InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Kurayami no Naka de Hikari ❯ Everyone Wears Masks ( Chapter 1 )

Kurayami no Naka de Hikari

Notes: Yay for a quick update for you guys (I hope)! I got six reviews for the prologue, I guess that's not too bad considering I'm out of practice and haven't made an appearance in almost six years (it seems my ‘loyal' fans are no longer on ff.net!). Anyway, I hope you don't expect chapters to be added as quickly as this one was added, I don't know HOW I finished a chapter this quickly, and a 10 page on at that (Arial, 10pt)! I hope it doesn't seem like it jumps around too much, I wrote this in several sittings on my Droid (mostly on the bus to and from work). I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Sango and Miroku make an appearance. I'm glad I managed to get a few of you with the prologue!! That was my goal!!

Disclaimer: Obviously don't own Inuyasha or the characters therein.

Chapter 1 – Everyone Wears Masks

Inuyasha sat in a squishy armchair with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face. He growled low in his throat at the stupid girl lying in the hospital bed in front of him. What she was doing standing on the railing with her arms outstretched, he could only guess. All of his guesses would lead to one answer, though... The dark-haired girl had gone to that bridge that hardly anyone used so she could kill herself... With the height of the bridge and depth of the water, there was no way she would have survived that fall. If Inuyasha hadn't been wasting time by just driving around, she definitely would have been killed. And if he didn't have the speed and instincts of a hanyou, he would never have managed to grab her wrist as she fell.

So here he was, sitting in a chair waiting for the girl to wake up. He knew one thing about her, her name was Higurashi Kagome and she attended Shikon Tech. as evident by the student ID in her wallet. He wondered to himself why she was out in the rain wearing a tank top and shirt pleated skirt, but came up with nothing. It was too cold yet to be walking around without a coat or a hoodie. He supposed the fever had made her believe she was warmer than she was. Or was it the hypothermia that made her take off the hoodie? Inuyasha didn't care. He was just glad he had made it in time to save her life.

He sighed impatiently as he checked his watch for the twentieth time in the last hour. The doctor had told him she would be waking soon since the fever had died down but she remained still, pale as death with dark circles beneath her eyes. He wanted to give this stupid girl a piece of his mind and smack her upside the head for trying something as cowardly as trying to commit suicide!

"Damnit! Wake up already, you stupid girl!" Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he glared around the room. Everything felt the wrath of his glare from the floor tiles, to the curtain, to the machines emitting that annoying beep-beep of the sleeping girl's pulse. He leaned his head back on the chair and stretched his feet out as far as he could and still be in the chair, arms still crossed over his chest. An annoying, yappy, dog bark sounded from his pocket and he growled again. Apparently his sister-in-law had messed with his ring tone. He could see a mental picture of the petit woman grinning as she set the obnoxious Chihuahua bark to his main ringtone. He'd have to remember to get her back later... preferably without his brother finding out about it. They didn't tend to get along most of the time. Inuyasha reached into his pocket and pulled out his 'barking' phone and let out another frustrated sigh at the visible name. He quickly answered the phone before it went to voicemail.

"What do you want now, Miroku?!" He growled into the receiver. Miroku had been calling every hour to try to get Inuyasha to come out as his wingman at the club that had just opened. Most of the women that went to those clubs knew Miroku's reputation as a hard-core pervert so most would only speak to him if Inuyasha was there to keep his wandering hands in check.

"Please reconsider coming out here!!!" Miroku yelled into the phone, trying to be heard over the music.

"I told you already, monk! There's no way in HELL I'm going out as your wingman again!" Inuyasha growled into the phone. "My eyebrow finally grew back in after Sango got ahold of me!" There was nervous laughter on the other end of the phone. Inuyasha had a feeling Miroku hadn't told Sango he was going out that night and the laugh had just confirmed it.

"Yeah well... Sango is a very delicate woman... I think I may have to give her some space for the next few days." Miroku's nervous voice said on the line. "Mind if I crash at your place for a few days?"

"Keh! Whatever, man! You know where the key is! You better not bring any sleazy club girls up in there, though!" Inuyasha growled out as a sudden thought hit him. "I won't be an accessory and those chicks leave a nasty stench in the air that takes days to clear out!" There was a long pause on the line... followed by a sigh of defeat.

"All right, the stanks can stay at their palace tonight. Miroku-sama is going to sleep alone tonight!" Miroku said dramatically.

