Title: Change of Heart

Chapter 4: It Begins

Summary: After seeing what happened with Hiroku and Sesshomaru, Inuyasha says something that he shouldn't have, and soon feels bad about it. But Hiroku on the other hand, ends up leaving the group and joining another.

Disclaimer: Inu: Another chapter.

me: Yep, and Neko won't be here to let you know.

Inu: Why?

me: Neko went looking for her cheese.

Inu: Her cheese?

me: Yes, you see, my other friend Meg, has kidnapped Neko's cheese and is holding it for ransom.

Inu: And...?

me: Neko likes her cheese. Very much.

Inu: I see.

me: So, Inuyasha, you can do the dislcaimer.

Inu: I don't want to.

me: Do it! Glares at him

Inu: Fine,T.O.F doesn't own anything to do with Inuyasha. There you happy.

me: Yep. Now on with the show!

Story: Before long, Kagome had returned with fire wood and using something strange called matches, she lit them and started a fire. "So they're called matches?" Hiroku asked a bit confused.

"Yep." Kagome replied. The fire had lit up the small area of rocks as the blackness of night took over the sky, and the bright stars began appearing in the sky. Then out of the bushes appeared Miroku and Inuyasha who had a bunch of fish tied to rope with them.

"Here's dinner." said Inuyasha handing Kagome and Sango the fish. The fish are small, they are put on sticks and left to cook over the fire. They waited mostly in silence until the fish were done, and Kagome handed one to everyone.

Getting tired of the silence, Kagome decided to break it. "Hiroku, I never knew that you could heal someone."

"It takes to much power, so I don't do it that often." she replied finishing off the fish on a stick.

"And yet you decided to help my basterd of a brother." Inuyasha said angrily.

"Give it a rest Inuyasha." Kagome told him.

"It's ok." Hiroku told her camly as she had just finished the fish. "Just because someone seems bad doesn'tnecessarily mean that they are."

"What are you getting at?" asked Inuyasha a bit annoyed.

"She means that just beacuse Sesshomaru is a demon and has done terrible things in the past,doesn't mean that he's all bad." answered Miroku.

"So?"

"Just because he's tried to steal the Tetsaiga doesn't mean that everytime you two meet, he'll try to do the samething again." Hiroku looked Inuyasha in the eye.

"I can't take it any more! How can you talk like he's got this goodness in him unless..." he stopped,a thought just occured to him."Unless, you've been with Sesshomaru this whole time, and you've been spying on us and was going to steal the Tetseiga as soon as you had the chance!" he spat.

At this Hiroku stood and everyone glance towards her as a single tear rolled down her cheek, why she was crying she didn't know. "Inuyasha, just because I helped your enemy, not mine, you get mad at me! You judged me just because I helped him in some way..." she looked right at him, shouting as another tear rolloed down her cheek, and then another and another. "I can't stand people like you!" then she ran off into the forest in the dead of night.

Everyone stared at Inuyasha. "What?" he asked.

"Inuyasha, sit, sit, sit!" within seconds the hanyou hit the ground and a small crater was formed around him.

"What'd you do that for?" he asked climbing out of it.

"How can you ask that?"

"Inuyasha, you've managed to anger yet, another women." Miroku concluded looking down at Inuyasha from the rock on which he sat.

"What you mean by that?" he had just gotten out of the hole.

"Well, you anger Kagome more than enough times, plus Sango every now and then. And now Hiroku."

"Yeah, what did she ever do to you? You jerk!" Shippou said from where he sat on Kagome's shoulders. But Inuyasha just turned his head and didn't reply.

"Should someone go after her?" asked Sango.

"Why don't we just let her go for now, and let her think things through." suggested Miroku.

Hiroku had been walking through the forest as they were talking, still mad she continued on. "I can't believe him." she thought. She didn't want to go back, but being so weak right now becuase she doesn't have a lot of power from using it to heal, if a demon attacks, she'll have her hands full. "Maybe I should go back..." but then, somewhere ahead of her she heard the scream of a little girl and she could smell a demon. "Someone needs help." Hiroku ran towards the area, finding herself to be in the same place where she found Sesshomaru.

