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Chapter 7 Disclaimer: Inuyasha and associated characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi.
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Chapter 7
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Kagome gently pushed on Eichi's shoulders to keep him lying down, and took a deep breath. She was shaking. "Lie still and wait for the ambulance, Eichi-chan. You were hit by a car and were hurt."

The boy didn't resist, but still looked confused. "Really? But it can't be that bad, Kagome-oneesan. I'm just kind of sore now." He began to pluck at the shirt covering him, nervously, and grimaced. "Do I really need to go to the hospital? My mother's going to freak out." He seemed more uncomfortable about the possible wrath of his mother than the thought of untreated injuries. She just looked at him, eyebrow raised, and he subsided, sighing. Souta was staring at his friend, relieved but slightly disbelieving.

"Neechan, that was amazing. I didn't know you could do something like that, I thought you could just kill dem--" She hastily clapped a hand over her brother's mouth, looking up surreptitiously to see if he had been overheard. Luckily, the people around them seemed to be paying less attention to them and more to arguing with each other about what had just happened.

"Souta, not now! Be quiet!" she hissed. His eyes wide, he nodded, and she took her hand away. His eyes didn't seem to be focusing properly; she asked him quietly if he was hurt anywhere, or if he had a headache. He admitted to having a sore head, and she told him to stay still and rest. I'd better have him checked out too, in case he has a concussion. She was less interested in the scrape on his hand, gravel still stuck in it and oozing clear fluid, that he showed her proudly. Ick.

Kagome was aware of an increase in the volume and excitement of the talk going on over her head; she heard the words "healed" "revived" and "miko-sama" and wondered how obvious she had been. She noticed a familiar presence as he was almost upon her, and then he was gripping her shoulder, turning her slightly to face him. "You alright?" demanded Inuyasha, his eyes hard and anxious as he looked her over quickly. When he was satisfied that she was not hurt, he looked down at the two boys. "You brats making trouble again?" Both Eichi and Souta managed weak smiles for their hero, who sat back on his heels to regard Kagome questioningly; he did not relinquish his light grasp of her upper arm. She was relieved to see that he had remembered a cap to hide his ears.

"I'm fine; these two idiots must have been skateboarding in the street and got hit by a car." She shot them an exasperated look. "They're going to the hospital as soon as the ambulance gets here." Eichi looked resigned.

Inuyasha snorted. "What for? They look okay to me. What the hell's an 'ambulance', anyway?" Almost regretfully he released her arm, as though he had just realized he was holding on to it, and slid his hand down her arm to touch her hand lightly and reassuringly as his eyes flicked around at the forest of legs that surrounded them. She gripped his hand for comfort, not even thinking about it, and felt him squeeze back.

As she explained what an ambulance was, Kagome spotted her mother hurriedly pushing through the crowd to get to them. Inuyasha jumped to his feet and rudely shoved a gawking man out of her way as she reached them, gasping. Mama looked at Souta and Eichi, and then at her daughter, and sank down to the asphalt next to her while Inuyasha loomed over them protectively.

"The paramedics are coming, Mama. I think both of them will be alright, but they need a doctor," Kagome reassured her as the woman caught her breath, and gently touched her son's face. Mama's brows were drawn with distress.

"Kagome, you need to tell Jii-chan what's happening; it's not good for him to worry, his heart you know. And could you please call Eichi-chan's mother. I'll go with them to the hospital." She dabbed distractedly at a scrape on Souta's chin with her apron.

"What the hell is that fucking noise? It's coming this way." Tense, Inuyasha stood near them, his gaze sliding warily around the agitated crowd, seeking the source of the disturbance. Kagome could hear the ambulance siren now over the sound of the people around them, and suddenly felt very tired. She was so glad Mama was there, to go to the hospital, to worry over Souta and Eichi, to take responsibility. All she had to do was see Jii-chan and call Eichi's mom, and then she could go collapse.

