Disclaimer: Uhh...what?
A/N: I'm back! And my hair is no longer blonde! It's practically BLACK! Totally awesome...but my neck still hurts, because my mom had me lean over the sink for around twenty minutes while she rinsed out the dye...Anyway, more info will be revealed in this chapter, but certainly not all of it. I will shut up now...must start typing before I fall asleep...
If I fall asleep at the computer and get in trouble, it'll be on your shoulders.
Chapter 17 - Kitsunes...and More Planning
Beep.
There was that annoying noise again. She couldn't figure out what it was...she felt tired, so very tired. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep, but every time she tried, something beeped. She shifted uncomfortably on the bed...except, she couldn't remember ever falling asleep on her bed.
"Kagome!"
Kagome cracked open one eye, but immediately wished she hadn't. She was staring into a bright white fluorescent light. But she also saw a face, one that she didn't recognize. He - she thought it was a he, at least - was peering at her behind a pair of glasses. There was a name for these people...if only she could remember what it was...her mind was too fuzzy to think.
"Ms. Higurashi? Can you hear me?"
She was about to say no, go back to sleep, and try to never wake up again, but she couldn't. Because someone else in the background wouldn't shut up..."I think so," she muttered, reaching a hand towards her head. It hurt; a razor-sharp, extreme pain that disappeared after ten seconds or so. "Where am I?" she asked, not realizing that her speech was slurred. Her head was hurting too damn much to care.
"Ah, good. As for where you are, you're at the hospital. Do you remember at all what happened?"
Kagome tried to sit up, but was instantly pushed back by a gentle hand. "Please, Ms. Higurashi - Kagome, is it? - I think it'd be better if you stayed lying down, just for a while."
She nodded, somewhat reluctantly, and leaned back, resting her head against the provided pillow. All she could remember was hitting someone...she was in school, wasn't she? Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha were there...But that was it. Her mind went blank after that. "Not much," she mumbled, trying to speak loud enough so he could hear, "I was in school, I think. I was angry at someone, and..." She wasn't about to tell him that she hit someone. That wouldn't be ignored very easily. "And the rest is blurry."
As the doctor nodded and scribbled something on a clipboard at the end of her bed, she licked her lips. They were dry and chapped. Another burst of pain shot through her head when she tried to rearrange herself on the, overall, very uncomfortable hospital bed. Now if only she could get this needle out of her arm...why was it there again?
"You passed out during school," the doctor began, still unnamed: "Whether it be from stress, exhaustion, or something other than that, we're still trying to figure it out. Do you have any ideas, Kagome?" There was a scraping noise across the tiled floor as he pulled a chair closer to the bed she resided on. "It would help if you told me anything you can think of, whether it be at home, or school..." His voice trailed off there, expecting an answer from the reluctant Kagome.
Stress. She almost laughed. That was a very minute part of it. What would the doctor think if she told him any of that? A man was threatening her? Her father's death was proposed? Practically everyone in school hated her? No...She couldn't sulk over her own troubles. That wouldn't do any good. So, instead, she took the easier way out:
"School's been getting on my nerves lately, with homework and everything, but I can't think of anything else." Kagome herself had discovered over the years that she was a rather good liar - she often referred it to Sango as one of her natural skills. Which was why she wasn't surprised when the doctor nodded his head again, seeming to accept her story. He reached out his hand to her.
"My name is Dr. Fumio Hakushi. You've been sleeping for nearly an hour, and your friends are still waiting outside. I must say, the hanyou is very impatient-" Dr. Hakushi chuckled lightly, standing up again after she shook his hand. "They can visit now, seeing as you're in a stable condition and able to talk freely. But only for a little while, and then I want you to get some more sleep."
Kagome nodded and smiled, playing the good little girl act. As soon as the door closed behind him, she scowled and shook her head scornfully. With a steady hand, she grabbed on to the IV needle and yanked it out of her arm. She hissed at the pain, but it disappeared after a moment or two. She just hoped that one of the nurses wasn't going to walk in there and start yelling at her.
