. "It seems field work just isn't her strong point, boys. Perhaps we should fix that."

"Let me go!" Kagome cried out, but Satouru only laughed. "Get your hands off me!"

Daisuke was sitting in Kaede's hut, drinking a small bowl of tea before the elderly priestess. After having been tended to by Kagome a couple hours ago, he remained within the hut, resting his injury. Although he wasn't comfortable with the woman performing Western Medicine upon him, she had stitched his wound up nicely. It was less painful than he had anticipated.

"Are ye uncomfortable?" Kaede asked from across him, her legs bent under her as she sat there fixing the small fire in the center of the room.

Pulled away from his silent musings, Daisuke nodded. "I never would have guessed someone with such knowledge would appear before us; It's almost unheard of. She is Japanese like us and yet … just knowing this and having allowed her to operate upon my leg, it leaves me unsettled."

Kaede nodded. "So ye regret ye decision?"

Daisuke pondered again, his eyes narrowed as he tried to collect his thoughts. Unsettled was entirely the case. "I do. This western practice is forbidden in our country. If the others should find out, especially since you allowed it, our lives would be forfeit…"

"Ye are correct. That is why we must keep this a secret."

Daisuke looked up at this, his eyes widened at her choice of words. "But Lady Kaede!"

She held up a hand to silence him. "I have had my suspicions about the child since she first arrived upon our village, Daisuke. There is something within her, something I cannot ascertain at this moment."

"What do you mean?"

"I sensed a power within the child, but I cannot gather whether or not it is good or bad," Lady Kaede replied, pondering as she revisited the days before. Was it possible she possessed powers similar to Kikyou? Although Lady Kaede failed to master her spiritual abilities years ago, she wondered if it was possible this child held the same potential as her deceased sister. Then again, was it possible the child possessed other worldly powers, powers of sinister origins?

"Could it be possible she is a woman born with the power?" He asked, but Kaede wasn't certain.

"If so, then her knowledge would make better sense, but I believe there is more to this child than we know," She replied. "Although she claims her mother taught her these foreign practices, I'm sure there is a blood line within her family that parallels that of priestesses and women of spiritual healing."

Hearing this, Daisuke's mouth opened in surprise. If that was the case, then it made better sense. If Lady Kaede sensed something within the girl, then it had to be true. "It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth to hide this wound from my wife…"

"As it should. Ye must not remove the bandages in front of anyone but myself, Daisuke. For now, we must watch the child."

He nodded. "I understand," Yet as he watched the elderly woman, he noticed how her expression had become more serious as of late. "I take it this is why you haven't allowed her to leave the village, am I correct? You are curious of her powers."

The old woman softly smiled at his reply. "It would seem she is not aware of it yet. Sending her out into the world to return to her family, wherever they are now, would put her life at risk," She replied, and Daisuke finally understood the old priestess's intentions. "As of late, the air has been strange. I have a feeling something is about to happen, something that may pose a threat to our humble village…"

His frowned deepened. "Do you suppose it could be a demon?" He asked, but the old woman simply shook her head. Another thought came to mind, and it left Daisuke somewhat uneasy as he sat there. "If it's possible this child is indeed a priestess, do you think it might be possible we may have angered the gods for mistreating her?"

Kaede shook her head. "I am not sure. Whatever the case, we will know very soon."

Hearing this was certainly not good news, but there was nothing he could do about it. Warning everyone would only trouble the people, and so he decided to keep this information to himself. Pushing himself up to his feet, he placed pressure onto his leg, and when he felt good enough to stand, he turned to Lady Kaede, bowing his head to her respectively. "I'm going to finish what I started in the fields before heading home for the rest of the day, Lady Kaede. I'm sorry to have troubled you with my injury."

"Ye are fine. Do not trouble ye-self with unnecessary thoughts," She replied, not moving from her seated position on the floor. "Be sure to visit my hut every day so I can change ye bandages."

