Summation:

So far: Kagome passed a really weird kidney stone. Now a really weird doctor is after her to obtain it. Basically the story of Inuyasha twisted to fit a modern world and impatient people. AU.

Author's Note:

I think this is a beta version of this story? Umm... I don't know much else to say.

Basically, I've been obsessed with Inuyasha since I was really young. However that, it's been about... Two years since I've read anything. Instead of rereading it again (because I no longer have the time mainly) I thought I'd just rewrite it with a bunch of twists to experience it. That main Naraku is after the jewel plot is there, but I wanted it... Matured and twisted? OH YEAH: I've also changed the sacred jewel's powers a little. But the good intentions/bad intentions part still remains.

Jeeze, I don't know. I just wanted a new way to experience Inuyasha. Forgive me for this. I've changed a lot. This is the first chapter, tell me if I'm committing major sacrilege.

Also, there is a lot of back and forth dialogue. Most dialogue in this chapter is between the two characters. I've read a lot more plays than novels. If I warn you, does this make it a bad fanfiction? I don't know, it's been a while

…

Chapter one: Magical Back Beans

Kagome played around with the hospital bed remote, trying to sit in the most upright position her body could handle. She had been cut open and sewn back together with the magic of medical science. For her kidney stone was much too large to simply pass through.

Normally, Kagome avoided hospitals, as did the rest of her superstitious family, who believed there were too many unfulfilled spirits in the air. Unlike her family, Kagome just didn't like needles. Her back pain turned into something unbearable, worse than needles, and the doctor confirmed that she could wait no longer to try and bear it, for it was a gigantic kidney stone lodged right at the beginning of one of her ureters.

Fortunately, Kagome sat in the post-op area, done with that chapter of her life, still loopy on whatever sleep inducing drug she had been given. She caught a nurse's gaze, an elderly woman, pacing quickly toward her. The nurse smiled sweetly at her. She had gloves on, and clenched what looked to be a pill bottle in her palm.

Before any of them said another, the nurse promptly dropped the bottle in Kagome's hand. It was heavy for a pill bottle. Inside was a large pink marble.

"That's your kidney stone, the staff had an argument over whether we should dispose of it or keep it. Medicine nerds have a knack for weirdly shaped things that come out of bodies. The staff, especially the doctor wanted to keep the thing. Oh it turned into a huge argument, until I said it was you who grew it, and you who should keep it."

Kagome was perplexed, it didn't look at all like a kidney stone she saw in pictures. She swooshed the pill bottle a bit and watched the spherical ball move into the edges.

"Uh… Thank you, I guess." She examined the marble, and felt a creeping feeling of wanting to keep it. But not just keep it, more like guard it. She felt like it was a war trophy, a souvenir that represented her survival of this pain she experienced.

"It's a pretty cool kidney stone if you ask me!" The nurse smiled, her dentures overwhelmed her face.

"Uh… Yeah…" Kagome felt a little confused, she was supposed to feel less in a trance.

Kagome suddenly felt a heavy presence in the air, like never before. Heavy footsteps brought on by a tall and rather young looking doctor came to. To Kagome, his footsteps seemed exponentially louder and louder. He sat at the edge of her bed, with a leering stare at her palms. He smiled something rather fake as he met her gaze.

"Your kidney stone, it's quite special. I've never seen something quite like it."

Kagome clenched the bottle tightly in her palms. "Yes, it is."

"Are you going to keep it?"

"As a matter of fact, yes I am."

"What if I were to offer you a good sum of money?"

Kagome looked at the nurse, who seemed just as perplexed as she was. For some reason, Kagome didn't trust the doctor. Strangely, in that moment, that stupid illness causing stone felt priceless.

"I wouldn't give it away for the world. I'm sorry sir."

"I'm sure you wouldn't have any use for it."

For some reason, she felt furious. It came out of nowhere. "Oh, I will. Believe me."

"Nurse, could you leave for a moment?" The doctor asked kindly.

Kagome didn't like that notion, not at all. She felt a sudden panic approach her at the nurse got closer and closer to the door. Finally, the nurse was ready to twist the knob when Kagome reached a breaking point. "No! Doctor, I want you to leave." She said, voice shaking. Suddenly, the heavy air receded, and the doctor's face dropped, as if he were stabbed with something. He nodded his head and simply left. Kagome tried to control her breathing, and the nurse helped her recollect.

"I want to leave. I'm fine now."

"The doctor has to discharge you, I'm sorry."

"Can you call someone from here?"

