InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Waiting on a Wish ❯ Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

The day was beautiful--unseasonably warm, quiet, and calming. The early afternoon sun shone brightly, the trees in the park were green, and the walkways mostly empty of people, making their stroll all the more enjoyable.

And InuYasha was scowling again.

Kagome bowed her head, hiding her smile as the hanyou once again shoved Shippou from the top of his head. “I told you to get off, Shippou! You’re sitting on my ears!”

The smaller youkai landed lightly on his fox-feet, only to turn and jump back up to cling stubbornly to the thick material of InuYasha’s jacket. “But you’re not eating your ice cream, InuYasha. It will melt if you don’t hurry, and then it won’t be any good to anyone. You should just give it to me now.” He looked covetously at the cone in the hanyou’s hand.

Golden eyes narrowed dangerously at the kitsune over his shoulder. “This is mine. You already ate yours, so back off.”

“Mine was too small.”

“Yeah, well, you’re small.”

“But you’ll just waste it!” Small hands made a swipe for the cone.

InuYasha snorted, and held his arm out of the kit’s reach. “I paid for them, remember? It’s mine to waste if I want.”

“Kagomeeeee!” Big, pouting blue eyes turned on her when his grabbing didn’t work, begging for sympathy.

A giggle slipped through, despite her best efforts. Reaching over, she plucked Shippou from InuYasha’s shoulder. “How about if I share mine with you, Shippou? I don’t want anymore anyway.” Immediately amenable to the suggestion, Shippou took Kagome’s proffered cup and began scooping the strawberry cream onto his tongue with the tiny spoon.

InuYasha shook his head as he watched her stroll along, the little kitsune tucked within the folds of her arms. “Did we really have to bring him along?”

She gave him a mildly chiding look. “It was you who decided to come with us, remember? Besides, he’s been stuck in that house for two days now with all those sick children. He deserves a treat for being so helpful.”

Ignoring InuYasha’s grumbling “Feh”, Kagome kept walking, enjoying the faint breeze that filtered along the path they followed, listening only vaguely when Shippou started telling her how he’d helped Kaede the night before.

It was curious. For some reason, despite the uncomfortable incident that morning, she was inexplicably cheerful today--even through the hectic morning of examinations and herb and dosage discussions. Interestingly enough, InuYasha had actually been a huge help that morning--unwittingly, she suspected, as he hadn’t expected the children to be so awestruck by him.

True to Kaede’s prediction, several of the children had recovered at least partially overnight, and the orphanage had been greeted that morning with an energetic young horde, all demanding attention and food. Most of them, recognizing InuYasha from his previous visit with Kagome, had just shrugged off his presence at the breakfast table…until Shippou casually spilled the information that he was a hunter.

After that they hadn’t left him alone. He’d had a trail of children following him all around the house and garden for most of the morning, wanting to know what it was like to fight a real rogue. She pressed her lips together to suppress another grin. He really hadn’t known what to do with so many children all asking questions at once; it was amazing he’d kept his temper.

Still, their curiosity had kept most of them occupied long enough for her and Kaede to examine those still too sick to get out of bed. It was understandable, considering he was hanyou himself, and actually worked for the Alliance--which, of course, would fascinate any orphanage full of children, hanyou or no. Now they had demanded Kagome bring him back with her the next time she came to visit.

With a brief, exasperated twist of her mouth, she wondered if she’d be able to avoid going anywhere without him in the near future. He didn’t seem inclined to leave her alone for any length of time. He hadn’t even asked--not that she’d expected it--to join her and Shippou on their outing; he’d just come along. When she’d finished assisting Kaede earlier that morning, he’d been waiting for her in the kitchen with Shippou, the two of them having a somewhat strange discussion about ramen and ice cream.

She gave a little roll of her eyes. So, naturally, after a brief stop at her apartment, they’d ended up at first a ramen shop, and then an ice cream shop. Shippou, a constant presence on either InuYasha’s shoulder or hers since they left, had been alternating between serious conversation with the both of them and annoying the hell out of InuYasha. She was pretty sure he was doing the latter deliberately. She’d spent most of the last few hours wavering between irritation and laughter.

This little foray into the park had been at her insistence. She darted a covert look at InuYasha as he strolled along beside her. Her eyes softened, and a tiny smile curled the corners of her mouth.

Remarkable, the difference a night could make. Last night, he’d given her a glimpse of himself that she was sure he didn’t give many people. She was actually rather amazed that he had spoken so freely. Still, it had felt so natural, talking and sitting next to him in the dark. It was as if a bond of trust had already existed between them, just waiting for the right moment to surface and strengthen the tie drawing them together. Now, the deep, uneasy caution that had been guiding her actions so far had relaxed. Now…

She bit her lip. He was having the strangest effect on her today.

He kept distracting her. Every time she looked at him, she was suddenly struck with a distinctly feminine form of anxiety. Restlessness and excitement, weaving through her like tiny strings, would tug on her consciousness at the oddest moments, reminding her that she had little left to hide behind, and even less willpower to try.

He noticed her look, and raised an eyebrow in question. Fighting a blush, she looked away without a word.

Today was her day off. It was one of the few days where she didn’t have any obligations to be anywhere or see anyone.

And he knew it.

He’d asked her, before they’d left the orphanage this morning, when she had to be at work today. Without thinking, she’d replied that she didn’t, and in the following silence, they’d stared at each other. He’d gotten this look in his eyes, a subtle flash of acknowledgement and intent, before he’d simply nodded and turned away. Just the thought of that look had kept her in a state of agitated awareness for most of the day, even as she felt a curious contentment at being able to relax and spend time with him.

How could she feel so safe and so defenseless at the same time?

She sighed. He’d been having the strangest effect on her since she met him. Never in her life had she reacted like this to anyone. It was as if her hormones had been waiting specifically for him before kicking into overdrive--karmic payback, she supposed, for scoffing at her friends back in her high school days as they’d sat around dreamy-eyed over boyfriends and crushes, yearning for some weird storm of passion that would sweep away all common sense. As a teenager, she hadn’t believed such a thing really existed.

