The Lucky Ones
Chapter Forty-Three
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The Lucky Ones
By Terri Botta
Disclaimer: I don’t own
Inuyasha. Sole copyright belongs to Viz and Rumiko Takashi. I’m poor so don’t
sue.
Rating: R for later chapters.
Pairing: Inuyasha/Kagome,
Miroku/Sango
Summary: Sometimes Fate hands
you a gift you never thought you’d ever get, and it’s up to you to accept it
for what it is.
Feedback to:
tci100@psu.edu
Website: http://www.wordsmiths.net/Botta
A/N: This one is kinda short
because there was so much happening that I decided to split it into 2 chapters.
*******
Chapter Forty-Three
All was
quiet in the waiting room when he and Eri returned. While he was gone, Jii-chan
and Souta had arrived as well as Ryoukan. Thankfully this time the wolf-hanyou
had come alone. He didn’t know what he would have done if Kouga
had come with him. He also noted that Mama-baachan was missing.
“Has there
been any news?” he asked, hoping it was nothing. He’d only been gone for twenty
minutes.
currently trying to piece together what happened with the doctors,” Aunt
of the room, speaking into his cell phone.
“I know
Okaa-san has Dr. Maggiano’s number in her address
book. I was going to send someone to get Tessaiga. I can have whoever it is
pick that up too,” he offered.
“Tessaiga
is a good idea, but we already have Dr. Maggiano’s
number. Sessho got it from global directory
assistance. He’s on the phone with the lawyers right now. They’re going to pull
both Hattoris’ medical files and see if anything like
this has ever happened before. We’re also petitioning the Medical Board to
suspend Hattori Taro’s license to practice medicine pending further
investigation. The hospital has already suspended him, and may suspend his
father if it’s discovered that he had anything to do with this,” she told him.
He shook
his head. “I don’t think he knew anything about it. I smelled fear and
embarrassment on himn hen he was talking to us.”
Aunt
Hattori Taro under arrest. As far as I know, they are interviewing and taking
statements from the staff members who were in the delivery room. That’s where
your grandmother is right now.”
“You’ve
been busy,” he commented with a nod.
Aunt
postures, but when push comes to shove, no one endangers the Family.” She put a
hand on his arm. “We’ll get to the bottom of this. I promise.”
“Just let
me know who I have to shred,” Ryoukan said, coming over to them. He brandished
his claws and growled.
think that baboon-youkai has a prayer.’
“I don’t
think it’s come to that quite yet,” Aunt Rin replied.
“Besides, Sesshou has already claimed him as his
prey. You won’t be able to touch him.”
Ryoukan
scowled. “All I would have to do is tell the Pack and he wouldn’t live to see
another sunrise. Kouga is waiting for me to call back
once I have more details. They’d capture him and save the killing blow for us.”
“I would
relish the chance to cause him pain. I hated him the moment he came into
Okaa-san’s hospital room,” Miroku added, joining them.
They both
looked at him expectantly as if waiting for him to say something. After a
moment, he realized why.
waiting for you to tell them what to do!’
He cleared
his throat and tried to gather intelligent thoughts together.
“It’s too
soon to spill blood,” he said. “We don’t know what happened. There could be
others involved. If we kill him, we’ll never know if this was a plot to kill
Okaa-san and Otou-san or if he’s just incompetent. However if they die, he
dies.”
His
brothers nodded gravely, accepting his decision.
“He may die
regardless,” Ryoukan amended, cracking his knuckles.
“At the
very least, he will lose his license to practice medicine,” Aunt
Uncle
snapped his cell phone shut and strode over to them. “None shall touch him. He
is my prey. This Sesshoumaru will deal with him,” he announced coldly, making
them all shiver.
He bowed
and nodded. “As you wish Uncle.”
never, never get on Uncle’s bad side.’
Ryoukan
scowled but eventually lowered his eyes under Uncle’s intense, cold gaze.
“I should
send someone to get Tessaiga,” he said.
“I’ll get
it!” Kitarou offered.
“Okay,
and get Tessaiga. Also bring some clothes for Otou-san and...
that smells strongly of them...’ “And bring a pillowcase from their bed.
We’ll put it in with the new pup for the scent.”
The
right away!”
In a flurry
of brown and white he was gone.
“I swear
hotel management is per for for him,” Eri commented, watching him go. “I was so
glad when Otou-san bought that resort in
and put him in charge.”