After reassuring Inuyasha that the siren was no danger to anyone, she stood and vainly tried to dust off her clothes. The ambulance was pulling up, a police car in its wake; she moved back from the prone boys, drawing the suspicious hanyou back with her, as the paramedics quickly moved to examine them.

The men soon determined that neither of them had broken bones or apparent neck or back injuries; this caused a burst of commentary from the people gathered at the scene. Several tried to argue with the paramedics. The startled men gave in to the extent that they gave Eichi another, closer examination. One of them, who appeared the senior of the two, gave Kagome a suspicious look upon hearing that she had treated the boy.

He walked over to her. "These people are saying that you did something here. Are you medically trained?" He seemed almost angry.

"No, sir," she said carefully. "Just some basic first aid. But I didn't touch him. All I did was cover him with that shirt, since I was afraid he was going into shock."

"You're sure you did nothing else?" The man's eyes bored into her as if he expected to catch her in a lie.

"I'm sure," she said, facing him squarely.

"She didn't fucking touch him," said the rough voice at her shoulder. "You think she's lying?"

"Just making sure. We don't need well-meaning amateurs doing more damage than help." The EMT gave her a last glance, narrowed his eyes at a belligerent Inuyasha, and turned back to his partner, who was carefully preparing to move Eichi onto a back board. The two of them quickly got him moved and loaded him into the ambulance. Mama climbed into the back, and it drove off at speed once it cleared the crowd.

The police officers stayed behind to write their reports. One man who had witnessed the accident was insisting to the police officer taking his statement that one of the boys had clearly been close to death, and several others chimed in with claims that a fantastic healing miracle had been effected by the holy miko of the shrine. The policeman appeared to be trying to keep a straight face.

Kagome stepped over to the other officer to make sure he had the boys' names and contact information for his report. The officer took it, glancing curiously at her miko garb, though he made no comment, and had no questions for her upon hearing she had not actually seen the accident happen. He did take her name, though.

By the time she had finished most of the milling spectators had dispersed; Inuyasha calmly waited for her a few steps away, arms crossed. He was gazing off in the direction the ambulance had gone. He turned and joined her as she started wearily towards the shrine.

"Are they going to be okay with those guys?"

"Of course." She looked over at him. "That man just wanted to be sure I didn't do anything to make Eichi worse. I'm sure he didn't mean to be rude."

"Keh. As if you would ever hurt anyone. Or lie about it." His face was dark with annoyance and he glared at an old lady who was in their path; she took one look at him and sidled out of the way hurriedly.

While Kagome spared a reassuring nod to the old woman, she hoped no one would stop her to ask questions. There were still a few people standing around and talking, and she felt the pressure of eyes upon her. Some of them were known to her as neighborhood gossips, and she winced at the thought of what rumors might come out of this incident. She hoped that her indiscretion wouldn't cause her any trouble. Eichi's life was worth any amount of trouble, she reminded herself firmly. Besides, what kind of problem could be worse than being chased by demons for three years?

In the street, a middle-aged man had been watching Kagome; he tightened his mouth with determination as he saw the miko and her companion start to leave, and hurried after them. "Excuse me! Miko-sama!"

/Damn/. She halted and turned around, seeing irritation and suspicion flash across Inuyasha's features, and hoped he wouldn't say anything rude. They had to live here, after all. "Yes?"

The man was quite ordinary looking; middle aged and balding, glasses, in a business suit. He did not look familiar. He regarded her with a hopeful expression as he reached her.

"Please pardon me for interrupting you, but I need help, and I believe you are one who can help me. I am Kitamura Renjiro." He bowed, very respectfully. "You are a miko here at Higurashi Shrine?"

In confusion, she gave him a quick bow back. "Um, yes. I am Higurashi Kagome, I live here. What kind of help are you looking for, Kitamura-san? Maybe you need to speak to my grandfather, the priest?"

