Hello. This is not the promised sequel to By Your Side. This is a representation of recent events in my life. This was given the rating it has because something like this cannot be understood without experiencing it first hand. With that said keep in mind that this is a personal event and I would appreciate if readers would respect this story.
The Coming of Spring
'Ugh.' Kagome thought as she woke up in the pre-dawn hours. Her head was pounding, and she felt as though October chills had come three months early.
"Hey, wench!" Kagome jumped at Inuyasha's shout, but immediately regretted it as her stomach churned. She scrambled out of her sleeping bag and into some nearby bushes. As she emptied her stomach's few contents Inuyasha came up behind her.
"Kagome? What the hell's wrong with you?" He asked as she wiped her mouth and went in search of a water bottle.
"It's nothing, probably just a little flu bug." She said.
"Flu bug?"
"It's like a cold that makes you throw up and your head hurt. It's fine don't worry. A bit of sleep and I'll be all better." Kagome said as she tucked herself back into her sleeping bag.
"Keh. Who's worried?" Inuyasha scoffed as he jumped back up into a tree. Kagome rolled her eyes and drifted off into a fitful sleep.
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"Kagome are you sure you don't want any?" Sango asked her. "You must be at least a little hungry after today." Kagome shook her head.
"No I'm fine. Just sick and tired, it's okay sleep will do me good." She said as she popped another Tylenol in her mouth. The crew had been walking all day. Or at least Inuyasha, Miroku, Sango, Shippo and Kirara had been walking. Kagome had spent most of the day asleep on Inuyasha's back.
This worried Sango, as Kagome was usually at the head of the pack with Inuyasha, bright and cheery. Sango sighed, if Kagome said sleep would help, she trusted it would.
Sango looked gloomily down at her rice. Even though they had managed to find an inn and they were free of the boys, Kagome had laid down on the futon the moment they had arrived. She had disregarded the rare hot (and not packaged) meal that was awaiting them for a bottle of water and then gone to sleep.
Sango put down her bowl and crossed the hall to find Miroku. She knocked.
"Houshi-sama?" She called through the door. "Are you in there? It's Sango."
"Sango?" Miroku said, opening the door. "Whatever is the cause of this rare visit?" Sango looked away distractedly.
"Nothing really. Kagome is still tired and she barely had anything more to eat than a bite of rice and some water today. I guess I just don't like seeing her sick." Sango said as she entered the room and sat against the wall.
"I understand how you feel, though if Kagome knows what this sickness is and how to overcome it, I trust her to do so correctly." Miroku said.
"I know, I thought so too, but is it really okay? Kagome turned down an unpackaged meal and went straight to sleep. Maybe we should take her back to Kaede?" Sango looked up at him unsurely.
"Sango, you know neither Inuyasha nor Kagome would stand for it. Kagome will be fine, don't worry. It pains me to see such a shapely young woman such as yourself in-"
"Stuff it monk!!" Sango shouted as she sprang up, punched Miroku into the ground and stalked off fuming.
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Inuyasha jumped through the window in Kagome's room. He frowned, she was asleep again. She must have spent eighteen of the last 24 hours asleep. It was unhealthy, most especially since she wasn't eating much.
"Keh." Inuyasha scoffed.
"Mmm…" Inuyasha flinched as Kagome stirred.
"Stupid girl…" He muttered.
"Inuyasha?" Kagome mumbled sleepily. "What're you doing here?" She weakly sat up.
"Nothin'! Just go-go…" He trailed off. "Kagome why are your eyes so yellow?" He asked her warily.
"Huh? Yellow? Dunno…not enough water, maybe?" She shrugged. Inuyasha eyed her skeptically. She had polished off three bottles of water that day - one for breakfast, lunch and dinner. "Anyways, Inuyasha, to be honest I think I need to go home. I think I may have the stomach flu – it's a virus, and it needs to be treated or it can get really bad." Inuyasha nodded.
"Go, and take Kirara to the well – she'll get you home quicker. We'll head back and meet you." Kagome nodded and stumbled out of the room to find Kirara.
Inuyasha's brow furrowed when he looked around the room, she must really be sick. Kagome had forgotten her backpack
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Kagome stumbled down from Kirara's back. She caught herself on the well and turned to pat Kirara.
