InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ In Fate's Hands ❯ The Halfling ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: Inuyasha and its characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi. Not me. Blah, blah, blah.

In Fate's Hands - Chapter Two

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The Halfling

"Remember that promise."

That voice… that soft, sweet voice.

"Remember that promise."

He was suddenly awake, and aware… he had a feeling he was shut up in a cold, dark room with no light permeating through. There were no windows, no doors. Or perhaps there was, but he couldn't see it anyway.

It was as though those soft, tender words were a key. They materialized into one. It lay, heavy in his hands, made of pure gold and giving off a faint glow. This tiny luminescence already provided him enough light to see the door. He stepped forward triumphantly, turned the key in the hole. The door burst open, the room was flooded in bright, glaring light…

"Remember that promise…"

It hurt, this sudden bright light.

"…Inuyasha."

That word escaped his lips as a sigh, a soft whisper, before he could stop himself.

"Kikyou."

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Kagome beamed at the shopkeeper in her usual way. The shopkeeper grinned back foolishly and scratched his head as the girl in the school uniform literally bounced off, a packet of candy in her hand. She stuck her hand in, bringing one chewy, sugar-coated sweet out of the packet, and popped it in her mouth. "Mmm!" Halfway towards the elevator she caught the disparaging glances of the hospital attendants and hastily stuffed the packet into her skirt pocket as much as she could. She wasn't going to make the same mistake as earlier. Imagine what would happen if Higurashi Kagome burst into the ward in a similar fashion, waving a packet of so-called 'unhealthy' candies above her head?

Kagome could not help wondering what had caused such a huge uproar back in the ward. She had nearly shut the door and re-entered the ward back then, when someone had said those two words, "He's awake!" But something made her leave the ward instead of stopping to see what was going on.

It couldn't be… or could it?

In TV serials, people usually awoke from their comas after their loved ones sat next to them, held their hands and spoke to them.

Why would that patient awake all of a sudden, after lying comatose for months and months, on such an ordinary day in the hospital ward?

No… was it such an unordinary thing for people to rise from that permanent sleep?

She found she was just making herself more and more confused with thoughts like that swirling around in her head. Besides, he was not related to her in any way at all - why was she even bothering about him?

Kagome walked slowly down the corridor, then stopped in her tracks, and blinked. Doctors and nurses swarmed in and out of the ward that Ayumi was in. When Kagome thought the coast was clear, she walked straight up to the door, reaching towards the door handle - but an elderly nurse nudged her out of the way. "Visitors are not allowed at this point of time," she informed her sternly before she entered the ward. Kagome caught a glimpse of what was going on before the door shut again in her face - a group of doctors and nurses were crowding around the bed that was next to Ayumi's.

So… it's happened after all.

Kagome sighed, walking over to one of the benches placed alongside the wall, and sat down on it.

She wasn't sure how long she had waited. The large group of doctors finally emerged from the ward, looking hassled and bewildered as they straightened their ties and spoke to one another in tones of amazement. Kagome wondered if it was alright to go in, and went up to the door again, her hand resting against the handle…

"Excuse me."

Kagome jumped, and hurriedly opened the door to enter the ward, holding the door open for the doctor. He swept into the ward, not seeming to mind her presence, so she shut the door quietly and walked slowly up to Ayumi's bed, her eyes fixed on the bed next to hers. There was only one doctor, the one who had entered the ward after her, and two nurses standing around the patient. They seemed to be strategically positioned, to block the view of him from her.

"Keh! I told you, I'm fine, and I want to get the hell out of this place!"

Kagome blinked. She would never have expected that from a person who had just awoken from a coma.

What a violent, bad-tempered guy.

"What's happened?" she mouthed to Ayumi, who in turn shrugged. Kagome timidly went over to Ayumi, drawing in a quick breath as she finally caught sight of the patient. He didn't look like he had just spent a year or so in slumber at all - his eyes were narrowed, his fists clenched, and he barely took notice of her as she sat down beside Ayumi, and instead continued arguing with the two nurses, who looked like their patience was wearing thin.

Kagome remembered what she was there for, then, and in one swift motion, pulled out the packet of candies and thrust it into Ayumi's hand, hoping that the nurses were too preoccupied with the patient to pay any attention to her. "All yours, Ayumi," she said.

Then she turned back towards the patient, and found a pair of yellow eyes staring right into hers.

She could not decipher what expression lay in those eyes, but it took her breath away.

Idly she found herself wondering how he had gotten eyes like that. Or hair like that. Or a face so intriguing.

His lips parted, and he said wonderingly, "Kikyou?"

Kagome blinked.

"What?"

He went on staring at her.

"Kikyou… is that you?"

She swallowed. "I'm - I'm not Kikyou."

"Yeah, nice joke."