"Certainly I will speak to him if you insist, Higurashi-sama, but I saw you save that boy with your spiritual powers, and I need you to help my niece. I have had a number of priests try to help her already, and none have been effective. I am willing to pay whatever you demand." The man regarded her earnestly.

Kagome stared, taken aback; she had a sinking feeling that what she had done had been /really /obvious. /Uh oh. /Inuyasha was remaining thankfully silent, and was facing away, to the shrine, but she could see him watching them out of the corner of his narrowed eyes.

"Uh...me? Um. I'm not sure that I can do anything to help. Especially if trained priests have not been able to." The man simply regarded her steadily. It didn't look as though he would give up. With some trepidation, she said, "Please, come up to the shrine, and I'll see if my grandfather can see you. He's been unwell," she added hastily.

The man paused, and said uncertainly, "I can come back tomorrow, if it is inconvenient."

"Well," she temporized, "I can go see how he is. Please walk up with us, sir."

The man nodded, and the three of them began climbing the steps, Kitamura glancing across her to Inuyasha on her right. "Do you also serve at the shrine, young man?" He was taking in the decidedly unmodern red haori and hakama.

Kagome jumped in quickly as the hanyou gave the man a glare. "Excuse me! Kitamura-san, this is Inuyasha, a friend of the family. He also lives here."

The man smiled kindly. "It must be nice for you to live here in such beautiful surroundings, and with such a pretty girl, Inuyasha-san. I saw you with Higurashi-sama, down there in the street. You two seem very close." He gave her a good humored wink. "Should I offer congratulations, or does your family know?"

Instantly they both flushed; Kagome stuttered, "Oh! we're not--" while Inuyasha ground out "None of your business, you old--"

Kitamura cut them off. "Not to worry, not to worry!" He winked again, and gave her arm a pat. "I won't say anything to your grandfather. Ah, to be young again..." He trailed off, a bit breathless, as he concentrated on the steps.

Kagome, still blushing, peeked at Inuyasha only to see him giving her a similar sideways glance. Both immediately shifted their eyes forward to their goal, and saw Jii-chan's hunched figure at the top of the steps, silhouetted against the darkening sky. As she got closer, she could tell from his expression that he was anxious and impatient, and tried to speed up, her embarrassment forgotten in her concern for her grandfather.

She was speaking before they reached the top. "Jii-chan, Souta and Eichi got hit by a car, but I think they're going to be okay. Mama's with them." Jii-chan's face cleared a bit, and he exhaled heavily. She regarded him with some worry; he didn't look well. "Are you all right? Should you be out of bed?"

He waved off her concern. "Oh, I'm much better, child. Now, what about you? Your hakama is all dirty. Look at your knees! And who's this, eh?" He regarded Kitamura.

She introduced him. "Kitamura-san has asked me for help, and I wanted him to talk to you and to describe the problem, Jii-chan. If you're feeling up to it, of course." Her grandfather looked at her sharply, and gestured them both to the shrine office. She heard her grandfather telling their visitor that he would brew some tea as the two men began walking ahead. Kagome paused and looked at Inuyasha, who was staring after them, his brow furrowed. "Did Mama fix dinner before all this happened?"

He shook his head. "No, she was waiting for you to come in, to ask you what you wanted." He was still watching Kitamura.

"There's some ramen in the kitchen if you're hungry. You go on, I'll be in soon."

Inuyasha crossed his arms and gave her a sardonic look. "No, I think I want to hear this. Were you planning on sticking your nose into whatever deep shit that flake is in?"

Kagome scowled. "Why, /yes/, I was planning on hearing the man out, though I doubt I'm the type of help he needs."

"Then I'm coming too. Somebody's got to keep you out of trouble."

"Eh, you don't need to do that, Inuyasha. I won't get into trouble by just talking to him."
She turned to hurry after the two men, who had reached the shrine office and were going in, but had only taken a couple of steps before she tripped over the fraying hem of her hakama and fell forward. Instantly, Inuyasha was there and scooped her up in his arms.