Yukio
chuckled. “You were just happy to have a place to stay for free you you went
for the fashion shows.”
Just then
Mama-baachan came back into the waiting room escorted by a youkai member of the
police force.
“Thank you
for your time and cooperation, Higurashi-” th” the
officer said with a bow. “We will keep you informed as to the progress of the
investigation.”
Mama-baachan
bowed back. “Thank you, Officer. If there is anything
more I can do to help, please call me.”
“We will.
Thank you again.”
“What have
you discovered?” Uncle demandeakinaking the officer pale.
“
“We have learned that the younger Hattori intercepted a phone call from Dr.
Teresa Maggiano for Hattori the elder. He
purposefully did not inform his father of the message and took Fushikenwa-san’s
case for himself. He even took the medical records sent from Dr.
“Do we know
why he did this?” Aunt Rin questioned.
“It appears
he wanted the prestige of delivering the Fushikenwa infant. However, he has no
experience with human births. Since his graduation from medical school four
years ago, his practice has been restricted to youkai patients.”
“
years!” Miroku sputtered. “That bastard told us he’d been delivering
babies for over a hundred! Fucking son-of-a-bitch lied to us!”
Yukio had
to smile in spite of the news because Miroku sounded just like their father.
“So to the
best of your knowledge, Hattori junior was acting on his own?” he asked.
the officer replied, bowing to him.
He heard
the cracking of knuckles nearby and saw Ryoukan wiggling his claws.
“Keep us
informed. You may go now,” Uncle said, dismissing the officer.
With a
final bow, the officer left. At the same time, a young nurse came through the
ward doors.
They all
turned to face her and she visibly paled.
“We are the
family,” Yukio answered.
“The infant
is ready for visitation from immediate relatives,” she stammered.
Mama-baachan
stepped up. “I am the baby’s grandmother.”
“You can go
in. Where are the parents?”
“My mother
is comatose in Intensive Care. My father has been sedated and lies there,” he
replied, motioning to the still figure on the couch who
was still clutching Tenseiga like a lifeline.
The nurse
looked over at Inuyasha and blushed. “I’m... I’m sorry. Only parents and
grandparents may go into the nursery at this time. The rest of you may view the
child from the observation window.”
“I’d like
to go in,” Mama-baachan said.
The nurse
nodded. “If you will follow me please.”
“Mama-baachan,”
Izayoi interrupted, handing her one of Kagome’s shirts. “Here, put this in with
the pup. It has Okaa-san’s scent.”
Mama-baachan
accepted the clothing with a small smile. “Thank you.”
“Anyone who
wants to see the infant through the window can come as well. I’ll bring him
into the observation room and set her up in a rocker so all of you can see
him.”
Several
faces looked at him. “All of you go. I will stay and watch Otou-san and go once
you get back,” he said. ‘It’s the right
thing for a leader to do. Although I have no doubt that Otou-san would be
muscling his way in first.’
There was a
mass exodus behind the nurse and the poor thing looked traumatized. The only
ones left in the waiting room were himself, Uncle, Aunt Rin,
Ryoukan, Souta, and his father.
He went
over to his young uncle and knelt by him. “Yes?”
“Is Nee-
tears in his eyes.
He dropped
his ears and gulped. “I don’t know.”
Souta
sniffled. “But I don’t want Nee-chan to die!”
“I don’t
either.”
“This is horrible.
How could this happen?”
“That’s
what we’re trying to find out. There was a mistake and the wrong doctor was
treating her.”
The boy
started to cry. “I want Nee-chan to be okay!”
Yukio
reached out and hugged him tight. “Me too,
He held
Souta while he cried, trying hard not to cry himself, until the boy pulled away
and wiped his face roughly.
“I
“I think
they’ll let us in to see her soon. The doctor said we could go up to see her
for ten minutes at a time.”
“Have you
been to see her yet?”
“Not yet.”
“If you
want, I’ll take him up,” Aunt Rin offered.
“Thank
you,” he said gratefully.
Souta
hopped off the chair and Aunt Rin took his hand. “Do
you know where Nee-chan is?” he asked.
“Yes, I
know the way to the ICU. Come with me and I’ll take you to her.”
