InuYasha Fan Fiction ❯ Wake Me Up Inside ❯ Chapter 20

Wake Me Up Inside

 

Chapter 20

 

 

Beta-read by: Nysoku and DarklessVasion

 

Japanese Glossary

 

Honorifics

-chan - Suffix used when referring to children. Girls also tend to use it when referring to other female friends.

-san - Honorific suffix meaning “Mr.”, “Mrs.”, “Ms.”, or “Miss”.

 

 

Subjects

Anata - Form of “you”. Note, fan fiction writers often make a mistake in using this as a nickname. While it is commonly used by spouses when referring to one another in a casual setting, it is merely a version of “you”, not a name. (According to my Nihon-go sensei who grew up near Tokyo, this is a formal form of you. If anyone from Japan can give clarification or verify this, I would much appreciate it.)

Otou - “Father”. The O at the beginning of this word, as with many others, is an honorific prefix making the word respectful.

 

Particles

Wa - Particle used as a subject marker. This word and it's variations (ga, wo, and ni wa) go after the subject in a sentence.

No - Particle used to show possession. Read as (possessor) no (that being possessed). For example: Kagome no kami - Kagome's hair.

Ka - Particle used at the end of a sentence to make it into a question.

 

Verbs

Desu - Base “be” verb that translates to “is”, “are”, and “am” when the subject is a person. Desu is the polite version to be used in public or formal settings, whereas the word da may be used in casual settings. Arimasu is used for inanimate objects. Desu and arimasu may be combined to form de wa arimasu.

 

Other Terms and Expressions

Hai - Polite form of “yes”.

Genki - This basically means “healthy”.

ArigatÅ gozaimasu - Polite “Thank you.” In casual settings, this can be shortened to arigatÅ.

Moshi-moshi - The greeting used when talking on the telephone.

Gomen nasai - “I'm very sorry.” Nasai may be omitted in a casual setting.

Yappari - Can mean “I knew it!” or “I figured as much.” Etc.

 

 

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Last time…

 

Suddenly, the phone on the nightstand rang, causing Kagome to jolt with a soft shriek of surprise. Frowning, she set aside her sketchpad and pencil as she rose. Willing her heart to calm down, she paused the CD then went to answer the phone as it finished the fourth ring, “Hello?”

“Hello. Is this Ms. Higurashi?” inquired a deep masculine voice in her native language.

“Yes. You are whom?” she replied back with ease. The conversation continued on in her native tongue, which the person on the other end spoke fluently.

“This is Hiroshi Taisho, Yue's father. Beth said that Sherry and yourself had some questions for me.”

 

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Kagome's heart was suddenly going a mile a minute. Swallowing, she forced herself to answer as calmly as possible, “Yes. Though Sherry wanted to be the one to ask you.”

 

“Always full of curiosity, that child is. I am glad she has decided to be such a good supporting friend to my son even though she's never met him,” Hiroshi mused with a warm smile in his voice. “What about you? I don't recall ever hearing of you before. How did you enter the picture, if you don't mind my asking?”

 

“Umm, well, you see I'm a student at the local university. One of my classes took a field trip to the hospice that cares for Yue. One other girl and myself were assigned to help Beth with her duties. I was compelled to come back,” Kagome told him.

 

“I see. I'm sure, wherever he is, he values your presence,” Hiroshi said. He then laughed, “Though I doubt he'd say as such.”

 

“Hai, his friends Keito, Zack, and Dave told me,” Kagome grinned.

 

“Oh! That's right, this past weekend was they're monthly get-together. How are they doing?”

 

“They're doing fine. Keito had me join them for dinner at his mother's house. Though I've only known them for a couple of days, I feel like a part of their unique, albeit crazy, family.”

 

“Wow. That's impressive. They normally don't take to people quite that fast. Especially Dave.”

 

“Dave took a bit of work, but he stood up for me when Margaret showed up barking my head off for even going near Yue.”

 

“Margaret's back? Dear gods!”

