AUTHOR'S NOTES: This chapter is somewhat dark, so be prepared for it!! Its also gonna be rather long to make up for the time that I've taken to write it, so, until I write Chapter 4 Part II, enjoy! Dream sequences again in italics. Usual thoughts in italics too. Switching between times again, they're divided with a dotted line, so don't get confused!
Chapter 4: Part 1: Unbroken Curse
Kagome hurried home quickly from school. She had avoided school since coming back from the Feudal Ages about a month ago because of her earlier depression, but had recently started school again, because of Inuyasha's 'nightly visits' in her dreams. Being able to see him, even if it was a dream, was enough to lift her out of her emotional pain. She was now a senior in high school, and although she wasn't in the best class (most of this was due to her adventuring with Inuyasha, and lack of studying), she was happy, because she still saw her friends and classmates that she'd known for the past 3 years.
Her admirer, Hojo, had moved onto better things, and had fallen in love with another girl; she was relieved because he stopped sending her all the funny get well 'gifts' that he seemed to have, and also because she knew that Inuyasha returned her love. Both her best friends Akane and Mai (AUTHOR'S NOTES: both affectionately known to us as short hair and hair band girl in the manga, as they don't seem to have names..) had given up teasing her about Hojo, but teased her instead about her 'mysterious boyfriend', and all was well.
Taking a quick shower and hurriedly finishing her homework, she waited for night to fall, the happiest highlight of her everyday life because she got to see Inuyasha. Her mother called her down for dinner, and Kagome disappeared downstairs for her favourite oden. Everything was peachy, until suddenly, Kagome felt a horrendous pain in her side, and almost collapsed.
"Nee-chan!! Doushite? Daijoubu desuka?" Souta asked, upset.
"Are you alright Kagome?What's wrong?" Both her mother and grandfather were looking across the table, worried at the expression on her face.
"I'm...fine..." she managed, and then the pain was gone. She sat up and continued her meal, pasting a fake smile on her face, trying to ensure her family. "I'm fine. Really. I just had some indigestion. Don't worry about me."
Her family just stared at her, unconvinced.
"Well then, Kagome, sleep earlier tonight, and I hope that you feel better tomorrow." said her mother.Kagome nodded in answer. She may have acted indifferent, but in her thoughts, she couldn't shake the cold feeling that told her that there was something really wrong with her. Nah....must be my imagination, she thought, trying to convince herself that everything was alright as she crawled into bed and allowed peaceful sleep to take her to paradise.
*Start Dream Sequence*
When she opened her eyes, he was already there waiting for her.
"Hey love."he embraced her and kissed her cheeks, then narrowing his eyes as he sniffed the air. "Something smells funny."he remarked, sniffing for the source of the smell, and found it in Kagome.
His eyes were worried. "Is something wrong?"
Kagome smiled back at him, trying to keep the worry from showing in her face.
"It must have been the oden I ate."she joked.
"Hmm..."he muttered, not very satisfied with the answer, but accepting it anyway.
As soon as the look of worry on his face disappeared, it appeared again, as the pain in her side returned, and she would have dropped to the ground if his arms hadn't been around her.
"Kagome! Are you alright?"His eyes were worried and feared for her.
"Yea...yea....I'm fine, its alright."Her teeth gritted together, she barely managed the words as another wave of pain cascaded over her, and she doubled up in pain, making her scream.
"Kagome, I think that you'd better go back to sleep!It's too much pain for you...What's going on?"he asked desperate for an answer, now kneeling down beside her and cradling her in his arms.
Other voices suddenly interrupted them.
"Kagome-chan! Are you alright?"
"Nee-chan!Wake up!Wake up!"A pair of hands shook her gently.
Inuyasha placed a swift kiss on her lips and hugged her tightly once more, saying "Go back now Kagome, find out what's happening to you!! And get some rest love. I'll see you tomorrow night."
Kagome could barely nod, the pain dominated her whole body now. "'Bye love." He faded away as she came back to the real world.
*End Dream Sequence*
"Nee-chan! Nee-chan!! Wake up!"Her eyes opened to Souta's, her mother's and her grandfather's face looking down at her in worry.
"What's wrong Kagome?What was happening?Did you have a bad dream or something?Did the pain that you felt earlier come back?"her mother asked her, trying to get an answer out of her.
Kagome shook her head, smiling slightly. The pain was gone again. "It's nothing. Just a bad dream." Hardly, her mind taunted, it was hell! Even when Inuyasha was there.
"Are you sure you're alright?"Mother, grandfather and little brother looked at her.
"Yea...I'm fine...just go back to sleep now, ok?I'm really tired."She turned on her side, pulling the blankets over her head, trying to make all of them leave her alone, and feigning sleep.
Her mother sighed and switched the light off, leaving the room with Souta and her grandfather.
"Good night Kagome."She didn't answer.
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Dawn was approaching when Inuyasha awoke back in the Feudal Ages.
