Forever in My Heart
Disclaimer: Takahashi Rumiko owns Inuyasha and co. I'm merely borrowing these characters, so don't sue me :)
a/n: I recently read through my older stuff here (this story included), and I've decided that I'm going to completely revamp this story. I just couldn't read past the first chapter, I felt it sucked so much. Some of the newer chapters were okay, but the first couple chapters had me almost dying from mortification. Several changes I've made already are that I'm not going to use fangirl Japanese like I had before, I'm only going to use Japanese for honorifics as well as some terms that can't be translated. Secondly, I'm removing Kagura and her OC family from this story completely, since she's not around anymore. Lastly, I'm trying very hard to remove the feel of perfection from Kagome. I want her to be successful and all in this story, but it's getting to a point where it's not believable.
Updates will probably come quick(er) than before, since it's just about summer and I'll have time on my hands (soon).
"Heart rate is flat lining!"
"Defibrillator, quick!"
Medical instruments and machinery were handed to her without question. No, no one questioned her command, not when Kagome Higurashi, the top ER doctor in the hospital, is ordering you. Heck, she was well known in all of Japan.
With the machine in her hands, she looked up.
In person, this petite woman was not very intimidating. At 27 years old, she stood at exactly 5 feet 4 inches. Not that tall. Her long, ebony hair was tied up in a practical bun, and her electric blue eyes, unusual for one of Japanese heritage, flashed with determination. Her curvy figure was hidden neatly beneath the green hospital scrubs and the white lab coat. She looked every bit the professional doctor she was supposed to be.
"Clear!"
-zap-
Volts of electricity shot through his body, triggering his sluggish heart to beat steadily again. She let out the breath she had been holding.
"Heart rate is steady, BP is improving. He should be alright. Great job guys!" she flashed the rest of her staff a brilliant smile. "When he has stabilized further, move him back to the wards. He will do better there than in the ICU."
The head nurse, a young-looking redhead, smiled and answered, "Gotcha doc!"
Kagome smiled again, and disappeared through the curtain, off to treat her next trauma patient.
A younger nurse glanced at Kagome's retreating figure.
"Ne, Ayame-san, doesn't Higurashi-san seem a bit tense today? Her smile…"
The redhead nodded. "Yeah. Maybe I'll ask her about it later."
Washing her hands briskly, Ayame headed out towards the foyer of the ER. Walking quickly to grab a coffee in the café, she tried to savour her break. However, thoughts about Kagome's fake smile entered her mind. She didn't need to ask why Kagome was in a pensive mood. Today was THE day. The day when, 8 years ago, Naraku had been defeated. Today was THE day, when 4 years ago, the well had stopped working. It was THE day when Kagome had been forced to pick up the pieces of her life that remained and make do without the part of her she had left behind in the past.
Kagome had vowed never to fall down like that again. And so she picked herself up, and went on with her life. She had graduated from Tokyo University that spring, just months after she found out she couldn't visit the past anymore. She had needed to get away. She decided to move to America, and go to medical school. And so, she left that very summer, and didn't come back until she was 25. She had come back with a medical degree and a new outlook on life. The Californian sunshine had done her good. She had gotten hired immediately after returning to Japan, at Tokyo's most prestigious hospital. She was now head of the ER.
Ayame sipped her fragrant coffee, hoping the caffeine would keep her awake for the next 12 hours. She silently cursed shifts as she thought about the day that she literally ran into Kagome. She remembered, it was her first day on the job after being promoted. She had been carrying a tray full of capped syringes. Kagome had been trying to read her pager and sprint down the corridor at the same time. They had collided head-on. Kagome had said, "I'm so sorry! Let me help you…" Kagome had then looked up, and saw familiar green eyes, and familiar red hair. She had whispered, "Ayame-chan?"
Ayame had been equally surprised. "Kagome-chan?"
Kagome had burst out crying. The two of them had sat in that corridor, for half an hour, just crying.
Standing up, Ayame deposited her empty coffee cup into the trashcan and headed towards her ward. Flipping out her cell phone discretely, she dialled Kouga's number. She quickly created a text message telling him she would be home after her shift, and told him not to wait up for him. Next, she texted her eldest son, Ichiro, telling him to pick up her youngest daughter, Aiko, from daycare later. This was done in 30 seconds flat. Ayame silently thanked Kami for her demon speed. Sighing slightly, she readied herself for another 12 hours of patrolling the wards and telling off younger nurses for falling asleep on the graveyard shift.
