InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ 28 Days ❯ Let it Snow ( Chapter 10 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: RozeFire 
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.11.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 3.1K | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: InuYasha Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Romance / Drama / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 02.11.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 4.3K | Visits: 3.1K | Status: Completed
AN: I'm in such a festive mood because it's almost Christmas! Yay! But I haven't done my Christmas shopping yet because I've been so busy... ¬_¬ Blame my boyfriend (which is another big Yay!) but my friends have currently been using the term 'a boyfriend isn't for life, just for Christmas' - they reckon I'm just using him to get rid of my stalker (remember him?) I still got him *sigh*
Anyway, sorry about the continuing delays but I'm now exam free and I don't feel so stressed ^_^ So hopefully I should update more often. (I keep saying that don't I?)
28 Days
Let it Snow
< br>
"It doesn't work if you don't say anything, Shippo." Kagome told him lightly, gently bouncing a blue balloon on her lap.
Shippo looked lost.
"Ok - shall I show you how to do it?" she asked him as she slipped onto the floor to sit facing him.
He nodded in response.
Kagome quickly looked around the children's ward and noticed, with a smile, that most of the children in the ward were now listening with a rapt attention. Well... she wouldn't be hanging around here forever so she might as well blow her pride out of the water.
She slowly exhaled before lifted the balloon to her mouth and quickly sucking in the helium within. She paused a few moment, holding her breath as she felt something funny happening to her throat. After a moment she grinned and chirped out. "Does anyone know the chipmunk songs? Because this would be the perfect time to sing one."
The other kids burst out into laughter, including Shippo who seemed to have temporarily forgotten his miserable mood. "Let me try!" he giggled, holding his hands out of the balloon. Kagome handed it to him carefully, whilst humming strangely with her high pitched voice.
"Wicked!" Shippo squealed when he was topped up on helium.
"There's no change with you!" A girl with ghastly burns to her arms and throat giggled. "Can I have a go?"
"Sure, Mayu, they're your birthday balloons." Kagome handed her a fresh balloon from the bunch that had been tied to the end of her bed.
It wasn't long before everyone was pretty much gassed out.
All the way down in reception, Aki was still reading her new found book when Miroku arrived. "You seen Sango?" he asked pointedly.
"No - but she's coming in later." Aki pointed to Miroku's schedule board without looking up. "For her surgery."
"But her appointment was two hours ago!" he pointed out.
Aki blinked up at the board. "Oh yeah... guess she isn't turning up then."
"Damn..."
Aki narrowed her eyes at him. There was mistletoe hanging over the desk right between them and nobody was around. Normally Miroku just homed into mistletoe around Yule time, meaning he must really have something on his mind to distract him from a bunch of leaves. "Don't worry, I'll call her later and see what she's up to."
"No, it's ok, I'll call her." He shrugged.
"You sure you have her number?"
He just looked at her flatly.
"Never mind." She went back to her book.
"Do you hear that?" Miroku suddenly asked.
Aki listened... "It sounds like... a bunch of squirrels are singing Barbie girl."
They listened for a few moments before Miroku shook his head, obviously assuming he was going crazy. "You stay there, I'll go find Inuyasha."
Aki just nodded, though she didn't expect she'd have to sit there too long. A few of the other nurses were saying that Kikyo was back.
^_^
"Aki... what are you reading?"
She held up her book to the approaching Doctor Inu. "Little Women. I just found it lying around - do you know whose it is?"
"Probably one of the patients..." Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Has Kagome been past - she needs her dose."
"Um... nope." Aki shook her head. "But have you seen Kikyo? Me and the girls have been looking for her but she doesn't seem to be hanging around here. Do you know where she is?"
"Yeah." Inuyasha looked unusually solemn when he nodded. No smirk, no annoyed scowls or frowns... in fact he looked fairly schooled in his expression. "She's a little bit ill so she's been looked at by Doctor Fei."
"Doctor Fei?" Aki dropped her book into her lap. "Not serious is it?"
"Uh... not sure yet." He frowned slightly as he rummaged through his inbox on the desk.
"Why is Doctor Fei looking at her?" Aki asked.
"Girl things."
"Ah..." Aki knew that Doctor Fei was a Gynaecologist, so naturally they were probably very serious girl problems.
"Any messages?" Inuyasha swiftly changed topics.
"Yep - one from your landlord - he says he knows you have a hamster in your apartment, don't try and hide it."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Next."
"One from your mother - she says she hopes you're wearing clean-"
"Tell her for the love of god 'yes'!" Inuyasha clenched his fist around a form. "Couldn't she ask me that face to face?!"
Aki shook her head with a light smile. "And the last one is from your brother."
"What does he say?"
"You're going to die."
"Ok... never mind..." Inuyasha shook his head and grabbed some files. "I'll just take these so it looks like I'm doing something."
With that he turned and headed past the waiting room down another corridor.
"Hey Dogtor!"
"Busy!"
