InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Mistaken Illness ❯ Prologue ( Prologue )

The Mistaken Illness

By Obsessor

 

**This is my Author's Note/Blanket Disclaimer.**

 

Please read! There isa purpose to this story, a message we needto get across to everyone.

 

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha.

 

Also, the opinions/views of Japanese society expressed in this story are gathered from a movie I saw. I'll get the name of that ASAP. [edit: movie called `Remembering the Cosmos Flower'. Highly recommend it!] If these opinions are out of date, I'm sorry. I don't know when the movie was made. They're not my opinions, and if I still offend someone by this, I am very sorry. If I make a technical mistake, feel free to correct me. This story is being written simply because I believe this issue needs to be given attention. In society, we are too judgmental of those who aren't like us; don't look like us, live differently than us. We need to stop this unfounded prejudice. And now I'm going to be cliché and say, yes, one person does make a difference. Although it doesn't seem like much, with your own opinion, you can influence those of others around you. No one deserves to be discriminated against because of who they are. They are who they are. People don't ask to suffer things that they do, to live how they do. Its just what happens. So, please don't blame them for things that aren't their own fault.

 

^--please read. It gives the purpose of this story. Yes, this story has a moral, because it was created out of that moral. Learn it. Live with it. Breathe because of it.

 

Website: http://www.freewebs.com/obsessor

Myspace: obsessor

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AIM: coliogirl91

Email: coliogirl91@netscape.net, the_random_obsessor@yahoo.com, furuba.freak@gmail.com, the_random_obsessor@goowy.com

Gaia: lightning_slayer

 

Now onto the actual story!

 

Prologue:

 

Grandpa hurried in from tending the shrine as the phone rang obnoxiously. Stopping a minute to catch his breath and curse his old joints, he leaned the broom against the counter. He hastily grabbed the phone from its hook as it rang again.

 

“Moshi moshi. Higurashi residence. Higurashi Toji speaking.”

 

“Oh, nice to meet you….yes, she is so cursed with bad health…w-well….her immune system isn't too well, so she catches stuff easily….yes, it would be nice is she was able to make school more….you cant to discuss it….tomorrow?….well, I suppose my duties can e neglected for a day…yes, I care for a jinjya…tomorrow at 2….that's fine….goodbye.”

 

Toji leaned against the counter as the stress hit him full force. They had finally begun to suspect. To tell the truth, in this day and age, he would've been concerned if they didn't look into the fact that one of their students was absent more days than present. Although, when he was Kagome's age, they wouldn't dare… He shook his head as he walked outside, grabbing his broom from where it leaned. No need to get nostalgic.

 

But how to get out of this one. His daughter, Harumi, was with her son Souta on a school trip in Hokkaido. Hokkaido! And they were camping in the freezing wilderness with snowdrifts taller than himself, so there was no way to contact them.

 

Sighing, Toji walked back to the jinjya ground. He would just have to deal with it himself. After all, he was the one who so unwittingly told the school all of those far-fetched lies about her `diseases.' The only disease she had was constantly being badgered by her hanyou companion.

 

But now he had to finish his jinjya duties, as tomorrow they would be interrupted by his meeting with that school official. As the autumn wind blew more leaves across the grounds, he began purposefully sweeping the stairs that led down to the street, letting his imagination roam to find the answer to this problem.

 

****

 

Swaying with the train as it curved through the city, Toji's stomach was starting to think that maybe taking a cab would've been a better idea, even if the traffic was horrific in the middle of Tokyo. Pretending to be asleep, he itched his neck, fixing his collar in the process. In light of who he was meeting, he had opted for a white polo and clack pants instead of his traditional Shinto clothing. He would've earned a few too many stares if he had worn that.

 

Jerking to the side as the train halted, he raised his wrinkled face to the station sign. Station 5. Still one more station to go. Taking a quick look around and finding nothing interesting, he settled back to sleeping.

 

Growing bored of looking at the inside of his eyelids, Toji peeked out of the corner of his eye to the man next to him. He was reading a magazine, but the writing in it didn't make any sense. Then he realized why-it was written in English. `Must be for a class…. all these studious kids nowadays… Recalling his own grueling years of school, he began to sound out the headline of the current page in his head.

 

`Ai-aiid..edsu epi-epidem…ic…in af-furiiaa…he…help-p…is on…I-its..uway… Oh, AIDS

 

Losing interest in an article that took him a minute a sentence, Toji leaned his head against the window behind him and feel into a light sleep.

 

****

 

Smacking his head against the window as the train began to slow; Toji roused himself as he realized they must've reached the next stop. His stop. And he still had no idea how to get himself and his granddaughter out of this predicament.

 

Stretching discreetly, he stood up and followed a couple of other people off the train. Glad to be out of that claustrophobic hunk of metal, he took the mad he had brought out of his pocket as he walked into the sunshine. Sighing in frustration, he studied the crisscrossing streets, avenues, and lanes on the map. He had rarely been in this part of the city before, as it was too far from home, and it showed in his knowledge of the area.

 

After walking through the streets, some more than once, he finally spotted the address he was looking for on a nearby building. Glancing at his watch, he hurried up to the glass door. 1:57. On time, but barely.

 

Walking up to the desk by the wall, he patiently waited in line. The bubbly receptionist directed him to the nearest elevator, telling him as she smacked her gum to `get off the elevator at the 3rd floor, first right, second left. Name'll be on the door.'

 

Thanking her, Toni walked as quickly as he could while retaining dignity, to the elevator. As the door slid open, he stepped inside and sighted with relief. An empty elevator…. He didn't; want to admit it, but he had always been a little claustrophobic, and the train ride had caused it to flare up.

