Disclaimer: do I need to say it… *sigh* I don't own Inuyasha or Dragon Ball Z.

At the age of twenty-six, Kagome is one of the most accomplished neurosurgeons in Japan. For what it's worth she was currently still in residency, but she was treated like a full-blown brain surgeon and paid like one. Things weren't always this way, when this young woman was just fifteen years old, she started to get sick with the strangest diseases and miss most of school, but that's a lie. Kagome Higurashi fifteen years old, average everyday Junior High student, was a time-traveling Miko? Crazy but true and had a mission to complete that took her two years to complete and of course, she couldn't stay in the past, she had to go home.

Kagome decided if she couldn't help and save people; the way she did in the past, she would just have to find another way to do it in the present, and she knew how to go about doing just that: the medical field.

With modern technology, she could save people from dying in ways that would otherwise go unnoticed.

With that in mind, Kagome studied long and hard, practically ripping her way through High School and going to College.

Not that she didn't miss her life in the past, she missed it and her friends dearly. In her free time, Kagome found herself compelled to practice the combat skills she had learned from Sango and spiritual training she got from Miroku. Even going through the archives at the shrine and found a lot of useful information on how to use her Ki, healing specifically and knew that if needed she could use that along her journey to save people.

She went to college to become a doctor but found herself becoming a brain surgeon after the sad death of a friend's brother due to brain damage caused by an unfortunate accident.

Today she was on call.

9:37 A.M.

Call me (call me) on the line

Call me, call me any, anytime

Call me (call me) my love

You can call me any day or night

Call me!

Kagome knew that ring-tone was from the ER, she answered her cell phone as she rolled out of bed, got dressed and without a word to any of her family she left. They already knew.

Ms. Higurashi sighed as she watched her daughter shoot out the door like a bullet from a gun from her place at the table, Souta and grandpa sitting beside her. "That girl, she's working herself into the ground! She needs some time off where she's not constantly on-call."

"Well you know Kagome, that's the way she is, if someone needs help she'll do whatever it is without a thought." Souta shrugged but knew what his mother meant. Usually, when a person takes a break or vacation, they don't go to work, but Kagome always makes sure if she's needed people can get in contact with her. Souta sighed, she made a lot of money and did what she loved; helping people. But he knew it had to be stressful, especially for someone like Kagome; who would blame herself for not being able to cure a person. Like in the case they had a brain tumor the size of a grapefruit if a person could even survive that.

It was because of his sister that he wanted to be a rocket scientist. If his sister could fight demons, and nearly fail Junior High and then skip through high school, and earn tons of money by being a genius and becoming a neurosurgeon within just a bit over ten years. Then he could certainly be a genius and help explore space by being an awesome engineer in rocket science, he wanted to impress her and make her proud and he would if it was the last thing he did.

XXX

5:42 P.M.

Kagome was tired, surgery was absolute hell today, and having to climb all the shrine stairs didn't help.

"Welcome home sweetie," Kagome turned to see her mom doing some yard work and managed a small, tired smile, that was a complete non-verbal lie.

"Hi mom." She said, her voice sounding as tired as she felt.

Ms. Higurashi gave her daughter a sympathetic smile, "Sweetie you go and get some rest; I'll draw you a nice hot bath."

Kagome's smile was a bit more real this time at the thought of a nice, hot, relaxing bath. "Thanks mom."

Kagome, paying no heed to her brother or grandfather, climbed the stairs to her room. Not even bothering to remove her scrubs and laid down on her bed.

XXX

Ms. Higurashi was surprised when her daughter didn't immediately notice her or at least didn't indicate that she did as usual by opening the door or calling out.

That's when Ms. Higurashi heard it.

It almost sounded like laughter?

No.

Her daughter was crying.

Ever since she came back from the feudal era, for the last time, she had been a tough, levelheaded individual. There were very few things that honestly got to her; she had become extraordinarily responsible and independent, more so than most kids at her age, being that she was only seventeen at the time of her return.

Whatever it was, it was probably pretty bad. Ms. Higurashi, without knocking, casually opened the door, only to see her daughter, who seemed to have not even noticed her presence laying face-down on her pillow: sobbing.

Ms. Higurashi silently closed the door behind her and approached her daughter's bed and sat at the edge of it.

Kagome gasped looking up, having felt the mattress dip at the added weight of her mother. Ms. Higurashi saw her daughters face, she had defiantly been crying and still was, her fierce, genius, brain surgeon of a daughter was still human, and something happened.

Ms. Higurashi turned to give her daughter a hug Kagome immediately accepted it and returned the embrace needing the comfort, and she continued to cry.

"What happened Kagome?" she asked knowing it was something at work but Kagome had lost patients before. 'There are some you just cannot save,' her daughter had told her after her first loss, although Kagome usually managed with the healing properties of her Ki.

