Author's note: In this chapter most of the characters are out of character, but in the next chapter they'll be back in character!

Chapter three

Change of Heart

…………With Suikotsu and Kaname…………….

"Suikotsu, are you okay?" Kaname asked, going over to the distressed doctor, once she was finished with her patient.

"Get back," Suikotsu whispered.

"Huh?" Kaname questioned, leaning her face down towards him.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Suikotsu snapped, pushing Kaname back, so that she fell hard onto the ground.

"Ugh!" Kaname grunted, hitting her head.

"Why'd you do that?" Kaname asked, sitting up, and looking at the doctor.

"Get away, get away from me, before I kill you!" Suikotsu warned.

"NO! Not before you tell me what's wrong!" Kaname said, standing her ground, and looking at Suikotsu face to face.

"You don't under…" he started, until he fell to his knees again, and started holding his head.

……………….Bankotsu and Jakotsu…………………

"…It's obvious that guy's crazy!" Jakotsu said, "We should help Kaname, in case he tries to kill her!"

"You actually want to help Kaname?" Bankotsu questioned.

"Well, uh… you see…" Jakotsu said, trying to think of an explanation.

"Let's just go help Kaname!" he said, ignoring the other man's gaze.

……………..Suikotsu and Kaname……………

"Suikotsu, I…do you have split personalities?" Kaname asked, trying to reach toward the hurting man.

"Don't…" Suikotsu said, holding up a hand.

"Yes, I have two personalities, my evil side comes out at the sight of blood, but sometimes my good side will come out, if I haven't seen any blood for a while," Suikotsu explained.

"What kind of things does your evil personality do?" Kaname asked, not noticing that Bankotsu and Jakotsu were watching her.

"He kills people, with no mercy; men, women, and children," Suikotsu replied, now noticing some blood on Kaname's hands, from when she helped deliver the baby.

"What are you…oh, no!" Kaname said, also noticing her blood stained hands.

"AHH!" Suikotsu yelled, his hair now standing on end, with an evil smirk on his face.

"Hello, beautiful, young girl, the doctor's not here right now," the now evil Suikotsu said, taking a step towards Kaname.

"KANAME!" Bankotsu yelled, running over to the girl in danger, Jakotsu following close behind.

"Kaname, um, are you…?" Jakotsu started, trying to find the words to say.

"Jakotsu, what the hell are you talking about?" Kaname asked, rudely, not knowing that Jakotsu was actually worried about her.

"Never mind!" Jakotsu snapped, arms crossed over his chest.

……………………………..

"What do you want?" Suikotsu growled, grabbing hold of Kaname's wrist.

"Let Kaname go!" Bankotsu ordered, narrowing his eyes, and starting to get out his sword.

"That guy better let go of Kaname, before aniki uses his Banryuu!" Jakotsu thought.

"…" Suikotsu sighed, staring warily at the sword in Bankotsu's hands.

"The brat must be pretty strong to lift that sword," Suikotsu thought, looking down at Kaname.

"Jakotsu, try to distract him, while I grab Kaname," Bankotsu whispered, and Jakotsu nodded his head, showing that he heard the plan.

"HEY, DOCTOR, what do you need with her?" Jakotsu yelled, causing Suikotsu to look at him.

As soon as Suikotsu turned his attention to Jakotsu, Bankotsu sprung forward, and grabbed Kaname away from Suikotsu.

"Huh?" Suikotsu gasped, looking from the spot where Kaname had just been, to where she was now.

"Suikotsu, don't you remember me? We're friends now, I know deep inside you don't really want to hurt me," Kaname said.

"My emotions and the doctor's emotions aren't the same. I don't feel sympathy, like he does, and I despise doctors, monks, and priestesses!" Suikotsu explained.

"I'm not a priestess, I'm an ex-priestess, and a mercenary," Kaname said, looking into the doctor's eyes.

"I take it those are your companions?" Suikotsu asked, seemingly calmer.

"Yes," Bankotsu answered, still holding his Banryuu, ready to attack.

