Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Fire Within ❯ Frozen Heart ( Chapter 3 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

By: Hawaiianhoney2030

*~The Fire Within~*

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha or Yu Yu Hakusho in any way shape or form… though I wish I did ^_^

Chapter 3: Frozen Heart

Kagome glared at the demon walking ahead of her. No matter what she did, she couldn't escape him. It was like he could read her thoughts and knew exactly what she was going to do! She had tried making the excuse that she had to use the bathroom, but he saw right through that one. Her attempt to just run for it didn't work out either. She was quite surprised to see how fast this demon was.

Kagome sighed. How was she going to get out of this mess? How did she even get in it in the first place? She knew that Naraku was most likely hunting down Kikyou, not her. But how did this demon even find out the evil hanyou was searching for the miko who could see the shards? Kagome had tried talking to him, asking his name, or why he had kidnapped her but he merely ignored her.

To top it all off, she was getting really tired. Her mind was in overdrive and they had been walking all day. It was already pitch dark out and they were still walking! Kagome was about ready to collapse. She hadn't the slightest clue of where they were headed or when he planned on taking a break. But she sure hoped he'd stop soon, or the miko was sure she would pass out. Not to mention she desperately wanted to take a bath.

Suddenly he stopped he sat down against the base of a tree without a word. Hoping this was where they were stopping for the night, Kagome collapsed to the ground with a sigh. She quickly fell asleep despite the fact that she was sleeping on the cold hard ground.

Kagome woke with a start only several hours later. She had a terrible dream that Naraku had attacked her family in the future and she couldn't save them in time. Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Kagome glanced over toward her caper. She was delighted to see he had fallen asleep.

As quietly as she possibly could, Kagome stood before dashing off away from the demon. Unfortunately for her, she didn't get far. Something stopped her dead in her tracks, forcing her to fall to the ground. Confused and beyond irritated, the miko's gaze flung to her ankle only to see a rope tied around it. Following the rope, she was disappointed to see the other end tied to the demon's ankle, and who was now standing over her growling his displeasure.

Kagome was pissed. She couldn't sleep not only because of her nightmares but also from having to sleep on the cold ground. Her body ached, she was hungry, tired, and she missed her friends. Not to mention this demon ignoring her was grading on her last nerve.

Clenching her hands into tight fists, Kagome didn't even need to concentrate this time to call forth her purification flame. Since she was far angrier now than she was when Youko was practicing with her, the purification engulfed her entire fist, the flames licking at the skin of her wrists. Standing with an angry glare aimed at the demon, she threw a punch at him.

This only served to anger her further because the demon merely grabbed her wrist and twisted her arm behind her back before pushing her to the ground with little effort. Kagome struggled to get loose but he held her there firmly, tightening his grip on her wrist slightly.

“Dispose of the purification miko and I might let you go.” He growled.

“Make me you stupid demon.” Kagome growled, quite well for a human too.

Glaring down at her, Hiei pulled her arm farther up, effectively getting a groan of pain from the miko. “I will not hesitate to kill you miko.”

“Then kill me! Why torment me like this?! You don't even have the right miko!!” Kagome yelled angrily. Hiei was about to reply by pulling her arm up further when she suddenly tensed and her purification completely disappeared. Her eyes widened as she began to panic.

“Get off of me!”

“You will learn your place miko, now shut your mouth.”

“You don't get it!! Naraku is coming! GET OFF ME YOU IDIOT!!” she screamed. Hiei stared at the miko in surprise. How was it possible that she could sense that vile hanyou before he could? Moving quickly, Hiei leapt off of her and spread his senses out further. Sure enough, he could feel Naraku heading this way. Unsheathing his katana, Hiei waited for the hanyou to finally grace him with his presence.

Kagome leapt to her feet and stood behind the demon. This had to be the real Naraku because she could feel half of the jewel coming at them. If it wasn't for the large piece of the jewel he possessed, Kagome surely would not have been able to feel him coming from such a far distance. Not more than five second later, the evil hanyou himself appeared before them. His disgustingly proud smirk spread across his face.

“What do you want Naraku!?” Kagome growled, stepping out from behind the demon that kidnapped her.

“You know what I want little miko, so why don't you just hand over your shards.”

Hiei turned to stare at her in surprise. She has shards? How did he not realize that sooner?

“Over my dead body you twisted freak.” Kagome spat angrily. Naraku shook his head slowly.

“Dear Kagome, I was considering to spare your life but it seems I have no choice but to take it, along with the shards.” He smirked as a tentacle suddenly shot straight toward her. Before Kagome could blink, the tentacle was cut in half and Hiei was standing in front of her. Did he just save her?

