AN: After 'Saving Snow,' Yuki wouldn't leave me alone. Especially as that fic was hastily thrown together in celebration of the new year. I tossed an idea at The White Leopard, received several suggestions back, and my muse spat out this. Not as depressing. If you don't like fluff, this isn't for you. I do have to stress, I play with the timelines like woah on the FB side, though.

So, thanks to The White Leopard for the assist and for being just all-around awesome. Also, CK and Thornado who consistently take chances on my work.

On a personal note, I have to send out my farewells to both David Bowie and Alan Rickman. May those two talented men rest in peace.

In Which Kagome's Adventure Isn't Over

When Kagome Higurashi was fifteen years old, she fell down a well and hit the ground around five hundred years in the past. Through a series of events, she learned she possessed holy powers, was born with a powerful jewel in her side, shattered said jewel, and spent the next year righting that rather glaring mistake. She fought demons, mastered her innate abilities, and made friends that were as close as family. Once her group had killed their enemy and destroyed the jewel that had started it all, Kagome was sucked back to her birth time, the well sealed forever.

That is where our story begins: with Kagome a year older, wiser, and much more powerful. After her fairy tale adventure, coming back to the drudgery of the 'real' world was a daunting task. Because of her frequent sojourns into the past, her mother had opted to homeschool her when it was obvious that no teenager could have been suffering from all of the illnesses Grandpa Higurashi had claimed.

The decision was sound and allowed Kagome to catch up with her peers while still keeping her 'other' abilities sharp. She'd begun to have quite the reputation around her neighborhood for her homeopathic remedies. With her knowledge of ancient medicine and her powers, Kagome happily set about boosting the income of her family's shrine. It made her feel useful again and pushed away the melancholy of her adventure being over. Everything was so much duller now.

So it was that on one bright sunny day, she was walking home and found yet another adventure. For the first time since the well had closed, something other tingled at the edge of her senses. Freezing, Kagome closed her eyes and sent out her powers to find whatever it was. It was tiny, and hiding just inside the small alleyway in front of her. Feeling no malevolence in it, only fright, she released a calming breath and grinned.

Quietly sliding into the alley, Kagome followed her senses until she spotted an adorable little rodent huddled behind a trashcan. It blinked at her with large, violet eyes that were too sentient for a beast.

"Hello there," she greeted softly, slowly kneeling. "I felt your fright. Are you in trouble?"

Nose twitching, it eyed her warily, not replying. One corner of her mouth kicked up.

"Well, you're not a demon, at any rate. I didn't think so. You didn't feel that…wild. I promise I won't hurt you and if I can, I'll help."

Leaning forward, she tipped her head to the side as its little brows drew together.

"I'm Kagome Higurashi, a shrine maiden of the Sunset Shrine. I promise, you're not the strangest case I've ever come across. I once saw a toad demon possessing a man and harvesting the souls of women. I managed to fight him off by turning my can of hairspray into a flamethrower."

Violet eyes widened in surprise before the creature hesitantly came out to face her. Smiling, Kagome scooped him up gently and rubbed his head.

"Now, let's head back to the shrine and see what we can do about this rather…dark curse that's been set on you."

He made a strange noise and stared intently at her. Kagome smirked and put her hand on her hip.

"You didn't seriously think I couldn't sense it, did you? That is one nasty piece of work wrapped around you." She let her powers prod at it slightly, making the rodent squeak in surprise. What she felt made her frown. "And, it's almost generational, isn't it? Well, lucky for you, I happen to have experience with nasty curses."

His furry face had begun looking highly interested now. Kagome couldn't help but rub his ears, and then glanced at her basket.

"Do you want to ride in the basket or on my shoulder?"

He scurried down and hid in her basket, his tiny eyes just peeking out. Giggling, Kagome nodded and resumed her journey home, a spring in her step.

When she drew closer to her neighborhood, she began receiving greetings and well-wishes from the people out. Occasionally she was stopped for advice or for someone to make an appointment to see her. She was even called to say a prayer over a frantic man about to have a job interview. Smiling agreeably, she waved back to them as she reached the steps of the shrine. Looking down, she found the…she hated to call him a rat. He was much larger than a mouse, but he was so much more adorable than a rat. Whatever he was, he was watching her with a calculating stare.

Patting his head, she climbed the stairs and went straight to the small dojo behind her house. After sliding off her shoes, she set aside her basket and took up her new friend. He allowed it and then settled in front of her when she knelt in the middle of the floor.