"Unfortunately, rules are rules and-"

"Please." She started to cry. Something came across Kagome, a wave of upset that she couldn't explain.

The nurse sighed, "I'll deal with it right now."

With the persuasive power of tears, Kagome managed to get the nurse to let her go. Her mother nor grandfather had answered the phone to help her walk home. Despite the lack of escort, Kagome refused to overstay her visit. Her home was near, it was a simple walk.

The simple walk was ever so slow. Her back still throbbed regardless of the tight bandages trying to resist the pulsating wound. It made her feel older than she was. Twenty one years old and already plagued with kidney stones and back pain. Coupled with the pain was also the night. Night walks were enjoyable, the air is generally still and fresh and a little more humid. The smells in the air are more identifiable. Especially in the dawning summer season. Despite the pleasant conditions, she grew to fear the trembling silhouettes of tree crowns and buildings against the light of streetlamps. There was a deep anxiety driving her to look behind every five steps.

Closer to the hospital was her friend, Sango's apartment. Sango was a few years older than Kagome, and was trained in the martial arts. Kagome headed over there, feeling hot and dizzy, and wanting nothing more than comfort from that growing heavy atmosphere she felt at night.

Yet.

Her night walks never had her feeling like this. The first time she ever felt the weight of something in the air was in the hospital. In that meeting with the doctor. Upon that realization, Kagome had the urge to run. She did, she ran as fast as her mildly sedated body could. The heavy feeling grew and grew. It became overwhelming. Her thoughts rushed, and unknowingly, her fist wrapped tightly around the pill bottle which contained her kidney stone. She reached Sango's building and stopped to catch her breath.

She turned around.

A pale face of a slender man watched her placidly. He stood, relaxed. Kagome shrieked, it was that weird doctor who wanted her stone. He approached her calmly. She couldn't move. She was at the brink of exhaustion, and she could no longer continue.

"Leave me alone!" Kagome screamed.

A hollow thump rang through her ears before things faded to black. As she shut down, a slideshow of stills were recorded in her brain. Red eyes cowered and faded into the background in terrible stop motion, yet they were unforgettable scenes. Kagome felt herself deflating as soon as the eyes were gone.

…

It was late morning, and Sango was now getting irritated. Her friend had been sleeping on that couch for way too long. Sango reached a breaking point, and threw a pillow at her sleeping friend. Kagome jolted from her peaceful state, and drowsily looked up at the culprit who committed this act of gruesome violence against her. Before Kagome could mumble a few words of tiredness, Sango quickly piped up.

"Kagome, I think you'd be good at shooting a gun."

"Really now? You woke me up for this again? It's the long weekend, I stayed up all night watching that silly action movie with you." Kagome rubbed her tired eyes and yawned, then took in a rather stern look from Sango.

"Like c'mon, why won't you consider it? Especially after that creepy doctor incident! Why won't you give it to him anyways? The kidney stone I mean. I think it's either that or learn to use a gun. You've got the marksmanship skills. I'm so confused Kagome. Why won't you do what makes sense?"

"Listen Sango, I won't give him my kidney stone because that thing is freakin' cool. It's got a cool shape and weird colour. Secondly, I won't learn how to use a gun. I've had enough lessons with projectiles in my lifetime. The license is expensive too."

"You make no sense. Like if you just let him buy it from you, things would be so much easier and you'd be richer for it too."

"I don't know, Sango, I just have a bad feeling."

"Okay, but when are you gonna leave my place? It's been two weeks, and you must get uncomfortable sleeping on the couch." To be fair, Kagome had been cooking all the meals and paying for the cat food.

"The sofa has a crevice that contours my body like a memory foam mattress."

"I liked it better when there was no indent. Listen, I get that you're scared, but you've gotta find another solution rather than sleeping here!"

"Sango, there's a creepy doctor stalking me, and you know how to fight."

"You can move. Change your name. Your appearance. Your life… Get a gun. I'm not your bodyguard."

"I'll pay you."

"With what money?"

"Through cooking and cleaning."

"Okay, but- Like, how do you get a kidney stone so large at your age anyway?"

"I mean, the city does leave a lot of minerals in the tap water. We both know how much lime scale we deal with in our showers."

"But kidney stones are generally so much smaller and yellow, and grainy… Yours is pink and round and smooth."

"See! You finally get it! It's like war loot! That's why I wanna keep it. I think I'll make a necklace out of it or something."

"Ew."

"Sango, rocks are generally made of the same things if you think about it."

"Crytallized urine?"