"Thanks!" She said and jumped into the well. The blue glow engulfed her and she landed cleanly on the other side. She crawled easily up the well and looked around. Something was different, climbing out of the well was never easy – ladder or no, her backpack was always – her backpack, she had left it in the Sengoku Jidai.
"Damn." She swore softly, but it was too late now. She sighed and exited the well house. Mama, who was sweeping in front of the house, looked up at her.
"Kagome! You're sure home early! Did you find a shard?" Mama asked. Kagome shook her head.
"No. I wasn't feeling well, so I came home. I think it may be the stomach flu." She said. Mama put her broom aside.
"Stomach flu, is it? You do look rather flushed. Why don't you go lie down while I call your doctor? When did this start?" Mama ushered Kagome inside onto the couch, noting her yellowed eyes and bustled over to the phone.
"This morning, I threw up. I took some Tylenol and slept a bunch, though it didn't help much." Kagome said as she kicked off her shoes and cuddled into the couch.
"Hello?" Mama said into the phone. "I'd like to schedule an immediate appointment for my daughter. She came home this evening sick, she thinks it's the stomach flu." There was a pause. "Well, she looked flushed – I think she has a fever – and she threw up this morning. Her eyes were yellowish, too. Though that could be dehydration." Another pause. "Mmhmm. Okay, thank you we'll see you in twenty minutes then!"
Mama hung up the phone as she went to get her daughter.
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"So, Miss Higurashi, when did this all start?" The doctor asked Kagome as she sat on the examination table with a blood pressure cuff around her upper arm.
"Well, I've been sleepy for days, but early, early this morning I woke up with a headache and chills. A little while later I threw up." She said.
"What did you eat the night before?"
"Just some instant ramen."
"Did you have any other symptoms?"
"I haven't been hungry lately and I've been sleeping a lot more than normal."
"Okay. Well then, we're just going to run some blood tests. Karin will do the IV and we'll test your blood in about and hour. It may take a while, so be patient. Is there anything I can bring you while you wait?" The doctor asked. Kagome looked around.
"Umm, do you have a blanket?" the doctor nodded.
"I'm sure we can rustle one up." He said as he walked out the door into the waiting room, looking for Mrs. Higurashi.
"Excuse me, m'am?" He said. Mama looked up from her magazine. "You are Mrs. Higurashi?"
"Yes, that's me. Is there something wrong? Where's Kagome?" Mama asked, slightly panicked.
"Kagome is in the examination room, getting a blood test."
"A blood test? What for?" The doctor sighed.
"Perhaps you would like to join me in my office?" Mama nodded warily and followed him into a room with a desk, computer and two couches. Mama sat down
"Kagome has all of the correct symptoms for jaundice, Mrs. Higurashi. If she does have it, she will need to be hospitalized." The doctor said. "It may not be serious, but it may be related to a liver infection, and infection which will need to be inspected and determined by hospital machinery, not at a pediatrician's office." Mama opened her mouth and closed it a few times before croaking out,
"J-jaundice? Hospital? Infection?" She screeched. "What is jaundice??"
"M'am, jaundice is a liver disorder. It can be caused because of too much of a particular substance in the blood which liver usually filters out, but when you have jaundice there is too much of that substance for the liver to filter – or the liver can't filter it at all, and it causes yellowing of the skin and sclera, which is the white of the eye. It is not necessarily dangerous, but it does need to be treated. Kagome's tests won't be ready for a while, but you're welcome to stay in my office and think for a while.
"We haven't told Kagome yet, and we don't plan to until we know for sure, but if you want to see her, she's just down the hall. Can I get you a cup of tea?" Mama nodded her head shakily.
"Yes thank you…" She said weakly. "Jaundice…" She leaned heavily into the couch.
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It was an hour later, a long time after Mama had finished her tea, when the doctor reentered his office.
"Mrs. Higurashi?"
"Yes?"
"Kagome is done with her blood tests. They will take over an hour to process, so if you wish to take Kagome home, I will call you as soon as the results come in." He said. Mama nodded.
"Yes thank you, doctor. I'll go – I think Kagome probably wants to sleep in her own bed for a while." The doctor nodded and bowed Mama out of the office.
In the waiting room Kagome was sitting on one of the couches, a magazine in her hands.