Well, she believed them now.

She just wished she understood why he’d fixated on her. It couldn’t be a normal reaction--Miroku or Sango would have warned her by now if this was something he did often.

She frowned as a thought struck. It wasn’t because…it wasn’t because she’d saved his life, was it? She immediately cringed away, disturbed by the very idea. Gratitude for doing her job? Some kind of obligatory thanks? Such a fleeting, hollow reason…it would be horrible if that was the situation she found herself in. She could never accept it.

“Kagome? What’s wrong?”

She blinked, coming out of her thoughts with a start. “What?” InuYasha was staring at her. She blinked again. So was Shippou. She’d been so caught up in her musings that she’d slowed to a standstill in the middle of the path. Now they both wore identical expressions of concern on their faces.

Shippou tugged on her arm, the tiny spoon still tucked in his mouth. “Are you ok, Kagome? You’re not getting sick, too, are you?”

She must look pretty upset for them to seem so worried. She blew out a breath and covered her pensive expression with a smile. “I’m fine, Shippou. I’m just…thinking about work. Nothing to worry about.”

“Oh. Ok.” Shippou seemed to accept that answer readily, and with another covetous glance at InuYasha’s cone, went back to scraping up the last of her ice cream. InuYasha gave her a measuring glance, but fell into step beside her without a word.

After another sideways glance, she swallowed the brief spate of panic. No. She didn’t believe it. Using what was between them as some sort of thanks…as some sort of unusual compensation? That kind of insincerity didn’t fit with his personality. In fact, it felt like some sort of betrayal to even consider that he would.

So why did she feel like she was missing something important?

She drew a deep breath, filling her lungs with air and let out another sigh. Thinking about the situation was getting her nowhere, and giving her a headache besides.

“Would you quit it?” InuYasha spoke up again, and this time he sounded irritated.

She looked over at him again to find golden eyes focused on her, black brows tensed into a mild frown. “Whatever it is, it’s just making you upset. I can smell it, you know--you’re just working yourself up, and it’s starting to bother me. Walking in the park was your idea, so quit worryin’ already and enjoy it.”

For a moment, she just stared at him, eyes wide, lips parted slightly in surprise. He stared right back, disgruntled frown still in place. Then Kagome’s surprise turned into a genuine smile, and she nodded. Satisfied, he started walking again, turning his attention back to his cone just in time to catch another bit of vanilla cream before it dripped to the ground.

Shippou sat quietly in her arms as Kagome matched his pace, head tilted up as he watched them both closely, a shrewd glint in the blue eyes. Surreptitiously, his hand slipped into his pocket.

“I talked with Kaede this morning.” The softness of her voice, even more than the words she spoke, pulled his gaze back to her. “She’s pleased that I’ve finally decided to resume my training.” She gave a little roll of her eyes. “We’ll be altering my schedule at work accordingly, and starting next week, I’ll be training at the orphanage at least a couple times a week.”

“Keh.” He grunted, then shrugged, but didn’t manage to hide the brief flicker of relief in his eyes. “Good. One less thing for me to worry about.”

She gave him a curious look. “InuYasha?”

“Hmm?” He still didn’t look at her, concentrating on his now rapidly melting ice cream.

“Why do you--ah!” She yelped abruptly as her next step landed her on something that rolled out from under her, taking her foot with it. She stumbled forward, losing her balance as the toes of her sandals scraped along the concrete. Realizing that she couldn’t stop herself, she twisted mid-fall, attempting to turn so that she wouldn’t land on Shippou.

She didn’t get the chance.

Her forward motion stopped as an arm slipped around her waist and she was yanked back to press full-length against the stabilizing warmth of another body. The back of her head come to rest on a chest, and she blinked, momentarily disoriented by the sudden halt.

She felt a sigh stir her hair, and couldn’t help her startled jump when his voice growled into her ear. “Idiot. Watch where you’re going. You could have been hurt.” His breath tickled her ear, and a shiver quaked along her spine. He paused, then added in a gentler, more tentative tone, “You’re…not hurt, are you?”

Speechless at finding her body overwhelmed by his for second time in one day, Kagome shook her head. He hesitated, responded with a sound similar to a wordless “oh”, then fell quiet. He made no move to release her, and Kagome didn’t even think of suggesting that he do.

It felt good to be wrapped up like this. She could feel the rhythm of his breathing all along her back. The arm pressed around her waist was pleasantly heavy; his other arm wound up her side to grip at her shoulder, trapping her arm against her body. She couldn’t see his expression, but she could feel his head resting against hers. She felt a slight shift when he buried his nose into the strands of her hair.

Her own breath was coming in brief, shallow puffs, and when she felt his head bend a little closer, felt his mouth move down towards her neck, her eyes drifted shut, and her head titled accommodatingly. Her hand dropped to rest against the sleeve of his jacket; her other hand came up to clasp at the fingers covering her shoulder. She brushed at them with her fingertips, noting that the skin between them was still cold.

She frowned.

The fingers on both her hands--empty hands--flexed. She noticed the strange absence of the air in front of her body.

Wait a minute…. Where’s…

“Shippou!” Her eyes snapped open and her head jerked upright with a gasp, smacking into the nose still nuzzled in her hair. They both winced at the contact, and InuYasha stumbled back a step, clapping a hand over his nose with an indignant, muffled “Ow!”

Kagome gave him an apologetic look, but her attention was elsewhere. “Where’s Shippou?”

Concerned, she glanced around the area of the park where they’d stopped. Trees scattered sporadically on either side of their chosen path, casting pale, dappled shadows on the manicured grass. Up ahead, the concrete walkway split off into two different directions. In between where they forked, a large stone water fountain, surrounded by stone benches, sparkled and bubbled cheerfully in the bright sunlight. Somewhere among the trees, birds could be heard, and off in the distance, the muffled sounds of the city tried to intrude. It was a beautiful area of the park.