"See? You can't even walk and talk at the same time, idiot." She looked up at him, his face inches from hers, and he froze. They stared wide-eyed at each other for a second before he released her slowly. As she regained her feet she looked away, murmuring thanks. They resumed walking to the office in silence, but not before he had curled his hand around hers. She smiled down as she watched her step on the uneven pavement.

Before she opened the door, he asked her in a low voice, "Kagome. What exactly did you do that got this guy all fired up? I didn't see or smell any youkai around, though that kid was in bad shape."

She whispered "I'll tell you later, in the house. It was another one of those things that I remembered." He frowned but said nothing more as they entered the office.

When they came in, Jii-chan was pouring hot water from his electric kettle on the table at the far wall; Kitamura seemed to be sitting rather tensely upright, but sank back a bit when he saw Kagome. The shrine office was cluttered but welcoming; framed pictures of family members shared the walls with certificates from the national shrine association, and several cushioned chairs circled a desk that was normally piled with papers. The papers appeared to have been rather hastily cleared into a couple of teetering stacks on one edge of the desk. Motioning Inuyasha towards one of the chairs, Kagome went around the desk to assist her grandfather, but he waved her back to a seat. Remembering that she had a phone call to make, she excused herself and picked up the phone that also sat on the desk.

Eichi's mother was understandably upset. Kagome did her best to calm and reassure her before the woman hung up to race to the hospital. She sat down with a sigh, just as Jii-chan finished fussing with the tea. He brought four steaming cups on a tray and set them down on the cleared space, then sat down himself behind the desk. "So, Kitamura-san, what sort of trouble are you having?"

Kitamura picked up a cup and began, "My sister's child, Michiko, is in the hospital with an unknown malady. She has been unconscious for two weeks, and is getting progressively weaker, and none of the medical people can determine why, nor can they wake her up. I fear she is getting close to death." His long face crumpled a bit.

"It's possible that it could be demonic possession of some kind, or maybe a ghost," the old priest mumbled, stroking his beard, as he gave the man a chance to regain control. He then asked gently, "So why did you think Kagome here could help you? Any reliable monk or priest can perform an exorcism. Kagome is not trained yet to do such things, though I admit she is very knowledgeable for her age and is certainly a credit to this shrine." Jii-chan beamed proudly at her, which made her shrink into the chair slightly in embarrassment.

"I have already had several priests examine her and perform exorcisms. Michiko is no better for it," Kitamura said, rather dismissively. He set the cup down. "I think she is being possessed, and possibly by some demon that is more powerful than anything they could handle. That is why I want Higurashi-sama to examine her. I saw how badly injured that boy was; when she prayed over him, he was healed. I don't think any demon would have a chance against something like that."

Kagome saw the determined look on his face, and quailed. What could she say to dissuade him? Sure, in the past she had been effective at purifying demons- by shooting arrows at them- but how many demons still existed in modern Tokyo? This man was probably in denial over a medical problem that had nothing to do with youkai. Jii-chan was staring at her open mouthed; he collected himself and gave her a searching look. It promised interrogation to come later. Inuyasha sipped his tea thoughtfully and said nothing.

Kitamura leaned forward, his brow wrinkled. "I can give you some more details. My sister and her husband recently purchased a house on the outskirts of Tokyo; they moved into it about a month ago. It's very old and has a history of strange events, and is rumored to be haunted. I warned my sister to have the house blessed," he went on sarcastically, "but she's too modern to bother with any of that 'old religious nonsense'. At any rate, she's been remodeling the place, trying to do it all herself. Odd things began happening about a week after they moved in, noises, shadows moving on the walls, objects breaking when no one was around. My niece told me this, as it frightened her and kept her awake at night, and she begged me to talk to her mother about calling a priest. I did, though my sister remained as stubbornly against it as before.

