A village healer had been summoned to visit Inuyasha, arriving promptly with a fresh supply of bandages and herbs. The young half-demon had finally awoken and Kaede had managed to persuade Kagome to leave his side for some desperately needed sleep. The elder miko had assured her that Inuyasha was being taken care of while she rested. Kagome had become almost as gaunt as the man she guarded. Resignedly, she complied.

The healer set down her supplies, humming a cheerful tune as she tidied the hut. Cleanliness and fresh air were crucial for any patient, human or otherwise. Most villagers were wary of the half-demon, half-man, but the healer had encountered many hanyous and demons in her time. Not all were malicious. And it was indeed an honor to be called upon to tend to the village's hero – the man who had vanquished the menace of Naraku. She envisioned happier days ahead. Finally, the villagers would live in peace, free from the fear of berserk demons running rampant. Evil no longer lurked in the twilight shadows. The woman in her mid-forties continued her light-hearted crooning as she bustled about.

The demon was roused from its shallow sleep by a grating sound echoing through the room. Opening one eye, it quickly identified the source of the annoyance. Its claws instinctively lengthened as it slowly shut its eye again. As soon as the old hag was within reach, it would snap her neck like a twig.

The healer put aside a well-worn broom and turned to examine the patient reclining on the futon. He appeared so peaceful in his sleep. The older woman smiled and gingerly leaned in to brush a curl of hair that had adhered to his clammy cheek. Her fingers were a mere inches from his face when she felt a sharp sting at her throat. A pair of murderous red orbs glared at her from below as blood gushed from her throat, soaking the front of her dress. The healer choked and staggered back, tripping over the broom and collapsing to the floor. The demon swiftly leapt from the futon, advancing towards her slowly. The terrified woman clutched her throat, her frantic eyes darting between the door and the demon.

The bloodthirsty beast took another crawling step towards its prey, but suddenly its eyes turned hazy. Intuitively, its hand searched to its side. The deep wound there had reopened, spilling blood in abundance. The edges of the world were disappearing. In one last attempt, its blurry eyes tried to seek out the woman. She had frozen in fear, her hand clawing along the floor for the door. Unable to do anything but stare at her predator with the looming knowledge that she had nowhere to go. She could not outrun a demon. But suddenly the bloody orbs lost their focus and the demon fell to the floor with a hard thud. The healer heard nothing but her own frantic panting. Blood seeped between the fingers pressed against her throat. Once she was certain the demon would not rise again, she bolted, screaming as loud as her maimed throat would allow.

Kaede couldn't bear to disrupt the slumber of her exhausted protégé, despite the grave news of the hanyou attacking the village healer. The elder miko wanted to believe it had been a terrible misunderstanding, but after examining the wounds on the healer, she feared the worst. Perhaps the half-demon was still in a stupor, believing he was still fighting Naraku, and had attacked the healer in misjudged self-defense.

However, any attempts to dismiss the situation as an unfortunate accident were crushed when Kaede herself visited the assailant. It was no longer a man. Whatever the creature was that now lay, still gravely wounded, in the dark corner of its temporary dwelling, it bore no human trace. Kaede was quickly repelled by the oppressive dark aura that enveloped the creature; she retreated, taking with her the basin of water she had intended to give to Inuyasha. The death and desolation in that room were too overwhelming for her to bear.

Kagome had slept the day away, only waking when the cicadas had begun their serenade, signifying the end of summer. She emerged from her deep, dreamless sleep, stretching her aching muscles in the makeshift bed that Kaede had prepared for her in the elder miko's own dwelling.

Barely awake, the young woman was roused further by the older woman's entrance.

Kagome immediately recalled the events of the previous day, quickly shaking off her drowsiness.

"How is he doing?" She rushed to ask, rising from the futon.

Kaede remained silent for a while, moving to her hearth to stoke the coals in the stone-lined fireplace. She glanced at Kagome, who was positively brimming with anticipation, struggling to find the courage to dampen the young woman's hopes.

"Dear..." The old woman sighed, poking at the coals. "I'm afraid things are not well."

Dread settled in the pit of Kagome's stomach. Had something happened to Inuyasha? Had his condition worsened just as she thought he was finally pulling through?

"Is he okay?" She hastily inquired, trepidation unmasked in her voice.

Kaede hung her head low, her throat tightening as she searched for words.

"The lad is..." She looked at Kagome with her remaining eye, reaching for the girl's hand and squeezing it in her own wrinkled one. "Inuyasha did not wake up."

Confusion whirled in the panicked mind of the young miko.

"Wha- What do you mean? I saw him. I saw him wake up!" She almost screamed, the renewed despair of the past unending days of praying for his recovery seeping in.

Kaede shook her head.

"Whatever roused from the sleep his body was in, it was not Inuyasha."

Kagome pulled her hand away and stepped back.

"I don't understand." The corners of her mouth curved downwards, her lips trembling as she pouted like a child.

Kaede placed a teapot above the warming hearth, looping the handle on a hook that hung from the creaky ceiling.

"Something else awoke in 'is place. Something that has nothing human in it. It attacked the village healer. The poor woman managed to escape, 'er life hanging by a thread."

"No!" Kagome proclaimed. "It's a mistake... He'd never..." She trailed off, intending to protect his honor as the defender of the village and sustain the idea that he would never purposefully hurt anyone. But, there had been a time in Inuyasha's life when he hadn't been as trusting towards humans. An outcast, who shared a mutual hate towards the humans who shunned him. Getting into battles. He had even tried to attack Kagome herself when they first met. When he had just woken from the fifty year sleep he'd been cursed into. But that was before. That was in a life where he hadn't had any friends, he'd been betrayed by love, denied companionship. He had changed. He had people who cared for him now, people he cared about. If he truly had attacked someone innocent, it must've been because he was still disoriented and didn't know where he was. Inuyasha probably didn't even understand that Naraku had been defeated. His last memory must have been from the battleground during his fight against the evil demon lord.

Kagome steeled her eyes and held her chin up in defiance. "I know him. He'd never hurt anyone." She continued a bit more softly, "If he has, it must be because he's still very hurt. He doesn't know what has happened. If I had been there when he woke up, this would never have happened. He must be terrified."

Kaede knew Kagome held on to every shred of hope of getting her loved one back. The older woman had initially shared her sentiment. It was almost pointless trying to convince her of Inuyasha's current state.

"I know Inuyasha would not hurt anyone, Kagome. But it's not Inuyasha, that... thing that has woken."

"If that is something the healer told you, then she's either lying or grossly misinterpreted Inuyasha's actions."

Kaede tried to interject into the torrent of Kagome's speech, but failed. The young woman fervently continued.

"If she did something to startle him, and he acted upon instinct, surely she should have understood he didn't mean any harm." Her voice got louder as anger began to simmer within her chest. "Humans are still just prejudiced against him, just because he's a hanyou. Despite everything he has done to protect them. Despite everything he has sacrificed to enable the secure lives of the people here."

"Kagome-"

"NO!" She trembled. "I will hear none of this! Not from you!"

Kagome slipped on her pair of geta sandals and scurried out of the house.

Tea would have to wait, Kaede mused.

'Poor girl.'