Shattered Dreams
Summary: Kagome's dream is to become a professional ballet dancer, but her dream shatters once she finds out that she has osteogenic sarcoma—bone cancer. Her boyfriend, Inu yasha, seems to support her through her treatments, but is this for real or out of pity?
Chapter two: Breaking the News
Kagome sat in one of the hospital beds staring at the blank pale green walls. Cancer. How could this be real? Her leg looked fine to her, except for the red bump.
"Honey?" Kagome heard her mom coming in. Ms. Higurashi pulled out a chair and slowly sat down exhausted.
"Hi, mom," Kagome said half-heartedly. She shifted in her new bed uncomfortably. Looking straight ahead, she saw a huge bouquet of flowers from her grandpa and Souta.
Ms. Higurashi took Kagome's hand and patted it, "Inu yasha called this morning. He was going to the dance studio to pick you up."
"You didn't tell him did you?" Kagome asked quickly.
"Of course not. You should be the one who tells him."
They both didn't say anything for a while. Did she really want to tell him? What if Inu yasha freaks out when he finds that she has something disgusting growing in her leg? How would he treat her? Would he pity her and soon forget about her?
Kagome's thoughts were cut off when she heard her mother's cell phone ring.
"Hello?" Ms. Higuashi said. Kagome stayed silent, waiting for her mom to finish the call. "Yes, of course." Ms. Higurashi handed the cell phone to Kagome. She mouthed the word 'Inu yasha'.
Kagome's heart jumped. Nervously, she said, "Hello?"
"Hey…how are you doing?" She heard Inu yasha's gentle voice respond.
"Great. Fabulous. Couldn't have been better."
"Care to tell me what's going on?"
Kagome could've sworn her heart stopped beating for that very moment. "W-what do you mean?"
"How come you're never home? Where are you?"
Kagome paused for a moment. How should she put it? She's stuck in a cancer hospital where doctors cut up patients and destroy them. Yeah, maybe she'll put it that way. "I'm in the hospital." She said as calmly as possible.
"You're what? Why? Are you alright?" Inu yasha questioned.
"I'm fine."
Kagome waited to hear his response, but heard nothing. Maybe he already freaked out that she was in the hospital. What would he think if she told him about her cancer?
"Is it your leg?" Inu yasha said finally.
"Yeah."
"What's wrong with it?"
"I have cancer, Inu yasha. Cancer."
Sango sat down on the hospital bed. She switched on the small TV that the hospital provided. Flipping through the variety of channels, she chose a comedy one. Too bad it had already ended. She put the remote down by her bed and sighed. What could she do now? She remembered that her doctor had told her that a new patient had just signed in next to her room. Sango decided to go meet the newcomer.
Kagome heard a knock on the door and quickly sat up. "Come in."
A slim girl with long hair that reached her waist stepped in and greeted Kagome with a tired smile. She wore the same baggy blue hospital gown that Kagome wore. The gown hung onto her skinny petite body.
"Hi, I'm Sango," The girl said.
"Hi," Kagome said a bit disappointed. She was hoping Inu yasha would come and visit her. "I'm Kagome. You could come and sit down."
Sango thanked her and brought out a chair to sit on. "I heard you were a new patient here. Welcome."
"Yeah, thanks." Kagome said. That was the last thing she wanted here, to be welcomed. She wanted to escape this horrible nightmare and never think about cancer again.
"So, why are you stuck here?" Sango asked curiously. "You look fine to me."
Kagome looked up at Sango in surprise. How could she be so casual about everything? She stared at her for a while, "I've got bone cancer."
Sango nodded, "I'm sorry. You look like the type to dance." Sango stared down at her hands, "I've got leukemia."
"But you look so healthy and I thought that when you have—" Kagome said pointing to Sango's long silky black hair. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to be rude."
Sango smiled touching her hair, "Actually, my doctors said that I have a big chance of getting into remission and also, this isn't my hair. It's a wig. Right now I can see tiny black fuzz growing. I can't wait till it all grows back."
Kagome touched her own hair and stared at it for a moment, "I'll be losing all my hair too…the doctors decided that I should start chemo sooner because of the tumor, it's spreading."
Sango patted Kagome's hands and said, "It's okay, and it's only hair. It'll grow back. Besides, there's no one here to comment you about it. Most of the people know what it feels like. I bet you'll fit right in."