"If you and Sango would just admit you love each other and stop playing this 'not serious' game, you'd never have to sleep alone, stupid!" Inuyasha roared back in frustration. Ever since high school, Inuyasha's two best friends had been this 'catch me if you can' game. It annoyed the hell out of Inuyasha but the pair was just too damn stubborn for their own good. They would flirt with other people and pretend to go on dates with other people, but there was always retribution to pay afterward. Inuyasha had seen them sneaking off together more times than he could count, but getting them to admit they weren't just friends-with-benefits had proven to be impossible so Inuyasha had long since given up fighting a losing battle.

"Oh yeah, before I forget, are you gonna make an appearance at my mom's Sunday dinner this week?" Inuyasha asked, taking his thoughts away from the antics of his friends.

"Do you really have to ask? You know I'd never miss Izayoi-mama's Sunday dinner!" Miroku's voice sounded on the other end. It was true, Miroku saw Inuyasha's parents more often than his own. "What's she making this week?"

"Hmm... Not sure. Last I heard she was torn between Italian food or Indian food." Inuyasha explained. "I'm hoping she goes with Italian, you know I hate curry." Inuyasha heard Miroku chuckle on the line. Everyone in the city knew Inuyasha hated curry. His heightened inu youkai senses couldn't handle extremely spicy food.

"You know you just want Italian because the noodles remind you of Ramen!" Miroku shot back. This prompted Inuyasha to abruptly hit the 'end call' button on the phone. Inuyasha scowled at the teasing from his closest friend. So what if Inuyasha could eat Ramen every meal and be content! At least he knew what he wanted!! Miroku couldn't decide if he wanted to prowl for women or be with Sango so he had no right to tease! Inuyasha's ear twitched as he heard a soft noise to his right. He swiveled his eyes to the bed next to him and saw large, slightly glazed, chocolate eyes half-lidded and staring up at the ceiling.

- l - l - l -

Kagome was floating... She was surrounded by endless white with nothing visible anywhere. Her memory was hazy... The only thing she remembered was her name, Higurashi Kagome... 'Where am I?' She asked herself inwardly as she tried to recall anything. The other thing that came to mind was a pair of glowing, golden eyes and soft silver hair floating on a light breeze. Why this image came to mind, Kagome had no clue. She leaned back in the nothingness and sighed in contentment at being able to relax in such a peaceful setting.

Kagome was brought out of her relaxation as a faint voice penetrated her silent void. She scrunched up her nose in irritation and tried to block the annoying voice out. It seemed to work and Kagome felt herself lean back into a non-existent cushion of light. Her eyes popped open after several minutes when the voice returned louder and more persistently. She could tell that the voice was a man's, but she definitely didn't recognize it. His voice was gruff and arrogant and it pissed her off that he was disturbing the peace she had been feeling before. She opened her mouth to tell him to shut up but instead of sound coming out, she felt a falling sensation. She clawed at the air, looking for anything to grab onto so she didn't have to leave such a peaceful place. Blackness filled her vision and she lost all conscious thought.

Kagome slowly opened her eyes and whiteness filled her vision. It was different, though. This was steady instead of the shimmering she had seen before. The voice sounded from behind her and she heard the distinct tone of a cellphone being 'hung up'. Her body felt heavy and muscles felt strained like she had had an intense workout the night before. That's when everything came crashing back to her... She had come home late from class and her precious boyfriend, Naraku, had locked her out in the rain. Most of the rest of the night was hazy. Kagome remembered something about a bridge and then there were those gorgeous eyes from her dream.

"Hey onna!" The annoying voice from Kagome's dream sounded from her right side. "What the hell were you doing on the railing?!" He demanded rudely. A confused look settled on her tired features as she tried to place what he was talking about. 'What's he talking about?' Kagome asked herself as she tried to bring the face into focus. It was him... the person she had just seen in her dream. That's when reality came crashing back to her again and she realized what he was really asking her. 'He thinks I was trying to kill myself!' Her inner voice screeched as a shocked look crossed her features.

Inuyasha watched the facial expressions of the human girl in the hospital bed before him with a stern look on his face. At first she looked annoyed, and then it shifted to confusion, and finally settled on surprise. He felt his ears lay back on his head and his frown deepened. The quick flicker to his ears hadn't gone unnoticed. The people of this age were still so unaccepting of hanyous so he was assuming that the girl in front of him had the same ingrained prejudices as much of the world.

