InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ The Gods' Opinion ❯ Unexpectations ( Chapter 17 )

The Gods' Opinion

 

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

 

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

 

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

Chapter Seventeen Unexpectations

 

xxxxx-----Six Months Later - Winter-----xxxxx

 

Inuyasha sat at his desk reading up on non-obstructive azoospermia. One of his patients had no sperm in his ejaculate and wanted to father a child of his own. It was rare for Inuyasha to come across a patient with this type of condition and because of that, he hardly worked on the procedure needed to grant this man his wish. The procedure included doing a testicular biopsy to search for viable sperm. It only took one to fertilize an egg. But it was a tricky and difficult situation.

 

His phone buzzed at him, yanking him out of his reading. Reaching over, he pressed the speaker phone button so he could turn to his attention back to his reading. “Yeah.”

 

“You have a lunch meeting in a half hour with your lawyer at KenSen. I was kindly asked to remind you about it.”

 

“Fine. Thanks. Oh and Saori…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Contact one of our urologists about a testicular biopsy.”

 

“Anything specific?”

 

“No, not really. I just have a patient with non-obstructive azoospermia. I just need some basic info.”

 

“Sure thing. Enjoy lunch.”

 

“Keh.” The phone turned off when Saori hung up. He sighed as he closed the thick book up and sat it down on his desk, pushing it off to the side. Standing up, he checked to make sure he had all of his stuff: keys, wallet, cell phone and the mail he needed Saori to mail off.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

As he sat in his truck driving to this restaurant, he thought about the last couple of months. His vacation had lasted three weeks and he was surprised that he actually enjoyed himself as much as he did. Mexico was a nice, hot place as he toured the ancient Mayan ruins, learning about how similar their history was to his own, as well as how it connected to others such as the Greeks and Egyptians. It weirded it him out.

 

His vacation wasn't all educational as he took to the beaches and the jungles. He craved the fresh air, the freedom and the nature of it all. It was so different from his urban existence. He was half-tempted to buy one of the little huts in a village he stayed in and live out the rest of his days fishing. It wasn't a bad living, just a lonely one.

 

Thoughts of Kagome haunted him nightly, daily and all times in between. It took the whole summer to get to the point where she wasn't constantly invading his mind. He only had memories, memories and fantasies, of her. When spring turned into summer, he thought he would be okay. His feelings for her were only magnified by the onset of spring and mating season. Then summer slowly became fall and it still didn't go away, this yearning for this girl. Now it was winter and his desire was still hot despite the frigid temperatures carried into the country through by the Siberian pressure system.

 

He couldn't understand it. Why was she the one that tugged at his soul, clinging on and not letting go? A part of him wanted her to go away, so he could finally move on. And then an itsy bitsy tiny piece of him held onto her, for whatever reason he had, reasons that were still unknown to him.

 

Traffic was impossible with the cars, the snow and the ice. Drivers thought that something as simple as `all weather tires' meant they could drive in this crap as if it wasn't on the roads at all. And where was that damn restaurant at? He didn't know why he had to drive this far out for lunch when there were decent restaurants within walking distance to the clinic.

 

When he finally found the restaurant, he was glad to find parking available that he didn't have to pay for. And it was covered parking so his ears were saved from invading snowflakes. Sure, they looked pretty, but they were dangerous, being so damn cold and wet. And they always managed to gracefully, gently fall onto the spot that would cause the most shivers. Clever bastards.

 

He took a moment in the cold weather to examine the outside of this place. Though he didn't drive to this part of town if he could avoid it, the few times he made it here, he'd never seen this place before. This had to be new and he hated new places. They were uncomfortable and the staff was bad because they weren't trained. Stupid lawyer.

 

The restaurant looked boxy from the outside. In fact, it looked like a giant glass box. Wrapped around the bottom and the top were tiny glass tiles in the colors of blue, green, brown and purple with some other colors mixed in between. In between these bands of tiles were giant pieces of glass that were not the usual window pane type glass, but molded glass with long horizontal lines slashed across each one. This window glass was a pale blue color and…was that water running along its length? What a waste of water.

 

Gripping onto the icicle that seemed to be the copper handle of the door, he pulled the glass opened and stepped inside, shivering from the change in temperature as he found the inside to be pleasantly warm. The ceilings were extended, giving the place an airy, almost outdoorsy feel. And they were painted a dark blue color with fiber optic lights that were on some timer which gave the ceiling an illusion of a starry night. Underneath his feet were pieces of teal green marbled tile. It looked expensive.

 

His ears picked up the gentle sounds of falling water, a fountain. Or that would explain the look of water running down the glass. Overall, the atmosphere wasn't that bad. It wasn't a place he would come to on his own, but maybe if he ever started dating again. This was a date place, as well as a business place, the kind of restaurant you took other people to just to impress them.

 

“Welcome to KenSen. Can I help you?” a petite, wide-eyed girl dressed in a white blouse and black skirt asked as she pushed her black hair behind an ear.

 

“Yeah, I'm meeting someone here.”

 

“Okay and your name?”

 

“Takahashi.”

 

“Right this way.”

 

Inuyasha followed the little woman through an array of perfectly matched furniture and colors to a booth along the wall where his `lunch date' sat waiting for him. Figures he'd have a table as close to the kitchen as he could so he could watch the cooks and make sure that they didn't fuck up his food. Damn stupid perfectionist.

 

Slipping out of his leather jacket, he dropped it over the back of his chair before sitting down. Despite the chair being manufactured from wood, it was fairly comfortable with its ivory silk padding on both the seat and back of the chair.

 

“Anything to drink?”

 

“Green tea. Hot,” Inuyasha ordered without opening the menu that was laid out in front of him.

 

The bubbly waitress nodded and turned to the other man sitting across from Inuyasha. “And for you sir?”

 

“The same will be acceptable.”