Once they
were gone, Yukio made his way over to his father’s side and sat beside him. Inuyasha looked uncomfortable, his brow
furrowed and his body tense. At some point he had either closed his eyes
himself or someone had shut them for him, because they were now squeezed shut. Blood
had dried on his clothes and hair, leaving dark red stains. He reached over and
gently brushed the hair from his father’s brow. The skin was cold and clammy.
Ryoukan
came to stand next to him.
“Why didn’t
you go to see the pup?” he asked.
The
wolf-hanyou shrugged. “I’ll see him later. I’ll let the crowd thin a bit before
I go in.”
Yukio
nodded and looked across the room to where Uncle stood. He was on his cell
phone again, barking orders, ruling his empire from wherever he happened to be
at the time.
platter by nightfall.’
Izayoi and
“He’s
beautiful,” Izayoi said, wiping her eyes.
Inuyasha’s forehead while his other hand tightly clutched Jyu-shi-Kenshuga.
both need to come back soon because he needs you. He’s so small and helpless.
He needs his mama and papa.”
“I need to
get him out of here. Can we go back to Tokyo House?” Izayoi asked.
“Do you
have one?”
“Miroku’s
BMW is in the garage.”
“That would
be perfect. He needs to rest. We’ll come back once he’s slept some. You’ll call
if anything happens?”
He fished
the keys out of his pocket and handed them to her.
the house. There’s nothing we can do here and all of these people are making
your Sight go crazy,” she said softly to the dragon-hanyou, taking him by the
arm.
“But
Mama...”
“There’s
nothing we can do for Mama and Papa right now. Mama is in the hands of the
doctors. The right ones this time.”
“But...”
“You need
to rest, Tetsu. You know how you get when you’re overtired.
I promise that we’ll come back after you’ve slept for a few hours and eaten
something,” she pressed.
He saw his
brother consider arguing more but then give in. “Okay.”
“I promise
I’ll call the moment anything happens,” Yukio vowed.
“And I’ll
keep the phone by my head so I’ll be sure to hear it if it rings.”
“Okay,”
“I predict
that we’ll be back early this evening,” Izayoi told
him.
He nodded
and waved as she escorted Tetsu out of the room.
“I will go as
soon as I have seen the new pup. Kouga and
newborn looks like,” Ryoukan announced.
He laughed
softly and nodded. “Can’t have that.”
“You will
call me if anything changes here.”
“I will. I
promise.”
Ryoukan
nodded once then turned to walk through the ward doors, leaving him alone with
Uncle and his father until Rumiko, Tomo, Shippou’s mate Mitsiyomi,
Mariko and Eri came back from seeing the pup. There wasn’t a dry eye among
them.
“He’s got
Otou-san’s eyes,” Rumiko sniffled.
“And his
hair,” Tomo added.
“But he’s
got Okaa-san’s nose,” Mariko said.
“Miroku’s
still there. Ryoukan looked at the pup then left,” Eri told him. “Jii-chan and
Mama-baachan were allowed in. He looks just like Mom except he
has Dad’s hair and eyes.”
“And his
ears?” he asked, wiggling his own.
Eri smiled.
“Almost human. They’re on the sides of his head but
they’re pointed and might have a tuft or two of fur.”
“You should
go see him. They won’t let Mama-baachan and Jii-chan sit with him for much longer,”
Tomo said.
“We’ll
watch Dad,” Eri promised.
He nodded
and stood up.
“Where’s
Aunt Rin?” Eri asked.
“She took
Souta up to see Okaa-san in ICU.”
“Wait for
me and we’ll go up together.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll be
back soon.”
“Take your
time. I’m in no big rush to see her like that,” Eri admitted, casting a glance
at their father. “It’s hard enough to look at him.”
He nodded,
knowing what she meant, then gave her a small smile
before heading towards the ward doors. Once through, he asked the duty nurse
where the observation window was and she directed him down a hallway to a room
full of warmed bassinets. Both Jii-chan and Mama-baachan were sitting near the
window, and his grandmother was holding a blue-wrapped bundle. Miroku was there
in the hall, tapping lightly on the glass as the pup looked at him. He came to
stand right next to his brother and got a good look at his youngest sibling.
Eri was right. He looks just like Okaa-san.’
than Yukio had expected him to be, but everything about him was just about
perfect. He had short shockingly white hair atop a round, pudgy face and two
golden eyes that looked just like his father’s. The eyes were huge for such a
small face but he knew all pups looked like that in the beginning. He did have
Kagome’s nose, but he had Inuyasha’s chin and of course the two little pointed
ears.
