I'm back again my faithful reviewers! Ready to give you guys another full chapter, sorry about the long wait. A lot was going on in my life, and periodic times I felt that the entire world or anybody for that matter wouldn't care if I just disappeared. I felt extremely un-loved… Hence why I wrote my tragedy Shattered Souls, I felt like my soul was shattered. But I'm okay now, although still depressed and hurt by people I love. Word of the wise, what Kagome's secret is actually happened to me when I was seven years old and this would be a worst case scenario for me if it happened again.Rascal Flatts' song Skin inspired this entire chapter and the lyrics will be basically filtered throughout it and the last chapter as well. So without further delay I shall continue on.
Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Inuyasha it belongs to the extremely talented Rumiko Takahashi and I DO NOT own Skin By Rascal Flatts.
My 150tth Reviewer: MorganO.o
Yay I've reached 150. Now to shoot for 200 by the next chapter, get reviewing people, just kidding. Do what you like, but thanks so much!
Last time:
"All right, let's see who's next...the lovely Kagome." Miroku grinned.
Her blues eyes locked with red ones, encouraging her to reveal the vital secret, to prove to those around that she trusted them.
"I'm..."
Chapter 13: Scared to Death
"I'm…well…I…" Kagome began, unable to look at her friends faces.
"Kagome, just trust us." Kagura stated as she tried to reassure her cousin.
With a new and collected resolve, she spoke the words that would forever change everything. "I have cancer, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma to be exact. I had it when I was seven, but now it came back."
After a few moments of silence Inuyasha's eyes glazed over with anger as tears built up, before he shut them tight and managed to choke out his thoughts. "So…how long have…you known? How long where you planning to keep this from us, from me! Or where you even going to tell me? Were you going to wait until you were in the hospital, of worse dead? If you can keep something as big as this, what else are you hiding? Can I even trust you?"
Kagome burst into to tears at his accusations as they burned her heart and soul. "I'm sorry Inuyasha, please forgive me…I just didn't know how to tell you."
"I have a lot to think about." Inuyasha curtly responded then walked out of the house, ignoring her pleas.
"Inuyasha! Please stop!" She sobbed watching his figure turn away from her.
The other stared in awe at the scene, although it was a complete shock they never expected Inuyasha to take it the way he did. Before they had a chance to say anything to console the heartbroken girl, she bolted from her seated position towards the stairs and headed up them swiftly, then slamming the bedroom door behind her.
"Kagome…" They whispered, before trying to focus on a different and less painful subject.
0ooo0ooo0
Kagome leaned against the door, gasping for breaths between her sobs. How could he just abandon her for not telling him? Granted she did take her time and probably wouldn't have mentioned it without Kagura's persistence. Pulling her exhausted body off the floor she trudged over towards the bed and flopped down upon the soft mattress after flicking on the radio sitting on the dresser. The soft music permeated the silence and carried its lyrics all the way to her soul.
Sara Beth is scared to death
To hear what the doctor will say
She hasn't been well, since the day that she fell
And the bruise just won't go away
Kagome ran her fingers through her now matted hair as continuos tears fell down. 'Why?' was all that she could think as she lay still upon the guest bed in Inuyasha's home. Tomorrow her mother was coming back and she would be back in her own home. Oh how she wanted her mother here right now. She always had words of encouragement, love and understanding, just what she needed right now.
One month ago
Kagome held tightly onto her mother's hand as they made their way to the doctor's office. A deep purple and blue bruise rested on the exposed flesh of her right arm. It had been 4 months ago when she fell and hit her arm up against her desk, but she never thought anything of it until it refused to disappear. She had wore long sleeves, coated it with make-up, only things that worked for so long but it refused to leave. Frightened she finally decided to show her mother.
Mrs. Higurashi took one look at the frightening bruise that had refused to go away for 5 months and knew something was wrong. She knew that ever since the chemotherapy Kagome had at 8 and 9 she bruised easily but after a month it was supposed to go away. Scared out of her wits, she immediately called the oncologist and set up an appointment. And now here they were, walking into the hospital the second time this year instead of one yearly check up.
0ooo0ooo0
Dr. Nagasaki whistled a low tune as she walked about her office gathering and putting away the thick, heavy charts and records of each patient. (Trust me they can get pretty big, the charts and records that they have of me at my oncologist is almost like a whole medical dictionary. It's kind of scary). She scanned her cobalt eyes over the list of scheduled appointments everything seemed to be normal and in order. But a sudden flash of fear ran through her when she saw Kagome's name down on the list. She had just seen her 6 months ago and she wasn't due back for another 6.