"And we'll never let anything happen to her," Jakotsu added in.

"Jakotsu, are you okay?" Bankotsu asked, as he and Kaname stared at the man.

"I'm FINE!" Jakotsu exclaimed.

………………………

"I…I can't kill you, you remind me too much of myself," Suikotsu said.

"You're like a younger sister, whom I suppose to protect," he whispered, so only Kaname could hear.

"Bankotsu, can Suikotsu join us? He has two personalities. This one, and the one where he's a doctor," Kaname explained, "A doctor could be useful to us, and his evil side kills like us!"

"He'll have to fight me first," Bankotsu said.

"Fight you?" Kaname and Jakotsu said together.

"Yeah, if he's up to the challenge, that is!" Bankotsu smirked at Suikotsu.

"I'll accept your challenge!" Suikotsu smiled, pulling out a Bugnuk, and put it on his hand.

At that moment, Bankotsu held up his Banryuu, and charged at Suikotsu.

"HA! You'll have to do better than that!" Suikotsu sneered, as he swiped his claws at Bankotsu, after he dodged Bankotsu's attack.

"You're weak!" Bankotsu yelled, jumping into the air, and used his Ryuuraisen attack.

"AHH!" Suikotsu yelled, falling to the ground, and landing with a thud.

Before Suikotsu had the chance to get up, Bankotsu was standing above him, with his Banryuu at Suikotsu's neck.

"Move one inch, and I'll cut your head off!" Bankotsu threatened.

"I underestimated you," Suikotsu admitted, once Bankotsu had lifted his Banryuu from its threatening position.

"…Do you want to join us or not?" Bankotsu asked, arms crossed over his chest.

"…" Suikotsu sighed, as he looked into Kaname's chocolate, brown eyes.

"I'll join…" he agreed, and the ex-priestess smiled, and jumped on the 'evil' doctor.

"Kaname, what are you…" Bankotsu started, a scowl on his face, as he walked towards Kaname and Suikotsu.

…………………

"Let's go, Kyokotsu's probably waiting for us," Bankotsu said, when Kaname jumped off Suikotsu, and grabbed his hand.

"Suikotsu said we could stay in his house," Kaname explained, pulling Bankotsu in the direction of Suikotsu's house.

………………..

"I don't want to stay here!" Bankotsu whined, once he was in the big house.

"I don't have enough rooms for all of you, unless one of you shares a room," Suikotsu said.

"I want to be by myself!" Bankotsu quickly spoke up, before Jakotsu could say anything.

"I'll stay with Jakotsu," Kaname offered, looking at Jakotsu for approval.

"I'll show you the way to your rooms," Suikotsu said, leaving no room for objection, as he led the three to a room, with one large futon in the middle of the floor.

"Jakotsu and Kaname can stay in here," Suikotsu said, "Bankotsu, you're across the hall. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Suikotsu," Kaname said, entering her bedroom after Jakotsu.

……………..

"…I guess we'll be sharing a bed," Jakotsu said, slipping under the covers, and Kaname slipped in beside him.

"Jakotsu, you've been acting weird," Kaname commented, "Well, weirder than usual, anyway."

"For some reason, I'm starting to like you," Jakotsu admitted, "You're not like other women!'

"Don't tell me, you're going straight," Kaname said, smiling slyly.

"OF COURSE NOT! You're like a younger sister, that I want to protect," Jakotsu corrected.

"Even if…I think Bankotsu is cute?" Kaname questioned.

"You'd be an idiot, if you didn't think he was cute…You have a better chance with him than me, anyway," Jakotsu sighed, "Now, go to sleep!"

………………………

"I wonder if Bankotsu's awake?" Kaname thought to herself, as she sat up on the futon, and looked down at the sleeping Jakotsu.

"I'll go check," she thought, getting up, and tiptoeing out of her room, to the room across the hall.

…………………….

"What's wrong, Kaname?" Bankotsu asked from his futon, his eyes still closed.

"I was just coming to see if you were sleep, I'll leave now," Kaname said.