 

“Okay. Our lunch special today is a Grilled Vegetable Panini with Asian Tapenade. This is made with Italian semolina bread pressed with baked eggplant and zucchini seasoned with the Asian Tapenade and covered with a slice of mozzarella cheese. A side salad accompanies the dish with your choice of dressing. I'll be back with your tea.”

 

“Keh, you understand a word of that?” Inuyasha picked up the menu, checking out the cover. The name of the restaurant was written in English and kanji with the accompanying romanji printed smaller over the kanji. He found the name of the restaurant clever, KenSen, a food offering to the gods. Were they trying to infer that the customers were gods? What a bunch of bull.

 

“I see you made it on time, for once.”

 

“Whatever. When did you find this place?”

 

“A few months ago.”

 

“Not like you.” Inuyasha glanced over at the menu, trying to decipher the food titles. None of it made any sense to him. He only had one thing on mind for food. “So, why are we here?”

 

“I was contacted by a man who works under the minister of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare about the declining birth rate as well as the narrowing of the male birth rate.”

 

“So, what do I have to do with that? If women don't want pups, that's not my fuckin' problem. And I'm not going to `accidentally' inject extra viable eggs into my patients or make sure that they are male either.”

 

“I have not said what the man discussed with me.”

 

“Well, I just made it clear about what I won't do.”

 

Just then, their waitress returned with their tea. “Have you decided?”

 

“No, because it's not on your menu. I can't find it.”

 

“Can't find what, sir?”

 

“Ramen.”

 

“Ra-ra-ramen? I'm sorry sir, but you're not finding it because it isn't on our menu to begin with. There might be a salad or something that contains ramen noodles.”

 

“I want ramen. Got that? All restaurants serve ramen.”

 

“As I've said, we just don't have that here. I'm terribly sorry. I could suggest another soup for you.”

 

“Dammit.”

 

“Inuyasha, cease this nonsense.”

 

“No. It's your fault for bringing me to a trashy, uppity dump that doesn't serve ramen.”

 

“Pardon. But you didn't specify a preference when I asked.”

 

“Why you…” Inuyasha turned to the waitress, ignoring her annoyed look. “If you can't get me some ramen, find me someone who can.”

 

“Uh, I'll see what I can do.” The waitress scampered off to find someone who could deal with that cocky ass. She hurried to the office where she'd hopefully find her boss. That wasn't always a guarantee.

 

“…but I'll have it in the morning, right? Look, tomorrow is Thursday, the start of the weekend for me. These deliveries were supposed to be daily. Okay, that's fine. Thank you. Rin, what's up?”

 

“Ah, sorry to bother you…”

 

“It's okay, just …arg…Did you need something?”

 

“Yes. You actually.”

 

“Oh?”

 

“I have a customer that, well, I don't know how to put this nicely.”

 

“Then don't.”

 

“He's…well, he's an asshole to put it bluntly and truthfully.”

 

“Rin!”

 

“You said I didn't have to be nice.”

 

“Fine.”

 

Rin lead her manager out of the office and together they walked about a third of the ways toward the table before stopping. They staked out the only occupied table in that area, spying on the two customers.

 

“Oh no…”the manager groaned before turning and rushing back to the office. Rin chased after her manager, finding the mature boss straightening out stained clothing.

 

“What is it?” Rin inquired.

 

“The guy…that guy…he's a regular.”

 

“Really?” Rin asked as she had never seen either of them before.

 

“First customer actually and sickly loyal. Any time he has any business meals, he brings them here.”

 

“Does he tip good?”

 

“Yup.”

 

“Good, then I'll put up with this.”

 

“Fine and while you do that, get them a bottle of our best sake, warmed.”

 

“Sure thing.”

 

Rin hurried up the spiral staircase to find their bartender cleaning glassware and stocking bottles of beer, lager and other liquors for the night. She grinned at the sight of him as she skipped over to the bar. “Hey Jakotsu, how's it going today?”

 

“Good my lil' bumble bee. What can I do for ya?”

 

“A bottle of our best sake, warmed.”

 

Jakotsu's soft eyes went wide with a matching smile. “Oh, did someone special come in for lunch?”

 

Rin rolled her warm eyes. “No. He's an asshole sitting there like a spoiled kid demanding ramen of all things. This isn't some manga.”

 

“That's odd.” Jakotsu filled a small sake bottle about three-fourths full of their in-season sake. He sat the bottle into a pan of already near boiling water to warm the rice liquor. He pulled out a glass tray with copper handles and feet, setting on it two sake cups made from a glass stained in a deep blue color.

 

Jakotsu pulled the sake bottle out of the water, touching the bottom to test its warmth. Determining that it was acceptable, he set the sake bottle onto the tray, sliding it over to Rin. “Love the flower,” he commented on the fake floral decoration she had pinned in her hair. “All right. Are you going to take care of the rest?”

 

“Oh, um, yeah I can take care of it. Thanks.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“Mmm?”

 

“You're working the lunch shift. I just noticed.”

 

“Yeah. A girl needed to trade shifts for an appointment or something. The lunch shift is so much calmer than dinner.” Rin chuckled as she carried the tray downstairs to give it to the annoying customer. She never had this much trouble during the dinner rush. Making her way over, she set the tray down onto the table, bowing as she stepped back. “Compliments of the manager.”

 

Inuyasha eyed the drink suspiciously. “This ain't ramen.”

 

“I know that sir. The manager will be out shortly to address the situation.”

 

“Well when is he going to get his ass out here?”

 

“Inuyasha.”

 

“What?”

 

“Have a drink.”

 

“'Have a drink.'? It's like 11 in the fuckin' morning and you want me to drink?”

 

Rin turned away quickly, walking in the opposite direction before they caught her giggles. “Needs a drink to calm his ass down,” she whispered as she left to tend on her other more patient and polite customers.

 

“She's right.”

 

Inuyasha growled at the man sitting across from him. He slouched down in his chair, crossing his arms and releasing a loud enough humph for anyone in the vicinity to hear. It was at this time that the manager, looking slightly more presentable, approached the table to address their apparent problem.

