July 18th

The Sacred Jewel, an object capable of granting any desired wish, once existed centuries ago, and because of its wickedness, was ultimately destroyed by the Demon Slayers. Upon realizing the jewel manifested itself within Kagome, a girl whose place of origins resided beyond the Goshinboku, within the Forest of Inuyasha, Kaede took it upon herself to shelter her.

Since her appearance, the flesh of Mistress Centipede revived, and the demon attempted to devour Kagome, but fell to Kaede's arrow and ultimately Kagome's dormant powers. Shortly after, their village succumbed to a horrific fire, the destruction of their livestock, their homes and their crops. Many women were kidnapped as a result of a demon who'd sensed the powers of the Sacred Jewel, using the corpse of a rogue bandit to lay out orders to others to fulfill its desires. The demon tore through High Priestess Kaede's barrier not long after, devouring one innocent and traumatizing all others, and in the end, the powers within Kagome ultimately unleashed.

One week later, after the unfortunate events unveiled, the villagers displayed kindness to the young woman, believing the blood of priests and priestesses had finally surfaced within her. They no longer saw her as a distrustful person who invaded their home since the start, but instead, looked up to her, hopefully believing she would protect them and become their priestess.

This certain hopefulness placed Kagome in an uncomfortable position. Often, the people shadowed her, eager to assist her with any given task, despite their own worries. From their incessant bows and repeated appreciations, Kagome wasn't sure how much more she could take. In all honesty, she didn't feel any different and only wanted to be treated like any other person, but she was thankful.

Shortly after the change, gossip spread throughout the village, most of it centered entirely around Satouru. The people were well aware of his arrogance and hatred for the woman, and upon his negligence to appear before her a week ago and atone for his mistreatment of her and others, the villagers were greatly displeased. Satouru didn't bother discussing the matter with anyone, often raising his fist and dismissing them rather rudely; other than that, he mostly kept to himself.

The rebuilding of the village was a slow process, and because of the shortage of food going around, the men were often out hunting at the earliest hours of the day. While away, the women tended the fields and replanted, tossed the rotten crops to the birds, and cared for their young ones.

Then there was Ume, a wonderful child who struggled each day caring for her injured father. With each visit from High Priestess Kaede, her father's recovery quickened and his burns scarred. Eventually, the older man finally took his first few steps outside of his small and gloomy hut, his eyes resting upon what was left of the village. It was no surprise disappointment emanated from his expression, but the tenderness of his daughter's care, and determination to lighten the dismal mood surrounding everyone, softened his anger.

As for Kagome and Aiko, the pair often helped within the fields, counting the small collection of crops which they recovered previously within the storage building and taking note. A few sacks of rice remained, some barley, beans, wheat, and turnips. There wasn't much left besides that, and the shortage of food was becoming alarmingly terrifying.

Besides the lack of food, there weren't many livestock within the village either, save for five chickens, a few oxen, two goats and a couple stray dogs. There were also horses within the village but not many.

Early evening slowly descended, and finishing their chores for the day, the fields replanted and spruced up, the men finally returned from their weary hunt, their bows and arrows hanging over their aching shoulders. They carried themselves despondently to Kaede's hut, displaying the small animals caught during their outing. Two small rabbits, a fox and one fowl were presented and those alone would not suffice everyone within the village.

Despite the circumstances concerning their lack of food, the villagers pitched in and roasted the meat, splitting their shares amongst everyone, the children and elderly coming first before others. From their leftovers alone, even they knew it wouldn't sustain them for long. Until they reached a better conclusion, the men would continue hunting while the women tended the fields.

Exhausted from working in the fields, Kagome tiredly sauntered into the hut, Aiko following behind. An effective crack of her back resounded within the small and drafty space, and a relieved sigh escaped her. No matter how many times she toiled in those fields, she'd never get use to it. "I'm beat…"

"Me too," Aiko sighed, dropping to her knees and rubbing her sore calves.

Untying the obi around her waist, Kagome removed the brown kimono from her body, tossing it aside. Stepping across the room, she knelt beside a wooden bucket, filled halfway with cold water and dipped a rag within. From there, she proceeded to wipe the sweat from her face, torso, her arms and her legs, a delightful hum resounding from her lips.

While Kagome cleaned up, Aiko pulled out their sleeping ware, two plain cotton white kimonos and laid them upon their futons. Afterwards, she reached for the offered rag from Kagome.

A muffled noise resounded within the room, followed after by a few more, and Kagome and Aiko both achingly held their stomachs. Both had refused their food, and as a result, sat within the hut dismally. Perhaps tomorrow's hunt would bring better results, they hoped.

Crawling over to the futon, Kagome was about to snuggle underneath the warm blanket, but at the sound of something loud outside, she gasped, stilling within the darkness. Her blue eyes shifted to Aiko, still crouched over the bucket across the hut, and her eyes met Kagome's worryingly.

Someone was outside.

Yet before either could get up and investigate, someone entered the hut, and the result left Kagome and Aiko shrieking in fear. A light from a candle eventually brightened the room, and upon realizing the intruders were anything but threatening, they sighed in relief.

