InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ En Famille ❯ Orphans & Nightmares ( Chapter 9 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

only is denied to God: the power to undo the past.

Agathon (440-400 B.C.)



kid, won't you stop screaming?"
pleading voice caught Kagome's attention while she ambled through the third floor of the CHOC building. The drive had taken over an hour, but Miroku had explained that he went every week and that if he didn't pay his visit to a certain patient, he would forever lose his title of dashing hero. At least, according to a very sick little girl he would. Even now he was in a nearby room with the adorable eight year old who had immediately disliked Kagome, seeing her as a rival for the man's affections. Picking up on her sentiments, she had easily excused herself to the little girls' room and set out to wander through the halls.
woman had been shouting at a little boy who was crying loudly, telling him it would do no good to cry and that it wouldn't bring his mommy because she wasn't coming back. Hearing his woeful sobs, she hadn't hestitated to enter the room and come to the boy's defense.
going on here?" She asked, looking to the adult for an explanation. The girl was young, barely over eighteen or nineteen Kagome guessed, and obviously not good at dealing with children.
She should be put in another part of the hospital, over at St. Joseph's next door would be better for her and the patients. -)
just want my mama!" the little boy sniffled, sucking in great gulps of air while choking on his sobs.
girl came over and led Kagome out of the room, "His father's sister is coming to pick him up but she can't be here until tomorrow. His car was in an accident on the freeway and he was the only survivor."
eyes watered as she heard, "Oh the poor thing."
poor thing's been shouting for hours," the girl mumbled, both annoyance and pity flashing through her eyes, "He's disturbing the other children on the floor."
get him to calm down," Kagome assured her, slipping into the room where the boy rocked himself on the bed, low, keening wails escaping his lips. Glancing over to a dry-erase board on the wall, she saw his name printed neatly across the top, followed by the names of the nurses who would be taking care of him that day.
want my mom..."
there Souta," Kagome stepped up to the side of his bed, sitting carefully on a spot near him, "My name's Kagome."
boy sniffled and bit his lip, "You're not my mom."
her head, she picked up a handkerchief and wiped a tear on his cheek, "No sweetie, I'm not your mother, do you remember what happened?"
bit his lip, "We were going to the mall, there was a loud crashing and our car turned over..."
shudder ran through his frame and he curled up tighter, "I woke up here."
a hold of his hand, she saw a bruise on his arm and gently rubbed it, "Souta did the doctor's tell you..."
said my dad's sister was coming to get me," Souta whispered, "But the nurses talk loud and one of them called me an orphan."
you understand that word?"
boy nodded, "My friend Jackie's an orphan, her mama and papa died and her grandma takes care of her now."
breathing became a little erratic then, "But I can't be an orphan! My mom's fine! Dad's probably holding her hand right now and looking for me! They're not dead! I know they're not!"
his little fist down beside him, his hand hit the remote and turned on the television, channel two coming on automatically. As if on cue, the news were on, the story of the accident on the 57 freeway being reported at that exact moment.
truck skidded awkwardly across the lanes, hitting and overturning a small black honda civic, which consequently hit a white Astrovan, which was knocked onto its side. Two children were left hurt and rushed to the hospital, three adults lost their lives, including, the young driver of the pickup truck."
Turning off the volume, Souta turned and stuffed his head under the pillows, screaming that it wasn't true.
for the little boy, Kagome ignored his weak struggles and held him close, shushing his screams while rocking his little form on her lap. Careful of the I.V. in his arm, she whispered soothing words while encouraging him to let it all out. When a nurse came running at his screams, she shook her head, had the door closed, and tightened her hold on him.
Souta asked, his voice muffled by her shirt, "Why'd they have to go?"
was a question Kagome could remember asking too, years ago, crying into Mushin's chest much as Souta was now. Only unlike Souta, she had been watching, she hadn't been knocked out like he had. The nightmares still haunted her dreams at times. Rocking the boy quietly, she sighed and ran a hand down his back.
can't tell you why Souta, things like this just happen sometimes," Kagome kissed the top of his head.
our dog died, Mom said that God wanted him up in heaven with him," Souta sniffled, "Do you think that's why he took them? It's awfully mean of him to leave me here all alone."
a chuckle, she remembered thinking that too, "Yeah, I thought the same thing when my parents went up with him, I'm still not sure why he took them from me either."
caught his attention and he pulled back a little to face her, "Your parents are gone too?"
she wiped his tears and held the tissue up to his nose, "Blow."
a few honking noises and a couple more tissues, the red-nosed little boy sat back against the seat and scooted over for her to lie next to him. "How old were you?"
Kagome swallowed and forced herself to smile, "I remember everything very clearly, you see, it was my birthday and my parents were going away. I was so mad at them for leaving me."
eyes widened, "Why were they going away? Were you a bad little girl?"
my dad had some business to take care of and they had to go," biting her lip, she thought back, "I didn't understand about business then, I was just hurt and angry that they would both leave me. Mother always went with him on his trips, and this time she would be meeting up with her father too so she couldn't not go, grandpa was very sick you see."
what?"
bad heart," Kagome touched his chest, "So they hopped into the plane, a small private plane they'd bought some years before, and I stood at the airport watching them take off. I went there so often that I knew the staff. I remember that I ran up to the watch tower and was following their plane with some binoculars when it happened."
voice caught, her mind seeing the image again, of a small plane out in the distance, floating away across the bright blue sky. Souta poked her in the ribs and she continued, "Their plane just exploded."
missed his gasp, caught up in the memories, "They were flying along and suddenly there was an enormous roar and this fireball was plunging out of the sky."
wow..." the little boy gulped, "If it weren't so sad, I'd have to say that would have looked cool."
back at the sound of his voice, she heard his remark and chuckled, "I'm sure if it had just been a satelite or something without anyone in it, I would have thought it was cool too. Imagine a big ol' fireball falling from the sky."
you find out why it happened?"
yes, there was some problem with the plane, their pilot was in a hurry and skipped a few steps in his pre-flight checks." Kagome sighed, "Listen to me, why am I even telling you this awful story?"
make me feel better," Souta sniffled, wiping his eyes, "What am I gonna do now?"
nurse told me your aunt is coming to take care of you," Kagome ruffled his hair, "Do you know who?"
aunt Asami, she's the only one who's not married with her own kids." He stifled a yawn, "She's nice enough, but she lives on the other side of the states."

