Thanks so much to all the kind souls who took time to review. I'm always glad to know others enjoy the exploits of my hamster. : p Just a short chappy to feed those undernourished mind of ours. I've got more time now so I can guarantee a new chapter ever three days okay? I don't want this to become an epic, so I'll be bring all the players together soon, just not too soon, but I want to finish this because my hamster wants to run in another wheel. I don't want my stories to be teasers that leave you drooling for more with no hope of getting anything else… Sorry but the site seems to be editing out all my cut break offs, Anyways on with it…..
"So how did it go?" Kagome's mother asked as she came in the door followed by Hojo. Kagome had debated whether she should say exactly what the plastic surgeon told her or simply give an edited version. Looking into her mother's eyes she decided the edit would be better, no need to keep her mother in suspense.
"Well, she said that I'm not a lost cause. The scars can be 'fixed' and since the physical therapy has already loosened most of the muscles and tendons around the scars, she has high hopes." Kagome responded. The way her mother's face lit up made her heart feel a lot lighter. It seemed as though there was a perpetual cloud hovering around her mom lately. This news was just what she needed to chase that cloud away. Kagome found herself smiling back at her mom.
"That's wonderful news! I'll cook a special dinner to celebrate. Hojo, will you be staying for dinner tonight?" she asked. Hojo's smile was a little bit strained but said he would stay if she liked. He looked to Kagome and wondered why she didn't tell her mother everything the doctor had said. Well, it was Kagome's story to tell.
The only reason he knew was that after the exam Kagome asked him to stay by her side. He sat there, holding her hand, while the surgeon laid out the plan for recovery. The surgeon thought that he was her fiancé, so included him in her instructions. There was a moment or three of embarrassment for him when the surgeon stated quite bluntly that they were to refrain from 'any intimate relations'. He almost swooned from the rush of blood to his head; Kagome sat there with only a flush to her face before nodding her head. He felt like correcting the surgeon, and was about to, but Kagome had squeezed his hand just as he was going to talk. Still, he could not let this woman make such assumptions about the two of them. Kagome's grip on his hand intensified and he looked to her, saw her fear, and remained silent. It didn't much longer for the surgeon to finish. They agreed on a time for the next appointment, and left.
On the way back he tried to get her to converse. She still hadn't let go of his hand, and hers was cold in his own. They were three blocks from the shrine, when she stopped. She turned to him and said she needed to gather her thoughts. He nodded and said he understood. As he began to pull his hand away, she said she didn't want to be alone, if he would mind if they walked a bit more. Taking her hand a bit more firmly, he turned them around and walked away from the shrine.
She had already told him what happened to her, how she came to be injured. She didn't give too many details, but said enough that he could comprehend. At first, he thought that it was just her mind trying to cope with the trauma inflicted on her. But as the days passed, as her medication was reduced, she held fast to her story. Her tales were unbelievable, but still he listened. She needed someone to just listen, her family unfortunately was still in the throes of their own distress to be able to give her that. So, he came and visited everyday, then it suddenly registered; all those excuses for her illnesses. When it was time to begin her physical therapy classes, he went along. By this time he knew that it couldn't all be tales, and he wondered if he had fallen into a form of dementia himself. These people she was talking about, they began to be real to him too. And he could clearly see that this hanyo she spoke of, Inuyasha, she had fallen in love with him. That hurt most, because he realized that he had deep feelings for her himself.
"Hojo, will you help me get something from the top shelf in my closet?" Kagome asked. He excused himself from Kagome's mother, and followed Kagome upstairs to her room. Once they were inside, she closed the door and leaned against it a moment before going to sit at her desk. "I appreciate everything you've done for me Hojo. I want you to know that." she began. He didn't like the tone of her voice as she said that. "Kagome, you are most welcomed." he responded with just as much civility. Her head came up at that, and she looked at him oddly for a moment. "You're mad at me." she said.
"No, yes, should I be?"
"Are you mad because I didn't tell her that the surgeon wouldn't do anything until I 'sought counseling to exterminate all of my demons'? Or is it something else that's bothering you?"
"Kagome, I…you're my friend, I care about you. But just now, I felt like I'm imposing. I'm sorry, am I smothering you? Do you need me to back off and give you some space?"
"What? No, I.. I'm sorry that's not what I meant." taking a deep breath she continued, " I want to know what you would do if you were in my place. She said to exterminate my demons. The only way for me to be able to do that is to go back. To go back and finish gathering the shards, defeating Naraku. I want to know that if you were me, would you go back?"
He was stunned. Here he thought she was breaking up with him, not that they were officially a couple, and she was just trying to get some advice. He gave it some thought. Would he go back? Part of him wouldn't even have to think about it, of course he would. There were so many who need the help Kagome could give. But then again, she almost died. It's only natural to have reservations about putting yourself in the line of fire again. If two of your strongest allies were dead as well, and from what he gather of what this Naraku was capable of doing…
He walked over to her, wished for a moment that he could control the blush that he knew was beginning to spread on his face, and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Leaning his cheek to the top of her head, he told her simply, " If you decide to go back, remember I will be here. So if you need a knight to rush you to the medics on his trusty steed again, I'll be around for that." He held her like that for a few moments before she turned to him and put her arms around his waist.
"Mom won't be too happy to hear about this. Should I wait until after dinner to tell her?" she wanted to cry as she asked that. She was scared, really really scared about going back. But she wasn't a coward. She would finish this, because if she didn't how will she ever be able to move on?