 

“Don't worry. I handled the situation. She and I formed a small cease-fire for now. Beth has her on watch whenever she enters the hospice though.”

 

“That's good to hear. If there is anything any of you need, let me know. I will see what I can do to assist however I can.”

 

“Thank you, Mr. Taisho. That's kind of you. For now, everything seems to be going smoothly. Keito's moving back into town thanks to a roommate offer from a friend of mine. Though, Sherry still has some questions for you. Perhaps if you could call sometime between 3:30 and 5:00 in the afternoon, you can catch her. She comes by every afternoon after school.”

 

“All right. I will see what I can do to work that into my schedule.”

 

“Thank you so much,” Kagome repeated gratefully.

 

“My pleasure, Ms. Higurashi. Anything for a friend and caregiver to my son. Until we speak again, take care,” Hiroshi replied, the warm smile clearly evident in his tone.

 

“You too, Mr. Taisho,” Kagome answered then hung up the phone.

 

The miko stared at the device for a long moment before turning to stare at Yue. A gentle smile spread across her lips. “He sounded really nice. I wonder what he's going to say when he finds out what all we know.”

 

 

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Hard to believe, but it was Wednesday already. Kagome stepped into her social science class and found a seat back by the windows. The pool of sunlight streaming through them felt good today. As she was pulling out her book and folder, one energized Peggy bopped in through the door. Peggy wasted no time in gravitating to her.

 

“Hi! How are you today, Kagome? Doing better than last week, I hope. I stopped by Romeo's Saturday evening, but you and Beth had already left,” the annoying girl chattered as though on a massive espresso buzz.

 

“Hello Peggy,” Kagome grinned politely as possible while hiding from her face the dread of enduring the class with Peggy Sue. “Yes, I am better, thank you. Saturday evening I went out to dinner with Yue's best friends from high school. I'm sorry.”

 

“That's all right. I kept Romeo company for a while until back up arrived.”

 

“Back up?” Kagome blinked, thinking back to the things she remembered happening that night. Instantly, she remembered that being the night Margaret first showed up and got the boot from Beth. “Peggy, was that backup known as Margaret?”

 

“One of them. She'd heard about you and was pretty mad about it. I'd say she was Yue's sweetheart in high school. You-“

 

“Yappari. She showed up again on Sunday while I was there with Yue's three friends, Beth, and two others. Apparently, he dated her twice but then broke it off. She's just pretending that he didn't break up with her because he can't defend himself right now. It made Beth and his three friends really mad. But I talked things out with her and we agreed to a temporary cease-fire.”

 

“Oh, I see. Sounds like a juicy complex to me.”

 

`Sure. We'd put Days of Our Lives out of business,' Kagome mentally muttered. At that moment, Mrs. Johnson made her appearance. For once, Kagome was glad to see her, even if it was just to get Peggy to stop asking questions before she asked something Kagome couldn't answer.

 

 

 

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Beth was in the middle of Yue's hourly exercises when a knock rapped on the door. Startled by it, she let out a short scream as she spun around to face the intruder. She found Mark standing there with an annoying silly grin on his hansom face.

 

“Where do you need me, mon belle nourrice (French - my beautiful nurse)?” he asked suavely as he entered and approached the bed.

 

“Who said I needed you? Moron,” she grumbled at him then pointed to the head of the bed.

 

“Ouch,” Mark replied while complying to her gesture. “Okay. Now what?”

 

“You're going to get behind him and help me lift his torso in a series of stomach crunches.”

 

“Gotcha! Okay.”

 

“Why are you really here? Kagome won't be in until later,” Beth interrogated with a wary eye as she started working with Mark to execute the crunches.

 

“I thought I would treat you to lunch if you felt up to it.”

 

“I knew it!”

 

“Hey, I also came to help out a little bit too,” Mark defended with a sad puppy face.

 

Beth sighed in defeat, “Kimmy's.”

 

“Kimmy's Diner? Sounds good to me.”