“Isn’t he
beautiful?” Miroku whispered. “I know he’s just a newborn, but I think he can
see us.”
Yukio put
one hand on the glass and Mama-baachan held the pup up close to the window. He
was pleased to see that she had done as Izayoi instructed and tucked Okaa-san’s
shirt in close to the pup’s skin for the scent. The pup turned his head and looked
at him. Yukio bit his lip and gave the pup a strained smile.
“Hi,” he
whispered, then barked a greeting in inu-youkai.
The pup’s
mouth opened but he couldn’t hear if he made any answering noise. He tapped on
the glass and the pup lifted one tiny hand. Five perfect little fingers grasped
at nothing as the pup reached toward the glass. The tears began to roll
unbidden down his face as he looked at all he might have left of his beloved
parents, and his knees went out from underneath him as he slumped to the floor,
his head still above the edge of the window so he reaminedan>
an>
able the pup through the glass. He blinked away the tears because they made his
vision blurry and he couldn’t see the precious bundle clearly anymore. Miroku
knelt next to him and put an arm around him, and they both started to cry. A
pair of turquoise scrub-clad legs interrupted their weeping, and they looked up
to see a red-haired youkai woman looking down at them.
“Are you
family of Fushikenwa?” she asked gently.
Yukio
nodded, wiping his face. “We’re her sons.”
“I’m
“You were
the one who called for the surgical team and the new doctor,” Miroku said, as
both he and Yukio stood up.
“Yes. I
only wish that I’d been able to get a team in there sooner. The whole situation
could have been avoided if she had been sedated before she went into full
“You did
what you could. In end end, you probably saved my mother’s life. And the
pup’s,” Yukio told her.
“Your
father told me this was her first birth.”
“It was.
We’re adopted,” he replied.
“Ah.” She
looked at the pup then to the nurse who stood on the other side of the room.
Something seemed to pass between the two before she turned to look at them
again. “Do you want to see him?” she asked suddenly.
He blinked.
“We... we were told that only parents and grandparents were allowed in,” Yukio
answered.
“I know the
nurse on duty. I can probably sneak you in for a minute or two.”
“Could
you?” Miroku questioned hopefully.
She nodded.
“Yes. Come with me.”
They
eagerly followed as she led them around the corner to the nursery room door.
She knocked lightly and the nurse who had been in the room with Mama-baachan
opened it.
“Come in
quickly,” she whispered, motioning them into the first room of the nursery.
More pups were in here but there was no observation window. “Don’t leave this
room.”
“No one
will see you in here and you have about ten minutes before the floor supervisor
comes in,” the nurse told them.
“Thank
you,” he replied, holding back tears.
Miroku took
a small step forward and looked down at the pup.
“He’s so
tiny.”
“Do you
want to hold him?” Mama-baachan asked.
Miroku
wrung his hands. “Could I? Can I? Is it... is it okay?”
His
grandmother offered him up and placed him very gently in Miroku’s arms. His
brother immediately brought the pup close to his body to cradle him safely. The
pup turned his big golden eyes on Miroku and Yukio saw new tears form in
Miroku’s eyes.
“Aniki...
Aniki he’s so little. Was I ever this little?”
“Yes, you
were. You fit in both of my hands put together.”
The pup
moved and looked towards him as he came close and offered a finger. The pup
reached up and grasped his finger tightly.
“Hi. We’youryour brothers,” Yukio told the pup. “And we love you very much. We’re so happy
that you’re with us.”
“He’s just
been fed,” Mama-baachan told them.
“Fed? From
a bottle?” he asked.
His
grandmother nodded. “I know it’s not optimal but Kagome is in no condition to
feed him right now.”
He
indicated that he understood even though he wasn’t happy about it.
“What about
her milk now? If the pup doesn’t nurse, won’t her milk dry up?”
“If it
looks like she will be in a coma for an extended period of time, there are some
options we can explore,” Botan answered. “But for
now, I suggest you wait the prerequisite 24 hours before you start making
decisions.”
“
come out okay?” Miroku questioned.
The midwife
nodded. “Yes. They do tend to make full recoveries, although their bodies are
never the same and any subsequent pregnancies are even higher risk. If your mother
were to get pregnant again, it is highly likely that she would undergo a
Cesarean in order to reduce the risk of this happening again.”
“So you
think our mother will be alright,” Yukio prompted.
