InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Dressing the part ❯ Jumping to Conclusions ( Chapter 20 )

AN- Okay, I hope the last chapter appeased some angry reviewers. Both of these chapters really run together. Some people were confused by the dreams. Whatever. I was planning to explain during the end of a really long chapter, but now I will explain at the end of the second average chapter. I promised I would update on Friday night. I gave all that was polished. Here's another chunk. Enjoy.

Dressing the Part

Chapter Twenty

Jumping to Conclusions

This felt all wrong. Her world was completely falling apart. She was falling apart. Until today, she was so sure about everything. Until today, she was happy.

She had heard from certain reliable sources Inuyasha had become more certain about his intentions with her. He would ask her to marry him after they graduated later in the year. And, there is no doubt he would be hers forever.

Now, all her hoping and planning was down the drain. Kikyo had been returning to the field with the trainer and his supplies when she had seen Inuyasha first kissing Kagome.

Her initial reaction was shock at the sight of Yash kissing another male, but after she saw the wrapping around breasts? Kagome had breasts?

She didn't know what to think. Was Kagome undergoing a sex change? Personally she had no problem with that kind of thing, but she did have a problem with Inuyasha hiding the obvious relationship between him and his teammate. What was she to him? Was she so horrible that she turned him off to all women?

Her self-esteem was at an all time low. At least at the club, she could fool herself into imagining some sex goddess seducing him away from her, calling to him. Now it wasn't so much that he was being drawn by something better than she, but that he was resorting to try something new. The way she felt was being with an effeminate man was less grotesque than being with her.

Was she that unattractive? Was she that evil? They had a good thing going for a long time. Why did this have to happen now, when she was ready to spend the rest of her life committed only to him?

It was so unfair.

Souta was about to go crazy. He felt bad for his sister, but he really would rather be in her situation than his. His ears were still ringing from the phone call he placed to his mother when they had arrived.

RING! RING! `Please pick up.'

RING! RING! `Please, please, please.'

RIN-

"Hello. Higurashi residence. How may I help you?" `Thank God."

"Gramps! Put Mom on." The desperation to speak with his mother had been far more important than abiding to insignificant things such as manners.

"You listen here young man. I am far too respected and have raised you far too well to let you get away with-"

"Gramps, this is really important!" He didn't have time for this.

"That does NOT excuse the manner in which you-"

"Grandpa, who are you yelling at?" Thank God! That was Mom's voice.

Grandpa took the receiver away from his ear and settled it against his shoulder. "I am currently speaking to your ungrateful child."

The pompous airs of superiority always gave Mama a sense of enjoyment. It was his way of reminding them all how important he was because of his role as a priest. The fact that he had no power whatsoever, did no chores, and contributed next to nothing to the monthly budget did not dissuade his attitudes either. His family could truly not have cared any less of his position. It did not matter at all.

The fact was, he was very entertaining, could happily tell stories to a wall, and served as an irreplaceable constant in all their lives did.

She loved her father-in-law as she would have her own, had he lived. She loved the man who accepted her, not as a daughter-in-law, but as a daughter.

"Does he wish to speak with me Grandpa?" she asked as she gave him a knowing smile.

"That he does, my dear."

He handed her the beige colored phone and she accepted it as she kissed him on the cheek.

He simply walked into the kitchen, once again feeling unneeded.

"Hello."

"Mom! Oh my God. What took so long?!"

"Souta? What's wrong? What happened? That tone is scaring me."

"It's Kagome. She's in trouble."

Her heart broke and tears started to fall. "Souta, tell me what happened? Where are you?"

He paused for a second. How was he gonna tell his mother that his older sister was in the emergency room with who knows what wrong with her? How was he gonna tell he it was Sango who unintentionally inflicted the wounds on his sister? How was he gonna let her know that Kagome was exposed and, depending on who found out, they could be on the front page tomorrow?

There was no way he could think of than just explain the bare minimums and hope she didn't break down.

"Mom, Kagome's in the hospital."

He was waiting for a scream or some show of indignation.

The only thing he heard was dial tone. Oh shot. This was bad. She was going to do something un-Momlike.

Of course, that phone call had been several hours earlier. Now the Higurashi household was frantically in disarray.