"Now, will you let me take a look at this curse?" she asked.

He appeared indecisive for a moment before looking down at his paws. Clenching them, he met her eyes with determination.

"What will it do to me?" he asked in a soft voice.

Arching a brow, Kagome shrugged. "Nothing much. You might feel my powers, but I'll just be examining the curse, not actively trying to unravel it." She smiled. "Since you can speak, want to give me something to call you?"

Surprise registered on his face at her taking his ability so well. Kagome mentally laughed. If only he knew some of the weird crap she'd seen in the Feudal Era. A talking animal didn't even rank in the top one hundred.

"Yuki. My name is Yuki."

"Nice to meet you, Yuki," she greeted. "Let's see what I can uncover. If you feel uncomfortable at any time, just let me know, okay? I'll stop as soon as you want."

He nodded and braced himself as Kagome closed her eyes and concentrated on 'seeing' his curse with her holy powers. It was like a writhing, black cloud woven throughout his aura, little hooks anchoring it with alarming permanence. Kagome's lips thinned. No spell or curse was permanent. Long lasting enough to seem permanent, maybe, but not truly permanent. Yuki's seemed to bind the spirit of a rat to him and also tied him in servitude to someone else. Feeling the mental, emotional, and physical damage he'd sustained, Kagome vowed to help him if she could at all. Prodding, she worked until she found two microscopic weak points in the curse. To her anger, she discovered that the servitude bond worked doubly to prevent Yuki from truly searching for ways out.

As she found the weak points, however, Yuki's soul hesitantly peeked at her from behind the spirit of the rat. Startled at the brilliance of it, Kagome sent out a pulse of warm greeting. It shyly emerged and brushed against hers, making her suck in a sharp breath as she was hit with a profound sense of familiarity. It brightened at her greeting and reached eagerly for her. Her own soul nearly leapt out of her control to embrace his.

Coming back to herself harshly, Kagome panted and fell forward, barely managing to catch herself on her hands.

Yuki shuddered. "Are you alright? I've never felt anything like that."

Tears gathered in her eyes as she shakily sat back. Unable to help herself, she scooped him up and did her best to hug him to her while petting his back.

"You are amazing, Yuki," she whispered. "And deserve so much more than what's been done to you."

Eyes wide, Yuki froze. "What?"

Kagome looked at him as she sniffed wetly. "I felt the wounds in your soul from more than just the curse. After all of that, your soul is still so pure, it's astounding." Clearing her throat, she tried to bring herself back to the topic at hand. "But, the curse is two-fold. First, it binds the spirit of a rat to you and second, it binds you in servitude to someone."

Her face darkened and her eyes flashed with rage. "If I ever get my hands on whoever is keeping you enslaved, it won't be pretty."

Hunkering down, Yuki shook his head. "He's cursed with it, too."

Scoffing, Kagome left that alone for the time being, having learned more than he probably wished she had. "Well, whatever the case, that's the biggest part of the curse, which you probably already knew. There are some finer things woven in it, like your transformations. I'd wondered at the humanity I felt from you."

The look he gave her was slack-jawed and gaping. Kagome chuckled and let him down as she thought over what to do.

"The good news is there are two tee-tiny weak points in the curse."

But before she could get any more out, there was a 'pop' and Yuki the adorable rodent was suddenly Yuki the extremely hot guy. Hot naked guy. Throwing a hand over her eyes, Kagome turned around as quickly as she could.

"Sorry! So Sorry!" she stammered, blushing brightly. "I didn't realize clothes were a no-go on transforming."

"I was forced to leave them behind when I was nearly trampled," Yuki admitted.

Deliberately not looking at him, Kagome hurried to a shelf and pulled out a haori and hakama. "Here, one of my cousins uses the dojo to train and he keeps sets of these here. He won't miss one," she offered, holding it behind her.

"Thank you, Miss Higurashi," he murmured, accepting the offering.

After he informed her that he was dressed, Kagome hesitantly turned and faced him. While he didn't have the otherworldly beauty of a demon, he was still impossibly attractive. He was studying her, as if to take in her reaction. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she smiled.

"Talking animals I can handle. I'm not usually around naked guys," she said with red cheeks.

That made him smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling and some of his wariness receding. "Usually?"