"Kagome?" Mama said quietly. "Ready to go?" Kagome smiled.
"Sure." Mama sighed as they walked out…jaundice…
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Kagome stared at her math books half-heartedly. After all that sleep, she was finally feeling better, and she did not want to spend her first hours of not feeling sick studying geometry. Who cares about postulates and power theorems, anyways? As if she would ever need that stuff in the Sengoku Jidai! What use is the square root of an angle measure to someone who is learning to be a miko 500 years in the past?
…Now there was a funny thought. When Kagome had started thinking of the Sengoku Jidai as her future, Kagome didn't know. What she did know, was that she now did – and as strange a thought it would be to any other person, it was as normal as breathing in to her.
Strange when one's everyday life consists of a search for a deranged bandit gone bad who's decided to role play as a diamond thief because it appears he has nothing better to do than screw with other peoples lives!
Hmm…
Sitting in the tide pools of her own mind, Kagome didn't quite register the shrill call of the phone ringing. Though if she had, it wouldn't have mattered, it was answered so quickly, it barely had time to ring even once.
"Hello?" Mama said anxiously.
"Hello, Mrs. Higurashi? This is Doctor Sasaki calling. The blood tests for Kagome have come in, positive."
"P-positive?" Mama stuttered.
"Yes. Kagome has tested positively for jaundice. We suggest that you take her to the hospital immediately, as the disease could develop into a more serious problem. I also wanted to check whether you could handle giving the news to Kagome. It will be hard news to give."
"I-I, yes doctor, I will be fine – I'll take her to the hospital right away."
"Very good, m'am. I understand you have a younger son, As well?"
"I-yes I do."
"Would you like me to arrange for a professional sitter to watch him? I imagine you will be at the hospital for quite some time."
"No! No, that won't be necessary. He's ah, he's at a friends house until tomorrow at ten. But thanks – yes, thank you doctor for all the trouble." Mama hung up the phone shakily. Her breathing became shallow as she tried to calm herself.
"Kagome? Will you come down here please?" Mama called up the stairs as she went to sit at the kitchen table.
"Coming!" Kagome called back. She walked into thee kitchen a few seconds later. "What is it, Mama?"
"Sit down, Kagome, please." Kagome shrugged and sat across from he mother. "I just got off the phone with Doctor Sasaki."
"Oh? What did he say?"
"Well, you ah, you don't have the stomach flu." Mama said as she sighed internally. This was harder than expected. This little girl, the one who she had watched grow into a young woman – this lively, strong willed being, she couldn't possibly be sick with a liver disease. Not when she was at the peak of her life.
"Kagome, you don't have the flu, honey. You have a liver disease called jaundice. The doctor said we need to go to the hospital to get it checked out so it doesn't get worse."
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…
…
Kagome slowly got up from her chair and walked out of the kitchen and into the yard. Mama frowned worriedly and followed. Kagome was standing in front of the Goshinboku, head bowed. She slowly rested her hand on the area that was bare of bark. The area where Inuyasha had laid.
"Kagome?" Mama asked timidly. "Are you alright?" Kagome laughed.
"I'm fine Mama." Kagome said, looking up into the branches of the tree. "I never expected to live very long. When, I don't know – but now the Sengoku Jidai is my home. Demon filled and war plagued, I think of it as my home – and when ones home is filled with bloodthirsty beings, how can one expect to live very long?
"But now, when I finally come home I find out, of all things, I will die from a disease."
"Kagome, you are not going to die!" Mama exclaimed. "It can't be that serious!" Kagome turned to smile brightly at her mother.
"It's really okay Mama. You don't have to lie. All liver disease is serious – otherwise there wouldn't be liver diseases. I can handle it. Let's just go to the hospital, okay?" Kagome stepped back from the Goshinboku as her mother turned away to get her coat and purse. She silently wiped away tears that she wished were not there.
She had never expected to die. Not in the Sengoku Jidai, no matter what she said to reassure her mother, even if that reassurance was twisted – she could never expect to die with Inuyasha protecting her.
Unfortunately, Inuyasha could never protect her from something that a grown and festered inside her.