But Kagome didn't want to fit in with all the sick people. She wanted to be healthy and dance all day long, go to school and get educated, and see Inu yasha. She didn't want her hair to fall out. It didn't matter to her if it grew back or not. What if Inu yasha couldn't stand her anymore?
"Right," Kagome said to Sango not convinced.
Inu yasha stepped into Kagome's hospital room and saw his girlfriend's fragile body in the bed. He walked toward her and slumped into the chair next to her.
Kagome began to stir when she cracked open her eyes.
"Hi," Kagome said weakly giving him a tiny smile.
"Hey, I didn't mean to wake you up."
Kagome shook her head and brought out her hand for Inu yasha to hold it.
Inu yasha took it gently and kissed her hand.
"Where were you? It's been a week since I told you about my cancer and this is the first visit from you," Kagome looked into Inu yasha's beautiful violet eyes. She looked hurt.
"Ah, I haven't got the time to come. You know, I'm busy with my football practices and stuff," Inu yasha said frowning. The truth was that he was scared to come up and see Kagome in such bad shape. She was always so energetic, and he was used to that. Yesterday, Ms. Higurashi had called him and told him that Kagome's cancer had gotten worse. His eyes wandered to Kagome's hair, which seemed to be shorter.
Kagome noticed this and said, "Like it? It's my new hairstyle. I told mom to cut it off 'cause I didn't want to see long clumps of hair on my pillow the next day."
Inu yasha nodded, "You look as beautiful as before." He stared at her for a while until Kagome's face pinched in a pained expression. Her hand instantly flew up to cover her mouth. "Are you okay?" He saw her nod while she pointed to the bin next to her bedside. Inu yasha watched as Kagome threw up. Using the damp towel on the nightstand, he quickly wiped her sweat off.
"Sorry, it's the chemotherapy. It makes me feel so awful at times. I always loose my appetite."
Inu yasha shook his head smiling, "What about oden?"
Kagome cracked a tiny smile. "They don't provide us with such luxurious food here in the hospital."
Inu yasha stroked Kagome's hair affectionately. He sighed, why did this have to happen to such an innocent girl like Kagome?
"I met a girl in the hospital with leukemia here three nights ago," Kagome said looking at Inu yasha. "She said that she might be able to be in remission. She seemed happy and healthy. I can't wait to get out of this place. It makes me feel like some kind of freak."
"You're not a freak, Kagome. You'll definitely get through this." He heard Kagome sigh when they heard a knock on the door.
Kagome stared at the door for a while before saying, "It's open."
Sango stepped into the room dragging her IV line along with her. "Hi, Kagome."
Kagome smiled when she said her come in, "Hey. How are you today?"
"Great."
Inu yasha stared at the girl for a second. He never met her before. Her long silky black hair was tied in a loose ponytail. This girl showed to sign of sickness. He pointed to her IV line and said, "Nice. You're allowed to do that?"
Sango shrugged, "Don't know. The doctor wanted me to stay put in the bed but I couldn't stand it so I decided to drag the IV line to Kagome's room with me. Besides, my room is just next to Kagome's."
Kagome laughed, "Smart. I don't think I've introduced you two yet. Inu yasha, this is Sango, the girl I was just talking about and Sango, this is my boyfriend, Inu yasha."
"Nice to meet you," Sango said shaking her hands with Inu yasha. "Hope I didn't interrupt any lovey-dovey scenes." Kagome blushed.
Inu yasha laughed, "Nothing to worry about."
"So, how are you feeling today, Kagome?" Sango asked dragging her IV line next to the bed and sat down.
"I've felt sick plenty of times today. This morning, when I found a huge clump of hair on my bed, I nearly screamed." Kagome said sighing.
"Girls and their hair, what's up with that?" Inu yasha muttered.
Kagome pouted, "Well we want to impress our boyfriends." Inu yasha pinched her cheeks playfully.
Sango laughed, "If that's the problem, we could go wig shopping someday. We can get permission from the doctors."
"That'd be great. Thank you, Sango."
"Well, I'll let you two girls gossip. I have to go home and help my dad with his work." Inu yasha said rising up from his chair.
Kagome frowned, "Already? But you just got here."
"I'll be back after dinner. I promise," Inu yasha said as he bent down to give her a quick kiss on her forehead. He hugged her as he felt her arms encircle around him. "Bye."
