Mrs. Hirugashi took her sleeping daughter's hand. There was a slight chill in the room and Kagome's hands were cold. Mrs Hirugashi covered her in a thick blanket. Her daughter did not stir. She looked at the bruises that covered her daughters body, wondering who could have done such a terrible thing to her baby. Her only daughter.
It had been several hours since that Inuyasha had left the hospital, and Kagome had fallen asleep waiting for his return. Sota had also fallen asleep. Mrs. Hirugashi walked over to a small mirror that was on the hospital wall and gazed at her reflection. When had those dark circles appeared? Had she looked this tired to everyone else? Oh well.
She walked over to a chair next to Kagome and sat down. Slowly her eyelids began to fall.
"Inuyasha?" said a feeble voice.
Mrs. Hirugashi opened her eyes. Kagome looked up at her mother. Her eyes slowly took focus and she noticed Inuyasha was not in the room.
"Mama, where is Inuyasha?"
"He hasn't come back yet." came the answer.
Kagome tried to sit up, clutched her ribs, and lay back down.
"I have to find him," Kagome said worriedly, "something must be wrong, he should have been here hours ago. The shards....."
"You will do no such thing. You need your rest Kagome. I don't care what is going on with that Inuyasha, you are my daughter and you will take care of yourself first."
"But Mama--"
"Kagome. Please. Your in no condition to go looking for him. I'm sure he can take care of himself."
Kagome knew better than to argue with her mother anymore. She turned her head away from her mother and closed her eyes.
"He'll be back." Kagome said to herself, "He'll be back by tonight."
She opened her eyes.
"And if not, I have to go find him."
She tried to distract herself by thinking of other things. Kagome slowly moved her hand down to her abdomen and smiled. "I wonder," she thought, "will the baby be half-demon too, or will it just be a human like me? It would be so cute with little ears like Inuyasha's though. Although it might get teased a lot, so maybe that's not a good idea.... but then I don't really get to choose... I wonder if--"
"Excuse me," said an assistant nurse, who had apparently walked in while Kagome was thinking, "Visiting hours are over, I'm afraid you'll have to leave for the night."
"But we're her family."
"I'm sorry Mrs.-"
"Hirugashi."
"Mrs. Hirugashi, the rules are the rules. I'm sorry but you have to leave."
"But you let Inuyasha stay last night." said Sota.
"Mr. Inuyasha is an exception. He brought her in and he is--"
Kagome quickly interrupted. She was sure the nurse was going to say that he was her husband.
"Mama, it's alright. I'll be fine. You can come back in the morning. Besides, you need your rest too."
"Listen to your daughter Mrs. Hirugashi. Please."
Mrs. Hirugashi looked at her daughter, then at the nurse. She sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Alright. When do you open?"
"Visiting hours start at 8 in the morning."
"I'll be here then. Thank you." said Mrs. Hirugashi walking over to her daughter and kissing her forehead. "Take care of her."
"We will Ma'am."
..............................................................................................
The sun was setting fast. Inuyasha quickly followed his nose, and the scent of his brother. All along the way he kept whispering to himself.
"I'll get you Sesshoumaru."
He continued running along, and finally stopped when he felt a strong blow connect with his head. He turned around to see who or what had hit him. He turned around to see Shippo who had just thrown a rock at his head, with Sango and Miroku right behind him.
"Nice one Shippo." said Sango sternly.
"Could have thrown it harder though." said Miroku staring at Inuyasha.
Shippo expected Inuyasha to start yelling at him and hit him several times giving him many huge bumps. But Inuyasha only looked at them and started sniffing for Sesshomaru's scent again.
"Hey!" Shippo yelled throwing another rock.
Inuyasha didn't turn this time, but spoke seriously.
"I don't have time for this."
Sango, Miroku and Shippo all stared at him blankly. Time? Inuyasha always had time to be angry. It was what he did best.
"Where's Kagome?" Shippo asked.
"You didn't hurt her feelings again did you?" Sango questioned him.
Inuyasha looked them in the face. His eyes were tired, but serious, and determined.
"I don't have time for this."
"What happened? What's wrong?" The three asked in unison.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes.