In front of her she saw the little girl named Rin that was traveling with Sesshomaru, and the toad demon in front of her with a freaky looking staff with two heads on it. Rin was curled up against a tree and Jaken in front of her, then the hanyou saw the demon before them.

It looked similer to the forest ogre that she battled with Inuyasha and his friends. The demon was a crinsom red with red eyes, two horns on each side of it's head, sharp teeth, a bit bigger than the other one, red spiked hair on its head and down its back, and sharp claws on the hands.

"Demon..." she thought. Looking over to the girl and smaller demon, not really wondering where Sesshomaru went, she threw her staff into the air and called for the, "Bo of Earth!" then there was a green flash which also attracked the demon away from the frightend Rin. Once the light disappeard the bo fell into Hiroku's hands.

The bo is a chinese wood stick which allows Hiroku to control how much the attack will hurt and it takes less power to whield. The entire bo is red and has carvings of vines with leaves running around the bo like a spiral.

"Hey demon, if you want to fight, then fight me!" she declared as the demon achknowledged her and ran over to her, claws out in front. Just as it attacked, Hiroku jumped into the air and over the demon landing in front of the little girl and the toad demon. "Stay behind me." she told them. Rin, recognizing her from earlier, nodded and Jaken stayed with Rin considering that Sesshomaru told him to.

"AAAHHHHH...!" she shouted running towards the demon, striking many times with the wood stick, since it has no blade, it will take a little while. She managed to hit theyoukai in the gut causing it to back up. But it still managed to stand once again. And it ran once again towards her, she duck and tripped the ogredemon and it fell forward, hitting a tree. "Finally." Hiroku turned to face Rin.

"Look out!" the little girl shouted pointing to something coming up behind the half-demon.

"What the-?" Hiroku turned around only to be hit in the leg by the ogre's claws, forcing hertofall to the ground and roll away. "Damn." she whispered looking at her leg, it has been cut from her knee down to just above her ankle, not deep, but it still hurt enough making it hard for her to stand. "Damn you..." she said through clenched teeth standing up with the bo in front of her.

Blood dripped down her leg, luckily, the blood flow wasn't heavy. It just dripped down her legstaining her fur, and making the ground turn a browny color. The demon charged at her again, Hiroku dodged to the side falling down as she did from her leg.

"Are you ok!" Rin asked running over to her and drawing the attention of the demon.

"R-Rin, you... s-stop!" Jaken chased after Rin as did the demon. "Oh, if anything happens to Rin, Lord Sesshomaru with kill me..." he thought.

"No!" quickly Hiroku stood up and ran as fast as she could to catch up to Rin and Jaken before the demon did. Rin stopped and looked over to theyoukai as Jaken stood in front of her, the demon was just about to attack with its claws when Hiroku ran in front and blocked with her bo, pushing the demon back. It growled with anger. Hiroku didn't move, the wound to her leg hurt so much, but she wouldn't let that stop her.

Theogre demonattacked again, and Hiroku managed to move out of the way, and it followed her. "Good, at least it's following me instead Rin." she said quietly to herself. Standing in front of a tree, the demon ran up to her and pinned her against it, there was a small groan coming from her mouth as she hit the tree.

"Hehehe..." the ogre chuckled. "At least I can kill one of the ones who killed my brother."

"So this is the brother of that other demon that we killed." gripping the bo tighter she prepared for the attack.

"After I kill you," it looked over to Rin who was shaking and Jaken standing in a defense stance in front of her. "I'll kill those two... hehehehe." it chuckled some more.

"No you will not." Hiroku said sternly, she took her bo and swung at the demon, loosening its grip on her chest. It backed up, and then Hiroku jumped up and came down hard, the bo hit the demon on the head, causing it to screech in pain as its head cracked down the middle and blood flew out. Landing on its back, the demon lay there, motionless.