 

Watching the floor numbers on the screen above the door increase, he got off as the door slid open. Stepping out onto floor 3, he walked forward. `First right, second left…I think…' According to his watch, it was 2:06. Hurrying along, he turned right, then left his footsteps muffled by the carpet.

 

Coming up to the correct door, he knocked tentatively on the wood. His eyes quickly taking in his watch, he gulped s he realized he was…

 

“Late. Good afternoon, Higurashi-san. Please come in.” As the door opened, Toji found himself looking at a shrewd face, which rested on top of a pressed, expensive-looking suit. The man's gray beard was trimmed, his hair neatly combed back. All in all, Toji found himself looking at someone who was immaculate down to the last of the hairs on his balding head. So immaculate, well…it was intimidating.

 

“G-good afternoon, Yamamoto-san. Please excuse my lateness the train was slow.”

 

Yamamoto opened the door further, admitting Toji, and ushering him into the leather chair in from of the oak desk. He then took his seat on the other side of the desk, and interlocked his fingers, elbows resting on top of a pile of important looking papers.

 

“I hope you remember the purpose of this meeting; to discuss your granddaughter's continued absence from school.”

 

“Yes. She has been so sick lately, it's very unfortunate…” Toji did not miss the underlying insult that his memory might be failing. `And he can't be all that younger, look at that gray hair! Hmph…'

 

“Well, the school and I, myself, are very concerned about her wellbeing. She has had so many diseases, many very serious. We are worried that she has such poor health at such a young age.”

 

“Yes, I know your concern. It is sad that her immune system is so bad. Mono, stomach flu arthritis, colds…”

 

“Very unfortunate. However, it worries us greatly when we found that she has not been at any of the local hospitals. It appears that she is not being given treatment for her illnesses.”

 

“Yes, well, Kagome…has been brought up very….orthodox. She doesn't much believe in excessive medical treatment.”

 

“Still….her health is very worrisome. She should be getting medical attention.”

 

“We have…recently heard of a hospital…that...that specializes in people like Kagome. We're considering taking her there.”

 

“Oh, excellent. Where is the hospital then? Would she still be able to attend school?”

 

“It's in the Sen….Sen….Senegal. [Obsessor's Note: Sengoku Jidai means feudal era. In case you didn't catch his slip.] She would have to transfer out of school…”

 

“Really? Hmm….that's too bad. How is she doing? Did she recover from [insert deadly illness here]? Has she caught anymore illnesses?”

 

“Ah….y-yes. She is slowly recovering…” `Oh no….He's catching on….'

 

“Higurashi-san, I'm going to get to the point here. Either you're going to tell me what's really going on, or your granddaughter will soon find herself expelled. We have been swallowing your lies for too long.” The false kindness in Yamamoto's voice left, now he was done playing around. Now he was going to get the truth out of Toji, and he did, in fact, have all day to do so.

 

“Ah….well, I was j-just looking out for Kagome…” `How do I get myself out of this one? Forgive me, Kagome, I'll have to make up the largest lie yet….'

 

“Looking out for her. Higurashi-san, something is amiss here, and we intend to find out what it is.”

 

“Amiss? But it's just…”

 

“This is going to be the last time I ask you. What is your family hiding?”

 

“Well….” `A time-traveling well. Yes, that's right, my granddaughter is a miko, who spends most of her time now in the sengoku jidai with a hanyou. No, you heard me right. She's searching for these shards of an anchient….' Somehow, Toji didn't think that was what Yamamoto was looking for.

 

“Higurashi-san….”

 

“You see….” `Think fast, think fast! Excuses….we're hiding….hiding!' “…In truth, Kagome told me to make up all those illnesses.” `Well, that's true…' “She…she has been suffering for the past months…well, years…from a certain disease. But she doesn't want anyone to know. She thinks…that they…will hold it against her. So we have been lying, yes, saying that she is suffering from diseases that she is not. I am sorry we had to do this, but…we didn't know what else to do.” `Who would? Your granddaughter shows up, claiming to have fallen through a well and gone back 500 years. And to top that off, she meets a half dog, who she is now in love with. I'd like to see how you cope with that!'

 

“Oh. I see….well; you can be assured that the school will not disclose the nature of her illness. However, we need to be informed of what it is. Especially if it could be harmful to her classmates.”

 

“Ah….the name of her disease…” `Disease…disease….a terrible disease, life threatening…prejudiced against…think…think….disease….an uncommon one…maybe one from America….that'd be in English….my English skills aren't too great….wait, English! That article….it was about…'

 

“AIDS.”

 

 

Obsessor's Notes:

Cliffie! I didn't want to put much after jii-san's slip. Maybe later, tell me if you think I should. This chapter gave me some trouble…the interrogating parts. All in all…well, I think that matter is taken too lightly in this chapter. It doesn't seem serious enough. But maybe that's just me. I had to put this in anyways, cuz it sets up the rest of the story. Please, R&R, you will be eternally loved. I found the title of the movie that inspired this, it's called Remembering the Cosmos Flower. Good movie, really sad, I recommend it if you don't mind subtitles. Or can understand a whole lot of Japanese. Jya matane.

 

For my sanity (small changes):

Grandpa's first name is going to be Toji

Mama's first name is going to be Harumi

 

Japanese Lesson (so you feel like a know-it-all):

Moshi moshi: hello, it is only used when talking on the phone

Jinjya: Shinto shrine. The shrine Kagome lives at is Shinto

Cultural: most people take public transportation to get places in the city. It's easier. People on trains/buses/etc often act like they're sleeping or read something. They don't talk to the person next to them, look around.

 

Disclaimer: I don't own inuyasha.

 

Predicted Update:

Sunday April 2 or soon after, depending on if I make chapter one longer. =^_^=