"Doctor, Kagome Higurashi and her mother are here. Shall I send them in?" A nurse asked as she held her chart.
"Yes, please send them to exam room 5. I'll be there shortly." She replied before heading off to the lab room.
So she sits and she waits with her mother and dad
And flips through an old magazine
'Till the nurse with the smile stands at the door
And says "will you please come with me"
"Kagome, Mrs. Higurashi. Please come with me." The nurse called as she opened the heavy door separating the waiting room from the exam rooms.
Kagome and her mother followed closely behind the nurse until they finally made what seemed like a long trek to the room.
"May I ask why you have come back so soon?" The nurse asked.
"Well, she fell about 5 months ago and hit her arm against her dresser. A nasty bruise formed days later yet it has not gone away." Kagome's mother explained.
"Hmm, I see. I will get Dr. Nagasaki."
"Mom, I'm frightened. What if it came back? Will I miss Kagura's wedding? How can I face my friends knowing this? Can I-" Kagome began clinging to her mother, exactly as she had 9 years ago.
"Kagome, those are a lot of questions that I'm afraid I don't have the answers to. But remember this, your family and friends, and I all love you. No matter what happens we will never abandon you, I promise." She replied softly stroking Kagome's hair.
"Mrs. Higurashi, Kagome. How are you feeling today? It seems that Yura said you had a nasty bruise on your arm that refused to go away. Hmm, may I see it?" Dr. Nagasaki asked.
Kagome slowly extended her arm out to her doctor and watched closely as she carefully inspected it. "Hmm, it doesn't seem to have damaged much. Please lay back and let me examine your lymph nodes. So how have you been feeling recently?"
"Well I haven…'t been feeling energized a lot, and I've been aff…ected by fevers often." Kagome shakily replied.
Dr. Nagasaki froze as her hands felt around on Kagome's neck; her lymph nodes around there were swollen. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment she loudly called for the nurse. "Yura, can you please get blood work set up for Miss Higurashi. We're just going to do a couple of tests that won't take that long."
Yura came in shortly after requested and handed the vacuum tubes, tourniquet, alcohol pad, and butterfly needle to her.
Kagome placed her right arm on the exam table as Dr. Nagasaki tied the tourniquet above to make her vein prominent. She then swabbed the area, where the arm bends at, with the alcohol pad. "Okay Kagome breathe in slowly."
Slowly the butterfly needle sank in her skin and into her vein and the doctor hooked up the vacuum tubes to the end of it and took about 3 vials of her blood and then dropped a small amount onto two slides. "The results should come back within a few minutes." She replied as she took them into the lab.
"Mom I'm still scared. Everything will be alright won't it?"
"I can't promise that Kagome…"
0ooo0ooo0
Dr. Nagasaki walked solemnly as she made her way back to the exam with the test results. "Well as much as this pains me to say, Kagome…it came back. I'm so sorry, but don't worry we can take care of it since it was caught early enough. We must get you on chemotherapy right away though and not give it a chance to spread again."
Sara Beth is scared to death
Cause the doctor just told her the news
Between the red cells and white, something's not right
But we're gonna take care of you
Tears cascaded down Kagome's face, as her worst fear became reality. "I'm I going to lo..se all my ha..ir again?"
"I'm afraid that is the side effect of the Chemo-treatment. But don't worry everything will be fine."
In that one moment her entire world came crashing down. She was sick again, but thankfully it wasn't as worse as it was before. Yet Inuyasha had left her, abandoned her, he wasn't supposed to do that! Her mother's words of encouragement that day seemed to be nothing but lies now.
"But remember this, your family and friends, and I all love you. No matter what happens we will never abandon you, I promise."
Six chances in ten, it won't come back again
With the therapy we're gonna try
It's just been approved, it's the strongest there is
And I think that we caught it in time
And Sara Beth closes her eyes.
"LIES! LIARS! IT CAME BACK!" Kagome screamed hurling a pillow at the radio as hot tears fell down her cheeks. "He…abandoned me…mom"
Her angry tears slowly subsided only to become tears of sorrow and heartbreak as she closed her eyes.
0ooo0ooo0
Inuyasha slowly walked the neighborhood streets outside his home. "How could she? How could she keep something like that from me? She doesn't trust me at all does she?"
'I can't be with someone who doesn't trust me…I just can't…can I?'
He walked around aimlessly for hours it seemed trying to clear his head, yet he had this eerie feeling that he was being followed. But he chose to think nothing of it as he continued his night stroll that took him up to a park.
His mind flooded with many questions and uncertainty until a soft voice called out.
"Hi Inuyasha."