He sped up a little as he rounded a corner, but stopped suddenly when a strange sound reached his ears. He frowned slightly... Had the Christmas elves gotten themselves drunk and ended up in hospital?
He followed the sound, till he came to the children's ward and pushed the door open.
There on the floor sat Kagome and several small children belting out the chorus to 'Rudolph the Red Nose reindeer' in very strange voices. He stared in stunned silence before clearing his throat. "Kagome!"
She stopped singing at once and looked around at him. She quickly cleared her throat and spoke in a slightly normal voice. "Oh hi! Just thought I'd keep Shippo company down here."
Inuyasha's gaze fell on Shippo who grinned sheepishly. "You! You said you weren't coming back!"
"Yeah - well my pen broke!" he shot back, eyeing the purple one in Inuyasha's pocket. "But if you give me that one I'm sure I'll look after it better."
"No!" Inuyasha clapped a hand over his pocket protectively and looked back at Kagome. "Come on, we have to go back to your room."
"But we're having fun!" Kagome protested, her voice fairly normal now. "And I'm babysitting Shippo!"
"Well he's safe here - come on!" He went forward and crouched beside Kagome to take her arm.
Without warning Shippo jumped forward and stuffed the nozzle of a green balloon in Inuyasha's mouth, releasing the Helium at the same time. Inuyasha gasped and batted it away quickly, but it was a bit too late.
Kagome looked delighted. "Say something!"
"no!" he squeaked and the children practically fell over in fits of giggles. Inuyasha wasn't in the mood for this, so he just decided to shut up and haul Kagome after him.
"Shippo," Kagome called over her shoulder as she tottered after the doctor. "You stay here - I'll tell your mom to pick you up here, ok? And don't overdo the helium!"
"Please say he'll be gassed and dead by the time she arrives." Inuyasha muttered in a voice slowly returning back to normal.
"That's not very nice, Inuyasha." Kagome frowned. "You have a serious problem with that patient."
"Yeah, he has the problem of being a pain in the ass."
"His dad abuses him."
Inuyasha stopped dead and turned on her. "What?" he frowned at her. "That better not be a joke."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Kagome folded her arms seriously.
"I suppose he 'told' you this." Inuyasha snorted. "That kid fakes anything. He can talk - he just chooses not to. And he can spin lies too just to get your sympathy."
"He didn't tell me anything."
"Then how do you-"
"He chooses not to talk at home because he's scared!" Kagome interrupted shortly. "When his mother dropped him off, she offered to take him back home to his father - but he all but screamed to stay here. I'm not blind, I know he doesn't talk at home because his father must threaten him."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes sceptically. "That's just like you - to make snap judgements based on tiny little hints. You've probably got it all wrong!"
"You'd assume the same if you'd seen him at the mention of his father!" Kagome suddenly clasped her hands together. "Please - don't send him back home without telling his mother about what's going on. She hasn't noticed - but don't let him go back into a house like that!"
There was nothing Inuyasha wanted more than to send Shippo away... but he wasn't a complete sadist. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll tell Aki to talk to Mrs Kitsune when she arrives - Now will you just go back to your room and wait there for me to give you your dose!"
"Fine - no need to shout." Kagome said defensively.
"I am not shouting!" Shouted Inuyasha.
Kagome just narrowed her eyes and turned to stalk off down the corridor. Inuyasha watched her flatly for a moment before calling out. "You're room is that way!" he pointed down the corridor behind him.
Kagome turned slowly, narrowing her eyes further. "I knew that... I was just... stretching my legs."
She flounced past him with a certain degree of dignity, before he sighed and went off to reception to speak to Aki.
^_^
After speaking lengthily with Aki about Shippo's little problem, he turned to head back to Kagome's room. Or at least he would have if Sango hadn't chosen that moment to come in.
"Where've you been?!" he suddenly burst out. "Miroku's been worried sick about you - he's been calling your house five times every minute - what's the matter with you?"
"Jeez... it was just a traffic jam." Sango sighed. "No need to blow the volcano at me."
"You were supposed to go under an hour ago, ya know." Inuyasha glanced at his watch. "You can't just turn up unexpected and demand surgery."
"I'm not demanding anything!" Sango huffed. "I was just late because there were elf slavery protesters on the tracks of the tube - no one was going anywhere."
"Elf slavery protesters?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her.
"People protesting against the labour of elves under Father Christmas." Sango nodded, before seeing him snort. "I'm NOT making that up!"
"Whatever. You still want the operation?" he asked.
"Yes, please." Sango smiled happily.
Inuyasha beckoned her over and grabbed some forms from out under Aki's elbow. He just pointed to the places where she had to sigh. "Sigh here, here, here, here, there, no - there! Here, here and... you're done."
"But what about the rest of the stuff I have to fill in?" Aki asked, as Inuyasha hastily swiped his purple pen back from her.
