Chapter 13: Confidence in Friends.

"Kagome? May I speak with you?" Hojo called from his desk in the apartment he had shared with Kagome over the past four years.

"What's up?" Kagome asked. She went over to his desk and saw he was looking over some bills and looking them up online. She sighed, knowing he was going to start griping about the clinic's spendings.

"Why am I showing a restock on Advair when I know our pharmacy hasn't scripted any out?" Hojo asked in a level tone.

"Well, I had a patient who had a nasty case of bronchitis only to find out he had asthma too. Seeing how the mom had no insurance and was paying out of pocket, I saw no harm in giving her samples of antibiotics and some Advair to help ease the asthma and an inhaler for emergency." Kagome simply stated. She slightly smiled to herself at her good deeds. However, Hojo did not.

"Yea, I see a low number in inventory on those types of things too. Kagome, I'm in the running for a large grant, so I need to concentrate on my research, which means money is going to be tight and you can't be giving free medicines to every patient who comes through that door. Specially these expensive ones. When I get my grant, things will be better, just you wait and see." Hojo said, his stern face twisting with a sweet smile.

Kagome smiled in return. "Ok, I'll keep that in mind. So when is the big banquet dinner?" Kagome asked.

"The grant banquet will be held on Friday, oh and I have reservations for your family if they'd wish to come. We have a complimentary limo that we can pick them up in." Hojo's eyes were smiling as he talked about Kagome's family. He had always held a high respect for her grandfather and he loved Sota for his athletic side and would always tell him he wish he had a little brother like him.

"I'm sure my family would love to come along. I don't know a bout Grandfather, though. It seems lately, as if he expects you to leap from behind a corner and go "boo". I guess he's just getting jumpy in his old age." Kagome mused.

"I guess." Hojo laughed, nervously. 'Does he think I might have unpure intentions for his granddaughter? He should trust me better than that.' Hojo thought.

"Um, I'm going out for a bit, thought I'd stop by home and visit." Kagome said softly.

"So are you going to tell me yet?" Hojo asked as he leaned over his desk and looked at her.

"Tell you what?" Kagome asked.

"Why every year, around this time, you go to your family shrine to 'visit' and yet, at the same time it seems to pain you to go. Why?" Hojo asked. He saw right through her. He had been giving her time, knowing there was something painful in her mysterious past that she refused to talk about.

"You're right. Let's just say there are ghosts where happy memories should be. I'm sorry, but I don't feel ready to talk yet. Ok?" Kagome asked, uncharacteristically timid.

"That's ok, I understand that some wounds take longer to heal than most. Just know I'm here when you're ready to talk." Hojo said kindly.

"Thanks. See you later." Kagome smiled as she left the apartment. It felt good to know Hojo was there for her, without much question and always understanding.

She smiled as she drove to her family's house, knowing a visit with them would make her feel better too. Knowing her mom, she would instantly insist she cook something up, or already be in the kitchen baking something good smelling. Hopefully Sota would be home with his pregnant wife. Kagome loved Etsu, she was such a sweet woman and would be the perfect mother. 'Wow, I'm going to be an auntie.' Kagome thought happily to herself. She was so happy for Sota and Etsu, yet at the same time she envied them. They had the life Kagome wished desperately for herself and Inuyasha, but it was time now to be moving on and working on a new plan of action.

Suddenly, Kagome was snapped out of her thoughts by a pair of bright headlights in her lane. Some idiot was on the wrong side of the road. Everything slowed down as Kagome honked and flashed her lights. She figured the guy had to drunk or along the same lines. Kagome yelled in frustration as she slammed on the brakes and straightened her arms, bracing herself for impact, and suddenly turned the steering wheel. After that, time sped up as she heard the shrieking of tires and gravel being thrown everywhere.

Kagome hadn't realized she closed her eyes, but when she opened them, she was relieved to see that the two other innocent cars that were on the road safe and confused. "Are you okay?" The driver of on car called to her. Kagome got out of her car and inspected it.

The car had landed safely and without incident on the side of the road. It was dusty and the paint was pitted from the spray of gravel, but other than that, there was no sign of an impact of any kind. "I'm fine, anybody need medical assistance? I'm a doctor, so if anyone's hurt, let me help." Kagome called to the two cars.

"We're fine." Called the first car.