When the door opened again, she sighed. The day wasn't even half over...was it? Ah, well, it took too much energy to try and figure it out.
She saw Sango come in first, followed by Inuyasha, and then Miroku. Sango looked as if she hadn't slept in days, though the doctor had commented that it had been no longer than an hour. Inuyasha...he looked like Inuyasha, a calm, dead-set expression plastered on his face, arms folded. Miroku was smiling, obviously happy that she was awake. Kagome offered a very small smile, not caring whether or not it would suffice their worries. The people she hung out with could possibly be the strangest people ever.
Sango, instead of sitting in one of the provided chairs, plopped herself at the end of Kagome's bed. She took one glance at the loosely hanging IV needle and frowned. It didn't last long - after a second or two, she was smirking. "Geeze, Kagome, you're going to end up killing yourself one of these times. Maybe you should learn to take it easy for once." She was joking, of course, and Kagome knew it.
"Yeah, well, maybe next time you shouldn't leave me with these crazy people..." Kagome's voice trailed off in mock-hurtfulness. She fingered the white bed sheets impatiently. If she could jump out of bed and run from the hospital, she would. But now, the chances didn't seem likely that she would even get out of the room. Not with Sango and Inuyasha there...she honestly didn't know how Miroku would act.
While Sango rolled her eyes, Inuyasha flopped down at the nearest table and pretended to act casual. His eyes traveled restlessly around the room - eyeing the machines, staring out the window, the shining tiled floor - anything to keep from looking at Kagome. "How you doing?" he asked 'nonchalantly,' finally resting his gaze on the pale, raven-haired girl for the first time. He almost couldn't stand to see her bedridden, glaring at everything she could look at.
Well...she was glaring most of the time anyway, but this was different. Was it possible to glower at everything with such burning hate?
Kagome looked at him for a moment, scrutinizing him, as if trying to read his thoughts. After a minute or so, she nodded her head slowly. "I think so...what happened anyway? After I punched Bankotsu...I can't remember much after that."
Miroku was the first to answer. "We're not exactly sure, Kagome, but the bell rang and everyone left. Except for us, of course. You were looking pretty pale...and then you sort of...collapsed. We got one of the teachers to call 911, and you haven't woken up until now." His voice was quieter than usual, more serious, considering the circumstances.
Minutes passed, and the four of them remained silent. Kagome shifted, restlessly rather than nervously, and turned so she could stare out the window. Sango began kicking her legs over the edge of the bed, repeatedly hitting them against the plastic-type railings. Miroku was preoccupied with his fingers, while Inuyasha remained setting his eyes on anything that could distract him for more than a few seconds.
Sango spoke then, her voice meeker, unlike her usually confident words. "Can I speak with Kagome for a sec, alone?" Her face was stony, glowering at nothing but the wall - though her expression could have been permanently etched on her face, her eyes were wavering uncertainly.
Miroku didn't object; he stood carefully, bowing his head slightly before making a polite exit...dragging Inuyasha, by his ear, along with him. Inuyasha's loud, reluctant shouts eventually subsided, leaving Kagome and Sango along with the bleeping machines.
"What's up, San?" Kagome asked, edging closer on the bed. The hospital gown, she noticed for the first time, was covered in teddy bears, and it was a pale yellow color. She shuddered involuntarily before presuming Sango's questioning.
Sango crossed her legs on the mattress and began twiddling her thumbs. She always did that when she was nervous. "When you were...passed out, I guess, and in the ambulance, you were saying something about your dad. I didn't get to hear it all, exactly, but I could make out bits and pieces."
Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded. She didn't need to hear anymore. Years after Daichi died, she would have nightmares...and just a few days ago, those nightmares were coming back to her, recurring memories of what she didn't want to see ever again. It wasn't a surprise that she was moaning and groaning in her sleep...At least no one else was around to hear it. Sango was her closest friend, after all, and knew more about Kagome than anyone else did.
Sango sighed - an actual, lament sigh. "If this is all a big nightmare, Kagome, then I hope we wake up soon. This is too complicated...too frustrating."