"Ah, there have been a few really awkward moments when people come for healing. Mama has had to make sure that she is the chaperone and not Gramps." She pulled a face. "Gramps sees no problem with general inter-gender nudity and has no respect for my sensibilities."

A low laugh rumbled in his chest, the sound so pleasant, Kagome found herself smiling.

"You don't care about all of that, though! You care about what I can do to help you."

His mirth faded as he shook his head. "I'm afraid there is little you can do."

Kagome arched a brow. "That's the curse talking. It doesn't want you to want to break it. Plus, I don't just mean your curse. I mean, I felt something wrong with your lungs, and you have some pretty debilitating emotional wounds. Those at least, I know how to treat. The curse, well, it might take a while, but I'm sure I can at least weaken it."

Violet eyes widened and then narrowed at her observations and claims. Not letting him speak, however, Kagome called her powers to the surface and drew him into a tight embrace. After feeling how starved for affection he was, Kagome couldn't help it. And, part of her wanted to be as close to him as their souls would have been, had she not gotten a hold of herself.

Yuki stiffened, but the transformation he'd expected didn't come. Slowly, his muscles released their tension and he was able to hesitantly return the hug. It was the first time he'd ever hugged a girl unrelated to him-and even those times had been rare. Trembling at the warmth sweeping through him from her-the compassion and assurance that he mattered, Yuki clenched his eyes.

"I can help you," she whispered. "Please let me."

Unable to speak passed the emotions in his throat, he nodded against her shoulder. Drawing back, Kagome smiled brilliantly at him.

"Fantastic."

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Yuki slowly made his way home feeling as if his world had been turned upside down and given a good shake. Kagome Higurashi was unlike anyone he'd ever met and she seemed dead-set on helping him. Since he felt better than he ever had, he was seriously considering letting her.

When she'd first found him, he'd been terrified. It was only a mad impulse telling him to trust her that allowed him to go home with her. Something about her power-the absolute peace and goodness she radiated-drew him in and calmed him. And the way she blew open his secrets was both unnerving and liberating. There had been a moment when she was prodding at his curse that he'd had the oddest notion of knowing her. Turning that over in his mind, Yuki frowned. Not knowing-not exactly. More like he recognized her. Recognized and wanted.

Rubbing his chest, he remembered her embrace and the way she'd insisted that he was worth something. A light sparked in his eyes as a bit of his self-hatred lessened. She'd seen something worthwhile in him-something worth saving. So, whatever strange feelings she provoked, Yuki knew that she was good. She was good and he needed more of her kind eyes and easy smiles.

Shigure looked at him when he came in the house. "Whoa-what happened to you?"

Tugging at the borrowed clothes, Yuki shrugged. "Someone bumped into me on the street and I transformed."

The older man eyed him. "As long as no one saw you stealing clothes."

Yuki shot him a glare and continued up to his room. He didn't want to have to deal with the pervert or-or share Kagome with anyone just yet. She was his secret and he wanted to keep her that way for just a bit longer. The memory of her unhesitating embrace and fierce protective words ensured that he would be seeing her again.

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Knocking on the door to Kagome's house the next day, Yuki wondered what to expect. A few discreet inquiries around her neighborhood had brought him quite a bit of information about her. Her family was highly respected and Kagome had become even more so as her abilities blossomed. She had a reputation for being able to heal things in the old ways and people swore her sacred sutras filled their homes with peace and harmony. Still, part of him wondered if he'd lost his mind.

The door opened to reveal a woman in her mid forties with laugh lines and warm brown eyes. She smiled pleasantly at him when he bowed to her in greeting.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. I was wondering if Miss Higurashi is available?"

"Are you here for business or personal?"

Floundering, Yuki felt his brows draw together. "Business?"

Smile stretching, she stepped aside to let him in. "Come to the kitchen, dear, and I'll make you some tea. I'm Kagome's mother and you must be Yuki."

Apprehension clawed at him as he knelt at the table. "Yes, ma'am."

"Kagome said she'd made a new friend and hoped you would let her help you," she told him as she put the kettle on. "Though, she was typically tight-lipped about the specifics."

Yuki looked at her in question, making her chuckle.

"She's very strict about people's confidences."

Relaxing, Yuki accepted the tea she offered and murmured his thanks. "I've suffered from weak bronchial tubes since I was born," he gave her part of the truth.

Studying him, she hummed thoughtfully and then caught sight of a boy drifting by the door. "Sōta," she called, "fetch your sister, please. She has an appointment."