 

A deep bow was offered to the calm, yet wrong man. “My deepest and most sincere apologies. Anything I can do to rem…me…dy….” The manager paused as the situation became crystal clear. “Dr…Taka…hashi…” His name was whispered as if it were dangerous…forbidden…

 

Inuyasha froze. In the midst of his hissy fit, he completely missed catching her scent. He turned in his chair so that his body faced hers, their shocked eyes both locked with the other.

 

Kagome stood up, more than surprised at seeing him here. She never expected it and thought she was safe from him. He was the stubborn type that only went to restaurants he'd been to before. Now he was sitting in her restaurant looking just as delicious as ever.

 

“Uh, Mr. Takahashi, is there a problem?” Kagome asked Inuyasha's lunch companion.

 

A playful smile tugged at the stoic face of the taiyoukai. “No. However, my little brother seems to have one.”

 

Kagome gulped as she turned back to Inuyasha, dropping her politeness. “You have a problem?”

 

With the shock of seeing her gone, he was back to his cranky self. “I do. There's no goddamn ramen on the menu.”

 

“Ramen? This…this is about ramen?” Kagome loudly spoke out, chuckling to herself. He hadn't changed one bit. “I'm sorry, but it didn't fit with the other menu items.”

 

“Didn't fit my ass. You could've made it fit.”

 

“Excuse me for not asking for your opinion. However, this is my restaurant and I decided not to have plain old ramen on my menu.” Inuyasha was left speechless. He saw fire in her, the same as that time she barged into his office after his bastard of a brother sent her that letter. This time, it was a little different. Kagome had grown up.

 

“Mr. Takahashi, your usual today?” she asked in a sweet tone.

 

The lawyer nodded. “And you may feed my irritating brother scraps.”

 

Kagome giggled as she pulled the menus away. “Absolutely. Please enjoy the sake.” Kagome hurried off, catching up with Rin at the waitress station next to the kitchen. “Rin, make out a ticket for a Croatian Youkai Meat Pattie sandwich, medium-rare, and soup, and then put it in my box.”

 

“Uh, okay. Kagome…who is that guy?”

 

“The one on the left is Takahashi Sesshoumaru, vicious lawyer and the head of the board of directors at the Izayoi Fertility Clinic. I met with him while I was being treated by the guy to the right, Dr. Takahashi Inuyasha.”

 

“That Sesshoumaru is funny.”

 

“If you say so.” Kagome left Rin to do her work as Kagome entered the kitchen staffed by students from her culinary school that were using this experience as credit. It'd been a while since she came in here to do actual cooking.

 

“Hey Kagome.”

 

“Hi Shippo. How's it going?” Kagome stood in the center of the room surveying her surroundings.

 

“What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

 

“Very funny Shippo. You still keep the noodles in here, right?” she quickly asked as she hurried over to the large metallic drawers.

 

“Kagome are you … cooking?”

 

Kagome lifted out a large handful of noodles and dropped them into a large pot. Deciding that was enough to feed an average human male, she grabbed another handful, adding it to the pot.

 

“Check it out everyone, the boss lady is actually going to cook.”

 

Kagome glared at Shippo, instantly shutting the trap of the fox youkai. “I know that there should be a Croatian Youkai Meat Pattie sandwich being prepared.” Kagome set the pan of noodles onto the burner and added the ingredients she had available to make a bowl of ramen.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

“You…you knew…” Inuyasha couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe his brother.

 

Sesshoumaru politely sipped his sake as he tried to block out his brother's whining. “What of it?”

 

“I knew you wrote up her contract, but…why didn't you tell me about this?”

 

“What reason did I have?” Sesshoumaru put down his cup now empty of the warmed sake. It was the good stuff. “Look here, she approached me. The contract was her idea and since there was nothing illegal about the proposition, I allowed it.”

 

“I…I don't care about that. She said `your usual'. What's up with that shit?”

 

“This is one of the few restaurants in the city that caters to both human and youkai clientele that is upscale and classy. The food is excellent and reasonably priced. I eat here everyday for lunch.”

 

“And you didn't invite me here for lunch until now?”

 

“I had no reason to. I invited you here today because I had a topic of importance that I still need to discuss with you.”

 

Inuyasha had nothing to say in rebuttal. Evan as brothers, they didn't have much to do with each other except for the matter that included the clinic. Inuyasha had brought his brother into it early on and let Sesshoumaru worry about the finer details so he could be a doctor first. It was together that they built the clinic into what it was today.

 

He glanced up at his brother, taking notice of the markings that literally defined his heritage. Inuyasha didn't have any of that. Sighing, he leaned back into his chair. “So, what did you drag me here for again?”

 

The two brothers discussed what they, as representatives of the clinic, could do to help offer solutions of a declining birth rate and a declining male birth rate to the ministry. Inuyasha decided to have some of that sake considering it was Kagome who personally sent it to them, thought she didn't know that he was actually here.

 

Rin returned with a large circular try carrying their lunches on it. First, she set down Sesshoumaru's usual order; a large medium-rare youkai meat patty set in a sandwich with all of the fixings a true inu-taiyoukai would enjoy. Then, she laid down a gigantic bowl of ramen dressed in an assortment of toppings ranging from snow peas to baby corn, with the scent of garlic and droplets of chili oil to warm the body during this recent chill that held the city hostage the last couple of days.

 

Inuyasha looked down at the oversized green-glass bowl with a sheet of copper plating underneath. Large, thinly sliced `wok-ed' up pieces of pork swathed the clump of curly ramen noodles. “Wha…what's this?”

 

Rin shrugged as she tucked the empty tray underneath her arm. “I think Kagome said it was Sapporo-style ramen or something. Not really sure since it's not on the menu. Though, it does go to show just how talented our manager is. Do you need a refill of your tea?”

