Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, or any of its characters.
Summary: Sometimes the choices we make lead us down a path we don't expect. She chose to leave his side, and he closed off his heart to the world. Now she is back, and he is the only one that can save her. Can he move past his pain to help her? Or will the consequences of their choices prove to be too much to bear?
Rating: T for language and alcoholism.
*Note, in response to a review: This story was previously posted on Dokuga under the same penname.
She sat in the room, not even ten feet from him. It was the closest he had been to her in eight years. Eight exceedingly long years. Her familiar scent tickled his nose, and burned his heart. His heart and mind were torn, one wishing to scoop her into his arms and never let her go, the other wishing to turn away, reassign the case so he could continue in his exiled state.
"Why are you here?" He needed to say something, and that was the first thing that came to mind. She gave him an amused look, a single brow lifting.
"Don't sick people usually come to the hospital?" His eyes narrowed, and he inspected her closely. At first glance, she appeared as she always had, perhaps a bit older, her body having fully matured into adulthood. Her hair, normally encompassing her body in thick waves, fell in straight lengths down her back. Her bright blue eyes were lined with black, and her lips decorated with a light pink shine. As he looked closer, he began to see subtle changes. Her normally bright eyes were dimmer, as though she were tired. Though the concealer hid most of it, he could see the slight puffiness below her eyes, and a strained look about her face. Her cheeks were slightly sunken in, and body looking a little more lean than he remembered her looking during the Olympics just a few months prior. Not that he had seen her up close, but her pictures had been posted everywhere. If he were anyone else, he may not notice these slight changes, but he was not someone else.
"You are ill." He whispered softly, his previous aggression instantly melting away. His heart began to beat. If she were here to meet him, it could only be…
"I have Ovarian Cancer." The words, at first, did not penetrate his mind. He stood there, staring at her for many long seconds, comprehension not dawning. Yet as the words began to sink in, Sesshomaru did not know how to respond. It was impossible. There was no way. She could not have Ovarian Cancer! It just couldn't be true. It had to be mistake.
"That can't be." He voiced his thoughts, too shocked to stop them from slipping past. She laughed, her head thrown back as though he had just said something utterly hilarious. Even from the small distance, he could see the strain on her face. She was laughing because she didn't know what else to do. It may have been many years since he had seen her, but it would appear she hadn't really changed.
"Sesshomaru," she said as her laughter tapered off. She cocked her head to the side, her blue eyes looking slightly misty, "I assure you, it is true. At least that's what my previous doctor said. I am here for a second opinion, of course." He turned, grabbing the file that he had taken back from Kurumi when Kagome had interrupted them. He swiftly opened it, reading the contents. Kagome stayed quiet as he read, watching him.
He did not know how long he sat there, staring at the charts and scans he previous doctor had sent over. He felt like he was back in med school, just learning how to read them. There was no way that what he was seeing could be true. There had to be a mistake.
"Sesshomaru…"
"How can this be?" He interrupted slowly, not looking up from the documents. Kagome looked away, her eyes instantly seeking the window. She had always loved views, just as much as him. "How could you not have known? The progression, you had to have been in pain." Though his tone was even and cold, his heart was pounding. The thought of her in pain, it was overwhelming.
"At first, I attributed the cramps to training. It started just before the Olympics, and I was training from sun up to sun down. When the pain got worse, I became too scared to go. If it were serious, I wouldn't be able to compete. I couldn't risk that."
"Kagome,"
"I know. Believe me, I know. I was stupid, I am sorry." A knock sounded at the door, interrupting both. A man opened the door and poked his head inside. When his eyes fell on Kagome, his face lit up.
"Sweetie, I am sorry I am late. Here, I picked you up a tea." The man walked in, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. He then turned to Sesshomaru, his eyes widening quickly before the look was replaced. "Hello, I am Hojo Takashi. You must be her doctor." He extended his hand, and Sesshomaru ignored it.
"Temporary doctor. Dr. Mina Osawa will…"
"What? I thought you were assigned?" Kagome's head snapped up to look at Sesshomaru. He tensed at the sight of fear in her expressive eyes, but did not back down.
"Miss Higurashi," she flinched at the formality, "I cannot take on your case, I have multiple…"
"Sesshomaru, please." Her voice was so soft, so quiet, so unlike her.
"You two know each other." Hojo said in an even tone. Sesshomaru stood, turning his back on the couple.
"I will order some tests. I want to confirm these results for myself. Then I will determine a course of treatment." A soft sigh could be heard, and in his head he knew she was smiling.
"Thank you, Sesshomaru." He closed the door behind him and stepped up to the nurses station.
"Give these to Kou, have him order the tests immediately." He dropped the orders on the desk before turning back to his office. His team was efficient, they would find whatever her previous doctor might have missed.
As he entered the sanctity of his office, a familiar mop of white hair interrupted his peace. He walked passed his brother not bothering to look at him.
"I tried to tell you." Inuyasha said gently.
"Hn." What could he say? Would it have made a difference to find out through Inuyasha instead of the way he had? Would it hurt any less?
"How bad is it?" Sesshomaru closed his eyes. Inuyasha sounded broken. He had loved Kagome too. It had once caused a great amount of tension between the two of them.
"My team is running tests. Her charts and scans, they…" He paused, finding it difficult to say the words. "They do not look promising. It may have metastasized to her abdomen. My team will confirm." Inuyasha inhaled sharply, dropping his head into his hands.
"Shit." The brothers sat in silence for many long minutes, their minds on the petite figure skater from their past. Neither one was able to console the other, for that was not their relationship. So instead, they merely sat, each lost to their own memories. Memories of an enchanting smile and kind blue eyes.
Love, Caleesci