I do not own Inuyasha or any other character associated with the manga created by Rumiko Takahashi. I make no money off this fandom.
A/N: Chapter 2! Yah! I'm so excited! I just want you all to know that I'm NOT giving up on this fanfiction, after all, it is my dream fic. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review. -Theores
Chapter 2: One Small Favor
Rehema knew she could use one of her shoes to break the window to get back inside and she probably would, if she decided not to jump that is. In the meantime, however, it was a beautiful day and since she had nothing better to do, the doctor just went with it and took a seat, dangling her feet over the ledge.
She had lost over thirty million yen in that Yakuza operated casino she'd spent the last few days in. The rush of adrenaline she'd felt when the gang members had demanded their money had been near orgasmic in her opinion though the chase that had followed when she chose to run away instead of paying out had had its own excitement.
Absently rubbing behind her ear to comfort herself, the doctor huffed as the memories of what had happened came back to her. She'd been missing for three days, as Fukuro had explained to her once he'd gotten her settled into an examination room and had her forehead properly stitched up by an ER doctor. She had run into a wall by accident while running a second time after trying to drop off the money she owed the Yakuza leader the next morning. In that time, not one, but two patients had arrived needing cardiac surgery, both of which she had performed in back to back operations covering the span of almost eight hours on the job. Good thing it was morning when I started. Though if she hadn't answered Fukuro's phone calls, most likely it would have been night time if not outright, tomorrow when she finally arrived. She hadn't even been home since she'd outrun the Yakuza twice. Most likely they had someone searching for her; but since she'd given them their money (with interest) along with a note explaining her reasons for running in the first place, they probably weren't looking that hard.
Taking a moment to look at her now slightly shaking hands, Rehema huffed in irritation at seeing that her nerves were already bad again after the two surgeries she been forced to perform. Why I chose to be a doctor I will never know.
It was a cycle for her. She would get one or two seemingly incurable patients, work like hell to save their lives; succeed, then go off the deep end for a few days to keep herself from going insane due to the stress saving lives put on her body and soul.
It was something she had been doing for years; literally centuries. Three hundred years and she could play this game by rhythm. Not understanding why she was still alive after so many generations had turned her into an adrenaline junkie. Why bother taking care of yourself when you would live regardless if you did or not?
Leaning back against the building, Rehema watched the world run below; nobody either noticing or caring that she was on a ledge of the hospital eight stories above ground level. Across the street, an apartment building that served as an assisted living home was as lively as could be for a place filled with old people, a couple of men outside on the balcony busily arguing over a game of Mahjong.
Where most people couldn't even hope to see that far away, she could just as clearly as if she were standing directly in front of the men's playing table. Her eyesight was what helped her so much in the operating room. It enabled her to see what others failed to. That and her hearing which let her follow a patient's heartbeat from the moment their atria contracted to allow blood flow to when it closed back up again. Yet another thing about her that was weird. And for all of her strangeness, she didn't know why.
Lost in thought, the doctor jumped when the window the stranger had locked was thrown open, and an angry hospital administrator's head popped outside, glancing around a second before locking on Rehema who stared back at him silently against the building wall. "Zakari!" Fukuro yelled at the top of his lungs. "What the hell?!"
Later after he had pulled her back into the safety of the hospital's walls, hospital administrator Fukuro gave Rehema an order that currently had even the doctor surprised. "Excuse me?"
"It's just a small donation." Fukuro responded, adjusting the glasses on his face. "Small to us anyway. To them, however, it might be a bit more on the overly generous side."
"Then why don't you take it?"
"Because I'm the one writing the check." He said and giving Rehema a pointed look also reminded her, "And you promised you would do the next thing I asked after I got you off the ledge and didn't send you straight to the psych ward."
Rehema frowned. "The psych ward threat was a little harsh…."
"You think so?" He asked, rolling his eyes, "And yet this isn't the first time I've rescued you after doing something idiotic, or do I need to bring up the garage incident?"
"No," She responded, shaking her head. He doesn't even know about the last three days. "But you want me to deliver a check to the Higurashi shrine of all places?"
"Hai. You owe it to them."
"I saved their daughter's life, shouldn't that be enough?"
"Yes." Fukuro said. "You did indeed save one of the Higurashi clan, by ignoring your fellow colleagues and performing an unauthorized procedure against protocol, but regardless of your unorthodox surgical techniques, a shrine keepers kudos and forgiveness would be most beneficial to this hospital."
"Forgiveness for what!" Rehema suddenly shouted out, avoiding eye contact with Fukuro who gave her an exasperated look but said nothing. She knew what, they both knew it. "So….you want to donate some money to the Higurashi shrine….in the hopes that they will forgive me right? And not only that but because of my behavior in the past….you also want me to be the one that actually hands them the check?"
"Precisely." When Rehema remained silent, Fukuro went on. "It would be good to reconnect with some of your tougher cases."
"Or maybe you were just hoping for their prayers every day before I go into surgery."
