Inu-yasha sat patiently, watching Kagome check Serenity. "Hmm..." said Kagome. "Hmm ? Whats hmm ?" asked Inu-yasha. "She has ear infections in both ears, and her reflexes don't react normally. Don't you take care of her ?" asked Kagome. "Yes" said Inu-yasha, without giving needed details.
"Miss Doctor Lady, can you heal my back, it hurts a lot" said serenity. "Sure, I just need you remove your shirt so I can see whats wrong" said Kagome. Serenity nodded and undid the straps on her overalls and then took her shirt off. Kagome leaned serenity over a bit and gasped. "Oh my god ! What happened to you !" shouted Kagome. Serenity didn't answer.
Kagome glared at Inu-yasha. "Did you do this to her !" asked Kagome. "No ! I just adopted her today ! I have the papers right here with me !" exclaimed Inu-yasha as he reached into his jacket pocket and unfolded serenity's adoption papers. "Ohh, ok then. So you noticed the scars on her back after you got her from the orphanage ?" asked Kagome. "Yes, when I was giving her a bath" said Inu-yasha.
Kagome wrote something down on a form of somekind. "Whatcha writin' ?" asked serenity. "Im filling out a prescription form so you can get the certain medicines you need to make you feel better" said Kagome. "Ohh, whats medicine ?" asked serenity. "Stuff that you take that will make you healthy again" said Kagome.
"Was she ever healthy from the start ?" thought Inu-yasha. "Well, we're done for now, come back if the medicines don't work or if she has strange side-effects" said Kagome as she handed Inu-yasha the prescription form. Serenity dressed herself again.
"Can I speak with you privately ?" asked Kagome to Inu-yasha. Inu-yasha nodded. "Serenity, why don't you go and wait in the waiting room, I'll be there in a second" said Inu-yasha. "Ok" said serenity. She got off the examining table and left the room.
"Inu-yasha, you know serenity may have been abused, right ?" asked Kagome. "I can see that" said Inu-yasha. "No, I mean before she was in the orphanage, something may have happened" said Kagome. "What do you think happened ?" asked Inu-yasha. "Well, I can't be certain, the only person who knows what happened is serenity herself, but I don't think she'll tell anyone, or remember" said Kagome. "If she tells me something, I'll tell you" said Inu-yasha. Kagome handed Inu-yasha a slip of paper. "That's my phone number, please feel free to call me at anytime" said Kagome. Inu-yasha blushed and nodded. Kagome smiled and left the room, Inu-yasha went to the waiting room for serenity.
Serenity was waiting anxiously for Inu-yasha, lots of thoughts filled her mind as she waited. "What's taking so long ? they must be talking about me...does that mean he doesn't like me and wants that doctor lady to get rid of me !" thought serenity. "Or worse...is he gonna..." serenity couldn't bear to think of the rest.
(Flashback)
"Now you get in there and stay there !" shouted a person. Serenity was thrown into a closet and locked inside. "Let me out ! Please, it's dark in here !" cried serenity. "You want to be let out, fine !" shouted the person. The door was kicked right off its hinges and serenity was grabbed up by her hair. "This should teach you to keep your mouth shut !" hissed the person as he began punching serenity in the stomach. Serenity cried out as loud as she could, but it was futile. She soon felt herself being laid on the ground and she saw the person hold up a large knife and raise it high. When it came down and slit her side open, she screamed as loud as any child could in the entire world.
(End flashback)
"Serenity ? Are you alright ?" asked Inu-yasha. Serenity was sitting in a corner, tears were running down her face, she was shaking violently and her hand was on her side, like she was in pain. Inu-yasha stood her up and hugged her tightly. "Whats wrong, tell me" said Inu-yasha. "I thought...you were talking to the doctor lady, trying to get rid of me...am I bad ?" asked serenity. "No ! You're a sweet little girl who is loved very much" said Inu-yasha. "By who ?" asked serenity. "Me, I love you to pieces" said Inu-yasha. "You're gonna break me into pieces !" cried serenity. "Of course not ! It's a figure of speech, it a way of saying I love you very very much" said Inu-yasha. "Ohh, I love you too Inu-yasha !" said serenity. Inu-yasha picked her up and smiled. "You called me by my name, thank you" said Inu-yasha. Serenity managed to smile a tiny bit. Inu-yasha carried her out the room and left the hospital.