"Aki will fill that in, won't you girl?" Inuyasha dumped the papers in front of Aki and started frog-marching Sango down the corridor. "You know the way to surgery?"
"Yeah, it's just down-"
"Good - you go meet up with Miroku, if he's not too busy and I'll go check on Kagome."
"But-"
"Busy!" he yelled as he all but ran off.
It was lucky he ran because he just reached Kagome's room as he was just beginning to leave. She didn't see or hear him coming as she carefully closed the door behind her, and so naturally jumped out of her skin when Inuyasha slammed a fist against the wall and barked in her ear, "Where do you think you're going?!"
"Don't DO that!" Kagome yelled back, holding a hand over her heart as she tried to catch her breath. "Do you do that to all your patients?! Try and give them heart attacks?!"
"Just the ones who try and run away!" he retorted.
"I wasn't 'running away'!" Kagome clenched her fists. "I was coming to find YOU actually!"
"Pull the other one."
"I was!" She folded her arms. "What's taking you so long? I might have been in a coma by now."
"I just got distracted." He ushered her back into her room and pointed to the bed. "Sit down."
"It doesn't take much to distract you does it?" Kagome remarked sullenly as she hefted herself onto the bed and stuck her hand out that had the IV needle in.
"Did I detect a hint of bitterness there?" Inuyasha asked. He set down the box that he'd brought with him and opened it to take out the syringe of diluted Xycrophobin with a small tube attached to the end.
"I'm surprised you can even notice bitterness." Kagome said in the same tone as before.
"Wait, have I done something to offend you?" Inuyasha paused his ministrations.
"Apart from breathe... no..." Kagome sniffed.
Inuyasha got back to working.
"But that's just it."
Inuyasha glowered at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" he took her hand gently and began to attach the tube to the needle in the back of her hand.
Kagome just sighed and looked around. "I'm a dying patient and you're barely here... I'm bored stiff and all you seem to care about are you stupid forms and nurses and being sued."
He froze. "You won't sue for negligence will you?"
She shot a glare on him.
"Just kidding, jeez... " he started to squeeze the syringe and rubbed her arm gently.
For some reason Kagome wished that he was rubbing her arm out of affection, but she knew that it was just because the medicine was cold and her arm went slightly numb while the dose was administered. When he was done he packed away the syringe while Kagome moved her arm stiffly. "You can run back to Kikyo now."
Inuyasha slowly stopped and looked around at her. "Fine. If you're complaining so much about being bored, go out."
Kagome snorted. "That's a fine idea. Except for the small problem that I'm not allowed out of this hospital. The most I can do is go play bollocks upstairs with the pensioners."
"Don't you mean billiards?"
"Um... probably."
"Well that ain't much fun, so why don't we go down to the Higashi district for some fun?" he smiled lightly.
Kagome's eyes widened slightly. "'We'?" she echoed uncertainly.
"God knows I need a break at some point - I have three sick days that I can use this month, so we can take off tonight if you want."
Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but it took a few moments to find words. "You want to go out... with me?"
"Do you have a hearing impediment too?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "That's what I said. So you better get your credit card out by seven - and make sure you wear something warm, cause it's cold out there."
"Why my credit card?" Kagome frowned suddenly.
"Well you're paying aren't you?" Inuyasha suddenly smiled. "Just kidding, I'll pay, but any stuff you want to buy for yourself, you'll have to pay for. It's not like you'll miss the money soon."
It unnerved her slightly that he could talk about her dying so easily... but by him doing so, she found that it was less unnerving the more he said things like that. She had a feeling that tomorrow she probably would feel less fragile about it... especially after spending a night with an emotionally constipated tote like Inuyasha.
"Git face..." she commented dryly.
"Save the loving entreaties for later, because we'll be together for quite some time." He winked at her and grabbed his box as he went out.
Kagome stared after him a while before flopping, face down, on the bed and groaned. She didn't like the slowly growing fuzzy feelings that she was feeling for a certain white haired doctor.
Boy... if she said that to any of her friends they'd probably think she fancied an old doctor... Nope... just a young one.
^_^
Inuyasha snatched a leaflet from Kagome's hand as they sat down at the outdoor table of a café, since it was too full to eat indoors. "P.S.C.E? What the hell is this crap?" he asked, reading the leaflet.
"The Protection Society against Cruelty to Elves." Kagome said seriously.
"You do know elves don't exist, right?"
"I had my doubts," Kagome smiled. "I just think it's funny."
"You gave those PSCE people a thousand yen." Inuyasha snorted.
"Well... out of pity..." she patted her pocket. "Plus I can afford to blow my life savings right?"
"Don't go too nuts, I still might find a cure for you."
"You better not. If I survive and blow all my savings I will be one dead woman." She laughed and took the menu. "Now what do you want?"
"Just salad."
"Too cheap - go for Lobster!"
"Hey - I'm paying for the food remember?"
"Oh yeah... go for Lobster anyway!"
