InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dr. Miko ❯ Congratulations ( Chapter 1 )

A/N: Welcome to another story. My account at ff.net was deleted; guess my work is a little spicy for their tastes. Anyway, this story was already posted, well a few chapters anyway, over there but since it is gone, we'll all just start over from the beginning. I really hope you like it. This chapter and the next will be setting the scene and building up a foundation for the rest of the story to play on. Let me know if it is too boring and I'll try and push it faster to get to the good stuff. Happy reading and see you all next update.

~~0.o~~ mybyrdy

Chapter 1: Congratulations

She had always known she was different. From the very first time it happened, she knew it was only she who had the gift. Her friends thought she was crazy, her mother thought it was some sort of cry for attention, but she knew it was real. Kagome Higurashi walked through the halls on her last day in Tokyo University's Veterinary wing thinking back on how it all started.

~~Flashback~~

She had been on her way home from school, at the tender age of 7, when she saw him. The poor thing was curled up in an alley, licking at his severe wounds and panting heavily. Her mother had warned her to stay away from stray animals, she being allergic, and Kagome was never allowed to have a pet. The large silver dog spotted her standing in the alley way and a low growl emanated from him. Her breath caught in fear but her body began to tingle and a loud hum drowned out all other sounds from the city. Then she heard it, crisp as a bell, like he was a man, standing before her, "Beat it kid, just leave me alone." The golden eyes seemed to glow in warning but the small child didn't budge. She shook her head at the dog.

"I can't leave you hurt like that, let me take you to get help." Her little voice echoed off the tight walls and the growl stopped. He pawed at the ground slightly, looking around as if unsure, and then spoke again.

"I said GO."

"No, you're hurt. I can help." She was brave for such a young girl, her soul completely without fear for the pure white animal that lay injured before her. His silky coat was matted with the quickly drying blood and she approached cautiously to see if she could get him to stand.

"How… why are you talking to me, human?" He made no attempt to stop her approach, nor to get up as she was hoping.

"I dunno… guess I didn't realized I was talking to a dog." She laughed a bit, then put her hand out in front of his nose so he could smell her- something her father had taught her to do before he had left. The large canine lowered his black nose to her palm and sniffed, then drew away quickly. Kagome looked at him, a little insulted, until he sneezed. She giggled again and brought her hand down on his head, scratching just behind his left ear. He leaned his head into her ministrations, forgetting his pain for the moment. "Do I smell bad?"

"Nah, you smell like rain water, sakuras, and gardenias… I'm allergic to gardenias," he replied absently, still consumed by her scratching. While his attention was diverted, she looked at the gash on his side, placing her hand over it and concentrating. The air between her palm and his skin began to glow purple and she felt the heat radiate in the space. When she pulled away, the cut had mostly closed, stopping the blood flow almost immediately. She repeated her actions with the few other bloodied patches and the young girl breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your wounds don't look too bad, but you should still go to the vet. They are like doctors for animals," she smiled. He turned his deep golden eyes to her and, if it were possible, rolled them at the child.

"Thanks anyway, I'd rather drink out of a public toilet." He struggled to his feet, wobbling slightly, and headed for the open street. He stopped there, turning back to Kagome and winked one of his honeyed eyes. "See ya round, kid. Thanks for the scratch," he said before bolting off into the traffic.

"It's Kagome," she whispered.

~~End~~

It started that day, whether on its own or in response to the dog, she had been able to hear and speak to animals ever since. No one believed her, of course, and so she stopped trying to explain it and decided to run with it. Now she walked these empty halls for the last time, the halls she never thought she'd make it to, but now would miss forever. She straightened her graduation gown and held her cap in one hand, running the other through her raven hair. "Well, here we go."