Aiko quickly concealed herself, and dressed in only her night attire, she felt her face redden shamefully. Not only was this entire situation improper, but having a man barge into a girl's only hut would likely cause a stir within the village.

"Sorry about that," Yuuta's voice exclaimed, his eyes immediately drawn to the curvature of their bodies within the thin kimonos. "We … were a little late getting back to the village, but we caught something rather interesting. You might want to look for yourself," He replied, his eyes quickly turned away. "Get dressed and meet us outside."

At his exit, Aiko and Kagome shared a glance. What a way to startle them right before bed. Believing he and the other bandits must have caught an animal, the two girls quickly threw on the last of their clean kimonos, tying the obis tightly before exiting the hut.

The evening's air chilled them as they stepped out, and looking amongst the men gathered outside the hut, Aiko and Kagome's eyes fell upon a large canine. The creature, larger than any dog they'd seen, laid before them dead with two arrows shot through its body.

"Boss!" Someone cried out, followed after by several more.

"We've returned from hunting boss! Sorry we're late!"

"Boss look what we caught!"

Used to the title, Kagome strode closer to them, her eyes lingering on the canine's corpse at their feet. "What is it?"

"A wolf," Yuuta replied, bending down before retrieving the arrows from its neck and back leg. "We were out scavenging with the other men when we noticed several tracks within the forest. If we had to guess, a pack of wolves have been hanging around. Since food has been scarce as of late, I'm fairly certain this is the reason."

"It's huge!" Aiko exclaimed, her hands grasping Kagome's arm frightfully.

Yuuta nodded. "It's a wonder they haven't wandered into the village. Still, it would be best if you girls didn't wander into the woods for a time, until they've been taken care of."

"So, what are you going to do with it?" Kagome couldn't help but ask.

Yuuta stood up and grinned an expectant grin. "Well we're going to eat it, that's what."

What? They weren't serious, were they? It was a wolf, a predator that fed off the flesh of animals and humans. Unlike other animals, which fed off plants and vegetables, these creatures were cannibals, and Kagome was pretty certain their meat would taste gamey and rotten. "You're joking…"

"Nonsense. Wolf meat is a delicacy, if you know how to make it properly!" Yuuta exclaimed, the other bandits nodding their heads fervently, their derpy smiles bemusing Kagome.

Aiko wasn't the only one surprised by this. "I've been lucky enough to eat deer, and bear meat before, but never a wolf. Surely you aren't going to eat the entire body?"

"We'll cook it up and give some to High Priestess Kaede to distribute," Yuuta replied. Pulling out a blade from his pocket, he bent down near the wolf and pulled it over his shoulder. "We'll get started skinning the beast, and set up a camp fire to roast it."

Before he could turn and leave with the bandits, Kagome called out. "Wait a minute. You're going to gut the animal first, right?"

Yuuta and the other bandits blinked confusedly at her. "Gut? Why would we do that? The guts are a delicacy and it serves to give us strength during our hunts."

Kagome almost sweat dropped. They weren't serious, were they? "I'll cook it," She replied, counting all the times she and her mother often spent slaving away in the kitchen. If anything, she thought of herself as a pretty decent cook, not as great as her mother, but not far from it. "If you guys can just skin the animal and remove its head, I'll take charge and cook us up a meal. I'm pretty sure we'll have lots of leftovers to share with the villagers after."

Despite their intention to roast it over the fire, they were quite eager for their boss to cook them a meal, wondering how it would taste compared to their own meals. As they watched the young woman retreat back into the hut, Aiko following after, they made themselves comfortable outside, seated upon the ground with their knives pulled out.

Following Kagome back into the hut, Aiko watched the raven-haired woman sort through her backpack of belongings, which she brought with her from her own world. Kneeling beside her, she noticed a large blackened pot, beside it a thin round and flat pan, one she'd never seen before, alongside other various assortments and utensils.

"Kagome, what are these here?" Aiko asked, picking up a few containers with strange labels stuck around their circumference. The letters, painted intricately across the white labels baffled her, but she only assumed it was from her own world.

Glancing over while pulling out a small box of matches and her lighter, she set the items down. "Those are seasoning broths," She explained, taking one of the containers from her friend's hands. Twisting the lid off and removing the cardboard covering overtop with her nails, Kagome revealed a brownish looking powder within, followed after with second container which held a yellowish powder. "This one is beef flavored and the other chicken flavored. So, if ever we have a dish that doesn't have enough flavor in it, we simply add one of these," She answered, earning a slight nod from Aiko.

"I see. Then what about this container?"

Noticing her pointing at medium sized container with a yellow label around its circumference, Kagome picked it up and opened it, exposing the white powder within. "This is cornstarch. It helps thicken soups and stews, and it can be used to make gravy and sauces. It doesn't have a flavor, but it's pretty useful."

Upon its interesting usefulness, Aiko was amazed. How amazing. She wondered what other ingredients Kagome's world held. "So, Kagome, how are you going to cook this wolf? Yuuta mentioned he would roast it over a fire for us."

