A/N: Another chapter. This one took some thought because I didn't know how to start it off. Eventually though I got an idea while I was mindlessly writing, so that was good! To renote; whenever you see a story in italics it usually means it's either A: a memory from the past or B: a vision either Rehema, Sesshomaru or whoever I am focusing on at the time is having. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, I tried to make it decent in length. -Theores
Chapter 12: The God's Rival
She hoisted herself up and over the edge of the Well, careful so that she wouldn't slip and end up falling back into the present. Slightly out of breath the doctor sat down on the Well's rim, choosing to ignore the white haired man who was still eyeing her from the treeline. I'm out of shape.
Being a surgeon didn't give her a lot of opportunities to exercise, the operations she performed only requiring her to remain in one place for hours on end. Her regular adrenaline stunts didn't even involve this much effort; glancing back into the Well depths Rehema patted herself on the back for being able to climb so far.
Better get to Kaede's village. She was sure Kagome would have a heart attack when she saw her. Remembering the direction the doctor managed all of three steps before Sesshomaru blocked her path, his eyes deadpan as they ghosted over her form.
Startled, Rehema took a cautious stance and looked back at the dog demon who was already starting to scare her. "What the…."
He interrupted her with an accusation. "You aren't human."
Rehema blinked once, bewildered. "I'm fully aware of that." She said quietly, not backing down from his intense gaze. Gold bore into gray as they attempted to intimidate the other, and not breaking eye contact, the doctor retorted, "Why do you care?"
A frown marred his features at her tone. "What sorcery did you use on me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The hallucination we shared," He explained, continuing to look into her gray orbs. "It was the work of Kokumajutsu."
"I don't know." She answered, dull. "You grabbed my necklace and it just happened, it wasn't something I was planning on." Seeing the detached manner in which he presented himself, Rehema finally broke eye contact to listen to his heart rate which tended to be a better compass when it came to people's emotions. Her gray orbs focused on his plate covered chest and using her ears, heard the strong rhythmic pounding of his heart, noting that it was slightly faster than normal humans but calm nonetheless. That told her everything she needed to know. He wasn't angry, he was curious. "My apologies if I inconvenienced you in any way." She said hoping to end the conversation there. Even though she felt no malicious intent towards him, the elder brother of Inuyasha made her feel, uneasy.
He must have read her intentions because the frown on his face deepened. "You wish to leave?" He asked, looking her over once more.
"Yes," She answered immediately, stepping around his body so that she could continue in the direction of the village. Immediately a hand reached out and grabbed the back of her shirt, preventing her escape. "Hey!" Struggling to be free, the doctor reached behind her and clawed at his wrist, desperate to be free. It wasn't until his deep baritone voice spoke again that Rehema froze at his words.
"I am not done with you yet."
A heartbeat was an incredible sound. Even before she became interested in medical science, that mysterious organ that kept people alive had always fascinated the doctor. Closing her eyes, Rehema listened again to Sesshomaru's powerful heart and relaxed when she heard its ever steady beat. Remaining focused on that rhythmic pumping helped keep her calm in this otherwise stressful situation, and keeping her back turned to him explained, "There is nothing else I can give you right now."
"You do not walk away from me." He said to her exposed back, his hand still tightly gripped around the collar of her shirt.
"I wouldn't think of it." She returned, letting out a sigh of relief when he released his hold. "I have to get to the village, I'm trying to figure things out as well."
He didn't reply. Instead remaining in place behind her even as she continued to take more steps towards the village. Cautious of her movements, Rehema advanced, the adrenaline in her body nearly blinding her with its intensity. It was moments like this that kept her alive after all these years, those little tiny rushes that allowed her to return to work, alive and save those that others had long give up hope on.
As she reached the village's edge, the stress in her body died and a sense of calm overtook her. Boldly entering the community of feudal era humans, Rehema looked around for a familiar face and smiled when she saw Inuyasha leaning against Kaede's hut. "Hey."
Opening up an eye to peek at her, Inuyasha grunted and smartly replied. "Keh took you long enough to get here."
She huffed in fake agitation. "I'm glad to see you again too."
"Is she really back?" The door to Kaede's hut was pushed open and a curious Miroku stepped inside, pausing when he laid eyes on Rehema and Kagome who had stopped their discussion when he appeared. "Ah Zakari-sensei, so you have returned, and so soon."
"Crazy right?" The doctor said, offering the monk a smile.
Inuyasha interjected. "What's crazy is what Kagome's been telling her about Myoga's visit earlier."
Dropping his smile the monk eyed her guardedly, unsure of how she was taking the news.
"It's okay," Rehema said, answering Miroku's silent question. "I'm ready to learn about my past. It's time."
"What has she told you so far?" The monk asked next, joining the discussion in the hut.
