Kagome groaned as she stirred from sleep. Her feet throbbed, reminding her of the night's events, and she lifted herself upright. Her back and head also hurt, she noticed in discomfort.

She didn't know when exact she had passed out, but one thing was certain. She had been moved and changed. Momentarily freaked out, Kagome moved to get up and check on the man. It was at this moment that she found that someone had taken care of her feet while she was asleep. The man, also, was still unconscious. She released a breath in relief.

Her family.

While Kagome didn't quite like the idea that her mother had been in the room and thus, had seen the man that even Kagome still wasn't sure was dangerous or not, she was also thankful for her care. It left one less thing for her to do.

The girl yawned, pulling herself carefully to her feet and went to the man's side. She sat at the edge of her bed, the mattress dipping slightly under her weight, and she lightly pressed her hand to his chest. At this point, she was starting to think the hole in the chest was something normal to him, for he still continued to live even with it. Her healing powers did nothing for it, either. She poured her energy into him, just a little, and checked his body.

His spiritual energy wasn't fluctuating as much anymore and the rest of his body seemed to be okay. There were no scratches or bruises on his pale skin, and she couldn't see or feel any signs of his body being at risk of disintegrating again.

She still wondered what that was about and if it had somehow been her fault.

Kagome could never quite tell with her powers.

Her stomach growled at that moment and she blushed, despite no one able to hear it. She hadn't eaten since yesterday evening and judging by the position of the sun and the voice of her grandfather and what sounded like shrine visitors from outside, she concluded it was early afternoon now. She also noted that she hadn't closed the window last night, but thankfully the storm hadn't seem to do much damage to her room.

Kagome got up and made her way out the door and down the stairs. The tv was blaring from the living room, where she was sure Souta was playing one of his video games. In the kitchen, she saw her mother at the sink, washing some dishes. She'd slept through breakfast and lunch, it seemed.

Her mother turned, greeting her cheerily. "Good morning, dear. I'm glad to see you up. Give me one moment and I'll get you and your guest some food."

Kagome hummed in thanks and sat at the table. She would have helped her mother, but her feet didn't quite agree to being stepped on quite yet. Her mother would likely also not agree to her pushing herself. So she waited. A thought occurred to her.

"You're not freaked out?" she asked.

Her mother laughed. "Should I be? It's not the first time a demon has popped up out of nowhere. Inuyasha certainly spooked us the first time he barged into the house demanding you go back to the past with him. I trust you not to do anything indecent in the house."

She had a point.

Wait...

Kagome blushed, squealing. "Mom!"

That earned her another laugh. Her mother finished drying the last dish and grabbed a small tray out of one of the cupboards, along with a few bowls and plates, and started on getting the food ready. She hummed, letting the humor slip. "I know I shouldn't pry since this is demon business, but Souta told me he seemed injured. Is he gonna be okay?"

Kagome shrugged helplessly, not sure herself. "He's a lot better than when I found him last night, but I'm not completely sure. I think he'll be okay though."

"That's good, at least." She turned to her daughter, another matter on her mind. "You know, Kagome. Next time you find some random injured demon outside, you can ask Grandpa and I for help. We may not be able to do much for him personally, but we can at least help you carry him inside so you don't struggle on your own."

She was talking about Kagome's feet.

Kagome laughed nervously. "Yeah, but if I did that, Gramps would try to 'exorcise' him before anything else." When her mother gave her another look, she conceded. "Okay, sorry mom. I won't do it on my own next time."

If there was a next time.

Her mom finished plating the food and offered to help her take it up, however she declined it. The less time her family was in the same space as the man, the better. She still didn't know what to expect next, so she wouldn't risk anything. Inuyasha wasn't here to bail them out of trouble anymore, after all. She had to be more careful now with how she dealt with demons.

On her way back upstairs, she heard her little brother popping into the kitchen. Kagome couldn't hear what was being said, but she could definitely tell her brother was disappointed to have missed her. She picked up her pace, not wanting to risk him catching up to her. Her mother could only keep him occupied for so longer before the little brat came running to her demanding all the details.