Hiroku bent down cluching the injuiry to her leg, the bleeding continues as a small puddle is created on the ground, her fur has gone red. Her bo glowed for a moment and then changed back into a staff.

"Are you ok?" asked Rin walking up to her.

"Yes, but we shouldn't stay here, there are other demons nearby." she looked around.

"Absolutely not." Jaken walked over to them. "Lord Sesshomaru said that we must stay here."

"If he knew that there were demons here, he'd probably want us to leave."

"How dare you speak as if you've known my master for a long time you ungreatful half-breed!"

"I said before, my name is Hiroku, not half-breed." she stood up and looked down at Rin, who was trying to say Hiroku but couldn't quite get it. "If you want, you can call me Hiro."

"Hiro-chan!" she ran in circles around her new friend.

"Come on, let's go."

"Ok." Rin followed her leaving Jaken behind.

"Hey wait!"

"Hurry master Jaken!" Rin called to him, then Jaken grumbled to himself and caught up with them. They walked away from the dead demon and into the forest, not really sure of where they were going. Rin looked down at Hiroku's leg. "Is Hiro-chan going to be ok?"

"Y-yes, don't worry." they walked on, the pain in her leg hasn't ceased, but Hiroku can't stop. Then she noticed that the little girl beside her was shivering. "Rin, are you ok?" they stopped walking for a moment.

"Rin's fine. Rin's just cold that's all." she replied with a smile.

Looking back at her tails, and idea popped into Hiroku's head. "I have an idea." she put her back towards Rin and bent down. "Get on my tails. Don't worry, they're strong enough to hold you up. They'll keep you warm." she said. Rin only nodded, then sat on her three tails. One tail wrapped around Rin's legs, the second around her waist and the third wrapped around her chest and arms.

"Your tails are soft and warm, and your fur feels like a pillow." Rin said pushing her face up against Hiroku's white fur. The half-demon stood up, and walked on, using her staff for balance since her leg wasn't bleeding anymore but it still hurt. Jaken followed quietly behind her. "Hiro-chan... Will you be Rin's big sister?" Rin asked somewhat asleep. "Rin's never had a big sister before."

Hiroku didn't say anything just smiled and walked on through the night.

"Go and apologize to her!" Kagome yelled at Inuyasha.

"Yeah, what you said to Hiroku was really hurtful." Sango told him.

"I know that!" Inuyasha snapped back. "Look, I feel bad ok." it's still dark out, and the fire is almost out. Then out of nowhere came a tornado as it stopped right in front of Inuyasha, and as it disappeard Kouga stood in front of everyone.

"Yo." said the wolf-demon walking up to them.

"What do you want wolf?" he hissed at him.

"I don't have time to fight with you mutt-face. I'm looking for a half-demon named Hiroku. Have you seen her around, she got separated from the rest of us during a battle."

"Hiroku? Oh yeah, we know her." replied Kagome.

"Where is she, I was asked to find her."

"Inuyasha said something mean, and Hiroku went off on her own." said Shippou.

"Save it." with a quick movement, Inuyasha hit Shippou on the head, causing a bump to grow.

"You know you're really immature mutt-face." Kouga crossed his arms. "Kagome," he took her hands in his. "I'm sorry, but you can no longer be my women. There is something that I must do."

"Let go of her!" Inuyasha quickly ran inbetween Kouga and Kagome. "And she was never yours."

"Kouga, Hiroku headed off down-" Miroku never got to finish for the wolf demon had interupted.

"No need to tell me, I can smell her blood."

"Blood?" Sango asked worriedly.

"See you guys later." within seconds Kouga had run off, down the direction that Miroku was pointing to.

"He said her blood?"

"Let's go. She might need help." Kagome jumped on Inuyasha'a back. Kirara transformed into the giant two tailed cat, and Sango quickly took off her clothes and is wearing her battle outfit, and got on Kirara as did Miroku. Shippou is on Kagome's shoulders. Kouga was going to fast for them to keep up, but Inuyasha could still smell him, and some of Hiroku's blood.

