Therapy Dog
The Celestial Tiger's Notes: The other day I was cuddling with my dog and I thought to myself, she'd make a great therapy dog with how sweet she is. Now don't ask me how I made the leap from there to Inuyasha, since he is typically neither sweet nor loving. Somehow, though, my thoughts made the cavernous jump to the question, would Inuyasha make a good therapy dog? Thus, this story began to churn about in my mind until, at last, I could not ignore the persistent demand of my imagination to sit down and write it out. Strange? Yes. A bit over the top? Perhaps. Cute? Most definitely! Enjoy.
Dilemma
Inuyasha bounded angrily towards the well, frowning sourly as he considered which diatribe he should yell at Kagome first. She was supposed to have returned that day…in the afternoon, after school let out. It was approaching evening and despite everyone else's insistence that he remain patient, he couldn't tolerate waiting around for her any longer. If she wasn't going to bother to show, he was going to go and drag her back. And he had a piece of his mind to share on the matter while he was at it. He leapt down the well, reappearing in Kagome's era and headed toward her bedroom window.
As he approached the house, Inuyasha noted with resentment that Kagome's bedroom light was on. So she wasn't in trouble or danger…she just hadn't come. He growled furiously and shot up to her window, peering in and cutting his eyes acidly upon seeing her lying on her bed staring at the ceiling. He was going to slam her window open and startle her but it was locked. This only served to make him angrier and he pounded on the frame as hard as he could without breaking anything.
Kagome did jolt in surprise. She jumped up, shocked and a bit annoyed. What was Inuyasha doing here and what right did he have to look so angry? Then it dawned on her…she had said she'd be back today. She sighed heavily and unlocked the window, bracing herself for the explosion that was sure to accompany his entrance. Certainly enough, she didn't have to wait long.
"What in hell's the matter with you! We've been waiting for you all day and you're at home, lying around! You better be sick or something, because…" Inuyasha paused in his tirade when he noticed that Kagome looked very troubled. Normally she got defensive and yelled right back at him, but this time she was quiet and sullen. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah so…uh…why didn't you come?" There was still annoyance in his tone but he was far more subdued.
Kagome looked up into his eyes. "I'm really sorry Inuyasha. Something happened and I forgot."
Inuyasha bristled slightly. She forgot! How could she just forget! Still, the look in Kagome's eyes made him restrain himself. "What happened?" he asked somewhat impatiently, an irritated edge still lining his voice.
Kagome took a deep breath. "When I got back to school, I found out that in order to graduate I have to do some community service. You know…helping other people who are in a bad situation. I have to stay here until it's done."
Inuyasha eyed her suspiciously. "What does going and helping poor people have to do with getting an education?"
"It's to teach social responsibility," Kagome replied, sitting down heavily on her bed. "And not all areas of volunteer work involve poor people. At least…mine doesn't," she said, her voice getting disconsolately quiet as she stared at the floor.
Inuyasha tilted his head, looking slightly concerned. "What could you possibly be doing that's making you so upset?"
Kagome looked back up at him. "I'm volunteering at the hospital…in the ward for terminally ill children." Her voice cracked. "I'm supposed to just keep them company…spend time with them and cheer them up." She looked back down at the floor again. "But…it's so sad. And I feel so helpless. I wish I could do something…something better than just sitting there and reading a book to them."
Inuyasha's ears drooped slightly. "You mean…these kids are dying?" Kagome nodded solemnly. "Of what?" Inuyasha asked, sounding genuinely troubled.
"Various things. Cancers…degenerative diseases…slow but unstoppable failure of vital organs…they're not contagious or anything…but it's hard to be around them because I feel so inadequate."
Inuyasha looked slightly confused. "Human kids die all the time in my era…but I thought the medicine in your time was better."
"Well, it is…but…some things still just can't be cured." Kagome sighed deeply. "Kids shouldn't have to go though things like that. They're all sad…even when they're smiling, you can see the sadness in their eyes. I just wish I could do something to truly brighten their spirits."
Inuyasha shifted again. "So…how long do you have to do this?"
"Two weeks," Kagome said through a sigh.
Inuyasha's expression hardened. "Two weeks! You mean we have for wait for two weeks for you to come back?" he griped.
Kagome frowned at him. "No! I've already done a week since I've been back here. Let's see, tomorrow's Saturday so it's more like one more week."
Inuyasha sniffed indignantly. "Still…that's one week longer than you promised."
Kagome began to get annoyed. "Look, Inuyasha," she said sharply. "This is beyond my control. I didn't count on this when I made those plans! It's hard enough without you trying to make me feel guilty about it! Think about someone else for a change! Or should I just go in and tell those poor dying children that what you want is more important than they are!"
Inuyasha frowned sulkily, his ears flattening slightly. "Of course I don't want you to tell them that! Stay here…I don't care!" He sniffed indignantly. She made it sound as if he didn't have a heart at all!
Kagome's expression softened when she saw that Inuyasha seemed a little hurt by her implication. She knew that what she had said wasn't completely fair. She had seen the softer side of him…she knew that he hated to see the innocent suffer. She wanted to apologize, but decided to opt for a placation instead. "We'll hunt for jewel shards the moment I come back, ok?" she offered sweetly.
Inuyasha crossed his arms and turned his back to her, trying to appear indifferent. "Whatever," he grumbled.
Kagome smiled gently. "Well…I need to start my homework since it'll probably take me the entire weekend to get it all done. You're welcome to stay if you want, though."
Inuyasha shot her a surly glance over his shoulder. "I have better things to do. Just make sure you're back after a week," he grumbled and then jumped back out of her window and away back toward the well, still nursing slightly wounded feelings.
Kagome sighed and shook her head. She had far too much to think about to cater to Inuyasha's peevishness tonight. She pulled out all of her school books and then made a face at the rather munificent spread of homework in front of her. Still, she decided she would much rather think about homework than all of those little children in the hospital. She sighed heavily and plopped down, snatching up a pencil and piece of paper and digging into her first assignment. At least for now, it kept her from thinking about tomorrow.
Additional Notes: Yeah, you know where it's going. Pretty obvious. But it'll be sweet.