"I..." Kagome started as she attempted to sit up. She was immediately met with a wave of dizziness and flopped back into to flat, lumpy pillow. "I wasn't trying to kill myself, if that's what you think." She said boldly with her eyes closed as he tried to will the light-headedness away. It receded... slowly... and a moment later, Kagome was able to open her eyes. "And my name is Kagome. Ka-go-me! Not onna!" She enunciated her name sternly as she met his glare with one of her own. 'Wow... what a strong woman...' Inuyasha silently mused as he saw the fire in her eyes. As far as she knew, he was a full demon but she stood her ground and refused to give him an upper hand. A smirk crossed Inuyasha's lips as he watched her meet him stare-for-stare.

"So I suppose you just thought you'd go for a swim then, huh?" Inuyasha commented sarcastically as his smirk widened.

"As a matter of fact, yeah, I was going for a swim!" Kagome shot back as her eyes narrowed on the silver-haired man in the armchair. "It was freaking hot!"

"That's because you were running a hundred and six degree temperature, baka!" Inuyasha growled out warningly.

"Who do you think you're calling a baka, you self-centered flea bag!" Kagome shot back as she continued to glare at the dog-eared man in front of her. She wasn't one to fling insults most of the time, but this arrogant jerk came in here, didn't know her, and assumed she was a complete moron.

"Well what the hell were you doing out in the rain?!? You could have gone into a coma and died from the fever!" Inuyasha practically yelled. Sure she was cute, but she was thick-headed and apparently had a hell of a temper.

"It's not really any of your business, but I locked myself out and couldn't get ahold of the landlord to let me in!" Kagome came up with the lie quickly. She knew it sounded flimsy and she wasn't a good liar, but it really was none of his business.

"That's a load of crap!" Inuyasha growled. He noticed her flinch lightly as he called her on the obvious lie. "Just because you're locked out doesn't mean you walk around in the rain! How about family? Friends? Even a damn restaurant or library or something is better than giving yourself pneumonia!"

"Well maybe I didn't have anywhere to go! Maybe I LIKE to walk around when I'm upset!" Kagome yelled back, leaning toward Inuyasha. She immediately realized her mistake and slapped a hand over her mouth. She hadn't meant to admit that she had been upset... or let a complete stranger that she didn't have any family of friends nearby to confide in.

"Aha! You just admitted it!" Inuyasha cried, his scowl returning to the arrogant smirk. "You said you were upset so you WERE trying to kill yourself!" Kagome sighed and looked away from the man beside her, focusing her attention on the window next to her bed instead.

"What would you care if I was..." Kagome whispered quietly. Inuyasha couldn't see the look on her face but there was a great sadness in her scent as she gazed out the window. "You don't even know me, so what do you care?" This came out in an even quieter whisper, but with his sensitive hearing, Inuyasha heard it clearly. 'Why do I care?' Inuyasha thought to himself as a perplexed look crossed his features. 'It's not like the world would mourn the loss of one human girl... and yet...' He mused to himself, frowning thoughtfully.

"Oh!" A startled voice said from the doorway. Both Kagome and Inuyasha turned toward the newcomer in the doorway. The young woman who stood there had long dark brown hair pulled up in a high ponytail with dark brown eyes and a little bit of pink eye shadow. She was dressed in doctor's scrubs and held a clipboard in one hand, a stethoscope hanging around her neck. "What are you doing here, Inuyasha?" The young woman asked with a warm smile for the half-demon.

"What are you doing here, Sango?" Inuyasha asked in surprise as he saw the tall woman in front of him. "I thought you worked pediatrics!"

"Most of the time I do, but they switch us up once in a while so we keep all of our skills fresh." Sango explained as she lifted her clipboard and flipped to the next page. She was almost done with her residency at the hospital so she was pretty much given free rein on where she wanted to work. Her little brother had been sick a lot as a child and had passed on at a young age so that's what prompted her to choose pediatrics as her main focus.

"So... Higurashi." Sango said with a smile for the dark-haired girl in the bed. "How do you feel?" Kagome weakly returned the smile the doctor gave her. She seemed nothing like the bad-tempered, inu youkai sitting by her bed. Maybe they were just casual friends, she didn't look the type to take the arrogance and attitude he'd displayed earlier toward Kagome.