"Just that apparently I'm the reincarnation of a psychotic Jackal woman." The doctor said, with a small grin.
He winced at the way she worded it. "I don't believe it was that simple."
"Nothing with me ever is."
Miroku nodded. "It's just a theory, but is it possible you can share how much of your life you actually remember? It might give us some insight as to why you can't recall your entire past."
Rehema frowned. "Where should I start?" The last three centuries of her life had pretty much molded into one continuous loop, ever since the late 1800's when women were finally able to be recognized in the medical field as more than just nurses or midwives.
Seeing her hesitation, Kagome offered a scope, "The beginning is always a good place."
Taking a deep breath, Rehema nodded and began. "After I was chased out of the Higurashi shrine, I ended up stowing away on a ship that was on route to the Mainland."
She found out the hard way that she was prone to seasickness. The boat rocked and tilted with the sea's waves, forcing Rehema to place a firm hand over mouth to keep from vomiting all over the cargo hold. She had been hiding in the bowels of the ship for the last four days, the merchants on board luckily being rum and dry goods traders, so there was plenty for her to eat. Briefly uncovering her mouth to take another quick sip of alcohol, the woman wiped her mouth and held onto the sides of a crate for dear life as the boat took the opportunity to turn hard to the left from what she could feel. "How did I end up here?" She questioned aloud in Japanese.
The language still didn't feel natural to her, telling her that it wasn't her native tongue. Overhead she could hear the merchants talking loudly in Mandarin, and though she understood what was being said, she dared not make her presence known to them, lest they be as prejudiced as the Japanese and throw her overboard for being a stowaway.
Why was she even in Japan to begin with? Looking over her clothes which consisted of a white shirt underneath a brown vest, trousers, and knee high flat pointed boots, it was obvious she wasn't from that country. So who was she?
She didn't know. Absently rubbing the back of her neck, she stopped when her hand caught the necklace at her throat, and pulling it out glanced at it briefly, only to quickly lose interest and shrugged, if it was important she would found out about it later. Right now she needed to focus on some basics.
What was her name? Searching her mind, no answers appeared, frustrating the girl and making her take another swallow of rum. Try as she might, she couldn't figure out the answer. Looking at her bottle which was only a quarter empty, the girl suddenly thought that getting drunk might help her seasickness and help to forget her negligence, if only for one night. "Here's to ignorance…." She cheered before beginning to chug the entire merchant's stock.
That had only been the start of her adrenaline chases. "In hindsight I've calmed down my exploits since then," Rehema said, reading the expressions of the group. As expected mostly shock and pity, but complete attentiveness as they listened to her tales.
"Wait," Inuyasha said furrowing his brow, "Now was the fight you got in before or after you got drunk and broke into someone's…..garage." He said the last word slowly, unsure of what she was talking about but understanding that she had illegally entered it regardless.
"The street fight was afterward," Rehema answered not in the least ashamed. "I had gotten into streets fight before, but never to a point that I sent someone to the hospital."
Kagome piped up, "But you're a doctor Zakari-sensei, yet you risk your life on a regular basis, just for the thrill of it?"
The doctor frowned, "I was under the impression you wouldn't judge me."
The priestess quickly waved her hands in the air. "I'm not judging you Zakari-sensei!" She hastily assured. "It's just what from what you've told us, you don't seem on that happy."
Rehema faced her fully. "Let me be clear on something," Giving her full eye contact, the doctor explained her position. "I hate my job. Yes I saved your life, as I've done the same for everybody who comes into my operating room, but it is stressful, when I'm performing a surgery It's like being on the razor's edge, the slightest slip and I could kill somebody, It's not something I just walk away from whole."
Kagome whimpered, "But you've saved so many lives….."
"And I will continue to save much more," Rehema retorted, "But I didn't become a doctor with the intention of playing the role of a god, or even to save lives. I became a doctor because I love the challenge, when a patient is in my hands it's a crusade between me and whatever divine entity controls them, it's a maddening battle and afterward I need to do something to keep myself from going insane." Looking away from the priestess, the doctor said nothing more, she had just admitted yet another deep seated secret to her former patient, one that possibly made her appear to be a lunatic.
Having been stunned by her declaration, Miroku cleared his throat and commented, "That's a unique way of looking at things."
"It's just my reality."
The monk continued voicing his opinion, "But from how you spoke, it sounds like you're waging all out war against the gods with your medical prowess and being that you've never lost anyone you helped…..One could safely assume that the gods may have a rival in you Zakari-sensei."
"Rival?"
"Whether you admit it or not your ultimate goal is to keep people from meeting their early demises, you refuse to let them die."
The god's rival. Rehema thought about the title. An odd grin crossed her face as she considered it more thoroughly, she liked it. Only one thing was wrong with the phrase, "I don't want to be a god, though."
Miroku shrugged. "Go figure."
A/N: Please review!