Shippou was nowhere to be seen.

Slightly frantic, Kagome turned back to InuYasha. “Where did Shippou go?”

He was staring down blankly at his empty hands. “Where the hell did my ice cream go?” He looked up, then around the path, eyes narrowing when he spotted something of interest. He picked it up and sniffed at it, then presented it to her with a disbelieving look.

Kagome blinked at the small, carved toy snake in his palm. “That’s…Shippou’s. It’s one of his favorite toys. He’s always playing with it.”

His expression immediately darkened. “I knew it! That damn little brat!” His hand clenched around the toy and he turned to yell. “Oi! Shippou! Give me back my ice cream! Don’t think I’m going to let you get away with this. Hey! Are you listening? I can track your scent, you know.” His scowl deepened. “Damn fox. You could have hurt Kagome!”

Kagome stared, wide-eyed, at InuYasha as he growled threateningly, glaring at first the trees, then the fountain. The image of him snarling at the foliage struck her as odd, and she clapped a hand over her mouth. A quiet snicker escaped, intruding on his furious rant.

One of his ears twitched in surprise, and his mouth snapped shut. He glanced back at her. She gasped into her hands again, trying to contain her laughter, but it spilled over as soon as she caught a glimpse of his bewildered expression.

He stared. Her eyes sparkled with laughter over the cover of her hand, and after a moment, a tiny smirk softened his mouth. “Keh. Just what are you laughing at? You do realize he planned for that to happen, right?”

She was still distracted by her mirth, or she never would have asked such a silly question. “For what to happen?”

He didn’t like that answer, because his eyes widened, then narrowed again. “You need me to remind you already?” He stepped right up in front of her, the intent to do so clear on his face.

She choked, sucking in a breath as she took a hasty step back. “N-never mind.”

He let her go with a snort, then dangled the pliable toy in front of her face. “That little…he knew I wouldn’t let you fall. He meant for us to get distracted so he could steal my ice cream.”

She frowned. “Meant for us to…” She glanced around again, then colored brightly with realization. “Oh.” Public path, public park, Kagome. “No.” She let out a quiet moan. They’d been about to…in the park…where anyone could see….

She hadn’t even noticed. She shook her head, pressing her fingers against her forehead. What is wrong with me?

He lowered the toy, rolling his eyes at her embarrassment. “He jumped out of your arms almost before you started to fall.” He sighed, looking annoyed. “Tch! dammit, that was my ice cream.” He eyes scanned over the park once more. “I’ll make you regret that, Shippou! You hear me, you little thief?”

He still stood close, only a few inches from actual physical contact of their bodies. Kagome closed her eyes and sighed. She started to back away, then checked herself, casting a worried glance around them. “Well, where is he? We can’t just leave without him. We still have to make sure he gets back to the orphanage all right.”

InuYasha shrugged and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He started walking, resuming his stroll down the concrete walkway. “Tch. Don’t worry about that little runt. He didn’t go far. He’ll probably reappear as soon as he finishes my ice cream.” A slight growl underlined that last sentence.

She gave him a questioning look, but followed. “So we should just wait for him?”

He shook his head. “Why should we? He’ll come find us.”

“Hmmm.” Her eyes narrowed at the fountain ahead of them. She reached out and tugged on his sleeve. “Lets take a rest on one of those benches. He can find us there.”

His eyes fell to the hand curled in his jacket, but he let her pull him along, voicing only a token objection. “We don’t have to stop, you know. If he’s not here before we want to leave, I can just sniff him out.”

She smiled and shook her head. “No. That’s not why I want to stop. It’s beautiful today. We should sit and enjoy the nice weather before it gets too--”

He stopped, bringing Kagome jerking to a stop with him as he pulled up short behind her.

She turned, but her question faded in her throat as she noticed his ears perk alertly. He frowned, then took a half-step forward, lifting his face to search the sky, nose quivering as he sniffed the air. She watched quietly for a moment, wondering what in the world had caught his attention. “Did you find Shippou?”

He blinked, then muttered a curse. His hand suddenly slipped from his pocket and grabbed at her wrist. “Come on.” Before she could say anything in response, she was being dragged along the path at a much faster pace than they’d set before. She had to speed up to a jog to keep up with his longer strides. “InuYasha?”

“There’s something I’ve got to do.” He didn’t look back at her, but he sounded grim.

Confused by his answer, and mildly concerned by the sudden change in mood, Kagome followed without objection.

He didn’t stop when they reached to fork in the path, but dragged her halfway around the circular fountain. “Shippou!” He stopped in front of one of the benches. Eyebrows raised, she watched him glare at the empty seat. “Hey! I’m talking to you!”

When nothing happened, he mumbled another curse and kicked at a large, round stone hidden in the shade underneath the seat. She blinked. She hadn’t even noticed it until just now. With a soft pop, and a loud wail, the stone vanished in a puff of smoke, and in its place, Shippou appeared, glaring at InuYasha. He rubbed at his head, remnants of the stolen ice cream cone still in hand. “That hurt!”

“Hah! You’re lucky that’s all you got!”

Blue eyes spotted Kagome. Darting out from under the seat, he jumped into the protection of her arms. “Don’t let him hurt me, Kagome. I’m just a kid.”

She frowned down at him as he snuggled against her elbow. “Shippou, that was a nasty trick you played on us, just to steal his ice cream.”

“But--”

“I don’t care about the ice cream.” The both looked up at the curt interjection.

Shippou stopped hiding long enough to look skeptical. “You don’t?”

InuYasha scowled at the kitsune, but shook his head. “Forget it. I have something more important for you to do.”

Somewhat surprised, Shippou blinked, the blond poof of his tail waving curiously. “Really? What is it?”

InuYasha looked over his shoulder toward the end of the path on the right, then back at them with a tense sigh. “Something’s come up, and I have to leave--now. I need you to make sure Kagome gets back to the orphanage safely. Can you do that, Shippou?”