"Gimme that thing." Inuyasha handed the leaflet back and took the menu instead. "Oh my god... are these in Leera?"
"Well it is Italian." Kagome pointed out.
"Yeah but still..." he glared at her. "trust you to pick the most expensive place in Higashi."
"If you want, I can pay." Kagome offered with a grin.
Inuyasha pulled a face. "Yeah, but that'll make you the gentleman and me the leeching lady."
"So, no change at all there then." She dodged the napkin that was thrown at her. "Just kidding! I thought you doctors were supposed to be rich!"
"I already told you - we are."
"Then why-"
"Made a bet with a Surgeon miser..." he smiled tightly. "Let's just say my pockets are considerably lighter than usual."
Kagome laughed and glanced around looking for a waiter. "Fine, I'll save the expensive meal to be my last meal. I'll just have the chicken sandwich today."
"A wise choice." Inuyasha glanced down the menu to find something that sounded vaguely normal. He wasn't sure about the squid tentacle thing... When he looked up he noticed Kagome was staring off into the distance with a pent expression. He frowned and followed her gaze to see she was looking at a couple at another table close by. A romantic couple that were in their twenties and simply cuddling together for warmth out in the cold. In fact it was so cold that it was beginning to snow. Tiny, iddy-biddy flakes that didn't stick to the ground, and just melted.
"What's the matter?" Inuyasha asked bluntly.
Kagome turned her gaze to the table instead. Though she didn't seem too cheerful anymore. "Nothing."
"Bull."
"I was just thinking..." Kagome sighed. "The one thing that I want to do most before I die... is to have a family of my own..."
"I know... you said before." Inuyasha glanced idly at the couple she'd been watching.
"I'm not scared of dying..." she bit her lip and her voice wavered again. Inuyasha sat up as he sensed something happening to her eyes. "I'm just... sad that I'll miss so many things..."
"You don't have to miss many things. You can still do them. All you have to do is tell me what you want to see." Inuyasha sat forward so he was leaning on his elbows.
"I want to see my grandchildren."
"Ok... do you have any?"
"Not yet!" Kagome hastily wiped her eyes. "I wanted to be old before I died... you know... I wanna fall in love, get married, get pregnant - I want all of those things more than a career as a lawyer."
Inuyasha didn't say anything.
"I was waiting for the perfect guy to come along. I was SAVING myself! And for what? To die lonely!" she broke down onto the table in small silent sobs that shook her shoulders. "All my friends kept saying I should get a boyfriend - life was too short to wait and work! I had to have fun because I might get hit by a bus tomorrow! And I just said that that wouldn't happen if I looked both ways - I wanted to be careful. I didn't think there was any point rushing things - I would just regret them later. But now I've done absolutely nothing to regret... and I regret that most of all..."
"You shouldn't be ashamed you waited." Inuyasha said softly. In fact he was pretty shocked that Kagome didn't have a boyfriend... she seemed like a wonderful girl... but if it had been a conscious decision on her part to remain single...
"Yes I should..." Kagome shivered. "I regret it all! I've never fallen in love - I've never allowed myself to! I was waiting until I had my life set up so I could do it later... and now look where I am..."
"At a nice café..."
"I'm going to have an amazing gravestone aren't I?" Kagome sat up and hiccuped. "Kagome Higurashi... nineteen eight five to two thousand and two... didn't accomplish anything other than see the millennium and billions of other people saw that too... died a virgin!"
She'd said that pretty loud actually, and quite a few people had glanced over to see the crying girl. Inuyasha just stared at her.
"I suck! My little pitiful life sucks! And I'm so... so..." she trailed off as she buried her head in her arms again, against the table.
"You're so what?" Inuyasha frowned, leaning closer.
"... alone..." she said in a small voice.
Inuyasha sighed somewhat sympathetically. "Kagome... lift your head up."
"no..."
"Look at me..."
"No."
"But you're food is here." He told her.
She sat up straight away to make room. "But we haven't ordered any-"
She stopped herself short as she felt Inuyasha's hand slide past her jaw to stop just beside her nape. She was just about to inquire as to what he was doing when she felt him pull her head forward into a soft warm kiss. Contrasting cold snowflakes fell on her cheeks, and from this close she could see one melting on Inuyasha's nose.
It didn't last long, and he soon pulled back, but not far, and he didn't drop his hand. He smiled slightly to see that Kagome had been stunned out of her tears and was staring openly at him.
"What was that for?" she whispered.
"Have you ever been kissed before?"
"Yes..."
Inuyasha frowned at that. "When?"
"Just now..."
"Well... there's your first kiss..." he brushed a warm thumb over her cheek, wiping away the tear tracks and the melted snow flakes. Kagome was in a trance.
"C-Can I have my second?" she asked hesitantly.
The smile disappeared from Inuyasha's face, and for a moment she thought he was going to refuse. He didn't really know what had made him kiss her in the first place... he guessed it was just anything to make her stop crying... and now?