big house over in New Jersey," he shrugged, looking up at the tv again, seeing they were showing a football match. "The last time we visited we drove into New York city."
live in New York!" Kagome beamed, "Maybe we could hang out!"
for the first time since she'd been there, the little boy's eyes lit up and he managed to smile, "That'd be cool!"
talk to your aunt about it," she promised, tickling his tummy when he gave another yawn, "Someone needs a nap me thinks."
nodded his head, eyes drooping a little, "I don't think I could fall asleep though."
you know, when my friend Rin can't sleep, she usually..."




Kathy, have you seen Kagome? The young lady I came with?"
leaned over the counter, having just finished telling Sarah and five other little girls a story. He'd operated on Sarah months ago, but she'd suffered a relapse and come back recently. Every week he'd come to visit, unless he was away, then he'd call for a little while.
don't think I saw her when you came in," Kathy shook her head.
sure you did, she's about 5'5" black hair down to her mid-back, big brown eyes, cheerful smile," Miroku tried to describe her.
some black pants and a pink top?" Lauren came over, "She's in room 213 with a little boy who was screaming forever."
tsked, "Really Lauren, he's nine years old and his parents just died, give the kid some slack."
How?" Miroku straightened, eyes clouding with concern, "When did this happen?"
accident this morning on the 57, the family was going out for a drive and some teenage kid lost control of his pickup. The boy's parents both died on site and he was rushed here with a concussion and some major bruises. He was lucky to get out alive and unharmed." Kathy pointed down the hall, "Around the corner, first room on the left."
just checked in on them, she'd good with kids, he wouldn't calm down earlier," Lauren grimaced. "But then again, my patience was wearing kind of thin, I was already having a lousy morning."
reason to take it out on a poor kid..." While Kathy went on to scold her friend, Miroku headed over to the boy's room, only to stop outside at the sound of a very familiar voice.