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Slamming the door of her locker shut, Kagome grabbed her purse and headed towards the exit. Sitting comfortably into her BMW convertible, she revved up the engine and backed out of her parking space. She had never thought she would turn out to be a materialistic type of woman, but back when the well had first closed, she did need something to fill the void that her friends in the past had once occupied. So she worked herself hard, in order to be able to get a good, high-paying job. And for a while after she had succeeded, she lived on a mere 10 of her salary to "save up". Such a habit had withered away soon after she had reunited with Ayame, but by then, her bank account had already swelled up quite nicely.
After much persuasion on Ayame's part, Kagome had bought a nice penthouse apartment in a nice area of the city, and traded in her transit tickets for a set of car keys. Kagome's living space was so calm and peaceful that Ayame and her mate, Kouga, regularly frequented it with their pups. Ichiro, who really couldn't be called a pup anymore, looked at least 20 in human years. Kasumi and Kenji, the twins, were around 16, and their youngest, Aiko, was still in daycare. Kagome sometimes babysat Aiko when Kouga and Ayame wanted to go out without their young ones, and all three older children were occupied.
Since coming back to Japan, Kagome really hadn't gone out much like she had used to in America. But that may have been because she didn't have a boyfriend. In fact, she never really had any long-term relationships. There was just too much emotional baggage in her heart as of now. During her university years in Japan, she had been quiet, preferring to keep to her friends in the past. In America, she had morphed into quite the party girl, drowning her internal loneliness in liquor and dance.
Backing into her parking space at her apartment once again, she quickly got out and stepped into a waiting elevator. She got out on the 18th floor, and entered her penthouse. The design was modern, and furniture was simple and tasteful. Throwing her purse onto the black leather sofa, she kicked off her heels and sighed. Stripping down to her undergarments, she left her clothes in a pile and headed to the bathroom. Stepping into the hot shower, she allowed the steam and water to wash away the stress of the day. Satisfied with the shower, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a pink towel. Stepping into her bedroom, she dressed in comfortable loungewear, and proceeded to drop the dirty pile of clothes on the floor into the hamper. She would do the laundry after.
Tonight was a special night. Usually, she would spend this evening alone. The first couple years after the well had closed, she would spend this night crying. Now, she was stronger, and decided that enough tears had been shed for the past. She had decided to take initiative, and invite Shippou and Rin over. She had found out soon after meeting up with Ayame and Kouga that Shippou was still around, and had mated with Rin. They still had no children, but they could take their time. After all, Shippou was only 500, and Rin had stopped aging the minute they had become mates, giving her body the appearance and function of a 23-year old. Shippou was now the head of his own law firm, and Rin was his personal assistant.
Flicking on the lights in her kitchen, she started to plan what she would cook. Rin had already offered to make onigiri, so she decided not to bother with other rice dishes. Opening her fridge, she got out ingredients for a monjayaki and started to boil water to make soba.
Half an hour later, she had finished setting the table, the cooked monjayaki was ready to eat, and the soba was chilling in the fridge. Miso soup she had made yesterday was simmering slowly on the stovetop.
She entered her bedroom again, to change into something more appropriate. Hurried, she donned a nice halter top and some relatively crinkle-free khakis. She quickly jabbed some pearls through her earlobes and put on some mascara as she heard her doorbell ring. Patting her hair quickly, she ran to the door and opened it.
In the doorway stood a tall, handsome young man with red hair tied back in a short ponytail. On his arm was a pretty young woman with voluminous black hair and bright brown eyes, who was holding a large Tupperware® box in her other arm.
"Kaasan," Shippou greeted her with a large smile.
"Kagome-chan," Rin smiled her signature bright smile.
"Shippou-chan, Rin-chan," she replied, flashing them her own wide smile. "Come on in and put your stuff down."
Shippou took his and Rin's coats, and set them neatly on the couch. Rin proceeded to the set table, putting down her box of onigiri.