Kagome and Sango watched the door close quietly behind them. "Nice boyfriend you have," Sango said grinning. "You don't find guys like that nowadays."
Kagome smiled, "Yeah. I'm happy I have someone like him. Don't you have a guy?"
"Believe it or not, I had one," Sango said. Kagome gave her a questioning look. "When he found out I had leukemia he totally freaked out. It's like he thought he could catch it from me. When I broke the news to him, he told me he loved me and sent me one card to the hospital. After that, I never saw or heard from him again. My friends told me he got a new girl during my stay at the hospital."
Kagome stared at her in disbelief, "I'm so sorry. What a jerk! How stupid of him to think he could actually catch cancer from someone."
Sango smiled, "Yeah. But you know, I don't think I actually liked him the way you and Inu yasha feel towards each other. I used to think he was the one, but what do you know? He's not."
"You must've been really heartbroken."
"I guess. But you know you've got to let it go. You can't spend your whole time crying over some stupid boy who thinks he'll get infected by you. I mean seriously, you'll find someone better in the future." Sango said. "Hey, maybe I'll find someone cute here in the hospital," She joked.
Kagome laughed, "Maybe you will."
Bored, bored, bored, bored. Kagome sat in her bed sighing loudly. After the nurse had passed out the dinner trays, Kagome didn't feel like eating much. She took one or two bites but soon lost her appetite. Now she was sitting there with nothing to do. When was Inu yasha going to come? She couldn't go to Sango's room right now because she just recently went with the doctors to check up. She finally stood up, grabbed the plastic bin in case and walked out the room slowly.
Kagome walked around the corner and finally spotted Sango. But she wasn't alone. She was with another guy that Kagome didn't recognize. She stared at him for a while. He was touching Sango's face. "Sango?"
Sango's head quickly spun around embarrassed, "Oh, hi Kagome."
"I thought you were getting tests done," Kagome said looking at the guy behind Sango. His eyes were wrapped with bandages while his black hair fell over them. She saw a tiny ponytail tied behind the nape of his neck. Kagome instantly knew he was blind.
"I finished. Guess who I found when coming out?" Sango asked pointing to the boy next to her.
Kagome looked at her hesitantly, "A patient?"
"He's Miroku," Sango said smiling. "I just met him and we talked for a little bit. I didn't know we took up so much time already."
"How do you do………" Miroku said waiting for Kagome to say her name.
"Kagome," She said quickly.
Miroku smiled, "Kagome. Beautiful name you have." Kagome laughed and thanked him. "Are you visiting Sango here?"
Kagome sat down onto one of the hospital chairs, "Oh no. I'm another one of their lucky patients here. I wish I was a visitor."
He nodded approvingly, "Sorry I jumped to conclusions. You can tell why though. What a clumsy way to get stuck in the hospital though. I meant myself."
"Really? How come?" Kagome asked curiously.
Sango turned to Kagome, "Well, he told me that he was doing a rocket science experiment with his friends and accidentally put in too much powder and it exploded in his face." She explained.
"Stupid, huh. We got carried away," Miroku said lightly. "I've learned my lesson though. Sango tells me you plan to be a ballerina."
"Really? Now I don't know if that can happen. After this whole bone cancer thing, I don't know if I'll be able to dance again."
Sango grabbed Kagome's hands, "Sure you can! Just because of cancer, it doesn't mean it can stop you from reaching your dreams."
Kagome smiled and looked away in deep thought. She heard a loud smack and spun to Sango and Mirkou's direction. Sango had slapped Mirkou?
"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, Mirkou!" Sango said gasping, "I thought you were touching me but I have no right to think that way. You can't see."
He chucked nervously, "It's alright, Sango. I'm used to it. I'm sorry too."
Used to it, huh?
"Kagome, I thought Inu yasha was meeting you tonight," Sango said turning back to Kagome. "Why are you still out here?"
"Well, I was waiting for an hour already and he never showed up. You can't expect me to stay in that bed for hours waiting for him, can you? I couldn't stand it anymore and came out to find you. But you were quite busy already," Kagome said grinning. Sango slapped her playfully on the arm.
Miroku grunted rubbing his sore cheek that Sango had slapped, "Inu yasha? Who's that?"
"Kagome's boyfriend," Sango answered simply.
"Ah, a taken women I see."
