She thought she might've hallucinated it and fully expected to be lying on nothing but the ground when she woke next, but the pelt was still there, shielding her from the cold and providing her with a constant stream of energy even when he wasn't in the cave.

Kagome didn't know what to make of it. He'd made it abundantly clear that he thought she was the cause of Rin's abduction, and she'd honestly thought him leaving with his ward was the last she'd ever see of him. His retreating back, along with his scathing words, were etched so firmly into her mind that seeing him sitting on the other side of the cave often led to her thinking she was still asleep. And considering how long she'd been unconscious, it wasn't too hard to imagine.

She'd been at the forefront of the altercation with the beast—they still hadn't deciphered its origins—but none of them could make sense of what happened. Sango and Kohaku thought it was some sort of hybrid determined to make the old shrine its new home. Inuyasha thought its purpose was pure destruction and intimidation, and Sesshoumaru…

Kagome sighed as she leaned back against the cave wall. Sesshoumaru had barely said a word outside of their initial conversation. He certainly wasn't saying anything when anyone else was around, and there hadn't been an opportunity for them to be alone since his last treatment. She pushed at her hands, finding a particular knot and managing to relinquish its hold on her muscles.

It wasn't as effective as when he did it—or their other activities—but she found she could release the tension of minor knots if she really concentrated. She didn't want to put him out of a job, but if he was going to up and leave again, she didn't want to be left in the lurch, either. There were blockages, and she did feel better when the tension was released. She just felt a lot better when other body parts were used.

Groaning, she shifted again, slowly getting to her feet. Steps wobbly, she made a circuit of the cave, testing her balance and agility. She'd had enough rest while being unconscious; she needed to get back to feeling like an actual human being.

She snorted, still using the wall for support. Could she even call herself that anymore? Sesshoumaru never seemed to think the title suited her, especially after he discovered she'd been hiding something about Rin's disappearance. She was still convinced the well was connected somehow, but with the beast defeated and the women returned to their villages, it didn't seem as pressing of a matter as before.

Hand flexing against the wall, she crossed the mouth of the cave, pausing to gaze outside. Rain fell in large droplets, replenishing the flora as it apologized for its absence. If given the choice, Kagome would've run out into it, uncaring of the mud on her robes, face lifted to the sky. Claustrophobia was settling in, but she knew everyone would throw a fit if they caught her outside.

As it was, trying to get back to the other side of the cave left her stumbling. Her lungs weren't as bad as before, and she was able to stay awake for several hours at a time now, but everyone was on edge, reminding her to take it easy and of the ordeal she'd gone through.

What she really wanted was an explanation as to what the beast was after. All the captured women looked like her, so she was involved somehow, but though her reputation preceded her, the jewel was gone. That particular rumour had spread quickly after the fall of Naraku. Her title was murmured in reverence after she'd returned, and word about her desire to help those affected had gone hand in hand with how she and her pack had triumphed over the demon spider.

There hadn't been any speak about the jewel at all. They'd heard their fair share of those battling for power, but it was all based on their own merits—no one was seeking the aid of a mystical marble to gain advantage.

Not until the beast.

Gnawing on her thumb, Kagome made her way back to her resting spot. She continued pacing as her mind raced, trying to find common ground between the recent events and the well. She'd have to check in with Miroku as soon as the others deemed her well enough to travel. She felt she was well enough, but every time she mentioned moving from the cave, she was shot down.

As it was, Sango chastised her when she returned and found her still upright. "You should be resting," she said.

"I've been resting," Kagome countered. "I think I've slept enough to last me a month. Several, in fact!" She tried to strike a reassuring pose, but her body betrayed her, legs wobbling.

Sango sighed, wrapping an arm around her waist and helping her to sit down. Once she was comfortable, she secured Sesshoumaru's pelt around her shoulders. Kagome looked at her questioningly. "It'll make you feel better," she reassured her.

Kagome blew out a breath, the air ruffling her bangs. "You sound like my mother with her special soup when I'm sick."

Her friend chuckled and patted her leg. "There's more to it than fresh produce and noodles." She tried to readjust the pelt, then snatched her hand away as the snap of electricity sparked between her fingers. "See? You have a connection to it. It's trying to protect you."