Shippou nodded solemnly. “Of course. You can leave it to me. I’ll protect Kagome no matter what.”

InuYasha nodded, then looked back at Kagome. His expression was still set in tense lines, his golden eyes serious. “Go back with Shippou, and stay there until I come to get you.”

She frowned at him. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

He hesitated, then shook his head. “Nothing. I just have to go do something. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done, so stay with Shippou.”

“But…” He was looking over his shoulder again. She drew a deep breath, then sighed. “Ok. Be careful.”

He gave her a short nod, then took off running, disappearing around the fountain and down the path that branched off the main one. She stared after him for a moment, then looked down at Shippou. “What was that all about?”

Shippou shrugged. “Who knows?” He eyed the tiny bit of edible cone left in his hand. “Maybe he remembered something he forgot to do because he was with you all night.” He popped the bit into his mouth with a crunch. He swallowed, then looked up. “He said he’d be back soon, though, right? Why don’t you wait until he gets back and ask him again?”

She looked uncertain. “You think he’ll tell me?”

He nodded. “Sure. Especially if you won’t kiss him again until he does. He really likes kissing you. I can tell.”

Unfortunately for Shippou, his offhand comment served to remind Kagome of his recent indiscretion. He suddenly found himself in the regrettable position of being on the receiving end of her best glare. Unable to escape the grip of her arms, he could only tremble as she turned and started walking, her expression growing more ominous with each step. “Shippou? We need to have a little talk about pranks in public places.”

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The orphanage was quieter than normal when they finally returned from their outing. According to Kaede, it was because most of the children were actually down for a nap. Having such an energetic morning so soon after being sick had sapped most of their collective strength, and they’d each fallen asleep at individually favored spots of play around the orphanage. Smiling, Kagome and Shippou joined in, helping Kaede hunt them all down and transfer them to their various futons. After which, Shippou--having consumed a full bowl of ramen, and three helpings of ice cream--decided that a nap didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

With a brief reminder to Kagome that she was “supposed to stay here,” he curled up on Kagome’s favorite chair and was dozing within minutes. Kagome went to check on Mrs. Hashimoto, whose fever seemed to have come down a bit, then joined Kaede in the kitchen to help her shell peas, happy to just sit and talk after such a full day of activity.

Thirty minutes and one speech on the importance of concentration and meditation later, the loud peal of the telephone cut into their conversation, surprising both women. They looked at each other. Thanks to the invention and wide-spread use of cell phones, hearing the home phone of the orphanage actually ring was a rare event. So rare, in fact, that Kaede had considered having it disconnected more than once.

Kagome frowned at Kaede, who was already setting her tea to the side. “Would you like me to answer it?”

Kaede shook her head, already pushing herself up from the cushion she’d been sitting on. “No need. I own the building, don’t I? I may be old, but I am perfectly capable of answering a phone.” With a bit of effort, she stood and disappeared out into the hallway, where the nearest phone sat on a small table.

I wonder who it is? Kagome’s nimble fingers split open another shell, brushing out the peas before tossing the empty husks into the growing pile. She listened absently to the low murmur of Kaede’s older voice as she greeted the caller. Probably just some salesman or something. No one who had any actual business here ever used the house phone.

Not that she wasn’t grateful for the brief respite. Apparently, approaching Kaede this morning about resuming the spiritual training had given the older woman incentive to talk freely about it at any given moment. She seemed determined to pound as much information as possible into her in the shortest amount of time. She’s probably afraid I’ll change my mind, she admitted ruefully. Already she was mentioning cutting back a day on Kagome’s schedule at the clinic to devote to actual lessons and practice.

She sighed, wondering if it was really worth it. It seemed odd to her that so many people seemed to have such an interest in a talent that she showed no signs of possessing. It just didn’t make any sense. Then again, recently, not much did.

“Kagome?”

“Hmm?” At the sound of Kaede’s voice, she looked up to find the older woman standing expectantly in the doorway. “What is it?”

“Is your phone malfunctioning?”

“Malfunctioning?” Her brow furrowed at the unexpected question, and she glanced around until she spotted her purse on the counter by the sink. She got to her feet and walked over to rummage through the small bag. “I don’t think so. Why?”

“Because that call was for you. It was from the clinic. They said they’ve been calling you for over an hour now.”

Kaede’s informative statement came on the heels of a cloud of dismay as Kagome found her phone and flipped it open--only to find herself confronted by a blank, lifeless screen.

“Oh, no.” She drew in a sharp breath and pressed the power button. Helplessly, she watched the phone light up, and multiple message notifications pop up on her welcome screen. Aghast, she turned her gaze on Kaede. “I forgot! I turned it off last night to save the battery because I forgot my charger. It’s been off all day.”

Agitated at her irresponsible lapse, not even bothering to check the messages, she dialed the clinic. Her foot tapped out a rhythm of impatience as the phone rang in her ear. Finally, a young male voice picked up, sounding harried and out of breath. She didn’t even let him finish his greeting. “Eishi, this is Higurashi. I just got--”

“Dr. Higurashi! Where have you been? It’s been over an hour now. Dr. Hiraga’s furious that you haven’t come in yet. We’re desperate!”

She almost dropped the phone. “What? Come in? But today’s--”

“It doesn’t matter what today is! You have to get over here now! We--” A confusion of voices in the background cut him off. After a moment, she could hear him mumbling indistinctly.

Kagome blinked at the phone. “Eishi? What--”

“Dr. Hiraga says to come in now. I’m sorry Higurashi, I don’t have time to talk. Do your best to get here quickly.”

“But--” She winced at another loud jumble of voices, then the tone went dead. She clapped the phone closed and whirled to snag her purse off the counter, berating herself both silently and aloud. “There’s some kind of emergency at the clinic. I can’t believe I forgot to turn on my phone! I’m such an idiot!”