 

“We are fine.” Sesshoumaru answered as it appeared that Inuyasha was too stunned to respond.

 

“Okay. I'll be back to check on you in a while. Enjoy your meals.”

 

“Wait.”

 

Rin spun around, stopping when she faced Inuyasha. Seemed he found something else to complain about. “Yes?”

 

“Is…is Kagome around?”

 

“Nope.”

 

“No?”

 

“Yeah, she's not here. I think she had to go to the bank or something. Not sure since I don't normally work the lunch hour, but from what I hear, this is an everyday thing for her.”

 

“Oh. Okay then.”

 

Rin smiled as she almost skipped away to put her tray back and tend to her other customers. Inuyasha glanced down at his soup again. She remembered, didn't she? He really was at a loss about all of this.

 

Here she was, alive and seemingly doing quite well. And she even looked more beautiful than she did half a year ago, something he didn't think was possible with her. Yet, what confused him the most was that those feelings, his feelings about her and that strong, overpowering attraction to her were still there. Hormones? Spring fever? Nope. It was in the middle of winter. He just couldn't understand how his instincts and emotions worked.

 

Digging into the pile of noodles, all that time he spent trying to move on, to move away from his feelings for Kagome seemed to be a waste. The moment he saw her, her sweet scent filled his nostrils, her angelic voice clouded his hearing and those months of berating himself for possibly falling for her were so easily forgotten. Why was she the only one able to mess with his mind so effectively?

 

Business was discussed amicably between the brothers as lunched went on without another hitch. Together, they came up with a few topics that could be shared with the man from the Ministry as well as some other business about the clinic that needed to be discussed. Rin had stopped by to refill their tea, and then to clear away empty plates. She returned one final time with a small plate with finely sliced nashi as a small after meal dessert to accompany the tea.

 

“Here you are,” Rin said as she slid the nashi pieces toward the center of the table. Bowing, she concluded her servitude duties to these particular customers. “Thank you very much.”

 

“You are forgetting something.”

 

Rin looked up and then down at the more courteous of the brothers, smiling cheerfully. “Everything has already been taken care of Mr. Takahashi.”

 

“Explain,” he coolly demanded. Never had he been given a free meal, despite his ancestry and status.

 

“I can't.” Rin bowed again, failing to rid herself of that smile. “Have a nice day,” she added before turning to leave. Rin shook her head, upset that Kagome had paid for the whole thing out of her own pocket. It wasn't about the tip; it was about the principle of the matter. The customer was rude, demanding and obnoxious, and yet, they were served Kakuno Junmai Daiginjo, one of the most expensive brands of sake on the market. That had to mean something.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

A little more than an hour later, Inuyasha made it back to his office in a slight daze from seeing Kagome after all of this time, and maybe some of that sake. Sure the last time he saw her wasn't years or decades, but it sure felt like it. But he never really knew how Kagome felt about him. Sure, there were instances were he could debate it, analyze it, but really, in the end he didn't know what her feelings were concerning him, and only him.

 

Sitting down in his snug leather chair, he leaned deep into the soft and worn fabric to let out a deep sigh. Kagome… All it took was her name and…he glanced down, grunting out a frustrated growl. He was stiffly aware once again of how much Kagome really bothered all of him.

 

A knock at his door brought him out of his thoughts but not away from the throbbing pain. Rolling himself into the desk, he was now able to hide his current problem though not the pained scowl on his face. “Yeah.”

 

The door opened to reveal two faces he wasn't in the mood to see this very instant.

 

“Inuyasha, how has this hyperborean day been treating you?”

 

“Been reading the thesaurus again?”

 

“Nope. I get those `word of the day' emails and that just happened to be today's word.” Miroku pulled Sango, by the hand, over to the set of chairs in front of Inuyasha's desk. “Hungry?”

 

“No, I already ate?”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah, an appointment with Sesshoumaru.”

 

Miroku chuckled. “And how is the lord of the clinic?”

 

“Not bothered by the weather.”

 

Sango shared in the laughs with Miroku. “So, where did you two eat? I don't see him eating at one of your usual spots.”

 

“KenSen.”

 

Sango and Miroku both blushed as very vivid memories fogged up their thoughts. “Hey, what did you have? Last week, I ordered the Wasabi-Marinated Seared Swordfish.” Sango caught Inuyasha oddly staring at her. “What? Hungry again?”

 

“You're eaten there before?”

 

“Yeah, at least once, twice a month, if not more…oh. Oh!” Sango realized her mistake when she felt Miroku gripping her hand too tightly. She had turned to glare at him when she caught him just glancing down, eyes closed as he shook his head. Whoops.

 

“You…”Inuyasha didn't know what to say as his nails burrowed crescent shaped holes into the underbelly of his desk. They knew. They fuckin' knew and didn't tell him. And he thought they were his friends and instead they didn't say one goddamn word.

 

Both were aware that he would find out sooner or later and knew what kind of trouble they would be in, not if, but when he found out. Now was that time to do damage control. The plan was that Miroku would talk as he hid behind Sango. Inuyasha would never hit Sango. Commence plan.

 

“We're sorry for not telling you,” Miroku began, his grip on Sango tight enough to pull her up from her seat so he could hide behind her safely.

 

“How long?”

 

“Huh?”

“How long have you known?”

 

“Since the beginning.” Miroku knew he needed to explain much more to the hanyou. “She…Kagome called us. She invited us. We wanted to bring you along but were asked not to.”

 

“She didn't want to see me?”

 

Sango hit Miroku across the back of his head, knocking the string out of his tiny pony tail. “Ow, Sango dear.”

 

“You're being incredibly insensitive right now. I'll talk.”

 

“Okay, okay.”

 

Sango slipped herself out of Miroku's grasp. “I can't say much because truthfully Kagome has been coming to me to discuss what she did and why she did it and I will not betray her like that.” Inuyasha nodded, understanding exactly where Sango was coming from. “When the restaurant opened in September, she invited us to the opening. I talked to her about inviting you and she said she wasn't ready to face you yet.”