He slowly turned his face and his golden eyes landed on the form of Kikyo. "What are you doing here?" He growled not noticing the mischievous glint in her eye.
"Look I'm really sorry for all the trouble I've caused. Is there anyway you can forgive me?" She asked solemnly, taking a seat in the swing next to his.
"Why should I forgive you? You planned on having a guy come here to seduce my girlfriend and to make me heartbroken over it. Why? And why are you confessing now?"
"I guess you could say my guilty conscience finally caught up with me. I've done some things that I'm not really proud of and I'm just trying to make amends for all the trouble I've caused. Inuyasha…all my thoughts and actions…I did it all because I love you. I wanted to be with you."
Inuyasha let out a laugh, "Because you love me…you didn't love me when I loved you, you called me a filthy half-breed. Yet now that I love someone else your feelings changed immediately and you love me? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? True feelings can't be turned off and on like a light switch. Kikyo, its time you faced the truth, I never did love you and you don't love me, face it. Just give up, I was never and I will never be yours, I belong to Kagome and she belongs to me. Let it go…"
"But Inuyasha…" Kikyo called as she reached out for his retreating figure.
"Kikyo, just let it go…all thoughts of us together…its nothing but a fallacy, a false dream. Just let it go." He replied before disappearing into the night.
And for the first time in ten years, Kikyo Setsuni fell to the grass and cried.
0ooo0ooo0
And she dreams she's dancing
Around and around without any cares
And her very first love is holding her close
And a soft wind is blowing her hair
Kagome woke up abruptly from her dream; hoping and wishing Inuyasha had come back. But all her eyes and ears met were the soft sounds of music and low light from a nearby lamp.
"He really meant it didn't he?" She asked herself out loud.
"Who meant what?" Inuyasha asked as he entered the guestroom. "Kagome, I'm sorry I left you alone. I just was so hurt that you didn't think to tell me…"
"Inuyasha it's all right, I'm the one that withheld it from you. I should have told you sooner." She cried.
"Kagome, I can't stand it when you cry, please don't." He pleaded as he took her into his arms and wiped away her falling tears.
"I love you Inuyasha." Kagome said then pressed her lips swiftly against his.
"I love you too." He replied kissing back with all the love he had.
"I'm frightened, will you love me even if all my hair is gone?" she whimpered.
Sara Beth is scared to death
As she sits holding her mom
'Cause it would be a mistake for someone to take
A girl with no hair to the prom
"Of course, no matter what I'll love you forever Kagome. Trust me, I will hold you and never let go." (Hehehe you liked that, I stole it from my poem "His Eyes" posted on here)
"I trust you Inuyasha, promise me you'll never leave me again like that!" She demanded as sleep started to take her.
"I promise. I love you Kagome." He answered, picking her up in his arms and laying her on the bed. Sliding in beside her, he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Forever and always."
0ooo0ooo0
"I hope he's finally forgiven her." Sango sighed as she leaned up against Miroku.
"Yeah we hope so too." They all replied.
Kagura let out a long sigh, "Fluffy, what day is it?"
"Hmm, its Friday night the 16th of April why, nothing special is going on? Is it?"
"IT"S WHAT!" Kagura shrieked. "OUR WEDDING IS TOMORROW! AND I'M STILL NOT PREPARED! AND HOW COULD YOU FORGET IT! YOU'LL REGRET THAT."
"Kagura, calm down a bit please? I didn't forget we are getting married tomorrow. Do not fret, everything will be taken care of by the morning, I promise." Sesshomaru said softly and kissed her forehead.
"It had better or your head is mine. Goodnight dear." She said icily before heading upstairs to her bedroom.
"Well I guess I'll be going to bed as well. Don't injure Miroku too badly." Sesshy chuckled and followed suit.
"And then there were two." Miroku yawned and extended his arm to wrap around Sango.
BAM
"Goodnight Miroku." Sango replied sweetly before climbing onto the couch and wrapping herself in the blanket.
Miroku slowly shook his head as he made his bed for the night ready. "No one understands me…"
A/N: Whew let's just say sorry that took me a while to get out, I got kind of carried away writing for my other one Beautiful People. And I've recently become obsessed with The Phantom of the Opera 2004 movie; I love everything about it (Especially the Phantom (Gerard Butler) when he leads Christine down to his "lair" he is so damn sexy and his voice is too). Anyway hope you liked it, the last chapter is just moments away, it will be the wedding and the epilogue. Thanks so much to all of you that stuck by me on this story and continue to do so; it means so much to me. Thanks so much for wishing me to continue it as is, instead of deleting it, or re-doing it. Now you all can transfer all those lovely reviews over to my other stories. Just thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
Love and Huggles
Laura