“It would be in your best interest to stay out of the way hybrid.” Naraku growled toward Hiei.

“It would be in your best interest to leave the irritating miko along. Your fight is with me you disgusting half breed.” Hiei snarled.

“You have no room to talk forbidden, you do not belong in the living world.” Naraku laughed as he sent forth dozen of tentacles. Little did they know, while Hiei was occupied but Naraku, Kagura was sneaking up behind Kagome. The miko had no clue until she heard the wind witch speak.

“Dance of Blades!”

What happened next shocked everyone present. As if she had done it millions of times, Kagome pushed off the floor with her powerful legs into a back hand spring, effectively dodging Kagura's attack. After landing perfectly on her feet, Kagome stared at the ground in pure shock. What the heck just happened? Did she really just do that?

“I'm not sure how you did that miko, but I won't miss this time.” Kagura threw another attack toward the miko and Kagome froze where she stood. Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited for the impact, but none came. Slowly opening her eyes, Kagome saw that Naraku was fleeing once again, but this time sporting a deep bleeding wound. Kagura was right behind him.

Looking to where the wind witch's attack was supposed to hit her, she found the demon, bleeding profusely. He had thrown himself in the way of the attack. He saved her? Why? He fell to the ground before quickly loosing consciousness from the loss of blood.

Hiei woke to feeling something cold and wet on his forehead. His eyes flung open as he made to sit up only to be stopped by not only a burning pain, but also a pair of small warm hands. His attention turned to the owner of those delicate hands as she slowly pushed him back to lie down. He was quite surprised to see the miko sitting there next to him.

Looking down toward where he felt his pain, he noticed his shirt was missing and his wounds were cleaned and bandaged tightly. Turning his attention back to the miko, he watched in confusion as she rinsed the blood from her hands. He was surprised she was still here. He had expected her to run away since that was her opportune moment to do so. What confused him further was the fact that she had treated his wounds for him.

“Why?”

The miko turned to look at him in question, her bright blue eyes sparkling. “Excuse me?”

“Why are you still here.” He elaborated.

“You were injured. I wasn't going to just leave you there to die after you saved me.” She snorted. “Why did you jump in front of Kagura's attack?”

“You are more use to me alive.” He answered emotionlessly.

“Well same goes for you; you're more use to me alive. I mixed together a pain reliever because Kagura's attacks tend to get pretty deep. Your wounds are quite deep and they might hurt if you move around too much.” She explained as she sat next to him.

“Why would you go through all this trouble? Why not merely let me suffer?” Hiei asked. He was so confused. This miko was so odd and different it left his head spinning. He was a forbidden child, not meant to be cared for or worried over yet here was this miko, who was supposed to be a demon's worst enemy, going through the trouble of mixing herbs to be sure he didn't feel much pain.

“Because you protected me stupid. Is it that hard to believe that I helped heal you in exchanged for you saving me? Not to mention you could have killed me a long time ago, but you still haven't so you can't be all that bad.” She muttered.

Hiei stared at the miko as if she had lost her mind. He had only let her live because she was more use to him alive than dead and because of Youko's claim on her. If the miko was dead then there would be no point in Naraku coming after her because her power to see the shards would be gone. Not to mention Youko would be out for his life.

Kagome stared down at the demon. He seemed completely confused about something. Kagome felt a stab of guilt hit her. Naraku had called him a forbidden didn't he? Hadn't Sango told her something about forbidden demons? Oh yea, they were demons with opposing elements, like fire and ice or earth and wind.

According to Sango, most forbidden children were killed and hunted by both humans and demons alike, pretty much like hanyous but ten times worst. These forbidden demons had to deal with the pain of their opposing elements constantly fighting for dominance over the body. Kagome guessed that he was most likely fire and ice from how warm his skin felt when she was treating his wound.

That must be why he was so confused by her kindness. He probably hadn't ever been cared for in such a way and wasn't sure on how to react to it now. Kagome sighed quietly. The poor guy, he seemed all fired up and tough on the outside, but inside, his frozen heart yearned for someone to care. Kagome bet that he had an even harder life than Inuyasha did. He was probably fighting to survive throughout all his life.

Kagome shuttered. She couldn't even imagine how terrible it would be to be hated by every living thing in the world just because of the blood that ran through your veins. That's probably why he was so cruel and cold. Kagome stared down at the demon with a small smile.

“Could you at least tell me your name?” she pleaded.

Hiei stared up at the miko in complete confusion, but answered her nonetheless. “Hiei.”

Smiling, Kagome moved closer to the hybrid and lifted his head. She felt him tense as she rested his head in her lap and leaned her back against a tree directly behind her.

“Alright then Hiei, you need to rest. Ill stay up and keep watch.” She smiled.