 

 

 

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Held up by important errands that reared their ugly heads, Kagome only managed to get to the hospice after Sherry had arrived and long since immersed into the next chapter of her Harry Potter book. Kagome stood at the door smiling as she listened, waiting for the right moment to enter. The ringing of the bedside phone provided that opportunity. The miko entered with a grin, knowing perfectly well who would be on the other end. Sherry looked up to greet her but, Kagome shook her head and pointed to the phone, “Get it. I have a feeling this is the call you've been waiting for.”

 

“Oh!” Sherry exclaimed, suddenly full of excitement. Marking her place in her book, Sherry set the volume down. Then she spun around to grab the receiver, placing it to her ear. Her voice was soft and nervously uneven as she answered, “H-hello? Err! I mean, moshi-moshi! Gomen nasai.”

 

“Moshi-moshi,” replied the deep, yet kind male voice on the other end after chuckling at Sherry's attempt at Japanese. “Anata wa Sherry-san desu ka? (Is this Miss Sherry?)” asked the voice in a polite, charming manner with a tone that suggested a grin upon the speaker's face.

 

“Hai,” Sherry affirmed as she sat down on the side of the bed. She wracked her brain for a moment to remember the right words then asked, “Anata wa Yue no Otou-san desu ka? (Are you Yue's father?)”

 

“Hai, desu. O-genki desu ka? (Yes, I am. How are you doing?)” Mr. Taisho asked, the smile still in his voice.

 

“Hai, genki desu. O-genki desu ka? (Yes, I am well. How are you?)” Sherry responded, feeling both ecstatic at getting to practice her foreign linguistics and slightly embarrassed at making Yue's dad into a guinea pig. But he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it so her euphoria at getting what little she'd said right out-weighed the sheepishness of such a silly game with a man she hardly knew.

 

“Hai,” came his answer. “You did very well at that, Sherry-chan. I'm impressed. Keito-san and your new friend Kagome-san have taught you well.”

 

“ArigatÅ gozaimasu. I got a book for Christmas too. I've tried my best,” Sherry said with a blush painting her face a lovely rose. Kagome grinned at her.

 

“You've done very well,” Mr. Taisho chuckled. “Kagome says there was a question you wanted to ask me.”

 

“Oh, hai!” Sherry blurted quickly. “Taisho-san, do you . . . know anything about the necklace that Yue-san wears? Do you . . . know anything . . . err . . . special about him . . . that you haven't said because most people wouldn't believe it? Something . . . magical.”

 

“That's quite a question, Sherry-chan. I take it you've made some discoveries on your own?” the older man responded.

 

“Umm, yeah.”

 

“What do you think? And what made you draw such a conclusion?”

 

“Err . . .”

 

“I'm not trying to insult you or be negative. I'm just curious. You've become so unusually attached to my son. I realized long ago that you knew something you weren't telling. So, you tell me what you think, and I'll tell you what I know. How is that? Deal?”

 

“All right. That sounds fair,” Sherry agreed. She then went into detail, explaining how she felt the magic Yue and his necklace possessed and how that feeling had grown over time. When she was finished, she felt her heart leap into her throat as she waited for his answer.

 

For a long minute, Hiroshi Taisho said nothing. Just when Sherry was about to ask him what was wrong, he finally spoke up, “I take it you've told this to Beth and Kagome?”

 

“Hai. Your turn.”

 

“You're right. There is something different about Yue. I know it and have known it since the day he was born. However, I've gone to lengths to keep knowledge of this difference from reaching him before it was time. I wanted… I wanted him to grow up knowing what it was to live a normal ordinary life. I wanted him to go to school, make friends, and experience life as any normal human boy would.

 

“I also knew that someday, he would have to pay for something he'd done in a past existence. Therefore, when the accident happened, I knew that coma was no ordinary occurrence. He'd been forced to pause while something else ran its course. There was nothing his Mother and I could do but simply wait. I knew that, and knew at the end I would be confessing the secrets I've kept in order to protect him.

