DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: This author has no financial or non-financial relation nor do they possess any right to "Inuyasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale" franchise. Full ownership of all characters is the sole intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi.
Wherever You Will Go
Gramps had taken to sitting on the bench beneath the Sacred Tree these past few nights and glaring up into its branches. What had his ancestors done to be cursed in such a way? When he around ten, his own father had died. His son too was young when his mother died. Kagome left fatherless at the age of five. And now this. With a dark chuckle, he half wondered whether his granddaughter was pregnant. It seemed with each death the children got younger and younger. This one might as well lose their parent in utero.
Perhaps he was getting ahead of himself. The boy had barely been here two weeks. And that time had been difficult for everyone involved. It seemed all too cruel that the pair would be reunited only to die from an illness. Predictable, in a way, but cruel nonetheless. The thought had occurred to him that one of the first things they should do is get the boy vaccinated. Visiting a few days here and there was one thing but living here full time was another entirely.
"Is this the Higuarashi shrine?" a deep hesitant voice suddenly murmured in the darkness and Gramps nearly died of a heart attack. Holding a single hand over his racing heart, the elderly man gazed upon the newcomer with wide slightly frightened eyes before relaxing.
"I apologize but the shrine is closed for repairs at the moment," Gramps cleared his throat as he got to his feet and gave the man a very forced smile, "It is also after hours so…"
"I received a call from a Kanata Higuarashi," the man continued quietly as he held up a small briefcase, "My name is Dr. Bushida. I'm from the Kowai Koinu Clinic. I apologize for the delay. We did not receive…"
Wilting visibly, something suddenly occurred to the old man and he almost wanted to die on the spot. This man was human. Perhaps middle aged. Well-kempt, strangely good looking but balding. There was something about him too that screamed danger. Had he engaged a demon slayer? That would just be the cherry on top now, wouldn't it? Attempt to call for help and then the very beings who sought to rid the world of youkai were offered up a defenseless boy on a silver platter.
"What is your purpose here?" Gramps asked in a slightly defensive tone as he glanced up at his granddaughter's window and hobbled with surprising speed to stand between the man and the house.
"There is no reason to be afraid," the man offered as he glanced down at himself, "I am familiar with young Kagome and Inuyasha. My appearance may be unseemly but…"
"I beg your pardon?" Gramps interjected as he furrowed his brow in confusion and the man blushed furiously.
"I'm a half-demon?" the man proffered sounding suddenly unsure before clearing his throat and shaking his head, "As well as an infectious disease expert. Inuyasha has fallen ill, has he not?"
"Oh thank goodness," Gramps laughed shakily as he turned and began hurrying towards the house, "Yes. Yes he has. Come quickly."
The man followed and began asking a quick series of questions.
"He's had his symptoms for a week. Fevers, chills, nausea, vomiting, difficulty breathing," the man stated more than asked and Gramps nodded, "Has Kagome attempted any purification?"
Gramps paused and glanced over his shoulder.
"Purification? Why would she do that?" the elder asked suspiciously as he gave the man a once over. He too paused and cringed.
"The virus is demonic in origin," the newcomer began slowly, "It wiped out most of our kind about a little more than a century ago. By the end of the First World war, there were only about a thousand of us left. Maybe less. The subsequent wars lowered our numbers further still."
"Wouldn't purification kill demons?" Gramps hissed acidly as he tried to hold himself a little taller.
"Normally yes," the man sighed as he strangely began playing with his hands in a very insecure fashion, "I had always been an herbalist. A healer. My situation is much like theirs. I too married a miko. Together we managed, after much trial and error, to come up with a treatment that has since been perfected."
The man began to fidget anxiously and hyper-focused on the ground like it was suddenly very interesting.
"Does the illness…" Gramps let out a shuddering breath as he moved a little closer with hope in his eyes, "Does it affect the mind?"
"Sometimes it causes hallucinations," the suddenly shy man glanced up before quickly averting his eyes, "Due to the fever. Has he, um, been having those?"
"Not that I'm aware," Gramps sighed dejectedly, "Inuyasha has…has not been adjusting well."
"How so?"
"I think it'll make more sense if you speak with him," the old man continued, "I would call them panic attacks but I believe it is much more than that. He's spiraling."
"When I first learned of his disappearance, I went to the village," the man offered sadly, "In retrospect, what they described was most likely depression."
"Depression," Gramps chuckled darkly, "I think that's far too simple an explanation."
"Yes," the man replied in barely more than a whisper, "Yes I imagine it would be."
"If you have doctors," Gramps cleared his throat, "Perhaps you have psychiatrists as well?"
"Just one," the man offered, "In the country. Retired but I imagine he'll make an exception if it is as you say."
"One," Gramps repeated skeptically and the man sighed.
"Medication does not work for our kind," the man explained sadly, "For half-demons it is more effective but rarely. Dr. Masaki had hoped for better results when medication for humans was first released and entered that profession but unfortunately, treatment was often unsuccessful. His personality was not very conducive for therapy and he found it beneath him in any case. Not many have gone to him for that purpose and so he retired."
"That was a very through explanation," Gramps chuckled and the man flinched.