“We’ll know
more within the next few hours, but I think there’s a good chance. Your mother
is definitely a fighter so I predict that she will wake up soon.”
He gave her
a grateful smile. “Thank you.”
“Aniki, do
you want to hold him? We shouldn’t stay much longer. I don’t want to get anyone
in trouble,” Miroku interrupted.
He turned
and opened his arms. “Yes, please.”
Miroku gave
the pup to him and he cradled the tiny bundle close, one hand securely under
the pup’s head. Bringing his baby brother up to his face, he inhaled deeply to
imprint the scent on his memory. He was an odd melding of both his mother’s and
father’s scents. He snickered when the pup sniffed him too and made a little
burble noise.
softly, knowing the pup would instinctively understand him, even if he could
not speak.
The pup
looked at him with his big golden eyes then cracked a huge toothless smile.
Yukio felt warm all over at the sight of the pup’s grin, and he could not help
but smile back. He nuzzled the pup lovingly with his nose and giggled when the
newborn grasped at his hair.
“You are
going to be so spoiled and fussed over that you’re not going to know what to do
with yourself, but that’s okay because Otou-san and Okaa-san are the best
parents any pup could have, and you are so lucky to have been born into this
family. I promise you that no matter what happens, I will be here for you, and
I will take care of you if Okaa-san and Otou-san cannot. I give you my word and
I always keep my word,” he vowed, then kissed the pup gently on his forehead.
With a
final cuddle and nuzzle, he gave the pup back to his grandmother. “Here, we
should get back to the waiting room before there’s any trouble.”
Mama-baachan
accepted the pup back into her arms and gave him a little nod.
“I sent
Otou-san left it when he ran out of the house this morning,
and also to get a pillowcase from their bed. Once he is back, I will have the
pillowcase sent in so that you can wrap the pup in their scents.”
< Mama-baachan
nodded. “I’ll stay here until we have it. It is very important that he get used
to Kagome and Inuyasha’s scents.”
He nodded
in agreement, glad that his grandmother had such a strong grasp of what it
meant to be inu-youkai and how important scent was to them.
Both he and
Miroku turned to the midwife and the nurse in the room and bowed to them.
“Thank
you,” he said with genuine gratitude.
“Thank you
very much,” Miroku said as well.
the pup’s blanket and ripped off a small piece of it, handing it to him.
“Now you
can bring the scent of the newborn to his parents. I know your mother is human
but your father is not. He at least should recognize the pup-scent. Maybe it
will help trigger a recovery,” she told him.
His eyes
grew wide as he realized what the midwife had done. Here they were worried
about the pup getting his parents’ scents but they’d never thought about it
working the other way. He held the small bit of blue cloth in his palm. It
smelled strongly of the new pup.
“Thank you,
Botan-san. That is an excellent idea,” he
complimented.
She nodded
then motioned to the door. “Now go before the supervisor sees you and gives us
all an ear-full.”
Giving her
twin conspiratorial smiles, they slipped out of the nursery and headed back to
the waiting room. Miroku couldn’t stop talking about holding the pup the entire
way back.
“He was so
little and he looked at me! Aniki, he has Otou-san’s eyes...”
He put a
hand on his brother’s arm to still him. “Let’s not advertise that the nurse
broke the rules for us, okay? I don’t want anyone to get jealous.”
Miroku
raised an eyebrow at him and pointed out the obvious. “They’re going to smell
him on us.”
“I know, I
know, but I don’t want us to go in there bragging about how we got to hold him.
Eri is going to have a fit as it is.”
Miroku
flattened his ears and paled. “I forgot about her...”
He nodded.
okay?”
That means you get to deal with her.”
He rolled
his eyes and chuckled as they returned to the waiting room. Aunt
and his aunt was sitting close to the visibly distressed teen. Mariko,
was no sign of Rumiko or Tomo.
“They went
up to see Okaa-san,” Mariko told him, answering his unspoken question. “They’re
only letting visitors in for ten minutes every half hour.”
Before he
could reply, he heard Uncle sniff then the
inwardly under the intense gaze but stood his ground. Finally, Uncle stepped
back, his eyes narrowed in thought.
“
another call on his cell phone.
breath he was holding.
“What was
that all about?” Aunt Rin asked curiously.
“
“The nurse
gave us a bit of cloth from the pup’s blanket so we could bring it to
Otou-san,” Miroku explained.