Understanding, Daisuke bowed once more before pushing back the flap to her hut before exiting. The hot sun blazed upon him, and as he began his trek towards the hills, he couldn't help but think back to his and Kaede's conversation regarding the girl. It was strange, but perhaps, if this was true, maybe this was a blessing to their village.

As he made his way up the grassy incline, passing the many wives of the village going about their normal routine chores around the huts, Daisuke suddenly noticed a commotion up ahead. As he quickened his steps, mindful of his injury, he found himself looking down over the hill where the rice patties were. From his line of sight, he noticed a group of people down below, shouting incriminating words at one another, but the blazing sun made it difficult to look closely.

"Can you believe Satouru is causing mischief again? The guy never learns."

"Don't you think we ought to tell Priestess Kaede about this?"

"Yeah … but I'm curious to see what's going to happen next…"

Overhearing a few men talking amongst themselves behind an old fence, looking down at the rice patties, Daisuke approached them. It seemed everyone had stopped to watch the scene play out down the hill, and no one seemed determine to put an end to it. "What's going on over there?"

As the three older men in their earlier thirties turned at this, they smiled at Daisuke. "Oh Daisuke, you're back? I thought for sure you would go home after getting that nasty gash."

Daisuke leaned his body against the fence, and made a face at the men. "This little thing? Don't insult me."

They laughed at his reply.

"Oh look! There she goes!" One of them commented, pointing towards the rice patties down below, and at this, his friends' heads turned quickly.

Down the hill, they saw the feisty woman throw her fist at Mitsuki, causing the young man to fall face first into the water, damaging the stalks of rice. The two girls down below had shrieked in surprise.

"OOH!" All three of the men made a noise of amusement, their grins widening as the scene unfolded.

"Did you see the force behind that hit?" One asked.

"Wow … what a woman! If only I were younger…" Another sighed.

The other guy couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably, slapping his buddy beside him on the back repetitively. "He was knocked on his ass by a woman! Damn that's sexy!"

Daisuke on the other hand wasn't amused by the scene like the other three. As he leaned forward on the bench a little more, he raised up a hand to shield his eyes. "Is that Kagome?" He asked, squinting.

Although they weren't knowledgeable about the girl's name, they shrugged. Unexpectedly, they witnessed Satouru down in the rice patties grab the girl by the back of her hair, pulling her towards his chest. Although they weren't in earshot to know what was said between the two, they heard Kagome moments later scream for him to release her.

Aggravated by the men manhandling the child, Daisuke jumped the fence, earning surprised stares from the men who had been watching. Before he continued on his way, he stopped and turned towards the three men who were doing nothing but standing there, watching it happen. "How can you stand there and watch?" He questioned.

Somewhat ashamed, they dropped their gazes, their grins replaced by frowns. Daisuke was right, what were they doing just watching? Sure it had been entertaining up until Satouru and his friends began playing dirty, but it wasn't a good enough excuse for them watching.

Daisuke turned to one of the guys before him. "What if that was your daughter Suki being manhandled?"

The person in question paled at the thought. Of course he wouldn't like any guy manhandling his little girl, Suki. As he looked at the two guys beside him, he turned back to Daisuke and jumped over the fence, followed after by the other two. "Alright, let's put a stop to this."

Satouru laughed as he held her to his chest, his warm breath fanning her neck. As his free hand held her closely to him, he couldn't help but breathe in her scent. Her hair smelled rather nice.

"Let me go! That hurts!" Kagome cried out, but he wouldn't let up. She cringed when he inhaled her scent, nudging his nose into her hair. Enraged he wasn't letting go, Kagome stomped onto his foot, which in turn caused him to lessen his hold upon her, but it wasn't enough to get completely away from him.

"Let her go!" Aiko cried, trying to push away from Mitsuki and the others holding her back. She didn't like this at all. Kagome did nothing wrong. Why were they treating her this way?

After having stomped onto his foot, Satouru only sneered at the struggling vixen. As he clenched tighter onto the back of her hair, bringing more pain upon the girl, he forced her onto her hands and knees. "You see this, boys? This is the position she belongs in. On her knees like a good whore."