"They-they couldn't ha-have been more the-then e-eight, at most!" Kagome cried into her mother's shirt, "If only I had been there faster!" Kagome could only remember all the times she wasn't fast enough, or strong enough, knowing that at times there is nothing you can do. But for someone like Kagome, it was utterly heartbreaking.

"They were just CHILDREN!" Kagome continued with a shriek. She just felt so useless, was she just never good enough? Would she ever be good enough? "I just wish I were fast enough, strong enough, smart enough to make a difference, to save people, to help people, instead of just being a nuisance." Neither mother nor daughter noticed the brightening of the glow around the lavender-pink jewel hanging from the young surgeon's neck.

Ms. Higurashi said nothing, her daughter was stubborn, trying to argue with her and tell her about the difference that she, in fact, does make would be useless and a waste of time.

Ms. H just held her daughter until she cried her fill, feeling her daughter had calmed down she pulled back from her and gave her a little smile. "At least you tried, while I'm sure others would have just given up. No matter what happens, it's never a waste of time if there's even the smallest chance it would work. Now, go take your bath, it'll make you feel better."

Kagome managed to work up a smile, her mother was right at least she tried, and next time if something like this happens again she will make a difference.

But all throughout her bath, Kagome just couldn't stop thinking about the two children in the car accident; who had suffered such head trauma, and how she had failed to save them. And then her friends from the past, and not knowing what ever happened to them, all the adventures and all the trouble she had caused them.

She sighed, "I wish I were faster and stronger, maybe then I would be a bit more useful; a little more helpful."

She went to sleep that night and dreamed of curing level four cerebellar medulloblastoma (like how Kagome used to dream of getting perfect grades on tests).

XXX

6:00 A.M.

An alarm clock went off in the Higurashi household. "Come on Kagome; it's time to get up! There's a victim of an Astrocytoma or Ependymoma to be cured!" came said girl's voice as the alarm rang. A hand reached out from under the covers of the bed. "Well, time to get up." Higurashi Kagome said to herself not really wanting to get up but of course, she had work, but she felt strange and like something was brushing against her leg.

When she reached back to feel it, or find the cause, she didn't come across anything except the pants off her pajamas. 'Maybe I'm having mild hallucinations due to stress, or maybe I haven't been getting enough sleep or something,' she thought brushing it off, deciding she'd ask somebody at work about it later.

Kagome had to admit, other than the constant feeling of something brushing against her leg, something else felt weird, but she couldn't really place it. 'If it gets too bad maybe I can get some medication for it or something. People have been worried about me over working myself lately,' she thought while absent-mindedly making breakfast for herself and then decide to make some for her mom, grandpa, and brother.

She made omelets, sausage, bacon, and hash-browns. Serving herself a plate, while leaving the rest for her family, she dug in with gusto and found her plate empty. 'Luckily I made a lot.' She hummed as she went back for seconds and then thirds, and more, and more, only to find she ate it all! 'Okay, this HAS to be stress! Maybe I should get a therapist, or get prescribed some antidepressants, or maybe even take a vacation.' Kagome was entering a slight panic, nothing big, she'd just never been stressed to this point. Not even during her years of constant, nonstop studying, or even with her time traveling to the feudal era!

Or, maybe it was all starting to catch up with her?

Kagome's stomach growled, and she felt hungry like she had gone days without eating (which she had done before but still).

Kagome then found herself practically cleaning them out "Dear God! I'm not even full!" she said in shock at herself and her apatite. 'Well, I'm not hungry any more…' she thought to herself

"I'm definitely going to need to buy groceries on the way home." That said to herself she looked down at her belly and had to wonder: "How much did I actually eat and where did I put it all?"

"What are you talking about, sis?" she heard her brother asked from the doorway to the kitchen and she probably would have jumped if she hadn't heard him coming.

"Uhhhh…" she blushed, looking down at the ground hoping it would open up and just swallow her whole. She was sure she was never so embarrassed in her whole life, even if it was just her family. And she was sure that her grandfather would try to purify whatever demon he thought possessed her and she really didn't need to go through all that this morning, she had to go to work. "I kind of, cleaned us out," she answered her brother slowly with a nervous laugh.

"Your kidding." He said matter-of-factly. Sure he'd seen his sister eat a lot but never that much, but he looked in the refrigerator and found almost nothing. His eyes widened and discovered she was, in fact, right as he searched the whole kitchen. Then he looked at her, or more like he looked at her stomach, and almost expected to see it over expanded as one would in the cartoons; where when the characters ate a lot and almost look like they're pregnant afterward, only to see it normal.

Souta's eyes widened even further to the point they almost popped out of his head. "Where'd it all go?" he asked in amazement. He didn't know whether or not if he should be more proud or horrified.

"Kagome, you didn't somehow piss off a demon and get cursed by it to have a black hole that sucks up everything in its path did you?" he asked remembering how she said her monk friend got cursed.

She playfully, lightly, whacked him on the head. "Of course I didn't do some-" she trailed off noticing her brother was no longer standing, but laying on the ground knocked out.