“Ah.”
Yukio
smiled to himself. Miroku was excellent at dancing around the truth from so
many years of dealing with often inept administrations.
tell the whole truth.’
“What an
excellent idea,” Mariko commented.
Yukio
nodded and approached the still form of his father. Both Eri and
eyes narrowed suspiciously. He gulped but she didn’t say anything so he kept
walking until he had reached Inuyasha’s side.
Kneeling
down, he ran one hand over his father’s cheek and nuzzled him gently.
“Otou-san,
I brought you something from the new pup. I have it here with me.”
< sty style='mso-tab-count:1'> He took the
scrap of cloth and tucked it into the collar of his father’s shirt. They had
long since ripped off the paper scrubs that had been stained with his blood and
thrown them away. There was no reaction from older hanyou except for a slight
furrowing of his brow and movement under the tightly closed eyes.
an
style='mso-tab-count:1'> ‘He’s still partially aware...’
“That’s
your nrn srn son, Otou-san. If you’re where Okaa-san is, please tell her you
need to come back. We’ve seen him and he’s beautiful.”
His father’s
answer was a faint sigh.
to see her standing there with her hands on her hips.
“Is there
something you’re not telling us?” she asked coldly.
He
flattened his ears and bit his lip. She hissed softly, baring one fang.
“Don’t lie
to me, Yukio.”
“I’m not!
We didn’t,” he insisted.
“Then why
do you
smell of the new pup and not just that piece of cloth? And why does
smell of him too?”
“Hmm, I noticed that,”
He sighed.
“Okay,
okay. I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to get all pissy
and bent out of shape.”
She crossed
her arms over her chest. “I’ll be the judge of whether or not my being
“We were
looking at the pup through the observation window when the midwife who was in
with Okaa-san came up to us. She said she knew the nurse on duty in the nursery
and she snuck us in to see the pup for a few minutes.”
Eri gasped.
“She let you in? You got to see him?”
He gave her
a sheepish look. “And hold him too.”
“You
him?!!”
She stamped
her foot and hew sew she was two seconds away from a full-blown sulk.
“It wasn’t
like we planned it. We were both there and then she showed up and she asked us
if we were family of Fushikenwa and we said yes, and the next thing I knew we
were getting snuck in the side door,” he blurted, hoping to cut her off.
She pouted
and huffed, but he could see her calming down from her tirade.
“In any
case it isn’t like you won’t have plenty of opportunities to snuggle him once
he comes home.”
“But still,
it’s the principle of the thing. You got to break the rules and I missed it.”
He chuckled
and stood up, offering her a hug. “It’s okay,” he comforted.
“It’s not,”
she complained. “He may be all we have left of Mom and Dad and a stupid dog got
to hold him while I didn’t.”
He chuckled
again and held her close, letting her hold him because he knew she wasn’t so
much upset about his holding the pup as she was at the whole situation.
“You’re
going to go up with me to see Okaa-san, right?” he asked her when she pulled
back.
She nodded.
“But it’ll be a while before we can see her. Souta and Aunt Rin
just came back, and Tomo and Rumiko went up. They’re only letting two visitors
in at a time for only ten minutes.”
minutes from now,” he added. “And I’m sure Miroku and Mariko will want to see
her too.”
“Yeah,” Eri
agreed.
“Why don’t
we let them go first and we’ll see her last.”
“Okay.”
Just then
clothes and the pillowcase.
“Here,
here,” the tanuki-hanyou said, dropping the bad of
clothes and handing him the famed sword in its sheath.
“Thank you,
Kitarou. Please take the pillowcase to Mama-baachan.
She’s in the nursery with the new pup,” he said, accepting the sword.
“They’re
letting us in to see him?!”
“Just
through the observation window,” he clarified.
Mariko came
up to them and smiled down at the smaller hanyou; he was only about 1.5 meters
high. Tanuki didn’t get very tall and his human
mother had been small as well.
“I’ll go
with you. I’d like to see him again,” she said.
“Oh, okay,”
Kitarou agreed and went with her through the ward
doors.
Yukio took
Tessaiga and leaned down to place the sword across his father’s chest. Tenseiga
flared for a moment then recognized its brother-blade and settled down.
Inuyasha didn’t move to grasp Tessaiga’s hilt, but
somehow he knew his father knew it was there.
Otou-san...’
his father and Eri sat next to him. All they could do now was wait to see what
happened.