"Well, I was thinking of making something homemade for all of us, including the village. I'm thinking maybe creating a stew from the meat, and using only a few of its insides to boil or fry."

Aiko nodded again. "I think we might have some rice stored away. Hold on a minute."

While Aiko walked off to sort through the belongings, Kagome pondered for a moment. How on earth would she create a meal using wolf meat? It certainly wasn't chicken or beef, or even steak. Surely the taste of wolf meat, like deer meat would taste gamey, and she was positive the taste would linger within her mouth for hours after. 'I should have brought mom's cooking book with me. If mom was here, what dish would she prepare?'

"I found it," Aiko's voice announced across the room, a small sack held in her hands as she crossed over to Kagome. "This is our share we have left from the harvest. Perhaps we can use a little in the dish?"

Kagome mused. Opening the sack, she peered inside, her eyes counting the small grains of rice carefully. According to her history, rice was the main staple of their diet, something they normally ate day by day. Although it was never the healthiest of diets and if eaten alone for long periods of time, malnutrition could certainly occur and ultimately, beriberi would afflict the people, something she hoped she would never witness during her time spent in this era.

"Actually, that would be a good idea. I'll just use a small handful of rice. It will serve as a side dish. Judging by all the meat we have, I'm pretty sure we aren't able to store the rest of the meat that's left over, right? I don't think the entire wolf will fit in my mom's cooking pot…"

Judging by the size of the wolf the bandits were skillfully prepping for them outside and the size of Kagome's cooking pot, Aiko agreed. "If that's the case, can't we use the rest and roast it up?"

Kagome nodded. "I guess so. I hope it will taste alright…" As far as she knew, salt wasn't something peasants used in their cooking, and normally, everything tasted dull to her.

Aiko giggled at her expression. "I'm sure it will taste fine. But before that, we should get a couple buckets of water before we begin."

"You're right. We will need to first clean the meat well, maybe even soak it in water for a few minutes before actually cooking it. I'm pretty sure we're going to need to make several trips back and forth to the river," Kagome replied.

Skinning and beheading the wolf took no longer than a few short minutes for the bandits, and upon Kagome instructions to remove the innards, setting them aside in a bucket washed and cleaned, the bandits found themselves waiting patiently outside. Genuinely, they were very curious as to what the woman planned to create and with such a huge wolf.

Inside the hut, Kagome pulled her hair out of her face and into a high ponytail, her sleeves pushed up at her elbows, and Aiko followed suit as well, borrowing one of Kagome's hair ties.

The skinned and gutted headless wolf was laid upon an old blanket, and with Aiko's only cutting knife beside them, Kagome cut out large portions of the meat before placing them into the buckets of water beside them. Soaking the meat like so for several minutes would help remove the gamey taste and smell for sure. Currently, the meat smelled fowl and if she didn't know any better, almost smelled of animal piss, if not worse. It was a wonder the peasants were able to tolerate it.

While the meat soaked, the remainder of the wolf's carcass lying on the blanket, Kagome noticed flies beginning to fly around its body. Disturbed by the sight, she folded the blanket over its bones and tossed it outside, the bandits looking up from their musings curiously at the blanket.

"Should I get started with the porridge and vegetables?" Aiko asked.

Kagome nodded. "Yes, but first we should wash our hands after touching the meat and then wash the vegetables."

Understanding, they did just that. Aiko busied herself with chopping up the carrots, the skin still intact along its length, while Kagome cut up the dried herbs in the basket beside her. After tossing two teaspoons of parsley and sage in the boiling kettle over the fire, Aiko threw in the carrots, the vegetable which would need to boil the longest until it reached a softer texture, along with some radishes.

Although it was customary to soak the rice before cooking it, Kagome knew at the moment, there weren't enough buckets within the hut to even do that. One bucket was for cleaning their hands, and the other two held the soaked wolf meat.

Since there wasn't much rice at all, Kagome pondered what to do. First, she would create a porridge which would only take a few handfuls of rice. Rather than leave the porridge bland, she would definitely add chicken seasoning to it, as well as some sage to give it better flavor.

"If only there was a way to fry this," Kagome commented, sighing. If she had brought cooking oil to the past, then this would be a lot easier. Actually, Kagome wished she had brought a lot more with her than just the essentials, but even if she did, the ingredients would run out.

"Fry?" Aiko asked. "You want to fry the rice?"

"I would like to fry the liver and stomach, rather than steam it. But to do that, I would need cooking oil, which we don't have. If we fry it as it is, it would stick and burn the pan…"

Aiko pondered at this. "If it's cooking oil then I can be of help for that," She replied before standing up. She crossed the room, bending down before the basket of herbs before producing a few ovate green leaves, the ends pointed and serrated with long leafstalks. "This is called Shiso," Aiko began, displaying the leaves to Kagome. "It's more commonly known as Aojiso, the blue shiso plant. Normally, we use them with fish and nothing more, but if you boil the leaves it will produce an oil."