 

“Though, I admit, it's been the hardest thing I've ever done to keep such a thing from him, and leave when he was in such a state, I don't regret it. Watching him grow up with a smile, with so much popularity, and a ring of three true friends that were like brothers to him, teaching him new lessons that I could not teach, all this has been worth the prices I have paid to raise him as I have,” Mr. Taisho explained.

 

“That . . . I like that. From what Kagome has told me, I think what you did was . . . the best thing you could do. In the end, it did good for more that just Yue-san. It was good for Keito and Dave and Zach . . . and Beth . . . and me too,” Sherry said as she nibbled at her lip trying not to let emotions crack her up.

 

“I see this. Though exactly how I've effected you, I'm still not entirely sure,” he admitted.

 

“Yue-san . . . He was something to think about when I tried not to think about Mommy. Even though he couldn't talk, and he wasn't even aware of things until a couple of years ago when Kagome's well sealed, he was . . . someone who made me feel better. I felt sad for him, but while I was feeling sad for him, I wasn't thinking about Mommy. So, I kept coming back.”

 

“Wait a minute. Please forgive me for being rude but, how do you know when he became aware of things?”

 

“I found a way to talk to his spirit . . . umm . . . Saturday evening, and he told me. His body hasn't woke up yet, but he says it probably will soon.”

 

“Oh, I see. Congratulations on such an accomplishment, Sherry-chan. I'll let you continue your story, then. I greatly apologize for the interruption.”

 

“Ummm . . . Oh yeah! So, I kept coming back. Then I met the Stooges. Dave was a big meanie at first, but Zach was nice and Keito made me laugh. Every once in a while I'd get to see them and the visit was that much better. Though, over the weekend, Kagome told the guys her story about her journey with Inuyasha. Dave's nice to both of us after she gave a little bit of proof. We're all in it together now. The Stooges, Beth, me, Kagome, and one of her friends from the University, Mark. He even managed to get Beth to go out with him!”

 

“Oh my! It sounds like Yue's room has seen loads of fun and action,” Mr. Taisho laughed.

 

“Yep! Margaret came in and caused trouble but she got it from just about everyone. Beth's banned her from visiting without a chaperone. Keito told her off. Dave told her off for bad-mouthing Kagome, and Kagome turned around and got her to agree to a cease-fire!”

 

“Impressive. I'm sure Yue is enjoying it all, thoroughly.”

 

“You bet he is!” Sherry giggled. Then she thought of something, “Wait a minute. You said . . . you've . . . Are you youkai?”

 

A chuckle met her ears, “Yes. Yue is the same now as Inuyasha was back then. Except that Sesshoumaru is still alive and roaming elsewhere. Kaede was the nanny that changed half of his diapers when he was an infant. And both of his parents have lived long enough to watch him grow into a man from his side.”

 

“Kaede was his nanny?” Sherry repeated incredulously before bursting into a fit of laughter. “That's too funny!”

 

“I bet he's not too happy finding out that piece of information,” Kagome spoke up with a laugh from where she now sat next to Sherry.

 

“Oh! Here, I've talked long enough. It's Kagome's turn. She's feeling left out,” Sherry giggled mischievously as she passed the phone. She then ducked out of the way as she moved to reclaim her previous seat in the chair.

 

Kagome laughed then put the phone to her ear, “Hello again, Taisho-san.”

 

“Hello to you too, Kagome-san. I must say, you've done an excellent job tutoring young Sherry in Japanese. I won't doubt she'll someday be able to speak it as though she were born there,” he praised warmly.

 

“Hai. I agree,” Kagome said with a grin. “So, I gather, you've known.”

 

“Yes. From day one. Though it came to me differently, I remember pieces of the last life. Else, I would not have asked for his mother's hand in marriage a week after I met her,” he admitted.

 

“You . . . Wow! From what he's told me, she sounds like a wonderful person. I have a feeling she and my own mother would get along well.”

 

“Yes, she is an absolute joy that I cannot bear to be without for very long. She teases me horribly for it, but whatever is a poor lovesick man to do? Actually, I'm rather anxious to meet the wonderful woman who raised you myself. She must be commended for such an excellent job.”