"What?" Kagome shook her head disbelievingly. He had obviously mistaken her for someone else. Perhaps that coma had affected his mind. "I told you, I'm not Kikyou!"

His eyes narrowed. "If you're not Kikyou, then who are you?"

"I'm Kagome. Ka - go - me!"

He didn't respond to what she said, only screwed up his eyes and stared even closer at her. Kagome felt extremely uncomfortable under his scrutinizing gaze. Then all of a sudden he took his eyes off her and laughed softly to himself, a smirk curving his lips.

"Of course! Kikyou wouldn't have hair as messy as yours, or an expression as stupid as yours. Kikyou was prettier, and more intelligent-looking."

Then he turned away, still laughing to himself. The doctor, Ayumi, and one of the nurses now carried identical bewildered expressions on their faces - except for the old nurse which had stopped beside his bed earlier, before his revival. Kagome could have laughed if this wasn't about her. A hot flush stole up her neck, as she stared back at the patient, who was now picking his fingernails.

That was… so offending!

Kagome went on staring, wide-eyed, at the patient, and then turned her back on him.

Who… who is this Kikyou? Why… why do I remind him of this person?

"As I was saying, old folks, I want to get out of this place. Now."

The doctor raised a hand. "No, you still have to stay in here for at least another day. We have to put you under observation…"

"Baka! I told you that I'm perfectly fine! I was just sleeping. If it hadn't been for that what's-her-name making such a huge racket…"

The horrified expression on Ayumi's face made Kagome stifle her laughter despite the fact that she had just been terribly humiliated. She spun back towards the patient as she heard mention of herself again, eyes narrowed. The patient was deliberately looking in another direction, as though the sight of her was unbearable. As though the sight of her brought back memories too painful for him to bear…

"Inuyasha."

Was that his name…?

"My name is Kaede," the nurse with the eye patch spoke, very matter-of-factly. "Please address me as that from now on. I am guessing that you have no idea that you have been asleep for one year, ever since you were beaten up after your expulsion from your previous high school…"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes.

"One year…?!"

"Yes."

"What the hell? Why are you talking to me like you know me?!"

"Of course I do. I am Kikyou's older sister, after all. She has spoken to me a lot about you."

He felt as though something had slammed right into his chest. He could hardly breathe as Kaede spoke so calmly right in front of him.

"How can that be? You're an old hag. Kikyou is seventeen!"

Kaede inclined her head slightly. "Kikyou is my half-sister. I was a teenager when she was born. She grew up under my care. She comes over here to Tokyo very often. She has visited you once before - did you not feel her presence then, Inuyasha?"

It was driving him nuts, this talk about Kikyou. Kagome could see that Inuyasha was seething, on edge, ready to explode. But it seemed, too, to have temporarily silenced and subdued him. He was lost in thought now, eyes closed, head turned away from the rest as they stared at him. His arms were crossed. As minutes passed without even a whisper from this individual, the ward broke out in whispers. Inuyasha's eyes snapped open again as he heard something perfectly audible about him stray past his ears, but the murmuring stopped as soon as he shot them a deathly glare.

"Your name is Kagome, am I right?"

"Huh?" Kagome looked up, to find the old nurse walking with her down the corridor. It was late; and she had to get back home. Besides, the visit to Ayumi had turned out unlike what she had expected. It wasn't a very pleasant experience, and she somehow found herself hoping above hope that she wouldn't have to face him again. But something in the back of her mind said she would. After all, she would be visiting her friend again tomorrow.

"You look a lot like my sister."

"I could tell."

Kaede's eyebrows were knitted as she into the elevator with Kagome. "Kikyou was a prefect of her high school. She bore witness to him attacking someone in public. Inuyasha blatantly denied this, and thus he was expelled. He got into another fight later on, and ended up with injuries serious enough to land him in hospital with a coma."

Kagome wondered why Kaede was telling her about this; it had nothing to do with her. She could not help being intrigued by these facts, though. So… of course Inuyasha hated Kikyou, for doing that to him. It explained why he had stared at her so incredulously. Obviously he would never have expected his worst enemy to be stuck in the same hospital ward as himself. He was dangerous, too… "Attacked… someone?"

"He got into a fight," was all Kaede could say.

"Oh. Is he always starting fights, or something?"

Kaede glanced sharply at her, and Kagome wondered at that. "Who knows?"

Kagome blinked. "Then… Do I have to be on my guard when I visit Ayumi tomorrow?"

Kaede finally turned fully towards her, just as the elevator reached the ground floor.

"I think not, Kagome," the nurse spoke. "It might do Inuyasha good if you went to speak with him occasionally."

A/N: Another day, another chapter. Phew. My eyes hurt now, though; I've been staring at the computer screen for way too long, trying my best to complete this chapter. What do you think about this chapter? I think it was better than the last one. ^^ Please review! Constructive criticism, too. No flames, please.