Accepting the leaves into her palm, Kagome held them up to her nose and was immediately greeted by a familiar scent. "It smells like cinnamon!"

Aiko nodded. "Yes. The scent is rather medicinal and I often pick these for High Priestess Kaede's tea."

"Is it easy to find the shiso?"

Again, Aiko nodded. "Yes. There are a few large patches in the woods that grows the shiso every year. If you're interested, I can show you where I forage for most of the herbs for High Priestess Kaede."

"Yes, I would like that. I had no idea you could produce cooking oil from this…" This was great. "So, do you use this a lot? To fry food?"

At her question, she shook her head. "No. To be honest, we have never used it for frying at all. I learned about this from Kosuke who visited Edo some time back. The food there is often fried, steamed, and there are so many dishes we have never had the privilege to try. Of course, going to Edo requires a lot of money, which we don't have. Sometimes, we will wrap up the fish in the Shiso and eat it like that, or we would use the red shiso known as akajiso for pickled plums and also fish."

How interesting. Perhaps, during her stay in this world, she might take an interest in plants. If she could produce oil from this shiso, then perhaps there were more plants she could use in cooking. "This is great. Thank you, Aiko."

Pleased with this, looked around the room. "Forget making porridge, Aiko. I have a better idea."

"Are we not going to make porridge?" Aiko inquired.

"Since we don't have much rice to begin with, we can save the rest for later," Kagome replied, reaching for the deep-dish frying pan. "

Within the deep-dish frying pan, Kagome added a couple cups of water, two handfuls of rice, two teaspoons of parsley and sage, and a couple small scoops of chicken flavoring. Removing the large pot from the fire boiling the carrots and radishes, Kagome held the frying pan up until she was able to position it over the fire, held in place by their own conventional means. As the rice simmered within, she kept watch over it, stirring it every so often.

"Aiko, if you can, will you take the buckets of meat to the bandits outside to roast over the fire? Leave the liver and stomachs here though."

"Sure."

Over half an hour went by since the girls disappeared into the hut, the smell of food drifting from the door and open window. The meat over the fairly decent sized fire was roasting well, and as instructed by their boss, they made sure to turn the meat every so often so one side didn't burn.

Although they planned to eat the meat as soon as it came off the fire, Aiko made it known that only half of the meat would be taken back to kaede and the other villagers, while the other half would be cooked into a hearty stew within.

A familiar brunette popped her head out of the flap, her gesturing hand waving them inside. "It's almost done," Aiko exclaimed with a smile.

While the boys ran into the small hut, Yuuta checked the meat. Content it was done enough and fit for consumption, he took it off the fire, pulling the sticks aside before placing them into a large wooden bowl, complements of Aiko. With the meat gathered within, he entered into the small hut.

Upon entering the hut, he noticed the two girls working contentedly with the food. They were gathered around a large blackened pot, one he'd never seen before, tossing in a few crushed leaves into the mixture. The brothy soup was dark, almost brown in color and peering closely, like the others, he saw subtle signs of carrots, potatoes, radishes, peeled onion within bubbling over the fire. An interesting and mouth watering scent emanated from the entire hut, and he sat the bowl down beside Kagome.

Looking up, Kagome flashed him a smile. "It's done?"

Yuuta nodded. "Yes. Do with it as you like. What are you making?"

Pleased with this, she offered the meat to Aiko, who began cutting the meat into small strips before dropping them into the pot carefully. "We're making beef stew. It's almost done."

Once the meat was within, Aiko took a small cup, filled with a couple tablespoons of water before pouring in a small amount of the cornstarch as directed by Kagome. As she quickly stirred the contents of the mixture, she poured the milky white substance into the pot. After which, Kagome continued stirring, and a few moments later, the broth thickened, much to everyone's surprise.

"How'd it do that?" One of the guys asked.

"It's not runny anymore!"

Kagome suppressed a giggle at their confusion. "I added a thickener to it, that way it would taste better," She replied before grasping the handles of the pot carefully and pulling it off the fire and onto an old rag beside her. "It's a bit too hot to eat yet, so now we can work on the second part of the meal. I'm actually curious as to how it will turn out."

Everyone's eyes turned in the direction of medium sized wooden bowl, sitting to the side filled to the brim with yellow grains of rice, the color strange to them and the smell difficult to discern from a distance. Next to that, they saw another pan, this one flat, filled with water half way with two stomachs and one liver, sprinkled with small herbs and spices.

While Kagome affixed the smaller pan over the fire, Aiko reached for the rice, scooping it from the bowl and inserted it into an opened cut within the bottom of the stomach. She did the same to the other stomach, but she left the liver alone and placed all three back into the pan to boil. Since there was no means of frying them, Kagome and Aiko decided boiling them would be their best option.

"Still, I'm sure it would have tasted better fried…" Kagome pouted.

Aiko giggled in response.

"Frying?" One of the men asked. "What's frying?"