Hiei stared up at her as if she had a second head. What was wrong with this miko? She was weird… beyond strange. Hiei wasn't sure how he should react, so decided since she had taken care of him for the time he was unconscious, that he could take a light nap to regain some energy so he could heal faster. Closing his eyes, Hiei fell asleep to the smell of cherry blossoms.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Are we almost there?” Shippo asked impatiently.

“Yes kit, Kagome is close.” Youko answered.

He could smell her amazingly rare cherry blossom scent growing stronger, but the smell of blood also increased the closer he got to the miko. Worry began to build as he neared his potential mate. All he could do was hope that Kagome hadn't been her usual stubborn self and pissed off Hiei because unlike him, Hiei would not hesitate to kill her.

Maybe Hiei was the one injured? That could be it too, but that meant that Kagome had been or still was in danger if the hybrid was hurt. There was the possibility that Hiei caught the scent of his claim on the miko and is keeping her under his protection, but why did he take Kagome in the first place?

Shrugging his thoughts to the side for the time being, Youko concentrated on locating his vixen and the kit's mother.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hiei woke with a start when his senses screamed danger was approaching. His eyes shot open and he was surprised to find the miko no longer sitting near him. Instead, she was standing in front of him with a bow, an arrow notched and ready to be fired. Was she protecting him? And where in the hell did she find that bow?

Speaking of the bow, did she honestly think that a measly arrow would actually kill a demon? Hiei was about to stand when he heard the miko order him to stay where he was in a quite stern voice. Hiei turned a glare up to the miko. Who did this wench think she was? Ordering him around like a child. He snorted and stood anyway, making a mental note to set that miko straight and make sure she knew where she stood when it came to authority.

Hiei only realized now how weak he was. He had lost a lot more energy than he first suspected. He was quite irritated when he found he could not spread his senses further to locate the danger. Reaching for his sword, he unsheathed it and stepped in front of the miko.

“Onna, that arrow will do nothing to protect you.” He snorted.

Kagome smirked as she lowered her weapon before moving to stand in front of Hiei again. As he was about to move, Kagome backed up so her back was barely touching the hybrid's chest. Smiling innocently, she bumped him with her backside. Hiei was pushed all the way back toward the tree he was resting under. Growling, he was about to beat the little miko when she suddenly tensed.

“MAMA!!!!” echoed through the trees as Kagome dropped her weapon. Hiei watched as she positioned herself with one foot behind the other, as if she were waiting for a large impact that she would need to prepare herself for so she would not fall. He was surprised when a red kitsune came rushing at her, jumping at full speed toward the miko.

Kagome giggled as Shippo collided with her chest. The kit hugged her as tight as he could, tears running down his cheeks. Kagome held him close before prying him from her.

“Shippo, how did you find me? Someone better be somewhere behind you. Everyone knows better than to let you travel on your own.” Kagome stated, her anger slowly growing.

“Calm down vixen. Did you honestly think I would let the kit off by himself?”

Kagome looked up to see Youko smirking in her direction. Too glad to see him to be angry, the miko ran at him, hugging him tightly.

“Well if you miss me that much…” Kagome suddenly found herself pressed against a tree, the notorious thief himself pinning her in place with his usual smirk on his handsome face. They heard a growl and both turned their attention to the hybrid glaring at Youko.

“Ah, Hiei, so nice to see you.” The kitsune grinned as he let the miko free.

“You know each other?” Kagome asked curiously.

“I could ask the same question of you and the fox onna.” Hiei growled. The hybrid wasn't sure why, but it angered him to see Youko all over the miko. He was confused on why he was growling as well. Why was he angry to find out the miko and fox knew each other and seem quite close? He had seen and smelt the claim Youko had placed on her, so why did it bother him? It didn't matter; he wasn't going to see the miko once she was of no use to him anyway right?

“It's a kinda long story of how we met.” Kagome smiled sheepishly.

“Well Hiei and I on occasion team up for raids.” Youko explained.

The miko nodded with a smile of understanding and Hiei was only more confused. This pure human accepted the fact that they were both thieves? What has this world come to? Has hell frozen over? Either the world was being plunged into complete chaos or he was just losing his mind. He never thought he would see the day that Youko would communicate with a mere human. A miko no less!

“Now Hiei, may I ask why you kidnapped Kagome?” Youko turned a questioning yet accusing stare toward his companion.

“”Naraku is after the miko's ability to see the jewel. The bastard stole from me.” Hiei scowled.

Youko chuckled. “Ah, I see. So you figure that if you have the miko then he will come to you?”

“Hn.” The hybrid snorted.

“I already told him that I'm not the miko Naraku is after. He's most likely after Kikyou.”

