InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Palm of Your Hand ❯ For What It's Worth ( Chapter 19 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer: InuYasha is the property of Rumiko Takahashi, not me. I'm just having fun and making no money doing it.

For What It's Worth

InuYasha was awakened by the sound of Rin mumbling in her sleep. He hopped down from his perch atop Kaede's hut, and as he entered, saw the teenager bolt upright from her futon, a look of confusion painted across her face.

"What's the matter? You have a nightmare or somethin'?" InuYasha whispered.

"No," Rin whispered back. "not a nightmare…" she paused for several seconds, as if trying to decide whether or not she would tell him about the dream.

"Well, what is it then? You're obviously all worked up about somethin'." he said as he lowered himself to the floorboards between Rin and Kaede's futons, sitting cross-legged.

"I had a dream...but it seemed so real…"

InuYasha didn't respond, only waited for her to continue.

"Well...umm…" She turned her gaze down to her lap, where both of her hands were tightly clasping the edge of her blanket as she rubbed her thumbs nervously along the hem. "Kagome was in my dream…" she said finally. "and she was talking to Subaru-chan."

"Subaru?" InuYasha said skeptically. "She was talking to the kid?" he asked, trying to picture what kind of conversation could possibly have taken place with the spastic, hyperactive, three-year-old.

"Well...yes," she continued, shaking her head. "but he wasn't a child in the dream, he was a grown man."

InuYasha thought about telling her to just go back to sleep, but curiosity was getting the better of him. He glanced over at Kaede, whom he could tell was now awake and only feigning sleep. "Oi, Kaede-baba, you can stop pretending to sleep now." InuYasha barked.

Kaede sighed before rolling over and pushing herself upright. "Do ye feel this may have been more than just a dream, Rin-chan?" Kaede asked the young woman she had raised.

"I don't know." she shook her head.

"Well, get on with it then." InuYasha said impatiently.

"Well...like I said, in the dream Subaru-chan was grown...and he looked like a human, but somehow I still knew it was him."

InuYasha and Kaede both sat listening intently.

"He held something in his hand." She lifted her hand up in front of her face, imitating Ru's actions from the dream. "It was like a glass tile, but on the surface of the tile he could see and hear Kagome and they were talking to each other. Kagome was... carrying a baby..." Rin's eyes darted to InuYasha's. "I mean, she was with child…" She held her hands out in front of her belly in gesture. "I couldn't understand most of what they were saying, except…" she looked at InuYasha sheepishly. "except I heard them say that they loved each other, but I don't know whether or not he was the child's father… the dream ended there."

"Is that all ye remember of the dream, child?" Kaede asked Rin.

"I...I don't know." she shook her head.

"What do you mean you don't know?" InuYasha asked agitatedly.

"I mean…I'm not sure...about what I heard." Rin said, wringing her hands nervously.

"Well, what do you think you heard?" he asked.

She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated. It had been over ten years since Kagome had disappeared through the well, and InuYasha could tell that Rin was hesitant to say anything that might upset him or give him false hope. That was the way most people treated him when it came to matters involving Kagome; but ultimately Rin chose to go ahead and tell him. "Your voice." she said, looking to InuYasha. "I...I thought I heard your voice, but now I'm not sure if it was in the dream or if it was really you speaking to me because when I awoke you were here."

InuYasha's mind was racing, trying to remember whether or not he had spoken as he entered Kaede's hut while Rin was still sleeping.

"Do ye remember such a thing from Kagome's time that is similar to what Rin has described, InuYasha?"

"No." he said, shaking his head. "I never saw anything like that." Of course, he had seen something like that. He had seen moving pictures, but he'd never seen two people actually communicating through them. "It was just a dream, Rin. Go back to sleep." he said as he stood to leave the hut.

"It didn't feel like just a dream to me... It felt like it was happening right now." Rin said to his back as he made his exit. He paused at the threshold for several seconds, then exited without another word.

InuYasha was jolted awake by the irritatingly upbeat jingle of his cell phone.

'Shit. Who would be calling me this early?' he thought as he rolled over and lifted his phone from the side table. He didn't know what time it was, but he knew it was no later than five A.M. His heart dropped into his stomach when he saw Ru's name on the screen. There was only one reason Ru would be calling him at this time of morning.

"What's wrong?" InuYasha asked immediately upon answering.

"Okay, don't panic," Ru said calmly.

"What the fuck is wrong, Ru?! Don't jerk me around!" InuYasha almost shouted into the phone.

"I'm not jerking you around. Listen, Kagome is okay, but she's in the hospital. I'm on my way there right now."