One step into her room, however, and Kagome felt a chill run down her spine. Before she could register what happened, she head a hiss and the hand that oh so suddenly wrapped itself around her neck pull back just as quickly. She gulped, dropping the tray of food, and found herself staring into deep, lightless emerald eyes. The man was awake, staring at her with just as much shock.

"Kagome, dear. Is everything alright?" her mother called from downstairs.

She gulped, hesitant to respond. The man didn't move though. Just eyed her cautiously. She called back, "I'm fine, mom. Just tripped and fell!"

Her mother yelled back that she'd get more food ready, having the sense that she'd dropped everything. Which was right. However, not what Kagome wanted right now. This demon looked ready to attack again, though thankfully didn't lunge once more at her.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She jumped, not expecting him to talk. He was still tense, his hand still ready to grab or stab her or something. Curiosity and confusion seemed to have won over him for the time being. Gathering her courage, she answered. "I'm Kagome. Higurashi Kagome. And you?"

He didn't respond.

The man relaxed his stance and stood straight, looking around the room. She didn't dare lower her guard, knowing he was still a danger. When he still didn't respond, she asked again. However, much to her annoyance, he continued the silent game.

Great, he was one of those demons.

"This is the World of the Living."

It wasn't a question.

Kagome didn't understand what that meant. "So, are you gonna tell me who you are any time soon or do I have to annoy the answer out of you?" When he didn't respond, she crossed her arms. "At least tell me your name, or would you prefer it if I just called you 'Mr. Demon'?"

She could've sworn she heard him snort.

A knock sounded on her door and a second later it opened. Kagome panicked, noticing his eyes shoot to the door and where her mother stood just outside. She moved in front of it, blocking both her mother and the man from each other. Despite her instincts telling her not to turn her back to the man, she had to keep her mother out of her room.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" her mother asked. When Kagome choked on her words, her mother seemed to understand. She smiled and handed the girl the new tray of food she'd brought up. "Make sure to clean up and bring the dishes downstairs when you're done. I'll make sure Souta and Grandpa don't come up here bothering you until you're free."

She sighed in relief, closing the door behind her. Her mother truly was the most patient and understanding woman in the world. She'd have to thank her later.

Kagome turned back to where the man stood, prepared to throw the tray of warm food at him if he tried to attack again. It was the only weapon she had in her hands right now. Yet, she saw no one. He was gone, so was his sword. She blinked, confused.

When had he disappeared?

The girl wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or not. He hadn't given her any information on him and now he was out there somewhere. Demons were prone to causing trouble all around them and she didn't want to imagine what he was gonna do. Her luck with demons wasn't so good that she could simply trust him not to reign chaos down.

Setting the tray of food down at her desk, she grabbed her bow and arrows and made a beeline for the outside, making a mental note to herself to clean up the mess she'd made when she got back. Her brother spotted her and called out, yet she didn't stop. When he didn't follow after her, she had to assume her mother had help him back. Good. Once outside, she stretched out her senses, yet found nothing. She couldn't feel him on the shrine grounds anymore. Still, she wouldn't let her guard down just yet. Notching an arrow, she waited with baited breath.

One moment.

Two.

"Kagome! You're finally up!" her grandfather yelled. She nearly jumped. He looked ready to go on a long scolding spree until he noticed her bow and the arrow she was ready to fire. He dug into his haori, pulling up some sutras. "A demon?! Don't you worry, Kagome! Tell me where that demon is and I'll exorcise it!"

Great, just what she needed.

As if sensing her distress, her mother came running out of the house and pushed her grandfather towards it. He protested loudly, demanding to be let to deal with the demon and keep his granddaughter safe. Yet with one terrifyingly fake smile and a request for help with something inside the house, he quieted down and let himself be led inside. Her mother could be quite scary when mad and every in the family knew not to argue with her when she made her requests. Souta moved out of the way of the entrance and Kagome's mother shut the door behind the three.

Truly, her mother was something else.

Kagome lowered her bow, though was still ready to attack, and walked around the grounds. She couldn't be certain that he had completely left, though at least she no longer felt his presence. If he was in hiding, then he'd distanced himself enough not to land on her radars. Kagome sighed, having a bad feeling about this. She couldn't do anything about it, though. At least for now.

She turned, heading back for the house.

This was gonna be a long night.