The night was almost over, the night sky was already becoming lighter, the sky had colors mixed together such as rose, and orange and still some night blue mixed into it, and the stars are fading. Rin had fallen asleep in Hiroku's tails, she barly made a sound, and Jaken was still mumbling to himself about Hiroku and Rin.

They came to yet another clearing where Hiroku decided to take a break, she couldn't sense any danger around, but she still had to recover her magic which usually takes about two to three days. Plus her leg still had some healing to do.

"Rin, wake up." she gentally shook herself to wake Rin.

"Rin's awake." she rubbed her eyes as Hiroku slowly lowered the girl to the ground and unwrapped her tails.

"We can wait for Lord Sesshomaru here. As soon as he comes back I'll-" Rin cut her off when she gave the hanyou a hug.

"Hiro-chan, don't leave. You can be Rin's big sister." Hiroku still didn't give any reply to this, unable to think of what to say. And would Sesshomaru even let her stay?

Then just as the sun had come up, Hiroku sensed something coming towards them, she motioned Rin behind her, and held the staff firmly in her hand at her side. It was a tornado, and then Kouga appeared standing in front of Hiroku.

"Hiroku, I've found you." he walked up to her.

"Kouga, what are you doing here?"

"Your father sent me to come and bring you home."

"...Oh, well, tell him that I'm not going back."

"What? Why?" he asked with a surprised look on his face.

"I want to defeat Naraku, he's the one who sent those shadow demons."

"We know, your father sent out men to look for him. Then told me to come and bring you home."

"Hiro-chan..." Rin popped her head out from behind her 'big sister'. Kouga looked down. "Don't go away, stay with Rin."

"What is she talking about?" asked Kouga.

"She looks up to me like a big sister. She calls me Hiro-chan because she can't pronounce Hiroku." Hiroku looked down at Rin.

"That's nice and all, but you have to come back, it's time for the ceremony." he took her hands. Inuyasha and his friends had just arrived, but stayed behind the bushes, watching them.

"Look, I'm not going to mate some jerk that I've never met before!" she quickly pulled her hands away.

"Ahem... I'm that jerk you speak off."

"Oh well, I still won't!" she back away.

"Please don't take Rin's big sister away." Rin walked over to Kouga.

"Hiroku," Kouga started as if Rin had said nothing. "you have to come back with me. Your father said that either you come on your own or... by force." Kouga looked away.

"I'm sorry, Kouga but..." she looked down at Rin.

"Then I hate to do this but..." with a swift move the wolf demon ran towards her, but Hiroku ducked and Kouga flew over her.

"Rin," she looked down at the little girl. "Get away from here." quickly she looked around. "Go with Jaken and get away from me. Ok." Rin nodded and ran over to Jaken who had been standing next to a tree. Hiroku was going to do everything that she could to make sure that Rin was safe. "Kouga stop!" she shouted jumping around, trying to dodge Kouga.

Unfortunatly, her wound in her leg had opened and began bleeding, causing pain to shoot through her leg. Everytime she landed, there was more pain from her landing and putting weight on her leg. Seeing enough of this, Inuyasha and the others decided to stop it.

"Kouga!" Kagome shouted to him, they all stood there, Kouga looked back and saw them.

"No don't interfere!" Kouga shouted.

"But-?"

"He's right," everyone looked over to Hiroku. "this is our fight!" she stood up.

"I'm sorry Hiroku but..." once again Kouga charged at her, she moved out of the way. Not wanting to use her magic on him, all she had to do was run and use her hands if necessary. Blocking attacks with her staff didn't prove to be hard since he didn't want to hurt her either.

"I don't want to go home!" as she continued jumping around, her blood continued to flow out, darkening the dirt.

The wind was blowing during the battle carring the smell of her blood around. Sesshomaru had already picked up the sent from earlier in the night, and now he can smell it again, making his way quickly towards the commotion. He recognized the smell of this blood. It was coming from that half-breed, the one he saved, and the one that healed him. But it wasn't just her that he could smell, but he could almost smell Rin's sent. Moving swiftly as the sun had come up, he walked slowly towards the source of the smell.

