A Change of Heart

Chapter 5: Understanding Pain

Purple mist filled the air, shrouding a castle from view. The grounds were silent except for the wind whistling overhead. It had been abandoned long ago, taken over by a formidable force, shielding the location from the outside world.

A little girl, dressed in a ghostly white, walked the wooden planks surrounding the interior rooms of the castle. Her eyes were void of emotion and her skin was pale as snow. Her hands circled a mirror held delicately in her palms, her steps were silent and steady. Taking notice of the great aura enclosed in the room to her right, she stopped and turned to face it. The door slid open by itself as she glided into the room, taking no heed of the door closing behind her.

Her vision cut through the darkness, revealing her master, enclosed in a purple barrier. A scowl was apparent on his lips as his blood red eyes deepened in anger. "Curse that wench," he seethed, pieces of his body circling his head. Slowly, his flesh began to meld together once more, until an entire body became visible. A spider mark was burned into his back, letting all know who he was.

"I can not underestimate her again," Naraku said, a look of anger taking ahold of his face as his eyes flamed with rage. He glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye, watching as his reincarnation stepped into the room. Her footsteps made no sound and her eyes were as black as night. "Kanna," he said, noting her presence. He didn't need to say more, seeing the young girl's mirror swirl with mist.

"The priestess," she said softly, her lips barely moving. "She is after Kagome." An image of the undead priestess, Kikyo, appeared in the mirror. A smirk flitted across Naraku's lips as he looked on with amusement. "She intends to take the shard, as well as her life."

The picture in the mirror revealed Kikyo walking through the forest, her icy expression concentrating on the place in front of her. Soul collectors floated by her side, every so often swooping down to fill her life form with the spirits of dead women. Naraku kept his eyes on her, an evil grin appearing on his face. The woman struggled towards the forest of Inuyasha and the old priestess's village. "Kikyo, what do you plan to do?"

A flash of red flew across the ground as Inuyasha raced towards the village. He knew it was close because of the scent of humans rising before him, becoming stronger with each step he took. Kagome stirred in her arms as the running movement shot pain throughout her body. "Inu ... yasha," she spoke, pleading with him.

He looked down to see the distress etched into her angelic visage. She slowly opened her eyes, glad to see swirling pools of amber staring down at her. It comforted her, knowing the man she loved was by her side while she was injured. She tried to force a smile, but winced instead. The half-demon slowed his pace and came to a stop, taking notice of the thankful glance she threw him. "Kagome," he mumbled, knowing her condition was getting worse as blood continued to seep out of her fatal stomach wound.

He had to get her to Kaede's. Just hold on a little longer, Kagome. We're almost there. The young priestess gently rested her head against his chest as she closed her eyes. Her hand clutched Inuyasha's robe of the fire rat as her face scrunched up, readying herself for the pain as he began running once more. The hut came into view and his heart filled with hope as he found sudden strength, making his muscles propel him faster across the expanse of land between them.

The half-demon rushed through the bamboo covering to find his comrades lying on their backs with cloths on their foreheads. Shippo and Kirara sat by them, trying to evade sleep as stars twinkled in the midnight sky. Kaede was about to dress Sango and Miroku's wounds when she was startled to see Inuyasha burst through the door with Kagome in his arms. "Inuyasha-" she began, before he cut her off.

"Kagome's hurt," he grounded out, his voice breaking from trying to retain his fear and anger. He set the young woman down on a fresh patch of blankets. The elder priestess immediately came to her side, glancing over her life-threatening wounds.

"Ye must leave now." She did not look up at the half-demon's face, too busy gathering medicinal herbs into a wooden bowl.

His amber eyes glared at her. "I'm not leaving her, ya old hag!"

Kaede did not stop her movements as she mixed the concoction together. She merely glanced his way. "Her injuries are in need of attention. I must dress them, Inuyasha." He swiftly sat down next to Kagome and quickly turned around so his back was facing her. The old woman sighed as she began to thoroughly examine the wounded girl.

The rays of the morning sun shined through the small window in Kaede's hut. Miroku squinted his eyes shut, trying to block out the inevitable sunlight. Where am I? He detected heavy breathing beside him and opened his eyes slightly. Glancing around, he was surprised to see the wooden walls of the hut and his companions sleeping about the enclosed area. In the corner, Shippo was snuggled up with Kirara.