"We're okay as well." Called the second car as a couple stepped out. "Was that idiot driving on the wrong side of the road?" A woman asked. "Kagome? Is that you?" She asked as Kagome turned to face her.

"Etsu? Sota?" Kagome asked, flabbergasted.

"Kagome! Wow, what a small world. Sis, you sure you're okay?" Sota asked.

"Fine. Just a case of jumbled nerves. How about you guys? Etsu, you sure you're fine? We don't need to get you to a hospital?" Kagome asked concerned.

"I'm fine. Sota didn't even get close, he just saw the car, saw you swerve, so he ducked to the side of the road. We're fine as well with a case of jumbled nerves." Etsu said sweetly.

"Alright, well, follow me home, I take it that is where you're going?" Kagome asked.

"You guessed right." Sota said.

They both took off, heading for the Higurashi shrine and it wasn't long before they arrived, thankfully, without incident.

"Mom! Gramps! Guess who we found on the way here." Sota called as the three entered the house.

Mrs. Higurashi came from the kitchen and smiled warmly when she saw that all her kids were home for a nice evening. "Kagome, I'm so glad you're here. Any special reason?" She asked.

"No, not really. I wanted to come by and cheer myself up, you know." Kagome said softly.

"That's ok dear, I'm just glad you're home." Kagome's mom returned warmly. "So, was the trip safe for you three?" She asked as if she already knew the answer. The three of them looked at each other and laughed.

"Well, I think we'd better talk about that over dinner." Sota said.

"Ok." Kagome's mom simply said, giving her children a sideways glance, obviously confused, yet curious. At this point the mention of her children and danger didn't faze her too bad, seeing how they seemed unharmed, it couldn't have been too serious.

"Oh wow! That must have been quite a scare, Kagome. I'm so glad you kept your wits about you and escaped uninjured." Kagome's mom said over the dinner table. "Dad, pass me the rice balls, please."

"Hmm, seems to me you were safer in the care of that Inuyasha fella." Kagome's granfather stated as he handed the rice balls to Kaogme's mom. "Why isn't Hojo with you anyway? You know in my day, it was just unheard of, letting a young lady go unescorted by her suitor when she goes on visits."

"Grandpa. I'm just fine on my own. And besides, we don't live back in your day! I don't see dinosaurs wandering around outside, do you? That's how we can tell the difference between your day and ours." Kagome said flustered.

"You watch it young lady. One day you'll be my age and I hope you have a grandchild as wild and opinionated as you are." Kagome's grandfather laughed as they slung insults.

"So, Kagome dear, how is Hojo? How's he treating you?" Kagome's mother asked.

"He's doing very well. He's up for winning a grant for his cancer research, and it looks very promising. That reminds me, the banquet dinner is Friday and he'd love for you all to come. We have a limo and would love to pick you all up." Kagome piped up.

"That sounds like fun. I've never been in a limo, how about it, Etsu?" Sota asked.

"That's fine with me." Etsu replied.

"Mom? Gramps? Would you like to come too? Hojo would love for you to be there too." Kagome said.

"That sounds wonderful, dear. Count me in too." Kagome's mom said.

"Same goes for me too." Grandpa said.

Kagome clasped her hands together with a huge smile and exclaimed, "great! I'll call you tomorrow with all the information, like what time we'll be by to pick you up".

"That's nice, Kagome." Kagome's grandfather said with a bad taste in his mouth. He thought Hojo to be a nice guy, but there had always been a nagging feeling in the back of his head when Hojo was around. He didn't dare say anything to his family, knowing Kagome deserved a chance at happiness, but something was just amiss with Hojo and he couldn't put his finger on it.

However, a few days earlier, Hojo had privately confronted Grandfather and asked if he could have the honor of marrying Kagome. Any normal grandfather would jump at a marriage proposal from such a highly respected doctor, such as Hojo, but Kagome's grandfather felt a little more protective than most grandfathers. He explained that Kagome hadn't quite gotten over a previous tragedy and said it was for her to decide, but if she excepted, he'd give his blessings. He secretly feared she'd say yes and find herself unhappy, or worse.

"Kagome, do you love this Hojo character?" Grandfather asked, seriously.

"I think I do. I know I don't love him as much as I did Inuyasha, but Hojo's in the running, and that's good enough." Kagome said, tiredly. "Honestly, guys, I think Hojo's thinking of proposing soon. I don't know when, but he's showing all the classic signs."