Kagome giggled, "Sango isn't though."
"Kagome!"
Kagome spun around when she heard a familiar voice call her name. Inu yasha came up to her showing up with a red shirt and blue baggy jeans. Her heart soared when she saw him. She embraced him tightly burying her head into his chest. "Where were you? I was waiting for you for such a long time."
"Sorry," Inu yasha grinned sheepishly. "Guess who I saw in the hospital when I came?"
"Who?"
"Kikyo!" Inu yasha said smiling. "So, are you feeling alright right now?"
Kagome nodded, "Kikyo?"
Sango looked at Kagome for a second wondering who this girl Inu yasha was talking about. Miroku sat on the chair sighing still rubbing his cheeks.
"Yeah. She's working here this summer and winter break for community service. It was great to see her again. I mean, it's been three years already. This is great, I can see her every time I come visit you now." Inu yasha said still grinning. Kagome nodded then smiled. "Hey, I haven't eaten dinner yet, so do you think I can go to the cafeteria and grab something to eat?"
Kagome nodded, "Yeah, I'll wait here." She watched him leave silently and sighed.
"Who's Kikyo?" Mirkou asked. "I'm just curious."
Kagome looked down, "A childhood friend of Inu yasha's. She moved to America to study three years ago."
"You've been with Inu yasha for that long already?" Sango asked in awe.
Kagome shook her head, "No. I met Inu yasha this year. He has pictures of Kikyo in his room and I've seen them. He told me a lot about her before. They're really close."
"You aren't worried are you?" Sango asked looking at her. Kagome shook her head. "Good. Because there shouldn't be anything to be worried about."
Kagome has never even met Kikyo before. She heard from Inu yasha that she looked almost exactly like Kagome. In the pictures Kagome saw, she didn't believe she looked like that girl in the picture. The girl was far too elegant and beautiful to look like someone like Kagome. Inu yasha must've been exaggerating before to try not to make Kagome feel bad.
A nurse that took care of Kagome and Sango came up to them looking at the trio with curiosity, "What are you three doing here? Shouldn't you be two be resting right now?" The nurse, Yuri, said informing to the girls. She turned to Miroku and said, "Do you need me to get you back into your room?"
"No thanks, I know my way around by memory. Besides, these two beautiful ladies can help me," Miroku said giving the nurse a grin. "Come on."
The nurse shrugged and told them they had to get into their rooms, then walked away. "You two go ahead. I need to wait for Inu yasha," Kagome said.
Both Miroku and Sango nodded and slowly began walking down the long hallway into their own rooms. Kagome sighed staring at the blank white walls. The lights were dimly lit and the floor was unusually quiet during the night. How long can it take to grab a sandwich?
Finally, Kagome saw Inu yasha appear with a bag in his hand. "Sorry it took so long," Inu yasha apologized, "Where's Sango and the other guy?"
"We got shooed back into our rooms," Kagome explained standing up. She picked up the plastic bin from her side and pulled Inu yasha along with her back into her room. She quietly climbed into her bed and pulled the covers over her. Inu yasha silently sat down and tucked them in for her.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Kagome asked pointing to his uneaten sandwich.
"I don't know. Don't really feel like eating right now for some reasons," He said shrugging. "I'll save it for tomorrow lunch."
Kagome giggled, "Hospitals usually make you not want to eat. Strange."
"You should be eating more often, Kagome. You are eating aren't you?" Inu yasha asked.
Kagome tilted her head, "Yeah. A little. I feel alright anyways."
Inu yasha stroked her cheeks with the pad of his thumb, "Are you sure you are? You seem a bit thinner than before." He looked at her pale face frowning.
"It's a side effect, Inu yasha. There's nothing to worry about. I'm fine," Kagome said holding onto his hands. "Some days I feel great, other days I don't. It's nothing wrong. The doctors said this is how I'll feel for a while."
Inu yasha nodded, "Your mom said that she'll be here first thing in the morning with your grandpa and Souta for a few minutes before she goes to work. Your friends have been asking about you a lot lately."
"How do they know about me?" Kagome asked.
"Don't know. I guess news gets around fast," Inu yasha said. "Anyways, tomorrow afternoon I'll—"
A girl with long black flowing hair opened the door quietly, "Sorry, visiting hours are over."
"Kikyo?"
A/N: Well, there isn't much to say. Hope you liked the story?