“Your incarnation?” Youko questioned.

Kagome turned a surprised look to the kitsune. “How did you know that?”

“Sorry Kagome…it was a long trip to find you and I got bored…” Shippo murmured as he pushed a rock around with his foot in shame.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “Well I guess sooner or later he would have to find out the truth. How much did you tell him?”

“Just about everything.” Youko answered for the kit as he turned his serious gaze toward the miko. “Why did you not tell me you are from the future?”

Kagome sighed. She could see Hiei staring at her in curiosity from the corner of her eye and she knew there was no way out of this one. “If Naraku were to find out that I'm from the future…he might try to find a way to get there.”

“But Kagome, no one but you and Inuyasha can get through the well.” Shippo piped up.

“We are not completely sure of that Shippo…remember when Inuyasha took the shards from me and threw me down the well to my time? I couldn't get back because I didn't have the shards.”

“So the jewel shards are the key to traveling back to your time?” Youko asked.

“I think so, that's the only way it has been working anyway.” Kagome pondered.

“This also explains those unusual yet delicious foods you have.” Youko mused.

“Yes, now can we change the subject? I'm not comfortable with talking about this…Naraku has many connections and could be listening to us.” The miko stated, her alert and slightly terrified eyes examining the surrounding area.

“Alright, let's make camp here for the night. Inuyasha and the others should catch up with us soon enough” Youko announced before disappearing into the darkness. He returned several minutes later with wood and a dozen fish. Kagome's eyes lit up with joy at the sight of the fish and sprung up from her spot near Shippo. Sitting next to Youko, she began cooking the fish after he started the fire.

Hiei stood to the side as he watched the miko and kitsune make dinner. It was quite obvious that the kitsune held affection for the miko. He was still confused as to why it angered him so. Trying to take his mind off of his anger, he thought back on his battle with Naraku. That's when he remembered what happened and turned a curious gaze to the miko.

“Onna, how did you….dodge the wind witch's attack?”

Seeing as she was the only `onna' present, Kagome figured the hybrid was talking to her. She thought back on what had happened and shrugged her shoulders. “I honestly have no clue. I saw the attack coming at me and it was as if instinct kicked in. I didn't even know I could do a back handspring.”

“Kagome, what's a back handspring?” Shippo piped up.

Kagome smiled down at her kit. “It's a flip that gymnasts do. It's kind of like a back flip, but you flip backward onto your hands and push off from your arms to land on your feet.”

“Could you show me?” he asked with pleading eyes.

Kagome shook her head. “If I could, I would sweetie, but I don't even know how I did it in the first place.”

“Seemed like you knew what you were doing when you did it.” Hiei snorted.

Kagome turned a glare toward him. “I already told you, I don't know how I did it.”

Deciding to change the subject before the miko got too wound up, Youko spoke a question he had been meaning to ask. “What is a Gymnast?”

“In my time, they are athletes that perform flips. It is a sport of balance and strength.” Kagome explained.

“Perhaps you were a gymnast in your younger years?” the kitsune supplied.

“I doubt it. I'm the clumsiest person you'll ever meet. I don't even remember my childhood that well anyway. I never really though about it but from about age 7 and earlier, I can't quite remember anything. But then again, barely anyone remembers that time of their life.” Kagome snorted.

Youko was about to object to her logic but decided to keep quiet for the time being. There had to be a particular reason she could not recall her childhood. Perhaps something had happened to her when she was young? He would probably never know, but something told Youko that Kagome either was or was training to become one of these `gymnasts' from her time. Glancing toward Shippo, he could see that the kit was thinking the same thing as he stared up at the miko.

“Onna, there has to be some explanation for how you performed that flip.” Hiei pushed, glaring at Kagome.

Kagome rolled her eyes. “I don't know ok?! If I knew, I would do that back handspring again.”

“Hiei, leave her be. Why don't we get some rest while we wait for everyone else to catch up?” Youko suggested

“Hn” was all Youko received as a reply as the hybrid moved to sit against a tree near the fire. It was quite clear that he was still in pain from his injuries and rest is all he needed to regain his strength. Turning his gaze to his potential mate, he frowned slightly. The miko was currently nestling herself next to the fire with Shippo cradled in her arms.

Standing from his position, the kitsune made his way over to the miko. Standing over Kagome, he stared down at her with hurt and disappointment shining in his eyes.

Kagome turned her gaze up toward the sky when a large shadow cast over her. Staring up into Youko's amazing golden eyes, she smiled. “Yes?”

“I refuse to allow you to sleep on the cold hard ground.” He simply stated before lifting her into his arms. Kagome panicked slightly for a moment and tightened her grip on the sleeping kit in her arms as Youko carried her over to a tree near the fire, across from Hiei.