Two hours
after he left, Shippou returned with Midorikyou in tow. Yukio could not even
hazard a guess as to how the kitsune had traveled the distance from
to Zenko-ji and back in such a short time, but he
figured the fox had used some of his magic. Later he would learn that Uncle had
called Shippou on his cell phone and ordered him to re-route to a
company helicopter. Apparently one of the reasons they hadn’t been able to get
in touch with the taiyoukai was because he was
already two steps ahead of them, the way he usually was.
Exy hoy how
the revered immortal miko arrived so quickly was of
no concern to him however, only that she was there and that she could hopefully
do something to help. He knew from experience that Midorikyou had great
knowledge and power. Being the fusion of two very powerful mikos
in one body, she possessed the memories and abilities from both
her knowledge with those who sought it honestly. His sister Mariko had studied
under the great miko for a number of years, and he
himself had met her numerous times. His father always became slightly unstable
around her because she bore the face of his first love, but she had always been
kind and pleasant to him. Talking to her was always an interesting experience,
provided one could get past the fact that she continually referred to herself
in the plural.
When they
were children, Eri had delighted in trying to make him laugh in
She would ask innocent questions like: “If she talks and then answers herself,
what does that mean?” and “I wonder if when she gets bored does she play
other get jealous?” Often he would have to clench his fists and bite the inside
of his cheek to keep from laughing inappropriately. Eri, on the other hand,
always saw her as a source of curiosity and amusement.
Today,
however, his sister bowed as deeply as the rest of them did when the
down to a scant eight left in the waiting room with Rumiko, Tomo and
ICU. He didn’t blame them for needing to get away. He hadn’t been up to see her
yet, and he was already wishing he could be anywhere else but in the hospital.
Still, he was committed to waiting it out and he would not leave his father’s
side. Jii-chan and Souta were gone as well. The stress was too much for the
teen, and his grandfather felt he could better serve them by making prayers and
offerings in the shrine.
“We are
here,” Midorikyou said.
“
“The fool
lies there,” Uncle interrupted, pointing to the still figure of Inuyasha on the
couch.
Midorikyou
looked at Inuyasha, then back to Uncle. “And our
reincarnation?”
/spa/span>“Okaa-san
is in Intensive Care. She is in a coma,” Yukio replied.
The
a hand over his heart without actually touching him.
“What
happened here?”
“Okaa-san’s
blood pressure went too high and she...”
“
“Why wasn’t it diagnosed prior to the birth?”
Eri crossed
her arms and growled. “That’s what
Midorikyou
turned to Inuyasha again. “Hmmm, it matters not now does it? There will be time
for explanations later no doubt.”
Mariko
approached her and bowed. “Sensei, I have looked and seen that their souls are
still anchored to themselves and to each other.”
The
Yukio
stepped forward, his heart in his throat. “Miko-sama...
if it is necessary, is it possible to... to separate them?”
Midorikyou
raised an eyebrow at him, her face calm and stony as always.
“You would have
us try to cut the cord that ties them together.”
He put his
hands up in surrender. “Only... only if there was no hope. Only
if it was sure that both would die.”
She gave
him a soft, tender look. “There is always hope. But we will look and see what is
to be seen, and do what is to be done.”
He bowed
deeply. “Thank you, Miko-sama.”
The
Tessaiga
did not react to her touch but Tenseiga responded by flaring and letting out a
burst of protective energy that whipped around Midorikyou and made her hair fly
up. They watched as the miko instantly put up a
barrier to deflect the blast and a moment later the sword settled down.
Midorikyou closed her eyes and her face went slack as she slipped into a trance.
They
waited. Yukio noticed that he was holding his breath when his brain suddenly
started screaming for air, and he had punctured his palms with his claws when
he clenched his fists. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as they watched the
and her eyes snapped open. Yukio gasped and swallowed the lump in his throat as
he watched Midorikyou take a step back, one hand on her head as she shook off
the disorientation.
“He has
found her,” she told them.
Yukio took
a step forward. “Found her?” he repeated.
“Yes. He
holds her now. He has used his own life to support hers. To separate them now
would mean certain death for both, so tightly has he wound their souls
together.”
Midorikyou
looked weary and Mariko immediately brought her a chair to sit in, which she
did with a grateful sigh.