(Back at home)
After getting serenity's needed treatments, Inu-yasha was trying to give them to her. "Come on serenity, I have to put these ear drops in your ears so your ear infection will go away !" said Inu-yasha. "Why my ears ! Cant you just put the stuff on my hand and it'll just heal my ears anyway ?" asked serenity. "It doesn't work like that, now come over here" said Inu-yasha as he sat down. Serenity went to him and sat next to him. Inu-yasha tilted serenity head to one side and put a few drops of the medicine in her ear and waited a bit before doing the same to the other ear. "Ahh ! It burns !" cried serenity. "That's a sign that the medicine is working" said Inu-yasha. Serenity nodded a bit. Inu-yasha stood up and petted serenity on her head. "Are you hungry ?" asked Inu-yasha. Serenity nodded her head rapidly. "Yes, I hardly got food at the orphanage !" said serenity. Inu-yasha looked worried again. "When is the last time you ate ?" asked Inu-yasha. "Uhh...ummm..." serenity said as she thought. "You don't remember when you last ate something !" shouted Inu-yasha. "All I know is that it was like 5 days ago" said serenity. Inu-yasha went into the kitchen and started making serenity something to eat.
"Here you go, its what I eat almost all the time" said Inu-yasha as he set a bowl of ramen in front of serenity. Serenity took it and sat at the kitchen table and ate the soup with a spoon. Inu-yasha watched her eat. Serenity ate all the noodles quickly and gulped down the rest. "That was the best thing I remember eating in long time ! Thank you Inu-yasha !" chimed serenity. Inu-yasha smiled and playfully pulled serenity's ears. Serenity half smiled and wagged her tail.
"Time for bed little one, I set your pajamas on your bed, I'll be up there in a minute" said Inu-yasha. "Ok" said serenity as she went upstairs. When serenity disappeared into her room, Inu-yasha picked up the phone and dialed Kagome's number.
"Hello ?" said Kagome. "Dr. Higurashi, it's me Inu-yasha" said Inu-yasha. "Oh hi ! Listen, I dug around in Serenity's older files. She had full records of membership with the hospital, and she was in a very rich family" said Kagome. "That's strange, why would they put her in an orphanage if they were rich ?" asked Inu-yasha. "I don't know, but after she turned 4, her medical records were deleted by choice by her family, like they were moving or something" said Kagome. "That must've been when she was taken to the orphanage ! But what does this mean ?" asked Inu-yasha. "I don't know, but I'll keep checking out whatever I can, did you call me for any reason ?" asked Kagome. "Yes, apparently serenity wasn't fed at this orphanage very often" said Inu-yasha. "Im sorry, but theres nothing we can do about the orphanage, we have no hard evidence" said Kagome. "Oh well...it was a try" said Inu-yasha. "Well, goodnight" said Kagome. "Same to you, bye" said Inu-yasha as he hung up the phone.
Inu-yasha went upstairs and saw that serenity was dressed in her pajamas. It was one of his shirts, but since serenity was small, it was like a nightgown for her. "Ok, time to put this medicine on your back" said Inu-yasha. Serenity gulped. "Will it hurt ?" asked serenity. "Not really" said Inu-yasha as he sat on the edge of serenity's bed.
Serenity climbed up on the bed and sat near him. Inu-yasha raised the shirt from serenity's back so all the scars were visible. He put the clear ointment on serenity's back and rubbed it in gently. Serenity whimpered a bit, but held still. "Im sorry you had to go through this" said Inu-yasha. "It's not your fault, I was bad..." said serenity.
"How were you bad ?" asked Inu-yasha. "I think too much, I bleed too much...and I cry too much" said serenity softly.
Inu-yasha's heart skipped a beat from serenity's words. "Bleed too much ?" asked Inu-yasha. "Yeah, when I was beat with the wire hanger, my back would bleed a lot...I'd get beat more for that..." said serenity, as she held back from crying. Inu-yasha finished applying the medicine to serenity's back and lowered her shirt.
Inu-yasha picked serenity up, hugged her and kissed her forehead. He pulled back the covers and placed serenity into the bed and tucked her in. "goodnight little one" said Inu-yasha. Serenity rolled over and lay on her stomach and rested her head on the pillow. "Goodnight Inu-yasha" said serenity.
Inu-yasha turned off the light and left Serenity's room, leaving the door open a bit. Serenity took in a whiff of the scent from the pillow. "They're clean, everything is clean, I like this place a lot, and I like Inu-yasha too. I hope he likes me a lot and wont send me back..." thought serenity as she drifted off to sleep.
To be continued...