"Oh? Like what, dear?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, leaning across the table.

"He's been secretly talking to my friends, and when I ask them, they just blush and say it's 'nothing' or they totally change the subject. Not to mention, he's acting jumpy at everything and lately has been second guessing himself, which he's never done." Kagome said.

"Maybe he's cheating?"

"SOTA! That's not appropriate! She's your sister. Filling her head with doubts, you should be ashamed of yourself." Etsu scolded. "Kagome, dear, from what I've seen, he worships the ground you walk on, he loves you to pieces and I'm betting he is planning something along the lines of marriage. I remember what Sota acted like the week before he proposed. I too suspected him of being dishonest, but my friends assured me it wasn't anything like that. And you know what, they were right because he did propose and here we are today. Does that help make you feel a little better?" Etsu explained.

"I guess. So, how far along are you now?" Kagome redirected the attention.

"Hmm, four months now. I can't believe I'm already in my second trimester!" Etsu beamed.

"That reminds me! Have you picked any names yet? And have you decided if you want to stay here when the baby's first born, or when you're in your last couple of weeks of pregnancy, it's a lot closer to the hospital.." Kagome's mom started ranting on about the new baby. Kagome and Etsu locked eyes with bored expressions on their faces. Kagome motioned with her head towards the door and Etsu smiled, knowing this routine, got up and stretched out.

"I think I'll go for a walk. It's so nice out." Etsu said sweetly.

"Honey, do you want me to come with?" Sota asked.

"Actually, I'd like it if Kagome would join me. Besides, you need to straighten out arrangements with your mom, remember." Etsu explained.

"Oh, yea, Kagome, you don't mind, do you?" Sota asked.

"Not at all. I've needed to get outside any way." Kagome said a little too overeagerly and left with Etsu in toe.

Outside the house, Kagome could hear her mom rattle on about the new special occasion and sighed, heavily, shaking her head. "You know, I feel bad about throwing my baby brother to the wolves like that. I just needed to get out of there, you know?" Kagome asked.

"Yea, he's sweet like that, you know. He really doesn't mind that you and I spend alone time together." Etsu said.

"Don't get me wrong, I like spending time with you, I'm just busy, so if you thought..." Kagome started, panicked.

"No, I never thought for a moment you didn't like me. I knew if you didn't approve of me you would have said something, you just seem like that kind of girl." Etsu explained. "Yet, you seem mysterious as well. You're so open, but I can see you have a few chapters in your life shut. Care to talk?" Etsu locked her eyes onto Kagome's. Her soft brown eyes told Kagome she was sincere, and really did care, she just didn't know if she was ready to share yet.

"I need to think. Would you like to walk me to the well house?" Kagome asked. Etsu only nodded and they crossed the courtyard to the old well house.

"Wait right here, I'll be back in a moment." Kagome explained.

"You're going in there all alone?" Etsu asked.

"I assure you, I'll be fine." Kagome explained and opened the door to the well house, and went inside.

It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the low light, but it didn't take long before she saw the staircase and the old well that lay at the bottom. She jumped out of her skin when she saw a freshly cut bouquet of white flowers at the top of the stairs with a card. She bent over and picked up the flowers and gently took the card from them and read.

"For what ever it's worth,

I'm sorry for your pain."

Kagome smiled to herself and went down to the well and knelt beside it. She quietly prayed for her friends on the other side, wishing for their happiness and hoping they were safe. She burnt a stick of incense that she kept in there and finished praying.

"Inuyasha, I hope you're happy, too." Kagome said softly and left.

"Better?" Etsu asked when Kagome emerged from the well house.

"Much, thank you." Kagome replied.

"Ohh, who left the flowers?" Etsu asked.

"Just a special somebody." Kagome winked.

"Ahh, so Kagome?" Etsu started shyly.

"Yes?"

"I was just wondering, you don't have to tell me, but I've heard very little about this Inuyasha fellow, but I have heard his name several times. Who is or was he?" She asked, timidly.

"Ahh, it's okay. You're family, and you should know a little about our past. Inuyasha was a wonderful friend of mine. We shared so many adventures together and after a time, fell in love. We were separated once several years ago, I think it was like ten years? Ano, four years ago we found each other again and he proposed and I accepted. I thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. It took us so long to find each other again." Kagome swallowed hard, trying not to cry at those old memories.