"More like he's feeling guilty for leaving us to fend off whatever that thing was," she said. "Which is ridiculous. Sesshoumaru-sama never feels guilty about anything." Kagome had to force the honorific, but he hadn't contradicted her during their conversation. Plus, it helped her to put distance between them. She wasn't sure what their relationship was now, not that they had one in the first place, but they certainly wouldn't be going back to anything involving them getting naked, so it was best not to think of him in such a way.

"I don't know about guilt," Sango replied, "but certain youkai artifacts take on a life of their own when fused to someone with strong enough youki." She pointed to the pelt. "This is either a part of him or something he's had since it was very small, so it has more of a will than, say, that rock over there. It has a purpose."

Kagome couldn't argue that. She'd seen it in action as part of Sesshoumaru's attacks. It wasn't as potent as Bakusaiga, but it was accessible in a pinch. "And what would you consider its current purpose?" she asked.

Sango tilted her head to the side. "Aside from protecting you? I'd say a way to feed you more energy when he's not here."

Kagome gave her a deadpan look. "He did that for ten days straight. Why would he need to keep doing it now that I've woken up?"

The slayer shrugged, offering some food from her pack. They ate in silence. The more she ate, the better things tasted. When she'd told Sesshoumaru she couldn't scarf down all her food, it had only been half true. The other half was due to it tasting like ash in her mouth—like her tongue had gone numb. She could feel the texture, but there was no flavour. The sensation was odd and extremely off-putting when it came to eating in general. The taste had slowly come back, so she hadn't thought much of it, but there were still things she'd enjoyed before that tasted bland.

"Sometimes the items are more like the owner's base instincts," Sango continued. "The owner may not even realize how it's connected to their feelings."

Kagome opened her mouth to contradict her, but Sango had gotten a faraway look on her face, and a knowing smile tugged at the edge of Kagome's mouth. "You speak from experience," she said. Sango's face immediately turned red, and Kagome started laughing. "Storytime," she prompted.

Her blush only got worse, but Kagome refused to let it go, poking at her friend until she let out a groan of exasperation. "It was during a routine extermination," she said, fidgeting with her boot. "Miroku-san was busy with an exorcism, so Inuyasha volunteered to accompany me."

There'd been telltale signs of their relationship going on for a while, but they both refused to talk about it openly, even after their confrontation. Kagome perked up at the thought of finally getting some juicy details.

"It was a messy job, and since Inuyasha's firerat was—is—self-repairing, he offered it to me while I was washing my uniform." She'd gotten that faraway look again, and Kagome held her breath. "It wasn't even that cold of a night, but the fabric was abnormally warm. Even after my clothes were clean, I didn't want to take it off, so we ended up staying overnight in the village we'd saved."

Kagome leaned forward, willing her friend not to get cold feet. It had been a while since they'd had any time alone, and there was never any common ground when it came to talking about love interests. Hell, there were never any love interests at all since she'd come back, and now that she wouldn't have to have a very awkward conversation with Inuyasha about how she didn't see him that way, Kagome wanted all the gossip she could get.

"And?" she pressed.

Sango turned to her, noticed her eager face, then lightly pushed away. "Nothing like that! You're worse than Miroku-san."

"No one is worse than Miroku-san." They locked eyes and burst out laughing, tears soon streaming down their faces. Every time they looked at each other, another laughing fit would take hold, and it was several minutes before either could speak.

"Oh gods, can you imagine if one of us picked up on his habits?" Sango asked.

Kagome shook her head. "One of him is enough."

"Agreed." They dissolved into more uncontrolled laughter, leaning against the cave wall to finish their food.

"I take it that Inuyasha's robes didn't try to feel you up during the night?" she asked, returning to the original story. To her delight, Sango couldn't hide her blush quickly enough.

"Nothing like that," she replied.

"But?"

Sango groaned, covering her face with her hands. "But even though I went to sleep on a futon on the other side of the room, I woke up with my head in his lap."

Kagome's mouth dropped open. "And he didn't say anything?"