InuYasha immediately shot out of the bed and started getting dressed. "She's obviously not okay if she's in the hospital. What happened?!" he said as he yanked open a drawer and pulled out a pair of jeans.

"Apparently someone was trying to rob the place where she works. The cop that called me said it looked like she had tried to fight the guy. The owner of the bakery lives in the upstairs apartment and he called the police when he heard a gunshot. By the time he got downstairs the guy had already taken off and Kagome was unconscious. I guess her boss had my phone number as an emergency contact..."

"Was she shot?!" InuYasha asked frantically.

"No, she wasn't shot, she was just knocked out."

InuYasha let out a small sigh of relief. "What hospital is she at?"

"They took her to the emergency room at Pine Grove Regional. Do you know where that is?"

"I'll find it."

"Okay, I'll see you there, then."

InuYasha disconnected the call, before quickly getting dressed and heading out the door.

<<>>

InuYasha tore into the emergency room, quickly scanning the waiting area for Ru, but not seeing him there as he approached the front desk.

The receptionist turned to him from her computer screen.

"I'm looking for Kagome Higurashi. She's supposed to be a patient here." he said somewhat frantically.

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't understand. Do you speak English?" she said somewhat loudly and slowly as if she were talking to someone who was hard of hearing.

InuYasha let out a huff before repeating himself in English.

"Are you a relative of the patient?" she asked.

"She's my wife." he answered automatically. It was just barely a lie.

"Okay, sir." The woman said as she typed something into her computer. "She's in bed number eight, but we only allow one visitor back at a time into the ER and her brother is in there with her now. When he comes out just take his visitor badge and enter through those doors." she motioned to the wide, wooden double-doors to her left.

He nodded as he pulled out his phone. "I'm here. Come out so I can go back." he typed and sent to Ru. The sooner he got to her, the sooner his youki could start healing her injuries. Within less than a minute Ru was coming out through the emergency room doors.

"Is she alright?" InuYasha immediately asked as he reached for the visitor tag clipped to the pocket of Ru's shirt, yanking it off and clipping it to his.

"She's still unconscious. They said they think it's probably just a concussion, at worst. The doctor will do a full evaluation when she wakes up."

InuYasha nodded and let out a long breath before turning and heading for the doors. Just before he entered, he turned back. "Ru… listen, I know you don't want to, but could you call your dad and tell him what's going on? I'm gonna need his help here, because I'm sure Kagome will end up getting deported when this is all said and done if he doesn't intervene."

Several seconds passed before Ru gave his answer. "I'll email him." he said flatly.

"Okay, thanks." InuYasha said before spinning around and disappearing through the doors.

<<>>

Ru sat in the emergency waiting room with his phone in his hands, trying to think of how to begin his email.

Dear Dad, 'Yeah, right.' he shook his head.

Lord Father, 'No, I don't think he'd appreciate facetiousness when I'm asking him for a favor...'

He sighed aloud, letting his head drop back against the wall with a thud. A favor...he could hardly stomach the idea. Contacting his dad after seventeen years of silence, only to ask for help… He had to remind himself that it wasn't for himself, it was for Kagome, and he knew that if the tables were turned she wouldn't hesitate to help him in any way that was within her power...

He opened his contact list and dialed his mother's number.

The phone only rang once before her entirely too chipper voice rang through. "My baby!" she cried gleefully.

"Hey mom, umm, how are you?" he asked uncomfortably. A tone that most would find out of character coming from him, but was somewhat typical in conversation with his family members.

"I'm good! Even better now that I'm hearing your voice!" she chirped.

"Eh...Listen. I was just calling because I kind of need a favor." he said.

"Oh. Okay." she said, her voice suddenly taking on a tone of seriousness. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, sort of. My roommate was involved in a robbery at her work and… she's not a legal resident here. I was wondering if...umm... if Dad could work something out so that she doesn't get deported."

"He's right here, do you want to talk to him?" she asked.

"Obviously not, Mom. That's why I called you." he said dryly.

"Okay, well what is your roommate's name?" she asked as she removed a pen and paper from the side table drawer.

"Higurashi Kagome."

"Hi-gur-a-shi Ka-go-me." Rin repeated, enunciating slowly as she wrote it down, not knowing it was the same Kagome she had once known.

"I'll need her date of birth as well as any other identifying information." Sesshomaru said from his seat next to his mate. He could clearly hear both sides of the phone conversation that was taking place.

Ru rattled off the information he knew off the top of his head, having also heard his father's request through the receiver.

"Did you need anything else, sweetie?" Rin asked her five hundred and three-year-old baby.