She wasn't sure what he meant when he said that he wasn't going to let her sleep on the cold ground. There was nothing in the surrounding area that was softer than the ground. So what exactly did the kitsune have in mind? Kagome blushed darkly when Youko sat with his back against the tree and settled her in his lap, her back against his firm yet soft chest.

Looking up to him in question, he merely grinned down at her as his silky tail wrapped around her right thigh and he rested his arms across her waist. Kagome rolled her eyes but didn't complain. She had to admit that lying in his lap, leaning against his perfect chest was a thousand times better than sleeping on the forest floor.

Her gaze wandered over to the hybrid resting against the tree across their small camp. He always seemed so angry and cold hearted. Seeing as he was a forbidden child, Kagome figured he probably had quite a hard life… similar to Inuyasha's but most likely ten times worst. Hiei may seem deadly and cruel on the outside, but Kagome knew that somewhere deep down in that frozen heart of his, he yearned for affection… someone to love and care for him.

Her attention returned to Youko when his grip tightened around her slightly. She felt safe in his arms, as if nothing could ever harm her. Hugging Shippo close to her chest, she inhaled his delightful scent of burning leaves and sighed in contentment. Relaxing completely against Youko, Kagome let herself fall into a light sleep so she could produce energy for the day. She had a feeling it was going to be a loooong day once the irate hanyou found them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sango sighed as she stared down at the dark, almost black, Shikon shards as she tiredly followed the grouchy hanyou. They had been walking all day at a quite fast pace without any breaks. She was sure that Youko and Shippo had found Kagome by now, she wasn't sure how she knew that, but she just had a feeling her sister like friend was safe.

The slayer continued to stare down at the evil clouded shards that lay in the palm of her hand. She wasn't sure why, but for some reason she felt angry. Flashbacks of Naraku killing her family by taking control of Kohaku flooded through her mind as they traveled. Her mood was slowly darkening. Pushing back her anger, Sango clenched her fist around the tainted shards tightly, trying to calm her boiling blood.

Finally Inuyasha announced that he caught wind of Kagome's scent and she sighed in relief. Her relief was quickly dispersed once Miroku and Inuyasha quickened their pace. Glaring daggers at the backs of the two men, she ran after them.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kagome was pulled from the comfort of sleep when she felt two jewel shards headed toward them. She was about to stand and wake everyone when a pair of strong arms and a silky soft tail stopped her. Looking behind her, Youko was grinned down at her.

“Calm down, it's only the others.” He reassured.

Sighing in relief, Kagome relaxed back against Youko's firm chest and closed her eyes. She knew that if Inuyasha saw her like this, lying in Youko's lap, he would flip out but for some reason she didn't care at the moment. She was so comfortable and felt so warm and protected that she didn't want to move, even if she did have to hear an ear full from the irate hanyou.

Of course, just as she suspected, once Inuyasha cleared the trees and his eyes landed on her, he blew up.

“Wench! What the hell do you think you're doing?! First you let yourself get kidnapped without even trying to fight back and now you're giving yourself to the weasel?! You disgust me. I don't know how a demon could even want such a weak and pathetic human like you!”

Tears stung at Kagome's eyes as her body shook with her sobs. The miko was about to leap up and run off when Youko's snarl scared her stiff. Turning slightly, she could see that said kitsune was so angry; his eyes were beginning to bleed a red tint. Thinking that Youko would be the one to beat the living crap out of Inuyasha at the moment, everyone was shocked out of their minds when a large boomerang was suddenly rushing toward the hanyou. Leaping out of the way just in time, Inuyasha glared toward Sango.

“What the hell is wrong with you Sango?!”

The slayer merely glared at him angrily as she caught her large weapon and threw it at him once more. Miroku quickly moved away from the angry woman and slowly made his way to Kagome's side. Once he was near her, the miko looked up at him in confusion.

“I'm not sure what is wrong with Sango but she hasn't been herself all day. She's been…moody I guess you could say.” The mink explained.

“Maybe she is sick of listening to that damn hanyou insult Kagome and is trying to teach him a lesson.” Youko snarled angrily.

Kagome reached behind her and grabbed hold of the kitsune's hand. Holding it tightly, she turned a comforting smile up toward him before turning back to Miroku.

“I'm sure she will be fine. Miroku, could you give me the shards from the tiger demons? They need to be purified.”

“I don't have them…Sango has been holding onto them all day…”

Realization hit them like a speeding bus as panic flooded through them. Both Kagome and Miroku sprung up from where they were seated and turned toward the fight. After watching for only a few seconds, they could easily see that Sango wasn't just trying to hurt Inuyasha, she was trying to kill him.