Just as he walked through the trees, he saw Rin standing beside Jaken watching the wolf-demon and half-breed, fight. Hiroku could sense the demon lords presense and shifted her eyes over to him.

"Nows my chance..." thought Kouga as he latched his hand onto Hiroku's arm while she looked over to the demon lord.

"What the-?" quickly she turned her attention back to Kouga as he pulled on her. "Let go! I'm not going back!" she yelled.

"What do we do? Hiroku and Kouga both asked that we not interfere." said Sango.

"This is their fight." said Inuyasha.

"Huh?" they looked at him a bit unsure.

"Hiroku, you have to come back with me. Our ceremony is being prepared."

"Ceremony?" Kagome wondered outloud.

"I told you! I won'tmate withyou!"

"Kouga's the one she's being forced to mate?." Kagome said, the others looked at her.

"That's not right." Sango agreed, she got ready to attack when she felt Miroku's hand on her shoulder.

"There is nothing that we can do. Hiroku told us that she'll deal with it. Let's respect her wish."

Rin looked beside her and had just realized that Sesshomaru had shown up. "Lord Sesshomaru," he looked down at her. "Don't let that man take Hiro-chan away. She's Rin's big sister." Rin pleaded.

"Hiro-chan? Where had that come from?" he wondered still looking down, then he looked up at them, he saw Hiroku's injuired leg, so it was her blood. Rin had for some reason taken a liking to the hanyou. He wanted to see her happy, but right now, she was upset and scared.

"Kouga, I mean it!" she shouted, her arm still in his grip as he tried to pull her away. She didn't want to attack him using her magic, it could cause other problems.

"I'm sorry, Hiroku. But... I must bring... you back!" he struggled trying to get her to go with him.

"Hiro-chan!" Rin's eyes teared up as she watched her new friend, her new big sister being taken away from her, just like her mother and father.

Sesshomaru looked down at the sobbing Rin, then back up at the fight. Before he realized it, he had raced over to Hiroku and Kouga, then with a swift movement, he pulled Kouga away from her and stood in front of the hanyou.

"So you're Inuyasha's brother right?" Kouga backed away, but got no response from the demon in front of him.

"What's he doing?" asked Kagome. But no one answered her, they to were wondering. Even Inuyasha wanted to know why Sesshomaru was interefering in something that did not concern him.

"Don't interfere, she must come back with me!" Kouga attacked and Sesshomaru moved out of the way pulling Hiroku with him. "After the ceremony, she's mine, she'll be with me!"

Hiroku tensed up at that thought, and her leg still hurt, and the flow of blood still continues. "Kouga! I don't - want - to - go!" she shouted. But Kouga wasn't listening and continued attacking Sesshomaru. She didn't want to see either of them get hurt so she decided to stop this.

She took the staff and threw it into the air. "Bo of Earth!" she called for again, Hiroku didn't want to hurt anyone, so she called for the bo. There was a sudden flash as everyone turned towards it, then the bo landed in her hand. After that, as if nothing happened, the two demons continued fighting.

"This is none of your business!" shouted Kouga punching and kicking Sesshomaru, while he blocked and dodged.

Sesshomarutook out Tokijin and as Kouga ran towards him, the demon lord used Tokijin and shot an energy ball at the wolf, hitting him as he yelled and fell to the ground. "Don't worry, I'll finish you off quickly." he ran towards Kouga for the final blow, sword out in front.

"Damn..." Kouga muttered sitting up, he knew that he wouldn't beable to dodge the attack. Just as Sesshomaru was about to hit him, Hiroku jumped in front and block Tokijin with the Bo of Earth.The demon lordcouldn't figure out why she was defending him. Kouga was just as surprised. Then Sesshomaru stopped pushing and sheathed Tokijin. Hiroku's bo was untouched, not even a mark, then it changed back into a staff.

"Tell my father that I will not be coming home!" she told him, then Kouga stood up, without saying anything else he left. But Kagome was wondering something, why didn't Hiroku want to go home? What's so bad about it? She also wondered why Sesshomaru interfered like that.