Kaede looked concerned. “An emergency? Do you know what happened?”

“Mm-mm.” She shook her head, already dashing out the door. “All I know is that Dr. Hiraga is very upset with me, and Eishi is very busy. Tell Shippou that I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

She was gone before Kaede could say anything else.

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Some fifteen minutes later, her first sight of the building she worked at stopped her dead in her tracks. Her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open.

The parking lot in front of the clinic could only be described as hectic at best. Cars parked haphazardly in spaces where they were supposed to be straight. An unusual number of people scattered about the courtyard, some sitting dazedly on stone benches, most pacing or talking with varying volumes on phones or to other people. The ambulance bay had two of the flashing vehicles parked near the entrance, back doors flung open--and as she stood motionless, another came screaming in, pulling up behind the first two. Several medics emerged from the back and rushed a patient-bound gurney inside.

What in the world…

Unconsciously, she started running, thankful that her skirt was loose enough to allow freedom of movement; her sandaled feet made hard, jarring smacks against the concrete of the sidewalk as her legs stretched to cover more ground. She hit the doors just ahead of a dazed-looking older couple, yanking the mirrored glass open, only to stagger to a stop just inside the waiting area. Her lips parted, and she sucked in a stunned breath as her eyes swept across the room.

The older couple brushed past her without a word of acknowledgement.

The confusion outside was nothing to the turmoil within. The waiting room was swollen, crammed full with wounded and crying humans and youkai. Every seat was taken, every body was injured.

Directly to her right, a young mother held her toddler in her arms, trying to comfort the small child as she held a bloody cloth over a large gash rending the little girl’s thigh; to her left, several men had grouped together some chairs to help support their dislocated limbs and compound fractures as they waited treatment. Everywhere, similar actions were repeated, with only the symptoms varying. Everyone was covered with dust and debris; every face held the dull, glazed-over appearance of post-traumatic shock.

Wherever she looked, torn flesh and bone greeted her. All over the room, blood coated clothes, tracked across dust-covered skin, and dripped from open wounds and extremities. Lacerations, vomiting, broken, crushed, and displaced bones--every injury she’d ever studied or treated was displayed before her eyes. The sobbing and screeching of agony filled the air, almost drowning out the more significant sounds of utter chaos from beyond the reception desk, as the medical personnel stretched their limited resources in an attempt to help the most critical patients first.

Her peaceful little clinic had suddenly turned into a war zone.

She’d never seen so much suffering in one place before. Kagome’s fingers tightened on the medical bag she’d grabbed on her way out the door, and she swallowed, trying to dispel the sudden thickness knotting in her chest.

Something terrible had happened.

Casting several more helpless glances over the crowd, she made a dash for the back, searching for the nearest familiar face. From the flurry of activity in the halls, it looked as if every staff member employed by the clinic had been called in--and with good reason. They’d never had so many patients.

She dodged quickly as one of the nurses almost ran her over as she pushed an old man in a wheel chair….Kagome swallowed again. He was moaning quietly, holding the mangled bits of bone and tendon that had once been his right hand on a blood-soaked pillow in his lap.

All these people…so many hurt. For a moment she just stood there, biting at her lip as dread struck like lightning, forming a cold, hard ball in the pit of her stomach. By…what?

Miso ran by with a load of bandages in her hand. “Miso!”

The nurse stopped, then whirled. “Kagome! Where have you been, we’ve been calling you for hours!” Kagome opened her mouth to explain, but Miso shook her head, cutting her off. “Never mind. Hikaru has been making the rounds in the lobby. She has a list of the most critical still waiting.” She gestured with her chin. “If you could, start with helping her narrow down some of the patients in there.” A scream of pain echoed from the back. “We already have our hands full back here. Thanks!” She was already half-way down the nearest hallway as she finished.

Kagome gave a moue of frustration. “Miso, what happened?”

Miso just gestured distractedly and disappeared around a corner.

Kagome turned and located Hikaru, kneeling by a young boy, a cat youkai, who had blood coating the side of his face and soaking into his clothes. It had layered so thickly that the side of his face appeared black. Alarmingly, his eyes kept drifting shut, even though his frantic sire was trying his best to keep him awake.

Frowning, Kagome got to her knees next to the frazzled-looking nurse, and unzipped her bag. She sent a quick glance at Hikaru. “What happened? Why are so many people hurt?” The only thing she could find was cleansing wipes, so she took a few out and started clearing the area around the wound.

Hikaru watched anxiously as the layers of blood squicked away, revealing matted hair and a jagged cut running along the boy’s skull. Blood welled steadily from the swollen edges of the cut, covering the wound again immediately after each pass of the thin cloth--it was going to need stitches. “You haven’t heard? A rogue attack in Roppongi. Some giant youkai is rampaging through the area, knocking over buildings, killing whatever it finds alive.” She cast a concerned eye over the boy’s father, a small, mild-looking youkai with glasses who looked decidedly green after seeing his son’s injury.

Kagome’s heart gave a deep, terrified thud as her breath caught in her throat. Her hand froze on the boy’s forehead. “What?”

“They say it’s huge, so big that it’s already knocked down several buildings. It’s not the only one in the city, either. Several smaller ones have come in with it. Already, the news is saying that this is the worst rogue attack in at least fifty years. The victims from the wreckage alone are in the hundreds. The hospitals are overloaded, and several of them have been rerouting their wounded to us and any other medically equipped facilities in the area.”

The sick feeling that had been teasing at the pit of her stomach for the past few minutes gave brutal twist, and her whole body went numb. She felt her eyelids tremble as they attempted--and failed--to blink. “And…the hunters are fighting them.”

Hikaru, busy with her clipboard, failed to note the faint, highly controlled quality of Kagome’s voice. “All the hunters the Alliance have at their disposal. They’ve been at it for a few hours now, but that big one is still knocking down buildings. Several of them have already died, I hear.” She gave a frustrated shake of her head. “What is the Alliance doing, anyway! Aren’t they supposed to protect us from…from,” her free arm swept across the room filled with terror and misery, “well, from this?”