 

“Face me? Why? What did I do to her?”

 

“You were you Inuyasha. You promised her that you'd do everything you could to make sure that she would have a child and she feels that she let you down by giving up so easily. She's ashamed of herself.”

 

“Let me down? That's bullshit. She-“

 

“It's how she feels about it Inuyasha. She's wanted to call you, to apologize, but she's afraid that you'll think low of her.” Sango edged back into her chair. She said what she could without giving anything specific kept in confidence away.

 

“She's been okay though,” Miroku added, not wanting him to think that Kagome's been in some emotional funk for the last six months. “Hey, she's a TV star too.” He'd wanted to tell Inuyasha about that for a while now.

 

“Wha…”

 

“Yeah. One of the local stations brings her on to do recipes for holidays and stuff. I've got copies.”

“Pervert,” Sango muttered, rolling her eyes away from the gynecologist.

 

“No, it's not like that. I swear. It's for the food, honestly.” Miroku leered over at Inuyasha, whispering, “I'll send the clips to you.”

 

Inuyasha didn't reply at all.

 

“Uh, we'll head out now. Hungry.” Sango stood up and grabbed the back of Miroku's shirt, dragging him out of the chair. “Come along Miroku. I feel like a cheeseburger.”

 

“Yes Sango.”

 

He didn't hear Sango and Miroku leave, or the door closing behind them. Kagome didn't want to see him. No, that wasn't quite it. She felt that she was the one at fault, that she had done him wrong in some strange manner. It was preposterous. She didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't her. He…he was the one that failed her. The promise…he remembered his promise to her. It was the one he didn't keep.

 

Canceling his appointments for the day was a tempting idea, but he wasn't the wallowing type. Turning to his computers, Inuyasha crumbled up all thoughts of Kagome, stuffing it into some hidden alcove in his mind in order to get some work done. Only later, with a cold beer, would he think about her again.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

Kagome dragged herself up the spiral staircase taking her into the bar section of the restaurant. The lunch hours were winding down and everyone was already getting ready for dinner. The bar was a great place to relax between shifts. It was dark, quiet and practically empty.

 

“Hi Jakotsu. Rin,” Kagome greeted two of her employees as she took a seat next to Rin at the bar. “Something warm please,” she asked Jakotsu, blowing her breath into her fisted hands to try and warm them up.

 

“Everything okay?” Rin asked as she sipped on her drink.

 

“Oh, yeah…I just have to report to the school since the wanna-be chefs in the kitchen are getting graded for this. Paperwork and junk.”

 

“Ugh. Sounds awful.” Rin giggled. She glanced down at her drink. It was some non-alcoholic citrusy concoction Jakotsu whipped up for her. It tasted good so she wasn't going to complain about it.

 

“It's not as bad as I make it sound.” Kagome glanced down at the steaming brew Jakotsu set down in front of her. “Is it good?”

 

“Ha. You'll be the one to tell me.” Kagome looked up at him, worried that he might have done something weird to it. “I'm just jokin' with ya honey. It's your hot dark chocolate recipe I borrowed. You look like you could use some flavinoids.”

 

“What would you know about flavinoids?”

 

Jakotsu shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing.”

 

“Hey, Kagome. Tell me more about those lunch customers.”

 

“Eh?”

 

“The freeloaders,” Rin teased her boss.

 

“I already told you.” Kagome took a sip of her drink. Jakotsu picked the perfect drink. It even warmed up her numb toes.

 

“Jakotsu,” Rin began, pouting and whining to the bartender, “how often does Kagome pull out the best sake to serve to some rude customer and…and pays for their meal herself?”

 

“Kagome, where was I?” the eccentric man sang out. “There's a story here to tell. I can feel it.”

 

Kagome's jaws dropped as she tried to prepare a rebuttal, but found none to use. Slouching in the stool, she let out a whiny sigh. She was stuck.

 

“Way before now…”Kagome wrapped both hands around the warmed glass of her chocolaty drink. “When I was still in school, I was with this guy…the guy…The one I was going to marry, have a dozen kids with and live out the rest of my days being a happy wife and mother. That fairy tale life we as little girls all dream about was what I had, what I almost had. I…I couldn't get pregnant. My body continued to reject it. I realized that my life, my relationship was a fraud and…I was being unfaithful to Hojo in that regard.”

 

Kagome took another sip before continuing with her story. It'd been a while since she talked about it. Last time was in September, with her friends. She invited them to KenSen before opening night, hoping to give her staff a live run-through, only to turn it into this huge confessional. Luckily Sango was there to offer professional support along with her friendship.

 

“Before he asked me to marry him, the school was extremely impressed with my portfolio. At the same time, they wanted to open their own restaurant and asked me if I would run it for them, using my portfolio as the basis. I told them I would think about it. I wanted to do it. It was one of my dreams. The marriage, the child, important, yes, but, it would wait. This restaurant wasn't going to wait around. I lost the child immediately. So, there really wasn't anything to keep me with Hojo.”

 

“Not even your love?” Jakotsu asked as he brushed away a tear. He was a sap for love stories.

 

“Love? I loved him. And I probably still do. He was my first. I tried to convince myself, and everyone else around me that I was totally, blindly in love with him. Blind is a good word to use. What did I know about love anyway? I realized that it wasn't the kind of love I thought it was. Not the kind where you could give up everything for that one person. Instead, I found myself willing to give up everything for this job.”

 

“Kags, you're hopeless.”

 

“Yeah, I'll remember that when I'm signing your paycheck.”

 

Rin shook her head, not satisfied at all with the story. “No no no. Tell me about the two silver-haired single guys that got the free food.”

 

“Silver hair and single? Kagome…why do you keep me up here?”

 

“Hush,” Kagome said with a grin. “One isn't single, the doctor. At least he wasn't when I knew him. And the other…”

 

“I'll call dibs on him.” Rin giggled, sticking her tongue out at Jakotsu.