What happened back there?he asked himself. I can smell it on her...there's something wrong with her body...but what is it?! He punched a tree hard, angry at himself for his lack of knowledge. Jumping down from his branch on the Goshimboku tree, he landed on the ground, and immediately made his way to Kaede's house. Kaede was already up, as well as Sango and Shippou. Miroku had left two days earlier to take care of something.
"Kaede-baba...do you know anything about feeling pain in the ribs?"Inuyasha asked hesitantly, afraid to know the truth.
She turned around from the cooking pot and raised an eyebrow at him. "Feeling pain in the ribs? There are so many causes Inuyasha. Is there something wrong?"
"It's Kagome."he said.
Brow furrowed, she inquired "Kagome?What do you mean?"
"I don't know what happened. I saw her last night, and then suddenly she doubled over, holding her abdomen, and she was in a lot of pain. Something also smelt....different....and I have no idea what's going on. There's something wrong with her smell...something different...and bad... She kept telling me that it was alright, and that it was the oden that she ate for dinner, but somehow, I don't really believe that that's the cause of her pain."
It couldn't be....Kaede frowned worriedly. ".....I think that...this may be a possibility, Inuyasha."
"What possibility?"He sat down on the mat quickly, hungry for any information that he could get.
"My sister's curse.....it may not have been fully broken..."was the solemn answer.
Almost kicking over the pot by accident, he jumped up from the mat instantly "What?!"
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Kagome awoke in the morning, feeling as if she'd been pounded with a hammer while she slept. The pain in her ribs had returned again, and it was worse than ever. Dressing as quickly as possible, and hobbling down the stairs slowly in her painful condition, she sat down at the table and ate. The pain in her abdomen throbbed with every bite that she took.
Her grandfather was watching her closely as she ate, and saw the tortured pain in her eyes as she struggled with the pain in her body. "Kagome, I'll take you to the hospital today. We should find out what's wrong before its too late." he said firmly, after watching his granddaughter in pain after a few moments.
"Jii-chan..."she whispered.
He went over to her side of the table, and held her hand. "Something's wrong Kagome, and we have to find out what's happening to be able to stop all this pain that you're having. It may only have started yesterday, but I do not want to watch my granddaughter suffer in pain like this. We're going to the hospital, and that's that. I'll call up the school and tell them that you're sick." He stood up to go, and heard her forced laugh.
"Isn't it ironinc, jii-chan?When I kept using the well, you always had to make up excuses for me....and now its actually coming true."A painful smile touched her lips, as he left the room, shaking his head in worry.
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"What do you mean Kaede?!We broke the curse didn't we?!Or how would I have been able to contact Kagome?!This is ridiculous!" Inuyasha paced around the room, furious at this unknown thing that Kagome was facing.
"I hope it is not so, but some priestesses make sure that their curses will stay, by putting another spell on it, and this seems to be what my sister has done." Her expression was somber. Sango, Shippou and Kaede jumped in surprise as he punched the wall of the room, making it shake.
"Kikyou again." He muttered. "Why does she do this to us?!" He exited the room, muttering curses all the while, and quickly took to the air as soon as he got out of the room.
Kaede shook her head sadly as she watched him leave. And they just regained their happiness again. How short-lived it is....Kagome, I sincerely hope that nothing is wrong, and that you will be able to be with Inuyasha...
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Kagome sat patiently in the waiting room for her turn. Her grandfather was pacing around nervously, as if waiting for an operation to finish. There's nothing wrong with me, right? She tried to make the cold fear which was slowly wrapping itself around her go away. So I should be fine, right?
"Higurashi, Kagome." Kagome stood up and followed the nurse into a white room, her grandfather following behind. A cheerful looking young man sat in the chair opposite her, smiling pleasantly. He extended a hand towards both Kagome and her grandfather, trying to make them feel more welcome. Sure doesn't seem to be working. Her mind chuckled to itself.
"I'm Kurozaki Asato. You can just call me Asato." He introduced himself. "Now, who has a problem?" He smiled warmly at both of them across the table.
"I'm...having some pain in my ribs." Kagome was hesitant to tell the man, and she didn't really want to know what the problem was, lest it was something chronic. The doctor nodded, and indicated her to elaborate.
"It started yesterday...and it seems to be getting worse. It comes and goes...and....I don't know..." she said, at a loss for words.
"Well, there are quite a few things associated with the symptoms that you have described, but we'll need to do several tests to rule out the possibilities."He looked at her for any response. "When would you like these tests to be conducted?"
"Could we...possibly start it now? I don't want to have anything to worry about." She smiled weakly at Kurozaki-sensei, hoping that the fear that she felt didn't show in her face or movements.
The doctor got out of his seat, and walked over to a large filing cabinet. "If that is what you want, Kagome-san." was the muffled reply as he stuck his head into the cabinet to look for something.
"Arigatou, Kurozaki-sensei."Kagome said softly.
He turned around to look at her from the cupboard, and if she hadn't known better, Kagome would have sworn that she'd seen a flicker of sadness in Kurozaki-sensei's eyes.
"That's no problem at all, Kagome-san! It's my pleasure!"