"I apologize," he murmured, "I have a tendency to…"
"No need to apologize," Gramps reassured him, "There's…"
A sudden scream of pain followed by a scream of terror had both men whipping their eyes towards the second-floor window.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Bitter cold and rain - such a miserable combination. The rain had fallen steadily without let up since he left his village. The bare bones of the trees drooping slightly under the weight of the semi-frozen droplets. Every surface, every blade of grass and twig were growing long ice crystals. And yet Jineji had felt the need to visit his old friends. Rumors had reached him that both Kagome and Inuyasha had disappeared without a trace. Some stories spoke of death. Others blamed dark magic. It was after the third version of events reached his ears that he set out to discover the truth for himself. Just the thought of his strong friends having died felt like a thousand daggers in his heart.
It was the small gravestones at the edge of the village that did him in. His large body sank to its knees at the marked graves, not caring for the damp mud that dirtied his clothing. His tears mingled with the rain but somehow he managed to stay relatively quiet. They had done so much for him. Saved him. And then to die so young. It was entirely unfair that two beings who had lived such extraordinary lives, who had helped so many, would have their lives ended so short. Cruel even. Was this the gods' way of rewarding good deeds? Or was it their way of punishing the lives of half-demons? Cursed from the moment they drew their first breath.
"May I ask who you are?" came a weary male voice and Jineji flinched. He should have known better than to have come here but he had hoped….
"I came to pray for them," he whispered – his usual insecure, shy manner momentarily abandoned, "I mean your village no harm."
"To pray," the monk repeated quietly and Jineji nodded as more tears fell out of his bug-like eyes.
"If it is any consolation, they are not dead," Miroku offered after a long moment, "I only placed the gravestones here to assuage my own grief. To create a permanent place in this word where we could visit. Relatively permanent anyway."
"You say they are not dead and yet you grieve. Where have they gone?" Jineji sniffled and Miroku sighed before turning back towards the village.
"You must be cold. Come, my wife has just finished preparing dinner," the monk offered kindly and so the half-demon followed.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Kagome sobbed as she frantically tried to make sure Inuyasha was still breathing, "I know you said no but…but I just thought if you didn't know you…I just…I'm so, so sorry."
"Move," came a strangely familiar voice as a surprisingly solid hand gently pushed her out of the way. Shellshocked and utterly numb, it was all Kagome could do to remain standing as she watched what was probably a hallucination begin fumbling with a large bag and removing various medical looking instruments.
"Jin…Jineji?" Kagome whispered hoarsely before glancing at her grandfather who had followed shortly behind him, "You…you're still alive?"
"There will be time for explanations later," the half-demon replied warily as he began preparing some type of injection and began prodding Inuyasha's arm for a vein, "I apologize for not coming sooner."
"I tried to…I tried to see if purifying him would help," Kagome offered as tears continued streaming down her cheeks. Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed openly, "I didn't…he was human. I didn't know it would hurt him. I really didn't."
Jineji didn't comment as he finished the injection and began preparing a dose of a different liquid.
"It is fortunate he's currently unconscious," their old friend sighed shakily, "The side-effects are usually unpleasant."
"So…so you've seen this before?" she asked and Jineji nodded.
"Its treatable," he offered as he grabbed an alcohol wipe and cleaned a portion of Inuyasha's upper arm before pausing and glancing over his shoulder, "Don't be afraid. The virus does not affect humans."
"But he didn't get better," Kagome whispered as she wiped away a few tears, "When he turned human I mean. He didn't…"
"Half-demons are tricky," the man laughed softly as he quickly injected the second dose of whatever, "Even when human a trace of youkai remains. Just enough for the virus to live."
"Oh," was all Kagome could think to say as she blindly reached for a chair and sank down into it, "So…so he'll get better then?"
"I'll have to examine him more fully to see whether the prognosis is good," Jineji replied vaguely, "In the meantime, perhaps someone in your family could accompany him to the country. The city is a breeding ground. Until he has been vaccinated, the risk of relapse and exposure is too high."
"I quit my job," Kagome mumbled before glancing at her grandfather who didn't react other than giving her an understanding look, "Friday was my last day. I'll go with him."
"What is your profession?" Jineji asked as he looked over the other various item he brought with him. It was a clear attempt to distract her and Kagome would be lying if she said she wasn't grateful for the gesture.
"I'm a teacher. A physics teacher," the former miko sighed shakily and Jineji nodded.
"I thought so," he chuckled knowingly, "You applied for a position at a middle school in the country did you not? Raised several eyebrows. There are quite a few still living who recognized the name but thought it impossible."
"They rejected my application," Kagome replied bitterly before startling and shaking her head, "No, wait. Ignore me. I'm just…"
"I'm not offended," Jineji reassured her as he began prodding Inuyasha's lymph nodes with a small frown, "I am only familiar with the circumstances. It was a wonder you found the listing at all. It was meant for demons and their spouses. How did you find it?"
"Where else do you find jobs? The internet," Kagome sighed as she watched Inuyasha's face. His brow would twitch every so often, his jaw jumping, his eyes dancing behind their lids. His skin was pale and slightly green as well. He looked awful. He looked like he was dying.
"He'll be okay though, right?" she whispered and the attending physician shook his head, "I don't know. He needs to be hospitalized. I'll arrange for transportation in the morning."
"Okay, I…I should probably get some clothes," she mumbled as she unsteadily got to her feet, "And…and probably some sleep. Will…will you stay with him?"
Jineji nodded.
"Don't take him anywhere without me," she pleaded softly and he nodded again.
"You have my word young Kagome. I owe much to you two. I will not break your trust."