"Alright." Inuyasha knew he had to hurry so he kept it short. "Kagome was attacked, I found her and took her to the doctor there, and then she wanted me to go get the shards at her house but then I got there and Sesshomaru had them."
The three looked confused and worried, but still just stared at him.
"So...." Shippo trailed off.
"So...." Inuyasha continued, "I'm after Sesshoumaru to get the shards back and get him for hurting Kagome."
Still, blank looks.
"And you left Kagome alone?"
"No.... she.... I.... I don't have time for this!"
Inuyasha bounded off, tired of hearing questions, and anxious to reach his brother.
Miroku looked at Sango and then they all ran after Inuyasha.
..............................................................
The room was dark, and the chill in the room was almost unbearable. The moon shone through the window casting shadows on the walls opposite it. No noise was heard except the sound of her breathing, and sound that she had been tired of hearing. Exhausted though she was, she couldn't bring herself to sleep. She was too worried about Inuyasha. Her husband, the father of her unborn child. He had promised to return much earlier than this. And she knew that only forces from a time that was not her own could keep him from her. She felt she had no choice, that she had to go after him. If for no other reason than to calm the fear that was ever increasing in her chest.
She tried to sit up in her hospital bed, inhaled sharply, and clutching her ribs, once again failed.
"Come on." she thought to herself. "You can do this. For Inuyasha."
With his face in her mind, she attempted once again to sit up. She placed a supportive hand on her ribs, and then slowly, raised herself to a sitting position. She sat there for a moment, gaining her balance, and then slowly, ever so slowly, found herself on her feet. She walked over to a chair in the corner, grabbed her clothes, and began changing out of the hospital dress they had put her in. The hardest part was leaning over to put on her shoes. She inhaled sharply and a tear fell from her eye, but she was determined that she was going to find her husband.
As Kagome headed out the door of her room, she remembered what her mother had once told her. flashback
"Sometimes the rockiest roads, lead to the greatest places."
"What mama?"
"Kagome, sometimes you have to climb all the way up the mountain, before you can see the wonders waiting on the other side. Does that make sense?"
Kagome shrugged.
"Kagome, I know you think things are hard now, but sometimes the only way to get to the best things, or to be the happiest, the road is going to be very hard. If things were always easy, there would be no satisfaction or pride when we finally got to our goal."
The young Kagome just smiled at her mother.
"I'll remember that mommy."
end flashback
"Well," Kagome thought, "I guess I'm just on a road full of boulders."
And with that, she snuck out the main hospital entrance, then slowly and painfully, headed towards the well.
.................................................
"Take care of those reports for me will you Chihiro? I'm going to check on that Hirugashi girl before I go. We need to keep a close eye on her, she's in a very delicate condition right now, and her baby's life depends on the care that is taken in healing her. If she calls for a nurse tonight I want you to make her comfortable and give her whatever she asks for, within reason, and I want someone to check on her every couple of hours. Alright?"
"Alright doctor. We'll take care of her."
"Arigato Chihiro."
The doctor then turned and walked down the hallway to see Kagome. When he reached her room, he opened the door and walked inside. Looking up from his clipboard, he noticed her empty bed.
"CHIHIRO!"
The young nurse ran down the hallway and stopped when she came up behind the doctor. Her eyes went wide.
"I want you to have everyone search this facility top to bottom for this girl."
"Yes doctor."
"We have to find her."
"Yes doctor......" Chihiro paused, "What will happen if we don't find her?"
"Her life, and the life of her baby depend upon the care that they receive. If she goes without medical care for long enough......" the doctor trailed off, and Chihiro ran off to start the search for Kagome Hirugashi.
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A/N: I am so sorry once again. Things have just been really busy lately. I've been dealing with broken arms, falling on metal steaks, and so on and so forth. Not only that but I've been working so please forgive me. I'll try VERY hard to update a ton faster okay? Love ya! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
-000-And if you have any ideas for the story please let me know, as I have been kind of wandering between writers blocks lately. I have the main plot all figured out, it's just between here and there that's getting to me. So Ideas are VERY welcome. Anyway, have a great summer!!! -000-