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"Higurashi, Kagome. Blood type O, age 15. Height 5'4 ½, weight 116 lbs. Diagnosis: feverish, fatigued, nauseous, yellowed sclera – all symptoms of jaundice liver disease. Symptoms proved positive by blood tests at pediatrician Doctor Tetsuo Sasaki's office. The patient is now in room 13AB, awaiting attendance." A nurse half jogging down a hallway read off to the doctor next to her. The doctor nodded.
"Time of symptom appearance?" The doctor asked. The nurse flipped a page.
"Ah, approximated 4:30am this morning." The doctor came to an abrupt halt.
"This morning? They only first appeared this morning?" He asked. The nurse nodded. The doctor swore. "This is worse than I was informed." He said as he continued at a hurried pace. "Jaundice which develops within 24 hours is much more dangerous than if it develops over a course of a number of days." He came to a stop at room 13AB and turned to the nurse, who handed him the report and hurried off.
He hated this! He had become a doctor to help people, not tell them they had a severe case of jaundice! He braced himself and entered the room.
"Hello, I'm Doctor Takari, I will be Kagome's doctor during her stay here." Doctor Takari said. "The first thing we will be doing is going down a rather long procession of blood tests. We know that Kagome has already tested positive for jaundice, however it is possible that the jaundice was caused by another dysfunction of the liver.
"Mrs. Higurashi, if you wish we could set you up in a room in the visitors wing, you can stay in Kagome's room overnight as well, however during the better part of the day we will be conducting tests and scans, in which we need clear moving room." The doctor explained.
"No, a room is not necessary. I will stay the night and leave in the morning to get my son and father. We'll find a nearby hotel to stay in, but thank you doctor." Mama squeezed Kagome's hand reassuringly. "I'll stay here tonight, however."
"Alright, that's fine. However until 8 o'clock, we will need you to wait in the waiting room. If you wish you can go down to the cafeteria and have dinner." Mama nodded.
"Thank you. I will see you in a couple of hours, sweetie." Mama said to Kagome as she left. Kagome smiled at her and nodded. Once the door had clicked shut, Doctor Takari began readying tools and tubes. He turned to Kagome.
"I'm going to direct this needle into your lower arm, alright." He asked. Kagome nodded. When the blood siphon was attached, Doctor Takari turned to her. "This will take a while but nurses will be coming and going, testing and checking various things. I want you to know, that should you want to, we do have psychologists here if you need some support, or just someone to talk to."
"No thanks." Kagome smiled at him. "I'll be okay." Doctor Takari looked skeptically at her.
"Alright then, I'll be back at eight with your mother." He left the room, and Kagome to retreat into the safety of her own mind.
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It had been three days. Kagome sighed. Blood tests, x-ray's scans – it never ended. Kagome yawned. She was always tired now. When she wasn't being poked and prodded with needles, she was asleep.
Luckily the tests would all be in soon, and they could evaluate the problem and – hopefully – medicate her. Kagome had almost given herself up to the temptation of sleep when there was a soft tap at the door.
"Kagome?" Mama called as the door cracked open.
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It had been three days. Dr. Takari sighed. Kagome was looking worse everyday. Her yellowed eyes now had dark circles under them. He hated seeing people in pain. She had been through a number of tests. Blood tests, CTscans, and she had been sleeping the rest of the time.
He sighed. Today, finally the results would come in and he would finally be able to help the poor girl. He entered his cluttered office (he really should clean it some day) and found the report for Kagome Higurashi on his desk.
As he flipped through it he could hear his heart start to pound louder and louder. He breathing increased heavily and his eyes widened as he finished reading.
No. No! NO! This could not be happening! The case was just a simple case of jaundice! It had to be!
But it wasn't, the evidence was in his hand. He threw down the report and flipped open his cell phone.
"Hello? This is Dr. Takari, I need you to page a Mai Higurashi to conference room 32DE. Thank you." He flipped the phone shut and raced to the transplant sect of the hospital. He burst into the room, startling 15 or so doctors and nurses going through records and talking on the phone.
His eyes flicked to the man he was looking for. "Dr. Uedio!" He panted out, screeching to a stop in front of the doctor in chief. The older doctor turned to him, surprised.
"Takari-kun, what brings you here?" He asked.
"Did you get the report for Kagome Higurashi?" Dr. Uedio nodded.
"I have yet to read it, though. A 24 hour jaundice case?" Dr. Takari nodded.