Rain fell downwere thereran to you when Imy handa-rushing inwas howlingcalled for you, you were there
smiled, remembering the day she'd walked in on him practicing on the piano. She'd been eight when her parents died, and she'd gone into a terrible withdrawal, hardly eating, not playing, not smiling, walking around their house like a pale little ghost. She'd startled him pretty badly when she'd entered, but when he stopped playing, she begged him to continue. He'd started over, she'd sung along, and somehow the song just wrote itself.
had been so long since he'd heard it - he would have sworn she'd forgotten it, he had.
then again, he hadn't written the words for his deceased parents.

Whenever dark turns to nightall the dreams sing their songthe daylight foreveryou I belong
sad little voice joined hers, singing so softly Miroku had to stick his head in the room a little.
you I belong...
dad..."
sleep now..." Kagome hummed to the little boy, rubbing his back in soothing circles for a few more minutes until his breathing evened out. Slipping out of the bed once she was sure he was sound asleep, she turned to the doorway and gave a sheepish smile when she saw him there.
thought you might be done," she whispered, coming over and quietly following him out of the room.
the brightness in her eyes, Miroku wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. "You ready to go?"
sniffling and blinking back her tears, Kagome allowed him to lead her out to the front, "But could we stop by the gift shop real quick?"
he led the way and waited for her to pick something out. Searching for just the right item, Kagome found a cute, medium-sized stuffed beagle and knew she had to get it. With long floppy ears, brown and white fur, the dog had a cheerful expression on its features and would be just the right size for a little boy to hug. After paying for it, she tied a small card around its paw and they headed back.
it in Souta's arms, she gave him a kiss on the temple, wiped a few bangs out of his eyes, a tear from his cheek, and tucked the blanket close before exiting the room. Seeing the tender way she treated the boy brought a strange knot to Miroku's throat, he'd known she'd make a good mother by watching her with Rin and simply because of her personality, but this was different somehow, he couldn't place it, but it was.
leaving a note with Kathy for Souta's aunt, Kagome was finally ready to go and they headed out of the hospital.
trip home was silent, she took a nap in the car while he drove and he left the radio off. Arriving at the beach house, he carried her to bed, removed their shoes, and slipped in beside her. Watching her while she slept, Miroku realized he'd taken the whole 'I want a baby' thing way too lightly. Kagome really did want to be a mother, she was obviously ready, and she would be great with their kids.
Kids? When did things get plural? -)
widening, he suddenly realized something else.
Our kids? Where did that come from? I'm not ready for kids! -)
away a little on the bed, he sat up and turned his back to her, legs hanging over the side of the mattress. He was just being foolish, there was no way he could want more to do with Kagome. She was Sango's best friend, she'd been like another little sister to him for years - what the heck was he doing sleeping with her?
had he been thinking?
That she'd chicken out, I never epected her to come this far. -)
course he hadn't, and he would have turned her down if not for her explanations of why she went to him and how badly she'd been hurt by Hojo. He'd always been protective of her, always wanted to keep her safe and unharmed. Somehow he'd wanted ot make things up to her, for letting her get hurt when he'd known the guy was no good. Things had gone too far though, getting up out of the bed, he began pacing the room, oblivious to her movements while he worried over the change in their relationship. It took a harsh gasp and her bolting up in bed to startle him out of his musings.
up against the headboard, Kagome sat trembling, her hair covering her from his view, her hands wrapped tightly around her knees.
What's the matter?" Crawling to her side, he carefully wrapped his arms around her, bringing her close to his chest.
little boy, I told him about my parents earlier today and now I dreamt about it again." Kagome wiped her eyes with shaky hands, snuggling close, her arms coming around his back and her face nestling into the crook of his neck.
Stretching out onto his side on the bed, he kept one arm around her shoulders so her head lay pillowed on it, the other rubbing softly across her back. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Kagome shook her head, raising glossy eyes to his, "Could you just hold me? I'm so cold..."
course," pulling the small throw blanket he had over them both, Miroku's hands gently stroked over her arms and back, soothing her involuntary tremors.
for his understanding, she raised her head to give a tearful smile, the warm shine in her eyes moving something inside him. Lowering his head, his mouth came over hers, joining in a long, tender kiss. Despite the fact that they were in bed, their legs and arms tangled about one another, there was no urgent rush in the kiss, no rising lust.
their lips parted, he trailed his down to her chin, her jawline, pressing soft butterfly kisses to her temple, eyelids and nose. Hearing her giggle and sigh quietly, Miroku nuzzled the top of her head and settled his cheek against her hair.
lay there in peaceful silence for a while, neither wanting to move or speak. Eventually they had to get up, his rumbling stomach demanded they do so, and even after sharing a good-natured laugh and working together to make a quick meal, they spent the rest of the evening in front of the tv together quietly. Curled up on her side between him and the back of the sofa, Kagome kept a leg draped between his and an arm across his chest, holding his hand in hers.
by to surprise them early the next day, Jak and Bankotsu grinned at the couple they found fast asleep, the former quickly grabbing up a camera and snapping a few pictures before they spoke.
was his cheerful voice that woke them, while his pal opened up the curtains, "Rise and shine lovelies! We've got a lot to do today!"