The three of them sat down and began eating. As the edge was taken off of their hunger, a lively conversation started, with topics ranging from Ichiro's latest girlfriend to the art of Japanese cooking to Kagome's halter top, the latter of which only Rin and Kagome had any opinions on. After dinner, the three lounged around on the sofa, and the conversation turned to Inuyasha.
"Times like these make me think of when I was still a kit, and he would always bully me," Shippou remarked, with a small smile on his face. Rin looked sympathetically towards her two companions. Whenever conversation turned to Inuyasha, she would automatically withdraw her voice, knowing that she had limited contact with him, and that she shouldn't say anything. She would be the one who gave silent support and comfort to her two nostalgic companions.
Kagome nodded. "I remember when that happened, I would always sit him, and he'd curse at me from his crater."
Shippou chuckled. "I miss him."
"I do too," Kagome replied, her eyes lowering as she felt the familiar wetness come to her eyes.
Kikyou had to set Inuyasha free after Naraku had been defeated. She finally became the sweet miko she used to be as her soul was gently released, and her body was finally put to eternal rest. After Kikyou's death, Inuyasha decided to put away his feelings for his first love, as well as for her reincarnation. Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship had grown to become one that was like brother and sister. They knew that they would not be happy together, and life was better if they stayed friends. After Kagome disappeared, Inuyasha had been depressed for a long time. However, he eventually found happiness in a young taijiya named Chiyoko. They had gotten married and had one child. However, tragedy had struck, and the entire family had perished in Hiroshima in WWII.
"But, 'kaasan, I'm glad you decided to have us over tonight. This means your heart is healing," Shippou gently said.
Kagome nodded, accepting the tissue that Rin offered her. "It's been hard, but I think I've finally reached a point where I'm allowing my life to go on fully. I've always said that I'm okay, but now, I truly feel that I am. I guess I've learned the difference between reminiscing about the past, and pining for the past." She smiled.
Shippou smiled and stood up. "I think we should go now. You need to rest, 'kaasan. When's your next shift?"
"Tomorrow at noon, until about 2 a.m." she answered.
Shippou shook his head. "I don't understand how you doctors can live like that. If it were me, poor Rin-chan would have to deal with my temper."
Rin laughed quietly, and took her coat, handing Shippou's coat to him. She stood up too, saying, "Take care of yourself, Kagome-chan." Giving Kagome a warm hug, she linked her arm with Shippou's again, and the two headed out the door. Locking her door, Kagome started to clean up the remnants of dinner, thinking about the conversations she had tonight.
Smiling, she thought to herself, "Yes, tonight is going to mark my new beginning."
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okay, first chapter of revised edition of "Forever in My Heart". Hope it was up to standard :) I'm really getting rusty with the Inuyasha fandom - I haven't read any of the new manga, have forgotten most of the un-Sesshoumaru-related scenes from the anime, and have just about stopped reading Inuyasha fanfics...so very sorry. My life's been taken up by BLEACH and Naruto. I highly recommend both to you guys if you haven't read/watched them yet. Again, as with any anime, I recommend the subbed Japanese versions, not the English dub, and as for the manga, I'm sure there are many nice sites out there with nice translations. Or, you could always try the raw Japanese version, which is also quite good.
Back to the story...okay, so I haven't changed much about Kagome's character or the characters that she's met with, apart from taking out Kagura, since I want to keep it canon to the manga. I have shortened a lot of the lengthy descriptions (especially about clothes) since I don't think it's necessary anymore, and it's nice to have your own unique image of the events/characters, right?
Sesshoumaru is going to make his grand debut in the next chapter, and you guys can start to guess what occupation he is…lol. So if you have any questions about the story so far, please leave me a comment, and I'll answer it :) But please keep in mind that exams are coming up, and it's summative month, and I'm really wrapped up in Bleach and Naruto, so please don't get mad if I don't answer immediately.
onigiri: rice balls made of cooked rice wrapped with nori seaweed; they often contain some other food in the centre
monjayaki: a Kanto region specialty that is like a mix between a pizza and a pancake. It is made with dough that is rather liquid-y
soba: native Japanese noodles made of buckwheat and wheat flour; can be served hot or cold
miso: soup made from miso/soybean paste, usually contains seaweed and small cubes of silken tofu
That's about it. Have fun reading, and please drop a review, especially those who have read the previous version. Please tell me if this version has improved from the last! Thank you!
outz