 

“So, why the free goods?” Jakotsu asked as he organized the clean glassware for the happy hour rush.

 

“Well…I'm not really sure.” And that was the truth. Something in her food-filled brain told her to. “I felt like I had to.”

 

Jakotsu beamed as he leaned forward invading her personal space. “Oh,” he said, stretching it for as long as he could, “and what did you do wrong?”

 

“Nothing. Nothing. He was my doctor, my fertility doctor and the other guy is a lawyer, both working at the same clinic. I didn't do anything wrong.”

 

“Deny it now. But you're guilty about something.”

 

“I paid the bill. I did everything they asked of me. I have no guilt.”

 

Jakotsu just shrugged his shoulders. “Rin, anything else happen?”

 

“Oh yeah. The snappy one asked about Kagome when I brought them the dessert.”

 

“He…he did?” Kagome inquired with her young waitress friend, her back springing straight up.

 

“Oh…there is something our Kags isn't spilling.” Jakotsu poked Kagome in the forehead.

 

“Kagome, what is it? Who is that guy exactly?” Rin turned around in her chair, showing only concern for her boss. “What did he do to you?”

 

“He didn't do anything, really. He is a great doctor and we were starting to become good friends. But, after my last rejection, seeing the physical proof at my failed attempt at motherhood was evident I just couldn't face him.” Kagome looked sternly at Rin and then at Jakotsu. “Can you two keep a secret?”

 

“Between us girls? Sure,” Jakotsu sincerely replied.

 

Kagome took a deep breath. “I was attracted to him. Maybe I still am. I haven't seen him since my graduation party. I couldn't see him when my pregnancy failed. I was afraid that I might seek out comfort from him, the kind beyond what he'd given me before.”

 

“So, after you left this Hobo-guy, how come you didn't chase after the doctor?”

 

Kagome took a quick peek at Rin. “It was an important appointment. I'm not sure what came over me, but I was so happy that I hugged him. At that moment, a very gorgeous lady walked in and I realized the mistake I made, realized why he didn't hug me back. Rin, you saw him. He could have any woman he wants and he already did. I'm just some clumsy kid compared to her.”

 

Kagome rested the side of her face onto the cool glass of the bar. Jakotsu and Rin both felt for her. It was apparent to them that Kagome held more than an attraction for this doctor. And she was still hurting over something about it. Guilt about causing the doctor problems, that kind of guilt, the kind of guilt that only Kagome would fret about after all of this time.

 

“In the end, I turned out to be like Hojo, consumed by work. No. Hojo wasn't like that. I'm…I'm happy with my life. This is what I wanted. Dwelling on the past won't do me any good.”

 

“Cheer up Kagome. If you don't find anyone, I'll be your life partner.”

 

“No, I'll be your life partner,” Rin squealed playing along with the joke. “And we'll live at the Shrine together.”

 

Kagome lifted her head up off the glass. “Marry my mother then, since that's what you're both after.”

 

“Are we that obvious?” Jakotsu asked as he cleaned Rin's empty glass. “It'll get better.”

 

“For me or for you?” Kagome chuckled at her sudden pathetic state. In a way life worked its way out, giving her the job of her dreams. However, that sacrifice came with a hefty price; the price of a family. Oh well. What good was she to any man when she wasn't even able to get pregnant?

 

“You…you think this is the best for you?” Rin asked.

 

“Maybe. But I won't say it to anyone else.” Kagome completely lifted her head up off the glass. “I figure that my past, everything I went through was for me to learn from so I'd get to a point in my life where I am completely confident in my decisions. And I am. I have no regrets.”

 

Jakotsu rolled his eyes at the dramatics. “The most regretted statement ever uttered. Seriously Kags, you're what, barely an adult. You've got fifty years of life to live, at least, and you're content?”

 

“Yes. Is that bad?”

 

He shrugged his shoulders. “Don't really know. But it sounds like you're giving up.”

 

“Giving up on what? I almost gave up this dream. I'm living this dream. It's become my reality. Anything else is just extra chocolate sprinkles.”

 

“Is…is this what growing up is?” Rin asked, her own fears about life rising up in her thoughts.

 

“I guess. I'm sure it's different for everyone.” Kagome could sense Rin's fear. She reached out and wrapped her arms around her. “I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just do what you feel is right and what makes you the happiest.”

 

“Fortune cookie?”

“No, that comes from my mother.” Kagome pushed herself up and away from the bar. “Enough of this. Time to get back to work. Oh, the chocolate reminded me that Valentine's Day is coming up. We'll have to make a special. And then the Chinese New Year, St. Patrick's Day and White Day.”

 

“Whoa, slow down woman. One holiday at a time.”

 

Kagome giggled as she pulled out her cell phone to access her calendar. “Okay, okay. But Valentine's Day means chocolate. I love chocolate. Chocolate desserts, chocolate drinks, maybe even chocolate candles…oh and chocolate fountains…”Kagome headed toward the spiral staircase leading down to the main floor to do her usual routine to prepare for the dinner hours.

 

Rin and Jakotsu were not convinced by Kagome's upbeat attitude about chocolates and dreams. Kagome just went from convincing herself that she was happy with Hojo right to convincing herself that she was all fine and dandy with the way her life was now. They'd known her for only sixth months, when Kagome hired them for the restaurant and they both had easily figured her out.

 

In six months, Kagome took the first Thursday of every month off to eat and gossip with her friends, all females. Jakostu knew that Kagome didn't beat that bush. Secondly, she lived, breathed and maybe even bathed this restaurant. It was what she was married to. A loveless, sexless, friendless marriage. It was not a whole of fun.

 

Sundays and Mondays, the two days off were the two days she went home to do laundry. It was like she was a college student all over again. But now that Jakotsu and Rin knew a little more about their boss, they could only come to one conclusion about her, and it pained them to even think it.