"Sometimes maybe. Most of the time, the nurse told me kidney stones are made of calcium."

"But think about calcium, wouldn't the stone be more milky looking, for lack of a better term? Your stone is clear."

"I guess. I've got this weird feeling, what if it isn't a kidney stone? What if it was just a marble I swallowed?"

"Kagome, kidneys don't work that way. Neither does the human digestive system."

"I know, but maybe I've got special kidneys."

"No. You don't."

"I dare you to cut me open and prove me wrong then."

"Kagome, you're delusional."

"Well, I gave you a chance to prove me wrong."

"I still think you should learn to shoot a gun. Especially since you already know how to shoot a bow."

"Maybe."

Sango rolled her eyes. "You know what, let me have a look at that stone again." Kagome nodded and pulled it out of her pocket. It glimmered in the sunlight.

Sango inspected it closely. She frowned. "Maybe the hospital is just screwing with you, it looks like a marble, it probably is one."

"Then why would a doctor chase after me for it?"

"I really have no clue."

Clouds covered the sun and light scattered about the apartment, leveling the light. The stone caught a glimmer of its own all the sudden. Kagome felt it warm to the touch, beyond her body temperature. Sango backed up in disbelief as the stone glowed brighter and brighter. Two beams of light, like lasers flew out of the stone, one beam aimed for Sango's eyes. She squinted.

"What the hell?" Sango cried.

"Sango." Kagome muttered, as Sango rubbed her eyes.

"What?"

"Your cat has two tails." Sango's cat, Kirara, stared at the two with her red eyes. Before, Kagome swore they were blue. She sat complacently on the coffee table, tilting her head while curiously observing the two women observe her.

Sango picked up her little cat, it had newfound stripes and a second tail. There was an extra tail. Her pure white kitten, innocent of everything, had now an extra tail. It mewed. Sango frowned, but was also relieved to know her cat was still cute.

"Hey Sango." Kagome muttered, pointing to a general direction behind her friend.

Sango turned around to find her decorative boomerang blow up in size like a sea monkey. It was the size of a human. She put her cat down for a moment to inspect the thing on her wall. The hook that once hanged it couldn't bear the load and it bent a little, there was a little creek heard from the struggling nail on the joist. Sango picked up the giant boomerang with ease. It was much lighter than expected.

"I remember it being no longer than one foot. I know it was so much smaller, I brought it from my trip to that giant island. It's made of ivory, and it still is I think."

"I know that, you gushed and gushed about your trip, it was a tiny boomerang."

"Do you wanna see?"

"Sure." Kagome lifted her covers and stood up. Sango easily handed it to Kagome, who couldn't bear the weight of the thing. Sango recognized the panic in Kagome and quickly took it back.

Silence filled the air. Kagome picked up the stone, now cold again.

"What the fuck."

…

Cries of uplift and jeers filled the stadium as two young men boarded the ring. Bets were placed, pretty ladies sold a variety of stadium foods, and little fights broke out in trying to find the best seat for the main fight of the evening. It smelled of sweat and rusty metal. The lights around the crowd dimmed and the scene around the two young men, now vehemently staring each other down brightened in lighting.

The referee stood in between them. It was silent, the crowd paused, waiting for the whistle. It was all on the ref now. He nodded, counted to three and blew on the whistle.

And the match begins! Tonight we have two very experienced fighters on stage. The up and coming Inuyasha!

The crowd jeered.

And the incredible Hiroshi!

The crowd cheered louder.

The two circled each other like vultures, keeping on their toes before Hiroshi threw the first punch. Inuyasha gracefully dodged. Inuyasha swung, and he hit his target. Hiroshi then bounced back, landing a good hit on the solar plex, easily winding Inuyasha. What an exciting fight.

In the background, a tall man in a fancy coat was collecting bets. He loved gambling. In particular, winning. Every so often, Inuyasha would glance at him. The man would nod. If someone asked why he would nod, he'd simply reply, "I'm just saying hello". Thankfully, no one really noticed.

End game came round, and the resulting winner was Inuyasha. The man in the coat and the winner met up much later in the change room, avoiding anyone else. The sweaty smell subsided a little and only a few lights were on.

"Sesshomaru, how did it go?" Inuyasha asked, cleaning any wounds and tending to his light bruises.

"Well, definitely enough to spend at least a week at the casino."

"Hmm."

"That was your biggest fight yet."

"I'm glad to hear, Hiroshi wasn't particularly happy about losing."

