Chapter 25
Kagome telling Inuyasha that she needs to talk with her mother, he understands it completely. "Do you want me to get her?" He asks her with concern in his voice. Kagome nods. "Please do. When she comes, I need to have this privately. As in no one, not you or anyone in your family to hear us." She finished with a stern look. Inuyasha nods back. "Don't worry about it. My dad has someone who has a talisman that can mute anything from the outside." He assures her and leaves the room.
After Ai tells her story to Inuyasha's parents, Inuyasha enters in. "Hey, Mrs. Higurashi?" He greets her. Ai looks up to see him with a look of relief. "Oh. Hello. How is Kagome doing?" Ai walks up to him. "Kagome's ok. She's sitting up for now, we don't know if her legs will be able to move yet. Other than that, she wants to walk to you alone." Inuyasha explains to her. Ai nods. "Ok thank you." She follows him to his bedroom where Kagome is waiting. "Oh and dad, where's that talisman that mutes out noise?" Inuyasha calls out to his father.
Toga stood up hearing how serious Inuyasha is about this. "I'll got get it." He replies and goes into his office to retrieve it. Ai enters the bedroom to see Kagome looking at her with an unusual look. "Mom, can we talk for moment?" Kagome spoke right away. Ai smiles. "Oh of course." She said as she sits at the side of the bed. Inuyasha closes the door and waits for Toga to arrive with the talisman. Toga comes in rather quickly and places the talisman onto the bedroom door. "This should hold for awhile until Kagome or Ai comes out. That will cancel the effects." Toga explains the talisman's purpose. Inuyasha nods as they both leave the area.
"Mom, why didn't you tell me about the Sacred Jewel?" Kagome asks as calmly as she sincle she's holding the comforter as tightly as she could. Ai sighs. "I had a feeling when you were born, there was a light and I had a hunch that the Sacred Jewel was reborn inside of you." She answers her daughter.
"Mom, I just don't know what to do at this point on. I feel so betrayed by all of this." Kagome snapped as she tries to prevent her tears from sliding down her cheeks. Ai places her hand onto Kagome's shoulder. "Kagome, the truth is that the Sacred Jewel is a powerful object sought by anyone who would want to use it for their own selfish greed. Throughout your life up until now, grandpa was able to conceal the jewel's power so know one would find it. But when you used your spiritual powers, you weren't aware that the jewel was exposed. That's why we had to find you a mate to make sure that you're protected from those kinds of people." Ai tries her best to console her daughter's outburst. "What I don't understand is why the jewel chose you as the carrier when you were born. I thought that any other priests or priestesses were worthy enough to have the jewel instead of you. I wanted you to have a normal life."
Kagome keeps her grip on the comforter. "Mom, I wish I was just a regular human like anyone else. But fate has other plans for my future. But if it's true. I would have to find a way to make sure that jewel would disappear for good so that no one who came after me ever again." She said wisely. Ai nods to agree on that statement. "That's a good point, Kagome. If only we know how to pull it off is up to you." She stands up and kissed her daughter's forehead to comfort her. "The choice is yours. You must do what your heart tells you." She smiles and leaves the room.
As soon as Ai left the room, Kagome begins to concentrate how the jewel was able to prevent Naraku's poison from completely controlling her body. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't move her legs, let alone her toes for now. But maybe in the near future, they can be good as new. She decides to go back to sleep since the conversation with her mother tired her out without realizing it.
Inuyasha is on the patio watching his mother watering her plants as usual. But she can have a break once in a while whenever it rains. The sliding doors slide open for Ai to come outside. "How is she doing?" Inuyasha asks her politely as he stands up. Ai keeps a straight face. "I had to tell her the truth. Even though she didn't like it, she had to accept it." She confesses to him as well as to Izayoi who puts her watering can away by the hose.
"What will she do from here?" Izayoi asks her. Ai doesn't change her expression. "Well for starters, Kagome will have to go back to Sakura Hills when the program is over. Her friend Sango misses her so much." She starts off. Inuyasha on the other hand isn't liking this one bit. After all Ai wasn't at the meeting. She doesn't know about Naraku disguising himself as her to make that decision. As such she was told by Toga a short time ago. Inuyasha walks into the house, not to hear anymore what the two women have to say. That made Izayoi frown in slight sadness.
"That's true. Even if it means that she has to be away from Inuyasha. They are a mated pair. Even the terms would make sure they're together. They have to be in each other arm's reach if something were to go wrong." Izayoi explains one part of the term. "Do you think that Inuyasha could be transferred to Sakura Hills? Ai asks her curiously. Izayoi shakes her head. "Sakura Hills is meant to be an all-human school. Shikon was the only place for Inuyasha to attend to." She answers sadly.
"But what about Naraku? He was a demon and was attending Sakura Hills." Ai points out to her. Izayoi knows that true. "Yes, however no one seems to notice about it, which was why they didn't expelled him."
"Then this leaves us with no other choice." Toga speaks when he comes outside, "The council also decided to set a few schools that was suited for each individual. Sakura Hills on the other hand, wanted just humans because they believed that demons and half demons would taint the reputation." He said to the two women. "But ever since hearing that Naraku was a demon who attended there, the headmaster was angry about it." Ai and Izayoi have no way to comment. "So what do you recommend we do?" Ai asks him seriously. Toga hands over the table to Ai. Ai reads the email that Toga received.