Taking slight precaution of the throbbing pain in his head, he turned his neck to see what the source was behind the heavy breathing. Sango slept soundly with a white cloth over her forehead. "Sango," Miroku murmured, trying to rouse her from sleep.

She stirred and groaned before opening her chestnut eyes to find the monk staring at her, his brows furrowed in worry. She brought a hand to her head instinctively to ease her pounding headache. "Miroku," she mumbled softly. "Where are we?" She tried to sit up, but failed as a sharp pain shot through her spine, causing a grunt to sound from her throat.

"Good, ye are awake." Kaede walked in with more herbs while Miroku struggled to sit up. As he acknowledged his surroundings, he saw Inuyasha leaning against the wall to his right. The half-demon's face was consumed by worry and guilt. His eyes were closed, but his ears were erect, alert to the sounds around him. When his gaze left Inuyasha's form, it slowly fell upon Kagome's still figure. Her breathing was ragged and her face wore a pained expression.

His violet eyes snapped back to Sango as she moaned again in pain. Her face contorted into an agonized expression, not fully letting her companions know how much hurt it caused her to simply sit up. Her auburn eyes traveled past Miroku's concerned gaze before catching a glimpse of the injured priestess. "Lady Kaede," Miroku asked in a stern voice. "What happened?" He didn't remember much from the battle with Naraku the day before. After he was thrown by one of the vile man's tentacles, everything went black.

The old woman sighed as she told the story Inuyasha had relayed to her the night before. "I was not able to get much out of Inuyasha. He is worried for Kagome's life and it is not misplaced. What I gathered, she managed to purify Naraku with her spiritual powers, but he in turn dealt her a great deal of damage before he escaped." She sat down beside the fire pit, the coals still warm from the night before, and set about preparing a medicinal tea to help with their injuries.

A grave expression overcame the monk's face. "I see ... " He became deep in thought, his mind flickering to why Naraku would attack Kagome in the first place. Was it Inuyasha that he was after? Or was Kagome a threat to him, much in the same manner Kikyo was?

Inuyasha's ear twitched as he listened to recap Kaede gave. He slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the young woman's sleeping form. Kagome ...

As if on cue, she began to stir. Sweat coated her body and dripped down her visage; her bangs sticking to the nape of her neck and her forehead. When she groaned in pain, the half-demon was immediately at her side. "Kagome ... ?" he called, just above a whisper.

She winced as agony shot through her muscles, centering on the hole in her torso. "Inu ... yasha ... " she whispered as she dreamt. His amber eyes didn't dare leave her face, in hope that her eyes would flutter open and her sunshine smile would spread upon her lips.

"Inuyasha, ye mustn't worry," Kaede assured him, setting aside her medicinal herbs for later use.

"Damn!" he shouted in reply, slamming his fist into the ground. "I just feel so helpless."

Sango looked on with understanding, feeling a pain in her heart as the thought of her younger brother flashed through her mind. "She'll be okay," she mumbled, catching Inuyasha's gaze. "Kagome's strong, she'll pull through." The demon slayer sipped the tea the elder priestess handed her and dropped her gaze to the steaming cup. She could only hope that time would be enough to heal those wounds, seeing as how Kagome used much of her purifying powers to save them all.

As Kaede offered some tea to Inuyasha, he got up and stalked out of the hut, clearly distressed. The three looked on, worry in their eyes.

Miroku brought the cup to his lips as he took a sip. "We must regain our strength quickly if we are to go after Naraku."

"Yeah, but ... " Sango said, glancing up at his face. "What about Kagome? We can't just leave her unprotected."

"Then ye must wait until her injuries are healed," the old woman stated before grabbing a basket and heading out of the hut, towards the fields where the medicinal herbs resided.

Dusk came quickly as the sun began to set in the horizon. Miroku and Sango both accompanied the small fire Kaede had prepared moments earlier. The warmth chased away the night's cold air, leaving the hut toasty and welcoming to wandering travelers. Their headaches acquired from Naraku's attack had finally subsided, leaving a rather large bump in its place. "I'm going to the hot springs," Sango suddenly announced wearily, standing up with a sigh. As she grabbed some items out of Kagome's bag, she looked over her shoulder to glare at Miroku. "And no peeking," she stated in a gruff voice before pushing aside the bamboo covering and walking towards the springs. The monk was left speechless with a shocked expression. Why doesn't she trust me?

"Miroku," Kaede said as he turned around. "Ye must leave now as I dress Kagome's wounds."