 

Kagome blushed brightly at being dealt such a complement, “You have a way with words, Taisho-san. I will most certainly have to arrange such a meeting.”

 

“Forgive me for being rude but, may I call you again at some later convenience? I want to ask but would prefer to ask in confidence. One of them being what's happened with Sherry.”

 

“Oh, certainly. Though, I usually stick around here as long as they let me.”

 

“So noted. Though, Beth has already tattled your home phone anyway,” Mr. Taisho chuckled.

 

“She did, did she? The brat. Oh well. I can just get Sherry to get her again with the hose next time we help out at her farm,” Kagome joked in return. This got a good laugh out of the older man.

 

“That sounds good to me. Actually, Yue's been known to pull that trick himself when the victim isn't watching.”

 

“I can imagine,” Kagome answered wryly. “I'll remember that one.”

 

Mr. Taisho chuckled, “I'll let you and Sherry get back to entertaining that idiot son of mine.”

 

“All right. Take care, and please pass on a hello to your wife for me,” Kagome grinned, feeling warm saying such a thing.

 

“I will do so once she comes home from work. Thank you Kagome. And do take care of yourself as well.”

 

“I will do that, Taisho-san. ArigatÅ.”

 

“Until next time then.”

 

“Hai.”

 

“He's super nice isn't he?” Sherry asked as Kagome hung up the phone.

 

“Yes, he is. He was very proud of you, too,” the miko smiled.

 

“You too. I saw you blush too, girlie!” Sherry argued with a giggle and a blush of her own. “Man, that's a big change for Kaede. From your sister to Yue's nanny!”

 

“Hmmm, perhaps it isn't.”

 

“How's that?”

 

“Well, Kikyou died when Kaede was your age. She barely got a chance to know Inuyasha when he was . . . with Kikyou. It was only after I came along and unsealed him that she began to truly meet him. By then, she ended up being as much a mentor to him as she was me. So, in a way, her position really hasn't changed.”

 

“Oh! I get it. Yeah, that makes sense,” Sherry nodded as she leaned back in the chair.

 

 

 

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It seemed strange to Kagome how fast time flew now that there were friends once again surrounding her. Mark was right in saying she shone best when living amongst friends. It seemed like just yesterday that she was meeting the Stooges for the first time. Yet, the week had come and gone.

 

It was once again Saturday evening. Keito had finished moving into Mark's place that afternoon with the help of his friends. They'd then gone to the park to let Sherry and Niki play together, which was a huge success. Dave and Zach had holed up at Beth's house, and Sherry was staying at Kagome's for the weekend.

 

Now, Kagome was having her second dinner at Keito's mother, Suzuna's house. Though, this time she had arrived early enough to help the kind woman prepare the meal. Now, around her sat most of her dearest friends: Beth, Mark, Sherry, Keito, Dave, Zach, Niki, and Suzuna. All that was missing from her old group was Inuyasha and Shippo. Wherever Shippo was now, Kagome could only wonder.

 

 

 

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A solitary form entered the hospice and strode purposefully past the receptionist without even so much as glancing in the direction of the female pair, let alone responding to their greetings. The two women huffed and turned back to smooth their ruffled feathers in conversation as the rude man in the expensive-looking suit went on his own way.

 

“Damn, did you get a load of that bit of male?” one receptionist asked the other.

 

“Sure did. How could any woman not? He could do with an attitude adjustment though.”

 

“Too true. Did ya see the hair on him though?”

 

“That can't be natural. I've never seen a man with hair like that before.”

 

“He's probably already married,” said the one woman.

 

“Who in their right mind would want to marry a man like that?” the other objected. “I bet you he's gay. Why else would he look like that?”

 

“Oh! Oh my, you do have a point. Why is it that all the sexy men have to wind up that way?”