Yuuta almost rolled his eyes. "It's a method only the rich can afford, such as wealthier peasants, lords and samurai," He replied before eying the raven-haired girl curiously. There was still much she hadn't told them about herself, besides the fact her grandfather was a priest and she held priestess blood in her veins. Yuuta was curious about her upbringing the most, not to mention the strangeness of the food presented before him. The food reminded him of an old trip to Edo years ago.

"It smells really good, boss!"

"Why is the rice yellow?"

"Can I have a taste?"

Seeing an approaching hand towards the stew, Kagome lightly smacked it away, shaking her finger disapprovingly. "Not yet. Once everything has finished cooking, then we can eat."

"Kagome, should we call for the villagers to join us? Or are we going to take the pot to High Priestess Kaede's?"

Kagome mused. "Eating together doesn't sound like a bad idea. I'm pretty sure everyone else is still awake…"

"Can we eat our share first boss?"

"Yeah, I'm starving,"

At their mouthwatering stares, sitting on their knees knelt by the fire, their eyes peering hungrily at the food, Kagome sweat dropped. "Well, I suppose s—" Her words died in her throat when a strange scent flooded her nostrils. After removing the pot moments before, a foul smell emanated in front of her, her eyes shifting from each of the many bandits before her. "What is that smell?" She almost covered her nose at the stench.

They looked among themselves curiously, one absentmindedly picking his nose, the other smelling his armpit, and the others staring confusedly in her direction.

"You guys reek," Kagome frowned. "No offense, but you need to wash up before eating dinner."

"Aw, but boss!"

"We never wash up for dinner, boss," One replied.

"Do we have to?"

They never wash up before dinner? Were they joking? She certainly hoped they were. Kagome squinted her eyes suspiciously. "When was the last time you had a bath?"

"A month ago?" One questioned himself.

"Two weeks for me, boss."

"Uh…" One tried counting his fingers.

"I don't remember…"

Yuuta, on the other hand, remained absolutely quiet during their musings, his eyebrow cocked in the young girl's direction. He didn't say anything about his own scheduled bathing, and Kagome had a feeling he wasn't about to answer.

She was appalled. This was terrible. No, what was the word she was looking for? Disgusting? Yes, that was it. Not only that, but how could they simply walk amongst themselves and others smelling like that? "Well you're not eating until you wash up first. You're all taking a bath. Not buts about it either," She replied, standing up suddenly before pointing towards the exit. "Let's go."

"But boss…"

"Can't we eat first?"

Kagome crossed her arms. "No. Besides, the food isn't done cooking just yet. So, while Aiko is tending it, you can all take a bath in the lake."

After explaining she would return in a few moments, Kagome exited the hut, the bandits following after despondently. Yuuta took his place beside the young girl, his observing eyes looking out across the village as dusk settled in.

Despite the silence between them, Kagome spoke up. "Daisuke told me you were doing a great job helping out around the village lately."

"Really?" Their heads perked up.

She nodded. "Lady Kaede has noticed as well. It seems the villagers are trusting you a bit more, which is a good thing." Noticing their smiles, she went on. "I've been meaning to ask. After we've managed to fix the village back up and set up new huts for those who lost them during the attacks, what will you all do?"

"We'll likely leave," Yuuta replied. "Don't forget Kagome, we're bandits. We haven't fully been accepted into this village, and I for one don't expect anything more."

She frowned at this. "I get what you're saying, but should things get better, you could certainly stay, if you wanted. I'm not saying you have to. We really do appreciate your help these past days."

"Boss, do you like having us around?"

"Huh? What kind of question is that?" She asked. "Of course, I do." In the beginning she almost couldn't tolerate them following her nor the title they gave to her, but as the days went by, she was used to it and appreciated their hard work.

Yuuta mused. "With the way the village is now, I'm surprised it's still standing. You've got no defense at all except for the barrier which fell shortly after the demon attacked. Despite your powers surfacing, you haven't been trained to protect anyone."

Kagome nodded. He wasn't wrong.

"Aiko mentioned something about your Daimyo in Edo. He takes your taxes in the form of your rice harvests, in return for giving your village protection. Yet, from what I have seen and heard, that isn't the case. You do realize you're all being robbed by the fool, correct?"

The young woman's eyes widened at this. She hadn't thought of it like that. Yuuta wasn't wrong. This was true. Not only that, but when Lady Kaede failed to produce an adequate harvest, the men who worked under their Daimyo took the children as payment. "Yes…"

He almost scowled. It was a shame. This was simply one of the reasons he refused to settle down in villages. The people were fools, giving up their freedom to a lord who didn't care for their well-being. Being a bandit did have its perks, despite hassling and frightening many innocents, he and the boys managed just fine for years.

"Boss, if you want, you could come with us, after we finish out our punishment,"

"Yeah! We would take care of you, boss!" Another exclaimed.

"But our hideout was destroyed, remember?"

"Oh yeah … well we can just find another place!"

Yuuta glanced at the girl beside him, her eyes shifting curiously behind her at the guys. "What will you do, Kagome?"

"Huh?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry but I can't leave. Besides, I don't plan to stay in the village for long anyways…" At least she hoped. She wanted to go back home, if the tree would let her. The only reason she returned to the past was because of the prophetic dream which ended up becoming true. "Soon I plan to return home to my own family."