“Your
sword, taiyoukai, is a magnificent thing,” she said
to Uncle. “It made it possible for him to find her in the gap between the
worlds, and even now it creates a barrier that prevents them from being sucked
to the Other Side. And it had power enough to attack us when it thought we were
an enemy. You did right in giving it to him. You saved their lives.”
“
stoically.
“Your
father’s love lives in both blades. We knew him when we were alive. He was a
proud and fearsome creature, but his heart was good. Never did he attack the
weak or feed upon death and destruction. His sons have inherited this heart and
for that we are glad,” she admitted.
Uncle
snorted and turned away. “My father was a fool. I strive not to repeat his
mistakes.”
“
and Yukio looked at her in askance. “Don’t worry. I’ll make him pay for that
later,” she whispered to him.
He blinked
and thought he saw Uncle flick his eyes to his aunt and flinch just a tiny bit.
He shivered. He knew his mother’s wrath was terrible. He had no doubt that Aunt
Rin would make Uncle cower, although never where
watching eyes c see see.
“So you are
telling us that Dad has found Mom and is now holding her,” Eri asked, voicing
the question they were all thinking but were afraid to ask.
Midorikyou
nodded. “He holds her close and tightly. He will not let her fail. He has given
her the time she needs to heal herself.”
“So...
they’re going to live,” he pressed. He had heard it before from the doctor and
the midwife, but he trusted the miko’s judgment over any of the medical
professionals in the building. Midorikyou knew his parents well, and she knew
what the Shikon no Tama had done to them. If she said his parents were going to
live, then they would live.
“Barring
any unforeseen catastrophes, yes, they will live.”
The relief
that flooded through him made his legs go weak, and he
slumped to the floor as tears threatened to fall from his misty eyes.
“Thank
you,” he choked.
“Do not
thank us. We did nothing.”
“When can
we expect Okaa-san to wake from the coma?” Miroku asked.
“With
electrolytes. Once our reincarnation’s system is balanced, her return to
consciousness hinges solely upon her ability to recuperate and recover on her
own,” the miko replied.
“And I am
sure that Otou-san is helping her as much as he can,” Yukio added. He had the
utmost confidence in his father’s ability to keep his mother alive. He’d been
doing it for over 450 years.
Midorikyou
looked at him and nodded.
“So it’s
just a waiting game then,” Eri commented.
“Yes. At
this point, there is nothing else to be done,” the miko
confirmed.
“Several of
us have been to see Okaa-san up in ICU. I have heard that some comatose
patients canr. Wr. We’ve been talking to her and telling her about the new pup.
Do you think we should keep doing that? Would it help her come back to us?”
Miroku asked.
“Anything
that will help her return to herself would be worthwhile.”
Miroku
looked at his watch. “It’s been forty minutes. They’ll let two of us in to see
her now. Aniki, do you want to go? You haven’t been yet.”
He looked
at Shippou. “Shippou, did you want to see her?”
The kitsune
nodded. “Yes. I’d like to see her.”
“Why don’t you
and Miroku go up then? Eri and I have resolved to go last so we don’t mind if
the two of you go up before us,” he said.
Shippou
nodded again and he and Miroku left to go visit Kagome in ICU. Yukio went over
to where Midorikyou was standing and bowed to her.
“Thank you
for coming, Miko-sama. Your reassurances have brought
me great comfort.”
She placed
a hand on his shoulder and gave him a soft smile. “We are glad to have eased
your pain.”
“I... we
were very worried and frightened that we would lose both of our parents today.
These last few hours have been very stressful.”
“We have no
doubt. What happened to the infant? We are guessing that it lived.”
“Yes. It’s
a boy. We’ve been to see him several times and Mama-baachan has held him and
fed him. Would you like to see him. They’ll put him
into the observation room for us if we ask,” he offered.
“We would
like that.”
“I’ll take
her, Yukio, if you don’t want to leave Otou-san,” Mariko said.
He looked
at his sister. “Thank you, Mariko. Why don’t you do that.”
“Sensei,
please come with me. I will take you to see the new pup,” Mariko requested and
the two mikos headed out of the room.
With
Miroku, Shippou, Mariko and Midorikyou gone, the waiting room seemed almost
empty with just him, Eri, Uncle, Aunt Rin,
place beside his father again, brushing another stray tendril of hair away from
the furrowed brow and noting that the once cold and clammy skin was now warmer.
I don’t think any of us will rest until we know that you’re going to be all
right.’