Dear Mr. Takahashi
After much discussion about the revelation about Student Exchange Program, I have decided that Kagome Higurashi should decide on which school she prefers to attend. I found that this wasn't easy to come up with this idea. Give Kagome my regards about this.
The Headmaster of Sakura Hills.
Ai read this thoroughly. "Are they saying that Kagome wants to decide on which school she wants to attend from her?" Izayoi asks her. Ai looks over the email. "Seems like it. I might as well tell her about it. Excuse me." Ai goes back inside of the manor and goes to Kagome. Inuyasha doesn't like this one bit. "I guess that's why they didn't want me to attend Sakura Hills in the first place." He comments to his parents. Toga and Izayoi know how he's feeling at this point.
"Inuyasha listen to me." Toga sits next to him. "As much as your mother and I wanted you to attend Sakura Hills, you know what I said to Ai before she left. It's because the council knew that Kagome is your mate. But since they didn't allow you to go there, we had to do the Student exchange Program in order for the two of you to meet."
"But then why wouldn't she be enrolled to Shikon High instead?" Inuyasha asks him seriously. Toga sighs, "The fact is that Sakura Hills is close to her home, since you were her escort during the program. Not just that, but Ai was able to afford it for her. Shikon High is too expensive for her." He explains to his son. That made Inuyasha look down in disappointment. "So she gets to decide which she'll go to from this point on." He murmurs to his father, which he heard clearly.
Kagome is still in bed, but the comforter and bed sheets are tossed aside to allow her to see her legs, "I can't be in this bed for the rest of my life." She declares as she lifts one of the legs and tries to turn her body to make sure it can bend down to the ground. After a bit of effort, she was able to get both on the floor. She takes a deep breathe and does everything in her strength to move one of the toes to wiggle.
The door is knocked. "Who is it?" Kagome calls out to the unknown guest. "It's me, Kagome. May I come in?" Ai calls from the closed door. "Sure." Kagome calls back. The door opens and Ai can see what her daughter is doing. "Do you need to go somewhere?" Ai asks as she gets the wheelchair that was next to the bed.
Kagome shakes her head. "No I just want to get moving again. I'm not thrilled being bedridden." She answers her mother. Ai looks to see how hard Kagome is doing so far since the poison affected her body. "We need to go to a physical therapist. I'm pretty sure our insurance can be covered by it." Ai sits next to her. Kagome sees the tablet in Ai's hand.
"What's on the tablet?" She points to it. Ai gently hands it to her. Kagome reads the email. She widens her eyes. "Are they sure they want me to stay or go to another school?"
Ai nods. "Yes. I know how much Sango is to you. We weren't aware about the school policy to be all human facility. As such they didn't know that Naraku was a demon to begin with."
So far, Kagome doesn't know about this. "But there's something else we have to discuss of the matter." Ai adds in. Kagome looks up to her curiously. "Since Sakura Hills is an all-human, Inuyasha cannot go there because he's a half demon." Just hearing that made Kagome look down sadly.
"What do you mean that Inuyasha can't come? Is it because of he's a half demon?" Kagome asks after a short pause of silence. "The thing is that Sakura Hills believe that demons would taint their reputation. Other than that, It's the closest school to our home. The Student Exchange Program has been shut down as well. But now you have to choose which school you want to attend." Ai gets up and leaves the room to let Kagome decide. "We're going go back home tonight okay." She said before closing the door. That left Kagome with a difficult ordeal.
Inuyasha is about to go upstairs until he sees Ai coming. "Oh, Inuyasha." Ai spoke calmly. "I told Kagome about what the email said. She and I are heading home." Inuyasha knows for sure he cannot snap at the older woman. "Ok. If you want, I can carry Kagome to the car. I know that our staircase isn't suited for a wheelchair." He points out. Ai forgot about it.
"Oh yes. I guess getting her up the shrine stairs as well as the ones in my house would be difficult for her." Ai understands the issue. Just realizing what Inuyasha was talking about, Ai doesn't know rather or not it's a good idea to bring Kagome home due to her condition. "Please excuse me." She goes back into the bedroom where Kagome is in.
Kagome is doing everything she can to get her legs moving again. No success so far. "Ugh, why can't I move my legs." She cries in frustration. The door opens up to reveal Ai coming back in. "Mom? What's going on?" Kagome asks as she can see her mother in a distress state. "I forgot that you're wheelchair bound. As such getting around home would be difficult for you. After all your bedroom is upstairs." Ai said to her daughter after taking a deep breathe.
"Oh. Well I guess there's no other way. I can try to drag my legs up the stairs inside, but not outside." Kagome comes with one idea. Ai can see that her legs are still immobilized. "Are you able to wiggle your toes?" She asks Kagome curiously. Kagome shakes her head to answer the question. Ai can see that wheel chair folded up by the bed. "Mom, I've been thinking about the school thing." Kagome said sadly. Ai waits for her daughter to make her decision. "I'll back to Sakura Hills." Kagome admits sadly as tears build up in her closed eyes while her bangs cover them.