"I'm okay. Just a bit tired." Kagome said, the weak smile remaining.

"That's good. Your chart says you have a case of walking pneumonia. You've been given anti biotics through your IV but I'm going to prescribe a mild steroid to help the respiratory symptoms clear up." Sango explained as she jotted a few notes down on the clipboard. "I'd like you to stay for observations for a few days to make sure it doesn't worsen." Kagome nodded as Sango explained. She let out a sigh when she found out she had to stay. Kagome hated hospitals with a passion. She had spent about three years in a hospital when her father had gotten sick. It still broke her heart that he was unable to beat the cancer that took his life.

"Higurashi-san?" Kagome was jolted out of her thoughts when she heard the doctor say her name.

"I'm sorry, what was the question?" Kagome asked as an embarrassed blush stained her cheeks.

"I was just asking if you have any family you'd like to call." Sango asked as she looked at the bed-ridden young woman.

"I..." Kagome paused to gather her thoughts. She wasn't ready to see the man that was an indirect cause of her current ailment. He would still be angry and would find a way to make her being in the hospital all Kagome's fault. No... she wasn't ready to face him just yet. She visibly deflated and shook her head 'no' while avoiding eye contact with either of the room's other two occupants. "No... there's no one I'd like to contact..." She didn't notice the concerned look on Sango's face or the incredulous look on Inuyasha's.

"Inuyasha, can I talk to you for a moment outside?" Sango asked as she placed a hand on his shoulder drawing him to his feet.

"Yeah... You gonna be all right, onna?" Inuyasha asked, shooting his smirk at the dark-haired human girl. He received an annoyed glare from the girl.

"I told you, it's Kagome!" She snapped as she glared at the tall man.

"Keh! Whatever! I'll be back in a minute." Inuyasha said arrogantly as he tossed his head back and turned toward the door.

- l - l - l -

"I just had a few questions about her." Sango said as she put the clipboard back at her side. This was a personal conversation, off the record, not doctor-to-patient. "You're the one that brought her in, right?" She asked, pitching her voice low so no passersby could hear their conversation. At his serious nod, Sango continued. "Where did you find her and what was the situation that made you bring her in?" Inuyasha was quiet for a moment thinking of how to go about this.

"She almost fell off a bridge outside of town. I just barely got there in time to catch her. I think that's how her wrist got sprained." Inuyasha explained. He hadn't liked the sad look on her face when she said she didn't want to call anyone. It was disturbing to him to see someone with that much fire and spirit look so lost and rejected. Someone with her personality should have a zillion friends and family around her at all times.

"Did it look like it was..." Sango paused and pitched her voice even lower so only his sensitive hearing could pick it up. "... an accident?" Inuyasha knew that she would be sent to the psychological hospital if it was written up as an attempted suicide and he just couldn't seem to picture her trying to kill herself.

"I think it was, Sango." Inuyasha stated with a serious expression on his face. "She was really out of it when I saved her. I think the fever was making her hallucinate." He explained. He noted the skeptical look on her face but she didn't argue with him.

"If you're sure she's mentally sound, we'll just treat her for the pneumonia and release her, then." Sango said as she gave her friend a weak smile and squeezed his shoulder before going back into the room. Inuyasha remained in the hallway for several moments before he went back into the room.

- l - l - l -

"Why are you still here?" Kagome asked the grumpy-looking youkai sitting cross-legged in the chair next to her. Every time he looked at her, there was a scowl or a smirk on his face. 'Doesn't he have any normal facial expressions?' Kagome wondered to herself as she felt her eyebrow twitch. He was seriously getting under her skin. 'If he's going to keep scowling and looking like he'd rather be somewhere else, why didn't he just leave?'

"Keh! You'd like that, wouldn't you?!" He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked away from her toward the open door and muttered something Kagome barely heard. "No one should have to sit in the hospital all alone." Kagome felt her cheeks warm up at his words and knew she was blushing. When she looked at Inuyasha, she saw a rosy tint touching the bridge of his nose and he was purposely avoiding eye contact. 'Could he be all talk?' Kagome wondered as she saw this new side of him. 'Maybe he's not what he seems...'

"So, your name is Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned with a change of subject. She had remembered what the doctor, Sango, had called him.