Kagome wasn’t listening. She swiped away more blood, set the over-saturated cloth aside, and grabbed a new one, trying desperately to fight the anxiety threatening to throw her thoughts into disorder.

The reason for InuYasha’s abrupt and hasty departure earlier this afternoon was now perfectly clear. He’d heard something, seen something--knew somehow that there was danger and went to investigate. He’d sent her back to the orphanage because he’d been reasonably certain she’d be safe there. And right now, he was out there, fighting some terrible….

A loud boom distracted her from her thoughts, and she jumped. The child’s father winced, and she bowed her head in apology. Twisting around, she darted a quick glance behind her to see what the sound had been--and abruptly stilled.

Someone had thought to turn on the waiting room’s lone television, on the wall in the corner, and the news coverage filtered over the random noises of the wounded. A strange calm--a suspended quiet--seemed to fall over the waiting area as everyone turned to stare.

She forgot about her patient. She forgot about the others in the lobby. Instead, she stared in mesmerized dismay as live images from Roppongi flickered across the screen, where some foolhardy news reporter with a helicopter had decided to fly as close as possible to the destruction.

It was almost surreal, like a scene from one of the old Godzilla and Mothra movies that were constantly playing on late-night re-runs. With much better special effects.

It was still too early in the day for a nightspot like Roppongi to have that many people--but the afternoon sun showed clearly that the district was in ruins, spattered with fire and littered with broken bodies and rubble, following the path the rogue had carved on it’s rampage. Huge chunks of concrete, and twisted hunks of metal that used to be cars, lay scattered across the roads. The flashing lights of police vehicles dotted the scene, and the occasional, faint popping sound of gunfire could be heard in the background.

The youkai was huge--as tall as several of the smaller, multi-storied buildings--and fierce. Its purple skin rippled with muscle as it stepped forward on two legs, swinging powerful-looking arms through the district, sharp claws striking at anything in its way.

From the wobbly, overhead view of the camera, figures that could only be assumed to be the hunters darted around the giant, attacking from various angles. They looked like they were trying to herd it, the various physical and magical attacks all coming from one side, beating the massive body in one direction. The rogue was smarter than it looked, and it easily dodged the attacks the hunters threw at it, while using its brute strength to retaliate. On one particularly nasty exchange, a blow from the large hand sent several of the figures hurling into the side of a nearby dress shop in an explosion of debris and smoke.

Her eyes strained in their attempt to penetrate the screen. She tried to make out shapes, faces, costumes--anything that might tell her if her friends were among the hunters attempting to destroy the large rogue.

A large, pale boomerang ripped through the air and tore into the rogue’s arm.

Her eyes widened. Sango! The beast staggered, and the thin purple head went back as a roar echoed, revealing a row of sharp teeth. Just as quickly as it was hit, the rogue turned and struck out at the attacker--a tiny, blurred figure crouched low over a large feline shape--hovering in the air a small distance from its elbow. Kirara! The blow struck, and the hunter and her youkai companion went down.

Kagome flinched, biting down on her tongue until she tasted blood. With a brilliant orange flare, the pair recovered, flying quickly out of reach, and out of sight of the camera.

A chill shuddered along Kagome’s spine even as she breathed a sigh of relief. Something that big shouldn’t be able to move that fast!

Frantic now, she searched for something else familiar in the confusion of drooping, crumbling buildings and hunters. She was sure Miroku would be there--he would never let Sango fight something so monstrously dangerous on her own--but where was InuYasha?

Her fingernails cut into her palm and she silently cursed the camera crew. Damn them! Can’t they get any closer? The reporter off-camera wasn’t any use either, simply recapping vocally the information that the camera was showing.

She couldn’t see, couldn’t make out anything. Was he alright? He was, he had to be. She tried not to think about the fact that Hikaru said some were already dead…. He was far too strong to be dead….

“Dr. Higurashi! Dr. Higurashi! Please Dr. Higurashi, the boy is unconscious now!”

The alarmed tone of Hikaru’s voice cut through the looming hysteria of her thoughts, and her attention snapped back onto the youkai child in front of her. Her eyes widened to see him slumped back, while his father frantically shook him, trying to wake him up.

With a calming gesture, she stopped the shaking and felt for a pulse. Relieved to find it faint but steady, she turned to Hikaru. “Go find a gurney or a table. Since it’s not closing on its own, we need to stitch this wound now.” Hikaru opened her mouth to protest, but Kagome cut her off sharply. “If you can’t find a gurney, then get me some supplies and we’ll do it right here. You know which herbs I use.”

With a nod, and a hesitant glance around the room, Hikaru got to her feet and hurried off.

Kagome looked at the boy’s father, whose features were haggard with worry, despite his obvious attempts at composure. “He’ll be all right. We just need to stop the bleeding.” The older cat nodded his head gratefully, his shoulders drooping slightly as he subsided, cradling his son in his arms.

Kagome’s hands dropped into her lap, and she twisted the blood-slick digits around each other. Her lips compressed tightly. The television was still on in the background, and at each new explosion of sound, she suppressed another wince.

In her mind, she could almost see him dodging in and around the wrecked clubs and hotels of Roppongi…using that strength of his to propel out of the way of an incoming swipe of those deadly-looking claws…maybe getting hit…maybe fighting anyway, despite being wounded and bleeding.

What if he was really hurt? What if he needed help? Would he get it in time? Another scene flashed through her mind, this time of the first time she saw him--How many days ago was it? Do I even care anymore?--lying almost dead on an operating table in the back. Sango’s words from that night echoed through her head.

I couldn’t even drag the stubborn ass out here until he was unconscious. He kept insisting he was fine.

Her breath hitched, and she surged to her feet, frantically looking for her medical bag. What in the world was she doing here? Who would help him if he was hurt? He just would be the kind of idiot who refused medical treatment…

“Dr. Higurashi, all the beds are taken. I brought you the supplies you requested…but I know what to do, and there are so many out here. If you want, I can stitch and dress the boy’s wound and you can help someone else.”