worry, you'll be so busy having fun with me, you'll barely even remember you're on a plane," Jakotsu re-assured Kagome, giving her hand a squeeze before going to help Bankotsu with the luggage.
fidgeted with her bag, a knot of tension winding in her stomach. Even though she'd spent the day yesterday having fun with the three guys, and Miroku had done his best to make her forget everything last night, her nightmare from two days ago was still too fresh. She'd seen it after all, its not like someone had told her about a random plane exploding mid-air. Of course, commercial planes had dozens of technicians checking every detail before each flight, but it only took one small mistake.
Miroku coming from the snack shop, she opened her bag and thanked him for the gum and soda he bought her. Giving him a tight hug, she buried her face into his shoulder, "I wish you could come with me."
help you forget?" Kissing her head, he chuckled, whispering seductively into her ear, "I never knew you'd be interested in joining the Mile High club."
despite herself, she shrugged playfully, "You never know..."
his eyebrows, Miroku looked up when the guys came over, "You sure you can keep her mind off the flight?"
leave it to me," Jak brushed a piece of lint off Kagome's sweater, "Say your good-byes lovie, the plane's boarding in a sec."
watching the guys quickly shake hands or hug Miroku good bye, she came back into his arms when they headed off and held tight. "I really wish you were coming."
be fine Gome," nudging her nose with his, Miroku gave her his most charming smile before giving her a lingering kiss.
the couple from the boarding line, Jakotsu sighed, "Just look at that, isn't it the most romantic pose? His arms tight around her waist, her hands around his neck, one foot slightly off the ground, the other on its tip-toes?"
two have got it bad," Ban squeezed his hand, "I wonder when they'll figure it out?"
the way they had held hands and stuck together during their trip to the museum the day before, Jak laughed, "It won't be long now."
boarding for flight 351, Los Angeles to New York, all passengers please proceed to gate 17. I repeat...
back from the kiss, Kagome sighed and rested her cheek against his, "Thanks for having me over Roku, I had a great time these past few days."
me when you get home," he ordered, "And call me when you know, it takes thirteen days right?"
with one last peck on his lips, she stepped back, brushing a bang out of his eyes and giggling when he kissed the tip of her nose. Hearing her name called, she broke away and rushed over to the guys holding up the line, turning one last time to wave, "See ya Roku!"
Gome! Have a safe trip and watch out for Jak's wandering hands!"






smut this chapter, almost made that tender scene into one, but decided to leave it until next time. As always, thank you to all the great folks who've been reviewing, you guys seriously make my day. I'm so sorry, I'd meant to add this chapter before the whole Halloween part but I just realized I hadn't. Hope you liked it!
next time lovies!