"Now presenting the graduates of the Tokyo University Veterinary Program. Congratulations, Doctors." The Dean bowed to the students, who in turn bowed before all tossing their caps into the air. Cheering and hats filled the hall and soon the school was buzzing again with chatter and families and congratulations. Kagome found her mother, who had been crying throughout the ceremony, and her little brother in the crowd. They shared a few hugs before her mother reminded her that her grandfather was at home waiting. He had been sick recently and was not able to leave the house to come to Kagome's graduation. She waved goodbye, but yelled back to her brother before he was out of earshot.

"Hey, Souta! Here, Give this to Grandpa and tell him I miss him." She threw her hat; well, who's ever hat it was she picked up after they were all tossed in the air, to him and winked before turning and scanning the crowd for her friends.

"KAGOME!" She barely heard the voice before her best friend, Sango, tackled her from behind. "We FUCKIN' did it! Finally!" She had jumped on Kagome's back and was shouting in her ear.

"Looks like the party started early for someone…" she said back over her shoulder. There was only a giggle in response as Sango slipped back onto the ground and turned her friend in a huge hug. "I have the BEST news!!" Kagome could barely breath, one from having her friend's arms wound so tightly around her neck, and two because she had an idea already what the news was. "Com'on, my dad's waiting," she said pulling her off into the crowd.

As a gift to the girls, Sango's father took them to the most expensive restaurant in the city to celebrate. Over the meal, they discussed the good news.

"As you girls know, my company, Taijiya Corp, is one of the largest real estate companies in Japan, we buy property and develop it, then sell it off once it becomes profitable. Well, we recently bought a small complex of shops and over the last six months, have been building it up and getting it ready to open; there's a grocery store, flower shop, a public dojo, a pizza parlor, and… a brand new veterinary office." He paused briefly for effect. "All the businesses have been bought and are moving in equipment as we speak, all but the veterinary hospital. I was thinking of holding on to that one personally, but I need doctors to run it for me." He sipped his sake, leaving the two friends in a cloud of anticipation. "How would you girls feel about being my head veterinarians? It would be just the two of you, plus a staff of your choosing; a joint practice." Both Kagome and Sango were speechless for a moment, afraid if they said anything they would wake up from this glorious dream. They had suspected he might have gotten them jobs at one of the other hospitals in the area using one of his many connections, but never a hospital of their own. The silence was broken by a squeal of delight that erupted from Sango just before she flew across the table and squeezed her father with all her might. She began talking rapidly about all the equipment they'd need, most of which he checked off as having been already ordered or set up in the clinic. Kagome sat quietly, soaking in the realization that she, a veterinarian fresh out of the university, would be the head of her and Sango's own hospital. It seemed too good to be true.

"Um, Mr. Hiraikotsu, what happens when you decide to sell the plaza? Will we be forced to leave?" He broke free of his daughter to stare at the girl seated across from him. He had always liked Kagome, treated her as one of his own children ever since she and Sango had become friends back in grade school. He knew he could count on her to be the levelheaded one, think the deal through and look for any loopholes.

"Any and all contracts concerning the hospital will be contingent on you two staying on as the lead vets. The contract will be for a five-year term, at that time, you may decide to remain there or leave the hospital, but cannot be removed before then. I'll make sure of that." Kagome got up and joined Sango in a tight hug with the man that had made all her dreams come true.

After the bill was paid, Mr. Hiraikotsu lead the girls out and waved to the valet to have his car brought around.

"Psst, Kagome, congratulations." The doctor looked around for the bearer of the tiding and caught sight of a large owl perched on the telephone wires above her head. She smiled and he nodded once before taking flight. Two alley cays appeared from behind the building and rubbed against her legs.

"Well done Kagome, we know you'll be purrrrfect for the job." She reached down and pet each cat from head to tail, watching them arch up under her touch. Apparently news traveled faster in the animal world than it did in her sorority.