Kagome stared blankly as Hikaru came running up, arms filled with extra bandages, boxes of gloves, and several other items for treating wounds, including her herbs. For several moments, she stood in the quiet chaos of the room, barely breathing, fighting a battle with herself.

More than anything else, she wanted to leave, to go find InuYasha and see for herself that he was at the least still breathing. Realistically, though, she knew she probably wouldn’t be able to get anywhere near the rogue, and that even if she could, she would only be putting herself in extreme danger--something he would definitely yell at her for later…if he were ok to find out about it.

“Dr. Higurashi?”

Honestly, how could she expect to find him? It wasn’t as if Roppongi was a small area, and there were other rogues in the city that someone had to be dealing with.

Then she shook her head. No, he’d be around the big one. He’d be fighting the giant rogue. He’d be fighting beside Sango and Miroku. She knew it. They were all in danger, and she was sitting here, doing nothing. The impulse to run, to go and--somehow, someway--help her friends was overpowering.

“Dr. Higurashi!”

It wasn’t the nurse’s yell that finally brought Kagome out of the confused depths of her mind, but the tiny moan that issued from her young patient’s throat as he shifted on his father’s lap, still unconscious. Her unblinking gaze focused on the dark, viscous fluid that still oozed freely from the boy’s head. A few chairs down, the little girl she’d noticed earlier started screaming again. In the back, the sudden, distant drone of a flatline was immediately followed by yelling and activity.

Gods.

So many wounded, so few to help.

She blinked, then drew a deep breath as she turned to Hikaru, gesturing behind her while she spoke. “Go help the little girl who’s crying--it looks like she needs stitches too. I’ll finish this, then we can start on some of the others out here.”

Helplessly, she sank to her knees as Hikaru gave a short nod and divided up the supplies. The nurse moved the small distance to the little girl, and Kagome clenched her teeth firmly on her tongue, slipping on a pair of gloves before she turned to the boy and his father.

She was desperately needed here; she couldn’t leave. She’d just have to trust in her friends’ abilities. They’d been doing this a long time. They would be ok. She would believe that. She would have to, if she intended to make it through this mess.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At around twelve-thirty the next morning, the hunters finally succeeded in defeating the rogue. The patients in the lobby saw it first, live on the television. Someone started a victory cheer that swept through the clinic until it hit the operating room in the back where Kagome was assisting Dr. Hiraga--their most skilled and experienced surgeon--with a young woman who had been impaled on a pipe. At the loud cry, both doctors looked up, and Eishi stuck his head through the operating room door to deliver the news as he passed by.

With restrained smiles all around, the small, makeshift operating team returned to their procedure. With a deep sigh, and a retained sense of distress, Kagome turned back to Dr. Hiraga’s directions.

News of the rogue’s defeat, after countless hours of treating the wounded and dying at a mind-numbing pace, it was just what the staff at the little clinic needed to survive the next few. Already, the extreme volume of people had begun to thin as the hospitals began to catch up, and the more stable were sent home to make room for the critical, relieving the smaller medical facilities in the area that weren’t equipped to handle such emergency cases.

Thankfully, the crisis had begun to pass.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ < p>

At three-thirty, after almost ten hours of working non-stop on her feet, Kagome was finally able to take a break. The only thing on her mind at that point was sitting down somewhere, so after getting a well-deserved cup of very bad coffee, she made her way into the waiting room. Finding a seat near the television, she massaged at the ache along the base of her neck as she anxiously searched the rogue coverage for any sign of her friends.

At three-forty-five, Dr. Hiraga found her slumped over in her chosen seat, head resting against an open palm, eyes closed, breathing even. The coffee sat untouched in a Styrofoam cup near her feet. “Higurashi!”

She woke with a start, almost falling over the side of the chair as her head slipped off her hand. Catching herself on the arm, she looked up at the senior doctor, blinking owlishly. Her first mildly panicked thought was that someone was in need of immediate medical attention. “Dr. Hiraga? What’s happened?”

The portly older gentleman gave her a narrowed, appraising look. “Go home, Higurashi.”

She blinked at him again. Go home? “But…”

The doctor shook his head. “Just go home. You’re exhausted beyond the point of being any help if we have another emergency. The rest of us can take care of the minor wounds. Go home and rest.” He paused. “And take tomorrow off as well.”

She sat straight in her chair. “Dr. Hiraga--”

“I won’t hear arguments. You were supposed to have the day off yesterday. You’ll take it today. A well-rested physician takes better care of patients than an exhausted one. Go home. Rest.”

She stared at his already retreating back. Nice thing for someone who spends half his life drunk to say. She sighed. That was unfair. Dr. Hiraga--despite his disagreeable habit of carrying small bottles of sake in several pockets at once--was at his exemplary best in an emergency. Tonight had been no exception. Occasions such as these served to remind everyone why Kaede kept him around.

She slumped over for a moment. She didn’t want to go home. Going home meant having the time to think about something other than her patients. Going home meant having nothing to dwell on but possibilities. She’d been effectively avoiding that for most of the night.

Swallowing, she glanced at the television. Footage from earlier, when the rogue had gone down, successfully contained within Roppongi, played across the screen. In this clip--farther away than the previous live shots--Kagome couldn’t find any indication of any of her friends. In fact, it looked as if very few hunters remained to fight the rogue.

As she watched, the large purple youkai, bloodied and battered from hours of fighting, but still looking fierce, was suddenly hit with a mysterious wave of energy. Kagome blinked, awed by the brightness and the power of the blast. It swept across the screen, covering the rogue completely, the force sending it flying backwards into what looked like an expensive hotel. She winced as the resulting crash took out almost an entire block of bars and restaurants.