"And then Michiko fell ill. She grew pale and tired, and seemed to be sleeping all the time, despite her fears. She wouldn't tell me what was wrong, though she seemed even more frightened than ever. Two weeks ago she fell asleep and hasn't woken up." He gazed at Kagome, the sheen of unshed tears glittering in his eyes. "Won't you please just /look/, Higurashi-sama? Humor a man at the end of his resources? My sister finally consented to the priests, she's desperate, though their failure tends to reinforce her conviction that it's not a spiritual problem. I would gladly pay whatever is necessary. I have no children of my own, and I cherish her as I would a daughter."

Kagome sat frozen in her chair, the tea forgotten in her hands. There was no way she could refuse a plea like that, even if all she did was go to see the girl at the hospital. She started to nod, but then looked over to her grandfather. She wasn't a free agent here, the way she was in the feudal age. It should be his decision. He was the priest, and this man had approached her as a representative of the shrine. Well, sort of.

Jii-chan had set his cup down as well, and was staring thoughtfully at Kitamura, his hands steepled before him. At her movement he glanced at her, and said, "Well then. I don't see a problem with that. Kagome, you will go over to the hospital tomorrow and examine Kitamura-san's niece, and report back to me what your findings are. Take the d-, uh, young man with you in case things get rough." Inuyasha started and scowled, but subsided at Kagome's smirk.

"Looks like I might want a bodyguard after all, Inuyasha."

"Keh."

She looked back to her grandfather. "I'll go in the afternoon, after school, if that's all right."

Kitamura looked relieved, and pulled out a business card. He wrote a name on the back of it, and handed it to her. "This is her name and room number. Please let me know as soon as you've looked at her, Higurashi-sama. Ah, guji-sama, what does the shrine charge for house calls?"

Jii-chan brightened, and pulled out several forms from one of the desk drawers.

"Kitamura-san, most shrines and temples ask between twenty thousand and five hundred thousand yen for an exorcism, though it depends on the difficulty. While I cannot claim to be an expert in possessions, this doesn't sound like a normal, run of the mill exorcism to me. Why don't we set it at the minimum for now, just for her to go examine the girl, and Kagome can tell me how much trouble she thinks the demon will give her? We can come to an agreement upon a successful outcome, don't you think? Now, there are a few matters to take care of. I have a contract here with the standard disclaimers, you know, we are not to be held responsible for loss of life or destruction of property incurred during the performance of the requested ritual or other action by the shrine's agents, et cetera. Please read it over and sign." He handed a pen to Kitamura, who studied the document that the old man had pushed across the table. "Which hospital is the girl in?" Jii-chan asked.

"Tokyo General," Kitamura answered, his attention absorbed by the contract. Jii-chan looked up at his granddaughter, who was goggling at the contract in disbelief.

"Kagome, why don't you go on in. You look tired." A beatific smile crossed his face, and Kagome was nonplussed. You'd think he was the conquering demon killer. Is it the money or the notoriety that he's dreaming about?

She got up, pulling on Inuyasha's sleeve. "Come on. Guess I'm going to have to make dinner."

Jii-chan was absorbed in looking over the first document Kitamura had just signed, but she had Inuyasha's full attention.

"It had better be ramen if you want me to work tomorrow."

She rolled her eyes. "Then it's a good thing I don't feel like making anything else, Inuyasha."
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Inuyasha lingered in the kitchen while she went upstairs to change out of the soiled miko clothes. When she came back in, he was holding two different flavors of cup ramen in his clawed hands, evidently trying to decide between them. He had taken the cap off his head, and while he wasn't looking she let herself admire him. Kitamura hadn't seemed to think anything of Inuyasha being her boyfriend. He was certainly good-looking, even in weird medieval clothes. Of course, the man hadn't seen the ears...she could always admire those in private...

She started and grabbed another cup out of the pantry when he turned to her abruptly. He set the ramen down and tore the lids off the cups. Apparently he was having both.