"Yeah. Takahashi Inuyasha." He said grumpily as he turned back to the dark-haired girl. Something tickled the back of Kagome's mind about the family name. It sounded kind of familiar to her for some reason. She pushed it from her mind and tried to think of something to talk about. She was saved from this when an obnoxious dog started yapping excitedly. Inuyasha groaned and rolled his eyes. "Freaking Miroku..." He grumbled as he dug into his pocket and drew out the barking phone. Kagome stifled a giggle at the vision of a bad boy dog demon with a Chihuahua barking ringtone!

"What do you want now, Miroku?" Inuyasha growled into the phone in annoyance.

"I'm kinda in a jam..." Miroku's voice sounded nervous over the phone.

"Who did you piss off this time?" Inuyasha asked with an exasperated sigh. It was the same thing every time. Miroku hit on someone's girlfriend and invariably had to deal with her large, jealous boyfriend. He could hold his own in a fight but he would rather not sport any bruises on his 'perfect' face so he'd call up Inuyasha to come flex his muscles.

"Just the normal muscled idiot except..." Miroku paused with a nervous laugh.

"What, Miroku?" Inuyasha growled in warning to his best friend.

"It turns out this guy's uncle is pretty high up in the yakuza." Miroku explained and immediately flinched at the explosion on the other end of the line.

"What?!?" Inuyasha yelled as he jumped up from the armchair. "The freaking YAKUZA is after you, now? Damnit Miroku!! If you weren't such a freaking pervert this stuff wouldn't keep happening!!" Kagome's eyes were as wide as they could go. She hadn't expected him to jump up and start yelling like that. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as she watched his form.

"You're gonna have to lay low for a while you big idiot! Do NOT let the yakuza follow you to my place!!" Inuyasha growled. "I'll give pops a call in the morning and we'll see if we can get this stupid shit cleared up. I'm sending Sango out so you don't do something else stupid!" With that, Inuyasha hung up his phone and glared at it for a minute before turning his attention back to Kagome. "Look woman. I have to go take care of some things right now. You BETTER still be here when I come back tomorrow. If you try to sneak out of here, I'll track you down." He warned as he directed his glare at Kagome. She felt her face heat up when he said he was coming back the next day. 'Why would he even bother?' Kagome wondered with a dumb-founded look on his face.

- l - l - l -

Kagome woke slowly the next morning and was so disoriented; she didn't know where she was for a while. Not to mention a nurse had woken her at six AM to stab a needle in her to draw blood. That's when she felt absolutely terrible. Her throat was sore, her head was throbbing, and this hacking cough started when she tried to sit up too quickly. To put it simply, she felt absolutely lousy. The worst part though, was that she didn't have her books to study with and she wasn't ready to call Naraku just yet.

Kagome sighed in defeat and pulled her pillow over her face. She really hated this... Being sick and stuck in a hospital with bland hospital food and nearly coughing up a lung every few minutes tanked! Plus there was nothing to do... they only had local channels and all they were playing were game shows and soap operas. Yes Kagome was miserable AND bored!

"Oi. Wake up would you." A male voice sounded from beside her, slightly muffled by the pillow. Kagome pulled the pillow off one eye and peeked up at the silver-haired youkai from the previous day. To say she was surprised would have been an understatement.

"What are you doing here?" She asked with wide eyes as she tried to hide in the pillow and still see the man in her room.

"Baka. I told you I'd be back here. Did you hurt your brain since yesterday or something?" He asked rudely as he pointed a clawed finger at her forehead. Kagome's face flushed at the insult.

"If you're going to be a jerk why did you bother coming back?" She asked him with an annoyed glare.

"Keh! Someone had to make sure you didn't try anything else stupid!" He shot back, which caused Kagome's face to redden more in anger.

"You're really pissing me off!" Kagome cried, not really used to yelling at someone but he just seemed to know how to strike a nerve. She had her intelligence questioned enough at home, she wasn't about to let a complete stranger talk to her like she was a moron. "At least I was taught manners! You must have been raised by a savage to insult people's intelligence when you don't know anything about them!" She watched as his face darkened at the insult but she refused to back down. Kagome was shocked when the dark look he gave her lifted and was replaced by a huge smirk.

"Heh, good!" Inuyasha said as he crossed his arms over his chest and flopped down in the chair next to Kagome, smirk still in place. "Just making sure you weren't sitting here feeling sorry for yourself about your 'tragic' life."