"Now that is not true!" The middle-aged man said, aghast at the notion. "You are a talented surgeon. You may be antisocial and yes I believe your behavior sometimes exceeds those of the mentally ill but I've never doubted your ability in the ER, not even when I had you flown in all those years ago to handle Kagome, who nobody thought would survive!"
Rehema sighed. "Yea and then you literally got on your knees and begged me to stay here afterward…." In fucking Japan. She still couldn't believe she had ended up saying yes.
"Because of your talents!" He declared happily. "You are capable of handling any and all patients whether they need a couple of stitches or major surgery, a hundred percent success rate, you always defy the odds."
"That's the only type of patient I deal with anymore." Rehema said, slouching down in her chair. "The impossible cases. A hundred and fifteen successful surgeries in the last three years alone….and it all started right after I saved that girl."
"Its because you're a miracle worker Zakari-san. You've done things I'm not sure even the gods could have accomplished when they roamed the earth."
"I'm not a God Fukuro." She said, forgoing a title or honorific. "I'm just person. A person that can do strange things."
"Strange? Well, I wouldn't call it that….."
"I don't want to take your stupid check to the shrine." Rehema said interrupting his ass kissing moment. "Just hire a courier to do it."
"Couriers are too impersonal. And as I said before it would do you good to keep contact with your former patients no matter how long it's been since you operated on them." Reaching behind his desk, Fukuro pulled out a number of envelopes, which were all bound together by a large piece of twine.
"What's that?"
"Your fan mail."
"Fanmail?"
He nodded. "Yes. You're loved by many."
"Oh really?" She responded sarcastically. He began to thumb through the various envelopes and cards, pausing when he got to the one he was looking for, ripping it out from under the pile. "Fukuro listen….."
"Dear Zakari-sensei." Fukuro said, cutting her off like she had done him earlier. Holding up the letter the middle-aged man read the first line. Judging by the yellowing of the edges from what Rehema could see, it appeared to be older than most, "I know it's been a long time since you saved me, but I wanted to write and tell you how my life has been."
"Fukuro…"
"Listen." He ordered lightly, continuing to read.
Fukuro went on recite the patients letter, which was from a female who talked about simple things like school and home and friends. She talked about the new addition to her family that took the form of a younger brother named Souta and their new cat Buyo who seemed to enjoy eating his weight in kitty food. On a sadder note, she talked about her father's and grandmother's recent deaths and how the remaining family moved together to her grandfather's shrine on the eastern side of Tokyo.
"...I have been trying my hardest to stay strong and keep fighting like you always wanted me to do, and I promise I will. I appreciate the life you gave me as much as my mother and I only wish that one day I can somehow pay you back." Fukuro finished the letter and cleared his throat as a bit of emotion got to him. "Its signed Higurashi, Kagome age 9."
Rehema stared down at the ground. "You held onto that this long?"
"I've kept all the letters people have sent you over the years. You are greatly adored for your abilities Zakari-sensei."
"Yeah….I don't think adored is the word."
Not wishing to start another argument Fukuro withdrew another square envelope, from his desk drawer this time and placed it on the table. "This is the check. You just head to the shrine, give the shrine keeper your donation, apologize for your past behavior, and then you can go about your miserable life as you see fit."
Rehema sighed. "Does it have to be the Higurashi shrine?"
"Yes."
"There are a million shrines in this city, can't you find somewhere else?"
"No. The Higurashi family must be the ones to receive this donation after all, the check is already endorsed in their name."
"Do we even have the money to be donating to anything at this point?"
"I managed to garner quite a few donations last week for hospital funding, but this is out of my own pocket."
Of course. Rehema thought. Healthcare in Japan was relatively cheap for consumers but complete hell for those who worked in the industry. Since most hospitals had trouble getting into the black with their finances due to health care law, most were forced to peddle for outside donations to keep their doors open. Fukuro was a master at fundraising, however, so it was no surprise that he managed to obtain so much support.
Not feeling particularly prideful, Rehema took one last effort at getting out of it. "But shouldn't I stick around in case an emergency pops up?"
Fukuro saw right through her. "Really Zakari-san, you have a beeper and a cell phone, it would take you an hour at the most to rush back here if something came up." Glaring at her after he spoke he added, "As long as you actually answer your phone that is."
I'm doomed. "So now what?"
"Change out of those scrubs and into your street clothes and head to the shrine. Did you take the tram to work today or drive?"
Rehema scoffed. She hadn't driven because she hadn't been home. He didn't need to know that though. "On a Monday? As hard as parking is in this city. Are you crazy? I took the tram."
Fukuro rolled his eyes again. "My mistake."
"Are we done here?"
"Yes, Zakari-san." He replied, nudging her out the door. "Now go. And be nice to the Higurashi family, I don't need you getting sued."
Shutting the door lightly, Fukuro closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the wood tiredly. A part of him couldn't believe it. It's finally about to happen. Glancing over his shoulder, the old man looked tiredly at his desk where Kagome's old letter still lay half curled up on the table, the edges blowing slightly as a breeze floated through the room.
A/N: Parts look familiar right? I hope you like the new twists and turns I added to this. As always please review! -Theores