"That kid was going to die, wasn't he? I smelled a lot of blood before I got down there, but you did something. What was it?"

She hesitated. "Do you remember what Toutousai said about how Tenseiga works?"

He frowned and said, "Sesshoumaru used it to wipe out demons from the underworld. You don't mean to tell me you can raise the dead..." He stared at her. "That's not something Kikyou could do."

"Kikyou knew how to do something like that, but I think only for people who hadn't actually died yet. I could see them, Inuyasha. The creepy little demons were crawling on him like rats. I purified them."

"And that healed him." Inuyasha continued to frown, staring off across the room.

"Sometimes these things just come to me when I need them. I hadn't known before I was sitting in front of Eichi, watching him die." She fidgeted uncomfortably. "I wish all those people hadn't seen it. I'm afraid there might be some problems."

He snorted. "Hell, Kagome. It doesn't look like your grandpa had a problem with it." He filled the kettle with water from the sink, fumbling a little with the faucet. "In fact, wasn't this the kind of thing that Miroku always tried to set up? Publicity, he said."

"But the shrine doesn't need publicity."

"The old man might think differently. Did you see his face?" He set the kettle on the stove, and stared in perplexity at the controls. She reached past him and turned it on 'high'. He turned around to face her "Besides, the old man is always talking about holy powers and stuff. Now he knows that you're for real, and you actually healed somebody. He's got bragging rights."

"That's the problem!" she exclaimed, despairingly. "I can purify demons, but that's all. I can't magically heal anything else, and it would be dishonest to let people think that! I don't know if I can help that man's niece or not, but Jii-chan's going to collect anyway!" People coming here, full of hope that I could save them. What if I can't? What is Jii-chan going to tell people? It would be like how the villagers were worshipping me, back when I first arrived in the Sengoku Jidai. Can't I just be normal for a while?

He raised an eyebrow at her vehemence, before turning back to the stove with a shrug. "They'll figure it out eventually. I wouldn't worry about it." He was now watching the kettle impatiently. "Damn it, how long does this fucking take?"

Jii-chan stumped in, looking pleased. "Kagome, good work, my girl. It sounds like you just added considerably to the reputation of the shrine!" Something in her face must have communicated her unease, as he peered at her quizzically as he settled himself in a chair at the table. "So what happened?"

Should I tell him the truth? Kagome bit her lip; she hadn't totally explained about Kikyou, so maybe she'd better give him the quick version. "Eichi and Souta got hit by a car. I saw some demons on Eichi and purified them, and he got a lot better." She turned and opened the refrigerator to search for a drink, and hoped that would settle the matter.

"Kagome!" She turned around, reluctantly. "You purified demons?" At her slow nod his face cracked in a smile. "You've remembered all the things I've taught you, then! And I thought you weren't listening!" He thumped his hand on the table in appreciation as he cackled. "Well, I'll have a thing or two to tell old Hirazawa at the next Jinja Association meeting!"

She sat down with her soda across the table from him. The water had finally boiled on the stove and Inuyasha was pouring some into the ramen cups; he grabbed the cups and some chopsticks and sat with them, shoving her cup and a set of chopsticks in her direction. He stirred the cups a meager few times before he started wolfing down the scalding, barely softened noodles. Kagome spared him a brief glance -- /hope he doesn't burn his tongue again -- /before looking back in concern at the old man.

"Are you hungry, Jii-chan?" She indicated the ramen in front of her.

He shook his head, looking a little green as he glanced at the ramen. "No thank you, Kagome. I've had no appetite today."

"Are you sure you shouldn't be in bed?" His eyes were a bit glazed; he looked feverish to her. "Mama's going to be upset if she finds out you've been straining yourself."

"I'm fine, girl. I'm going back to bed, but first you have to tell me what method you used to dispel the demons. I like ofuda myself, they're very versatile, but I don't see you carrying any."