Kagome muttered an almost inaudible "Yeah." She cast her eyes out the window; the sun had disappeared some time ago, and all that was left was the dreary gray, overcast clouds.
She was sick of it all. The hiding, the nervousness: everything. Naraku had figured out a way to get under her skin, but that didn't mean she couldn't get under his. They were going to see him on Saturday...which means they would need a plan. 'We better have some damn good thinkers...This is going to take a while...'
"We need a plan," Kagome blurted impulsively, already working at the hospital band on her wrist. "I'm going to get out of here, and then we need to get started."
"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"
A young boy, no more than eight years old, looked up at one of the nurses, his green eyes gleaming mischievously. She obviously didn't notice, so he tried to appear at least somewhat innocent. After all, he was supposed to be in bed, but hardly anyone else followed the rules around there. So why should he have to?
He shook his head, fiery red bangs whipping out to the sides. He couldn't speak. He wouldn't. After all these years, he hadn't said one word. His foster parent couldn't figure out what was wrong with him, so she took him here, to the hospital. The doctors weren't able to do much - he saw a social work three times a week, but it was silence between the two of them. Which is why he was trying to get out of this place - he wasn't sick, and he didn't need help. He had no reason to be there, so why was he? He had overhead the doctors talking once; they thought it might be some mental disability...As if.
The nurse smiled and crouched down, placing a hand on one of the kitsune's shoulders. "I think you are," she replied calmly, softly, trying to urge him in the direction of his room. But he shook his head again and spun around, setting off in a sprint on all fours. He heard the nurse calling his name, but ignored it. All he had to do was evade everyone else - being small for your age had its advantages.
He scurried down the hall, ducking under the legs of patients, doctors, and other random people. There was a scream from a young girl as his tail brushed against one of her legs. He merely lowered himself further to the ground and sprinted faster. Security guards would be trailing him any minute...
'Find a room...find a room!' When he rounded another corner, the first room he spotted had two boys sitting across the hall from it. A hanyou, no doubt, and another one with black hair. The kit smirked in triumph. As soon as he came within a foot of the door, he jumped towards the knob...it swung open easily, and he raced inside.
Inuyasha watched as what appeared to be a ball of fluff skirt around the corner, and then jump towards the door into Kagome's room...He jumped up, hoisting Miroku up along with him by his shirt, and watched as the door was flung open.
'The hell,' Inuyasha mused, half-angry and half-curious. Miroku was halfway to the door already, so he followed, practically running...forget the fact that the room was about ten feet from where he was standing.
Sango stopped talking the instant she heard the door opening, shoving papers unceremoniously into her backpack. She was going to smack Miroku all the way to next week if him and Inuyasha decided it was okay to walk in whenever they wanted. Kagome had frozen as well, scooting back onto her pillow, yet letting the IV needle hang. She wasn't about to poke that thing back into her arm.
Naturally, Kagome was more than surprised when a little ball of fluff jumped onto the foot of her bed. It was a few moments later when it...he...uncurled himself, letting his terrified green eyes wander around the room. Her first reaction was to pick him up and squeeze him almost literally to death...Yet when she saw the young boy shaking, she refrained.
There was silence, except when Sango heard the footsteps of Inuyasha and Miroku entering the room. All she could do was stare at the kid that had jumped onto the end of the bed. He was a kitsune youkai, no doubt. But she couldn't figure out what he was doing here. "Excuse me?" she queried softly, prodding the young kit with her finger. "Is there something you need?"
He seemed to think about it a moment - he began to shake his head, but quickly turned it into a nod. But he didn't say a word.
By now, Inuyasha and Miroku were staring at the kit, standing a few feet away. Blazing eyes were staring back at them. After a few minutes of careful scrutiny, Inuyasha stepped forward, and grabbed the kitsune by his tail. He was hung at least three feet in the air, all the while Kagome and Sango yelling at him to drop the poor thing. That's exactly what he did.