 

Kagome was a coward.

 

She was afraid of something. She was running away from something. But it if involved this doctor she was attracted to, the attached one, then all of this, her motivation to work as hard as she was, it was just her way of trying to move on. Crushes were hard to get over. Poor, poor Kagome.

 

xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx

 

roshully's note: Not much to say, I'll just wait to see what you readers have to say about it. Maybe I screwed up, did this too soon (or for some of you, not soon enough). Just a few notes. The type of sake mention just describes how it is processed and the processing can determine the price. The sake I mentioned in this story is a real brand and it costs around $160 a bottle, but I can't remember the size of the bottle, but it's not very big. I think if you Google it, you can easily find the info on it. If you're interested. Also, nashi is a Japanese pear. It looks and has a similar taste to American pears. Also, the Sapporo-style ramen is a popular style of ramen in the city of Sapporo, Japan on the island of Hokkaido. And for those of you that don't know, Hokkaido is the northernmost island of Japan that gets a lot of snow and it's really cold, so they'll spice their soup up with warm flavors.

 

And now for the replies:

 

breesasha - But she did. She ran fast and hard. Sometimes you have to run away from comfort to find yourself, to see where you've been and where you need to go. Kagome didn't really run away, she just went to a place to untwist her head and her feelings. Thanks for your review.

 

localsamurai - Women have belief and hope and dreams and will endure whatever they have to. That's Kagome. She's like that in the anime/manga as well. It really is a sad thing for women to experience. I have never experienced it myself, so I can really only guess. There are websites where women who experience miscarriages and infertility talk to one another about the feelings and find support. I check those out as a part of my research to get an idea. A lot of women feel responsibility when it comes to conceiving since they are the carriers of the child. One can ask about what it means to be a woman. For a lot of women, children are an important part of that definition. Hojo did love Kagome, a lot. As the man of his soon to be (but not anymore) family, it was his duty to provide for the family. That is putting it simply. Hojo is simple like that. I think that is something he learned from his family. I think that is why he is what he is. I haven't decided if hanyou sperm is going to be more powerful. I know that a lot of stories out there make it so that it is all magical and stuff, but I don't think it would be. I have time to think about it. I love science (super geek writing here) so I totally dig the science lingo too, but its vital for the story as well. Thanks.

 

cwillia - It was sad for everyone. Sad for Kagome, sad for Inuyasha and yes, even sad for Hojo. Hojo doesn't quite understand what it was that he did wrong. And with the note, Kagome doesn't really blame him for anything. She could've but she didn't. At the core of it all, this is about Kagome and her wanting to have a kid, which she can't. Their relationship for the last two years was really focused on having a child, and she just couldn't, not even after nine in-vitros. The spatula thing is something I tend to do as well. Not with spatulas, but with anything. We make so many little, mundane choices in our life, that sometimes if we stop to look at what we are really choosing, it can tell us a lot about ourselves. Kagome has learned that it's impossible to satisfy every expectation that she thinks everyone has for her. Even if she were a demon, she still couldn't be the perfect woman. Yeah, she gave the ring back. It was the ringing sound made when Hojo pulled Kagome's note out of his pocket. This chapter explores what Kagome has done with her life, the way she wants it to be.

 

Sassa - To me Inuyasha is really a man of actions, not words. I struggle when I'm writing the dialogue for him because I question and debate with myself about whether or not that is something Inuyasha would really do. Yeah, for Inuyasha, being hanyou as well as being Japanese, objects and symbols carry a lot of weight, and Inuyasha understands this very well. And really, Inuyasha didn't have time to feel and reflect on what was going on at the apartment. He went from Kagome leaving to finding that she turned down Hojo's proposal to the miscarriage to finding himself at a place that was unfamiliar because he didn't know what to do. The whole is made up of a lot of little pieces. Sorry, mathie person, so I understand about how tiny things can really add up. Sorry, another bad math pun. Some of your other questions will be answered shortly, so I'll just skip them for now. Thanks for your review.

 

Meru - No, Miroku wasn't the signer. I can say that for sure. Inuyasha isn't going to force Kagome to do something that much against her will. He respects her. Kagome's disappearing act will slowly be revealed, when I figure out exactly how I'm going to put it all together. This chapter explained some things, but not all. Thanks for the review.

 

InusGurl4 - Yeah, Kagome wasn't the happiest kid on the block. She basically say a dream of hers die, literally. It's really hard. I didn't spend too much time on her emotions about it just because I don't think I as a writer am prepared to write something like that. I will have to bring it up later because it is such a pivotal part of the story. We'll see thought. Thanks for your review.

 

Inusbabe - Kikyou is gone, but not dead meaning it's possible for her to make a cameo later on. I'm not going to guarantee it, but I'm not going to deny it either. The mystery man of Kagome's will be known sooner or later, don't know yet as I haven't gotten that far in my planning. I made the Monday update, let's see if I can make the Friday update. Thanks.

 

Seiteki Tenshi - I wouldn't call it running away but more like escaping. She's been through nine miscarriages and that pain is compounded over and over again to the point where if she didn't escape, who knows. Running way/escaping aren't always a bad thing. Ones got to get out and take a deep breath, see the things that she wasn't seeing. Like what Inu said to her in the bathroom at the Shrine about Hojo. Yeah, Inuyasha is going on a vacation. His way of escaping too. Even though he didn't suffer a miscarriage, he did suffer in his own way. Basically Miroku told Inu that Kagome never came in. He told Inu about how Hojo waited all day and she never showed up. Not once. What Miroku, Sango and Saori witnessed in the reception area was what he told Inuyasha since Inuyasha wasn't there to see Hojo. Saori cares for her boss. They have a strange employer-employee relationship like that. This chapter has answers and questions. Until next time… Thanks for your review.