"We both decided that you'd win tonight. Of course along with taking a few punches."

"Yeah. Don't you think this should stop? It's unfair to humans. They need the money more than us."

Sesshomaru watched his little brother solemnly pat ice on the swollen parts of his body. There were facial contortions that his brother made that Sesshomaru couldn't understand.

"Are you thinking about that woman again?"

"No, I'm thinking about your gambling addiction."

"Addiction is only a word for humans. I can quit any time I want. It's the only reason we get along."

Years ago, if Inuyasha were even a few metres near Sesshomaru, he'd have the urge to cut his arm off.

"There are other things we could find in order to get along. This game has been going on for much too long."

Years ago, Sesshomaru would coldly walk away from this. His little brother meant nothing. He was weaker, not even a full-fledged demon, not even a full-fledged man. But he really, really wanted to play, he never got to play in his younger days. Dare say, Sesshomaru had become dependent on his little, weak brother to play. Gambling was fun. Win or lose. There was a rush Sesshomaru felt like never before.

"Why don't we make a wager?"

"Absolutely not." Inuyasha countered, giving him a stern look. Sesshomaru avoided the nagging gaze the best he could.

"Kikyo turned you into this."

"Kikyo didn't do anything wrong. Demons shouldn't mess with human affairs."

"Humans shouldn't mess with the demons either. But they did. As did Kikyo."

The conversation ended there. Sesshomaru was right. In was natural, though unfortunately conflicting for humans and demons to interact. He was the by-product of this very thing. As much as Inuyasha saw the cons to gambling, humans had always found ways to cheat in their own games. So what's the point in opposing another layer of corruption?

…

Sango and Kagome agreed to live together in a larger apartment with the turn of spiritual events. The two saved money that way, and they could take turns in researching exactly what was going on. The only problem was that they had no clue where to start. The bigger space they rented together became smaller and smaller with the books they borrowed and bought.

Over time, Sango watched her friend become more and more delusional. Kagome claimed that she could see the 'light' of people. Sometimes, when there were areas void of people, Kagome claimed she could see more light than ever. Sometimes the light was cold, sometimes warm. To Sango, that idea, those claims were beyond crazy. However that, Sango herself noticed she gained a ton more physical strength, so she kept her thoughts to herself. And Kirara's physical change was also proof that though she may have not been able to see what Kagome saw, there was definitely something going on.

A more quiet evening came around, and they were both studying their books on spirituality, witchcraft, and legends to see what matched up. They became more and more nervous as the things they once knew were no longer true. Not only that, the truth was incredibly far from their grasp. Though a seemingly hyperbolic statement, it felt as though they lost their sense of humanity.

"Sango, I think I wanna learn how to use a gun."

"You came to with my suggestion?"

"Yeah. There are just some people around us that are… For lack of better terms, scary. And if they focus their attention on you, bad things could happen. I told grandpa about the things I've been seeing, and he told me about a cousin he had a long time ago. She had similar events happen to her, but everyone thought she was crazy until the circumstances of her missing body was revealed."

"How so?"

"She had visions like I did, and became a priestess. She took particular attention to the shrine my family takes care of. She died young. Ten years after her funeral, a family member visited her grave late at night one day to find a strange creature digging up her incredibly well preserved corpse. When the family member locked eyes with the creature, it vanished, taking her body. The hole in front of her grave is still there, along with her empty coffin."

"When did you learn of this?"

"Just yesterday. Could you imagine, from grandpa, who likes to tell these kinds of stories to customers yet keeps this one to himself?"

"How'd you pry it out of him? Did you tell him about the stone?"

"No, I told him about the colors I saw emitted from people. That's exactly how his cousin saw things too. There's a picture of her too, and apparently she and I look really alike. He was spooked by the resemblance."

"How long ago was this?"

"I don't know, she died maybe a year before I was born, so her body was taken when I was nine. Her name was Kikyo."

"You know what, I'm tired of reading all these things, why don't we put on a movie or something."

Kagome nodded, exhausted.

Sango switched on the television, first on the news. Before she could switch the channel, Kagome stopped her. A giant flying saber tooth tiger was shown on the screen, with skewered fish in its teeth. The headline read "Giant Cat-like Creature Steals Fish From Fish Markets". Come to think of it, the two hadn't seen Kirara in a while. The giant cat in question had two puffy tails and that ivory fur coat just like Kirara.

"Kagome? I think we found her."

"You know Sango, all those physics problems we studied..."

"All down the drain."

"All gone."

"I'm dropping out of college."

"Same."