Mama had immediately thought up a checklist for her trip. This included things like a small bag of clothes, tooth brush, traveler's checks. She went back over the list in her mind and everything was ready except for the tickets. Grandpa was doing her a personal favor by going online to deal with it.

This was a miracle within itself. Grandpa hated technology. Those damn contraptions took away from everything he was trying to preserve. What was the point of maintaining a shrine that's sole purpose was to reconnect people with the old ways with ancient history and legends if such a thing as the internet exists? The people could obtain the same information in a distorted and far less sacred manner.

Screw that. His granddaughter was in the hospital and he needed a way to get her mother there. Naturally, he himself had wanted to go too, but he had to stay and watch over the house and the shrine.

While he was finalizing the purchase with her credit card number, Mama was answering the phone.

"Hello!" Her voice had been emotional and rude, but she didn't really care.

"Mrs. Higurashi, is something the matter?"

Grandpa yelled out, "Mama, do you need anything else before you go? I have the confirmation number for your flight."

Taking a moment to think and ignoring the young male voice on the other line, Mama shouted to her father-in-law, "Grandpa, can you pull up a hotel room and the address of the hospital she's in?"

"Of course."

"Hospital? Mrs. Higurashi, is Kagome alright?" What could have happened to her?

"I'm very sorry, but I don't have time to talk. I must go to Osaka to see my daughter. Goodbye."

The confused and shocked male stared at the phone a moment and thought about the phone call. Kagome was here in Osaka? Kagome was in a hospital? At that very moment, he decided to make a visit to the only fully staffed hospital in the city, hoping to see his best friend. There was something he really needed her to know, but her health was far more important.

Shortly after Souta had phoned his mother, he talked to Sesshoumaru, who reacted way differently than expected. As a matter of fact, Souta was surprised that he got a reaction at all. Sesshoumaru was known for his poker face.

Sesshoumaru had, in turn, called the house. However, instead of discussing Kagome's condition with Mama, Grandpa was relaying flight information.

Currently, he was waiting for the woman who treated him as family. He was waiting for Kamiya Higurashi to exit the boarding dock from the plane. It had arrived only thirty seconds ago. But, time was of the utmost importance. He even had two of his workers from the club, Ah and Un, on the lookout for the luggage of Mrs. Kensuke Higurashi.

To this day, she always referred to herself as such. He personally would hate it if his mother had been known as Mrs. Inutaisho Taisho. However, the Higurashis had differed from his family in their devotion to one another. Kamiya Higurashi had never even glanced at another man with interest.

His father had dated within a month of his mother's death and, married not three months later. It was a sore issue for the grown man to discuss the issues of his younger days.

He knew his surrogated family respected his privacy too much to pry into such unwelcome memories but, had any of the Higurashis asked, he would have answered.

The moment he saw her, he ran up to her and called her name.

Someone who had been able to help emotionally support during Kensuke's death, someone who made her not feel helpless was such a welcome sight to her now. He was like the nephew or a brother-in-law she never had.

What the hell was that? Why would Kagome be crying like that in his dream? Why would she be crying under an obscenely large tree? Why the hell didn't the hospital cafeteria have ramen? He was just so confused.

Did all girls a guy found interesting make such little sense? God, he hoped not.

He looked at his watch and realized just how late it had gotten. They brought Kagome in a little after noon and now it was half past six. He didn't care what that damn nurse said. He was going to see Kagome.

He decided to get off his ass and snuck out of the waiting room, stealthily past the nurses' station, down the corridor, and stopped right in front of her room.

This was such a great idea. He was going to see her without anyone else there to interrupt.

Then he saw some preppy looking guy standing over her bedside and he leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.

Wait. Her eyes were open and she wasn't trying to stop him. What the fuck?

"Are you sure you'll be okay Kags?" the stranger asked in a concerned manner.

"I'll be okay, but I hope Mama doesn't freak out. I mean I don't want her looking at the front page tomorrow morning and yell at me. I can imagine it now. `Kagome Hime Higurashi, why the hell did I have to find out your getting married from the Tokyo World's Society Section?! I thought we raised you better than that!!! The groom's supposed to ask for your hand in marriage!'" The two giggled, unaware of the heartbroken man by the partially open door.

AN- I updated twice in less than a weekend, so I'm allowed to leave you on such a horrible cliffhanger. How will I ever write myself outta this one? Find out in the next chapter of "DTP".