"It was. Read the report. I have to speak with Mrs. Higurashi. When you're done reading it, give me a call!"
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Inuyasha growled. It had been five days where was she? Stupid girl! Probably sitting in her bed, sneezing her head off trying to do that stupid geometry stuff! He thought as he jumped into the well.
He stepped out into the polluted air and wrinkled his delicate nose. Boy did it stink! From inside the house he heard the rattle of cat food against metal.
Probably Kagome over feeding the stupid fat cat again. He hid a grin as he cautiously entered the house. His ears led him to the first floor bathroom where he was surprised to find, not Kagome, but and older woman packing up the cat food for Buyo. She looked up at him and jumped.
"Oh! Who on earth are you? What are you doing in this house?" She asked him pointedly. Inuyasha growled at her and she took a step back, looking frightened.
"I could ask you the same! Where's Kagome?" He snapped. The look on her face relaxed a bit at his words.
"Do you know her?" She asked softly. Inuyasha looked at her skeptically.
"Yeah."
"Why don't you come sit down? I'm Kagome's neighbor." Inuyasha followed her to the living room where she sat on the sofa with Inuyasha standing opposite her.
"How long have you known Kagome?"
"I've been with her for the better part of a year."
"I see, so you know she sick, right?" The woman asked.
"Yeah…She went home with the flu." Inuyasha said warily, this conversation was not going where he liked.
"Well, you see dear, it more than the flu." She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "My son is a nurse at her hospital, and Kagome's mother asked me to care for their house…But, well, she went into the hospital with jaundice, a liver disease that you get when you have to much of a certain substance in your blood. It makes your eyes and skin turn yellow. But um…" The woman broke out into restrained tears. Inuyasha felt his heart and breath speed up; this couldn't be right. Something wrong with Kagome's liver?
"When she went into the hospital she took some tests to see what medication they needed to give her, and now – now, Kagome is on the top of the liver transplant list because…her-her liver is failing…" The woman broke into sobs. Inuyasha the blood rush to his ears as the woman's sobs left his conscious hearing.
"L-liver…failure…" He breathed out in shock. The woman nodded.
"She was so healthy. She was always happy and smiling and now she's suddenly in the hospital…there was no history of this in her family. But now she has liver failure.
"And they don't know how much longer she has." Inuyasha felt tears gather as he pushed them back. He opened and closed his mouth silently.
"Wh-what are the chances of survival?" He choked out as his voice cracked.
"Well, if Kagome gets a liver transplant, she has a good chance of surviving." The woman tried to reassure him.
Inuyasha turned and walked outside. He gazed up at the towering Goshinboku as he walked by it and into the well house. He looked down into the well. He collapsed next to it, silent tears streaking down his face as he breathed in heavily. This was not happening!!
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"-I'm so sorry Mrs. Higurashi." Doctor Takari finished. Mrs. Higurashi leaned back heavily in her chair, her head down.
"Isn't there anything that can be done?"
"Kagome has been moved to the top of the liver donor list, and if she gets a donor she will have a much higher chance of surviving."
"J- just a chance…" Mama breathed out shakily. "What do you mean just a chance…"
"Kagome developed a 24 hour type jaundice, which is the most deadly kind. Because of her age and medical history, no one could have suspected liver failure. There is nothing more we can do without a donor."
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A young boy stumbled weakly from the train. He has black hair. He has brown eyes. His favorite color is orange. He is 10 now. In sixth grade, or was for seven months. Now he didn't go. He was going home again. He was coming home from the hospital where his sister lay with liver failure. He is now silhouetted in the sunset at the top of a set of stairs.
His name is Sota Higurashi and he is attracting stares. He is attracting stares because he is screaming and crying in pure agony.
Sota collapsed sobbing his heart out. It has been four days since Kagome was admitted to the hospital. Jii-chan wobbled over to him slowly from the entrance of the house. A tall red clad figure got there first.
Sota launched himself into Inuyasha. He sobbed weakly into Inuyasha's legs and Inuyasha sank down and wrapped Sota's shaking body in his arms.
"Save her, Inuyasha!" Sota screamed into Inuyasha's chest. "Inuyasha! Please!" His hoarse voice cracked into muffled pleads. "Save her like you always do…"