The kit landed on the bed with a solid plunk, and the scurried hurriedly to Kagome's lap. There, he curled himself into a ball. Kagome couldn't help but notice that his whole, small body was trembling. When her eyes met Inuyasha's, she was glaring venomously.
"Nice going, jerk!" she chastised, careful to watch her language around the child. "He's obviously scared, Inuyasha, can't you tell? I knew you had a dense head, but this is going beyond even your limits." He quieted down quickly afterwards, plopping himself down in a chair and beginning to sulk. She sighed mournfully and shook her head.
"Where did you come from?" Sango asked gingerly, taking notice of the hospital gown he donned. But he didn't say anything - instead, he cowered further into Kagome's lap. She looked back towards Miroku and shrugged helplessly. He returned it.
"Hey," Kagome prodded gently, cupping his chin in her hand and forcing him to meet her gaze. "What's your name, kid? You're a patient here, right?" She frowned deeply when she noticed a single, solitary tear fall down his cheek. It was bad enough when Souta cried...What was she supposed to do now?"
"Shippou," she heard him mutter weakly. His voice was hoarse and strained - as if he hadn't used it for years. "M-my room is back in the other hall. I ran...'cause I don't wanna stay here anymore."
Sango heard Miroku sit down on the bed next to her, leaning his face down to her's. "The mental ward?" he whispered, hopefully quiet enough so only Sango could hear. He watched as bewilderment passed across her face, and then understanding...if only a little.
Inuyasha sat on top of the table, crossing his legs and folding his arms over his chest. He wasn't about to deal with some little kid from the mental ward, not when Kagome was supposed to be getting better herself. For all he cared, the kit could be kicked out and belted down with restraints. Though...there were a lot of chairs and assorted machines in the room - he'd have to be cautious about what he was saying.
Kagome, however, was thinking on completely different lines. She grabbed a tissue from the box that was so conveniently placed on the table next to the bed, handing it to Shippou. He accepted gratefully, and situated himself in between Kagome's knees.
"After my mama and papa were murdered, I didn't talk for a long time. 'Til now. They think that there's something wrong with me, so I've been staying in that same room for...months now, I think. And I don't wanna be there anymore. There's nothing wrong with me."
Kagome's heart figuratively cracked. In a way, her father was murdered too; but at least she still had her mother. Shippou had lost both of his parents at such a young age...How dare the doctors think that there was something mentally wrong with him? She could feel heated animosity blossoming, inflating inside her like a balloon. It was so damn unfair, and she couldn't stand it.
All five heads swivelled in the direction of the doorway when it swung open. A security guard stepped inside, followed by one of the nurses. 'Geeze,' Kagome thought darkly as the kit scampered under the bed, so far unseen by the intruders, 'They have some serious issues. Can't they just leave him alone?' Yet she didn't understand herself - all thoughts of Naraku had disappeared once Shippou had entered her room. So...now what was she supposed to do?
"Excuse me; I'm sorry to be a distraction, but a few witnesses are saying that they saw a kitsune racing in here. By any chance-" The doctor was cut off abruptly.
Sango glared at the doc warily, feigning extreme boredom towards the subject. "There's no one else in here," she stated firmly, casting the security guard a frown. "Is there anything else you need?"
The doctor shook his head, actually appearing slightly nervous, before he turned and started towards the door. "We apologize for the intrusion...thank you, nonetheless." The security guard, however, wasn't so sure - but he skedaddled as soon as Inuyasha stood up, the guard bowing mockingly before he exited.
As soon as he left, Shippou climbed back onto the bed and situated himself between Kagome and Sango. He was clutching the tissue tightly in his hands, a hard, stony expression plastered on his small face. Sango would have laughed if it wasn't such a discouraging situation.
Inuyasha sat back down again, leaning as far forward as humanly possible without falling off the table...Shippou had his arms crossed, his legs folded, his furry tail sweeping the bed sheets. He couldn't understand why Kagome defended the damn fox...Why was he so special all of a sudden?