"I'm not a whore!" Kagome retorted. "How many times do I have to repeat myself?!"

Satouru only snickered at her remark.

Mitsuki and the other two guys, who were watching the scene in amusement, suddenly paled when they saw Daisuke and three older men approach them. At the sight of their irritation, the three stepped back fearfully.

Mitsuki tapped Satouru upon the shoulder, but Satouru was too distracted by Kagome to pay his friend any attention. "It seems we have company…"

"So what? They can join in on the fun." He remarked, laughing as Kagome relentlessly struggled beneath him.

Before Satouru could do any more harm to the girl, a hand reached out and grasped him by the back of his head, yanking his hair back just as roughly as he had done to Kagome. In an instant, he released his hold on Kagome and was turned half way around before he was met in the face by a strong fist.

He fell into the water, his lip bleeding from the force of the punch. As he sat up, wiping the blood away, he scowled at the person responsible. "What the hell, Daisuke!"

"I should be saying the exact same thing to you!" He replied back aggressively. "Did you not hear what Lady Kaede said about not harming this child? Or do you simply do as you please?"

He spat out a small collection of blood from his mouth and picked himself out of the water, his glare never ceasing. By this point, he noticed Kagome had quickly moved away from him, standing beside Aiko and Naomi as he and his guys were surrounded by Daisuke and his men. "I do as I please. Someone needs to teach her a lesson of respect!"

"Do you three feel the same way?" Asked one of the farmers to Satouru's friends. "Do you feel you can do as you please to the women in this village without any consequence?"

"What exactly have you been doing to our daughters behind our backs?!" Another bellowed, causing Mitsuki and the others to shrink back behind their leader.

Daisuke clenched his fist. "If you feel that this is of no consequence, then we have a problem…"

Although it was certain they were about to get a beating of a lifetime, Satouru never faltered. His scowl was replaced by a sickening smirk as he looked upon Daisuke's injury and back at the fuming girl, Kagome. "I get it now. She's caught your attention after feeling you up earlier. I heard from the other villagers how she had her hands all over your upper thigh. And here we thought you were loyal to your wife. Who knows what you and this wench have been doing while your wife isn't around."

As his friends shrunk back even further, this time away from their leader, gulping as the rage became more apparent on Daisuke's face, Kagome suddenly moved. She approached Satouru, who looked on curiously with an arched brow. Not bothering to show any decency, she raised her leg, despite wearing a knee length kimono, and kicked him in the jaw.

He fell back once more into the water, but there was no laughter. No one said anything, but looked at Kagome with widened stares. It was the first time, no, the second time this woman had dealt out her own kind of punishment to those who had mistreated her.

Aiko gasped at the sight, and Naomi only sweat dropped. They were surprised because it wasn't normal for a woman to go up against a man, but to see it happen right then, left them speechless.

Doing her best to calm her breathing, Kagome glared at Satouru. This man just sent her over the edge. This was the last straw. "I am not a wench. I am not a bitch and I am most certainly not a man stealing whore!" She seethed, her hands clenched at her sides. "I am so sick and tired of hearing all your mouths and all the crap that comes out of it about me! You make me sick! All of you are disgraces!"

"K-Kagome…" Aiko was trying to pull her away, and this time, she let Aiko pull her off to the side, away from a glowering Satouru.

At that moment, a vein was clearly visible upon Daisuke's forehead. As he offered Kagome an apologetic look, he looked to his men beside him, huddled around Satouru and the three troublemakers. "I believe the girls have done enough for today. Why don't you head off home early? I believe they have worked hard, right guys?" He asked his friends.

They nodded.

Daisuke motioned for the girls to leave while he settled the situation himself. "I'm pretty sure Satouru and his friends would be happy to finish what the girls have left, along with their own."

Mitsuki couldn't help but growl at this. "This will take the whole day!"

One of the farmers laughed. "Well I suggest you three get started then. We're not moving from here until every last grain of rice is picked. That includes fixing the stalks you destroyed."

The trouble makers looked in the direction he pointed, and they saw three rows of rice completely destroyed, the stalks trampled on and ripped apart due to their actions. As the three sighed, they were motioned to work immediately.