The path towards the lake took a slight incline downhill, passing a few trees and bushes where a large lake presented itself to everyone. The lake liked downstream of the river, and it was a place the villagers all bathed.

"Here we are. Don't take too long. Watch out for snakes and remember to wash behind your ears."

They nodded at her words before walking over towards the bank of the water, suspiciously looking for any snakes that might be slithering around. Realizing her words affected them, she almost laughed. She was pretty sure they were used to seeing snakes, and certainly hoped there weren't any snakes in the water; after all, she bathed there as well.

"Alright. I'm leaving now. Don't take too long." At their silent nods, their backs suddenly turned to her, she turned to leave but paused, her cerulean eyes widening in surprise.

Yuuta stood behind her, his eyes closed as he pulled off his kimono top, his robust chest and lean physique displayed before the raven-haired girl unexpectedly. Despite a few dark curls swept across his upper chest, a few hairs aligning below his belly button, Kagome quickly averted her eyes, a reddened blush staining her cheeks.

Noticing she had paused in front of him, her face hidden by her layered fringe, he was about to ask if something was wrong when she suddenly stepped past him. Without a word, she ran up the path back towards the village, and he shrugged it off, discarding the rest of his clothing without a care.

Twenty minutes flew by quickly, and delighted everything had finished cooking, Aiko and Kagome rejoiced, stretching their arms above their heads with pleased sighs. A wonderful aroma drifted through the hut, and yet, there was no sign of the guys.

Hefting the large pot by its handles, Aiko and Kagome exited the hut, pulling out large portions of the roasted meat from the fire before setting them into a large wooden bowl. With what was left, they would deliver the food to High Priestess Kaede and from there the food would be dispersed among those of the others who were likely hungry.

"Did we get everything?" Aiko asked, her brown eyes looking towards the hut curiously.

Kagome nodded. "Everything except the stomachs and liver, but those are for the guys." Speaking of the guys, where were they? "I'm surprised they haven't returned. They were so eager for a homecooked meal."

Aiko giggled. "Hopefully they haven't drowned in the process of bathing,"

Kagome laughed as well. While they were a bit dorky, they did have their moments. Sometimes she often wondered how they made it through life so long, especially wielding swords. "They're one of a kind, that's for sure."

"Good evening you two," A masculine voice called out, almost startling the girls.

To their relief, it was a familiar dark haired young man with bright brown eyes. Kosuke smiled at them, his eyes scanning the pot of fresh stew curiously. "Sorry if I'm interrupting something, but I thought I might stop by for a visit."

"Hi Kosuke!" Aiko replied softly, followed after by a hello from Kagome.

"I couldn't help but notice you were both awake," His eyes fell upon the large camp fire outside the hut, before shifting towards the food in their grasp. "May I ask what you've made?"

Aiko nodded. "Yuuta caught a wolf during the hunt, and it was so big, Kagome decided to cook it up into a stew for the entire village."

"Really?" His eyebrows shot up. "It smells amazing."

Kagome blushed. "Thanks, but I hope everyone likes it…"

"If you made it, I'm sure they will," He replied a bit enthusiastically. When he realized what he said, he flushed red, his eyes turning away timidly.

Noticing the sudden awkwardness between the two, Aiko couldn't help but hold back a knowing smile. "Kagome, I'll take the soup and bowl of meat to the village, if you want to head to the lake."

Looking away from Kosuke, Kagome blinked. "Are you sure? That's a lot of food…"

Setting down the large pot, Aiko took the bowl from Kagome's grasp, positioning it upon her head, much to Kagome's amazement before easily bending down to pick up the large pot. Without another word, she winked at Kagome and trudged down the path to Lady Kaede's.

"Wow, I don't know how she makes it look so easy…" Kagome replied, sweat dropping. Turning back to Kosuke, she smiled. "Would you like to go with me?"

"I wouldn't mind."

Pleased with this, Kagome and Kosuke walked alongside each other. "By the way, do you like wolf stomach or any kind of animal innards? Sorry if that's a strange question."

"To be honest, I'm not particularly fond of it. Are you?"

Kagome shivered at the thought. "No. Not going to lie, but it seems a bit gross. Yuuta and the other guys seem to enjoy it. They call it a delicacy, I suppose."

At the name Yuuta, Kosuke paused in thought, his eyes looking the young woman over curiously. If he remembered correctly, Yuuta was the one responsible for bringing his men into the village, burning it to the ground, which they still hadn't managed to recover from. And also, he attacked Kagome and himself that night as well. The name burned his thoughts heavily, and not in a good way. "Yuuta?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah. The tall robust one with shoulder length hair. He was the one who carried me off on the horse that night, remember?"

How could he forget? His brow twitched in remembrance. The fight between him and Yuuta left him a few days with bruises, not to mention a hurt pride. He couldn't protect Kagome that night, and yet, the young woman had befriended her captors easily. All in all, it was baffling. "I remember. He attack the village and captured you."