Sōta looked at Yuki and blinked. "Hey, I know you. My friend's older sister has a huge crush on you! She's got your picture clipped to her binder with little hearts around it and everything."

Mrs. Higurashi's eyes narrowed as Yuki wondered what he should say to that.

The boy wrinkled his nose. "She's crazy, though. Nearly beaned my friend in the head when he asked her why she was stalking you."

"That's enough, Sōta! Go get Kagome and quit making our guest uncomfortable."

Holding up his hands, Sōta backed up. "Sorry! I was just trying to warn him, Mama!"

As he scampered out of the room, Mrs. Higurashi rolled her eyes Heavenward, as if to pray for patience.

"I apologize for that, Yuki," she sighed.

Seeing the humor in the situation, he smiled and sipped his tea. "It's fine, Mrs. Higurashi. I'm aware that there are a few…zealous girls at my school."

Kagome breezed into the room then, her eyes brightening at seeing Yuki. "I was hoping you wouldn't change your mind."

"You presented a rather impressive case."

Laughing, she rubbed her neck. "Well, if you're ready, we can go to the dojo again. Is that fine, Mama?"

"Of course, Kagome," she agreed easily. "Do you need me?"

Biting her lip, she glanced to Yuki. "Er…I'll probably need your shirt off to work on your lungs. Do you mind if Mama is present while I do that?"

Straightening, he shook his head. "That's fine. I thought you'd done something yesterday?"

"That was just a side-effect of me probing, not a full-on treatment. I'll need to lay hands on your back, I think."

Turning off the oven, Mrs. Higurashi followed them to the dojo and gave Yuki a reassuring pat on his shoulder. "You can leave your shirt on the shelf there."

Yuki hesitated before taking off the garment. There were…marks from his time with Akito that couldn't easily be explained. It would be pretty obvious how he'd gotten them. Taking a breath, he reminded himself that Kagome had felt something of it when she'd found him. She must be expecting there to be some scarring. Finally just biting the bullet, he unbuttoned his shirt and nervously folded it before placing it where Mrs. Higurashi had indicated. Then, he sank to the floor in front of Kagome. All professional, she moved to kneel behind him and called up her powers. He slowly released his tension when she didn't comment.

"I'm going to place my hands on your back and feel around until I find the areas needing healing. Let me know if it becomes uncomfortable," she repeated from the day before.

At his nod, she lightly pressed her hands on his back, sending a lazy, simmering warmth through him as she did. Ever so slowly, she adjusted the placement of her fingers until Yuki felt something pulled taunt inside of him relax. As her warmth flooded the area with a foreign strength, the weakness he'd always dealt with ebbed.

"Breathe," she whispered.

Realizing he'd been holding his breath, Yuki released it slowly.

"There are old wounds-old pain here," Kagome stated in a voice laced through with her powers. "Would you like me to heal them?"

Jerking his head around to look at her, he found her eyes ringed with pink fire. Her words weren't judgmental; they were matter-of-fact and stole away his worry over her seeing evidence of what Akito had done to him.

"Kagome, that kind of healing exhausts you," Mrs. Higurashi protested.

Kagome shot her a reassuring smile. "It is within my ability." Her eyes returned to Yuki's as she said, "Don't worry. It won't hurt."

Biting his lip, he gave a shallow nod, desperately wondering what she could possibly do. Kagome's eyes flared pinker as they stared at something he couldn't see. Her hands, however, were lighting on places he knew he'd suffered damage. As they did, that healing warmth sank into him as if wiping the bitterness from the memories. Soon even the pain of the memory was blunted, healing a good deal of his psyche at the same time. Kagome had scooted to his other side and then was back in front of him. Her hands fluttered as if trying to decide to rest on his head or his heart.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and pressed her palms to his heart, making the world explode in pink radiance.

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Yuki woke with a start, looking around wildly when he didn't immediately recognize his surroundings. Finding himself in the dojo, he sat slowly and pulled on his shirt. As he did, he touched his chest and marveled at the lightness he felt. There was also a tingling awareness along his senses that was calling to him on a fundamental level. Before he could follow his impulse to find it, a pale Kagome popped her head in and smiled when she saw him awake.

"About time you woke, sleepyhead. I was beginning to think you were here for the night."