As Satouru sat there, watching Kagome and her two friends retreat from the rice patties, he noticed the ebony haired woman stop before turning to look back at him. To his confusion and surprise, she stuck her tongue out at him and used her thumb and index finger to form the shape of an L on her forehead. Satouru didn't understand the gesture, but he was pretty sure she insulted him.

"You'll regret this, bitch…" He mumbled under his breath.

As the women fled up the hill away from the rice patties, Daisuke approached Satouru, cracking his knuckles in the process. "Now what were you saying about my disloyalty towards my wife?"

While it was obvious Daisuke was laying it on Satouru, Kagome was pleased the situation was over, but she had a feeling it wouldn't be for long. Still, she felt awfully uncomfortable, especially after Mitsuki had groped her through her kimono. Kagome shuddered.

Aiko was walking beside her, a hand placed to her chest as she tried to calm her raging heart. The entire situation made her sick to her stomach, and the fact that Kagome had hit them twice, was enough to bring chills down her spine. "Thank goodness it's over. I wasn't sure how much my heart could take…"

Hearing this, Kagome softly smiled. "I felt nauseated during the entire ordeal, to be honest. I felt like a weight has slightly lifted itself off my shoulders." It felt good fighting back, but it still left her feeling slightly irked.

"Kagome, you surprised me…"

Kagome looked at Aiko bemusedly. "What do you mean?"

How could she put this? "It's just that, you weren't afraid at all, and you fought back so strongly as well. Kagome you're very different from the rest of us…"

She sweat dropped. She supposed it wasn't normal for a girl to respond back just as violently as the guys. In this era, women mainly kept to themselves, and according to their customs, the men always came first. "I-I'm sorry. I couldn't stand still while this was happening. I'm not going to let a guy do as he pleases to me. I deserve better than that."

Aiko nodded. "Thank you, Kagome. Thank you for avenging me back there. It really meant a lot," She smiled, and Kagome flushed at this, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, it was nothing, really."

Even so, Aiko was truly grateful. When she noticed Naomi had fallen behind on their walk back to the huts, Aiko stopped, followed after by Kagome. "Are you okay, Naomi?"

The brunette with freckles nodded. "I … feel I should apologize…"

"For what?" Kagome asked.

"I selfishly stood by and did nothing to help you," Naomi replied, her face reddening shamefully. "I only thought of myself. Forgive me. I didn't want them to come after me later on…" She lowered her head to Kagome, her eyes closed as she awaited some form of discipline.

If that was what was bothering her, then there was no reason to apologize. "Don't worry about it. Guys like that will never prosper. In fact, I'm glad you didn't involve yourself, Naomi. The situation was already worse enough, and I didn't want you dragged into it."

She looked up at this, her expression surprised but thankful nonetheless. "Truly? Thank you!"

Kagome only waved her hands in front of her, sweat dropping at the girl as she continually bowed her head to her. "It's okay. Really."

"Kagome, if you don't mind me asking, what was the sign you did while we were leaving?" Aiko asked.

"Huh?"

Hearing this, Naomi mimicked the exact sign Kagome had used towards Satouru. She formed her fingers into an L and placed it upon her forehead as she looked at Kagome for clarification. "This sign?"

Seeing this, Kagome sweat dropped once more, before a small laugh escaped her. "Oh, that's the sign for loser."

"Loser?" Aiko questioned before musing upon the word. What did it mean? "I'm confused by the word…"

Kagome scratched her cheek, pondering on what word would be more easily understood. "Loser as in … an idiot. A dumb person, to be exact."

"Oh, I see!" Aiko exclaimed, mimicking Naomi as she recreated the same sign above her own forehead, much to Kagome's amusement. "Maybe I should start using this…"

Naomi giggled at the thought. As they continued their way into the village, the other villagers sent them strange looks, and embarrassed, the two girls quickly lowered his hands to their sides, blushing as Kagome laughed at them.

'I hope I didn't accidentally start the loser trend…'