"Uh, I just thought about it and pointed at them, Jii-chan" His mention of ofuda brought her mind to the barrier they'd found. He was staring at her, bug-eyed; before he could recover, she said, "Oh yeah, Jii-chan. We found something in back of the well house last night that had a talisman on it. Do you think that it might be where Great-Grandfather might have hid the old stuff?"

As she had hoped, the question derailed Jii-chan's train of thought. "You found something, and didn't tell me? You could have mentioned it at breakfast!"

"You weren't at breakfast. You've been ill, remember?"

"Well, let's go see it now." He made to rise, but paused, leaning heavily on the table. She noticed the sheen of sweat on his brow, and rose as well.

"Jii-chan," she said firmly. "You're going to bed, right now. It's too dark for you to go scrambling back there anyway even if you were well." Going around the table, she gripped his arm supportively and steered him to his bedroom. "Come on now, we'll show you in the morning." She ignored his feeble protests and got him to bed; he surrendered with a sigh as he sank into it.

"Fine. But I'll be getting up first thing to look, Kagome!"

"Good night, Jii-chan." She tucked him in and turned out the light, and closed the door softly behind her.

Inuyasha had finished his ramen. "You gonna eat yours?"

"Yes. You're still hungry?"

"I only had two cups, woman." He eyed the pantry where the cup ramen was stored.

"Fine, make some more."

Once she had finished hers, she decided to take a quick bath. Hopefully Inuyasha wouldn't burn down the kitchen. When she came back downstairs, clad in pajamas, Inuyasha was sitting in front of the TV in the living room and there was still no sign of Mama or Souta. Jii-chan's snores echoed softly from his room. With a sigh she drew a cushion close and sat down next to Inuyasha. Might as well waste time in front of the tube, she was too tired to even think about studying.

The program he was watching droned on. She was feeling the effects of the long day; she yawned, glancing at the clock. It was getting pretty late...where was Mama? Would Souta be coming home tonight? Maybe she could call the hospital... she lacked the will to get up, though. She tried to focus on the screen, but she couldn't seem to keep her eyes open. With a sigh she leaned against Inuyasha, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt him tense, but ignored it; after a few minutes he seemed to relax somewhat. Good. He wasn't as comfy to lean on if he was all stiff and nervous.

"Kagome."

"Mm."

"If you're gonna sleep, you should go to bed." His voice was low and gentle.

"Gotta wait up. Find out about Eichi," she mumbled. She snuggled against him drowsily, trying for greater comfort. Slowly he moved his arm from where she was leaning on it, and put it around her. She was vaguely aware when he shifted slightly; when she felt his hand on her chin, gently tilting her face up, her eyes fluttered open.

He was gazing down at her. Slowly, hesitatingly, he lowered his lips to hers. She opened her eyes wide; when their lips touched, her lids lowered again, and she concentrated on the feel of his mouth. It pressed softly on hers, moving slightly.

She was completely awake now, her heart pounding. Time seemed to stretch as their kiss lengthened. She forgot to breathe for a long moment, then suddenly drew it in with a gasp. Inuyasha immediately jerked up, away from her, and stared at her in alarm.

"Kagome?" He looked ready to flee, tense as he searched her face. His arms were still around her, though.

She smiled, and leaned up to him. "Kiss me again?"

Slowly, he relaxed, and a tiny answering smile appeared on his face. He leaned down and kissed her, his arms tightening around her. This time she remembered to breathe.

She was just starting to get used to the idea of what they were doing when he raised his head abruptly and stared in the direction of the front door. He withdrew his arms, muttering a curse under his breath.

"Your mother and brother are here."

When Mama got in, an exhausted Souta in tow, she found them sitting decorously in front of the television. Souta had some scrapes and bruises, and a bump on the head, but would be fine. Kagome was a little more uneasy with the strange look her mother gave her when she related that, other than some similar scrapes, Eichi didn't have a single injury.

TBC
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A/N: Guji - head priest of a shrine