“Miroku! You need to get the shards away from her! They must have possessed her or something.” Kagome explained quickly as the monk ran toward Sango. Unfortunately, it didn't seem that the slayer cared who was in her way because once Miroku stepped in front of her; she unsheathed her sword and began attacking Miroku.

Inuyasha sported quite a few of injuries already and was leaning against a tree, trying to regain some energy. “How the hell did she get so strong?” he panted as he watched the slayer attack Miroku without holding back.

Miroku was confused when he couldn't find the shards. They were no where to be found on her! He was skilled enough to dodge her attacks and sift through her pockets but not skilled enough to get out completely unharmed.

“Kagome! I can't find the shards!”

Confused, the miko concentrated on locating the shards. Once she found them, she knew it was going to be hard to get the shards back.

“Miroku! Get out of there! The shards are in her hand! They've imbedded themselves into her skin and are influencing her actions!”

“Then how the hell are we supposed to get the shards back?” Inuyasha yelled.

Kagome sighed and turned to Youko. He stared up at her in question as she placed Shippo in his lap and refused to look him in the eyes. She turned back around and before anyone could stop her, Kagome ran toward the fight. Miroku turned his confused gaze toward her, which she ignored. Moving quickly, Kagome grabbed Sango from behind and pulled her into a tight hug. Holding her tightly, the miko pushed her purification into Sango to purify the tainted shards within her.

Unfortunately, before her purification reached the shards, Sango had maneuvered her sword so that she stabbed it behind her, successfully impaling her sword deep into Kagome's stomach. Silence filled the air as Kagome's powers reached and purified the shards. Once they were clear of darkness, they removed themselves from Sango's skin and dropped to the ground.

Sango looked around in confusion. Everyone was staring at her in complete shock, unable to move. Looking down, she realized her sword was positioned in her hand in a way that confused her. What had happened? Pulling her sword, Sango's heart dropped into her stomach when she felt it stuck. Turning slowly, she almost fainted at the sight she saw.

Behind her, on the brink of losing consciousness, was Kagome. Her sword impaled deeply into her miko friend's stomach. Tears trailed down her cheeks as Kagome smiled up at her reassuringly.

“I'm fine Sango… don't cry.” Just as those last words left her lips, she fainted.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Youko stared down at Kagome in worry. Sango was able to pull herself out of her shock long enough to try her best to stop Kagome's wound from bleeding. All the slayer could do was wrap the wound tightly to slow the bleeding and the miko had yet to awaken. Being demons, Inuyasha, Shippo, Youko, and Hiei could easily tell Kagome had lost too much blood.

Oddly enough, Inuyasha and the others were so worried about Kagome that they didn't even notice, nor care who or why Hiei was there. The hybrid was slightly thankful for that because he wasn't in the mood to explain why he had taken the miko in the first place. Youko was seated on the ground, Kagome's head resting in his lap, as he stared down at her.

Inuyasha was sitting next to her, trying to think of what they could do to help their friend. Inuyasha knew very well that Kagome had lost far too much blood. They had been so shocked that it had taken them all too much time to react and stop the miko from bleeding to death. Now they were paying for their delay because Kagome was slowly dying.

Sango held her face in her hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she raked her mind trying to think of how to save Kagome's life. It was her fault….all her fault that Kagome was on the brink of death right now. There had to be something she could do to help her best and closest friend.

“Couldn't we just give her blood?” Shippo asked quietly.

“It isn't that simple Shippo…how would we get the blood into her veins?” Miroku asked no one in particular.

Sango suddenly sprang up from her depressed state and ran over to Kirara. “Kirara, I need you to carry Kagome and I to the well please?” the slayer asked quickly.

“Hell no! She isn't goin anywhere.” Inuyasha growled at Sango as she approached Kagome's prone form.

“Inuyasha, trust me on this ok? She needs to get back to her time. I remember her telling me about her grandfather having some kind of heart problem and he was rushed to something called a hospital. She told me about all the new technology they have there and I know that they will be able to heal Kagome.” The slayer explained as quickly as she could.

Before anyone could say anything, Youko stood and carefully lifted Kagome into his arms. He placed the miko on the fire neko's back before turning to Sango. “I'll be right below you.”

Nodding, Sango mounded up onto Kirara and requested the neko take flight. Once they were in the air, Kirara pushed to her fastest pace. Sango didn't need to look down to know that Youko, Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo were following. Never the less, she glanced toward the ground and was confused when she spotted the demon dressed in all black following as well.

She wasn't sure who the demon was, but she honestly didn't really care at the moment. That's probably why no one knew who he was or why he was even there in the first place. Everyone was so worried about Kagome that they didn't even acknowledge the unknown demon among their group.