Rin ran over to Hiroku and gave her a big hug, hugging her legs. "Will Hiro-chan stay?"

"It's up to..." Hiroku looked up to Sesshomaru standing beside them.

Rin turned and looked at him. "Please, can Hiro-chan stay?"

Sesshomaru looked down at Rin with eyes like that of a father. Then over to the half-breed. "Do what you want." then he walked off towards Jaken.

"Will you stay?"

Hiroku smiled. "Yes, I'll stay." she turned towards Inuyasha and the others and walked over to them.

"Say sorry." Kagome nugged Inuyasha in the arm.

"Ok." he looked at Hiroku. "I'm sorry... for what I said." (Oh my god he's saying sorry. No offense Inu fans)

"It's fine." she answered him with a smile. "But I won't be traveling with you any more," they all looked at her. "I'll be going with..." she looked over to Rin, Sesshomaru and Jaken.

"Hiro-chan! Come on!" Rin was waving her hand up in the air at her.

"I hope to see you guys later." then she walked off, and her and Rin walked up to Sesshomaru and Jaken.

"L-Lord Sesshomaru, you haven't found Naraku yet?" asked Jaken.

Hiroku had heard what Jaken said about Naraku. "You're looking for Naraku to?"

"Quiet you wench!" Jaken said harshly.

"I told you, use my name! Hiroku! Hir-O-ku!"

"Why you-"

"Jaken be quiet." the demon lord snapped at him.

"Y-yes sire." Jaken bowed quickly.

"Lord Sesshomaru, Hiro-chan will be coming with us." Rin danced around Sesshomaru. He nodded then they left. "Where are we going?"

"To a nearby river." was all he said, they walked off into the forest, the sun was up fully now, the sky was a nice blue with a few clouds.

Rin went on a head talking to Hiroku most of the time, when Sesshomaru told Rin to go up a head with Jaken, he walked with Hiroku beside him. "Was there something that you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked him.

"Earlier you said something about Naraku..."

"Oh, yes well, I'm going to defeat him, he sent shadow demon's and attacked the wolf demon tribes. I battled with their leader and beat him..." she looked down. "And then you found me. I heard you and the toad demon talking about him so I-"

"You want to fight him."

"Yes."

"Why ask me?"

"Oh, I-I... I don't know." then she smiled.

"Why does she smile?" he wondered, he's never met someone like her before. When he first found her, she was injuired and so close to death. Was it her will to live that made him save her? Or was it that Tenseiga just wanted him to?

"Hiro-chan look!" Rin pointed from up ahead of them, she had been pointing to something ahead of them. "Do you hear that?" she asked with a smile.

Hiroku listened to the sound. "Running water."

"Come on, let's go!"

"Alright I'm coming." Hiroku and Rin ran out of the forest and out to a pathway beside a river. Sesshomaru followed as did Jaken. Without second thoughts Hiroku had jumped in making a big splash.

"Hiro-chan jumped in!"

"What are you doing?" asked Sesshomaru with his eyes fixed on the hanyou standing in the water.

"I have to wash the blood off don't I." she continued splashing herself, until all the blood came off her leg, while she was at it, she cleaned her cut. "All done." Hiroku walked out wet, and dripping, and yet with another smile on her face. "Come on Rin." she bent down so that she was at Rin's eye level.

"Yeah, we can have fun." Rin started running around, as their journey started.

To be continued...

me: Finally, this one was longer than the other ones.

Inu: Yawn Is it done?

me: How could you fall asleep, I had battles in there...?

Inu: What's your point?

me: Nevermind... I think that I already know the answer.

Inu: What's that suppose to mean?

me: Nothing.

Inu: But-

Sesshy: Honestly Inuyasha, stop bugging and deal with it.

Inu: Shut up!

Sesshy: Make me!

me: Guys stop, you'll get to fight in the story again... eventually...

Inu: What do you mean eventually?

me: Nothing.

Sesshy: Really?

me: Yep. So let's end the show. Bye!