"Don't assume to know me!" Kagome cried, her anger not dimmed in the slightest. "I never said anything about my 'horrible' life. Stop making assumptions about things you know nothing about!" Kagome overdid it. A coughing fit came on and she was having difficulty stopping long enough to breathe. Kagome was vaguely aware of sneakers squeaking on the floor as someone tore out of the room and Inuyasha shouting for a nurse before blackness surrounded her in its embrace.

"You're ridiculous, Inuyasha!" A female voice cut into Kagome's dream. "I should ban you from the hospital! She was just fine until you upset her, baka!"

"Keh! It's not my fault her weak human body got sick!" Inuyasha's voice responded arrogantly. Kagome heard the distinct sound of flesh hitting flesh as she slowly opened her eyes. "What the hell, Sango!" He growled as he glared at the doctor standing beside him with her fist raised and an annoyed look on her face. Kagome had the distinct impression that the beautiful doctor had punched the inu youkai in the back of the head. He was looking very disgruntled and was directing a nasty glare at the brown-haired doctor.

"You didn't have to hit me..." Kagome heard the tall man mutter as he sank back down into the chair. If Kagome didn't know any better, she would have thought he was pouting. This was when Sango looked over in Kagome's direction. The stern look she had directed at Inuyasha had immediately melted and was replaced by a gentle smile.

"Are you feeling better now, Higurashi-san?" Sango asked as she shot a quick glare at Inuyasha. He cringed slightly but then gave her a haughty look as she turned back to Kagome.

"Don't let this bone-head get to you. He can be a jerk but it's really not his fault." Sango explained with a smile as she took the chair on the other side of the bed next to the window. "He was dropped on his head when he was a baby. Not to mention a lot of his brain cells were wiped out in high school from all the fights he started."

"Hey!" Inuyasha growled in irritation as he jumped back up and glared across the bed at the dark-haired doctor. She effectively ignored him as she focused her full attention on Kagome.

"Are you two dating or something?" Kagome asked because of the playful banter going back and forth between the two. Sango's cheeks were stained a light pink and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Me and Inuyasha?" Sango questioned with an incredulous look. "No way! We've been close friends since grade school." Sango explained.

"Heh, Sango's obsessed with a certain perverted monk-" Inuyasha started with a smirk but was unable to finish when a bootie covered crock plugged his mouth and prevented him from speaking. (AN: You all know the booty shoe cover things that surgeons have to wear. Looks kind of like a solid hairnet only for your feet)

Kagome couldn't help but laugh at the antics of the two people in her room. Sango was still standing with her arm extended from the throw when Inuyasha spit the crock out and glared instant death at Sango.

"I'm gonna hurt you, Sango!" Inuyasha growled low in his throat as he stood, cracking his knuckles and facing off against the doctor in front of him. This only caused Kagome to laugh harder. Bad idea... another coughing fit took hold of her and brought tears to her eyes. She felt a strong pair of hands grip her shoulders and whisper wordlessly in her ear to calm her down. After a few moments, Kagome felt her lungs relax managed to lift her eyelids. She felt a soft cloth wiping the tears from her eyes as she drew in deep breaths and allowed the strong arms to hold her up.

"I... I'm okay now..." Kagome said in a whisper as she looked up into a pair of concerned golden eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Higurashi-san!" Sango cried as she pulled off her stethoscope and proceeded to start checking Kagome's vitals again.

"It's okay Sango-sensei." Kagome said with a small smile. "You can call me, Kagome." Sango smiled gratefully at Kagome when she saw the dark-haired girl wasn't going to report her to the supervisor on shift.

"Thank you, Kagome. Sango is fine. I don't think I'll ever get used to any special titles." She said as she scratched the back of her head. She looked up just in time to catch the crock that Inuyasha tossed at her head and in one smooth motion, pulled it onto her foot. Kagome noted the slightly disappointed look on Inuyasha's face at Sango's quick instincts.

"Sango-sensei!" A sing-song voice called through the door. Everyone turned to the door to see a young man with black hair pulled into a short ponytail at the base of his neck and a pair of cobalt blue eyes that were dancing in excitement peek his head in. "Are you ready to go to lunch yet? Ayame said you were down here. Eh? Inuyasha?" The dark-haired man seemed surprised to see his dog-eared friend helping a sick patient sit up. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the tall, dark-haired man.