"What happened? Why aren't you with Inuyasha now?" Etsu asked in an almost desperate voice.

Kagome looked at her through pained eyes. How could she possibly explain what happened. Then it came to her. "He died, four years ago." Kagome's voice was broken as she tried to swallow the pain the memories brought.

"Oh, my. I had no idea. Kagome, I'm so sorry." Etsu said with a pained voice of her own. She had known Kagome for a short time, through Sota, and the whole time, she could see it in Kagome's eyes, pain and sadness. Kagome had always been kind to everyone, it took some time knowing her to be able to see the woman was suffering. What a tragic loss to suffer, Etsu figured that was about the same time Kagome 'fell' down the well and got hurt.

"He must have been very special. And he had proposed to you after being separated for so long. How did he do it?" Etsu asked after a silent moment shared between the two girls.

Kagome smiled and Etsu saw a light behind Kagome's eyes, that she had never seen before. "When I finally got to visit his town, I met up with some old friends of mine and as we stood around, talking and catching up on our lives, it started to rain lightly. It was such a nice day and just when I thought the rain was going to ruin it, Inuyasha took me by the arms and for the first time ever, told me he loved me and even kissed me, right in public." Kagome half laughed. "Then he kneeled in the rain and asked me to marry him."

"That's so sweet! Did you reply right away?" Etsu asked.

"No, not in the first few moments, I was surprised that he'd be so bold! But I did accept. He even said that the rain was a symbol of our struggle's end. I should have known it was symbolic of the struggles yet to come. We were only given a few short days together and that was it. All the happiness I've ever really known, was only given to me for a couple of days, but the memories I shared with Inuyasha will stay with me for the rest of my life." Kagome swallowed hard as she inspected the petals on the flowers.

"That is so unfair. Why aren't you allowed to be happy for the rest of your life with the one you love, too? Now I see why you've buried yourself into your career. But you know Kagome, I truly believe that things happen for a reason. Maybe fate is going to give you a new kind of happiness. Maybe with Hojo?" Etsu asked.

"Maybe. Who knows. Maybe you're right. You know, talking to you has made me feel a whole lot better. Thank you." Kagome said.

"Funny, but it only seems natural when I'm with you. I feel like we've been friends forever." Etsu laughed.

"Yea, interesting how some friendships are like that, huh?" Kagome laughed. "You know, I'm thinking about going home, I'd like to go see Hojo now. Please tell my family goodbye for me." Kagome said.

"You're not going to go in and say goodbye yourself?" Etsu asked.

"Na, Sota will understand. Mom just gets so weepy when I go home, I just can't stand to say goodbye to the woman." Kagome explained.

"Funny, she doesn't get like that with Sota." Etsu said.

"That's because even as an adult, Sota still spends a good deal of time over here." Kagome laughed.

"Yea, I suppose you're right, I've offered to buy your mom groceries to make up for what Sota eats here, but of course, she refused." Etsu laughed in return.

"That's mom for you. Well, thanks again, Etsu. Bye, I'll talk to you later." Kagome waved as she jogged towards her car.

Kagome sat down in her car and watched Etsu disappear into the house and started crying. Talking about such painful memories reopened old wounds and they hurt as bad as the day they were inflicted. After that, she drove off in silence, making her way back home to the second man she loved, Hojo, trying to imagine the rest of her life with him. It was hard to imagine, but then again, Kagome never had that wild of an imagination. 'Maybe', she thought, 'just maybe he will make me as happy or more than Inuyasha'.

..:End of Chappy:..

A/N

Yay! I've got reviews! Reviews are now over 50! I'm so happy. But the fact remains that there are a lot more of you who are reading and NOT reviewing. Did you like the story? Do you want me to continue? Come on, throw me a freakin' bone here! Any way. Thank you to all my loyal readers who have reviewed, you make me feel all warm and fuzzy as well as inspired to write and finish this story! Yay me. This is also my longest continuing story and I'm trying to get chapters out as fast as I can, but life won't leave me alone long enough to finish in a timely fashion. Again, thanks you guys! Love ya!

Ja Ne!

Sunny

P.S, more reviews mean faster updates! Depending how soon you want the next chapter, depends on how many reviews I get.