Soon, Kaede's village could be seen in the distance and Sango looked down at Kagome. She was getting worst by each passing minute. Her breathing was very shallow and her wound was still gushing blood. Blinking back her tears, she moved quickly off Kirara's back once the neko landed next to the well.

Youko and the other demon arrived first, followed by Inuyasha. Miroku and Shippo were nowhere to be seen but that didn't surprise Sango seeing as the monk is human and wouldn't be able to keep pace with three other demons. She would have to go look for them later.

Youko was preparing to lift Kagome off Kirara when Inuyasha pushed forward and lifted the miko into his arms. Youko turned a hard glare toward the hanyou as he walked toward the well with Kagome.

“Shut up weasel. I'm the only one besides Kagome that can pass through the well. Everything is up to me from here on out.” Inuyasha stated before leaping into the well.

Youko glared angrily at the well. That damn hanyou wasn't sure if he was the only one besides Kagome that could pass through. Youko wanted so desperately to leap into the well just to prove that arrogant bastard he was wrong. Not to mention he could be at Kagome's side the whole time instead of having to sit here and do nothing. For the first time in a long time, Youko felt useless. He felt powerless.

The woman he had grown so fond of, maybe even grown to love, was far out of his reach in the time where she needed him the most. He could do nothing to help. All he could do is sit and wait for news of the mikos condition. Clenching his hands into fists tightly, Youko stormed off into the dense part of the forest to calm his raging emotions.

Sango sighed as she stared at the well. There was nothing more she could do. All she could do was wait and pray her dearest friend would recover. Looking back toward the way they had come, Sango got back onto Kirara and scratched her ear softly. “Kirara lets go find Miroku.” She smiled softly as the neko mewed and took to the skies.

Hiei stared at the well emotionlessly. He didn't even know why he followed these people. He knew that somewhere deep down, he was worried about the miko's well being but his pride wouldn't let him admit it to himself. Instead, he convinced himself that he was merely curious about how exactly the miko traveled from this time to hers so easily. Yes…that was the reason he followed. And he still needed to ask the miko several more questions about Naraku's whereabouts.

Deciding to stick around until the miko returned, Hiei leapt up into a tree, keeping the well in his field of vision, and decided to take a rest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It had been three days. Three days since Kagome had been admitted into the hospital. Three days since she had woken up only to realize that she was in a hospital bed. Three longs days of merely lying in bed waiting to heal. Kagome's mother was at her side almost all the time as well as her little brother. Her grandfather needed to stay home to care for the shine and Inuyasha occasionally stopped by to see how she was doing.

Kagome knew that the doctors were curious as to the reason she was healing so quickly. Not to mention how she received the wound in the first place. Kagome's mother had been witty enough to pull an excuse from the top of her head when the doctor had asked what happened. Her explanation was that her daughter was sent to the grocery store and was being harassed on her way back home.

Before she knew what was happening, one of the men had a knife pressed into her abdomen and stole all of Kagome's money. Kagome was still unconscious during the time her mom had presented this information so once she woke; Kagome was not only confused but also overwhelmed when her mom immediately told her what she told the doctor.

The miko didn't really mind the story, just as long as everyone believed it. Unfortunately, they had no excuse for her faster than normal healing. Thankfully though, the doctor didn't question it, most likely thinking that they held no knowledge as to the reason in the first place. It was three days. Three long and boring days. Three pain filled and experimental days.

Kagome had grown so bored that she eventually found entertainment in flexing and poking at her still quite fresh wound. It hurt like a bitch but the miko knew that when she was in pain, her healing powers kicked in. So in order to heal faster, Kagome made a hobby of purposely causing or bringing herself pain.

Finally when the fourth day rolled around, the nurses removed the I.V.'s. Kagome's mother was gone for the moment, saying something about going back to the shrine to make sure everything was alright. There were no nurses in sight, and the doctors were all busy with other patients.

Kagome stared up at the ceiling in boredom. Her gaze slowly but surely made it to the door. Debating whether she should or not, the miko stared at the door for several more seconds before throwing off her sheets. Moving carefully, Kagome stood from her bed and quietly left her room. She had to admit…it burned like no other to walk. Every step was like a hot iron was pressed against her skin.

But the miko knew that this was just what she needed. This excruciating pain was exactly all she needed to completely heal her wound faster. Kagome hated hospitals for all she was worth. They terrified her like no other. Hospitals were a place of death. Although it was also a place of healing, it was just one place Kagome did not enjoy staying. The main reason being that she wasn't like normal humans. She feared that if they figured out she was different, then maybe they would hold her here and study her….like some kind of animal.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Kagome carefully made her way down the hall. She wasn't even sure where she was going, all she knew was that she could smell food coming from wherever she was headed. That's the other thing she hated about hospitals. When you're a patient, they never really feed you any decent food. They mainly supply you with apple sauce and ice chips.