He leaned in and was satisfied to see her close her eyes, before he closed his own and gave her a lingering kiss that lasted a lot longer than before.
AN: Ooh... better leave it there and let your minds wonder...
Anyway, sorry about the continuing delays but I'm now exam free and I don't feel so stressed ^_^ So hopefully I should update more often. (I keep saying that don't I?)
28 Days
Let it Snow
< br>
"It doesn't work if you don't say anything, Shippo." Kagome told him lightly, gently bouncing a blue balloon on her lap.
Shippo looked lost.
"Ok - shall I show you how to do it?" she asked him as she slipped onto the floor to sit facing him.
He nodded in response.
Kagome quickly looked around the children's ward and noticed, with a smile, that most of the children in the ward were now listening with a rapt attention. Well... she wouldn't be hanging around here forever so she might as well blow her pride out of the water.
She slowly exhaled before lifted the balloon to her mouth and quickly sucking in the helium within. She paused a few moment, holding her breath as she felt something funny happening to her throat. After a moment she grinned and chirped out. "Does anyone know the chipmunk songs? Because this would be the perfect time to sing one."
The other kids burst out into laughter, including Shippo who seemed to have temporarily forgotten his miserable mood. "Let me try!" he giggled, holding his hands out of the balloon. Kagome handed it to him carefully, whilst humming strangely with her high pitched voice.
"Wicked!" Shippo squealed when he was topped up on helium.
"There's no change with you!" A girl with ghastly burns to her arms and throat giggled. "Can I have a go?"
"Sure, Mayu, they're your birthday balloons." Kagome handed her a fresh balloon from the bunch that had been tied to the end of her bed.
It wasn't long before everyone was pretty much gassed out.
All the way down in reception, Aki was still reading her new found book when Miroku arrived. "You seen Sango?" he asked pointedly.
"No - but she's coming in later." Aki pointed to Miroku's schedule board without looking up. "For her surgery."
"But her appointment was two hours ago!" he pointed out.
Aki blinked up at the board. "Oh yeah... guess she isn't turning up then."
"Damn..."
Aki narrowed her eyes at him. There was mistletoe hanging over the desk right between them and nobody was around. Normally Miroku just homed into mistletoe around Yule time, meaning he must really have something on his mind to distract him from a bunch of leaves. "Don't worry, I'll call her later and see what she's up to."
"No, it's ok, I'll call her." He shrugged.
"You sure you have her number?"
He just looked at her flatly.
"Never mind." She went back to her book.
"Do you hear that?" Miroku suddenly asked.
Aki listened... "It sounds like... a bunch of squirrels are singing Barbie girl."
They listened for a few moments before Miroku shook his head, obviously assuming he was going crazy. "You stay there, I'll go find Inuyasha."
Aki just nodded, though she didn't expect she'd have to sit there too long. A few of the other nurses were saying that Kikyo was back.
^_^
"Aki... what are you reading?"
She held up her book to the approaching Doctor Inu. "Little Women. I just found it lying around - do you know whose it is?"
"Probably one of the patients..." Inuyasha cleared his throat. "Has Kagome been past - she needs her dose."
"Um... nope." Aki shook her head. "But have you seen Kikyo? Me and the girls have been looking for her but she doesn't seem to be hanging around here. Do you know where she is?"
"Yeah." Inuyasha looked unusually solemn when he nodded. No smirk, no annoyed scowls or frowns... in fact he looked fairly schooled in his expression. "She's a little bit ill so she's been looked at by Doctor Fei."
"Doctor Fei?" Aki dropped her book into her lap. "Not serious is it?"
"Uh... not sure yet." He frowned slightly as he rummaged through his inbox on the desk.
"Why is Doctor Fei looking at her?" Aki asked.
"Girl things."
"Ah..." Aki knew that Doctor Fei was a Gynaecologist, so naturally they were probably very serious girl problems.
"Any messages?" Inuyasha swiftly changed topics.
"Yep - one from your landlord - he says he knows you have a hamster in your apartment, don't try and hide it."
Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Next."
"One from your mother - she says she hopes you're wearing clean-"
"Tell her for the love of god 'yes'!" Inuyasha clenched his fist around a form. "Couldn't she ask me that face to face?!"
Aki shook her head with a light smile. "And the last one is from your brother."
"What does he say?"
"You're going to die."
"Ok... never mind..." Inuyasha shook his head and grabbed some files. "I'll just take these so it looks like I'm doing something."
With that he turned and headed past the waiting room down another corridor.
"Hey Dogtor!"
"Busy!"
He sped up a little as he rounded a corner, but stopped suddenly when a strange sound reached his ears. He frowned slightly... Had the Christmas elves gotten themselves drunk and ended up in hospital?
He followed the sound, till he came to the children's ward and pushed the door open.
There on the floor sat Kagome and several small children belting out the chorus to 'Rudolph the Red Nose reindeer' in very strange voices. He stared in stunned silence before clearing his throat. "Kagome!"