"I'm awake, you can stay, if you want," Bankotsu said, sitting up, so that he could look at the raven-haired girl.

"…Alright," Kaname said, reluctantly, sitting on the bed, beside the handsome young man.

"Bankotsu, why are you so jealous of Suikotsu?" Kaname asked, looking down at Bankotsu, since he decided to lie down on the futon, on his side.

"I'm not jealous!" Bankotsu argued.

"Yes, you are, otherwise you wouldn't have fought him, or not wanted to stay here!" Kaname argued back, raising her voice a little higher, than a whisper.

"…Well, why are you just so…different with him?" Bankotsu asked.

"Huh? What do you mean different?" Kaname asked.

"You laugh with him, you jump on his back…" Bankotsu trailed off.

"Bankotsu, Suikotsu's older than me, I want a guy my age, Suikotsu's just like an older brother. So is Jakotsu, this is like the family I never had," Kaname explained, as she lied down next to Bankotsu, her head resting on his chest.

"What am I to you?" Bankotsu asked, rubbing Kaname's hair, absentmindedly.

"What do you think of me?" Kaname asked, looking up into Bankotsu's blue eyes.

"Uh…well, I think you're pretty," Bankotsu stuttered,

"I think you're cute!" Kaname smiled, making Bankotsu blush, as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Can I sleep with you, Bankotsu?" she asked.

"Yea," Bankotsu agreed, closing his eyes, and letting Kaname snuggle up close to him, under the blankets.

…………………….

"Yawn Hey, Kana…" Jakotsu started, but realized the said girl was missing.

………………………

"Aniki, Kaname is…." Jakotsu started, opening Bankotsu's door, and saw Kaname lying beside Bankotsu in the bed sleeping.

"What, Jakotsu?" Bankotsu asked, squinting his eyes.

"Never mind, just tell me when you're ready to leave," Jakotsu said.

"I'm ready, now," Bankotsu said, "You go get Suikotsu, and Kaname and I will meet you outside," Bankotsu said, as he slightly shook Kaname.

"Hm?" she questioned, rolling over on her side.

"Get up, it's time to go!" Bankotsu ordered, getting out of the bed.

"Alright, I need to go get the food from the Village Elder, and tell him that Suikotsu is going with us," Kaname said, as she got up, and took her hair out of the loose ponytail, and brushed it, so that it fell smoothly to the middle of her back, and let some of it frame her face.

"I'll be back, just meet me in the forest where Kyokotsu's at," Kaname ordered, and left the house, passing Suikotsu and Jakotsu on the way to the Elder's.

"I'll see you both in a bit!" she called to them.

………………………

"Oh, I see you're back," the Village Elder said, opening the door for Kaname, as he went into another room, and came back with some food for the young girl.

"Suikotsu has decided to travel with us," Kaname said, after she thanked the man for the food.

"I knew it was a matter of time, before he left. He came to this village a while ago, and I talked him into staying, since he was a doctor," the Village Elder said, with a small smile, "I hope you have a safe journey. And tell Suikotsu to come visit some time same goes for you! That was my granddaughter, whom you helped deliver that little boy to, she is very grateful!"

"Thank you," Kaname smiled, and then she left to meet her friends in the forest.

……………………

"Alright everyone, let's go!" Bankotsu ordered, leading his friends away.

"Suikotsu, the Elder said for you to come visit, sometime," Kaname said.

"Humph, the doctor can, but I won't!" Suikotsu said, causing Kaname to sigh, and shake her head.

"Aniki, how do you feel about Kaname?" Jakotsu whispered to Bankotsu.

"I like her, she's like us, but…she's a little nicer, and is gentler," Bankotsu said, looking back at the 17-year old girl, who was talking with Kyokotsu and Suikotsu.

……………………..

"Bankotsu, why are these two villages close together? They're usually farther apart," Kaname said, once they had entered another village.

"Who cares? Let's destroy everyone here!" Suikotsu suggested, a malicious smirk on his face.

"I agree, let's burn this village to the ground!" Bankotsu announced, holding his Banryuu high up into the air, as he led the way to the village.