Miroku sighed and propped his elbows on one of his knees. The situation was complicated, and slightly dangerous. Helping a registered patient escape from the hospital was...well, dangerous, and probably had some not-too-great ending scenarios. And a supposedly 'mental' patient, at that. It seemed like complete lunacy, to say the least...No pun intended.
Kagome sighed out loud, hardly able to hide it anymore. She was stressed. She felt as if her mind was, sooner or later, going to tear her apart. She was pretty sure she was going crazy - no doubt everyone else could see it. Sango...how was she holding up? The dark-brown haired girl stared down at the white sheets, a glazed appearance to her usual lively brown eyes. Frazzled, no doubt, and just as stressed out as Kagome was.
But they could, would, pull themselves together. There wasn't any other option.
"Are you gonna take me back to the doctors?" The sniffling Shippou snapped Kagome, and everyone else, back to attention. "They wanna do some more tests...tomorrow, I think. And I don't want them to..."
Kagome couldn't stand it. She didn't care if she got busted by the cops; she was going to get Shippou out of there. "Don't worry, kid," she began, picking him up once again and placing him in her lap. "We'll get you out of here...no matter what."
Sango appeared dumb-struck, gawking at Kagome as if she had sprouted another head. 'It's not like you weren't thinking the same thing...' She forced her mouth to close and nodded her head firmly. "Right. Of course we will." 'If it's not Naraku, it's a baby kit...what's next?'
For the first time that day, Shippou's face broke out into a genuine smile. He jumped up, pumping his fists wildly, as if he had just won a street race.
"Shippou...there's just one more thing I need from you," Kagome stated carefully, knowing she was treading on some hazardous territory. The kit silenced himself instantaneously, practically freezing in mid-air, and directed his eyes so they met Kagome's stern gaze. He nodded, slightly nervous. "You said your parents were murdered, right?"
Shippou cringed, but nodded again. It had always been a hard subject to think about...the whole reason he had lost his voice in the first place. He'd never thought that anyone would get him to talk again, much less a girl in a fellow hospital bed.
"Do you know who murdered them?"
That question struck the fox hard. It was painful...almost too painful, but he could remember the name clearly. It never left his mind - he was always thinking about him, how he had so brutally killed his parents...and then got away with it so easily. "I could never forget," he spoke, so quietly that even Inuyasha had to strain to hear. "Naraku. I promised my revenge on him the day I found out my parents were..." His voice broke off, wavering; he was close, too close, to bursting into tears.
Kagome closed her eyes, willing it to not be true. But it was too planned out to deny...Sango had become mute after Naraku's name was mention. She shuddered involuntarily, immediately feeling sympathetic to the poor thing...at such a young age, his parents' lives had been taken away from them. Miroku could hardly stand the news - he was trembling now, if not very slightly, his now dark, violet eyes narrowed into slits. Even Inuyasha couldn't find a word to say; every time he tried, the words slipped from his grasp.
Kagome's eyes darkened, shadowed by her bangs. "Don't worry Shippou," she assured, her voice lowered to a harsh whispered. "You're going to get your revenge...and so are me and Sango."
The machine beeped again, the only sound that could be heard through the tension-filled silence.
::Class is in gym::
Teacher: Alright...BEGIN!!
::Kagome round-houses Inuyasha::
Kagome: You know...I could get used to this...
Sango::delivers a clean kick to Miroku's chest:: I agree
Miroku: Sango ::wheezing:: Why?!
Sango: You're my partner...You agreed, remember?
Inuyasha: KAGOME!! How dare you?!
Miroku: This mat is going to be my deathbed...
A/N: ANNOUNCEMENT: Do not expect a chapter a few days later than usual..I am disappeared for the weekend, and won't have any computer access! I apologize in advance!
Shippou finally entered the picture! One of my favorite characters...Anyway, I don't think I'll be laying off the cliffies anytime soon. They're too much fun to leave out...Sucks for you, doesn't it? I'll update as fast as possible! But as I said before, it might be around a week...But not anymore than that! Later dudes! R&R!!
Yeah, well...this isn't my fault. I'm doing the best I possibly can right now.