She sweat dropped. "Yep."

"Kagome, you're quite relaxed about this…" He sweat dropped at her brief reply, as if it wasn't a problem.

"Well, they are very sorry for what they've done. In all honesty, it was a big misunderstanding. If it wasn't for the crow demon coming after me, then they would have never thought of coming after the village," She replied.

Ah yes, the crow demon. She was correct. But, something troubled him. "Why was the demon after you? Even after your powers emerged a few days after, Lady Kaede never said anything else."

"Well…" She couldn't tell him about the Sacred Jewel, after all, Kaede told her to keep quiet about it for fear of scaring the villagers and spreading rumors.

Despite her uneasiness to reply, he went on. "Perhaps … the demon sensed your powers, similar to Mistress Centipede. I suspect, if that's the case, both wanted to devour you for such powers."

The concept reminded Kagome of her history books back in school. In the medieval times, in other countries, nobles thought to partake in disgusting customs such as devouring the flesh of their enemies to become more powerful, not to mention devouring certain species such as birds to attain the power of flight, though they never truly worked out the way they'd hoped. Then again, this was certainly different, but the concept was still somewhat the same. "Maybe."

"I have heard of such stories of demons devouring other demons in hopes of attaining more power than what they already possess. The greed to become stronger is never truly fulfilled, even among those of the human race," Kosuke replied. "Demons will even go so far as to devour priestesses and monks, but these days, there aren't many with spiritual powers left," He looked away. "Real ones that is…"

"What do you mean?"

A nervousness overcame him, and he couldn't help but cough into his hand. "Erm … well," he began, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, his eyes looking anywhere but at the woman beside him. "Well, unlike yourself, you were born into a family of priestesses and priests. At least, that's what our High Priestess told us. Others aren't … and choose to take up such practices. I'm not really sure how to describe it to you, honestly, I'm a bit uncomfortable talking about it," He laughed somewhat awkwardly.

Kagome slowly nodded at this. "I think I understand. I suppose there aren't many with spiritual powers then. But even so, you feel you don't want to be disrespectful to them by calling them out or something, even if they partake in such practices, correct?"

Again, Kosuke sweat dropped. "Yes, that's correct." He almost breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully she wasn't pressing her questions about it.

Pleased with this, Kagome nodded, carefully making her way down the incline. "Maybe that's why the villagers were surprised about what happened, my powers emerging. If I'm being perfectly honest, I see myself as a normal person. It feels too real to be a dream, but I sort of wish it was."

"Does it frighten you? Having these powers?" He asked.

Kagome shrugged. "I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's different. If anyone told me before all this took place, that I possessed such powers, I wouldn't have believed them, but after what's happened, I suppose I'm confused, if anything."

That was a natural response. As they continued trudging along down the path, he couldn't help but look around their surroundings curiously, realizing they were nearing the woods up ahead. "Kagome, where are we going?"

"I'm on my way to the lake to check up on the guys."

He nodded. "Are they still working this late into the day?"

She shook her head. "They finished around the same time as everyone else. While Aiko and I were busy preparing the village's meal, they looked about starved to death, drooling over the food, but I told them if they wanted to eat, they had to wash up first."

This brought a chuckle from him. "I see."

"What's so funny?" She arched a brow in his direction.

He covered his mouth, his shoulders trembling in mirth. "You give off this trait like that of a natural mother. Not only I, but the other villagers have noticed. Not only are you good with children, you treat the bandits as children as well."

Hearing this, she planted her hands firmly onto her hips, her expression stern, her lips pouted. "No, I do not."

Again, he laughed. "Are you sure? I haven't seen a look like that since my mother scolded me as a child."

Realizing her posture was tense, and the placement of her hands, Kagome relaxed, and crossed her arms over her chest, a faint blush staining her cheeks. Maybe she did give off motherly vibes from time to time.

"Kagome, I'm merely teasing you," He replied, trying to catch up to her quickened steps. Noticing she was obviously ignoring him, he wanted to laugh again. "I didn't mean it. Kagome?"

Stopping in front of him, she glanced over her shoulder, noticing the worry gracing his expression before sticking out her tongue. After which, she continued on her way.

"Now you're just being childish," He replied, continuing after her. "But I did not lie. You truly scold the bandits like children. If anything, it's rather amusing."

"I only scold them because they won't stop following me and calling me their boss. But, I'll admit, I'm getting used to it. Besides, I kind of feel like a mother of nine, minus Yuuta. He is the responsible son that a mother can rely on to keep the other brothers in line."

The two exchanged another laugh, walking together in comfortable silence. The lake was just up ahead, hidden away by the foliage of the trees and bushes.

"I wanted to apologize…"

Kagome stopped, her eyes turned to Kosuke once more. Although a few moments ago he held a wide smile across his face, this time, however, a frown marred his expression. "Huh? What are you sorry about?"