Sango bit her lip. "Not really. I was ready to retreat to my bed and die of shame, but he just pushed me back down and told me to sleep." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I'd never seen someone get that close to him before, especially not when they were sleeping. And if they ever tried, he definitely had something to say about it."

"Tell me about it." Regardless of their relationship, Inuyasha had always been very vocal about everything—especially things and people he didn't like. Every interaction with Kouga came to mind, and Kagome tucked her feet underneath her. "So he just let you sleep in his lap?"

"Just my head!" Sango hissed. "And yes. I couldn't go back to sleep after that, but the firerat got warmer every time I got near him. I started to test it out, but the same thing happened on our next excursion, so I started looking into youkai-made items and their connection to their owners."

She went on to tell her that even if clothes or weapons weren't explicitly commissioned for an individual, repeated exposure to their youki would change the composition of the item.

"Inuyasha's firerat was made to protect him as a child, but he's survived so much because now it's a part of him." She pointed at the pelt. "It's the same with this. Whether made from him or for him, it follows the will of Sesshoumaru-sama. I doubt you'd feel as well as you are if there wasn't a reason behind it."

It gave her a lot to think about, but Kagome doubted there was more to Sesshoumaru's offer than making sure she was awake long enough to be interrogated. And since he never stuck around long enough for her to question him on it, she assumed it was his way of ensuring she stayed put.

"Does that mean you've asked to wear his robes?" Kagome asked, redirecting the conversation.

"Maybe," Sango hedged.

"Maybe?" she echoed. "And you didn't lead with that first? Those are the details I want!"

Sango cast her a sideways glance. "I didn't want to cross a line. You'd only just found out, and I didn't want to break your trust again."

She was close enough to reach her ponytail, and Kagome yanked on it playfully. "We already had that conversation! Now, I want all the juicy female gossip! You've been holding out on me."

Sango yelped. "It hasn't gone that far!"

"But it's gone somewhere," she accused, still holding her hair.

"Maybe."

"Maybe my ass!"

Sango started laughing again, retrieving her ponytail before giving her the lowdown on stolen moments between missions and how he'd become more open since their confrontation. "I really like him," she admitted, drawing random squiggles in the dirt. "More than I thought possible."

"No shit." She grinned at her friend, then leaned back against the cave wall. "Does he know that?"

"I think so," she replied. "It's not something we talk about."

Kagome kicked her foot. "Don't make the same mistake I did, Sango-chan. I know we were only teenagers, and it never would've worked with all the stuff with Kikyou, but so much went unsaid. Communication will get you a lot further than you think."

Sango nodded, resting her chin on her knees. "I'll keep that in mind."

"You do that." She kicked her again. "And I get first dibs on any changes."

They shared a smile, and Sango nudged her foot in return. "What about you? You've told me about all your schooling, but are you interested in anyone back home?"

Kagome snorted. "Ew, no. Why do you think I spend so much time here?"

"What about here, then?" she asked, not letting the subject drop. "I know you'd rather eat dirt than be around Akitoki, but I'm sure someone is hoping you'll come home safe." The image of Sesshoumaru disappeared as quickly as it appeared. There was no interest there, just mutual benefits. Kagome still thought she was getting more out of the deal than him, but maybe that was another reason why he'd called it off. He hadn't voiced it—when did he ever do that anyway—but she couldn't imagine going back to those kinds of activities after what had happened with Rin.

"We have other things to worry about than my lack of a love life," she said, deflecting.

Sango gave her a doubtful look but was distracted by Inuyasha stepping into the cave. He squeezed the excess water from his hair, then squatted down and shook himself as best he could. Kagome watched Sango's expression soften, and her heart warmed at two of her best friends finding solace in each other's embrace. She really was happy for them.

"I thought you'd be back sooner," Sango said.

Inuyasha shrugged, moving away from the large puddle he'd left on the ground. "Didn't want to interrupt. Sounded like you were havin' fun."

Sango got to her feet, the movement fluid and graceful, and jealousy at being able to move so freely burned in Kagome's chest. She just wanted to go for a walk without being out of breath. The slayer patted Inuyasha's shoulder before kissing his cheek. "It's fine. We were talking about you, anyway." Inuyasha's face flamed, Kagome grinned, and Sango winked at her.

At least some things were back to normal.