As she made her way across the floor, the awareness he'd felt sharpened on her. It snapped to life around her, tuning all his senses into her and heightening them until she was the most vibrant thing in the room. He could hear her heartbeat, a steady rhythm that assured him of her life. The scent drifting to him from her was tantalizing-a sweetly tart aroma that had him nearly closing his eyes to savor it. As a rat, he'd been able to smell even more from her scent and had catalogued every nuance of it. The tartness was from her spiritual powers and it added a zing to her scent that made Yuki wonder if he'd taste it, were he to lay his tongue on her skin.

"What happened?" he managed to ask hoarsely.

A blush painted her cheeks as she sat down beside the futon he was on. "Ah, your soul took a liking to me. It decided to help me out in the healing and kind of went overboard. Instead of my power gently soothing your emotional wounds until they were no longer festering, your soul snatched my power in one great burst of healing. It sort of saturated you and drained me completely."

Feeling stronger and more complete than he ever had, Yuki returned her smile. She was so close, close enough that he could see the navy ring around her irises. Flecks of cerulean and cyan were present in those orbs as well, making her eyes look otherworldly. They danced with intelligence and the occasional flicker of other. He thought he could spend a very long time just cataloguing all the shades of blue in her eyes.

At her words, however, his brows furrowed. "Are you all right?"

Shifting uncomfortably, she waved that off. "I will be. Like I said, it just drained me. I won't be doing much of anything with my powers for a couple of days, which means no victory hug for you!"

The corners of his eyes crinkled as she tried to assure him. He was surprised at the flare of disappointment he had at not receiving another hug. Shaking it off, he ran a hand through his hair, desperately trying not to just lean over and breathe her.

"I should be going, then, so you can rest," he stated, standing.

As he did, his hand brushed hers and the rush of familiarity…of possession immobilized him. For a moment, he had the most surreal sense of Kagome belonging to him. It was over as quickly as it'd begun, but Kagome had cupped the back of the hand he'd touched with her other one. At her unnerved look, Yuki knew she'd felt something in the brief contact as well.

Forcing the notion away, he gave her a sincere smile. "Thank you, Miss Higurashi."

Flexing her fingers, she returned the expression. "My pleasure, Yuki. You can call me by my given name, you know. Or does it bother you that I'm so informal with you?"

Tipping his head to the side, he arched a brow. No one had ever asked that of him. He barely stopped himself from telling her she could call him whatever she wanted.

"I did offer you my given name to use," he told her quietly instead. "Perhaps you will not mind if I am not so informal with you, however?" Because, he was suddenly aware that he needed to keep that boundary. He'd only met her two times and-and, she treated him so normal. Even knowing his curse-having seen his transformation-she treated him like he was just another person. The knowledge both intrigued him and galled him. For some reason, he very much wanted to stand out to her.

Chuckling, she put away the futon with an efficiency that spoke of experience. "As long as you don't disappear on me." When she turned back to him, her confident air had dissipated. For the first time, she truly appeared as the teenage girl she was as she held her elbows. It made her seem very small and very vulnerable in a way he wasn't used to seeing people. That tingle inside him surged against his chest, as if wanting to protect her. It was decidedly strange. Strange, and yet very warm.

"I…lost my best friends several months ago," she admitted awkwardly, her eyes on the ground. "And, what I do doesn't exactly provide many opportunities to meet people my own age. I homeschool, you know?"

Hearing the barely suppressed wistful loneliness, Yuki swallowed as a pang of understanding shot through him. It brought with it, however, a profound rush of hope and tentative happiness. She wanted to be friends with him. Behind her confident smiles and proficient knowledge was an isolated girl. The sense of rightness flared in him again, as if to nudge him down a path that had suddenly opened to him.

"You promised to help break the curse," he told her, stepping closer and ducking to meet her eyes. "If we are friends, what will I tell your mother when she asks 'business or personal?' "

Blue eyes lighting, she giggled. "I'll tell her you're both. Come back in a few days and I'll see what I can do about pecking at your curse. I'll do some research in the meantime."

Agreeing with what he hoped was a reasonable amount of eagerness, Yuki took his leave of her and her family. Pausing at the top of the stairs, he turned his face into the wind and breathed deeply. Even as it brought the smells of the city to him, it couldn't override Kagome's scent-as if hers was ever on the peripheral of his consciousness. Glancing back, he was just in time to see her wave from the window of her home.

Lips quirking, he nodded to her and began the journey home.

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An: So...interested in the rest? Next chapter: Yuki takes off his shirt. (No, wait, that was this chapter.) Next chapter: Kisa's birthday!