"Just have him to email all the information to Yash." Ru said.

"He is nodding." Rin said, conveying Sesshomaru's silent gestures to Ru, and Ru couldn't help but chuckle. "You know," his mother continued. "it's the funniest thing, your uncle Yash used to sort of have a girlfriend named Kagome. A long time ago, when I was just a kid." she said.

"Yeah, he sort of has a girlfriend named Kagome right now." Ru said.

Rin let out a little gasp. "You're kidding?!" she said in disbelief. "He's seeing this girl?"

"It's the same Kagome, Rin." Sesshomaru said to her casually.

"What?! And you didn't tell me?!" she shrieked like a schoolgirl who had just received the all-time juiciest piece of gossip. Rin, at one point long ago, had been told by InuYasha that Kagome was from the future, but had honestly completely forgotten about it over the years.

"Is Kagome still planning on staying there with you?" Sesshomaru said, now talking directly to Ru, knowing he would hear him.

"No, she's decided to go back to Japan. I don't know if she's told Yash yet, though." he answered. "Okay, I have to go now, Mom. I'll talk to you later." Ru said.

"Okay, I love you!" she said cheerily.

"Love you too, Mama. Bye." Ru said before disconnecting, feeling a slight, familiar twinge of guilt for not addressing his father directly.

Rin turned to her mate sitting on the sofa next to her, hopping onto her knees and clasping both of her hands around one of his, bouncing like a toddler on Christmas morning. "Yay!" she exclaimed.

Sesshomaru shot her a side glance. Suppressing the urge to smile at her childish antics as he closed the book he had been reading and slid it onto the coffee table. He rarely smiled, but when he did, it was always because of her.

"Yay?" Sesshomaru repeated dryly.

"Yes! Yay! Oh! I bet they are going to get married! I love weddings! Do you think they will have a big wedding?" she jabbered on as she lept into his lap, bubbling over with excitement. "Oh, and you just know they are going to have babies, too!" she squealed, clasping her hands in excitement.

Sesshomaru hooked one arm around her waist and pulled her to him. "Calm yourself, Rin." he said before pressing his lips against hers, effectively silencing her, for the moment. "If babies are what you desire, I can provide them for you." he said in a tone so deadly serious, that only those few closest to him would perceive the jest in his words.

Rin smiled. "As tempting as that offer is, you have some phone calls to make." she said as she rose off of his lap and handed him the notepad she had used to take down Kagome's information.

With a sigh, Sesshomaru slid off the sofa and retreated to his office.

<<>>

InuYasha made his way into the emergency room and followed his nose to cubicle number eight. He was relieved to see that Kagome actually looked rather healthy. Her only visible injuries being some light bruises around her throat. Obviously the mother fucker had tried to strangle her, like a coward…

She didn't seem to be in any pain, but even now in her unconscious state she carried the lingering scent of fear. Fear, and an unfamiliar male, the latter scent setting him particularly on edge. He pulled the curtain closed and lifted the blankets, doing as thorough an inspection of her body as he could, the only other injury he found was a large lump spanning the upper area of the back other skull.. The scent of her attacker was particularly concentrated around her throat, and InuYasha took it upon himself to remedy that situation. He set about taking care of the scent the quickest way he knew how; long strokes of his tongue from her collarbone to her chin, covering every bit of her flesh that had been touched.

He kept his ears trained for any intruders. He wasn't sure how he would explain to the nurses his reason for licking an unconscious woman if they were to walk in unannounced.

He felt his phone vibrate at his hip. It was an email from Sesshomaru with the information regarding Kagome's situation. He took a seat in the chair next to her bed, opened the email and began to read. Then a thought struck him.

"It was like a glass tile, but on the surface of the tile he could see and hear Kagome and they were talking to each other."

This morning...he had been dreaming of that time… he had completely forgotten about it. Rin had had a dream…

"...in the dream Subaru-chan was grown...and he looked like a human, but somehow I still knew it was him."

But it wasn't a dream...it had to have been a vision. He knew that now. There was no way Rin could have known about concealment charms, let alone modern day technology five hundred years ago. She had had a vision that was meant for him, and when she told him about it he had blown her off...made her feel stupid about it…

"I heard them say that they loved each other, but I don't know whether or not he was the child's father…"

He turned his eyes to Kagome. She definitely wasn't pregnant right now...although that lingering insecure part of him couldn't help but wish that she was. That way he could be absolutely certain that it was him and not…

He shook his head of the thought as he turned back to the phone and began reading the email.

pssst….two more chapters...