The most amazing things were the following clips--close-ups of the decimated youkai as it lay amongst the crumbling remains of a once-bustling district. Kagome couldn’t prevent her gasp at the sight. Whatever had finally taken out the rogue, it had left very little of the actual body…and had been powerful enough to carve several deep grooves into the ground before it hit its target.

According to the reporter voicing over the clips, the name of the hunter responsible for the take-down had not been released by the Alliance. Also, although the largest part of the threat had been eliminated, several smaller rogues were still being hunted down in the area. All citizens were urged to exercise extreme caution.

Then, they cut to the casualty estimates. Millions in damages. Thousands injured. Hundreds dead.

Fed up with news reports, Kagome yanked her eyes from the screen and swept them across the waiting area. People still sat scattered in among the empty chairs, but the huge surge of wounded was gone now. The few that remained had minor injuries at worst.

She jammed her palms into her eyes, suddenly fighting tears. She’d really been hoping to stay until…well, until he came for her. It was the best way she knew to cope with the anxiety, the fear that he was mortally injured. She was positive he’d show up as soon as he was able.

The fact that really bothered her--like a gnat constantly buzzing at the back of her brain--was that the rogue had been defeated several hours ago…and he still hadn’t appeared to make sure she was safe.

The muscles in her chest clenched, then twisted painfully. If he was alright, if he was uninjured, then where was he?

Unable to sit any longer, she surged to her feet, swallowing the ache in her throat as she headed for the break room. Numbly, automatically, she signed herself out and grabbed her purse, which someone had thoughtfully tossed in here with all the other abandoned personal belongings of the night.

Outside, she paused, staring into the darkness beyond the yellow lights in the parking lot. All night, she had been one step from running out the door, one step from abandoning her patients and responsibilities in favor of searching for someone she barely knew, yet felt a deep terror of losing. It had been so close.

And now…she didn’t know where to go.

Rummaging through her purse, she pulled out her cell phone and started dialing. First Sango, and she got a voice-mail with Sango’s voice promising to call her back. The same thing resulted from her try at Miroku’s number. After leaving calm-as-possible messages on both, she hesitated only a moment, then called up the newest number in her phone book.

InuYasha’s number was no longer in service.

Slapping the phone closed, she threw the useless thing back into her purse in a fit of temper, then sighed, more upset with herself than anything else.

Suddenly, the demands and stress that had supported her throughout the night vanished all at once; the adrenaline-laced tension that had kept her going, kept her in such a heightened state of awareness was simply gone. In their place, she was hit with a bone-deep weariness and an inability to properly order her thoughts.

Everything, all the emotions she’d been fighting all night, came crashing in on her. Every crushed limb or punctured lung…the anguish each time someone had died on the operating table in front of her…every horrifying vision of InuYasha, or Miroku, or Sango in their place flashed through her mind.

Suddenly, she was both physically and emotionally exhausted.

A thick knot of wild, impossibly tangled emotions churned in her gut, making her feel sick. I’m cold, too, she added silently as her palms rubbed at her bare arms. She was trembling; she wouldn’t be at all surprised if she was suffering from some form of shock.

She sighed. She had two options. She could return to the orphanage, where InuYasha was likely to look for her first…when he could, if he could…. Or she could go home and try to rest, try to recover some of the equilibrium the night had drained from her.

Impulsively, she turned towards the orphanage. The only thing she really wanted, even now, was to see him, to touch him and know for sure he was ok. But…

She stopped.

She was a wreck right now. She knew it. She hadn’t eaten or slept--or really even ingested any liquid--for more hours than human beings should go without those things; and all the while, she’d been pushing her physical and emotional limits to the max. Those facts, probably more than anything else, were contributing to the disturbed, almost panicked state of her mind.

Drawing a deep, meditative breath, she held it in her lungs, then blew out her mouth. It was almost four in the morning. Everyone at the orphanage would be sleeping, and who knew what kind of warding spells Kaede would have up.

Besides…for once in her life, she just couldn’t deal with children.

A shower would be nice, though. A long, hot shower. Considering the amount of blood and other internal fluids she’d dealt with in the past few hours, she definitely needed it.

Allowing her traumatized mind a partial shut down, she turned again and made her plodding way towards her apartment, ignoring the chills that walking alone sent along her back. As she turned onto her street, she noticed the street lights were off, and all the apartments in view were dark. Which meant she probably had no electricity.

Great. So much for a hot shower.

Strangely enough, it was the prospect of no hot water that finally allowed her tangled emotions dominance. As she climbed the stairs, the ache built rapidly, pushing tears to the back of her eyes, threatening to release them before she was ready.

She did her best to ignore it, chalking up the over-emotionalism to pure fatigue and anxiety. InuYasha was strong--strong enough to earn Sango’s respect. He was fine. She was positive. Absolutely.

But she was fighting a losing battle.

Clamping her teeth down on her lip, she held it all in, promising herself a good cry the minute that she was safely encased in the security of her bed. After the hellish night she’d just had, she deserved some form of release. She needed it.

She was already digging through her purse for her keys as she hit the second floor landing. Since the lights were all out, the outside walkway was dark, with too many shadows for her tired eyes to see much. Rather than strain them, she just stumbled along from memory, blindly feeling for the keyhole almost before she got to her door.

She barely noticed the faintest shifting of clothing behind her….

…until a rough, very familiar voice practically barked at her through the darkness.

“Kagome! What the hell did you think you were doing, leaving the orphanage like that? I told you to stay put didn’t I?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N : Yeah! My first cliffy…sort of. How’d I do? This would have been out faster, but you know what they say, “the best laid plans of mice and men” and what not. Mums the word on the next chapter, except that it’s already in the editing stages. Writing is so much fun. ^_^

A kiss and a hug for blackberry, for getting this back to me so quickly, and for being such a wonderful beta in general (and for putting up with my ranting about life. It’s amazing she hasn’t told me to shut up already. O.o).

As always, any feedback is appreciated. I love to hear from you guys.

Cheers, ~Quill