 

“Don't ask me. I've failed repeatedly at trying to figure out the pathetic excuse for a male brain.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

The figure wound his way through the maze of corridors without incident, and arrived to stand outside a room that held the answer to a million questions that had plagued him for centuries. Yet, the moment he reached that spot, one question was finally answered as his eyes fell upon the man lying in bed.

 

`So, you're alive after all,' the figure mentally mused. He stood there a moment longer before turning around and heading back the way he'd come. After all, Yue was incapable of answering any further questions. Therefore, there was no point in staying. A man of his caliber had better things to do than waste time on such pathetic things.

 

 

 

 

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It was Saturday again, and again, Peggy had absolutely nothing to do. She knew that Kagome would be going to dinner with friends. However, she recalled the soap opera that had occurred last time with that girl Margaret and decided that was the best way to waste her time. Therefore, to Yue's room she went.

 

Upon striding down the hallway to Yue's room, Peggy did indeed cross an interesting encounter. He wouldn't return her greeting, however, she was sure that tall, hansom, and quite luxuriously dressed man had been leaving Yue's room. The question was, who was he, and what was he doing there that required not speaking to anyone?

 

 

 

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Monday afternoon, Sherry walked into Yue's room to find Kagome sitting in the chair with a box at her feet. In her lap was a thick photo album. Poking out of the box were various other things from her life in Japan.

 

“Konnichwa, minna,” Sherry announced as she set her bag down on the floor.

 

`Howdy, Sherry-chan,' Inuyasha greeted with a spirit's grin.

 

“Konnichiwa, Sherry-chan,” Kagome returned, grinning as well.

 

“Is that stuff from your Okaa-san?” the child asked cheerfully as she walked over to sit on the bedside between the two adults.

 

“Hai. Mama had it shipped off for me last weekend. It looks like my brother, Souta, added in some things too,” the miko answered as she flipped through the photo book. She then passed it to Sherry as she pointed out each of her family members in a picture of all of them in front of the giant sacred tree Goshinboku.

 

“Oh wow!” Sherry exclaimed gleefully as she examined the photo. She then began looking at the others. In each, Kagome pointed out people from her life. Many photos existed of her and her friends from school. “Do Houjou-san and Inuyasha know each other?”

 

`Yeah, I've met that dweeb. He's just as idiotic as his ancestor!' Inuyasha complained.

 

“They've met a couple of times, but Inuyasha never really had a chance to do anything stupid either time. There were other things thankfully diverting his attention. One of them was a school festival where he came to help exterminate some low-level demons I had unknowingly unleashed. There's a couple photos in here from that,” Kagome explained as she flipped through the book to point out said photos.

 

“How funny! And lucky too,” Sherry giggled, finding that fiasco rather hilarious instead of worrisome.

 

“Heh-heh, yeah. Very lucky.”

 

`Damn right! Those demons were trying to have a field day with that silly festival! It's a damn good thing I was there to take them out!' the hanyou bragged.

 

“Hey! Here's one of . . . is this Sango and Miroku?”

 

“Hai. And this is Kirara and Shippou,” Kagome confirmed as she introduced her friends from the feudal era. “I'm glad I thought to take a camera that time. I never realized how much I would come to cherish these photos.”

 

`I wonder if that photo booth down that one street is still around. Then again, maybe they moved it after I nearly creamed the camera. Gods, that was so stupid!' the silent hanyou mused with a laugh.

 

“You should find one of Inuyasha and put a copy in a frame here for everyone to see.”

 

`I doubt that'd get Margie to lay off.'

 

“You're right. I was thinking about that. I have a few from one time when he stayed over during a new moon night. I was waiting for you to pick which one to use.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yep.” Kagome nodded and flipped through the book some more until she found the set of photos she sought.

 

“Ooooh! Wow! Hmmm . . . It's a hard choice, but I think you should use this one. It's got the tree in it,” Sherry said decidedly.

 

“You know what? I was thinking the same thing. I'll bring in a framed copy when I come in tomorrow.”

 

“YAY!!”

 

`Keh! Why don't you give Sherry one too while you're at it?'

 

 

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