Excited that she would finally be able to have some real food, Kagome hadn't even noticed the large boy that was also not paying attention to where he was walking. The two collided without warning and Kagome fell to the ground on her back quite hard. Having the wind knocked out of her and immense pain surge through her body, Kagome squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth tightly.

“I'm so sorry miss, are you alright?” Kagome heard someone gasp.

“Of course she isn't you idiot, you nearly ran her over!” another voice said.

Opening her eyes slowly, Kagome focused her gaze on two boys staring down at her in worry. The large one that she presumed was the one she ran into had orange elvis like hair and soft caring eyes. The other had black slicked back hair and held himself as if he were tough and mighty. Shaking her head slightly to regain her bearings, the tough looking boy extended a hand toward her.

Smiling, Kagome took the offered hand and he helped her to her feet. “Thank you. I'm so sorry for running into you; I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. I just smelt the food and seemed to have a one track mind.” Kagome laughed

“Don't worry about it; it was the big guy's fault. He's too stupid to pay attention to where he's goin.” The boy snorted as he noticed her attire.

“You ape! She's a patient! What if you hurt her you imbecile!?”

“I didn't mean to run into her! I didn't see her!”

“It's alright, I'm perfectly fine…” Kagome smiled, trying her best to hide her pain. In all honesty, she was in such terrible pain at that particular moment, she wanted to just drop back to the ground and whimper in agony. Her pride forced its way to the surface and Kagome took a slow deep breath. She would not allow herself to look weak and pathetic in front of these boys, it didn't matter if she only just met them.

“Are you sure you're alright?” the tall boy asked, his face contorted in worry.

Kagome nodded, forcing a smile across her face. “Yes, I'm fine.”

“You need help back to your ro… oh shit! You're bleeding!” the dark haired boy gasped, staring at the stain of blood slowly growing larger on her hospital gown. Looking down, Kagome groaned and placed her hand over her wound.

“Great, not again.” She sighed as she gathered her gown and pressed it against her bleeding injury.

Yusuke stared at the beautiful dark haired girl curiously. Did she have some type of mental problem or could she just not feel pain? The girl was literally bleeding all over the place and she didn't seem to be too worried, she was actually the complete opposite. He watched her as she soaked up her blood with her clothing and glanced around briefly. Either she really was mental or she was one tough damn chick. Besides Keiko, Yusuke hadn't met a human girl that was so level headed when it came to blood and injuries. This girl was acting as if it happened often with the way she was just standing there soaking up her gushing blood.

“Miss, you're injury must have opened! We have to get a doctor!” Kuwabara panicked.

“Oh no that's not necessary, I'll be fine.” she smiled as she averted her gaze toward them. Yusuke nearly snorted when he caught sight of pain flooding through her blue eyes.

“Well then can we walk you back to your room? This big oaf will have a pissy fit all damn day if you don't.” Yusuke winked, smirking slightly at the blush that rose to her cheeks.

“Uh sure, thank you…”

“Yusuke, and this is Kuwabara.” He smiled and moved to walk next to her as she began leading the way to her room.

“I'm Kagome, its nice to meet you guys.” She smiled softly, though he could tell she was forcing it because once she finished speaking, her jaw clenched tightly.

Kagome tried her best not to show her pain as they walked beside her to her room. Her entire midsection felt as if it were on fire and she could tell the pain killers the nurse forced her to take were beginning to ware off. Pain shot through her entire body as she felt her blood tumble down the skin of her stomach.

“So, what are you in here for?” Kuwabara asked.

“She ain't in a damn prison you baka.” Yusuke snorted.

Kagome tried not to laugh because she knew it would hurt. Her stomach muscles tensing and contracting? Yup, definitely sounded painful to her. “I was on my way back home from shopping when a gang of boys attacked me. They demanded I give them all the money I had and when I refused, one stabbed me in the stomach. That's all I remember.”

“Damn cowards… only weaklings pick on defenseless chicks.” Yusuke snorted.

Kagome's mood darkened considerably after that comment. This jerk was practically saying woman were weak. “Well you guys should probably get back to visiting your friend. It was nice meeting you.” she dismissed with a slight edge to her voice.

“Yea, you too.” Yusuke muttered before pushing Kuwabara out of her room.

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A/N:

That wraps up chapter three Hope everyone enjoyed. Jeez that sure was a long chapter… anywho R&R!

Next Chapter - Chapter 4: Broken Ice