"Of course, Lady Kaede," he responded, standing up and shuffling out of the hut with his staff in hand. He glanced over at the village a short walk from where he stood, watching the activity die down for the evening.

As his footsteps met the grass with each step, he saw Shippo galloping towards him from the river. "Hey, Miroku," he said, bouncing up on the monk's shoulder and questioning him with his emerald gaze. "Is Kagome awake yet?"

Miroku sensed his worry and yearned to quell the kit's fears. "No, not yet, Shippo. She suffered terrible injuries; it'll take some time for her to recover." The fox demon's face fell in disappointment. "How about you go down to the hot springs with Sango?" the monk offered with a sympathetic smile.

He seemed to ponder this a moment and decided there wasn't much more he could do. "Okay," Shippo finally nodded in agreement, though Miroku could hear the disappointment in his voice. The young boy ran off none the less, towards the cluster of trees Sango had gone of towards only moments earlier. The monk sighed, his mind reeling with thoughts of Naraku, as he headed towards the village.

Inuyasha sat in the tree overlooking Kaede's hut. His back leaned up against the trunk with one knee bent; his elbow resting on top. Amber eyes gazed out towards the golden sun and the soft wind circling his moonlight hair pulled him deep into thought. Damn ... Kagome hasn't woken up all day. Why ... why couldn't I get there sooner? His mind turned to the vile half-demon who bestowed the injuries in the first place. As he cursed Naraku's name in his head, threatening there would be hell to pay, Kaede walked out of the hut and passed beneath his branch.

"Inuyasha," she called up to him. "Could ye come here?"

His ears flicked atop his head as he jumped down, sensing something was troubling her. "What is it, Kaede?" he asked as his feet his the ground. "Is Kagome okay?"

The old woman could detect the hurt and concern flashing across his eyes. "Kagome is struggling to get better. It will be a long and hard battle if ye leave her here to be cared for. It best be wise should you bring her back to her own era on the other side of the well. Their medicine seems to be of much more help then what can be done here."

The half-demon's face lightened with understanding and he glanced towards the hut, recognizing the smell of hurt and pain as it mingled with Kagome's scent. "Yeah," was his reply as he ambled towards the wooden shack. Kaede watched him until his red-clad figure disappeared behind the bamboo covering. Sighing, the old priestess turned on her heel and made her way towards the herb garden, hoping to catch the few rays of sunlight.

Inuyasha stepped into the hut, the only source of light came from the soft glow of the fire. He watched Kagome's face twist in agony and lept to her side, knowing she was still asleep. "Everything is going to be okay," he whispered to her, hoping the young woman was conscious enough to hear his promise. Gently, he guided his hands to lay beneath her torso and thighs, palms up, as he prepared to pick her up. Suddenly, a heart-wrenching scream sounded from her lips and he hurriedly set her down; his ears laying flat against his head. He hadn't realized how much suffering he could cause her by such a simple gesture.

Sango was just leaving the hotsprings, tying the last string on her kimono, as Shippo ran towards the river to play with a grazing Kirara. She smiled in spite of herself and ventured towards the hut. It was only moments later that a shriek sounded through the village. Immediately recognizing Kagome's pained screech, she broke into a run and closed the distance between her and where her wounded friend lay. As she burst through the covered door, her eyes were wild with worry and concern. The demon slayer came across Inuyasha leaning over the injured priestess's sleeping form, watching her as if his gaze could ease her pain.

The woman's entrance startled him, and Inuyasha turned around in the direction of the footsteps. Noticing it was only his comrade, his ears flattened against his bangs once more and his eyes fell upon Kagome. "I can't bring her back to her time ... " he mumbled, hoping Sango understood his dilemma.

"Go," she commanded, moving to stand beside her friend.

The half-demon glanced at her before nodding. He rose from his kneeling positiong and walked towards the door. He stopped, gazed over his shoulder, and looked at the young woman's mangled body. "I have to get help from her time. If I don't ... " He trailed off, unable to finish his thought, but knowing his point had been proven.

Her expression softened as she gazed on with understanding. "We'll watch over Kagome," she promised, watching as he took one last hesitant glance. His eyes flickered to hers in determination before he ran out towards the bone-eater's well.

A/N: Well, sorry for the bit of the wait. I was going to have it up earlier today, but I got caught up with some things and I hadn't even finished editing this chapter. Hope it was long enough to satisfy your craving for a bit, even if it was a bit of a filler. Things heat up over the next few chapter. Thanks for reading and please review!

New poll up!