She stopped singing at once and looked around at him. She quickly cleared her throat and spoke in a slightly normal voice. "Oh hi! Just thought I'd keep Shippo company down here."
Inuyasha's gaze fell on Shippo who grinned sheepishly. "You! You said you weren't coming back!"
"Yeah - well my pen broke!" he shot back, eyeing the purple one in Inuyasha's pocket. "But if you give me that one I'm sure I'll look after it better."
"No!" Inuyasha clapped a hand over his pocket protectively and looked back at Kagome. "Come on, we have to go back to your room."
"But we're having fun!" Kagome protested, her voice fairly normal now. "And I'm babysitting Shippo!"
"Well he's safe here - come on!" He went forward and crouched beside Kagome to take her arm.
Without warning Shippo jumped forward and stuffed the nozzle of a green balloon in Inuyasha's mouth, releasing the Helium at the same time. Inuyasha gasped and batted it away quickly, but it was a bit too late.
Kagome looked delighted. "Say something!"
"no!" he squeaked and the children practically fell over in fits of giggles. Inuyasha wasn't in the mood for this, so he just decided to shut up and haul Kagome after him.
"Shippo," Kagome called over her shoulder as she tottered after the doctor. "You stay here - I'll tell your mom to pick you up here, ok? And don't overdo the helium!"
"Please say he'll be gassed and dead by the time she arrives." Inuyasha muttered in a voice slowly returning back to normal.
"That's not very nice, Inuyasha." Kagome frowned. "You have a serious problem with that patient."
"Yeah, he has the problem of being a pain in the ass."
"His dad abuses him."
Inuyasha stopped dead and turned on her. "What?" he frowned at her. "That better not be a joke."
"Do I look like I'm joking?" Kagome folded her arms seriously.
"I suppose he 'told' you this." Inuyasha snorted. "That kid fakes anything. He can talk - he just chooses not to. And he can spin lies too just to get your sympathy."
"He didn't tell me anything."
"Then how do you-"
"He chooses not to talk at home because he's scared!" Kagome interrupted shortly. "When his mother dropped him off, she offered to take him back home to his father - but he all but screamed to stay here. I'm not blind, I know he doesn't talk at home because his father must threaten him."
Inuyasha narrowed his eyes sceptically. "That's just like you - to make snap judgements based on tiny little hints. You've probably got it all wrong!"
"You'd assume the same if you'd seen him at the mention of his father!" Kagome suddenly clasped her hands together. "Please - don't send him back home without telling his mother about what's going on. She hasn't noticed - but don't let him go back into a house like that!"
There was nothing Inuyasha wanted more than to send Shippo away... but he wasn't a complete sadist. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'll tell Aki to talk to Mrs Kitsune when she arrives - Now will you just go back to your room and wait there for me to give you your dose!"
"Fine - no need to shout." Kagome said defensively.
"I am not shouting!" Shouted Inuyasha.
Kagome just narrowed her eyes and turned to stalk off down the corridor. Inuyasha watched her flatly for a moment before calling out. "You're room is that way!" he pointed down the corridor behind him.
Kagome turned slowly, narrowing her eyes further. "I knew that... I was just... stretching my legs."
She flounced past him with a certain degree of dignity, before he sighed and went off to reception to speak to Aki.
^_^
After speaking lengthily with Aki about Shippo's little problem, he turned to head back to Kagome's room. Or at least he would have if Sango hadn't chosen that moment to come in.
"Where've you been?!" he suddenly burst out. "Miroku's been worried sick about you - he's been calling your house five times every minute - what's the matter with you?"
"Jeez... it was just a traffic jam." Sango sighed. "No need to blow the volcano at me."
"You were supposed to go under an hour ago, ya know." Inuyasha glanced at his watch. "You can't just turn up unexpected and demand surgery."
"I'm not demanding anything!" Sango huffed. "I was just late because there were elf slavery protesters on the tracks of the tube - no one was going anywhere."
"Elf slavery protesters?" Inuyasha raised an eyebrow at her.
"People protesting against the labour of elves under Father Christmas." Sango nodded, before seeing him snort. "I'm NOT making that up!"
"Whatever. You still want the operation?" he asked.
"Yes, please." Sango smiled happily.
Inuyasha beckoned her over and grabbed some forms from out under Aki's elbow. He just pointed to the places where she had to sigh. "Sigh here, here, here, here, there, no - there! Here, here and... you're done."
"But what about the rest of the stuff I have to fill in?" Aki asked, as Inuyasha hastily swiped his purple pen back from her.
"Aki will fill that in, won't you girl?" Inuyasha dumped the papers in front of Aki and started frog-marching Sango down the corridor. "You know the way to surgery?"
"Yeah, it's just down-"
"Good - you go meet up with Miroku, if he's not too busy and I'll go check on Kagome."
"But-"
"Busy!" he yelled as he all but ran off.