~~0.o~~

It had been a long six months since graduation. Sango and Kagome had dedicated all their time to getting their hospital ready, ordering supplies from the grand budget Sango's father had allotted them, supervising the installation of their equipment, painting, decorating, advertising, and hiring a staff to work with them. There had been a huge wave of applications as soon as they had put the sign in the window. They interviewed and assessed the skills of each person, ending up with a very well balanced and rounded crew. A week before they officially opened, Kagome and Sango had meetings with all the new staff members, introducing them all to each other and discussing the rules and rhythm of how things would be done. By the end of the week, everyone was comfortable with his or her coworkers, laughing and having fun as if they'd known each other for years, and the way the hospital would run, all agreeing that if any concerns or suggestions should arise, they would let Kagome and Sango know.

Now, the night before the opening, the girls sat on the couch quietly watching TV and starting on their third quart of ice cream. Sango's cat, Kirara, lay in between them, licking up any spills the two may have dropped. "Hey, K? Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"San, this is the third tub of Rocky Road tonight, what do you think?" Kagome raised her head slightly to look at Sango. Both giggled when they realized how pathetic they were being. "Ok, lets just try to calm down and be excited rather than nervous."

"Your right, K. There's nothing to worry about. We have hired a great team, we have all our supplies, everything is organized just how we want it and, most importantly, we have you and your abilities. What's the worst that could happen?" Sango was the only one Kagome had entrusted her secret to, who actually believed her. At first, it had taken some proving, but after that she had always supported and encouraged her to grow and expand her communication and healing abilities. She herself had exceptional gift in surgery. She had mastered the art of precision, her hands moving swiftly and accurately without hesitation, her skill in surgery was beyond compare. It seemed that they were destined to be friends and go off the Vet school together, Kagome with her inherent, natural abilities, and Sango with her precise and proficient hands. They had helped each other through the hardest exams and were an unstoppable pair in the emergency room they completed their residency in.

"I don't even wanna think about it. Yesterday I filled the office with every book I ever used in school, then I filled the rolodex with the numbers of all our professors and the University Hospital, with the extensions of all of the doctors that taught us… just in case."

"Do you think we'll do alright?" Sango asked with fear creeping back up within her.

"I think… only time will tell. But right now, I think I'm gonna go home and get some sleep, we have work in the morning." Both girls smiled broadly at each other and they swooped in for a hug before she left. Before she shut the door, she yelled back to her friend, "Don't give Kirara anymore marshmallows, she's big enough already," just as Sango held one before the open mouth of the huge tabby cat on her stomach. She looked at the cat and shook her head, popping the tiny white morsel into her mouth. Kirara mumbled something nasty to Kagome and slumped down on her master's chest.

Kagome stood in the hall and turned the knob, opening the door to her small apartment, revealing a sight she had been missing all day. Her dog, with his bushy tail wagging, sat there looking up at her with his soft brown eyes in the same position she had left him in that morning. She knelt down and threw her arms around him and brought him up against her chest. "Shippou, I missed you all day!" He answered her with millions of kissed all over her face.

"I missed you too, you were gone soooooo loooong," he complained, turning his big liquid eyes to hers. "Why do you leave me here all day? I would be good; you could take me with you to the hospital… as long as you don't give me any shots. Kirara told me that one time Sango brought her to the other hospital and they poked her with big needles and took her blood, and…"

"Ok, ok. Tomorrow's the first day at our new hospital so you can go as long as you promise to be good and not get into trouble." The little Pomeranian began to yip and dance around excitedly. She laughed and picked him up again as she walked down the short hallway to her bedroom. "Alright, lets get some sleep, we have a big day in the morning," she told him, holding up the covers so he could get under and snuggle up beside her for the night. She scratched his ears until he fell asleep, still staring at the ceiling, thinking. `Are we ready for this? What if something goes wrong? What if no one comes tomorrow? What if none of the staff shows up?' She began to tremble slightly as the anxiety built in her stomach. Shippou whimpered in his sleep, curling closer to her and mumbling, "Don't worry, mommy. It'll be alright." She smiled, knowing her pup had felt her tension and had responded subconsciously; but he was right. She was born to do this, and she was ready. She fell asleep immediately.

~~0.o~~