InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Snowflakes and Coughdrops: When a Sword Can't Protect Her ❯ Changes ( Chapter 8 )

Disclaimer: No ownadge of Inuyasha at this point

 

Chapter 8~

Kagome closed her eyes and tried desperately to calm her nerves and stop her hands from shaking. The quiet bustle of hospital noises reached her ears. The gentle squeak of the wheelchair Hojo was pushing her in soothed her. The sharp scent of antiseptic and various antibacterial cleaners brought comfort to her quickly beating heart. Slowly the noises and smells of the hospital gently faded until they were almost nonexistent as Hojo pushed her to an uninhabited wing of the hospital

`That's right, Kagome. Nothing bad will happen. It's just Hojo! He's harmless. Like a teddy bear.' Kagome sighed and let her natural smile take its place upon her face once more.

“Here we are! I think this is a good place to stop!” Kagome opened her eyes at Hojo's words and gasped. The view in front of her was amazing

“I found this when my grandmother was in the hospital.” Hojo smiled at Kagome. “They have it here for therapy. I guess people feel better if they have something like this to look at.”

Kagome just couldn't believe it. Before her was a huge window. The window showed her a winter wonderland. Snow drifted gently to the ground, no longer harsh and deadly but soft and loving. A small red fox ran into view, momentarily stopping to gaze back at them through the window. A raven swooped down and into the trees. The fox turned his attention toward the bird and followed it. Green fir trees glistening softly with powder snow made a broken arc in front of the window. Tiny red berries glistened in the snow, subtly adorning the green.

“It…it's beautiful!”

Risking life and limb, Kagome rose from her seat and walked to the window. Her feet were still unsteady and just as she started to feel weak, the strong hand of the brown-haired boy moved around her waist and held her up. She turned her face to look up at him and gave him a friendly smile. He returned the smile. Kagome watched as his face slowly got closer to hers. When she realized what was happening, she jerked her head quickly back to the window, leaving Hojo with only a mouth full of hair. Kagome thought desperately of something say, something, anything that would break the awkward silence. Instead, she chose to walk her way to the window. With Hojo's steadying hand, Kagome managed to make it without any major accidents.

“I never thought there could be something so…alive in a hospital!” finally Kagome was able to break the silence.

Kagome turned to Hojo for his reply but instead was met by his intense stare. Straining an awkward grin at him, Kagome desperately tried to lighten his unusually heavy mood.

“Where have you been, Kagome?” Hojo's words sounded strange. Deep and serious, his voice startled her and his eyes seemed to bore into her soul, demanding an answer.

“I've…I've been sick. You know that,” Kagome stated seriously back at him.

“No.” Hojo took a step towards her and, using only her IV pole for support, Kagome took a step back.

“You haven't,” Hojo stated simply. “I went by your house. You weren't there. In fact, your room looked like no one had been there in months. I came here,” Hojo looked around the room, “but they didn't even have any records on you except that you were born here. I called your doctor. He hadn't seen you either. He also told me that when he sees you every year for you check-up you are, in fact, more than healthy.”

Kagome was shocked by Hojo's words. “I…I've been going to a different doctor…a doctor…a doctor in…” Kagome racked her brain for possibilities, but a snake-like arm, quickly wrapping around her waist and imprisoning her, interrupted her searching.

“Nowhere.” Again, Hojo's words were uncharacteristically curt. “You haven't been going to a doctor anywhere because you haven't been sick. You know, Higurashi, if you didn't want to date me, you could have told me. I wouldn't have listened, but you could have at least been honest. I can't believe you would skip town just so you didn't have to see me.” Kagome remained stunned. She had no idea what to say to counter that. Kagome pushed against his chest, trying to free herself from his grasp. He let go of her and she stumbled backwards. Hojo followed.

“I could have any girl in school I want, but I want you and your answer is always no. I made a decision. I'm not going to take no for an answer anymore.”

Hojo had backed Kagome straight back into the wall. She had nowhere to go. For a moment Hojo flashed his normal smile at Kagome, but only succeeded in scaring her more.