He was a bit hesitant at first, but on account of her curiosity, he continued. "Even though you have forgiven Satouru for his misconduct, as well as the bandits for their kidnapping, I feel I should be the one apologizing to you. I was by your side when both events took place, and I failed protecting you," He replied awkwardly. He recalled news of Satouru dragging Kagome into the woods weeks ago, how he almost arrived late when he found him manhandling her on the ground. Then he recalled the way Yuuta made off with Kagome, how his pride became wounded during a failed attempt to rescue her, not to mention his injuries preventing him from chasing after. "Though you are compassionate, I wouldn't be surprised if you saw me as weak and pathetic…"

"Is this why you've been so distant from me lately?" She questioned, astonishment showing in her gaze. "You saved me from Satouru when I thought my life was over, and you did your best to protect me against Yuuta, even if you suffered a lot of bruises. I don't think any less of you, Kosuke. You've done more for me than anyone else in the village. Both you and Aiko. You were willing to risk your life to save me twice, even if we'd only just met. And that's saying something!" She smiled.

While he expected a slap to the face he was otherwise surprised she wasn't upset. Instead, his frown disappeared and in place, a blush fell across his cheeks. "Thank you, Kagome. I'll do my best to protect you next time!"

She almost sweat dropped. "Let's hope there isn't a next time."

As the two finally arrived near the lake, Kagome ran up ahead, hoping the guys hadn't lingered too long in the water. Despite the sounds of splashing and manly grunts and celebratory cheers ahead, Kagome pushed through the bushes. "Are you guys done washing up yet?"

Unexpectedly, she paused, her eyes taking in the sight of Yuuta beside her in all his glory, the water glistening off his skin, his eyes focused upon her in mild surprise, and her face reddened. The bandits, who'd been wrestling in the lake, paused in their cheerful games, their heads whipping in surprise at her unpredicted appearance. Kagome's virgin eyes took in the size of their ample buttocks glistening in the moonlight and their terrified expressions.

"Boss?!"

"Oh no it's boss!"

"Boss don't look!"

"No boss, you can't see!"

Discomforted by what she saw, she found herself unable to turn away. Her eyes widening with their every movement.

An estrangement of slurs and cries resounded after that, accompanied by the constant sounds of splashing near her. The bandits covered their chests in mortification, others falling over themselves in hopes of hiding their modesty. Still, she kept watching.

Suddenly, Kosuke pushed through the bushes, his eyes widening at the sight of the bandits frantically splashing around in the water, their cries loud and incessant, right in front of Kagome. Reacting fast, he grasped Kagome's arm and pulled her towards him, and with a startled cry, her head bumped against his chest.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Her words finally squeaked out.

Kosuke averted his eyes away from the bandits, his gaze settling upon Yuuta, who was still standing right beside Kagome, in all his glory, seeming unfazed by the predicament. "Have you any modesty? Put on some pants! And return back to the village!" He couldn't stop his own face from flushing, especially concerning Yuuta's girthy member. After saying this, he slowly backed away with kagome, who was still pressed against his chest.

As the bandits ran towards the shore, satisfied the young woman's eyes were concealed by their savior, they quickly dressed themselves.

For some reason, the entire scene reminded her of something straight out of a manga, where a girl or guy would accidentally walk in on someone half dressed or nude, and then, sheer panic would follow immediately after. Kagome wasn't sure why, but she couldn't help but imagine the bandits as school girls in this situation, and it brought a sudden smile to her face. If anything, it was rather comical.

After pulling up his trousers, Yuuta motioned for the guys to follow him away from the lake, and within moments, they dispersed from the area, throwing apologies right and left to their boss.

Once they were gone, Kosuke couldn't help but notice the young girl's shoulders tremble in his hold, and he frowned. "Oh Kagome, I'm so sorry you had to see that…" He pulled away a bit, her face downcast, and believing the entire situation upset her, he stroked her hair. "There, there … everything is ok." To his surprise, she flung her head back with laughter, her hands slapping Kosuke's chest repeatedly, a snort here and there.

"Did you see their faces? I've never heard a man scream like that before!" She held her side, trying to breathe, but it hurt too much. "They were so terrified!"

Kosuke couldn't help but sweat drop. "Kagome? Were you not upset by what you saw? I mean … they were …"

"It was hilarious! I never knew Akira could scream so femininely!"

Kosuke looked around before bending down to whisper in her ear. "Kagome, could it be, you're secretly a pervert?"

Her head whipped in his direction. "What? No!"

Kosuke chuckled at her reaction. "From the contrary, Kagome, you didn't look away…"

At his response, she gasped. "You saw?" At his knowing stare, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Oh no." And yet, as she covered her face, a sudden giggle escaped her. "I'm going to have to apologize to Yuuta … I didn't mean to stare, but he was standing right there…"

"You saw?" He teased.

Kagome nodded. "Well duh! I saw it all…" Removing her hands from her face, she leaned in closer to Kosuke, cupping her hands to the sides of her mouth whispering, "everything…"

With his smile fading, he couldn't help but widen his eyes at her remark, before she took off running back to the village, giggling to herself. "How am I supposed to compete with that?"

Author Note:

I didn't include it, but everyone enjoyed Kagome's cooking, including the bandits.