It was lucky he ran because he just reached Kagome's room as he was just beginning to leave. She didn't see or hear him coming as she carefully closed the door behind her, and so naturally jumped out of her skin when Inuyasha slammed a fist against the wall and barked in her ear, "Where do you think you're going?!"
"Don't DO that!" Kagome yelled back, holding a hand over her heart as she tried to catch her breath. "Do you do that to all your patients?! Try and give them heart attacks?!"
"Just the ones who try and run away!" he retorted.
"I wasn't 'running away'!" Kagome clenched her fists. "I was coming to find YOU actually!"
"Pull the other one."
"I was!" She folded her arms. "What's taking you so long? I might have been in a coma by now."
"I just got distracted." He ushered her back into her room and pointed to the bed. "Sit down."
"It doesn't take much to distract you does it?" Kagome remarked sullenly as she hefted herself onto the bed and stuck her hand out that had the IV needle in.
"Did I detect a hint of bitterness there?" Inuyasha asked. He set down the box that he'd brought with him and opened it to take out the syringe of diluted Xycrophobin with a small tube attached to the end.
"I'm surprised you can even notice bitterness." Kagome said in the same tone as before.
"Wait, have I done something to offend you?" Inuyasha paused his ministrations.
"Apart from breathe... no..." Kagome sniffed.
Inuyasha got back to working.
"But that's just it."
Inuyasha glowered at her. "What's that supposed to mean?" he took her hand gently and began to attach the tube to the needle in the back of her hand.
Kagome just sighed and looked around. "I'm a dying patient and you're barely here... I'm bored stiff and all you seem to care about are you stupid forms and nurses and being sued."
He froze. "You won't sue for negligence will you?"
She shot a glare on him.
"Just kidding, jeez... " he started to squeeze the syringe and rubbed her arm gently.
For some reason Kagome wished that he was rubbing her arm out of affection, but she knew that it was just because the medicine was cold and her arm went slightly numb while the dose was administered. When he was done he packed away the syringe while Kagome moved her arm stiffly. "You can run back to Kikyo now."
Inuyasha slowly stopped and looked around at her. "Fine. If you're complaining so much about being bored, go out."
Kagome snorted. "That's a fine idea. Except for the small problem that I'm not allowed out of this hospital. The most I can do is go play bollocks upstairs with the pensioners."
"Don't you mean billiards?"
"Um... probably."
"Well that ain't much fun, so why don't we go down to the Higashi district for some fun?" he smiled lightly.
Kagome's eyes widened slightly. "'We'?" she echoed uncertainly.
"God knows I need a break at some point - I have three sick days that I can use this month, so we can take off tonight if you want."
Kagome opened her mouth to speak, but it took a few moments to find words. "You want to go out... with me?"
"Do you have a hearing impediment too?" Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "That's what I said. So you better get your credit card out by seven - and make sure you wear something warm, cause it's cold out there."
"Why my credit card?" Kagome frowned suddenly.
"Well you're paying aren't you?" Inuyasha suddenly smiled. "Just kidding, I'll pay, but any stuff you want to buy for yourself, you'll have to pay for. It's not like you'll miss the money soon."
It unnerved her slightly that he could talk about her dying so easily... but by him doing so, she found that it was less unnerving the more he said things like that. She had a feeling that tomorrow she probably would feel less fragile about it... especially after spending a night with an emotionally constipated tote like Inuyasha.
"Git face..." she commented dryly.
"Save the loving entreaties for later, because we'll be together for quite some time." He winked at her and grabbed his box as he went out.
Kagome stared after him a while before flopping, face down, on the bed and groaned. She didn't like the slowly growing fuzzy feelings that she was feeling for a certain white haired doctor.
Boy... if she said that to any of her friends they'd probably think she fancied an old doctor... Nope... just a young one.
^_^
Inuyasha snatched a leaflet from Kagome's hand as they sat down at the outdoor table of a café, since it was too full to eat indoors. "P.S.C.E? What the hell is this crap?" he asked, reading the leaflet.
"The Protection Society against Cruelty to Elves." Kagome said seriously.
"You do know elves don't exist, right?"
"I had my doubts," Kagome smiled. "I just think it's funny."
"You gave those PSCE people a thousand yen." Inuyasha snorted.
"Well... out of pity..." she patted her pocket. "Plus I can afford to blow my life savings right?"
"Don't go too nuts, I still might find a cure for you."
"You better not. If I survive and blow all my savings I will be one dead woman." She laughed and took the menu. "Now what do you want?"
"Just salad."
"Too cheap - go for Lobster!"
"Hey - I'm paying for the food remember?"
"Oh yeah... go for Lobster anyway!"
"Gimme that thing." Inuyasha handed the leaflet back and took the menu instead. "Oh my god... are these in Leera?"
"Well it is Italian." Kagome pointed out.
"Yeah but still..." he glared at her. "trust you to pick the most expensive place in Higashi."