 

gillster - What will Inuyasha do to get Kagome? I guess first he has to find her, which he did in this chapter. Now he's got to make a decision. I'm glad you aren't grounded anymore and that you are doing well in school. Seventh grade wasn't easy. I remember the seventh grade, making the transition from grade school to middle school. I ended up moving from one town to another during the seventh grade, which made it even harder. But, you get through it and then you face the eight grade which will seem even harder than seventh. Then high school. You just have to focus and really want to do well. I am over 22 years old. I got a degree in mathematics and took a year off after that to kinda find myself then went back to school looking for more of myself. Teachers don't make enough money for what they are expected to do. It wasn't the money that kept me from not pursuing a teaching career, but other aspects. My expectations of my students would have gotten me in trouble and most likely fired. I expect a lot from those that I tutor. I may end up getting my teaching cert yet, one of these days. Until then I will work at my current job and write fan fic. Keep the good grades up, they'll make the eighth grade easier. Thanks for the review.

 

@__@ - Let's have a party to celebrate. Actually, as much as I would like to celebrate, I just can't. Kagome leaving Hojo was under very distressing circumstances and it's hard on all of them. Even Inuyasha wasn't in much of a celebratory mood. Maybe this chapter will be better for them. Thanks.

 

rainydays - Kagome left for good reasons. The more I read the chapter, the more I feel that she really escaped something bad. Not because Hojo was completely attentive, or that she had horrible sex, but because she was hurting herself with her drive to be a mother, to be a good girlfriend, a good daughter, a good student…You can only take so much before you break. Kagome rescued herself. Mystery man to be revealed when I feel like it. Kagome and Inuyasha have their own issues to work through. Let's get them through that first. Thanks for your review.

 

bettychan - Can I say that I planned on them breaking up sometime during the story when this idea first popped into my head? Or is that giving away too much. I know I said things in previous responses to replies, but I just can't give away the story. What Inuyasha found in the trash is somewhat typical of what women experience after a failed in-vitro procedure. Even women who don't go through the procedure can experience that extra bleeding. But the addition of the tissue and stuff was a clue that something was growing. That for Inuyasha is a failure as well as he is a fertility doctor. When that happens it says something about his job. Not how he does his job personally, but that there's more work to be done. Everyone is so curious about the mystery man. Updating today (Monday) and then again Friday. After that I might have to cut back. We'll see how I can work this fic with my real job.

 

axel720 - All chapters have interesting developments, some are more dramatic than others. Last chapter was a very dramatic development. More developments to come. Developments are drama. Thanks for the review.

 

Glinda the Good - Yeah, so this is a cliffy. But not really. If it were a real book, you could just turn the page and keep reading. The thing with this is that you have to wait a few days before you can read the next chapter. Last chapter very large cliffhanger, this chapter, eh, not so much. But, hopefully it's enough to make you come back for more.

 

Persephone_K - Wow. I had to read your review out loud to myself. It was written just as eloquently. I don't know if you have TNT in Canada (I can't remember), but they have these teaser ads for their shows about how life is drama and your review let me know that this isn't a drama so much as it is a slice of real life, or as real as I can be with hanyou and demons around. Memories are like that. Sometimes you can't remember every specific detail, but, you take away the one thing that resonated the most with you. For one of my reviewers, her ability to use this story as a medium to help her friend learn about and even copes with infertility. I am totally shocked that something like this may dictate how you will spend the rest of your life. Not that it is a bad thing. Still, I never imagined that my little story could change someone's life. Makes me wanna cry. I did get teary when I read your review. If I could even call it a review. It was more like a poem or something. My words are failing me right now. I hope that you get the chance to talk to someone in the field of either gynecology or fertility before really deciding on this. I feel that my story has just shown you a sliver of what it really is. I am glad that this story has inspired you to help women and men when nature has in her own way taken something natural away from them. Since I've never tried to have children, I can't imagine the process of wanting to have a child. I applaud you for wanting to be a doctor. I thought about becoming one at some point in my life because I do love helping others, but I didn't know if I could have the patience for them. Helping couples become families will require lots of patience, compassion and understanding. I know that a lot of people, especially some very deeply religious ones think that science has taken something precious away from the miracle of life and as if you become a doctor in this field (you didn't mention exactly what kind of doctor, so I'll try to be as general as I can), I hope that you are not robbed of the sight to see the miracle and wonder of life. I don't believe that science has taken much away from life, but has allowed us to better understand something about it, and to really see how precious new life is. I am sure that the families you do help won't be able to completely express in words what you've given them. I don't think you need to be a religious person to be moved spiritually by life. While you go through your medical training, you will be bombarded with medical terms and technical procedures that you may once in a while lose sight of what it is that you are doing, and who you are doing it for. I think that the review you wrote (or maybe this story) will be reminder of what being a doctor is somewhat about, but only you can make yourself be the kind of doctor you really want to be. Good luck and I wouldn't mind if you kept me updated on your studies. The University of British Columbia is a great school as a friend of mine went there. My mother is Canadian from Vancouver Island, so Canada is not that foreign to me. Thank you so much for your review. I still can't believe of what this has done for you. It's something that I as a writer kinda hoped would happen, but never expected it from this particular story. Thank you.

 

PS to you Persephone_K - I work at a plasma donation center. Those who donate plasma are actually paid for their donation. When I first found that out, I was like, oh, yeah, people will do anything for the money. But after two weeks there, I've learned my error. Not everyone, but a lot of people there truly donate to help out others. Plasma is actually needed for mothers about to give birth. I can't remember it exactly and you might be able to tell me, but it has to do with the fetus and the mother both being Rh positive, I think. Anyway, only 15% of the population is Rh negative and those Rh negative people chose to donate their plasma so that their plasma can be made into the medicine that will allow these mothers to give birth. The universe is a strange place with how things are connected like this.

 

I can't stress enough the gratitude I feel to both the readers and the reviewers. I feel like instead of having this story nominated and seconded for the IYFanGuild award, I should be awarding you for supporting this story. Really, it's an honor.

 

roshully