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Back in the Feudal Ages, Inuyasha was thinking to himself, the swirl of emotions nearly suffocating him, as the thought of losing Kagome again burdened him.
I can't believe this!...Why can't I find happiness?! Do the gods have something against me finding love or something?! First it was Naraku creating the rift between me and Kikyo, then me and Kikyo dying, and then Kikyo creating the barrier around the well and now an unbroken curse! What the hell is all this?! His mind shifted from being furious to being scared and fearing for Kagome's well-being. Oh Kami-sama...I hope Kagome's alright! I don't want something to happen to her...because of....because of me.....Even if it means that I won't be able to see her again, I'd want her to be alive and well, and I wouldn't want her to suffer all this pain! Kami-sama...please keep her safe....even if it means me dying for her to live....I hate watching her suffer!
Guilt gripped him, as the pain of watching her suffer and his love for her conflicted internally in his heart. I can't be so selfish!! I've got to stop seeing her or something, so that...that....whatever that smell is goes away from her!!
Sudden realization hit him like a rock. That smell.....it can't be.... His eyes opened wider in horror. It's the smell of a corpse !
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"Now, lie down flat on that bed over there please. Yes, that's right. We're doing a scan on you to be able to find the causes of this; there's nothing to worry about, Kagome-san." Kurozaki-sensei smiled at her reassuringly, as he arranged for a full, body-over scan-cum-X-ray check-up for her, that would be able to bring the possibilities of the pain caused in her ribs to the minimal few.
Kagome was dressed in hospital garb, a plain white-looking sheet of cloth covered her as she lay with her eyes closed on the bed. She had decided to immediately start the tests, in the hope of knowing the cause of the pain, and she also wanted to hope that the pain was just a temporary thing which would go away soon, and make her feel relieved, albeit foolish, for having all the petty fears. So far, she had taken a blood test and urine test, and had negative results for diabetes, and some other funny-sounding diseases, which names she hadn't wanted to remember.
"The scan will take about ten minutes; don't open your eyes during that period of time, or you're eyes will be affected by radioactive rays, and we wouldn't want that, would we? Anyway, let's start that test. Roll her in!" He walked away from the 'bed' as it automatically moved into a large dome-like plastic structure, similar to the machine used to take CAT scans. Kagome's grandfather watched on worriedly.
10 minutes later...
"We're all done now, Kagome-san. You can leave if you want now, we'll have your results ready in the next two days." announced Kurozaki-sensei.
She smiled faintly. "Arigatou sensei."
"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about. Your clothes are in the next room." The doctor returned her smile as he left the room.
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*Start Dream Sequence*
Inuyasha greeted his lover in a tight hug as soon as she appeared in the dreamworld. She returned it, albeit weakly.
"Did they find out what's going on?" He asked her anxiously.
She shook her head and smiled "I did a few check-ups today at the hospital, but I'll only get the results in about two days or so. The sensei said not to worry though."
"Yea, well, I sure hope he's right."He muttered into her hair. They held each other in the embrace, silent for a few minutes. Kagome broke the silence.
"Inuyasha"
"Hmm..?"
"What do you think is happening?"
"To what?"
"To me. My body."
"I dunno, I guess its just some kinda temporary pain?" He lied to her, his heart knew that there was something way more serious than just some small pain, but he didn't want to give her his burden of worry. Instead he asked her:
"Um....the pain...uh...maybe its um....your time of the month again?"He blushed as he said this, holding her at arm's reach.
She looked at him strangely, and she started giggling; the giggling turned into out-and-out laughter, and he sighed in relief; he was glad to see her laugh.
Kagome sobered again, and took his hands in hers.
"No. No it isn't. It's....something else....and..."
Her next words shocked him, and he thought that his heart would leap out of his body.
"It's not natural."
He gripped her hands tightly, moved closer to her, their noses almost touching. She refused to meet his eyes.
"What do you mean it's not natural?" He demanded lightly.
"I....can feel it....and it doesn't feel natural...its like as if somebody intentionally put it there or something!" He felt as if someone had suddenly cast a spell on him and turned him to ice.
Kikyou.... He thought silently to himself.
A/N: _Eeek, sorry peeps, I took sooooooo long to write this fic, but I've recently been busy with exams, and I've recently finished 'em, and I've been playing Chrono Cross as well, but I've finally gotten around to writing this chapter, thank goodness. Man, it's taken me forever to get back on track. But, yay! The summer hols are off and I've got another two months off until skool starts, so I should be able to finish this story in time. Chapter 5 will be the last chapter ^_^. That was heart-wrenching wasn't it, ne? Sorry, but the fic seems to have a mind of its own, and I kinda like the way it's going. Have to say that it's gonna be a really sad ending though, but still kinda happy. *clamps hand over mouth* ok, that's it! The rest of it, you're gonna have to wait around and find out what goes on!!^_^*evil grin* hehe..
In the next chapter of "When you're gone..."
Chapter 4: Part 2: Unwelcome Revelations
"A tumour? In my body?"
"We can't meet anymore."
"Sayonara Kagome....Sayonara...Hontou ni gomen ne.."