"You're late, Miroku." Sango said as she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at him. He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry, Sango-sensei." Miroku said as he shot a nervous, questioning look at Inuyasha. He was clearly asking if Inuyasha had mentioned the unfortunate event from the night before to Sango. Said woman was tapping her foot at the dark-haired monk. "You haven't already eaten have you? Wait, why are you here, Inuyasha? Are you pushing up on my woman now?"

"Keh! That's none of your business ecchi houshi." Inuyasha grumbled as a slight blush touched his cheeks.

"And who would be your woman, Miroku?" Sango asked blandly as she examined her manicured fingers. "Would it be that cute girl from the coffee shop? Or maybe the pretty little shy girl at the dry cleaners? Or is it some girl you met at the club last night?" Sango said as she lifted a dark glare up at the young man. His body stiffened at the accusations and a sickly smile spread across his face, attempting to mask the dread he felt in his gut.

"Why don't you two love birds take it somewhere else." Inuyasha said casually as he looked around the room at nothing in particular. "Kagome should get some sleep." Kagome blushed when he said her name and a smile spread across her lips. It was nice to hear him use her first name instead of just being called 'onna'.

"Forgive my rudeness!" Miroku said as he regained his composure and walked to the dark-haired young woman in the bed. "I'm Yukito Miroku, Kagome-sama. You are a Goddess from above." Miroku started with an overly warm smile as he took the girl's hand within both of his, stroking the back softly. "Can I ask something, Kagome-sama?"

"Eh? Ask me something?" Kagome asked with her cheeks stained bright red. This was a strange bunch of people around her it seemed.

"Will you bear my child?" Miroku asked with a serious look on his face.

"Huh...?" Kagome questioned as her eyes widened in surprise. Before she could react, a slapping sound reached her ears and he was sporting a red handprint on his cheek from Sango.

"Stupid pervert!" Inuyasha grumbled as he punched the young man in the back of the head in irritation. "That's NOT something you should ask every pretty girl you meet!" He growled as he glared at Miroku. "That's why stuff like last night happens so much!"

"What happened last night?!" Sango demanded as she turned another glare on Miroku's nervous figure.

"N... nothing, Sango-sensei." Miroku tried to say but the look on Sango's face said she'd believe pigs fly before what he said. She had seen him late the night before over at Inuyasha's place when she got off work. By that point, Inuyasha's father had made a few calls and Miroku was spared. So as not to end up in a hospital bed across the hallway from Kagome, both young men had neglected to mention it to the young doctor. There was no way either was going to put themself in bodily harm by telling the brown-haired girl what had happened.

"Well, Miroku." Sango started as she walked over to Miroku and grabbed his ear, making him bend double. "We'll just go have a nice chat, won't we?" She asked sweetly as the two headed for the door. Sango had a sweet smile on her face... her eyes were another story... They promised pain to come for being left out of the loop. "I'll deal with you later, Inuyasha." She said glancing back at the silver-haired man.

"Keh!" He responded but Kagome noticed how his muscles tensed as soon as she turned that gaze on him.

"Wow..." Kagome breathes as she watched the whole exchange wide-eyed. They were obviously a very close group of friends that cared deeply for each other. Kagome smiled at the memory of friends like that. She had three friends, Yuki, Eri, and Ayumi back in high school and middle school she'd been really close to. They had lost touch when they all went separate directions for college. She missed them... She hadn't realized how lonely she felt until she saw this group of close-knit friends...

"Oi... Sorry about my friends." Inuyasha said calmly, relaxing back into the armchair. "They can be a bit overwhelming at times." Kagome smiled and shook her head at him.

"Don't apologize," Kagome said making eye contact. "You all seem so close, like family. You can't apologize for family acting silly like that." Kagome watch as a small, tender smile crossed his handsome face. He had been embarrassed by their behavior until she gave him that smile.

"That smile suits you better the depressed look from last night." He explained without a hint of the arrogant look from earlier. She noticed there was some sadness hidden in his eyes accompanying the smile. 'Everyone wears masks... huh?' She asked herself as her smile slowly slid from her face.

"Until you prove you don't need a friend, I'm gonna keep popping up." Inuyasha said as the normal smirk returned to his face. Kagome looked at him sideways, trying to figure out why he was being so persistent.

::FIN::

Well that's it for this chapter. Kinda a weird place to end, don't worry, once Kagome is out of the hospital, it'll pick up A LOT. I have several things playing through my head that are going to happen in this story. I hope it all comes out good! I love in depth reviews the best!!