"What?!" she immediately grabbed a flashlight they kept in case of emergencies, and pried his eyes open to shine the light in them so she could make sure he didn't have a concussion, and to her immense relief, he didn't.

It only took a few seconds for Souta to wake up and his hands immediately moved to cover the bump he was now sporting on his head. "Ouch, sis, what'd you do that for?! That really hurt! You know I was only joking!" he yelled at her his ears ringing.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you that hard!" Kagome said beginning to wave her arms around crazily in panic.

Seeing his sister like this was entertaining and all, but he felt terrible for making her feel bad. According to what his mom told him earlier, Kagome felt awful about something that happened at the ER the other day. "It's okay, it doesn't hurt that badly but just give a guy a little warning would you."

Kagome nodded sadly looking at the ground feeling incredibly guilty. Souta sighed at that pathetic look on her face you'd think she'd just killed somebody's puppy or something. "Look, sis, don't worry. I'm fine, and we needed to go grocery shopping soon anyways. Mom and I can do that while you're at work, and I needed something to do other than just sit around and study. I mean, it's spring break, and I don't have anything to do, so this will give me a bit to do and who knows maybe we'll run into someone and I'll be able to catch up with them." He said with a nervous laugh hoping she'd buy it.

Kagome sighed "Okay," then Souta's words sank in "OH MY GOD! WORK! I am so-o-o-o-o late!" she then darted up the stairs into her room quickly pulled on her scrubs, paying heed to nothing else but getting ready, therefore something very strange went unnoticed until her brother said something.

"Umm Kagome?" he asked looking at her strangely as if she had grown another appendage right in front of him.

"What!?" she snapped at him. She didn't intend to be mean or rude, but she was running short on time and had to get to work now, or she would risk being late to remove some abnormal cystic growth in someone's brain, and she was the best they had, she had to be there!

"Is today a costume party day or something?" he asked, his voice skeptical making her wonder at the weird way he was looking at her. It was really starting to irritate her. "What are you talking about?" she hissed out between gritted teeth. "All surgeons have to wear scrubs!"

"Umm, you, don't know? You didn't notice?" her brother had a dumbfounded look on his face.

"NOTICE WHAT?! Stop beating around the bush and get to the point already!" She was seriously starting to wonder if it really was a good thing that Souta had come back to the shrine for spring break. When he first arrived, she had been thrilled, but now.

"Why are you wearing a tail on your pants?" Souta asked pointing towards her rear

"What?" she asked him looking at him as if he had just taken random words and thrown them together in the wrong order that didn't make any sense.

"Look!" he said still pointing at it.

Kagome turned to take a look and what do you know, it looked like someone was playing a prank on her. "Oh it looks like someone must have taped or glued this to my pants when I wasn't paying attention." Kagome shot her little brother a half hearted glare.

Souta raised his arms in an 'I surrender' kind of way "Hey, don't look at me. I didn't do anything." He laughed nervously hoping she wasn't seriously mad right now; he's the one who has to deal with her.

"Well-" She turned around, so her back was facing him. "-are you going to help me remove it or just stand there?" she asked sardonically. "I don't want to go to work looking like I just walked out of some kind-of 'cosplay convention,'"

"Yeah, yeah." Souta replied moving forward to remove the 'fake' tail. He gave it a quick yank and received a punch that actually made him rise in the air a bit.

It took both Kagome and Souta a second to register what just happened. They both snapped to at the same time. Souta felt a severe numbing pain in his jaw. 'Is it broken?' He mentally asked himself. Then he noticed Kagome was suddenly next to him 'How'd she move so fast?' he once again asked himself.

He watched as his sister quickly looked him over first (as usual) checking for a concussion or something and then examining his jaw.

She poked, and prodded and he winced and whimpered "Yeah, I think it's broken." Kagome said, almost off-handedly, as she raised a glowing hand to his jaw and began healing it. As usual, it was mended within seconds. He'd remembered many times when Kagome injured herself training, especially with seal weights, until she just wore them all the time.

"There we go. All better now." She said with a big grin.

Souta gave her a sulky look, "What'd you punch me for?" He was pouting, and Kagome thought it was cute but remembered that it was indeed her who hit him. It took her moment, but she remembered the intense pain that ran through her.

She pouted right back "Well, it hurt! What the hell were you thinking?" she was acting childishly, and she knew that, but this was her younger brother, she could afford to act like that with him.

"Yeah right!" he snapped sarcastically. "Trying to remove a fake tail from your pants shouldn't hurt!" He crossed his arms and turned away from her.

"Humph!" she huffed at her younger brother's attitude, but he was right, it shouldn't have hurt.

She looked back at the tail and took hold of it and her eyes widened in horrified shock. "It-it's… real…"

XxXxXxXx

Little known fact Reviews are crucial for the first few chapters, because the plot bunnies need food and they get food from reviews so please take a few seconds of your Time and leave me a review. (we'll meet DBZ characters next chappie.)

Beta-read by wolfYLady-sama 01/24/2018