“What…what happened to you, Hojo?” He just grinned at her the same way he always had.

“A lot has changed since you've been in school recently, Higurashi. I got tired of always being rejected, so I made some new friends.” Kagome shook her head in disbelief. She had a pretty good idea of which friends he was talking about.

Without another word, Hojo made a swift movement towards her and, by reflex, she moved the IV pole in between them to shield herself. Unfazed by Kagome's movement, Hojo pushed the IV away, again ripping it from her already sore arm. In one fell swoop, Hojo had her wrists in one of his hands and she was trapped against the wall and she was too weak to escape. She started to call Inuyasha's name, but Hojo took advantage of her position and distress to lean in and bring his face to hers. Kagome closed her eyes as a tear slipped down her face and struggled to get away. Hojo's hand caught her chin and held it still.

“I want you to be happy…with me. If you won't choose me on my own I'm going to make you choose me.” Hojo's innocent look was back, but filled with determination. Kagome knew it wasn't like him, but she couldn't undo the damage his new friends caused on him, not soon enough.

Hojo's innocent look faded and Kagome knew he would never be the sweet boy she once had a crush on. He was changed. Hojo's wicked smile returned and Kagome screamed for Inuyasha before Hojo pushed her deeper into the wall for the kiss he had been waiting patiently so long for. Kagome closed her eyes and the tears sped up making jagged rivers down her already stained face as she wept for her feeling of helpless and for the loss of a friend. As quickly as it came, the weight holding her was gone. Weak, Kagome collapsed to the floor with her eyes still closed as she heard the sound of one teenage boy body colliding with the wall on the other side of the room.

Inuyasha stood panting. He would have found her sooner if it hadn't been for all those confusing scents! Now he stood above her, protecting her from any evil that boy might try to inflict on her; however, now it seemed that he wouldn't be doing much damage. Hobo lay motionless on the ground, struck first by Inuyasha's hanyou fist then against the far wall. Within the same second of seeing the boy land, Inuyasha decided that he would pay for ever even thinking he had any right to do that to the innocent girl by Inuyasha's feet.

Inuyasha gritted his teeth and raised his still curled fist to run and attack again. Without warning, Inuyasha's world stopped. There was no rage, there was no hospital, and there was nothing except him and the reason that his pant leg had suddenly pulled tight around his left ankle. A delicate fist pulled, entwined in the red fabric, stopping Inuyasha's world.

He bent down, pulling the fist and it's owner into his arms. Kagome looked up into his sweet honey eyes, eyes that promised her anything if it would make the pain go away. Kagome loved Inuyasha. She was overwhelmed with everything. Putting her face to his chest, she sought refuge in the only place she knew that she would ever be safe, Inuyasha's arms.

With his world still in pause, Inuyasha lifted the girl to take her back to her room. Her teary face turned up at him and he saw her glance to the boy he had forgotten was still there. Understanding that it would make her happy, Inuyasha set Kagome back to tend to Hobo. As he stood to go to him, that small hand stopped him again.

 

“Don't worry, I'll be right back. Nothing is going to hurt you while I'm still right here,” Inuyasha reassured her. She let go and relaxed against the wall. Inuyasha picked up the boy and set him in the chair Kagome had used to get to the wing. Not caring about the Hobo's stupid head lolling about, Inuyasha returned to his number one priority and swept her off her feet back to a bed where she could sleep and forget about all that troubled her.

 

As Kagome returned to her dreams, Inuyasha quietly whispered to her, “This is your fault, you know that? What makes you think that you'll be fine all by yourself? You have no one to blame except yourself. I hope you're happy. I'm going to make sure you get better, ok? As soon as those people in white let you out of here, we're going back! I can't do it. I can't protect you here. I can't fight off something I don't know anything about and when I'm here I'm lost.” His voice started to catch in his throat and it was getting harder for him to speak without losing it. For the first time since he was a pup, Inuyasha felt helpless.

 

A/N: Well, I've actually finished this fic. It really didn't have anywhere to go and I have an idea (a better idea) for my next. One last chapter that I'll post soon after I make sure that this is the end of this saga.