"If you want, I can pay." Kagome offered with a grin.
Inuyasha pulled a face. "Yeah, but that'll make you the gentleman and me the leeching lady."
"So, no change at all there then." She dodged the napkin that was thrown at her. "Just kidding! I thought you doctors were supposed to be rich!"
"I already told you - we are."
"Then why-"
"Made a bet with a Surgeon miser..." he smiled tightly. "Let's just say my pockets are considerably lighter than usual."
Kagome laughed and glanced around looking for a waiter. "Fine, I'll save the expensive meal to be my last meal. I'll just have the chicken sandwich today."
"A wise choice." Inuyasha glanced down the menu to find something that sounded vaguely normal. He wasn't sure about the squid tentacle thing... When he looked up he noticed Kagome was staring off into the distance with a pent expression. He frowned and followed her gaze to see she was looking at a couple at another table close by. A romantic couple that were in their twenties and simply cuddling together for warmth out in the cold. In fact it was so cold that it was beginning to snow. Tiny, iddy-biddy flakes that didn't stick to the ground, and just melted.
"What's the matter?" Inuyasha asked bluntly.
Kagome turned her gaze to the table instead. Though she didn't seem too cheerful anymore. "Nothing."
"Bull."
"I was just thinking..." Kagome sighed. "The one thing that I want to do most before I die... is to have a family of my own..."
"I know... you said before." Inuyasha glanced idly at the couple she'd been watching.
"I'm not scared of dying..." she bit her lip and her voice wavered again. Inuyasha sat up as he sensed something happening to her eyes. "I'm just... sad that I'll miss so many things..."
"You don't have to miss many things. You can still do them. All you have to do is tell me what you want to see." Inuyasha sat forward so he was leaning on his elbows.
"I want to see my grandchildren."
"Ok... do you have any?"
"Not yet!" Kagome hastily wiped her eyes. "I wanted to be old before I died... you know... I wanna fall in love, get married, get pregnant - I want all of those things more than a career as a lawyer."
Inuyasha didn't say anything.
"I was waiting for the perfect guy to come along. I was SAVING myself! And for what? To die lonely!" she broke down onto the table in small silent sobs that shook her shoulders. "All my friends kept saying I should get a boyfriend - life was too short to wait and work! I had to have fun because I might get hit by a bus tomorrow! And I just said that that wouldn't happen if I looked both ways - I wanted to be careful. I didn't think there was any point rushing things - I would just regret them later. But now I've done absolutely nothing to regret... and I regret that most of all..."
"You shouldn't be ashamed you waited." Inuyasha said softly. In fact he was pretty shocked that Kagome didn't have a boyfriend... she seemed like a wonderful girl... but if it had been a conscious decision on her part to remain single...
"Yes I should..." Kagome shivered. "I regret it all! I've never fallen in love - I've never allowed myself to! I was waiting until I had my life set up so I could do it later... and now look where I am..."
"At a nice café..."
"I'm going to have an amazing gravestone aren't I?" Kagome sat up and hiccuped. "Kagome Higurashi... nineteen eight five to two thousand and two... didn't accomplish anything other than see the millennium and billions of other people saw that too... died a virgin!"
She'd said that pretty loud actually, and quite a few people had glanced over to see the crying girl. Inuyasha just stared at her.
"I suck! My little pitiful life sucks! And I'm so... so..." she trailed off as she buried her head in her arms again, against the table.
"You're so what?" Inuyasha frowned, leaning closer.
"... alone..." she said in a small voice.
Inuyasha sighed somewhat sympathetically. "Kagome... lift your head up."
"no..."
"Look at me..."
"No."
"But you're food is here." He told her.
She sat up straight away to make room. "But we haven't ordered any-"
She stopped herself short as she felt Inuyasha's hand slide past her jaw to stop just beside her nape. She was just about to inquire as to what he was doing when she felt him pull her head forward into a soft warm kiss. Contrasting cold snowflakes fell on her cheeks, and from this close she could see one melting on Inuyasha's nose.
It didn't last long, and he soon pulled back, but not far, and he didn't drop his hand. He smiled slightly to see that Kagome had been stunned out of her tears and was staring openly at him.
"What was that for?" she whispered.
"Have you ever been kissed before?"
"Yes..."
Inuyasha frowned at that. "When?"
"Just now..."
"Well... there's your first kiss..." he brushed a warm thumb over her cheek, wiping away the tear tracks and the melted snow flakes. Kagome was in a trance.
"C-Can I have my second?" she asked hesitantly.
The smile disappeared from Inuyasha's face, and for a moment she thought he was going to refuse. He didn't really know what had made him kiss her in the first place... he guessed it was just anything to make her stop crying... and now?
He leaned in and was satisfied to see her close her eyes, before he closed his own and gave her a lingering kiss that lasted a lot longer than before.
AN: Ooh... better leave it there and let your minds wonder...